Yasmine Galnorn's Night Veil Releases July 5th!

Hi, I’m Yasmine Galenorn, NYT, USA Today, and PW bestselling author of the Otherworld Series, and I’m here to be a guinea pig...err...guest on Jacqui’s blog today. I want to thank her for hogtying and dragging...err...having me here today and want to assure people that the pictures she’s threatened to expose are fake! Really! Truly! ~grins~







Seriously, I appreciate the chance to meet readers who may be new to me and my work, and say hello to you all. I write two series for Berkley—the Otherworld Series, and the Indigo Court Series, both urban fantasy. My books aren’t for everybody, but a lot of people seem to love them—they’re a little bit kinky and dark and filled with magic and mayhem and mythology. You can read about the Otherworld Series (which deals with the adventures of three half human, half-Fae sisters caught in a demonic war), and the Indigo Court Series, (which is set in a battle between the Vampiric Fae and true vampires) on my website.

My newest book, NIGHT VEIL, comes out July 5th—it’s book two in the Indigo Court Series and so far, feedback has been wonderful!

And with that, onto the questions.

Yasmine Galenorn

1. If you could transform into any animal, what would you choose? Please tell us, as only an author can, why you would make this specific choice?

One of my cats. My cats get the greatest treatment—they get loved, spoiled, fed yummy kitty food, petted when they want, they have plenty of space, lots of toys, kitty furniture, they go to the vet whenever they need to, and quite often end up there when they don’t and I just think something’s off.

If, however, we’re looking at wild animals…then we’re going with my black panther totem. Panther and I’ve walked together since I was a child. It would be only natural for me to transform into her. (And yes, that’s where Delilah’s panther self comes from).

2. Please share with us your most embarrassing moment with a fan or another author.

I honestly can’t think of any. I’ve had some odd moments with other authors or fans, but nothing particularly embarrassing. I guess a few signings where I was sick and had a scratchy voice that kept going in and out. Or where I have to politely ask they not take pictures because I am seriously photo-phobic. Working on getting over it, but it makes my stomach lurch when people want my picture.

3. Which do you prefer to write? The hero or the villain? And why?

LOL…both. Depending on the day. I’d rather write about my heroines than the heroes—since I tend to write urban fantasy more than paranormal romance, I find them more fun. The heroes aren’t window dressing, but they aren’t the main focus. I love writing about strong women who have odd quirks and flaws. But, having said that, there’s nothing like writing a nasty villain. The villains in my Indigo Court series are terrifying and almost inhuman. The villains in my Otherworld Series are just as nasty, but my main characters have a stronger base from which to launch counter assaults.

4. Do you have someone in your life that you model your heroes after? What about those villains?

No. Seriously, not. My heroes are modeled after the way I think heroes truly are: people (be they Fae or vampire or shapeshifter) stuck between a rock and a hard place, making difficult decisions, facing overwhelming odds, but still willing to fight for what they know is right—for what they know they must fight. Bits and pieces may be based on friends who I watch overcome incredible odds, but the characters themselves? Not so much, though ALL of my characters—villains included—have a little bit of me in them.

The villains: there are too many villains in this world, it’s all too easy to find inspiration when you look at the child molesters and rapists and serial killers and leaders with delusions of grandeur…just way too easy to find inspiration.



5. I am a woman who is 43 years old and has a crush on her 25-year-old gardener, what naughty secret do you have to share?

ROFL…well, I, too, have secret crushes but for the sake of my marriage, will keep those to myself. Fantasy is fantasy is fantasy. I once accidentally flashed the UPS man, many years back. Was wearing a sheer shirt, no bra, and totally spaced on it when I went to the door. Couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t stop grinning and his ears were bright red. After I took the package and shut the door, I glanced in the mirror and wanted to sink through the floor. He was always VERY NICE after that. LOL

6. I’ll go easy on you this time. What is your sinful pleasure? I have two. Gluttony: where I eat to much Ben & Jerry’s Pistachio Pistachio, and Sloth : where I laze in bed all day watching HGTV (Mike Holmes…mmm nummy!) or Farscape. Please be equally specific.

Well, on the diet I’m on (necessary), there isn’t much leeway, but caffeine is a major addiction of mine and almond milk lattes are high on the list. Quad shot, iced, almond milk lattes. I usually have 6-8 shots of espresso a day.

And video games. Dungeon Siege 2, Diablo 2 (when, oh WHEN is Diablo 3 coming out?), The Sims3, and puzzle games—Bejeweled 2, Drops 2, Tetris, Aquabubble, Bookworm. OH…and Plants Vs. Zombies. LOVE Plants Vs. Zombies.

7. Do you sing in the shower? What would Simon Cowell think of your performance? What is your favorite song choice?

No. Nobody wants to hear me sing. Trust me. I only sing when I’m all alone in the house and the music is high enough to drown me out. Simon Cowell would be appalled if I auditioned for American Idol and rightly so! But as far as if I could choose a song to sing (or that I attempt when alone)…hmmm…there are so many. Current faves for singing along to include: SAIL by Awolnation, I Like it Rough by Lady Gaga, and Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People. OH…and Vogue and 4 Minutes by Madonna.

8. If you could be any of your characters whom would you choose? Tell us why of course.

Camille from my Otherworld Series, because I love her fashion sense, and she’s most like me. And she has three gorgeous husbands who never let her want for attention. Who wouldn’t want to be married to a dragon, a youkai, and one of the Dark Fae? Plus she’s a witch. Not necessarily a very adept witch but she tries. And she’s got glamour. Did I mention the wardrobe? Oh—and her sisters are right there, for her. But she’s no Mary Sue character. To be honest, I wouldn’t like getting tossed around and bruised up by as many demons and the like as she does—that would be no fun at all. And with a father-in-law dragon out for your blood, life could get rather scary. All my characters get so banged up that I think the rewards of being them would be well-tempered with the hardships.

9. Who did it the best? Out of all of your favorite paranormal authors’ works, who wrote the BEST SCENE EVA? Explain.

It would be terribly gauche for me to say “a few of my own” but the fact is, I write some of the intense scenes I really want to read. But one of my favorite scenes of all time comes from my favorite book…it’s not exactly paranormal, but more what I would call from magic realism or fantasy. Watership Down by Richard Adams. Near the end, when they’ve reached Watership Down, and the rabbits are settled and have made their home, Hazel, their leader, is tired. He is resting some many springs after their adventures, when he realizes another rabbit is with him in the burrow.

“He raised his head and said, “Do you want to talk to me?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve come for,” replied the other. “You know me, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course,” said Hazel, hoping he would be able to remember his name in a moment. Then he saw that in the darkness of the burrow, the stranger’s ears were shining with a faint silver light. “Yes, my lord,” he said. “Yes, I know you.”

“You’ve been feeling tired,” said the stranger, “but I can do something about that. I’ve come to ask whether you’d car to join my Owsla. We shall be glad to have you and you’ll enjoy it. If you’re ready, we might go along now.”

And Hazel realizes that the rabbit with him is the Black Rabbit of Inle, the ‘angel of death’ and that it’s his time to go.

Every time I read that scene, I’m weeping. Even now, as I write it out, I’m crying. The rabbits were so real to me, such incredibly balanced and realistic characters, and their journey was so great and their hardships so vivid, that by the time I finish the book—each time—I feel like I can scarcely breathe. Watership Down is one of the greatest books of all time, in my opinion.

10. You are now a published author, which some would say is the pinnacle for any writer. Now that you have achieved this goal, what is your new dream? What is it that you now aspire to do?

Well, actually, I achieved that goal 14 years ago, and it was always just the beginning of my goals. I’ve been a published author since 1997, when my first book came out. NIGHT VEIL will be my 27th book on the shelves, not counting four anthologies.



When I started out, my overall goal was to become a NYT bestselling novelist who consistently topped the charts.



But I knew I had to have intermediary goals. So my first interim goal was to get my fiction published—I had seven novels in the closet. I wrote eight nonfiction books before I got my first fiction contract with Berkley, in mysteries. Then, my next interim goal was to be writing two series at once. That happened rapidly. The next goal: switch to the genre I wanted to write in: urban fantasy. I managed that three years after my first book with Berkley came out.



Then I wanted to hit the bestseller charts—with the first Otherworld Book, I hit the USA Today chart. Next goal: at least place on the extended New York Times. Two books later, with Darkling—the third Otherworld book—I did that. Then it was to hit the short list on the NYT. That came at book six—Demon Mistress (though every book I’ve had since Darkling has at least hit the extended, if not the short). My goals now? To consistently hit the short list, and then—to hit #1 on the NYT. I want to expand my audience, to reach more readers, to create an online community on my website for my readers.



And that, is just the tip of the iceberg. ~grins~ I never lack for another goal to reach, another mountain to climb.



I want to thank Jacquelyn Franks for having me on her blog. You can find me on the web at www.galenorn.com, on Twitter: twitter.com/yasminegalenorn, and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NYT-Bestselling-Author-Yasmine-Galenorn-Fan-Page/237705813865

Entwined by Fate

Hello All!



When I was asked to do this guest post I was quite surprised, mostly because people know me as a con director, not as an author, but I guess that’s why it’s a good thing I agreed to do it right?

So my name is Stella Price and with my sister, I’m one half of an author team that writes what we have coined risk taking romance. What’s risk taking romance? Well, in our definition, its pushing the envelope with storylines and subject ideas that other have not tried yet.

Audra and I write demons, dragons, djinn, satyrs, unicorns, fallen angels, and we are the only ones out there to write weresnakes as a focus. Now a lot of those subjects others have written, but not like we have. Interested? Read on.

Our Weresnake series, called KNOSSOS WEST is three naughty novella’s Available from Total E Bound publishing, and follows the exploits of three cousins, all eligible bachelors looking for love…


Beyond the Vision of Dreams:

Remy Crane, a unmated were python, has been having some extemely erotic dreams for the past week about a woman hes sure dosent exist. Imagine his surprise when he wakes up one morning and finds the woman of his dreams standing just inside the front door of the Weresnake compound. He recognizes Chrissy Stanford as his mate, albeit instinctually only, and decides he needs to have her in his bed. Little does he know shes going to become part of his heart as well.


Surrender In Moonlight:

Reece Evans, the nest bad boy and only male Anaconda in the NY nest, is NOT looking for a mate, but he is looking for a wild ride. When he goes to Dry Ice one night he meets Carmen, a viper and a rogue, and the attraction is beyond hot. When she steals his motorcycle from under his nose and then calls him to bail her out, Reece sees his opportunity for a very satisfying tryst still within his grasp. He agrees, on the condition that she stay with him a month, and be his sexy plaything. Little does he know he’s sealed his fate, Carmen is exactly the snake he never knew he couldn’t live without.


A Gift of Daybreak:

When Andy Derelle went to Las Vegas to enjoy a wedding he never thought he would be propositioned by one of the most notorious nests in the country to audition its female members for a possible mate. But there he was, with six females to choose from, females that were coveted by their own territory's men.


Fajer Copeland, the only non-venomous snake of the southwestern nest, and their most sought after beauty is not looking for a mate, and is fine with being alone. Until the night Andy shows up in her bedroom doorway.


And the 4th in the series, Entwined by Fate, is an urban fantasy novel, about the same nest’s leader, Elise being reunited with the love of her life…

Thirty females of the Ophidian race have gone missing, most from the transient nest of Las Vegas, a rogue and unofficial nest run by the Saint, John Merrick. Believed to be dead by every Archon in the states, Merrick leads a quiet and unassuming life, saving those of his race that are lost and need it most. It's a solitary existence, one that he hates every day. He yearns for his mate, the woman he left over a decade before, and the woman who thinks him dead to this day.


When Elise Rizdon gets the official invitation to the Archon meeting in Ohio by the leader of a new Midwestern nest, she never expected to see the love of her life at the woman's side, a man she was told was dead and buried. She lost him once upon a time, and she never fully recovered. Focusing on the issues, and not the man that has always made her body burn is not going to be easy. A disturbing event is on the horizon, one that threatens all Ophidian's and their way of life. In order to http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifsurvive they will have to work together, give up old grudges and take chances on the things that matter most. Love, life and the continuation of their race.


So? Interested? Well I hope so. How would you like to win a copy of one of our books in e Format? Heres how…

Go to our website: http://www.stellaandaudra.com and read through our blurbs and then comment here on what book seems most interesting to you. That’s it. Jacki will pick a winner and they will win an E copy of any of our available books.



Thanks for stopping by!



Stella




Stella Price
Award winning best selling author
www.stellaandaudra.com

IF HE'S DANGEROUS!

WHEN A CHARACTER DEMANDS HIS OWN STORY


Everyone admires a man with power. Such men are the heroes of fiction, movies, fantasies and, sometimes, real life. Shapeshifters, Vampires, and Demigods to Navy Seals, firefighters, and cops. They loom large in all forms of media from games to books.

Sir Argus Wherlocke, the hero of IF HE’S DANGEROUS, is a man of power. He is handsome(of course), in that sensuous, gotta-have-him way of most heroes, strong, intelligent, and gifted with the power to mesmerize. He has another trick or two up his elegant lace trimmed sleeves, but being able to get people to tell him all their secrets, to believe what he wants them to, and even – on occasion – do things they might not want to is a pretty powerful gift. It certainly helps Sir Argus in his work as a spy and an interrogator for his government. It also inspires the sort of envy that gets him into big trouble.

Sir Argus has skipped through some of the other tales of the Wherlockes I’ve written so I knew he was demanding his own story. When a character keeps appearing even when a writer hadn’t intended him to, that’s usually what that means. I tried to ignore him. His gift isn’t exactly an easy one for others to deal with. Sure there’s that attraction of the Alpha male, but one who can make you tell him everything and do whatever he wants? One who could take away all your will? Not one a woman would run to. More like run away from – very swiftly.

Then one day I was reading a a book and got stuck on the word resistance. Took me a minute to figure out why I kept looking at that word. I mean, really, it isn’t interesting at all. Not even slightly quirky or amusing. But I couldn’t stop myself from going back to that one word when I tried to continue reading. Then it hit me – that’s what was needed to get Sir Argus I-can-bend-you-to-my-will Wherlocke his own story. He needed a woman who could not be overpowered by his hypnotic voice and night sky eyes, at least not in the way others were. So was born Lady Lorelei Sundun – seventh child of the Duke of Sundunmoor, intelligent, independent, and just a tad eccentric.

Now I just had to figure out how to get these two people together.

Since Argus had been such a pest, whispering in my head, butting in where he wasn’t supposed to, I put him in prison. Had bad guys pound on him a little too. There was the first hole I wrote myself into. I’m good at that. So – Argus in a prison, bruised and battered. Nice for my revenge on him but a little tricky to get the heroine in that picture somewhere. It took a while but I did come up with a solution and thus begins the story of Sir Argus and Lady Lorelei Sundun. Argus wanted his lady – and I gave him one. I hope you’ll check out IF HE’S DANGEROUS just to see how hard a powerful man can fall.

The first chapter is available to be read on my website: www.hannahhowell.com
I also have a teaser in my notes section on Facebook.

VAMPIRES, SLAYERS AND ZOMBIES…TAKE YOUR PICK!

I’m so thrilled to be here on Jacquelyn Frank’s blog! Being on a colleague’s blog is a great way for authors to get to tell potential readers about their books, and I love to chat with readers—cyberly (is that a word?) about paranormal romance!

So here’s my chance to tell you a little about myself, and the three paranormal series that I write...and I’m giving away one copy of the first book in each series to three lucky commenters today…so come up with some good questions or comments.

Although I’ve always loved to read ghost stories (particularly ones with hot, sexy heroes) I was never much of a vampire fan. But then the vampire craze began, back in 2005, and I started thinking about those fanged immortals, and mulling over ideas for a new twist on them. But I didn’t really find them sexy or compelling (I know! I know!!), so I couldn’t think of a way to write a book that included them…until a friend of mine loaned me the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I got completely hooked and watched the whole season in two days, then went out and bought the next three seasons and watched them over the next month or two. I loved the show, because I loved not only Buffy and her strength, but also the take on vampires. That was something I could behind—having to slay the creatures.

Then one night, I was watching Cinderella with my daughter, and during the stroke of midnight, when Cinderella had to run away home, a thought struck me: What if she’s not leaving because of the magic…what if she’s leaving because she has to slay a vampire?


And that was how I came up with the historical urban fantasy series The Gardella Vampire Chronicles. It’s a five-book series about Victoria Gardella, a vampire hunter who lives during the time of Jane Austen. I figured it was fascinating enough watching Buffy try and balance her two lives…but how much more difficult would it be for a woman living in Regency-era England. The first book in the series, The Rest Falls Away, was released in 2007.

But by the time I finished the Gardella series, my thoughts about vampires had changed. I’d become a convert…come over to the dark side, if you will. And I recently finished a trilogy (out now) for a new Regency-era vampire romance series called The Regency Draculia. The Vampire Voss, The Vampire Dimitri, and The Vampire Narcise were all released in the last three months, and they are a completely different take on vampires…even though they are set in the same general time period as the Gardellas.

Whereas the Gardellas are about one woman—a superhero, really—fighting demonic vampires, and dealing with the three men who love her (the love story is resolved by book five), the Regency Draculia feature good and bad vampires. Sexy, tortured, compelling men who’ve sold their soul to the Devil thanks to their ancestor, Vlad the Impaler, aka Count Dracula.

These books have all of the elements I love about the Regency period—balls, manners, witty repartee and brooding earls and rakish viscounts—and mashes it up with what I love about vampire romance.

I had to come up with a totally different mythology for these vampires to make them redeemable (as opposed to the ones that get slain in the Gardella books). Those books are dark and sexy and each one is resolved with a happy ending between a hero and heroine.
As if managing vampires and building two worlds for them wasn’t enough, I’ve also dipped my toe into dystopian romance. I write another series as Joss Ware, which takes place in Las Vegas fifty years after the world was destroyed.

If you’ve ever seen The World Without Us or Life After People, you have a sense of what the world of my Envy Chronicles is like: an overgrown, green and lush urban jungle. My world has zombies in it, too, and some crystal-sporting immortal villains who turn out to be connected to what happened to the world half a century earlier.



My heroes are strong, sexy men who lived during our time and somehow time-traveled or were cryogenically frozen for fifty years and find themselves in this new world. They have the knowledge and experience from our time, and use that to help put the pieces together in this new world with what happens. They also each have a special ability that they acquired during their time-travel, which gives this series a little bit of a feel like Heroes.

In fact, I’ve often described the Envy Chronicles as LOST meets I am Legend with a little bit of Heroes thrown in. The first book in the series is called Beyond the Night. There are four books out currently, with a fifth coming next year.

So, as you can see, I think I can give almost any paranormal lover something compelling to read. ;-) I think the only thing I’m missing is shapeshifters…and who knows, maybe I’ll write a series like that some day!

I’ll be giving away a copy of The Rest Falls Away, The Vampire Voss, and Beyond the Night…so please comment and I’ll be popping in to answer questions and hear your thoughts on which series sounds interesting to you!

Thanks again to Jacquelyn Frank for having me here today!

Blurbs:

The Rest Falls Away (The Gardella Vampire Chronicles)

“Sophisticated, sexy, surprising! With its vampire lore and Regency graces, this book grabs you and holds you tight to the very last page!”—J. R. Ward

Beneath the glitter of dazzling 19th-century London Society lurks a bloodthirsty evil... .

Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long taken over the world.

In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake.

But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous, moonlit streets, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her enigmatic ally, Sebastian Vioget.

And when she comes face to face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make the choice between duty and love.


The Vampire Voss (The Regency Draculia)

"In a world where every third title seems to be a vampire story, it's a pleasure to come across a series that is as unique as Colleen Gleason's. Fresh, unique, sassy, and fun, Gleason's Regency Draculia trilogy is one of a kind, and destined to become a classic. A must-have addition to the bookshelves of vamp enthusiasts everywhere." – Maggie Shayne, NY Times Bestselling Author of TWILIGHT PROPHECY, May 2011

Regency London – a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men.

But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer's own.

Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member the Dracule – a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls – the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral ... until Angelica.

Angelica Woodmore possess the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger – for her body and her blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him – to protect her.

Now Voss must battle his very nature to be with Angelica ... but this vampire never backs down from a fight.




Beyond the Night (The Envy Chronicles, writing as Joss Ware)

“Joss Ware's vision of the future is dark, complex and sharply original. I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment in what promises to be a fascinating new series."
– Nalini Singh, New York Times Best-selling author of Branded by Fire

A man with no future...
When Dr. Elliott Drake wakes from a mysterious fifty-year sleep, the world as he knew it is gone. Cities are now desolate, and civilization is controlled by deadly immortals. Stranger still is Elliott's extraordinary new "gift" – he has the power to heal, but it comes with fatal consequences.

A woman with a past
Jade barely escaped the immortals and is now hell-bent on revenge. She trusts no one... until Elliott. His piercing gaze and tempting touch shatter her defenses, but the handsome doctor seems to have dangerous secrets of his own. Is it safe to trust him with her heart?

If they are to survive in this dark new world, Jade and Elliott must work together to fight the forces that takes them beyond danger.