Cynthia Eden's Blog, page 79
June 26, 2012
Joyce Lamb has an AWESOME prize for 5 commenters…
My next guest is DOUBLE RITA finalist Joyce Lamb. Joyce writes some incredible romantic suspense, and I am thrilled to have her visiting with me today. Welcome, Joyce!!! And congrats on your new release!
***
Congratulations, Cynthia, on the release of Angel Betrayed! I hope you’re partying your heiny off. I’m lifting a virtual toast to you as we speak. (Mm, chocolate martini!)
So now I’m going to ride your very impressive coattails (whee!!) with news that I have a new release, too. FLASH HEAT, a never-before-published e-book, is now available for Kindle and Nook. This book features one of my favorite couples. Bailey and Cole’s banter constantly made me smile while I was writing. I’d like to think that’s because they’re so very entertaining, rather than I just happen to really amuse myself.
Here’s a snippet:
“Come on,” Cole said “You’re not chicken, are you?”
“Don’t even go there.”
“Don’t make me cluck.”
“God, I can’t stand it when grown men cluck.”
And another snippet:
“If you backpedal any faster, you’re going to leave a Cole-shaped hole in the wall.”
He grinned. “Kind of like the Road Runner, huh?”
“If you make that meep-meep sound, I’m going to be creeped out.”
“I try to keep my meep-meeping to a minimum.”
Here’s some info about the plot of FLASH HEAT:
Photographer Bailey Chase and reporter Cole Goodman only tolerate working with each other at a Southwest Florida newspaper. Cole knows Bailey’s ex, and he’s told Cole lots of lies about her. Not that Bailey cares. She’s still healing from that disastrous relationship and has far more important issues on her plate: such as keeping her recovering drug addict brother on the right track as a single dad to his 6-year-old son.
When Bailey gets slightly injured during a mugging while on assignment with Cole, she’s shocked that he sticks around to help her out. He’s kind and warm and caring … and when it soon becomes clear that the mugging wasn’t random, he reveals a protective streak that quickly turns into far more.
Cole has never loved a woman who didn’t let him down. His mother abandoned him as a child. His sister hasn’t been there for her own kids. And his ex-wife did something he can never forgive her for. So he has no interest whatsoever in getting involved with Bailey Chase, a woman who already has way too much baggage. Except he can’t seem to help himself. She’s just … so … hot. And exasperating. And amazing.
Now, someone is after a photo in Bailey’s possession, and he’ll clearly stop at nothing to get it. Worse, it appears her brother’s shady past is connected.
Cole and Bailey team up to crack this mystery before someone ends up dead. While they’re at it, they let the sparks fly …
***
If you wanna read an excerpt, you can find one at my blog, http://joycelamb.blogspot.com/. (My poor website is in the ICU at the moment.)
And, hey, if you love romance novels as much as I do, you might be interested in the blog I do for USA Today (the Nation’s Newspaper!) that’s dedicated entirely to romances. Happy Ever After celebrates all genres, from erotica to inspirational, and all methods of publication, including self-pubbed. HEA’s contributors include best-selling authors Pamela Clare, Michelle Monkou and Virna DePaul. I hope you’ll stop by Happy Ever After (happyeverafter.usatoday.com) and decide to visit regularly.
So, readers, are there romance heroes and heroines who’ve made you giggle? J.D. Robb’s Eve and Roarke never fail to make me smile. And, of course, all of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ couples make me laugh out loud. You?
(Five commenters here will win a digital copy of FLASH HEAT! Please be sure to leave your e-mail address.)
Historical Time With Jennifer Haymore
I’m trying to vary my book spotlights…sometimes featuring paranormals, romantic suspense tales, and…historicals.
Because she is one of my favorite historical authors, I wanted to spotlight Jennifer Haymore now. And if you haven’t read Jennifer, then here is your chance!
Blurb time:
With her pale hair and slim figure, Olivia Donovan looks as fragile as fine china, and has been treated as such by her sisters ever since a childhood bout with malaria. But beneath her delicate facade, Olivia guards a bold, independent spirit and the kind of passionate desires proper young ladies must never confess…
It was a reckless wager, and one Max couldn’t resist: seduce the alluring Olivia or forfeit part of his fortune. Yet the wild, soon-to-be Duke never imagined he’d fall in love with this innocent beauty. Nor could he have guessed that a dangerously unpredictable rival would set out to destroy them both. Now, Max must beat a Madman at his own twisted game–or forever lose the only woman to have ever won his heart.
***
Sounds awesome, huh? Want to win a copy? (Winner’s choice–print or digital.) Tell me…if you could go back and live in any historical period, when and where would you go? One winner will be randomly selected to win. Good luck!!!
Norah Wilson has Bite! (And a Barnes & Noble gift card)
Our next guest is very busy author Norah Wilson–Norah, thanks so much for coming by! I can’t wait to learn more about your vamps!
***
First let me say I’m thrilled to be here during Cynthia’s launch of Angel Betrayed. Her paranormal romances rock out loud!
And I’m thrilled to share with you an excerpt from one of my own paranormal romances. Nightfall is the second in my Vampire Romance series. Nightfall really seems to be finding its audience, which makes me happy. Aiden and Sam might just be the best match I’ve ever made.
Here’s the blurb:
Aiden Afflack (a vampire) is as charming, sexy and easy-going as he is gorgeous. Unless you happen to be a rogue vampire, in which case he’s apt to be the last thing you see. Sam Shea is a wildly successful nature photographer whose prescient dreams lead her to some of the world’s most turbulent, awe-inspiring weather phenomena.
When their paths cross and Aiden discovers that his proximity to Sam warps her psychic power, causing her to hone in on vampire violence instead of violent weather, he knows he’s found a priceless tool in his fight to rid the world of rogues.
Sam has a deep-rooted aversion to having her powers exploited, but once her eyes have been opened to the lives she can help save, she can’t withhold her cooperation. But she can deny Aiden the other thing he wants from her, which makes her unique among women. And absolutely irresistible to Aiden!
***
And an excerpt:
She looked tired, he thought, as she swung the door open. Still beautiful, of course, but tired and nerved-up and edgy. Good. She’d been having the dreams.
“May I come in?”
“Good of you to ask, since we both know you could have been inside waiting for me.”
Oh, yeah, she was definitely feeling chippy. But she stepped aside and let him enter.
She locked the door and leaned back against it. “By the way, how did you get in here last time without setting off the alarm?”
“Second story window. They’re not wired into your security system.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “You’re sure you can’t fly?”
He grinned. “No flying. But I can jump pretty high.”
“Of course. Jump two stories,” she muttered, then pushed away from the door and headed toward the kitchen.
Without waiting for an invitation, he followed. She must have expected him to, because she tossed her next words over her shoulder.
“I’m fresh out of O negative, I’m afraid, but I can offer you some tea or coffee, if you’d like.”
“How about a whisky?”
That brought her head around. “Really?”
“If you’ve got it. It doesn’t give me a buzz, unfortunately, but it still burns going down. I like that.”
Something flickered in her eyes — compassion? She bent to open a lower cupboard. “How about vodka?”
“That’s fine.”
She put the bottle on the counter and got two old fashioned glasses down from an upper cupboard. Guess that meant she was abandoning the aromatic tea steeping in the mug by the sink. Probably a good idea, given the conversation to come. No doubt she had an inkling.
She poured two neat vodkas and handed him one. “I presume straight up is good if you’re looking for the burn.”
“Perfect.” He accepted the glass and took a sip. Ah, the woman knew her vodkas. Ketel One made most everything else seem rough as jet fuel. He leaned back against the cupboard. “You look tired.”
She almost spewed her vodka. “Wow. Does that line work any better for the next-to-immortal than it does for regular guys?”
He grinned. “I didn’t know you wanted me to use a line on you. I can do better.”
She blushed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. Can we sit down? I have some things I’d like to talk about.”
“Does this have anything to do with why I’m on the verge of asking my doctor for an Ambien prescription?”
“I think so.”
She sighed. “The living room, I guess.”
He followed her through. She took the same chair she had last time, he the same sofa.
“You’ve been having visions.”
She glared at him. “I have. Every night since you were last here, in fact.”
Her words carried a certain amount of venom, but he had no trouble cutting her slack. She hadn’t asked for this. He pulled a paper from the pocket of his jacket, unfolded it and passed it to her. Her fingers trembled, he noticed, as she took it.
She glanced at the sheet, then back up at him. “It’s a list of locations and times.”
“Do any of them mean anything to you?”
“Not the first one. Not the second.” Her finger paused on the third.
“Familiar?”
She looked up, her eyes huge. “What happened there?”
“Another homeless victim. The next one, too. Is that familiar? The locations are very close.”
Her grip tightened on the paper, wrinkling it. “Yes.”
“Keep going,” he urged.
“This one … Union Street in St. Louis?”
“There were two there, actually. A meth-addicted prostitute and yet another homeless man.”
The paper shook visibly now. “What about this rural one…?”
“Lexington area?”
“Yes.”
“Migrant workers. Two of them in the same night.”
She swallowed hard, but kept her eyes on the paper. “Was there something involving a train? I can’t think of the place….”
“Warrensburg?”
“That’s it.”
He whistled. “I wasn’t sure about that one. Modern-day train hopper found at the bottom of a gully. I figured it could have been an accident. It’s a dangerous hobby.”
She laughed, a short, sharp bark of a sound. “More dangerous than he knew.”
“Yes.”
She folded the paper and tossed it on the coffee table between them. When she lifted her gaze to meet his, he saw that her eyes glittered. “Okay, Aiden. Why?”
“Why?”
She rubbed at her right temple. “Why is all this vampire crap coming to me now? Until I went to St. Cloud and bumped into you, all I found at the end of the line were tornados and anvil clouds and dust storms. What’s happened to me?”
“Were you in Montreal recently? Say about four weeks ago?”
Her eyes widened. “An exhibit opening at a gallery on St-Paul. They were showing some of my stuff.”
“Is that where you had the St. Cloud dream? The one that sent you to Chief Michaels’ house?”
She’d paled. “Yes.”
He held her gaze. “I was there, too, in Montreal, to see a friend. He’s the one who asked me to straighten out Chief Michaels’ thinking vis-à-vis his stalking habit.”
She was still looking at him, but her eyes had lost focus. He could almost hear her thoughts tumbling, see the puzzle pieces falling into place.
“So we were both in Montreal when I had the St. Cloud dream. And both in St. Cloud when I dreamed about the second location there, the riverfront.”
“Yes.”
She focused in on him again. “And you’ve been here in Sioux City these past two weeks, haven’t you?”
“I have. At Edgar Salazar’s place just down the street, actually.”
She leapt to her feet. “It’s you! Dammit, you’re the reason this is coming to me!”
He resisted the urge to stand, lounging further back into the sofa’s cushions. “I think so, yes.”
“Then the solution is pretty straight-forward, isn’t it?”
She moved closer to loom over him, fists clenched, tears of anger ready to spill. Like one of her rain clouds, he thought.
“Sam—”
“Just stay the hell away from me! That’s all you need to do.”
“I could do that,” he agreed.
“Could do? You will do it. I won’t have my life highjacked like this. I won’t!”
“But what of the victims?”
The tears spurted. “What about me?”
“Sam, I caught up with the rogue who’d been cutting a swathe through Missouri last night. Even with computers and access to databases that are supposed to be off limits, it took me that long to sift through the reams of information to put a pattern together.But if we’d been working together, I might have been able to stop him after the first night.”
“It’s not my—”
“Fault? No, it’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault but the killers’. But we could stop them.”
She pressed her hands to her temples. “I can’t.”
“Do you want to know how old that prostitute was in St. Louis?”
“Oh, no. Please, Aiden. Don’t.”
Her eyes begged him not to tell her, but he couldn’t afford compassion. “She was sixteen. A runaway. Granted, the meth-amphetamine addiction probably would have killed her in a few years anyway, but as long as she was alive, there was always the possibility that she might get off it.”
A moan escaped her.
“And the second homeless victim? He would have been twenty-one next month. The migrant workers? They had families, Sam. Wives and children and one of them with a baby on the way.”
She covered her face with her hands and cried silently, her shoulders shaking.
Jesus, she was killing him.
He stood and pulled her into his arms. He half expected resistance, but her arms went around him and she pressed her face into his chest. His heart did a weird tripping thing.
Oh, Sam.
He put her away long enough to shrug out of his jacket, then pulled her down with him onto the couch. She turned fully into him and cried, dampening his shirt. He shushed her and stroked her hair and otherwise did what he could to provide the proverbial shoulder.
But dear God, all he could think about was licking those exquisite, salty droplets away, which would lead to nuzzling her earlobe, then her throat where her pulse throbbed. And then his unsheathed fangs would be buried deep in her delectable neck and she’d be writhing beneath him in a sexual bliss such as she could never imagine.
A moment later, the sobs subsided, but she made no move to draw back.
“I hate you for this.”
He stroked her hair, ignoring the unexpected pang under his breastbone. “I know. I’m sorry.”
She pulled away, wiping her damp cheeks with the back of her hand.
He fished a clean handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
She moved further away on the sofa’s cushions to finish the mop up operations. “So, what now? How do we … work together?”
***
Thanks for checking out the excerpt! Now…for the prize…want to win a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card? Then tell me what you like most about vampires. Or, if you aren’t a vamp fan, then what supernaturals do you enjoy?
Julie James is all ABOUT THAT NIGHT (with giveaway!)
Have you read Julie James? Cause I have–and I love her! So I am very excited about this next giveaway! Julie James will give one commenter a copy of her awesome book, ABOUT THAT NIGHT.
Book blurb is:
HE’S PLAYING GAMES.
Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face-to-face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she’s stunned. More troubling to the beautiful assistant U.S. attorney is that she’s still wildly attracted to him.
BUT SHE’S MAKING THE RULES.
Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn’t thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case—but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can’t say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn’t mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won’t give up on something he wants—and what he wants is the one woman he’s never forgotten. . .
***
Now let’s check out that excerpt…
After she paid the bill, they walked out of the diner and stood momentarily underneath the L tracks.
“I plan to bring the matter to the grand jury next week,” Rylann told him, raising her voice to speak over an approaching train. “I’ll call you as soon as I have the exact date and time you’ll be testifying.”
She extended her hand in farewell, and Kyle closed his hand around hers.
“This is a good thing you’re doing, Kyle,” she said. “Just remember—”
The train roaring directly overhead made it impossible for him to hear her. Kyle gestured to his ear, shaking his head. She stepped close to him, and put her hand on his shoulder as she stood up on her toes to speak in his ear.
Her breath was a soft caress on his neck, her voice low in his ear. “—Don’t screw it up.”
He turned his head so that they were eye to eye, his lips mere inches from hers. He said nothing for a moment, and neither did she, and he became very aware of the catch in her breath, the warmth of her hand on his shoulder.
Kyle felt a sudden urge to pull her closer. He’d teased her in the diner about their kiss, but unless he was wholly off his game after those four months in prison, the vibe he was getting from her right then was very real. If he bent his head just the slightest, he could brush his lips over hers. Find out if she tasted as good as she did in his memory.
“How are we doing on that eight-minute stretch of getting along?” he asked huskily.
Rylann stayed where she was at first, their lips still so close. Then she cocked her head and met his gaze. “Time’s up.”
***
Want to win? Then tell me your “dream” night. One commenter will be randomly selected to win. Good luck!
Sammael isn’t a guardian.
Guardian angels are the good angels. They are the ones who watch over us. They protect us.
Well, the hero of my new book, ANGEL BETRAYED, definitely doesn’t belong in the “guardian” category. Sammael (Sam) is an angel of death. With one touch, he kills. He’s used to doing what he wants, when he wants. He’s strong, he’s fierce, and he is definitely my favorite kind of hero.
"Eden offers compelling characters, sizzling sex, and breakneck action..."--Publishers Weekly
I don’t know why I like the bad boy heroes so much, but I have to confess…they are an absolute blast to write. The bad boys like Sam walk on the edge. They make their own rules. And they don’t take crap from anyone.
Oh, bad boys…you are so much fun.
But the best part of writing a bad boy hero? Redemption. And Sam, despite his powers and his wicked skills…he is a hero in need of redemption. Sam was cast out of heaven, his wings burned away, and he was sentenced to live out his days on earth. Now, other angels fear Sam. No one gets close to him. And Sam thinks that is the way he wants his days and nights to be…until he meets my heroine.
The path to redemption isn’t easy. But to prove that man with a good heart lives within a bad boy’s body, that journey is necessary.
I hope that you enjoy Sam’s journey. It sure is a bit of a bumpy ride!
Now…want to win a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card? Then tell me…who is your all-time favorite hero? Your hero can be from a book, from a movie, from real-life. Just tell me your fave and you will be entered in the giveaway! The winner will be randomly selected.
Thanks for checking out my post!
ANGEL BETRAYED–Release Party
Welcome to the ANGEL BETRAYED release party! The story about my dark fallen angel is out in the wild! To celebrate this release, I’m having a big party here at the blog. 
Each hour, a new author will be dropping by–with either a guest post or a book spotlight. And, each hour, there will be a new giveaway listed for readers! So be sure to comment for your chance to win. All of the giveaways will be left open until noon on 6/27 so that people in all time zones will have a chance to win the prizes.
Also, in addition to the hourly giveaways that are posted, I am going to pick one commenter to receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. I will pool all of the comments received and randomly select the $50 Amazon.com gift card winner.
Thanks for visiting my party! And good luck to you!
(All new posts are below.)
June 22, 2012
Party Time!!!
Don’t forget–Tuesday, June 26, 2012–that is party day! ANGEL BETRAYED will be released into the reading wild that day, and, to celebrate, I’ll be having an all-day release party. The fun will begin here at 8 a.m. Central time, right here at my blog. Every hour, I’ll have a new guest and new giveaway. (All giveaways will remain open until noon on 6/27 so people in all time zones can participate.) Here are a few of the fantastic authors lined up for the fun:
And lots more awesome folks are being added right now! It’s party time! So be sure to come by and comment on Tuesday so you will be eligible for the prizes.
PLUS…I’ll also be having my Twitter Party on Tuesday, as well.
Pre-register for the Twitter Party (even if you can’t attend at the listed time), so that you will be eligible for cool giveaways like a Kindle Touch and a Howl for It ARC. You can see a full list of all the giveaways here.
So please spread the word about the party fun! And I hope to “see” you on Tuesday!
June 21, 2012
More Harlequin Intrigue Stories
Hi, everyone! I’ve got my contracts in hand, so I can announce…I’ll be writing more Harlequin Intrigue titles!
Originally, I’d signed on to do two books in my Shadow Agent series for Intrigue (and I’m super pumped about those military based RS titles), but now I will be doing four books in that series. The books are all plotted out and planned (books 1 and 2 are done, and I’ll soon start work on books 3 and 4). I do know that the first book, ALPHA ONE, will be out in early 2013, and so will book two, GUARDIAN RANGER. I think that the 3rd and 4th books will be out in late 2013, but I can’t confirm those dates yet. But what I can say…I’m excited to be writing more Intrigues! And I sure hope readers enjoy the stories!
And, speaking of excitement…don’t forget that my ANGEL BETRAYED release party is on 6/26/12. Make plans to come by and enter all of the giveaway fun that will be happening. Bad boy hero Sammael (Sam) will be out in the reading wild come Tuesday!
June 19, 2012
ANGEL OF DARKNESS–On Sale
ANGEL OF DARKNESS is on sale! ANGEL OF DARKNESS is the first book in my Fallen series, and it introduces all of my wicked angels. My publisher has lowered the price on this book, and it is currently listed at $2.99 for the Kindle. It is also $2.99 for the Nook. I’m not sure how long the reduced price will last, so if you haven’t read this book yet (or if you want to recommend it to a friend), now is the perfect time to give it a try.
Also wanted to say…Kensington is sponsoring a GoodReads giveaway for my September anthology with the always awesome Shelly Laurenston. Ten copies of HOWL FOR IT are up for grabs, and you can enter that giveaway here.
In one week, ANGEL BETRAYED will be available! To celebrate, I’ll host a big, all-day release party here on my blog. There will be lots of giveaways and great guest authors joining me during the day. I’ll also be having a Twitter Release Party, so make sure that you sign up to attend that event! (Even if you can’t attend the Twitter party, you can pre-register so that you’ll be entered in the giveaway for prizes like a Kindle Touch).
Have a great Tuesday!!!
June 12, 2012
Special Excerpt and Some Party Time!!
Would you like to know why Sammael (Sam) lost his wings? Then head over to my Facebook Fan Page, and you can read the prologue and the first chapter from ANGEL BETRAYED (and the release date of 6/26 will be here so soon!!!).
Speaking of the release date, I am busy making lots of release party plans. The first big plan? A Twitter Party! Thanks to the fabulous Lit Connect, I will be having a Twitter Party on 6/26. You can read the full details here.
There are a ton of great prizes being offered for this event–including a Kindle Touch, HOWL FOR IT ARCs, and gift cards! So please pre-register. And if you can’t attend during the 12 PM to 1 PM party slot on Twitter, your pre-registration will still make you eligible to win some very cool prizes (including that Kindle Touch that I just mentioned). A big THANK YOU to Lit Connect for organizing this event!
And since you know I like parties, I will be holding my usual all-day release party here at the blog. Each hour, I’ll be featuring a different author or a different book, and there will be lots of giveaways! I hope you can attend!
Have a great day. I’m heading back in for revisions. So close to being finished!
