Hi, all! I'm very excited to announce that my Night Reigns Blog Tour begins today!
I'm being interviewed by Ramblings From This Chick and will give away a signed copy of Night Reignsto celebrate its upcoming release (Dec 6th).
My internet service has been really acting up lately, so I'll post the rest of this week's itinerary below in case I have difficulty getting online later:
It's Black Friday! I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! And, if you were amongst the many, many midnight shoppers last night, I hope you found some great deals and had a safe shopping spree. :-) I spent a wonderful day with my family. Now it's time to get back to work editing Phantom Shadows and working on my Night Reigns Blog Tour.
Congratulations to the winner of the first signed copy of Night Reigns I'm giving away over at The Romance Reviews' Year End Splash (Yes!) Party. Another copy is still up for grabs. My next Q&A will be posted on Sunday, November 27th.
I also thought I'd mention that voting will end soon at The Romance Reviews. Darkness Dawns has been nominated for Best Paranormal Romance - Vampirealongside books by some of my favorite authors. If you have a chance, drop by, check out the nominees, and cast your vote.
And now . . .it's time for Favorite Quote Friday and another sneak peak into the pages of Night Reigns:
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into risking Seth and
Chris popping back in and finding us bare-arsed naked,
making love on the sofa, could I?”
~ Marcus ~
Night Reigns' release is only 10 days away! My Night Reigns Blog Tourstarts next Wednesday, November 30th, and will include MANY giveaways. You can find the itinerary here and on my website. I hope you'll join me!
It's Friday again! Wow! This week really flew past! I hope yours was a good one! I received some fantastic Immortal Guardians news.
Darkness Dawns was nominated by RT Book Reviews for the Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance.
Darkness Dawns was also nominated by The Romance Reviews for Best PNR of 2011 - Vampire. Votingfor this one continues throughout the month of November, so I hope you'll drop by, check out the nominees, and cast your vote!
I also had the fun task of choosing the winners of TWO contests this week. Actually, Random.org chose the winners for me, because I wanted everyone who entered to win. :-) Proserpine won the Immortal Guardians swag pack I gave away to celebrate my first Immortal Realm guest - Author JoAnne Kenrick. And in my Get to Know the Immortal Guardians contest, Na won a signed ARC of Night Reigns, while Sherrie and Alainala each won an Immortal Guardians swag pack.
I've joined the fun over at The Romance Reviews for their Year End Splash (Yes!) Party and one of my Q&As was posted this week. The next and last one will be posted on November 27th, so I hope you'll drop by. I'm giving away TWO signed copies of Night Reigns. :-)
So, now that I've shared some news, it's time for today's edition of Favorite Quote Friday. Today's quote is once more taken from Night Reigns:
"I have lived for eight centuries, Ami. It would be far too humiliating to finally meet my demise in what would undoubtedly become known as the greatest skating catastrophe of the twenty-first century."
~ Marcus ~
I can't believe Night Reigns will be released in just over 17 days!
Thank you, everyone who entered my Get to Know the Immortal Guardians Crew contest! You asked so many fabulous questions! I'll get them to the characters posthaste so they can answer them on my Night Reigns Blog Tour and can't wait to hear their responses! :-)
And now for the winners:
1st Prize
(Your choice of a signed ARC of Night Reigns
or a signed copy of Darkness Dawns)
Na
2nd Prize
(An Immortal Guardians swag pack)
alainala
3rd Prize
(An Immortal Guardians swag pack)
Sherrie
I'll email you to request your snail mail addresses. Thank you, again, everyone who entered!
Hi, all! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I'm going to begin my week by announcing a new contest! I've decided to do something different with my Night Reigns Blog Tour. I'm going to include character interviews similar to the one I did recently onReading Between the Wines Book Club. To make things more interesting, I thought I would enlist your aid and find out what you would ask the Immortal Guardians crew if you had the chance. So here's the contest:
First Prize is your choice of either a signed Night Reigns ARC (my last) or a signed copy of Darkness Dawns. Second and Third Prizewinners will be sent Immortal Guardians swag packs. Below is a list of characters and couples from myImmortal Guardiansseries. Choose any of them and ask them questions you'd like them to answer in an interview. Ask as many questions as you'd like, in one post or multiple posts. Every question you ask will count as one entry. Here's the list:
Seth (oldest, most powerful immortal and leader of the Immortal Guardians)
David(2nd oldest, 2nd most powerful)
Darnell (David's Second)
Roland (immortal hero, Darkness Dawns, heals with his hands)
Sarah (heroine, Darkness Dawns, music theory professor)
Roland & Sarah
Marcus (immortal hero, Night Reigns, sees ghosts/spirits)
Ami (heroine, Night Reigns, Marcus's Second)- ask her anything except what she is ;-)
Chris Reordon (head of the human network that aids immortals)
Sheldon(Richart's Second)
Cameron (Étienne's Second)
Tracy(Lisette's Second)
Cliff, Vincent, & Joe (vampires)
Immortals in general
Seconds in general
Vampires
I will randomly select winners (using random.org) on Thursday and will mail prizes once the winners send me their snail mail addresses. So either include your email address in your post or check back here on Thursday (late afternoon or evening).
I look forward to reading your questions! Good luck! And have a great week!
It's Friday! Woohoo! How was your week? Mine was very productive. For those who haven't heard yet, the official title of Book 3 in my Immortal Guardians series will be . . . *drum roll* . . .
Phantom Shadows
As for who the hero and heroine of that one will be . . . I'm going to keep you guessing a little bit longer. :-) I'm editing Phantom Shadows now and am pleased with what I've read so far. Hopefully you will be, too. I like where the series arc is going, the changes taking place in the Immortal Guardians' world, and the challenges those changes are creating. I'm very excited.
Outside of writing, I cut a trailer for an independent filmmaker, who really liked it. Maybe once the composer scores it, the director will let me post it here. I edited the film itself, too. It was a fun project to work on, so I'm hoping fervently that the film will land a distributor.
I also did some website creation. I'm in the process of updating my website and am working on a side project, too, that I'll share with you soon.
So, it's been a big week for me. :-) The release of Night Reigns is only 24 days away. I can't wait! In a couple of weeks or so, I'm going to post a bigdeleted scene. Until then, it's time for this week's installment of Favorite Quote Friday, for which I've chosen another quote from Night Reigns:
"Over eight centuries of living and I still haven't learned
a bloody thing. I still want what I can't have."
~ Marcus ~
Just a reminder, there's still time to win the Immortal Guardiansswag pack I'm giving away to celebrate the appearance of my first guest -- author JoAnne Kenrick -- here on The Immortal Realm. Details are in her guest post below. I'll choose and notify a winner next week.
Also, I'm giving away two signed copies of Night Reigns atThe RomanceReviews for their big Year End Splash (Yes!) Party. My Q&As will be posted on:
Happy Tuesday! This is a special day, because I'm very excited to welcome The Immortal Realm's first guest. JoAnne Kenrick is the author of When A Mullo Loves A Woman, Sweet Irish Kiss, and Rock You Like A Hurricane. She is also just the nicest person. :-) Today JoAnne is here to talk about her latest release, Dracula's Kiss, which has been getting some really great reviews.
Take it away, JoAnne!
Firstly, let me extend a huge thank you to Dianne, for allowing me to chat about my new release, Dracula's Kiss, on her blog. It's a huge honor to be here and I'm totally fighting back a fan-girl squeal here. You know, I just adored Darkness Dawns!
“JoAnne Kenrick writes with passion and excitement. She brings her characters to life through lavish attention to emotions and character. She weaved a tale that entranced my imagination leaving me wanting more.”
For the setting of this story, I wanted a dark mood and to portray an apt location for a creepy halloween party that would lend itself well to a gothic-esk tale reminiscent of the classic vampire movies. I would say that I chose Slains Castle in Cruden Bay, Scotland. But I think rather, the castle choose me.
As I wasn't able, physically, to go in search of my perfect location (although a Brit born n bred, I now live in North Carolina), youtube became my best friend. It's amazing the places you can visit through other people's eyes. When I typed in creepy Scottish castle, Dracula was the first word I saw.
Odd as it may sound, but all the search results were from Cruden Bay. I type in that search now, and I get completely different results. And that's why I believe these locations called out to me...or rather my muse.
Here's one of my favorites, that gave a real 'close up' look at Slains Castle.
Cruden Bay and it's surrounding area is home to a few different locations of interest that are perfect for the female lead, Catherine Ela (Cathela), who has what some might say an unhealthy obsession with vampires. Well, her boyfriend Nick would say it's unhealthy. Lucky for her she moves on to more exciting pastures in...Dracula's Kiss.
Ecclesgrieg Castleis located in St Cyurus, near Cruden Bay. It's believed that Bram Stoker visited while staying in the Kilmarnock Arms in Cruden Bay during 1894. This house has an an intriguing history, with legends of curses, smugglers, and ghostly sightings.
Sadly, the building is in need of some serious repair. Author to the rescue, and creative license. With my magic wand, well my keyboard, I renovated it into an impressive five star hotel for the Castillo chain of hotels and resorts featured heavily in the multi-author 1NS series of which Dracula's Kiss is apart of.
Voilà. We have a rendezvous meeting place worthy of our vampire obsessed Cathela and her dark prince, Alec Murray.
Slains Castle (also known as New Slains Castle) is sat on cliff edges, over looking the often rough North Sea. That right there is perfect, without the Dracula connection; I loved cliff-edged buildings in my vampire or ghost stories. The story goes that Bram Stoker visited this castle while vacationing in Cruden Bay. A year later, Dracula was published. Of course, every building Bram Stoker ever visited has been rumored to be the inspiration for locations in his novels. Whether they are, or not, it's still fun to know he walked those lands while writing one of my favorite novels of all time. Yes, there's a little bit of Cathela in me.
Kilmarnock Arms Inn. Bram visited this hotel and pub often during the 1800s, and it is believed he used to use it as a writing retreat. I used this location as the place where Cathela stayed after the Bank's Halloween ball in Slains Castle. It seemed like the obvious choice for Cathela to book a room here. I couldn't see her even considering anywhere else being the die-hard Dracula fan that she is.
So you see. How could I NOT choose Cruden Bay for Dracula's Kiss? I do believe it's a perfect setting for Cathela's encounter with a vampire dressed as Dracula to 'blend in'. Oh the irony.
With sporadically placed candle sconces as the only source of light, she wished she’d worn her glasses. And the uneven floor made her regret the four-inch heel on her patent leather boots. With each step, they caught in the cracks. She took them off and pushed them against the wall, figuring she could pick them up on her way back. Down the narrow and winding steps, she padded. Long dress and bare feet, like a damsel in distress from an old horror movie. Maybe Dracula is on my trail. She giggled. What if I pretend he is? Intoxicated, she struggled to pick up her frock and shorten it so she could run the length of the steps. She glanced back as if being chased, and even let out a little cry for help. I could give Mina Harker a run for her money...and Dracula a run for some fun.
She reached the bottom of the incline.
Left or right? Shame Nick isn’t here with me. It’s deserted and anything could happen down here...if I took the wrong turn. She pointed left but decided on going right, stealing a candle from the wall for light. An adventure, that was what she needed. A Gothic—all be it drunk—adventure.
What’s the worst that could happen? I get lost? The ruins aren’t that big. I’ll have a little wander around then take a taxi back to the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel and sober up.
The ceiling height dropped with every tiny step she took, and she could no longer stretch out her arms without bumping into walls. The tight space terrified her. Heart pounding, she rounded a bend and laughed with the ridiculousness of the situation, unable to believe she had accidentally on purpose arrived at the dungeons. Thick, steel bars still enclosed two of the cells and heavy-duty iron handcuffs were chained to the walls. She crept into the first chamber and glided her finger along the iron of the torturous restraints. Imagining the pain and horrors that must have happened there, she shuddered.
“Have ye been naughty? Do I need tae teach ye a lesson and lock ye up?” A voice penetrated the darkness around her, shattering her little game of pretend cat and mouse. She spun to see who’d followed her. Not wanting to be caught in a drunken state, she prayed it was a stranger. But in the same moment, she hoped for someone she knew who wished her no harm. No one would hear me scream for help.
Her candle snuffed out from a breath, and not her own. The chill exhale kissed her neck and skated down her body like an icicle drip. The horror of it sent her hurtling backward. Had it not been for the wall behind her, she would have landed on her butt.
“Who’s there? Bar dude, is that you?” She pressed herself against the cool stone bricks, too excited to be truly afraid. After all, this was what she wanted. To not know what was going to happen next, and to fully engage in life again. And the way her heart jumped and her chest pounded, she felt alive for the first time in years. “Hello?” She peered down the corridor that donned only a flicker of light from the stairway’s sconces.
JoAnne Kenrick, as ex-Ghost Tour Guide turned Romance Author, is a Welsh lass who has lived in various countries around the world. She now calls North Carolina her home, where she lives with her husbands, two children and a lazy cat. When they aren't demanding her attention, she can most likely be found watching a vampire movie, reading or baking up a British favorite in her NC. kitchen. That is, when she isn't writing or chatting up a storm on social networking sites.
To celebrate my first guest -- Thank you, JoAnne! -- I thought I would give away an Immortal Guardians swag pack (Night Reigns cover flat, Darkness Dawns cover flat, Night Reignspostcard, and Darkness Dawns mini-bookmark). To enter just post a comment and answer this question:
If you could visit any of the locations
JoAnne mentioned, which would it be?
Make sure you include your email address in your post if you'd like to enter the contest. I'll randomly choose a winner next week.
Happy Friday! I hope you had a good week. Mine was very productive. I got a lot of writing in and started updating my website. My blog tour is coming along very nicely. I've met some very nice new-to-me bloggers while planning it. And the weather here is once more beautiful: Crisp and cool. :-)
Favorite Quote Friday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since the release of Night Reigns is only 31 days away (I can't wait!), I'll choose another quote from it for today's Favorite Quote Friday segment. The following words are spoken to Marcus, the hero, by the leader of the Immortal Guardians:
"I've had to tiptoe around you for almost a decade.
Now that I'm free to irritate you at will,
I find it exceedingly entertaining." ~ Seth ~
Thank you, everyone who has pre-ordered Night Reigns!!! I can't wait to hear what you think of it! I hope you'll enjoy it!
Contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, the Year End Splash (Yes!) Party has begun over at The Romance Reviews!
Beginning on November 1st, it will continue through November 30th. Over 500 prizes are up for grabs, including TWO signed copies of Night Reigns. Drop by and play the memory game, answer Q&As, and more. The dates of my Q&As are:
