Angels' Blood TV Debut & Friday Book Club

First up - these wonderful people are hosting the Blaze of Memory book tour for me today. Come on over and say hi :-)

Michelle Rowen
Jaci Burton
WriteMinded

Now, news! There was much excitement over on these shores last night - Shortland Street is a great NZ drama that plays weeknights. Yesterday, Angels' Blood was used on the show as a prop!

But it wasn't simply sitting on a shelf or a table - the characters had a book club on the show, and guess what book they were discussing? It was completely awesome to see the book onscreen :-). (NZ folks can catch the episode online.)

Thank you, Shortland Street! I also have to give a shoutout to everyone behind NZ Book Month, especially Michele, for making this happen.

Now, onto our own book club. What've you been reading this week? I finished Nora Roberts' Black Hills and really enjoyed it (I can't wait to get my hands on Bed of Roses, the second book in her bridal quartet). I've also been reading a number of advanced copies of books to see if I'd like to blurb (recommend) them. Okay, your turn!

p.s. Also just saw this! Bwahahahaha!!

Cover goodness & Max's Book

The title of Max's book is...*drum roll please*...BONDS OF JUSTICE! It fits the book beautifully! (The original working title was Lash of Need, and I believe it's listed that way online, but that should be updated soon.) I'll have a full chapter excerpt for you November 5th!

Ria's novella is titled "Whisper of Sin" - and talking of Ria's novella, here's the cover for the anthology!

Also, if you entered the contest yesterday, I've edited the post to add the winner's name :)

Anthologies!

Winner: The random winner of the mass market copy of An Enchanted Season is Rachel (comment stamped at 5.38 am). Rachel, please email me your mailing address (nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com). Congrats!

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The anthology I'm going to be in next year with the fantastic Angela Knight, Virginia Kantra and Meljean Brook, now has a title - Burning Up *sizzle*

My story will feature Ria, Lucas's administrative assistant, and will be set several years in the past, so you'll get to see DarkRiver as it begins to become a power in San Francisco.

And look what just landed!


The mass-market paperback of the An Enchanted Season anthology, which features Nate and Tamsyn's novella (excerpt here), will also release on the same day as Blaze of Memory, so if you haven't already got a copy, here's your chance!

To celebrate the new release, I'm giving away a copy of the anthology today. Just leave a comment by noon tomorrow, NZ time, to go in the draw.

Edited to add: The lovely Gena Showalter is hosting a book tour for me here!

Blaze of Memory

...releases next Tuesday!

KMont of Lurv A La Mode has just put up her view, so swing by and check that out. I'm also giving away a couple of signed copies of Blaze over there :-)

Snapshot Monday: Cruising the Rhine

Edited to Add: I'm also over at The Oddshots today :)


Here are some photos from a trip I took down the Rhine.

First up, a couple of the many castles you can see along the river.


I took most of these photos as it was heading into the late afternoon, so there was this really lovely warm sunlight over everything.


The next shot is of a train passing below the vineyard-covered hills.

I couldn't resist taking a shot of these grape shaped lights at the funky little restaurant we went for dinner.

And one more shot inside the restaurant for fun.

I'm not much of a wine drinker, but the ice-wine I tasted there was divine. It's a very sweet dessert wine made in the region.

Hope you're all enjoying the photos! More next week :-)

Friday Book Club

It's book club time! What're you reading and enjoying this week?

I'm really looking forward to starting Nora Roberts' Black Hills this weekend.

Website

I'm putting together website updates this week, so if you've noticed something on the site that's out of date, please leave a comment and I'll get it fixed up.

So, confess - who's started doing their Xmas shopping already?

Busyness

Winner: The random winner of the copy of Must Love Hellhounds is pattepoilue. An email is on the way to you. Congrats!

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I'm rushing around doing errands today, but it's struck me that it's only about two weeks until the release of BLAZE OF MEMORY! I can't wait to see what you all think of Dev and Katya's story. Some wonderful advance reviews have already come in - including a Top Pick from Romantic Times, and a 5 ribbon review from Romance Junkies!

To celebrate, I have something for you - a copy of Must Love Hellhounds :-)

To go into the draw, just leave a comment about whatever your heart desires by midday tomorrow, NZ time. (Also, please make sure there's some way for me to contact you if you win).

NZ/Aus Authors: Erica Hayes - Shadowfae

We're continuing the series of guest posts by authors from my part of the world today. Please welcome Erica Hayes to the blog everyone!

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Hi everyone, and big thanks to Nalini for inviting me on her blog. I attended Nalini's workshop on paranormal romance at RWNZ this year, asking all the silly questions like, "Is it okay if I kill my characters off after they've had their HEA?"

Wise woman Nalini assured me the answer was "Are you CRAZY? No way. Never. Not in a million years." Good advice, eh?

As a debut urban fantasy/romance author, I'm often asked: which idea came first, the characters or the world? In my case, it was the characters.

The first spark of an idea that eventually became SHADOWFAE came to me one night when I was faffing about on the internet (as you do) hunting for a cool paranormal creature to star in my newest steamy story. I was clicking through Monstropedia (what a fabulous time-waster… umm, I mean research site!) and I came across the entry for succubus: a female demon who seduces men and feeds off their energy when they have sex.

Awesome! I thought. A girl who eats souls. That's my heroine. But what if a succubus climbed in the window at midnight to steal a man's soul—and found him already dead? Who killed him, and why? Why did she want his soul in the first place? What if the killer's still there?

And though the story went through a dozen iterations since then, that's still what happens in the first few pages of SHADOWFAE. Jade, my heroine, is out on yet another sordid soul-drinking mission for her demon lord—gosh, don't get me started about the demon lord—and finds her potential victim already drained of his soul. And the killer is indeed still there: Rajah, a 400-year-old incubus with his own mysterious agenda.

But now I needed a world for Jade and Rajah to play in. Somewhere their nefarious deeds would go not only unpunished, but virtually unnoticed. A place where getting your soul sucked out was an occupational hazard. A city where demons rule, and succubi are paranormal assassins. Warring vampire gangs own the streets. Fairies on the train, trolls in the coffee shop, angels and imps fighting in the gutters.

Add a shimmer of toxic fae glamour, so that we ordinary helpless humans can't see any of it, and the Shadowfae world was born. If you don't watch out, you'll lose your soul.

Which brings me back to my demon lord, Kane. Hello, sultry black-eyed blond :) Kane is my favourite secondary character, and he features in all three Shadowfae books I've written so far. His fight for control of his territory—and the souls that dwell there—has become the background theme of my series. The stories each feature a different hero/heroine, and Kane's the one jumping up and down in the wings, demanding his own book one day. He's a very persuasive man. He is a demon, after all…

So tell me: who's your favourite secondary character from a romance or UF series? Who would you like to get their own book one day? Me, I'm hanging out for a book about Riley Jenson's brother Rhoan and his BF from Keri Arthur's series ;)

Blaze of Memory Spoiler Thread

This is the thread where you can freely discuss BLAZE OF MEMORY and the previous books in the Psy/Changeling series. *SPOILERS* allowed, so if you haven't read Blaze yet, click away! This link will take you back to the main blog.

So, if you're sure this is where you want to be....let the discussion begin!

Also, if you're looking for the Caressed By Ice Spoiler thread, Mine to Possess Spoiler thread, Hostage to Pleasure Spoiler thread, and the Branded By Fire Spoiler thread, follow the links.

For those of you who aren't bloggers, you can still comment - just choose the Anonymous option and sign off the comment with your name if you'd like folks to know who you are.

NB: This thread is for readers, so if you have a question specifically for me, email me at nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com.

Snapshot Monday: Singapore & Germany

Updated to Add: Travel Memories post up at Oddshots as well! Involves nudity. Now you're interested aren't you? ;-)

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Woohoo, Monday - time to share some of my bazillion travel snapshots!

First up, here's a shot of this cool decoration/arrangement that they had at Singapore's Changi Airport. While taking the photo, I had a conversation with several Japanese schoolgirls who were on their way to New Zealand for a school trip - when I was studying Japanese, I never thought I'd be using it around the world!


This next shot is of the castle in Heidelberg, Germany. (Where, funnily enough, I also ended up using my Japanese with this really nice couple.) The castle is in ruins, but parts of it are still very well preserved - if you click on the photo, it'll enlarge it so you can see some of the statues along the wall better.


Looking up from the Heidelberg town, to the castle. (Imagine having a view of a castle from your back window!)


And isn't this chair so amazing? I saw it in Heidelberg Square and had to take a picture.

Hope you all enjoyed the photos! More next Monday :-)

Happy Diwali

Today is Diwali, the Festival of Lights. I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with light and joy! :-)

Friday Book Club

I'm back home via a couple of days in Hong Kong! I have so many pictures and so many cool facts to share that I've decided to inflict a few on you all every Snapshot Monday for a little while.

I did tons of reading while I was gone, including several books I've been saving up to read like Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle, Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs and Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James. All three were fantastic!

Now, your turn - what are your reading recs this week?

p.s. My in-box is overflowing, so apologies in advance for any late replies!

Demon Forged - Meljean Brook

Today, I visited the house that was used to depict Pemberley in the most recent Pride and Prejudice movie. Gorgeous, of course! But it was the grounds that absolutely took my breath away. They went on for miles, with lakes and sculptures and rock gardens...

More to come on that, but in thist post I want to talk about a fantastic book that's just been released!

Demon Forged is amazing. If you haven't read Meljean's Guardians, you're missing out! I think this book can be read as a stand-alone, but you'll enjoy it more if you've read the others in the series.

Lots of info and excerpts, including a primer on the series, on Meljean's site.

Here's the blurb for Demon Forged

Four centuries ago, Irena and Alejandro would have succumbed to the need smoldering between them — if a demon and a monstrous bargain hadn’t shattered the possibility of love. Torn apart by shame, Irena avoided Alejandro for centuries — until a vampire’s call for help throws her into his arms again.

Alejandro can control fire, but he’s never been able to control — or quench — the flames between him and Irena. And he knows Irena, hardened by her hatred for demonkind, will never accept that he now works at a demon’s behest. But even as he fights for a second chance, a shocking betrayal and a deadly prophecy shake the foundations of the Guardian universe, and all Hell threatens to break loose…

You'll love it. Trust me.

Book Tour: Deep Kiss of Winter - Gena Showalter & Kresley Cole

Breaking News: I have been in the U.K. for almost a month, and today was the first day I really encountered rain! Little riddle for you - a few hours ago, I had one foot in the East, one in the West. Where was I?

And, I've got a book tour for you from the fabulously talented Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter. Check out the details below!

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DEEP KISS OF WINTER

Passion begins with a deep kiss…but who knows where it will end?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole delivers the next seductive installment in the Immortals After Dark series: a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time and an ice queen aching to be touched.

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter delights with her newest Alien Huntress tale, a soul-shattering story of an iron-fisted warlord hungry for pleasure, and the one woman who would deny him…

Pick up your copy at Amazon

Or at Barnes and Noble

Or, preorder for a copy signed by both Cole and Showalter

Gena and Kresley have excerpts up on their websites, so follow the links at the top of the post to read.

Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Coffee in London on Sunday

I've had folks RSVP to the informal coffee this Sunday in London, but in case anyone else would like to come, here's the info. I'm happy to sign books, so feel free to bring them along.

Time: 11 a.m. Sunday 4th October
Location: Hammersmith Broadway Starbucks (near McDonalds) - where you catch District & Picadilly lines.

See some of you this Sunday!

Ilona Andrews - On the Edge

A quick detour from the travel updates.

I've read On The Edge and it's fantastic. It's out now, so check it out!