Diva Release! Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beasts
by
Ava Rose Johnson

They don’t just want her for the full moon…they want her forever

For centuries the Kingdom of Drayzlake has been divided between the humans and the wolves. But when a wolf crosses the Divide and bites the humans’ princess, all hell breaks loose. With wolven blood now running in her veins, Princess Abigail is forced to mate with a wolf every full moon. What she doesn’t realize is that she is mating with two wolves rather than one. Caine and Stavros are identical twins and soon-to-be Alphas of their pack. And they’re tired of taking turns.

So on one moonlit night after another vigorous mating session, Abigail finds herself kidnapped to the wolves’ quarters. Trapped in their fort she can’t deny the two beasts who desire her so, and locked between their powerful bodies she can hardly remember her own name. But it soon becomes clear that these sexual games are as dangerous as they are delicious. Because Caine and Stavros don’t just want her for the full moon…

Read an Excerpt/Buy

Thursday Thirteen– 13 cool things done with paper

I’m in awe… I have no idea how this guy does it but the art he does with paper is really cool. All of this is done by a guy by the name of Peter Callesen who manages to take simple semi-cuts out of paper and turn them into true works of art. He makes origami look like an ordinary thing. Peter can do more with a piece of A4 paper and some imagination than I could ever hope to do with unlimited supplies and some art school. Using only a little bit of glue, he creates work that literally pops off the paper.

1. walking snail

2. Closet

3. Impenetrable castle

4. Half way through

5. Distant Wish

6. Tall tower of Babel

7. The outline of a skeleton

8. Holding on to myself

9. The lost sheep

10. Do not enter.

11. white hand

12. Bound to be free

13 Mirage II

To see more of his art, check out his site http://www.petercallesen.com

Diva Release! The Rapture

The Rapture
Missy Lyons
Price $2
September, 2008
ISBN 978-1-60659-030-0

The lure of a demon lover is difficult to resist, and impossible to leave, because sex is highly addictive. Sex with a demon is known as the rapture, since it brings absolute pleasure so intense that it is almost painful. But is the price worth gambling your life and your freedom?

Now available exclusively at Phaze Books

http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=The…act_match=exact

You can read more at Missy Lyon’s webiste http://www.missylyons.com

Thursday Thirteen– 13 things I want to do in the next 25 yrs

Today’s Thursday 13 is a bit different today because today, I have lived 9132 days, making me 25 years old. I also share my birthday with Eddie “Rochester” Anderson (1905), Greta Garbo (1905), June Foray (1920), Jack Warden (1920), Robert Blake (1933), Frankie Avalon (1939), Ryne Sandberg (1959), James Gandolfini (1961), Lance Armstrong (1971) and Jada Pinkett Smith (1971).

It was during 1983 that Cabbage Patch Kids, Rainbowbrite and the Nintendo Entertainment system became hot toys; and Family Ties, Dallas, Magnum P.I., Knight Rider, Cheers and Remington Steele were on television.

25 years has passed.  From being born with a dislocated hip, which resulted in me going back and forth to Sick Kids every six weeks as a guinea pig/case study for cast after body cast in order to work the joint and having my hip broken then pinned in the proper place in grade one and not being allowed to put weight on it for entire summer.  From graduating highschool and then University with a joint-major degree in Anthropology and Biology and then college in the Book and Magazine Publishing course.  And now… to where I am at McGraw momentarily on contract as an Editorial Assistant in Higher Ed, I feel as though I have changed a lot in these 9132 days.  My Thursday thirteen is about things I want to accomplish in the next 25 years.

1. Publish.  That’s a big duh.  I’ve written since I was in public school.  One personal small goal is to have Fatal Visions out on the market for agents/publishers by next year.

2. Get married.  I want it all… kids, farm, dog, cat… hedgehog. I just need to find the right guy.

3. As written above already, kids.  I want kids.  3.  I’ve wanted them since I graduated highschool but was too young. 

4. A house that is mine.  Preferably on a farm because I love the country life and couldn’t stand it to live in the city for long.  It’s too distracting.  Too restless.  I like the quiet and the sense of having all day to get something done.

5. Good health.  So far I’ve been lucky.  But not only for me.  For family and friends as well.

6. A permanent, full time job.  I’m only on contract right now which makes things hectic come every 6 months or so.  I want something that I don’t have to  worry about, at least for awhile.

7. Travel.  My friend and I have already said that we want to go tour around Ireland and Scotland (hot accents…. Mmmm…) but I’d also want to go to Egypt and wherever else my journeys may take me.

8. Education.  I want to continue learning throughout my life.  I don’t just want to stop because I have degrees and whatnot.  I want to take more courses in Forensic Anthropology and Paleopathology.  I want to take Immunology, Virology, Ancient Civilizations; take cooking courses and learn sign language. 

9.  Work in a museum.  I love editing and where I am, but I want to be a curator as well.  I want to make up displays and learn all about the past and how we got here. 

10. Go on a dig.  In University I wanted to go on an archaeological dig but they were always so expensive.  For a summer or so, I’d like to go on a dig… to Greece, Belize… I’m not really all that fussy.

11. Paint.  I’ve always loved painting but I haven’t done much.  In the future, I want to paint again.

12. Take photography.  I know nothing about it, but I’ve always been curious and I used to love watching my friend in highschool develop pictures.

13.  Under the same thing, design.  I’d like to be able to design book covers… not just write or edit.

Diva release!– Piercing the Veil

PIERCING THE VEIL, Available September 17th from Ellora’s Cave
Genre: Paranormal erotic romance/menage

Here’s the blurb:
Twins Hawk and Val are Fianna warriors under the vengeful curse of a scorned goddess. Following the prophecy in the Book of Veils, they search for the one who can help them retrieve the Claiomh Solais before their enemies get the chance. Their quest leads them to Linnea. One touch and there can be no doubt that they have found their match. But will she accept them once she knows the truth?

Linnea is no one special. So why is she on the run from evil faeries and her egotistical ex? Why is she suddenly spending time in the company of dragons, druids, and one kinky Viking with a split personality? All she knows is she has to keep her daughter safe from those who hunt her, and her heart safe from another betrayal.

To protect one gifted child and all of humanity from the dark god that seeks retribution, they must learn to trust each other. To have a future together, they must find the perfect balance.

***

Purchase at Ellora’s Cave and don’t forget to visit RG’s website.

Diva releases!

 

Song of The Sea
by Cassandra Curtis
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-379-5 (Electronic)
Available September 14, 2008

Sequel to Amber Heat best-seller Shifting Tides: Beneath A Midnight Sea…

 

When a mafia don’s bride-to-be goes missing, Peter Varien is hired to find her. Varien, an ex-cop turned private eye, takes the job despite the warning bells going off in his head.

He manages to track down the missing woman to a nightclub in Memphis, where she’s belting out jazzy torch songs with the boys in the band. She’s every man’s desire, with a body born of sin and a voice that enthralls, putting men under a sexual spell.

But it’s a spell under which Peter is determined not to fall.

Vivilyn Ondine is having the time of her life, given the power over human men through the control she wields as a sea siren. She’s never fallen in love, never truly surrendered–until she meets the handsome private investigator.

Soon, Peter and Vivilyn are in a race against time, and must join forces to defeat a dangerous enemy who will stop at nothing, even murder, to capture Viv and force her to reveal the location of the magical pearl known as the Soul of The Sea.

Genres: Shapeshifter / Fantasy / Witchcraft / Magic / BDSM (Light) / Action / Adventure / Mystery / Detective / Romantic Comedy

Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (26k words)

To purchase go here: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/SongSea.html

Look who’s “come” to Dareville!

Daringly Delicious – Leigh Ellwood

a new Dareville short from Phaze Books
Contemporary, BBW, Romantic Comedy

Only $2 eBook download!

Also available in the BBW print collection,
More, More, More! from Phaze Books

Order the eBook * Order the print

When it comes to chocolate, Tish Richmond delivers the goods. Her home business, Tish’s Riches, is booming, and a new contract with Dareville’s popular grocery store allows her the opportunity to expand her reach. Happy as she should be for the exposure, Tish longs to stop her waistline from expanding further so love can reach her.

Gorgeous Vinnie comes to Dareville to work for his uncle’s limousine company. One look at Tish and he’s struck by the sexy, voluptuous entrepreneur. Can he convince Tish that the size of her dishes don’t matter to him, and will she let him satisfy his sweet tooth?

Read an Excerpt on The Romance Studio blog!

Thursday Thirteen– 13 things about Jaegar-Caleb Nikolaiev and an excerpt

My muse has slipped a bit lately. I don’t like that I can stare at the last paragraph written forever and still not know what comes next, what my characters are going to do. I knew once, had it mapped out but I’ve hit a brick wall and letting it sit is making it become stagnant. So, I thought I’d do my thursday thirteen about Jaegar-Caleb Nikolaiev, the hero in my manuscript

1. J.C. is a prodigy, a man who has always excelled in intellect and because of it he rose to the ranks of scientist, training young children of their psychic abilities and honing their craft.
2. Unfortunately, his position also makes children fear him, giving him the nickname of the Boogeyman. Because he has the ability to blackmark them. Should a child fail their training for whatever reason or just don’t meet the standards the Council has mapped out, it is he who turns them over to the Council to be rid of.
3. J.C. was also trained to be a killer. Part of his being an agent requires him to be able to take a life and shut off his emotions in order to be successful at a mission.
4. When he was a baby, his genetics was manipulated in order to turn on the psychic pathways. He is able to manipulate matter/cells.
5. Unfortunately, having his genetics manipulated has messed up the balance in his body and slowly, his mind is shutting down other necessary elements like emotion. During the breakdown of his sanity, symptoms of migraines, nosebleeds and convulsions occur, as well as outbursts of violence. This process is irreversible.
6. The drugs given to ‘hone’ and ‘control’ his psychic abilities aid in this disintegration, although they all believe that it is there to help them and that it’s necessary for their survival. J.C. wants to get off these drugs, but because he is underwatch and has already been marked for their by the Council once, he is refused and is forced to take them. He’ll do anything to find out the truth, even going so far as to not give the drugs to the heroine, Amy O’Connor.
7. He has a black tattoo of a lightning bolt on his neck, the significance not yet known.
8. In a moment of wanting to end all the experiments and shut down the Council, J.C. blew up his lab, which unfortunately had other scientists in it, forcing him to go on the run.
9. Broderick (the handler for project Adam and in charge of J.C. and his unit) believes that J.C. is the only one who can stop the serial killer who is going around and killing off the psychic agents. That is the only reason why J.C. wasn’t put to death after blowing up the lab.
10. The Council believes that J.C. is losing his mind and that he cannot be saved and J.C. doesn’t care enough to try and prove them wrong. He will do whatever it takes to free his unit/friends from their control. Even if it means taking drastic measures.
11. When he blew up the lab, he lost the trust of his unit. Now no one will help him prove his innocence in the murders.
12. When Amy begins communicating with him, he refuses to believe the truth that she’s real, because he had never seen a telepath before. Most die before they are 3 because their minds can’t handle so much stimulation.
13. Though he has his own agenda where Amy is concerned, he will do anything to keep her safe and to win her love… and prove that he isn’t the monster he feels he is becoming.

Kick A$$ Character Workshop… come join us at the Romance Divas

Kick A$$ Characters By Authors Who Know How To Kick A$$

September 12-13 at Romance Divas

Featuring:

Bob Mayer

Lori Avocato

Maggie Price

Lindsay McKenna

Barry Eisler

Linnea Sinclair

Larissa Ione

Merline Lovelace

Want to know how to write authentic action, suspense, law enforcement, and military romance? Ask authors who know firsthand! Romance Divas is hosting a 2-day workshop with some of the hottest names in the genre. It will take place at the Romance Diva Forum. All are welcome. To get access to the forum you will need to register by entering the site and clicking on Forum.

Dexter… a new breed of character

Blood. Sometimes it sets my teeth on edge, other times it helps me control the chaos— Dexter, season 2

Dexter. There’s something appealing and yet at the same time, creepy, about Dexter Morgan, a blood splatter analysis working for the Miami Metro Police Department. Something more than the fact that as a main character, he is a serial killer, murdering those he deems evil, those who would never go to trial for the crimes they’ve committed. Based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, Dexter is a hit on the television screen.

Though a killer, Dexter is a living breathing, 3d character with hopes and fears- going through life by faking emotions to keep up a semblance of a normal appearance as a socially responsible human being.

Needless to say I have some unusual habits, yet all these socially acceptable people can’t wait to pick up hammers and smash their food to bits. Normal people are so hostile.— Dexter, season One

Orphaned at the age of three after his mom was brutally murdered in front of him, Dexter was adopted by a Miami police officer named Harry Morgan and recognizing his sociopath tendencies, taught him to channel his gruesome passion for killing and directing in a constructive way: killing people who deserve it those who have slipped through the justice system. With the use of flashbacks throughout the series, Harry instructs a young Dexter on the art of appearing normal in the sacred “Code of Harry” in which all of Dexter’s victims must be killers themselves who have murdered multiple times with no remorse.

There’s something so appealing about Dexter’s character in a way that I’d never truly understood. His POV is a killer’s, making me ask myself why it’s so compelling. What about him makes us feel, to see beyond the killer in him? Is it the fact that he watched his mother get murdered? The fact that he lives by the Code of Harry, only murdering those who are murderers themselves? The fact that he’s trying so hard to live a normal life with a girlfriend and her two kids? The fact that though he doesn’t feel love per say, he cares for them and would do anything for them?

He is not the first dark character to have been fallen for. Just look Darth Vader. A tortured hero turned evil. And what about the anonymous narrator in the Serial Killer Club by Jeff Povey who ‘accidentally’ kills a mass murderer then assumes the man’s identity?  Assuming the name of Doug Fairbanks, he joins the Serial Killer club and begins preying on his fellow club members. There seems to be a new breed of characters, or maybe just a new understanding of those characters that we never expected to love.

Dexter is both tortured and dark, and is one of those characters to not look away from with surprising twists that are sure to keep you riveted to your seat. So when Season 2 came out onto dvd I couldn’t wait to buy it. So what are you doing on a sunday afternoon? Me, I’m going to veg up on the sofa with Dexter.

Tonight’s the night. And it’s going to happen again, and again. It has to happen. Nice night.— Dexter

Is our food safe?

It seems to me that there has become an increasing amount of food-borne illnesses as of late.  Maybe I was just too  young to remember them in the past, I’m not sure, but with mad cow, e-coli infected products and now Listeriosis infected meats and maybe cheese, I have to wonder just how safe our food really is.

According to public health experts, up to 13 million Canadians (or more than 40% of the population) are affected by food-borne illnesses in one way or another.  These new chemicals and hormone foods that are being fed to livestock and sprayed on gardens, resulting in the early development of  young girls and in some illnesses, death.

The newest threat to get into the headlines is Listeriosis, an infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.  Listeriosis can cause brain infection and even death, and by the time news of it hit the news Sept 1, 12 people had already died in connection with Listeria monocytogenes, and 7 deaths under review, with 38 total confirmed cases.  Because of the disease’s long incubation period, this number is expected to rise.  These deaths are among the dozens of confirmed cases that are being blamed on sandwich meats from the Maple Leaf Foods processing plant in Toronto.  The bacterium has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and vegetables, as well as in processed foods that become contaminated after processing, such as soft cheeses and cold cuts at the deli counter.

Symptoms of an infection are often more severe than other forms of food poisoning and can include-  nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, headache, constipation and a persistent fever. If it spreads to the nervous system, symptoms may also include severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. After eating contaminated food, symptoms usually appear within 2 to 30 days, but can take as long as 90 days.  Listeria is more likely to cause death than other bacteria that cause food poisoning.

So what can you do?

Unlike most bacteria, Listeria can survive and grown on foods being stored in the fridge, but it can be killed off by using proper cooking methods. 

General recommendations:

• Thoroughly cook raw food from animal sources, such as beef, pork, or poultry.
• Wash raw vegetables thoroughly before eating.
• Keep uncooked meats separate from vegetables and from cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods.
• Avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk.
• Wash hands, knives, and cutting boards after handling uncooked foods.
• Consume perishable and ready-to-eat foods as soon as possible
• Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
• Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
• Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, or Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco, queso fresco, and Panela, unless they have labels that clearly state they are made from pastuerized milk.
• Do not eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pâtés and meat spreads may be eaten.
• Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna or mackerel, is most often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky.” The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.

(See Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for most current list of food recalls.)

Eat safe.  Cook your meat.  Wash the cutting boards and knives before using them on other items.  And be aware of what products to avoid. 

Sources:

Risky Eating, by Cynthia Cravit

National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases (ZVED)

CDC- Centres for Disease Control and Prevention