It' been a busy couple of weeks. First, I've been on a signing tour around the Northeast US. This past Saturday, I had a great time in Marlboro, MA, meeting a lot of new readers and next week will be my final appearance, at the Borders in the Garden State Mall in New Jersey for this year. I hope you'll come by and see me, if you're in the area! (I'll have goodie bags!)

I've also been writing and editing a great deal, getting involved in a Halloween project on another blog I'm on, called Beyond The Veil. About 8-10 authors on that blog got together and wrote related paranormal stories, all set in a ficticious Las Vegas casino based on Dunvegan Castle. It's called Dunvegas! LOL. We've been posting snippets on the blog for the past month. Mine went up today, as a matter of fact, and we'll be offering the entire collection of stories as a FREE download on Halloween, so keep an eye out for it! :)

My short story in the collection is called The Big Bad Wolf, and it's a little more serious than some of the other stories in the collection. See, some of the authors write humor a little better than I and have made a lot of this sort of tongue-in-cheek. It's pretty darn funny - what I've read of it, so I'd definitely recommend checking it all out on Halloween. I mean, the price is right, right? LOL! And I got the additional honor of creating the cover for the series. I'm actually working on putting up a new page on my website that will hold links to the freebie stories I have available. That will probably be unveiled at the beginning of December as a little holiday gift to my readers (if I can get it finished).

Aside from all that, I'm doing the 2 writing challenges most of the DoC are participating in -- NaNoWriMo and 70 Days of Sweat -- and going through the edits from hell. As soon as I finish up this round of edits, I'll be concentrating on getting some more actual writing done. Can't wait!

Bianca
Come over to The D'Arc Side... http://www.biancadarc.com/

Labels: appearances, Bianca D'Arc, Writing

It’s October. Well, now, it’s the END of October, but it’s still October. Which means witches and goblins and zombies, and one of the best of all things: CHOCOLATE. :)

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. I have fond memories of trudging around our neighborhood on Halloween night, slogging through the crinkling leaves as we marched up to house after house to beg for candy to fill our pillowcases.

Fall has a scent that is practically indescribable if you don’t know what it already is. I smell it and it rejuvenates me, revitalizes me, and makes me feel like something exciting is coming around the corner.

Argus: In Dreams, the first full length story I ever had published was set in the fall. I didn’t make a big deal about the season, but I wonder if I did it subconsciously. It is a time of renewal and rebirth for me. Yes, I know the earth is going to sleep, and it is traditionally viewed as a time of death, but you take that cycle to its completion and you have that rebirth. Although things are dying, they are making way for the new and exciting stuff coming out soon. I love fall.

To celebrate Halloween and the release of Waking Up Dead, Lizzie wants to share the day with you in a Happy Boo Experience!

Join Aspen Mountain Press authors, Michelle Hasker, Aline de Chevigny, Esther Mitchell and Lizzie T. Leaf in a day of fun, excerpts, prizes and spooky adventures!

In addition, Kensington Aphrodisia author, Cassie Ryan has promised to pop in an create havoc with the group, along with sharing excerpts from her latest witchy release.

Along with the other great prizes, a grand prize winner will be drawn from all who participate during the day to receive a gold purse… a perfect accessory for the upcoming holiday season.

Join in the fun Wednesday, October 31st from 10:00 a.m. EST until the stroke of midnight (for all who can stay up that late) at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LizziesTeaRoom/

I've blogged at The Romance Studio: http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com/ It's full of inportant information about upcomming freebook contests.

These 2 books will be up for Book a Day Giveaways at TRS





Aline

So I've been interviewed and I wanted to share a bit about me.

Monday, 22 October 2007
Aline de Chevigny


Tell us a little about yourself
I’m a 34 year old, old maid…no wait, 21st century right. Ahem...I’, a 34 year old independent woman. Yup sounds much better **grin**
I plan to keep writing as long as there’s someone out there who wants to read my stories…or I run out of ideas.

What do you write?
I write Romance, more specifically HEA romances in all genres and sub genres. I’m very fond of mixing genres in story. Have even gone so far as to created a Romantic Thriller LOL.

If you like Happily Ever After, then you’ll love the road travelled to get there.
That’s my modo and I’m sticking to it. hehe

Why do you write?

To see the rest of this interview please go to: Red Roses for Authors

Please fell free to comment.

Aline

Since we're getting close to the day. I thought I'd let you all know that 2 of my books are up for book of the day at The Romance Studio this month.

If you'd like a chance to win The Perfect Hero please enter you name to win on October 25th at The Romance Studio.



If you'd like a chance to win Bare Bones please enter you name to win on October 29th at The Romance Studio.





Hope you all enter and Good Luck

First of all, I should mention my most recent releases (which I don't think I did on this blog yet). At the end of September, Prince of Spies came out in print, so please look for it wherever books are sold!

And the very next dragon story just came out in ebook. Wings of Change will be part of the I Dream of Dragons anthology that will be out in print next March, but for now you can get all of the stories in ebook.

My next release will be in December, titled, Sweeter Than Wine. It's a paranormal story that will bring together my vamps and weres in a very tangible (and naughty!) way. LOL. Here's the tagline: An abused woman has the power to unite werefolk, fey and vampire against an evil that would see them all dead—if she can learn to love again.

Now with all of this, I've been running around doing signings. I'll be at the Borders in Middletown, NY this Saturday and the one in Marlborough, MA next Saturday, so please drop by if you're in the neighborhood! Understandably, I haven't been writing much with all this going on, but I signed up for a writing challenge to help get me back on track. Accountability really helps. So far, I've managed to write each day of the challenge, but then, it only started on Monday! LOL. Be sure to drop by my blog to track my progress and read the little snippets from my WIPs I'll be posting every few days. I've got a "first meeting" scene up there today, so it's probably worth checking out if you like those kinds of things.

Whew! So now you're up to date on all things Bianca. Well, mostly, anyway. Now that I'm caught up, next time I get to blog, I promise to post something more conversational, but it's been quite a while since I've blogged here. Sorry for the absence!

Bianca
http://biancadarc.com/blog/
www.biancadarc.com

Labels: Bianca D'Arc, Writing

It's official Chronicles of the Cursed: Blood Red the first book int he series is being released from Aspen Mountain on October 19th. If you like Vampires or hot foreign men hehe you'll love this book. Oh yeah and I got my hot new cover.

Chronicles of the Cursed: Blood Red

Aspen Mountain Press Buy Link

Mikael De Wohlf better known to his kind as Cerberus Gnosis, became the head of his clan with the simple act of killing his Sire. That act alone gained him the power and respect he needed to take control of all the ruling houses and reshape the clans to help them survive in this day and age. His reputation painted him as a ruthless killer and terrified everyone who knew him, everyone but her. Everyone but his Bella, his obsession.

Annabella Micelli knew exactly who he was and wasn’t afraid of him one bit. To her dismay she found herself attracted to him and couldn’t get him out of her mind. As keeper for his clan she had insights into the Vampire world that other humans would never have and could never know of.

Will Mikael be able win over the one person that could help him attain his goals, or ruin the one chance he had at happiness?



Excerpt : Unedited.

Forever was a lot longer than he thought it would be when his Sire had proposed the change. He had made it sound enticing. He’d said the days would be filled with adoration and the nigh with loving. He’d lied!

The first hundred years had been exciting and more enriching than anything he’d ever experienced. Taking beautiful young maidens full of life and ravishing them before feeding off their milky white throats. Always feeding off the Nobility’s daughters, payback for the way they shunned and mocked him when he’d still been alive. Now they came to him willingly, offering him what he could easily take by force. Pitiful creatures. He hated them.

Over the centuries he’d become more feared then Dracula himself, all because he wasn’t afraid to die. Despite everything he now had, the power, the fame and the money, he still lacked one thing. True Love. Five hundred years of searching, traveling the world over and finding nothing had left him jaded, cross and bored. Those emotions made him dangerous and deadly. He hadn’t earned the name Cerberus Gnosis, the knowledgeable dog of Hell by being nice.

Mikael De Wohlf was aware that he scared people. They weren’t sure what to make of him and therefore they were frightened of him. With a Russian father and a Greek mother, his blond haired, and teal colored eyes tended to get him all the female attention he wished. Any woman but her and she was the one he desired. The one he’d searched for all these years!

Annabella Micelli knew who he truly was. She was among the elite of the human race with the knowledge of his kind, the knowledge of the undead. Her acute awareness of his past actions, his reputations as a vile, ruthless demon without a conscience disgusted her. She didn’t approve of his tactics, or the fact that he used his vast knowledge, painfully gained throughout the centuries, to ascertain the downfall of his enemies and their progeny at any cost.

Yet he couldn’t kill her like he had all others who disapproved of him. Like he had his Sire for the lies he’d told him. She had a hold over him, over that thing that was once his heart. Her mere presence soothed him, her aura washed over him like a calming breeze. With her around many escaped his anger and their deaths. For that reason alone she willingly served as his secretary, nay personal assistant.

Mikael smiled, his fangs gleaming as he remembered her defiant stance the day he demanded she leave his office so he could deal with the traitor his own way. Her angry refusal, and narrowed eyes as she stood in his way, blocking the path to his victim. His desire for her body overwhelming his desire for blood was the only reason he agreed to allow the traitor to live in exchange for her services.

Bella glared at him, disgust filing her features at his request. He knew then, that he had her. He could take her body if he asked; she wouldn’t refuse him. It was there in her face, but he wanted more. He wanted her to come to him willingly. He wanted her to desire him as much as he desired her, if not more. He wanted her forever.

With a predatory grin, he let his fangs extend. His personal mark of truth and offered her the position of being his personal assistant. He offered her the responsibilities and authority of managing his companies while he slept. A great honor that until now had never been bestowed upon a female. Her surprised acceptance pleased him more than he was willing to admit. But damn the woman, she still refused his advances. “Soon my Bella, soon you’ll be mine.”

http://www.romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/paranormal/Mountain_Rendezvous.shtml

MOUNTAIN RENDEZVOUS is a fun, edgy tale of a mysterious female vampire and a cop who seeks her out as part of a murder investigation and is drawn into her sensual, dangerous web. As a vampire, Meredith Foxxe doesn’t learn to trust easily. Add to this the fact that she found out her husband was a serial killer and had to kill him before he murdered her sister. Trust issues? Most definitely! So when FBI Special Agent Slade Jackson comes knocking on her door looking for her husband “The Slasher,” her instincts say run, but her body can’t help but stand up and take notice of Slade’s hot body and sexy demeanor. Her goal is to stay far away from this man and shut down the palpable sexual attraction she feels, but sometimes failure can feel so good…




This is a novella full of zest and sensuality, and a lot of excitement too. After reading the first love scene, which had my pulse racing, I knew there was going to be lot of hot and heavy love scenes between Meredith and Slade, and I was down with that. However, the author did not disappoint in her writing of the rest of story. There is plenty of tension and excitement in the pages of MOUNTAIN RENDEZVOUS to keep thrill—junkies entertained.



I noticed that the settings and scenes in this story were well written and detailed so as to feel familiar to any reader, and I liked this realistic touch. The author also keeps the reader so wrapped up in delicious ribbons of sexual excitement that when you are suddenly confronted with the antagonist of the story, you are almost startled by the turn of the plot, but in a good way. The plot’s twists and turns really test the skill of the author’s writing, and Ms. Hasker holds her own in this aspect. The characters develop well, the conflict is entertaining as it evolves and the thrilling love scenes are truly cold—shower inducing! I definitely recommend MOUNTAIN RENDEZVOUS to fans of the vampire genre and anyone looking for a spicy, sensual read.

AND as demanded by a fellow daughter! Hunk for today:


Michelle

I wanted to show off my latest sale to Forbidden. Hope you enjoy the excerpt.

Aline


Merry Christmas to Me! by Aline de Chevigny

Blurb:

Jennifer was having the worst Christmas ever. She'd just quit her job, her ex had happily married some blonde Barbie doll and the man of her dreams didn't even know she was alive.

Franko was through with women, or so he thought until the hottest little spitfire he'd ever met walked into him and set him straight. He now had five days until she left the mine for good to convince her that he was the Christmas gift of her dreams.



Excerpt : Unedited.

She’d never felt so angry. How could they disappoint so many people, without even a second thought? They’d used some lame ass excuse, about the flight crew wishing to spend the holidays with their families. Well Duh! Who didn’t? Unfortunately for her and everyone else in her boat, they couldn’t leave site if the plane didn’t show. “Damn, stupid, inconsiderate…”

Her tirade was cut short by what felt like walking into a brick wall. Looking up…and up, she came face to…chest with the new hotty mechanic at camp. She knew it was Franko Chissolm, she recognized the shirt.

Taking the step back, she tilted her head further back to look at him in the face to apologize. Her mouth dried up at the sight of him. He was even more impressive to look at up close. His scar, that everyone was talking about, made him look distinguished and dangerous. She always did like dangerous. “Uhm…I…ahhh… damn…sorry about that.” His eyes narrowed quickly at her in anger, she didn’t understand.

“Listen lady, I may not be much to look at anymore, but you can stop starring at my scars right this second!”

Jennifer took another step back in surprise and frowned. Her bad mood had just gotten worse thanks to his obvious rudeness. “Listen, I already apologized for walking into you, and might I remind you I’m the one who got hurt here! You’re built like a freaking brick wall, where I…let’s just say I’m not. As for you’re scars, honey I have no idea who you’ve been listening to, but you are a serious babe and you’d better get used to tongue tied idiots like me acting like dolts around you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go before I stick my foot any further into my mouth.”

Brushing past him, she fought to control the blushes she felt heating her cheeks. She really needed to learn to control her mouth when annoyed. Although, the look on his face when she called him a babe, was worth some embarrassment.

Reaching the door to her dorm residence, she couldn’t resist one last look back to see if he was still watching her.

Aline

This past month has been a whirlwind. I've just received word that my launch title for a Changeling Press trilogy has a release date! November 2nd!

Bound in Lust

A bite by a demon leaves Elena cursed. When the dark mark of the succubae entwines with her soul, she becomes the enemy, one who drains the $élan vital$ or life force of her victims. Now she is the hunted. And the only place she can find refuge is with a demon. Drake Oblivion, dark demon of lust. For a price, all things are possible, but will a cure be worth the cost of her soul… or heart?

For Drake, a millennia of lust is the icing on the cake of demonic life. When the sexy bartender asks for his help, he can't help but agree. But things aren't always what they seem. An enemy has created a double-edged sword in the luscious curvy body of the passionate woman. He'll have to successfully bind her soul to his or die. For once the succubae has you, you are bound in lust to her unto death.

Feel free to come to my website and check out a free read or two. Some spicy excerpts await your fancy. :-) Until next month ladies and gents, make every day a memorable one.

Dawn

Ok first things first ;)

Today I popped in on the Vampire Oracle Blog and left my mark. Again. First chocolate, now a name generator....hehehe I'm evil.

Anyway please go on over there and leave me a comment. I love comments. It gives me something to do other than write ;)

http://vampireoracle.blogspot.com/

Okay. Now to my post.

Writing for fun versus writing for a job. I'd love to make a living at writing, just to rationalize spending all this time writing. But I'd write even if I didn't see a dime from it all. TO help keep me inspired when I get writers block and when I get in a funk, I look for inspiration. The name generator inspired me. So does something else:




What inspires you?

Michelle

Wicked Pleasures is now available from Red Rose Publishing www.redrosepublishing.com
and All Romance E-Books www.allromanceebooks.com

Here's an excerpt, I hope you enjoy!

Texas, 1880



Honey Jordan stomped down the porch steps waving a big wooden spoon. “You son-of-a-cow chip!” She’d thrown all her cooking pots at the object of her displeasure—Brock Ryan. Blue enamel speckle ware littered the yard. She picked up a cast iron skillet and tossed it. Dang, just missed his ass. Mighty fine it was too. She wished it were her hands on those tight butt cheeks.
Brock ran for cover behind a large oak. “What’s got you so riled?”
“Our house is still unfinished. We can’t get married until it’s done. Have you changed your mind?” Hands on her hips she slowly advanced until she stopped a foot from him then pointed the wooden mixing spoon at his chest. “My sweet darlin,’ you can be replaced.” The town’s old biddies are still watching me with their noses in the air and whispering when I walk by, and all because of us getting caught sparking behind the mercantile.
He jerked the utensil from her hands. “What do you mean I can be replaced?”
“You have one week to finish Brock, or else.” Honey snatched the wooden weapon back, reached around and smacked his ass with the heel of the spoon.
In a twirl of red calico, she marched up the stairs into the kitchen.
Honey slammed the screen door. “Oh, that brother of yours, Emmy…” Even though she was mad, her heart pounded at the sight of him. Sun-kissed blonde hair that brushed the collar of his shirt, blue eyes with a mischievous glint and a mouth made for kissing.
copyright 2007/tambrakendall

Mainly for... *cough*... inspiration this has been my favourite little clip to help me get into into the sarcastic, witty - and all right - insane... nature of a lot of my heroes



I know Michelle will like this one, hehe

So... who inspires you?

Labels: The Master