A little bragging...

Okay, I lied. Maybe a lot of bragging so hold on to your pants. *lol* Last week I received Secret Society Girl: An Ivy League Novel by Diana Peterfreund, which I won on Lynn Viehl's contest after coming up with a name for a secret society of writers. (I put "Muses' Slaves.") Last Friday I won Raine Weaver's blog, where she is running this fun contest of deciphering an anagram she posted to win a copy of her book Let's Pretend. I'm terrible with anagrams. *lol* I couldn't have decipher the DaVinci Code even to save my life. But I gave it a shot, and guess what? I won!!! *does the naked Snoopy dance* Okay, you maybe wondering what these books have to do with paranormal romance. Absolutely nothing. *lol* I just wanted to brag. I've never won anything, and suddenly I seem to be on a lucky streak. It's...scary. I also got great news. Enduring Promise got 4 ½ Kisses from Romance Divas. "This is a super steamy book, written with finesse by Tempest Knight. The characters are hot and sexy with chemistry to spare. The writing is seamless, blending the past and present beautifully. This is great for a quick read, very hot and satisfying. " And Coffee Time gave it 3 cups: "This is a fantastic vampire romance. Passionate, dark, and lonely is the tone set for this romance. Great characters with intense dialogue carry this romance as the steamy love scenes are blended in and finally mixed with the storyline for one entertaining read." I feel like singing that old 80s song from Katrina and the Waves, "I'm walking on Sunshine"! By the way, if you're wondering about my naked Snoopy dance, this is how it goes:

Whispers of a sensual ghost

With all this talk about sexy ghosts, last night I had a craving for a ghost story. But the typical scary ghost story, or the one in which the ghosts play sidekicks. No, no, no. I wanted a sensually hot ghost story. So I downloaded a copy of Adrianna Dane's Whisper. Since she and I belong to the same critique group, I'd read the rough draft of it long time ago, but I wanted to read the final version. Oh baby...! It's as hot and sexy as I remembered it. The story is about this newly-blind artist named Eden, who rented this cottage, trying to get away from ex-lover who almost killed her (he left her blind). Now here enters Mark. You see, the hero is the tormented ghost of a man who lived and was killed in that same cottage sixty years ago. Okay, I know it's totally unusual for the hero to be just a ghost, but trust me Mark would make swoon. And the love scenes! *fans herself* I'm telling you, if you're complaining about the heat, you better crank up the A/C before reading this story. I don't want to give too much away, but let me just add that it's a heart-wrenching love story full of passion. If you've not read this story, go and get it. Have your read any good romances with ghosts in it?

Oh my love... my seductive ghost...

Since yesterday was a holiday, I decided to spend the day moving a lot of things from storage to my new house. Most of the furniture is already in the new house. But it's those little odds and ends that still have to be unpacked. So last night I sat down to open boxes and put things away. I had several boxes with VHS cassettes and another couple of boxes with my DVDs. As I opened the 4th. box of VHS videos, I found a copy of the movie Ghost, with (a very young) Demi Moore and (a terrible mullet) Patrick Swayze. Whoa... I don't remember buying the movie. But looking at it I felt like it was 1990 all over again. After reading Cassandra's posts here, I was so in the mood for ghosts that I hooked the new DVD/VHS player I had bought two days ago and put it on. I have to admit I fell in love with the movie all over again. Sure, Patrick Swayze looks ridiculous with that mullet, but you have to admit, it's a great love story. That scene of Demi and Patrick where she's doing the pottery thing and he sits behind her...I don't know about you, but I thought it was so sensuous. I kept fantasizing if I were in that movie, I'd love to have a long-haired Brad Pitt playing the boyfriend/ghost part. And for the sexy scene... well... I don't know crap about pottery... hm... but I know how to make delicious brownies. Ah yes... the scene would be in the kitchen. I'd be working with the chocolate when he'd snick behind me, complete shirtless (yummy!!!) and put his hands over mine as I swirl the chocolate. Then he'd smudged a little chocolate on the tip of my nose and licked it, and I'd offer him the spoon, which he'd lick very slowly, his emerald-green eyes never leaving mine. A little drop of chocolate would stuck to the side of his lip, and I'd pull his head down and cleaning it with a kiss. But before I could pull away, he'd capture my lips with his, and kiss passionately while he lifted me and placed me over the counter. The rest...well, use your imagination, girls. *winks* Let's just say none of the chocolate went to waste. *evil grin* If you were to be the protagonist of this movie, who would you choose to play your boyfriend/ghost? And which would be the sexy scene? Give me details, girls! Don't hold back. *winks*

Enduring Promise: Contest Winners

Thank you all who participated in this contest! The response was awesome. More than I expected. *wg* Now here's the moment you all have been waiting for: 1st. prize winner - Krysta Marie from KY - Healing Garden products basket 2nd. prize winner - Susan P. from NV - $10 Border's gift card Congratulations to the winners! I just sent the gifts this morning. Please, let me know when you get them, okay? *g*

The Most Haunted Place in America

One of the most haunted places in America is less than a fifteen minute drive from where my mum now lives. Over 63,000 people died there in the last century. It's called Waverly Hills Sanitarium. You may have seen it featured recently on the SCI-FI channel. TAPS has been there and declared it haunted. The death tunnel and the mysterious room 502 are famous among paranormal phenomena researchers. We recently were able to get aerial photos of the area surrounding Waverly Hills. The buildings are immense and look like something out of the game Silent Hill. The sanitarium is built on a hill, in the middle of a dense woodland. Driving up the curving access road at night is creepy beyond belief. The imagination plays tricks on you, making you think the woods are alive with glowing eyes peeking out from the trunks of shadowing trees. And the branches are clawed hands grasping for the little metal and plastic box you drive. At the summit, you get the overwhelming sense that someone or something is watching you from the top of the roof. Due to teenage vandalism and a case of ritual murder back in the 80's, the santarium has a couple of guards who patrol the grounds. Orbs, shadowpeople, auditory phenomena, and much more have been reported. Even the smell of chicken cooking from the vacant cafeteria lingers some 40 years later. Special visitations and tours can be arranged. I'd recommend taking a bag of Depends--especially if you decide to visit at night. You may find they come in handy in case you scary easily.

Ghosts in the Hall

I've always had a fascination for ghosts. Spectral phenomena of all kinds, really. Probably started when I was an infant and toddler growing up in a rather peculiar house, on a street with the innocent name of Larkspur Lane. My family and I lived there for a little over a year. We didn't see or hear anything at first, but then things started to happen. Items misplaced, heavy steps on the wooden staircase when everyone was in bed asleep. I don't recall anything from that time, but my one sister and my mum have told me stories about living in that house–with the dead. My oldest two sisters never sensed anything, nor did my father. But my mother, and my sister closest in age to me certainly did. At first, our mother told us it was our imagination since she didn't want us to feed the things in the house. You see, many of these entities feed on fear. And the more we fear them, the stronger they get. I think my next youngest sister, being a sensitive and an empath, had a much worse time of it. The house had more than one intriguing twist. Two of the three upstairs bedrooms had small wooden doors covering strange openings in the wall. These openings were about two foot tall and about three feet deep...and led nowhere. There was no apparent use for these strange little closets with their tiny wooden doors--and bolted latches. Nothing in them when father opened them after my sister's insistence. Many years later, as we sat reminiscing over latté and cinnamon buns, she told me about the doors to nowhere and the odd things she saw. The House on Larkspur Lane was not the first strange place where my parents chose to live. Just one of the scariest, according to my sis. She would wake, hearing scratching noises and one time saw a tiny, clawed hand trying to work it's way through the small gap between the door and the long-necked brass lock. Another time, she got up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water and saw something kneeling on the bed, by my other sister's feet. She said it looked at her and grinned and flashed a mouth full of fangs before running to the weird little door and escaping. She woke our other sister up (who was not in a good mood since it was three in the a.m.). Dad heard the ruckus and also woke up. He came into the room and of course, he didn't see anything--except that someone had OPENED the lock on the tiny door and it was hanging from the latch, turned to the side! He blamed my sisters. Another time, she saw something misty standing at the head of the stairs and said it told her to "Get Out", in a deep rumbling, eerie voice. Once, she said, it was bright daylight and I was in my playpen and she saw something hovering over me...weird little balls of light that looked like they were dancing. Today, I know the phenomena that hovered over me are called orbs. Why they did this, I have no idea. As for the other phenomena, you could chalk it up to my sister's overactive imagination...then again....

Last day to participate!

That's right, fellow mooners. Today is the last day to participate in the "Enduring Promise" contest. First prize: A basket with Healing Garden products (body lotion, body mist, and bath salts). Second prize: Border's gift card as second prize. To win you must answer the following two questions. *g* 1. Where did Armand and Giselle live? 2. What were humans to vampires? In other words, what was the relationship between humans and vampires. Send your answers of both questions and your address to: tempest@tempestknight.com. Write in the subject, Enduring Promise Contest. I'll be drawing two winners among the participants! I'll announce the winners tomorrow! Contest ends today.

Cassandra's Newsletter Contest

Cassandra’s bi-monthly (low-volume) Newsletter keeps you up to date on my new releases, excerpts, upcoming author chats and contests. In fact, just by subscribing to her newsletter, you’ll be entered in August’s drawing to win a unique, one-of-a-kind genuine Jade, Moonstone and Crystal Quartz “Goddess Within” necklace and a vial of Bewitching perfume oil. Simply dab the oil on skin and rub a little on the pendant for a bewitchingly sensual glamour. Winner will be picked at random on August 26, 2006. email: Cassandra Curtis Newsletter to join.

Spellcraft in Novels

It's inevitable. When you read fantasy and paranormal romances, you are bound to come across a book–or fifty, that contain a passage where one of the characters casts a spell. Some of these are well-written facsimiles of the real thing. Most are hilarious beyond belief. Some are intentionally funny, as in my romantic comedy, I Put A Spell On You. *shameless plug* Seldom are they eloquent. And of course, they aren't actually real spells--or are they? How does an author find or create a spell that fits the dynamics of their story, yet still keeps an authentic feel? Well, first off–to be like a real spell it needs to rhyme, right? And it should flow, and roll smoothly off the tongue. Like the witch or conjurer in your story has said this many times by rote and needs no quick glances through her spellbook to recall it. It should sound natural to the reader's internal listener, too. But how do you actually craft a spell? Your Book of Shadows: How to Write Your Own Magickal Spells by Patricia Telesco is a good starting reference point for paranormal writers wanting to learn the basics of spellcraft, at least enough so that they can create their own fictional spells that ring with authenticity. Be advised, Trish's book is more than learning the basics of spellcraft, it's a primer on creating your own BoS or Book of Shadows. Nothing by rote, the book leads you through the process of creating your own spells using your own words, and isn't that what we do as writers? The approach fits like a glove. BTW, not all real spells–like real poetry, rhyme. But it sure sounds good. *wink*

My favorite witch is baaaack...

Today I thought about taking the day off. I know it's Sunday, and it's my day off. But there are so many things to do at my new house yet. I just didn't feel like tackling them. Not this morning. So instead I went to the mall. There's something about going to place like the mall, with its fountains and people walking up and down the halls, that I find soothing. What can I say? I'm weird that way. But before getting out of the house, I promised I'd not buy anything. Especially books. I've got about 10 in my TBR pile. Plus I've got like over 200 to move from the old house to the new one. After 2 hours of window shopping, as I was walking down the hall towards the closest exit to leave, I passed by Borders and my feet turned on their volition. I told them not to do it, but they just kept walking. And as soon as I entered, there it was - Kim Harrison's latest book of her sexy Cincinnati witch, Rachel Morgan, series, A Fistful of Charms. OMG! Finally the 4th. installment was out! And there were only two copies left. So I couldn't resist the temptation and bought one. I just simply love her witch books. Rachel Morgan is a runner, which is a kind of supernatural bounty hunter. Using magick and charms, she hunts witches, vampires, werewolves, faeries, and other dinizens gone bad. The worst part is that there's a demon that wants her. Her best friends are a female vampire named Ivy Tamwood, who's also the next in line to be the head of the biggest and most powerful vampire coven of the city, and a wisecracking pixie named Jenks. How's that for a change? *wg* If you like Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse, you'll love Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan. And even if you've never read Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books but you like kick-ass heroines, go and buy them. In order, they are Dead Witch Walking, The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, and Every Which Way but Dead.

The attack of the screwy squirrel!

Beware! You don't know when it'll come and suck your nuts! My friend, who knows how I love quirky pics of vamps, sent me this on an email today. OMG! I just found it so hilarious, I had to share it with you all. (Yo M.E.! Check out the future of vampires on movies!) Let's have some fun here! If this were the poster of an upcoming movie, what will be the title of it? Or how about post what you think happened here. What do you think the vampy squirrel is saying? Develop a scene using the pic. *wg*

What Big Teeth You Have!

I admit it - I am a werewolf junkie. While I love werewolf romances, they can be very hard to find. Probably my favorite werewolf romance ever is Dennis Danvers' Wilderness. It's not very well known, but those that do know of it might argue that this is not a romance - au contraire! Although it was promoted as a horror novel when it was released in the 1990s, there is no horror in it to speak of. In the book, slacker-college student Alice White hides a terrible secret. Once a month she locks herself into the basement of her house and turns into a werewolf. Believing herself to be dangerous, she leads a solitary life of work and school until one day newly divorced college professor, Erik Summers, takes more than just a casual interest in her. Their romance quickly developes into deeper feelings, and Alice is torn between calling off the romance or telling Erik the truth. All she wants is someone to believe she is a werewolf, but how can you tell someone your secret without them believing you're crazy? This is a truly haunting read. You can't help but feel for these characters... you want Alice to find true happiness; you want Erik to believe her if for no other reason but to ease her pain. The novel bears a striking resemblance to the storyline in the original b/w movie Cat People - both heroines have put themselves in therapy, in which the doctor falls in love with them, among other similarities. But the way the emotional contact is protrayed in this book makes takes it a step further. This book is like nothing else you've read, and is a must read for werewolf romance fans. I highly recommend Wilderness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One more thing... this book was eventually adapted into a movie. They all but stripped out every beautiful thing about the book to make an American Werewolf in London rip off. Save yourself the trouble here. Buy the book!

Send your prayers to Vivienne

Last night amidst the laughter and surprises, I received very, very sad news. Cassandra emailed me telling me that our very dear friend (almost sister), paranormal erotic romance author, Vivienne King has cancer. You can't imagine the shock. I still can't believe it. My mind can't seem to wrap around the fact. So I quickly emailed her last night, and today I heard from her. They found it on the early stages. She's a fighter and she can beat this. So please, send her your positive thoughts and keep her in your prayers. BTW, today is her birthday so sending her your well-wishes would be the best gift ever... Bless you all...

A funny thing happened on the way to Fallen Angel Reviews chat last night

Today was one of those days at the office in which everyone that could pop their heads in to annoy me just did. So today's chat at Fallen Angel Reviews slipped from my mind although I'd marked it on my calendar. But thanks to a reminder from Cobblestone fellow writer and ex-co-member of LLOO, Lyric James, I dropped by their chatroom. The place was swarming with people chatting, so I started chatting too, you know. Well, I soon realized that this was the chat for Midnight Showcase authors. Leave it up to me to show up at the wrong chat. *rofl* Now, the problem was that except for Donna and Megan, nobody else had shown up. So we kept informally talking until we got tired and organized the author chat ourselves. People asked them questions about their books and their websites. Of course, throughtout the whole thing now, I didn't say a peep, until Donna asked me. I told her I was published with Cobblestone, but they told me they didn't mind if I participated too. Are they cool or what?! Totally class act these ladies. I joined in the chat as an author and had an incredible time. Thanks to all the people who showed up! You made the chat great! *wg*

Linda Lael Miller as vampire romance author

Yesterday when we were talking about the first vampire romance we ever read, our dear paranormal romance fellow author Lora Darling brought up the books by Linda Lael Miller. Most of you know who romance author Linda Lael Miller even if you've not read her books, at least you've seen them on the shelves. Her most famous series is The Women of Primrose. Although she'd distingued herself as romance writer whose books are set in the mid-West, maybe many of you don't know she wrote sizzling vampire romances back in the early 1990s. *wg* I fell in love with her vampire heroes when I first read Forever and the Night. As promised, here is a list of the vampire romance serie by romance author Linda Lael Miller published by Penguin: Forever and the Night - November 1993 For All Eternity - October 1994 Time Without End - October 1995 Tonight and Always - November 1996 Out of the Shadows (compilation) It contains Forever and the Night and For All Eternity - April 2002 Into the Night (compilation) It contains Time Without End and Tonight and Always - October 2002 All these books are out of print, including the compilations. However, if you search for them at Amazon.com, you might find the used ones up for sale. Also check other romance online bookstores that sell used books.

Underworld Evolution

Hi everyone, I thought with all the talk about Vamps that I'd bring up a movie I saw recently on DVD, called Underworld Evolution. I saw the first one and must admit to enjoying both it and the sequel, although I'm glad for the sake of my young son that I watched the sequel after his bedtime. (I'm surprised the sequel didn't net an NC-17 rating!) But anyway, since I absolutely love to write Shifter romances, I was glad to see more "romance" between the protagonists in the sequel. Still, I also noted something that I thought I'd present here. Is it just me, or do you also recognize that the Underworld movies, like many out of Hollywood, seem to be written by men FOR men? Case in point: When the "beautiful" Kate vamps out, at the most, she gains a set of pearly white fangs, and her startling blue eyes become even more brilliant. (That's pretty much the case with all the females in the movies.) But you let any one of the men vamp out, including the heroic Michael, and he turns into the best that Hollywood horror shops can dish out. Just once, I'd LOVE to see a vampire or werewolf movie that portrays the "shifters" in a "beautiful" way. Yeah, the vamps need fangs, and the werewolf the "wolf" form, but do they always have to be gruesome when they're male? Just a little food for thought... *grin* Brandi

The first time I fell in love with a vampire hero

Last night I decided to pack a few more boxes with my books and moved them to the new house before the rain started again. So once there, I sat on the floor, cleaning each cover and putting them in the shelves of what's now my own small library in my new house, when one of the books slipped to the floor. I picked it up and to my surprise it was Midnight Temptation by Nancy Gideon. The first vampire romance novel I ever read. You know? That novel was published back in October 1994. With all the hoopla that vampire romances have had in the last few years, I'd forgotten about these novels. The very first vampire romance novels that made my heart flutter for a vampire. Where I found that vampires could be seductive and mesmerizing and dark, yet they could be heroes. Smiling, I leaned against the wall and started reading it. It's the story of Nicole Radouix (daughter of vampire Louis Radouix and his human love - Midnight Kiss) suddenly learns of her vampire heritage and escapes to Paris to try to forget, and deny, what she is. There she meets vampire Marchand, who has had a love/hate relationship with her father. He seeks to turn her into sire her as a vampire as a form of revenge toward her father, but ends up falling in love with her. I'd not read the first book then, but I still found this one a dark and compelling one. I fell in love with Marchand with each turn of the page. He was a vampire like no other I'd known up until then. So here's my question to you all. Do you remember the first time you fell under the spell of the romantic vampire hero? What was the first vampire romance you ever read?

What freaks me out the most

This post is a bit out of topic, but M.E. Ellis was talking about fears and she dares to post about what we fear the most. So here's the pic of what I fear the most. Yes, roaches. I panic when I see one. I can't help it. I feel like my skin is itchy. Yuck! Just thinking about it makes me want to scratch myself. And even this "roach" is still scary. Hahaha! Okay, I like their version of The Monkey's I'm a Believer. It's just as cool as the original version, same good vibes and all. But still, they look scary.

Test Your Vampire Knowledge!

Think you know all there is to know about Vampires? Guess again! Test your knowledge and see how you measure up! And no cheating. Or we may put the "bite" on you! Mwhahaha 1. What is the scientific term for someone with a sexual thirst for blood? 2. What is the term used by vampires when they decide to turn a human? 3. Who are the kindred? 4. How does a psychic vampire feed? 5. What vampire has his own cereal endorsement? 6. What type of vampire are the bodiless? 7. A Civateto is vampire witch. (True or False) 8. What is a Dhampir? 9. Why do vampires staked through the heart die? 10. Garlic and millet are vampire deterrents. (True or False) Answers: 1. Haematodipsia is the psychological term for someone who has a sexual thirst for blood. 2. Embrace. (To make one a vampire; siring.) 3. Kindred. (The vampire members of a group). 4. Psychic Vampire's feed on the emotional state of humans by draining or feeding from the energy, emotions or life of another. 5. Count Chocula. 6. Bodiless are vampires' souls/shades, sometimes thought to be residue energy that feed on the pain and fear unleashed when someone is tortured and/or killed. Similar to a psychic vampire, only without a physical body. 7. True. According to Mexican folklore, these bruja drank the blood of innocents and used the power of stolen life to work evil or black magick. 8. A Dhampir is a vampire's son. Sometimes thought to be the only person who could see a vampire and kill it. Up until the 17th and 18th centuries (esp. in Eastern Europe), people would hire themselves out as vampire killers under the guise of being a Dhampir. 9. Because you have destroyed the seat of their shriveled soul and once it's dead, they can no longer animate the body. 10. True. Garlic worn about the neck and eaten raw is said to deter vampires form attack. Millet, according to folklore, deters vamps by using their own anal retnetive tendencies against them. Scattering millet will force them to stop and count all the seeds so the average villager could run away. :)

Featured Interviews and Chat

Midnight Moon Cafe authors Cora Zane and Brandi Broughton have featured author interviews up over at PNR Paraphernalia this month. Be sure to drop by and check these out. Also, tonight, Paranormal Romance Reviews is having it's monthly Paraphernalia chat tonight at 8 PM Eastern/ 7 PM Central time. Drop by and chat with this months featured authors: Kathleen Dante, Diane Whiteside, Cora Zane, and Brandi Broughton. The chat will be held here: http://writerspace.com/chat/ This looks like it will be lots of fun. Hope to see you there!

Sunday Eye-Candy!

Since fellow author M.E. Ellis got a huge kick out of the pic of Brendan Fraser as the god Apollo I posted yesterday, here are some more photos of him as mythical characters. As Poseidon... (This could give a new twist to the movie Poseidon Adventure. Poseidon...an erotic adventure! *winks*)... As Mercury... As Adam (the first man on Earth)... You know, that last pic of Brendan Fraser makes me want to be his Eve, so I could taste of his apple and sin and sin.

Which actor should play the next Dracula/vampire?

Last night I was watching Wes Craven's Dracula 2000. I don't know if you've seen this movie before. It's about this group of thieves that break into the government's secret chamber expecting to find paintings, but instead they unleash the darkest secret inside the vault - Dracula. Now free, he travels to New Orleans to find his nemesis' daughter, Mary Van Helsing. Although the movie had a nice premise with the potential of becoming engaging, I couldn't really get into it. I don't know about you, but in my mind I like vamps to be handsome. Sexy. Sensuality dripping from them. But let's face it, the actor who played Dracula in this movie didn't exactly do it for me. *lol* After the movie ended and reliving some of the comments left by some of you about your favorite vampires, I found myself thinking which actor I'd love to see playing Dracula or a vampire in a movie. Brad Pitt, one of my all time favorite bodilicious actors, has already played a wickedly sexy vampire, Louis, in Interview with the Vampire. Then my mind set on another sexy actor, Brendan Fraser. Oh, I know what you all are thinking. *lol* He has played this goofy, goody-two-shoe characters in movies like The Mummy, and he looks to clean and nice to play a vampire. But you know what? I've seen some of his not-well-known movies, and he can't play some pretty nasty guys too. There's a darkness behind that sweet-boy exterior that can be frightening yet exciting. So I believe he'd make a very fascinating Dracula/vampire, bringing a boyish charm mixed with sensuality and danger. Dang! I'd love to be the one he bit in the neck!!! How about you all? Who would you die to see in the role of Dracula or a vampire? (Guys can participate in this too, you know, by telling us which actress will make a good vampiress. *g*)

Enduring Promise contest extended

Due to problems with my server that carries my email plus a couple of personal problems, I've decided to extend the deadline for my Enduring Promise Contest. The new deadline is July 25, 2006! First prize: A basket with Healing Garden products (body lotion, body mist, and bath salts). Second prize: a $10 Border's gift card. To win you must answer the following two questions. *g* 1. Where did Armand and Giselle live? 2. What were humans to vampires? In other words, what was the relationship between humans and vampires. Send your answers of both questions to: tempest@tempestknight.com. Write in the subject, Enduring Promise Contest.

Vintage Vampires

Every since I started writing my vampire story Wicked Temptation, I've been on vampire red alert. If there's a vampire story out there I haven't picked up, I have to read it. Research, you know. While wandering in my favorite used bookshop about two weeks ago, I found a copy of John Gideon's Kindred. I thought I'd read it before, back when it came out in the mid-nineties. Under the impression that the book was out of print, I bought the copy and took it home and immediately started "re-reading" it. I realized about three pages in, I had not read this book before and that it was unlike anything vampy I've read in a while. Wicked, sex-changing vampires breeding off hatred and leaving the goriest blood scenes you could hope to find is nothing like what I expected. And I'd expected gory. I walked away thinking you certainly can't class these vampires with MaryJanice Davidson's! This got me to thinking about vampire chic--the literary vampire. First Varney the vampire, then Nosferatu and Bram Stoker's Dracula. I never thought about these guys when growing up. The Count off Sesame Street I recognized, Count Chocula. Oh, and Frank Langella... As a product of the mid-to-late 70s he was the suave, smooth, dark prince of my day. I remember his frightening blood shot eyes in the 1979 movie. I thought he was beyond dreamy. These days, however, he's gone on to strike more of a chord with me as Cutthroat Island's evil pirate Captain Dog Brown. I guess it's true that vampires age well. *eyebrow wiggle* By the time I was old enough to appreciate cinematic film and Bela Lugosi, I had already moved on to Anne Rice's vampires. The "sexless" vampire, as it were. In many ways my heart has stuck there ever since, but being a romance writer, I need the love connection of a feeling being. Those vampires living only to drink are subtly disappointing to me. When I began reading sensual and erotic romance and a new door opened for me. Here are feeling beings. Some dark, some tortured; some carefree and some charming. I don't think I'll ever go back. Whatever their disposition, they are always sexy. And slick minded. I now picture sleek, urbane characters like MaryJanice's Eric Sinclair as the norm for the modern sexy vampire, and oh what a delicious vampire he is--no cape required!

If you can't be with the one you love...

...then maybe you should put a spell on them! At least, that's what sexy hunk Sebastian Matthews thought when he cast a spell on Tess Warner thirteen years ago. Something must have backfired with the potion, though, because he left town with his heart broken. Older, wiser and sexier than ever, Sebastian's back and ready to give it another try. Only one problem. The recipe for the potion and the spell that goes with it, were in Tess' father's grimoire. Oh--did I forget to mention, Tess and her entire family are witches! And though Sebastian is just an ordinary guy, he does have one thing on his side–the spellbinding magick of passion! I Put A Spell On You by Cassandra Curtis, part of the Potions, Elixirs and Brews Amber Heat Pax Collection, coming August 2006. http://amberheat.com

Cassandra Bids You Welcome!

I'll add my welcome to Tempest's and Cora's. I hope you'll enjoy the Midnight Moon Cafe! We'll be serving up some rare treats for the those lucky enough who wander down the cyber path, discover the cafe and bravely enter through our doors. Please--do step up to the bar. My specialty is Irish Coffee and Kismet Tea. ;) I spin tall tales of mystery and wicked desire, fantasy made real in the theatre of the mind. Something to delight the senses and send a tingle down your spine. My latest release, Cup of Fate, is about a young woman, trying to start over fresh. When a co-worker suggests they go yard sale shopping together one weekend, my heroine Bryn, figures she has nothing to lose. On a country road, in the middle of nowhere, they spy a yard sale sign that leads them to a very special find--a unique fortune telling teacup that will--with a single sip--change their lives forever. I hope you'll enjoy my little Cup of Fate. Go ahead--take a sip. If you dare. If you'd like a chance to win a magickal tea cup similar to the one in my story, check out Romance Junkies Summer Splash Give-A-Way Contests going on right now! http://www.romancejunkies.com To check out all my current contests, go to my website, Sensuous Whispers at http://cassandracurtis.com and click on Enter The Fantasy.

Crossing Borders at Joyfully Reviewed

If you're a fan of sexy hot werewolf romance and you haven't picked up a copy of Crossing Borders yet, check out what Talia Ricci of Joyfully Reviewed had to say: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the fourth night in a row, Laney Parker hears the mournful cry of a fellow wolf. Scared for the wolf’s safety, she leaves the comfort of her home and goes into the woods to find the wolf and encourage it to leave her brother’s land. What she finds, however, brings back memories of a love lost and Laney isn’t sure she has enough guts to follow her heart; especially where Cole Holbrook is concerned. Cole Holbrook figures that if Laney Parker doesn’t show tonight then he will return to his pack and forget her. Luck is on his side when he sees her on her brother’s side of the border. She is as beautiful as she ever was and Cole still loves her. Now, if only he can just convince her to take a chance and cross her brother’s boundary and become his mate. Just when Cole thinks he has her, Laney’s brother Seth complicates things and Cole has a fight on his hands. Crossing Borders by Cora Zane was a fast paced tale of finding lost love. Unable to mate with Laney two years ago, Cole didn’t give up and I adored his tenacity in making her his mate. While I thought Laney’s loyalty to her brother endearing, my choice would have been quicker and taken a lot less thought. Cole was just that yummy. Crossing Borders endeared itself to me from the first word. A huge fan of werewolf tales, I was not disappointed. The story flowed and I could picture myself in those woods. Good characterization, great fight scenes and hot loving, what more could a girl want? Crossing Borders whet my appetite for more novels by Cora Zane! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crossing Borders is available now at Cobblestone Press!

Welcome midnightmooners!

Welcome to the opening of our group blog, a place where Cora, Cassandra, and I (three paranormal romance writers) hope to share some time with you. It'll feature all sort of fun stuff dealing with the paranormal. So I hope you enjoy your stay here. I'm sorry if things are a bit crazy around here, but I'm still doing some work on this blog, in my efforts to bring you a fun place to be and chat with us. BTW, my name is Tempest Knight, one of your hostesses. I'm sure the other two, Cora Zane and Cassandra Curtis, will eventually introduce themselves. They might be having problems with their broomsticks. *lol* Just let me tell you a little about myself. I write paranormal erotic romance stories for Cobblestone Press. My first story, Enduring Promise, is already out, a haunting, yet erotic, story about a love that can transcend beyond the grave and challenges even death, between a man and his lover, a beautiful vampire. It came out in June 23. Although at times it took an emotional toll on me due to some of the emotions involved between Evan (the hero) and Giselle (the heroine), I had a lot of fun writing this story. To celebrate the release of my vampire erotic romance story, "Enduring Promise" from Cobblestone Press, here's a little contest. The prize? A basket with Healing Garden products (body lotion, body mist, and bath salts). To sweeten the deal, I'm throwing in a Border's gift card as second prize. To win you must answer the following two questions. *g* 1. Where did Armand and Giselle live? 2. What were humans to vampires? In other words, what was the relationship between humans and vampires. Send your answers of both questions to: tempest@tempestknight.com. Write in the subject, Enduring Promise Contest. Contest ends in July 15, 2006.