Lori Devoti's Blog, page 10

Free Books for Your New eReader or Tablet!

Have a new eReader or tablet to fill? Let me help! Here’s a list of books free for the taking.

Ho! Ho! Ho! and Happy Reading!

(And, as always, check before you hit BUY! Books may go off at free any time.

Scroll down to make sure you see everything. Romance is at the top, but there are mysteries, fantasy, steampunk and SciFi too!

Romance

Almost A Bride, Patricia McLinn – Amazon - B&N

Almost Perfect, Julie Ortolon – Amazon - B&N

Chocolate Kisses, Judith Arnold – Amazon - B&N

Forevermore, Lauren Royal – Forevermore (A Jewel Trilogy Novella)Amazon – iTunes - Kobo

In Too Deep, Kathryn Shay – Amazon - B&N

Lost, a Vampire Romance, Lori Devoti – B&N

Prelude to a Wedding, Patricia McLinn – Kobo

Revenge Sex, West Coast Series, Book 1, Jasmine Haynes – Amazon - iTunes - Kobo

Shades of Honor, Wendy Lindstrom – Amazon – B&N

Shelter from the Storm, Patricia Ryan – Amazon

Someone To Believe In, Kathryn Shay – Amazon - B&N

Ten Shades of Sexy, Multiple Author – Amazon - B&N - Kobo

To Love a Scoundrel, Sharon Ihle – Amazon

Undeniable Rogue, Annette Blair - Amazon

Mystery

A Dyeing Shame, Elizabeth Spann Craig – Amazon

Desperate Housedogs, Sparkle Abbey – Amazon

In Deep Shitake, Patricia Mason – Amazon

Loose Screw, Rae Davies (Lori Devoti) Book 1 in Dusty Deals Mystery Series, cozy comic mystery – Amazon - iTunes - Kobo

Mai Tai One On, Jill Marie Landis – Amazon

Murder on the Mind, L. L. Bartlett – Amazon - B&N - Kobo

Murder Passes the Buck, Deb Baker – Amazon

Fantasy/Science Fiction/Steampunk

Lady of Devices, Shelley Adina – Amazon - Kobo - iTunes

Lady of the Moon, Mary Gillgannon – Amazon - B&N

Neptune Crossing (Chaos Chronicles #1), Jeffery A. Carver – Amazon - B&N - iTunes

 

 

Contest Winner and Fan of the Month for November!

The winner of The Ring on Her Finger by Elizabeth Bevarly is Irene Menge! Fan of the Month is R. Scott Steele! Scott won a copy of Cut Loose and a tote bag. :)

To enter the monthly contest, just fill out the form on my newsletter page. To become Fan of the Month, just visit with me here, on Facebook or Twitter, post a review online of one of my books or subscribe to my newsletter. I pick a fan at random from those places.

Thanks for everything!

New this month: Mystery fans – look for the 3rd book in the Dusty Deals Mystery Series, Loosey Goosey. I hope to have that out before Christmas. Vampire lovers -  an anthology of all of my self-published vampire romances! To Love a Vampire is available now at Barnes and Noble and Amazon and will be most places soon!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

 

 

October Contest Winner and Fan of the Month

October’s contest winner of a copy of Rebecca York’s Killing Moon is… Janie McGaugh!

Fan of the month is… Traci Brazeal. Traci won a tote bag and a copy of Cut Loose by Rae Davies.

For November I’m giving away an autographed copy of The Ring on Her Finger by Elizabeth Bevarly. To enter the contest, visit my contest page.

Congrats to Janie and Traci! And thanks to everyone for entering!

September Contest Winner and Fan of the Month

The winner of Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear is… Elvina from Oklahoma!

Congrats, Elvina!

And Fan of the Month for September is Bonnie Pombo! Bonnie wins a tote bag and her choice of books at the VIP Readers’ Lounge.

Congrats, Bonnie!

For October, I’m giving away a copy of Rebecca York’s Killing Moon. Visit my contest page to enter.

And check out the information on the Fan Of The Month at that page.

Ghost Hunting in Gettysburg

A few weeks ago I went on my first ghost hunt – in Gettysburg! I’d been planning to do a tour, but once we got there the hunt sounded like more fun, especially for the kids. As it turns out, my mother and I had a great time, my son too, although his was more due to other kids being along, and my daughter was a little embarrassed by the whole thing. She is, however, a teen so that isn’t a giant shock now is it?

If you go to Gettysburg, there are a ton of companies that do ghost hunts, walks and tours. We chose to go with Gettysburg Ghost Tours. They offer a number of choices, all of them affordable, but since we had the kids with us, we picked a “family friendly” option.

This is where my dowsing rods claimed I was chatting with an Union soldier.

The hunt started at the Gettysburg Ghost Tours’ storefront. Our guide explained a few things, mainly that we weren’t supposed to run and that we were to talk in a normal volume .  No whispers as those could be confused later as ghost voices. We were also divided into pairs so we had confirmation of anything we saw.

Then he handed out the equipment. We were able to choose from the Ghost Meter Pro, dowsing rods, a standard EMF meter, and a voice recorder. We also were told to use our cell phones for photos.

My daughter (my cheerful companion) took the EMF meter and I took the dowsing rods. I chose the rods because my great grandfather was a working water witch. I figured maybe some talent ran in the family.

Equipped and paired up we headed to Culp’s Hill. You can read the link if you want a lot of background information on the battle at Culp’s Hill, but the important things to know is that it is very close to downtown Gettysburg (short walk) and that a lot of men lost their lives there. The majority of those being Confederate soldiers.

Okay, so what did we find? Anything?

Yes, maybe, kind of.

My daughter got no where with her EMF, but my mother and I did. (I took over my daughter’s after a while.) All of the straight EMF readings seemed to be in one area that was actually on the road that led to the hill. Our guide said this was residual energy, but another woman got some really good activity on the Ghost Meter Pro there that coincided with hits her son was getting on his EMF meter.

It could also have been our cell phones or something else sending out electromagnetic waves….

My personal best experience was with the dowsing rods though. To use them you hold them by the beads or wooden part of the handle. They are made so the rods can rotate freely without your interference. Next you ask yes or no questions and ask the spirits to cross the rods if the answer is yes. You can also ask them to use the rods to point.

I started with the standard… If there is a spirit here, please cross the rods. The rods crossed. Are you a male? The rods crossed. Did you fight for the Confederate side? Nothing. Did you fight for the Union side? The rods crossed.

Okay, so cool, but even cooler was ten minutes later when the woman with the Ghost Meter Pro came up, started asking the same questions, and got the same response in the same area. (The Ghost Meter Pro has a function to give the spirit an opportunity to move a dial that indicates yes or no.)

Am I believer now? Maybe. Maybe not. But then that’s where I was on believing before. So the ghost hunt didn’t change my personal views one way or the other.

But it was fun and I would certainly do it again.

How about you? Ever been on a ghost hunt? Are you a believer?

Witch Stones!

Since I was a child, I’ve had a bit of an obsession with rocks. I think this mainly had to do with growing up in an area with some spectacular rocks to collect.

My favorites were what we called sparkly rocks which you mainly find around creeks. Most of mine I found around Viburnum, Missouri, an area with large lead deposits.

But in addition to sparkly rocks and fossils (which I also loved), I always kept my eye out (and still do) for witch stones.

Witch stones, also known as fairy stones and hagstones, are rocks with a naturally occurring hole in them. As you can probably guess, the best hunting grounds for these rocks is also near streams since water is what washes away parts of the stone to form the hole.

Holly Black made witch stones (she called them fairy stones) somewhat famous with her use of them in the Spiderwick Chronicles.  In her stories you used the stones to see the fairy world, but they are probably better known as a way to ward off evil.

According to this article, people used to hang them over doorways (especially of stables) or wore them around their necks and some even used them as a spout through which the poured milk to keep it from curdling.

I’m not sure as a child anyone ever told me what they were supposed to do, but I’ve always thought of them as witch stones and known they carry with them some kind of magic that I want to possess.

Any of you own witch stones? How do you use them?

How to Break Up With a Vampire

A couple of weeks ago I gave you some tips on luring your own personal vampire. If you were successful, about now you are probably looking at some ways to UN-lure him. But let’s face it, vampires aren’t going to be all that receptive to the “It’s not you; it’s me” speech. My guess is me, you… doesn’t matter. They just want their blood and you turned yourself into an all too convenient source.

And it isn’t like you can wait around to outlive him either.

So, what’s a girl or guy to do…

Stakes. This may sound drastic, but stakes are also effective. And I’m not saying you have to USE one. Just leave a few lying around –preferably made of ash or hawthorn, although anything that’s made of wood (chair legs, for example) and is sharp will do. Bonus points if the stake is made in the sign of a cross.

Crosses. I know I told you in that earlier post to rid your home and person of them, but times have changed. Get thyself to the religious goods store and stock up!

If wearing a cross seems too obvious, just leave a rosary lying casually in the car seat. Or an open Bible on the pillow. You know be subtle.

If this doesn’t work, know that these same “hints” can do some real damage.  A cross will leave a nice burn on his forehead. So will a Eucharist Wafer. Holy water is also good for either burning a vampire or threatening him. Knowing Latin also helps. Doesn’t matter what you say. Just as long as it’s in Latin.

Fire. Ah, who doesn’t love a good story of peasants with their flaming torches? Fire is effective and vampires know it. (Staking a vampire won’t do you much good if some clueless doofus comes along and pulls the stake out. Fire pretty much seals the deal.) Knowing that, vampires tend to instinctively steer away from it.

Have a weenie roast in the back yard or plan a “romantic” evening in front of a roaring fire. Nothing says “we’re over” to a vampire like a nice open flame.

Garlic. Been avoiding that favorite Italian restaurant? Time for some take out! Extra garlic bread please! Or maybe your kitchen needs a pick me up. Nothing freshens a room like a nice wreath of garlic.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall. You have spent two weeks wondering how you look to others. Time to bring back the mirrors, and don’t go small. Go BIG. Nice floor to ceiling mirrors that your undead love can’t help but NOT see himself in.

Get a New Best Friend. Ever see The Lost Boys or Underworld? Vampires and canines do not mix. Don’t be shy. Adopt a husky (one of my favorites) or whatever wolfy cousin sings to your soul.

If none of these work? You might want to schedule your next date around a Buffy marathon.

He’ll get the idea.

(Check out all my stories featuring vampires here.)

 

August Contest Winner!

The winner of Deadly Dance by Dee Davis (Romantic Suspense) is Janetta Prussia from Ohio! Congrats, Janetta.

For September, I’m giving away a copy of Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear. As always, to enter you simply need to visit my contest page and fill out the form for my newsletter.

You’ll also find all the details on the contest there.

Thanks, everyone for playing, and good luck for September!

The Truth about Mermaids

While doing research for One Soul to Share, a romance novella about a mermaid and a vampire, I discovered a lot about mermaids–mainly that they got a raw deal.

This may be surprising. Mermaids are beautiful. They have gorgeous hair and voices that make men weep. They are free and the picture of joy in the water. But somehow with all of that, for the most part their stories didn’t seem to end all that well.

Take for example the mermaid in the original Hans Christian Andersen story The Little Mermaid. She falls in love with a prince, but he chooses another woman over her. The mermaid is given the choice of stabbing the prince and returning to her original mermaid state or dying herself. She chooses her own demise.

A noble choice, don’t you think? And how is she rewarded? She becomes a “daughter of the air” with 300 years of serving humanity ahead of her to earn a soul, because apparently sacrificing her own life wasn’t enough.

Uh… This did not leaving me cheering.

Then there is the poor Ceasg, a Scottish Highlands mermaid who, like the heroine of One Soul to Share, has a soul that is separate from her body. She is also beautiful and has the ability to grant three wishes if captured. Guess what that means? No sweet little courtship for her.

Then there is Liban. She’s called the “sanctified mermaid,” and is pictured in old Christian carvings. Liban’s story starts with tragedy. When she was a human girl, a sacred spring she lived near flooded. The waters swept away her entire family, even her dog. Liban prayed to survive and was transformed from the waist down into a salmon. Her dog became an otter. Much later she was captured. Now you might think why capture her? She was after all an obvious victim in this story, but apparently her half-fish state meant she was, at least in the eyes of the fishermen who caught her, soulless. However, being kind and gentle men they offered her a choice. She could be baptized to regain her soul or just be put to death on the spot. She chose the soul.

And then what? Well, she died anyway.

With stories like this, is it any wonder the Loreleis choose to stay on their rock and sing rather than jumping into the ocean and saving the fools who crash into their isle?

I mean what would their reward have been? Probably a rock tied to their tale and eternity gurgling away at the bottom of the sea.

What do you think? Did mermaids get a raw deal? If so, why do you think that is?

(Want to see one mermaid get her happy ending, with a vampire no less? Check out One Soul to Share.)

How to Lure a Vampire

With Buffy and now Twilight, vampires are  more popular than they have ever been. So popular that it can be exceedingly hard to get one to answer an invitation to dinner or just a quiet night out. So what’s a vampire loving guy or girl got to do to get one to answer his/her next text?

Start with the old stand by – Blood. Vampires love blood. It’s their raison d’etre. As Dracula so neatly pointed out, “the blood is the life.” Which sounds a bit like a contradiction since vampires are, technically, not alive, but that’s neither here nor there. Blood will draw a vampire quicker than honey draws a fly. (Vampires also appreciate a little class. So you might want to break out the good crystal. But do a temperature check before serving. Ideal temp is, of course, 98.6 degrees F.)

Maybe flash some Skin. Especially in the neck area. A bit of jewelry to draw attention to your jugular wouldn’t go unappreciated either. Just keep away from the religious symbols, especially religious symbols that bring with them great personal faith.

Embrace the Darkness. Most vampires, though not all, tend to avoid light, or at least very bright light. If you go by most television vampires who also happen to be detectives, however, they seem to have an affinity for living in cities like Los Angeles, where the sun shines pretty much all the time. Go figure. But most vampires like it dark. So arrange that get-together at night in a smoky, murky bar or in the shadows, preferably near a cemetery.

Utilize a vampire’s favorite sense – Smell. Vampires have a very heightened sense of smell, which is needed to sniff out all that fresh blood. It helps a lot if your blood smells especially good. Bella in the Twilight series smells very attractive to vampires. So does Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) although her scent-worthiness has a lot to do with her having fairy blood, which vamps find especially tasty. Yum, yum.

To make your blood’s scent extra mouthwatering, you want to avoid garlic or garlicky foods. And it’s probably not a good idea to drench yourself in perfume. You want your vamp de jour to be able to smell all that yummy, titillating human blood.

Play the Submissive. Vampires need servants, wannabes, minions or sycophants: humans and/or lesser vampires (and sometimes the occasional werewolf) who are willing to do their bidding. Like dragging the vampire’s coffin around from one dank, dark basement to another, making sure the coffin is filled with fresh earth from the vampire’s homeland, and standing guard over the vampire during the day while he takes his beauty sleep. So, playing coy (and hiding your natural kick-ass abilities) may be required at least for a while.

Don’t be afraid of extending an Invitation. Traditionally a vampire can’t enter a home unless invited by whoever lives there. So be sure to give him an open invitation to your home as soon as you meet him. This will allow the vampire to enter your house whenever he chooses (which will more than likely be while you’re fast asleep) so that he can stare longingly at your neck. (Which, of course, you keep fully exposed. No high neck nightshirts for you!)

Once the invitation is issued. You need to remember some common vampire Courtesy. Be respectful of a vampire’s culture. Do not, I repeat, do not have any of the following lying about your home.

- Garlic

- Crosses (or other religious symbols)

- Mirrors

- Pointy wooden stakes

- Silver flasks of holy water or Eucharist wafers.

- Framed portraits of Dr. Abraham Van Helsing or Buffy Summers.

If you do all of these things, your hunt for your own personal vampire should reap rewards. Just remember, before you do any of these, a relationship with a vampire truly is forever.

(Love Vampires? Check out all my vampire romances stories here.)