Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Zombies are Here!

My first zombie story - a little novella called "Simon Says" in the HALF PAST DEAD anthology from Kensington Brava. Look for it in a bookstore near you! Here's the blurb:

Special Forces soldier Simon Blackwell ended his affair with Mariana Daniels three years ago, but he hasn't stopped protecting her. Mariana has no knowledge of the dark, deadly creatures that lurk in the forest surrounding her clinic, or of the mysterious powers that make Simon the only one who can defeat them. But soon he'll have no choice but to reveal the truth, and urge her to trust in an explosive passion that never faded...

Buy it now from Amazon or wherever you buy trade paperbacks!

And the first novel in the series is coming out at the end of February. It's called ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD. Here's a little bit about the book:

Thrills, chills and a smoldering sexy hero combine to unforgettable effect in Bianca D'Arc's irresistible new novel of paranormal romance...

When police officer Sarah Petit investigates a disturbance in an abandoned building, she expects to find a few underage drinkers. Instead, she's attacked by creature straight out of a horror movie. Waking a week later in a hospital, Sarah is visited by Special Forces soldier Captain Xavier Beauvoir. The zombies who attacked Sarah are the result of military research gone terrifyingly wrong, and Sarah's immunity to the virus makes her the perfect person to help Xavier eradicate them. But his smooth Cajun accent, whiskey-colored eyes, and dizzying kiss are risky to her in a very different way.

Sarah attracts danger like a magnet -- and the smart, fearless cop attracts Xavier too, instilling a bone-deep need that's undermining his steady facade. Enlisting her aid is a necessary gamble, but vicious undead creatures are not the only enemy they face. And the only way to keep each other safe is to trust in an instant connection that could be their greatest strength -- or the perfect way to destroy them both...

The book is available for pre-order from Amazon and will also be available for the Kindle.



While I'm plugging new books, I should also mention that three of my vampire novellas have been collected into a single print volume called BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD. It's available now for pre-order on Amazon. Or you can get the individual stories in ebook formats. The volume contains the stories: ONE & ONLY, RARE VINTAGE, and PHANTOM DESIRES.

Here's a little bit about each:

Three mortal women discover the loves of their lives…the vampires of their dreams.

One and Only - Vampire Atticus Maxwell stands at the edge of his own oblivion…until the faint heartbeat of a desperately wounded mortal woman calls him back. The terrible crash that almost took both their lives has brought him a woman who just might give him a reason to live again. No barrier to their love seems too great—until they learn the crash was no accident at all…

Rare Vintage - Marc LaTour is drawn to Kelly when she goes to work for the newlyweds Atticus and Lissa at their vineyard. He moves into the mansion on the pretext of needing a place to stay while his own home is remodeled. Then an upstart vampire challenges him to a fight to the death. Kelly is willing to trade her life for his — but can he save her from himself?

Phantom Desires - Dmitri Belakov enters the scorching hot dreams of the woman who just bought the farmhouse that rests above his secret lair. He must either bargain with her or kill her, but she is much too intriguing to dispose of so easily. When he discovers she is his One — his perfect match — he’ll do anything to keep her by his side... forever.

Warning: This book contains three individual tales of vampire lust, sexy neck biting, a little naughty dreamwalking, a touch of ménage action and lots of everlasting love.

I hope you'll enjoy all the new releases! For more information visit my website at www.biancadarc.com

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posted by Bianca D'Arc at 2:38 pm 0 comments

Thursday, January 07, 2010

A Time to Celebrate

December kicked off the release of my novella, Christmas of Hope, available from Red Rose Publishing. If you're looking for a funny, heartwarming read pick up your copy today. Its time to celebrate and that means food.

It's cold in Houston. In fact, its been downright freezing at night at that puts me in the mood for certain food.

Here's a Rachel Ray recipe I really like. I hope I have all the stuff to make it tonight.

Super Nachos
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
Adjustments made by Keelia Greer

Ingredients:
2 bags corn tortilla chips in 2 colors or different. Or your two favorite flavors. (I used Doritos Corn chips and it was fine.)

Pico de Gallo Salsa:
4 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped, for medium to hot heat level
1 small white onion, chopped
¼ cup, 2 handfuls, cilantro leaves finely chopped-substitute parsley, if cilantro is not to your liking
Salt

Beef and Beans Topping:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground sirloin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons dark chili powder
1 ½ ground cumin, half a palmful
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce, giving you a medium to hot heat level
1 can black beans, 15 ounces drained

*Cheese Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
¾ pound pepper jack cheese, shredded, about 2 ½ cups. (I use Colby-Jack cheese and a bit of Velveeta)

*Or, you can use the cheese in the jar and heat it up. Another idea, make a small to medium batch of Velveeta Cheese dip and use it.

Additional toppings, optional:
Sour cream, chopped black olives, sliced avocado, dressed with lemon juice.

Instructions:
Arrange chips on a very large platter or use your broiler pan as a platter.
Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside for flavors to marry.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, onion and peppers to the pan and sauté 2 minutes, then add the meat and crumble with wooden spoon. Season meat with salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper sauce. Cook meat 5 minutes, then stir in beans and reduce heat to low.

In a medium sauce pot melt butter and ad flour to it. Cook flour and butter 1 to 2 minutes over moderate heat, then whisk in milk. When milk comes to a bubble, stir in cheese with a wooden spoon. Remove cheese sauce from the heat.

Pour cheese sauce evenly over the massive spread of chips and top evenly with beef and beans and the pico de gallo. Serve immediately.

The other day I pulled out the crock pot and tossed in a small roast, potatoes and carrots. I let it cook all night on low and the meat pulled apart with a fork.

This next recipe is from my mother-in-law. If there were any leftovers, it was who made it to the refrigerator first.

Meatballs Suisse

(1) 10 ¾ oz can cream of mushroom soup, diluted with 1 can of milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup of uncooked rice
¾ chopped onion
1 tsp salt (optional)
¼ tsp. oregano leaves or Italian seasoning
1/3 tsp pepper
shortening or cooking oil, enough to cover the pan

*I also add some Worchestershire sauce to the meat mixture

Dilute soup with milk. Add 1/3 cup of soup mixture to ground beef and next 5 ingredients; mix well.

Form into balls and brown on all sides in shortening in skillet. (They have a tendency to stick.) Transfer to a skillet that has a tight fitting lid. Put browned meatballs in the skillet and pour the remaining soup mixture over the meatballs. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. *Stir very gently since they easily fall apart.
If sauce is too thick add extra milk.

4-5 servings.


I hope the recipes will help make a few of these cold days pass quicker. My books will also add some steam into your life. Be sure to check out my titles from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid, Aspen Mountain Press and Red Rose Publishing under the names, Tambra Kendall.
You can find my Keelia Greer titles from Red Rose Publishing and Highland Press.

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posted by Tambra at 8:29 pm 0 comments