And the winners are...

Drum roll please...

The winners from our last contest is:

Jennafer Lynn - Laura Kaye paperbacks.

Jessica Subject - an ebook from Kerrianne's backlist

Cathy Brockman - a digital copy of A Gift From Fate.

Many thanks to those who participated, and for your support.

November 13th HDH x

Sign up for HDH 6th November!

Everyone loves to win, right?

Okay people, giddy up!

I'm giving away books this month, and here is what I have up for grabs.

Paperback copies of the following Laura Kaye novels. I love these books, and if you love Greek mythology, you'll love them two.

 

And a second prize will be awarded, which is an ebook copy of my book A Gift From Fate.

A third prize will be awarded as well. Kerrianne Coombes will also be giving a fourth winner any choice of ebook from her backlist.

How do I win, you ask?

Here's how: Leave me a comment telling me what Greek God/Goddess you most love, or fear, and why. Once you've done that, follow the rafflecopter link below for further instruction.

The winner will be announced November 29th, 2013. 

Bon chance!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Friday Follies featuring author R Lee

Howdy all! Today is our last guest feature for a bit, so be sure to give R Lee Smith a grand welcome!

Before we get started, tell us a bit about yourself. Anything about your non-writing life.

I’m a thirty-something recently ripped from my native soil in the Great Pacific Northwest and reluctantly transplanted at the crossways of the Bible Belt and Tornado Alley, where our Brave Pioneer Ancestors settled just long enough to realize this is a horrible, horrible place and move on to the west coast.

Summer is just about to conclude here in the Western Hemisphere, so what is the craziest thing you’ve done all summer? Did you camp out in your backyard like I did, with severe weather warnings looming about?

The weather around here is all the crazy anyone should have to handle; I don’t need to add to it. Back in the northwest, summer was a very temperate75-80 degrees and lightly overcast. I went camping and fishing and hiking and threw barbeques and drove out to the beach to go swimming and build lewd sand-sculptures and go to the zoo and the aquarium and generally love life. Here, now, it is 10 million degrees in the shade with 110% humidity and I pretty much lie naked in front of the air conditioner and sweat.

Have fun getting that image out of your head.

Does your family have any summer tradition, or ritual to break in the season?

When I was a kid, we would go on road-trip vacations every summer right after school let out. Gradually, those trips dried up. Now that I’m grown, we’ve started doing them again, not at the beginning of summer, but at the end, during the Midwest’s two-week autumn season before the muggy heat of summer gives way to the lung-blistering cold of winter.

Here’s a scenario for you: Your family is just about to chillax while you’re about to dunk the turkey in the deep fryer. Moments after placing the lid on, you realize the propane tank runs empty, and you don’t have another to replace it with. Oh, and the propane store is closed because it’s a holiday, what do you do?

Hmmm. I have to begin by wondering what alien pod attached itself to my brain-stem to force me to first buy a deep-fat fryer or cook with propane. Also, why are we actually celebrating Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving? In our family, we postpone holidays until the crazy dies down. But okay, I’ll play along. The deep fryer is out of noxious gas, you say? Pull out the roasting pan we use every other year and pop it in the oven. We can eat hor d’oeuvres and watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy until the bird’s done. What’s another four hours?

What genres do you write, and were you inspired by any particular authors?

I could have sworn I was writing horror until my books started popping up on romance forums. But that’s okay, because I think too much awareness of genre can cripple a good story. One of the best compliments I ever received from a fan was, “All of your books change lanes, but this one (she was talking about The Scholomance) jumps the curb and crashes into a sandwich shop, and I still loved it!”

My father introduced me to JRR Tolkien, HP Lovecraft, Alexandre Dumas and movies like The Thing and The Dark Crystal. My mother’s bookshelves hosted Jane Auel, Anne McCaffrey, and Dorothy Sayers; in her company, I attended science-fiction conventions, got out of school to see Star Wars and Star Trek movies, and attended premiere viewings of Alien, Terminator and Willow. I read as many comics as I could afford, new and used, everything from Tales from the Crypt to Spawn to XMen to ElfQuest. My favourite authors are, in no particular order, Rudyard Kipling, Peter S. Beagle and Stephen King.

Take us through your process when developing a new concept for a book.

Let’s take, for example, my next book, Pool.

First, the Inspiration. In this case, it was a movie about a group of people trapped underground who are being picked off by a monster. Towards the end, the monster gets whapped in the head by a climbing axe/pick. “Poor guy,” my sister remarked. And I had to agree. Think of it from the monster’s point of view. He’s at home, chilling in his cave, when along come these loud, mutated creatures with bright lights and noise, invading his territory and killing his friends, completely without provocation. But nobody ever makes the movie from the monster’s point of view. Hmm.

Second, the Pictures. I’m a very visual writer. I don’t write words; I see pictures and try to describe them. So a few days after seeing the movie, I pick up one of my many notebooks and start sketching caves and creatures. Killing people, sure. Snarling and leaping and hanging from walls looking menacing, all that. And sleeping. Fishing. Nuzzling their children. Under one of these sketches, wherein a creature is licking the wounds of another while both crouch over a very dead human, I write, without thinking, “Peace returned to their lives, for they were peaceful, really. Not in the same way as modern men would have reckoned peace, but the modern age had largely passed them by, and their ways were peaceful enough.” Hmmmm.

Third, the Idea. Over the next several weeks, the thought of underground creatures turns over in my head, along with vague character impressions of the people who will inadvertently be invading them. Scenes suggest themselves, but I do not write them down. I start researching pit mines and when/why/where one of them might be abandoned. Secondary characters on both sides begin to make themselves known. The sketches in my notebook start to get names: Hayley and Kyson. Echo. Norah. Pool.

Finally, the Pieces Line Up. For another month or three, I work on editing my current book and think about Pool in my odd moments. I have several solid ideas now and several unwritten scenes, but I make it a rule (I broke it only once) never to start writing unless I have a beginning and an ending. I have the beginning of Pool clear in my mind. The ending is a big, black blank until suddenly it’s not. I think it over for a day or two, pull out an index card and jot down the working title and a few names, then put it up on the board over my desk next to cards like The Bull of Minos, Coyote Rose, and The Bone Tree. As soon as The Last Hour of Gann goes live, I will pull all my Pool notebooks out and begin writing.

Summer is one of the seasons where weather can impact everything whereas plans are concerned. What do you, or your family do when you’re rained out?

My parents were foster parents for dozens of children when I was growing up, most of them children with disabilities, so special events (and even grocery shopping) had to be planned out in advance and everything could change at a moment’s notice. Now that I’m grown, having the freedom to just hop in the car and go wherever I want, whenever I feel like it, is still a little staggering at times. When the weather gets nasty—and here in the Midwest, it does not kid around when it gets nasty—I don’t mind so much changing my plans to stay in and watch a bad movie instead of going out. If the power blips, I can still read or write. The last time we lost power for more than an hour, my sister and I roasted smores over a candle in the living room and played Scrabble.

Tell us about your latest release. 

This weekend, I’ll be releasing The Last Hour of Gann. It should go live on Amazon Kindle immediately. It may be a little while before its available for the Nook. Plans to get my stuff on Kobo, ARE and Smashwords are in development, but proceeding slowly.

It was her last chance

Amber Bierce had nothing left except her sister and two tickets on Earth’s first colony-ship. She entered her Sleeper with a five-year contract and the promise of a better life, but awakened in wreckage on an unknown world. For the survivors, there is no rescue, no way home and no hope until they are found by Meoraq—a holy warrior more deadly than any hungering beast on this hostile new world…but whose eyes show a different sort of hunger when he looks at her.

It was his last year of freedom

Uyane Meoraq is a Sword of Sheul, God’s own instrument of judgment, victor of hundreds of trials, with a conqueror’s rights over all men. Or at least he was until his father’s death. Now, without divine intervention, he will be forced to assume stewardship over House Uyane and lose the life he has always known. At the legendary temple of Xi’Matezh, Meoraq hopes to find the deliverance he seeks, but the humans he encounters on his pilgrimage may prove too great a test even for him…especially the one called Amber, behind whose monstrous appearance burns a woman’s heart unlike any he has ever known.

From R. Lee Smith, author of Heat and Cottonwood, comes an epic new story of desire, darkness and the dawn that comes after The Last Hour of Gann.

WARNING: This book contains graphic violence, strong sexual content and explicit language. It is intended for mature readers only.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I’ll be hard at work on Pool presently and hope to have it up and running next year. After that will be either The Bull of Minos, my retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, or Coyote Rose, a story which began as a NaNoWriMo challenge in which we adopted the mutual themes of love and death. After that, there are a number of index cards up on the ol’ cork board and new ideas swimming around in the back of my brainpan, but we’ll just have to wait and see what shakes out.

Thanks for hanging with us today! 

Sign up for HDH Here

Friday Follies: Interview with author Thea Landen

Morning all! Today we're featuring sci-fi author Thea Landen, so be sure to give her a warm welcome!

****

Before we get started, tell us a bit about yourself. Anything about your non-writing life.

I work in the legal profession, and I see a LOT of crazy stuff. I sometimes joke that I don’t write a lot of contemporary fiction because it would never compare to the stories I hear at work. I’ll stick to sci-fi/fantasy and action/adventure, where the plots and characters are supposed to be outrageous!

Summer is just about to conclude here in the Western Hemisphere, so what is the craziest thing you’ve done all summer? Did you camp out in your backyard like I did, with severe weather warnings looming about?

I went on a (much needed) vacation to St. Lucia for a week in July. I didn’t get *too* crazy, but I did try paddleboarding, and I did dance on the roof of a boat during a sunset cruise! (There might have been some alcohol involved in the latter….)

Does your family have any summer tradition, or ritual to break in the season?

My husband is a teacher (I used to be one too, actually), and while I’d like to say we do something fun and exciting to kick off the summer, we really do nothing other than celebrate the ability to sleep late more often.

Here’s a scenario for you: Your family is just about to chillax while you’re about to dunk the turkey in the deep fryer. Moments after placing the lid on, you realize the propane tank runs empty, and you don’t have another to replace it with. Oh, and the propane store is closed because it’s a holiday, what do you do?

(This is assuming I’d be deep frying turkey in the first place!) My father is an engineer with a type-A personality who enjoys outdoor cooking. In this scenario, I’d know for a fact without even having to check that he’d have at least one extra propane tank on hand. Less than a 40-minute round trip and the problem would be solved! (That is, if he didn’t already bring one along in case of such an emergency.)

Your blog profile notes that you’re into RPG’s, which one’s in particular do you fancy? I lurve RPG’s, though lately the only ones the hubby and I play, are of the video game sort. ;-)

Phantasy Star is one of my all-time favorite series, and it’s easy to see the influence in my writings. I also love love LOVED Dragon Age II, and I have Origins on my to-do list. I just finished up Mass Effect 2 and I’ll be moving onto the third game in that series as soon as I proofread and submit my current manuscript!

Take us through your process when developing a new concept for a book.

Ideas come from all sorts of places. I try not to have too many projects going at the same time, but I’ll spend plenty of sleepless nights thinking about all the ideas that are next on the list. When it’s their turn to be written, sometimes I’ll sketch out a basic outline, but the key points are already pretty firmly in my head by that time. Recently, I started doing some chapter outlines, and I think those help me stay organized.

Minor details, though, I’ll just start writing and see what comes out!

I see you’re also a contributor to an anthology The Big Book of Orgasm. Tell us more if you can.

Oooh, that one was a challenge. The word count limit was 1200, and I’m sure everyone thinks, “Oh, 1200 words, that’s easy! Anyone can do that!” Sure, anyone can write 1200 words, but establishing plot and characters and not going over that limit? Thaaat’s a little harder. My first attempt failed (I couldn’t get it short enough and still tell the story!), and I finally trimmed down my second attempt into something I was happy with (the one that was accepted). It’s a bit of a departure from my other writings (contemporary setting, first person present tense POV), but I’m thrilled to have contributed to the book!

Okay, one last what if scenario. You’re at the beach, or on a cruise with that special someone in your life. You’re enjoying the peace of be child free for a few days, and are in the company of other adults. As you’re going down a water slide, you lose your bikini top, or have some kind of wardrobe malfunction along those lines. What do you do? (Try to have fun with this one. I’m the queen of wardrobe malfunctions, and could promise you there is no way Janet Jackson could have me beat. If you’d rather not answer this, I’m cool with that too.)

Eh, a fair number of people have already seen me topless and I’m no stranger to embarrassing moments. I’d like to think I wouldn’t worry too much, or do anything frantic that would involve slipping and whacking my head on the side of the pool, resulting in serious brain injury. If my towel wasn’t nearby, I’d “borrow” one from someone else, wrap it around my chest, and then go see if I could fetch my bikini top from the slide. And once it was back in my hands, I’d probably dip into a little curtsey for the crowd of onlookers that was sure to gather.

Summer is one of the seasons where weather can impact everything whereas plans are concerned. What do you, or your family do when you’re rained out?

I prefer staying inside in the air conditioning anyway! This summer, I actually worked a ton, rain or shine. When I wasn’t slaving over work 24/7 (which, during the month of August, was practically never), I tried to write as much as I could, and I even had time to read a couple books on vacation!

(Something had to give, and that something was the video games. I’ll just have to catch up this fall!)

Tell us about your latest release. 

Sure thing! I never thought I’d write a sequel, but here it is. Sometimes I try to write deep and powerful stories. Other times, you need something a little fluffier to cleanse the palette, right? The Searching the Skies series is my “ménage in outer space” series, for no other reason than because it’s fun. And sometimes that’s all the reason you need.

Blurb: In addition to her distinguished career with the Terran military, Commander Geneva Greyson has finally achieved harmony in her personal life. Her renewed relationship with her mother has grown stronger and she’s settled into a comfortable arrangement with the two men she loves. Marcus confesses a dark fantasy to her while she’s on leave from duty—not only does he have feelings for her, he’s developing an attraction to Ash.  He begs Geneva not to reveal his secrets before Ash arrives to spend the weekend with them.

The officers return to their posts after a relaxing, decadent visit. They learn of a distressing event upon completing a week-long mission: A terrorist group has organized a strike and taken hostages in their efforts to attract attention to their cause. When Geneva discovers Marcus is listed among the missing, she disobeys her orders and sets out to join the reconnaissance team with Ash by her side. Will they find Marcus before it’s too late for him to affirm his desires?

Buy Links:

http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-116-1

http://www.amazon.com/Defying-The-Skies-ebook/dp/B00DSQ9JFA/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/defying-the-skies-thea-landen/1116373331?ean=9781771151160

Excerpt:

The smile faded from Geneva’s face. She slid closer to Marcus and rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Everything’s still...okay with all of us, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean with you, and me, and Ash.” She struggled to find suitable words. “The three of us together. You’re still fine with the current arrangement?”

“I am.”

“And you’d tell me if you weren’t?”

Marcus inched his head back to look at her. “Geneva, other than some natural disappointment over not being able to see you whenever I’d like, I have no complaints. I’m satisfied with the way things are working out. In fact....”

She waited for him to finish his sentence. No further words were spoken. “Yes?”

“Never mind.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

She propped herself up on her elbow. “You were going to say something else. Come on, you can tell me.”

Marcus stared straight up at the ceiling, avoiding her inquisitive gaze. “I’m not sure how to phrase this.”

“You’re not delivering a proposal to your colleagues at your company. Just say it already.”

He blew out a stream of air, ruffling the floppy hairs that crossed his brow. “You know how grateful I am that we’ve rekindled our friendship, and even moved on to something more. And through you, I’ve grown to know Ash better and consider him one of my closer companions, for obvious reasons.”

“Uh-huh.”

“A lot has happened ever since you first came back here. And whenever you’re gone, I have time to really think about the relationship between all of us and what it means.” He glanced up at her. “All good things, I promise.”

“I would hope so!” Geneva ran the back of her fingers along his arm in a reassuring stroke. “So what’s got you so tongue-tied all of a sudden?”

Marcus let out a second sigh. “A year ago, if someone had told me I’d be sharing my bed with another man every now and then, I would have said they were crazy. And I know we were all a little skeptical at first, but I really did just want to make you happy because I was terrified of letting you slip away.”

“I’m still not seeing what the issue is.”

“I’m trying, I’m trying. Bear with me.” He rubbed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

“I care about you, and I love how you make me feel, all the things you do to me. Then there’s Ash, who I’ve also developed some sort of intimate connection with, and he’s there with us in the heat of the moment, and....”

“And?”

“We’ve always focused all our attention on you, and you on us individually, which is perfectly fine. As I said, I’d do just about anything for you. The look on your face when you’re with both of us is a substantial reward.” His eyes remained shielded from view. “That look is actually part of what’s been haunting me. I’ve watched the two of you together. When you’re clinging to me as he’s moving inside you, sheer bliss illuminating every part of your body...sometimes my mind just can’t help but wonder what....”

Realization set in as he trailed off. “You’re attracted to Ash.”

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I just finished my first major F/F project. It was a challenge (OH GOD THE PRONOUNS) and I’m glad I did it, but I don’t think I’ll be doing another full F/F book for a loooong time. Next in the planned lineup, I have two novellas in a futuristic sci-fi setting, plus the next book in the Searching the Skies series.

Thanks for hanging with us today! I hope you had fun, and we’re glad to have had you over.

Sign up for HDH 18th September x

Friday Follies Interview w/Kenzie Michaels

Howdy all! Today we've got Kenzie Michaels visiting. Be sure to give her a warm welcome.

Before we get started, tell us a bit about yourself. Anything about your non-writing life.

Thanks for having me today Layna!  I’m the mother of three, grandmother of one, and ‘Aunt Kenzie’ to the neighbourhood kids.  I’m a karaoke fiend, thanks to my partners-in-shennaigans BC Brown and Melissa Bennett.  We reside in the southwest corner of Indiana, the former capital of the NW territory, and recently adopted a docile pit bull, who was only supposed to stay here ‘one night’.  It’s almost been a month, so he’s ours now!

Summer is just about to conclude here in the Western Hemisphere, so what is the craziest thing you’ve done all summer? Did you camp out in your backyard like I did, with severe weather warnings looming about?

No, our summer was pretty tame.  The only crazy thing we did was while on vacation in Colorado.  We saw rain approaching while at the Go-Kart playland, and instead of herding the kids toward the car, we stayed, hoping it would blow over.  It didn’t, and while the kids made a dash for the go-Kart building, the spouse and I huddled under the bumper boat awning and got soaked from the knees down.  It finally tapered off enough so we could run to join our dry children, lol.

Does your family have any summer tradition, or ritual to break in the season?

I like to attend the Indy 500 the day before Memorial Day; we usually cook burgers, brats, and/or hot dogs when I get back the next day.  Otherwise, the kids just look forward to going to the local pool.

Here’s a scenario for you: Your family is just about to chillax while you’re about to dunk the turkey in the deep fryer. Moments after placing the lid on, you realize the propane tank runs empty, and you don’t have another to replace it with. Oh, and the propane store is closed because it’s a holiday, what do you do?

Plan B:  Put bird in oven and chow down on already cooked items til it’s ready.  Or the hubby just said we’d put charcoal under the fryer and we’re good to go!

Okay, one last what if scenario. You’re at the beach, with your kids/grandkids. Your muse strikes again, only this time you don’t have a pen, only your eyeliner in your purse. You’ve suddenly lost your notepad and all you have is one last napkin. To make this even more interesting, your child/grand-child has got food all over his face. Do you save the napkin to write your idea down, and suggest the kidlet to hop into the water and wash off? Or, do you use the napkin to clean him/her up, and use the eyeliner to write on your hand, arm, or leg? LOL

Weeell, first of all, I don’t use eyeliner!  I’d tell the child to go wash off in the ocean and I’d use lipstick to write something down or go off in search of anyone with a pen.

Summer is one of the seasons where weather can impact everything whereas plans are concerned. What does your family do when you’re rained out?

Go do whatever the next day or if we’re traveling, then make the best of it. 

Tell us about your latest release. 

Off The Clock was inspired by the leader of my local writer’s group.  I’d only been a member for a few weeks when he proposed an anthology, using one place of business as the setting, and we would all take a different character/worker and write what their lives were like after clocking out for the day.  My brain kicked into gear, and over the next week, wrote the first chapter or so.  But when I presented my rough draft the next meeting, he said they had planned on a different restaurant-style place.  I kept working on it, wanting to see where it was going, and the antho never did get off the ground.  So I kept the title and put it away, never dreaming a year later I’d write another story and Austin would ‘insist’ I add him to it!  My stand-alone book suddenly became book #3 in a trilogy.

Blurb: 

Austin Harmon is intrigued by his quiet, efficient new administrative assistant. Why does she have an obsession with her watch, and what does she do after hours?

Cara has put her social life on hold while caring for her elderly mother. But after her boss helps her through a crisis, she can't deny their attraction. Romance and Alzheimer's don't mix... or do they?

Excerpt #1:

“Austin! Where did you find her?” His best friend Ryan clapped him on the back. “She’s fantastic, man! Nothing like Leslie.”

“She answered my ad in the paper. She’s my office assistant.” Austin Harmon took a sip of his drink and followed her with his eyes as she paused to speak with an elderly couple.

“You lucky dog! You banging her or is she taken?” Ryan adjusted his striped tie.

A flash of anger welled up. “Stay away from her,” Austin warned. “Leslie left my office records a mess and Cara finished sorting everything out today. She’s a dream come true.”

“I’ll say. And are you kidding? Andrea would string me up alive if she even caught me looking at another woman. I was just thinking of you, man.” Ryan smiled and held out his hand.

Austin shook it. “After the Leslie fiasco, no more office romances. Harmony House doesn’t need any more visits from the Health Department.”

Buy link:  http://www.freyasbower.com/contemporary-c-7/off-the-clock-p-285.html

ARE:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-offtheclock-1216475-340.html

Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/Off-Clock-Anderson-Chronicle-ebook/dp/B00D3D3AQW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370099172&sr=1-1&keywords=off+the+clock+kenzie+michaels

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

While we were in Colorado, a possible sequel to Wild At Heart arrived in my brain.  I’m only on the 2^nd chapter, so I’ll see where it goes.  I’ve also got ten other partial WIPs, so I need to carve out time to write again.

Thanks for hanging with us today! I hope you had fun, and we’re glad to have had you over.

Thanks again for having me here today!

Sign Up for HDH 11th Sept

Friday Follies Featuring Alexandra Anthony

Morning lovelies! Today, we've got the lovely Alexandra featured today. Be sure to give her a warm welcome!

Before we get started, tell us a bit about yourself. Anything about your non-writing life.

I’m a stay at home Mom that also home schools my daughter.   I’m a huge Walking Dead Fan (as well as being a bit vamp crazy).  In my spare time (HA), I like to sit down and read - my TBR list is about a mile long at this point.  It’s a positive and negative about being an author – finding terrific books that you can never read!

Summer is just about to conclude here in the Western Hemisphere, so what is the craziest thing you’ve done all summer? Did you camp out in your backyard like I did, with severe weather warnings looming about?

Hmm, the craziest thing I did this summer was attending Fandomfest - and standing in line for over seven hours to meet Norman Reedus.!  It was well worth the wait – he was awesome to his fans!

Do you have any summer traditions, or a ritual to break in the season?

My daughter’s birthday is July 6^th, so we always set off fireworks for her birthday/July 4^th Holiday. 

Do any of your vamps walk during the day? And if they do, how would they pass a bright summer day?

Yes, all of my vamps are day walkers.  Their eyes are sensitive to light, but with sunglasses, they manage to do everything their human counterparts do…just a little better!

How would Josephine Anderson spend a hot summer’s weekend?

I would say she’d probably spend it with Stefan…but I doubt he’d keep you cool!

Summer is one of the seasons where weather can impact everything whereas plans are concerned. What do you do, when you’re rained out?

I always have a contingency plan.  This July 4^th it rained off and on, so we set up umbrellas and stood under them while we fired them off.   I suppose you could say I’m a bit of a control freak!

Tell us about your latest release.

Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) was just released on Wednesday.  It’s my hero, Stefan’s POV for Fated and Illusion.  We also see a bit of Stefan prior to his human death and his struggle with immortality.

Here is a the blurb for Odyssey:

In this first Companion Piece to The Vampire Destiny Series, we follow our hero, Stefan Lifsten, from the time of his human death, through his early years as a vampire until he meets Josephine Anderson, his fated mate.

We’ll travel along with him during his initial struggles to accept his immortality, his betrayals by friends and foes, and experience his joy of meeting the woman from his vision…experiencing Fated and Illusion through his eyes.

This book is a Companion to The Vampire Destiny Series and will feature missing scenes and character information.  While this book can be read as a stand-alone book, it is highly recommended that you read Fated and Illusion to fully experience this book.

This book contains sexy vampires, graphic language and highly erotic scenes that are not for those 18 and under or are of the faint of heart.  Consider yourself warned.

It’s live on Amazon…http://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Vampire-Destiny-Companion-ebook/dp/B00EZ8A4FE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378338384&sr=1-1&keywords=odyssey+alexandra+anthony

Smashwords… https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/354251

Here is a small excerpt from Odyssey:

1862, Amsterdam

Nearly 500 years had passed.  Alone, I traveled and watched nations rise and leaders fall.  I had seen death and destruction.  Adapting with the changing times, I marveled at the inventions of technology and along the way, I accumulated great wealth.  I had only been in Amsterdam for three years when I met Lukas Meijer.  He was the proprietor of a small bookseller near my home.  We had struck up a strange friendship over numerous discussions of philosophy and world events when I frequented his storefront.  I did not make it a habit to search out and befriend humans, yet this eccentric man had managed to pique my interest.  Perhaps it was his sharp wit.  Or possibly the fact he sensed I was something more than human and accepted me for my differences.  Regardless, I came to enjoy my discussions and time spent with this strange man that also did not seem to fit the mold.

He was nearly a decade older than me in human years and for a mortal being, he was strikingly handsome, almost aristocratic in nature.  His angular face held an intelligence I had not encountered in centuries.  His pale blue eyes were quietly watchful, observing and cataloging.  He also had an acidic tongue and was quite open with his opinions.

He had told me his family had been wealthy and had spared no expense when it came to his education.  They had died when he was a young man and had no siblings.  As open as he was to me, it became clear why he had decided to tell me.  It was clear that Lukas knew I was not human and longed for the same, yet would never ask.

Nothing could have prepared me for this moment as I sat by Lukas' bedside, a battle warring within me.  He was hovering near death; his lungs filling with fluid and his breaths coming in rasping pants.

My head bowed as I inhaled deeply.  When I looked up, I brushed my much shorter hair back from my eyes, and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Lukas, you are dying."

His eyes fluttered closed and his clammy hand grabbed at mine.  "Yes, I am not long for this earth Stefan.  It is time you told me the truth.  You do not have to hide anymore."

His words hit me powerfully.  I made no effort to look away or move.  I simply began to talk.

Years of memories spilled from my lips.  I told him of my homeland, the few things I remembered from my human life.  The recollections were difficult for me to discuss because I remembered so little.  Every detail about my maker, down to my hand in her demise and my witnessing of her murder was told.  I explained my position on the Council, my penalty for Solveig’s misdeeds…they were words I had never spoken aloud to another mortal—or immortal for that matter.

After I finished, I was amazed at his response.  He did not shy away when I told him of what I was or the things in my past.  He simply listened and watched me with his impenetrable stare.  His eyes were soft and filled with empathy as he chose his response.

"I am honored that you told me.  However, I feel as if you are not telling me everything there is to tell.  You are holding something back, Stefan."  Lukas coughed weakly and he gave my hand a squeeze.  "There is something you are looking for or you would have ended this existence years ago."

Leaning back slightly in the chair, I smiled at my dying friend.  He was correct, of course.  There were times I contemplated revealing myself to humans and ending my life.  I had been alone for many years, sent on missions of torture and destruction.  Whenever my spirits flagged, there was something buried deep inside that kept me going.  I delved further into my mind, the vision of the woman that was to be my fate and my destiny easily came to the forefront of my thoughts.  It had been that way since I had envisioned her 50 years ago.  She was impossibly beautiful; with long copper hair that hung in wild waves down her back.  Her vibrant green eyes were large over her prominent, high cheekbones.  She was luminous, absolute perfection.  All other women paled in comparison to her beauty.

My silence had garnered a knowing smile from my dying friend.  “I see I am correct.”

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Coming up next is the second book in The Dark Hart Chronicles, Rapture.  It will be out in the late fall/early winter of this year.

Thanks for hanging with us today! I hope you had fun, and we’re glad to have had you over.

Sign up for HDH 4th September x

Friday Follies: Featuring Sarah Cass

Sorry guys, I really love this pic. It's been that kind of week.

So glad to have you here today, Sarah!

Before we get started, tell us a bit about yourself. Anything about your non-writing life.

I’m the mother of 3 kids, each with special needs. I have two children with Cystic Fibrosis and one with Autism.  They are the light of my life and make my every day worth it.

Beyond that I’m a knitter, a crocheter, a sewer, a photographer, a singer and a dancer. I love all the creative arts and do whatever I can with them when I can.

I blog about it all on my personal blog: Redefining Perfect (http://redefiningperfect.com)

Summer is just about to conclude here in the Western Hemisphere, so what is the craziest thing you’ve done all summer? Did you camp out in your backyard like I did, with severe weather warnings looming about?

Unfortunately for me, this summer was pretty mild. Our truck had broken down and I had no transportation or anything like that. If you’d asked me last year I’d have plenty to tell you. I did a zip line course, I’d dyed my hair with purple highlights, I did rock climbing - I had a lot of fun last summer.

Does your family have any summer tradition, or ritual to break in the season?

Summer is the time of the neighborhood hangout.  It starts once the weather is warm enough to gather outside.  All the kids play together and the adults hang out and chat, play cornhole (bean bag toss) or euchre.  I live in the best neighborhood.

Here’s a scenario for you: Your family is just about to chillax while you’re about to dunk the turkey in the deep fryer. Moments after placing the lid on, you realize the propane tank runs empty, and you don’t have another to replace it with. Oh, and the propane store is closed because it’s a holiday, what do you do?

Cry.

LOL. I don’t handle sudden changes in plans well and I usually cry and throw a fit…THEN I get around to resolving it.  So most likely after I pitch a fit I’ll get the turkey out of the fryer fast as possible and set it up to be roasted instead.

Of course, I don’t cook turkey in a fryer so that would never actually happen. ;)

You seem to write with an avid interest in the old west; what do you find most appealing about that time frame?

Everything.  I’ve been fascinated with the old west since I first picked up the Little House series when I was four.  It started with the clothing. Oh, how I LOVE the clothing of the era. The bustles, the skirts, the corsets, the hats – I love it all.  After that I love cowboys, I’m fascinated with Native Americans, and I don’t even care that it was a dirty, smelly, dangerous time…that just adds to my love of it.

What would be the customary drink for that era, on a hot day?

Water with a touch of ginger to prevent stomach cramps, because most likely on a hot day you were working hard to put food on the table in some fashion.  During celebrations or on special occasions lemonade might be provided.

What would be your choice of drink for a real hot, and muggy day in the mid-west?

Water is the best bet. I’m truly addicted to pop, but this year I’ve made a concerted effort to drink more water and it really is best with as hot and muggy as it gets around here.

Okay, one last what if scenario. You’re at the beach, or on a cruise with that special someone in your life. You’re enjoying the peace of be child free for a few days, and are in the company of other adults. As you’re going down a water slide, you lose your bikini top, or have some kind of wardrobe malfunction along those lines. What do you do? 

I would scoop my knockers up off the ground where they scrape after 3 kids and laugh it off.

Okay, seriously, I would laugh it off, even as I covered myself up.  Truth is, though…until after a good diet or plastic surgery I doubt I’d be wearing a bikini top to lose…but I’d still manage to make a fool of myself in some other way…like falling face first into a buffet or something equally goofy. :D

Summer is one of the seasons where weather can impact everything whereas plans are concerned. What does your family do when you’re rained out?

BOARD GAMES!  I have a bunch of them, and seem to have a predilection for getting every version of Trivial Pursuit I can because I’m determined to have enough versions of the game that everyone can manage to do well. Lol.  The kids favorite is Sorry and Uno, mine is Trivial Pursuit (obviously) and Scrabble.

Tell us about your latest release. 

Derailed is the second book in my Dominion Falls Series (Dark Territory, book 3, will be out in September). 

Blurb:

The sins of a past she can’t remember could destroy a present she’ll never forget.

The crimes of her forgotten past threaten the very life Jane Doe has learned to cherish.

Jane is out of time. With a warrant on her head, a maniac out for her blood, and a secret baby on the way, something has to give.

Without Cole Mitchell's help to find the answers, there may be no hope left.

Cole has nowhere left to hide. He unwittingly let Jane into his heart, and is ready to share the secret of his dark past.

Fate has a way of playing its hand, and tragedy strikes. With the world crumbling around them, it's easy to lose faith. If they can't forgive past sins, they have no hope for the future.

Because the noose waits for no man or woman. 

Buy Links:

Secret Cravings Website -  http://bit.ly/12J4bO9

Amazon -  http://amzn.to/1ahJIu4

Barnes & Noble -  http://bit.ly/1bkEnQw

All Romance Ebooks -  http://bit.ly/170laAc

Bookstrand – http://bit.ly/1diptbG

Goodreads - http://bit.ly/14UlKhj

Excerpt:

“Jane.”

She yelped when he grabbed her wrists and yanked her close. Like a startled deer, she froze in place. Then a small gasp of air and she sagged. “I’m sorry. My head. It’s racing. I don’t know what to think.”

“First off, stop worryin’ about Graham. He ain’t sendin’ no telegram.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Sure I do. After Michael broke his nose, he shut up real fast.” Cole laughed when her jaw dropped. When the amusement started to light up her features, it warmed him all the way to his toes. “Yeah. Graham was running his mouth, and Michael beat on him. He got knocked out cold.”

“Michael?” Through her tears, a laugh escaped. “He’s half Graham’s size. Goodness, he’s barely bigger than I am. How did he do that?”

“He said something about five brothers and a mean older sister.”

She shook her head with a sigh. “That is no guarantee, Cole. He could just be biding his time until he has something to get me on. He doesn’t care for me.”

“Let me worry about Graham.” He tugged her close, shoving the papers from his lap. Once she was settled there, he smirked. “Now ya got some stuff here that you gotta go through, and it’s all reading. That should excite ya.”

“You know what, Cole? I’m not excited. The more I learn about myself, the more trouble I seem to be in. I really am at a point where I don’t care anymore.”

“That don’t sound like the Jane I know.”

She snorted. “No one knows me. Not even me.”

“Bull.”

“I’m not in the mood for arguing with you.”

“But arguin’ is what we do second best.”

“Cole.”

He grinned at the small twitch he saw at the corner of her mouth. “And much as I’d love to remind ya what we do best…I don’t think you could handle it right now.”

“Please.”

“Besides, if we got ourselves hurt again because of our…best…Daisy would be awful mad.” He chuckled when she turned away as far as she could to hide her smile. “But that ain’t ever stopped me before.”

She let out a small squeal when his hand slipped under her skirt and along her thigh. Swatting at his hand, she playfully beat at his chest when he leaned in to capture her lips.

Her lips were warm and inviting. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her touch until she was there. He pulled her close and traced the seam of her lips with his tongue. She opened up to him so fast it took his breath away, and he shifted to lay her down on the floor.

She planted her hands on his chest and pushed him back. “Wait.”

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

As I said, Dark Territory (Dominion Falls Book 3) will be out in September. Once that series is complete I’ve been contracted for a contemporary romance series set in a small town in New York State.  Each story is shorter, about 30k, and every one of them is set around a holiday, so you can expect a story from me at each major holiday for the next year.

I also have a horror short story that is supposed to be out in an anthology sometime this year, but I don’t have a release date.

I have a few other pieces in the works, but they’re all WIP’s and not contracted yet. They run the gamut from Urban Fantasy to Steampunk.

Thanks for hanging with us today! 

Sign up 28th Ausust

Friday Follies... Hell yeah!

Don't you just love Fridays?

So we're looking to do something different around her on Fridays, and I hope you'll be down with the idea.

The thought is to keep things light and fun, and still give you guys and gals an opportunity to be discovered. I mean let's face it; it can't always be about business. And while we spend most of our weeks: writing new words, promoting, editing, etc.... Why not have prospective readers tap into a more candid perspective about you and your books.

I'm in need volunteers who want to be interviewed/featured. The interviews will be random, so there's a chance it might be directed to you the author, or one of your characters, or maybe even a combination of the two.
;-)

If you're interested in being featured, please drop me a line at: layna (dot) pimentel (at) gmail (dot) com.

Sign up for HDH Wed 21st August x

Sign up here for HDH 31st July x

SUMMER FUN AUTHOR GIVEAWAY EVENT!

Open To EVERYONE! WEDNESDAY 24th JULY 2013 Come join this summer Blog HOP!! All you have to do is post a paragraph from your latest release/ WIP. And a little bit (picture, few lines or personal story) Telling us why YOU look forward to summer! Make it summery! Make it bright! Leave a question for people to answer at the bottom. PLEASE have some form of giveaway. Point them back to this blog so people have can enter everyones giveaway! AUTHOR GIVEAWAY EVENT.

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Guest Blogger -- Adriana Kraft

The Balancing Act  

It’s all about balance, and right now, mine is slipping. I’m sure that happens to all authors, at least once in a while. How to balance the writing, editing, marketing, and fit in a personal life, too.

Just now our house is in an uproar – not quite true. Actually, our house is nearly empty, but you can bet we’ve been in a frenzied uproar getting it cleared out.

I shouldn’t complain. We’re extremely lucky. We spent nearly six months last winter taking

our new year-round-travel lifestyle on a test drive to the southwest, and loved it. It’s unbelievably freeing to have no set schedule and be free to stay or travel, write or sightsee, visit friends or take some solo down time, whenever the whim strikes us. We’re hooked!

So in April we pointed the motorhome back to Iowa, to put our house on the market and make the change permanent. And we’re twice lucky – once we’d spent a month cleaning and spiffing up and clearing out clutter and staging the house, it sold in only six days, with a closing date six weeks earlier than we’d planned.

And that’s meant our lives are out of balance, over the short haul – in preparation, we fervently hope, for vastly improved balance, come July 9.

In the middle of all that, we launched our new indie-publishing venture, B&B Publishing, on June 1 with the release of The Best Man. I’d never advise anyone to put a house on the market, sell it, move, and start a new business venture all within the span of a month. Don’t try this at home! But we seem to be surviving, and we’re loving the feedback The Best Man has already earned, including two five star reviews.

So here’s a blurb, a tidbit for you, and a contest!

Bad boy meets bad girl – is that all there is?

Passionate, hard working and every inch a business woman, Chicago realtor Kitty Paige likes her sex raw and edgy, and sees no reason to limit herself to just one man. Never married and not quite forty, the striking blonde has successfully raised her daughter, Susan, and is already pushing her new-found freedom to the limits.

Wealthy commodities middle-man and race horse owner Jared Jacobs is father of the best man at Susan’s wedding. He is smitten by the vision in yellow who exudes sex as she escorts her daughter down the aisle. Also single, the handsome mustached California ranch owner with mischievous eyes views his sex life as a series of splendid love affairs, and sets out to make Kitty next on the list.

Together and apart, their chemistry is explosive, and their sparkling repartee and steamy sex catch both partners by surprise. Jared is first to recognize he’s fallen in love. When Kitty panics, can Jared finesse his every move and reel her in?

EXCERPT

Kitty lifted her chin as soon as the broad shouldered mustached man headed in her direction. She knew what he wanted. He’d been studying her much of the afternoon and evening. She was surprised it took him this long to come after her.

She offered him a thin smile. How many times had he undressed her in his mind? Maybe as often as she’d undressed him. He was easy to look at. Probably late forties, early fifties at most. Fit. No pot belly, which she despised. Graying around the temples. Square chin and a cute mustache. Kitty shivered slightly, imagining how that Clark Gable mustache would feel rubbing against sensitive spots.

She checked her watch and grimaced. Too bad she was catching the redeye back to Chicago – there wouldn’t be time to satisfy her mustache curiosity.

CONTEST: The Silk Scarf Contest

We don't want to give away any secrets, but the yellow scarf that's just dropped to the floor between Jared and Kitty on their cover has some very special scenes of its own in the book - and you have a chance to win it (U.S. delivery only)! One lucky reader will win a hand-finished yellow scarf made of genuine Thai Dupioni silk, just like Kitty's. All you have to do is leave us a comment about The Best Man any time all month, here, or on our blog. Please leave your email in your comment (YOUR NAME at blahdeblah DOT whatever). Contest runs through the end of July.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adriana Kraft is the pen name for a husband/wife team writing Erotic Romance for Two, Three or More. The award-winning pair has published over thirty erotic romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews. Long and Short Reviews: “scorching hot…refreshing...something to read when you want straight up hotness.” Romance Junkies: “filled with warmth, blazing hot sex, well-developed characters…not for the faint of heart.”  Romantic pairings include straight m/f, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and paranormal settings.

Find Adriana on the web:

Website

Blog

FaceBook Page

Twitter

Google+

GoodReads

Midnight Seductions

Adriana’s Author Pages:

Amazon.com     All Romance Ebooks