Larissa Ione's Blog, page 9

Quotes

Hi everyone,

Recently, some quotes have appeared on Goodreads that have been attributed to me...quotes about my books promoting infidelity and being a "haven" for it because of some role-playing games in Facebook.

It appears that the original person posting the quotes in my quote stream thinks I write the Black Dagger Brotherhood books and that it's my group on Facebook.

It's not. I don't write that series. As for my own series, I am not responsible for the actions of people who play my characters on any website, Twitter, Myspace, etc. If it comes to anyone's attention that my name is being dragged through the mud, I would appreciate personal contact instead of hit-and-run quotes that only drag it into more mud. I WANT to know if my name or my characters are causing problems. I WANT the opportunity to see what I can do to stop it.

That said, if marriages are in trouble because of books, there are problems in that marriage to begin with. And I do not, in any way, shape or form, encourage infidelity.

Now, back to writing books that women have told me actually HELPED their marriages. *g*

Operation Auction

Hi everyone,

A wonderful friend of mine, Fatin, who you might know as "mad4rombks" or "mad," has been an integral part of the romance community for years – she owns and runs the RR@H Novel Thoughts and Book Talk blog, is an administrator of the WriteMinded loop (my author loop with Jaci Burton, Stephanie Tyler, Amy Knupp, and Maya Banks,) and is a tireless, generous advocate for romance novels and a friend to so many in this community. On Tuesday, March 8th, she lost her husband in a senseless act of violence, leaving her alone with four children. You can read more about the tragedy here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9233067/

The romance community would like to rally around her. Therefore, we will be holding auctions on Ebay the last week of March. More information on exact days and donations will follow.

If you are an editor / agent / author / Or anyone else for that matter and would like to donate something for the auction – such as a critique, mentoring, lunches at RT or RWA, swag, signed books, etc., please contact me at larissa AT larissione DOT com with your donation items.

Your help is greatly appreciated! Some examples of auction items might be signed books, baskets of fun stuff, critiques, lunches, mentoring, ARCs, pitch help, offers of specialty services like graphics design, etc.

If you don't want to donate, you can help by spreading the word and by bidding when the auctions go live. An account has also been set up for Fatin. Here are the details:

Checks made payable to:

Soufan Family Fund

RBC Bank

2340 Sunset Avenue

Rocky Mount, NC 27804

M-C 000-005-0100

The mailing code is required.

Striking The Right Chord

Last night I caught a bit of American Idol. I swore I wouldn't watch it this year because I have issues with JLo, but it came on and I was too lazy to change the channel.

So anyway, I listened while I worked, and after contestant Haley Reinhart sang, I found the judges' comments to be really interesting, and they brought to mind the old writing adage, "It's all in the execution." The comments are also a reminder that art is subjective.

See, two judges liked Reinhart's performance, but Randy said it was "boring." Of course the audience boo'd, and Jennifer responded by saying that not everyone has to be running around the stage and dancing, and that there was nothing wrong with a slower song.

I think Jennifer missed the point.

The fact that it was a slower song isn't why Randy said it was boring. It was boring because of the execution.

How many times, for example, have we see contestants like David Cook and Adam Lambert take tired, old songs and make them fresh and exciting, even if the song was slow and the singer did nothing but sit on a chair and not move a muscle?

When it comes to books, we're looking at the same thing. Action scenes and sex scenes are a given — they should be exciting and keep a reader on the edge of her seat. No, it doesn't always happen, but generally, it does — and should. Those are Idol's rock songs.

But what about the slow songs…the equivalent to the scenes in a book where there's little to no action?

A good writer can still engage readers, keep them glued to the page even if there's only one character sitting in silence in a windowless, featureless room and thinking about his past or how he got there. The scene could be a real snoozefest, or a skilled writer could make it just as exciting as any action scene full of explosions, blood, and broken bones.

How many times have you heard someone say that they love an author's writing so much that they'd read the author's grocery list? That's what I mean. There are authors who probably could write an amazing grocery list. I couldn't…unless you find beer, cat food, and Cheetos to be exciting. But I'd love to see what Stephen King puts on his list…

Anyway, my point is, whether it comes to a scene or a song, exciting is all in the execution. The voice. The arrangement of the tone and words.

THAT was what Randy was getting at. He wanted Reinhart's performance to hold his attention even though it was a slower song.

Okay, back to writing…we'll see if I can make a boring scene with one character in a room exciting.

Are You Ready To Ride?

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are almost here. In twenty days, legends will ride. Are you ready?

I hope so, because I've got an excerpt for you…

~ * ~

Damned Aegis idiots.

Ares generally supported their efforts, had, in the past, fought alongside them in battles against demons. But the demon slayers tended to think that anything they didn't understand was evil.

He glanced at the three Guardians — no, four. One was dead. The live ones struggled to their feet, pain twisting their expressions and murder gleaming in their eyes. The human female was backed against an exam table, her terror a tangible odor that was mixed with the scent of her blood, of the Guardians' blood, and…of hellhound.

But there was no sign of Sestiel, the fallen angel Ares had tracked to this very room, and now, suddenly, Ares couldn't sense the angel at all.

He gauged the situation, decided it wasn't necessary to kill the Aegi, but he did need to know what had gone on here. It was critical that he find Sestiel, but the fact that the fallen angel might be in possession of a motherfucking hellhound was an added complication; the beasts acted like radar-jamming equipment, and as long as Sestiel was near the hound, Ares would be unable to locate him.

Then there was another, worse scenario to consider — that Sestiel wasn't in possession of a hellhound, but rather that a hellhound was in possession of him. Which meant that Ares needed to glean every crumb of information he could get from the human female, and he'd get his answers one way or another.

Too bad for her. Seizing her arm, he tugged her to him, opened a gate, and stepped through the shimmering veil, unconcerned by the fact that humans came out on the other side of a Harrowgate dead. Nope, one of the cool advantages of a summoned Harrowgate was that humans could travel with the Horsemen. Not that it happened often. Not since their break with The Aegis.

A warm salt breeze hit him as they exited, their feet coming down on rock and ivory sand. A hundred yards away was his Greek manor, a sprawling white structure that sat atop an island in the Aegean Sea. The island was unmapped — invisible to human eyes and technology — and Ares had lived here for three thousand years, since the day he'd wrested it from the demon who'd built it. It was a great place, especially since he'd brought it up to modern standards and comforts.

But they weren't going inside.

He spun the woman around so her back was to the sea, her bare feet close to the cliff edge. "Who are you?" He gripped her shoulders firmly, his fingers digging into the blue flannel pajama top dotted with penguins. She wore penguin pajamas.

"P-please…" The wind whipped her sandy-blonde hair into her face, and some weird impulse made him want to brush it away.

He resisted. "Who are you?"

"I'm not…not a demon." Her breath sawed in and out of her so violently that he half-expected her to pass out.

"What is your name?"

She blinked as if she didn't understand the question, and when he repeated it, she finally murmured, "Cara. It's Cara. I'm not a demon. I swear, I'm not a demon."

"You keep saying that." He inhaled, once again catching the bitter scent of her terror, but also, the faint, smoky tint of hellhound. She'd been in direct contact with one. "Why were you handling a hellhound? Were you attacked?"

A tiny squeak came from her, as if fear had closed up her throat. Hellhounds could do that to a person. But he didn't have time to coddle a delicate female through her trauma. He needed intel, and he needed it now.

He snapped his fingers in front of her face, startling her out of her freaked-out trance. "Did The Aegis save you?"

"The men? They…they tried to kill the pup."

Ares couldn't decide if she was a little…slow…or just scared out of her gourd. Maybe both. Even so, she should be a little more agitated in his presence, and he wondered what was up with that. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly, even though he didn't have the time or patience for this shit. "Yes, I'm sure they tried to kill it. It's their job."

"To kill dogs?"

"Demon dogs. You know, hellhounds?"

"This isn't real," she whispered. "I want to go home…" She shook her head, backpedaling wildly. "No, not home! Those men are there. This isn't real…"

Shit. He was losing her. Before she could go into a complete meltdown, he gripped her by the shoulders and bent to peer directly into her eyes. Which were the exact color of the sea below when the sun hit it just right. Crystal blue with flecks of green and gold. Stunning.

"Listen to me. I need to know if you saw another man in that room. Long blond hair. Angelic."

She nodded, her wide-eyed gaze locked onto his as if she were afraid to look away. As if he was a lifeline and if she let go, she'd plunge into an abyss of insanity. "Where is Hal?"

"Hal?"

"The dog."

She'd named the hellhound? The things were mean as fuck, ravenous, horny…suddenly a sinking suspicion made his gut plummet. Had the hound given her a Hell's Kiss? Nah. They never, ever did that to humans.

And yet…he leaned in, and as he got closer, the odor of fear and beast gave way to a more feminine scent. She smelled clean, like a spring meadow, with soft floral undertones. His cock jerked, the stupid bastard. The woman was terrified, human, and possibly shackled to one of the most vile creatures to have ever been spawned in Sheoul.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't reply. He touched his lips to hers. A shocked gasp escaped her, and damn, she tasted sweet. There was a faint mint tang of toothpaste on her breath, and as he stroked his tongue across her satin lips, he got the telltale numbing tingle of the hellhound's kiss. Which explained why she wasn't combative with him — by bonding with Cara, the hound had brought her over into the supernatural world. She was still human, but with…enhancements.

He should have retreated, right then and there, but her mouth was soft, her body ripe with curves, and he hadn't kissed a woman — a real human woman — in thousands of years. Head swimming, he tugged her against him. This was unexpected, amazing—

Sudden, stabbing pain lanced his groin. He grunted out a curse, doubled over and clutched his balls, which she'd cracked with her knee.

Time Out!

There are very few things that make me rant. At least, that make me rant like a lunatic in public. I used to rant a little more, especially in defense of my reading/writing genre. But then I realized that I'm not going to change minds — people who have closed ones tend to keep locks firmly in place and not open up to anyone or anything. It's sad, but it's not my problem if they want to limit themselves or criticize/judge others in order to feel better about their choices.

But yesterday I saw an article that sent me into orbit. Honestly, I'm not even sure why, except that there was an appalling lack of research hidden behind an uninformed and passive-aggressive insult.

The story is about the launch of Avon's digital-only romance imprint. In the article, the author states that, "The digital market has been especially strong for romance fiction, in part because fans can read e-editions in public without fear of embarrassment."

WTH??? Time. Out.

So? You might say. I'm embarrassed to read romance novels. Or, I know people who are embarrassed. Or, the covers can be embarrassing.

Yes, there are horrid covers. There are people who don't shout their love of romance to the world. That's fine. But embarrassment is not the reason the digital romance market is so strong.

Sure, the sentence says, "in part." But why choose embarrassment as the part? Because if it is a factor, it's probably the smallest.

The digital romance market is strong because the romance market in general is strong. It's the bestselling genre, so of course the digital market will be strong if the print and audio markets are strong.

Romance readers have definitely taken to ebooks, and there are a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with embarrassment.

For one, romance readers are voracious. They read a lot of books. Many read several per week. Their shelves are full. I can't tell you how many readers tell me they've adopted ebooks because they simply can't store more print books. When you read 5 books a week, it adds up.

In addition, many epublishers offer their books in digital format months before the print version's release, and the books are much cheaper than a paperback. Romance readers have latched onto this, and I've seen the results in my Samhain statements. My ebook versions of Snowbound, generally up to $9 cheaper than the print version, outsell the paperback 20 to 1.

Romance readers are not ashamed, Associated Press and ABC News. They are smart buyers who spend a lot of money on books…more than your average reader…and they've discovered that digital books give them more choices, more storage options, and often, they are less expensive, which means they can buy more books. Romance readers also often buy multiple formats of the same book…which is easy to do when the digital version is cheaper than the print version.

Then there's the instant satisfaction factor that comes with the digital format. I can pop onto Amazon and have an ebook downloaded to my Kindle within seconds. No waiting on the mail or driving to a book store.

Granted, I still buy a lot of print books, but my digital buying has doubled since getting my Kindle — and not because I'm embarrassed to read romance in public. It's because it's so freaking easy to buy digital books.

So, Associate Press and ABC News, let me rewrite that sad little low-blow jab sentence for you:

"The digital market has been especially strong for romance fiction, in part because fans are voracious, smart, well-educated readers who know that e-editions give instant gratification, are often cheaper, and are highly portable for people who read more books than those who read other genres.."

/Rant mode off

Audio Books and Eternal Rider Review!

Happy Monday!!!! (I figure if I say it enough, I'll fool myself into thinking Mondays are GREAT!)

Ahem.

Anyway, I have great news for audiobook lovers! The ENTIRE Demonica series is now out in audiobook format! Yay! I'm pretty excited, because I love audiobooks and these are the first I've had done. Woot!

In other news, The Order of Smut Vixens have put up a fabulous review of Eternal Rider — take a look to see what they thought and for little sneak previews, including quotes from characters like Wraith. Yep, you'll get the scoop on who all you'll see in Eternal Rider. There's also a giveaway, so hop over.

Also, if you are not signed up for my newsletter, now is the time to do it. My April newsletter will feature a special guest who has a giveaway you don't want to miss, and only my subscribers will know about it. Trust me, you NEED to sign up for this!

Enjoy your Monday!

New UK Covers!

Desire Unchained, UK release: September 2011 (Print and Kindle)

Passion Unleashed, UK release: November 2011 (Print and Kindle)

Aren't they gorgeous?

Beth Kery Winner

Thanks to everyone who came by and commented on Beth's post, and thank you to Beth for being here!

The winner, chosen by Random.org is…

Viki, comment #26! Congrats, Viki! Please email me at larissaione AT gmail DOT com or use the contact form to send me your mailing address.

Thanks again, everybody!

Welcome Beth Kery (and contest!)

I'm very honored to be here talking about my upcoming print release of Velvet Cataclysm. Larissa has become one of the modern-day storytellers of the vampire legend, adding her own unique spin and voice to wonderful effect in the Demonica series. Every writer hoping to contribute to this popular genre has a considerable task before her–how to add something unique to her telling of the vampire myth. For my own part, I knew I wanted to write my settings in the underground labyrinth beneath city streets. I love to travel, and the underground worlds of great cities are so fascinating.

Each of my six heroes has been spread across the globe, where he is the sentinel of the underground world, the only force that can control the bloodlust of his clone. We always consider vampires soulless, so I wanted to include another theme in my Princes of the Underground series: how does one go about gaining the ultimate prize of the soul? In the princes' case, the answer lies in hope, magic, six very unique women, and the friction of suffering.

A new soul is birthed in the fires of longing, torment and love.

Warning: Velvet Cataclysm contains graphic scenes of sex and violence, although at its core, it is first and foremost a romance.

* * *

In his battle to resist, he found the impossible. His soul.

Christina Astor's telepathic ability is an asset in her job as a psychiatric social worker. What's driving her crazy, though, is her elusive, gorgeous landlord. She senses that Saint Sevliss wants her with an all-consuming hunger that's somehow…different. Just how different becomes all too clear when his dangerous world collides with hers.

For centuries, Saint's kind have been called vampire and werewolf. Even soulless. But their true nature remains a mystery. Bound by a magical mandate to control his bloodthirsty clone, Teslar, at all costs, Saint will do anything to keep Christina away. She infuses his gray universe with life and color, but his world—and his need—would destroy her.

When an attack reveals the true power of Christina's gift, one thing is certain—Teslar won't rest in his underground labyrinth until he possesses her, body and soul…

Excerpt:

"You've got a lot of nerve, you know that?" She slammed the door shut and swept across the room like a wildfire on the rampage. "It's you who put this fixed idea in Aidan's head that we shouldn't move away from Whitby. Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?"

"You're wrong. No intervention was required on my part. Aidan is very upset about the idea of leaving Whitby. It's his home."

"Wrong. Whitby Manor is your home," she corrected, pointing accusingly.

She stepped back when he stood abruptly, quick as a snake at the strike. "It's my home because you're there," he growled.

Christina was set off-balance by his unexpected revelation accompanied by a focused explosion of feeling. The vivid memory of the gazebo made her recover. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you brought your girlfriends to what should have been our first date."

She'd never seen Saint show an emotion as mundane as incredulity until now.

"First date? You saw what I am! Saw it with your own eyes, and yet the only thing you consider is that I was unfaithful to your infantile fantasies?"

She snarled and picked up a heavy marble paperweight from her desk, fully prepared to hurl it at Saint's stunned expression of disbelief. A frustrated cry left her lips when he was suddenly beside her, restraining her wrists. He wrapped his arms around her and pushed her back into his chest.

"Calm down."

For a few seconds, she was dazed by his resonant, deep voice and the sensation of his body pressed against her. She twisted furiously in his hold, but her body slowly sagged. When she realized she was following Saint's order without conscious thought, her fury erupted.

"_God_, I hate you! How could you have done that to me?"

"I am what I am. If I could change my nature, I would in a second. You gave me no choice but to reveal to you the truth about why your dreams are merely that—the fantasies of a child."

Fury bloomed in her chest, feeling as if it would explode through the skin at any moment. "I told you the other night. I knew you weren't like everybody else. I didn't guess you're…whatever you are…a vampire?"

"Humans have called me that. The truth is a bit more complicated."

"Vampire or not, you're an asshole. Some things remain consistent across the species. Even the paranormal variety."

She braced her legs and twisted viciously to push herself out of his hold. She might as well have been trying to throw a mountain off her. His strength was effortless, as though she were being restrained by steel instead of flesh.

"Let go of me."

"When you calm down."

She tried to ignore the shiver of excitement that raced down her neck when she felt his voice rumbling from his chest to her back and his warm breath brushing her ear. She inhaled his familiar scent. As usual, it started an unstoppable chemical cascade of arousal in her body. Her lack of control over her reaction infuriated her further.

"I'm about ready to scream myself hoarse. Do you want to upset Aidan?"

"No. Do you?"

She twisted her neck around and glared up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you think you're really doing the best thing by taking him away from Whitby?"



"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Who's making that decision? The loving mother? Or your battered ego?"

She went completely still. For a few seconds she thought she'd go stark raving mad if she didn't get to punch Saint Sevliss's gorgeous, smug face just once. He stared down at her with those amazing blue eyes while she panted and her breath burned in her lungs.

Click here to buy Velvet Cataclysm

* * *

Okay, so Beth is giving away a copy of Velvet Cataclysm to one lucky commenter! Just tell me if you've read anything by Beth before. Winner will be announced tomorrow evening!

At Two Places Today!

Short update:

Today I'm at Beth Kery's blog with an exclusive sneak peek of Eternal Rider (plus a giveaway!) Hop over and see how Ares responds to violence.

I'm also at The Open Book Society where I'm talking about my superpower, how I deal with new releases, the future of the Demonica series, and the Lords of Deliverance series!

Happy Thursday, everyone!