Linda Mercury

Goddess Fish Tour: Vampire Elite by Irina Argo

2013-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Irina Argo, and her new book, Vampire Elite! Check out the giveaway at Rafflecopter!

Follow the rest of the tour over at the Twitter hashtag:

#GF_VAMPIRE

At the beginning of the twenty-first century of our era, a millennia long war between two immortal races was coming to an end. The Vampire Elite, the strongest among vampires, forced the race of immortal beings, the Amiti to become their blood suppliers, called bloodstock, locking them in their underground cells and treating them like livestock.

The surviving free Amiti make a final attempt to strike back. The Queen of Amiti is proclaimed a traitor and is executed. Her death signifies the rise of a new Queen, her young daughter Arianna who becomes the last hope of her dying race. Arianna totally embraces her mission and is ready to fight for her people to the last drop of her blood but encounters an unexpected challenge—the vampire King Tor.

They both are captured into a trap of love where they had to make an ultimate choice; to kill the loved one or to let their races die.

Vampire Elite is the epic story of a bitter conflict between two peoples, and the effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy black-and-white answers.

Based on an ancient Egyptian legend, packed with action and intrigue, Vampire Elite will pull you into the entrancing world of immortals and open new portals into their hidden universe.

Exerpt:

As the auctioneer spoke, two Sekhmi in eveningwear—a male carrying an elegant dagger and a female girl.

“She’s barely eighteen, ladies and gentlemen. That’s a good three years younger than the youngest bloodstock you’ll usually come across. Look at her; she’s stunning, simply stunning, and as you can see, we’ve kept her well conditioned, in excellent health.”

The auctioneer paused as the male Hunter grasped the Amiti’s hand and held it above the tray. The girl showed no resistance, her only display of anxiety the butterfly fluttering of her thick eyelashes. He raised his other hand, and the dagger flashed in the light as with a swift motion he slit the Amiti’s palm.

The dark, intoxicating scent of fresh blood filled the room as it poured into the vials. Simone’s gums began to itch and burn, and she covered her mouth with her hand so no one would see her fangs punching down. It was considered terribly rude to expose one’s fangs in public, even among other vampires.

But she needn’t have worried; everyone’s attention was riveted to the stage and the blood flowing from the girl’s wound. The room vibrated with bloodlust and sexual arousal.

Sekhmi approached Simone’s table, offering the Royal Pride the first of the blood samples. Knowing that all eyes were on her, Simone forced herself not to hesitate and took a small sip—and was immediately flooded with euphoria.

“For this magnificent specimen, we open the bidding at ten million U.S. dollars,” announced the auctioneer.

***

Irina Argo is a combined pen name for two authors, Irina Kardos and Jo-An Torres.

Irina

Irina’s world is dark. She works as a clinical psychologist in a Juvenile Correctional Facility dealing with the extremes of human behavior on a regular basis and takes care of her paralyzed husband who suffered a stroke several years ago. To bring light into her life she writes. Writing has always been her passion. She is originally from Russia where she was employed as a TV journalist.

Jo-An

Jo-An is a Leo, a lioness who has emerged to follow her dream, to someday write a book of her own. She owned a costume shop for 15 years and was able to satisfy and excel in her creative nature. She is an over-achiever and believes that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and ignore the nay-sayers. Her philosophy is based on Shakespeare "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves." She currently resides in California with her 5 cats and 1 husband.

A perfect party.

2013-06-17T16:20:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, The Charming Man and I finally threw the "Party on the Patio" party we had been wanting to throw for years. With the construction of my Grandmother's Memorial Garden finally complete, we invited over all our friends from belly dancers, writers, co-workers, and activists. The weather cooperated, the grill produced amazing food, and our friends brought over food, drink, and legal smokables.

Purple Nancy, Pierre, Jake, and Sarah.

Sarah, The Charming Man, Gema, and Glenn observe Kathy trying a hookah for the first time. She said the tobacco tasted of apricot, and that was her nickname for the rest of the night. :)

From the center, going to the left: Kathy, Nancy, Jake, Sarah, Gema, Gerd, Brian the Headless Wonder, and Gary's Elbow.

Brian the Headless Wonder, with his head.

Gema Sanchez. She and I determined that someday, we will both decorate our bathrooms in Turkish tiles. We got everyone looking at pictures of the Turkish baths. I told my tale of experiencing the hamam, and she shared her trip to the Alhambra.

Jim Wilburn, president of Orlando Construction, and his honey Paul Chamley. Jim was in charge of the deck project. I'm pretty sure people wanted to hire him after seeing the work he did here.

Dr. Snickerdoodle aka Brent, The Charming Man, and Mike Butry. Sorry about the goofy expression Mike. I'll get a better picture next time.

Brent brought Lemon and Saffron Marinated Chicken Kabobs - a Persian recipe for a Persian inspired back yard!

Co-worker Michael Ewan.

Lynda Ewan, Queen of all She Surveys.

Co-worker Beth Gordon.

Lisa Gumm, pretty, pretty girl!

Amber, Beth's friend and fiber nerd extraordinaire!

And Thank You to all the lovely people who kept me too busy to take their pictures!

Random photos from New York City

2013-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I was shuffling through my iPhone pictures, and decided to post some things that I liked. Just because. :)

The Footed Bowl from the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have a replica in my house, because this is one of the coolest pieces of pottery ever.

William, the Blue Hippo, the Met's unofficial mascot, and the inspiration for my first tattoo. I admire hippos' strength and ferocity.

Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh.

This is Lucy (Austrolopithecus). I wept when I saw her. It was like looking at the mother of us all.

What random things cross your mind?

Kicking my own butt.

2013-06-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

I always try to find cool music to lift me up and get my booty shaking in my chair. Here's my latest obsession:

(link to video HERE if it doesn't show up)

This song makes me not hate bagpipes!

Holding my feet to the fire

2013-06-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this cool new book, Auntie Vamp, but I've been procrastinating. So thanks to prodding Nancy Crampton-Brophy and The Charming Man, I'm going to post my progress.

Unlike the Blood Wings series, this book is much more lighthearted - less politics, funnier, and is a straightforward coming of age erotic story.

It is the story of Holly Barros-Shepherd, a young woman attending the University of Washington, majoring in international paranormal relations. (Ok, so I can't escape politics all the way).

I think Holly looks a little like this, but shyer. Not as confident as Ms. Hayek, but determined. She's just turned 21, and will be finishing her BA during the summer. Her parents are perhaps, just a teensy tiny bit, overly protective of her.

Selma Hayek

Ever since she was seventeen, she's been engaged to "the former boy next door", Blaine Harrington. Blaine and his family used to be next door neighbors with the Shepherds, but his father made good in the '90s boom and moved them to expensive Mercer Island.

Yes, Blaine looks like young Brad Pitt. What is the point of writing erotica if you can't be inspired by pretty people? ;)

Unbeknownst to Holly, Blaine has fallen in love with another woman and is about to break up with her.

Holly has an aunt, Celeste Barros, an influential and famous vampire. Celeste is very much inspired by Mae West. :)

She is bold, strong, and the head honcho for paranormal relations for the Northern hemisphere. And she takes her favorite niece, Holly, under her wing when Blaine breaks the girl's young heart.

As Celeste says,

“My dear. There are no cures for a broken heart. But the best bandages are copious amounts of champagne, ridiculously expensive shoes, and a procession of nubile men."

Are we ready for this ride? ;)

The finished patio project (and a few random photos).

2013-05-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Alma's Ganache In A Cup.

The deck is finished! After months of mud and building, we finally got some furnishings (thanks to Lowe's discount area and various thrift shops) and it is starting to look like the retreat I always wanted. But first, I tease you with some random pictures of Portland!

(cue evil laugh)

The empty cup is the remains of an Alma Chocolate's Ganache in a Cup. I was not about to stop to take a picture before I ate it.


Cherish Yesterday; Dream Tomorrow, Love Today.

Outside of Alma's, I saw this wonderful sign sitting on the sidewalk.

I call this The Retreat.

And now for the main event. :)

Candlesticks from Goodwill.

Perfect for dreaming and reading.

The Garden Gate

The Party Pavilion

Pretty lanterns light the way.

A vase from a friend's mother's estate sale.

Rain chains: elegant and relaxing.

Joe Hill on Writing.

2013-05-22T00:00:00.001-07:00

Last week, The Charming Man and I went to Powell's Book Store to see Joe Hill in person.

The Charming Man is a big fan of Mr. Hill's Locke and Key series of graphic novels.

Mr. Hill read from his latest novel, NOS4A2, answered questions, then signed for nearly two hours.

I took notes, and here are some wonderful things he said.

"Just sit down and write one great scene. It's best of you do it in one sitting. Don't think that you have to do two hundred more pages of this. Focus on your one great scene."

"I usually do about five to seven drafts." (What a relief! I get all wound up on how many drafts I write. Instead, I'm on target. Woot!)

"I'm surprised so many people come to these things; there are so many cat videos on the Internet."

I would like to point out that while Joe Hill is over 40, he looks about 25. I think writing horror must keep one young.

Thank you, Joe Hill!

Romantic Times are the best of times.

2013-05-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of May, I attended the Romantic Times Reader Convention in Kansas City, MO.

While I was there, I was so busy, I couldn't keep good notes, but I was able to take many photos!

Lori Sjoberg

Me, Lori Sjoberg, and Kim Foster

Fellow e-Kensington auther, Marina Miles.


More fun with eKensington authors!

Kensington had cookies with our covers!

Me at the E-book Expo.

The "before" picture of my table at the E-book Expo.

My "after" picture at the E-book Expo.

OMG I got Laura Kinsale's autograph!

Jade Lee, after I was eating a candy penis from Delilah Marvelle.

Kim Foster and her stash of goodies!

John Scalzi for The Charming Man!

The winner and champion!

2013-05-20T11:47:00.001-07:00

The winner of my last Dragon necklace is....(insert drum roll)...

Kimba Caffeinated over at the Caffeinated Book Reviewer!

Blast from the Past.

2013-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Once more into the past - this post is from June 14, 2010.

Jennifer Crusie rocks my socks.

For those who aren't familiar with the romance genre, a little back story.

Here's part of what Wikipedia says about Ms. Crusie:

Crusie was graduated from Wapakoneta High School, and then earned a bachelor's degree in Art Education from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.^[1] She has two Master's degrees. For her first, from Wright State University in Professional Writing and Women's Literature,^[1] Crusie wrote a thesis on the role of women in mystery fiction.^[2] Her second master's degree is an MFA in Fiction from Ohio State University.^[1] She has also completed work towards a Ph.D. in feminist criticism and nineteenth century British and American literature at Ohio State University.

So we know we're dealing with a driven, intelligent woman who loves romance and who can discourse intelligently on the themes and motifs of romance fiction. On her website, Ms. Crusie discusses her writing process and analysis of genre fiction.

I have to recommend the below essay, if only cheer about someone mentioning V. Propp's and Claud Levi-Strauss' theories on literature and myth.

This Is Not Your Mother's Cinderella: The Romance Novel as Feminist Fairy Tale.

Virtual Book Blast: Cream by Zenobia Renquist

2013-05-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Zenobia Renquist and her new book, Cream, to the blog! Ready for a teaser of this fabulous interracial romance?

Zenobia is giving away a $25 Starbucks gift card to a randomly drawn commenter!

CREAM

by Zenobia Renquist

She’s entered a world where blood, sex, and cash rules everything around her.

What do a four hundred-year-old vampire and a mid-level necromancer have in common? Money. Jeliyah needs it to pay off the people who trained her and Teaghan enjoys killing to get it. Together they hunt rogue vampires—assuming Teaghan can focus on something other than getting her in bed and Jeliyah doesn’t put a bullet in him first.

The uneasy partnership promises to be lucrative until Teaghan and Jeliyah get on the wrong side of a feud. Jeliyah is forced to use forbidden magic and finds herself bound to a man she should hate—but whom she can’t stop fantasizing about.

Every second they stay alive fuels a growing desire Jeliyah is unwilling to deny. Is it the magic? The danger? The only way to get the answers she craves is to outrun the enemy or kill them. She knows Teaghan’s preference but it’s Jeliyah who must put their mind-blowing sex aside and make the choice that will decide both their fates.

***

Did that whet your appetite? I bet this excerpt will!

***

Teaghan kicked the room door shut behind him and then laid her on the nearest bed. “At least this time you’re not glowing. Let’s not make a habit of this.”

“I feel the same.”

“Then again…” His gaze wandered to her breasts.

Images of Teaghan running his hands over her breasts and teasing her nipples entered her mind. She reared up and smacked him at the same time she brought her other arm up to guard her chest.

Teaghan didn’t react except to grin at her. “You’re flushed, necromancer. Your heart rate jumped too. My little idea get you all hot and bothered?”

She glared at him.

“No? How about this one?”

A mental picture of Teaghan yanking off her panties so he could run his tongue over her clit invaded her mind. The detail was so vivid Jeliyah felt her pussy twitch in anticipation. Damn the man and this stupid mental connection. It might be one way, but she had access to his thoughts and now he wasn’t trying to hide them. “You can’t do that without an invitation.”

“So invite me.”

“Shouldn’t you be going to sleep? The sun is up.”

“Sun’s got nothing to do with me.” He moved closer, planting his hands on either side of her legs and leaning into her. “Invite me.”

Jeliyah scooted back off the bed and away from him. Once on her feet, she said, “Don’t get all cocky just because I took some of your blood, vampire. I told you that was a one-time thing and not to get ideas.”

“Yeah, I heard you but,” he hopped the bed and crowded her against the wall, “here’s the thing. You could have gotten the same results by asking me to open a vein. A simple prick to the finger for a few drops of blood would have sufficed. You kissed me, necromancer.”

“It was a split-second decision. Back off.” She clutched the necrome at her throat and said, “Shield.”

Teaghan laughed as the shield expanded to include him. “Forget something important, did you? Your necromes recognize me now. I’m not a threat.”

Shit. She’d forgotten one of the major side effects of Recognize. Her necromes—and any others made from her blood—no longer worked against Teaghan. There was no way to deactivate Recognize either, just like an invitation once given.

She shoved at his chest but he kept leaning forward until his lips were close to hers.

He said, “Let’s talk about that kiss.”

“It was spur of the moment. It meant nothing.”

“Care to test that theory?”

“You can’t. I haven’t invited you.”

“Kissing is the one thing I don’t need an invitation to do.” He pushed his lips against hers as he forced her hands over her head and pressed his body closer.

Jeliyah couldn’t turn from the kiss, though she tried. This wasn’t fair. Vampires needed permission to enter a person’s body. Why didn’t that extend to kissing? And why was she giving in to his kiss?

Zenobia Renquist lives in her imagination. When not traveling through her fantasy worlds, she can be found in Hawaii living with her husband and two cats.

She is an Air Force brat turned Air Force wife, which means she’s accustomed to travel and does it whenever possible (so long as she doesn’t have to fly). Her favorite pastime is torturing her characters on their way to happily-ever-after for the enjoyment of her readers.

On the few occasions her muse flees the scene of the crime, Zenobia likes to read (comics, manga, and romance), go to the movies, play a few levels of whichever puzzle game has hijacked her interest or experiment with a new chain maille weave.

website - http://zenobiarenquist.com
blog - http://blog.dreneebagby.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/Author.DRBagby.ZRenquist
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/zenobiarenquist

Buy at the following locations!

Ellora’s Cave - http://www.ellorascave.com/cream.html

Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B3UYBJC/

Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cream-zenobia-renquist/1114503151?ean=9781419944659

Kobo - http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/CREAM/book-B0GDBxjujEKbzoyNiqjG7g/page1.html

ARe (coming 03 May)

Latest project.

2013-05-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I haven't been talking about my latest project because it wasn't "ready" yet, but is there such a thing as "ready"?

I'm planning on a novella tentatively called, "Auntie Vamp", an erotic coming of age story of a young woman who is dumped (via text of all things) who then goes in search of her own sexual identity. A sort of Cinderella meets Auntie Mame story. :)

http://justira.deviantart.com/art/DailyDoodle-Male-back-study-150952545

Here is a quick snippet:

Holly Shepherd was an engaged woman. And she was darn happy about it, she vowed. She would not stare at the man who stood in front of her on the bus. No. Absolutely not. Never. She would not look at the muscles in his arms as he clasped the stabilizing strap with one hand and dug a phone out of his back pocket....

That tight ass looked like he could fuck all day. Holly wiped the sweat off her collarbones. It would feel so good to have his hips between her thighs, his package rubbing against the crotch of her panties under her blue summer dress. His long arms would brace him above her, giving him a great view of her face and breasts as he teased her, promising he would enter her, but at his own pace. He would demand she fall apart underneath him….

The virtual book tour continues on!

2013-05-14T11:23:00.001-07:00

Only a few more dates are left. Be sure to comment to win the very last of my sexy dragon necklaces.

April 22: Taylor Made Fiction
April 24: Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30: Today!! Shelley's Book Case
May 3: Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7: Long and Short Reviews
May 9: Simply Ali
Today, today, today! May 14: Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15: It's Raining Books
May 17: Queen of the Night Reviews

And don't forget to check out my short horror story, Predator and Prey, now available at Amazon for a mere $.99.

As if living in a city called Normal, Illinois wasn't horrifying enough on its own. a serial killer is hunting the women of this Midwestern college town. And he has his next prey in sight...

Some More Virtual Book Tour. :)

2013-05-08T10:16:00.002-07:00

Don't we all need some Nike today?

April 22: Taylor Made Fiction
April 24: Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30: Today!! Shelley's Book Case
May 3: Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7: The Most Recent! Long and Short Reviews
May 9: Simply Ali
May 14: Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15: It's Raining Books
May 17: Queen of the Night Reviews

Best of...

2013-05-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I've taken a look at criticism leveled at romance. For example, people couldn't wait to pile the nasty notes all over the Twilight series. In response, I created a serious of articles on the phenomena and this was one of them.

***

Today, I'm going swipe ideas from one of my favorite books about romance - Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, edited by Jayne Ann Krentz.

Several themes emerge from the essays in this book. First is the one discussed a couple of days ago: Twilight and other romances are fantasies. To quote Krentz's introduction:

[T]he readers are no more confused about this fact, nor any more likely to use their reading as a substitute for action in the real world , than readers of [Robert] Ludlum, [Robert] Parker, [Dick] Frances, and [Anne] McCaffrey. (p. 5)

'Nuff said.

The second theme of the book is a shameless song of female empowerment. In a romance, the woman lives. How many times do women die in male action movies because she found a man attractive and acted on it? How many great female characters in literature are punished for daring to act on her own ideas?

Not only do the women live, all of them win. Again, Krentz:

With courage, intelligence, and gentleness, she brings the most dangerous creature on earth, the human male, to his knees. More than that, she forces him to acknowledge her power as a woman.

A cursory glance at the statistics of the causes of female death reveal the radical nature of these ideas.

Finally, for me, the most outrageous theme of romance (and Twilight) is the discussion of Male and Female. Long before Twilight came out, Laura Kinsale discussed the real truth of romance.

[For] a woman, a romance may be a working-through of her own interior conflicts and passions, her own 'maleness' if you will, that resists and resists giving in to what is desired about all, and yet feared about all, and then, after the decisive climax. arrives at a resolution, a choice that carries with it the relief and pleasure of internal harmony. (p. 39)

Long before Edward came along, Linda Barlow described the romantic hero. Sound familiar?

Dark and brooding, writhing inside with all the residual anguish of his shadowed past, world-weary and cynical, quick-tempered and prone to fits of guilt and depression. He is strong, virile, powerful, and lost. Adept at many things that carry with them the respect and admiration of the world (especially the world of other males), he is not fully competent in the arena in which women excel- the arena of his emotions, which are violently out of control.

Is this the sort of woman most women want? Of course not....[A]lmost from the beginning, I identified with the hero. I saw him as Self, not Other. And I dimly recognized him as one of the archetypical figures in my own inner landscape.

The romantic hero is not the feminine ideal of what a man should be. The romantic hero, in fact, is not a man at all. He is a split-off portion of the heroine's own psyche which will be reintegrated at the end of the book. (p. 49)

This is why Twilight is popular. We are endlessly attempting to claim and integrate our power. It's not about falling in love with the endless git that is Edward.

It is about understanding the parts of ourselves that are dark, angry, and dangerous.

On the road!

2013-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to the Romantic Times Convention! I am looking forward to meeting readers and writers in Kansas City and sharing my cool giveaways.

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3

Fooling Around with Light

2013-05-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Jamie and I went to a cocktail party held at a good friend's house. We went outside to enjoy the cooler night air and there, we found the security light by the garage door.

Getting started

A few shadow puppets later, we decided to play with the pretty pattern on Jamie's shawl.

You can (sort of) see the paisley pattern.

A better look.

Ta-dah!

Virtual Book Tour, Stop Three!

2013-04-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

My book tour for Dracula Unleashed continues!

April 22: Taylor Made Fiction
April 24: Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30: Today!! Shelley's Book Case
May 3: Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7: Long and Short Reviews
May 9: Simply Ali
May 14: Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15: It's Raining Books
May 17: Queen of the Night Reviews


Ok, so I ran out of cute alligator pics...

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3

Virtual Book Tour, Stop Three

2013-04-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Squee! Here is the review from PamM over at Racing to Read.

***

My Review

I love this series and this book is a great addition to it.

Valerie has settled in with her two men and her toddler Minerva. She thinks she is ready to have a peaceful life but she is also haunted by memories. Her peace is soon shattered and in many ways she welcomes it. The paranormal and humans peace is about to erupt and Valerie may be the only one to stop it and keep things on track. She just may have to unleash Dracula once again.

Valerie is as awesome as she always is. Whether she is trying to figure out her place in life now, motherhood, battling evil or just being sexy as always she rocks. I love how you see inside her as she battles what she was and who she is now. She may be old but she really grows in this book emotionally wise. John and Lance are hot as every and you can see why Valerie loves these two so much. I really loved the scenes with Minerva and John. Now Minerva is going to be a handful you can tell by how she acts now. I love this toddler she doesn't seem afraid of anything.

This is the third book in a fantastic series. I love the other books and this one makes a nice addiction to it. I love the thought that Dracula was a woman gives it a fresh take that if that wasn't enough to get you to read the series you also get some action packed battles, amazing people and some steamy scenes that are very hot. You get several little side stories as you read this book and you get to enjoy other characters and their struggles as well. You even get to see the weak side of Lucifer. I really hope we see more of these people cause I want to see Minerva grow up and come into her own. If you love paranormal books with hottness pick this up.

4 out of 5 Stars

***

Thank you so very much, PamM! You just made me feel like this:

The Sunshine Award!

2013-04-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

I was awarded the Sunshine Award by Maggie Jaimeson. This is what she had to say:

The Sunshine Award is a lovely sunny flower that bloggers give to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”. I love your attitude about writing and life, and frequently find interesting things on your blog. That's why I'm nominating you for the award.

*blushes!!*

there are rules....

(1) Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.
Thank you, Maggie!

(2) Do the Q&A below

(3) Pass on the award to 10-12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.

Here are the fun questions:

Favorite Color: Green! It is also currently the color of my hair. I also love the color gold.

Favorite Animal: The hippopotamus, for they are deceptively strong and dangerous. They remind me to be courageous. And otters, because they remind me to not take things too seriously.

Favorite Number: 57. It makes me smile.

Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Water.

Facebook or Twitter: I use both. I like Facebook a bit better because I prefer more in-depth conversations.

Your Passion: Connecting with people in meaningful ways (I really hate small talk. I'm bad at it).

Giving or getting presents: I embrace the power of 'and'. :) I

Favorite Day: Monday. Everything is fresh and full of possibilities.

Favorite Flowers: Daffodils. They are they heralds of hope and renewal.

Thank you again, Maggie!

Virtual Book Tour, Stop 2!

2013-04-24T11:02:00.001-07:00

My book tour for Dracula Unleashed continues!

April 22: Taylor Made Fiction
April 24: Today!! Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30: Shelley's Book Case
May 3: Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7: Long and Short Reviews
May 9: Simply Ali
May 14: Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15: It's Raining Books
May 17: Queen of the Night Reviews

When you comment, you are entered into a drawing for one of my stylish and sexy dragon necklaces.

Greatest Hits

2013-04-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jane with Heather Locklear.

Once again, it is time to get into the Way Back Machine and discover what exactly is hidden in my blog's archives.

Published January 7, 2010, here is a writing game courtesy of Jane Porter.

***

Several years ago, Jane Porter spoke at my local RWA chapter, the Rose City Romance Writers.

I'll be honest. Jane's blonde, gorgeous, petite, skinny, and looks about sixteen. I was consumed by envy. Then she gave a brilliantly inspirational speech about where your writing fits in the market.

I was expecting something very business-like, maybe a breakdown of the different publishers and what they tended towards.

Instead, she talked about the roots of your writing- the fables, myths, and fairy tales that consumed you as a child. What could you listen to over and over? What were those themes? What keeps coming up over and over for you?

The fairy tales didn't reveal that much about me, I thought. I picked.

The Seven Swans: I chose discipline, faithfulness, and sewing shirts out of flowers (transformation) as the themes I loved about this story.

Aladdin : Flying, courage, and risk.

Sleeping Beauty: Disguises, awakening to a new reality, and (what the hell) fairies with personalities.

I really flailed with these. No common themes seemed to emerge. Then we went to mythology. I chose:

Medea: Revenge, justifiable wrath, a woman who controls her life, a woman who kills, escape

The Golden Fleece: Powerful allies, justifiable wrath, travel

The Aenead: Rising from the ashes, travel, new starts

I suddenly realized why my attempts at light-hearted romantic comedy failed miserably. I had much darker stories inside of me.

I focused on the story that began, "She swam in an ocean of blood" instead of "Lola blinked." I'm pretty sure we can all tell which first sentence is far more attention grabbing. :)
(That's not the first sentence anymore, by the way ;).

Myths, fables, legends, and fairy tales are our playground. They provide the archetypes, the symbols, and the language for our lives.

Play the game with me. What are the stories that have haunted you? What themes do you carry inside of yourself?

Virtual BookTour, Stop One: Reviews of Dracula's Secret!

2013-04-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of my review book tour!

My schedule is:
TODAY: April 22: Taylor Made Fiction
April 24: Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30: Shelley's Book Case
May 3: Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7: Long and Short Reviews
May 9: Simply Ali
May 14: Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15: It's Raining Books
May 17: Queen of the Night Reviews

I will be awarding a fabulous dragon necklace (since Dracul means Dragon, after all), to one random commenter (USA only please).

***

And here is the the review from Susan Taylor's website!

Dracula Unleashed is third in the Series Blood Wings delivers a inhumanly fast paced ride.

A battle is about to break between immortal forces and then does, devastatingly so.

Lance walks amidst wreckage with the Angel of Death who determines the beings which have started this war are indeed vampires.There's only one solution. A hunter must be utilized, or unleashed. Valerie Tate is called upon to against Lance's wishes. She is wife to him and John, angel and Guide, (that's right a vampire with two husbands!!), a mother, and the huntress in this tale.

The paranormal cast within Dracula Unleashed is varied and rich giving the story an unsual twist.

First, I must say the interplay of passion between Valerie and Lance is imaginative, delicious, salacious. YUM! And then there's some pretty hot video menage that will leave the reader breathless.

I found the sibling against sibling tension a driving force, all the way to sacred ground. The constant powerplay of good against evil mesmerizing. And let's not forget, the stunning passion between the characters. Dracula Unleashed is absolutely a dark, hot read that will captivate the reader.

***

Thank you so much, Susan!

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3,

Another attempt at a video in a post.

2013-04-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well, my last post didn't quite come through the video attached, so I'm going to try again.

I was walking home from my favorite coffee shop (Insomnia Coffee, for all locals). I was in a pretty good mood and as I walked along, I started to sing one of my mother's favorite songs.

I hope you all swing on stars today. :)

My deepest condolences to those in Boston.

2013-04-17T12:09:00.002-07:00

My heart is with you all.

May whatever is Out There hold you close and comfort you.