Sunday Close to the Party

Its been a fabulous two weeks, hasn't it? I'd like to thank all the guest bloggers and all the readers who visited and commented. You guys are just awesome!

You've undoubtedly noticed that I haven't yet chosen a winner for the week 2 grand prize...I've been in San Francisco at Yaoi Con and have just now gotten back home and online. Tallying up the comments and choosing my winners is next on my agenda.

Yaoi Con? San Francisco? That's all a story waiting to be told. In fact...if you run over to Jesse Wave's blog, ZA Maxfield has been doing a daily journal of our adventures! http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/

We shopped, we ate, we visited and so much more! There's no place like San Francisco during Halloween and the World Series!

I promise to post the winners Monday morning....(or afternoon...depending on when I wake up!)

Happy Tales!

Belinda

Sheri Lewis Wohl: Souls of Sorrow

Timeless chills.

Sometimes you wonder how it is you ended up as an adult with this great love of the preternatural. Well, maybe you don’t but me…yeah, I sometimes wonder. Then I think back to when I was a kid and it just makes me smile. I was always that strange little kid who bugged the crap out of my family when it came to scary movies. “Pleeeeese, can I watch it?” I’d plead on Saturday afternoons when spooky movies were playing on television. The first answer was always no and for good reason. I’d keep them all awake after I watched a scary movie because I was not only afraid of the dark but had an overactive imagination. Then, tired of listening to my pleading and whining, they’d finally give in. For a couple of hours I’d sit cross-legged on the floor glued to the television, thrilled as the film noire style movie opens and the Wolfman’s eyes peer at me from between the slats of a window blind.

Now, you have to understand, I like movies. ALL movies. Old ones, new ones, bad ones, good ones. So what is it I remember about those long ago scary movies? Nothing so glorious as say, The Shining or perhaps Psycho or Halloween. Nope, one of my all-time favorites was none other than a good old black and white movie—Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. Even as a kid I liked nothing better than werewolves, vampires, and monsters, and this movie had it all. Sure, there were scarier movies and in color no less but honestly, when it comes to werewolves who ever did it better than Lon Chaney Jr.? The movie is a bona fide oldie, filmed in 1948, but seriously when it comes to werewolves, what’s time got to do with it? Not a thing in my book. Just as the legends of werewolves have lingered in folklore, so too has the legend of the Wolfman created by Lon Chaney Jr.

All those afternoons of werewolves, vampires, and monsters rubbed off and when it came time to create my own stories, darned if they didn’t show up! Here my parents thought I was wasting my time with those movies-ha! Souls of Sorrow is my most recent paranormal novel and while there are no werewolves, there are plenty of things going bump in the night to keep you watching the shadows. Stop by my website at www.sherilewiswohl.com to take a peek and if you’re interested in winning a digital copy, just answer the question posted there.

Week 2 Grand Prize

Have you heard of Golden Wolfen? Artist Christy Grandjean does the most beautiful fantasy art, and many of her wolf people and werewolf characters just fulfill my personal fantasy of what a werewolf should be.

The grand prize for Week 2 is a $25 gift certificate to Golden Wolfen Art!
Remember, you must comment to win, and I'll be throwing ALL comments back through Week One into the hat. (or random number generator! )

There will also be 2 runner up winners selected. If you won last week, you are still eligible.

Belinda

Lynn Lorenz on Lucky in Red

Lucky in Red is my first release from Passions in Print, MLR’s traditional romance imprint, and I’m just thrilled to be there for several reasons.

One, the publisher is Laura Baumbach. ‘Nuff said.

Second, it’s an anthology with two of my favorite authors and people, Belinda McBride and Jianne Carlo. If you haven’t read their stuff, you should. Go ahead. I’ll wait. And if you’re not lucky enough to know either of these ladies personally, it’s a shame. Both of them are creative, funny, professional, and just good people.

Third, it’s the first time I’ve ever…er, colluded…with other writers. We had the bare minimum requirements for the anthology and Laura, God love her, let us run with it. And we did, oh boy! We came up with what we hope is an original twist to a story about werewolves who meet their mates (and their matches) in three women with stained red dresses.

Now, I’m the first to tell you I’m not sure I could ever write with a partner. I’m just too anal… (stop snickering, yeah, I said anal. Yeah, I said it again.) and a control freak. Just thinking about the arguments over whose name is first terrifies me. So this was a great way to get a taste of working with someone else, sharing a story and working through a process to get to a final work that is consistent and works as a whole.

Not easy, but these ladies made it a dream. We chatted on Skype several times and as each of us finished the first chapters, we sent them back and forth to read and edit. It was great! I loved having two sets of eyes on my chapter, and seeing what they had that I could shameless steal….er, incorporate, into my story.

One of the town’s wild and crazy characters came from Jianne’s first chapter. Belinda and I saw her and said, okay, she has to be in all the stories!! She’s one of the only people that appear in all of them.

And oh my God, we had so many decisions to make, decisions a single writer makes without having to ask anyone any questions, such as….

We decided that the brothers would only exist in the other stories as a presence on a cell phone or email, but not physically appear. We decided on the location, Sleeping Dog, Texas, and that the weres would own a dry cleaning store. We decided they’d be Hispanic and each of us grabbed our favorite names – Maximilian, Diego, and Antonio – and because they’re brothers, what order they were born. That led to if he’s first, then he’s alpha and act like this, the middle brother would act like this, and the youngest, the baby, would be like that.

So many decisions, right? Catch your breath, cuz there were more…. Hair color, style, eyes, body build, characteristics, and speech patterns. And that was just the guys!

When we got to the women in the stories, it was the same thing, only different. What would their names be? What would they look like? I wanted to write a BBW story, so how could I incorporate that into my guy’s character? Jianne’s alpha male needed a sweet sub, Belinda’s middle son needed someone to set him straight, and my younger son, a geek, had to find his inner alpha.

Then we tackled the dresses. What stains would each one have? How would they happen? What would each woman’s dress look like? Red was the only decision we didn’t have to make when we started.

It was an amazing experience. I think it worked well, story-wise and writer-wise. I’ve heard more than one author say they’d never co-write again, and even though we didn’t really co-write, I think this is a close as I might get and still be in my comfort zone. (yeah, there is comfort food in my zone, and a recliner, and a remote control) We’re hoping it’s successful, because once we finished, we started thinking of other anthologies we wanted to write together…. The mind boggles!!

Once it comes out, I hope you’ll agree that these three werewolves and their mates are a perfect fit and that as writers, Belinda, Jianne, and I are a perfect fit too.

Suzanne Rock: Adapting To Change

I have a confession to make: I don’t like change. I don’t think many people do. We are creatures of habit and often find comfort in things we do every day. Any disruptions to our daily regimen, any invasion of our comfort zone, and many people feel lost. I know I do.

This is particularly true of my writing. Up until very recently, I had a routine and it worked for me. I’d write during my lunch hour at work, then once again when the kids went to bed in the evenings. My output was pretty good, and things were going well. Then, like a predator sneaking into my territory, something happened that changed everything.

The company I work for announced that they were going to have massive layoffs -- the most layoffs they have ever had in their 15 year history. Now unfortunately, I don’t make enough money off my writing to put food on the table, so I needed that day job. This announcement threw me for a loop, and as the weeks passed, I began to fear that my group -- and my paycheck -- were going to disappear.

Needless to say, my writing suffered. A lot. I stopped writing for two weeks while I dealt with the stress of potentially losing my job. Where would I find money? How would I provide for my family? This was truly a low point in my life and instead of turning to the one thing I could always count on to keep me sane (my writing) I turned away.

But this story doesn’t have a depressing ending. Over the past week my ducks started to fall in a row, and a solution emerged that will place both me and my family in a much better position than we were before. As my anxiety lessened and my head began to clear, I turned back to my writing -- and found sympathy in the alpha wolf from my Kyron Pack series, Josh.

In the series mythology, the Kyron Pack was formed during a time when werewolves were becoming overcrowded in North America. A small group, led by Josh Kyron, migrated down from Canada and into the western United States looking for an area where they could live in peace. They made their home in Las Vegas and the surrounding territories and became protective of the local humans in their new home. Just like real wolves, they marked their territory, staked out their food supply, and turned their small family into a powerhouse that dominated the territory they lived in.

When a rival pack on the East Coast saw how well the Josh and his wolves were doing, they decided that it was unfair for them to reap all of the benefits. They wanted Kyron territory and Kyron wealth. More importantly, the leader of this new pack, Eric Wright, wanted to eliminate Josh and rule both packs himself. He used Lydia, Josh’s true mate and Eric’s sister, to bring the Kyron pack to their knees.

Josh’s routine was disrupted, and his territory invaded. I found that Josh reacted to the situation very much like I reacted to the announcement of layoffs at my company. We both became angry, then bitter. Finally, when it seemed like all hope was lost, we fell into despair. Neither of us wanted to give up hop, however, and it was only by using our heads and being creative, that we were able to come up with a plan for survival (and save our sanity).

Territory and control are very important to wolves. They are protective by nature, and like order in their packs. How about you? Are you like Josh Kyron and other wolves? Do you crave the same order and control over your surroundings? Or do you just “go with the flow?” Tell me about it!

One lucky commenter will win a free .pdf of the first book in my Kyron Pack series – Up on the Housetop!

Up on the Housetop, Book One of the Kyron Pack

ISBN: 978-1-60737-487-9

Buy Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Up-on-a-Housetop.aspx

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfRapp-4n2M

Publisher: Loose Id, LLC
Genre: M/F paranormal erotic romance (werewolves)
Length: Novella
Price: $4.99

Blurb:

Desperate to escape her controlling family, Chloe Bradford scrambles up to the housetop of her Texas home on Christmas Eve. There she discovers a sexy stranger cloaked in shadow. He convinces her to shed her good-girl image and give into her most secret desires. The man's low, raspy voice tugs at her memory as much as it awakens her passion. Is he a Christmas miracle, or some figment of her imagination? When he tries to leave, she follows him, eager to learn his identity.

Zach can't stop thinking about Chloe, or their reunion on the roof. His wolf-half urges him to reveal his identity and claim her, but he doesn't dare. For both their sakes, he must remain in the shadows until he can control his inner beast's bursts of rage. After a decade of struggle he thought he could handle his curse, but Chloe's presence causes his control to slip. As the moon-rages become more frequent, he knows he's slipping toward the insanity that claims many of his kind. Only Chloe can save him, but will she want to after he reveals his identity and the reason he broke her heart over a decade ago?

Down on the Boardwalk, Book Two of the Kyron Pack

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPGenPONrTU

ISBN: 978-1-60737-487-9

Buy Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Down-on-the-Boardwalk.aspx

Publisher: Loose Id, LLC
Genre: M/F/M paranormal erotic romance (werewolves)
Length: Novel
Price: $6.99

Blurb:

Gwen's psychic abilities first make her an outsider among the werewolves. Then they make her a slave. Forced to use her power to help a deranged werewolf seek vengeance, she gives up on her dream of ever being accepted and loved. That is, until Nico and Tony are thrown into her cell. Her attraction to the Kyron Pack brothers is immediate and overwhelming. As she submits to the physical attraction, old wounds heal and her powers strengthen. The brothers think she can save them, but to do so would require more than just physical intimacy, and reveal a secret too dark and horrifying to share.

When Nico and Tony use their lust to help their battered mate, buried memories rise to the surface, and jealousy threatens to destroy the fragile wolf in their care. As each of them bonds to Gwen, they begin to withdraw from each other. Now they must heal their inner scars and forgive the past if they ever hope save Gwen and escape the Boardwalk alive.

KC Burn

I’m KC Burn and my favourite werewolf story changes depending on my mood - there are a lot of good ones out there. However…

One Wednesday night several years ago, during a horrible snowstorm, a friend and I went to the movies. We saw Cursed, with Christina Ricci and Joshua Jackson about a werewolf in L.A., and we were the only ones in the theatre. We laughed and laughed. Ahem. I’m not sure if that was the intention of the film, but I found it hilarious. It was a nice, light-hearted horror movie, the acting was good, the effects weren’t awful, and it had a very campy feel to it. Perhaps it was intended to be a spoof, although it certainly wasn’t billed as such. But it hit all my B-movie buttons, and it’s one of my all-time favourite werewolf movies.

Although I like the werewolf as villain, I also enjoy the opposite end of the spectrum with the werewolf as the uber-Alpha hero as is often found in romantic fiction -- for instance, the awesome J.L. Langley’s werewolf series. The inclusion of the tortured werewolf hero in Cursed (although he was more a beta than an alpha) is probably one of the reasons I enjoy the movie so much. It has the best of both worlds.

As for me, MIA Case Files: Wolfsbane is my foray into the werewolf arena, with werewolves as villains. The blurb is below, and the next one in the series (with vampires) is due out shortly.

Werewolves are coming through an open portal and one of them wants Adam Farelli. Agent Lachlan Carmichael can’t let that happen, even if it means stepping out of the closet for the town’s sexiest screw-up.

www.kcburn.com

Living A Nightmare: Barbara Elsborg

Can I confide in you? Don’t say no. I don’t have anyone else to talk to. But keep this to yourself. I’m eaten up with worry and I need to understand why. It all started last month, when I was in the park. One minute I was standing there admiring my new high heels, the next I was racing after a tennis ball. Unbelievably, even in heels, I managed to get to it before a greyhound!! Fitter than I thought which is a good thing but an inability to pass a lamppost without sniffing the base can’t be good. Though they all smelled wonderful. I hope no one saw me pee on the one next my house. Buts it’s mine- MINE, I TELL YOU.

Oops. Sorry about that. I seem to be a bit short tempered lately.

Another thing I’ve noticed, is -- hair. I mean, we all shave our legs and underarms and sometimes those other bits but not five bloody times a day. I’m having to buy razors in bulk. Plus my silver jewelry has started to bring me out in a nasty rash and I’ve developed a craving for rare steak. Until a few weeks ago I was a vegetarian. Go figure.

Oh and I should mention – sex. Well I’ve always liked sex – now I can’t get enough of it. Even the sixty year old postman with the glass eye and wooden leg looks tasty. But no more missionary position, only doggy style will do. Does that make me kinky?

Did I tell you about the moon? Makes my mouth water and my skin prickle and my voice all husky. Goodness knows what I’ll be like when it’s full in a few days time.

Lady next door has lost her cat and wants me to go look for it. About time I had a word with Fluffy about crapping in my yard. I’m sure I can make the little pussy cat see the error of her ways.

So what do you think? Have I caught something? Do I need to be worried?

* * * *

If you like your werewolves with a sense of humor – try my books. ‘Falling For You’ ‘The Misfits’ and ‘Fight to Remember’ all feature werewolves and are available from Loose-Id. My latest with Ellora’s Cave is ‘The Small Print’ – with a werewolf hunk called Catch.

The Small Print – Barbara Elsborg – out on 1st October with Ellora’s Cave

I’m in trouble.

Matty suddenly finds herself back in her childhood home, naked and alone, with no clue how she came to be there. When her greedy uncle sells Milford Hall from under her, Matty hides in the attic.

The woman is trouble.

Vampire historian, Turner, has long had his eye on Milford Hall and there is no price he won’t pay to own it. He doesn’t expect to find an aggravating female living in his attic insisting she has a right to be there. The small print in the contract backs her up but Turner is determined to maintain his privacy. Doesn’t matter she’s the hottest thing he’s seen for years— in order to protect her from his mistakes, Matty has to go.

I eat trouble for dinner

After a self-imposed twenty year absence from Turner, werewolf Catch arrives to put the past right and save his former lover from circling enemies. But one kiss from Matty and Catch has more than Turner to worry about. Neither boy wants to share their new toy.

www.barbaraelsborg.com

www.barbaraelsborg.blogspot.com

If you leave a comment here or on my blog – you have a chance to win a copy of any of my ebooks of your choice. Please make sure you supply a contact email for me to let you know if you win.

And the winner is....

The winner of the necklace is Sarah J McNeal! Sarah, please contact me privately at belinda@belindamcbride.com to arrange shipping. As soon as possible, I'll be out of town from Wednesday thru Monday. :)

And since there was so much great participation, I've chosen two runners up!

Cinquetta, you've won a download of Blacque/Bleu (if you have it already, you can choose from my backlist)

And Jason, you've won swag! Contact me with your address and I'll get it to you asap.

Again, winners...contact me at belinda@belindamcbride.com so we can make arrangements!

And no, the party isn't over! Monday features the lovely Barbara Elsborg, so come by and join in the fun! I'll also announce the very special Grand Prize for Halloween!

Have a great evening, guys!

Selena Illyria: Draven Crossing: Torger's Addiction

Draven Crossing: Torger’s Addiction

Copyright

© 2010 Selena Illyria, All Rights Reserved

Werewolves, Urban Fantasy, Dragons

Torger threw the book in his hand away in disgust. “How the hell can she read this crap?” he mumbled to himself. A glance at the cover showed a half naked couple in an intimate embrace. The blurb had been promising, declaring it a breakout paranormal novel with lots of praise heaped on it by other supposed bestselling authors. He wouldn’t know who any of those people were. It was only a few months ago he’d started reading books in the romance genre. And it had all be an accident out of boredom. Now he was paying for it in spades. Not only were the sex scenes hot enough to melt lead but reading them had fueled his fantasies and giving him a few new ones to contemplate and it was all Isadora’s fault.

She’d left the book out and had made him wait in her office. It wasn’t his fault that he’d picked up the book and read a scene or two. Now he couldn’t stop reading the books. First it had been a popular paranormal, erotic romance series. Next he found himself ducking into bookstores during lull times and buying anything that the author recommended. It was like a sickness he couldn’t shake. If any of his friends or even his fellow police officers found out he was reading those books, he’d not only never hear the end of it, he wasn’t sure his alpha wolf status of all the wolf packs would hold up. He couldn’t have beta wolves making fun of him, or the rest of the packs losing respect for him because of his chosen reading material.

“I can see it now. Torger, alpha wolf of all the packs loses position because he can’t stop reading Angela Knight books.” He shut his eyes and groaned. Despite those possible consequences, he couldn’t stop reading the books. Right now, he found himself hooked to the latest Karen Marie Moning book while reading the latest Diana Castilleja book at the office, and then at home, he had a few Chris Marie Green Vampire Babylon books sitting on his nightstand. He never left home without a book tucked in his messenger bag. Just in case I get bored or something. At least that’s what he told himself.

Just a few days ago, he’d almost been caught by Officer Petra Anderson, his werewolf beta in his pack. She’d come into his office just as he’d reached the part where the villain was revealed when the door had popped opened. He’d barely had time to hide the incriminating novel. Luckily she didn’t notice how oddly shaped his pile of paperwork was. And worse, his friend Jackal was staying at his place. The dream-walker was a great friend and very open-minded and understanding but Torger doubted that the man wouldn’t rake him over the coals for his latest reading obsession. Best friends kind of took that privilege and ran with it. “I have to find a place to stash the books.”

He looked around his office and muttered a curse. Everywhere he looked, he could see his various hiding places for the books. His book case was littered with them hidden behind other books. The growing mountain of paperwork on his desk had a few books stacked underneath it all. He didn’t even want to think about his filing cabinets. The messenger bag that hung on his coat rack was empty of the damning contraband but his jacket wasn’t. The inside pocket contained a mass market edition of the latest Marie Treanor vampire book. He looked down at his desk and spotted his laptop. Nausea rose up. The physical books hadn’t been enough. Then he’d discovered eBooks. Reading material that wouldn’t take up room on a shelf or could be hidden behind a password. They were like crack cocaine. He’d just kept buying them. More. More. More. A new release here, a few backlist books there and suddenly he had over a hundred eBook files tucked away in a file folder marked Family Jewels. And those books were worse than what he had in print. They were filled with hot, sexy erotic scenes. The list of author names rolled through his mind; Lexxie Couper, Jess Dee, Rhian Cahill, Cynnara Tregarth, Michelle Hasker, Dawn Montgomery, Sherri King, Madeline Oh, Aubrey Ross, Moira Rogers, Lena Austin, Belinda McBride and more, so many more.

The time he snuck in for reading the books became longer. It was stress reading for him. When things got tense, most people smoked a cigarette or went to the spa. He read. Romance books. Erotic Romance books. And things were pretty damn stressful at the moment. A serial killer was on the loose in his territory. The person was killing people on his watch and he had nothing to go on. The coroner’s report and the CSU’s reports had said the same thing, no trace, no fibers, no fingerprints, no tissue or blood, not even a scent to go by. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he prayed that they’d get a break soon, otherwise his little addiction was going to go public. The need to read was increasing. Each minute no new information came up was another minute he just wanted to forget his troubles and lose himself in a book. With great reluctance, he began to gather the books up from around his desk. Once he had all of them, he dumped them into a bottom drawer and locked it up, vowing to take them home later. The only thing that remained of his addiction was the acceptable Laurie R. King Mary Russell series. He wouldn’t get grief for that book because it was a mystery.

Torger was just about to get up and go for lunch when his door slammed open and a vision in pink strode in, anger clear on her face.

“Call these lunkheads off, Torger. I’m here with news,” Isadora declared. For a moment he stood there staring at her. Today she was dressed in a pink pencil dress with thin straps. Never mind that it was currently fifty degrees outside, unusually cold for late Spring, but that the dress did wonderful things for her figure. It hugged her full hips and generous bust perfect. All he could do was stare and appreciate what stood before him. The clearing of a throat drew him out of his perusal and he shook his head.

“It’s okay guys, you can go. The pink dragon won’t eat me,” he joked. Isadora blew out a puff of smoke. A pale pink mist floated up into the air and everyone stilled. She’s riled up. He sighed and waved a hand. “Go, guys. It’s okay, really.”

His officers looked at each other and then turned on their heels and left. As soon as the door shut behind, them, he realized he was trapped with the object of his lust and fantasies. His heart rate increased as breathing became a chore. Heat flooded his body and his wolf stood up and noticed that the female it wanted to mate with was standing before it. His tail wagged animatedly and his mouth hung open. Don’t do anything stupid, Torger warned his animal. The wolf tilted its head to the side as if to say, Who? Me? Torger almost rolled his eyes but did nothing to indicate the internal dialogue he had going on. Isadora would notice. Blowing out another breath he focused on calming his body. It was bad enough that his blood had started to head south and his cock was semi-hard. Tingles had started at his toes and worked its way up his legs. Have to regain focus.

“Isy,” he greeted.

She glared at him. “Isadora,” she corrected him.

He shrugged. “Isy, what do you want?”

Her jaw clenched and her nostrils flared. Slim lines of smokes trailed out of her nose. “Careful wolf. I eat people like you for breakfast,” she warned. Her voice had gone from soft and sweet to smoky and dangerous.

A shiver raced down his spine. He fought the urge to let it show. Wolves were fodder for dragons. He’d never seen Isadora change but didn’t doubt that the pink dragon would be huge and far too much to handle.

“Fine. We’ve established that a dragon would win the pissing contest. Doesn’t tell me what you’re doing here. You said you had news.” He leaned back in his chair and studied her. Her shoulders slid down and her posture relaxed. Dark circles marred perfect mocha skin under her eyes. Her full lips thinned. The soft lure of her perfume was mixed with sweat and the slight tinge of stress. Torger’s senses became alert. His wolf let out a soft warning growl. His mate, the woman he had his eye on to be with wasn’t taking care of herself. With a new awareness, he eyed her figure which seemed to be smaller. The dress may have hugged her curves but her waist had shrunk enough for him to notice. Her dark brown eyes didn’t have the usual sparkle. Her perfectly coifed hair, streaked with pink highlights looked dry, not as soft and lacked shine. He clenched his jaw and said nothing but he knew one thing, if he were taking care of her she would be well loved and relaxed. She’d also never leave his bed.

“I just got a report that the Council has issued a statement contradicting Draven’s, saying that you don’t have things under control and there’s another victim you’re hiding from the public. But my sources tell me that that’s a load of hogwash.” Without invitation she sank into the visitor’s chair in front of his desk. “Torger, my sources in the Council are telling me that Drew Marten is chomping at the bit to enforce quarantine for the town.”

She looked up, worry in her gaze. “People are emailing me, demanding answers. I don’t know what to tell them, Torger. The citizens are ready to fight for their town but they’re scared. If the Council does enforce a shutdown of the borders, we won’t know what to do. I need something to say to them. A word from the Alpha of all packs could go a long way. I need you to give me something, anything.”

Her voice had lost its rough tone. Now she was back to her old self, only worn down and tired. He stood up. Ignoring every instinct screaming in his mind to not do what could rebound on him, Torger made his way around his desk and went to her. Crouching down, he settled next to her. He reached out and cupped her hand, stroking his thumb over the silken skin. “You can tell people this; I’m going to do everything in my power, even if I have to give my life, to catch the sonofabitch who’s doing this. We won’t have to shut our borders.”

Isy’s eyes widened. Fear now tinged her perfume. “Torger—Don’t do something stupid.”

He reached up and brushed back her hair. It was softer than it looked. “Why, Isy? Are you worried about me?”

Grinning, he watched emotions dance across her face. She licked her lips, then shook her head and snatched her hand back. “Don’t think you can treat me nicely in private and then be rude in public.”

“Answer the question.”

Her teeth came out to scrape her bottom lip. He groaned inwardly, watching straight white teeth dig into plump, pink flesh. The air around them became thick. Everything narrowed down to him and her. There was no serial killer. No stress. No work. Her job didn’t matter and right now he wasn’t the chief of Police for Draven’s Crossing. She wasn’t a pink dragon shifter. He wasn’t an Alpha werewolf of the packs. Soft scents drifted past his nose. He wasn’t sure what the aroma was but it soothed him. His wolf lay down, head resting on its front paws. Rising up next to her, he brought his face closer to hers. Her warm breath ghosted across his lips. The skin tingled. He flicked out his tongue hoping to catch some of her taste on his mouth. She dipped her head to bring her face closer. Their lips were only millimeters apart. He wanted to close the distance so badly. His muscles strained with the effort to stay still. Her eyes widened and her scent shifted to something sharp.

“Damn it. I’m not doing this now.” She stood up so quickly the chair rocked then wobbled back in place. “I have to go.”

Before he could stop her, she rushed to the door, jerked it open and rushed out. He gritted his teeth and let his head fall forward until his chin touched his chest. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She’s not ready yet.” With a sigh, he rose up and made his way to his desk. After sitting behind his desk, he unlocked his bottom drawer and pulled it open. Shifting through the pile of books, he read the titles and chose a dark, urban fantasy, romance.

“At least I have my books,” he sighed. His phone rang and he put the book away. “Great, duty calls.”

As he shut the drawer, he prayed that this wasn’t a call informing him of another body.

Jianne Carlo: Lucky In Red

Early this summer Passions in Print, a division of Man Love Romance, asked my friend and fellow author, Lynn Lorenz, to do an anthology for their new heterosexual-focused line. Lynn and I began our careers together around the same time a couple of years ago with the same editor, Georgia Woods.

We’d often spoken of doing a Viking story together, so when Lynn approached me for this anthology, I jumped at the chance. And when she told me that Belinda McBride was on board, I was thrilled, having recently met and bonded with Belinda at the EPIC awards in February.

I’m amazed at how easily Lucky in Red came together.

We had one brainstorming Skype session where we decided on our heroes - the Lobos brothers, the premise - stained red dresses, and the location - Sleeping Dog, Texas (thank you Lynn J).

After that, we each wrote a first paragraph, exchanged stories, and that was it. We wrote our tales independently, and lo behold, at the end of the day we had one discrepancy – I had an acrylic counter, and the others had stainless steel.

Isn’t that incredible?

I feel like pinching myself. Never did I imagine an anthology could be so easy. And we had such a blast doing this too. Of course, I’m all up for the three of us doing another one.

Like Lynn and Belinda, I, too, love writing about wolves. Their fierce loyalty to their mates and cubs, the delicious alpha qualities of a male wolf, the to-the-death maternal protectiveness of the females, all these qualities are so appealing for a romance novel.

A few fascinating sub-characters show up in Lucky in Red.

Carnation Rosa, an older woman, who earns her nickname by decapitating the heads of two dozen carnations each year at the county fair: her sidekick, Cleo, who’s addicted to the cactus-wine made by the town’s pastor and his wife, and a wolf-hating sheriff who’s trying to repeal the ban on hunting introduced by the Lobos brothers. Not to mention the mischievous devil of a ring bearer who wreaks havoc with a handful of marbles as the bridesmaids at a wedding advance up the aisle.

Lucky in Red is sexy, funny, and fast-paced and we all hope you enjoy reading the three stories!

Cheers,

Jianne

Moon Myths and Moon Cake: Lena Austin

What is the best-known myth about the full moon? That it triggers a werewolf’s transformation of course. However, that’s not the only moon myth out there, back in day people believed all sorts of strange things about the moon. Let’s explore some of those other moon superstitions.

• One of the oldest moon myths is that if you stare at the moon for too long you’ll become a lunatic and every full moon thereafter will send you into fits of insanity.
• In some ancient cultures, young girls were warned against sleeping in the moonlight, lest they become “moonstruck” and attract monsters.
• Some believe that moonlight shining into one’s bedroom will bring bad luck. It is said that if you greet the moon with a polite curtsy or bow it will ward off the ill luck, and you may even be granted a wish.
• Another well-known belief is that witches and sorcerers will “draw down the moon” to use its power for their spells. This has remained a part of Wiccan tradition even today, and modern witches still Draw Down the Moon. Sadly, I as a Wiccan have never dropped down on all fours and started howling.
• It was believed the waxing of a new moon it the best time for lovers to divine their future, the best time to begin a new journey or business venture, and the best time for farmers to plant their crops (except runner beans, which are sown at the wane). This is also the best time to hold wedding and to have a baby. That’s not all though – livestock slaughtered when the moon is waxing is said to give better meat.
• Bowing to the new moon and turning over silver coins in your pocket was believed to double the amount of money by the end of the next cycle.
• If in company, the first person to see the new moon should kiss one of their companions right away, for if they do so they may expect a gift in the near future. But! The new moon should not be seen for the first time through glass (eye glasses are ok) or through the branches of a tree – for this is a bad omen. The best way to see it is in the open air via a glance over the right shoulder (in which case a wish may be made).
• Pointing at the moon was believed to insult the man in the moon, and if you did point you would be banned from heaven.
• To see visions of your future lover, say this to the first full moon of the year, “All hail to thee, moon, all hail to thee, I prithee kind moon, reveal to me, Him/Her who is my life partner to be.” If all goes well you will see your future love in your dreams.
• In ancient times, Chinese people believed that there were twelve Moons as there were twelve months in one year. It was believed that the Moons were made of water. The name "mother of moons" is associated with that of Heng-o.
• The Full Moon in January is called the Wolf Moon. It is named after the hungry packs of wolves that howled at night. The Algonquian tribes of Native Americans had many different names for the Full Moon through the year, reflecting their connection with nature and the seasons, hunting, fishing, and farming.

How to Make Moon Cakes

Moon Cake "A cake-like crust topped with a creamy vanilla, cream cheese pudding and smothered in whipped topping with just a hint of chocolate syrup. Served cold." Ingredients: 1 cup water ½ cup margarine 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 eggs 1 3.4 oz packages instant vanilla pudding mix 3 cups milk 1 8-oz package cream cheese 1 8-oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed ¼ cup chocolate syrup Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and lightly grease a jelly roll pan. 2. In a large saucepan, bring water and margarine to a boil. Remove from heat, and mix in flour with electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Spread evenly in prepared pan . 3. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool completely 4. In large bowl, combine pudding mix, milk and cream cheese. Mix with electric mixer until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled crust. Top with whipped topping and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Chill in refrigerator and serve cold.

Grand Prize: Week One

I decided to give away TWO grand prizes! Hey, it's my party, why not? LOL! This Sunday, I'll be drawing for a pearl necklace. Not just any pearl necklace...but a Blacque/Bleu pearl necklace that's EIGHT AND A HALF FEET LONG!!!
These are rice-shaped freshwater pearls from China, each pearl measures about 8 to 9 mm. When this puppy came in the mail today, my sister suggested that we keep it to decorate our Christmas tree this year! LOL! (All of our Christmas decorations were stolen a few months ago)

You can wear it as a necklace, a belt, drape it over your curtains or just set it out for display. These are real pearls and I shudder to think what the retail cost is here in the US. (I have friends in foreign places)

So...keep talking, your comments are your entries. (just don't babble foolishness...I do that enough!)

Belinda

Werewolves! Anne Kane

Werewolves! Their origin is buried in myth and legend. In this age of instant communications, ipads and remote exploration of Mars we are still fascinated by the thought that they might truly exist and walk unseen amongst us. I have always been an avid fan of the “what-ifs” and werewolves are one of my favorites.

Growing up in Northern Ontario, the eerily haunting cries of the wolf packs could be heard on many a cold winter’s night, and the sound never failed to send sent a pang of longing through me. I could imagine the noble creatures running through the large tracts of untamed forests, wild and free with the crisp snow crunching beneath the pads of their feet.

My fascination started innocently enough as a young child, devouring Jack London’s tales of the gold rush and the dogs and wolves that pulled the sleds. It wasn’t much of a leapt from admiring his animal characters to wishing people could feel the same primal joy as a member of a pack of these noble animals.

When I first started writing fiction, I avoided writing about werewolves. They’d already been so very well done by Patricia Briggs, Kelley Armstrong, Kate Douglas and numerous other authors that I wasn’t sure I come up with a fresh approach. Seducing Destiny was my first attempt, and I enjoyed creating the characters immensely. The setting is my current home ground in the British Columbian Rocky mountains, where wolves are rare sight these days. I hope I did justice to these fascinating mythical creatures!

Sex and Chocolate: Seducing Destiny by Anne Kane

Buy Link

http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1228

Jack, the alpha of the Northern Rockies pack, knows Destiny needs some time to come to grips with her werewolf heritage before he springs the whole mated for life thing on her.

Destiny has no intention of buying into the whole pack mentality, howl at the full moon thing. Sure, she practically drools at the sight of red meat, but that's no reason to give up her comfortable life. Besides, she already has a boyfriend, a slick up-and-coming lawyer.

But when a band of rogue werewolves move into the area, Jack can't afford to have his attention divided. He needs to convince Destiny that she belongs both in his pack and in his bed so he can concentrate on the new threat.

Lex Valentine: Werewolves of the Darkworld

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Kate Roman

As with so many things that get away from me, my debut novel, "Man and Wolf" is basically all the fault of my own dog, an overgrown Rottweiler puppy named Mimi.

At the time, I'd just taken in a passel of feisty foster puppies--a trio of one year-old beagle siblings whose favorite activities involved barking, jumping, barking, tussling, barking and tormenting the very long-suffering Mimi.

Now, I'd be the first to admit Mimi spent way too long as a pampered only child, so now that she and I have gotten back into the rescue game, her upbringing has made her a reluctant and slightly confused pack leader. She knows there are things she should be teaching these wiggly wagging younguns, but there are also lots of naps to take in the long warm grass out in the yard. The puppies will never notice if she just takes a quick snooze.

But of course they do notice and they all come bounding over because obviously Lying In The Long Grass is an important developmental milestone or maybe just a super-fun game Mimi's going to teach them. At which point she rolls her eyes and gives me one of her long-suffering looks in which I'm given to understand that steak or possibly a chicken carcass is the only thing that'll soothe her wounded heart.

All of which got me to thinking about what it takes to make a pack leader and more than that, stories of lone wolves. From there the plot bunnies ran wild and free, with Mimi and I chasing merrily after them.

The thing about werewolves is that, in m/m romance at least, there’s a lot of energy expended on pack dynamics: where to find a pack, how to deal with pack drama, being sad about missing a pack, etc etc. But what I really wanted to look at was a werewolf who really didn’t want a pack, who was basically so damaged he couldn’t handle a pack--

Did I mention I’m a big ole hurt/comfort girl? *grin*

--and was just looking for that one perfect man to call his own, that one person he could trust so completely that the fact that he’s a werewolf doesn’t automatically derail the relationship. And that’s a lot of trust.

Now, I have to admit, when I told a friend of mine that I was writing about a werewolf and a veterinarian, she laughed so hard I thought for a minute she might pull something. And on the surface, the pairing has a certain quirky logic to it: who better to take care of Rob while he’s undergoing The Big Woof (and I’m certain he and Jamie refer to it that way, Jamie scrupulously putting on his calendar, “TBW, sundown. Do not schedule patients.”) than someone who specializes in canines?

But then the more I wrote of their story, the more Rob and Jamie became simply more than a new kind of odd couple. That Rob, abandoned as a child and forced into a secret government program that altered his entire being, could be willing to risk everything to build a life with a shy workaholic like Jamie became more and more compelling. It became more believable, more compelling with every chapter. These two boys were meant to be together, I was convinced. Even if their roles had been reversed, or if they’d just been two nice boys from Boise, they’d still have been destined for one another.

Which brings me back to the whole “lone wolf” issue. Is there really such a thing as a truly lone wolf? Or is every lone wolf just a lonely guy terrified he’ll never find the right mate?

I think the romantic in me has to insist that even the most scared and solitary werewolf has a perfect partner, somewhere out there in the darkness.

Werewolves, after all, are awesome creatures. The wolf side brings everything that is primal and sensual to the fore, heightening senses and sensation. Dominance and submission is an undercurrent in interactions, whether as wolf or human. The nature of the beast is close to the surface, even in the human form, and as such, the love and loyalty of the werewolf, while hard won, is not to be taken lightly.

This is one of the many reasons why I love writing about werewolves, and exploring the mating of werewolf and human. It’s a fantastic synergy of natures, and it brings me back for more, every time.

Speaking of coming back for more, my newest werewolf short story combines two of my favorite things: highwaymen and werewolves! The Highwayman of Colby Heath is coming out in Torquere’s soon-to-be-released anthology Mine.

And to think, I learned all this from my dog!

To show my gratitude, both to Mimi the Cranky Lady Rottie and everyone out there reading, I’m going to give away a copy of my Torquere Sip, Tale of the Black Dog, about another lone wolf and the man who loves him, set in a very special pub on the lonely Suffolk moors, where nothing is quite what it seems...

Just visit http://www.kateroman.com/drawentry.php and gimme a suggestion for the name of my new dog! That’s right, Mimi’s getting a sister, a little 6-year-old rescued daschund. We’ve met her a couple times now at her foster mom’s house, but from the first, it was obvious how Mimi felt.

A feeling Rob and Jamie can certainly relate to. :)