Cynthia Eden's Blog, page 103

Bad Moon Rising, Part 2

Did you miss Part One of Bad Moon Rising?  You can check it out here.

Now…let's check out Part 2 of the Halloween Round Robin!  This time, Shelli Stevens is taking over the story:

Bad Moon Rising, Part 2

by: Shelli Stevens

Shit. That quick glance had cost her. Karen opened the door, but couldn't get out before it slammed shut once again. Razor sharp claws dragged through the wood beside her, leaving gashes that again made her damn happy that his credit card was the one they'd checked into the Love Shack hotel with.

Why couldn't he have just let her go? Resignation swept through her as she tightened her grip on the silver knife and turned to face him again. Jon shifted back to human, fur receding and his body morphing, until he stood before her in full male human form again. She clenched her jaw, determined not to let her gaze slide over the rock solid body she'd come to know so well.

Instead she held his gaze–bloodshot from the silver spray–and even though it had been years since she'd feared a werewolf, the savagery in his expression sent a cold shiver skating down her spine.

"You should've killed me when you had the chance, wifey." A humorless smile flickered across his face as he backed her up. His hands slammed on either side of her head, pinning her between him and the door.

The man before her should've been her nemesis. Someone she was trained to kill at the first chance. Even though he'd been damn stealth at hiding any hints of a paranormal side, she still should've picked up on what he was. Surely there must have been some clues in the month they'd been together.

She may not have picked up on what he was, but he'd known all along who she was. So what the hell had the last month been to him? Foreplay to an epic battle to the death?

She could feel the bite marks on her neck begin to tingle and warm at his possessive, furious stare. Jon was now her husband. Her mate. But none of that mattered at this moment. Her heart twisted with an emotion she refused to analyze.

She was a hunter and he was a Were. And it was pretty clear only one of them would walk out of this schlocky hotel room alive. She had no choice. Like it or not, there would be death and blood tonight. And she'd do whatever it took to ensure it wasn't hers.

"You know, I could blame me agreeing to marry you last night on a ridiculously strong Bloody Mary, but it's irrelevant. You're right. I should've killed you." A familiar cold calm settled over her, as she replied, "And I still will."

***

Jon was ready for her this time, stopping the knife before it was just inches from his heart. He tightened his fingers around her slender wrist, not squeezing hard enough to break her bones, but enough to make her drop the knife with a sharp cry.

Bitterness swelled in his throat and he swallowed it back down. For the past month he'd waited for Karen's assassination attempt. Expected it. And now here it was. The morning after he'd broken from the plan and lost his mind long enough to mark her, she decided to make herself a fucking widow.

He'd started to think maybe he was wrong about her. Maybe Karen had retired from her hunting days. But unfortunately–or maybe it was fortunately–he wasn't wrong. Karen was exactly the skilled, heartless Hunter he'd set out to wed last night.

Before she could blink, he had his hand around her neck and her imprisoned against the door once more. He had to give her props, because there wasn't even a trace of fear in her hard gaze.

"Come on, Karen. Surely by now you've realized there was a little more in that drink that tomato juice and vodka."

She sucked in a swift breath and he could practically see the wheels in her head spinning as she put it together.

"You son of a bitch," she snarled and clawed at his hand, trying to free herself. "You slipped me wolf blood."

"And you liked it. Best damn Bloody Mary ever, I believe you said."

"Fuck you."

"Yes. You did." His glanced at the broken bed and his mouth curved into a smile. "Pretty well, actually. But then that's just one of your numerous talents, isn't it?"

By the way her blue gaze could've frozen boiling water, he knew she'd picked up his reference to her little side job of sending Weres to meet their maker.

"I'm not going to beg for my life."

"Now, angel face, it would only disappoint me if you did." The endearment had caught on soon after they met. Because even though she had the cunning, bloodthirsty mind of the devil, the kicker of it was she did look a damned angel. With her heart shaped face, soft red curls, full lips, and striking blue eyes. But her body left angels in the dust and headed straight for the Goddess category.

"Why go through a wedding, claim me as your mate, if you're just going to kill me?"

Her voice cracked slightly, and his heart softened just enough to send alarm racing through his blood. There was no time left for lenience or regrets.

"You've made it clear that you have no qualms about carrying out my death, Karen." He curled his upper lip up to flash his sharp canines. "However I have no intention of killing you. I need you alive, angel face."

Her mouth parted slightly and her brows drew together. He felt the pulse beneath his thumb quicken as she swiped her tongue over her bottom lip.

"What exactly do you want from me, Jon?"

"Besides what I've already had?" He gave a humorless laugh."Tell you what. Lets throw on some clothes and take a ride in that souped up little Porsche of yours. We need to talk, and this time you will listen to what I have to say.

***

Tomorrow, the always awesome Juliana Stone will be writing our story! Come back to see what happens next!

Halloween Round Robin: BAD MOON RISING

Hi, everyone! Today I'm going to post the first section of a fun, Halloween round-robin story…I do hope you enjoy it!  Several of my writing buddies (Shelli Stevens, Juliana Stone,  Jess Granger, and Rebecca Zanetti) all agreed to help me write this tale. Each day, I will post a different author's segment until, on October 31st, the last installment is posted.  So, let's just dive in to…

Part 1

By: Cynthia Eden

Confession was supposed to be good for the soul.

It wasn't. Sometimes, it was the worst damn thing that could happen to a soul.

Karen Harvey stared at her husband. Husband. They'd been married for less than twenty-four hours.  Now this…

"Don't say anymore," she told Jon and refused to look at the ridiculous heart-shaped bed that waited behind them. They'd wrecked that bed last night. The sex had been incredible—all fire and passion. From the moment they'd met, everything had been fire and passion.

Until this morning, when she'd woken up and taken a good look at the marks he'd left on her neck.

How could I be so stupid?

"Karen…" A muscle jerked along his jaw.  That sexy, strong jaw that she'd stroked so many times. "This is going to be hard for you to understand, but I need you to trust me."

She almost rolled her eyes.  There was very little that she didn't understand about this world.

"I'm…not human."

Her hands fisted. Hadn't she told the guy not to say anymore? She glanced away. Looking at him hurt too much. Why did I fall for him so fast? "What are you?"  Though she knew. The instant she'd seen the bite marks, she'd known.

Not a vampire. There would have been puncture wounds if he'd been a vamp. But when she'd been having the best climax of her life, Jon hadn't been drinking from her. Instead, he'd been claiming her. She knew a claim bite when she saw one.

"I'm a werewolf."

Damn, damn, damn.  She spun away and ran a hand through her tangled red hair.  Her suitcase was open, perched on a chair just a few feet away.  "Yeah, I figured that one."

Mated to a werewolf. Her family was going to flip out over this.  Even if she lived to be a hundred, she would never live this one down.

Silence behind her. She shoved her hand into the suitcase.

"You don't seem surprised to find out that werewolves are real." Now a new tone had entered his voice. Anger? What—he got to be the mad one? Hell, no.

She'd dated him for a month and hadn't suspected the truth. Not even once.  Or had she?  "I'm not."

He grabbed her arm and spun her around. Ah, there it was—that fast werewolf speed. He'd been holding back on her. Tricky. Then again, she'd been holding back on him, too.

"How do you know about werewolves?" Jon demanded. Handsome, sexy Jon. With his rugged features, that thick mane of dark hair, and the greenest eyes she'd ever seen…She'd wanted him from the first moment she saw him.

We can't always get what we want.

But she'd taken him anyway.  Now he stood before her, his muscled chest bare and a pair of jeans riding low on his hips.  She could still taste his kiss on her mouth.

Slowly, she lifted the weapon that she'd taken from her suitcase. A knife made of solid silver. She pushed the blade against his chest—right above his heart—and watched as his eyes widened. "I have a confession, too," she told him, even as she felt stupid tears well in her eyes.

She'd thought she could escape her past. New city, new name, new life. No more death and blood.  No more monsters.

A new life—a fresh start.

"What the fuck?" He glanced down at the knife. The tip pressed against his flesh and already a soft plume of smoke was rising where the silver touched him.   Werewolves could never handle their silver.

"I'm a hunter," she told him, voice quiet. The old story about Red Riding Hood had been so wrong. Twisted. A big, bad hunter hadn't come out of the woods to save Red—Red had been the hunter.  She'd also been Karen's very distant relation.  Hunting was in her blood. She'd been trained to kill monsters since she hit puberty. Trained to kill them on sight.

Not fall for them. Not marry them. Not…love them.

She saw his canines begin to lengthen. Figured that it would come to this. Hunters and Weres were mortal enemies.

Then Jon smiled, showing off his fangs, and her blood chilled when he said, "I know, sweetheart…why do you think I married you?"  He glanced down at the knife. "Now do you really think you can kill me—or are you ready to hear what I have to say?"

Ready to hear—

Her eyes narrowed and in an instant, she brought up her left hand. She always kept supplies tucked in her bag. She sprayed the liquid silver right at his eyes and when he howled, she jumped back.

"I can kill you," she'd killed plenty of wolves before, "but I won't."

While he cursed, she leapt for the door.

Bones snapped behind her.  His curses became snarls, and she looked back just once…

And saw that her husband had transformed into a big, bad wolf.

***

Tomorrow, the lovely Shelli Stevens will be taking charge of the story. Come back to find out what happens!

Halloween & Welcome To My Dark Side

You know those crazy moments where the light comes on and you learn something new about yourself? A few years back a person asked me (nicely), how I could write some of my darker tales and still remain in the light myself. We had a good discussion, and the question evolved of how I can pen darker emotions, darker beings, things that are scary.

That made me really, really think. After all, if I'm a good person, how can I write about horrible things? How come some of my very best stories (in my humble opinion) are the ones where I conveyed the most wretched of emotions? Where I showed readers my nastiest serial killer ever (the dude in TREACHEROUS WISHES Ellora's Cave www.ellorascave.com) from inside that serial killer's point of view. Yeah, this guy rivaled even Jack The Ripper, who is in DARK, DEADLY LOVE  (Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com).

After a little bit of thinking, the light bulb came on.

With a flash bang I suddenly understood why I write about that shadowy side. I know that without the dark there is no light. I also know that I love showing how good overcomes evil, and how true love honestly exists.

I explained that if I tried to write stories that were straight traditional romances, romances that sometimes didn't deal with things as twisted and dastardly, that I couldn't hook into the story as readily. This isn't to say that I've never written lighter stories. Case in point, my contemporary romance MEANT TO BE (Cerridwen Press www.cerridwenpress.com). But there had to be something utterly compelling to me about writing that story.

Still, to stop writing about the paranormal, the serial killer, the danger that can be out there…well, that would just about kill me. It's in my blood. Writing paranormal and suspense elements is part of who I am, built into the fiber of my being. I love to read it and I must write it. Dang it, I like a good scare and while I'm dipping the reader in hot romance, I want to sometimes scare the dickens out of them, too.

I believe that when an author is hooked in to their story and there's something in the tale they're trying to convey that matters to them, it shows. When an author is into what is called "deep point of view," the author is into the head of that character, feeling what that character feels. Those are my very best writing moments.

So what does that say about me when I'm relishing writing from the bad guy's point of view? Not sure. Perhaps I'm like the actors who cherish that juicy part of playing the evil person. I'm exploring a side we all have, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. I definitely enjoyed writing the evil vampire who is featured in my vampire trilogy, DEEP IS THE NIGHT (DARK FIRE, NIGHT WATCH, HAUNTED SOULS at Ellora's Cave.)

In the near future but possibly not until late 2011, I'm going to write another set of stories that lean toward a horror/gothic romance sensibility. They call to me in the night. Write me! Write me! Wait, I have that other twisted, weird trilogy to finish first. Ah, so many ideas.

It wasn't until I had this more recent conversation with my friends that I understood that the dark side has always been with me. Since the time I was a little kid I've always liked watching the spooky stuff, and I still do. My mother didn't restrict what types of programs I could watch when I was a child, nor did she restrict what I could read. In my case, I think that was a good thing, because I already had a huge imagination and loved reading so much. For that I'll always be thankful to Mom.

There are just as many people who don't enjoy reading about the dark side as there are people who do. Do you enjoy reading about the dark side? And if you do, what do you like about it? Give it some thought. Wait…what was that? Was that a creepy, creaky door opening in the dark places of your mind? I'll pick a winner at the end of the day to receive a trade paperback from my backlist.

Suspenseful, erotic, edgy, thrilling, romantic, adventurous.  All these words describe Denise A. Agnew's award-winning novels.  Romantic Times Book Review Magazine called her romantic suspense novels "top-notch" and she's received a TOP PICK from Romantic Times Book Review Magazine in erotic romance. Denise's record proves that with paranormal, time travel, romantic comedy, contemporary, historical, erotic romance, and romantic suspense novels under her belt, she enjoys writing about a diverse range of subjects. The fact she has lived in Colorado, Hawaii, and the United Kingdom has given her a lifetime of ideas.  Her experiences with archaeology and archery have crept into her work, as well as numerous travels through the UK and Ireland. Denise lives in Arizona with her real life hero, her husband.  Visit Denise's website at www.deniseagnew.com to read excerpts, enter contests and find links to her on Facebook, Twitter and My Space.

Danger Women Halloween Party!!

Make me Shiver

First, I'd love to thank Cynthia for allowing me to be a guest on her blog today.

I have this thing that I like. For as far back as I can remember I enjoy movies, books or tales of spook or horror. Tales that make you stay up at night listening for that bump in the night. Make you pulse pound and you wonder what is around the next corner. All the things that make you shiver. I love to shiver.

In my opinion there are different degrees of shivering.

Slight shiver – this is the one, which only gives me a little thrill. A little tingle that feathers my hair.

Body Shiver – the body shakes, your heart pounds, sweat breaks out and you start looking around to see what is lurking waiting for you.

Shiver so hard my teeth rattle and I drop on my knees – this is when you hands shake, heart feels like it is coming out of your chest, you are sweating and wondering if that sound you heard is for real.

I can go on and on about all sort of shivers but I'll leave at the few above. When you tell someone to make me shiver it can be taken many way. It can be sexy, scary or spooky. All those shivers can encompass so many emotions. One shiver can tell a story of how a person is feeling. The movement in it self is it's own story. It's amazing how much you can learn from a shiver.

Being October and the month of spooky I am looking for the scare me type. This is when there are lots of scary movies on TV. The time I pull out my favorite horror and thriller books. When I look forward to the decoration and so on. In all of them I am looking for that shiver that makes your hair stand on edge. Then you laugh in that uneasy way. Put your hands over your eyes and watch with fingers sprawled. And wonder why I let myself be scared like this.

I love it. After all it's all about making me shiver.

CONTEST: Share with me things that make you shiver. One commenter will win a chance to choose one pdf download of any one book from my available e-book backlist. One winner chosen from the comments below! Contest will end on 10/25/10 at 11:59pm EST. I'll post the winner at the top of this blog post on 10/26/10. Be sure to check back.

Good luck!

****

Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora's Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Total-E-Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn't long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroine's, and sexy hero's. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com or blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog.

Halloween Memories

Thanks to the uber fabulous Cynthia for inviting me to blog during this wickedly fun time of year!  I love Halloween.  Something about the cooler weather after such harsh temperatures and 100% humidity for several months.

I can still vividly recall walking down my street along with dozens of other kids as we went from house to house trick-or-treating.  There were parents holding flashlights and making sure no one ran off, but not once did I think anything bad could – or would – happen.  It was a night full of fun and scares, a night when things that go bump in the night are supposed to be out.

And every year my mother dressed me up in the same thing – a gypsy costume used with whatever we had around the house.  I loved it at first, but by the third year I was so tired of it I refused to go out unless we could do something different.  She gave in, but she wasn't happy.

To her, costumes were meant to be something to put together from what was on hand, not store bought.

Fast forward to today…

Boy, how things have changed.  I don't like my kids going trick-or-treating to houses and people I don't know.  I've read the newspaper and seen the reports on TV.  I know the freaks out there.

As much as I want my kids to have fun, I want them to be safe.

But I think it would be really neat if my kiddos could know what it was like for me during Halloween.  Walking along the semi-darkened streets with my friends all dressed up, seeing if our neighbors could tell who was who beneath the costumes, and most of all seeing how much candy we could get.

What is your favorite Halloween memory?

I'll be giving away a copy of the second book in my Dark Sword series, FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER to a commenter.

To find out more about me, check www.DonnaGrant.com.  To find out more about the Dark Sword series, see pics of the Warriors, take the quiz, search the characters, or see the book trailers, check www.donnagrant.com/darksword.

hugs,

D

You Don't Scare Me!

First up, thanks so much to Cynthia for inviting me to stop by!

When I was very young, I saw a book at the library called Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The whole concept scared me so badly that not only didn't I read the silly thing, I was completely freaked out for weeks. Eventually when I read it, years later, gathering my courage like a blanket around my shoulders, I was heartily disappointed. Whether or not it would've scared my younger self was no longer an issue. All I knew was that the build-up of fear hadn't been worth it.

Years later I became somewhat of a daredevil when it came to scary things. Roller coasters, monster movies, bad boys on motorcycles… Yeah, that was me. I even up and moved to England for a year, all alone, and dragged home a husband. The immortality of youth made it easy.

But all that changed when I had my first daughter in late October of 2002. My fears morphed into very concrete, very pinpoint terrors that focused on her well-being. Suddenly movies like 21 Grams, in which Naomi Watts loses two young daughters to a car crash, became my A-No-1 horror scenario. Unlike deciding one day that Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark isn't so scary after all, I don't think this particular child-based fear is going anywhere. Add to it a second daughter the following year, and you have the key to breaking me into cold sweats.

The crazy reality of life is terrifying enough, which is probably why I don't go for scary movies that are possible. Saw, Hostel, and other "kidnapped by random crazy dude" tales just leave me frozen. It could happen. No thanks. I have enough horror show possibilities in my head without heaping on newer, more grisly images.

Instead I much prefer the good old fashioned monster movies that used to scare me as a child. Give me Aliens or Pitch Black any day, where people blow up mindless creatures. Sure favorite characters might be lost, but that's the glory of well-crafted, suspenseful storytelling. It makes me feel something real even in an outrageous scenario. That little safety cushion of knowing it could never happen to me and mine that keeps it from being too scary to endure.

So bring on 28 Days Later and The Descent. Give me Dawn of the Dead and The Ring. They don't bug me. But if you want to watch a gross-fest like The Hills Have Eyes or a family rip-your-hear-out tearjerker like Reservation Road or The Ice Storm, I'm afraid I'll have other plans!

And all of this leads me to a little discussion about the nature of personal fear. I've identified mine. All the rest? Like going for what I want with regard to my career, or putting myself out there professionally? How is that scary? It's certainly not harm coming to my family. Maybe that realization–the difference between real and imagined fears–helped me finally make a concerted effort toward publication. I started seriously in 2006, about three years after my second daughter was born.

Because compared to any of that, what do I have to lose? Another rejection…poor sales…a professional setback… None of it phases me anymore. I guess in the end, any reservations I had about those terrors became as harmless as the book I couldn't read as a child. I grew up, got some perspective, and conquered those fears.

What about you? Anything terrify you now that didn't before? Or fears you used to harbor that have since moved on? I'd love to know what makes you hide your eyes! I'll draw a random commenter to win a copy of my latest, SONG OF SEDUCTION, available as a digital download from Carina Press. It's all about people who face their biggest fears…and no monsters or crazy killers in sight.

Halloween Memories

It's pretty much a given that the seeds of Halloween originated with the Celts and their celebration of Samhain. The Celts believed that the veil between this world and the next was thinnest at this time of year. They believed that friends and relatives who had died would often return, with their souls inhabiting an animal – often a black cat. Black cats have remained a symbol of Halloween all the way until now.

Once of the Celtic customs involved going door to door asking for food to be donated to their deities. And young Celts would ask for wood to be burned on a hill top to celebrate Samhain and further honor their gods. These are two of the possible origins of Halloween's Trick or Treating.

When I was a kid, I wanted to dress up as something different every Halloween. One year a black cat, the next a hula girl, one time a princess — I suppose I was like the children now who want to dress up as whatever movie or tv icon catches their imagination. My brother and I would race from door to door yelling Trick or Treat with our long-suffering mother trailing behind but keeping a careful eye on her own little gremlins. At the end of our neighborhood canvassing, we'd return home, examine our loot and proceed to stuff ourselves until Mom put a stop to it.

All too soon, I considered myself too old to run door to door begging for candy and dressed as something I most definitely was not. When my daughter was born, I considered dressing up while I escorted her but none of the other mothers in the 'hood did and my sense of conformity kept me from doing it.

What a shame.

Halloween is one of the last childhood institutions that actively encourages imagination. And what better way to do it than running through crisp Fall leaves on a cool night yelling at neighbors to give those sweet candy bribes or risk getting windows soaped or trees decorated with TP?

That is…unless you're a writer. Or someone who likes strange, possibly frightening tales.

HEARTSTONE EXCERPT

The ringing phone jarred Keriam out of a sound sleep.

She bolted upright, heart pounding and groped for the handset.

"Hello?"

No one answered.

Her heart continued to pound.

"Hello?" she repeated. For a second, she thought she heard

breathing and an uneasy tendril snaked down her spine. She'd had

a number of these no-answer calls in the last few days. Normally,

they didn't bother her.

This one did. She hung up.

Too awake to fall back asleep, Keriam swung her legs out of the

bed, feet hitting the cold floor. She'd been locking the doors lately,

though she didn't remember doing it. Probably another facet of her

episodes, another sign she was losing her mind. Still it wouldn't hurt

to check them just to make sure.

And she could check on Wolfgang. Having a huge dog gave her

a sense of safety. Not that she expected to keep him, but she might

think about getting a dog of her own. She stared at the telephone

for a moment, then stood.

She rubbed her eyes, then, without turning on the lights, went

into the hallway. The quiet house had an empty feeling, as if she was

totally alone. That couldn't be. Not with Wolfgang in the kitchen.

Still, she advanced slowly, using all her senses to detect anything

out of the ordinary. Moonlight shone through the living room

window and she paused, looking out into the front yard. Nothing

there. Turning, she tiptoed into the kitchen, the same eerie feeling of

emptiness hitting her again. This time, she flipped on the overhead

light. The dog wasn't there. "Wolfgang?"

Quickly, she checked the living room although she already knew

it was empty. A growing urgency had her race through the rest of

the house checking under tables, behind furniture. She didn't find

him. She ended on the back porch, shivering in the cool night air

and looking out over the fallow field between her house and her

neighbor's. "Wolfgang!"

She couldn't see much past the glow from her doorway and

stepped farther into the shadows to let her eyes adjust to the dark. Her

toes brushed against a leathery object and she picked up his collar.

Somehow, Wolfgang had gotten out. Or been let out.

She whirled, looking back into her kitchen.

No, Wolfgang would have barked if there'd been an intruder.

She was sure of that. And she would have seen anyone who'd come

inside. She pressed her teeth onto her bottom lip, confused. Worried.

The door had been closed. Locked.

How had he gotten out?

It didn't matter. She had to find him. He was her responsibility.

She raced inside to get dressed.

Within minutes, she thundered down the stairs and headed to

the kitchen door. Wolfgang had probably gone into the woods out

back. A big dog like him, he'd enjoy chasing the small herd of deer

or the raccoons or possums. She hoped he didn't find the skunks

though. She didn't have enough tomato juice for that.

A sudden banging on her front door had her nearly leap out of

her skin. Then she realized it had to be Mr. Mountley. The old man

knocked like he was driving nails with his fist. He'd probably caught

Wolfgang nosing around the emu pens. She hoped Wolfgang hadn't

gotten injured by the big, mean-tempered birds. She whipped the

door open preparing to thank Mr. Mountley and scold the big dog.

"Marc?" Surprise made her step back.

Marc jerked, sweat sheening his face. His hair curled in damp

tendrils on his forehead and his eyes looked fever bright. He made

a moaning sort of noise and leaned unsteadily on the doorframe.

"Are you all right?" Keriam pushed the screen door open

without thinking. Then took another look at him. Something in his

expression sent an uneasy shiver up her spine. Something's wrong

here, she thought. Something's off. She hesitated, then years of

country-manners kicked in. "Come in, Marc. It's freezing outside.

Is something wrong? Is that why you came by?"

He moved like a marionette, stiff and loose at the same time. As

he walked past her, the rank odor from his body was overpowering.

She drew back, startled. Marc had always been fastidious.

He was obviously ill. Maybe drunk. But she didn't smell alcohol.

Marc's gaze whipped around the living room but he didn't move. He

simply stood there as if trying to figure out what to do next. She felt

heat pouring off his body. Not drunk, sick. The thought didn't ease

her slowly tightening nerves.

Marc took a ragged step forward, followed by another. He approached

the family portraits hanging above the stone hearth. Keriam

watched, puzzled, as he stared at Meredith's picture. Her mother's

red-gold hair gleamed in the autumn sunshine. Keriam moved behind

him. "What is it, Marc?"

He stilled at the sound of her voice. His hand trembled as he

rested it on the mantle just below Meredith's photograph.

"Meredith I'sadhe."

A chill traced over her skin at the quiet menace in his voice.

"Ezahdhee? What does that mean?"

Marc turned, ignoring her question. The ravening hunger in

his eyes seared her. She backed away as he grinned, a feral baring of

teeth. Ruthlessly, she shoved her uneasiness aside—this was Marc,

her ex-fiancé—and crossed her arms over her chest. But still… "Marc,

I think you should go."

He took a step toward her. She retreated again.

"You're not well, are you?" Her voice quavered and she hated it.

He took another halting step closer, closer.

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Heartstone

Trade Paperback

240 pages

$13.95

978-1-60659-233-5

eBook

$4.99

978-1-60659-232-8

Eric d'Ebrur is out of time. He must find the legendary Heartstone and

fulfill the ancient Gar'Ja bond he shares with the Stonebearer. But

when he finds her, he discovers that love can be more dangerous than

the Gawan threat. Eric can defeat the mind-controlling Gawan but will

it cost him the woman he loves?

After terrifying episodes of hypersensitivity, Keriam Norton thinks

she's losing her mind. When handsome shapeshifter Eric d'Ebrur saves

her from the monstrous Gawan, she's sure of it. But insane or not,

she'll find the Heartstone and, if she's lucky, a love to last a

lifetime.

Heartstone is also available on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Heartstone-Lynd...

GIVEAWAY: If you join or are a member of my newsletter group, send me an email with Don't Open The Door in the subject line, and your snail mail address in the body, I'll enter you in a drawing for a 'Heartstone' necklace of your very own.

Email me at Lynda@LyndaKScott.com

Deadline: Friday, Oct 29

My alien kitten, Wookie, will assist me in picking a winner (she likes bribes but I insist the drawing must stay honest, so no bribes please, lol). I'll announce the winner on my newsletter group.

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Recipe for Halloween Fun: The Poisoned Appletini

It's such a thrill to get to be part of Cynthia's Halloween Blog Party today! Thanks so much for letting me join in . Because I'm a guest, I wanted to bring along a treat for the party's host (*waving to Cynthia*) and all her friends…so I brought the drinks! Let me explain why I chose these…

In my new October book, Friday Mornings at Nine, three friends get together weekly for coffee and conversation. They discuss their marriages, their jobs, their lives — just like a lot of suburban moms do. But, one fall morning, after one of the women admits to getting emails from her college ex-boyfriend, they also begin to wonder if they married the right man…which leads to much drama, some humor and a lot of relationship complications.

One of the story's major turning points takes place at an adults-only Halloween party. (Because, hey, what better backdrop is there for games of romantic pretense, right?) There are costumes, of course. Spooky music. And snacks. Because there's a fairy-tale theme running throughout the story, too, I had a lot of fun getting to name the foods served at the party: Three Bloody Pigs in a Blanket, Jack and the Bean-Dip, Golden Goose Deviled Eggs and, of course, Poisoned Appletinis!

So, I'm here to raise my glass to all of you Halloween revelers today and share my version (and a couple of variations) of the recipe with you, just in case you'd like to make it for your grown-up friends in the real world while the costumed kidlets are chomping on their candy!

Poisoned Appletini (Marilyn's pink version):

2 parts vodka

1 part apple schnapps

1 part Cointreau

1 part apple cider

Directions: rim a chilled martini glass with apple-flavored sugar rimmer; mix all the other ingredients with ice; shake and strain into the glass; garnish with a slice of apple.

You can also make it GREEN by substituting the 1 part Cointreau above for 1 part Midori melon liqueur and the 1 part apple cider above with a good squeeze of lime juice.

OR you can go a completely different way with it and make Caramel Appletinis using only 2 parts Bacardi Big Apple Rum and 2 parts butterscotch schnapps and an apple slice garnish.

Sound good? I hope so. What are some of your favorite Halloween snacks? Are you a candy person? (I'll confess to an Almond Joy addiction.) Popcorn balls? Hot stews or warm cinnamon ciders? Anything with pumpkin? I'd love to hear your faves and will give away one copy of Friday Mornings at Nine (after midnight EST tonight!) to a commenter on today's post.

Thanks, again, for having me visit, Cynthia, and wishing you all a fabulously frightening Halloweeeeeen!!

~Marilyn

Why Should We Be Scared?

Firstly, I'd love to thank Cynthia for allowing me to be a guest on her blog today.

I remember when I set out to write my first erotic romance. I really wanted to write the dark compelling tale of a woman who finds out that she is actually a faerie princess. I had a plan. I had a plot. Darn it, I had good story. My muse, although, must have misheard me. Instead of dark she heard "snark" and that's when I realized that I'd never be able to write a dark fantasy or paranormal.

Then again, I should have known. Horror movies always scared me. Whether it's Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, or even Ghostface, the result is always the same. I get scared as HECK. Don't even get me started on The Exorcist and the 360 Linda Blair puts her head through. To a kid the tender age of ten, it can be frightening. I really don't see the enjoyment of covering or closing your eyes through an entire movie. And even to this day I have problems watching scary movies.

Scary Movie on the other hand? Well I can watch that over and over. I love comedy. I love to laugh. Parodies have helped me discover that I have a real knack for humor. My recent trip to the theater brought me to see Vampires Suck. Okay, as far as parodies go, it wasn't the greatest, but it did give me enough chuckles to satisfy my love of humor.

So, I'm quite happy with my hard of hearing muse and whatever corniness she decides to send my way. And thanks to her, I've found the perfect mix—A dash of snark with a splash of dark.

Here's the blurb for that "Snark Fantasy" erotic romance:

A fairytale, but not the kind your mother used to read you!

Rhiannon Kinsley's life goes from boring to downright crazy when a freak lightning bolt strikes her laptop. To make matters even more bizarre, strange words and symbols flash across the computer screen and she hears a mysterious voice. Time to call the men in white coats! Then Cerne Silverwing, an intriguingly sexy man, appears. He insists she's a faerie princess whose fate will determine his own. What a crock! Now she knows who really needs those white coats.

With the Dark Faerie forces threatening his kingdom, Cerne kidnaps Rhiannon and brings her to Fey, a land where magic knows no bounds. He's performing a duty to save his kingdom and nothing more—a duty that will bring him his wings and the strengthened magic that comes with them. If he doesn't unite with the princess as her consort, those wings will never grow. But this princess grew up in the land of laptops and instant messages, and she's convinced they're both crazy. Despite their differences, the two are thrust together to defeat the whip-wielding Dark Faerie Queen before she takes over the kingdom. Passion and peril aside, will Rhiannon and Cerne discover their true destiny?

See what I mean? I definitely can't write dark. And that's the way I like it.

You can purchase Wings of Desire, my first published novel at Eternal Press or at Amazon (in Kindle or print formats). And in 2011, a ton more snark will be available in Spring, 2011 when Beauty School Demon (Written under my other penname, Sidney Ayers) will be available from Sourcebooks. You can read more about it here.