biancadarc.com Blog

Guests: Vivian Arend & Lexxie Couper

Looking for something to warm up your winter, or celebrate the summer heat Down Under? Vivian Arend and Lexxie Couper are spanning the globe to bring you two stories that are sure to make you sweat. Viv and Lexxie are both members of International Heat, and while their stories are not connected in anyway, they happen to have drawn the same release day at Ellora’s Cave.

What better reason to get together to celebrate?

Viv:
I’m very excited to be able to have Claiming Derryn available to you. This is my first futuristic novella, my first m/m/f, and my first release from Ellora’s Cave. Claiming Derryn is about three friends–and lovers during their days at the Space Institute–who were suddenly separated. Now rejoined in the midst of a rebel uprising, the lines between the good guys and the bad are extremely blurred. Surviving is going to be tough even as they find love. Oh, and if you’ve ever seen Star Trek’s ‘The Trouble with Tribbles’ you’ll understand when I say the ’sharysa’ are my salute to Star Trek.

It’s a hot, wild ride through the galaxy. Be prepared for a passion that’s out of this world.

Lexxie:
There must be something seriously wrong with me. I love writing stories that are dark and twisted, quite disturbing and full of wild dangerous sex. Enter Timeless Wrath. I wrote Timeless Wrath years ago and it was previously released as a novella called Deadly Sins: Anger. It won numerous awards (including the JERR Silver Star Award) but remained unknown to the reading public. However Evron and Ricki’s tale DEMANDED to be heard and, after quite a lot of rewrites, my most erotic book to date comes to you from Ellora’s Cave.

Timeless Wrath has just about everything you’d expect in a Lexxie Couper book – lots of explosive sex, tormented heroes, lots of wild sex, a villain that’ll scare the pants right off you, lots of passionate sex and a love story fated by the Highest of Powers (oh, and lots of sex. Did I mention that?)

I should warn you though. Timeless Wrath isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s violent, at times scary and has been known to cause nightmares…and wicked, wet dreams.

Caught your interest? Raised your temperature? Come and see the official blurbs and read longer excerpts at Ellora’s Cave. Both books are now available.

Claiming Derryn                            Vivian Arend

Timeless Wrath                              Lexxie Couper

International Heat reader’s group Heat Wave  

Turn It On by Vivian Arend

Another of my author friends had a new release yesterday. Check it out!

Pushing the sensual limits can set off all kinds of alarms…

Turner Twins, Book 1

Inheriting her grandmother’s home is a dream come true for web designer Maxine Turner. She’s looking forward to a little freedom from the constant demands of her beloved, crazy mob of a family. When vandals expose just how vulnerable she is living alone, she seeks help.

Ryan Claymore’s well-thought-out life was wrenched out from under him when responsibility for his special-needs stepbrother landed on his shoulders. Going from military man to business man hasn’t been easy. He counts himself lucky he’s found Maxine to trade his security-system knowledge for her website expertise.

The red-hot chemistry that sizzles between them comes from out of the blue, and they both fight a losing battle to resist. Even the secret Ryan hides isn’t enough to keep Maxine from working her way into his heart—and his bed.

But something else might tear them apart. Whoever seems determined to destroy her home, and her sanity along with it.

Buy Now: http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/product.da/turn-it-on

Entwined by Fate by S. A. Price

S.A. Price is really two people – Stella and Audra Price. As many of you know, Stella is a good friend of mine, living just an hour or two away from me in upstate New York. We do a lot of signings together and tend to get up to mischief when we’re at conferences together.

They have a new book out today featuring an altogether new race of shapeshifters… weresnakes. Check it out!

Thirty females of the Ophidian race have gone missing, most from the transient nest of Las Vegas, a rogue and unofficial nest run by the Saint, John Merrick. Believed to be dead by every Archon in the states, Merrick leads a quiet and unassuming life, saving those of his race that are lost and need it most. It’s a solitary existence, one that he hates every day. He yearns for his mate, the woman he left over a decade before, and the woman who thinks him dead to this day.

When Elise Rizdon got the official invitation to the Archon meeting in Ohio by the leader of a new Midwestern nest, she never expected to see the love of her life at the woman’s side, a man she was told was dead and buried. She lost him once upon a time, and she never fully recovered. Focusing on the issues, and not the man that has always made her body burn is not going to be easy. A disturbing event is on the horizon, one that threatens all Ophidian’s and their way of life. In order to survive they will have to work together, give up old grudges and take chances on the things that matter most. Love, life and the continuation of their race.

“S.A. Price has written a winner! The taut plot line and the constant danger lurking at every corner increase the tension as the reader anxiously turns the pages. S.A. Price does a marvelous job at integrating subplots and smoothly fitting all of the pieces together. The secondary romances developing within the plot line make the happily-ever-after all the more satisfying. Brilliant!” ~Recommended Read, Ck2s Kwips and Kritiques

“Move over werewolf’s there’s a new game in town!” ~ Smokin Hot Books

“It kept me captivated …I just had to know what was going to happen next!” ~Books, Books and More Books

“A sexy were species that really pushes the envelope! Who knew snakes could be so hot-blooded!?” ~Jennifer Armintrout, best selling author of the Blood Ties series 

Interested? Check out why this book is getting such amazing feedback, and help Stella and Audra (S. A. Price) prove that weresnakes are sssexy and that scales could definitely be the new fur for you shifter readers!

JOIN THE REVOLUTION!  You can read an excerpt here. You can get the E book from All Romance E books and the print from Amazon.

Rough Cut by Mari Carr

Just want to plug the new release today from my buddy, Mari Carr. I was lucky enough to read this already and it’s smokin’ hot! Here’s the blurb:

When the screen fades to black, all that remains is love.

Ty Ransome. Reigning king of Hollywood, producer, actor, Look Magazine’s Hottest Man Alive. He has it all—until he reads a book of short stories that touches him in places kept carefully hidden from the tabloid gossip mill. There’s only one way to meet the introverted writer—invite her to Tinseltown to work on a script. The moment he sees her, he realizes why her work haunts him. There’s something missing in his life, and it’s her.

Gwen steps off the plane with reservations. For one thing, her darkly sexual stories are hardly movie material. Then there’s Ty’s reputation as a ladies’ man. Yet she’s won over by his charm and agrees to stay on for a week to get to know him before making her decision. And as the days go by, she discovers there’s far more to Ty than a handsome face.

They eat, drink and breathe the characters in their screenplay, re-enacting scenes that delve into the BDSM realm, setting Ty free to unleash his powerful cravings and exposing Gwen’s deepest needs. Needs she set free on paper…but is not sure she’s ready to make a reality.

Read An Excerpt Online

So, I really liked this book. It was gooooooooooooood. Get yours today at Samhain www.samhainpublishing.com

And FYI – my new book was supposed to be out today but it’s been pushed back a week, so look for CAT’S CRADLE next Tuesday, January 12th at Samhain.

Guest: Vivian Arend

Vivian Arend is hosting a Cowboy Countdown Contest and she’s popped in today to ask us to join her in getting ready for her latest release, Rocky Mountain Heat coming August 31st to Liquid Silver Books. And she’s got a question for us:

Have you ever been to a rodeo?

Bianca’s Answer: Being a city/suburban girl through and through, I have to admit I’ve never been to a rodeo. I have seen the cows penned up on 33rd St when the stock show is in Madison Square Garden. Does that count? (Weirdest thing I ever saw – temporary coral fencing put up on the sidewalk with a big black cow inside, chewing on hay they’d put on the ground for it.)

Welcome to the Six Pack Ranch, where one sweet young thing plus the Coleman boys equals trouble with a capital T.

Six Pack Ranch, Book 1

Blake Coleman is old enough to know that acting on impulse causes nothing but a heap of trouble. But when trouble’s a blonde wearing a cowboy hat with slim legs that go on forever, what’s a man to do? Wanting the sweet girl next door is just wrong. Hell, he was the one that taught her to ride a horse and now all he can think about is riding her. The responsible thing to do is keep his hands off.

Jaxi has other plans for his hands, and his heart. She may have considered Blake a big brother once but that was a long time ago. She’s all grown up now and ready to convince him that she’s just what he’s been waiting for.

Add the complication of two sexy younger brothers who have suddenly noticed Jaxi and things heat up fast. Blake’s gonna have to decide if a little trouble is worth fighting for.

——

Answer the question in the comments to be entered to win the prize in the Cowboy Countdown. For more info you can also come visit Where Dreams Become Reality.

Guest: Tayla Bosco

Goals.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear/see that word I get a feeling of “ugh” deep in my chest. I wonder, “great, what am I gonna fail this time?” How else can I depress myself, thank you very much?

It sounds like I never meet my goals , doesn’t it?. But to be honest, I do meet them most of the time. At least my realistic ones. And I think that is part of the issue, setting realistic goals.

How many of us have already failed in our New Year’s Resolutions? How many of us failed in the first week? Is it because we are “failures” or maybe because we set unrealistic goals, or goals were weren’t committed to for one reason or another.

It’s been just about a month, and I bet we are probably 50/50 with our goals. I have met some of mine, and failed at some of mine. Some I flew by with flying colors, some not. But I can tell you based on my personal history, the goals I set that I didn’t care about, or didn’t really want were the ones that I failed at. Those were the ones that I wasn’t driven to work on. The ones that whether it be consciously or subconsciously, I either was willing to or knew I would fail.

Think about that. Ones I was willing to fail. Ones I knew I would fail. Talk about a self-defeating prophecy. Setting goals you don’t want to succeed does no one any good. You fail, and you feel bad, when you didn’t want to do it to begin with.

So, if you are the kind of person that gets depressed when you fail those goals, stop setting them. Look at what you did, decide what you can do, and then set those goals. Each week/month/year reassess where you are and what you are doing. Recommit yourself to the same/a higher/a lower level. Decide what you can do, what you want to do, and then go for it.

Max and Leo want Adele, and if they have to do a bit of redesigning to get her, so be it.

Talya may be new to publishing, but she has many more stories in her head and on paper with which she hopes to entertain and amuse you all. She loves to read, write and hear from fans.

Guest: Michelle Hasker

Beating your muse into submission or Setting the Mood

Okay, maybe beat is a little harsh. Unless your muse has gone off on a hiatus lasting six months. Then perhaps the little twit has it coming.

There are so many things that an author can do to set the mood to make the creative juices flow. Some of my favorites are:

• Burning scented candles. That tells me it is time to release my creative side.
• Putting fresh flowers in a decorative vase on my desk. A little pampering goes a long way.
• Turning on a playlist I’ve devised for the story I’m working on. (Each story gets it’s own unique playlist.) This puts me in mind for a certain story or scene
• Reading a short, hot story to get me in the mindset to write.
• Reading a terribly written story to remind me that I could do better if I just WROTE.
• Washing dishes or folding laundry. Both are tasks that require little to no concentration (unless you are washing glass). I let my mind wander while I have the soothing sound of water or the washer in the background.

I could go on, but I won’t. What works for me may not work for you, but I hope you find something in there to try.

Happy Writing!

Michelle

To learn more about Michelle, visit her website at: www.michellehasker.com

Ever since the spell blew up in her face, Camryn’s world has fallen apart while her fellow witches have prospered. Maybe being good isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. She’s lost her job, her apartment and her boyfriend. Her health is suffering and she looks like death warmed over. What good is being ethical if you have to pay for it with everything you have?

Guest: Meg Benjamin

I spent a lot of time trying to think of something about me that might motivate somebody else to write. My writing habits aren’t all that special (at least three pages a day, best done in the afternoon after I’ve had time to wake up and kick-start my brain). My way of getting myself going is mainly just to do it.

But then I started thinking about how I got to where I am currently—one novel about to be published, another under consideration, several more ready to send out—and there is one thing about me that’s different. I’m a woman “of a certain age.” No, I won’t tell you what that age is. Let me put it this way—the Beatles aren’t just historical figures for me.

I think there’s this feeling sometimes that writers need to start young if they want to get ahead. But it took me a long time to get around to doing this. I wrote a lot of other things—technical manuals, newsletters, textbooks—before I finally realized romance was where I wanted to be. So here I am, pushing my doddering brain to come up with new plots, new characters, new ways of describing sex without overuse of the words slide and thrust. And I’m not alone. One member of my local RWA chapter started publishing in her late sixties, and now (in her seventies) juggles three different personas for her successful mainstream, erotica, and inspirational romances. I figure if she can do it, so can I!

And so can you, whatever your age. Start now. Write three pages—anybody can write three pages, believe me. So what if you’ve got grown children? It’s easier to write if you don’t have to chauffeur them to soccer games. So what if you’ve got a few wrinkles and one or two gray hairs. They don’t show up on the page, do they? So what if you get drowsy by ten? Write in the early morning when you wake up. And don’t ever think your age is an impediment to writing that novel. Helen Hooven Santmyer published And Ladies of the Club when she was 88, and it was a bestseller. So if someone says you’re too old, tell them “So you think I should wait until I’m younger?” Then go home and work on your novel.

Venus in Blue Jeans: A guy, a girl, a Chihuahua. Two of them will find the love of their lives.

Meg Benjamin lives and tries to write in South Texas. Her first novel, Venus in Blue Jeans, will be available from Samhain on January 27. Learn more at www.megbenjamin.com.

Guest: Eliza Gayle

Goal of Balance

It seems like there are a lot of writing goals running around the blogs this month, but what about that dark and murky side of writing we all try very hard to hide from. You know what I’m talking about I know you do. It’s the one word that can cause uncontrollable chills to shudder through an author’s body every time they hear it.

Promotion.

There I said it. Now we can all breath a collective sigh of relief. Ahh… There are aspects of promotion that can actually be a lot of fun, like interacting with readers via blogs or conventions and forums. But it’s finding the right balance that works for an author and applying that in regular intervals that becomes key. Balance.

Scheduling has become a priority for me in 2009 so that I can strive toward the goal of balance between the day job, writing and promotion. I’m breaking things down into small manageable chunks as I learn what works in my schedule and what doesn’t and my daily calendar and task lists have become invaluable.

For January though I have two new releases and I had to prioritize the promotion a little higher for this month. So between website updates, newsletters, ad creation and so forth, I’m determined in 2009 to find a daily schedule that allows me to accomplish my work and still make time for family.

January hasn’t worked perfectly so far but I am seeing subtle differences as I adjust. How about you? How do you balance your many duties between professional and personal? I’d love to hear your ideas.

Eliza Gayle is a published author of erotic romance in several sub genres including paranormal, fantasy and contemporary. This month she kicks of her new Black Cougar series at Linden Bay Romance and invites you to visit her website at www.elizagayle.net to learn more. For more about Lucas, check out MBAM.

* Eliza is offering a free download of a book from her backlist to one lucky commenter. Leave a comment on this post and you could win!

Guest: B.H. Dark

What my new year’s resolution?

It’s totally to be abducted by an uber-hot space alien. Like Dr Who (David Tennant incarnation preferably, though I’ll take Christopher Ecclestone or Paul McGann). Or Superman. Or Ziggy Stardust. Or Mork from Ork. (He was hot. You wanted to be Mindy. Admit it.) Or the Good Terminator. Or Han Solo. Or Worf. Or Zaphod Beeblebrox. Or Kang.

Well, maybe not Kang. I’m not so keen on sloppy kissers.

What I am keen on, though, is a life of travel, adventure, laser beams, android slaves and super-freaky mind-melding sex.

Anyway, to that end, since January first, I’ve been hanging out on a lot of high places. Rooftops, cliffs, mobile phone masts, flat-topped mountains. I’ve made some big signs, saying things like “Hey! Sexy alien! Here, please!” or “Need a lift to Eroticon 6”. (I had to put away the “Anal Probing OK” sign after that creepy guy down the street thought I meant him.)

I’m wearing Lt. Uhuru skirts. I’m listening to Alien Ant Farm. I’ve even painted myself green and poured the contents of a dozen glowsticks over my head.

So far, nobody’s offered me a lift any farther than the 7-11. But I’ll let you know when I get there.

B.H. Dark is offering a free download of Close Encounters to the commenter who leaves the best tip about how to be abucted by a sexy space alien. Go on, help her out. She’s desperate.

B. H. Dark is the pseudonym for bestselling authors Julie Cohen and Kathy Love.  Like all good pseudonyms, B. H. often says and does things that neither author would say or do in real life.