Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 501

Ten things you don’t know about Lancaster House

Ten things you don’t know about Lancaster House
1.     Lancaster House was written because my daughter challenged me to write a paranormal story. (I’d never written paranormal before, nor did I plan to!)
2.     Lancaster House was originally meant to be a short story.
3.     Lancaster House was inspired by the American Idol performance of “Mad World” by Adam Lambert. (the season finale performance) One amazing performance=one 90,000 word novel. Go figure!
4.     The name, Andre Lancaster, was chosen due to the initials, A.L., the same initials as Adam Lambert, who inspired the character of Andre.
5.     The story of Andre driving across the United States at a young age was patterned after the true story of my grandfather doing the same thing. He said it was one of the best things he’d ever done.
6.     My daughter was one of the first to read Lancaster House. She said her hands were shaking during the last chapter and she couldn’t put it down! It was my first clue that I’d written a good book!
7.     Lancaster House was sent to major publishing houses by my agent. No takers! After the response I’ve received, I’d say—in the words of ‘Pretty Woman’—BIG MISTAKE!
8.     In the novel, Andre spends time working on a mansion called the ‘Winchester House,’ which is a real mansion in San Jose, California known as the ‘Winchester Mystery House.’
9.     The Hayes Mansion (another house featured in the novel) is also a real mansion in San Jose, California. Long before it was restored, my parents considered becoming the caretakers. Lancaster House contains many of my memories from searching the nooks and crannies of this mansion.
10.                        After writing Lancaster House, I wasn’t sure it was any good, so I wrote another novel before ever sending out query letters!




Lancaster HouseTaylor Dean
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781475068689ASIN: B008EMKKYW
Number of pages: 304 pagesWord Count: 91,303
Amazon  Smashwords  Barnes and Noble    Apple iBooks 
Book Description: 
Are you ever really alone?
Zoe Grayson needs a change. So, she moves to another state, purchases an old, dilapidated 1920s Victorian Mansion, and sets out to restore it to its former glory. As she begins the restoration, she finds herself falling in love with the old house . . . not to mention its illustrious builder, Mr. Lancaster. Zoe becomes obsessed with the house as she discovers its secrets; hidden rooms, secret passageways . . . and a mysterious man who seems to think the house is his. Who is he? More importantly, how does he live in her home unseen and unheard?

The unexpected answers leave her reeling—and questioning everything she’s ever known. To her dismay, Zoe’s actions land her in the local psychiatric hospital, scheming for ways to return to Lancaster House . . . and the love of her life.
About the Author:
Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense—you’ll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.

website: www.taylordeanbooks.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taylor-Dean-Books/244057199037467
twitter: @taylordeanbooks
goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425797.Taylor_Dean

Cover Reveal Heaven Sent by E Van Lowe

Heaven SentFalling Angels Saga Book ThreeBy E Van Lowe
Genre: Paranormal YA
What Does It All Mean?
Readers who devoured Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel will be captivated by the third book in the Falling Angels Saga.
As summer break for Glendale Union high begins, heartsick Megan awaits Guy's return while struggling to control her emerging abilities.  Love is in the air, but can the new loves in Megan, Maudrina, Suze and Aunt' Jaz's life be trusted? Nothing is what it seems.  Meanwhile, the Satanists are set to hatch their most diabolical scheme ever, and if it comes to pass, Satan may finally win out.
Megan has precious little time to unravel the cryptic message hidden in the riddle she received at the end of Earth Angel. If she doesn’t, the life of someone most dear to her will be lost forever, and Megan may yet find herself living in HELL.
Excerpt : http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Sneak_Peek_-_Heaven_Sent2.pdf

The Morticians Wife

I want to tell you a ghost story.  And the thing about this ghost story is that it is absolutely true.  It happened to the people who currently own, and live in Dunsmuir, California’s Old Mortuary; the building that I used as a backdrop for my book, The Mortician’s Wife.            Brad and Nancy Warner bought the old Victorian building with the idea of bringing it back to its former beauty and turn it into an inn. What happened to them the first night they stayed in the house made them wonder if they might have made the mistake of a lifetime.Throughout the day several unexplained things had happened which the couple told themselves that, considering how tired they both were, must have been caused by their overly active imaginations.By the time all the furniture had been brought into the house the Warners were too tired to even think of setting up their bed.  Instead, they placed their mattress on the floor of the main room of the first floor—the room where perhaps hundreds of funerals had been held.  A fire burned brightly in the wood burning fireplace, several lamps had been turned on and the couple was enjoying a DVD on their laptop computer.  Suddenly, all of the lamps turned off, the computer screen went black and the fire in the fireplace went out.  They sat there in the blackness in utter silence for a few moments.  Finally, Brad decided he’d had enough.  Breaking the silence, he said, “Look, this is our home now. We have no plans on leaving. You’re welcome to stay here, but we need to live together in harmony.  That’s all we ask, that we are all able to live together with respect for each other.”Suddenly the lights came back on, the DVD began playing on the computer and…the fire in the fireplace abruptly flamed up.Brad and Nancy have lived at the Old Mortuary for a little over a year now, during which time the haunting has continued, although, for the most part at a milder pace than on that first day.  The renovation is very nearly done, and they are looking forward to opening their inn in the near future.And I am looking forward to completing the sequel to The Mortician’s Wife.  How can I resist, given all the material the old mortuary continues to give me.           

October 29 Guest blogCompelled By Wordswww.compelledbywords.com   
October 30 Guest blog and reviewZombiegirl Shamblinghttp://zombiegirlshambling.blogspot.com/
October 30 Guest blog www.bendingthespine.blogspot.comSpooking The Spine event
October 30 PromoBooks & Beauty http://janieraeldridge.blogspot.com
October 31 print giveaway and promotionSMARTMOUTHTEXANwww.smartmouthtexan.wordpress.com
October 31 Guest blogImmortality and Beyond – www.immortylcafe.com
November 1 PromoBlooding Book Reviewshttp://frankieblooding.wordpress.com/
November 2 Guest blog and reviewMama Knows Books http://mamaknowsbooks.blogspot.com  
November 4 Guest bloghttp://donnasbloghome.blogspot.com/
November 11 Interviewwww.creativelygreen.blogspot.com
November 12 InterviewRoxanne’s Realmwww.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
November 13 Guest blogFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
November 13 ReviewNot Now...Mommy's Reading   http://www.mommysreading.com/

The Morticians Wife
Maralee Lowder
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Taylor Street Books
ISBN: 13: 978-1480011229ASIN:  B009KDVFEI
Number of pages:194Word Count: 71000
Cover Artist: Tim Hewtson
Amazon
Book Description:  
“I have spent the night in supposedly some of the most haunted buildings in America. I have met people who could fairly be described as evil incarnate. I have been to the Old Mortuary in Dunsmuir. It is gorgeous but I wouldn't spend a single night there.” Kathleen McKenna, author of horror novels 'The Wedding Gift' and 'Family Matters'.
Five miles from the new age Mt. Shasta City, the sleepy Northern California town of Dunsmuir plays host to a nightmarish house – the Old Mortuary – where the mortician's wife spent four decades alone, and some say insane, sleeping in an alcove off one bedroom where she believed the evil spirits of the house could not get to her, harboring terrible secrets.
With the steady flow of dead bodies through the basement and the murderous events upstairs, this is the story of how the Old Mortuary of Dunsmuir became one of the most haunted houses in America as a result of the personality and misdeeds of one man, Horace Carpenter, whose eternal soul most certainly does not rest in peace, as many will attest, and probably never will.


About the Author:
Maralee Lowder found so much pleasure in reading such a wide spectrum of romance genres, she has never been able to write in just one.  Her novels run the gamut of contemporary, historical, humorous, horror, paranormal and suspense. 
Look for the sequel to "The Morticians Wife"  coming soon
http://www.maraleelowder.com
http://www.authorsden.com/maraleelowder
https://twitter.com/MaraleeLowder

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Guest Blog by Margaret Fieland

One of the key reasons I ended up writing fiction was because I put my writing online where it was easily accessible and could be organized.
In 2005 I wrote a poem I wanted to keep, and because we have a vacation home and I work as a computer software engineer, I had -- and still have -- multiple computers in my life. I put my poems up online, with the help of one of my kids. Then, that December, I came across a poetry contest in an ezine I was fond of. All my kids were out, and I had the computer to myself. I grabbed the poem and submitted it, and to my surprise it was a finalist. I didn't win, but I believe in playing the odds. I joined a couple of online communities and began to work at my writing.But none of that would have happened without organization.
In one of the communities, I heard of a free online writers' conference, The Muse Online Writers Conference.There I "met" Linda Barnett Johnson and joined her writing forums. Because Linda required it, I started writing fiction. My first story was for kids, and it found a home online. I didn't have another story accepted for a long time, but  I was hooked anyway, and continued to write fiction.
Then one weekend, remembering a tragic fire that had claimed the lives of a friend's wife and kids, I wrote a chapter book about a little boy who loses his mother in a fire. I spent the next two or so years learning enough to make it publishable. It's due out next year.
I'm a huge science fiction fan and have read the genre voraciously for years, but had never, up until 2010, written any myself. In order to overcome what I viewed as my phobia about world-building, I decided to do NaNo (National Novel Writing Month) 2010. This was in late September, and I spent the next six weeks in getting organized: world building and a very rough couple of pages on my story. The notes were rough, and some things changed, but I did have the conflict, both external and internal, bright and dark moments, character change, obstacle, conflict resolution, and the like. I had notes -- less than a page -- about the plot. But I did have the bones of the story and where it was headed.
There is a clear tradeoff between planning and revision: more of the former, less of the latter -- but I'm not much of a plotter, and time was short. I wrote the novel in a month and then spent the next six or seven months revising it. I doubt I'll ever get to the point where I have a really detailed scene-by-scene outline, but I do a bit more planning, and stick to the plan a bit more, with each novel I write. 
RelocatedMargaret Fieland
Genre: Tween/YA sci fiPublisher: MuseItUp Publishing
ISBN:978-1-77127-111-0ASIN:B008OHOVVU
Number of pages:155Word Count: 51272

Book Description:
When fourteen-year-old Keth's dad is transferred to planet Aleyne, he doesn't know what to expect. Certainly not to discover Dad grew up here, and studied with Ardaval, a noted Aleyni scholar. On Aleyne, Keth’s psi ability develops. However, psi is illegal in the Terran Federation. After a dangerous encounter with two Terran teenagers  conflict erupts between Keth and his father. Keth seeks sanctuary with Ardaval.  Studying with the Aleyne scholar Keth learns the truth about his own heritage. After Keth's friend's father, Mazos, is kidnapped, Keth ignores the risks and attempts to free him. Little does he realize who will pay the cost as he becomes involved with terrorists.


About the Author:
Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Daughter of a painter, she is the mother of three grown sons and an accomplished flute and piccolo player. She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein's “Farmer in the Sky” for her tenth birthday, now long past. She lives in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and a large number of dogs. Her poems, articles and stories have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Melusine, Front Range Review, Umbrella Journal and All Rights Reserved. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the initial version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap.  Her book, "Relocated," was released by MuseItUp Publishing in July, 2012. The Angry Little Boy," will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2013. 
You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com
http://poetic-muselings.net/
http://www.margaretfieland.com/
http://www.facebook.com/margaret.fieland
https://twitter.com/madcapmaggie
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417476.Margaret_Fieland

November Issue Bewitching Book Tours Magazine

Open publication - Free publishing - More book features

Guest blog by Marquita Valentine

In my novel, Third Time’s a Charm, the heroine, Rose Holland, comes from a long line of matchmakers. You see, Holland women have the uncanny ability to bring men and women together. But they also have the unfortunate reputation of taking men away from their women.
Tradition is tradition, however, in Holland Springs, North Carolina and seeking the love advice of the descendents of Poppy Holland is just how things are done.  Only for our heroine, she has no one to turn to for love advice and Rose can’t see who she belongs with.Quite a conundrum, huh? To have these great abilities and success stories, but not be able to use them for yourself. Or maybe that’s part of what makes Rose so selfless. She knows her limits and instead focuses on helping others.
Rose isn’t forbidden from trying to use her gifts on herself and there aren’t any Grave Consequences either. She doesn’t have a secret identity. Everyone in town knows, or at least thinks they know, she’s a witch. But Rose never says, in fact in the book she thinks the people that come to her are obvious in their desires and wants. That reading them is as easy as growing dandelions in her front yard.
Yet the hero, Sasha Romanov, is like the Pamlico Sound at twilight. Something that doesn’t make her happy at all. Of course this makes for some interesting nights when he rents a room from her.
So, if you could have any kind of ability, what would it be? And would you keep it a secret or share it with the world?




Third Time’s a CharmHolland Springs Book Two
Marquita Valentine
Genre: Contemporary RomanceASIN: B0096TKHAO
Number of pages: 260Word Count: 88,000
Kindle   Nook   iBooks
Kobo  Smashwords
Book Description:
Not even Holland Springs' Most Notorious Resident can stop this Love Spell.

Customers come to Rose Holland’s apothecary shop for three things: to hear her uncanny matchmaking advice, to buy the “magical” hair and skin products she sells, and to accuse her of trying to steal their men. For years Rose has been entirely innocent and almost content with that status quo. But that was before sexy, smooth-talking Sasha Romanov came to town and made her want to use her love potions on him… until he broke her heart. Now corrupt town officials want to seize her land and sell it to an industrial giant, and her only hope for help looks like the one man she can’t trust—or stop herself from falling under his spell. 

Alexander “Sasha” Romanov seems like every woman’s dream: charming, handsome and fabulously rich. But while the people of Holland Springs think he’s in town to generously invest in their economy (and possibly one of their daughters), Sasha struggles to save his sick mother from his vicious uncle’s plans by doing everything the greedy businessman wants. And Vlad Romanov wants Rose Holland’s land—at any cost. 

Despite Sasha’s vow to get the job done and keep his hands (and everything else!) off Rose, the blue-eyed witch enchants him. But his mother’s life remains in the balance. Sasha must find a way to protect his mother, sabotage his uncle’s plans, and win the woman who’s captured his heart without destroying everything she loves.
About the Author:
Marquita Valentine writes small town romances that are anything but small. Lisa Kleypas, Carly Phillips and Rachel Gibson are among her favorite contemporary authors. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man -- and if that doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children. 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15779191-third-time-s-a-charm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarquitaValentine
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/marquitaval
Website: http://marquitavalentine.blogspot.com/
Blog: http://ladyscribes.blogspot.com/

Interview with Isabel Kunkle

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
My parents, until they retired this year, were both faculty at various boarding schools—my dad was the headmaster of two, and my mom taught Latin, worked in college counseling, and ran the library—and I went to one myself. (Unlike Connie, I didn’t go to the school where my parents worked. We lived in California, and I wanted a place with “real seasons,” because I was extremely dumb.)  I have a lot of memories of my time as both a faculty brat and a student, and I thought it’d be fun to write a novel based on some of them. It was!
What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?
The paranormal in general intrigues me for two reasons: it’s mysterious and deals with the potential for things beyond what we can currently see, and so much of it, at least in fiction, depends on an individual’s will and faith and imagination. 
I also like how vampires differ from culture to culture, but almost every culture has some kind of similar concept. Playing with archetypes is my idea of a good time, which might be why I don’t get invited to many parties. ;)
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?
Autumn was tough. Quiet characters are always tough for me—I am, er, Not Quiet, especially around people I know—and when the story’s not from their point of view, it’s even harder. 
Julio was also a challenge, because I don’t spend a whole lot of time around kids, and it’s been a long time since I was six.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
All of them were great, but Jenny was particularly fun. I always like the sarcastic ones.  I also had a good time with Connie’s mom (…wow, that sounds wrong) because being the head of a school requires such a mix of idealism and cynicism and patience.
Do you have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character develop as you write?
As I mentioned above, I work with archetypes a lot, and that goes for my characters as well as my monsters. Usually, I’ll pick something like “Sarcastic Punk Chick” and then see how I can play with it, adding qualities or changing things until someone like Jenny takes on a personality of her own.  With Connie, I also felt it was important to make her different from me, since I was already drawing a lot from my own experience, so she’s athletic and Latina and likes math and science.

Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?
Connie’s world is very much like ours on the surface. Magic exists, but it’s rare that people know how to use it, particularly now—mostly because it’s never really been reliable. People can’t actually see or tap into magical power by themselves: they have to make deals with things that either come from outside the world or exist on a level that we can’t normally perceive. Since these things have their own wills, and some of them think we’re tasty, magic is a dangerous thing.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?
Often! It helps to have an outline planned, though. I don’t stick to it entirely—if I decide that I need to take the plot in a different direction, I do—but it means that if I’m not feeling inspired, I can sit down at my computer, look at my outline, and start work on whatever comes next. Usually just working clears up the block: for me, it’s a lot like going to the gym, where you don’t want to go until you’re there.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
Probably the first time I got a story published. It was a short little sf thing: romantic angst after Neo-Tokyo has exploded. I was in college at the time, slumping around my room because it was January and I’d just had a breakup myself and blah blah twenty-one, and got this email all “Hi, we want to pay you fifty bucks for your story.”
Squealed like a goddamn anime schoolgirl. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t have a roommate.
What are your guilty pleasures in life?
I don’t feel guilty about very much, but probably men, musicals (I…kinda love Disney films), really bad candy (I am the only person I know who likes circus peanuts), fanfic, extremely dangly earrings, and clothing with glitter on it.

Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
I’m incredibly geeky, and thus play both tabletop and live action RPGs, in addition to video games—although I’m consistently behind the technology curve with those, and am still midway through Dragon Age 2. Some friends and I indulge in ballroom dancing on occasion, I used to be a fair skater and would like to do more of that, and I’m teaching myself to sew.
Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?
I wish! Most of my reading these days happens on the T, so mostly I’m trying to concentrate on my book while someone is industriously putting his elbow in my spleen. When I go on vacation, though, it’s different: I go to the library near my folks’ place, get a stack of books as tall as I am, and occupy the living room couch for days. It’s fantastic.



November 9 InterviewMichelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttps://momwithakindle.blogspot.com
November 9 PromoMonique Morgan http://www.moniquemorgan.com/
November 10 InterviewFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
November 11 Interview Roxanne’s Realmwww.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
November 12 Guest blogCelestial Reviewshttp://cecesreviews.blogspot.com
November 12 Guest BlogPW Creightonhttp://www.pwcreighton.com/surveillance-report/Paranormal Perceptions guest post series
November 12 PromoInkk Reviewshttp://inkkreviews.blogspot.com
November 13 Guest blogThe Creatively green Write at Home Momwww.creativelygreen.blogspot.com
November 14 Guest blogwww.mmshelley.com
November 15 ReviewPublishing the Paranormal http://jbridgerwriting.blogspot.com
November 15 promoCover2CoverBlogwww.cover2coverblog.blogspot.com
November 16 guest bloghttp://www.moniquemorgan.com/
November 16 Reviewbookbriefs.blogspot.com

Hickey of the Beast
Isabel Kunkle
Genre: YA / Fantasy
Publisher: Candlemark & Gleam
ISBN: 978-1-936460-22-9ASIN: B004S7B21C
Number of pages: 272
Cover Artist: Kate Sullivan
Candlemark and Gleam     Barnes and Noble         Amazon  
Book Description:
Connie thought freshman year might suck. She never thought it’d be literal.
Bad dreams? No big deal. After all, Connie Perez is starting her first year in the prep school her mom runs. Anyone would be a little stressed, right? When she starts dreaming about strange creatures and places that don’t make sense, she doesn’t think much about it: there’s other stuff on her mind. Then she starts noticing that the people she dreams about get sick right afterwards.
Then everything gets weird.
There’s something bad on the campus of Springden Academy. Something that feeds on students and warps their minds. And, as Connie and her friends try to figure out what’s going on, it starts to look like she’s the only one who can stop it. Freshman year was hard enough without having to fight evil after class.
 About the Author:
Isabel Kunkle lives and works in Boston, where the winters have yet to kill her. She’s been the headmaster’s kid at a number of prep schools and attended Phillips Academy Andover herself, but has yet to develop mystic powers, unless you count the ability to eat nearly anything. When she has a moment, she likes reading, roleplaying, ballroom dancing, and watching bad TV from the Eighties.

Get Bitten During Tanya Erzen's Fanpire Blog Tour

The first thing to know about Twilight vampires is that they don’t have any bite.  Well, there is some biting, but they lack fangs, one of the mainstays of most vampires.   They also sparkle in the sun rather than risk obliteration from it.    Some of them refuse to feed off on humans out of a sense of morality.

One could argue that there’s no sexual bite in Twilight either.  Bella and Edward, the Romeo and Juliet lovers, moon at each other and exchange passionate kisses, but they are abstinent until marriage at age eighteen.   There is the constant fear that Edward, tempted by the beguiling and unusual scent of her blood, will devour Bella if he allows himself to unleash his lust.  

As if to make up for the lack of explicit sex, the vast universe of Twilight fan fiction is teeming with smut stories, a genre that envisions the relationships in Twilight as sexually explicit. In the lively world of smut or fade to black fan fiction, the authors, primarily women, pen erotic scenes between Bella and Edward. Instead of meadows and innocent kisses, there is promiscuity, sexual abuse, incest, bondage, sex addiction, and, of course, some romance.  However, in many of the smut scenarios, the authors eliminate the paranormal elements and supernatural characters altogether because to try to adhere to the Twilight canon of chivalrous vampires and burly wolves by inserting explicit sex is an oxymoron. 

Twilight emerged in the middle of a boom in paranormal romance and the proliferation of young-adult vampire literature: the number of these books published in the United States doubled between 2002 and 2004. Young-adult paranormals now dominate entire sections at Barnes and Nobles.  A large proportion of Twilight fans read other paranormal romance books such as The Vampire Diaries, Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries, the Anita Blake series by Laurel Hamilton, and The Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. However, many find some of this work, particularly JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood and others, too risqué for their tastes.

In many ways, Twilight seems far removed from the tough female protagonists, vampires, kick-ass demon hunters, witches, werewolves, and shape-shifters of adult paranormal romance.  So, aside from sexy vampires and testosterone-fueled werewolves, what does Twilight share with other paranormal romance?

1. Emo Vampires:  Despite Twilight author, Stephenie Meyer’s contention never to have read paranormal romance, Edward bears a strong resemblance to the genre’s archetypical heroes.  He is supernaturally strong and emotionally vulnerable.  Unlike the pure evil of Dracula or Nosferatu, in Edward and the vampire heroes of True Blood or The Vampire Diaries, we have the twenty-first-century, therapeutic vampire boyfriend. Desperate to retain their humanity and angst-ridden about their bloodthirsty natures, these tantalizing vamps personify both danger and safety. He may be a vampire, but he’s really in essence a bad boy with a soul who is crippled by his past.  The more tortured, tormented, and damaged the hero, the more appealing he is, and the more fans sympathize with his occasional bouts of violence and possessiveness.  As Bella tells Edward in Twilight, “You’re dangerous? … But not bad. … No, I don’t believe that you’re bad.”  

2. Romeo and Juliet with a Happy Ending:  Whether vampire, troll, or demon hunter, most paranormal romances end with a perfect pairing for eternity.  In Twilight, Bella and Edward are soul mates, destined to be together forever despite the fact that he is tempted by the beguiling and unusual scent of her blood, and wrestles with his moral values and desire to attack and suck her dry.  Their interspecies romance is plagued by other obstacles as well, like Bella’s insecurities (she can never believe someone like Edward could love her) and her predilection for nearly dying on a regular basis, whether at the hands of rival vampires, a motorcycle accident, or a gang of would-be rapists.  As Edward tells Bella in New Moon, “The odds are always stacked against us. Mistake after mistake. I’ll never criticize Romeo again.”  Despite seemingly insurmountable barriers sexual attraction builds; and undying love triumphs. 

3. Hidden Powers:  Like Sookie Stackhouse in the Southern Vampire Mysteries or Beth in J.R Ward’s Dark Lover, Bella is a heroine who is unaware of the full extent of her powers and identity, until they are awakened by her meeting with a vampire lover.   In Twilight, Edward can’t read Bella’s impenetrable mind like he can everyone else’s.  Bella is utterly ordinary, almost a blank slate, until the love of Edward arouses some power within her.  Yet, unlike Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake, Bella is more of a damsel in distress than someone hunting and zapping evil vampires.  She is less concerned about ridding the world of evil than with Edward’s dazzling beauty. Instead of going to college, Bella becomes a wife and mother, albeit a supernatural one, at age eighteen.


4. Supernatural sex and virginal heroines:  Bella becomes a fully realized sexual being only after encountering Edward.  Like many of the women in paranormals and romance novels, she is either virginal or possesses almost no sexual experience.  Bella desires sex, but she’s never promiscuous or slutty. Sex with her true love is blissful, otherworldly, and an emotional and sensual delirium.  This is still true even when Bella’s first sexual experience leaves her bruised, battered, and pregnant with a vampire/human hybrid on their honeymoon. Sex gets even better once she becomes a vampire with preternatural sexual powers.  Supernatural creatures have supernatural sex, forever.  


After Twilight’s global success, mainstream media suddenly awoke to the fact that millions of women were reading paranormal romance and the insatiable demand for these books continues.  Paranormal romance stories are no longer a dirty secret to be hidden on an e-reader, and are in fact, one of the only thriving sectors of the publishing industry.  Twilight manages to serve up a PG version of paranormal romance, now duplicated by dozens of copycat YA series, with the same hearty doses of lust, romance and soul mates.  Twilight’s downside is that the reader gets all the anticipation without any sex as a reward.



An author immerses herself in the frenzied fandom of Twilight, the young-adult vampire romance series that has captivated women of all ages

 Why have the Twilight saga’s representations of romance and relationships enchanted millions of fans and generated millions in revenue, selling everything from Barbie-type dolls to blockbuster films? Tanya Erzen—herself no stranger to the allure of the series—explores the phenomenon of Twilight, books and films influenced by conservative Mormon religious ideas, by immersing herself in the vibrant and diverse subculture of “Twi-hards” to understand why so many love the series (sometimes in spite of themselves). She attends Edward-addiction groups, Twi-rock concerts, and fan conventions, and looks at the vast world of online fandom that Twilight has generated. Part journalistic investigation and part cultural analysis, Fanpire will appeal to obsessed fans and haters alike.

Check out a couple other stops on the tour:

Bitch Flicks www.btchflcks.com and 
Everyday Sociology http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com

Interview with Kristen Selleck

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
Sure.  I’m a senior medical scientist who also gave birth to two minions--though as scientists-in-training, they’re not really making the cut.  Every time I take them to the lab they just want to color on all my notes and use the microscope to look at boogers.
Deciding to write a novel in this genre was probably kismet.  When I wrote my first novel, I was working the night shift in a small hospital laboratory.  The hospital had downsized and closed a wing a few years before, and there were a lot of creepy stories about hauntings in that wing.  I used to go up there on lunch with some pals and ghost hunt.  When I started writing Asylum, I had been doing a lot of research on abandoned hospitals.  Originally the story was going to be strictly paranormal.  The plot involved two girls, who were roommates, and their weird adventures in a haunted dormitory.  After I threw in a male character to balance them out, it just sort of turned into a romance.
Please tell us about your latest release.
Abraham’s Men is the second book in the Birch Harbor Series.  Our two roommates, Sam and Chloe, are headed back to Birch Harbor College for their sophomore year.  Chloe’s still struggling with the realization that she was never really schizophrenic, and that the voices she’s heard have always been real.  She’s determined to follow through with her plans and head to London to find the secret society known as Abraham’s Men.  Unfortunately, her boyfriend Seth is just as determined to convince her to let it all go and live a normal life with him.  She has some major decisions to make, and she’s forced to weigh love against what she feels is her duty.  There are still some exciting plot twists, just like in the first book, but this one is much more character driven.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
I LOVE Sam!  She doesn’t give a crap what people think and she never holds back.  She’s a hard-drinking, hard-partying, no excuses kind of girl with a mouth and an ego, and she’s funny.  Writing dialogue for her is so much fun.
What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
Sure.  Like I said, I really enjoy writing back and forth dialogue between Sam and just about any other character.  In this scene, Chloe’s professor, Dr. Willard, has stopped by her house to drop off instructions for a trip she’s accompanying him on as a research assistant.  He’s a very awkward, formal, scholarly sort of man with a ridiculous waxed moustache.  Chloe’s best friends, Sam and Beth, are listening in on the conversation:“Dr. Willard, there’s something I wanted to bring up, and I just wanted to make sure it was alright.  My boyfriend will be flying in to spend Christmas with me.  It won’t interfere with my work.  He’s just going to come for a week, and I hope that it won’t be a problem.”“Oh!” Dr. Willard looked surprised.  “I do hope it’s not…not because of any… well, Ms. Adams, I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding.  No assumptions of impropriety, not by any means!  I…this is strictly a-a-a pursuit of information, and I-”“Oh, no.  Do you have a problem with us staying together?  I didn’t realize that…I…I” Chloe stuttered.“No!  Not at all.  I only meant that… oh, dear.  You see, Ms. Adams, I was trying to allude to the fact that I would hope that he isn’t coming because he thinks that I would…that my interests aren’t… scholarly ones,” Dr. Willard fumbled.Awkward,Sam mouthed silently from behind Dr. Willard.“OH!” Chloe’s face burned. “No!  Oh my God.  No, no.  Wow.  He just didn’t want me to spend Christmas alone, that’s all.”“Very good.  Well…that’s just….that’s very well, then.  Good day, Ms. Adams…and Ms.Erickson.”  Dr. Willard nodded his head at each of them and turned to leave.For a few seconds, after the door closed behind him, one could have heard a pin drop.Then Sam wailed with laughter.“Assumptions…of impropriety!” she gasped, her voice cracked as she wiped tears from her eyes.“That’s Willard-speak for don’t think you’re going to be seeing his naked psyche,” Beth giggled.“Shut…UP!” Chloe screeched, grabbing the roll of paper towels off the counter and flinging it at Sam.“Can you…imagine?” Sam wheezed, ducking the paper towels.  “I wonder if his moustache tickles.”“EW! EW!” Chloe cried.“No!  With all that wax?  You would probably be able to see your reflection in anything it touched,” Beth dead-panned.“Ohhhhhh” Sam groaned, “No! Sick!”“I hate you both so much,” Chloe spat.“I have the most horrifying mental image right now,” Beth admitted.“Hey, hey, you think if they had an affair and Clo got pregnant, the baby would have his moustache?” Sam asked, trying to keep her face straight.“I’m going to choke you,” Chloe warned.“Well,” Sam straightened up, wiping her eyes again.  “that was disgustingly awful.  What’s for dinner?”
Did you find anything really interesting while researching this or another book?
Definitely.  Both books contain a lot of factual information on the history of psychology and the development and decline of insane asylums.  One of the most interesting historical characters was Thomas Story Kirkbride, who developed the plan that was the inspiration for most insane asylums in America.  He was a tireless advocate for the mentally ill, even after he was shot in the head by a former patient.  Yeah…he lived.  Apparently, his hat stopped the bullet.
What is the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but breaking into abandoned asylums to walk around and take pictures.  Funny story—one asylum I ‘visited’ was being renovated, but since it was the weekend, I figured no one would be there.  I got in through a side door that had been kicked in.  As I was walking around, taking pictures, I just kept telling myself, ‘if anyone sees me, I’ll just play dumb’.  I’ll just say, ‘oh the door was open, I didn’t see the no trespassing sign.’ Unfortunately, a construction worker happened to walk out of a room and see me from down a hallway.  He yelled ‘HEY!’, and all my maturity and self-assurance vanished, and I reverted to my 16-year-old self.  I squealed “EEEEEEEE!” and took off running.  Luckily, he didn’t chase me, because I probably would have had a heart attack.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
I don’t know if I do.  It’s easy to say I’m a scientist, because I have a bunch of degrees hanging on the wall to assure me of it.  Saying I’m a writer is a lot harder for some reason.
Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
Science, of course.  I won’t bore the crap out of anyone with the details, but I’m very passionate about many different fields of research, particularly genetics.
What was the last amazing book you read?
A book that’s kind of strangely appropriate for this blog.  It was called, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  In the laboratory, there’s a certain cell known as HeLa.  It was the first immortal cell line, and was used in countless research projects.  It was used to develop the polio vaccine and many other amazing things, but the cells were taken from a woman who never gave her consent and died of cancer, never knowing about it.  While her cells have contributed so much to the world, and to medical science in particular, (consequently generating billions of dollars) her children grew up without a mother and can’t even afford basic medical care.  It made me reexamine some of my own bioethical beliefs.  I would recommend it to anyone!
What can readers expect next from you?
I’m currently plugging away on the third book in the Birch Harbor Series, The Kirkbride Plan.  It’ll be out next year, and is, so far, the most action-packed book of the series!  Readers are going to get a lot of answers about Chloe’s family and their involvement with Abraham’s Men.
Where can readers find you on the web?
The Birch Harbor Series facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/BirchHarborSeriesAnd my website: http://www.kristenselleck.webs.com


November 5 Guest blogSurveillance Reporthttp://www.pwcreighton.com/surveillance-report/
November 6 Interview

Fang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
November 7 PromoCover2CoverBlogwww.cover2coverblog.blogspot.com
November 8 Guest blogFor The Love Of Film And Novelshttp://www.fortheloveoffilmandnovels.com/
November 8 PromoThe Wormholehttp://wormyhole.blogspot.com/
November 9 Guest blogMichelle  @ Mom With A Kindlehttps://momwithakindle.blogspot.com


November 9 PromoNomi’s Paranormal Palacehttp://nomisparanormalpalace.blogspot.com.au
Nov. 10 PromoSapphyria's Book Reviews: http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/
November 11 Guest blogLisa’s World of Bookswww.lisasworldofbooks.net
November 12 Guest blog

Mama Knows Bookshttp://mamaknowsbooks.blogspot.com/

Abraham’s MenBirch Harbor Series, Book 2
Kristen Selleck
Genre:  YA paranormal romance
ISBN:  9780615706122
Number of pages: 394Word Count: 86,000
Cover Artist: Kristen Selleck
Book Description: 
College sophomore Chloe Adams returns to Birch Harbor determined to find the remnants of the secret society known as Abraham's Men.
Yet, the only clues she has are the words 'find Ian Rose' and a strange coded journal that once belonged to her father.
No longer able to hear the voices that have plagued her for most of her life, and finally having the loving home she has always dreamed of, Chloe struggles to define what she wants--
Until fate and her mentor conspire to offer her the chance to discover the truth.
Unfortunately, the truth might kill her.

About the Author:
Kristen Selleck is avidly evil. Until recently, she worked as a mad scientist. After several diabolical attempts at world domination proved unsuccessful (most notably, building an army of robots from used pipettes, empty reagent boxes, and other things left lying around the lab), she decided to pick up the pen. She used the pen to poke an annoying lady at the gas station in the eyeball. Then she decided to write.
She has been known to speak with a strong Russian accent. This is inexplicable due to the fact that she was born in Detroit. It has also been documented that she likes vodka, roller coasters, things which are purple, and blowing things up with dry ice. She abhors kittens, wood paneling popularized in the 1970's, and her arch-nemesis Jimmy (the Evil Overlord of Specimen Processing). She was last known to reside in Grand Rapids, and may be in the company of two evil apprentices, and her devoted henchman, Shad. If seen, please contact the FBI immediately (she owes someone in Accounting a sandwich).
http://kristenselleck.webs.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5305353.Kristen_Selleck
http://www.amazon.com/Kristen-Selleck/e/B0060FB49U
https://twitter.com/Abrahamsmen
http://www.facebook.com/BirchHarborSeries

Smoke and Mirrors by Marie Treanor

Smoke and MirrorsThe Gifted, Book 1
Marie Treanor                                    Genre: Paranormal Romance/Suspense
ISBN: 978-0-9573016-4-1
Number of pages: 241 Word Count: 87,000
Cover Artist: Kimberly Killion (Hot Damn Designs)

Book Description:
Deceit and desire, and a treasure beyond price...
When struggling Scottish writer Nell Black accepts a one-off job with the police, translating for an arson suspect from the isolated ex-Soviet republic of Zavrekestan, she stumbles into a terrifying world of organized crime and paranormal abilities that turns her whole belief system upside down. Faced with an incomparable thief, hit men who spontaneously combust, gangsters, drug dealers, British Intelligence and a fiery goddess, Nell no longer knows who to trust. The man who saves her life is a criminal to whom deceit is second nature. He has more smoke screens and more plans in motion than anyone else can keep track of. He is, moreover, probably insane. Even his fellow gangsters are afraid of him. So why is he the one man Nell wants to touch her?
Rodion Kosar is in trouble. His convoluted plans all lead to one goal - the retrieval of his treasure - and to achieve that, he needs Nell to believe he isn't the bad guy. He has many reasons beyond his own desires to make love to her. Especially when a plan goes wrong and he has to play dead before someone really kills him - either the police, the menacing Russian crime lord known as the Bear, or the powerful Guardian of the Gifted whom he's defied once too often. Nell's burgeoning gift of second sight could be his best route to the treasure, and yet keeping her with him spells danger. For Nell has her own agenda, her own mission, and she could just as easily cause his final downfall.




*

Nell followed Sergeant Lamont inside, to where a group of people sat around a rather bashed-up table, ornamented only by a crushed packet of cigarettes. Lamont clearly felt time was of the essence, because even as he pulled a chair forward for Nell, he was speaking, combining the social politeness of introductions with naming those present for the police recording.

His police colleague, seated beside him, was a young detective constable called Livingstone. The suspect’s solicitor on the opposite side of the table was Gregor Gallini. Nell’s chair was squashed in at the end of the table, with Gallini on one side and Lamont on the other.

The suspect himself, Kolnikov, lounged next to his lawyer. Nell found herself in no hurry to face him. Instead, she concentrated on sitting down and arranging her coat and bag, giving quick smiles and nods to everyone else as they were introduced. Her first impression of the suspect, gained from half glances and glimpses from the corner of her eye, was of long legs in blue jeans, a sloppy grey sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up to the elbow to reveal colourful tattoos among the golden hairs on his forearms. And a sort of shimmering light—burning amber and gold—like an aura.

Nell didn’t believe in auras, largely because she’d never taken to the sort of people who talked about them. Therefore, she’d always felt slightly ashamed of the fact that she occasionally imagined different coloured outlines around some people, usually from exactly this kind of half glance. When she looked properly, the “aura” had always gone. Imagination combined with nerves, of course, and tonight she had an excuse for both.

“And Nell Black, translator,” Lamont finished, “present at the request of Mr. Kolnikov.”

“What are her qualifications?” Gallini demanded at once. “She must be fluent in Zavreki.”

“I am,” Nell said mildly. She reached into her bag and brought out copies of her degrees and diplomas. Although she was aware of Kolnikov’s gaze upon her, she passed the documents to the solicitor, who pushed them nearer to his client so that they could both view them. In the belief she would now have a free, if brief moment to examine the suspect, she lifted her gaze to his face. Mistake.

It was a bit like falling out of a tree when she was a kid: a sense of dizziness, followed swiftly by a thud that sucked all the air out of her lungs. Not because he was particularly good-looking—although he was, all straight, sharp lines and shaggy blond hair—but because his hard, intense blue eyes were staring right at her, as if he could see into every corner of her existence. She prayed he couldn’t.

At least there was no “aura” now.

His lips separated, and he spoke in Zavreki. “How come?”

The words were brief, without emphasis, and yet they threw her. Perhaps it was his voice, quiet and deep as dark velvet, that made her shiver.

“How come what?” she demanded.

“How come you speak my language?”

“My mother came from Zavrekestan.”

He picked up the packet of cigarettes from the table. “And they say you can never escape,” he said flippantly.

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

“Out of the frying pan, into the fire,” he observed, placing a cigarette between his lips. His hands were large but slender, his fingers long and oddly elegant compared to the rest of his flung-together if attractive appearance. He wore no rings, no wristwatch. And the tattoos licking down his forearms to his wrists were flames. Bizarre. Though no reason to arrest someone for arson.

“I’ve told you, there’s no smoking in here, Mr. Kolnikov,” Lamont said impatiently. “Can we get on? I take it you’re happy to have Miss Black as your translator?” He fixed Nell with his gaze, and she almost jumped with the realization that her job had now begun.

Hastily, she translated Lamont’s words, and Kolnikov threw the cigarette down on the table. “Hit me.”

Author Bio:
Marie Treanor lives in Scotland with her eccentric husband and three much-too-smart children. Having grown bored with city life, she resides these days in a picturesque village by the sea where she is lucky enough to enjoy herself avoiding housework and writing sensual stories of paranormal romance and fantasy.
Marie Treanor has published more than twenty ebooks with small presses, (Samhain Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, Changeling Press and The Wild Rose Press), including a former Kindle bestseller,  Killing Joe .  Blood on Silk: an Awakened by Blood novel , was her New York debut with NAL.

Website: www.MarieTreanor.com  
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Treanor-Paranormal-Romance/105866982782360
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marietreanornewsletter
Blog: Marie Treanor's Romantic Theme Party: http://romanticthemeparty.blogspot.com/

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