Interview with Andrea Cremer Author of Nightshade

Today please welcome Andrea Cremer author of the new YA novel, Nightshade.

Q: Let’s start out by learning a little about you. What would you like to tell us about yourself?

A: I from the Northwoods of Wisconsin and a recent migrant to Minneapolis/St. Paul. I’m a Leo who loves thunderstorms, reading, writing (obviously) and I have a Ph.D. in early modern history and an irrational fear of crocodiles.

Q: Do you have a “day job” or do you write full time?

A: I’m a history professor at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Q:What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

A: I have two dogs: a pug and a border collie, I spend a lot of time hanging out with them. I also love music and doing yoga.

Q: What is the strangest source of inspiration you’ve had? Maybe something weird that ended up in one of your books (or will end up in an upcoming book)?

A: I decided I wanted to write steampunk after a trip to the optometrist. He put the weirdest contraption on his head. I couldn’t believe it was a real device and not some mad scientist tool. After I left that appointment all I wanted to do was create more odd devices and put them into a story.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?

A: Don’t write for anyone but yourself and write what you love.

Q: Now let’s chat about your debut book Nightshade, what can you tell us about it?

A: Calla started it all because I wanted to write a story about a female character who wasn’t being pulled into a magical world – she was already in the middle of it, a leader and a warrior. The world of Nightshade came as I tried to figure out how someone like Calla, a girl who I knew was incredibly powerful, could be afraid and angry. What was controlling her? Why would she be fighting against her own destiny? I realized that she was facing off with something even more powerful than herself.

That’s where my background as a historian came in. I teach early modern history (1500-1800) – a period of immense, violent change in human societies. This is the time of witchhunts, religious warfare, colonization, the Inquistion; all types of cataclysmic social transformation that turned the lives across the globe upside down. The more I thought about Calla I thought about the ways in which wolf warriors and witches could have intertwined lives. The mythology in Nightshade is a blend of history and lore plus new twists I imagined along the way.

Q: Did you do a lot of research on wolves or did you take what you already knew and turned the pack dynamic into something different than what we normally see in “werewolf” books?

A: When I was growing up I liked watching nature shows as much as cartoons. I learned a lot about wildlife and wolves in particular because of that. I didn’t have to do much research because I’d been unwittingly doing it all my life!

Q: You have really changed the werewolf lore in Nightshade into something completely new with the magic, did you set out to create a new look at wolves or did it develop along the way?

A: I’m a wolf girl, but a real wolf girl. I grew up so far North in Wisconsin that it’s practically Canada. Wolves roamed the forests of my homeland. I also loved National Geographic specials even more than cartoons. So by age 9 I could rattle off biological and ecological info like a pro. Wolves to me were beautiful, intelligent, social, and graceful.

Werewolves seemed to be none of these things. The werewolves I’d encountered on page and screen were hideous – half man/half beast, usually ugly, often unintelligent, driven only by rage or bloodlust.

And worst of all: they didn’t want to be wolves. Lycanthropy occurs as a curse, or a disease. The endgoal of most werewolf tales was to kill the wolf or free the affected person of the wolf curse.

I couldn’t come to grips with that idea. If someone asked me – hey wanna turn into a wolf? I’d say “heck, yeah!” Wouldn’t you rather be a wolf? From what I know of wolves, the answer is indisputably YES.

Nightshade’s Guardians are my way of coming to terms with my love of wolves and my trouble with classic werewolf tales. Calla – the alpha female who narrates Nightshade – is powerful and revels in her life as a wolf.

Her troubles arise not from her ability to shift, but from the ways in which her masters try to limit her power, to restrain her freedoms.

Wolves also inspire me because of their sociability.

Pack relationships offered a wonderful way to explore a world of friendship, servitude, loyalty, and betrayal. While Nightshade is about Calla’s journey, it’s also the story of her pack. The other wolves in the book play key roles throughout the trilogy. Wolves offered a wonderful framework around which to explore relationships, love, fear, and rivalry.

Q: List three adjectives that can best describe this book

A: Seductive, addictive, thrilling

Q: If an actor or actress was to play your heroine or hero, who would it be?

A: I would be thrilled to see the Nightshade series as a movie. What a blast! I actually have a blog post about the cast (and it has pictures).

You can check it out here: http://blurredhistory.blogspot.com/2010/04/picture-this.html

Q: I see on your site that two more books in the Nightshade series and one companion novel are already scheduled, will the Nightshade series be a trilogy or do you plan to write additional books?

A: Nightshade is a trilogy and I’m also writing a prequel about the origins of the Witches War. The prequel will be in stores fall 2012.

Well that concludes the interview.
Thank you so much for joining us today at Fang-tastic Books.

You can visit Andrea at http://www.andreacremer.com/.

And learn more about Nightshade at http://www.nightshadebook.com/

Blurb for Nightshade:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything - including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Review of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Five Fangs for Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor has always followed the rules.

Born on Halloween her destiny was predetermined to be the mate of Ren, a boy also born on Halloween. Together they are set to be the alphas of a new pack after they mate on Calla's 18 birthday. She grows up being the alpha of her pack- leading the young in her pack- the ones that will become part of the new pack once she joins with Ren. Calla has never questioned this, questioned her life.

Calla grew up as an alpha wolf, never a normal girl. She knows her place and never stepped out of line.

At least, not until Shay showed up.

A human boy on her mountain- going against all the rules she saves him thinking she'll never see him again.

Then he shows up at her school and gets involved in her world making her ask questions she never considered before.

Nightshade is a complicated story that questions authority by asking at what point does following the rules become the acceptance of slavery?

When does blind faith become simply blind?

Nightshade presents an intense look at the system of hegemony between witches, wizards, and werewolves. It's a power struggle full of lies, deceit and half truths with the underlying questions of who is right? who is wrong? and where do Calla and Shay fit into everything?

This is a compelling and complicated story that is intensely seductive (without being overly sexually).

Calla, Shay and Ren are all complicated and complete characters. We are left to wonder constantly about Shay while Ren is both the Lothario and a young man that seems to truly care for Calla which in a way is quite surprising given his reputation.

The other pack members are equally interesting and I love that the side characters are well developed and play their roles filling in the story nicely.

Cremer has put an interesting spin on the rules and regulations involving a werewolf pack. She's taken basic pack law and added a magical spin that creates conflict and questions that propel the story. The wolves are not in charge of themselves. Sure each pack has a leader but that alpha has top answer to a Keeper. The Keepers dictate everything about the pack from who is ion the pack to who each member mates to where they live. The packs go along with this, seemingly on blind faith because that's the way it has "always been done".

Shay opens Calla's eyes and pushes her to ask questions, to wonder, to look for the absolute truth and not the half truths and outright lies she has grown up with.

Fantastic read.

This has to be one of the best developed worlds in a YA series.

Intense, phenomenal, extraordinary. Can't wait to read more.

Cremer gives us enough in Nightshade to immerse us in the world then make us want to learn along with Calla we are with Calla trying to get to the truth. It makes you crave the next book.

My 11 year old daughter read this book before I did and she raved on and on about it. She's read a lot of the YA paranormals- Vampire Kisses, House of Night, Hearts at Stake...and so far this is her favorite book out of them all.

Plus Size Vampire Costumes

Are you still hunting for the perfect Halloween costumes?

Then be sure to drop by Pure Costumes.

They have a great assortment of sexy Halloween costumes, plus size costumes, and my favorite...vampire costumes.

Check out these three plus size vampire costumes:

This plus size Victorian vampire costume is pretty- I love the silver and black.

And it's only $35.95!

What a deal!

And if you and the hubby want to wear matching costumes

The Male Plus Size Victorian Vampire Costume is also just $35.95 at Pure Costumes

Another male plus size vampire costume available at Pure Costumes

is this very cool vampire costume

This one is $45.95

I love the ruffled shirt don't you?

Want to learn more about Pure Costumes?

Visit them on Facebook or Twitter

Disclosure: This post was paid for by the sponsor PureCostumes.com

Winner Wednesday

Uprinting's Die Cut Business Cards Giveaway Winner is

Sweet Vernal Zephyr

Susan Hanniford Crowley's winner of one pdf ebook of either When Love Survives, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, or A Vampire for Christmas- Winner's choice- is

cories5

Ashlynn Monroe's winner of a pdf copy of Dark Miracle is

sholcomb

Congrats to the winners.

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Kathy Kulig

The Nature of the Shapeshifter Beast
by Kathy Kulig

Shapeshifters, vampires, ghosts, demons and angels are making their appearance in paranormal romance. I’ve written about them all (except angels) and readers can’t seem to get enough. I know I don’t get tired of reading them or writing them. As long as writers continue to come up with amazing new worlds, discover new twists into the dark realms, create compelling characters and soul wrenching situations, we’ll be sucked in again and again. Yay!

Shapeshifters can be found in mythology and cultures all around the world. Some of these creatures are harmless, many are potentially malevolent. Here are a few I found interesting. There’s a Leszi, also seen it spelled Leshy. This is a Slavic woodland creature covered in dark hair made out of vines and grass. They can shift into any form—man, bear, wolf, or other forest animal. They’re mischievous and have been known to kidnap women. Japanese Yama-Uba is a hideous old hag that can shift into a beautiful woman to lure her victims. Then she shifts into a mass of snakes and eats her quarry. Sounds like someone’s nightmare. Need a folktale with a little more romance? The Selkie, an Icelandic, Irish and Scottish myth, transform from seal to human. Sadly, they can only have brief contact with humans—a good set up for a romantic tragedy—and then they must return to the sea. Male selkies have great seductive powers over women.

And a couple Norse dragon myths: Lindworm is a serpent-like dragon that stalks the countryside devouring cattle or feasting upon the dead in cemeteries. Nidhogg is a dragon that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasill, the world tree.

A lot of this information I found in a reference book called “The Cryptopedia, A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange & Downright Bizarre” by Jonathan Maberry & David F. Kramer. This is a great source for stirring up paranormal story ideas.

I’m so impressed by the creativity of paranormal authors who can take an old myth and create a story with a new twist or make up an entirely new one.

Many of my stories have a variety of shapeshifters—a man with a 300 year old Celtic curse shapeshifts into a stage but he can be a man only beneath the moonlight. I’ve used a twist on an ancient Norwegian myth where a person can don the skin of any animal and become that animal by willing it so. In this particular mythology, I’ve had a shapeshifting mountain lion, wolf, bear and leopard. My demons also have the power to shapeshift, an ability mostly used as a disguise to hide their presence on earth. My demons have been a coyote, falcon, wildcat and one has the ability to appear as any other human. Imagine the trouble he can get into.

When I wrote DRAGON WITCH, I wanted to write something different. A friend at work does origami. She travels all over the world to origami conventions. She made me an origami dragon. Funny because I never told her I liked dragons. I have him on my desk at work. Of course, I looked at him and thought dragon shifter! This creature when in human form has a voracious sexual appetite. I set the story on another world, because It has always been my dream to write a SciFi-like story. Then I added another love interest, an interstellar transport Captain—a hunky guy that the biologist/witch heroine had a steamy affair with and she can’t for the life of her forget. Toss them all on this planet in a desperate situation where lives are at stake, and that’s the set up for DRAGON WITCH. I hope you’ll enjoy it, because I had a blast writing it.

BLURB:

Biologist and witch, Jaida Chel combines nature magick with herbal science to protect Kai, the last shapeshifting dragon on her world of Somerled. But when Captain Brayden Stokes reenters her life not only is Kai’s life at stake, but so is Jaida’s secured position in the colony. Brayden and Jaida can’t resist the sexual heat between them, even though she knows a relationship would be doomed. Fleet pilots don’t stay planetside for long.

Jaida is torn between Brayden and her dragon and companion, Kai. When Kai morphs into a human twice a year, his sex drive is ravenous. He must mate for twenty-four hours or die. Unrestrained passion between Kai and Jaida temps Brayden into a forbidden encounter. With Jaida’s sassy, wicked ways, the three cross boundaries, exploring eroticism beyond their imagination. When secrets and betrayals are revealed, Brayden must risk everything for one last chance at love.

BUY link http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8624-dragon-witch.aspx

FREE BOOK Giveaway

Select any ebook (except the new release Dragon Witch) from Kathy’s back list.

Wild Jade, Seducing the Stones, Desert of the Damned or Damned and Desired.

Leave a comment on this post with email address

One Winner will be Chosen

Winner will be announced next Wednesday (not tomorrow)

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Author Renee Rearden

What Makes A Story?

People often ask me why I decided to write a book or where my ideas come from…pretty common questions I’m sure every author is asked. My standard response has been, “I decided to write a book I would want to read.” And that’s the truth. But I’ve realized there’s more to my answer than that.

When I pick up a book, I want to be transported to another world—one that doesn’t ask for anything but my undivided attention…but it has to earn it. That means an action-packed beginning that grabs my throat and hauls me along for the ride. Of course, fast-paced adventure is only one necessary element. An interesting plot that keeps me guessing is also a must. One that has me reading because every turn of a page may reveal the “ah-ha” twist I didn’t see coming. Most importantly, though, are the characters. They are likeable, intriguing, sexy people—human and inhuman—that battle the evils of the world.

If the writer’s done their job, their voice, the world they’ve created, or the characters in the story leave their mark and readers will return again and again. They’ll seek adventure, search for romance, and resolve their conflicts—all through stories with familiar issues from their everyday life. And though as readers we explore these unknown worlds with excitement and anticipation, there is comfort in the familiar. I think that’s why we read some books over and over. In the end, we always return to our friends.


Blurb for Moonlight Bleu

Saari Mitchell sees a psychologist in order to understand why—500 years later—she’s still dreaming of her dead lover. Her shrink isn't helping, the nightmares come every time she closes her eyes, and the lack of sleep is interfering with her job at Sacred Heart Hospital. With her psychic ability to heal the human spirit on the fritz, her auric radar becomes as reliable as her spotty cell phone service.

By day, Dhelis Guidry works as a detective for the New Angeles Police Department investigating the missing or murdered women in the Full-Moon Killer case. In his spare time he hunts rogue vampires as a Tueri executioner.

Brogan Vincent is a Tueri healer. Though he could offer his miraculous talents to the rich and powerful, he has chosen anonymity and peace by only using his psychic abilities among the Tueri.

One look into Saari's tri-colored eyes and both men realize she is Tueri. One touch tells them each she's their soul mate. But can either of them protect her from the Full-Moon Killer?

Would you like to win a copy of Moonlight Bleu?

One reader will win a copy of Moonlight Bleu in the format of their choice (print or ebook)

Contest Open Internationally

To enter leave a comment on this post with your email address

A winner will be chosen at the end of the week and announced in the comments section of this post

A Tale from de Rode by Abigail Roux

The King of de Rode had tried everything to save his threatened kingdom, everything but his last resort: instructions from an ancient poem. And so the King sends his son, Oliver de Rode, and Oliver's companion, Noah Moore, on a mysterious mission to the west following the ancient words... right to a forest full of mythical creatures and a wise-cracking genie named Max. In the hope of saving the kingdom from a costly war, the unfortunate travelers will endure a crash course in everything they have never believed, facing bands of thieves, wandering dragons, magic gone awry, and even Death himself.

Get it at Dreamspinner Press.

Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan

When the forest behind a Minnesota pawn shop turns out to be the doorway into a faerie paradise, Miles Larson doesn't see any reason to complain. He's bankrupt, single, and living in a trailer in his backwoods hometown after being laid off from his big city job: he could use a little downtime in a homoerotic dreamland.

But Miles soon learns that in the faerie world, nothing is quite as simple as it seems. The beautiful faerie man who has captured Miles's heart might also be after Miles's soul. The frightening beast who chases him through the forest is actually a noble-hearted human under a terrible curse. And at the center of it all is the deathly beautiful Lord of Dreams, a faerie so powerful that if Miles so much as looks at his face, he will be lost in dreamland forever.

The only hope for Miles's escape is a magic flute, an enchanted instrument that holds the answer to the faerie lord's defeat. But even if Miles is smart and strong enough to wield it, will he dare? When the cold light of truth dawns, if there is no reality beneath the love he's found in the faerie realm, Miles will have to return to his own world—alone.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1874

Conway’s Curse by Patric Michael

It’s while walking along a quiet road that Tion and Kail unexpectedly collide with Conway, a misguided man on a quest to resolve a potentially terrible truth: he's cursed with bad luck—bad luck that transfers to Tion and Kail in a most unexpected and inconvenient way!

Now they must aid Conway on his quest. Along the way, they'll meet duped villagers, a frighteningly ravenous "woof," and their only hope for salvation: a reluctant warrior wizard named Wylde who may be able to bring the trio, and himself, to an extraordinary happy ending.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1886

M/M paranormal

Dazzling T-Shirts from Just Jen

JustJen.com has some of the best sparkling t-shirts available.

They specialize in bridal t-shirts but they also offer holiday designs- including a couple dazzling Halloween designs like the above Trick or Treat rhinestone t-shirt

or the girly skull t-shirt below.

Or you can custom design your own t-shirt like this Got Fangs? one I created below.

Sorry I suck at taking photos- it looks much better in person and you should see in sparkle in the sun- wow talk about sparkly vampires :-)

It also sparkles at night when any lights hit it.

The crystals on these t-shirts are amazing- they really add dazzle to a plain t-shirt.

JustJen.com offers t-shirts, sweat pants, hoodies, underwear, aprons, even bathing suits or baseball caps that you can custom design with your own dazzling design or word choice.

I think I might design a couple Fang-tastic t-shirts with the sparkling crystals or maybe order the girly skull for my daughter for Christmas.

If you order a shirt be sure to get one a couple sizes larger than normal- these tees run tiny. They do stretch but are still small in the sizing.

The one above is a medium adult but fits like an extra small.

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Ashlynn Monroe

Vampires…Hooray!
by Ashlynn Monroe

I love vampires! My enjoyment of them actually started with Dracula and reruns of Dark Shadows I watched on the Syfy Channel (it was called the Science Fiction Channel back in the day) the summer I started junior high school. Barnabas Collins had such a sad story, and his longing for the pretty Miss Winters made me sigh. I’ve been writing about vampires since I was in high school, but I never thought that other people would enjoy my vampires and paranormal creations until this year when my writing started finding publishers. It’s been so much fun to share my various twists on the best monster ever with the world. Vampires used to be scary, but now they are pure sex, gotta love that! There are so many new paranormal series to read and to watch. I’m so glad that I’m not the only paranormal junkie looking to be entertained. It used to be hard to find something new and vampire or paranormal, now it’s hard not to.

I have several different vampire shorts out with a novella and novel scheduled for release this quarter. None of my vampire tales are written alike, none of the mythology is a like. I’m so random I don’t even stick to one kind of vampire. Variety is the spice of life and my love of vampires is like my taste in ice cream, I always get the next new flavor. Sure there is always the old favorites, but I happily sample everything vampire that I can get my hands on. There is just something very sexy about the intimacy of the whole bite thing. The act has penetration with the fangs and then the whole blood exchange is symbolic of the human desire for deep real connection with another. Frankenstein’s monster or the mummy just can’t compare. I do think werewolves/shifters are sexy too, but vampires are still my number one favorite!

I hope you’ll take a look at some of my vampires and other characters. I’d love to hear what you think of them.

Hidden Magic-June 2010-Wild Horse Press-Urban Fantasy Romance

The Mirage High series-August/September 2010 YA Paranormal-Wild Horse Press

Dark Miracle-August 2010-Wild Horse Press-Erotic Paranormal

Blood and Bondage-September 2010-Wild Horse Press-Erotic Paranormal

Wild Hearts-October 5, 2010-Wild Horse Press-Paranormal Romance

Christmas in Redemption-December 2010-Wild Horse press-Paranormal Romance

My Soul to Keep-March, 2011-Wild Horse Press-Urban Fantasy Romance

Kiss Me, Kill Me, Bite Me-July 2011-Wild Horse Press-Dark Paranormal Romance

Reality Stinks-2011-Wild Horse Press-Urban Fantasy Romantic comedy

The Mirage High Series 2010-Wild Horse Press-YA paranormal romance anthology of short stories.

Dark Miracle
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-darkmiracle-448555-139.html

Jessalyn, a once vibrant woman, has been diagnosed with cancer and is slowly fading away. Her boss, Orion, has desired her for a long time and hates to see her in such a state. He knows someone who can help Jessalyn recover, but will she be willing to pay the price? Or will a night of erotic passion with two vampires be too much for the quiet woman?

Blood and Bondage
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bloodbondage-454967-139.html

Devin is take captive by an ancient Viking vampire, who insists she is his blood mate named Ewa. Denying her attraction to him, she escapes to return to her life. But Karr is far from done with Devin. Can she give in to both of their desires, or will she deny herself the pleasure only he can give her?

Protector Mine (coming soon from Evernight Publishing)

Larissa is on the verge of complete insanity. She has grown up feeling a connection to the rural woodlands near her home. She has never been able to find what or who has been calling to her.

Dante comes from an ancient line of shifters whose sole purpose is to keep their charges safe from vampires. Dante is Larissa’s Protector. There are only two rules- never talk to your charge and never let them know that you are watching. Dante breaks every rule when it comes to Larissa when they are swept into a torrent of desire that threatens to consume them.

Will the price of breaking the rules to follow their hearts be too great? Hunters lurk in the forest. Vampires are coming. Dante is all that stands between Larissa and the monsters who want to make her one of them.

Recent and Upcoming Releases from Ashlynn Monroe:

Chemical Lust-July 2010-Cobblestone Press-Science Fiction Erotic

Passion's Escape-July 2010-Silver Publishing-Science Fiction Erotic

Lost Heart's-July 2010-Silver Publishing-Science Fiction Erotic

Wish-August 2010-Silver Publishing-Urban Fantasy Erotic

Just One Night-October 30, 2010-Silver Publishing-Paranormal Romance

Mistletoe and Vampires-December 4, 2010-Silver publishing-Paranormal Romance

Love Factory-August 2010-Wicked Nights-Science Fiction Erotic

In the Machine-September 24, 2010-Wicked Nights-Science Fiction Erotic

Blood Kin-Fall 2010-Keith Publications-Paranormal Romance

The Templar Vampire Series-coming soon-Keith Publications-Paranormal Romance

Fallen Angels-October 2010-Evernight Publishing-Steam Punk Romance

Protector Mine-November 2010-Evernight Publishing-Paranormal Romance

Dream Mists-Fall 2010-Willow Moon Publishing-Paranormal Romance

Today Ashlynn is giving away a

pdf copy of Dark Miracle

Want it?

Leave a comment on this post with email info

Winner TBA Next Wednesday

What Does a Vampire Want? Guest Blog and Giveaway with Susan Hanniford Crowley

Dark-haired, dark-eyed, Vampire David Hilliard walks into the room carrying a bottle of wine, a large bouquet of red roses, and a box of candy."Roxanne, where are you?"

I follow him inside. "What are you doing here?"

"We were invited back to Fang-tastic Books."

"I was invited. What is all that?"

He grins with fangs showing. I hate to admit how sexy he is.

"Two dozen red roses with thorns for Roxanne."

"Hoping to get lucky I see." He ignores me.

"The bottle is actually chilled blood/vanilla wine. Some humans consider it an aphrodisiac."

"And the box of chocolates?"

"I love biting humans who have eaten chocolate. Oh, it's such a good taste. Oh, Roxanne. I don't think she's here. We should start while we wait."

I laugh. "So how shall we start?"

"I'll interview you." He puts everything on the table and takes a seat facing me. "So how long have you been hanging with vampires?"

"I've been studying vamps for over 20 years. But I started writing about them 5 years ago." I cross my legs. "I have a question for you."

David smirks. "Really? Fire."

"What does a vampire want?"

His eyes widen with surprise. "The easy answer of course is blood, but the truth is eternity is a long time. People come and go in life. In vampire time, years are more like minutes. Finding your life mate changes a long dreary endless existence into an unimaginable bliss. Let me give you examples.

"In When Love Survives, shapeshifter Gregor knew his life mate by sight. In the midst of disaster, he had to keep her safe while helping her to save lives."

"You had a small part in that."

"Yes, but an important part." David leans back in his chair.

The man is perfectly balanced. I think it's a vampire thing.

"In The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, I knew Laura was meant for me at least I thought so. For a long time, I believed the whole life mate thing to be a myth, and she had a hard time adjusting to being a vampire. But if you really love someone, you don't give up on them. Trevor found that out in A Vampire for Christmas."

We both laugh.

"Georgia though he was a stalker, when he was really trying to protect her from the demons who had marked her for death," I added.

"That brings us to the newest--Vampire in the Basement. It follows what happened to Gregor and Regina when they left New York after When Loves Survives. It also shows Theo, a vampire of Manhattan and also an Arnhem Knight, when he falls in love with that funny but broken hearted rabbit shapeshifter Lorraine. All she could talk about was how warm he was to hold." He chuckles to himself. "Know this—a vampire is cold except to his or her life mate. Then the embrace of love is warm and tender and forever."

"Even in my Greek God contemporary erotic romance Poseidon's Catch, immortality is not all it's cracked up to. Poseidon finds out firsthand how fragile human life is, how love can run through fingers like water. It takes an extraordinary effort to keep it."

He opens the wine and pours some into a glass. After a sip, he sighs. "All of your books are available at All Romance Ebooks, and starting October 1st, a limited print edition of The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais will be available through your website."

He pours another glass as he sees Roxanne come in.

David pours me a glass and we all clink glasses. "Thank you, Roxanne, for having us over."

Roxanne offers me a chocolate and I take one. I do love chocolate.

Now for the Contest:

One lucky commenter will receive one pdf ebook of either When Love Survives, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, or A Vampire for Christmas.

Winner's choice, and the contest is worldwide.

Deadline is Tuesday September 28 EST.

For more about Susan Hanniford Crowley please visit:

Website: http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com/

Blog: http://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @SHCrowley

Facebook: Susan Hanniford CrowleyPublisher: Tease Publishing LLC http://www.teasepublishingllc.com/

Check Out Her Backlist of Books:

When Love Survives

The Stormy Love life of Laura Cordelais

A Vampire for Christmas

Vampire in the Basement

Poseidon's Catch

Jennifer Rardin Author of The Jaz Parks Series Has Passed Away

April 28, 1965 - September 20, 2010

I just learned the very sad news that author Jennifer Rardin passed away unexpectedly on Monday September 20.

My deepest sympathy goes out to her family and friends.

Jennifer Rardin was known for her Jaz Parks vampire assassin books- the newest two are scheduled to come out in October and November this year- Bitten to Death and Bitten in Two.

Jennifer and Jaz will both be missed.

Why Nileas Loved the Sea by Ariel Tachna

For years, Aeolus has fought the Sirens, trying to rescue hapless sailors from their clutches, to no avail. When he encounters Nileas, the first man to heed his warnings in time to be saved, Aeolus at last has a chance to indulge his fascination with the world of men. As they begin the long journey back to Nileas’s home at the other side of the Mediterranean, sharing stories of their respective lives, it becomes apparent Nileas is just as fascinated with the world of the sea—and with the merman who saved him.

Despite the attraction growing between them, neither can see a way past the limitations of their races. Aeolus cannot live long on land, nor Nileas survive in the sea, but their love proves stronger than Aeolus’s determination to let Nileas go. Can they find a compromise that will let them share their lives, or will they need to challenge the gods for the right to be together forever?

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1949

M/M fairy tale

Infected: Prey by Andrea Speed

In a world where a werecat virus has changed society, Roan McKichan, a born infected and ex-cop, works as a private detective trying to solve crimes involving other infecteds.

The murder of a former cop draws Roan into an odd case where an unidentifiable species of cat appears to be showing an unusual level of intelligence. He juggles that with trying to find a missing teenage boy, who, unbeknownst to his parents, was “cat” obsessed. And when someone is brutally murdering infecteds, Eli Winters, leader of the Church of the Divine Transformation, hires Roan to find the killer before he closes in on Eli.

Working the crimes will lead Roan through a maze of hate, personal grudges, and mortal danger. With help from his tiger-strain infected partner, Paris Lehane, he does his best to survive in a world that hates and fears their kind… and occasionally worships them

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1893

Litha’s Constant Whim by Amy Lane

Whim believes himself to be the least powerful sidhe at Green's Hill: he is as constant as a bumblebee in a hurricane and as faithful as a stray breeze. Whim's prince believes there is more to him than that and on Litha, the night of the summer solstice, sends Whim into the mortal world where he strives to give a piece of himself to others.

It is on Litha that Whim meets Charlie, a young, desperate human who steals a kiss. Whim steals one back and, in turn, craves another taste of this extraordinary man. Their vows to return next Litha and finish what they started launch a thirteen-year tradition of celebration between the mortal and the immortal, between love and patience, that is sustained by Whim's driving, faithful compulsion to love and keep his human close to his heart.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1890

CSN Stores Review: Cannon Pixma Printer

CSN Stores offered me the opportunity to review another item from their store- with so much to choose from it took me forever to pick something out.

They have just about everything- from dining tables to shoes. I couldn't decide if I wanted to get something for the kids to start Christmas shopping or something for the hubby...or something for myself.

Shame on me for being selfish but it's my birthday this week so I chose to get something for me. Something I really need.

Once I discovered that CSN sold printers- well I knew what I was getting. My printer has been giving me hell for months. It won't scan or copy and it only prints when it wants to- half the time sucking up the whole stack of paper from the tray as it goes. That never ends well- ten pages with a strip of ink here and there.

So a printer was my birthday gift to myself.

I ended up choosing the Cannon PIXMA MP490 All-in-One Photo Printer, Copier and Scanner. It is now out of stock at CSN but very similar to this one.

I am so thrilled to once again have a printer, scanner, copier that works the way it is supposed to. I was so surprised to see that CSN sold printers and other office supplies. They even have digital cameras.

I love that they keep adding new stores and categories. I can't wait to see what they add next.

I already have a bunch of stuff on my wish list- but I am so happy I picked the printer this time around.

As a writer, work at home mom, a printer is a necessity for me and the kids. I need it for work they need it for homework and now that I once again have a multifunction printer we're good to go.

Thank you CSN Stores for offering such wonderful products and opportunities for bloggers to test them out.

I know where I'll be doing a lot of my Christmas shopping.

Disclosure: I was offered the opportunity to choose an item from the CSN stores at no cost to myself in exchange for a review

Interview and Giveaway with Danielle D Smith

Q. What inspired you to begin writing?

I took up writing when I was around 10 years old. I published poetry and short fiction in student journals and newspapers as a teenager, but let writing fall by the wayside for a while in favor of fine art and illustration. My first novel, Psyche's Gate, was published earlier this year and since then I have never looked back!

Q. What was the inspiration behind the characters in you most recent release Black Dog and Rebel Rose?

The characters in Black Dog and Rebel Rose are would-be enemies: the halfbred son of a demon and the Nephil daughter of an angel. They are both strong, beautiful, and badass as hell (er...heaven) and do not expect to run into each other during a vampire hunt in a ghost town. I wanted to create a couple that should hate each other but each cannot resist the other: the result is a very fun, very spicy pair-up. They start out as fierce competitors and end up sizzlin' it up between the sheets!


Q. Which character did you have the most fun writing in this story?

I have to say Skriker, the half-demon hero. Skrike is, as I like to call him, the "dirty little man who lives inside me" *wink*. He's sexy, badass, tattooed, rides a hot Harley motorcycle, and has Alpha-male muscles to die for. He's a rock star and he knows it, but still manages to maintain a sweet disposition when it comes to people he genuinely cares about. There's a softie beneath his bad-boy exterior, just another aspect of his personality that an angel maiden can't resist.

Q. What originally drew you to paranormal/dark fantasy genre?

I am a massive fan of all things dark and all things myth. And I'm a tattoo artist, which pretty much makes being into dark romantic fantasy an automatic. ;)

Q. Do you have any favorite paranormal-themed films or TV shows?

Oh, I am a Supernatural FANATIC! Everything in my household shuts down when the Winchester Brothers are in the house! The phones are turned off, the fridge is left unopened (I'll will already have a beer close at hand, Dean style) and my imagination starts racing!

Q. What literary projects can we expect from you in the future?

I am currently working on Nephil's Curse, the second novel in the Psyche's Gate saga, and another erotic horror story titled In The Neon, a tale about Skriker's parents and how they met. I am also working on a really kickass comic book version of Black Dog and Rebel Rose.

Black Dog and Rebel Rose is available from Solstice Publishing:
Available in Ebook and Kindle formats NOW
Print Edition release: Sept 30th 2010
Buy Link: http://www.danielledsmith.com/buybooks.html

Contact Danielle online:
http://www.danielledsmith.com/
http://www.theangelsgate.blogspot.com/

Blurb:

Skriker. A meltingly sexy hunter with rock star style. An insatiable seducer and lover of women. Son of a human lady of the night and a True Native of Hell, he is a killer of the evils that dwell in darkness. Fifty miles of bad road will lead him and his rumbling Harley to an abandoned town and the vampyre hunt of his dreams. It is in the rot and the ruin that Skriker will discover his destiny. Rose. A fierce and beautiful huntress haunted by a tragic past. The most amazing woman that Skriker has ever met. A sizzling tryst will lead him to discover that Rose is his soul mate, the girl who will make him abandon his lustful ways and make him hunger for her alone. But Skriker's new beloved harbors an ironic secret. A secret that may lead to a half-demon's gruesome undoing...

Danielle is offering a FREE eCopy of Black Dog and Rebel Rose to one lucky winner! Leave a comment with your email here to enter in the contest.

Contest ends on Oct 1st 2010. This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway!

Join Jacqueline Paige on her Mystic Perceptions Book Tour

Welcome Jacqueline. Thank you for joining us today.

Q: Let’s start out by getting the name of your newest release and what genre/category it falls into


A: Mystic Perceptions it’s the first book in The Hidden Senses Trilogy

It’s a paranormal romantic suspense

Q: Name one unique trait about your heroine or hero


A: Jacinda can ‘see’ emotions/images by touching someone and some objects.


Q: If an actor or actress was to play your heroine or hero, who would it be?


A: Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn from Buffy – only the grown up version)
Wentworth Miller (Michael from Prison Break)

Q: Name the sexiest trait of the main man in your newest book


A: Definitely his eyes.


Q: What is the strangest source of inspiration you’ve had? Maybe something weird that ended up in one of your books or short stories.


A: Actually the strangest inspiration I’ve had was for Mystic Perceptions.


I can remember the day the idea came to me. I’d had a long and frustrating day out in the “public” and had been at the mall (I am one of those rare females that loath shopping), I can’t remember all of the details but I remember thinking after observing someone doing something more than slightly weird “What is that person thinking to do something like that?”


So when I was driving home, the odd thought of what would it be like to know what people are thinking came to me – and from that I created Jacinda’s story.

Q: Name one thing your main character would never leave home without


A: Reid, his gun.


Q What about you, what's one thing you never want to leave home without?


A: My cell phone (it has voice note options and is much easier than trying to jot down ideas while driving) but if we’re talking lo-tech I’d say a notebook and pen.


Q: Let's talk makeup- if you could only choose one or two cosmetics to wear which ones are your must haves?


A: Mascara and eyeliner. I was cursed with short thin eyelashes and eyes that dip at the outer edge – so without either of those I look like a sad deer.


Q- Just for fun Lightning Round


Light or dark?
Dark


Red or pink?
Red


Silence or Noise?
Noise


Coke or Pepsi?
Coke (only because there was no Fresca option)


Coffee or tea?
Coffee (with a chai latte chaser)


Abs or buns?
Abs


Vampires or Angels?
Vampires (I will settle for a Vampire named Angel – or a werewolf)


Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?


A: Whatever you have written put away for at least a month before you try to drudge through it to proof for submissions.


I have gotten into edits for stories I’ve written and haven’t looked at them for three months or more and every single mistake will jump out at me while I’m trying to do what my editors would like, but I didn’t see any of those when I read through it polishing it up to submit.


So, stepping away from your manuscript makes a world of difference. If you’re working against a deadline, have someone else run through it and highlight all the big mistakes your eyes aren’t going to see right away.

Q: Do you have a “day job” or do you write full time?


A: I write full time inside my head, or maybe that’s just wishful thinking. In the real world I’m a café eatery manager of a corporate franchise. I put in a lot of long hours, but it has the added bonus of a never ending supply of coffee, teas, lattes and of course cake!

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.


A: I don’t have TV. Well, I have a TV, but we don’t have cable or even an antenna. We watch movies and any news and such we find out from the broadcasts online. Apparently not having had television programming for eight years is … odd, but my kids don’t complain about it. If they really need to follow a TV show, we buy it from online downloads, or the season on DVD. Over all we have a huge enjoyable movie collection and we’ve saved a lot of money in eight years not paying for cable when only one or two channels would have been used.

Q: Do you have a favorite book and/or a favorite author?


A: If I have to choose just one Author I would say … Christine Feehan and her Dark series and Ghostwalker series, but a close second would have to be Sherrilyn Kenyon. To me both of those authors took their characters one step further than most of us dare to do.

Q: Could you tell us about your current work in progress?


A: I actually have more than one work in progress. I blame my muse that won’t let me rest)


The Magic Seasons series (the first two Beltane Magic and Solstice Heat are being re-released shortly and the third, Harvest Dreams, is coming out in January at Class Act Books. In this series I’ve taken eight pagan characters from a variety of spiritual paths who are struggling against their own emotions and each other, all while learning to use their magic abilities as a group to find and help stop a killer.


I also have the first in a new Trilogy underway My Animal (shifter) Trilogy. I just have to rework the ending do the final proofing/tweaking on the first story Heart and then it’s finished.

Here’s a bit about the trilogy:

Three women without knowledge of their true heritage…

Three men that have waited for their mate all of their lives...

Hearts and tempers collide with wild passions and animal instincts in the Animals Trilogy

I am also working on a new witch story; The Witch Within. It’s an interesting ‘past life’ story of magic where the main character suddenly finds out she actually has the spirits of her ancestors inside her when life starts to get a little interesting and a family rival from hundreds of years ago reappears.

Overall, I have five books coming out in the next seven months and more on the way when I’m not lost in edits.

Q:What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

A: Before I signed on to be a manager and author, I used to make handcrafted jewelry – but I keep running out of day before I’m out things to do lately. When I’m desperate to escape reality I go hiking but I don’t think of that as a hobby it’s more of a vice to recharge and regroup a bit.

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release. Feel free to share a blurb or an excerpt.

A: Blurb:

Jacinda Brown keeps to her safe existence doing investigative research, avoiding people and places with people. To most, it appears she has a normal life; blending completely undetected in her lonely continuation. She doesn’t investigate people; she can’t get that close. Through her hand she can feel emotions, thoughts. With a touch she can see what has been.


Unfortunately fate tosses her into a situation where her carefully guarded secret and her own conscience are at war when she finds herself working with detectives to find a killer. Jacinda clashes with the very strongly grounded detective, Reid Merritt, destiny has forced her to work with. At some point he begins to matter, making her decision harder. Will he look at her with abhorrence, like she’s some sort of freak when she’s through?


When the fifth murder happens, Jacinda makes the decision to use her gift to find the killer. She doesn’t let herself think of how she’s going to suffer afterward, the consequences that will curse her again, the chance she’ll be giving up everything and starting all over. She just thinks of finding some justice and stopping a killer.


What will be the price, this time, for the ability she doesn’t want?


Jacqueline will be giving away a Mystic Perceptions tote bag stuffed with goodies for one randomly drawn commenter that comments at any stop along her tour schedule so the more sites you comment at the better your chance of winning.

Vamp Out with Pure Costumes

I found another place that sells wicked vampire Halloween costumes!

The site is Pure Costumes.

They have a great assortment of vampire costumes- a few that I haven't seen anywhere else. They must be new for the season.

I love Halloween. Dressing up in costumes is so much fun. It takes me back to that excitement of childhood and it stirs something inside me- the thrill of becoming someone...something else for a moment. The ability to step outside my everyday normality and become something wild, sexy, amazing, scary or whatever I want.

Some people grow out of Halloween- think it's kids stuff. I never have. I think Halloween is awesome.

Searching through all the costumes online makes me want to add more parties to my Halloween fun list so I can dress up as something different every time.

Here are three of my favorite vampire adult costumes from PureCostumes.com:

This Vampire Mistress costume is a very sexy Halloween costume. Classic Goth vampire style with the bat wing sleeves and red and black color scheme. I adore it.

And it's only $35.95!

What a steal.

I am amazed at the great costume pricing that you can find online.

SO much cheaper than in the stores.

Here is a man's vampire costume that I like.

The blue is very pretty. I'm always a sucker for shiny blue things. Almost all of my formal dresses over the years have been some shade of blue, usually metallic.

This man's vampire costume comes with the velour vest with attached sleeves and an attached cape.

This vampire costume is only $19.95

Ok this Immortal Seductress costume screams sexiness and class at the same time. It makes me think of a 1920s/1930s vampire- elegant and so very vampish.

This Hollywood vamp gown is only $34.95.

Fang-tastic don't you think?

Which one do you like the best?

To see more of Pure Costume's fabulous selection of sexy Halloween costumes

visit the Pure Costumes website, Facebook page, or check them out on Twitter

Disclosure: This post was paid for by the sponsor

Support Fang-tastic Books By Visiting Site Sponsors

To Help Support Fang-tastic Books Please Visit This Halloween Sponsor below along with Other Site Sponsors and Advertisers

Thank You!

Buy sexy costumes and other costumes for Halloween at Pure Costumes. They have all your favorite vampire costumes and adult costumes online!

His Hearth by Mary Calmes

Julian Nash should be excited: he’s just earned a huge promotion at work and is going out to celebrate. But his happiness fades when he discovers his date cheating on him an hour before. Suddenly alone when everyone knows he’s supposed to have a plus one, Julian is set for a long night until longtime acquaintance Ryan Dean bails him out of the embarrassing situation. During dinner, they discover they have more than just friendship between them: there is mutual admiration and heated attraction. But getting to know Ryan better—and finding a place in his life—will bring Julian frightening surprises and paranormal danger he never expected or dreamed existed.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1945

M/M paranormal

Valley of Shadows by Phoenix Emrys

Ellery James, a celebrated author of historical romances shuns the spotlight, preferring the solitude of his small town sanctuary to risking media scrutiny. He harbors a closely guarded secret that is not only the bane of his existence, but the source and inspiration of his bestsellers.

His strictly proscribed existence goes south and sideways when the grimly dangerous Boone Dantrell blazes into Ellery's life. Ellery is alarmed to experience a tentative but undeniable connection to the haunted, mysterious stranger with secrets of his own, and the burgeoning attraction between them grows almost as swiftly as the danger dogging Boone.


They’ve barely met before their secrets and worlds collide, thrusting them both into unimaginable peril. The battle they must wage together spans this world—and the next—and losing it could cost them not only their lives, but their very souls.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1930

M/M romance

A Review of the Count Bloodthirst Vampire Costume from Wholesale Costume Club

When I got to choose my review costume from Wholesale Costume Club my husband was also able to pick one out for review.

After searching through men's costumes and plus size costumes he finally settled on the Count BloodThirst costume.

This is one he had been looking at last year but we didn't order it. He ended up just wearing a red dress shirt and skull tie to the Flint Vampire Ball.

Now both of us are all set for this year's Flint Vampire Ball.

Hubby tried on the costume and it looks great on him- much better than on the guy in the picture :-)

This vampire costume features a waistcoat style shirt with chain trim. The long sleeve shirt is actually attached to the waistcoat/vest- it's all in one. The cape is black satin with a blood-red lining. It also comes with a red satin scarf that hangs from the neck of the shirt for a little extra vampiric flare.

Hubby has plenty of black dress pants and dress shoes so he's good to go. He's thinking about adding one of those stylish walking sticks though just to give the whole thing a bit more style.

We are going to be a stunning pair of vampires this year.

Be sure to check out Wholesale Costume Club when you're shopping for Halloween costumes, you'll be amazed at the variety and selection they have- something for the whole family...and at great wholesale prices.

Ecostore USA Natural Cleaning Products Rock

Not all of you may know this...but I am a green girl at heart.

When possible I use all natural products- especially when it comes to cleaning. I have always found the concept of "cleaning" a home with toxic products to be quite ridiculous.

The problem with some natural cleaning products is that they just don't clean well enough to make them worth the money.

Ecostore USA products however all well worth every penny.

I received a bottle of Ecostore natural laundry detergent and a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner for review (free of charge).

Let's just say that once those bottles are empty I'll be purchasing more with my money because they are that good.

In fact- they totally rock.

The laundry detergent smells like Eucalyptus- a slightly spicy herbal scent that to me is a very pleasant aroma. The toilet bowl cleaner has a slightly herbal slightly odd scent but it's not toxic like your average cleaner and it doesn't stink so I'm loving it.

The fact that it gets the rusty hard water stains out of my toilet helps the love keep going.

For more about ecostore usa products please visit www.ecostoreusa.com

Right now they have a back to school special going on 25% Off

Use Discount Code WQ551 at checkout

FREE Shipping for ALL Orders of $25 or more.

When You Read Can You Determine The Gender of an Author

Have you ever picked up a book and not paying attention to an author name or any of that and just started to read assuming that the author was a certain gender, for me it's female, then you come across something in the book that screams "whoa- this author is a guy!"

I have several times.

Paranormal romances and urban fantasy books are mostly written by women- so when a new book gets sent my way with an authors name in initials or with a gender ambivalent name like Jess or Jes, I just start reading thinking the author is a woman.

Then something comes across that screams to me- this is not a woman, a woman would never write that or say that.

Several times it has even become glaringly apparent that the author is not only male but a gay male (no worries, I'm not hating, just saying).

Does that ever happen to you? Can you tell the difference in gender based on something as simple as one phrase or line in a book?

Even more astonishing can you tell not only gender but sexual preference from reading their work?

I can usually tell sexual orientation more in erotica or during sex scenes in a romance than an average book with no sex.

One book that comes to mind when I think of this is the Jes Battis book A Flash of Hex. I received it for review and was reading it thinking it by a woman (it even has a lead female protagonist) then out of nowhere some line or phrase screamed- nope not female. I turned to the back of the book and quickly had my suspicions confirmed.

Don't take this wrong I am not saying I didn't enjoy the book- in fact I liked it quite a bit and hope to read more in the OSI series, I love the combo of magic and forensics.

I just thought it odd that I suddenly could tell gender and sexual orientation from something casually written in the lines of the story.

But now I look for things like that- search for tell tale signs that someone is writing under a pen name or is actually a man when I assumed they were a woman or vice versa.

The only books I have had trouble telling whether the author is male or female have been M.L.N Hanover's.

I absolutely am addicted to The Black Sun's Daughter series. Fabulous. (anxiously awaiting book 3 due out in November- Vicious Grace)

But I honestly can't pick out anything that says male or female.

At first I thought female just because of the genre then I read on another site where someone was asking male or female. Then I heard M.L.N. Hanover is actually the pseudonym for author Daniel Abraham.

Wow. I was surprised. With a lead female protagonist he does an excellent job of writing from a female perspective without making her prissy, unrealistic or just plain off (from a female perspective).

Do you think good writing should disguise a writer's gender and sexuality?

Or do you like to hear the writer's true voice and personality in their writing?

Review of ThermaSkin Face Cleanser

I received a bottle of ThermaSkin anti-aging facial cleanser from Greensations for review. At first I wasn't thrilled with it because it smells a bit odd- like a no smell smell. But after using it for about a week I discovered that the smell does not matter because this foaming facial wash is fabulous.

The ThermaSkin cleanser is lightweight and will not weigh your skin down or leave any residue. I know some facial washes leave me feeling like the gel stuff is still on my skin like I just can't rinse it clean or else it feels like all the dirt and gunk from my makeup is still on-like it didn';t clean anything but the ThermaSkin foaming action left my skin clean without feeling sticky or dirty. I love it. It has replaced my Avon facial cleanser because it gives me much better results.

I am checking out the other products Greensations has to offer. Scanning their site I just realized they have mineral makeup.

Anyway if you are interested in natural, green skincare check out http://www.greensations.com/

Description of TheraSkin from the Greensations site:

ThermaSkin Anti-Aging Soap™ is like botox in a bottle. This all natural
soap is not like any other soap or non-soap cleanser. It instantly unclogs
pores, tightens skin, reduces lines and replenishes elasticity and color without
chemicals that strip your skin. It’s perfect for removing makeup, dirt,
pollutants and oils. Whether you have oily skin, dry skin or just skin that’s
been damaged by time, ThermaSkin Facial Cleanser is the answer. This formula
also combats problem skin conditions including acne, eczema, psoriasis and
dermatitis.

The self foaming container allows us to make a formula with no harmful
foaming chemicals such as SLS or SLES. The anti-aging secret of this formula
comes from combining tiny doses of natural capsaicin with exotic botanicals that
literally fix your skin by increasing circulation and absorption. A tiny bit
goes a long way, and our facial cleanser can be used anywhere on the body.
Unlike regular soap, our formula does not clog pores because we use a
proprietary base of natural botanical extracts and astringents. ThermaSkin
Facial cleanser also works better than non-soap cleansers without harmful
chemicals. You will absolutely fall in love with this soap.