Odd Man Out

The holiday season is here, and at Casa Andrews that means food, frolic, and, most of all, family.  This Christmas we’ll be setting a table for nineteen – and I couldn’t be more excited.  To me, the holidays are always richer and even the food tastes better when there are swarms of loved ones making the days merry (and noisy) and bright.

Ah, family, the people who love you even when they think you’re crazy.  Take my sister and me.  She’s a nester – hearth and home the focus of all her energy – and I’m a nomad, always anticipating my next shiny new adventure.  She thinks I’m nuts because I’d rather take a trip to Turkey than make a down payment on a nice little house somewhere.  We have the same source material and grew up in the same house, but somehow we always seem to be coming at life from opposite directions. 

Do you ever look at your family and think that one of you just has to be a changeling?

That’s exactly how Mia, the heroine of my new release Finder’s Keeper, feels about her family.  She’s a scientist, dominated by logic and surrounded by people she loves who live their lives by superstition and emotion.  She can’t seem to figure out how she fits in, until she meets Chase, a sexy psychic who somehow manages to act as her bridge to her family, in spite of the fact that he’s been avoiding everything related to family attachments ever since he lost his own.

Who knew a pretend relationship was just what these two needed to find out where they really fit is each other arms?  (Pause for schmaltzy sigh. Awwww.) 

Love isn’t a science. It’s pure chemistry.

Karmic Consultants, Book 6

True love? For neuroscientist Dr. Mia Corregianni, it’s just an unproven hypothesis. But when she loses the heirloom watch her family believes is enchanted with a potent love spell, she fights superstition with superstition by hiring a psychic finder to track it down.

Chase Hunter is a human compass, homing in on whatever the seeker wants most—that is, when he isn’t surfing or actively avoiding anything resembling a real human attachment. Such has been his life since an accident took his family.

Unfortunately, Mia’s case isn’t a simple insta-Find. The catch? To disguise his real mission from her romance-crazy family, he has to pretend to be her boyfriend. He could deal with that if her complicated emotions weren’t blocking his abilities—or if her innermost desires weren’t walloping him upside the head every time he opens himself to his gift.

As the case wears on, their fake romance begins to feel all too real. Scary stuff for a man who’s reluctant to let himself live again. And a woman who doesn’t believe in magic…or love.

Warning: This book contains meddling grandmothers, magic watches, and a surfer with a body so hot it can teach any scientist the true meaning of chemistry.

Now available from Samhain, Kindle, & Nook.

Bio: An Alaskan girl born and raised, Vivi Andrews still lives in the frozen north when she isn’t indulging her travel addiction.  The award-winning author of sixteen paranormal romance novels and novellas including the popular Serengeti Shifter series, she is currently hard at work on her next supernatural happily-ever-after.  Learn more about Vivi and her books at http://www.viviandrews.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viviandrews
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ViviAndrews

I started reading through my current work-in-progess and completely forgot to post here.

Like this line?

“Somewhere among the guests, there is a demon who lives there, who has attached himself to the premises. The walls are his skin, the beams his bones. When he consumes a human victim, he takes them inside himself, into the walls to feed.”

Yeah, it’s a paranormal and kicking my ass.

So, while I continue to read and tweak and add new words, answer me this. Remember, tomorrow is the last day of the Random Act of Winning Contest!

If you were hired by a traveling circus, what sort of act would you be in?
Don’t let your real talents or lack thereof inhibit your answer!

Digital Dreams

Dreams come to us in different shapes and ways. Sometimes they’re movies in our minds while we sleep. Something they’re things we want either in our head or heart. Sometimes we come up with them on our own, or they may show themselves after they’ve become firmly rooted as a result of someone else.

In P.S. I Love You (a Gerard Butler flick, based on a book), the dream was the last kind. A woman thought she was living her dream with the man she loved at her side. Then he got sick and died. She decided she was finished dreaming and allowed herself to dig a deeper and deeper rut of grief until she received a letter.

Unlike other letters, this was a letter her dream wrote before passing away, and in the letter he told her of his dream. He asked her to move on, to embrace life again. When she did, she discovered a new dream.

In my Christmas story, Her Miracle Man, I did something similar. Instead of a spouse, a sister sent the possibility of a new dream. Instead of letters, the dream came digitally on DVDs.

What dreams have you had come true? Were they expected or planned? Were they a surprise even to you? What do you think your life would be like without them?

Her Miracle Man is Nikki’s 10th book. It released November 27th from Samhain Publishing. Here’s the blurb:

Children’s hospital administrator Ryland Davids was attracted to event planner Jennalyn James the moment he saw her. He thought there would be plenty of time to get to know her—until her younger sister, Sabrina, was admitted with complications from traumatic brain injury.

Sabrina’s bright courage broke through Ryland’s wall of professional distance, but once she drew her last breath, Jennalyn left the hospital and never returned. Though he understands her need for distance, there’s a hole in his heart that won’t heal. And a last wish from Sabrina he’s honor-bound to deliver.

When Jennalyn comes face to face with Ryland at a charity event, the pain comes rushing back, threatening to shatter her everything’s-fine façade. It doesn’t help that the lump in her throat is mostly her heart, leaping in response to his touch.

Despite her reluctance to return to the scene of her grief, she fulfills Sabrina’s final request to plan a series of Christmas events for the kids. Over the course of A Month of Miracles, Ryland and Jennalyn discover there’s the light of hope at the end of grief’s dark tunnel. But it may not be enough to heal her broken heart.

Buy your now! Samhain Publishing | Amazon – Kindle | Barnes & Noble – Nook

Being the Boss of the Voices in Your Head

There’s always a story in my head waiting to be let out. Some start with a single line or idea, and those are the stories that I tend to figure out as I go along. I’m pantster who became a plotter after years of doing National Novel Writing Month and being frustrated when I inevitably hit a block at about 30k words. Having an outline to follow allows me to make it past that block, because if I’m stuck on one scene I can skip it and move on to the next. It also helps me to plan my daily word count and better gauge how long it will take me to finish a first draft.

But it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes a scene or a particular character will get stuck in my head. Patience, the heroine of Fire in the Blood, was like that. Once she popped into my head she refused to leave. That was a problem, because her book wasn’t next on my schedule. She may be named Patience, but she really doesn’t have any to speak of. She wanted me to tell her story, and she had it all planned out from beginning to end. Patience wasn’t leaving until I wrote Fire in the Blood.

I tried ignoring her. I tried sticking to my schedule and forging ahead with the book I was supposed to be working on. I wanted to be the boss of the voices in my head, and I was losing that battle. So I tried a new tactic—I gave in. But only a little. I gave her two weeks, and then I switched to the book I was scheduled to write. It got the urge to work on her book out of my system and it allowed me to get back on track. Once I finished that book (Poison in the Blood, which will be out from Samhain next year), I returned to Patience’s story and finished it up.

The process taught me that sometimes it’s okay to give in to your inner voices. Plot bunny bothering you? Maybe you should chase it—but just for a bit. We all go a little mad sometimes. Writing the idea down can stop that plot bunny from stalking you, and it might even learn a little patience.

Patience Roberts is the last summoner standing between magiciankind and certain demon invasion. After banishing two or three demons a day for too long, gods know she’d like nothing better than a little down time with her number one distraction—Faust.

But with vampires, hunters and assassins lined up to take her out, who has the time? Still, she has to admit her resistance to the amorous faerie is wearing thin. Not that she’ll ever let on—after all, faeries are notorious for their short romantic attention spans.

Faust, a Shadowspawn faerie, watched as his outcast clan dwindled to nothing. Determined to hold on to the woman he loves, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect Patience. And one day build a life with her.

When an old demon enemy punches through the barrier between the worlds, Patience must draw on every ounce of her reputation as a cast-iron bitch to temporarily banish him. To get rid of him for good, she’ll have to sacrifice one too many pieces of her soul to leave room for love…

Warning: Contains a hero and heroine so hot they’re literally on fire, naughty faerie sex, post-coital cuteness, angsty magician drama, and yet more gratuitous violence against vampires, demons, and innocent furniture.

Fire in the Blood is available now from Samhain, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. You can find out more about Robyn’s writing at her website, Facebook page, or Twitter.

Who Shot J. R.? or What Happened to Aron?

When I heard Larry Hagman had died a few days ago, I felt a sense of loss. It was as if I heard of the passing of a friend. And in a way it was. Larry Hagman played J. R. Ewing (John Ross Ewing, Sr.) on the television show, “Dallas.” I was born in 1980 and if I had been born a boy, my name would have been John Ross. My mother was completely enamored with the show DALLAS. I guess I should be grateful my name isn’t Sue Ellen or Miss Ellie.

Mom’s penchant to watch the show about Texas cowboys and free-flowing oil may be the reason she married a Texan nine years later and we moved, lock, stock and barrel, from Louisiana to the Texas Hill County. I grew up hearing that tune—the theme from Dallas—and it sorta resounds in my blood—TADAH—TADAH—DUM DUM DUM DUM. . . well, it doesn’t translate well here, but I have attached a you-tube video to remind you of how catchy it was.

One of the things that I grew up hearing about was some of the wild twists that the writers of Dallas would pull on its viewing audience. One of those was when they killed off one of the more popular characters—perhaps the most popular—Bobby Ewing. America went into a complete uproar and the producers listened and when the first episode of the next season emerged, we were all partly pacified and partly horrified to find out that the entire season before had been a dream.

But the biggest, most successful stunt they ever pulled on Dallas was the cliffhanger—“WHO SHOT J. R?” The 1980 season ended with the attempted murder of J. R. Ewing, being shot twice by an unseen assailant. Larry Hagman had started out as a secondary character, but he ended being the indisputable star. From the episode that showed the shooting till the new season began, a summer to remember transpired. There were “Who Shot J.R.?” t-shirts everywhere. That’s one of the reasons that I know about it because I slept in my mom’s “Who Shot J. R.?” T-Shirt every time I got the chance. “I Shot J. R.” t-shirts were prevalent also. During the 1980 Presidential campaign, one of the Republican buttons proclaimed that “A Democrat Shot J. R.” and Jimmy Carter said he could completely finance his campaign if he knew the answer to that pressing question—“Who Shot J. R?”

The Queen Mother of England was caught up in the mystery. The Turkish Parliament was allowed to go home early so as not to miss the revealing episode and Larry Hagman was offered $100,000 if he would reveal the culprit, but he didn’t know who it was. No one did—it was sorta like when is Jesus returning—only the Father knows. HA! But Vegas laid odds—the whole western world and some of the eastern was caught up in the mystery of “Who Shot J. R?”

Larry Hagman profited. He refused to film the revealing episode until he renegotiated a contract that gave him $100,000 per episode and rights to all J. R. merchandise. Once the long-awaited episode did air, it was a surprise to everyone that Kristin had shot J. R. He didn’t press charges, however, because she told him she was pregnant with his child. Kristin was played by Mary Crosby. Who would have thought that J. R. Ewing would have been shot by the daughter of crooner Bing Crosby?

Jess, my brother, and I, really got into the new DALLAS this season. I had wanted to watch it because of my early memories and because I had linked another of my books to the show—BOBBY DOES DALLAS. I made several Dallas and Ewing references in that book and even mentioned the song was played when Bobby Stewart would run out on the field.

One night while we were watching an episode with all of those sexy new Ewings—John Ross, Christopher and others—Jess got a glint in his eye. He turned to me and smiled. He said—“Let’s do something like that with your books.” I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, so he explained.

I have a series, “Hell Yeah!,” that has become quite popular. It is about a family of six brothers—the McCoys—who live on Tebow Ranch. Their names are Aron, Jacob, Joseph, Isaac, Noah and Nathan. And while each book has been well received—most love Aron the best. He is just sexy as hell. I laughed once and shared with a reader that I really had no intention of these books becoming a series. I wrote Cowboy Heat and it took off so I decided to expand. I’ll be honest with you, if I had known this was going to be a series I would have picked different names for the brothers. When they received their first names, I had just gotten through reading my Sunday School lesson and everyone got a biblical name. All of them are pretty good–except Noah. I giggle. Every time I say Noah, I just think of a guy with a robe and a long beard leading animals two-by-two onto an ark. But my Noah McCoy has turned out to be a sexy guy. Who knew?

Anyway, Jess’s idea was to create a mystery surrounding Aron. I have written five “Hell Yeah!” (the newest, I’ll See You In My Dreams, will release this week) and two cross-overs in a series called “Cajun Spice” and in every one of these books the lives of the brothers and their loves continue to unfold. The stories are connecting and some even overlap and in the last Cajun Spice, Forget Me Never, it is revealed—dun dun DUN!!!! that Aron is missing! He went missing on his honeymoon. I had no idea how this would go over but I have received dozens and dozens of emails from readers wanting to know what the heck is going on – ARON IS MISSING??????????

I love it. In the latest “Hell Yeah!,” we learn more, and more will be revealed in Noah’s book—Hell Yeah VI and in the next two Cajun Spice books. A lot of time in the “Hell Yeah!” universe won’t have elapsed because the books take place rather quickly, timeline wise. But like Jess thought, the idea that Aron is missing has caused quite a stir. My street team just made me a Café Press store. Maybe I ought to do t-Shirts—WHERE IS ARON???

Thank you for listening to me ramble. Like I promised, the YouTube link is attached for Dallas and the newest “Hell Yeah!” cover is attached. I’ve linked it back to my website where the purchase information will be made available as soon as possible. Today, HOT ON HER TRAIL—the 2^nd in the Hell Yeah! series is free on amazon. Check it out. I have also attached my website link and my fan page link and I do answer every email.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rJCJM5jr8o

An excerpt from the new book is attached and – oh yeah – one more thing.

REST IN PEACE, LARRY HAGMAN, YOU WILL BE MISSED.

EXCERPT FROM “I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS”

Link –  http://sablehunter.com/books.html

“Touch me, please.”

“Where, Presley?” Her desperation just fueled his passion. Being desired and needed was incredibly addictive.

“My breasts,” she whispered.

“I am touching you,” he crooned to her, suspecting what she was really asking.

“With your lips,” she said so softly he almost couldn’t hear. “If you don’t mind – that is.”

Sinking to his knees, he pushed her tits together and molded them in his hands, caressing and shaping them – rubbing his thumbs over the nipples. “You want me, don’t you?” Read the rest of this entry »

I have another winner in the Random Act of Winning Contest to announce, but you have to read to the end to find out who! First…

Sunday Report Card

The past week I added 6100 words to my current WIP, but that wasn’t nearly good enough.

Below is my To Do list of projects I started in April. Everything in green is written. I still have 6 things to try to plow through before the end of the year. I’m going to come up short because I’m runnin’ out of steam. 🙁

I had hoped NaNoWriMo would give me the kick in the butt to power through the end of the year, but the trip to DC was a huge mistake, and then Thanksgiving took me by surprise, because in the past, I’ve been able to play hermit throughout the first part of the day then surface to visit for the afternoons, but this time, there was no productive time I could find. I let myself accept any old excuse I could find—I have to visit with my brother whom I only see once a year; I need to catch up on promo for the projects I have out; I need a nap…

This week, I will be looking for sprinting partners, so if you are out there and need a buddy to keep your butt in the chair like I do, catch me on AIM (DelilahDevlin)!

Winner!

Thursday is the last day of this contest! Check out the link at the top of this page for rules, but basically, you have to post a comment on a blog between now and Thursday to be eligible. The random winner today is…Melissa Porter! Melissa, email me with your choice of any of my downloadable, backlisted Samhain stories!

Delilah, I had so much fun writing sexy Dom, Mark Connor for our Smokin’ Hot Firemen anthology, I just couldn’t stop! The result of this lustful tryst with my keyboard is a scorching novella entitled Training Tess with a dark, dreamy Dom, Jared Mittlebank. And Holy Hanna, is he a hottie!

When Jared spots his sister’s very vanilla assistant in a BDSM club, he can hardly believe it. He’s lusted after Tess for years but didn’t think she could handle his darker needs. Like his predilection for cuffs. And whips. And spanking. Hell, for domination of every kind. But as soon as he sees her wearing a collar, he’s lost to his desire. He vows to claim her for his own.

For Tess, dressing up as a sub while researching an article she’s writing is a lark—until she sees Jared in the club. She may be new to the Dom/sub scene, but she knows what she wants. With Jared—and only Jared—can her deep, primal desires come to light and be fulfilled. Let the lessons begin.

Training Tess is available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and will be available at Ellora’s Cave (and everywhere else) on November 28^th.

Want a little more? Here’s an excerpt. If you dare!

An Excerpt From: TRAINING TESS

Copyright © SABRINA YORK, 2012

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Edging past him—careful not to touch—she sat at her desk. She tried to ignore the ominous sensation that she was a butterfly pinned to a board by a vaguely curious entomologist.

“Two years.” He set the paperweight on the desk in front of her. She put it back where it belonged. It was warm from his touch. “Two years.” He leaned back and grinned. She didn’t see it—couldn’t look at him—but she felt it. A trickling warmth. “Two years and I never had a clue.”

She froze. Driven by the dark thread thrumming in his tone, she snapped her gaze to his. His eyes were beautiful. Mesmerizing. Ice blue ringed in black, feathered by girlishly long lashes. But he wasn’t girlish. Not in the least. Those eyes burned with a predatory light—one any woman with a pulse would recognize.

“N-never had a clue about what?” But, God help her, she already knew. Read the rest of this entry »