Words alone cannot express the debt that we owe to you for your sacrifice. We are free because of your bravery.
Thank you on this Veteran’s Day, but know that you are in our hearts and prayers every day.
‘Tis the Season for Vampires!
‘Tis the season for vampires, but not in the way that you think!
For me, the start of the fall season always gets me into vampire mode and today I’m going to try to share 13 reasons why, although I may digress with some news…
1. It’s dark when I head to the office.
2. It’s dark when I leave the office.
3. There’s a chill in the air, kind of like the temperature of a vampire’s undead skin.
4. Graveyard dampness in the mornings.
5. Fog. Today in particular, big, fat patches of it hugging the ground. Swallowing you up.
6. The leaves are getting wet and stuff is growing, giving the air that faint hint of death and decay.
7. Halloween. What better time for a vamp to go out and party?
8. Harvest moons. I don’t know about you, but whenever I see one of these, I get a chill up and down my spine.
9. The skitter and rustle of animals in the brush. Maybe it’s just a squirrel getting ready for the winter, but heck, I’m such a scaredy cat.
10. This is where I may digress. I’m writing the next Diana and Ryder book.
11. Yes, you read that right. Diana and Ryder from THE CALLING vampire novels will be back in late 2012 because…
12. I’ve signed a contract with Entangled Publishing to relaunch the series with my original vision for THE CALLING vampire novels! Woo Hoo!
13. The revamped series (BIG pun intended) will be called the REBORN series and Diana and Ryder’s first book is BORN TO SERVE.
I’m soooo excited! You may be wondering, why Entangled Publishing? Well, I’ve been hearing lots of good things about them and the books will be released in both print and e-book at the same time. I know many of you love your print books, much like I do, so I wanted to be able to go with a publisher who would do that for you!
I want to thank you all for the many years of supporting THE CALLING vampire novel series and for asking about Diana and Ryder. They are characters of my heart and I am so happy to be writing about them again. It’s wonderful to explore where their relationship is now and where it’s going to go bit by bit as they face a number of momentous life choices. I don’t want to say too much now and spoil it though!
For those who haven’t read THE CALLING vampire novels, there’s a great e-book collection with the first 6 books and the DESIRE CALLS novella. At just over $10, it’s a steal.
Thank you all for stopping by to share this Thursday 13 with me and the joy in my heart over Diana and Ryder. To visit more Thursday 13 participants, you can click here!
Guest Blog and Winners!
Time for some winners for all the past blog hops & contests!
Those of you who attended the chat with the wonderful Aimee & David Thurlo, thank you! I’ve written to you to get your contact details and the prizes will be going out shortly!
For the Lisa Renee Jones blog for a chance to win HOT VAMPIRE TOUCH and a copy of Lisa’s December release WICKED WEREWOLF NIGHT in e-book as well as a little goodie bag with fun surprises, the lucky winner is Kelly Mueller.
The winner of a LOST T-shirt and a $10 Gift Card from the Spooktacular Blog hop is Amy Stogner!
Please send me your postal addresses so we can get your contest wins out to you.
For a chance for some more giveaways, visit with me later today at the Harlequin Paranormal Romance Blog.
It’s Not Easy Being Green…
Okay, so I love the Muppets! One of my most memorable Manhattan moments was walking past a trailer filled with Muppets of all sizes and their parts while they were filming MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN. And did I mention that MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL is one of my favorite holiday movies! It inspired me to do my own Dickens-like take for A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS.
Needless to say, I am SOOOO excited that there is a new movie coming for Thanksgiving. So excited that I decided to share one of the trailers for it with you this Fun Friday. If you can’t see the video below, you can use this link: http://youtu.be/C4YhbpuGdwQ
I’ll be picking the winners of the various blog hops, etc. over the weekend, so look for them here before Monday!
Hope you all have a great weekend. If you’ll be in the Jackson, NJ area, look for me at the Jackson Library Book Festival on Saturday from 12 to 3! The library is located at 2 Jackson Drive, Jackson, NJ 08527.
Readers & Writers Unite with Liberty
Today’s Thursday 13 is a mixed bag. First I’m going to share some news about the awesome Create Something Magical Conference being held by the Liberty States Fiction Writers. Second I’m going to share the 13 things I love about conferences!
If you’re looking for a place to attend interesting panels and social events, get editor and agent appointments, network with industry professionals and readers, take a moment to consider the Create Something Magical Conference on March 17, 2012. If you’re either an aspiring or published author, there are a number of excellent panels on craft and business, editor/agent appointments, lunch with keynote speak Larissa Ione, Lady Jane’s Salon readings, a networking reception and an after-conference party all for $120. Plus you can mingle with readers on the brand new readers’ track!
Readers can attend the Lady Jane’s Salon readings (complete with dessert and beverages), panels with some of your favorite authors, a book club with Larissa Ione and the after-conference party complete with hot finger foods, a DJ and Karaoke! Cost for readers: $40. Yep, you read that right – $40. That’s less than a night out with the girls.
Plus there will be a book fair, free books and other swag, basket raffles (tickets are included with conference registration) and an Sony E-reader giveaway for those who register by February 1.
Registration is now open so mark the date in your calendars – March 17, 2012 – and register!
But for now I’m going to list in no particular order the 13 things I love about going to conferences like the Create Something Magical Conference!
1. Meeting readers! It’s always so great to meet people face-to-face, but the other thing is that I’m a reader and love to talking about my favorite books.
2. Meeting other published writers. It’s great to be able to talk to other published writers and here what’s happening with them.
3. Meeting aspiring authors. I love being able to share the knowledge that I have and being able to pay it forward.
4. Going to workshops. No matter what, I always get something useful from the workshops.
5. Positive energy. Just like the Hunters in THE LOST, it’s always amazing to tap into the positive energy that abounds at conferences. I always feel like my creative power has been recharged.
6. Rubber chicken and limp pasta. LOL! NOT. But I do love the finger foods we have at the receptions.
7. Doing face time with the editors and agents. It’s always nice to chat with them socially and see how they are doing.
8. Editor and agent appointments and panels. Way different than the social thing, but also good for pitching new stories and seeing what’s happening.
9. Hanging out at the bar with friends. Not much of a drinker, but nursing a glass of wine (or a Mudslide) while dishing with friends is always fun.
10. Breakfast the morning after. I usually stay overnight and I love breakfast! I could eat breakfast for every meal I love it so much.
11. SWAG. I love checking out the SWAG and seeing what others are doing.
12. Setting up the night before the conference. It’s always great to work to get everything going and share time with all the wonderful volunteers helping out at the conference.
13. Okay – I ran out of steam. Not sure about #13 but maybe something will come to me.
To visit other Thursday 13 participants, please click here!
Disclaimer: Caridad is a member and founder of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and is currently serving as the Secretary for the group.
Naughty or Nice? Alone or with a Partner?
Now I know that woke you up this morning, but ladies, go get another cup of coffee while we chat a little about tonight’s live video event with Aimee and David Thurlo, the husband and wife writing team responsible for the wonderful Ella Clah suspense series. Did I mention that Aimee is also a writer for Harlequin Intrigue and that her latest release, WINTER HAWK’S LEGEND, is currently a bestselling Intrigue on Amazon?
So you’re probably wondering what that has to do with being naughty or nice/alone or with a partner. Well, tonight at 9 pm EST, we’ll be chatting about romance through the decades and how it’s changed. I think back to some of the old stories where non-consensual sex was quite common and even back to my old contemporaries which were spicy back then, but now barely raise an eyebrow. I’d love to hear your thoughts tonight on all that!
We’ll also be talking about how it is to write with a partner, especially if that writing partner is also your hubby! I so can’t imagine. My hubby has only read two of my books and says he skipped through all those scenes. It’ll be great to hear how David and Aimee do that balancing act in their writing partnership.
So please drop by tonight at 9 pm EST for this live video event. Bring your questions and your comments.
Did I mention there would be giveaways? Yep, I’ll be giving away a copy of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS, a LOST T-shirt as well as an Audible gift card for you to download AZTEC GOLD and one other audio book!
If you can’t see the widget below you can also use this link: http://t.wbx.me/f8qgs
Mishaps & Man Candy
So sorry to have missed you yesterday, but my quiet weekend turned into one without power and with hours of work clearing the assorted branches and tree limbs brought down by an unseasonably early snowfall. Luckily we had little damage, although the Halloween decorations took a major hit. Tree limb came right down and ripped off the scarecrow’s head, smashed the creepy fence and tombstones. Now that the holiday is over, we’ll see what we can salvage.
I didn’t want you to miss our Guilty Pleasures Monday, so here is a belated edition with a little man candy that inspired the hero in Amazon Awakening.
The sexy hero in this erotic paranormal romance novella (yes, you read that – erotic) is Rey Peralta and here’s a little teaser about this December release:
Rey Peralta has been sent to persuade Paola Lopes to return to Brazil and take up her place as Priestess of the Guardians, protectors of the sacred realm hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. He knows Paola is the one they need to ensure their survival—but he doesn’ t expect the instant blast of desire that sparks between them. Her beauty and power call to him, enticing him to merge with her physically and spiritually; a desire that only increases when they give in to their passion and make love. Can he convince Paola to accept her destiny and stay with her people—and by his side?