Hi, everyone!!!  For those in the U.S., happy 4th of July!! Hope you have a great day filled with barbecue, fireworks, and, of course, books (you must have good reading time, right?) And, hey, speaking of books, be sure to check out Lauren Dane’s blog today for a chance to win a book by an author that I just LOVE!!  🙂

It’ s Saturday, so that means it’s time for the Saturday Snippet! Today’s excerpt is a scene in which the heroine meets the villain for the first time.  I decided to use a scene from IMMORTAL DANGER, and it’s actually a scene in which the heroine meets one of the villains (because there are a few in that story).  So, here you go!

***

So this is what death feels like.

Maya Black struggled for breath, struggled to fight the creeping cold that swept through her body.  Jesus.  She hadn’t wanted to go out like this.  Hadn’t wanted to die in some damn dirty, stinking alley.

She’d been born in an alley like this, and she sure as hell hadn’t planned to die in one.

“Ummm, you taste so good.”  The sick monster above her licked his fangs, freaking fangs, and she noticed that her blood coated his lips.  “Poor little cop, I think I’ve drained you dry.”

Her heart was slowing, the hollow beat barely echoing in her ears.  The ground was hard beneath her, the moon shining  brightly over her.  And hell looked back at her from the creature’s eyes.

A vampire.  She knew what he was.  She’d seen his kind before.  Others thought things like him were just myths, but she knew better.  She knew demons were real, knew the devil was real.  Evil lurked in the world, she’d known that fact for years.

“Beg me,” the vampire whispered, leaning over her and gazing at her with his soulless black eyes.  “Beg me to change you, beg me to let you live.”

To change you.  No, oh, hell, no.  She didn’t want to become a monster.  And she would never, never beg.

Not again.

He slashed his wrist open with the edge of his fangs.  Shoved the wound to her mouth.

No!

She turned her head away, trying to spit out the blood.  Her hands fumbled in the trash beside her.  Where was her weapon?  The vampire had jumped her, thrown her against the wall, sank those razor-sharp fangs into her throat and then had her on the ground in less than a minute.

She’d dropped her gun. Where was it?  Where—

Her fingers closed over the barrel of her Glock.  She pulled, struggling to bring the weapon closer.  It felt so heavy in her hand, so—

He laughed at her.  Actually laughed. Then he grabbed the gun.  Her fingers swiped out, clenched around the butt.  He pushed the barrel dead-center against his chest and whispered, “Do it.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

The bullet shot straight through his chest.  He smiled at her.

And her heart stuttered.  The beat was slowing, slowing.

“You can’t kill me, bitch, not with your weak bullets, not with—”

He broke off, gasping, and he stumbled away from her, raising a hand to his chest. Smoke rose from the wound, a long, thin trail of smoke.  The scent of burnt flesh filled the air, combined with the stench of rotten food in the alley.

Maya’s lips curled as she stared at him.

“Wh-what—”  He fell to his knees, holding his chest.  “Wh-what d-did y-you do?”

She’d covered her bullets in holy water.  She’d been doing that since she joined the force ten years ago.  Since her first night, when a vampire had attacked her while she was patrolling the park.  She’d barely gotten away from him.  Maya had kicked, bit, fought with every ounce of strength she had.  In the end, she’d been lucky.  She’d managed to keep fighting him until her partner arrived to help her.

She’d survived.

But tonight would be different, she knew that.  There was no backup for her tonight.  She’d been working the case alone.  Following a lead.

Following death.

The vampire lunged for her, grabbed her hair and jerked her head back.  His black eyes were rimmed with red.  Tears of blood leaked down his cheeks.

His teeth ripped across her neck, but she didn’t scream.  Didn’t have the strength to scream anymore.

Her finger jerked on the trigger, firing again, again, again—

But he didn’t stop. Didn’t stop biting her, drinking from her, killing her.

So this is what death feels like.

***

Want to read more snippets? Then check out these participating authors:

Leah Braemel

Shelley Munro
Anya Bast
SJ Day
Jaci Burton
Michelle Pillow
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Sacha White
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage
McKenna Jeffries
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
Beth Williamson

Today, I’m guest blogging over at the Romance Vagabonds–my topic is release day.  (Since I’m still celebrating the release of MIDNIGHT’S MASTER, it’s a pretty timely topic!)  If you get a chance, come on by. And yes, there is a prize involved.

Update…the winner is…Angela M!! Congrats, Angela!

My 30 Days of Demons Contest may be over, but I’ve still got some great authors that I’d like to feature here on my blog. And one of those authors is my friend, Liz Kreger.  I was hooked by Liz’s “Tomorrow” books–the woman can write some great action scenes!

Liz, thanks for coming by and answering my interview questions!

1. Please tell us about the genre (or genres) that you write.

First off.  Thanx Cynthia for having me.  I don’t think I’ve done an interview before, so I’m a newbie at this.  LOL.

Okay, let’s see, married, one daughter, I live in St. Francis, Wisconsin where we bitch about the cold winters and hot summers in equal measures.  I’ve been writing off and on for the past twenty years, but it was only about eight years ago when I discovered the paranormal/science fiction romance genre that I finally discovered what I wanted to do when I grew up.  I’ve since written and had published two science fiction/romances and have written, am revising and editing and will be shopping out about four contemporary paranormals and one futuristic.

2.    Describe your current (or upcoming) release in 15 words or less.

Cruel.

“Promise for Tomorrow” is a space opera loaded with action, intrigue and romance.

(With two words to spare.  LOL)

3.   Okay, Liz, now use as many words as you’d like to describe your story.

“Jhaan san deCain has only a few days left to find his psi-mate or lose his place as heir to the throne of Dakar. Rescuing Zarian princess Rianna Chartier from an assassination attempt was supposed to be a temporary deviation from his quest. But the moment he lays eyes on Rianna, he realizes he is looking at his salvation. The beautiful alien is his perfect psychic match.

He is driven to wed her quickly, even if it is without her knowledge or consent. For without a psi-mate, he will not only lose the throne, he will be doomed to a life of sexual dormancy. And his people will be pushed closer to the edge of extinction.

Rianna cannot deny her attraction to Jhaan, but she is already betrothed to a Turnisian prince in a politically advantageous match. Dakarians are respected, even feared, for their formidable psychic power, but she is forced to rely on Jhaan’s charity to escort her safely to Turnis.

Rianna is outraged to discover Jhaan has tricked her into marriage. But his deception proves minor when they discover that someone will stop at nothing to see her dead.”

Probably more than you wanted to hear.

4.    Which character do you like better from PROMISE FOR TOMORROW—the hero or the heroine?  Why?

My heroine, Rianna.  While she isn’t your typical kick-butt heroine, she does come into her own in this book.  She goes from being a matrimonial sacrifice to a woman in her own right.  She finds her strengths and her capabilities.

5.    What is the most challenging part of being a writer?

Finding the time.  Between being a full time mom and a full time legal assistant, sometimes finding the time to write seems next to impossible.  Coming up with ideas aren’t a problem.  In fact, that’s the easy part.  It’s the uninterrupted time I need to get said ideas plugged into the computer that’s a challenge.

6.    In a fight, who would win…Dracula or the wolf-man?  What? This question seems odd? Please, folks are dying to know this answer.

Oh, Dracula any day.  I like werewolves, but after all, they’re still vulnerable to a nibble or two.  Besides, Dracula always struck me as the sneakier of the two.

7.    What’s your favorite scary movie?  Come on, spill.  No explanations—just name it.  Let everyone else guess why.

Not much of a scary movie watcher … but, let’s see … but the last one I saw was “Aliens”.  More ick than scary.

8.    Tell me the one thing you wish you’d known about being a writer, um, before you became a writer.

I wish I’d known exactly how green I was.  I thought you just had to write the book and get it published.  Never knew about all the hoops you had to jump through.  Still, it’s a learning experience and one that makes it all worthwhile.

9.    What is your writing schedule like?

There’s a schedule?  Well, sorta.  I get up at 4:00 a.m and write for about two hours.   It’s the only time that the house is completely quiet and I can concentrate.  Needless to say I’m usually in bed by 8:00 p.m.  I have a hard time writing when people are around, so early morning or the rare couple of hours on the weekend when I’m alone are my primo writing time.

10.    Tell me anything you’d like to tell me.

What?  That most writers are neurotic introverts that shouldn’t be allowed out without a keeper?  No, I won’t tell you that.  LOL.

Again, thanx for having me, Cyn.  I enjoyed the interview.  Incidentally, I’m looking forward to your next release.  Can’t wait for Niol’s story.

***

Got a question for Liz?  Leave her a comment and you could win a copy of PROMISE FOR TOMORROW. Oh, yeah, that’s right.  My Demon Contest is over, but I’m in the mood to giveaway another prize, and I’ll send one winner a copy of PROMISE FOR TOMORROW.

Wow.  30 Days of Demons.  I hope you all had fun reading the guest posts (and winning some prizes!). I sure enjoyed adding more books to my TBR list.

And now that we’re on Day 30, I get to say…

My own demon book is on the shelves of a bookstore near you!  Yes, MIDNIGHT’S MASTER releases today.

Blurb:

Tall, dark, and formidable, Niol Lapen is the last demon on earth most people would ask for a favor, yet the sexy little reporter who wanders into his club dares to do exactly that. Holly Storm already knows too much about his kind, and Niol has no wish to help her get in deeper over her head. But working alongside her may be the only way to stop a killer, even as it ignites a primal desire unlike anything he’s known.

Holly has seen firsthand what Niol is capable of, but that doesn’t frighten her nearly as much as her body’s instinctive reaction to him, or the wild, fierce passion that would tempt her to follow him through hell itself. Something evil and relentless is prowling the streets of Atlanta. And as Holly’s search leads her into danger that even Niol could never have predicted, she’ll uncover a secret that could rip her world apart….

***

Yes, Niol’s book is out today–in the bookstore wild–and I’m very excited about this release. (By the way, if you want more info on the book, Rachael posted a review of my story–thank you, Rachael!)

I want to thank everyone who has visited for my 30 Days of Demon fun–thanks to all the readers for coming by and leaving such wonderful comments and thanks to the authors for posting and donating great prizes.

Ah…and speaking of prizes. I have more prizes to award today.  I *did* say that the 30 Days of Demons Contest was a two-parter, and part one consisted of spreading the word about my book and my demon fun by posting my lovely widget.  So let’s announce those winners, shall we?

First place: $100 gift card to Barnes and Noble:  Pat Cochran
Second place: $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble:  Marjana Kaly
Third place: $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble:  Jackie
Fourth place: ARC of BELONG TO THE NIGHT: Peggy Gorman
Fifth place: Any autographed Cynthia Eden book you’d like: Terri

I’ll email all the winners today with prize claim information.  THANK YOU so much to everyone who entered my contest!  I’ve had a great month, and, yes, more contests will definitely be in the future.

Have a wonderful day!

Note: The Daily Demon posts are below–just scroll down.

MIDNIGHT’S MASTER, the final book in my Midnight trilogy, will be released on June 30th. This book focuses on Niol, the powerful demon first introduced in HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT. Ah, I do love a good demon hero. To celebrate the release of Niol’s book, I’m launching a new contest…30 Days of Demons. This is a two-part contest with a ton of prizes.

Read the rest of this entry–>