It’s a good week for books. Ah, yes, it is.

The second installment in Larissa Ione‘s FABULOUS Demonica series hits store shelves tomorrow…

DESIRE UNCHAINED releases tomorrow and I can’t wait for this one!  I anticipate I’ll be doing my Books-a-Million stalking routine as I try to snatch up this one.  I was completely blown away by the first book in this series (PLEASURE UNBOUND). It was one of those books that kept me up until 2 a.m., even though I knew my son would have me up at 6. Couldn’t help it–I had to keep reading because that book was awesome!

Here’s the blurb for DESIRE UNCHAINED:

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . .

Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn’t resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy.

A Seminus demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he’d seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever. As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts—or succumb to a madman’s evil plans.

***

And today must be paranormal Monday for me because the next story I want to talk about is Calista Fox’s DEVIL’S KITCHEN. (Love that title, Calista!)

Have you read Calista’s work?  She is a great author. I fell in love with her contemporaries, but now, yep, I’m hooked on her paranromals, too.

Here’s the blurb:

Heiress Kristina thinks she’s about to suffer a fate worse than death when her father attempts to marry her off to her childhood nemesis. But Kristina knows nothing of the real troubles that await her.

Using every seductive means of persuasion, she hopes to convince her sexy bodyguard and secret lover, Roman, to rescue her. Roman will do everything to keep Kristina out of another man’s arms — and bed. But his past has finally caught up with him, putting Kristina’s life in grave danger.

In order to save her, Roman must reveal his dark nature to Kristina. And risk losing her heart in the process.

***

I do love paranormals.  🙂  And for those of you curious about my next big contest–it launches on Thursday!  Prizes, fun, vampires…what more do we need?  So check back Thursday for all the not-so-gory contest details.

If you’ve got a book you want to recommend today–or if you’re an author and want to blurb one of your own–go right ahead!

I want to congratulate all of the PEARL Award winners and finalists.  I was very excited to learn last night that HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT won an honorable mention in the shapeshifter category–wow!  Talk about being an excited woman.  🙂    Thank you to everyone who voted–I really appreciate all of the support my stories are getting. Thank you!

And please, stay tuned to the blog–I’ll soon be launching a big contest in conjunction with the upcoming (just over a month away!) release of IMMORTAL DANGER.  So watch this blog!

I took my son to his first Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday night.  Mobile’s awesome because they have this nice, alcohol free zone for families, so we parked, went to the safe zone, and got ready for some fun.

And it was fun. We scored so many necklaces, stuffed animals, um, peanuts…

Yes, all was fine and dandy until–

Wham.

One of the ladies on the float tried to throw a necklace to my son.  Um, it hit him. (If you’ve been to Mardi Gras, you know the odds of getting hit by a flying object are very, very high.)  “Mama, she hitted me!  Give that lady a timeout!”  Lucky for me, this was at the end of the parade, the very last float.  We were able to sneak away before my son’s feelings got too hurt.

Sorry for the picture quality. My (ack!) camera is broken and I had to use the hubby’s I-Phone–not good for moving shots.

And how was your week? Did you get hit in the head by a necklace? (Cuz it happened to me, too. Sigh.) Or do you just maybe feel like you got hit?  🙂

Hi, everyone! Ah, Wednesday…and that means it’s author interview time.  Today, author Vonna Harper–a woman with a gift for writing very steamy tales–is our guest.   Welcome, Vonna!

1.    Please tell us a bit about yourself and the genre (or genres) that you write.

A lifelong reading/writing addict, I was first published before the invention of the printing press. <g>  Seriously, I can’t remember when I didn’t consider myself a writer.  Although I’ve had a lot of writing gigs, I’m currently completely immersed in erotica.  I write for Kensington Aphrodisia, Ellora’s Cave, Loose-ID, and Samhain.

2.    Tell us about your most recent release.

Here’s the blurb for NIGHT OF THE HAWK:

Reporter Smokey Powers has come to a small Oregon town to investigate a developer’s disappearance.  But from the moment she wanders into a local art gallery, she’s captivated by a stunning photograph of a hawk in flight–and by her urgent need to meet the photographer, to touch him–to know him.

When Smokey comes face-to-face with Mato Hawk, a member of a local tribe, his masculinity overwhelms her.  For once, this ambitious career woman is learning what it means to submit in every way.  Again and again Mato takes her to the brink of release, becoming more dominant and demanding, awakening every inch of her body to pure sensation until she’s never felt more alive–or less in control.

Seduction was a way for Mato to stop Smokey from jeopardizing his people’s land with her investigation.  Now their desire has become an unstoppable force that’s wild, risky, and deliciously unpredictable.

3.    Which character do you like better from your current  release—the hero or the heroine?  Why?

I’m going to generalize here because I’ve given birth to so many stories.  My heroines tend to be more complex, probably because I spend more time in their point of view but I can’t say I ‘like’ one more than the other.  All of them challenge me and I’ll always hold that against them.

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

The writing part. <g>  I love those ‘light bulb’ moments when something new starts to take form.  I love the nights of insomnia while characters whisper to me and plots go off in this direction and that.  Research, mostly online, is a kick and can kill an entire day.  Then comes that moment when I actually have to come up with a twist on, “It was a dark and stormy night” and I wind up writing emails for hours instead.

5.    In a fight, who would win…Dracula or the wolf-man?

Having given this considerable thought and debate, it has to be wolf-man.  Yes, Dracula has all those built-in protections against mortality, but he’s a pretty skinny dude while wolf-man is all muscles.  At least I’m assuming that’s what’s beneath all that hair.

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

Deliverance.  (Yes, I know, its an oldie but I have my reasons and its not what you’re thinking.)

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

More about the business aspect of this career.  I could go on forever on that.

8.    What is your writing schedule like?

It’s a rare day that I don’t spend part of it creating or editing.  That said, no two days are the same.  I’m a morning person and my brain dies about dinnertime.

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

Life without a daily glass of wine just isn’t.

LOL, thanks for the responses, Vonna!  Good luck with your new release!

I want to begin today by sending my congrats to my friend Edie Ramer!!  Edie has advanced to the 4th round of the American Title V Competition! Go, Edie! (Although I am not at all surprised to hear you’ve advanced!)  The voting is open for this round and you can read the entries here.  To vote for DEAD PEOPLE (that’s Edie’s story with the awesome title), send a blank email with the subject of DEAD PEOPLE to votes@romantictimes.com.

I received a review of IMMORTAL DANGER from Two Lips Reviews yesterday (thank you, Tina!). The story was given 5 lips!  You can view the full review at Two Lips, and to get you curious, here’s a snippet:

“There is hot sex, action and adventure in Immortal Danger and I loved the blend of humanity with the demon in Maya. She has to come to terms with what she has become and what it means for her. I thought her character was thoughtfully done. I hope to read more like Immortal Danger from Cynthia Eden in the future.”–Tina of  Two Lips Reviews

I began writing a new book yesterday–always a fun, but scary situation for me. Fun because–hey, blank page! I can start the tale anywhere! Possibilities! Options!  And scary because–gah, a blank page!  Lots and lots of blank pages.  But I’m good now. I’m on page 11!  I think I’ve got a great feel for both of my main characters.

Before I wrote, I spent an hour doing pre-writing research. More research will definitely follow later. This book will be one of the most research intensive I’ve ever done.  My heroine is a firefighter and I want to make sure I’m covering things properly for her.

While doing my research, I came across some firefighter videos on YouTube (I was looking for flames…). I thought I’d share one or two with you.

And, yes, my research did involve more than me just watching YouTube videos.  🙂 While I think of the above video as the wild, action-packed firefighter film, I also found a very well-done video about female firefighter recruitment. Great ladies, great stories.

And, hey–quick reminder! Amberkatze still has an IMMORTAL DANGER contest running over at her blog.  Check it out if you have a chance!