This and THAT

Hey ya'll! If you haven't posted a comment this month, you have 'til midnight tonight to do it in order to be entered to win our monthly drawing for August. Even if you have entered and posted comments, you have one more chance to get in there now and comment on any previous post from August. 'Round about midnight, I will draw a name from the hat and the more times you've commented this month, the better your chances to win. This month's winner will received a magickal faery potion bottle necklace, a Lucky Buddha talisman, and a surprise paperback from the MMC vault. Woo-hoo!

September we've got several cool authors stopping by to tell us about their books and offer ya'll chances to win neat stuff. So I hope you'll be back for a Sensual September!

Don't forget, to read more about the moonmaids and the moonlettes, go to our websites and our personal blogs, follow us on Twitter, and MySpace.

::rubs hands together and cackles::

Just practicin' for October. lmao.

Cass

Winner of Cora's Birthday Party Bash is...

L.K.!

Congratulations! You've won a MMC T-shirt and goodies pack! Please email us with your name and address so we can send your prize!* Send with subject line: Cora's birthday bash winner to: midnightmooncafe @ gmail .com (no spaces).



*As with all MMC contests, you have 30 days from the day the winner is announced to contact us to receive your prize. After 30 days, the prize goes back into our vault for another contest or a second chance drawing—so always remember to check back and see if you won!

Happy Birthday Party for Cora Zane!

Happy Birthday, Cora!

Woo-hoo! See the cake we made?
We left off the candles 'cause we didn't want to start a fire or anything. lol.

Ooh, and there are lots of cool virtual presents too!

Now, everyone on the count of three sing happy birthday...one...two...THREE!



Yay!
Happy Birthday, Cora

We have dance music and well wishes from your friends and fans.



Now, who wants some cake? Me me me me! lol

Leave a comment to send your birthday greetings and *virtual* present to Cora. Be creative. Cora will pick one person who leaves a comment and they will win a wicked cool MMC T-shirt and goodies pack from the MMC Treasure Chest O'Fun!

I'm greedy, I chose them all!

Thank you so much to the lovely ladies of Midnight Moon Cafe for allowing me to spend a little time on their blog. It's great to be here!

It’s so hard to choose from your favorite type of characters, that I just couldn’t do it. So, I wrote a story with all of my favorites in it. I know, that’s cheating, right?

I’ve loved to read about witches for years now. They are so fun, the magic and mystery. Casting spells and performing rites. Talk about empowering women! What could be better than that?

Vampires are another one of my favorites. Immortality, secrecy, living in the night when most of the world is fast asleep. It’s intriguing, sexy, and exciting all at the same time.

Lately, my attention has been riveted to ghosts. I love them! There’s always a story hidden there. How did they die? Why haven’t they moved on? Do they know what happened?

So, I decided why not a story with all three of them included. What could be better than that? I really enjoyed writing this story for that reason. I have to say, I didn’t get bored while I was working on it, even in the middle where you get the mid book slump you have to fight (at least I do). I think that’s the best way to fight the mid book slump, find something you love and write about it.

I hope you find it as interesting as I did. So, without further ado…

LOVE CAN BE MURDER



Alexander Forsytheʼs house is haunted. One wouldn’t think a hundred and three year old vampire would let a little ghost bother him, but this particular house guest has outstayed her welcome.

Alex detests witchcraft, but after discovering his ghost, Abbie, is the ancestor of the local witch, Willow Cowan, his choices are limited. Alex calls on Willow to help evict his ghostly tenant, but he begins to wonder if the sexy spell-caster might be more trouble than the ghost.

Willow thinks Alex needs her magical abilities to remove the spirit from his house. What she doesnʼt realize is that his specter is her long lost ancestor. Sheʼs not sure she wants to help the gorgeous vampire in his ghost hunt, until she sees a long lost family heirloom on display in Alexʼs house.

Alex is adamant that the necklace belongs to him.. Itʼs been in his family since it was created for the wife of a distant ancestor. The necklace had been given to every wife of the first born son. Heʼs reluctant to give away his precious heirloom to a witch.

Can they learn to work together and get past their differences? Or will Abbie be the one obstacle they can’t remove?


You can check it out at The Wild Rose Press.

For more information on me and what I'm working on, stop by my website. I'd love the company!

Hunk DuJour - All About The Abs

Since Friday is Cora's birthday, we here at the Midnight Moon Café decided to feature Cora's favorite thing besides chocolate...men's abs. ;-) Enjoy.

Birthday Party For Cora

The staff here at the MMC is planning a birthday party for moonmaid Cora Zane this Friday, August 28th, and everyone is invited! Bring a "virtual" gift and leave a birthday wish for Cora and you could win an MMC T-shirt and other goodies!

The party starts at stroke of midnight and will last until we all fall asleep or midnight (wee Saturday). ;-)

There will be *live* music, free drinks and food to nosh, and dancing too. So join us for some fun as we help celebrate our bff 's birthday. Woohoo!

Manic Monday Questionnaire #3

Smile. Monday loves you.


1. You've just been offered free airfare to anywhere in the world. Where do you go?

2. Tea, coffee, water, or cola?

3. It's your first evening on an alien planet. What color is the sunset?

4. You've just freed a genie from a bottle. He gives you one wish...but there's a catch. You can only wish for something made out of 100% natural materials. What do you wish for?

Pop Quiz: Who Are You On True Blood?

You Are Sam

You are a bit of a mystery - both to others and even yourself. You're still coming to grips with who you are. There are parts of yourself that you still need to accept. You are a caring and protective person. You can't help but be concerned about the people you love. You are a bit of a loner. You are still searching deep and meaningful connections in life.

Who Are You on True Blood?

Cassandra at Killer Fiction

Moonmaid Cassandra Curtis will be over at the blog Killer Fiction today, talking about injecting life into your characters.

Stop by and leave a comment for your chance to win a ebook copy of her latest book, Soul of The Sea, book 3 in her Shifting Tides trilogy.

Friday Finds: Vampire Edition

We've picked out some delicious, paranormal, sensual delights for our readers...ahh getting hot here in the Café. ::fans self:: Some are new, others are older favorites reissued with new covers, or newly released anthology collection—and we even have a classic Carpathian novel now released in audiodisc book format for those 'readers' who also love to listen to a good story. So, sit back and check out these fanglicious Friday finds.


Devour Me
by Lydia Parks

Kensington Publishing Corporation
September 01, 2009

ISBN13: 9780758238009
ISBN: 0758238002

They live in a world swirling in mist and darkness . . . Their mission is to tempt, tease, and seduce as they mesmerize us with their promise of taking our desires to the ultimate limit . . .

DARK OBSESSION For three centuries, Benjamin Bartlett's desire for blood-and for the woman who granted him eternity-has consumed him. But when he discovers a group of four people taking refuge in his home after their van breaks down, he's immediately drawn to Star Reid-and soon she drives him over the edge in a white-hot lust that won't be denied . . .

BLOOD LUST Vampire Christopher Marsh has searched for years for the talisman that could make him mortal again and give him the chance to fall in love.

On the archeological dig he's supervising, beautiful professor Nicole Stephenson reminds him daily of what he wants but can't have. But when he abandons all control and gives in to his explosive desires, his quest takes on more urgency-for he can't lose the woman he's been waiting so long for . . .


TIME FOR ETERNITY

By Susan Squires

St. Martin's Press
September 1, 2009
ISBN: 9780312943530

Desire and destiny collide in this novel — first in a stunning new series from New York Times bestselling author Susan Squires.

TEMPTED by FATE

Once, Frankie Suchet loved Henri Foucault—and it cost her everything. For two centuries she has cursed the French duke who gave her his blood and then disappeared forever. Today, this sexy vampire is a bartender living in San Francisco. Now Frankie has been granted the chance to go back in time… and kill the man who made her what she is. But becoming “Francoise” again means losing all memory of the risk Henri poses to her future… and her heart.

SEDUCED by DANGER

France, 1794. The Reign of Terror is in full swing. From the first, Henri is an enigma, saving Francoise from an angry Parisian mob. Drawn to his seductive vitality, Francoise discovers there is much more to Henri than she once knew. His devotion to rescuing innocents from the guillotine is his sole passion—until he encounters Francoise’s intoxicating blend of innocence and experience. And, as their attraction explodes into dangerous desire, the only way to save each other may be to sacrifice their timeless love.

I ONLY HAVE FANGS FOR YOU
by Kathy Love

Kensington Publishing Corporation
September 01, 2009

ISBN13: 9780758211361

ISBN: 0758211368

From the author of "Fangs for the Memory" comes the story of Sebastian, who loves being a vampire until he meets Wilhemina Weiss, a sexy-without-knowing-it vampire, who doesn't approve of his biting ways.

Please Note: Reissue with new cover.

One thing you have to know about my brother Sebastian: he loves being a vampire. He's eternally twenty-five. He's single, and frankly, he's a chick magnet. Yeah, undeath is good. The only thing he's serious about is his nightclub, Carfax Abbey. It's the sort of dark, happening spot where vampires can really let their fangs down. My brother Rhys and I have tried to get Sebastian to clean up his bad-boy ways like we did, but then he went and called us 'fang-whipped.' Okay, Bite Boy, chew on this . . .The ultimate righteous reformer, Wilhemina Weiss, is on a mission to shut down Carfax Abbey. It seems the spirited, sexy-without-knowing-it vampire is working undercover as a cocktail waitress while waging a secret war to bring him down. Sebastian's A-positive he can convince Miss Goody-Vampire-Two-Fangs that nothing beats the ecstasy of a good vampire bite. I gotta tell you, the suspense would kill me-if I weren't already undead . . .

Dark Slayer: A Carpathian Novel
by Christine Feehan

Audio Compact Disc (AudioBook)
Brilliance Audio
September 01, 2009
ISBN13: 9781423369264
ISBN: 1423369262

Edition: Unabridged, 900 minutes

A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayera womanwho travels with a wolf pack and who destroys any vampire who crosses her path. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the one hunter who strikes terror in the hearts of the undead. She is Ivory Malinov. Her only brethrenthe wolves. Long ago betrayed by her people, abandoned by her family and cast out by everyone she held dear, Ivory has lived centuries without companionship or love. She has sustained her sanity by preparing for one missionto destroy her greatest enemy.

That is, until the night she picks up the scent of a man, her unexpected salvation. Her lifemate. The curse of all Carpathian women. He is Razvan. Branded a criminal, detested and feared, he is a Dragonseeker from one of the greatest Carpathian lineages, yet he has been raised as its most despised enemy. Fleeing from his lifetime of imprisonment, Razvan seeks the dawn to end his terrible existence. Instead he finds his deliverance in the Dark Slayer. In spirit, in flesh and blood, in love, and in war, Ivory and Razvan are made for each other. For as long as they dare to live.

Thirteen Delicious Chocolate Goodies

Yummy chocolate.

*evil grin*

1. Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut spread

2. Black Chocolate Cream Tea

3. Sugar Free Chocolate Coffee Beans

4. Gloria Jean's Hot Chocolate

5. Otis Spunkmeyer - chocolate chocolate chip muffins

6. Cella's Chocolate Covered Cherries

7. Coldstone chocolate ice cream cupcakes

8. Baskin Robbins Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream

9. Dale and Thomas Toffee Chocolate Popcorn

10. Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced, Custard Filled Doughnut

11. Heath, chocolate coated toffee bar from Hershey's

12. CJ's Stix chocolate dipped pretzels hand rolled in English Toffee

13. Dilettante Chocolates Champagne Truffles

What are some of your favorites?

Winner of Wild, Tethered, Bound is...

Ilona!

Congratulations, Ilona!

You won Stephanie Draven's book, Wild, Tethered, Bound!

Please email us with your email address and preferred ebook format to:
midnightmooncafe @ gmail. com (no spaces).

You will love this very sensual and spicy paranormal! :wink:

Hoodie Contest Winner

Woot! There were sooo many awesome answers for this week's hump day hunk challenge - thank you all very much for playing! If you posted, your name has been tossed into the fish bowl oracle. Now it's time to draw one from the mix. *tapping magic wand on rim*

And this week's winner is....

Valorie!

Huge congrats, Valorie! You've just won a surprise paperback from the MMC vault. Please email Cora directly at CoraZane @ aol.com without the spaces and HOODIE CONTEST in the subject line. Be sure to include your snail mail address, so I can get your book out to you asap. :D

Hunk in a Hoodie

Mm. Nice hoodie. I wonder what happened to his shirt?

Post your best guess, and I'll drop your name in the oogly boogly magical fishbowl for a chance to win a random paperback from the MMC book vault.

Previous winners welcome, but enter soon - the fish bowl is only open until midnight! One name will be drawn on Thursday, August 20th, and posted to the cafe. Good luck...and happy hump day! ~_^




*picture from WAYW at www.deviantart.com

Magic, Monsters, and Group Sex by Stephanie Draven!

Magic, Monsters, and Group Sex
by Stephanie Draven

Monsters. Every culture has them. And most every child has worried they were lurking underneath the bed.

So where do monsters come from? And why do some of them have such a primal, sensual allure? These were the questions I posed myself before writing my new paranormal romance series for Harlequin's Silhouette Nocturne line, and the answers led me to write my steamy new novella, WILD, TETHERED, BOUND--a love story between a beautiful dryad and the very damaged soldier who wanders into her war-torn forest.

In writing this story, I reflected that monsters originate from our oldest fears. At the root of Western civilization, we find tales of great krakens that emerge from the deep, many-headed monsters who ravage the land, and fearsome fire-breathing beasts. Even our modern fascination with vampires finds a source in Greek mythology, where female temptresses were thought to lure handsome young men to their beds, then feast on their flesh and blood. But are monsters really alien creatures, or does every culture have them because they're a representation of what happens inside of us.

It seems to me that most--if not all--monster stories are really about the dark emotional places men and women find themselves. And it's usually in those darkest, most vulnerable places, that we can find true love. So WILD, TETHERED, BOUND became, for me, a twisting of an old myth into something thoroughly modern. The ancient chimera was a three-headed beast, comprised of a dragon, a lion and a goat. My modern-day chimera is a soldier suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), who is able to split into three entirely different bodies. My heroine is the only one who can bind him back together again.

I know what you're thinking. One man, three different bodies--this is where the group sex comes in, isn't it? Of course it is! Quite a racy concept for Silhouette Nocturne, but once I'd put the gun on the mantelpiece, I had to pull the trigger! Besides, I'm taking bets that it's the most wholesome foursome ever written. That's the beauty of writing paranormal fiction. It's transformative. It's symbolic. Magic allows you to illuminate the ordinary in extraordinary ways, and it also lets you explore sexual symbolism in ways other genres simply don't permit.

We all know that vampire and werewolf stories let us explore sexuality we might otherwise not entertain, but the paranormal world makes possible many other kinds of fantasies. So what are yours?

.::::CONTEST TIME::::.

Leave a comment here to win a chance for an ebook ARC of WILD, TETHERED, BOUND! Contest ends Wednesday, August 19, 2209 at midnight, and winner will be announced Thursday, here at the MMC blog. Good Luck!

Manic Monday Questionnaire #2

Ready, set... It's the Manic Monday Questionnaire!

1. You find a magic ring lying on the ground and slip it on your finger. The ring teleports you through space and time. Where do you end up?

2. After a hard night of partying, you wake up the next morning to find yourself on an alien space craft. What do the aliens look like?

3. Think fast! You can only keep one book to carry with you for the rest of your life. Which book do you choose and why?

4. What are you currently reading?

The Visual Seduction

Have any of you ever visited Cover Café? If not, you should. Here’s a link:
http://www.covercafe.com/


It’s very cool. Every year they host a cover contest. Broken down into two main categories—Best Cover and Worst Cover—the contest highlights the good, the bad and the HOLY COW, WTF?! for readers to vote on. Results for 2008 have been up for a while now, and they’re accepting nominations for 2009. However, if this is your first time there, it’s worth the effort and a guarantee of both approval and shocked laughter to view the winners and the finalists from the previous years for both categories.

Why mention this? Well, you as the reader can make your voice heard as to what you like or don’t like in cover art. Heck, why not? If someone wants my opinion, I am there! As a reader, I am seduced to pick up a book from amongst thousands on a shelf or in an online catalogue by the cover art. As an author, I’m dependent on the cover to stand out (in a good way) and catch the reader’s roving eye. So a contest that highlights the publisher art department’s hits and misses is a good thing all around.

Cover art is a book’s visual seduction. It’s the curb appeal, the gift wrap, the right dress and shoes. It tells its own story and presents an impression. The trick is to have it match the guts of the book and reflect well on the author, especially when the author has no control of the cover art.

I worked as a Waldenbooks minion yea these many years ago to put myself through college (why yes, there was a time long ago where you didn’t have to sell your soul to the company store – loans – to get that sheepskin). It was during the height of Fabio’s popularity. He’s very much a parody now and knows it, but 20 years ago he was the hottest thing going in Romancelandia. We learned quick to keep endcaps and front displays filled with books that featured Fabio on the front. Many of our regulars told us straight up they didn’t care who wrote the book or what it was about; if it had Fabio on it, set one back for them.

The faces and mantitty change with the decade, but the overall sales idea remains the same. Every marketing scheme uses a similar trope, and we fall for it every time. I’ve yet to figure out what buxom blondes in too small bikinis have to do with motorcycles or boats, but there they are on the front cover of the magazines devoted to these products. Again, visual seduction. Don't even get me started about rice and bras.

I recently picked up a paranormal romance novel with a fantastic cover and good introductory blurb. The book overall didn’t wow me, though I found it competently written. Thing was, money exchanged hands because of the cover and the blurb.

Can you think of a book where you were so impressed by the cover art you bought the book?

~Grace~

Three Seeds Winner

It's that time again! The winner of Gabriel Madison's Three Seeds is....


Shellie!


Big congrats, Shellie! The author will be contacting you shortly about your prize. A special thank you to everyone who dropped in and participated in this week's book feature. We appreciate you very much! Keep checking back at the Midnight Moon Cafe for more chances to win!

Winner of Kat Richardson's Book is...

Mardel!

Congratulations, Mardel. You've won your pick from Ms. Richardson's backlist of fabulous books!

Please email us at midnightmooncafe @ gmail. com (no spaces) with the subject header: Kat Richardson winner, your choice of book, along with your full name and mailing address to receive your prize!*

WooHoo!




*Please note: winners at the MMC have 30 days to contact us regarding their prize. After that time, if not contacted we reserve the right to have a second chance drawing, or to return any and all prizes to the MMC Vault or Treasure Chest of Goodies. So please, if you win, contact us. :-)

Book Feature: Three Seeds, by Gabriel Madison

Three Seeds, by Gabriel Madison



An unnatural cold front grows each day, bewildering world leaders and scientists, while leaving people across the world in a state of panic. All of North America is covered in snow, as Earth slowly reverts into a frozen oasis, causing religious groups to scream of the end of days, while others believe it’s the beginning of a new and foretold era.

Rosemary Anderson finds herself working as a receptionist, living on an old southern plantation and wishing for excitement. David, the man claiming to have rescued her from a car wreck three years earlier, has maneuvered himself into her life, but only shows up occasionally to ask Rose strange and cryptic questions about a past she no longer remembers.

Rose’s desire for adventure comes true, when strange men arrive at her plantation, and suddenly assaults her. Rose narrowly escapes with the help of her mysterious friend, David.

David flees to Atlanta as he leads Rose through a hidden and treacherous world filled with death, power, secrets and passion. While trying to protect her from immortals shrouded by shadows, a secret society and ancient beings from a forgotten time determine to either capture, or kill her.

http://www.etreasurespublishing.com/gabriel-madison/three-seeds.htm

http://www.gabrielmadison.com/

..::Win This Stuff::..

Would you like to win an ecopy of Gabriel Madison's Three Seeds? All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is post a comment between now and midnight CST! One winner will be selected at random, and announced on Sunday, August 16th. Good luck!

The Midnight Brew Presents: Kat Richardson

Kat Richardson is a cross-genre writer, creating a combination of Science Fiction/Fantasy and Mystery/Crime no matter how hard she tries to write something else—although she has tried her hand at a bit of almost everything else, as well. She dabbles in other text forms and media including: RPGs (Moon Elves); Film (The Glove); Computer Games (T2X); and Comics (Dangerous Days); as well as creating and maintaining this website; and taking a few abortive runs at Flash (The Pigeon of Death) and Photo Manipulation (Kat Nap). She used to read the "Sunday Funnies" for the Evergreen Radio Reading Service in Seattle—part of the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library and has put in her time as a Renaissance Faire dancer and costumer, as well as fencing and other anachronistic practices.

Kat was born in California—the second of three precocious children—and survived growing up in a small college town under the LA smog shield long enough to earn a BA in Magazine Editing from Cal. State Long Beach. She worked in the magazine business in LA for a while, then moved on to curriculum writing and editing for the Gemological Institute of America. Later, she moved to Seattle and added Technical Editing to her skills.

Her father was an English teacher with a degree in Classical Literature whose first bed-time story to his kids was reading aloud from a translation of The Odyssey. She claims to have started her fiction career by telling fantastic lies to friends and family, and wrote her first short story in First Grade—it was called The Pickle Bush, since Kat was then ignorant of the origin of pickles. She does better research now and confines lying to more acceptable forms of fiction.

Always a reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy as well as Mystery books, Kat also watches a lot of film in both genres, with a particular affection for old films noir. History, Social Phenomena, Science, English Literature, and Noir-anything round out her reading.

Kat currently lives on a sailboat in Seattle with her husband.


The Midnight Moon Café is thrilled to welcome urban fantasy author, Kat Richardson!


MMC: Welcome to the Midnight Moon Café, Kat. When did you first become interested in writing urban fantasy and paranormal stories?

Kat: Initially, I wasn’t. I didn’t know there was such a thing as Urban Fantasy. I just... wrote a mystery novel that had ghosts and vampires and witches and such in it. It wasn’t until it was well advanced in the editing phase that I heard the phrase “urban fantasy” at all much less that my book was one.

I’ve always thought ghost stories were kind of cool and though I never considered writing something in the genre, I guess the idea was sneaking around in my head long before I recognized it.

MMC: What was the inspiration for your books?

Kat: British TV from the 1970s, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, particle physics, and a bet with another writer. And fog.

See, I’d had a vague idea about a hardboiled P.I. who worked for ghosts back in college, partially inspired by the British TV show “Randall and Hopkirk: Deceased” which was about two investigators in London, one of whom is dead, but won’t stop pestering his living partner. It aired in the US as “My Partner the Ghost.” But my first version really stunk and I shelved it for... well a long time. So years later I was riding on a bus in Seattle’s Pioneer Square in the fog, talking to my husband about spies and ghosts and things like that, and the ideas started to click together. It still wasn’t ready, though since I couldn’t quite figure out how the magic worked. That came to me when I was reading some books on particle and quantum physics and I got an idea about how magic might work if it was just a mutant form of high-energy physics and quantum theory.

So that was where the idea started, but I didn’t get much work done on a manuscript until I got into an online argument with another would-be writer who said, essentially, that he thought he’d be done with his book before I was done with mine. Well... you can imagine how my back got up at that and before I knew it I was writing anywhere from 3-10,000 words a day and finished the first draft―which was huge by the way―in about six weeks. It kind of stunk and it took quite a few revisions and lots of work by my agents and editors―once I got some―to make it a decent book, but there it is.

MMC: Let's talk a little about world-building in the Greywalker series. How did you come up with your backstory for this series? And how does that setting affect your main characters?

Kat: As I said, there was a bit of stuff hanging around from the hardboiled mystery books I liked to read, and some physics, but a lot of the backstory comes from the question “how did you get this way?” I had set up the characters and a basic situation, but whenever I looked at it I kept having to answer that question. Every answer led to a bit of backstory or a bit of history or a piece of something and the mosaic kind of built itself.

Also, I was a History minor in college and I just really like old, weird bits of information. Seattle is full of crazy tales and events and people that make you think WTF? So I grabbed the weird stuff I found in books and walking around and stuck that in, because if you have a detective who works for ghosts, she’s going to have a lot of those crazy things popping up around her. Seattle’s a rich mine of cool facts for a series like this, so I’m thrilled I found it.

MMC: What made you decide to make Harper a P.I. rather than, say―a cop?

Kat: It never occurred to me to make her anything else. I wanted to write a detective novel that had ghosts in it. She couldn’t be a cop because that would have caused a lot of problems with the story I wanted to tell. It could have been done―it has been done―but I just didn’t think of it. I liked the idea of an independent person who finds herself sucked into events she doesn’t understand whether she likes it or not. And with no organization to fall back on, she has no one to rely on but herself. Things are hard from the first minute and that was a very attractive idea for a story. Characters who are up against the wall, but refuse to lie down and give up are compelling. And we all like to think we wouldn’t give up, either, don’t we?

MMC: What sort of research did you do to bring this story to life so wonderfully?

Kat: Lots of walking around staring at stuff, lots of reading, lots of just plain staring and thinking while I worked out―I had messed up my knee jogging and I had a lot of time in the gym to think while I did my PT exercizes. The library is my favorite haunt for research―it’s amazing what you can get from a dusty old book no one has checked out in years. Of course I use the Internet a lot too, but mostly as a starting place. A lot of my material still comes from primary sources in libraries and sometimes talking to people directly. I spent a lot of time with the Head Historian at the Underground tour to gather information for Underground and I sent a lot of emails and asked a lot of questions of people connected to or doing research on the original Philip project for Poltergeist. I even went to England to do research for Vanished. Greywalker research was largely the collective information from years of just passing through the neighborhoods and looking at things.

MMC: Vanished is the fourth book in this series (released this August). How does this story continue your series?

Kat: Ah, this is the “why me” story. In Vanished, Harper has to start looking at her own past―and confronting some hard and ugly facts―to figure out why she became a Greywalker and why it doesn’t happen to just everyone who has a near-death experience. It’s not a pretty journey for her and she learns a lot of things she doesn’t like. She also has to mend a few fences with her mom, whom she doesn’t like much. I love to make her do things she won’t like.

MMC: What challenges have you faced in the process of writing your books?

Kat: Aside from “I can write faster than you”? The usual things: having to make time for the writing among all the other work; learning to be less sensitive to criticism and more open to editing; hurdling the usual fences of finding an agent and prepping the book for sale; waiting for things to happen over which you have no control.... Getting the job done at all can be a real pain.

It was also kind of difficult on a personal level, since throughout the writing of these books, family and friends kept dying. My husband was out of town on work assignments more often than he was home for a while, which is stressful. I’d also had to manage several pet illnesses and deaths during the books’ development cycles and that was horrible too. During all of that, I developed insomnia that caused me to abandon some projects and make some people really unhappy with me, as well as all the crazy stuff that goes along with not sleeping more than twelve hours in a week for several months. You really lose your perspective when your brain goes on strike.

MMC: What attracts you about the paranormal characters and situations you write about?

Kat: I like to have room to play with things. Paranormal characters and situations let me blend the real world with the make-believe and stretch the rules of normal life without having to make up a whole new set on my own. I’m kind of lazy: I like to have things already built for me to play with.

MMC: Let's say you've just landed a movie deal, and you get to pick the actress who'll play Harper Blaine. Who would you pick and why?

Kat: That’s always hard. I tend to see a very young Bridget Fonda in the part, but of course, she’s not available. ;) I also really like Katherine Heigl―and she’s almost tall enough too! And it’s funny that she once played Rita Hayworth’s stand-in, since I would love to pluck Rita out of time and have her play Harper―she also started her career as a dancer, you know―though Hayworth was really too glamorous to play the average-looking Harper.

MMC: Will there be a fifth book in the series?

Kat: Oh yes! I’m working on it now. It’s the wrap-up to the vampire arc and to a few things that start in Vanished. But that’s all I’m going to say except that it’s the only book in the series that you have to have read the others to understand. I don’t like to force readers to read all the books, in order, and my editor and I have tried to avoid that. But we couldn’t do that for Book 5. There will also be a Book 6―or at least I have a contract for one―so even though a lot is going to be resolved, the story is not over.

MMC: Now to the fun questions. What's something that your readers may not know about you?

Kat: Gad, I have no idea what people know about me or don’t. I chatter so much I’d be surprised if they didn’t know my weight at birth by now. Most of what they don’t know is boring, like: I’m allergic to egg yolks (sulfa really, but egg yolks are the biggest problem most of the time); I used to be a manicurist (I sucked at it); I didn’t drive for the first thirteen years that I lived in Washington (and no I wasn’t underage); I love bats and rollercoasters (but not together); and I have broken both my arms, a toe, several fingers, and my nose at various times (none recently.) Really boring stuff.

MMC: Do you have a favorite food/beverage/music you always have on hand while you're writing?

Kat: Coffee. Well... no not really. I like coffee, but I don’t have to have it. Really. I can quit anytime. Yes, I can, too!

MMC: Do you still have ferrets?

Kat: I’m sad to have to say I don’t have a ferret right now. My little guys were pretty old and the last two, Dexter and Taz, finally left us. I am holding off on getting any new pets―right now we have none at all―until the book tour is over and I can spend all the time I want cuddling them. But I do get to go hang out with my friends’ ferrets and dogs and cats. I just love critters: it’s the downside to living on a boat that there isn’t much room for most pets. But ferrets were perfect. I miss them. I even joined a California Ferret Legalization group, although I no longer live in California, so lots of other people can enjoy ferrets. Yeah, I’m a big goof ball where the fuzzy guys are a concerned.

MMC: Our condolences, Kat. We're big pet lovers here at the Midnight Moon Café. ((hugs))
Another question, how do you relax when you're not writing?

Kat: I like to read, watch movies (we don’t have a TV, so it has to be on disc or from Hulu.com), take walks, and play World of Warcraft with my husband. I used to dance and go to the gym, but that’s been sidelined for the year while I get the books in shape. Eventually I’d like to go back to Swing dancing or learn Salsa or Tango.

MMC: Are there any other genres you’d like to try writing but haven’t yet?

Kat: Lots. I’d like to do a straight mystery, some science fiction, steampunk, YA, and noir crime. I’d like to try some comic book work, but that’s not a specific genre.

MMC: Do you have any obsessions? Collections?

Kat: I don’t have a lot of room to collect anything, though I do tend to keep things longer than I should. I like watches, but I only recently started wearing one again, so that might not be a successful collecting idea. As to obsessions, probably, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Aside from ferrets. And chocolate. I like to find local chocolate companies and try them out when I’m on tour; it’s my form of tourism, I guess.

MMC: Do you have a newsletter, blog, or website where fans can read about you and your books?

Kat: Goodness, yes! I have a website (http://www.katrichardson.com/ ); two blogs (http://katrich.wordpress.com/ and http://katatomic.livejournal.com/ ); a facebook page and a profile both under Kat Richardson; a twitter account (katrchrdsn); a newsletter (http://groups.google.com/group/kat-richardson-news?pli=1 ); and a forum (http://www.criticalfumble.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18 ) . I also hang out with a bunch of local writers who refer to ourselves as Team Seattle (not to be confused with the racing team that benefits Seattle Children's Hospital) and they have all that stuff too. We are collectively nuts.

Thanks for letting me chat with you―it was loads of fun!

Want To Win One Of Kat Richardson's Books?

Leave a comment here to enter to win reader's choice of a book
from Ms. Richardson's backlist of novels!

Contest ends midnight, Friday, August 14, 2009 and the winner
will be announced here at the MMC blog Saturday, August 15th.
So remember to check back to see if you've won.
Good Luck!

Hunk Day Firestarter

Oh my, this week's hunk is a sexy firestarter. Personally, I think this guy is hot, hot, hot. And I'm not talking about the fire!

Am I the only one who finds elementals so... elementally enticing? ;0)

Happy hump day, everyone!


*picture by Bananaspoon :: deviantart.com

Cora Zane Interview - Win Chocolates and More!

MMC moonmaid Cora Zane has a fun, author interview up at Ann Lory's Blog this week!

The interview will run from August 10th to August 16th, and features an excerpt from Moonlight and Shadows, as well as questions about what kind of feature movie Cora would end up in if she were an actress, what kind of villain she'd portray if she wrote herself into a book, and more. This one's a lot of fun, so don't miss it!

Cora is also giving away a special prize to one lucky commenter. CHOCOLATE, anyone? ^_^ Oh, and a pack with signed book cards and bookmarks, too, so be sure to drop by and say hello!

The Halloween Freebie Poll Results Are In!

We asked our readers and you responded. Thank you for taking part in our polls, either here at the blog, on Cass' blog, or on Twitter.

The results have been tabulated and there is a tie. Readers want either a shapeshifter free read or a psychic phenomena story. Some respondents wanted the two combined! LOL.

There was also a three-way tie for third place! Many of you wanted either vampire, faeries, or witches. :-)

Werewolves came in next, followed by write-in suggestions for demons, aliens, and last, with a single vote, were superheroes. No one voted for a contemporary. :-)

In the coming weeks, we will develop our plots and hope to delight, surprise, and satisfy you all. :-) So get the popcorn ready, and grab a friend. Halloween is just around the corner. *g*

–The Midnight Moon Ladies )0(

Rita Herron Book Winner

It's that time! The winner of Rita Herron's Dark Hunger giveaway is...

Chey

Congratulations, Chey! To claim your book, please email Cora at corazane @ aol . com (no spaces) with Dark Hunger Winner in the subject line. Please include your snail mail address where we can send your prize.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to comment. We appreciate you much! Keep checking back for more chances to win at the Midnight Moon Cafe!

Manic Monday Questionnaire

It's the fun, fabulous, Manic Monday Questionnaire!Take the quiz. You know you want too.... *insert oogly boogly music here*

1. You just been given the offer of a lifetime...or two. A vampire and a werewolf have simultaneously offered you the gift of eternity. Of course you can only be one or the other, so which gift do you choose? The vampire or the werewolf? Or do you stay mortal?

2. It's a dark and stormy night...muahahaha. The lights go out and you encounter a ghost! *_* Tell us, what do you do next?

3. The zombie apocalypse has come! Where are you hiding out and who's there with you?

4. You've been granted the power to shape shift for one day. Who or what do you transform into and why?

Free Read Sunday

Congratulations to MMC Moonmaids Tempest Knight and Cora Zane!

Their free reads over at www.Smashwords.com have made the Top 100 Downloads List!




Unforgiven Pleasure by Tempest Knight (#5)

Lara is a shapeshifter. Draken is a Sentinel. He represents everything she fears. Can a soulless creature find his lifemate? Can betrayal lead to a path of passion? In the war between the Sentinels and the night creatures, the unforgiven pleasure will start with a kiss.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/324
www.midnightmooncafe.com/downloads





Heart Spell by Cora Zane (#8)


Light a candle, cast a spell... Presley isn't about to give up small town living, not even for love. Kinkaid is an immortal used to getting what he wants, and he's grown tired of waiting for his beautiful, stubborn Presley to accept tradition and take her place at his side. He's cooked up an ingenious plan to unite them once and for all.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/291
www.midnightmooncafe.com/downloads


Have you read Unforgiven Pleasure and Heart Spell? No? Then be sure to drop by www.smashwords.com or the Midnight Moon Cafe website to download these and other hot, FREE paranormal romance reads by our MMC authors.

Saturday Pop Quiz!

Yep, the ladies here at the MMC encourage weekend fingerpainting...on hot, hard, muscular surfaces. ;)

Why not poke around in the paint box, and find out a little bit about the color you choose to paint with, and yourself in the process?

You Paint the World with Vibrant Colors

You are a true visionary. You are very inspired. Your friends can always count on you to be adventurous. You're up for anything. You are a truly bold person ... though sometimes you can be a bit too outrageous. You are a bundle of energy. You are hyper morning, noon, and night.

How Do You Paint the World?

Have You Read Our Latest Releases?

It's Friday! Looking for a few fun, weekend reads?

Check out some of the latest releases from our Midnight Moon Cafe maids!


Shifting Tides: Soul of the Sea by Cassandra Curtis

Jill Kohlson is a woman looking for answers and bent on revenge. Her plans take a side turn when she travels to Mermaid Isle and meets the handsome Botoa brothers.

Gavin and Garde are twin Dolphine Botos, a race of Brazilian shapeshifters that, according to myth and legend, can claim your soul and take you to Encanté, an enchanted undersea world.

The twins share everything, including their lovers. For the first time in her life, Jill can explore all her sexual fantasies and appease her hungry appetites. She knows there is no future in the summer fling, however, especially if the brothers discover her secret—a magical amulet she wears to disguise her true nature.

When the twins' foster father Silas Mariner is kidnapped, Jill realizes her one chance to find answers has disappeared, too. With the help of her friend Melissa, she infiltrates the compound of crime boss Nick Sharkey, and must make the toughest decision of her life. Fulfill her lust for revenge, or risk all to save the twins and the one she loves...


(Paranormal romance - shifters)
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/SoulSea.html



* * * * *



Moonlight and Shadows by Cora Zane

Two Werekind packs teeter on the edge of war. Someone has killed the Istvaan alpha, and Sylvie won't rest until justice is served. Forced into a meeting with her greatest rival, she’s shocked to discover her mate is none other than the Dartega alpha’s right hand man—his assassin, Erik.

Sylvie realizes she’ll never be able to claim her true mate, but there are other, more important things to do than mourn a broken heart.There's just one problem. Erik has waited a long time to find her, and pack affiliations mean nothing to a man on the hunt.

(Paranormal romance - werewolves)
http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/moonlight.htm




* * * * *

Master of Crows by Grace Draven

What would you do to win your freedom?

This is the question that sets bondwoman, Martise of Asher, on a dangerous path. In exchange for her freedom, she bargains 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, they 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...

(Fantasy Romance)
http://www.amberquill.com/MasterCrows.html



* * * * *


Wicked Desires by Cora Zane

Acolyte Liliana Ashton has one goal in mind, to seduce Serge Dmitriev into selecting her as his lover. Her family is depending on her to secure the Ashton line in vampire society for another generation, and she will do anything to have the handsome vampire as her personal Biter.

In her quest to snare him, she offers her most precious gift of all - her virginity. Will he take the bait, and offer her a position in his harem as a protégé? Or will she have to settle for being just another one of his wicked desires?

(Vampire EROTICA)

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/wickeddesires.htm

Rita Herron's Dark Hunger

Today, the Midnight Moon Cafe is proud to feature a hot new paranormal romance by author Rita Herron. She's here to tell us about her latest book Dark Hunger.

Welcome, Rita!

About the author:

Multi-published, award-winning author Rita Herron cut her teeth on mystery books and television shows like Alfred Hitchcock, The Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone. More recently, she’s added Medium, The Ghost Whisperer, and Dead Zone to her list of favorites.

She currently writes paranormal romantic suspense for Grand Central Publishing and category romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue.

With her new series THE DEMONBORN, she blends her love of dark, steamy romantic suspense stories with her other love -- the paranormal.

Set in the contemporary world, she explores the age-old battle of good versus evil, and that battle as it rages within each person. And of course, the ultimate question for the romantic – can love conquer all?

THE DEMONBORN: DARK HUNGER

THE PULL OF EVIL
by Rita Herron

Like writing any story, writing a paranormal character means getting into the character’s head. The demonborn heroes were such fascinating men to me because they are part human, part demon, part good, part evil, that they spoke to me.

I wanted to write about their struggles, their efforts to battle that evil side and do good. How they used that evil part of him to get into a killer’s mind, stop him from taking more lives and protect the innocents. And of course, the romantic in me, knew these men also needed love, so I had to pair them with a strong woman whose love would ultimately save them.

In the mind of Quinton Valtrez:

Like heroin to a junkie, whiskey to an alcoholic,
the pull of evil is the drug that lures me to addiction.

I didn’t ask to be this way.
My father is a descendant of Satan, so evil flows through my blood,
pumping its incessant call with every breath I take.

Early on, I was trained to use that dark side, to hunt, to maim, to kill.
To use my powers against others.

But the Monks took me in and taught me to control that bloodthirst. Then the military taught me to hone those skills, to be a ghost, a killer for hire, a cold-blooded assassin.

Now, even though I work for Homeland Security, in those moments when I track down my target, my dark hungers surge to life. As the bullet pierces the target’s skin and blood begins to fly, I can feel the sweet droplets wetting my tongue, smell the scent of death, hear the last whisper of a breath rasping, and my body goes hard with desire.

And on all Hallow’s Eve, the portals between the supernatural world and the humans opened, and evil beings, demons, have flooded the earth.

I see the signs. The owl, an omen of impending danger. The vulture – the sign of death.

I smell the evil one nearby, planning another attack.
He is the Death Angel, and he swears he can’t be stopped.

Now he’s taking over innocent’s minds, turning them into killers to spread destruction and chaos. The vultures quickly descend to feast on the carrion,
swarming the cities for more blood and bones.

And the Death Angel is working for my father, a soldier of Satan, so I must stop him.

If I don’t, I may lose myself to the dark side completely...

But an alluring reporter named Annabelle Armstrong is on my tail, out to expose my secrets. I’m drawn to her just as I am drawn to evil. I want to taste her luscious mouth, to feed from her voluptuous body, to pound myself into her warm flesh until she cries out with the pleasure.

But Zion and the Death Angel plan to use her to trap me, so I must keep my distance.
Taking her under my wing will only endanger her.

For I will always struggle with the evil within me. And if the Death Angel doesn’t kill her and I lose the battle and lose my soul completely, I might kill her just as my father killed my mother...

****

What character have you read lately that really intrigued you?

Leave a comment or question for Rita today and be entered in a contest for a copy of Rita’s first book in The Demonborn Series: Insatiable Desire. But don’t stop there! There’s a second contest for today’s readers.

Visit Rita at her website http://www.ritaherron.com/ and sign up for her newsletter to be entered in a contest to a copy of both books in The Demonborn Series: Insatiable Desire and Dark Hunger. And, by singing up for Rita’s newsletter, you will also be automatically entered in Rita’s regular monthly contests. You can also find extras on the Demonborn series at http://www.thedemonborn.com/. And visit Rita on Facebook, Myspace.com/ritaherron, and Twitter.com/ritaherron!

Wicked Wednesday

RAWR!!!

Today's hump day hunk puts all kinds of deliciously naughty thoughts in my head. I think it's pretty well established that I have a fetish for sexy abs, but this guy...oh, my.... he takes sexy to a whole 'nother level.

I look at him and think of warriors of old, sexy chainmail hunks going fearlessly to battle. *fans self*

Whatever your fantasy, everyone at the Midnight Moon Cafe hopes you have a wild, wicked, and seriously wanton Wednesday. ~_^






::Today's hump day hunk picture is called Ab-solute, and it's by cubannaked over at deviantART. ::

Twitter Quiz

Do you Twitter?
Give this a whirl and see what it says about you.
You just might be surprised. ;-)

Which Crazy Writer Are You?

to take the quiz, go here: http://roflquiz.com/which-crazy-writer-are-you/q/59/?s=bottom-txt

The Halloween Freebie Poll For Readers...

Have You Cast Your Vote in
The 2009 Halloween Freebie Poll?

To cast your vote, go to:
http://midnightmooncafe.blogspot.com/2009/07/2009-halloween-freebie-ebook-poll.html
and leave a comment.

Free Photos Angels Fairies Mermaids Gothic Photos Glitter Graphics
http://www.free-foto-animation-digital-images.blogspot.com/

The poll ends Saturday, August 8, 2009!
Thanks for your participation. :)

Soul Of The Sea by Cassandra Curtis

I am thrilled to announce the release of my third book
in the Shifting Tides trilogy, today from Amber Quill Press!

Soul Of The Sea
by Cassandra Curtis
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-562-1 (Electronic)
AVAILABLE AUGUST 02, 2009!

Jill Kohlson is a woman looking for answers and bent on revenge. Her plans take a side turn when she travels to Mermaid Isle and meets the handsome Botoa brothers.

Gavin and Garde are twin Dolphine botos, a race of Brazilian shapeshifters that, according to myth and legend, can claim your soul and take you to Encanté, an enchanted undersea world.

The twins share everything, including their lovers. For the first time in her life, Jill can explore all her sexual fantasies and appease her hungry appetites. She knows there is no future in the summer fling, however, especially if the brothers discover her secret—a magical amulet she wears to disguise her true nature.

When the twins' foster father Silas Mariner is kidnapped, Jill realizes her one chance to find answers has disappeared, too. With the help of her friend Melissa, she infiltrates the compound of crime boss Nick Sharkey, and must make the toughest decision of her life. Fulfill her lust for revenge, or risk all to save the twins and the one she loves...

Read An Excerpt

This afternoon from 2:30 - 4:00PM EST, I'll be in the MMC Chat Pit answering questions and talking about my Shifting Tide trilogy and the final installment in the series, my new ebook, Soul Of The Sea.

I will have a mermaid's treasure chest with me, so stop by for the chat,
and you may win a door prize!

Vampire Seduction and Zen Zombie Book Winners

It's time to draw two winners for the books donated to the MMC by Skyhorse Publishing! Thanks so much to everyone who entered! All names have been tossed in my magical fish bowl of destiny, and I'm gonna give it a quick shake. Now here goes....

The winner of the copy of The Vampire Seduction Handbook is:

Angie!

And the winner of the copy of The Zen of Zombie is:

Mindy!

Congratulations to both our winners! Angie and Mindy, please email Cora at corazane@aol.com with Skyhorse Book Winners in the subject line. Be sure to include your snail mail address so I can get your book out to you. :D

Thanks everyone who stopped by to play. I enjoyed reading all your answers. There are more chances to win great books coming soon, so please keep checking back.

The Vampire Seduction Handbook - and more!

Got a hot date with the Undead? Then you must check out The Vampire Seduction Handbook by Luc Richard Ballion and Scott Bowen.

Skyhorse Publishing has an awesome mix of interesting and hilarious books on their website, and I am absolutely amazed by the fantastic quality of the ones that have crossed my desk. But even better than that, they offer these wonderful paranormal guides to get readers through what could very well be some serious undead situations.

Check out these recommended books!



The Vampire Seduction Handbook
A Guide to the Ultimate Romantic Adventure
Luc Richard Ballion with Scott Bowen

Women daring and lucky enough to discover romance with a vampire claim to enjoy the most intense love and sex of their lives. But how do you find a vampire of your very own? And just how do you get him interested in ravishing you within an inch of your life? Will the ecstasy of the coupling be worth the inherent risks of vampire love—the risks of drinking your blood, the risks of secrecy, and the risks of betrayal?

At last, this step-by-step guide will help women the world over to experience the pleasures of vampire romance. You'll learn why these creatures make the best lovers (stamina, overpowering strength, and deep appreciation of women) and the best places to find a vampire and, no, it's not in graveyards. Once you've been initiated into the realm of human-vampire sex, you'll want to know about vampire turn-ons, games vampires play, dealing with jealousy, and finally, whether or not to consider becoming a vampire yourself. Author and vampire Luc Richard Ballion reveals his tricks on balancing blood-play with physical thrills, and includes true descriptions of trysts across the ages, compatibility checklists, and an A-to-Z of troubleshooting. The result is a book you would die for. Really.


256 pages
Paperback 5 x 7
Rights: World
Color Illustrations : 30
Published: October 2009
ISBN: 9781602397460

BUY LINK: http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/details.php?TitleID=449


**************************


The Vampire Survival Guide
How to Fight and Win Against the Undead
Scott Bowen
Illustrations by Adam Bozarth

Vampires have walked among us for thousands of years. These reanimated corpses survive by draining and consuming the blood of the living, and their threat to humanity cannot be ignored. Throughout the centuries, professors and peasants have offered their own vampire-fighting tips, but these were often old wives' tales, based more on superstition than on fact. Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive vampire-fighting guide for the twenty-first century. In the tradition of bestsellers like The Zombie Survival Guide and The Zen of Zombie, The Vampire Survival Guide covers everything you need to know to protect yourself from vampires. Topics include the habits and routines of vampires, how to tell if somebody you know has become a vampire, how to protect yourself from attack, how to set traps, what to do if you must fight off multiple vampires, how to cleanse an entire town after devastating vampiric attacks, and much more. It confronts head-on the most terrifying situation of all—that of being bitten by a vampire—by providing the reader with numerous approaches, rooted in both science and medicine and religion, for fighting off blood-suckers before it is too late. Vampires are found in every country in the world—not just in Eastern Europe and Sunnydale, California. With the human population expected to reach over 9 billion by the year 2050, confrontations between men, women, children, and vampires are increasingly inevitable. This guide is the human race's best hope.

288 pages
Paperback 5 x 7
Rights: World
Color Illustrations : 25
Published: August 2008
ISBN: 9781602392748

BUY LINK: http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/details.php?TitleID=195

*******************************


The Zen of Zombie
Better Living Through the Undead
Scott Kenemore

Do you struggle out of bed each morning and sway lifelessly across the room, mouth agape, arms hanging slack, murmuring unintelligibly? Well, take heart: you're not alone! But these other staggering, limp, perpetually drowsy folks just happen to be zombies—and it turns out they can teach us a lot about enjoying life. And only here, between the covers of this book, will you learn their secrets to happiness. Learn how to slow down and move at your own pace, become your own boss, and just devour those irritating people who get in your way. And there's more, because zombies can offer no-nonsense advice on love, playing to your strengths, and on becoming more adaptable.

272 pages
Paperback 5 x 7
Rights: World
B&W Illustrations : 20
Published: October 2007
ISBN: 9781602391871

BUY LINK: http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/details.php?TitleID=128

..::WIN THIS STUFF ::..

Skyhorse Publishing has kindly donated a copy of The Vampire Seduction Handbook, AND The Zen of Zombie for us to giveaway here at the Midnight Moon Cafe. These books are awesome folks, and if you want to win a copy of one of these books, listen up!

For a chance to win, all you have to do is post in the comments and tell us what you would do to seduce a vampire! Be creative, but nothing hotter than PG-13, OK? ~_^ You have until midnight CST to post your vampire seduction tips. The contest is open to anyone and everyone, including those who have won at the MMC in the past, however, we limit one entry, and one username per person.

On Sunday Morning, Cora will draw two names from her oogly boogly magical fishbowl, and post the winners here at the MMC - and the book that they've won.** So be sure to check back Sunday to find out if you've one one of these highly recommended books!

**As always, any and all unclaimed prizes go back to the MMC prize vault after 30 days. It's the responsibility of the entrant to check back with us to see if their name was drawn, and to contact us according to the rules within the time frame stated. No exceptions. All unclaimed prizes are later reoffered through second chance contests here on the site.

Now are we ready? Set? Let's see those vampire seduction tips! Good luck, everyone!

The MMC Sizzlin' Summer Contest Winner for July

July's winner of our monthly contest is... Jamie!

Congratulations, Jaime!

Please email us at midnightmooncafe @ gmail. com (no spaces), with your name and mailing address, so we can send your prize, Alexis Morgan's hot new novel, Dark Warrior Unbroken, a cool talisman pin, and an author bookmarks and more pack.

August is the last month of our Sizzlin' Summer Monthly Contests, so enter for your chance to win this month's cool prizes. For more information on August's MMC Monthly Contest, and how to enter, go to our contest page on our website. Good Luck!