What You Might Not Know About Me, The Author And Woman Behind The Scenes

Have you ever wondered about the life of the author of whom you are reading? Well cop a squat and I'll be happy to at least tell you about me. 

Where did it all begin? The madness that is.

Once upon a time there was this white rabbit...Okay maybe it wasn't quite like that. When I was a little girl, I lived in mostly an all adult neighborhood. Not the greatest place for a lone little girl to have an early childhood. I found that I had to make my own adventures (many of those got me punished by the way). We lived by a lake and in the spring and summer, mermaids lived there and the fairies lived among my grandma's flower beds. This made my grandparents quite unhappy because I was forever wading in the lake and getting dirty and my grandma was forever finding dolls and make shift twig houses among her tulips and rose bushes. so I guess it is safe to say that I got into story telling and writing just out of necessity. I loved books-they were my first friends and I wanted to tell my own. 

Throughout my childhood and right on through my teens, I wrote and only let a very select few people read them. I wrote one story that had me sent to the counselor's office just because my teacher "worried " for me-I was like, "Really....it's just a vampire story, Anne Rice just did it and she got a movie deal." Me, I got sent to the school shrink. I wasn't deterred. However, after a fight with my sister which led me to write a horror story about a psycho Siamese twin who enacts revenge against her "normal" sister, got me grounded for two weeks.

The turning point in all this came at age 35. I had an epiphany if you will that it was now or never and never was so not an option. I wrote a story and I even had my creative writing teacher go over it. I had my sister Kim read it and she loved it and at that time she was just not all into the "book addiction" (but she is now) and I began to send off submissions and queries. Let me stop right here and say that when one goes to send their hard work to a publisher or editor be sure to follow their submission and query letter guidelines. I had no clue what a query letter was and online templates suck. Publishers want what they ask for and nothing more or less. I learned that the hard way. I got a phone call one night after many rejections-expect rejects by the way if you are a writer seeking to be be published. It was from a scam press but at the time I didn't know that and their website appeared impressive. I was so green. I signed a contract and was ecstatic. Long story short, it took six months after signing my baby away to find out just how scammed I had been and took almost three years, an author friend, and a lot of luck that I got my rights back and I was able to find a reputable publisher who published Cursed Awakening. So I think we are all caught up so far? Right? Maybe? 

What Are My Days Like? 

Some days are hectic and other days are easy. I am a mom first and foremost and though I have one child that is 18, my work as mom is never done. I also have a nine year old little boy who keeps me at the very edge of sanity but I wouldn't take anything for either of them. Well I might rent them out for a vacation but seriously, they are as stuck with me as I am them. 

I love to write at night when everyone is in bed and it is quiet but if I get possessed by some idea or story, I am scrawling it down in a notebook, typing it out on a lap top, or writing it down on a napkin or paper plate if I have to. I have been known to write out ideas on the inside of my son's coloring books . 

When I am not writing or reading and tending to the children, I am just like most of you-average. I cook, I clean, and I play and sometimes play hard. I like to watch television but I am not addicted to it. Actually there are only some shows I will watch. I am a huge Game of Thrones, True Blood, Dracula, Defiance, Sons of Anarchy, Being Human, Modern Family, and Big Bang Theory fan. I also love X Factor, Survivor, Duck Dynasty, and The Pioneer Woman cooking show. I also watch a lot of FUSE of a night because since MTV stopped playing music-I have to find it somewhere and FUSE is it. I love going to the movies and I will almost be game on for anything playing but I have an eclectic taste. I love old black and white movies, B Movies, Cult Classics, Horror movies, Chick Flicks, and Sci/Fi. I also love comedies, all sorts of them. 

I am one of those who loves theme parks-and I am HUGE on thrill rides even if I just look at them and wave (hint-Millineum Force-that one got a wave) and I love to go to haunted houses and attractions. I love art, but I love macabre and unusual stuff. I am a total rocker chick but ya know I like a variety of music; just not gangster rap or hip hop. I like odd places and sometimes those corny little side road attractions. I have a warped sense of humor blended with a down home approach. So I guess you could say my sense of humor is Dolly Parton mixed with a dash of Robin Williams, Russel Brand, and Monty Python. I grew up in the 80s when people like Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, and so many others were King. I also grew up watching SNL and Monty Python. 

I never was that popular kid in school or that one person that could walk into a room and just be the life of the party. I wasn't the emo kid either-I was the quiet one who just liked to feel everyone out. I find that in my thirties (actually mentally I'm still at the height of my 20s) I no longer quest to be the wallflower and I try to find ways to push myself so that others can bask in my insanity. Life is way too short to be a people watcher. I have had a lot of challenges just like you-some may not be as big and others seem overwhelming, but I take it day by day. That is where writing really comes in. 

Inspiration, Perspiration, and Lots of Chocolate

One question that people seem to ask me and other authors is always "Where do you get your inspiration from?" I get mine from everything. There is always the common denominator which is the genre I write but outside of that-everything inspires me to write. Writing, even though it is something I am rabidly passionate about, is hard work. Stories may flow freely but not every story is a good story. Sometimes I will write something and go back over it and it falls flat. So rather than scrap it, I have to go back and do a little Dr. Frankenstein to bring it to life. Sometimes it works and sometimes it is back to the old story board. The hardest part about writing a romance novel of any kind is finding the balance of chemistry. I don't want to write some weepy and wimpy female or some male character that is Mr. Rogers with a libido. Who wants to read that? 

Once the story is written and all the I's are dotted, T's crossed, tenses resolved, and balance is achieved-then the really hard work starts-PROMOTING. I should have mentioned publishing but since I have a publisher, I have to skip ahead to PROMOTION and Marketing. Everything just about it is via the World Wide Web and if you are going into this whole journey of being an author thinking that once the book is out there it will just sell itself or that the publishing house will magically give you a city to city book tour-YOU ARE ON SOME SORT OF LSD TRIP and frankly, share okay because we'd all LOVE to have those perks. Marketing and Promoting your book(s) is on YOU. I am still learning but what I have learned is making the right connections, blogging, mingling with other authors, bloggers, etc. is a great start. Networking is a useful tool as is hiring a great promotions firm. Sensuous Promotions has done some excellent work and I have had a lot of success through them. They take an author and shoot them through the cyber stratosphere. 

Where does the chocolate come in? Okay unless you just have an absolute aversion to chocolate or are allergic-who doesn't like chocolate? I prefer dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt. Decadent I know and not very good for my curvage but hey, it's my guilty pleasure and when I'm dead locked with Writer's Block or the phone seems to keep ringing and the 9 year old is bouncing off the walls; it keeps me from GPS'ing places to hide bodies and a statewide duct tape shortage.

Random Fun Facts About Moi

1.I love word and trivia games

2. I love Italian, Mexican, and Asian cuisines

3. I dream of going Sky Diving 

4. I would LOVE TO GO TO COMIC CON AND THE JIMMY JOHN'S RT CONVENTION

5. Some people say I have a southern accent-I was born a Hoosier though and I'm not ashamed if I do have one. It's who I am. 

6. I love Rockabilly music and fashions

7. I am a huge Rob Zombie Fan

8. If I had a million dollars, I would make sure that I took a tour of all the places where all the literary greats came from or made their mark, and then there's all the charity I would donate to, kids secured in college, and blah blah blah. 

9. I still listen to 80s pop and Hair bands (I hate that term Hair bands but Glam rock just irks me) 

10. I love chocolate/banana Tootsie Pops dipped in peanut butter

So now you know a little about me so tell me a lot about you. I will select a random winner for a copy of my book  Cursed Awakening if I get at least 10 responses so make sure you tell your friends, share on your social network pages, and Tweet.

Sensuous Promotions

Evolutionary Publishing

From Heroes to Heroines: The Ya Ya Sisterhood Of Paranormal Romance Novels

NO BOYS ALLOWED

FANGED OR OTHERWISE

This blog is all about our favorite female characters. So feel free to chime in.

Mostly when we talk about books, we go on and on about those hot and hunky fellas but I think that the women of our favorite genre deserve to be showcased, don't you? So I will be giving some of my favorite ladies and they range from kick-ass to American sweet hearts.  

The Kick Ass Category

Some heroines just are bad ass and one of my favorite bad ass females is none other than Kresley Cole's Regin Radiant from her Immortals After Dark Series. Throughout the books Regin has been ferocious, smart assed, quick witted, a legendary Valkyrie,  and can out drink just about any creature that has ever lived, but like most leading ladies, she has a story and it is heart breaking even though you're probably going to know her best for the bones she breaks.

Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series no doubt delivers on the extreme thrill ride when it comes to her Fever Series, and Mackayla Lane is her kick ass heroine. Mac, as she's called, not only has some powerful Celtic mojo going on but she is forced to either be a survivor or die-horribly and dying would be easy than what the Unseelies and a monstrous book hell bent on the destruction of the world. Mackayla is inventive and is a lot tougher than she's given credit for and if that's not enough to envy, she has Jericho Barrons wrapped around her little finger which is by means no easy feat. Mackayla Lane may be blond and has a penchant for bright colors but she's one tough cookie. 

Angels, Vampires, and Guild Hunters Oh my! Nalini Singh has spared us the whole "Guardian Angel" scenario with her Guild Hunter Series and no female is more kick ass in these books than Elena Devereaux. Elena not only has a sixth sense for vampires, but she's stuck to the Alpha of all Arc Angels, Raphael but enough about him, this is about her. Elena kicks some serious ass and isn't afraid to stand her ground with these elite beings called Angels. She isn't afraid to make tough decisions but she's not made of stone either but she will not go down without a fight-a bloody one. So if you've not discovered The Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh, I highly recommend that you do.

In the realm of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter books, when it comes to the top of the food chain of Bad Ass Females; Simi, Ash's Charonte Demon and daughter holds the top spot. There are all sorts of warrior women and tough girls in these books but Simi is at the top. She is the bonded demon to one of the most powerful beings ever conceived and he's spoiled and pampered her but Simi is ferocious when she has to be and if you mess with her Akri, there will not be enough of you left to scatter to the wind. Simi make seem human but she's still a demon and she will take on Zeus himself over her Akri, Akra, and her new little brothers. Tread lightly with Simi.

The Smart Girl Category

Not all girls were meant to be warriors; sometimes brains has to win out over the need to make something bleed. The first in the line up of Smart Girls comes to us from Kerrelyn Sparks's Love At Stake Series.

Toni Davis has but one goal in All I Want For Christmas Is A Vampire and that is to prove vampires exist so she can rescue her best friend. All Ian McPhie wants is a vampire lady who can see beyond his looks and settle down with him. Toni has no need for a vampire boyfriend but she has to use her smarts when it comes to helping Ian find his lady love and trying to save her best friend from a mental hospital.



It's funny how life can change at the drop of the hat, or in Rachel Garret's case, a 300 year old vampire that keeps showing up in her morgue. Rachel is a pathologist at her local hospital and twice she's seen the same body. When a crazed self proclaimed vampire hunter fatally wounds her, it is Etienne Argeneau who has to make the decision whether or not to save Rachel's life even though it could mean that she might not want to stay on an eternal night shift.  Rachel is a smart girl who uses logic to solve life's problems and with Etienne she's going to need the patience of a Saint.

Lynsay Sands' Argeneau Series are not only great books full of intrigue, mystery, thrills, and a lot of laughs but they are also sensual and seductive.

Not all paranormal romances take place here on Earth. In Sherrilyn Kenyon's Ichidian Universe, Alix Garran has boarded the ship of one of the most skilled and deadly men to have ever been born: Devyn Kell. Devyn is the son of one of the best thieves and criminals not to mention his mother is the most feared bounty hunter in the universe. Her name actually makes some pee right down their legs. Alix is not so much a fighter as she is resourceful. Having lived a hard life she's had to be able to think fast on her feet or suffer for it later. You have to admire a girl who can fix anything with some string and a few drops of coolant. She's got a huge secret and an even bigger burden on her shoulders but our girl Alix is no wilting flower-she can fight for what she wants but her survival skills make her a bad ass smart girl that you can't help adoring.

Sometimes having the ability to hear the voices of the past can be a real drag. What's even worse is when you're put face to face with a demon possessed warrior who in his stupidity decided to be in on opening Pandora's Box releasing the very demons that possessed his Brethren along with himself. Ashlyn Darrow will have to use every ounce of smarts to tame the beast that resides within Maddox, Keeper of Violence and break his age old curse.

I chose Ashlyn for this list because outside of her psychic abilities, she pretty much relies on her intellect and it pays off but that's all I will tell you about Gena Showalter's The Darkest Night from her Lords Of The Underworld Series. 

The Heart Of Gold Category

Now, aside from our warrior women and those who depend on their smarts, there are those heroines that have a heart of pure gold that have us rooting for them all the way.

Gabrielle Maxwell can't believe what she's caught on camera one night in an alley and it chills her to the bone. She's become part of a dark seductive and dangerous world of The Breed; vampires who were sired from alien sires who came to Earth long ago. Not only does she get wrapped up in their world but she gets wrapped up with the top of the chain of command, Lucan Thorn, a Gen One Breed. Gabrielle has to have courage, an open heart, and brains if she's going to survive The Breed let alone the danger that lurks in both their worlds.

Lara Adrian's Breed Series has a blend of women that range from hearts of gold to femme fatales and is a must read series for all paranormal romance fans.

Micah Toler can't stop thinking about all the naughty things she'd like to do with the Breed Navarro. However he's out of reach being a Breed. Breeds are humans who have had their DNA spliced with that of animals and she knows she's not his destined mate but Navarro doesn't see it that way. Micah is selfless, tough, smart, and determined to not have her heart broken.

Lora Leigh's Breed Series are beyond sensual; they are erotic but also tell great stories. Much like Lara Adrian and the other authors mentioned, her female leads come from all walks of life and all of them find courage of heart to tame their Breed counterparts.



Now what kind of author would I be if I didn't give a shout out about my own heart of gold character, Ivy Morgan from my book Cursed Awakening?

Ivy Morgan has seen and experienced the worst of life but has begun her life anew. She's went through hell only to come out of the other side with the strength to pick up the pieces and move into a new direction and romance isn't even on the 'to do list'. When Ivy meets Nyx Wahpeton, she's drawn to him as he is her but just as she's starting to open her heart up; her past comes calling as well as something horrifying lurking in the dark. Ivy will have to draw upon a strength she  never knew she had and fight for a love she never knew was possible to have. Both their secrets could tear them apart but it is a chance that both Nyx and Ivy will have to take.

Now I know you probably are wondering why I left out so many good girls and bad girls with a killer edge, but that's why I want to hear from you! Tell me who your top five are and why. Are they warrior women who kick ass or do you go with more of a smart girl who uses her intellect and street smarts to get by. Perhaps you like a woman who has had to come through something tremendous yet still has a ways to go. No matter-tell me who your favorites are and don't forget to share the author who wrote them.

Cursed Awakening: A Slice of Life

“Lahni what’s with you and Red Cloud?”

Ivy watched as her new sister-in-law scowled at her younger sister Ari before throwing some laundry at her. Nyx had told her there was some bad blood between Lahni and Shiloh, the big clan chieftain of his people. Last night after the first night of the wedding ceremony, Shiloh had offered a small wooden box to Lahni and well if looks could have killed; Ivy knew of one clan that would be looking for a new chieftain. Lahni had refused the gift and grabbed the hands of her sisters and walked away with her chin held high. Tonight was night two.

“Seriously Lahni, the dude is blue balled for you.”  Karma teased.

Lahni groaned, “He comes near me and he’s not going to have any balls at all. Do you two have anything better to do than make me miserable?”

Ari and Karma looked at each other and grinned, “No” they sang together.

Ivy leaned towards Khloe, “I don’t think I have ever seen her this agitated before and I am not sure how to handle castration at my wedding party.”

Khloe, the eldest girl of the Wahpeton family laughed as she folded Cinjin’s Misfits t-shirt. Cinjin was Khloe’s mate and the man was literally the size of a grizzly. Ivy was still a little skittish around him even though Khloe had assured her that he didn’t like being in the dog house so he no longer lifted his leg in public. Ivy had laughed about that until Nyx had come into the house  and shook his head at her.

“Ah Ivy, stick around sister and you’ll learn all sorts of secrets.  Bodhi, for instance, is so desperate for “The One” that he has a secret stash of ‘Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus’ self- help books under his bed under a false board that he thinks none of us know about. Bodhi is a great guy and I love him but the woman who gets him will have to have a P.H.D in tolerance. Our brother Caleb, has a beautiful voice but seldom sings. A wolf has a different sound for different things. Wolves sing, you know, and Caleb’s vocal talent is beyond anything besides my mother, that I have ever heard. Nauru, he seems so quiet and very reserved goes every other weekend to the college and plays football and even does some boxing with some of the boys. Xander has been in love with Jaycee forever but there was a time when he wanted to become a minister. He went so far as to even put in for the priesthood. We were all shocked and our father and grandfather even got up money to send him all the way to Italy so he could make up his mind.”

Ivy was a bit stunned at this, “What happened?”

Khloe smiled as she finished a stack of t-shirts and Looney Toon boxers, “He saw Jaycee and that was all it took. They had known each other most of their lives but it wasn’t until that very moment when he was sixteen, that he recognized his mate and vice versa.” Khloe lifted her chin towards Nyx’s other sisters, “The twins catch glimpses of things and sometimes they can hear things on the wind but they will seldom tell you the strait of things and no one knows why. Lahni on the other hand is a tough nut to crack. She’s always been the wild child that will never change but there was a time when she truly loved Shiloh. I am not sure what happened and sad as it is, I didn’t push. Just one day when she was old enough to leave home she did and the next time I saw her she’d gotten tattoos, an electric guitar, and her hair was blue and purple with bright green streaks.”

Ivy watched Lahni who was lacing up her Demonica boots. She was dressed in perfect Cyber Goth attire. Lahni was probably going to go out before she had to be back for the second night of her wedding ceremony. Tomorrow night would be a full moon and they would officially be wed. There were two nights of feasting, dancing, and rituals and then the final would be tomorrow. Ivy wished it was already done and over with. Not that she didn’t love learning her mate’s culture, but the past two nights Lahni had looked miserable and Xander was still not at a hundred percent. He was still pale and slowly regaining strength. Jaycee never left his side.

***

Lahni sauntered out to her Jeep. She reached for the door when a large hand prevented the door from opening. Her eyes flashed gold for a brief second before she whirled around.

“I’m going to give you three seconds to get the hell away from my Jeep and leave me the hell alone or,” her eyes dropped momentarily, “you’re going to be in for a lot of pain and blood is a give in.”

Shiloh’s expression never changed. He lowered his head so that their faces nearly touched, “Do your worst but you will have your ass back here before nightfall. You don’t want to push me Lahni. I will only go so far.”

“Would hell be far enough because if you need a ride, I can help with that.”

Shiloh straightened up and removed his hand from her door frame with the same intense serious look on his face, “Just be back Lahni. Just be back.”

Lahni smirked as she hopped in and slammed the door and flipped him the bird. Shiloh narrowed his eyes and folded his massive arms across his broad sculpted chest. Lahni turned the key and made sure she kicked up enough dust and rocks to make her point clear-she wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him. As she turned and made her way to the road, Shiloh finally let the ends of his mouth form into that of a smile. This game played both ways but in the end she was going to be his.

Ivy stood on the porch with Khloe as Lahni had peeled out the drive. One thing that went unsaid between the two women was that Lahni’s days of being foot loose and fancy free were about to come to an end because she was Claimed and she didn’t even know it.  Nyx came out and wrapped his arms around his girl and reverently let one hand drift to the small little bump where his child was now growing.

“Night two is almost here baby and then we are almost done.” He whispered into her ear.

Ivy smiled and laid her back against his shoulder. Khloe spotted Cinjin coming out from the tree line and went running to meet him, shifting in mid run.

“She’s so beautiful when she shifts. It’s flawless.” Ivy sighed with longing and admiration of her new sister in law.

Nyx nuzzled her neck, “True but so are you. We’ve been over this baby, you’ll be able to soon enough. It will become like second nature to you in time.” He assured her.

Ivy found her smile again, “It’s early and you still have yet to take me to below the falls. I can make it worth your while.” She teased seductively.

“Well then I guess I will have to take you now, this very minute since you’re offering such an incentive to go.” He pulled her in close and covered her mouth with his.

Ivy didn’t need the falls or anything because the safest place in the world and her happiness was right here in Nyx’s arms. She’d never known love, passion, or desire like this and soon they’d be having a baby that would complete their lives.

Want to read how it all began? Cursed Awakening is available here:

Smashwords  |  Amazon  |  ARe Romance  |  Barnes & Noble

Beyond Twilight, Through Breaking Dawn, and Over Vampire Diaries: Teen Paranormal Romance

Beyond The Veil Of Twilight and

The Vampire Diaries

(Shhh! I heard that chorus of hisses and boos)

 

 

 

I have to admit, I read Stephanie Myers Twilight books, bought the books, and seen the movies. I liked them. Maybe not on a crazed Twi-Mom level, but I enjoyed them for the works that they were. I also read a few of The Vampire Diaries as well and well they were okay. I watched the first few seasons of the show until it conflicted with other programs that I like watching and it was okay too.

 

I do not write teen paranormal romance though I have read it mostly because I have a daughter and niece and wanted to "preview" the books that they found popular or might have wanted to read. My own daughter's love of paranormal teen romance was quite short lived, but I still find many titles a great read even though I am grown and write adult paranormal romance. So, for all of you out there whether you be a teen, young adult, parent, or just someone who wants to get their feet wet with my genre, here are my picks for great teen paranormal romance.

 

 

Chronicles of Nick Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 

Now, these aren't "romantic" novels even though there is the light blush of blossoming young love amidst puberty, zombies, demons(both good and bad), Greek Gods, and Dark Hunters who hunt vampire like Daimons-sounds great, doesn't it? The Chronicle of Nick books are AWESOME! I have to say it again, THEY ARE AWESOME! Sherrilyn Kenyon has encompassed every thing that a kid goes through when they are in high school and shows how a kid can go from nothing and still struggle through poverty, dysfunction, and being bullied at school. Her character Nick is infamous in her Dark Hunter Series for adult readers, but her Chronicles of Nick books start when Nick Gautier is an awkward teenage boy and goes through what most kids his age have to go through, well without the supernatural stuff of course but the books are great for every teenager to read.

 

                        Infinity is the first in the series and is set to become a motion picture which starts filming sometime in 2015.

 

Blurb:

 

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

 

 

Everneath

 

Brodi Ashton's Everneath is a great paranormal romance for a mature teenager that doesn't hit Rated R and is a great introduction into paranormal romance of love, loss, and immortality.

 



Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

 

 

 

Ready for a rollercoaster ride? This next book delivers on action, adventure, and a darkly written tale that teens and adults alike will eat up, and maybe have to sleep with the lights on.

 

Blurb:

 

In the middle of The City is the pit of the world --- it is called the Carnival of Souls. To live there is to live on the edge with murder, violence and corruption as your only companions. The City is run by Daimons, and their leader is Marchosias. Although Marchosias was born in the lowest caste, a Cur, he fought and killed his way to leadership. Ruthless and cruel, he knows everything that goes on because he “owns” everyone who lives in his City. The Carnival of Souls exists with his permission; it serves as a perfect place to breed those desperate, hungry, angry creatures that make up the “misfits” and the Curs.

 

Long ago, the Daimons sent the Witches to the outskirts. Witches and Daimons are at war, each believing that the other is the most dangerous and the most deceitful of beings. In fact, all members of this society are part of a strict caste system. The lowest castes are the Watchers (bird-like spies) and Curs (Daimons who transform into doglike forms). There is only one chance to escape from this caste system. Every generation a competition to the death is staged by the City --- the winner is rewarded by moving to a higher caste and thus, gaining more power.

Three teens enter the competition in order to fight for what each most wants. Aya is an upper caste woman who pits herself against the man she loves in order to avoid becoming a breeder. She knows her secrets will be revealed if she ever has children. Mallory thinks she is human and has been raised to hate Daimons --- she doesn’t realize her real father is one of the most powerful Daimons in this world. And Kaleb is a Cur of the lowest order with great skills as an assassin and fighter. He will fight this year and prove his worthiness to gain more power.

 

 

Of Neptune (The Syrena Legacy Series book 3) by Anna Banks is more than just a romance novel; but one that includes danger, intrigue, and adventure. To be honest, this is the first one I have read and I'm scrambling to read the prior two, but for the mature teen reader, this book is a must add to their libraries and still stays on the PG-13 rating.

 

 

 

Blurb:

 

 

Emma and Galen’s kingdom and their love is threatened by long-lost Syrena in the brilliant conclusion to Anna Banks bestselling trilogy.

Emma, half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune.

Neptune is home to both Syrena and Half-Breeds alike. But Emma and Galen didn’t sign up to be peacemakers between the ocean and the land-dwelling, freshwater Syrena. They didn’t bargain for meeting a charming Half-Breed named Reed, who can barely disguise his feelings for Emma. And they especially didn’t expect to find themselves in the middle of a power struggle that threatens not only their love but their ocean kingdoms.

 

 

 

Now for something a little more edgy and for your seventeen year old reader, Karen Marie Moning's Iced (The Dani O'Malley Trilogy Book 1/3) is a must. This is her YA series that coincides with her adult Fever series. Dani O'Malley is unlike any female character out there to date. She's fiery, smart as a whip, fearless, ruthless, and like Nick Gautier; she's a teenager who has everything a teenage girl is going through with the stipulation that she's fighting evil Fae at the brink of a near apocalypse. This book series is a non stop adventure ride with just a hint of romance or at least her hormones are entertaining the idea when she's not slaying monsters.

 

Blurb:

 

 The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

 

Okay folks, there is my salute to Teen Paranormal Romance and getting past those sparkly vampire books. (HA!) So there's no reason now why your teenager can't enjoy our love of paranormal romance and adventure.

 

Grease Lightning and Summer Loving

Summer of Love: Paranormal Love That Is

My first crush had to be John Travolta as Danny Zuko. If you are a fan of Grease, then like me,  you pictured yourself as Sandy with Danny. What was it about that movie that made all us girlies go ga ga? Was it the catchy songs that got stuck in our heads or made us all singing sensations in our bedrooms or for me, the coffee table, with our mother's brushes as microphones? Was it just that the fifties seemed cool? Did we all just fall into that need to have a Pink Lady jacket or find a T-Bird of our  own? I don't know if it was any one thing for me but even today, I love that movie. Wait, what does this have to do with Paranormal Romance? Well not too much of anything but here are some great books that give you that Sandy and Danny-esque kind of love minus the musical score. 

Vlad may not be souping up 1950's dragsters but he's the ultimate bad boy-he's Vlad Tepes; you don't get anymore rebel than that. Leila isn't your typical "Sandy" either but she's not about to let that get in the way or Mr. Big Bad Vampire King himself.

Blurb:

Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

AMAZON

What do Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love have in common? Their book, The Fangover, Rock N' Roll, and sexy vampires that's what. Johnny Malone, like Danny Zuko, has his own T-Birds in the form of a band called The Impalers, and not only is this book a funny read but it's got romance as well as enough sexual intrigue to have one feeling as though they've been scorched.

Blurb:

When rock-god vampire Johnny Malone commits suicide, the rest of The Impalers gather for an Irish wake and jam session to send their bandmate off in style. But alcohol-laced blood and grief make for one hell of a combination...

When her brother, Johnny, dies, Stella Malone’s grief lands her in the buff arms of The Impalers’ bass player. While her tryst with Wyatt had some serious bite, Stella isn’t looking for a relationship, especially after a tipsy argument leads to her getting stuck in bat form at the wake. The rest of the hungover Impalers are in no shape to help her, meaning that Stella’s one night stand is the only one who can help her figure out what really happened last night. Only Wyatt doesn’t have a clue what happened last night, either, nor does he know that Stella is the bat currently dive-bombing his head. But he does have her purse and that has to be a start, right? Or not.

On the other hand, there is a priest passed out in the bathtub and an alcoholic parrot squawking about a chapel of love...

Which might explain the ring on Berto Cortez’s finger. How did a night of rock ’n’ roll debauchery result in him turning sexy washboard player Katie Lambert into a vampire and then marrying her? He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. But he can’t quite remember, exactly. Which means these four friends turned amnesiac couples have only one choice: hit the famed Bourbon Street for some answers.

AMAZON

"I got chills, they're multiplying, they're electrifying and I'm loooosing control...." No summer reading list would be complete without Denyse Bridger's Descent into Darkness. Just like with Danny and Sandy, Alexander DeLenoir is obsessed with the beautiful Amberlaine Calvert. However this is no easy love story, it comes with its own journey and it's one dear reader you will want to take! 

Blurb:



Spanning almost two centuries Descent Into Darkness is the erotic love story of an ancient vampire and the mortal woman who is his obsession.

Alexander DeLenoir is an ancient creature of the night, born in a betrayal that has left him without conscience or morality. He’s witnessed history that is now myth. Throughout his long life, Alexander has seldom sought companionship, and never has he looked for love. He has kept two of his immortal children with him, through whatever means necessary, and is not intending to expand his family.

Arriving at a small Massachusetts town after killing the sailors on their ship, the vampire trio meets the mysterious and lonely wife of the innkeeper, and Alexander is entranced by her beauty and her indomitable spirit. In Amberlaine Calvert, he senses a nature as dark and depraved as his own seeking freedom. Despite the protests of his companions, Alexander takes her and in adoration of him finds an obsessive kind of happiness.

When the town slowly awakens to the evil among them, a bloody slaughter ensues, and Amberlaine is forced to see the madness that will define her life with Alexander. Yet, in spite of her fear, she is obsessively devoted to the powerful vampire, and the darker things she feels lurking within her are about to be unleashed by a hunger even greater than her passion—the thirst for revenge against those who dare to threaten their existence.

AMAZON

Now this blog wouldn't be complete without one of the ultimate bad boys in an Alpha Wolf kind of way, now would it? Just like Danny Zuko is the leader of the T-Birds, Salvatore is the King of Werewolves. However, he has this problem-he needs a mate to bear him sons but the even bigger problem is that Harley is not some brood mare or bitch in heat. What's a guy to do when flowers and chocolates won't work?

Blurb:

He Would Do Anything to Claim Her

Salvatore Giuliani is not a happy werewolf. It's his duty as leader to track down the pure-blood females who can keep his people from extinction. But the moment he catches scent of Harley, a pure-blood held by a pack of mangy curs, his savage need for her obliterates all other instincts. And the only thing worse than being captured is finding that beautiful, independent Harley defiantly refuses to become his mate.

And Everything to Keep Her

Harley has been taught to distrust all Weres, especially their arrogant king. She won't be used for breeding or bonded against her will, not even to a man who makes every nerve tingle with awareness. Yet Salvatore is her key to saving the family she never knew she had—if she dares to succumb to his dark, predatory desire, and face a vicious enemy sworn to destroy them both.

BARNES & NOBLE

So when you're in the mood for some Summer Lovin' and Grease is the word, try these must-reads!



The Summer of Reading: What YOU Should Be Reading!

We can finally say "Good Bye" to winter and "Hello" to summer and for all of us out there that love a great book, there are some great books as well as authors that you should be grabbing up.

 

Denyse Bridger has pulled out all the stops with her action adventure novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Blurb:

Andrew Dahle is a career spook, with no messy emotional ties to complicate his life. He’s worked with the best, and despite himself, he’s about to discover that he’s got friends he really didn’t know he wanted.

A straight-forward operation to grab a defector before he can leave the country with a top secret project goes wildly awry, and forces Andrew to choose between saving the life of a colleague’s son or nailing his target. To his great surprise, he saves the young man’s life, and wakes up in a hospital.

Grateful, Richard MacAvoy, a retired agent with his own elite contacts and players, steps in when Dahle is injured saving his son. Desperate to complete his mission, Andrew reluctantly accepts the help MacAvoy offers, and in the process just might learn that alone isn’t always the best way to work, and friends might be worth the vulnerability he’s always shunned.

Kayden McLeod brings her Lust from her LOST Trilogy that is more than just a steamy and erotic read. Kayden McLeod takes her readers into a paranormal world with vampires with lusty appetites and mixes it with a strong and smart female lead. Lust will have you lusting for the next book.

Blurb:

Sara finds herself in a new world, an all-vampire community that at first seems like a picturesque scene of self-indulgent paradise, but soon learns that there’s an underbelly to this place of sun and sex. Having been a captive of a vampire’s insanity, she finds herself drawn towards two very compelling slaves, who reside on the island, raising many buried memories for her, and igniting a mental agony she can’t ignore for long. Ancient magic is afoot, presenting to her a whole new set of problems she’d never signed up for. Sara doesn’t know it quite yet, but fate has interceded and changed her destiny from being just another Hunter, into so much more. 



Jewel Quinlan is a new author for me and I simply adored her E-Book Stealing Cupid's Bow. If you're like me and love Greek Mythology then you will love her spin on the God of Love Eros aka Cupid. Jewel has a great affinity for writing paranormal romance and fantasy and after reading this book, you'll be as hooked as I am on Jewel Quinlan.

Blurb:

Recently heartbroken, Raine Daniels arrives home in Las Vegas, Nevada, to help with her parents’ fortieth anniversary party only to discover they are planning to separate as soon as the last guest walks out the door. Everything she thought she knew—her very foundation is rocked to the core.

When she learns that Alexander, the sexy stranger she’d sat next to on the plane, is really the god of love, Cupid—she asks for his help, but he declines. The god of love, now long divorced from Psyche and living on earth among mortals, no longer believes in love.

Raine decides to take matters into her own hands, even if a god tells her she’s wrong.  With her life falling apart around her and the solution seemingly within her reach she dares to try and make everything better. Unfortunately, she’s unprepared for the consequences of stealing Cupid’s bow.



Enter the world of the Breeds with Lora Leigh's Rule Breaker. "They were not born, they were created..." Lora Leigh has created a series that is truly a MUST READ with her Breed series. Her characters are genetically altered humans who have had their DNA spliced with animal breeds such as predatory large cats, wolves, coyotes, and then some. At first I scoffed at reading something that I thought would just be a drag to read but I'm so very glad that I did read the first Breed book because now I'm hooked and you will be too.

Blurb:

Lion Breed and enforcer Rule Breaker has just a few rules he doesn’t break. Not for anything. Not for anyone—like never have sex with a woman outside his own breed, especially a human woman. Especially someone too helpless, too fun loving and too full of life to ever be able to protect herself, let alone help him to protect her.

If the damned animal inside him insists on a mate, then why pick her? A woman who is an easy target and who can be used as a weapon against him at any time.

But what he suspects is mating heat may not be that at all. Just his animal instincts rioting, pacing, irritated whenever he's away from her.

Okay, he can handle that.

What ensues is a fiery affair that breaks all the rules of mating heat and will eventually endanger his mate with the very rules designed to protect the Breeds—for she’s possibly been working against them.

Now dear readers, who wouldn't want to get some of that animal magnetism going? Definitely a book that will have you taking a cold shower afterwards.

Cursed Awakening is a shifter romance novel, the first in a series by none other than myself, Nikki Noffsinger. Cursed Awakening has been re-released through Evolutionary Publishing and is an award winning P&E Critters Poll romance novel.

Blurb:

Ivy Morgan has re-invented herself and is looking forward to the future for the first time, in a very long time. Since fleeing for her life from an overzealous religious cult, she is able to be a modern woman that is gaining her independence; so taking up with a sexy stranger named Nyx is the last thing she needs. Or, is it?

Nyx Wahpeton can’t stop thinking about the young woman he’s met. It couldn’t have come at the worse possible time with the clans meeting and his family wrapped up in a centuries old war that’s nothing short of what horror movies are made from. He’s been a protector of his people and those that reside at the Reservation. There’s betrayal and evil at his front door; but, in his heart he knows Ivy is the one for him. She’s surrounded by secrets that he’s vowed to unlock, as well as her heart. However, can he keep her safe from his own secrets?

Paranormal Romance isn't quite your thing? Looking for something with a dead sexy cowboy in the wild west with a heroine that is sultry and looking for love amidst the tempest under the western sun? Denyse Bridger's Texas Heat delivers on a great story as well as an unconventional romance.



Blurb:

Chase Jordan is a man with half his life missing since his return from the war in Iraq. He arrives back in Texas, a drifter looking for home. When he arrives at the Double D ranch, the owners know him, even if he can’t remember them. Cheyenne’s been infatuated with Chase since her high school days, but Deke MacKenzie’s already made it clear to Chase that his kid sister is off limits.

Is your curiosity piqued? Wondering where you can get these great selections? I thought so. Click on any of the links below to get a hold of these excellent reads.

DEFECTOR  *  LUST  *  STEALING CUPID'S BOW

RULE BREAKER  *  CURSED AWAKENING  *  TEXAS HEAT

HAPPY READING!!! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THESE SELECTIONS BELOW IN THE COMMENTS.