A HUGE thank you to everyone who reported THE DEVIL’S DANCE as plagiarism on FanFic.net.  The story is down now, and Misconception76 (the person who stole my story and used it as her own), left this note on her page:

“Okay…confession time. What people said I did, I really did do. It was an experiment with a friend of mine. Her mom is totally addicted to the site, and it made me wonder. How many people actually copy other stories and claim them as their own. Well, now I know. Probably not many at all. I’m sorry for all the crap that I caused, and I promise to never show my face again. When my mom’s friend found out what we did, she was livid to say the least. I don’t blame her, or you for any words or actions you brought my way. I totally deserved it.

Once again, I’m sorry.

Misconception”

***

An experiment? No, it’s an illegal act.  It’s plagiarism.  And Misconception76 STILL has not replied to the PM I sent to her about this activity. She hasn’t contacted me at all. If her friend’s mom was actually “livid” then I’ll say that’s no big surprise. She knew the actions were more than just wrong.

Thank you, again, to everyone who has commented, tweeted, emailed–I am thankful for all the support that I’ve received during the course of this “experiment” (totally calling bullshit).

(Thank you SO much to the kind folks who alerted me to this situation.)

I’m being plagiarized. It sucks.

I’m not just talking some similarities in a plot line (that can happen). We’ve all read our share of books with similar story lines.  I’m talking about word for word plagiarism of DEADLY HEAT.

I was alerted that a person using the online name of Misconception76 had posted a story called The Devil’s Dance on fanfiction.net. (Here’s a link for you:  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7129614/1/The_Devils_Dance).  At the beginning of her work, she includes this disclaimer:

“The Twilight Series character names belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.”

You see, she’s renamed my characters Edward & Bella.  My SSD Agent Kenton–he’s Edward. My tough female firefighter? She’s Bella.

She changes the names, acknowledges that she’s using them from the Twlight books, and then Misconception76 goes ahead to use my entire Deadly Heat story.  She changes the POV (using “I” instead of 3rd person), but everything else is the same. For pages and pages and pages.

She adds comments at the beginning and end of each chapter–talking about how hard it is to write. How the characters can be difficult.

And she steals my work.

Let me just say this–I want readers to like my stories. I want them to care about my characters. To talk about the plots and twists and love relationships.

What I don’t want? For someone to steal my work and act like I don’t exist.

I work hard on my writing. I often go to bed long past midnight because I’m up pounding out stories. I miss sleep. I miss family functions. I live and breathe my stories.

Please don’t steal them from me.

If you want to be a writer, then be a writer.  Use your own imagination and write your own stories. Don’t lie and act like something is yours when you’ve just taken the EXACT words from someone else.

Please, don’t plagiarize me.

Update:

I realize that some folks who haven’t read my work are coming to the site to check out this story. Some may not believe me when I talk about this plagiarism situation. (After all, if you haven’t read my work, how can you be sure? Makes sense.) So I wanted to share a small excerpt from my published book, DEADLY HEAT, with you:

Choosing to run into a burning building probably wasn’t the smartest decision he’d ever made. Then again, sadly, it wasn’t his dumbest either.

Kenton Lake choked in a deep breath of air—already tasted the smoke–then lifted his arm over his mouth. Some jobs just sucked.

He went into the wall of smoke. Ah, hell.

His nostrils burned. Heat scored his flesh, but he heard the voice calling, the same voice that had lured him to the building, lured him across the street and into this inferno.

“H-help! Dammit—h-help me!”

His informer. Upstairs. In the middle of the flames and fury.

He jerked off his jacket, covered his mouth, and tried to stay as low to the floor as he could.

His eyes burned, and the ash and fire singed his nostrils. How the hell had this happened? He was investigating arson, not supposed to get drawn into—

Part of the ceiling fell behind him.

Kenton glared up at the long row of stairs. Ten-to-one odds they’d fall away before he got to the top.

Ten to one.

“H-help…”

Weaker.

He took the stairs. One. Two. Three.

And, yep, they gave way just when he reached stair number four. Kenton went down, hard. The broken wood bit into his arms and legs, and the fire flew toward him.

A blast of water shot out, hard and fast, slamming into the flames.

Someone grabbed him, hauled him up, and a hand locked tight around his arm. Kenton found himself staring right at a firefighter.

He caught a smoky glimpse of narrowed eyes behind a clear eye shield. Kenton had a fast impression of a thick, black helmet and a brown uniform—

The firefighter shoved him forward, obviously trying to send him toward the front of the building.

Hell, no.

More firefighters swarmed around him, battling the fire. Some struck out with axes, some scrambled into the rooms.

Couldn’t they hear the voice calling for help?

He tried to break free and jump for those stairs. There was a gap, he could make it, he might—

The firefighter who’d grabbed him before dragged him right back and gave a hard negative shake of that black helmet.

Screw that, he wasn’t leaving a victim behind—

He wrenched away.

Then the firefighter slugged him. Hard. Right in his jaw. Damn, one hell of a hit.

Kenton went down.

The firefighter’s arms wrapped around him. Another grabbed him. Another.

Then they dragged his ass out of the flames.

***

And here’s the material that Misconception76 posted on FanFiction.net:

~Edward~

Choosing to run into a burning building probably wasn’t the smartest decision I’d ever made. Then again, sadly, it wasn’t my dumbest either.

I choked in a deep breath of air – already tasted the smoke – then lifted my arm over my mouth. Some jobs just sucked.

I went into the wall of smoke. Ah, hell.

My nostrils burned. Heat scored my flesh, but I heard the voice calling, the same voice that had lured me to the building, lured me across the street and into this inferno.

“H-help! Dammit, h-help me!”

My informer. Upstairs. In the middle of the flames and fury.

I jerked off my jacket, covered my mouth, and tried to stay as low to the floor as I could.

My eyes burned, and the ash and fire singed my nostrils. How the hell had this happened? I was investigating arson, not supposed to get drawn into–

Part of the ceiling fell behind me.

I glared up at the long row of stairs. Ten-to-one odds they’d fall away before I got to the top.

Ten-to-one.

“H-help…”

Weaker.

I took the stairs. One. Two. Three.

And, yep, they gave way just when I reached stair number four. I went down, hard. The broken wood bit into my arms and legs, and the fire flew toward me.

A blast of water shot out, hard and fast, slamming into the flames.

Someone grabbed me, hauled me up, and a hand locked tight around my arm. I found himself staring right at a firefighter.

I caught a smoky glimpse of narrowed eyes behind a clear eye shield. I had a fast impression of a thick, black helmet and a brown uniform–

The firefighter shoved me forward, obviously trying to send me toward the front of the building.

Hell, no.

More firefighters swarmed around me, battling the fire. Some struck out with axes, some scrambled into the rooms.

Couldn’t they hear the voice calling for help?

I tried to break free and jump for those stairs. There was a gap, I could make it, I might–

The firefighter who’d grabbed me before dragged me right back and gave a hard negative shake of that black helmet.

Screw that, I wasn’t leaving a victim behind–

I wrenched away.

Then the firefighter slugged me. Hard. Right in my jaw. Damn, one hell of a hit.

I went down.

The firefighter’s arms wrapped around me. Another grabbed me. Another.

Then they dragged my ass out of the flames.

***

See what I’m talking about?  And she does this for my entire book.  On Twitter, Evening_Shadow recommended that I tell people how to report The Devil’s Dance as abuse. View the material at: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7129614/2/The_Devils_Dance, and click on the drop-down menu in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.  Then just select the “Report Possible Abuse” and click “Go”.   Hopefully, if enough people report this, The Devil’s Dance will be removed.

Thank you.

Update:  The winner of THE KISS TEST pdf is…Na! Congrats!!

It’s Friday, and you know what goes well with a Friday? A giveaway.  Author Lucianne Rivers has kindly offered to give a PDF copy of her new release, THE KISS TEST, to one lucky commenter.  (Thanks, Lucianne!)

Want to learn more? Check out this fun blurb:

THE KISS TEST
Newly divorced Dolores Coffey is determined to prove her ex-husband wrong; she is not a prude! Ready to work on her bedroom skills, Dolores checks into the Massey Institute for Research in Sexuality and Reproduction, presided over by Dr. Charles Massey.

Charles keeps a close watch on Dolores and when she fails The Kiss Test, he makes the prim little Ms. Coffey his first priority for treatment. A series of “accidents” makes Dolores think that someone is trying to take Massey out of the picture. Will either of them live long enough for her to pass The Kiss Test?


And you can check out the excerpt here: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/excerpt/kisstest.htm

Want to win?  Then leave a comment telling us what makes a story unforgettable for you.  One winner will be selected at random on August 12th at noon Central time.  Thanks!!

About the Author:

Lucianne writes sensual romance for Entangled Publishing and Cobblestone Press. Born and raised in Ireland, she currently lives in New Mexico with her young daughter. Formerly a stage and television actress, she now manages a non-profit and is NM State Champion in her weight class for Olympic-style weightlifting. Long story.

www.luciannerivers.com
twitter: @luciannerivers
facebook: www.facebook.com/luciannerivers
blog: www.viceandvalkyries.blogspot.com

There’s a project that I’m absolutely thrilled to have participated in this year–it’s a paranormal romance anthology with a bunch of fantastic authors:

The best part of this anthology?  All of the proceeds are going toward a great cause.  Here’s the official press release for the anthology:

Authors4TheCure Donating Book Proceeds To Breast Cancer Research

Eleven authors have banded together to support breast cancer research with their writing. Authors4theCure, which includes award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors, as well as two breast cancer survivors, is donating proceeds from the sale of their paranormal anthology, Entangled, to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

BCRF-funded research has helped save lives and improved the quality of care and rate of survival for tens of thousands of breast cancer patients in the past decade. Their research has revealed that the “cure” is a mosaic made up of as many approaches to diagnosing, treating, preventing and surviving as there are different types of breast cancer. The anthology is also a mosaic made up of many stories donated for this worthwhile cause.

Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal stories from authors Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, Michelle Miles, and Edie Ramer, plus a novella by Allison Brennan. Stacia Kane contributed the foreword and the book’s formatting and cover art were also donated to the project.

Entangled will release September 12, 2011, and it will available as an ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other online retailers.

***

I was so honored to be included in this anthology, and I want to send a special thank you to Edie Ramer and Misty Evans for all of their hard organizational work.

When the anthology goes on sale, it will be priced at $2.99 (I believe this will be the price until November).  So be sure to get your copy early!

My contribution to the anthology is A BIT OF BITE, an 11,000 word story about a sexy wolf and the human sheriff who just may have to take him down.  Here’s a little teaser from my tale:

***

“Would you really shoot me, baby?”  Doubt cloaked his whisper.

Ava risked a fast glance at the deputy. Right. Figured Ken hadn’t even heard the wolf’s approach. He was too busy talking on his phone and trying to keep his lunch down. “Don’t test me,” she snapped back to the wolf. Sure, they might have been lovers once—once—but that was over. She had a job to do.

She’d do it. A sexy werewolf wouldn’t stop her.

Julian cocked a dark brow, but he also stepped back.  Good.

“Now put your hands up,” she ordered him.

Smiling a bit, he raised his hands.  In the early light, she didn’t see any blood beneath his nails. Nails, not claws. The claws would only come out when he shifted.

“Want to tell me what you’re doing here?” Ava asked.

He shrugged but kept his hands up. “I just followed the scent of blood.”

Supernaturals enjoyed the scent of blood far too much.

So she had a dead human, one who’d had his throat ripped open, and a werewolf, right at the scene of the crime. She also knew for a fact that said dead human had been planning to interview Julian last night.

Things weren’t looking good for the wolf right then.

And it wasn’t like she had a whole lot of options.  Sighing, Ava pulled out her cuffs. “These are gonna sting,” she warned him.  Silver cuffs.  Because of their enhanced strength, werewolves could break free of almost anything else instantly.

He dropped his hands. “You aren’t serious.”

She was. Did it look like she was joking? “I need you to come to the station with me. You can either come willingly…” Then she’d leave the cuffs off, at least for the time being. “Or I can take you in the same way I do other paranormal suspects.”  She had a little more freedom than the sheriffs who only patrolled human counties and captured mortal criminals.

When the monsters you hunted could kill with claws and fangs, new rules had to be made.

The blood had drawn out a werewolf, but, even though the smell was like pure ambrosia to a vampire, she knew none of the undead would be coming to join their little party.  Everyone knew vamps and sunlight didn’t mix.

She’d get to them, though, soon enough.

Julian glanced toward her patrol car. “You don’t want to make a mistake here, Sheriff.”

Oh, wait, she wasn’t “baby” anymore? If the big wolf wasn’t careful, he’d hurt her feelings. “I know claw marks when I see ‘em,” she told him, still holding tight to her cuffs. “As far as I know, there’s only one wolf pack in Mississippi.”  Nothing happened in that pack without his approval. Nothing.

His gaze, bright blue, came back to her.

“Now, Alpha,” if he was gonna be all formal, then she could be, too. “Will you play nice and get in the car, or do I have to cuff you?”

Sirens wailed in the distance. Had to be her back-up racing toward them. The deputies always responded quickly when it was a supernatural call.  Humans had to stick together.

“When have I ever played nice?” Julian growled the words.

Right. Of course, the guy wouldn’t make this easy.

She locked one cuff around his wrist. There was a slight sizzle as the silver burned his flesh.  His gaze held hers. “You don’t want me as an enemy,” he warned.

She reached for his right hand. She wouldn’t put the cuffs behind him. Ava figured she owed him that much. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter what we want.” Since that night they’d shared, she’d learned that bitter lesson.  Her hand curled around his wrist.  Staring into his eyes, she snapped the other cuff onto his wrist. “Alpha Julian Kasey,” she’d do the legal bit to make sure she covered her ass, “you’re a paranormal person of interest in a murder investigation and, as such, you’re now in supervised custody.”

His lips curled in a very slow, wicked smile. A smile that showed the sharp edge of his canines.  “Later, when you look back, this is the moment you’ll regret.”

Maybe.

But… “Right now, looking back,” she shouldn’t say this, she shouldn’t, but the words and anger couldn’t be held back, “the moment I regret was hooking up with you at that godforsaken bar.”

The faint lines around his eyes tightened.

“And if I find out that you’re behind these killings…” She shook her head. “Then what happened between us won’t matter at all.  I’ll still lock you up.” She had a job to do. People who counted on her. A hard case of lust and need for a dangerous werewolf couldn’t distract her.

Not when human lives were on the line.

***

Hope you enjoyed the preview of ENTANGLED. I’ll be adding a page for it to my site soon.  Have a great day!

(And one more note–I’m giving away an ARC of ANGEL OF DARKNESS over at Micole Writes Romance today–head over for your chance to win.)

Want to win some books? (Ah, I do love free books).  Then check out this exciting contest:

(I’ve taken this information from the lovely Ashley March‘s site.  Thank you, Ashley!  This is a great contest–with lots of books to  be won.  Hope you can enter!)

Five huge romance fans who just happen to be romance authors as well have decided that we want to give you the opportunity to receive complete, SIGNED backlists of one of your very favorite authors (and yes, that means EVERYTHING they’ve ever written).

The romance fans/authors who are participating are: Ashley March, Shana Galen, Lila DiPasqua, Vanessa Kelly, and Heather Snow.

The complete, SIGNED backlists they’re giving away are books from the following authors (henceforth known as “The Amazing Authors”):

Lisa Kleypas

Julia Quinn

Elizabeth Hoyt

Cynthia Eden

Julie Garwood

Before we can give these awesome prizes away, though, we need you to show how fanatical of fans you are. Since we know that you’re already following The Amazing Authors on Facebook (you are, aren’t you??), all you need to do is follow the authors who want to give away these complete, signed backlists to you. We all have to reach a certain number of followers; once that happens, then we will run a Facebook giveaway on our individual pages where you can enter to win the complete, signed backlists from the Amazing Authors.

(Please note, you must follow and enter on each of the five Facebook pages to be eligible to win each backlist. The giveaway won’t happen until AFTER the goals are met for ALL of us, and the giveaways will be open to US and international residents! All books will be in English as print books; if any books in the Amazing Authors’ backlists are currently our of print, used books will be purchased for those titles so that the backlist will be complete.)

Ashley March (must reach 2500 total “Likes” in order to give away Lisa Kleypas backlist)

Shana Galen (must reach 2000 total “Likes” in order to give away Julia Quinn backlist)

Lila DiPasqua (must reach 3500 total “Likes” in order to give away Elizabeth Hoyt backlist)

Vanessa Kelly (must reach 2000 total “Likes” in order to give away Cynthia Eden backlist)

Heather Snow (must reach 2500 total “Likes” in order to give away Julie Garwood backlist)

Those are the rules! Tell your friends, tell your family, tell any fellow romance fan you know. Soon, 5 lucky winners will win a complete, signed backlist from a favorite author!