FREE E-BOOKS Including The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker!

"Set in an alternate Victorian England, where spirits roam the streets and six chosen people safeguard the mortal world from dangerous ghosts, this book is richly imagined and constructed, with fascinating characters and an engrossing storyline."

The Discriminating Fangirl

"An amazing touching and emotional story with a thrilling paranormal mystery. Her characters jump of the pages and you will be unable to wait long to start book 2."

The Geeky Bookgirl

I was stunned when I saw that Leanna Renee Hieber's The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is available as a free e-book at Borders. Get over there right now and get your copy because I think the offer is for a limited time.  Here's the link. This book doesn't seem to be available in print anymore -- crazy, I know, but publishing is a business run by English majors, so what do you expect? (There are audiobooks on Leanna's website if you prefer to listen to stories.)

Here's a description of the book.

What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy?  Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and  an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death…

Another fab book on Borders' freebie list is The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor Thomas. Here's the link to the free e-book.

Here's the book description:

When Rose discovers she is the Cornish pisky queen and her father is a dark druid who has imprisoned her people in portraits, the race is on to discover the fairy lore needed to release her people before her father destroys the piskies forever.

She seeks help from the sinfully sexy Irish fairy twins, the O'Connor brothers. Niall's faint air of menace flutters dark thrills of anticipation through her, but does he want to kiss her or kill her when she accidentally touches his Magic Knot and forges a mystical lovers' bond with him? And can she resist the seductive glamour of his mischievous brother Michael?

With the survival of the Cornish piskies in her hands, Rose must escape from a vampiric, winged fairy, outwit The Queen of Nightmares and surrender her mind, body and spirit to Niall to release her hidden inner fairy. The Tarot cards warn he will stab her in the back, but when she's in his arms, the last thing on her mind is death.

Kimberly Swan of Darque Reviews said: "THE MAGIC KNOT adds fresh ideas to an intriguing plot and transports readers to a magical world they're sure to enjoy. I hope to see more on the shelves from this talented author soon."  Romance Junkies said The Magic Knot is a "great read" and "a fresh and sexy entre into paranormal romance."


Borders also has many other paranormal romance and romance books as free e-books right now, including:

• Sin's Daughter by Eve Silver
• Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison
• The Ghost Exterminator by Vivi Andrews
• Wolf Signs by Vivian Alred

I don't know why Borders didn't include cover graphics or author names with half the free books they listed. Whatever. I hope a few of you can enjoy these books!

Haunted Honeymoon Blog Tour News: Vamp Love Affair has a Q&A with me about my writing.

I think studying creative writing taught me how to write in a concise, direct style, but that’s not really who I am. I prefer a more extravagant, yet casual way, which works for my sense of humor. I want my narrators to sound like a cheerful, somewhat crazy friend having a conversation with you. You’re both amused and appalled and you wonder what will come next.

Hope you'll check out this Q&A! Vampire Love Affair is a new site to me, so welcome to the vampy/paranormal blogging community. 

 

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

My theme today is "whatever I find first so I can make a pot of coffee." I always like these fake movie trailers, like this Jane Austen inspired takeoff of True Blood. Video by Paquim.



I have no idea what Alexander Skarsgard is selling here, but whatever it is, it's making him happy.



Here's a new tribute too Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid) of Blood Ties by U2Beck.



And the classic vamps. "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake. Video by BtVSatDdH55.

Bite Club Visit, Vampire Genre Review, Paranormal Romance Reality Check

Today's stop on my blog tour is Bite Club, founded by author Michele Hauf with contributors Anna Dougherty, Jen D., and Betty Turner.  I talk about creating a kick-ass character who isn't the leather-clad uberhero:

I like the underdogs, the ones who aren’t as gorgeous, rich, or powerful as their enemies, but still figure out a way to win battles. I like the mumblers and the bumblers, the oddballs and the losers, the freaks and the frauds.

Michele came up with Bite Club as  a regular book club for paranormal romance/urban fantasy readers to discuss their reads, from new books to classics, like their current selection, Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Michele has a story in The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2, which will be released next week. Other contributors to this anthology are: Jackie Kessler, Ava Gray, Shirley Damsgaard, Nathalie Gray, Gail Carriger, Moira Rogers, Elissa Wilds, Karen Chance, Sonya Bateman, Sherri Browning Erwin, Sharon Ashwood, Lara Adrian, Helen Scott Taylor S.J. Day, Seressia Glass, and Kim Lenox. If you'd like to check out new paranormal romance writers, you might want to try this anthology.

There's a new review of Haunted Honeymoon (Casa Dracula Book 4) at Vicky London's Vampire Genre. 

I was very happy with the ending. It was unexpected and deliciously perfect. If you’re a fan of the series, you must read Haunted Honeymoon. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure you could absolutely read this book first and then go back to see how it all came about. 

I'm so glad Vicky liked my book! Vampire Genre is a terrific site and Vicky's got a really nice feature:  freebies from authors, including screensavers, free stories, and podcasts.


Stephanie Draven, author of Poisoned Kisses, gives an amusing and spot-on reality check in "The Seven Deadly Sins of Paranormal Romance" at Dirty Sexy Books.  She discusses several of the issues that will make me down a book and never pick it up again except to donate it to charity.  Stephanie's idea sync well with my own guest blog at Bite Club (top).

Dr. Derek Tatum, internationally renowned vampire scholar and cranky collector of Sabrina the Teenage Witch ephemera has finally appeared from his smoky book-lined den to compare and contrast the new vampire flick Let Me In to the excellent original Let the Right One In, a Swedish film.

I expected this version to sand off the story's more subversive material, so no point in pretending like I thought they would retain that stuff. I wouldn't say that the relationship between Abby (this film's Eli) and her Renfield is "conventional," but there is a brief scene that makes it somewhat less icky than it was in the book.

Glad to see you back, Dr. Derek! I was going to put the movie poster here, but it's so dark that it's not really worthwhile. I can describe it to you: mostly black with some white and red stuff in the middle. No clue what the stuff is, though it might be a body.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

We're still featuring Ultimate Hawt Vampire nominees. Enjoy!

I wish I could have seen Kindred: the Embraced.  HellGS made this beautiful tribute to Prince Julian Luna, played by the Mark Frankel. "Black Black Heart" by David Usher.



I don't know why I have to go through dozens of dreadful vids looking for a decent tribute to the broody vamp that introduced many to the undead creature with a heart. David Boreanaz is one of those actors who really improved in his role as Angel as the years went by. He really came into the role when he was allowed to show his sense of humor. Video by T87Gan, clips from Angel, and "Away From the Sun" by Three Doors Down.



Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) of True Blood hasn't gotten many votes in the poll, but he's still a nominee. Video by MissSookieStackhouse. "You're So Damn Hot" by Ok Go.



Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) isn't getting the love that his brother is. VampireDiariesIsLife made this tribute for him. Clips from The Vampire Diaires and "Hero" by Nickleback.

Contest Weiner, Fang-tastic Books, Reading with Tequila, and New Blogs to Watch

First of all, the winner for the contest for Adrienne Barbeau's memoir, There Are Worse Things I Could Do, is:

ROSIE, from Las Vegas

Congratulations, Rosie! Please email your mailing address to me so I can have your book sent to you.  Hope you enjoy your prize and you have to tell us all the juicy details in the book.  I especially want to know about Adrienne's experience on one of my favorite flicks, Escape from New York.

I'm the guest at two fabulous blogs today. (I told you my blog tour schedule went all on the wonk.) I'm guest blogging about how writers think about characters at Fang-tastic Books, hosted by Roxanne Rhoads. I wrote, "Writers are grown-up versions of kids who spent all their time daydreaming and making up stories and games."  Did you ever have an imaginary friend? Come and join in the discussion and the contest.

FYI, Roxanne is doing a great paranormal book fundraiser for Flint, Michigan's farmers markets, so be sure to check that out.  Who wouldn't want a bag full of autographed vampy books?

I'm also lucky to be a guest with a book giveaway at Jennifer's marvelous Reading with Tequila site.  Naturally, I fell in love with this site as soon as I heard the title...although in strict fact, I do not advocated reading while drinking tequila. Maybe a weak margarita, but nothing that would make you lose your focus. 

I love the graphics on both sites and the fun banners. Honestly, I don't know how these bloggers have put together such great sites and carried on their other responsibilities. They've always got new content and there's a good reason I've got them on my blogroll and always check them out.

Anyway, there are contests for my books and whatever at both sites, so come by and just say hi or ask me ridiculous questions. Ridiculous questions are my favorite kind.

Another fab blog that I just discovered is The Spinecracker run by Jessica. First off, cool name because it sounds like something about spys and about kick-ass chicks, but it's also about books. I would like to create an evil character and his nickname could be The Spinecracker. Lots of good reviews, including this new one about Carolyn Crane's The Disillusionists series:

I am a mere mortal and I've fallen victim to a story that had me cupping my hand over my mouth more times than ever should be normal, and therefore my brain has turned to mush.

Nice writing that!  This is a Blog to Watch. (I'm going to make a Blog to Watch badge as soon as I get the chance.)

Haunted Honeymoon got a terrific Five Blue Ribbon review by Dottie at the esteemed Romance Junkies site.

Wonderfully wacky, HAUNTED HONEYMOON, the latest in the MILAGRO DE LOS SANTOS series, is an adventurous and suspense-filled paranormal romance...Beautifully enhanced with danger, sizzling hot sex scenes, an imaginative and diabolical plot, witty repartee, vampires, zombies and a wonderfully poignant ending, which nearly brought me to tears, this story will be remembered long after the last page is turned and the book is closed.

KariPrintReviews at Night Owl Reviews also gave Haunted Honeymoon a rave and said:

Full of sassy fun, action, sexy vampires, gruesome deaths, torture, and yes --even explosions, this is a page-turner! I would recommend it to anyone who loves reading the vampire genre.

Seriously, what are you waiting for to start reading my series?

 

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

These are going to be the first ones I find, because I'm busy as a guest on other blogs! Here's a tribute to Being Human, my fave current vamp show.



Tribute to Mick St. John with some bitchin tune. Wish I recognized the pianist.



A video I've posted before and will post again.



I'm making an exception to my "no slide shows" rule. Hey, rules are for other people.

Q&A & Contest at Bitten By Books & Write Ur Own Urban Fantasy at VampChix

My blog tour visits Rachel Smith's amazing Bitten by Books site. It's a real treat for me to be there for Haunted Honeymoon since I first met Rachel when Happy Hour at Casa Dracula came out and I'd started Vampire Wire. Her site was new and she sent me a friendly email telling me about it and mentioning quite casually her enthusiasm for blogging and websites.

No kidding! In a few years, she went from a small review site to one of the paranormal/urban fantasy powerhouses online. She is amazingly well-organized, setting up schedules far in advance, and keeping tabs of  new books. She handles author interviews and guest blogs (and some are really fun like Carolyn Crane's recent analysis of her Disillusionists book covers) and also has several talented reviewers who contribute to the site.  If you like to win books and learn about new series and authors, you should have BBB bookmarked.

Please come by the contest, say hi, and enter the contest for an Amazon gift certificate and an Haunted Honeymoon print. The contest goes live at 1:00 pm Central and runs through tomorrow, October 5.

I was very pleasantly surprised to see a review of Haunted Honeymoon by reviewer Carol at BBB today which got Five Tombstones! (Nope, being a guest on a site is no guarantee that your book will be reviewed even if you're an internationally famous blogger and vampire scholar and all around delightful human being like yours truly.)

This completely enjoyable novel hits all the right notes in every area the author applies her deft hand to: humor, dialogue, romance, action, and vampires. The delightful literary references add a layer of depth to the narrative, and Acosta even pokes a bit of metafictional fun at her own genre.

Speaking of poking fun at the genre, I do that in a VampChix guest blog, where I show you the easy steps at writing your own urban fantasy or paranormal romance! Instead of spending money at a creative writing program, or endless time listening getting critiques from a writing group, you can just follow my instructions and, voila!, create a scintillating tale in no time. It's just that simple!

I'm going to ask Michele Hauf, the lead VampChick, the uber Chickarita, La Grande VampChickette, to fix a messy grammatical error I left in the post, so don't write to tell me that I am not qualified to instruct others on that whole novel thing.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

I'm posting vids in honor of the Ultimate Hawt Vampire Poll nominees! Here's a new video by SuperHuman3700 for Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) of True Blood. "Young" by Hollywood Undead.  It's a little gory, but well-made.



Daisy2069 made this tribute to Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) of The Vampire Diaries. "Tik Tok" by Kesha.



Jenks1983 did this vid in honor of Alex O'Loughlin, who played Mick St. John in Moonlight. Korn covers "Word Up."

HAUNTED HONEYMOON Blog Tour Cont, & Lots o' Contests!

My blog tour for Haunted Honeymoon is in high gear today!

My arch-nemesis, SciFi Guy, aka Doug Knipe, has me as a guest today with GREAT PRIZES! I'm giving away a signed copy of Haunted Honeymoon (or any of my other books) and Doug said that because he "loves the series so much," he's giving away a set of the first three Casa Dracula novels: Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Midnight Brunch, and The Bride of Casa Dracula.  Awh, I'm all ferklempt now.

Here's a sample of our discussion.

SFG: To quote a line from Vickie Pearle (Gilda Radner) in Haunted Honeymoon, “Holy baloney. Here we go again.” What prompted you to write a fourth Casa Dracula novel?

MARTA: I’ll respond to your quote by a great comic with a quote from another great comic. When Bobcat Goldhwait was asked why he did “Police Academy 5” he said, “We felt that we hadn’t answered all the questions in ‘Police Academy 4.’

I've also got an interview and contest at Abigail's wonderful All Things Urban Fantasy blog.   Abigail made me give her my favorite Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) video picks, and I found some fab ones. When Abigail asked me why I was writing humor in urban fantasy, I told her the truth, which is:

When I first wrote Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, I'd never even heard the term "urban fantasy." Since then the sub-genre has exploded and books that were originally in other sections are being repackaged as UF. What I really like about UF is that it's a flexible category.  It can include thrillers, mysteries, drama, romance, and even comedy, which is great since I like my characters to have fun, banter, flirt, party, etc

Anna at VampChix reviewed Haunted Honeymoon, and called it "an irresistible and hilarious adventure!"

I'll admit that I was a little teary at the end and I stayed awake until 1 AM to finish the book. Haunted Honeymoon could not have ended the series in any better way, Milagro definitely got the ending she deserved and I will miss all that call Casa Dracula home.

Last, there's also a Q&A with me and fun (but sort of morbid) Haunted Honeymoon contest at Stacia Kane's blog. Readers of Vampire Wire know I'm addicted to Stacia's Downside Ghosts books and hanging out with Stacia is always a kick.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Because I'm a guest at my Canadian rival's blog (yeah, like there's any friggin competition, SciFi Guy!), here's a video tribute to the Canadian vampire nominee in the Ultimate Hawt Vampire Poll.  Tribute to Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds) of Blade: Trinity by 94Caulfield. "Hang On" by Seether.



And for Abigail of All Things Urban Fantasy, who loves Spike (James Marsters) of Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Video by VanillaKiss66. "I Hate Everything About You" by Three Days Grace.



I hope you don't mind but I'm having trouble with finding only slide shows, so I'm posting this again. Tribute to Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) by WickedSpice83. Clips from True Blood. "Big Bad Handsome Man" by Imelda May.