Laurie London's Blog, page 10

Thank You Thursday - Thea Harrison

Welcome to Thank You Thursday, where I invite an author to answer a few questions about their book's dedication and acknowledgments. I LOVE reading these little snippets at the beginning of books and often find myself wondering about the story behind them. So I decided to ask.

Today, I'm thrilled to have one of my favorite paranormal romance authors, Thea Harrison, here. She writes the Elder Races series, which started with the deliciously dark DRAGON BOUND.

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Hi, Laurie, thank you so much for inviting me to be on your blog today!  I really appreciate the opportunity to visit with you and your followers.

I was excited to accept this invitation, because I have a huge confession to make:  I was an utter doofus when I finished the copyedits and typeset proofing for Oracle's Moon (March 6th, Berkley).  At the time I was in the midst of a flurry of deadlines for various projects.  I realized, much too late, that I had forgotten to include acknowledgments for the book!

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March 6 / Berkley

As a second daughter, Grace Andreas never had to worry about the intrigues of the Elder Races. But when her sister, Petra, and Petra's husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister's two young children - neither of which she is prepared for.
Yet, she is not alone. 
Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn prince of House Marid - driven by his genuine caring for the children - has decided to make himself a part of the household both as their guardian and as an exasperating counterpoint to Grace's impudence toward the Elder Races.
But when an attempt is made on Grace's life, she realizes that Khalil is the only one who can protect her - and offer her more than a mortal man...
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So this is my opportunity to redress that mistake and publicly thank the special people who had a hand in that project:

To my family, you have gone over and above in your efforts to support me in starting off once again on this publication venture.

Once again, to my Berkley editor Cindy Hwang, Penguin publicist Erin Galloway, and agent Amy Boggs for everything you do to make sure each project is as polished and as excellent as we can make it.  Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

And a special thank you to Joelle Charbonneau for leaping in enthusiastically to read and comment on a partial of Oracle's Moon.  My child character Chloe really came to life because of your comments.  You helped me to tweak and correct little inaccuracies, and I'm ever so grateful for your input.

And because this blog is coming out in March, which is a very special month for me, I would also like to add a few more thank yous in another acknowledgment for my upcoming Samhain release, the Elder Races e-novella Natural Evil (March 20th).

****************************************************** March 20 / Samhain
Attempted Murder. Passion. Betrayal. It's a dog-eat-dog world.
Claudia Hunter is on a road trip through the Nevada desert when she sees the body of a dog on the side of the highway. Pulling over to investigate, she quickly determines that the enormous animal is clinging to life. While working to save him with the help of the local vet, Claudia realizes there's something about the creature that seems more. Other. Wyr. Which makes this case of animal cruelty attempted murder.
Too injured to shape shift, Luis Alvaraz is reluctant to tell Claudia what he knows about his attack, afraid it will only make her a target. But the sheriff is corrupt, and his attackers know Luis is alive and vulnerable. To make matters worse, a sandstorm is sweeping into town, and if they're going to survive the night, Luis will have to place all his trust in Claudia.*****************************************************To my Samhain editor, Heather Osborn:  you are patient, cheerful, efficient, enthusiastic, and prompt in your email replies, and I feel so lucky to be able to work with you.

To cover artist Angela Waters, thank you so much for such a rocking good book cover!  Your talent really showcases the story, and I'm grateful.



And last but certainly not least, I feel so lucky to be in a profession where I get to work with so many wonderful people, and I get to meet and befriend fellow authors like Laurie London, who astonish me with their warmth, friendliness and kindness.

In love and gratitude,
Thea Harrison


About Thea:

I write paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and other stuff. I taught myself to read when I was four. That was around the time I tried to ride my tricycle to work. I wasn't sure where work was, but I knew it had to be interesting if people went there every day. Now I combine my love of books with work, and I don't have to ride my tricycle to get there. My Elder Races series began May, 2011. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook!

Find Thea here:
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Buy Oracle's Moon here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Pre-order Natural Evil here: Samhain Publishing

SEDUCED BY BLOOD cover reveal

Tent. coming August 2012Check out the cover of SEDUCED BY BLOOD, book 4 in the Sweetblood series! Isn't it perfect??? I'm so thrilled with it. I didn't know I had the okay to post this yet, but someone got a hold of my publisher's online catalog that just went out to bookstores and posted it before I could. I know for a fact that this isn't the final cover—at least one element is changing. I'm so sorry that I wasn't the one to show it to you first!!!! (For those of you who saw it and asked me first if you could post it, thank you!)

But in any event, I hope you love it as much as I do! Santiago and Roxy are going to look great alongside the other Sweetblood books. I love purple, don't you?

I'd post the back cover copy, but I KNOW that has changed too, so I'll wait till I have it confirmed.

In other news, the digital version of TEMPTED BY BLOOD came out yesterday. Yay!!! When I saw that it made Barnes and Noble's top 100 books for a short time, I did a little jig around my house.

Check out Under the Covers Book Blog today. It's a special post in Jackson's point of view that I did just for them to celebrate the book launch, and I wrote in two of the ladies from the blog into the scene as extras. Oh, and I'm giving away a signed copy too. 

TEMPTED BY BLOOD Blog Tour Continues + Announcement

With the print launch of TEMPTED BY BLOOD last week (the digital format is coming March 1), I'm continuing my short blog tour. At each stop, I'm giving away a signed copy of the book and sharing various behind the scenes tidbits that I think you might find interesting. If you missed any of the stops, check here for the schedule. 

Here's where I'll be the online in the next two weeks. (In real life - IRL - I'll be in the Seattle area and in New York.) And just like last week, at least one of these stops will include an international giveaway.

2/28 Reading Between the Wines (interview w/ Jackson)
3/1  Tote Bags and Blogs (how my animator friend who works for a video game company helped me research this book)
3/2  Under the Covers Book Blog - Launch party (there will be fun prizes involved!)
3/5 Literal Addiction/Book Monster Reviews (fun/detailed Q&A)
3/7 Hanging with Bells  Feature article
3/9 Vanessa Kelly's Blog Feature article

Note on blog tour links: None of the links are to the actual post, just the main page of the blog. If you visit these blogs on another day than when I'm scheduled to appear, you'll see a different post. To find mine after it posts, just scroll down. (I know this might be obvious to those of you familiar with blogs and links and blog tours, but this confused me for the longest time, so I know I must not be the only one.)

And, as usual, stalkers (the nice/non-creepy kind) are welcome! I love seeing both new and familiar faces. 

Also, if you missed my announcement on The Qwillery last week, then permit me to pull out my bullhorn again. Arianna from TEMPTED BY BLOOD has a paranormal blog called Paranormalish. It's a big part of the book and now it's a real blog. Do you have a strange, paranormal experience that really happened to you IRL? If so, she wants to hear from YOU. Come check out other readers' real stories. They're chilling! 

TEMPTED BY BLOOD - Blog Tour Schedule Week #1

Print Feb 21 / Digital Mar 1With the print version of TEMPTED BY BLOOD coming out tomorrow (digital on Mar 1), I'm kicking off a short blog tour. This is Jackson's story and the third book in the SWEETBLOOD series.

I'm so excited for you to read it because I had a great time writing it. Frankly, I'm a little sad that my work on it is finished. But it's out of my hands now and into yours. I hope you enjoy it!  

Here's this week's blog tour schedule in case you want to follow along. Some of the giveaways are only US/Can, but at least one is International.

2/20 Lush Book Reviews Giving some background on Jackson
2/21 Books N Kisses Longish post w/ several excerpts about Jackson from all three of the SWEETBLOOD books
2/22 The Qwillery Special "kick-off" announcement (Hopefully, this will be a really fun reader-participation "thing." LOL Sorry to be so vague.)
2/25 Paranormal Haven Fun Q&A

Note on blog tour links: Only Lush's link is the one to the actual post. The others will go up on the days I listed. However, if you visit the blogs on another day than what I have here, this link just points to their latest post. To find mine after it posts, just scroll down. (I know this might be obvious to those of you familiar with blogs and links and blog tours, but this confused me for the longest time, so I know I must not be the only one.)

I hope you'll come join me. Stalkers welcome. (From one stalker to another, I say that lovingly, of course.)

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

TEMPTED BY BLOOD - Longer Excerpt

Print Feb 21 / Digital Mar 1Just two more days till TEMPTED BY BLOOD hits store shelves in North America! I'm so excited for you to read Jackson and Arianna's story. Because it digs into issues like trust, honor, loyalty and redemption, I had such a great time writing it. Plus, Ventra is back and she's eager to prove herself a worthy leader to the Darkblood Alliance. If you read on an e-reader, unfortunately you'll have to wait a little longer—Mar. 1—for the digital version to be available.


Here's a longer excerpt. Enjoy!

Set-up: Arianna and her cousin, Krystal, have just witnessed Jackson taking out a couple of Darkbloods.

With a swipe of his hand, the man brushed his hair from his face and came toward them. His strides were long and fluid, like a powerful animal's. Arianna subtly moved Krystal behind her and took a half step backward.

Damn her morbid curiosity that always seemed to get in the way of common sense. Why hadn't they left when they'd had the chance? They could've been back home by now behind locked doors. She'd have out her garlic, her crosses, and she'd make sure to tell Krystal not to answer the door. Who knew if any of the vampire myths were correct, but she wouldn't have taken any chances. Too late for that now.

Her mind spun out of control with the incredible event she'd just witnessed. As unbelievable as it sounded, she couldn't deny it. Vampires really did exist in this world. They weren't just made-up stories and fables. They were walking, talking individuals who melted with the shadows and preyed on humans. Thank God, she'd taken pictures and video, otherwise no one would ever believe her.

[spoiler snipped]

"Give it to me." He snapped his fingers.

Her first reaction was to do what he said, and she made a move to hand the phone to him. Wait. What was she doing? This was her only evidence. There was no way in hell anyone would believe her if she didn't provide proof of what she'd just witnessed. She knew that all too well.

And those knives of his…

When he'd pulled one out and raised it above his head, the reflection of the moonlight had flashed along the curved blade, illuminating it from point to hilt. It was as if it were lit from within, drawing power from the man who held it.

She bristled at his commanding tone and yet she shrank away from him at the same time.

"Give what to you?" she asked, quickly finding her courage. She raised the pitch of her voice slightly in an attempt to sound innocent.

She'd been waiting for most of her life not only to see something like this with her own eyes, but also to have undeniable proof that there was something out there beyond the realm of human reason. Shadows did come to life and threaten people. Just as she always knew they did.

"The phone," he growled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, honey, don't bullshit me. Neither of us have time for this."

Honey? Did he just call her honey?

She straightened her spine and glared at him. Men who threw around fake endearments like candy, assuming it would make a woman cave, were enough to make her break out in hives. It was something her father did.

"For one thing, I'm not your honey. And for another—"

He turned his full attention to her and the words faltered in her throat. Vampire or not, the guy was gorgeous. Probably the hottest guy she'd ever seen in person. Just about anyone could look good, airbrushed in a magazine. He was the real deal.

Amusement flooded his green eyes and he flashed a quirky smile. It was a look that said he knew exactly how attractive he was and the effect he was having on her. This rough, unpolished sexuality was one hundred percent male and it sent shivers down her spine. He was a vampire, for God's sake.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have a camera."

"You were taking pictures, honey," he said pointedly, drawing out the two syllables. Clearly, he knew it pissed her off and yet he did it anyway.

Her face heated with anger. "Too bad. You can't have it." As if she would simply—

In a flash of movement, the phone was suddenly gone from her hand and he was pocketing it.

Appalled, she took a half step back. "What do think— You can't just— That's my private property. Give it back to me."

"Well, it's mine now." He snapped his fingers at her cousin. "You too."


You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

TEMPTED BY BLOOD Six Sunday Excerpt #4

Each Sunday on their blogs, writers share six sentences from their books or their works in progress. I'm sharing clips from the third book in the Sweetblood series, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, which comes out in print Feb 21 / digital Mar 1.

If you missed the last excerpt, click here.

A man (Jackson) steps out of the shadows and comes straight toward Arianna...


Obsidian irises were ringed by an iridescent green color so captivating that if she had any breath left to gasp with, she would have.  An energy charge snapped in the air when he steadied her, snaking invisible fingers around her body. 

She caught the faint smell of alcohol on his breath and noted that his square jaw was peppered with stubble. A small scar interrupted the slash of his dark eyebrow, similar to one she had from hitting her chin on the windowsill as a child.

All very humanlike—yes—but she knew what she'd seen. He'd morphed from a shadow, just like those men in the Jeep and just like the men who took her mother.

Here are some early reviews:

RT Bookreviews 4 stars: London's Sweetblood series kicks into high gear with this third installment featuring a hero on the edge...London does a very good job of developing both her characters and their blossoming relationship, making this one terrific read.

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer: I will tell you that when I was about, one hundred pages in, I stopped reading and ordered books one and two for my Nook. Tempted by Blood offers a fast paced, action packed romance that I quickly absorbed in two sittings...Tempted by Blood had all the key elements I enjoy in a paranormal romance.  Fans of vampires, romance and suspense will enjoy this novel. 

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for a chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD.

To check out Six Sunday clips from other authors, click here.

Thanks for stopping by! 

My Book Boyfriend Blog Hop Winner

Congrats to Megan Kyser who won a copy of Tempted By Blood!!! Random.org picked her comment as the lucky winner.

Megan, please check your email.

Thank you, everyone, for your comments about My Book Boyfriends. This was a lot of fun!

Don't forget that Tempted by Blood is coming out in print on February 21 and digital on March 1. Also, there's still time to enter the Goodreads contest, so head on over there and enter.

Happy reading and may all of you fall in love with a Book Boyfriend.

~Laurie

My Book Boyfriend Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the My Book Boyfriend Blog hop hosted by As The Pages Turn and Reading Between The Wines Book Club. My book boyfriend is a mix between Tommy Dunn and David Beckham. These hotties are the inspirations I used for Jackson Foss in my upcoming release TEMPTED BY BLOOD, book 3 in the Sweetblood paranormal romance series, which comes out on February 21.

Tommy Dunn - From a Gap ad

Tommy Dunn- From a True Religion ad


Of course, Jackson does look a bit different than this. He's taller, has bulkier muscles, and has a colorful snake tattoo on one bicep. Sometimes he has crimson highlights in his hair, but in this book, he has green-and-blue streaks mixed in with the bronze. (He used to date a hairdresser.) Often, he'll pull just the top part back into a tiny ponytail ala David Beckham.

David Beckham



Print avail Feb 21 / Digital Mar 1
Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the battle for supremacy rages on between two Vampire coalitions: Guardian enforcers sworn to protect humanity, and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors….

He might be known for his effortless charm, but Guardian Jackson Foss is hiding a terrible secret. For months, he has battled the emergence of his dark nature—deadly urges that threaten to consume him. And those cravings only intensify when he meets Arianna Wells, the human he's been assigned to protect. Smart and perceptive, Arianna doesn't seem like a dangerous temptress. Yet she awakens in Jackson an unstoppable need that, if left unchecked, will brand him a traitor…a crime punishable by death.

But soon their bond may be Arianna's only hope. For stalking her in the shadows is a merciless enemy—one who will stop at nothing to claim her completely….

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Giveaway: A signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD

Rules:

1. Leave a comment below on whether you think my book boyfriends, the inspirations for Jackson Foss, are hot or not.

2. Leave your email address in the comment so that I can easily contact you if you win.

3. I'll be picking a random winner on February 6.

4. Open to residents in US/Canada.

5. Good luck!

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You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for another chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD. 

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Be sure to hop to the next blog on this list for a chance to win some other cool book-boyfriend prizes.

TEMPTED BY BLOOD - #SixSunday Excerpt #3

Each Sunday on their blogs, a number of writers share six sentences from their books or their works in progress. For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing clips from my upcoming book, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, the third novel in the Sweetblood series, which comes out Feb. 21.

If you missed last week's excerpt, click here.

Arianna has just witnessed something terrible and then another man steps out of the shadows...



The overhead streetlight illuminated bronze hair that reached to his chin, the top portion held back away from his face by a small ponytail. At well over six feet tall, he had linebacker shoulders underneath his leather coat and a formidable presence that seemed to suck the oxygen from the air.

He covered the distance between them in two commanding steps.

She wanted to pinch her eyes shut, block out the nightmare, but for some reason, she didn't. Up this close, she noticed that his hair was streaked with green-and-blue highlights. She was vaguely disturbed that she noticed this innocuous detail about him when the thing that should be first and foremost on her mind was that he'd stepped from the shadows.


Be sure to check back next Sunday as I'll be sharing more of what happens when Arianna and Jackson first meet.

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for a chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD.

To check out Six Sunday clips from other authors, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

TEMPTED BY BLOOD - Six Sunday Preview #2

Print Feb 21 / Digital Mar 1
Each Sunday on their blogs, a number of writers share six sentences from their books or their works in progress. For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing clips from my upcoming book, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, the third novel in the Sweetblood series, which comes out Feb. 21.

If you missed last week's clip, you can find it here. 

Okay. You've met both Jackson and Arianna. Now, something is about to happen...


 
The two-story apartmentbuilding sat at the end of a long narrow driveway less than a mile from whereArianna lived—too far for her cousin to walk home, though she did try toconvince Arianna it was no big deal. Maybe Krystal's mother would've been okaywith that, but this wasn't a tiny farm town in eastern Washington and Ariannadidn't have substance abuse problems. 
She definitely wanted to avoidrunning up to the door—shadows were everywhere. Along the shrubs at the base ofthe windows, underneath the spindly birch tree in the front yard, next to theminivan parked in the driveway. 

In an argument repeated for years, her sensibleself said this fear was unreasonable, but the memories of her five-year-oldself were ingrained too deeply to forget. Most of the time, she was able topush past it—you couldn't exactly be afraid of the dark and run a blog likeParanormalish, but tonight she felt on edge.
Be sure to check back next Sunday as I'll be sharing when Arianna and Jackson first meet.

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for a chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD.

To check out Six Sunday clips from other authors, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!