Where it all began. A long, long time ago...

Nope, not a Star Wars post.

I am a big fan and I'm seeing the movie this morning, but for my sci-fi week post I wanted to share my love of reading.  This is the first genre I fell for and it nurtured my love of books. I learned a lot from these stories. That the universe is vast and if I could imagine something then it was a possibility.

Now, you're probably wondering if I love sci-fi so much why am I writing paranormal romances. (I do dabble in sci-fi with No Refuge--strong CJ Cherryh influence-- and Boarded--strong Larry Niven influence and releasing in Feb 2016.)

I was introduced into the genre with Larry Niven. My brother lent me his copy of the World of Ptavvs. A fantastic journey through space where Niven explorers ideas like what if humans colonized a world where the gravity was higher or they suffered major windstorms throughout the year. What if we colonized the asteroid belt? You will actually see a lot of his ideas on the new syfy show The Expanse.

From here I encountered Anne McCaffery.  PERN! (when will there be a movie??)

I learned from her that you could mix sci-fi with other elements and make something wonderful. She has dragons, singing ships, and psychics powerful enough to cross the galaxy. Best part? She writes strong female characters. Great for the young women in your life.

Once I read all of Anne's book, I discovered CJ Cherryh.

CJ has a fantastic world building skill. She has multiple series. All very good. Her biggest influence on me was that even aliens should be three dimensional. They have families, they love, they have different conflicts and stories. She even writes in their point of view giving you a fresh perspective. I love seeing the universe in a not human's eyes. Oh, and she's another one who writes strong female characters.

Hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane. I know I did. I even picked up a couple of their new books. ;)

If you'd like, I'm running a contest on my facebook page. I'm giving gift cards and print copy books of Scent of Valor (Strong CJ Cherryh infleunce), Bait, and Ravenous.

Annie Nicholas
www.annienicholas.com

Bootcamp of Misfit Wolves

Every time I return to the Vanguard world, it’s like taking a trip down memory lane. I’ve never been the type of person who fits in with the popular crowd. I marched to the beat of my own drum, even now as an author. So why wouldn’t I love writing about the outcasts of the wolf shifter packs. Sometimes a woman just wants to root for the underdogs.   

Bootcamp of Misfit Wolves is a novella-length book of approximately 36,000 words. It released on October 14th and has hit the Top 100 Paranormal Romance list on Amz. I'll share the blurb after the links:

Amazon --> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016IPTAU6

Amazon UK --> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B016IPTAU6

Amazon CA --> http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B016IPTAU6

Amazon AU --> http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B016IPTAU6

Amazon DE --> http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B016IPTAU6

========

From the author of the bestselling Vanguards books comes a new series focusing on a new pack of underdogs who desperately need guidance to find their inner alphas. Full of humor, personality, and a vampire warrior outnumbered, the Vanguard Elite is rising.

BOOK ONE

Ian’s alpha tosses him out of his car at a training camp for worthless and weak wolf shifters run by a crazy vampire.

His only choice is to escape and go lone wolf.

Until he runs into Clare…

She actually volunteered for this gig.

Her wolf is all alpha but it’s crammed into a petite package, and she definitely has no mercy when it comes to him.

The work is hard.

The training dangerous.

Surviving is optional.

Clare can’t stand Ian’s disregard for her authority and he hates her driven ambition.

Sparks fly and teeth are bared. Opposites attract they say.

If they don’t kill each other first.

Want a chance to win $50 gift certificate at either Kindle or Nook?  Click Here

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Scent of Valor

It's finally available!  Scent of Valor, book 2 of the Chronicles of Eorthe. 

BUY

Courage blooms in the meekest of hearts.

After spending twenty years trapped in her civil body, Kele can finally shift into feral form. By tooth and claw, she’s determined to climb the Payami pack hierarchy.

Her parents plan to mate her with a hunter from a rival pack, but her heart’s already been stolen by the most unsuitable wolf possible—Peder, an omega male. She’d gladly give him her body except he’s disappeared from her life. Maybe into the thieving arms of another female.

Peder has spent every moment of their forced separation training to be a hunter. When he hears of her arranged marriage, he fears he’s waited too long to trespass back onto Payami lands to fight for her hand—but he damned well isn’t giving up.

On his journey to confront Kele, Peder is attacked and wakes in a cage, helpless as a band of vampires attack Kele’s mating party. Separated by social standing, thrown together by tragedy, they must work together to survive. And find out if their attraction is merely puppy love, or a bond that’s stronger than time.

Warning: This book contains an omega male who’s done submitting and a hunter female who isn’t used to needing anyone to come to her rescue. Violence ensues, not for the faint of heart.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Excerpt:

Sorin opened the gate. “Beat him to the ground,” were his parting words as Peder raced out into the forest.

Pale coral of dawn light outlined the mountain tops as he climbed the pass leading to Temple lands. He’d arrive before the mating parties and rest. Maybe even wash in a stream. He’d stand tall in the center of the Temple until both packs arrived. It was easier if he pretended to act like a hunter than to truly think he was one. With enough practice, maybe one day those lines would blur.

The sun hung just above the horizon, blazing with a hint of summer, as Peder descended the mountain. He turned around a sharp corner of the trail and stumbled upon a band of males. Digging his claws in the dirt, he came to a sudden halt. The wind blew in the wrong direction for him to have scented these vampires. No one should be on this part of the pass. It was still Apisi land.

Had Benic finally decided to kill him off? It seemed too cowardly for the vampire; he would prefer to sink his blade in Peder’s back personally. Besides, these bloodsuckers didn’t wear Benic’s colors.

They drew their weapons.

He backed away. “You’re on Apisi pack land.”

One of them laughed. “Shifters don’t own land. This is Lord Benic’s forest last I heard.” He spoke with a thick lilting accent.

“You’re not from his castle.” The cliff walls on each side of him were too steep to run and if he climbed, the vampires with bows would find him a fine target.

“No, we’re not.” The leader chuckled. “And you have rather pretty fur.”

His men fanned out around him.

Peder’s racing heart stopped. They wanted his fur? He scrambled backward but the loose soil under his claws made it difficult to gain any distance. Panic didn’t help either. Shifters were stronger than vampires, but there were four of them and only one of him. What were they going to do with his fur?

“Easy, mate. We ain’t going to hurt you,” one of the closer bloodsuckers said. “We’ll get a fine bag of gold for this one.”

Peder rose on his hind legs and snarled like Sorin had taught him. His fur stood on end along his spine.

“Don’t let him escape,” shouted a vampire as he pulled a blowgun from his belt.

Peder swiped his claws at the vamp that wanted him for gold. Something stung his neck. He clapped a hand over the spot and pulled out a thin dart.

Dog shit, not again. His knees turned to water and he kissed dirt.

Going Off Cable

We did it. A few months ago we shut off cable. The only person using it was my husband. It took some hand holding and lots of reassurance but he survived. He now knows how to use the internet and has not uploaded a virus to my laptop...yet.

I observe my kids and their generation with their Youtube obsession and wonder what the future will hold for entertainment. Some Youtube personalities seem as popular as movie stars. I, personally, am a Netflix junkie. (And other such services like HBOGO). I like to watch a show when I want to and have the whole series available if I want to binge.

This is my present list of shows. I haven't started the last two but I'm sure by the end of summer I will have started.

Shows on my watchlist:

The Leftovers
Tru Blood (catching up)
Hemlock Grove
Carnivale
Beauty and the Beast


We also do a retro movie night at my place, where hubby and I show the boys our old favorites. Sometimes it's torture for them, sometimes they surprise me. We just finished going through all of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns. They loved The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I never would have guessed my techno geek boys would love cowboys movies.

Movies on our watchlist:

Fright Night
The Frighteners
King Kong (the old version)


So it's my birthday this week and every year I celebrate with a giveaway! I'm giving away signed copies of both Ravenous and Scent of Salvation plus a $10 GC.

Annie Nicholas

Website: www.annienicholas.com

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How a Fever Leads to a New World

I love telling the story of what inspired Scent of Salvation because it shows how twisted my mind is. LOL

Both my sons were very ill with strep throat. Fever for days. When one was awake, the other was asleep, and vice versa. In other words, I had slept no more than a few hours in days. I felt like the Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and antibiotic dispensing machine.

About two in the morning, I had both boys in one bed so I could watch them together. My oldest’s fever was raging and I was waiting anxiously for the meds to kick in or I’d have to place him in a cool bath. Again. I was sitting on the floor and rested my head on the mattress and fell asleep.

In a matter of minutes, I dreamt of this whole world filled with vampires, shifters, dragons, incubi, etc. except no humans. I spent the next few months writing what I’d dreamed in over minutes.

Susan, a human tossed from our world to this one, is faced with Sorin’s sick wolf shifter pack. He offers her sanctuary within his small, poor den if she saves his people, but this world hasn’t developed technologically as ours has. There’s no Walgreens where Susan can get an antibiotic or supplies to create a vaccine. She has rock and fire and her knowledge as a prominent scientist to save this suffering pack.

I know how Susan felt as I watched my children suffer, waiting for the meds to take effect. I’m so thankful that I had those medicines in the first place. I doubt either of my boys would have survived without them. By the way, my boys were fine. Thank goodness for antibiotics. :D

Love blooms across species, culture, and time.

Chronicles of Eorthe, Book 1

Stranded in another dimension, on a primitive version of Earth, Dr. Susan Barlow needs to find a way to survive. There’s no electricity, no cities, and to her shock, no humans. Instead, she faces a population of werewolves, vampires and incubi. The people are vicious but she must find her place among them. And live.

An illness is killing Sorin’s pack. As alpha it’s his responsibility to save them, but it’s a battle this warrior doesn’t know how to fight. Then a blue light in the sky brings a creature he’s never seen. She calls herself human, but to him she smells like hope.

Sorin offers Susan a safe haven in return for a cure, but she’s not that kind of a doctor. She’s a doctor of physics, not a physician. Yet as they search for a cure to save a dying people, they find something special—each other.

But even with Sorin’s protection, Susan can’t help but wonder how long she can survive in a world without humans…

Warning: Feral shifters, power-hungry vampires, and a sole human female suffering culture shock.

EXCERPT

Annie Nicholas

Website: www.annienicholas.com

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Win-A-Book-Bundle-Wednesday In Honor of Our Healer Week

Here BE Magic HEALER WEEK

Win A Bundle of Books, not just one

This week we thought we'd give away a bundle of books, not just one! Some of the authors included are writing special posts for our Healer Week and others (like me) are just adding in books to support the Group.

One lucky winner will receivea copy of all the following (eBooks unless otherwise specified):

DANCER OF THE NILE and ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE by me, Veronica Scott

SCENT OF SALVATION by Annie Nicholas

ONE THOUSAND KISSES by Jody Wallace

MOTOR CITY WITCH by Cindy Spencer Pape

GATE TO KANDRITH by Nicole Luiken

VALOR OF THE HEALER and VENGEANCE OF THE HUNTER, both by Angela Highland

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dragon Personality Traits

       The year of the Dragon was 2012 and it comes around only every 12 years according to the Chinese Zodiac. (Other years are 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000…) And this is the year I wrote about my first dragon, Koishi.

The Chinese people believe the gods and goddesses have blessed the dragon and the people born in these years bear similar traits to this beast. The dragon is a symbol of power. He can fly to the highest peak and dive to the bottom of the deepest oceans.

According the zodiac, dragons do things on a grand scale. They believe bigger is better. (It’s not?) They are the free thinkers of our society and risk takers so it’s not surprising they burn the candle at both ends.

Forget a routine job for the dragons in our lives. And love? It takes a special kind of person to love a dragon because the varied sides of their personalities can make a relationship akin to a roller coaster ride.

I loved finding this information because it reflected Koishi very well except for one little thing. The Chinese say you can always trust a dragon, especially with financial transaction.

Even though he resides in Asia, Koishi was born in Outremer, in the realm of magic so he missed that memo.

My piece of advice is to never make a deal with a dragon.

KOISHI, releases Feb. 4th

Never make a deal with a dragon.

Sandra’s sister is dying. All the doctors agree that nothing more can be done, but she can’t give up hope. After using all her resources searching for a cure, a little bird whispers in Sandra’s ear about secret worlds, Gates, and the Keepers who protect them. A dragon Gatekeeper, who hoards magical treasure within his volcano home in Japan, can possibly hold an item to cure her sister.

Gates choose their Keepers and Koishi thinks his did an excellent job in picking him. Not many dare to cross and none who try survive.  However, one tiny human female with either the courage of an army or the intelligence of a gnat has arrived on the island asking for him. Curious and not wanting to disappoint, he waits for the locals to steer her to his human ‘servant’, which is him in his man form.

Let the games begin…

CONTENT WARNING: Goblins, mayhem, and sushi await you with hot dragon sex and Koishi’s odd sense of humor.

EXCERPT

DOWNLOAD FIRST CHAPTER

Want to win some cool prizes? Follow the ROMANCE MADNESS HOP starting today and ending the 29th. CLICK HERE TO START

Annie Nicholas

www.annienicholas.com

How to Catch a Vampire?

Catching a vampire is not an easy task or for the faint of heart.  Killing would appear easier since imprisonment isn’t necessary.

Why would I want to have a vampire? Obviously, you haven’t read any of my books. I take this task seriously because as a writer I want my stories to appear possible. In hunting all dangerous prey considering their weaknesses is tantamount.

So, I made a list of vampire weaknesses because anyone who knows me knows I love my lists and numbers. There are many species of vampires so I wrote all known limitations.

1.       Sunlight

2.       Wooden impalement

3.       Holy relics and water

4.       Dismemberment

5.       Fire

6.       Certain poisons

7.       Blood

8.       Sex

I disqualified the dismemberment because I want them alive and functioning.

If the vampire you’re stalking is religious then luring it to a room filled with blessed icons could weaken it enough to be trapped.

 There has got to be a cool way to corner one with sunlight. I’ve seen vampires trapped in wells but as the sun rises they get fried. I don’t want them crispy. Maybe we could give them a small recess to hide in?

I’ve killed vampires with fire and even heard of some slayers using flamethrowers but once again it’s with the goal of killing. A fire lined prison would keep your vamp but we still need to catch it and not burn down the place.

Now, I’ve heard certain rare poisons work to incapacitate them. Anne Rice used laudanum and I’ve used my own blue windex colored drug, which the source is still a secret.  Delivery is the hard part. Finding a volunteer to drink the poison and then allow a vampire to drink from them is not as easy as it sounds.

Blood and sex is more a desire but can be used as weakness, which brings us to the old bait and trap technique. I’ve used a beautiful, sexy prey animal to lure a vampire to its trap but of course it back-fired. Those creatures of the night can be clever.

As to wooden impalement, it brings us back to death BUT it did inspire me. What if I used really thick iron bars instead? Say four of them that pinned their bodies to the ground. They wouldn’t be able to escape without tearing themselves apart, which brings the dismemberment issue back up.

I guess if the vampire wanted to be caught it would be easier. They are such sneaky creatures.  A willing prisoner, he/she wouldn’t try to escape and less apt to hurt you.  And what’s a little chain and bondage between friends?

Want to read an action packed, sexy vampire story over Halloween. My book BAIT is FREE. Download here.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/BAIT-Angler-book-The-ebook/dp/B004P1IYAS/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1351341697&sr=8-13&keywords=annie+nicholas

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bait-annie-nicholas/1100245217?ean=2940011209499&itm=1&usri=annie+nicholas

www.annienicholas.com