Update: The winner is…Angela! Congrats, Angela!

If you are a fan of my Elemental Witches or Dark Magick paranormal romance series, or have read any of my erotic romances like The Chosen Sin, Jeweled, or Jaded, you will find Raven’s Quest to be a much different kind of story. Raven’s Quest was one of the first books I ever wrote and it’s a pure fantasy romance, weaving an enduring tale of love through a world rich with magic.

I wrote this novel right after the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. At that point in my life, I’d given up on my writing. Then my husband and I ended up trapped in Europe for an extra week because of the attacks.  We were on one of the first passenger planes allowed back into U.S. airspace. On the flight home, I thought a lot about the people who’d been on those hijacked planes and how fast their lives had ended. I wondered why I wasn’t doing the one thing in my life I loved the most. Because I feared failure? What a stupid reason!

How much would the people on those planes give for a second chance to follow their dreams?

I came home and began work on Raven’s Quest right away. Since then I’ve written over forty other works, but Raven’s Quest still claims a very special place in my heart.

If you’re in need of a hero in your life, you might escape for a while with Lucan. The fourth son of a great king, he never expected—or wanted—to rule, but when his uncle kills Lucan’s family and takes the throne for himself, Lucan has no choice but to form a rebellion and force his unjust uncle from the throne.

Branna is a woman of magic and mystery who comes from a country far away. When she meets Lucan she knows he’s special in more ways than one. Strong and compassionate, Branna is willing to sacrifice her life for the good of her people, but the longer she knows Lucan, the harder leaving him becomes….

I had so much fun writing Branna and Lucan, building their magical world and guiding them both toward love. I hope you will enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Raven’s Quest became available yesterday. Here’s a short excerpt to give you a taste.

EXCERPT

A noise sounded behind her and she whirled, afraid Fiall had followed her. She searched in the half light to determine who it was. By the man’s form and the way he moved . . . aye, she knew him by the way he moved better than she’d ever known anyone . . . she could tell it was Lucan right away.

“Are you all right?” came his low, deep voice. His face was caught in shadow.

For some reason, the concern that laced those words nearly broke her apart. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears that welled over and onto her cheeks. How could she find this man only to lose him again?

She tried to collect herself before speaking. “Yes . . . I’m fine,” she said in the steadiest voice she could manage.

“Because if you need to be kissed, I can do that. If kissing is what you need, I’m your man.”

She could hear the smile in his voice, though she couldn’t see it on his face. She laughed and sobbed at the same time. Fine, she would follow Arturo’s advice and simply give in. “Aye, I could use a kiss,” she said in a voice made husky by her tears.

Before she’d even finished her sentence, he strode toward her. He caught her around the waist and brought his face close to hers. His breath was mint scented, and it stirred the fine hairs around the edge of her face. He smelled as he always did, of spicewood soap and leather, although this time it also seemed she could smell his desire.

One teardrop meandered its way down her cheek, and Lucan kissed it away. Then he tipped her chin up and placed his mouth against hers. She could taste the salty tang of her teardrop as he parted her lips and brushed his tongue against hers in a long, slow stroke.

Morrenna’s stars . . . thank the Goddess for kisses.

Read the first chapter at http://www.anyabast.com/ravens-quest/

Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of Raven’s Quest.

The contest will end at 5pm (est) tomorrow.

Good luck and thanks so much for reading! 🙂

Update: The winner is… Mary Kirkland! Congratulations, Mary!

Thank you so much for tuning in and checking out MY DEADLY VALENTINE! The guest authors and fun posts will continue until that  most romantic of days–Valentine’s Day. Tomorrow, the fabulous Anya Bast will be blogging, and other awesome authors this week include: Donna Grant, Shelli Stevens, and Beth Kery. Don’t miss out!

I also want to thank all of the wonderful folks who have read DEADLY HEAT–thank you! I have received so many great emails, and I am very happy that you are enjoying my latest Deadly book.  The third book in the series, DEADLY LIES, will release on 3/1, and I’ve gotten such great early reviews on this book, including this one from Publishers Weekly:

“The heart-pounding sequel to Deadly Fear and Deadly Heat offers surprise and sexy romance at every turn. Still traumatized by a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, FBI special agent Samantha Kennedy fights to prove herself by tracking a kidnapper who is targeting the sons of wealthy men. She’s also navigating an attraction to business owner Max Ridgeway. When Max’s stepbrother disappears, he and Samantha must race against time and the ever-changing whims of a brutal killer while confronting their troubled pasts and their shared passion. Eden’s characters are complex and likable, and her plot speeds along breathlessly to a surprising and sizzling conclusion. (Mar.)”

So, as a thank you to everyone, I’d like to giveaway a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate.  I’ll leave this contest open until Friday.  To enter, just tell me how you’d like to spend your Valentine’s Day.

And, since I was chatting about DEADLY LIES, I thought I’d leave you with a DEADLY LIES excerpt:

Somehow I deleted Cynthia’s introduction when trying to update this section with the winner so I apologize!! 🙂

EDITED TO ADD: The winner (which I drew using random.org) is Michele!! Please contact me at katiereus (@) yahoo. com (no spaces or parenthesis). Congrats!!

Thanks so much to Cynthia for letting me blog with her today! The woman certainly knows how to throw a party 😉 I’m so excited for her release of Deadly Heat (which I’ve been impatiently waiting for after reading Deadly Fear)!

Today’s post is a little random but fun (I hope).

One of the most annoying things to me is when I get a completely ridiculous song stuck in my head. And I just keep humming or singing it all day or sometimes for weeks! My husband and I are always quoting Will Ferrell movies (I have a weird obsession with him) and if you’ve seen Blades of Glory you’ll know that Chaz (Ferrell’s character) is a ‘professional’ ice skater and is insistent that he and his partner going to skate to the song ‘My Humps’ by the Black Eyed Peas. That song is just so insane and makes no sense yet it crawls into your brain and sets up camp. Since my baby bump just popped (I’m pregnant with my first child, btw) my husband has been singing that song but replacing the words with ‘my bump, my bump, my lovely baby bump’. He changes the lyrics to a lot of songs and normally I think it’s hilarious but this time it’s driving me a little crazy because of the chosen song, yet I’m always humming it.

What does this have to do with writing or my recent release? Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to share some goodness about myself with you. So now you know I’m preggo and I love Will Ferrell (probably too much).

Writing is such a solitary profession so I love when wonderful authors like Cynthia let me hang out with them! This month I’m celebrating the release of my first book from Carina Press. This is the first release under my ‘Katie’ writing persona in two years so I’m very excited about it. It’s got danger and secrets (hence the title) and a very hot southern hero!

Dangerous Secrets Blurb:

Isabelle Ballantine has been fighting for independence since she was old enough to walk. Now that she’s finally out from under her father’s shadow, she won’t let anyone stand in her way. It’s tough living on her own, working in a bar and keeping her true identity a secret, but things start to look up when a sexy new stranger walks into her life. After working side by side for weeks, Izzy can’t figure out why he won’t make a move.

To cinch the deal of a lifetime, Adam Marcellus agrees to help Izzy’s eccentric father convince his daughter to move home. He’d assumed Izzy would be another spoiled rich princess, but he’s surprised to discover his feelings for her are stronger than anything he’s ever experienced. When a deranged stalker targets her, Adam finds himself fighting not only an unknown threat—but an unexpected attraction to the one woman he can’t have.

Thanks again to Cynthia for hosting me today! I love it when she has a blog party and since she’s been cool enough to host me, I want to offer a book from my back list to one commenter (check out my website for a complete list) who I’ll draw at random. Since this will be a digital giveaway the contest is open internationally (though void where prohibited). You have until tomorrow at noon (Eastern) to enter. I’ll announce the winner in the body of the post and in the comments section!

A little about me: I’ve been reading romance since I was a kid and the addiction stayed with me into adulthood. I write sexy paranormal romance and fast-paced romantic suspense. Dangerous Secrets is my first release from Carina Press (2/7/11) and in early 2012 my first book in a paranormal trilogy will release from Signet Eclipse (NAL/Penguin). To learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, or find me on twitter @katiereus.

First of all I want to thank Cynthia for letting me guest on her blog! Cynthia throws an awesome party.

Power of Attraction, book 1 in my Blackstone Haven series releases today. I’m here to share a little insight into my story with you.

There is a subtle rhythm that beats when you read. One you probably don’t even notice it.

From that first word of any book you read it pulls you in and takes you on a journey. Each step gives you various beat that resonate with you. That first blush of meeting and the little catch that you get when you read it. The foray of the characters as they do that dance of seduction which keeps your heart racing as you wonder when will they or will they at all. Then when they do you your pulse skyrockets with each kiss, caress and thrust as they come together. Then you go on the journey of their affair. The up rhythms of them getting to know each other after the sexual encounter. A laugh at their antics which makes your body move in time with them. That little sound you make as something they do pleases you. The humph as they act the fool. The sway as you enjoy this journey that makes you go up then down and all around. When that obstacle comes and your fist clenches while your heart wonders how can they fix this and the tears fall with the person most devastated after that moment. Then ultimately the triumph they get when they overcome it all to be together. Your soul rejoices and you love it. Once done you exhale and that dance is done at least until the next time.

All this is rhythms that comes from within. One that is individual as each of you. No two rhythms you feel are the same. Heck when you reread the book the rhythm changes. I love reading books and how it makes the rhythm of my soul move. And this is what I work for when I write. A rhythm that will resonate in a reader. Make them become part of the fabric of the dance I am creating in my story. Let me share with you the rhythms I feel when I write.

In writing Power of Attraction I felt that rhythm in each word. From the opening scene with Wesley McCarty my hero who fears what is happening to him. His not knowing and fear because of it makes me think of a pounding of drums driving him on. Peyton Blackstone my heroine has a feeling that makes her feel such joy and abandonment that she leaves her home and goes into the forest and dances under the stars. Her rhythm reminds me of a clarinet and sax being played in a duet each trying to get supremacy. But in the end they blend into a harmonious sound. When Wesley and Peyton met under those stars his drums meld with her clarinet and sax to create a sultry melody. Yet it is not to be and reality intrudes with a clash of cymbals taking them apart. Peyton clarinet and sax make sounds that will make you weep as she knows her life is about to change and she has no way of knowing in what way. She has to think of the legacy she must face. Wesley stands with his lone drum making a steady tap, tap as he wonders if he really losing his mind.

As the story progresses I felt the back beat of many rhythms that drives the story. Made it pulse in my soul as I put it on paper. It was a stupendous feeling. I’ve been called everything from writer, author, storyteller and all the in between. I am all those things and so much more. Of all the names I’m called I like to call myself … Rhythm Maker.

Here is a taste of my book.

Power of Attraction Mini Blurb – A woman whose destiny has been ordained from birth meets the man who has been prophesied for her–but there is more to him than meets the eye. With prophecies and legacies to fulfill, which way will she go: to a man who may be possibly her mate, or to a dark legacy that could take her life.

Excerpt for Power of Attraction:

Wesley was amused by the look of fury mixed with distress on Ian’s normally affable face. He turned, interested in seeing the person who caused such a reaction. Shocked emerald green eyes stared at him. His heart skipped a beat.

Wesley hungrily took in the woman from the forest. She was real. He wasn’t losing his mind. Unconsciously, he took a step towards her. She backed up a step.

Fury filled him. She had run from him once, and she wasn’t doing it again. With a determined stride, he closed the space between them and grabbed her arm. She tried to shrug him off. He changed his grip and yanked her against his body. A shudder racked him as their bodies touched. The scent of cinnamon and vanilla he had thought he imagined cloyed around them. He felt her shiver in reaction. Her eyes heated then went cool.

A click sounded behind him. Absently, he looked away from her compelling gaze. He stilled at the sight of the gun trained on him. The wrath in the other woman’s amber gaze let him know she was waiting for an excuse to blow him away. Her features, so much like those of the woman he held, told him they were somehow related.

The woman in his arms moved against him. The feel of her soft breasts against his chest drove all sane thought from his mind. He turned and jerked her up into his arms.

“Wrap your legs around me,” Wesley growled.

The woman’s eyes narrowed, but she clamped her legs around his waist.

“Don’t order me around.” Her husky voice stroked along his senses.

He put his face close to hers. “Don’t give me reason to.”

She jerked back. He clamped his hands on her ass to hold her against him. She stilled. Wesley gritted his teeth at the feel of her jean-clad mound against him. His mind flashed to the forest and their kiss. He saw the answering flare in her green gaze.

Copyright © Taige Crenshaw, 2011.
All Rights Reserved, Total E Bound.

Buy Here

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Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Total-E-Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn’t long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroine’s, and sexy hero’s. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com  or blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog.

Update: And the winners are…

Congrats ladies! I will be getting with you in email soon to give you your prizes!

Zoe Winters, here.

The last time I was at Cindy’s blog, I talked a little about my then upcoming release, Save My Soul.

I had hoped to have the book out by Christmas, but things always take longer than I think they’re going to, so we’re about a month past that date. But it’s here now. 🙂

Cindy is coincidentally doing this Deadly Valentine event which made me think it was an appropriate thing to get in on since I wanted to talk about writing REALLY bad heroes.

I don’t know how many fans of Buffy are here, but I’m a big Buffy fan. In fact, I think a lot of paranormal romance authors started out as Buffy fans for some reason. I’d watch the show and think: “This is exactly how I think, I could have written this.” (Not that I think I’m as awesome as Joss Whedon.) One of the intriguing things about the show was that we were rooting for some really bad guys as romantic leads. First there was Angel, then there was Spike.

Both of them, being vampires, started evil, killing lots of people and having not an ounce of remorse for it. When Angel was cursed with his soul he felt guilty, but I don’t think Spike ever felt all that bad about the people he killed in his past. And why should he? Most people are meat-eaters, and we don’t mourn the cow and feel guilty every time we eat a cheeseburger.

But there is still this cognitive disconnect where we’re watching this stuff and we’re rooting for Spike or Angel and meanwhile they’ve spent over a hundred years each killing thousands of people. But we’re still wanting them to end up in bed with Buffy. Cause we’re crazy like that. Or because they are sexy beasts. One of those.

Save My Soul features an incubus who has been trapped in a house for fifty years. Before he met the witch who cursed him, he killed thousands of women over a 526-year time period. How do we forgive that and move past it and let him be a hero? Is it even possible with that kind of history? The fan response to Buffy makes me think, yes.

I think part of it is that he’s truly suffered for several decades being trapped in that house. He’s also had a very real change of heart with regards to the value of human life. When someone goes vegetarian, I don’t think the other vegetarians wag their fingers at them and say: “You evil former cow killer!” I think they’re just happy someone has become more sensitive to the suffering of other living souls. I hope readers feel the same way with regards to Luc.

I think another reason we can let Luc be a hero is that it’s not like he tortured and sliced and diced his prey. Every single one of those women “died happy” (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Which doesn’t make it “moral”, but yeah. There are a lot worse ways to go out.

Luc represents the idea that you can start over and find redemption, which I think is also why we rooted for Angel, and later Spike on BtVS. And I hope it’s why readers will root for Luc.

This book has a lot of snark and humor in it, but it also has quite a bit of angst and drama. The book trailer (which I’m pimping everywhere) focuses on the latter:

Book Trailer: Save My Soul by: Zoe Winters from Zoe Winters on Vimeo.

Save My Soul is the second book in my preternaturals series, but it also stands alone. You won’t be the slightest bit lost if you read this one first. Here’s where you can find the buy-links for the digital book. (print available soon.)

I’m also giving away a signed print copy of Save My Soul to one reader. (U.S. only, please.) And I’ll give a digital copy away to one other reader (open internationally.) To enter, please leave a comment and let me know if you’re in the US or International.

Thanks for reading!