April's Affections and Intrigues: Love and Mystery Bloom

Nina Bangs

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89 comments posted.

Re: Eternal Prey (2:54pm January 28, 2011):

Ann, I love your take. I guess that's it. I'd never even meet these kinds of men in my life. And if I did, I probably wouldn't know what to do with them, because I'm not my heroines. Too bad for me.

Thanks for the comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:56am January 27, 2011):

Ginger, I'd forgotten about Moonlight. Yes, Mick St. John as played by yummy Alex O'Loughlin was a great tortured hero. I was sad when they cancelled the show.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:54am January 27, 2011):

Lisa, Jayne Ann Krentz has always been a wonderful writer. I'll have to take a look at Fallon. Don't want to pass up a new hero. :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:40pm January 26, 2011):

Diane Sallans (3rd Diane?), you've hit on something. I don't care how gorgeous a man is in a book, if he's cruel to small helpless things, I'm finished with him.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:37pm January 26, 2011):

Sandy, good luck in the contest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:34pm January 26, 2011):

Jolene, I've read all of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but I haven't started on her Fallen Angel books. Looks like I'd better get started.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:29pm January 26, 2011):

Kat, exactly. What a great observation. I'm impressed. :) Meeting a true alpha male with all the strength but without the Neanderthal tendencies would certainly be wish fulfillment.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:25pm January 26, 2011):

Lori, how sweet. I appreciate the kind words.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:24pm January 26, 2011):

Melisa, thank you so much!

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:23pm January 26, 2011):

Diane Sadler (2nd Diane),another Roarke fan. Yes, he's quiet, dangerous, and loves Eve warts and all. She's a very strong woman, and it would take a special man to love her.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:20pm January 26, 2011):

Desiree, I'm so glad that you like the cover for Eternal Prey. It's very different from my other covers, but I like it because it's distinctive. Love it or hate it, I don't think you can ignore it. Oh, and I'll look you up on Twitter.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:10pm January 26, 2011):

Robin, I'm a huge fan of Patricia Briggs. I agree with you on Charles.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:09pm January 26, 2011):

Diane, Steve Berrie is a new author to me. I'll have to check him out on Amazon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:08pm January 26, 2011):

Carol, I've read a few Kelley Armstrong books. Some heroes demand a kickbutt heroine, something I'm definitely not in real life. I wouldn't know what to do with this kind of man. Okay, so maybe I'd like to try. :)

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:05pm January 26, 2011):

Teresa, hmm, another Lee Childs fan. I'm beginning to see a trend here. :) I'll definitely have to check him out.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:57pm January 26, 2011):

Maude, ah, another Jamie fan. I haven't read Suzanne Brockman in a few years. Maybe I should get back to reading her.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:55pm January 26, 2011):

Sandra, aww, your husband must be a wonderful man. Lucky you.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:53pm January 26, 2011):

Pam, I agree with you about the unconventional hero. That's why I've been drawn to Thomas, the half brother to Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files. He's a vampire of the White Court, and he's done terrible things, but he fights every day to overcome what he is.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:45pm January 26, 2011):

Linda, this one was for you, but I forgot to put your name at the beginning. Sorry.

I know that I shouldn't be swayed so much by a gorgeous exterior, but when I read I'm living for the fantasy, so he may as well be hot.

Good luck in the contest.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:42pm January 26, 2011):

Carolyn, speaking of Highlanders, I was crazy about Adrian Paul's character in the TV show Highlander. I'd forgotten about him (There can be only one).

Wow, you know Gerry. If you stop back and see this, would you e-mail me at: [email protected]? I'd like to ask you something.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:34pm January 26, 2011):

I know that I shouldn't be swayed so much by a gorgeous exterior, but when I read I'm living for the fantasy, so he may as well be hot.

Good luck in the contest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:32pm January 26, 2011):

Mary, yay! Let's hear it for alpha males everywhere (at least in our books). Long may they feed our fantasies.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:28pm January 26, 2011):

Sara, I'm curious too. I'll have to try Lee Childs.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:27pm January 26, 2011):

Joyce, I hope you give them a try.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:25pm January 26, 2011):

Karen, I agree with you. I tend to remember the heroes in recent reads, and forget some awesome men from older books. In fact, I just remembered Wolf from Justine Davis's Lord of the Storm. Now that was a tortured hero. I have the book on my keeper shelf. It was published back in 1994.

Thanks for taking the time to let me know that you enjoy my heroes.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:17pm January 26, 2011):

Colleen, I love dark and broody heroes. Of course, if I met one in real life, I'd probably just tell him to get over himself. :) But hey, my fantasy, my rules.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:15pm January 26, 2011):

Joanne Bozik (2nd Joanne), good luck with the contest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:13pm January 26, 2011):

Renee, yes! Isn't Eric great? I love his dark humor. Of course, I've always had a thing for Vikings. Oh, and Karen Marie Moning is one of my favorite authors.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:07pm January 26, 2011):

Debbie, good luck in the contest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:06pm January 26, 2011):

Marjorie, LOL and thanks for the giggles. Oh, and your husband is a lucky man.

Thanks for taking time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (9:03pm January 26, 2011):

Cathy, jeez, another author I'll have to try. And thanks for letting me know that you enjoy my books.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (6:43pm January 26, 2011):

Joanne, yes! I love a surprise hero now and then. Ahem, as long as he's hot. I know, shallow. :)

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (6:41pm January 26, 2011):

Kathleen, tell your sister I'm thrilled that her students love paranormals. :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (5:08pm January 26, 2011):

Nan, Brisbane is an interesting name. I'll have to try the authors you mentioned. I'm always on the lookout for great heroes.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Re: Eternal Prey (5:05pm January 26, 2011):

Peggy, I agree. There has to be a time in the story when he shows the heroine a side to him that he might keep hidden from the rest of the world.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (5:03pm January 26, 2011):

Alyson, you're right. It would be hard to bond with a hero who was unremittingly hard or cruel, especially to the heroine, no matter how hot or gorgeous he was. The hero has to have at least one redeeming quality.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (11:02am January 26, 2011):

Jeanne, thanks for the kind words. I truly appreciate them. I think each author has to write to his or her strengths. Heaven knows, I have a lot of weaknesses, but I do try to create an original plot with unique characters. Only the readers know if I've succeeded. :)

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:56am January 26, 2011):

Leagh, good luck with winning the books. :)

Yes, it's all about the heroine being the only person who can influence the big bad hero. I don't want to use the word "tame" because I never want to see my hero tamed.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:51am January 26, 2011):

Valerie, we think alike. Bones and Roarke are two of my favorite heroes. Bones was my type of hero from the beginning, all dark, dangerous, and mysterious. I wasn't sure I'd like Roarke as a hero when I read the first J.D. Robb Book. But wow, has he grown on me. He might be elegant and sophisticated on the surface, but underneath he's still the dangerous predator he once was, only not so obvious. Love him!

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:45am January 26, 2011):

Sonja, I agree about watching Brad Pitt paint a fence. :)Now that I think about it, I suppose she would've been disappointed. The two men wouldn't have had the same personalities. I felt so bad for Death in that movie. And I've read Alexis Morgan's books. I enjoy her heroes. They fit into the tortured hero mold.

Thanks for stopping by.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:37am January 26, 2011):

Janet, I love your last thought. I've never read Lee Child's books. I'll have to give one a try. I sometimes think that heroes by their very nature have to be bigger than life. It's what makes them heroes. They do the things that ordinary men might hesitate to do. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Re: Eternal Prey (10:31am January 26, 2011):

Christine, I agree completely. I find the hero's personal journey fascinating, especially if he's conflicted about the heroine. I've never been a huge fan of stories where the hero and heroine fall instantly in love and then join forces to find a solution to the book's outer conflict. Thanks for stopping by.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (10:24pm October 25, 2009):

Brenda, let me know when you do.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:59pm October 21, 2009):

Jennifer, thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad that you enjoy my books.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:58pm October 21, 2009):

Kim, thanks for commenting. Everyone seems to agree that a balance is necessary.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:57pm October 21, 2009):

Lynn, Thanks for taking the time to comment. Laughter is healthy. Haven't scientists done studies on that?

Re: My Wicked Vampire (10:41pm October 20, 2009):

Kara, exactly. I love a hero who can laugh.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (9:00pm October 20, 2009):

Susan, snark-alicious, I love it. Thanks for turning me on to Linnea.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:58pm October 20, 2009):

Lisa, good luck and thanks for stopping by.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:57pm October 20, 2009):

Diane, I'm with you. As long as it's a good paranormal story, I'll read it. And thanks for the kind words.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:55pm October 20, 2009):

Gail, exactly. So much has to do with your life experiences.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:54pm October 20, 2009):

Teresa, ah, another Dresden Files fan. I'd love to spend a day in Harry's world. Only a day. More than that would kill me.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:52pm October 20, 2009):

Dawn, humorous interval is an interesting turn of phrase. I like it. When things the forest of life gets to thick, it's always a relief to rest in a sunny meadow. Wow, talk about flowery metaphors.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:48pm October 20, 2009):

Sherry, thanks a bunch. Sparkle is the woman that I never had the nerve to be.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:47pm October 20, 2009):

Mary, aww, thanks for the kind words.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:47pm October 20, 2009):

Hey Amanda! Glad that you enjoy Ganymede and Sparkle. They send their love.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:42pm October 20, 2009):

Cathy, sarcastic humor is always fun.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:41pm October 20, 2009):

Cathie, yes, it's all about the fit. I read both dark and humorous books. It depends on my mood and how much I like the author.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:37pm October 20, 2009):

Cheryl, I agree. I read to escape, but I don't always want to escape to a dark place.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:35pm October 20, 2009):

Pat, is it your birthday? If so, Happy Birthday to you!

Re: My Wicked Vampire (8:34pm October 20, 2009):

Cherie, LOL, I think I've slipped into over-the-top a few times. What makes people laugh? I watch TV and read other humorous books. Then I trust my instincts.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:21pm October 20, 2009):

Jody, I totally agree with you. Let's hear it for getting out the word. The problem today is that with money so tight, many people are reluctant to spend it on an unfamliar author. So I suppose that a new writer has a more difficult time building a readership. Sad.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:16pm October 20, 2009):

Carol, you touched on something I haven't mentioned. For me, humor has to be instinctual. I can never force it. It either comes or it doesn't. There are times when I have to walk away from the computer because nothing seems funny to me. Sometimes I can make something funny just by rearanging the words. Timing is everything.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:12pm October 20, 2009):

Donna, yes, the turkey scene was hysterical. You mentioned the recession. I'm surprised that I don't see more humor on the shelves.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:09pm October 20, 2009):

Oops, Vikki, I spelled your name wrong. Sorry.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:05pm October 20, 2009):

Vicki, I love dry humor. It's hard to do well.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:04pm October 20, 2009):

Patsy, humor can lighten things when a story gets too tense.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:02pm October 20, 2009):

Robin, what a wonderful journey you have ahead of you. There're some awesome paranormal books out there.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:01pm October 20, 2009):

Annetta, I hope you enjoy them. Let me know.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (6:00pm October 20, 2009):

Freda, you're welcome.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (5:59pm October 20, 2009):

Marjorie, let's hear it for sexy (and funny) vampires.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (2:14pm October 20, 2009):

Barbara, you have the right idea. Real life is tough for many people right now. Laughter is healthy.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (2:12pm October 20, 2009):

Mel, thanks so much for your compliments. I'm trying very hard to make sure that my continuing minor characters like Ganymede and Sparkle don't remain static. I don't want them to become merely mouthpieces for one-liners. So in One Bite Stand I had Ganymede experience a character crisis. In My Wicked Vampire Sparkle wrestles with her own demons (in a funny way, I hope). I don't want my characters to become one dimensional. I hope that I've succeeded.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (2:06pm October 20, 2009):

Theresa, I agree. Humor has its time and place. I enjoy authors who essentially write dark books but can insert humor in the right places. Karen Marie Moning comes to mind. On TV, True Blood's Eric (Alexander Skarsgard)can be doing something totally wicked while making me laugh. An example: he goes down into his dungeon to kill someone with highlight foils in his hair. After the gruesome kill, he asks if he has blood in his hair.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (1:59pm October 20, 2009):

Erika, I wasn't sure how my Gods of the Night series would be received since up to that point I'd only written humorous books. But I was pleasantly surprised that many of my readers accepted my darker voice. I thank them for that. Thanks for buying my books. That's why I threw in the gift card. :)

Re: My Wicked Vampire (1:12pm October 20, 2009):

Donna, yay for you! I love when someone's opinion meshes with mine. :) Thanks.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (1:09pm October 20, 2009):

Stefanie, Sparkle and Ganymede thank you. :)

Re: My Wicked Vampire (1:08pm October 20, 2009):

Yvonne, what a beautiful thought. Thank you.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (1:07pm October 20, 2009):

Crystal, thanks for taking the time to comment. I agree completely.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (1:06pm October 20, 2009):

Carrie, I like your thought. Yes, sometimes we do need a laugh to get us through the hard times.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:26pm October 20, 2009):

Sara, me too. I don't do too much laughing out loud, but there are a few authors that can make me howl. Janet Evanovich's characters do that for me.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:25pm October 20, 2009):

Joanne, that's because people's tastes in humor are so different. Also, so much of humor is in the phrasing. One word too many and it isn't funny any more.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:23pm October 20, 2009):

Leslie, I tend to enjoy TV shows with a touch of humor. Damon in the Vampire Diaries is as evil as they get, but he always has that snarky humor going on. He's my favorite character on that show. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer has that same kind of humor.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:20pm October 20, 2009):

Jane, I agree. A touch of humor in even the darkest story provides a welcome contrast.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:17pm October 20, 2009):

Stacey,I think that when a humorous moment pops up unexpectedly I appreciate it even more. As someone commented above, the surprise enhances the experience.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:15pm October 20, 2009):

Exactly, Janece. Too much of one thing tires the reader. Just my opinion.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:12pm October 20, 2009):

Sue, I'm getting the names of some new authors to read. I can't wait. I don't know if you wrote the paragraph above, but it's very true. Humor protrayed on the screen is easier because the visuals enhance the impact.

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:09pm October 20, 2009):

G, Sandra Hill is a great lady, and some of her covers for Dorchester were hot, hot, hot. Not that I noticed. Ahem. :)

Re: My Wicked Vampire (12:06pm October 20, 2009):

Amber, thanks for your kind words. I agree, gift cards for books are my favorites.