Katie Reus's Blog, page 34

Cry Wolf

Okay, it's confession time. I pretty much got hooked on monsters in the third grade, when we were taken to the school library — sometime around Halloween, if I remember correctly — and given a choice. Three teachers held up books on three subjects: Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and UFOs. I chose to be in the Loch Ness Monster group, and to this day, I have a fascination with Nessie that probably isn't healthy to admit. Even though I've grown older and more skeptical of things that go bump in the night, is there still a part of me that believes an unknown creature is swimming around that Scottish lake? You betcha! Well, I suppose it's more appropriate to say, "I want to believe." Like Fox Mulder, I even have a poster that says so. There's something ridiculously fun about letting your imagination run wild with such romantic ideas, isn't there?

When it came to writing my debut novel, "Cry Wolf," it was a no brainer that I'd return to my childhood fascination of monsters, mysteries and urban legends. My hero and heroine needed a fun mystery to solve, and the moment I decided to set my story around Halloween, I knew I had the perfect subject for a subplot. Years ago, when I heard there were actual, modern-day "werewolf sightings" across the United States – kind of like the Nessie sightings – my writer's imagination kicked into overdrive. I started churning out "what if?" ideas faster than a speeding (silver) bullet. Suddenly my hero and heroine, Sean and Andrea, had a story to investigate while they battled an animal attraction of their own.

I don't discriminate. I'm a huge fan of all monsters these days — as long as they stay confined to my Kindle or television, of course. I always look forward to October because it means the classic Universal horror monsters — Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man and so on — will be visiting with me for a while. This October, I'm also looking forward to the many books and e-books that will introduce me to new shifters, vampires, witches and other ghoulish characters I'm sure I'll come to love and revisit. Katie Rues' "Destined Mate" and Alex Rickloff's "Dangerous Magic" are just a couple of stories on my to-read list. Hopefully some of you will also give "Cry Wolf" a try when it releases Oct. 31.

What about you? What's your favorite monster? Even better, what monstrous books or movies would you recommend for this time of the year? Let us know in the comment section, and you could win a free copy of "Cry Wolf" along with a $10 gift card from Amazon.

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Angela Campbell is the author of "Cry Wolf," available Oct. 31, 2011, from Carina Press. To learn more about her or her story, visit www.angelacampbellonline.com.

Under the Moon

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The true origin of our ancestry has been lost to time and secrecy. Very little is known about how we originated, but it is believed we are descended from the lines of powerful humans who spawned the tales of the Greek, Roman, and Norse gods. Only females are currently born with power; despite multiple theories about why this is, no one knows for sure. Again, our heritage is stuff of legend rather than true history. What is important is how we use our abilities.—The Society for Goddess Education and Defense booklet, "From Isis to Freya"

An author's favorite game is "what if?" What if goddesses had been real? What if, millenia later, their descendants still had abilities? What would they use them for? How would they organize?

And who would make them targets?

My Goddesses Rising series explores all of this and more. My paranormal interests tend to lean toward humans with amazing abilities, and they are (almost never) the monsters of the story. The true monster in Under the Moon is just a man. But a man who won't be content until he's drained as many goddesses as possible of their power.

One of the fun things about writing a trilogy about supernaturally powerful people is thinking up things they can do with that power. My heroine uses hers to help whomever she can, whether it's healing injuries or improving local farmers' crops or retrieving lost items. Her birth mother does a kind of non-invasive plastic surgery, from fixing uneven earlobes to eliminating scars and birthmarks. Another goddess can infuse items with certain properties. She usually creates novelties, like stones that never stop glowing, but her abilities get twisted when a bullet is infused with a hallucinogenic that almost kills the book's hero.

So here's your challenge! Think up some out-there abilities you'd love to have! Get as far outside the box as you can!

Under the Moon, Book 1 in the Goddesses Rising trilogy
Their power gives them strength…and makes them targets.

Quinn Caldwell is the epitome of a modern goddess. Her power source is the moon, her abilities restricted only by physical resources and lunar phase. She runs a consulting business and her father's bar, serves on the board of the ancient Society for Goddess Education and Defense, and yearns for Nick Jarrett, professional goddess protector and the soul mate she can never have.

But someone has developed the rare and difficult ability to drain a goddess of her powers, and Quinn is a target. With the world thinking Nick has gone rogue (whatever that means) and that Quinn is influenced by "family ties" she didn't know she had, keeping themselves safe while working to find the enemy proves harder each day.

But not as hard as denying their hearts…

~~~~~~~~
Natalie J. Damschroder's latest and upcoming releases:

Behind the Scenes October 31, 2011
Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible coming soon.

Under the Moon November 1, 2011
Entangled Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Fight or Flight Out now!
Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

You can learn more about Natalie and her books at her website, eHarlequin, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook. She blogs with four other obsessed passionate Supernatural fans at Supernatural Sisters, with a number of fantastic romance authors at Everybody Needs a Little Romance, and just to hear herself talk at Indulge Yourself.

When are you going to write anything normal?

[image error] Please welcome guest author Tracey Kitts!

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked this. Everyone from my mother to people I used to go to school with have asked me before. The conversation usually goes something like this.

"So, your latest book is about werewolves (or vampires)?"

"That's right." I proceed to tell them about my latest book.

"Um. So, when are you going to write something normal? Cause I don't read anything weird."

The last time someone asked me this question they were about to purchase a copy of Terminator. I replied, "Right. Because sending your father back in time to get your mom pregnant is totally normal."

Many people (particularly in small towns like mine) seem to be under the false impression that just because the characters are not completely human that you can't relate to their stories. That's not true at all. We all have things to overcome in our relationships and within ourselves. It may not be as serious as an aversion to sunlight or a severe need to wax on the full moon, but everyone has problems.

The difference is our problems aren't solved between the pages of a good book. That's what's so great about fiction. I strive to make my characters and their situations REAL. That doesn't mean it could really happen. It means that what they are feeling is real. The emotion is what brings reality to my stories.

Besides, being a vampire or a werewolf could be a metaphor for almost anything. It's about looking beyond the surface to see who they really are. The man behind the beast is a very attractive concept to me. I've seen some great looking men who were monsters underneath. I write stories about the exact opposite.

Beauty and the Beast is a classic story that somehow comes through in each and every paranormal romance I've ever read or written. It all comes down to can you see what's beneath rather than what everyone else sees? Isn't that what love is all about?

You don't love someone because you don't see their flaws. You love them because you see the flaws … and the flaws don't matter. They are simply a part of the person you love.

So what if he has a hairy back once a month or grows fangs from time to time? Back to the original question: When am I going to write anything normal? According to my dear friend Skyla, I already do.

You can find out more about Tracey and her books at www.traceyhkitts.com

Her latest release is Raven's Destiny, an erotic short with Ellora's Cave.

Why do you love monsters?

Please welcome guest author, Caridad Pineiro!

He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.

Friedrich Nietzsche

When I ask myself why I like writing about creatures of the night and other otherworldly beings that some would consider monsters, it always comes back to the same thing for me: That it's interesting seeing how the humans deal with them.

Will the villagers react in anger and chase after the beast with pitchforks or burn down the old mill with the monster within?

Will compassion slip into the mix and allow the humans to see past the pointy teeth and hair to the heart beating beneath the surface?

Or as Nietzsche so clearly saw, will the humans become scarier than the monsters themselves?

I love juxtaposing those variables in the stories I write and oftentimes, it's the humans that either start off scarier than the monsters or end up being way more frightening.

I think that's why we love stories revolving around monsters – because they make us face our fears and force us to understand more about ourselves. When faced with something that has our hearts pounding and palms sweating, will we be like that mindless mob and react without thinking or will we embrace all that is good within us? Will we even go a step further and come to love the beast with the heart of gold beneath the furry face and monstrous paws? (And yes, Disney's Beauty and the Beast is one of my fave monster movies).

Why do you love monsters? Take a moment to share your thoughts on why they appeal to us so strongly!

Thank you for having me with you today, Katie! I appreciate it.

And thank you Caridad for blogging with me today! Caridad is an incredibly talented and giving author so thank you for stopping by! And in case you don't know, her book The Lost just released and it looks fantastic! I'd like to offer a digital copy to one commenter for their Nook or Kindle. Please leave your email address with your comment so I have a place to send your gift. And please note you will need either a Barnes & Noble or Amazon account for me to send your gift! Contest open until October 31, 2011 9 AM central time.

Cold Alaskan Nights and Hot Wolf Shifters!

Please welcome guest author Paige Tyler!

When I first read that Whiskey Creek Press Torrid was coming out with a new line of books called the Men of Alaska Series, I totally knew I had to write a book for it. I mean, what's more exciting than a hot, hunky, outdoorsy hero, right?!

I played around with a lot of different storylines, but I kept coming back to the idea of werewolves. Not only did wolves seem to fit well into the Alaskan theme, but I've got a serious thing for shifters! So, I decided to go for it. I thought it would be more fun for the heroine to be a complete skeptic, so I made her a reluctant reporter for a paranormal magazine. I figured that would lead to lots of amusing interaction with the hunky hero, who just happens to be a werewolf, of course! After I did a little bit of research on Fairbanks, I was ready to go, and one I started, the story seemed to write itself.

The first book in the series is called ANIMAL ATTRACTION and I'm excited to say it was an EPIC Award Finalist! Originally, ANIMAL ATTRACTION was going to be a stand-alone book. As it turns out, though, Hunter, the hero in ANIMAL ATTRACTION, has a twin brother. I didn't think that much about it at the time, but when my editor read it, she said, "Hey, it would be cool to do a story about the twin brother!"

That got me thinking - which can be a little dangerous, I know! After ANIMAL ATTRACTION came out, I heard from so many readers who said the same thing - we want a book about Hunter's twin brother, Luke!

I was like, "I can totally do that!"

The sequel, ANIMAL INSTINCT, also takes place in Alaska, but it's set in Anchorage instead of Fairbanks. And this time, instead of focusing on the heroine falling for a guy she doesn't know is a werewolf, I wanted to concentrate on what it would be like for a person, in this case the heroine in the story, to be bitten by a werewolf, then follow her through the process of turning into one for the first time with the help of the man she loves. I'm thrilled to say that ANIMAL INSTINCT is as wildly popular at the first book in the series. In fact, it was a #1 Bestseller at Torrid! I'm currently working on an idea for a couple more books in the series, one focusing on a hot cop and the other featuring an all grown-up chracter everyone fell in love with in ANIMAL INSTINCT. I'm really excited about them!

ANIMAL ATTRACTION Not only are werewolves real, they're damn hunky, too! [image error] Frustrated when none of the real newspapers will hire her as a reporter, Eliza Bradley takes the only job she can get – at a paranormal magazine. Her first assignment takes her to Fairbanks , Alaska to investigate the possibility that a werewolf has killed two local hikers.

She forgets about the story, however, when she meets Hunter McCall, a local college professor and an expert on wolves. The man is an absolute hunk, and she finds herself spending more time in his bed than worrying about werewolves. That is, until Eliza finds out that Hunter isn't just an animal in the sack, he's an animal out of it, too - of the werewolf variety! Talk about a complicated relationship!

But Eliza can't dwell on Hunter's little shapeshifting issues.There's another werewolf out there with a taste for human blood, and she and Hunter are the only ones who can stop him. Read an Excerpt!
Watch the Trailer!
Buy it in eBook or Print!
Buy it on Amazon Kindle!
ANIMAL INSTINCT Every girl wants guy who's an animal in bed! Artist Heidi Gibson is spending the summer up in Anchorage doing some painting when she gets attacked by a crazed wolf. She is rescued by golden-eyed wildlife biologist Luke McCall, who calmly informs she has been bitten by a werewolf and will turn into one during the next full moon. Thinking he's obviously out of his mind, she can't get away from him fast enough.

When strange things start happening to her, however, she begins to think the ruggedly handsome biologist could be right. Not knowing what else to do, she goes to Luke and is stunned to discover that he knows so much about werewolves because he's one himself.

As Luke teaches her what she needs to know about being a werewolf, Heidi finds herself falling hard for the Alaskan hunk. But while they're intent on each other, the werewolf that attacked her comes back into the picture, and he's not exactly happy that another of his kind is trying to take the woman he believes is his rightful mate. Can Luke and Heidi's attraction overpower the jealousy of the rogue werewolf?
Read an Excerpt!
Watch the Trailer!
Buy it in eBook! Buy it on Amazon Kindle!
Happy Reading! *hugs*Paige http://www.paigetylertheauthor.comhttp://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

Character Love!

Please welcome paranormal author Ashlyn Chase! And please check out the post directly below this one. In addition to guest blogging today she also gave us the scoop on a sweet deal in paranormal books coming soon.

Somebody once asked me which of my characters I'd most like to trade places with. In the Vampire Next Door the answer is…none of them!

Sly is a vampire whose maker Vorigan Malvant is after him. Morgaine is Sly's honey who Vorigan kidnaps as bait to lure Sly. Roz and Konrad moved to a private school in Newton, run by werewolves. Merry is pregnant and Jason's father had another heart attack, taking him away to Minnesota in the dead of winter. Gwyneth is fighting with Morgaine and Nathan is well…Nathan.

Everyone's favorite character seems to be Chad, the ghost. I love him too, and the idea of being the proverbial fly on the proverbial wall has its appeal, but to be so limited by the lack of a corporeal form would be frustrating. No wonder he's snarky!

Sly and Morgaine have been friends for years and already know each other's paranormal secrets, so that bit is out of the way. Morgaine didn't have to freak out over Sly's vampirism the way Merry and Roz did when they discovered the men they loved were shapeshifters.

But no two characters were more flawed than Morgaine and Sly when they first considered (and almost rejected) the idea of a relationship. Sly was still grieving the loss of his wife, killed by vampire Vorigan who turned him twenty-six years earlier. Morgaine suffered from phobias as crippling as Sly's sun sensitivity and blood lust. Both were doing the best they could with what life had dealt them, but each experienced a void.

So take one vampire who can't go out in the sun, plus one witch with Agoraphobia who can't go out at all, and by the way, she had Nyctophobia too and was deathly afraid of the dark…and how do you get them together?

It's waaaay more complex than I can relate in a blog article. Let me just say with a little help from friends and apparitions, they manage to overcome their roadblocks to happiness. I'm happy to say Morgaine doesn't wind up playing "the damsel in distress" and Sly doesn't remain damaged and brooding.

In fact, I'm rather proud of the way I tied up each character's story with some stellar inner growth that leads to a happy ending. And this doesn't just apply to Sly and Morgaine. I made sure all the residents found happiness.

Now, let me give you a short excerpt of a conversation between Morgaine the witch and Chad the ghost to entice you further.

"Morgaine, why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Chad, the ghost, said.

Morgaine snorted, continued labeling her dried herbs, and tried to ignore the apparition that was making too much sense. "Oh, get a grave."

"Seriously. I know Gwyneth pretty well, considering we're roommates. She'll understand if you just give her a chance."

"You forget I lived with her for a long time before you did. She has to be the belle of every ball. You even called her that, remember?"

"So, what? Are you just going to step back and let her take over?"

"Look, I already got a makeover. What else are you telling me to do? Change my personality?"

"I think you're being oversensitive."

"About what?" Morgaine realized she had snapped at him, but he should mind his own damn business. Sure, he was probably bored out of his mind, but he could find other ways to amuse himself besides butting into her private life… like insulting people who couldn't hear him or listening in on the phone-sex line like he used to do.

"About your more extroverted cousin getting the attention you crave but refuse to risk rejection for."

She grabbed her mortar and pestle and another handful of herbs. "Oh, great," she muttered. "Now our spook thinks he has a degree in psychology." She took out some of her aggression and ground the sage forcefully. It didn't need to be turned into powder as if she wanted to cook with it. Courser herbs would do quite nicely for a spell, and she didn't plan to cook a turkey for another month.

Unfortunately, she couldn't think of a way to win the heart of a man with her cute, vivacious cousin around—unless she broke the Witches' Rede and resorted to manipulation. The rules made it quite clear that forcing the feelings and behavior of others would backfire on a witch big time. And would a night of false passion be worth it?

"I know what you're thinking."

"No, you don't."

"Oh, yeah? I'll bet you believe all men think with their little heads and you're not attractive enough to turn on a certain vampire."

The air rushed out of Morgaine's emotional balloon, and she sagged against the counter. "Okay, I guess you do know what I'm thinking."

"So, what are you gonna do about it?"

"What can I do? I can't turn my cousin into an ugly hag. I can't make Sly fall madly in love with me. Well, I could do those things, but that would be cheating."

"At the risk of sounding clichéd, all you need to do is be yourself."

"Thanks, Mom."

Vampires, Werewolves, and Witches, Oh My!

Thanks to Ashlyn Chase, who is blogging with me today, for sharing this! Some really great books are on special for a limited time!

Paranormal Romance for $0.99! (10/28/2011 – 11/03/2011)

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Title: Wicked by Any Other Name

Digital List Price: $6.99

Category: Romance

Print ISBN: 9781402217739
PDF ISBN: 9781402223600
EPUB ISBN: 9781402227240

3rd book in the fun, funny paranormal romance series by bestselling author (13 million books sold)

· Linda Wisdom's first two books in her Hex series hit the top 100 Romance Titles at a major mass market retailer in the first week of their promotion

· The popular Hex series titles sold over 70,000 copies

· Sex & the City meets Bewitched

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Title: Kiss at Your Own Risk

Digital List Price: $6.99

Category: Romance

Print ISBN: 9781402241956
PDF ISBN: 9781402241987
EPUB ISBN: 9781402261459

The first in a thrilling new paranormal series by bestselling author Stephanie Rowe

· Four time RITA Award nominee, Golden Heart Winner, and national bestseller with more than 25 published romances and over 103,000 copies sold on Bookscan

· A unique, highly imaginative, and original addition to the hot paranormal market, which is still the #1 subgenre in the romance category

· Publishers Weekly raves: "Rowe carves out her own niche--call it paranormal romance adventure comedy" saying she's a genre twister who will make readers rabid for more

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Title: The Wolf Next Door

Digital List Price: $6.99

Category: Romance

Print ISBN: 9781402236969
PDF ISBN: 9781402237058
EPUB ISBN: 97814022536

Third in the back-to-back release of a fresh and original paranormal romance trilogy by Lydia Dare.

· Lydia Dare has sold over 47,000 print copies through Nielsen Bookscan!

· Regency romance crosses with paranormal for something fresh and new in the subgenre

· A back-to-back trilogy, which readers and booksellers love

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Title: Merely Magic

Digital List Price: $6.99

Category: Romance

Print ISBN: 9781402251931
PDF ISBN: 9781402263248
EPUB ISBN: 9781402263255

First in a classic bestselling series, Merely Magic is a Romantic Times all-time favorite romance

· Merely Magic is an RT all-time favorite 200 romances and has sold over 120,000 copies

· Patricia Rice is a New York Times bestselling author with over 5 million copies sold

· We will be re-issuing the 5 backlist titles in the Magic series and the first new title in the series in 2011

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Title: Heart of the Wolf

Digital List Price: $7.99

Category: Romance

Print ISBN: 9781402211577
PDF ISBN: 9781402215520
EPUB ISBN: 9781402233852

A sizzling paranormal romance based on extensive research on how wolves live and behave in the wild

· PW Best Book of the Year!

· Terry Spear's six paranormal romances have sold through over 60,000 copies

· Realistic portrayal of how wolves behave in nature, combined with werewolf tale, makes for something new and different in paranormal romance

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Title: Strange Neighbors

Digital List Price: $6.99

Category: Romance

Print ISBN: 9781402236617
PDF ISBN: 9781402236648
EPUB ISBN: 9781402254277

The first in a series of funny, light, and sexy paranormal romances.

· Light paranormal romance in the vein of Linda Wisdom and Mary Janice Davidson, with a mixture of paranormals and humans and a very funny premise

· Paranormal romance is still at the top of the category, with light paranormal selling well

· Author is e-pub bestseller, is building her readership, and garnering rave reviews

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Title: Emma and the Vampires

Digital List Price: $14.99

Category: Fiction

Print ISBN: 9781402241345
PDF ISBN: 9781402241383
EPUB ISBN: 9781402256202

What better place than pale England to hide a secret society of gentlemen vampires?

· Jane Austen goes paranormal--with the surprise success of P&P&Zombies, everyone's looking for a good classic mashup. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre has sold over 100,000 copies!

· Author is a successful screenwriter, so has an eye for pacing and hilarious details that make the book cinematic and enormously fun to read.

· Emma and the Vampires has YA crossover potential as Emma is JA's most popular novel for that audience.

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Title: The Wild Sight

Digital List Price: $6.99

Category: Romance

Print ISBN: 9781402213946
PDF ISBN: 9781402220906
EPUB ISBN: 9781402236778

Sensual romantic suspense with a paranormal element, set in Ireland featuring a hero with psychic powers and the beautiful young woman who claims to be his half-sister.

· Remote Irish coast setting is a romantic location readers love

· Romantic suspense is the 2nd top subgenre in the category

· " Northern Ireland's violent past combined with supernatural elements add an intriguing twist to this modern love story." ~ Booklist

Serendipity

Serendipity: The gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.

I love words, and today serendipitous is my favorite. When the opportunity to guest blog with Katie Reus came up, the word sprang to mind. It is serendipitous because my debut novel, HEART OF THE DRUID LAIRD, begins on Samhain (Sow-in), which is a mere week away.

…Only on Samhain, halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, was Diarmad allowed to breach the veil between the worlds to search for Mairéad's return…

This is my favorite time of year and always has been. An otherworldly feel laces the crisp air of autumn as the days shorten. Samhain is Gaelic for "summer's end," and it marked the end of the lighter half of the year, and the beginning of the darker half—the end of the harvest and the beginning of a time for reflection. Samhain marks the Celtic New Year. Pagans believe that the veil separating our world from the realms of the dead, the gods, and faeries was at its thinnest during this time of year. They took steps to protect themselves from the wandering spirits and fae who walked among them on the last night of summer, October 31st.

Hearth fires throughout the village were put out, so that spirits would find the villagers' homes inhospitable and cold. People wore masks and costumes to confound any evil spirits or faeries who might be looking for them, and large turnips were hollowed out and carried with a burning candle inside to light the way. Bonfires were lit, and the people walked between them as a purification ritual. At dawn, on the first day of the new year, villagers would take a burning ember from the ceremonial bonfires, using it to relight their own hearths as a symbol of community and unity.

One of the oddest traditions I came across in my research was the one where the male head of the household would pee outside the threshold into the house to ward off the evil spirits. Not sure why urine would discourage a faerie, or a ghostie, but what do I know?

Here is the blurb from HEART OF THE DRUID LAIRD.

Cursed with immortality, Dermot MacKay craves death. To lift the faerie curse placed upon him and his men over 1,600 years ago, he must return the soul of his reincarnated wife to the exact place and time of her murder. But her soul is currently residing in the very modern Sidney St. George—and first he has to convince her to accompany him to Scotland.

Sidney doesn't believe Dermot's wild claims of immortality and rebirth, yet she cannot deny that she is drawn to the sexy Scot. Nor can she explain the sense of déjà vu his touch elicits. Desperate for answers, she agrees to go with him—only to learn too late that to help the man she loves is to lose him forever…

Thanks so much for inviting me here today, Katie, and thanks to everyone who stops by. I'll check in throughout the day to chat.

Top 10 Reasons Paranormal Heroes Would Suck in Real Life

Please welcome guest author (and my friend!) KC Burn!

First off, thanks to Katie for including me in her Monster Mash-Up. I'm in the company of so many great authors! I'm KC Burn and I love paranormal romance, both reading and writing it. But, I'm also fully aware that if all those fantastic men of paranormal romance were real and dateable, they'd be a… well… nightmare.

10. A Demon would likely be a *demon* in the sack, but he'd lie ALL the time and it's guaranteed your mom will hate him. He'd make a good fuck-buddy but a crappy boyfriend.

9. Angels - I'm allergic to feathers. Need I say more?

8. At first, a Genie seems like the ideal man: confined to a small living space, only around when you want him, grants your every wish. But if he's not aggressively subservient then he's wildly pissed off about his enforced subservience. Either option sounds like a recipe for couples counseling.

7. I can think of a lot of reasons why a fully functional android might be… uh… useful. *wink* But I bet we'd have a worldwide masculine revolt if someone invented a walking, talking, made-to-order vibrator who could (and would) pick up his own socks and wash the dishes.

6. Then there's the Fae. Seelie, Unseelie… it's a political quagmire!

5. Aliens - You do realize any *real* alien we came across would be some nasty, tentacled, slimy mess that needs to eat rotten eggs and cat poop. Valuable for cat box cleaning time, but the odds of wanting to kiss it? A trillion to one (and that's being generous). Mom wouldn't be a fan of this one either -- all kinds of awkward at Christmas dinner.

4. Dragon shifters are probably one of the coolest shifter options out there. Highly useful for lighting candles for romantic dinners, and they might even let you borrow some awesome jewelry from their hoard. But then there's the scorch marks and the sprinkler systems and the sirens… Seriously, just pick up one of the firemen and forget the dragon.

3. Werewolves may be a warm, fuzzy furnace on a cold, winter night, but that's a lot of fur. I have enough trouble vacuuming up after one cat. And if his need to get furry and howl at the moon coincides with my PMS? That's a horror story, not a paranormal romance.

2. Zombie romance may be hot right now, but bits falling off in bed is not. Getting crumbs in bed is one thing, but leaving important bits behind is unacceptable.

1. Fangs are fine, but if the guy's a vampire and his heart doesn't beat, there's no blood flow to a very important part of the anatomy… Prepare to be unsatisfied. A lot. Also, blood stains are a bitch to wash out.

Honestly, paranormal romance makes for fabulous fiction. It lets me ignore all those pesky non-romantic details that would make any paranormal paramour complete hell to live with.

My most recent release was Trompe L'oeil, available from Loose Id (http://bit.ly/ofM7rw). I've included a short blurb below, but simply put, one hero is trapped in a cursed painting, which wouldn't be any easier to deal with in real life than the above list of paranormal romance heroes. My cursed painting was fun to write about all the same, and there's two hot guys for the price of one!

Blurb:

When Maxwell, a Depression-era artist, spurns the attentions of his sponsor, he ends up cursed to live out eternity in a painting. The man who cursed him delighted in playing the exhibitionist for Maxwell, and by the time the old man dies, Maxwell longs for his life and body back but he's pretty sure he never wants to watch anyone have sex ever again. Until he discovers who his new owner is.

Tyler isn't sure what to do with a life-sized painting of a nude man, but it was a gift from his sister to ease the pain of a disastrous break up and subsequent coming out. The gorgeous subject of the painting disappeared without a trace decades ago, rumored to have been killed by the painting's previous owner in a jealous rage.

Becoming more and more fascinated by the man in his painting, Tyler uses his resources as a history professor to solve the mystery of Maxwell's disappearance. He finds himself spending more time in his bedroom, talking to the painting, researching, and aching to know the man in person. Meanwhile, Maxwell falls under Tyler's sweet spell, even though the thickness of canvas might be an insurmountable barrier to cross.

Made for Love

Appearances can be deceiving, especially in paranormal romance. What if people believed you were not human? Not to be trusted, and brought only to the earth plane for the pleasure of a master. How trustworthy would you be if, in all honesty, all you wanted to do was go home?

Demon, succubus—otherworld creatures brought to earth by magic, for lust or for power. If you mess up the spell that summons them to earth your life, your soul is in danger of being devoured. Get it right and you can trade sex for power. But is a succubus part of hell? Is it really a winged, horned red skinned devil straight from the pits? Not in my books.

Syn, once a high priestess of a temple in another reality is pulled to earth to feed the power requirements of an evil politician. There she is holy. Here she is demon.

The first part of this story is part of a new anthology, DEMON LOVERS, to release in December, 2011. I'm so excited! It's the story of how Syn comes to earth and how she is set free.

Here's the blurb for CALLING SYN:

Every job has its risks—but not many run the hazard where failure means being devoured body and soul. It's Julien Black's job to raise demons—he gets paid to summon them to meet with his underground employers. It's not up to him what happens next, it's not his deal.

But Julien's never raised a succubus and he has no idea of the power the wily females have at hand. When the demon he's called names herself as Syn, Priestess of the Temple of Lust, Julien knows he's in trouble. He's been sabotaged and Syn is about to escape. Julien must find a way to soothe her desires and save his soul, but staying in control isn't easy when you're with a succubus named Syn.[image error]

Part two, and a much longer book will be released separately n December and tells the story of Syn's partnership with Julien Black, the magician that brought her to earth. Here's a bit about CLAIMING SYN:

Magician Julien Black is tasked by the Miami magical council with bringing the demon priestess Syn under control—to capture her and send her back to her own plane of existence. It's his responsibility since he brought her to earth in the first place. Having sex with the succubus was never part of the plan. Neither was falling in love.

Syn is out for revenge on mayoral candidate David Contreau. He tortured her and stole her power so that he could use it to control thousands of naïve voters. He's dabbling in a black magic that could risk them all. Only through her sensual encounters with Julien can Syn reclaim the strength she needs to foil Contreau's plans and return to her home on her own power.

But sex and control are issues that can never be separated, especially when Julien is forced to reveal his motives and risk what they are building together…

Hope you liked a glimpse into my new series. Comment and leave a contact email and I will be giving away a .PDF copy of the DEMON LOVERS anthology when it releases in December!

Lilly

Alien Revealed – Book One of The Confederacy Treaty – June 2010

The Naked Truth – Book Two of The Confederacy Treaty – June 2011

Undercover Alliance – Book Three of The Confederacy Treaty – June 2012

For more information about Lilly Cain, and for excerpts of her stories please visit www.lillycain.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LillyCain or on Facebook at www.facebook.ca/Lilly_Cain