Top 8 AAD stress dreams

I realized I must be really stressed out about being ready for the Authors After Dark conference in New Orleans! I just tossed and turned all night. Here, some brief scenes from my stress dreams:

1. Distracted by a surprise meeting with Nicole Peeler at the New Orleans airport, I forget to meet my galpal Julie at our arranged rendezvous time for our ride together from the airport to the hotel.

Gah! This type of hotel layout
makes it REALLY hard to get to your panels!

2. Julie does not make it to the conference for two whole days, something I only realize when I notice mobs of people are mysteriously angry at me. Noooo! Must head back to the airport to find Julie!

3. I have four back-to-back panels starting in five minutes that I haven't prepared for.

4. I can't find the schedule of panels anyway.

5. When I find the schedule, the hotel layout makes no sense. Thanks a lot, Stella, for booking a hotel designed by M.C. Escher!

6. I only brought this one black dress to wear, and it is full of cat hair.

7. All the panels are in one large room, with lots of people sitting at tables, and I don't know anybody there.

8. I go through the whole conference not seeing any of my League of Reluctant Adults buddies, except, of course, evilly distracting Nicole, who started all the trouble in the first place.

Needless to say, I am not ready, and I have a million things to complete before I can even start to get ready! I shouldn't even be blogging right now. Even typing this right now, my chest tightens up and I forget to breath. Nevertheless, I am really excited. Don't worry, Julie, I won't leave you at the airport!!

image: Isometric Flaw by Icey, from Wikipedia Commons

Mr. Real: cover & deets on the new series!

I so love my new cover

In case you missed my big fun cover release day over at Badass Book Reviews yesterday, here's the latest on MR. REAL, and the cover, too, which was done by Angela Waters.

Mr. Real is the first book in my new cross-genre series – I’d describe it as a paranormal romantic suspense spy series with a dash of SFF.  And let me just say, I’m crazy excited about it!

The details:

MR. REAL (Code of Shadows: book #1)

Release date: October 30, 2012


Formats: Available in paperback & ebook from major online booksellers
 

Netgalley: yes

The short description:
A lonely girl uses an occult computer program to bring a sexy spy from a TV ad to life; the actor who plays the character  - and has come to hate him - is not amused. 

The official blurb...

The girl of his dreams…with the secret agent of his nightmares

Alix Gordon is a girl who doesn’t take life too seriously. What’s the fun in that? So when she stumbles across occult software that can bring computer images to life, she conjures up awesome outfits and accessories, and, on one drunken and…er…horny night, Sir Kendall, the sexy TV ad spy…who looks exactly like Paul, the hot martial arts teacher who once kicked her out of class.

Fighter Paul “Puma” Reinhardt has a secret: the character he improvised to land a part in a TV ad has dark roots in his tortured childhood. Playing Sir Kendall was a huge mistake, and now Paul would do anything to get free of him. A cross country road trip seems just the thing…until Paul finds himself inexplicably drawn to Minnesota and discovers Sir Kendall—in the flesh—with the girl he’d loved from afar. He barges into Alix and Sir Kendall’s love nest, determined to stop the madness…somehow.

But is Sir Kendall transforming into something more dangerous anyone can imagine? And what will the super spy do when Paul and Alix get over their resentments and give into their crazy lust for each other?

Exciting MR. REAL action...

Exciting MR. REAL cover action over at Badass Book Reviews! I was thrilled when the crew at Badass graciously offered to help out with my cover reveal action.

And I'm so excited because I do so love my new cover, and I can't, can't, can't wait for October 30th!

It's all at Badass Book Reviews today.... 

Over at WW: the Carolyn Crane method of book discoverability

I'm over at Word Whores today, like I am every Saturday, and the topic of this week is book discoverability!

I have a few things to say about trading cards, giveaways, Goodreads and more. The helpfulness of those things may be debatable, but perhaps you have answers to my questions!!!

Or just come over and say hi.

How to stop the GR bullies - some handy buttons for authors!

It has come to my attention that some authors have felt so unhappy about some things book reviewers have said on Goodreads that they have begun threatening and intimidating those reviewers by exposing personal information about the reviewers' habits and homes and children online, and even called these women at home – as a way of “stopping the bullying” and keeping things civil. 

Exposing personal info crosses a significant line, and seeks to intimidate people, particularly women in this case, and silence free discussion. Some reviewers are now frightened to voice their true opinions lest the same thing happen to them.

A post at Dear Author recaps this problem, and has called for the community to work to solve it. 

Well, I am working to solve it! With badges and buttons designed to alert GR bullies to the consequences of not being nice!  

I feel these buttons will not only save reviewers and those "gangs" of bookish bullies at Goodreads the hassle of buying and reading books and giving unwelcome opinions, but they will also save the author the time and trouble of having to enforce niceness by hunting the reviewer in real life! 

This first helpful button, above, tells reviewers in a lighthearted way that an author prefers only “I heart this book” type reviews. If reviewers take the “decorative underlining” in the wrong way, so be it. 

A fun rhyming button, which can be placed on an author’s Goodreads profile, signaling to the snarky reviewer to expect terrifying real life consequences for any opinions delivered in a less-than-nice manner. 

A more subtle version, and I think, more poetic way of saying, hey, if you knock my book, I might just knock on your door!!! Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me…except if you say them about my book! Take that, Goodreads bullies!


People must realize that if something is put out for sale, or put on a site where customers are asked to freely give their opinions, it doesn't mean they are free to give an upsetting opinion!! When people say upsetting things, free speech no longer applies! 

Most people understand that the thumbs down is not nice. But, you never know if a goodreads bully has simply forgotten that fact! Maybe they deserve the benefit of the doubt! I think this helpful and informative reminder would do the trick of jogging their memories that thumbs down is bad..and hopefully encourage them to change to a thumbs up. Yay!

This one is my most artistic ones! It’s a fun way of heading off trouble before it starts, with a nod to the famous painting. Still I think it gets across the message effectively.  

A fun and lighthearted variation on the earlier one. This would especially speak to reviewers who love animals. I think this button is a great way of saying that you're all for free speech, but even then there are limits, like if you feel upset!

Here is a stylish button that helpfully signals to a reviewer that one-star and two-star reviews sometimes carry real-life consequences.

I might use this one for my next book, to alert hapless reviewers that one- two- and three-star reviews are inappropriate for such a brilliant book, and...well, let's just leave it at that, shall we? 

I think this is an attractive way for an author to signal his or her dedication to niceness, and commitment to the fight against bullying. But, if you look closely at the word 'only' it carries a special message to bullies who do not share that commitment to niceness.  


After all, if we don't police the Internet by exposing these trash-talking bullies to harm, who will? It's not as if a person can simply walk away from the INTERNET!!  

This button, in an attractive diamond shape, helps a reviewer understand, through simple symbols, the type of attitude that is expected on sites where people give their opinions. 

I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to utilize these buttons.

Have a nice day!

**This is a joke post. Just in case that is not clear. I cherish free speech, and this GR bullies thing has been keeping me up at night for how upsetting and wrong it is. Giving an opinion on the Internet, no matter how hurtful or deplorable, should NEVER carry terrifying real-life consequences, such as getting people's real life information exposed!!! 

A rambling & writerly interview with Jeffe Kennedy!

Today I thought it would be fun to interview my fabulous author galpal and blogmate Jeffe Kennedy! Jeffe's new novel, Rogue's Pawn, was released by Carina this week, a book that is risky, funny, sexy, highly entertaining, and full of shadows and light - and garnering awesome praise. Welcome Jeffe! 

Author and mischief maker
Jeffe Kennedy,  

Jeffe: Thanks for inviting me over! 

CC: So Jeffe, you had a hard time originally getting ROGUE'S PAWN published because it was too weird. (Though now it's getting awesome reviews!) And there is a sense out there that it is a "unique" book. How do you feel about that label?

Jeffe: Ha! I love it. As a reader, I was tired of what felt like the same old thing. I wanted a different take and was kind of shocked that the industry didn't. I feel really validated now that my "weird" is turning out to be delightful to someone besides me.

CC: Do you ever think the label turns readers off? I sometimes get that label, that's why I ask. Sometimes I feel proud, and other times I feel like, will readers think it's somehow too much work as opposed to a known quantity?  

Jeffe: Maybe so? But then I think that my readers are the ones looking for more, who want something different. That's who I am as a reader, so it makes sense that it's who I am as a writer.

CC: One thing I love about your book is that the fae is this weird species, with strange ways of thinking, as exemplified, for example, by their attitudes toward things like war. To me, you sort of re-imagined the fae. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Jeffe: I'm so excited that readers are getting that. I wanted the fae to feel like a totally alien race. The really old fairy stories have them like that - kind of monstrous, but mainly because their value system is so different. That's before the newer stories made them "cute" - I have a big problem with the ancient Celtic legends, like Halloween, being defused of the dark implications and made into something silly and happy

CC: Ooh, I like that. And there are humans in the midst of this world, who your heroine Gwynn instantly relates to.

Jeffe: Right - it's an instinctive thing. But then, it might turn out that she doesn't have much in common with the humans either...

CC: So, a writerly question. I know you're a morning writer. How do you get started at the beginning of your work day?

Jeffe: I get up early and go exercise, before I'm awake enough to think up reasons not to do it.

Then I sit down at my desk, write my daily blog post and hit Freedom for two hours. Hopefully. Sometimes I dink around on Twitter for a while. But that is Bad and Wrong.

CC: Oh, you use Freedom, too! I just started. Isn't it awesome?

Jeffe: I *love* it!! I confess to being weak. Freedom saves me from myself

CC:   Do you study other people's books? Do you close read?

Jeffe: Oh yes! I really do. I study how JD Robb keeps her In Death series going at 34 books. I look at other authors whose series have faltered over time. My very favorite books? I go back over them, watching the magic happen.

CC: Right. On that JD Robb! I'd like your findings on that. What is the biggest question on your mind these days?

Jeffe: Ooh. I'm thinking a lot about social media, and at what point promo becomes obnoxious awful. It's such a delicate balance

Jeffe and I both admire JD Robb's
wizardry in keeping the Roarke
and Eve relationship so fresh.

CC: You note elsewhere that you began Rogue's Pawn in 1995. What would most surprise your 1995 self about how the book ended up?

Jeffe: What an interesting question! I think that it turned out as smart as it is? Maybe that sounds awful, but by the time I finished writing and refining it, the story turned out to be so much MORE than I originally thought it would be

CC:How about the vision. Did the vision for it itself change?

Jeffe: No! Isn't that interesting? I'm amazed, looking back at those badly written, horribly crafted, faltering first fragments, that the vision stayed strong and clear.

CC: That is really interesting.

Jeffe: It makes me think that the story and the craft are two different things. Inspiration comes first and the ability to translate it takes work.

CC:When you are thick in writing a book, how does external reading affect you? Do you like to read books that evoke a feel that fits where you're at, or do you go out of your way to read oppositely? Or does it not matter?

Jeffe: Ha! You've discovered my secret. When I'm in the thick, I absolutely seek out books that feel "nutritious."

CC: LOL Aha! No, I do that, too. But I didn't know if other writers do. I have heard of writers who shy away from being influenced.

Jeffe: Yeah - I'm not sure genre matters, but I'm much more impatient with reading material if I don't feel like it's feeding me. You know - I have SO much influence in my head, I can't even think about that. All those stories and voices and characters...

CC: So, we are pals, and also CP each other on occasion (critique partner). In fact, we are both sort of CP whores with multiple CP partners. What do you have to say for yourself?

Jeffe: Um, I love you and you're not like the others? They mean nothing!

CC: LOL. Do you wonder what your CPs are getting from their other CPs?

Jeffe: OMG, yes! But I thought I was just a nutbag for wondering! What does SHE tell you that I don't??

CC: No! I wonder too!

Jeffe: But you know, everyone brings such a valuable perspective - I love hearing all the input. It helps me so much

CC: Sometimes when I talk about one CP to another, I feel weird. And I feel weird when I don't talk about that CP. I wonder if that is common.

Jeffe: It is weirdly like love relationships. But they share that closeness and vitality. It's intimate, on a certain level.

CC: Yes, and never a group activity. Unlike...er...

Jeffe: LOL

Strange, secret hand detail from the cover,
discovered by author Laura Bickle! 

CC: Okay, onto the next question!

Jeffe: ~composes self~

CC: You, my dear sir, are apparently a pantser, I was shocked to learn. I am a plotter. Okay, be honest, do you pantsers have a superior attitude toward plotters? Like, you are the creative free ones and we are the uptight orderly ones? Because, I know you do!!

Jeffe: No way! We know you pre-plotters look down on us for being all unorganized and loosey-goosey! Admit it! Because "pantser" is obviously a term created by a preplotter, to convey that sense of irresponsibility

CC: *narrows eyes* okay.

Jeffe: ~folds arms and casts meaningful glare~

CC: Okay, why do I think Rogue is so hot and attractive when he is something of a scoundrel? I really find myself burning with curiosity for his layers to be peeled back.

Jeffe: Because he is! He's that which cannot be controlled. He's like a force of nature - wild, primitive, strong, and not something you can parse by logical standards

CC: Aha! Was that part of the vision of the book? The scientist up against the wild force of nature?

Jeffe: You're so clever! This is why you're my FAVORITE CP. Yes. He is the thing she can't understand in the way she knows. He doesn't operate by the natural laws.

CC:Is that central to the series arc? Or, wait, as a pantser, do you have a sense of the series arc?

Jeffe: I *do* have a sense of the series arc. I have a general feeling for their journey, I just don't know the precise plot points until I get there.

CC: I'm looking so forward to the rest! (which I will hopefully get before everyone else. ahem.) Hey, thanks for coming over here and doing this interview!

Jeffe: Thank you! This was really fun.

Jeffe is quite delightful on social media. Her blog is here. And you can be her twitter friend  here, or her facebook friend here, and here is her website.

Rogue's Pawn

This is no fairy tale…

Haunted by nightmares of a black dog, sick to death of my mind-numbing career and heart-numbing fiancé, I impulsively walked out of my life—and fell into Faerie. Terrified, fascinated, I discover I possess a power I can’t control: my wishes come true. After an all-too-real attack by the animal from my dreams, I wake to find myself the captive of the seductive and ruthless fae lord Rogue. In return for my rescue, he demands an extravagant price—my firstborn child, which he intends to sire himself…

With no hope of escaping this world, I must learn to harness my magic and build a new life despite the perils—including my own inexplicable and debilitating desire for Rogue. I swear I will never submit to his demands, no matter what erotic torment he subjects me to…

Find excerpts, plus review and buy links on Jeffe's site.

Known characters and slowly, enticingly revealed characters

What character do I enjoy seeing
slowly and enticingly revealed?
Find out at Word Whores! 

I'm over at Word Whores today!

Each week we have a new topic, and this week, it's characters we wish we'd written.

I talk about the pleasures of two kinds of characters - the known character and the slowly-being-revealed character, and my favorite examples of each.

Come say hi! 

Books for Cancer, prizes gone wild, and new purse!

A few fun new items over at Vampire Book Club's Books Fighting Cancer auction!!

1. Ann Aguirre has thrown in a really nice prize: you get to design a main character's love interest for an upcoming story set in her Razorland world. Plus you get a signed novel. Check it out!

2. I'm so thrilled with response to my part of the auction, instead of a small part namesake, you get a choice: small part namesake in Mr. Real...or smartypants sidekick to heroine namesake (who has a 50% chance of getting her own book down the road). It is a truly good part. More here.

Read about all the items up for grabs.

Of course,  you can also make any Amazon orders through the Amazon links on the site and affiliate proceeds will go to this excellent cause. Ends July 23rd. I've been thinking for months about springing for a Kindle...if I'm going to do it, this might be the time!

My new purse
I got this vintage  purse the other day. It a very fuzzy and wintery purse, possibly too much so for using when it's 80 degrees out, but I so love it.

I think I might have to wait until winter to proudly carry it around...maybe...but that doesn't mean I can't display it here.

It reminds me slightly of a bag a James Bond girl might carry in one of those Bond movies that have scenes in the Alps or Siberia. Or maybe that is just my imagination. Actually, I think I just associate those dangling fuzzy balls with some long ago Bond movie.

The Books Fighting Cancer auction - with 2 ways to play!

Hello friends! I hope everybody had a nice weekend. I visited family in Wisconsin, which involved watching little girls do gymnastics, plant shopping with mom, meeting an old friend for coffee, and spending a crazy amount of time at the kitchen table chatting and eating loads of cookies.

Anyway, that's not all that happened this weekend - Chelsea of Vampire Book Club kicked off a really important auction called Books Fighting Cancer. It runs through 11:59 CST June 23rd. 

The BOOKS FIGHTING CANCER auction!

Chelsea is raising money for brain cancer research in honor of her father, whom she lost to Brain Cancer recently. You can read more about  her father, the research institute, and her decision to do something meaningful for Father's Day on the auction home page  here. I also lost my dad to cancer some years ago, so this is a cause that is dear to my heart.

There are two ways to participate.

1. Click through to Amazon from one of the links on at the top of reviews and buy your books (or whatever else) that way. 

Chelsea is donating all affiliate commissions to the cause this week. Here is a list of reviews, but you don't have to only buy what VBC has reviewed: once you hop to Amazon from one of those links at the top of any review, anything you spend counts toward the commission she will donate - a great time to spring for those books you've been eyeing! (Or if you've been thinking about getting a Kindle or doing some early Christmas shopping!)

2. Bid on one of the prizes (including one from yours truly!)

There are lots of fun prizes - here is the list of stuff up for grabs. Note that there is a special Carolyn Crane prize pack built around my upcoming spy PNR, Mr. Real - A character named after you, a digital ARC of the book and a signed print ARC of the book! 

That's all for now. I hope everybody has a wonderful week. Stay cool! 

Bedeviled by cover possibilities...the MR. REAL self publishing saga continues!

One of my new favorite things as a self publisher is filling out my cover artist, Anne Cain's, cover spec sheet.

She asks all sorts of questions about my vision for the cover and what the characters look like and wear, and what covers out there capture the general spirit of what I'm going for.

So last night I filled that out for my new novel, MR. REAL (The first in a series, out later this year, possibly October.)

I am typically a very micromanaging person with specific ideas, but this cover is throwing me.

I've been calling MR. REAL a spy PNR. In fact, it would be more accurately described as a paranormal romantic suspense with dashes of contemporary romance, UF, and sci fi. Needless to say, it is completely unpublishable by normal publishers. lol.

I don't have the back blurb done yet, but here is a rough description:

When free spirit Alix Gordon stumbles on an occult computer program in her late aunt's house, she's excited - and determined to act responsibly for a change, using the power for innocent things only...like fabulous clothes and accessories. But, on one long, lonely rural Minnesota night, she uses it to bring a sexy, dashing spy from a liqueur commercial to life. 

When Paul, the LA fighter/actor who plays the character of Sir Kendall (and has come to hate him) finds himself inexplicably drawn to rural Minnesota and discovers what Alix has done, he is NOT amused. Paul invades their love nest, determined to put a stop to the madness...somehow. But is Sir Kendall really just a stock spy character from an ad? Or is he transforming into something far more dangerous and powerful? 

Anyway, that's a cursory description, but you get the idea. I have a strong sense of the level of photo realism, the lighting I want, but I am really torn on some big things. Like, between this being a couples cover, a "clinch" cover, or a beefcake cover. Or is it something else? A shoe? 

For example, I want to signal that this is a romantic book, and it's very regular in how romantic it is, with a HEA and all that, but it's also very oddly cross-genre.  So, do I get a cover that suggests the quirky nature of it, or that suggests the mainstream elements? I don't want to scare readers off, but also I don't want to sell it as something it's not. 

Anyway, I gave Anne all my thoughts. Like a witches cauldron of cover thoughts! She does not have an easy job. I can't wait to see what she comes up with, though!! 

Anthology out - with my ghost story!

What fun to have this anthology out! I was so honored to be invited to contribute to this (back in 2010!) It got delayed, but here it is. 

I had so much fun writing my special ghost story for it.

Now I'm sort of laughing looking at the book blurb, especially the part where it says "ghosts come to life so that lovers can be united in the flesh." Er... that's NOT what happens in my steamy little story!  Actually, it's one of my sweeter stories, though. 

---

OLD SALT...a synopsis

Cassie Nolan, snarky tour guide at a seaside tourist trap in North Carolina (‘the haunted pier’), wishes that a certain strapping young sea captain who died in 1870 had a less pathetic haunting technique. Old Salt, ghost of the haunted pier, has been the object of Cassie's ridicule for years. Imagine her surprise when she discovers Old Salt is totally hunky, and pretty fed up with her attitude toward him. 

---

Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance

A wonderful collection of stories of supernatural love by Sharon Shinn, Dru Pagliasotti, Caridad Pineiro, Jennifer Estep, Gwyn Cready, Carolyn Crane, Jeannie Holmes, Anna Campbell, Julia London, Christie Ridgway, Holly Lisle and Liz Maverick. In happy-ever-after endings, ghosts come to life so that lovers can be united in the flesh.

***

If you get it, I so hope you like it. A lot of places say it's not releasing until August 7th, but actually, it came out June 7th in the UK in paperback, and as an ebook worldwide. However, you can get it in paper in the US through the backdoor, and it's not that easy to find in ebook unless you have a Kindle or Kobo. If you're interested, here are the links I could find:    

Ebook UK: Kindle | kobo | looking for others!

Ebook US:  Kindle | Kobo |  looking for others!

Paperback UK: Amazon UK | WHSmith | Alibris | MurderOne

Paperback US: Not officially available but you can get it here:  Amazon | Alibris | A1outlet  

My visit with the Martini Club

Happy Sunday, everyone, and happy Memorial day to my American pals.

It's going to be steamy hot and humid here in Minnesota. I'm hoping to get some decent writing done, and then Mr. Crane and I are going off to our friend's home where we'll hang out and have fun and do some grilling.

But this morning I'm at the Martini Club over at the fabulous Penelope's Romance Reviews.

I'm talking about my days as a cocktail waitress and how I classified everyone by what they drank, and how I see that all differently now.

Come say hi! 

Big fun interview at Under the Covers Book Blog!

I had such a nice time chatting with the gang at Under the Covers. They had lots of good juicy questions...we talked about the Disillusionists, Gumby positions, upcoming projects and surprising fun facts about yours truly.

And there's a giveaway!

Come join me at the fantabulous Under the Cover Book Blog!

Where I remember my fave fairy tale TOTALLY WRONG

My favorite wrongly-remembered fairy tale:
the Snow Queen!

I'm over at the Word Whores today for my Saturday post - the theme this week is Fairy Tales! Where I realize I remember my favorite fairy tale TOTALLY WRONG. lol.

Come say hi!! 

Oh noooooo! Mr. Bill! My cultural references are becoming unusable!!!!

I stopped over at lovely Limecello's blog this week to talk about being a writer in my 40s, and how you just can't use some cultural references anymore...like Gilligan. Or Mr. Bill!

But, can you still use "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time?" There's only one place to find out. Come see.

Soylent green is people!!

Carolyn Crane leads a salacious double life
as Annika Martin!  

Okay, today I put up a giveaway alert for Carolyn Jewel, Amanda Carlson and Annika Martin. After thinking about this a bit tonight, I feel like I should let people know that actually, I AM Annika Martin! The erotic romance author!!

Writing my crazy little bank robber erotica romances started as a kind of secret lark of mine, and I tend to be a bashful and easily red-faced person, so I didn't link my names in public, or publicize that this is me. Also, an Annika Martin book is quite unlike a Carolyn Crane book - I wasn't sure what my readers would think.

Yet, I suppose if I'm promoting it on my own blog, or talking in public about Annika, I should rightfully claim her as myself! Because, I suppose it's just too wink-wink otherwise, or even misleading, like writing your own review under a secret name!!  And, that's sooooo not what I meant to do.

Phew! I can't believe I'm actually posting this!  But, I don't want to seem to be fooling anybody.
It's peeeeeople!!

Reader Alert: Fabulous freebies that popped up this weekend!

10 copies of FREE FALL up for grabs!

Free Fall (a My Immortals novella)

Highly recommended! Not only does Carolyn Jewel have a lovely name, but she writes some of my favorite books on the historical side and the PNR side. And, she's giving away 10 review copies of her hot and juicy PNR novella, FREE FALL. If you don't know her My Immortals series, this is a great place to dip in, and if you read it, what are you waiting for? 

What I love about the My Immortals series is the combo of great paranormal worldbuilding along with strong, steamy romantic arcs that pack meaty emotional substance.  

“dark, intensely sexy and has just a touch of kink…”

~Melindeeloo

“…the intensity between the two of them was scrumptious... 

I couldn’t put it down. With plenty of action, steam, and powerful romance, this is a wonderful introduction to the series, and a great story in its own right.”

~The romanceaholic

Free Fall: the blurb:

Attorney Lys Fensic has spent her life controlling a psychic power that kills. Her ability to lock herself down falls apart when her ex, a mage, sends enslaved demons to kill her. In a psychic free fall, she turns to tough guy Telos Khunbish for help. But is he a mage as she’s always suspected or is he something far more dangerous?

Free Fall is set in the My Immortals series world where demons and magic-using humans called the magekind are not quite getting along. Most people have no idea they’re living in what amounts to a magical war-zone. (35,000 words)

The deal: FREE epub or kindle copies available - you just have to leaven an honest review on Amazon, B&N, a blog or elsewhere.

Get it: head over the Carolyn Jewel's blog! 

Signed ARC of FULL BLOODED up for grabs!
Amanda Carlson has been making a stir with her novella BLOODED, the prequel to her werewolf series, which hits the stands on September 11th. But not everybody has to wait!! YOU could win a signed ARC! You'll have 4 whole months to make everyone jealous.

"A wild, wolfy ride that will have you howling for more!" 

~Kristen Painter, author of Blood Rights 

"Amanda Carlson's Full Blooded is full of all good things: danger, excitement, an original, LIKEABLE heroine and some great mythological mayhem. Bring on book 2!"
~New York Times and USA Today bestseller Karen Chance

"Amanda Carlson's debut novel is a fast paced tale with a cliffhanger ending that left me panting for more. Full Blooded left me on the edge of my seat from cover to cover."
~New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter

Blooded: the blurb:
It's not easy being a girl. It's even harder when you're the only girl in a family of werewolves. But it's next to impossible when your very existence spells out the doom of your race... Meet Jessica McClain -- she just became part of the pack.

In the vein of Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs, a new urban fantasy that rewrites the werewolf myth...

The deal: One lucky commenter gets a signed paper ARC. Ends Tuesday
Get it: head over to Amanda Carlson's blog!
[edited note: oops- I had this wrong in an earlier version. It's 1 and not 5!] 

10 review copies of THE HOSTAGE BARGAIN up for grabs!

For those of you in the mood to walk on the ultra wild and steamy side, you must head over to Annika Martin's blog! She's giving away 10 copies of her erotic romance, The Hostage Bargain. Fire up your fans, people! [edited to add: okay, coming clean, Annika is actually my own erotic romance author name. See this post]

“The build up to the intimate scenes was almost as hot as the actual scenes.”


~Fiction Vixen Grade: B+

“…a delicious mix of snappy humor, wicked sexcapades and on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense.”
  ~Penelope’s Romance Reviews - Grade: A.

"Ms. Martin packs a lot of wallop into a relatively short novel. There is great dialogue here and good twists and turns in both the 'crime' (...adventure, suspense) and erotica aspects."

~A lot of Reading: 5 stars

The Blurb: 

When small town girl Melinda Prescott is taken hostage by three hot bank robbers, she quickly discovers that a life of bank heists, luxury hotels, and kinky menages is way more exciting than working on the family farm. She should be scared of her dominating, fierce captors…but there’s something wicked inside her that’s craving to obey their every dark desire.

Melinda’s an all-too willing captive to three smoldering fugitives who are actually government agents…but is it all too good to be true? Will her delicious bandits overcome their own demons enough to let her in…or is she going to end up a victim of the world’s sexiest crime spree?

Warning: This book contains a sexy bank-robbers-and-their-captive sandwich, light bondage, spanking, teasing hints of domination, and a little play-time in a hot tub. Oh, and some all too delicious, villainous alpha heroes who bend the heroine to their will. (56k words)

The deal: 10 free epubs, kindle copies, or pdfs. You just have to leave an honest review somewhere: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, a blog, etc

Get it: email Annika (aka me....) at annikamartin@ymail.com specifying file type/reader type. Details on Annika's blog. 

What kind of chocolate is your favorite villain?

Happy Friday, friends and fiends!

So, have you ever thought about the different types of villains that are out there...and felt unsure what sort of chocolate candy they are like?

Well, there's help for you. I'm over at Buckeye Girl's fun books blog this week with a post that clears it all up - it lists the kinds of villains that exist, or at least all the ones I could think of...and reveals the chocolate they are most like. And I also talk about my own villains.

And if you are nice and leave a comment telling the villain type you prefer, you might win chocolate from me!! Come say hi at A Buckeye Girl Reads. 

Five books that showed me cool writerly things!

This week She-Wolf Reads has invited five of her favorite authors to come and talk about book influences, and it meant so much to me that I was one of those five.

I'm there today!! 

So many books have influenced me - many different ones in different years - classics, children's books, nonfiction and more.

For this post I decided to talk about books that showed me very specific things that relate to what I"m writing now. Also, you can win books!! You can win one of my books, signed, and one of the books I list there!

Come on over to She-wolf!