Allright, blog update here with the winners!

Stephanie G and Quilt Lady, please email me at my website , www.julianastone.com with your deets and I’ll mail you each out a signed copy of HIS DARKEST HUNGER along with a signed copy of the sparkly new coverflats I just recieved for book 2, HIS DARKEST EMBRACE!  thanks for all the comments….this was fun!  Juliana

Hey everybody!  Happy Friday!  I wanna give a huge shout out to miss Cynthia and thank her for letting me have a bit of space here during this huge party month for her!  And a huge congrats on her books finalling in all those contests! Woot!

A little introduction, I’m Juliana Stone a new author on the paranormal scene and my debut came out in April from Avon,  HIS DARKEST HUNGER! 

Isn’t it pretty!!!????  My series, The Jaguar Warriors deals with a family of jaguar shifters and all sorts of other paranormal beings, but the main focus in this particular story arc are the Castille brothers.  They are all very different from each other but share a few common characteristics.  They’re  tall, dark and dangerous!  Just the way I like them!

I have several secondary characters, one of which, Cracker, a critique partner of mine totally loves.  I can see why, he’s rough around the edges with an air of mystery that deepens as each book progresses.  I’ve also had several readers write me about Declan O’Hara…the sorcerer.  I will freely admit since I began to write book two in this series, I’ve been looking ahead to his book.

There’s something about him that really touches me and I’m crushing huge on Declan these days.  He’s an arrogant, sharp, witty and sarcastic dude who I fashioned after David Boreanaz….um, after I saw this pic:

yeah, I know…this is one sexy picture!  But all of this got me to thinking…what is it about certain characters that call to you?  I’ve read books before where a secondary character will stay with me for days afterward…and I can’t wait to read their book!

Luckily for me, I just started the fourth book and it stars the delicious, naughty and dangerous Declan O’Hara!  In honour of this I am going to give away two signed copies of HIS DARKEST HUNGER as well as a few copy flats that I just recieved today for my second book, HIS DARKEST EMBRACE.

All you have to do is tell  me what makes a character sexy for you personally, and who was the most interesting secondary character in a recent book that you’ve read, one whose story you cannot wait for!

Sound cool?  Feel free to visit me as well at www.julianastone.com   where you can read the first chapter in my second book, HIS DARKEST EMBRACE…

Update: Time to announce the winners!! The three lucky commenters are…Jean P, Diane Sadler, and Stephanie G!  Congrats! Check your email for prize details.  🙂

I love when Cynthia does her month-long blog parties!  It’s so fun reading all the authors’ posts.  I want to talk a bit about my new series from Nocturne, OF ANGELS AND DEMONS.  I’ve always wanted to write angels, but could never really get into the whole ‘guardian’ or ‘goodness’ thing when it came to them.  I know they can be fierce warriors, and that they are not always as good as we like to think they are.

Take the Fallen angels, for example.  They Fell because they were enamored by mortal women, and well, they wanted to get it on with them.  Not exactly an upstanding hero.  So why make them heroes?

In my first book for the series, the Fallen ones are the bad guys.  And it’s the demons who are the good guys.  Kinda fun to reverse the standard roles and see what kind of trouble I could put them both into.  Oh, and for some odd reason, vampires always seem to show up in my stories.  Go figure.  🙂

The hero of ANGEL SLAYER, is Ashuriel the Black, Stealer of Souls, Master of Dethnyht.  You can call him Ashur, because the title is a bit much.  His only purpose walking earth is to slay the Fallen.  But one thing about demons?  They thrive on sin.  They need it to survive.  So while Ashur is doing his best to play the hero and slay the bad guy, he’s got some sinning to do just to stay alive.  I hope you’ll enjoy this new twist of a hero as much as I did writing him.

What characters types or creatures have you seen classically written as villains that you’d like to see redeemed and offered more heroic roles?

I’ve got three copies of ANGEL SLAYER to give away to 3 commenters.  So let’s chat heroic villains!

Michele

Update:  The winner of a copy of Donna Grant’s DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER is CatsMeow! Congrats!!  And thanks for all the comments!

Today, I’m thrilled to have awesome author Donna Grant as my guest blogger.  Donna, welcome!

Scotland

Maybe it’s because I write historical novels, but one of the most asked questions I get is “would you travel back in time and to where?”

It’s an easy answer for me.  Yes, I would travel back in time, and I’d go to Medieval Scotland.  It would take some getting used to, especially the lack of plumbing, toothbrushes, caffeine, and pasta.

I have no doubt life would be more than difficult.  After all, we’re used to remote control TV, information easily – and quickly – accessible through computers, not to mention cell phones and iPods. We’re the information age with instant gratification.

Our world is so drastically different than Medieval Scotland.  In a few short hundred years, lives went from basic living off the land and seeing people daily to hectic days, buying food from grocery stores, and going months, if not years, without seeing or speaking to your neighbor, much less speaking to people you pass on the street or the mall.

Could we survive in medieval times?  Putting aside the leap in physical hygiene over the ages, life was much simpler back then.  If you had a problem with someone, you faced them instead of texting or emailing them.  If you wanted to call off an affair, there was no hiding behind technology.  You stood before them and said your piece.

There’s a debate in whether medieval life was more violent.  At least in medieval times, you saw your opponent attack and you had time to retaliate or hide.  Now, with bombs that can cross oceans, that silent, almost constant worry hangs over our head.

Still, knowing all of this, I would love to see Medieval Scotland.  I’ve always been drawn to Scotland.  Maybe that’s why I centered my Dark Sword series there.  The second book in the series, FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER, released yesterday, and I hope you pick up the book to be transported back to another time and place.

So, I want to know – Would you time travel if given the option?

I’ll be giving away a signed copy DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER to a commenter.  Happy Reading!

To find out more about me please visit my website at www.donnagrant.com.  To read more about the Dark Sword series, see pics of the Warriors, take the quiz, download wallpaper, or search characters, please visit www.donnagrant.com/darksword.

hugs,
D

Update: The winner of a SKIN TIGHT copy is…Raelena!! Congrats!! I will email you with prize claim details. Thanks for all the comments!

First, thanks to Cindy for having me today! Today is the release of SKIN TIGHT, which features one of my favorite heroes of fall time. Why? Because he’s an antagonist in the first book, and I love a redemption. He also does something fairly despicable in SKIN GAME, which made for a fun setup for his romance with his heroine. She’s pretty freakin’ mad at him when their book starts. In fact, she’s pretty devoted to the idea of taking him down. How does that change? Well, you need to read the book.

But villain to hero is one of my favorite tropes in general because I love a redemption story. When an author can sell me on the reformation of this character, it blows my mind. That takes true skill, especially if that person aroused your antipathy in a prior volume. Kimberly  Cates does this brilliantly in Briar Rose; Lionel was a wonderful villain, and then he gets his own book.

How do you guys feel about redemption arcs and the villain getting his own story? What are some of your favorites? A random commenter will receive a copy of SKIN TIGHT.

I received some great news this weekend! Several of my books have made it to the finals in some wonderful contests.

First up, my demon Niol has been very busy. MIDNIGHT’S MASTER finaled in the paranormal suspense category of the Daphne du Maurier Contest for published authors (sponsored by the Kiss of Death RWA Chapter), and it also finaled in the paranormal category of the Greater Detroit RWA Booksellers Best Award Contest.

IMMORTAL DANGER is a finalist in the dark paranormal category of the PRISM (sponsored by the FF&P RWA Chapter), and my novella (“In the Dark”) from BELONG TO THE NIGHT is also a PRISM finalist.

Thank you so much to all of the judges. And congratulations to all of the other finalists–I am honored to be in such great company!!