Guest Author Christie Craig

Please welcome romance author Christie Craig! Christie's newest book, Divorced, Desperate and Deceived was just released today! This is the third and final book in her series featuring three friends looking for love. Christie's books are a mixture of romance, mystery with a healthy dose of humor that always cracks me up. She is here today to talk about five things you didn't know about her.  Welcome Christie!

Five Things You Don’t Know About Christie Craig

1) The thing I mostly dreamed about being as a child was adopted.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t abused, or mistreated. I was just a misfit—the girl sandwiched between two brothers. I didn’t make farting sounds with my arm pits, I didn’t ask people to pull my finger, and I didn’t make weekly trips to the emergency room to get stitches. I’d catch Alabama toads and pretend they were princes; my brothers would catch them to blow them up with firecrackers. While I had my head in the clouds daydreaming, everyone else scratched their heads trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

2) The weirdest food I’ve ever eaten was toad soup in a dirt-floor restaurant.

Believe it or not, my brothers were not behind this. I was in China with my hubby and we were being treated to a fancy buffet. Hubby, a semi-germ freak, wouldn’t eat anything, so being polite I felt obligated to eat. They put just a spoonful of the unknown variety of soup in my bowl for me to taste, when I nodded my approval they dipped a huge serving into my dish and the drowned toad, cooked whole, head propped up on the lip of my bowl and its legs dangling over each side of my dish. I politely bypassed the soup to eat the fried snake. Hey…at least it didn’t look like a snake.

3) My favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon is with a fishing pole in my hand.

Yup, I’m a closet fisherman. Very few people know that I love to fish. But I have to tell you there’s something about sitting beside a body of water with a pole clutched in my hand that brings on story plotting. I’ve gotten so many book and scene ideas while waiting for my bobber to bob. The whole dead guy in the Porta-Potty scene in Divorced, Desperate and Deceived, well, I was sitting on a boat reeling in a fish when that idea hit. How I got from catching an ugly fish, to a corpse reading a bird magazine in the Porta-Potty is even beyond me, but I’ll betcha I was dying to pee at the time. Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t take the sport of fishing seriously. Hubby says I fish hard, because I demand silence because it will scare the fish away. Also, I’m never one to set my pole down. I mean, what if I got a bite, I want to have that pole in my hands. This is battle and no way am I’m going to let the fish win. This said, I don’t like to touch the fish, so I need hubby to take it off my hook. And then I have him toss the fish back in the water, setting it free. Oh, I love to eat fish, but not the ones I catch. I have a rule, if I have to look anything in the eyes, I can’t eat it—which was the big problem with that frog in China. That thing was looking right at me.

4) The three things I suck at mostly are wrapping gifts, sewing, and spelling/spotting typos.

Not only do I suck at wrapping gifts, I hate wrapping gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I love giving, I just hate wrapping. I swear, no matter how hard I try to make them look “department-store” pretty, when I’m done with them you’d assume a man wrapped the dang thing. Seriously, I’m wrapping impaired. I think whoever came up with gift bags should win a Nobel Prize. Now sewing? Oh gosh, I’d rather clean someone’s toenails than have to use a sewing machine. Even a needle and thread has a negative effect on me. I pay the dry cleaners to hem and sew on buttons. Spelling? Yup, I know I’m a writer and people assume that writers should be able to spell. But not this dyslexic writer. Spell check and I are best friends. Of course it often lets me down. My two biggest typo/spelling errors were: (pre-published) in a scene where my hero in DD&Delicious had been beat up, thrown over a bridge and shot in the shoulder and was hiding out behind a shed and I had him “look down at his bloody shirt.” But in an unpubbed contest, I accidentally left out the letter “r” in the word “shirt.” The contest judge made the comment: “So he has internal issues, too?” The second typing faux pas was in a blog where I wrote that I was going “public” with a confession. Well, I mistyped and left out the “L” in the word public and honestly, it was not a “pubic” type of confession.

 5) The worse thing I ever did to my husband (according to him) was get an emergency hysterectomy six weeks after I demanded he get a vasectomy.

I swear, he was furious. You’d have thought I personally went after his Mr. Johnson and the boys with a pair of wire cutters. He acted as if I’d decided to have this procedure just for fun and to somehow lessen the significance of his little snip-snip. I mean, if I could have gone back in and unsnipped him I would have. Amazingly, it took him longer to recover from his quick out-patient procedure than it did for my “full-blown, gut her open and yank out body parts” surgery.

So there you have it, five things you didn’t know about yours truly. And today I’m giving away a copy of Divorced, Desperate and Deceived to one lucky commenter. What I’d like to hear is either, what you dreamed about being as a child, what’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten, what’s your favorite Sunday afternoon pastime, what you suck at, or what’s the  worst thing you’ve ever done to your hubby or boyfriend. Come on, let’s share and laugh a little.

This contest begins today November 24th and will end December 1st at 10:00 pm (eastern time) with the winner revealed December 2nd. Sorry, US residents only please.

And since this is my release month, I’m holding contests, and guest blogging all over the place. Pop over to my own blog spot: http://killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/ and you’ll find a blog and contest there, plus links and information about where else you can find other contests and blogs.

Oh, and thank you so much Rachael for having me today.

~CC

Winners of Magic in the Shadows

The winners of a signed copy of Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk are throuthehaze and Bethie!

Congrats! Please email me through the link in my profile with your name and address and I will forward it on to Devon Monk. Thanks again to everyone for coming by! Thank you Devon Monk for guest blogging!

Tomorow Christie Craig will be here guest blogging and giving away her new book so remember to stop by!

Shadowland Review

After making a devastating decision at the end of Blue Moon, Ever is living with the consequences. Her DNA is now poison to Damen and she can no longer have any physical contact with him or he will die. Determined to get her hands on the antidote, Ever dives deeper into magic then ever before searching for answers. She refuses to accept the possibility that Damen and herself will never be together and even runs to Roman trying to convince him to hand over the cure.

Damen has decided the reason for all of these unfortunate events is because of karma and fate. He feels that if he changes his ways, karma will work in his favor. He decides to get rid of the fancy items that he manifests because he thinks he has taken advantage of the universe in some way. So the BMW, the fancy clothes, the mansion, all of it will soon be gone. But will Ever still love him when all of the things that attracted him to her in the first place cease to exist? Will their love overcome all obstacles even the ‘’no-touching or you will die’’ problem Roman has given them? 

Shadowland is the third book in a young adult paranormal series called The Immortals. This series must be read in order and I advise to avoid reading anything online about it because it will spoil it for you. There’s just no way to talk about these books without spoiling the previous one in the series.  

When Blue Moon ended, readers were left with a killer cliff hanger that had them in suspense waiting for this new installment to find out what happens next. I was a little annoyed about the use of a force field to get around their no touching or die problem. It seemed like an easy way out and I kept hoping the force field would accidentally drop.  

To have such a great cliff hanger and then to find a temporary fix to the problem, just left me disappointed. If Damen wasn’t touching Ever through a force field, then he’d use his mind to convey the touch. I disliked the temporary solution to their problem, wanting them to be starved for affection and maybe even cheating on each other rather then fixing it so easily. 

I also have a problem with the whole concept of reincarnation in this book. It’s not very believable at all and I think that is a big problem. If you don’t believe in the fantasy, you won’t be able to enjoy it. The concept of Ever and Damen knowing each other for centuries with her in other bodies, is just so out there and too unbelievable for me to grasp. 

Although the writing was easy to read and the story moved along at a fast pace, I found the lack of anything really happening, tiresome. The last 100 pages were suspenseful and exciting but the rest of the book really didn’t really have anything of substance to keep me interested. I kept going back to thinking about the first book Evermore and how much it captivated me that I read it all in one day. This book took me about three days to read and that same magical quality just wasn’t there for me. 

Overall, Shadowland may appeal more to a younger audience this time around than adults who are looking for more substance to their stories. I did enjoy the last 100 pages but that wasn’t enough to convert my feelings on the whole book in general. I will still give the next book a chance because I am curious as to where the story is going and would like to feel the same enchantment again that I felt for the first book, Evermore. Look out for the fourth installment, Dark Flame in the summer of 2010.

Guest Author Devon Monk

Please welcome my guest for this week, urban fantasy author Devon Monk. Devon is the author of the Allie Beckstrom series which currently consists of three books with the fourth book out May 4, 2010. The third book in the series, Magic in the Shadows was recently released and is available in bookstores now. Devon is here today to talk about her two main characters and how a short story became a series.

I’m very excited to be a guest blogger today! Thank you so much for having me!

When MAGIC TO THE BONE first hit the shelves, I received a lot of questions about it. Two questions that took my by surprise were: “Are you Allie?”and “Who is Zavyion Jones?” No one had ever asked me who any of my other characters in my published short stories were, so it took me by surprise that people would wonder where Allie and Zayvion came from.

First, a quick history of how Zayvion and Allie came into my life. I’d been asked to write a short story for an anthology. At the time I was writing a lot of fantasy and science fiction short stories and doing a pretty good job selling them to magazines and anthologies. I’d heard about this urban fantasy and paranormal romance wave that was hitting the publishing world, and while it intrigued me, I hadn’t really thought about writing in that genre. When the anthology invite came along, I decided to give urban fantasy a try.

Allie Beckstrom stepped forward for the job. She is a little bit of all the women I’ve known. Vulnerable, strong, willing to handle whatever challenge comes her way, even if she doesn’t know if she will survive in one piece. Allie is tough, and deals with pain and loss on a daily basis. Allie is headstrong, and knows who she is and what she wants. Allie is funny, and has a deep heart. She understands loving someone takes the most strength of all.

This story was all about Allie. I had no plans of adding a second, equally strong character to the plot. So there I had Allie, walking down the street dealing with some pretty bad magical stuff. Someone had just put a magical hit on a little boy, and he was dying from it. It was up to Allie to find out who was behind the magic. I knew there needed to be someone who would help her out, someone who would also get in her way.

And up strolled Zayvion Jones. Tall, mixed-race hottie, with a calm demeanor that hid anger, power, passion. When Zayvion hit the scene, the story between he and Allie exploded, becoming much more than a short story could hold. Still, I wrote the short story, and gave Allie and Zayvion as much as I could in a very small amount of words. The editor loved it.

And rejected it. I owe that editor a huge debt of gratitude. If he had said yes and published the short story, I probably wouldn’t have written the novel and I certainly wouldn’t have taken Allie and Zay’s story through six books, and hopefully, more.

Who is Zayvion Jones? I really don’t know. He came unexpectedly into the story and changed everything I had planned for Allie. Mysterious, powerful, loyal to a fault, he is a man who knows saving the world falls squarely on his shoulders, and will not buckle under that expectation. He’s funny, smart, and very, very private. He is no stranger to pain and sorrow, which makes love, the chance of it, the reality of it, something he’ll fight for, no matter the cost.

Writing the Allie Beckstrom series has been full of the unexpected for me. From a short story rejection came a novel. From two characters trying to find love, came a series. From the idea that magic costs anyone who uses it pain, came the question of who and what is worth hurting for. And as I’ve gone along, more unexpected characters have strolled onto the scene to change Allie’s life, to challenge her, make her laugh, make her cry. The third book in the series, MAGIC IN THE SHADOWS, introduces two new characters, Stone and Shame, who I absolutely love, and MAGIC ON THE STORM is full of unexpected twists and turns. Now that I’m writing book five in the series, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

So tell me, have you ever had something bad turn into something good? Has the unexpected ever opened up new doors and new experiences for you? Tell me about it in the comments, and I will send out two signed copies of MAGIC IN THE SHADOWS to two lucky winners.

This contest starts today November 17th and will run until 10:00 pm Eastern time on November 23rd with the winners revealed that night.

PS: I am still waiting for one of the winners from the Jennifer Rardin contest to contact me.  Stephanie if you see this, please email me by the 19th to claim your prize!

PPS. Today is the 20th so I am drawing a new winner for the Jennifer Rardin book since Stephanie never contacted me. Alexia561 you are the new winner for Bite Marks!

Black at Heart Review

Supervisory Special Agent Wyatt Blackstone works for the FBI for the Cyber Action Team which is a group of agents who solve internet related murders. After losing one of his co-workers, Wyatt has tried to move on with a new case but it does anything but take his mind off of Lily.

At every crime scene he finds items that lead him to suspect Lily of the murders, but that’s impossible since she’s supposed to be dead. Who is killing these suspected predators and if it’s not Lily why are they setting her up to take the fall?

Black at Heart is the third installment in the Black CATs Series featuring agents from the Cyber Action Team. The story picks up where the last one left off, with the death of a beloved character. There are plenty of surprises in store for readers from unexpected romance, thrilling suspense, and lots of action and mystery.

I enjoyed the previous two books in this series and knew I was in for a treat when I read this was Wyatt’s story. Wyatt definitely stood out in the previous book as a character who demands to be heard, a strong determined man with a dark mysterious past. We learn all about Wyatt in Black at Heart and his character is one of the most interesting that I’ve read in a while.

The story opens up with a huge surprise but to even talk about this would spoil the story. So I will just say that if you’ve read the other two books in this series, you want to read Black at Heart to find out what happens next. I strongly recommend reading this series in order as I did for full enjoyment.

Overall, Black at Heart kept my interest from the first sentence and hooked me until I read the last page. I’m not sure when the next book in this series will be out since there’s no mention of it in the back of the book or on the author’s site. I hope it’s soon because I adored the first three books and Leslie Parrish is a great new addition to the romantic suspense genre!

Reviewed for Night Owl Romance

Hunting Memories Review

Eleisha Clevon has turned her life around ever since she met a mortal named Wade. Wade taught Eleisha and her friend Phillip how to survive as vampires without having to kill to feed by using telepathy. Now instead of killing, they drink only from the wrist and then alter memories so the mortal thinks they cut themselves and passed out. This way they can survive but without leaving a trace of dead bodies wherever they feed.

Unfortunately, not every vampire is able to use telepathy and Julian Ashton is one of them. Julian is the vampire who turned Eleisha and he is terrified of the old vampire rules of using telepathy instead of killing the victim will be enforced again. He can not feed without killing, he doesn’t have the ability to use telepathy and he is scared by anyone who can use it. Reduced to his paranoia of being hunted down by Eleisha and his fears of telepathy, Julian decides to be the hunter.

Julian is determined to hunt down every known vampire who uses telepathy and to kill them. One by one all of the vampires are being killed and Eleisha is starting to feel very lonely. When she receives a letter from a woman named Rose claiming she is one of them and there are others like her out there, the two women start communicating by letters. Eventually this leads Eleisha to wanting to meet Rose but Phillip fears that this is a trap and she is working for Julian.

Together Wade, Eleisha, and Phillip embark on a journey to meet Rose and find the other vampires to take them home with them and to keep them safe. But is this plan only making it easier on Julian to swiftly kill everyone once Eleisha finds them? Will Rose turn out to be on Julian’s side or was she honestly only looking for more companionship in the form of her own kind? Will this trip end in deaths or will Eleisha defeat Julian once and for all?

Hunting Memories is the second book in the Vampires Memories Series featuring vampires who are always being hunted down by one of their own kind. The flashback into the vampires’ lives using telepathy is fascinating and gives the reader a clear picture of the character’s life without taking away from the storyline. The atmosphere of Hunting Memories is a constant fear for the characters. They’re being hunted down by a rogue vampire who has acquired himself a slave in the form of a ghost who can find the vampires wherever they run to.

Phillip’s character has no fear except of being alone. His character is strong and will not be intimidated by Julian no matter what antics he uses to try to kill the group of vampires. I found his love for Eleisha intriguing as they aren’t in a relationship but he clings to her as if he could not live without her. Together Wade, Phillip and Eleisha make an interesting trio that I could definitely see becoming a love triangle with Eleisha stuck in the middle trying to make a decision.

I strongly recommend reading this series in order starting with the first book Blood Memories. What I love about this series is that it isn’t anything like other paranormals or urban fantasy books that are out there today. It has an old fashioned feel to it, in a good way. The vampires talk about needing to feed, the process of feeding, and the hunt for it. They talk about what it’s like to live for two hundred years and what it was like being turned into a vampire. Hunting Memories is not like other fantasy novel that I’ve read and that’s what makes it special to me. Overall, I would highly recommend this series to readers who want to be swept away with a wonderful book.

Reviewed for Night Owl Romance

Winners of Bite Marks

The winners of the Jennifer Rardin contest for a copy of her new book Bite Marks are:

Stacy - Claimed Prize
BrigidsBlest -Claimed Prize
Stephanie -never claimed prize..new winner decided

Alexia561 is the new winner

Ladies please email me through the link in my profile with your full name and address. Congrats!

Normally I try to contact the winners but two of the winners have no contact information in their profiles. So therefore I will need to make a cut off date to claim prizes. You have until November 19th to claim your prizes and if not claimed by then two other winners will be drawn.

Thank you Jennifer Rardin for being my guest and thanks to everyone for all of the wonderful book suggestions!

Guest Author Jennifer Rardin

Please welcome my guest for this week, urban fantasy author Jennifer Rardin! She is the author of the Jaz Parks Series which consists of six books with more coming. Jennifer’s latest book Bite Marks (book 6) was just released and is available now at bookstores. Today she will be talking about her series and new beginnings.

New Beginnings

I’ve just begun writing a new book, the eighth in the Jaz Parks series. It has no title yet, though I have thought of one that seems catchy if nobody else is using it (or one that sounds eerily close to it) already. But it does have a general plot. Something to build on as I putter around the house for the next week thinking about the characters I need to bring into the story, how they should relate to one another, deal with the conflict, grow. It all sounds so dusty and highbrow.

Not really.

It’s pretty darn exciting.

I can still remember putting together the outline for Bite Marks, the sixth book in the series, which just released October 29th. Figuring out the threat that my heroes, Jaz and Vayl, would be facing and what continent they’d be fighting it on felt a little bit like planning a real military campaign! When I decided the action would take place in Australia, I nearly broke my computer mouse clicking through potential sites for their ultimate confrontation. More than one afternoon sped past as I read up on aboriginal folklore, the grazing habits of gray kangaroos, and the exact purpose of the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, NASA’s Australian link to the universe.

But I only have so much patience for research. Then I gotta begin. But where? Good stories, experts tell us, start in the middle of the action. So Bite Marks begins after Jaz has landed in Canberra, Australia with her trusty malamute, Jack, in tow. It’s daytime, so we know her boss, Vayl, must still be slumbering (or whatever it is that vampires do when the sun comes up). And then, the situation deteriorates rapidly. Which, for seasoned Jaz fans, comes as no surprise. But for those of you who are new to the story, read on . . . .

I like that beginning for a book. But I think I can actually top it for my next story. At least, I’m ready to try!

In the meantime you can tell me—what novel have you read that sucked you in instantly with a stellar first chapter?



Contest
Jennifer Rardin's publisher Orbit is giving away two copies of Bite Marks to two lucky commenters. Please be advised these copies won't be signed since they're coming direct from the publisher to the winners. Also, I have an extra new copy of Bite Marks, so there will be a total of THREE winners for this contest. US only please.

How to Enter
Leave a meaningful comment answering Jennifer's question. Please do not leave your email address in the comments section as it's not a good idea for privacy concerns. This contest will run from Tuesday November 10th until 10:00 pm eastern time on Monday November 16th. Winners will be announced on Tuesday November 17th.

Bonus
Gain an extra 10 entries for every friend that you send here to enter the contest. Please make sure they say in their post that you sent them here.

2K Quiz Answers and Winner!

Thanks to everyone who came by to participate in the 2K Quiz! Here are the answers to which Kelly each question applys to.

KM = Kelly Meding and KG = Kelly Gay

1. I have driven from the East Coast to the West Coast, and back again. - KM

2. Give me a glass of strawberry milk over chocolate any day. - KG

3. I own a cat named after a popular, former-vengeance demon from "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." - KM

4. My niece is named after a precious stone. - KM

5. My possessed vehicle once caught fire, after which I drove the beast home. - KG

6. My absolute favorite novel is about anthropomorphized rabbits. - KM

7. Yes, I admit it. I have a Xena Warrior Princess action figure on my desk. -KG

8. For three and a half months, I interned at John Wells Productions in Burbank, CA. - KM

9. I’m known to have some crazy dreams. Ex.: The Jonas Bros v. Zombies in Kelly's Thunderdome, competing for a delicious piece of buttered bread. There might be a book in there somewhere… - KG

10. My debut urban fantasy novel is nowhere near the first manuscript I’ve written, but it is the first urban fantasy I’ve written. -KG


Now for the winner of Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding, The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay and two surprise books from both authors......

The winner is.... Demon Hunter! Congrats!

Demon Hunter: Please email me through the link in my profile with your name and address. I will forward on your info to the authors and as soon as they receive their author copies, they will send your prizes out to you!

Thanks everyone for playing and please come by again as there will be a new author every week this month with some wonderful books being given away.

Thank you Kelly Meding and Kelly Gay for doing the 2K Quiz here on my blog!

Last day to enter 2K Quiz!

Today is the last day to enter the 2K Quiz to win 4 books plus an entry for a $100 Amazon Giftcard.  You have until 10:00 pm Eastern time tonight to enter. Tomorrow the answers to the quiz will be revealed! Also the winner of the 4 books will be announced AND Jennifer Rardin will be here guest blogging and doing a giveaway! So don't forget to stop by tomorrow for more fun! Scroll down to the post under this one to enter the 2K Quiz!

Debut authors Kelly Meding and Kelly Gay's 2K Quiz Contest!

2K Quiz

As part of our twenty-three day, "Same Name, Same Date, Same Genre – Two Awesome Debuts!" promotional extravaganza, the lovely Rachael has agreed to host this little quiz for us. It's time to test your knowledge and your guessing skills. And yes, there will be prizes!

Written below, in no particular order, are ten statements. Five statements apply to Kelly Gay (The Better Part of Darkness), and five statements apply to Kelly Meding (Three Days to Dead). It's your job to determine which is which. See what you think you know. All entries will be collected and a random drawing made to determine the prize winner.

To enter: In the comments section, please state which numbered statements you believe match up with each Kelly. For example, "Kelly Gay - #A, C, F, I, J. Kelly Meding - #B, D, E, G, H." All commenters will be entered into the drawing, whether your guesses are right or wrong. Once the contest closes, we'll post the correct answers and you can see how well you did.

The prizes: Both Kelly's are offering up signed copies of their novels, The Better Part of Darkness and Three Days to Dead, as well as an additional surprise novel of their choice. So the winner will receive FOUR books total. CAVEAT: The signed copies of our debut novels will be sent when each author receives their Authors Copies from their publisher, which should arrive before official release (it is just not guaranteed).

Bonus: As part of our ongoing promotion, all entries into this contest will be collected and added to the GRAND PRIZE Drawing (as outlined previously on our blogs), to be announced November 24. So by participating in this Quiz, you are eligible not only for the 2K Quiz Prizes listed above, you also gain an entry in the Grand Prize Drawing.

The winner of the 2K Quiz receives not only the Prizes listed above, but also an additional entry into the Grand Prize Drawing (two entries total).

The contest will run Tuesday, November 3 through Monday, November 9. The 2K Quiz winner will be announced Tuesday, November 10.


Ready?

Set….

GO!



1. I have driven from the East Coast to the West Coast, and back again.

2. Give me a glass of strawberry milk over chocolate any day.

3. I own a cat named after a popular, former-vengeance demon from "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

4. My niece is named after a precious stone.

5. My possessed vehicle once caught fire, after which I drove the beast home.

6. My absolute favorite novel is about anthropomorphized rabbits.

7. Yes, I admit it. I have a Xena Warrior Princess action figure on my desk.

8. For three and a half months, I interned at John Wells Productions in Burbank, CA.

9. I’m known to have some crazy dreams. Ex.: The Jonas Bros v. Zombies in Kelly's Thunderdome, competing for a delicious piece of buttered bread. There might be a book in there somewhere…

10. My debut urban fantasy novel is nowhere near the first manuscript I’ve written, but it is the first urban fantasy I’ve written.