Guest Blogger - MK Mancos/Kathleen Scott

Hello, my name is Kat and I’m a Writaholic. It is a very serious condition that compels me to write many stories over various genres and heat levels and never even come close to that “full feeling.” Oftentimes, I end the day with a vague emptiness that I haven’t managed to accomplish all I need to on the books on my “works in progress” folder. As I struggle to sleep, I invariably get another idea that hits me like an asteroid the size of which took out the dinosaurs. And I’m off and running again. The condition started when I was very small, maybe 3 or 4 years of age when I suffered a bout of bad nightmares that sent my mother in search of answers at the pediatrician’s office. His advice: read me a soothing story before I fell asleep. Ha! Little did he know, the only stories I deemed fit to consume at the time was the Three Billy Goats Gruff and the unadulterated Brothers Grimm. Months of fights ensued where my mother would read me watered down Disney fairytales and I’d cry for the darker grittier fare. (Is it any wonder Halloween was always my favorite holiday?) Finally, after hiding my books and having me find them for about the tenth time, my mother took the books away for good and told me to tell myself a story. A writer was born. All through elementary, middle and high school I told myself stories. During the summer vacation in high school, I even wrote the stories down into a horrible collection of short stories the likes of which are so appallingly bad and riddled with such glaring errors, I’m sure they will cause immediate blindness if stared at too long. Those first attempts were the beginning steps in a journey I continue on today. Many, many…and did I mention many…years, writing classes and critique groups later, I have acquired a decent backlist of books. There are dark paranormals, psychological/metaphysical paranormals, sci-fi/furturistics, urban fantasy, erotic romances, contemporary suspense and a few magazine articles stuffed in there. I’ve also acquired quite a few pseudonyms: MK Mancos, Kathleen Scott and Kate Davison. Recently, the first novel I ever completed became available in print from Samhain Publishing. Notice I said the first one I completed—it wasn’t the first one I sold—not even the first one I sold to Samhain. Like those very first stories hammered out on an old typewriter, the first incarnation of By A Silken Thread (then with a working title of Kindred Souls) was amateurish and difficult to follow. After a few false starts, I stuck the book on a disk and let it stay there for years. New technologies came and went and paranormal romances finally became a popular genre. So, without opening the old file, I sat down at my computer and started the book from word one, page one and rewrote the entire novel. I got rid of some unnecessary characters. Moved other characters around and gave them new functions. Tightened the plot and sent it off. So, like my writing journey, By A Silken Thread has come a long way, too. Here’s some blurbage to whet your reading appetite. The line between life and death is as elusive as a silken thread. Two women…linked by one deadly memory. On an ice-encrusted road in New Jersey, Tara Johanan loses control of her car and drives off an embankment. At the same moment in Palmetto Springs, Florida, in an unwitnessed attack, Charlotte Durand is shot in the head and left for dead. Both women die. Both return. But near-death experiences are not always straightforward. Tara woke up with the voice and memories of a comatose woman in her head. And she can remember a shooting she never witnessed. Telling the family a loved one is the victim of a violent crime is the worst part of the job for Detective Marcus Danforth. When his stepsister is the victim, and the loved ones his family and best friend, it’s crippling. He’ll do anything to uncover the mystery of Charlotte’s shooting. Believing the story of a beautiful accident victim may be too much for him—even in the face of overwhelming desire. Even as the shadows of death grow darker. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By A Silken Thread by MK Mancos, Samhain Publishing, LTD. Available now in ebook and print. Hope you enjoy! You can find me and my backlist along with buy links at: www.MysticKat.com -Kat

Pop Quiz: What Is Your Gift?

Your Gift is Intellect You are a big thinker, and you're always playing with new ideas. You are curious about the world. You enjoy learning and developing new theories. You enjoy researching, analyzing, and solving problems. Thinking hard feels good! You're the type of person who finds most mental tasks to be easy. You love to stretch your brain. What's Your Gift?

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Places For Romance and Adventure 1. New Zealand 2. Honolulu, Hawaii 3. Monte Carlo, Monaco 4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 5. Queensland, Australia 6. St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 7. Venice, Italy 8. St. Lucia 9. Tahiti 10. Ireland 11. Barbados 12. Santorini, Greek Isles 13. Scotland

Seduced By The Moon...Werewolf Wednesday

Meet Fang One of six children, Fang is the undisputed black sheep of the family. He is the quintessential Hunter who lives to stalk his prey. Nothing gives him greater pleasure than that moment in the fight when his opponent learns he's about to go down...hard. Fang asks for nothing and expects to get it. Alienated from all of his family, he walks the world alone. He is the true lone wolf. A drifter, a rogue, and the worst sort of scoundrel. Meet Aimee Mama's only daughter, she's the bookkeeper, waitress, and takes care of permits and bribes. BTW, anyone who looks at Aimee gets a meeting with her brothers and father in the back room where would-be suitors go in, but they don't come out. She is the darling of the Peltier clan and the future of their seat on the Omegrion. Something they all take very seriously. Countdown to Release: August 4, 2009!

Special Event - Cassandra's Book Release Party!

2009 Halloween Freebie eBook Poll

I have a few projects to finish up, and then I will start my annual freebie for readers, but wondered what I should do. Last year I wrote a ghost story. So I thought this year to poll my readers and see what you think. Would you like… A. Shapeshifter B. Werewolf C. Vampire D. Psychic Phenomena E. Superheroes F. Faeries G. Witches H. Contemporary I. None of The Above Leave a comment and let me know your choice.

Excuses, excuses...

I would have been here but...

Pop Quiz: What Board Game Are You?

You Are Boggle You are an incredibly creative and resourceful person. You're able to dig deep and think outside the box to get things done. You are a non linear thinker. You don't like following directions You draw your inspiration from the strangest places sometimes. You're constantly inspired. What Board Game Are You?

Cora's Thirteen Favorite Movie Heroines

After re-watching a few horror movies last weekend, I got to thinking about survival skills. If something serious was about to go down (such as a zombie attack, poltergeist disturbance, or alien invasion) I'd definitely want one of these ladies watching my back! 1. Sigourney Weaver - (as Ellen Ripley:: Alien / Aliens) 2. Pam Greir - (as Helena Braddock :: Ghosts of Mars) 3. Katee Sackoff - (as Starbuck aka Kara Thrace:: Battlestar Galactica) 4. Carrie Ann Moss - (as Trinity :: The Matrix) 5. Michelle Rodriguez - (as Rain Ocampo :: Resident Evil) 6. Halle Berry -(as Storm :: Xmen) 7. Kate Beckinsale - (as Selene :: Underworld) 8. Lori Petty (Tank Girl!) 9. Maria Conchita Alonso (as Amber Mendez :: The Running Man) 10. Gillian Anderson (as Scully :: The X Files) 11. Dina Meyers (as Dizzy :: Starship Troopers) 12. Zelda Rubenstein (as Tangina Barrons :: Poltergeist) 13. Linda Hamilton (as Sarah Connor :: The Terminator)

Georgia Evans Bloody Awful Winners! :)

Congratulations to our two winners... RKCharron & MacBeaner You've both won a copy of Ms. Evan's latest book in the Brytewood Vampires series, Bloody Awful! Congratulations! Please email us at: midnightmooncafe @ gmail. com (no spaces) with your name and full mailing address so we can make sure you receive your prize. Please note: you have 30 days from the date of this announcement to contact us and claim your prize. After 30 days, all prizes are forfeit and go back into the vault for another contest or can be used in the same contest and we pick a new winner from those people who left a comment, either choice at our discretion.

How Do They Manage? by Georgia Evans

How do they Manage? by Georgia Evans, Guest Author Blogger Vampires I mean. How, when they are essentially unchanging, do they cope with a constantly shifting and evolving world around them? When I first started writing my contemporary Rosemary Laurey vampire stores, seemed to me that one of the vamps’ biggest challenges was trying to conceal a lengthy existence in the days of computers and electronic record keeping. Once it would have been relatively simple to pose as one’s son, granddaughter or nephew but in this day and age, we’re all recorded, and tracked by computers. I got around that by making one of the colony, Tom Kyd, an expert hacker. He practically has a full time job, getting into government computers and keeping everybody’s records, bank accounts and identities nicely inconspicuous. For my vampire spies, the challenges were varied. Language was the obvious one but over the centuries they no doubt picked up several languages, and a savvy vampire would watch movies or read contemporary magazines to keep up with the current lingo. Passing unremarked into the society was a bigger challenge. Hence the time they spent in Adlerroost getting secret agent briefing and enjoying nips off poor Bela. The latter finally works to HER advantage but that was completely unforeseen. Mostly because the Nazis don’t know as much as they thought they did about vampires and fairies. So, trained and ready, the Vamps arrive. Schmidt even survives the very dicey landing and they take up their places. Not that easy given it’s war time, travel was restricted and everyone of working age has been conscripted for war work or essential industries but the heavy wartime bureaucracy works in their favor too. Who is going to check on papers and assignments when a much needed extra pair of hands arrives? Trouble was the German High Command picked the wrong village and one by one the carefully constructed cover stories crumble in the face of village curiosity and the Other’s talents. Of course Bloch should have know what Hovis was and how much a bottle of whiskey cost. Schmidt needed to make more effort to blend in up a Wharton Lacey to say nothing of Eiche being so unsubtle over his coercion of Jeff Williams. And the lot of them suffered from an overdoes of arrogance and massive superiority complexes. But just as well they did make mistakes and they didn’t survive. They were the villains after all. PS For all the readers who want Bela to have a happy ending. She does. Eventually. ~~~~~~~~ Out Now: Bloody Awful. Book 2 in my WW2 Fantasy trilogy written as Georgia Evans. Coming August 4, 2009: Bloody Right. Book 3 in my WW2 Fantasy trilogy. See website: www.brytewood.co.uk For news of Rosemary Laurey books visit www.rosemarylaurey.com Ready for a contest? Want to win a copy of Bloody Awful, book 2 in Ms. Evans Brytewood series? Read on for details... Bloody Awful Brytewood, England October 1940 As the district nurse for a country village almost overcome by refugees and bombing scares, Gloria has the respect of the town and a position where she can help the war effort. She’d lose both if anyone discovered that she turns into a furry red fox and runs through the Surrey hills by moonlight. But what she sees on those wild nights suggests Brytewood is under attack—from a saboteur with superhuman powers and the Nazi Luftwaffe behind him. What can one werefox do against a predator who can command modern weapons of war—and the strength of the undead beside? What can a woman with a secret reveal without losing all she has? With the help of a couple of Devonshire Pixies, a Welsh dragon, and two ordinary men too stubborn to give up, Gloria might just find out the answers… ISBN-10: 0-7582-3482-1 ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-3482-7 On sale now! Read an Excerpt Leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing for a copy of Bloody Awful, the latest book in Ms. Evans series. Not one, but two lucky winners will be drawn! Good Luck!

Autograph Project Winner is...Michelle!

Congrats, Michelle! Please email us at midnightmooncafe@ gmail .com (no spaces) with your name and mailing address. :)

Reader Mail: Happy Endings

No, not that kind of 'happy ending,' lol. Talking about the HEA, of course. The whole ...And they lived happily ever after.... thing. Readers, do you demand or at least expect a HEA or HFN from your romance books? How do you feel if you don't get it? Does it bother you? And what about characters who get lost in the shuffle of an author's deadlines? You know—the characters you think deserve their own story...maybe even the author teases you, making you think they are going to write that secondary character's love story...but it never happens. Sarah N. writes: Do authors stop thinking about their characters at some point? I mean, if you finish writing a book, and you leave them at HFN, do you think about them several books later and ever wonder how they are doing? I guess that time and distance would give them the chance to screw up their lives, become imperfect again. So do happy endings sort of depend on an author's indifference to past characters? Cass: Thanks, Sarah for the very thought-provoking question. I can only answer for myself, but I think those characters don't stop when we do. I like to believe they do go on and have a love story...or maybe some heartache and trials as well. But we authors aren't there at the moment to chronicle them. I hope that answers your question. :) Remember, if you have a question for any of the moonmaids, email us at midnightmooncafe @ gmail. com (no spaces) and if we pick your email, we'll answer it on our blog. Due to the high volume of email we receive, though, we cannot promise to answer every email personally. Sorry. :)

The Reader-Author Autograph Project...

So often I find a new author (or new to me author) and have trouble finding the first book in their series. I don’t know about you, but I hate starting in the middle of a series. It’s as bad to me as walking into a movie after it has started and you’ve missed the first half. Ugh. Sometimes the book is out of print and even on sites like Amazon or eBay, the cost can be five or ten times the original retail price. Ouch! In this economy, it makes sense to test drive an author, see if you like their style and voice, and then go buy their latest book. To help introduce readers to new authors, I decided to start a project. The project is similar to the Where’s George? Currency Tracker game. http://www.wheresgeorge.com/ I’ve taken a book that was signed by the author and am holding a contest to choose a winner. Sounds like your average book/blog contest, right? Well, with one small catch— I want your autographs! That’s right. If you enter this contest, you have to honor the rules if you win. And the rules are: 1. Once you’ve read the book, you agree to sign it with your name and location (country or state) and write a small comment underneath your signature saying what you liked and enjoyed about the book. 2. Now that you’ve signed the book, you must pass the book along to another reader, and then they in turn must sign it and write a comment. You can give it to a friend or have an online contest like mine. When the book has been read and signed by a total of 10 people, the book must be sent back to the 1st reader (the person who won my contest) and they must agree to contact me via email to notify me the book is back in their possession). :) 3. Once contacted, I will ask that they send the book back to me. (I will provide an SASE for their mailing costs). Then I will give the author back her book with all the reader comments. 4. Errata: If you didn’t like the book, please do not comment other than to say you read it. Still want to play my game? Cool. Then post a comment and I will pick a winner at random Monday night. Good Luck! Cass Want to play Cass’ autograph project game? One lucky reader will win a copy of Marcia Colette's novel Unstable Environment. The book already has two reader autographs, so eight more are needed! Won't you please help us gain autographs? All you have to do is comment on this post! A winner will be picked at random Monday night. Good Luck!

Pop Quiz: What Mexican Food Are You?

You Are a Quesadilla You are easy going and very laid back. You find a lot of happiness in life. You're content to go with the flow, and you can't stand uptight people. You are a loyal friend and family member. You truly put other people first. You enjoy feeling comforted and comforting others. You believe life is about the simple pleasures. What Mexican Food Are You?

Winner of Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac Contest

The winner of Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac Contest is... SHELLIE Congratulations, Shellie! Please email us at midnightmooncafe@ gmail. com (no spaces) with your full name and mailing address.

Hot Beach Reads

Good Things Come In Threes by Anya Bast, Jan Springer, and Shiloh Walker Released: July 14, 2009 The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu Coming: July 28, 2009 Dark Warrior Unbroken by Alexis Morgan Coming: July 28, 2009

The Midnight Brew Presents: Vicki Pettersson

Born and raised in Las Vegas where the Zodiac Series is set, Vicki has always been a voracious reader and writer. However, a post-college stint in PR convinced her she didn't want to spend her days writing on assignment ... so she did what any self-respecting Vegas girl would do. She became a showgirl. Ten years later she traded in her sequins for a laptop. She can most often be found haunting the true-life locales that appear in her urban fantasy series. The Midnight Moon Café is proud to present author Vicki Pettersson! MMC: Who influenced you the most in your writing? Vicki: Without a doubt, it was the indomitable Diana Gabaldon. I belonged to a writer’s forum that she did, and still does, frequent, and as far as I know she was one of the first authors to make herself so readily available to her readers — many of whom, like me, were aspiring writers. She exemplified what it was to be a working writer, and talked about her day - the way she juggled family with the writer’s lifestyle, the habits she created in order to satisfactorily do both - while maintaining a very pragmatic attitude about the work. No mumbo-jumbo about the “muse” and waiting to be inspired. Seeing this, hearing the way she created thousands of words a day, book after book, was better than inspiration. It gave me concrete steps to take in order to succeed as a writer. I always tell aspiring writers to find someone in the field that they admire, discover what they do, and then to emulate that. That way you’re learning from the very best. MMC: Let's talk a little about world-building. How did you come up with your backstory? And how does that setting affect your main characters? Vicki: It was very piecemeal…it came in fits and starts before taking on a life of its own. I think that’s normal for the first book in a series, or for stand-alones where you’re building a world that previously didn’t exist. A lot of it is recognizing that there are times to barrel forward with story and plot, and other times where it’s necessary to sit back and think a bit longer and harder about what kind of characters exist in this world, what it is that makes both them and the setting unique. A lot of times this can feel like you’re doing nothing, that you’ve put on the brakes and are just twiddling your thumbs, waiting for these people to speak to you. But it’s really active listening, just as you’d do in a conversation with another person. Additionally, the characters influence the setting as much as the setting influences the characters. When creating a new world you want to have people who could only exist in that particular time and place. Believe me, I wish my process was neater and more organized than that — I wish I could jot down the answers to a standard list of questions and then hit the page running — but it’s as messy as an archeological dig for me. The up side? Like archeology, the pleasure is in the discovery. MMC: When and where do you get your best writing done? Vicki: Early morning is preferable. I developed the habit of getting up before the household woke when I had an infant, which was hard at first, but I’d always cajole myself from bed with the mantra, ‘How bad do you want it, Vic?’ (Hint: it’s a bit easier to create that morning time if you push the alarm back in fifteen minute increments rather than a whole hour and a half in one go.) I secured that time, and still get up early, though now I have the freedom to write after I get my kidlet to school. To be honest, I’d worked nights for so long that it was a shock to discover I’m really a morning person. And the majority of my writing is done at home in total silence, with all my books and materials around me. I’ll switch it up and hit a coffee shop when cabin fever hits, but it’s not too long before I decide that all the things outside of my control - like traffic and loud talkers and interruptions and music - are really annoyances, and then it’s back in my cave. MMC: How much time did you dedicate to research for your stories? Vicki: Research runs concurrently with the storytelling. I research what I need when I need it, and when I feel like I’m stuck in a particular section of the book, it’s inevitably because I don’t have enough knowledge to proceed. That’s when I put down the pen and start learning more about my world and characters. A couple of days pass, and I’m good to go again. MMC: Where do you find inspiration for your work? Vicki: Well, the standard, boring answer is ‘everywhere’, isn’t it? But it’s true. I can look out the window, catch a bit of conversation as it floats by, see a person on the street and immediately begin making up a story about them. I actively fill the well with what I like to call sexy social science. I have a whole file for things like how bones grow and the function of memory and change blindness and dark energy and … well, really anything I can randomly pick up. I’m like a total magpie that way. I see something shiny, something that lights up my own gray matter, and I hoard it. Some of it gets used, some of it doesn’t, but it’s all interesting. Malcolm Gladwell’s books are good for that. So are the Op-Ed pieces in the Times. Magazine articles are great because if you find something interesting, someone else has already done the legwork to distill those ideas into their most tangible, interesting tidbits. You can pull on one of those strings and it’ll lead in an entirely new direction, one maybe the author never intended. But that’s the point — finding what inspires you. MMC: Do you ever get stuck in a story? What do you do to break free? Vicki: Yep, and again, it’s usually because I don’t have enough information. Whether that means mining the story more deeply, and getting a greater sense of exactly what it is I mean to say, or diving into texts to figure out an exact plot point (on which the entire book inevitably hinges) then that’s what I do. For example, last week I needed to know exactly what a symbol looked like and what it represented in the Zodiac world, and to my characters. I’d previously put the description in brackets, intending to think on it and come back to it later. I wanted its meaning to be invoked from the story, and not force some sort of arbitrary meaning onto the story (if that makes sense). But I reached a point where I simply couldn’t continue without knowing what that symbol was. So I took a step back, figured it out — and it was marginally frustrating because it was four hours of thinking time for maybe two lines of text — but then I was able to hit my word count goals with clarity of mind. The good thing is that I’m getting better at recognizing what I need to do and when (in terms of research or plotting or ‘wordage’) and I can switch up on a moment’s notice. So maybe I’m getting better at this writing thing. MMC: How do you celebrate when you complete a book? Vicki: I have a writer’s journal where I list all the wonderful things I’m going to do upon completion of a book, but what I really end up doing is walking around for about half a week, dazed from all of the free space in my head (it’s like too much oxygen or something) and then I start getting antsy. A week later, I’m ready to start thinking about another story. It’s just sick. MMC: What do you know now you wished you'd known "then"? Vicki: I wished I’d known before I was published that it was a golden time. No other voices in my head, no pressure from a publisher or readers to produce, just me and my sticky imagination piecing things together in a way that pleased me. So much of my time now is taken up by the peripheral things that accompany being a published author that it can actually interfere with getting to the words. So that silent time before publication is now something I look back on a bit wistfully, though of course at the time it was as fraught with uncertainty as anything I’m facing now. MMC: Let's say you've just landed a movie deal, and you get to pick the actress who'll play your heroine Joanna Archer. Who would you pick? And why? Vicki: I’ve not yet found a satisfactory Joanna. So far she exists only in my mind. I keep trying to envision a blond Megan Fox, but she’s a bit one-dimentional yet. Too sexy and not enough toughness. So I’m still searching for the perfect Jo. MMC: Can you give us a sneak preview of your next book? Is it a continuation of your series, or is it something completely different? Vicki: CITY OF SOULS is the fourth installment in the Signs of the Zodiac series, so yes, it is a continuation. I’m really interested in Joanna’s evolution in this series, so I’m pushing her hard and fast, and she undergoes more growth and change in this fourth book than any of the previous three. My advance readers have told me that this is their favorite so far, but that it’s also the most heartbreaking. That’s saying a lot considering what Jo has been through in the past, but if it’s any consolation … I cried, too. MMC: Do you have a newsletter, blog, or website where fans can read about you and your books? Vicki: My website is www.vickipettersson.com, and there’s a contact page there where people can write to me about the books. I’m a little late in starting a newsletter, but I’m developing something now that I hope will be a little more interactive than a traditional newsletter, and that should be popping up on the site anon! ~~~***~~~Contest Time~~~***~~~ Leave a comment to enter a drawing to win a copy of one of Ms. Pettersson's books, winner's choice! Contest ends at midnight tonight (July 16, 2009), and the winner will be announced Friday. Good Luck!

Story Inspiration

I'm not sure how other authors get their inspiration, but I get mine looking at pictures of half-nekkid men who whisper naughty things in my ear...well, actually I only imagine they lean over and whisper, but still... ;-) ...whatever the source, as a writer it's my duty to listen. The guy in the picture might be potential hero material. Looking at the model in this photo, I already know he is a shifter, an aquatic one at that! The musculature, the tanned skin, the ocean and beach in the background. Oh yes, this dude is a prime candidate for Project Hero. What do you think he does for a living (not the model, but this potential hero brought to *life* in our imaginations)? A surfer? Sure. But he'd better be a pro on the circuit, or he's going to need a day job to support his surfing ways. Lifeguard. Yes. That makes sense...but it's also a little too convenient and pat. Boring. Hmm, what about something different? What do you think this handsome hero does for a living? ~Cass

At The Next Midnight Brew...

This Thursday, July 16, our guest will be the author of the Signs of The Zodiac urban fantasy series, Vicki Pettersson. Her latest book is City of Souls: The Fourth Sign of The Zodiac. ISBN010: 978-0-06-145678-7 Joanna Archer, Agent of Light, has survived a violent initiation into the paranormal world lurking behind the seedy seams of Las Vegas. She's found a home, friends, and even t he chance for a new life and love. But evil never rests, and to save her beloved city, and herself, Joanna must venture into a new world hidden among the shadows, one where the line between good and evil is barely visible, every agent is a rogue ... and each breath could be her last. So mark your calendars for this Thursday, July 16! The Midnight Brew...feel the heat!

The Paranormal Hero

I am a big fan of the paranormal romance subgenre. Why? Well, for many reasons—multiple mythos to pull from, all levels of tone to work with from light and funny to dark and angsty, and best of all, unusual heroes. Unfortunately, for a subgenre so massive and flexible in its potential, a lot of what’s published these days in this subgenre is narrowly focused—at least where the hero is concerned. The apex hero is usually a vampire of multiple incarnations and interpretations or a shapeshifter of the lupine variety. Don’t get me wrong. I can definitely understand the appeal of the elegant, cruel vampire or the primal ferocity of the werewolf. I’m personally very fond of the mythical power of a dragon shapeshifter. I’ve written two dragon shifter heroes myself and can be easily inspired to write a third. However, I’d really like to see a little more variety in our paranormal heroes. There are new sprinklings of demons and the occasional angelis bunch (Sharon Shinn), but there’s so much more available to the writer in regards to the paranormal hero. A huge selection of manly goodness, from the celestial to bestial, is out there for the picking. I’ve read industry blog posts that say Greek gods have been done to death. Fair enough (I personally disagree. If anyone can direct me to a story featuring Hades as the romantic lead besides P.C. Cast’s book, please give me a shout-out). Pick other gods. Last I checked, the heavens are packed with deities representing every religion and continent, country and tribe on this planet. As a reader, I’d love to be sucked into a mythos I know little of but can be educated about while enjoying a good romance. Give me Cernunnos or Hades, Loki or Ryujin, Targitai or Guan-Yu (love this one—a god of war who tries to avoid confrontation). These gods are so culture-rich with such fascinating origins. Even the etymologies of their names vary and present interesting, often contrasting facts. A gold mine of information for an author. If you, the writer, want to stick with the creature/shapeshifter/hybrid variety, I’m there, but give me something more than a wolf pack. How about satyrs and seraphim, grigori and nephilim, centaurs and mermen, selkies and nagas? In many cases, their physical makeup alone forces the writer to think outside the box, come up with a new and original way of telling the story so the romance can advance along with the plot. Centaur male with a human woman? That’s a challenge. Beyond completely different body structures, we have size differential in key areas. Can you make it work and still make it believable without making me, the reader, roll my eyes or have my squick-o-meter go berserk? How do you make love to a winged being? Do they always have to be on top so as not to crush the wings? Would your allergies fire up the moment you snort a down feather up your nose? Would you make the “fish” part of a merman fish-like or more dolphin/mammalian? Nephilim are described as giant offspring of angels and human women. Another size differential issue. The “ouch” factor is an understatement here. Now, with all that being said, it’s easy as a reader for me to say “Oh hell yeah! Bring it on! I wanna see some Naga luv!” As a writer, I look at the enormous amount of research and logistics that would have to go into this kind of character and think “Are you insane?!” I’d love to write a romance with a centaur hero, but I’d need to carve out the time to understand the proposed physiology of such an odd hybrid. Head and torso of a man on the body of a horse. Are there two hearts and two stomachs? How does the spine connect from human back to horse back? Does a centaur suffer from the same risks of foundering that a horse does? Where would you put a penis on a naga? What would it look like? A human male’s penis or the penis of a snake (squick-o-meter already starting to buzz at that image)? And who would I ask? A vet? A doctor? Yeah, I can see the expression now and that’s before I tell them I’m doing research for a romance novel. Bet you can picture that look, eh? We won’t even discuss the problematic technicalities of mating in these two cases. Still, the very mind boggling challenge inherent with writing such a hero is a siren song itself. Of my many projects in progress or simply simmering in my mind’s cauldron, I’ve continued to toy with a story involving a satyr hero. After that, maybe I’ll try my hand at the naga or centaur. It’s a veritable buffet of paranormal studs out there for writers to play with and readers to enjoy. Worth a try, yes?

Party Clean-up, Hangovers, and Contest Winners Recap

I hope no one suffered a virtual hangover from the luau yesterday. ::grins:: I think I have the hang of this hula stuff, too. ;) In case you missed it, here is a recap of yesterday's winners. If you see your name listed, remember you have 30 days to contact us and claim your prize. Chris Cyberclipper Crystal GB Sarabelle Congratulations to all! Cass & Cora

MMC 3rd Anniversary Bash — Luau Style!

Welcome to the Midnight Moon Cafe's Third Anniversary Celebration! We're happy you've chosen to join us in celebrating our third year together at the MMC group author blog. We have a Tiki Bar set up for those who would like to have icy cold and yummy mixed drinks...just stop by and leave a comment to get your drink. Blog chatting is encouraged. :) While you are relaxing with your frozen drink by the beach, please enjoy the entertainment we hired for the occasion. :) Order when you're ready! I might actually have the hang of this! Hula Power! :D Is it so wrong to admit these guys get me hot? :P Oh, forgot to mention, if you leave a comment, you will be entered into the drawing for a MMC T-shirt! And sexy Javier Lopez will be by later to help me give away a Cassandra Curtis Shifting Tides mouse pad and cool magnet so check back tonight and see how you can win!

Follow Me on Twitter Contest

You followed us and followed the clues on Twitter, but did you solve the contest? Well, if you answered Wave Rider by Cora Zane, then you did! Woo-hoo! The first three people to respond with the correct answer were: Pam P. Yolanda Sfetsos Janet K. Congratulations to all three winners! You've won a wicked cool talisman pin and author bookmarks and more prize packet! Remember to check back later today for some hot summer fun with the moonmaids and friends 3rd Anniversary Luau Party! Woo-hoo!

Twitter Contest and A Special Friday Finds

Follow the MMCAuthors on Twitter for your chance to win as we reveal the clues to unlock the answer to the MMC Treasure Chest O' Fun. :) Thursday, Cora and Cass shared clues with readers. Today more clues will be added. Think about all the clues given on both days. Do you know the answer? Once you think you know it, email us at midnightmooncafe @ gmail. com (no spaces) with your answer. If you are one of the first three readers with the correct answer, you'll win a talisman pin and author bookmarks and more prize pack. Contest ends Friday night at midnight. All the winners will be announced Saturday during our 3rd Anniversary Party! Hope to see you there! Good Luck! A Special Friday Finds Check out Cora's Blog today. You'll be glad you did. ;-) Also, check out next week's Midnight Brew guest author Vicki Pettersson's book, City of Souls. Her series is one of the most original and creative we've ever read here at the Café. Pettersson's fourth explosive supernatural novel of superheroes and dark adventure, set behind the scenes in Sin City, finds warrior Joanna Archer thrown into a new world hidden from mortal sight, where Joanna's price of admission is a piece of her own soul.

Follow Us On Twitter and Win!

Today and tomorrow, we'll be posting clues for our readers on twitter. Collect all the clues, piece the puzzle together and you'll win a very magickal talisman pin and a bookmarks and more packet of goodies from the Midnight Moon Café. If you don't Twitter, just follow the 'bluebird of happiness' to join and get started! You'll be given instructions on how to send us your answer (if you think you know the solution to the puzzle) tomorrow (Friday). So hold off on sending us your answers. Good Luck!

Winner of Spyder's Web by Suzanne Rock is...

Grace Conley! Congratulations, Grace! Please email us at midnightmooncafe@ gmail. com (no spaces) with your file format preference so we can forward your information to Ms. Rock.

Behind the Mask with Suzanne Rock

First off, I would like to thank the ladies at Midnight Moon Cafe for letting me hang out here and talk about my newest release, Spyder's Web. I'm super excited about it and I hope by the end of the post, you will be, too. ;) Now, if you'll let me, I'll tell you a little about the novella, and give you the more information/buy link. Then I'll give you a little behind the scenes peek at how Spyder's Web came to be. ;) _________________________________ Spyder's Web is a m/f Paranormal Shape-Shifter Novella and is available HERE from Loose-Id. Blurb: I have a dark secret. I’m cursed with an intense sexual desire which can never be satisfied. If I abstain, I go mad. If I have sex, I black out and my partner ends up dead. The only way to break the curse is to find my protector and soul mate, but I have yet to find him. Until then, I just try to get by... James is a cop who thinks I’m the "Black Widow" serial killer people are talking about. He's watching in the shadows, waiting for me to slip up so he can send me to jail. My curse longs to claim him, but I resist because he saved my life. Soon, I will need him to do it again. Now his morbid fascination with me has turned into an obsession. I don't know how much longer I can keep him at arm's length. I'm not sure I want to... Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, violence, voyeurism. ________________________________ As a writer, one of the first decisions I made (other than “Yes, I want to be a writer.” LOL) is what to write. Let me tell you, this was a tough decision. Will I write sexy, sassy contemporaries? A traditional historical with snappy dialogue? A sweet inspirational? Or a dark paranormal? Maybe some combination of the above? I always liked dark, edgy stories, but thought they didn't sell very well. No one in my family or circle of friends liked to read them. It seemed like light, fun contemporaries were the only stories people wanted to read (at least in my world). When I started my path to publication, I stumbled upon a close and supportive group of writers who wrote light-hearted, sexy contemporaries in that “Sex in the City” style (yeah, it was the chic-lit craze). Since they were my friends and I was at a loss as to what to do, I decided to pen my very first romance aimed at Harlequin Presents. It wasn't very good. Okay, that's an understatement. It was pretty bad. It got a rejection, so I tried the Desire line. That, too, got rejected. Both said the same thing: the story wasn't a good fit for the line. Really? That couldn' be right. At that point I had read a lot of Desire and Presents novels and knew what they wanted. I thought I delivered. Evidently not. Looking back, I know why my stories got rejected. I don't have a writing voice that fits well with either the Desire or Presents lines. I know some of you are rolling your eyes, thinking “There she goes again, with that elusive word, voice.” I swear, it's true. I naturally fall into that edgy, dark, suspenseful feel. Just read the opening lines to my story, Spyder's Web. Read it once for content, then again, paying attention not to WHAT I say, but HOW I say it. Can you picture me writing this way for Desire or Presents? ________________________________ Every time I fuck, somebody dies. I know what you’re thinking: this woman’s crazy. I assure you, I’m not. It doesn’t matter the time, place, or position, the end result is always the same. All my attempts to gain fulfillment leave me greatly disappointed and my partner, well, dead. I’ve tried to abstain, believe me. It doesn’t last long. Abstinence brings the madness. Not the benign dementia that sometimes comes with old age, but the bad kind. It controls my thoughts and actions, and I’m reduced to nothing more than an animal in heat. Only fucking will bring me clarity. I fight it, of course, but the need always wins. Always. I don’t want to kill people, honest. I’ve searched the world over trying to find a cure. In my darkest moments, it seems like an early death is the only way out. Truth is, I don’t want to die. There’s one person who can help me. I just have to find him. My mate, the one destined to be my partner and protector, the one who can ease my desire without consequence. With him, I can put my condition behind me and live a normal life. I hope. ________________________________ Read the full first chapter here. Can't picture me writing for Presents? Me neither. :) Not that there is anything wrong with either the Desire or Presents lines. I love to read them. It's just when I try to write them, they come out all wrong. Evil demons end up in the coffee shop and my heroine pulls her sword to protect the hero, who is the last in a family of vampires looking for a mate... You get the picture. Back then, I was hiding my dark, edgy voice underneath something that I thought was a better fit with the public, something I thought people would want to read. I wasn't true to my writing or to myself. The same could be said of my heroine, Spyder. In the beginning of the story, she was pretending to be something she wasn't: a normal human being. She tried to blend in with society, only her curse wouldn't let her. It wasn't until she dealt with what happened in her past and trusted James enough to believe in her future, that she could shed her mask and become truly happy. It took some time, but I finally realized that one of the big reasons I was being rejected was that I was trying to fit my dark, edgy writing voice into a light humorous package and sell it to Harlequin. It was only when I embraced my true voice, the more emotional, darker, edgier side, that I sold my first story. I'm so thankful that I peeled off the mask and became true to my inner muse. Otherwise, I might still be writing contemporary romances with really bad jokes in the dialogue. LOL (I mean REALLY BAD. I cringe just thinking about it.) So what about all of you? Did you ever do something just because you thought it was in fashion or popular? This could be anything from writing, to using a catch phrase in every day conversation, to choosing your wardobe. Do you still do it? Or did you finally take off your mask? Tell me about it in the comment section. One lucky commenter will receive a FREE copy of Spyder's Web. And really, who doesn't like free stuff? :) _________________________________ To learn more about Suzanne Rock, go to her website HERE or her group blog HERE, or her yahoo group HERE. She also likes to hang out on FACEBOOK and TWITTER and is always looking for more friends.

Truth or Dare Door Prize Winners - recap

Star #4 - Cecile Star #7 - Terri W. Star #21 - Carmen R. Star #23 - Michelle B. Please contact us with your name and snail mail address so we can send your prizes! Congratulations to all our winners!

Expose Yourself! Fun and Games With A Twist!

Ready for some naughty good fun? Today at the MMC blog, we are playing TRUTH or DARE The pictures below represent various things, events, or activities you may have done before. The questions start out tame and then get spicy. If you've done the activity or been to the place the picture represents, then on your comment you would leave a yes. If you haven't done the activity or been to the place, you would say no. Simple. Except...and this is the naughty part...other MMC readers today can challenge you on any of your answers (DARE!). And if they do, you have to reveal something naughty you've done! Be careful, because if you tell a fib, you might get a DOUBLE DARE! And that is very naughty indeed. If someone DOUBLE DARES you, then you'll have to DO something very naughty, not just talk about it! LOL. The moonmaids will be in charge of the naughty doings, so watch out! Because you never know what wicked sexy fun things we'll devise for you to do. Hee, hee... Throughout the day as we play TRUTH or DARE, Cora and I will randomly draw a numbered star from the wishing bag and the post that corresponds to that number wins a goodies packet that includes a colorful and cool talisman pin and author promo goodies. If someone accidently posts and then has to delete their post, that counts as a skip and is not assigned a number. If anyone has questions, leave them in the comments and I, Cora, or a staff member will answer as soon as possible. Q&A comments also will not be given a number and will be skipped according to the rules. Please Note: Must be 18+ to play and enter the game for prizes. Sorry. Got it? Okay! Then let's play MMC's naughty TRUTH or DARE! 1. Have you ever flicked a lighter during a concert? Can you say FREEBIRD? LOL 2. Have you ever collected seashells by the seashore? 3. Have you ever made love on the beach at sunset? 4. Have you and your (husband, boyfriend, partner, lover) ever dressed up in matching costumes? 5. Have you ever played sexy games with your (husband, boyfriend, partner, lover) ? 6. Have you ever taken sexy dancing lessons? 7. Have you ever stripped or pole danced for the fun of it with friends, or for your lover/husband? 8. Have you ever given your (husband, boyfriend, partner, lover) a lap dance? 9. Ever make out on your parent's sofa with your (husband, boyfriend, partner, lover)? And we don't mean when ya'll were teenagers dating. Oh no, we mean as adults! rofl. 10. Ever make out with your (husband, boyfriend, partner, lover) on a washing machine?

Master of Crows Contest - The Winners

The winners of Ms. Draven's Master of Crows Contest Are... The King of Hel ebook goes to...Delitealex! Draconus ebook goes to...Phyllis C.! Wyvern ebook goes to Lady Vamp! and the winner of a free download of Master of Crows is...Sela C.! Congratulations to all our winners! Please email us at midnightmooncafé @ gmail. com (no spaces) with your preferred file format. Thanks for sharing the fun!

Yahoo eLoop Contest!

We're holding a Yahoo eLoop contest today for our fans who subscribe to our Yahoo MMC Newsletter Group. One name will be drawn from among our list of subscribers and contacted for a cool prize — An MMC T-shirt depicting our mascot—mojo cat! What? You don't belong to our Yahoo group? Click on the join button on our blog (sidebar) and get in on the game! T-shirt is 100% cotton, pre-shrunk, size 2x. Winner will be announced on our eLoop this week. Contest ends Wednesday, July 8th at noon!

Warehouse 13

After saving the life of the President, two Secret Service agents find themselves abruptly transferred to Warehouse 13 - a massive, top secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota that houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. Strange artifacts, relics, and objects? I don't think they've checked Cora's mysterious spare bedroom. ;-) lol. I bet they make a reference to having the Ark of the Covenant (from Indiana Jones' Raiders of The Lost Ark there, too). lol. It's an interesting premise, although not a very original one. Still, it might be worth a try, especially if you are as sick of 'reality' t.v. as I am. For more info on Warehouse 13, go to: http://www.scifi.com/warehouse13/

Master of Crows - a fantasy romance novel - Book Release Party

Feared by a priesthood Coveted by a god Tempted by a slave MASTER OF CROWS by Grace Draven In 2005, I snapped awake from a deep sleep with this fully realized character and story buzzing around in my brain. Still groggy, I crawled out of bed, lurched my way in the dark to the study, nearly broke my neck tripping on a Lego piece and fell into the chair to turn on the computer. I’m pretty sure I typed the first six or seven sentences of this new tale with my eyes closed. And thus began months of blissful inspiration writing Master of Crows all the way to “The End.” Uhm…no. I think I rewrote Chapter One at least a baker’s dozen times, drove my two primary beta readers crazy for months with chapter reads, phone rants and pathetic requests for advice. The fact that neither of them had me lined up against a wall and shot for being a sheer pain in the ass is testimony to their patience, dedication and friendship. I sometimes forgot to feed my husband and children supper , woke up at the crack of midnight on Saturday mornings to hammer out a scene, let the laundry pile up to Himalayan size heights and declined lunch invitations from my co-workers. The fact that my children still think I’m the world’s greatest mom, the spouse hasn’t stuck me out on the curb with a “Free to a Good Home” sign on my neck and my co-workers don’t think I’m an asshat snob is testimony to their tolerance, humor and understanding. When I finally wrote “The End” to Master of Crows, I got up from my chair, filched my spouse’s bottle of 25 Year Balvenie and sipped away at a wee dram of some damn fine single malt whiskey. Of course “The End” isn’t really the end. There are edits and more edits and edits beyond those edits. I can truthfully and literally say I’ve read this story forward and backward several times. I proofread my galley while suffering through the stomach flu and wondering if I was going to puke in my lap. Yeah, the life of an author. It really is about the glamour. ;D Was the book worth all the late nights, early mornings, bad housekeeping and delayed dinners? Dudes…of course it was. We don’t write this stuff because it’s easy. We write it because there’s a size 7 compulsion shoved up our butts and one stomping on our heads to write, Write, WRITE! Do we love it? Yeah, for the most part. There’s the good, the bad and the OMGWTFBBQ!!! But it’s all part of the process, the drive to tell the story. With that being said, I’m happy as a calipha in a harem full of Gerard Butlers to announce the official release of MASTER OF CROWS—a fantasy romance novel—from Amber Quill Press: http://www.amberquill.com/MasterCrows.html/MasterCrows.html Here’s a short blurb as shown on the website: What would you do to win your freedom? That is the question which sets bondwoman, Martise of Asher, on a dangerous path. In exchange for her freedom, she has bargained with her masters, the mage-priests of Conclave, to spy on the renegade sorcerer, Silhara of Neith. The priests want Martise to expose the sorcerer’s treachery and turn him over to Conclave justice. A risky endeavor, but one she accepts without hesitation—until she falls in love with her intended target. Silhara of Neith, Master of Crows, is a desperate man. The god called Corruption invades his mind, seducing him with promises of limitless power if he will help it gain dominion over the world. Silhara struggles against Corruption’s influence and searches for ways to destroy the god. When Conclave sends Martise as an apprentice to help him, he knows she’s a spy. Now he fights a war on two fronts—against the god who would possess him and the apprentice who would betray him. Mage and spy search together for a ritual that will annihilate Corruption, but in doing so discover secrets about each other that may damn them both. Silhara must decide if his fate, and the fate of nations, is worth the soul of the woman he has come to love, and Martise must choose continued enslavement or freedom at the cost of a man’s life. And love. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ And a different excerpt than what appears on the website: She was no more winsome in the morning than at day’s end. Silhara’s new apprentice looked much as she had when he first met her, dressed in a tunic and skirts too large for her, her hair bound in a tight bun and coiffed with torn spider web. When he stumbled into the kitchen, half-blinded by the morning light, he was startled to see her. And then he remembered. Conclave’s answer to his request for help. He didn’t know whether to laugh or curse. What in Bursin’s name was he supposed to do with a helper who couldn’t perform the simplest spell or lift a basket of oranges? He sipped his tea and regarded her over the rim of his cup. Damned priests. Couldn’t they have saddled him with someone pretty? A woman with generous curves and breasts to smother in? Someone he could tup in the hallway while she searched for secrets and schemed of ways to betray him? Instead, they sent this ordinary, diffident, untalented girl. At best, her presence was a nuisance; at worst, a dangerous impediment. Still, she wasn’t as colorless as she first appeared. She’d caught him by surprise with her retort about the dust, revealing a flash of wit followed by an impressive blush. She made him wonder—and smile. That alone gave him pause. Silhara couldn’t remember the last time he’d found something worth smiling about that didn’t involve mockery, yet in the last ten minutes Cumbria’s little spy almost coaxed a laugh out of him with her comment and the way she eyed him when he offered her the orange. He didn’t think her expression could be more suspicious or fearful if he’d held out a live pit viper. “Are you going to eat it?” He pointed to the orange, untouched next to her bowl. She stiffened, as if bracing herself for something unpleasant. He noted her hands as she reached reluctantly for the fruit. Her knuckles were red, chafed—like his. Like Gurn’s. This was a woman who labored in Cumbria’s household. No pampered ward here, but one who did menial work. There was a meticulous grace in the way she peeled the orange and something entrancing in the way she ate it. She bit into the segment slowly, either from caution or enjoyment, and her actions riveted his attention. He shook his head. Gods, it’s been too long since I’ve had a woman. He smirked when her eyes widened after the first bite. “It’s so sweet!” “’Twas no empty boast when I said we harvested the best fruit here. Neith’s oranges always sell out at market.” He didn’t share in her appreciation. Oranges were a staple of his diet, and he loathed them. He conquered the urge to gag each time he ate one. But eat them he did, always with the thought that some day he might grow to like them and rid himself of the memory tied to them. Martise finished the orange with more enthusiasm but refused his offer of another. She complimented Gurn on his porridge, and the two shared a warm smile. Their immediate camaraderie puzzled Silhara. This wasn’t the mating dance of man and maid, more a recognition of long-separated friends finally reunited. He’d noted Gurn’s immediate attachment to the girl. Martise appeared to return the servant’s affections. His eyes narrowed. They knew nothing of her save what Cumbria told them. There was more to Martise of Asher than nervous blushes and a melodious voice. She had an agenda or she wouldn’t be here. He’d grind her into the dirt before he let her use Gurn to get to him. He was tempted to tell her of Gurn’s origins—how Silhara found him rotting in a Prime prison for literally breaking a man in half across his knee—but thought better of it. He didn’t relish the idea of an irritated Gurn tearing his head off his shoulders and throwing it across the courtyard for revealing private things to a stranger. A snide remark on their attachment hovered on his lips, stopped only by a foul scent rising up from beneath the table. “Bursin’s wings! What is that smell?” He raised an eyebrow at Martise. Her eyes widened. “Not me. I bathed this morning.” Gurn nudged him and pointed in the direction of his feet. He bent to peer under the table and almost gagged. Cael lay stretched out on the floor, reeking worse than the shambling, half rotten dog that invaded Neith at Corruption’s command. He shoved Cael with one foot, and the hound growled a warning. “Out of here, Cael. Now.” He shoved harder this time. Cael snapped half-heartedly at his toes before abandoning his spot and slinking out the open door leading to the bailey. Silhara watched him go before turning his attention back to Martise. “Gurn told me my mage-finder verified Cumbria’s story. You are Gifted.” She paled and lowered her eyes to mask their expression. “Yes. Gurn introduced us.” Her extraordinary voice had gone flat, hiding a wealth of emotion in the same way her downcast eyes did. He wasn’t fooled. She was angry he’d used Cael in ascertaining the truth. “Cael is a valued member of my household, Martise. I trust his judgment more than I trust most anyone else’s. Regardless of Conclave’s wishes and Cumbria’s generosity in sending me his ward as an apprentice, if Cael didn’t approve of you, you wouldn’t stay.” She met his gaze, her copper-coin eyes unflinching and resolute. “The bishop paid you for four months of my upkeep.” Anger shot through him, incinerating the last vestiges of drowsiness. She dared to challenge him! He bared his teeth at her, barely placated when she flinched. Still, she refused to lower her eyes. “Aye, he did,” he said. “And when I send his insolent ward back to him, I’ll include a note stating the exorbitant cost of porridge and a Neith orange has made it necessary for me to recover my expenses by keeping all his coin.” The tension in the kitchen was thick enough to cut. Silhara’s temper rose with it until Martise exhaled a defeated sigh. Her voice was even, her gaze carefully blank and tranquil as she focused on a point over his left shoulder. “I’m being impertinent. I am sorry, Master.” “Somehow I doubt that.” She shot him a surprised look. “But I think we begin to understand each other.” ~*~*~*~*~*~ If you decide to introduce yourself to Silhara and Martise, I hope you enjoy their journey. And if you're wondering about the sprinkling of artwork, I wanted to show off some of the awesome stuff I licensed and commissioned for this project. The first one is by the talented Melissa Findley whose work can be found at Deviant Art under the name Mercuralis. The last illustration is by the equally creative Nathie Block who can also be found at Deviant Art by the same name. Please visit their galleries and browse. You'll be glad you did. Grace Draven - http://grace-draven.livejournal.com/ ~*~*~*~*~*~ CONTEST TIME ~*~*~*~*~*~ To celebrate the release of my latest book, I am giving away prizes to MMC readers. Leave a comment on this post to enter a draw to win. Four prize winners will be picked from the comments. Contest ends Monday afternoon (3PM CST) and the winners will be announced Monday night. Remember to check back to see if you've won! Prizes are: 1 free download of Master of Crows in your choice of e-book format http://www.amberquill.com/MasterCrows.html From my backlist, the following: 1 free download of Wyvern in your choice of e-book format http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/Wyvern.html 1 free download of Draconus in your choice of e-book format http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/Draconus.html 1 free download of The King of Hel in your choice of e-book format http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/KingHel.html Good Luck!

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing our American readers a very Happy 4th of July! Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for moonlette Grace Draven's Book Release Party for her latest fantasy romance - Master of Crows! Hope to see you there! Now, pass the hot dog buns. ;)

Lex Valentine's Contest Winners!

First, we want to thank Ms. Valentine for stopping by the Café and Doin' the 'Brew! You're always a welcome sight whenever you visit the Café. Now, what you've been waiting for...the winners of Lex's Midnight Brew Contest. The winner of a free download of Hot Water is... Becky The winner of a free download of Shifting Winds is... Irwirum (Larena) The winner of a free download of Sunday's Child—The Wise Guy is... Heather B. The winner of a free download of Mating is... Susilien The winner of a free download of Fire Season is... Valerie O. The winner of a free download of The Pixie Prince is... Nicole Z. The winner of a free download of Thrilled, which includes Silver Lining is... Caffey and finally, the winner of a free download of Runaways is... Natasha A. Congratulations to all the winners! Hoo-Weee! That's a whole lotta lovin' goin' on. :D Please email us at midnightmooncafe@ gmail .com (no spaces) so we can forward your information to Lex. Please include your preferred file format in your email.

The Midnight Brew Presents: Lex Valentine

Lex has been writing ever since she could hold a pencil. At age eight, she submitted poetry for school contests. In her teens, she wrote short stories and more poetry. By the time she was in her mid-twenties, she’d written lyrics for her band No Exit’s songs, and had written a novel called Note By Note about a rock star. The novel was written long hand (gasp!) and has since been lost, but Lex continued writing. A few years ago, Lex got caught up writing in an online paranormal serial story. As she began to write more and more, fans of the story told her she needed to start writing things to submit to publishers. After starting a blog, and becoming involved in the blogosphere, more people and even some authors, began to encourage her to submit her writing. That is how this all began. The Midnight Moon Café is please to welcome paranormal erotic romance author Lex Valentine. MMC: Who influenced you the most in your writing? Lex: I don't know really. I know that my 7th & 8th grade English teacher Mrs. Betty Hodgins was so relentless that her lessons in structure, vocabulary, and usage stick to this day. I know that I write what I personally like to read - hot sex, some humor, main characters with tortured souls, great HEAs. I can't really say one author or person though. It's been a lot of different things and people. MMC: Do you remember the first paranormal romance you ever read? Lex: I've always been into vampires. I had a huge collection of vampire books in the 80's although I got Interview with the Vampire from my sister Jeannette on my 17th birthday. The idea of marrying a romance to a vampire book always intrigued me. I remember reading Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint Germain vampire books thinking they would be HUGE. They were truly among the first paranormal romances for me. But paranormal the way the genre is now? The first one I read was Katie MacAlister's Sex, Lies and Vampires. MMC: Let's talk a little about world-building. How did you come up with your backstory? And how does that setting affect your main characters? Lex: I always had this little magical world of wizards and sorceresses floating in my head from the time I was a teenager. I kept adding elements to it in my mind for years before I started committing it to paper. The Darkworld has been my world for more than 23 years. I have a WIP of that vintage with information on the Dark Realm as I called it then. It's evolved into the Five Realms, one of which is the Darkworld. The Darkworld is exactly like the world we live in except that there are other races that live amongst the humans - vampires (Acerbians), werewolves, the many races of the fae, dragons, and the Magia ( the magical race - wizards, witches). I try to make the reader feel as if they could walk into any bar and find the snarky elf Karl with a K from Hot Water sitting at there. It's a very urban fantasy sort of setting. Because it's just like our world, my characters don't have reactions that are phenomenal. They react to things just like you or I do. Sometimes their reactions are based on what they are (vampire, dragon, etc) but their emotions and feelings are something all of us can relate to. I'm not really sure where it all came from in the beginning. Just my teenage daydreams, I suppose. MMC: When and where do you get your best writing done? Lex: On the weekends in Word Wars with my author friends. I can easily do 6-10K words in a day when I'm pushing myself with them. They are not only great whip wielders and cheerleaders, but we help each other when someone is stuck. Word Wars is done in Yahoo IM conference. Someone (usually Dee Carney or L. Shannon) puts time on the clock (10, 20, or 30 mins), cracks the whip on us, and at ready, set, go! we write until time is up. Then we give a word count and sometimes share a paragraph of what we wrote or help someone who is stuck. Then we do it again… and again… MMC: How much time did you dedicate to research for your stories? Lex: Not a lot really. Most of my stories are straight out of my head. Although I did have to spend some time with my DH and his Guns & Ammo magazines once. LOL Because the Darkworld is so much like Earth I don't have to spend my time digging for stuff. Occasionally, I have to Google something or use Free Translation, but it doesn't take long. MMC: Where do you find inspiration for your work? Lex: In everything. My daughter's cat deciding to "mark" me will end up in Corey's story Sunstroked. The fact that I work at a cemetery inspired the death care industry setting of most of the Tales books. I get ideas from songs, Twitter, my friends, other books I read, outrageous things people say… you name it, I've gotten an idea from it. I use my blogger friends in my stories too. Sometimes it's just their name like in my Pink Chair Diaries story The Wiz & the Chair. I borrowed blogger Justin Scott's (itsjustjustin.com) name for the character. I asked him about it and told him it was a M/M story. He read it afterward and loved it. Other times, it's more complicated. Karl with a K from Hot Water is patterned after the snarkiness of my friend Karl Erikson of secondhandkarl.com. The kindness and helpfulness of Marty Mankins of banalleakage.com has become Marty the Fairy Godfather in The Pixie Prince. The levity and humor of Gooster on Twitter (goostersd.blogspot.com) went into the creation of wildling Corey Green in Hot Water and Sunstroked. The cool composure and chivalrous behavior of Iron_Fist (iron-fist.net) became the unflappable black dragon Vahid Delrey in Hot Water, Fire Season, and Ride the Lightning. The snarky exterior and heart of gold of Hillary St. Cloud in What You Wish For was inspired by Hilly of snackiepoo.com. And the always working but ready to party personality of Becky-Hellohahahnarf (midnightcliff.com) became the inspiration for an untitled Rapunzel Twisted tale where the heroine's name is Becks. MMC: How much of your life becomes incorporated in your novels? Lex: Nothing personal really. General things like working for a cemetery or bits of the people I know. The only story that is in the least personal for me is Silver Lining. I went home to my hometown before I met my current DH. I went to see my ex and found my stuff - things I'd given him - all over the apartment. My sheets on his bed, my Nagle on the wall, etc. It was surreal. When I got home I had this dream about a woman who broke up with a man she truly loved and was never happy again. She meets a man online who sparks her like her old lover did. When she goes to meet him… it's the old lover and the things that drove them apart in the past have now become unimportant. MMC: How do you celebrate when you complete a book? Lex: I don't really. I just move on to the next project. I have a lot of irons in the fire so there is always something pressing when I finish. I never have downtime. MMC: What do you know now you wished you'd known "then"? Lex: Not known but done… I wish I had been driven to succeed at writing in my 20's the way I am now. MMC: Can you give us a sneak preview of your next book? Is it a continuation of your series, or is it something completely different? Lex: I have three books releasing this month. The first is The Pixie Prince, a novella length twisted fairy tale from Cobblestone Press coming July 3. Next is Fire Season, a full-length M/M novel coming July 9 from Pink Petal Books. It's the third book in the Tales of the Darkworld series, but it's actually a prequel to Books 1 and 2. The third book is a short story, a companion to my June release from Freya's Bower. Runaways is the story of a werewolf who finds his mate suddenly. Here's a blurb for each and the trailer links: The Pixie Prince trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH6iTmjoRQA Blurb: Underwear model Max Fever has a problem. He’s just become the Pixie Prince and his inheritance includes big golden wings that won’t let him sleep on his back. Max has to find a soft mattress or spend the rest of his days with a bruised behind. An enigmatic waiter named Marty takes Max to club Carpe Noctem to meet a vampire who has a space foam mattress. Max falls in love with the mattress and its owner, vampire Bliss Wilde. Will the tragic pasts of Bliss’ brother and Max’s best friend become a roadblock to their bonding? Fire Season trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcg4cxhM-hA Blurb: Black dragon Holden Antaeus isn't looking for a mate. His life is filled with family, work, and dating. Women adore him and he's never short of offers for sex, but a relationship isn't something he's interested in. When Holden's brother Sean hires a new executive for Antaeus International, Holden's whole world, and everything he's ever believed about himself, is blown to bits. Garret Renquist is a green dragon, intelligent, witty, bi-sexual, and hot for Holden. Despite the fact that Holden is positive he's heterosexual, the moment he meets Garret, something happens inside him. What follows is a journey through stereotypes and ingrained beliefs as Holden struggles with the fact that his destined mate is a man. Runaways trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6owRuyai4 Blurb: Werewolf Ranulf Verlaine meets vampire Dante Allerton on a train bound for Paris. Overwhelmed by desire, the couple let their senses take over and before the train ride is through, they've become mates. Roul must break free of the pack that his twin brother rules while Dante cuts the controlling ties of her two older brothers. The two must quickly deal with the burdens of their pasts in order to run toward the promise of a future together. MMC: Do you have a newsletter, blog, or website where fans can read about you and your books? Lex: No newsletter yet, but I have comprehensive news about me on my author website at www.lexvalentine.com. I update it monthly usually. On my personal blog, Sunlight Sucks (www.sunlightsucks.com), I post Marcus Mondays (come see hot Marcus!) and ramble about my life and my friends and writing. I do have a blog on my author site but it's geared more toward writing rather than personal stuff. And I blog (and post the Humpday hotties) at a group blog called Flirty Author Bitches (www.flirtyauthorbitches.com) The Darkworld books have their own website at www.talesofthedarkworld.com. And I have a new Yahoo group called Tales of the Darkworld. We post naked hotties and rant and sometimes talk world building. Mostly, we look for video links of men kissing. ;) I said hotties a lot in this interview, didn't I? ;) ..:: CONTEST TIME ::.. To help kick off our third anniversary celebration, Ms. Valentine is giving away a free download to 3 lucky winners! That's right! 1 winner for Fire Season 1 winner for The Pixie Prince 1 winner for Runaways and a free download from her backlist as well to more lucky winners! Woot! Leave a comment to enter and you could be one of our lucky winners. Good Luck!

July Is Our Anniversary!

Lots of wonderful surprises in store for readers this month and the staff have been hard at work decorating the place for our anniversary bash. July 6-11 is our anniversary week. The fun, games, and prizes will be drool worthy. Make sure to attend the MMC 3rd Anniversary Bash on Saturday, July 11 for our hot Luau Party. All the hunky waiters will be wearing the swimwear readers picked out in our poll. ;-) Moonlette Grace Draven's Master of Crows comes out July 5 and is a masterful story you shouldn't miss. MMC Moonmaid Cora Zane has another fun and fabulous new release coming out this month (July 10) called Wave Rider (not a paranormal, but she's so good I just gotta mention it to our MMC readers. If you like Cora's para work, you should see the incredible way she can spin a contemporary, too!) We also have a great line up of guest authors blogging and participating in our Midnight Brew series this month.* Hope you'll be able to join us and help us celebrate turning three! *for a highlight of our schedule of events, check out the calendar at our website's home page: http://midnightmooncafe.com Sizzlin' Summer! Wednesday, July 1 - July 31 comment on any post at our blog during the contest period, and your name will be tossed into the hat for a cool prize drawing. One comment equals one entry into the hat. So the more comments you make throughout the contest period, the more your chances to win! The prize this month is a Celtic Greenman talisman pin, author bookmarks and more, and the paperback: Dark Warrior Unbroken by Alexis Morgan. Contest ends midnight, July 31, 2009. Winner will be announced August 1, 2009 at the MMC blog. Good Luck! Congratulations to last month's winner, Dottie, who walked away with some awesome prizes: Rob Thurman's Madhouse, and Linda O. Johnston's Back To Life, a way cool mermaid talisman pin and other bookmarks and more goodies! —Void where prohibited. We strive to make our prize winners happy! However, as with all our contests, it is the participant’s responsibility to check the blog to see if their name is announced as a winner, and/or to respond to winning notification emails in order to claim your prize. Any prizes that go unclaimed for 30 days after the close of a contest will be placed back into the MMC prize vault, or an alternate winner will be chosen.