Chasing Victory is a delightful debut novel by first-time author Joanne Jaytanie.
Our beautiful protagonist, Victory Winters, is a veterinarian and geneticist specializing in molecular biology for Claremont Research in Poulsbo, Washington. She also has a special innate ability she keeps secret: she has almost a telepathic gift to communicate with animals. As head of her department, she’s currently researching canine DNA and its potential benefits to humans.
Then one day, Victory receives a cryptic call from Jeffrey, an old friend and colleague who she hasn’t seen or spoken to in 5 years. Like her, he’s also a veterinarian and geneticist working for a competitor company, Biotec. Jeffrey insists he needs her help and asks her to meet him in a picnic spot. But, to her horror, once there she secretly witnesses his murder.
Soon after, she’s approached by a representative of Biotec with an offer to work for them. They claim that Jeffrey is working overseas, and they want her to take his place. Though she doesn’t trust them, she decides to play along in order to investigate her friend’s murder. But things go unexpectedly wrong when instead she’s kidnapped to a secluded island and forced to do research, injecting humans with wolf DNA. Unbeknown to Victory at first, the madman CEO wants to create the perfect invincible army.
Thus, Victory is soon pulled into a vortex of intrigue, blackmail and murder. Together with the hero, Tristan Farraday, a naval officer who also has telepathic abilities and who is sent undercover to investigate Biotec’s experiments, Victory must find a way to stop the company from carrying out their horrific plans and to get out of the island alive.
This was a fun, light, entertaining read! They story is compelling and the hero and heroine sympathetic. Victory is intelligent, yet caring and sensitive. Tristan is the perfect combination, not too alpha, not too soft. The action moves at a pretty quick pace, and there’s a lot of action and romantic suspense to keep readers turning pages. One thing I especially enjoyed about this story is that the love between Victory and Tristan develops gradually and organically. I certainly look forward to reading more works from this author. Recommended for fans of paranormal romance!
Melodie Campbell achieved a personal best this year when Library Digest compared her to Janet Evanovich.
Melodie got her start writing comedy (stand-up and columns.) In1999, she opened the Canadian Humour Conference. She has over 200 publications including 100 comedy credits, 40 short stories and 4 novels. Her fifth novel, a mob caper entitled The Goddaughter’s Revenge (Orca Books) will be released Oct. 1. She has won 6 awards for fiction, and was a finalist for both the 2012 Derringer and Arthur Ellis Awards.
Melodie is the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada. Her humour column ‘Bad Girl’ appears in The Sage.
Q: Welcome to the Dark Phantom, Melodie! Tell us why readers should buy ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD.
A: Need a laugh? Want to escape? That’s what I’m all about. I’m a former comedy writer who has gone over to the dark side of writing comic fantasy. ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD is a rollicking adventure novel, with romance, adventure, magic and sex…and hopefully you will find it ‘Hot and Hilarious” as many reviewers called the first book in the series.
Q: What makes a good comic time travel novel?
A: Fast and lean writing. A protagonist you like and want to be for a little while. OH, and maybe a few attractive warrior men to bring up the heat. But really, I think the trick to writing any novel is to provide the reader with an entertaining escape.
I write in first person. I like the reader to *become* the protagonist, to be pitched into Rowena’s head and experience what she does. That’s entertainment.
Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?
A: I’m the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada, so I have a day job. My writing, like many authors, is done mainly at night, from 8 until midnight, and on weekends.
I tell my writing students that writing takes time, and you have to give up something if you want to write. So I gave up the gym. And housework. I’m quite happy, really.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?
A: I’ve won six awards for fiction – BUT – have to admit – the most rewarding day of my writing life was very recent, when a reader found my email address and wrote to tell me that ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL (first in the Land’s End series) was the best book she had ever read. I actually cried. That’s the best reward I can imagine. And readers like her are the reason I continue to write.
Q: What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received that you’d like to pass to other authors?
A: Writing is work – hard work. Be prepared for that. We all think it should be easier, but it’s not. Sometimes, in those magic moments, it doesn’t seem like work, and that is grand. Those are the moments we live for.
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Dark magic…dark passions….
When Rowena is abducted from Arizona and taken back to medieval Land’s End, one thing is clear: she must learn to control her powers of magic. It isn’t easy being a modern girl in an archaic land, and when Rowena accidently conjures up a Roman Legion in mid-battle, Land’s End is on the brink of a war that could jeopardize everything and everyone she loves.
The stakes are raised when the Dark Lord reappears and traps Rowena in a cyclone of lust and passion. Once again, she is torn between the man she loves and the mage who fires her desire.
The most common question I get is about the writing process and how it works. So here’s what I know, based on my experience and conversations with other writers.
I think a common misconception about writers is that we only write when inspiration strikes. Then we become like Jo March in Little Women, hunched like gargoyles in drafty attics amid mountains of crumpled papers while our ink-stained fingers scribble furiously, desperately attempting to keep up with the ideas that flow from our heads like a spigot.
Well…yes. Sometimes it can be that way. And when it is, it’s awesome. But most of the time, it’s a slog. Those moments of inspiration are what every writer dreams about, but for every ten minutes of thrilling creativity, there are usually hours and hours of plain, hard work.
THAT part of writing is meticulous research, ruthless editing, and lots and lots of time spent thinking. Does the story make sense? Would this character really behave this way? Is this the right word or can I think of a better one? Story arc…Plot holes…Grammar…Punctuation!! And we probably spend more time than we like to admit thinking, “Oh crap! How do I get my characters out of this situation?”
THAT part of writing is not glamorous, but it is the part that takes you from a fleeting idea to a finished manuscript. And THAT part of writing is what allows you to hold your published book for the first time and feel…enormous satisfaction.
So keep on, all you fellow writers! Enjoy the Jo March moments. But don’t forget to put in the rest of the time as well.
About the author
Janet Halling discovered her love of writing at the age of six when her story of a lonely duck won a first grade writing contest. She has a degree in Marketing Communications and lives with her family in northern Utah. She is currently working on her next novel.
About the book
Ella Davies, is focused, independent, and driven. Her hard work is finally paying off and she is on the brink of great success. But what no one knows is that her frantic drive is born not from a desire to succeed, but from a need to forget – forget her past, forget her guilt, and mostly, forget the tragedy that changed her life forever.
Ella’s strategy seems to be working but on Christmas Eve she meets Cohen, a strange man with an even stranger purpose. Cohen catapults Ella back through time and forces her to confront not only her own pain, but the pain of those long since passed. In the process, Ella learns about courage and compassion and that in the darkest hour, no one is ever alone.
An Unexpected Angel – Excerpt (All rights reserved)
Somewhere there was a rhythmic humming—a kind of a swooshing sound that increased and decreased in volume at regular intervals. She couldn’t remember where she was. Her whole body ached, and her head felt as if it would explode.
Ella groaned and opened her eyes. She was still in the gym, lying crumpled against the weight machine. The treadmill had stopped, and the rhythmic sound was coming from the man riding the spinning bike, which sat nearby.
Her fingers trembled as she felt the goose egg on the side of her head. Her face was on fire, probably scraped on the belt, and her knees were bloody, also from the belt.
Suddenly she stiffened. There was a man riding the bike! A man riding the bike. While she had been lying there unconscious. Had he just sauntered in and climbed on without seeing her at all or had he viewed her inert form without concern? That was cold, even for New York City. Gingerly, she turned her head to look at him.
It was the clerk from the deli, and he didn’t stop pedaling as he glanced her way. “Oh good, you’re awake.”
She stared up at him in mute astonishment.
He reached for his water bottle and took a long drink. “I’m glad you woke up on your own,” he said pleasantly. “I was about ready to pour this in your face, so you can thank me for sparing you an unexpected shower.”
Ella grasped the weight machine and pulled herself slowly to a sitting position. Her head was throbbing, and her stomach lurched. “I could sue you for failing to come to the aid of an injured person,” she snapped rather feebly.
The man studied her contemplatively. “Hmmm, yes, you would think of that, wouldn’t you? But I’m not too worried, Ella. You’re not going to sue me and we both know it.”
She opened her mouth to snarl a retort but stopped abruptly. “How do you know my name?” she demanded. “And what are you even doing here? You don’t live in this building.” She hesitated, realizing she wasn’t sure. “Do you?”
He jumped off the bike and held out his hand. “You should get up. Want help?”
She shrank away from him. “Don’t touch me! Who are you, and how do you know my name?”
“Well, it’s simple really. My name is Cohen, and I’m your guardian angel.” He broke into a brief but rapid tap dance routine and finished with flair. And with jazz hands.
Ella stared at him in perplexed silence, unsure if he was a hallucination or just crazy. “Uh-huh. Right,” she finally said, groaning as she pulled herself to her feet. A wave of nausea hit her, and she stopped, doubling over and willing herself not to vomit. She for sure had a concussion.
She tried to think. Should she go to the hospital? Or maybe just go home and try to sleep? She didn’t know. She made a move toward the door, but Cohen tap-danced over to block her path.
“Get out of my way,” she snapped at him with more bravado than she felt.
He grinned. “Can’t do that. You and me, we have business tonight.”
For the first time, she felt a small dart of fear. Cohen wasn’t exactly menacing, but he certainly was strange. If he attacked her, would she have the strength to fight him? If only her head would stop hurting!
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I already told you, I’m your guardian angel. Well, not technically an angel, but that word will serve as well as any other. Anyway, I’m here to help.”
“Sure. Like you helped me when I was unconscious a minute ago? If that’s your kind of help, no thanks.”
“No, not that kind of help, silly.”
“Look, whatever you’re on, whatever you’re offering, I’m not interested. Just leave me alone, please? I’m sore and tired, and my head is killing me. I need to go lie down.”
“Oh, right. That.” He made some sort of vague gesture and instantly her nausea subsided and the pain in her head vanished.
Chills raced up and down her spine, and she stared at him, “Wait . . . what’s . . . what’s going on?”
“Okay, no more joking around.” Cohen looked suddenly serious. “Here’s the deal. You need help and there’s a lot you need to learn. Only you’re far too stubborn to admit it. You might not even know how much help you need. But I know; so here I am.”
The pieces were starting to fall into place. “Wait . . . Christmas Eve . . . guardian angel. This is some kind of a joke, right?” she said before adding sarcastically, “What’s the matter, Jacob Marley was busy? Clarence already got his wings? Or wasn’t he on duty tonight?”
He grinned. “Both good men. But you got stuck with me. Although, all things considered, maybe it’s me who got stuck with you. You can be quite unpleasant, do you know that?”
Ella snorted derisively. “So when does the Ghost of Christmas Past show up? Or is he waiting for me upstairs?”
“Dickens took some liberties. It doesn’t exactly work like that. At least, this time it won’t.”
“You have exactly one second to get out of my way or I’m going to start screaming at the top of my lungs!”
Cohen cocked his head to one side and gave her a brief shrug of resignation. “Okay then, you win. Can’t say I didn’t try.” He stepped smoothly to one side and swept his arm in a wide arc toward the door. “Be my guest.”
Throwing him what she hoped was a withering glare, Ella marched past him, flung open the door—and stepped into a nightmare.
When author and city-slicker Deb Elkink fell in love and married an introverted cowboy, she moved from her bright lights to his isolated cattle ranch far off in the prairie grasslands. Still—between learning to pilot a light aircraft, sewing for a costume rental store, and cooking for branding crews of a hundred—Deb graduated with a B.A. in Communications from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN; she also holds an M.A. in Theology (both summa cum laude).
Her award-winning debut novel, THE THIRD GRACE, is set in the contrasting locales of Parisian street and Nebraskan farmyard, and incorporates Greek mythology and aesthetics with the personal search for self. Her writing has been described as “layered and sumptuous,” “compelling,” and “satisfying.”
Pick up your paperback copy of Deb Elkink’s THE THIRD GRACE at Amazon.
Thanks for agreeing to an interview today, Deb. What’s the significance of your novel’s title, The Third Grace?
A: It’s lovely to chat with you, thanks. The Third Grace grapples with mythological, aesthetic, and spiritual themes, and the concept of grace runs throughout it.
Can you expound a bit on that?
Well, to begin with, I always christen my characters according to name meaning. Back when she was 17, farm-girl Mary Grace (meaning “bitter” and “charm”) felt anything but graceful. She fell in love when French exchange student François flattered her with compliments comparing her to a Greek goddess, Aglaia (meaning “brightly shining one, keeper of treasures”). Mary Grace legally adopted the name when she redefined herself, running away from farm, family, and faith to the big city of Denver, determined to become a poised costume designer and climb the ladder of success in the arts world.
Then, my title reflects the artistic and literary aspect of grace through Aglaia’s professional involvement with the stage and her obsession with Greek mythology. Her namesake goddess was the most beautiful sister of the Three Graces (or Charites)—daughters of Zeus and attendants of Aphrodite presiding over the banquet, the dance, and all the fine arts. Even Aglaia’s love of sewing imitates the artistry of these goddesses, and François’s enduring stories continue to enchant her all these years later.
Now, she’s about to leave on a business trip to Paris, the city of her dreams and the pinnacle of sophistication. Aglaia also hopes to play the tourist and visit the Louvre’s marble statue grouping of The Three Graces that François used as the icon of his seduction. Maybe between business meetings and sightseeing she’ll even look for her lost lover in the flesh. But she keeps running into her past life through her reading material and her memories, which together remind her of a third definition of grace as the “unmerited favor of God.”
There’s more to the title The Third Grace, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Suffice it to say that Aglaia faces what Mary Grace, The Three Graces, and the metaphysical concept of grace itself are all about.
So your story includes a lot of Greek mythology?
Yes, and I loved researching the topic, which holds the key to François’s motivation and much of Aglaia’s identity.
For example, I learned about Chaos, the dark nothingness from which all else sprang. And I read about Gaia, who gave birth to the starry heavens as eternal home for the blessed and bestial gods, and then gave birth to Tartarus as the lowest level of the underworld and a wretched pit of blackness reserved for eternal punishment, and then gave birth to Eros as erotic love: heaven, hell, and sex all born out of one divine womb.
The Graces figure in many of François’s mythological tales: Embodying refinement, they dressed the gods in the finest of clothing for their sumptuous banquets and brought luxury to the pantheon on Mount Olympus; they wove the rainbow for Iris to wear; they were involved in the love affair between Orion and the nymph Merope; they tempted Sisyphus, and his lust damned him to the everlasting task of rolling a boulder uphill.
It sounds as though there are parallels between Greek myths and biblical stories—I mean, creation and heaven and hell . . .
That’s exactly the connection François made when he jotted notes into the margins of a Bible his host family forced on him that summer in Aglaia’s past—notes she now discovers, and which reignite all her passionate teen memories of him. For example, where Genesis says, “In the beginning, God created,” he wrote, “In the beginning, the gods created.” The juxtaposition of motifs is at the heart of the story: fatalism versus faith, devolution versus incarnation, imagination versus reality, wandering journey versus purposeful quest.
How do you answer the criticism by some conservative readers that The Third Grace is too steamy?
I wonder: Don’t they have memories of falling in love, being swept away by that sultry glance and that first kiss?
In fact, it’s true that my whole novel is steeped in sensuality: tastes of French wine and Mennonite borscht, scent of fine perfume, howling of prairie wind and murmurs of throaty saxophone, glimpses in a Parisian market of dead chickens hanging from twine-wrapped claws and brown blocks of Marseillaise soap. And I admit that a few of my scenes sizzle with romance some readers find perturbing.
My answer is that real life can’t avoid the senses of the physical body, which is after all the container of the soul. I didn’t write these scenes to cause discomfort, but I also didn’t write my story for children. Maybe it’s a bit spicy, but I wouldn’t call it erotic.
Please share with us a few telling lines from the novel, with some context.
François quotes Ancient Greek poetry about the Three Graces as he sweet-talks Aglaia:
“Their alluring eyes glance from under their brows, and from their eyelids drips desire that unstrings the limbs.”
Aglaia’s boss at Incognito Costume Shop, Ebenezer MacAdam, sees her floundering in her personal life and refers to Dante’s Divine Comedy when he tells her:
We all wake one day, midway the path of life, to find ourselves in a dark wood where the right way is wholly lost and gone. Perhaps trying to look good is the first step homeward.
Dr. Lou Chapman, Aglaia’s mentor manipulating her for professional and personal ends, schemes with a colleague (the university theater department head) in trying to hire Aglaia away from her current job:
I think she’ll bite, Oliver. I’ve inferred to Aglaia that you’ll give her a lecturing position in the arts program.
Much later, in a short but pivotal line, Lou writes alongside François’s penciled jottings in the Bible another message in ink—a direct challenge to the boyfriend’s influence:
SEE ME. LOU.
In a scene where Aglaia reconnects, rather unwillingly, with a plodding and unimaginative childhood friend who still lives out in the country and eventually reveals a pivotal bit of news, we read:
Naomi had never been as pretty as Aglaia, a fact she freely admitted as a teen. But she still wore joy on her face like a makeup.
Aglaia is overwhelmed by feelings stimulated not only through mythological stories but also through Bible verses learned by heart as a child and haunting her again as, emotionally and spiritually parched, she reads Francois’s margin notes:
Her subconscious was soaked in the words of the text, and they taunted her now . . . Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, her memory echoed.
In another echo of the words of invitation Aglaia can’t get out of her mind, her farmer parents make an astounding request:
“Won’t you come back home to us? . . . “Won’t you come back?”
Some of these lines arouse in me a desiderium—that ardent longing (or even grieving) as for something lost. My epitaphs at the very beginning of the book express it well:
Be mindful, goddess! of thy promise made;
Must sad Ulysses ever be delay’d?
Around their lord my sad companions mourn,
Each breast beats homeward, anxious to return.
(Homer, Odyssey)
Man has always lost his way. He has been a tramp ever since Eden; but he always knew, or thought he knew, what he was looking for.
(G.K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong with the World)
Does your next novel deal with similar themes of finding oneself, of looking for meaning?
In in a way, it does. Libby, a Minneapolis salesclerk being harassed by a bag lady, is on the verge of her first home purchase, while her best friend is tempting her instead to spend her money in traveling along to “sacred sites” around the globe. Discovering a child’s Victorian ring in her deceased grandmother’s effects sends Libby to a mansion museum in North Dakota, where she finds her own heritage and the true meaning of “home.”
School teacher Elinor Hawthorne inherits from her grandmother a house in Scotland. Soon enough, she begins to suspect something strange is going on in the house. Naturally, Elinor has common sense and doesn’t believe in ghosts — that is, until she sees them.
That’s right, not one but two: Basil Manneville and Guy Guiscard, medieval knights killed in battle against the French back in the 1300s.
Though both become her confidants, she begins to fall in love with Basil. Their love, however, becomes impossible, for how can a woman have a relationship with a man in spirit form? Thus, Basil leaves her.
However, in a turn of fate and one lifetime later, Basil is given a second chance to be with her. Will their love transcend time and will they finally be together?
I throughly enjoyed reading Heroes Live Forever. It is a compelling, well-written story that combines sweet romance, fantasy and time travel. A strong-headed, feisty heroine, knights in shining armor, humor, thrilling love scenes and a magnificent setting add the perfect sprinkle of spice to the recipe. This is a romantic tale that will delight fans of the genre. Recommended!
I’d like to announce the release of my parody/satire novel, SUNSTRUCK, just published by Twilight Times Books! I really like the cover. Just looking at it makes me want to run to the beach–almost impossible in the middle of Brussels. It is a light, fun cover for a light, quirky summer read.
To celebrate the book’s release and for a limited time, the book will have the reduced price of $2.99 (instead of $5.95). You can find it at:
I’m offering a special gift for those of you who purchase a copy: just send me proof of purchase at mayra.calvani@gmail.com and I’ll give you a coupon to get my supernatural thriller, DARK LULLABY, free from Smashwords! You can learn more about the book here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94529
As part of the book’s release, I’m having a One-Day Blitz at Enchanted Book Tours andBewitching Book Tours. There will also be a virtual blog tour starting tomorrow and running until September 15th.
You can read reviews about the book on Amazon and also read a chapter HERE.
Hi Dark Phantom, it’s been almost a year since I last joined you for a chat about my writing life. I’m really glad to be back today to tell you more about my research into witches and the witch hunts that sparked the idea for Illicit Magic and the Stella Mayweather series.
The Salem witch trials are well known for the brutality and ignorance. Many of us have heard of this period of history and the barbaric way of “encouraging” confessions. I asked myself what if the witches were really magical beings and what if the witch hunts were really to eradicate actual witches? What would happen if the years interceding then and now were quiet with no signs of witches, then suddenly there was another uprising? Would people be horrified at the accusation or the existence of witches, or neither… would they believe and be behind the witch hunts?
What surprised me most about my research was finding that a similar witch hunt had occurred in the English village of Pendle some 80 years before. Eleven people were charged with murder by witchcraft; ten were found guilty, including four members of the same family after being testified against by the nine-year-old daughter of a family, a legal precedent at the time. Pendle Hill only reappeared in the news recently when the site was being developed and a witch’s cottage was discovered along with relics of witchcraft. This period of English history is largely unknown but readers probably won’t be surprised to find that given the circumstances, Pendle has ties to Salem. Indeed, the evidence provided at Pendle was used by magistrates in Salem and it was the Pendle case that allowed the testimony of children, a crucial part of the evidence-giving eighty years later.
Finding that the Salem witch trials had roots in England was an amazing discovery for me, especially as Illicit Magic is very much a transatlantic story with roots in London and the (fictional) Yorkshire village of Hawksley, and across the pond, New York and the (fictional) US town Wilding.
That said, I didn’t want Stella Mayweather’s story to be a historical novel or too mired in the tragedy. Though the facts gave me a starting point and sparked the “what if?” questions, the novels are an adventurous romp with magic, mystery and intrigue. Though the magical powers are made up, other research involves reading up on common symbols in witchcraft so more familiar folklore lies alongside the new elements.
Illicit Magic
By Camilla Chafer
Blurb:
More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it’s happening again.
Racing from attack by the ruthless Brotherhood in London to the powerful witch council in New York, twenty-four-year-old novice witch Stella has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
Sent to an extraordinary safe house by the sea to learn her craft, Stella finds there is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human?
There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence?
Hi, I’m Camilla and I’m the author of the Stella Mayweather Series, an urban fantasy/mystery. The series starts with Illicit Magic and a lonely young woman, Stella, who has been caught up in a terrifying witch hunt and is whisked thousands of miles away to what she thinks is safety to learn her craft. The series is a blend of magic, mystery and romance with a splash of humour – and while the girls really do go all out to save themselves, there’s always a hunky guy or two on hand to help them out. The series continues with Unruly Magic and Devious Magic, both out now.
I live in London, England, but I try to travel as often as I can – I’ve been all over the US and Europe. In my day job I’m a journalist and editor so I write for magazines, newspapers and websites throughout the world (my favourite assignment was spending a week riding rollercoasters – if you listen carefully you can probably still hear me screaming) but writing fiction has always been my first love.
I don’t intentionally read books to drool over hot muscular men. It’s just what happens to me sometimes. I’m enjoying the story, loving the plotline, and then out of nowhere a gorgeous guy steps on the scene, capturing my heart. I have plenty of book boyfriends, but we’re all busy with things to do, so I’ll just give you my top five drool-worthy hotties!
1- CURRAN, The Beast Lord of Atlanta
(Ilona Andrews- Magic Series)
This blond hair and grey eyed Were-lion is funny and dangerous all at the same time. If you would like to date this guy, I would tread carefully because his girlfriend Kate knows her way around a sword.
Any Curran POV that Ilona Andrews puts out I devour within seconds!
2- JERICHO BARRONS , The Sociopath we love to hate!
(Karen Marie Moning- Fever Series)
Most of the series you have no idea what species Barrons belongs to, so I’m not going to say it, just in case some sad person out there has not had the pleasure to meet my sexy sociopath. Let’s just say he is an exotic looking guy with dark hair. There’s a pretty sizzling POV sex scene that Karen Moning recently published this month. Check it out!
3- RICHARD, The Wolf King
(Laurel K Hamilton- Anita Blake Series)
This tall, dark, and handsome Boy Scout is an unwilling member in Anita Blake’s harem. Many see him as a whiner, but I love his desire to stand up for what he believes in.
4- BONES
(Jeaniene Frost- Night Huntress Series)
This Vampire is a devoted and loyal lover who loves to bite interesting parts of the body. I think that’s what really sticks out to me the most about him.
5- KISTEN
(Kim Harrison- Hollows Series)
I just love my Vampires! Many people are probably saying, “Kisten? Who?” This hottie is in the earlier part of the series. To avoid giving away any spoilers I won’t say anymore, but after a certain book in the series I must admit I sent some horrible emails to Mrs. Harrison. I was so upset.
(In fact… I don’t know if I am quite over the trauma…. Or if Mrs. Harrison has stopped that restraining order. )
Honorable Mentions
MeShack and Zulu, OF COURSE!!
(Kenya Wright- Habitat Series)
MeShack
A half Black and Iranian Were-cheetah that purrs when he is. . . happy. He’s also the lead singer to Mahogany Groove and considered a playboy around the Santeria habitat.
Zulu, The Heart Ripper
He organized Mixbreeds For Equality. He’s called The Heart Ripper because when he discovers a drug dealer is selling to kids in his neighborhood. . . he rips their hearts out of their chest.
Fire Baptized
By Kenya Wright
Since the 1970’s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.
Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.
Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend Meshach and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.
While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?
Kenya Wright always knew she would be famous since the ripe old age of six when she sung the Michael Jackson thriller song in her bathroom mirror. She has tried her hand at many things from enlisting in the Navy for six years as a Persian-Farsi linguist to being a nude model at an art university.
However, writing has been the only constant love in her life.
So here we are Kenya is publishing her first book, Fire Baptized, the urban fantasy novel she always wanted to read. This novel is the first book in a series.
Will she succeed? Of course.
For she has been coined The Urban Fantasy Queen, the Super Iconic Writer of this Age, The Lyrical Genius of Our Generation. Granted, these are all terms coined by her, within the private walls of her bathroom as she still sings the Michael Jackson thriller song.
Kenya Wright currently resides in Miami with her three amazing, overactive children, a supportive, gorgeous husband, and three cool black cats that refuse to stop sleeping on Kenya’s head at night.
I want to thank THE DARK PHANTOM for having me as a guest blogger today. I’m excited to tell you about my book, THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, book 2 in my Fate with a Helping Hand series.
Today I’m going to talk about setting. When I started writing THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, I knew I wanted to set the story in a place that had meaning to me. Growing up near Westport, MA, I always visited Horseneck Beach during the summer. Cape Code is beautiful. But there are just as many beautiful places to visit along the Massachusetts coastline. Westport was a perfect seaside town for romance!
In THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, Cara is struggling with change. Her biological clock is ticking. Her parents are moving from her childhood home to go live thousands of miles away in Florida. And she’s not feeling complete in her relationship with her current boyfriend, who her mother just happens to hate! While she loves her career, she’s at a crossroad that many women and men face in their lives. Add a mother who is so ready to become a grandmother, a free-spirited grandmother who goes skinny dipping on a public beach, a sexy old friend who just happened to scribble a marriage proposal on the back of a birthday card, the charm of a seaside home, and an inept boyfriend who “just doesn’t get it” and you have a recipe for laughter and romance.
While writing THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, I went home to Westport in my mind many times and reminisced about walking the beach, picking up shells, camping on the beach and walking along the jetty with my boyfriend who is now my husband of 21 years. As I remembered my good times there, I could almost feel the sand between my toes, the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves.
In THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, Cara reminisces about long ago times as well as she navigates her way through her crossroad until she finally realizes what she really wants. Is there a setting from your past that you revisit in your mind from time to time? Tell me about it. I will be giving away a copy of THE KNIGHT AND MAGGIE’S BABY to one commenter today. So don’t be shy. Leave a comment for a chance to win!
BIO:
Lisa Mondello is the bestselling author of 13 published books. Her first published book, the award winning ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU, was recently reissued as an ebook and has had over 350,000 downloads worldwide. In addition to publishing her Fate with a Helping Hand series, which includes THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT and THE KNIGHT AND MAGGIE’S BABY, she is releasing her popular Texas Hearts Romance series as ebooks, which include Her Heart for the Asking, His Heart for the Trusting and The More I See. She currently writes for Harlequin Books and is collaborating with a film producer/screenwriter on a screenplay.
She loves to hear from readers. You can email her at LisaMondello@aol.com, find her on her blog talking about writing, movies and music at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com or chat on Twitter at @LisaMondello.
BLURB for THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT
They were destined to fall in love. But sometimes fate has other plans… Cara Carvalho and Devin Michaels became best friends one distant summer. No two people were more in sync about what they wanted their lives to be. But fate and their own inner need for success forced them to separate. But sometimes love needs a helping hand… Now both are approaching that magic age of 35 and are seeking more from their lives. When Cara’s mom finds a glib promise on the back of Cara’s 17th birthday card, she decides to take matters into her own hands and bring Devin and Cara together again. With a little help and “creative” planning, can they have a second chance at happiness?
A former journalist, Kellyann’s interest in Middle Eastern myth and legend stems from her stint as a Managing Editor of Publications for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. She is a published author of several genie romance novellas. One book, Angels & Genies, was included in a collection for which Charlaine Harris wrote the foreword. Kellyann lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three children, and a jaunty terrier named Djin-Djin.
I work as a freelance editor when I’m not writing…or promoting a new book (which can turn into a fulltime job.) You could say I’m a language matchmaker: I enjoy putting wandering commas in their place, reuniting split infinitives and, basically, grooming sentences so they make a beautiful story.
How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?
The Genie Ignites, like most books I write, started with an outline. I had a general idea of the story in my head; I knew the beginning and the end. Then I work through chapter by chapter with a glimpse of what I want to happen. Of course, once I dive into the story, the characters frequently have ideas of their own of what they want to happen. I’m flexible.
Did your book require a lot of research?
The Genie Ignites required a lot of research. I wanted to be accurate about the Middle Eastern world where genies are an accepted part of lore, both in the past and in today’s world. I’d read a lot about the legends of the jinn, how they started and how they’re perceived today. I also subscribe to some archaeological magazines, which provide great insight into how the ancient world looked and how the people lived when Zubis first fell in love with the priestess Lina. Then I drew that forward into a modern world, which is where my own experience came in.
What was your goal when writing this book?
I wanted to create a story where a reader could imagine genies and humans living side-by-side. Genies are a very real part of the mythology in many parts of the world. They’re thought to be similar to humans but with abilities we can only imagine. There are even rules about the extent of interaction between the two races. What if a genie and a human tried to make their own way together, in spite of the obstacles? That’s what this story is about.
Who is your target audience?
My audience will be anyone who loves a good story that combines romance, suspense and humor. A tale that travels to exotic locations and dips into unique customs and styles. But, especially, fans of paranormal romance will really love this book.
Describe your working environment.
My office has a lot of windows, bud-green walls, and a tabletop fountain. The sound of gurgling water transports me to the midspace between reality and imagination where a writer lives. I have a small Bose stereo to play my iPod, which is loaded with Middle Eastern music, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, and a bunch of jazz. There’s a collection of clay oil lamps from theMiddle Eastdisplayed on my desk. I’m waiting for the day when a mist begins to seethe from one of the spouts. I won’t run from the room…promise.
Do you write non-stop until you have a first draft, or do you edit as you move along?
I write non-stop, and I mean non-stop, until the book is finished. Up at 5 a.m.for a few hours, take care of the kids and my husband in between, then back to work. When the muse has me by the hand, they are very understanding. Each morning when I check back in with the story, I do a cursory read-through of the previous scene and I’ll make grammatical changes. But the heavy edits wait until that first draft is finished. This is a piece of advice I once got in a writers workshop: Get it out. Then, fix it up.
What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Find your voice. That is, be who you are as a writer, not who you think you should be. Finding your voice can take years, but it’ll be worth it.
Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your work?
Foreword Best Book of the Year Winner, 2011 Global eBooks Awards Winner, National Best Books Award Finalist and EPPIE Finalist! Currently required reading at Loyola College, Kent University and Claremont University.
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almost a telepathic gift to communicate with animals. As head of her department, she’s currently researching canine DNA and its potential benefits to humans.
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