Wishing Everyone A Happy New Year

Welcome to 2013! May the new year bring you joy.


(P.S.: Don't forget about the contest for The Hob! It ends January 21.)

WINNER and A CONTEST

I give, and I give. I'm a giver.

First, I'm giving to the winner of the ARC of All For You (the contest on my website, not the Blog Hop), who happens to be...

The Nephilim Book 1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel 

Release Date: December 24, 2012 

He will keep her safe, no matter what it takes. 

Someone-or something-is stalking Abby Marcheson. Luckily, she has her brother's hunky friend Seth to keep her safe. Abby falls easily into her protected life, with Seth constantly by her side, and when he asks her out on a date, she's eager to accept. 

But Seth is much more than he seems. A Nephilim, a son of Angels with wings of his own, Seth is bound to spend his life hunting the Shemyaza, evil descendants of Angels. He's kept his wings hidden from Abby in order not to frighten her, but as her stalker becomes bolder, Seth begins to suspect that a Shem has Abby in its sights... 

As their flirtation escalates into full-blown passion, Seth is torn. Should he reveal his true nature to the beautiful, trusting Abby? Will she accept him, wings and all, or will Abby flee her guardian angel and fall prey to the sinister force that wishes her harm? 

Warning: This book contains explicit sex and graphic language.

JUDY PETERSON!

Congratulations, Judy! Your book is in your email.




Next, I'm giving away an advanced reader copy (ARC) of The Hob. Anyone want a little Robin Goodfellow?

The Gray Court Book 4
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel 

Release Date: January 22, 2013 

Robin Goodfellow has met his match. 

When the Black Queen kidnaps one of the White Queen's nephews, Robin Goodfellow is sent to ensure that the young prince safely returns to the bosom of his family. True to his role as Oberon's Hobgoblin, he is ready for anything...except meeting his truebond, the very delicious, very human Michaela Exton. 

Michaela has dreamed about a flame-haired rogue named Robin Goodfellow since she was a little girl, but everyone knows Puck doesn't really exist. In real life, it's a dark-eyed man named Ringo who makes her heart beat faster. 

She is closer to her dream man than she thinks, and nobody knows it better than Robin, who wears the guise of Ringo. But there's competition for her love in the form of Lord Raven, who holds a secret that will rock the foundation of Robin's world. As a Black Court delegate does the unthinkable, leaving an enraged, grief-stricken Robin hanging onto his humanity by a thread, only Michaela has the power to bring him back from the killing-if she survives. 

Warning: This book contains explicit sex, graphic language, Robin Goodfellow and... Really. Do I need to say any more?

To enter, simply go to the contest page on my website and follow the directions. Good luck, and Happy Holidays!

Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop Winner: All For You

And the winner is...

Sabrina! 

Congratulations, Sabrina, and enjoy your book! Check here during the next couple of days for the winner of the Kindle Fire!


I'll be posting another winner tomorrow as the contest on my website to win an ARC ends today!

Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop 2012

It's time for the Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop! The Blog Hop will begin on Dec 14 and run to Dec 21 2012.

This year's grand prize: A brand new Kindle Fire, loaded with free books!

My prize is a .pdf copy of All For You, my December 24 release. It will be given away as part of my blog hop, and to the winner of the Kindle as one of the pre-loaded books.

To enter to win a .pdf of All For You, leave a comment here in this blog post starting December 14 to the 21, along with a way to contact you (you can choose "your website" as an option if you don't want to post your email address). The winner will be announced December 22!

To enter for the GRAND PRIZE, you'll need to click on the image of the blog hop above. Just follow the directions posted, and good luck!

The list of participants in the blog hop can be found here. Good luck, and happy holidays!

Contest: All For You

Want to win an early eBook copy of All For You?

The Nephilim Book 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

ISBN: 978-14268-9484-8

Release Date: December 24, 2012

Someone—or something—is stalking Abby Marcheson. Luckily, she has her brother’s hunky friend Seth to keep her safe. Abby falls easily into her protected life, with Seth constantly by her side, and when he asks her out on a date, she’s eager to accept.

But Seth is much more than he seems. A Nephilim, a son of Angels with wings of his own, Seth is bound to spend his life hunting the Shemyaza, evil descendants of Angels. He’s kept his wings hidden from Abby in order not to frighten her, but as her stalker becomes bolder, Seth begins to suspect that a Shem has Abby in its sights…

As their flirtation escalates into full-blown passion, Seth is torn. Should he reveal his true nature to the beautiful, trusting Abby? Will she accept him, wings and all, or will Abby flee her guardian angel and fall prey to the sinister force that wishes her harm?

Warning: This book contains explicit sex and graphic language.

To enter, simply click on the Write to Dana button on my website and send me your name (or handle if you don't want your real name on the web), your email address, and your preferred eBook format (either EPUB or PDF, as the book is from Carina Press).

The contest winner will be announced on December 23. Good luck, and Happy Holidays!

P.S.: Anyone entering to win a "Kindle Edition" or "Kindle" will be entered to win a .pdf.

And The Free Read Is...

You have spoken. It looks like this year's free read will be...

It's going to be the story of how Bunny's parents got together. I plan on starting this before the end of the week!

Looooong Week...

And this next one is going to be longer.

Hello, holidays! Good-bye, word count!

I saw him in the mall parking lot. He took my spot. 

It looks like, barring a turkey induced coma, I should have the rough draft of Mr. Red Riding Hoode done and to my betas by next Monday at the latest. And tomorrow I plan on sending Morgan's Fate to my editor.

Speaking of tomorrow, I have a follow-up with my rheumatologist where I find out if I get to go on Enbrel (or a similar drug like Humera) to slow my AS down.

I hate needles... but I hate pain more.

 So. Yeah. Busy week coming up, busier month in December as I do some re-writes on a story I wrote a long time ago that I decided would make the perfect second installment of The Nephilim. Right now it's called The Fire Within, but consider that the working title. It may change over time.

And for everyone who wants to know, I'll be starting the next Halle Shifters novel, Stripped Bear, probably mid-January.

P.S. It's looking like the Shifters will be making a holiday appearance, as that's the series you've voted the most for a free holiday read. You have a few more days if you want to add a vote for a different series or if you want to shout out, HAYL YES HALLE! I'll have whichever story you choose up by mid-December.

Tweaking and Writing

I've been fiddling with my website again.

I know, I know, but they don't have any kind of program for people addicted to fiddling with things that are perfectly fine to begin with.

Right?

They do?

Oh. Well, I told you I wasn't done fiddling with it when I decided to change the whole look of my site.

Like this, only less tasty.

Anyway, I decided to fix up the eBooks page, the Print Book page and the Works in Progress page so they'd be a little easier to follow. I think they flow a lot better now.

On the writing front, I've sent Morgan's Fate off to my beta readers, and I've started work on Mr. Red Riding Hoode. The cackling has begun. I actually had to take my fingers off the keyboard so I could laugh.

Yeah. It's gonna be one of those books.

PLEASE NOTE: Mr. Red Riding Hoode is a novella. That means it's gonna be short. Like around 70 - 90 pages short. It's the second of three Poconos Pack novellas that may or may not lead into the New York Coyotes. I haven't decided yet.

Happy Halloween!

And for this year's treat, I'm giving away a .pdf of Shadow of the Wolf over at Romance Author Hotspot's Halloween Bash!

Hurricane Preparedness, Bell Style

1. Back up files immediately, even though you're pretty sure it's all going to be just fine. I use this:

I pay for extra storage, but I can now work from any computer in the house whenever I want. 

2. Pick up bottled water, food, etc. You know, that stuff that makes your body go.
3. Don't eat all the food or drink all the bottled water before the hurricane arrives. Seriously. I hate grocery shopping the day before a hurricane hits.
4. Make sure you take a shower. Use that stuff that doesn't make your body smell. (I needed to remind my boys of this one, especially that last part.)
5. MAKE COFFEE. Lots. Like, freeze some of it, because the other stuff that makes my body go is made in an electrical appliance called a coffee maker, and if the power goes out... well. It won't be pretty.

Only 45 cups? Not sure that'll be enough.

6. Explain to the dog that she's a little too big to be in my lap, even when it's skeery outside.
7. Explain to the cat that he doesn't need to swipe at the dog because she's in my lap. I've got this one, thanks. By the way, did you mean to get me too?
8. Ignore the cat when he ignores you and your question. And your bleeding hand.

9. Watch the Weather Channel obsessively for days, even when you don't understand what they're saying.

What the hell does 941mb actually mean? Stronger winds? I get that when I feed Dusty bean burritos.

10. Edit schmedit. I'm making more coffee.

Scaling the Heights...Or Not

There are times when you must admit to something that you truly don't want to. Something you can't really change, but affects the rest of your life. It makes you unable to do some of the things (and wear some of the things) that you truly wish you could.

I...

I am short.

I know, I know. The PC term is "vertically challenged", maybe even "height deficient". I get that. But not only am I short, I am of that class of vertically challenged people known as "fluffy". Now, to be fair, I've been on a diet for months and I've lost 25 lbs, but that does not take away from my inherent fluffiness.

(I prefer to think of myself as fun-size, but people look at you kind of funny when you say it. Especially this time of year. The last thing I want is to be saddled with the nickname Snickers.)

No matter how much I love it's peanutty goodness.

This is never brought home to me more than when I'm clothing shopping. Short and fluffy tends to equal big-ass flowers, v-necks and boat necks, and worse: black black black.

Just like this.

Yes. I'm wearing all black right now. But that just proves my point!

So I'm already looking at clothing for the Romantic Times Convention in 2013 (which I will be going to in Kansas City, MO). Usually, I'd be looking at Fairy Ball costumes, but this year, alas, there will be no fairy ball. Instead, they're having their 30th Anniversary Formal Ball. Which is cool, I admit. They even mention bringing your tiaras.

I am totally going to get my inner Disney on.

So I'm looking at gowns, and I see one that's absolutely stunning, and it's made for fluffy girls, which totally rocks, only...

...you have to be seven feet tall to wear it without tripping all over the beaded hem. And tripping the six people in line behind you.

See, I forgot the short part of short and fluffy.

But hey! I found another gown that meets the fluffy AND short requirements in one dress:

Now the model wearing it is 5'10", which means it will still puddle on the floor for me. But unlike the previous dress (which I desperately love, but has a beaded bottom so you'd have to practically take the dress apart to size it for 5'0"), this dress would cover me just fine. The one before it would cover me and the scooter with fabric to spare.

Yes, I know the two dresses I fell in love with are black. If I got it in pink... well...

I'm sure you see my problem.

Oh. On a side note, Morgan's Fate is officially in the Meat Grinder. I hope to have it out to my beta readers by the end of next week.

A Quickie... Sort Of

I've been sick this week, so I've been mostly off the radar. BUT, I have two pieces of news.

First, I'll be finishing the rough draft of Morgan's Fate by the end of next week.

Second, The Hob is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

I'll keep an eye on Barnes and Noble for the pre-order links, and once they go live I'll add them to my website.

Third, that's two books available for pre-order: The Hob and All For You, which finally has info up on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

It'll be busy next week, with the first round of edits for Robin and finishing up Morgan's Fate. Once Morgan is turned in to my beta readers I'll be starting the second Poconos Pack book, Mr. Red Riding Hoode. Oh, and I should also be getting paperwork and edits on Throne of Oak soon.

Wow. Looks like the holiday season is going to be a busy one! 

Cover Pretty: THE HOB

Look what I got today!

The Gray Court Book 4

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: Novel

Robin Goodfellow has met his match.

When the Black Queen kidnaps one of the White Queen's nephews, Robin Goodfellow is sent to ensure that the young prince safely returns to the bosom of his family. True to his role as Oberon’s Hobgoblin, he is ready for anything…except meeting his truebond, the very delicious, very human Michaela Exton.

Michaela has dreamed about a flame-haired rogue named Robin Goodfellow since she was a little girl, but everyone knows Puck doesn’t really exist. In real life, it’s a dark-eyed man named Ringo who makes her heart beat faster.

She is closer to her dream man than she thinks, and nobody knows it better than Robin, who wears the guise of Ringo. But there’s competition for her love in the form of Lord Raven, who holds a secret that will rock the foundation of Robin’s world. As a Black Court delegate does the unthinkable, leaving an enraged, grief-stricken Robin hanging onto his humanity by a thread, only Michaela has the power to bring him back from the killing edge—if she survives.

Warning: This book contains explicit sex, graphic language, Robin Goodfellow and... Really. Do I need to say any more?

Kael stretched and groaned. “Gods, I’m glad I’m back.”

Robin chuckled quietly. “Don’t like flying, my friend?”

Kael snorted, amused. “Hardly. The seats are too tight, I always wind up near a screaming child, and the bathrooms are laughable. And that’s before I get on the plane.”

Oh, Robin was growing more and more fond of this one. “After you.” Robin bowed with a grin, aware of the sound of another car pulling into the parking lot. He turned and saw the most mind–searingly orange Jeep Wrangler he’d ever been privileged to lay eyes on pull into the parking spot next to his. The grin faded from his face as the engine revved twice before cutting off.

Behind the wheel was a dainty female in hospital scrubs. She smiled over at them before reaching down to grab something off of the passenger side floor. He tilted his head, trying to get a better glimpse of the woman.

“Robin?”

He tilted his head the other way, staring at the tiny figure in the driver’s seat. There was something about her, something that called to him. What was it? Robin sniffed, but all he could scent of was exhaust, rubber, human, and pooka.

“Robin, we need to go.”

Robin turned and nearly snarled at Kael, but the concern on the pooka’s face stopped him. What had he been doing, staring at a human female?

A car door slammed shut. “Excuse me, is everything all right?” She practically bounced in place. “Hi, Kael.”

Kael’s tense posture visibly relaxed. “Michaela. Just getting home from work?” Kael smiled sweetly at the dainty, brown–haired sprite of a female. The girl barely reached Kael’s shoulder. Robin guessed she’d be roughly chin height on him, were he in his normal form. As it was, she barely reached his shoulder as well. Her face was passably pretty, with a bottom lip fuller than the top and a square, soft jaw. Her deep brown eyes gleamed with good humor over a larger than average nose. Her figure was obscured by scrubs that were covered in the scent of illness and some hideous yellow bug–eyed things in brown pants and ties that grinned and capered about her person. Sensible white shoes graced her feet, and her dark brown hair was bundled up in a tight ponytail. Her pale cheeks were flushed with wind and happiness.

Dear gods above. Robin felt faint for the first time in his life.

It was her.

It was the woman from his dreams, and she stood before him, tiny and vulnerable and tempting as sin.

That sweet smile turned on Robin. “Are you Kael’s friend? I’m Michaela. Pleased to meet you.” Michaela held out her hand. “I saw you standing there, looking like you were lost. Let me guess, you can’t find the elevator, right? And I bet Kael here is too much of a pain in the ass to show you.”

She laughed as Kael took her hand and placed it on his arm. Robin wanted to rip Kael’s arm off and beat the pooka to death with it. “Of course I was going to show him, once he was no longer blinded by your Jeep.”

“Hey, no mocking the Punkinator.” She wagged her finger at Kael before turning back to Robin with a sweet smile. “It took me a week to remember where it was when I first moved in.” She shifted the heavy bag on her shoulder and pointed to a concrete column. “Follow me, I can show you where it is.” She hmph’d. “Blind, my ass.”

Kael stared at her with something akin to awe. “Ringo is staying with me for a few days, and haven’t we had this discussion before? Are you sure you should be speaking to a stranger so easily?”

The laid-back way Kael spoke to her made it clear they’d been friends for some time. His concern for the female was admirable, but still...

Robin fought off the urge as his eyes tried to shift to the green light that spelled death for any who crossed him. Kael had done nothing but be polite to the tiny woman, a friend of his to boot. Robin should have no quarrel with Kael’s actions, but the way Robin was reacting to them was startling.

However, Kael had a point. Robin blinked down at the strange little brown wren of a female. There was no way she could fend off two full grown men, if they were so inclined to harm her. If Ruby had done such a thing he would have paddled her ass, mate or no. “Indeed.”

Michaela smiled up at him serenely. “You won’t hurt me.”

Robin blinked again. His brows rose. Apparently the woman was certifiable. On the basis of Kael’s introduction, she trusted him? “Is that so?” Tempting though it was to accept her challenge, Robin was not a complete bastard. His little human was all right for the moment, but her insane belief that the world was a safe place was going to get her killed.

“Mm–hmm.” She laughed. Laughed, as if the implied threat were nothing. “C’mon, let me show you where the elevator is.” She headed past the ugly concrete column, still chattering away like the perky little bird she resembled, but this time she looked up at Kael with a frown. “Oh, Kael? FYI, some new tenants moved in while you were gone. They gave me the heebee–jeebies.” She shuddered delicately.

“Oh?” Robin exchanged a look with Kael. Perhaps they were sharing space with some Dark Court Sidhe after all. If so, it might be prudent to move their lodgings.

Her lodgings. Robin’s instincts were telling him to get her the hell out of here, get her somewhere safe, but he couldn’t. Not now. If he was right, if she truly was his bondmate, the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to her while at a convention full of Dark Court fae. To do so would be to court disaster on an epic scale.

Kael’s stance became protective, hovering over Michaela. “Did they bother you?”

“Nah.” She wrinkled her nose, that pretty smile back on her face. She was absolutely adorable, and Robin wanted her on his arm, damn it. “I let them find their own way to the elevator.”

She looked like a stiff breeze could pick her up easier than it did a sylph, but she bounced along beside them without a care in the world.

“You’re awfully confident for someone the size of a flea bite.”

Robin almost laughed at the insult Kael muttered.

Michaela did laugh. “I know, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve if someone decides to get frisky.” She made some idiotic motions with her hands and feet that Robin assumed were supposed to be some form of martial arts and looked more like a squirrel having seizures. “Take that, bad guys!”

Robin couldn’t stop himself from patting her on the head. “You’re cute.”

She wagged her finger in the air. “And lethal. Don’t forget lethal.” She waved toward the elevator. “And here we are.”

The amusement in her gaze let him know how seriously she was taking her own pronouncement.

Interesting. He hadn’t been this hungry for a female since Ruby. He kept the predatory anticipation that filled him off his face, for fear he would frighten her away.

This one was available for consumption, and he would feast for many years to come.

Lora Leigh's RAW 2012

This was my first year at Lora Leigh's Reader/Author Weekend, and it won't be my last. I had a blast and met a lot of new people, and managed to hand Carrie Ann Ryan the worst plot bunny I've ever given anyone in my life:

Dark Meete, the free-range turkey shifter. 

You had to be there. It got so bad, Joy from Joyfully Reviewed hunted me down and ordered me to knock it off before Carrie actually writes the damn thing.

So my first night was pretty uneventful, other than the taxi driver from hell trying to kill me before I got to the hotel. I wanted to kiss the cold, hard concrete when we arrived at the hotel. I had no idea that taxi drivers in Pittsburgh attend the Mario Cart School of Driving, because I swear he was trying to bounce off the other cars. I spent the evening in my room, eating room service and thanking all the gods I could think of that I wasn't road pizza.

My second day in Pittsburgh, I arrived at the area where the convention was being held and was asked if I was willing to help hand out the memory books to the convention goers. Of course I was, as long as they got me a seat. I spent part of the day with Sharon, a lovely lady who frequents the cons with her husband, Art. Art is a sweetheart who keeps trying to steal my wooden, hand-carved cane.

I also got to meet Sophie Oak and Shayla Black, who came by to help hand things out for a little while. 

The T-shirts behind me were also being given away. I wound up giving mine to Joy, however, as they didn't have one for her.

After registration it was time to meet the authors in a very informal setting. I got to sign some memory books before heading to my room to change for the Fall Fantasy Ball. 

Here I am in my leopard costume (and yes, there will eventually be a leopard shifter in the Halle series) with the other Suzie Homemaker (she had an eyeball in a glass and called it a Highball... she was hysterical) and Ranae Rose, whose Regency costume was to die for.

And  Carrie Ann Ryan, Mistress of Dark Meete:

You can't see it here, but the Mistress had a pink, sparkly riding crop I'm sure Dark loves to be tenderized with.

(Joy is going to kill me the next time she sees me. I just know it.) 

And the lady everyone was there to meet, Lora Leigh! I had total mask envy. 

The following day was breakfast with the authors, a nice, relaxed setting. I got a seat next to the coffee, so I was golden. Then more author meet and greets, a quick lunch, and speed dating with the authors! It was so frenetic that I'm not sure anyone got pictures of it. You would sit at a table, sign memory books and answer questions for ten minutes before running to the next table in line, lather, rinse, repeat. A lot of fun, but hard on the knees.

Time for the Pajama party! Of course I wore my T-shirt and yoga pants combo, like I always do. 

I have to admit, though, I left the party early. The music was so loud it was making my brain bang against my skull, so I accepted an invitation from the Book Obsessed Chicks to join them for a drink.

 Duh. Like I was going to say no.

We talked about everything from Prince Alberts to Graceland, and had a grand old time. I didn't leave until almost two o'clock in the morning, only to stumble out of bed at seven to get ready for breakfast and the book signing. 

(I haven't found a photo from the book signing yet, but when I do I'll update the blog.)

Then home, sweet home and my own bed. I missed you, bed. Apparently I had Papa Bear's bed in the hotel, while Ranae had Momma Bear's and Carrie had Baby Bear's. (See? This is why I gave her the turkey shifter!)

All in all, this con is what I call a Keeper Con, one I'll definitely be going back to. Lora stated at the costume ball that they are hoping to have another one, but back in Maryland again and around the second week in October. I look forward to being there!

Just A Few Notes

Not a lot of writing has gone on this week, but that's because a whole lot of other stuff has. First, tomorrow I head off for Lora Leigh's RAW in Pittsburgh, PA., and I've spent most of the week getting my bag ready and panicking because my Cynful posters haven't arrived yet..

I'll do a post about it on Monday, but until then, I'll be incommunicado starting, well, tomorrow. This will be my first RAW, and I'm really looking forward to it. I've heard a lot of good things about it.

Second, the pre-order links for All For You are up on my website. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble have put the book up. There isn't much on their sites yet - no blurb, no artwork - but the links are there.

Third, Artistic Vision comes out in print on Tuesday, October 2! You can pre-order it from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

And finally, I've added a Glossary of Terms for each series to my website. None of them are complete, as each series is on-going or has a shoot-off series attached to it. They will be expanded as each series gets added to.

All you have to do is click on the series image, like this:

and it will take you to that glossary.

So I'm off to my convention. If I'm going to see you there, wonderful! I'll be the little redhead in the mobility scooter with the Firefly license plate. If not, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I'll post again on Monday.

RELEASE DAY: Shadow of the Wolf

Shadow of the Wolf   

Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1-61921-095-0
Length: Novel
Publication Date: September 18, 2012

Strike a match, light the candle…and fall into the spell.

Christopher Beckett is from an ancient line of wizards, but with one aspect that sets him apart. His wolf. Right now that wolf is howling for a mate. Knowing it's only a matter of time before the wolf's needs override everything else in his life, Chris casts the spell all the Becketts have used to call their mates to them.

His wish list is short: She must be of a lineage at least as old as his own. And she must accept his wolf. When his mate appears, he realizes his list should have been one item longer.

Alannah Evans, a powerful witch of the Evans Coven, has no problem with Chris's wolf. It's the wizard part that sticks in her magical craw. Witches and wizards have always been at odds, so by rights, she and Chris shouldn't be striking sparks of attraction this bright. But Chris will not be denied, and gradually she finds herself trusting him—then falling into the fire of desire.

When it becomes clear an old enemy has targeted them both for death, Chris charges into a duel that could cost him his life. Or worse: Lana.

Warning: Product contains explicit sex, graphic language, magic, mayhem, and a wet, naked wolf shifter bearing hot chocolate. Mmm… chocolate.

She had to work fast. Lightning was beginning to strike all around the house, the flashes coming closer and closer together, forming a cage they might not be able to break free from. If Chris or Annabelle caught her out here she'd never hear the end of it. She just knew what she had planned would work, but she needed the time to make it work.

She took the large, glass mixing bowl and put the feathers inside. Holding them down with one hand she began to pour salt over the feathers. The salt was meant to ground the wind, represented by the feathers.

At first she wasn't certain it was working, but she persevered. She visualized the winds dying down gradually, and it began to work. When the last feather was covered the winds had died down until only a light, natural breeze remained. The lightning stopped, but the tang of ozone was still in the air.

Nodding in satisfaction, she took two wooden mixing spoons and bound them together in the shape of an x. She set the x on the wet ground just off the concrete patio and began pouring the salt over it.

"Evil storm that rides the sky,

It is time for you to fly.

Lord and Lady hear my plea.

As I will so mote it be."

The rain stopped. There was a sense of expectation to the air, like the lightning was poised to strike again at any moment. If it did, her spell would be undone.

Damn, Cole is strong. The storm should have been wiped out, but some force behind it was keeping it in place. Better work fast. She pulled out the black rope, carefully cut down to thirteen inches, and began tying it in knots. With each one she chanted, pouring her power into each knot until her hands were shaking with fatigue. If this didn't work, the storm would return in full force.

"Knot of one my spell begun.

Knot of two my words are true.

Knot of three it comes to be.

Knot of four the storm is no more.

Knot of five this spell is alive.

Knot of six my protection fix.

Knot of seven, power is given.

Knot of eight protect my mate.

Knot of nine completes my rhyme."

With a satisfied smile she saw the clouds begin to break up. She took the spoons and the rope, wrapped them in some white cheesecloth and began digging in the dirt.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

She ignored Chris's irate voice in favor of burying the spoons and knots. If she didn't hurry, the spell could still be undone. She could feel Cole's power testing the knots, trying to pull the storm free of the binding spell. The binding needed the grounding of the earth to hold it in place. Without it, her knots could be unraveled, and she'd have to start all over again, and she was already exhausted.

"Cole's storm packed one hell of a punch," she muttered, patting the wet soil down over the spell with a final surge of power. Now nothing could get to it. She sat back on her heels, closing her eyes and lifting her face to the sky. The cool wet air wafted over her face, soothing now without the wizard fury behind it.

"You should have let me deal with it."

She found herself lifted off the ground, not that she cared. Her legs were shaking so badly she wasn't certain they would hold her up.

"Sorry, Chris. There was something about the storm, something not right. It needed to be gone."

He sighed. "This is why you can't deal with Cole, sweetheart."

"Mmm?" Man, she couldn't remember the last time spell work had tired her out so much. It usually left her feeling like she needed a good nap, but this? She felt like she could sleep for a week.

"I told you before. Wizards do things slowly, in stages, needing only one small component at the end of the spell to activate it. We usually have several charms on our person at any given time, only needing the right words to activate the spells. Witches do everything at once, in one big bang. No way could you take on the multiple spells Cole would be casting. Remember how tired you were from the spell you did in the car?"

She opened one bleary eye and stared up at him. His expression was full of annoyed concern. "'Kay."

One dark brow rose in disbelief. "Really? Not going to argue with me anymore on that?"

She burrowed closer to his chest. "Sleepy. Don't wanna argue."

He sighed and settled her down on something soft. Bed, her tired brain registered. "It was a very powerful storm. No wonder you're a tired little witch." She felt him remove her shoes. "Sleep, sweetheart. I'll take care of you."

"'Kay." She struggled through the thick layers of tired to reach for him. "Chris?"

"Hmm?"

"Night."

She felt his lips brush hers before falling back through those layers and into the arms of Morpheus.

And something new! I've added glossaries for each of my series on my website. To check them out, click here!

A Winner and A Contest!

The winner of an ARC of Shadow of the Wolf is...

PAULA BOVALINO!

Congratulations, Paula! Your book has been sent to you.



The contest for a PRINT copy of Artistic Vision begins today!

Please use the WRITE TO DANA page to send me your name/nickname and email address. I'll contact the winner for a street address to ship the book to.

The contest ends October 1!



NOTE: Only one entry per person. Any entry missing one of the two pieces of information (name/nickname and email address) will be deleted without being entered. However, if you hit SEND and realize you forgot something, send it to me again, and you'll be entered

New Contract: Throne of Oak

Throne of Oak, Maggie's Grove Book2, will be coming from Carina Press in 2013!

Throne of Oak

Maggie's Grove Book 2

Type: eBook

Genre: Paranormal, Shape-shifters

Publisher: Carina Press

Publication Date: ??

Length: Novel

ISBN: ??

His past could end their future. 

Dragos Ibanescu, Mayor of Maggie's Grove, is about to lose his mind. His mate, the dryad queen Mina Chainey, refuses to have anything to do with him after her ordeal at the hands of an evil witch. But the vampire's long held secret is about to turn both of their worlds upside down.

Mina's nightmares of her time with the witch haunt her. With Yew still missing, the Queen of the Forest can't muster the strength needed to fight her terror. Unable to leave the Throne, she vows she will not accept Dragos until she can stand at his side as an equal. But the nightmares are only growing in strength, and soon she realizes that there's more to her pain than simple fear.

When Dragos's past and vicious Van Helsings threaten all that they've built, they will come together to unite Maggie's Grove and conquer their demons once and for all. 

Warning: This novel contains explicit sex and graphic language.

YAY! What a great way to start the weekend!

I Have Pretties!

The Nephilim Book 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Lenght: Novel

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: DECEMBER 24, 2012

He will keep her safe, no matter what it takes.

Someone—or something—is stalking Abby Marcheson. Luckily, she has her brother’s hunky friend Seth to keep her safe. Abby falls easily into her protected life, with Seth constantly by her side, and when he asks her out on a date, she’s eager to accept.

But Seth is much more than he seems. A Nephilim, a son of Angels with wings of his own, Seth is bound to spend his life hunting the Shemyaza, evil descendants of Angels. He’s kept his wings hidden from Abby in order not to frighten her, but as her stalker becomes bolder, Seth begins to suspect that a Shem has Abby in its sights…

As their flirtation escalates into full-blown passion, Seth is torn. Should he reveal his true nature to the beautiful, trusting Abby? Will she accept him, wings and all, or will Abby flee her guardian angel and fall prey to the sinister force that wishes her harm?

Warning: This book contains explicit sex and graphic language.

Isn't my angel gorgeous? Oh, and did you see the release date? Merry Christmas! An angel is perfect for the holidays, don't you think?

To read an excerpt, click on the cover or here. Now that the book is fully edited I've updated the excerpt I had on my website with a new one. Enjoy!

14k and Cons

I can't believe it's already Thursday! This week seems to have just flown by at the speed of light.

And space ninjas, who are pretty darn fast.

The kids are in school full time, and I'm back to writing full time. So Morgan's Fate is flying along, even if my brain seems to want to feed me scenes out of freakin' order. Luckily, WriteWay allows me to move scenes around easily, so I write the out-of-sequence scene and stick it in the chapter I think it belongs in. Then I'll move it later if it needs to be moved again, editing it to match what comes just before. By allowing the scenes to come as they want, I'm actually ahead of schedule on the novel. I plan on using that extra time to take a little time off at Christmas, so it's nice that it's flowing so well.

As for my plans for the rest of the month, I'll be taking some time off to attend Lora Leigh's RAW at the end of the month. Rumor has it that this will be the last RAW, which saddens me as I've heard nothing but good things about it. I'm hoping this rumor is proven to be false, but we'll see.

I've seen a comp of the proposed cover art for All For You, and it is gorgeous. Once I have it officially, I'll update my website and blog with the image. As for The Hob's cover art, we're still waiting on it. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

So that's pretty much it for this week. I hope to have a great deal more done on Morgan's Fate by the end of next week, and after it's done, I start Mr. Red Riding Hoode. On that note: Have a great weekend!

Blog Contest WINNER

The winner of the blog contest is:

FLCHEN1!

FLCHEN1, I need you to email me at danamariebell AT gmail DOT com with the book you want and the electronic format you want.  Congratulations!

The winning entry was:

flchen1 said...
LOL!! Thanks for giving us another reason to celebrate this month, Dana! ;)
August 2, 2012 1:01 PM 

You're welcome!

Betas and Back To School

Some quicky notes, because I'm off to blow up.... I mean, save the universe, but I wanted to make sure that before I get sucked into video games I give you all an update.

First, Throne of Oak is off to the beta readers! I plan on having it to my editor by the 31st, so Mallory, if you're reading this, keep an eye on your inbox!

Second, and most important: MY KIDS GO BACK TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY!!!

Oh, yeah. Mama's gonna blow shi.... save the universe all day Monday. Just me, my coffee maker, and pixelated men.

I could get used to this...

When I'm done saving the universe (wink wink) I'll be starting Morgan's Fate, True Destiny Book 4. All I can say about that one is... someone's gonna get it!

Time for the Meat Grinder (And Other News)

I'm done the rough draft of Throne of Oak, and that means it's time for revisions/rereading/self-editing, and generally taking what I did and making it shine. It's also time for me to write the (gulp) synopsis. 

It's time for... 

Mmm. Hamburger... Is it lunch time yet?

I've finished on-time, and right around where I wanted to be, so I'm content. If you're looking at the word count meter, you'll see I haven't yet hit the goal of 80k. That's a buffer. I'm assuming that, during the grinding process, I'll be deleting stuff and adding stuff and, in the end, I'll wind up adding approximately 4k to 6k the word count. Then it's off to my betas by the end of next week, and hopefully to my editor by the end of the month!

In other news, you'll see I've posted on my sidebar about my website being down for a day or two while Yahoo does some maintenance. This will be the first time since I made the site that it's gone down, and they've given me plenty of time to warn people. For that, thank you, Yahoo. Although I'll admit, I'm not thrilled it will be down for two days, at least we've got a heads' up rather than a WTF.

So hungry...

So that's the news for this week. To make up for the lack of a website early next week, here's a little snippet from the very unedited Throne:

“Mina.”

She screamed and clutched her chest.

Dragos, his eyes glowing red in the darkness, stepped out from the shadows of the trees. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

She stared at him, shocked to the core. The forest hadn’t whispered his presence to her. Not even Ash could sneak up on her unnoticed, but here Dragos was, the forest content to let him pass unremarked, as if he belonged.

As if he were one with it, as she was.

Dragos stepped up to the line where the Throne began, leaving them toe-to-toe. He studied her closely. “You look tired, draga mea.” 

She tilted her head. “What does that mean?”

He smiled softly. “It means my darling.”

“You can’t call me that.” Not now. Maybe not ever. If she was so weak she couldn’t even leave the Throne, how could she lead the dryads? How could she stand at his side as an equal?

He cocked one eyebrow arrogantly. “Oh? Why not?”

She took a step back. “Because I can’t be yours.” She knew what a sotiei was, and Dragos was showing all the signs that she was his. It would harm him, to take her as his blood wife, the one being he could feed on for all his years. Her life span would expand, matching his, Mina dying when he did.

He cocked his head, the question clear in his expression. “Can’t... or won’t?”

Adventures with the Dragon

A lot of people ask me what it's like to work with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. They want to know if it requires a lot of tweaking, like going back and fixing typos and how much fun AutoCorrect can be. So I decided that I would do a post that I would not edit. You're going to see my writing in all its Dragony glory.

May the gods help you all.

okay, so it's not that bad. sure, I have to go back and fix punctuation and capitalization far more often than you'd think. And a lot of times I have to add spaces between words, and I have to say things like COMMA to actually make one. And for some reason it consistently thinks that AMARA's name should be shouted. I'm not sure why, but it is a really fond of doing that.

to make new paragraphs you have to say things like "new line" or "new paragraph", and if that's what you actually wanted to type. You have to say it slowly so Dragon doesn't get confused. And I know some people have problems with Dragon not recognizing their accent. I haven't had that issue, although I have had to enunciate a little more clearly than I normally do. And when I get on a roll and the Mary South Philly slips out, Dragon can get a little confused.

Overall though, when my hands really hurt. And the last thing I want to do is move my fingers, Dragon is a godsend. All the little tweaks and fixes are worth it, cause I'd rather type a few words than 2000.

I would have to say for someone who wants to try it, make sure you get it good microphone. It makes a huge difference. As a gamer geek, I have a pair of Logitech G 35 headphones that work beautifully. The microphone is crisp and clear, picks up the sound of my voice really well, and they're comfortable to wear long-term. I can have my music going and not here. The distracting noises of my children and my husband.

I will admit, they aren't cheap. They ranged anywhere from $90 to $130, according to Amazon. but if you're going to be wearing something long-term (like 5 to 6 hours a day), the expense is worth it.however, for the purposes of using Dragon. The main thing is the microphone. Without a good microphone. You might as well be talking to the Cat. so if you do nothing else make sure that the headphones you pick up. Have an excellent microphone.

I have noticed when I hesitate in my speech Dragon will automatically put in a period. As you may have noticed above. One of the lovely things about AutoCorrect is that it tries to figure out your punctuation for you. So you wind up going back and fixing that. I'd say that takes up the largest chunk of my editing time when I use Dragon.

So that's it. That's Dragon in a nutshell. If what you're reading here is making your inner editor want to scream in frustration and break out the red pen, then the program may not be for you. But if you're like me and think that a day of fixing little quirks is worth the lack of pain, then give it a try.