First of all, a BIG congratulations to Ann on the release of Grimspace. I’ve read the book (I was lucky enough to get an ARC) and I LOVED it. You can check out my blog for a chance to win a copy of Grimspace, or one of the other recent reads in my book pile (winner’s choice).

If you like contests, you should check my blog within the next few days. I’ll be giving away a basket of Godiva chocolates soon too!

I’ve been writing professionally for (counting) five years now. I think that’s right. *goes to check copyright date of first published book* Yep. Five years. Wow. I didn’t know it had been that long. We won’t talk about how long I wrote before I sold my first book. That makes me feel old.

Anyway, during that time I’ve had to select a lot of excerpts to share with readers. It’s an art picking out an excerpt. You need to find something that adequately shows the character of the, er, characters and also entices and teases. Yes, it’s true, authors are trying to tease you with those excerpts, make you want to read more.

I’ve included a short excerpt from Witch Blood here. The official release date of this book is Tuesday. Yay! *Flails*

A water witch, Isabelle Novak has always led a chaotic, nomadic existence. But her life spins out of control when her sister—her only friend and emotional anchor—is killed by a demon. Driven by grief and a desire for revenge, she turns her back on the Coven and the rede they hold sacred: Harm thee none…

When Isabelle first encounters Thomas Monahan, she’s running on pure rage and sorrow, channeling her pain into power—and trying to freeze the life out of a warlock she holds responsible for her sister’s death. Together, they form an uneasy alliance to hunt and destroy a demon of tremendous power. As head of the Coven, earth witch Thomas must thwart Isabelle’s dark impulses, but his very presence stirs deeper desires she never knew she had..

  ~*~

Excerpt from Witch Blood, by Anya Bast - © 2008

Isabelle traced the lines of his tattoo with her fingertip. An angel marked his entire back, her wings arching up and covering his broad shoulders and trailing down his arms. She pushed his hair to the side to see the whole thing and dragged her fingertips over the exquisite artistry of the image. It was done in simple black, but with a high amount of detail.

Beneath the surface of his skin, along the marks the ink made, she could feel the pulse of the extra power he stored. Earth witches were certainly a different breed.

She let her gaze drop to his ass and bit her lower lip. The man was fine everywhere, from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Could anyone blame her if she fantasized about licking everywhere in-between?

He made her feel oddly safe, too, and she liked that. Isabelle could take care of herself. It was a specialty of hers, surviving. But once in a while it was nice to be in the presence of a man strong enough to take care of her for a change. Thomas was that man. When he entered a room, he commanded it. His leadership was something inborn, innate. It was magnetic, and all those around him reacted by falling in line.

Yes, she was powerfully attracted to Mr. Thomas Monahan. Most women considered him off-limits. Isabelle considered him fair game.

Isabelle lifted her hand from his tattoo, dragged it over his shoulder and down his bicep, losing herself for a moment in the bounty of male beauty spread before her.

He turned and she allowed her hand to trail on his warm skin as he did so. When he faced her, she pressed her palm to his muscular chest and looked up at him, letting her arousal shine in her eyes.

“Like I said…gorgeous,” she murmured.

A small smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “That’s supposed to be my line.”

“Women’s lib. Happened decades ago. What other abilities do you have?”

“I have some unpredictable PSI and basic empathic skills.”

“Empathy, huh? What are you picking up from me right now?”

        He took her hand and used it to pull her a step closer to him. That brought her flush up against his magnificent body. The look in his eyes dried her tongue as he slid a hand to the nape of her neck and lowered his head toward hers. “That you’re attracted to me.”

I was going to write about book trailers today. As in, what makes a good one. But what I think makes a good book trailer (without paying a company thousands of dollars to create one, that is), might not be what others think makes a good trailer, so I decided to leave the topic alone. There are people out there who know more about the topic than I do who have offered their opinions. Here are a few examples. Four Ways to Avoid Trailer Trash. Now Showing at a Bookstore Near You. Book Trailers on Squidoo.

I’ll leave the topic to the pros and keep just having fun with mine. If you’re interested in seeing any of my mine, btw, (I have trailers for Witch Fire, Witch Blood and What Happens in Vegas…) they’re on my blog in this really cool side widget thingie that my web designer put up.

I also have some other blogs knocking around in my head about the writing profession (the business part of it vs. the art part), fear (although I think Marissa recently did an awesome job on that subject), and stuff about hero/heroine archetypes. Instead, today, I want to ramble.

It’s just under two weeks until the official release of Witch Blood! (I have seen it’s being shipped early at some online retailers, however). Yep, I’m a bit nervous about the release, just as any author would be. Although I have to say I’m not as nervous as I was for the release of Witch Fire. Oy. The amounts of anxiety I emitted for the release of that book could have powered a space station, if such forces could be harnessed and used for such things.

I am worried about how the second book will do, of course. Any author is concerned with the release of a new book, especially the second in a series. Will the series flourish and grow…or not? Time will tell. I have to wait to find out the answer to that question. Until then I’m periodically talking myself down from the ledge of anxiety (Don’t jump, Anya! It’ll be okay!), drinking a few glasses of good red wine and devouring the occasional piece of dark chocolate. Oh, and I meditate. That helps more than anything.

Witch Fire did better than I ever could have dreamed. It hit two bestseller lists and garnered lots of praise. Thank you to all who purchased it. An author is nothing without readers. It’s the reader who drives everything. Y’all have a lot of power!

Plus, I have so much going on besides the book release! All that stuff is really taking my mind off it. I’m under two deadlines at the moment. One is for Witch Heart, the third in the Elemental Witches series. The other is for The Promise, the novella to be included in the sequel anthology of What Happens in Vegas… (May, 2008, Harlequin Spice). I’m pretty much in Deadline Dark right now, working to finish them both. Not much time to play online…or anywhere, really.

Then the weather! Holy smokes has the weather been hitting us hard. My greatest fear, ever since I was a little girl, has been to be hit by a tornado. Guess what happened a couple weeks ago? YUP. We were hit by one. In the middle of the night we woke up about 30 seconds before it smashed into the side of our yard, feet from our house. I had just enough time to grab my daughter from her crib, get her to safety and have a panic attack. Then it was over. Smash. Slam. Thank you, ma’am (not).

It took out all the barns and outbuildings around us. The morning light (our electricity was out, of course) revealed twisted metal in our front lawn, a totaled roof, damage to our barn, a collapsed fences and lots of downed trees. The trees still lay like corpses all over our property. So I’m spending a lot of time corralling people to come out and fix stuff at the moment.

Today we’re expecting an ice storm so bad they shut down my husband’s office. Spring! Where, oh, where are you?! Can you come quick?! (But without tornadoes, please. *g*)

The positive is that we were all okay. No one was hurt. That makes up for everything else. It can do no less when I see those poor families in other states who weren’t all okay. My heart goes out to them.

In addition, I feel kind of cool. I faced my greatest fear and came out all right! Er…I don’t want to do it again, though. Heh. Let’s not, mmmkay, universe?

Bored to death? Still reading? It’s a miracle if you are. So, what’s going on in your life right now? Tell me it all!

Winners from last week are Jolene and Azteclady! You both win bath yummies and chocolate! Please drop me an email at anyabast @ gmail.com to collect your prize.

I know. That’s totally “un-romance author” of me, isn’t it? Romance and love are supposed to be what we eat and drink to stay alive. According to some publications we’re supposed to have uber-frilly bedrooms, walk around in a silky come-hither pegnoirs and wear those high-heeled slippers with the feathery fluff on top. (See? I don’t even know what they’re called.)

Well, friends, I am a romance author and I have two words for you — pajama pants. I love my pajama pants. Combined with the perfect old, washed-many-times sweater and some big, fluffy socks, they make the perfect writing outfit to wear all day. Glamour? Zee glamour has left the building. Actually, it was never in the building.

My bedroom is designed for comfort — not romance. It’s designed for my husband and I to get a good night’s sleep, snoring among the five cats also sharing the bed. Did I mention the German Shepherd/Husky mix on the doggie bed in the corner?

But other than having people presume that because I’m a romance author I know of all things romantic and Valentine Dayish, I don’t like V Day because, well, have you ever met a day more perfectly designed to make singletons feel like crap? Or a day better set up to throw a spotlight on the shortcomings of some relationships?

And pity the poor guy who merely forgets the flowers.

Then there are the people who say something along the lines of, “Oh, we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. That’s just a made up holiday created by the greeting card company.” Pish. Posh. *dismissive wave of hand* Some of them really mean it and I believe them. (A few of them.) The rest are all saying that while glancing out the corner of their eye in hopes of getting a Valentine from someone.

Ugh. Valentine’s Day should be renamed Insecurity Day.

Then there are couples like my friends who plan out what they’re going to do for months beforehand, carefully choosing the perfect gift to give their sweetie. They genuinely love seeing their beloved’s eyes light up at the object of their desire being pulled from a red box and wrapped in red tissue paper. They go out to dinner, celebrate their relationship, gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes over candlelight and glasses of champagne. The day after Valentine’s Day, they start planning for the next one.

Me? How do I feel about Valentine’s Day? We don’t celebrate it. (But if my husband forgets the flowers, his ass is grass.)

How do you feel about V Day? Are you a fan or a detractor? There’s a prize in it for a couple commentators.

Witch Blood releases in almost exactly a month! I’m getting really excited to have you all read Thomas and Isabelle’s story. I hope you like it.

I had an ARC left of the book, so I decided to host a contest on my blog for it.  I sent out my Yahoogroups newsletter and announced the contest in there…and wow did my web site hits spike. Over a course of 3 days I got a total of around 800 hits more than my average. How great! The thing I thought a bit curious was the fact that while lots of my newsletter subscribers visited my site, only a handful of them entered the contest for the ARC.

To be perfectly honest, I’m not much of a contest entrant, myself. I think it’s because I never win them, so I’m a little bit “why bother?” about them.

So, here is my question to you, dear readers, do you enter contests? Judging by the response I get when I run them here, I think you do. If you do enjoy entering contests, what sort of do you prefer? Do you like scavenger hunts best, or contests where you have be creative? And what kind of prizes do you like playing for? Free books, probably, but what else? Gift certificates, chocolate? Finally, can you remember a really innovative contest you entered recently. (Ann’s Grimspace Juggernaut comes to my mind.)

Give me the skinny on contests, guys.

If you’re interested in entering my contest, you can check it out on my web site. Navigate to my blog.

I love that feeling of almost being doing with a novel. It’s so sweet. The last part of the book always goes smoothly for me, all the threads of the plot coming together in a big explosive knot and then smoothing out just the way they’re supposed to. It’s the middle of a book that gives me trouble. Argh. The dreaded middle. But I’m through the middle and I’m getting ready to write The End on Witch Heart and I just couldn’t be happier…with a pinch of sadness that I’ll be saying goodbye to these particular characters. That always makes me a bit melancholy.

Even though I’ll be writing The End on this novel sometime within the next few days that doesn’t mean the book is finished. I have a pretty heavy revision process and it will take me the full two months I have left on my deadline to get it whipped into shape. Sometimes I write a book “patchwork quilt” style, jumping around the time line, writing This Scene here and That Scene over there and then sewing them all together. That’s what I did with Witch Heart. Plus, I have these little notes I made to myself everywhere, so I have to sort all those out and take care of them.

*grin* But I’m still close to done with the first draft! Whee!

Witch Blood releases in about five weeks from now. I’m so excited for you all to meet Isabelle and get to know Thomas a little better.

Jennifer Ray over at Ck2s Kwips and Kritiques has read it! She says… “In this series, Ms. Bast crafts a world that is full and rich, but requires no effort on the part of the reader to absorb and understand. Indeed, once you finish these books, you are left with the odd feeling that perhaps somehow you have always known this fascinating world, and simply needed the author to prod distant memories from your own subconscious. Anya Bast’s world-building feels just that natural… Lovers of magic and paranormal romances will doubtless find themselves enraptured by the gripping plot and intense sensuality of Witch Blood. Be prepared to read it straight through, because you will not be putting this book down once you begin reading it!”

Here’s the whole review, if you’re interested.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I think you know what I’ll be doing.

And…a question for the writers out there. Do you write linearly or not? How’s your revision process, light or uber-intensive?

In anticipation of the release of Witch Blood on March 4th, I’ve sent out something like 13, 000 book marks to various bookstores, mostly in the U.S. and Australia. It’s my hope that people will pick up one of them, decide the book sounds good and buy it. I’ve bought books in my life that way. That was back when I used to peruse the bookstores in search of fodder for my TBR pile.

These days, since I live far from any bookstore, I mostly decide what to buy through word-of-mouth on the Internet, or by looking at the coming soon lists at Amazon.com (the store where I mostly buy my books).

So, tell me, how do you buy books?

Are you a reader of reviews and decide what you’ll buy from those?

Do you listen to other reader recommendations?

Do you stick pretty much to a set author’s release schedule or branch out and try new authors?

Do you browse the bookstore shelves?

Do you browse the coming soon lists at online book retailers?

Or some combination of the above?

I’d love to know. How to do you decide what books to buy?

The winner from last week’s contest is….Pam Mann!! Congrats, Pam! Can you please drop me an email at anyabast (at) yahoo.com with your mailing address?

Also, if you’d like a Witch Blood bookmark of your very own, drop me your address via the contact form on my web site. I do have to limit this offer to the U.S., otherwise the postage just gets too expensive.

I’m always struck at how on some days I am only able to write 500 words and some days I can write 5k. Yesterday was a good day, I wrote about 3k. Since I have deadlines looming, that’s a positive thing. I am well over halfway done with Witch Heart and I’m in that place where things are zipping along because I’m gathering momentum toward the climax. It’s a good place to be.

We just had some renovations done to our living room. In the process, we had to move the BAJILLION books I own. I’m actually not much of a pack rat, so I’ve decided to get rid of over half my books to make the house a bit lighter. I’m giving most of them away to the local women’s shelter, but I definitely have some to spare for a contest or two. I have everything from Linda Howard to Kresley Cole to Jacquelyn Carey. SO…I can’t guarantee what books you’ll get, but if you leave a comment you’ll be entered to win a mail sack full of used paperbacks. Kind of like a readerly grab bag. You can comment about anything you want, from what you’re doing this weekend, to what you’re reading right now, to whether or not YOU’RE a pack rat.

I just sent out a bunch of stuff, btw, so if you’re waiting on a prize from me it’ll probably be there within the next couple days.

Lastly, Jacquelyn Frank is holding a day-long party today to celebrate the release of Elijah and I’m hosting from 12-1pm (eastern). If you can, stop on by and say hi! I’ll be doing some contests for prizes and stuff. The chat room is HERE.

I’m back from two weeks in Belgium spending the holidays with my husband’s family. Both my daughter and I were attacked by the plague upon our return, (my husband never gets sick. He’s like that guy in Unbreakable) so please excuse any odd sentence construction or, well, any oddness in general. Those antibiotics will kick in earnest soon, I hope.

Today my mind is on the ties that bind. Family ties. Having a small, rather unattached family, ties like these have always been an issue for me. I think I’m not alone in this. Everyone who had major drama worthy of the silver screen in their family during this holiday season, raise your hand.

The holidays are famous for accenting the nature of family ties, aren’t they? For some people the holiday season shows them (painfully) how few they truly have. For others it reinforces an already close networks of personal relationships. For still others it plunges them into a sea of dysfunctionality and drama. Ha. Although I think that most people without family long for any sort of family at all, even a dysfunctional one.

I’m actually of the opinion that most (if not all) families are dysfunctional at the heart of them, however. No one person is perfect. No one parenting style is flawless. And dysfunctionality, of course, dwells in the eye of the beholder.

I know some people who perceive their families as being so dysfunctional that they’ve simply adopted other people, friends in similar positions, and created their own family. As an only child in a small family I’ve done that too. I have a friend who is also an only child, someone I’ve known since elementary school. She is my sister in all but blood.

So, did you get through the holiday season with minimal scarring? I hope so! Did my post make any sense at all? *guzzles more cough syrup*

Now I’m ready to get on with the new year. I love a new year! January always has such a fresh new feeling.

Wow. This has probably been one of the more eventful years of my life.

On a personal note, I became a mom! For those that don’t know, my husband and I adopted a gorgeous, perfect little girl from China this year. Motherhood is quite a ride. There’s nothing better than having my sweet baby girl cuddled up in my arms. Nothing even comes close. I’ve been waiting a long time to be called mama.

Ergo, we went to China. That was a trip of a lifetime. I never dreamed I’d set foot in that country and we spent two weeks deep in the heart of it, in a place seen rarely by westerners. We ate locally, talked a lot with those who lived there and tried to soak up as much of the province’s culture as we could. We were sad to leave, but it won’t be our last trip. We are, after all, inexorably linked to that country and that region now.

Finally, this was the year I had my first mass market fiction release, something I’ve working toward for over ten years. It was sweet. Very, very sweet. Oh, yes, I did a happy dance or two. It was also bittersweet. Sometimes when you reach a goal that’s so hard won, it is bittersweet. But now I have new goals, new things to achieve.

Yes, 2007 has been pretty busy, pretty emotional. Celebratory, scary, wonderful and stressful.

You know how you feel after a really good workout? Your heart is pounding, you’re sweating, endorphins are pumping through your body and you feel good. Like you just really accomplished something. You’re also exhausted and damn happy to turn off the treadmill and collapse on the couch. That’s how I feel at the close of this year. What a workout. Wow, I need a nap.

My goal for 2008 is pretty simple. It’s the same goal I have every year–take life easy, one moment at a time. It’s a good goal, one I’ve been working to achieve for years and years. I can do it for a while, then I “forget” and slip out of it. My objective is to be able to maintain it.

How was 2008 for you? Was it an eventful year or a nice noneventful one? (I’m kinda looking forward to a bit less excitement in 2008, I have to say). What are your goals? What are you looking forward to in the new year?

I love writing that very first line. I love reading them too. The first line has the ability to hook me into reading the next line and the next. Here are a few of the first lines from some of my books. Can you name some favorite first lines?

1. He looked like sin and seemed like salvation. Salvation for her sluggish libido, anyway. (Witch Fire, June 5, 2007 — Berkley Sensation)

2. How to Catch a Warlock 101. Isabelle could teach that class. (Witch Blood, March 4, 2008 — Berkley Sensation)

3. Alejandro leaned against the bar and watched the crush of dancers gyrate to the pounding beat in the Blood Spot. Lights flashed through the dark interior of the building, periodically illuminating bodies clad in almost nothing. (The Darkest Kiss, October 2008 — Berkley Heat)

4. The brown-haired businessman beside Cassidy at the roulette wheel held up a chip. “Kiss it for luck?” He gave her smarmy grin and a slow head-to-toe perusal. (The Deal, What Happens in Vegas…. May 2008 — Harlequin Spice)

5. The cup slipped from Moira’s fingers and crashed to the wooden floor of her home. (A Change of Season — Ellora’s Cave)

6. Bianca sat on the floor of the crumbling building where she’d taken shelter. Her solar-powered lantern cast a dim light, bathing the bleached walls of the room in an eerie glow. (Water Crystal – Ellora’s Cave)

7. The blade could injure the wind itself. (Whisper of the Blade – Ellora’s Cave)

8. Mason downed the shot of whiskey in front of him and relished the burn of the alcohol down his throat. (Seduced in Twilight – Ellora’s Cave)

9. Jade’s heavy boots clanged on the metal walkway as she trekked across the heart of Harcourt Prison. All around her men stood at the bars of their cells catcalling and shouting obscenities. (Blood of the Damned – Ellora’s Cave)

10. Serena fought back a hard twinge of loneliness as she pushed aside a branch and stepped into the grove of oak trees that grew in the exact center of her thousand-acre property. (Ordinary Charm – Ellora’s Cave)

11. Ben had never believed in fate or destiny, not love at first sight. Hell, he’d never even believed in love. Codependency, maybe, but not love. He thought it was a myth, love. Just some name people gave to lust on steroids. (Edge of Sweetness – Ellora’s Cave)

12. Theo watched the glass slip from Miranda’s fingers and crash to the floor as the goblin walked into the restaurant. (Tempted by Two – Ellora’s Cave)

13. If only he could’ve fallen for a woman like that one. (Blood of an Angel – Ellora’s Cave)

14. Still a virgin. Was I destined to remain a virgin for the rest of my pathetic, royal life? (Getting Slayed, Dreams of the Oasis IV – Ellora’s Cave)

15. Sienne glanced up, then lowered her eyes as was proper, but in that moment she memorized the visage of the man who would be her temporary keeper. (Winter Pleasures: The Capture – Ellora’s Cave)

The winner from last week is JADE. Congratulations! Please drop me an email at anyabast(at)yahoo.com. I’m out of town until after the first year. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Oh, and HEY! I have a new web site. It’s very pretty! Go check it out!

May your holidays be bright, merry, and filled with love and laughter.