Update!! Time to announce the winners…and the winners are:

Free ebooks: Ilona

Free print copy: Tracey D

Congrats, ladies!

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But What About the Sex?

I want to thank Cindy for inviting me to guest blog with her. And I’m going to be doing a giveaway, so for those brave souls who can make it through the blah blah… you’ll get a chance to win free stuff. Yay!

Probably the only thing I don’t like about the romance genre is the general expectation for a certain number of sex scenes of a specific heat level. This is particularly true of paranormal romance which many expect to be erotica. But I’m not writing erotica. I don’t feel like a story should be forced into that mold, and so in my work you’ll find several different heat levels that match the story and what I’m trying to convey.

My writing style is somewhat sparse and fast-paced to begin with, so I don’t write sex scenes that go on for pages. This bugs some readers, so it’s one of those things I warn about up front. However, I try to lace the book with an underlying sensuality that goes beyond just what happens in the bedroom.

I’ve read several polls where it turns out only about 20% of romance readers read every single sex scene without skimming through it. Man, do I hope you guys aren’t in that 20%. You might come after me with the torches and pitchforks.

It’s not that I’m opposed to graphic scenes. I can name three authors off the top of my head who write great sex that I never skim: Larissa Ione, Kresley Cole, and my lovely hostess Cynthia Eden.

And I do write them, just not in everything. How graphic a scene is will vary from story to story. It depends on the characters. Who they are, what they’re going through. Some of them are less exhibitionist for readers than others.

My Blood Lust novella anthology which is the first book in my Preternaturals series, has varying levels of heat. The first story, Kept has one scene “on camera” and the rest off. Though even the one on camera isn’t a technical play-by-play.

The novella is probably the most “light” and “fluffy” of the three, and lengthy sex didn’t fit the pace of the story or what I was trying to get across. Sex was somewhat rushed to help characterize Greta’s shame at being at the mercy of her heat cycle and having sex with a practical stranger. Greta is a werecat.

Claimed doesn’t have a single sex scene because frankly the characters just weren’t in that place. Anything before the final climax (of the story) would have been like rape for the heroine. Charlee just isn’t in the zone for it given the fact that the vampire she’s with took her memory and has tied her to him. And epilogue sex has always weirded me out.

Mated has romantic sex that is about Jane being able to trust someone again after being abused so long by the monsters. It’s about what’s going on inside her emotionally, not about what body part is being touched or how loudly she’s moaning.

The book coming after Blood Lust, Save My Soul, has slightly more graphic sex than most readers are used to from me (though my style is still sparse), but it’s not due to any perceived pressure to heat it up (only a very small percentage of my readers have asked for more graphic sex). It’s because it’s about an incubus. That’s sort of all about the sex.

I always try to use sex as a tool to convey something about the characters and the story, which means I can’t follow the formula, or the story will suffer. That’s one sacrifice I’m not willing to make no matter how hot the sex.

The three novellas that make up Blood Lust can be found individually in ebook at Smashwords and Amazon for 99 cents each. (Kept can be read free here:  http://zoewinters.wordpress.com/kept.)

For those who prefer reading on paper, Blood Lust will be releasing in print in the next few weeks.

I’ve got two giveaways. One commenter will receive all three novellas free in ebook form, and one will receive a print copy of the book (just as soon as I get them in my hands from the printer).

Here are the blurbs for the novellas that make up Blood Lust:

KEPT:

As a cat therian (shifter), Greta’s blood is already sought after to enhance spells and potions, but due to a quirk of her birth, her blood is potent enough to kill for. When her tribe plans to sacrifice her, Greta must ally herself with Dayne, the dangerous local sorcerer, and the only person strong enough to protect her.

CLAIMED:

For a vampire, Anthony isn’t a picky eater, but he’s drawn to Charlee’s blood more than any other. Like a fine wine saved for a special occasion, he’s denied himself this pleasure. But one night, high from the potent magical blood of another, he claims his prize and loses control. Ashamed of almost killing the one woman who means anything to him, he wipes her memory of the event. When Charlee awakens with complete amnesia, Anthony is the only one who can clean up the mess he’s made.

MATED:

Because of the vampiric blood that has run through her veins since birth, Jane has been a target for vampires who resent a human being “kindred.” She’s forced to disguise herself as a vampire groupie to appease them and safeguard her life. When she’s abruptly given to Cole, the leader of the werewolf pack, to satisfy a gambling debt, she discovers the blood running through her veins has a far greater impact on her destiny than she ever imagined.

Thanks for reading!

http://www.zoewinters.org

http://www.twitter.com/zoewinters

So here’s my dilemma.  Most of the guest authors here already have books out and can hold terrific give aways.  My book isn’t quite out, so what should I do?  I was pondering this the other day while also admiring my new cover.  Isn’t it fantastic?

FATED is the first book in the Dark Protector Series, and I just received my first quote from the very wonderful Kate Douglas, author of the Wolf Tales, one of my favorite series.  Here’s what Kate had to say:

“FATED explodes off the pages from the terrifying opening to the climactic finish-this is one story that’s hot and fast from beginning to end-impossible to put down and guaranteed to entertain. The pace never slows and the heat doesn’t ebb-Rebecca Zanetti has created a page-turner of a book, with a heroine willing to fight for the ones she loves and a hero who will literally take your breath-just before he steals your heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can’t wait to see what Zanetti comes up with next.”  ~~ Kate Douglas

How wonderful is that???  🙂

My series has good guy vampires – hot, sexy and can venture into the sun.  And bad guy vampires, the Kurjans – pasty skinned, evil and killed by the sun.  But the thing is, the Kurjans have discovered science and have been working on a cure for their sun aversion.  As well as a way to genetically alter and thus steal vampire mates.  The vamps really don’t like this.

My heroine in book two has been on the run from the bad vamps, and it occurred to me.  If I were running from the bad guys, what would I need?

Why – I’d need a special gun, cash, a change of clothes…and something to keep them in.  And even though it’s a dark paranormal world for my heroine, there’s no sense in forgetting fashion.  Hence, the Kate Spade Renwick Street Annabel Tote – perfect for keeping all of those weapons to fight the Kurjans.  Or your lotion and a good book to take to the beach!

So what type of accessory would you most like to have if chased by a race of evil vampires?  Leave a comment and I’ll draw one lucky name to win this brand new Kate Spade tote.  Just in case the Kurjans find you too.

To learn more about me and the Dark Protectors, please visit my website at:  http://www.rebeccazanetti.com/

Stephanie Julian will give one commenter a free download of choice from her catalogue. 

I love summer and this one promises to be an exciting time for me. I’m only two months away from the deadline for delivery of the first book in my three-book, erotic romance series for Sourcebooks Casablanca.

The Forgotten Goddesses are part of my Etruscan Magic series, which include the Lucani Lovers and Magical Seduction series from Ellora’s Cave.

In WHAT A GODDESS WANTS (July 2011), I’ll introduce readers to Tessa, aka Thesan, Etruscan Goddess of the Dawn. She’s a relatively minor goddess in the scheme of things but she loved her job until that Roman cow, Aurora, usurped her position.

Mythology and magic have always been favorite topics of mine. Mix in some hot sex and I’m so there.

The ancient deities were all about sex. They got around more than a shipful of sailors on leave. And usually pissed off more than a few people on the way, which makes for great conflict.

But what happens a few millennia down the line, when most of your people have died out and/or forgotten all about you? Well, the Etruscans have managed to maintain their way of life through the ages. Today, they might live next door to you and you’d never know.

That guy across the street, the one with the dark eyes, Roman nose and fascinating tattoos? Would you be shocked to learn he was a lucani, an Etruscan werewolf?

And what about the beautiful redhead in the house on the corner. She’s really a folletta, an Etruscan fairy. That tattooed outline of wings on her back isn’t really a tattoo.

In SEDUCED BY MAGIC, the first book in my Magical Seduction series, Justin Johannson discovers the truth about who his father really is when a beautiful, naked woman with wings finds her way into his bed. In SEDUCED BY TWO, Nica Donato uses her skills as a strega, an Etruscan witch, to save her lovers.

And in EDGE OF MOONLIGHT, John Simmons meets the woman of his dreams, only to learn she’s more than a little feral. She’s actually a werewolf.

I like to believe there’s magic all around us, that there’s still wonder in the world. That ancient gods and goddesses still roam and that fairies and werewolves are real.

Makes my world a little brighter…by the light of the moon.

Stephanie Julian is the author of the Magical Seduction and Lucani Lovers Series from Ellora’s Cave. Her latest release is EDGE OF MOONLIGHT. WHAT A GODDESS WANTS will be released by Sourcebooks in July 2011. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter and at www.stephaniejulian.com.

Update:  Wynter’s winner is…Nancy G! Congrats, Nancy!

Today’s guest is the talented Wynter Daniels–and she has offered to give one commenter a copy (download) of the Wynter Daniels book of his/her choice! So read on, learn what Wynter hates most about being a writer–and you might be today’s Deadly winner!

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What I hate most about being a writer

I’ve read tons of blog posts where authors enumerate the many perks of the trade. Things like working from home, making your own hours, doing what you love, having an outlet for your creativity. I’m sure you’ve read some of those posts, too.

But what about the other side? It’s not an easy path and it’s definitely not for the hopelessly impatient because a writer can spend months or years waiting to hear about a project being accepted. Or worse, not being accepted.

For me, one of the few negatives about this profession is that the time I used to spend reading for pleasure—one of the pursuits I love most in the world—has been drastically reduced.

Why, you ask? My answer is complex so bear with me. I write until my daughter gets home from school in the afternoon. After I spend time with her, I return to the computer and usually edit because I can’t be particularly creative with the pounding rap music beat that seems to bleed through the walls even when she is several rooms away. (And frankly, it makes my muse run and hide!)

Aside from family and home obligations, there are the writer obligations. When I want to gear a book to a particular publisher or line, I must read what that line is putting out. Not that I don’t enjoy that reading, but it’s have-to reading. Aside from that, I like to pop in to Facebook and Twitter and the numerous blogs I subscribe to so I can keep up with what is going on the publishing world and the lives of my writer and reader buddies. This is a must since writing is such a solitary pursuit and I am a social person by nature. Then there are edits. I don’t mind doing edits. Actually, I sort of enjoy them. Regardless—they are another requirement, a high priority one.

Friends sometimes give me books as gifts or I might purchase something one of my writer buddies penned. Unfortunately it takes me months or longer to get to those for-pleasure books. So you see, I don’t have enough time to indulge in an afternoon on the couch very often, lost in a world of zombies or vampires or secret agents. But every now and them I steal away for a decadent treat—a purely-for-pleasure read. I have to. That’s what it’s all about. The beautiful thing is, reading any book can be construed as research. All in all, I have the best job in the whole world and I love it.

So go ahead. Take a couple hours and do your homework. I promise you’ll feel better if you do.

Thanks to the lovely and talented Cynthia Eden for inviting me over today. Her books are some of my very favorite indulgences!

Wynter’s bio: Wynter Daniels lives in Central Florida with her husband of more than twenty years and their two nearly grown children. They are all the slaves of two very demanding cats.

After careers in marketing and the salon industry, Wynter’s wicked prose begged to be set free. She currently writes spicy contemporary stories for Ellora’s Cave, Red Sage Publishing and Loose Id.

You can find Wynter on the web at www.wynterdaniels.com or at the Naughty Author Chicks.

Update:  Angie’s winner is…Mariska! Congrats, Mariska!

Hi, my name is Angie Fox and I write a series about a preschool teacher turned demon slayer who has to run off with her grandmother’s gang of geriatric biker witches. But what cracks me up is that nobody ever asks me about that.

Biker witches? Sure! Demon slaying preschool teachers? Why not? What readers most want to know is why the hero of the books, Dimitri, is a shapeshifting griffin.

My answer is always – why not? Don’t get me wrong – I love werewolves and vampires and all kinds of heroes. But frankly, I’m surprised we don’t see more griffins in paranormal books.

Aside from being sexy as all get out, griffins are known to be loyal, intense and strong. Griffins were even a symbol of marriage in the Medieval church because they mate for life. I can’t think of a better quality for a hero to have. And while griffins may not be your classic Alpha “my way or the highway” type of guys, they are tough and absolutely willing to leap tall mountains (literally) for the women they love.

In honor of Dimitri, and griffins everywhere, I’m giving away a copy of my latest book, A Tale of Two Demon Slayers. Just tell us the one quality you think a hero has to have. One random commenter will win a signed book!