review of The Vampire Relationship Guide Vol One Meeting and Mating

This was a fun and easy read that made me laugh out loud at times. The main character Josie is awesome. She's quick witted and says what's on her mind. I liked that. Most of would wish to be as sassy and care free. She knew what she wanted and went after it. In this case, it was dating a vampire. Who can blame her, right? Well, it doesn't quite go as she anticipates. There are some wicked cool plot twists and plenty of snappy dialog in this novella. The characters are likable and real, especially Josie and mysterious bad boy vampire Walker. You feel like you know these people or that they could live down the block from you. The Vampire Relationship Guide Vol One Meeting and Mating will keeping you turning pages and you'll be hungry for more. Or at least I was.
This is the first in a four part series. If the rest are as entertaining, I'll be reading all of them.
I recommend this book!

welcome to 6 Sentence Sunday

happy 6 Sentence Sunday everyone! I hope y'all are having a great holiday weekend. this post from Blood and Betrayal is  part of a scene where Eamon and Lauryl put their differences aside for a little yum yum time.

  Lauryl closed the distance between them. She popped the one shirt button he did manage to refasten off and her fingers settled on his chest. His shower warmed skin and seductive scent invited exploration and her hands traced down to his stomach and back up to his chest. They slid back down, circled around his waist and sank below the waistband of his pants, her nails dragging against his hips.  Her eyelids drooped and she sucked in a breath as she moved her hands around to the front  and unbuckled his belt.
  "There's something I need more than rest," she whispered as she opened the buttons on his pants.

don't forget to stop by www.sixsunday.blogspot.com for the list of all the authors participating in this awesome blog hop. it's like trick or treating for writers and readers!

Happy Vladurday!!

Welcome John Hartness Author of A Hard Day's Knight

Thanks for stopping by today John! A Hard Day's Knight is terrific! Let's get down to chatting.

Why vampires? I read a lot of vampire books, and love them, so I decided to write my own, with my own weird twist.

So you're a theatre techie too? Does that influence your writing? I find that my work in theatre has helped my dialogue a lot. You can’t spend twenty years working on Mamet and Shakespeare and not have your ear for dialogue improved. I don’t really put much of my technical expertise into the books, because most of it is too esoteric, but there are a few things in the sequel to Hard Day’s Knight that are performance-based. One of the characters is a dancer, so I throw in a few terms here and there.

Hardest thing about developing a story idea? I find the twist to be one of the toughest things. You know, the bit in the middle of the book where you think everything’s going one way and suddenly it’s going off in a different direction entirely. Keeping those fresh is a challenge for me.

Who are your writing heroes? Have you ever met any of them? Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Pat Conroy, John Irving, David Eddings, Chris Claremont, Kim Harrison to name just a few. The only one of those I’ve met was Neil Gaiman at a signing a lot of years ago. He was still doing mostly comics at the time, I think Neverwhere may have just come out, and I met him at a comic con. He was very pleasant, but I was one of thousands so I’m sure he doesn’t remember me. Especially since I can’t even remember which con it was!

What is next for you? The second book in the series came out in January, and I’m working on the third book. I hope to have it out by mid-summer.

I love the characters in A Hard Day's Knight! Are they people you

know? They seem like it! They are all drawn from people I know, but they’re an amalgam of traits from all different people. Jimmy is part me and part dozens of other people. Greg is part me and part dozens of other people. Sabrina is completely fictional, but I did steal her name from two friends of mine.

I was working on a production of Annie and I was writing in the lobby between rehearsals. I needed a name for the detective character and our stage manager, walked by. I thought to myself, “Sabrina! I’ll steal her name!” Then the executive director of the theatre walked by, and I stole his last name for the character. So that’s how she became Sabrina Law.

This book is action packed and you never know what's going to happen

next. Was it hard to keep the momentum going or was it like the story,

crap just kept happening? Remember where I was talking about “the twist?” It was a lot of work to keep the momentum going. Any time I felt like letting my foot off the gas, I fought the urge and kept my hammer down.

Tell us something about you that's fun or geeky! I’m a huge comic nerd. I have a Superman ring that I frequently wear, and my standard con garb is a comic book t-shirt (usually something from the Sandman realm) with a dress shirt unbuttoned over it. I actually used to work in a comic shop as a second job for a while running the Magic: The Gathering tournaments. So my geek street cred is pretty solid. 

Thanks for being here today John! Your book is awesome! I wish you the best!


Here is some more about John

John G. Hartness is a recovering theatre geek who likes loud music, fried pickles and cold beer. He's been published or accepted online in several journals including The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, cc & d and Deuce Coupe and Truckin'.


His first novel, The Chosen, is an urban fantasy about saving the world, snotty archangels, gambling,  tattooed street preachers, immortals with family issues, bar brawls and the consequences of our decisions.


He followed up The Chosen with A Hard Day's Knight, a new twist on the vampire detective novel and the first of a planned series of at least five books. The second book of The Black Knight Chronicles, Back in Black landed in March of 2011 and has enjoyed immediate success.


John has been called "the Kevin Smith of Charlotte" and fans of Joss Whedon and Jim Butcher should enjoy his snarky slant on the fantasy genre. His next novel, Knight Moves The Black Knight Chronicles vol 3 is due out in summer of 2011. 


He can be found at www.JohnHartness.com and spends too much time on Twitter, especially after a few drinks.

next stop is Jagged Edge at www.klearsreviews.blogspot.com
and definitely pick up John's book!! it's awesome!

come back tomorrow for my Armchair BEA intervie with book blogger Christina Beumer!

look at him. is he not divine?! now that I have your attention, I want to remind you to come back tomorrow for an interview with fellow blogger Christina Beumer who blogs over at Reading Thru the Night I'm interviewing her as part of the fun of Armchair BEA. if you arent' familiar with this brilliant bit of armchair travelling then check it out over at www.armchairbea.com this is a great site devoted to those of us in the book loving/coveting world who AREN'T attending the super sparkly, bookalicious  Book Expo America in NYC.
anyway come back tomorrow!! It's a fun interview and I'm having a GIVEAWAY!!

not even half way and I'm tired

that would totally be me. I'm easily distracted and lately when it comes to writing...I've been ADD level easily distracted. I'm like my daughter when she doesn't take her focus pill. the other night I was trying to write. I had no distractions(HAHAHA), quiet, and inspiration. I even put a pic of one of my characters up so the words would flow better. yeah I do stupid stuff like that. however, I soon lost my focus and found something else to suck my time up. it took me 2 days to write 1500 words. wth? I need another nanowrimo burst of muse action. my characters talk to me but I forget what they say. maybe I am secretly stonewalling because I am getting to the point where I have to write the stuff I don't like to write i.e. fighting and action scenes. although, I've even been putting off writing sex scenes and usually I bust them out right away because they are fun. however there's been so much action and world building, nobody is getting laid. I JUST wrote a sex scene. I know when I finish this ms I'm going to love it but it is driving me nuts because it's been tough. it is making me think of when I was pregnant. I was the world's worst pregnant person and was tired of being pregnant at 20 weeks. mainly because I had a hard pregnancy and sick alot. of course when it was over I loved the outcome but getting through it was a crap fest. so now I'm going to think of Death Hunter like a baby growing in me. hating growing it but will love it when it gets here.

welcome to 6 Sentence Sunday

It's another great edition of 6 Sentence Sunday! I hope you went around the other blogs and checked out the other GREAT writing!! WOW! It was like trick of treating for readers!
my post this week is another from Blood and Betrayal. Eamon has turned Lauryl into a vampire against her will. She's just fed for the first time and is arguing with Eamon. She wants to know why he turned her.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me?" Eamon asked and took a drink of his scotch.
"Why me?"
"Because I've wanted you since I saw you in Seattle."
"Couldn't you just bang me a couple of times and not call me? That's usually what y'all do. Why'd you have to do this?"

There are some awesome writers on the list so don't forget to stop by http://www.sixsunday.blogspot.com 

Happy Vladurday!!

Big Ol' Butt

no that's not me but it's pretty close. just slap a gator shirt and hat on her and there you go. also make her have a purple AMP soda in her hand too. I know I winge a bunch about being unemployed and  recently heartbroken and apparently those things have caught up to me in my ass. now, my butt really didn't have any room to take on any extra dimension back when I had a job and a man. somehow I thought I had a free ticket to indulge in junky(yet DELISH) foods and skip out on exercise. however I had a reality check when I went to don a pair of capris from last summer and they didn't fit. I just got my bike back out and tuned to start riding again for some clarity and much needed exercise. I've got triathlons to do over the summer and a big ass ain't gonna help. in fact the idea of me on my bike right now doesn't bring a lovely pic to mind. but it must be endured until I get back into my former thick and jammin shape. usually I don't get bogged down by stuff like this. my self image is pretty awesome but(snicker) this just was the last straw and I decided to take control again. so here ends my rant and my public statement of no more of the past 7 months behavior.

nope nothing really embarrasses me

as you may have been able to tell by my posting, very little embarrasses me. seriously. I don't know why. probably more should but it doesn't. example: one time, while staying with mr number one love of my life in Europe, we went to Lausanne. somehow I ended up carrying all the bags into the quaint little hotel and I tripped on the way inside and landed face first in the lobby, arms and legs akimbo, and the bags flying everywhere. mr. numero about died of shame. I on the other hand laughed because I imagined how funny it must have looked. I'd like to think that it stems from my awesome sense of self esteem but my friends and family doubt it. but what do they know. they get embarrassed. which brings me to my point... yes you knew I'd get there eventually. I'm trying to write characters in one of my WIP's who have super self esteem and don't get caught up in small things that would make them embarrassed.it's a fine line. sometimes though I wonder if they seem a bit off or lacking some crucial sense of personality. although if that was the case it might make them a more interesting character. what do y'all think?

welcome to 6 Sentence Sunday

welcome to 6 sentence sunday! today I'm posting six sentences from my paranormal romance Blood and Betrayal. it will be released in fall of 2012. in this scene, the MC Eamon, an ancient vampire has just made love to his soon to be next companion. she doesn't know he's a vampire.

"Nice isn't it?"
"Very," she breathed, his voice melting her even more. She loved the rich timbre of his voice. It caressed her the same way his hands did.
"You'll like this even more," he whispered the second before he bit into her pink flushed neck.
Her eyes popped open but closed as another orgasm rocked her body.

be sure and visit http://sixsunday.blogspot.com  to view all of the participants in 6 Sentence Sunday! you can see some really awesome writing!!

I interupt Vladurday for

the announcement that I got this awesome award!!! Thanks Cate over at www.lexcade.blogspot.com ! she's really cool so go visit her blog! now I need to pass it on to 5 bloggers. (only 5 :( )
1)Jami Gold at www.jamigold.com
2)Lisa Ann at www.lisachickos.blogspot.com
3)Molly Daniels atwww.mjdaniels.blogspot.com
4) Sara at www.urbanfantasyreader.blogspot.com
5)Brooklyn Ann at www.brooklynann.blogspot.com

Now for the 7 things about me
1)I can freak myself out reading conspiracy theories.
2)I don't watch reality tv
3)I cry easily
4)I often forget how old I am and think I'm much younger.
5)Sometimes I wish I could pack up and move to foreign land
6)I want to learn to juggle
7)I have a bad habit of laughing at inappropriate things and times

I now return you to your regular Vladurday enjoyment

Happy Vladurday!

Excerpt from The Vampire's Warden by S.J. Wright!!LOOKEEE!!!

Today I'm excited and pleased to be a part of the book blog tour for S.J. Wright. She has written a terrific vampire novel with a fresh twist to it. I highly recommend it to lovers of vampire fiction.

In this, we get a brief glimpse into the power of the attraction that these two feel for each other.  Sarah needs to be firm with Michael, but it’s much harder than she imagined it might be.  It’s a constant struggle within her.  She’s found it hard to trust men since her one bad relationship ended, but she still feels completely drawn to Michael.

I crossed my arms and shivered as I felt the cool night air begin to seep through my jacket.  I knew it was ridiculous for me to be out there, trying to get honest answers from someone who probably had centuries to perfect his lies.

“Cold?”  He had moved closer, his dark silhouette looming before me like an animal about to strike.  His brilliantly-colored eyes narrowed and he held out his powerful arms.

“I could warm you up, Sarah.”

The power his voice had over me was still strong.  I noted again how far out I was from the boulders and took an additional couple steps back just to be sure. 

He shot me a mischievous little smirk, “Ah, yes.  The boundary.”

He moved forward yet again, this time more slowly and gracefully than seemed possible, until he was only a foot from me.  I was holding my breath but my heart was thumping like a wild drum, seeming to drown out all my other senses.  Had the diagram in the journal been wrong?  How else could he keep getting so close?  Panic had begun burning me from the inside out, and my hands were trembling.

His rumbling laugh came rolling over me in delicious waves, “You need to relax, my dear.  Given the faith you have in that mad man’s journal, I would think you would understand that I am forbidden to cause you any harm.”

“That depends on what kind of harm you’re referring to.”  I said weakly.  

 

Here's a bit about the author...

I am a stay-at-home Mom with two growing boys, an overworked husband and a very devoted Jack Russell terrier named Shelby.  I grew up in small city called Mishawaka, Indiana and the majority of my family live in the Indianapolis area.  I now live with my wonderful boys, my husband and sort-of-annoying dog in Little Elm, Texas.  The Vampire's Warden is the first book I have ever put up for sale.

You can buy The Vampire's Warden on Amazon http://amzn.com/B004NNVKAO.  And at BN.com http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Vampires-Warden/SJ-Wright/e/2940012222695/?itm=1&USRI=the+vampire%27s+warden 

Thanks to the author, Ms. Wright and The Bookish Snob.



She's appearing next at Supernatural Bookworm http://angelgonemad.blogspot.com/
AND she's having a NIFTY GIVEAWAY!!!

even fun hurts

yeah that is my mood. the only good thing about my mood is that it is really good for writing the intense parts of my WIP, which is now titled...DEATH HUNTER. it makes sense, believe me. the title, not my mood. anyway, I'm now in day two of my craptastic mood. there are several things contributing to it but I'm persevering. I kind of have to as that is my baseline. like I said this is really good for writing. I've written about 16k words in Death Hunter and FUNdraiser is now at 11k words.
I think my mood is a culmination of factors from the month of april. now april is going down in my list of crapbag months. previously it was just june and november but I think now april has earned a place there. hopefully as time passes and I process what happened a little more I will shake my mood. BUT I plan to make good use of it by continuing to write through it. it's kind of like playing through the pain in sports. that's a terrible thing to do by the way but I think if I write through what is bothering me I will get a two fold benefit of more words and a better frame of mind. that would be like one of those machines that makes it's own energy and keeps working infinitely. two things working for each other's benefit. I don't even know if that makes sense but in my head it does. you know what I mean. symbiotic. I think that's the word. snap. I need a nap and a cup of something really awesome.
speaking of awesome... don't forget to visit this week on FRIDAY THE 13th!!!(ominous music playing) when S.J Wright stops by and shares an expert of her terrific book THE VAMPIRE'S WARDEN.

Word to my mutha!

Happy Mother's Day everyone. mothers are awesome. or at least mine is. she raised me to be the kind of woman I am today. lol. now many people might cringe at that thought and start looking for my mom with a pitchfork but let me explain. I was brought up to be a strong independent woman. my mom always instilled the idea of not being dependent on anyone in the world and being able to survive any crisis. I consider this to be an awesome thing. there is very little in the world I can't do in the way of day to day survival. I can change my car's oil (although not now because I have a German car and everything under the hood is in German but as soon as I decode the writing...), change tires, build stuff with power tools(seriously), do basic plumbing, fire a gun safely, cook just about anything including stuff on the grill, speak Spanish and passable Italian, write a couple of books and many many other things including get a few varied degrees. all this because of what my mom raised me to be. basically she gave me a can do attitude. when a landslide of crap is coming, I know how to either get out of the way or rebuild after all thanks to my mom. I'm really lucky like that because in my life I've been in reach of the landslide of crap. several times. and I've always come out okay.
now the different sense of fashion(chuck taylor's and funky hair) and  quirky sense of humor(Vladurday, anyone?) didn't come from her because she's kind of a wall flower but I guess because I'm the way I am, those just came along naturally. and not all people get me. that would explain why there is not Mr Cautionary Tale. what?, you ask. really? no Mr. Cautionary Tale. that's right, there have been many who have been sucked into the massive gravitational pull of me but none have survived. but that's okay. I think I'm more of a one woman show. and because of what my mom taught me, that's okay. in fact it's awesome. so thanks Mom. you are awesome and I don't tell you enough.

Happy Vladurday!

Birthdays are awesome!

this would be perfect for a 1930s era gangster but it's still heeee larious. today is my Maddy's birthday. yes, my one and only. I tried like hell to birth her on Cinco de Mayo. I labored 25 hours(that's true labor kids. not from when I felt my first contraction) and pushed for almost 6 hours. anyway, she was born 9 years ago today and is the most awesome kid in the whole wide world. she thinks Nazi zombies are the worst kinds of zombies(and runs from Germans because she thinks they are Nazis.STILL working on that one), dinosaur sharks are scarier than the Kraken because they have ten rows of teeth and the Kraken only had one , solar panels cost a coupla grand and creates art made of super much amounts of awesome. so much that I had it made into a necklace. when it comes, I'll post it. but anyway, Happy birthday to my Bean Pie. you rock more than a hundred billion hot dogs and I love you!

Welcome Mysti Parker author of A Ranger's Tale!

I'm super excited to have author Mysti Parker with me today. She is promoting her new fantasy novel A Ranger's Tale.

1.Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thank you so much for having me here today. I’m a full time wife, mom of three, and a writer. Somewhere in my old life, I got a biology degree and worked in some laboratories. Perhaps the blood and guts prepared me for the messes of motherhood, but being a mom is the best and hardest job I’ve ever had.

What else is there to tell? My husband and I are high school sweethearts, we’ve been married for almost fourteen years, and we’ve always called Kentucky home.  Besides our three kids, we’ve got a lazy housecat and a smart outdoor dog. When I’m not writing, I love to read and critique, play with the kids, and watch TV when the kids are asleep.

2.What inspires you to write?

Just about everything! I get ideas for short stories from prompts or from real-life experiences. I wrote short about a Valentine’s Day dinner gone awry based on our own Valentine’s Day date. Another story set in a nursing home was based on my stepdad’s illness and his stay in a nursing facility.

For my fantasy series, I’m inspired by the Lord of the Rings trilogy, roleplaying games, romance, and the desire to write about fantastical characters with realistic problems. Even though my elves may live for centuries, they face problems that most of us can relate to, as well as the occasional rogue wizard, goblin, or troll.

3.Tell us about A Ranger’s Tale.

A Ranger’s Tale is set in the fantasy world of Tallenmere. It’s the first in a stand-alone series. The century-year old high elf, Caliphany Aranea, is expected to become a mage and head up the Mage Academy in Leogard like her father, Sirius. He wanted his firstborn son, Caelen, to take his place, but after Caelen died serving as a paladin for King Leopold, the responsibility fell to Caliphany. The problem is, she doesn’t want it and doubts her abilities. Sirius keeps her on a short leash, won’t let her leave the city, and expects her to marry a mage she doesn’t even like.

One day, while strolling on the docks of Leogard Harbor, fantasizing about far-away places, two scoundrels attempt to kidnap her. That’s when half-elf ranger and ship captain Galadin Trudeaux comes to her rescue. After that fateful encounter, Caliphany convinces Galadin to train her in the ways of a ranger so she can set out on her own and fend for herself. From that moment on, their lives are forever intertwined, and you’ll have to read the book to find out more!

I had a blast writing A Ranger’s Tale! There’s a little bit of me in Cali, I think. She’s spunky, independent, and well…impulsive. She makes up for it with her loyalty and devotion to those she loves. Galadin provides a good balance in her life, keeps her grounded, and loves her to no end. He’s the kind of guy most of us ladies dream of, but sometimes guilt from his past gets in the way.

4.Do you write other genres besides fantasy?

So far, my novels are fantasy romance, though I do have one historical romance on the back burner until I have adequate research time. In short stories, I’ve tried everything from speculative, to horror and comedy. I love stretching my writing muscles to try new things.

I have a goal to keep submitting more short stories to publications and contests. I’m still working on meeting that goal. Most of them sit on my hard drive, only to be seen by my critique partners.

5.What’s up next for you?

I’m working on the second novel in my Tallenmere series, called Serenya’s Song. It features Jayden Ravenwing, a prominent character from A Ranger’s Tale. It takes place in the small town of Summerwind, where a strange portal has opened, threatening the lives of everyone who lives there. Jayden must find a way to close it before it’s too late.

That’s all I’ll say for now, but look for it from Melange Books in October, 2011.

6.Any advice for writers out there struggling with their publishing journey?

Get a good critique group—either in person or online. Cultivate relationships with other writers who write in your genre or style. Critique often, and it will vastly improve your own skills.

Read a lot in your genre and beyond as well. Read both the good and bad—you’ll learn what to do and what not to do.

Learn to edit your own work. Don’t depend on your editor to do that. Read your stories out loud to hear things your eye misses.

And most of all, don’t give up! Writing is hard work, but like anything else, the more you practice, the better you’ll get.

             Here's the blurb from the back of A Ranger's Tale

Set in the fantasy world of Tallenmere, the high elf Caliphany Aranea longs to explore the world and escape from her controlling father. Her dreams are fulfilled when she meets ranger and ship captain Galadin Trudeaux. But, when secrets from the past bring tragedy to those she loves, Caliphany must fight to hold on to the life she's always wanted.

 Here's where you can find A Ranger's Tale http://www.melange-books.com/authors/mystiparker/parkerarangerstale.html

And here too http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-aranger039stale-511665-143.html

 

Here's where you can find Mysti http://www.mystiparker.blogspot.com   and  http://www.melange-books.com/authors/mystiparker/mystiparker.htm

Thanks Mysti for being here and thanks Bewitching Book Tours!