Okie Lurve!

Hat's off to my fellow Okie, Jaci Burton! Let's show some lurve for OUT OF THE DARKNESS! Check it out:

OUT OF THE DARKNESS by Jaci Burton and C. J. Burton
(Ellora’s Cave)

Harlee has lived as a human her entire life, working as a psychiatrist on a secret government project evaluating captured werewolves and vampires. Then one night two strangers jerk her from her bed, blindfold her and turn her world upside down. She is taken deep into the realm of lycans and vampires and told an unbelievable story-that she is the daughter of a forbidden union between a vampire and a werewolf and now possibly the future leader of both their clans.

She doesn't believe them. Vampires and werewolves are the enemies of humans. She hangs onto her humanity, her one and only goal to escape from her sexy and enigmatic captors before she loses her heart and possibly her very soul.

The vampire Adrian's and the lycan Duncan's goals are entirely different-to mate with the fiery beauty and determine whether her dominant blood is vampire or werewolf. One merely desires her. One will claim her for all eternity.

But dark forces turn what begins as a search for identity into a struggle for survival.

Excerpt:
http://www.jaciburton.com/outofdark.html

Cover:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1419954180.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V52651030_.jpg


ABOUT JACI BURTON
Jaci Burton was born and raised in Missouri but now lives on an acre-and-a-half in Oklahoma with her husband Charlie. Jaci loves to write about passionate relationships with sometimes stormy outcomes but always a happily ever after. She’s a sucker for romance and a happy ending!

REVIEWS

Out of the Darkness is fabulous! This vivid glimpse of a world filled with vampires and lycans, secret plots and erotic sexual encounters will leave you clamoring for more. – eCataRomance Reviews

Out Of The Darkness is an incredible tale of one woman’s struggle with her past and what her future may become. – Romance Junkies



Website: http://www.jaciburton.com

FABULOUS NEWS!

I am honored and excited to report that BRIGHID'S QUEST is a finalist in the Daphne du Maurier award! I couldn't be happier about this! Thank you so much to the RWA's Kiss of Death Chapter - a very talented group of women. Yea!!

Gothic delish

Another fellow Berkley author, Jennifer St. Giles, has a new book out. It sounds like a delicious mixture of Gothic and paranormal. Check it out:

MIDNIGHT SECRETS by Jennifer St. Giles
(Berkeley, May 2, 2006)

"When two are born together, one will die by the other's hand..." This is the Dragon's Curse that has plagued the Killdarens for generations and continues on in this tale set on the Cornish Coast of 1879 England. Sean and Alex thought they'd escaped the Dragon's curse until in a rage of suspicion and accusation the twins come close to killing each other the night the woman they both loved was murdered. Eight years later, the only thing they agree on is to remain unwed and childless, to never pass on the Dragon's Curse. Then another woman disappears. This time from Sean Killdaren's castle and his reclusive world is shattered when Cassie Andrews, a journalist, goes undercover as a downstairs maid. He can no more ignore her than he can ignore the murderer hiding behind the secrets of Killdaren Castle's stone walls.

Excerpt:
http://www.jenniferstgiles.com/midnightsecrets.shtml


Cover:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0425209628.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg



ABOUT JENNIFER ST. GILES
Following the birth of her third child, Jennifer St. Giles quit her job as a nurse and became a home educator to her three children and pursued her life long dream of writing in her "spare time". Jenni lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband of twenty-three years, her three children, two cats, one dog, and a two-handfuls of neighborhood kids who make the household the wildest most wonderful Grand Central Station in existence.


REVIEWS

St. Giles brings the classic Gothic to a new sensual level. . .combining dark atmosphere and the twisted plot of great mystery. Four Stars - RT BOOKClub ...a terrific Victorian romantic suspense that grips the reader and the paranormal elements blend in completely... Harriet Klausner Midnight Secrets incorporates classic Gothic themes with its brooding atmosphere... filled with tragedies and secrets. Susan Wilson


Website: http://www.jenniferstgiles.com

Great title!

Check out Shanna's new book. The title alone would make me buy it...
ONCE UPON STILETTOS by Shanna Swendson
(Ballantine Books, April 25, 2006)

When we left Katie Chandler at the end of Enchanted, Inc., she had helped her new employers, Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc. defeat Phelan Idris, a rogue wizard intent on stealing spells. By her side, and leading the battle, was hunky wizard Owen. Katie and Owen are still fighting their attraction to each other in Shanna Swendson’s hilarious and charming sequel Once Upon Stilettos, but first they have to track down a corporate spy before the company dissolves into paranoia. Then at the worst possible time, Katie's immunity to magic goes on the blink. At least she's having better luck in her social life, with men falling at her feet everywhere she goes. Has she really become that irresistible, or is it the new red shoes she felt compelled to buy? Polish your fairy wings, put on your magic shoes, click your heels three times, and join Shanna Swendson for a romantic romp amidst fairies, goblins, wizards and gargoyles.

Excerpt:
http://www.shannaswendson.com/stilettos.html

Cover:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0345481275.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


ABOUT SHANNA SWENDSON
In addition to writing fiction, Shanna Swendson is a freelance marketing consultant and writer specializing in technology and telecommunications. She is single and lives in Irving, Texas, with her many pet plants, including a vicious attack bougainvillea and a Christmas cactus that has outlasted three homes, three jobs and three boyfriends, yet still faithfully blooms every Christmas and Easter. She’s looking for a man that reliable.


REVIEWS

"Once Upon Stilettos is not to be missed if you're in the mood for a fast and funny read where chicklit meets urban fantasy." -- Mary Jo Putney, author of A Kiss of Fate
"A princely wizard, Cinderella red stilettos, and a megalomaniac--what more could a girl ask for? ONCE UPON STILETTOS is a delightful urban fairytale with a dreamy hero and a country-wise Texas heroine who use their magical and non-magical charms to seek justice and unmask the villain. Just a few weeks in the life of a simple single girl..." -- bestselling author Patricia Rice
Once again Swendson gives her readers a hilarious and delightful romp through the world of magic with a dash of romance thrown in to titillate and make us laugh. -- Andrea Sisco, Armchair Interviews

Website: http://www.shannaswendson.com

Sex and YA

I'm curious about your response to this. The following is an article from Newsday on the new trend to up the sexual content in YA - specifically targeted at girls. I think it's a destructive trend and to discount is as harmless and just entertainment is very shortsighted. I'm interested in this not just because I'm a thinking woman who has opinions of her own, and because I've taught teenagers for fifteen years and I hate seeing this teenage generation's outward attitude of "hey, it's just a blow job," and then watch the silent desperation of girls who let themselves be exploited, but also because I'm the mother of a 19 year old, and author of a YA series. And, yes, the sexual content of my series has been a point of dissention between my editor and me. Here's the article:

Sex and the Teenage Girl
What goes on between the covers is now what goes on between the covers of new fiction aimed at young adults
BY TANIA PADGETTNewsday Staff WriterApril 4, 2006

She had the type of body that looked even better naked than in clothes. Soft without being fat, and more delicate than her usual costumes of preppy, neatly creased jeans and cashmere cardigans or short, tight little black dresses let on. She was still a pain in his ass, but they'd been in and out of love pretty much since they were 11 years old and he wanted to get naked with her for even longer.
Sound like a passage from a sex-soaked Danielle Steel novel? It isn't. And the audience isn't the typical adult female romance reader.This book, "Nobody Does It Better" (Little Brown, $9.99), is aimed at girls, ages 14 to 18. It's the latest (2005) in the bestselling "Gossip Girl" series by Cecily von Ziegesar.And that was just page one.Young-adult fiction has come a long way from Nancy Drew, the 16-year-old sleuth whose most intimate encounter with a guy was probably a batting of eyelashes at boyfriend Ned Nickerson.But today's teenage fiction, with its slick covers, eye-riveting blurbs and steamy plots, is exploding off bookstore shelves, fattening anemic publishers' profits and attracting millions of television-worshiping teens. The market has become so lucrative that non-book publishing companies, like MTV, are elbowing into the increasingly crowded niche.But the books' popularity has also given rise to a small chorus of detractors who worry that the content is too racy. In many of the books, teens have sex, do drugs, use profanity, and plot and scheme against each other with glinting treachery.

Naomi Wolf, whose feminist work, "The Beauty Myth," launched her to fame, argued in an essay for the Sunday New York Times last month that today's books for teens "package corruption with a cute overlay."

"The problem is a value system in which meanness rules, parents check out, conformity is everything and stressed-out adult values are presumed to be meaningful to teenagers," she wrote.

In the past year alone, the biggest sellers in the young-adult market have been series, including "Gossip Girl," "The Clique" by Lisi Harrison and "The A-List" by Zoey Dean. And sales are showing no signs of slowing down. Plots are fast-moving and dramatic, but also formulaic: party-hopping girls with runway-model looks, who often leave skid marks racing from one reckless rich and famous adventure to another.Many girls, some as young as 13, gobble these books up, vaulting titles to the top of The New York Times bestseller list and emboldening publishers to start developing movies or television series from their content. Meanwhile, producers of popular teen TV shows, such as Fox's "The OC" and MTV's "Laguna Beach," plan to roll out books based on those series as they try to capitalize on this literary bonanza.

"Books are catching up with the rest of entertainment and becoming much more attractive to the young teen audience," said Leslie Morgenstein, president of Alloy Entertainment in Manhattan, which developed the "Gossip Girl" books. "And the content is no worse than what girls are already seeing on television."

A potent brew. Brisk sales of these books are not surprising. Mix a recipe of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, or hip-hop, and you've created a potent brew that is sure to at least pique teenage interest.It wasn't that long ago when the young-adult fiction market was much like the geeky girl or guy at the high-school dance: around but largely ignored. Ten years ago, the classics, fantasy books and innocuous series such as "Sweet Valley High" dominated sales. But demand for teen books with more adult themes began to coincide with the advent of edgier content on cable television and the boomlet in U.S. teenagers.Between 1990 and 2000, the number of youths between ages 12 and 19 climbed to 32.4 million in the United States, an increase of 4.5 million, according to a survey by Media Mark Research last year using U.S. Census data.That increase also brought a tidal wave of teenager spending income (about $115 million in 2003), which was not lost on the book industry. From 1995 to 2004, book sales in the young-adult market surged 86.9 percent to $444.4 million, according to statistics compiled by Albert Greco, a marketing professor at Fordham University in the Bronx.Joe Monti, a book buyer at Barnes & Noble, said the release in the late 1990s of "Smack," by Melvin Burgess, about British teens on heroin, and "Holes," by Louis Sachar, about a teen sent to summer detention camp, helped change the face of the young-adult market.

"Unlike other books, these tackled tough issues that teenagers face," Monti said. "The sales were incredible." During a recent visit to the B. Dalton Booksellers store in Roosevelt Field, a group of Division Avenue High School students from Levittown were found eyeing the young-adult selections. Katie Duggan, 17; Danielle Yarsinske, 18; Diana Hajjar, 18, and Allison O'Rourke, 17, acknowledged that many of the books are "mindless entertainment," but that hasn't stopped them from snapping up the latest popular titles."I've read all the ['Gossip Girl'] books," said Duggan, a senior. "The characters are rich and live such dramatic lives. And their parents never tell them anything. I sometimes wish my parents were like that."

Hajjar said, "It's like 'Sex and the City' for teens."

"I wasn't a big reader before," Yarsinske added. "But I really enjoy the books."

O'Rourke, who would prefer burying her nose in Shakespeare and other classics, said she doesn't have "a problem with teens reading them."Nor do a handful of parents and librarians who specialize in young-adult fiction and agreed to talk to Newsday. The adult content in these books does not wreck teenagers values, said Barbara Paulinski at Floral Park Memorial High in Floral Park. "I'd like to think [the books] present a teaching moment for parents," she said. Besides "I don't think you get your basic core values from what you read or what you hear. You get them from your home."

"I don't think many of the young adult books are done irresponsibly," said Teri Germano, a librarian at Masters Moriches Shirley Library, in Shirley. "Many are done with reason and sensitivity."That, of course, has only whetted publishers' appetite. But their stampede to snap up young-adult dollars and market share did yield at least one public major misstep. Simon & Schuster's release last year of "Rainbow Party," an unflinching tale by Paul Ruditis of teen oral sex, sparked heated discussion and a slew of newspaper articles about the salacious nature of teen literature. The novel's front cover boasted a photo of opened colored lipsticks; its back cover was filled with provocative blurbs. Many stores refused to stock the title and the much-promised sales never materialized.Barnes & Noble's Monti said he chose not to stock "Rainbow Party" because it was competing with other young-adult fiction that was better written.Bethany Buck, vice president and editorial director of the division that published "Rainbow Party," said the dustup created by the book was "because adults don't want to believe that teens are having sex." She said the company plans to continue publishing books aimed at teens.Morgenstein, of Alloy Entertainment, described the "Rainbow Party" failure as more of an aberration than a controversy. "This company is in the business of creating mass entertainment," Morgenstein said. "At the end of the day, the market draws a line at what is too edgy."Alloy has been at the helm of bestselling teen fiction, he said, helping to produce 40 books last year, 17 of which were national bestsellers, including "The A-List" and "The Clique."TV and movie projectsMorgenstein said the company is in talks with Warner Bros., The WB and Universal to develop "Gossip Girl"; "The Au Pairs," another bestselling series by Melissa de La Cruz, and "The A-List" into television and movie projects.MTV has announced plans to follow suit. Louise Burke, the young-adult book president for the music video network, said it plans to release this month the first installment of four different book series.The books are colorful, well written and move with the same breathtaking pace as an MTV video. "'Gossip Girl' set the bar," Burke said, "but nobody knows teenagers better than MTV. We're planning to take the market down."And that, according to the detractors, is the exact direction where teenage values are heading. Wolf, the author, said she believes pornography is surreptitiously being slipped into the milieu of teens without their parents' knowledge.As a result, "young girls are becoming numb to the sexual experience," said Wolf, who suggested putting rating labels on the books. "They do it with movies. I don't see why they can't do it with books."
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

Fellow Berkley Sensation author Angela Knight

Here's a nod to my sister Berkley Sensation author, Angela Knight, and her delicious new werewolf novel, MASTER OF WOLVES. Here's the info:

MASTER OF WOLVES by Angela Knight
(Berkeley Sensation, April 4, 2006)

When Jim London's best friend is murdered, Jim vows to catch the killer. Leaving it for the local police to solve is out of the question, because he suspects they are involved.
Jim is more than capable of taking action if they are -- he's a werewolf. Realizing the only way to investigate the department is from the inside, he decides to go undercover -- as a police K-9.
His "handler" is lovely Faith Weston, the only person on the Clarkston Police Department who isn't up to her neck in murder. But Faith has no idea her "dog" Rambo is a werewolf, or that the department she serves is rotten with corruption.
But it doesn't take her long to figure it out.


Excerpt:
http://www.angelasknights.com/masterofwolves.htm

Cover:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0425207439.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg



ABOUT ANGELA KNIGHT
Angela Knight's first book was written in pencil and illustrated in crayon; she was nine years old at the time. But her mother was enthralled, and Angela was hooked.
In the years that followed, Angela managed to figure out a way to make a living -- more or less -- at what she loved best: writing. After a short career as a comic book writer, she became a newspaper reporter, covering everything from school board meetings to murders. Several of her stories won South Carolina Press Association awards under her real name. For more of Angela’s interesting bio, visit her website: http://angelasknights.com/bio.htm


Website: http://www.angelasknights.com

Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors I'm a finalist!!

The fabulous, witty, and hilarious Smart Bitches at http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com have begun the first annual BWAHA Awards - Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors, and I am honored to report that BRIGHID'S QUEST is a finalist in the Best Paranormal: Fantasy/SF/Other Worlds Romance category!! Okay, seriously, I would LURVE to win this wicked cool award, so I would definitely appreciate your votes. Just follow the link to Smart Bitches and scroll down till you find the "And the nominees are..." entry, then send your vote to Sarah or Candy. Here are all the very talented nominees for all the categories:

Best Contemporary:
Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Hot Tamara by Mary Castillo
Breaking Point by Suzanne Brockmann
Black Ice by Anne Stuart
Wedding Survivor by Julia London
Ex and the Single Girl by Lani Diane Rich
Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy

Best Historical:
Smuggler’s Bride by Darlene Marshall
Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase
Siren by Cheryl Sawyer
It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation Lauren Willig
The Veil of the Night by Lydia Joyce

Best Series/Contemporary:
Ultra Violet by Ellen Henderson
Her Body of Work by Marie Donovan
The Orchid Hunter by Sandra K. Moore

Best Series/Historical:
Lady Silence by Blair Bancroft
Dedication by Janet Mullany

Best Romantica/Erotic Romance:
“Skin Deep” by Jasmine Haynes, from Twin Peaks
Take Me by Bella Andre
Dragon’s Fire by Tielle St. Clare
Promises Prevail by Sarah McCarty
Off the Record by Matthew Haldeman-Time
Bound to Trust by Jaci Burton
Best Erotica Mercenaries by Angela Knight
24/7 by Susan DiPlacido
Crossing the Line by Stephanie Vaughan

Best Paranormal: Vampires, Werewolves and the Supernatural:
Haunted by Kelley Armstrong
Dark Lover by JR Ward
Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson
Erotique by Alessia Brio
Waxing by Megan Powell

Best Paranormal: Fantasy/SF/Other Worlds Romance:
The Compass Rose Gail Dayton
Heart Choice by Robin D. Owens
Poison Study Maria V. Snyder
Brighid’s Quest by PC Cast
Unmasked by CJ Barry

Deidre Knight's debut book!

Deidre Knight is my good friend Gena Showalter's agent - so I know from Gena that she is totally fab. Gena also says her first book, a paranorma,l is excellent. I have it in my TBR pile and will dive in when I get out of Deadline Hell. Here are the particulars so you can check it out for yourself whilst I slough my way through Goddess of Love:

PARALLEL ATTRACTION by Deidre Knight
(Signet Eclipse, April 4, 2006)

It has been years since exiled alien king Jared Bennett thought of anything other than his people's fight for freedom. Now his rebel force has the one weapon that can turn the tide against their enemy: the key to the secrets of time. Victory has never been closer-but one woman has the power to change everything.Kelsey Wells can't deny that there is something unearthly about her fierce attraction to Jared Bennett. His revelations about alien wars and time travel can't possibly be fact-yet with every seductive touch, every searing kiss, Kelsey circles closer to the truth: that although Jared is exactly what he says, he hasn't told her everything. And when the future crashes into the present, Kelsey must decide if his deception will cost them the love that should have been their destiny.

Excerpt:
http://www.deidreknightbooks.com/pa_excerpt.html

Cover:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0451218116.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg



ABOUT DEIDRE KNIGHT
Deidre Knight is president of The Knight Agency, which she founded in 1996. Since that time, she has grown the agency to national prominence, landing authors on every major bestseller list. Deidre began her writing career at age nine, when her award-winning essay on Barbie was published in her hometown newspaper, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. She has been writing in one form or another ever since. After nearly a decade of working with Knight Agency clients, helping them discover their creative potential, her fiction debut with NAL in 2006 marks the fulfillment of her own lifelong writing dream. She is excited to embark on yet another new and fulfilling creative journey.


REVIEWS

Debut author, Deidre Knight, immerses the reader in a world that’s believable, fascinating, and extremely sensual between two people who meld into one as their love escalates. The sensuality builds to a crescendo, the plot plummets your emotion then brings you back, while bating your wishes for more at the end. Completely mesmerizing, PARALLEL ATTRACTION leaves you hoping for more. – Romance Junkies

An intriguing new voice in paranormal fiction has arrived! Knight kicks off an exciting new series that explores the power of conviction and unintended consequences. This novel is chock-full of passion, betrayal and redemption and will certainly leave you wanting more! – Romantic Times

Without a doubt this is one compelling and absolutely phenomenal read! Knight's opening foray into the paranormal world is … intensely erotic, passionate, and riveting … In two words, "totally fabulous"!
I was instantly caught up in the heart wrenching betrayal of a precious love that was taken from two innocents. … I am so looking forward to seeing more stories … from an author who has brought a highly imaginative and provocative breath of fresh air into the paranormal realm! Brava! Overall Rating: 10 -- Marilyn of www.RomanceDesigns.com


Website: http://www.deidreknight.com
The PARALLEL Experience http://www.deidreknightbooks.com

My lovely friend Jill Monroe (ur...she's nasty)

I'll just "out" her. Jill Monroe looks like a kindergarten teacher, but she's really a very naughty girl. And here's my evidence: her latest book. The girl writes very hot stuff. Check her out. Above you'll find the lovely cover. I especially like the fan because I can't sleep without one, so fans always conjour images of bed and night and...well...hot, steamy monkey sex.

Here's the rest of the pertinent info about her book. Please buy it. She has small children she must feed.

Hannah Garrett has always felt safe in the dark. It meant she never had to show people the truth. On the run from a man who wants to kill her, Hannah's learned to keep to herself and not get attached....Until she meets Ward Coleman.Being around her sexy coworker has awakened a need she'd forgotten — and it's not just this heat wave that has Hannah hot and bothered. But she can't afford to get too close, especially when she's not sure she can trust him.What she doesn't know is that Ward is on to her and is determined to learn her secrets. And getting caught in a hot, dark elevator is the best place to find out all this undercover FBI agent needs to know.

Romantic Times called Share The Darkness a "great read" and gave it 4 Stars. You can pick up your copy from Barnes&Noble, eHarlequin and Books A Million

Huh? New book?

Hey y'all. Liz Maverick's Crimson Rogue is out and I'm in deadline hell. Would someone please read it and tell me if it's as fab as it sounds? Here's the stuff on it:

CRIMSON ROGUE by Liz Maverick
(Dorchester, April 2006)

From the four strata of Crimson City come rogues: vampire, werewolf, human, demon. These rebels, rakes and unsung heroes have turned their backs on the extravagant vampire skyway, the gritty werewolf underground, the iron-fisted human stronghold and the fiery power of the demon underworld. Walking a thin line between heaven and hell, they make their own rules and follow their own destinies. Ironically, they will be the ones to determine if the City flourishes or fails. Cydney Brighton knows them well, for she too is now rogue. Having escaped hell, she’s discovered that the City is not what it once was—and neither is she. Only one man understands her, understands what it means to be someone or something beyond control. He’s ready to come out of the darkness; and part-man, part-machine, he’s willing to sacrifice almost anything to make himself whole.


Excerpt:
http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/SpecialFeatures.cfm?Special_ID=2058

Cover:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0505526255.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Other links:

Crimson City Hub
http://www.crimsoncity.com

Crimson City city resident’s blog
http://crimsoncity.blogspot.com


ABOUT LIZ MAVERICK
Liz Maverick is a world traveler, novelist, and freelance travel writer whose contract assignments have taken her around the globe. She’s driven trucks in Antarctica, attended university in the New Territories of Hong Kong, and worked on reality TV shows in California. Liz writes women's fiction comedy for Penguin Putnam’s NAL imprint and futuristic/paranormal action romance for Dorchester and Red Sage.


REVIEWS
“An original, dark and fascinating world….” —RT BOOKclub


Website: http://www.lizmaverick.com

YA author photo(s) - finally.

Well, Kristin was home for spring break last week (goddess help me). Okay, don't get me wrong. I adore my kid. She's great. She's fabulous. She's amazing. SHE'S A PAIN IN THE ASS. I considered using the cat's body to smother her. Hey, come on! The cat has been plotting her death for years! Okay, seriously, it was nice to see her and I do miss her. Most of the time. Whilst she was here we finally got our author photo for St. Martin's taken together. Here are the two we like best. What do y'all think? Which would be best for our YA novels?

Still Reigning as Lucky Cover Bitch

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/

The Smart Bitches at Smart Bitches Trashy Books dubbed me Lucky Cover Bitch. Naturally, I love it. I'm not shy or modest about much of anything, especially not about my amazing covers. I have excellent cover chi, which is more proof to me that God is a girl.

So I thought I'd share with you the incredibly covers for my next two LUNA books. First, DIVINE BY MISTAKE, which is the much anticipated LUNA edition of GODDESS BY MISTAKE. It'll be released in September. For those of you who have read GbM - what do you think of the artist's rendition of Shannon? I adore it! And the background and dias are especially fantastic! But much as I love DbM, I've been impatiently waiting to see its sequel, DIVINE BY CHOICE, in print for almost 5 years, and the cover did not disappoint me. Check it out! (Sorry, when I uploaded them to the blog their order is reversed...I'm kinda the computer impaired so please bear with me.

The Divine Feminine & The Beltane Papers

I had to share with y'all a wonderful magazine, The Beltane Papers (http://www.thebeltanepapers.net). The magazine is all about empowering women and the Divine Feminine. I'd like to say I discovered it, but the truth is they discovered me. One of their editors is a fan, and there is a very well written interview with me in the current issue. They sent me a copy of the magazine and I was stunned by its beauty and insightful articles - of course I immediately subscribed. Check it out!

Fallen Angel Reviews Interview

I thought y'all would like to check out my interview for the lovely ladies at Fallen Angel Reviews: http://www.fallenangelreviews.com

P.C. Cast Interview
Fallen Angel Reviews would like to welcome best-selling author PC Cast. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. PC Cast is the author of the Goddess Summoning series as well as the Partholon stories. I have been lucky enough to read most of the Goddess series, but haven't yet picked up the Partholon books. Are these two series entwined or can they be read as stand alones?
My Partholon and my Goddess Summoning series are completely different. The Partholon books for LUNA are all set in a world of my creation which is loosely based on Celtic mythology, and they are considered more “fantasy” than “paranormal romance,” even though all of my books, no matter the genre, have strong romantic elements. The Luna books do share characters and one follows the other, but I work hard to be sure that they can be read separately. My Goddess Summoning books truly stand alone. Once in a while I’ll have overlapping characters, but each book is a separate story unto itself.

Do you have a character that is especially close to your heart?
This is a hard question because I become emotionally involved with all of my characters. I will say that the centaur Huntress, Brighid, from BRIGHID’S QUEST is very close to me. Through her I dealt with several issues involving my own childhood and family. Brighid’s mother and my biological mother ended up being disturbingly similar, and like Brighid, I, too, had to learn to overcome a lot of childhood baggage in order to evolve into a healthy adult.

Do you have any special rituals to help you get in the mood to write?
I used to have to light my special butter rum candle, brew tea (or pour wine – depending on the time of day), and escape to a quiet room to write. I don’t have that luxury anymore. The truth is too often people view authors through highly romanticized lenses. Actually, writing is a profession, and even though I love it – it’s still a job. So I have to be able to produce work with or without the rituals and perfect settings.

How do you know what to name your books or the characters?
Book titles are very changeable. You’d be surprised how often authors have little or nothing to do with them. I’ve had so many young authors come to me agonizing over “I can’t figure out a title for my book!” I tell them just call it anything, and write it. It’s very likely your editor will change it anyway. Characters are different (although I have had an editor request I change a main character’s name before). I do a lot of name research. Meanings and sounds are important to me. And then when it’s right – I just know it.

Where do you get the inspiration for your stories?
Lots of different places! During research I find idea after idea after idea. Sometimes I brainstorm plots with an editor. Sometimes there’s a story that I’ve been passionate about telling for quite some time, as in my February release, GODDESS OF THE ROSE, which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Finding ideas for books has never been difficult – they just keep coming and coming and coming!

While writing, how does the story develop for you? Do you go from start to finish or create scenes as they come to you?
I write from start to finish after completing a proposal, which is usually from 5 to 10 pages outlining the beginning, middle, end, and main characters of the novel. Usually chapter 1 comes to me very easily, then I struggle for about 200 pages, then the book starts to write itself (I wish that part happened sooner!).

How many hours a day do you spend writing?
It varies greatly depending on deadlines and where I am in the writing process. After I hit about 200 – 250 pages I can’t stay away from the computer and writing for 10-12 hours a day isn’t unusual. Even when I’m not actually writing my mind is constantly percolating plots and scenes, so that when I do sit down to write my time tends to be very productive.

Most people only dream of becoming a successful writer. Now that you have accomplished that is there anything else you dream of doing?
Actually, I won’t consider myself a “successful writer” until I consistently hit major lists. I always set my goals high and I’m rarely really pleased with myself until I accomplish them. Other dreams…hum…I’d like to speak fluent Italian…take pottery classes…travel around the world… I have a secret desire to be an artist; it’s a shame I don’t have the talent to go with the desire!

What would you like to accomplish with your writing career?
World dominance by women! Okay, just kidding (sort of). I want to help women feel good about themselves and remind them that we should rely on our intuition and gut instincts more – as well as treasure our girlfriends.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
That there’s some secret magic formula to writing. It’s simply hard work and tenacity – nothing more, or less, romantic.

What is the best advice that anyone ever gave you?
In life: don’t ever date anyone you wouldn’t at least consider marrying. In writing: just write the book you love! Don’t worry about the publisher or the editor or the agent or which way the readers are buying or not buying. Just write what you love. That’s really the only part you can control anyway.

Have you ever had an embarrassing moment at a book signing?
Oh, jeesh, lots of them. Only I wasn’t really “embarrassed.” I think bemused would be a more accurate word. People have asked me where the restrooms are…to help them find a book because clearly I must work there…and over and over “You mean you really wrote these books??” Sigh. I’ll bet people don’t ask Nora Roberts to point them to the potties!

You have a new book out, Goddess of the Rose, the fourth in your Goddess Summoning series; do you see an end for this series or do you have more ideas in the works?
Well, right now I’m working on my spring Goddess Summoning book, GODDESS OF LOVE, in which Venus is my heroine. I do have ideas for several more, but I also have several other paranormal series I’m itching to write, so we’ll see…

Can you give us a peek into Goddess of the Rose?
Absolutely! I love this book! Goddess of the Rose is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast – with a modern, adult slant. My heroine, Micki (named after the Mikado Rose), and all the women in her family have a special affinity for roses – their blood, diluted in water and applied during the night of a new moon, makes roses grow spectacularly. What the women don’t know is that they have this ability because they are descendants of a High Priestess of the Goddess Hecate. Hecate is Goddess of Night, Magick, the Crossroads of Man, and of Beasts. She is also the proctrectess of The Realm of the Rose – the place wherein all dreams and magick originate. This realm is guarded diligently by The Guardian, a creature on which the myth of the Minotaur was based. The Guardian swore himself into Hecate’s service for eternity, and in return the Goddess gifted him with the heart and soul of a man, even though he has the body of a beast. But all is not well in The Realm of the Rose. The Guardian made a terrib! le mistake, arousing the Goddess’s wrath to such an extent that she bespelled him and the realm, and Hecate swore that they would sleep eternally unless the Beast was awakened by a woman who carried the magickal blood of Hecate’s priestess, and was wise enough to see the truth, and compassionate enough to act upon it. Micki does awaken the Guardian and he abducts her to The Realm of the Rose thinking that she would automatically break the curse placed on the realm and set things to right, but modern woman Micki is a very unexpected kind of High Priestess, and there are forces at work within the realm, both of love and of hatred that might change the shape of dreams and magick for all of eternity unless Micki is brave enough to make the ultimate sacrifice…

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I would like readers to know that there seems to have been an unfortunate mistake made with my release date of GODDESS OF THE ROSE. Way back last summer Berkley decided to move up the release from April to March, and then, finally, to February. Well…not everyone got the word on the February date change, so there has been some problem with purchasing and distribution. I would very much appreciate it if my fans would request that the book be ordered in through their local chain bookstores if they don’t find it on the shelf. That would help to correct the release date confusion. I would also like to send a Big “thank you!” to my wonderful fans. The women who read my books are loyal and intelligent and fabulous! I truly appreciate and love to hear from them! And thank you Fallen Angel Reviews!!

Thank you again for taking the time to talk with us. If you'd like to read more about Ms. Cast and her books, you can take a look at her website at: www.pccast.net. Interviewed by: Serena

OH MY GOD(DESS)!!

FABULOUS NEWS! My editor emailed me today saying that GODDESS OF THE ROSE is #38 on the Barnes and Noble romance mass market bestseller list!! Oh baby oh! In celebration, here's a wonderful image of Venus, the heroine of my next Goddess Summoning Book, GODDESS OF LOVE.


And now I have to watch some trash TV and finish my lovely glass of red wine. (I'll be popping some bubbly this weekend, never fear.) Project Runway is on, ya know...

Valentine's Day...romance or...or...retching?

So...today I started writing my next Goddess Summoning Book. It'll be the 5th one in the series, and it's titled GODDESS OF LOVE. I thought it was appropriate to literally begin it on Valentine's Day. I mean, please. Valentine's Day = Romance. Right? Well...Okay, I'm not complaining but currently I'm BM. No, that doesn't mean bowl movement. That means I'm - for the moment - Between Men. (Unfortunately I don't mean that literally. Talk about an interesting Valentine's Day...) Anyway, I got a lovely flower from one of my favorite students. Yep. A 16 year old. Uh, no. That really doesn't count as a romantic present - sweet, but NOT romantic. What would I really like today?? I browsed for a while and found the perfect gift for a woman BM - BATMAN! Yes yes yes. I do have a soft spot (actually, several of them) for The Dark Knight.

But, seriously (not that I'm not serious about Batman). What did y'all get for V Day? Was it romance or retching?

Back to GODDESS OF LOVE. Yes, I can appreciate the irony.

So many damn good books...

My friend and fellow Luna author, Robin Owens, has a Feb. release, too. Please check her out! Here's the info:

SORCERESS OF FAITH by Robin D. Owens
(Luna, February 1, 2006)

With the world of Llandrana threatened by encroaching evil, the Sorcerers must do the unthinkable—Summon an outsider to stop the insidious Darkness slowly taking control of their land and poisoning the Sorcerers themselves.
Arriving in Lladrana, grad student Marian Harasta is stunned to find herself the center of a dispute among Sorcerers who want to augment their Power with her own. She must quickly learn her new magical Powers – and decide who she can trust in this strange land. She has prayed for a miracle to save her brother – could Lladrana offer that knowledge, and can she somehow return to Earth with it?
She knows she must offer the Sorcerers something in exchange, and ridding them of the Evil Sorcerer is what they want, but how will she fare in her first magical duel?
With unexpected help – and unexpected betrayal – Marian must determine where her true fate lies.


Excerpt:
http://www.robindowens.com/reads/sorceress_of_faith.htm


Cover:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0373802218.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg



ABOUT ROBIN D. OWENS
Robin D. Owens has been seriously writing longer than she cares to recall, but is very happy with how her writing career is proceeding. She was named the Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers in 2004, and 2003 Writer of the Year by the Denver Area Science Fiction Association. Robin has been the librarian, contest co-chair, and President of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She has given seminars at Pikes Peak Writers Conference, the Colorado Gold Writers Conference, and Romance Writers of America as well as other groups.


REVIEWS

Marian is a fantastic heroine, both fiercely intelligent and independent, as well as willing and able to stand up for herself and what she wants. This book will enchant readers who enjoy strong heroines. – Romantic Times

Website: http://www.robindowens.com

FINALLY! GODDESS OF THE ROSE IS RELEASED!

Whew. It seems I've been waiting forever for the release of this book. Finally it's here. It should be available everywhere today, Feb 1st. Okay...BUT...here's where I need the help of my fans. As those of you who check my website know, Berkley moved the release of GotR up from April to March to Febuary. Well, seems there has been a kink caused by the movement. Without going into big, nasty detail it appears that not everyone got the word that I'm a Feb release. Which is bad...really, really bad. So the only way to fix this and save this fabulous book is for you guys to GO TO A CHAIN BOOKSTORE (live or via the internet) AND BUY THE BOOK. Quickly. So my numbers look good fast and they reprint and reoffer the book around the table with the buyers. I do promise you that you'll love it. Promise. Really.

Here's the amazing cover and a teaser:

Goddess of the Rose is a delicious retelling of Beauty and the Beast – with a modern, adult slant. Micki (named after the Mikado Rose) and all the women in her family have a special affinity for roses – their blood, diluted in water and applied during the night of a new moon, makes roses grow spectacularly. What the women don’t know is that they have this ability because they are descendants of a High Priestess of the Goddess Hecate. Hecate is Goddess of Night, Magick, the Crossroads of Man, and of Beasts. She is also the proctrectess of The Realm of the Rose – the place wherein all dreams and magick originate. This realm is guarded diligently by The Guardian, a creature on which the myth of the Minotaur was based. The Guardian swore himself into Hecate’s service for eternity, and in return the Goddess gifted him with the heart and soul of a man, even though he has the body of a beast. But all is not well in The Realm of the Rose. Centuries ago the Guardian made a terrible mistake, arousing the Goddess’s wrath to such an extent that she bespelled him and the realm. Hecate swore that they would sleep eternally unless the Beast was awakened by a woman who carried the magickal blood of Hecate’s priestess, and was wise enough to see the truth, and compassionate enough to act upon it.

Micki does awaken the Guardian and he abducts her to The Realm of the Rose thinking that her presence will automatically break the curse placed on the realm and set things to right, but modern woman Micki is a very unexpected kind of High Priestess, and there are forces at work within the realm, both of love and of hatred, that might change the shape of mankind's dreams and magick for all of eternity unless Micki is brave enough to make the ultimate sacrifice…

Please join me in this sensual retelling of my favorite fairytale, GODDESS OF THE ROSE, available NOW!

Sexy new release from GENA SHOWALTER!

Sorry I've been mute lately. (Remind me - why did I think I could write a YA series in my "spare time"? AAAAHHHHH!) Anyway, I'm coming out of hibernation to gush about my girlfriend Gena Showalter's February release JEWEL OF ATLANTIS! I got an early look at this book, and I can assure you that it is a fabulous, sexy fantasy - truly delicious! I'd love to hear your feedback after you buy and devour it. Here's the info: (and check out the great cover!)


Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter

Enter a mythical world populated with vampires, dragons, demons and Nymphs. . . enter a world of dark seduction and powerful magic. . . enter Atlantis….
All of Atlantis seeks the Jewel of Dunamis, which legend claims can overcome any enemy. Gray James, human agent of the ultra-secret Otherworld Bureau of Investigation, has orders to keep it from the wrong hands – or destroy it. What he doesn’t know is that Jewel is a woman, not a stone. But once he meets this precious gem, destroying her is the last thing on his mind. . .
Jewel, part goddess, part prophet, is a pawn in Atlantis’s constant power struggles. She needs Gray’s help to win freedom and uncover the secrets of her mysterious origins. Gray needs her wisdom to navigate monster-ridden Atlantis. But need blossoms into passionate love as they fight demons, dragons, vampires – and a prophecy that says the bond between them could destroy them both.

“This is one story you absolutely cannot miss!” 5 stars. Singletitles.com

“Showalter's fans will enjoy her breezy tone, fast-paced plotting, and sexy humor, set against a backdrop of malevolent demons, vampires, and dragons.” Barnes and Noble.com editors

Buy from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com

Visit Gena’s website at http://www.genashowalter.com

Let's talk series...

Jeri Smith-Ready brought up an excellent writing point when she posted about having difficulty writing the second book in her LUNA series. It got me thinking ("A dangerous thing." "I know..."). Book #2 in a series is damn hard to write, and it's damn hard to find good ones, too. I've done it twice, and am almost ready to add a third 2nd book in a series (now that's confusing sounding) to my resume with the middle book in my YA contract. I'm not particularly looking forward to it. Here's the problem: the 2nd book needs to be able to stand alone, so the author must give enough info about the first book to fill in the new reader whilst not pissing off/boring someone who has already read book one. See - it's damn hard to do. I struggled hard with this writing Brighid's Quest. I wanted the book to stand alone - and from the reviews and readers' comments I think I managed that - but I did have to pay homage to Elphame's Choice. Of course what was more difficult was writing Divine by Choice - the sequel to my first book, Goddess by Mistake (which is going to be re-released under the title Divine by Mistake in September), because when I wrote GbM I didn't have a clue I was going to end up writing a sequel...let alone the 5 books I've sold to LUNA set in that world. Sigh. I can tell you that today I would have done several things different in GbM and made my life much easier later on...

So - what sequels have you found that are as good - and maybe better - than the first book? What jumps out at me first is Anne McCaffrey's classic Dragon Quest, which I loved even more than the first fabulous Pern book, Dragon Flight. I also adored Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' second Hawk book Snakecharm. Oddly enough, Diana Gabaldon's second Outlander book was just okay, but the third kicked ass.

What do you guys think?