Coming August 30: The Tin Man, a thriller by Nina Mason

Here's an excerpt from The Tin Man, from the middle of Chapter 2, whereupon I introduce the secondary protagonist and love interest, Thea Hamilton. The book, a high-octane political thriller, releases Aug. 30 from Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly Publishing. Hope ya'll enjoy. :)

She’d met Alex Buchanan back in 2008 while both were covering the Elliot Spitzer call-girl scandal—he for World View and she for the News. She found him ruggedly handsome in that way that always made her heart beat just a little faster. He had a limp, but so what? In her book, that made him better. Without it, he would be too perfect. Who wanted to date Mr. Perfect except Ms. Perfect? And that sure as hell wasn’t her.

After a quick shampoo, she stepped out and grabbed a towel off the rack. The mirror was too foggy to see herself in, so she swiped her hand across it before grabbing the comb and pulling it through her shoulder-length mostly black hair. She’d thought a few times about taking out the gray, but what the hell? She’d earned every one of those gray hairs just like she hoped to win a Pulitzer one day.

Letting out a sigh, she looked hard at her reflection. She was thirty-eight, still single, and hadn’t had a date in months—partly because of her busy professional life, but also because she’d become invisible.

Not literally, of course, but in the way women over thirty-five did in America’s youth-obsessed culture. Sadly, she'd reached that age when strangers now addressed her as “Ma’am” instead of “Miss” and she no longer looked “good,” she looked “good for her age.” The kitten had matured into a cougar—a predatory older woman. She swiped a “paw” at her reflection and hissed before laughing it off.

Sabina's Adventures In Reading: Author Take Over: Nina Mason, author of The Queen ...

Sabina's Adventures In Reading: Author Take Over: Nina Mason, author of The Queen ...: Please give Nina Mason a warm welcome, she is my first author after my small break. :-) Read on for some exciting stuff; interview, e...

Romance Weekly

 

It's that time again, boys and girls. Sorry I've been quiet the past couple of weeks, but the first-round edits came back on The Knight of Wands, book one in my PNR/UF series to be released next year by Lyrical/Kensington, and let's just say they were no small feat! Still deep in rewrite land, looking for a breadcrumb trail. Yikes. Anyway, I'm back this week to answer the Romance Weekly jackpot questions. Here they are:

How often do you write?

I typically write all day every day, but sometimes must take time off to edit, promote, and make and mail out swag. What about taking time out for life? Yeah, well, it helps that I don't have one. 

Do you think it’s important to your craft to write as much as you can, and as often as you can?

I used to take music lessons and my teacher said something like this: "Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect." I think that applies to writing, too. You can write like the Dickens, but you'd also better be honing your craft, learning new things, strengthening your weaknesses, and incorporating new insights into your writing. Obviously, you have to write with a vengeance, but you also need to grow and improve and you can't do that in a self-contained writing vacuum.

What is your opinion on the saying “if you don’t write every day, you’re not a writer"?

I think it's total ballocks. If you write, you're a writer. Not an author, perhaps, but certainly a writer. Sometimes, it's not possible to write everyday and I think the whole disciplined daily word count goals and such are great for people who need that kind of motivation. I typically don't. I get up in the morning and write until I can't see straight. I get up to go to the bathroom, deal with problems, and make myself a sandwich, which I eat at my desk. I'm a very driven, self-motivated person. If anything, I need a way to balance my writing with other things, not write more. As Anne Rice once said, "I write obsessively."

The next stop on our little tour is the blog of the fabulous Susan Peterson Wisnewski. Take it away, Susan!

New Release: Into the Darkness by J. J. Devine

Ever hear the saying "a day late and a dollar short"? Well, that's how I feel this morning. I had it in my head (and I thought on my calendar) to post the stuff about the release of J. J. Devine's new book, INTO THE DARKNESS tomorrow (July 11), but turns out I was supposed to post it YESTERDAY! Yikes and mea culpa! So sorry, J. J. Hope posting today will suffice.

Here's the blurb:

Vampires and Witches: are they mythical creatures or something that walks amongst us every day without our knowledge?

To Raven, a twenty-five year-old, extremely sheltered woman, they are nothing more than something to be read about in a book. To Dragon, an eight hundred-year-old vampire, they are a way of life.

Raven truly believes she is going mad. Erotic dreams fill her nights, causing her to question her sanity by the light of day. They lead her into a world she never knew existed and a heritage that can only be found in nightmares.

Dragon wants nothing more than to own the mortal soul of the beautiful Raven, a woman who can make his ancient scars disappear, proof that she is far from mortal. 

Here's the buy-link on Amazon.com!

Here's an excerpt:

Raven awoke with a start.
What happened tonight? Where am I?

Tremors overtook her, remembering the events of the night. What had she become involved with? Vampires? Witches? And who were they trying to fool? Moreover, for what purpose?

Dragon’s heady scent filled her senses, drawing again her craving for blood. If she was the daughter of a vampire, as Tristan would have her believe, then why did she not have fangs?

The urgency of her desires, more apparent as the wetness between her legs dampened her skin, became an irritant. Damn him, even now she craved the pleasures Dragon stirred in her.

She tried to move from the bed, but Dragon’s strong arm wrapped about her waist, holding her in place. Well, that explains why I can smell him so strongly.

“You told me you wanted to spend the morning with me,” he grunted in her ear.

“That was before I knew you were a vampire.” Her angry words caused him to release her.

Rolling to his back, he slid an arm under his head. “I’m sorry, Raven. I should have told you.”

“There is a great deal you should have told me. Do you think for one moment I believe you or Tristan are these . . . these fictional creatures? Do you suppose for one moment I believe I am the daughter of not just one of these imaginary characters, but two as well?”

Dragon remained relaxed, his breathing even, his demeanor calm. His relaxed posture in her bed, as if her words held no more import than a vague breeze, infuriated her.

“Are you listening to me?” The demand in her tone was harsher than she had ever used.

He lit a lamp on the table beside him, illuminating his face. “Are you done ranting?”

“Ranting! You make fun of something that frightened me so gravely and you have the audacity to say I am ranting.”

Dragon’s hand came to her cheek. Instantly, need replaced anger. She wriggled to ease the yearning between her thighs. Her breasts felt swollen, aching for his touch.

Yet she resisted. “Stop it, Dragon. You know what affect you have on me.”

Dragon withdrew his hand, rising so the sheet fell, exposing his bare chest. Shifting away to fight off the tremendous urge to ravish him, she choked out, “I want answers. Now.”

“Raven, I have never lied to you, nor have I ever made sport of you. And I meant it when I told you I love you.”

“You’re saying that you and Tristan are vampires. And I thought I was the crazy one.” She turned away in disgust, even as she sensed the pain her words had caused him. She pressed a hand to her chest to ease the pressure she felt there.

When her eyes flickered back to him, a shocked gasp escaped at the sight awaiting her.

His mouth was open. And he had fangs. In his mouth.

Fangs.

“Touch them!” he demanded.

She recoiled.

“I said, touch them!” He grabbed her hand, forcing it to his open mouth. The sharp points of his fangs pricked her finger.

Raven ripped her hand from his grasp. “Stop, Dragon! You’re frightening me.”

“I smell your fear. Look deep inside yourself. Fear is not the only emotion that drives this craving for the taste of blood. Your lust for me is stronger.”

Shock overwhelmed her anew as she studied his eyes. She could read the stream of mixed emotion pooling in their deep, darkened depths. His voice sounded in her ears, yet his lips never moved.

“See, you do hear me. Can a mortal woman hear what a man says within his head?”

Dragon rose, naked, from the bed. Raven gritted her teeth against the glorious sight of him. Every muscle, chiseled to flawless perfection. The heat between her legs grew uncomfortable. Damn you for making me want you, even now.

Crossing the room to a small wooden table, he poured a drink into two glasses. It looked dark and smelled rich, inviting. Her mouth watered, a consuming sensation. He came back to stand beside the bed, shoving a glass at her.

She eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”

“Proof.”

The scent of the liquid aroused her, but she held her ground. “What is it?”

“Drink it!” Dragon’s tone was dark and furious, his eyes glaring at her.

“And if I don’t?” She ripped the glass from his grasp and slammed it on the bedside table in a show of defiance.

Dragon gulped the contents of the glass in his hand, then yanked her from the bed. His mouth crashed down on hers, the drink still rich on his lips and tongue. Unable to control herself, she clung to him in desperation, devouring his mouth. The sweet taste of the liquid fueled a sudden fire within.

Dragon pushed her away. Her hands reached for the glass he had brought her and she drank down the warm, soothing liquid in one large draught. She didn’t care if he watched her, as her tongue licked at the remnants clinging to the corners of her mouth.

His anger seemed to rise with each drop she took in. Now he taunted, “I believe it is you who needs to answer my questions. Mortal women do not crave blood, my dark angel.”

Raven’s hand went to her mouth as her stomach lurched. Dragon grabbed the chamber pot as the contents of her stomach resurfaced.

“You bastard!” She cursed him, even as her taste for the liquid returned in much greater force than before.

“How much more proof do you need, Raven? Your hunger for blood is as deep as any vampire I know.”

Here's a little something about J. J. Devine:

Reading and writing have been J.J.'s passion her whole life.  Starting out with being the poet, everyone came to in high school to get that "perfect" poem for his or her boyfriend/girlfriend.  She spent her weekends locked away in her room, curled up on her bed, writing short stories for only a selected few readers.

She has been happily married for 28 years to her trucker husband.  She is a mother of three, grandmother of three; a lover of dogs, cats, and fish. 

J.J. started to pen historical romance as a hobby when her youngest child was a year old, creating the Acceptance Series.  She got serious about her writing career joining Romance Writers of America and Indiana Romance Writers of America moving on to help start Crossroads Romance Writers in 2014.  She penned her first paranormal romance, Into the Darkness, in 25 days, taking herself beyond her comfort zone and just giving the characters free reign of their story. 

    

Since taking herself out of the outside working world, she has dedicated her life to her writing and her writing world and raising consciousness for Domestic Violence Awareness.  

Here are the author's social media links:

Website: http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/

Blog: http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/ramblings-of-a-writer.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JJDevineAuthor?ref=ts&fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JjDevine2010

Romance Weekly

 

Welcome to my little slice of this wonderful weekly blog circle. Here are this week's jackpot questions:

How do you respond to someone calling your writing smut or demeaning your work in some other way?

Well, it depends. My books can get pretty dark in spots and it's not everybody's cup of tea. I don't try to hide the fact (far from it), but, even so, a few have found it not to their taste. All criticism hurts. If it's mean-spirited, it makes me angry.  I've only had one one-star review and, while it bothered me, I knew it was an act of sabotage by another author who was jealous of all my good reviews. I know who was behind it and that she's done it to others. I believe karma and the spell I cast will return her bad actions to her in time, probably magnified. I used one of the spells in the book her hired troll attacked. Poetic justice, IMHO. I don't confront. It's not my style. I work quietly behind the scenes in my own way to bring justice about. I don't expect everybody to like or "get" my work, but, in my book (grimoire?), an honest review by someone who didn't find the book to their taste is not the same thing as a deliberate attack by a mean-spirited person who probably didn't even read it.

When critiquing or beta reading, do you ever find the voice of the other author creeping into your writing?

No. Sometimes I wish I could improve by osmosis, but it doesn't seem to work for me. I have to work very hard and very deliberately to develop my voice and hone my skills as an author.

What’s one quirky thing you do or must have around you while writing?

I've been asked this before and have no good answer. Quirky? Can't think of anything. I keep my library of books on the tarot, astrology, and other forms of magic within arm's reach, but there's nothing very quirky about that given my subject matter. I also keep my Edward Cullen action figure on the shelf of my secretary and the tarot cards relating to the book I'm working on displayed sometimes. Right now, for instance, I have the Knight of Pentacles in front of me because I'm plotting that book in my series and want him to speak to me in some way. I suppose that's a bit odd, but it's not like I have a rabbit's foot or anything. 


Thanks for visiting. Time to move on and see what the lovely and talented Jeana E. Mann has to say in response to these questions. http://jeanaemann.net

Romance Weekly

 

 

Oh, my goodness. Is it Tuesday already? Golly, how time flies when your head's in your next book. Speaking of writing, here are my answers to this week's questions about my craft and process:

When writing your novel, do you know how it’s going to end before you write, or do you write from start to finish?

I typically outline before I start writing, so I have a sense of where things are supposed to go. More often than not, the story deviates widely from the path once I start writing it. Even so, I do my best to rein it back to the ending I envisioned. If it veers off in a direction I deem better than the original, I'll follow along and re-plot as I go.  In romances, there has to be a happy ending for the couple in the story, so it's really a question of the degree of resolution and how they get there.

How do the people you know impact your writing? Are you influenced by friends and family for your characters?

Friends and family, no. Bullies and bad actors I've encountered in real life and on social media sites, maybe. Mostly, however, my characters are drawn from research, the needs of the story, and facets of myself. One of the villains in my forthcoming political thriller is based on Rupert Murdoch. The other was drawn from research into sociopaths and serial killers. Who needs to invent monsters when their are so many real-life examples to draw from?

Describe the hero in your current WIP in three words.

Haunted, passionate, resourceful.


Thanks so much for stopping by. Please move on to the next writer in the circle, the lovely and talented Susan Peterson Wisnewski: http://spwwrites.com/blog

Lucky Seven

Fellow authors Nikki Thomas and Sarah Hegger tagged me to play Lucky Seven. Here are the rules:

Go to page 7 or 77 in your current WIP, then go to line 7. Post on your blog the next 7 sentences or lines--as they are! Afterward, tag 7 more authors to do the same.

Funnily, both the appointed sections from my WIP, The Knight of Cups, book two in the Knights of Avalon series, are a wee bit naughty, so I decided to post them both. 

Here are the seven lines from Page 7:

A hand brushed his thigh.

Startled, he swallowed hard.

“What are you doing there, lass?”

“Appraising.”

Appraising? What did he look like, a cut of meat in the butcher’s window?

Boldly, she took his measure.

And here are the lines from Page 77:

“I’m not big on surprises,” he said. “Tell me what you’re looking for and, if I have it, I’ll tell you where to find it.”

“What if you don’t want to wear what I’m looking for?”

“If I have it, I’ll wear it.”

She turned to find him still sitting on the chaise, looking so hot it was a miracle she didn’t melt where she stood.

“I’m looking for a tail so you can be my pony.”

His mouth cocked into a devilish grin that activated a warm discharge of moisture. “Did you dream of having a pony to ride when you were a wee lassie?”

Now, who shall I tag?