Eve Langlais's Blog, page 163

My Summer Vacation by Eve Langlais

lol, remember when we had to write that essay the first week back at school. Most of the time, mine sucked. Our family never did anything interesting and by the end of August I was dying for September to arrive. As a parent now of three monsters, ahem delightful children, hubby and I decided it was time to take a family vacation. Not visiting extended family or friends. Just us and a new place to discover. I spent a few months researching some family-friendly places. We wanted to give the kids a cottage experience where they could fish, swim, canoe etc and where I wouldn’t have to cook or go without internet. Have I mentioned before that I panic when there’s no internet? lol. I am a workaholic who can’t go more than few hours without checking in.

I digress though. So, I found a wonderful place. Calabogie Peaks Resort. With a restaurant on site, a cabin option with enough beds for all five of us and all kinds of activities, including golf, to my husband’s delight, we were all excited to go. After careful checking of our schedules, because heaven forbid we interfere with my son’s lacrosse schedule, I reserved a cabin for 3 days.

The kids were ecstatic. The countdown began before school even finished. Stories abounded of the things they planned to do. I chewed my fingernails nervously at the thought of leaving home lol. The day arrived bright and beautiful. The kids were packed and raring to go. I managed to hold them off until lunchtime, but then, despite the fact we’d arrive way too early to check in, we piled into the minivan and left. The drive went quickly, and next thing we knew, we’d arrived, two hours too early, so we drove around the area, admiring the trees, and more trees. And did I mention it was really freakn’ green in the Calabogie area? After thirty five minutes of aimless roaming and needing a glimpse of civilization, we finally headed back to the resort to check in — and pee. Stupid latte.

And that’s when the storm hit. The sky went wickedly dark. Thunder rolled and boomed. Lightning cracked. Rain poured. But that wasn’t all, along with the vicious wind buffeting our poor minivan, hail fell. Grape sized pellets, pounding against our vehicle, freaking out the children with the rat-a-tat. Hubby slowed to a crawl as we inched along, the wipers working double time. I’ll admit, I was kind of nervous about ending up in a ditch or hitting the deer we saw while roaming around. When I say there was nothing around, I mean nothing. No houses. No cars. No people.

Just as we hit the main road — and I chewed down my last nail — the storm subsided, leaving everything wet, but not completely intact. Branches lay on the road as we traveled to the resort, a constant litter of leaves and sticks, a reminder of mother’s nature’s awesome force. The resort allowed us to check in a bit early despite the power being out. We thought nothing of it. Storms often knock out power, and in minutes to a few hours, it usually comes back. The cabin however, needed power to run water and without electricity, we couldn’t get dinner at the resort. So in the van we piled, our bellies growling, to hit the town and get some grub. We didn’t even drive half a kilometer before we saw the first downed tree. Leaning against a power line, we oohed and OMG’d. We drove on down on the road. After the fifth fallen tree, we turned around and went back to the resort, handed in our key and said sorry, but there’s not going to be any power anytime soon. The resort then informed us, a freak tornado went through and that the resort would have to shut down anyhow due to the lack of power.

A tornado?! Seriously? Tornadoes, you see, are quite rare in Ontario. Of all the things to ruin our vacation, that I could have never predicted.

Before the children could cry at the change in plans, hubby packed us all in the van and off we went, eyes wide in astonishment at the path of destruction lining the road. Electrical poles snapped in half. Old trees, tall and lush, down, blocking the lanes forcing us to inch around them on the precarious lips of ditches. Power lines snaked across the tarmac. Dead lines thankfully as Hydro One had already cut the juice to them. Check out the pics we took.

We made it through the twenty or so kilometers of destruction and hit the highway in search of food. We decided on Renfrew as it was close by and had some alternatives for the family vacation. Yeah, that didn’t work out. As we entered the town, Poof! Off went the power, leaving us hungry, the kids cranky, and me, convinced our trip was now cursed.

Hubby is an annoying optimist though. He drove us to another town and found a restaurant that just had its power restored. We ate ridiculously large portions at Jim’s Family Restaurant in Arnprior. I said screw the low carb diet and inhaled a tummy stretching amount of their yummy home fries with gravy (mmmm gravy…) Bellies full, we used hubby’s internet on his cellphone to call around to other cottage resorts. No power. No power. No power. No one we called could take us.

The kids, while disappointed, didn’t cry as we headed home, our vacation over before it started. But we weren’t giving up. That night, I looked up more places to try. My sister in law made a recommendation for a place called Logosland. The next morning, we called and found a place with an opening at Logosland. Made for family’s to vacation, it has a mini waterpark, lake, canoes, fishing, paddle boats, everything you could want for a cottage experience. The kids were ecstatic so off we went again. This time, the sky stayed clear and despite the A/C in the unit being broken, there was power and we checked in happily to start our family adventure. We visited the beach. Hit the paddleboats for a ride. Hubby took the kids on their first canoe trip. Then the kids discovered the frogs in the weeds. They spent the rest of the afternoon frog hunting. No waterslides. No swimming, just catching as many wiggly green things as they could. The next morning, after a short fishing bout and breakfast, they clamored to find more frogs. We made them go on the waterslides. They protested the entire way. They did one run each. And then back to the frogs they went. Hubby and I watched them, scratching our heads. We dragged them away for lunch at the chip truck. And then forced them back on the water slides. They did three runs each, then guess where we went? Back to watch them catching frogs. Sigh. Did I mention we have a frog living in the pond in our back yard? And that they can catch frogs around the corner from our house at the big pond? Yeah. We paid money to stay somewhere my children could do it all day, ignoring all the amenities we thought they’d so enjoy.

Hubby, determined to get them active, forced them to swim in the lake. They lasted about fifteen minutes. At that point, we gave up and let them frog hunt to their heart’s content. The next morning, when the rain hit, with no intention of leaving, faced with the prospect of entertaining them in a small space with seven grainy television channels, no video game system, or any frogs, we packed them up and brought them home. To quell their protests, we treated them to an afternoon at the movies, Ice Age 4 with any treat they wanted.(My wallet will take time to recover). But they had fun, we ended the day with smiles, and came home to our beds. Our comfy beds without spiders hidden in the sheets. (my poor son almost had a heart attack when he found it the first night at the cabin lol)

And that was our summer vacation. Next time, I’m not going to bother looking for family activities. I’ll just rent something with a clear view of the lake and make sure it has frogs. Oh, and bring a recipe book. I hear they taste great, battered and fried. Muahahahaha.

How was your summer vacation?

When stories make you cry (scream, curse, [insert your emotion here]…)

I’ll admit, I love a happily ever after. When I finish a book, I want a big, sappy smile on my face, a feeling that all is right in the world, and that the characters I’ve fallen in love with will ride off into the sunset toward a wonderful future. I also love rainbows and kittens.

So what’s my point?

What about stories that don’t quite have that perfect HEA, or that give you a hell of a HFN? Is it okay for a writer to make a reader cry? To leave them wondering what happened? Or the even wrose, have them crying, ‘Why? Why!!!’

How about an example of what I mean. Betraying The Pack. If you’ve never read this story, then you might want to skip the rest of this post as it contains a HUGE spoiler. Will it ruin the book for you? Possibly, so if you intend to read the story, I’d move away, this is not the blog you seek.

Still here? Then either my Jedi mind trick didn’t work or you already know what I did.

First a quick recap. Defying Pack Law, book one, has a heroine who is fighting a law that states she needs to take up to four mates. In the end, she discovers happiness — and being involved in a committed menage — doesn’t mean losing her sense of self or pride. Oh, and we discover at the very end that a vampire hybrid is out to get them. Cliff hanger number one! But not a big one. My readers forgave me that one.

In book two, Betraying The Pack, we learn more about the sick vampire who’s hunting the Lycans. We meet a new heroine and set of heroes. We fall in love with them; Gavin with his easy going, good ol’ American boy attitude, Wyatt with his surly, tough as nails persona, Parker, the gentle giant, and finally Jaxon, playful and loveable hottie of the group. But I didn’t call it Betraying The Pack for nothing. I know most readers expected Bailey to be the one who screwed the Pack. It wasn’t. Jaxon, under the mind control of the vampire, betrays them all. Betrays the one he loves and delivers her to the monster. It’s horrible. Sad. And yes, Bailey is angry, but she forgives him and manages to mark him as her mate just before the evil hybrid comes for them. But Roderick and his forces are strong, too strong, and he threatens to kill Bailey. Jaxon, heart broken at his inadvertent deception, full of love for Bailey, does the only thing he can. He sacrifices himself to save them all. Sob. It was so beautiful. The ultimate gift for love.

Well, at that point, more than a few e-readers probably hit the wall.

I did the unthinkable. I took a well loved hero and didn’t give him a HEA. Worse, the heroine, instead of throwing herself off the same cliff in heartbroken agony, decides to live. And still love. Yes, she looks to her other three mates for comfort, a reassurance that they’d survived, that she lived. That together they would prevail. The fact I didn’t have them curled into balls of sobbing misery didn’t go over well. My decision to stay true to the story, had my readers in tears, many up in arms. I even got declarations of never again will I read something by Eve Langlais, which I’ll admit made me sad. But the one thing that made me glad? I touched my readers. I got them invested enough in my world and characters that I managed to evoke strong feelings. Really, really strong feelings. So despite the backlash, I can’t say I’m unhappy. Nor would I change a thing.

But… Those who know my work should have known it wasn’t the end. Jaxon went off a cliff with the vampire in tow. Did anyone really think this would kill them? I’m happy to report that Jaxon is very much alive, but depressed. And determined. He lost the woman he loved because of Roderick and now, he’ll do anything, even put his life on the line to keep her safe. On his journey to redemption, he finds others, three wolves who chose to go rogue to look for a brother, and a victim of Roderick’s evil machinations. Together they will confront the devil that’s plagued the Packs. A final showdown is coming. But the biggest question of all? Can Jaxon ever forgive himself? And will Bailey ever get him back?

Find out now, today, right this minute if you want, as Amira Press has released my third Pack story, Seeking Pack Redemption. Prefer to use your regular store? Then don’t worry. It will be available in multiple formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AllRomance, Bookstrand, Smashwords and more starting July 27th (expect delays with Kobo and Apple as they take longer).

Don’t miss out on this third exciting book. Oh, and just so you’re warned, I left a bombshell at the end. Yes, there will be a Pack 4.

Summer Free Read!!!!

Until midnight July 14th, The Geek Job is free, exclusively at AllRomance.com

If you enjoy a strong heroine and a geeky hero, then check out this paranormal romance with lots of heat…

July & Aug spotlights & giveaways

I’m hard at work finishing up Croc And The Fox, but here’s a quick run down of the stuff going on this summer. I might add more, though, so keep an eye on this page!

July 3 – Character Interview @ Lacey Wolfe – Click Here
July 15 – Review @ Close Encounters
July 16 – Spotlight and Interview and giveaway @ Simply Ali
July 20th – Seeking Pack Redemption, Pack #3 releases at Amira Press
July 20 – Spotlight and review @ Love To Read For Fun
July 24 – Spotlight and Interview (Pack) @ Simply Ali
July 25 – Spotlight Seeking Pack Redemption @ Tamaria Soana
July 26 – Spotlight @ Woody’s Writing
July 20th – Seeking Pack Redemption, Pack #3 releases at Amazon, B&N, AllRomance etc…
July 27 – Interivew and giveaway @ Kacey Hammel
July 28 – Spotlight and giveaway (Pack) @ Ramblings from this chick
July 29 – Spotlight and giveaway @ Reading Between The Wines
July 30 – Spotlight (Pack) and review @ Awesomesauce
August 3 – Interview @ Ashlynn Monroe
August 6 – Spotlight (Pack_ and giveaway (Pack) @ CS Maxwell
August 7 – Spotlight @ Kacey Hammel
August 8 – Review @ Close Encounters
August 10 – Interview and Giveaway (Demon)@ Prosperine Cravings (R)
August 11 – Review (Pack) @ For The Love of Reading
August 16 – Interview and review @ Reading Reality
August 20 – Review (Pack) @ Jeep Diva
August 24 – Interivew @ Books –n- Kisses
August 26 – Spotlight (Pack) @ Prosperin Cravings (R)
August 30 – Guest Post @ You Gotta Read

Giveaways are coming! (June List)

I am booked almost solid in June for giveaways, spotlights, reviews and interviews. As I get the actual links, I will add them, so keep checking back.

I’ve got more schedule for July and August, but I’ll list those as we get closer to the dates. For June, spotlights and giveaways will revolve around A Demon And His Witch, the perfect story to heat up your summer…and bedroom lol

June 7th – Book Lovin’ Mama- A Demon And His Witch
June 9th – The Jeep Diva- A Demon And His Witch Giveaway
June 15 – Spotlight @ CS Maxwell
June 18 – Spotlight @ Ashlynn Monroe
June 20 – Spotlight @ Tamaria Soana
June 21 – Interview @ Ramblings from this chick
June 21st – Bitten By Paranormal Romance- A Demon And His Witch Giveaway
June 23 – Review @ For The Love of Reading
June 26 – Interview @ You Gotta Read
June 27 – Interview @ Woody’s Writing
June 28th – Awesome Sauce Book Club – A Demon And His Witch, Spotlight & Giveaway

Giveaways are coming!

And there will be many, so keep checking back as I will do my best to add the giveaways to this post as I get the dates.

Oh and while most will be for A Demon And His Witch, there are going to be a couple sprinkled in there for Seeking Pack Redemption. Perfect stories to heat up your summer…and bedroom lol

June 9th – The Jeep Diva- A Demon And His Witch
June 21st – Bitten By Paranormal Romance- A Demon And His Witch
TBA – Book Lovin’ Mama- A Demon And His Witch
TBA – Awesome Sauce Book Club – A Demon And His Witch
More coming….

Sneak Peek

For those who haven’t looked, A Demon And His Witch (my new paranormal romance set in Hell and loaded with giggles) now has an excerpt. See it’s page (click here) for an entertaining scene. It releases in less than two weeks.

It’s sequel, A Demon And His Psycho, following a new hero and heroine is almost done (releases in August) and I thought I’d share a taste of the humor that’s keeping me giggling as a write.

Tugging a piece of meat from his portion, he chewed with pleasure. “This is good,” he said, surprised.

“Not as good as my pie.”

Choking, he grabbed the bottle of water she tossed at him. “Would you stop doing that?” he growled when he got his breath back – although he couldn’t dispel the image of himself between her thighs eating said pie.

“Doing what?” she asked, innocence personified.

“Making everything into some kind of sexual come on.”

“What? Because I said my pie is good. It really is you know. Tasty. Hot. Filling. Moist. And with the lightest crust in all the nine circles of Hell, or so I’ve been told.”

“Pie? As in the kind you bake?” he asked faintly.

“My cherry is a favorite.” And yes, she managed to say that with a straight face.

Looking for Street Team Members

Over the last couple of months, I’ve had many people contacting me asking to be part of my street team. I’ll admit, I had to ask what the hell that meant lol. To be honest, when I found out it was my own cheering squad, I kind of hid under a rock because the concept totally freaked me out. lol. But, the requests kept coming so I put on my big girl panties and with the help of Carla Gallway, I’ve finally got a street team going. Eve’s Entourage.

Spiffy name eh? lol. Now, I’m still learning my way around this whole thing so bear with me because I’m still not sure what to do with my gang, so I hope you’ll all help me out. We do have a Facebook page (click here to join) where we’ll post upcoming events etc… I am going to be looking into getting some swag. Ideas on what would be appreciated (bookmarks, trading cards, t-shirts, ARCs etc). I’m also looking for people who want to join my group. I promise you don’t need to wear short pleated skirts and carry pom poms (unless you want to lol).

So who wants to join my entourage? lol, sorry, it still makes me giggle.

Thanks

Eve and her Entourage

Welcome to Hell

And I mean that quite literally. It’s the name of my new series featuring my version of the brimstone smelling, ash covered, sizzling place where Lucifer reigns supreme–when Mother Earth isn’t driving him insane that is.

Here’s my rough blurb for the first story in this series titled A Demon And His Witch.

Burning alive is nothing compared to the heat of his touch.

Roasted at the stake as a witch, while her lover watches, Ysabel sells her soul to the devil in return for revenge. A fair trade until her ex-boyfriend escapes the bowels of Hell and she’s forced to team up with a demon to fetch the jerk back.

Remy’s seen a lot of things during his long tenure in Lucifer’s guard, but nothing can prepare him for the witch with the acerbic tongue–and voluptuous figure. Her mouth says ‘Screw you’, but her body screams ‘Take me’. What’s a poor demon to do when his heart makes things even more complicated by goading him to make her his, forever?

Before he can decide if his demonizing days are done though, he needs to catch the bad guys, save the girl and then find a way to convince her to love him and not kill him.

Welcome to Hell where you’re screwed if you do and damned if don’t. And just so you know, Lucifer’s got a special spot reserved for you…

lololol. Okay, it might just be my twisted sense of humor, but I’ll admit, it makes me giggle. And that’s the type of story I’m aiming for; sarcastic with tongue in cheek humor, a twisted version of religious tropes and more. So much fun. We should see my newest creation mid June, so stay tuned. Those who enjoyed my Princess of Hell series will love this, and it’s MF only, so those who prefer to stay away from menage need not fear.

The cover is coming in the next few weeks as is an excerpt. Fingers crossed it makes you snort a drink out of your nose. Or fall off a chair. I’m not picky lol.

The Rainy Weather Has Me Down… So I’m making C791 Free For 1 Day

Yes you read that right. Starting today, Thursday May 3rd until midnight, Friday May 4th, C791, the first in my awesome Cyborgs: More Than Machines series is FREE at AllRomance. Isn’t it time you discovered why cyborgs are indeed the better man? Available in PDF, Epub and Mobi which are compatible with Kindle, Sony and Nook devices. Head on over to AllRomance and pick up your copy before the special is done.

I truly hope you enjoy my cybernetic men.

Go METAL!