Guestpost by Tina Donahue + Giveaway

I'm very happy to welcome Tina Donahue here at The Geeky Bookworm again. Her new novel, Sensual Stranger will be released the Wednesday and she's here to celebrate her new release. Please give Tina a warm welcome. 

When Things Start to Heat Up…

Don’t you love that point in a romance where the barriers between the hero and heroine begin to crumple? For me, the verbal foreplay and the prolonged, heated gazes always bring on a smile and the hunger for more.

In Sensual Stranger, my newest erotic romance, circumstances haven’t allowed Toni and Zach to be obvious about their attraction. Oh, it’s there, but they keep fighting it during their first hours together.

When they’re finally alone, free of outside distractions, vulnerable to each other’s allure, they have no protection. For Toni, it’s the beginning of a journey she couldn’t have imagined.

Here’s the blurb and an excerpt to show you what I mean:

BLURB:

Into his life she came—wanting…willing…wanton

It’s no ordinary morning when Toni Starr arrives at Zach’s garage. Flat broke, with a past she won’t share, Toni’s instantly taken by such a potently virile man. Direct and unashamed, she tells him she’s a motorcycle performance artist who needs work and knows motors.

Zach knows women, and Toni’s unlike any he’s met. Lushly sensuous, exceedingly assured, she’d easily be his match in business and bed. A provocative challenge that stirs him as nothing has since losing his wife. A chance he’s reluctant to take, offering no more than a month’s employment, then she’ll have to be on her way.

The hours tick by. Each word and glance intensifies their denied yet escalating desire, forcing them to surrender to passion and Toni’s need for Zach’s dominance. Driven by carnal hunger, conquered by yearning, they face the unforeseen truth of Toni’s past and a future neither of them expected.
___________________

EXCERPT:

At last the garage was empty except for her and Zach. Toni’s heart beat out of control. Taking a full breath became increasingly difficult. She felt awkward suddenly, not knowing what to say or to do.
Toni knew what she wanted—Zach to touch her, to fuck her hard and long—suspecting he wanted it too. Even so, she needed to be certain not to cross an invisible line between employee and boss, risking her job, which meant letting him make the first move.
He joined her by the cabinet, leaning against it, stretching out his left leg.
Their arms were only a few inches apart. She smelled a hint of coffee on his breath and imagined the heat of his skin. Pleasant sensations rolled through her.
In a softened voice, he asked, “How’d it go today?”
Wanting to tease, unable to stop herself, she said, “Better than you expected?”
He laughed. “You do good work.”
She grinned so hard it hurt her cheeks. His praise meant everything, more than he would ever know. It moved her like a baby’s first smile for its mother. It filled her as no food or drink could. She recalled her father’s approval, still missing it after so many years. Reluctant to allow those sweet memories to bring back all the others, ones she’d buried for too long, she teased, “Yeah, I know.”
Zach’s smile brightened briefly at her sass, then fled with his questioning look. “So what now?” He regarded her grease-and-oil-stained overalls.
Uncertain as to what he meant, not wanting to ruin anything in case she’d read him wrong, she joked, “You pay me for a day’s work? And while you head out, I clean up here and see you in the morning?”
“Where are you planning on staying tonight, Toni?” He looked at her, his expression serious. “Were you thinking of crashing in my office?”
A wave of heat surged to her throat and face at him guessing her thoughts. He had a reasonably comfortable sofa in there that looked as if he’d spent more than a few nights on it. “I won’t take anything,” she promised, her voice laced with embarrassment. “I’m not a thief.”
“No one said you were.” He pushed away from the cabinet and went to the wall switch, flipping the controls for the bay doors. He spoke loud enough so she could hear him over the rattling metal. “Finish up, then come into my office.”
As he moved toward it, Toni’s heart beat painfully in hope and worry. Hope that he’d let her stay in there. Worry that he’d changed his mind about her employment, intending to terminate her because she was still essentially a stranger. “Why?”
He stopped and looked over. The doors reached the floor, thwacking it. “So I can take you home.”
Stupidly, she stared at him. “What?”
He turned to face her. “You don’t have any money to spend on a motel room and you’ve already said you won’t be going back to the shelter. So I’m offering you a place to stay.”
Not understanding, Toni shook her head. “With who?”
His gaze roamed her. “Me.”
Her heart stumbled on several beats at his answer and the renewed intensity in his eyes.
As their silence lengthened, his demeanor shifted back to the forced restraint she’d seen earlier. “Don’t worry,” he said, his voice neutral, subdued. “I know how to handle myself.” He headed for his office again.
Without thinking, she called out, “I know that.” She could see and hear it.
Once more, he stopped and looked over.
“And I’m not worried,” she added.
Without warning, something dark and dangerous flared in his eyes, telling her she should be. He wasn’t a man to be toyed with. If a woman desired him, he’d enjoy her anyway he chose, and once he started nothing would stop him. He’d take what he wanted while providing equal pleasure.
Desire weakened Toni’s legs. She leaned against the cabinet, needing it for support.
“Don’t make me wait,” he said, domination and a hint of pleasure in his voice. Not giving her a chance to respond, he went into his office.
Moments later, she heard him tossing clipboards from his desk to the file cabinet next to it.
Gaze turned inward, she tried to picture his place, an apartment surely, just large enough for two. Would he offer her his bedroom or would he tell her to sleep on the sofa? During the night, would he come to her, unable to stay away, his big body trapping hers against the cushions, one hand holding her wrists above her head while his other roamed?
Her lids slid down on a lusty sigh.
She swallowed at the thought of his rigid cock pressed against her mound, showing her his need as he pulled her top away, baring her breast, lowering his mouth to it, pulling the stiffened nipple inside.
Her cunt clenched in arousal, delivering a rush of moisture at the image of his hot, soft lips surrounding her areola while his bristly cheeks scraped the delicate swell of her breast. Of him wanting no woman except her.
Had he ever loved anyone?
Even if he had, Toni sensed he didn’t now. He wouldn’t be bringing her to his home if he had a girlfriend he cared about. He wouldn’t be offering her a place to sleep. He wouldn’t be crossing a fragile line separating employer from employee, man from woman, stranger from lover.
He wouldn’t be telling her not to make him wait with a hint of danger in his eyes.
______________

Sensual Stranger will be available December 15th.

Buy Link, Email, Website/blog, Twitter, Facebook

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

To celebrate the upcoming release of Sensual Stranger, Tina is offering a contest today. 

One lucky commenter will have her choice of one of her following books:

1.Lush Velvet Nights – ebook

2.Adored – ebook

3.Deep, Dark, Delicious – ebook

4.Close to Perfect – mass market paperback

5.Bad Boys with Red Roses – trade paperback

6.Take My Breath Away – trade paperback

Winner chosen at random. Winner in continental US has her choice of one of the six. 

Just tell us what you love most about romance.

Winner outside continental US has her choice of one of the ebooks.

Please leave me a way to contact you (email in blogger profile or twitter name is okay).

Giveaway ends on Sunday December 19th and I will announce the winner in the following week.

Good Luck!

Read more...

Guestpost by Author Denise Robbins + Giveaway

I'm very happy to welcome Author Denise Robbins here today. She writes techno-romantic thriller novels and in real life she is a little Geek too. Today she tells us how her real life influences her writing. Be sure to stay tuned till the end of the post to check out what Denise offers for one lucky commenter. Please give her a warm welcome.

Does your work affect your writing?

Hmm. Good question.

My work affects my writing in a couple of ways. One way is that it interferes with my writing time. I have to squeeze in paragraphs, pages, chapters between day job, sleep, and weekends. My goal is to one day be a writer who writes full-time. Keep your fingers crossed!

As someone who considers her novels to be techno-romantic thrillers, my technology day job influences my writing a great deal.

What exactly do you do for my day job?

I’m a software engineering manager.

Huh?

Denise snickers. That’s how most people react. You know all those software applications you use such a Facebook, Microsoft Word, Family Tree Maker? Well, I manage the development of software applications. Not those ones, but ones for different companies such as education, banking, call-centers, blah-blah.

It’s my job to architect a software solution to a business problem and then build the team of engineers to build it. I love building things…like my stories! Knowing how various technologies work and what different technologies, not to mention the people who write them are capable of, inspires me with some terrific story lines.

That’s fascinating. Tell us about where some of your story lines have come from?

All you have to do is read a newspaper and you see all kinds of articles related to technology. You’ll read about a phishing scam where people receive emails from their bank, they click on the link that takes them to a page that looks like their bank, and then they fill in the information requested. Unbeknownst to the email receiver they have just given their bank information to someone who will use it to steal their identity or their credit, or both. As much as the media has warned people about these kinds of technology scams they keep happening, keep getting some poor victim. Phishing is one thread behind my current work-in-progress titled Phish NET Stalkings.

Ooo. Tell us more.

In my first book, It Happens in Threes, the bad guys use software to launder money from various investor accounts into their own for nefarious purposes. The heroine, Ruby, writes an application called a Trojan that she installs onto a network that allows her to trace the money and the villain’s movements with the money.

Besides using my real-world skills and knowledge, I am an avid reader who likes to keep abreast of technology happenings. The story idea for Killer Bunny Hill came from reading an article, which turned into many articles on the use of manmade “real” diamonds in technology and as computer chips. Can you imagine it? Diamonds as computer chips – cool!

Connect the Dots goes back to my software roots and a heroine who is a human intelligence operator for the CIA. Charley uses computers and software to create wire diagrams that keep track of people and events and how they relate to other people and events. In other words, she creates a virtual connect the dots. Only this time she doesn’t connect the dots on an image of a cute bunny, she connects the dots on murder, military secret prisons, and the people who operate and are in them.

My latest release, Never Tempt Danger, involves software and robotics. The heroine is working on a military prototype for a mini-robot that morphs into various shapes depending on where it is trying to get to, whether through a crack in a wall, up stairs, in water, or even airborne. The robot has the ability to transform through the use of software and a little mental boost. You’ll have to read it to find out more.

What do you think? Does my job affect my writing?

I’d say it influences your story and in a way that will fascinate readers and keep them riveted.

About Denise
Denise Robbins, born and raised in the Midwest, migrated to Florida, and finally settled down to her home in New Hampshire that she shares with her kittens Mischief and Mayhem.
From her back deck, she sits outside, listens as the old roller coaster from the local amusement park inches its way up the wooden structure on its clanking chains, and waits to hear the kids scream in terror and delight. The best mental therapy a girl could ask for. The long, cold winter nights in New Hampshire provide the serenity and motivation to write excitement into the night.
After twenty years in the computer technology industry, Denise decided to use that experience and her passion for mysteries and thrillers to write her first techno-romantic thriller novel, IT HAPPENS IN THREES. Her latest novel, KILLER BUNNY HILL is available now, and CONNECT THE DOTS is right on its trail for a December 2009 release date. In 2010, readers can expect to see Denise's fourth novel, NEVER TEMPT DANGER.

In addition to writing, Denise enjoys scuba diving (only in warm water), snowboarding, and playing in her garden.

Where to find Denise: website, blog, twitter

About Never Tempt Danger

Maureen thought her special gift was a curse. Maybe she’s right…

As the one man who accepted her “gift” slid the diamond ring onto her shaky finger, Maureen saw his death flash in her mind an instant before the bullet struck. With blood on her hands and a government research project in the balance, Maureen—Gilly—Gillman does the only smart thing she can. She disappears. If there was one thing Maureen had learned, it was Never Tempt Danger.

Special agent Lucas Danger knows Maureen Gillman better than any other man. Assigned to find Gilly and her military robot prototype, Lucas discovers that his past has caught up with him. When the woman he loves collides with his secretive past, Lucas has to open his mind as well as his heart to save Maureen.

Who will get to her first?

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

Denise offers a signed copy

of Never Tempt Danger to 1 lucky commenter.

All you have to do is ask Denise a question

or just leave a meaningful comment about the post.

Please leave me a way to contact you

(email in blogger profile or twitter name is okay- no way to contact you - no entry)

This giveaway is open Internationally!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, November 6th and we will announce the winners on Sunday.

Good Luck!

Read more...

Guestpost and Giveaway with Author Stephanie Julian

I'm very happy to have Author Stephanie Julian here today. Her new novel, Size Matters (you can read my review here) was released yesterday and she is here to celebrate her new release and she will tell us how she started to plot her new series The Fringe. Be sure to check out the end of the post for a chance to win her new novel.

Hi, I'm Stephanie Julian and I'm a History Channel and National Geographic Channel junkie.

If there's a documentary about vampires, werewolves, weird sexual practices of the Egyptians, anything about the Etruscans or the Romans, I'm there. Throw in the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot and now we have a party. I can sit for hours on a rainy Saturday afternoon and devour Mayan 2012 prophecies or Stonehedge theories.

I can pick out Erich von Däniken from a crowd of talking heads and I have a very weird crush on Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, who's developed something of a cult following after his appearance on the series "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel.

Know what the Antikythera device is? I do. (Don't? Go here.)  How about a Baghdad Battery?

I've always been fascinated by cryptozoology and what I consider "alternate" archeology. I love books, such as David Hatcher Childress' Lost Cities series, because they ask "What if?"

It's a question writers ask every time they start a story. What if my heroine does this, then what? What if my hero does that, then what?

What if I write a story about Bigfoot?

I honestly don't remember how I came up with the exact story idea for "Sizes Matters." I only know that when I started to write it, I thought, "You're nuts. How they hell are you going to make this work?"

Humorously, that's how.

Have no fear, there's a hunky hero. Tim would make any red-blooded female pant. He's handsome, hunky, and oh, so hot. And tall. Almost seven feet tall.

There's also a feisty heroine, Carrie, who has a knack for digging out a story, even after she's crashed into a tree on a snowy road and wakes up naked in bed with a hot guy.

What does this all have to do with Bigfoot?

Well, that's the "What if" of the story.

And if you want to know the rest of that questions, you'll have to read the book.

About the Author:

Stephanie Julian is the author of the Magical Seduction, Lucani Lovers and The Fringe series from Ellora’s Cave and the upcoming Forgotten Goddess series from Sourcebooks Casablanca. A former reporter for a daily newspaper, she enjoys making up stories much more than writing about real life. She’s happily married to a Springsteen fanatic and is the mother of two sons who love her even when they don’t have any clean clothes and dinner is a bowl of cereal.

Places to find Steph: website, twitter, facebook

About the Book:

Carrie Benton's got the best job in the world working as a reporter for the Weekly News Journal. Chupacabra picnicking at the Jersey shore? Check. Aliens in the White House? Absolutely. Bigfoot stalking the forests of northern Pennsylvania? Well, okay... but Bigfoot is so Left Coast.

Tim Sattizahn can't believe his luck. The six-foot redhead who crashed into his forest during a snowstorm is gorgeous, funny and hot for him. Everything would be perfect except for the fact that she's looking for Bigfoot.

And, unfortunately for Tim, she's found him...

You can read an excerpt here.

My Review, Reviews @GoodReads, buy @Ellora''s Cave

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

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

Steph generously offered an ebook copy of Size Matters for one Lucky commenter. 

All you have to do is ask her question or just tell us what kind of documentary is your favorite kind.

Leave me a way to contact you (Email in blogger profile or twitter name is okay with me- no contact- no chance of winning)

Giveaway is open to everyone who owns an Email addy!

The giveaway ends on Saturday, September 18th and I will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good Luck everyone!

Read more...

Guestpost by Author J. A. Saare

I'm happy to have Author J.A. Saare aka Jaime here today. I met her on twitter and she is such a nice and funny person. She's also a multi-published author in varying genres. Jaime is here today to talk about inspiration and movies. Please give her a warm welcome.

Authors can find inspiration in the oddest of places, whether it’s while they’re out for lunch, driving in their car, or taking a shower. For me, inspiration struck before I was even aware of what the concept was. So when Susi asked if I’d be willing to write something about my influences when it comes to reading/writing, I knew my answer probably wouldn't come as the norm. You see, I started creating stories in my head when I was a kid but, unlike many authors, never put them to paper. They remained untouched in my mind, little movies if you will, and it all began after I spent a weekend at my grandmother’s home and watched a film that changed my life forever.

Let me take you back. I was seven or eight years old and my Mommaw had this enormous video library. I spent hours combing the shelves, trying to decide what I’d watch after she went to bed and it was just me and her enormous television (remember the big wooden monsters that you pushed, not carried, from place to place?). She’d recently gotten a new flick with this awesome cover of a woman with glowing iridescent eyes and a beautiful man. There was something captivating about the image and I immediately chose it -- the movie was The Bride featuring Sting and Jennifer Beals.

I can’t tell you how much that movie changed my life. It gave me an entirely new outlook on romance (Bride of Frankenstein remakes will do that to you, or so I’m told) and warped the way I viewed things. Forever gone was the young girl who believed in knights in shining armor and happily ever after. Love didn’t have to be wholesome and pure, not when touched by obsessive madness, not when it ended in rage and hate. It wasn't until I was older that I learned that the motion picture industry wasn't the only venue to relate that concept, finding it was just a matter of perusing the bookshelves of the local B&N. It was because of this that those little movies in my brain became something far darker, more macabre, and at times rather terrifying.

Oftentimes, I tell people I believe the rise in PNR popularity is directly due to those who love a dash of dark in their romance, perhaps not as ghastly as I prefer but prevalent. There is a reason vampires, werewolves, magic, shape shifters, and things that go bump in the night are so huge right now. People are drawn to the unknown, unable to turn away as horrible things are presented to them because it’s something new in a genre saturated by devilishly handsome rogues who claim to be big and bad but are about as dangerous as a gnarly looking gun minus the bullets. I know that for me, there is nothing sexier than a hero that is truly unobtainable or so deadly that one kiss can kill. Where is the adventure if you remove the risks?

Now that I’ve shared, I’d like to know if there is a film that changed the way you viewed romance. Was it something sweet, like Steel Magnolias, Flashdance, or The Princess Bride? Or was it something darker? Like say…The Lost Boys, Dracula, or The Wolf Man?

Please share a comment. I can’t wait to read your answers.

Happy Reading!

Jaime AKA J.A. Saare

About the Author:
J.A. Saare is a multi-published author in varying genres and has written stories featured in horror magazines, zombie romance anthologies, and flash fiction contests. Her work has a notable dark undertone, which she credits to her love of old eighties horror films, tastes in music, and choices in reading, and have been described as “full of sensual promise,” “gritty and sexy,” and “a breath of fresh air.”

Currently she is penning numerous projects within the urban fantasy, erotic and contemporary, and of course, paranormal romance categories.
Where you can find Jaime:
website, blog, twitter

About her new book: Dead, Undead, or Somewehere in Between
One bad corpse can ruin your whole day. No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy. She’s left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she’s managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her – until now.
The deliciously good-looking vampire Disco knows her secret, and when he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, she discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.
But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn't their first stroll around the undead block.

Read more...

Guestpost and Giveaway with Author Joely Sue Burkhart

I'm so happy to have Joely Sue Burkhart here today with a wonderful Guestpost. She asked me what I would like her to post about and I told her I adore Conn (hero of Dear Sir, I'm Yours) and so she offered this post. OMG I love it. I think I have to print it out and put a frame around it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And don't forget the giveaway at the end of the post.

Susi, this is an exclusive poem written by Conn just for you!

He was rather taken aback by some comments that a professor does not "teach" but "lectures." He agrees for the most part, but there's an important distinction he wants to make. Some professors lecture, standing at the head of the class droning on and on, never caring whether their students survive the class or not. Conn is different. He's not just the sexiest professor alive, he also gives a damn about whether his students--especially his one very special student--learns from him.

A startling revelation has been brought

To my most eager attention:

Instead of helping my students, I ought

Provide mere cold direction.

My voice -- as sexy as it may be --

Is surely quite enough!

Tho' students clamor, beg, and plead,

Discard them as dry and itchy slough!

But I cannot, Dear Reader, abandon my hope;

Most sincere, my heart's true calling:

Never leave a student in darkness to grope

Ever deeper in lost despair falling.

I seek that light, fragile and bright

A spark of pure understanding;

The deeper confusion and shaking fright,

The greater battle, vict'ry notwithstanding.

One spark in that bewildered haze

Is worth its weight in gold,

For one who's seen that treasured gaze

After denying ignorance to enfold.

So when my heart's most beloved mate

Stands before me in trembling fear--

How can I do less than eagerly abate

Every doubt while I kiss each tear?

And if she hesitates with dread

At the thought of our dark need,

Shall I lecture her instead

And leave her heart to bleed?

Shall I swear my cruel hands are safe?

That I would surely never harm

Such an innocent, lovely waif!

With calculated snake-oil charm.

Are mere words enough to defeat

Bone-deep fear of surrender?

My body, hands, lips to cheat

The temptation of this flower so tender?

Nay! God forbid my beloved ever

Look upon me with disgusted fear!

For I would rather my head to sever,

and cleave my arrogant heart with spear!

Dearest Reader, forgive me if I carefully taught

With consideration so mundane;

Instead of lecturing from on high and haught:

For I cannot bring myself to feign.

*le sigh* I love it!

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

Joely offers a digital copy of Dear Sir, I'm Yours or a digital ARC of The Bloodgate Guardian, her new Carina Press release.

(I have to tell you I loved both books. You can read my homage to Conn here and my dual review with the wonderful pattepoilue here. The review of The Bloodgate Guardian will be up next week.)

Just leave a comment on this post.

Giveaway ends Friday June 4th and I will announce the winner on Saturday.

Good Luck!

Read more...

Guestpost and Giveaway with Author Julia Rachel Barrett

I very proud to have Julia Rachel Barrett here today. She is a multi-published author and one of my great discoveries of my blogging year. I love her books and so it is my pleasure to haver her here today. You can check out my review of her last book The Beauty and the Feast here. And because Julia is made of awesome we have a huge wonderful giveaway for you at the end of the post.
Please give her a warm welcome.

Happy Birthday Susi Sunshine!

When Susi asked me to be a guest blogger for her anniversary week, I felt honored. In my world, there is nobody more admirable than a book loving self-described Geek! Despite her busy schedule, Susi reads, she reviews our books with grace and good humor, and generously provides a forum for authors and readers, bringing the two sides of our special coin together. She also represents the next generation of romance readers. She carries the torch.

To quote the Machiavellian character, Yabu, from James Clavell’s masterpiece, Shogun, “The pen is a long arm from the grave.” I agree with him, no question about it. The written word reaches out to future generations. One generation imparts its essence to the next, not only in cultural mores and technological advancements, but in its literature, maybe most especially in its literature and art, even in the case of romance writers and romantic poets. Think of the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen, Mary Shelley and George Elliott, Louisa May Alcott and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. A few hundred years after stories like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein and Little Women were recorded, we still read and discuss them.

We can go back even further to the tragic story of Tristan and Isolde, The Canterbury Tales, Don Quixote, and the Arthurian romances written by Chretian de Troyes, a French troubadour. These are love stories, hero stories – the authors utilize the exact same themes romance writers use today – a roadblock thrown in the way of a relationship, a challenge that must be overcome in order to achieve the ultimate goal. What is the ultimate goal? What else? For the purposes of romance, the ultimate goal is true love. I’m a big fan of true love.

So keep dreaming, keep reading, keep enjoying our stories!

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

Julia offers 3 books for 3 winners:

Beauty and the Feast

My Everything

Captured

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post

Open to everyone who own's a email addy.

Giveaway is open till Sunday May 30th and I will announce the winner on Monday.

Good Luck!

Read more...

Guestpost and Giveaway with Author Stephanie Draven

I'm so happy to have a new to me author here at The Geeky Bookworm today. Stephanie Draven is here to talk about how she tries to come up with new ideas. She needs your help so tell her what you think. Please give her a warm welcome!

Hi everybody! My name is Stephanie Draven, and I write paranormal romance for Harlequin's Nocturne line. I'm here today to celebrate the Geeky Book Worm's blogoversary and I thought I'd do it by talking a little bit about the creative process, asking for your help with my latest project, and running a little contest for a free ARC of one of my novellas.

When Harlequin made an offer for MYTHICA, my Greek myth-inspired paranormal romance series, I was ecstatic. Over the moon. I'm pretty sure I still haven't come back down. My first full-length novel, POISONED KISSES releases in October and I think I've announced this to everyone in my neighborhood, including the mailman. It's about a dark nymph of the underworld who goes hunting a modern day hydra, only to find out that he's not the monster she thought he was, and that the one man that can kill her, is also the only man she's ever loved. So, if you've ever wondered what kind of Daddy issues a daughter of Ares might have, my book is for you! Think Percy Jackson, for grown-up girls.

Anyway, in spite of all this mad excitement, after writing four back-to-back romances about modern day gorgons, chimeras, hydras, dryads, and minotaurs, I'm starting to realize that my creative process is a bit like one of those slow cookers. You know the kind--you set the timer, leave for the day and when you come back you've got a rich, delicious stew. In short, I need time for ideas to take shape, so now's the time to start thinking about where I go next.

I have a few ideas. I'll give you these very rough pitches:
- A sexy ghost huntress sets out to battle the 18th century lord of the manor whose been haunting her town she discovers a man who will fight for her heart.

- When an rock-n-roll diva is accused of luring midshipmen to their deaths, she learns the truth about her dark past, and falls in love with the one man who is immune to her siren song.

- An ambitious young witch has trained all her life to take the place of the Spring Sorceress, but when a powerful mage kidnaps her before she can take her vows to Mother Nature, the season of love may never be the same.

- To earn his way into heaven, a fallen angel sets out to tame a stripper and self-professed wild child, but what if she can offer him something better than redemption?


~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

So what do you think? Got a favorite?
While you're thinking about it, I'd like to offer you the chance to enter a contest to win a free ARC of my novella, MIDNIGHT MEDUSA.

All you have to do to enter is sign up for my newsletter at www.stephaniedraven.com then post that you've done so in a comment on this thread.
If you'd like to follow me on twitter or Facebook, I'll give you an extra chance at winning, and if you Tweet, Facebook, or Blog about this contest, I'll be happy to give you a third shot at the prize!

Giveaway ends Sunday 30th May!

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Guest Post by Tracy Cooper-Posey & a Giveaway

I'm happy to Have Tracy Cooper-Posey here today. Her historical Romance Diana by the Moon was re-released this year (you can read my review here) and she is here today to tell us why she loves Historical Romance. Please give her a warm welcome and be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of the post.


Why I Will Never Give Up My Historical Romances.

I first was drawn to historical romances because of two things. One was, absolutely, the dresses. A woman looks so much more womanly in some of the dresses she gets to swan around in, depending on which historical period you get to write in. And with her breasts and waist emphasized the way most of history seems to have made of point of outlining them, you can hardly blame heroes for wanting to slide their hands around a pulled in waist and peer down at an enticingly corsetted snow white — and usually heaving — bosom. Low rider jeans just don’t cut it in comparison.

This factor doesn’t always work, though. Lord knows, my heroine in Diana By The Moon seemed to go out of her way to look anything but enticing, but she certainly had her moments when Alaric was brought to an astonished halt, and those moments simply could not have happened in a contemporary novel. You don’t get long white gowns and crowns of flowers on a regular basis these days.

These days clothing is merely a form of personal expression, but what a woman wore had so much more meaning and implication back then. While I’m not a huge fan of Regencies, they’re a perfect example of how the wrong attire can utterly ruin a woman’s reputation in one disastorous outing.

The other point of historicals that I love that you can’t get in contemporary romances is the political/suspense storylines. Because the story is set in an historical time period, there will be historical events affecting the lives of your hero and heroine, and those events are usually dramatic and highly emotional. There are events and settings you can only get in the annals of history. Wars where the women were forced to stay and home and send their men to fight them, or where the war came to the women’s doorsteps while the men weren’t there to defend them. Periods in history when women were chattels and moved around political chessboards like strategic peices, to be married and sold off for political gain. Eras where superstition and religion ruled society or simply standing in the wrong place at the wrong time could cost you your personal freedom.

There’s so many delicious story possibilities throughout history when men can be really heroic and even women can be strong and brave, yet still melt into the arms of the men who come to love them (while wearing those gorgeous gowns, of course)...why would anyone want to give up stories woven around all those possibilities?

The historical romance market might be dying, but it’s not dead yet and I’m personally doing my best to keep it breathing, one book at a time.

Why do you love historical romances?

________________________________

Diana By The Moon

HISTORICAL ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
He is Arthur’s man. His duty is his life. She fears and mistrusts him. The only way they will survive is to work together.
Finalist, Emma Darcy Award.
___
Excerpt

“There was definitely a child standing on the wall, sir.”
Alaric nodded. “Yes.”
“And the fields have been tilled recently,” Griffin added.
“Badly,” added Rhys, ever the cynic. “Look at those rows! I could plow a straighter furrow blind drunk with a poxy bull in front of me.”
“You know that from experience, of course.” Griffin grinned.
Rhys swiped at him with his fist but Griffin had already moved his horse out of the older man’s reach.
Alaric smiled at their banter, then turned his concentration upon the villa ahead and the hill behind. The peak was a rocky plateau thrusting out of the tree line. It was perfect for his needs.
He looked back at the villa. He’d have to cajole the owner into cooperating.
Rhys pushed his horse level with Alaric’s and nodded toward the villa. “Looks Roman.”
“Yes.”
“Course, round these parts you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting a Roman.”
“True.”
“You want to explain to me what Arthur had in mind, sending you of all people in among the thickest congregation of Romans in Britain? Mithras!”
“Arthur knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t explain himself to me.” Alaric looked straight into Rhys’ eyes. “And that’s the last time I allow you the freedom to question Arthur’s orders. Clear?”
Rhys looked away. After a moment he nodded his grizzled head. “Clear,” he said roughly. “I apologize.”
Alaric clapped him on the back. “Good man.”
They reached the gateway. “They aren’t afraid of much. No gates!” Griffin commented.
“They had gates all right,” Rhys said dryly. “And they’ve had their share of trouble too.” He spat on a pile of discarded timber and iron as they passed by. “Those gates were breached by a battering ram or I’m the son of Lucifer.”
Their horses’ hooves echoed flatly in the deserted yard. As the rest of the company filed in Alaric looked around. The courtyard was about a hundred and fifty paces a side. An ancient gnarled oak skulked in the front corner. In summer it would spread welcome shade but now it hunched darkly against the iron-gray sky, dripping tears from an earlier shower.
“Sir!” Griffin whispered, drawing Alaric’s attention. The boy nodded toward the house proper, lining half of the yard. Ten paces from the graceful columns bordering the tile verandah stood a young girl. Her huge eyes were wide with shock.
“She looks ready to bolt at the slightest noise,” Rhys said quietly.
“Where is everyone else?” Griffin asked, puzzled.
“Scattered,” Alaric replied. “If they’ve had trouble before, they’ll be wary about armed men approaching them.” He looked behind him. “Stay here,” he told his men. “If we panic her we’ll never find the rest of the household. Griffin, Rhys, come with me.”
He slid down from his horse and threw the reins to one of the men. Griffin and Rhys followed him.
Alaric moved toward the girl. Closer, he saw that fear kept her pinned down—pure terror. There was no curiosity at all.
“We mean you no harm,” he called out as he reached her. He lowered his voice. “Where are your kin, child?”
She gave no answer. From between her legs urine trickled and puddled at her feet.
Rhys gave a snort of disgust. “For Mithras’ sake, we’re not going to eat you, girl!”
At the sound of Rhys’ gruff battle-roughened voice, the girl’s eyes rolled up and she fell to the ground in a tired, boneless heap.
“Dear god!” Griffin whispered, horrified. “You’ve killed her!”
Rhys cleared his throat. “I did no such thing!”
“It’s all right. She’s simply fainted or some such thing.” Alaric pushed his sword aside and crouched down to check the girl was still breathing. In repose her face was irresistibly beautiful. Flawless, as only a child’s could be before life stamped its lines and markers.
Before his reaching hand made contact there came a piercing, alarming cry from inside the house. It was a war cry.
Alaric leapt to his feet as Rhys and Griffin both drew their swords.
From the far corner of the verandah came a tiny man in trews and tunic, a knife in his upheld hand, his face contorted with rage. He raced along the verandah, leapt onto the dirt and ran toward them. Alaric knew he was protecting the child—he thought they meant the girl harm.
He was almost upon them before Alaric thought to draw a weapon, so astonishing was the idea that this little person would attempt to attack fully armed soldiers.
Griffin and Rhys stepped in front of him. When the man leapt, Griffin, the taller, caught his knife hand and Rhys, the heavier, buried his elbow in the man’s stomach, snapping him over and pushing the wind from him.
And a long tightly bound skein of hair swung over and brushed the dirt.
“Hell’s hounds…it’s a woman!” Rhys gaped at the woman hanging between Rhys’ and Griffin’s grip on her arms. She was trying to draw in air with temporarily stunned muscles, her head hanging down.
Rhys and Griffin looked accusingly at Alaric, their expressions both guilty and defiant at once. Alaric knew what they were thinking. How could you let us hurt a woman like this?
Alaric pondered on what to do. The woman had plainly meant him harm and she had been armed too. As he wavered, she breathed in noisy jerks and that decided him.
“Rhys, sit her on the ground. Griffin, move the little one out of the damp air.”
Rhys lowered the woman until she was seated while Griffin picked up the unconscious child and took her under the verandah roof.
Alaric crouched in front of the woman. She leaned on one hand, holding the other to her chest. Prudently, he kept his hand on his knife hilt.
“Don’t fight to breathe,” he told her. “Relax and it will come. If you fight, it will take longer.”
She understood, for her shoulders lowered as she followed his instructions. Her breath immediately eased. It shallowed but drew easily.
“Stay seated,” he advised her. “You’ll be dizzy for a moment or two.”
She nodded, keeping her head lowered.
“We’re friend, not foe…you understand?”
Again, the nod.
“Where is everyone else?”
“Hiding,” she said, her voice low.
“I need to speak to the head of the household. Who owns this estate? What is his name?”
“The owner’s name is Diana, daughter of the late Marcellus Aurelius.” She looked up then. She had eyes the same deep blue hue as the sky late in the evening, the blue rimmed with black. Eyes startling in their strange coloring. She looked straight into his. “You speak to me.”

_________________________

To buy Diana By The Moon, click here.

Tracy’s Website...Blog...Books...Newsletter...Facebook...Articles...Events...Email.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment! I love to chat!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway
Tracy offers your choice of one of her backlist to one lucky commenter (you can take a look at those here).

To enter just tell us:

Why do you love historical romances?

or

Why you don't.

Open to everyone and the giveaway will end on Sunday, 2. May.
I will draw the winner on Monday when I get back home from my classes.

Good Luck everyone!

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GuestPost by Teal Ceagh & a Giveaway

Please welcome today Teal Ceagh also known as Tracy Cooper-Posey. Her new book, Carson's night, was released this month and she is here to talk about why she chose Gargoyles to play an important rule in this book. She also has a little surprise for you at the end so stay tuned. Give Tracy a warm welcome


Gargoyles as heroes? Werewolves are bad enough.

Even when I was running a separate site for Teal Ceagh and, as I mentioned somewhere else, being myself “with the volume turned up,” one of my enduring themes on www.TealCeagh.com was vampires vs. werewolves. Even then, werewolves came a poor second.

I tried very hard to give the furry ones a fair go. I invited a lot of lycanthrope-inclined authors to guest with me and try to explain why fuzz was better than fangs. Tielle St. Claire and Katie Allen stepped up to the challenge, but I confess I’ve never seen the appeal.

Lately there’s been murmurings that vampires must just finally wither and die in the popularity stakes. My agent nearly fell off her chair when an editor said she wasn’t taking any more urban fantasy on board for just now, recently. That’s almost scandalous. Is this a hint that the time of vampires is coming to an end?

The more interesting question is, if it is, what would we vampire authors all write about, if they were to die out at last?

I put this question to my husband when we were idly sitting about musing over the fanged creatures who have supplied so much material for my books in the last couple of years. As Carson’s Night is about 1) vampires, 2) demon hunters and 3) gargoyles, and the gargoyles were his idea in the first place, he suggested, with his chest puffing up, that I use gargoyles as my next fantasy heroes.

Ugh. Eeewwww. I mean, gruesome.

He just blinked at me while I dry heaved. He didn’t get it at all. He pointed out that there was a really, really good series that had been done in the early eighties where the gargoyles had been the good guys. True, it had been animated, but I was writing novels, so that wasn’t a problem. The series had had character stars like Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation supplying the voices, even.

And while I stared at him, he rattled on enthusiastically about how these really cool gargoyles had gone around save the world as we know it, and how I should write these books using gargoyles as good guys and heroes…

Have you ever really looked at gargoyles? There’s no way you can pretty them up to even look pettable, let alone sexy. I write erotic romance. I’m good, but I’m not that good. There’s no way I could pull off a story about a human and a gargoyle that would even begin to sound convincing.

There’s a reason I haven’t tackled a werewolf story yet…I don’t think I could write one that would ring true. The thing about erotic romance is, if the author isn’t one hundred percent authentic it shows immediately. In normal romances, you get away with a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek because you’re not that intimate with the reader. But in erotic romance, you’re right up there, with no clothes to hide behind, so you’d better be open, honest and unquestionably the real deal, or you’ll hit the wall inside three paragraphs.

So while I’m sure there’s a really, really smart and creative author out there who will figure out one day how gargoyles can be used as the next generation’s romantic hero, I don’t think it’s going to be me.

But I do wonder what we’re all going to write about when vampires are finally persona non grata. What do you think will be the next big thing in fantasy?
___________________

Carson’s Night by Teal Ceagh
It’s August 1977 in New York City and the weird sculptor Moss Alex Meinhardt lies dead at the foot of an ugly gargoyle he’s half-completed. Natalia Grey’s demon hunter father is also dead, and his new partner, the astonishingly sexy Carson Connors, can’t remember how it happened.
Carson isn’t sure what role he has played in Natalia’s father’s death, but after one look at Natalia, he does know that guilty or not, he’s doomed.
Natalia must take up her father’s sword and her heritage as a demon hunter and figure out what happened this night, for the gargoyles Meinhardt carved have life they should not have without the help of dark forces she and Carson must defeat—once the gargoyles have risen, of course. But the night is hours away yet…

Excerpt

Carson Connors heard the murmur and flicker of light that meant the return of the vampires and stretched his shoulders and neck. They ached from being held in the same position for so long, forced that way by his wrists, which were bound by rope that was secured to a wall strut. The rope wasn’t cruelly tight, but firm enough to keep him contained at this end of the warehouse. He didn’t blame Sherwood for such a precaution. If it had been him, Carson would have done the same because under these circumstances he was a risk. Perhaps now they could sort this out. He glanced over to approximately where Peter Grey lay, a black shadow in the dark and unformed guilt touched him again.
What had happened here tonight?
No matter how he probed or tried to recall the events of the night, nothing came. No memories formed. There was simply nothing there, no associations to provoke the next event in the chain. He’d broken sweat trying to bring forth the memories and…nothing.
That produced sweat of its own.
He watched the light draw closer. So who was it the two vampires had rushed out to bring in as a consultant on this? Some heavyweight hunter? Peter James Grey had been one of the best and Carson himself was no slouch—he’d been building his reputation in the field, anyway—and couldn’t think who Nicholas Sherwood would be able to scare up in the greater New York area in late August at a moment’s notice that would be able to help the great Nick Sherwood figure this out.
The two reached him and Carson could feel his heart seize and his cock stir. Sweet Jesus, his mind murmured as he stared at her. She was quite simply beautiful, with perfect symmetry. Her face was heart-shaped, her eyes a stunning sea green with dark lashes and strong dark brows, and pillow-soft lips the color of apricots. Her skin was flawless. He had the insane urge to taste it, to slide his tongue along those cheekbones and nibble the corner of her jawline and that slender neck rising out of the Dark Side of the Moon tee shirt. Full breasts lifted the tee shirt and the belt pulled the jeans in around a waist that looked like he could put his hands around it. Indecently long legs hid beneath flared jeans. He’d have those off her. Very soon.
Then he realized with an almost painful start of awareness exactly where his thoughts and gaze were. He dragged, pummeled, tore his gaze back up to her face. Licked his lips.
She was staring at him. Her lips were parted softly and she was breathing quickly. Knowledge…awareness…it was there in her face. She saw exactly what he was thinking. It was as clear as if she had spoken. And she was not offended. She wanted it.
His excitement spiked again. He clenched his fists, feeling the rope chafe and his cock and balls throb painfully. He was suddenly hot, way too hot. He’d do anything to be able to take off his coat, the coat of his trade.
He made himself look at Nicholas Sherwood. “I can’t remember what happened, but I know I didn’t cause Peter Grey’s death.”
She flinched and suddenly he realized who she was. Grey’s daughter. The genetic traits were there, once you looked past her beauty. Grey’s strength was there in her stubborn jawline, her clear-sighted way of looking. And her green eyes. This was why Sherwood had brought her in. The inherited business. He looked at her. “You must believe me,” he told her.
“We’ll find out,” she assured him.
He was impressed. It would have been easy enough for her to simply believe him, to trust her instinctive reaction to him, but she wouldn’t allow herself to do that. She would trust only evidence because she knew she was vulnerable right now.
She hefted the sword on her shoulder and let the point drop to the concrete to rest. “Do you know who Moss Alex Meinhardt is?” she asked.
“Sure.” He shrugged. “He’s that weird sculptor nut who carves giant gargoyles.” “Gargoyles,” Nicholas breathed. He looked up at the roof. “And it’s dawn.” He put the lantern down abruptly and reached into his coat. “And the demon brings them to life.”
“What demon?” Carson asked.
There was a low, reverberating swoosh overhead. Then another.
He pulled out a knife and sawed through Carson’s bonds, freeing his hands. “No time.”
“I’ll get Damian,” the girl said.
“No, I’ll get him. I have no need of light. You take Connors and the lamp. Get your father’s body. Take all of them back to my apartment. It’s warded against the demon.” And abruptly Sherwood was gone, leaving the girl and her long sword apparently in charge.
There was another low swoosh overhead, then a more alarming sound, the crash and tinkle of glass and wood breaking as a roof caved in.
“Come with me,” the girl said. She picked up the lantern and began to run.
Carson threw off the last of the rope and followed and despite the knowledge that there were giant gargoyles pouring into the building, that his partner lay dead and he didn’t know why or how, that a demon was on the loose and bent on mischief and that two vampires were seriously pissed at him for all of the above, he only seemed to be able to focus on the sweet sway of her ass as she ran and how much he want to cup his hands around each cheek.
He knew that no matter how tonight’s events played out, he was doomed anyway.
_______________________

To buy Carson’s Night, click here.

Teal’s Website...Blog...Books...Newsletter...Facebook...Articles...Events...Email.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment!  I love to chat!

*~*Giveaway*~*

Tracy offered to give a copy of Eva's Last Dance to one lucky commenter.

All you have to do is ask Tracy a question

or 

tell us your opinion about her post.

Giveaway ends next Friday, April 16th.

(winner will be announced that weekend)

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