Update:  The ARC winner is…Melissa!! Congrats, Melissa!

“The devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal.
He was in a bind ‘cos he was way behind: he was willin’ to make a deal.”

Oh…one of my favorite childhood songs.  🙂  These lyrics are from “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (by the Charlie Daniels Band).  Sometimes, I catch myself singing this song to my son as a lullaby.  Yes, we have odd lullabies in my house.

But the songs draws me b/c I’ve always been intrigued by the idea that the devil–or just demons– can appear and make deals with humans. Deals that don’t end well.  According to legend, if you go to the crossroads,  you can make a deal for just about anything.  Did Tommy Johnson make a deal?  Guess only he knows. And what about Robert Johnson?

I like to read different myths and legends.  Sometimes it’s interesting to see the same basic story, told in different cultures.

Have you heard any good tales? Any good urban legends that you’d like to share?  Leave me a comment–and I’ll pick one person to win an ARC of BELONG TO THE NIGHT. Yep, I’ve got more ARCs just waiting for you!

(By the way, I’ve been at a crossroads in Mississippi, and I sure didn’t stop for long!)

Update:  Time for winners!  The winner of FAERIES GONE WILD is Barb Patric!  And the winner of THE HIGHWAYMAN is bridget3420!  Congrats!!!

I’m actually in the middle of reading Michele Hauf‘s latest release now (FAERIES GONE WILD), and I’ve got to say–it’s great.  🙂  If you’re looking for a hot paranormal author, then should definitely check out Michele’s stories.  Welcome, Michele!

(And, guess what?  Michele will be giving out not just one great prize today, but two!!  She will giveaway a signed copy of THE HIGHWAYMAN and a copy of FAERIES GONE WILD. Be sure to comment for your chance to win!)

***

I Kissed A Demon (And I Liked It)

Ok, so I didn’t actually kiss one.  That would be…creepy.  But I am coming around, meaning, I’m finally beginning to see the sexy side of demons.

My first paranormal romance, Dark Rapture (pubbed in ‘97) was about vampires.  I lurve me some vampire.  Vampires.  Nom.  I’ve been very happy writing vampires.  They are sexy, aristocratic, never have one of those orange overdone suntans, and even if they do bite on the first date, it’s a kiss to remember.

The paranormal romance genre has exploded over the past few years.  Werewolves are seeing their day in the spotlight.  I never had an interest in the hairy dudes.  Leave them for those authors who write them well.  Until a werewolf walked in as a secondary character in one of my stories.  Oh, man, I love those hairy guys now!

Which brings me to demons.  Demons, to me, used to fall on the same level as werewolves.  No, to be honest, they were actually much lower, the lowest of the low when it came to feasible romantic heroes.  I just could not see not.  Couldn’t wrap my head around a demonic being actually being tender and a love interest.  Case in point: I did the Dark Enchantments series with three friends for Nocturne.  Each of the other three had demon heroes.  I told them “Nope, can’t do it.  Can’t do a heroic demon.”  So in my book, I had a demon hunter who slayed every demon in sight.  And my upcoming July release, The Highwayman, features another demon slayer.  He wields a whip that glows with anti-demon sigils, slicing demon heads off left and right.  Hey, it’s fun kicking demon butt!

But some switch flipped in my brain recently.  I confess, my current work in progress features a demon hero.  A real live, conjured-from-the-depths-of-Hell demon.  I initially balked at this hero.  What the heck?  He should be the villain, yes?  How can some demon whose flesh is forged from black steel and whose black blood runs with a rage for slaying angels ever hold a mortal heroine tenderly and understand the concept of love?  That’s when the switch flipped.  What an awesome challenge!  I’ve always liked dark, damaged heroes, and demons are as dark and damaged as they come.  What a man to try and redeem on the page!  (And if he looks like Gerard Butler?  Oh yeah!)

So I guess what I’ve learned (and am constantly learning) is never say never when it comes to the paranormal and the vast variety of characters a writer can play with.  I’ve expanded my reading interests with this new attitude as well.  Used to be all—wait for it—vampires.  Now I slip some demons into my TBR pile every once in a while, alongside the weres and faeries and shapeshifters.

Demons rock!

Michele

Today’s guest author is D. Renee Bagby. I had the pleasure of cyber meeting Renee through the FF&P RWA Chapter (for those who write fantasy, futuristic, and paranormal romance), and I’ve got to say, she is one busy woman!  Welcome, Renee!

***

Proverb: Raise no more [demons] than you can lay [down].

A good saying except, as much as I would like to lay down Melchior, I can’t. Number one he’s fictional… more’s the pity. Number two, even if he was real, I’d have to go through Serenity to get him… I don’t have a death wish, ’cause that chick is scary. And number three, he’s not a demon.

Melchior may look like a demon—a little over seven feet tall, dark blue skin, blue horns that curve out from his neck and rise above his head, red and yellow dual-colored eyes, a forked tongue, and usually seen wearing nothing but a loincloth—but he’s not one. He and his people—the bhresya—are not from any pits of hell and they generally don’t want to corrupt humans. In fact, they want as little to do with humans as possible.

Humans on the other hand, want to see the bhresyas dead. In order to stop the warring, Melchior proposes a peace that will be solidified with his marriage to Serenity, the princess and only daughter of the ruling monarch of Cheslav, the largest human kingdom. While Melchior’s people object to having a human queen, he ignores their apprehension and follows through with his plan.

When his new wife demands his attention and affection, Melchior begins to think he may have made a mistake after all. Plus there are seemingly random attacks happening around his kingdom with no witnesses and no trace of the culprits—not even if they are human or bhresya.

Melchior is facing a battle on two fronts. Neither of which he plans to lose.

Learn more about Melchior, Serenity, and the bhresya at my website where you can read an excerpt and the first chapter and within the pages of SERENITY, available in ebook and print.

D. Renee Bagby
Building New Realms of Passion…
http://dreneebagby.com

Update:  The winner of the Bath & Body Works gift certificate is…Heather Brewer! Congrats, Heather!  And for all of you who said you hadn’t seen My Demon Lover yet–oh, you are missing out!  🙂

How about a blast from the past?

For today’s post, my topic is “Favorite Demon Movie.”  And my all-time favorite movie?

Please tell me I’m not the only one who remembers this movie.  🙂

And, hey, maybe it’s the nostalgia talking, but when I think about this movie, yes, I think 1st of the demon part, but 2nd, I think of the romance.  Because this movie was a romance at its core.  A funny show, an unusual hero, a heroine who–poor girl–had a few obstacles thrown in her path.  And…you guessed it…a guaranteed happy ending.

Here’s the blurb from imdb: “Denny has yet again been left by her thug boyfriend Chip. It seems as if she is doomed to be stuck with awful guys, this time she has to choose between nerdy Charles and the strange Kaz, who turns into a monster when sexually aroused.”  (Denny would be the heroine.)

Come on–this movie has it all, campy fun, sexually aroused demons, and a happy ending.  🙂

What’s your favorite demon movie?  Tell me and you could win a $15 gift card from Bath and Body Works.(I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win.)

Today’s Saturday Snippet focuses on Outtakes. Those scenes from novels that just, well, don’t quite make the final cut.  🙂  Since I’d celebrating my demon month, I chose to use an outtake from my succubus story, MIDNIGHT SINS.

When I write, sometimes I’ll try a few different beginnings as I attempt to get a feel for the characters and the story.  Today’s outtake is an alternate beginning for MIDNIGHT SINS.  This one didn’t make the cut, but it did help me to get a better feel for my heroine, Cara–the sex demon who really just wants love.

***

She was giving up sex.

Cara Maloan sat at the bar, her fingers idly tapping against the gleaming wood. All around her, voices rumbled and music blasted, but she ignored the sounds, focusing on her more pressing concern.

Sex.

Her head moved in a slow nod. Yes, that’s what she’d do. Give up sex.

Of course, since she was a full-blood succubus and derived her power from the sexual act, much like a vamp from blood drinking, the way Cara figured it, she’d be dead in a year.

“Hell.” She was so damn screwed.

Or well, actually, she wasn’t, and didn’t have any future plans to be—that was the problem. How come there just weren’t any good guys left to drain these days?

She swung away from the bar, swiveling on her stool. Her gaze swept past the dancers, most of them Other, and drifted to the door. The bar, Paradise Found, was a haven of sorts for the paranormal kind. A place to drink, party, and to stop pretending to be normal.

It was also a very, very dangerous bar. Because the paranormals, well, they all tended to have serious attitude problems.

There was usually blood on the floor by midnight, much to the enjoyment of the vamps who hung back in the shadows.

Oh, damn but she was tired of being a freak.

***

If you’d like to read more outtakes, visit these participating authors:

Cynthia Eden
Victoria Janssen
Lauren Dane
Leah Braemel
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Sylvia Day
Vivian Arend
Mark Henry
Shelley Munro
Jaci Burton
Mandy Roth
Eliza Gayle