SINS OF THE FLESH Video Premiere

Welcome to day 2 of the SINS OF THE FLESH Book Launch Party! Today we have something really special – the premiere of the SINS OF THE FLESH video.

So grab a bag of popcorn, make sure you’ve gone to the bathroom because you won’t want to miss a second of this and sit back and enjoy this awesome video! Many thanks to all involved in the creation for doing an amazing job in translating my vision for the book into this trailer.

If you can’t see this video on your computer, you can also visit this link to view it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqpKM-uIZwA

Don’t forget to leave a comment by midnight EST on Friday, October 30 for a chance to be one of 5 lucky winners of a SINS t-shirt and autographed copy of the book.

And don’t forget to either tweet or post the following for a chance to be the lucky winner of a $50 gift certificate! The SINFUL THINGS Contest ends on November 30, so keep on retweeting/posting!

On Twitter please Tweet/Retweet (please be sure to include the bit.ly link):

    Celebrate the Release of Caridad Pineiro’s SINS OF THE FLESH! RT for a chance 2 win a $50 Gift Certificate. http://bit.ly/2AZWlC

On Facebook please post to your profile (please be sure to include the bit.ly link):

    Celebrate the Release of Caridad Pineiro’s SINS OF THE FLESH! Post this link to your profile for a chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate. http://bit.ly/2AZWlC

The Home Stretch

stretchWith only a few weeks left until the deadline to deliver my next book – STRONGER THAN SIN – the second book in the SINS series, I’m in the home stretch, racing toward the finish.

Just a little bit more work, some polishing and the book will be finished. Always a rewarding feeling, especially when I’m liking it as much as I am.

I always think of writing a novel much like running a race. Start off slow and get a solid foundation in the first few chapters. Start picking up speed, but keeping mindful of the pace and where I am with both the romance and suspense so that the synergy between the two is keeping things moving.

Not so easy at times, so there is an occasional stumble. There are other obligations to handle in my life, like work. My family, who always comes first. Writing obligations, like prepping everything necessary to promote SINS OF THE FLESH which will be out on shelves on October 27th! 😯

Woo hoo, but scary. My first single title paranormal romantic suspense (and isn’t that a mouthful of a description?).

I’ve waited a long time to see that happen, another kind of race. Building a career and trying to take it to the finish line for this race because inevitably, the time in the winner’s circle is short before you have to hit the track again. 😕

But if you think about it, life is a race also (and hopefully not a rat race!). I like to think of it as a race against myself and not others. Always striving to do something different and to improve. Reaching for personal bests.

How about you? How do you deal with your reaching your goals, whether it’s writing or something else? We’d like to hear your thoughts on this Thoughtful Thursday.

Also, while I’m at it, the winner for last Friday’s Favorite Hero contest is Kayla! If you could send your postal address to cpsromance at att dot net, I’ll get your prize out to you.

Favorite Hero Friday

Today is a departure from our usual Fun Fridays, although I hope that it will still be fun for you!

My friends at eHarlequin asked me to blog about my favorite hero from THE CALLING Vampire Novels. Now I know most of you would expect for me to say my favorite hero is Ryder, but there’s a surprise dark horse that’s come out of the pack.

So join me over at eHarlequin to find out who is the mystery Favorite Hero and get into his brain.

If you leave a comment on either this blog or the eHarlequin blog by Midnight EST Saturday, October 10th, you’ll be eligible to win a SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt!

Click here to visit My Favorite Hero or cut and paste this link: http://community.eharlequin.com/node/125987

Goody Time!

Dragon*ConI’m off to Dragon*Con on Thursday! Dragon*Con is an immense pop culture convention which focuses on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the United States. I’ll be a Dragon*Con virgin, but will be with friends who will hopefully help me survive.

I also hope to be bringing you daily updates of what’s happening, since I hear this is an amazing convention!

In preparation, I’ve been putting together a number of goodies which are beneficial to have for conferences or conventions.

Many of the promotional materials that are going out are directed at the science fiction and fantasy crowd at Dragon*Con because of SINS OF THE FLESH is really a hybrid of romance, science fiction and suspense. Some have called SINS OF THE FLESH a science thriller, others paranormal romantic suspense. But regardless of what you call SINS, it clearly falls within the science fiction/fantasy realm thanks to the genetic engineering aspect in the book which leads to the romantic suspense.

Because of that, the bookmarks and postcards for Dragon*Con stress all those elements of the novel. If you’re in need of either bookmarks or postcards, there are a couple of good places that I’ve used and have been happy with — overnightprints.com and nextdayflyers.com.

If money is tight, there is Vistaprint where you can layout some smaller sized bookmarks using their postcard template. Use the free postcard option and you can make 200 bookmarks for the cost of the shipping. Take the postcards to a local printer and they can cut them down for you if you don’t want to do it yourself, but for greater volumes, try the other two companies. The stock is of heavier quality and glossy on both sides.

**Note on Vistaprint – make sure you know what you are signing up for when you click on any third party specials or to get any rewards. Some of them do involve fees.

What else will I be taking? Some t-shirts of course. Those are always popular. For low volume color t-shirts, again try Vistaprint when they are running a 50% special. For THE CALLING t-shirts, I used Creative Solutions, a local NJ company that did a beautiful job with them, especially since I got several hundred at a shot.

Buttons, buttons, buttons. People love to collect buttons. Purebuttons.com did the trick for me!

Pens. What kind of writer doesn’t like pens? National Pen and 4Imprint (who did a marvelous job on the lunch bags) are ones to check out.

Cover Flats are always a good thing to have. Fans love to have autographed cover flats in their collections. Your publisher should be able to provide you with a supply of these when it is closer to the release date of your novel.

For reader/writer based conferences — if you can get ARCs to distribute that’s a good thing. Be sure to ask those that get ARCs to offer reviews on the various online bookstores. If you can’t get ARCs, prepare excerpts for people to take home and read.

Finally – there will be professionals at these conferences, in particular, press people. Make sure to prepare a press kit to be placed in the press area and also have one or two with you at your booth/signing area to distribute. Also make sure to have a good supply of business cards. Vistaprint is a great source for inexpensive business cards.

I hope today’s Tuesday Tip will be of assistance when prepping goodies for your own conferences. Also, although I’ve used the above-mentioned companies and have had positive results, it’s possible that your experience might be different. So please do not hold that against me and be sure to check out any and all companies before entering into any legally binding contract or offer.

Fun Friday – Guest Visit from Raul Ramos y Sanchez

Time: the second decade of the 21st century

As the immigration crisis reaches the boiling point, once-peaceful Latino protests explode into rioting. Cities across the nation are in flames. Anglo vigilantes bent on revenge launch drive-by shootings in the barrios, wantonly killing young and old. Exploiting the turmoil, a congressional demagogue succeeds in passing legislation that transforms the nation’s teeming inner-city barrios into walled-off Quarantine Zones. In this chaotic landscape, Manolo Suarez is struggling to provide for his family. Under the spell of a beautiful Latina radical, the former U.S. Army Ranger eventually finds himself questioning his loyalty to his wife—and his country.

Please welcome Raul Ramos y Sanchez, the author of AMERICA LIBRE. Raul has been gracious enough to vist with us and answer some questions. Please also check out the excerpt from AMERICA LIBRE as well as the video trailer.

A chat with Raul:

My sources tell me AMERICA LIBRE started out with a different name. Tell us about that and the timeline of getting your first novel published.

    You’re like James Lipton with these inside sources! Yes, AMERICA LIBRE began life as MANO A MANO. Thankfully my agent talked me out of that title. Like most authors, my path to publication was not easy – or quick. I finished the manuscript in the summer of 2004. AMERICA LIBRE was released by Grand Central Publishing July 29, 2009. That five year span is an indication of how difficult it can be just to find a publisher—and a lot of work remains. Getting published has been a very gratifying experience. Still, I see it as only the first leg of a longer race. I have a lot of work remaining to make sure AMERICA LIBRE is a marketplace success.

How many rejections did you receive?

    Wheh! I lost count. What I remember most about my first attempts to find an agent or a publisher was that it seemed the stack of rejection letters was approaching the thickness of my manuscript. Amazingly, after months of mailing query letters without any luck, I went to a writers conference and got offers of representation from three agents in a single weekend. Even after finding an agent, though, a lot of hurdles remained.

What kept you writing?

    I’ve always felt the height of a barrier is an indication of the reward on the other side. I knew going in, getting published would not be easy. Nothing worth attaining ever is. But I had an example that helped sustain my perseverance. My mother arrived in the Bronx from Cuba in 1957 with a few words of English, a seven-year-old son, and enough cash to get us through a couple of months. Few people would have bet on her chances of one day starting her own business, much less raising three children who would go to college and become successful entrepreneurs. My mother never gave up. She worked relentlessly to give her children a better life despite many setbacks and disappointments. Her example showed me that the willingness to overcome adversity is what divides those who reach their dreams from those who will always wonder what might have been.

Have you ever thought about doing a film about AMERICA LIBRE and if so, what did you do about it?

    One the first reviews of my manuscript came from a professor who told me he could “see” the story even as he read it. Maybe it’s my background as a visual artist, but from the very beginning readers have commented that AMERICA LIBRE seems an ideal story for a film. I never did this consciously, but looking back, the novel has a lot of cinematic qualities: strong characters, romance, lots of action. We’ve already had an option offer from a small indy studio in Los Angeles, which my agent advised against, and a nibble from a major studio. (I should mention these experiences inspired me to post a poll on my author’s site asking visitors to vote on the star they’d like to see in the major roles. For anyone who’d like to vote, go to www.RaulRamos.com and scroll down a bit in the lower left side of the page.) In any case, I would love to see AMERICA LIBRE as a film. I’m hopeful the right deal will come along.

In conclusion, I’d like to thank you, Caridad, for inviting me as a guest on your blog. Hanging out with a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author is a rare privilege. I value your very generous support and wish you continued success with your wonderful work.

Thank you so much Raul for visiting. In chatting with you, I’ve learned what a positive role model you are for people everywhere. I’ve always believed that with hard work and determination you can overcome adversity and you are a true example of that belief in action. I wish you all the best with your writing career!

**Excerpt**

CHAPTER ONE

The origins of any political revolution parallel the beginnings of life on our planet. The amino acids and proteins lie inert in a volatile primordial brew until a random lightning strike suddenly brings them to life.
José Antonio Marcha, 1978
Translated by J. M. Herrera

The trouble had started two weeks earlier. Enraged at the fatal police shooting of a young Latina bystander during a drug bust, a late-night mob descended on a Texas Department of Public Safety complex and torched the empty buildings. By morning, a local newscast of the barrio’s law-and-order meltdown mushroomed into a major story, drawing the national media to San Antonio. Since then, the presence of network cameras had incited the south side’s bored and jobless teenagers into nightly rioting.

Seizing the national spotlight, the governor of Texas vowed looters would be shot on sight. Octavio Perez, a radical community leader, angrily announced that force would be met with force. He called on Mexican-Americans to arm themselves and resist if necessary.

Disdaining Perez’s warning, Edward Cole, a twenty-six-year-old National Guard Lieutenant, chose a provocative location for his downtown command post: the Alamo.

“This won’t be the first time this place has been surrounded by a shitload of angry Mexicans,” Cole told his platoon of weekend warriors outside the shutdown tourist site. A high school gym teacher for most of the year, Lieutenant Cole had been called up to lead a Texas National Guard detachment. Their orders were to keep San Antonio’s south side rioting from spreading downtown.

Now Cole was fielding yet another call over the radio.

“Lieutenant, we got some beaners tearing the hell out of a liquor store two blocks south of my position,” the sentry reported.

“How many?”

“I’d say fifty to a hundred.”

“Sit tight, Corporal. The cavalry is coming to the rescue,” Cole said, trying his best to sound cool and confident. From a two-day training session on crowd control, he’d learned that a rapid show of strength was essential in dispersing a mob. But the colonel who had briefed Cole for the mission had been very clear about the governor’s statement.

“Your men are authorized to fire their weapons only in self-defense,” the colonel had ordered. “And even then, it had damn well better be as a last resort, Lieutenant. The governor wants to deter violence, not provoke it.”

Lieutenant Cole had never seen combat. But he was sure he could deal with a small crowd of unruly Mexicans. After all, he had eight men armed with M-16A automatic rifles under his command. Cole put on his helmet, smoothed out his crisply ironed ascot, and ordered his men into the three reconditioned Humvees at his disposal.

“Let’s move out,” he said over the lead Humvee’s radio. With the convoy underway, Cole turned to his driver. “Step on it, Baker. We don’t want to let this thing get out of hand.” As the driver accelerated, the young lieutenant envisioned his dramatic entrance . . .

Bullhorn in hand, he’d emerge from the vehicle surrounded by a squad of armed troopers, the awed crowd quickly scattering as he ordered them to disperse . . .

Drifting back from his daydream, Cole noticed they were closing fast on the crowd outside the liquor store. Too fast.

“Stop, Baker! Stop!” Cole yelled.

The startled driver slammed on the brakes, triggering a chain collision with the vehicles trailing close behind. Shaken but unhurt, Cole looked through the window at the laughing faces outside. Instead of arriving like the 7th Cavalry, they’d wound up looking like the Keystone Kops.

Then a liquor bottle struck Cole’s Humvee. Like the opening drop of a summer downpour, it was soon followed by the deafening sound of glass bottles shattering against metal.

“Let’s open up on these bastards, Lieutenant! They’re gonna kill us!” the driver shouted.

Cole shook his head, realizing his plan had been a mistake. “Negative, Baker! We’re pulling out.”

But before the lieutenant could grab the radio transmitter to relay his order, the driver’s window shattered.

“I’m hit! I’m hit! Oh, my God. I’m hit!” the driver shrieked, clutching his head. A cascade of blood flowed down Baker’s nose and cheeks. He’d only suffered a gash on the forehead from the broken glass, but all the same, it was as shocking as a mortal wound. Never one to stomach the sight of blood, Baker passed out, slumping into his seat.

Cole couldn’t allow himself to panic; with no window and no driver he was far too vulnerable. Mind racing, he stared outside and soon noticed a group of shadowy figures crouching along the roof of the liquor store. Were they carrying weapons?

“Listen up, people. I think we might have snipers on the roof! I repeat, snipers on the roof!” Cole yelled into the radio. “Let’s lock and load! Have your weapons ready to return fire!”

On the verge of panic, the part-time soldiers fumbled nervously with their rifles as the drunken mob closed on the convoy, pounding against the vehicles.

The window on Cole’s side caved in with a terrifying crash. The rattled young lieutenant was certain he now faced a life or death decision—and he was determined to save his men. With the radio still in hand, Lieutenant Edward Cole gave an order he would forever regret.

“We’re under attack. Open fire!”

When it was over, twenty-three people lay dead on the black pavement beneath the neon sign of the Rio Grande Carryout.

*****

Take a moment to watch the exciting trailer for AMERICA LIBRE. Also, everyone who leaves a comment by midnight EST on Friday will be eligible to win a copy of Raul’s novel.


Wicked Wednesday – Behind the Scenes at Fort Hancock

NPS photo Fort HancockIt’s fun to research the places where you’ll be setting your novel and I always try to visit those places as well. That’s why part of the book takes place in Philadelphia, one of my favorite cities, and also why the rest of the book is set on the Jersey Shore. I love the Jersey Shore and taking time to explore its unique towns this spring and summer has been a blast.

When it came time to find somewhere intriguing for the big finish, there were lots of places to consider. Cheesequake State Park and the Twin Lights came to mind. Then I remembered taking a trip to the tip of Sandy Hook and knew where those scenes would take place – Fort Hancock.

Aiming the Guns at Fort Hancock - Copyright ExpiredFort Hancock has played a major role in the defense of New York Harbor, from its days in the late 1800s when the Nation’s first concrete gun batteries were built there, to World War II when it was used to watch for German subs and the 1950s, when the Nike Air Defense missiles were housed there to protect against airborne attack.

In 1958, a series of Nike Ajax missiles exploded at the park, killing ten people. You can visit the memorial at Guardian Park in Fort Hancock. To read more about this, you can click here.

The invention of ICBMs made the Nike system obsolete and the Fort was decommissioned in 1972 and the National Parks Service took over the area.

Gun Battery from National Parks ServiceThe fort has a number of gun batteries, some of which you can visit, and some which are closed off due to their delicate state. Beneath those batteries are tunnels and ammo storage areas that provided a perfect place for me to set some scenes! You can click here for some great photos of the area and tunnels.

If you’re in the area, drop by and check out Sandy Hook and Fort Hancock. It’s a beautiful park, the buildings and batteries are fascinating to see and you have an amazing view of New York Harbor as well.

For more behind the scenes looks at the SINS OF THE FLESH, please check out these other posts!

SINS OF THE FLESH
November 2009 – Grand Central Publishing

Click here for more on SINS OF THE FLESH

Caterina Shaw’s only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene therapy – a risk she willingly takes. Now Caterina has new, terrifying powers and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run. Mick Carrera is a mercenary and expert at capturing elusive prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting is wounded, vulnerable, and a mystery of medical science. Caterina’s innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both.

Preorder at Amazon
Preorder at Barnes & Noble
Preorder at Borders
Preorder at Books-a-Million
Preorder at Powell’s
Preorder at an Independent Bookstore

Want to find out a little more about SINS OF THE FLESH? Click on the links below to get a Behind the Scenes look at some of the locations in the novel as well as read some free excerpts!


Coming in October 2009

AWAKENING THE BEAST October 2009 Silhouette NocturneAwakening the Beast
October 2009
Silhouette Nocturne


A collection of sexy Nocturne Bites featuring:
Honor Calls, Return of the Beast, Mortal Enemy, Immortal Lover, Claws of the Lynx and Wilderness by Caridad Pineiro, Lisa Renee Jones, Olivia Gates, Linda O. Johnston and Barbara J. Hancock

Preorder your copy today!

Caridad’s Current Releases
FURY CALLS
March 2009
Silhouette Nocturne
Click here for more info on HONOR CALLSHONOR CALLS
February 2009
Nocturne Bite
Click here for more info on SOLDIER'S SECRET CHILDSOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD
December 2008
Silhouette Romantic Suspense
Click here for more info on MOON FEVERMOON FEVER
October 2007
Pocket Books
Click here for more info on SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICASSEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS
September 2006
Downtown Press
Click here for more info on SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MANSOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MAN
September 2007
Downtown Press


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