by Zandria Munson, author of Heiress to a Curse (Harlequin Nocturne, August 2010)

It’s not every day that a woman learns that she is capable of casting fire spells. Or that the tall, handsome and utterly irresistible man she is beginning to fall in love with, isn’t a man at all – but a dark and lethal creature, peeled from the very pages of an ancient story book — a gargoyle!

In HEIRESS TO A CURSE Alexandra Barret has always had a complicated life. She’s never really been understood or allowed to fit in, what with her terrifying nightmares and unexplained abilities and all. She’s lead a pretty secluded existence until Marius Drakon appeared into her life. He’s charming and clearly interested in her, but her senses warn her of a mystery surrounding the man. Is he married? A con artist?

Alexandra never thought to make the connection between her handsome new neighbor and the dark and mysterious shadow that has been haunting the New York night sky. She’s far too distracted trying to learn why it seems that the creature is following her, protecting her even. Who was she and why was she singled out?

Marius Drakon, son of the leader of the gargoyle clan, has one mission in New York City – to end the Drakon family curse. The Spring Equinox approaches and he will have twenty-eight days to walk the daylight as a man. During this time he must seek out the last descendant of the witch who cursed his family and conduct a sacred ritual. Then before the final stage of the moon, he must end the life of the one woman who stands in the way of his family’s freedom.

It seems simple enough, but once Marius sets eyes upon Alexandra he is taken by far more than her beauty, but also the courage and selflessness she exhibits. And as the month wears on and what he must do draws closer, Marius can no longer keep his reluctance from his family. Chaos brews as they take matters into their own hands. And Marius finds himself torn between the decision to end his family’s curse by killing an innocent, or defy those closest to him in order to save the woman who has captured his heart.

Marius’s decison is a difficult one and will take far more than a stroke of luck to resolve. What would you do?

Zandria has a signed copy of Heiress to a Curse to give away! Leave a comment for your chance to win.

Meagan Hatfield blogged this month about her new novel from HQN Books, Shadow of the Vampire. You may also have noticed that there is also a prequel novella to Shadow on sale now from Harlequin Nocturne Bites called Dragon Warrior! This ebook tells the story of two members from the dragon clan, Kestrel and Sparrow and gives more background to the events in Shadow. Here’s the blurb for Dragon Warrior:

And here they are!

For a refresher, here’s another look at the North American versions:

Which versions do you like best — the original US covers, or the new UK editions?

Writers doubt themselves.  Especially if something seems ‘too easy.’  Firebreak was one of those stories that sweeps in and almost writes itself – from idea to completion it took five days, which is unusual for me. I like to think about my stories, visit with the characters, get a sense of them.  Not here; like the demon-fire my characters face, it swept in and set me to running.

The image came to me first: a wall of fire, crackling and sharp, with a pair of eyes looking out from within.  Dark eyes, not cruel but curious, intent.  The eyes of a lover.  A man, caught somewhere between ecstasy and despair, fear and exaltation.

All right, I thought.  I can work with this.  Fire fascinates.  It enthralls.  It purifies, and it destroys.  We refer to the heat of passion, the spark of interest… How could I NOT write a paranormal romance about fire?  And how could my hero not be a firefighter one of those individuals who runs into danger, rather than away? Hot, indeed.

But what about my heroine?  Who could match a fire demon? More, who could learn from one, and teach him something in return?  I needed someone strong, yes, and of substance, otherwise he would burn through her.  But she also needed to be cool, thoughtful, to counter his heat.  And she needed, most of all, to trust.  Because when you strike the flame, you have to believe that it will do what you set it to, and not turn on you.  Fear, in a fire, will get you killed.

And so, of course, in the beginning they had to be neither of those things.  That is the heart of the story, the thing that drives them both.  Neither of my characters was looking for love, or completion, or any satisfaction.  They were trying to survive, thrust into situations that had no good answer, no easy solutions.  And that?  That was why the story fascinated me, why the image, of the man made of flames, the woman trapped within, drove me to pour the words onto the page as though only my writing it could actually save them.  Danger on all sides, great risk even if they survive, and a healthy splash of physical heat: set a match to the kindling and step back.

Five days from first thought to final draft, leaving me shaking and sweating, and worried.   I’d written it so quickly, let it flow out of me…was that okay?  Had I missed something, forgotten something? [yeah, I worry.  I sometimes even obsess]

And then, walking to meet friends for drinks, my editor e-mailed me the cover.  And it was lovely, perfect in fact, and I relaxed a little.  Just a little, mind you.  And, while looking at the image on my phone, I arrived at my destination. I pushed open the door and walked into a bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan…and walked into a crowd of firefighters who happened to be drinking there.

Seriously.  Hand to the heavens, true story.  I have witnesses.  An entire bar filled with NYC firefighters.

How could I doubt the story, after that?  Could you?

by Mandy M. Roth, author of Sin’s Pride (Spice Briefs, July 2010)

Myths and legends. They make the world go round and they go around the world. Nearly every walk of life has some form of a shifter tale or legend to tell—be it a Scottish story of a shape-shifting witch or a Native American legend of skinwalkers. There is a fascination with the subject and lure to the idea of mixing man and animal. Toss in a little alpha male and a sassy gal making his life difficult and you’ve got yourself a story everyone would lean in around the campfire to hear more of. Okay, maybe not everyone but I sure would.

I’ve had a fascination with all things paranormal from a very early age. Shifters are no exception.  When I was a kid, I never pretended to be the princess. No. I pretended to be the dragon just outside her tower. Yes, this did limit the number of childhood dragon food victims, erm, friends I had but it made for a creative imagination. That being said, it wasn’t much of a stretch for me to find happiness in writing about shifters.

Sin’s Pride, my very first Spice Briefs release, introduces readers to a pride of lion shifters who live in a tight community, all while managing to blend with humans. They don’t take kindly to outsiders or non-full bloods. Mixing of the lines simply isn’t tolerated. When Sin, next in line to lead the pride of shifters, falls for the black sheep among the group—the woman who possess only a fraction of shifter blood—fireworks explode both in and out of the bedroom. She’s not thought of as one of them and she’s surly not good enough for a man of his position, at least that’s what others in the pride think.

Good thing Sin isn’t one to listen to what anyone has to say.

by Marguerite Kaye, author of Bitten by Desire (Harlequin Historical Undone, July 2010)

Haven’t we all, at one time or another, wished – desperately wished – for something, or someone, to come along and change our life forever? Especially in the middle of the night, when all our fanciful dreams and deepest, darkest yearnings creep, unbidden,  out of the shadows. That’s the time to gaze up at the full moon, and wish.

Which is exactly what my heroine Imogen does, little realising that her vague, pent-up, longings will act as a powerful summons. Innocent Imogen, lying half-awake in her four poster bed, is about to have the most sensual experience of her life. And Vaelen, strikingly handsome, other-worldly Vaelen, who has been wandering the earth for eons, at war with his own nature, is about to meet the one women on earth he finds impossible to resist. The problem is, if he can’t resist her, he’ll kill her. And he won’t let that happen, not after the last time. The centuries-old memory still haunts him. So he vows to give her up.

Except he can’t give her up.

And Imogen, falling headlong into love and lust, wont’ let him!

Dark, deliciously sexy, and tortured, that’s what I love about the Regency rakes I’ve written about previously. When the idea of writing a Regency vampire story first came to me, I must admit, it was the hero’s tortured nature that intrigued me most. What would it be like, to have to survive by taking the lifeblood from others? What type of man would you be, if your whole eternity was spent fighting your own blood lust?

Vaelen’s solution is to take without desire. It’s worked for him for hundreds of years, though it makes for a pretty lonely existence. Just how lonely, Vaelen doesn’t realise, until he meets Imogen and passion flames between them. Hot, tumultuous passion, that sizzles and flames into hot – very hot – sex.

If only that were all, then Vaelen could slake his thirst, Imogen could slake her desires, and they could get on with their separate lives. But it’s not all, because Imogen and Vaelen connect on a much more fundamental level. They were made for each other. Which gave me a real problem, because they really, really deserved their happy ever after, but how on earth was I going to bring it about, since they face a seemingly impossible dilemma?

The solution was there all along. It’s the solution to everything, as far as I’m concerned. Love. Love conquers all, in my book. And in Vaelen and Imogen’s too. Why not share their journey. Sometimes, just sometimes, you get what you wish for!

Did you know we’re 77 days away from the last Shifters novel by Rachel Vincent? A bittersweet milestone for such an anticipated book! Alpha, the sixth and final Shifters, hits shelves (and ebook stores) in North America on September 28, 2010.

Rachel Vincent has created a widget to countdown to the release date…and here it is! If you’re a fan of the series, please grab your own code for your blog, website, Facebook page, Twitter, etc. (there is code available for all kinds of sites) to help us celebrate!

And to tease you a little further, here is the back cover blurb for Alpha:

YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FAYTHE…

The unscrupulous new Council chair has charged Jace, Marc and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder and treason. Yeah, we’ve been busy. But now it’s time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother’s death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.

It’s not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I’m heading for a final showdown that can—that will—change everything forever. A showdown I’m not sure I’m ready for.

But life never waits until you’re ready.

Are you looking forward to Alpha?

by Eve Silver, author of Sin’s Daughter (HQN ebooks, July 2010) and the upcoming Otherkin trilogy

Kai Warin, the darkly sexy hero of Sin’s Daughter, didn’t get to choose his death. But he got to choose his eternity. When Sutekh, the Underworld überlord of chaos and evil, offered him forever, Kai accepted even though the offer came with strings.

He had his reasons.

One of them was Amber Hale.

Before she betrayed him, he’d been in love with her. He died for her. He died because of her. She’d set him up. She’d sent him to die.

He’d been a good guy back then. A push-a-stranger’s-car-out-of-a-snowbank kind of guy.

Now, he’s a survival-of-the-fittest kind of guy.

And he owes Amber a debt that has nothing to do with hearts and flowers.

Actually, scratch that. Maybe nothing to do with flowers, but everything to do with hearts. Because in accepting Sutekh’s offer, Kai became something other than he had been: a soul reaper. Deadly, ruthless, he harvests the still-beating hearts and darksouls of those who are truly evil in order to feed Sutekh’s voracious hunger. And all the while he’s running a little side project: hunting Amber.

In Sin’s Daughter he finds her, and he finds out exactly how thin the line between love and hate really is. He’s not the only one who’s been looking for her, or the only one to succeed. And now ruthless hunters are after them both.

I first met Kai while I was writing Sins of the Heart, the first book in the Otherkin trilogy. Though he doesn’t end up having page time in that book, Kai has an important behind-the-scenes role. He’s a character I couldn’t forget, and I was glad when he reappeared in Sins of the Flesh, the third book in the trilogy. So if, like me—and Amber—you find Kai hard to forget after meeting him in Sin’s Daughter, don’t worry…you’ll get to see him again.

To celebrate the release of Sin’s Daughter, one random commenter will win an autographed copy of Sins of the Heart.

UPDATE: The contest is now closed, and the winner is: The winner is: MinnChica. MinnChica, please email Eve through the contact page of my website: http://www.evesilver.net/about-3/contact/ Thanks again to Eve for being with us and offering up her autographed book! ~Amy

by Lori Devoti, author of Zombie Moon (Harlequin Nocturne, July 2010)

Zombies? In a Romance? Surely not….

That’s pretty much the reaction I’ve received when telling people about my July release for Harlequin Nocturne. But yes, Zombie Moon has ZOMBIES in it. Lots of zombies.

But before you ask…No, the hero isn’t a zombie and neither is the heroine. The zombies, unlike the morph to misunderstood good guy that has occurred with vampires, stick in the role of villainous monster. At least in my book.

Because, honestly, I just can’t imagine making a zombie sexy. I can imagine making one of the creatures sympathetic. That’s very easy to do, but sexy? I just don’t see it.

But then there was a time not THAT long ago where people would have said that (and some still do) about blood-sucking, undead vampires. And what about werewolves? Who could love someone who turned hairy and ran through the woods under every full moon?

Hands everywhere raising on that question—right?

We paranormal romance readers love our monsters turned alpha hero, but I think we have our limits. And honestly, while many strange and terrible things are sexy, some things, like zombies, just aren’t, at least to me.

Here’s my list:

Big Cats: Sexy

Housecat: Not

Wolf: Sexy

Bassett Hound: Not

Vampire: Sexy

Zombie: Not

Other Don’t-Work-For-Mes: Killer Whales, Sharks, Dolphins, Giant Squid, rats, mice, rodents in general, frogs (why did that princess kiss him?), lizards, reptiles in general (possible exception of a giant snake)

On-the-Line-For-Me: Elves (definitely CAN be, but not a being that I automatically think ooo, sexy), Bears (kind of lumbering for my taste), Selkies (I KNOW they are supposed to be sexy, but there is something about that seal skin that just doesn’t work for me)

Yep, Sexy: Hellhounds (and any big dangerous canine), Fey (Tons of potential here, and don’t ask me why elves are on the line, but Fey shift to the sexy. Some things I just can’t explain), Raven, Condor and other birds of prey

So, what’s the common thread? One is they are all predators or potential predators. I think there has to be some cloak of danger around a paranormal romance hero and predators certainly offer that. They are also all athletic and agile—that lack of grace/agility was my issue with the bear. They are sleek—no poufy heroes for me. And they all have the potential to carry off an I’m-in-charge alpha attitude.

So, your turn. What’s your list of sexy and not sexy creatures and why did or didn’t they make the cut?

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by Gena Showalter, author of The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld Series, HQN Books, July 2010)

How do you write a story with a hero who can only speak lies?  That’s the question I asked myself when I sat down to write The Darkest Lie.  See, Gideon is possessed by the demon of Lies. For him, to speak the truth is to suffer an agony so complete he wants to die.  So, he just doesn’t speak the truth.

“I’m warning you to tread carefully.  I’m dangerous when I’m riled” becomes “Please, keep heading down this gumdrop path.  I’m delightful when I’m riled.”

Or, more simply:

“You’re beautiful” becomes “You’re ugly.”

“I love you” becomes “I hate you.”

As he’s learned the hard way, that’s hell on a love life.  And an author!   Seriously.  I suffered more than he did.  Especially when he began to fall in love with his Scarlet, a woman claiming to be his long lost wife.  He wants her more than he’s ever wanted another, and he’s willing to do anything to win her.  Except, she’s possessed by the demon of Nightmares and making her mad is slightly hazardous to a guy’s health.  And by “slightly” I mean he’ll die.  No question.  Don’t worry, though. She’s a sweetie.  Most of the time.  Well, sometimes.

Still.  Gideon was determined, and he pestered me constantly.  “Don’t you dare tell my story,” he said.  “Don’t you dare give me a happily ever after.”

I won’t tell you what I said to him in return.  I’m still in a shame spiral.  But it’s only because I have never struggled with a book more.  It was almost as if I was Gideon and I spent every day telling the truth.  The words were basically ripped out of me, leaving raw, angry wounds, but in the end, I fell so in love with Gideon and Scarlet that the pain became inconsequential.  Kind of.

Despite the trials and tribulations, or maybe because of them, The Darkest Lie became the most romantic – and perhaps the hottest — book I’ve ever written.  And that’s the truth!  Go figure.

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