Welcome Kate Douglas

I am delighted to have Kate Douglas join us today. I met Kate at a Romantic Times convention several years ago and though a lot higher on the author scale than yours truly at the time (or even now), she made me feel at home and included me in several discussions. She's an awesome nice lady and FUN! Love her work and love the woman...her attitude inspires me.

So, without any more yammering from me...here's Kate Douglas. And be sure to watch the trailer at the end of her excerpt. Really cool!

First of all, thanks to Lizzie for the chance to commandeer her blog today! I love guest blogging because it gives me the chance to bug an entirely new group of readers—and yes, in the back of my mind is this little voice whispering “fresh meat....fresh meat...fresh...”

Okay...yeah, sorry! I am losing it. My only excuse is, it’s been a really weird summer, starting with a redeye to NY for BEA shortly after getting home from the Romantic Times conference in Ohio—NY was two days of non-stop book stuff and then a flight home to California at 0-dark-hundred. Then it was back to work on StarFire, the third novel in my DemonSlayers series so I could finish it and start work on Wolf Tales 12, the final book in that series.

And trust me, folks...that was not an easy book to write. My editor generously offered to let me bump it up from 90,000 words to around 115,000, which meant I could expand my original premise for the book, but that’s a lot of book, and with all the new babies to keep track of (face it...that much sex, you’re GONNA get babies!) I had a whopping humongous-size pack of Chanku. And there was a totally unexpected NEW character who popped in which just isn’t supposed to happen when you’re trying to wind up a long series and put an end to things...but I finally finished it over the weekend (and believe me, writing that final scene between Anton and Keisha was NOT easy) and sent it off to my beta readers. If all goes according to plan, it will go in the mail to my editor this week, only about two weeks overdue. (I’m hoping she doesn’t notice how late it is.)

Anyway, between three trips that are more work than they sound like because I live so frickin’ far from the airport that travel TO the airport is shorter than the trip in the air, writing two books (and a novella I forgot to mention that’s a charitable donation for an anthology that Lori Foster organizes every year to raise money for some excellent causes) and putting together proposals for two new series, I’m sorta losing it altogether.

And then, I had an “oh, CRAP” moment when I realized I’ve got two books coming out a week apart—HellFire, the second book in my DemonSlayers series, releases on August 31, and Nocturnal, an anthology I’m in with Jacquelyn Frank, comes out on September 7. My story in the anthology is Crystal Dreams, which is part of the DemonSlayers series, and it’s good. I mean, I really love the way it came out—it was one of those wonderful stories that just popped into my head and practically wrote itself. Wish more of them did that!

But that’s not what I’m blogging about—what I really want to tell you about is HellFire. If you read the first book in the series, DemonFire, you’ll know that the premise of the series is that demons are invading Earth, coming in through the vortex at Mt Shasta in northern California. In the first book, Eddy Marks ends up helping Dax the ex-demon fight demonkind. They enlist the help of Eddy’s dog Bumper, a pit bull/poodle mix, Willow, a tiny little sprite, and Alton the Lemurian, a man from the legendary world of Lemuria that’s believed to exist inside Mt. Shasta. A sort of “innocent bystander” is Eddy’s friend Ginny Jones. Ginny was one of those secondary characters who wouldn’t stay out of the limelight, and she ended up catching Alton’s attention.

And that is where HellFire takes off. Alton used a compulsion to send Ginny away from Mt. Shasta to protect her from demonkind. Under his mental suggestion, she goes to visit her cousins who live in Sedona, Arizona, which, of course, is where the demons have now moved their invasion. When Alton realizes how badly he’s screwed up and that Ginny is really in danger now, he heads to Sedona to help her. Only Ginny thinks Alton is one of Eddy’s old college buddies—she has no idea this tall good-looking guy with blond hair to his waist is really a mythical Lemurian warrior—or that he carries a sentient crystal sword, which is the only weapon the demon hunters have that will stop demons.

Ginny’s in for all kinds of surprises—some Alton’s and some of her own. The story was a hoot to write and I think you’ll really enjoy it. And, if you haven’t read DemonFire, this one will still make sense, but reading the first book will make it more fun. And when you finish both DemonFire and HellFire, then pick up a copy of Nocturnal and read Crystal Dreams. I’ve got first chapter excerpts of all three of these books, along with all my Wolf Tales and Sexy Beast stories, AND my Ellora’s Cave and Changeling Press books on my website at www.katedouglas.com. But, if you don’t have time to go to the site, I’ll post an excerpt here, just to give you an idea...Enjoy!

~~~*~~~
From HellFire, Book 2 of The DemonSlayers

She’d never been kissed quite so thoroughly in her life, never felt her body go soft and pliant so that it fit against a man’s with such perfection. His angles and ridges seemed to correspond perfectly to her curves and valleys. Where she left off, Alton began. When Ginny breathed out, he inhaled. Even their hearts beat in a synchronized rhythm, pounding at breakneck speed, faster and faster, yet keeping perfect pace.
One with the other.
Ginny moaned.
Alton groaned.
She plucked at his shirt. It pulled loose from his jeans and her fingers found warm, living skin beneath. His callused palm slid against her back, skin to skin, leaving a trail of heat and sensation wherever he touched her. His fingers wrapped around her ribs and softly stroked the full side of her breast.
She arched into him, silently begging for more. Her nipples puckered up against the lace of her bra as his fingers glided closer.
A car pulled into the parking lot. Lights flashed over them, dousing Ginny like a bucket of cold water. She ripped her mouth free of Alton’s and backed as far away as his arms allowed, breathing in and out in harsh, explosive breaths.
He leaned his forehead against hers and she felt his laughter before she heard it.
“Nine hells,” he said, gasping for air with each harsh breath. “Nine hells and then some. Woman...what you do to me!”
For the weirdest reason, his curse alone convinced her. No one said nine hells. Not anyone from this world. Still sucking air, she stared at his chest. If she concentrated hard enough, she saw the leather strap that crossed from one shoulder, over his chest, and around his waist on the opposite side.
“Turn around.” Ginny stepped out of his embrace and planted both hands on her hips. Damn it all if he didn’t do as she said. He turned slowly and she saw it then, the tooled-leather scabbard across his back with that damned crystal sword glowing through the design. The jeweled hilt stuck out of the top, glinting silver in the reflected parking lot lights.
“I can see it now.” She walked around him until she stood directly in front of him again and folded her arms across her chest. “I couldn’t see the sword before. Not at all. How come?”
Alton smiled and his green eyes twinkled. “It’s called a glamour, sort of a spell I cast to hide the blade from curious eyes. If you really want to see it, or if you know of the glamour, the sword will be visible only to you. It’s a simple compulsion, one that doesn’t take a lot of energy but it works for most people.”
He shrugged and laughter crinkled the corners of his eyes. “If it’s any consolation, I learned early on that a simple compulsion doesn’t work on you. For some reason, you’re much too powerful. That’s why I had to kiss you the night the demon’s avatar—that bear—attacked you. I tried a simple compulsion to make you forget, but it wouldn’t stick. I finally had to resort to a kiss.”
“That’s the only reason you kissed me? To make me forget?” She ran her tongue over her just-kissed lips, aware of a horrible, hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.
He at least had the good graces to look embarrassed. “That’s what I told myself, and it did work, at least for a couple of days.” He placed both his hands on her shoulders. His palms rested, warm and solid, against her. “Truth? I was looking for any excuse I could find to kiss you, Ginny. I’m not sure why, but I thought you were absolutely fascinating the first time I saw you, huddled down behind that filthy garbage bin, swinging a piece of scrap lumber at a concrete bear five times your size. Even then I knew you were special.”
“You did?” That was the best she could come up with? Shit.
He grinned. “I did. I still do. I’m so sorry I got you into this mess. I sent you here because I wanted to keep you safe. I never imagined the demons would invade Sedona, but it looks like that’s what’s going on.”
~~*~~
Anyway, that’s just a teaser, and if you want more, the entire first chapter is up on my website at www.katedouglas.com. I told Lizzie I’d love to give away a couple of books this week, so if you leave a comment, you’re in the running for a copy of DemonFire, HellFire or Nocturnal—it’s entirely up to you. And if you’ve got any questions, please ask them and I’ll be popping in to check and answer.
Thanks again, Lizzie!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/katedouglas.authorpage
Twitter: www.twitter.com/wolftales
Website: www.katedouglas.com

Watch the video

Kate Douglas Guesting this week!

Kate Douglas will join us tomorrow! And she's generously agreed to give away not one, but two, copies of one of her books of which the title will be announced tomorrow!

Stop by and welcome Kate and get your name into the drawing by leaving a comment!

Lizzie

How I Came to be in Print at AMP

Given all the terrific authors at AMP, it really was a great honor to have the first two books in my DEAD series selected for their roll-out into print. You can imagine my excitement! Then a little birdie told me how it happened and now I'm not so sure. Understand it went something like this....


“Mom, do really think you should open another bottle of wine? You said you have to make a decision on which author to roll out as the first POD in AMP’s venture into print”

“Not to worry son, it’s only my second bottle. I can handle it.”

“Third.” Son rolled his eyes and shook his head in frustration. No way could he convince her of anything once his mother moved into her third bottle of wine.

“Second, third, whatever. I can handle it. After all, I run a publishing house and I’m use to a little wine in social situations.”

“Yeah, right.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, Mom.” Son uncorked the wine and pour a little into the glass his mother held out.

“More.” He poured a little more. “Oh for pete’s sake.”

His mother grabbed the bottle and filled her glass to the rim. Son envisioned a long night of pirate songs and disco dancing.

In an attempt to direct her focus back to the subject he asked, “What about the print book decision?”

“Got it all figure out.” She handed him a stack of cards. “Pin the top twelve around on the dart board.”

Son did as requested. “What about these others?” He held up several cards still in his hand.

“Oh just stick ‘em on the wall out of the way.”

He stuck the cards on the wall a couple of feet away from the dartboard.

“Now bring me a dart! I’m going to close my eyes and the name on the card I hit with my dart is the one that goes to print.”

Doubtful, Son did as instructed and winced at his mother having the sharp object in her hand, especially since she’d drained her wine glass and refilled again while he set things up for her.
Son positioned her toward the dartboard twice and she finally managed to stay upright facing the board.

“Okay, here goes nothing. Where ever this lands…decision made. That’s the name I go with.”

Plop. The dart hit and stuck. Son bit back a groan. “Mom, you hit the cards on the wall.”

“What the ….! Well, screw it. I did say the name of the card I hit is the one that goes to print. Read it to me son.”

Son walked over and pulled out the dart and read the name on the top card. “Looks like the winner is, Lizzie T. Leaf.”

“Oh crap.” Mom waved her empty glass. “Son, open me another bottle of wine. I’m going to need all the courage I can get for this announcement.”

Now you know the rest of the story…

Comments welcome!

And Here's Marie Treanor!!

You must think I'm friends with every author out there, but that's not the case. I am blessed to know (and count a lot as friends) a vairety of authors across the various Genres, and some I've known longer than others. Marie and I met when we both were newbies into the world of publishing at a house that no longer exists. Our interaction there resulted in not only a friendship across the miles, (she lives in Scotland...see how green I am...and I bitch a lot from Denver), but also a mutal love and respect of each others work. So join me today in welcoming the exciting Marie Treanor.


And Marie will draw one lucky winner from all the comments left today receive a copy of from her eBook backlist. You don't want to miss out on this opportunity, so make sure to at least say "Hi"!

Giving Birth to Blood on Silk

First, a big thank you to Lizzie for inviting me to blog today! As well as counting Lizzie a good friend, I’ve been a fan of her books since her very first release, so I feel truly honoured to be here, talking about the great excitement in my life right now.

What am I so excited about, you ask? My new book, of course. Although I’ve been writing for a while now, and have celebrated quite a few releases over the years, this one is something even more special for me. And not just because it’s my first release with big New York publisher NAL, but because it brings together three of my all time favourite reading-loves: vampires, gothic horror (you know the kind: all eerie ruins and brooding heroes and things that go bump in the night), and, of course, steamy romance.

Blood on Silk grew out of a scene in my head that had been there some time – a terrifying yet devastatingly attractive figure rising from his stone crypt and advancing on the poor woman who’d accidentally awakened him. I like my heroines to be intelligent, however unworldly, so the awakener became the academic Elizabeth Silk who’s making her reputation by exploding vampire myths. And the creature she accidentally awakens grew into Saloman, the most powerful vampire who ever existed and who was betrayed and staked three hundred years ago. Now he’s out for revenge and world domination, and because she awakened him, he needs Elizabeth’s blood to reach his full strength.

And then I thought it would be fun to follow Elizabeth and Saloman through more than one book, watching their relationship develop alongside his growing power and the efforts of his human and vampire enemies to stop him. And so the trilogy Awakened by Blood was born, and I’m delighted to tell you the first part, Blood on Silk releases in the United States and Canada on 7th September.

So, yes, I’m excited! And I’d love to share an excerpt with you – the scene that started it all off for me. Hope you enjoy it!



BLOOD ON SILK:
An AWAKENED BY BLOOD Novel
By Marie Treanor
Coming September 2010 from NAL Signet Eclipse.
Available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.


Scottish academic Elizabeth Silk is spending the summer in Romania researching historical superstitions for her PhD. While she is tracing local foktales, one subject in particular sparks her imagination. His name is Saloman, legend's most powerful vampire, a seductive prince staked centuries ago. Now, in the ruins of a castle crypt, Elizabeth discovers the legends are real. Her blood has awakened him. Her innocence has aroused him. But Elizabeth unleashes more than Saloman's hunger.

An army of vampire hunters has amassed to send Saloman back to hell. Sworn to help - yet fearing Saloman's deadly blood lust - Elizabeth seeks to entrap him, offering her body as bait. But something stronger than dread, more powerful than revenge, is uniting Elizabeth to her prey. Caught between desire and rage, Elizabeth must decide where her loyalties lie...and what the limits are to a yearning she can no longer control.

*

Leaning over the sarcophagus, she ran her fingers along the far side of it, but felt only the detailed outlines of muscled arm and hip and thigh, so lovingly carved that it felt intimate just stroking them. She stretched farther so that her hair and jaw brushed against the cold stone of his face, and felt along the table instead. It too seemed to be one solid piece of stone. So where the hell was the body?

Movement stirred her hair, almost like a lover’s breath on her skin. Startled, she jerked up her head, but before she could leap away, or even see what was happening, something sharp pierced her neck and clamped down hard.



She couldn’t move, couldn’t even cry out. Somewhere she knew she should be terrified, but in reality her brain was far too busy trying to work out what the hell had happened.

There was pain at the side of her neck where it seemed to be stuck to the face of the carved sarcophagus, a strange, cold pain that suddenly heated as whatever had gripped her began to suck.

Now the fear surged, deluging her. She felt the blood rushing through her veins, dragging from her heart, and knew she was about to die. Worse than that, the cold thing clamped around her neck grew warm, moved on her skin, and the rushing of her blood became a stream of weird, sensual pleasure. Fire and ice flowed together in her veins as she was held captive.

Everything seemed to tighten in her body - her muscles, her nipples, her clenching womanhood – until it came to her in a flash that this treacherous, paralyzing sexual response was killing her.

With a yell of as much self-encouragement as fear, she tore herself free, falling off the sarcophagus into a heap on the floor and scrabbling backwards away from whatever had attacked her.

She knew, she’d always known, it came from the sarcophagus itself, and yet the sight of the carving rising from the table in a cloud of dust drew a long, low whine from her that she couldn’t control. Her neck throbbed in agony; it felt slippery with her own blood under her questing, trembling fingers. Her heart hammered with the force of a pile driver, as the thing shook itself and emerged through the scattering dust toward her.

Not a beautiful stone carving but a beautiful, terrifying man, heart-churningly three dimensional as he yanked the broken sword from his chest and threw it to the ground. A sound seemed to hiss from between his teeth. It might have been pain, but right now, she didn’t care.

In the spotlight of her fallen, wavering flashlight, he regarded her from burning, coal-black eyes. His cloak, now streaked with black, fell around him in stiff, dust-laden folds as he walked forward with slow, deliberate strides. Beneath it, his clothing was torn across the chest, but no blood oozed from the sword-wound. His pale lips parted.

“Silly girl.” The deep, almost sepulchral voice vibrated through her entire body. “That’s no way to break off a relationship like ours.”

She scrabbled backward in a futile attempt to escape the horror, but inexorably, he kept coming…

Copyright Marie Treanor. This excerpt is from an unedited version and may differ slightly from the final, published version, which will be available on 7th September 2010.

Check out all of Marie's great books at http://www.marietreanor.com/news.html

This week's Guest

Tomorrow is Thursday and that means the beautiful and creative Marie Treanor will be out guest. Make sure to stop by and say "hi".

Lizzie

Things I Know!

1. Family is mucho important to me, but they have to realize I need time for me.

2. I am learning to say "No" and mean it.

3. As much as I love to travel, have decided unless the budget can handle First or Business Class (yeah, don't see that coming soon), overseas trips in Sardine Class are going to be few and far between, if at all.

4. I have to stop stressing myself out on the "what I didn't get done" and focus on the "what I did accomplish."

5. When a book is fighting me, I have to keep plugging and not just throw up my hands in frustration...it will come around either to my way, or me to its way.

How about you? What have you come to realize about yourself?

Lizzie

Featured Guest - Lucynda Storey

Lucynda Storey and I have been friends for a lot of years. We, along with Lena Austin, started our path into the writing world as critique partners. Tough love was our method and it helped each of us "not faint" the first time we received edits back from an editor. Quite a bit of time and lot of experiences behind us, we still support each other in our writing careers and in life.
Today, she shares her views on what makes a hero.

Heroes

What makes a hero?

According to the dictionary a hero is an “illustrious warrior; a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities; one that shows great courage” (www.m-w.com). While the emphasis seems to be masculine in this day and age there are a lot of women who should be and are designated as heroines the female version of hero. Merriam-Webster has this to say about heroines: a mythological or legendary woman having the qualities of a hero; a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities (www.m-w.com).

What I like about the heroine definition is the addition of the word ‘emulated’. This means heroic women are women to model ourselves after, women who could be mentors and guides as we as individual women strive to be more.

So who are these heroines? I posit they are the people you may live next door to. The school teacher, the doctor, lawyer, project manager, computer guru, the single mom raising her kids alone, the widow rebuilding her life after the death of her spouse, the waitress at the local pub putting herself through school without the benefit of alimony or child support.

Sadly, there are anti-heroes/heroines as well. The seductress who lures a husband away from his loving family; the gossip who enjoys ruining reputations and causing mischief; the backstabber who pretends to be a friend and in fact is doing all she can to ruin you or the life you’ve spent a lot of time building.

We all need heroes, be they male or female. If you’ve seen Salt with Angelina Jolie, then you’ve seen a female action hero. There is a host of male action heroes such as the crew Sylvester Stallone put together for The Expendables, and let’s forget my favorite, Bruce Willis, the guy that says (paraphrased) “I’m the guy in the wrong place at the right time willing to do something.”

When I wrote my cops, Case and Jack in Simply Irresistible and Refugee, I wrote heroes. But my women were heroes too. Stepping up to the plate and doing something that only they could do at that particular time and place. Using their brains and self-determination to do what is right and improve their lives, facing down the demons of their past, taking on roles in order to rescue the hurt and lost.

As women, we need to look for real life heroines to emulate. While its wonderful to think that our man would jump in front of a car to save us more are likely to say ‘that’s okay it will hit you first.”

We can’t count on men to be our heroes. We have to be our heroes. We have to look inside ourselves and to our closest, most trusted friends and emulate their positive qualities. And if we’re lucky, we’ll not only be heroic, but our man will be too.

ALSO: A winner will be drawn for a PDF copy of the steamy fantasy, BLIND DEVOTION (one of my favorites of her many books), from reader comments today.

Lucynda started life as the first born in an Air Force family. She traveled often going to such exotic hot spots as New Mexico, Texas, and Turkey. After a stint in Maine, her father settled down in Colorado, the location Cyn calls home.
Traveling, moving in particular, is as inherited trait for Lucynda. She's lived in Nebraska, Michigan (both east and west sides of the state), and is currently residing in her beloved Colorado.
Family life keeps Lucynda busy. Her son recently graduated, and her daughter is about to start high school. Her youngest son will be a fourth grader this fall.
Lucynda loves to travel and has visited some interesting places. She did extensive traveling in eastern Europe before the demise of the Berlin Wall. On her latest trip, she visited Ireland, the setting of two of her novels.

Lucynda shares one of her recipes with us today.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Yield: 4 servings
Source: “Italian Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes - Or Less!”

INGREDIENTS

- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1-1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and saute the chicken breasts on both sides, for a total of 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Combine the vinegar and mustard and add them to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Boil and reduce by a third.

Pour the balsamic glaze over the chicken and top with toasted pine nuts.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (4 ounces):
Calories: 231, Fat: 10 g, Cholesterol: 69 mg, Sodium: 195 mg,
Carbohydrate: 8 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 28 g Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Carbohydrate, 4 Very Lean Meat, 1-1/2 Fat

Blurb: Blind Devotion

In this highly sensual tale, Azari has no idea her life is about to change irrevocably. Unwittingly, she has awakened two mythical beings intent on taking her virginity. Escaping to an isolated cabin, Azari meets an unlikely protector, Tor, the High Priest of Eiliki. Together, Azari and Tor face the greatest challenges of their lives - survival. Will Tor-s blind devotion to the Goddess prevent him from accepting the greatest gift he-s ever been given, or will the dogma of his religion and his own past keep him from making the right decision?

Excerpt: Blind Devotion

Silence reigned. Tor looked about his sparse quarters. His hutch, table, globe stand, chest, and bed were all he’d really needed or wanted. While away at the temple, he cast a spell on the wooden cabin, an enchantment to hide the building from the view of others.

He frowned as he covered her feet with the blanket. The enchantment had been in place when he returned. How, then, did this woman enter his abode? Something was amiss. Her story, the ineffective enchantments of his home allowing her entrance to his house through locked doors, left him uneasy.

“Azari,” he said gently. “I need to know if you are a virgin.”

Bright red quickly stained her cheeks. “Wwwhat?” she stammered.

If she were untouched, her state would explain the arousing of the large cat animal she suspected, the cevere. “Are you a virgin?”

Her voice continued to quake. “I am.” She ran a slender hand over her face. “But, I see not what business it is of yours.”

“According to the histories, the cevere is brought forth from its lair when it inhales the aroma of a virgin. I believe this is the animal that gave you chase.” He rubbed his hand over the stubble on his chin. “Your scent is imprinted on the cevere’s mind.”

Tor watched Azari swallow. Once more, her eyes widened. He imagined the things he told her were difficult to believe. Slowly, he continued. “Listen to me carefully. When the cevere wakes, so does the dragon.”

“A dragon?” her voiced squeaked. “I don’t understand.”

He spoke with measured words. “They will both come for you. They will wreak havoc wherever they go, and not care what they destroy. If you awakened the cevere and thus awakened the dragon, one of the two will take you.”

http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/romance/erotica/blind-devotion/prod_63.html

Also coming soon to Aspen Mountain Press: Simply Irresistible and Refugee