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!

Shadow Bound

Update:  Erin’s winner is…JUDY COX. Congrats, Judy!

Thank you so much for having me on your blog during Deadly Days in June. I’m giving away not one, but TWO books… Shadow Bound, my July release, and Shadow Fall, my August release, to a lucky, random commenter.

The world I’ve created for my characters is pretty dark and twisted (my poor parents) and it got me thinking about influences. How writers, particularly of fantasy or paranormal romance, come up with their worlds, and then enact stories of passion, mayhem, and magic in that setting.

For example, I’ve had this floater idea in my head from a short-lived TV series called Night Visions (2001). (I had to look it up on imdb.) It was a Twilight Zone/Amazing Stories kind of series, and the episode I caught was called, A View Through the Window, starring Bill Pullman. The premise is that in the middle of the desert, the US Army has discovered a “window” into another world. It’s lush green, with trees and grass, a picturesque cottage, tree swing out front. The family that lives there belongs to a simpler time. Bill Pullman is enamored and tries to get through the window. The eldest daughter, in particular, entrances him. Finally he locates a gap, runs toward this vision of wonderfulness, and uh… has a little violent surprise waiting. The epilogue is awesome, too.

I love LOVE the play on the perfect ideal vs. the monster within, and nine years later, I could still have fun riffing on “What Ifs…?” for this storyline. I think that dichotomy is what makes vampires, weres, and other paranormal beings so fascinating. They turn the norm on its head and dare to frighten as much as delight.  I go a wee bit darker myself with demons, wraiths, and a badass banshee.  Oh, and Death himself shows up as well 🙂

Here’s the text from the back cover of Shadow Bound:

Death

Some people will do anything to avoid it. Even trade their immortal souls for endless existence.

Wraiths

Secretly, inexorably, they are infiltrating our world, sucking the essence out of unsuspecting victims with their hideous parody of a kiss.

Segue

Adam Thorne founded the Institute to study and destroy his monster of a brother, but the key to its success is held in the pale, slender hand of a woman on the run. There is something hauntingly different about Talia O’Brien, her unknowing sensuality, her uncanny way of slipping into Shadow.

Twilight

This is the place between life and what comes after – a dark forest of fantasy, filled with beauty, peril, mystery. And Talia is about to open the door.

So my contest question is… what dark, troubled, or, eh… beastly hero intrigues you?

Check out my website, www.ErinKellison.com, for more information on my Shadow Series and to sign up for my newsletter.  Hope you hear from you!