Showing posts with label vampire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vampire. Show all posts

Monday, November 5, 2018

HERE BE NEWS for November 5, 2018

Posted by: Dani Harper, Author
All the latest 
from the authors at 
Here Be Magic
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In Case You Missed It:

Monday, October 29 - 

"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the authors at Here Be Magic.

Tuesday, October 30 - 

"THE 12 DAYS OF SAMHAIN" - Looking for a Halloween carol to sing? Author Linda Mooney has written one for you! 

Wednesday, October 31 - 
"FEAR AND HOPE ON ALL HALLOW'S EVE" - Author Jenny Schwartz talks about how Halloween may bring BOTH emotions to the surface.

Thursday, November 1 - 
"MY FAVORITE CREEPY STORIES" - Author Angela Korra'ti lists five of her favorite books, and five of her favorite movies!

Friday, November 2 - 
"MY FAVORITE MONSTER" - WE HAVE WINNERS in our Halloween Giveaway at Here Be Magic! We received a lot of great comments about YOUR favorite monsters too!

Saturday, November 3 - 
This week's Bring It Back(list) feature is "IN THE DARK" by PG Forte. See all the details below.

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Bring It Back(list) Feature:


When you live forever, you're bound to make a few mistakes.

IN THE DARK


San Francisco, 1969. Vampire Conrad Quintano has been around for centuries—long enough to know that falling for a human is a terrible idea. Much less falling for adventure-seeking hippie Desert Rose. An even more terrible idea? Agreeing to raise her babies and protect them with his life.

Present day. Marc and Julie Fischer have always known they’re vampires. Raised in virtual isolation, they’ve never known their parentage or their unique status in the world. But once their uncle comes to take them home, the family reunion is nothing like they anticipated and they’re thrust into a world they’re completely unprepared for.

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Sales, Contests and Events:





MY FAVORITE MONSTER + MULTI-AUTHOR GIVEAWAY 
We have WINNERS!

We had a lot of fun and hope that you did too! Not only did we receive a lot of entries, but we were delighted to read all the great comments about YOUR favorite monsters! 

THANK YOU to everyone who entered!

  1. Brenda Rezk wins an EBOOK of "Old Sins, Long Shadows" by PG FORTE
  2. Amber Terry wins an EBOOK of "A Hunt by Moonlight" by SHAWNA REPPERT
  3. Debbie Plesha wins her choice of an EBOOK by DANI HARPER
  4. Tammie King wins a "Boxed Set" (ebooks) of the Ravensblood Series by SHAWNA REPPERT
  5. Mandy Baker wins her choice of an EBOOK by CINDY SPENCER PAPE
  6. Melannie Savell wins an EBOOK: "Between a Rock and a Hard Dragon" by CINDY SPENCER PAPE plus a Halloween short story
  7. Gayle Oreluk wins a signed PRINT copy of "Queen Takes Knights" by JOELY SUE BURKHART
  8. Beverly Laude wins her choice of an EBOOK by LINDA MOONEY
and our GRAND PRIZE WINNER is: 
9. Reyna Herrera wins a $60 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at Here Be Magic


All winners are contacted directly by email. Be sure to check your spam filter!

Check out the post at https://herebemagic.blogspot.com/2018/11/my-favorite-monster-multi-author.html

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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Falling into Romance - how one writer found the genre

Posted by: Dani Harper, Author
One of the most frequent questions I'm asked as an author is How did you start writing romance?

It's not because I have a history with the genre. True confession time here - I never read romance novels! Not when I was young, not when I was a so-called adult. In fact, not at any time during the 20th century did I read a single example of the romance genre.


*collective gasp*

It's true. From the time I could pick up a book by myself, my personal reading time was filled with:

  • science fiction
  • mythology
  • superhero comic books
  • fantasy 
  • horror
  • did I mention science fiction?

Then right around 2001, I was happily browsing through a comic book store and spied a novella by Christine Feehan, titled Dark Dream. "Aha! A vampire story!" I thought to myself, and picked it up.

It was sooooo much more than that, as fans of Feehan's legendary Carpathians well know. I was amazed and fascinated. I'd never read anything where the MONSTER was not only the good guy, but he GOT THE GIRL as well!

Paranormal Romance was more than a new genre for me, it was an entirely new universe...

After devouring all the Feehan books I could find, I branched out to Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter, Karen Marie Moning, Larissa Ione, Jeaniene Frost, JR Ward and oh-so-many-more. A feast for the imagination with many worlds and realities to choose from! Add to that the chance to see how supernatural characters dealt with their circumstances, how they grew and changed, how they learned to navigate the complexity of relationships, and I was permanently, irrevocably hooked.

It was really no surprise when I eventually began writing PNR myself.

Later I embraced Urban Fantasy with both arms (Kelley Armstrong, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Karen Chance, Ilona Andrews...).

My own stories today tend to be a hybrid of both genres (para-fantasy anyone?) But there is always, always, always a relationship to be resolved, a strong romantic thread running through the novels I write. And, of course, an eventual "happily ever after".

So that's my "origin story". How did YOU begin reading (or writing) romance?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

THE GRIM SERIES by Dani Harper

The fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim. Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…

In this enchanting romance series from Dani Harper, the ancient fae come face-to-face with modern-day humans and discover something far more potent than their strongest magic: love.


See ALL Dani's novels on her Amazon Author Page

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Cover reveal!

Posted by: Shona Husk
I get to share the cover for book 3 in the Blood and Silver series today :)
This series has elves and vampires and vampire hunters and lost civilizations...and is a whole lot of fun to write. Book 1, Lady of Silver, is 99c (USD) at the moment so go and grab it, and book 2, Warrior of Fire, is out in June. Maid of Ice (book 3) will be out in November.


The covers for this series have been beautiful and this one is no exception.

Maid of Ice
Stalkers and death threats . . .
For Finley Ryder, danger means playing a racecar driver on a daytime soap. That is, until he’s forced to reckon with his true identity as an Albah, a magical ancient race, by one of his own kind. Someone wants him dead. And worse, an ancient vampire is on the prowl, drawing blood left and right. Now, Finley has no choice but to hunt enemies with unspeakable powers—or risk being hunted himself . . .
. . . and that’s just the first date
Ice skater Alina Nyx is using her broken wrist as an excuse for a career change. And when she falls for handsome Finley, Albah drama feels like her new full-time job. Learning about magic and vampires is exciting, until her life is threatened. Now, as she begins to uncover her own mysterious powers, she must combine forces with Finley to eradicate their foes for good, or all Albah will suffer . . .


Monday, February 20, 2017

Here Be News

Posted by: Unknown

New Releases

Lady of Silver (Blood and Silver)

A man on a mission
A brutal crime is haunting detective Dale Morgan. A young woman has been murdered on the city’s outskirts, and her blood drained. Dale suspects the leader of a depraved cult may be to blame. Yet with barely a shred of evidence at the crime scene, Dale will have to turn to the one person despises almost as much as the killers he puts behind bars.

A woman with secrets

To humans, Saba Venn is a psychic, but she’s Albah, a race long forgotten by humans but who live amongst them, her powers fueled by blood and silver. She agrees to help Detective Morgan, if it means stopping the vampire cult she believes is behind the killing. But the attraction she feels with Dale is immediate, and as their relationship intensifies she begins to doubt she can keep her secret from him.

Buy links: Amazon Kobo iBooks Barnes and Noble

Other News

Veronica Scott's STAR CRUISE: OUTBREAK took 3rd Place honors in the Judge A Book By Its Cover contest, with the judges being professional book sellers. Cover Artist Fiona Jayde does wonderful work!

The story:
She saved countless soldiers in the wars … but does she have the weapons to fight an outbreak?
Dr. Emily Shane, veteran of the Sector Wars, is known as “The Angel of Fantalar” for her bravery under fire as a medic. However, the doctor has her own war wounds–severe PTSD and guilt over those she failed to save.
Persuaded to fill a seemingly frivolous berth as ship’s doctor on the huge and luxurious interstellar cruise liner Nebula Zephyr, she finds the job brings unexpected perks–a luxe beach deck with water imported from Tahumaroa II, and Security Officer Jake Dilon, a fellow veteran who heats her up like a tropical sun.
However, Emily soon learns she and Jake didn’t leave all peril behind in the war. A mysterious ailment aboard the Zephyr begins to claim victim after victim … and they must race against time and space to find the cause and a cure! Trapped on a ship no spaceport will allow to dock, their efforts are complicated by a temperamental princess and a terrorist–one who won’t hesitate to take down any being in the way of his target.  If anyone’s left when the disease is through with them…
     Buy Links:  Apple iBooks   Amazon     Kobo      Barnes & Noble   


Monday, December 12, 2016

Here Be News

Posted by: Unknown
New Releases

The Complex Book Series. 

A Lone Planet.


One Complex.


Unlimited Chaos. 

http://www.thecomplex.info


The small population of Incubi in the Complex is clinging to old traditions and shunning contact with other species. Each year, the Incubi fight for the privilege to lead and mate. Only one can win. Kearn Layk never planned on winning, only doing better than last year’s previous dismal result that left him at the bottom of the pack. A year’s worth of secretly training more than paid off. He shocks everyone and wins. In the process, he makes an enemy of the man who was leader. Now filled with the burning desire to find a mate, he goes in search of a woman.

Phoebe Evans came to the Complex to reinvent herself. Being surrounded by the Metas is as strange as it is fascinating, but she hasn’t had the courage to date one yet. Then she meets Kearn. He’s smart and interesting and most definitely not Human.

Incubi traditions and Humans desires clash, and as new ideas are tested, old enemies rise up and threaten lives. Not everyone wants to see the Complex succeed.

https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Touch-Complex-Book-0-ebook/dp/B01MTOP7TZ/ 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hungry-touch/id1177903882?mt=11 https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/hungry-touch


For vampire Charles Redfort, Christmas is a bitter reminder of the day he was killed by a werewolf. After fleeing the vampire army he was created to serve in, he has lived in exile in England. Once a year he allows himself to tell the truth about his life over dinner. Then he eats the man he’s hired for the night.

Blake Wells is an engineering student by day and escort by night. He works Christmas because he doesn’t want to see his father, and his mother doesn’t want to see him. When he meets Charles, he thinks he’s gotten a bonus present that he can’t wait to unwrap. But as the truth is revealed, Blake will have to think fast to live until morning and convince Charles to give up his lonely life.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2016 Advent Calendar "Bah Humbug."


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N48IS92
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thevampiresdinner-2173074-145.html
https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-vampires-dinner-by-tj-nichols-7978-b


SILENT NIGHT, FINAL NIGHT

A Christmas Horror Story
by Linda Mooney writing as Gail Smith
Word Count:  20.3K
$1.99 e 

A family on the run, searching for food, shelter, and others not infected.

A plague is wiping out the population, stealing the humanity from people and turning them into monsters. Kem and Armand are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their daughter and survive. Nothing is promised, not life, not their next meal, not even a decent night’s rest. 

The quality of life is quickly diminishing. How much is too much? How long until the fight for survival is no longer worth it, and it’s time for a dignified end rather than a slow, painful death?


Other News


Dani Harper's ghostly Christmas romance, THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT, is FREE on Kindle from December 14th until December 18th! 



A woman who talks to ghosts.
A man mistaken for dead.
An ancient evil that stalks them both.






PS - on Wednesday, if you don't find this free, just give it a little time and try again later. Amazon can be a little slow at posting these freebies!

>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Scent of Valor

Posted by: Annie Nicholas

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




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.





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.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Going Off Cable

Posted by: Annie Nicholas

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

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/yt8Kv






Saturday, June 22, 2013

Now Available: A Pixie's Tale

Posted by: Jody W. and Meankitty
Starting on Halloween 2012, a number of the Here Be Magic authors worked on a round robin involving a pixie, a hot vampire who might not be a vampire, and the craziest night of their life. After June 2013, the results of this story were compiled, edited for coherency and market expectations, and formatted it for easier reading. Price? FREE.

Editing & Formatting: Jody Wallace
Cover: Angela Campbell
Proofreading: Angela Campbell, Eilis Flynn

If you followed alng with Delphie's adventures between 2012-2013, there were enough changes in the finished manuscript that you will find new materials and subplots to enjoy. The rough draft definitely got some big revisions!

You can find A Pixie's Tale currently at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/326034 and https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-apixie039stale-1224942-143.html

 
 
BLURB:

In an attempt to sway human voters—for a totally legitimate cause—Delphie the pixie targets a college neighborhood on Halloween. College students are notoriously liberal anyway, and the neighborhood is a human-only zone. She shouldn’t run into any other supernaturals to interfere with her important mission.

But instead of drunken students, she mistakenly bespells a mysterious, sexy fellow supernatural who doesn’t appreciate the fact her defective fairy dust causes him to be invisible. In retaliation, he curses her, too. She almost escapes, but he’s determined to enact the cure—a taste of her delicious blood, blood that may also give him a yen for her dainty body.

If only Delphie can resist her yen for his body, too, she might just survive the craziest night of her life.

Contains mild profanity, drug and alcohol references, dimensional travel, stressful situations, sexy situations, unicorns, evil kittens and characters making not so great decisions.

Participating authors include:

Angela Campbell
Cindy Spencer Pape
Janni Nell
Jax Garren
Jody Wallace
Meankitty
Nicole Luiken
PG Forte
Rebecca York
RL Naquin
Shawna Thomas
Veronica Scott
 
Enjoy, readers, and be sure to let us know what you think! Fulsome praise would definitely be the necessary inspiration for us to offer more free stories :)
 
*****************

Jody Wallace
Author, Cat Person, Amigurumist
http://www.jodywallace.com * http://www.meankitty.com




Thursday, November 1, 2012

Halloween Round Robin, Part Two

Posted by: Jody W. and Meankitty
The bloggers at Here Be Magic have been round-robining a little tale about voter fraud, Halloween and paranormal hijinks! The following entries are continued from http://herebemagic.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-round-robin-magic-style.html ...


PART ELEVEN

Light blazed inside the closet, and Delphie blinked. When she could finally see again, she gasped. A naked man was standing beside her. Not just any man. The most amazing male specimen she had ever seen. His face was a cross between an angel and a hard bitten navy SEAL. His skin was bronze all over. His shoulders and chest were broad, his hips narrow, and farther down . . . well she blushed and turned away.

"Wha . . ." she gasped as she tried to cope with the reality of this man. And her own reality.

Her pixy dust had turned her into and ugly old crone covered with warts, and she couldn't stand the idea of being seen that way. Especially by HIM.

"I can help you," he murmured as he lightly touched her face, then ran his hand down her body. Every place he touched tingled. And suddenly she was . . .

Well, she didn't know exactly what she was. (Rebecca York)

PART TWELVE

Horny! That's what she was. The amazing male specimen (AMS) didn't seem bothered by her appearance. Maybe he had a wart fetish. AMS leaned closer. His lips murmured against hers. Soft endearments sent pleasant shivers low in her belly. She opened her mouth to his questing tongue, and pressed herself against his hard naked body. Is that a gun in your pocket?

Oh wait, he didn't have pockets, but she did. Something was wriggling in one of them growing larger by the second. Nooooo! The spell she'd cast on her ex was wearing off. He was no longer a miniature peromyscus. But what on earth was he? (Janni Nell)

PART THIRTEEN

Delphie decided not to wait to find out. She turned and bolted from the closet, knocking the invisible faux-vamp on his ass in the process. Or so she assumed. The door connected with something as it swung open—something big and heavy that went down with a loud thud and a softly uttered, “ooof.”

It could just as easily been Frat-boy or one of his brothers. Or even all of the above. She was just one pixie, but right now she had the strength of ten. Whoever—or whatever—she’d knocked over, Delphie didn’t hang around to find out.

The Halloween party was in full swing by now and almost everyone was in costume. It should be easy to blend in. If only she could find a dark, quiet corner where she could go undetected while she worked out a way to reverse the curse. Maybe she should try to find the entrance to the basement? (PG Forte)

PART FOURTEEN

She scanned the party, using her fairy intuition to find hidden doorways. There. She zeroed in on a seam in the wall just below a staircase. Blowing fairy dust to imprint the vote on as many drunken revelers as she could, she gyrated her way across the dance floor to the tune of Ghostbusters. "Eighties much?" she murmured disdainfully (though it was one of her favorite songs.)

Behind her a chorus of surprise bubbled and melted. As she reached the hidden door, she glanced back. She'd been chased by her AMS, a floating silk sheet, and Romulus, naked with a light dusting of fur still covering his back. This was getting out of control...

Grunting in frustration, she forced the door open. A gust of stale air chilled her. Rickety wooden steps led not down but up, around a corner and into darkness. This was looking like a bad idea. She turned back. The male parade was almost upon her. She set her jaw and grabbed the banister. To the attic it was. (Jax Garren)

PART FIFTEEN

The rickety wooden steps groaned beneath her dainty feet, inspiring less than a little confidence. Delphie managed to make it onto the attic flooring without too much noise before the shuffle of heavy footsteps below followed by a male voice calling, “Where did you go, you little minx?” reached her ears. Which one was that? Romulus, the Invisible Vamp or AMS? She peeked over the edge.

Romulus. And his expression — still a little furry here and there. te he he— was a wee bit angry. Oh dear.

She squeezed into the shadows, wondering how much dust she had left and what to do with it to get out of this tight spot. Hot breath warmed the back of her neck.

“Great idea, sweetheart. Now we just need to lose those jokers so we can get down to business.”

Oh, for the love of sweet mother troll! What was up with this Invisible Vamp Guy? (Angela Campbell)

PART SIXTEEN

Delphie widened her eyes and tried out her favourite weapon in her pixie arsenal: extreme cuteness. Romulus recoiled, and she remembered her currently warty exterior. Drat.

Okay, she'd go with what she had. "Romulus, dear," she cackled. "Unless you'd like to spend more time couting the lint in my pocket, I suggest you scat." She waved her hand.

The anger on his face turned to confusion, then fear. She hadn't picked him for his brains. "Uh, right." He fled.

One down. Two to go. (Nicole Luiken)

PART SEVENTEEN

“One down. One to go and then we can be alone,” a deep masculine voice whispered in her ear.

How crazy was it that invisible faux vamp guy had almost mirrored her thoughts? Speaking of mirrors, she hoped there weren’t any in the attic. She really didn’t want too many memories of her present appearance. The store must have mixed their fairy dust in the same bin they put their love potions.

Normally she wasn’t against male attention but this was ridiculous. Besides, she had a job to do. The election was important, damn it! She stomped her foot.

“Ouch!”

“Shh!” she whispered. She wouldn't feel at all guilty. Even if her boots had a wicked heel. AMS slowly entered the attic.

Her mind spun. How to get out of her current state of being? Not to mention her present position, wedged between a hot faux invisible vampire and a rough wooden chest, was slightly uncomfortable. She could use a few drops of her own blood to undo the transformation, but then that would also negate the effects of her fairy dust on all those voters.

She glanced toward hot faux invisible vamp. A thin layer of dust clearly highlighted his very nice form. Damn this guy was good looking. But AMS was sure to see him.

And yes. Oh, that was perfect. She felt a very large sneeze building. (Shawna Thomas)

PART EIGHTEEN

Hastily the invisible vamp stuck his invisible tongue in her shell-like ear. She could feel his fangs piercing new holes in her ear lobe.

Forgetting to sneeze, thoroughly grossed out, she pushed him away. "What in the name of All Hallows are you doing?" she whispered.

"Well, it worked, didn't it? No sneeze," he said triumphantly.

"SHHH!" Delphie glanced toward the doorway. Oh yes, AMS had definitely heard them. Time to bail! Flinging open the lid of the wooden chest, she climbed in, slamming it behind her as she tumbled through the flimsy cardboard at the bottom of the enclosure and out into the stars.

"Bad to worse - a portal!" Now was this going to take her to Stonehenge or somewhere closer to home? At least she was rid of AMS and Romulus AND the faux vampire.

For now. When did the polls close again?

Manifesting her wings, she started flying toward the nearest familiar constellation, hoping the Big Dipper would provide a portal to the next cluster of voters on her assigned list. "What else could possibly go wrong tonight?" (Veronica Scott)

PART NINETEEN

The portal dimension shimmered around her as she navigated, dodging stars and comets. She remembered just enough magical astronomy from spell school to pinpoint the Big Dipper--her route back to the physical plane. If the Dipper wasn't open, she'd wait for the scheduled fluctuation. She couldn't risk teleporting thousands of miles off-course through a random portal, and hey, more time spent here would mean more time for her ugly curse to wear off. Magic in the portal dimension was often erratic, so this might be exactly the cure she needed.

Unless... Oh, crapping trollsticks! Had the vamp's bite drawn the three drops of blood needed to break the curse? While she'd be pixie-cute again, she'd have to re-enchant every darn one of the voters on her route! Damn that vamp. He must be young, if he thought it was okay to chomp on other supernaturals without their express permission.

Delphie came to a midhair halt next to a cluster of stars she didn't recognize. She checked her lobe, her fingers encountering moisture. Blood?

She squinted at it, but it was too dark to see if it was blood or vamp spit. Gross. She flapped a little closer to the bright star cluster nearest to her. And a little closer. And a little closer.

That's when an invisible body rammed into her from behind, sending them both hurtling through the unidentified portal. (Jody Wallace)

***

Hoo-boy, what's going to happen to Delphie now? Was the invisible tackler the vampire? Or some other supernatural being? Has all her hard work enchanting voters been ruined by the vampire's teeth? Where will this portal take our intrepid, warty (or is she?) heroine?

Check back in either two weeks or four (we're working out the schedule!) to enjoy the continuing adventures of Delphinia Bathsheba Slippery-Elm, pixie trouble-magnet extraordinaire.

Jody Wallace
Author, Cat Person, Amigurumist
http://www.jodywallace.com  * http://www.meankitty.com  

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

How to Catch a Vampire?

Posted by: Annie Nicholas




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?
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Heroic Occupations

Posted by: Shona Husk
When I first started writing one of the rules of romance was never write a rock star or sports star hero. I don’t know how this rule came into play and it didn’t make sense to me. What’s not to love about a super fit guy at the top of his game? Who hasn’t eyed up a rock star and thought if I was ten years younger and not married… (that’s not just me, right?)

While I generally don’t read contemporary romances, for some reason rock stars and sports stars really work for me. Maybe because there’s that element of fantasy.

Fortunately for me that rule has been thrown out the window and I’m happily reading about hot rock stars in Olivia Cunning’s Sinners on tour series and there’s even a Pride and Prejudice remake “Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star” by Heather Lynn Rigaud (can’t wait to start that).While I’ve read a couple of Harlequin's NASCAR romances, I’m looking at dipping my toe into other sports.

Another reason I’m glad that these heroes are getting a turn in the spotlight is because I have a series of novellas with Ellora’s Cave about Lucinda's Lover, a Vampire electric string quartet, (because the only thing hotter than a human rock star is a Vampire one).

Lucinda's Lover #1
Lucinda's Lover #2
Lucinda's Lover #3
















The first two Lucinda’s Lover books are available now and the third will be out next year.

So which do you prefer, rock star or sports star and give me some book recommendations (because my TBR shelf still has room on it—if I put them in sideways and double stack :)).
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