Tomorrow night (May 25th) from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EST, I’ll be over at Goodreads for a live chat with the Gotta Have Paranormal With a Kick group. If you have the time (and hey, Supernatural and Grimm are re-runs now, anyway! 
) I’d love it if you came out and joined me.
Here is the link to the chat: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8993
Here is the link to the group, if you’re not a member and would like to join to participate in the chat: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/5082
What will I be talking about? Anything you ask me, so if you’ve got questions about the books, characters, what’s next, or favorite paranormal creatures in general, pull up a chair and jump in. I’ll be waiting :).
Mirrored from Frost Light.
At last, I have my schedule for signings to celebrate Once Burned’s release. If you’re in any of these areas and you have some time, I’d love to meet you! Also, after every signing I hear “I didn’t know you were in my city. I can’t believe I missed you!” so here’s a reminder that if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter (hoted by CoffeeTime Romance) I encourage you to do so. I don’t sell anyone’s info and I only send out about 6 per newsletters per year so your inbox won’t be bombarded. Plus, I make sure my newsletters are centered around new releases, signings, appearances, and special discount information. For example, did you know that all my backlist ebooks have been reduced to $5.99, and Eternal Kiss of Darkness is only $1.99 for a limited time? If the answer’s no, then this is the sort of thing you miss out on by not subscribing to my newsletter. Not me telling you the really cute thing my dog did yesterday (which I could go on and on about! Lol.)
With that aside, here are the signing stops for Once Burned’s release.
Tuesday, June 26th, 7pm – 9pm
55 Haywood Street
Asheville, NC 28801.
Thursday, June 28 7pm – 9pm
8029 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37919
Saturday, June 30th 7pm – 9pm
161 Lexington Green Cir # B
Lexington, KY 40503
Sunday, July 1 4pm – 6pm
Cary Commons
760 SE Maynard
Cary, NC 27511
Thanks, and hope to see some of you soon!
Mirrored from Frost Light.
To celebrate the upcoming release of Once Burned, from now though June 25th, my publisher is offering a special ebook edition of Eternal Kiss of Darkness for only $1.99! As some of you know, Eternal Kiss of Darkness won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance and it was a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestseller. Plus, in this limited-time discount edition, you can get a sneak peak at the entire first three chapters of Once Burned, available wherever books are sold June 26.
).Mirrored from Frost Light.
I’ve promised another contest to win an early copy of Once Burned and I’m ready to deliver! So if you’re interested, head on over to Vampire Book Club where you’ll find all the details (and a post of me sharing my Avengers movie love ). Again, DON’T LEAVE A COMMENT HERE TO ENTER. The only place to enter the contest is at Vampire Book Club. Here is the full link in case the hyperlink above doesn’t work:
Good luck!
Mirrored from Frost Light.
It’s the final month of deadline so I don’t have a lot going on except work, and who wants to hear me ramble about that? In lieu of shop talk, here’s another snippet from Once Burned. If you missed the other snippets, by the way, they’re here and here. In the scene below, the heroine Leila has been instructed by kidnappers to use her ability to glean information through touch to find a vampire whose name she doesn’t know, but whose pyrokinetic abilities she’s glimpsed in previous psychic interactions.
***
“The firestarter?” I repeated. “He’s the one you want me to find through these objects?”
Are you out of your minds? I almost added, but didn’t because even if they were, I wasn’t.
“You can do it, right?” Jackal asked, all mirth wiping from his expression.
Sure I could, but I didn’t want to. I doubted the firestarter was a friend; Jackal calling him a bastard in that contemptuous tone plus wanting me to find where he was smacked of nefarious intentions. Anyone smart would avoid being on the same continent as that creature if they were at odds, yet Jackal and the others must be trying to ambush him. The memory of the firestarter’s charming smile right before he burned Raziel to a heap of smoldering ruins was something I wanted to forget. But if I refused to look for him, I wouldn’t live long enough to worry about forgetting anything.
Any way you cut it, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or, more accurately, between a fang and a sharp place.
I reached for the silver knife. With that single touch, the grayish images from Neddy’s death invaded my consciousness as though everything were happening to me. No surprise that the firestarter was the one who killed Neddy, using the knife after some preliminary toasting. Also no shock was that he did it with the same sort of detached geniality he’d shown while executing Raziel. I pushed past the searing pain I felt, past the feeling of floating into whatever awaited people after death, and focused on the firestarter, trying to see him now instead of only then.
This part was harder. In highly emotional situations, everyone leaves a piece of their essence onto objects, but the firestarter hadn’t been worked up over killing Neddy, so only a smidgeon of his remained on the knife. Still, detached or not, nothing tied two people closer together than death. Something about the door to the other world cracking open made essences merge and imprint more strongly, so once I pushed past the seething remains of Neddy’s rage and fear, I felt the firestarter’s distinct essence. It was only as big as a thread, but I wrapped all my concentration around it and pulled.
Black and white images were replaced with full color clarity. Instead of the grimy riverfront setting where Neddy had met his end, I saw opulent drapes surrounding me. At first I thought I was in a small room, but then I realized the midnight green drapes hung around a large bed, cocooning it. The firestarter lay in the center, fully clothed, his eyes closed as though he were asleep.
Gotcha, I thought, torn between relief and dismay at finding him in what I knew was the present.
I’d only seen him before through the grayish tones of past memories, but spying on him in the present was different. No one else was in my head but me. Free from other people’s perspectives, I took my time studying the firestarter.
At first, he looked like a normal, well-built man in his thirties, but then hints of his uniqueness showed. His espresso-colored hair was past his shoulders – longer than most men dared, but on him it somehow looked supremely masculine. Black pants and an indigo shirt draped over muscles that appeared far harder than a gym membership usually accounted for, and though no flames clung to his hands, they were crisscrossed with scars that looked like former battle wounds. His high cheekbones were accented by stubble somewhere between five o’clock shadow and a beard, yet instead of coming across as unkempt, it was rugged and enticing. I hadn’t seen a man pull off that look so well since Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, and his eyes…
Opened, a rich copper shade encircled by rings of evergreen. I would have thought they were beautiful, but at the moment, they looked as though they were staring right into mine.
It unnerved me, but I reminded myself it was only coincidence. No one ever knew it when I used my abilities to establish a link. I could be the world’s biggest voyeur if I wanted, but my most fervent wish was to know less about people, not more –
“Who are you?”
I jumped. If I hadn’t seen his finely shaped lips move, I would’ve thought I’d imagined the words. Coincidence, I reminded myself again. Any second someone would come into my line of vision and I’d see who he was really talking to –
“I’ll ask a second time,” his deep, slightly accented voice said. “Who are you, and how the hell are you inside my head?”
***
Mirrored from Frost Light.
Just got these from my publisher so I wanted to share them. If you weren’t able to make it to the “We’re No Angels” panel at C2E2 earlier this month (C2E2 = the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo), you can still listen in via the videos below. Thanks so much to Avon Books for loading these onto YouTube!
Care of Magical Creatures: http://youtu.be/wrxKcXTlvHk
Damsels, Without Distress: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j853G4Fr3
Humor is No Joke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uh93ABvj
Heroine Addiction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e65t98gN
Where on Earth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PicvBda4y
Wrinkles in Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gQvtc3lW
Naming Names: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gwLy-W8Y
Mirrored from Frost Light.
As regular blog readers know, I usually don’t re-link reviews to my books. Reason being is that I’m fortunate enough to have lots of reviews on my titles and I don’t want blog readers to feel spammed by constant re-linking (or other bloggers/reviewers to feel slighted if I re-post links from Bloggers A and B but not C and D). However, please indulge me while I break my own rule since Once Burned is the start of a new series and I’m too excited about it to keep these early reviews all to myself . Don’t worry – this doesn’t signify a new trend. I’ll go back to my usual policy of letting readers find reviews on their own right after this post.
Note: If you’re the type of reader who doesn’t want to learn ANY plot details beyond what’s on a book’s back cover, then don’t click the links. While these reviews are free of any real spoilers, they do reveal more details than Once Burned’s back cover description.
And look for a new contest giving away more Arcs of Once Burned soon!
Review from Amy at Overstuffed Book Shelves: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/314
Review from Jaime at Fresh Fiction: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/315
Review from author Charlaine Harris: http://www.charlaineharris.com/bb/bb_cur
Review from Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/192
Review(ette) from Julie at Yummy Men and Kickass Chicks: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/270
Review(ette) from Mandi at SmexyBooks: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/314
Review(ette) from author Ilona Andrews: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/274
Mirrored from Frost Light.
Okay, on to Saturday, the third day of the RT convention. Among other things, that was also the RT Giant Book Fair day. I can’t remember what made me run a little late (as I said in my prior post, everything starts to become a blur), but I got there only ten minutes before the doors opened. I’d brought a bunch of swag with me so I was still setting up when the first readers found me. If you were there, you know that I had book marks as well as these:
Yep, bracelets with a slogan on the back for each character are what I decided to get in lieu of the too-expensive-and-illegal-to-mail match books. I brought 400 to the book fair. By the time it was over, I had not one left. The author to my right, Shana Galen (who writes great historical romances, so check them out!) even helped me pass them out to readers, so big thanks to her for that. Thanks also to everyone who came to see me. It’s wonderful to get a chance to chat in person!
After the signing, I had exactly forty minutes to each lunch, run to the bathroom and brush my teeth before leaving for the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, also known as C2E2. It took almost an hour to get to C2E2 because our driver got a little lost. To make up time, he sped as though he’d watched The Transporter too many times. I was in the back row of the van, and if the ride had been about ten minutes longer, I might have arrived covered in my own vomit. Thankfully, though, I got there without any upchucking.
All of us (authors Karina Cooper, Charlaine Harris, Christina Henry, Chloe Neill, Kerrelyn Sparks, Pamela Palmer and me, plus our intrepid escort and some Harper folks) converged in the tented waiting area outside where we were going to sign. Two men were already in that waiting area, but when we arrived, they got up, offered us their seats, wouldn’t take no for an answer and joked that they’d been keeping them warm for us. It was only after they left that I heard one of the authors say, “I can’t believe I spoke to Sean Astin!”
*facepalm* Yes, I was right next to Samwise from The Lord of the Rings – one of my favorite movies! – and I didn’t even know it. This is probably a good thing. If I’d blurted out, “I can’t carry the ring, but I can carry you!” that would have been embarrassing for everyone.
Next was the signing. We were all arranged in a line so readers passed by each of us before getting to the end where Charlaine was. We quickly ran out of books so then we all signed book marks for anyone who wanted one. Some readers brought my books with them to be signed, which was so flattering. By the time we had to leave for the panel, there were still a lot of readers in line. So sorry to everyone who waited but didn’t get anything!
On my way to the panel is where The Barrowman Incident happened. See, we were walking behind the curtains that served as a backdrop to the authors/actors/other personalities that were signing. The person next to me said, “Did you know John Barrowman is right behind that curtain over there?” Now, I am a big Captain Jack fan and part of me was still in Crazy Fangirl Mode after my Sean Astin encounter, so when said person (who shall remain nameless lest anyone think I’m blaming the following actions on him) continued with, “I snapped a pic of him through the curtain on my cell phone earlier,” I jumped into Full Fan Frenzy and thought, “I MUST get a picture, too!”
Here’s where my lack of technical skills come into play. See, it was only two years ago that a friend, out of sheer frustration, forced me to learn how to text. Even still, I don’t know how to use 80% of the features on my iPhone. Add all of that to me having the stealth of a drunken hippopotamus, and you can understand why, after I poked through the slots in the curtain while gawking at John Barrowman and simultaneously trying to figure out how to bring up the “camera” option on my cell phone, it only took seconds for one of his security guards to haul me back. I received a deserved chiding from said guard and then hurried off to rejoin the others, metaphorical tail tucked between my legs .
Thankfully, I didn’t do anything to embarrass myself on the panel afterward (at least I think I didn’t). The topics ranged from strong heroines to “Mary Sue’s” to whether immortals could make a relationship work and ended with my favorite question: What will your characters do to fight off the impending zombie apocalypse? I can’t remember which author said that she – and her characters – would go to the nearest Costco because it had steel coverings for its windows plus all the food/drinks you would need. Brilliant! This is now my plan, too, so if the zombies attack, you will find me at Costco. For a write-up on our C2E2 panel, go here: http://thedailyheynow.com/post/212221005
After the panel, I was so quick to jump into the van that had a different driver than the one that brought us to C2E2 that I missed saying goodbye to my editor and a few other people. Oops! Once back at the hotel, I ordered my dinner via room service and watched the latest episode of Game of Thrones. Yes, not very sociable, but by this time I was tired…and mildly worried about what else I might do to embarrass myself if I ventured out in public again, heh. The next morning, I had breakfast with my friend Melissa Marr. Right after I checked out, I got to chat for a minute with friend Debi Murray, who gave me a necklace made of Once Burned’s cover. So cool! Then I began the twelve hour drive back to NC, which, as I said before, I broke into two days. Again, I know I’m leaving a lot of things out in this recap, but let me sum it up by saying I had a great time and I look forward to going back to RT next year.
Mirrored from Frost Light.
Got in last night from RT after a stormy drive back to NC. Because it would be twelve hours total driving, I broke the trip into two days. Very glad about that, too. Sleep can be optional sometimes at conventions so I was driving while a slightly bleary-eyed.
Before I begin my recap, let me apologize to everyone I met/chatted with that I don’t mention in this post. 90% of the time, I see only my husband, dog, and a few family members so the explosion of people I see at a convention is a little overwhelming. I end up feeling like everything blurs together in a fun mass of activity so it’s hard to keep things straight when recapping (or my memory sucks, which is also true).
I arrived Thursday afternoon in time to change clothes, freshen up, and grab lunch with Shiloh Walker, Nalini Singh, and Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Or, more accurately, they took pity on me and let me crash their lunch (which I did because hunger makes me shameless!). Here’s a pic with me, Ilona, and Gordon:
Afterward, I was on the Paranormal Author Chat with Nalini and Charlaine Harris. I’m a big fan of both women’s books so it was great to hear what they had planned next as well as some tidbits about their characters (still hoping for a Bluebell book, Nalini! Another side note: Charlaine Harris is the soul of graciousness. I want to be half as warm and welcoming as she is). We also had so many people attending the chat that they ended up taking down the curtained wall to the other room to allow for more space. And at some point during the chat, I revealed one of my shameful secrets: I snort when I laugh hard. I swear, it sounds like I’m channeling a donkey, but Nalini and Charlaine were cracking me up past my ability to squelch the snorts. For a more detailed recap of the Author Chat, check out RT’s piece on it here: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-bl
After the chat, I had coffee with my editor and then went out to dinner with Ilona, Gordon, and reviewer Jill Smith. You didn’t think I’d go all the way to Chicago and fail to indulge in some authentic deep dish pizza, did you? As Ilona mentioned in her RT recap, yes, I took a few wrong turns getting us to the restaurant. In my defense, I did warn everyone in advance that this would probably happen, but we all got to Uno’s and back to the hotel in one piece. After a big meal combined with waking up at 5am to drive to RT, I was tired, so after a brief attempt to be social in the lobby bar, I went to bed.
The next morning, I chatted a little with my roommate, Rachel Vincent, before heading to my interview with Jackie from Literary Escapism. Jackie had some great questions and the interview was a blast, partly so because she kept teasing her two friends with the Once Burned Arc that she had (if one of them swiped it before the convention was over, I’d testify in court that Jackie had been asking for it!).
After that was the Vampire Panel captained by Caridad Pinero where the topic was sex and violence in modern vampire novels. Among many observations was the agreement that sex and violence should be a believable reflection of the plot and/or characters instead of gratuitous pandering to a perceived market. In other words, don’t make your characters do things, sensually or brutally, that is contrary to their personalities just because of literary successes like 50 Shades of Gray and The Hunger Games.
Immediately following that was the Urban Fantasy panel captained by Richelle Mead on addictive characters ranging from anti-heroes to star-crossed lovers. Since all the panelists were women, it shouldn’t be surprising that the importance of strong heroines was stressed. I can’t remember the exact way author Christina Henry illustrated how women in today’s world were already amazingly strong, but I know when she was done speaking, I wanted to applaud. Short attempt at a recap: Being a wife, mother, employee, boss, sister, daughter, friend, or all the above day in and day out means that strength isn’t an option for women: It’s a requirement. Battling demons in a supernatural world? That would be the easy part of a woman’s day 
.
After that panel I had time to catch up with Kim Castillo before the Avon Mixer at 6:15. Picture a ballroom filled with free books, free champagne, and free appetizers for the taking. Yes, it was a madhouse, lol, but fun. I don’t know how many copies of Eternal Kiss of Darkness my publisher had to give away, but before the event was over, we’d run out. Thanks so much to Avon for throwing such a great party and to everyone who attended!
Later that evening, my publisher treated their authors and other publishing professionals to a lovely dinner at Nick’s Fish House. Now, whenever I attend a publishing dinner, I try to be extra mindful of my manners…which is why this next part still makes my face turn red when I remember it.
The Waiter Incident
We were all together in a room , seated at several round tables close to each other (this fact becomes pertinent soon). I’d eaten my salad and entrée without incident and was debating whether to be good and only pick at my dessert, or dive in until I scraped the bottom of the martini glass it was served in. While this was happening, waiters were making the rounds with trays filled with coffee. I don’t know what made me glance down at that exact moment, but I did…and realized that my purse strap was caught around a waiter’s ankle (here I can practically hear my husband saying, “That’s because you always leave your purse in the way! When will you learn to tuck in UNDER your chair instead of leaving it on the side where people can trip over it?!”)
Back to the imminent disaster. The base of my purse was trapped beneath my chair leg, so if the waiter took one more step forward, the strap would pull taunt, tripping him. If that wasn’t bad enough, the tray of coffee he carried would probably end up all over the people at the other table. Panicked, I had one thought in my head: Must stop waiter from moving! And so I cried, “Wait!” while grabbing the nearest part of him that I could reach.
He stopped, all right, and turned around with an expression that could only be described as, “Whoever this is better be a GREAT tipper!” That’s when I realized in my haste to stop him from tripping, I’d grabbed more than just the hem of his jacket. I also had my hand clenched around his left butt cheek.
I immediately dropped my hand and pointed at his feet, sputtering something like “Your foot, my purse, so sorry!” The waiter disengaged his foot while everyone at my table, once they realized I had a good reason for groping the poor man, laughed at my embarrassment. The food was wonderful, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to that restaurant if I return to Chicago .
More on Day 3 soon, where, among other things, I explain why I got in trouble with John Barrowman’s security detail at C2E2.
Mirrored from Frost Light.
I’m on the road again! This week/weekend, you can find me at the following places in Chicago, IL.
Romantic Times convention:
Thursday, April 12th
1:30pm – 2:30pm Paranormal Author Chat
| Get up close and personal with these beloved authors of the paranormal genre with your back-stage pass to this exciting session. Come prepared with your most burning questions about the books, their series and some of the most beloved characters of the genre. |
| Guests: Nalini Singh, Charlaine Harris, Jeaniene Frost |
Friday, April 13th
| 1:30-2:30pm Panel. Sex and violence, violence and sex. Where do readers and writers draw the line in today’s modern vampire novels? |
| Captain: Caridad Pineiro. Panelists: Carole Nelson Douglas, Jeaniene Frost, Charlaine Harris, Lynda Hilburn, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jaye Wells |
| 2:45-3:45pm Panel. Urban fantasy is often known for its fantastic elements and worldbuilding, but at the heart of each story are characters that readers can’t get enough of. Listen as authors reveal what it takes to write the addictive characters that drive this genre, discussing everything from antiheroes and inner conflict to relationships and star-crossed lovers. |
| Captain: Richelle Mead. Panelists: Jeaniene Frost, Charlaine Harris, Christina Henry, Chloe Neill, Jeanne C. Stein |
6:15 to 7:15 pm
Avon mixer. Come for free books, drinks, and more!
Saturday, April 14th
11:00am – 2:00pm
Giant Book Fair. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. You do not need to attend the convention to go to this.
Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo:
Saturday, April 14th
4:00-5:00PM Autographing
Authors: Charlaine Harris, Karina Cooper, Jeaniene Frost, Christina Henry, Chloe Neill, Pamela Palmer, Kerrelyn Sparks at Autographing Tables 1, 2 and 3.
5:15 PM – 6:15 PM Panel
WE’RE NO ANGELS: The Leading Ladies of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Authors: Karina Cooper, Jeaniene Frost, Charlaine Harris, Christina Henry, Chloe Neill, Pamela Palmer, Kerrelyn Sparks; Moderator: Gwen Reyes, Fresh Fiction
Location: N427bc
***
Hope to see some of you soon!
Mirrored from Frost Light.
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