Update: The winner of the Larissa Ione book is…Jody F!  Congrats, Jody!  🙂

(Day 22? Day 22!!!)

Today, I want to talk about one of my favorite demon series–the Demonica series by the wonderfully talented Larissa Ione.  🙂  I know many of you have read these books, and if you haven’t read them, well, here is your chance to start! (I’ll be giving away a Demonica book–winner’s choice–to one commenter).

Larissa’s Demonica world is dark and sexy and so enthralling that I literally couldn’t put the books down when I read them. Yes, they were that good.  Her first book, PLEASURE UNBOUND, kept me up until 2 a.m.  But who needs sleep when you’ve got demons?

Blurb:

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life…

She’s a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure—but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.

Two lovers will dare to risk all.

Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his desire to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable—and let Tayla possess him, body and soul…

***

Did I mention this book kept me up until 2 a.m.?  A great new take on the world of demons–and so many demons! Larissa has an assortment of sexy demons sure to appeal to just about everyone (except the demon haters!).

Wanna read an excerpt of PLEASURE UNBOUND?  Trust me, you should.  And wanna win a copy of PLEASURE UNBOUND?  (Or, if you’ve read that one, how about DESIRE UNCHAINED or PASSION UNLEASHED?  It will be winner’s choice!  Just leave me a comment–let me know what you’ve thought about the 30 Days of Demons so far.  Have you had favorite posts? More posts about a demon topic you’d like to see?  Let me know what you think!

Update:  The winner of Jessa Slade’s ARC is…Michele! Congrats, Michele!  I’ll email you with prize details.  Thanks for all the wonderful comments!

Hi, everyone!  You’re in for a serious treat today–one very lucky commenter will win an ARC of Jessa Slade‘s October release,  SEDUCED BY SHADOWS. I took a look at the cover the other day–and, wow, what a cover. Wait–look.  See what I mean?

This looks like one fantastic new series, and I’ m eagerly waiting for the October release!  Jessa, welcome to my demon fun!

***

First, let me say Thank You! to Cynthia for letting me play on 30 Days of Demon. This is my first guest posting, very much in advance of the October release date of my first book.  And in a paragraph of firsts, I am thrilled to say that my first box of ARCs came in the mail on Friday!  So I’d like to give away the first copy to a commenter here today.

Have you ever had one of those days when you wonder, “What on earth possessed me?”

Possibly I’m revealing too much about myself here on Cynthia’s blog, but I have those days faaaar too often.  Since I’ve heard that writing is the poor woman’s psychotherapy, perhaps it’s no surprise that my demons get exorcised on the blank page.

In my debut urban fantasy romance, SEDUCED BY SHADOWS, I asked, “What if some demons felt… well, bad about the whole eternal darkness bit? What if they wanted their shot at redemption? What if they possessed certain tragically unlucky humans in a desperate attempt to repent – only to discover that sometimes being good isn’t as easy as a fallen angel might hope?”

It certainly explains some of my less stellar moments.  How ’bout yours?

Because while it might be simpler to explain why bad people do bad things, from my earliest days in Sunday school, I wondered why good people do bad things.  We curse.  We lie.  We neglect to tell the people we love how much they mean to us.  What possesses us?

My hero, Ferris Archer, has been possessed by a teshuva – a repentant demon – for a very long time.  He knows it’s not an excuse for his bad behavior; no, it’s a challenge, to fight harder for what’s left of his demon-mottled soul.  But when he meets Sera Littlejohn, the first female possessed, he fears now for his heart.  He’ll have to find the courage to embrace the other half of his soul or face a damnation darker than even he can believe.

But contemplating the infinite concepts of good and evil can overwhelm us, whether we’re demon, human or something in between.  And while we’re guiltily wondering what possessed us, maybe you’ve had the sneaking suspicion that being bad can be awfully good, as Sera discovers early on in SEDUCED BY SHADOWS:

***

Sera walked into her bedroom, still naked. Damp heat followed her out of the shower in a slowly uncoiling mist. Only the slant of streetlights through the blinds lit the room, casting deep purple shadows. And he was there, a lean, dark outline with his black trench coat buttoned tight. Spicy musk teased her senses.

She blinked. “I’m dreaming. That’s why I’m wandering around my apartment naked. I never wander around naked.”

“Not wandering. You were coming. For me.” He stood unmoving, but the trailing edge of his long coat shifted in a draft she didn’t feel. “I will make it a sweet dream.”

She touched her forehead, in lieu of pinching herself and drawing his attention to her naked parts. Dripping strands of her hair tangled around her wrist. “I don’t need a wet dream tonight. Go away.”

He moved closer. “You called. You’ve called forever.”

“I don’t even know you… ”  She trailed off when he raised a hand to brush back her hair. He had the square, blunt hands of a working man, but his thumb feathered across her temple, almost too lightly to feel. The touch sent ripples of shivery sensation through her body like a pebble in still water.

It was just a dream, she reminded herself.

“So lonely,” he murmured. “So lost.”

“I’m sorry for you, really. But I can’t help you.”

“You’re the only one who can. But I meant you, my love.” He stroked the back of his knuckles along her cheek. “You’ve been alone so long, so long afraid, close to giving in, calling all the while.”

“I’m not . . . I am not your love.” She pulled away.

“I’ve breathed your soul. Whom else can I love?”

“You haven’t breathed on anything of mine.” Her skin prickled at the thought—a pleasure she hadn’t indulged in in a long time.

From behind, his hands slid over her shoulders, down her arms, then skipped to her bare hips.

That made her shy away as nothing else had. “Don’t touch me.” Not there. The unspoken words echoed in her head.

He held his hands framing the scars. The long shadows of his fingers hid the red and white puckers of stitched flesh. “I will make you whole again, as if you’d never been broken, nothing left behind.”

Speaking of dreams, everyone said she was dreaming when she’d promised herself the same after her accident. “What, you’re a physical therapist?”

“Quite the opposite.”

While she pondered what that might be—as if the riddles in dreams even mattered—he eased her back against him. The leather of his coat was cool on her backside and shoulders. Her thoughts scattered.

“I will take away your loneliness, your fear,” he said.

“I’m not afraid.” And, stupidly enough, that was true.

He whispered into her hair, “You will be.”

***

So what do you think?  Is the lure of the darkside too strong to resist?  As the real-life drama in Tehran plays out, do you wonder if there are times when being ‘bad’ is heroic?

Thanks for reading!  You can find Jessa at:

http://jessaslade.com

http://www.facebook.com/jessaslade

http://twitter.com/jessaslade

I think part of  a demon’s charm is that he (or she) can be incredibly seductive.  And speaking of seduction…today’s Snippet Saturday focuses on seduction, or, rather, failed seduction.  All of the authors participating in this Snippet Saturday are posting excerpts (or discussing) failed seductions.

For my excerpt, I’ll focus on a scene in which the hero’s seduction of the heroine just doesn’t quite work out.  🙂 Here’s my failed seduction scene, from my upcoming (only 10 days until release!) demon book, MIDNIGHT’S MASTER:

***

“I’m not going to back off this story.”  Holly’s lips tightened.  No hint of the dimple showed now.  Pity.  “I am going to find out who killed Carl.  I came to Paradise, to you, because I thought you’d want to help me.”

“You thought wrong.”  Then, because it might just be his last chance and because, well, he wanted to taste her again, with the lights of the stars shining above them, he kissed her.

Holly’s lips were parted, her mouth open as she prepared to berate him, and, oh, but the sweet human tasted good.
His tongue stroked into her mouth.  Taking, demanding a response from her.

And the lady sure as hell gave him one.  Her mouth widened.  Her tongue snaked out to meet his.  The explosion of hunger hit him them, like a fighter’s punch in his gut, and his already erect cock stiffened even more.

Her breasts pressed against him.  He could feel her tight nipples nudging against his shirt.  Her hands were on his arms, wrapping around his biceps, squeezing.

Not fighting.  No, Holly wasn’t pushing against him, not trying to break loose—

She was trying to get closer.

Just as he was.

Her mouth fit him.  Her lips, soft, full, felt right against his.  Her tongue…ah, the lady knew how to use her tongue.

Knew how to stroke.  How to torment.

How to drive him even wilder.

Maybe the human did want to play. Absolutely-damn-perfect—

Holly tore away from him, wrenching out of his arms and stumbling back.  “No.”  Her wide eyes watched him.

With hunger.

With horror.

Ah, now that look wasn’t anything new.  He’d seen it more than his share of times. Yet he still found himself stiffening.

He didn’t like for her to look at him that way.

She lifted a hand to her lips, as if to wipe away his taste, and Niol’s eyes narrowed.

“You think…” Holly began slowly, then stopped and swallowed.  “You think you can threaten to fuck my mind…then try and fuck me?”

He didn’t speak. What would he have said?

“No.  I’m not one of your demon wannabe sluts, Niol.  I don’t want to jump you in the dark so that I can have the thrill of saying I screwed a monster.”

Hit.  The reporter obviously understood more than she’d pretended about the human women who came to his bar.

***

Want to read more seduction snippets?  Check out these participating authors:
Sylvia Day
Leah Braemel
Shelli Stevens
Michelle Pillow
Jaci Burton
Anya Bast
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Vivian Arend
Shelley Munro
Lacey Savage

Update:  Thanks for all the great comments!  The winner of THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE OF MISS PERCY PARKER (ARC) is…Edie! Congrats, Edie!!  And if you didn’t win, well, Leanna still has  a prize for you.  Send Leanna your mailing address (email her at leannareneehieber@yahoo.com) and she will send you an excerpt booklet–the first 3 chapters of THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE OF MISS PERCY PARKER.  Now that’s a great deal!

Today, I’m jealous. Yes, I’ll just come right out and admit it–I’m jealous b/c I want the prize that my guest author is offering.  Who is my author today?  The lovely and talented Leanna Renee Hieber.  And guess what she’s giving to one very lucky commenter?  An autographed ARC of her upcoming Dorchester release, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker.  I cannot wait to read this particular book!!! When August 25th gets here, I’ll be at the front of the bookstore line, this book clutched in my greedy hands.  😉

Welcome, Leanna!

I’m sure you’re as excited about Midnight’s Master as I am and so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be here! Thanks Cynthia!

What I love about demons is the ambiguity; the endless possibilities of them.

What exactly can a demon do? What is it bound by? Really, it’s limited only by the rules the author lays down. They can be anything and everything, and honestly I find them the most unpredictable and intriguing of characters, mysterious and powerful. I’ve yet to write a nice or redeemable one. Doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but a good one hasn’t yet crossed my path.

Demons don’t seem to have the same sets of cultural baggage/established expectations you find with familiar creatures like Vampires and Werewolves. With a demon, you’re never sure what you’re going to get, and that’s dangerous and exciting. They are an elevated form of spooky, a higher category of powerful, whether the author chooses to use them for good or for evil. Either way, they’ve always captivated me.

That’s why when writing The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, a Gothic Victorian fantasy full of ghosts, fierce camaraderie and an epic love, I decided to make my sinister characters demon-esque. They needed to be set apart from all the ghosts, a different breed. These creatures are informed by mythological roots. While I don’t say out and out who/what they are, my heroes make demon inferences as they try to comprehend what they’re dealing with. To my heroes, the Guard- essentially Ghostbusters in Victorian England- any supernatural thing other than their usual ghostly suspects is a new problem. They are equipped to fight spectres. Not demons. When Jack the Ripper starts spreading its terror, it is a new breed of horror they’ve never before encountered.

Here’s the scene from The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker in which I first introduce my demon-informed characters:

From the eternally dim shadows of the Whisper-world a voice resonated like a deep, angry bell tolling three o’clock: “Where. Is. She?”

“I’ve no idea, dear,” replied a softer, feminine voice. “Was I supposed to do something about her? I thought you’ve been looking all this time. While you’ve only just noticed, it’s been eighteen of their years. She could be anywhere. She’s not my responsibility, you know.”

The deep voice grunted. “Do. Something.”

The woman sighed, her fair skin glowing in the moonlight. Placing her hands to her coiled tresses atop her head, she found something sharp. With a hiss, she brought her thumbs back into view; their pricked pads sprouted thick, dark jewels, garnets that began to overflow and weep.

Lifting up her hands, she watched in fascination as the crimson trail spread from her thumbs onto her palms. She turned her hands one direction, then the other. “Hmm,” she said after a long moment.

“Well?” pressed the voice in the shadows.

“London,” she replied.

“Something wicked, then?” the voice gurgled.

The woman turned and smiled, nonchalant. “By all means, let the dog loose.”

There was a grinding of stone. A ferocious growl erupted from the deep, before a barking, snarling, ugly cloud leaped into the sky. It vanished into the shimmering portal opposite the shadows where the woman’s master stood brooding, a portal where now rose the Tower of London. The voice tolled again from the shadows. “There will be hell to pay.”

***

Come visit me at www.leannareneehieber.com, connect via any of the social networking platforms of your preference, and I hope you’ll pick up a copy of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, releasing on 8/25! (Preorder: www.tinyurl.com/strangelybeautifulbn) In August I’ll be launching my Strangely Beautiful Haunted London Blog Tour and Cynthia has graciously allowed this lovely blog of hers to be a stop on the tour where I’ll describe real, documented London haunts I use in the book! Happy Demon Hunting – or Loving!

Today’s guest is Sandy Lender, author of CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS.  I have to say, I think that is one fabulous book title.  And, yes, I’m a title gal.  Titles draw me in, they make me want to pick up the book, flip it over and dive into that blurb! 🙂

Sandy, welcome to the demon fun!

(A quick note:  Sandy is participating in a blog tour, and I’m happy to be one of the stops on her tour.  During each week of her blog tour, she selects one commenter–from all the blogs she visits–and that person wins a hard-cover, first edition, autographed copy of Choices Meant For Gods.)

“Don’t Set Deals with Demons”

By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender

http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com

To start today’s Demon Discussion, here’s a brief excerpt introducing one of the demons from my first fantasy novel, CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS. In this scene (already underway) Nigel and Chariss practice their sword technique in the training arena at Arcana. Nigel toys with Chariss because he just wants to get to know her a little better.

***

Excerpt:

At one point, she thought Nigel ignored an accidental opening she’d left, and it angered her to think he wasn’t trying his best. Did he think she needed favors to win the match? Did he think she wasn’t an excellent swordsman herself? When she went on the offensive, seriously, he was caught by surprise.

The press, the attack, the speed with which she suddenly came at him stunned him nearly as much as her skill. It took a minute of this onslaught, but she managed to lock the hilt of her sword against his and they struggled closely. She was shorter than him by a good seven inches, and didn’t have nearly the upper body strength he did.

So the last move was a mistake, she thought. She’d wring her way out of it and try another tactic. But she didn’t get the chance.

With his empty hand, Nigel reached his arm around her waist and spun her. Now that her sword arm was free and her back to him, she beheld one of the training monsters rushing toward them.

“By the gods!” she gasped, taking up a stance beside him.

Assuming Mia or Hrazon had entered the arena and conjured this beast, she began the usual two-man assault. Nigel had trained here, too, even if in secret, so he knew how to follow suit.

This quickly proved to be no simple training exercise. In fact, as they pressed the putrid-green and yellow beast with swords clanging against its exoskeleton, Chariss saw its foot—the size of her torso, by the way—land outside the training ring.

That shouldn’t have happened.

***

The demon Nigel and Chariss find themselves fighting in this scene is called a ryfel. The ancient (and evil) goddess Julette created these things during the First War in Onweald’s history and they are large, poisonous, mindless beasts that exist solely to rip apart and eat followers of The Master (the society’s highest active god). Think Cthullu with less arms. He he.

At one point in CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS, Chariss (the heroine) becomes annoyed with teen Jake Taiman’s flirtations and starts lecturing him on what his family does and doesn’t expect of him. It’s not a long lecture because, personally, I don’t like reading lectures in books and figured my audience would appreciate an abbreviated one from Chariss. But she does tell Jake to watch out for pretty girls who might be demons in disguise. He tells her, basically, “yeah, I know not to set deals with demons.”

It’s interesting foreshadowing because Jake is slow to follow his own advice, we learn later that his father has already gone across that spiritual divide to disastrous effect, and a young lady who threatens our hero and heroine’s happiness needs some other-worldly dealings. Then, of course, the villain has joined forces with the ultimate demon. (Does he really think that’s going to get him all that he wants?)

In my fantasy world of Onweald, demons are bad. The edras and ryfel that Julette created have ugly, poisonous characteristics. While the ryfel are mindless, lumbering beasts that enter the mortal world by a gifted person’s command, the edras are intelligent enough to carry on conversations. They can solve problems. They can bow down and worship the evil goddess that called them into being. They can hunt down their prey. Luckily, they stink like rotting flesh so you can tell when one’s near at hand. These two examples aren’t the kind of beasts who seduce you with pretty words and lusty desires. These two are the kind of beasts who follow commands from dark forces and attack the innocent. I wouldn’t set any deals with them.

“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”