Stella at ExLibris is having a fantastic contest -- open worldwide -- with lots of prizes, including: Master of None by Sonya Bateman, Embers by Laura Bickle, Mind Games by Carolyn Crane, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Heiber, Promise by Kristie Cook, and Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch.
Rebecca Baumann of Dirty Sexy Books mentioned Touched by Alien in my recent Q&A with her when I asked what fantasy world she'd like to enter. Now I was going to put the cover art from Gini's website on this page, but when I clicked on the image, I got a "this image is copyrighted" message. Uhm, how do we tell people about the book then? Am I supposed to say, "It's got some guy on the cover in a suit and he's kissing a chick in jeans and they're holding guns and there are these orange flamey things around them."
So instead I'm putting Laura Bickle's cover at top. Laura's new book is Sparks, the second in her Anya Kalinczyk series, which carries on the same yellow/gray/black color scheme. (It's published by Pocket/Simon & Schuster so I'll see if I can get a copy for a contest here.)
Here's the book description:
Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department—while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hell—but her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion.
After fire consumes the home of elderly Jasper Bernard, Anya is stunned to discover his remains—or, more precisely, a lack of them; even the fiercest fires leave some trace of their victims—and she is sure this was no naturally occurring blaze. Soon she’s unearthed a connection to a celebrity psychic who preys on Detroit’s poor, promising miracles for money. But Hope Solomon wants more—she’s collecting spirits, and in a frantic race against time, Anya will face down an evil adversary who threatens her fragile relationship with her lover, her beloved Sparky’s freshly hatched newts, and the wandering souls of the entire city.
Laura also writes as Alayna Williams and you can find out more about her books at her website.
The weiner for Wanted Undead or Alive by Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman is BleuMoon! Glad you enjoyed the author interview BleuMoon and hope you'll like the book.
CaliforniaMeaghan won Stacia Kane'sUnholy Magic, the second in the Downside Ghosts series. Meaghan has a very nice personal blog called am i who i want to be... , which includes book reviews and musings.
The weiner of the contest for Stacia's City of Ghosts is Angeleyesak! Congratulations, Angel, and please email your mailing address to me so I can send your pre-read-for-your-convenience prize.
I am really making an effort not to spill coffee on my books now that I'm giving them away in contests.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
It's very cold and overcast where I am. How bad is the weather? It look like is about to start raining...men!
Video by WinchesterGirl 64, clips from Supernatural, cover of "It's Raining Men" by Geri Halliwell.
It's raining men in cravats! Video by DreamyViper.
It's raining spacemen! Video by Victoria8957, clips from Star Trek, "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls.
Here's one for True Blood by CrimsonBouquet. It makes up in nekkidness what it lacks in coordinating the lyrics with action.
It is a sad truth that many authors have a Google Alert set up for their book titles, and that's how I found Dirty Sexy Books, the creation of mad genius Rebecca Baumann. She had reviewed The Bride of Casa Dracula and said very nice things about my writing, and so I wrote back to her, and thus started our correspondence and mutual admiration society.
Since that time Dirty Sexy Books, which covers primarily genre fiction, has become a must-read for me, and I'm always interested in what Rebecca is reading and what she thinks about the State of Books today. Like most successful blogs, you really hear the voice behind the computer monitor; Rebecca's style is funny, smart, and thoughtful. Readers want to spend time with her as is evident by the lively comments and discussions. Also, her art illustrations are always fun.
In fact, she's very generous contributing a CUSTOM DRAWING to the winner of a contest here today. Read to the end of the post for contest rules.
Now, I started Vampire Wire as a way to promote my own books. It's a part of that author job description. I expected and wanted to build relationships with readers. What I hadn't expected -- and what's really been great -- is getting to know all the passionate book lovers like Rebecca who have review blogs. If you're like me and want to know more about what motivates her, what irks, what's fab, etc., please read on!
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MARTA: First, some basics. How old is Dirty Sexy Books and why did you decide to start a review site? Are you secretly an aspiring writer, or was it a desperate attempt to keep your sanity while raising children?
REBECCA: I started DSB in February 2009 under a different, far suckier name. I was pissed that I had purchased so many lousy books courtesy of the five-star lunatics on Amazon, so I decided to add my own “expertise” to the mix. Too bad I didn’t do a little research beforehand, because I would have realized that the last thing this world needs is another book critic. But, oh well, it’s too late now.
Oh, and no, No, NO, I am not an aspiring writer. I’d never be able to pen a decent sex scene while my parents are alive to read it, and if I can’t write a book with sex scenes, what would be the point?
MARTA: When I wanted to quote your review, my editor was hesitant because Dirty Sexy Books sounds like it about something smutty. Yet despite all my searching around, I haven’t been able to find any worthwhile smut on your website. How’d you come up with the name and does it lead to any interesting confusion?
REBECCA: About half of my hits are from horny men in India and Pakistan, and they decamp from DSB within five seconds of discovering that I do not have boobies on display. I read plenty of smutty stuff, but I suppose my blog is fairly clean, although I do curse a lot. I’ll have to write another post about my favorite sex scenes to dirty it up. It was chock full of cocks, let me tell you.
As for the name of the blog… when I first started blogging, I was heavily into romance, and I wanted a name that played on the idea that some people think romances are dirty books. Just for fun, I pulled out my notebook where I listed all of the blog names I was considering. Here are the best of the worst:
Bad Ass Books
Not Your Momma’s Romance
Bad Girls Love Romance
Hot Dudes, Hotter Heroines
Romance O ’Rama
Dirty Girl Books
I shit you not Marta, but I considered every one of those before I hit on the right combo, Dirty Sexy Books. My only regret is that some of my readers tell me that my site is blocked from their work computers. I’m deeply sorry that I can’t contribute to their need to slack off on the job.
MARTA: Okay, obviously you’re a voracious reader. Do you find that reviewing changes your attitude about reading? Has your experience over the last few years altered the way you write a review?
REBECCA: I’m often referred to as a "snarky" blogger, but back when I first started I was downright mean in some of my reviews. Then I learned that authors DO read reviews, and my funny, yet unconstructive criticisms were not only unhelpful, they were hurtful too. I’m happy to say that I’ve changed all that, and while I’m still critical when I don’t like something, I no longer try to make merry at someone else’s expense. When I write a bad review, I write it with the view that the author herself will read it, and that’s certainly changed what I say and how I say it.
That doesn’t mean I don’t push some writer’s buttons, but at least it’s not intentional anymore.
MARTA: Who’s your target audience and do you do anything to let them know about your site?
REBECCA: My target is anyone and everyone who loves books, but most of my readers are women. I’d love to attract some dudes over to DSB, but I don’t know how to do it without resorting to baring some skin in my video blogs. Since I’m married, I’ve decided to make that Plan B.
My promotional strategy is this: Nothing. I had a publisher push me to promote DSB more, and punch-up my numbers, but I like being small. I like having the time to interact with every single person who leaves me a comment. If I get too big, I won’t be able to do that anymore.
MARTA: I rather appreciate that your site isn’t cluttered with ads, even though I understand that most people can’t afford to spend a lot of time working on a blog with no compensation. Have you set a price that you’d sell out for? Are you operating on some naïve principal about compromising your integrity?
REBECCA: Marta, I’m one of those women who watched the film Indecent Proposal and loudly declared that I would sleep with Robert Redford for free, but I wouldn’t do it for a million bucks. You see, I’m principled that way.
I don’t want to deal with the hassle of advertising. It’s ugly, I don’t think it’s all that effective, and it wouldn’t bring in that much money anyhow. The myth of the book blogger who makes money is a bedtime story for desperate fools. Blogging is a hobby, not a business model. You can’t charge for shit when everyone is dying to give it away for free.
MARTA: I know you were surprised when I responded to one of your reviews of my books and I didn’t say mean things to you. What’s the meanest thing any author has told you and what do you wish you could have said in return? You don’t have to name names…or you can make an anagram of a name if you like.
REBECCA: You are digging for dirt, Marta!
I’ve been quite public with my author spats, and most of the time I’ve deserved the spanking. I think I have "foot in mouth" disease. I’ve had authors tell me that I didn’t even identify the genre of their novel correctly (never mind that’s what the publisher put on the spine), and I’ve had authors chide me for being a sex-fiend (I get grouchy when a romance doesn’t have a decent sex scene).
The one that made me cry (for real) was the mother of the author who thought I was too hard on her daughter’s novel. She talked about how proud she was of her daughter’s work, and how I needed to give her another chance. I consider it one of the best emails I’ve ever received, and we struck up a nice little correspondence. The author didn’t know that her mother had done this, but mom finally confessed. I’m sure there was a discussion between the mom and the daughter about not writing to nasty bloggers anymore, but I think it turned into a good experience all around.
MARTA: Besides me, who is one of the nicest, most talented and sparklicious authors you know that no one seems to read enough?
REBECCA: Nobody is sparklicious like you, Marta. Nobody.
I think all authors could use some good press – aside from the ones raking in the millions – but some of my favorite up and comers are Lucy A. Snyder (Spellbent), Lisa Brackmann (Rock Paper Tiger), Seanan McGuire (October Daye Series), and Carolyn Crane(Mind Games). I’ve had personal interactions with each of these writers, and I can attest that they are as cool as the stuff they write.
MARTA: What’s one surprising thing that you’ve learned about other readers and their likes/dislikes and/or twisted perversions?
REBECCA: Facial hair is a big no no in a romance, unless we’re talking about a western, and even then, it’s not wise. It turns female readers off. We always picture some giant, hairy caterpillar on the hero’s upper lip no matter what the author writes.
I’ve learned that readers want realism in a sex scene, but they don’t want to hear about the "wet spot" on the bed afterward. It’s a strange line that writers must walk. We say, “Make us believe it, but don’t make it too messy.”
Sorry, I just realized that you asked for “one thing.” I guess I don’t follow directions too well. Good thing I didn’t aspire to be an airline pilot, or some job where other people’s lives are in my hands.
MARTA: What’s the one surprising thing you’ve learned about authors?
REBECCA: That’s easy. I always figured that authors had near-total control over their books. I thought you guys made the decisions about your cover art, told the publishers which genre it should fall under, and planned how many books you wanted to write in a series.
Um, how can I put this delicately? YOU GUYS ARE POWERLESS!!! Hell, authors don’t even get to name their own books half the time. That was a big shocker, and it made me feel terrible for all the times I used to look at a book and think, what a stinky-ass design, or what a terrible title, etc., and I’d blame the author for having bad taste.
Whoops. My bad.
MARTA: What do you think the publishing biz’s biggest mistake is? Any suggestions on fixing it?
REBECCA: They were awfully slow to embrace eBooks, but I think they’ve finally pulled their head out of the sand. That was dumb. Now I’m hearing talk that they’re going to make a different kind of mistake, and that eBooks will have advertisements. Ugh. I’m sure we’ll see some big train wrecks there before they figure that one out. If I pay full price for an eBook, I shouldn’t have to see any ads, but if the book is heavily discounted or free, then it’d be a fair proposition.
MARTA: Any plans in the future for your site, or are you just winging it?
REBECCA: I’m just loving these leading questions, Marta. How did you guess that I’m winging it over at DSB? Did my sad little homemade cartoons clue you in?
I’m going to have more author interviews/guest posts in the Fall, and it’s an experiment to see if they can be truly interesting and helpful for all parties involved. I’m not sure about that yet.
I’ll keep DSB alive until the day I say, I can’t write another fucking review. Then I’ll quit, but for now I’m bursting with ideas and unsolicited advice.
MARTA: Obligatory (more) inane question. You are transported into an imaginary world for a week with one sexy, violent character as your companion/friend/whatever. Who would this be and what kind of mayhem would you like to see ensue? Bank robberies? Saving the world? Space orgies?
REBECCA: I get to be single in this fantasy, right? Cause it’d be no fun if I have to tote the hubby and kids into my fantasy world.
I’d want to hang with the sexy aliens in Gini Koch’s science fiction romance, Touched by an Alien. You know, we’d have a smoking hot three-way, and then go save Earth from the Borgs (from Star Trek: The Next Generation). Oh, and I’d get to borrow Milagro’s breasts for the week. Can’t go to a three-way with a flat chest after all.
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Thanks, Rebecca!
Add Rebecca as a friend on Facebook.
Read Rebecca's interview with Keira at LoveRomancePassion.
Read Rebecca's interview with Kristen Painter at Romance Divas.
Read Rebecca's list of her all-time favorite villians at Darkly Reading.
Check out Rebecca's Top Ten Lists for everything from Dark Fantasy to Young Adult Fiction.
CONTEST: If you'd like to win a CUSTOM DRAWING of a cover for your FAVORITE BOOK -- or something else, Rebecca will lend her artistic skills and send you both the e-file and the actual artwork. All you have to do is leave a comment for Rebecca and you can mention anything you like or dislike about book review sites. For example, I really like Top Ten lists (especially when my books are on them) and I love love love seeing hideous book covers.
The contest runs through September 14 and a winner will be selected in a random drawing.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
In honor of Rebecca, who mentioned Indecent Proposal, a flick with two blond male leads, the GVDs will be in honor of blondes.
Video by ElvisObsessor, "I Want You" by Kelly Clarkson.
Video by ADUProductions, clups from Indiana Jones flicks, "Ain't No Other Man" by Christina Aguilera.
Video by Giuly3333, "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake.
Video by LuxuryNightOwl, clips from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Alejandro" by Lady Gaga. This song is so bad it makes my teeth hurt.
A few of my contests are running out, so be sure to check up on the Contest tab at top. I'm also going to have to track down a few winners of past contests who haven't sent me their mailing addresses to get their prizes.
Tomorrow Rebecca Baumann of Dirty Sexy Books will be here to talk about her fab site and being a reviewer. She'll have a very special prize in a contest.
E! has spoilers about who will be returning for the next season of True Blood. "Joe Manganiello is officially set for more True Blood nakie time in season four!"
Haunted Honeymoon, my fourth Casa Dracula book, got a swell review from Leilani at her review site, Leilani Loves Books:
I am extremely happy about how Acosta ended this yummy series. It couldn't have been a better ending, not in my book! Though it was slightly shocking at times, I must say that in the end, all of the shock was worth it!
Thanks, Leilani!
More Contest Stuff
Contest for Shadows of My Soul and guest blog with Angelique Armae at Fangtastic Books.
Contest for five copies of Joan Frances Turner's zombie adventure, Dust, at Fresh Fiction.
Jennifer Estep has free stories and chapters from her Elemental Assassin series on her website.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Continuing the Ryan Reynolds love (and as pretty as he is what I really heart about him is his incessant need to bitch and snark and snipe), here's the trailer for Deadpool, which comes out next year. Reynolds plays Wade Wilson.
Video by IwantTVnow, clips fro X-Men: Origins, and "Thunder" by the Prodigy.
Video by Jacas, clips from X-Men: Origins, and "Break" by Three Days Grace.
...a hilarious comedy of errors and a look into a fascinating world where not-vampires exist and are being hunted by corporate baddies. Marta Acosta has written a splendid tale in the best tradition of romantic comedies.
Well, that just makes me want to celebrate with an icy Molson and a Ryan Reynolds DVD. Zita is a book fanatic and a frequent visitor to Vampire Wire. I didn't realize that she had a new review blog (started in July) with a focus on paranormal romance/urban fantasy stories. Congrats on Completely Booked, Zita, and please tell us when you've got a new review up!
Speaking of congratulations, the contest for Adrienne Barbeau's new book in her Vampyres of Hollywood series, Love Bites, is:
Michelle Greathouse
Congrats! I hope you enjoy the book and I'm sending you an email about your prize. Michelle is also a blogger and book reviewer, as well as a zombie and action fan. Her blog, Michelle's Book Blog, has a gorgeous chocolately brown design and Michelle enjoys reviewing paranormal/urban fantasy, although she also covers the occasional scifi and thriller/mystery. Michelle has a contest now for Julie Kenner's latest, Aphrodite's Secret.
Don't forget to check the CONTEST tab on the bar at top for more contests.
New stuff at Vampire Wire: perhaps you have noticed that I now have ad for a Nightshade by Andrea Cremer on my left sidebar. I have occasionally toyed with the idea for ads, if only to pay for the envelopes and postage of all the contest prizes I mail out. Of course, nothing can compensate me for the time lost as I wait in line at the post office, but the clerk there, Mr. Sandhu, assures me that it is my fate to wait. He's never in any hurry, assured that some Greater Plan has destined things.
Anyway, a publicity guy sent me an email about advertising and I said, well, what book is it? And he said Nightshade. And I said, Oh, I'm interested in that and I've already featured the cover and info on my blog. He was nice and it was easy, so that's my explanation. Naturally I'm going to try to get the author here and a copy of Nightshade for a contest so you all have a chance to read it.
In other news: my arch nemesis SciFi Guy has a new post about young adult releases for September. Now, just thinking about him makes my Molson go flat, but you may want to look at all the book covers. I really like the beautiful one for Rachel Caine's The Morganville Vampires.
YA covers are usually better than adult book covers, although I'm kinda in stitches at one of the really bad ones, which was done by someone who should slowly step away from the Photoshop. Guess which one!
On Friday, I'll have the redoubtable Rebecca Baumann here to talk about her very successful Dirty Sexy Books review and book site. Rebecca is offering a very special prize in a contest and she'll share all the secrets of how she became a internet book diva.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Okay, the theme is...our Northern neighbors, and here's a tribute to Ryan Reynolds as Hannibal King in Blade: Trilogy. Video by Acra 75 and "Locking Up the Sun" by Poets of the Fall.
Video by HaydenFreak, clips from Ryan Reynolds' movies, and "Hero" by Nickelback.
So instead I'm putting Laura Bickle's cover at top. Laura's new book is Sparks, the second in her Anya Kalinczyk series, which carries on the same yellow/gray/black color scheme. (It's published by Pocket/Simon & Schuster so I'll see if I can get a copy for a contest here.)
The weiner for Wanted Undead or Alive by Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman is BleuMoon! Glad you enjoyed the author interview BleuMoon and hope you'll like the book. 
CaliforniaMeaghan won Stacia Kane's Unholy Magic, the second in the Downside Ghosts series. Meaghan has a very nice personal blog called am i who i want to be... , which includes book reviews and musings.
I think all authors could use some good press – aside from the ones raking in the millions – but some of my favorite up and comers are 
REBECCA: I get to be single in this fantasy, right? Cause it’d be no fun if I have to tote the hubby and kids into my fantasy world. 
Speaking of congratulations, the contest for Adrienne Barbeau's new book in her Vampyres of Hollywood series, Love Bites, is:
New stuff at Vampire Wire: perhaps you have noticed that I now have ad for a Nightshade by Andrea Cremer on my left sidebar. I have occasionally toyed with the idea for ads, if only to pay for the envelopes and postage of all the contest prizes I mail out. Of course, nothing can compensate me for the time lost as I wait in line at the post office, but the clerk there, Mr. Sandhu, assures me that it is my fate to wait. He's never in any hurry, assured that some Greater Plan has destined things.
by Carl Douglas.