SILVER AND GOLD
As I face the close of 2008 and peek into the cloudy horizon of 2009, I am reminded of a verse from a Girl Scout song, “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” The friends met, the memories made, and the great books we read or (for us authors) wrote in 2008 are like silver and gold in our lives, precious, bright and sparkling bits of life to be treasured and held onto. I’d like to thank those here at Shapeshifter Romance for being part of the silver and gold, the readers here who follow the characters us writers work so hard to make, and the fellow authors who come and share a bit of themselves despite how crazily harried the life of an author can become (Writing is like dirty dishes and clothes. It is a job that is never done and one can easily lose oneself amid the never ending cycle of trying to keep up. I am sure I have lost my identity a time or two somewhere amid the piles of clothes on the laundry room floor and I know I’ve lost all sense of where I am going in a book as well, but that’s another story). Two of my silver and golds in writing this year, I will be sharing with you as they hit the book stores April and May of 09. Kiss of Darkness and Bride of the Wolf But what about all of you? I’d like to hear from readers and authors about the friends, memories, and books that have made your silver and gold moments in 2008!
_coming 4/09
Coming 5/09
__
Happy Reading and Happy New Year!
Jennifer St. Giles
Holiday Extravaganza Winner’s List
Hi all. 🙂 I meant to have this post earlier this morning, but I slept late after being up REALLY late last nite writing. So here is our list of winners! If your name is on this list, please email me at desertpetiri@aol.com and give me your NAME/EMAIL/MAILING ADDRESS. I will then hand that information off to the author for the book you have won. 🙂 If there is no title next to your name, it means it is still author’s choice, or perhaps she intends to give YOU a choice as to which to choose. For Larissa’s winner, there IS a choice already given, so make sure you tell me which one you want!
Winner #/ Participating Author/ Winner /Title won
Book 1 /AJ Hampton/ Diedre /
Book 2 / Deborah Cooke/ Amy / Kiss of Fire
Book 3 / Jennifer St. Giles /Donna / Kiss of Darkness
Book 4 / Larissa Ione / Diane M / Pleasure unbound or Snowbound
Book 5 / Lori Devoti / Carmen /
Book 6 / Marcia Colette / Eva S. /
Book 7 / Michele Hauf / AztecLady/ Winter Kissed
Book 8 / Rebecca York / Terri W. / Ghost Moon
Book 9 / Teresa D’Amario / cyclops8 / SheWolf
Book 10/ Terry Spear / Paula / Heart of the Wolf
Congratulations one and all! What an awesome time I had, reading all the posts. For the entire two weeks my email was filled with fun and laughter, and I truly had a great time reading every single one of them. Thank you so much for participating in our Holiday Extravaganza! Remember to email me at desertpetiri@aol.com to claim your prize!
And to one and all, I wish you an amazing 2009! May it be filled with love, joy, happiness and financial security!
THE DEVIL TO PAY
It’s in bookstores now! Romantic Times gave The Devil To Pay 4 1/2 stars and a Top Pick. And yeah, I think it’s pretty good, too.
I think this is one of my more tortured heroes. Ivan Drake was born, his soul already promised to the devil Himself. On his 21st birthday, Himself came to collect. Now Ivan’s nights belong to the darkest evil as he enforces his master’s will—but his days are still his own, and he does try to balance the evil with as much good as he can possibly manage.
He’s sent to claim the Book of All Spells for his master, yet the witch who guards it may be his most challenging match.
Are there shapeshifters in this story? I’ve discussed Himself’s ability to appear to others as their greatest temptation here before. I consider him a shifter. But he appears mostly in his real guise in this story (not a pretty looking creature).
One of my favorite ‘devils’ or ‘dark lords’ from the silver screen is Darkness from the movie LEGEND. I love that movie. Watch it at least once or twice a year. Anyone remember that movie? It was so gorgeous. I believe that movie influences practically every story I write. I love the snow scenes and the faery dust. And the dancing with the dress scene!
So we can chat about my new release, or the movie. I love them both! What was your favorite part of Legend? I’ve got a copy of THE DEVIL TO PAY for one commenter.
Michele
Holiday Extravaganza Question #10, Terry Spear
Wow, it’s all over. Or is it? Today’s winner will receive Heart of the Wolf from Terry Spear! Heart of the Wolf, Publishers Weekly “BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR.”
We hope you had an awesome holiday, no matter what you celebrated or how you celebrated. 🙂
So now that the leftovers are stashed in the fridge, wrapping paper is tossed in the trash, it’s time to sit back and breathe. Or is it? OH wait! What about holiday sales? Or is this a travel day for you? Are you busy packing up the vehicle? throwing the kids and dogs in the back seat? or have you decided till wait till New Year’s? Tell us all about it!
Holiday Extravaganza Question #9, Teresa D’Amario
Oh, things are exciting now! Just a few days left! The gingerbread is cooking, the turkey is in the fridge thawing, and oh,,, and the flurry of last minute shopping! Today’s winner will receive SheWolf by none other than Teresa D’Amario. Hey! That’s me!
So fess up – What store is calling your name this fine morning, and who did you forget to buy for?
And if you don’t give gifts for the holiday season, what do you do on this beautiful morning, just days before the biggest holiday in the world? I know you keep just as busy, so share! Teach me what you do!
Holiday Extravaganza Question #8, Rebecca York
Welcome back folks! I know, this is exciting! Christmas is almost here! I’m so excited. My dinner is planned, the decorations are up, and it’s time to offer a new book to giveaway! The book for you will be from Rebecca York! (can you tell I’ve been a big fan for a long time?)
Yep, the mistress of shifters herself!
So, tell us, are you on the naughty or nice list? Come on, you know you wanna tell us! SHARE!!! What really NICE thing did you do this year? And go ahead,,, tell us the really bad thing, the one you know you shouldn’t have done, but it was so decadent, so fun, you just HAD to!
Holiday Extravaganza – Question #7, Michelle Hauf
Today’s winner will receive WINTER KISSED from Michele Hauf!
Egg Nog and Fruit Cake!
yes? No? Spiked plain? Both of these holiday “treats” come in the generic non alcoholic version and the alcoholic. Which do you prefer??? Or do you just skip them all together?
Prizes to be announced on 30 December.
Holiday Extravaganza, Question #6, Marcia Colette
Hi, and welcome back to our Holiday Extravaganza. Today’s winner will receive a copy of Unstable Environment from Marcia Colette!
Question of the Day: Do you give gifts? And if you do, what day do you open them? Christmas? Christmas Eve? Another holiday day?
As per the M&M’s guys… “He does exist!”
Holiday Extravaganza, question #5, Lori Devoti
Hi, and welcome back to our Holiday Extravaganza. Today’s winner will receive a prize from Lori Devoti!
Question of the Day: Travel – Do you travel for the holidays? Or do you stay at home, with the fireplace and your mug of egg nog?
Edited by Lori to add: Hey a blank! 😀 Guess I should fill it in…your choice of any of my books, Nocturnes, rom coms, Christmas anthology–whichever you prefer.
Shapeshifter vs Shapeshifter
With my Berkley Moon books, I want my readers to fall in love with my werewolf heroes. They have to be sexy and appealing. Not necessarily wildly handsome. But they’ve got to have that alpha male sensibility that make them larger than life. And they live by a code that’s outside the human norm. I love writing these guys because they represent my ideal fantasy men.
I’ve got more problems with the other major male characters in my stories– the villains. Even though I’ve got more leeway with them. They can be handsome or downright ugly. They can be charming or grating. They can be outwardly friendly to the h/h or outwardly hostile.
But you’re walking a fine line with these guys. If you make them pure evil, then they’re going to be less interesting to the reader. Still, you want the reader to be rooting for their downfall.
In the book I’m writing now, DRAGON MOON, the bad guy is a shapeshifting dragon who lives in a parallel universe and wants to invade our world. And I want the reader to understand how he developed into a menace to humanity. When he was weak and powerless, humans took advantage of him, giving him valid reasons to strike out against the human race. And things got much worse for him about a hundred years ago when the people who live in his universe developed paranormal powers.
But it’s not so simple. Because–um–how can I say this without giving away the secret of this book? He’s going to be the hero of another book. So he has to be bad enough to make a formidable enemy now. Then the reader has to understand how he gets rehabilitated. It’s an interesting challenge. And an unusual one, because I can’t tell you the exact situation. You’ll have to wait for DRAGON MOON (coming in November 2009) to find out what I’m dealing with.
Which brings me to the question–what do you want to see in a villain? And how do you feel about a villain ending up being the hero of another book?
Rebecca
Shapeshifter Romance 