Lashell Collins's Blog, page 6
May 10, 2015
Howling Good Hop 2015!
As the title of this post suggests, today I am participating in the Howling Good Blog Hop – an awesome excuse for me to get together with my shifter romance author friends to bring you cool contests and great reads! There are a whole pack of us participating in this week-long hop and each stop along the way has a fun contest giveaway, plus there is a Rafflecopter with over $200 worth of gift cards up for grabs, so be sure you stop by each of the blogs for your chance to win!
Do werewolves exist?
Ohio may not have the long and storied history of werewolf/Dogman sightings that have plagued nearby states like Michigan and Wisconsin for example, but she has had her fair share. There are several werewolf-related urban legends in the Buckeye state. Are the stories real, or just the overactive imaginations of a few bored or frightened individuals? Who’s to say for certain? But here are a couple of my favorite tales. You decide for yourself…
In central Ohio, near Columbus, on August 27, 2005, a truck driver identifying himself only as Scott called into the Coast to Coast radio show and told host, Ian Punnett, of his strange werewolf sighting. Scott said that while driving his rig one night, his truck’s headlights illuminated something chilling. What he saw appeared to be some kind of large beast crouched on the side of the road and eating a deer. He described it as looking like a cross between “an ape with a dog’s head” and the werewolf creature from the horror film Van Helsing.
And here’s a more recent one … in the fall of 2013, in northeastern Ohio (Hmm, up near the fictional Lunar Falls region of the state), near a town called Norton, there are tales of sightings involving multiple creatures. Sightings so chilling they even had the local wildlife running scared. According to the story, while driving home from work in the evening, the witness, identified only as Andrew in the account, abruptly stopped his car when two deer suddenly raced across the road and into a corn field. A split second later, three huge creatures leapt across the road and into the field after them. Andrew described the creatures as being somewhere between 6’6” and 7’ tall. “They were bipedal, very muscular, and fast. Lightning fast … Whatever these were, they weren’t Bigfoot. I can’t describe how they moved, but they didn’t move like a person.”
Have you visited Lunar Falls yet?
http://lunarfallstrilogy.weebly.com
Lunar Falls, OH. Population 3,722. On the surface, it’s an unassuming, sleepy little backwater, full of friendly townsfolk, farmers and other hard-working blue-collar people just trying to make an honest living. A town teaming with local charm and hospitality. The type of place where most everyone knows most everyone else. Funny then, that there should be so many secrets in this sweet little hamlet.
Secrets like who is the mysterious Lily Faraday, and why did she really kill herself? And what’s with the incredibly sexy, enigmatic town sheriff, Gabriel Masters, and is he really stalking beautiful veterinarian, Dr. Carly Tipton? What exactly are the Moon Hunters, and should we be afraid of them? And those are just a few of the many secrets and lies lurking around every corner of Lunar Falls.
Have you ever felt like the person you smile and say hello to every single day is hiding something behind those kind eyes? Ever wondered if there might be something to all those “creature” sightings people whisper about?
Lunar Falls. A sexy shifter romance trilogy.
Forget everything you think you know about werewolves.
GIVEAWAY TIME! One random commenter will receive a signed paperback of book one in my Lunar Falls Trilogy, Secrets of Lunar Falls. The winner will be chosen at the end of the Hop on May 15th, and announced here. (Don’t forget to leave your email in the comments so I can contact the winner). And here is the link to enter the Blog Hop Rafflecopter contest. Good luck!
Ok, that’s it. Don’t forget to visit the other stops along the hop. Go here for a complete list of links to the sites. Have fun!
May 1, 2015
Book Signings? Me?
The very weird schedule I’ve been keeping and the inordinate amount of time I spend thinking about/arguing with fictional people in my head tells me that indeed I am a real author. But nothing, thus far, has made me step back and say, “Whaaat?” as much as the thought of me participating in actual book signings. Yes, holding a very real book in my hands with my name on it does the trick too, but I just can’t imagine that actual readers would even be interested in getting a signed copy of one of my books. Blows my mind.
That said, I will be participating in two book signings this year, both in my home state of Ohio (Dayton and Columbus). If you’re going to be in the area and would like to come see me, here are links to the sign-up forms so you can reserve books. Hope I see you there!
Events
One More Romance Author Signing
June 6, 2015
12pm-3pm
Dayton Marriott
1414 S. Patterson Blvd.
Dayton, OH
Ever After Author Affair
July 18, 2015
11am-3pm
Courtyard by the Marriott
2350 Westbelt Drive
Columbus, OH
What Else Could Go…
Ok, I’m not even going to finish that sentence, because it would be like jinxing myself. Seriously? It has never taken over 12 hours for a book to go live on Amazon after I’ve uploaded it to the KDP platform. NEVER! But, of course, there’s always a first time for everything, right? So here I am, on release day, with a tour starting up and a whole promotional push ready to launch … and there’s no freaking buy link yet for the book because Amazon is taking its dear sweet time in making my book page live.
I feel like f*^king screaming. (Pardon my French).
Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I am one of the world’s most impatient people, so this is not an easy thing for me to deal with. In order to cope, I have to find other things to occupy my mind so that I will stop obsessing over the fact that my tour started this morning, WITHOUT a buy link from Amazon!
So, let’s just reward Amazon for giving me this little release day surprise, shall we? The first person to post the Amazon link to the ebook version of Redemption of Lunar Falls gets a $10 iTunes card from me!
In the meantime, if you shop on other platforms like B&N, Kobo or iTunes, you’re good to go!
Barnes&Noble || Kobo || iBooks
UPDATE!
We have a winner! Stephanie won the iTunes gift card, and here is the Amazon link
April 10, 2015
#WerewolfProblems
The authors of The Wolf Pack are running a fun social media experiment, and we want you to join us. What’s in it for you? The chance to win some really cool prizes, of course! All you have to do is show the world how much you love shifter romance. Here’s how it works…
Dozens of authors were involved in cataloging the first world problems of shifters and we need your help to spread the word.
The goal is to storm Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest TODAY. To add to the fun, we have lots of prizes to give away. To be entered in the drawing all you have to do is retweet and tweet about the #werewolfproblems hashtag and share, like, comment on posts on Facebook. You can also pin your favorite #werewolfproblems on Pinterest.
To enter the prize drawing grab the permalinks to your tweets and Facebook posts and enter them into this form for a chance to win one of several prizes. The more you tweet, pin and Facebook, the more entries you have in the drawing. (See the link below for additional details and how-tos, as well as a detailed list of the prizes up for grabs!).
SUBMIT YOUR CONTEST ENTRIES HERE!
April 4, 2015
Alphas on the Prowl
The Wolf Pack, which I’ve mentioned here before, is an awesome group of shifter romance writers comprised of some amazing and talented women – many of them New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers. The truly incredible thing about these women is that they routinely do all they can to support and encourage one another, and I have somehow been lucky enough to have been adopted into their pack. These ladies have recently put together a fun project involving a series of boxed sets, and I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be participating in it. The first boxed set was titled Alphas Gone Wild, and it’s a fabulous set that has been getting rave reviews. You can check it out HERE if you haven’t already. The second set releases later this month on April 28th, and it’s called Alphas on the Prowl. We just got the cover mock ups a few days ago, and here is the big reveal!
Alphas on the Prowl is eleven sexy shifter tales from eleven fabulous shifter romance authors. My story in the set is titled, Exiled: A Lunar Falls Novella, and you can read a short excerpt below.
Snippet from Exiled: A Lunar Falls Novella
Zach watched the man fall to the ground and shifted back to human form as he shook his head. Then he smiled at Sarah and stepped over the man’s body.
“How many times do I have to ask you nicely to leave me alone?” she insisted.
“What? I just came to your rescue.”
“Oh, the hell you did!” She raised her voice but then quickly remembered the sleeping humans in the house. “I was doing just fine on my own, thank you very much. I think I can handle one human male just fine.”
“You couldn’t handle him back at the bar,” Zach said.
“The bar was full of people! What? Did you expect me to wolf out in front of an audience?” she asked, glaring at him. “Now, thanks to you, that jerk is going to go spreading monster werewolf stories around here and we’ll both have to leave.”
“That jerk is going to chalk it up to having way too much to drink tonight and forget all about it,” Zach said.
Sarah growled and rolled her eyes. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“Most of the time, yes.” He smiled, giving her a very cocky, very sexy grin as he stepped closer to her and reached out to touch her arm.
“Go away Zach.” She jerked her arm away from him. Then she turned on her heal to walk away.
He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, snaking his other arm around her waist and drawing her closer. Then he very unceremoniously planted a kiss on her lips. It was rough and uninvited, and Sarah could feel his tongue darting against her lips as it begged for entry. She pushed against his chest, fighting to free herself from his clutches, but his grasp was too strong. And the more she fought, the more she felt her heart racing — speeding up to synch with the rhythm of his.
Zach held her fast, refusing to let go until she admitted that she felt him too. She couldn’t hide it from him, he could feel her heart beginning to keep time with his own and he knew what it meant. The more time they spent together the more it was becoming evident that they were mates. She was meant to be his. Now he just had to make her want it too.
Sarah turned her head, breaking their kiss. But she still couldn’t free herself from his embrace.
“Let me go!”
“Tell me that you feel me,” he demanded.
“I don’t!”
“You’re a liar,” he snarled. Then he kissed her again.
She felt her claws emerging as her hand shifted, and she scraped them over his pectoral muscle, ripping his flesh along with the fabric of his shirt.
He groaned with the pain of it and grabbed her wrist, but he didn’t let her go. As the wound healed itself, he jerked her closer to him, and when she gasped his tongue forged ahead, delving inside and exploring her mouth as he deepened their kiss.
Sarah felt the heat flare in her chest as he devoured her mouth, and as hard as she fought against it, she could feel herself beginning to respond to his advances. She clutched his shirt and pulled him closer, kissing him back with a reckless abandon. She hated herself for what she was doing, but she couldn’t seem to stop it. This felt right somehow. Natural. As though she had kissed him a million times before. As though being in his arms was the one place she was supposed to be.
You can check out snippets from the other authors of Alphas on the Prowl. Just click on the links below.
Amy Lee Burgess
Jamie Brumfield
Catherine Vale
March 21, 2015
Blog Tour – Werelover!
I’m participating in a blog tour today for book 3 of the Leopards Unleashed Series, Werelover, by Dina Haynes. That’s a name you’ve heard me mention quite a bit lately. She is one of my very good friends and one of the amazing ladies I’ve been working with on a new paranormal/fantasy romance anthology. But her Leopards Unleashed Series is one of my very favorites and I think you would love it too! So here we go…
The Blurb
Doug has tried to distance himself from a female who killed an innocent to keep him from leaving. Years later, he is still trapped and her threats have riddled his mind with self-hate. Now, he seeks the forbidden comforts of a human again. The attraction is swift and as his heart latches on, he hopes that in due time she’ll accept him, wereleopard spots and all. When his brother comes to town, he offers Doug a plan that will shift his life for the better. As Doug starts to gain power and embody the male his father always expected him to be, the truth rears its ugly head… A human won’t fit into the picture.
As a BBW in a city full of Botox faces, slight figures, and silicone peaks, Eve doesn’t get asked out much. She meets Doug on an animal lover’s dating site and can’t believe her luck, at first. After a long and rocky start, she takes a chance on Doug, despite his unresolved girlfriend issues. When another man enters the picture, though, she begins to second-guess her choice. But she doesn’t know the whole story yet. Doug refuses to walk away from her and his truth won’t stay hidden. When Eve finally comes face-to-face with it, neither will hers.
Amazon || B&N || iTunes || Kobo
My Two Cents
I have LOVED both books 1 and 2 of this series, but this might just be my favorite out of the series so far. Why? Because there is just something so charming and sexy about Doug! I fell in love with this character back in book 1 when he was one third of MacKenzie’s love triangle. I was so taken by him that I wasn’t completely certain which man I wanted Mac to end up with. So I was very excited to learn that Doug was finally going to get his own story, and Ms. Haynes did not disappoint on this one!
What I love most about this story is that we get to watch Doug grow and become his own man. And FINALLY stand up to a certain female leopard that has kept him controlled for far too long. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but if you’ve read books 1 and 2 you know what I’m talking about! It’s a joy (not to mention sexy as all get out) to watch him go from a subservient mentality to gaining confidence and power in himself and his own abilities. And the triangle created by his love interest, Eve, and his brother … O. M. G!
I read this book in one day. I don’t usually do that, but it was 4:30am when I finished it because I simply could not put it down. I tried to at one point, but I had to pick it back up again because I had to find out what was going to happen next. Well done, Ms. Haynes. I can’t wait to read more!
Book one of the Leopards Unleashed Series is free at all retailers, and you can find it HERE. You can also read my reviews of books 1 and 2, HERE.
Meet Dina Haynes
Dina was a late bloomer. She didn’t become a “reader” until one summer away from college, working at a failing video store in her home town, the East Bay Area of California. With several hours of downtime, she snuck her mother’s book, Pet Cemetary, to work and found her imagination came to life with the creepy words on Stephen King’s pages. Back at university, she began to realize her own penchant for story-telling in an exchange that started with a close friend. Oddly enough, by the time she graduated with a degree in Sociology, she knew she wanted to become an actress, but her “B” plan (or maybe it was her “C” plan) was to someday write a book, or books if she planned to make any sort of living off of it. Something romance related, of course.
Flash forward 10 years (or more), when acting started to look more like a pipe dream, she picked up the pen, literally, and wrote her first book. A friend had introduced her to the Urban Fantasy genre and didn’t that seem apropos; elements of horror combined with everything she liked about romance. She is happy to pursue this passion while she keeps a few contemporary romance stories on standby. Currently, she resides in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles.
Visit Dina on her website at www.dinahaynes.com.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dinahaynesauthor
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dina-Haynes/e/B00LH262UW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinahaynow?lang=en
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/118294144208879046130/posts
March 6, 2015
Cover Reveal – Werelover
Today I’m participating in the cover reveal for one of my best writer friends, author Dina Haynes and book 3 of her amazing Leopards Unleashed Series – Werelover. Here are all the details of the book, and look at that cover. I think it’s mysterious and yummy!
Werelover by Dina Haynes (The Leopards Unleashed #3)
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Release Date: March 20, 2015
Book Blurb:
Doug has tried to distance himself from a female who killed an innocent to make him stay. Years later, her threats have riddled his mind with self-hate. Now, he seeks the taboo comforts of a human, hoping she’ll accept him, wereleopard spots and all in due time.
When his brother comes to town, he offers Doug a proposition that will change his life forever. As Doug starts to gain power and fullfill the position better than he imagined possible, the truth rears its ugly head … a human won’t fit into the picture.
As a BBW in a city full of Botox faces, slight figures, and silicone peaks, Eve doesn’t get asked out much. She meets Doug on an animal lover’s dating site. After a rocky start, she puts her heart on the chopping block despite Doug’s unresolved girlfriend issues.
But she doesn’t know the whole story yet. Doug refuses to walk away from her and his truth won’t stay hidden. When Eve finally comes face-to-face with it, neither will hers.
Book one of the series, Wereleper, is free right now and you can find it here. Book two, Wereking, you can find here.
Meet Dina HaynesDina was a late bloomer. She didn’t become a “reader” until one summer away from college, working at a failing video store in her home town, the East Bay Area of California. With several hours of downtime, she snuck her mother’s book, Pet Cematary, to work and found her imagination came to life with the creepy words on Stephen King’s pages. Back at university, she began to realize her own penchant for story-telling in an exchange that started with a close friend. Oddly enough, by the time she graduated with a degree in Sociology, she knew she wanted to become an actress, but her “B” plan (or maybe it was her “C” plan) was to someday write a book, or books if she planned to make any sort of living off of it. Something romance related, of course.
Flash forward 10 years (or more), when acting started to look more like a pipe dream, she picked up the pen, literally, and wrote her first book. A friend had introduced her to the Urban Fantasy genre and didn’t that seem apropos; elements of horror combined with everything she liked about romance. She is happy to pursue this passion while she keeps a few contemporary romance stories on standby. Currently, she resides in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles.
Visit Dina on her website at www.dinahaynes.com.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dinahaynesauthor
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dina-Haynes/e/B00LH262UW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinahaynow?lang=en
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/118294144208879046130/posts
February 27, 2015
Weekend Jams – Ah Leah
You know how you get a song stuck in your head for days and it either drives you completely bonkers, or you are walking around jamming to your own private concert and people are looking at you like you’re a freak? Well, that has been me for the last two weeks now. The jamming to my own concert thing, not the bonkers thing. The song is called “Ah Leah,” by the Sin City Sinners. It’s a remake of an old Donny Iris song, and it appears on the SCS’s first album, Exile on Freemont Street from 2010. I cannot get this catchy little tune out of my head, and it’s so much fun … I don’t really want to!
Here’s a clip of the Sin City Sinners performing the song live. Turn it up and enjoy!
February 22, 2015
#8Sunday – Lunar Falls & Dirty Mistresses
Happy Sunday, Everyone! Hope you’re enjoying your weekend. Today, I’m sharing another snippet from my latest release, Lies of Lunar Falls. It’s book two in the Lunar Falls Trilogy and it is out now. Our hero in this one is Gabe Masters, sheriff of Lunar Falls and Alpha of the local werewolf pack. Today, I’m jumping ahead just a little bit, still in chapter one. Here Gabe and Carly are talking about his people’s opposition to their relationship…
“Even though I’ve developed Moon Hunter telepathy, I’m still just a human in your society. And your people … a lot of them are angry that you’ve chosen to be with me. They’re concerned about your future children,” she said, remembering his mother’s impassioned plea to him at dinner a couple of nights ago.
“Carly, I don’t want to have this discussion again,” he said, staring into her eyes with an expression that told her he wasn’t kidding. He gently grabbed her chin and pinned her with his gaze to make his point. “You are mine; my children will be your children. I will not take a Moon Hunter mate that I don’t love just to produce the desired type of children and make my mother and the people happy. I will not condemn you to a life as my dirty mistress instead of my mate!”
Once again, here’s the blurb:
Drawn to the mysterious and sexy shifter who is now her mate by forces she still doesn’t fully understand, Carly Tipton thought she had uncovered all the secrets Lunar Falls was hiding. Secrets that shook the very foundation of her own family tree. But what she’s about to learn is that the secrets of Lunar Falls are only the tip of the iceberg, and that the lies it tells actually go much deeper than she or Gabe ever imagined.
Gabe is determined that he and Carly are going to be free to build a life together. A life without the limits or the stigma of prejudice. But he soon comes to realize that he’s not only fighting for the freedom of their love, he’s fighting for the freedom of all five packs. As GrandAlpha, the fate of his entire people rests squarely on his shoulders as the threat of civil war looms ever larger above him. And when the ruthless cat shifters begin killing innocent humans, Gabe’s problems quickly go from bad to worse.
Lies of Lunar Falls is book two of an adult, sexy shifter romance trilogy.
Lies of Lunar Falls is now live at Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and Barnes&Noble. And you can also check out the Lunar Falls website for more info on the trilogy, the characters, the playlist, and the real (creepy) sightings in Ohio!
And don’t forget to check out the other amazing writers of the Weekend Writing Warriors!
February 20, 2015
Weekend Jams – 30 Years to Life
Ok, so … it’s been a really long time since I did a Weekend Jams post – like since back at Christmastime – and that’s because I’ve just been super busy working like a mad woman. I’ve got a release coming up at the end of April and another in May and my free time these days is spent wondering what the heck free time is! Not that I’m complaining because this job makes me the happiest I’ve ever been, but whew! A breather for a minute or two would be nice.
Anywhoo, back to Weekend Jams. I’ve been missing it, and I’be been wanting to get back to it for a few weeks now. And I actually had a different song by a different band going through my head this week and had every intention of featuring it, but then something super awesome happened. I had been waiting patiently for my favorite band to add some more US dates to their current tour. I was expecting the dates to be in the summer, but I got surprised earlier this week when the new dates were announced and were scheduled for spring. Needless to say, I jumped on it the minute pre-sale opened, and scored tickets to see Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators in Chicago! So excited!!! So, in honor of my good fortune, here’s a clip of the guys performing a song off their latest album, World on Fire. This one is called “30 Years to Life” and it’s one of my favorites. Enjoy!
