Thank you for helping me to celebrate my double ebook release day! I appreciate all the great comments, Tweets, & emails that I received. Thank you!

All of the release day giveaways are now closed. I’ll be picking the winners and listing them at the top of each post (unless the guest author prefers to pick her own winners and in that case, we’ll still post the names at the top of the posts). Winners will also receive emails with prize claim information.

I hope you’re having a wonderful Tuesday!!

Thank you so much for coming by and helping me to celebrate the release of both ENTANGLED and BOUND IN DARKNESS. I’m going to leave all the contests open until noon (Central time) on 9/13/11, so be sure you go back and check through the posts. Each post has at least one (often more) giveaways. So enter as many as you’d like!

I hope you have a fantastic week, and, again, thanks for helping me to celebrate!

(And thank you to all the wonderful guest authors who donated their time and their awesome goodies!!)

Update: Thank you for all the great comments!! I randomly selected a winner for this giveaway, and that person is…The Warrior!! Congrats!

(And if this blog post title doesn’t get me a ton of weird spam responses, nothing will!)

But, let’s talk sexy for a few moments. You know what I think is sexy?  A hot werewolf (cough, cough, Alcide from TRUE BLOOD). A sexy vampire (ahem, Eric, please–again, TRUE BLOOD). Can you tell what I’ve been watching lately?  What can I say?  With the finale last night, I just have TRUE BLOOD on my mind.

So for the next giveaway, how about we do something sexy?  An Eric poster, for one lucky commenter.

And is it any wonder that I’ve got vampires & werewolves on my mind?

Now tell me…what’s on your mind?

.99 Paranormal eBook

Update:  The FATED winners are:  May and Lateefa!!  I am sending your info to Rebecca so that she can contact you with prize details. Congrats!!

Now it’s time for me to interview one of my Brava author buddies.  This is one special lady–so special, that she receive the dedication in my upcoming book, ANGEL OF DARKNESS (okay, so I lost a bet and *had* to give her the dedication but she’s still awesome!) Rebecca Zanetti, thanks for coming by the blog–and thank you for generously offering to giveaway 2 signed copies of your sexy vampire romance, FATED!! (And the next book in Rebecca’s series, CLAIMED, will be out soon–can’t wait!)

Cynthia: Rebecca, thanks so much for joining us!  Can you begin by telling us…why vampires?  What made you want to create your awesome vampire heroes?

Rebecca: Hi Cynthia !  Thank you so much for having me during this hour, and CONGRATS on the release of ENTANGLED and BOUND IN DARKNESS!!  I can’t wait to read.   Also, I’m not sure if people know that Cynthia provided the cover quote for CLAIMED.  I was both humbled and thrilled!

So…about those vampire heroes.  I think the contrast in a vampire is intriguing.  I mean, on one hand, they’re very primal.  Dark, brutal, basic…but in a sexy way.  On the other hand, they’ve lived long enough that they have a leg up—they know how to act civilized.  Maybe even be civilized.  But the inner struggle between their animalistic nature and their centuries of living is fascinating to me.  And during a novel, when that mask of civilization slips…

Cynthia: What do you like most about Dage, the hero from CLAIMED?

Rebecca: Oh wow, that’s a good question.  Dage is the king of the supernatural world—the most powerful being in existence.  So that’s hot.  But he has tempered his power through diplomacy and design…because he’s the leader. He knows it’s better to negotiate than destroy.  What I liked most about him was that he not only let that mask slip when dealing with his mate, but that he was entirely comfortable doing so.

I also liked that he appreciated the heroine’s intelligence as much as her face and spirit.  Dage understands that smart girls are sexy.

Cynthia: Do you have a favorite scene from CLAIMED that you would like to share with us?

Rebecca: Hmmmm.  Well, I loved those scenes where Dage was yanked out of his ‘king’ role.  In fact, at one point, he told the heroine that she’d never met the king, it was the man who held her.  Also, there’s a scene toward the back of the book, during the black moment, when he thinks all is lost.  I love that scene.  But, it is the dark moment, so I’ll find another to share.  Here’s a quick blurb at the beginning of the book when Dage has been shot.

He shook his head without opening his eyes.  “No.  I don’t sense evil anywhere near us.  We’re probably safe for a couple of hours, then we should move again.”

A couple of hours?  Damn.  She needed him in fighting shape.  “Will drinking my blood help heal you?”

His lids flipped open, revealing those silver eyes that had haunted her dreams for fifteen years.  Hunger, raw and pure filled them.  “Yes.”

Emma gulped in air. The husky timber of his voice caressed nerves she didn’t want to own. “I won’t become a vampire?”

His dimples winked at her.  “No.  Vampires are born, not made.”

Fear and her damn curiosity blended until she could only whisper.  “Okay.”  She held out her wrist and shut her eyes.  And waited.  The breeze picked up outside the cave, rustling pine needles and leaves inside the small entrance, and she shivered.  Finally, she opened her eyes in exasperation.  “What?”

Reaching out with his good arm, he lifted her chin with one knuckle, waiting until her gaze met his.  “I want your neck.”

***

Cynthia: What’s the best part of being a writer? The worst part?

Rebecca: Well, one of the best parts is becoming friends with people like you, Cynthia.  Writers are a close group who are willing to help each other.  Plus, we all fully understand that it’s okay to have a bunch of voices bellowing in our heads—that’s normal to us.  🙂   The other thing I love is the blank page, before I’ve written a single word on a new book.  Anything goes at that point.

The worst part would probably have to be a brutal review.  Sure, we’re all going to get bad reviews.  In fact, the person who hates your book usually hates the same part that a person who loves your book really loves.  So, it’s a grain of salt situation.  But these days, anyone can put a harsh review up on Goodreads or amazon…and it’s out there.

Cynthia: What can readers expect next from you?  (Share, share!)

Rebecca: Awww, thanks for asking!  CLAIMED will be released on November 1^st of this year.  Then TEMPTED, an e-novella that features Max (Janie’s bodyguard) will be released in April of 2012, and HUNTED will be released in May of 2012.  HUNTED features Connlan Kayrs and a witch he mated a century ago from Ireland.  He gave her a hundred years to train for her calling—time’s up.

Thanks again for having me!  You can find me on the web at:  http://rebeccazanetti.com/

Also, to celebrate Cynthia’s release day, I’d love to give away two signed copies of FATED, which is book 1 in the Dark Protector Series.  To enter, tell me which characteristics (physical, mental, or emotional) make for a sexy hero.  Thanks!!

Thanks for the wonderful comments!!! The winner of CATTITUDE is…Stephanie (dragonstar).  The winner of GALAXY GIRLS is… Marley Delarose. Congrats!!

I was thrilled to be asked to participate in the ENTANGLED anthology. When I found out all of the proceeds were going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, I couldn’t wait to sign up!  But there is one author that I just have to thank for my involvement in ENTANGLED–Edie Ramer. She (and the great Misty Evans) worked tirelessly on this anthology.  Edie invited me to participate, she organized the donation material–she got all of the authors busy! So, Edie, thank you…and welcome to the blog party!

***

Characters with Attitude

by Edie Ramer

Thanks so much to Cynthia for inviting me to her release day party. I’m so happy that she’s part of the anthology. Her story rocks!

One of the best things about being an indie author is I get to write about what interests me – ghosts, aliens, dragons, cats, witches. All of them with attitude. My short story in ENTANGLED has two of these, and a hint of a new one. You can tell by the title that The Fat Cat has a cat in it. The heroine is a witch, and though a goddess is mentioned in a minor way, she helps do major goddess damage.

The witch heroine was a secondary character in CATTITUDE, my fist self-published book. Other characters from CATTITUDE appear in The Fat Cat. I still love that book. Though I’ve published four other books since, counting ENTANGLED, I thought it would be fun to post an excerpt from it. The heroine from The Fat Cat doesn’t appear, but she’s mentioned. Here goes:

***

Belle’s brain ached from talking. Meowing was so much easier. Humans made everything difficult, even communication. So few words, so many meanings.

“You want to tell me about yourself?” Max asked.

She put a hand on the bruise on her forehead, just like Annette in today’s TV show. “Amnesia.” She’d practiced saying it while watching the show, the mmm sound easier than the nnn. “I have amnesia.”

“Amnesia?” He looked at her with disbelief. “The only people I’ve heard of with amnesia are actors in bad TV shows. If you’re afraid of someone, tell me. I’ll protect you.” His gaze shifted to her ring. “No matter what. You have my promise.”

She nodded. Of course he’d protect her. She’d never thought anything different.

“Do you want to tell me?” He moved closer, bending, the same concentration in his blue eyes as when he was reading one of his travel books.

“Pretty eyes,” she said.

He snapped back. “You don’t need to flirt with me. I already told you I’ll protect you.”

“You have pretty eyes,” she repeated. He also had a pretty face and body, but she decided not to say that.

What had she done wrong? Max told her all the time how pretty she was. “Pretty Belle.” “Beautiful Belle.” “Pretty kitty.” She always liked it. Didn’t humans like to be called nice things?

“Well, thanks.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and backed up. “I’ll order the pizza. You like garlic bread?”

She shook her head. She liked meat. Lots of meat.

“We’ll probably eat in about a half hour.” One corner of his mouth flicked up. “Don’t go anywhere.”

She shook her head. Where would she go? This was her home.

As soon as he left, she stretched, holding the position for a long moment. Then she rubbed her cheek against the pillow. It was soft and smelled of Max. Now her smells mingled with his, her cat body and her human body.

A knock rattled the door. A mewl came out of her mouth, the unfamiliar words forgotten for a second. The door opened before she remembered how to purse her lips and where to stick her tongue to tell whoever it was to come in. Unless it was Caroline. Her she would tell not to come in.

“You’re decent? Too bad.” Ted strolled inside, clothes draped over his arm. “Max said you’re eating with us tonight. I thought you’d like a change of clothes.” He tossed his armload of garments on the foot of the bed. “They’re my sister’s exercise clothes. They should stretch or shrink to fit you. Tory won’t mind if you wear them.”

Belle nodded. Tory liked her. Tory had wanted to take her to New York, but of course Belle couldn’t go. This was her home. Why would she want to live anywhere else?

“I’ll leave now.” Ted glanced at his watch. “You have enough time to take a quick bath or a shower and change.”

Watching him leave, Belle felt sick inside her stomach.

Bath? Shower?

No, no and no!

She wasn’t going to do it. She refused to do it.

But if she didn’t, they’d smell her. Cats groomed themselves all the time, but they didn’t wash away their scents. Any animal knew scents were good. Water was for drinking. Inside the body, not outside.

Her mouth set. She threw back the covers, rolled out of bed, marched into the bathroom, knelt by the bathtub and turned on the faucets the way she’d seen Max do so often. Anything a human could do, a cat could do—no matter how disgusting and unnatural.

But she’d better find Sorcha and get her body back. Fast.

How many more indignities could she stand?

***

I have two giveaways! Two commenters will win either an e-copy of CATTITUDE or my latest book, GALAXY GIRLS, which is my homage to the Gilmore Girls – if they came from another planet and used pheromones as weapons. To enter the giveaway, just answer this question:

If you can be an animal, what kind would you be?

Thanks!

Edie Ramer