Liza Street's Blog: not your grandma's romantic fiction, page 4
January 5, 2021
Browse Some Great Reads!
I haven’t been taking part in as many book fairs lately, but when I saw these two for January, I couldn’t resist!
Free Shifter Love
Steamy Novels to Warm You
December 29, 2020
The Final Week of 2020
Dear 2021,
You could not come soon enough. I’m not one to linger on the past, so I won’t lay blame or tell you all the ways you could’ve really improved things by arriving sooner. Your evil stepsibling, 2020, was wholly irresponsible and honestly, a lot of us are wary now of what dangers you might be hiding. I think it prudent for me to outline my expectations for the coming year.
Only nice surprises, please
Kindness is the law of the land–and this means: no name-calling, no physical violence
Allow us to heal
I want reason and order
Give those who need it an extra kick of Empathy Cocktail
End poverty and hunger
Bring together friends and family who’ve been separated too long
Let artists do their art
Let scientists do their science
Let activists bring about awareness and positive change
Let every person have a voice
Give us lots of great books
Bring us inspiration
Bring laughter
And finally, let 2021 be like a romance novel, where good triumphs, and love wins.
Thank you, 2020, for whatever small mercies we were given (because I realize it could’ve been worse, although that’s hard to imagine). And thank you, 2021, for ushering in a new year and allowing me to hope for and envision something better.
December 22, 2020
Happy Holidays
Whether you finished celebrating Chanukah last week, or you’re about to dive into Christmas or Kwanzaa this week, or none of the above, I’m wishing you happy holidays–past, present, future.
What this week looks like for me is last-minute gift-wrapping, phone calls and Facetime with friends and family, doing puzzles and baking with the kiddos, assembling my 2021 reading journal, and then collapsing at the end of each day with Mr. Street, each of us on opposite sides of the couch and either quietly reading our own separate books, or watching a show on Netflix. Nice and peaceful.
I hope you’re able to find peace and happiness despite the strange closing to a strange year.
December 15, 2020
Paranormal Chick Lit #PCL Group Release!
The #PCL (Paranormal Chick Lit) authors have a major treat for you today–seven new books, released all at once! Ready for some paranormal romance comedy to keep you laughing through December? Look no further. 
December 8, 2020
Looking Ahead to 2021!
Last week, I mentioned being more of a futuristic-thinking kind of person, and that really is me 100%. I dutifully marked the books published in 2020, and don’t get me wrong, I love all those books! But I’m also way more energetic when I think about the books to come!
Here’s the plan so far (which is, as all things in the future, subject to change):
January 11th: Filthy Cowboy
February 16th: Blood Beast
February 24th: Exes and Exorcisms (with Keira Blackwood)
April 3rd: Lullaby of Death (with Skye MacKinnon)
April 26th: Forbidden Fangs #3 (no title yet) (with Keira Blackwood)
May 10th: Filthy Prince
August 16th: Spellcaster Embraced (with Keira Blackwood)
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Do I have more planned in 2021 than what’s discussed here? You betcha. But past a few months, things get a little fuzzy, so we’ll stop with these seven books. (Only five are pictured, because I ran out of room in my little graphic, and it’s late at night as I write this so…this is all for now.)
I absolutely want to write more Charmslinger books (I even have a title picked out for Book 3!) and at least one more Junkyard Shifters book beyond Filthy Prince. There are other projects I desperately want to tackle, also, and I struggle daily with the essential pain that I can’t fit more writing hours into each day. Trust me, I’ve tried to write more. The result is migraines and a stiff body and no time with my family. So, slow(ish) and steady is how I have to roll.
Thanks for letting me blather on about the future, because this is my jam!
December 1, 2020
2020 in Review
I’m much more of a look-forward than a look-back kind of gal, but it is important to celebrate accomplishments, so I’m gonna force my ass to sit down and recount all the books I published this year. Ready?
I’m including a universal link for each book, so if you haven’t snagged it yet, you can now!
Claimed in Forbidden (with Keira Blackwood)
Fated in Forbidden (with Keira Blackwood)
Bound to Forbidden (with Keira Blackwood)
Caught in Forbidden (with Keira Blackwood)
Mated in Forbidden (with Keira Blackwood)
Forever in Forbidden (with Keira Blackwood)
Destined in Forbidden (with Keira Blackwood)
Song of Blood (with Skye MacKinnon)
Billionaires and Bodybags (with Keira Blackwood)
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(Oh, and I’m leaving out boxed sets and anthologies because…I’m tired, hahaha.)
Sooooo that’s 2020! Book-wise, it’s been great. Everything-else-wise, not so much. I am so looking forward to 2021, and that’s what next week’s post will cover!
November 24, 2020
Giving Thanks…
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For the past couple of years, I’ve been really trying to focus on gratitude. My default demeanor is cranky and pessimistic, so I started making an effort to write three things I’m thankful for in my diary every morning. It got very boring until my friend Ona told me I wasn’t allowed to repeat the same things from day to day. WUT. Then it got a lot more challenging–and more fun.
Sometimes I’m grateful for a general thing, like my children’s health, or pleasant weather. But that’s hard to do without repetition. I mean, I’m sure I’ve repeated those once or twice–after two years, it’s impossible to remember every thing I’ve mentioned.
But the most fun I have is when I find something very small and specific. I’m thankful for my cat’s aggressive purr as she sits in my lap while I write. I’m thankful for the way that scene in Filthy Cowboy just flowed out of my fingertips and onto the computer screen. I’m thankful for my spouse’s support while I try to keep this book business afloat.
2020 is a hard year to be thankful for. I won’t recall all the hardship; it’s in the news every damn day, so what’s the point? But I can zero in on some of the better things if I get really specific.
I’m grateful for every single one of my readers–those who interact with me on social media, email, or elsewhere, as well as those who don’t. I’m grateful for the chance to write something different from my shifter books–I departed into alternate history/fantasy this year, and it was a blast. I’m grateful for a new desk that has space for a notebook on the side after working on something that was only as wide as my laptop for so long.
I could go on and on, because when I lift the magnifying glass to examine the small joys, I find so many more.
So, whether or not you’re celebrating Thanksgiving (or if you celebrated it in October!), I’m curious what small things you might be thankful for. Feel free to share in the comments, or shoot me a message on Facebook, Shifter Central, or via email. Or just hold it in your heart and let it be an ember of happiness, glowing quietly.
November 17, 2020
Writing Update: Filthy Cowboy
Filthy Cowboy is coming out in January, and I’m so excited! Here’s my love list for the book:
an innocent librarian heroine
a taciturn cowboy hero
a dark past
scary bad guy
references to The Bachelor
a couple of librarian jokes made me giggle
the hero and heroine were pen pals before they were lovers
the hero writes poetry
this is the longest Junkyard Shifters book yet! (Only by a couple thousand words, but still!)
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If you want to preorder your copy, you can do so on Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon! The Google Play preorder isn’t quite ready, but I’ll let everyone know when it is!
November 10, 2020
Paranormal Romance Authors Discuss the First PNR They Ever Read
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Ah, firsts. We all have them: first kisses, first dates, first time behind the wheel. Some of them are memorable, and some we’d rather forget.
For this month’s edition of Paranormal Romance Authors Discuss, my friends and I are going to tell you about some of our firsts. Which firsts might they be? Read on to find out!
Topic: Tell us about the first paranormal romance book you ever read.
I was a precocious child and started reading at a really young age. By the time I was ten, I had blown through my mother’s copies of Gone With the Wind and Flowers in the Attic, lol. It wasn’t until I was thirteen that I discovered some pretty amazing supernatural tales in my local Waldenbooks, and that all started with Anne Rice. I suppose from there I just grabbed anything I could get my hands on that involved the paranormal and my love for all things bookish and reading just took off to new heights. So I guess it was not anyone book, but a multitude of fantastic folks like Ms. Anne Rice, Nora Roberts, Teresa Medeiros, to Patricia Briggs, Chanda Kahn, Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden, Celia Kyle and so many more, that brought me to this state of utter fascination with PNR love stories. ~C.D. Gorri, author of Purely Paranormal Pleasures
The very first paranormal romance I ever read was Katie MacAlister’s Sex and the Single Vampire. That title alone grabbed me. I loved that she wrote about vampires, but it wasn’t dark or scary (even though her vamps are known as the Dark Ones) and that the heroines were the ones who could save these mysterious sexy guys souls through the power of love! Her books are laugh out loud funny and I’ve read every single book she’s written because she keeps me smiling and swooning. ~Aidy Award, author of Dirty Wolf
It was Anne Rice’s, The Mayfair Witches. What intrigued me the most about this book was how real she made her characters feel. I loved the folklore and history she wove into the story. It was also so much more entertaining than reading about real people because it stretched my imagination. ~Terri A. Wilson, author of Crimson Moon Hideaway: Time Wasn’t Ready (Women of the Fold Book 1)
The first paranormal romance I remember reading was Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian. It’s book 1 of the Midnight Breed series, and it’s about a group of vampire warriors who protect the world from rogues. I’d had plenty of experience with “monsters” from the horror side, but this was the first time I experienced them getting their own happily ever afters, complete with thrilling adventure and lots and lots of steam. I was hooked on the genre after reading Kiss of Midnight. ~Carrie Pulkinen, author of the Crescent City Wolf Pack Series
Living in one of the six Celtic Nations, I am often drawn to Celtic inspired romance novels. These romances are often Scottish and while Lucy Monroe’s ‘Moon Craving’ fits the kilt wearing mould (making me go weak at the knees with the hero’s every muttered ‘och’ and ‘aye’), ‘Moon Craving’ has a twist – a paranormal twist. Talorc, the strapping, shirtless hero, is the leader of a secret werewolf shifting clan. The story tells of his arranged marriage to an English woman who is determined to keep the secret that she’s deaf from her new husband. As you’d expect, the couple fall in love but both characters must learn to trust the other with their secrets. In this historical romance novel you will find passion, a brave heroine who fights for what her heart wants and the all-important paranormal story that keeps you turning the page. Reading this story changed my expectations of romance novels. Now, propelled by that discovery, I have created my own paranormal world of shapeshifters and prowling, hungering heroes and I will be very happy if they give you even a small amount of the joy that this book has given me. ~Beth Linton, author of The Guardians’ Trust: Ana (Book 1)
It’s so hard to recall, since I started reading romance when I was 13… But the first paranormal romance that really stands out for me is A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands. I’ve read the entire series (all 31 books) since, though I definitely prefer her earlier (funnier) books! ~Mia Harlan, author of Amber
I honestly can’t remember; I’ve been reading paranormal romance since I was a pre-teen, and that was a long, long time ago! The ones that stuck with me the most, though, were from my mother’s library (God bless the woman for feeding my reading soul). Katie McAlister’s dragon series are some of my faves and were the books that convinced me I wanted to write paranormal (Drake, her green dragon wyvern, will always be my favorite dragon of all time). And let’s not forget Alyssa Day’s Poseidon’s Warriors; I devoured all those books and am so thrilled that she’s writing them again! Oh, and Alexis Morgan’s Paladins of Darkness series; I just found out she has been writing a spinoff series, so I’m heading right over to her website to go check them out! ~Tami Lund, author of Taming the Dragon Series
As I try to think back to that time, I believe it was Morrigan’s Cross (Circle Trilogy, Book 1) by Nora Roberts. I went on to read the rest of the trilogy. I loved all three books so much I read them again. Then bought the audiobooks and listened to them about three times. This was, of course, before I ever thought about writing my own books. I’d always been a fan of Nora Roberts’ books, especially her In Death Series, a futuristic, crime suspense series. I fell in love with the vampire in her Circle Trilogy and I guess, you might say it was those three books that inspired me to write my first book. Oddly enough, my first book was not PNR, but more Urban Fantasy. I do have a vampire series now, Immortal Hearts of San Francisco, of which book 6, Bewitched by a Vampire, has just released. Like Nora’s Circle Trilogy, my vampire series is heavy on the romance side. ~Susan Griscom, author of Bewitched by a Vampire, Book 6 in the Immortal Hearts of San Francisco
If I recall, the first paranormal romance I ever read was Dark Lover, Book 1 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. ~Gina Kincade, author of Shifting Hearts Dating App Series
The first paranormal romance I ever read was The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. I absolutely loved the Mayfair Witches and the entire series (but I love everything she’s written, so there is definitely a bias). I am not sure if it technically qualifies as a romance, but there was definitely some paranormal seduction in play. 
November 3, 2020
These Are a Few of My Favorite Scenes
(To the tune of “My Favorite Things”)
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Hera and Blake getting down in the forest
Parker dancing to a 90s pop chorus
Carter and Lena in the fighting ring—
These are a few of my favorite scenes!
Maverick texting his new girlfriend Kate
Jameson finding out Nina’s his mate
Hope with her dragons, and sex on the beach—
These are a few of my favorite scenes!
When real life is getting tough and
I think I could scream,
I fire up my reader and open my books
and re-read my favorite scenes!
Daphne’s flame-thrower and Sophie’s new pet
Blythe wanting Jase and him saying not yet
Sparrow & her bodyguards doing hot things—
These are a few of my favorite scenes!
Hayley and Marius’s fun in the lake
Gwen in the mirror with Doug her new mate
Bryce popping into Margot’s sexy dreams—
These are a few of my favorite scenes!
When real life is getting tough and
I think I could scream,
I fire up my reader and open my books
and re-read my favorite scenes!
If you’ve read my books, do you remember any of those scenes?
