True Blood Extra Alcide, stop making that noise.... Godric News

Did I show this already? Would you care if I had? It is worth a second look. Alcide, stop making that noise....

It's okay, you can watch it again if you like. 


Evil Godric?

Image by terryballard via Flickr

Keaton, Kaling, Eugenides, Harris

Last Wednesday, at the Author Breakfast, Mindy Kaling (The Office, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?) said (paraphrased) that she was excited to meet the author who wrote the novelization of True Blood. Charlaine Harris spoke very briefly. Kaling was hilarious. Diane Keaton was great, as was Jeff Eugenides. But, For Charlaine and Jeffrey, how do you follow two actresses? Not easy.

Related articles

• Take a look at Mindy Kaling's new book cover for 'Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me?' (shelf-life.ew.com)

Bloodspell: Amalie Howard's Debut Novel Has The Right Stuff

http://bloodspellbook.com/

Bloodspell
by Amalie Howard

Paperback: 400 pages

Publisher: Langdon Street Press

(a division of Hillcrest Publishing Group, Inc.) (June 1, 2011)

Kindle Edition File Size: 1026 KB

Publisher: Langdon Street Press (May 25, 2011)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Copy obtained as Book Blogger Conference swag, which I paid to attend. No remuneration was exchanged and unless otherwise stated all opinions herein are my own. (c) all rights retained

Product Description

The spell was simple...


Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)


But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?


Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.


What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...


Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?(Amazon)

In some cases a book's cover tells us something. In Bloodspell it is an indicator that the book was not self-published or done at a vanity press. The cover is well designed and the book has a trade binding. That generally means someone edited the book as well. Depending on a writer's skill, good editing, or even a proof read manuscript can make or break a book.

If A paranormal book occurs in Maine, and is not creepy horror, I am probably going to read it. Thank goodness Amalie actually lived here, and near, whereof she wrote. Nothing is more irritating than naming places that exist but describing them wrongly or putting things in the wrong place. Also, Amalie's historical research, and other locations were also top-notch. You can go totally fictional, but if you name it at least make it right. Amalie has lived in each major location, proving the aphorism, "write what you know."  The research is important because otherwise the wrongness of the details obliterate the rest of the book. I met Amalie on Friday at the Book Bloggers Convention and I made an exception to my "what I was planning to read list" to review this prior to its print release.

If you have read this blog before you may have realized this is one of the things that really gets to me. Another thing is balance between expository writing and writing balanced between telling and showing, dialogue and description. Here Howard hits the nail on the head. The dialogue rings true, and misses an issue that I see a lot in the genre: dialogue between men being overly macho or crude. Indeed she gets it down well. Amalie also catches her own cliches; for example, when dealing with a talking cat, the character mentions a Sabrina-the-Teenage-Witch moment simultaneous with the thought arriving in my head.

There is passion, but no sexual intimacy. There is some violence. I saw on the author's website a mother/daughter review. That is a great way for YA to be read, especially when there is romance between a teen and a centuries old and sexually active vampire.

I guess it would be hard to portray the romance between a modern vampire and a human/witch without echoes of the Twilight Saga. There are similar mood swings and blood lust. But the genre is viewed through Twilight glasses now; in other words it will always be a point of comparison.

I was a bit confused by the concept in the story that the blood magic which Victoria has as a part of her body require a sacrifice. Amalie explained that to make up for its use the blood magic demands a blood sacrifice from the death of another or the spilling of Victoria's own blood. This aspect of her powers overwhelmed and controlled her ancestor but Victoria comes to understand its meaning before it consumes her.

Victoria experiences fear that would paralyze most but which she finds the strength to overcome. She finds the way to accept this dark and violent part of herself, to learn how to control it and use it to help.

The plot is complex with several plot turns I didn't see coming. Some points are a bit loose in the endgame. But, it is an interesting story,and an excellent debut novel.


Highly recommended.

Cautions: An instance of animal cruelty, sacrifice, killing, violence and obviously death.

Blood Rights by Kristen PainterA Different Tattoo

http://kristenpainter.com/urban-fantasy

BLOOD RIGHTS by Kristen Painter
Orbit Books
Coming October 1st, 2011

Amazon Sales

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Orbit (September 27, 2011) Kindle(October 1, 2011)
• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 5 KB
• Print Length: 352 pages
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group 

Received ARC from publisher at BEA May, 2011. There was no expectation of review, no remuneration was  exchanged and all opinions are my own unless otherwise noted.
Mass-market paperback edition read 5/28-5/29

Ick-free

House of Comarré series
Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré — a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.
Now, Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign. http://kristenpainter.com/urban-fantasy

Blood Rights is the first of three books in the House of Comarré Series. They will be relaeases in October, November and December of this year. For those of us who hate to wait  for the next volume in a series, this is most welcome.

And, I think the series will be quite welcome indeed. Well-written and edited, the story is complex and twisty right from the start. And, speaking of the start, the cover is gorgeous—the currently fashionable black, red and white along with the subtle gold markings worn by the Comarré.

The central male character is Mal, a cursed and cursed again vampire, doomed to drain any meal dry. Imprisoned without food for centuries, he didn't go mad, but when a young anthropology student finds him in the ruins he kills her, tying her ghost to him and activating a curse that makes each victim live within him. When Chrysabelle comes to him the voices torment him to kill her but his noble nature will not allow it.

Chrysabelle is the Comarré trying to escape the luxurious and pampered life her status provides, as it gives her anything but freedom. There is an instant attraction between the two, rejected on both sides. For him he rejects the idea of draining her, and she needs to be bitten or she makes too much blood. She also requires the saliva in the vampire bite to maintain her strength and to slow aging.

Throw in a bunch of heinous creatures, a truly nasty female Vampire with delusions of grandeur and a black-magic boyfriend, a ghost, and a cat shifter and you end up with a tasty plot with troubled, secretive and just plain interesting characters.

I recommend pre-ordering the title before you forget about it. I will remind you of the books release again before it comes out.

My BEA Recap NOW WITH PICTURES!

A VERY small sample of what came home with me

So, got back to Maine from BEA/BBC on the train around 7:30 Saturday evening. I feel I learned a lot of great stuff all week and, one really heartening thing was being in a space where everyone is devoted to the written word. There were over 20,000 people at the events; it was wild and chaotic, exciting and occasionally lonely. But, there was always someone to chat with about books. The week got off to a fun start as I chatted with a woman on the train who was reading Lynsay Sands, one of my favorites.  It wasn't so fun when the "high speed" Acela lost power in Connecticut not once but twice! You know how when you lose power the house is unnaturally quiet? Not so good on a train.

Lauren Oliver signing at BEA 2011

I got to meet Lauren Oliver who wrote Delirium and who I think is a major new voice. And, I got to meet Jana Oliver too! Jana wrote The Demon Trapper’s Daughter, which I thought was a great read too. Leanna Renee Hieber of the Persephone Parker stories was a delight and she signed The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess. I also got to meet Emma Michaels who penned the YA ghostly mystery/thriller, The Thirteen Chimes. I kept missing Wendy Delsol and only got to sneak in a quick introduction to Julie Kagawa.

Jana Oliver and I meet

Jana Oliver

I must say that Lauren’s line was a good hour long and the only one I stood that long for. Standing in line is so not my thing. And, there were a lot of lines that ended up snaking through the busy aisles of the show. Harlequin had a huge showing of their writers. And the carefully constructed schedule went right out the window on Tuesday, and it never flew back in.

For fun, the folks from Ellora’s Cave had the best swag, and brought in some of their very handsome and buff models. What a friendly group. Actually, all the publishers’ reps were unfailingly friendly and generous. I went to a tea at Random House but feel bad that I missed the Harper Collins party and Blogger dinner due to overwhelming fatigue and a roller board filled with about fifty pounds of books!  I forgot the Book Bloggers Convention reception and didn’t make it to the Simon and Schuster event. If I had even one more book I wouldn’t have made it home. The Red Cap at Pennsylvania Station didn’t believe I left any books at the convention.There were over twenty-one thousand attendees total at BEA and if Blog World is added in over twenty-three thousand made it.

I did learn that bad reviews sell at least as many books as good ones do. That's not saying we should bash away at authors, but neither should we fear a publisher's wrath, or disfavor.

I meet my pal Sniffly Kitty!

And,  If a book is sent out or given it is okay to review once it is available for pre-order, unless you’re specifically asked not to. That changes the landscape!

Lisa See at Random House

I loved meeting my fellow bloggers and was thrilled to see how many librarians, dedicated to teaching and the other aspects of their work, were at the event. They were great, and stood in long lines usually to get books for their stacks and not for themselves. For all the pals I met, Sniffly, Yaro, The Norwegian Book Girl and so many more my head spins like Linda Blair's in The Exorcist I know I missed meeting many people who are my good friends even though we haven't met in person. The Californians, British Columbian (Canada), Norwegian Book Girl, Emma, many English bloggers, and some from Germany all showed a huge degree of dedication for traveling across the country or halfway across the world to attend. That's a major investment in a biz where big bucks are not growing on trees. I imagine for several it was a big sacrifice and represented scrimping and saving. I

Wed. Adult Book & Author Breakfast w/ Mindy Kaling bookexpoamerica.com

I also had the great good fortune to wait in line for the Author’s breakfast with my former Congressional Representative, Tom Allen. He is now the president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers. He was fun to chat with. Here is a video where he discusses the AAP’s focus on copyright and intellectual property infringement with Publishing Perspectives.

And, I have to thank my sister for the generous loan of her beautiful apartment for the week. Now, I just need a few days to recuperate. I am not sure the train is the way to go. I have a few stories to share about the train another day.

As always, Friends, Thank You for visiting my humble home on the Internet! 

Spellbound Took Me by Surprise

Spellbound

by Cara Lynn Shultz

Reading level: Young Adult

Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: Harlequin/Harlequin Teen; Original edition (June 21, 2011)

Kindle Edition File Size: 5 KB

E-Galley provided by publisher through Net Galley

No remuneration was exchanged

April 15, 2009 by THE REV

What’s a girl to do when meeting The One means she’s cursed to die a horrible death?


Life hasn’t been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she’s irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.


But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can’t stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma’s been having the oddest dreams. Visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

It's not often that a novel captivates me as this one did on the train to Manhattan. Emma's the reed that doesn't break; she's lost the two most important people in her life at a young age, her fraternal twin, and her mother. Then her step father is a mean alcoholic who nearly kills her in a drunk driving incident and she takes up her great aunt's offer to move to NYC from Philadelphia and starts mid semester at one of Manhattan's most distinguished prep schools. Like most schools, this one is filled with cliques and the queen bee of one of them hates Emma on sight. Fortunately, even though she is a bit off-putting she makes several friends and perhaps, even, meets her destiny.

The book is rich with scenes of the city from a fairly well-off point of view. The relationship between Brendan and Emma seems real; lots of making out, but also fraught with tension and sometimes misunderstanding. The villain is the archetypical nasty school yard bully. Only in a near adult his bullying becomes murderous. Brendan is sweet, well-mannered and considerate. You can see him being very chivalrous. And, it seems like many male heroic characters, he has green eyes and long lashes. Emma isn't the girl who waits for a guy to save her. She recognizes when her opponent is strong and devious enough that she cannot fight him. While she doesn't give up, she responsibly calls for help.

In some ways the book felt a bit Twilight and the characters like those in it. They do explore similar themes. Emma seems a bit more independent; not as if her entire world revolves around Brendan the way that Bella's world in Twilight revolves around Edward. I was disturbed in New Moon, how Bella just fell apart when Edward left; she had totally subsumed her personality and world with his. I think Emma has already been through worse trauma and that she would make it out the other side in better shape.

And while Twilight isn't the first book I had read where  a teen-aged girl meets the love of her life in high school, having been a high school girl I recall it as a deeply ingrained fantasy. Herein we have destiny, and perhaps self-sacrificing devotion most likely in an age group where mortality isn't yet believed.

This is at least the third YA book that I believe offers this certainty of "love forever" in high-school.  It's a YA fairy tale.  I don't know many young women for whom this seems a desire so, instead of being a model, maybe it is purely an escape from the rigors of modern high school: soccer, music, languages, jobs, etc. In this case it's no different than a romance novel in which the heroine is swept off her feet by a dashing, broad-shouldered, long haired knight/prince/king/diplomat with piercing blue/emerald green/chocolate brown eyes.

The kids in the book are great, except for the nasty antagonists. I enjoyed the writing, and the story. I really liked Emma's tolerance and how she made friends. She has a strong sense of self.

I recommend this book for mature teens. There is some making-out, but little not much suggestion of it going further. It is entirely a call that I leave to a parent. I also found it fun as an adult. I hope you enjoy it as I did! 

A Tease to Please—Jessica Returns

This is why I adored BEA this week. You get books handed to you all over the place, and you make fabulous connections. When I get books and make connections with writers and publishers it gives me the opportunity to give you more, and better information.

Amazon.com

JESSICA RULES THE DARK SIDE

by Beth Fantaskey

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (January 9, 2012)
• Language: English

The highly anticipated sequel to Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.
It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late? (Amazon.com)

When Jessica Packwood found out she was a Romanian vampire princess, she had the shock of her teenage life.  Turns out that was the easy part.  Now, married to Prince Lucius Vladescu, she has to claim her throne and convince a vampire nation she’s fit to be their queen.  But Jess can’t even order a decent meal from her castle’s Romanian staff, let alone deal with devious undead subjects who would love to see her fail.

And when Lucius is accused of murdering a vampire Elder and imprisoned without the blood he needs, Jessica finds herself alone, fighting for both their survivals.  Desperate to clear her husband’s name and win his release, Jess enlists the help of her best friend Mindy Stankowicz and Lucius’s mysterious Italian cousin, Raniero Lovatu.  But both of them are keeping some dark secrets.  Can Jess figure out who to trust – and how to  rise to power – before she loses everything, including the vampire she loves?

Full of romance, mystery, and danger, the highly anticipated sequel to Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side shows that sometimes a princess has to earn her “happily ever after” – with a sharpened stake in hand. http://www.bethfantaskey.com/jessica-rules.html

An issue for me, especially in YA fiction, is what the book as a whole is modeling; what is its message. It's not always as cut and dried as an aphorism, but I believe there is always some essential thing or things being expressed.

I had some issues with Beth Fantaskey's choices for Jessica in Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. After all she was a young girl swept off her feet by a handsome, wealthy prince. I worried that it was a poor model for young women. On second, third, and fourth thoughts  though I wonder if my message in regards to young women is right. After all when I read a romance novel it doesn't mean I am going to run off to Scotland to find one of those Highlanders. I now think these books are offering teens the same thing adult genre fiction often does,  an escape.

I would hate to think we worked so hard and so long for equality in life choices only to have an ideal that marriage right out of High School is a great idea. As Eclipse's Bella says, in her world it says you have been knocked up. Of course she does marry Edward.  But, I remember at 16 thinking my boyfriend was "the one." I thought that about the next three boyfriends and finally 29 years ago next month I got it right when I met my husband who IS the ONE. And, yes, at 22, I married young. However, we both had our master's degrees and he didn't want to ask me to move far from home with him without making a commitment. It has never been a fantasy, but we have worked together and grown up together now for 29 years. And, that is what I think this next book in this series,  Jessica Rules the Dark Side is about.  Marriage is no fantasy, nor is being a princess. Part of really becoming an adult is facing this truth.

Antanasia/Jessica is back as Princess Antanasia Dragomir Vladescu with her husband Prince Lucius. She is either eighteen or nineteen and the nominative co-ruler of a kingdom not of place but of species, the Vampire species. It's a world of danger, and pitfalls. And, the potential for the worst things that could happen is always looming around the couple like their ever present body guards.

I am not going to say anymore—that why it's a tease. The book is available for pre-order on this page and the first book is as well.

Once Bitten Forever Burned WINNER

WINNER OF ONCE BITTEN FOREVER BURNED

I am taking today off from BEA because my feet are too badly blistered and I had no classes planned for the day, so I found myself with the time to draw a winner from the contest

Thanks to all who entered!  The winner is SARA. She has been contacted and as she provided her email already doesn't need to confirm. The information has also been sent to Bewitching Book Tours which will handle the delivery.

Moon Called Graphic Novel Makes Me Wonder About Why A Graphic Novel for the Books

PATRICIA BRIGGS' MERCY THOMPSON: MOON CALLED VOL 1 TP

Rating: Teen +
Cover: Amelia Woo
Writer: Patricia Briggs, David Lawrence
Penciller/Inker/Colorist: Amelia Woo (digitally painted)
Genre: URBAN FANTASY
Publication Date: March 2011
Format: Comic Book Collection
PAGE COUNT: 104+
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment (March 8, 2011)
Language: English

Dynamite Entertainment http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C1606902032

Received through Net Galley

Mercy Thompson inhabits two worlds without truly belonging to either. To the human inhabitants of the Tri-Cities she's an oddity, a female mechanic operating her own garage. To the town's darker residents, werewolves, vampires, and fae, she's a walker, a last-of-her-kind magical being with the power to become a coyote. Mercy warily straddles the fine line dividing our everyday world from that darker dimension... 'till a boy, mauled by vicious werewolves and forever changed by the attack and on the run from those who committed the crime, appears at her door. Now her two worlds are about to collide! Outnumbered and out-muscled, can Mercy possibly save the boy... or even herself?
Five Mercy Thompson novels have topped the New York Times best-seller list, and her premiere graphic novel Homecoming did the same. Now Patricia Briggs' heroic shape-shifter returns to comics! Featuring gorgeous digitally painted interior art by Amelia Woo in the first 4 issues of this 8 issue series and a complete cover gallery, as well as bonus material.

Brett Booth at http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C1606902032

I usually don’t review graphic novels. I have the prejudice of still thinking of them as comic books and I haven’t read a comic book in years!

But, the graphic novel is building a position in the publishing industry and since there have long been paranormal and superhero graphic novels, and romance comics, could urban fantasy or paranormal romance have been far behind?

If you have read Patricia Briggs you already know and love Mercy Thompson a shape shifting woman/coyote.  She has a neighbor who is the alpha of the area were wolves and she herself grew up with were wolves. After college she somehow ended up becoming a VW mechanic.

At this point in the series, Mercy and Adam are still just neighbors. When she kills a werewolf who attacks a young man under her protection she brings in a slew of paranormal activity and danger which almost kills Adam. The Young boy, well that would be a spoiler wouldn’t it?

Other than Mercy whose physique graces the cover of each book in the series, we have not seen the other characters. One thing a Graphic Novel does is fill that gap between the written word and the visual world. I didn’t find most of the men drawn that memorable. But, like many GN heroines she has gained several cup sizes from the book covers.

Since the PNR/UF world is mostly female one wonders why the concentration on physique. One aspect of the female characters in the genre is a woman’s ability to project herself into the heroine’s persona. So, given that I don’t see myself as a sexually objectified woman you have to wonder why this is the case? Are they trying to draw women toward the graphic novel or are they trying to draw males to PNR and UF. I discussed this with the gentleman at the BEA booth but they a. didn't know what the drive was for the creation and b. said they would pass it on. I mentioned the concept to several other graphic novel houses as well.

The drawing in Graphic Novels is almost always excellent, as I would say from my brief exposure to them. There is a visual language at work with which I am not familiar. The story is the same as the book, extracted in a digest format much in the way a film would be. We end up with a series of scenes, in frames, like a film.

It will be very interesting to see where this new slew of Graphic Novels in our genres goes. Will it continue and pull more people towards the genre? I don’t think it would be produced for its own sake. It is very well-produced, much as I find anything Patricia Briggs does is.

Once Bitten Forever Burned Review

Once Bitten, Forever Burned 

Stacey Kennedy and Eve Langlais

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 131 KB
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English

A mini anthology containing:

Cruz’s Salvation by Stacey Kennedy

Devon’s Redemption by Eve Langlais


CRUZ’S SALVATION by Stacey Kennedy

Cruz understands torment. A mortal turned vampire in the war, he has suffered untold loneliness and despair. That is until he meets Kiara—a werewolf he’s forbidden to love.

Though Kiara needs Cruz, and wants him forever, werewolves and vampires are bitter enemies. To make matters worse, her Alpha, also her father, suspects that Kiara pines for a mate. Mistaking her sadness for the longing she feels for Cruz, he sets out to give her all the happiness he can provide.

Together, Kiara and Cruz will have to fight against the rules placed upon them to hold onto their love. But an unwanted visitor creates a complication neither of them planned for. Milo, Kiara’s chosen mate, has come to stake his claim. Now, not only are lives at risk, but hearts are threatened and dreams hang in the balance.

DEVON’S REDEMPTION by Eve Langlais

Bethany lost her one and only love to a war overseas. As if that weren’t bad enough, a brutal attack and claiming by a Lycan makes her life a living hell. She lives only for revenge until the day love comes back into her life and promises to rescue her from her misery. However, the mate who forced her isn’t about to let her go.

Devon died on the battlefield only to be reborn as a creature of the night. He fights to stay away from his one true love, but when he caves to his desire and sees her again, he discovers redemption is possible even for one who walks in darkness.

Warning: Contains scenes of violence toward the heroine and mentions of rape that might be offensive to some readers. Reader discretion is advised

Poignant and bittersweet short stories about soldiers whose ultimate sacrifice forces them into an unlife they never imagined and for one pushes the woman he loves into a hellish life for the other takes her from an expected life into a life of forbidden love. Like all short stories their shortness bugs me. I don't think there is a vampire/werewolf/lovestory simple enough to thrive within the confines of a short story. But these writers make the best of the format. 

The fact that an educated person falls victim to domestic abuse in Once Bitten brings to life the pervasiveness of domestic violence and rape.  While in fantasy the victim may be were but in reality anyone of any station in life can end up in the grip of this terror. And in Cruz's Salvation we see how parental love is unconditional and in this case self-sacrificing.

I want to thank the two writers, Stacey Kennedy and Eve Langlais, for guest posting yesterday. The contest ends at midnight (11:59 PM EST) although I may not get to announcing the winner until Sunday as I am at the book/blog/bookblog event(s) of the year.

To enter contest to win an e-copy of the book from the authors through Bewitching Book Tours please fill out the form below. You must be at least 18 years of age and the contest is void where prohibited. Fulfillment will be handled through and is the responsibility of Bewitching Book Tours. Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on May 25, 2011.

Once email is sent to winner they will have 24 hours to confirm. Failure to respond or an invalid email and will result in choice of a new winner.

GUEST POST: Eve Langlais and Stacey Kennedy, Authors of Once Bitten, Forever Burned Contest for E-book

While I am off at BEA, and the Book Blogger's Conference, and Blog World New Media Expo I have arranged some posts ahead of time! I think it is entirely possible I am going to be quite tired. The last time I attended a conference I fell asleep on the plane coming home before take-off! So, many thanks to these authors, Stacey Kennedy and Eve Langlais who are publishing a mini-anthology. Look for my impressions of the mini-anthology tomorrow.

Big hugs to Fangs Wands and Fairy Dust for letting Eve and I drop by today to share our new release! But first, let’s talk a little about vampires. Would you be able to go on if you awoke one day to find yourself an immortal?

The heroes in Once Bitten, Forever Burned have to do exactly that. Doing their Country proud they fight in a war to offer freedom, yet in return, receive a life sentence in their vampirism. With no one to guide them they are left to learn their way through their new life. So, how do they deal with?

Devon accepts this new life given to him, yet morns for the life he left behind. A woman who holds his heart and he hopes she can accept her for the new man he’s become.

Then, there’s Cruz who isn’t like Devon. He takes his new abilities harder. Becomes depressed and the world appears dark to him now. That is, until he meets a werewolf who could change it all for him.

So, we ask you, how do you think you’d deal with becoming a vampire?

Once bitten, are they damned to forever burn without the touch of love?

A mini anthology containing:
Devon’s Redemption by Eve Langlais
Cruz’s Salvation by Stacey Kennedy

Devon’s Redemption by Eve Langlais

Bethany lost her one and only love to a war overseas. As if that weren’t bad enough, a brutal attack and claiming by a Lycan makes her life a living hell. She lives only for revenge until the day love comes back into her life and promises to rescue her from her misery. However, the mate who forced her isn’t about to let her go.

Devon died on the battlefield only to be reborn as a creature of the night. He fights to stay away from his one true love, but when he caves to his desire and sees her again, he discovers redemption is possible even for one who walks in darkness.

Warning: Contains scenes of violence toward the heroine and mentions of rape that might be offensive to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

CRUZ’S SALVATION by Stacey Kennedy

Cruz understands torment. A mortal turned vampire in the war, he has suffered untold loneliness and despair. That is until he meets Kiara—a werewolf he’s forbidden to love.

Though Kiara needs Cruz, and wants him forever, werewolves and vampires are bitter enemies. To make matters worse, her Alpha, also her father, suspects that Kiara pines for a mate. Mistaking her sadness for the longing she feels for Cruz, he sets out to give her all the happiness he can provide.

Together, Kiara and Cruz will have to fight against the rules placed upon them to hold onto their love. But an unwanted visitor creates a complication neither of them planned for. Milo, Kiara’s chosen mate, has come to stake his claim. Now, not only are lives at risk, but hearts are threatened and dreams hang in the balance.

Fangs, Wands, and Fairydusts' Buy Link for Once Bitten, Forever Burned

Excerpt from Devon's Redemption:

Thursday at the animal clinic was her late night for appointments. Although her last appointment for eight-thirty cancelled, Bethany hung around, as usual avoiding going home to him. At least he’d stopped showing up at the clinic, keeping tabs on her. She had his many girlfriends to thank for that. They kept him busy fucking, which thankfully reduced the amount of groping she had to endure.

However, busy fornicating or not, Tyson always had to know where she was and what she did. He kept close watch on her, even if she couldn’t understand why. He had plenty of bitches to choose from. Why he insisted on keeping her around baffled her. Bethany hated him, and knew he couldn’t stand her. They were both miserable, and yet, he just wouldn’t let her go. If it hadn’t been for his superior strength and cunning, she would have killed him a long time ago. Running away wouldn’t work—her beating after her last attempt made that clear, and tempered her actions with caution. Tyson in a rage wasn’t something to mess with, and to her eternal shame, scared her. Much as she hated her life, she feared death more. If I die, I can’t kill him for what he’s done.

But hope clung to her tenaciously that someday, somehow, she’d find a way to free herself of him.

Taking out the garbage, just another chore to delay the inevitable, a tingle went up her spine. She paused and sniffed the air. Nothing untoward came to her and, yet, the skin on the nape of her neck tickled. Danger, her instincts screamed. Bethany closed her eyes and let her enhanced senses roam.

I’m not alone.

She didn’t let such a thing as fear send her scurrying. Apart from Tyson and his bully boys, not much could scare her—or hurt. Scanning the area behind her practice, her sharp gaze didn’t reach far in the darkness, not with the glare of the light above the door. Useless thing, it only illuminated a small area. A few steps, taken away from the building, put most of the blinding glow behind her. Bethany peered again into the gloom, scanning the empty parking lot and the shadows of the trees that bordered it. Not a flicker of motion betrayed a presence, but she knew without a doubt that someone watched. It made her skin prickle.

Don’t tell me Tyson is back to his old games? Sending his lackeys to spy on me?

Pissed, she called out, “I know you’re out there. You might as well show yourself.”

Nothing, not even a whisper of a breeze, answered her, but that thrumming sense of awareness still gripped her. Oddly enough, time seemed to slow, and Bethany experienced the oddest feeling that she stood on the threshold of something, a momentous event that would change her life. Shaking her head at her fanciful thoughts, she called out again, “If you’re spying for him, then you can tell him I’m on my way home now.”

Finally, a figure stepped from the shadow of the trees. Tall and broad shouldered, he seemed to glide toward her. Bethany shivered because there was something unnatural about his movement. Not human, whispered her psyche.

As the watcher neared the light pooled around her, Bethany’s eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back.

No, it can’t be.

Dizziness overtook her and her knees trembled. An urge to run gripped her as he approached, but her body froze like the prey she hunted on full moons. She couldn’t even speak. Her throat locked in shock as he arrived to stand in front of her, his familiar features tinged with sadness.

“Hello, Bethany.”

At the sound of his gravelly voice, a voice she heard in her dreams—and nightmares—her knees buckled, her eyes rolled up in shock, and she collapsed.

* * *

Excerpt from Cruz's Salvation:

Trees swayed in the wind. An owl hooted through the night sky while the half-moon created dim lighting over the lush garden. Cruz didn’t need the light to offer him a view of the werewolf lurking through the path of the garden. His vampire abilities made her rounded curves beneath her pink baby doll dress visible to him. Her long auburn hair rested above the rounded cheeks of her bottom. Creamy white skin stood out in the dark night. Cruz groaned at the sight of her.

If only she’d turn around and acknowledge him. Kiara enjoyed teasing him, and Cruz didn’t mind Cruz, much. She reached down and plucked a red rose from the garden, turned so he could see her face, and raised the flower to her nose. Heat rushed through Cruz, filling his groin with need. Her lips parted as she inhaled and her eyes fluttered closed. Kiara held the capacity to cripple him with simple moves. Everything about her screamed seductress, yet, her innocence made her unaware of the power she possessed.

Kiara opened her eyes, glanced his way a moment, and smiled before she continued to walk along the path. Cruz groaned again, unable to stop the sound echoing from his mouth. Every step she took, he followed, weaving his way along the path but staying back enough to let her tease him.

Striding toward the pond beneath the shadows of the lone cypress tree, Kiara stopped and spun around. “Some would say stalking is a criminal act.” Her voice emerged playful, the sweet sound a trait he’d become fond of.

Cruz chuckled, quickening his steps to catch up to her. He plucked a red rose on his way. The thorn dug into his finger, but he paid the sting no attention. Now facing him, her midnight blue eyes shone with the wonderful soul he’d fallen in love with. Her dress fit snug along her body except for the skirt, which flared out. Not something he liked. Cruz wanted to see the curves of her thighs, the lines of her pussy for his own pleasure. Kiara had offered him one luxury. She hadn’t worn a bra, leaving her taut nipples to peer out against the pink fabric, only to taunt him. “Some would say being out in the middle of the night alone is a dangerous act.”

Kiara smiled, a grin to make him burn with desire. “There may be vampires lurking about.”

Cruz closed the distance between them; the heat of her body intensified with each step he took. He inhaled, smelling the rich, earthy scent of her mingled with vanilla. “Vampires who crave to drink your blood.”

A visible shudder ran through Kiara. Her eyes hooded and her lips parted, sending a whisper of air to escape. “But will he drink me dry?”

Cruz grinned, raised the rose to her cheek, and trailed the petals along her tanned flesh. “There’s no doubt he’d taste you, but he’d only sample your blood. He’d be too preoccupied drinking up other parts of your moistened body.” Life had given him something he wondered if he deserved. He could have rotted away in the ground as death took him, but a vampire had given him another chance at life. He hadn’t met his maker, seen who turned him, and had lived for years wondering who gave him the gift of immorality. Answers he’d never found, and ones he cared no longer about. He had Kiara.

Leaning toward her, Kiara’s smile blossomed before he took her lips. A kiss of longing. Many nights had passed since he’d been treated to the gloriousness of her mouth. Too long. His tongue twirled with hers in languorous swipes and the taste of her sent a wave of heat to erupt in his cold form.

Cruz groaned, pulling away from her, and placed his forehead on hers. In the present world, the rules of werewolf packs and vampire society declared their relationship needed to stay hidden. Vampires and werewolves did not co-mix. Six months ago, a meeting between the strained enemies had brought them together. An instantaneous spark erupted between them. He’d sought her out, and they’d met in secret ever since. “I’ve missed you, my wolf.”

“Me too.” Kiara sighed.

Raising his head, he cupped her cheeks, his thumbs brushed against her soft skin. “Have you been well?”

Tears glittered in her eyes. “Well enough.”

He understood her simple words. If only he could bend the rules. Make the other supernaturals see love overrode power. Kiara’s status as an Alpha’s daughter meant her bloodline among the wolves was a cherished one. Her father would never agree to her heart belonging to a vampire. “How long do you think we have tonight?” Cruz suspected in no time someone would come looking for her, as they always did.

“Half an hour.” The sadness shone through her pretty eyes.

Cruz wished he had the strength to erase the prejudices, but he held no control. The world had sealed their fate. If Kiara spoke of their love, she’d face an unkind life. Being the Alpha’s daughter, she’d not be killed for her actions, but she would forever be marked as a traitor. Cruz loved her enough to make sure she’d never suffer such cruelty. “If we only have a half an hour, I won’t waste my time. I’ve craved you, Kiara. Thought about you every moment I have been away. Your body, your scent—it’s driven me to near insanity.” Leaning in, he took her lips again, more forceful now.

Kiara inhaled with a sharp breath, sank against him, and raised her delicate hands to his shoulders. Her fingernails dug into his skin. Cruz experienced the same urgency. As their mouths worked together, Cruz’s cock tightened, throbbed in response to having her so near.

As if reading him, Kiara tore her mouth from his. “Please, Cruz, make love to me.”

He closed his eyes, fighting against himself to remove the look of pleading on her face from his mind. His body screamed to accept, break through her innocence and claim her, yet his respect for her couldn’t be undone. He’d not take her in their current predicament. She deserved to be loved in every sense of the word and until he held the ability to love her forever, he’d not indulge himself.

“Cruz,” Kiara whispered, making him realize he’d had his eyes closed for some time now.

Opening them, the beauty of Kiara made him growl. More so, her heated gaze staring back at him, begging him to take her. “Please don’t look at me that way.”

A tear escaped her eye, trailing down her cheek, and Cruz smoothed the dampness away with his thumb. “I’ve waited long enough—I want you.”

Cruz sighed, releasing his desirable thoughts in hopes his mind held more power over him than his cock. “I know you do and it’s killing me just the same. Do you know when you look at me like you are now, I want to spread your thighs and find a home there?”

“I’m not stopping you. In fact, I’m begging you to.” Her teary eyes dried, and a stern look crossed her face. “Why won’t you?”

“Because you deserve to be marveled at for hours on end before your innocence is given away, my wolf. And I can’t offer such things now.” Each word tore at his heart, made him sick, and angered him enough to make him want to rage against the ones who made their love impossible.

Tears formed in her eyes again, and her chin quivered. “I hate the conflict between vampires and werewolves. I hate how it keeps us apart. Is the battle between our kind ever going to end?”

“I hope one day everyone will put their biases aside and we can live in peace.” He doubted the acceptance would ever happen. The two had no reason to join each other, their differences spun into existence at the beginning of time. Cruz could see no chance of it changing. Yet, he wouldn’t tell Kiara as much. He didn’t want to break her heart.

Kiara pressed her body tighter against his, forcing him away from his thoughts. “Give me something, anything to keep with me for the next nights I’m without you. Something to remind me of you and the way you make me feel.”

***

Eve Langlais is a Canadian in her late-thirties who’s happily married with three children. She resides in a small town in Ontario where she works from home as a webmistress and customer service rep. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing video games, reading tawdry romance novels, and writing even naughtier ones. She claims her stories come from the voices clamoring inside her head. Discover what else her twisted mind has devised at www.EveLanglais.com.

Stacey Kennedy is an avid lover of urban fantasy/paranormal romance and erotic romance. If she isn't plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she's got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com, she loves to hear from her readers.

To enter contest to win an e-copy of the book from the authors through Bewitching Book Tours please fill out the form below. You must be at least 18 years of age and the contest is void where prohibited. Fulfillment will be handled through and is the responsibility of  Bewitching Book Tours.
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ERIC Northman, Sherrif and Diplomat!

Ooh Eric gets all diplomatic on us. He's cute trying to be nice.

Season 4 Trailer

BEA is awesome. Went to a lecture on 2-D Barcodes and how they drive behavior.  Saw Lisa See at Random House Tea, which itself was beautiful. They gave us each over 15 books, including an ARC of the Language of Flowers.  AND the best, I got to meet Sniffly Kitty and Girls in the Stacks, Super Reader Girl, and  Diary of a Bookworm  and the fine people from Random House.