Update: Thanks for all of the great comments!! The winner of ALPHA INSTINCT is…Audra Holtwick. Congrats, Audra!

Time for some guest author fun!! My writing buddy Katie Reus is joining me today (welcome to the blog, Katie!). Katie writes some great romantic suspense and paranormal romance novels–she’s also a great ghost hunter, too (but that’s another story). Katie’s all set to launch a new series with the upcoming release of ALPHA INSTINCT, and, today, one lucky commenter will win that great book!

Thank you so much to Cynthia for having me here today! Alpha Instinct, the first book in my new paranormal series from Signet Eclipse is releasing in about a week and a half! I haven’t posted an excerpt anywhere yet (including my own website) so today Cynthia is letting me use her blog to do just that. Here is the first sneak peek into Alpha Instinct. It’s in the beginning of the book and right before Ana sees the hero for the first time in almost fifty years.

One commenter will win a print copy of it (US only). I’ll announce the winner in the comments section on Monday, January 30, 2012 after noon Central time so there are a couple days to enter! Please leave your email address so I have a way to contact you. (Please note that this excerpt might have changed slightly in the final version).

***

Analena Cordona shoved her hands into the pockets of her thick, quilted down jacket. Not because she was cold, but because for the second time in the past ten minutes she was questioning her decision to meet Sean Taggart without an escort. It was likely stupid—scratch that; definitely stupid—but she couldn’t drag one of her sisters or cousins along to meet with him. Taggart was one of the most devious shifters she’d ever met, and she couldn’t risk her pack getting hurt. Despite her effort to appear casual, an unwanted shiver skittered down her spine. If need be, she was ready to run at a moment’s notice.

The wind howled mercilessly through the trees of Fontana Mountain and when it shifted south she caught Taggart’s distinctive, foul scent. He was close. Watching her, no doubt. Pervy bastard.

“I know you’re there, Sean. Come out now so we can get this over with.” She was thankful her voice didn’t shake.

To her surprise, a hulking brown-and-white wolf emerged from a cluster of trees. What the hell? They’d agreed to come in human form. Glancing around, she saw he hadn’t brought anyone else. That tamed her nerves a little but not much. He was still older and stronger and a lot more ruthless. Even though she tried to mask it, he had to smell her fear. “What are you doing?” she snapped, hoping her anger would cover her alarm.

When the animal stood a few feet in front of her, he changed to his human form. Ana looked away but could hear his bones break, shift and realign. Many shifters didn’t mind others watching them change, but to her it was such a private, painful thing, she didn’t do it in front of just anyone.

She turned back to face him and immediately wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. Of course he’d be arrogant enough to stand naked in front of her when they were supposed to be having a serious meeting. She attempted to keep the loathing out of her voice. “I thought we agreed to come in human form.”

He shrugged and had the nerve to grab himself. “I wanted the exercise. Besides, you should get to see what’s going to be yours soon.”

Mine? Gross. Bile rose in her throat, but she pushed it down. Sure, the man had a nice body, but what lay underneath that exterior scared her. She’d seen the way he treated the women of his pack. He was mean just for the sake of being mean. As Alpha, he should set a better example, but no one had stood up to him yet. “Excuse me?”

“That’s why you wanted to meet, isn’t it? To proposition me?”

“Not exactly.” She cleared her throat and looked around. A light layer of snow had fallen over the normally grassy incline. Other than the wind and rustling trees, she was suddenly aware of how alone she really was. She was at least two miles from her family’s ranch. “We’ve had a few attacks over the past couple weeks. Some of our cattle have gone missing and I’ve found a few mutilated cows. And just this morning I found one of my sister’s horses dead.”

The increasing vandalism against her pack’s ranch was a message. Taggart wanted to unite his pack with hers and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. She was surprised he hadn’t done worse.

“And you think my pack had something to do with it?” His voice was monotone.

She noticed he didn’t deny it. “I didn’t say that. I don’t know many humans who venture into our territory, so I just wanted to let you know about it.”

He crossed his arms over his bare chest and she forced herself to keep her eyes on his face. It pissed her off that he just stood there naked. He must have known it would make her uncomfortable.

“Fine. I’ll keep an eye out, but we haven’t had any problems. If you had better security, I doubt you would either.” His voice was taunting.

“We’re doing fine.” But they weren’t. Not really. Financially they were on solid ground, but with all the males of their pack dead, it was only a matter of time before another pack would think they could move in to their territory and force them to assimilate. They might live peacefully among the humans now, but they still had their own laws to worry about. Their black-and-white laws were a lot more primal. As unguarded, unprotected females, they were more or less fair game. It might be bullshit, but there wasn’t much she could do about it unless she wanted to take on the Northern American Council. They wouldn’t allow a she-wolf to remain Alpha without proving herself. As with males, a true Alpha—regardless of gender—had to prove she was strong enough to protect her pack from anything. If it came down to an actual fight, she couldn’t take on Taggart and she knew it. No doubt he did too. And she hated that. Pack law was so different from human rules, and while her animal side acknowledged and understood it, her human side fought against the archaic rules of the Council. Sometimes she worried the eight council members headquartered in Chicago were too out of touch with the changing needs of their kind.

He took a step forward and traced a finger down her cheekbone. Alarm fluttered through her. On instinct, she slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

His dark eyes flashed in anger, and instead of moving away he grabbed her by the back of her neck and tugged her against him. She started to fight but contained her rage. Her inner wolf told her he wanted her to struggle. She needed to play this right. Among shifters violence against any females was rare, but Taggart was a bastard and nothing he did would surprise Ana. She didn’t know much about his parents, but she’d heard his father had been absolutely archaic in his rules with his pack, and it was obvious the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree.

“Soon enough you’ll come crawling on your knees, begging to be my mate,” he growled in her ear.

I’d rather die first. “Let. Me. Go.”

“I think I’m going to have a little fun first.” The menacing note in his voice sent up warning bells.

The Cordona women might be small but they were lightning fast. In her shifted form she knew she could outrun him, but she’d have to get away from him first. He grabbed the zipper on her jacket and snapped it down. Adrenaline pumped through her when she realized what he intended.

She kicked at him. He deflected the blow with his thigh. His grip on her tightened for a split second, and then suddenly she was free. Taking her off guard, he shoved at her chest. She hit the ground with a thud.

Shift.

Run.

Escape.

Thoughts of survival overtook her. She rolled over and prepared to go through the change when he dove on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Her throat tightened as she struggled against him.

“Get off of her!” A loud, dominating male voice roared through the woods, reverberating off the trees.

Taggart shifted his weight, and she didn’t waste the opportunity. Scrambling away, she put a few yards between them. If he made one wrong move, she was going to shift and take off. Her canines were already extending. They pressed painfully against her gums. Her inner wolf begged to be unleashed.

The need to survive was taking over most of her reasoning, and the only thing keeping her from shifting was sheer willpower.

She wasn’t sure where the voice had come from, but she recognized it as sure as she knew her own name. Unless the wind was playing cruel tricks on her. She hadn’t heard that soothing voice in about fifty years.

***

Official Alpha Instinct blurb:

Fear has a scent. So does desire…

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before—and reluctantly accept his offer to mate.

The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate—his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again.

But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor’s future, but the lives of the entire pack…

***

Thanks again for letting me share this excerpt, Cynthia!

A little about me: I’ve been reading romance since a young age—ever since I discovered my mom’s hidden stash. Luckily the addiction stayed with me into adulthood. I write paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense for Carina Press, Harlequin Nocturne, and NAL/Signet Eclipse. To learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, facebook or find me on twitter @katiereus.

Just a quick post to announce that BOUND IN SIN is available for the Nook (the novella is priced at .99).   I want to thank everyone who has already helped me to spread the word about the Nook availability–thank you!

I love writing these werewolf and vampire pairings, and I sure hope readers have been enjoying them, too.

I’m going to be back soon to post some book news (what’s coming in 2012?), so please, stay tuned.

Have a great Monday.

(Can’t leave without shaving one of my favorite Martin Luther King, Jr., quotes:  ‎”…only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars…”)

Update: The winner of FOREVER, MY LOVE is…Moundsbar! Congrats!!

I love it when guest authors come to visit. 🙂 And today, I’m very excited to have my friend Fran Fisher as my guest. Fran is a fabulous lady and one extremely hard-working writer. Thanks for coming over, Fran!

I want to thank Cynthia for allowing me to visit her blog today to talk about my new adventure in publishing. Since 2006 I’ve written for Avalon books under my real name Fran McNabb. My fourth book with them will be released by them in June 2012. Last month I took my first step away from publishing sweet romances and had my first book published that contains a little more spice. Since I don’t want to confuse my readers, I chose a penname, Fran Fisher. Under the name of Fran Fisher I’ve published two books, PLAYING WITH FEELING and FOREVER, MY LOVE.

FOREVER, MY LOVE is my latest publication and it is one of my favorite books. In it, two love stories are developed, one in the Civil War Period and one in the Twenty-First Century. The premise deals with the discovery of a love note in the wall of a fort being restored by an architectural engineer. The note starts a chain of events that takes the heroine, who is a descendent of the author of the note, on an adventure to find answers to her past. Accompanied by the hero, she travels to an old plantation once owned by her family, where dark secrets threaten to destroy any hope that the couple can be together. Through the tenacity and stubbornness of a spirit from the past who refuses to give up on the love of her young husband, the heroine learns that love can endure even when life seems hopeless.

I think the idea of this story started when I was a child, even before I knew I wanted to be a writer. My mother’s family ran the ferry boats to Ship Island and one summer my mom, dad, brother and I spent an entire summer on the island helping with the concessions. One night an unexpected storm sent us to the fort for refuge. I think the images and feelings I experienced that night planted the seed for this story.

Do I believe in ghosts? I don’t know. At first I’d say no, but after being in a place where men from another century lived and died, it’s hard not to let your imagination— if that’s what it is—visualize what might still be within those walls. I love my apparition in this story and the romance between him and his young wife. I hope if you read FOREVER, MY LOVE, you, too, will fall in love with him.

Want to win a digital copy of FOREVER, MY LOVE? Then tell Fran whether or not you believe in ghosts (or feel free to leave her a question). One random commenter will be selected to win.  Thanks for checking out the post!

You can visit Fran at https://www.franfisherauthor.com.

My lovely editor has let me know that ANGEL OF DARKNESS just sold to Germany. Yay!

Happy New Year!!!  I hope you enjoyed a great holiday, and, as we begin 2012, I wanted to start by offering a free novella to readers.

I receive so much incredible reader support, and I just want to say thank you for that support. Thank you for reading my books. For talking about my characters. For sending me so many great emails, tweets, and Facebook messages.  Thank you!!!

And, as my way of saying thanks, I am offering my latest paranormal novella, BOUND IN SIN, as a free read until 1/13/2012.

Blurb:

What’s the price of sin?

Human Paige Sloan once loved werewolf Drake Wyler more than life, but then that life was taken away from her.  Attacked by vampires, Paige was bitten, and, on a cold, dark night, the life she’d known ended. She was reborn as a vampire—a werewolf’s deadliest enemy.

Paige ran from the vampires who attacked her, and she ran away from her lover. She didn’t want Drake to know what she’d become, and she didn’t want to face the fury of his pack.  But a girl can only run for so long until the past catches up with her.

Some sins mark your soul.

When Paige learns that Drake is being targeted for death, she knows that she can’t hide in the shadows any longer. She has to return to him, and she will do anything—anything—in order to make sure that he keeps living. The vampires might have destroyed her chance to live and love Drake, but they won’t take him.  Not over her undead body.  She’ll slay them all…and maybe, just maybe…she’ll even have the chance to sin—one more time–with the werewolf who’d marked her as his mate.

Some sins are worth dying for…

***

BOUND IN SIN is currently listed as free over at All Romance eBooks and Smashwords.  The novella is available in various formats at these locations, including in ePub, Mobi, and PDF (so you can read the story on your e-reader or a home computer).  BOUND IN SIN is also now listed at Amazon, but I was only able to list it as a .99 read there (that is the lowest that customer service would allow me to list it–but I am still trying to get the price adjusted).

Here’s an excerpt from BOUND IN SIN (warning–adult language to follow!):

***

“I’m being hunted,” she told him in that low, husky voice that made his cock swell even more. He could just see the hint of her fangs behind her red lips. The sight should have repulsed him.  It didn’t.  “If you don’t help me, I’ll die.”

“You’re already dead.”  That knowledge made him feel as if his chest had been ripped open. Since Paige had been human when he’d known her before, she must have been made into a vampire.

A rare few, the purebloods, were actually born as vamps, but the rest of the parasites out there? They’d been turned. They were bled until the point of death, then brought back as a vampire.

Drake would kill the one who’d turned her. He couldn’t wait to hear the vampire’s screams.

“Don’t say that,” Paige snapped at him, then she showed him just how strong she really was.  She twisted beneath him and yanked her hands free. A fast roll sent them tumbling across the bed.  Then she was on top of him. Her knees straddled his hips, and her hands slammed down against his chest. “I’m as alive as you are!”

Color stained her cheeks. Her breath heaved out. For an instant, they just stared at each other. Then she grabbed his hand and shoved it against her breasts.

“My heart still beats,” she told him and he could feel the frantic beat beneath his hand. That fast beat…and that sweet, plump flesh. Paige was curved in all the right places.

“I breathe,” she told him and he heard the rush of her breath. “I feel. More than you can imagine, all right? So stop treating me like shit!”

Maybe if she’d stop clawing his heart out…

But then, she was doing that just by breathing. Just by being there. Close enough to take…

So take her. The growl was from his beast, one that was never far from the surface these days.

“You want me to protect you.” He held the beast back, barely, because they had a deal to strike. He knew how these bargains worked in the supernatural world. So much could be bartered and exchanged. Flesh. Blood. Sex. Souls.

Sure, humans might be shocked by a deal like this—but then, humans would be shocked to see a man turn into a wolf.

Deal with it.

“You came to me, to my pack,” he said slowly, determined not to let his rage escape, not yet, “because you want us to keep you safe.”  And he would. He—

“No.” She shook her head.

Drake frowned. If not for protection, then—

“I want you to kill the bastard after me.”  Her fangs seemed to lengthen. “I want you to rip his head off, and I want you to make damn sure that he never rises again.”

Never rises again.

“You’ve got a vampire you want me to fight.”  He’d grown used to battling them. In this part of Alaska, where the cold could creep straight to the bone, where darkness could reign for days and days…this part was home to all manner of supernatural beasts.

The ones at the top of the food chain?  The wolves…and the vamps who kept trying to fight them for supremacy. A supremacy they weren’t ever getting.

“I’ve got a vampire I want you to behead.”  Her breath rushed out. “A vampire named Gabe is the one who made me, he’s—”

Drake’s claws burst from his fingertips and sliced into the bedding. “He’s fucking already dead.”  As far as Drake was concerned, the vamp—Gabe—had died the instant he put his fangs in Paige.

Her gaze held his, and he saw the worry there. “Gabe is a pureblood. He’s strong, he’s—”

“No match for an alpha.” Didn’t she get it? He wasn’t the boy she’d left behind.  He was a warrior. A monster.  A walking nightmare.

Since she’d left him, he’d seen more blood and hell than she could possibly imagine. No, he’d always known the blood and hell…Paige had been the only thing that had been good in his life.

Sweet. Pure.

Then she’d left him, and he’d gone back to the darkness.

She won’t leave again.

***

Thanks for checking out my BOUND IN SIN post–and have a great day!