Vixenwriter

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. WINNERS WILL BE CONTACTED VIA EMAIL! THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ENTERING

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You can read excerpts and advance reviews at my website.

In this erotic universe, passion knows no rank…

Since the first settlers came through the portals from Earth, fifteen Families have held the rule of the Federated Universes in their hands. There’s never been a better time than now to throw out the old and usher in a new order. Give voice to the unranked. Abbie Haws has spent her life battling the system. A fighter, she’s always been too busy and driven to pay much attention to finding love. But when she’s granted audience with Roman Lyons, the head of House Lyons, who stands for everything she hates, her instant attraction catches Abbie off-guard…

It’s common knowledge that the Known Universe revolves around Ravena—and that Ravena revolves around Roman Lyons, bred to lead since birth. Roman dreads his meeting with a defiant—if stunning—rabble-rouser. But, sometimes, headstrong personalities in the conference room make for hot-and-heavy, guilty trysts in private….

Now, Abbie will show Roman the parts of her world he wouldn’t otherwise get to see. And he’ll give her a glimpse of the Families’ age old tradition and unleash a sexuality he’d never given rein to before.

Now On To The Contest Details!!

This is an ARC contest for my upcoming Heat release, Relentless. The intent of an ARC is to get readers and reviewers talking about the book – so essentially what I’m asking people to do is talk about the book – review it at your blog or at your reader group or review site between April and May 5, when the book releases.

The winners just send the link with their review and agree let me quote it at my blog and website (with proper attribution, natch). I don’t require that you like the book although I hope you do!

THE RULES (please read carefully) All you need to do to enter is reply to this post and tell me where you’d be talking about the book if you win (urls are always helpful if you mean your blog!). I’ve got a limited amount of ARCS so I’ll choose winners based on that supply. I also have a limited number of electronic ARCs so if you’d be willing to read and review an electronic ARC, say so in the comments

I’ll announce the winners by Noon March 1 at my main blog and contact winners off list – please include an email so I can notify you and get your mailing address!

Good Luck!!

Oh and btw – ARCs are in the air and if you love good books, you should head on over to Jaci Burton’s blog where she’s running an ARC contest of her own for her next Wild Riders book – Riding on Instinct

Working. Writing. Working.

I’m zooming toward finishing the first draft of Coming Undone so my blogging is more spotty! Sorry!

Don’t forget the ARC contest ends on Sunday.

Um, that’s all I’ve got for the moment.

Is comment #4 – Robyn!

Congrats, Robyn. Send me your mailing address and I’ll get it ordered from amazon for you.

Today is the release day for my friend and fabulous author, Mark Henry’s follow up to last year’s Happy Hour of the Damned – ROAD TRIP OF THE LIVING DEAD!

Blurby Bit: Celebrity party girl Amanda Feral is back from the dead, and hungrier than ever for a good time. With her zombie gal pal Wendy and vampy gay sidekick Gil, this stone cold fox is dressed to kill, on the prowl, and ready to take a big juicy bite out of Seattle’s supernatural nightlife. But what’s a zombie chick to do when her “Mommie Dearest” gets sick? If you’re Amanda Feral, you can either ignore the wicked old witch—or bury the past by visiting Ethel before she kicks it. Amanda’s not thrilled about the idea of crossing three states just to be criticized. But Wendy, who’s always looking for fresh meat, is up for the adventure. And Gil, who just launched his “luxury” resurrection business, needs to disappear because a pissed-off client is out for his blood.

First, they pack their stiletto pumps and plasma into a skeevy rattrap on wheels that used to be a Winnebago. Then, with a little help from a Korean-ghost hood ornament, a masochist named Fishhook, and a slew of “moderately accurate” psychics, they hit the highway—their way. Of course, they’ll have to navigate past some neo-Nazi skinheads, a horny dust devil, a hunky werewolf cop (who could pass for an underwear model) and an unsightly horde of Kmart shoppers. But for this glamorous gang of ghouls this trip is about to take a dangerous detour that could give road kill a brand new meaning…

I love Mark’s voice. These books are like nothing else out there (in a good way, I swear). They’re demented and twisted and you can’t look away.

So here’s the deal – wanna win a copy? Straight from Amazon to you? Just comment here with a recent favorite read and you’re entered. I’ll choose a winner a’la randomizer by day’s end today (so let’s say 6 pm pacific/9 eastern) and announce it here.

I love it when good writers are able to write more books so I can devour them. Yes, it really is all about me, LOL. In this case, it’s all about you too because my friend and a very fine writer, Beth Williamson has a new release coming out on the 24th –

Blurb: Plum Creek, Colorado 1872

The Right Man Comes Along

Madeline Brewster practically owns Plum City, Colorado. But at thirty-two, she knows she has missed any chance for happiness. Until she finds a tall, strong, handsome Irishman on the wrong end of the hangman’s noose. Suddenly this unconventional woman comes up with an outrageous idea . . .

Teague O’Neal has rugged cheekbones, tousled black curls, and eyes as blue as the sky, even if he is caked in Colorado mud. The men insist they caught him horse-thieving, and there’s something desperate about him that says he’d do anything for a buck.

Maybe it was pure chance, or maybe it was something more that brought Madeline and Teague together. But one thing’s clear, between a woman who has just about everything she could ever want, and a man who’s lost that and more, they might find something in between worth living for.

If you haven’t read her yet, you really need to. Beth has a way of balancing heat and sweetness, strength and tenderness that creates a great read every time.

(nothing smutty, just the scene where Abbie and Roman meet for the first time…)

RELENTLESS BY LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2009, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, Penguin Group
Releasing May 5

This is where Abigail Haws lived? Roman took in the building. Not bad at all. He’d expected shabby once he’d left the Family living blocks near the Municipal Complex. While still within the first circle, he rarely got out this far. Roman realized he’d lived a sheltered life. He did get out from time to time, but it was usually on some sort of mission to view how the unranked lived, a visit to a school, something of that sort.

Listening closely, he knocked once he heard movement on the other side of the door. It was very late but he hadn’t wanted to let the day end without trying to see the woman. Once he’d read the file and spoken to Saul Kerrigan he’d been livid. He wanted to hear Abigail Haws’s side of the story.

“Who is it?” A pause as he heard the view port on the door slide open. “Oh, you. What in the seven hells are you doing here?” she snarled as her door flew open. A tiny sprite of a woman stood before him, long dark hair hanging loose to her waist, big brown eyes flashing behind a pair of spectacles. He hadn’t seen spectacles very often. Most of the time surgical treatment repaired vision problems.

“I’m…”

She had the audacity to grab his arm and yank him into the apartment, slamming the door behind them both. “I know who you are. Why are you in my house?”

He looked around, again, surprised. The place was lovely. Plants exploded from pots hanging, draping, perched and placed in the window sills. The furniture was nice, not expensive like his, but it fit the space.

He sniffed, trying to keep it to himself but a redolent, heady scent hung in the air. It came from her kitchen where a pot sat on a cook top. She cooked too? Pictures sat in frames on shelves and on tables. Abigail Haws led a full life and suddenly, he got a whole different perspective on her.

“Hello?” She snapped her fingers in front of his face, jolting him from his inner thoughts. She may have had a lovely apartment but her manners left something to be desired.

“Please don’t do that.” He stepped back. “I’m here because you left before I could meet with you today. Marcus, my assistant, assured me you’d be home and that your assistant had told you to expect me. Apparently that did not happen.”

“I was before an Administrator all afternoon. After you missed our appointment. I met with several of my clients at the lock-up, did research at the library and came home. I haven’t even eaten yet.”

“You left out speaking with a vid crew.”
She had the audacity to laugh and he had the audacity to be charmed in a startled sort of way.

“Oh that’s right. Yes. And spoke with a vid crew about yet another instance of a Family using the system to harm the unranked. I nearly forgot that part, thank you for reminding me.”

She turned, pushing that dark river of gleaming hair over her shoulder and headed to the kitchen. The scent of her soap wafting in her wake met his nose. Light, feminine, not much like her personality at all.

“Why are you using spectacles?”

“Why aren’t you using manners?” she countered, ladling the fabulously aromatic concoction into two bowls. “Would you like some stew? It’s nothing fancy but it’s good.”

He wanted to say no but he had to speak with her and he hadn’t eaten in hours. “Thank you.”

“Hmpf.” She placed the bowls on the table in the corner of her kitchen and turned again, returning with a pitcher of juice and some bread. “Sit.”

He did, surprised by how quick he’d simply obeyed her order.

Since I missed Sunday, I thought I’d sneak in a quick one today. I thought I’d discuss something not technical, but attitudinal.

Writing is wonderful, frustrating, rewarding, creative and special. It pleases me even when I’m up against a story problem because working through it successfully is part of the fun (yes, I’m weird). Publishing though? Well that’s another story.

Writing is all in your hands. It’s on your schedule, in your head, on your page. Publishing is pretty much NOT in your hands at all. Publishing is mercurial. It’s sometimes totally insane and often capricious and these things are always a challenge to me. Because I am a person who likes to power through things and make them happen. Publishing doesn’t work this way.

So truly, it’s easy to fall into a negative space with your thoughts and attitude. I’m certainly no mary sunshine (especially when I’m dieting, being hungry makes me cranky!). However, I believe in a big way that attidude is important.

An eeyore attitude does nothing for you. Nothing. It won’t make you sell faster, it won’t make anyone like your manuscript more, it won’t make writing your book come faster either. It will annoy people around you, put people off in general and infect your life with negativity.

A good rant here and there is important. Fire to your belly and gets things off your chest. Moping? Not so much. I’m not saying I don’t mope, I do. I have rough days where I want to whine and mope and wallow. But I try not to give in to that because a bad attitude is infectious, it gets worse and settles in until your world view turns negative.

Writers, like anyone else, need to be conscious of this and take steps to reject the road to debbie downerville. Look at your posts at your blog or livejournal or twitter – how often do your posts sound like you’re feeling sorry for yourself? If it’s often, or even halfway often, stop. Take a step back and focus on something positive.

A positive attitude makes your life better. It makes people want to be around you and while it really won’t have any bearing on getting an answer from an editor quicker, it will make the wait easier not only for you, but for everyone around you.

Stop searching for pets from people by putting yourself down. When I see authors doing that, “oh woe, my writing must suck because I got this review” or whatever, I begin to believe them after I see it a dozen times. When I need validation, I seek it openly. I read old reviews, I talk to my husband or my friends. I focus on the things that are good and right, I focus on how far I’ve come and I try to go along that way. It’s okay to seek comfort from your friends, I just think it’s better if if comes honestly and openly instead of your friends feeling manipulated into saying, “yeah, yeah, you’re awesome”

Anyhoodle, nothing earth shattering, just yer basic put on a happy face type post.

The very wonderful Whitney Hart – yep, Megan’s sister, has made this cool guidespot page for me because, as I said right back there, she’s wonderful. Check it out!

Moving along in Coming Undone, which makes me verra happy!

Kids are all home this week so getting my words in is a challenge but thank goodness, it looks like I’m doing it.

My house is now full of giant boxes of promo stuff, LOL. Megan and I ordered some fab t-shirts for RT and four boxes of those are joining the giant box of tote bags where those shirts will reside. Two boxes of bookmarks and excerpt booklets will be arriving too. And my lovely husband hasn’t complained once. I think I’ll keep him.

Two new covers:

Always – out April 14 from Samhain (PURTY!!)

Holiday Heat – print antho with Jaci Burton – in trade September 29!

I didn’t do a writerly type post yesterday but I did manage to break 40K on Coming Undone and all this backstory about who Elise is is coming to me. Why she’s the way she is. So I can flesh her out. I’m coming up on a big story moment, I’ll most likely write that today if my kids will let me.

Yes, it’s “mid-winter break” week here. I’m pretty sure we didn’t have all these breaks when I was a kid. We had a break at winter, one in spring, usually around Easter and then the odd day here and there for Thanksgiving and President’s day, etc. IN MY DAY THEY DID NOT HAVE THIS!! AND WE LIKED IT! Sorry, I figured since I was thinking like I was old, I should write like it too, LOL. GET OFF MY LAWN. I’M KEEPING YOUR BALL! PULL YOUR PANTS UP!

Okay I feel better.

My oldest, my sweet boy who wears his heart on his sleeve and is so kind to everyone is turning into a tween. Every once in a while now he’ll be attitudinal for no reason or he’s not as nice to his siblings. His voice cracked yesterday. He’s growing up, gah!

Cold/flu, whatever this is, is still with me but not as bad as the weekend. My chest is all congested and I go hot and cold, but the headache has passed, thank god.

I need to get back to work. Y’all behave.

I’m not online much because I’ve slid into deadline mode and have managed to get sick too. It’s not as bad as it could be, thank goodness, but I did cancel my part in the signing today because I don’t want to infect people who buy my books and because I’m here wrapped in an afghan ready to drink more tea. This, coupled with copious amounts of writing, is my plan for today.

The signing will be going on though with the other fabulous authors involved: Lacy Danes, TJ Michaels, Alexis Morgan and Shelli Stevens