Jeaniene Frost's Blog, page 10
October 16, 2018
More thoughts from the Master of the Dark Coven, a.k.a the Ministry of Undead Persons

My husband just walked by my office to ask, "What are you laughing at?"
This, dear friends. I'm laughing at this because
Here is
Master of Dark Coven <fangmaster4unlife@gmail.com
Today at 11:59
To Jeaniene of the Frosts,
When your prospective mate's so-called friends raise doubts about your suitability as an unlife partner, there is a simple and practical way to resolve that disagreement. You rip out their throat. You see, one cannot voice an opinion without one's vocal cords. [Jeaniene's thoughts: This seems to check out.]
--
October 15, 2018
Read SHADES OF WICKED chapter three!

Now, as promised, here is another excerpt from Ian and Veritas's upcoming novel, SHADES OF WICKED, Night Rebel book one. This time, I'm picking the entire third chapter to post. If you haven't already read chapters one and two, you can find them HERE, and I'm adding chapter three to that page for easy reading continuity.
If you've already read the first two chapters, then no need to click away to the other page - you can dive right in, the water's fine...as you can see from this chapter where Veritas is required to watch Ian shower to make sure he doesn't get away from her or use another spell against her. *snickers* Enjoy!
Chapter Three, SHADES OF WICKED, copyright Jeaniene Frost
Ian went to one of the second-level bedrooms as if he were very familiar with it. He probably was. Judging from what I’d seen, he’d been at this brothel for at least two days. That mock carnival in the basement certainly hadn’t been set up in a mere afternoon.
He stripped off his jacket as soon as he crossed the threshold. I made sure to keep a close watch on his hands as I followed him into the bathroom. I couldn’t allow him to magically fabricate another weapon. There were plenty of things in this room that a highly skilled practitioner could use.
Ian’s dossier revealed that he had spent time in the company of witches and mages, but it posited that he’d done so for excitement and socializing. Wrong and wrong. Most practitioners would’ve needed to recite an incantation in order to get the power to transmute one type of object into another. Another way would be to draw several specific magical symbols to create the necessary power. Ian had changed a silver pebble into a knife without a single word or scribble, and he’d done it while I was beating his skull half in.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, tactile magic was one of the highest forms of the craft. That’s why I couldn’t take my eyes off his hands. He’d need to use at least one of them to conjure up more of that kind of magic. Right now, he wasn’t doing anything threatening. He stepped beneath the shower spray and closed his eyes as that first blast of water hit him. Then, he washed his hair, his movements brisk and efficient. When he picked up the body wash, however, he slowed down, working the liquid into a rich lather before running his hands over his body.
Did he think I’d never seen a man make a show out of washing himself before? I had, and even the most seductive of them had always been a little too obvious, a little too sleazy. Women were much better at this form of manipulation, but if he wanted to give me something to look at, let him.
After a few minutes, I had to give Ian credit—he was good. He didn’t attempt to meet my eyes to gauge the effect of his actions. He also didn’t go right for his groin as most men did. Instead, he acted as if I wasn’t even there while he started with his arms, washing each with smooth, sweeping strokes that emphasized the muscled elegance of his limbs. Then he moved on to his chest, soaping it with a languid thoroughness that highlighted every ripple, hollow, and chiseled inch.
He gave the same unhurried attention to his lower body, his hands running down the tautness of his abdomen before sweeping over the hard globes of his ass. Those hands lingered over the thicker muscles in his thighs before moving down to his well-defined calves. Even his feet weren’t neglected.
Somehow, the never-ending sweep of his hands started to feel hypnotic. If I were a few thousand years younger, I might even start to imagine how each muscle, hollow, and sinew would feel if I were the one touching him. Or notice how his muscles appeared even more defined when the water washed away another swath of suds, or how his skin glistened beneath the bright lights in the shower stall.
Or fixate on how the thick appendage between his legs was growing as if also longing to feel the touch of those slow, skilled hands.
When I realized I was staring, I gave myself a hard mental shake. Again, I’d underestimated him. Ian was obviously as skilled at using his body as he was at using magic. That, or I wasn’t as immune to his decadent beauty as I’d assumed. Whether it was my newfound compromised emotional state or my extended bout of abstinence, I didn’t know. Either way, I had to keep my focus on both his hands. Not just the one currently slicking suds over the impressive appendage between his legs.
“I say, you’re looking in all the wrong places now.”
His voice held the silkiness of honey along with the lure of wine, but deadly potions could also taste sweet. My careful watch on his other hand revealed his true intentions. He wasn’t trying to seduce me. Like a magician, he was drawing my gaze one way while the real trick was about to take place somewhere else.
I gave a pointed look at his left hand, which was creeping behind his back. “Keep both your hands where I can see them.”
His smile changed into a scowl. “You’re no fun at all.”
He wasn’t even trying to deny that he’d been about to fling a spell at me. I’d take that roundabout honesty as progress.
“Law Guardians aren’t supposed to be fun,” I noted dryly. “We’re supposed to be good at our jobs, and despite a few slip-ups already with you, I am. Even if I couldn’t stop time, there’s still no spell you could fling at me that I haven’t defeated a thousand times before.”
He smiled again. For the first time, it seemed genuine. “I take that as a challenge. Let’s make it interesting, shall we? If I use a spell on you that you’re unable to defeat, you’ll drop your requirement that I follow your lead on our quest to kill Dagon. Instead, you’ll follow mine.”
He hadn’t been following my lead as it was, but damned if I’d let him off the hook. Plus, his arrogance could be useful. Good to know I wasn’t the only one letting emotion cloud my judgment.
“How long are you giving yourself to attempt this supposedly unstoppable spell?”
“Two weeks.”
Perfect. If all went well, I would be done with him by the time he tried it. “Fine, if you agree to stop trying to escape or trick me until this grand attempt. And when you fail to hit me with a spell that I can’t defeat, you’ll follow my lead plus give me three unquestioning acts of obedience.”
“Done,” he said at once.
He seemed so confident. He even smiled with the kind of anticipation I’d seen only on gladiators right before they struck a killing blow. Was it possible I’d made another mistake? He’d already surprised me several times today.
But no. He couldn’t best me in this.
“Done,” I said after a slight pause.
His smile turned sly. “How shall we seal this new accord? A blood oath?”
As if I’d assume his shedding a few drops of blood would suddenly make him honest. “Something else. Hold out your hand.”
He arched a brow but extended a still soapy hand. I closed my fingers around his, not surprised that his flesh felt far warmer than a vampire’s normal temperature. His time in the shower had heated his skin, and now, that water would provide me with what I needed to ensure an oath he couldn’t break.
Water was one of the main natural elements of the world. That made it powerful, if one knew how to extract that power. I did since I had a special talent with water. I hadn’t wanted to use more of my hidden abilities today, but if I didn’t, I’d soon be fighting off attacks from my duplicitous ally in addition to the ones that would be coming from Dagon.
A ripple of energy flashed through the room when I began to speak in an ancient language, the first one I’d learned. That energy settled on our joined hands. Ian hissed when he felt it.
“What are you doing? And why are you speaking Sumerian?”
I wasn’t about to answer either of those questions. In truth, I hadn’t expected him to recognize the long-dead language. Not that it mattered. These words weren’t significant.
Ian tried to pull his hand away. The spell I was creating trapped him. It wrapped around me, too, feeling inside us for the promises we’d both just made. When it found them, it tightened our hands together. Then I felt its energy crest before it slid beneath my skin to dissolve inside my bones.
Once it did, I opened my eyes. “Now neither of us has a choice about keeping our latest promise. The spell found them, and if one of us were to renege on them, it would rot our bones faster than either of us could heal.”
Ian’s eyes were lit up with emerald, and the muscle ticking in his jaw showed how displeased he was by this turn of events. But when he spoke, his voice was light, and instead of trying to pull his hand away, his fingers now caressed mine.
“A Law Guardian who practices forbidden magic. How irresistibly hypocritical of you.”
***
SHADES OF WICKED releases October 30th. You can also pre-order yours at Amazon, B&N, IndieBound, Apple Books, BooksAMillion, Kobo
October 9, 2018
SHADES OF WICKED book trailer!
October 8, 2018
My "Cease & Desist" response to the Ministry of Undead Persons

As some of you who follow my blog already know, I have been sent a Cease & Desist letter via friend and fellow author Ilona Andrews from Dromichaetes of Dacia, the Master of the Dark Coven. Dromichaetes is an apparent spokesperson - or is it spokesvampire? - from the Ministry of Undead Persons. Among other things, the letter demands that I pull publication of SHADES OF WICKED (pic included for reference) and to stop writing my books the way I do because, to quote "under no circumstances can Vampire Persons be portrayed as having fulfilling friendships and, especially, romantic relationships that end happily" as well as my favorite complaint "Some of them [vampires] have been approached by humans asking if they wore silver jewelry on private parts of their anatomy to heighten sexual pleasure." The full Cease & Desist letter is HERE.
Things escalated when Dromichaetes contacted my agent, Nancy Yost, with further demands. You can read Dromichaetes' letter plus Nancy's
Dear Dromichaetes, or Dromeo, to borrow my agent’s moniker,
Greetings from the lively side of the grave! I did indeed receive a copy of the correspondences you sent to both my agent and my dear friend Ilona, and I have to admit, I’m beyond flattered. Don’t be offended by this. Yes, you doubtless expected me to cower in fear, but come on. My first Cease & Desist letter is from an actual vampire? That’s a top-tier item crossed off my bucket list right there!
While I respect your concern that my books have veered off the "traditional" path, I feel that typecasting vampires to only be portrayed as the forlorn villain is so 1897 (DRACULA publication-date pun ftw! Ahem.) What I mean is that Vampire Persons are surely vibrant creatures with more personality traits than the tragic, brooding, tormented type – not that there’s anything wrong with those types! But let’s throw back the coffin lid on other types of Vampire Persons, shall we? For example, have you read any of Ilona Andrews’ fabulous books? She and Gordon’s vampires aren't brooding or tormented. They're monstrous and terrifying, yet they’re also very versatile because they can rip you to pieces AND carry letters inside their throats or their…well, a creature of your advanced learning is surely familiar with the term “prison pocket”? But I digress. My point is, if there is room for monstrous vampires, emo vampires, and perpetually tormented vampires, surely there must be room for vampires who are also heroic, funny, witty, and - yes, I’ll go there – sexy.
Come now, dear Dromeo. Before you protest, I refuse to believe that someone with your vast longevity hasn’t, at some point, experienced love. You did, didn’t you? Wasn’t it wonderful? Didn’t you want it to last forever? While in life (or, excuse me, undeath) such love might eventually wither away, in the romance genre, we have the promise of the happily-ever-after where love overcomes all challenges, no matter how dire. I give the same promise with my books, although since I write series versus stand-alones, the happily-ever-after doesn't come in the first book. So, yes, long live the brooding, emo, or tormented vampires! And long live the monstrous, terrifying, villainous vampires! But don’t forget to make room for the vampire heroes, vampire heroines, and everything in between. I for one refuse to let your entire species be defined by only one type of narrative. Creatures such as yourself surely deserve more. You're not going to let the human race have a monopoly on complexity, are you?
That is why I welcome my agent sending you a copy of my latest book, SHADES OF WICKED. All I ask is that you read it with an open mind. Kirkus gave it a starred review and called it “A flawless blend of high-stakes romance and action-packed paranormal adventure,” but if you can’t enjoy the “wild, magically enhanced sex,” perhaps you’ll enjoy the “bloody, bone-pulverizing battles” as per Booklist’s review (note that I wouldn’t insult you by offering my own admittedly biased opinion, which is why I included statements from objective parties.)
For more objectivity, anyone can read the first two chapters plus additional excerpts of SHADES OF WICKED HERE . You can also listen to an audio clip from Chapter One HERE.
I await your reply once you have finished the novel in question, Dromeo. Until then, I remain your admiring - if rebellious - scribe,
Jeaniene Frost
P.S. To illustrate my point, I'm including the below picture. It's from a few years ago, so my hair is red instead of its current blondish shade, but it gives a more succinct visual about my thoughts on your demand that I stop writing vampires who fall in love, have dangerous adventures, have hot sex (with or without piercings!) and overcome dire odds to eventually live happily ever after:
10/10/19 Edited to add: Dromeo has responded! I woke up yesterday to an email in my inbox with the subject line of "I am reading your book" and the sender info as "Master of the Dark Coven." You can read his reply HERE. Funny side note: if you reply to his gmail account, you get this auto message "Foolish mortal, your email has been received. If you are found worthy, you will be honored with reply. If not, your email will go on a kill list." Lol! I mean, ahem, I've been WARNED ;).

October 4, 2018
KissCon Weekend Affair, audio sale, and my Cease & Desist letter
Next up, I'm flattered that Once Burned, Night Prince book one, is one of the featured titles in Kiss Club this month at Libro.fm! That means it's only $3.99 at Libro.fm for the month of October. There’s no subscription required to use Libro.fm, so anyone interested in picking it up in audio can do so.
Learn more HERE.
Finally, my Cease and Desist letter *snort laughs.* I'll let Ilona Andrews explain. This is copied from her blog post yesterday: "This came to our house by mistake. I can’t imagine why they would send it here. Dear Jeaniene, I am very concerned for you. Please call me. Link to a very disturbing letter."
Ha ha ha ha! Ilona even managed to reference Ian's intimate piercing, although my favorite part might be the bloody thumbprint for the signature. I'll consider myself warned, Ilona, that the vampires are onto me ;).
ETA: Oh my wow, Ilona is not done. She posted another one today, and got our AGENT to reply to it! I can't stop cracking up. Go HERE to see.
September 22, 2018
SHADES OF WICKED Arc winners!

Without any further ado, the winners are…
Diana M, Kristiana S, Lazelle C, Monet W, Roseann C, and bonus winner Michelle B.
Congrats to all of you! I hope you love the book.
As for everyone else, I am so sorry you didn’t get good news this round, but as a reminder, I still have a contest giving away another 5 signed Arcs running on Goodreads until October 5th. Go HERE to enter (once on Goodreads, scroll down until you see “Win a copy of this book”), or copy/paste this link into your browser: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
September 18, 2018
Order your SIGNED copy of Shades of Wicked, and more

Speaking of SHADES OF WICKED, allow me double squee because BOOKLIST and KIRKUS REVIEWS both gave it lovely reviews. I'm only allowed to share a line or two from each, so here they are:
“A flawless blend of high-stakes romance and action-packed paranormal adventure…Sexy, breathtaking, not-to-be-missed paranormal romance.” KIRKUS, starred review.
“The legion of fans for Frost’s super popular, darkly twisted Night Huntress titles will be thrilled by the first book in her Night Rebel series…Wild, magically enhanced sex and bloody, bone-pulverizing battles will keep readers turning the pages.” BOOKLIST.
Yay and yay! That said, a note if you subscribe to Kirkus Reviews and you want to read the entire review: there are three HUGE spoilers in it. So, if you read it, be warned that you will be spoiled on three major plot points.
Finally, this Friday night is the end of my blog contest giving away 5 copies SHADES OF WICKED. If you haven't already entered for your chance to win one, go here for the details.
September 13, 2018
For pet lovers only
Now, to my post, which has nothing to do with books, publishing, or anything writing-related, so skip if you only want professional stuff. Also, if you don’t love pets, don’t bother reading any further because I’m going to gush about my dog in ways that will make non-pet-lovers gag. Seriously, you've been warned.
All right, anyone who’s spent more than ten minutes with me knows that I have dogs. My youngest dog, Loki, is six and a half, and my oldest dog, Gypsy, is fourteen and a half. I love them both to pieces, but today, I’m only going to talk about Gypsy. Sorry, Loki, but since you don’t read, I’m sure you’ll get over it ;).
At Gypsy’s advanced age, I know I’m not going to have her much longer. Being a writer, I’ve thought about penning a piece about her once she’s gone to talk about what an impact she’s had on my life. However, I also know myself. When she’s finally gone, I’ll be a heartbroken wreck and unable to string together two words about her without breaking down. That’s why I decided to write this now. Pet lovers, I’m sure you understand. Non-pet-lovers, last chance: GO.
First, some background: when my husband and I first brought Gypsy home, we were still reeling over the deaths of our beloved ferrets (side note: you don’t have to like ferrets, but please don’t say anything negative about them in the comments because to this day, I have no tolerance for that.) Sure, I’d had dogs and cats growing up, but I’d never had a dog as an adult. When we brought Gypsy home, I’ll be honest – my expectations weren’t that high. So, if I’d bothered to pray at all about what I hoped for, it would have probably sounded something like this:
Dear God, please don’t let this pet die anytime soon. You know none of our ferrets lived much past age six and I can’t take any more grief for a while, kthxbye.
What I didn’t know then, yet know now after having Gypsy for nearly the past fifteen years, is that I could have prayed this:
Dear God, I need a furry bundle of absolute, unconditional love. I’m talking about something that will dance around my feet with joy every single time I walk in the door, even if I’ve only been gone an hour and even if, many years later, her arthritis acts up so much that she takes a little while to make it over to me. She also has to sit close whenever I’m sad, make me laugh at the endless cute things she does, quietly lay beside me if I’m sick, and provide me with priceless companionship if I’m alone. She has to do all these things with a joy that can’t be muted even when I don’t give her all the treats she wants, or if I’m busy with work and don’t give her the attention she seeks. She has to immediately forgive my faults, such as taking her to her most hated place (the vet) and my frequent absent-mindedness (I didn’t see your paw; sorry for stepping on it!) She has to stare at me as if I personally made everything she finds wonderful in life, yet also look at me with complete trust when things are going wrong (her multiple surgeries or her other health issues.) She has to do all this every single day for the next third of my life, all while bringing me joy that can’t be expressed in words because it is too great.
And to that impossible list of hopes, dreams and demands, God would have replied “That’s easy – here she is.”
September 7, 2018
Two SHADES OF WICKED giveaways, plus two special sales

Being around Bones awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again. Get it for $1.99 HERE.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human—even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together. Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost. Get it for $1.99 HERE.
Also, I know that audio book readers have been waiting for this, so I'm happy to announce that the audio pre-order link for SHADES OF WICKED is finally live: Get yours at Audible, Downpour, or your favorite audio retailer.

1. Send an email to jfrostcontest AT gmail DOT com (obviously replace the “AT” with an “@” and the “DOT” with a “.” in your email.)
2. Make sure to include your name and the email address you want to be contacted at if you win (if it’s not the email you’re sending your entry from.)
3. You can only enter ONCE. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
4. Contest starts NOW and ends Friday, September 21st at 11:59pm EST. Winners will be announced the following day on my blog.
But wait, that's not your only chance to win! I'm also holding a contest giving away another 5 signed Arcs of SHADES OF WICKED on Goodreads. This one is open only to U.S. readers, so if you're international, skip this but enter the one above. Because this contest is on Goodreads, you have to enter on their site and follow their rules. Go HERE to enter (once on Goodreads, scroll down until you see "Win a copy of this book"), or copy/paste this link into your browser: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Good luck, everyone!
September 6, 2018
Revenge
You've been my close friend for about a dozen years now. I admire and respect you both as a person and a writer. But NONE OF THAT SHALL SAVE YOU, muhahhahahahahahaaa!

"Your move, Jeaniene. Your move."
Ohhhhhhhhhh!!!!
I have so wanted to retaliate, but because I am a good friend, I did not act right away. You see, Ilona had an upcoming release which ended her much-loved Kate Daniels series, and on top of that stress, emotional roller-coaster and normal activity deluge release month always brings, she also had a week-long tour during her release week. Now, tours are exhausting. You usually go hither and yon with very little sleep or food, all while trying to be your best smiling self to readers, book sellers, convention staff, your publisher and everyone else whose path you cross. So, I did not seek my revenge right away. I waited.
HOWEVER...Ilona arrived back home from tour on Monday. She's now had nearly three days to rest, plus she received excellent news about Magic Triumphs last night. It debuted at #2 on the New York Times and #5 on the USA Today bestseller list (side note 2: hooray!) So, she and Gordon are probably relaxing and enjoying the rosy glow of a job well done right now.
In other words, it's my time to strike ;).
Those of you who follow Ilona and I on Twitter might know that we've also had a longstanding debate on whether possums are cute. I'm Team Cute. Ilona is Team Not Cute (she's wrong, of course.) So, now you'll understand the rest of my motivation for the below. Ilona, you bedazzled Ian's nipples and then dared me to retaliate. Behold, Kate has now partially shifted into a glorious, yes-they-ARE-cute possum!

YOUR move now, dear friend. Your move.
Order your copy of Magic Triumphs at: Amazon

Read the Excerpt.