At one time in my life, I loved villains, specifically Disney animated feature film villains, and best of them all was Maleficent the evil fairy from the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty.  In my eyes no character can outdo Maleficent for sheer vitriol and spite and few can equal her ability to inspire fear.  While Maleficent and her villainous Disney cohorts still hold a fond place in my author’s heart, I have matured in my sense of what makes a true villain.

There is a good reason why I’ve never seen the movie or read the book The Silence of the Lambs.  Hannibal Lecter (as portrayed by Hopkins) was chosen by the American Film Institute as the #1 movie villain. I happen to agree with the AFI.  Good villains, true villains are scary people.  They frighten because they (like heroes and heroines) are or began as ordinary people.  In every true villain is that seed of goodness and humanity that we all identify with.  Unlike the animated villains of the Disney films who are by design caricatures of all that is dark and evil,  the true villain (whether real or fictional) is in many ways ‘just like us.’  The traits that distinguish villains from ordinary men and women are extraordinary selfishness, viciousness and cruelty—to a degree often described as ‘unthinkable.’  The acts performed by Ted Bundy are inconceivable to most of us.  Those acts are even harder for us non-villains to understand when performed by people like Bundy who outwardly are described as “well known and well liked.”   We all aspire to be well known and well liked.  That kind of similarity with the cruel, vicious, selfish villains of the world is what makes them frightening. 

Since I don’t care much for being frightened, I have difficulty writing villainous characters.  I am working on overcoming that dislike because many readers enjoy the chill of vicarious fright.  I much prefer giving characters personal obstacles to overcome.  My June 1, 2011 release, The Widow’s Revenge, is this kind of a book where both hero and heroine must overcome their very personal demons.  Please leave me a comment and tell me which you prefer and external villain or an internal conflict.  Yes, I realize a great story will have both, but I’m asking you to choose.  Everyone who comments will be added to my mailing list and entered in a drawing for swag.  Notice will be sent to the recipient on or before June 15, 2011.  Don’t forget, The Widow’s Revenge becomes available tomorrow, June 1, 2011.  You can purchase The Widow’s Revenge direct from the publisher at http://www.eredsage.com/store/product898.html.

We were having lots of rain over the last few weeks. Then this week we changed to hot temp. This to me signals that summer is around the corner. I love summer. The sunshine tempts me to go out and have some fun. It’s so much fun to enjoy what is around you. The kids playing in the street, man walking with his dog or the laughter of the woman walking with her friends. The list goes on and on.

With the last few days of good weather I’ve been taking walks around my neighborhood to unwind and just take in the beauty of the day. I turn on my MP3 player, put it in my ear and off I go. My MP3 is filled with some of my favorite music and I have play lists for various moods I might be in. When I’m taking my walks I like to have music that makes me want to groove and move.

There is nothing better than taking a moment to just enjoy life. Enjoy what is around you.

McKenna Jeffries
http://www.mckennajeffries.com/
…. sensual, edgy, unexpected

Blog: http://www.mckennajeffries.com/blog
Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/McKennaJeffriesList
Free Reads Site: http:/ /www.satinnotes.com/

Conquering Jazz – What’s a woman to do when she unwittingly makes a tantalizing proposition to her best friend?

Be brazen, bold and set some ground rules. Her offer. One night of carnal bliss. No emotion allowed.

His counter offer. A continued affair to fulfill all their sexual cravings.

His hidden agenda. Conquer to make sure their affair never ends.

Buy here at Liquid Silver Book.

Have you ever wanted a position at work so bad that you and another co-worker would pull out all the stops to get it? That’s what happens in my debut book, Road to Recovery. Dr. Erin Miller and Dr. Kyle Reynolds are competing for a coveted mentoring position at Maple Forge Memorial Hospital, they plan on pulling out all the stops. But their careers and their desires collide, tangling their past with their future and giving them a chance for love.They certainty didn’t see all the things that would happen come along the way.

I’ll be choosing a commenter to win an e-copy of Road to Recovery.

Blurb

Dr. Erin Miller’s life was going great; for the most part, anyway. She was single, had a career she loved, and a cherished circle of friends, but something was missing. When a mentorship with the Chief Pediatric Surgeon becomes available, she couldn’t be more thrilled. Maybe this is just what the doctor ordered! That is, until the handsome and charismatic Dr. Kyle Reynolds decides he wants the mentorship as well.Kyle Reynolds has lost everything including his wife and daughter. With nothing left in his life except for his job, he sets his sights on the new mentorship position with single-minded determination. The only obstacle he faces is the sexy Dr. Erin Miller.ExcerptErin leaned back in her chair. She sat surrounded by the tomes she’d pulled from the shelves. It made no sense to her. The tests she’d been waiting for had all come back fine. Those two hours she’d hoped it would take had turned to six. She was still waiting for an ultrasound report, which should be coming any moment. She placed the latest report on the table and reached her hand to her head, slowly rubbing her temples. It wasn’t like her not to be able to figure out what was going on with a patient. She dreaded the look on the parents’ faces when she had to tell them. Sometimes it seemed like days before reports came back, and that was the only part of her job she hated. Her stomach knotted as she glanced at the clock. Only twenty minutes before she had to give them an update.Her mind wandered back to the meeting six hours ago, and the way her body had warmed under Kyle’s gaze. It had only been for a brief moment. Girl, you seriously need to get laid, that’s all it is. There’s nothing to the way he looked at you. You’re imagining things.“Good afternoon, Erin,” She jumped at the deep voice coming from her left. A glance over her shoulder confirmed what she already knew.Kyle.“Afternoon.” She fumbled to grab the chart in front of her, hoping he’d leave. He sat down next to her. His gaze singed her cheeks, but she couldn’t look up; instead, she concentrated on the chart in front of her.The memory of their first week working together came to her mind again. When she walked into the office, she’d been drawn to Kyle, who had sat in a chair across the small room, so arrogant and sure of himself. Kyle wasn’t her type at all; she normally stuck with the safe, boring guys. Everything about him had screamed he was more. Just once, she wanted to take a chance and not do what everyone else expected. It had been time to let go and have some fun. Well, that’s what she had wanted to do, and based on his flirting he’d seemed to be into her too.For a moment, her mind drifted back to the dance they’d shared at the Christmas party three years ago. Against her best judgment, she’d said yes to Kyle’s offer to dance. Really, what could one little dance do? Boy was that ever wrong, from the moment he’d taken her in his arms. She could feel the chemistry between them. The smoldering heat took over, and she couldn’t think of anything but him, as fire raced down her spine, consuming her. Her mind told her to break the dance, that it had been a mistake, and yet she couldn’t. The pull between them was greater than her need to move away.Her gaze had traveled upward. His eyes had darkened, her knees had weakened, and it had taken everything in her to fight the strong attraction she felt toward him. She saw the unspoken question in his eyes. The song ended. “I’m sorry…I just can’t,” she had whispered and left him on the dance floor.Instead of taking a chance on Kyle, she’d gone the safe route and starting dating Dr. Lopez. Someone she had thought was ready to settle down and start a family like she had been. Too bad the safe route had turned into the biggest mistake of her life. It had caused her to re-examine her plans. To wait until she was more established in her career before she seriously started dating again.She continued pointedly ignoring Kyle, and relief washed over her when Jenny, one of her interns, walked up and said, “Here’s the CAT scan report.”“Thanks,” she said, taking the report. She studied it. Erin closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. This keeps getting crazier. She opened her eyes slowly to skim over the report again. Nothing had changed. “This makes no sense,” she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.“What’s doesn’t make sense?” Kyle asked.Setting down the piece of paper, she turned to look at him. “I’ve got a three year old patient, and it shows he has no appendix, yet he has all the classic symptoms of having appendicitis. I don’t get it; I’ve run every test I can think of.”“Here, let me take a look at his chart.”Erin handed him the chart and watched him as he read it. His eyebrows drew together as he concentrated. Her fingers itched to trace the scar above his right eye, and she wondered how he’d gotten the injury. He cleared his throat, jarring her back to reality.“This doesn’t make sense. Come on, I want to check him out myself.” Kyle stood.Although she wasn’t crazy about his taking over like that, she was so relieved to have another brain working on the problem that she let it slide. Her bruised ego was nothing compared to the well-being of her young patient.Kyle’s hand brushed against the small of her back as he let her precede him into the room. Shivers of pleasure raced down her spine so quickly they were gone in an instant.Alyssa Fox can be found at these places.

Website: www.alyssa-fox.com

Blog: http://alyssafoxauthor.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AlyssaFox99

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Alyssa-Fox/149547855112826

Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease.

No, you didn’t accidently open a medical blog but I bet some you recognize the diagnosis. It’s a fancy term for HEART BURN.  Now why would I, a romance writer, be discussing this?

Because my poor stressed out beta werewolf in my new release, The Beta Book 3 of The Vanguards series, suffers from it big time. Left in charge of his pack for a week, Robert’s GERD is out of control. The worse is problems get the more antacids he pops. Not all shifters are created perfect and not all of them can be alpha leaders.

I’ll be choosing a commenter to win an ecopy of either The Omegas or The Alpha.

Blurb:  

Three days of hell, in charge, and running out of antacids. 

As the pack’s Beta, Robert needs to watch over the Vasi werewolf pack for a few days. He hates the responsibility, but his job is to dissolve any problems while his alpha honeymoons. Nevertheless, trouble comes to town and her name is Esther. She’s beguiling, beautiful and picks his pocket. Although Robert doesn’t trust her, he still wants to possess her. 

Esther arrived in
Chicago with the intention of slaying a vampire named Daedalus. While trailing her quarry, she encounters Robert who unhinges her world. He doesn’t know her trade, and she doesn’t know his connection to the vampire. Disturbed by her attraction to this unusual werewolf, she can’t decide which prey to hunt. The one who’s stolen her heart or the one who’ll fill her bank account. 

Hot graphic werewolf sex, growing body parts, and one pissed off Nosferatu. 

Buy Link 

Excerpt: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=444

Annie Nicholas

www.annienicholas.com

www.annienicholas.blogspot.com  

As a rule, I am always trying new things.  New food, new wine, new places to visit, new books, new authors, new clothes… So when it comes to the spirit of my writing, I thought it time to change things up a bit and try something new. In this spirit, I decided to take pen to paper, and write a new novella…in a male’s point-of-view (POV) only.

Now, seeing as how I’m a total girlie girl, this was going to be difficult. I do write male POV in my other stories, but it is often countered with my female’s POV, and the scenes in my hero’s head often tend to be shorter. Ah-ha, a challenge!

I set out to write the entire story in my hero’s head, and honestly, it was easier than I thought. I really got to know, sexy detective Tucker Brown inside and out, and then put my fingers to the keyboard to tell his unique tale, until it spun into the 15K word manuscript, Hunting Tucker. One thing I had to be aware of when I was writing, was that while it is written from a male’s perspective, it still appeals to women. I’ve had many readers tell me that Tucker is hotter than hell, and that getting inside his head and seeing how he falls for a woman was a journey well worth taking. Additionally, I had to have a few men read snippets of the story to make sure I was being true to the male character, and I think I nailed it, but I’ll let you be the judge!

So tell me, how hard do you find it to write in a male’s POV. Have you ever read a book where the hero’s thoughts and actions did not quite resonate as being male, but rather the conjuring up of a female mind?

Book Blurb:

When sexy detective, Tucker Brown, arrives on the scene of a crime, the last thing he expected was to come face to face with leggy, delectable Bailey. She’s a mystery to him, but one he thoroughly enjoys investigating. After a night of mind blowing sexcapades, Tucker decides she may just be the one for him. But Bailey’s got a secret… She comes with feathers and she’s on the hunt. Will Tucker be her next prey?

Click Here to read an excerpt

Book Video for Hunting Tucker, by Annabelle Weston  

Available Now as an ebook from:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

About Annabelle:

Author of sizzling romance… Annabelle Weston knows how to push boundaries. With duel citizenship in the USA and
France, Ms. Weston spends serious air time crossing the pond and is a proud card carrying member of the mile high club. Visit Annabelle at http://annabellewestonromance.blogspot.com 

Writing is a fun, wild and sometimes gravity-defying thing. When you write it encompasses so much. The thump of your heart as you open that blank page for the first time. The journey of twists and turns as you write the journey of your characters. Each step is a wild and exhilarating as you get to know the characters and they get to know you. When you go to the end of it your palms sweat, heart races and your unsure of where or how it will end. Then when it does the endorphins release and a sense of accomplishment fills you.

Writing is a roller coaster ride that I take often and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Taige Crenshaw
http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/
…increasing the sizzle factor

Blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog
Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crenshawcafe
Newsletter: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/newsletterandgroups.shtml
Free Reads Site: http://www.satinnotes.com/

Power of Instinct – A woman does whatever is necessary to protect the man who is hers but once he finds out he goes with his instincts and makes her his.

Buy here at Total-E-Bound.

The Heavenly Hierarchy – There 9 celestial orders or choirs:

Highest Triad:  Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones

Middle Triad:  Dominations, Virtues, and Powers

Lowest Triad:  Principalities, Archangels and Angels

Since Cam-ael, the hero in Celestial Sin is an angel of the Order of the Powers, I thought it would be fun to share some information about these angels, alternately referred to as Dynamis, Potentiates and Authorities.  The Powers were the first angels created and patrol the perilous border between First and Second Heavens, resisting the efforts of Demons to take control of the World.  In the Book of Enoch, the prophet says that the fallen angels are imprisoned in Second Heaven.  So their job must be risky indeed.  I wonder if they get hazard pay.

First Heaven (Shamayim) is the lowest and closest to earth.  Raphael presides over Second Heaven (Raquia).  If this is where the fallen angels are imprisoned, given their antics on earth, we can reasonably assume, it isn’t a maximum security prison.

The Powers appear to be both good and bad, being in charge of the Soul, as we all know a real battleground of good and evil!  They are skilled at balancing and recognizing opposites.

In angelic lore, Cam-ael is chief of the order.  His name means “he who sees God”, and he is said to be one of the favored who stand in the Presence.  But in his darker incarnation, Cam-ael is also a Duke of Hell with the body of a leopard.  In the occult, he is the ruler of the Mars, the Planet of War.

Of the fallen angels, the greatest number seems to come from the Powers though the most famous fallen angels are the Grigori, those angels who fell because they took mortal wives and sired the gigantic Nephilim.  Their story has been popularized in several books and a TV show, The Fallen.  Perhaps, the reason the Powers are more subject to temptation is that they have dominion over the soul and identify too closely with the human.

In Celestial Sin, I didn’t use Cam-ael’s darker side, preferring him to be a good angel who succumbs to the persuasion of lust and love.

In the story, Cam-ael is a warrior angel, wounded in the Second War in Heaven, occasioned when the loyal angels feel betrayed, and the Fallen see an opportunity to invade.  Not only does the war stand in his way, but he is forbidden to feel physical longings and to fall in love with a mortal woman.

An interesting aside, angels were considered sexless and above reproach, so how to explain Genesis 6, where the Sons of God saw the Daughters of Man and took wives from among them.  In the 13^th century, the Bishop of Paris offered a solution—that there were actually ten orders of angels and it was this tenth order who fell.

Enough talk about angels!  Let’s talk about prizes.  Commenters will be entered to win a coffee mug featuring the sexy cover of my erotic novella about a master horseman, a Virginia socialite and the Andalusian horse, Hot Spanish Nights. 

Following are a blurb and excerpt from Celestial Sin, to be released May 20, from The Wilder Catalog of The Wild Rose Press.  Also, please visit Bianca’s blog for a free erotic story with a twist at the end or maybe that’s a twisted ending as well as an excerpt and trailer for Hot Spanish Nights.

Blurb:

Early on, Essie McBane set her standards high and waited for true love. She never expected the answer to her prayer to literally fall from heaven in the shape of a warrior angel with chestnut curls and a celestial body. As much as she’d love to teach the divine creature a thing or two about sex and lust, can she be responsible for leading him into temptation?  

Excerpt:

Whoa, Essie, he’s an angel and a lot younger than you.His feathers rustled as he unbuckled the fastenings under his arms and bent to place the armor on the floor. What did his ass, hidden by sleek white wings, look like? My, my, he was just too much for a girl to resist. She gave in to temptation, stroked the shiny, soft feathers. He backed into the caress, and a long sigh escaped him.“That feels incredible.” His voice came husky, and butterflies hatched in her stomach.It had been a long time since she’d felt belly tugs or the fire of passion licking through her, but when she touched him, the world as she’d known it ceased to exist. He untied the leather tunic and stepped out of it. His wings drooped. He swayed on his feet. She felt guilty as hell, lusting after an angel too weak to stand.Shakily, he turned to face her. Ginger hair spattered his chest, drew a thin line down his stomach, disappearing in the V-neck of the robe he wore beneath his armor. The loose shirt was thigh-length. The fabric appeared to be linen but with a subtle sheen.

“I’m afraid I can’t remove this.” He lifted a fold of the toga, giving her a tempting glimpse of his upper thigh, very near his cock. “I’m wearing nothing beneath.”

Trailer:

Buy Link:  Celestial Sin

My husband and I were taking our morning walk a few days ago when he suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me to a stop.“Snake,” he explained. Not a common occurrence in our suburban Central Florida neighborhood. But as we looked, we realized the shiny black thing in the grass wasn’t a coiled snake, but merely a broken fast food container. I would have sworn it was a snake because it shivered in the breeze and the shiny plastic looked very much like wet snakeskin.

When I got home, I started thinking about how that experience was similar to the devices used by those of us who write suspense. Things are rarely as they seem. If the villain is exposed early on or the solution to the mystery is laid out in the beginning, what keeps us reading?So many suspense and mystery stories use a red herring, or fake-out to lull the reader down a certain path of belief. As a reader, I expect that, I look for it. Yet I still step onto that path where the author wants me.As a writer of romantic suspense, I try to make my readers think they saw a snake when it really wasn’t that at all.Have you ever been sure you were seeing one thing, something really frightening, only to get closer and have it be something completely different?

 In Protective Custody, Megan witnesses a murder—or does she?

Check out Protective Custody from Carina Press and find out.

Witness to a murder, but no one will believe her…Shocked by the brutal crime she witnesses through the window of her small office, Megan Jackson calls the police and is devastated when they question the truth of her story. With no body and no evidence of a crime, she’s written off as a nutcase.Megan suspects the killer saw her face. Terrified, she calls the only person she can trust—her ex-boyfriend and former police officer, Will McCoy.Despite a devastating breakup,Will jumps at the chance to help the woman who broke his heart. When the killer ramps up the stakes, Will is forced to take her into hiding—where the passion they once shared reignites, deeper and hotter than ever. But can Will keep Megan alive long enough to win back her heart?

Two chances to win!I will give away a download of Protective Custody to one commenter and my friend Clare London has generously offered to give a download of The Tourist, her M/M erotic romance.

Wynter Daniels lives in Central Florida with her husband of more than twenty years and their two nearly grown children. They are all the slaves of two very demanding cats. After careers in marketing and the salon industry, Wynter’s wicked prose begged to be set free. She writes for several publishers including Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id and Red Sage. Join her Facebook fan page HERE and her Yahoo! Group HERE. She loves to hear from readers, but only if it’s good.

Find Wynter on the web at http://www.wynterdaniels.com/Visit her blog at http://wynterdaniels.blogspot.com/

Text Copyright © 2011 by Wynter DanielsCover Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Enterprises LimitedPermission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Debut historical romance author Stefanie Sloane

As I write this, I’m busily continuing to plan and execute my writerly debut. Don’t get me wrong: it’s an amazing experience. But throughout the process I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed by the options and details, the opportunities and must-haves. As I sat at my desk the other day, pouring over my calendar and list of things to do, it occurred to me that I may have failed to look at things from a reader’s perspective. Sure, having been a bookseller and editor in the past, I know a lot about the business. But when it comes to launching my career, it really needs to be all about the reader. So I’m here to ask you, dear readers, what it is you want from a writer. Fabulous books? That much I know. But beyond that, where would you like to see your favorite writers focus their energy? Appearances? Blog tours? Personal blogs? Newsletters? There is only so much time in the day, which means an author simply cannot do everything. But if you had your say, what would we be doing to connect with you?

While you think about it, enjoy a description of my debut book, The Devil in Disguise, which will be available at bookstores on May 24, 2011.

“Smart, sensuous, and sparkling with wit . . . spectacular.”—Julia Quinn

“Captivating . . . With her fresh, original voice, Stefanie Sloane will charm her way into readers’ hearts.”—Susan Wiggs

Lord William Randall, the Duke of Clairemont, is a rake with little regard for society—a most unlikely suitor for Lady Lucinda Grey. But his latest assignment for the Young Corinthians, an elite spy organization, involves protecting her from a kidnapping plot. To do this, the notorious “Iron Will” must use his devilish charm to seduce Lucinda and convince her he’s worthy of her attention. William never planned to become enthralled by the lovely Lady Grey—or to lose his own heart in the bargain. Beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Lucinda has managed to gracefully sidestep even the most persistent suitors. Until the Duke of Clairemont, that is. She’s tempted by his sinfully sensuous mouth and piercing eyes, and finds it hard to resist the champion thoroughbred he offers her in exchange for the honor of courting her. Can she keep him at arm’s length when his touch begs her to let him so much closer?

Now, write in and tell me about what you’d like to see your favorite authors doing and you’ll be automatically entered to win a signed copy of The Devil in Disguise.

About Stefanie Sloane:A native Northwesterner with the pale skin to prove it, Stefanie Sloane credits her parents’ eclectic reading habits—not to mention their decision to live in the middle of nowhere—for her love of books. A childhood spent lost in the pages of countless novels led Stefanie to college, where she majored in English. No one was more surprised than Stefanie when she actually put her degree to use and landed a job in Amazon.com’s editorial department. She spent more than five years reading for a living before retiring to concentrate on her own stories. Stefanie Sloane lives with her family in Seattle.

Order the books online:

http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Disguise-Regency-Rogues-Novel/dp/0345517393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298956545&sr=8-1http://www.amazon.com/Angel-My-Arms-Regency-Rogues/dp/0345517407/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_bhttp://www.amazon.com/Sinner-Who-Seduced-Me-Regency/dp/0345517415/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

Visit Stefanie online:

http://www.stefaniesloane.com

http://www.twitter.com/stefaniesloane

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stefanie-Sloane-Historical-Romance-Author/191673530858361Pre-Order the Books Now!