Guest Blog with Author Amanda Hocking & Giveaway of My Blood Approves

"In the vampire literary world, a lot of discussion goes into Team (Blank) vs. Team (Blank). And somehow, I always find myself on Team Not-Going-to-Get-the-Girl. Even outside of vampires, I’m always on the losing team.

So, when I wrote my book My Blood Approves, I thought I’d finally be able to be on the right team. But somehow, I’m still not on the winning. How does that even happen? I’m starting to think I might have a complex.

Or maybe I just created two guys that I enjoy so much, it’s really hard for me to decide which one would be a clear winner.

Jack is not your typical vampire. He’s happy, when most vampires seem to be brooding these days, and he suffers from a major Peter Pan complex, which I’ve always found charming. Being immature isn’t a plus, but that ability to be happy and excited and have fun is alluring. But below all that, there is something much deeper brewing inside him. When his strength and devotion shine through, it makes him all the more irresistible.

Jack’s brother Peter may have the whole brooding vampire thing going on, but that doesn’t make him boring. He’s sexy and tortured, and I’ll never understand why, but restraint can be so sexy. He tries to keep everything hidden and pretend like he doesn’t feel a thing, but when his walls come down, he’s so vulnerable, it’s breathtaking.

Between the two of them, it’s hard to say which one I’d pick.

In My Blood Approves, Alice Bonham struggles with the same problem – along with a lot more. Getting involved with vampires is a complicated matter when you’re mortal. She meets Jack by chance one night in downtown Minneapolis and is pulled into the confusing – and seductive – world of his family.

Maybe the problem is that I’ve always been the kinda girl that wants her cake and eat too. But the one thing I do know for sure, is that I’m Team Vampire.

Description for My Blood Approves:

Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack's unlike anyone she's ever met.

Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him.

But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...


About the Author:

Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

The first three books in her series - My Blood Approves, Fate, and Flutter are available now. The fourth book in the series, Wisdom, will be out August 2010.

To learn more you can follow her on Twitter and visit her blog: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/

Amanda is offering one copy of My Blood Approves, either paperback or PDF (winner's choice) to one lucky reader

US shipping only if winner chooses a paperback copy

To enter just leave a comment on this post

Winner Announced on Wednesday June 16

Win It Wednesday: Ardeur edited by Laurell K Hamilton

This week I have something extra special- a mid week giveaway.

I don't usually do Win It Wednesdays but this is a special giveaway. Laurell K Hamilton is one of my favorite authors and this collection of essays about her and her Anita Blake series is just awesome.

I love intellectual discussions on the books I read. I have a literary background (having suffered through several honors English and literature classes back in college and high school) and I sometimes miss looking at books and dissecting them, when I normally now read purely for entertainment purposes.

Laurell K Hamilton and Anita Blake brought me back to reading- fiction anyway. For many years I was an avid reader then my life changed and reading wasn't something I had time for. Not unless it involved research, work, or was just your basic magaizne reading. I didn't read mucg fiction anymore. I had gotten bored with what was available I guess.

But I just kept hearing about Anita Blake.

So finally I went to the library and found LKH's books on the shelves. The only Anita Blake book they had was Cerulean Sins. I was shocked, entranced and completely hooked. Finally a book that got me excited about reading again. I finished that book then ordered the entire series and read them in order from then on. And now I read every book that comes out- faithfully.

Laurell K Hamilton brought me back to reading and introduced me to the world that is now known as urban fantasy (ya'll can pretty much thank her for creating this sub genre and giving us the first true kick ass supernatural heroine). You can also thank her for leading me back to the world of paranormal fiction books which eventually led me to create this site. Funny how things work isn't it?

Anyway this book rocks and to showcase that I am offering this wonderful Win it Wednesday giveaway.




Ardeur

14 Writers on the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series

Edited by Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series is a literary sensation, thanks to its strong female hero, well-fleshed (both literally and literarily) characters and unabashed attitude toward sex. The world Hamilton has created is powerfully compelling and stunningly complex—and it gets deeper and richer, and more perilous, with every book.

Straddling the series’ dominant themes of sex and power, Ardeur gives Anita fans a deeper look into the dynamics, both personal political, that have kept readers fascinated throughout the run of the series. Why is the ardeur the very best thing that could have happened to Anita, personally (aside from all the sex it requires her to have with hot men)? How is Anita’s alternate United States a logical legal extension of our own? And as the series continues, what other bargains might Anita have to make with herself and others in order to keep the people she loves safe from harm?

The book contains these essays:

Giving the Devil Her Due by Nick Mamatas
Girls Gone Wild by Heather Swain
Ambiguous Anita by Lilith Saintcrow
Dating the Monsters by L.Jagi Lamplighter
Bon Rapports by Marella Sands
Mom! Something's Sucking on My Neck! by Cathy Clamp
The Other Side of the Street by Alasdair Stuart
The Domestication of a Vampire Executioner by Natasha Fondren
Ardeur's Purpose by Devon Ellington
Trying the System by Melissa Tatum
Are the Fangs Real? by Mikhail Lyubansky, Ph.D.
Death Becomes Her by Sharon Ashwood
Death's Got Your Back by Vera Nazarian
Showing the Scars by Jacob Clifton

Open to US Shipping

Contest Closes Tuesday April 27 Midnight EST

Winners Announced on Wednesday April 28

+5 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books Follower

+5 entries for blogging about this contest

+5 entries for including a link to this contest on your blog, twitter,
or Facebook

+5 entries for adding my link back button to your blog

+5 for being a @RoxanneRhoads twitter follower

Plan A: Marry Her, Plan B: Kill Her- Guest Blog and Giveaway with Evie Byrne

Hello! I'm happy to be back at Fang-tastic Books. Thanks for having me, Roxanne.

I'm here to talk about my new release, Damned by Blood and to give away a free copy.

What kind of woman would carve her initial into a man’s chest? What kind of a man would tattoo that wound to make it permanent?

Meet Alya Adad and Mikhail Faustin, the darkest, most reckless characters I’ve ever written. On their twisted, blood-soaked path to love, they break every rule in the book, write a few rules of their own, and break those, too.

For those of you who have been following the Faustin Brothers series, get ready to plunge into the shadow world of the vampires, a world that was only hinted at it in the first two books.

Mikhail Faustin is the prince of New York. His authority is absolute, his power unquestioned—and his heart is empty. The pain he carries inside leaves him with nothing to offer a mate. When he discovers that Alya Adad is not only his destined bride but also the source of his misery, his fate is sealed. He must either kill or claim the woman he despises most--or die trying.

Alya is the most powerful of her kind born in generations and a prince in her own right. She kneels to no one, certainly not to her first lover, Mikhail. She plans to kill him before he captures her, but when she realizes she holds the key to his heart, and all his secret desires, things become a more complicated...

I've been here before, talking about my Faustin Brother series--a trilogy of e-books from Samhain. The premise of the series is deceptively simple. Each brother has a book, and during the course of the book, he must win his bride. To do so, though, he -- and his bride -- are tested to their limits. Everyone has to earn their right to love in Evie Byrne's world. Muhahaha.

In the other two books, the couples begin as strangers. Also, in those books both of the heroines are humans, while their suitors are vampires. This provides conflict too, but more the fun kind of "gettin' to know you" kind of conflict. In Damned by Blood, both characters are vamps, powerful, territorial vamps. And they know each other--they have a history. A very bad history. Bring on the angst!


Going against the grain is scary!

As you might be able to infer from the blurbage, I wrote myself into a pickle with this book. When it began, I imagined it to be a more traditional "capture" type story-- i.e. a big sexy Alpha wins his woman by force. Mikhail sets out to get Alya, intending to either capture her or kill her. He's armed with a magical rope that will bind her to his will.

The problem is, Alya would rather die than submit. She and Mikhail fight tooth and nail, but neither of them comes out on top. To find a happily-ever-after for them, I had to think sideways, and figure out a way for both of them to win.

I've already got my first review. Jane at Dear Author gave Damned by Blood an A-, calling it "fresh and fabulous." It's an excellent review. (Yes, I admit I'm biased!) But seriously, Jane gives an excellent rundown of how this power dynamic works, without giving away too much of the plot.

She praises me for not declawing Alya. I was relieved, because I worried that leaving her claws would make her unlikeable--one of the worst things a romance heroine can be. And though I personally thought the decisions Mikhail makes to win her showed his inner strength, some readers might think him weak for it. The jury is out. I'm waiting to hear every one's opinion.

Why don't you read it and let me know? I'm giving away a copy of Damned by Blood, all you have to do is leave a comment below.

Tell me what you dislike in a hero or heroine. Do you have different expectations for vampire than humans?

What is sure to make you throw a book against the wall?

The winner will be chosen by random draw. Please note that Damned by Blood is an e-book.

Here's a little taste to tempt you. This excerpt is from the beginning of the book, where Mikhail pays an unexpected visit to Alya's office.

***

Mikhail Faustin. She hadn’t seen him since he was younger than Matthew and Maya. She glanced their way, admiring their supple, slender bodies and their flawless skin, her mouth quirking into a smile. She and Mikhail had been very young indeed.

It seemed like there should be a law against killing your first lover, though considering their history, Mikhail probably wouldn’t mind driving a spike through her head. She wondered exactly how much he hated her.

Dominick paced, checking his weapons as he did.

Alya kicked off her heels and put her feet up on the desk, all the while keeping one eye on the front office monitor. “I hope security remembers to use plenty of lube. Did you get some of that knyaz lube I asked you to stock for distinguished visitors?”

Dominick scowled at her. This would be his first face to face with a genuine Faustin, and it had him all riled up.

Maya spoke through a yawn. “Is the Iceman as gorgeous as they say?”

Alya shrugged. Iceman, Ice, Frost—these were all street names for Mikhail. He must have changed a lot over the years, because when he was young, he ran as hot as any man she’d ever met. Even his pale blue eyes burned like the heart of a flame.

Mikhail walked into the front office that moment. The security camera caught him from a high angle, showing her a sleek animal in a severe black suit. Her chair hit the ground with a thump as she leaned close to the monitor.

Rapt, she chewed on the side of her thumb while she watched him speak to her secretary, marking all the ways he’d grown up. He was taller, broader through the shoulders, and the sweet lines of his face had turned austere and sharp as a blade. His straight, platinum hair brushed his collar. That hadn’t changed. She remembered his hair well, how it slid through her hands, heavy and fine.

As she’d heard, he did absolutely nothing to hide his vampirism anymore. Some vamps could pass naturally. Others made adjustments in order to pass. For instance, she wore contacts and sunglasses when she went out, and she did her best to move slowly, like a human. If you knew what to look for, it was easy to spot a vampire in any crowd, but no one would ever mistake Mikhail for human.

The power he held as his family’s leader shimmered around him like a second skin. He made a beautiful prince. Once upon a time she could not resist the draw of that power, but she wouldn’t pay the price for it anymore. Princes demanded absolute submission from those around them, especially their lovers. Now that she was a prince herself, she submitted to no one—not on the street, not in the council chamber and never, ever in the bedroom. She’d done her time on her knees. She had no intention of kneeling ever again.

Tapping Mikhail’s image on the screen with her fingernail, she murmured, “Very pretty. Too bad I’m going to have to kill you.”

He chose that moment to look up, directly into the camera. Straight into her eyes. Alya snatched her hand from the screen.

Her assistant buzzed. “Ms. Adad? Mr. Faustin and Mr. Silver are here.”

Mikhail continued to stare into the camera lens. She could not shake the feeling that he was tracking her with his uncanny eyes. Alya turned off the monitor, annoyed that he could rattle her with a trick like that. She checked her knives and leaned back in her chair. “Send them in.”

When Mikhail walked through the door the curtains stirred and the air temperature dropped. In a glance he took in every detail of the room, just as she would, memorizing the layout, cataloging the feeders, Dominick, and hanging Frank, and tucking that information away for future use.

Alya stood to greet him. She sampled his power, letting it brush over her skin before shaking it off with a shiver, like a cat that’s been stroked backward.

Their eyes locked and held without the camera as intermediary. She’d not been challenged so directly for a long time.

For the briefest moment, she glimpsed him as the angelic boy he’d been, kissing her with a smile. Was that really him? Had that girl been her? Some version of them, maybe. An incarnation on another plane. Butterflies filled her stomach, a visceral memory of how he’d once thrilled her. She hardened herself against the unsettling feeling. Sentimentality was a dangerous luxury.

“Knyaz,” she said, inclining her head without lowering her eyes. She used the title he’d be known by among his own people.

“Knyaginya,” he said, his gaze level, his hands folded in front of him, his expression that of a church saint. His use of the feminine honorific made her smile. It was quite an ugly mouthful. And properly, she should be knyaz too. She was no one’s princess.

“To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”

Mikhail gestured to his lawyer. Alya had forgotten the man even existed, but he’d been standing there at Mikhail’s left shoulder all along, grey and unobtrusive. He stepped forward with a letter sealed with black wax and dropped it on the table.

“Ms. Adad, I’ve come to testify that this sworn affidavit from Natalia Faustin is certified as genuine prophecy by the Council of Mothers.”

What in the hell did that mean? Now she’d have to call in her lawyers to find out. She didn’t touch the letter.

Mikhail pulled back his coat sleeve, revealing a strange bracelet—no, rather a slender black rope coiling up his arm. She hissed as she recognized the magic crawling over it. How had security let that by?

Shit. Hoping against hope, she pushed her panic button with her toe. Dominick raised a brow at her. She made a subtle “wait” signal with one finger.

“Alya Adad, I declare you mine by right of dream, bound to me by fate and blood—”

And then she understood. He hadn’t come to kill her, he’d come to marry her.

***

Read excerpts from the series at Samhain, and visit my website for more excerpts, reviews and author’s notes.

Free Book Friday: The Spicy Bedtime Companion

For this week's Free Book Friday giveaway I have a copy of The Spicy Bedtime Companion by Joan Elizabeth Lloyd which contains over 30 sizzling little tales of erotica that are fun, flirty and just a bit naughty.

If you would like a copy of this fun and just a little bit smutty collection of short erotic stories then leave a comment with your email. US shipping only.

Thanks and good luck.

Free Book Friday: The Zen of Zombie, Better Living Through the Undead

Do you struggle out of bed each morning and sway lifelessly across the room, mouth agape, arms hanging slack, murmuring unintelligibly? Well, take heart: you’re not alone! But these other staggering, limp, perpetually drowsy folks just happen to be zombies—and it turns out they can teach us a lot about enjoying life. And only here, between the covers of this book, will you learn their secrets to happiness. Learn how to slow down and move at your own pace, become your own boss, and just devour those irritating people who get in your way. And there’s more, because zombies can offer no-nonsense advice on love, playing to your strengths, and on becoming more adaptable.

Here's a hilarious book that explores how to have a better life by acting like a zombie. Too funny. I read throught he book for some laughs, it's humor you have to read to believe but it'll make your day. Especially if you are a zombie fan.

Zombies are the new in thing I guess. Not my cup of tea (I am a diehard vamp loving girl with a second place werewolf crush followed by a close third demon lover obession) but I suppose I can see some the appeal. Zombies don't think too much and they're all about action.

Plus they love girls with brains... too bad their only interest is the brains-as in they'll be enjoying how good they taste.

The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead by Scott Kenmore, published by SkyHorse Publishing is this week's Free Book Friday Giveaway Book.

If you would like a chance to have this fun book as part of your undead, zombie lovers collection just leave a comment telling me what you think about zombies.

Make sure to leave contact info. US shipping only.

Bad Girls and Badass Demons! Guest Post and Giveaway from Maree Anderson

I’d never written a novella before, so when I heard about the Red Sage Alpha Male Novella Contest, I figured I’d give it a go. Nothing like a bit of a challenge, huh?

Hang on. Red Sage publish erotic romance? Yikes! Not just a challenge, then, a really biiiiig challenge! So after I’d calmed the “no way can I do this!” demons, the first thing I got stuck into was some research. I bought a couple of Secrets anthologies and a selection of Red Sage novellas to read. Woot! Gotta love that excuse to buy more books ;-)

The research told me that Red Sage editors aren’t afraid to take chances.

I’d recently watched the TV series, Saving Grace. Grace is a cop who’s lost someone she loves. Her coping mechanisms are booze, cigarettes and sex…with her married partner. Only three or four episodes of the series screened here in New Zealand but Grace’s flaws, her strength and vulnerability in the face of her determination to do what she wanted and to hell with the consequences, stayed with me.

So I decided to take a risk and write heroine who’s not at all a “nice” girl.

Leisa, the heroine of Even Demons Get The Blues, sure looks like an angel but she’s on a slippery slope straight to Hell. Under the influence of a Destroyer demon, Leisa was provoked into committing a terrible crime. She’s lost everyone she loves and she’s filling the empty space in her soul with alcohol and casual sex. And those morning afters, when she wakes up next to some guy and can’t even remember his name, sure ain’t pretty.

So what kind of hero would be man enough to cope with a woman like Leisa?

Someone strong and determined, someone with a dark soul of his own, someone who wouldn’t be put off by the things she’s done. Hmmm. Perhaps not a man, then, but a demon. And not just any old demon, but the most badass demon in my version of Hell.

Introducing Rezon, the sole surviving Drakon demon.

Rez spent the last 4000 years as his king’s enforcer. And no-one kicked demon butt better than Rez. But he got fed up with all the gory bickering and back-stabbing, and much to King Asmodeus’s disgust, Rez opted out and took up Beguiling. When he can be bothered fulfilling his quotas, Rez is the quintessential poster-boy of the Beguiler Unit… until he cops a glimpse of Leisa.

Rez watches Leisa in a be-spelled mirror — he’s got that whole borderline stalker thing going on. Then Leisa picks up one loser too many and Rez convinces himself that if she’s going to fuck anyone tonight, it might as well be him. He whisks her off to his lair to show her what a real man — uh, make that horny demon! — can do for her.

Of course, Hell hath no fury like a Felinoid demon scorned. Rez’s current lover doesn’t take Rez’s unsavory obsession with a slutty human female lying down. She rats him out to King Asmodeus… who’s righteously pissed. Now that Rez’s transgression has been made public, Asmodeus must “officially” kick his scaly lizard ass into oblivion and beyond to teach him a lesson. And Asmodeus isn’t at all certain his own handsome ass wouldn’t get whupped in the process. Lucifer’s hairy balls, sometimes it just sucks to be king!

When the scales of good and evil are in balance, life is all peachy keen for my denizens of Heaven, Hell and Earth. But when Rez and Leisa indulge in a session of hot demonic sex and Leisa accidently breaks through Rez’s defenses and bonds with him, the scales aren’t just tipping, they’re verging on meltdown!

The sole surviving Drakon demon bonded to a human whose soul is tagged by a Destroyer? Now there’s Hell to pay. Not to mention Heaven. And an even higher power that has the potential to redeem both Leisa and Rez… if they manage to fulfill their destinies before they’re obliterated from this life and the next. Now they just have to figure out what those destinies might be!

I was rapt when Even Demons Get The Blues finalled in the Alpha Male Novella Contest. I was even more delighted when Red Sage offered to publish my manuscript—it was a June 2009 Red Sage Presents release. I hope you enjoy reading about how Rez and Leisa finally get their happy ending, despite some pretty dire odds.

And for those of you who might be wondering what happened to Rez’s Felinoid ex, Naamah’s story is currently with my editor. In “Let Sleeping Demons Lie” Naamah tangles with a Leonine Lycan prince, so it’s kitty vs lion, with some truly heinous hyenas thrown into the mix…mwah hah hah!

If you’d like to sign up to my website newsletter I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Oh, and don’t forget to leave your postal address in the confirmation email, so I can post you an Even Demons Get The Blues bookmark!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d like to thank Roxanne for letting me wax poetic here on Fang-tastic Books and if anyone has any questions, please feel free to post a comment and I’ll do my best to answer.

Oooh, almost forgot. Through a random selection process—namely me putting all commenters names into a hat and one of my kids rummaging about and picking a name—one commenter will win a pdf of Even Demons Get The Blues. Talk to you soon!

Cheers
Maree Anderson
http://www.mareeanderson.com/
http://www.writersgonewild.blogspot.com/
http://www.eredsage.com/

Free Book Friday: The Highwayman by Michele Hauf

Michele Hauf's newest book, The Highwayman, just hit stores this week and to celebrate I am giving away a free copy of The Highwayman to one lucky commenter.

From Michele's website:

In Michele Hauf's WICKED GAMES miniseries, a match between cat and demon takes on a most delicious spin...

Max Fitzroy, the legendary Highwayman, has slain scores of demons with a razor-lined whip and a burning need for revenge. Now, to rid himself of the demon shadow inside him—who has cursed him with immortality and stole all sensual pleasures—Max needs a witch's familiar, the one creature he's made a career of killing.

But the Highwayman isn't prepared for the familiar named Aby. The sleek and sexy conduit to the demon realm sees past his nightmarish shadow as easily as he scales the walls she's erected to protect herself. Max needs Aby to grant him his freedom, and then he needs to slay her. But how can he destroy the only creature he's desired in centuries?

Want to read an excerpt? Click here.

The Highwayman sounds yummy doesn't it?

I am so glad I have two copies, one to read and one to give away. So if you want a copy leave a comment and I'll pick a winner next Wednesday so you have all weekend to leave a comment (I know many US people will be busy since it is the 4th of July weekend). US shipping addresses only, please make sure your email contact info is available in the comment. Thanks and good luck.

Interview with Rachel Vincent and Giveaway of Prey

Today we have an interview with the awesome author Rachel Vincent who writes the Shifters series and the soon to be released YA Soul Screamers series.


· Let's start out by telling us a little about yourself. Who is the person behind the books?

Um… I’m pretty normal in real life. I can’t turn into a giant cat, and I’ve never eaten raw deer. It’s pretty hard to make me mad, and I’m terrible at holding grudges. I like to talk to people, both online and in person. Writing is really my only talent, and I work really hard to try to make the most of that one ability. I like to think I’m getting better at it. ;-)

· What brought you to writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer or is it something you discovered along the path of life?

I’ve been writing almost my entire life, but it never occurred to me that I might be able to make a living with my writing until I was in my mid-twenties. That’s when I switched from short stories to novels. Oddly enough, I have a whole string of unfinished short stories, but I don’t have a single incomplete novel.

· Do you commit to a daily writing goal? Like so many words or chapters?

Yes! I’d never get anything done otherwise. When I’m working on a rough draft, I aim for one chapter a day. That can be anywhere between 3000 and 4000 words. Occasionally more. And I don’t go to bed until I’ve made my goal.

· Are you a long time paranormal fan? What was your first experience with the paranormal that hooked you? Was it a movie or a book?

Again, yes! Two of my earliest memories are of watching The Wizard of Oz and The Dark Crystal. Neither is actually urban fantasy, but definitely paranormal. After that, there was Ghostbusters, The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, and other movies like that. As a child, I mostly read classics. The Little House books, Anne of Green Gables, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, etc… But by the time I was eleven, I’d graduated to Stephen King, Robert R. McCammon, and Dean Koontz. And while I read the occasional bit of contemporary, literary, or historical fiction, I’m a paranormal girl at heart. ;-)

· What made you decide to write about the paranormal? And a werecat, not the normal werewolf or even vampires but something so different?

I was reading a ton of urban fantasy and horror, so writing it seemed natural. Several members of my family ask me (quite frequently) why I don’t write something “normal,” and my answer is always the same. I live “normal.” I want to write something exciting! Something scary on more than one level. Something escapist, that feels safe at first, because it couldn’t ever really happen. But then… what if it could…? ;-)

Why werecats? While I do read a few vampire and/or werewolf series, I honestly don’t have anything to add to those particular mythologies. They’ve been done so well, and so often, that I wanted to do something different, but familiar. Faythe and her family are not the first werecats out there. But I’ve yet to run across another series focusing on werecats as anything other than sidekicks for the central vamp/wolf. (Not saying they aren’t out there. Just saying I haven’t found them.) And I thought cats deserved a better shot than that.
And, frankly, I’m a cat person. ;-)

· Did you do a lot of research about big cats and their social structure and how they live to merge it into the werecat's lives?

Yes. I studied the biology of several different big cats, trying to decide how to handle the conservation-of-mass problem inherent with Shifters. And I studied the social structure of lion prides. Then I reversed it. Instead of having lots of females and one adult male per pride, my werecats (a solid black species I made up) have lots of men and only one fertile female per Pride. Which provides tons of conflict—necessary in any good story. ;-)

· Tell us a little about your Shifters series and the newest book in the series, Prey.

My Shifters series is set in a closed world, which means humans have no idea they’re not the only sentient creatures out there. But unlike most of the other urban fantasies I’ve read, my Shifters are alone in their world, with humans. There are no vampires, witches, demons, or any other kind of supernatural creatures. No magic, no curses, no secret dimensions. There are just humans and Shifters (three species, that we see in the series), dealing with all the issues we have in real life. Family, love, friendship, politics, revenge, and hope. I try to leave a grain of hope in what is otherwise a pretty dark, violent, passionate world.

The series centers around a 23 yr. old female werecat named Faythe Sanders. Faythe starts out the series in Stray knowing only that she wants to be something other than a wife and mother—the role tabbycats must take in her world, in order to perpetuate their species. She’s been spoiled all of her life, because everyone knows she’ll have to sacrifice her freedom and independence some day to provide the next generation of her family. She’s the only one who can do that.

But that’s not what she wants, and the series shows her efforts to carve more out of life for herself, and for her fellow tabbies. And, of course, to fight the bad guys. She matures over the course of the series, and learns some pretty tough lessons. And by the third book, Pride, she’s had a bit of a role reversal. After that, Faythe is a force to be reckoned with. But she doesn’t have superpowers, or magic, or anything like that, other than a Shifter’s enhanced strength—which is little good against other Shifters. Faythe’s assets —once she understands how to use them—are loyal friends and family, a quick mind, and a big heart. And a hell of a left hook. ;-)

· You have a new series coming out later this year, A Young Adult book, My Soul to Take. What made you decide to write YA? Is it due to the popularity of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight phenomenon that a lot of paranormal authors are dipping their toes into the YA genre?

I decided to write YA because a couple of years ago, I started reading a lot of YA and I fell in love with what the genre had to offer. I can’t speak for other authors, but Twilight had nothing to do with my own desire to write YA. In fact, I’ve only read the first in that series. Harry Potter was the series that drew me back into this field, for the first time since The Babysitters Club, back in fifth grade. I came late to the HP phenomenon, but I devoured them. Loved the stories, loved the characters.

From there, I moved on to Scott Westerfeld, Melissa Marr, Lisa McMann, and Laurie Halse Anderson. I also enjoyed books by Jay Asher, Simon Holt, Brooke Taylor, Laura Wiess and Carrie Ryan. I love what YA is doing in and for the publishing community right now, and I’m so excited to be a part of it! In fact, part of me thinks I might still be dreaming. ;-)

· Tell us a little about the upcoming Soul Screamers series and the first book, My Soul to Take.

My Soul to Take is about a high school junior named Kaylee who gets these horrible, dark panic attacks—complete with brain-rattling screaming fits—when she thinks someone near her is about to die. She thinks she’s losing her mind, and has actually spent time in a psychiatric hospital. But it turns out she’s a bean sidhe (banshee)—and her premonitions of death are right on target.

The Soul Screamers books are my foray into Young Adult literature, and they’re completely unrelated to my Shifters series. Kaylee lives in a world populated by all kinds of creatures (no vamps, witches, or shifters), who know many, many ways to die. And, unfortunately, death isn’t always the end.

I love these books. Kaylee’s world consumes me. I’ve never had ideas fly at me as quickly as they do when I bury myself in her world. Anything is possible. But it’s all dangerous. So if you visit her, don’t touch the plant life. Just… trust me on that one. ;-)

· When you are not writing do you read a lot?

Yes, I love to read. In fact, for my birthday, all I’ve asked for is a day free of obligations, so I can read all day. And maybe go out to dinner. ;-) Unfortunately, I have to admit that I haven’t had a lot of spare time lately, and the pile of books I really, really want to read is so high that if it were to fall, it would crush me. Stack hardbacks on the bottom, people. There are lives at stake. ;-)
Seriously, though, most of my days lately see me writing, editing, plotting, or promoting until after midnight. All day long. That’s what yesterday was like, but then I did read for an hour in bed. I have an ARC of Simon Holt’s upcoming release (The Soulstice), and I couldn’t put it down! Hope to finish it tonight.

· What books are currently on your to-read list?

I’m currently in the middle of Tithe and North of Beautiful. I’m looking forward to Beautiful Creatures; Strange Angles; Wintergirls; White Witch, Black Curse; Magic in the Blood, and Bone Crossed.

· Who are some of your favorite authors?

Oh, man. Most of the authors whose books I’ve mentioned so far. But since I became an author, I’ve met bunches of other authors, so I’m only going to mention the ones I haven’t actually met (but would love to!). My roots are in horror, and I am a huge, babbling Stephen King fan. Unrepentant. Unshakable. Stephen King is one of the few writers whose work hides the mechanics from me. When I read his stuff, I don’t see plot, and language, and character arcs. I see a story, and I almost always get completely lost in that story.
Patricia Briggs. Faye Kellerman (Mysteries confound me. I can’t write them. I’m in awe of those who can.) I could go on. But it would be embarrassing. ;-)

· If you could entertain a character from a book, who would it be and what would the evening be like?

I would want to sit down with Roland, from Stephen King’s Dark Tower books. He’s seen a lot of stuff, from a lot of different worlds, and I want to hear about it all. I don’t cook, but I’d totally cook for him. He is missing several fingers, after all… ;-)

· What is your strangest habit?

I don’t write at a desk. I never have. I write in my recliner, with my laptop on my lap. And I don’t work in hardcopy. Ever. Even my edits come via email these days. I don’t keep notes on paper. I don’t even take phone messages on paper. The only time I ever actually write something down is on Post-it notes.

· If you weren’t a writer what would your career be?

I thought I would be a teacher. I actually taught ninth grade English for a very short while, but that turned out not to be my gift. So I guess if I weren’t a writer, I’d probably be a secretary, or administrative assistant. I really love to type. ;-)

· When you are not writing, what can you usually be found doing, other than reading?

Other than reading? Watching DVDs (love horror; Netflix!) or playing Rock Band. I’ve mastered the orange button. The world is now mine to conquer!

· Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

Um… I give away a lot of stuff on my blog. Mostly books, but I have something big going on the last week of June and the first week of July, to celebrate the release of Prey (July 1) come check it out!

http://urbanfantasy.blogspot.com/


Thanks so much for visiting Fang-tastic Books, Rachel!

Would you like to win a copy of Rachel's newest Shifters Book, PREY?

Then leave a comment answering this question:

If you were a shifter what type of animal

would you like to be able to shift into?

A winner will randomly be chosen and announced on Wednesday. US shipping only.

Free Book Friday

This week we have A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE by Diana Rubino as the Free Book Friday giveaway book.

Blurb:

A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE is a fun-filled blend of the vampire world and luxury cruises.

The heroine, romantic suspense author Mona, is a human, and the hero Fausto is a vampire. Although they care deeply about each other, their different backgrounds create a lot of problems. He can never be one of her kind and she's deathly afraid to become one of his. But her best friend Tessie is madly in love with Fausto's vamp cousin Quintus, and makes her life-altering decision to let him turn her. But as they as they all sail the Mediterranean on a writer's cruise that Mona's organized, Fausto's job as the ship's doctor is hard to perform when he realizes hunters (or the Vampire Ball Busters, as vamps call them) are after him and his fellow vamps.

They abduct Tessie, who saves her neck at the last minute by turning Roy, one of the hunters. Now Roy must live as one of the despised creatures he's devoted his life to hunting. But his problems pale in comparison to Mona's as Fausto's ex-wife shows up after four hundred years, hot to snatch him back. She's not just another bitter ex hoping to rekindle the flames--she's Lucrezia Borgia, history's most notorious gold digger and husband-killer.

When Mona and Fausto team up with the hunters to capture Lucrezia and get her to confess to her crimes, Mona thinks all is lost because Lucrezia refuses to talk. But Mona gets her creative writer's juices flowing, and right out of one of her suspense novels, tricks Lucrezia into a confession. The tabloid show The Cutting Edge, on shipboard to tape the writers' cruise, beams the story all over the world. Mona and Fausto become instant celebrities, but hunters are still after Fausto. One of them shoots Mona while aiming for him, and she realizes she must let Fausto turn her or she'll die--so she makes her decision, which she never regrets. Instead of looking for the next big market trend, she helps Fausto and Quintus write their memoirs, so the world can see what vampires really are about.

To learn more about Diana and her books visit: www.DianaRubinoAuthor.blogspot.com

and
www.DianaRubino.com

To be entered to win A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE just leave a comment and a winner will be chosen and announced this upcoming Wednesday. US shipping only. Thanks and good luck.

Free Book Friday Sweet Persuasion By Maya Banks

This week I have a steamy, hot, erotic novel- Sweet Persuasion by Maya Banks.

Description (from the back of the book):

For five years, Serena has run Fantasy Incorporated and has devoted her time to fulfilling her clients’ fantasies. Never her own. Until now…

Her most secret desire is to give ownership of her body to a man. Someone who will command her, pleasure her, and have complete authority over her. So she seeks out Damon Roche, owner of an exclusive sex club and a man strong enough to make her do anything he wants. Anything.

Together they’ll journey into a world she’s only dreamed of. She’s given the opportunity to immerse herself in a different life while her normal one waits for her to return whenever she wishes. Damon has no desire to let her go, however. Serena is the woman he’s long searched for, and it’s up to him to convince her to stay when the game is all over with. He wants their fantasy to become their reality and for Serena to remain his pampered, cherished submissive.

Want to read an excerpt of this hot erotica book? Go to Maya's website to check it out.

Ready to win a copy? Leave a comment with email address and you'll be entered to win this hot summer read. US residents only please.

Free Book Friday: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires

Not the usual paranormal fiction book but a must have for lovers of vampire lore, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires is full of everything you have ever needed or wanted to know about vampires: from the rise of new vampire legends and heroes and the resurrection of the old ones, to vampire myths from around the world, the Goth and Vampire lifestyle, real vamps today, fun and campy vamps, vamps, zombies and other undead, all about Dracula, and other classic vampires in film and books.

I haven't read this book yet but it is in my pile, looks interesting. I love to read what others write about vampires. Seems everyone has a take on what vampires mean to us. Of course if I start this will be a long discourse and I have not the time so I'll save that for another day.

Anyway in addition to giving away The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires, I have another set of signed book cover postcards of Vicki Lewis Thompson's hex series. Each of the 3 postcards depicts the cover of one of the Hex books and on the back gives a quick blurb about the book...and each one is signed by Vicki Lewis Thompson. I also have a I brake for Big Knob bumper sticker and trading cards featuring George the Dragon and Dee Dee the Lake Monster from the Hex series.

In the goodie pack I also have a signed bookmark from Jenna Maclaine author of the fantastic Cin Craven series, a bookmark from Lynda Hilburn, and a signed postcard from me featuring one of my books.

Hope you enjoy.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with email contact info. US residents only please.

(PS, You don't have to post your snail mail address just an email contact so I can get ahold of you if you win. Sometimes people never leave an email addy and then I pick a winner and have no way to contact them. Thanks so much!)

Guest Author Erin O'Riordan Is With Us Today

Please welcome erotica and romance author Erin O'Riordan to Fang-tastic Books today.

She's chatting about her new book, Beltane, and about a few of her short stories as well as offering a signed paperback copy of Beltane as a giveaway.

Thanks for joining us Erin !

Hello everyone.

I'll start off by telling you a little bit about Beltane.

Pagan priestess Allie is marrying the man of her dreams, Paul Phillip. A buttoned-down lawyer, he may not be "exciting," but he makes Allie feel like a princess. Allie's twin sister, free-spirited witch Zen, takes a chance on Allie and Paul Phillip's wedding caterer, Chris. Chris is more the hit 'em and quit 'em type, though. When Zen meets hip businessman Orlando, she thinks she's found what her sister has with Paul Phillip. Which sister will end up with her true love?

Beltane is an erotic, explicitly sexy romance, available as an e-book from Eternal Press, on Fictionwise, and at All Romance E-Books, and in paperback on Amazon.com.

This excerpt has Zen meeting Orlando for the 2nd time:

Zen went up front. She was surprised to see the same man who’d been at the bar in O’Connor’s the night before. This time, instead of a blue suit, he wore a gray pin-striped button-down with the sleeves rolled up, and gray pants. He wore another pair of Gucci shoes that matched just as perfectly. He smiled as he examined a row of herbs: anise seed for love potions, to stir up lust; mistletoe, hung above door and windows to banish nightmares; yarrow to increase one’s psychic abilities, hawthorn for protection from evil spirits, and bloodroot for love potions. It seemed to Zen that he was even sadder tonight than he’d been the night before.

"Welcome to Light and Shadow," Zen said. "May I help you?"

He nodded slightly, not looking up from the potions. "The cocktail waitress at the bar up the street said you’re a witch."

"That’s me," Zen said. She noticed, for the first time, the cross that he wore around his neck. That wasn’t so unusual. Half of her customers were very religious. "I should warn you that my powers are very limited. So if there’s anyone whom you wish to turn into a toad, I can’t help you."

He laughed. "But you tell fortunes, don’t you?"

"Yeah, that I can do," she said. "I can’t tell you exactly where you’ve been, or where you’re going, but I can give you a general idea of how things are, and how they should be."

He thought about this for a moment. "That’s good," he said. "How much?"

"Forty," she said. This was twice what she usually charged, but he looked like he could afford it. He took out his billfold and handed her a fifty.

She went to the cash register to get him his change, but he said, "Keep it."

"Thank you."

"So, where do we do this thing?" he said, adding, "I assume you’re just going to read my palm or something. I hope this won’t involve chicken blood or anything unpleasant like that."

"Through the golden door," she said, pointing. "And the chicken blood service is forty dollars extra."

As Zen and her customer entered, Gillian picked up the last of the tarot cards from the floor and stood. "Hi," she said. "I’m Gillian, the assistant witch. Do you need any help, Zen?"

"No," Zen said, "unless you feel like running to the coffee shop for a couple of lattes."

"Bring me one, too," the customer said. He handed her a ten-dollar bill. "Please."

Gillian nodded. "What do you like? Caf or decaf? Sugar or artificial sweetener?"

He laughed. "I’ll make it easy on you," he said. "I’ll have whatever you ladies are having."

"You got it." Gillian went outside, the door’s chimes jingling behind her.

"Zen?" the customer said, turning from Gillian’s departing form back to Zen. "That’s a really unusual name."

"It’s short for Zenobia," she said. "Mom read it in a Hawthorne novel or something. Please, sit down. And you are?"

"Orlando Parisi," he said.

"Could you be any more Italian?" she joked, taking the seat across from him.

"Actually, yes," he said. "I’m only half Italian. Dad was from Milan; Mom’s from Slovenia. I was born in Slovenia—well, Yugoslavia, technically. Why am I telling you all of this?"

In addition to Beltane, I’ve also written erotic fiction for Hustler Fantasies and Playgirl. My fiction has been featured in e-zines including Clean Sheets, Oysters and Chocolate, Lucrezia Magazine, For The Girls, The Erotic Woman, and Tassels and Tales. I’m especially proud of "Spicy, Earthy, Sweet," the story I wrote for Ravenous Romance. If you’ll pardon the pun, it puts the "nookie" in "Hanookkah." (I’m bad with puns; too much Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as a child.)

I’m also quite proud of my werewolves-and-vampire menage story, "Oliver’s Famous Clam Chowder," which appears in the Torquere Press anthology Love Bites. It’s my second werewolf story. My first was the girl-pirates-and-werewolves tale "Fall of the Estrela," published at Midnight Times.

You can read more of the adventures of Erin O’Riordan at my Pagan Spirits blog, http://www.erinoriordan.blogspot.com/.

One lucky reader who leaves a comment here AND signs up to follow the Pagan Spirits blog will win a signed paperback copy of Beltane!

Free Book Friday-Win a Copy of Larissa Ione's Desire Unchained

It's Free Book Friday everyone! Woo Hoo!

As promised I have something good to give away this week, a brand spanking new copy of Larissa Ione's Desire Unchained. This new release is the second book in the Demonica Novels trilogy. The third book will be out in March.

Learn more about the Demonica Novels at Larissa Ione's website. You can even grab a sneak peak at an excerpt of Desire Unchained.

So if you want to enter to win a copy of Larissa Ione's Desire Unchained please leave a comment on this post including contact info in case you win.

Want more than one chance to win this book? Grab extra entries for Digging, Tweeting, and blogging about this Free Book Friday Giveaway. For every promo link you give to Fang-tastic Books I'll give you an extra entry in the contest.

In your comment please tell me what you did to promote this site and contest and include links if you can and you'll get an entry for each post. So if you Digg me, Tweet me and blog about Fang-tastic Books at your blog that gives you four entries- 1 regular comment entry, one entry for Digg, one for Twitter, and one for blogging about Fang-tastic Books.

Free Book Friday - Win a PDF of Paranormal Bedtime Stories

Free Book Friday totally snuck up on me this week. I just realized it was Friday and that's why this post is so late. The kids being home on Monday really messed my week up, I thought today was Thursday.

Anyway, I am totally unprepared for Free Book Friday. I haven't received any giveaways from authors and publishers yet and I haven't finished sorting through my pile. But do not fear, I still have a giveaway for you.

Up for grabs is a pdf copy of Paranormal Bedtime Stories which contains two of my sexy paranormal erotica stories: Sea of Blood and Halloween Surprise.

If you would like to win a free copy of Paranormal bedtime Stories please comment on this post and make sure you leave contact info so I can send you the ebook if you win.

Thanks for stopping by. I promise next week I'll have something good for Free Book Friday.

Early Spring Cleaning -Book Giveaway-Wicked Hot by Charlene Teglia

I am acquiring quite a stack of books. Most of the are bound ARC's (advance review copies). They are uncorrected proofs that reviewers get before the books go on sale. I have a lot of them. Some I am keeping, like my Laurell K Hamilton one and any that go with a series that I read but others, well...they are piling up.

So I figured I would start giving them away. From time to time I'll be posting a book here that is up for grabs. If you would like it please comment on this post and leave an email so you can be contacted. I will randomly pick from the people that post.

This week's book up for grabs is Wicked Hot by Charlene Teglia. This is a supernatural sizzler. It is about a succubus that needs to seduce a Nephilim (half angel). Wicked Hot is definitely a scorcher, sex right from the get go and it just keeps getting hotter. If you love fast paced erotica novels full of super hot sex scenes this is a book you'll adore. Here's the complete review I wrote about it at NightOwlRomance.com

So if you would like this ARC of Wicked Hot please leave a comment below.