Friday, March 29, 2013

Favorite Quote Friday #75

Happy Friday!  This has been an exciting week.  :-)
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I received my Darkness Rises cover flats!  Woohoo!  Here's the back cover blurb:


Dianne Duvall returns to the world of the Immortal Guardians, where danger — and desire — make every decision count . . .

Krysta is used to getting the drop on vampires.  Her "special abilities" aren't much, but the plan is simple — she plays helpless pretty young thing to lure them in.  Then her shoto swords come out and it's bye-bye, bloodsucker.  Until one night she finds herself with an unexpected ally.  He's a vampire, all right, but different.  Mysterious.  Handsome.  And more interested in saving her skin than draining it.

Étienne has been an Immortal Guardian for two hundred years — long enough to know that Krysta is special.  He can't stop thinking about her long legs, even more than her short swords.  Then he discovers the vamps she's exterminating have friends in high places, and the Guardians are in danger, too.  He'll have to accept Krysta's help to save them.  The stakes for a mortal are high.  But the cost to his heart might be higher . . . 

Darkness Rises is the fourth book in my Immortal Guardians series and will be released on October 1, 2013.
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Publishers Weekly gave Predatory (May 7, 2013) a nice review.  Here's what they said about my Immortal Guardians novella "In Still Darkness":

Readers will appreciate the rich characterizations and kick-butt action of Duvall’s “In Still Darkness,” as Richart d’Alençon, a 200-year-old Guardian, woos charming Jenna McBride with warmth and passion while keeping his vampire-hunting life secret

You can read the full review HERE.
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Predatory received a great 4-star review from Sofia Loves Reading or Happy Ever After is So Once Upon a Time:


"In my opinion Predatory had it all.  A little bit of action, romance, suspense, fantasy.  It's a worth reading book and I totally recommend it."

She gave my novella "In Still Darkness"  5 stars!:  "I loved this story!!!"

You can read the full review HERE.
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I also gave away a signed Predatory ARC and swag in a contest on my facebook page this week.  If you haven't liked my page yet, I hope you'll hop over, like it, and join the fun!  :-)
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It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Marcus and Ami have been in my thoughts a lot lately, so I thought I would choose another quote from Night Reigns, the second book in my Immortal Guardians series, in which they are the hero and heroine:

Something about that smile, the dark anticipation that filled his handsome features, produced a flutter of butterfly wings in her belly.


Have a great weekend!

Dianne

Friday, March 22, 2013

Favorite Quote Friday #74

Happy Friday!  I have some news to share with you.

Phantom Shadows has been nominated for Best Book of 2012 — Paranormal Romance by The Romance Reviews.  Voting is already underway and will continue until March 31st.  There are many categories.  You can vote for your favorites here.

I'm also currently planning a blog tour to celebrate and promote the release of Predatory (May 7th), which contains Richart's novella In Still Darkness.  There will be a giveaway at every stop.  :-)  If you have a blog and are interested in participating, email me at dianne [at] dianneduvall [dot] com with Blog Tour in the subject line.

I also added some new cover art to my Youtube channel.  I think you have to view it on TV to see the whole image, so — for those who don't surf the internet on TV — I thought I would post it here.  ;-)

I also thought I would mention I'm giving away Immortal Guardians goodies every time I gain 250 Likes on my facebook page.  I'll soon be giving away a signed ARC of Predatory + swag, so hop on over, like my page, and stay tuned.  :-)  If you've already liked my facebook page, but have stopped seeing my posts in your news feed, try unliking and liking it again.  I changed the address to make it easier to remember and that may have caused a glitch or two.  Good luck!


It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  I thought today I would focus on vampires.  For those who are new to my Immortal Guardians series, vampires aren't the good guys in it.  Vampires are humans who have been infected with a virus that — while lending them incredible strength, speed, and more — causes brain damage that rapidly drives them insane.  The longer they've been infected, the more psychotic they become; and you'll see them in all stages in the series.  In Night Reigns, readers are introduced to a vampire by the name of Eddie Kapansky.  In today's narrative quote, Eddie finds himself in the unenviable position of being hunted by the hero, Marcus:

Fog formed in front of him as his breath whooshed out like air from a bellows.  If he hadn't been too dense to comprehend the irony, he might have appreciated that of humans' assuming vampires' hearts didn't beat when his was doing its damnedest to burst from his chest.

Closing his slack mouth, he quieted his gasps as much as he could, peered into the darkness around him, and listened.


Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne

Friday, March 15, 2013

Favorite Quote Friday #73

Happy Friday!  I hope you had a good week.  I've been working on Immortal Guardians Book 5 and doing some updating across the web (website, Facebook, Shelfari, etc.).  I also have some good news . . .



You can save 42% when you pre-order Darkness Rises , Immortal Guardians Book 4, (paperback) at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Woohoo!  It's only $4.60 at both retailers.  I just thought I'd pass that along.  :-)


And now it's time again for Favorite Quote Friday!  Yesterday I wrote a scene in Book 5 that featured Marcus and Ami, the hero and heroine from Night Reigns, Immortal Guardians Book 2, so today I thought I would offer you a quote from their book.  In this snippet, Ami addresses Marcus:

"Do you want me to call in reinforcements?"

A wicked smile curled his lips as he began walking backward in the direction of his prey.  "And spoil my fun?  No, thank you."

Have a great weekend!

Dianne

Monday, March 11, 2013

Immortal Guardians Music Monday

The weekend seemed so short, I thought I might not be the only one having trouble getting going today, so I thought I would kick-start your week with some music.  :-)

This song has not yet made an appearance in my Immortal Guardians series, but I happen to love it and have — upon occasion — laughed, imagining one of my dark and dangerous immortals stepping into Christopher Walken's shoes in this video.  Wouldn't you just love to see Roland, the notoriously antisocial immortal and hero of Darkness Dawns, dance like this?  Or Seth?  Or David?  :-D




Thank you, everyone who joined us for Bloggers Help Paws With a Cause week!  The winner of my contest is . . .

Josette S.

Congratulations!

The four grand prize winners will be contacted by Danielle in the next few days.

Have a great week, everyone!

Dianne

Friday, March 8, 2013

Favorite Quote Friday #72

Happy Friday!  What a fantastic week!

Here it is:  The cover of Darkness Rises, Immortal Guardians Book 4!  I love it and am so excited!  If you haven't heard, Darkness Rises tells Étienne's story.  I can't wait for you the meet his heroine, Krysta!  Étienne once said, "I do so love strong women."  Well, Krysta is as strong as they come.  ;-)

Darkness Rises, will be released on October 1, 2013, and is now available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


Phantom Shadows, Immortal Guardians Book 3, has been nominated for Best Adult Book 2012 in the #BBTC — Book Blogger Twitter Con 2013, the first Twitter Based Book Blogger Conference!  If you'd like to vote, you can do so HERE.  :-)

Mad Hatter Reads

I also found a wonderful 4.5 star review of Phantom Shadows given by Mad Hatter Reads.  Here's a snippet:

"If you're a fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Darkhunters or Kresley Cole's Immortal's After Dark, then you'll love Dianne Duvall's Immortal Guardians. The series has hot romances, tons of action, and lots of humor . . . Phantom Shadows and the rest of the Immortal Guardians should definitely make it on your TBR list!"

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Today I thought I would offer you a quote from Phantom Shadows that Traci from Mad Hatter Reads mentioned in her review.  It is spoken by Dr. Melanie Lipton, the heroine:

"If someone has a problem with my feelings for Bastien and thinks I shouldn't get involved with him because they don't like him, they can kiss my merry mortal ass."

It takes a lot of strength to stand up to the many enemies Bastien has made in both the immortal and mortal community.  But Melanie knows this black sheep is worth saving.  :-)



Today is the last day of Bloggers Help Paws With a Cause week.  Paws With a Cause custom-trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities.  Help up raise awareness and donations and enter to win a signed Immortal Guardians book and one of FOUR grand prizes (2 $65 gift cards to an online bookstore of you choice and 2 huge book and swag packs).  You can enter HERE.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne


Friday, March 1, 2013

Bloggers Help Paws With a Cause


Welcome to Bloggers Help Paws With a Cause, hosted by Romance Book Junkies and Bitten by Paranormal Romance!  A total of 59 blogs have gotten together to have fun and help raise money for a great cause, offering some awesome prizes and giveaways.
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Pets play such an important role in so many lives.  They also can play interesting and entertaining roles in books.  Since I don't currently have a pet myself, I decided to make this the focus of my post.  :-)

Traditionally, pets have made few appearances in paranormal romances.  More often than not, animals shy away from the powerful preternatural beings found in them.  Not so in my series.  Animals love my Immortal Guardians.  :-)  And my Immortal Guardians — powerful and dangerous warriors — all seem to have soft spots for animals.  So today I thought I would post an excerpt of Night Reigns, Immortal Guardians Book 2, in which the hero's pet first makes an appearance.

(For those who are unfamiliar with my series, Seconds are mortals who — as part of a vast network of humans that aids Immortal Guardians — are assigned to individual immortals, whom they guard and assist in numerous ways.)


She smiled.

“He needs a Second,” Seth stated.

Surprised, Ami turned back to Marcus. “You don’t have a Second?”

All immortals had Seconds. Seth insisted upon it.

Well, all except for Roland Warbrook, one of the more irascible immortals.

Marcus glared at Seth. “I do not need a Second.”

“You need a Second,” Seth responded implacably.

“I have a Second.”

“Slim is not a Second.”

Ami frowned. She had met quite a few Seconds since Seth had taken her under his wing, usually via telephone or the internet, but none had gone by the nickname Slim. “Who is Slim?”

Seth looked pointedly toward the bay window on the opposite side of the room. Ami followed his gaze to the wicker basket on the floor in front of it. A small black cat that probably wouldn’t weigh eight pounds with a full belly returned her stare with one back paw raised high in the air.

“Um . . . is that cat bald?”

There seemed to be substantial bare patches above its eyes . . . and across the top of its head . . . between its shoulder blades . . . on one elbow . . .

“No,” Marcus denied defensively. “He isn’t bald. He’s . . . scarred from fighting with animals twice his size.”

“Oh. Poor little guy.” Ami hated bullies, be they human or animal. And, judging by his ragged appearance, this cat must lure them like rancid meat lured flies.

“Don’t feel too sorry for him,” Seth drawled. “Slim is the one who instigates the fights.”

Ami eyed the cat doubtfully. “Really? Has he ever won one?”

Seth’s dark eyes sparkled with amusement while he and Ami awaited Marcus’s response.

When it came, the words emerged as though they had been dragged from him by force. “I think one ended in a draw.”

Ami bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Slim went back to licking himself.
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Here is a little about the company that we are raising the money for:





Paws th A Cause® enhances the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities nationally through custom-trained Assistance Dogs.  PAWS® increases awareness of the rights and roles of Assistance Dog teams through education and advocacy.  Founded in 1979, Paws With A Cause is dedicated to helping its clients who are challenged by many disabilities, such as Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Seizure Disorders, and Hearing Disorders to name just some.  Each of our dogs are trained to meet the specific needs of our clients.


Tasks may include opening and closing doors, picking up objects, pulling a wheelchair, turning lights on and off, and alerting a person to particular sounds like a telephone, doorbell, smoke detector and many others. Our dogs change lives by enhancing the independence of our clients. By just opening a door, a dog opens up the world for a person with a disability and your donations will go to making that happen.

Paws With a Cause
4646 South Division
Wayland, MI 49348

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The Grand Prizes

There are four grand prizes up for grabs for those who donate to the cause:

2
$65 gift certificates to an online
bookstore of your choice

and

2
huge boxes of books and swag from
Romance Book Junkies

and Bitten by Paranormal Romance
for US residents only
.

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My Prize



A signed copy of one of the first three books in my Immortal Guardians series — Darkness Dawns, Night Reigns, Phantom Shadows — (winner's choice) + Immortal Guardians swag.
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Details


Our Bloggers Help Pause With a Cause hop lasts March 1st through March 8th.

To Donate and Enter to Win
one of the FOUR Grand Prizes

1. Go to https://www.everribbon.com/PawswithaCause

2. Go to Click on "Make a Donation"

3. Enter a amount you wish to donate. Everibbon will add a small fee to your donation for processing. My fee for donating $5.00 was .49 cents. So keep this in mind when deciding your donation amount. You will receive 1 entry into the giveaway for every $1 you donate. 

4. In the box that says "on the behalf of" please put your name. This is the name that will be listed on the everibbon website so put a name you do not mind being visible to everyone. Do not check the box to make a anonymous donation because I will not be able to track your donation to enter you into the giveaways.

5. Next it will ask you for your credit or debit card information.

6. Then it will ask for your email address to send you a receipt. This is so that you can submit it for tax purposes.

7. Ta Da! Your all done making your donation. Now you need to contact Danielle to enter the giveaway.

8. Please email Danielle at RomanceBookJunkiesDanielle@Yahoo.com with the name you used to donate your money. For example the name I used to donate on behalf of was Romance Book Junkies. Do not send me your name off your credit or debit card because I will not be able to see this. Along with the name you used please tell me how much you donated and if you live in the US or are International.

9. You're all done. Thank you for donating!

To Enter My Contest

Since the goal here is to raise awareness and raise funds for the cause, you will receive one entry into my contest for each of the following.  Please leave a comment below, listing all entries, and include your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner.

1. Donate to the cause.  (You don't have to tell me how much, just that you did.)

2. Tweet about our Pause With a Cause week.

3. Facebook about our Pause With a Cause week.

4. Google+ about our Paws With a Cause Week.

My contest is international.  I will choose a winner and announce it here by March 12th.  I will also email the winner, who will have one week to respond.

Thanks so much!


Dianne

Favorite Quote Friday #71

Happy Friday!  Can you believe today is the first day of March?  Already?  I don't know where February went, but time flying by so swiftly means that there are only a couple of months left until the release of Predatory!  Woohoo!
I hope you'll like Richart's story, as well as the stories by Alexandra Ivy, Nina Bangs, and Hannah Jayne.  :-)

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Today I thought I would give you a narrative quote from Phantom Shadows, Immortal Guardians Book 3, told from Bastien's point of view, in which he is recalling the first moment he saw Melanie:

It had been like the sappiest chick flick ever made where the hero looked at the heroine and sh** went all slow motion because she was The One and he knew it.   
  
I'm so glad Bastien found Melanie.  :-)  Or did she find him?  ;-)




I also wanted to mention that I'll be posting again momentarily.  I'm participating in Bloggers Help Paws With a Cause week, a blog hop in which we're helping raise awareness and donations for Paws With a Cause, an organization that custom-trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities.  There will be an excerpt from Night Reigns and chances to win great prizes, so I hope you'll join us!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne