Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 555

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Joshua Grover-David Patterson

I have a thing for cult movies. So it should come as no surprise that when a movie called "Snakes on a Plane" came on the scene, I had to see it. In a theater. With a bunch of friends. (As theater-going experiences rank, it's right up there with the time I saw "Star Wars: Episode II" on opening night.)

But I digress.

"Snakes on a Plane" was something of an oddball in the cult movie canon – a movie that tried really hard to BECOME a cult movie. To the point where the previously PG-13 film was reshot to add violence, nudity, and additional harsh language to achieve an R rating.

Unfortunately, the ultimate message that "Snakes on a Plane" gave to movie studios was that just because everyone is talking about your movie on the Internet, doesn't mean they'll actually go see it when it comes out.

In other words, "Snakes on a Plane" flopped.

Which brings us to a weird P.S.

Back in the 1980s, a lot of movies had a closing credits song that directly was tied to the movie in some way, whether it was appropriate or not. For example, the 1987 dystopian action flick "The Running Man" had a song called "(Restless Heart) Running Away With You" playing as the credits rolled.

"Snakes on a Plane" brought that trend back, if only briefly, with "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)," a novelty number by a band named Cobra Starship. It was, quite literally, their only song.

And man, was it catchy.

Naturally, I expected the band, and the song, to sink without a trace. Just another bit of flotsam from the failed "Snakes on a Plane" cult experiment.

But that didn't happen. Instead, Cobra Starship put out a full-length CD, and most stores that carried it sold it for about eight bucks. Curiosity got the best of me. I bought it.

And I totally fell in love with it.

And the next CD. And the next.

The irony is, Cobra Starship's music is not designed for me. I'm a 30-something dude with a mortgage and a kid. Cobra Starship is the stuff I'm supposed to mock. But it's a fun mixture of the 80s sounds I grew up with, with 00s studio polish.

But let us go back to the first CD.

One of the tracks on Cobra's first album was a little number called "The Kids are all ####ed Up." What's it about? I couldn't say. It sounds like an ode to two teenagers infatuated with each other, and also with drugs.

Or, if you're me, it's a Romeo-and-Juliet story about vampires, with lines like, "They don't know about us, everyone's asleep when we play," and, "Now it's too late to go, it's getting light out."

Over the years, I started to mentally put together a story about these two people, who they were. How they got to be vampires. How they ended up together.

And when it was time to write my second novel, I knew it was going to be about them.

I started writing, with the music of Cobra Starship as my fuel. I got about 50 pages into the novel, and life got in the way. Then I Had an Idea to help improve the story which, ironically, made it have pretty much nothing to do with my original inspirational source. This time I made it past 100 pages, and then stopped writing again.

Weirdly, it was not Cobra Starship that got me working on the novel for the third time, but a short story of mine in the works named "Baby Teeth" that ended up so long it turned into a novelette. Near the end of the tale, a character walked in and tried, and failed, to fix the troubles of the main character.

I realized that this same character was also part of "Blood Calling." Her name was Emma, and she was a very old vampire.

I added her to the cast of "Blood Calling," and after that, the story threads that wouldn't quite knit together before all seemed to slip into place.

The thing is, most people go through phases with their media, and I am no exception. I haven't listened to Cobra Starship in more than a year. I considered putting their music on as I wrote the final chapters of "Blood Calling," but I write at night, while my little one sleeps in the next room, and waking her up just for a sense of closure didn't seem like a wise decision.

But as I finished editing the book, it occurred to me that Cobra Starship hadn't put out any new music in a long time. And so I pulled up Google, and to my surprise, they had put out a CD a few weeks ago.

I guess you could call this type of thing fate. Or you could call it a nifty coincidence. But either way, it feels right to me.

So what's the book about?

When Lucy Leary turned 18, her life fell apart. She crashed her car, her best friend abandoned her, her parents divorced, and her grandfather passed away, leaving her a single possession: A vampire slaying kit with a note that said, "THEY'RE REAL . FIGHT THEM."

Now Lucy must stop the oldest, most dangerous vampire in history, before it can kill her family.

"Blood Calling," along with my other ebooks, is available on the Kindle and nook .

Or You Can Win a Copy!
Just drop a name and email address in the comments below, and my charming four-year-old daughter will pick three lucky winners out of a hat. All three winners will receive a copy of "Blood Calling" in the e-format of your choosing, and one also will win a copy of "Baby Teeth: A Blood Calling Novelette," a shorter work set in the same universe.

Good luck!

Still Have Openings for The Very Naughty Halloween Event at Roxanne's Realm

Throughout the month of October I will be hosting the "Very Naughty Halloween" event at Roxanne's Realm.
I would love to host any authors who have erotic Halloween stories or erotic paranormal stories to share.
I'd also love to offer lots of giveaways.
I am willing to post guest pieces from authors (even if you don't have a paranormal or Halloween book to share) who would like to write about sexy Halloween topics, share their favorite naughty Halloween costumes, or contribute a guest blog relating to something Halloween (top 10 sexy Halloween movies, sexy Halloween party ideas, sexy Halloween costume ideas, etc).
So if you'd like to participate, let me know what type of guest spot you'd like to do (guest blog, book feature, giveaway, etc) and I'll set you up with a date.
eroticroxanne@yahoo.com

Join Me For Several Great Halloween Events Online

Throughout the Month of October I'll be hosting fun, sexy and naughty Halloween guests and giveaways here at Roxanne's Realm
I still have openings if anyone would like to be a guest
I'll also be participating in several other Halloween events at other blogs and sites
October 7 Vampire Awareness Monthhttp://katiesalidas.com
The Night Owl Scavenger Hunt is currently going on

October 10 You can join me a Live Chat at 8pm EST
Night Owl Romance
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/pages/Chat.aspx
October 15 Halloween Guest Post
The Forbidden Bookshelf
ParaErotica Event

October 22nd Paranormal Pleasures31 Days of Halloween Eventhttp://www.read-all-over.net

October 24 Halloween Fiction at Everything Erotic
www.everythingerotic.blogspot.com



Oct 28-31 Halloween Blog Hop at Roxanne's Realm
October 29 Sizzling Hot BooksCharacter Interviews with the witches of Paranormal Pleasureswww.sizzlinghotbooks.net

Love Beyond Time Tour Stop: Interview with Rebecca Royce

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?

As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework. I hope, these days, that my parents think it was worth it.

I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. We live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.

I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when people read my work they'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.

In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.

What inspired you to write this book?

I'm not really sure. I was pregnant with my second son and just overwhelmed with creative juices and the need to write. A different version of Love Beyond Time was what resulted from that attempt. Then I had to learn how to edit, how to really create a story people would want to read. But the original idea for Love Beyond Time started there. Lets blame it on the pregnancy hormones.

Please tell us about your latest release.

Prophesized that they will save humanity from the greatest threat it has ever faced, eighteen Outsider children are born within hours of one another. But when things go terribly wrong, they will be separated from one another to live a human life—with little to nothing known of their true powers or destiny.

In Love Beyond Time, fate finally gets the ball rolling by bringing two soul mates together for the first time in thirty years.

Blurb:

Born one half of a perfect pair, Kal has spent his life believing his other half is gone. But when fate thrusts Isabelle into his arms, he will have no choice but to become the man he was destined to be. That is, if he can battle his own demons first.



Not willing to accept her heritage as an Outsider, Isabelle tries to hide from the truth. But when Kal's life is on the line, she will have to step forward and embrace her powers or watch everything she has come to love disappear.

Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?

Its funny you ask that. The Outsiders have proven to be difficult to name. There are three of them who know they are from the beginning—Kal, Leonardo, and Charma. As they are 'other' and exist on society's outskirts, they had to have names that could represent a wide range of regions. Kal, for example, is Kalmari. Charma is "Karma" spelled with a Ch. Marina, who they discover in a Russian orphanage when she's a child, needed a name that could work in several languages.

Other than the Outsiders, however, I tend to use baby name books and the Baby Name Genie, online.

Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?

Kalmari has been pretty thoroughly emotionally abused by the time we meet him. His journey was a hard one to write, but completely worth it in the end. He was one of the more challenging characters I've ever written.

Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?

The truth is that whichever character I am writing is the one I enjoy the most at that time. They're like my children. I couldn't possibly pick between them.

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?

No, I have a pretty good sense of the characters before I start because I let them stew in my imagination for a long time before I write them. But I'm a pantser, not a plotter. I let the characters and the plot introduce itself on the page and then I try to go with it.

What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?

This is the opening scene. Its actually not Kal or Isabelle, but Abraxis who is the leader of the Outsiders before their fall. He knows their time is coming to an end and he's afraid he can't keep the children alive long enough for them to fulfill their prophecy.

Abraxas Moore stared one more time at the unforgiving clouds forming above him. The weather would soon become perilous, and he knew he had very little time until they caught him. Even the Green Hills, the place that had sheltered him and his kind for centuries--their home--was no longer safe.

The rain that he was sure would start at any moment would not be life renewing. It was not a sign of rebirth, and he knew with a near perfect certainty it was not even natural in its origins. Rather, it had been conjured by those who sought to kill him as a means to draw him out into the open. They hoped he would make a mistake and fail at his task. Then they would be able to trap and kill him.

Most disturbing, however, was he knew they would succeed in their task.

His role as leader of his people, not one he ever truly sought, weighed heavily on him that night, and he knew not even the love of his wife, Niki, would sustain him through what was to come. The prophecy was no longer something that would eventually happen, but was actually occurring in front of his eyes.

Time had finally caught up with them.

After centuries of very little change, his people were facing almost immediate destruction, and it had fallen to him to somehow find a way to help them survive what would be certain annihilation.

Ironically, the storm that had come out of nowhere this evening had been the final sign he needed to indicate their impending doom. When an Outsider stopped being able to predict the weather then it really was the end of the world.

How would humanity last even another decade without them around to silently keep the balance of lightness and darkness in order? His people had thrived, for centuries by walking the lines of grey that fell between the two extremes of Good and Evil. They kept order and balance in their little space in the universe.

They always had and he had hoped they always would.

Oh sure, they may have slightly pushed things towards the side of Good whenever possible. They were, after all, not Gods or Deities who could see the fabric of time and know the outcome of decisions they made before they made them. They were humans--of a sort--with another power, another layer, to their minds that allowed them to see what most humans could not--all things were connected.

Time, energy, life, and even death all flowed on the same strings of current, like a sound wave or an electrical wire, and they had been used or manipulated by his people since the dawn of time to keep things in order. This had been their sacred duty since creation, and it was the obligation they would all be forfeiting with their deaths in no short amount of time.

Without them, it was likely there would be chaos. Humanity would fall in this dimension. Chaos. Enslavement. Famine. Death. Evil would finally win its battle to control all things. Good would stand no chance of prevailing because they wouldn't see the 'bad guys' coming until it was too late to stop them.

His people had forgotten they were not Gods. He was to blame for this, as he was to blame for so many other mistakes over his short reign. If there was a way to fix things, he would gladly do whatever it took to complete the task. But alas, the chanting had stopped for him, and he knew he was out of the precious currency known as time.

Even transporting backwards into the past seemed to be out of the question. It was as if a wall had been erected to keep his kind from reaching back to that moment when all things had gone awry.

He should have been paying better attention.

Clenching his fists at his side, Abraxas stomped across the grass from his small cottage home towards the top of Windfelt Hill. What would the local population think when the barriers fell and they suddenly realized they had been living side by side with unknown people for generations?

The wind blew, pushing his blond hair into his face and since he couldn't see, it made it exceptionally hard to proceed to his destination.

It was absolutely essential he get up the hill before the sun went down and he was plunged into darkness. He needed to place his ritual staff upon the hill and call to the heavens for help. That is if they hadn't abandoned him and could still hear his pleas for his people. Was anyone up there still listening to the Outsiders or was it too late?

The grass chomped below his feet. It was still winter, and spring hadn't made its first pushes to thaw out his part of the world. Ice sat atop the grass, changing its color from its natural green to a more transparent blue. It crunched below his well-worn boots. Niki had started mending them, begging him to actually acquire a new pair, before she had taken off with their daughter to hide with the others.

Perhaps he should have stopped her, but it had seemed futile. Let them go. Let them all go and see if we can hide the children was what he had ultimately decided.

Finally reaching his destination, Abraxas stopped to look around him. He had known the top of this hill intimately since he was a child.

Windfelt Hill was the outer ring of their boundary. To cross over the top of the barrier and over to the other side was to cross into the land of humanity. No amount of power, his or anyone else's, could shield his people for very long from the humans if they crossed this hill, which was why in the past only a select few were chosen to make the trek.

Last month, all of his people, with the exception of him, had opted to cross. His job wasn't done. He didn't have the luxury of leaving. Not until he had exhausted every option. If the Darkness knew where they were, then it was time to be somewhere else. They had decided their strength no longer held in numbers but in small hidden groups that were far from each other, far from the hills and woods that had hidden them and nourished them. It was their last desperate attempt to keep this annihilation of their people at bay and it made him crazier than he cared to dwell on that the whole of their society had opted to run away than stay and fight. Why was he the only one who could see it was better to stay and fight than turn and run?

He wondered how they were all faring out there in the world and once again he felt the pull to Niki and the unrelenting desire to throw away all of his responsibilities and join her in her hiding place. So maybe he wasn't that different from the others when it came down to it. He wanted the family life too. Their daughter was a month older and she aged without him there to watch her do it. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed it away. He had thought they would never have children. They should have been too old. One lone tear slipped from his left eye and he brushed it away. She was growing up without him and it truly made his insides burn.

Did you find anything really interesting while researching this or another book?

I learned all about fishing rituals in upstate New York. I'm not kidding. I spent more time learning about the fishing that Kal does in one scene than I ever spent researching anything else. When I finally finished, I was like 'huh, there is no way I can use all of this.' But I guess I have a real interest in fishing. Who knew? LOL

What is the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?

When I wrote one my earliest books, First Dimension, I visited The Mote Museum in Sarasota, Florida to look at the giant squid they have there. I spent a huge amount of time on my vacation with my family staring a dead, preserved squid. I felt that was dedication. LOL

Excerpt #2



Isabelle Listora stood in front of the creepiest cabin she had ever seen. It didn't look deserted, not really, but it didn't look lived in either. It hadn't been occupied for at least several days, she was sure about that. The door hung open and it looked like the local wildlife had taken what was left of the food from the cupboards. At the very least, Isabelle was relatively sure that she wasn't going to be finding any neglected children occupying the cabin today. If they were there—and her instincts told her they were not—then they were well hidden and not likely to come out just because she asked.



Everything about what had happened since she had woken up this morning had seemed so bizarre to her. Why was she being sent out into the woods to investigate child abuse? Where was the local agency and why were they not looking into what was happening? She had, in fact, asked her boss those same questions several times before heading off into the middle of nowhere, driving four hours from home to an unknown destination where she would have no police help or known local resources to call upon in case of an emergency. Once again, inwardly, she groaned at the absurdity of the whole thing.





Author Bio:



As a teenager, Rebecca Royce would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was well worth it.



Rebecca is the mother of three adorable boys and is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.



She's in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the pararnormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She's been told she's a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. Rebecca loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.



In Rebecca Royce's world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.



www.rebeccaroyce.com

www.rebeccaroyce.blogspot.com



Book Video Embed code:

Now on Tour Chosen by Denise Grover Swank

Today kicks off the release of my paranormal thriller, Chosen, and I'm so excited! Thank you to Roxanne at Betwitching Tours for making this blog tour possible.

Chosen is a paranormal thriller/romance that is hopefully as thrilling to read as it was to write. I spent many a moment thinking "How am I going to get them out of this?"It starts with a mysterious guy and a wild car chase, and the action doesn't end until you reach the end. But it has more than just action. The heart of the story is a mother's love for her son, and the lengths she'll go to protect him. And it's also about a man confronting the choices he's made in the past, while questioning his plans for his future. Ultimately, the three of them are thrust into a situation beyond their control. All three of them are chosen.

So now that you know a little bit about Chosen, let's get this blog tour started!
Sept 19 Tour intro- kickoff www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
Sept 20 Guest Blog secretsofabooklover.blogspot.com
September 21 ParaYourNormal Blog Talk Radio ShowWednesday at 3:30 pm PST 6:30 pm ESThttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/parayournormal http://parayournormal.blogspot.com
Sept 21 Guest BlogGetting Naughty Between the Stacks http://gnbstacks.blogspot.com
Sept 25 Guest Post and reviewhttp://sexxyladeeblogger.blogspot.com/
Sept 26 Guest Blog and Reviewhttp://tstillwagon.wordpress.com
Sept 27 Guest BlogThe Book Nymphohttp://thebooknympho.blogspot.com/
Sept 29 Interview and reviewBeverly @ The Wormholehttp://wormyhole.blogspot.com
Oct 7 review and guest blogBooks and Needlepointhttp://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com
Oct 10 Guest BlogMy Bookish Fairy Talehttp://www.kristenhaskins.blogspot.com
Oct 11 InterviewThe Ramblings of Amy - http://amylunderman.blogspot.com/
Oct 11 Guest Blog and Reviewwww.booksandbarks.com
Oct 11 Guest Blog
Lisa's World of Books
http://www.lisasworldofbooks.net/
Oct 13 Guest Blog and ReviewReaderGirlswww.readergirls.blogspot.com
Oct 15 Interview and ReviewBack Of The Book Reviewswww.backofthebookreviews.com
Oct 15 Review http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/
Oct 21 Interviewhttp://www.darkangelwritingtools.com
Oct 22 Review and InterviewLaurie's Thoughts & ReviewsHttp://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com

Chosen
By Denise Grover Swank

Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma's never needed help before. And even though she's learned to trust her son, it doesn't mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma's freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake's proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn't know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will's overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it's too late.

Chosen was winner of The Beacon-- 2010 Unpublished Division, Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal category.

Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q87iopmDWTY

Denise Grover Swank began writing her first novel in the fourth grade, stopping at page seventy on her wide ruled spiral notebook. She continued writing in high school and attempted several novels in her twenties before life got in the way. In the fall of 2009, she participated in National Novel Writing Month, which led her to completing her first novel, a book which shall be eternally chained to a pillar in her external hard drive. Denise released her first published book in July, 2011, a southern mystery titled Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes. Denise lives in Lee's Summit, Missouri. She has six children, two dogs, and an overactive imagination.
You can find out more about Denise and her other books at www.denisegroverswank.com and you can connect with her on Twitter.

Pure Costumes Coupon Codes

Pure Costumes has created a special codejust for Fang-tastic Readers- get free shipping on any order $65 or overuse code VAMP65 at checkout
Have you decided what you're going to be yet this year?
Vampires are always in style! LOL
And Pure Costumes has a great selection of vampire costumes.
This Angel of Darkness is classic vamp.
Or you could go with something a little sexier- like one of these sexy adult costumes.

This Burlesque Beauty is quite stunning.
What about couple's costumes? Anyone dressing alike, going with a theme this year?
Pure Costumes has some awesome couples Halloween costumes
They have a zombie couple, vampire couple, Dark Alice and Mad Hatter, even Ghost Busters- which I love since I was a huge fan of that movie
Of course the woman's ghost busters costume is a little...skimpy. Can't imagine fighting ghosts in that LOL
The guy's costume is much better

Guest Post and Giveaway with Stacey Kennedy

Looking for a little something extra in your m/m erotic romances? Somewhere in Between might be just what you're after. You get a U.S. Marshal who's in love with a UFC fighter. They love each other, but something is missing…the woman they want to adore.
Expect a bit of suspense as Wyatt is hunting a killer. Some emotion as Darby tries to overcome her recent abduction. And a whole lot of sizzle between two men, who then turn that attention onto a woman.
If this read sounds right up your alley, leave a comment with your email address to be entered to win an ebook of Somewhere in Between.
Good luck!

U.S. Marshal, Wyatt Tanning is in a race to catch a serial killer who has evaded the authorities. Just as the case hits a dead end, an unexpected email gives him a lead. As much as he wants to share the surprising message with his lover, Rye Daniels, he must hunt a killer first.

Darby Grant never expected that one night would change her life forever, but that's exactly what happened. Not only has she been abducted, but she is in a situation that nightmares are made of. As she begins to lose all hope, fate steps in to offer her aid, but she's well aware things will never be the same again. Soon, though, Darby begins to realize that might not be such a bad thing…

*WARNING: m/m and also ménage love scene.

Buy link - http://www.staceykennedy.com/somewhere-in-between/

Teaser:

Wyatt sprinted up the front porch, hearing the wood crack and groan under his weight. At the front door, he raised his foot and kicked the door open with a crash. Holding his weapon at shoulder height, he placed the flashlight underneath to offer light in the dark space and entered cautiously.

"Spread out," he ordered.

His team dispersed, each taking a room to search. Wyatt strode forward and kept his gun in his line of vision. He scoped out the living room; if he could even call it such. Old furniture situated around the room sat covered in dust—so much in fact, it itched his nose.

"Clear," Taryn called out from the kitchen.

He glanced around, looking behind the couch first then searched every place someone might hide. He found nothing. "Clear," he replied. Each of the deputies issued the same response from upstairs to confirm the house lay empty.

Lowering his gun, he sighed. He'd hoped the lead Madame Eve gave would have brought them to Marcus. Apparently, she'd been wrong, and that not only confused, but irritated him. His hopes had risen only to plummet again.

He spun around to approach Taryn in the kitchen, and a light caught his eye. If he'd come in the daytime he never would've seen it, but being pitch black in the room, the light glowed through the dark space. A small hole, maybe the size of a pea, sat at the bottom of the far wall.

Wyatt raised his gun and approached. "I've got something here." At the wall, he squatted and ran his finger over the light. He looked to Taryn when she stepped in next to him. "There's something behind here."

He stood, raised his leg and after a few well-placed kicks, his foot went through the wall. He peered through the hole to see a set of stairs, and a wall lined with soundproofing. Turning his gun around, he used the butt end to bash in the wall.

The loud cracking of wood filled his ears, but the second he stopped, something else registered in the air—a loud scream for help. He jerked his head toward Taryn. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard it." She pushed on his back. "Go."


~Stacey Kennedy's novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you'll find fast paced action, life threatening moments and a big bad villain that needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance Ebooks Bestseller lists. If she isn't plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she's got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com she loves to hear from her readers.

Interview and Giveaway with Gregory Marshall Smith

Today we're continuing on the Hunters blog tour, with the help of Fangtastic Books, Bewitching Book Tours and the incredible Roxanne Rhoads.
Get ready for some old school vampire hunting, just like they did it back in the old days, but with a fresh and modern twist.
I want to thank you all for kindly dropping in to join me on this, my first-ever tour!

I hope you enjoy this interview.

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
Well, I was born in Somerville, Massachusetts and raised primarily in historic Medford, a suburb of Boston. I have been a journalist for 30 years and have been writing fiction since 1976 (yes, I was only nine, but I'm sure some of my cheesy stories would match some of today's movies). As for the genre, I primarily deal with science fiction as I had fallen in love with science fiction going back to 1976, from programs like Creature Double Feature, Space: 1999, Star Trek and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
My dabbling in horror began much later and I think it was because science fiction and horror are so closely intertwined. Creature From the Black Lagoon, Them!, Tarantula and Godzilla, King of the Monsters, not to mention Alien and a host of others wouldn't succeed without the horror elements. So, I decided that writing horror could only enhance my science fiction.
What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?
I wouldn't say I'm fascinated by vampires. However, the rest of society seems to be and I think maybe there's an overload. If anyone remembers those Burger King commercials where the teenage girls run around trying to get customers to vote for either Team Jacob or Team Edward, I thought that was too much. For a new twist, I think of the Blade trilogy.
What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to put out something that was a traditional vampire tale, but moved up to modern times. Previous incarnations of the vampire story on the screen almost always showed lone hunters or disorganized parties going after the night monsters. With all the fringe elements in society, I thought that, if vampires really existed, there would probably be an organized (via the Internet) resistance to them.
Please tell us about your latest release.
It's called Hunters and it's about a group of human vampire hunters who have banded together to stop one of the biggest threats to mankind. Vampires own the night and have organized themselves into Mafia-style clans that have thoroughly corrupted the landscape. Now, led by Louis Riordan and backed by his lethal enforcer Lin Tang, they are organizing themselves even further. If Riordan and Tang have their way, sixteen of the most powerful clan leaders will unite into the most powerful undead alliance the world has even seen. No one will be able to stand against them.
But, all is not lost for mankind. Rumors abound that Cantrell Ryker, Lin Tang's most hated enemy, has literally returned from the grave. Vampires are being killed on Riordan's turf with seeming impunity, destroying the confidence the other clan masters have in him and his proposed alliance. A brave band of humors, vastly outnumbered and outgunned, with dissension in the ranks and a traitor in their midst, will battle impossible odds to prevent the alliance. And they'll do it with a weapon that may not only stop Riordan but could turn the tide in the age-old battle between vampires and humans for good.
Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?
I can't really explain it. I used to use the phone book, pick odd names and juxtapose the first and last names. Now, since you can't really find phone books anymore, I just play it by ear. Literally. If I hear a name that sounds interesting, I'll file it away for later use. One thing I'm leery of is fad names, like the monikers being made up for African-Americans. Hey, it's a free country but they're too hard to remember.
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?
Probably Lin Tang. I don't want to spoil things about the plot but I had to present different sides of her personality simultaneously.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
Cantrell Ryker. As my publisher, C.J. Ellisson, would tell you, I often put parts of myself into my characters.
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? Amazingly, I play the plot by ear. I rarely use an outline and often make it up as I go. Therefore, no, I don't have a formula. I do that old "amalgam" thing from Parenthood. You know the scene where Steve Martin's character-as-a-kid explains how an usher is an amalgam or a blending of all the ushers his father left him with over the years in order to schmooze business clients at baseball games.

I also use celebrities. I put celebrities into my characters, often employing that celeb's performance in a particular movie or television show. It helps me remember the faces of my people. For example, for Lin Tang I imagine parts of Lucy Liu's arrogance from Ally McBeal and her ruthlessness from Kill Bill Vol. I. I then add in the naivete and innocence of Ziyi Zhang from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
Probably the warehouse scene. Ian Hendricks, a cocky bastard afraid of seeing his favorite clients -- the Montoyas, leaders of the Hunters -- leave town concocts a horrible plan to lure Lin Tang to a warehouse to be captured. The Hunters have to save his bacon. However, they find themselves ill-prepared for the amazing strength and martial arts ability of Lin Tang, who puts them down for the moment. But, just as she's about to dispatch them, she is interrupted by some unpleasant surprises, the ultimate being the arrival of Ryker.
At full strength and with her razor-edged swords ready, she is fully prepared to make her revenge on him as painful and slow as possible. Except, he has no fear of her. In fact, he reveals that he has met scores of vampires over the years and has destroyed every single one of them. He vows that only one of them will be left standing at the end of the fight and it won't be Lin Tang. And it might not be just bravado that makes him so confident.
I devote an entire chapter to this long-awaited battle.

What is the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?
I often base my stories in the cities I live in or near (Hunters was started while I still lived in Fort Worth). So, I physically go out and scout locations for scenes. It can be fun and dangerous. Once, back in Fort Worth, I went up into the hills above a bank so I could see the Fort Worth skyline. The bankers called the cops on me and they tried to take my camera and notes under threat of arrest for trespassing on bank property. Except it was public property. Then, when they found out I was a reporter, they backed off.

With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?
The book is the first in a planned series. I plan to provide brief synopses of what transpired before.
Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?
Cantrell Ryker thinks he knows it all. He doesn't, of course, but knows a lot more than most people think. He's garnered this so-called "useless information" and now employs it to his advantage. He's also got a short attention span and mild mood swings, going from affable to violent at the drop of a hat, as you'll see in the garage standoff that threatens to get him both kicked off the team and beaten to a pulp by everyone else.
Now, I do have a short attention span but not the mood swings. Well, at least not so wild and not violent. Folks would just call me quirky.
Do you ever suffer from writer's block? How do you deal with it?
Boy, do I. It took me more than 20 years to finally put Devereaux Marshall Fox -- my lead from Land of the Blind, due out winter 2012 -- into print. During Hunters, I often stopped and started. If I was a car, I'd have stripped the gears ten times over by now. I just have to get up and walk away from the computer. I'll watch television, listen to iTunes, play a DVD or go out for a walk at the nearby dam. When I'm relaxed again, I'll sit back at the computer.
Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?
I get up and walk away so much I make cats nervous. People will sometimes get freaked out because they'll see me coming out of my room to watch TV and, thirty seconds later, I've gone back in. Then, they hear music or hear the front door open and close. That's usually because I have to flesh out a scene in my head before putting in down on the computer.

Do you write in different genres?
Primarily science fiction and horror. But, I have short stories and story ideas covering drama, fantasy and westerns.

Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?
No problems for science fiction and horror because they're so closely related. But, doing a western, for example, I have to fight the temptation to add in UFOs and aliens (as the makers of Cowboys and Aliens should have done).
When did you consider yourself a writer?
Age 9. I put pen to paper and started scribbling coherent sentences. I knew I wanted to be a writer when, during the summer, I'd wait to finish a chapter before going outside to play.
What are your guilty pleasures in life?
White chocolate, Maine lobstah and real clam chowdah.

Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
Exploring, hiking, mountain biking.

What can readers expect next from you?
I'll be flipping back to science fiction. I've had an anthology of science fiction and horror called Dark Tidings: Volumes I & II and also a science fiction novella called They Call the Wind Muryah. And now Hunters. So, it's time to get back to science fiction with the aforementioned Land of the Blind. It's about people on a future Earth battling each other and their own demons to try to save their country, but at the expense of the rest of the world. However, a mysterious player threatens all that they hold dear. All have suffered greatly at his hands and they're ready to do anything to destroy him. But, as Erasmus once said, in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And this player is ready to make that painfully clear to the entire world.
Where can readers find you on the web?
Right now, I have some short stories at Writing.com under the name "futrboy." I'm getting my own author page set up but it's still under construction.
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Dolores and Jesus Montoya watched via closed circuit television. Kelly White Cloud was with them, anxious for the serum to work because she knew how difficult it was to overcome the addiction of the vampire.
Inside the room with Patel was Lee, monitoring the various machines that showed Heidi's life functions, which currently consisted of just a slow heartbeat and some brain waves. A few feet away, holding a submachine gun, stood Cantrell Ryker, just in case Heidi rejected the serum and had to be killed. Dolores knew Ryker saved the woman, but she also had no doubt that he could kill her without too much remorse. That much she learned from her friends at Moonrise.
Jesus murmured a silent prayer. Dolores heard it and smiled quickly to reassure her wary husband. He took a deep breath and leaned down to the microphone.
"Do it, Doctor Patel."
Patel moved over to the gurney. He heard a sharp sound and looked up to see Ryker taking the safety off his gun. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to his patient and raised a hypodermic syringe filled with a red liquid. He wiped an area on Heidi's throat with an alcohol swab, to kill germs, and then injected the full contents of the syringe into her carotid artery.
Almost immediately, she woke up, screaming like a banshee, strained against the heavy leather straps holding her down. The straps could hold down a young bull – yet they stretched to their limit to keep Heidi on the table. Patel jumped back.
"Cantrell!" he called out.
Visit Gregory on Tour
Sept 16 Tour Party Roxanne's Realmwww.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
Sept 16 Guest BlogMad Moose Mamahttp://www.madmoosemama.blogspot.com
Sept 17 InterviewFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
Sept 18 interviewwww.kellywhitley.com
Sept 20 Guest Blog and reviewLissette E. Manning http://lissetteemanning.wordpress.com/
September 21 Interviewhttp://www.darkangelwritingtools.com
Sept 27 Guest Blog and Reviewzenes-escape.blogspot.com
Sept 30 Guest Blogwww.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com
Oct 5 InterviewLaurie Thoughts & Reviews http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com
Oct 11 review and guest postBeverly @ The Wormholehttp://wormyhole.blogspot.com
Oct 10 Vampire Awareness Month
http://katiesalidas.com
October 11 Guest Blog1000 + Books to Read http://1000plusbookstoread.blogspot.com
October 13 Guest Blog The Write at Home Momwww.thewriteathomemom.blogspot.com
October 14 Guest Blog and ReviewBack Of The Book Reviewswww.backofthebookreviews.com

Hunters
By Gregory Marshall Smith

For centuries, vampires have owned the night. And in Fort Worth, Texas, master vampire, Louis Riordan, aims to keep it that way. With the help of Lin Tang, his lethal enforcer, he will unite sixteen of the continent's top master vampires into the most powerful undead alliance the world has ever seen.

Rumors abound that Lin Tang's most hated enemy, Cantrell Ryker, has returned from the grave and there are hunters in town, ready to take back the twilight. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, with dissension in the ranks and a traitor in their midst, these hunters fight for humanity side by side. They now have a weapon that could turn the tide of the age-old war between man and vampire once and for all.

Caution: Book contains scenes of violence, mild sex and a few expletives.

Author Bio
Gregory Marshall Smith has been writing fiction since the tender age of nine and has also been a professional journalist for 30 years. He loves Golden Age science fiction, as well as traditional horror but with a modern twist. His work has appeared in Spectacular Speculations, Far Side of Midnight, Writer's Bump, Farspace 2, Mini-World Magazine, Asian Sci-Fi and SFH Dominion. The author of anthologies, short stories, novellas and novels, Greg is working on Land of the Blind, a science fiction actioner due out Winter 2012. He currently resides in West Columbia, South Carolina where he freelances covering college sports and also does background for movies and television shows. Never married (yet), he uses his plethora of spare time to develop new projects.

Feel free to drop him a line at gregory.marshall.smith@gmail.com.

Greg is giving away an ebook to a commenter
if you'd like to win a copy, please comment and leave your email address for notification purposes

Interview with Gregory Marshall Smith

Today we're continuing on the Hunters blog tour, with the help of Fangtastic Books, Bewitching Book Tours and the incredible Roxanne Rhoads.
Get ready for some old school vampire hunting, just like they did it back in the old days, but with a fresh and modern twist.
I want to thank you all for kindly dropping in to join me on this, my first-ever tour!

I hope you enjoy this interview.

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
Well, I was born in Somerville, Massachusetts and raised primarily in historic Medford, a suburb of Boston. I have been a journalist for 30 years and have been writing fiction since 1976 (yes, I was only nine, but I'm sure some of my cheesy stories would match some of today's movies). As for the genre, I primarily deal with science fiction as I had fallen in love with science fiction going back to 1976, from programs like Creature Double Feature, Space: 1999, Star Trek and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
My dabbling in horror began much later and I think it was because science fiction and horror are so closely intertwined. Creature From the Black Lagoon, Them!, Tarantula and Godzilla, King of the Monsters, not to mention Alien and a host of others wouldn't succeed without the horror elements. So, I decided that writing horror could only enhance my science fiction.
What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?
I wouldn't say I'm fascinated by vampires. However, the rest of society seems to be and I think maybe there's an overload. If anyone remembers those Burger King commercials where the teenage girls run around trying to get customers to vote for either Team Jacob or Team Edward, I thought that was too much. For a new twist, I think of the Blade trilogy.
What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to put out something that was a traditional vampire tale, but moved up to modern times. Previous incarnations of the vampire story on the screen almost always showed lone hunters or disorganized parties going after the night monsters. With all the fringe elements in society, I thought that, if vampires really existed, there would probably be an organized (via the Internet) resistance to them.
Please tell us about your latest release.
It's called Hunters and it's about a group of human vampire hunters who have banded together to stop one of the biggest threats to mankind. Vampires own the night and have organized themselves into Mafia-style clans that have thoroughly corrupted the landscape. Now, led by Louis Riordan and backed by his lethal enforcer Lin Tang, they are organizing themselves even further. If Riordan and Tang have their way, sixteen of the most powerful clan leaders will unite into the most powerful undead alliance the world has even seen. No one will be able to stand against them.
But, all is not lost for mankind. Rumors abound that Cantrell Ryker, Lin Tang's most hated enemy, has literally returned from the grave. Vampires are being killed on Riordan's turf with seeming impunity, destroying the confidence the other clan masters have in him and his proposed alliance. A brave band of humors, vastly outnumbered and outgunned, with dissension in the ranks and a traitor in their midst, will battle impossible odds to prevent the alliance. And they'll do it with a weapon that may not only stop Riordan but could turn the tide in the age-old battle between vampires and humans for good.
Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?
I can't really explain it. I used to use the phone book, pick odd names and juxtapose the first and last names. Now, since you can't really find phone books anymore, I just play it by ear. Literally. If I hear a name that sounds interesting, I'll file it away for later use. One thing I'm leery of is fad names, like the monikers being made up for African-Americans. Hey, it's a free country but they're too hard to remember.
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?
Probably Lin Tang. I don't want to spoil things about the plot but I had to present different sides of her personality simultaneously.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
Cantrell Ryker. As my publisher, C.J. Ellisson, would tell you, I often put parts of myself into my characters.
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? Amazingly, I play the plot by ear. I rarely use an outline and often make it up as I go. Therefore, no, I don't have a formula. I do that old "amalgam" thing from Parenthood. You know the scene where Steve Martin's character-as-a-kid explains how an usher is an amalgam or a blending of all the ushers his father left him with over the years in order to schmooze business clients at baseball games.

I also use celebrities. I put celebrities into my characters, often employing that celeb's performance in a particular movie or television show. It helps me remember the faces of my people. For example, for Lin Tang I imagine parts of Lucy Liu's arrogance from Ally McBeal and her ruthlessness from Kill Bill Vol. I. I then add in the naivete and innocence of Ziyi Zhang from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
Probably the warehouse scene. Ian Hendricks, a cocky bastard afraid of seeing his favorite clients -- the Montoyas, leaders of the Hunters -- leave town concocts a horrible plan to lure Lin Tang to a warehouse to be captured. The Hunters have to save his bacon. However, they find themselves ill-prepared for the amazing strength and martial arts ability of Lin Tang, who puts them down for the moment. But, just as she's about to dispatch them, she is interrupted by some unpleasant surprises, the ultimate being the arrival of Ryker.
At full strength and with her razor-edged swords ready, she is fully prepared to make her revenge on him as painful and slow as possible. Except, he has no fear of her. In fact, he reveals that he has met scores of vampires over the years and has destroyed every single one of them. He vows that only one of them will be left standing at the end of the fight and it won't be Lin Tang. And it might not be just bravado that makes him so confident.
I devote an entire chapter to this long-awaited battle.

What is the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?
I often base my stories in the cities I live in or near (Hunters was started while I still lived in Fort Worth). So, I physically go out and scout locations for scenes. It can be fun and dangerous. Once, back in Fort Worth, I went up into the hills above a bank so I could see the Fort Worth skyline. The bankers called the cops on me and they tried to take my camera and notes under threat of arrest for trespassing on bank property. Except it was public property. Then, when they found out I was a reporter, they backed off.

With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?
The book is the first in a planned series. I plan to provide brief synopses of what transpired before.
Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?
Cantrell Ryker thinks he knows it all. He doesn't, of course, but knows a lot more than most people think. He's garnered this so-called "useless information" and now employs it to his advantage. He's also got a short attention span and mild mood swings, going from affable to violent at the drop of a hat, as you'll see in the garage standoff that threatens to get him both kicked off the team and beaten to a pulp by everyone else.
Now, I do have a short attention span but not the mood swings. Well, at least not so wild and not violent. Folks would just call me quirky.
Do you ever suffer from writer's block? How do you deal with it?
Boy, do I. It took me more than 20 years to finally put Devereaux Marshall Fox -- my lead from Land of the Blind, due out winter 2012 -- into print. During Hunters, I often stopped and started. If I was a car, I'd have stripped the gears ten times over by now. I just have to get up and walk away from the computer. I'll watch television, listen to iTunes, play a DVD or go out for a walk at the nearby dam. When I'm relaxed again, I'll sit back at the computer.
Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?
I get up and walk away so much I make cats nervous. People will sometimes get freaked out because they'll see me coming out of my room to watch TV and, thirty seconds later, I've gone back in. Then, they hear music or hear the front door open and close. That's usually because I have to flesh out a scene in my head before putting in down on the computer.

Do you write in different genres?
Primarily science fiction and horror. But, I have short stories and story ideas covering drama, fantasy and westerns.

Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?
No problems for science fiction and horror because they're so closely related. But, doing a western, for example, I have to fight the temptation to add in UFOs and aliens (as the makers of Cowboys and Aliens should have done).
When did you consider yourself a writer?
Age 9. I put pen to paper and started scribbling coherent sentences. I knew I wanted to be a writer when, during the summer, I'd wait to finish a chapter before going outside to play.
What are your guilty pleasures in life?
White chocolate, Maine lobstah and real clam chowdah.

Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
Exploring, hiking, mountain biking.

What can readers expect next from you?
I'll be flipping back to science fiction. I've had an anthology of science fiction and horror called Dark Tidings: Volumes I & II and also a science fiction novella called They Call the Wind Muryah. And now Hunters. So, it's time to get back to science fiction with the aforementioned Land of the Blind. It's about people on a future Earth battling each other and their own demons to try to save their country, but at the expense of the rest of the world. However, a mysterious player threatens all that they hold dear. All have suffered greatly at his hands and they're ready to do anything to destroy him. But, as Erasmus once said, in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And this player is ready to make that painfully clear to the entire world.
Where can readers find you on the web?
Right now, I have some short stories at Writing.com under the name "futrboy." I'm getting my own author page set up but it's still under construction.
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Dolores and Jesus Montoya watched via closed circuit television. Kelly White Cloud was with them, anxious for the serum to work because she knew how difficult it was to overcome the addiction of the vampire.
Inside the room with Patel was Lee, monitoring the various machines that showed Heidi's life functions, which currently consisted of just a slow heartbeat and some brain waves. A few feet away, holding a submachine gun, stood Cantrell Ryker, just in case Heidi rejected the serum and had to be killed. Dolores knew Ryker saved the woman, but she also had no doubt that he could kill her without too much remorse. That much she learned from her friends at Moonrise.
Jesus murmured a silent prayer. Dolores heard it and smiled quickly to reassure her wary husband. He took a deep breath and leaned down to the microphone.
"Do it, Doctor Patel."
Patel moved over to the gurney. He heard a sharp sound and looked up to see Ryker taking the safety off his gun. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to his patient and raised a hypodermic syringe filled with a red liquid. He wiped an area on Heidi's throat with an alcohol swab, to kill germs, and then injected the full contents of the syringe into her carotid artery.
Almost immediately, she woke up, screaming like a banshee, strained against the heavy leather straps holding her down. The straps could hold down a young bull – yet they stretched to their limit to keep Heidi on the table. Patel jumped back.
"Cantrell!" he called out.
Visit Gregory on Tour
Sept 16 Tour Party Roxanne's Realmwww.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
Sept 16 Guest BlogMad Moose Mamahttp://www.madmoosemama.blogspot.com
Sept 17 InterviewFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
Sept 18 interviewwww.kellywhitley.com
Sept 20 Guest Blog and reviewLissette E. Manning http://lissetteemanning.wordpress.com/
September 21 Interviewhttp://www.darkangelwritingtools.com
Sept 27 Guest Blog and Reviewzenes-escape.blogspot.com
Sept 30 Guest Blogwww.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com
Oct 5 InterviewLaurie Thoughts & Reviews http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com
Oct 11 review and guest postBeverly @ The Wormholehttp://wormyhole.blogspot.com
October 11 Guest Blog1000 + Books to Read http://1000plusbookstoread.blogspot.com
October 13 Guest Blog The Write at Home Momwww.thewriteathomemom.blogspot.com
October 14 Guest Blog and ReviewBack Of The Book Reviewswww.backofthebookreviews.com

Hunters
By Gregory Marshall Smith

For centuries, vampires have owned the night. And in Fort Worth, Texas, master vampire, Louis Riordan, aims to keep it that way. With the help of Lin Tang, his lethal enforcer, he will unite sixteen of the continent's top master vampires into the most powerful undead alliance the world has ever seen.

Rumors abound that Lin Tang's most hated enemy, Cantrell Ryker, has returned from the grave and there are hunters in town, ready to take back the twilight. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, with dissension in the ranks and a traitor in their midst, these hunters fight for humanity side by side. They now have a weapon that could turn the tide of the age-old war between man and vampire once and for all.

Caution: Book contains scenes of violence, mild sex and a few expletives.

Author Bio
Gregory Marshall Smith has been writing fiction since the tender age of nine and has also been a professional journalist for 30 years. He loves Golden Age science fiction, as well as traditional horror but with a modern twist. His work has appeared in Spectacular Speculations, Far Side of Midnight, Writer's Bump, Farspace 2, Mini-World Magazine, Asian Sci-Fi and SFH Dominion. The author of anthologies, short stories, novellas and novels, Greg is working on Land of the Blind, a science fiction actioner due out Winter 2012. He currently resides in West Columbia, South Carolina where he freelances covering college sports and also does background for movies and television shows. Never married (yet), he uses his plethora of spare time to develop new projects.

Feel free to drop him a line at gregory.marshall.smith@gmail.com.

Review of Must Love Vampires by Heidi Betts

Must Love Vampires by Heidi Betts

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has to be the sweetest vampire romance I've ever read.

Heidi Betts has taken vampire romance to a different level. She's taken out the darkness and death and given us what we really crave in a romance novel- the romance.

This is a classic romance novel- the sexy main man (men in this case since this is two stories in one) are everyday guys- who just happen to have fangs, drink blood and have a tendency to get third degree burns if a stray ray of sunlight touches their skin.

And it was wonderful.

What a refreshing escape from all the darkness and death that usually comes with any paranormal romance or urban fantasy. Someone is always running form someone else, there's a bad guy or guys, power struggles, and death- lots of it.

Betts strips away all that and leaves us with the basics. Man + woman + inner doubts and conflicts = standard romance with a fangy bonus.

In story one Charlotte (aka Chuck) is a journalist on a case that could make her career. She's out to prove Las Vegas mogul Sebastian Raines is a vampire. To do this she has to get close to him. Thankfully her twin sister Chloe is a showgirl at his casino, one night she takes Chloe's spot- and gets to closer to Sebastian than she ever thought possible.

Sebastian is out to prove Chloe, who happens to be involved with his younger brother Aidan, is just a gold digger out for his money. He abducts who he thinks is Chloe to probe her for information. Too bad he finds himself inexplicably attracted to her much to his chagrin considering this is his brother's girl. Or so he thinks when he glamours her. Too bad that goes kinda wrong too.

In the second part of the book Chloe is using her night off productively with Aidan. In the light of day though a few things are revealed that make her wonder if she was wise in her choice. But hey she had kept a secret from Aidan too so they were even, right?

But how would their secrets affect their life together?

In the end did they hit the jackpot or gamble everything away?

There's humor (I giggled out loud several times), steaminess, and a few of those heart stopping moments that make us crave romance novels.

Heidi Betts hit the jackpot with a sweet romance, that just happens to contain fangs.



View all my reviews