Mondo release roundup with an exciting contest

Wow, a whole slew of exciting new releases right now from my author faves & friends!! Okay, I'm listing them in alphabetical order, and I'm giving TWO of them away (two winners will get to pick one each). Franky, I don't know how I'd choose.

**Contest UPDATE 3/5/11 - Via the magic of random.org, winners have been chosen and emailed...congrats to: as always ♥ Carol &  Rex Robot! Can't wait to see what you pick!

Never Again by Michelle Bardsley (Wizards of Nevermore #1)

I loved this tale of lost characters finding each other in a super-quirky kind of paranormal Mayberry. 

Blurb: Welcome to Nevermore, Texas, population 503, where witches and wizards live side by side with humans, and where witch Lucy Rackmore is in trouble. Ever since her former lover snuffed out her magical abilities, everyone in town is looking to settle a score with her family. And Lucy's only hope for survival may be her ex-brother-in-law-whom her sister betrayed and nearly killed.

"4.5 Stars! Top Pick! "This edgy and sexy series provides more evidence of Bardsley's supreme storytelling chops!" ~ RT Book Reviews

Excerpt and more at Michele Bardsley's site. 

Accidentally Catty by Dakota Cassidy (The Accidental Series book #5)

Oh funny, fabulous, Dakota! I love the sound of this plot. Even the blurb is hilarious.

Blurb: Katie Woods never thought she'd be forty-one, divorced, and thrust back into the dating world. To start fresh, Katie uproots her veterinary practice to upstate New York-not exactly the hottest dating scene on the planet. But when an unconscious cougar appears at her clinic, Katie's newly single life gets a much needed jolt of the supernatural kind.

After Katie examines the cougar and leaves him caged overnight, she's shocked to find a big strapping specimen of young, hot man in its place. And when the scratch she got during the exam results in some unnatural side effects, Katie has more to deal with then her animal attraction to a much younger guy-she has to figure how to stop herself from becoming a cougar of the four-legged variety.

More at lovely miss tiara's website

Taste Me by Tamara Hogan (Underbelly Chronicles, book #1)

My hometown pal smashes out of the gates with an amazing debut!

Blurb: Ever since their tempestuous fling years ago, incubus Lukas Sebastiani has known that siren Scarlett Fontaine was meant to be his. But when you're a sex demon with an insatiable desire, relationships are way more than complicated...

Rock star Scarlett Fontaine desperately needs a break after a grueling tour. But with murder and mayhem surrounding her band, and the one man she never thought to see again put to the task of protecting her, life is going to be anything but peaceful...

Every encounter between them creates more turmoil-and heat-until Scarlett pushes Lukas to the boiling point, and unleashes forces that go way beyond anything she can hope to control...

"Utterly stimulating...sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll the paranormal way. Every tense moment is steamy, passionate foreplay heading toward a fiery resolution." ~Dark Divas Reviews  

"Wow! This hip, sensual tale about a supernatural rock scene sizzles with forbidden heat and danger. A full-blast start to an addictive new series!" ~Carolyn Crane

More at Tamara Hogan's site 

A Lot Like Love by Julie James 

I tell myself I will save this one for a rainy day, but who am I kidding? I will ravish and devour this thing the instant I get it.  

Blurb: THE FBI WANTS HER COOPERATION.

As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city’s top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there’s only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother’s release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau.

AGENT MCCALL JUST WANTS HER.


As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This “date” with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they’re both determined to pull off even if they can’t be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick’s investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they’re a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more. . .

Check out excerpts, contest, etc here! 

Hell to Pay by Jackie Kessler (Hell on Earth #4)

The final installment to a sexy, wild, and wonderful series! Hell's Belles (#1) was one of my first UF loves. So psyched for this wrap-up, and it's just $2.99 in a bold self-pubbing experiment.

Blurb: In this fourth and final Hell on Earth novel, everything changes.

After turning her back on Hell and becoming human, the former demon Jezebel - now the mortal dancer Jesse Harris - is ready to settle down with her true love, Paul Hamilton, and make with the Happily Ever After. But that's not in the cards. Jesse is accidentally wielding her former Hellish power - with devastating results. Another former succubus has targeted Paul. Someone is killing the dancers at Jesse's club. And the King of Hell is leading the world to the brink of Armageddon. All in all, it's not looking good for Jesse, or for anyone she loves. And there's going to be hell to pay.

Read about the Hell on Earth series here. 

Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and probably lots of other places...$2.99!

Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead (Dark Swan #3)

Richelle is unstoppable these days. Not that I want to stop her, considering she is at her full powers of writerly awesomeness. 

Blurb: 

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land's queen, she's fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear. . .

Visit Richelle here. 

Dead Waters by Anton Strout (Simon Canderous #4) 

Anton Strout with his fresh, fun take on urban fantasy in this series. I love the sound of this whodunnit installment.

Blurb: 

Simon Canderous, of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, is used to fighting vampires and zombies. But the strange murder of a professor has everyone stumped. And it's making some people crazy. Literally.

“Simon Canderous is a reformed thief and a psychometrist. By turns despondent over his luck with the ladies (not always living) and his struggle with the hierarchy of his mysterious department (not always truthful), Simon’s life veers from crisis to crisis. Following Simon’s adventures is like being the pinball in an especially antic game, but it’s well worth the wear and tear.”

- Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series 

Check out Anton online here

Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells (Sabine Kane #3)

This whole New Orleans installment sounds excellent. And, who is this Guguhl character that everybody is wild about? I'm psyched to start this series, but for the 99% of the population that is already on it, here is the hotly awaited THREE! 

Blurb:

The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. Her sister has been kidnapped by her grandmother, the Dark Races are on the brink of war, and a mysterious order is manipulating everyone behind the scenes.

Working on information provided by an unlikely ally, Sabina and her trusty sidekicks–a sexy mage named Adam Lazarus and Giguhl, a Mischief demon–head to New Orleans to begin the hunt for her sister. Once there, they must contend with belligerent werewolves, magic-wielding vampires and–perhaps most frightening of all–humans.

But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won’t be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about most, she must save herself from the ghosts of her past.

"From the opening page, the story hurtles along at full throttle. Yet it is not without its funny moments, like the evolution of "Team Awesome." A seriously wild ride! 4.5 Star Top Pick!" ~Romantic Times Book Reviews  

Read all about it here 

ANTHOLOGIES!

AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR-BAR 

Anton Strout, Jackie Kessler and a ton of other awesome authors have stories in this.

Blurb:

Science fiction and fantasy readers have long shown an affinity for a good "bar story". Now some of today's most inventive scriveners have decided to tell their own tall tales-from an alewife's attempt to transfer the gods' curse to Gilgamesh, to Odin's decision to introduce Vikings to the Ur-Bar, from the Holy Roman Emperor's barroom bargain, to a demon hunter who may just have met his match in the ultimate magic bar, to a bouncer who discovers you should never let anyone in after hours in a world terrorized by zombies.

Those who Fight Monsters

Heads up: Jackie has a Jezebel story in this! I really like the cover, too. 

Blurb:

Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives, is your one-stop-shop for Urban Fantasy’s finest anthology of the supernatural. 14 sleuths are gathered together for the first time in all-original tales of unusual cases which require services that go far beyond mere deduction!




Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them (featuring Jeanne Stein, Jackie Kessler, Sharon Shinn and others!)

How much am I looking forward to this? Oh so much. It comes out March 15th. 

Blurb: In Whedonistas, a host of award-winning female writers and fans come together to celebrate the works of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog). 


By discussing the impact of Whedon's work, their involvement with his shows' fandoms and why they adore the worlds he's created, these essayists aim to misbehave in Whedon's rich, fantastical worlds. Essay topics include Sharon Shinn ("Samaria" series) and Emma Bull (Territory) elaborating on the perfection of Firefly, Jeanne Stein (the Anna Strong Chronicles) revealing Buffy's influence on Anna Strong, and Nancy Holder (October Rain, The Watcher's Guide) relating on-the-set tales of Spike menacing her baby daughter while Riley made her hot chocolate.Other contributors include Seanan McGuire (October Daye series), Elizabeth Bear (Chill), Catherynne M. Valente (Palimpsest), Maria Lima (Blood Lines), Jackie Kessler (Black and White), Mariah Huehner (IDW Comics), Sarah Monette (Corambis), and Lyda Morehouse (AngeLINK Series). Also featured is an exclusive interview with television writer and producer Jane Espenson.

THE CONTEST: 

I'm going to pick two commenters on Saturday when I sit down to the computer. I will then email those commenters and they will each get to choose any one of these books to try. As you see, it will be a very complex operation. 

RULES: Just leave a comment (you don't have to choose which book you'd prefer in the comment - you can wait and decide when I email you!) But, do leave your email if I can't get it by clicking your name. Ideally you will leave a comment here on my blog, but since I only just added this bit of instruction, I'll round up GR and FB comments, too.

INTERNATIONAL entries are welcome...anywhere Book Depository ships.
That's all!

**Contest UPDATE 3/5/11 - Via the magic of random.org, winners have been chosen and emailed...congrats to: as always ♥ Carol &  Rex Robot! Can't wait to see what you pick!

The mystery of the UF heroine’s missing and/or awful parents - a guest post at Stella Ex Libris!

I'm over at the fabulous  Stella Ex Libris blog
for her big blogoversary blowout, writing
about why UF heroines often lack families..&
giving away a signed book, too! Come say hi! 

I’m not making some big, original observation when I point out that urban fantasy heroines are often challenged in the family department. I myself killed off my heroine Justine’s mother, and her father lives in a heavily defended shack in the woods. (All the better to be prepared for that killer epidemic that's sure to come.) 

And her brother is a llama herder in Peru or something - I’d actually have to go back and check what I made him, that’s how important he is! 

Why is it so tempting for a writer to deprive an urban fantasy heroine (or hero) of a strong family? 

Read on at Stella Ex Libris...

Image: The Mokros Family, a public domain file from wikimedia commons

A spoilery post on whether the dad in Supernatural comes back. Chris! Don't look!

A little background: I have been watching  Supernatural with my pal Chris on and off this past year. And, even though we're only in the first season, I have been burning with curiosity on whether the dad comes back. 

I'm not a person who likes spoilers for books - EVER! -  but I really wanted to know if they'd ever find that dad, sort of the way I wanted to know if Star Trek Voyager would ever get home. So, I went on twitter, and NOBODY would tell me if the dad comes back. Curse you tweeps! LOL. So, I was left burning with curiosity about the dad.

Around that time, the folks at The Dog Ate my Blog, a fun pop culture blog, wrote to see if they could do a guest blog here, maybe I could suggest something...on politics, movies...or TV perhaps? 

In fact, I do discuss TV here; I used to do True Blood stuff before I decided I didn't like it, and of course, my beloved Star Trek. And, since they have such a fun way, and I thought, what could be more interesting  than a post about Supernatural! Maybe about the dad!

Okay, don't read this if you don't want to know! Thanks, Dog Ate my Blog, for this informative piece! You have fully and completely and utterly satisfied my curiosity.

Supernatural . . . Does Dad Come Back? 

SPECIAL TO THE THRILLIONTH PAGE FROM EDWARD STERN: Beloved CW fantasy thriller Supernatural kicked off its sixth season in September and is currently 11 episodes in to its planned 15-episode run. The show's producers originally planned for a five-season series, but due to the series' popularity in its fourth and fifth seasons was renewed by the network, to the delight of its fans, for at least one more season. 

Following the demon-hunting trials and travails of the Winchester brothers Sam and Dean, the fifth season ended with Michael and Lucifer subdued and some order brought back to heaven and hell after an entire 22-episode season spent trying to control demons and other Hellish creatures run amok.

Lost amidst the epic nature of recent story arcs in trying to stop the apocalypse and destroy the evil plans of the most evil creatures to rear their ugly heads in Supernatural's existence is the lack of an appearance by John Winchester, the brother Winchester's dearly departed father. Gone missing in the first season, much of that season's story arc revolves around Sam and Dean trying to find their demon-hunting father, who raised his boys to do the same. Killed in the second season's premier episode, he only returns once more as a spirit to give his sons some much needed help in the season's finale.

Over the next three seasons, the Winchester patriarch has been conspicuously absent. Much of that is due to the busy schedule of actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who had a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy and memorable spots in feature films including Watchmen and the forthcoming Red Dawn.

Still, serious fans of Supernatural still speculate over whether his spirit will make another appearance. It appeared the stage was set for the fifth season, with Heaven and Hell in complete chaos and angels and demons both fighting the brothers as they overcame their destiny to be the vessels for Michael and Lucifer. Not only with spirits of all kinds running amok and the boys experiencing intense personal crises in their fight to thwart the impending apocalypse, it seemed that their father's spirit would make an appearance to help them persevere in a crucial moment or to give them a much needed pep talk when their faith was at its lowest.

Sadly, no such appearance happened, and fans are left to hope for a brief cameo at the very least in the sixth season as it heads toward its conclusion. Whether that appearance will happen, unfortunately, seems doubtful. Much of the season's plot has focused on the retrieval of Sam's soul and the reappearance of the brothers' grandfather. 

In the most recent few episodes there was the perfect opportunity to bring back the father for a cameo, as Sam learns from the angel Balthazar that needs the blood of his father to cast a spell to keep his soul from coming back to his body. However, Sam decides to use Bobby as a surrogate since his own father passed on long ago.

Unfortunately, it seems that John Winchester will not be coming back to Supernatural. The real life actor's schedule keeps him from making appearances, and his character has been gone from the story for so long that it appears the film's producers have lost interest in bringing him back. Like his character, John Winchester is forced to remain a treasured spirit beloved by the show and its fans and nothing more.

Thanks, Edward, for this awesome post and for being so accomodating. This has been very enlightening and informative!  

Random thoughts on how Megan Hart and Jill Sorenson create their awesomely realistic characters

In addition to being a great read with
 fabulously realistic characters,
this book contains my favorite-
ever angry sex scene!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about realistic characters in fiction, and about how much I enjoy that feeling when a writer’s depiction of character is so precise that it surprises and delights. And this got me thinking about a couple of my favorite writers, Jill Sorenson and Megan Hart.

I know they are working in different areas; Jill Sorenson writes Romantic Suspense and Megan Hart is all across the board, though most famous for her erotic novels. However, with both, in addition to penning compelling, thrilling books that I love (and both are excellent at writing sex scenes) I always have the sense that they are writing about genuine and very regular people as opposed to made up people, or people based on people in books, which is a trap even the most excellent authors can easily fall into. 

With both Sorenson and Hart, you feel like their characters could be out there living real lives, grumbling about their cable bills. I’ll see a woman or man on the street now and then and feel like there could be a Hart or Sorenson novel about this person.

The characters in this book felt really
unique, yet I could easily imagine
them in the real world. Both Hart and
Sorenson are masters of this. 

What makes a Hart or Sorenson character so achingly and wonderfully real? I have actually sat around thinking about this. 

One of the things I think is that I can look out at American society (both of these authors tend to set books in the US, which is, of course, where I live) and know where they fit in.  I know what cultural, educational, socio-economic, family, and class backgrounds these characters are coming from. I know roughly who they would have been in high school, and I know if I would have been friends with them or who they would have hung out with. I know whether they would shop at Target or Wal-mart or Anthropologie or what. Not that these authors supply every little bit of this information in a book, which would be a bore, but they supply enough that I can fill in the rest, the way I might with a real person.

I doubt Sorenson or Hart set out thinking about all this - I think they're both talented and good at observation, but of course I have to analyze it, and it does seem like the familiarity part comes from cultural, educational, socio-economic, family, and class touchstones. 

Delivers on sultry sexiness,
& the most awesome teen characters.

In addition to being situated in larger society with touchstones, their characters aren’t types. This may seem like a contradiction, but it’s not. Scratch the surface of anybody who appears to be “a type” and you always find a wholly unique individual, and both Hart and Sorenson really seem to get this in a cool writerly way. 

In other words, these writers create characters who are unique, yet familiar. It's really quite a neat feat. 

Another thing: both authors, who are white, have written non-white characters and (to me) seem to have taken the time and care to have thoughtfully integrated what that means into those characters’ worlds.  Megan Hart’s NAKED features Olivia, who has a white mother and a black father, and Jill Sorenson’s hero of SET THE DARK ON FIRE is half Native American. I think it can be tempting to put in diversity for diversity’s sake without taking the time to make those elements echo through a character’s core. Sorenson and Hart take that time.

One of the characterization tricks I abuse is to have a trusted secondary character deliver insights into a main character; it’s one of my favorite ways to guide a reader’s thoughts. However, I’ve seen both Hart and Sorenson do this great thing that goes a subtle step further where they have their main character uncomfortably aware of conclusions (true or false) other characters are drawing about them.

Sometimes this is my fave Hart book,
but sometimes it's Dirty or Broken.

I’m thinking of the opening of SET THE DARK ON FIRE by Sorenson where our heroine, Shay, has this rare partying night out for her birthday, and is unexpectedly called onto a special work assignment the next day, hung over and a bit disheveled. She’s painfully aware of the conclusions the new cop in town is drawing about her—in this case, he’s drawing wrong conclusions, but it was so great for her characterization.

Luke wasn’t an easy man to read, but the look on his face just now had been clear enough. It was the same expression she wore when she saw leftover chocolate cake in the refrigerator.

Disgusted with herself for wanting it.

Or, there is this great scene in SWITCH by Hart where the heroine Paige has moved into a fancy apartment complex (the most inexpensive unit in it, though) and it’s a big step up from where she grew up. There is this scene where she is highly aware of another woman in the lobby assessing the cost and brand of her clothes. That keen awareness was so powerful for me getting something essential about that character.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that both of these authors give their characters—especially their heroines—really robust and detailed family lives. Current family, past family. And the important thing is, those families feel real, and have flaws, quirks, and strengths, and could really exist in the world. Often, both the brokenness and the gifts of their families of origin contribute mightily to forming these realistic characters...just like real life people! 

Looking feverishly forward to
this one (late March)

On the subject of family, I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have kids, or because I haven’t been reading writers who do kids well, but I rarely find characters' kids and younger siblings fascinating in books, but wow, Sorenson’s teen secondary characters are so awesome! Not only with strong, good plotlines on their own, but they add to the world, to the central drama. She weaves them in so well.

I’m looking at what I’ve written here, and I think part of the reason I’m focusing on it so much is that, okay, I know that, while my characters are unique in their way, they tend to dwell inside the vacuum of the book, and not have the touchstones that make them both unique and familiar. I’m not being self critical, really, I mean, urban fantasy characters (and to some extent, paranormal romance characters) dwell in the hierarchy of a supernatural society as well as a human society, so, placing them in a precise way within a larger human society is not traditionally a priority, though there are exceptions. Vicki Pettersson’s Joanna Archer and even Sookie Stackhouse come to mind.

But I love how it feels to read about a real-seeming character, and so I guess I’m thinking about that this morning, and trying to learn something from it for future books.

More info: visit Jill Sorenson's site or Megan Hart's site

Where does all my time go?? Mystery solved!

It's been so wonderful to be back in my home with my routine and our cats and the familiar smells of hot water radiator heat in an old house in winter. And my pillow, and a million other things. The night we got back it was -6 degrees here! But weirdly, when I walked to the grocery store, I didn't even feel cold, as though I still contained some warmth from my vacation. And now the temperature in Minnesota is climbing! It might hit 40 today! Yee ha!

This graph illustrates where all my time goes.
But things will be different from now on!
*shakes fist at self*

No more wasting time!!! 
Do you ever get to the end of a day and think, what the hell have I done? Where does my time go? I am not the most organized person. That used to work okay for me, because I would zone out on fiction, then zone out on a work project, and there weren't many other things to think about. But as I've grown older and progressed in my dual careers there are a lot more moving parts to everything, and I can fall into reacting to things instead of managing time. Or sometimes, I look at my list and I freeze up, like a deer in headlights, and I start doing things willy nilly, and randomly and frantically.

So I have been thinking a lot about time management lately. I have this sense I could be doing a lot better. Also, I was just on that vacation and now I'm feeling behind in things.

Isn't this such a fascinating post? What? Totally narcissistic? Anyway, there are a few little systems I used to use, that I dropped one by one, and I'm resolving now to take them up! Yes! Right now!

1. When I go to bed, make a schedule for myself the next day.
2. Pick one or two things beyond writing and work deadlines that I have to get done and really commit to them and schedule them in.
3. Use my egg timer widget to maintain a fiction writing blackout period where I can't check email or twitter or answer the phone, unless the phone call seems important.
4. Social media like twitter has to be a decision, not a default mode. I can't just go on twitter or whatever because I'm between things.
5. Be more organized about flagging things to do and tracking day job hours. Don't expect myself to just remember them.

There! Do you guys have time management tricks that work? Do tell! (Also, OMG! I'm already behind my shiny new schedule! This blog entry is taking 18 minutes over than my scheduled time for it. Oh nooooo!)

The League makes its own damn resolution! 
Have you noticed how awesome the League of Reluctant Adults Blog is lately? We have a new resolution there, too, about posting fun stuff every day. So, check it out!

Image: illustration of wide range of mathematical disciplines Author: Petr Glivický

Hola!

Well, my glorious Mexican vacay with Mr. Crane continues. We are in the funkiest little hotel, like 6 blocks from the beach, and it is super sunny and dazzlingly pretty every day. Right now we are sitting outside having coffee and rolls. It's sort of amazing how quickly I forgot about home, and all the snow. It doesn't seem real, yet I know that snow exists. It's like another dimension. Maybe I am just starting to block it out.

I have been tearing through books. I read Something About You by Julie James, and I'm reading The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook as well as Naked by Megan Hart. I started Lord Perfect, but I might be off my historicals tear. Which is kind of amazing. I thought I'd never be off that phase - there were a couple months when it was all I wanted to read. I was reading Naked on the beach in this beach picture, and the cover is pretty racy, and I felt weird about it for a while, but I got over it. Another day there was a woman reading a book with a cover ripped off of it. Nosy me had to get a look at what it was - something by Debbie Macomber, I think.

Mr. Crane, aka King Coconut, found a place where they will
chop apart a raw coconut and let you drink the juice and eat the
meat of it. I'm not sure if carne de coconut is the correct
term here. Does anybody know?  

Actually, I lied, we are not in the funkiest hotel. There is this super weird hotel down the alley from us that I am going to investigate later. It apprears that every light bulb in the place is red, and mannequins are everywhere. In the lobby, there seem to be mannequins in cages. I sort of wish we were staying there, though Mr. Crane does not concur. I will get pictures later. One weird thing also: there is this disco/electronica/trance music being played really loud on the beach almost everywhere, often by DJs. I sort of felt neutral about it at first, and slightly like dancing when I leave my book to swim, but after a couple hours, it starts driving both of us insane! So, yesterday, we found a part of the beach that has no music, so that was way more peaceful.

I was worried about the weather - the forecasts kept calling for rain, but it has been brilliantly sunny every day. The sun is so strong, it's just like, screw you to all the rain and clouds, which scatter off.

Mango pineapple juice. With a side of geeky photo please! 

I had hoped to get some work done here...in my regular life, the idea of a rare empty day where I don't have to do client work not being spent on a novel, story or some related thing would have been unthinkable as poking my own eye out, but my concentration is on vacation. I suppose that is healthy.

Mammoth book edits
However, I got my edits back from my story for Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance (out in late September). I am very excited for this story! It's unrelated to the Disillusionists world, and kind of more humorous. Or at least, I feel that it is. This anthology is going to be awesome. Stacia Kane, Jennifer Estep, Sharon Shinn and a number of other authors I admire are in it.

AAD interview series...
I'm over at Livre De Amour (Books of Love), a new-to-me blog that looks really fun. Blogger Grace is doing this whole series of interviews with people who are attending Authors After Dark. Come say hi! 

Hellooooo! and also, talking secrets at Katie Reus's place

Hey everybody!

The three of us in Mexico...before I got sick! Okay, this
pic could be taken anywhere, huh? 

I know I've been quiet around town...I'm in Mexico right now! Which was awesome until I got sick, but now I'm feeling better. *eyes coffee and rolls*  I was here with my mom and sister, and they are gone now, and Mr. Crane is traveling down to meet me. I have been nervously eyeing the weather--at home (all that snow! Will Mr. Crane's plane fly? will my mom and sister get back?) and here (so much rain in the forecast! can you tell I'm a worrier?) But this part of the trip is just us on our first non-family visiting vacation in years, so I want it to be perfect.

Ooh, and I'm reading THE IRON DUKE by Meljean Brook, which is definitely everything it's cracked up to be. I just finished Julie James' SOMETHING ABOUT YOU, which was fabulous vacay read that brought a smile to my face.

Come visit! We're talking secrets. 
Okay, and today I am visiting my pal Katie Reus's blog. She has a new release coming out entitled DANGEROUS SECRETS, and I'm blogging, in a slightly random and writerly way, about secrets, and also, giving away a copy of MIND GAMES! Come say hi!

There are a lot of fun secret and danger-oriented posts there all month. Plus, tons of giveaways - books, gift card, Nine West purse! Katie Reus knows how to throw a party!

Katie's blog.

I hope everybody is well, and happy, and I know a lot of you out there are snowed under. Well, I hope you have a good book. And pizza. Chocolate. Internet connectivity...

Greetings from frozenland! global ebook, book #3 + winners...

Our downstairs neighbor's dog, the cutest dog ever!

Today I took the neighbor's dog for a walk and it is so cold that I wore TWO HATS. That's right, one hat covering the other. And the dog has to wear these little booties because his paws freeze out there, and he lost one in the three feet of snow, and so I spent a good deal of time sitting in somebody's yard, rooting around in the dog's paw holes where he romped around, trying to find the lost bootie. And it will be in the -20's tonight. Any and all expressions of shocked sympathy are welcome! Please leave them in the comments!

I have much to announce.

English language ebooks of Mind Games and Double Cross: soon available globally! 
Like many authors, I am unhappy when my English language ebooks are not available worldwide for readers who want to buy them. If you are, say, in India or Germany, you can buy the print of Mind Games or Double Cross from Book Depository and even get free shipping, but you can't buy the digital edition legally there, or in most places outside North America.

Winter in Denmark by Nico/Nils Jepsen
where digital versions of my book
will soon be available!

I'm only just learning about this whole complicated business of geographic restrictions and so forth (Courtney Milan did an excellent writeup here). But, it got me looking at my contract and my situation, and discussing things with my agent, and, while some authors don't control the worldwide portion of their digital rights, it became clear that I did, to an extent. At least, outside North America and related territories. So, the trick was to hook up with a strong and nimble digital publisher who could publish and sell the digital editions worldwide, but restrict it from the places where I'd sold the rights to Random House.

Anyway, I'm now working with the awesome Untreed Reads, a publisher who is doing just that. I don't know exactly when my ebooks become available globally, but likely February or March. They put out a lot of awesome books, and they are doing a new cover for this edition and everything. Yay!!

And what about Book #3????
Good things are happening for book #3! It spent some time as a homeless orphan child, and I was FREAKING OUT, as anybody who has read Double Cross might imagine. I know I haven't been talking about that. Frankly, I was quite bummed, and there was all this uncertainty. As an artist, I was simply continuing to write book #3 regardless, because I am super into it, and I believe in it fiercely. But the whole publishing end was up in the air. It's not a good time for a small and quirky series like mine.

Diana's new covers are fabulous.
So is this series. 

But things are looking up. Book #3 is really close to getting a new home with an awesome publisher and a fabulous editor I've been dying to work with. I won't say more until the T's are dotted and the I's are crossed and a release date is firm. Except that I am so happy and relieved. I feel passionate about these characters, and so much happens in that book. Everything happens in that book...including a wedding with Simon as a bridesmaid. *throws confetti* Stay tuned!

Winners! 
I've become a terrible blogger! It seems just yesterday that I did my release day post (below), and promised to give away two books. Well, the winners were chosen by random.org, and they chose their books. I'm happy to announce a certain Cherry Mischievous picked Ava Gray's Skin Heat, and the lovely Dottie will be getting Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland.

Crazy Release day ACTION! Plus international contest

I feel like I've been under a holiday snowdrift, and here I pop my little head up and there are awesome new books everywhere! Yes, in this metaphor, I am some sort of woodland animal, I guess. A marmoset, perhaps. Is that a woodland animal? Guess what? I'm too lazy even to look it up on wikipedia. Anyway, some of my favorite authors/friends are releasing books today!! Comment to win one of these fine books. Instructions below.

Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler
Oh, Miss Nicole Peeler and her awesome cabinet of wonders that is the Tempest Series. I am so addicted to this world and these characters, sometimes I just think about them when I'm walking around in my regular life. From what I understand, this is an OMG installment and the best one yet to boot.

From Publisher's Weekly's total rave:
Peeler seamlessly blends snarky pop culture references with emotionally harrowing topics in the third Jane True supernatural adventure....Jane is sure to endear herself to new readers with her charm, sass, and vulnerability, while longtime fans will be thrilled by her magical and emotional growth.

The blurb:

After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she still throws like a girl - at least while throwing fireballs. Her peace of mind ends, however, when Anyan arrives one night with terrible news . . . news that will rock Jane's world to its very core.

After demanding to help investigate a series of gruesome attacks on females — supernatural, halfling, and human — Jane quickly finds herself forced to confront her darkest nightmares as well as her deepest desires. And she's not sure which she finds more frightening.

Contest Alert! BE SURE to check out Nicole's big contest, vlog, and more about the book at her author site.

Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland
Our saucy and fun ex-cop Diana Rowland totally owns the whole demon CSI thing. This series is awesome! I thought that before I even knew Diana. I love the new cover style, too.

Le blerb:
Homicide detective Kara Gillian has a special talent: she can sense the "arcane" in our world, and there's quite a bit of it, even in Beaulac, Louisiana. She's also a summoner of demons, and works on a task force that deals with supernatural crimes. Her partners are attractive and smart FBI agents, but they're not summoners, and they're not telling Kara why they are on this special force with her.

To make things worse, Kara has pledged herself to one of the most powerful of demons-a Demon Lord-who helped save her partner's life, but now expects things in return. Meanwhile, she's trying to solve a string of murders that are somehow tied together by money, sex, rock music and...mud. But how can she concentrate on the case when she's not even sure who-or what-her partners are?
Read the chapter one excerpt here!

Skin Heat by Ava Gray (aka Ann Aguirre)

I love this series for how risky it is, and how inventive it is, and I think it contains some of Gray's/Aguirre's best work. Smart, solid, tight writing, and a unique niche that's a little paranormal, a little romantic suspense.

Also, these books are full of morally dubious, gray-area characters and you know I love that.  Start with the fabulous Skin Games. Learn more on Gray's website.

The blurb:

Veterinarian Geneva Harper finds herself irresistibly drawn to Zeke Noble, the mysterious young man to whom wild is second nature. When a killer threatens Neva, Zeke's need to protect her is as fierce as his desire to claim her as his mate.

My Immortal Assassin by Carolyn Jewel
A top pick from Book Page, and it got 4.5 stars from Romantic Times! This is another series I love - besides being hugely compelling, Carolyn Jewel writes some of the best heroines. I love her heroines.

From RT: "The lines in the war between Magekind and Fiends continue to blur in the next installment of Jewel's exhilarating My Immortal series. The protagonists in this drama have both suffered terribly, giving them a common ground and enemy. Jewel provides her fans with a terrific tale that has action aplenty and drama to spare. Great stuff!"

The blurb:
Revenge. It's all Grayson Spencer wants. Christophe dit Menart, a human with dark magical powers, destroyed the life she loved. She wants the pleasure of killing him, no matter the cost to her. If not for Durian, a dangerously sexy demon fiend charged with keeping Christophe alive, she would have succeeded, too. Now, she's certain all hope is gone. But he has a plan and an offer she can't resist...

Durian has spent his life as a trained and sanctioned assassin. His duty: to enforce the laws against demons harming humans. He's always prided himself on staying out of the fray, carrying out his orders and honoring his fealty to his warlord, but never getting attached. Never until Grayson, a spunky and determined woman clearly gifted with magic herself. He convinces her to swear fealty to him so he can protect her and teach her to use her magic to taste the revenge she so desperately wants.

They're soon bound together in a forbidden desire--a dangerous passion that calls into question Durian's oath of loyalty to his warlord. When he refuses to return her to Christophe, his disobedience threatens to inflame the tumultuous war between demons and the magekind. Can they--and their love--survive?
Read Chapter one here. More on Carolyn Jewel's site.

And now for something completely different, two books that are not UF, PNR or anything of the sort!  

by Andrew Shaffer
A crazy little number by Shaffer, aka Evil Wylie. Yes, philosophers manage to be far more interesting and imaginative in their romantic screw-ups than actors and athletes ever could be. This is a fun, fascinating, highly readable release.

I just really love the whole human interest angle of history - check the excerpts and you'll see why this is an awesome subject for a book. In addition to a fine addition to the Crane library, this baby's going to make a great gift for some of my friends.

From Publisher's Weekly: “Shaffer’s jaunty compendium of highbrow heartbreak provides proof positive that even the most brilliant of minds can fall afoul of Cupid—and offers some measure of hope to the lovelorn.”
You can get excerpts here. Shaffer's website is here.

Merit Badges by Kevin Fenton
I'm so excited about this book, which has won the AWP award, and is getting great buzz. And it's not just because Kevin is a longtime friend of mine - this book is seriously awesome.

Merit Badges is the kind of book that evokes time and place so precisely that it's LOL funny, yet stunningly poignant all at once. The time and place in question here is small town Minnesota, starting in the 1970's - a time when high schools had "plastic pod chairs in the concourse" and stoner kids got into fights set to the Allman Brothers - and going on up to 2000 or so. At one point, one of my favorite characters says: "The weather was like me, only more so. The weather needed some counseling. The weather had to think about the consequences of its actions."

The characters are vivid and achingly true, sometimes in a touching and highly entertaining way (like the one guy who models himself on the dad from Leave it to Beaver). This tale of their aspirations, their loves, their disappointments is hugely compelling. It leaves a reader with a wonderful, thoughtful feeling about life.

I'm getting this book for the FREAKS in my life who don't like UF or PNR or historicals. LOL. Actually, I would highly recommend it for somebody who enjoys Nick Hornby, or Kazuo Ishiguro. And three of the four main characters are boys, so this is a great guy book. I can't say enough good about it.

Facebook page for Merit Badges here. More on Fenton's site here.

CONTEST PART: Comment for a chance to win one of these fine books anywhere Book Depository will ship.

You don't have to decide what book you want in your comment, just comment. In a week, next Tuesday morning, when I'm having my morning shot of whiskey and foot massage, I'll randomly choose TWO winners and email them, and they'll get to pick one of these books as a gift from Carolyn Crane.

Merry Christmas!

From wiki commons: folk tale depiction of Father Christmas
riding on a goat; perhaps from Swedish Tomte. I'm going to
give Father Christmas the benefit of the doubt and assume
that is a large doll under his arm there. 

Hey, I just wanted to wish everybody out there who celebrates Christmas a very merry one. And if you don't celebrate, I hope you're having a fun day of kicking back.

I'm in Wisconsin visiting my mom and sisters and nieces and nephew. We are a Christmas-morning-present opening family, so soon, there will be mayhem. Though, not so much if the Santa pictured here visited.

Mr. Crane and I drove all yesterday. I downloaded Stephen King's "The Green Mile" for us to listen to in the car. Wow, King is such an amazing writer. How did I forget that? He's a kind of scoundrely puppetmaster, in the way he creates these crazy flights of description and suspense, managing readers' minds. I can also report that it is not the most Christmassy of stories. Oh well! I'm not the most Christmassy of people.

However, sitting here with my coffee and Internet connectivity, which is, in itself, a Christmas miracle, I feel such a warm feeling for all my friends out there - readers, writers, twitter and FB pals, blog buds and everybody else. Just a warm and thankful feeling for everybody I've had the pleasure of crossing paths with this year. Have a great holiday weekend!

xxoo Carolyn

Annual Christmas letter from Little CJ & giveaway

Little CJ is not bitter toward Mr. Crane due to his
forbidding her to be displayed on the living room wall. 

Oh, wow! Little CJ, my childhood portrait painted by an elderly aunt, has written an annual Christmas letter.

And, she's giving away an international gift certificate prize to one commenter!

Come say hi and enter to win over at Wicked Little Pixie's place.

Holiday MAYHEM

The holidays are a very special time, and some of my pals have been very NAUGHTY WRITERS and are now celebrating it with some wild and wacky and, also, plain old romantic book releases:

Stocking Full of Coal  Click here to read about the story behind this totally kinky holiday romp by the notorious  "Amanda Feral". . . rumors abound as to her real identity being none other than Mark Henry. Nicole Peeler has an excellent write-up about the piece here! PLUS A CONTEST!!!    Nicole Peeler sez  "So yeah, it’s dark. But it’s also - considering it’s about a bruise fetishist and it’s written by a flesh-eating zombie - it's bizarrely romantic." OMG somebody pass the egg nog.  Purchase and find excerpt here.


Sweet Inspiration Leave it to Penny Watson to go for the bullseyes - Santa's sons. The first installment, Sweet Inspiration, is a fun and delectable read set in a bakery, where Nick and master baker Lucy have duelling cookie making philosophies.  Read Watson's post on "Sexing up Santa" on Babbling About Books here.  The Romance studio sez: "I'm hooked on this series and cannot wait to read the next installment. It has been a few days since I finished reading this magical tale and I'm still grinning from ear to ear." It's available on Amazon, or for less at Wild Rose Press.

The Christmas Fantasy Somebody has FIREFIGHTERS on the brain. And that person is bloggy pal KT Grant, who pens a smutty tale indeed. As Penelope's Romance Review puts it: "If only all of us could have a glasses-wearing, sexy firefighter hellbent on our sexual pleasure for a Christmas present. It would be a very, merry Christmas indeed." LOL. Well, I don't know how Mr. Crane would feel about it! Info and excerpt here. 

His for the Holidays This star studded M/M antho has been getting awesome reviews! I think it's a fabulous bet for a fun holiday read with some of M/M romance's biggest stars. My pal LB Gregg has a short in it, plus Josh Lanyon, Harper Fox and ZA Maxfield. Mandi at Smexy sez: "I can’t recommend His for the Holidays enough. Four really excellent M/M romance stories." Full review here.  Available here. 

If Walls Could Talk
Check out the really fun interview and CONTEST with Juliet Blackwell, author of If Walls Could Talk, the first in the new Haunted Home Renovation Series...picked by Suspense Magazine for its Best of 2010! It's over at the Biting Edge. 


Where am I? 
I am in holiday mayhem-land myself. But also, visiting some fave blogs this week. 
• On Sunday I was over at Escape Between the Pages talking about my personal holiday disconnect. Lori at Escape has collected a whole bunch of holiday perspectives from people. I'm enjoying keeping up with this series! Find it here. 
•On Tuesday I visited with Larissa on Larissa's Bookish Life this week! We did an interview and there is an International Giveway of a signed copy of Double Cross. It's here. 

Snow day!

Look at our poor car! Buried. Luckily, it's on the side of the street

where it won't get towed. Until Tuesday. 

A million cars kept getting stuck. And still are. This

one was pushed to the side and left running and it CAUGHT ON FIRE! Flames were shooting

out its wheel wells. DH and I just stood at the window and watched. I didn't know at first that it had been left running, and I worried being buried in snow could have some combustion 

effect on cars. DH laughed at me. Well, you're not supposed to bury electrical cords under rugs, right? 

Kitty watching the birds at the feeder. Snowy day with many hungry birds to startle

by rearing up on ones hind legs, paws to window.