Fantastic Fives on Cynthia Eden

Five words and/or phrases that describe you:

Energetic
Patient
Creative
Fun
Loud

Five people and or things that inspire you:

My son
Rain
Buffy
The ocean

Scary movies

Five of your favorite authors:

Linda Howard
Jayne Ann Krentz
Krelsey Cole
Shannon McKenna
Alyssa Day

Describe five of your heroes/heroines through your eyes:

1. Dr. Emily Drake (HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT): She’s smart, she’s tough, and she’s got one hell of a past. I love Emily because she possesses a nifty special talent—she’s empathic, but her empathic power only works with paranormal beings (vampires, shifters, demons, etc). Despite having a foot in the “Other” world, Emily is a lot like most women. She, ahem, shares my addiction to chocolate...

2. Colin Gyth (HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT): He’s hot. Okay, I think he is. Tall. Strong. Sexy. And, under the right conditions, this Atlanta Police Detective can get down-right primal.

3. Cain Lawson (“Wicked Ways” in WHEN HE WAS BAD): Ah, Cain...I do love you. Handsome. Wild. He tries to be the good guy that he thinks his lady wants, but Cain just wasn’t ever meant to be good. No, he does bad so much better.

4. Luis D’Amil (“Spellbound” in EVERLASTING BAD BOYS): Luis is the Boogeyman. Seriously. Okay, he’s the Boogeyman if the B-MAN is big, tough, and really attractive. He’s an assassin, and a protector, and he just can’t help falling for his heroine. What can I say? He’s got a thing for witchy women.

5. Serena Tyme (“Spellbound” in EVERLASTING BAD BOYS): A witchy woman. Powerful. The lady has a spine of steel and a protective streak that runs straight to her soul. She also has a weakness for a certain immortal assassin.

Five reasons to read your books:

Hot reading material. :)

Suspense and romance.
Shifter heroes. Come on—shifters can be so sexy.
Because don’t you ever wonder “What if?” I wonder that all the time…and I try to answer that question in my books.
Kick-ass heroes and heroines.



-Cynthia Eden

Visit The Website:www.cynthiaeden.com

Visit The Blog:http://www.cynthiaeden.com/blog/ (Her recent post is about her publishing journey)



Extra!Extra! A lucky commenter today has a chance to win a signed copy of Cynthia's latest Hotter After Midnight, I've had the pleasure of reading HAM (lol) and would highly recommend this steamy read to everyone!Colin Gyth is HOT!

Hotter After Midnight By Cynthia Eden

Hotter After Midnight(On A Shelf Near You TODAY!)

By: Cynthia Eden

In her sexy and suspenseful new novel, Cynthia Eden introduces readers to a seductive world where powerful night creatures ignite dark, dangerous hungers…

Dr. Emily Drake’s patients tend to be a little unusual. Instead of the typical therapist’s caseload of midlife crises and mother fixations, Emily treats vampires with blood phobias and sex-demons looking for meaningful relationships. But her gift for recognizing and healing the Other—those creatures of the night that most humans don’t even know exist—requires a few house rules. First: Never trust a shifter. Especially not one like Detective Colin Gyth whose gold-flecked eyes and predatory air make Emily realize how much she’s been longing to lose control…

Colin can’t believe the doctor he’s been assigned to work with on the Night Butcher murder investigation is the one person who could expose his true identity as a wolf shifter. Smart, sexy, and stubborn as hell, Emily brings out the alpha male in Colin, unleashing a wild, heady desire that takes them both over the edge.

But in the shadows, the Night Butcher waits…eager to spill Emily’s blood and taste her terror. And he’ll use any means to destroy her, including the one person she has grown to trust…

For an excerpt go HERE

HAPPY ALOHA FRIDAY

On our trip to CA we took the girls to Santa Cruz (Boardwalk)

I used to drive here to listen to the waves in the middle of the night

after a long stressful day.

A Quickie

Sorry that the blogging has been sporadic.It's crunch time for school right now. I'm in the middle of writing papers. Only two more weeks of spring semester to go.

Next week I have two special guests, authors Cynthia Eden and Nancy Haddock. Both have new paranormal releases out. Make sure to stop in and find out more about them. :)



I did get to read a good book recently, The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks. I finished it in two days(that's fast for me) I fell in love with the hero and heroine. Jean-Luc is a clothing designer/vampire whose past likes to catch up with him. Heather is a mother whose learned to face her fears and take control of her life and then meets this gorgeous French man who complicates her life in the best and worst ways. There is action, love and family in this book that I couldn't help but get sucked into.

If you're in the mood for contests ;)

Abookblogger has contests going on that include books, book thongs and something green
For the book giveaway go here(Winners will be chosen to win Staked by J. F. Lewis)
For the Book Thong Giveaway go here
For the green giveaway go here

There is also a blog carnival going on this week with lots of giveaways, if I finish the papers soon, I'll join in the fun too. Click on the icon below and have fun on your trip around the blogsphere.

Don't Miss Out On RT

The Romantic Times Convention is going on right now and if you're like me and
can't be there but want to know the goings on, here's a few sites that will give you the virtual experience.

The Rebels of Romances have a couple videos up on the RT News Page

Night Owl Romance's Tammie King is sharing her experience through video at
NOR's Book Flick's Page

Barbara Vey from Publisher's Weekly has Drive By Videos on her blog of RT

and

Michelle Rowen has videos and pictures from RT up on her blog

Have fun touring and when you're done you can participate in a few contests that are going on around the blogsphere.

Join in on Renee George's Spring Scavenger Hunt, for a chance to win a mug designed by Renee.

Selena Illyria has her April contest up on her website, there's an nice goodie package to be won.

Win free books from a new blog http://excessica.com/blog/
The contest runs until May 15th and every comment counts.

And The Winner is...

My eldest daughter reached into the hat and picked....

acdaisy95

Congratulations Acdaisy95! You have won a copy of Cyan's neweset release White Lightning. Please contact Cyan, cyan.bell @ gmail.com (With out spaces) with your email address.

Around The Blogsphere

New Blog Alert

phe·nom·e·na is a new blog from authors Kim Knox/Rees, Dawn Montgomery and Michelle Hasker.

"A site dedicated to Women’s Action Adventure Romance" - Dawn Montgomery

Contests!Contests!Contests!

Fellow blogger Liviania is having her first book contest. Go HERE to find out which books you have a chance at winning.

Visit Linda's blog April 5th -10th at ReadingIsSoMuchFun her special guest is Richelle Mead. Comment on the posting fun for a chance to win Richelle's newest release Eternal Lover.

A Book Blogger's Diary has many contests and giveaways posted and a couple of her own going on this month. She is giving away books by Brent Ghelfi and Joshilyn Jackson.

If your sad because you can't make it to RT this year(like me) then stop by the Bradford Bunch, Lauren Dane is giving away an RT goodie package to a lucky commenter.

Help S.J. Willing name a character in one of his current WIP's, go HERE to find out how.

And The Winner is...

My youngest put her hand in the hat and picked....

Cherie J

Congrats Cherie! Please go to http://www.laurendane.com/now-available and send your eBook choice and format to Lauren, laurendane @ laurendane.com (with out spaces )

Welcome Guest Blogger Cyan Bell

Five words and/or phrases that describe you:
Gosh, how does one ever see themselves?

Tenacious,
driven,
clueless (LOL)
inquisitive,
average

Five people and or things that inspire you:

My family,
pictures,
stories,
life,
my grandmother.

Five of your favorite authors:

Angela Knight,
Thomas O'Callaghan,
Matthew Rielly,
Taylor Voltaire,
Fiona Jayde.

Describe five of your heroes/heroines through your eyes:

Padraic-Intelligent, driven,sexy (Of course, Irish accents get me every time.)
loner.
Beau-Bold, intelligent, self assured, challenging.
Raven-Tenacious, bold, independent, kick-ass, and sexy.
Dante-Loyal, stubborn, challenging, determined, did I say sexy? Perhaps steamy? lol
My other favorite would be the heroine in White Lightning.
Taylor-Complex, driven, brave, courageous.


Five reasons to read your books:

I love writing about kick-ass heroines who don't just fall at a man's knees.
I like the heroine and hero to challenge one another to go that step further and to win each others trust.
If you're after a story where both main characters are bold and seem to rub each other in just the right way, my books may be just what you've been looking for. ;)
And they are just a touch or so steamy!

-Cyan Bell
www.cyanbell.com

Extra!Extra!A lucky commenter will have a chance at winning a copy of Cyan's newest release White Lightning. Don't forget to check out the blurbs below and comment away!

White Lightning and Raven's Keeper by Cyan Bell

Raven's Keeper by Cyan Bell ( eBook Available now at Cobblestone Press )

In one moment Raven St Michaels’ true destiny as a Dragon will be unleashed by an enigmatic stranger. Dante Ferris discovers his Blood Bonded by pure coincidence. His elation is short lived. Struck by a merciless demon; his soul is taken to Hades to be used to rule mankind.

Between Angelic visitations, demonic threats and the insatiable carnal hunger they share, Dante and Raven must find a way to seal the Blood Bond between them, have the courage to surrender their deepest fears and fight forces too powerful for one of them alone to endure.

For an Excerpt go HERE and HERE

White Lightning by Cyan Bell

( eBook available now at Changeling Press )

For three thousand years a war has raged between two vampire houses bound by blood. Now the war will end with a human becoming the leader of a vampire nation.
Ryan Matthews and Taylor Daniels shared every summer together and a single kiss before they were pulled apart. This summer they’ll meet again, but they’ve both changed. Now, Ryan and Taylor each have their own explosive secrets. The kind that could change their lives and the way they feel for each other dramatically.
With the humid heat of Queensland’s brutal summer pressing down on them, Taylor and Ryan indulge in the irresistible attraction between the two of them while the threat of a rival vampire’s uncompromising rage looms.

For an Excerpt go HERE

Fantastic Fives on Lauren Dane

Five words and/or phrases that describe you:



Goofy,

Lively,

Ambitious,

Hardworking,

Serious



Five people and or things that inspire you:



My husband,

My Kids,

Gerard Butler,

Music,

Love



Five of your favorite authors:

Margaret Atwood,

Frank Herbert,

William Gibson,

Richard Morgan,

Kim Harrison



Describe five of your heroes/heroines through your eyes:



Dahlia Baker from Stripped – She’s smart and ambitious and loves vintage clothes. She’s shy but dances in a burlesque show! She can be self conscious but she’s self assured when it comes to her business degree and her ambitions. She’s got a lot of contradictions and Nash can’t get enough.

Melanie “Minx” Rodriguez from Celebration For The Dead – She’s a woman who lost a great deal at an early age. All she’s known for many years is her self made family of hunters and hunting down and exterminating vampires. The irony of falling in love with a vampire is something that amuses and frustrates her.

Connor Bell from Celebration For The Dead – He’s a natural vampire, tall, gorgeous with an Irish accent and sexy eyes. He’s been quite happy to love a lot of women over the centuries but he’s truly and thoroughly snagged by the beautiful Melanie. He loves her strength, her perseverance and the vulnerability that lies deep inside her.

Nina Reyes from Enforcer – Nina’s one of my favorite heroines! She’s a total wise-ass, snarky, silly but she loves with a fierceness and protectiveness that makes others very loyal to her. She adores Lex and her family even if she teases them relentlessly. It took her a long time to accept her happiness but once she did, she’ll do what it takes to keep it. Lex started to fall for her the moment she held a shotgun to his balls. They’re a lot alike!

Tate Murphy from Making Chase – I loved writing her because she’s got a huge challenge to face inside when Matt Chase starts to pursue her. Like many women, she’s got body image issues but she’s not self loathing! She’s strong and she loves her siblings and nieces and nephews and the allure of a family like the Chases is too much to resist. She’s a great match for Matt because she doesn’t let him cruise on his looks. He likes that she loves him for all of who he is and he’s head over heels for her.

Five reasons to read your books:

1 – Strong Heroines! And I don’t mean they’re all of the kick butt variety but they all have a backbone and over the course of the story, they learn things about their own strength.

2 – Strong Heroes! Be they Alpha males or men of the Beta variety like Matt or Kyle Chase – all my heroes would move mountains for their women

3 – They’re romantic. No matter the story or the circumstance – I love romance so all my characters get their HEA

4 - Steam!

5 – Warm families or friend groups. I love to write big families – be they werewolves, witches or small town humans – I love to write families.



Extra! Extra! A lucky commenter today will have a chance to win their choice of one of Lauren's eBooks.

Celebration For The Dead by Lauren Dane

Celebration For The Dead by Lauren Dane
(eBook available at Ellora's Cave )


Oathbreaker vampire hunter, Minx Rodriguez decides to mix a little business with pleasure when she heads to Mexico to celebrate El Dio de Los Muertos. She’s hot on the trail of the vampire who not only took her hostage and tortured her but who killed her friends and family.
Connor Bell finds himself in love with a vampire hunter who’s skipped town without notice. Much like he did to Minx just two weeks before. Together with a few members of Minx’s hunter crew and his own staff, he heads to Mexico to find her and make things right.
Even as they work through their problems and plan a feast to celebrate the lives of those they’ve lost to the Oathbreakers, the threat remains. A hunter’s job is never done and there’s a job to do in Mexico.
There’ll be a price to pay and the question remains as to whether Minx and Connor can survive what’ll be asked of them both.

And the Winner Is......

AND THE WINNER IS.........

REBEKAH.

Congratulations Rebekah!!! Send Shiela an email at, shielas@shaw.ca to pick up your copy of Mercy in Passion.

Thank you Shiela and Commenters! Happy Hump Day!

Fantastic Fives on Shiela Stewart

Five words and/or phrases that describe you:

Shy,

Funny,

Creative,

Caring,

Mom

Five people and or things that inspire you:

My husband for his strength,

My sister Shelley for her courage to start over and have it all,

My editor for having confidence in me,

Sunsets,

music and art.

Five of your favorite authors:

Nora Roberts,

JR Ward,

Samantha Sommersby,

Melanie Anderson

Describe five of your heroes/heroines through your eyes:

Strong,

courageous,

beautiful,

smart,

loving

Five reasons to read your books:

Characters that will melt your heart,

Stories that keep you guessing,

Suspense that will have you on the edge of the seat,

Comedy that will make your sides ache,

Romance that will stay with your forever.

-Shiela Stewart
http://www.shielasbooks.ca/
http://www.lindenbayromance.com/
Flaming hot Romance with a dose of Passion


Extra! Extra! A lucky commenter will win a eBook copy of Mercy in Passion. Happy commenting!

Mercy in Passion by Shiela Stewart

Mercy in Passion by Shiela Stewart
( eBook avaiable at Linden Bay Romance )

Nothing is ordinary in the small town of Passion, especially the love.

Wild, rebellious, and perpetually in trouble, Justin Davis was labeled the town troublemaker and an embarrassment to his father, the chief of police in the small town of Passion. When Justin was framed for a crime he didn’t commit, he impulsively left the town he’d called home, vowing never to return.
For six years Beth Healy pined after Justin, the boy next door who she’d come to think of as her friend, and had wanted for a lover. Now an officer of the law, Beth is shocked when her pursuit of a speeding car leads her to the one man she’s been longing to find—Justin Davis—and after all these years, he’s finally come home.
Despite the sizzling attraction, Beth’s feelings of hurt and betrayal linger and acceptance and forgiveness don’t come easy. Justin soon discovers that begging for mercy and allowing Beth time to grow to love him again might be the only way to win her back. Then an enemy of Justin’s begins to threaten his life, forcing Beth to make a choice. Will she be able to put the past behind her and trust in the man that Justin is now? Welcome to the town of Passion

A New Winner Picked From...

Devyn Quinn's guest blog day...

Azteclady

Congrtatulaions Azteclady! Please send me your snail mail ( click on the Email Me on the side bar )and I'll forward your information to Devyn.

Welcome Guest Blogger Stacia Kane

It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.


In the past several years, I have learned more about certain aspects of life and the world we live in than I have ever wanted to know. I’ve spent hours, for example, reading about internal parasites. About how to clean your heroin works. About whether gout looks like a fleshy lump or a reddish boil.

I’ve studied medieval love poetry and medieval forms of birth control, including how to make condoms from intestines. I’ve discovered exactly how the bubonic plague affects the human body. I’ve learned that visiting mental institutions to gape at the inmates was considered a really good time for a lot of people in the past.

Why have I done all of this?

Research.

It’s amazing where these little flights of fancy can take me. One minute I’m looking up a quick factoid, the next I’m off on a tangent, trying to find out exactly what color tablecloths might have been used at a medieval banquet (white) and ending up reading transcripts of correspondence between a Countess and a priest in the twelfth century.

It’s maddening, it really is. You wonder why it takes us so long to write a book? It’s not because the words just don’t come (well, okay, it is a lot of the time.) It’s because writers are an insatiably curious bunch. We cannot resist these little journeys down the alleys of the internet, or spending time leafing through some filthy pamphlet on techniques for making cabinets that we found at a garage sale for a nickel.

I shudder to think what someone might infer from my internet search history. Probably that I’m a disease-riddled junkie with an insatiable desire to see people chained to walls, and that I am currently planning a world tour of volcanoes.

But I’m not, I promise. I’m just a writer, cursed with being interested in everything, no matter how boring, disgusting, archaic, or lame.

Have pity on me, please. I can’t help myself.





Fantastic Fives Interview





Five words and/or phrases that describe you:

Busy.


Short.


Grumpy.


Impatient.


Opinionated.

Five people and or things that inspire you:

Hmm. All kinds of people and things inspire me.


Lance Armstrong.


JK Rowling (despite the latest legal silliness.)


My family, of course.


Abandoned buildings--I love them and they make me sad.


My friends.

Five of your favorite authors:
Here's five I don't know personally:

Neil Gaiman.


Barbara Michaels.


Herman Wouk.


Jeph Loeb.


Marian Keyes.

Describe five of your heroes/heroines through your eyes:


Megan from Personal Demons is a psychic and a psychological counselor, smart but insecure. She's always been an outsider and figures at thirty-one she always will be. She's clever and can be funny but rarely gets the chance, and she can be prickly, especially if she's pushed too far. She doesn't tend to let people get close to her, figuring they'll disappoint her eventually, and her job can take a lot out of her emotionally at times but she does it because it's a way to interact with people without giving up too much of herself.

Greyson from Personal Demons is a demon, and a child of privilege. He grew up wealthy in Georgetown and has always managed to use his charm and his edgy looks to get just about anything. He's very self-focused and ambitious, and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants--he's always looking for an angle. He also keeps people at a distance, preferring to let people see only what he wants them to see, and he keeps his own feelings well under wraps. On the other side of that, though, he's extremely generous when he wants to be because he believes the people he cares about deserve the very best, and will risk anything for them.

Julian from Blood Will Tell (a December Quinn book) is a vampire, very suave and wealthy, with a dominant streak and a good sense of humor. He sees life as something to be enjoyed, and is very loyal. He takes care of people, and doesn't mind the responsibility, but it's also made him a little too used to having his orders obeyed without question.

Cecelia from Blood Will Tell is a scientist who loves her work. It's very important to her and she really devotes herself to it. She's always been a science geek and has trouble seeing herself as anything other than the girl who hangs out with the geeks in the corner talking about Batman. But she's also at least marginally aware that she's attractive, and won't take any crap from Julian.

Yelina from Day of the Dead (also December Quinn) grew up in a traditional Cuban household in Miami. She's an accountant who's had a huge crush on her boss for years, but is convinced he wouldn't be interested in a girl who still lives with her parents and likes sweets a little too much--she's very self-effacing. But she's very brave, too, with a quirky sense of humor and an openness that draws people to her. Yelina is one of my favorite heroines, actually, simply because she's so pragmatic and proud--she refuses to settle for anything except a real man who loves her beyond reason.

Five reasons to read your books:



Well, I need the money, ha ha.


I think they're fun books, a good way to spend a few hours.


They're sexy.


They're interesting. (I feel like a used-car salesman.)


The feedback I've gotten on them has been good, so I guess other people enjoy them. Can you tell I'm really uncomfortable with self-promo?



-Stacia Kane

http://www.staciakane.com/



Extra!Extra! Check Stacia's blog http://stacia-kane.livejournal.com/ tomorrow, contest info will be announced.