Hi, everyone!!!  For those in the U.S., happy 4th of July!! Hope you have a great day filled with barbecue, fireworks, and, of course, books (you must have good reading time, right?) And, hey, speaking of books, be sure to check out Lauren Dane’s blog today for a chance to win a book by an author that I just LOVE!! 

It’ s Saturday, so that means it’s time for the Saturday Snippet! Today’s excerpt is a scene in which the heroine meets the villain for the first time.  I decided to use a scene from IMMORTAL DANGER, and it’s actually a scene in which the heroine meets one of the villains (because there are a few in that story).  So, here you go!

***

So this is what death feels like.

Maya Black struggled for breath, struggled to fight the creeping cold that swept through her body.  Jesus.  She hadn’t wanted to go out like this.  Hadn’t wanted to die in some damn dirty, stinking alley.

She’d been born in an alley like this, and she sure as hell hadn’t planned to die in one.

“Ummm, you taste so good.”  The sick monster above her licked his fangs, freaking fangs, and she noticed that her blood coated his lips.  “Poor little cop, I think I’ve drained you dry.”

Her heart was slowing, the hollow beat barely echoing in her ears.  The ground was hard beneath her, the moon shining  brightly over her.  And hell looked back at her from the creature’s eyes.

A vampire.  She knew what he was.  She’d seen his kind before.  Others thought things like him were just myths, but she knew better.  She knew demons were real, knew the devil was real.  Evil lurked in the world, she’d known that fact for years.

“Beg me,” the vampire whispered, leaning over her and gazing at her with his soulless black eyes.  “Beg me to change you, beg me to let you live.”

To change you.  No, oh, hell, no.  She didn’t want to become a monster.  And she would never, never beg.

Not again.

He slashed his wrist open with the edge of his fangs.  Shoved the wound to her mouth.

No!

She turned her head away, trying to spit out the blood.  Her hands fumbled in the trash beside her.  Where was her weapon?  The vampire had jumped her, thrown her against the wall, sank those razor-sharp fangs into her throat and then had her on the ground in less than a minute.

She’d dropped her gun. Where was it?  Where—

Her fingers closed over the barrel of her Glock.  She pulled, struggling to bring the weapon closer.  It felt so heavy in her hand, so—

He laughed at her.  Actually laughed. Then he grabbed the gun.  Her fingers swiped out, clenched around the butt.  He pushed the barrel dead-center against his chest and whispered, “Do it.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

The bullet shot straight through his chest.  He smiled at her.

And her heart stuttered.  The beat was slowing, slowing.

“You can’t kill me, bitch, not with your weak bullets, not with—”

He broke off, gasping, and he stumbled away from her, raising a hand to his chest. Smoke rose from the wound, a long, thin trail of smoke.  The scent of burnt flesh filled the air, combined with the stench of rotten food in the alley.

Maya’s lips curled as she stared at him.

“Wh-what—”  He fell to his knees, holding his chest.  “Wh-what d-did y-you do?”

She’d covered her bullets in holy water.  She’d been doing that since she joined the force ten years ago.  Since her first night, when a vampire had attacked her while she was patrolling the park.  She’d barely gotten away from him.  Maya had kicked, bit, fought with every ounce of strength she had.  In the end, she’d been lucky.  She’d managed to keep fighting him until her partner arrived to help her.

She’d survived.

But tonight would be different, she knew that.  There was no backup for her tonight.  She’d been working the case alone.  Following a lead.

Following death.

The vampire lunged for her, grabbed her hair and jerked her head back.  His black eyes were rimmed with red.  Tears of blood leaked down his cheeks.

His teeth ripped across her neck, but she didn’t scream.  Didn’t have the strength to scream anymore.

Her finger jerked on the trigger, firing again, again, again—

But he didn’t stop. Didn’t stop biting her, drinking from her, killing her.

So this is what death feels like.

***

Want to read more snippets? Then check out these participating authors:

Leah Braemel

Shelley Munro
Anya Bast
SJ Day
Jaci Burton
Michelle Pillow
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Sacha White
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage
McKenna Jeffries
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
Beth Williamson

Today, I’m guest blogging over at the Romance Vagabonds–my topic is release day.  (Since I’m still celebrating the release of MIDNIGHT’S MASTER, it’s a pretty timely topic!)  If you get a chance, come on by. And yes, there is a prize involved.

My 30 Days of Demons Contest may be over, but I’ve still got some great authors that I’d like to feature here on my blog. And one of those authors is my friend, Liz Kreger.  I was hooked by Liz’s “Tomorrow” books–the woman can write some great action scenes!

Liz, thanks for coming by and answering my interview questions!

1. Please tell us about the genre (or genres) that you write.

First off.  Thanx Cynthia for having me.  I don’t think I’ve done an interview before, so I’m a newbie at this.  LOL.

Okay, let’s see, married, one daughter, I live in St. Francis, Wisconsin where we bitch about the cold winters and hot summers in equal measures.  I’ve been writing off and on for the past twenty years, but it was only about eight years ago when I discovered the paranormal/science fiction romance genre that I finally discovered what I wanted to do when I grew up.  I’ve since written and had published two science fiction/romances and have written, am revising and editing and will be shopping out about four contemporary paranormals and one futuristic.

2.    Describe your current (or upcoming) release in 15 words or less.

Cruel.

“Promise for Tomorrow” is a space opera loaded with action, intrigue and romance.

(With two words to spare.  LOL)

3.   Okay, Liz, now use as many words as you’d like to describe your story.

“Jhaan san deCain has only a few days left to find his psi-mate or lose his place as heir to the throne of Dakar. Rescuing Zarian princess Rianna Chartier from an assassination attempt was supposed to be a temporary deviation from his quest. But the moment he lays eyes on Rianna, he realizes he is looking at his salvation. The beautiful alien is his perfect psychic match.

He is driven to wed her quickly, even if it is without her knowledge or consent. For without a psi-mate, he will not only lose the throne, he will be doomed to a life of sexual dormancy. And his people will be pushed closer to the edge of extinction.

Rianna cannot deny her attraction to Jhaan, but she is already betrothed to a Turnisian prince in a politically advantageous match. Dakarians are respected, even feared, for their formidable psychic power, but she is forced to rely on Jhaan’s charity to escort her safely to Turnis.

Rianna is outraged to discover Jhaan has tricked her into marriage. But his deception proves minor when they discover that someone will stop at nothing to see her dead.”

Probably more than you wanted to hear.

4.    Which character do you like better from PROMISE FOR TOMORROW—the hero or the heroine?  Why?

My heroine, Rianna.  While she isn’t your typical kick-butt heroine, she does come into her own in this book.  She goes from being a matrimonial sacrifice to a woman in her own right.  She finds her strengths and her capabilities.

5.    What is the most challenging part of being a writer?

Finding the time.  Between being a full time mom and a full time legal assistant, sometimes finding the time to write seems next to impossible.  Coming up with ideas aren’t a problem.  In fact, that’s the easy part.  It’s the uninterrupted time I need to get said ideas plugged into the computer that’s a challenge.

6.    In a fight, who would win…Dracula or the wolf-man?  What? This question seems odd? Please, folks are dying to know this answer.

Oh, Dracula any day.  I like werewolves, but after all, they’re still vulnerable to a nibble or two.  Besides, Dracula always struck me as the sneakier of the two.

7.    What’s your favorite scary movie?  Come on, spill.  No explanations—just name it.  Let everyone else guess why.

Not much of a scary movie watcher … but, let’s see … but the last one I saw was “Aliens”.  More ick than scary.

8.    Tell me the one thing you wish you’d known about being a writer, um, before you became a writer.

I wish I’d known exactly how green I was.  I thought you just had to write the book and get it published.  Never knew about all the hoops you had to jump through.  Still, it’s a learning experience and one that makes it all worthwhile.

9.    What is your writing schedule like?

There’s a schedule?  Well, sorta.  I get up at 4:00 a.m and write for about two hours.   It’s the only time that the house is completely quiet and I can concentrate.  Needless to say I’m usually in bed by 8:00 p.m.  I have a hard time writing when people are around, so early morning or the rare couple of hours on the weekend when I’m alone are my primo writing time.

10.    Tell me anything you’d like to tell me.

What?  That most writers are neurotic introverts that shouldn’t be allowed out without a keeper?  No, I won’t tell you that.  LOL.

Again, thanx for having me, Cyn.  I enjoyed the interview.  Incidentally, I’m looking forward to your next release.  Can’t wait for Niol’s story.

***

Got a question for Liz?  Leave her a comment and you could win a copy of PROMISE FOR TOMORROW. Oh, yeah, that’s right.  My Demon Contest is over, but I’m in the mood to giveaway another prize, and I’ll send one winner a copy of PROMISE FOR TOMORROW.

Wow.  30 Days of Demons.  I hope you all had fun reading the guest posts (and winning some prizes!). I sure enjoyed adding more books to my TBR list.

And now that we’re on Day 30, I get to say…

My own demon book is on the shelves of a bookstore near you!  Yes, MIDNIGHT’S MASTER releases today.

Blurb:

Tall, dark, and formidable, Niol Lapen is the last demon on earth most people would ask for a favor, yet the sexy little reporter who wanders into his club dares to do exactly that. Holly Storm already knows too much about his kind, and Niol has no wish to help her get in deeper over her head. But working alongside her may be the only way to stop a killer, even as it ignites a primal desire unlike anything he’s known.

Holly has seen firsthand what Niol is capable of, but that doesn’t frighten her nearly as much as her body’s instinctive reaction to him, or the wild, fierce passion that would tempt her to follow him through hell itself. Something evil and relentless is prowling the streets of Atlanta. And as Holly’s search leads her into danger that even Niol could never have predicted, she’ll uncover a secret that could rip her world apart….

***

Yes, Niol’s book is out today–in the bookstore wild–and I’m very excited about this release. (By the way, if you want more info on the book, Rachael posted a review of my story–thank you, Rachael!)

I want to thank everyone who has visited for my 30 Days of Demon fun–thanks to all the readers for coming by and leaving such wonderful comments and thanks to the authors for posting and donating great prizes.

Ah…and speaking of prizes. I have more prizes to award today.  I *did* say that the 30 Days of Demons Contest was a two-parter, and part one consisted of spreading the word about my book and my demon fun by posting my lovely widget.  So let’s announce those winners, shall we?

First place: $100 gift card to Barnes and Noble:  Pat Cochran
Second place: $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble:  Marjana Kaly
Third place: $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble:  Jackie
Fourth place: ARC of BELONG TO THE NIGHT: Peggy Gorman
Fifth place: Any autographed Cynthia Eden book you’d like: Terri

I’ll email all the winners today with prize claim information.  THANK YOU so much to everyone who entered my contest!  I’ve had a great month, and, yes, more contests will definitely be in the future.

Have a wonderful day!

Note: The Daily Demon posts are below–just scroll down.

MIDNIGHT’S MASTER, the final book in my Midnight trilogy, will be released on June 30th. This book focuses on Niol, the powerful demon first introduced in HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT. Ah, I do love a good demon hero. To celebrate the release of Niol’s book, I’m launching a new contest…30 Days of Demons. This is a two-part contest with a ton of prizes.

Read the rest of this entry–>

Update:  The winner is…Booklover1335. Congrats!

I can’t believe it–our month of demon fun is almost at an end.  Where has the time gone?

But, before the fun’s over, I’ve got another great guest author for you…Annette McCleave is here to talk demons with us.  :-)  Annette’s debut book, DRAWN INTO DARKNESS (Signet Eclipse), will be on bookstore shelves September 1.   This is another book that is on my To-Be-Read list.  A great plot, one with new twists I’ve never seen before.  Hurry up, September 1st!

But, you don’t have to wait until September 1st to read DRAWN INTO DARKNESS. Well, one person won’t have to wait anyway–because Annette will give away an ARC to a commenter. Very, very cool.

Welcome, Annette!

***

Thanks for reading! You can discover more about Drawn into Darkness on my website at www.annettemccleave.com, including the book trailer. I’m also on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you, Cynthia, for including me in this fabulous month of demon madness. I’ve had a blast reading all the posts and I’m looking forward to your release tomorrow!

In the Soul Gatherer series, demons are definitely the bad guys. They come from hell and they’re bent on all sorts of nasty, destructive behavior. Some are mindless and wreak havoc just for fun, while others are smarter and stronger and more interested in corrupting the good. Are they sexy? Well, some are and some aren’t.

The demon in Drawn into Darkness hides behind a guise of blond, curly hair and green eyes. Drusus has old school manners that include bowing to ladies and rarely raising his voice. He’s earnest and charming, at least on the surface. But his demonic purpose is to draw people into a spiral of dark thoughts that eventually leads to suicide—preferably one that involves taking other people along for the final ride. Right now, he’s busy swaying the daughter of my heroine. Yup. Nasty.

My hero, Lachlan, is serving time as a warrior for Death. He gathers the souls of the dead and delivers them to heaven or hell, depending on how they lived their lives. To him, demons are a pain in the ass. They don’t play by the rules and regularly try to steal souls that don’t belong to them. Which usually involves ambushing Soul Gatherers.

Lachlan is undefeated in dispatching demon thieves—until he meets this particular bad, with whom he shares some ancient history. Let’s just say he’s not too pleased with how their first skirmish goes:

***

A dustbowl of swirling red miasma rose up from the damp pavement, encircling the two of them as they dueled. Spinning madly, the crimson tornado lifted higher and higher, until it obliterated every star in the night sky. Then white-hot fireballs began to rain down on Lachlan.

His shield charm took a heavy beating. In a disquietingly short time, the hellish fury pitted the protection spell to rice paper density. But Lachlan had little time to spare for repairs.

He was battling an expert swordsman.

Had he been the same rough soldier Drusus had manipulated all those years ago, his defeat would have been quick and brutal. The demon held nothing back, hitting his blade with powerful, bone-rattling blows, the kind of blows one avoids in practice sessions for fear of irreparably damaging a blade.

Fortunately, though, Lachlan was no longer a backward Scottish knight who only hacked and thrust. With the help of Italian and Spanish masters, at whose feet he had studied for a hundred years after his death, he’d honed his talents to a lethal edge. Talents that now served him well.

He cut and thrust with smooth, almost effortless technique. He broke through the demon’s defenses twice, slicing through the leather jacket and biting deep into flesh. His new sword glowed green with the taste of demon blood.

But victory eluded him.

The sword was not enough. Not only did his opponent’s wounds heal with incredible speed, allowing Drusus to continue fighting without respite, but moments after Lachlan scored his second successful slice, the beleaguered shield charm collapsed, leaving him dreadfully barren of protection. He swiftly called forth another, but it was whisked away before it was fully formed, with no more exertion than a horse swatting a fly.

The swirling red vapor dissolved, carried away in wisps on the night breeze. Drusus paused, staring curiously at Lachlan’s heaving chest and sweat-drenched brow.

“You Gatherers are little better than humans,” he observed, sounding disappointed. “This is hardly the challenging duel I’d hoped it would be.”

Lachlan responded by whipping a restraining spell at him, roping the demon in thick white cords and pinning his arms to his sides.

Drusus broke the binds with a single in-drawn breath. “Very rudimentary stuff, that. There’s a much better spell in the Book of Gnills. Where’s the Linen?”

As the tattered remnants of the binds fell away, the gap in the demon’s leather jacket widened, and Lachlan caught a glimpse of a faint golden glow about his neck—the reliquary. A bitter dose of failure poured into his throat, choking him. Drusus could crush him, right here and right now, if that was his desire. Not without a fight, of course, but slowly, inevitably, courtesy of the indefatigable power the bastard borrowed from Satan. And when he fell, the souls of his family would be cast into hell, never to be recovered.

No. He could not let them down. Not again. He drew deep on his powers and straightened to his full height.

“Fuck you.”

***

My demons have a touch of religion attached to them, being from hell and all. Do you like your paranormal stories to have a familiar motif or mythology behind them? Or do you prefer new worlds created entirely by the author? A blend? Comment and you could win an ARC!

Update:  The winner of RAVENOUS is…Ilona! Congrats, Ilona!

Today’s guest author is Sharon Ashwood, and Sharon has one fabulous excerpt to share with us! After reading that preview, oh, I want to read more!

And guess what? Sharon is going to give away a copy of RAVENOUS to one lucky commenter. Very cool.

Welcome!

One kiss is all it takes to lose your soul.

With the right kind of demon, you don’t want to stop there. Mac learned that one a bit too late.

Conall Macmillan—Mac–is a cop who first appears in RAVENOUS, book one of The Dark Forgotten series. He meets Geneva, a gorgeous blonde villainess who gives him a bad case of demon cooties. As the demon infects him, he becomes his own worst nightmare. He turns against the heroine who tries to save him, attempts to gobble up her soul, and generally carries on in a damnably sexy but disreputable way.

Poor, poor Mac. Such a come-down for a heroic detective. He gets booted off the good guy’s team and everything and all he wanted to do was kiss the girl and save the day. Sometimes authors are just plain mean.

The upside is that Mac gets a book of his own called SCORCHED, on the shelves December 1/09. It’s kind of a fairy tale, complete with a sorcerer, goblins, and a damsel in distress. So what if the hero is an ex-cop demon and the damsel is a bit non-standard. Mac never does learn to avoid those Babes of Doom:

***

Constance was definitely more temptation than he could handle. He bent and pressed his lips to hers, perhaps to taste her puzzling smile, perhaps to kiss it away. Or maybe just to prove his expertise.

She inhaled, a quick, light gasp ended by his capture of her mouth. Her lips were

cool and soft, returning his kiss with surprised hesitation. That perfume he had smelled earlier, something flowery and old-fashioned, wafted up from her silken skin. He felt the tentative brush of her fingers in his hair, light as a moth’s wings. Finally, her hand settled on his cheek, a girlish, uncertain touch so gentle that it tickled.

She was no practiced flirt, and he’d just called her bluff.

At a twinge from his conscience, he drew back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean …”

She used both hands to pull his head down, bringing his mouth back to hers.

Okay. Mac wasn’t about to argue. Heat surged through him, thick and electric. He drew his hand up her spine, over her ribs, up the side of her breast. Constance flinched, as if he’d touched a bruise, but then murmured in pleasure, rising onto her toes. Her body brushed against his. Oh, yeah. Unexpected, but oh, yeah.

He felt the tip of her tongue meet his, a shy inquiry. Constance tasted as sweet and wild as blackberries still hot from the sun. He could savor her soul, sad and pure, like her smile.

He already ached in his body, but that taste of her spirit made him ache in his heart. He caught the salty tang of loneliness. That’s just not right. Was there no one to look after he? A tiny creature like Constance shouldn’t be out wandering the halls of the Castle by herself. She was so small, he could nearly span her waist with his hands. The fabric of her dress felt rough, too coarse for such tiny perfection. And there was far, far too much clothing for satisfactory
exploration.

Okay, whoa, buddy. In five seconds flat, you’ve gone from sneaking a kiss to planning to get naked with someone you’ve just met. Get a grip.

Heedless, Mac’s fingers slid beneath the flimsy fabric of her scarf, finding soft, cool skin and the gently rounded tops of her breasts. He kept his touch feather light and was rewarded with a delicate shiver. Tracing his thumb over her collarbone, he caressed the satin flesh of her shoulder. Nice.

He deepened the kiss, but kept his beast tightly leashed. Whoever this girl was, she wasn’t ready for his demon side. Hell, most of the time, neither was he.

So sweet.

Yeah, okay, Macmillan, what’s with the hearts and flowers? This isn’t you.

Something was not right.

No shit, Sherlock. Nothing’s been right for over a year. Was it the soul-sucking demon shtick or the eternal prison of darkness that tipped you off? As for the girl …

Mac winced, suddenly going very still. Women. There’s always something.

Yeah, Constance was sweet. The teeth, however, were a surprise.

Gently, he pulled away. Her eyes were closed, her lips flushed and slightly parted to reveal tiny, perfect fangs. A vampire. But an innocent one that sent off none of the usual vampiric vibes. There was only one way that happened.

Constance had never tasted blood.

Pheromones. That answered why she had fascinated him so completely, sent him head over heels in less time than it took your average speed date.

But it raised still another interesting question.

A really good one.

Am I meant to be her first kiss or her first kill?

***

I have to say that demons are the most fun creatures to write ever. For one thing, there are few preconceived ideas about what, exactly, they’re supposed to be like. The sky—or the depths of the underworld—are uncharted limits. I could take a guy who’d lost everything—his job, his friends, his humanity—and find a completely unique way of giving him back his life. So he’s a demon. That doesn’t make him a lost cause. Just a little, um, challenging …

What do you with a guy who’s so hot, he leaves you scorched?

Before I get to the Saturday Snippet installment, I just wanted to make a quick announcement.  :-)  I’ve got a booksigning in Gulf Shores, Alabama, today, at Books-A-Million.  I’ll be signing from 2 until 5 at the Books-A-Million located at 3800 Gulf Shores Parkway in Gulf Shores, AL  36542. If you’re in the area, come on by!

Now, on to the snippet.

Today’s snippet must focus on food.  Now…my dilemma–how to mix food and demons.  A bit of a challenge, but, I found an excerpt that I think will work. The excerpt (below) is from MIDNIGHT’S MASTER and the would-be food? Well, that would be my heroine, Holly. In this scene, she HAS stumbled right into the path of a vampire, and when a vampire gets hungry, there’s only one thing he wants.

***

“I-I’m looking for Niol.”  Coming in alone probably hadn’t been the best idea, but she’d had little choice.  Hell, the house looked like a freaking cover shot for Southern Times—it shouldn’t have been a cover for a blood bath.

“Haven’t seen him,” the vampire said, his gaze sliding over her.  “Shame on him, for leaving you all alone at such a good party…”  Then he smiled.

Uh, oh.  She knew that smile. Vamp or human, she recognized a predatory glance.

“Why don’t we go someplace quiet…” He took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed her palm.  “To talk.”

Right. What, was “talk” some kind of euphemism for sucking her blood? “I don’t think I’m up for talking with you.” The whole blood thing—not her style.

She was too much of a fainter—and her weak stomach sure wouldn’t let her indulge—that was one of the reasons she’d nearly slammed onto the floor in the ME’s office.

His hold on her wrist tightened and the smile dimmed a bit. “Then let’s just—”

“Take your damn hand off her, Carter.”

Holly didn’t wait for the vampire to free her, she yanked her hand away from him and spun to face Niol.

Alive.

Safe.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy to see someone.

So she kissed him.

Holly threw her arms around him neck, yanked his head down, and crushed her mouth against his.

His lips met hers with a voracious hunger.  Mouth, tongue.  Taking, driving her wild and just feeding the desire that burned right below the surface.

***

Want to read more excerpts? Check out these participating authors:

Lauren Dane
McKenna Jeffries
Michelle M Pillow
Moira Rogers
Sylvia Day
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Victoria Janssen
Marissa Scott
Maura Anderson
Shelley Munro
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Lacey Savage
Mark Henry
Shelli Stevens

Update:  Thanks for all the comments!!  Kate’s winners are…Beth and Elaine G! Congrats, ladies!

Our demon time is starting to wind to an end.  Just a few more days of fun…but that’s okay.  We can make the most of our time!

Today’s guest author is Kate Austin. Welcome, Kate! I’m so glad that you could us today. I’m eager to learn more about your books!

The Demon Next Door

I’ve just finished my first ever demon book and sent it off to my publisher, Cobblestone Press. Now I just have to wait and see if they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If they do, it’s likely to be available in October.

Ali used to be the lord of all the demons and was as mean and nasty as a demon could be, when a little accident changed everything. Now he’s stuck living in a whole different world and doing something no demon has ever done—falling in love with the woman next door.

Ali’s surprised to find that being a human isn’t anywhere near as easy as it looked to his demon self. He has to look after his house and garden, not to mention making sure that Maryalice doesn’t get into trouble—or at least not any more than she’s already in.

Maryalice’s past is returning to haunt her. Her disastrous prom date has returned, after 20 years, to finish what he started. All she can hope for is that Ali, her sweet and shy neighbor, can muster up some nastiness to help her deal with her past.

My biggest challenge with the book was figuring out a way to turn Ali from an evil demon into a relatively good human being. My partner and I had gone away to the Sunshine Coast while I was thinking about this—and yes, it’s almost always sunny, which is odd seeing as it’s not more than 30 miles from Vancouver, where it’s almost always raining—and one afternoon we sat in a lovely waterfront pub and talked about it over a series of drinks. Yep, sometimes alcohol does help in the brainstorming process. He came up with an idea that I loved to solve this problem and Ali and his brother demons were born. This is the view from the pub—you can see why it was so inspiring.

I’ve also been working on a series of short stories for Cobblestone. They’re included in the line called The Pleasure Club and the first one, The Nymph, is available at the beginning of August.

Professor Geoffrey Jones, noted Marlowe scholar, knows everything about pleasuring a nymph but nothing about real women. So he asks The Pleasure Club to find him a nymph so he can test his fantasy skills before he takes them out into the real world. Calliope has wanted Geoffrey for years and when The Pleasure Club comes to the university looking for an expert in nymphs, they end up in her office. She’s going to do whatever it takes to make sure that Professor Geoffrey Jones never forgets their night together.

The second story, The Nun, should be (fingers crossed) available at the beginning of September. No demons in either of these stories, though I think the next Pleasure Club I write will include a demon. In fact, that’s what I’m going to call it. The Demon.

What else am I working on? As always, way too many things, but I’m doing revisions on the first book in The Losers Club series. That book will go out to agents in the next couple of weeks. I’m preparing to act as bookdoctor at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference. I’m working on four stories to send to Spice Briefs—my first Brief, Dreamer, is available at eharlequin.com. Eleven other writers and I are working on short stories (I’m one of the editors) for our second annual e-anthology (you can still download the first one, The Twelve Days of Christmas, from my website). This year’s is set on New Year’s Eve and so far is tentatively called First Night.

Thanks, Cynthia, I really enjoyed being here and thanks for letting me tell you all about Ali. I’m looking forward to writing about all his brothers—have they got a surprise coming to them!

I’m going to give away a couple of signed copies of one of my books with a little added surprise included. The only book I can’t send you is Summer Fever because even I don’t have a copy! Go to my website – www.kateaustin.ca – and check out the books page. When you blog about this great month of demons, just mention which book you’d like me to send you. The winners will get picked by Cynthia at the end of the day.

Enjoy those demons!

Kate

Kate writes women’s fiction, magic realism, paranormal and erotica. She writes short fiction, poetry and novels. She’s had dozens of stories and poems published over the years, and her eighth book Seeing Is Believing—about a woman who sees death in photographs—was published in October 2007 and her novella Dreamer is online now from Spice Briefs. She has published nine books since 2005 and has had two stories (and possibly one novella) accepted for publication from Cobblestone Press. Kate blames her mother and her two grandmothers for her reading and writing obsession—all of them were avid readers, and they passed the books and the obsession on to her. You can contact her at her website at www.kateaustin.ca.

Update:  The winner of Angie’s contest is…Tina B!  Congrats, Tina!  Thanks for all the comments!

Today’s guest author is the mega (fabulously!) talented author Angie Fox.  Angie exploded onto the paranormal scene with THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER, and now she’s got me hooked on her stories. If you’re looking for a hilarious read, well, Angie is your woman! And did I mention that she’s a New York Times best-selling author?  Oh, yes, she is! Welcome, Angie!

Hi, my name is Angie Fox and I write the Accidental Demon Slayer series. It’s about a preschool teacher turned demon slayer who has to run off with her grandmother’s gang of geriatric biker witches. It happens every day, right?

The series has been a blast to write and I think I’ve had some of the most fun coming up with demons. Yes, they are scary. Yes, they are out to take over the world. But they have to have their own personalities and problems too.

In The Accidental Demon Slayer, Vlad the demon has been imprisoned by my heroine’s ancestor, who was one of the greatest demon slayers. But has he spent his time in the fifth level of hell just moping? No-sir-e-bob. Vlad is a bit of a mad scientist. He’s coming up with ways to beat demon slayer technology.

And then there are the sex-on-the-brain succubi in The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. They’re out to conquer the world, one man at a time. Problem is, no one seems to take sexy creatures seriously. The magical bureaucracy has ignored the succubi problem in Las Vegas. After all, they’ve added a certain “what happens in Vegas…” charm. But demons, left to their own devices, will get out of hand.

You can read more here:
The Accidental Demon Slayer
The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers

Tell us about the most interesting demon you’ve read about/seen in a movie and you’re entered to win a copy of one of my books (winner’s choice) or if you already have the Accidental Demon Slayer series, you can have a Kiss My Asphalt t-shirt like the biker witches wear in the books.