The Writer As A FAN!!!!

Sometimes it's weird when you’re a fan and a friend.

That's the case when it comes to Gena Showalter. I met her right after I’d sold my first book ("Charmed & Dangerous"), and her first, "The Stone Prince," was just coming out. She was one of the first people to sit down with me and sort of give me the ins and outs of the publishing game. I was in awe of her kindness and her talent and now with her new series I’m even more so.

The series title is Lords of the Underworld and the first book out this month is "Darkest Night." After picking up an arc of the book late one evening, I had to call Gena the next day to yell at her for keeping me up all night. It's that good. "Darkest Night" features Maddox, who is possessed by the demon of violence and because of his actions he suffers another curse. He dies every night, painfully and cruelly, only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again.

"From the beginning I was fascinated by this man," Gena says. "He is hard and tortured and has done terrible things, but he deserves a happily ever after. I wanted to give it to him."

The whole thing came together when Gena had ideas about Pandora's box, a group of immortal warriors, exotic locations and the grim reaper. "On their own none of them seemed big enough," says Gena. "It was as I began to combine them that the magic happened. I say that a group of immortal warriors opened Pandora’s box, unleashing the horde of demons trapped inside. Now they’ve been cursed to host those demons inside themselves. They become the box and it’s a constant struggle between good and evil."

The first three books in the series, "Darkest Night," "Darkest Kiss" and "Darkest Pleasure" will be released over the next three months. Run don't walk to get these. You won't be disappointed.

I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely love my fellow witchychick Annette Blair's books. The latest, "Gone With the Witch" (I adore that title), is about a gifted psychic, who hears a baby crying every time she's around a certain guy. Of course, she has to kidnap him to find the baby and figure out what's going on.

"What I loved most about writing Storm and Aiden's story was that they've both been hiding their true and vulnerable selves from the world for so long, they don't realize who they are under the façade, or what they really want," says Annette. "It takes a soul mate, another who is lost, to recognize the hidden truth and longing, to draw it out, and most importantly, for each to accept and love each other the way they are. Mind you this happens during a road trip made of laughter and seduction, revelation, discovery and so much more. It’s the ride of Storm and Aiden’s lives, and they’ll never be the same at the end of it."

Rosemary Clement Moore’s first book, "Prom Dates From Hell" is now out in paperback. I’m so proud of her. The book has won several awards and is also up for a RITA. Lest you think this is a young adult book and not for you, think again. This is Nancy Drew meets Buffy and it's beyond fun for all ages.

Cynthia Eden has a new book out, "Hotter After Midnight". It’s about a psychologist who only treats paranormal patients, and a mysterious wolf-shifter police detective who challenges her carefully held control. I love the whole idea of mixing paranormal and suspense with a little thriller thrown in. Lots of fun!

Until next month...Candy

---

Candy is a nationally syndicated entertainment columnist, who has interviewed just about every celebrity there is in Hollywood and written thousands of articles. She is the author of the Charmed & Dangerous series including Charmed & Ready Charmed & Dangerous and Charmed & Deadly. Her latest book Like A Charm" is available now!

Her non-fiction prose includes Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy, and essays in Alias Assumed: Sex, Lies and SD-6, and Five Seasons of Angel. She's also the entertainment critic providing the latest on TV, film and celebs for the radio station 96.3 KSCS. And she's the managing editor for FYI Television.

You can visit Candy daily at her blog or her website