The Bradford Bunch

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Guest Blogger: Pamela Clare

Pamela Clare's latest romantic suspense novel.

Pamela Clare's latest romantic suspense novel.

Hi everyone! Sorry we’re late posting this morning. ;) Today I’m happy to introduce a guest blogger, Pamela Clare. Pamela is the extremely talented author of a kick butt romantic suspense series as well as mouth-watering historical romance. She creates multi-dimensional characters, wonderful plots, and edge-of-the-seat thrills in her romantic suspense and her historicals. Today Pamela is giving away a paperback of one of her books, so be sure to comment. She’ll be back later today to pick a winner. .:) Without further hesitation, I introduce one of my favorite authors, Pamela Clare.

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For two years, I’ve gotten daily e-mails from readers anxious to know when my next I-Team book would be out. That day came last Tuesday. After two long years, my I-Team series continues with Naked Edge. A contemporary romantic suspense novel set in the Colorado Rockies, Naked Edge tells the story of Navajo journalist Kat James and Gabe Rossiter, the park ranger who saves her life when she’s injured in the mountains.

The story is was inspired by my own near-fatal climbing accident in 1994 and the years I spent reporting on events in Indian Country — two completely unrelated things that I drew together to tell Kat and Gabe’s story.

Write what you know, they say, and I know what it’s like to fall 40 feet and almost die in the mountains. I know what it feels like to slip and know that you might well have taken your last breath. I know what sounds like when your own bones break. And I know how desperate a person can feel when they realize that they are almost completely helpless.

I was backpacking with my father, a lifelong climber, when it happened. We came to a cornice of snow and ice that we hadn’t anticipated. Lacking the right gear for climbing ice, we decided to give it a go anyway. It was no problem for my father, who simply kicked footholds in the ice and climbed 20 feet down to the steep slope of talus and boulders below. But it didn’t go so well for me.

I slipped from the top, and the game was over. I remember hearing my father shout for me and thinking I might die. I remember hitting rock over and over again and knowing that I was being hurt, but not feeling a thing.

In the hours that followed, I went from being barely coherent and in shock to realizing I had no choice but to keep climbing, even though I couldn’t stand. Readers will recognize Kat’s attempt to crawl to a trail where help could find her with my own effort to crawl, dragging a broken leg through the snow, to a safe place where I could rest while my father went for help. Fortunately, both Kat and I were rescued by a ranger on his day off who just happened to be nearby.

In my case, the ranger was named Rick. I haven’t seen him since. In Kat’s case, the ranger is Gabe, and meeting him changes both of their lives.

Kat’s Navajo heritage is drawn from more than a decade of reporting on news from Indian Country. The Navajo reservation is a 12-hour drive from my house, and it’s a drive I’ve made countless times over the years, hoping to bring awareness about Native concerns to a mainstream audience.

I was hesitant to write a Native heroine because I feel there’s a great responsibility that comes with depicting someone from another culture. I didn’t want to resort to stereotypes, nor did I wish to portray Navajo culture inaccurately. And let’s face it — no amount of time on the rez can make up for the fact that I am was not born and raised Navajo.

Still, the character of Kat came to me, and I was committed. I drew on my own memories of events and ceremonies, using as the outline for the story actual events that I reported on, including the desecration of a sweat lodge ceremony in which Native people from several Indian nations were participating together.

You’d think that, with all of this real-life experience in my mind, I’d have written Naked Edge quickly. Wrong! Somehow the fact that it felt so real to me made the writing an even slower process than usual. I felt so strongly that the details needed to be correct and that the characters, especially Kat and Gabe, had to embody the world I’d seen.

I doubt any of this will really matter for readers. What matters to them is being able to pick up the book and lose themselves in a love story. And Naked Edge is a love story. It’s a story about two people who meet under strained conditions and go on to mean more to one another than they could possibly imagine. With the Rockies as the backdrop it tells the story of one man’s courage as he puts his life on the line to protect an innocent woman from killers — and one woman’s selfless fight against the past to save the soul of the man she loves.

Written with real sweat and blood, I hope it’s a story that will stay with readers for a long time.

Here’s the cover blurb:

What do you do when desire drives you to the very brink?

The day Navajo journalist Katherine James met Gabriel Rossiter, the earth literally moved beneath her feet. Nearly killed in a rockslide while hiking, she found her life in the tall park ranger’s hands. Although she can’t forget him she thinks she’ll never see him again. She is crushed when she recognizes her rescuer among the law enforcement officers raiding a sweat lodge ceremony one night, throwing her and her friends off Mesa Butte, land they consider sacred.

Gabe long ago swore he would never again lose himself to a woman — not even one with long dark hair and big eyes that seem to see right through him. But from the moment he first sees Kat, the attraction he feels is undeniable. Appalled by what he has been ordered to do, he’s determined to get to the bottom of recent events at Mesa Butte and to keep Kat safe.

But asking questions can be dangerous — almost as dangerous as risking one’s heart. And soon Kat and Gabe’s passion for the truth — and each other — makes them targets for those who would do anything, even kill, to keep Native Americans off their sacred land.

For excerpts, go to www.pamelaclare.com and blogspot.pamelaclare.com.

I’ll be giving away a signed copy of Naked Edge today to one lucky person who posts. And although I’ll be at work, I’ll do my best to answer any questions anyone might have.

And thanks to Denise and the Bradford Bunch for letting me blog with you today!

Pamela Clare

Pamela Clare

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Thank you Pamela! It’s a pleasure having you with us today.

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Anton Strout Giveaway: there’s really no trout

So Anton had a release yesterday, book three in his urban fantasy series. When I first heard about his book coming out, I was like, DAMMIT, he’s doing psychometry! Why couldn’t I be first with this? And I was quite annoyed that I had near two-year wait before my book came out, because it meant he got the jump on me. But then I came to realize there’s plenty of room for all because look how many dang vampires there are running around book world. We’re fine with two psychometrists. Maybe I’ll even write some cross-world fan fic about Corine making out with Simon, but I won’t show anyone because that would be dirty and wrong.

To prove my good will, I’m pimping his hero, Simon Canderous (being partly named after the best KotOR character, he had to be awesome. And he is!) Without futher ado, here are his sexy books.

Don’t you want them? Yes, you do! But first, enjoy this quickie interview with Anton himself.

1) If you had only bacon, bread and peanut butter in the house, what would you make for dinner?

My love of bacon is well evidenced by my fantasy writer physique. For my recipe, I would roll the bread to form a ball around a core of peanut butter. I would then wrap a slice of bacon around it and fry the whole thing. The fat of the bacon would help crisp up the bread and it would be delicious. In theory, anyway. I might also just eat bacon out of a weaved bowl of bacon that I make.

2) If Simon Canderous were a pair of shoes, what would they be, and why?

Doc Marten’s, the mid height ones. Dependable, utilitarian, and great for kicking ass. Also, resistant to lycanthrope fur and brains wipe off them without discoloring the leather.

3) Do you ever dream about zombies? Why or why not?

As a long time fan of the Resident Evil games (hence using the last name Wesker in my series), I’ve been plagued by them. Lately I’ve been having more of them, but that’s due to sitting down with my friends for some co-op in Left 4 Dead, which mixes up slow and fast zombies, which adds a whole new level of terror. For the record, I am a bigger fan of slow zombies. They seem comical at first, all slow and shambling, but they never tire and eventually they WILL get you. Zombies represent the slow march of the inevitability towards death. Fun right? Remind me why I play these games. Whee!

4) How did you get to be so awesome? Was it a gradual development or did you come into your awesomeness all at once?

I’m like one of the X-Men when it comes to my mutant awesome powers. Like many of the students at Xavier’s, my powers awakened once I hit puberty, and after a quick but awkward phase, I blossomed into the awesomeness that is Anton. Anyone who knew me from my childhood and disputes this, is full of lies! Lies, I tell you! Please note that it is no coincidence that you too are awesome. There may be a correlation that involves the fact that both our names start with ‘An”…. [Interviewer's note: I think he's onto something here.]

5) What do you want readers to glean from your books, if anything?

There are hidden messages in the book that I desperately want people to tune into. Unfortunately, they are subliminal messages, instructing readers to run out to the stores with an insatiable desire to buy all three books, a set a week, over and over.

Actually, the real message is to have fun. I want people to be entertained. If there is a message, though, it probably is that it’s much harder to be good than evil. I find writing about characters who struggle to do good fascinating. Plus, it’s delicious fun torturing those goodie-two-shoes.

div

So now you know Anton a little better. Actually, probably not, since my interview questions are dumb, but I never claimed to be Barbara Walters. Hopefully you laughed a little, and even if you didn’t, you’ll never get those two minutes back. I’m so sorry.

Moving on! I know you’re really about the loot, so I’ll be giving away TWO FULL SETS of the Simon Canderous books. That’s two lucky winners who can glom Anton in one long, sweaty orgy of weekend reading. (You did process the last part of that sentence, right? I am in no shape or form promising Anton’s services in any capacity.)

To enter, you post a comment answering this question:

If someone with the gift of psychometry read your most cherished belonging through psychometry (that’s getting information by touching an object), what would they learn about you? And game on!

Contest ends Friday. Void where prohibited. Open to people who live in any country Book Depository ships to. Yes, I like you and think you’re pretty. Do not taunt happy fun ball.

ETA: WINNERS! Jackie U & Theresa! Email ann.aguirre at gmail.com with your full names & addresses to collect your prizes.

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Holiday Heat (massive giveaway!)

To drive off the chill for some of y’all I’m going to run a contest. Here are the books that are up for grabs.

Don’t they all look amazing? The Bradford Bunch has a ton of releases in January! So I’m celebrating these books right here. RULES: I’m not pulling a single winner, either. I’m doing random winners over the next week. There will be “hot” times to comment, but you must comment often because you never know when you might get lucky. This contest runs until I have announced nine winners, at least one a day. No spamming, no random links. Your comment must contain content and pertain to the books or something a prior commenter has already said.

Everyone understand how we play? I’ll start us off with a question, but feel free to let the conversation evolve. However, if you’re coming in later, and you can’t think of anything to say on your first comment, you can always answer this for your comment. (Do not answer it repeatedly; that will not win you anything.)

Which of these books are you most excited to read and why?

So that’s it. There are some lovely, lovely books up for grabs, and nine winners to be found. Go for it, people!

ETA:
First winner! Cathy M claims a copy of STOLEN SEDUCTION!
Second winner! Raelena wins a copy of CRUX!
Third winner! Joder snags a copy of THE STRANGER’S SECRETS!
Fourth winner! Booklover1335 runs off with SWITCH!
Fifth winner! Amy Kathryn snares a copy of COMING UNDONE!
Sixth Winner! Michelle K bags ETERNAL HUNTER!
Seventh winner! Jane steals a SCOUNDREL’S KISS!
Eighth winner! Miranda makes off with KING OF THE UNBLESSED!
Final winner! Bella walks off with WICKED ENCHANTMENT!

And that’s all, folks. Email me your name & address at ann.aguirre at gmail dot com.

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Pleased to Meet You!

Click to Read an Excerpt

Click to Read an Excerpt

Hi everyone!

I’m so pleased to join the other Bradford girls here on a more regular basis, and thrilled to meet all of you.

I’m Jess Granger, and I write Science Fiction Romance.  That feels like a confession.  I chose to write SFR because I loved reading paranormal romances.  I loved them, and read as many as I could, but when I set out to write, I found I needed more freedom from the paranormal conventions and world building of that genre.  So I created my own worlds completely from scratch and I’ve used them to create the most terrible and terribly delicious conflict I could.

My first book, Beyond the Rain took conflict to a whole new level.  Here’s the blurb.

In a universe torn apart by civil war, a warrior and a slave must fight for their freedom, for their lives, and for a love that may destroy them both…

After five years behind enemy lines, Captain Cyani is ready to retire to her homeworld of Azra as one of the Elite — the celibate warrior sisterhood that rules the planet. But first she must complete one final mission to rescue her fellow Union soldiers. The last thing she expects to find is a prisoner, chained and beaten — but radiating feral power and an unbroken spirit…

Soren is a Byralen, an enigmatic people who possess a unique hormone that they use to bond with their mates — and that is sold as a sexual narcotic in the shadow trade. For years, he has endured torture at the hands of his captors as they leeched his very essence. The last thing he expects is to be freed from slavery by a beautiful warrior woman with radiant blue eyes.

Driven by her rigid sense of honor, Cyani frees Soren even though her life hinges upon the success of her mission. But after so many years in bondage, his hormones are so unbalanced that he will die if he does not bond with a woman. Can the lovely but distant warrior be the woman he needs to survive, or will the forbidden bond destroy them?

I loved writing this book, and I had so much fun with the characters and this conflict.  But I had even more fun writing the second book.

Click to Read an Excerpt

Click to Read an Excerpt

Beyond the Shadows is coming to bookstores this May, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it.  I had more fun with this hero than I have ever had with a character.  (Okay, that sounded a little dirty.  Oh, what the heck, he’s delicious.)

Here’s the blurb.

A man of deception. A woman of justice. Can their fragile trust be strong enough to prevent a war?

Commander Yara knows perfect leadership requires perfect control and discipline. She has spent years living without the distraction of caring for anything—or anyone. It’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make. Yara has honed herself into the perfect heir to the Azralen throne, but a bloody coup could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. She must return home to prevent war. Unfortunately the only ship available belongs to an Earthlen trader with no regard for authority—especially hers.

Cyn is a rebel, driven to protect those suffering at the hands of the Elite leaders of Azra. Using his alias to manipulate the lovely but icy commander onto his ship, he has to keep her from Azra long enough to ignite the revolution. But when he awakens a vibrant and feeling woman beneath that icy exterior, he gets more than he bargained for—love. He must find a way to convince Yara to join him, before they get caught in a web of deception that could tear their world apart.

In celebration of joining the blog today, let’s have a contest!

All you have to do to enter is ask me a question.  You can ask anything, ask about the books, ask about me, ask about the mating habits of ring-tailed lemurs, anything is game so long as it isn’t a question that has been asked before in the thread.  I’ll choose one winning comment, and that person will have a choice of prizes between a signed copy of Beyond the Rain, (limited to US and Canada residents) or a super secret only you can see it sneak peek at an exclusive excerpt from Beyond the Shadows. (This one is open to everyone!)  The contest will close Jan 4th, when I announce the winner.

Good luck all, have fun, and ask away!

Jess

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Music

I have eclectic tastes in music. One minute I’m listening to the Black Eyed Peas, and the next it’s Amy Macdonald. Right now I have an Amy Macdonald song stuck in my head. It’s called RUN. I think it’s quite haunting. But it doesn’t help that we played this CD on a loop on the way back from Acapulco.

I’m different from my husband in that I’m still discovering new artists. Andres stopped caring about new music about the time Ace of Bass disbanded. He also thinks the Bangles are awesome. Shh, don’t tell him I’m mocking his musical stagnation.

I’m looking at my Itunes right now and here are my ten most played songs:

I Gotta Feelin - Black Eyed Peas
30th Century Man - Scott Walker
Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
All My Little Words - The Magnetic Fields
Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads
You Ain’t Seen Nothin Yet - Bachman Turner Overdrive
Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing - Chris Isaak
Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry
Run - Amy Macdonald

Now it’s time for you to confess your top five most-played. You know you want to. Random commenter wins Skin Game or Doubleblind, whichever (s)he wants more.

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The Way It Sometimes Works (or sometimes things happen for a reason)

In 2005 there was a call at a publisher I wrote for, asking for proposals for an anthology of stories about men with dangerous jobs. I proposed one.

It got rejected, which sucked, but I was working on another series at the time so I had plenty to do anyway. A month or so later, my editor wrote me on the side and urged me to resubmit the story as a full novel because she loved the characters and the world I’d proposed. Eventually I did just that and that book was Enforcer, the first in my Cascadia Wolves series.

Here I am, years later and the series is one of my most popular! It’s funny to have that when I look back on the original rejection, though I think it’s a great object lesson about how many times a rejection is about right book, right editor, right time. I’m glad it was rejected in the original proposed format because by the time I picked it up again to write it, the story arc had changed. The Lex and Nina storyline wouldn’t have been what it is now and I’d be sad without all my wolves!

I truly love the world of my Cascadia Wolves. I love the political intrigue, I love me some alpha males and the strong women I got to write to pair them with, I love the connection and relationship between the Warden siblings and, as the series went on, the wolves from other packs to.

My absolute favorite part of writing series books is creating community. I love big families in books. I love groups of friends who are family of one’s making. I love learning my characters through their interaction with people they love and who love them.

It’s why I absolutely adore writing werewolves – a Pack is both a family and a group of people who become the family of your heart.

In Trinity, I moved from Seattle, where the Warden wolves rule, to Boston and the heart of National Pack territory. I needed to give Jack Meyers his own story, but as I started thinking on the book, this other guy kept coming to mind and that’s how Galen de la Vega came about, that’s how jaguars joined the mix of shifters in that world. And my heroine didn’t want to be a shifter either, in fact, she wanted to be a witch (another one of my favorite things to write). So I pretty much just let them have their way.

These aren’t Cascadia Wolves anymore. There are glimpses of Cade and Grace, of Dave and the wolves who came to Boston from Seattle, but Trinity is a spin off into new territory. The best part about writing paranormals – making up new stuff! I found out last week that the next installment in the story of the de La Vega Cats will be out from Samhain in July of next year! I’m working on a title now, but rest assured, you will find out the story behind Susan’s involvement in Kendra and Max’s book!

Oh and head on over to my blog - I’m running a contest to win an ARC of COMING UNDONE, my January Berkley Heat release!

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When the Going Gets Tough, Sometimes the Tough Need a Shoulder

Vivi Anna has graciously given her day to Emma Petersen, who writes for Elloras Cave. Emma wrote her first romance in high school after falling in love with Historical Romance and has been writing ever since. Her favorite response when people ask her why she writes is, “Because it stops the voices.” This answer gets her two reactions usually (as do a lot of things she says often do) startled laughter and worried looks. The truth is that Emma does write to stop the voices. The voices of demanding heroes and kick sass heroines who want their story told, so Emma does as she’s told and does her best to weave stories of passion, love and adventure.

Her love of the written word comes from her mother. As a child, Emma and her mother would spend Saturdays lost in their local library researching and reading everything and anything that caught their fancy. From pirates to vampires, no realm or possibility was left unexplored.

The youngest of three girls, Emma grew up in beautiful Southern California where she spent almost as much time at the beach as she did at the library. The love of the ocean is something else she has inherited from her parents and since she cannot stand to be far from it, she has continued to live not to far from where she grew up.

Please give her a warm Bradford Bunch welcome! And look, there’s a contest, too…

What do you do when your rock starts crumbling and you’re not sure you can help keep it from falling apart?

I’ve been blessed with some of the most kick ass critique partners and beta readers a chick could ask for. Each one makes my work stronger, better and pushes me to keep going even when I don’t think I can.

I have not sold to New York. A year ago I was obsessed with it. My work, my accomplishments and my career as it was meant nothing because I hadn’t plucked that red juicy apple yet.

A wise and amazingly talented friend talked me down from the ledge when I was going through a serious “woe is me” stage. (Seriously, I was whinier than a third grade girl with a splinter.) She was honest while still allowing me to maintain hope that the apple wasn’t out of reach. Because of her frankness, support and friendship my outlook on the Mecca (aka The Apple) is a little bit more realistic and I’m no longer stalking it like some crazy chick who has decided she’s going to marry a guy after the first date.

So it’s months later, there have been changes in my life but because of the solid foundation my bud has helped me build, I’m doing great, ready to face anything head on. (Except being hit on by a guy wearing a shirt tighter than mine. Dude, seriously, I can see your nipples. That’s just not sexy.)

And now it’s my turn to help build a foundation for my friend. Only problem? I have no idea how because seriously, I can’t imagine someone as talented as her, and seriously this person is fricking brilliant, giving up. It’s beyond my comprehension and yet I know I NEED to be there for her, whether I understand or not.

I can tell her all she’s done will pay off. It just has to. But what happens when the determination and hard work doesn’t pay off? When you stop getting the calls? When your sales don’t look the way you think they should?

What do you do?

Do you give up, scrap everything you’ve worked so hard for and walk away. Or you can get up from the latest situation that knocked you on your ass, let your friends dust you off and limp toward that next goal.

I know this person and I know no matter how fed up and tired she is she’ll be limping along with the rest of us trying to get to where we need to go. But I’m sure she can use a little encouragement.

So share with us, Bradford Bunch visitors, the funniest, silliest, sternest things you say to your own buds when they’re ready to throw in the towel.

Seducing St Nic You don’t have to be a writer to participate. A disappointment is a disappointment. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win 1 of 2 copies of my vamplicious book, Seducing St. Nic. Click here to read an excerpt. Winners will be announced in the comments today @ midnight PST.

Thanks for letting me visit Bradford Bunchees!

Emma Petersen
www.emmapetersen.com
www.emmapetersen.com/blog

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The STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL Haunted London Blog Tour DAY 1!

strangelybeautiful

What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death…”
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Welcome to the Strangely Beautiful HAUNTED LONDON BLOG TOUR! DAY 1! 

 I’m kicking the Tour off here today with the fabulous Bradford Bunch – who always know how to throw a party - thank you so much for letting me join you!

 

 To celebrate the August 25th release of my Gothic Victorian fantasy debut, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, first in the Strangely Beautiful series, my Haunted London Blog Tour will introduce you to some of the real, documented London haunts who “ghost-star” in the book.

 I’ve had a life-long love for the 19th century, England and ghosts.  When I first set foot in London, I felt history sweep over me like a strong wind.  Secondly, I felt sure the city was alive not only with the pulsing energy of the living but the restless energy of the dead. When the character of Professor Alexi Rychman and his Guard of spectral police make their rounds, it is to any number of familiar London phantasms.  Since these characters are familiar to The Guard, I don’t get the opportunity to tell their full story in the book.  But these tales are too good not to tell in their full, spooky splendor…

 
  Let’s meet our inaugural haunt:

 1. Bloody Bones -50 Berkley Square “The Most Haunted House in London!”

 The Georgian façade of 50 Berkley Square is plain.  But inside, it’s been mayhem, perhaps since its foundations were laid in the 1700s.  In the 19th century this address was considered by Charles Harper, in his 1907 publication Haunted Houses to be “the Most Haunted House in London!”     

50 Berkeley Square

50 Berkeley Square

“…it seems that a Something or Other, very terrible indeed, haunts or did haunt a particular room.  This unnamed Raw Head and Bloody Bones, or whatever it is, has been sufficiently awful to have cause d the death, in convulsions, of at least two fool-hardy persons who have dared to sleep in that chamber…”

 

 

 

 

 There are several theories as to why the very bricks of this Georgian-style building can cause a palpable shock to the psychically adept, the most chilling is that the lunatic brother of a Mr. Du Pré was once locked up and fed through a hole in a door due to his extremely violent tendencies and his ghost remains therein.  Two deaths have been attributed to the premises. A nobleman died of shock to his system soon after seeing something he couldn’t even speak to describe. Due to the reputation of a hideous entity residing within, the building could not keep tenants.  Strange lights were seen in windows, disembodied screams as well as the sound of a heavy body dragged down the staircase could be heard at night.  The second death occurred when two trespassing sailors awoke to heavy footsteps.  The door of the haunted room flew open and a horrific, formless mass began to overtake them.  One sailor escaped and returned with a policeman, only to find his friend’s corpse impaled on the railings outside, terror on his face.

 

… Here’s how Berkeley Square makes its “Ghost-appearance” in the The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker:

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             Entering the dank shadow of a nearby alley, Rebecca sighed. “Fifty Berkeley Square is causing trouble again,” she remarked. As was often the case, she was the first to feel the burning in her veins.

            “The usual? Noises?”

            “Yes, and moving lights. Books ejected from second-story windows, blood dripping from their bindings. It will be rather a mess.”

            Alexi sighed. “Shall we clean it up, then?”

            She shook her head. “Let me handle it.”

            “Rebecca, Bloody Bones is a trial. It’s not a task for you alone.”

            “Alexi, please. You’ve enough to worry about,” she assured him. When he raised an eyebrow, she asked, “You truly think I cannot arraign the subject myself?”

            Alexi was silent.

            “Shall we bet on the matter?”

            Alexi’s lips curved. “Why, Headmistress, you surprise me. I didn’t think you a wagering woman.”

            “You press me to strange deeds, Professor.”

            “Indeed. Well, then: a bottle of my favourite sherry. It shall await me at La Belle et La Bête upon your failure. I do believe Josephine keeps several in stock—perhaps for just such an occasion.”

            Rebecca grimaced. “While I have every faith in my success, I do wish your tastes were less expensive. But, a bottle of sherry it is. And now we’d best get back to Athens.”

            “Should we?” he asked.

            “It is the first day of class, Professor, and you have students to terrify.”

            “Ah yes, so I do.”

 

—- (End of Excerpt)

 

My research relies heavily upon Richard Jones, one of the founders of the fabulous London Walks and author of the fantastic compendium “Haunted London” published by Barnes & Noble Books, visit him at www.haunted-london.com.  Come visit me at www.leannareneehieber.com to find out more about The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker and follow along on the rest of the tour!  There’s a Contest too, so stop by and check out the details. And of course, I hope you’ll pick up The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker at a bookstore near you and that you’ll love it as much as I loved writing it.  

Be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win a signed copy!  One entry will be drawn randomly at Midnight 8/22 ! (US mail only, please)

 

Blessings!

Leanna Renee Hieber

www.leannareneehieber.com

www.twitter.com/leannarenee

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Laid Bare Is Coming!

Wow, in just a bit over a month, my first contemporary erotic romance will be releasing from Berkley Heat! I’m pretty excited about Laid Bare. I’ve got a gorgeous cover, I really did love writing Erin, Todd and Ben’s story and it features two of my favorite things - Seattle and music!

Here’s the blurb:

Unexpected Desire…

It’s been ten years since clean-cut, sexy-as-hell police officer Todd Keenan had a white-hot fling with Erin Brown, the provocative, wild rocker chick next door. Their power exchange in the bedroom got under his skin. But love wasn’t in the cards just yet…

Now, life has thrown the pair back together. But picking up where they left off is tough, in light of a painful event from Erin’s past. As Todd struggles to earn her trust, their relationship takes an unexpected and exciting turn when Todd’s best friend, Ben, ends up in their bed—and all three are quite satisfied in this relationship without a name. As the passion they share transforms Erin, will it be enough to help her face the evil she thought she had left behind?

Here’s what some folks are saying about LAID BARE

“Every once in a great while, a book comes along that moves and surprises you in all the best ways. LAID BARE is one of those books for me. I was blown away by Dane’s brilliant rendering of this emotionally-charged, deeply erotic tale of second chances and redemption. I can’t say it enough: I loved this book!” Sylvia Day, nationally bestselling author of Eve of Darkness

Laid Bare is the hottest thing since Prometheus gave us fire. It’s also a tender love story that wrung my heart with its sweetness. Don’t miss this book.” –Ann Aguirre, national bestselling author of Blue Diablo

“It’s impossible not to love this story. The sex is sizzling, the emotions are raw. Lauren Dane has done it again. Laid Bare, quite simply, ROCKS!” — Megan Hart, author of DEEPER

In August’s RT Magazine, Laid Bare gets 4 1/2 stars and a Top Pick!

In a word, this book is amazing. All three characters are magnetic and thoroughly realistic. They’re expertly woven into a roller-coaster story that will have you crying one moment, aroused the next and laughing with glee at each triumphant step along the way. With menage and some mild M/M scenes, this is Dane’s best story yet!

Here’s the book video:

Starting Friday July 3, I’ll be running a contest all month long at my blog with books and authors’ favorite accessories - music, jewelry, scarves, socks, all kinds of stuff!

Good luck!

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Win some Witch Fury

Today, you lucky people, you have a chance to win a copy of Anya Bast’s Witch Fury. cover art

Sarafina Connell is having the worst week of her life. It takes an even darker turn when an infamous playboy kidnaps her and reveals a world she never knew existed….

It’s a world where magick is real, and where Sarafina is given a chance to join a secret cabal that is bent on gaining absolute power. They could use a woman like her—a witch with an untapped gift for creating fire. But she isn’t about to get in league with the devil.

Rescued from her captors, Sarafina is introduced to a coven that is duty-bound to fight the forces of darkness. She’s pleased that her savior is the imposingly seductive Theo—until the trust between them goes up in flames. However, as the war between good and evil is waged, Sarafina and Theo realize they have no choice but to unite in the battle for supremacy—that’s getting hotter by the minute.

So that’s the book. I know you want it.

In order to enter to win it, tell me what kind of element witch you’d like to be. Fire, water, earth, air. Then tell me why. That’s it! I’ll post the winner here in this post a week from today.

ETA: And the winner is… Kimberly B! You can continue to post comments about Anya’s books, but it won’t win you anything from this point on. Kim B, you need to email me with your address.

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