Mimi Sebastian's Blog, page 6

Love Struck Valentine Day blog hop and giveaway!

I’m coming clean in admitting Valentine’s Day was never my favorite, but, now that I have a kid, I enjoy buying lots of chocolate :), and of course, writing romance. So in celebration of chocolate and romance, here’s the Love Struck Valentine Day blog hop.

Grand Prize is a Kindle Paperwhite loaded up with tons of books being provided by the following authors including my urban fantasy book The Necromancer’s Seduction.

But that’s not all. For stopping by my blog today and leaving a comment, I’ll offer one lucky winner a copy of my werewolf short story booklet The Werewolf’s Devotion and this  lovely zombie Valentines Day card.

Please visit J.A. Garland’s blog for pictures of the books being offered and to enter the giveaway and a list of participating authors!! J.A. Garland books.

Here are the list of books offered with the Grand Prize!

J.A. Garland Books: INSTINCT, Dysus Dreamer

Celia Breslin: Haven

Pippa Jay: Gethyon

Mimi Sebastian: The Necromancer’s Seduction

Cecilia Dominic: The Mountain’s Shadow

Jude Johnson: Save the Last Dance Trilogy

Isabella Norse: Assassin’s Heart

Dani Harper: First Bite, Storm Warrior

Rita Bay: The Aegis, Into the Lyons Den

Allison Knight: Lynbrook’s Lady, Betrayed Bride

Joyce Proell: A Deadly Truth

Holly Hunt: The Devil’s Wife, Scale & Feather

Ceci Giltenan: Highland Solution

Ute Carbone: To the Wind, Sweet Lenora

Cassiel Knight: Blood on the Moon, Key of Solomon

Audra Middleton: Hitchhiker

Morgan Wyatt: Dangerous Curves, Escaping West 

Angela Kay Austin: Rumer

Liz Crowe: Floor Time, Sweat Equity, Closing Costs

January Bain: Forever Man, Forever Woman, Forever Clan

Susan Frances: The King Maker

Linda Rettstatt: In The Spirit, A Falling Star

Graeme Brown: Donating e-book only: The Pact

Dani Collins: The Healer

Christina Cole: Donating e-book only: Not the Marrying Kind

Kelly Martin: The Afterlife of Lizzie Monroe

Pauline Creeden: Sanctuary & First Impression

Release Day! Devil’s Island

What started on a whim, out of a love for the pirating age, has finally materialized in my first self publishing venture. I’m excited to debut Devil’s Island so am offering the ebook for $0.99 today only. Check it out here!

The book is on tour with Tasty Book Tours and they’ve done a great job. I have a tour wide giveaway that includes a print copy, $10 Amazon card, and swag which includes an awesome coffee mug!! I can’t ever get these rafflecopter codes to work in my blog post, but here’s a link to the tasty site where you can enter: Rafflecopter on Tasy Tours.

One of the fun things about writing this book was working out the details of sailing, how boats moved with or against the wind, and the pirate speak, but also the characters. In introducing Captain Wilder’s African crew member, Salley, I used a tea drinking ceremony I learned and loved to participate in when I was in the Peace Corps in the Ivory Coast. Here’s a brief excerpt of that scene, which describes the how the tea is brewed and what it all means:

“Have you drunk our tea before?” Salley asked, his English spoken with a melodious lilt.

“No.”

“Ah, you are in for a treat.” He widened his smile, seeming genuinely pleased to share his tea ritual. “The English with their weak, sad tea cannot appreciate this—” he tapped the pot— “brewed from raw green leaves cultivated in the Eastern lands.”

She leaned over and inhaled the aroma wafting from the pot—a bitter but earthy scent, offset by a spicy-sweet aroma she couldn’t identify.

“You smell the mint?” he asked.

“Is that it? Yes, it smells very good.”

When the boiling tea burst forth from the lid, Salley repeated the pouring procedure until foam accumulated in the small glasses. He gave a satisfied click and filled each glass halfway, passing one to her. Unaccustomed to drinking tea in this manner, she watched as Salley sipped, making an exaggerated slurping sound. She followed his example, finding the small sips the best method of imbibing the bitter, hot tea.

“The first cup is bitter, but necessary, like family,” he said, adding water and sugar to the leaves in the pot to start another round. “We reuse the same leaves each time. The next cup, less bitter, more tasteful, a good friend.”

“You said the tea is composed of three cups.”

“Yes, the third cup is the sweetest, like a woman.” He laughed.

“Why do they call you ‘Salleyman’?”

“Because these scoundrels have not earned the right to speak my real name,” he said loudly, with an exaggerated rise in tone.

A few curses followed his loud statement.

“I don’t know why they picked ‘Salleyman,’ though. I’m not from North Africa or from Sale. They just can’t pronounce my real name.”

“And what’s that?”

He leaned forward. “Diakite Ibrahim,” he whispered.

She smiled. “I like that name.”

He bent closer. “Then you, my fiery goddess, may call me Ibrahim.”

The pot boiled over again and he began anew, pouring until he’d gathered sufficient foam in each cup. The second brew had mellowed the bitterness and she found herself enjoying the ritual immensely. He brewed the third round and shared stories and descriptions of his homeland.

****

I learned how to make the tea, but haven’t brewed it in a while. It’s just not the same done over a gas flame. But I brought my small tea pot back with me pictured here with its lone, surviving glass.

I also have a picture on my Pinterest site, showing an Ivorian friend making the tea.

I hope you enjoy Devil’s Island as much as I enjoyed writing it. It’s the first book in a series. For more info, you can visit www.searoverspassion.com

The Front Yard: Updates on Necromancer Series!

It’s all about the chicken…or the egg? Who knows? I mentioned in the first Front Yard post my reasons for calling this the front yard, because I often have great conversations with my neighbors in our front yard, often after corralling their chicken. So in honor of said chicken, I developed the following Front Yard graphic for use with the blog.

Lots of fun.

So I had my first telephone meeting with the new Editorial Director of ImaJinn, my new editor, Brenda Chin. It was very cool speaking to someone with her background and experience. I’m still giddy. I’m excited to work with her and with Belle Books. And a little scared We’ll be working hard on the next two books, re-releasing The Necromancer’s Seduction with the release of The Necromancer’s Betrayal, which should come out in May of this year, followed by Book Three, The Necromancer’s Redemption, in September!!! That’s exciting. Ok. Deep breaths Brenda has some very exciting plans for ImaJinn and I’m thrilled to be a part of it!

Devil’s Island, my self-publishing foray into pirate historical romance is releasing Feb. 3. I’m launching the book with a blog tour via Tasty Books Tours!! Also, click here to enter my Goodreads Giveaway!

So now on to the random stuff.

So finale of American Horror Story Coven was satisfying if not sort of anti-climactic. I wish the entire season had been more focused like the last two episodes. I mean, what was the point of Patty Lupone’s character and her son? Why did Nan really have to die? I’m not buying she had to die in place of the baby because the baby ended up with the ghost butler. And what is the fate of the baby, anyway?? It scares me. No author could get away with the writing on this show. Okay, enough of the rant.

I’m glad Cordelia became the supreme, but what was half the season about anyway? (Oh, I guess I’m ranting again.) The best part of this show is the superb acting. Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, and Francis Conroy as Myrtle…oh Myrtle is my hero. Some of her best lines:

Nan: How did your hair grow back so quick?

Myrtle: Oh, little bird, I’ve been buying in bulk from North Korea for years!

Myrtle: Mothballs and history. It’s a cocktail I swoon for.

Myrtle: Can you imagine those poor Salem witches, traveling all the way down here in covered wagons without a proper charcuterie platter or a bidet? Absolutely savage!

Myrtle to Zoe: It’s just like Halston when he sold his brand to JCPenney. You’ve forsaken your destiny.

Next season is supposed to be set in the 1950s around the time of the McCarthy era, nuclear age, and the Rosenberg espionage stuff. A departure from the previous seasons and intriguing.

Bitten! Wow. I’d heard they were making a tv show of the Kelley Armstrong series and was surprised to one day come across it. Three episodes in and I’m liking it overall. I don’t like some of the casting, in particular Jeremy. Clay is growing on me. It doesn’t hurt he has such lovely arms and pecs I’m warming to Elena. It’s been a while since I read the book, but I don’t remember feeling so annoyed with Elena and her bitchiness to Clay, and they spend waaay too much time on Phillip and her Toronto life. I don’t care about Phillip and his conversations with his mom, or double dinner dates. Other than that, am excited for it. I really hope they bring in some of the other Women of the Otherworld, like Jamie!!! (the necromancer, of course) Next season?

Music forms an important part of my psyche. In college, my friends and I formed a short-lived punk band. We called ourselves Nutty Buddy…LOL. I still have some old Nutty Buddy recordings. Maybe one day after copious amounts of wine, I’ll share those recordings. But I write with music and certain songs shape my scenes. So I thought to share some songs I come across as part of the Front Yard. This song comes from Young Galaxy, which was featured in the last Bitten episode ( not this song in particular, but the band). Their music is entrancing. Enjoy!

 

New Release and Giveaway! Fin’s Fantasy by Jocelyn Dex

It’s great to have Jocelyn Dex back. We share a love for the awesomeness that are demons. And Jocelyn is celebrating the release of her newest book in the Sempire Seductions Series, Fin’s Fantasy. Before Fin’s Fantasy, Jocelyn released Valia’s Villain. I totally dig the angle with her Sempire Seductions Series, generally female demons that need to consume semen to survive. Makes for some interesting conflict and sexy fun. (Jocelyn stopped by a while back and we had a fun discussion on demons. Check it out by clicking here.) Be sure to scroll down and check out the Rafflecopter link for her giveaway to celebrate the release of Fin’s Fantasy.

To start off, a brief interview with Jocelyn!

Jocelyn: Thanks for having me here to talk about my Sempire Seductions series and to celebrate the release of the third book, Fin’s Fantasy!

Me: I read Araya’s Addiction and loved the sexiness, Araya’s conflict with her human and demon sides, and her love interest Kean. You mentioned that Valia’s Villain is different in tone than Araya’s Addiction. How so? (It sounds like lots of fun…especially the handcuffs part…ahem  What about Fin’s Fantasy compared to the other two? 

Thank you!

Araya and Valia are very different heroines. Whereas Araya is reluctant to give in to her demon nature–is dead set against becoming a slave to her sexual cravings, Valia revels in hers. Valia sees what she wants and goes after it with no shame, no hesitation. Valia’s Villain is a little sexier and there’s more action in it too. Also Valia is nutty (she would say she’s totally awesome) which I think makes the story really fun, although still super sexy and dark in some scenes.

Fin’s Fantasy is kind of a mixture of Araya’s Addiction and Valia’s Villain. Fin is a nice guy-er-demon. His heroine, Navine, is kind of a bitch. Ha. But there are reasons for it and even though she gives Fin a super hard time, she makes up for it before the end.

What type of scenes do you enjoy writing the most?

This probably depends on what type of mood I’m in at the time. Sometimes I love writing sex scenes, sometimes I hate it. What I’ve noticed is that I really enjoy writing dialogue–especially during times of tension and during the “I must have you” scenes. Oh and there’s a drunken scene in Fin’s Fantasy that I loved writing the dialogue for. It still cracks me up when I go back and read it and I hope readers will get a kick out of it too.

Are you an outgoing person? Are you a morning or night person?

I definitely wouldn’t call myself outgoing but sometimes I can fake it. If there are cocktails involved, I can almost certainly fake it. (｡◕‿◕｡)

Soooo not a morning person but I wish I was. I think it would be great to wake up in the morning and be all “Woo hoo! Morning is here! Let’s start doing stuff!” But it just isn’t to be for me. Even though I’m out of bed and moving around in the morning, my brain doesn’t truly wake up until the afternoon. Sigh.

I get it totally. I’ve become more of a morning person since I had my son, who insists everyone wake up to embrace the world with the same amount of enthusiasm as him (I grrr with a smile).

What is next? Any new titles we should be looking for?

Well, I plan to write one more story in the Sempire Seductions series although I haven’t started on it yet. The ideas for the first three books came to me fairly easily but the fourth is not cooperating yet.

I have one story out on submission right now and I’m not going to jinx it by going into detail, but fingers crossed! Ohhhh, GOOD LUCK!

Thanks so much for having me here Mimi and thanks to everyone else for stopping by!

As always, it’s lots of fun having you.

Valia’s Villain

Sempire Seductions, Book 2

Blurb

When Valia approaches the Ferox demon, hoping for scorching sex and a feed, she doesn’t expect to be handcuffed, transported to the demon realm, accused of dirty deeds she has no memory of committing and held captive for three days.  Even though she believes her captor to be crazy, she feels a connection to him she’s felt with no one else.

When Rydin senses the Sempire who locked him up, fed on him and used him as a sex slave many years ago, he knows his wait for revenge is finally over. Burning with the need to punish her, he imprisons her in the demon realm, where she is at his mercy, but as much as he tries to ignore it, a connection sparks between them every time they touch.

Fin’s Fantasy

Sempire Seductions, Book 3

Blurb

Navine is suffering Incubus addiction–a death sentence for any Sempire. When the search for a cure turns up only one rumor, Navine is horrified to learn the mutant Fin might be her only chance to live. Fearing the taint of the mutant more than fearing death, she continues to push him away as she tries to deny how his touch inflames her desire.

Fin was captivated by Navine the first moment their gazes locked but when she realized what he was–a male Sempire, a mutant, an abomination to the species–she’d rejected him. Burning with the need to touch her, taste her, he’ll do almost anything to save her even though she belittles him at every turn.

With time running out, passion must overcome prejudice to save Navine’s life and to grant Fin’s fantasy.

Author Bio and Links

Jocelyn was born in Iowa and currently resides in hot-as-hell Texas. She shares her home with her very own 6’4″ alpha male and varying numbers of spoiled cats and dogs. Teaching one of her dogs to file his nails is one of her all-time favorite accomplishments.

She thinks dragonflies are awesome, spiders are creepy and it’s rumored that she sleeps with a machete by her bed in case zombies attack in the middle of the night.

Jocelyn loves to paint, loves to read, and loves to write sizzling erotic romance about yummy demons that would make your momma blush.

Here’s where you can find Jocelyn on the web

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Blog  * Goodreads

Here’s where you can buy Fin’s Fantasy

Ellora’s Cave  * Amazon * Barnes &  Noble

Giveaway (US & International)

2 winners, each winner will have a choice between an ebook copy of Araya’s Addiction or an ebook copy of Valia’s Villain

Link to Rafflecopter on Jocelyn Dex Blog

http://jocelyndex.blogspot.com/2014/01/celebrate-release-of-fins-fantasy-with.html

 

Sneak Peak!

I hope your new year has gotten off to a wonderful, exciting start. I am absolutely looking forward to 2014. While 2013 had some very monumental moments, it was also fraught with the passing of many wonderful people and some weird health issues for me so here’s to a healthy 2014!! Things are moving forward with my necromancer books at Belle Books/ImaJinn so that’s exciting and they have set up a new website: ImaJinn Books. However, this post is about an entirely different project.

To start off 2014, I’m providing a sneak peak at the cover and back of my pirate historical, Devil’s Island, set to release February 3, designed by the talented Kim Killion! I’m nervous about this book – writing in a different genre and self publishing it. But, as with everything else, I’m diving in, and have this lovely cover to launch this new venture.

 

Devil’s Island is the first in a planned series called the Sea Rover’s Passion. (Click on the Sea Rovers link to learn more about this series and what inspired it.) Book Two is swirling around in my head and it will feature Christopher Taylor, who you meet in Devil’s Island. I didn’t know book two would feature him, but before I got the idea for the plot of book two, he started talking to me. I’m getting more and more excited about his story and his heroine, who is also talking now. She will be quite different than Sabine, but formidable in her own right. (Now I have to finish book three in the Necromancer Series without going nuts and I’m good Sigh.) I have a book tour to kick things off for Devil’s Island with Tasty Book Tours. So until then!!

New Release! Zoastra Affair by Victoria Pinder

I’m pleased to be sharing in Victoria’s release day for The Zoastra Affair and we have an excerpt!

Blurb:

A hundred years from now, Earth has trading partners with alien beings, mostly humanoid. However, going into space brought forth an unknown enemy who attacks Earth at will. The Zoastra is part of the Earthseekers, an organization originally designed to go into space. Its new mission is to find Earth’s enemies.

Ariel is stuck on a Victorian planet and steals Grace’s body and life to get off the planet. Grace must get her body back before Ariel bonds with Grace’s husband, Peter. Then there is Cross, the man on a mission to find those who killed his family. Ariel is attracted to Cross, but she’s stolen someone’s life.

Amazon Link

Excerpt:

Twenty Second Century

Sheraton Home World

I’m going to have to steal someone else’s body to get out of here.

“Ariel, are you listening?”

Ariel Transcender stared dumbfounded at the mother superior of her prison, a/k/a Aulnale School for Orphans. “Yes, mistress.”

She had no idea what happened, though she pasted a fake simpering smile of appreciation on her face. Ms. Rochelle walked away.

A few minutes later, Ariel looked out the window again, tuning out Rochelle’s mind numbing lecture on what was proper behavior when near a man. The boarding home on this planet gave the stupidest lectures of the galaxy. Her lips curled into a sneer. Women were not excited to be bound to men.

Could I do this to someone else? Do I have any other choice?

Lenchena, the teenage girl who’d stolen her adult body and taken off on Ariel’s ship, needed to be found. And Ariel refused to listen to the daily drivel about always listening to a man.

No longer on her planet, Grinocx, she did her best to understand this planet’s culture. Order made sense, but the Sheratons never made sense. Her gaze wandered to the well-manicured lawn designed for ostentatious parties. Not paying attention, Ariel’s mind still picked up a few phrases in the lecture, please a man, be agreeable, and do whatever is asked with a smile, floated in the air.

Lenchena’s voice became animated as she told them, “Ferula can be used on your future husband to ensure he finds completion even if you are too tired to perform your duties. However, with your husband, do this sparingly or else he’ll find you a lazy wife.”

Ariel blinked after that statement. Another grueling lecture on pointless marriage and sex. Blah, blah, blah. Her people, Grinders, didn’t believe in love and mating only to reproduce. Being stuck on Sheraton where the women dressed in long dresses, caring for homes with neatly cut green grass, and doing nothing more exciting than watching the pink dawns, while the men held careers in outer space, had never been her plan.

Was she really sitting in a lecture on how to please the male species? She rolled her eyes. Seriously? No, she refused to listen to this nonsense. The words ‘ladies never say no’ reverberated behind her back and made her face pucker.

Ariel schooled her features, pretending to listen to the school master, Ms. Rochelle. The woman had no heart. No one had listened to Ariel when she had cried for days and days that some young teenager had switched bodies with her, trapping her in this alien hell. Rochelle had dragged her back to school, and kept her under lock and key.

Hope became fleeting after that, while the years ticked past. For the past four years, she’d been training at the all-girls school for orphans on how to be a proper maid and housewife.

The twenty-five years of her life training to be an engineer, then serving on the starship Tygra, then the sistership Thrycer, had been stolen.

Now that this body was almost of marriageable age, Ms. Rochelle, cursed school teacher, paraded Ariel out of the orphanage to find her a match. Every week or special event needing service, Ariel had on the job training with heavy supervision, pointing out Ariel’s light pink hair and ability to be a serviceable wife to a working man. Pink hair girls are sweethearts. Yeah right. That lowlife bottom-feeding insect, Lenchena, had stolen her body and her life.

Ariel had stopped complaining years ago because it got her nowhere. She was on her own and needed to find a way out of this body and back to her ship. With the almost age of marriage upon her, it was now or never. Then Ariel was going to find that little twit who stole her body and make her pay for stranding her on this backward planet.

“In a few weeks Ariel will be leaving us. Heading toward marriage with Massimo?” Ms. Rochelle’s voice pulled her back into the lecture.

“Err . . .” Massimo, with his hovercraft, became convenient transportation to leave the school with permission, but marriage? The boy dreamed of owning a restaurant with a pretty wife. She’d find a way off the planet, when she wasn’t being observed or offered for marriage to every low level non-space going man on this planet. Time ticked fast now.

“Ariel is lucky to have found a man so interested in her beauty, he can overlook her status.”

Ariel’s mouth tightened and she lowered her head to hide her scowl. No. Massimo was a child, too. Getting her body back from the child thief, Lenchena, mattered far more. This body was now strong. Away from the ever-watchful teacher, she’d have her chance for escape at one of the upcoming diplomatic events where she’d be a maid or serve others dinner. Plus, Sheratons mated for life, something Ariel refused to believe in. But in order not to draw attention to herself, she played along. “Um, yes. I am.”

A group of male soldiers marched past the closed door of the school room. The females in the class twisted around to catch a glimpse of them. Ariel didn’t join her classmates in staring and drooling at the opposite sex.

Pathetic.

Why did these aliens keep males and females separate until marriage? The customs of this world never ceased to amaze her. The teacher taught the virgin teenagers to expect women to fall into orgasm whenever a man’s hand grazed her body. Seriously? Had they never had sex before? In her memory, sex hadn’t been that all-encompassing.

For the past four years she’d been stuck in this body, living through alien teenage hormones. The sexually denied tightness irritated her body, and her mind longed to be back working on a single engine design. On the Thrycer, she’d run a top design engine room, winning numerous awards for ingenuity on a space ship. Then she’d joined the boarding party to Sheraton, being told the planet was a relaxing and safe tranquil spa. Lies.

If Ariel let them, these alien hormones would dull her reaction time in the girl’s leftover body that held her consciousness. She’d managed to keep slim and fit with exercise as she bided her time until she found a way to her freedom, and got her body and life back. When she finished this, she’d fix everything. She’d force the girl who stole from her to return with the borrowed body to make the final switch and right everything.

About Victoria

Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, after passing many tests proving how easy Math came to her. Then hating her life at the age of twenty four, she decided to go to law school. Four years later, after passing the bar and practicing very little, she realized that she hates the practice of law. She refused to one day turn 50 and realize she had nothing but her career and hours at a desk. After realizing she needed change, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is rewarding, but writing is a passion.

During all this time, she always wrote stories to entertain herself or calm down. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, and Victoria spent too many years living other people’s dreams, but when she sat down to see what skill she had that matched what she enjoyed doing, writing became so obvious. The middle school year book when someone wrote in it that one day she’d be a writer made sense when she turned thirty.

When she woke up to what she wanted, the dream of writing became so obvious. She dreams of writing professionally, where her barista can make her coffee and a walk on the beach, can motivate her tales. Contemporary romances are just fun to write. She’s always thinking whose getting hurt and whose story is next on the list to fall in love. Victoria’s love of writing has kept her centered and focused through her many phases, and she’s motivated to write many stories.

Member of Florida Romance Writers, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA, and in Savvy Authors.

http://www.victoriapinder.com

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Pinder-also-writing-as-Greta-Buckle/294685373900979Twitter:    http://twitter.com/victoriapinderTumblr:    victoriapinder.tumblr.com

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/victoriapinder/

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=200859737&trk=hb_tab_pro_to


Google+ https://plus.google.com/105161432419802350109/posts/p/pub

 

12 Days Of Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to Day Six!!

December 1 through December 12

Grand Prize: $250 – $500 Amazon Gift Card

First Prize: One (1) eBook from Every Participating Author

Click on Rafflecopter Giveaway to enter!

Thanks to the hosts: As You Wish Reviews & Confessions of the Paranormal

and sponsors: As You Wish Tours & Book Dragon Designs 

As part of the tour, participants are sharing favorite recipes. We love to make the following Katherine Hepburn brownies. They are truly moist and delicious. The recipe originally appeared in a magazine article about Katherine Hepburn.

Ingredients:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

1. Melt together 1 stick butter and 2 squares unsweetened chocolate and take the saucepan off the heat. Stir in 1 cup sugar, add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and beat the mixture well. Stir in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (In the original recipe, 1 cup chopped walnuts is added here as well.) Bake the brownies in a buttered and floured 8-inch-square pan at 325°F for about 40 minutes. You can cut these brownies into squares, once they have cooled, and eat them out of the pan, but it is so much nicer to pile them on a fancy plate, from which people are going to eat them with their hands anyway. If you want to smarten up your act you can put a square of brownie on a plate with a little blob of créme fraîche and a scattering of shaved chocolate.

Spotlight: The Necromancer’s Seduction

My debut release, and first book in the Necromancer Books, will be offered in ebook format as part of the blog hop. Click here on the As You Wish Reviews link for the full list of ebooks and tour stops!

 

 

 

Release Day! Eternal Blades by V.S. Nelson

I just love V.S. Nelson’s Sekhmet’s Guardians series. Hot immortal men. Beautiful, courageous women with unique powers. Epic struggle between the Guardians and Set’s Legions and now Book Three is out! 

Book Blurb:

Tshering Snow never meant to fall hopelessly in love with her savior, the Ancient, known as Lance, but she did. He seems to care deeply for her, spending every available hour with her, but will he be able to give up his past and settle down with one woman?  After all, he has the reputation of a playboy.

Lance hates the personification he has created around himself. Afraid the others might not understand why; he has held back the truth from Gabriel and the other Guardians, he has waited for the right woman, the one Sekhmet prophesized so long ago. And now he has found her. When he is accused of fathering a child by both Gabriel and Tshering, how can he make them believe the child is not his, even if the boy is a spitting imagine of him?

After the women are attacked by Set’s Legions while relaxing on Jennifer’s new yacht, they come to the unanimous decision; they will train and join the Guardian forces. But that’s not as easy as it was meant to be. Old fashioned and hard headed, Gabriel is determined he will not having women fighting in their war.

When Tshering, Jennifer and Jessica are taken hostage by Set’s Legions all hell breaks loose on the Guardian’s compound. Lost without their mates, brother fights brother while they try save their women and put an end to the Legion’s terror. Will Sekhmet, the goddess they serve, step in and reveal the truth or will she leave them to find their own solutions to a never ending war as she has in the past?

Eternal Blades Snippet:

Lance stopped just before they made their way to main floor of the estate. With both of his hands on her waist, he turned her around to face him.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

There were still lines of worry on his face. When he first arrived back at the dock he ran to her, leaving someone else to care for his boat while he quickly checked her over for injuries. She assured him she was fine. His hands traveled over her entire body. In fact, she was more than fine. Seeing the love on his face, she would gladly endure it all over again. Her heart was pumping adrenaline faster than it ever had and it wasn’t just from the fight or the excitement of what transpired–she was once again reassured he cared deeply for her.

“Lance, I’m okay… really. I’m just worried about Marie. I didn’t mean to keep her underwater so long… but I didn’t have a choice… I was afraid if I returned to the surface too soon…”

“Honey, you did the right thing. You heard Michael, Marie is going to be fine. He only called the OB to be on the safe side.”

“I hope so…”

He tilted his head, placing his lips on hers, bringing her closer and into the comfort of his warm embrace. When they broke apart, she noticed his eyes were clouded with moisture.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “God, I thought I lost you… I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

She was amazed… no, shocked. Lance who was always so composed was rattled while she seemed to be holding it together.

“Lance, I’m fine, really… Come on, I think we need to go in the dining room. Gabriel is still waiting to hear what happened.”

“It won’t hurt my brother to wait a few more minutes… I just need to hold you for a while… Please?”

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

“You’re sure your okay?” He asked again.

She nodded her head which was resting on his strong shoulder.

Seconds passed before he pulled back, smiled at her then took hold of her hand. “Come on, let’s go join the others.”

Amazon Link

With a love for history, Native American author V.S. Nelson, instructed elementary, high school and college in the U.S. and abroad before launching her second writing career. V has been a story-teller all her life, always creating stories about people discovering the courage to make a difference. This drove her into writing her paranormal series centering on strong relationships and led her to coin the term: Ancient Legends, New Worlds.

She is well known for her “time management and sprint style writing,” producing well over five thousand words daily – consecutively.

V is available for speaking engagements, appearances and is more than willing to share her methodology with others in a variety of workshops.

A member of three RWA chapters she sits on several committees and judges writing contests across the states.

In Jan, 2013, Eternal Lovers, the first book in her eleven book paranormal series, Sekhmet’s Guardians launched with a fury. Being a series reader herself, she has held true to her promise by releasing no less than two books in the series per year in addition to her other work.

Teen Blurb states, “V.S. Nelson has truly created a unique storyline by combining Native American and Egyptian Mythology; an unlikely duo! The descriptions and the attention to detail will marvel the reader and make them feel like they are sitting beside the characters, feeling their happiness, sharing their sorrow, and meeting their destiny.”

Check out the first two books in the series: Eternal Lovers and Eternal Nights.

Author website:               http://www.authorvsnelson.com

Author blog:                    http://www.authorvsnelson.com/blog/

Facebook: (author)         https://www.facebook.com/authorvsnelson

Facebook: (series)         https://www.facebook.com/SekhmetsGuardians

Twitter:                           https://twitter.com/AuthorVSNelson

Authorsdb:                     http://tinyurl.com/c52uwt9

Goodreads                    http://tinyurl.com/dxgo35

 

 

 

 

The Front Yard

In attempting to find the right balance between blogging about releases, writing stuff, author guests, I thought I’d include the occasional, general post about stuff and am calling it The Front Yard, because I often have great conversations with my neighbors in our front yard, often after corralling their chicken. (Talk about free range and we get fresh eggs too!) We cover a myriad of topics from life in general to tv and movies because we are for the most part, geeks. Although I surprised my neighbor recently by admitting I had never watched Doctor Who. Even I have limits.

So I chaperoned my son’s kinder class on a school field trip to a local farm. While my voice grew hoarse constantly rounding up my charges, (the second you get one little critter next to you, the next one had taken off), I had lots of fun. We picked vegetables, walked through a corn maze, and, one of my son’s favorite moments, saw the llama poop.

TV: Holy cow. American Horro Story: Coven. I’ve been loving this season. Didn’t watch season one, couldn’t really get into season two (don’t need to see lobotomies and why the serial killer?), but Coven seems to have found the right balance, and Kathy Bates, Jessica Lange, and Angela Bassett??? How can it not rock? I appreciate these actresses even more, because they could totally go the scene chewing route, but while they do dominate their scenes, they know how to tone it down. But last episode’s zombie takedown via chainsaw!!! I wanted to shout. What awesome Evil Dead carnage. It was ridiculous, especially when she split the one zombie in half, vertically. I’m truly curious as to what’s going to happen with Sarah Paulson’s character (Fiona’s daughter) now that she’s blind but can see, and I called Zoe being the Supreme in the first episode Can’t wait for next week!

Still trying to fit Marvel Agents of Shield. It’s one of those shows that just doesn’t feel right, like the shirt that’s too tight on the shoulders. I never read the comic, never got into Shield all that much, but have learned enough about Shield from their appearances in the comics I do read. And this tv group does not feel like Shield. They feel like the minor league Shield. And I can’t understand why they aren’t drawing upon the Marvel universe more. Maybe it’s ABC, making the show more wide reaching (read bland), but Whedon can do so much better! While he’s not writing the show, his brother and brother’s wife (I think) are the writers, he is the producer. Who knows? Maybe the Whedon formula is finally wearing out its welcome, or maybe you can’t just paste the Whedon tropes on meh actors and meh writing and expect it to work. We’ll see.

On a more exciting front, Marvel and Netflix announced a deal to bring multiple live-action series featuring Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Cage, all in their own shows, leading up to a Defenders mini-series. Now that’s what I’m talking about. I think a Netflix series will be less constrained than a major network show and I find the approach intriguing, not to mention, characters like these will adapt well to the small screen.

Speaking of Marvel, can’t wait to see Thor this weekend. From what I’ve read and seen in trailers, this looks to be wider in scope, more of the nine realms, and a more hands on, grounded approach to the fighting and physical appearance of Asgard. And we get to see Heimdall with his helmet off = Idris Elba!

Hellraiser remake.

Clive Barker is going to pen a remake of the Hellraiser movie. That is exciting in many ways. First being that Clive Barker, the man who wrote the book, Hellbound Heart, on which it was based, and directed the original is going to write the remake. Also, Doug Bradley, the original Pinhead, will reprise his role.

The movie was ahead of its time in the themes it explored, the S&M, slasher, horror mashup. Probably a progenitor of some of the torture porn stuff today, but with a compelling and interesting story. I mean, the friggin’ Cenobites (from the Order of the Gash in the book), and the idea of LeMarchand’s Configuration (the puzzle box) are fascinating creations. And to this day, I still think the use of sound in that movie was some of the best in any horror movie, giving everything such a creepy vibe. Not surprising, because Barker made a point in Hellbound Heart, to describe how the arrival of the Cenobites sounded, the ringing bell, and the cries of people in Hell or the labyrinth. (Crying babies, yikes!) I love a movie that brings in a weird, mysterious mythology with origins in old occult, think the Book of the Dead in Evil Dead or the entirely made up Necronomicon in H.P. Lovecraft’s mythologies.

While the movie followed the book fairly closely, I think they could explore some of the themes even more in a remake, and in reimagining Pinhead. I love Pinhead’s original look and old school gory makeup effects, but some new techniques and effects could definitely liven things up.

And just to tanatalize, here are Barker’s own words, which is exactly what I would want to see in a remake:

The idea of my coming back to the original film and telling the story with a fresh intensity-honoring the structure and the designs from the first incarnation but hopefully creating an even darker and richer film-was attractive to Dimension.

I’m with you Clive, and…

What can I tell you about it? Well, it will not be a film awash with CGI. I remain as passionate about the power of practical make-up effects as I was when I wrote and directed the first HELLRAISER. Of course the best make-up in the world loses force if not inhabited by a first-rate actor. I told the Dimension team that in my opinion there could never be a Pinhead without Doug Bradley.

Yes!!!

Have a great weekend!

Winners of short story giveaway and Dia de los Muertos

Yes! Winners! I decided to randomly select two persons who commented on either my blog or Facebook to receive the Werewolf’s Devotion booklet. Aaaaand…they are Michelle and Beth, who both commented on my blog I will be e-mailing you both with details. Congrats and thanks to all who stopped by! Special thanks to Cami and Tiffany for the spotlights and everyone else who helped spread the word.

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. I had a blast trick or treating with my son. So wonderful to have a kid and an excuse to trick or treat Today is actually All Souls Day, tomorrow is Dia de los Muertos, and in commemoration, I’m reblogging an old post about honoring the dead:

Let’s talk about the dead. Of course, and especially if you live in the Southwest, Day of the Dead is a familiar tradition, a Mexican Holiday going back hundreds of years to an Aztec Festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. Here are more:

In China on April 4 is Tomb Sweeping Day or the Qingming Festival. Families honor their ancestors by visiting their tombs and leaving offerings of food. People also burn paper replicas of items that can be used in the afterlife, such as clothing, money, and cars. And now, it was inevitable, people are burning paper replicas of iPads. A must have in the afterlife.

Near and dear to my necromancer’s heart in my second book is the tradition in Haiti: voodoo traditions are mixed with Roman Catholic ones to honor the dead. People play loud drums and music in all-night celebrations at cemeteries to waken Baron Samedi, the Loa of the dead, and his mischievous offspring, the Gede.

So have a safe holiday and remember beloved friends and family who have passed. And from the blog ancentralmedecine. org, some ways to honor your ancestors, the best being fulfill your soul’s purpose as an ethical and loving person.