Yell if you see any patterns here in the cover art.
(The first book in the Once in a Full Moon series)
A novel by Ellen Schreiber
Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves - Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.
Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.
(The first book in the Darkness Rising series)
A novel by Kelley Armstrong
Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can't find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students - for every grade from kindergarten to twelve. Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won't go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret - and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.
(The third book in the Wondrous Strange series)
A novel by Lesley Livingston
"I don't love Sonny Flannery."
That's the lie Kelley Winslow told to protect the boy she loves from a power he doesn't know he possesses. Devastated, Sonny retreats - to a haven for Lost Fae that's hidden deep underneath New York City.
But Kelley's not about to let things end in heartbreak. To get Sonny back, she's got to find out who's after his magick - and how to use her own. She's got to uncover who's recruiting Janus Guards to murderously hunt innocent Faerie. She's got to help rebuild the shattered theater company she called family. And she's got to do it all without getting dangerously distracted by the Fennrys Wolf, whose legendary heart of stone seems to melt whenever he's around Kelley.
Timeless (2011)A novel by Alexandra Monir
When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor's world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she's never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century's worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life - a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.
Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves - a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.
Trust a guy to ignore the rules.
Ghost Story (2011)
(Book 13 in the Dresden Files series)
A novel by Jim Butcher
When we last left the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden, he wasn't doing well. In fact, he had been murdered by an unknown assassin.
But being dead doesn't stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has nobody, and no magic to help him. And there are also several dark spirits roaming the Chicago shadows who owe Harry some payback of their own.
To save his friends-and his own soul-Harry will have to pull off the ultimate trick without any magic...
Remember to enter my contests for:
- Syrie James's Nocturne - contest info here
- The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance - contest info here
- Seducing the Vampire and The Bone Conjurer by Michele Hauf - contest info here
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
We're continuing the Scottish theme in honor of the release of The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance, which includes my short story, "Wolfish in Sheep's Clothing." Have a wonderful weekend!
One cuss word only at the beginning. And the rest of the video, Sean Connery, oh, my.
I lurve Cpt. Jack Harkness, played by fab Scot John Barrowman with an American accent.
Yes, I've been saying "If it isn't Scottish, it's crap" for years.
MICHELE: It's a story I've been wanting to write for a while. I often write about vampires in the modern age that have lived for centuries. I wanted to take readers back in history and show them those origins, and have fun in the 18th century. So this story takes place back then, and also in current times, and follows the hero's quest to find the love he'd thought he'd lost. I'm calling it a modern historical, if that makes any sense.
MICHELE: You know, I actually think para-rom/UF is here to stay, much like the Historical or Contemporary genre of romance is here to stay. It'll probably experience rises and falls as the genre adjusts and makes room for new authors and established authors maintain hold on their spots, but overall, it should stick around. Which is great for you and I, and all the readers who love the genre!
is out. (I'm REALLY excited for readers to meet the hero of Forever Vampire; he's my favorite!). Also, the second book in my Of Angels & Demons series, 
, is out at the end of March, and I have a Rogue Angel story, 
(written under 
with the cello.
(just released December 2010) and 
in a contest here.
, which includes my short story, Wolfish in Sheep's Clothing. I can't find any reviews yet, but I hope people are entertained.
album. She's having a contest now for signed copies of two of her novels, including Gothic Dragon and The Devil and Via. 
poetry. Maybe you think you once saw the Loch Ness Monster in your swimming pool. Maybe you only come here because I keep posting Gerard Butler videos. Maybe you can't stop eating Walker's Scottish Shortbread once you open the box. The contest runs through January 18 and is restricted to the US and Canada.
MARTA: After writing three books set in the 19th century, you’ve come back to the present with Nocturne. Is there a common thread in these books? Do you find yourself returning to any themes about women, artistic drive, and romantic love? 
SYRIE: Absolutely. As a screenwriter, I learned the value and necessity of precise story structure, pacing, and character arcs. As a result, with every book I write, I begin by creating a detailed outline that follows all the rules of screenplay structure, making sure that plot points occur at particular intervals to keep the story moving forward and turning in new directions.
a Best First Novel of 2008, and that the Women's National Book Association named 
a Great Group Read of 2009.
Austen and Brontë's writing styles are well known to all the world, and it was a challenge to attempt to reproduce them. A great deal is known about their lives, and the books required an enormous amount of research. To truly get to know each extraordinary woman, I had to not only read as many biographies as I could find and every piece of literature they'd ever written (and in Brontë's case, all the books and poetry of Charlotte's sisters as well), but all their preserved correspondence—which in Charlotte's case was vast. The interesting thing was that, with Charlotte, a lot of what she wrote about did come directly from her own personal life. There are experiences Charlotte wrote about in her letters which show up nearly word for word in scenes in her novels. Austen and Brontë were staunch and early believers in women's rights, and I tried to reflect that in my books about them.
