Ash Krafton's Blog, page 21

Cover Reveal: Secret for a Song by Adriana Ryan

The Demimonde is thrilled to welcome back our friend, Adriana Ryan. She'd like to share the cover of her upcoming release with us. SECRET FOR A SONG will be released early June 2013. Cue the trumpets...

SECRET FOR A SONG by Adriana Ryan

 Saylor Grayson makes herself sick. Literally.

She  ate her first needle when she was seven. Now, at nineteen, she’s been kicked out of college for poisoning herself with laxatives. The shrinks call it Munchausen Syndrome. All Saylor knows is that when she’s ill, her normally distant mother pays attention and the doctors and nurses make her feel special.

Then she meets Drew Dean, the leader of a local support group for those with terminal diseases. When he mistakes her for a new member, Saylor knows she should correct him. But she can’t bring herself to, not after she’s welcomed into a new circle of friends. Friends who, like Drew, all have illnesses ready to claim their independence or their lives.

For the first time, Saylor finds out what it feels like to be in love, to have friends who genuinely care about her.  But secrets have a way of revealing themselves. What will happen when Saylor’s is out?




 
ADRIANA RYANBio: A huge fan of spooky stuff and shoes, Adriana Ryan enjoys alternately hitting up the outlet malls and historic graveyards in Charleston, SC where she lives and imbibes coffee. Her husband and two small children seem not to mind when she hastily scribbles novel lines on stray limbs in the absence of notepads. FIND HER AND LET HER KNOW SHE IS REALLY DOING SOMETHING RIGHT. :) Website   Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads

A Prescription for Delerium by Noree Cosper

Noree Cosper is visiting the Demimonde blog today to share her newest release A PRESCRIPTION FOR DELIRIUM (VAN HELSING ORGANIZATION #1).

We've got TWO posts to share with you for her stop on her book tour.

Thank you to Noree for sharing an excerpt and offering a copy of her book to a lucky reader who leaves a comment on either this post or at her GUEST BLOG POST!

A Prescription for Delirium(Van Helsing Organization #1)  Ninety years ago, Gabriella di Luca promised to protect the family of her dying lover. She failed to keep that promise. She was too far away to stop the devil that murdered the eldest Van Helsing son. Years later, Gabby learns the devil has resurfaced. She arrives in Hampton, TX, determined to stop the devil before it can lay a bloody hand on the remaining three brothers. However, madness is spreading through Hampton. She suspects the devil is using this madness to test a drug which has a side effect of demonic possession. Gabby rushes to end the source of the madness only to fall victim to it. For a woman cursed with eternal life, dying is no threat. However, Gabby must stop the devil’s plot or risk losing her most precious possession: her mind.Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Smashwords  
READ THE EXCERPT!
CHAPTER ONE Hampton, TX, Present Day Not five minutes in this backwater town and I had a demon sniffing my trail. He
scanned the room with the nostrils of his wide nose flaring. His hair lay plastered
against his forehead in greasy brown locks. He towered over everyone, even the people
standing, as he squeezed between the large round tables and the gathering at the bar.
The frayed threads of his jeans and his leather vest matched the dress of the rest of the
roadhouse. I lifted my drink to my mouth and shifted to my second sight. Most people say the
eyes are the windows to the soul. Those people can’t see auras. The lights on the walls
dimmed, and the air took on a gray haze, like seeing things under water. Colors
bloomed out from each human in the building, blending together in a rainbow. The
demon was another matter. The shaggy black dog the size of a pony stood semi-imposed on all fours over
the form of the man. Flames blazed from its eyes as it scanned the room. Was there
really a dog walking through a busy Texas bar? No. Demons had no corporeal form and
had to possess physical bodies. This one chose a werewolf. Dio, I had a hellhound on
my ass. Talk about bad timing. Ose already had some of his minions patrolling. If it found
me, it would go running to its master to let him know I was in town. My hunt was in
danger of ending before it even started. Breathe, Gabby. I leaned forward and let my black curtain of hair obscure my face. The lid of the
salt shaker twisted off in my empty hand and I knocked it over, allowing the grains to
spill on the floor. The salt should cover my scent. I slid closer to the group at the next
table until I looked like I belonged with them. One of the men grinned at me, his aura a happy yellow orange. “Hey babe.” I nodded and raised my glass, but kept my gaze on the hellhound. He paused at
a man at the bar who had caught my attention, or more his aura did. A ghostly image of
a woman leaned over him, whispering in his ear. My hand tightened around the beer
mug, but the mutt moved on. I relaxed. The colors around the people in the bar faded,
as did the ghost woman when my sight returned to normal. The haze remained, more
from cigarette smoke. I turned my head to the front of the bar. One window and one
door were not much of an escape route. Fifty feet of inebriated patrons stood between
me and freedom. Two of the three men I had been waiting for walked through the door. A familiar
tingle ran down my spine. For a moment, I flashed back to a dressing room, staring
down another Romanian hunter. We’d come across the same prey, though he thought it
was a vampire. I inhaled, bringing myself back to the present. This wasn’t the twenties, I
wasn’t in Paris, and these brothers weren’t Dimitri. Both had his chiseled features and his straight nose, though their hair was more
of a burnt sienna. The one in front wore his cut short and had a tuft on his chin. He
towered over his brother, which meant he would be a mountain compared to my small height. The other kept his hair tucked behind his ears. He stood with his arms crossed,
wearing a smirk to let the world know he knew everything. They cast their eyes over the room. The tall one adjusted the glasses on his face
and approached the man sitting at the bar. Several women watched them as they
passed. A smile touched my lips. The boys knew how to dress to make an impression.
Their leather coats and slacks spoke of sophistication yet still provided enough flexibility
to move if needed. I stood and nodded at the boys who’d been trying to talk to me. Rude, but it was
time to work. Besides, they were too young for me. I straightened my red tank top and
brushed any wrinkles from my jeans. I couldn’t approach them looking like a
guttersnipe. A stool opened up on the other side of them. I took the seat and tried to
look casual while listening in on the brothers’ conversation. The bartender stood in front
of me, waiting for an order. I pointed to a beer and leaned back to get a better look at the third man. His back
remained mostly to me, giving me a glimpse of his bearded cheek and a ponytail a
shade darker in color than the other two. Brother number three. I inched forward to hear
better over someone’s bad rendition of “Bad Moon Rising.” “Ader.” The tall man spoke in Romanian. “Your prison sentence hasn’t ended
yet.” “I got out for being brilliant,” the man at the bar said without turning around. “Does the warden know that?” the third one asked. If I remembered correctly, this generation of Van Helsings had four boys. Adam,
the oldest, had passed away ten years ago. So that left Esais, Adrian, and Tres. The
smirking boy had to be Tres he looked the youngest. Was Ader short for Adrian? Ader chuckled. “The warden didn’t have much of a say.” Esais, the tall one, pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He shook
his head, letting out a long sigh as he looked at his brothers. “Honestly,” he said. “First you end up in jail, and now you’re breaking out. You
haven’t changed.” “You expected me to?” Adrian asked. "Why are you here?” Esais asked. “Same reason as you. Revenge.” Tres crossed his arms. “Why do you even care? You were never around when
we needed you.” Adrian turned to face his brothers, causing both of them to gasp. A patch covered
his right eye while the other stared hard at Tres. Esais reached out to touch Adrian’s
arm, but he pulled away. “What happened?” Esais asked. “Not important.” Adrian turned back to the bar. “Who were you told to meet?” “A woman named Gabriella Di Luca.” “Any idea what this woman looks like?” Esais glanced in my direction with hesitation and opened his mouth. I cleared my throat, raising my hand in a small wave. “Buna seara.” Adrian and Tres turned their heads with near identical expressions of distrust.
They didn’t expect someone to speak their native language here. I was a stranger
invading their family circle.
“Who are you?” Adrian asked. “Gabriella.” “Convenient.” The word dripped with sarcasm. We didn’t have time for this. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My gaze
traveled to the table-filled area further in the room. The hellhound’s wiry form had
disappeared through a large door to the right. The atrocious singing wafted through
there. This would be a perfect time to exit. “We need to speak, but not here,” I said. “We’re not going anywhere with you.” “Ader,” Esais said. Adrian looked back at his brother. “We have no proof she is who she claims to
be.” “He’s right. You could be a demon,” Tres said. “Then you already revealed yourselves with your conversation,” I said. “Look,
how much do you know of demons?” “I’ve read several books on the subject,” Esais said. “That question doesn’t
answer our doubts.” “Do I fit the description you were given?” Esais adjusted his glasses before nodding. “Then, can we leave? I may not be one, but there is a demon here.” Two turned their heads, their muscles tensing as they scanned the bar while Adrian kept his eye on me. The hellhound stepped back into the room and turned his
head in my direction. His gaze locked on me, and he began shoving his way through the
crowded tables and chairs. I stood. “Too late.”  Noree Cosper Noree Cosper loves writing about magic in the modern world. While growing up in Texas she constantly searched for mystical elements in the mundane. She buried her nose in both fiction and books about Wicca, Religion, and Mythology. Everyday became an adventure as she joined a group of role-players, acting out her fantasies of vampires, demons, and monsters living in the world. She embraced her nerdom wholeheartedly. Noree grew, but never left her love for fantasy and horror. Her dreams pushed her and her hand itched to write the visions she saw. So, with her fingers on the keys, she did what her heart had been telling her to do since childhood. She wrote.Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook


THE GIVEAWAY!

Want to win a copy of Cosper's book? Just leave a comment with your email address and we'll pick a winner on April 5th. If you are inspired, tell us: if you were Van Helsing, what creature would pose the greatest challenge for you? Tell us your secret foe!  Also, be sure to visit the DARK WORLD BOOKS page for another super giveaway -- a print copy and swag attack...  FOLLOW NOREE COSPER ON HER BOOK TOUR!
A Prescription for Delirium Tour schedule:March 4th | Nomi’s Paranormal Palace (Review, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 5th | Tina Pollick Blog (Author Interview)March 6th | Mind Reader (Author Interview, Excerpt)March 7th | Darkest Sins (Giveaway, Excerpt)March 8th | Nette’s Bookshelf Reviews (Guest Post, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 11th | Emma’s Ramblings on Supernatural Fiction (Guest Post, Excerpt)March 12th | White Sky Project (Guest Post, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 13th | Road to Hell series (Author Interview)March 14th | What’s Beyond Forks? (Guest Post, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 15th | Unputdownable Books (Giveaway, Excerpt)March 18th | Happy Tails and Tales (Review, A. Interview, Guest Post, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 19th | Proserpine Craving Books (Excerpt)March 20th | Ash Krafton’s Demimonde (Guest Post, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 21st | Natalie-Nicole Bates (Giveaway, Excerpt)March 22nd | Uncorked Thoughts (Giveaway, Excerpt)March 25th | Fictional Candy (Guest Post)March 26th | Tana Rae Reads (Guest Post, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 27th | The Ferryman’s Wife (Review, Author Interview)March 28th | The Avid Reader (Review, Character Interview, Giveaway, Excerpt)March 29th | Justified Lunacy (Excerpt)April 1st | Much Loved Books (Guest Post)April 2nd | Qui est in literis (Character Interview, Guest Post)April 3rd | Urban Girl Reader (Giveaway, Excerpt)April 4th | Sapphyria’s Book Reviews (Review, Giveaway, Excerpt)April 5th | Cameo Renae YA Paranormal Author (Giveaway, Excerpt) 


Guest Post: Noree Cosper & A Prescription for Delerium

In this additional post by Noree Cosper (who is visiting the Demimonde blog to share her newest release A PRESCRIPTION FOR DELIRIUM :VAN HELSING ORGANIZATION #1 today) we are going to hear about one of my favorite villains of vampire folklore. Enjoy!

Thank you to Noree for sharing this guest post and offering a copy of her book to a lucky reader who leaves a comment on either this post or on her EXCERPT POST!

Take it away, Noree...

Bram Stoker used several figures in history as inspiration for his Dracula. One of them was Elizabeth Bathory. She was a Hungarian (some say Slavic) countess who tortured and murders numerous young women. Because of this she is considered one of the “true” vampires in history.

She was born to George and Anna Bathory in 1560 and raised on the family estate At Ecsed in Transylvania. She married Count Ferenc Nadasdy when she was 15 and moved to his Castle Sarvar. Her husband was a soldier and was away for long periods of time, leaving Elizabeth to run the Castle. This is where her atrocities started, with the punishing of the servant girls.

This wasn’t just a whipping like others of her time. No, Elizabeth devised especially creative ways to hurt young women and took great pleasure from it. She would stick pins under body parts, such as underneath their fingernails. In the winter she would have them stripped naked, led out into the snow, and doused with water until they were frozen. Sometimes her husband even joined in, helping devise new forms of torture. That is until he died.

After his death she found new cohorts in Anna Darvuilia and Erzsi Majorova. Majorova turned out to be Bathory’s downfall, as it was her idea to include women of noble birth when Bathory started to run out of serving girls. You see, word had spread and Bathory was having a hard time hiring new victims, er “help”.

Around 1610, an inquiry began due to rumors of the atrocities Bathory had committed. This was actually for political reasons. The crown wanted to confiscate her land holding and escape paying a large debt they’d owned her husband. In 1611, Bathory was placed on trial. A register was found in her living quarters that had the names of over 650 victims. Her accomplices were executed and Bathory was imprisoned in her castle for the rest of her life. That turned out to be only three years later when she died December, 1614.

Most of this was sealed by public officials as her activities could be described as scandalous at best. I mean, how did this make the rest of the Hungarian nobility look? However, that did not stop word from spreading. The stories that started were enough to keep small children up at night. Supposedly, a servant was brushing Bathory’s hair and tugged to hard. Bathory hit her hard enough to splash blood on her hand. The Countess believed that it made her skin look younger. So, she began to bathe in the blood of young girls to keep her youthful appearance. You can see how many, Stoker included, would think she was a vampire. Be careful ladies, Countess Bathory may steal you away in the night and use your lifeblood to keep herself young. Of course you can always turn to the descendant of Abraham Van Helsing in A Prescription for Delirium.  They’re all too happy to take care of that vampire problem for you.

W!N A Blood Rush ARC on Goodreads!

We are getting closer and closer to May 14, the release day for Blood Rush (Demimonde #2).
You can win an advanced reader copy by entering my Goodreads giveaway!
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See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

Blood Rush has already gotten it's first review...a whopping FIVE STARS, too. If you stop by to read it, you will see why I spend the entire day dancing like a loon whether anyone was looking or not. I was elated.

Don't have time to read the whole thing? Here's the sweet spot...

"Fast paced, well-written, with a very satisfying blend of realistic romantic entanglements, intrigue, betrayals and some great surprises, I loved this book..."
--Sarah Jordan

Stop by for your chance to win and good luck! I'm looking forward to seeing you on Goodreads...

Cover Reveal: Ash-Eater's Fugue, Anno 2021 by Kim Koning

I'm proud to once again welcome KIM KONING to the Demimonde blog! She's revealing the cover of her newest project, ASH-EATER'S FUGUE, ANNO 2021. Just look at that haunting image...


Ash-Eater’s Fugue, Anno 2021
(The Firebird’s Requiem #1)
A sleeping town is pulled out of the night into a fiery world of chaos. Do they know that fire cleanses the damned soul?Rejected by her parents at birth and raised by the mad zealot in charge of the Cremona Orphanage, Chiara has always been known as the dark one. Cursed with the ability to see the future, her life has always been a waking nightmare. The future is darker than even the dark one can foretell. As the country around her becomes a battleground, Chiara’s only salvation lies in a battered old violin. As the town struggles against the death that is their destiny, Chiara must embrace her delusions to play the final requiem. The town’s fate is sealed with the haunting song of a battered old violin. Sanity shatters as music, madness and the mystical dance in a requiem to fiery chaos. The damned must die a little death for the pure to triumph. The dark one is the only one who can bring light to a fallen world.Add Ash-Eater’s Fugue, Anno 2021 on your Goodreads listLike The Firebird’s Requiem on Facebook!  Kim KoningKim is a dark fiction writer with the heart of a poet and the soul of a gypsy while the ancient rhythms of Africa, the birthplace of storytellers, courses through her veins. Wanting to be either a pathologist or a criminal psychologist, life took her on a few twists and turns while studying journalism and after a couple of meandering offshoots that did not involve fiction, fiction finally chose her when she was asked to write a short story for a NZ anthology (which was a National Award Winner). Kim now lives on the beautiful East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island and is lucky enough to call the Pacific Ocean her backyard. She can often be found wandering the cliff tops above the crashing ocean and walking through the lush farmlands that surround the area. But with a heart caught between two lands, the sunburned, ancient Africa and the lush, green islands of New Zealand, she finds her true home within the white pages covered in ink. Her fiction is caught between the dark and mysterious, the truth and the what ifs, secrets and reality, shadows and light. Kim really does see ghosts and her loved ones believe ghosts and extreme weather phenomenon follow her around. She grew up spending holidays and weekends at her grandparents’ large old farm homestead which had a hidden wing that was haunted. These early experiences with haunted homes ignited her imagination and started a spark that made her question what else is out there that we couldn’t see, what is around us observing us? Why could she see these ghosts/spirits and many others couldn’t? The spark was lit and the stories started coming as fast as she could write them down.Website/Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads

Should Authors Be Reviewers? On the Query Tracker Blog

Recently I posted my thoughts on authors-as-reviewers over at the QueryTracker Blog. I had been sending out heaps of emails seeking reviews for my second novel and it occured to me-- should I be reviewing other books, too?

Maybe you find yourself wondering the same thing. Stop by the QTB and see if you are of a like mind.

QueryTracker Blog: Should Authors Be Reviewers?

For every story, there is a review. Sometimes, there are many reviews. Sometimes, the reviews remain unwritten.

And that is the tragedy, isn't it? The unwritten review.

Reviews are nature's way of validating an author's efforts. Whenever a review is written, an author is assured, once more, that their work has been read. Has been processed by the mind of another person. Has been mulled about in another's thoughts.

An author is assured that, through their story, they've connected to another human being.

Does that sound melodramatic? It should…and it shouldn't.

Read this article and many others at the QueryTracker Blog

Two Ebooks FREE in all formats!

As a writer, I admit that there's been many times when I sat at the keyboard, waiting for the words to arrive. And they didn't.

I've checked and re-checked my email, waiting to hear back from agents and editors to send me heaps of acceptances. And they didn't.

I've sprawled in bed, staring at a dark ceiling, searching the corners of my brain for ideas, waiting for the muses to whisper their secrets to me. And they didn't.

Thankfully, this is not one of those days weeks months. :)

So much going on...working on pre-launch activities for BLOOD RUSH (Demimonde #2) including a huge GOODREADS contest...lookee here! I also heard from my lord editor Rose Mambert of Pink Narcissus Press, who let me know my ARCs are on the way. Huzzah! It'll be red pen time soon...

Final edits are underway on a longish short story about soldiers and wizards and gods. (Potent combination.)  I'm thinking about using KDP for this one so that means I'll be formatting and getting a cover done--I've discussed the possibility with Silvia from Dark World Books already. I love her designs...and you will, too.

Best of all, a new story is cooking up in my brain--and on paper. It's a haunting tale of life and death and time as seen by the gods. I'm really excited about this story and am very eager to get to work on it.

All this wonderful going on--so much that I'm unsure what to do first. So, I'll do what I always do when I can't decide...

A GIVEAWAY!

You can pick up my short story collections for FREE on Smashwords. They are available in all ebook formats so download your choice!




These are my short story collections...a third, RESET BUTTON, is in the works. (More stuff on the TO-DO list) They are regularly priced at $2.99 each but you can get them for FREE right now!  And, if you are the GOODREADS type, I'd love it if you added them to your bookshelf and dropped a few stars for me. (See DOORWAYS and BLIND ALLEYS) I'm always eager to see your thoughts and I check GR as ferociously as I check my email these days...Enjoy and can't wait to get the new stuff out there.  

Remember the Stars by Natalie-Nicole Bates

 DARK WORLD BOOKS presents...The REMEMBER THE STARS Book Tour Be sure to visit the DWB page for a great GIVEAWAY!    Remember the Stars(A 12,000 words Novella)For Leah Rhodes, life as she knows it has just changed forever. Waking in a gutter in the dark surroundings of her distant past, a familiar man stands out in her confusion. But Remy Moreland has been dead for years. It soon becomes apparent to Leah that both she and Remy are trapped in a hell of their own making.Can one night together not only lead to the way out, but to love as well?Amazon UK – Amazon US
 Natalie-Nicole BatesNatalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author. Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia. She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Youtube


Remember the Stars by Natalie-Nicole Bates is now on tour!Check all the great tour stops and don’t forget to join the International giveaway! Remember the Stars Tour schedule:February 25th | Ash Krafton's Demimonde (Guest Post)February 26th | Darkest Sins (Guest Post, Giveaway)February 27th | Sapphyria’s Book Reviews (Guest Post, Giveaway)February 28th | Road to Hell series (Guest Post)March 1st | Happy Tails and Tales (Author Interview, Guest Post, Giveaway)   A SPECIAL TREAT...A Guest post from the author herself!  

Between Life and Death

By Natalie-Nicole Bates

The subject of life after death has fascinated mankind for as long has he’s walked the earth. Modern religion varies on the topics. Some religions teach that a wondrous land of rest awaits us—if we’re good that is—or we are truly sorry of all the evil we caused during or life time. Other religions believe in reincarnation—we go on and on and hopefully learn all the lessons in life we are supposed to, and then we finally find eternal rest.

But what of those who live between life and death?

Years ago, I worked as a trauma technician for a major hospital. I spent a good deal of time with patients who had suffered traumatic brain injuries and were in various states of coma. Coma, by the way, is not like it’s portrayed on television. You don’t lie unconscious and wake up suddenly good as new again. There are various degrees of coma, but that isn’t important to this writing.

For patients in deep coma, I often wondered what they experienced. Were they dreaming, were they on another plane of existence, or were they simply there, but not there.

This thinking is what brought me to write Remember The Stars. I used the thought that perhaps while a person is in this state of coma they travel to another plane of existence. Depending on how you got there determines if it is, loosely put, heaven or hell.

In Remember The Stars, we meet Remy Moreland who through his own fault is languishing in a deep coma. When Leah Rhodes is literally dumped into his existence, he’s not sure if she’s like he is, or if the Fates are having fun with him at his expense.

But you’ll need to read Remember The Stars to fully understand this.

I hope you’ll give Remember The Stars a read and find out my spin on what happens between life and death.



Liebster Award Nominations!

Paul D. Dail nominated the Demimonde for the Liebster Award. Thank you, Paul! His post can be found here...while you are there, have a look around. Great blog! 
This is my first nomination for a Liebster. Never knew what went into wearing a Liebster badge until now, so I thought I'd share the rules.  Here are the requirements:
- 11 random facts about me and answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated me (obviously notifying said person about this post).
- Nominate 11 other people and come up with 11 new questions. Can’t nominate the person who nominated me.
- Paste the award picture on the blog.

Yay! Another shiny thing for my blog! 

How I am defining myself today:
1- I am a Whosian. I go all the way back to Doctor number 4 and I'm really sad when I think about how number 9 said he wouldn't be in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary show. (You can see my brandy-new Pintrest page for my Who stuff.)
2- Speaking of Doctor Who, my favorite video is here. I can watch this over and over. ARE YOU DISRESPECTIN' THE HOUSE OF COOPER!
3-I love talking in different accents. Makes answering the phone at work really interesting sometimes. Lately, I've been using various UK accents. Totally the Doctor's fault.
4- I know how to roller skate. Might come as a shock to you who probably think I'm just on my arse in front of the computer all day. Psyche!
5- My kids know more about computers than I do. I take comfort in knowing I can read an analog clock and I say thing like "half past" and "quarter 'til".
6- I like to eat chocolate pudding and whipped cream stuff all mixed up together. If one is on top of the other, it's too much. *yech* Blend it or forget it.
7- I know the internal body temperature of a Tauntaun.
8- I like writing in pen but editing in pixels. Writing in pixels makes the backspace button so tempting to go backwards instead of forwards.
9- I am a cat person who lives with a dog. Sometimes I call my German Shepherd "kitty". Drives my husband batty.
10- I only watch the first two Harry Potter movies because they have MY Albus in them. I had a crush on Richard Harris since I was a frosh in high school and I still mourn the man. That's why I bought a copy of the Elder Wand when I went to Universal Studios. (I teared up a little, too, when I saw it. My Albus!)
11- My second book's release is coming up and I really could use your support. Pop on over to this blog post so that you can see how you can win glorious prizes when you add my Demimonde books to your Goodreads shelf.
 Here are Paul's questions for me:

1- What was one of the first books to have a profound effect on you (interpret as you will)?
The Silver Crown by Robert C. O’Brien.
There were a lot of words I didn't understand--and a bunch I couldn't pronounce--but, thirty years later, I still think about that damn book. In fact, I just reviewed it on Goodreads because you made me think of it. Thanks a bunch, Paul, for taking me all the way back to that book.
2- More peanut butter or more jelly on your sandwich?
Peanut butter. Even though I made my own jelly, I hate when it globs over the edges. And, while we are talking about peanut butter, it has to be the good kind. Usually Jif or Skippy. Occasionally, it's Planters. But never, ever Peter Pan. *shudder*
3- What’s one of the scariest things you’ve done?
Volunteering to be the first one to attempt a ropes course when I was on a Girl Scout camping trip. It took every ounce of nerve to do that because I was totally a chicken about everything. I was 14 at the time…and sometimes I still draw on that courage to do things I find almost too challenging to attempt.
4- What’s one of the stupidest things you’ve done?
Took my brother's stick shift pickup and drove it up the side of a mountain because I wanted to show off. Had no idea what I was gonna do when I got to the top. Kind of like ninety seconds of NO GOING BACK NOW. Worst was I had to look like I knew what I was doing the whole time so my friends wouldn't call me out.
5- What’s your first choice: beer, wine, hard liquor, soda, other?
Tea. A good Darjeeling, preferably a spring first flush. It should be mellow, with a hint of fruity notes, a taste that lingers on the tongue after you swallow it.
6- For #5, your favorite brand/style/cocktail?
Red Cat wine. Or Boon's Farm. Ha ha…they bring out the silly drunk in me.
7- If you could live anywhere for a year (money and/or reality are no object), where would it be?
Disney World, probably the top floor of the Beach Club resort. I LOVE THAT PLACE!
8- Who is one person who has been a big inspiration to you?
Cristina Scabbia, the female singer of Lacuna Coil. Their music takes me to the place I need to be when writing the emotional dark stuff.
9- If you were given the choice between losing your sight or your hearing, which would it be?
EASY. I'd rather lose my sight. I'd learn to adapt to a sightless world as I've been lucky to know some very inspirational sightless people. Also, I've thought about this for years since my optometrist found a weird freckle on one of my retinas. Might want to be cancer one day. I'd be ok if I lose my sight. I can use JAWS software to use the computer (and I'd get a Braille keyboard. The blinking cursor is the shiznit!
If I became deaf, however, I don't know how I'd manage. A life without hearing music or voices…I can't even consider it. What a terrible, lonely place to be...alone inside my head.
10- Speaking of hearing, who is one of your favorite bands or musicians?
Why, I'm glad you asked. Rush, because I heart Geddy Lee; Blind Guardian, because Hansi crushes EVERYTHING; and Lacuna Coil, who I'm going to actually meet this Friday. WOOTS for meet and greet passes! I am taping my mouth shut so I don't make an ass of myself in front of my muses. J
11- Have you ever done karaoke?
Did back-up for my brother once. Thought it was goofy. Although I sing all the time, I'd never do it on a stage.
 Here are my nominees.  Some are blogs I follow, some are blogs who have been gracious enough to host me, and some are bloggers who stopped by the Demimonde for a guest post. At any rate, these are some of my favorite blogs.

Take up the gauntlet if you will!
1- Prosperine Craving Books
2- Ner: A Cup of Coffee & A Book
3- Lisa Rogers: GhostTalk
4- TriciaSchneider: Shadows of Romance
5- Nette: Nette'sBookshelf
6- MelissaLanders  7- Nikki: Nikki's Book Blog

8- Sapphyria'sBook Reviews  
9- Kim Koning:Wrestling the Muse
10- Cana: Placeof Reads
11- Adriana Ryan 
 And here's what I want to know, nominees!

1- What is your favorite line from a movie? (Include stage direction if necessary.
2- Name a guilty pleasure that you'd be too embarrassed to admit to someone in person--but here in the anonymity of the Internet, you're cool talking about it.
3- What does unicorn blood look like?
4- Have you ever pretended to be someone else to get out of talking to person?
5- If you could have any one book in the world--no matter how old, how rare, how bizarre--what would it be?
6- Do you have an illogical fear?
7- What is your favorite color?
8- What's the farthest you've ever been from home?
9- Do you believe in ghosts?
10- Who is your favorite villain?
11- What is the most helpful writer's blog you read?

Okay, class…That's all for today. You have your assignments. Good luck! I'm really looking forward to reading your blogs. I'm hoping someone has a thing for Doctor Who…
Enjoy your shiny Liebster badges!

Pre-Launch Event…Bleeding Hearts G!veaway

If you like paranormal love stories or beautiful porcelain jewelry, then this is a giveaway you don't want to miss.

I'm getting ready to review the ARC for BLOOD RUSH--the second book in my Demimonde series. It's scheduled to release in May and I am getting the pre-release jitters already. With the sequel release so close at hand, I thought it would be fun to put this nervous energy to good use and have a little giveaway--open INT, of course.
Shiny things have always captured my attention…and the Franz porcelain bleeding hearts are no exception. I've been stalking them online for some time now. Today, I took the plunge and bought them--and I'm going to share them with YOU if we can reach 500 adds on Goodreads for my upcoming release, Blood Rush (Demimonde #2).
What I have to give you:A signed copy of BLEEDING HEARTS (Demimonde #1) A Franz porcelain bleeding heart pendant, eerily reminiscent of the cover art. I bought a pair of Franz earrings with the intention to remove the hooks and convert them into pendants. I also have a mind to replace the hanging pearl with a red Swarovski tear drop crystal. All the better to wear my book, right? J And one of you can, too. I will give away one of the pendants to a lucky reader. The winner may choose the original pearl drop or the red crystal alteration.Demimonde swag: magnets, bookmarks--who knows what I'll find in my swag basket?
BONUS: If we hit 1000 adds for Blood Rush by May 6, I'll add a $50 Amazon GC to the pot!
 
What you can do to enter:Add Bleeding Hearts (Demimonde #1) and Blood Rush (Demimonde #2) to your Goodreads shelfLike/tag Bleeding Hearts on Amazon
You can also:Follow me on Facebook (because I am a good time)Follow me on Twitter (because I love to promote other writers and bloggers)Tweet about the giveaway (because sharing the love is a nice thing to do)Join the Demimonde (by following my blog)
 Of course, I made it all so much easier by making a Rafflecopter form :) a Rafflecopter giveaway


This event will run until Monday, May 6…a week before the big BLOOD RUSH release!
(And then it's time for an entirely new set of giveaways….but you gotta get in them to win them.)
I hope you'll enter the giveaway and lend your support to my books. If you haven't had a chance to read Bleeding Hearts (Demimonde #1) yet, stop by the Goodreads page to read some of the reviews before visiting the Amazon page.

And be sure to share this event with your friends...look for the Facebook event and invite your social media masses. This is totally a case of bigger equals better, because the prizes get better the bigger we get!Meet my demivampires…you'll like them as much as they would like you.