Happy Friday!!

Today, I’m blogging over at the Grand Central Cafe and I’ve giving away an autographed book to a commenter. If you have a chance, come on by!

I’ve recently received some great reviews on ETERNAL HUNTER that I wanted to share.

Amelia of Sensual gave the book 5 stars and noted, “If you love stories in the paranormal genre or just crave a sizzling romance packed with emotion, then enter the world of ETERNAL HUNTER to satisfy your craving.”  You can read the full review here.

And Victoria of TwoLips Reviews gave ETERNAL HUNTER 5 lips.  Here’s a snippet from her review:  “Eternal Hunter will leave you at the edge of your seat, salivating for more stories in the Night Watch series. ”  You can check out the full review at the at TwoLips.

Thank you, Amelia and Victoria! And thanks to all the great people who have written to tell me they enjoyed Jude and Erin’s story!!

Have a great weekend.

So I am very excited to share the cover for my upcoming romantic suspense novel with you today!! Yes, DEADLY FEAR is here!

The blurb:

TWO BRILLIANT AGENTS

FBI Special Agent Monica Davenport has made a career out of profiling serial killers. But getting inside the twisted minds of the cruel and the sadistic has taken its toll: She’s walled herself off from the world. Yet Monica can’t ignore fellow agent Luke Dante, the only man who ever broke through her defenses.

ONE DREAM TEAM

Luke has the unique ability to put victims at ease…professionally, he and Monica made a perfect team. Now they’re reunited to catch a murderer who uses his victims’ deepest, darkest fears for sport – but their investigative skills aren’t enough. Luke and Monica will have to face the secrets from their past, the ones that terrify them the most, if they are to have a future together.

But can they catch a killer whose weapon is…DEADLY FEAR

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This book is an August release from Grand Central Publishing (for the Forever line), but my editor said that it should be in stores or available from your online retailer on July 27th.

This is my first straight romantic suspense novel (so don’t expect vamps and demons in this one), and I sure had fun writing this book! I’ve turned in two more “Deadly” books to my GCP editor, and those are slated for release in early 2011.  The books are dark and sexy and I really hope readers enjoy them.

I’m going to update the look of my site soon to reflect the fact that I’ll have both paranormal romances and romantic suspense novels available.  So stay tuned  for the update! And thanks for letting me share my cover and blurb!!

Hi, everyone! Today I am very excited to have a special guest here at the blog.  🙂  Fabulous author Helen Scott Taylor is here to talk Celtic Magic with us–and one very lucky commenter will receive an autographed copy of Helen’s new book, THE PHOENIX CHARM.  Thanks for joining us, Helen!

Celtic Magic.

Thank you Cynthia for having me as a guest today. I’m delighted to be here.

I’m a great lover of all things Celtic. As I live in England, I’m surrounded by ancient ruins and other Celtic memorabilia, so I’m in the ideal place to indulge my interest. I based the fantasy world of my Magic Knot Fairies’ series on Celtic mythology and have used areas rich in Celtic myth and legend to set my stories. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Dublin and the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland where part of The Magic Knot is set, and Wales where part of The Phoenix Charm is set. This summer I spent two weeks visiting castles and other historic sites in Scotland to do research for my third book, The Ruby Kiss that will be out at the end of 2010.

Two of the most beautiful aspects of Celtic heritage are the intricate symbols and designs. When I visited Ireland, I took a tour around an ancient monastery and graveyard. The place was magical, full of beautifully decorated Celtic crosses. We also have Celtic crosses on Dartmoor in South West England a few miles from where I live.

The shape of the Celtic Knot gave me the fundamental idea on which my Magic Knot Fairies’ fantasy world is based. In my series, The Magic Knot is a magical pendant similar to a Celtic Knot possessed by every person with fairy blood. The three linked rings symbolise mind, body, and spirit. Lovers give their Magic Knot into the safekeeping of their soul mate—the ultimate demonstration of trust and commitment that binds them together in mind, body, and spirit for life.

Celtic symbols also gave me story ideas in the second book, The Phoenix Charm. My heroine is a water nymph. She has a sensual allure that her family were ashamed of, so they made her hide her natural gift by binding it with Celtic symbols painted on her skin. My heroine Cordelia has six Celtic symbols drawn on her back and mirrored on her front. These cover the energy centers of her body (also known as chakras in traditional Indian medicine).

The Celtic symbol of the maze traditionally marks the entrance to the Underworld, so this appears in the book marking the entrance to the Welsh Fairy King’s domain, as in Welsh Celtic mythology, he is also King of the Underworld.

My favorite piece of jewelry is a Celtic cross set with abalone shell that I bought when I visited Ireland to research my first book, before it was published. I’m convinced the cross brings me luck. Do you have any jewelry or keepsake that you think brings you luck?

To find out more about my contemporary fantasy series and to read excerpts, please visit www.helenscotttaylor.com.

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Thank you, Helen! And, hey, here’s some more info on Helen’s new release:

He’s Pure Temptation.

Cordelia has sworn she’ll abstain from looking into Michael’s future—particularly when the image in the gilded smoke of her divination mirror shows him half naked. Yet she can’t resist watching the sexy rascal slowly running his hand down his ribs, over his abdomen, flicking open the button on his jeans with a little flourish like a magician performing a trick.

She’s Trying To Resist.

Respectable wise woman Cordelia restrains her secret water nymph sensuality with the Celtic symbols painted on her skin. But Michael’s powerful fairy glamour leaves her breathless, off balance, struggling for control. When Gwyn ap Nudd, the Welsh King of the Underworld, steals away Michael’s infant nephew, Cordelia must work with him to save the child. But how can she trust her instincts with Michael tempting her to explore the hidden elemental depths of her nature and insisting that she believe in the power of…The Phoenix Charm.

I’m hopping around the Internet a bit today.  The great ladies at Southern Sizzlers interviewed me (thanks, ladies!), and today is also my day to post over at The Bradford Bunch (psst…giving away a free book at the Bunch!). If you get a chance, come by and visit me on the web!  Have a great day!

MIDNIGHT’S MASTER has been nominated for a CAPA!  Thanks so much to everyone at The Romance Studio!