Update: The Sony link is all fixed now! You can download the free ebook (HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT) right here.

For a limited time (11/17-11/21), you can get a free ebook download of HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT from Sony. An early Thanksgiving treat! (Note: for some reason, the description page didn’t load for me when I checked it out, but just click the “Want this ebook?” button and you can download the file, no problem.)

Later this week, you’ll be able to get the free download from Kindle and Barnes and Noble (that download will be available on 11/21). I’ll post links what that download is available.

Please, help me spread the word about the free download! Can’t beat free! 🙂

I’m in New Orleans today (New Orleans is one of my favorite places to visit), and, while I’m away, I thought I’d put up a new excerpt for you.

Here’s the opening of ETERNAL HUNTER (available 12/29/09):

Chapter One

Jude Donovan was used to hunting killers—used to running them down like the damn dogs they were and caging the bastards.

So when he followed his latest prey into the swamps of Louisiana, an area that looked like it had been home to nothing but beasts for the last few centuries, he wasn’t nervous.

Until a bullet thudded into him.

Sonofabitch. The fiery pain blasted in his shoulder even as the retort of the rifle echoed in his ears.

“You’re not taking me back, you bastard!” The snarl came from up ahead, to the right. The tip of the barrel jutted over a fallen log.

Jude gritted his teeth, but didn’t bother glancing down at the wound. Not time for that, not now. “Bobby Burrows!” He called out the man’s name. Voice loud and hard, as if he weren’t bleeding like a freaking stuck pig. “There are two ways we can handle this…” He stalked forward. Drops of blood littered the ground around him. Great. Blood would attract the gators and hell knew what else. The bastard would pay. “First way’s easy, as in…you drop that rifle and come out with your hands up.”

“I’m not giving up! I won’t go to jail! I won’t!” The tip of the weapon began to move. Fuck.

“Then we do it the hard way.” Jude inhaled and caught the cloying scent of the swamp. The rich flavor of his own blood, and the man’s scent of fear and sweat. “I come and get you—and I rip you apart.” Simple enough. His eyes narrowed on his target. The ground disappeared beneath Jude’s feet as he sprang forward.

A man darted out from behind the log, eyes wild, rifle clutched tight to him. With a big-ass scope on it, of course. He lifted, aimed—

Jude growled, a deep, inhuman sound, and he swiped out with his right hand. Caught the wanted man in the right shoulder. Saw the spatter of blood in the air. Bobby’s this time, not his.

Wound for wound. Blood for blood. The way of his kind.

He grabbed the weapon, wrenching it out of Bobby’s hand. Bobby, a guy in his forties, balding and with big fists, stared up at him, terror on his face. “You—you’re not—”

Jude smiled. Held up his hands. Blood stained the claws that seemed to burst out of his fingertips. “Human?”

A whimper.

The smile stretched even more. His shoulder ached like a bitch, pulsing every few seconds, but Jude ignored the pain. An old habit. He leaned forward, ran his claws over the squirming man’s stubbled face. “No, I’m not. What I am, Bobby, is the worst nightmare you’ve ever had.” He let his claws dig into skin. “Tell me, did you enjoy cutting those women?”

Bobby’s screams pierced the night.

* * *

The first time she saw him, Jude Donovan was covered in blood. Erin Jerome recognized him instantly—she’d seen his picture in the local paper just days before. She watched as Jude handed the wanted man he’d apprehended over to the local cops. Watched as Bobby Burrows, a man who’d cruelly sliced up the faces of his ex-wife, his two ex-girlfriends, and some unlucky woman he’d stumbled across in Baton Rouge, was shoved into the backseat of a squad car.

She could hear Bobby’s shouts from across the street. His yells of “Monster!” And his ravings about claws and killers.

Disgust tightened her lips. Jerk was probably already preparing for his defense. An insanity plea. Erin would bet a month’s salary on it.

Not that she was going to let the freak get away with something like that.

Oh, no, as an assistant district attorney, it was her job to make sure that old Bobby got to see the inside of an eight by twelve foot cell, preferably for the rest of his miserable life. Angola prison was waiting on him.

Straightening her jacket, because this was only her second week on the job and she needed to be professional—or, at least try to be—Erin crossed the street. Her eyes were drawn to Jude.

The bounty hunter.

He worked for Night Watch, a huge, multi-state operation that had a main base in Baton Rouge. Night Watch was reputed to be one of the best, if not the best, bounty hunting agencies in the country. No matter what it took, their hunters caught their prey.

A fact that, right then, made her enormously grateful. Her job would get a whole lot easier now that she had the defendant in custody.

Her heels tapped on the pavement. Time to—

Jude’s head shot up. His eyes, the bluest she’d ever seen, lazered in on her.

Erin stumbled. No, oh, hell, no—

But she caught his scent then. The wild scent of her kind.

Other. Shifter.

Erin wasn’t human, well, not completely anyway. And she knew the truth about the world around her.

She knew that humans weren’t the only killers out on the streets.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she straightened her shoulders and kept walking. The animal scent of the hunter teased her, as did the thick fragrance of blood in the air.

Dammit, this is the last thing I need. She’d tried so hard, for so long, to be normal.

And then this guy had literally landed in her path.

His nostrils widened as she came closer. She knew he was drinking in her scent, knew too by the faint line that appeared between his brows that he couldn’t quite understand what she was.

Story of my life.

“Ms. Jerome.” One of the uniforms stepped toward her, a wide smile on his face. His partner slammed the car door, effectively isolating Bobby and ending his claws rant.

Maybe that hadn’t been an insanity plea in the making after all.

She crouched down, gazing at Bobby through the window. Her breath rushed out. “What happened to him?” But she knew.

The uniforms looked at Jude.

Jaw clenched, so did she.

And Erin realized she’d made a serious mistake. His eyes held hers. Saw too much.

Danger.

Oh, yeah, this guy was a serious threat. To her.

Not good-looking, not really, at least not in that classic, magazine way. A mane of thick blond hair teased his shirt collar. Framed a face that was hard, a little cruel. High cheeks. Sharp nose. Square jaw.

No, not a GQ face. But still…

Sexy. Somehow, he was still sexy. Maybe it was those lips. That scar that slipped right over the edge of his top lip. Shouldn’t have been sexy—

But it was.

He was.

Freaking animal attraction, that’s what it was.

The guy had an air about him, one of those I-don’t-give-a-damn attitudes. A wildness in his eyes and in the curl of his lips.

Erin swallowed. She couldn’t help taking an uneasy step back.

His eyes followed the moment, and one golden brow rose. After a moment, he shrugged. His gaze raked over her body. “And you are…?”

“Assistant District Attorney Erin Jerome.” Gritted out. Why was there blood all over Bobby? If something happened and this case got thrown out—

“Not the question I was asking.” Bland as you please. That brow was still up.

Her lips parted. “What?” No way could he have meant—

His eyes swept over her again, and a smile lifted his lips. “Interesting.”

Winners:  I decided to pick three winners. 🙂 And the winners (who will all receive both the mass market version of HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT and ETERNAL HUNTER) are:  Jodie West, Veronica H, and Barb P! Congrats,  ladies!

And, please, stay tuned–I’ll have more giveaway soon.  Enjoy your weekend!

Fun news–I just received early copies of HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT (mass market re-release) and ETERNAL HUNTER (very early copies of this one–it doesn’t release until 12/29).  Want one?

Just tell me why Friday the 13th is good for you!  I’ll be back tomorrow evening to pick a winner (or 2…).  The winners will get both books. If you’ve already read HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT, just pass it on to a friend. It’s the season for giving–well, almost the season for that, right?

Have a great Friday the 13th!!

Awesome! My wonderful editor sent me the cover and the blurb for I’LL BE SLAYING YOU.   So in case you’re curious, here’s my July 2010 release from Kensington Brava:

Cynthia Eden returns to the realm of the Other, where the supernatural bounty hunters of Night Watch work hard and play harder…

Sandra “Dee” Daniels is a vampire’s worst nightmare. Sure, she couldn’t get up to five-six in the highest heels money can buy—not that she ever wears heels. But the monsters in her past and the stake in her boot are enough to keep most bloodsuckers interested in staying undead out of Baton Rouge.

But there are changes afoot on her turf. Rumors of a Born Master in town—a vampire so powerful he can make the streets run with blood. And a new face in Dee’s dive bars and alleyways—Simon Chase, a strong, sexy shadow with a haunted past of his own. Simon knows a lot about the dark side of Dee’s work. He knows even more about how to make her body spark with desire. But the hot lust shimmering between them is only the beginning. Because Simon also knows a secret that will change Dee’s life—if she can live long enough to uncover it.

***

I should have an excerpt available within a few days.  Stay tuned! And don’t forget about the free book offer below!

Kensington is setting up a great pre-Thanksgiving deal for readers.  Wanna know what the deal is?  They will be giving away free downloads of my book, HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT. What? Did I say free?  I did.

Here are the deal details (as I know them, any errors are therefore totally mine):

From 11/17 until 11/23…Sony will be offering a free download of HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT.

From 11/21 until 11/23 you can get a free Kindle download of HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT.

B&N is also in on the fun–they’ll have a free download of HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT from 11/21 until 11/23.

***

Once these free downloads kick-in, I’ll put links here on my blog so it will be easy for you to access the deals.  If you’ve already read HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT–why not spread the word and tell your friends to give the book a try? Hey, it’s free–what do they have to lose?  And if you were wondering what you’d read after your big Thanksgiving dinner…well, here you go!  Just be sure to download in advance since the free deal will end on 11/23.

But wait…there’s more…

Sony will offer a special bundle deal for ALL of my Midnight Books (HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT, MIDNIGHT SINS, and MIDNIGHT’S MASTER). You can get that special bundle from 11/24 until 12/31/2009.

And in case you haven’t read HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT–here’s your chance. Get in on this free fun!

A SEDUCTIVE NIGHTTIME WORLD

Dr. Emily Drake’s patients tend to be a little unusual. Instead of the typical therapist’s caseload of midlife crises and mother fixations, Emily treats vampires with blood phobias and sex-demons looking for meaningful relationships. But her gift for recognizing and healing the Other—those creatures of the night that most humans don’t even know exist—requires a few house rules. First: Never trust a shifter. Especially not one like Detective Colin Gyth whose gold-flecked eyes and predatory air make Emily realize how much she’s been longing to lose control…

A DARK AND DANGEROUS HUNGER

Colin can’t believe the doctor he’s been assigned to work with on the Night Butcher murder investigation is the one person who could expose his true identity as a wolf shifter. Smart, sexy, and stubborn as hell, Emily brings out the alpha male in Colin, unleashing a wild, heady desire that takes them both over the edge. But in the shadows, the Night Butcher waits…eager to spill Emily’s blood and taste her terror. And he’ll use any means to destroy her, including the one person she has grown to trust…

“Highly sensual and definitely dangerous.” –Shannon McKenna

“A cross between CSI and Medium, only hotter and with a hero that truly has bite!”–Jacquelyn Frank