THEY LIVE by Raine Weaver

First of all—many thanks to the Dark Divas for inviting me to guest-blog. It’s my first time, and I’m very honored. Thank you!

So, the rumor is that Vampires are dead and buried.
Of course, literally they always WERE, except for when they were working the graveyard shift and tossing back a pint or two.
But according to agents, editors, and scores of satiated readers, they’re no longer interested in Vampires. They’ve had their fill of Vampires, the market is saturated with Vampires, and no one—NO ONE—is actively looking for Vampire stories.

And that was fine with me. I’d written a werewolf here, an incubus there, but never had any interest in writing vamps…
That is, until last week, when I started writing a story on a whim.
A Vampire story.
What can I say? I think I’m in love.

The fact that Vampires are sexy isn’t news to me. I’ve read the books, seen the films. But creating one from scratch, crafting his looks, history, personality, and sexual inclinations—oh, yes. I was HOOKED. What’s more fun than giving life to a fantasy for yourself?!

And then there’s that sucking thing. I don’t care how you try to rationalize it, sucking is HAWT. Combine the act of sucking with the piercing of the body and certain deft movements of the hips…and oh my, my. Trust me. Vampires are definitely NOT dead.

The next time you hear that the Vampire genre is over and done, don’t believe it for a minute. It may retreat into the mists a bit, may become more cross-genre, more selective—but trust me. Vampires are just too bloody sexy to die.
And the next time anyone tells me they’re passé, I’m going to suggest that they bite me.

Raine Weaver
www.raineweaver.com
Raine's Secret Garden
Southern Fried Chicas

Goofy Stuff and New Books

Okay, here's the result of when I vacuumed the keys off my laptop keyboard - the keys were never found. AND when I talked to my IT guy at work about what happened he did indeed look at me as if I'd just had a four headed baby! It was almost as funny as the face I made when the keys flew up into the almighty and powerful suction of my new vacuum cleaner!


So, they're trying to see where we can get a new 'Q' and a new 'W' key since they don't seem to be sold separately *snort*

I'm teaching class at work so gotta run ;D I'll keep ya'll posted!

OH, BY THE WAY, I received edits for HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3! It'll be released in July, right after Book 2 comes out in print! Woohoo!

Almost done & Goals

You know, at the start of this month, I decided that I wanted to have the first draft of a novel completed by the end of Feb. And well, I've got two days to go.

Here's where I'm at:



Doesn't that look strange? 99%. Okay. The only thing is that I'm pretty sure I've still got two more chapters left. This will take me over the 80k mark. Pretty cool, huh? For a first draft. I find that I usually come in just below my estimated word count goal, but this time it's worked out different. Cool. I'll probably finish just above.

Man, I didn't want to stop typing today, though. I'm in the groove. I can see the end playing out inside my head. But there are certain other things that need to be done first. Yeah, as usual, I'm trying to do a hundred things at once. I've got several things I'd like to have done by Monday, so cross your fingers for me.

So, how are you doing? Meeting your writing (or other) goals for Feb?

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Has a Book Affected You?

The winner of Nina Pierce's The Healer Garden is Rebekah. Please email Nina at ninaATninapierceDOTcom for your prize. Congrats!And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Over on the Romance Divas, a bunch of Divas were chitchatting about the Anne Rice thing. One of them mentioned an experience she had years ago, after she'd read a series of Anne Rice books, back-to-back. In a nutshell, she felt like some kind of dark energy was coming from the books and was affecting her. Not only did she feel that way, but she said a friend of hers had a similar experience.

Books can be very powerful, and affect people in so many different ways. Which is why I felt compelled to ask--has any book affected you in some way? I'm not just looking for supernatural/creepy kinds of things like the example above, but any way a book touched you in a memorable or meaningful way.

One example I can state from my own life would be--after reading Christine Warren's Fantasy Fix, I had a light bulb moment and was inspired to write sassy, fun erotic fiction. Out of that light bulb moment, an entire career has blossomed. That book affected me, and my life and my family's future.

What about you? Has a story impacted your career, a personal relationship or your health?

Tawny
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Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction

Cause… I said by Nina Pierce

Welcome guest blogger, Nina Pierce. Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of Nina's debut novel, The Healer's Garden. Contest is open from now until tomorrow midnight PST. Winner will be announced on Tuesday so check back. And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Thanks for inviting me over to your place, ladies. Sometimes a writer just needs to get out, stretch her legs, and visit another blog! Happy to be here visiting with everyone today!

I’m Nina Pierce, new to the publishing world. My debut novel “The Healer’s Garden” was a December molten erotic release from Liquid Silver Books. It’s not dark or chilling but it is a suspense story that takes place in an alternative future.



A world left after the devastating plague of the twenty-first century nearly wiped out the male population and significantly decreased the female population. A place where woman have evolved and developed the talents of prophesying, telepathy, telekinesis, and the greatest gift of all—healing.

In this female dominated society, continuing the human population is of utmost importance. The virus that decimated humans has also rendered male sperm incapable of surviving artificial insemination and cloning has yet to be perfected. The government has enslaved acceptable males and decreed that woman must mate with them and birth two infants before the age of thirty.

It’s at the government breeding facility known as the Garden of Serenity that gifted healer Jahara Hriznek meets the mating instructor Brenimyn and so begins their tumultuous relationship.

Brenimyn believes the time is now to rise up and restore social equality for all. He is searching for the one woman prophesied to be his mate and partner in the battle against the government and believes Jahara is that woman. But can Brenimyn convince Jahara to trust her heart and follow him? And will that love be enough to unite them in a coup against the government and bring about a new world order?

I love this couple... love that Brenimyn is willing to risk his life to stand up for something he believes in and fight for the woman he loves.

I was born in the 60’s, but I am not a child of the 60’s. That was an era when men and women laid down in front of bulldozers or carried picket signs or stood up against the government on court hall steps. I’ve never stepped up in public and fought for a cause I believed in. I’m opinionated and not too shy to express myself, but have never gone to jail to prove a point. I greatly admire people who have stepped out of their comfort zone and stood up for a cause.

I love to hear stories of people with that much bravery. Have you taken a stand? Or would you like to? Tell me about it. I’ll be here all day!

Nina Pierce
www.ninapierce.com
http://www.karadunn.com/romanceblog

xPost - Career Change?

If you've ever thought about changing jobs or careers, then this is for you! I'm wanting to relocate to Washington state and have started job hunting. A friend of mine sent me this video (warning: there is sound, though none of it is raunchy, and you may laugh out loud) to celebrate my new efforts.

I'm going to miss my old job. I've been here for seven years and have really enjoyed working with my customers. But in truth, there's nothing tying me to this state. I have no family here. No friends. Nothing but work. And that's not really a good reason to remain someplace if you're unhappy, right? Right! So...of we go!

Check it out!

TJ

"A man sees himself in more rewarding jobs and received some not-so-subtle hints to take control of his career."

Music & Writing

So, when I embark on the journey that is writing a novel, I like to put a Playlist together. Now, the songs I choose need to have something to do with the story. Sometimes it's about the same subject matter. Other times it just suits the mood and atmosphere of the writing.

But it always has to fit. And the sequence of the songs says a bit about the way the story's going to go. I know, it sounds very thorough, but it's how I like to work. :)

So, this week I thought I'd post my current Playlist. This novel's a dark, moody one. Very gloomy and filled with action and bad things. I'm having a blast with it. I've now passed the 60k mark, so the end is nearing... but will still take a while to get there. Hell, I don't mind. It's fun!

Anyway, here's the Playlist:

IRIS: Goo Goo Dolls
SAVIOR: 30 Seconds to Mars
IN PIECES: Linkin Park
THE SHARPEST LIVES: My Chemical Romance
HUNTER: 30 Seconds to Mars
THE KILL: 30 Seconds to Mars
EVEN FLOW: Pearl Jam
OBLIVION: 30 Seconds to Mars
BONES: The Killers
THE FANTASY: 30 Seconds to Mars
BURN: The Cure
THE STORY: 30 Seconds to Mars
EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IS MAGIC: The Police
IF YOU'RE GONE: Matchbox 20
BATTLE OF ONE: 30 Seconds to Mars
MISERY: Good Charlotte
ECHELON: 30 Seconds to Mars
BETTER THAN ME: Hinder
STAY WITH YOU: Goo Goo Dolls
ATTACK: 30 Seconds to Mars
APOLOGIZE: Timbaland feat. One Republic
FAMOUS LAST WORDS: My Chemical Romance
END OF THE BEGINNING: 30 Seconds to Mars

This is an awesome mix of wonderful songs. Having it in the background every time I sit down to write has helped me heaps. I love every single one of these songs. I find music very inspirational.

So, what song gets your creative juices flowing? Anything by 30STM, MCR and LP is sure to get my muse's attention. ;)

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

A submissions call and some BIG news!

Sharing yet another submissions call. This one is for Black Lace's anthologies and you'll see there isn't a whole lot of time left. Good luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW BLACK LACE SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGY

Following our successful series of themed Wicked Words short stories, Black Lace is publishing a collection of vampire erotica in November 08. Submissions in by end of April 08 please. 4 ­ 6K words in length; payment within 30 days of publication; send double-spaced hardcopy
manuscript to Black Lace at: Vampire Erotica Anthology c/o Black Lace, Virgin Books, Thames Wharf Studios, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA. And for inspiration read our excellent anthology /Love on the Dark Side ­ tales of paranormal erotica. /

Kind regards

Adam Nevill
Editor - Fiction & Erotica
Virgin Books
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now for the BIG news...

There's a rumor flying around that I've sold a book to Harlequin Blaze. Here's a link: Lisa Renee Jones

Sadly, the rumor isn't true. I think there's been a mix-up, and the other author writing the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes book is probably the talented author Tawny Weber. I'm sorry for the confusion!

But on the bright side, we had a lot of fun with this bit on the Romance Divas! Check on the forums for all the fun!

The other Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction

Not-So-Dark Diva by Natasha Moore

Thanks to Emma Petersen for inviting me to guest blog today with the Divas of the Dark. There are some mighty talented writers here and I’m happy to be in their midst, at least for the space of one blog post.

That said, I don’t write dark. Never have and believe me, I’ve really tried. I love to read those darkly atmospheric stories with heroes that the heroine can’t quite trust…okay, maybe with her body, but not with her heart. At least not until he’s gone through hell and back to prove himself.

But as soon as I try to write dark, the heroine starts coming out with these snappy one liners and soon there’s a sexy banter going on between my hero and heroine that has nothing to do with the dark. Oh well. So even if I manage to slip some dark atmosphere into some of my stories, you’ll probably see a lot of humor too.




My current release, Quinn’s Curse from eRed Sage, is my first paranormal. The darkest I get is in the first chapter, when my self-centered bad boy pirate drowns during a shipwreck and is cursed to haunt a rocky point on the coast of Maine. The chapter ends like this:

“Then Quinn found himself washed up on the shore. It was an eerie feeling to look down and see his body bloated and broken on the sharp rocks. Several other seamen’s bodies had washed up as well, mixed up with the debris of seaweed, shattered bottles, and pieces of timber.
Quinn stood beside his broken body and knew his time in hell had begun.”

Up until Quinn’s Curse, I’d only written contemporary stories and I really enjoy writing them. I love the idea that this love story could really happen. All right, could really happen to me. But I’ve developed a love for the paranormal. There are so many plot situations that just wouldn’t be possible in a straight contemporary romance. For instance, I love my ghost hero, Quinn. In my contemporary romances, I could never have an invisible hero making love to my heroine, convincing her that it’s all a dream. It’s one of my favorite love scenes ever.

So I’m willing to bet you can look for more paranormal stories from me in the future. I can’t guarantee how dark they’ll be, but, then again…you never know!

Natasha Moore
Romance with more…sizzle
www.natashamoore.com
http://natasha-moore.blogspot.com

Happy Valentine's Day & My Latest Release

Hey! How's everyone doing today? Firstly, I just wanted to say: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Yay. I hope you all have a terrific day filled with love. Although, personally, I don't think we need to celebrate love one time a year... more like every single day! ;)

Anyway. Technically, it's not V-Day yet in the U.S. but you know I'm a day ahead, right?

Today, I'm going to share a little excerpt from my novella, VALENTINE'S BEAST:

Prologue

Valentine’s Day

If I’d known then, what I know now, I would’ve stayed away from him. I should’ve stayed away. I’m just a sucker for the possibility of romance. I got swept away.

We’d known each other for so long I was sure we were meant to be. Even now, as my gaze searched his in this uncomfortable predicament, I wasn’t entirely sure Damien was against me. That he actually believed the crap these other psychos were convinced lay waiting in my destiny.

I don’t believe in destiny or fate, or anything as ridiculous as a pre-planned life when a person is born. I think you make your bed and lie in it, which says a lot about my situation.

The metal restraints clasped around my wrists and ankles cut painfully into my skin. I felt like some kind of martyr, meant to be the scapegoat of a fictional Beast.

Yes, that’s right. These morons think I’m The Beast. The Antichrist! Can you believe it?

“Don’t look at him, you beast!” The hooded man at the front prodded me with a stick. Their brown-hooded cloaks made them look like some ancient, religious order. If anyone looked like the bad guys here, it was definitely them. Not poor defenseless me, tied up like a piece of meat on offer to King Kong.

“Please, just let me go. I’m not who you think I am!” It was worth a shot. After all, it was Valentine’s Day. There had to be some sort of law made by Cupid, against this type of treatment of a woman on the day of love.

A soft chant ignited within the circle they’d formed around me, and it wasn’t to serenade me. I didn’t understand the screechy, evil-sounding language.

“You are The Beast, and we shall soon prove it. Then kill you before you get the chance to carry out your evil plan with the second beast.” The man retracted the stick in his hand long enough to dip it into the fire burning in the corner of the room.

Damn, that wasn’t a stick. It was a poker! I hope he wasn’t planning on using that thing on me. In response, I curled my hands into fists so they couldn’t see my palms. There was no point in aggravating the situation any further, and if they got a glimpse of my left palm, that’s exactly what would happen.

Before I could respond or try to avoid it, the poker connected with my hip. Pain tore along my flesh and spiked below my skin. I fought to stay conscious, afraid of what they’d do to me if I was unconscious… but the pain was too much to take.

I involuntarily closed my eyes to face the darkness, which was more welcoming than these delusional men. I just had to have faith in him.

Damien knew me, unlike the others in this dungeon. He would save me, I knew he would.

---

VALENTINE'S BEAST will be available from Cobblestone Press tomorrow! I'll also be attending the chat, so pop in and say HI!

Have an awesome week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Gimme Some Heat!

For those who didn't know, I live in the arctic.

Okay, maybe that's not entirely true. But when I stepped outside this morning, I could swear our house had been magically plucked up (ala Wizard of Oz) and dropped in Siberia. I live in Michigan, which is probably some thousand plus miles south of the arctic circle, but it's cold enough to freeze a few body parts off this morning. Brrrrrr! I *hate* cold. Absolutely despise it.

Thus the reason for this post.

Since it's freezing outside, I need to take extra measures to stay nice and snuggly warm. And nothing warms me up like a hot novel.

I'm looking for some recommendations for winter reading material. I want *UBER* hot. Can be contemporary or paranormal. Ebook or print. What books will help me get through the next six weeks (groan!) of this awful weather? Post in the comments.


Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction

CAPA's!

The Romance Studio has announced this year's CAPA nominees...and CARINIAN'S SEEKER is on the list as a nominee for best Paranormal Erotic Romance!


There are a bunch of my fellow authors on the list as well, including my best girls, Lauren Dane, NJ Walters, Michelle Pillow, Bianca D'Arc, Samantha Kane, Cheyenne McCray, Marianne LaCroix, Lacey Alexander, and many more.

Congratulations to all the nominees! The winners will be announced Valentine's Day!

To see the entire CAPA list at The Romance Studio, click HERE.

A Beautiful Lie & Valentine's Beast

Hi! Today, I want to start out with a filmclip:

You've all heard me chatting about this band a thousand times before. But you know, I just can't get enough of 30 Seconds to Mars. This is their latest single. Man, this clip is gorgeous - on so many levels. ;) It was shot in Greenland. The scenery's amazing. The song is fantastic. The band absolutely awesome. They just never fail to impress me.

Anyway, check it out. You won't regret it.

Also wanted to mention that my latest novella will be released by Cobblestone Press next week. On Valentine's Day. How cool is that?

Here's a little bit about it:

All Luci wants for Valentine’s Day is a date.

And now that her teenage crush has come back into her life, she’s determined to keep him there. But Damien has a secret. One that can tear their romance apart, and allow the Antichrist to rise…

It was a lot of fun to write this story. Luci's a girl who wants to enjoy Valentine's Day with someone special, for a change. For some reason, she usually winds up alone on the day of love. But this year, not only does she have a date, but it might tear her life apart.

If you read it, I hope you have as much fun as I did writing it.

Have an awesome week!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/