Susan Hanniford Crowley's Blog: From Nights of Passion Blog, page 238

Tami Lund Interviews a Character by Stacy Hoff

This week, Nights of Passion readers, I’ve got something different and fun for you! Author Tami Lund is here to let us get to know her, plus one very interesting character from her latest book.

Here’s Tami’s character interview with Tanner Lyons, the shifter without a pack who is featured in Into the Light, the first book in the Lightbearer Series, released by Liquid Silver Books on July 14, 2014

It’s a beautiful fall day, and I’ve managed to catch Tanner Lyons during a rare moment of downtime. And alone, as well, which is unusual for the shifter to whom other beings tend to migrate. We are sitting outside a local brewery (his choice, not mine; I would have chosen a winery), in a roped off area that allows us to watch the foot traffic in this small town, and still be able to enjoy the craft beers he seems to favour. Tanner has, not surprisingly, situated himself so that his back is to a solid brick wall, and he can still keep an eye on his surroundings. My first question is a blurted, “Are you looking for someone?”

He arches one black brow and gives me a cool look. “Have you met my father?”

This interview is not starting on the right foot. I need to try to make up for my blunder. “Tell me about yourself,” I encourage.

“What do you want to know?”

Tanner, I know from the book, Into the Light, is not a man of many words. I suspect this will make the interview a bit of a challenge.

“What do you do for fun?” I ask.

“Fun?” he repeats with another eyebrow arch.

“Yeah, you know: movies, reading, going to the beach. Fun.”

“I have inherited a small pack of lightbearers with no fighting skills whatsoever, my practically invalid mother, and a female shifter with a young child and who is about to whelp her second any day now. My father, who happens to be pack master over one of the largest and strongest shifter packs in the country, is hunting us. Fun doesn’t exactly fit into the equation at the moment.”

I am at a loss for words now. If he isn’t willing to open up to me, I’ll have no material for my blog post. I don’t know what to do.

Abruptly, he softens. “I know you are only trying to do your job,” he admits as he leans back in his chair and takes a long drink from the dark beer he’s selected off the extensive menu. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s talk about Olivia.”

“Olivia? The lightbearer princess?”

“That’s the one,” he agrees, and I cannot help but notice his eyes are glowing faintly. I look around, wondering if any other humans in the vicinity have noticed.

“Humans only see what they want to see,” he says, accurately guessing my thoughts.

“Oh. Right. So … tell me about Olivia.”

“She’s beautiful. Strangely delicate and yet impossibly strong all at the same time. She has been forced into a situation she doesn’t want, just because of who she was born to.”

“To whom she was born,” I automatically correct him. Stupid grammar Nazi author.

“Whatever.”

I clear my throat. “So what does that have to do with you? I mean, what’s your relationship?”

“She was captured by my father. He meant to kill her. My father has always believed that if he could capture and kill a lightbearer, he would inherit her magic.”

“Is that true?” I ask, awed by the very idea.

Those glowing eyes turn stormy and dark. “No,” he snaps, and I am half-afraid he will end the interview then and there.

“But Olivia’s still alive,” I blurt hurriedly, hoping I can get a little more from him on the subject.

“She is. I rescued her and now have to return her to her coterie.”

“You rescued her? From your own father?” Shifters, I know, are an exceedingly loyal group of beings. Even if the pack master is demented, they often still follow blindly. They know no other way.

“Yes,” he says shortly. I can see the emotions in his eyes. This was not an easy decision.

“What’s a coterie?”

“It’s this place where all the lightbearers live. It’s protected by a bunch of magical wards. Few lightbearers ever leave those protective wards, and as a result, most shifters assume they’ve gone extinct.”

“Except your father.”

“Yes.”

He clearly does not enjoy discussing the topic of his father, but I press anyway. “Why did he believe they were still alive, when everyone else didn’t?”

Tanner leans forward, those still faintly glowing eyes watching me with an intensity that is utterly unnerving. I want to look away. Actually, I want to run away, but it’s like he’s holding me prisoner, without even touching me.

“Shifters are a highly obsessive group of beings,” he explains in his low, gravely voice. “When we latch onto something – such as an idea or a person – we do not easily let go, if ever.”

“Such as Olivia?” I dare to ask.

“Are you implying something?” he growls.

I shrink away from him. “It’s just that every time you talk about her, your voice softens and your eyes glow and …”

He takes another drink of his beer, shifts his gaze away from me. “She is … special,” he states, almost grudgingly.

“Are you two…?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Relationships usually are.”

“We do not have a relationship. At least …”

“What?” I prod, anticipation thrumming through my system. Is he about to divulge something no one else knows?

He lifts the pint glass, drains the contents and places it back on the table. And then he stands, his gaze sweeping over the groups of humans wandering about the quaint little downtown area. “We’re done here,” he says, and then he is gone. I don’t even know in which direction he went.

And I have no idea how this interview veered so far off course.

***

About Tami Lund

Tami Lund has a bit of an obession with writing and publishing books. To date, she’s published ten e-books, two of which are available in paperback as well. Six were published this year alone. And she isn’t slowing down. Tanner’s book, Into the Light, was published in July, and the follow up, Dawning of Light, is scheduled for release on December 15. She has a couple more releases coming soon:

The Perfect Christmas, part of the Unwrapping Love holiday anthology, to be released in conjuction with Page Curl Publishing on December 1.
Cursed and Chosen, the first book in a new shifter series, is scheduled for a spring, 2015 release, through Soul Mates Publishing.

Tami loves to live, love, and laugh, and does her best to ensure the characters in her books do the same. After they’ve overcome a few seemingly insurmountable obsctacles first, of course.

She also loves to be stalked on social media. Her website is: http://tamilund.com and she’s on nearly every social media outlet, including Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to look her up so you know when the next book will be released!

***

About Stacy Hoff

You can find Stacy on Social Media: www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff Twitter: twitter.com/authorStacyHoff   Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

Her contemporary romance, Desire in the Everglades is available on Amazon now. http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Everglades-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00NFSMCYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410289138&sr=8-1&keywords=desire+in+the+everglades.

Filed under: Author Interviews, romance, shapeshifters, Stacy Hoff

Season of Magic by Gerri Brousseau

Welcome dear readers to my first November blog here on Nights of Passion. As we approach the wonderful holiday season I would like to talk to you about a project near and dear to my heart. This past summer I was invited to participate with four other authors in putting together a holiday box set. I had an idea for a holiday story so I agreed.

The set is entitled, Season of Magic (Holiday Box Set). It features 5 holiday themed romances.

Hopes and wishes. And holiday kisses…the Season of Magic.

Wrap yourself in the holiday spirit with five romantic stories filled with fun and forever after.

Noel, Noel, Noel by Merry Holly (a/k/a Marian Lanouette)

Dumped and lonely, is it possible to find love at the local mall? Noelle thinks not, but a chance encounter with Chase Clayborne while Christmas shopping has her rethinking her rigid set of rules, as sparks flare between them.

A Cinderella Christmas by Cara Marsi

Jessica Gallo no longer believed in fairy tales or happy endings. And she certainly didn’t believe she’d find her Prince Charming at Saks Fifth Avenue. Her Fairy Godmother thought differently.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker by Bobbi Lerman

With Chanukah around the corner, is there enough magic left for a matchmaker to bring Molly’s cynical heart back to life.

Holiday Disaster by Vicki Batman

The week before Christmas and all is in disarray when a librarian experiences horrible plumbing issues and a Mr. Maintenance Man who isn’t nearly as jolly as Santa Clause. This Christmas is a disaster.

Yuletide Bride by Gerri Brousseau

The Dowager Duchess’s decree that her grandson must marry before Twelfth Night or relinquish his title and fortune sends him into a tail spin. With no prospects and with only two weeks until Christmas will Stuart Nelson find himself destitute or will he find The Yuletide Bride.

These five stories are as diverse as their authors. Some are charming and some are funny, but they are all enchanting and full of holiday magic.

This wonderful set is available on Amazon and Nook. For a limited time (Holiday Special) the set will be on sale for 99¢. And for a limited time, 10% of the proceeds of the sales will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Today one lucky commenter will WIN a free e-book copy, but in order to do so you must leave a comment AND use the words “Season of Magic” in your comment to be eligible to win. This contest ends at midnight – so please leave a comment and good luck.

Now, if you simply can’t wait . . . here’s the purchase link. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OZ136A6/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d2_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0RSYEJ6PDW40SSCGNBB0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846#reader_B00OZ136A6

For all the Nook readers, it will be up on Nook very soon.

Filed under: romance

Research, is it Necessary?

There are many of us writers that live for the research of our works. And there are many of us who absolutely dread it. So the question as to whether it is necessary is not an uncommon one. I will say that in my personal opinion, it is absolutely necessary. In saying that, I will also admit that I am neither a fan nor a hater of research. Sometimes it is fascinating and other times it is a chore.

Why is it necessary? Well, in the spirit of our 2014 elections and a recent job I applied for, let’s see where we’d possibly get without research. In my own personal situation, I would have ended up with a poorly prepared cover letter and resume as well as poor preparation for my recent interview. In the larger world of our elections, we’d end up with the wrong people in the wrong positions. We still might end up with this second situation, but I’m sure each of us would rather not have anything to do with creating this sort of situation–at least to the degree we can help it.

In the realm of books, the lack of research can lead to inaccurate or unrealistic plots, settings and even characters. And for us writers, that only stands out in glaringly as we critique each others’ work. I’m sure there are many readers who walk away from these types of “errors” as well.

The moral of this week’s blog? Do your research as it makes a world of difference and can very much be the dividing line between an impactful writer or a complete flop!

Happy writing to you all and with it being November, may you all be very speedy and productive!

 

Filed under: Toni Kelly, Writer's Life

Do You Nanowrimo? By Mandy Rosko

Just wondering how many people are going to take the plunge on this one? If you’re new to this, then Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and the challenge is a pretty fun one :) Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

I’m doing it. I’ve been doing it for the last couple of years, sort of, but I just haven’t been logging into the Nanowrimo website to put in my word counts. For my other pseudonym, I can write anywhere from 70,000 to 140,000 words per month if I’m having a really good month, but it’s a little hard for me to calculate that on the website since I can only write in the word count for one book, not three.

Anyway, I’m hoping it counts, because I already ordered my 2014 Winner shirt :D My actual goal is to not only finish my 50,000 book this month, but to do that while still writing my novellas for Siren. Hopefully I can get it done, but if not, then I’m still going to say that those other words count anyway just because I can ;)

Does anyone else do this? I know it’s fairly popular, at least to get your book out of your body, even if it’s not quite ready to publish when you’re done. There are a few good books that have been a result of Nanowrimo. Water for Elephants being one of them, and if I’m right, The Night Circus, which was Heather’s Pick last year (The lady who owns Chapters and Coles in Canada) as well as Cinder, which was a cool sounding android type of Cinderella tale that’s currently on my TBR shelf, as is The Night Circus.

Anyway, good luck to everyone participating this year! If it’s not for you, then try checking it out anyway in case you want to start next year. Despite it being a cold month that will usually bring about the first snow, Nanowrimo is now a really good reason for me to look forward to November ;)

The only thing that sucks is how slow the Nanowrimo website gets at updating my word count for me during the night when everyone is trying to catch up >.<

Cheers,

-Mandy

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Filed under: romance

Winter’s Around The Corner!t

The colder weather now covering a large portion of the United States means we now need to dress in more serviceable clothing. Stuffed away in the closet are the flip-flops and shorts. We now are dressing in layers and trying not to leave any skin exposed.

Years ago, I would rebel at this. I want to see skin! Naked man chests are my passion! In return, I wore little haltertops well into November, just to give the boys something to stare at. Thank goodness, common sense has finally prevailed.

Now, I look forward to a change in seasons. There’s nothing more romantic than exploring each other under a blanket in front of a roaring fire. While there’s a lot to be said for ripping each other’s clothes off in the heat of passion, a colder climate has its own benefits. If you’re into doing a strip tease in front of your significant other, for example, there are so many more layers to take off you can make a real production out of it.

I also find the change of seasons means you can hunker down in front of the TV set without any guilt. Football games are a wonderful distraction. All those muscle-y men in their tight pants–well, really, who could ask for more? A lot of romances are written about sports heroes, so I must be on to something. And all the Christmas romances that will soon be hitting the cyber shelves always melt my heart.

So, feel free to relax in front of a fire while reading a good book, or while reading the topography of your sweetie. You have my permission to be as warm or as hot, as you want.

Filed under: romance

Weekly Paranormal-Scope by Susan Hanniford Crowley

It was dark at 5 pm where I am. It’s getting colder in the northeastern United States.  It’s time to get out all the cold weather gear and make sure the car is ready for winter too.

While I am not qualified in any way to read neither stars nor planets, I am intimately linked to the paranormal in the world in many ways. So are you.

The paranormal-scope is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to guide your life by.

The week for:

Aries:

Dormice are hoarding nuts.  Prepare for bad weather and/or a lot of company.

Taurus:

Temple cats are prowling and taking out trouble. Stay to your normal route and you should be all right.

Gemini:

Werewolves have problems with itching. Be sure to get a lotion your skin agrees with.  Winter can be so drying.

Cancer:

A vampire is revamping his wardrobe for a very polished look.  Consider a new accessory.

Leo:

Elves love music. Indulge and enjoy the music of the season.

Virgo:

Killer bunnies are about.  Wear boots.  Take up a hobby.  Meet new people in a craft class. Avoid bunnies.

Libra:

Now that Halloween is over, evil is asleep for the winter. Just joking. Keep an eye out for the weird. Unexpected company is on its way.

Scorpio:

A faery is fascinated by you and gives you a gift.  Use it wisely.

Sagittarius:

Hobbits are cooking up a storm. Join in and do some recipe exchanges.

Capricorn:

A dragon’s cave is peaceful, and dragons love to hug.  Listen to their wisdom. They’ve been around.

Aquarius:

Shapeshifters are into change. An old friend is coming your way. You have decisions to make.

Pisces:

Mermaids love bubble baths.  Indulgence in a “ME Day”!  You need it to recharge and feel well.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

Vampire King of New York available at Amazon Kindle and print, Barnes and Noble Nook and print and in Kobo

Filed under: paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Weekly Paranormal-Scope

What Did You Do With Your Hour?

Daylight Savings Time officially ended at 2:00 am today. We hopefully remembered to turn our clocks back, thus re-gaining the whole precious hour we surrendered back on March 9th. Thank you, Lord! I needed that hour right about now.

Although Benjamin Franklin did suggest the idea of daylight savings time (on one of his sojourns to Paris he told the citizens to save candles by rising earlier to take advantage of the early sunlight), the modern version of DST was proposed by two different men: New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson, who proposed it in 1895 and English builder and outdoorsman William Willett, in 1905. The first country to implement the practice, however, was Germany in 1916 to conserve the usage of coal during WWI. It was widely adopted in the United States during the 1970s due to the energy crisis. Some states, such as Arizona and Hawaii (and in the past, Indiana) do not observe DST.

I always look forward to the end of DST avidly. I want my hour back! I need my hour back! This year especially as I’m in the middle of a theatre production and am getting a lot less sleep. I also have a writing deadline looming, so I’m taking my hour working on these final edits. I’ve sort of doubled my hour this year: I went to bed at 11:00 pm last night (unheard of!) and got up at 6:30 am this morning. So I got extra sleep AND now I get an extra hour to write! Heaven!

So what did you do with your extra hour? Read? Write? Sleep? Party? Watch T.V.? Defy curfew? The possibilities are endless. But hopefully you will enjoy your extra hour as much as I plan to enjoy mine!

Filed under: Holidays, Jenna Jaxon

After Halloween & the Contest Continues by Susan Hanniford Crowley

I am writing this on the Eve of All Hallows, that night before All Saints’ Day.  Over a thousand years ago, early Christians prayed on this eve for protection from evil. They wanted protection from the coming dark time.

On Nov. 1st or All Saints Day, they prayed for all saints known and unknown. On Nov. 2nd or All Souls Day, they prayed for all souls and for mercy.  Some churches celebrate All Saints Day on Sunday and some celebrate the days jointly.

In this photo from a Polish news services, it shows how people make offerings and light candles all over the country to remember and honor the dead.  Here is the link, if you want to learn some more about All Saints and All Souls Days in Poland. http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/117206,Poland-illuminated-on-All-Saints-Day

On a family note, we celebrated Halloween with a quiet dinner party of make your own tacos, which was followed up by decorate your own cupcakes.  We also had yummy chocolate mummy cookies.  One of our guests was an adorable pixie masquerading as Tinkerbell.  Some small faeries can really carry off wearing green. She had left her wings in the other room.

Oh, by the way, on Sunday most of the USA will be changing back to Standard Time, falling back one hour for fall.  I will celebrate with an extra hour of sleep.  It will be nice not to get up in the dark.  If you are in an affected time zone, but sure to fix your clocks on Saturday night.

Yesterday I announced a contest on my interview by Stacy Hoff.  The contest ends on Nov. 2nd at noon Eastern Time. I am giving away one ebook copy of VAMPIRE KING OF NEW YORK in the winner’s choice of format-Kindle, Nook, or Kobo. To enter be sure to comment in the comment box. Contest void where prohibited by law. Good luck everyone!

If you can’t wait to read it, Vampire King of New York is available in Amazon Print and Kindle, Barnes and Noble Print and Nook, and Kobo.

All the best for a fun and joyous weekend for all souls.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Filed under: Halloween festival, Halloween meal and treats, Halloween traditions, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Seasonal changes, Susan Hanniford Crowley, vampire books, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Writer's Life

Halloween Interview/Contest with Susan Hanniford Crowley by Stacy Hoff

 

Happy Halloween, everyone. Today’s blog post is a two parter, with a CONTEST!!!!  Yes, you’ve read this right!  Because for this special Halloween edition, I’m here to knock ‘em dead!

Part I is about my creepy Halloween visit to a graveyard. Part II is my interview with paranormal writer Susan Hanniford Crowley, followed by an excerpt of her latest book, THE VAMPIRE KING OF NEW YORK.

And for the Contest: Susan Hanniford Crowley is giving away one ebook copy of VAMPIRE KING OF NEW YORK in the winner’s choice of format-Kindle, Nook, or Kobo. The deadline for this contest is Nov. 2 at noon Eastern Time. Contest void where prohibited by law. Good luck everyone!

PART I – My Creepy Halloween

To really enjoy today—Halloween-—I went out of my way to have a creepy lunch hour. I hiked over to a historic cemetery near where I work. There, I took a walk among the tombstones. The old, fragile slate slabs had dates older than I would have guessed, some dating back to the 1700’s. Some had carvings of odd-looking angels. Some had poems about to how the person died. (Plenty weird, if you ask me.) Other headstones were too small to list names or dates, and simply read what mattered most to their loved ones, “mother” or “father.”

Being alive in this silent, ghostly place made me feel out of place. Yet it took me a while to turn tail and leave. The cemetery’s quiet surroundings gave a sense of peace and serenity I hadn’t expected. And the desire to strongly hug my family and friends when I got back. Our time in life is short, so I’m letting the people I love know now that I care about them.

Ironic that going to a place where people are dead made me appreciate my life, for all the wonders life has to give, even more.

Happy Halloween, everyone. If you have the time in between trick-or-treaters, let me know how you’re celebrating.

PART II – My Interview with Susan Hanniford Crowley

1) What intrigues you about the paranormal world?

I have always been intrigued by anything that goes bump in the night. I like the variety in the paranormal world, the mythology, the case studies, the difference and similarities between cultures. After studying the paranormal for over 30 years, I am most amused by the portrayal in movies and fiction. Our culture in particular tends to make make scary things glamorous. Using vampires as an example, you can see the change between an ugly feared creature that was more animal than human to Hollywood portrayal of Dracula in a tux such as Bela Lugosi to a suave, handsome Dracula who is a great dancer in the movie “Love at First Bite” such as George Hamilton.

2) Why write about vampires in specific?

While my vampire characters usually have staring roles, I don’t write only about vampires. New York City which is the setting for both my series, Vampires in Manhattan and Arnhem Knights of New York. In my books, the couple star. One is usually a vampire while the other is another kind of supernatural which includes humans with gifts. The exception to this is the first book in the Vampires in Manhattan series titled WHEN LOVE SURVIVES. That book had a heroine who was half leprechaun and half elf and didn’t know it until that day. The hero is a shapeshifter, and shapeshifters are able to recognize their lifemates at first sight. The book focuses on the couple meeting each other, but other supernaturals in New York play important roles. David Hilliard who is the hero in the second book THE STORMY LOVE LIFE OF LAURA CORDELAIS is a vampire. In the first book, he is a secondary character who helps the couple. They help him too out of a situation. Though my vampires do not burst into flames in the sun and can walk around for a limited amount of time, expending huge amounts of energy digging on September 11th would make them more vulnerable. Gregor who is the shifter comes up with a humorous idea on how to save this friend. What I really write about is the diverse communities and how they interact.

I also really have fun with the vampires.

3) What do you like best about Halloween?

I love costume parties and inventive cooking. My oldest daughter really excels in cooking wonderful things for Halloween.

4) Do you have plans to write any more paranormal books?

I am in process of writing Book 2 in the Arnhem Knights of New York series. My vampire heroine is torn between a human and a vampire. I don’t want to give too much away. People have been waiting for me to write a love story for Noblesse, King Max’s daughter. It’s going to be a really powerful book. I also have a very different paranormal book in process not having anything to do with vampires, and another paranormal book that is YA. Everything is in process. I’m in a writing year.

5) What’s the general story line for Vampire King of New York?

Max Vander Meer, is a modern day Viking, CEO of VMeer Industries, and a Vampire. He makes a plea to the Goddess Freya to find the only woman who can heal his heart, the woman haunting his dreams. But, the Goddess strikes a bargain with him. To find this special woman, Max must return to the city he helped build–New York, which is threatened by an ancient terror. When he meets Evelyn, he is astounded. Could she be the one who inhabits his dreams? But Evelyn is haunted by loss and betrayal. How can Max win her love when she doesn’t trust him as a man, and she doesn’t want to be a vampire? If Max returns to Iceland without her, he will be encased in ice . . . forever!

Here’s an excerpt from the first meeting between Max and Evelyn:

“I’m having the Baked Alaska,” Max said. “Evelyn, you?”

“Oh, no. That’s a big dessert. I’ll have a dish of vanilla ice cream.”

The waiter smiled and was off again.

“I’m trying to lose weight,” Evelyn admitted.

“I don’t see why.” Max’s words were reassuring. When the waiter came with the desserts, she marveled at the difference between them. Max’s dish was almost overwhelmed by the meringue, sponge cake, and ice cream concoction.

“Would you like just a taste of my Baked Alaska?” Max asked Evelyn. It did look divine, and her dish of ice cream looked very small.

“Okay.”

He handed her a spoon. “Take what pleases you.”

Evelyn shook a little. Men didn’t usually say such things, and it thrilled her. She took a healthy blob and put it on top of her plain ice cream.

They looked at each other before digging in. Evelyn couldn’t remember when she last had this much fun. It wasn’t that Laura and David weren’t fun. They had taken her everywhere in the city, the museums, the plays, the art shows, and concerts. But no matter how kind they were to her, how entertaining, no matter how much her sister loved her, Evelyn still needed a life of her own, and there was something about Max that made her heart tremble.

Dinner breezed by. Talking with Max filled her with excitement. Where David and Laura were usually quiet about their experiences as vampires, Max was very forthcoming, not shirking from any of her questions.

“David says you live in New York part of the time and Iceland the other part. Why don’t   you just settle in one place?”

“I love them both, and I decided not to choose between them. New York is where my family of vampires resides.”

“Oh, you mean the Arnhem Society. So you’re an Arnhem Knight too.”

“Evelyn,” David interrupted, “Max is the first Arnhem Knight. He created the Arnhem Society in 1626.”

“That’s when it was New Amsterdam.” Evelyn tried not to let her mouth fall open. “You came here with the Dutch?”

“I helped negotiate with the Native Americans for Manhattan Island.”

She stared at him, then the thought crossed her mind and it was out of her mouth before she could stop it. “You didn’t mesmerize them, did you?”

“Not my finest hour.” He shook his head.

David interrupted. “Evelyn, Max helped carve this great city out of the wilderness. There isn’t a business in the city that wasn’t helped in some way by Max or VMeer Industries.”

Max shook his head in what she took to be modesty.

Evelyn chewed on her lower lip in thought. “Wow. It must have been something.”

Max smiled and nodded. “Yes. It was a brave new world then. Now you just have to be brave to be here.”

Susan can be found on: web: http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com Facebook: Susan Hanniford Crowley, Author  Twitter : SHCrowley  and here, on Nights of Passion blog.

Vampire King of New York is available at: Amazon Print and Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-King-Susan-Hanniford-Crowley-ebook/dp/B00D70NC6O  Barnes and Noble Print and Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampire-king-of-new-york-susan-hanniford-crowley/1116839039?ean=2940148617778  Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/vampire-king-of-new-york

Find Stacy on Social Media: www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff Twitter: twitter.com/authorStacyHoff   Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com.  Stacy’s debut novel, Desire in the Everglades, is  available now. http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Everglades-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00NFSMCYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410289138&sr=8-1&keywords=desire+in+the+everglades

Cemetery photos copyright 2014 Stacy Hoff. All rights reserved.

 

Filed under: A writer's life, Arnhem Knights of New York, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, Stacy Hoff, vampire books, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires

Hell Night, Halloween Memories and a Contest by Gerri Brousseau

Today is the day before Halloween, more commonly referred to as “Hell Night” when people pull pranks on friends and neighbors. Common pranks in my day were soaping car windows and toilet papering someone’s house. Now, I never did any of those things, but have some friends who did. Halloween is the favorite holiday of many, and in fact a few years ago my son and his wife were married on the night of October 30th. with a Halloween themed wedding including a trick-or-treat candy table and costume booth. It was a unique and fun wedding.

With tomorrow being Halloween, I am looking forward to doing Trick-or-Treat with my little two-year-old Grand-Daughter. She’s just starting to understand the concept of holidays and it is now fun to watch my son and his wife create their family traditions.

I remember when I was a kid (back in the day) I would walk all over creation with a group of my friends knocking on doors and filling a pillow case with candy. The streets were full of kids in costumes, walking in small groups going door to door. No one bothered us. No one put poison or drugs in our candy. I remember that my mother didn’t want me to eat anything until she checked it. She would dump the pillow case out on the kitchen table and pick over all the candy to make sure nothing looked tampered with, but nothing ever was. One year my Mom let me have a Halloween party for some school friends and we actually bobbed for apples. It was a fond memory.

I remember when my son was little that I began in July and made our costumes every year. I’m no seamstress, heck I can do little more than sew a button, but I made our costumes. My favorite memory was the year that we dressed up as clowns. My friends know I’m not fond of clowns, and they can sometimes be scary (Twisty for example), but nevertheless, I had a four-year old boy with orange yarn hair in a home-made clown outfit, complete with a derby hat and red nose.

Then things got a little scary. Kids were being snatched and tainted candy was handed out by sick people. I took my son to the houses of friends and relatives. Thankfully there were school events we could go to and it seemed to pacify him.

When I had the two pugs I would dress them up in complimentary costumes and walk up and down the street with them. I would carry a plastic pumpkin full of candy and hand it out to the children who stopped to pet the pugs. Since Milo got hurt, we haven’t gone out.

This year, I’m looking forward to watching my baby girl learn the concept of saying Trick-or-Treat and getting candy from the few neighbors on the street where they live. I may even put on my pirate costume! I do love priates (wink).

Please take a moment to share your favorite Halloween memory with me and as a treat I will be giving one commenter a copy of one of my books. You must leave a comment to qualify and the winner will be selected at random. The contest will run until midnight tonight. Let’s have some fun, and best of luck.

Filed under: romance