Psy/Changeling Series

I'm talking about some of the reasons why I love writing the Psy/Changeling series over at the Down Under Desirabelles. Come join me!

Book Smugglers Interview

My interview with the Book Smugglers has now gone live. I'm also answering questions, so drop by if you have one, or just to join in the fun. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Interview, Website & More

I was interviewed by Cheyenne McCray for Fangs, Fur & Fey, and the interview is now live. Come by and say hi :)

And now some links for your delectation.

Meljean Brook is running not one but two contests on her blog.

• One is for ARCs to her November release Demon Bound (great book!). It's all about creepy super-powers. Oooh...
• Number two is the "I've never tried Meljean Brook's Guardian series but I'd like to!" First Blood giveaway. She's got 25 copies of the anthology to give away.

A winged cat is spotted in China. Dear Author asks if this is a lost Tairen Soul. Talking of Tairen Souls, doesn't C.L. Wilson have beautiful covers? (Also, I think C.L. Wilson should send me King of Sword and Sky early - beaming over a telepathic message *grin*)

The Down Under Desirabelles have reported back from the Romance Writers of Australia Conference.


And in case you haven't been by the website lately, we've updated it. I've answered some new FAQs and updated others. Also, excerpts for ANGELS' BLOOD and BRANDED BY FIRE will be going live September 1st!

Last but very definitely not least, Visions of Heat recently released in German! Check out the sexy cover to the left. :)

Rome & Jules

I saw this on Lora Leigh's message board and had to have it! It reminds me of a certain Terrible Twosome :)

Book Binge & Book Smugglers

I'm over at The Book Binge today, talking about how I choose (or how the characters choose!) who to write about next in the Psy/Changeling series. Swing by and leave a comment - I'm picking a random winner to get a copy of The Magical Christmas Cat.

Also, The Book Smugglers have kicked off a Nalini Singh Extravaganza (I like the sound of that *grin*) with a review of Caressed By Ice.

More reviews of Hostage to Pleasure have come in - I'm hoping to update the sidebar with them in the next few days :)

Susan Napier Winner & OOTB Tour: Razor Girl - Marianne Mancusi

The random winner of the Susan Napier book giveaway is Caralee! Congrats! Caralee, can you please email me your details at nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com (without the spaces).

Now, onto to today's OOTB tour!!
_______________

RAZOR GIRL by Marianne Mancusi

Molly Anderson is not your average twenty-one-year-old. It’s been six years since she and her family escaped into a bunker, led by her conspiracy theorist father and his foreknowledge of a plot to bring about the apocalypse. But her father’s precautions didn’t stop there. Molly is now built to survive.

Yes, Ian Anderson’s favorite book gave him ideas on how to “improve” his daughter. Molly is faster, stronger, and her ocular implants and razor-tipped nails set her apart. Apart, when—venturing alone out of the bunker and into a plague ravaged, monster-ridden wilderness—what Molly needs most is togetherness. Chase Griffin, a friend from her past, is her best bet. But while he and others have miraculously survived, the kind boy has become a tormented man. Together, these remnants of humanity must struggle toward trusting each other and journey to the one place Molly’s father believed all civilization would be reborn: the Magic Kingdom, where everyone knows it’s a small world after all.

ABOUT MARIANNE MANCUSI

When it comes to writing, award winning author Marianne Mancusi likes to play the field. From time travel comedies to kick butt speculative fiction romances to a Buffy’esque vampire series for teens, she’s published eleven books in three years, in a myriad of genres and styles.

In addition to writing, Marianne is a multiple Emmy award winning television producer, currently working for the nationally syndicated women’s lifestyle show Better TV. A Boston native and graduate of Boston University ’s College of Communications , she currently lives on Manhattan ’s Upper West Side . (But has NOT become a Yankees fan!) In her spare time, Marianne enjoys clubbing, cosplay, cheesy horror movies (especially those featuring zombies!), her dog Molly, and videogames.

REVIEWS

“Opens with danger and will grab your interest immediately. Stellar!”
--Huntress Reviews

“An increasingly intense, suspenseful edge-of-the-seat thrilling ride…stunning, cutting edge romance.”
--Merrimon Book Reviews

"Non-stop thrill ride from page one! Marianne Mancusi spins an eerily marvelous tale in her book RAZOR GIRL."
--Simply Romance Reviews

"Mancusi doesn't hesitate to take chances and innovate!"
--Romantic Times

"Marianne Mancusi has returned with an edgy all-new tale, Razor Girl, filled with fast-paced action and a heroine strong enough to mold her own destiny."
--SF Scope

Website: http://www.mariannemancusi.com

Dark Desires After Dusk - Kresley Cole

I came late to this series (The Immortals After Dark) and I tell you, I'm hooked! I'm also reading them completely out of order - but I couldn't resist Cade. He's rough, he's tough, and he's completely gorgeous. Talk about "lickable horns." *grin*

Here's the blurb (from Amazon):

RITA Award-winning author Kresley Cole continues her bestselling Immortals After Dark series with this electrifying tale of a ruthless demon mercenary and the lovely young halfling who enchants him.

A seductive beauty he can never have, yet can't resist...

Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

A tormented warrior she should fear, but can't deny...

Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon's wicked touch.

Surrender to dark desires...

Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs -- and claim his heart?

Janet at Dear Author did a much more in-depth review here. And you can read an excerpt from the book at Kresley Cole's website.

So, who else is loving this series? Favorite books? And since it's the weekend, what're you all up to?

Excerpt - Hostage to Pleasure & Updates

As promised, here is an extra excerpt from Hostage to Pleasure. I chose a piece where you get to see Dorian and Ashaya together. It's not enormously long, so don't read it if you're made easily crazy ;-)

Also, I'm going to be kicking off a fun little contest next week, so make sure you swing by on Monday to read the details. And if you haven't dropped your name into the hat to go into the draw to win Susan Napier's Accidental Mistress, you've still got time.

Now, onto the excerpt. Enjoy!

~~~

Excerpt from HOSTAGE TO PLEASURE - Out September 2nd!

He sat back on his haunches and watched her get back up into a sitting position. Her eyes went to his handiwork. “You’ve had some training.”

He bit back the urge to snarl at her frigid tone. The ice of it was a fist around his cock, arousing him against all reason, all sense. “First aid.” He shrugged, stuffed everything back into her pack, then paused. “You need anything from here?”

“Everything.”

“Tough.” He did up the straps. “I have to carry you as it is—”

“I can—”

“Yeah, you can crawl,” he snapped, “but that isn’t going to get me home in time to catch a few z’s.” And nowhere near fast enough to contain the leopard’s enraged attempts at exploding from within his skin. He couldn’t shift, had never been able to. But the cat didn’t know it was trapped. Right now, it wasn’t even sure if it wanted to savage Ashaya or fuck her. “Since I can’t dump you here, I might as well get rid of you as fast as I can.”

It was a deliberate attempt to provoke, but her face, a face that had haunted his dreams for two months, remained expressionless. Two damn months, he thought again. Endless nights of waking in a sweat, frustrated and hard. And angry, so angry. The sole thing that had kept him from going out and hunting her down had been an enraged defiance against a sexual pull that had begun to turn into an obsession.

Now here she sat, looking up at him with those eyes that were the wrong color—and that blatant lie only stoked his fury.

“You have a lot of antipathy toward me.”

No, what he had was a bad case of lust. But he wasn’t an animal in rut. And his one stupid, drunken mistake in college aside, he didn’t sleep with women who might just freeze his balls off in the night. “I’m going to stash your pack up in the branches. The lynx won’t come near it now that it has my scent on it. Someone can grab it for you tomorrow.”

Ashaya didn’t argue, knowing she had nothing with which to bargain. “Another debt?” She’d recognized his voice at once as that of the sniper. After all, she’d been hearing it in her dreams for eight long weeks.

“Don’t worry. We’ll collect.” With those words, he shrugged into the pack and began climbing.

She couldn’t believe the way he moved. It was so smooth, it appeared effortless. He was ten times faster than she had been, a hundred times more graceful. If she’d had any doubts as to what he was, they would’ve been wiped away by that display. “Changeling,” she said as he jumped back down. “Cat.”

He raised an eyebrow, his eyes a pitiless blue so true—even in this darkness—that she wondered at its existence. “Meow.”

Something hidden sparked to life in her mind, and she found herself thinking that the sniper was beautiful. Darkness, she’d always cloaked him in darkness, but he was a golden god. “How did you know I was here?” Her breath came in pants as she managed to get to her feet, one hand braced against the tree trunk. Her palm landed on something sticky. Her own blood, she realized.

“I’m an F-Psy.” A mocking answer. “You’re going to have to ride on my back. Try not to stab me while you’re at it.” He came to her, turned.

The instant she put her hands on his shoulders, she froze. She hadn’t had this much close contact with another being for longer than she could remember. Even with Keenan, she’d kept her distance, aware that only Silent coldness would keep him safe. But there was no point of comparison between her weakness where Keenan was concerned and this changeling who seemed to despise her.

And yet who fascinated her on a level it was madness to even consider.

(c) Copyright 2008 by Nalini Singh

Links to some reader reviews!

"Hostage to Pleasure has met all my expectations and Nalini has a fan and supporter of her books for life." ~ Katiebabs

“Singh…brings it in #5 with no letup in sight. Her characters get better and better, and the world is evolving in layers that feel realistic…” ~ Nicola O.

"I was on that reading high by the end of Hostage to Pleasure, overjoyed that book five was indeed holding the series strong, perhaps rising to become the best of them yet." ~ Lurv A La Mode (KMont)

"KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER!!!!" CindyS on Book Binge

RWNZ Conference Photos

As promised, here are some photos from the RWNZ Conference :)

Rosie Koop from Harlequin Australia, new Desire author Sandra Hyatt (she got The Call while at the San Francisco conference!), and the wonderful Susan Napier at the Harlequin Author Lunch.

Authors Melanie Milburne, Tessa Radley and Abby Gaines at the lunch.

With Chrissy Brashear (Samhain Publishing), my editor Cindy Hwang, and Angela James (Samhain Publishing), at the Friday cocktail party.

Yvonne Lindsay and Anne Gracie (getting into the CAT-e-gory theme of the cocktail party!)

Conference, Winner & Accidental Mistress by Susan Napier

I'm back from conference and it's straight back into work now - though I suppose I should unpack the suitcase first ;)

The random winner of the signed copy of Sexiest Man Alive is Barbarita V. Congrats! Shoot me your address at nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com (without the spaces), and I'll pop it in the post for you.

Contest Now Closed

I've got another giveaway for you today - a copy of Accidental Mistress by Susan Napier. I love Susan's books, but I've ended up with two copies of this one, so drop your name in the hat by midnight Sunday, Aug 24th, NZ time, if you'd like to go into the draw to win my second copy.

Also, the edition I'm giving away includes a bonus book, The Return of the Rebel by Trish Wylie, so you'll get two stories, and incidentally, it also has a different cover!

I'll have some photos from the NZ conference for you tomorrow, including one of Susan (fingers crossed it came out!), as well as a fabulous one of the wonderful Anne Gracie. Hope you all have a great start to the week!

Weekly Catchup & RWNZ Conference

What's everyone up to this coming weekend? I'm off to the RWNZ Conference tomorrow and really looking forward to it.

Re the excerpt requests - I'm going to look through Hostage to Pleasure when I get back and see what I can do. :)

See you next week!

Website & the Sexiest Man Alive

Sorry for disappearing on you folks - this week is going by like a freight train. I'm working on updates to the website at the moment, so let me know if you think a particular page needs to be updated, or if you'd like some questions answered on the FAQ page.

I'm also off to the annual Romance Writers of New Zealand conference this weekend, which should be a blast...but I have yet to pack.

And talking of conferences, Diana Holquist was kind enough to sign a copy of Sexiest Man Alive at the RWA Conference for me to give away on the blog. If you'd like to go in the draw, drop your name into the hat on this post by midnight Sunday 17th Aug, NZ time.

How's your week going?

Book Tour: Charmed & Ready - Candace Havens

I've got a book tour for you today - the mass market release of Charmed & Ready. Details below!

Also, don't forget to check out the new Down Under Desirabelles blog - Bronwyn Jameson has done a great RWA Highlights post, complete with giveaway :)
________________________

CHARMED & READY by Candace Havens

Paperback Published: August 5, 2008 (Berkley)

Trade Published: September 5, 2006 (Berkley Trade)

After spending most of her life single-practically an occupational hazard for a witch-Bronwyn's finally found a sexy warlock to love. But it's going to take more than a few love spells to keep him from getting jealous about her latest gig-protecting a rock star named Zane from the creepy Goth guys in cloaks who keep showing up at his concerts and zapping his mojo. Bronwyn would like nothing better than to blow them up in an inferno of Love That Red smoke, but they're proving elusive. And in the meantime-what girl wouldn't want to hang with the hottest man in music?

You can find out more info on Candace's book at www.candacehavens.com
_________________________

Hope you all have a great weekend! :)

RWA Conference Photos Part III

I keep finding more awesome photos - I truly was snap-happy this year. :)


Jamie Sobrato and Bethany Griffin at the Literacy Signing. I met Jamie online as our first books were coming out and we've kept in touch ever since. :)

Jenna Black, Kris (from Love Letter magazine) and me on Wednesday afternoon.

Friends and fellow members of a wonderful online group I've been a member of for years - the Brainstorming Desirables, Tessa Radley and Mary Lou Wilson. That's the bar/lounge area in the background. It was *the* gathering spot - every time I walked past, I saw romance writers everywhere.


Larissa Ione (Pleasure Unbound) and Diana Holquist (RITA nominee for Sexiest Man Alive) at the Grand Central book signing.



With fellow Berkley author Kathleen Dante. See the booksigning in the background - it was an amazing experience. So many authors, so many books!



With author Saskia Walker. I was so delighted to meet her in person for the first time.


Sherry Thomas and Bettie Sharpe - still full of energy even at the end of the Literacy Signing!

What a conference it was! I'm already thinking about the next one! :)

More Conference Photos

As promised, here are some more photos from the RWA San Francisco conference.

Me with my wonderful, wonderful editor, Cindy Hwang. I *heart* Cindy. (This was taken at the Penguin cocktail party).

Me with RITA winner Anne Stuart! Congratulations, Anne!

Some of the New Zealand gang directly after the RITA ceremony. From left: Amanda (Ashby), Sara (Hantz), Ellie and Giovanna.

I ran into CL Wilson on Wednesday afternoon. It was the only time I saw her at the conference - it's this weird conference thing, some people you see every day, others almost never.

Jill Myles, whose book has an awesome title - Sex Starved - but we have to wait till 2009 to read it, and Meljean Brook.


Marilyn from the Writing Playground and Gail Dayton (whose March 2009 book, New Blood, is fabulous! I grabbed an ARC at the Tor signing and couldn't put it down. More about the book closer to the release date. I have plans to wrangle Gail into an interview).

And to end this post, here's a photo of me with Jennifer K!

I still have more photos, so there'll be another conference post tomorrow. Hope you guys are enjoying the recaps. :)

RWA Conference

The San Francisco conference was amazing - I was exhausted by the end of it, but it was a happy exhaustion. I went to some great workshops, attended a number of events, and met so many wonderful people that I came close to losing my voice I was talking so much!

I have a ton of photos so you're going to get a bit of a photo tour this week :)

This first photo is from Friday afternoon, and one of the coolest moments of the conference for me. I met and talked to Christine Feehan!! She is an amazing author and a really lovely person to talk to in person - I was so incredibly excited to meet her.

Not only that, but I got to chat to Marjorie Liu as well - who flew off to China a couple of days later!

Christine Feehan, Nalini, Marjorie Liu

I also got to meet the gorgeous Meljean Brook, who was only there for the Friday. Keep an eye out for Meljean's Demon Bound in November - it's fabulous!!

Nalini & Meljean

As well as meeting new friends, and catching up with online ones, I had a chance to catch up with some friends I've had for a long time. On Wednesday morning, I had coffee with Frances Housden, Bronwyn Jameson and Shelley Munro. Paula Roe dropped by for a few minutes as well, and gave me a bright red "I'm a Down Under Desirabelle" ribbon for my badge. That ribbon started a few conversations, let me tell you! It's actually all about a new blog that we've set up - the first posts have just gone up (and I just added some photos there, too), so swing by and say hi!

Frances & Bronwyn

And I think this is the perfect picture to end on for today - what made this conference extra special was that so many readers were there, including a number of people who comment on this blog. So without further ado, let me introduce you to (from left) - Kate (Katiebabs), Alice, and Ciara.

I also met lots of other readers, but I haven't got all my photos organized yet - if you guys have any good shots, send them to me! It was so much fun meeting everyone. I'm already thinking about next year!!

More photos tomorrow!

I'm back!

And feeling verrrrrry sleeeeeepy... More coherent post to come tomorrow, complete with photos!