Man's Best Friend

  I'm talking Man's Best Friend and the Apocalypse over at Romance Writers of the Apocalypse blog today. Come say hello :)

Amazon

Amazon have now come to the party and have Identity Shift available now too, for free!

Nice to see those numbers go down and down =))

More news to come very soon! =)

Identity Shift (free!!)

For a limited time Identity Shift is now free at Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

BLURB:

Alexia Leigh leaves her father's funeral determined to prove that his discovery of big-cat shape-shifters isn't mythical nonsense. She wants to exonerate her deceased father's name and reveal the secret shifters race is alive and well.
When she tracks down the elusive and wealthy Blake Powell to an old, run down apartment, she isn't prepared for the instant attraction that flares between them. She wants only to focus on the reasons behind his name being on the aged parchment her father had found alongside some shifter bones.
But almost immediately she finds herself on the run with Blake from a group of fanatics who believe all too much in the reality of shape-shifters.
When she gives into the attraction with Blake and has mind blowing sex with him again...and again, she realizes she has to choose between him or the evidence he can give her on a silver platter...

Extract:

Guns ‘N’ Roses blared from inside nondescript apartment fourteen. She took a deep, calming breath as adrenaline surged within. She had him. At last her quarry was within reach. She raised a fist and hammered on the flimsy, peeling wooden door.

The music shut down. A baby wailed a few apartments down, a small dog yapping into life inside another. Heavy footsteps approached from the other side of the door.

“Yes.”

One word. One deep, masculine, primal intonation.

Her pulses jerked in response, her nipples beading tight beneath her black leather jacket and tight burgundy singlet.

If this is what he could do to a woman with one monosyllable behind a closed door, she could only imagine what he could do with a whole sentence, and up close and personal.

She cursed under her breath. She’d clearly been too long without a man, someone to ease the heavy ache of her breasts, the deep throb between her thighs. Just as well she wanted nothing more from him than answers.

Hesitating for a beat, she asked, “Mr. Powell?”

She closed her eyes at his long, drawn out silence. Then she heard him release a heavy sigh before returning wearily, “Who wants to know?”

Impatience drummed a loud tattoo behind her skull. A migraine was all she needed right now.

“I’m here on behalf of my father. He is—“ she swallowed back a wave of bitter loss and grief ”—was an archaeologist. You may have heard of him? Professor Thomas Leigh.” At the thick, almost suffocating silence that followed she continued more loudly, “He believed in the existence of human-panther shape-shifters—”

Her sentence ended on a startled gasp as the door flung open and she was jerked unceremoniously inside.

“Enough already,” Blake growled.

She hissed out a breath at the current of electricity sizzling through her arm’s every nerve ending; at the cheek of him dragging her inside. She tugged free, and looked up…and up.

Beneath scruffy dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt the man was a mountain of fluid muscle and sinew, repressed energy that vibrated with emotion and patently raw sex appeal.

“Are you mad?” she said through gritted teeth. “All I wanted was a civilized discussion, not to be dragged inside like I’m nothing more than…than a cave woman!”

He slammed the door shut behind her and pushed home a large bolt. When he peeled off his dark sunglasses—ludicrous inside the near dark room lit only by a naked bulb—she took an involuntary step back. His eyes were an unnatural gold-yellow. Beautiful, but deadly.

She sucked in some oxygen, forcing a calm she didn’t feel. Damn it all to hell, he really was sinfully delicious, with more vague hints of darkness beneath his honey-warm skin that tantalized and teased even as it repelled.

“I know who you are,” he said.

“You do?”

“Yes.” He sighed, tunneling a hand through his thick, dark hair that was an inch away from scruffy. “I’m sorry.”

“Wh…what?”

“About your father.”

“Why?” Her voice rose an octave, “Because like everyone else you think the world is better off without another crackpot and his loony beliefs?”

“No. I’m sorry because he was a great man who thought above and beyond the restrictions of science.”

Hostility fled her body, leaving her oddly drained and a little disorientated. How long had it been since someone had said something good about her father? Too long, clearly, for her to appreciate even a scrap of praise. Snide remarks and innuendos had become part and parcel of their life for the three long months since her father’s discovery.

“You look about ready to collapse.” Somehow his silky rich voice stroked her senses, hummed along the nerve-endings behind her eyeballs and soothed away her stress. Turning it into another tension entirely. Sexual tension. “Please. Take a seat,” he murmured.

She managed the couple of steps needed before all but flopping into a ripped, vinyl two-seater lounge. “You knew my dad?”

“No, not personally. But I read all his articles. He was ahead of his time. A brilliant and ethical man.”

And look where that had got him. Mocked and ridiculed until he’d been stripped of all his dignity, his beliefs. His life.

A wedge of hair dropped over her eyes from her scraped back pony tail. She abstractedly pushed the dark blonde length behind one ear. “Then you know why I’m here.”

He moved into the tiny kitchen, where a half-empty bottle of scotch resided on the counter. He poured them each a glass. She gulped hers down like it was a tonic for all the ills in the world.

He smiled and took a mouthful before giving a nod. “I gather since your father uncovered the bones, he also found the journal and deciphered the names on the list?”

“Only yours,” she conceded. Her father’s long held view of honesty being the best policy had burrowed deep into her psyche, despite its obvious pitfalls. “What else have you concluded?” she pressed.

He raised a dark brow. “That now you’re hoping to track down the Illawatti tribe.”

She released another long, slow breath. “Let me guess. You think I’m a raving lunatic?”

Just like my dad.

Blake stalked over to the window and peered between the moldy, almost transparent curtains. “No. Actually, I don’t.”

Wow. Was he serious? She snorted disbelief. “So you agree there’s a possibility the Illawatti tribe exist—” 

“We need to leave,” he growled.

She frowned. “No. Not until I get some answers—”

The breath whooshed hard from her throat as he threw himself at her. His weight knocked her to the ground simultaneously to the window shattering, glass raining down like blades of ice.

The dog a few doors down once again took up its relentless yapping. She closed her eyes, aware the muscled bulk of Blake’s body sheltered her. But she was even more aware of the ping of a bullet that had torn a hole through the opposite wall.

Shock pushed her heart rate into high gear. “Someone is shooting at you!”

He effortlessly scooped her up and half-ran into what had to be the only bedroom. “No,” he corrected grimly. “They’re shooting at us.”

Some More Rockin' Covers

Kylie Griffin's 3rd upcoming installment to her Light Blade series, Allegiance Sworn.

Fellow Nocturne Bites author, Anna Hackett has a new cover with Time Thief.

My Book FREE for a Limited Time!

My novella, Identity Shift, is FREE for a limited time at Smashwords and hopefully B&N and Amazon soon! I loved this story and hope you guys will too =)

Here's the blurb:

This big cat has claws and knows how to use them. Alexia Leigh is determined to prove big-cat shape-shifters exist. But she never expected Blake Powell to rescue and seduce her--never expected to want him like he's her last damned breath! She's never experienced such raw pleasure, never felt so alive. And now she is torn between him and the proof needed to exonerate her dead father's once great name

Sin's Dark Caress

Happy release day to Tracey O'hara's: Sin's Dark Caress. The third book in her Dark Brethren series. And what a gorgeous cover! =))

Another cover reveal!

Here's another cover to admire. BLOODLUST DENIED is Christina Phillips new cover. She writes for Berkley Heat and is now an Elloras Cave author too! She also writes under the pen name Christina Ashcroft.

Kylie Scott's Debut Cover!

Wanted to show off CP Kylie Scott's debut cover FLESH (released Oct 1, 2012) I absolutely love it! Apparently there may be a few small changes - but wow!! And yes, this is a zombie book (great title!) releasing through Pan Macmillan's new digital line, Momentum.

I'll put a link up when it's available, but in the meantime...

Here's the blurb:

Ali has been hiding in an attic since civilisation collapsed eight weeks ago.

When the plague hit, her neighbours turned into mindless, hungry, homicidal maniacs.

Daniel has been a loner his entire life. Then the world empties and he realises that being alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Finn is a former cop who is desperate for companionship, and willing to do anything it takes to protect the survivors around him.

When the three cross paths they band together; sparks fly, romance blooms in the wasteland and Ali, Daniel and Finn bend to their very human needs in the ruins of civilisation.

Lust, love and trust all come under fire in Flesh as the three band together to survive, hunted through the suburban wastelands.

Friday 13th Winners!

Don't forget to visit the Romance Writers of the Apocalypse blog to see if you've won any of the fabulous Friday 13th prizes!

I'm loving some of the survival tips - who knew about red and purple edible berries!!??

Working On...

I've dusted off an old manuscript called Shadow Hunter that I didn't think would ever see the light of day. I guess it's like one of those untouched chores that bug you and bug you until you cave in and just finish it off!

Well this one is a finished story at 65k but it still needs quite the rewrite, despite it's couple of wins and finals in some pre-pubbed comps (2008 & 2009) Anyway, I've given myself a week to rewrite it and add just over 25k (gulp) before sending it off. Nothing like a goal to keep one motivated though! (a bit like the gym I've just signed up for...but that's another story)

I've also started Galactic Storm - book 3 of the Alien Hunger series and inbetween that I'm working on Dimensional and Chameleon. Hopefully I'll settle onto just one after my week of mad editing and rewriting and get it finished and sent to editor =)

Random photo of Yammie: lap warmer.

Books I've just bought to read...

This is Bec's debut novel, which I've pre-ordered. She's yet another Aussie talent who's published after many contest wins  under her belt. The cover is gorgeous and has a very steampunk feel about it. 

I've heard a lot about Lauren but have never read her books. This one was recommended to me by good writing friend and CP Kylie Scott. Although Lauren has plenty of other genres too, I always love to sink my teeth into a paranormal story first up.

You can't go past a suspensful read when it comes to Tracey O'hara. (35 days until release!!) Besides the fact she's my occasional CP and good friend, I love her work. And that cover is simply stunning!!

This one is for my daughter (a big fan)  - though I love me a good Keri Arthur story as well. Another one with a fantastic cover!

This one is for my husband (and me too!) we really enjoyed book 1 (Vengeance Born) and I for one can't wait to read about the blind heroine who captivated me in book 1 as a secondary character.

I seriously couldn't not get this book. As one of the authors of the first Something Wicked anthology (which I loved!) I had to get this one too and check out the other authors. And what a great way to find 'new to me' writers! I'll be getting the next two when they come out too.

Prize Party Pack!

Come visit Romance Writers of The Apocalypse for their Friday the 13th ALL weekend party for a chance to win some very cool books! I've just posted there today about an Alien and Viral Apocalypse - scary stuff!! And be sure to play the alien footage - if you dare!!!

I'm also a guest on the wonderful Lynn LeFleur's Newsletter. Check it out here: http://www.lynnlafleur.com/LLJuly2012.pdf

Apocalypse Launch Party: Prizes!!!

Romance Writers of the Apocalypse love Friday the 13th -  used to doom and gloom, we also know how to throw a good party (it might be the last one, y'know)!

Come and check us out for an ALL WEEKEND load of fun and prize giveaways! We really do have lots of fun over there! =))

I'll be giving away an e-copy of each of my Alien Hunger series, book 1 of Galactic Burn and book 2 of Galactic Inferno.

Let the party begin!

Next Hero?

Okay so most of us have a 'thing' for tall, dark and handsome - add a man with talent and I'm more than a little in lust (aside from hubster of course!)

This band is currently in the charts with their fabulous single "Drive By" along with many previous hits.

So what do you guys think - does the singer look like a hero in the making?

Apocalypse Fun??

I know I know!- 'Apocalypse' and 'Fun' don't usually go hand-in-hand, but the girls over at Romance Writers of the Apocalypse have made it that way! I'm so happy to be joining the blog  and caving into my crazy (lunatic??) side. Perhaps I'll be able to give (ahem) advice for how to survive those despairing years - of course, all loosely based on my alien novels...

Anyway, back to being 'normal' again. There is a fantastic group of authors: Tracey O'hara and Kylie Scott (founding members who took on the idea one-handed - their other hands were wrapped around a glass of tequila *g*), Erica Hayes, Cari Silverwood, Lexi Couper, Kim Knox, Cathleen Ross, Shona Husk and Christina Ashcroft! Phew!!! 

Looking forward to seeing you there! =)))

Enchanted Realms: giveaway!!!!

My wonderful writer friend, dedicated volunteer extraordinaire and generally lovely all over person - Eleni Konstantine has her short story, Enchanted Realms released today through Musa publishing. She is also offering a giveaway over at her blog, Eleni's Taverna

Wishing you many sales Eleni and lots of wonderful reviews! =))

Deep Point of View - what is it?

I've been doing some mentoring and critiquing of stories for some fellow erotic writers, and one thing that keeps coming up is deep point of view, or lack there-of.


So what is deep pov? In my mind, it's having a reader experiencing a situation through the hero or heroine's eyes, where his/her thoughts, emotions and reactions hits front and centre.
In other words, as a writer you're not 'telling' a reader about the experience, you're 'showing' them the experience--giving the experience to them.


Sometimes it can be as simple as taking away the telling words after showing it.
 Eg- Her stomach fluttered with excitement, her hands trembling with anticipation.
This easily becomes: Her stomach fluttered, her hands trembled.
The latter reveals the same thing, only the reader is drawn in more without the telling words. If the setup of the sentence is done right IE: the writer has built towards the tension of the scene and the reader is aware of what's at stake, then 'telling' them as well isn't always necessary.


"Felt" is a word as writers we're often told to eliminate. Why? Because by using it we're again 'telling' the reader what the character is experiencing.
eg - She felt a chill settle deep into the marrow of the bones. She'd never felt more scared.
becomes - A chill settled deep into the marrow of her bones. (we don't need to add the next sentence as a reader assumes from her reaction that she'd never felt more scared, therefore the words are just deadwood to be eliminated).


Reactions and emotions of the characters are also crucial--we want the reader to 'feel' these emotions, laugh at the high points, cry at the low points, become anxious at the tense moments.
eg- She looked at him. She loved him, she'd always had. Embarrassingly, he'd always known it.
becomes- Her throat dried as she looked at him, a wave of longing threatening to send heat straight to her face. Again. She could only pray this once he wouldn't notice.
The former isn't too bad, (and has its place) but the latter has more impact though it tells the same story.


Internal thoughts and knowing personal experiences/traits of the characters can also impact deep pov. If Claire, a successful business woman, was traumatised as a child by a dog attack - you wouldn't have her react like this:
Claire glared at the german shepherd who slinked towards her, it's hackles up and teeth bared. "I don't have time for this shit-go on, get home!"
You'd build on the emotions, the tension and past experiences - and you'd gear it towards the personality of the character facing the dilemma:
Claire's briefcase thudded to the ground. She backed up a step, heart in her throat, blood draining from her face. All logical thought ceased, all thought processes ground to a stop. Please god, no. Not again.


Simple things also help with deep pov. If we're in the characters skin, living the experience with her, we want a quick visual of her surrounds, a little sniff of the rose garden or of the food frying next door, a reaction and/or thought.
eg- Her childhood home hadn't changed one bit, not the sagging front porch, the ripped screen door, nor the patchy lawn and the straggly paw paw tree that'd never yielded fruit. The only difference was the scent emanating from inside. Barbecued steak and caramalised fried onion. Her belly compressed - with nerves or hunger, she wasn't quite sure. She swallowed, and strode forward. Her mother was expecting her. Time to face the music.


This is just a brief summary of deep pov, but hope it helps =))

Life Bytes

I'm over at Keziah Hill's fabulous blog as a Life Bytes guest. Come visit, it was lots of fun!! =))

First Review of Galactic Inferno!

Thanks to Kylie Scott for her review of Galactic Inferno.  My first one!!!

It's great when writing friends enjoy my stories too!

Here's some of her review. The rest can be found at her blog:

 Kylie Scott - Love an Apocalypse

Review:

Ally is stumbling around Sydney in shock with her beloved dog Bonnie at her heel. She's doing her best to avoid ‘the eyes in the sky’ looking for survivors just like her. Her memory is patchy due to the virus and the death and destruction surrounding her would be enough to do anyone’s head in. But there are more than just Alien hotties on the hunt.

Feral dog packs now roam the streets and these puppies have developed a taste of human flesh. Renate, one of the hated Alien race, rescues our heroine from certain death care of just such a dog. What does the Alien want? (Apart from to Repopulate! that is.) And why does Ally feel such a strong pull towards him? Is it Alien mind tricks or something more?

News and Update

Galactic Inferno is now available at Amazon and hopefully very soon at B&N. Love how Ellora's Cave are so quick at putting out their books to other vendors =))


I've also been busy working on a project where published authors critique and mentor unpublished (erotic) authors with a view for publication to help fund an erotic retreat. Can't say too much more at the moment, but I'm really excited about what has developed (like a great snowball effect) and hope to have some more news about it soon! =)


I'm also just putting the finishing touches to my 25k novella, Larakyte (new possible title: Nightmix) and hope to send it off soon!


WAY behind on my writing schedule, but once the mentoring 'stuff' is done and a few other things are finalized,  I hope to catch up - very quickly!! I have a page on my wall beside my computer with my writing goals and word counts, and it's not even funny how far behind I am LOL!!


Can't wait for the retreat!!!! =)))))

Feeling Almost Famous...

Thanks so much To Francis Klein of the Gympie Times for giving such a fantastic and positive interview on erotic romance =))
And for making me sound really good too LOL!!!!
You can find the interview here.

Special Guest: Kylie Griffin with Alliance Forged!

The Master Race

What comes to mind when you hear those words?

Hitler? Germany? Concentration camps? A superior race? Experimentation? Extermination? A dark time back in the early decades of the 20th century?

Like me, you might have studied the rise and fall of Hitler's Regime at high school or university. The images, recounts and documentaries aren't exactly warm or fuzzy, and they certainly leave an impression on you. But, as a writer, some of the events and concepts of Hitler's grand plans make the mind tick over, imagining what if...

What if Hitler's idea of establishing a Master Race had succeeded? How would it have shaped our world history? What sort of place would be the world today? Would there be a caste system? Slavery? Ideologies developed around the superiority of certain genetic traits? Laws forbidding the mixing of races?

The mind boggles, doesn't it?

One of the questions I get asked a LOT is where do you come up with ideas for your stories. Well, history tends to be a good starting point, and to be honest, much of the time I don't realise where the inspiration comes from until after I've written the book. The subconscious is a wonderful thing. It can absorb a photo, an event, a fact, or even a phrase or lyric can and mull it over for days or even years.

I'm now up to book #3 in my Light Blade fantasy romance series, and I'm only now beginning to recognise and understanding that some of my plot lines reflect events from human history, specifically the time of Hitler.

The idea of a master race starts in VENGEANCE BORN and arcs through into ALLIANCE FORGED and ALLEGIANCE SWORN. A lot of my world building links to this concept - there are humans, a race of demons known as the Na'Reish, and a hybrid race of half-human, half-demons called the Na'Chi. Both human and demon histories regale their own race as being superior to the other, and both are at war to prove the point. They also can't stand the thought of a hybrid race, of their bloodlines being tainted, so laws and actions have been instituted to ensure any such offspring are terminated, then over the decades the possibility of their existence relegated to the shadowy realm of mythology.

But, as with any society, what happens when ideologies break down or beliefs are challenged? Or better yet, proven wrong?

In VENGEANCE BORN (Bk#1), secrets about the origins of human and demon history were uncovered, and the fallout of hundreds of years of corruption, lies and misinformation alters that history and defies perceptions. ALLIANCE FORGED (Bk#2) propels the characters into a time of conflict and instability where everyone - humans, Na'Reish demons and the Na'Chi - struggle to come to terms with the need to change and what it means for their survival.

Varian and Kymora, the Na'Chi hero and human heroine, spearhead this life altering change as they try to navigate the dangerous path of melding two races together, to forge an alliance against the much stronger Na'Reish - the demons who would see the humans enslaved and the Na'Chi exterminated. But their efforts are hampered by those who rebel against the change.

This is the backdrop behind the story and woven into it are Varian and Kymora's personal trials and their romance. Our hero seeks a haven for the Na'Chi but fears the humans will never be able to put aside their mixed blood prejudice, a belief reinforced as he struggles to control his darker half-demon personality. In her role as high priestess, and armed with the truth, Kymora fights to unite their two races while helping Varian to accept his dual nature.

So, will a master race triumph in ALLIANCE FORGED? Well, I can't tell you, not without spoiling the whole storyline - sorry! :-) Until you can get your hands on a copy of the book and find out, here's the back cover blurb of ALLIANCE FORGED, just to whet your appetite:

ALLIANCE FORGED

(Book #2 of the Light Blade series)

There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not purebred is virtually powerless. Until a blind priestess lays claim to a half-breed warrior, body and soul…

Hunted and marked for death by Na’Reish demons for their half-blood heritage, the Na’Chi are searching for a new home—something an alliance offered by the human leader could provide. With both races divided by prejudice, when Light Blade rebels brutally attack the Na’Chi, the alliance seems doomed to fail.

Varian, leader of the Na’Chi, a hybrid race of gifted warriors, is cursed with the darker impulses of his demon heritage. Controlling the part of himself that craves the high of the battle is a struggle he’s afraid he’ll lose—until he meets Kymora Tayn, a priestess driven to serve her deity. While he’s unwilling to trust anyone outside his people, he finds himself drawn to Kymora’s strength and passionate nature, and discovers she has the power to calm the darkness inside him.

When the Na’Reish raid human territory for blood-slaves and kickstart a war, the key to the survival of both races—Na’Chi and human— is an alliance. However, when Kymora is kidnapped, pitting human against human, Varian realizes he must embrace his darker half, not only to save the alliance…but also the woman he loves.

If you'd like to know more about Varian an Kymora, you can visit my website to read an excerpt (http://www.kyliegriffin.com/AF_Excerpt.html).

Kylie Griffin’s obsession with all things paranormal/fantasy started at an early age, when she used to imagine the jacaranda tree in her front yard was a spaceship used to defend the world from invading enemies. Writing stories seemed a natural extension to her childhood adventures.

Today, she’s a primary school teacher sharing her love for the written word with young children. In her spare time, she writes and reads all things paranormal.

Kylie lives in a small rural village in outback New South Wales, Australia, where she volunteers in a number of emergency service organizations in her local community. Visit her website at www.kyliegriffin.com

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