The Superheroes Are Here!

My dear friend and co-author, Christine Bell and I penned a fun little story about a fiery maverick of a superhero named Scarlett Fever, and her partner and thorn in her side, the by the book Blade of Justice. Our story, Scarlett Fever, is one of four amazing stories in the superhero anthology, Holding Out for a Hero and it's just been released! Color me stoked. :-)

Here's the scoop on all four stories, and where you can buy it.

Scarlett Fever by Christine Bell and Ella Dane

After five years in training, it’s finally time for Scarlett Fever and her fellow superheroes to leave the United Superhero Academy and test their powers out in the real world. There’s only one problem. She’s been assigned to partner with arrogant, by the book, and irritatingly hot, Blade of Justice.

Blade’s whole life has gone according to plan, and he’s more than ready to move on to the big time, protecting a metropolis of his own. But his perfectly ordered life is derailed when he’s teamed up with the fiery maverick, Scarlett Fever.

Sparks fly the moment they arrive in Plunketville, Oklahoma, as they each set out to force the other to request a transfer. They soon discover there’s more going on in this single stop-sign town than blowing up mailboxes and cow tipping. If Scarlett can get Blade to listen to his gut, and he can teach her to use her head, they just might have a fighting chance.

Ironheart by Nico Russo

Vince might be hard as steel, but he’s not invincible. Not when iron touches him, especially in the hands of an evil minion. Not when Kara ran away after a whirlwind affair, just when he thought he might be falling in love. And definitely not when she returns, looking for his help.

The archvillain TechHead is coming for Kara and her superhero teammates, and he’s determined to use their combined power to create the ultimate weapon. But Kara can’t fight him alone. She needs Vince’s brutal skill, though being with him means she risks losing her beloved secret identity, leaving her nowhere else to hide.

When TechHead makes a play to capture Kara, Vince has more to lose than just his heart. But he will do anything for the woman he loves, even if it means putting his heart on the line again.

Playing with Fire by Tamara Morgan

Fiona Nelson has always been one hot ticket—even before she took the conversion serum that gave her superhuman abilities. Fiona’s powers come at a price: lack of human contact, or she won’t be the only thing burning. When she loses control of her emotions, her fire powers run rampant…and she’s hurt enough people already. Including herself.

But when the man behind her conversion returns to blackmail her into helping him gain power, the only person she can turn to is Ian Jones, the man who broke her teenage heart. The man determined to expose the criminal known as Fireball, whose explosive escapades are just a little too close to Fiona’s M.O.

Ian is convinced Fiona’s dangerous, convinced she’s Fireball, and convinced he’ll damn himself if he doesn’t resist a heat that’s always drawn him to Fiona like a moth to a flame—but Ian has his own secrets.

And he’ll learn far too soon what happens when you play with fire.

From the Ashes by Adrien-Luc Sanders

Sociopath. Killer. Deviant. Monster, devoid of morals, incapable of human emotion. The villain known as Spark has been called that and more, and as a super-powered aberrant has masterminded countless crimes to build his father’s inhuman empire.

Yet to professor Sean Archer, this fearsome creature is only Tobias Rutherford—antisocial graduate researcher, quiet underachiever, and a fascinating puzzle Sean is determined to solve.

One kiss leads to an entanglement that challenges everything Tobias knows about himself, aberrants, and his own capacity to love. But when his father orders him to assassinate a senator, one misstep unravels a knot of political intrigue that places the fate of humans and aberrants alike in Tobias’s hands. As danger mounts and bodies pile deeper, will Tobias succumb to his dark nature and sacrifice Sean—or will he defy his father and rise from the ashes to become a hero in a world of villains?

Available in eBook format on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

What a Texas Girl Wants

Today I have a very special guest, one of my first critique partners and dear friends, Kristina Knight, talking about her first published book. Congratulations and a big welcome, Kristina! :-)

* * *

I'm a people watcher. Have been all my life. I like finding little quirks in people that maybe they don't realize they have. For a long time I just watched (I know, makes me sound like a stalker. I'm not) and filed the information away. Had no idea why.

And then I realized I was a writer. Not just a non-fiction journalist, but a real writer. All these character bumps and weird habits I'd filed away? Yep, in my subconscious, fictional characters were forming with these same habits. Now that I know what my brain was doing all along, I'm a little more descriptive in my people watching. I usually have a notebook handy and if something at the mall or a harvest festival or whatever catches my attention, I'll jot down a few notes. Not just 'lady picking nailpolish' but 'lady in a red dress, county fair, desperate for attention, looks bored but very aware'. To anyone else, my notes probably read like an investigator's report. And that's fine with me.

As I was writing What a Texas Girl Wants, which is my first published book, I realized that a couple of 'real life' people - or at least a couple of mannerisms - made the pages, and I think that makes the book come to life a little bit more. Because you may not have seen that same person, but maybe you've seen someone else picking at nail polish or twirling her hair just so or slinking along the way because they're more comfortable out of the spotlight. People watching, I've found can be very beneficial...and I can't wait to use Ms. Red Dress in the story. Some day.

In the meantime, thought I'd share poem with y'all, shared with me by a new writing friend....all about people watching.

The Thief
by Nance Hill

Beyond your perception, I'm full of deception;
from you, I will loot, filch and forage,
I'll approach with a smile, and steal all the while;
The stash goes in notebooks for storage.

I'll pilfer your grin, or the last place you've been,
or your habit of slapping your knees,
the puns that you sprinkle, your lips as they crinkle;
Whatever I fancy, I'll seize.

Perhaps I'll abscond with a faux pas you've spawned,
or a client you met on the job,
your wild-patterned tie, the half-tear in your eye;
With a swipe of the pen, I will rob.

Then I'll gather my plunder and rend it asunder,
revise 'til there's only a hint.
You won't know what I've taken until you're quite shaken
to see that I fenced it in print.

* * *

What a Texas Girl Wants
Kristina Knight
June 2012, Crimson Romance

The Blurb...

Kathleen Witte is a down-to-earth girl. She has to be, with the family ranch on the verge of success. After seven months of keeping it all together by swearing off men, however, Kathleen needs a bit of fun in the sun. Waking up with a husband she can’t remember isn’t how she planned to blow off steam.

The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth girl. He has four weeks of freedom in which to find his birth mother. He’s done well avoiding commitment until now, so when he wakes up on a Mexican beach with Kathleen his first reaction is curiosity. When he spies the matching wedding rings on their left hands curiosity turns to concern.

Neither Jackson nor Kathleen want to stay married, but when her family shows up, they have no choice. Once back in Texas, however, can they keep this all-business marriage from turning into an all-consuming love?

What a Texas Girl Wants is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks and iTunes.

The Author...

Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police—no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a journalist. When the opportunity to focus a bit of energy on the stories in her head, she jumped at it. And she’s never looked back. Now she writes magazine articles by day and romance novels with spice by night. She lives on Lake Erie with her husband and four year old daughter. Happily ever after.

Visit Kristina at her website: http://www.kristinaknightauthor.com

A Home for Scarlett Fever

Time to break out the champagne and make a toast to my good friend and writing partner, Christine Bell. And to me. ;-)

Last fall Chris contacted me about co-writing a superhero story for a call she saw. We've written together before and click like we're twin sisters sharing a brain, though there's half a country and an international border between us. As we've done before, we each penned a few ideas, then we put them together to see which we wanted to run with. The clear choice was Chris's idea for Scarlett Fever.

Fast forward a little. We submitted Scarlett Fever to Entangled Publishing, and after a little revise and resubmit we received that email every author yearns to receive...with a contract offer! Squeeee!

We should be starting edits pretty quick here. We don't have a hard release date yet, but it should be sometime last spring/early summer. That's me just guessing. You know I'll be back with the release date as soon as we know it. And a cover.

In the meantime, here's our unofficial blurb...

After five years in training, it’s finally time for Scarlett Fever and her fellow superheroes to leave the United Superhero Academy and test their powers out in the real world. There’s only one problem. She’s been assigned to partner with the arrogant, by the book, and irritatingly hot, Blade of Justice.

Blade’s whole life has gone according to plan, and he’s more than ready to move on to the big time, protecting a metropolis of his own. But his perfectly ordered life derails when he’s teamed up with the fiery maverick, Scarlett Fever.

 

Sparks fly the moment they arrive in Plunketville, Oklahoma, as they each set out to force the other to request a transfer. They soon discover there’s more going on in this single stop-sign town than blowing up mailboxes and cow tipping. If Scarlett can get Blade to listen to his gut, and he can teach her to use her head, they just might have a fighting chance.

Home with Calisa Rhose

I’m thrilled to have up and coming author, Calisa Rhose, in the house today to talk a little about writing and her debut release, Home. Thanks so much for dropping by, Calisa.

Ella, thank you for having me! I have the best critique partners evah! You were with me before this story ever began and, oddly, never read it. So I hope it will be a treat for you.

Uh, er, I did read the first few chapters. :-) A lot has happened in the last year for you. First off, can you tell us a little about your upcoming book, Home. What inspired this story?
     A lot has happened, but the best was selling my first book! HOME is a story of hope in a time when the world seemed to be in chaos with the Vietnam police movement. It brings two people together who’ve known one another all their lives, but they never really saw each other until Sam returned from the war. The town had turned against him and Poppy was his saving grace. It came about when my OKRWA chapter, as a group, decided to write the Scrimshaw Doll series. Each book leads to or is set in Oklahoma to highlight the awesome talent in our state. Each is connected in some way through the doll. HOME, the era (1967) called to me and I love the time frame so I did my research and wrote it.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why? What was the most challenging? 
     I think it was their first kiss. I got so wrapped up in Sam’s emotional upheaval that I could feel his release through that kiss. It was magical for me.
What, for you, is the hardest part of writing?
     Making myself sit and write. My best productivity is when I can’t access the internet. Lol I’m addicted! I’m trying to learn to focus and write, but those emails and blogs keep calling and I answer every time. When I actually do write- it would have to be keeping the momentum through the middle of the story. To stiffen up that sagging middle and keep the pace and action going. That’s hard for a lot of writers.

What was one of the most surprising things you’ve learned in creating your books?
     I really can do this! I always thought I could write and sell, but I’m not sure I actually believed it. Not really. Not until HOME sold. I think all authors go through a few moments of wondering why we even bother. There are so many better writers getting the sales. What chance do we really have? Are we fooling ourselves? And then it happens to you and...WOW. The feeling is indescribable.

What do you think your protagonists thinks about you? Would he want to hang out with you, their creator?
     I don’t think Sam would want to spend much time with me. I’m very curious by nature. I would probably ask him all those tough questions about the war that he’d rather just forget about. Stuff I can’t get from faceless articles on the internet. Now Poppy and I? I can see us having a mocha or wine and having a silly good time.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
      Oh, geesh! I don’t know if I can remember that far back! Lol I’ve been writing since I was in junior high (middle) school. I began writing more than poems when I was fifteen and in love with every new rock band that came out. But it wasn’t until 2005, kids almost all grown, that I seriously decided I can get published, so I buckled down and began to learn the craft in earnest. My first book was rejected. It was lost by one editor (which I consider a rejection) and rejected on record by a second editor- two times- two years apart during that same submission process. I still laugh over that. How many authors can say they were rejected three times on one submission?

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you, either growing up or as an adult?    Not really. I read a variety of authors/genres growing up so there wasn’t really any one that inspired me. That award goes to my husband who gave me encouragement and time to just write any time I needed it as the kids grew up. He’s the one who told me, “Just sell the damn things!” when he became tired of lugging around a ton of ‘what-if’ folders for me.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
    Let’s see... *taps finger to chin* I guess it would be having music that resonates with whatever I’m writing. Is that a quirk? I don’t know, but I rely on music when I feel stumped on a scene. With HOME it was sixties music that kept me grounded. For my paranormals I tune into certain types of rock and for contemporaries it’s country. Except- my heroine in one book listened to opera. I had never listened to opera until she came along!

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
     Honestly? Getting the nerve to submit. But this whole book has been full of challenges. I don’t write historical... It’s historical- 1967. I write full length, 55,000 plus words... HOME is 21,000. I swore I would publish traditional print first. HOME is strictly an ebook. I’m still trying to explain that to family who have never heard of such an animal. They want to know why it won’t be paper... That’s not what an ebook is. It’s an electronic book.

How excited were you when you got that first book contract? How did you celebrate?
     How excited was I? I think I pulled a muscle in hubby’s back jumping on the bed where he lay...trying to sleep. Lol And darlin’ that he is, he surprised me with a party of family and friends that weekend.

Is there a particular theme or idea you’d love to work with?
     Hm. I have a paranormal series I’m working on. It deals with Cherokee legends. Being part Cherokee, I’m excited about these stories. I want to bring my heritage to life even if it’s in an exaggerated way. I hope to do my ‘People’ proud and not shame them. These stories take more research than any I’ve ever attempted to write because it feels real to me in a deep down way, and that I need to get facts right. If that makes sense.

If your book were made into a movie, who do you picture playing each character’s part?     Young Natalie Wood is my Poppy. Sam-- I never could pin him to anyone I can say, “That is my Sam.” Even now, I know how he looks, but to pick a look alike? Can’t do it. That is the one thing that bugs me about his character. He remains a mystery man for me in a way no other character ever has. He’s well rounded, but I can’t find his picture.

What can we expect to see next for you? 
     Well, I’m working on a cowboy story for TWRP’s Yellow Rose line. Don’t know if I’ll get it finished before all the slots are filled, but I’m trying (remember that sagging middle I mentioned? Yeah...). I have a fireman story waiting for me to finish the cowboy’s story and get back to. I can’t wait. And, of course, my paranormals are always whispering in my ear. I also have a couple of completed manuscripts I’m revising. But no releases other than HOME right now.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Calisa. It was fun having you hang out! :-) So now that we have some background, how about a little excerpt...


BLURB:

What could a gypsy and a Vietnam veteran have in common?

Silvertown’s outcast, Poppy Tippen, has loved football hero Sam “The Force” Callahan forever. But he never seemed to know she was alive. Now he’s home from the war and she suddenly finds herself comforting him from the demons of “that damn war.” Is his attention merely an escape from the haunting nightmares? Or does she hold the interest of the only man she’s ever truly loved?

Sam Callahan’s only solace from the war nightmares wrecking his life comes in the unlikely form of a gypsy girl with stigmas of her own. He’s known Poppy his entire life, but there’s something different about her now. Something special he desperately wants to hold on to. Can he convince her she’s the only thing he needs to put the past behind him?

EXCERPT:

“I’ll always want you, Poppy.”

Her head shook in automatic denial. “You’ll want a girl who fits your life. Not some gypsy with no family lineage to brag about. Your momma won’t accept that, either. She’ll make you choose someone like Connie, someone who fits into your world. Not the girl everyone avoids and whispers about behind her back. You’re gonna be the town’s doctor. You need an uppity wife who will make you proud.”

When Sam laughed, his chest shuddered against her back. Deep, husky, real. He turned her in his arms and looked down at her, smiling. “Poppy, do you honestly think I give a damn what people think? Look at me! I’m the town outcast, the survivor who should have died saving the others, not be here planning a future that includes a wife, a medical practice. “I shimmy under park benches, run from my mother’s lipstick, for God’s sake. I wake up screaming and crying over nothing in the middle of the night, crawl under my bed and hide, shaking, until morning. Hell, I can’t even be a doctor because I haven’t finished school yet.”

“I didn’t know. It must be awful for you.” No matter how it hurt Poppy to know he used her, it felt much worse to know how he hurt alone. “The only time it isn’t awful is when I’m with you. When I think of you.”


************************************************

Get your copy of HOME (on December 28th) at The Wild Rose Press.

Get the latest happenings and exclusive excerpts on Calisa’s website/blog http://calisarhose.wordpress.com

Small-town country girl, Calisa Rhose lives in a semi-remote area of Oklahoma with her husband, five dogs and one horse. All of her three daughters and their families live within throwing distance. She’s a member of RWA and the local chapter OKRWA. She intends to nurture and continue to grow as an author with the help of her family and supporters.

Find her on twitter @Calisa_Rhose and Facebook @Calisa Rhose

She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at calisa.rhose@gmail.com

All participating blogs for Calisa's HOME tour can be found in the News/Blogging News tab on her website at the link above.

FREE BOOK WEEK at Carina Press!

Every weekday, all week, Carina is offering a spectacular title for free download. And when they say free, they mean ACTUALLY free. Not “sorta free”, or “free with a $50 purchase” free, but actually, totally, no strings attached FREE! So, get thee to Carina press to download a free book every day! Here are the books being offered, and the links and promo codes for your free download:

Monday’s FREE BOOK is:
The Debutante’s Dilemma by Elyse Mady
Just type in the promo code DEBUTANTEFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=50C0978A-DAC7-44E7-B627-C26A520471C0

Tuesday’s FREE BOOK is:
Demon’s Fall by Karalynn Lee
Just type in the promo code DEMONFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=1E5A3A07-9BC7-4449-9B8F-377C21E2F664

Wednesday’s FREE BOOK is:
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
Just type in the promo code TWISTEDFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=D79D7CD6-1BAA-4D2E-AE65-FF0E42F79BE7

Thursday’s FREE BOOK is:
Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
Just type in the promo code GALAXYFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=827CC21D-6F33-437A-977B-B0F291B70367

Friday’s FREE BOOK is:
Friendly Fire by Megan Hart
Just type in the promo code FRIENDLYFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=E1466469-DB0C-404F-A0AA-3491BB9E9B14

Tooting a Friend's Horn

I know I've been a little tardy with the updates here. I've been buried in writing, edits, and various other things that seem to suck out all the time in a day. One thing I never stop though, is reading. Every night I read for an hour before lights out. As Stephen King says, if you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write.

I have no doubt you enjoy reading as much as I do - or you wouldn't be here. ;-) So with that, I'd like to recommend a few stories written by my dear friend, critique partner and co-writer, Chloe Cole.

Just in time for Christmas, check out Unwrapping Lily, The Guardian, and Captive Audience.

My Hero is a Vampire

I’m taking part in a little blogfest with my critique partners (Chapter by Chapter) today – we’re blogging about the heroes we love, who are often the stars of our stories, and thanking them for what they give us – either in real life or imagination. We cross the spectrum from our not thanked enough men in uniform and first responders, to the more fantastical members of paranormal worlds.

For me, I tend to veer out of the real world. I spend enough time in it as it is.

I was a real horror movie buff when I was a kid – until I actually started getting scared somewhere along the way. I remember staying up late on Saturday nights for Thriller Theater. I used to love the old black and white monster movies – Dracula, Frankenstein, Godzilla, and so on.

It wasn’t until much later, when I was pretty much bed-bound after a not so fun run with pneumonia, when I started seeing vampires as heroes. Specifically, it was Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Of course, Angel was seriously hot (and Boreanaz still is, IMO), but more than that, it was the flawed man, the pained soul, the dead heart trying to beat, that called to me. Not to mention some serious sexual tension between Buffy & Angel.

I fell in love with vampires then and have never stopped. I think it has something to do with the constant battle for humanity and morality they wage against their darker tendencies. Or seeing themselves as monsters and desperately trying not to be one, not to give in.

Its being loved by the most powerful man in the world, knowing he would die before he’d hurt you, that he could protect you against all odds, and that he would never leave you. And of course, there is that charm of never growing old, never falling ill. It could certainly be considered the fountain of youth.

Yeah, after a couple hundred years or so it would probably get old, but for now, as I creep unerringly across the average mortal lifespan, it’s an entertaining thought.

Who are your heroes? What makes them special to you?

Don’t forget to skip on over and take a peek at the scrum-i-licious heroes from my other CBC gals – and meet some exciting authors while you’re at it:

Christine Bell
Allyson Carter
L.C. Chase
Kristina Knight
Calisa Lewis
Melinda B. Pierce
Donna Shields

I Hear You, Universe

It's been just over a month since I finished Vampire Eternal - the book that spanned twelve years start to finish. I had planned to let it sit for a couple weeks and then get into some major revisions. But you know how best laid plans go. While VE sat, I found myself completely absorbed in two other writing projects. That couple of weeks turned into three, then four, and five...

Last week the CBC girls reminded me I was going to pitch VE in an open call. It was the day before the deadline. I quickly reworked my pitch and sent it out that night. You never know what's around the corner, but if you don't step off the curb you'll never find out. So, I stepped off the curb.

And blow my socks off, Batman! The full was requested!

The very same day that the full was requested, I received an email from a contest I had entered back in July. Writers sent in the first 5K of the first chapter, which was then judged for opening impact. The winners were given private pitch appointments with editors at an upcoming conference. Mine didn't make the winners cut, but I did receive some extremely valuable feedback from three judges.

Yes, I took that to be a message from the Universe. And one thing I've learned over the years - never turn your nose up when the Universe speaks.

I dusted off that eternal WIP and started to read... O. M. G.  It was so obvious the beginning of that story had been started over a decade ago. I even had a ghetto blaster in there! I completely re-wrote the first few chapters, chopped massive chunks, and ditched one whole chapter altogether. Just over 6K lighter I felt much better about the MS overall.

So with the story overhauled, synopsis written, and query letter sharpened, I packed up Jade and Anthony and sent them back out into the Universe. I'm keeping my fingers crossed while I wait for word on their journey, and in the meantime.... I have a couple of hot cowboys who need their story told. ;-)

La Fin!

It's done!  It only took forever and a day -- more like forever and a week, or a month, or...  But tonight I typed the last two words of my Vampire Eternal WIP... THE END!

Huge, massive, King-Kong-worthy kudos go to my critique girls.  Thank you so much ladies!  I couldn't have got through this without you.  You caught all the sillies, challenged me to think, re-think and then think some more.  You helped me to grow, kept me going when I couldn't see the light, and most of all, kept me laughing.

I feel like celebrating.  Maybe I'll chill that bottle of wine that's been collecting dust in the wine rack.  Maybe I'll hit the town with the girls and kick up my heels.  Or maybe I'll get started on the next story that's been rattling around in my brain, impatiently waiting its turn at the keys.

Best not to get ahead of myself though.  I have a Mount Everest sized pile of revisions and edits to work through now.  And then another beta-read go-round for my CBC girls.

You are so right, Roland -- this is just the first lap.

Yeah, that's me.  That's how I feel right about now.

I've had the final chapter of Vampire Eternal open on my computer for four days now. I think I've added about one hundred words or so. Maybe two hundred. I've moved some paragraphs up, moved some down. I've transposed and transposed, and used countless antonyms in search of the just the right way to say green. I've written the middle part, roughed the first part - changed it three times - and written the final sentence.

But have I blended it all together and baked a country-fair-award-winning cinnamon apple pie?  Nope.

Maybe I'm scared. I must be scared.  Its taken me so long to finish this story that, perhaps, I don't really believe it will ever be finished. Like the Energizer Bunny - its just keeps on going and going... And then what happens when (that's my power of positive thinking at work!) it is finished?  What if the end sucks? Like those movies that don't tell you its part one of three and just ends. Abruptly. And you're like "What the... Is that it?"

Ever fall off a curb when you weren't watching where you were walking?  Yeah, its like that.

But the best way to conquer fear is to just plow right on through. Its just bad breath, after all. Nothing a little mouthwash won't fix. Or maybe a bottle of Semillon.  Which reminds me, I should pop that bottle in the fridge...

Introducing Anthony Drake

A while back I did a drawing of the villain in my (just three chapters from the big finish!) Vampire Eternal paranormal romance novel, Thaddeus Ripley.  I wanted to do a drawing of Anthony Drake as well, my vampire protagonist, but his image wasn't coming to me. Probably because his character is closer to my heart.

I sketched a few drawings that ended up in the burn pile. I surfed through excessive amounts of "hot men" images on Google - all in the name of research, of course - and always came up short.  Some maybes, but no definite "that's him!" shots.

Then last night, while searching for something completely unrelated, Cuban model Ruben Cortada popped up on my screen and knocked me on my butt.

Its all in the eye.  I love eyes.  And Ruben's eyes... Oh. My.
Can somebody please turn on the A.C.? Its bloody hot in here.

In the novel my hero is clean-shaven, but this man is, without a doubt, my Anthony Drake. Now if I could just get him to shave...

Pray - Available August 27th!

Congratulations to my fellow Chapter by Chapter critique partner, Christine Bell, on her debut novella!

Pray is book one in Christine's new shifter series, The Wolves of Pray.  And its coming soon!  August 27th is the release date for this wonderful novella at Cobblestone Press. Make sure you add it to your "to-read" folder.

Christine's second book in the series, Awakening, should follow not too long after.

Well done, Christine!

Be sure and visit Christine's blog for the latest and greatest updates at http://chrisbwritin.blogspot.com.