Creature Feature: Cat Shifters

Cat shapeshifters offer a unique and interesting opportunity for fantasy writers. First, there are so many kinds of big cats to play with and many of them share common traits.      

In the genus Panthera, for example, are the lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar. These are the only big cats able to roar and are sometimes distinguished as the “great cats” to differentiate them from other big cats like the cheetah, snow leopard, clouded leopard, and cougar. Another little distinction is that the babies of the great cats are called cubs, while the babies of the other big cats are called kittens. (More on all of this minutiae can be found in the Wiki entry.)

The creature I find most interesting is the cougar. Bigger than the jaguar, but not considered a “great cat,” it goes by many names and roams most of the Americas. Also called Puma or Mountain Lion, these cats are huge and very efficient predators. They learn and adapt to their environment and the kinds of prey they find there. I saw a show on Animal Planet the other day on bighorn sheep in the Canadian wilderness. It turns out that scientists were able to discover that one particular cougar in the area had learned how to efficiently hunt the bighorn lambs and for the last two years of the cougar’s life, it ate almost nothing but mutton and put a big dent in the local bighorn population. But another cougar wasn’t as smart. It fell to its death off the rocky slopes while chasing a bighorn lamb and both were found dead at the bottom, killed by the fall. So it takes a sure-footed cougar to even attempt to hunt those kings of the mountain in their rocky, dangerous domain.

In my own writing, I’ve created a few different big cat shapeshifters. Many of you have already read about Matt Redstone, a character from my novel, Sweeter Than Wine. He’s a werecougar and has the cunning, speed and agility of the cat, even in human form. He’s also really sexy, just like the cat. In my little world, he’s the youngest of a group of cougar-shifter brothers and I plan to feature each of them in upcoming works. I’m also working on an urban fantasy world, inhabited by leopard and tiger shifters, as well as Others. More on that, when news becomes available.

For now, I continue my research into the ways these big cats are related and the fantasy of how to make them purrrrrrrrr.

CAPA Blogging Today & Paranormal Update

I’m blogging today over at The Romance Studio Blog about my recebt CAPA win. Prince of Spies surprised the heck out of me by winning my very first CAPA. Many thanks to The Romance Studio!

WEBSITE UPDATE:

Since I get asked about those first three vamp stories A LOT - I just updated the paranormal index page on my website with an “Author’s Note” that attempts to explain what’s come before, what’s happening now, and what I hope will happen in the future with this series. I’ve also added a little chart that attempts to explain the internal chronology of the series, though they’ve been written so that each can be read on its own.

Check out the new content at: http://tales.biancadarc.com/

Sweeter Than Wine is Book of the Month at The Howling Scribe

The Howling Scribe emailed me this morning to let me know she’d chosen Sweeter Than Wine as her first-ever Book of the Month for February!

You can see the posting on her forum here: http://scribe.citadelofthewolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3

And you can read her review here: http://scribe.citadelofthewolf.com/reviews/book_reviews.php?id=38

I think you can vote on your opinion of the book, just for fun, and perhaps post your own opinions. (I’m not great with forums, as you all probably know by now. LOL)

My thanks to The Howling Scribe!!!

Bath Salts - More Than Just a Plot Device

Sweeter Than Wine is on the ARe Best Seller List! Yay! I’ve been working on creative promo items for upcoming signings and for RT in April. Luckily for me, there’s a scene towards the end of Sweeter Than Wine where the hero prepares a relaxing bath for his lady. I admit, I really liked the idea of him pampering her with something so luxurious and yet simple. A nice soak in soothing, salty, scented water has a dreamlike quality that’s appealing.

One of the small promotional items I’ve come up with for this book is a pretty little organza bag filled with Solar Pacific Sea Bath Salts scented with Lavender Essential Oil (as in the book). I got these yummy light puple salts from the San Francisco Bath Salt Company. They have a great website that explains the way Solar Salts differ from most other kinds of salts. Simply put, because they are made the old fashioned way - by naturally evaporating sea water over a long period of time - they retain most of the beneficial minerals you really want in a bath salt.

They also have some great recipes on their site, for things you can do yourself, at home, to make life luxurious. Well, at least bath time. (BTW, I don’t get anything for plugging this company… I just really like their product!)

So if you see me at a conference, look for these little goodies with a Sweeter Than Wine card attached and take one! Enjoy a little pampering… on me.

Sweeter Than Wine is “What’s Hot” over at AllRomanceeBooks.com. Thanks to the ladies over there who’ve also selected the book as their Book Club pick for January. (More news about that as it comes in.)

And there’s a new movie trailer for the book. If You want to take a look at it, it’s on YouTube and myspace. Here’s the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETzm_cPR5aw  (Sorry, I can’t seem to get it to embed here.)

Sweeter Than Wine - Just Released!

Sweeter Than Wine

An abused woman has the power to unite werefolk, fey and vampire against an evil that would see them all dead—if she can learn to love again.

Christy lies near death after a brutal beating by her estranged husband. Her preternatural friends reach a desperate conclusion: The only way to save her is to turn her. Sebastian steps forward to take on the burden of being her Maker.

For him it’s no burden at all. She draws him as no other woman has for centuries. With the help of a werecougar friend, Sebastian teaches Christy about her new life and abilities, making certain she is as strong as he can make her. Only then can she face her abusive ex-husband and put her old life behind her. But Christy’s ex-husband is involved in something more dangerous than any of them had guessed.

Vampire, were, and even a fey knight must work together to put an end to the threatening evil. To overcome her past, help keep the darkness at bay, and fight for a new life with Sebastian, Christy must draw on all of her new-found strength.

Will it be enough?

Warning, this title contains explicit sex, graphic language, ménage a trois, hot neck biting and werecougar stroking.

Read An Excerpt Online

Buy Now in eBook formats from MyBookstoreAndMore.com

I’m really excited to see this book come out. For one thing, it’s the followup to Lords of the Were that everyone always asks me about. While it’s not a direct “sequel” per se, some of the characters from Lords of the Were make an appearance, and we also meet several great new characters as well. While concentrating a little more on the vampire society I’ve written about in the past, this book ties together my vamps and weres in a very tangible way. And another special bonus is that when you finish this story, the love story that follows chronologically after it - Ian and Jena’s story - is already out and available in both print (Caught by Cupid anthology) and in ebook (Forever Valentine).

There’s adventure, intrigue, a dash of true love, a little naughty werecougar stroking, and a whole lot of excitement in this book. I hope you will enjoy it! Here’s a different excerpt from the one on the Samhain site to help whet your appetite…

EXCERPT

Christina woke in slow increments, like a kitten just learning about the world around it. Sebastian watched her from the side of the large bed, waiting for the moment when she’d realize she wasn’t alone.

“I bet you’re hungry.” He was enchanted by the sleepy look in her eyes as she met his gaze. Rubbing her tummy, she looked like she was considering his words.

“I feel strange.”

He nodded and moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. “That’s to be expected when you’re newly turned.”

“Then it wasn’t a dream?”

“No, my dear. It was most certainly real.” He dipped his head closer, smiling so she could see his fangs. He was hungry too, it seemed. “You’ve been deep in healing sleep for more than two days. That’s longer than most of the newly turned, but you were gravely injured, so I encouraged your sleep.” He tugged at the sheet that covered her, inching it away. “I’ve decided on a course of action some might consider reckless.” He paused. “Do you trust me?”

She seemed to think that one over before answering. “I think so.”

“What I’m going to ask of you will seem strange, but I need you to believe it is for your own welfare that I’ve even considered this.” He pulled the sheet a little lower.

“Now you’re frightening me, Sebastian.”

“That’s not my intent. But I need you to know that what comes next is necessary for your future. I want you to be strong enough to deal with Jeff Kinsey on your own. I believe standing up to him—and winning—is the only way to face the rest of your years, now that you are immortal. If you let him win, even the smallest confrontation, it will set a tone for your new life that could prove disastrous.”

“Did I mention you’d already scared me enough?”

Sebastian was glad to see a spark of humor in her wary eyes. It made him feel a little better about what he was about to do, though other aspects of his plan still made him uneasy. There was jealousy for one thing. It was likely to eat him alive before long. Good thing the task could be accomplished quickly. He knew he couldn’t take too much of this.

“I’m sorry, Christina. What I propose will not hurt. On the contrary, it will bring you great pleasure, but it is somewhat…risqué. I know from your friends that you’ve never been very adventurous sexually. That will have to change.”

She looked wary, but receptive. “What exactly are you talking about?”

“Your body is fully healed now, and its chemistry forever altered. Now it’s time for your lessons to begin.”

“Lessons?”

“I promised to teach you everything you need to know to survive in your changed state. Those lessons begin now, with our most basic needs–blood and lust. You need to feed.” He dipped his head, kissing her savagely. He didn’t mean to do it, but her soft lips were so close, so inviting, he couldn’t resist.

Sebastian reveled in the sweet taste of her, delving deep with his tongue as her petite fangs began to emerge. He ran his tongue over them, encouraging their arrival. He’d forgotten how it felt to kiss one of his own kind. It was beyond erotic. It was nearly orgasmic in itself.

When she jumped, he pulled back, looking past her beautiful, bare body to see what had scared her. Sebastian understood her alarm when he saw Matt. He’d come in and prowled right up to the bed, taking a seat near the foot as if he belonged there, while Sebastian had been distracted. It was a shock to realize he’d been so lost in her kiss, he hadn’t even sensed Matt’s arrival. Matt’s knowing wink didn’t go a long way to soothe Sebastian’s self-recrimination, but it did make him smile. The lad was audacious, but Christina needed a little nudge to guide her on this path. Before the night was through, Sebastian knew she’d need to put all her inhibitions behind her and Matt Redstone was just the creature to help her do it.

“I invited a mortal friend to help you learn how to feed both bodily and psychically.” He waved one hand toward Matt, releasing her slowly. “He is were. You might note the difference in his scent from ordinary mortals. He’ll make an excellent first feeding for you to grow strong and he’s agreed to let us use him as our guinea pig for this evening. It’s a rare honor. You should be thankful.”

Christy looked at the gorgeous, muscular man who sat on the edge of her bed and began stroking her legs. “Um, thank you?”

Get your copy of Sweeter Than Wine today! And to read more in my paranormal world, check out both Lords of the Were and Forever Valentine, both now available from Samhain.

Welcome to the D’Arc side…
Bianca
www.biancadarc.com

Chippewa & Lady Aibell Closing

I found out this afternoon that both Chippewa Publishing and Lady Aibell Press will be closing at the end of the month. You may not realize this, but Chippewa was the very first publisher to ever offer me a contract.

Near the end of 2005, I saw an announcement on the EROS list about a vampire romance anthology competition offered by Chippewa for their Vamprotica 2006 collection. I’d never written a vamp story before, but had read a bunch and loved the genre. I figured, why not?

I wrote the story in about an hour - there was a 5k limit - and sent it off, not really expecting anything would come of it. A few weeks later, though the story hadn’t been selected for the anthology, I was offered a contract for One & Only to release as a single-title. I was floored!

That was in October. In November, I did NaNoWriMo for the first time and decided to try another new topic - dragons. I finished writing Maiden Flight in about 3 weeks. Building on the newfound confidence of having One & Only contracted, I decided to send Maiden Flight off to Samhain. It was contracted shortly thereafter. Although Maiden Flight was my first book to actually come out (on Valentine’s Day of 2006), One & Only was the first ever contracted, so it holds a special place in my heart.

I also went on to write more vamps and expanded the world to include weres and fey. Rare Vintage came next, then Phantom Desires, which did make it into the Vamprotica 2007 anthology. Forever Valentine went to Samhain, as did Lords of the Were, and in a few weeks, Sweeter Than Wine will join the collection.

There is some uncertainty regarding those first three stories right now because they won’t be available for sale after November 30th. However, I’m already looking for a new home for them and will underoubtedly be expanding them before they are re-released somewhere else. Stay tuned. I’ll let you all know when I know where they’ll be going.

In the meantime, I’d just like to thank the folks at Chippewa and Lady Aibell for giving me my start. I suppose this’ll be one of the last times I get to post the covers for these books. I created them and had a lot of fun doing so. Thanks again to Chip/LAP for allowing me to stretch my wings artistically.

New: Cover for Sweeter Than Wine

Here it is… the long-anticipated cover for my December release, Sweeter Than Wine. Isn’t it cool?

That’s right, get your FREE download of the Dunvegas 2007 collection of short paranormal stories from the authors of the Behind the Veil blog. Here’s the direct link.

Happy Halloween to All!

My contribution to the collection is a little tale I call “The Big Bad Wolf” - it’s a werewolf story set in the ficticious Dunvegas hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Enjoy!

Dunvegas

I managed about 4400 words yesterday, all on a new story that I’ll be giving away as a little Samhain treat for my readers. It’s a story set in the mythical casino of Dunvegas - a little collaborative creation from the authors on the Beyond The Veil blog. Each of us are writing paranormal stories set at this mythical casino and will be posting bits of them on the blog leading up to a free download of all the stories on November 1st.

My story is tentatively titled The Big Bad Wolf. Here’s a little snippet for you to enjoy…

The man reached into his pocket and flipped open a badge. “Chet Davis, head of Dunvegas Security, ma’am. Like I said, I’ve been watching you since you stopped outside the moat.”

“I didn’t see any moat.” The badge seemed legit and the man was big enough to be a professional football player, or a cop. He was tall and muscular, like many of the other men she’d seen in the casino, but he seemed a cut above the rest. A little taller, a little broader, a little sharper-eyed.

His smile almost stole her breath. “Why don’t I escort you to the front door and you can see what I mean?”

“Are you throwing me out?” Something about him riled her, though she was usually a quiet kind of person, not given to confrontation. But this man dared her to say no, just for the fun of it.

Strange, she’d never thought of confrontation as fun before, but the sparkle in his dark brown eyes made her shiver, and it wasn’t from cold. No, this was a shiver of awareness of her own fragility next to this giant man’s strength. He could crush her, or weigh her down in the most delicious way possible.

Where were these scandalous thoughts coming from? She was a librarian for goodness sake! She wasn’t one to ogle strange men, even if they did look good enough to eat. She did her best not to blush, but she could feel the heat of a flush rise to her fair cheeks. Chet smiled in a way she could only term wolfish.

“On the contrary, I wouldn’t throw out a pretty little thing like you, Red.”

Suddenly, Sherry was glad of her dark red hair that refused to be tamed. Normally it was the bane of her existence, but this man seemed to like it if the searing appreciation in his gaze was any indication.

“But we’ve got a convention going on here and you stick out like a sore thumb,” he continued. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t keep an eye on you. So tell me, why did you come in here of all the casinos on the strip?”

Something told her he really wanted to know. She shrugged. “I was walking. It got dark and I realized I was hungry, so I stopped and I was outside Dunvegas. I didn’t really look at the place before I came in. I was just seeking some warmth, a change of clothes and a meal.”

“Clothes? That’s why you were in the bondage boutique?”

She blushed again. “I didn’t realize what kind of store it was ‘til I saw what was inside.”

“But some of those outfits intrigued you.” He didn’t phrase it as a question and the dancing light in his eyes told her he really had been watching her finger a few of those outfits longingly.

A lump formed in her throat despite his warm expression. “I guess so, but I have nobody to wear them for now.”

“That sounds like a story I need to hear,” he crossed his arms, shifting his weight back to regard her. “How about you tell me over dinner?”

More of this story will be posted on the Beyond The Veil blog on the 29th. In the meantime, the other authors will be posting excerpts of their stories all this month, so check them out. This is all leading up to the unveiling of the complete stories on the 1st of November (if all goes as planned). We haven’t worked out all the details yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out, how you can get your hands on all the stories.

In the meantime, I won’t be able to do much fresh writing for the next week or so. I just got edits and they’ll require quite a bit of my attention, so I’m not sure I’ll be getting the word count moving much until I get past this. It’s still writing though, so I don’t feel so bad.