Posts Tagged ‘biting cold’

Good news and Hawaii Day 3

Posted: August 16, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Starting with some stunning news before I get to more stunning travel photos: Chloe Neill‘s wonderful new Chicagoland Vampires novel, BITING COLD, has hit the New York Times bestseller lists at #27 for Trade Fiction and #34 for E-books and the USA Today bestseller list at #79.  Go, Chloe!

Also, my new Latter-Day Olympians novel, CRAZY IN THE BLOOD, came out last week while I was off on vacation (bad timing on my part!) so I haven’t done nearly as much promo as I’d like.  I’d love it, of course, if you all want to run out and buy a copy!  (And of the first one, BAD BLOOD, if you don’t have that already.)  Gods, gorgons, murder and mayhem…what’s not to like.  Did I mention very hot heroes?  No?  Bad me, no cookie.  BTW, I’m over at Fiction Reboot today, talking with Brandy Schillace about all things writing. Hope you’ll stop by!

And now, without further ado…

Hawaii – Day 3

(note: for some reason, the slideshow wants to include the covers; sorry about that!)

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We started day three on the pool deck of our hotel—the wind blowing, a guitar-player /singer serenading us, and a hula dancer performing the words to the songs.  I could have sat there all day eating (Ty’s favorite thing was the taro donuts) and listening, but we had to rush off to the Pearl Harbor Memorial before all the tickets were sold/given away for the day.  The tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial are free, but they’re first come, first served, and even arriving by 9 a.m. our allotted time for the movie and ferry to the memorial wasn’t until 11:45.  This was just fine with us, as it gave us time to visit the Pacific Aviation Museum and for Ty to try out the flight simulator there.  The museum was fascinating and heart-breaking all at once.

The USS Arizona Memorial was peaceful and grave, in every sense of the word.  Oil still rises from the sunken ship, as though it’s still leaking mermaid tears for the fallen sailors.  Some of those who survived have chosen to be interred with their fallen fellows upon their deaths and have had their ashes returned to the ship.  It was very sobering.

From there, Pete, Su and Ty went to the Bowfin Submarine, but since I wasn’t feeling well, I stayed behind to watch the drinks, which weren’t allowed on board.

Next was Iolani Palance.  I’d wanted to bring Ty there because I remembered it from my trip to Hawaii with my family when I was about his age.  (Though I mis-remembered the statue of King Kamehameha as being in front of the palace rather than the government building across from in, but then, it was (cough) thirty years ago.)  Unfortunately, we arrived too late for a guide, but we were able to get an audio tour, and while it was still interesting and gave some nice history, it left out some of the more intriguing things I’d heard as a kid, like that royalty (as was not uncommon) married family, often brothers and sisters, until the missionaries arrived and put a stop to it.  The woodwork at the Palace was particularly impressive, and the inlay gorgeous.

Sunset was spent on Punchbowl Crater.  We couldn’t get into the cemetery at the very top, because the gates closed just prior to our arrival, but we sat near the summit and watched the sun go down, taking enough pictures to clearly mark us as tourists…as though there might be any doubt.  It was peaceful and glorious.

Next week’s amazing new releases

Posted: August 2, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Leaving for vacation very soon now!  As you can imagine, between the big RWA National Conference (just passed) and the upcoming vacay, I’m a bit crazed, but before I go, I have to post about next week’s exciting new releases from Chloe Neill, Rachel Caine and, well, me!

BITING COLD by Chloe Neill (NAL trade paperback)
This is book six of her highly suspenseful and bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series.  You won’t want to miss this series!  Also, I have to share this favorite quote from the Media Decay review of BITING COLD: “if TV producers are paying attention, this book series would make a great TV series.  It’s about a strong protagonist with tons of attitude and a sense of humor, who’s also smart and attractive and has many attractive vampire suitors as well as a bunch of great enemies and creatures and supporting characters that are equally as interesting.  I know I’d watch.”  Hear that, Hollywood?

Blurb:

Turned into a vampire against her will, twenty-eight-year-old Merit found her way into the dark circle of Chicago’s vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye–and more supernaturals than the public ever imagined.
And not all the secrets she learned were for sharing–among humans or inhumans.

Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest, tailing a rogue supernatural intent on stealing an ancient artifact that could unleash catastrophic evil on the world. But Merit is also the prey. An enemy of Chicagoland is hunting her, and he’ll stop at nothing to get the book for himself. No mercy allowed.

No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on.

TWO WEEKS NOTICE by Rachel Caine (Roc mass market)

The second book in the incredible Revivalist series!  You can talk to the author about it in a live on-line book chat on Tuesday, August 7th!  RSVP here.

“It’s rare that a sequel can top its predecessor, and given the enthusiastic 5 bats I gave WORKING STIFF, I never expected TWO WEEKS’ NOTICE to become my new favorite in the series…. The entire action-packed conclusion was thrilling and well written, and the ending caught me completely off guard with a delicious twist.  Not your average cliffhanger, Caine treats fans to a game-changing development that definitely puts Revivalist #3 at the top of my “Must Read” list.” –All Things Urban Fantasy

“I could not put Two Weeks’ Notice down. It was action-packed, full of twisty plot turns and surprises and a few “I didn’t see that coming” moments. Two Weeks’ Notice would make an awesome TV series. If you enjoy conspiracy thrillers with a touch of urban fantasy, you are in for a treat. And the ending…..Wow.” –Badass Book Reviews

Blurb:

In  New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine’s “thrilling”* Revivalist series, Bryn Davis finds out that making a living can be rough if you’re already dead…
After dying and being revived with the experimental drug Returne, Bryn Davis is theoretically free to live her unlife—with regular doses to keep her going. But Bryn knows that the government has every intention of keeping a tight lid on Pharmadene’s life-altering discovery, no matter the cost.
Thankfully, some things have changed for the better; her job at the rechristened Davis Funeral Home is keeping her busy and her fragile romance with Patrick McCallister is blossoming—thanks in part to their combined efforts in forming a support group for Returne addicts. But when some of the group members suddenly disappear, Bryn wonders if the government is methodically removing a threat to their security, or if some unknown enemy has decided to run the zombies into the ground…

CRAZY IN THE BLOOD by Lucienne Diver (Samhain, digital first, print in 2013)

Hell on Earth. It’s not just an expression anymore.

Latter-Day Olympians, Book 2

It’s an ill wind that carries bad news, and Tori’s just had a double load of it blow through her door.

Just a few weeks after she prevented some rogue gods from blowing L.A. into the ocean, more dead bodies are turning up near the leftover crater. Bodies that have been shredded by something too big to be…shall we say, of this world? Worse, Uncle Christos has disappeared after stumbling onto a deadly cult masquerading as the Back to Earth movement.

The connection: Dionysus. Yes, that Dionysus. He’s resurrected his bloody fertility rite, complete with frenzied female groupies who tear men limb from limb. And he’s lured Demeter, goddess of the harvest, over to his side by finding a way to get her daughter away from Hades for good.

Predictably, Hades isn’t about to let her go without a fight. Unless Tori finds a way to bring her back, he’ll abandon the gates of Tartarus. At which time all hell will, literally, break loose.

Between saving the world, the woman, the cultists and her crazy uncle, Tori’s giving up on getting to the beach before all the good spots are taken.

Warning: The wine country is going through a heat wave of epic proportions, and it’s not all about the weather. Beware steamy gods with seduction on their minds or brimstone in their blood.