My turn to blog again... Lately things have been rough for me. I'm writing on deadline and am way behind because of some challenging personal issues I've been facing. As some of you know, my beloved mother died about a month and a half ago. the wound is still raw and I doubt it will ever heal completely. Until it happened to me, I never really understood what grief was all about. I wish I was still so naive.

I'm working on catching up with my writing schedule but it's slow going. The good news is that my new military paranormal zombie romance series has been getting great reviews and seems to be doing well. That's a huge relief to me. I really wasn't sure if romance readers could get past the whole decomposing zombie thing to enjoy the romance part. ;-)

RT Book Reviews Magazine said about HALF PAST DEAD: "These zombie stories stand out in a genre dominated by vampires....D'Arc delivers a creepy and pulse-pounding story of danger."

And they had this to say about ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD: "D'Arc deftly blends horror, romance and action for a thrilling, sexy tale."

ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD comes out officially on March 1st, but it looks like it'll beging shipping from Amazon on February 23rd. :)

I've been really fortunate with some great reviews of late, including this last one from RT about my latest print compilation, BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD: "These vampire tales can stand alone, yet cleverly intertwine the lives of the characters...Each one entertains with drama, tender romance and erotic sex scenes."

I have a lot of print titles coming out this year and little energy to keep up with all the promotion I should probably be doing, unfortunately. With any luck, things will start to settle down soon. I have a feeling my depression and new appreciation for the realities of suffering will be affecting my writing. It'll be interesting to see how I might grow as a writer as a result of this devestating experience.

It's one of the few potentially good things that might come out of this experience. I've been trying to find the silver lining to all of this and it's really, really hard. Meanwhile, I just keep trying to live one day at a time. Thanks to all of you who've taken time to write to me. Your support through this awful time means more than I can say.

Labels: Bianca D'Arc, military romance, paranormal, vampires, zombies

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

Labels: Bianca D'Arc, New Releases, vampires, zombies

Gonna keep this short and sweet. My mom is ill and will be having surgery toward the end of the month so any good vibes, thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated! The docs aren't really sure at this point what's wrong with her but they seem to be trying to rule out cancer, so as you might guess, the whole family is distraught. My parents are staying with me for the duration because my house is near a very fine hospital, thank goodness.

Needless to say, I'm not getting much new writing done at all. At this point, I'm treading water, just trying to meet my editing/proofing deadlines and such. Once my emotions begin to settle down, perhaps I'll be able to write again. Wish me luck. ;-)

And now for some happy stuff... I've got some new covers! It's for my next dragon book, titled DRAGON STORM, which will be out in ebook formats on November 17th from Samhain.

I also have the most awesome cover EVER, from Kensington Brava for my first big-time, NY-published novel, ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD, which will be officially released in March 2010, but is already available for pre-order from Amazon (and a few other places). How cool is that cover? I LOVE it!!! :) Thank you, cover gods!!!

I've also spent a little time working on my website the past few days. (It's mindless work that I can do while I sit with my Mom.) I've updated most of the splash pages (the individual indexes to each sub-section of the site) and added new buttons for all sorts of online booksellers on my homepage side bar. It might be getting a little too complicated at this point, so if you have any troubles loading it, please let me know. It's hard to find the right balance between too much and not enough. ;-) Until next time...

Labels: Bianca D'Arc, covers, dragons, zombies

I've got two new releases this month! First, GRADY'S AWAKENING came out yesterday from Samhain Publishing.

It's the story of Grady Prime, an alien super soldier who is beginning to learn what it means to be human. The story brings him together with Gina, a martial arts champion and spy, and her other true mate, Jim, the leader of a ragtag band of human survivors. Together, the three of them figure out how to live and love in the post-apocalyptic world where only the strong survive. You can read an excerpt online by clicking here.

Labels: Bianca D'Arc, New Releases, sci fi, zombies

Check out the hot-off-the-presses cover for my upcoming release with Kensington Brava. It's an anthology featuring the novella I mentioned in my last blog post all those weeks ago. (I missed last month due to vacation and poor planning on my part. Sorry!)

Anyway, the story is called SIMON SAYS and it's in the HALF PAST DEAD anthology, which is scheduled for release on 12/29/09. Mark your calendars!

The cover is just perfect, I think. It's sexy and mysterious with a hint of the subject matter - namely zombies. My story features a special forces soldier whose mission it is to defeat the creatures that are the result of an experiment gone horribly wrong. 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….

I'd also like to mention that I have a new release in ebook. INFERNO is finally out! It's the sequel to LORDS OF THE WERE, and tells the vampire Dante's story. It's a very hot book, with lots of menage and a sizzling love story. There's also lots of magical action and vamps, weres and even a fey knight in the mix. Here's a little bit more about it:

A forbidden union forged in love-and tempered in hellfire.

One last task and Megan will be free of the debt of honor owed by her family. Spying on Dante, a powerful vampire with questionable friends, sounds simple enough. But her mission is complicated by the fact she's got something every vampire wants-tangy, powerful, werewolf blood.

It's easy to capture his attention. The hard part will be getting out with her heart -- and soul -- intact. Not to mention her life, thanks to a crazed bomber.

Dante isn't the kind to forgive or forget easily, especially the grudge he holds against werewolves. Still, he is instantly drawn to the injured lone wolf in his care. When he and his friend Duncan treat her wounds, they discover something that marks her as much more than she seems.

The mark is a neon sign warning to be careful, but Dante can't help himself. He wants her and nothing will stand in his way. Not her species. Not his. Not the strange woman who keeps trying to kill him.

Not even the magical poison in Megan's blood...

Buy now from MBAM

Labels: Bianca D'Arc, New Releases, vampires, werewolves, zombies