Update: The lucky winner of The Shadow Guard ARC is…Barb P! Congrats, Barb!

Today I’m thrilled to have author extraordinaire Diane Whiteside as my Deadly Valentine guest. I’m a huge fan of Diane’s work (and if you haven’t read her, you are totally missing out!). Diane was gracious enough to answer my interview questions AND to offer an ARC of THE SHADOW GUARD to one lucky commenter.

Hi, Diane!  Thanks so much for participating in “My Deadly Valentine.”  I’ve included some interview questions below, but if there is anything else you want to add, please do!

1.   Do you have a favorite romance novel?  If so, what is it and why is it your favorite?

If I could only pick one, it’d be TELL ME NO LIES by Elizabeth Lowell for fabulous characters and plot.  I love the heroine’s growth, from competent but socially shy to ferocious, all while remaining very ladylike.  The hero is one of my all-time favorites – he protects her at great cost from everything, even from himself.  (Who wouldn’t want a guy like that?)  Their love story is interwoven into an incredible story of antique Chinese bronzes, with dynasties and international spies competing with each other in high-style Washington, DC and San Francisco.  Gorgeous!

2.  You’ve written such an amazing variety of books – is there a particular sub-genre of romance that you enjoy writing the most?

I love writing historical fantasy, where I can find a magical reason for a true historical event.  (Call it perverse of me but some occurrences were so weird that you’ve almost got to start suspecting magic.  And no, I’m not talking about crop circles or building the pyramids!) .  “Caught by the Tides” in BEYOND THE DARK is the only historical fantasy I’ve ever written.

I indulged myself by sneaking historical fantasy into THE SHADOW GUARD, since Astrid, my heroine, is a “government” sorceress who was born in the 1880’s.

3.  In your upcoming release, THE SHADOW GUARD, you weave together both elements of suspense and the paranormal.  What was the biggest challenge for you in writing this book and blending those two aspects?

THE SHADOW GUARD is a mystery, where the problem is to figure out who killed the lady washed up by the river?  When you write a mystery, it’s like writing backwards and forwards at the same time: my hero and heroine move forward to solve the mystery, while I, the author, move backward to the mystery and figure out which clues to give them.  All of those clues had to work in THE SHADOW GUARD’s paranormal universe – crystal magic, anyone? – and also had to be good suspense.  Since this was my first mystery and paranormal with crystal magic, there were times when I thought I’d signed up to lose my mind.

4.  Now, in contrast…what was your favorite part about writing THE SHADOW GUARD?

I love my hero Jake.  He’s one of those characters whose voice an author can always hear and who can always throw in a plot twist.  Sometimes writing scenes with him – never for him!  LOL – felt like dancing the tango – hot, dark, and a surprise a minute.

5.  Give me two words to describe your hero, Jake.

Protective workaholic.  He puts a lot of energy into being protective, which leaves him no time for anything – except for a little video gaming.  It’s played havoc with his private life.

6.  Give me five words to describe your heroine, Astrid.

Widowed, brave, loyal, hot-tempered fashionista.  Jake’s over-protective workaholic side pisses her off.  He’s never been involved with a fashionista before – heck, he doesn’t really know how to date.

7.   What can readers expect to find in the pages of THE SHADOW GUARD?

A rockin’ paranormal mystery with a hot romance.

Thanks so much for answering my questions, Diane! I’m looking forward to reading THE SHADOW GUARD.  It certainly sounds like Jake will be one fantastic hero.  And speaking of heroes…readers, what qualities do you enjoy in romance novel heroes? One commenter will win that awesome ARC!

Update: The winner of INVITATION TO RUIN is…Larena! Congrats!

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend. 🙂 Today, I’ve got another one of my very talented Brava author sisters with me. It’s my pleasure to introduce Bronwen Evans to you–Bronwen writes sexy and dark regency romances, and you’ll be able to purchase her upcoming release, INVITATION TO RUIN, on February 22! Welcome, Bronwen!

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Hello from New Zealand!

When Cynthia kindly invited me to blog with her, using the premise of My Deadly Valentine, I was thrilled. I love a good villain.

I write Regency historicals, and while the genre is different from a dark romantic suspense, I always have a disturbing villain in my books.  There is just something so engaging about a villain. Take Eric Northman in True Blood, a villain you love to hate, or is it simply lust to hate.  Or the villain you can’t wait to see get their comeuppance, like the White Witch in the Narnia series.

I started thinking about how, as a writer, I come up with villains and how I get into their heads. I asked my friend and critique partner, Gracie O’Neil (www.romanceshewrote.com) who writes romantic suspense, for help. And she prepared some villainous questions for me to answer.

1. In your opinion, what makes a terrifying villain?

Intelligence. A villain who’s intelligent is a most dangerous beast. In my debut book, Invitation to Ruin, due for release on 1 March 2011, the villain is so clever that no one would believe the evil he has planned. He doesn’t do the obvious. He’s unpredictable. That is what I find terrify. A villain you can’t understand or anticipate.

2. When you’re creating your villain, do you start from the premise that most people are basically good, or from another hypothesis? How does you premise help you in his construction?

My premise always drives the type of villain I write. For instance, in Invitation to Ruin, the hero‘s father was a slave trader. Therefore, it seemed obvious to have a villain who came from that environment. Once the idea was there, I simply thought about what sort of characteristics a villain who dealt in trading human beings would have. I developed his family background. What would his childhood have been like to have set him down this path, and why could Anthony (my hero) rise above it, but Philip (the villain) not? The good and bad within a person is often a trait of their upbringing, but something inside gives them the courage to overcome.  Once I’d drafted out Philip’s background, I knew how evil he would be.

3. What aspect of “being evil” offends you most in a villain?

A complete lack of humanity. A person who picks on people unable to protect themselves.  I hate cruelty of any kind. I was totally unsympathetic to Philip because he was a psychopath. He enjoyed other’s pain, and lived to hurt and destroy.

4. Do you ever feel sorry for your villains?

I think it’s only human to feel sorry for them when the end comes, especially if they’ve had a terrible upbringing.  That’s why I wanted Anthony and Phillip to have had the same horrendous childhood.  They both had sadistic fathers. It really demonstrated how Anthony was inherently good. His heart still had the capacity to love, while Phillip didn’t even try to be good. Phillip chose the easy path and embraced evil.

5. How important is it for a villain to have at least one heroic quality?

That depends on the story. In Invitation to Ruin, I couldn’t find anything redeeming in Phillip, so I didn’t even try to give him any heroic qualities. It’s not very heroic to trade in human flesh.

6. What is one personality trait you would NEVER give your villain?

I don’t think I’d ever say never. A premise, character background and a story’s  plot usually dictate the villain’s personality; so I’d never say I wouldn’t give him or her – ooooh , don’t you find female villains scarier – I think I’ll put one in my next book – a certain trait.

I think villain’s are some of the most enjoyable character’s to write and read. Don’t you?

To win a copy of Invitation to Ruin, leave a comment below, telling me your favourite villain and why?

Thanks for having me, Cynthia. I can’t wait to find the villain in DEADLY HEAT.

To find out more about my upcoming release, Invitation to Ruin, (RT Book Review 4.5 Star rating) and me, please visit my website www.bronwenevans.com or my blog Regency Seductions

Happy reading everyone

Bron

Today’s guest is talented author (and my Brava mentee buddy!) Dale Mayer.  Dale is definitely a writer-to-watch! Dale, welcome back!

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Hi everyone! I’m delighted to be back here blogging with Cynthia – it’s always such fun to be a part of her events.  Even better I’m going to talk about one of my favourite treats – chocolate!

It’s Valentine’s Day in a few days, and that means one I can justify indulging in my favorite treat.  Especially, after I cleaned out my cupboards in January under the guise of making some healthier lifestyle changes – I’m suffering from withdrawals already!  I love to walk the stores at this time of year. The presentation of the chocolates intrigues me.  The colors and shapes, the selection – just lovely!  It’s while I was studying the heaped counters that I decided to devote this blog to fun facts on chocolate.  It’s not that any of us are going to stop eating it – so we might as well enjoy it!

1. Chocolate is healthy for you – it’s made from plants and contains many similar health benefits as dark green vegetables. Chocolate contains flavonoids, which act as antioxidants to protect the body from free radical damage.  A small bar of dark chocolate a day will help to reduce your blood pressure and has proven to lower your bad cholesterol by up to 10 %.
2. Chocolate contains copper, iron, zinc and magnesium – nutrients that are essential to the body.
3. Chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac. It’s not, but it does contain a chemical, called phenylethylamine, which is the same chemical the brain produces naturally when you’re in love.  So only enjoy with someone you want to be in love with – at least temporarily.
4. Chocolate contains serotonin, which acts as a natural anti-depressant – so it’s actually good to eat when you’re feeling down.
5. Chocolate stimulates production of endorphins, which helps you feel happy.
6. Chocolate contains other elements like caffeine, and theobromine, which act as stimulants – so it’s good to take when you’re tired as a quick pick up.
7. In the US, almost three quarters of the consumers choose milk chocolate over other varieties.
8. In 2000, the Italians created the largest chocolate bar coming in at a whopping 5,000 pounds.  The Armenians broke that record in 2010, producing a chocolate bar that weighed 4410 kilos (9702 lbs).
9. The popular belief that chocolate causes acne has been proven to be inaccurate.

10.  When making the Hitchcock film, Psycho, they used chocolate syrup to represent blood in the famous shower scene.

11.  The world consumes close to 600,000 tons of cocoa beans a year. Most of these beans come from West Africa. It takes close to 400 of these beans to make 1 pound a chocolate a year.

12.  The chocolate beans come from a tree species carrying the genus name of Theobroma – which means Food of the Gods.

13.  The chocolate industry coaxes over $20 billion a year from consumers.

14.  An average American will eat about 10-12 lbs of chocolate per year.

15.  The Swiss were reputed to be the heaviest consumers of chocolate each year, consuming close to 21 pounds per person per year.  Not to worry, they have one the lowest heart failure rates and obesity issues.  However, the Swedish have just moved into the top spot – consuming close to 30 pounds per person per year.  I have no idea how their health issues are!

16.  Chocolate melts in your mouth, because it’s made with cocoa butter, which has a melting point lower than the average temperature of the human body.

17.  It’s been proven that allowing chocolate to melt in your mouth produces brain and heart rate activity that’s similar to – and even stronger than – the effects produced when kissing someone passionately

18.  One chocolate chip, should give any adult enough energy to walk 150 feet – Imagine what that one chocolate chip cookie could do for you.

19.  American chocolate manufacturers use around 1.5 billion pounds of milk.

20.  The first chocolate cake has been traced back to 1674.

21.  Hersey’s is the oldest and largest chocolate company in the US.  However, Cadbury is the most popular in the UK.

22.  The snicker bar was named after a pet horse belonging to Frank and Ethel Mars.  It first came on the market in 1929.

23.  And finally, who said money doesn’t grow on trees, cocoa beans was used as a currency back in the days of the Aztecs and Mayans.

So how do you indulge?  On occasion – and yes, every day could be considered an occasion in my house.  Only on big holidays like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day? To celebrate?  To wallow?  With your vitamins?  As your dinner?  Tell me, what role does chocolate play in your life?

Update: The winner of FATED is…Angie D! Congrats, Angie!

Today, I’ve got new Kensington Brava author Rebecca Zanetti in the interview hot seat! Rebecca has a fabulous new vampire series that will be launching with Kensington very soon–soon as in February 22! Welcome, Rebecca! And congrats on your new release!

Now, let’s jump into the interview!

1. You’ve got an exciting new series set to launch with Kensington Brava–will you tell readers what they can expect from the Dark Protectors?

The series features sexy vampires, dangerous shifters and deadly witches. Throw in alpha males, some steamy romance and a deadly virus out to destroy them all, and I think you have a fast-paced, exciting read.

2. What inspired your upcoming release, FATED?

I had this scene in my head about a single mom being squired away for safety by an overbearing soldier—kind of a surreal, this is so not happening scene. So I wrote it. Turns out the soldier was a vampire and possibly the destined mate to the single mother. Though of course, that was a decision they had to make themselves. Maybe fate played a part. Maybe not.

3. You write about some pretty intense situations…do you have a dark side of your own?

I’m pretty sure I do. 🙂  The whole big theme of good versus evil intrigues the heck out of me. And the evil has to be really bad for us to be impressed when good wins. To make it more interesting, good and bad are never absolutes. I mean, my good guy can be pretty bad. So the bad guy had better be freakin beyond evil.

4. How do you research your books?

Well, I Google a lot. I also ask people who know more than I do. For example, in FATED there’s a virus that attacks the chromosomes of vampire mates, so I talked to a couple of scientists to make sure I had the genetics right. I did get to play around a bit because hey, there aren’t really vampire mates with extra chromosomes (I’m pretty sure), but I wanted the basic science to be accurate.

5. Why did you decide to make vampires the “good” guys in your books?

I’m not sure I really sat down and decided that. I wrote the scene that had been spinning around in my head, Talen the hero turned out to be a vampire, and well, he was so sexy he had to be the good guy.

6. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Write that story in your head that you want to read. Don’t watch the market; don’t think about how your great-grandmother is going to react to your sex scenes, just write the book. Pretend it’s only for you. Other people want to read that, too.

7. Why do you like writing paranormal tales with a dark edge?

I think it’s a way to explore a bit. I’ve always followed the rules…and in dark paranormals you can let your wild side out—even ignore the rules or change them completely.

8. What can readers expect next from you?

Definitely more dark paranormals…I love exploring different worlds. I’d also like to try my hand at a romantic suspense series. More good vs. evil probably.

So, I’d love to give away a signed copy of FATED to one commenter. Here’s a question: Should a vampire be a good guy? Feel free to answer or just comment on whatever’s on your mind. We’ll draw a name in a few days.

Hi, everyone! Today, I’d like to introduce you to my lovely friend, Manda Collins. Manda recently signed a contract to release three books with St. Martin’s! Congratulations, Manda! Manda’s first book, HOW TO DANCE WITH A DUKE, has a tentative publication date of February 2012.

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***I have consulted the Randomizer, and 13 turned out to be lucky for Michele! Michele, email me here with your snail mail addy and I’ll send out your books ASAP! -Manda***

In which Nancy meets Ned...

First of all, thank you so much, Cynthia for giving me the chance to do my first ever guest blog as a soon-to-be published author!

Though I didn’t always call it that, I’ve been a fan of romantic suspense for pretty much my entire reading life. Like many young readers I started out with that most addictive of RS gateway drugs, the Nancy Drew mysteries by Carolyn Keene. I didn’t care that Carolyn Keene wasn’t even a real person. I had no idea that the versions I read were the watered down 1970’s version of the originals written in the 1930s. All I cared about was that Nancy, and her BFFs Bess (the plump one) and George (the tomboyish one) were having yet another adventure. And when in book 7, The Clue in the Diary, Nancy met the young college student who would be her boyfriend for…oh, the next century or so? My schoolgirl heart was about as full as a schoolgirl’s heart can be.

Now that I’m an adult, and I read more widely, I still find myself gravitating to Nancy Drew-esque romantic suspense novels—albeit with significantly hotter love scenes! But what is it about these modern-day romantic suspense novels that link them with their predecessors?

1) Hero and Heroine working together to solve the mystery. It might just be me, but there is something utterly thrilling about seeing a hero and heroine forced into close circumstances to hunt for the super evil bad guy. Or to find the missing treasure. Or to find out who killed their Mom/Dad/Sister/Brother/Best Friend. There is almost always more to the mystery than they ever imagined, and all those long nights spent “working” together on the case can lead to some delicious sexual tension.

2) The Hero (or Heroine) Always Has Friends. Just as Nancy had Bess and George, Ned had his own pals Dave Evans and Burt Eddleston who (conveniently!) dated Bess and George. In our modern-day romantic suspense novel the set up might not be quite as convenient as it is for Nancy and her friends—I mean it IS pretty unlikely that their respective BFFs are dating one another—but almost as soon as you begin reading Book 1 of a new series you can tell who is in the queue for his or her own book down the line. Some readers find this annoying and call it sequel-baiting, but I like getting to know future heroes and heroines early on. And, hey, unlike in the Nancy Drew books it’s good to know that the friends will get to play the starring role at some point. Poor Bess/Dave and George/Burt must have gotten tired of always playing second fiddle to Nancy and Ned.

3) There is always a Happily Ever After. One of the rules of the unspoken pact between mystery author and mystery reader is that by the end of the novel the author will disclose to the reader who actually committed the crime. This is similar to the rule of the romance novel, which decrees that every romance novel must have a happy ending.  One thing I love about romantic suspense, and I learned this early on from Nancy Drew, is that the two can be blended together. Not only does a good romantic suspense novel reveal who the bad guy/girl is before the end, it also guarantees a happily ever after for our hero and heroine. While the romance in Nancy Drew never really led to the kind of HEA we expect from a romance novel,  there was always a hopeful ending, with the promise of more good times to come. And always,  always Nancy Drew books ended with the bad guys safe behind bars. In a world where happily ever after is sometimes hard to come by, and where the bad guys sometimes get away without punishment, there is a certain measure of comfort to be drawn from a temporary visit to a world where justice is always served.

In my own writing, for better or worse, I’ve found that I too prefer my hero and heroine to work together to solve a mystery. I also make sure that my heroes and heroines have plenty of friends. Though they might not always match up as neatly as Nancy’s friends and Ned’s friends did. And always, always I make sure that my bad guys are, if not safe behind bars, at least vanquished and sent somewhere far far away. What can I say? I learned it from the Nancy Drew! You can judge for yourself how well or badly I did in when my first novel, a Regency Historical called How to Dance with a Duke releases from St. Martin’s Press in February 2012. To learn more, or just to say hello, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook or at http://www.mandacollins.com

So, what about you, dear reader? Have you stumbled across some similarities between your childhood reading and the books of your adulthood? Can you trace a path from what you loved as a child to what you love as an adult? One lucky commenter will win a copy of Cynthia Eden’s Deadly Heat and a copy of Karen Rose’s You Can’t Hide both of which feature excellent examples of heroes and heroines solving the mystery together!