Cover Love: Archangel's Storm!!

What an awesome day it is today - Angels' Flight is now out (woohoo!) and I can share the amazing cover for Archangel's Storm (out September).

My heart stopped when I saw this cover, it's so beautiful. I love it to pieces!!!! The hair, the wings, the background, the sword, it has everything I wanted! I'm not sure if you can see the facial tattoo on this size image (click the cover for a larger image), but trust me, it's there! 

Huge thanks to artist Tony Mauro and the Berkley Art Department!

Interview, Hawke's Bay, & Tangle of Need

Hey everyone! Hope you had a great weekend and the week's getting off to a good start.

First up, I have an interview up at the Book Pushers today, talking about the Guild Hunter series.

Also, a reminder about my appearance March 1st at the Flaxmere Library for those of you in the lower North Island.

I'm shifting focus from Archangel's Storm to Tangle of Need today as the typeset pages have just landed. This is the final time an author sees the book before publication - time to catch any sneaky typos or other errors that might have slipped in. Plus, it's a chance to read the book again!

And last but definitely not least, only one more day to go until Angels' Flight hits the stores!

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books!  What are you reading and loving at the moment? I recently reread Jayne Ann Krentz's Sweet Fortune - got to love Hatch!

And here are couple of quotes to take you into the weekend (5 days to go till the release date!)

"You pinned his wings to a wall with seven crossbow bolts."

 ~ from "Angels' Pawn" part of the ANGELS' FLIGHT Anthology

He said, "It's more comfortable here," in a low purr of a tone.

It was a dare, no doubt about it.

~ from "Angels' Dance" part of the ANGELS' FLIGHT Anthology

JD Robb Giveaway Winners

The random numbers have been run and these are the winners of the copies of JD Robb's Celebrity In Death. 

1. Liz. C
2. Sarah
3. Maris
4. Anneela
5. Occam's Firefly

Congratulations! Please email your mailing address to naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom within the next 72 hours to claim your book. :-)

 

Writing

Had a wonderful insight into one of the characters in ARCHANGEL'S STORM earlier tonight - it colors everything in the book to date, so I'll need to do another run through the draft, but it's totally worth it!

Here's today's countdown quote:

He didn't budge.
"Release me."
"It's an insult you've given me, Jessamy." 

~ Galen and Jessamy in "Angels' Dance" part of the ANGELS' FLIGHT Anthology (8 days to go!)

Angels' Flight - 9 Days to Go!

Pushing off the door, she walked very quietly to the bed and sat down on the edge. "I thought they made you up. Like the bogeyman."

"The Guild recruits and trains some of the deadliest men and women in the world. We need a bogeyman."

~ Sara and Deacon in "Angels' Judgment" part of the ANGELS' FLIGHT Anthology

p.s. The JD Robb giveaway closes tomorrow, so don't forget to enter if you haven't already.

Angels' Flight Countdown

ANGELS' FLIGHT releases Feb 28th! Woohoo! I thought I'd do a countdown to the release date by sharing short pieces from the novellas. Here's the first one!

She stepped out of reach. "Go put on a shirt and get your mind out of bed."
"Impossible with you around."
"Pretend I'm holding a rifle. In fact, pretend I have you in the crosshairs."
Janvier sighed, rubbing at a jaw shadowed by morning stubble. "I love it when you talk dirty."

~ Ashwini and Janvier in "Angels' Pawn", part of the ANGELS' FLIGHT Anthology
 (An "Angels' Pawn" excerpt is also available on the website).

Friday Book Club

The book club is now open! What have you been reading and enjoying this week?

 

JD Robb - Celebrity In Death

It's no secret that I'm a huge, huge fan of JD Robb, so when my New Zealand publisher, Hachette, which publishes the In Death series here under its Piatkus imprint, asked me if I'd like some extra copies to give away as part of their release week celebrations, I jumped at the chance to share my JD Robb love with you all. 

I cannot wait to read this myself, but I promise I won't steal one of these five giveaway copies! ;-)

Here's the blurb:

The latest novel in J.D Robb's addictive 'In Death' series, where Eve Dallas specialises in tracking down those who break the law – including the ones sworn to uphold it.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she's managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity‐packed bash celebrating The Icove Agenda, a film based on one of her famous cases. It's a little spooky seeing the actress playing her, who looks almost like her long‐lost twin. Not as unsettling, though, as seeing the actress who plays Peabody drowned in the lap pool on the roof of the director's luxury building.

Talented but rude and widely disliked, K.T. Harris had made an embarrassing scene during dinner. Now she's at the centre of a crime scene and Eve is more than ready to get out of her high heels and strap on her holster, to step into the role she was born to play: cop.

To enter the random draw, leave a comment on this post on the main blog (rather than the Goodreads feed), with your answer to one of these questions, by 5pm Tuesday Feb 21st 2012, New Zealand time.

If you're a JD Robb fan, what do you love about these books?

If you're new to the In Death books, are you tempted to give them a go?

The fine print: Contest is open internationally. One entry per household. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner(s) will be chosen randomly using random.org and his or her name(s) posted on this blog on Wednesday Feb 22nd, 2012. Winner(s) will have 72 hours to contact us at the email given in the announcement in order to claim their book. Void where prohibited.

(p.s. The author of this post didn't receive any compensation for raving about the series - she's a crazy, mad fan happy to talk about these books to anyone who'll listen!

p.p.s. Roarke is mine.)

Happy Valentine's Day

It's Feb 14th in NZ so Happy Valentine's Day from me to you! Whether you're head over heels for someone or fabulously single, whether you love the day or not so much, I hope you have a wonderful one. :-)

If you like these chibi, you can check out more on the Fan page of the website, under the Fan Art section: http://nalinisingh.com/fan.php

Friday Book Club

It's time to talk books! What're you reading and loving at the moment?
 

A Bit of Bollywood

There was a comment on one of the earlier posts requesting more Bollywood, so here you go! I haven't actually seen the movie this is from, but the song is very romantic. Enjoy! 

(Actors are John Abraham & Genelia D'Souza).

Hawke's Bay, New Zealand Event

When: March 1st 2012, 5.30pm - doors open 5.20pm 

Where: Flaxmere Library, Swansea Road, Flaxmere (behind Waterworld) 

Tickets: Entry is free but this is a ticketed event. Limited seats. Tickets available from the Flaxmere, Hastings or Havelock North Libraries. Book sales will be available.

Hope to see some of you there! It'll be a relaxed evening and I'll be taking questions from the audience, as well as chatting about books, works in progress and more.

Italian Cover: Archangel's Kiss

Isn't this gorgeous?! Released Feb 2nd, publisher Nord. :-)

Friday Book Club

Wow, it's Friday already! What have you been reading this week? 

I recently read The Bro Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, after seeing this review on Dear Author (complete with a few snippets from the book), and I'm so glad I did. I absolutely loved it! I was reading it on the treadmill and laughed so hard at one stage, I almost fell off. 

The story is about Johnny Smith - he's the kind of guy other guys love. He's been best man eight times and random strangers love his speeches so much, they ask him to be best man for them, too.

But women? They don't love Johnny so much, and all Johnny really wants is to find a woman who doesn't hate him, fall in love, and get married. So he decides to become a "better" version of himself, complete with throw pillows and a love of opera.

This book left me with such a good feeling at the end. I thought Johnny was a wonderful hero, and the story is as sweet as it is funny. Totally recommended.

Your turn! 

Guest Author: Kristen Callihan

WINNER: Thanks for all the comments everyone! The random winner of the copy of Firelight is Stephanie Samphire. Congratulations! Please send your mailing address to: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom and we'll pass it on to Kristen.

_______________________

I'm delighted to have Kristen Callihan on the blog today. I had a chance to have an early read of her darkly romantic and atmospheric debut, Firelight, and utterly enjoyed it. You can check out an excerpt of the book here. Please welcome Kristen to the blog everyone!

Kristen Callihan on Firelight

Thank you, Nalini for having me here! I’m a huge fangirl, which goes without saying, but even more so, I admire your generosity and kindness to both readers and fellow authors. And, really, how cool is it that I get to hang out with you and your readers?  (pssstt, hey readers, I don’t want anyone to get too excited but, on my way in, I happened to find this lovely feather, brilliant blue and silver tipped. I’m just saying… Nalini might not have *made up* her angels… But you didn’t hear that from me.)

Ahem…

Lately, I’ve been asked why did I decide to mix historical romance with paranormal. It seems that the two don’t often mix, much like second cousins meeting up once a year for the holidays.

This notion hadn’t occurred to me. I’d been spoon-fed on paranormal through such writers as Anne Rice, Stoker, and Shelley. Stories such as Dracula, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray fired my young imagination and started a life-long love affair with the paranormal.

But why Victorian London? For me, Victorian London is as much a character as my hero and heroine. This is a place of narrow, dank alleyways, shrouded in fog. It’s the shrill cry of the constable’s whistle when murder is afoot. Footsteps scuffing over the cobbles in the dark of night. It is also the seductive clasp of a lady’s corset, her bustled skirts swaying in enticingly, all but begging for a man to discover what lies beneath.

And it is a place in which my hero, Lord Benjamin Archer, becomes a mystery unto himself. In the modern age, a fellow with something to hide about his appearance might easily turn to cosmetics, hell, with the internet and good take-out, he might never need leave his house. In our world, a masked man might be looked upon as strange, but we’d chalk it up to yet another bit of weirdness and go on our way.  In Victorian London, however, there would be talk. What does he hide? Rumors and speculation will grow. Especially when lofty peers of the realm begin to be murdered, and witness point to one suspect, a masked man.

Sex, murder, mystery and magic, they all fit quite well within Victorian London. How then could I resist?

In Firelight, my heroine, Miranda must navigate the twisting avenues of speculation and fear, and learn to trust her heart. The payoff just might be wining the love of a lifetime.

So how about the rest of you? Is there an era or place that sets your imagination on fire? Had you the ability to go back in time, where would you go? What would you do?

Giveaway: Kristen is giving away a copy of Firelight  - to enter the draw, just leave a comment on this post (on the main blog rather than the Goodreads feed) with your answer to one of her questions above, before 5pm Thursday 2nd Februrary 2012, New Zealand time.

The fine print: Contest is open internationally. One entry per household. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org and his or her name posted on this blog on Friday February 3rd, 2012. Void where prohibited.