Within His Embrace, available at Liquid Silver Books

Okie dookie all. Some of you know that the last story in my HEART OF JUSTICE SWAT series came out this last Tuesday at Liquid Silver Books www.liquidsilverbooks.com. Hope you’ve had a chance to pick up your copy. I have to admit of all my characters in this series, the hero in this book is probably my favorite. He’s the most rough around the edges, and I had to work hard to smooth him  out. He’s a little too overprotective, and the heroine isn’t taking it well. I think he deserved a heroine who was a bit of a spitfire, a bit harder to deal with, with some rough edges of her own. I hope you enjoy their adventure and seeing how they help each other work through issues. This story definitely is hot, and it has some suspense and danger.

**

Though they hadn’t finished discussing the list, she snapped closed the portfolio and placed it on the coffee table. She crossed her arms and turned toward him. “Oh, you do? Fine. Tell me everything you think you know about me.”

God, Leigh, do you honestly want to know what he thinks?

Part of her didn’t. The other part egged him on with sheer delight. “Go on. Tell me, Mr. know-it-all.”

An answering rebellion filled his gaze. She’d hit something raw inside–she could tell. He turned toward her as well, his gaze seeking and finding her eyes, her mouth, and back to her eyes in a way Leigh found intimate. Disturbing in a sensual way that brought her awareness of him to a height she couldn’t ignore.

“You’re intelligent as hell. Quick. You don’t forgive and forget. You’re fast to judge, and even faster to apologize if you think you’re at fault. You like planning over spontaneity. You prefer whisky over wine. You wear a lot of green. I’d say more than any other color. You’re self-conscious about your hair. I notice you fuss with it a lot.” He stopped. “Should I go on?”

Uncomfortable with his dead-on assessment, she narrowed her eyes. “Okay, so you’ve watched me closely. That figures. You’re a cop. You’re paid to observe.”

“I was that way before I was a cop. But I have to admit I would have noticed you anyway.”

She dipped a toe into the waters, unsure she wanted to hear why. “Oh? Why is that?”

“You’re hot.” His voice held a sexy undertone she couldn’t ignore.

Pure, delicious excitement flowed through her body. Her heartbeat quickened, her mind swirling in disbelief. Only two words would escape. “Thank you.”

“Just because we don’t see eye to eye doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re pretty.”

Satisfaction made her smile. She’d gotten him to admit he thought she was hot. Now that she knew it, her body reacted even more strongly. Heat filled her face.

She cleared her throat. “We’re off track. Way off. Here’s what we need to do.” She ticked off items on her hand, finger by finger. “You were worried about me picking up the cake from Helga Swanson’s right?”

“Yeah.”

“Celeste is going with me. So it’ll be fine.”

He crossed his arms. “Okay.”

He sounded halfway relieved, if not totally satisfied.

“And, like I said before, you can help with the bachelorette party. You can be the bouncer.”

He leaned nearer, the amusement in his eyes evident. “Why the hell do you need a bouncer?”

She smiled. “I’m teasing. But you said you were up for the challenge with helping, so you can help with the party.”

His expression looked mutinous, as if the idea of hanging with a bunch of women at a girly party offended his sensibilities. “I could back out.”

“But you won’t.”

For a half second she wondered if she’d pushed him too far. “I sense you don’t like this stripper thing.”

“Let’s put it this way–you’d never catch me doing it.”

“Of course not.” An idea, a wicked, wicked idea flitted through her head and demanded a voice. “You might not for a bachelorette party, but would you do a private striptease for a woman?”

Crap. I can’t believe I asked that.

Craig’s eyes turned hungry, immediate in their interest. Yet he didn’t say a damned thing.

“Forget I asked,” she said.

Right. The guy’s too uptight to really let loose like that.

She sighed. Damned shame.

A vision of Craig slipping out of his sheriff’s uniform and revealing his chest, stripping his pants off, his briefs, to reveal…

Her body responded violently to the fantasy, her nipples turning berry hard, a burning need glowing red hot within her. Suddenly she became even more aware of him, every nuance of his virility slamming her from all sides. She tried to imagine any red-blooded woman ignoring him and couldn’t. Swallowing hard, Leigh shifted to her feet and closed the portfolio with a snap.

Embarrassment, an emotion she rarely experienced, caught up to her with a vengeance. She’d lost her cool. Lost her edge. And that pissed her off. Losing the edge made her feel too vulnerable. And she wasn’t going that route again.

Deciding to cut and run before she said another stupid thing, she hurried to pick up her purse. “I’d better head out.”

“Leaving so soon?” His voice was dark velvet, sending warmth spreading through her body in a tingling wave that settled low. “I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because my mother taught me right.”

“Uh-huh. That protective streak of yours again.”

“Sue me.”

Her plan had backfired. Sure, she’d wondered what would make him lose control. He hadn’t.

“I don’t need a man to escort me everywhere.”

He crossed his arms. “Are you one of those women who thinks a man wanting to protect a woman is Neanderthal?”

“Yes.”

His face went hard, as she imagined it would before an interrogation…narrowed eyes and a tough-guy voice.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “Did a guy in your past overprotect you?”

“I’m not getting into my personal life.”

“Or maybe he did more than protect you; he used it to control you. To make you feel inadequate and inferior. Maybe you had a boyfriend who verbally abused you?”

Her mouth dropped open. He’d hit far too close to the mark, and a tiny panic blossomed inside Leigh.

“If you were in a relationship, would you still scoff at his protection?” he asked.

She hoisted her purse over her shoulder. “It’s time for me to leave. I’m not a criminal and under your arrest, MacGilvary.”

She stalked toward the door.

He followed, and the implacable look on his face told her he wouldn’t back down.

Within a few seconds they were in the elevator.

Leigh stared at Craig, her tension ratcheting into the double digits as he met her gaze. His protectiveness raised her libido higher even as it ground against her independence. His eyes penetrated, demanded, searched with a searing attention that screamed sexual interest.

No way. Arrogant, cold, uptight Craig MacGilvary was not sizing her up for sexual conquest. At the same time, she wondered how she could be wrong about him. She hated the confusion. She hated not knowing his intentions.

“What are you staring at?” His question came out specific, with a frosty, almost belligerent tone.

She leaned back along the cool elevator wall and refused to look away. Yeah, he was probably used to people cowering under that intimidating stare. Leigh had never lost a staredown with a man. Never. She wouldn’t start now.

“I was just wondering why you believe you can intimidate me. Why you dislike me so much,” she said.

His eyes widened only a fraction before narrowing, lips turning tight. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t dislike you.”

She smiled, skeptical. Right buddy. Crossing her arms, she hooked one ankle over the other. “That’s you liking me? Giving me icy, confrontational stares at every opportunity? Running like I’m poison whenever I get within a few feet of you?”

He mocked her stance, his arms crossed. Eyes hot, he scanned her slowly. “You’re mouthy.”

Not surprised by his admonishment, she grinned. “I haven’t always been that way.”

“What changed you?”

“I acquired a taste for it.”

His gaze traveled over her hungrily, and she soaked up the attention. Lingering on her breasts, skimming down her legs, his interest gave no illusion. The man had a serious male appreciation for her figure, even if he liked nothing else about her.

Time to call in the heavy artillery, as her sister would say.

She walked toward him, half thrilled, half scared to bits. After all, from her first meeting with him, he’d given her an A-number one brush off.

The lights flickered wildly.

The elevator plunged.

Leigh’s life didn’t pass before her eyes. There wasn’t time for that.

No I’m not talking about Halloween coming up, I’m talking about my story The Bewitching Hour which will be released by Silhouette Nocturne in December. It’s a BITE, a short about a secondary character in my Valorian Chronicles. This story is about Hector Morales, the chief investigator from the San Antonio crime lab. I had a lot of fun writing a story for him…

Check out the cover…

Here’s a short excerpt:

There was only ten minutes until the wedding ceremony. Hector Morales shut the hotel room door behind him, tucking the key card into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and walked swiftly down the wide opulent corridor to the bank of elevators. Luckily, the Necropolis Grand Hilton had eight elevators serving the huge lavish hotel. He hoped at least one of them would get him to the penthouse suite in time. He really didn’t want to be late for Lyra and Theron’s wedding.

After pressing the up button, he sat in one of the red velvet high backed chairs to wait. He smoothed down the wrinkle on his gray trousers and cursed himself for not making more time before the wedding. His suit definitely needed pressing, and he likely needed a shave. He rubbed a hand over his chin, already feeling the first prickles of stubble. But the phone call from the office in San Antonio had taken up his grooming time and then some.

The sheriff had called him about a missing person’s case his crime scene team was working on. As usual, the sheriff had called to chew him out. It still surprised him he had a job after that fiasco in San Antonio when Caine Valorian’s forensic team, from Necropolis, came out to help him on a strange murder. The murder ended up being part of a series of rituals that a very powerful vampiress was conducting in order to open a portal to hell. She ended up being a demon of all things.

Hector still had trouble believing that all of that had happened. Vampires, lycans, witches, these were the types of people that lived and worked in Necropolis. He was both pleased and perplexed to call some of them, namely Caine’s crime scene team, his friends. Enough so, that he was attending Lyra’s, who was a witch, nuptials to a half vampire/half witch named Theron who hailed from the Otherworlder European city of Nouveau Monde.

Sometimes it got really confusing keeping everyone’s species straight.
The elevator arrived. When the doors slid open, Hector walked into the plush mirrored elevator for the twenty floor ride. His room was on the tenth floor and the wedding was in the penthouse suite in a tropical type atrium. A night wedding. He liked them around this time. It seemed more romantic to him. It was no surprise thought especially since a lot of the guests were vampires and couldn’t tolerate the hot sun for very long.

The elevator stopped on the thirteenth floor. The hoteliers obviously weren’t superstitious. The door slid open but no one came on. Shrugging, Hector pushed the close door button. But before it could slide shut, a slim pale hand stopped it. The door bounced open again from the intrusion, and a tall slender woman in a lavender dress stepped into the box.

Her hair was as red as a Texas sunset and it swirled around her in long perfect curls. It shone in the muted elevator light and Hector had a terrific urge to reach out and caress one of those perfect spirals. He actually had to fist his hand tight against his leg to stop from doing just that.

She glanced at him and smiled. “Good evening.”

He just nodded, his mouth too sticky to open and form any coherent words. He was usually quite comfortable around most people. He worked in law enforcement long enough to be confident and sure in his position. But nerves zapped through his body the second the woman entered the elevator. The air seemed thick around him, and he was having a difficult time breathing. Was it just because she was an Otherworlder? Or was it because she was breathtakingly beautiful?

She looked at him again. “Are you going to Lyra and Theron’s wedding?”

Her eyes were as green as fresh spring grass. He didn’t think a color like that could exist in someone’s eyes. Knowing he was staring, likely impolitely, he cleared his throat and lowered his gaze. “Yes,” he finally managed to say. His throat was tight and he pulled at his tie. The temperature in the elevator was definitely rising.

“I’m Fiona Woodland, Lyra’s estranged cousin.” She stuck out her slim elegant hand toward him.

 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 25^th 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 19^th 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…

 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 19^th 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

“…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:

-

             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

I’m sick.  That’s my excuse for why I’m so late with this post….I’ve been crazy sick for the past three days.  I hate being sick…

So to make me feel better I’m going to post a little teaser excerpt from my upcoming book from Samhain, DEMON DREAMER.  It will be released July 14.

excerpt - copyright July 2009 Vivi Anna

Kiara Brodie bolted upright in bed, panting, her long blonde hair stuck to her cheeks and forehead from the sweat that slicked her entire body. The dream had been intense, so vivid, and so real. She could still smell the demon in her room. Heat and sweat and something spicy.

Shoving the tangled blanket aside, she swung her legs over her bed and breathed in deep. Her heart was still racing. She hadn’t dreamt like that in a long time. Not since her brother had died. She wondered if this was some sort of omen, like her dream had been for Liam. A prophecy of things to come.

Such was the life of a seer.

Kiara stood and grabbed the ratty blue robe draped over a chair and slid it on, tying it tight around her waist. She slipped her feet into slippers that were worn on the bottom and shuffled out of her small bedroom and into the kitchen of her quaint but stuffy trailer.

She set the teapot onto the stove and turned on the burner. Maybe a cup of herbal tea would chase away the last remnants of her dream still clinging to her like spider webbing. Rubbing at her face, she pushed open the curtains over the kitchen window and stared out at the day. It was early yet, not even five by the way the sky held a faint yellow and pink glow. Most of the caravan weren’t even awake yet. Most wouldn’t wake for hours.

Such was the life of a tinker.

A life Kiara hated just about every minute of. But she was born to it, and because of her gift and her curse she didn’t have any chance of changing it.

Once she had her tea poured, she took it and opened the door to her trailer to sit out on her favorite chair under the awning. She loved early mornings. There was no one around to bug her, to ask her for a palm or tarot card reading, or to watch her warily from the corner of their eye. Because she knew they did, even if they didn’t mean to.

She was part of the caravan, had been born to an Irish tinker and lived among them for her whole twenty-three years, but she was never fully one of them. Because of her curse she’d always been set apart. She knew some feared her and what she could see with her goat’s eye. Born with an elliptical pupil in her right eye like a goat, Kiara had been both ostracized and revered. She’d been marked, declared the elders of the caravan. Marked as special, marked as someone to fear. It was a strange place to be. And one that was starting to wear her down. She was tired of being the one. She just wanted to be Kiara Brodie, a young Irish girl with a big yearning in her heart.

A yearning for something else, for something more. For somebody more.

Due to her place in the tinker society, guys didn’t approach her. Although she was considered beautiful and desired, there was not a one who had the balls to take her on. Most of the men were afraid of her. And the others were just disgusted with her strangeness.

She hungered for a man who would find that otherness sexy and wanted to be with her night and day. Especially the nights. She harbored wild and wicked fantasies but had yet to find a man who was man enough to fulfill them.

Which brought her back to her dream. There was something about the demon that ignited the fires inside her. He was strangely beautiful and obviously powerful, and she gravitated toward that power. If a being could rip apart a house and imprison two other obviously powerful beings, she could only imagine what that strength and power would be like on top of her. Feeling him inside her. Would she feel his power surging through her?

She shivered at the thought. Cupping her tea in her hands, she took a sip and smiled. Maybe this was a sign that her ideal mate was just around the corner. That soon she would meet him and know the thrill of a hot, fierce, passionate man’s pleasure.

In April my next Nocturne comes out.  THE VAMPIRE’S QUEST was a struggle to write.  I knew from all the emails I gotten about this character, that I HAD to get Kellen Falcon’s story just right.  I think I was able to do that and more.  I love this story, and I love Kellen.

I am more than thrilled to say that Romantic Times Magazine came The Vampire’s Quest a TOP PICK.  This is my second for this series.  I’m tickled pink!

Here’s the review…

THE VAMPIRE’S QUEST (4.5) by Vivi Anna: When vampire bomb investigator Kellen Falcon travels to the European city of Nouveau Monde to visit a doctor working on a cure for his terminal illness, a bomb explodes in the office, killing the doctor and several others. Barely making it out alive, Kellen joins up with werewolf police officer Sophie St. Clair to investigate the bombing before someone else ends up dead. This is a fantastic supernatural thriller from start to finish. Anna takes two supernatural beings and makes us believe the romance and attraction between them are real.

Here’s a short excerpt from the book…

A few bars of a hardcore metal song thumped from his jean pocket.  He fished out his cell phone and flipped it open.  “Falcon.”

     “How’s Europe?  Are they trying to deport you, yet?”

     Kellen smirked at the humor in Caine’s voice.  The chief was usually not one for jokes.  “Not yet.  Give me a few more days.”

     Caine’s haughty chuckle suddenly made him feel homesick.

     “Monsieur.  Monsieur.”

     Kellen glanced at the receptionist.  She was motioning to him with the wave of her pen.

     “Hold on, Caine.”  He put his hand over the phone.  “Yeah?”

     “No cell phones, please.”  She pointed to the sign by her desk, the one with a big red X over a picture of a cell phone.

     Waving that he understood, Kellen stood and wandered out of the office and down the hall, then said into the phone, “Are you still there?”

     “Yes.  What happened?  Did you get kicked out of somewhere?”

     “Yeah, my doctor’s office.  I guess they don’t like cell phones around all their fancy electrical equipment.”

     The vampiress at the main reception desk smiled at him as he leaned against the wall near her.  He nodded at her.

     “How’s it going?”

     Kellen appreciated Caine’s query into his health.  They hadn’t parted on the best of terms after Caine had accused him of blowing up the lab.  “It’s my first appointment.  I’ll know more after I talk to this guy.”

     “Okay. You’ll call when you find out?”

     “Yeah.”  He ran a hand over his head, feeling strange about Caine’s concern.  Not exactly good friends, Kellen could count on one hand the number of times they’d ever engaged in a personal conversation.  But he had to admit, he liked that the chief had called with questions into his health.  Made him feel a little less alone.

     Static filled his ear.  Pushing away from the wall, Kellen turned the phone in his hand.  “Caine?”

     “Yeah, I’m here. I can barely hear you though.” More static crackled through the line.

     “There’s a lot of interference in here.  I’ll call you later.”  Kellen flipped his phone closed and slid it into his pants pocket.

     A loud piercing shrill echoed from the doctor’s office down the hall.  Everyone in the reception area looked up at the strident sound.

     “Looks like someone else didn’t turn their phone off,” Kellen said to the receptionist.

     She smiled at him, and then went back to her typing.

     He glanced at his watch.  He still had five minutes to kill before his appointment.  He squinted down at the watch face.  Something was wrong with it.

The second hand seemed to have stopped mid-tick.  He tapped the plastic covering.  No, it hadn’t stopped but it was barely moving, as if suspended in some kind of liquid.  Looking up, he noticed that other things in the lobby were off.

The clock on the wall over the receptionist’s desk displayed the same effect as his watch.  Even the vampiress seemed to be moving slower.  Her actions and reactions to things were about a second off in time.  There was a blur of motion over her body.  Like when a photograph is out of focus.

The hair on his arms rose.  A multitude of heartbeats from everyone on the floor thundered in his ears, making him wince.  All of them were in sync.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

All except for one.  He recognized that ticking for what it was.

WHEEEEE!  And since I’m in such a good mood and I just got a shipment of my new shiny book, I want to give a couple away.

Tell me in the comments your favorite movie, and I’ll put your name in a draw for two chances to win The Vampires’ Quest.

Good morning to all! And it is a good morning. The most wonderful thing happened last night–I slept almost 9 hours. I went to bed at 12:30 and the baby didn’t wake til 5:30 to eat and then again not until 9:30. Part of me was a little worried since she went 7 hours without eating but most of me was ecstatic. Could this be an emerging pattern? Might I actually get to return to a relatively normal sleep schedule? Not that I’ve ever slept 9 hours a night in years, but what a concept!

I haven’t had much of a chance for checking blog posts this last week so I just got to go through the BB ones now. Great topic, Denise, on promotion! What a huge and endless thing. With Escape To Ecstasy showing up in stores and now shipping from the online vendors, my head is again spinning with ways to get it out there. I guess we just do our best, what we can afford, and hope it’s enough.

Going with the topic of what readers want, I am in dire need of a website overhaul. I have been hoping to get to this for a couple months now, but am determined to make it happen before I run out of maternity leave in a few weeks. So I’m wondering that reoccuring question… What are the best components of a website? What do you want to see? Are there colors you love, or those that turn you off? How often do you want to see updates?

I am also concentrating on writing. After a long dry spell it so awesome to be back to writing! I wrapped up my first NAL Heat release (a 10/09 release with Cathryn Fox and Lisa Renee Jones) last week and am now working on a paranormal shifter proposal with both a fun and suspense angle. This one is going down fast, so hoping that’s a great omen. Back to the NAL Heat story. I have to admit I finished this one wondering if there is enough heat. Normally this isn’t something I wonder over, but this set of stories is largely family focused and I think that angle, as well as the romance one, might overshadow, or at least equal, the heat. If you read Heat, would that be an issue for you?

Before I head out, here’s a (non erotic) taste of Escape To Ecstasy, which Stefani at JERR had to say the following on…

“To date, this is my favorite story from this author!… I was up half
the night reading this story and didn’t want it to end. It was the perfect combination of sensual foreplay, sexual tension that exploded into keep-you-up-all-night-sexcapades.”

If you are interested in reading a .pdf ARC of the book and posting a review on your site, blog, or an online vendor site like Amazon, shoot me an email to: Author@jodilynncopeland.com. Note, I think my email is being wonky and eating half of what I send out, so if you don’t hear back, please try again.

Have a good one!

~ jodi

www.JodiLynnCopeland.com

Can’t get the excerpt to post the way I want, so here it be in the postie…

** This is an excerpt with Chris, the hero whose thought starts the scene out, and Nic, the guy he suspects is up to no good at the healing resort’s expense **

How intelligent was it to put his life into the hands of a guy he knew hated him?

Without looking his way, Nic started the engine and pulled down a narrow path surrounded by a copse of trees and underbrush. A short distance down the path converged onto the gravel road that surrounded the island. The terrain grew mountainous after the first mile, the road rising up sharply along with it. More of the camouflaging trees and sporadic bursts of wildflowers filled up the landscape on the left. On the right, the road’s shoulder dropped off at an almost perfect ninety degree angle. Jagged rocks protruded from the dark, wind-whipped waters fifty feet below.

“Someone was to get pushed down there, the body would never be found,” Nic commented wryly.

Chris had planned to spend the ride in silence, wait until they reached the gym to attempt to get him talking. Now, he couldn’t resist looking over and sneering. “Planning on pushing me out?”

“I’m not the murderer here.”

Chris’s rage returned in an instant. Fuck, he should have known Nic couldn’t resist taunting him. “Whatever you think you know, I suggest you check your facts.”

He glanced over, mouth curved in a shit-eating grin and humor gleaming in his eyes. “It’s killing you, isn’t it? Wondering who my source is and how much they told me? Like I said before, enough. A few words to the right people and you’ll wish I’d pushed you out.”

“Then why don’t you speak them?”

“Big brother.” Nic let the words linger as he turned off the gravel road onto the dirt one leading to several of the employee cabins and the gym that had been converted from a one-time polebarn. The steel structure appeared ahead, and he added, “It’s just a matter of time before Treah sees the light. When he does, you can bet I won’t be the only one standing in line to put a nail in your coffin.” He pulled the Jeep into a parking spot in front of the gym. “Door to door service. So much for being an asshole, eh, cazzo?”

Chris climbed out. He frowned when Nic didn’t make a move to shut off the engine. “You’re not coming in?”

“Never planned to. I’ve got business to do.” Barely waiting for Chris to clear the Jeep’s front tires, Nic backed out of the spot and took off in the direction they’d come from. The office was in that direction. Of course, so was a good deal of the employee cabins. But what business would Nic have to do in someone else’s cabin when the women were on the island and his wasn’t along for the ride?

Whatever the business, something told Chris it couldn’t be good.

Undercover is a TOP PICK in Romantic Times Book Reviews for December. Holy cupcakes.  I haven’t even seen the magazine yet! December isn’t online (although it might be by the time this posts) so I was blissfully ignorant. But Jaci Burton, Maya Banks and I have a group ad in this upcoming issue and Jaci sent an email to say she got her issue and how pretty the ad looked. It was a cool email but it was the, “Oh and congrats on the Top Pick for Undercover, Lauren” at the end that made me gasp and read it twice more before emailing her back and asking, “Really? I did? OMG!!”

She kindly sent me the text of the review shortly thereafter so thanks, Jaci, for totally making my day!

OMG!!!!!  I’ve never had a Top Pick before. Several 4 1/2 star reviews but never the top pick. I’m so freaking excited!!!!!

Here’s the review:

Dane has written a sizzling, delicious tale of love lost, found and expanded. The M/F/M triad is as endearing as it is molten hot. The friction between Sera and Ash as they resolve their past is intense, and with Brandt added to the mix, it’s nothing short of explosive. An adrenaline-filled, suspenseful subplot keeps the reader engaged.

Reviewed by Bella March.

Thanks so much to Bella March for the review.

Undercover comes out December 2 from Berkley Heat and it’s my verra first single title from a NY publisher. I’m not a newbie, I’ve got over two dozen published novels under my belt but this one is big for many reasons and I so want it to do well. Of course that means some days I’m euphoric and others I’m panicking that it’ll be the worst book ever, LOL.

Anyhoodle, amidst the mountain of ironing and laundry I did this weekend, the dinner out with my dude Friday night and the low point of some dire news from a friend, seeing this review was pretty darned fabulous.

Blurb: A sexy debut exploring an erotic future universe of passion, danger, and deceit…

On the battleground or in the bedroom, one woman and two men fight for dominance in a bold, new, and excitingly different direction in erotica…

As a lieutenant of the Federation military, Sera Ayers is accustomed to giving orders, not taking them. Now she must obey the one man she can’t stand—and can’t stop thinking about.

With the enemy Imperialists gaining ground, a covert team is assembled by Ash Walker. Ten years before, Sera had lovingly submitted to Ash’s dominance in the bedroom. But when he was forced into a political marriage, she refused to play mistress. His marriage now over, Ash wants Sera on his team—and back in his bed.

The third team member, Brandt Pela, has an elegance to match Ash’s savage sexuality. And when their undercover plan requires Sera to pose as Brandt’s lover, it ignites a passion among the three of them more dangerous than their mission.

Here are some quotes:

Sexy, pulse pounding adventure with a heart twist of emotion that’ll leave you weak in the knees. Dane delivers!
Jaci Burton - Author of Riding Wild and Surviving Demon Island

Lauren Dane deftly weaves action, intrigue, and emotion with spicy delicious eroticism. Undercover is a toe curling erotic romance sure to keep you reading late into the night. - Anya Bast, national bestselling author of Witch Fire

Exciting, Emotional, and Arousing! Undercover by Lauren Dane is a ride well worth taking.
Sasha White author of Bound, Trouble and Wicked

With its fast-paced action, steamy romance, two sizzling heroes and a heroine I adored, Undercover is a book I can’t wait to put on my keeper shelf. Dane does it again! – Megan Hart, author of Tempted

Scintillating! Lauren Dane delivers a roller coaster of emotion, intrigue and sensual delights in Undercover. I was hooked from the first sentence. – Vivi Anna, author of Hell Kat and Inferno

And lastly, after the jump, you can check out an excerpt!  18 and Over Please!
Read the rest of this entry >

When I joined the wonderful BB blog I was asked if I wanted to invite any guest bloggers…well the first name that popped into my head was my BFF Kimberly Kaye Terry. I’ve only known Kim going on two years now, but damn it feels like we’ve been friends since birth. So, when I asked if I could interview her, she was of course flattered and humbled that I would ask her. (actually she cursed at me for several hours, but this is my interview so I will spin it how I want to)

So I sent her over some questions and she graciously answered them for me and for the reading public. (really she grumbled at me, because I sent them over late last night and demanded that they be in my inbox in the morning. I imagine I will pay for this sometime soon)

With no further ado…. the Divalicious Kimberly Kaye Terry…

VA: You have a new book out called Get Your Sexy On, what’s your favorite part of the book? Your favorite character?

KKT: Yes indeedy, I do have a new book out. It’s an erotic thriller and I fell in love with my hero, Mac even before I wrote a word of the story, I “saw” him in my mind’s eye. He was simply divine. My favorite part? I don’t know, all of it, hahaha. Okay, okay, let me think. One of my favorite parts involves the hero kissing on the heroine’s thighs under moonlight and searching her body with his tongue all night…*grin*

VA: What do you like most about this industry? What do you hate?

KKT: What I love about this industry is the amazingly talented authors who write so passionately and give of themselves with every sentence and word they labor over lovingly and each book they share with the world. I love the diversity that there is in bookstores and online books, and I love that there is a place for each of us, no matter what we write, which genre, there are so many amazing readers who dig someone’s type of story, there is room at the table for all of us.

What I hate is the ugliness I see sometimes in how we treat each other. I hate to see other authors get their digs in and jump into any and every brouhaha out there, without thought or concern of how that may affect their sister author.

And they don’t give a shiznit if the talk is about someone’s book title, their cover, the genre they write, or that they like to run around wearing neon colored panties and stilettos and streak up and down the street at midnight…whatever it is, doesn’t matter, some will jump right on in there and spread the shiznit right along with the rest, like sheep. It bothers me.

I sometimes wonder how some of these folks would feel if they were the ones on someone’s hit list?

VA: Where do you see yourself in five years?

I’m going to take this as meaning my writing career, si mami? Hmmm…good question. A question that both my editor and agent and I have been talking about for the last two weeks, so this is heavily on my mind. I love writing romances with drama and lots of deliciously inappropriate sex. Hmmmm… However, I am taking the plunge as it were, into writing mainstream women’s fiction, soon. I love women’s fiction, I love reading authors from Jodi Picoult to Mary Monroe and am very excited about the new opportunity to write women’s fiction along with my naughty erotic tales.

I’m feeling very blessed and humbled at the same time that my editor believes in my work and my potential to branch out in the way of mainstream fiction geared toward women. So I see myself still writing romances, as is the plan, but branching out into mainstream fiction as well. 

VA: You’re really a very passionate person and you bring that to your writing. If you had another passion besides writing, what would it be?

KKT: Thank you, Viv  Before writing I was a mental health therapist and also did a great deal of volunteering in women’s shelters in particular, as this community is one often underserved. If I weren’t writing, I’d still be in some form of doing work with those who are disenfranchised and in need. I still do volunteer, and bring my daughter along with me because I feel it’s important that we take care of each other, and to that end, it’s important for my daughter to understand that each day is a blessing, her relatively privileged life is a gift not to be taken for granted, and that she is her “sister’s” keeper, so to speak.

VA: Tell me what else you got going on. What books do you have coming out in 2009?

KKT: In 2009 I have five releases. Three are full lengths, and two are parts of anthologies, and all I’m super duper excited about!

Two of the full lengths are with Kensington’s Aphrodisia. Scream My Name releases in February and The Sweet Spot in September. Scream is a fun contemporary and The Sweet Spot is an erotic suspense.

Auctioned; An Invitation Erotic Odyssey releases March of ’09 with Simon and Schuster and is part of a trilogy I wrote with my fabu writing partner, Delilah Devlin and talented author Allison Hobbs. The stories are all independent, yet linked and we were tickled pick I tell ya when we found out how truly awesome the marketing plan is for the books! I do believe that DD and I let out a few squeals and giggles when we were told they were getting front store individual display cases, mwa ha ha!!

The novella, Captive for Kensington is part of the Satisfy Me, Tonight anthology, along with two awesome ladies, Fiona Zedde (Fiona is an INCREDIBLY talented author!) and Sydney Molare.

And the other story is the short story I wrote for Spice Brief that helped debut the Spice Brief line last year, along with my gurrrrl, Megan Hart—our books came out the same month. Come Back To Me is being included in the anthology, Naughty Bits, available March of ’09.

VA: If you could be any animal in the world what would you be, and why?

KKT: Hell, I don’t know you nut…who are you Barbara Walters??!! Okay, if I had to pick an animal it would be a turtle. I like how they have their own little cute house on their backs. I imagine I’d want my shell tricked out in sparkly pink and glittering diamonds. That’s just how I would roll as a turtle.

VA: You’re stranded on a deserted island, you’re allowed to bring two people with you and five things. What and who do you bring?

I’d bring my daughter and my hubby. Couldn’t live without them  Five things? Fishing pole so I could catch food, enough materials to build a place for us to live (or so my man could build, I’m not breaking one of my doggone nails!) my laptop with a high-tech, new on the market, never dying lithium battery so I could write and keep from going into withdrawals and to that end a never ending supply of little Debbie oatmeal cakes. And a cell phone with crazy amazing reception so I could call for help and get the hell up out of there!

VA: Tell me about your BFF, Vivi. She sounds fascinating!

KKT: Vivi? Vivi who? Oh…you mean that Vivi. She’s my beautiful, intelligent, yet strange protégé. I’m grooming her to take my crown when I grow weary of ruling the world.

VA: Anything you’d like to add, Ms. Diva?

KKT: Naw, girl, you got a diva up way past her bedtime! I feel violated enough with all your questions, Miss Thang. Next time ease up on a sistah, use lube, something…heh. Seriously, thanks for inviting me girlfriend, it’s been a BLAST!

Thanks Kim for being here. Everyone should run out and pick up Kim’s latest book GET YOUR SEXY ON. It’s a sensual delight.

Kensington Aphrodisia ♦ September 30, 2008
ISBN-10: 0758222505 ♦ ISBN-13: 978-0758222503
Genre: Contemporary ♦ Interracial

Tell Me What You Want…
The men crowd in and howl for more when Sin’s on stage—she knows just how to work it, wrapping her lithe body around the pole to dance down and dirty. But Sin doesn’t see them, lost in a world of her own…until sexy private investigator “Mac” Garret McAllister steps into the club.

…What you really really want
In one night of erotic passion, the man turns her inside out and her world upside down. Mac pays homage to her beautiful body with delicious, carnal ferocity. When the sun comes up, she cuts out. She can’t let him get too close to her heart…But two years later, they reunite. Still on fire for her, Mac is ready to do whatever it takes to ensure his woman stays right where she belongs–in his arms and his bed. Forever this time.

“Terry has written another delicious tale of erotic interracial romance and suspenseful conflict. The sex scenes are scorching, sensual and leave nothing to the imagination. With a vivacious heroine and a true-to-life alpha hero, this believable story hooks readers from the first page and keeps their attention until the end.”
— 4 1/2 STARS, Romantic Times BOOKreviews on GET YOUR SEXY ON

Excerpt:

http://www.kimberlykayeterry.com/books/get-your-sexy-on/

I’m very excited to get my first review for VEILED TRUTH and it’s a gooooooood one! I’m thrilled that it’s been given an RT TOP PICK for October.

Here’s the review:
A police detective in Necropolis, witch Lyra Magice works with Theron LeNoir, half-witch/half-vampire, to foil a demon’s plot to take power within the city. Not to be overshadowed by the supernatural storyline of Veiled Truth (41/2), the relationship between Lyra and Theron is full of chemistry. Vivi Anna’s writing is wonderfully descriptive, and the plot is riveting. This book will definitely hold readers’ attention.. - RT

Woot!! My first TOP PICK, and hopefully one of many.

I’m really excited about this book. It’s book three in the Valorian Chronicles and it’s Lyra’s story. I love her character. She’s the snarky one on the team. She’s also fiery and doesn’t take shit from anyone.

Here’s a little snippet:

When Theron entered the room and saw Lyra bent over his book, a look of fierce concentration on her face, his heart actually fluttered. The reaction surprised him. Most of his reactions to women were in lower places on his anatomy. But there was something about her that was unique. He had noticed before, and he was certainly noticing it now.

It wasn’t that she was gorgeous, because she wasn’t. Certainly, she had some redeeming qualities—big, brown, soulful eyes; wide, inviting mouth; a petite, nubile body—but it was something more than all those things. A quality that transcended physical beauty. A thing almost ethereal in nature.

Standing now, her face stern, and her hands on her hips, Lyra looked like a diminutive Amazon goddess.

Caine remained impassive, his brow cocked; regarding Theron as if he was nothing. Then he looked at the baron. “Are you taking this man’s allegations seriously?”

“Are you calling me a liar, monsieur?” Theron replied.

“I’m sorry but I find it hard to believe that Lyra, who has more integrity than most of us at the lab, would steal anything.”

“Your investigator came into my home, bound me with a sophomoric binding spell at best, and took my book without permission. If that is not theft, then what is it?”

“It was not sophomoric,” she grated out between clenched teeth.

Everyone looked over at her.

It made Theron chuckle to see the tick at the little witch’s jaw. Magic surged out of her like a suddenly sparking electrical wire. He could feel it all around him. It surprised him at how intense it was. She possessed power, this woman. More than he suspected she even realized.

“Lyra, is what this man saying true?”

“No. Not really.”

“Is it no, or not really?”

She shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

Laal huffed, “Well, someone had better start explaining because I’m very close to firing someone.”
Hands clenched into fists, Lyra glared at the baron and took a step toward him like an advancing lioness. Theron swore he saw her eyes spark with flames. “You can’t fire me because of this.”

“I most certainly can.”

Caine put his hand up to interpose. “No one is getting fired. I’m sure there is a logical explanation for all of this. Isn’t there, Lyra?”

Hands still fisted, she halted her progression toward the baron and turned her fiery gaze onto Theron. “If this stubborn jerk hadn’t refused to help with the translation, I wouldn’t have done anything so…so drastic.”

His body started to sweat from her heated gaze. Oh, she was a firecracker indeed this witch. If he had more time in Necropolis, he would certainly enjoy battling with her. He wondered if their battles would translate into something more passionate. Something they could take to a private venue, like his hotel room.

And because I’m in such a good mood, I want to give something away…so anyone that comments will have their name dropped in a hat for a chance to win a download of my October NOCTURNE BITE, Stormchaser. This novella is Captain Mahina Garner’s story. I loved writing her character too. She’s such an alpha.

*****WINNERS******  I had so many wonderful comments, I had to pick two names.  So drum roll please….   Jolene, and JC, you’ve won any book from my backlist.  Please email me at vivi@vivianna.net to claim your prize.   Let me know which book you want!

I’m off to the zoo today with the kidlet for a fun filled adventure.   I love the zoo.  When I was in my early twenties and lived downtown I used to go to the zoo, especially in the summer, almost every day and watch certain animals.  They always filled me with a sense of peace.  I need some of that today.

My awesome web diva Frauke always does up these amazing interactive excerpt booklets for me for my Valorian Chronicles website.  I love them.  She’s so freakin’ talented.

So just yesterday she completed one for my upcoming Nocturne VEILED TRUTH.   Check it out!  It is so cool.

So in the event, I think I will give away some books.   Let me know what you like about the excerpt, whether it’s words or the pictures, I will toss your name in a hate for a chance to win one of my books–Hell Kat, Inferno, Blood Secrets, Dark Lies.  I will pic a winner tomorrow.