PEARL Extravaganza

Winners: Thank you for all the lovely messages of congratulations everyone! I've run the random numbers and the winners are as follows:

ORANNIA
ROBIN K
SHANNON
J

Congratulations!! If you left a contact email, I'll be dropping you a note. Otherwise, email me your mailing address: nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com.

______________

As some of you may have heard, several of my books won PEARL Awards recently. Woohoo!! I've been waiting for the right moment to make the announcements, and today is it!!

Blaze of Memory won Best Futuristic Romance and received an Honorable Mention in the Favorite Overall Romance category

Must Love Hellhounds won Best Anthology (award shared with the awesome Charlaine Harris, Ilona Andrews & Meljean Brook)

Angels' Blood won Best Fantasy/Magical Romance

Branded By Fire won Best Shapeshifter Romance

To celebrate, I'm going to give away a copy of each of these books.

To enter the draw, leave a comment with your answer to the question at the end of this post by Sunday 4th April 2010, 4pm New Zealand time.

I'll pick four random winners. To make it easier on me to allocate the books, when you answer the question, leave a note if you'd like any one particular book. (Also, please either leave some way for me to contact you if you win, or check back on Monday to see if you're a winner.)

Question: If you could take one fictional character home (for tea, for drinks, for wild and crazy hijinks...whatever you desire! *grin*), who would you choose?

Fantasy Libraries

Want to see the world's smallest library? Check out my Oddshots post today :-)

Manic Monday

A quick heads-up - I'm on deadline with copy edits and galleys this week, so posts might be a bit scattered.

What did you all get up to in the weekend?

DABWAHA

The second round of DABWAHA voting is open - and a certain book may be up *coughAngels'Bloodcough*

Friday Book Club

What's everyone reading and loving this week?

Bonds of Justice & Guild Hunter #3

I'm going over the galleys (final time I see the manuscript) of Bonds of Justice in the mornings at the moment, and working on the third Guild Hunter book in the afternoons.

Loving reading through Bonds again - can't wait until it's released!

Here's a random line from GH #3: "...a hint of dark, dark chocolate twined with rich, golden champagne."

Hmm, who could I be talking about? *ponders*

Guest Author: Julie James - Something About You

Winner: Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments, and thanks Julie for the great post. I've run the random numbers and the winner of Julie's giveaway is:

Mujerluminosa

Congratulations! Please email your mailing address to nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com so I can pass it on to Julie.

I'm delighted to have Julie James on the blog today! You all know how much I love her work - fun, sexy and smart, and with fantastic characters, they're wonderful reads.

Julie's not only talking about the inspiration behind her latest release, Something About You today, she's giving away a copy of the book, so don't forget to enter.

Please welcome Julie to the blog everyone!

Julie James
on
Something About You

First, I wanted to say thanks to Nalini for inviting me to guest blog! Nalini, you know I’m a big fan of your books, so I’m delighted to be here.

As both an author and a reader, I’m always fascinated by the things that inspire an author to write a particular book, those behind-the-scenes elements that fuel the original story idea. So I thought I’d share a few of the things that helped bring my recently-released book, Something About You, to life.

Noisy hotel neighbors. Alfred Hitchcock. Jason Bourne.

Quite an eclectic mix, I know. I’ll explain.

First, the noisy hotel neighbors. The idea for Something About You came to me in the middle of the night during the RWA San Francisco conference. Around 1am, the people in the hotel room next to me decided to have a party. (Not so much fun for me.) As I lay in bed, cursing the Fates (and my neighbors), an idea for a book struck me: a woman, by herself in a hotel, who is woken up in the middle of the night by strange noises coming from the room next door. Only in the book, instead of a party, those noises turn out to be the sounds of a murder.

This is where the Alfred Hitchcock influence comes in. One of my favorite Hitchcock themes is that of an innocent man in the wrong place at the wrong time who becomes swept up in some kind of murder/suspense intrigue. It’s a theme that works well because everyone can identify with it. We watch the movie thinking, “Hey—that could be me. What if I walked into that bar at just the wrong moment and accidentally saw X that got me in a whole load of trouble?”

Instead of a bar, in Something About You I used the aforementioned hotel room. And instead of an innocent man in the wrong place at the wrong time, it’s a woman. My heroine, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde, is treating herself to some much-needed pampering at the luxurious Peninsula hotel when she’s awoken by noises from the room next to hers. At first the noises sound like some kind of crazy sex marathon, but then things change. . . and what Cameron ends up overhearing is a murder that involves a U.S. Senator and a call girl. Watching through her peephole, she sees a man leave the hotel room next to hers and thus becomes the sole witness to the high-profile crime. And just like in Hitchcock’s films, that’s where the trouble begins. Trouble, that is, in the form of FBI Special Agent Jack Pallas.

Okay, so this the Jason Bourne part. See, Jack, the hero of the book, is this tall, dark, and smoldering tough-guy FBI agent who can pretty much kill people with his thumb—normally the type of hero you would find in an action film or dark, edgy romantic suspense or thriller.

But not this time.

Jack is in charge of investigating the murder that Cameron overheard and—wouldn’t you know it—the two of them don’t get along. They worked together three years earlier on a case that ended badly with Jack mouthing off to the press about Cameron and consequently getting transferred to Nebraska. And if it’s not bad enough that the two of them have to work together as Jack tries to solve the crime, things get even worse when it turns out that the murderer may be after Cameron next. . .

When writing Something About You, I wanted it to be a lighter, funnier contemporary romance, like my first two novels. Sure, there’s a suspense element, but that’s just a subplot—a device that brings these two strong-willed characters who allegedly can’t stand each other together. At first I thought to myself, “You can’t put an edgy, action-hero in a light-hearted story!” But then I wondered, hmm... or can you? I realized there’s a lot of potential for humor in that scenario.

I like to think of Something About You as my “What if somebody dropped Jason Bourne into a romantic comedy?” book. Which means that my hero, FBI Special Agent Jack Pallas, is running around all dark and scowling and trying to save the day, while everyone else is cracking jokes. What’s fun about Jack is that we get to see him slowly warm up throughout the course of the book as he begins to fall for and trust the heroine.

With that, I think I’ll turn it over to you guys, and to the giveaway. Maybe you have suggestions of other books or movies that balance suspense and humor. Or you could talk about your favorite tough-guy hero. Or maybe you have a question about me or my books. One person who leaves a comment below by 8 a.m. Friday 26th March 2010 (New Zealand time) will win a copy of Something About You.

Happy reading everyone!

Link to Julie's Website

Follow me...

...over to Oddshots today :-)

Emails

I'm a little behind in the emails, but I'm hoping to fix that today. So if you've emailed me, you should have a response by the end of my day! :-)

Good News & Friday Book Club

First, some awesome news - the German translation of Hostage to Pleasure has hit the bestseller lists!! Thank you to all my German readers :-)

Now, the bookclub. To start with, I must rave about Meljean Brook's steampunk novella in the upcoming Burning Up anthology (out in August). It's all kinds of awesome and then some. I now plan to stalk her until she gives up the full length steampunk novel (The Iron Duke) that she has releasing in October. *rubs hands*

I also read John Wyndham's classic Day of the Triffids this past week. I couldn't believe I'd never read it before. If you like science fiction, this one is a must.

Okay, your turn! What've you been reading and loving this week?

DABWAHA Voting

DABWAHA voting is now open, so go forth and vote!

Berkley/Jove Spring Preview & Giveaway

Over at Dear Author.

International Covers: Craving Beauty - German

One of the my Silhouette Desire books, Craving Beauty, was released in German a few months back - check out the gorgeous cover!

Guest Author: Chris Marie Green - Vampire Babylon

Winner: Thanks for the great comments everyone, and thank you to Chris for visiting. I've run the random number generator and the winner of the giveaway is: Kylie! Congratulations. Please email me your mailing address at nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com.

I'm delighted to welcome the gorgeous and talented Chris Marie Green to the blog! Chris is talking vampires and pop culture, and she's giving away a couple of copies of her books.

Please welcome Chris to the blog everyone!

_____________

Thanks so much for letting me visit, Nalini!

Point of fact: I am a pop culture junkie—a pretty huge geek. You can tell by reading my books, my blog, or even chatting with me for about five seconds. And a lot of other romance/urban fantasy writers are like me. (Have you ever gone to an RWA National conference and had an hours-long conversation in a bar about BATTLESTAR GALACTICA with total strangers? Sign of a junkie geek!). Heck, we live in a world that’s saturated by TV, movies, songs, and fifteen-minute celebrities, so it’s hard not to be drawn into the entire black hole of media.

Naturally, my geekiness has opened me to the influence of other works—especially when it comes to my Vampire Babylon books. So I decided that right here, right now, I’d throw some of my biggest influences out there. I’d love to hear from you guys about your greatest pop influences, as well—and how you think certain TV shows, books, and movies have affected your favorite authors.

And here we go, in no certain order….

Influence #1

STAR WARS

Let me just say that all my friends know that there will be a STAR WARS reference somewhere in my books, whether it’s a character name or a quip about a lightsaber. More importantly, the original trilogy in particular inspires me in how I structure my stories. I based the trilogy structure of Vampire Babylon on STAR WARS (both the Hollywood trilogy and the London trilogy): there are overriding mythology, character, and mystery arcs that span three books while each novel focuses on a central mystery or problem. And I think you can tell that book 2 (MIDNIGHT REIGN) and book 5 (THE PATH OF RAZORS) are totally THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK of the trilogies. : )

Influence #2

Janet Evanovich and Larry McMurtry

What?

Very strange combination, but I’m a big fan of both authors’ voices because they’re so strong and lively. Evanovich brings the humor, and I guess you could even say that one of my characters, Kiko, would be perfectly at home if he wandered into a Stephanie Plum novel. McMurtry is a master at using sparse dialogue to say quite a bit about his characters, and he can really turn a phrase. I look to him for inspiration in letting dialogue flow and define.

Influence #3

LOST

When this TV gem first aired, I was just getting started with Vampire Babylon, and I loved the “bread crumb” method of storytelling that the writers were using. Yes, it’s maddening to some fans, but the story puzzles (and eventual answers) excited me. LOST showed me that there is an audience out there for the “bread crumb” method, and it showed me that even a “gimmicky” show can hold a lot of power in its characters. LOST has provided some of the most emotional moments on TV for me, and I aspire to reach those heights in storytelling.

Influence #4

80s Slasher Movies

Yup. I’m one of those people who love a good, safe adrenaline rush that a slasher movie provides, and I think we will never again have a fabulous run of the sub-genre like we did in the 80s. FRIDAY THE 13th (Parts I and II), HALLOWEEN, the first NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, TERROR TRAIN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, PROM NIGHT…hey, I’m even going to include a 70s forerunner, BLACK CHRISTMAS, since that influenced everything that came afterward… All these films gave me nightmares to some degree, and they knew how to wield the suspense. Sure, there’s blood and gore, but that’s not the main reason I watch these. They were expert at keeping the Boogie Man in the shadows and making the audience fear opening the closet door. I try to keep this in mind during action scenes, because what works for a Boogie Man can also work for a vampire….

I’ll be giving away signed copies of A DROP OF RED, Vampire Babylon, Book Four, and THE PATH OF RAZORS, Vampire Babylon, Book Five, to someone who comments on this blog by 6pm Wednesday 17th March 2010, New Zealand time. Check back tomorrow night for the winner! Also, you can find me on the Net in several places: www.vampirebabylon.com, my blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Thanks for being here, and Happy Hunting!

Chris Marie Green
DEEP IN THE WOODS, Vampire Babylon, Book Six

Books, books, books!!

You want to go over to Oddshots. Trust me :-)

Snapshot Monday: Stonehenge & Cambridge

A quick announcement before the photos - the annual DABWAHA tournament is now up and running, so go forth and enter your brackets! The aim is to vote for which book you think will win - some very tough choices!

Onto the photos.

This first shot is of Stonehenge. Amazing, amazing place.


Next up are some photos from Cambridge, near the University area.


The shot above is one of my favorites. Everything just looks so tranquil.

Below are a couple of photos of the canals.

I really liked Cambridge - it's a beautiful city. However, the best part was being able to meet Ana from The Book Smugglers in person (and talk books!).

Hope you all enjoyed the photos!

Friday Book Club

I read India Grey's Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure this week and adored it.

This is a hauntingly romantic book about a concert pianist and a RAF fighter pilot who has to give up everything that defines him when he's told he's losing his sight. Definitely a keeper. For more background on the story, and an excerpt, check out this page on India's website.

What've you been reading and loving this week?

Writing: Guild Hunter #3

Writing away.

And oh look, what's this? A little sneak peak to make you all crazy. *g* Remember, this is from a work literally in progress, so totally not final.

________

She followed Raphael down as he landed in the yard, the light from the stained glass turning his wings into a kaleidoscope of wild blue, crystalline green and ruby red. You could’ve landed on one of the balconies, she said, too focused on ensuring a good landing to speak the words aloud.

Raphael didn’t disagree, waiting until she was on the ground beside him to say, “I could have.” Reaching out as she folded away her wings, he gripped her gently at the curve where her neck flowed into her shoulder, his fingers pressing into the sensitive inner seam of her right wing. “But then your lips would not have been so very close to mine.”

Her toes curled as he tugged her forward, pleasure blooming in her stomach. “Not here,” she murmured, voice husky. “I don’t want to shock Jeeves.”

Copyright (c) 2010 by Nalini Singh

Backcover blurb: Bonds of Justice

Here's the blurb for Bonds of Justice!

Return to the powerful, turbulent Psy/Changeling world created by the “amazingly talented”* Nalini Singh, as a human detective finds himself working the most unlikely of cases—in the dark heart of a Councilor’s domain…

Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…

Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hands, to become judge, jury…and executioner…

Link to Excerpt

p.s. The website has been updated and I've "hidden" something on there so have a look-see ;-)

Guest Author Jaci Burton on Cowboys and Chaps

Winner: Thanks for all the great comments everyone. I've run the random number generator and the winner of the book is: Spav! Congratulations!

I'm delighted to have Jaci guesting on the blog today. I had a chance to read Bound, Branded & Brazen early and it was oh-so-good! Sexy and wicked and hot, Jaci knows how to write cowboys!

Jaci's also giving away a copy of the book, so leave a comment by 6pm March 10th, 2010 (New Zealand time) to enter.

Please welcome Jaci to the blog everyone!!

It’s Not The Chaps That Make A Cowboy Sexy
Jaci Burton

I’ve always wanted to write a ranch story. But I’m definitely not a historical romance writer. I bow down to those authors who can write authentic western historical romance. Elizabeth Lowell wrote the best western historical romance series ever. Read the “Only” series if you haven’t yet. Yummmm. Me, I’m stuck firmly in contemporary land. But those sexy cowboys with wrangler jeans and chaps and boots and Stetson hats? Rowrrr. No reason to go back in time to grab one of those. Have you seen the rodeo lately?

My story, Bound, Branded & Brazen, doesn’t take place at the rodeo, but my cowboys, Mason, Gage and Walker are just as sexy. And okay, it might be the way they seat a horse, or that scruff of a beard across their jaw, or the way the cowboy hat tilts low across their forehead shadowing their eyes that makes you want to swoon just a little. And it could be the way their Wranglers fit their oh so perfectly work honed bodies that make your mouth go dry.

But it’s more than looks that make cowboys sexy, at least my cowboys. It’s their honor, their integrity, the way they seem to know exactly what their woman needs—even if sometimes she doesn’t know it herself. It’s their touch, their kiss, the warmth of their bodies, the way their man looks at them in a way no man ever has before. It’s the protectiveness he shows his woman so she knows he won’t let anything bad happen to her. It’s knowing that no matter what happens their man will stand by them that give our ranch women the strength they need to handle anything that comes their way. It’s knowing he can stand strong in a whipping storm or a raging prairie fire, handle frightened horses and stampeding cattle without flinching, it’s that death defiance of the elements that makes our hearts beat a little faster because our cowboys have what it takes to get the job done. And at the end of a grueling day he’ll climb into bed with the heroine and still have the stamina to get the other job done—romancing his woman until her toes curl.

I hope you enjoy Bound Branded & Brazen. I’m offering up a copy to one commenter here. Huge thanks to Nalini, who’s all kinds of awesome, for letting me drop in today!

Thanks for guesting with us today, Jaci!

Japanese Covers

Sharing my beautiful new Japanese covers!

Angels' Blood

Visions of Heat

Friday Book Club

I read Julie James' Something About You this week and loved it! It's smart and sexy, and with an awesome cast of characters. Julie James is rapidly becoming one of my go-to authors for fabulous contemporary romance.

Right now, I'm reading JD Robb's Fantasy In Death and trying to figure out the howdunnit!

Okay, your turn. What're you reading and loving this week?

Shalador's Lady

You all know how much I love Anne Bishop's Black Jewels world. Shalador's Lady was no exception. I had the chance to read it early and pretty much inhaled it. It's now out, so go forth and check out the yummy book goodness.

(If you haven't read the series previously, I would strongly suggest beginning with the very first book, Daughter of the Blood. Trust me, you'll enjoy the world so much more.)

Also, Dear Author is currently running an Ace/Roc Giveaway, which includes copies of Shalador's Lady as well as books by several other awesome authors, so don't forget to enter!

Writing

Copy edits on "Bonds of Justice" are done, so I'm back at work on the third Guild Hunter book. Those of you who missed Ellie's hunter friends will be happy to know we're back in NY with this book :)

Interview: Lori Foster

I'm so delighted to feature an interview with the lovely Lori Foster today! You all know how much I loved Back in Black - I couldn't wait to ask Lori all sorts of questions about her research for the series.

Please welcome Lori to the blog everyone! She'll be dropping by to answer any further questions, so comment away!

1. Who is Lori Foster? Tell us all your deep, dark secrets. (We won't tell anyone...)

I’m a country girl who likes one-pot meals like green beans and ham, sauerkraut and ribs, beef stew, etc.. I have three wonderful sons and an adorable grandson and a 30+ year marriage with a terrific hubby. I love animals, children, and the outdoors. I despise abuse and bullies of any kind. I love to draw and paint, just not as much as I love writing. :-) The best travel is in the RV with my pets along. Take me anywhere near water and I’m happy!

2. I just read "Back in Black" and loved it! How did you come up with the idea of the SBC Fighters series?

My family and I are HUGE fans of the UFC. We’ve been watching since the beginning of the sport, back when it was no-holds barred, no weight classes, and very few rules. I like it better now that it’s been regulated and I think it provides for a higher level competitor. Anyway... loving MMA as I do, I have my favorite fighters. I’d see them in interviews and love how they talked of their wives, their children, their parents or pets... They’ve very real, hard working, dedicated and intelligent guys.

Perfect hero material!

3. Can you share some of the research you did into the world of mixed martial arts?

I attend a lot of live fights... no wait, I did that before I decided to write them into books.

For fights I can’t attend, I watch on PPV – but I did that before writing about them too. LOL

I did get to do some really great interviews with fighters, and the one-on-one feedback was amazing. I think I already had a pretty good grasp of how it all works, but getting to hear it first hand, and learning of individual routines, really helped me to round out some of my stories.

4. Drew Black...what can I say...he's definitely a manly man of a hero. Rough, tough and absolutely delicious. Where did you get your inspiration for his character? And did he behave when you put him on the page?

Weeeeellll... anyone who watches MMA knows the very outspoken, foul-mouthed prez of the UFC, Dana White. See the fun? I just made him single and named him Drew Black. LOL. Honestly, I know NOTHING of Dana White beyond his public persona. But it doesn’t take a genius to see that he IS a genius, at least where business is concerned. He took a faltering business ready to collapse and has turned it into a sport fast-growing in popularity. He does like the “F” word a bit too much and seems to think it is a “catch-all” adjective and adverb in every sentence. LOL. But he also amused me.

So I wrote him in. ;-)

5. Is "Back in Black" the final installment of this series?

I never say never, but for now, yes, it’s the last. Five books is a long series for me. I bore easily and my mind is always jumping ahead to other things, other scenarios and characters and conflicts.

6. What are you working on now?

I recently made a move from Berkley to HQN. In 2011, I’ll have a spring novella, and then 3 back-to-back single titles romances with the. The new series is about Uber-Alpha guys. The first one, “If You Dare,” features a mercenary type hero who goes into Tijuana to rescue his friend’s sister who was taken there to be sold. He gets the sister – plus one. The other lady he rescues has a unique set of circumstances, and now that he’s gotten her safe, he doesn’t quite know what to do with her.

I had a ton of fun writing that book, so I hope readers will enjoy it!

7. Anything else you'd like to share?

Dianne Castell and I do a yearly event that brings together readers and writers, with some editors and agents thrown in. It’s called “The Reader and Author Get Together,” and this will be our 6th event. Information is on my website at: http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php

Everyone is welcome! For only $50 (the cost of the meals provided) you get an entire weekend of fun. I hope everyone will check it out.

And Nalini, we need to get you there one these years! :-)

N: One of these years!! Thanks so much for the interview, Lori.

Snapshot Monday: Chinese Lantern Festival

More pretty, pretty photos over at The Oddshots!

Music Video

One of my Facebook friends shared this music video with me, and I thought it was completely awesome. Even if you don't understand the language, watch for the visuals!