Fresh Pick | BREATH OF FIRE by Tammy Kane

July 2009
On Sale: June 30, 2009
304 pages
ISBN: 0505528169
EAN: 9780505528162
Mass Market Paperback
$6.99

Fantasy Historical, Romance Paranormal

Buy at Amazon.com

Breath of Fire
by Tammy Kane

When the dragon came to claim him, Karl knew his great plan had gone horribly wrong. If he had known the creature was real, he wouldn’t have scoffed at the villagers…and he certainly wouldn’t have been so quick to let them chain him to a rock. Mattaen Initiates trained as warriors, but no man could defeat a dragon.

She had vanquished the beast and named her price: one night with the virgin sacrifice she’d saved. He’d taken a vow of chastity, but Karl still had a man’s needs—and Elera’s sultry curves made him ache to taste his first woman. With a scorching kiss she shattered his defenses…and led him into a world of deception and seduction, where he’d be forced to choose between the brotherhood that had raised him and the woman whose courage set his heart on fire.

An exciting and unique twist on the fantasy world of dragons.

Previous Picks

Fresh Pick | THE DRAGON MASTER by Allyson James

Dragon #3

November 2008
On Sale: November 4, 2008
Featuring: Seth; Carol Juan
304 pages
ISBN: 0425224716
EAN: 9780425224717
Mass Market Paperback
$6.99

Paranormal, Romance Paranormal

Buy at Amazon.com

The Dragon Master
by Allyson James

The power is aroused. The passion burns.

He’s big, hot, and not of this world. The third in this erotic paranormal series.

A Fire Dragon summoned here by a dangerous mage inflames the passion in the human female he has chosen to become his mate.

Will the Fire Dragon find his human mate in time to thwart an evil mage who's after his powers?

Excerpt

Chapter One

He didn’t know where he was, or who he was, or why he was. He stood upright in a naked human body in a dark, cold place that smelled metallic, damp, and oily.

The only light came from a crude lamp set high on a wall, a flickering orb surrounded by insects craving brightness. He didn’t blame them. A few moments ago, his world had been one of heat and light and now he stood in terrifying cold and darkness.

The dim light showed dirty walls and hard stones with letters scrawled beside a solid door. For some reason he could read the letters, though they made no sense to him.

Ming Ue’s Dim Sum.

He went toward the windowless door, the dragon magic tangled across it making him nauseous. He Read More...

Previous Picks

Fresh Pick | DRAGONS PREFER BLONDES by Candace Havens

Caruthers Sisters #2
July 2009
On Sale: July 7, 2009
Featuring: Alex Caruthers; Ginjin; Jake
304 pages
ISBN: 0425227804
EAN: 9780425227800
Trade Size
$14.00

Fantasy Urban, Romance Paranormal

Buy at Amazon.com

Dragons Prefer Blondes
by Candace Havens

Fighting evil in four-inch Pradas...

Second in the paranormal series featuring the Caruthers sisters, party girls who save the world—between cocktails.

Alex Caruthers is a sassy socialite who knows when it’s time to turn in her dancing shoes and kick some serious dragon booty. But when Ginjin—the dragon warrior who’s tried to kill her numerous times—chooses her as his mate, Alex finds herself in a situation that’s too hot to handle.

For help she turns to Jake, head of Caruthers security—and a total hottie in a suit—and asks him to pose as her boyfriend. Their relationship might be fake, but Alex can’t deny that one touch from Jake makes her burn hotter than any dragon could.

Previous Picks

Angie Fox |Real bikers don’t wear pink - And other lessons I learned on the road

It’s no secret I’m a bit of a girly girl. I like my silver jewelry, I own way too many purses and I can spot a nail salon from 100 yards. So it was a bit of a surprise, even to me, when I found myself calling up Harley bikers and asking if we could get together. Oh and if they could possibly bring their dogs?...

But hey, I’m a writer and research is part of the job. In this case, I’d set out to write a paranormal about a straight-laced preschool teacher turned demon slayer who has to run off with a gang of geriatric biker witches. Plus, my heroine has a smart-mouthed dog that, thanks to her new powers, can talk…and talk…and talk.

In order to get the real story on Harley riders (and their dogs) I went online and learned that there is a nationwide club of bikers who ride with their dogs. So my heroine could have her snow white Harley, and her Jack Russell Terrier too.

Of course I had to meet these hard riding dog lovers. Turns out, they were way more friendly than I’d ever imagined. They invited me into their homes, introduced me to their dogs and, like my heroine, the bikers hoisted me up on the back of a Harley, with a dog in tow.

Things I learned right off the bat:

• After an hour on a Harley, you’ll walk like John Wayne for a week
• Helmets hurt when they are worn backwards
• Dogs love riding motorcycles

Stone, the biker who spent the most time making sure I didn’t fall off his hog, showed me how to ride, invited me to some biker rallies (note to self: don’t wear pink next time), and helped make The Accidental Demon Slayer as real as it can be (for a book about a somewhat sheltered preschool teacher turned demon slayer).

So just when I thought I was writing fiction, it seemed my made-up characters from The Accidental Demon Slayer weren’t so imaginary after all. One of the bikers I met even has a wife who is a biker witch. I’m wondering if she, like my heroine’s biker witch grandma, wears a “kiss my asphalt” t-shirt and carries a carpet bag full of Smuckers jars filled with magic. Maybe I’ll find out on my next adventure.

Enter my ONE DAY BLOG contest for a change to win a sign copy of The Accidental Demon Slayer

Take the What’s Your Biker Witch Name? quiz and leave a comment with your new biker alter ego.

Angie Fox
http://angiefox.wordpress.com/posts/

Angie Fox | How I sold my first book.

Or: Everything I needed to know, I learned from George Costanza

I’ve always loved to read, so it was no surprise to anyone when I eventually decided to write a book of my own. When I did, I attacked it head on. I planned, I worked, I outlined more than any woman should. The end result? I wrote three mysteries that didn’t sell.

I don’t know how many of you watch Seinfeld, but there is a time in George’s life where he decides what he’s been doing hasn’t been working, so he decides to do the opposite. That’s what I did with my books. I’d been writing serious mysteries, with lots of science and research involved. They’d generated some interest, enough to almost, almost sell. But nothing quite happened.

To take my mind off the latest mystery making the rounds with agents, I decided to write something completely different, a funny paranormal romance where I could build my own world and make up my own rules. I fell in love with the idea of a preschool teacher who is forced to run off with a gang of geriatric biker witches and The Accidental Demon Slayer was born.

Instead of a 20-page plot outline, I had a 5-page list of ideas, one of which included “but little did they know, all the Shoney’s are run by werewolves.” Instead of following the rules, I broke a few. Instead of painstakingly writing over the course of a year, I giggled my way through the book and had a complete manuscript in five months.

The opening chapters did well in contests and caught the eye of an editor, who asked to see the whole thing. That same editor bought the book less than a week after I finished it.

I still can’t believe The Accidental Demon Slayer is a July 2008 release.

While I’m not sure Seinfeld is the best place to go for life lessons, I really do think there’s something to be said for following your instincts – in writing and in everything else.

Angie Fox
http://www.angiefox.com/

Jade Lee | It's All In The Accessories!

My mother always stressed accessories in dressing. Me, I wanted to be DOING something, not fussing with finding the perfect earrings (which always fell out) or the best necklace (which banged against things when I played). The worst, of course, was when she criticized my footwear. I was a sneaker girl. Actually, I didn’t mind nice shoes. A good pair of heels could give me a lift. But I HATED pantyhose. And since every good girl (in my mother’s mind) wore nylon stockings with her shoes, I became all about the sneakers. She allowed me to wear footies with athletic wear. (Remember footies? Cotton socks with little balls on the end or low socks that weren’t even seen beneath your Keds? Much better than pantyhose!)

Well, childhood habits (or traumas) shape the adult persona. I became one of those women who silently abhor her LACK of a shoe fetish. I never understood the desire to wear 5 inch platforms or those spike heels that left pock marks in the linoleum. Pedicures felt good, but why get the nail polish when no one ever sees it? In short—I wore athletic shoes. Good, closed toed, comfortable, arch-supported New Balance footwear.

And then Love Spell (Dorchester) asked me to write a novella about shoes that gave the unknowing wearer a magic power. Well….MAGIC POWERS I could understand! Oh wait, they warned me, I would have to WEAR these wonderful magic shoes (minus the magic) in public, too. My fellow anthology mates went on a festival of possibilities. Leather boots or delicately sculpted sandals? Iron toes or black leather? The possibilities were endless! But for me, the idea of spending an entire conference in spike heels sent me into a spasm. Until it occurred to me that SOME footwear is comfortable AND cool! And if I had a heroine, for example, who felt just like me—simple practical footwear required—then I could give those lovely Chinese Mary-Janes an awesome KUNG-FU POWER!!!! Even better, I could wear those shoes all day, every day and not fall on my face. Score!

So, if you like awesome kung-fu powers (even if it is shoe-inspired) then please check out our new anthology: These Boots Were Made For Stomping! My practical and sweet high school English teacher kicks gang butt in…you guessed it…”Kung-Fu Shoes!” And if you are one of the millions of women who understand the search for the perfect shoes, you can visit http://www.hiheelia.com/ where awesome boots and strappy sandals are available for your purchase! Seriously! (Not, alas, my cute little Mary-Janes.) My publisher has created the website to sell the shoes available in the book! How cool is that? (Though your magic power may vary.)

Enter my ONE DAY ONLY BLOG contest, TWO winners will win a copy of DRAGONBORN!

Jade Lee
www.jadeleeauthor.com/

Dragonborn, March 2008

The Tao of Sex, Blaze Jan 2008

TemptedTigress, June 2007