About Rainshadow Road {A video from Lisa Kleypas!}

I'm so excited to share this new video with you from Lisa Kleypas. In this short video, author Lisa Kleypas shares her thoughts about her upcoming new novel, Rainshadow Road, the first book in her  Friday Harbor trilogy.  Look for Rainshadow Road in bookstores in February 2012.




I posted this video for my readers as part of "Lisa's Divas" - a group of select fans who share info & content related to Lisa's novels and get sneak peeks & swag in return. But please feel free to grab the link, post the video and basically spread the word about Lisa's upcoming Friday Harbor series to your friends, too!

If you think you'd like to be one of Lisa's Divas, there may be room for a few more fans in the Lisa's Divas community. Visit this site for more information and how to sign up.

Another NEW romance from Lisa Kleypas!

Did you know Lisa Kleypas has a new book coming out in January 2012?

If you've followed my blog for a while, you know I'm a big fan of Lisa Kleypas, so naturally I'm super excited to hear she has another new book coming out soon!

Rainshadow Road is a contemporary romance and takes place in one of my favorite places--the Pacific Northwest. Isn't that cover just so pretty?

Needless to say, I cannot wait to read Rainshadow Road!

For a sneak peek, you can read an excerpt from Rainshadow Road on Lisa's website following this link: http://bit.ly/j5qdP8.

I'm sure Rainshadow Road will make it to your wish list once you read the excerpt, too!






NOTE: I am one of "Lisa's Divas" - a group of select fans who share info & content related to Lisa's novels and get sneak peeks & swag in return.

My RWA Literacy Signing Adventure

I tried for an abbreviated version, but it's just not possible...

The day before the lit signing, nath and her sister came to my house for lunch! Of course, they came bearing all kinds of delicious treats from Canada--ketchup flavored potato chips, gourmet flavored macaroons, fabulous gourmet jellies and two tins of REAL Canadian maple syrup. I am a maple syrup snob and ONLY eat the 100% pure maple syrup, usually from Vermont or Canada. Nath also cleared some books from her shelf and brought me a bunch of them, including Cold Magic by Kate Elliot, which I have been wanting to read for so long.

Nath and her sister are such sweethearts. I am lucky to call them friends and they spoil me rotten. : ) After nath and her sister left, I went over the list of authors who were going to be at the signing again to make sure I had everyone I wanted to meet on my list. I was disappointed to learn that historical romance author Meredith Duran wasn't on the list, so I tweeted my disappointment to her and she messaged me back letting me know she was going to be in the city on Tuesday and that she would be happy to meet up! How awesome is that? VERY awesome.

The next day was the RWA Literacy Signing in Manhattan at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. I planned to arrive an hour or two early to meet up with some book blogging friends, but I mis-remembered the train schedule and missed my outgoing train by scant minutes. I literally saw the train roll away from the station as I got there. Argh. I should have been more attentive to the schedule and double checked the time. Fortunately, I don't live too far from the train station, so I went back home for a bit and then came back for the next train an hour later.

As soon as I arrived at the Marriott, I met up with Dru Ann in the lobby and then shortly after, nath, her sister and Kristie J found me with Dru Ann. It was so great to have finally met Kristie in person. We went to the lounge for a bit where I met Wendy, The SuperLibrarian who was awarded Librarian of the Year yesterday at the conference and Rosie. It was there that we briefly saw author Meljean Brook who gave all of us a set of her awesome Iron Seas Romance Trading Cards. She came back shortly afterwards and sat with us for a while before nath and I couldn't stand it anymore and proceeded to the ballroom for the literacy signing that had started a few minutes prior.

So, the literacy signing. What an adventure! I thought I was so organized for this event with my list of 40+ authors, arranged alphabetically and prioritized by urgency--nine MUST SEE authors, followed by GO TO THESE NEXT authors and finally the IF THERE'S TIME authors. At the very top of my list was Nalini Singh, Tessa Dare and Megan Hart. So much for organization, though, because as soon as I entered the ballroom, my head was spinning and it took a lot of concentration to keep tabs on my list while navigating the crowded ballroom. In the beginning I took time to snap a photo with an author and tweet it, but that was taking too much time, so I stopped doing that after the first couple of authors. You can see some of my tweets and photos on my twitterfeed HERE. There are photos there of me with Nalini Singh, Jeannie Lin, Megan Hart and fellow book blogger and aspiring author, Kwana. I also found Lea and we got to exchange hugs! Every single author I met was gracious and kind, clearly happy to meet their readers. I had such a good time introducing myself and exchanging a few words about their books.

Before I knew it, the signing was winding down and it was time to check out. Over $46,000 was raised at the RWA 2011 Literacy signing to benefit local and worldwide literacy programs. Isn't that fantastic? Here is a look at what I got:

click to enlarge

Enclave by Ann Aguirre (YA)
Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles (YA)
Time Weaver by Shana Abé
Deeper than Midnight by Lara Adrian
Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden
The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
A Lot Like Love by Julie James
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean
Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
Unveiled by Courtney Milan
Follow My Lead by Kate Noble
A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang
Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

I also bought the NYT best selling, self published ebook novella "Unlocked" by Courtney Milan [for only 99 cents!] using a QR Code Scanner app on my iPhone and scanning the QR Code for the book from her laptop. So tech savvy! You can do the same thing at Courtney's blog on her Literacy Unlocked post.

I also came home with a bunch of cool author swag such as bookmarks, pens and some of those really awesome Romance Trading Cards, which were "invented" by the lovely author, Jeannie Lin.

In addition, I met the following authors without buying books:
Larissa Ione ... who signed my personal copy of Pleasure Unbound
Zoë Archer ... new series to be released Dec. 2012
Jaci Burton ... I read her Wild Riders series and already have them
Christina Dodd .. who was sold out of her books by the time I got to her
Carolyn Jewel ... next historical due out next year
Heather Webber... didn't have copies of Absolutely, Positively :( 

There were several authors on my list whom didn't get to see. I either had trouble finding them or I saw two or more people waiting to meet them and or I ran out of time to see everyone! One of those authors is Kristan Higgins whose books I love, but I knew she is planning to attend the NJ RWA conference in October, so hopefully I'll get to see her then--and hopefully snagging a copy of her next book, Until There Was You that releases three days after NJ RWA.

After checking out of the signing, I headed to the lounge for the book blogger bash to meet up with friends lustyreader, nath, Hilcia, Mariana, Lisa, Rosie, Wendy, Kristie, Kira <---and her super adorable baby girl, J, Kate, SarahT and Pearl. I hope I'm not forgetting anyone! We all start comparing notes on our signing adventures and Mariana asks me if I got to everyone on my list. I start to reply YES with confidence, only to realize with sunken heart that I didn't get to see Tessa Dare who was AT THE TOP OF MY LIST?!! How could this have happened?! I was SO distraught. Someone suggested paging her somehow and I got the idea to "page" her on twitter. Which I did ... with an embarrassing spelling error, too. Hey, I was nervous! The best part? Within minutes she tweeted back that she was coming down to the lounge! SO awesome!!! In the meantime, Meredith Duran arrived in the lounge and we got to meet! Tuesday also happened to be release day of her latest book, A Lady's Lesson in Scandal, copies of which I brought along for her to sign, one that I will giveaway on my blog, so keep your eye out for that. A little while later, Tessa Dare came to the lounge and there I am hanging out with Tessa Dare and Meredith Duran (squeeee!) and a handful of other very lovely readers and authors in the lounge of the hotel. I tried not to trip over my words and I think I pretty much held myself together.  It was so much fun! I didn't think the evening could be any better... until Tessa gave me this:

It's an uncorrected ARC of A Night to Surrender, the first book in her upcoming Spindle's Cove series that is coming out in August 2011!!!! I feel like I won the jackpot! :)

To read more about Tessa Dare and her lovely books, visit her website at http://tessadare.com.

For information about Meredith Duran and her lovely books, visit her website at http://meredithduran.com and her blog that she shares with author Sherry Thomas at http://www.sherrythomas.com/blog/.

I had such a great time meeting old and new book blogging friends and so many fantastic authors. Everyone I met on this adventure was kind, warm-hearted, gracious and fun. I hear RWA is going to be in NYC again in 2015. I'm already looking forward to it!

:)

RWA in NYC: Who's going?

I love this logo for
the RWANYC
Chapter.

The RWA (Romance Writers of America) National Conference takes place in NYC next week, which includes a literacy book signing event open to the public on Tuesday to which I'm going. It's a romance readers evening night out to buy some books, support the literacy movement and connect with some favorite romance authors and fellow romance readers, too.

The RWA "Readers for Life" Literacy Signing is a book sale and author autographing event at which thousands of dollars are raised for ProLiteracy Worldwide and the local literacy organization ACE New York. The event will be at the Marriott Marquis ballroom in Times Square next Tuesday, June 28, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. A couple hundred romance authors will be at the signing with only two hours to navigate the crowds and probably wait in long lines for a minute of time connecting with some of these wonderful women who have not only entertained me, but often also touched my heart in special ways through their stories. Of course, I also have a list of  'new-to-me' authors whom I've been wanting to read, so I'm going to try to see some of those authors, too.

I've been going over the really long list of authors attending [you can view the list HERE] and have come up with a short list of 53 authors to see. Yes, a short list. I'm trying to figure out how in the world I'm going to get to everyone in such a short amount of time and I'm thinking it's not likely. So I'm working on prioritizing my list of 'must see' authors, and let me tell you, it is NOT EASY. I do know one thing is certain...
I am NOT LEAVING without meeting Nalini Singh who is the New York Times best selling author who writes the wonderfully complex and amazing Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunters paranormal romance series. I am such a fan. She is not allowed to leave Manhattan until we meet. lol!

Another very favorite author of mine who I must see is Tessa Dare. I just LOVE everything about her writing and am impatiently waiting for her next books.

Megan Hart is also at the top of my must see list for this signing. Her books are in a league all their own--sexy, brutally honest, emotional and immensely thought provoking. She is a master of pushing the envelope in the romance and women's fiction genres.


I also look forward to meeting Kristan Higgins who writes really fun, honest and emotional feel good contemporary romances. I love all of her books.


The list goes on to include SO MANY other authors! I won't bore you with my lists. ;) Some authors I have been reading for years, some I have only read one or two of their books and yet others who have been on my 'I want to read this author / this series' radar for anywhere from a few months to a few years. So many authors, so little time! It's going to be crazy, but so much fun!

I am EQUALLY EXCITED--if not more so, to meet fellow romance readers and book bloggers whom I have gotten to know over the years who will also be there. I'm planning to arrive at the Marriott before the signing to hopefully bump into some friends then, and I'll hang out for awhile afterwards as well. Wendy, The Super Librarian--who has been named RWA's 2011 Librarian Of The Year!--has initiated a Blogger Bash at the Atrium Lounge in the Mariott after the literacy signing to encourage romance reader blogger author editor publisher etc. mingling--such a great idea!

Who else is going?
I'd love to meet up with you, so let me know if you'll be there so we can look for each other!

Also, have you ever gone to a past RWA Literacy signing?
If so, do you have any suggestions for how best to navigate the ballroom with my author list?


:)

Do Not Disturb

Cover Love! Killbox by Ann Aguirre

This is the newly revealed cover art for Killbox, Ann Aguirre's upcoming October 2010 release, and the fourth novel in her Sirantha Jax series!!!

Look how gorgeous this cover looks on my blog! It was made for me. I love it so. The colors. The attitude. The heat. The strength. The impulsiveness. It's so ... so ... Sirantha!

Ann Aguirre's Jax series is a romantic science fiction series that follows the adventures and misadventures of space jumper Sirantha Jax and her crew as they jump through space on various political and humanitarian missions. And some missions are simply of the run for your life sort. The series has realistic and emotional romantic elements and is fast paced, suspenseful, clever, gritty and should not be missed.

October 2010 couldn't be soon enough.

If you've been with me on my blog for a while, you must already know how much I love Ann Aguirre's work. Need a refresher? Count the ways by checking out my past posts on this dear to me author ... especially my Loving Ann Aguirre post, which let's face it, is more like a Loving Sirantha Jax post! Sorry, Ann. ;)

The truth of it is, I do love Ann Aguirre and think you will, too, once you read her books. And books are her specialty, no matter your genre as Ann is an incredibly versatile writer. Check out all that she's got in the works all at once:

• The Jax series romantic science fiction
• The Corine Solomon series urban fantasy
• "Skin" series paranormal romance written as Ava Gray
• Ellen Connor books, three a collaborative paranormal apocalyptic action books yet to be released
• A post-apocalyptic young adult series expected sometime Dec. 2010 or Jan. 2011

Visit author Ann Aguirre at her website http://www.annaguirre.com/.

Loving Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre holds rank as one of my very favorite writers of romantic science fiction in the form of her Sirantha Jax series. She also writes the unique and refreshing urban fantasy series titled the Corine Solomon series that begins with the novel Blue Diablo. In addition, Ann writes paranormal romance as Ava Gray, of which her first novel titled Skin Game is to be released on November 3, 2009. While I have yet to write a review of one of Ann's books on my blog, I cannot emphasize enough how much I admire Ann and love her written work.

So how do I love Ann Aguirre? Let me count the ways.

1. Sirantha Jax.
2. Sirantha Jax.
3. Sirantha Jax.

(There's more, but these three are my favorite ways.)

The Sirantha Jax series is a romantic science fiction series that follows the adventures and misadventures of Sirantha and her crew as they struggle to do the right thing as they jump through space on various missions and sometimes they aim just to stay alive. Sirantha is an invaluable resource throughout the universe as she carries an extremely rare gene that allows her to be the tool to literally jump a ship through space, traveling unfathomable distances in short amounts of time. She can't jump alone, however. She needs to be jacked in with a capable pilot whom she trusts in order to jump successfully.

When the reader first meets Jax in Grimspace, she's sitting in a jail cell, numb from loss and uncertain of her fate. As the sole survivor in a horrific crash, she's lost her entire crew, including her pilot, friend and lover, Kai. She doesn't remember the crash, and is being blamed for the crash and consequently the deaths of important officials whom she was transporting for the Corp when they crashed. A small rogue faction breaks her out of jail on the condition that she be their jumper for their mission to overthrow the Corp. Of course, the rogues are not completely forthcoming with the details of their mission until she's jumping for them, but needless to say, she's jumped feet first, so to speak, to the point of no return.

So what exactly is it about Sirantha Jax that makes me stumble over my words when I want to articulate how this character moves me? As I read the Sirantha Jax novels, I feel Jax more than see her. She's like a bundle of complex, often dichotomous emotions that play into my own. She starts out numb, cold, selfish, rash and even hostile. For someone who has the ability to jump all over the universe, she doesn't know a whole lot about the world. In the company of the rogues, however, she gets a crash course, so to speak. Jax slowly begins to thaw and mature as she gets to know and care about her crew and their mission. She starts to learn to trust, care and even love, sometimes resulting in the most unlikely of friendships. She starts to recognize her ability to and the opportunity to do something to make a positive influence in the universe. Disaster still seems to follow in her wake, but she becomes more admirable and heroic as the series progresses. To make things more interesting and complex, her pilot and lover in the series--March, is as much her opposite as he is her match. Almost extremely so by the end of Wanderlust, which has made the anticipation of Doubleblind doubly intense. Thankfully the wait is over. Doubleblind releases today--September 29, 2009 and I've already scored my copy!

Even if you don't think you like science fiction, the Sirantha Jax series will change your mind. The world is smart, creative, and complex--yet never confusing. The characters are flawed, but genuine and realistic. The story is full of political intrigue, controversial scientific advancements, and even issues of equality among the species. There are intense action sequences, shocking plot twists, and emotional impact when least expected. And there is a love story that is crucial to the emotional development of the Jax and March, but is seamlessly written within the story as a very natural extension to the relationship between pilot and jumper, friends and lovers. It's almost subtle. But it's not. Just read the series yourself and see what I'm talking about.

Visit Ann Aguirre at her website at http://www.annaguirre.com and at her blog at http://www.annaguirre.com/blog/.

On a side note, I was invited to write a guest column for the October edition of Ann Aguirre's monthly newsletter Action and Attitude. In my column, I discuss why I read YA and how it was my gateway genre to reading across the spectrum of romance and fantasy fiction genres I do today. You can download the newsletter by subscribing to Ann's Google group or directly from her website at http://www.annaguire.com/touch/. Please check it out.

Loving Larissa Ione! Part II

I made a post back in March titled Loving Larissa Ione! (Part I) about loving author Larissa Ione's work, specifically her Demonica Series. In case you've been living under a paranormal romance rock, you've probably already at least heard of Larissa's Demonica series by now. Today, Larissa unveiled her newly renovated website and that's loaded with new Demonica content. 

If you're new to the Demonica series, it's an exciting, dark paranormal romance series that has a full cast of interesting characters, great dialogue, and heart wrenching story lines. The series is based on the goings on at Underground General Hospital (UGH)--  a hospital established just for demons and other beings who go bump in the night and sometimes in the day. For the most part, demons and their fellow non human beings live unbeknown to humans, although there is a select group of humans called Aegis who act as the protectors of human kind. At first, the sole mission of the Aegis is to indiscriminately kill all demons, vampires, weres and fallen angels. By the end of the third book in the series, however, the Aegis are at least a bit more discriminating in who they kill, so there is some hope for a peaceful co-existence between species. In the meantime, there's a lot going on in this world to keep the good demons (et. al.), the bad demons (et. al.), the good humans and the bad humans quite busy. Which in turn keeps Larissa busy writing more Demonica novels. 

The next Demonica novel, and the fourth in the series, is Ecstasy Unveiled due out on January 26, 2010. I'm not going to mention whose book it is in this post for the benefit of anyone who hasn't yet read the first three books in the series, because I think it is a bit spoilerish. If you really want to know, you can find out at Larissa's newly renovated website at http://larissaione.com/blog/ where Larissa has some great new Demonica content, including an excerpt of Ecstasy Unveiled, several deleted scenes from the first books and a new Readers Page. 

Larissa's blog now has a new look, too, and to celebrate, Larissa's holding a fantastic giveaway on her blog with some really excellent prizes. Check it out at http://larissaione.com/blog/blog-home/.

Larissa also has a story in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 due out on September 21, 2009. The story is titled Eternity Embraced and is set in the Demonica world. Poke around the website for an excerpt. It sounds great. 

I'd love to find out what other authors are featured in this anthology besides the few authors listed on the cover--Jennifer Ashley, Dawn Cook, Caitlin Kittredge, Diane Whiteside, Eileen Wilks, and Larissa Ione. Does anyone know more? 

If you enjoy gritty, intense paranormal romance and haven't yet read a Demonica novel, I urge you to read one now. The reading order is Pleasure Unbound, Desire Unchained, and then Passion Unleashed. 

On the first 35 pages (and last 6!) of Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Spoiler level of this post: Extremely low.

On the last 6 pages...

It's not what you're thinking! I NEVER read the end of a book first. EVER. In fact, I don't even like spoilers past the first few chapters. In this case, I'm referring to the last 6 pages bound in Blue Diablo, which happen to be an excerpt from Doubleblind, book 3 in Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax Sci fi romance series.  Of course I had to go there right away!

If you're all caught up in the Sirantha Jax series, you know Wanderlust ended on a bittersweet note of sorts. So when I started reading the excerpt, I put my mind where it was upon finishing Wanderlust and without conscious thought, my heart went there, too! Combine heart wrenching remembrance with an alarming chapter excerpt of Doubleblind and wham! I really need it to be October asap, you know?

On the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo...

I don't often blog about books before I'm finished reading them. Usually I wait until I write a review, but already after having only read the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo, I thought of a few things I wanted to share that I probably wouldn't mention in a review. First, is the fact that the chapters in Blue Diablo have titles! I've become so accustomed to chapters simply being numbered, that I forgot how much I really love titled chapters. It just adds a little layer of creativity, sometimes a play on words as it pertains to the story and almost always offers foreshadowing that increases my anticipation about what's going to happen next. Chance Met, West of Normal, If Wishes Were Candy, Soul of Discretion, and The Fiddler Calls the Tune are just a few examples. And yes, I had to peek ahead just to check out some of the chapter titles, but don't they make you want to read what's in them? It certainly makes me want to read just one more chapter every time it's time to put the book down.

The other thing I wanted to share is that after having merely read the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo, my personal vocabulary has been expanded by six words--seven if you count the short chapter excerpt of Doubleblind in the back (Thanks, Ann!)! I would estimate that I probably have to look up maybe 0-3 words in a typical book I read, but some of my favorite authors make me hit that dictionary widget way more than others. Nalini Singh, Meredith Duran, Meljean Brook and Ann Aguirre all come to mind. I can often figure out the word in context, but I usually look it up anyway so that I have a precise definition.

My Blue Diablo vocabulary list (pp. 1-35):

1. deluge
2. ostensibly
3. parlay
4. benighted
5. unguent
6. gewgaws

... and from the Doubleblind excerpt:
7. limns

I'm too lazy to type the definitions, though, so if you don't know their meanings, you'll have to just go look them up. ;p

Finally, I'll share my first impressions of the story so far. Again, I've only read the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo, but already Corine is a character with depth and complexity that I'm itching to get to know better. The story is told in the first person past tense, so the reader gets all kinds of tidbits and glimpses into who Corine Solomon really is. The narration from her point of view, and through her thoughts and reflections on the past and present, the reader is discovering what makes her who she is. The narration is both thoughtful and entertaining, providing the reader these little pieces to the Corine Solomon puzzle. Just as some pieces fall into place, though, the need to find even more missing pieces arises, keeping me speculating and wanting to know more, more, more. She's a very interesting character and now that her ex just came on the scene, I want to figure out both Corine and Chance and how they fit together. I'm not saying they necessarily belong together, but they do fit together in some way or another. There's only one way to find out. Keep reading!

Congrats, IRON KISSED by Patricia Briggs!

In case you haven't already heard, Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs won the DA BWAHA Tournament last night!!! By a very narrow margin, I might add! Wow, that was close. Both novels are phenomenally written by two tremendously talented authors. If you haven't read one or both of these books yet, I strongly suggest you do. They are both really awesome reads.

So thanks to all of you who voted for Iron Kissed whether you voted because you read and loved the book or because you were thinking of me and Carolyn Jean. Wow... your votes could have been the ones to push Iron Kissed over the edge for the win. Thank you!

Carolyn Jean is so excited about her win that she is hosting an 'OMG I'm so excited I won' contest on her blog, The Thrillionth Page! She's giving away four books from the bracket, how cool is that? All you need to do is comment on which book from the entire bracket you're interested in reading and you're entered!

I have actually read a lot of the 64 books in the tournament (a few more are on my TBR pile) and of those I've read, 9 made it to the last 16 spots that made up the second tournament. Now I'm very interested in reading Be With Me by Maya Banks. It nearly beat The SpyMaster's Lady in the final four, so I've got to read it now, for sure.

Have you read Be With Me by Maya Banks already? Did you love it?

IRON KISSED for the WIN PLEASE! :)

URGENT!!! Please vote Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs for the win at http://dabwaha.com/blog/ on Monday, April 6, 2009 from 9 am EDT to 11 pm EDT.

Have you been following DABWAHA? It's the March Madness tournament for romance-- a tournament created by Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books that involves 64 favorite novels from different romance genres, a few hundred reader participants, voting polls, and in the end... ONE winner! Well... actually two. There is the Grand Tournament and a Second Chance Tournament.

The Second Chance Tournament popped up after the round two, for which participants where given the opportunity to submit a second chance bracket. Pretty neat for someone like me whose pick for the win lost very early on. I voted Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy. I don't know why... I didn't even read it! I heard so much positive buzz about it when it came out and it seemed like everyone was reading it except me and I was missing out on a winning book. I guess that notion stuck with me and I just ran with it when I filled out my bracket! LOL Oh, well. Thank goodness for second chances!

Tomorrow is the final vote and it is down to two exceptionally written novels, both of which I've read and LOVED! But Mercy Thompson ... she's my heroine. Best heroine ever. Love her.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs vs. The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne.

So here is where the URGENT part comes in.

If Iron Kissed wins the vote, Carolyn Jean of The Thrillionth Page WINS THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT!!!! Carolyn would acquire incredible FAME (sort of... in romance land ... maybe for a day or so... ) and great FORTUNE (a Sony Reader)!! So cool!

But wait! There's more!

If Iron Kissed wins, yours truly (that would be me) WINS THE SECOND CHANCE TOURNAMENT! Wooohooo! I, too, would acquire FAME (well, not really ... who pays attention to the second chance tournament, anyway?) and FORTUNE (an iPod Touch)!

If you'd like to help me (and Carolyn Jean) out, please vote for Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs in the DABWAHA poll today! It would be awesome!

The poll will be open from 9 am EDT to 11 pm EDT!!

http://dabwaha.com/blog/

Thank you!!!!! :)

Loving Larissa Ione!

I love Larissa Ione's Demonica series. Demonica is a romance series at heart, but it also contains tones of urban fantasy and even horror. Those dark, edgy, and sometimes gruesome elements set this series apart from other typical paranormal romance series, making the Demonica series really shine for me.

The Demonica Series Overview:
The Demonica world is a complex world made up of many different species of demons, vampires, weres, fallen angels, and humans. Only a select group of humans are aware of the existence of nonhuman creatures, human Guardians called the Aegis and an elite military group. All of the different beings in this world do what is inherently natural to them in order to survive and thrive in this world. With different needs and means for survival, one can only imagine the conflicts and potential for catastrophe that can occur. The lines between good and evil are certainly blurred in this world, making for some very interesting story telling.

The first three novels in the Demonica series are centered around three Seminus demon brothers who were sired by the same father, but have different mothers. Their lives are intertwined not only through brotherly bonds, but also literally through the blood, sweat and tears they each gave to found the demon hospital Underworld General Hospital. I have read and reviewed both Pleasure Unbound and Desire Unchained (loved them both!) and am currently reading an ARC of Passion Unleashed. Each book is a dark, edgy, and very sexy romance filled with complex, seemingly insurmountable conflicts and plot twists within the hero-heroine relationship as well as within the politics of the Demonica world. Passion Unleashed is no exception. I'm currently shocked at some plot twists and on the edge of my seat in suspense wondering how in Heaven, Earth or Sheoul there can be a happily ever after. Yet I know Larissa will make it work. I just have to keep reading to find out how she does it. One hundred pages to go....

Upcoming Review and Book Giveaway:
I'll be posting my review of Passion Unleashed within the next day or two and I'll be giving away 5 copies of Passion Unleashed compliments of Forever Romance from Grand Central Publishing. Don't miss this awesome chance to win your own copy!

Demonica Compendium:
In the meantime, be sure to check out the Demonica Compendium by Larissa Ione, available to read online at the Hatchette Book Group website. You can get there by clicking the BROWSE INSIDE THIS BOOK button on the widget below. The compendium is chock full of all kinds of fascinating information about the different demon species, and other paranormal beings; the hospital, and key characters in the Demonica world. Not only that, it contains a great short story called The Reckoning about how Shade and Eidolon found Wraith and saved him from a slow and torturous death at the hands of his own vampire clan.

If you like Meljean Brook's Guardians series or Nalini Singh's new Guild Hunter series, I think you'd enjoy Larissa Ione's Demonica series as well.

You can visit Larissa Ione at her website http:://www.larissaione.com.

Cover Art for Double Blind by Ann Aguirre

Author Ann Aguirre revealed this gorgeous new cover art for her upcoming Sirantha Jax novel titled Doubleblind due out in October 2009 on her blog today.  I found it so beautiful and striking that I couldn't help but want it to grace my blog for a spell. 

Doubleblind is the third novel in Ann Aguirre's captivating sci fi romance series featuring the heroine space "jumper" Sirantha Jax.  

I love the way this cover portrays Jax. Her hair has grown in since Wanderlust and she's gained a bit more muscle.... she looks more beautiful than ever. But what truly draws me to this cover is Jax's facial expression. The cover artist must be reading these books, because she or he has perfectly captured the spirit of Jax in the art: She's fierce, determined, and headstrong, yet she exudes this air of melancholy that tugs at your heart. I'm so looking forward to reading Doubleblind. Especially after the heartbreaking ending of Wanderlust... 

I also love the title tag line:

Humanity's last hope. Run for your lives. 

If you've already read Grimspace and Wanderlust, you just know therein lies nothing but the truth! 

*sigh* 

Jax, Jax, Jax.... 

*double sigh* 

Anyone want to speculate on the meaning behind the title Doubleblind? I'm thinking that Jax is going to be blind to two major deceptions that will seriously jeopardize her mission and or the safety of her and her crew. Something like that, anyway. ;o) 

To take a closer look at the cover art for Doubleblind, visit Ann Aguirre's blog. 

To read a chapter excerpt for Doubleblind, visit the Doubleblind page on Ann Aguirre's website.

And if you haven't yet read Grimspace and Wanderlust, I highly recommend you do. 

Sherrilyn Kenyon NYC Book Signing

I trekked into Manhattan yesterday evening for Sherrilyn Kenyon's Acheron book signing at the Columbus Circle Borders. Sherrilyn is the talented author of the Dark Hunter and Dream Hunter series as well as several other series that I have not yet read. Sherrilyn is not only a talented and successful author, she's also a gracious, kind and warm person. She truly deserves all the success she has achieved in her writing career.

I took the train from my suburban town in New Jersey to New York Penn Station and had my trip planned so that I'd get to the Borders a bit before 7 pm. I didn't check the weather forecast before leaving home and was surprised that sunny blue skies gave way to gray skies and a sudden thunderstorm upon coming out of Penn Station. After walking in the rain for maybe 10 blocks, I found a sidewalk vendor selling umbrellas for $5 (just before a pair of street cops shut him down for lack of proper permits, I might add! Phew for me!). I still got drenched, though. I arrived at the Columbus Circle Borders just moments before 7 pm and Kate got there at the same time. Imagine our disappointment when we learned that the start time for Sherrilyn Kenyon's Booksigning and Talk got changed to 6 pm!

We missed the entire talk and Q&A!!! Yeah, so sadly I have no tidbits or Kenyon news to report on that end.

Here's a picture of me and Kate shortly after we arrived at Borders:
Surprisingly, we don't look like drowned rats. I think my hair was still very damp and I honestly don't think my shoes or jeans ever dried out that night.

I would guess that there were a good 100 readers there to meet Sherrilyn and get their books signed. Shortly after arriving, Kate and I met up with a few familiar faces. We chatted with authors and fellow twitterers Liz Maverick and Marianne Mancusi, and also aspiring author, book reviewer, and book seller Stacey A. (I'm leaving off her last name, because I'm not sure if she would want her last name revealed). I had met both Liz and Stacey a few weeks ago at a dinner rendez vous that Ann Aguirre arranged when she was on stop over in the NY/NJ area last month, so it was fun meeting up with them again so soon. I also got to see my friend and fellow JR Ward fan, Terri, a.k.a. moonwindt, who is also an upcoming author of paranormal romance. I also chatted with other readers there--it's just so easy to strike up conversations with fellow romance readers.

There was a dude there posing as Acheron, but in my humble opinion, he didn't quite have the stature or attitude to pull off Ash. But really, who could possibly pull that off?
Liz and I decided to he was really a Squire posing as Ash.

And look! I got to try on THE Acheron jacket:
All throughout the signing, author Dianna Love --who is a dear friend of Sherrilyn Kenyon and co author of the novel titled Phantom In The Night -- raffled away a slew of Dark Hunter promotional material. Dianna was great and kept the readers entertained. At the very end, Kate and I each finally won something-- some cool manga Dark Hunter posters that we got Sherrilyn to sign.

Finally, it was my turn to chat with Sherrilyn and get my Acheron book signed. This was my fourth time coming out to meet Sherrilyn in the last year, and I was touched that she remembered me. Like I said in the beginning of this post, Sherrilyn Kenyon is such a warm and gracious person. She makes each of her fans feel special and appreciated and she is truly thankful for all of her readers and adores each and every one.
I don't think I'll ever get tired of meeting this fun and amazing woman. I hope she comes back to the NJ/NY area soon so I can visit with her again.

To learn more about Sherrilyn Kenyon, you can visit her website here. Thanks to Kat at the blog Wit and Sin, who has made tidy lists of her favorite book series, you can also check out the book orders of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series here, and her novels written as Kinley MacGregor here.

Just for kicks, here's a picture of a double decker train. I was on a very very PACKED double decker train out of NY Penn Station heading to New Jersey after 11 pm last night. NYC is truly the city that never sleeps.

Isn't that cool?

Acheron Book Tour

Fri. August 15th, 7:00 PM

Borders

10 Columbus Circle

New York, NY 10019

(212) 823-9775

Booksigning & Talk

I'm heading into New York on Friday night to see Sherrilyn Kenyon for her Acheron Book Tour. This will be my fourth time meeting Ms. Kenyon since August 2007. That's more often than I've met some of my blogging buddies. Seems almost unfair, don't you think?

The first time I met Sherrilyn Kenyon was in August 2007 when she came to a local New Jersey Barnes & Noble for the Devil May Cry book tour. I was immediately impressed by her warmth and humbleness towards her readers and fans.

Here's a picture of me with Sherrilyn the first time I met her. I am in my Dark Hunter zone--complete with a henna tattoo of the Artemis' Dark Hunter cross bow on my shoulder and Simi Demon horns [... little devil horns stolen from my daughters' dress up box. ;) ]

The second time I met Sherrilyn was several weeks later at the NJ RWA Literacy Signing in October 2007. She was again very kind and gracious and even said she remembered me. By now I had finished reading Devil May Cry and I got to chat a bit with her about the upcoming Year of Acheron. She said she really hoped people liked Ash's story and honestly sounded a bit nervous about it's reception by her readers. I admit, I was nervous, too. Was it possible to deliver a happily ever after worthy of a powerful and complex character like Ash? [...according to all the reviews I've been skimming this past week, I think the answer is Yes! Yay! :) ].

The last time I met Sherrilyn was in April 2008 at the NY Comic Con, which was a really different atmosphere to met her since this venue was so huge and she was clearly not the center of attention.

I'm imagining there will be A LOT of people at this Friday's Sherrilyn Kenyon event. It's New York City. It's Acheron. Can it get any bigger than that! Probably, but I like to pretend not. Embarrassingly, I'll be going to the book signing and talk without having read Acheron yet. How sad is that? I'll probably be the only one there who hasn't read it! Oh, wait! I'm making Kate go with me... she doesn't even read this series. Phew! She'll look sillier than me. :P

Anyone else going?