Bitten By Helsinki's Favorite Vampires, The 69 Eyes

I had the time of my life last night, when I finally got to meet Jyrki, Jussi, Bazie, Archzie and Timo-Timo of the 69 Eyes!

The guys were so nice (don't let the scary posing deceive you), and so friendly, (urging my husband to take extra pictures just in case some of them didn't come out), and each and every one of them signed a copy of Dead Girls Are Easy! Here is my favorite photo of the evening, with Jyrki holding it (do I look happy, or what?):


















Here's a shot of Bazie and Archzie signing it:














And another of me with Bazie (with Jussi in the background):



And then, because there's no way Jussi should ever be in the background:



(Despite Jussi's zombie stare for the camera, he is actually adorable in real life; soft-spoken, and sweet. I came this close to getting him to take off those sunglasses, until Timo confided that he didn't want to do it because he'd just woken up and hadn't put on his eyeliner yet. Gee, I know the feeling.) :-)

Jussi and Timo-Timo:



And I particularly love this shot, even though it's the back of my head, because this is the moment when Jyrki said, "At last we meet." Isn't that sweet?



And when the meet and greet was over, I rocked out with my friends Troy and Tiffany as we heard the band play live. It was a great show, with tons of energy-we danced, we screamed, and waved our hands in the air in honor of a really great band and really great bunch of guys. Although I was invited to stick around and hang with the guys after the show, I decided that might be TOO much fun, and went home with my wonderful husband. :-)

I had a fabulous time, and would go again in a heartbeat. The 69 Eyes are currently touring all over the U.S., so if you get a chance to go see them, don't hesitate... get bitten!

Halloween Happy Hour Today on BlogTalk Radio!

Don't forget to join me today on
BlogTalk Radio at 2pm EST, as fellow paranormal authors Jocelynn Drake, Jaime Rush and I chat about things that go bump in the night!

Call in live and talk to us at (347) 826-9686, or just give a listen!

Creature Feature

When I was a kid, I lived for Saturdays. Freedom, fun and my favorite mid-afternoon horror movies, "ghost hosted" by Dr. Paul Bearer. These were not just any horror movies, they were old horror movies, true classics from the 30's, 40's and 50's. Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman (1943), with Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, The Mummy (1932) with Boris Karloff.

The host of Creature Feature was Dr. Paul Bearer, a man who lived and breathed his role as an undead undertaker. :-) He was a local celebrity, a man with a ridiculously morbid sense of humor and a perfect deadpan delivery. An unrepentant punster, Dr. Paul Bearer's goal in life was to make you groan in agony over his use of bad puns and silly props, while being just a bit creeped out by his appearance and demeanor. (He drove around town in an actual hearse, and had an actual glass eye that was always somewhat... off.) :-)

Seriously, I loved the guy. Watch this brief clip of Dr. Paul Bearer in action, as he introduces the afternoon movie for Channel 44's Creature Feature:



In between the scary parts of the movie, Dr. Paul would take us to his Tenement Castle, where he'd lighten the tension by chatting with us and his best friend, Spenjamin Bock (a skull), or visiting with his Mummy:



I guess you could say that Dr. Paul Bearer was a big influence on me, because he allowed me to watch scary movies and still feel safe. No gore or slasher films during Creature Feature, just good old spooky classics, served with a side order of morbid humor. No matter how freaked out I might get while watching Bela Lugosi as Dracula or Boris Karloff as a mad scientist, I could count on Dr. Paul to make me laugh, and smile when he uttered his signature closing line, "I'll be lurking for you..."

Happy Halloween, Dr. Paul! Rest in pieces. :-)

Paranormal Party Baskets - Winner #1

Congratulations to "edwardsvampykitten", who won this cool Pumpkin Graveyard Basket stuffed with ghoulish goodies, from my spooktacular website giveaway!

She won some autographed books, some awesome music, and some special goodies, including a Limited Edition beaded bookmark, a coffin tin of mints, a "Raise a little Hell with Nicki Styx" magnet, and some candy! (What would Halloween be without candy?)

Never fear, however, for there are still more goodies to be given away!

The next prize up for grabs is this cool Spooky Spider Basket (drawing to be held October 17th). If you haven't signed up to win, get thee over to the CONTEST PAGE on my website, and enter! (Unless you don't like autographed books, awesome music, special goodies or candy, which would mean you might be... um... dead. Sorry, zombies, but this is a no-brainer!) LOL

Aw, c'mon - a little Halloween humor never hurt anybody!

Saving the best for last, one lucky vampire lover will win this awesome "Coffin Case" set by Finnish goth/rockers, The 69 Eyes. The drawing for this prize will be held on October 31st, and you can read a detailed listing of all the goodies included by checking out the contest page on my website.

In the meantime, don't forget to on head over to Fresh Fiction Reviews, and enter to win a signed copy of my October 27th release, SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT (the 4th book in the Nicki Styx series), and this adorable ghost apron! You'll be the ghostess with the mostess in this baby!

Hope your October is going well, and Happy Halloween!

The Siren's Call: An Original Halloween Quickie

Time for a spooky story, boys and ghouls! In honor of all things that go bump in the night, here's an original Halloween short featuring Selene the succubus, a deliciously evil seductress who gives Nicki Styx a run for her money in SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT (book #4 in the series, on sale Oct. 27th):

THE SIREN'S CALL by Terri Garey

There she was.

Miss Caramel Macchiato, looking hotter than any melt-in-your-mouth coffee ever would, the same girl he saw every Saturday morning at Starbucks.

It had been a stroke of luck to overhear her cellphone conversation when they were in line the other day. Wild Times Club wasn’t one of his normal hang-outs, but for this girl, Brad was willing to make an exception. The loud music, the strobe lights and the press of noisy humanity faded into the background as he wove his way easily through the crowd, his eyes on the evening’s conquest.

“Excuse me, but don’t I know you?”

Miss Macchiato was laughing, one slender shoulder angled his way as she leaned over the table toward her girlfriend. Dark hair, rich with chestnut highlights, ruby red lips. When she turned toward him, Brad could see her eyes were brown, alight with humor and intelligence.

Oddly enough, the light faded as she registered his presence.

“I don’t think so.”

A definite coolness to her tone should have warned him, but undaunted, Brad nodded his head thoughtfully, a broad smile on his face.

“Saturday mornings – Starbucks in Soho, right?”

Now she gave him her full attention, turning in her seat to face him, one elbow still on the table. It gave him a great view of her red vee-necked top, cut low in back and even lower in front.

“I’m Brad.” He struggled to keep his eyes where they belonged. “I see you there all the time.” No need to rush – this girl was gorgeous, and worth a little extra effort.

“Ah, right.” A tight smile and a polite nod of recognition before she turned away, taking a sip of her drink.

Ah? That’s all he got? An ah? Women usually liked a good-looking guy who knew how to dress, and how to treat a lady. He’d had no complaints, so far.

At least none he’d stuck around to hear.

“Can I buy you and your friend another round?”

Brad offered the girlfriend – a chubby blonde in a too-tight sweater – a charming smile before turning his gaze back to the brunette.

“I don’t think so.”

A short giggle came from the blonde, annoying Brad to no end. He shot her a glance and was happy to learn she wasn’t as dumb as she looked, as she quickly murmured an excuse and headed to the ladies’ room.

Brad was alone with the woman he'd been lusting after for weeks, and completely at a loss for words. Of all the fantasies he’d indulged in about this moment, being shot down in four simple words was not one of them.

Someone bumped into him from behind, forcing him closer to her table. He could smell her scent now – warm and smoky, like spices and chocolate. From his vantage point, he could see the top of her head and the delicate curve of a breast, plainly visible in the flickering light from the dance floor.

Swallowing hard, Brad decided to give it another try.

“Is it my aftershave or something? I can go home, take a shower and be back in a half an hour.”

Women liked men who could make a joke about themselves. The technique appeared to work like a charm, because this time when Miss Macchiato looked at him, she smiled.

“Perhaps you should do that. It certainly wouldn’t hurt – and I’ll be right here when you get back, I promise.”

Her voice was seductive, sending a thrill to his groin even though he knew she didn’t mean a word of it. She was teasing him – toying with him, and it made him angry.

If only she wasn’t so damn beautiful – so damn sexy. He thought she looked fabulous in the athletic clothes she usually wore for coffee, but that red top she was wearing should be illegal. Her eyes sparkled with humor, but Brad didn’t like it, because it was at his expense. He turned, poker-faced, to leave the crowded bar.

“Oh, don’t go away mad. . .” the murmured words were barely audible above the music, but Brad heard them just the same, “just go away.”

Pissed off, he spun back toward the table.

“You know, you should really try the iced cappucino next time you stop for coffee. Suits your Ice Queen personality much better.”

One auburn eyebrow arched.

“Finally,” she said, “a bit of spirit. I was afraid there was no spine beneath that handsome exterior." She shrugged, strobe lights glimmering in her hair, moving across her slender shoulders, shadowing the vee of her blouse. "As for the cappucino, I’m afraid I don’t care for any tepid, watered down experiences,” her glance moved over him like a caress, “in my coffee, or my men.”

He should leave now – he really should. She’d made it clear he was beneath her notice, so why was he still standing here like an idiot? Why was he watching her every move as she uncrossed her legs and rose from the table?

She moved toward him, taking her time. She was in front of him now, her scent teasing his nose.

“Would you like to make love to me, Brad-from-the-coffee-shop?”

He hardened instantly, and from her knowing smile, she knew it, too.

She had one hand on his shoulder now, her breath fanning his ear as she spoke.

“If I told you to take me here – now – on this dance floor, would you do it?”

Soft hair brushed his cheek, and he shuddered, striving to control his breathing. What was she doing to him?

Amazed at himself, Brad nearly groaned his reply. “Yes.”

“Good boy,” she murmured.

Fingers lightly grazed his erection through his jeans. At that moment, Brad would have given anything to have them touch his skin. The pounding of club music seemed to match the pounding in his blood.

“Let’s go.” She had him by the hand now, pulling him toward the exit.

Dazed, he let her lead him, unsure whether it was the force of her personality or the force of his own lust that drew him.

“Wait. Slow down.”

She slowed long enough to cast him a questioning glance over her shoulder.

“What’s your name?”

At his question, an enigmatic smile curved her lips.

“Selene. But you’ll be calling me much more than that before this evening’s through.”

Was it just the flashing strobe lights that caused that red glint in her eyes? Had her teeth always been that white and sharply pointed?

Brad didn’t know and didn’t care. He just followed her out into the night.

How To Look "Bootiful" While Baking Spiderweb Cupcakes!

Even though I have a sign in my kitchen that proudly states "I Kiss Better Than I Cook", this ghost apron from Two Purring Cats Studio is cute enough to tempt even me into doing some Halloween baking!

It's being given away at FRESH FICTION Reviews, along with a hot off the press copy of my newest book, SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT (the fourth book in the Nicki Styx series) which hits the stores on October 27th, 2009!

I'll even throw in this super quick and easy recipe for SPIDERWEB CUPCAKES:

1 box of cake mix
1 can of vanilla frosting
1 tube of black cake decorating gel
1 dozen or so plastic spiders
Orange food coloring (optional)

Follow the recipe for cupcakes on the back of a standard cake mix box (c'mon, even I can do that!) Open the can of frosting and mix in the orange food coloring drop by drop until it's the shade you like, or just leave white. Frost the cupcakes as you usually would, then use the tube of gel to draw three or four circles on top, spaced evenly apart, each one bigger than the other. Then take a toothpick and drag the tip from the center of the cupcake outward to the edge - a spiderweb magically appears! Top with a plastic spider, and you'll be the "ghostess with the mostess" on All Hallows Eve, particularly if you're wearing this apron!

Enjoy the cupcakes, and don't forget to check out the contest at FRESH FICTION !

Halloween Happy Hour on BlogTalk Radio!

Join me Oct. 15th at 2pm EDT on BlogTalk Radio's "Authors On Air" as I chat with hot new paranormal authors Jocelynn Drake and Jaime Rush about all things Halloween during "Halloween Happy Hour!"

Call in and chat with us live
at (347) 826-9686!

2009 Favorite Paranormal Author of the Year Award

I just found out this morning that I'm up for "2009 Favorite Paranormal Author of the Year Award" at Bitten By Books, the "paranormal review site with bite"!

I'm flattered, really, because I'm up against some really fabulous authors, like Charlaine Harris and Sherrilyn Kenyon. So if you have a second, pop by and vote for me, would you?

The poll is on the right-hand side, about halfway down the page.

Ghoulishly Great Halloween Goodies from The 69 Eyes and Terri Garey!

Halloween's come a little earlier this year, my pretties!

I simply couldn't wait until October to give out candy. :-)

I've already begun my month of Halloween fun by putting together some ghoulishly great goodies to give away to my readers: a "coffin case" bundle from The 69 Eyes, and two "Paranormal Party" gift baskets, complete with signed books from some of the hottest new authors in today's paranormal fiction, and music that's "fangtastic" enough to wake the dead and set them to dancing!

My favorite vampire rockers, The 69 Eyes, and The End Records were cool enough to send me this awesome Limited Edition "Back In Blood" Coffin Case set. It features a silk-screened, velvet-lined “coffin case,” a deluxe CD/DVD version of their new CD, Back In Blood, a original “Zombie Love” comic book written, drawn and autographed by the band's lead singer, Jyrki69, an autographed “Dead Girls Are Easy” import CD single, an exclusive T-shirt, and a digital download of the album.

What? You haven't listened to Dead Girls Are Easy, a rock n' roll tribute to "dead girls" everywhere, inspired by my award-winning Nicki Styx series? Where've you been hiding - in a dark coffin? A foggy graveyard? Wake up and smell the zombies, ghoulfriend!




"All they wanted to do is rock...." Ahem.

In addition, I've put together these super spooky gift baskets, stuffed with ghostly goodies like signed copies of SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE by Kerrelyn Sparks, and DAYHUNTER by Jocelynn Drake. There's even a cute little coffin tin of mints in each basket, along with Limited Edition beaded bookmarks and a "Raise A Little Hell with Nicki Styx" magnet!

I'll be giving away the "Pumpkin Graveyard" basket on October 10th, the "Spider" basket on October 17th, and the Coffin Case collection on - when else? - October 31st!

To find out more, go to my special TRICK OR TREAT page, and enter to win.

Good luck, ghoulfriends, and Happy Halloween!

Silent Night, Haunted Night

I'm starting to get excited by the upcoming release of book #4 in the Nicki Styx series, SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT. It will be in bookstores everywhere Oct. 27th, just in time for Halloween - what more could a ghoul want?

Waiting for those first reviews is nervewracking, let me tell you, but I was thrilled to find out yesterday that Romantic Times Magazine has given it 4 Stars, and Library Review Journal says, "This sultry, upbeat urban fantasy puts a new twist on visitations by Christmas ghosts, and is just the thing for readers who want their holiday fare with a darker edge."

Everyone knows that the holidays can be Hell, right? :-p Read the opening paragraphs to SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT, as Nicki Styx sets the stage for her latest adventure:

Silent Night, Haunted Night (Excerpt)

Ebenezer Scrooge isn’t the only person who’s ever had to deal with ghosts at Christmas.

You remember the tale; crabby old man, three spirits coming to visit on Christmas Eve—the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future—all there to show him the error of his ways and to give him a second chance at life before it was too late.

Unlike Scrooge, my second chance at life came much earlier. My name is Nicki Styx, and I’m only twenty-nine. A faulty heart valve nearly did me in last year. In fact, it did do me in; I’ve been to the other side and back again—and I mean that quite literally. Bright light, tunnel, and lifetime instructions to “do unto others as I’d have done unto me” before waking up in the hospital, sore and forever changed. I was very lucky, although getting kicked out of the afterlife definitely came with some strings attached; the restless dead, the ones who weren’t so lucky, keep popping up with unfinished business, expecting me to finish it for them.

Which I do, if I can.

Even if it gets me in trouble, which it frequently does.

This year, however, the holidays seem to have brought nothing but trouble: three unpleasant spirits out to teach me a lesson for interfering in the “natural order of things”. Three ghouls, three harpies, three sisters in crime… better known as the Three Fates.

The worst of the three is a succubus, a beautiful woman who can seduce any man alive by invading his dreams.

I know ‘tis the season to be jolly, but this year, Santa’s “ho,ho,ho” is all too real, and worse—she’s out to steal my boyfriend.

If you read this far, then you deserve a treat (or two!). Since I'm already in a Halloween kind of mood, leave me a comment here, or on MySpace or Facebook for a chance to win one of these cool "coffin tins" of mints, and a special Limited Edition bookmark!

The 69 Eyes - Back In Blood!

I got an awesome treat in the mail this weekend, a brand new CD by The 69 Eyes, called Back In Blood. (If you say it correctly, the way the band members do, you'll sound exactly like Bela Lugosi.) :-)

The 69 Eyes (also known as the Helsinki Vampires) are a gothic glam rock n' roll band from Finland. They've been performing for years, consistently topping the charts in their native country, and very popular in Europe and Australia. Their sound is a unique blend of Elvis, the Doors, Motley Crue and AC/DC, while their style has more of the 80's attitude and fashion sense of Billy Idol and Adam Ant. Underlaying both their sound and their style are the gloomy gothic undertones of bands like The Cure and Sisters of Mercy. Their music, their look, and their incredibly effective use of eyeliner make them well worth noticing. :-)

Don't believe me? Watch and listen as the band describes their style in their own words:



All of the songs on the new CD are loosely themed around the realm of the undead, the black abyss of eternal suffering, the shadowy world of the vampire. It's an absolutely fabulous mix: killer guitar riffs, pounding drums, five sexy guys in black leather singing about eternal loneliness - what more could a ghoul want, right?

The title song, Back In Blood, gets your vampire-lovin' heart pounding, and is backed up perfectly by Track #2, We Own the Night. One of my absolute favorite songs is Track #3, Dead N' Gone. LOVE IT!

And then, of course, I ain't gonna lie: Track #7, Dead Girls Are Easy, is to die for!

Back In Blood is the band's 10th CD, and their US label, The End Records, has been great enough to provide me with a few extra copies, which I'll be giving away on my website during the month of October as part of a special Halloween promotion. Four "paranormal party" baskets filled with spooky books, spooky CDs, and other ghoulishly grand goodies in honor of one of my favorite holidays, and one of my favorite bands. The CD isn't being released in the US until September 15th, but they're available for preorder.

They'll be touring all over the US and Europe over the next few months, so if you get a chance to see them, take it. (I mean, you know what they say about vampires, right? Centuries of experience, incredible stamina, and they know the value of a little neck nuzzling to get you in the mood!) Nuzzle up to these guys, and you'll learn - like I did - that the Eyes have it!

They can bite me anytime. :-)

Just When You Thought You'd Seen Everything...

This piece of art, entitled “For the Love of God”, is a skull made out of platinum, diamonds, and human teeth. The total thing has 8,601 diamonds and comes in at 1,106.18 carats. It’s the most expensive piece of art ever created, costing between $16 and $20 million to make, and $99 million to buy.

Is it wrong to say I'd love to have it? (Ooo, spooky and shiny!)

Want A Bookmark?

Are these cool, or what? I had new bookmarks made to celebrate the upcoming October 27th release of Silent Night, Haunted Night and they turned out so great that I want to share them directly with my readers.

Normally these are sent to bookstores, libraries, writers conferences and trade shows as part of the promotion efforts from my publisher, but hey, I want YOU guys to have some, too.
I mean, why save your place in a Nicki Styx story with a scrap of paper or *gasp* fold down a corner of the page (sacrilege!) when you can have one of these marvelously macabre markers?

At any rate, all you have to do to get one is to send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Terri Garey
P.O. Box 320386
Tampa, FL 33679-2386

The front is as you see here, and the back shows the entire series, in order, in case you missed any of them. :-)

(If you'd like extras for your book club or some of your cooler friends, just let me know, and include a little extra postage!)

Save your place in style, ghoulfriends, and come to the dark side... we have cookies! (well, bookmarks, anyway, and unlike cookies, they're not fattening.) :-)

The Devil's Bargain - a new series by Terri Garey!

The dark side is calling, and it's hard to resist... particularly when it appears in the form of a smokin' hot guy wearing tight jeans and a leather jacket! I'm thrilled to announce a brand-new series based on my favorite bad boy from the Nicki Styx series, Sammy (Satan) Divine! Here's the official announcement from Publisher's Weekly:

The Devil's Bargain trilogy, a spin-off of Rita Award-winning Terri Garey's Nicki Styx series, featuring the ultimate fallen angel, Sammy (Satan) Divine, and the souls of three lost women, again to Erika Tsang at Avon by Annelise Robey and Christina Hogrebe at Jane Rotrosen Agency. (World English)

Yes, the Nicki Styx series continues with a deeper look into the dark side as the world's most diabolical bad boy takes on the job for which he was originally created... that of a guardian angel. Blond-haired, blue-eyed and sinfully sexy, Sammy is hotter than Hell, and lives there, too. Once divine, now cast down, forever blamed for the seduction of Eve and the destruction of Paradise, the angel once known as Samael has his own version of mankind's fall from grace, believing temptation goes both ways. For centuries he's made it his business to lurk the shadows, wreaking havoc in the lives of humans.

Now offered a chance to step into the Light, will he take it, or remain forever trapped by the darkness he himself created?

No, that's not Sammy's picture above, but it's a very good likeness of Finn, who'll you'll also meet in this upcoming series! Those of you who are familiar with the character of Sammy Divine know that he looks a bit more like Simon Baker from The Mentalist, only hotter, with some Billy Idol thrown in. :-) Sammy doesn't like to share the spotlight with anyone, so sparks may fly!

Having always been fascinated by legends and stories surrounding Satan's Biblical fall from grace, I'm excited to be able to tell it from a whole new perspective, from the side of the arrogant fallen angel whose lust for the flesh led him to defy his creator. In The Devil's Bargain, I'll get to delve more deeply into Sammy's world: Where does he go when he's not tempting or tormenting Nicki Styx? Who (and what) are the creatures that surround him in his kingdom of darkness?

Even more intriguing, how do they feel when their Dark Prince is the one being tempted?

I hope you'll enjoy reading more about Sammy, Finn and a host of other interesting characters when the first book in this new series, The Devil's Bargain, is released in 2010!

Zombies Need Love, Too (apparently)

You may have heard about a book that's evidently pretty popular right now, called PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, which is billed as: "The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!". (Talk about your classic twist, hm?)

At any rate, the success of this book has apparently re-animated the formerly dead genre - ok, that was bad! :-) - of zombie romance. Yes, boys and ghouls, some publishers are apparently looking for zombie love stories, as evidenced by this call from the editor of an electronic press called Ravenous Romance: http://ravenousromance.blogspot.com/2009/07/call-for-zombie-love.html (Big honking disclaimer: I do not write for Ravenous Romance, I know very little about Ravenous Romance, and this is not a plug for Ravenous Romance. I just found it interesting, and thought I'd share.)

So, as I read this call for romantic tales of the living dead, I took a moment to imagine how in the world one could mix love with lividity, and came up with this short little tale I like to call:

LOVE STINKS, AND SO DOES YOUR BREATH by Terri Garey

“Is that a femur in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

Donna snuggled in closer to Derek, brushing the dark hair from his eyes with one hand. Unfortunately, a clump of it remained in her fingers, and she knew this particular boy toy’s time was limited. That was the problem with zombies—their shelf life was much too short, the pesky problem of decomposition being one she hadn’t solved yet.

Even embalming didn’t help, and she didn’t care for waxy buildup on her fingers any more than she did her floors.

“Brought you a present,” Derek murmured, with a lopsided grin, “for our two-week anniversary.” His breath reeked of blood and sausages, which made sense considering his job at the local meat packing plant. With a flourish, he whipped a hand from behind his back, and offered her his prize.

“How sweet,” Donna squealed. “It’s a heart!”

“Yeah, baby,” he answered smugly, blood dripping between his fingers. “A fresh one. Nothing but the best for my girl.”

“Awww,” Donna said, “I got you a present, too.” She let go of him long enough snatch her purse up from the bed. Digging inside, she brought up an object about three inches long. Picking off a piece of lint before handing it to him, she announced, “I usually wait at least a month before giving my boyfriend the finger!”

Derek and Donna both died laughing, which was long overdue, considering Donna had been dead for two centuries, and Derek for two weeks.

She eyed him with regret as she giggled, knowing his laughter would soon be a thing of the past, much like Horatio’s, the guy who’d gotten her into this fix. It had been Horatio’s idea to visit the cemetery in Edinburgh that night two hundred years ago. Bodysnatching had been a good way to earn some quick cash back then, unless your body happened to be the one that got snatched, of course.

Poor Horatio, she’d known him well, until that shovel had come out of nowhere, and smashed his head in. The doctor who’d done it hadn’t hit her hard enough, though, and she’d woken up in his laboratory to find him on top of her. After that, what was a ghoul to do except defend herself? It was only after she’d killed the doc with his own dirt-encrusted shovel that she’d found the secret book lying on his desk, in plain sight, and learned the ancient grimoire’s secrets about how to reanimate the dead.

“Hey, baby,” Derek said, interrupting her musings. “I got a perfectly good boner going to waste here.” He grabbed her hips and pulled her close again. “What say we get naked and put it to good use, hm?”

Donna smiled. She’d learned a few secrets about herself that night, too, including how her brush with death and her newfound ability to reanimate dead flesh left her with a taste for more of it. Immortality had cost her soul, but she was pretty sure she didn’t need it where she was going.

“Absolutely,” she answered, with a smile that revealed her own teeth, pearly white and perfect. Her eyes glowed red as she began to tug his shirt from his pants. “No use letting a good piece of meat go to waste."

Yes, I have a weird sense of humor, but if you didn't know that by now, then welcome to my world. :-)

Life Is Strange, and Then You Die

Ok, I apologize for the weird blog title, but that's a bit how I feel today.

I woke up this morning to a front page article in the Sunday paper about a big, multi-author booksigning I attended recently, where I and my fellow authors were interviewed for the local newspaper (see post below). While the article itself was all about the fact that book sales of the type I write are booming, and that authors like me are not only normal people, but can make a decent living at what we do, the lead-in photo was of a plus, plus-size woman in a muu-muu holding a bunch of books and wad of cash.

I apologize, anonymous woman in the photo, for what I'm about to say, but this was a plus-size tactic designed to not only draw the eye, but to denigrate what I do for a living by implying that the only people who read what I write are overweight, lonely, and can't "get any" any other way except reading about it. And that, quite frankly, troubles me.

I could go off on a rant about the statistics (which quite frankly, are impressive). I could point out that I am neither overweight, nor wear a muu-muu (which if I did, would have nothing to do with my writing ability, or my taste in reading material. Oh, and I get plenty, thank you very much, as do many others like me who value love and genuine feeling over the occasional, meaningless sexual hook-up.) I could also point out of that if the photo were of, say... Angelina Jolie... holding a bunch of books and a wad of cash, the tone of the article would be competely different even though the words written were exactly the same.

I'm a writer. I know the value of a well-placed word or photograph, and that photograph ruined the whole point of the article. It made what would have been a "high", into a "low".

And then there was the afternoon, which fell along the same lines. I got together with an old friend from high school, who I was thrilled to hear from. We had a wonderful time catching up about our families and our life experiences, who we'd kept up with and who we hadn't, and the years rolled away as though they'd never been.

Except that during the course of our conversation, I learned that all these years, my friend had been operating under a major misconception about me. An unflattering misconception, that I'd been completely unaware of. Worse yet, one of those misconceptions that not only had I been unable to defend, but even today - when I did - never goes away, because hey... once that seed's been planted, it's kind of hard to uproot.

Kind of like the misconception that romance is only for plus-sized women in muu-muus who can't "get any" any other way.

At any rate, I don't mean to imply that I had anything other than a wonderful time with my friend, because I did. Eye-opening, a little bit "WTF?" but wonderful. :-) She deserves an award for contacting me after all this time given the fact she was operating under such a major misconception, and my hat's off to her.

The article in the newspaper? Not so much.

A Video Excerpt for Tampa Bay Online

DISCLAIMER: I had no time to rehearse for this, and reading an excerpt of your own work on camera is harder than you think! :-) (I'm also unclear as to why every time I'm in a video, the stillframe always shows me with a goofy expression on my face!)

At a booksigning last month, Tampa Tribune reporter Rich Mullins asked if he could make a video of me reading aloud from my current release, You're the One That I Haunt.

Here's the result: http://tiny.cc/b5WtV

Rich was doing a story on how sales of romance novels have risen, while book sales in general have declined (take that! o-ye-literary snobs!), which will appear in this week's Sunday paper. Sex sells, as do hopes of happily-ever-afters, silver linings, hot hunks, and the dream of finding your soul mate - who, after having met you - decides that no other woman will do.

I ask you, is that so wrong? I think not. (Particularly if there are ghosts, sexy devils and evil spirits involved, but no actual danger to you, the reader.)

Anyway, I'll put away my soapbox for now, and hope you enjoy this little glimpse into my little world. (And hey, it ain't Hollywood. If it was, the lighting would've been better!) :-)

Win An Advance Reader Copy of Silent Night, Haunted Night!

Advance Reader Copies of Book #4 in the Nicki Styx series, Silent Night, Haunted Night are now available! This is the first book not to feature Nicki on the cover, but somehow I just don't seem to mind! :-) If you're familiar with the series (and I hope you are!) you'll recognize this hunk of burnin' love as none other than Joe Bascombe, Nicki's main squeeze. Joe plays a bigger role in this book than he has in the past, so he got his own cover! Here's a little blurb about the book:

All I haunt for Christmas is you...

Joe Bascombe is no stranger to desire, but when a sexy spirit begins haunting his dreams, he finds himself ensnared by dark passions. What he doesn't realize is that the devious demon and her two sisters, otherwise known as the Three Fates, are out to teach the woman he loves a lesson...

Unwilling psychic Nicki Styx survived a near-death experience to find herself able to see and hear the dead, but she only has eyes for Joe. Together they've conquered evil spirits, saved lost souls, and beaten back the Devil himself, but they're about to learn that there are more things in Heaven and Hell than they ever imagined. As far as Nicki is concerned, Joe is the man of her dreams, but now they're at the mercy of the creature who's invaded his.

It'll be a Christmas to remember... and it could be Joe and Nicki's last.

The book itself won't be release to bookstores until October 27th, 2009 but you can find out what happens before anyone else! All you have to do to be entered to win an autographed ARC is to go to my Contest Excerpt Page and correctly answer the question:

What was Joe wearing? :-)

Then send me an EMAIL* with the answer.

Drawing will be held August 31st, 2009.

(*Entering this contest will automatically add you to my quarterly newsletter list, to keep you informed of new releases.)

Photos From DC - the 2009 RWA Convention

Part of the fun of going to a big, giant writers conference is getting to hang out with your friends, your editor and your agent. You get to do some things you wouldn't normally do, see some things you wouldn't normally see, and hear some things you wouldn't normally hear.

I wanted to share some of those things with you, like being in a room where 500 authors are signing books, all at one time, while over a thousand readers chat, browse, and squeal over the books they love to read, and the people who write them:


I love this picture of the elusive and stylish Avon Executive Editor Erika Tsang (in the orange), and her lovely Editorial Assistant, Amanda Bergeron.



How about this photo of the irrepressible Jenny Gardiner, signing copies of her book, Sleeping With Ward Cleaver in true 60's American housewife/sitcom style, complete with an apron and pink Playtex gloves (and a pink "pebbled nub" button. Don't ask.) :-)



Here's one of my favorites - several hundred well-dressed women boogeying down to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (not as easy as one might think, particularly after a few drinks, but huge fun!)



Hanging out with dear friends, like Golden Heart double nominee, Lindsay Brookes, (a/k/a Kimmi):



Enjoying a well-deserved trip to the bar with former Golden Heart nominee and super cool Brit Chick, Anna Sugden:



"Skyping" with friends would couldn't be there, like Harlequin Blaze author Tawny Weber (I particularly love this picture because of the angle - that's Tawny on the screen, and me in the mirror, along with RITA nominee Kathleen Long, and Mills&Boon Medical author Janice Lynn who's taking the photo. Harlequin Superromance author Beth Andrews is manning the keyboard.)



Going to parties with your friends every night is always fun, particularly when someone wears a tiara:



And when the party's over and you're looking for a Ladies' Room? No problem!

A Cinderella Story

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a little girl named Pug. That wasn't her real name, of course, but that's what she was often called, for her button nose, her plump cheeks and tomboy-ish ways reminded some of a puppy, clue-less to the ways of the world, yet eager to please.

Pug grew up in a house with five other children, one boy and three other girls, all far more beautiful than she. Her three sisters were loving and kind, but being older and quite popular with boys and girls alike, they had little time for sturdy little Pug to be trailing at their heels. Her brother - being a boy, of course - was the bane of her existence, and never tired of pointing out the buttonness of her nose or the plumpness of her cheeks. So, Pug spent most of her time in the woods, climbing trees and building forts, or curled up in a shady thicket where she would sit silently for hours, watching the squirrels and the birds and the butterflies go about their business, all the while pretending that she was one of them - a shy fawn, perhaps, waiting for her mother to come back from foraging in the meadow.

Pug lived in a world of make-believe, you see, a world aided by the books she simply couldn't stop reading: heroic fables of King Arthur and the Round Table, fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, spine-tingling stories by Edgar Allen Poe. Books were the solace of her childhood, but as all children do, Pug eventually grew up. Still lost in the world of fairy tales, she was quite surprised when, as an adult, her Prince Charming turned out to be a toad, and her happily-ever-after turned out to be a unhappily-here-and-now, but ever determined - much as that pugnacious little puppy she was once compared to - Pug persevered. She stopped waiting for her dreams to come true on their own, and decided to make them come true.

And here is the result:
The little girl who once hid in the bushes reading stories of other worlds and other places, now writes stories of other worlds and other places, and is lucky enough to share them with the world.

She has beautiful, wonderful friends who write them as well, and once a year, she gets together with as many of them as she can, and lives out the dream of being a butterfly instead of clumsy little puppy. She laughs and she dances and she enjoys the here-and-now with a true Prince Charming who (after 18 years) has yet to sprout warts or to croak her back into the shade of the forest.

And she never, ever forgets the little girl who lived inside her head when she was small, wearing her older sisters' hand-me-downs and playing alone in the forest, hoping all the while that others will enjoy the world she's created in her stories.

And, as in most fairy tales, they all lived happily-ever-after.