To Fang or Not to Fang

I just signed the first of what I hope will be several contracts for a new series entitled Lucani Lovers from Ellora's Cave. Set in the same world as my Magical Seduction series, Lucani Lovers will focus on Etruscan wolf shifters. The first story, "Kiss of Moonlight," will be released soon from EC.

Werewolves can be a hard sell for some. I love them, always have.The first movie I remember seeing as a child was "The Wolfman" with Lon Chaney Jr. Larry Talbot was a tragic hero thrust into a situation violently and unwillingly. He had no idea what was happening to him. He was a victim.

But that wasn't the kind of story I wanted to tell.

In my mind, the ability to shift into another creature would be amazing, a magical gift, not a horrific trauma. My lucani are wolf shifters, members of the Enu, one of the two magical races descended from the ancient Etruscans. They're proud of their abilities, of their heritage. They guard their secret well, knowing if the outside world gets wind of their gifts, they'll be hunted to extinction. Their ancestors formed a secret auxiliary of the ancient Roman Army and today, they use their army heritage to keep their people from running wild.

In "Kiss of Moonlight," you'll meet Kyle, a lucani who thinks his life is pretty much set in stone. At 37, with a teenage daughter, he's not prepared for the changes one very pretty but damaged 23-year-old will bring to his life.

Kyle mans up pretty fast, because he's just that kind of guy--strong, stubborn, old enough to know better and smart enough to realize when to give in. He's become one of my favorite characters, right up there with Cam and Sal.

And I can't wait for you all to meet him.

New, Next and Shiny

Before I got a job as a paid writer, I worked at a movie theater. One of the benefits was the free movies, which, for a movie hound, is kind of like giving free crack to addicts. I typically saw three movies a week. When I became a reporter, I also became a film reviewer and my free movie days continued. I loved reviewing films, whether they were art movies or blockbusters, chick flicks or horror films. I particularly loved anything that went boom, destroyed a city and where the guy got the girl at the end.

Now, "Armageddon" is not a great film. Most reviewers thought it was frankly awful. I embraced it for all its corny unbelievability. There's a love story, such as it was, with Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck. Will Patton brings a touch of class, Steve Bucemi spouts sarcastic one-liners, Billy Bob Thorton actually tones down the crazy, and Bruce Willis saves the world. Overwrought, over-acted and over-the-top and halfway down the other side, "Armageddon" threw every genre and the kitchen sink into this mess.

And it worked for me. No, there's no accounting for taste. Which brings me to the nature of popular fiction. There really is something for everyone, especially in romance. Romantic suspense or romantic comedy. Historical romance or contemporary romance (if you're in the mood for both, there's time travel). And if you really want variety, there's paranormal. You can find any and all of the above in paranormal. Want a funny vampire? Or an angsty grim reaper? How about fairies or werewolves or demons or dragons or angels or ghosts... Well, you get my point.

I love writing paranormals because there's no limit to what genres you can stick in the blender. But while I love to read a good vampire, I, like most editors, are not looking for a new vampire romance. I want new, next and shiny and so do they. What that might be, I don't have a clue. As a reader, I'm looking for hot sex, deep conflict and, yes, a few explosions or at the very least, a good fight. As a writer, that's what I like to write.

How about you? What do you want to see? And what do you think is going to be the next big thing?

Fairyland

I was huffing and puffing at the end of my run under gray skies today when an odd glimmer of snowy white at my feet caught my eye.

Since I don't wear my glasses when I run, I had to stop to get a closer look. And my mouth curved in a smile at the most enchanting sight.

I had run by this same area as I headed out on the trail 40 minutes earlier but I obviously hadn't noticed the mushroom patch under the trees.

It looks like a scene out of a fairy tale, doesn't it? The mushrooms stand at least 10 inches if not more off the ground. Most have flat tops and there are some rounded caps. And that one in the front fascinates me. I have never seen a mushroom like that. It's amazing.

I must have stood there for two minutes just smiling at them, thinking if I waited long enough, surely the fairies would get used to me and come out to play.

And I wished I had a camera.

Well, duh. I had my iPhone strapped to my arm to listen to music. After several seconds wrestling control of the phone from its stretchy holder with my sweaty hands, I snapped a few pictures.

The character in my first story for Ellora's Cave, SEDUCED BY MAGIC, is an Italian folletta. A fairy complete with wings. Now, Scarlata wouldn't fit beneath these little beauties because she's human-sized but in my second story, SEDUCED IN SHADOW, I introduce the candelas, glowing little tinkerbelles and tinkerbeaus who glow like fireflies, have tiny wings and would have thought this patch had sprung up for their personal use.

Sometimes, it's the little things that make a gray day brighter.

Authors After Dark Paranormal Event--Extended Registration

Due to a glitch with the hotel, we were able to reopen registration till Sept, 20th! And I know you guys have been thinking about coming to the Authors After Dark Paranormal weekend, and now is your chance to come and hangout with me for this first years event. So many fantastic authors have signed up to come, give away goodies and sign on saturday that you are going to miss out on something amazing if you don't attend.


Registration is 175$ and includes 4 meals, 2 parties(a candy shoppe PJ party and a Masquerade ball), a cocktail hour, a slew of reader focused events, Author lead mini events and tons of free books and goodies! And we are even doing a charity raffle to benefit the ACN and a local no kill shelter, Pets Alive! we have over 25$ gift baskets too!

Your room is 99$ a night, double occupancy, and can be booked through the info on the AAD website on the Registration page.

So who is going to be there? Well...

Jacquelyn Frank, Sunny, Joey W. Hill,Stella and Audra Price, Bianca D'Arc, Rosemary Laurey, Jennifer Armintrout, Madeline Oh, Georgia Evans, Mechele Armstrong, Samantha Sommersby, Cat Johnson, Cathy Clamp, Eliza Gayle, Diana Castilleja, Leigh Ellwood, Tilly Greene, Selena Illyria, Stephanie Julian, Judi Fennell, Kayleigh Jamison, Donna Grant, Robin T. Popp, Linda Mooney, Mima, Teresa Noelle Roberts, and JoLynne Valerie

The authors are fantastic, the goodies are fantastic, the books are beyond a doubt amazing. We got the Authors, and the books, and the amazing events. All we need is YOU!

To register, join us at http://www.authorsafterdark.net/register.html We are looking forward to having you hangout with us this year and hope to see you there!

I Love the Fall TV Season

In addition to my reading obsession, I'm a confessed television addict. Every fall season brings with it the promise of new shows to love, old favorites to reconnect with and the parting of ways with formerly beloved shows.

So, I'm already a Gleek, have been since Fox showed the first episode of this wonderful new series in the spring. Tuesday night, Fox will air the second episode and I'll be glued to the TV. I'm completely enamored of the show's tone, how it manages to blend musical comedy and teenage angst into something totally unique and compelling.

On Thursday I'll be covering the Heart-Journey concert in town but my DVR will be working overtime. I'll be recording The Vampire Diaries on The CW, mainly because it's paranormal and star-crossed lovers do it for me. Then it's time for the main event, the Supernatural premiere!

 Dean, Sam, Castiel and the Devil. Who could ask for anything more? I've been with this show from episode one and I've watched it grow from monster-of-the-week to a fully realized saga that's just gotten better and better over the past four years. The dynamics between the brothers has always struck a cord with me as the mother of two sons. It's also one of the only shows (along with Eureka) that my entire family watches together.

Of course, with Fringe (one of my top 5 shows from last year) moving to Thursdays, I'll be giving up Grey's Anatomy. No hardship there. GA lost me midseason last year and though I watched the season finale, I won't be turning back in because I refuse to miss Fringe. It's one of those shows you either love or think why the hell would anyone watch that. I love it. The mix of weird science, cop procedural and charcter studies if totally compelling. And it's from JJ Abrams. Nuff said.

Friday's I'll be tuning back in to Dollhouse, after I catch up on the last few episodes. The series slipped away from me somewhere in the middle but I'm determined to get back into it. Besides, I've got a huge crush on Tahmoh Penikett. I'll be waiting for the premieres of Flash Forward and Stargate Universe and anxiously await the return of Castle (I love Mal... I mean Nathan Fillion).

And then there's Dancing with the Stars. I'll be rooting for Donny Osmond but no one will replace Gilles.

Please welcome Adele Dubois back to On A Moonlit Night. Adele Dubois is a former journalist who writes erotic romances that receive consistent outstanding reviews. Titles include DESERT NECTAR, DESERT WILD, DESERT FEVER, INTIMATE ART and DREAM TRAVELER. REV ME UP coming soon!

September is the month of the Harvest Moon. If the lovers in my new trade paperback release DESERT NECTAR were driving through The Sonoran Desert, the full moon would cast bright light over their Thunderbird convertible and the Saguaro cactus that symbolizes America’s most hostile desert.

Caitlyn Spencer and Sonny Wild Horse Hendricks would hear the sounds of coyotes, running deer, crickets and katydids in the distance. Desert Lavender and the citrus fragrance of Ragged Rock Flowers that grow through cliff side cracks would scent the night. The blend of The Sonora’s sights, scents, and solitude would create the perfect backdrop for love.

Assuming they had enough water and shelter to avoid dehydration, vipers, and mountain lions.

Of course, “Guy,” the Thunderbird’s magical, slightly kinky GPS navigation system would guide them safely through the night. “Guy” isn’t exactly a genie, but has the power to locate whatever is needed most. He responds to a satellite system buried deep inside the atmosphere. Finding a safe, cozy spot for lovemaking beneath the light of the Harvest Moon is a made to order assignment for “Guy.”

If you had a GPS system like “Guy” what would you wish for?

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7543-desert-nectar.aspx
http://www.adeledubois.com/


DESERT WILD by Adele Dubois (From DESERT NECTAR)

“The erotic moments are incredibly well-written. An all-around great read.” ~ Reader Views

Summary:

Sonny Wild Horse of the Tohono O’odham Nation is a danger to a woman’s heart. Though he lusts after Caitlyn Spencer, his desire to live inside two conflicting worlds—the Sonoran Desert of his youth and the California coast where his future as a photographer is assured—tears the lovers apart.

When Sonny disappears inside America’s most hostile desert, Caitlyn borrows a unique Thunderbird convertible and embarks on a desperate search. The car is equipped with a powerful but endearingly kinky GPS navigator that grants wishes. Though not exactly a genie, “Guy’s” system locates whatever his driver needs most.

And Caitlyn needs to connect erotically with Sonny. Again and again. If only she can find him in time.

*****

DESERT FEVER by Adele Dubois (From DESERT NECTAR)

“Exceedingly erotic and beautifully written” ~ The Romance Studio

Summary:

On her forty-sixth birthday, Marybeth buys a red convertible, equipped with the latest GPS navigation technology, and runs away from her painful divorce. At the mouth of the Mojave Desert she finds sexy, thirty-year-old USMC veteran Jake stranded with his disabled motorcycle, and gives him a lift to Nevada.

What Marybeth doesn’t know is that her GPS navigator has led her straight to the man she wished for to heal her broken heart. Though the GPS is not exactly a genie, his system grants him the power to locate whatever Marybeth needs most. What she wants is revenge, laced with a hot, studly young lover. GPS takes wishing upon a star to a new and very real technological level, as he makes Marybeth’s wildest, most sultry dreams come true.

The Perfect Song

I'm a visual writer. I see scenes then translate them into words. But every now and then I find a song that triggers a mood or an emotion that then triggers scenes for a book.

I'm working on two stories at the same time right now. The first is a straight-up romance with an erotic edge. The other is a werewolf menage.

I've been working on "Pleasure Control" for longer than I'd like to have been. It's been a struggle as I reach for motivations. But then I started to listen to "What a Catch, Donnie" by Fall Out Boy and something about the "troubled thoughts and self-esteem to match" hit a lot of buttons in the story for me. The video is a lot of FOB nonsense but I've had a secret crush on lead singer, Patrick Stump, for years so, yeah, I like it. The song, though, is pure brain candy.

The menage had been working in my head since I finished "Kiss of Moonlight" (working title), the first in my new series from EC (coming soon). I had the characters but the story wasn't coming together. I didn't really know where it was going. I couldn't see it.

And then I heard

And something clicked. I hadn't seen the video until I decided to embed it in this blog so nothing about the video works for me. Only the song itself has helped me to see the opening scene of smoky chaos and rubble, and feel the fear and desperation. I'd heard part of the song in some ad on TV but it didn't really register until I heard the entire song on Alt Nation on SiriusXM. (Have I said lately how much I love my Sirius?) That chorus, "Save me, I'm lost," picked a little corner of my brain and took up residence. And my heroine Tira started to take shape. She's more than a little lost and she needs Duke and Nic to save her. And maybe do a little saving herself.

Where The Killers' Dustland Fairytale fits in, I'm still not sure. I've had that on heavy rotation on iTunes the past couple of days. There's just something about the tone of the song that's calling me. I think it might be the line, "out here, the good girls die." Tira is a good girl who's headed for an early death. And it won't be pretty. And I can see it when I listen to this song.

The brain certainly is an odd little computer.