I'm Today's Special Guest at the Barnes & Noble Book Club!

Come join me today on the online forum board of the Barnes & Noble Book Club!

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James has invited me to come talk about "Coming Out Of The Broomcloset" and the popularly of paranormal fiction in today's market. Stop by and see what fellow readers have to say about ghosts and witches and other things that go bump in the night!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Well, I finally got around to reading a book I'd been wanting to read for a long time. It's funny, because I truly did want to read it, but I was reluctant because of the subject matter. *SPOILER ALERT* The idea of a sympathetic serial killer isn't really new (all you have to do is pick up a Tim Dorsey book or watch Kevin Costner in the extremely creepy movie, Mr. Brooks), but Darkly Dreaming Dexter is much more complex than that.

Dexter is a brilliant yet very damaged individual who was raised by a cop. His adoptive sister is a cop. He himself is a blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department, which is ironic because blood itself is at the root of all his problems. Bottom line, Dexter's cop father knew that his adoptive son was different; he knew that Dexter had an urge to kill that would one day find an outlet. So, as he lay dying, he basically gave good old Dex permission to kill those people who truly deserved it - the priest who raped and murdered little girls, the piece of scum who kidnapped children and sold them to child pornography rings, the sadistic nurse who liked to poison her elderly patients. I won't give away the entire plot, but I have to give the author, Jeff Lindsay, a tremendous amount of credit, on many levels, because he:

1) Kept me guessing (along with Dexter) until the very end of the book about how bad Dexter actually was.

2) Made me almost like Dexter (I say almost, because quite frankly, I don't think we're supposed to like Dexter, just be fascinated by the intricacies of the human mind, and Dexter's in particular).

3) Didn't gross me out too badly. (While I love the spooky stuff, I hate horror, so I was ready to be very squeamish about this book.)

I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it, even the gory parts. :-) I'll be picking up the other books in this series, too. But I'll read them over time, not right away. A little Dexter goes a long way. :-)

Have you ever read a book that made you squirm? Made you want to close it and put it away, but you couldn't because you just HAD to find out what happened next?

Cupid's Arrow Strikes True - They're Engaged!

I got an early morning phone call from my sister this morning, telling me that her sweetie "popped the question" last night, and she said "YES!"

Pam Talley and Bart Santamaria are now officially engaged, and I'm SO happy for them both!

Pam and Bart have been dating for two years, and I've never seen a couple who gets along so well (except me and Captain America, of course). Bart's a great guy - kind, easygoing and very, very likeable - I'm tickled to have him join the family! (Um, Bart... you DO know what you're getting into don't you? If you don't, too late now! LOL)

All joking aside, I give the man a lot of credit for surprising my sister by doing it the night BEFORE Valentine's Day. Dinner, a show at the performing arts center, and then when my sister was already in her pajamas and in bed, he got down on one knee and told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and offered her a beautiful diamond engagement ring. (Do I hear an AWWWW.........? Maybe that was just me, doing it again.) She's bringing her sparkly pretty over tonight after work so I can see it.

Please join me in a huge, heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to the happy couple! I love you guys!

It's Gonna Be A "Helluva" Summer!

I am over the moon to announce the official unveiling of the covers for my next two books, both out in the summer of 2008!

WEDDINGS FROM HELL is a collection of ghoulishly great wedding tales by me, USA Today best-selling author Kathryn Smith, and NYT best-selling authors Maggie Shayne and Jeaniene Frost. Four unforgettable tales of unholy matrimony... where the grooms are dark, dangerous, and mostly dead, and to love and cherish 'til death takes on a whole new meaning!




A MATCH MADE IN HELL is the sequel to DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY - what kind of trouble has Nicki Styx gotten herself into now, hm? :-) (I'll give you a little hint: the Devil can be a little hard to resist, particularly when he's wearing faded jeans and a leather bomber jacket, and looking hotter than Hell itself!)

Both books are already available for pre-order on Amazon! *sigh* I never tire of looking at Amazon. LOL Anyway, I just LOVE both these covers! I love one more the other, though, but I'm not saying which. :-)

Which one do you like best?