Snippet Sunday - Christmas ICE Magic - Surviving the Loss

Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. The snippets are from my Christmas novella, Christmas I.C.E. Magic, a paranormal romance set in the mountains northeast of Las Vegas. It's one of four stories in the Happy Holidays from the Crescent Moon Lodge Anthology, and it's only sale for only $0.99. And in a few weeks, the sequel to Christmas ICE Magic is coming out. If you missed last week's snippet of Bronco's Rough Ride, you can read it HERE.

In this snippet, Lily Sinclair is struggling to find peace after the death of her twin brother two years earlier. This Christmas she's going extreme camping, seeking the magic she used to feel when her brother was alive.

A gust of snowflake-laden wind snapped Lily back to the present and she scanned the white world ahead. Though she knew the sun hadn’t set yet, the world lay swaddled in snowy twilight and the determined survivalist in her warned she’d have to build some sort of shelter soon. Her legs told her the ground climbed, but her eyes couldn’t detect features in the winter expanse.

Everything smelled wet, cold, and fresh, and her weather sense warned of a larger, heavier storm approaching. Linus had often teased her about her “weather witchiness,” but he’d always listened to her gut feelings when it came to storms.

Except that one night. Why didn’t you listen to me then, Linus?

Because she hadn’t been there. She’d been hiking in Snowy Mountains of Australia that Christmas with her Wild Women Travel group. Linus had only been going out to pick up groceries for Christmas Eve dinner—something as mundane as butter or eggs. Friends told her the roads had been slick with black ice and the stupid asshole who’d hit him where he waited at a red light had been so drunk, he’d survived the ensuing crash with only broken leg. Linus had died on impact, and Lily struggled to live with the broken heart.

Hindsight is always 20/20. There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Charley Descoteaux, SJ Maylee, Gem Sivad, Goran Zidar, Veronica Scott, and Karla Doyle.

If you're interested in more from Christmas ICE Magic, here's the blurb for the Anthology:

At the Crescent Moon Lodge, anything is possible and Christmas wishes come in the most unusual packages.

Christmas I.C.E. Magic – By Siobhan Muir
For Lily Sinclair, Christmas means sorrow and loss since the death of her twin brother. The magic is gone and she only wants to see her brother one more time. As an Ice Demon Zachary Snow is used to rescuing people in winter, but he’d never rescued anyone like Lily. Now he must convince her the magic she wants is in life itself.

A Howling Yuletide –By Shannan Albright

Fleur Delecourt knew her Christmas holiday was doomed from the start. Not only did she hate the cold and snow, but also she found herself saddled with a ski instructor, courtesy of a friend’s twisted sense of humor. Werewolf Rory Furr left Scotland to find a life and pack of his own. What he was not prepared for was finding his mate in the form of a petite redhead who tests both his self-control and patience.

Bon Appetite from the Lunar Eclipse Restaurant-By R.M. Sotera
Executive chef vampire Michael Stake loves his job at the Lunar Eclipse Restaurant. Although food critics do not visit often, he welcomes world-renown critic Penelope Rothchild to his establishment. That’s when all hell breaks loose. World-renown food critic Penelope Rothchild looks forward to her new assignment in Las Vegas. Christmas in the West, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. But it’s all in the name of the perfect meal.

Boo Christmas – By Johanna Riley
All Elvira "Elle" Grant wanted for Christmas was to get out from under her famous paranormal investigator parents' shadow. But being a medium she's always haunted by their profession. Thanks to a contest win, she gets the chance to do her own paranormal investigating during Christmas at the beautiful Crescent Moon Lodge near Las Vegas, Nevada. With hunky (albeit dead!) Casper Van Beau’s help. Can Elle get over her own insecurities long enough to open up to the possibilities of eternal love?

Happy Holidays from the Crescent Moon Lodge is only $0.99 at Amazon, All Romance, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Pick up your copy and get swept away for Christmas. And keep an eye out for Cloudburst Ice Magic coming July 20th 2014!

Author Spotlight and New Release from Shannan Albright

Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked! Today I have to opportunity to spotlight multipublished author and good friend, Shannan Albright. Her newest book, Dark Hunter releases this week from Evernight Publishing. Woot! :D Shannan was the one who told me to publish my stories and got me started on this road. She has generously offered a hot excerpt for you to enjoy. :)

But first, the Blurb for Dark Hunter:

Vampire Mari Ankamunan struggles to pick up the pieces of her life after her bar The Asp becomes a war zone between the Enforcers and members of the Preservation Society, who want all dark breeds wiped out. The sudden appearance of the only man she ever loved brings her world to a crashing halt, for she witnessed his brutal murder two thousand years ago.

Navar’s spoken oaths to his Sire cost him Mari. Torn from her side by the sidhe queen, he is her Hunter, delivering justice for crimes against the breeds. Now freed he returns to his lover's side only to be caught in a dark plot where Mari is targeted for death.

The stakes are high, can they uncover a deadly plot against the Enforcers or will Navar lose Mari, forever by an assassin’s hand?

EXCERPT:

“I will do everything in my power to protect her, even lay down my life if it comes to that.” Navar’s words rang in the still air, spoken as an oath.

“Marcus will be relieved to find out Mari is well protected. I know after the incident with the Preservation Society, he has been concerned for her safety. Someday you must tell me how you secured your release.”

Mari blinked at the two men, feeling left out of the loop in the XY-chromosome chat. Males. Can’t live without them and can’t kill them. Irritation spiked into the red zone, her patience threadbare for the bullshit. Placing her diminutive self between the two towering males, she gave them both a fearless glare and fisted her hands on her hips.

All conversation stopped as they stared down at her with surprise. Good, now she had their attention. “I’ve been alive since the time of Cleopatra. I didn’t survive all those centuries by being a fucking weak female. I can fight, strategize, and I damn well have enough intellect in this ‘girly’ brain to figure out what I need to do to save my own hide, thank you very much. Now, if you don’t mind talking to me, not about me, it would be appreciated and might save your ball sacs from relocating somewhere north on your body. Are we clear, boys?”

Adrian threw his head back and roared a large rolling laugh that reverberated throughout the room. She blinked in surprise. She’d never once seen any enforcer laugh. Sure, they smiled, chuckled, and even smirked, but never laughed. She found it…disconcerting.

“Point taken. You will have your hands full with this little hellion, hunter. I don’t envy you.”

“Little hellion indeed. Yet well worth the extra trouble,” Navar agreed, his pale eyes darkening with hunger. 

If you'd like to read more of Dark Hunter, it releases July 17th at:
Evernight Publishing

If you'd like to read the other two stories in the Dark Breeds Enforcers Series:
Dark Passion Rising
Passion's Flight

For Shannan Albright:

Growing up I was called the dreamer of the family, something not always thought of as a positive thing. As a child, I would draw and build stories around my pictures, so writing was a natural extension for me. Recently a family member told me that from now on she would encourage those dreamers she knew. Stating “with hard work and focus dreams can come true. Shannan Albright is proof that dreaming can be a positive thing.”

When not writing I spend my time between oil painting and reading. I love writing paranormal, urban fantasy, historical and fantasy romances because of the world building and rich characters I feel a connection to. I’m drawn to dark, edgy heroes and heroines overcoming impossible odds internal and external.

I’m a "hopeful" Romantic who believes a healthy relationship built on respect and a strong partnership is the key to a happy ever after.

 
You can find her here:
Website
On Facebook
On Twitter
On Goodreads
On Linkedin

Thank you for stopping by and happy reading! :)

Saturday Souvenirs: The Kreativ Blogger Award

So this week has been a great one with the release of Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack, my Siren debut. Not only that, but I was awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award by Chessny Silth, a wonderful YA writer from Norway (this will become important in a moment).

Thank you, Chessny! I really appreciate it. :)

Part of this award requires me to tell you ten things about myself before I pass it along, and then pass it to five more people. :)

1. I have a master's degree in geology, emphasis in paleontology (that's right, I dig up dead things).
2. My uncle's family is from Norway (see, I told you it was important), and my cousin carries the name of a town there.
3. I can speak three languages and I'm learning a fourth, Hungarian, one of the hardest in the world.
4. On one international trip, I went to India and Italy, and on another I went to Alaska and Australia.
5. I don't like red sauce for my spaghetti, and can't stand cooked cabbage.
6. I have written a scientific thesis project that is as long as one of my novels, and in which I made 10,000 measurements on the comparative specimens for it.
7. I didn't learn to read until I was 9 years old.
8. My grandfather was a mechanic for the machine gun turrets on the old B-29 bombers from World War II.
9. I was a mime for the Colorado Renaissance Festival for two years.
10. I was an extra in a movie when I was a kid (you can see my ponytail silhouette at the front of the stage in a concert scene).

The five people I'd choose for the award are:

Wakefield Mahon, Nichole Severn, Shannan Albright, Zee Monodee, and Cara Bristol.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I welcome comments. If you are one of the recipients, just copy the badge from my site and take it to your own. Happy reading! :)

Interview with Tegan Murin from Passion's Flight by Shannan Albright

Good morning. Yesterday, I was talking with my friend and fellow Las Vegas author Shannan Albright, and she told me the most amazing tale. I'd been bugging her to get me an interview with Tegan Murin, the enforcer from her recent release, Passion's Flight. Tegan is notoriously prickly, so she said she'd at least go talk to him to see if she could get anything more out of him to share. Below is the transcript of their talk.

I finally found The Asp Bar in the seedier part of Las Vegas. If not for this interview, I would have turned around and headed back as fast as my cowardly ass-end could go. Several blocks away from the Fremont Experience, the neighborhood in which the small bar sat was run down. Homes stood vacant with foreclosure stickers stuck to the doors and only a few were occupied, if all the old broken down cars littering the driveways and sidewalks were any indication. On one side stood an empty lot, chained and padlocked, filled with overgrown weeds and dirt, everything about this place was just as I wrote it.

Very surreal and a part of me wished I could take a moment more to investigate my surroundings further. Fortunately I’m smart enough to know how stupid that would be. Besides I had an interview to do which I was already late for.

I parked and locked my car, praying it would still be untouched when I came back out and hurried inside the bar. Again I was hit by a strong sense of Déjà vu. The bar was nearly empty, but then again the hour of day had a lot to do with that. Most of The Asp clientele were night dwellers, though I was surprised to find Mari behind the bar, her newly braided hair clinking with the swaying of her beaded hair. Her smile was warm, brown eyes lighting up with genuine pleasure as she moved toward me, leaving the bar. Now I’m short, standing at five foot three and rounded with lots of curves, yet next to this ancient vampire, I felt like a lumbering bull moose. Small boned, she stood the same height as I, but her body was leaner and more toned than mine could ever be.

Nope, I wasn’t jealous, really. Oh, hell maybe a little.

Without a word she led me to where Tegan waited with a scowl on his face. Even with the dark look the man was a walking sex ad. Could anyone be sexier? His gaze swept over me, bringing goose bumps up my whole body, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt very few females could refuse him anything.

As breathtaking as a fallen angel, his dark hair fell in dark waves past his broad shoulders framing his chiseled face. Green eyes snapped with irritation and I found myself swallowing nervously. With a weak smile, I slid into the booth and pulled out my pad and pen, feeling his gaze boring holes in me as I prepared for our interview.

Mari asked if we needed anything and I piped up with an Ice Tea, immediately regretting my decision as they both gave me a look that spoke volumes. Wimp, yeah, that’s me. Mari left us with a laugh and a shake of her head. Beads clattering off in the distance, guess that Ice Tea was a no-go.

“Um, sorry to be late, there is the usual traffic jam on the I-15,” I explained.

“There’s always a traffic snarl on I-15. You wanted this meet, so what do you want to know that I haven’t already given you?” Tegan got right to the point.

“Look, Tegan, just a few questions in your own words and I’ll be out of your hair, I promise.”

He studied me for a seconded before nodding his head in agreement. “Fine, let’s just be quick about this. Want to get back to Kyra and still have to prepare for patrol tonight.”

“How are Kyra and you doing?”

His whole body relaxed and a smile played over those sensual lips of his. Kyra was one lucky girl. “Great, couldn’t be happier except for the few times when I need to leave her at HQ, then I’m not quite so amiable.”

Oookay, moving on with the questions then. I looked down at my list and chose the next one. “How are you and your step-father getting along these days?”

“We’re getting there. I spent a long time hating the man so it’s going to take time to get past it all. Nicolai is a very patient and tenacious man, so we will get there.”

“What do you think of Marcus as the new Consortium’s leader?”

That brought a full out smile to his lips, transforming his already handsome face into a masterpiece of lethal beauty. “Out of everyone I have ever had the pleasure to serve under, Marcus Valerian was made for this position and I stand by him in this endeavor one hundred percent.”

“What part do you think you’ll play in the new world order?”

“As little as possible, if I have my way. Let’s face it, I’m not the kind of guy who is good at all the diplomacy crap. I’m more the guy who kicks ass and takes names.”

I bit back a chuckle. Knowing Tegan as well as I did, I could never see him being politically correct about anything. So yeah, he would be best behind the scenes, otherwise he may just cause an international incident.

“With Marcus and Tambra expecting twins do you ever think about having children?”

“Hell yeah, Kyra and I are practicing every day, sometimes three to four times a day.” His grin turned sinfully wicked and my mind turned to silk sheets and dark chocolate. Oh, shit, that was just wrong. After all, I am happily married, but damn, the things I can imagine.

With effort I steered my thoughts back on course. “I’m doing Zeke’s story next. Is there anything you want to share about him?”

“Nope, but maybe you can share with me something about the guy.”

I found myself more than a little curious as to what Tegan could possibly want to know about his best friend. “What can I possibly learn about him that you don’t already know?”

He leaned in conspiratorially across the booth. “Why the hell does he wear those shades? He even sleeps with them on. I’ve never seen what his eyes look like and in fact wondered if he was blind at first, but nawh, he wouldn’t be able to fight like he does if he couldn’t see.”

Humm, that was a good question, and one that I knew would be difficult to get out of Zeke. In fact, it seemed there was a lot Zeke didn’t share with himself, even with his best friend.

“Before I wrap this up, is there anything you would like the readers to know about you?”

“Yeah, just this, if you run into me in a dark alley, turn around and run like hell, cause if I’m there, sure as shit I’m with something much nastier than a mugger.”

Well, with that said, I thanked Tegan. He just nodded and I got the hint it was time for me to get my ass back to the safer side of the city and get ready for my interview with the enigmatic Atlantean Enforcer Zeke.

Passion's Flight is the second in Shannan's Dark Breeds series and is pretty hot stuff. If you like vampires and were-creatures, this is a wonderful introduction to the dark side of Las Vegas. You can find it at the following vendors:

All Romance Ebooks
Amazon
Bookstrand
Evernight Publishing
Smashwords

If you'd like to get read the first story in this series, please look of Dark Passion Rising at the same places, and also at:
Manic Readers
Barnes&Noble

If you'd like to find out more about Shannan Albright, you can find her at:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Romance You Can Sink Your Fangs Into
Website

Thanks for stopping by and leave a comment if you're interested. Shannan loves to talk to fans. Happy reading!

#ThursThreads - Week Nine - Winners

Week Nine of #ThursThreads had some great tales! Thanks to all who entered this week. I'm honored to see all of you and read your stories. And it was great to have some new "faces" join us. Huge thank you to judge Shannan Albright for reading through all of them.

Entries:

• @LupusAnthropos
• Tina Seeborg | @tinaofborg
• Ryan Strohman | @rastrohman
• Nancy Porter | @ModernBard1024
• Daniel Swensen | @surleymuse
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Wakefield Mahon | @WakefieldMahon
• J. Whitworth Hazzard | @zombiemechanics
• Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
• Toni Wyatt | @Toni1777
• Kimberly Gould | @Kimmydonn
• David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
• Nellie Batz | @solimond
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Janie Crouch | @JanieCrouch
• Maureen | @Emyrldlady
• Erika Moran | @ErikaMoranLove
• Greg Nance | @acenance

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

Janie Crouch | @JanieCrouch

Shannan says: She built the tension and kept me interested very quickly. I thought I had it all figured out in the end when she sprang a twist that had me laughing out loud. I never expected her to be in a Yoga class watching others seeking Nirvana.

Daniel Swensen | @surleymuse

Shannan says: Intriguing idea. Good pacing and I found myself wanting more explanation of what occurred when the fires blew out.

David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig

Shannan says: I was tantalized with the setting and the main character. The pacing was good and your descriptions were well done. You had me wondering what would transpire when the exorcist caught up with Melatha

Week Nine Winner

Nancy Porter | @ModernBard1024

Shannan says: The idea of a sickness laying waste to a whole town, though not a new idea, was paced beautifully. The descriptions were flawless and the tension kept my interest. The last sentence left me hanging and I found myself re-reading this piece over several times. Great Job!
.

Our horses would go no closer, the smell of decay too strong. Sam and I stepped down and proceeded on foot. He handed me a kerchief to mask some of the smell. All around us, corpses lay where they had fallen. No one had moved them; they had all died too swiftly for proper burial. The disease struck with the terrible precision of an expensive timepiece. First, a sniffle here and there, body aches, then dead in twelve hours. No more, no less.

“They expected to find their own personal nirvana,” Sam croaked beside me. Waynesbridge was a new town. Flowers bloomed from painted window baskets. The hitching posts were new. Somewhere was the crisp tang of newly-sawn wood; however, even I couldn’t find it under the fetor. Magic could only enhance the senses so much. These people had come here to realize Waynesbridge’s promise of wealth and a new start. They had not found their earthly paradise. In this town, with its clear, lazy river and tall grass, they had found only death.

I pushed open yet another door to yet another building, expecting to see yet more remains. To my surprise, I found the bore of a filigreed rifle staring me right in the face. At my sides, I opened my hands wide, holding them away from my guns. “How about we talk first, shoot later?” I asked the woman as evenly as I could manage, given the circumstances.

She pulled the trigger.

Congratulations Nancy, Janie, Daniel, and David! Claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! :) 

Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the stories here and I hope to see you all back next week for #ThursThreads. :)

 

#ThursThreads - The Challenge that Ties Tales Together - Week Nine

It's Thursday, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! Welcome to Week Nine of #ThursThreads. It also happens to be my daughter's birthday, so cake and ice cream all around! But moving on to the challenge.

Here's how it works:

• The prompt is a line from the previous week's winning tale.
• The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.

Rules to the Game:

• This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
• Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
• Post your story in the comments section of this post
• Include your word count (or be excluded from judging)
• Include your Twitter handle or email (so we know how to find you)
• The challenge is open 7 AM to 7 PM Pacific Time
• The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up. ;)

How it benefits you:

• You get a nifty cool badge to display on your blog or site (because we're all about promotion - you know you are!)
• You get instant recognition of your writing prowess on this blog!
• Your writing colleagues shall announce and proclaim your greatness on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus

Our Judge for Week Nine:

The writer of wizards, werewolves, and wicked-ass women, Shannan Albright.

 

  Shannan on Twitter

Shannan on Facebook

Shannan on Goodreads

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

"They expected to find their own personal nirvana."

Away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThread. Good luck! :)

#ThursThreads - The Challenge that Ties Tales Together - Week Five

 

Welcome to Week Five of #ThursThreads!

It's Thursday, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! And I've got the challenge for you. Not only is this wonderful challenge going on, but stop by Shannan Albright's blog today for her Author's Spotlight series featuring ME! :) Everything you've ever wanted to know about Siobhan Muir. Hehehe okay, back to the challenge. :D

Here's how it works:

• The prompt is a line from the previous week's winning tale.
• The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.

Rules to the Game:

• This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
• Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
• Post your story in the comments section of this post
• Include your word count (or be excluded from judging)
• Include your Twitter handle or email (so we know how to find you)
• The challenge is open 7 AM to 7 PM Pacific Time
• The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up. ;)

How it benefits you:

• You get a nifty cool badge to display on your blog or site (because we're all about promotion - you know you are!)
• You get instant recognition of your writing prowess on this blog!
• Your writing colleagues shall announce and proclaim your greatness on Facebook, Twitter, and Google + 

Our Judge for Week Five:

The slick, smart, dryly sarcastic, Sci-fi author and Cyber cop, Tom Keller.

 

 

Tom Keller on Twitter

Tom Keller on FB

 

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

"Sure you are, tough guy."

Away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThread. Good luck! :)

Giving Thanks - a Work of Gratitude

I've been thinking about Thanksgiving, since it's a major U.S. holiday and everyone is madly trying to get enough turkey, yams, and potatoes to feed a small battalion. But I realized what Thanksgiving really means to me is a gratitude for the blessings that have come to me and inundated my life; particularly my writing life.

Mr SM

Writing can be a solitary exercise, but for me I need the interaction with other people the help spur the muse and boost the inspiration. There are several people I have met in the last year who have helped me in ways big and small to improve my writing and my stories and I'd like to share them with you here. I'm so grateful they're in my life and I don't have enough words to tell them everything. This will have to be good enough.

Three people believed in me from the beginning; my husband Mr. SM, my oldest friend E. K. Yenawine, and a graduate school colleague Lanya Ross. Mr. SM encouraged my writing and often helps me when I get stuck in a plot line. Thank you, my handsome love!

E.K. Yenawine

E.K. Yenawine and I have been telling each other stories since junior high, staying up way too late, and saving the worlds we created one mechanical horse at a time. ;) She's now a technical editor and has helped me by going through my stories with a fine-toothed comb until the English is smooth.

Lanya Ross is a great scientist, but she also is a great reader and loves the weird, the wild, and the wicked in her fiction. She has a great sense of continuity and reminded me if my character had such a wonderful relationship with her mother, why didn't she mention her more throughout the story? Uhh . . .

Lanya Ross

When I started writing my blog this year, I met up with Tom Keller, a science fiction writer who lives in the same town as I do. ;) He became a critique partner and a great friend and still continues to help me find the best story in the writing. If you like science-fiction/fantasy, Tom writes some great stuff and you can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and in The Dryad's Garden.

Tom Keller

Tom, in turn, introduced me to Cara Michaels. You know that sense that you might have a twin out there somewhere in the world? Cara is it for me. She and I are writing twin sisters. Not only are we the same height, weight, and blood type, but we write in similar styles, think the same way, and enjoy the same kinds of music. Cara writes science-fiction with romantic elements, although her NaNoWriMo project has some pretty good love scenes in them and I'm in love with Graham and Kelly already. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Defiantly Literate, especially for #MenageMonday flash fiction writing challenge.

Cara Michaels and her Gray Pride.

In the heat of the summer, I attended Arizona Dreamin' a romance reader event held in Tempe, AZ, and the moment I stepped out of the car for the event, I encountered Morgan Kearns and her million watt smile. She was so warm and welcoming I couldn't help but follow her around like a puppy. She didn't seem to mind. Morgan has made me laugh, not only with her writing, but with her anecdotes of day to day life being a parent and a spouse. She helps me keep it real, balancing the life of a writer with a life full of parenting and household responsibilities. Morgan writes sweet romance, both contemporary and paranormal, and all of it is full of humor. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and her webpage.

Morgan Kearns with Siobhan at AZ Dreamin' 2010

Shannan Albright found me, and as I understand it, stalked me at Arizona Dreamin', much like I stalked Morgan Kearns. At the end of the conference she asked me to be her programs coordinator for the Las Vegas RWA and we've been talking and laughing ever since. Shannan makes me laugh and her faith in my ability to write as well as bring in people to speak at the Las Vegas RWA has been a blessing. She hates her photo being taken, so it's a coup that she let me post it here. You can find Shannan on Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads and Romance you can sink your fangs into.

Shannan Albright

Nara Malone has the honor of being the first author I interviewed on my blog for her newest release, Snatch Me. I met Nara on Facebook when told her I'd just finished her book The Dungeon Gourmet and Mr SM wanted to try the recipe given by her character Le Marquis de Bond. The earthquake that shook Virginia in August of this year surprised everyone. She was close to the epicenter.

Nara has been a great source of information on publishing and promotion, and she's just great to talk to. if you saw the interview on this blog a few weeks ago, Nara has constructed a virtual world where you can interact with other players and amazing environments in honor of her recent release, Snatch Me. You can find Nara on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and at her blog in my favorite authors list to the right.

Nara Malone

This Thanksgiving holiday, take time to remember those people who have changed your world for the better. I'm fortunate to have these folks as my friends and I'm lucky to have all of you who come to read and delight in my stories. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

The blog schedule for September

Wow, I actually have a schedule. I feel so official! :) It has been an exciting month for me meeting all sorts of new (to me) authors and September is shaping up to be even more exciting.

First, I'm starting the month off with an interview with Nara Malone, author of The Tiger's Tale and The Dungeon Gourmet from Ellora's Cave. She has a new release coming in October called Snatch Me and she'll be talking about it in the interview. Plus she has an awesome contest and giveaway! The interview will happen on Friday, September 2, 2011. It's going to be awesome!

Another nice thing about her interview is it happens on my birthday! Yay for me (even if I still don't have my new computer yet!) Anyone want to bring the cake? Or just a hand that lights up like this guy's?

Then, I'll be attending the first ever Erotic Author's Association Conference being held in Las Vegas on September 9-10 with several other authors you might know (and love): C.R. Moss, R.M. Sotera, and Shannan Albright. I'll blog all about it when I get back!

At the end of the month on September 28th, my good friend and author Cara Michaels, will be giving an interview on her upcoming October release, Gaea's Chosen: The Mayday Directive. She writes great science fiction romance and you can read the first chapter by following the link in the title. This is the first in a series and its going to be amazing (and hawt!) :) The characters wear uniforms tighter than this! :)

So thanks for tuning in and keep an eye out for the upcoming events. It's going to be a wild ride, plus there's the Six Sentence Sunday each Sunday this month and I'm looking forward to introducing you all to Jonarrion Swiftwind, Demonslayer extraordinaire! I put his photo in below so you can recognize him! ;)

I'm so excited to share all this with you and I'm having 'fangirl' moments with all of these authors! These ladies are just so cool and I haven't stopped grinning since they agreed to the interviews.

I hope your August was wonderful and that your September is even better. If you come by the blog, it will definitely be filled with awesome-sauce! Happy reading! :)

Six Sentence Sunday - care of Shannan Albright

Have you read anything by my friend Shannan Albright? She's a paranormal romance writer and she very happily writes about vampires, werecreatures, and even Arthur and his knights! :)

Each Sunday on her blog, Romance You Can Sink Your Fangs Into, she posts Six Sentence Sunday. These are six sentences from her current writing project. I thought it was a great idea, so I borrowed it.

My current project is The Bone Flute and here are six sentences to get you interested. Rain Szep, the heroine, just found out her grandmother died and left her an inheritance:

“Did I hear that right? You get fifty grand if you get married? Otherwise, all you get from your granny is this box?” she scoffed with sympathetic surprise.

“Sounds like it,” Rain agreed, staring at the box on the table.

“What’s in it?”

“I don’t know.”

Wanna know what's in the box? Stay tuned and happy reading! :)