ARC Winner #4

To be totally fair, I picked this winner as randomly as I could - I assigned all the entrants a number, then ran a random number generator. The person whose number came up was:

Robin Snodgrass

Robin, please email me at nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com.

Everyone else - several more weeks of winning to go!! :)

Favorite Love Songs

First up, a public service announcement: Tomorrow's post with the winner of the ARC contest will probably be up late but it will appear, so keep an eye out. Secondly, if you won an ARC last time, it's in the mail, baby.

Onto today's post: Sara tagged me to do my five favorite Christmas songs, but I missed the tag in the madness before Christmas, so I'm going to do it now. But since Christmas is over, I'm going to change the tag to five favorite love songs.

Here goes:

1. The Rose - Bette Middler
2. Last Kiss - Pearl Jam (If you haven't heard this, it is the most amazing love song but fair warning, it will probably make you cry).
3. Slow Hand - Pointer Sisters
4. Ordinary People - Clay Walker
5. Friends and Lovers - I don't actually know who sings this!

Tag, you're it. What are your favorites? Spread the love (on your blog or in the comments - take your pick)!

Random Picture Day: Xian

This is a close-up picture of the terracotta soldiers and their horses in Xian, China. The pits where they were discovered are just huge - they were buried with an emperor, to help him in the afterlife.

Age has turned them all brown, but when made, they were beautifully colored. Apparently, the archaeologists may have found some that are sealed in a chamber and remain colored - but they can't open the chamber because as soon as they do, the color will dissipate.

Here's another shot that shows the size of these pits and the enclosure built to protect them. It's a truly awesome sight. The sense of age in the place is amazing.

Lora Leigh's Breeds

If you've been reading this blog over the past month, you'll have realized I've gone crazy over reading lately. One of my 'discoveries' just before Christmas, was Lora Leigh's Breeds series. I raced through Megan's Mark, then began Harmony's Way.

If you haven't read these books, Lora Leigh's world is a place where the Genetics Council has engineered human and animal DNA together to create Breeds. These Breeds were meant to be soldiers and assassins and were kept locked up in labs, but have now found freedom and the world has to deal with them.

Here's the blurb for Megan's Mark (from LL's site):

Cursed with the extraordinary power to feel other peoples' emotions, Megan Fields has tucked herself away in a remote corner of New Mexico, working as a small-town sheriff's deputy. She finds solace in the silence and heat of the desert. But when Breeds begin dying on her watch, Megan realizes that the secrets from her past can't stay buried forever. Someone is out for blood - her blood.

An arrogant Feline Breed, Braden Arness broods with feral intensity. His mission to solve the mysterious murders brings him to Megan, a woman who accosts his senses like no other. Only with him can she let down her guard - and surrender to the insatiable hunger that wracks her body. But as they team up to hunt the elusive killers, Braden and Megan find themselves becoming the prey...

These books are hot enough to singe (talk about sizzling chemistry!) but what really did it for me was that I fell in love with the characters and more importantly, I could imagine them falling in love with each other. Megan and Braden just 'fit'.

I had the same reaction to Lance and Harmony in Harmony's Way. These couples might be driven together by the mating heat, but what keeps them together is how right they are for each other.

It's sexy, it's original and it has great characters - I totally recommend this series. (FYI: Megan's Mark isn't actually the first book - several of the series came out in e-format, but I had no trouble picking up the threads of the world so go forth and read!)

The next book is Tanner's Scheme (Aug 07), which I have managed to get my paws on in advance through various nefarious methods! I'll post on that closer to the release date since it would be just mean to tease you all so far in advance! *g*

Visions of Heat ARC: Week 2

I'm opening up new entries for the Visions of Heat ARC contest. If you want the full details, here's the link to the original post. But basically, if you win an ARC, I'm asking you to please do a review in the last week of Feb 26-Mar 3, just before the book releases.

Everyone who entered originally and didn't win is still entered. If you didn't enter last week, leave a comment on this post and you're in. I'll pick a random winner Sunday morning my time so you can comment anytime before then. Good luck!

Pressies

I've just realized that this is the first year I've blogged through Christmas. It's kind of fun - since the blogsphere is so quiet, you'll all just have to read my blog *grin*

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Want to share any good presents you got? I'm currently listening to one of mine - Westlife's "Love" album. According to my 'cool' friends, I shouldn't admit to liking Westlife in public but I'm at peace with my taste in music.

Ok, your turn!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from New Zealand!!

I hope you all have a fabulous day!

Hugs,
Nalini

ARC Winners: #1, #2 and #3

Yes, you read that right. I've decided to give away three ARCs simply because of the amount of interest. Thank you to everyone who spread the word that this is happening. See, good deeds do get rewarded! Special thank you to Jane at Dear Author who is a goddess for, as one poster put it, "pointing a giant arrow" in this direction. :) And feel free to keep spreading the word (who knows to what heights of generosity I might be driven).

Yeah, I know, you don't care. You just want the names of the winners. Here they are (picked by a combination of me closing my eyes and pointing, a random number generator and the fact that I think any woman with Kat's news deserves an ARC while she's still got free time to read one!):

1.Angela/SciFiChick
2.Liz
3.Kat O+

Email me your addresses at nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com and we'll get the ARCs in the mail to you.

As you know, I'm giving away at least one ARC for the next five weeks. Because I think you all are awesome people, I'm not going to make you return each week to re-enter. If you've thrown your name in the hat once, consider it entered for the entire duration. (I'll put up a reminder every week for new entries).

However, as I said, I don't have everyone's emails and some of your profile links aren't working so make sure to drop by on Sundays to check if you've won. If an ARC stays unclaimed for longer than a week, I'll redraw - I figure that's fair.

One sleep to go till Christmas!

Work Post

I know I owe some people replies to emails - hopefully I'll get through them all this weekend so bear with me folks. And if you don't get a reply by end of next week or so, assume it's bounced and send it to my gmail (nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com), as the bounce gremlins have been working overtime this week.

Don't forget - the ARC winner will be up tomorrow so swing by then as I don't have everyone's emails.

And have a fabulous weekend!

You!

I admit I have no idea how I'm going to pick the first winner of the ARC draw but we shall leave that decision till I actually have to do it. Until then, have you guys seen the Time magazine person of the year? It's YOU! It's all about how the people have driven the news this year - bloggers, YouTubers etc. It's interesting stuff.

Do you think the revolution will last? Everyone's blogging now but five years down the track? Any predictions?

p.s. I meant to add this in the ARC post. If you actually review for a review site, then email me so I can make sure the site gets put on my list of places to send to.

Visions of Heat - ARC

Okay, first, I'm giving away an ARC (Advanced Review Copy) of Visions of Heat (Out March 2007). To be in to win, leave a comment on this post. You can even just say "I want!" *grin*

But wait, there's more - I'll be giving away at least one ARC per week through to the end of January, so even if you don't win this week, there's always next. I've had these ARCs made for this giveaway, so they're fairly simple but you'll get the book.

What's the catch? As the whole point of an ARC is to get the word out about a book, I'm asking all the winners to review the book. It doesn't matter where you do it - on your blog/your myspace etc, but please review Visions if you win an ARC. And because I'm giving away copies so early, I'm asking that those reviews be posted up in the final week of February (Feb 26-March 3), just prior to the book's release.

I'll pick a winner this weekend and post up the name on Sunday 9am my time, so drop your name in the hat anytime before that and you're in.

Blog Tour: Venus Envy

I'm working on a giveaway - the words ARC and Visions might feature, so watch this space. But today, I've got a Out of the Blogosphere tour book for you. Check it out.

VENUS ENVY by Shannon McKelden
(TOR Books, December 26, 2006)

Take one hunky firefighter, one stubborn "Cinderella," and one very reluctant fairy godmother and what do you get? Rachel Greer wants no part of Venus's scheme to land Mr. March as her Prince Charming, but Venus is determined to do just that. She's only a few love-life fixes short of returning to her former goddess status, and she's not letting one mulish mortal stand in her way.

It appears the only way Rachel can get rid of the very un-Disney-like fairy godmother is to play along. So she follows Venus's plan to interview Luke Stanton's ex-girlfriends...which Venus believes will cure Rachel's relationship fears, but which Rachel knows will only prove her point that men are never what they appear to be. But, when Venus's plan appears to work, and Rachel and Luke fall in love, does Rachel dare set aside her fears about happily ever? Or will betrayal send her back into relationship seclusion...this time forever? And what happens when a goddess-turned-fairy godmother breaks the most important rule--protecting herself from human emotions?

Excerpt

ABOUT SHANNON McKELDEN
Shannon McKelden has wanted to be a writer since she earned a coveted ‘A+++’ from her 9th grade English teacher. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her high school sweetheart, two kids, two cats, a dog and a crow.


REVIEWS
Witty, funny, and truly original, McKelden’s romance is a standout. -- Booklist

Sexy, clever and fun, Venus Envy is absolutely delightful from beginning to end. Author Shannon McKelden has talent to spare. – Jane Porter, author of The Frog Prince

Debut author McKelden is undeniably talented, milking a fun plot for all it's worth. 3 Stars. – Romantic Times


Website: http://www.shannonmckelden.com

Releases & Catchup

It struck me sometime over the past month that I have four releases next year. This is the first time that's happened. Here's the list:

Bound By Marriage - Feb 07
Visions of Heat - March 07

Caressed By Ice - Sep 07
Novella in Anthology - Oct 07

I'm going through the draft of the novella at the moment and absolutely loving it!

Okay, your turn. What's happening in your life at the moment?

How I found the Kellermans

I started reading Faye Kellerman through a somewhat odd route. I used to see all these books on the library shelf with the name Kellerman on the spine, except some were by Jonathan and some were by Faye.

Now, given that Kellerman isn't the most common of names, I wondered if these two were related. And being the nosy parker that I am, I read the jackets and realized that they were, in fact, married, which I (being a romance novelist) thought was pretty cool. So I took a couple of their books home and that is how I started reading J & F Kellerman.

The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights is an anthology of short stories. Most of them focus on the criminal element, but there are four pieces at the back of the book that focus on the theme of family.

If you read the Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker books, you'll be happy to know they appear in a couple of the stories. But there are several completely stand-alone stories too so you can just dive in even if you've never read this author before. And there's quite a bit of dark humor in a few of the stories. One of these is my personal favorite in the collection - Malibu Dog has a twist that I just did not see coming. Anybody else read it? Did you guess the twist?

So, do you have any stories about how to came to start reading a particular author?

Confessions of a reformed tv addict

I admit it! Ever since I came back from Japan, I've been watching a bit too much tv. Thankfully, the addictive stage has now passed and I'm back to a shortlist.

1. Scrubs - how funny is this show? I love it! (Dr. Acula anyone?)


2. Killer Instinct - this just started playing in NZ and I'm hooked. And it has nothing to do with Johnny Messner *g* Okay, maybe a little bit. But the storylines are nice and twisty, which I like.

3. SVU - I reckon this is one of the most intense and well-written shows on tv. Olivia is one of my favorite characters ever.

4. Random Documentaries - this is one of the things I missed most living in Japan. They had brilliant documentaries on but I could only understand about half of them because of the language used - ie. on the fascinating doco about Bird Flu, there was a lot of science vocabulary that I didn't know.

5. House - I've only caught two episodes of this but I think I'm going to like it.

Okay, your turn. What's on your "must-watch" list?

Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay

I've got another book for you that I enjoyed, one that has a hook unlike any other thriller I've read - the narrator is a serial killer. But he's a good serial killer - he only kills other serial killers.

It's a little creepy (ok sometimes a lot creepy) but this book also has a sort of dark humor. Dexter is a very engaging narrator - certainly not one you can forget. He's the nice guy you'd never pick as a homicidal maniac (his description of himself). Since this book is told in the first person, it's an extremely interesting ride. Pick it up if you want something different.

I have to thank Bam for bringing this book to my attention. If you want a more in-depth review, have a read of hers.

Have you read anything recently that was just so "different" it stuck in your mind?

Xmas Shopping

Have you all finished doing your Xmas shopping? Me, I like to wait till the last minute and drive myself insane. I went to the mall the other day and every spot in the carpark was full - this is unusual given the size of this mall, which leads me to believe that I'm not the only procrastinator out there.

So, got any good Xmas shopping (or plain old shopping!) stories to share?

This isn't a shopping story, but last Xmas we were in Tokyo and I've never seen a city so beautifully lit up for the holidays. This is a shot of the small lights outside Shinjuku Station. And talking about crowds - apparently one million people pass through Shinjuku at rush hour. It's amazing to watch!

Prequels & Dragonsblood - Todd McCaffrey

I'm a big fan of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series and I was particularly interested in reading this book because it's not written by Ms McCaffrey, but her son, Todd McCaffrey. I was part excited at the new directions Todd McCaffrey might take this world, and part scared for that same reason.

I'm happy to say I needn't have worry. I really enjoyed this book. It's set in two time periods - the first generation after Pern has been settled, and then four hundred years later. The issue that connects the two times is a sickness that's begun to affect and kill the dragons that protect Pern from the deadly 'thread' that falls from the sky.

While I liked the stuff set in Pern's future, what really caught me was the past, where we got to meet Wind Blossom, the daughter of Kitty Ping - the woman responsible for developing the dragons. In previous books, Wind Blossom was in the background and I wondered about her. I feel like this book gave me a chance to know her.

Because of its references to things that have been explored in previous books, Dragonsblood probably won't be as interesting for those who haven't been following the series, but if you're looking to pick up a good fantasy series, the Dragons of Pern books are amazing. A big thumbs up from me.

While this book wasn't actually a prequel in the real sense of the word, it did make me think about that topic. Most of the time, I like reading prequels. It lets me color in the past that might've affected the characters I've already fallen in love with. But I tend to back off from reading them when I know that something really bad is going to happen to the characters in the future. It just seems that the knowledge compromises my belief in the the "happy ever after". And I like my HEAs!

What about you? Any thoughts?

Website & Unleashed Book Tour

First up - the website's been updated, with the excerpt for Bound By Marriage and a teensy bit of spoiler info on the Psy/Changeling series. And oh yeah, a couple of new stars!

Also, I've got another Out of the Blogosphere tour book - an anthology - for you. Personally, I like anthologies - they often give me a chance to read new authors. And I really appreciate how I can pick one up when I'm busy, read one of the stories, then put it back down. It's like having a snack to pep you up. What about you? Anthologies work for you?

Here's the tour book. I must say I find myself intrigued by the blurb. Check it out.
_______________________________________

“Come Moonrise” by Lucy Monroe featured in UNLEASHED
(Berkley, December 5, 2006)

Ty MacAnlup has seen the tragedy that a mating between a werewolf and a human can bring and he wants no part of it, no matter how much his body and heart ache for a taste of Frankie's softness. Frankie has loved Ty for years and while she doesn't know he's a werewolf, or even that such things exist...she does know that to her, he's always been more than a mere man. Ty's hidden beast wreaks havoc with his determination to stay away from Frankie when they are trapped together in a small cabin in the snow bound wilderness.

Excerpt

ABOUT LUCY MONROE
Award winning author Lucy Monroe sold her first book in September of 2002. Since then she has sold more than 30 books to three publishers and hit national bestsellers lists in the US and England. Her highly charged, sensual stories touch on the realities of life while giving the reader a fantasy story not easily forgotten. Whether it's a passionate Harlequin Presents, a sexy single title for Kensington or a steamy historical or paranormal for Berkley, Lucy's books transport her readers to a special place where the heart rules and love conquers all.

Website: http://www.lucymonroe.com or http://www.lucymonroecotm.com

Strange Candy - Laurell K Hamilton

Okay, back to talking about books. I love books. I love reading. It's creative brain food! Now onto the book...

This is a collection of short stories by Laurell K Hamilton, including a couple of Anita Blake stories (one new and one previously published in the Bite anthology).

I'm a LKH fan so I expected to enjoy this collection and I did. My favorite story was probably "There Be Dragons". This was a very dark story about an empath - Jasmine - who works as a dream therapist with serial killers. She's called back to her old training facility (a place she hates) when a little girl with the same powers starts killing people. The story is about whether Jasmine can stop the child. Very intense.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was "A Lust of Cupids" which is set in a world where baby cupids exist and go around shooting people with arrows of true love. And oh yeah, they can be bribed by matchmaking mothers. Cute story. Made me smile.

Another one I really liked was "A Scarcity of Monsters", about a researcher who works with lake monsters. The monster (Irving) had his own distinct personality, which I thought was awesome, especially within the confines of such a short format.

And then there was, "Selling Houses". This is set in the Anita Blake world but is about the ordinary people in that world, in this case, a real estate agent. Abbie has to sell a house that has very bad karma - the last tenants died after a case of demonic possession led to murder. Now she has to deal with bloodstains that won't disappear and a possible ghost. I was totally rooting for the heroine in this story.

Overall, I thought this was a great collection. I think it shows exactly how broad LKH's imagination is - I especially wouldn't mind seeing more of the world in "There Be Dragons". And if you haven't read LKH before, this is a good place to start as you get an intro into the Anita Blake books as well.

(p.s. How awesome is that cover? I lust after it!)