Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 548
October 28, 2011
Guest Blog and Giveaway with Fiona Dodwell
If you read the extract and find yourself wanting more, please leave your name and address in the comment box, and I will select two people to send a Ebook copy to for this coming Halloween!
Enjoy...
PROLOGUE
He waited there, patiently staring towards the rising sun. He
enjoyed the warmth that caressed his flesh, the light that painted
the world around him with its yellow and amber glows. There were
people around him, people waiting to go places, people waiting to
live, but he was not a part of that. He was no longer one of them.
He could hear the faint sound of the train in the distance as it
approached the station platform, and he braced himself, a smile
curling the tips of his lips. Now was the time. Now was his time.
He took a small step forward, peering past the others lining the
platform edge and watched as the train sped toward them. It was
fast. This one was not going to stop.
This is the one, just as I expected. The right time had come.
Finally.
Without thinking another thought—all reason and expectation
dimmed and forgotten—he stepped forward until his toes
were tipped over the edge of the platform. A hand behind him,
probably from a concerned pedestrian, reached out to pull him
back, but he shrugged the contact off. It disgusted him.
It had to be this way. It was always going to be this way.
The screech of the approaching train filled the air like the wail
of a wounded animal, and he leaped forward—his body slamming
against the front of the moving train.
In those dark, shadowy moments—before the blood came and
the organs loosened from the flesh they were once cocooned by—
he had looked up. He had seen him. Their eyes had met. They had
connected.
This was only the beginning. This was never the end.
If you want to learn more about Fiona Dodwell and her novels, please find her online at:
www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com
Good luck with entering the draw!
Obsessedby Fiona Dodwell
eBook ISBN: 9781615724864
Genre: Horror
Sub Genre: Supernatural
Novel of 63000 words
Sex rating: 1
Violence rating: 1
Edited by Andrea Heacock-Reyes
Cover Artwork by Dawné Dominique
Print ISBN: 9781615724871
BLURB:
James Barker thinks he has it all, until one fateful morning he witnesses a gruesome suicide.
Haunted by the death, James seeks therapy for post-traumatic stress. Finding that the answers he seeks don't lie in the therapist's office, James embarks on a journey.
Who was this man, and why did he kill himself?
Now haunted by visions of the dead man in his home and in his nightmares, James begins to wonder if he is losing his mind. Surely the dead can't return?
As his obsession spirals out of control, James uncovers the terrifying truth of the stranger who died at his own hands.
Soon he realises that his life may be in danger – as well as the lives of those he loves.
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=malbnCYxAUk
Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615724864
Author Bio:Fiona Dodwell lives in the UK with her husband. She works part-time for a care charity, and enjoys writing horror. Her love of all things dark began when she was a child, and found a battered copy of Stephen King's Pet Cemetery in the house. Since then, her passion has grown. Fiona enjoys writing short stories, novellas and novels, and her first two published novels - The Banishing and Obsessed - are both now available in eBook and paperback formats. Her third novel - The Shift - has been contracted for release in 2013 with publisher Double Dragon Publishing. You can find out more about the author at her website: www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com 
October 27, 2011
A Halloween Guest Blog with Lisa Beth Darling
I have a little story to tell you a story now so, if it's past noon for you now get a glass of wine or something. I'll wait.
I grew up in the Dark Ages (the 1970s—remember that as we go along…the 70s) when Trick or Treating was definitely the 'in' thing to do. Everybody dressed up, kids and adults, everybody put out decorations and bowls of candy.
Black, white, Jew, Christian, Pagan…everybody, if you had two bucks you had a bowl of candy on your front stoop for Halloween. If you didn't have money for a fancy costume, then your mom threw the worst sheet in the house over your head, cut out two eyes, put a pillowcase in your hand, gave you a pat on the butt as she told you to have fun and look before you crossed the street.
Like Thanksgiving, Halloween is a non-denominational, non-secular holiday. Everybody's invited and welcomed with open arms full of spooky good cheer.
When I was very little, my Dad would dress up sometimes as he took me around the neighborhood. In later years, it was my boys and me who ran around these five streets grabbing up all the candy we could find.
When I was about six I dressed up as Mr. Spock—my favorite 'Star Trek' character—and my Dad took me out. Streaking was a big thing that year, everyone was doing it, including me! There were streakers all over the TV. 'Laugh-In' was a big show at the time. So…my Dad, good mild mannered hard-working man that he was…dressed up as a flasher. Yes, a flasher. He wore a fake nose & glasses with a big old rain coat, white long johns underneath, and he had a fake pointed nose and two balloons in a very, um, 'strategic' area. Did I mention he was a big practical joker, too?
Anyway, the deal was; for people we KNEW we both went to the door. For people we DIDN'T know, I went to the door, got my candy, said 'thank you' and, as I turned away, he would 'flash' them from the sidewalk.
I never heard so many people laugh so hard in all my life. I still haven't.
Until we got to one house. By this time, it was the end of the night, the balloons were a little deflated (which made it even funnier! Really it was freakin' hilarious, even at that young age I could fully appreciate what was going on.) The homeowner was an very elderly lady who lived across the street and four doors down from us for…well, for forever! He went to the door with me. I rang the bell, the door opened, I said "trick or treat" and held out my plastic pumpkin for the candy. Behind me, my Dad 'flashed' the elderly homeowner who SCREAMED, dropped the candy dish!, shouted out a few obscenities that I didn't understand, said my Dad should be "ashamed of himself doing such a thing with a sweet little girl in tow!" She slammed the door.
We started walking up the street shrugging our shoulders. My Mom—who loved her police scanner to death-- came running out the backdoor with her hands flourishing motioning for us to hurry up, no more houses, get inside…now! We rushed in. The elderly homeowner called the police because there was a 'flasher' in the neighborhood! The cops came the street, we ran upstairs to toss off our costumes. The cops came to our door fifteen minutes later and that was the first time I lied to the police. "No, Officer, I didn't see any bad men."
I got extra candy that night! I think my parents and I laughed our butts off over it for a good fifteen years. Of course, Mom lightly scolded us each time as she laughed but…she laughed.
However, I don't think of any us actually looked the elderly homeowner in the eye ever again.
Lisa Beth Darling is the author of the "OF WAR" series of dark erotic paranormal thrillers. Book #2 in the series, "Child of War-A God is Born" is currently available in signed hard cover. It will be released in paperback on Halloween and is coming to e-book on November 25, 2011.
Author's Links:Website: http://www.moonsmusings.com/lbdarling
Blog: http://lbdarling.wordpress.com
Facebook 'fan page': http://facebook.com/lbdarling
Twitter: lb_darling
October 26, 2011
Entangled Halloween Winners
Lisa Kessler 5 sets trading cards
Na said...
I always enjoy horror stories! Too bad for Lou, though. Thanks for the giveaway, Lisa :)
Cambonified{at}yahoo{dot}com
Awesome costume! Loved the excerpt very much.
GL with the giveaway.
LizzieBeth1095@sbcglobal.net
Guess Lou, never hear "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it".
Thanks for having the giveaway.
drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com
Great little short story. Love your Evil Queen costume--very nice.
(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogsp...
Love your costume shes my favorite villan too .Thank you for sharing with us today and offering up these awesome Halloween goodies :)
Have a great weekend .
flanagan@Mebtel.net
Nina Croft's winner Break Out
Debby said...
Sounds pretty creepy but I am hoping the dog saves the day.
debby236 at gmail dot com
Teresa K. said...Rachel,
Being Native American I live each day with supernatural occurances.
One in particular is that my people believe in toten's. When someone dies we believe the ones who are close will come to see you before they leave this world.
One day while living in Connecticut I was getting ready for work. Someone knocked on my door. I told them to come in since I was right there in the kitchen. No one entered so I blew it off as I was hearing things. A few minutes later a knock at the door again this time loud enough that my German Shepherd starting barking and growling at the door. Again I looked at the door and seen a shape at door and told them to come in. Then the figure at the door was no longer.
You see I was kneading dough and I was litterly knee deep in dough. My dog quieted done like the person left. So I went back to cleaning the dough off my hands this time. When I was almost through getting dough off my hands the knock at the door came again along with the shape at the door. Dog goes nuts again. I go to the door and still see shape in window of door but when I open the door. Nobody is there dog runs out door and is standing to the side barking straight at the door. I feel this overwelming emotion of love. Then it was gone and my dog sneezes and just sits down and whines. No more barking.
Later that day I go to my moms to stay the night and around 5:00 am we get a call telling us that my favorite aunt had passed yesterday in the pm. My mom was so shocked because she told my uncle that I had just talked to her the day before and she was so happy to hear from me.
My aunt was like a foster mom to me and she and I had so much love for each other it broke my heart that she left this world but they said she left with a smile on her face.
This is just one of many experiences that I have had.
Loved to hear that I'm not the only one.
Teresa K.
tcwgrlup41 at yahoo dot com
mnjcarter said...
Oh that's any easy one for me!! I'd be Dr. Jane from Lover Unbound!
Then I'd get to be with Vichous for just one night!! Okay, yeah I'm married, and since neither of these people truley exist, except for the book, I figured it's just a nice rockin fantasy!!
mnjcarter@charter.net
Carol L. said...
Sean Bean's Hitcher, Pennywise and Samara from The Ring. Great post and thanks for the chance.
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Nicola Marsh's winner is
Jen B. said...
I love the name of the book! But, it's kind of sad that you don't have another commercial holiday to waste your money on :) I love Halloween and all of the decorations!
jepebATverizonDOTnet
Victoria said...
Loved the post. It is always possible that the costume is real isn't it ;).
Thanks for the giveaway.
vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com
Lucianne Rivers winner is
books4me said...My relationship story is not super exciting but am so glad I have the man I do! We worked together for a summer and became soulmate's without the love...he knew me inside and out better than anyone except my mother. We lost track of each other as I thought he had moved across the country. I met up with a mutual friends two years later and found out he was still in the area. I came home from college and we went out for pizza. We both realized that there was more than friendship there and we have been together ever since. We celebrated 17 years of marriage the beginning of this month!
books4me67 at ymail.com
Aubrie Dionne's winner is
Rhianna said...
I grew up pretty poor so a lot of the time our costumes were cobbled together from things we already had. My mum did sew me a witch costume I wore twice and an angel one. But it was my brother's fun-fur cat costume that made her stop. She said never again and that was the end of that. LOL
I usually get stuck sewing for my hubs' costumes 'cause he goes cosplay style and can't stand buying a costume. I think my favorite I've done though was actually a Link (from the Zelda games) one for my son. It wasn't a lot of sewing really and it looked so cool! It's amazing what you can do with an oversized t-shirt and some ingenuity.
Love the Arwen dress! When he was little my son though Liv Tyler was me. I couldn't explain that Arwen was not mommy. It was kinda cute really. Anyway I've always wanted to do an Arwen costume but that's considerably more sewing than I have the patience/money for these days.
always.and.never AT gmail DOT com
DANIELA said...
Hi Laura
Which one is true? I don't know, maybe #2, or perhaps #1?
But true or false they were interesting, thanks for sharing them!
Dainela.
dany7578 at hotmail dot com
Cate Lord's winner is
Tammi said...
My birthday is the 29th, do when I was younger, I thought people got dressed up to celebrate me.
Tammi
tammirn2002@gmail.com
Ammy Belle said...
Hm ... I can't say what I am secretly afraid of ... then it wouldn't be a secret, but I can set it up for you ...
This fear would come about if my legs were cramped, my body was squished and there were no air vents.
Yes. A mundane fear - probably a leftover from the time of cave dwellings ... but there it is. :)
Thanks!
Ammy Belle
apereiraorama @ gmail . com
http://lateintothenight.blogspot.com/
Melanie Card's winner is
Debby said...
I love the waves crashing on rocks. It really impresses me with the poer of nature.
debby236 at gmail dot com
October 25, 2011
Why Halloween is Sacred (and a Little Scary) Guest Blog with Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays
Along with all the expected macabre associations with Halloween, we share a special love of Oct. 31 … and a dark secret. It's the day one of us died. More accurately, a part of each of us died: the single part. Halloween is the day we became engaged. And how appropriate; is there anything scarier than the thought of life-long commitment (except for clowns, kissing, in a midnight circus cemetery)?
Here's how it all came down.
The year was 1998 and we were hard at work on the final draft of The Cowboy and the Vampire and living together in delicious sin. Working on the book had been a smashing success, publication was imminent and we knew that after the intensity and collaboration of writing together, we could make it as a couple, perhaps for all eternity. Our minds were filled with Vampires and thoughts of undeath, so Halloween seemed especially meaningful.
Clark had a special surprise planned though. He built a fire in the fireplace, lit candles, uncorked some decent red wine and we did a traditional tarot spread. Then he said he had a poem to share about a mythical figure we created, Baron von Grendelsheim. We had been using the Baron to while away the hours before sleep, telling each other outrageous stories of his exploits, whispering the tales as we drifted off.
The epic, rhyming poem chronicled the Baron's search for some missing part of his soul leading up to a question: "Kathleen will you marry me." As Clark read the last line, he whipped out a bouquet of blood red roses and an antique ring. Kathleen said yes and the rest is history.
Costume foolery
It's even better when we share the "rest of the story." We were both in costumes at proposal time. Clark was "The Devil on Vacation" with horns, red face paint, a Hawaiian flowery shirt and a tri-fold map of the earth with all the places Satan would want to visit circled (sorry Vegas, you didn't make the list). Kathleen was a "demented fairy" with fangs, wings, a wand and Stevie Nicks clothes from the local thrift store.
Hold on to your jack-o-lanterns
For this and many reasons, Halloween remains our favorite holiday, and it's a good thing because we still spend a lot of time thinking about Vampires — we're working on the sequel to The Cowboy and the Vampire, titled Blood and Whiskey.
A bite-sized treat just in time for Halloween
On our website, we have an occasional Vampire blogger who shares chilling insights into the world of the undead. She's sounds suspiciously like Elita from The Cowboy and the Vampire, but we've been too scared to ask. She recently shared why Halloween is her favorite holiday and we're reposting it here with her full permission.
Meth-fang
Halloween! It's one of my favorite nights of the year. All of those decadent, delicious, individually-wrapped treats waiting at the front door … so sad that their parents watch them like hawks.
There's also the candy, of course, which brings me in a roundabout way to one of the scariest things imaginable for my kind: tooth decay.
As you can imagine, our teeth are very important to us. So useful for the ripping of the skin and the shredding of the flesh to get at our treats: your blood. Fingers will do, knives for the lazy, but either way it's infinitely less satisfying. Like eating a hamburger with a knife and fork. (Sorry, Brits.) We like to get messy around the teeth when we eat, but thanks to the "advances" of your modern world, that simple pleasure is threatened.
No, it's not the sugar or the high fructose corn syrup in everything from soup to candy. We could eat practically anything — from ground glass to bird nests — and it wouldn't bother us. The sugar that's turning our prey into delightfully obese, sedentary snacks isn't the problem. It's a different kind of addiction. All the brushing and flossing in the world can't protect our glorious enamel from the ravages of methamphetamine.
We call it meth fang even though we don't really have fangs. Not like in the movies anyway. Our incisors are sharp enough, but that comes from decades, often centuries, of honing them against the abrasive bones of the human neck.
Feeding on junkies, and there are so many of them these days (note to legislators: consider redirecting your war on drugs to a war on boredom and ennui, a far better use of your resources), damages our teeth. A run of bad luck feeding on meth addicts can soften the roots of our teeth for weeks, leaving them wobbly and unreliable. Let me assure you, you've never experienced hypoglycemic crankiness until you've met a hungry Vampire with soft teeth. A toothless Vampire? Absurd. Tragic. And finding an all-night dentist is no small task.
So kids, stay away from the drugs.
Speaking of children, I think I hear little footsteps outside now. I can't wait to see their adorable little costumes. With their bright, trusting eyes and pure, untainted blood … I only hope their parents aren't nearby.
Happy Halloween, everyone.
Clark and Kathleen
The Cowboy and the VampireBy Clark Hayes and Kathleen McFallPaperback: 408 pagesPublisher: MIDNIGHT INKRelease Date: October 8, 2010ISBN-10: 0738721611ISBN-13: 978-0738721613
Reporter Lizzie Vaughan doesn't realize it, but she has 2,000 years of royal Vampiric blood coursing through her veins. Neither she nor Tucker, her cowboy lover, has any idea that Julius, the leader of the undead, has a diabolical plan to reign over darkness for all eternity—with Lizzie at his side.
Lizzie battles for her life—and her soul—as she and Tucker find themselves caught up in a vampire war, pursued by hordes of Julius' maniacal, bloodthirsty followers.
Who will be left standing when the sun rises?
"Deliciously dark."—BOOKLIST
Learn more at http://cowboyandvampire.com/ and www.facebook.com/cowboyandvampire
Book trailer on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0hig70b-2U&feature=youtu.be
A little bit about the authors:
Kathleen was born and raised in Washington, DC, and her experiences there, from protests and riots to hanging out in the corridors of the Supreme Court and wandering around the Capitol, filled her sense of place with history and granite. A geologist by training, she excelled in scientific writing, translating complex scientific papers into engaging articles.
Those skills are now focused on paranormal fiction. An avid reader, she spends every spare moment working with Clark Hays on their next book … for which she casually kills off – mentally – the people around her, but not before letting them enjoy a little dark and mind-bending passion.
Clark was born in Texas and grew up mostly in Scotland and then Montana on a working ranch doing all the expected cowboy things — riding, roping, hunting, branding cattle and writing tortured poetry. The openness of the landscape and the solitude (the nearest neighbor was five miles away, the nearest town – 2,500 people – was 30 miles away) provided a constant source of inspiration, very little distractions and a chance to really be alone with his thoughts. In this solitude, he found his calling — writing — early. When he's not writing, he's reading or finding new victims for their next book.
About our latest project
We're hard at work on the sequel to The Cowboy and the Vampire called Blood and Whiskey (it will be out in early 2012). In the meantime, check out the novella Red Winter, by Clark, edited by Kathleen, released exclusively as an e-book and you can find it here:
· Amazon
· Smashwords
Guest Blog and Giveaway with Felicity Heaton
Heart of Darkness – Creating the worldIt's great to be back here at Fangtastic Books for the Heart of Darkness leg of my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour.
Today I'm going to be sharing a little about the world of Heart of Darkness but first I'll introduce myself. I write various paranormal romances as Felicity Heaton and my Vampires Realm series as F E Heaton. My paranormal romances are usually focused on vampires and werewolves, but I do also write demons and witches, and of course there's my series about angels too. I've been writing original fiction since 2005, and have been an indie author since 2006, and in that time I have written and released over forty stories.
Heart of Darkness is a long vampire romance novel packed with action, passion and emotion. It's my second stand alone vampire romance of the year, the first being Love Immortal, and like that book writing it involved a lot of world building.
All authors have parts of writing that they are truly passionate about. World building is one of my passions. I can't write a book without sitting down and considering all the intricacies of the world that I will be writing about. With Heart of Darkness, I had to consider all kinds of things in order to make the book believable. The vampires in the book live unknown amongst us. Only the vampire hunters know of their existence and they are locked in a timeless battle with them.
One of the first things I considered was vampire society in the novel. Taking a close look at the society and building something detailed and realistic is one of my favourite things to do in a paranormal romance. The vampires in this world live in a monarchical society. The Nemov bloodline led the vampire species in evolving from mindless bloodthirsty demons to something near human. Because of that, I decided they would be viewed as the ruling family of the vampires. They are royalty and are treated as such, and continue to preach pacifism to their people, teaching them to limit their kills in order to retain their humanity.
The rest of the vampires live as bloodlines in different cities across Europe and each uses means to protect themselves from detection by humans. The bloodline in Heart of Darkness, the Cerny, keeps itself hidden in plain sight by posing as a military academy and pays the city of Prague a large donation each year, buying their privacy. Many bloodlines choose this route as it allows their guards to scout the cities in groups without drawing attention.
Within each bloodline there is a hierarchy, and the position of a vampire within it is more often than not decided by the family they were born to within the bloodline. All bloodlines need a leader and that position is chosen by election, and a leader has their aides, the vampires who help run the business affairs of the family and keep them safe from discovery by humans. Below those elite vampires, there are high ranking vampires who enjoy life to the full and do as they please. They concentrate on socialising with other vampires and are often born of powerful families within the bloodline. Beneath them are the ranks of the guards, the soldiers responsible for protecting their bloodline. Guards often come from the same family lines, with generations of them working for the bloodline at the same time. The lowest ranking members of the bloodline are the servants.
The heroine in Heart of Darkness, Elise, is a guard. She comes from a family of guards and was born to the former commander of the Cerny bloodline in Prague. Because she's a guard, she hasn't been taught things like the ladies of the house learn, such as dancing and socialising. She has spent her years learning how to fight, kill and protect. She's a strong vampire who does her best and her duty is very dear to her.
The hero in Heart of Darkness is the former heir prince of the Nemov bloodline, Aleksandr. He renounced his title four centuries ago when vampire hunters killed his defenceless sister and vowed to hunt her murderer and his family line to extinction. Because he has spent four centuries killing hunters, he is slowly losing his humanity and his fight against the darkness within his heart.
When their paths cross in Prague, Elise's presence causes the darkness within Aleksandr to recede quicker than it has in years and he knows that she might be his one hope for salvation. First he has to win her and Elise isn't going down without a fight.
I hope you've enjoyed this post about Heart of Darkness and your glimpse into the world of the vampires in the story. Don't forget to follow me on my Heart of Darkness section of my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour too. I have some great posts about the book, more fantastic excerpts, and giveaways galore. Find out more at http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-pandemonium-blog-tour.php
Heart of Darkness is currently available in e-book from my website, Amazon Kindle Stores, All Romance eBooks, and Smashwords. It will soon be available from Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, Kobo Books and Sony. It will also soon be available in paperback from Amazon websites, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers.
Heart of Darkness
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...
Aleksandr Nemov won't stop until the last of the vampire hunter's progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?
A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...
Elise is dedicated to her duty. It's the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline's mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince's hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?
Read an excerpt at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebook...
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/produ...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/
Biography:
Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances.
Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She's just honoured to write down their adventures.
website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
blog: http://www.indieparanormalromancebooks.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton
Felicity is giving away a Heart of Darkness swag pack that includes signed book cover postcards, bookmarks, trading cards for Heart of Darkness and her other books.
Giveaway is open to international shipping
All you have to do is leave comment on this post to enter
Be sure to include your email
October 24, 2011
The Hunter Steampunk Book Tour- Theresa Meyers
Oct 24 Launch party at Fang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
Oct 24 Guest Bloghttp://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com
October 26 Guest Blog http://www.chaosandinsanity.com
Oct 26 Guest Blog and Possible ReviewBookLover's Hideawayhttp://booklovershideaway.blogspot.com
Oct 27 Guest Bloghttp://wowfromthescarfprincess.blogspot.com
October 27 Guest Blog Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviewshttp://paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.com
October 28 Guest Blog and ReviewReading Between the Wineshttp://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/
October 28 Spooky Legends eventAll Things Urban Fantasy http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/
October 29 Guest PostMy Need to Readhttp://www.myneedtoread.com
Oct 30 interviewSongs and Stories http://liedermadchen.blogspot.com
October 31 Guest Blog Theresa Stillwagon's blog http://tstillwagon.wordpress.com
November 1 Interview Beverly @ The Wormholehttp://wormyhole.blogspot.com
November 2 Guest Post Bibrary Bookslut http://bibrary.blogspot.com
November 2 Guest BlogGetting Naughty Between the Stacks-http://gnbstacks.blogspot.com
November 3 InterviewLaurie's Thoughts & Reviews http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com
November 6 Guest Blog and ReviewRomancing the Darksidehttp://romancingthedarkside.blogspot.com
November 6 Guest Bloghttp://speedyreader-allthingsbooks.blogspot.com
Monday November 7 Live Radio 11pm ESTOther Worlds of RomanceBlogtalk Radio
November 8 Review and InterviewRomancing the Book http://www.romancing-the-book.com
Nov 8 Guest BlogUrban Girl Reader http://www.urbangirlreader.com
Nov 8 Guest Posthttp://jacqpaige.blogspot.com/
November 9 Interview and Review Among the Museshttp://www.amongthemuses.com
November 10 Interviewwww.shera-bookwhispers.blogspot.com
Nov 11 Guest Bloghttp://qwillery.blogspot.com
Nov 14 Guest Posthttp://donnasbloghome.blogspot.com
November 15 Guest PostIntense Whisperhttp://intensewhisper.blogspot.com/
November 15 reviewBraintasia Bookshttp://www.braintasiabooks.com
November 16 Interview and ReviewSizzling Hot Bookswww.sizzlinghotbooks.net
Nov 16 Guilty Pleasures PostAnother Look Book Reviews http://anotherlookbookreviews.blogspot.com/
November 17 Character Interview Ravencraft Romance Realmhttp://www.ravencraftrealm.blogspot.com
November 21 Guest Blog Kay Dee Royal http://www.kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com
[image error] THE HUNTER
by Theresa Meyers
978-1-4201-2124-7
Price is $6.99
Zebra paranormal romance with steampunk elements
They're the Chosen—Winchester, Remington and Colt—brothers trained to hunt down supernatural beings using the latest steam-powered gadgetry. It's a hard legacy to shoulder, and it's about to get a lot more dangerous…
A DEVIL OF A JOB
Colt Jackson has gotten his name on many a wanted poster with success in the family business: hunting supernaturals across the frontier. Lately, though, there's a sulfur stink in the wind and the Darkin population is exploding. A rift in the worlds is appearing. To close it, Colt will have to do the unthinkable and work with a demon to pass arcane boundaries no human alone can cross.
Except when he summons his demon, he doesn't get some horned monstrosity: he gets a curvy redheaded succubus named Lilly, who's willing to make a bargain to become human again. He also gets Lilly's secret expertise on the machinations on the dark side of the rift. And her charm and cleverness help to get them out of what his silver-loaded pistol and mechanical horse can't. Of course, when all hell breaks loose, he might have to sacrifice his soul. But what's adventure without a little risk?
About Theresa Meyers:Raised by a bibliophile who made the dining room into a library, Theresa has always been a lover of books and stories. First a writer for newspapers, then for national magazines, she started her first novel in high school, eventually enrolling in a Writer's Digest course and putting the book under the bed until she joined Romance Writers of America in 1993.
In 2005 she was selected as one of eleven finalists for the American Title II contest, the American Idol of books. She is married to the first man she ever went on a real date with (to their high school prom), who she knew was hero material when he suffered through having to let her parents drive, and her brother sit between them in the backseat of the car. They currently live in a Victorian house on a mini farm in the Pacific Northwest with their two children, three cats, an old chestnut Arabian gelding, an energetic mini-Aussie shepherd puppy, several rabbits, a dozen chickens and an out-of-control herb garden.
You can find her online on Twitter, Facebook, at her Web site or blogging with the other Lolitas of STEAMED!
http://www.theresameyers.com/
http://www.theresameyers.com/blog/
http://twitter.com/Theresa_Meyers
http://www.facebook.com/TheresaMeyersAuthor
http://www.ageofsteam.wordpress.com/
October 23, 2011
Guest Blog with LK Rigel
Roxanne, it's great to be at Fang-Tastic Books for the Give Me, A Fairy Tale blog tour. This is the fifth scene of Piccadilly Woo, a story about more than one Halloween night in the world of Give Me.
Piccadilly Woo – scene 5
All the way to the V&A, the taxi driver had a radio going at full blast. Van Morrison's Moondance came on. Dan smiled at Beverly, and she realized she was humming along with the tune. "I love music," she said.
"You missed a big concert in Hyde Park last month. Probably a hundred thousand people turned out. The Choker Club, as you call them, loved it."
It sounded horrible. Beverly was learning that she hated crowds. "Who played?"
"Queen and some others. Kiki Dee. Elton John was backstage, but she wouldn't let him come out and sing their duet. She sang to a life-sized cardboard cutout of him."
"That's hilarious."
"He was brassed off."
"You were there backstage? How did you pull that off?"
"I have my ways."
"And they're such nice ways."
Beverly blushed and turned away. She'd spoken without thinking, but she meant it. She'd had several boyfriends at college, but after coming home to take care of Marion things had dried up in the romance department. There was that awkward and mercifully brief fling with a fellow bartender at the Tragic Fall, but nothing else.
Dan was like no boy she'd ever been attracted to. But he wasn't a boy. He was a man.
"My ways are nowhere close to nice, Bevs."
Another Van Morrison son came on, I Want To Roo You, and this time Dan joined in the tune. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "I want to roo you," he sang, his voice a perfect imitation of Morrison's. "Woo you tonight."
He kissed her lightly, teasing her lips with his tongue. "Bevs." With an anguished groan, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. The heat she'd fought since she met him seared through her as he kissed her hard. She melted into his embrace, and the world wouldn't stop spinning. She reached under his long hair to the back of his neck, brushing against the choker.
He pulled her hand away and kissed her palm, sending a charge of heat through her body and down between her legs. She ached to have him inside her.
"The Victoria & Albert." The driver said pointedly. When had the taxi come to a stop?
The museum had drawn a crowd for the special Halloween exhibit which spilled out into the other areas. Dan took her hand and pulled her along behind him until he found the hall he wanted and produced two tickets.
"Cissa didn't want to come," he said. "She'll be glad I found someone to use her ticket."
They moved with the crowd through the Celebration of Faeries, depictions and theories of the otherworldly creatures. Dan lingered fondly over the Cottingley display but scoffed at everything else. When they came to Bausiney's Abundance, he let out a huge sigh. "It's authentic."
The cup was the only item displayed on a low pedestal, about three-foot square and covered with a glass dome. It was actually a goblet made of hand-blown glass with blue, green, and red enamel inlay. The glass was for the most part clear with green and red beads here and there.
"Bausiney's Abundance is most likely thirteenth century Syrian," said the docent, "brought into the country during the Crusades. It's remarkable that so old a piece of such delicate material should make it to the twenty-first century in perfect condition."
Dan listened to her with a blank face, but Beverly sensed the emotion churning inside him. She was sure he'd forgotten that she was standing there.
"However," the docent continued, "the story of how the cup came to be in the possession of Lord Dumnos augurs quite a different origin. This is the reason the V&A are so pleased the earl agreed to lend it out for this exhibit.
"As the story has it, one Halloween more than a hundred years ago, the then-earl's son, Lord Tintagos, heard noises coming from the roof of Faeview, the earl's estate in Dumnos County. He surprised a party of faeries dancing and drinking under the clear full moon.
"They scattered away, but one of the fae had left this cup behind. Before he could retrieve it, Lord Tintagos had picked it up. As Lord Tintagos admired it in the moonlight, the fae cried out a warning before flying off to the woods:
"If this cup should fall or crack,
Bausiney's End will meet its lack.
"Bausiney is Lord Dumnos's family dame. As you can see, the cup is perfect, and Bausiney's Abundance is assured."
Beverly applauded with the rest of the crowd and turned to see what Dan thought of the story. As their eyes met, he twisted the black cut glass bead at the center of his choker and disappeared.
"Good lord, it's gone!" The docent's face drained of color. The glass dome was still in place on the pedestal, but Bausiney's Abundance was not under it.
Give Me: a fairy taleCopyright 2011 L.K. Rigel
Published by LK Rigel
Edited by Debra L. Martin
Cover by Robin Ludwig Design
A young witch with a good heart. Two lovers in mortal danger. A spell that ends in disaster.
Lilith Evergreen lives in the California desert, an ordinary woman until her fiancé returns from London with a ring he bought from a street vendor. When Lilith puts it on she dreams of a green land that's anything but desert, a tree at cliff's edge, a ruined castle, and a handsome prince.
Then she discovers that it's all real.
When Lilith visits the ruins of Tintagos Castle, she discovers a world of magic and love - and its dark side when she's entangled in the remnants of an ancient spell gone bad. From the moment Lilith sees Cade Bausiney, she's overwhelmed with desire for him. Cade is drawn to Lilith too - but their feelings might only be sparked by dark and dangerous magic.
Lilith and Cade must break the old spell or be forever possessed by spirits who've waited a millennium to consummate their love.
Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, and Smashwords
Author Bio:LK Rigel lives in California with her television-watching cat, Coleridge. (His favorite show is Castle, but he was enthralled by Game of Thrones.) Rigel wrote songs for the 90's band The Elements, scored the independent science fantasy karate movie Lucid Dreams, and was a reporter for the Sacramento Rock 'N Roll News. Her work has appeared in Literary Mama and Tattoo Highway.
Rigel writes the postapocapunk "Apocalypto" series about the end of the world and the new reality in which the gods return to save humanity from itself - and end up fighting with each other.
Her short story "Slurp" about an author with muse problems on Halloween is included in DEADLY TREATS, Anne Frasier's Halloween anthology published by Nodin Press.
Her latest book, GIVE ME, is an adult fairy tale about possession.
website: http://www.lkrigel.com/
Amazon page http://www.amazon.com/LK-Rigel/e/B0043WEB06/
October 22, 2011
The Story of Witches Guest Blog by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
The Story of Witches
(Originally a 1993 Zebra paperback and
now a 2011 Revised Author's Edition from Damnation Books)
By Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Buy Link: http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615723553
In 1991 I'd already been writing for about twenty years, on and off (though there was a long gap where I didn't write because of a divorce, the finding of a full time job to support myself and my son, and a remarriage…life) when I contracted my fourth novel, my first of four to Zebra paperbacks, a romantic horror called Vampire Blood, about a family of vampires who ran a movie theater in a small town. I'd already had a fifth novel, The Last Vampire, completed and in with them when they asked me for another novel.
Got anything about witches, they asked. Witches are hot right now. Hmmm.
For many years I'd played around with an idea about a present day white witch who finds a diary of a long dead witch – either good or bad, I hadn't decided – in her old house's attic, or basement, or under a floorboard. The story would have been about the good witch reliving the other dead witch's life through the diary. I'd always called that possible book Rachel's Diary in my head.
So in 1991 or 1992 I began the witch book and it quickly metamorphosed into a story of a present day good witch, Amanda Givens, who's yanked into a perilous seventeenth century past by an evil witch, Rachel Coxe, to take her place…and die a horrible death as an accused witch. I had the idea then to actually send Amanda into the past to live (for a while) the other witch's life. Of course, being a good witch, Amanda, changes the other witch's unsavory reputation but still ends up in a prison waiting to die for Rachel's earlier crimes. The story, simply put, would be how Amanda overcomes her trials and tribulations, finds her lost eternal love again in the past, and finds a way to return to the present alive. In the process, learning some important life lessons about accepting what life has dealt her and the value of sisters, friendships and the love of those around her. Or good versus evil and, in the end, good wins and is rewarded. I also threw in a few touches of humor in the form of three precocious witches' familiars…a mind-reading and speaking cat called Amadeus, a mouse, Tituba, and a tiny bat, Gibbiewackett …all with feisty personalities and quirks of their own.
I was excited about the book as I was writing it and when it was done, pleased with it, but had no idea that over the years it'd become the jewel of my writing career and the book that my fans would love the best of all my books. I loved the cat face cover Zebra did for it (a rare occurrence as I'd learned the hard way that covers weren't always what I'd envisioned and in the early days I had no choice but to accept whatever the publisher's gave me…and some weren't so hot, let me tell you!).
Witches came out in 1993 and did well. I noticed soon after as I went on to publish other books that I got the most response and admiration for it. Readers loved the three sisters, Amadeus and Amanda, Gibbiewackett and Tituba. In those days I was too busy working full time as a graphic artist, living my life and writing new books to notice. It went into a second printing in 2000 and after that, sadly, went out of print. But my fans never forgot it. I'd find comments on it and discussions on the Internet…even customer reviews raving about it years and years later. I tried talking Zebra into reissuing it but after Zebra and I parted ways there was no talking them into it.
Then in 2010 when Damnation Books contracted my 13th and 14th novels, the publisher, Kim Richards, asked about all (there was 7 at the time) my out-of-print Zebra and Leisure backlist novels and if I'd like to have them reissued as new paperbacks and, for the first time ever, in e-books. Sure, that'd be great! I told her. And, as they say, the rest is history. Between June 2010 and July 2012 all 7 of them (and now another 3 of my Wild Rose Press novels and two short stories from 2007) updated, rewritten and with stunning new covers will be out again. All in e-books for the first time.
Of course, that's meant a heck of a lot of rewriting. A lot of work. Those early novels go back twenty-seven years and were first written in the days of snail mail and on an electric typewriter before the Internet, e-mails and Windows Track Changes (for editing). Oh, boy, did they need revising. As of today I can happily say they're all rewritten now except the very first one, Evil Stalks the Night, 1984; yet even that one will be completed soon.
I've often been asked what I think of e-books and I have to say it feels strange, all these years later, to be so into them. I think it's fantastic to be able to put thousands of books on one little lightweight hand-held contraption and sell them as inexpensively as we do. I started publishing e-books four years ago and have seen such great changes in even that short a time. I love the editing process now. With Track Changes it's truly a collaborative effort between the editor and the writer and it's taught me far more about the craft of writing than the old way of just sending off the manuscript, being asked to change certain things, but then never seeing any of those changes or the basic edits until the book was printed and in my hand. Now, no more pages added by an editor (That actually happened in Evil Stalks the Night. The editor, who I never met, added three pages of his own and I didn't even know about it until I held the book in my hand. And the three pages didn't make sense…ech!) that I never know about or see until the book comes out. Yeah.
With a chuckle I recall a writer's convention I attended in 1990 – yes, that far back – and the main topic back then was…OMG the electronic books are coming! They're going to make us authors obsolete! Print books are going to die a terrible lonely death…etc., etc. Lack and alas, what are we going to do? Ha, ha. It's ironic that 21 years later I'm in love with e-books. They're the future. And I think there'll always be room for print books as well as electronic ones.
So Witches…Damnation Books is rereleasing it April 1, 2011. I'm thrilled. The cover is still of Amadeus, the cat, and Dawne Dominique did an amazing job on it. My editor, Alison O'Byrne, helped me make it a better book than eighteen years ago. Of all my novels, I'm most proud of it. It's held up pretty well. I hope it finds many more readers and fans.
So that's the story of Witches…the little book that wouldn't die.
Thank you! E-mail me at rdgriff@htc.net
***
Kathryn Meyer Griffith has been writing for nearly forty years and has published 14 novels and 7 short stories since 1984 with Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books and Eternal Press in the horror, romantic paranormal, suspense and murder mystery genres… and all 12 of her old books above (and two new ones) are being brought out again between June 2010 and July 2012 from DAMNATION BOOKS www.damnationbooks.com and ETERNAL PRESS www.eternalpress.biz again in print – and all in e-books for the first time ever! Learn more about her at www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith or www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyergriffith or www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith or www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyergriffith and http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1019954486 .
Cover Rip Off
So when I seen this book on The Romance Reviews....
OMG
I knew the image looked familiar
So I looked it up
Yeah it's real familiar, isn't it?Here's my thinking- that cover can not be legal.
I know those covers are commissioned for Jeaniene Frost's books- same artist, cover models, etc.
So I don't think they'd end up at a stock photo site or that the publisher would give permission for their big money making author's book art to be used elsewhere.
My question is- is the author aware of this or did someone else design the cover and she just lives under a rock to not recognize where it came from?
Or did she design it and seriously think it was OK to use this image?
Things like this intrigue me because I love to know odd tidbits and the ins and outs of the publishing world.
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