My First Contract!

I'm so excited to annnounce that my debut novel Soul Catcher will be published with Decadent Publishing. I'm so stoked about the news. I will update everyone when I get more information.

Sorry, Couldn't Wait To Share!

I just got the cover for my novel, Torn Asunder which releases Jan 2011. It is a paranormal (witches and shape shifters), historical (regency-set), erotic romance. I am so excited to share for many reasons. The cover quote is obviously one. I have been reading and loving novels by NY Times Bestselling Author, Hannah Howell for years. I especially love her regency set ones with paranormal elements. Just finished If He's Wild this summer - amazing! Anyway, I have had to pinch myself to think of her reading one of my stories, let alone liking it. So you know, our last names are a cool coincidence - no relation. I also want to thank my cover artist, Emma Hillman for doing such a wonderful job and for putting up with me! LOL


So, he is the official unveiling of the cover...

Thanks for letting me gush here :) Guess I am feeling like a star-struck teen who just met one of my idols. You know, never-gonna-wash-this-hand, and all! Can't stop shaking! LOL
Kiki Howell ~where love is a mystical thing~
http://www.kikihowell.com

Cool. I Struggle to Chew Gum and Walk

Enter my contest on my blog and win a copy of “Binding Spell”!

Demons can be sexy. They are dangerous and cunning, and live in lust. They are beautiful, dark angels, fallen long ago from grace, sometimes striving to return to heaven, or even just glimpse it through love or pleasure.

How would you describe demons in one word or phrase?

Go to my blog and leave your comments. One of you will win an electronic copy of my novella “Binding Spell” – the story of Mador, a demon summoned to help Jay, a mortal man in need, and his discovery of trust and love. I hope to see you there!

For the contest click here

Writer's Wednesdays

Please stop by and chat with me and Saranna DeWylde for Writer's Wednesday. We're also giving away a copy of Kresley Cole's Demon from the Dark. Hope to see you there!

http://www.vividumas.wordpress.com/

The Outlaw

Happy Release Day!

Today my m/m western steampunk "The Outlaw" is available through Dreamspinner Press!!  This story has two of the sexiest, most interesting men - I am totally in love with Kell and Damian!!

Outlander Kell Laughlin has been charged with murder, and though Damian Junter is assigned to find him in Terra Noir, the bounty hunter has his doubts about his quarry’s guilt. Damian won’t kill an innocent, so he must find Kell and get to know him—and the truth—before dispensing justice. It’s a decision that will lead to passion between them and expose political intrigue in the ruling aristocracy, endangering their lives and changing the world Damian knows forever.

Here's where my novella can be found:  Buy Link

How do you construct your characters?

The Book Boost kindly opened their blog to me today. I'm discussing how to build a character from the inside out. How do you construct your characters? Come over and share your secrets!

Review for The Crown's Blade!

I am so excited! I got my first review for this short erotica story of mine which is out with Whispers Publishing.

From the review:
"Elinor is on a quest to find the Crown’s Blade; a weapon to defeat the evil Shadows that are destroying her world. When she stumbles upon a temple ruin, she discovers Indigo, a Tithere elf, awaiting death. She is drawn to his masculine beauty, and chooses to save his life. In return, she asks for his assistance on her quest. Now Elinor is torn between duty and desire. Perhaps Indigo is the answer to everything.
Dark fantasy is one of my favorite subgenres, and Jay Di Meo knows what she is doing. I loved this story. "

Check it out here!

POD of the future

Taking POD to the next level, the Espresso Book Machine brings convenience to readers. Now if we can just get bookstores on board to buy these babies!



This is a long interview, but very informative.



Pretty cool, huh?

Casting Call and a giveaway

My short fantasy, The Duende and the Muse, was so much fun to write! Especially because I vividly imagined certain people as the hero and heroine. Who? Come find out on my blog, in this edition of my blog series Casting Call.

As a funny aside, I received an email from a casting company asking if I needed help finding actors for my film! If they can get these actors to play the parts, I might think about making one. :)

I'm also having a giveaway for Facebook fans - all you need to do is comment on my page to be in the running for a print copy of Surfacing. Oh, and be a fan. :)

Oh My!!! My Very First Review

Seriously Reviewed!!

I don't know if anyone but my crit partner knows what this means to me.

Please!!!!!! Check it out and comment.

Click here for the full review.

Writer's Wednesdays

I have Jennifer Hart guest blogging at Delusions of Grandeur today for Writer's Wednesday. She is intereview one of her fabulous charcters from her series Misadventures of the Laundry Hag. Come by and get to know Jenn and Maggie and find out more about Jenn's upcoming releases.

http://www.vividumas.wordpress.com/

Out of This World Blog Tour

I'm up. Stop by and leave a comment and be entered for a chance to win an eCopy of Slipping the Past.
http://kayemanro.blogspot.com/

Can you spare a click?

Cover artist Dawne Dominique did a great job creating the cover for Fever Dreams, don't you think?

We'd both love it if you would vote for entry #14 in the You Gotta Read Covers contest!

A contemporary novel with fantasy elements, Fever Dreams is also part of the Romance Junkies Summer Contest. Enter before August 31st for a chance to win a print copy.

There's a New Kid on the Block.

Please help me welcome YoungRebel Publications.

YoungRebel Publications Launch


New UK independent publishing house YoungRebel Publications have announced they are open for submissions from Saturday 14th August 2010. Jacqueline Young, editor at YoungRebel said, ‘We are looking for exciting, fresh stories with main characters aged 16 to 21 years old. We accept queries for all genres and lengths, from writers of any age.’ Jacqueline, a teacher with over seventeen years of experience, went on to add, ‘We are particularly interested in writing that will appeal to our young male readers. A typical YoungRebel story has a strong lead character and an original plot line. It appeals to the tastes of today's young adult readers, not a sanitised distant memory of young adult tastes.

‘We launch on 25th October (the week before Halloween) with an anthology of paranormal shorts and at least one other title. If you have a story that will make our hair stand on end, then we'd like to hear from you. Your short must have a paranormal theme but can cross any other genre. For this anthology we are looking for stories with a maximum length of 3,000 words.

‘It’s an exciting time in publishing and we passionately believe e-books are the future. The young adult market has been neglected in e-publishing terms, a remarkable fact considering today’s youth are so comfortable with technological media. YoungRebel aims to connect this readership with new and upcoming talent.’

YoungRebel Publications are a full service, royalty paying company. Submissions by e-mail only. Send a query letter and sample chapters or complete manuscript as a Word compatible attachment to submissions@youngrebelpublications.com . Full submission guidelines are available on the website along with more detailed company and contract information. International authors are welcome.

Details: Jacqueline Young (Editor); e-mail: admin@youngrebelpublications.com; website: www.youngrebelpublications.com

Interview with my muse

This week, I had the privilege and pleasure to interview my muse in erotica fiction, author Becca Abbott, on my blog. Funny how life turns out. I first read her fanfiction stories about ten years ago, and I discovered erotica. Back then I was amazed such a thing existed, and how beautiful it was.
It was only a year and a half ago that a friend and excellent author, Marie Dees, talked about erotica on the critique group we both frequented, which prompted me to start writing erotica as well.
But Becca Abbott remains my muse. I love both her fanfiction and original stories and now she is published with the SL Publishing Group. I definitely recommend her.

Click here for the interview.

She gives the links to her webpages for fanfiction and original fiction, as well as to her published work. Have fun!

Sizzling Hot Surprise

I had quite a surprise yesterday when my editor sent me notice that my newest book Vampire in the Basement went to Pre-order over at All Romance Ebooks. I was excited and thrilled.

This book is an expansion for me into erotic romance. What does that mean? The love scenes are more frequent and detailed. What made this book different? The characters were so intense about each other. Regina and Gregor are about to get married. Theo and Lorraine have both been hurt in the past, but the raw animal magnetism between them is undeniable. It a vampire/supernatual erotic romantic comedy with death defying moments and passionate (very, very passionate) interludes. LOL It was so much fun to write.

You can preorder the book at http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-vampireinthebasement-448370-139.html

Here's a little taste:
Waking up with Gregor’s strong naked body against hers was a hundred times delicious, so delicious, that it was easy to forget they were sharing a makeshift bed of an open sleeping bag and blankets in a cave somewhere in Maine. His great, strong arms embraced her securely, not so tightly as to impede breathing, but enough to make Regina feel worshipped and adored and aware that he was still worried about her. The raw energy of the forest beyond the cave flowed into her, increasing her strength and making her glad to finally realize her half elf, half leprechaun heritage. The horrible feeling of having her life sucked out was almost gone.

The man holding onto her so tightly saved her life and sanity. A part of Regina questioned if she loved Gregor because of that. She closed her eyes and thought back to that time climbing through the rubble of the towers, listening to the screams in her head, as she tried to locate survivors. Regina could still see the face of the dying man. All she did was send a spark through him like she'd done thousands of times before to recharge batteries. But this time it was enough to save a life. Sighing, she hugged Gregor and he responded by squeezing her a little tighter. Gazing at his handsome sleeping face framed by thick dark hair made her heart finally peaceful. Gregor was her refuge, her champion, and everything she needed love to be. My big, brave bear of a man.

Gregor growled in his sleep, and she couldn't help kissing the stubble of beard on his cheek. How does he always manage to look so ‘drink me up sexy’? A part of her couldn't help but be annoyed, but the other part of her enjoyed looking at him too much. Then he moved onto his back, and she couldn’t resist crawling on top of him and brushing her lips ever so gently on his.

In one swift movement, he had her on her back. His blue Maine summer day eyes sparkled with mischief. He kissed her, peering down at her. "What were you up to when I was asleep?" His low rumbling laugh made her body shiver. Regina could feel his excitement growing harder against her thigh.

"Gree, I was thinking that I feel well enough to go back to New York."

“Sweetheart, there aren't anymore survivors to find." He stroked the side of her face, his fingers lingering in her hair. "I had to get you out of there. You were dying.” As his mouth pressed against her lips, his tongue pushed them apart and caressed the inside of her mouth until she gasped. “I love you, Reggie. How would I live without you?” With his lips, he worshiped her eyes, her nose, and finally her mouth again.

“Still we should have stayed. There might have been something else we could have done.”

"No. There wasn't." His eyes narrowed. "You're afraid to meet my family."

"No," she stammered. "It's not that at all.

He chuckled. "Yes, it is, Regina." He bit her lower lip playfully. Then he brushed a lock of hair tenderly out of her face. "Listen, I'd be nervous if we were in Alaska meeting your parents."

Regina couldn't help the trepidation she felt. As far as she knew, they were only minutes from his house. "What if they don't like me?"

"They are going to love you. Like I do. Okay, maybe not exactly like I do." He had one hand on her breast.

~ * ~
Thank you for dropping by the Paranormalists. It's been fun sharing my surprise with you.

--Susan Hanniford Crowley
Where love burns eternal!
http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Interview with Rebecca Leigh

Hey Paranormalists! Today I'm interviewing our own Rebecca Leigh.

Come on over and help Rebecca celebrate her new release, One Way Trip!

Here's the link. See you there. :)

Writer's Wednesday

Come by and meet Kelly Yeakle. A debut author at Decadent Publishing.

www.vividumas.wordpress.com

Also for those of you who came by last Wednesday, Lucifer's Daughter is available for purchase now. You can get more info on Eve's site.

http://www.evelanglais.com/excerpt/LD.htm

BooYah!

This was in the email tonight and I just had to share.

http://goteroticromance.blogspot.com/2010/08/blog-post.html?zx=bfc3fcf214d4c546

Chatting tonight

A little off topic, but tonight I'm participating in a Native American romance-themed chat with authors Margaret West and Ginger Simpson. We'll be discussing our NA-themed books, answering questions and providing excerpts and giveaways.

Night Owl Reviews will also be giving away prizes. One lucky chatter will leave with a hand full of awesome print books. Winner will be selected by NOR's door prize system (USA only). To be entered you need to attend the full chat.

Start Time: 5pm PST aka 8 EST - (Duration 1 hour)

Location: www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Pages/Chat.aspx

We look forward to seeing you there! :)

To my readers.

Thank you.


Thank you for buying my books and taking a chance on a new author.

Thank you for the notes, comments and emails. I just had a comment left on an old post, on a blog post from March. What a pick-me-up.

Thank you for being honest and letting me know what you liked and what you didn't. You help me to make the next book better. I listen to what you have to say. It's important to me, because you are important to me.

And thank you for supporting ePublishing and its authors. We may not be on every shelf in the bookstore, but you make sure we're not overlooked.

You truly are the best!

Dawn

To Delete a Rule or Not. That is the Question.

Unless anyone cares otherwise, I'll lose the posting schedule. Even one or two voices speaking up, and I won't bother but if not, the guideline I think we should follow is a courtesy one.
If you see someone in drafts and scheduled to come up, or has recently posted, then slap your post up in a reasonable amount of time later.

New Paranormal Release

If you haven't already heard -- there's a new super hot paranormal release our there!

FANGBANGERS: AN EROTIC ANTHOLOGY OF FANGS, CLAWS, SEX AND LOVE is now available from Ravenous Romance.

FANGBANGERS includes my short story "Forbidden Pleasure" about a male vampire and a female panther shifter.  This is my first story with a shifter!

Here's a short blurb.

Marcus Valiant has fantasized about fucking Juliet Jackson for so long that not even an ancient vampire law that forbids their coupling will stop him.  After picking her up at a local bar, his fantasies finally become reality.  Marcus may get punished by his panther lover, but in the end they both find satisfaction.

If your interested, FANGBANGERS can be purchased here:  Buy Link

If you'd like to learn more about me, you can look here:  Rebecca Leigh's Webpage

Leveling the playing field

Publishers Weekly announced the news yesterday that Dorchester would drop its mass market paperbacks for ebook and POD format. Like NOW. I hope they gave their authors a heads up, because this is huge news. Dorchester was one of the few bigger/midlist pubs to which an author could submit without an agent.

So what does this mean for the existing indie ebook pubs? No one truly knows, but with other big publishing houses adding ebooks as an option, the tide's turned significantly toward digital.

Does it level the playing field for authors? Not yet. And with younger generations apparently believing file sharing is their God-given right, it's still going to be a rough ride until publishers figure out how to fairly compensate authors for their work. Has anyone else heard of the Pirate Party? Check out my critique partner's two recent posts.

What are your thoughts?

By the way, I'm also celebrating today - my last release of the year! My Native American historical, Follow the Stars Home, releases today. Come help me celebrate on my blog!

Writer's Wednesdays

Hi Everyone! I don't think it's my day to post but I want to tell everyone about a new author spotlight I am having on my blog. Each Wednesday will be set aside for an author to highlight themselves. It can either be by way of interview, by guest blogging, if you have any fun and exciting giveaways, or anything else that will showoff our talents. I'm game for just about anything if you have any other good ideas.

I have slots filled through the August. But September is open. Please shoot me an email if you are interested in participating.

Also, please stop by and give your support to our fellow writers who are participating. Not all of them are Paranormalists, but maybe we can convince them to join if we show our support.

http://www.vividumas.wordpress.com/

I hope to hear from you!

Vivi

Release Day for Two Great Books and Giveaway of One: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway and I Am Number Four by Piitucus Lore aka James Frey and Jobie Hughs

Today is the release day of two really good books I was privileged to read. One is The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway. This is the second book by the author who is a relative new comer to the YA genre. It tells the tale of three sisters with special powers: ability to see the future, ability to disappear and ability to read minds. They have to use these powers to help them navigate a tough year in their life, of which hell in high school is only one part. The author has a tremendous talent to write the teen voice. Awesome!

The second book and the one that will be given away is I Am Number Four. The alleged author is Pitticus Lore, but the true authors are James Frey of A Million Little Pieces fame and Jobie Hughs who is making his debut and is apparently the major contributor to the book. This is an exciting story that is the first of a six-book series. It is the story of teen aliens from the planet Lorien who live among us on Earth, attempting to blend in and escape the Mogadorians, a murderous race of aliens that have destroyed their planet. The teens are the only survivors of Lorien and they're being hunted. The movie is already in production for release in February 2011.

I've reviewed both books more fully on my blog. Stop by to check them out and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a good read.

Toodles!
http://writingisablessing.blogspot.com

Surfacing now available!

Woot! My fantasy novel, Surfacing, is now available in ebook format from Whiskey Creek Press. A print edition will be available soon.

I finished this trailer over the weekend. It's one of the shortest I've created, but I think it does the job well. What do you think?



Here's an excerpt:
“Look out!” a woman screamed as the gator closed in.
Something slammed into his stomach and whooshed him beneath the water. A second slam, more like a thud, and he thought it was all over. For both of them. The thing gripped him without hurting him somehow, but moved so fast, AJ thought his body might break from the pressure of the speed. It felt like hurtling through the canal on an underwater express train, rolling as they went.
As his lungs felt near to bursting, they slowed and surfaced. Whatever held him released him by propelling him face-down onto a grassy bank.
Gasping for air, he scrambled up the side to escape it, but his arms and legs flailed, more spectacle than anything.
“What were you doing?” a girl’s rich, full voice asked.
He glanced over his shoulder, still grasping at the bank for leverage. He fell to the grass, stunned.
Instead of the ugly head of an alligator leering at him in a crocodile smile, the girl, even more gorgeous up close, leaned her hands on the bank and lifted herself up. Her wet hair clung to her chest and waist.
Too many questions flew through his head at once. “What?” he managed.
“You could have been killed. Why did you do that?” Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds flecked with onyx. Her long dark hair framed her porcelain face and rosebud lips.
His chest heaved. “You’re kidding, right? I saved you.”
She burst into laughter. Like bells tinkling, like music.
Fascination turned to irritation. He risked his life for her. “What? That alligator would’ve killed you.”
This made her laugh all the harder, her laughter like a melody he couldn’t quite place, though familiar.
The alligator drifted toward them on its side, like a log. Unmoving. Unconscious.
She giggled. “It won’t hurt you now.”
AJ glanced downriver to where the boat should have been. “What happened? Where’s the boat?” He held a hand to his head. He wished she’d stop laughing. The sound got inside his brain, jumbled his already knotted thoughts. And every time she looked at him, her eyes hypnotized him—their whites so clear and bright, the green shone like gemstones. Like no other eyes he’d ever seen.
Glancing upstream, she smiled. “Right where you left it.”
“No. I left it right there.” He still couldn’t catch his breath. Or his mind.
She twisted up and sat on the bank. “No, you left it around the bend. Remember?” As she turned her head, her hair shifted, revealing the curve of a breast.
AJ blinked, thinking his eyesight might have been affected by the impact. But he could see as clear as ever. The old biddy was right. “You’re not wearing clamshells.”
Her glittering eyes snapped to his. “What?”
His mind raced. If this girl was what he thought she was, he wanted to get closer. He slumped on the bank, letting his feet slide closer to her. “What are you doing out here? You’re not with the show.”
She tossed her head, and her hair swirled across her like a glossy curtain, tantalizing him. She edged toward the water. “No.”
The end of her tail rose, then swished beneath the canal. For a moment, he’d caught sight of it, the colors exactly as Grandpa had described: iridescent, ever-changing, like rich silk. He shifted closer for a better view. The transformation from skin to tail was seamless. Undetectable.
It was no costume.