October's Paranormal romance characterfest with Dani Harper: Giveaway!

Welcome to Characterfest

Characterfest is a month long event where you’ll find a different character interviews written by the author each day. Each interview has a giveaway(s) make sure the giveaway is open to you and if so add a comment or question along with your email. I will close all giveaways at the end of the week and add the winners to the winners post on that Tuesday. Odds are if you won you’ll be hearing from me.

One thing I will ask is if you could please twitter or hit the facebook likes button on the post so that others can see the interview. I want to get these authors out to as much as I can and you’re my go between in this event.

I hope you enjoy each interview and please try to make it here each day to find out whom or what’s next. If this goes as planned I will be hosting this next year. 

Dani Harper is the author of a new shapeshifter series from Kensington Brava. Changeling Moon and Changeling Dream were released this summer. Changeling Dawn can be pre-ordered and will be officially released December 27th. Check Dani’s website for more information at http://www.daniharper.com

* * * *

As the four Macleod brothers walk in, you immediately wish you’d gotten a bigger table. Maybe even a bigger restaurant. James is the tallest, but all of them are over six feet and broad of shoulder. You’ve met other shapeshifters of course, but Changeling men seem to be huge. Their ordinary clothes fail to hide extraordinary muscle.

You recognize James by his white-blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Small wonder that some people have said he looks like a modern-day Viking although he’s a highly successful organic farmer. Perhaps he ransacks and pillages at night? The others have dark wavy hair. Two are obviously twins. You peg the one with pure devilment in his expression as Culley, computer genius and known prankster. The more serious one appears somewhat distracted as if his mind is elsewhere – that must be Devlin, a physicist who researches multiple dimensions. As the others settle themselves around the table, the fourth is the first to extend an enormous hand. With pale gray eyes and a ready smile, he could only be Connor Macleod, the town veterinarian.

“Thanks for taking time for this,” you say. “I know you’re busy, so I’ll get right to it. Our readers want to know what Halloween was like when you lived in Scotland.”

“We’re talking almost a couple centuries ago,” pipes up Culley. 

“I’m not sure my older brothers can remember back that far.”

“I remember just fine, thanks.” James sends a warning glare at his brother. “And we didn’t celebrate Halloween, not the way you do here.”

“Sure we did. There was plenty of pranking done—”

“And you did most of it, every day of the goddamn year.”

Ignoring them, Connor leans forward. “October 31st was a mixed celebration. First and foremost, we observed Samhain. That’s the Celtic New Year, separating the light half of the year from the dark half. There’d be enormous bonfires lit in every village.”

“And feasting.” Culley puts his hand over his heart and closes his eyes. “I still remember Aileen McGinty’s little mutton pies…”

Even James grins at that memory. “And the celebration of Samhain was three days long. Lots of games –”

“There were treacle-covered scones hung on strings,” explains Connor, using hand motions. “You were blindfolded and had to keep your hands behind your back while you tried to eat the scone.” He sees your confusion. “Treacle is a sugar syrup, sort of like molasses. They always used the darkest and blackest syrup they could find too.”

“Messy fun,” says James. “That scone would swing around and stick in your hair, smear treacle all over your face. Which is why the next game was always –”

“Apple dorkin!” laughs Culley. “That’s like bobbing for apples. Only they sprinkled white flour on the top of the water and the apples, so instead of cleaning the treacle off your face, the flour would stick to it. Our youngest sister, Kenzie, ended up looking like a ghost one year.”

“That’s because you pushed her,” said Devlin, speaking up at last.

“I did not!”

“Did too. I saw you.”

“The Samhain bonfire was symbolic,” says James, loud enough to drown out the twins. Heads turn in the restaurant and he shrugs and lowers his voice. “Everyone would put out their hearthfires, and then they would get a firebrand from the village bonfire to relight their homes. Each man would light a torch from the bonfire too, and then walk all the way around his home and his fields with it.”

“It was done to gain protection for the coming year,” adds Connor.

 “The barriers were down between this world and the otherworld at Samhain and you didn’t want your land bespelled.”

“Bespelled? You mean like magic?” you ask.

Culley flashes a devilish grin. “At Samhain, ghosts, evil spirits and demons could wander freely, and they could interact with humans as they pleased.”

“Don’t forget the fairy folk,” adds Devlin, solemn-faced. “They were the most dangerous of all.” The others nod and he continues. “That’s why people went guising. It’s an ancient Scottish tradition to dress up in ragged clothes and wear masks – the idea was to convince the evil spirits and ghosts that you were one of them, so they wouldn’t bother with you.”

James grins. “Culley did too good a job with his costume one year. Old Maude Mullins was convinced he was the real thing – of course he jumped out at her from her bread oven when she went to light it – and she walloped the hell out of him with a hearth broom.”

“You wouldn’t think a little old lady could hit that hard,” mutters Culley, rubbing a shoulder as if remembering a long-ago bruise.

“So you said that October 31st was a mixed celebration,” you prompt.

Connor nods. “We always celebrated Samhain. And when it was too dangerous for Changelings to go into the village, we would celebrate it at home. But the Church was forever trying to give everything a Christian twist, so October 31st became known as All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints Day.”

“Things got pretty mixed up after that,” says James. “People would still go guising, but they’d go door to door asking for soul cakes – those were flat round buns made of oat flour – or they’d collect food and kindling for the poor. All the pranking still went on, and the feasting. The Samhain fires were lit just the same. And people still did things to protect themselves from ghosts and demons and so forth.”

“That’s where the jack o’lantern came from,” Devlin explains. “Only we didn’t use pumpkins. We had these really big neeps that we’d carve.”

“Neeps?” You’ve never heard that word before.

“Turnips,” provides Connor. “As far as I know, they still call them neeps in Scotland. Our mother used to make neeps and tatties – turnips and potatoes, fried up with onions. But on October 31st, we’d carve faces into turnips and rutabagas, sometimes even into big potatoes.”

“Then we’d put an ember from the fire inside, so the turnip would glow,” says James. “And it’s not called a jack o’lantern, it’s a tumshie. People would make lots of them and place them all around the house for protection from the unseen world. It was supposed to scare away evil creatures.”

“How about Changelings?” you ask. “Did they try to protect themselves from you too?”

The brothers exchange glances. “Wolves were pretty unpopular at any time of the year,” answers Connor. “And so were wulvers, which is the Scottish name for werewolves and Changelings like ourselves.”

“Of course they tried to ward off wulvers with magic, with different spells and talismans, bundles of herbs tied over doorways and so forth,” James explains. “But Changelings are natural creatures, not magical ones, so it didn’t work. And because we weren’t affected by those things, the villagers didn’t suspect what we were.”

“Not until later,” says Devlin. “But that’s another story and not a happy one.”

“Is that the reason you left Scotland?” you ask.

“A topic for another interview,” declares Culley and plunks something on the table in front of you with a thud. “We brought this for you.” It’s a tumshie – a big purple and white turnip with a dreadful gargoyle-like face carved in the side of it. James scoops up a tiny candle from the next table and pops it into the hollowed vegetable, which glows ominously through the tumshie’s nasty-looking teeth.

You would have preferred flowers but try to look appreciative. “So, you made this yourself?”

“For protection,” says Culley and winks at you. “To keep you safe over Samhain. And you can cook it with onions and tatties afterwards.”

Just what every girl needs.

* * * *
Giveaway – one commenter will be drawn at random to receive a cute plush wolf, a signed copy of the second book in Dani Harper’s Changeling Series, CHANGELING DREAM and a Dani Harper book bag to put your goodies in! International entries are welcome, but will receive the book and book bag only.

October's Paranormal romance characterfest with S.K. Yule and giveaway !

Welcome to Characterfest

Characterfest is a month long event where you’ll find a different character interviews written by the author each day. Each interview has a giveaway(s) make sure the giveaway is open to you and if so add a comment or question along with your email. I will close all giveaways at the end of the week and add the winners to the winners post on that Tuesday. Odds are if you won you’ll be hearing from me.

One thing I will ask is if you could please twitter or hit the facebook likes button on the post so that others can see the interview. I want to get these authors out to as much as I can and you’re my go between in this event.

I hope you enjoy each interview and please try to make it here each day to find out whom or what’s next. If this goes as planned I will be hosting this next year. 

List of attending authors here 

Hello. My name is Sarah, and I am a romance author. I write under the name S. K. Yule, and I would like to thank Laurie for inviting me here today.

I have written paranormal romance—vampire, shape shifter, demon and working on some ghost stuff as well. I have also written contemporary, historical and ménage romance/erotica.

My vampire series is called the Darkest series and so far has three books: Darkest Hours, Darkest Desires and Darkest Intentions. My lycan series as of today includes five novellas:  Lycan Lover, Lycan Lust, Lycan It, Lycan Heat and Lycan Vengeance. Other works by me include:  Three Lovers For Lucy, historical ménage; Demon Scorned, demon paranormal; Breaking The Cowboy, cowboy ménage; and Jericho’s Revenge, vampire paranormal.

I love the paranormal and would one day like to write a horror and/or mystery novel. Right now I’m working on the next installments in the Darkest and Lycan series.

Oh by the way, I’m giving away a copy of Demon Scorned and Lycan Vengeance.

Thank you all for stopping by. Now enough about me. Let’s get on to Dante.

S. K. Yule:  I finally got Dante to give me a few moments of his precious time. I mean the guy wouldn’t even exist without me, and he gives me trouble when I ask him for five minutes. Go figure. I guess one should never underestimate a demon.

Dante:  It’s nothing personal, babe. I’m busy. You know with that whole Hell and being Demon of Justice stuff?

S. K. Yule:  I think it’s more to do with getting Bianca in as many compromising positions as possible stuff. But really, Dante, you shouldn’t ignore my requests. If it wasn’t for me, you would have never met Bianca. And I don’t really care the way you smirk at me when I’m chastising you.

Dante:  Come on. You know you like it when I smirk. What was that you said to me one time? *snaps fingers* Oh yeah, something about it bringing my cute little dimples out. And you know me. I’d never turn down any position with Bianca. *wiggles eyebrows up and down*

S. K. Yule: *rolling my eyes and sighing*

Dante:  You know you love me, babe.

S. K. Yule:  Okay, so before Dante here decides to disappear on me again, let me see if I can get him to answer a few questions.

By the way, if you haven’t picked up Dante’s story yet—Demon Scorned—here’s a link to do so: http://www.amirapress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=280

You can also find Demon Scorned on Amazon in Kindle format, Barnes & Noble in Nook format and http://www.fictionwise.com and http://www.allromanceebooks.com.

For information on all of my current/upcoming releases and what’s happening visit:  http://www.skyule.com

S. K. Yule:  So let’s get on with it shall we?

Dante:  *smiles a devilishly wicked grin*

S. K. Yule:  What’s it like working for Hades?

Dante:  How does one explain what it’s like working for Hades? Hmmm, let’s see, it’s like hell. Oh wait, no it is hell—literally. He’s a pain in the ass, demanding and impossible.

S. K. Yule:  He’s kind of like you then?

Dante:  Really, must we hurt each other with words, darling? *gives a sardonic grin*

S. K. Yule: Maybe, but let’s move on. Do you like being a Demon of Justice?

Dante: As with any job it has its ups and downs. Do I like kicking demon ass? Yeah. Do I like being one of the only things on earth capable of killing another demon? Oh yeah. But in general, no I don’t care to kill my kind. *shrugs* Someone has to keep the ones who don’t follow the rules in line though. Why not me?

S. K. Yule:  You met Bianca in Demon Scorned. Tell us a little about her.

Dante:  *grins another devilish smile* What is there to tell? She’s gorgeous. She’s smart, sexy, and the best thing of all? She’s mine.

S. K. Yule:  So you only like her for her body?

Dante:  Now don’t go twisting my words around, babe. I just like her more because of her body. And believe me when I say she holds it against me a lot.

S. K. Yule:  Oh brother. Typical male. What would you say if she said you were hers?

Dante:  I’d say, damn straight.

S. K. Yule:  Okay, okay. So it goes both ways. Maybe you aren’t quite as sexist as I thought.

Dante: Well, it’s about time you gave me a compliment, sugar.

S. K. Yule:  Enough with the sugars and babes or I’ll write a nice little side story starring you with a rash or something.

Dante:  Now, now. You wouldn’t want me to tell all the nice people about all those late night dreams you had about me. I was there, remember?

S. K. Yule:  Don’t blackmail me, Dante. It isn’t nice, and I wasn’t kidding about giving you a serious rash in your nether regions if you don’t watch it.

Dante: If anyone knows I’m not nice, it’s you. *puts hands up in surrender when S. K. Yule glares at him* All right. I give, but time’s ticking away. I’ve got things to do, places to be, demons to kill. Let’s get on with this.

S. K. Yule:  How is Bianca treating you these days?

Dante:  Do you really want me to paint that picture for you? Let me just say she treats me—and my body—just fine. Of course, she has no complaints about how I treat her, or her body, either. But I wouldn’t want to brag on myself.

S. K. Yule:  No, of course you wouldn’t.

Dante:  Now who’s not being nice?

S. K. Yule:  *clears throat* There’s a part in your story where you and Bianca aren’t seeing eye to eye over you killing her brother. Tell us a little about that.

Dante: Seeing eye to eye is putting it mildly don’t you think? I won’t get into the reason why I was within my rights to kill Jacob, but Bianca knows it was a necessary thing.

S. K. Yule:  If you had the chance to do it all over, would you still kill him?

Dante: Yes. And Bianca knows this before you ask. Read the damn book again. Tell me if you think it was necessary. Now move on. I don’t like talking about it.

S. K. Yule:  Sorry, Dante, but we are trying to get a peek into your inner self and what makes you tick.

Dante: *grunts*

S. K. Yule:  You take an unexpected trip to hell in Demon Scorned. What was that like?

Dante: *raises one brow* Hot.

S. K. Yule: Okay, I’ll wrap this up then. How does it feel to be immortal?

Dante: How am I supposed to explain that to a human? Is it cool living for potentially forever? Yeah, I guess since I’ll be able to see—have seen—all the marvels of technology and history and all that crap. But if I hadn’t found Bianca, it would be a lonely existence. Being Demon of Justice isn’t a glamorous job. There’s a shit load of demons who’d love to get a hold of my ass and torture me. Maybe they couldn’t kill me, but they’d sure try to make me wish they could.

I guess the upside now is being with Bianca (Demon of Scorn) sure makes other demons think twice about messing with me. I mean, I’m a badass and all, but imagine if Bianca got a hold of you. Whew Wee. Now that’s a woman that means business. And don’t I know it. Remember, I was her prisoner for awhile, although I must confess, the masochist in me didn’t mind her disciplinary measures one little bit.

S. K. Yule:  *giggling* I think we get the picture. Thank you so much for finally stopping by and gracing me with a few moments of your precious time. You know, I do expect a call now and then.

Dante:  Yes, mother.

S. K. Yule:  *rolls eyes*

http://www.skyule.com  (website designed by www.thedigitalhook.com)

http://www.facebook.com/skyule

Giveaway today will be a pdf copy of Demon Scorned and Lycan Vengeance to one lucky commenter that leaves their email. So please feel free to pick Dante's brain LOL 

Review Turquoise Moon by Ann Mayburn

Title: Turquoise Moon (Prides of the Moon #3)
Author: Ann Mayburn
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Format: eNovella, 39 pgs
Release Date: September 20, 201l

Werepuma and sheltered virgin Kara Vinsenz has no idea how to entice men, furry or otherwise. She contacts Madame Eve of the 1Night Stand matchmaking service in a desperate attempt to avoid a terrible arranged marriage to a psychopathic shifter. In a daring move that goes against her confined upbringing, she poses as her twin sister to escape her family compound in the hopes of meeting an Alpha and a Beta strong enough to be her mates. She waits to meet them until she goes into heat and is totally unprepared for the consequences of her actions.

Ben Harkil and Jude Carson are on the hunt for the perfect Alpha female to complete their Pride and when they meet Kara, they believe their prayers have been answered. What starts out as a 1Night Stand ends up being so much more when Kara realizes that her lies may have doomed from the start the only love that can save her and her Pride from a madman.

Review The Invasion of 2020 by Ami Blackwelder

Title: The Invasion of 2020 (Shifter Evolutions #1)
Author: Ami Blackwelder
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Sci-Fi
Format: Paperback, 265 pgs
Release Date: August 24, 2011

Alaska 2020. Earth. Shifters. Invasion.
Uri Petrov and Dr. Samantha Croon find their lives intertwined when the shifters first land on Earth. Both motivated by love for their families, each is taken down a different path that will change the course of their lives forever and eventually the fate of the world.

Meanwhile, the military has divided into fractions...those who believe in the alien invasion and those who refuse to accept it, leaving Captain Raul at opposing ends with other heads of military.

With the shifters invading the forests of Kenai Lake, they explore their new world of refuge, and must discover how to shift in animal form while uncovering what it truly means to be human.

With underlining themes of how prejudice breaks human connections and animal/wildlife conservation, this novel which has received rave reviews will leave the reader flipping through the pages. This was the fifth book written in the Shifter Evolutions Saga.


Rating -
-- 3.75 Stars!! --
Sexual -
Virtually None to
My Review:

3.75 Stars!!
While this is the fifth book written in the Shifter Evolutions series by Blackwelder, it has been subtitled Shifter Evolutions #1 since it is the prequel which tells the story of the actual invasion that started it all. Earlier this year I read and reviewed The Shifters of 2040 and, after reading this, I now understand more about the characters in that book. This author does something I so appreciate; includes a glossary of her world's terms in the front of the story.

Blackwelder has created a totally unique type of "shifter" for her series. They are Eequeueans, "sentient beings of light", with three form types: natural alien, animal and human-like.

It is the 4th of July 2020 in Alaska and meteors-like things fill the sky amongst the fireworks display but they don't just fall, they hover and streak sideways.

This is the story of:
Uri - who has an important part in the future, spends time in Alaska during his college life featuring his girlfriend Julie who so gets on my nerves with her screaming and panicking and who makes a decision which will forever change Uri
Samantha - and her dysfunctional marriage to Christopher caused by the death of her brother which causes her obsession with the shifters and trying to find a way to stop them since she thinks they killed her brother
Raul - and how he rises in power in the military due his obsession with the shifters after seeing one while out deer hunting and meets a young woman who will change his world and possibly the attitude toward the shifters
Melissa - how as a ten-year-old the seeds of hatred for her military father are already germinating and the shifters' discovery fuels her thirst for all things science which leads her to become a scientist

Here much of the military are the bad guys along with the American president, the public acts like the people of 1938 upon hearing H. G. Wells' radio broadcast of War of the Worlds and the aliens actually do come in peace just wanting to share a little bit of the earth.

I liked the story, especially since it has such unusual shifters and a good plot.

October's Paranormal romance characterfest with Ann Mayburn and giveaway !

 

Welcome to Characterfest

Characterfest is a month long event where you’ll find a different character interviews written by the author each day. Each interview has a giveaway(s) make sure the giveaway is open to you and if so add a comment or question along with your email. I will close all giveaways at the end of the week and add the winners to the winners post on that Tuesday. Odds are if you won you’ll be hearing from me.

One thing I will ask is if you could please twitter or hit the facebook likes button on the post so that others can see the interview. I want to get these authors out to as much as I can and you’re my go between in this event.

I hope you enjoy each interview and please try to make it here each day to find out whom or what’s next. If this goes as planned I will be hosting this next year. 

Interview with by Ann Mayburn

Hell~ 1641

Dressed in my most conservative gown, I try to appear calm and rational in the face of one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen, mortal or demon. My pitiful attempt at appearing unaffected by him fails miserably as he undoubtedly catches the scent of my arousal. Striving to regain the upper hand, I flip unroll the parchment and read the same greeting I’ve read at least a million times before. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me, General Raum. As you know High King Satan has charged me with the privilege doing a complete census of Hell and after three hundred and eighty five years we’re proud to have finally reached your region.”

Raum’s full lips quirk into a smile that makes me want to toss my dress over my head and bend over the chair while shouting ‘Take me now!’. His voice caressed over mine like silk as he murmured, “I’ve never met anyone whose punishment in Hell included doing an utterly boring census for all eternity.”

I bristle at his obvious smirk and straighten my shoulders, wishing I had spent more time on my hair this morning. “I’ll have you know that-“

He leaned forward, cutting me off as his hands grasped together with his silver claws gleaming. “I’m sure this is all fascinating, but if we could get on with it I do have other duties to attend to other than humoring a damned soul...even if you do have a lovely set of tits.”

My cheeks heat with a flush and I return my gaze to paper on my lap, refusing to feed him anymore lust. “What do you do for a living?”

He gives me a droll look and says, “I’m one of the Generals in service to Asmodeus, High Prince of Hell and Keeper of the Deadly Sin, Lust.”

“Who are your parents?”

A hint of fang shows as he smiles and I shiver. “My mother is a succubus and my father is the High Prince, Lucifer.”

Succubus, didn’t that figure. I wonder if he’ll haunt my dreams tonight or if it will just be my own wishful thinking. “What is your birth order? Do you have any living siblings?”

He leans back into his chair, the black and silver dragon skin molding to his hard body like shinning paint. I make a mental note to wear a chastity belt during any future interviews with the denizens of Lust. “I’m the only child from the union between my mother and father. I have thirty nine half brothers and sisters, thirty eight from my mother’s side and one from my fathers.”

“What were three things you liked to do as a child?”

He gives me a bland look. “Seriously?”

I lift my chin and meet his gaze even as my nipples peak into aching points. “I did not write these questions, General, they come from the High King.”

“I liked women with full breasts, men with tight arses, and a hot mouth on my cock.” As I gape he gives me a wink filled with all the sin in the world. With a start I remember that a demons ‘childhood’ lasts three hundred years, well after they’re physically matured. At my glare he grins and says, “I was a precocious child.”

I somehow manage to keep my tone even as I ask the next question. “What makes you happy?”

He gestures to the room, a well appointed library in his country estate in Hell. “All that you see here, including my concubine, Kirin.” He looks over my shoulder and smiles. As I turn my head I catch a glimpse of a rugged man with curly dark hair and the hard features of a fighter. I recognize the Roman eagle tattoo on his forearm from my days as a mortal. Dressed only in a pair of dark leather pants he saunters into the room and my pulse races. His dark gaze rakes over me and I wet my suddenly dry lips.

Kirin leans against Raum’s chair, his hand stroking over Raum’s chest with a languid caress. “What do we have here, Master?”

“A poor damned soul doomed to asking the most asinine questions for all of eternity.”

My hands shake as I grip the questionnaire tightly while trying to keep from hurling it at their heads. “Just because I’m not a solider or a wizard doesn’t mean my job isn’t important. I enjoy serving the High King and even though you think it’s foolish, by doing his work I know I’m doing my own small part to make Hell a better place.”

Raum tilted his head and looked at me with a flash of interest in his gaze for the first time since our meeting. “I’m sorry I offended you.”

Slightly mollified I let out a deep breath. “Can we continue please?”

“No.”

“What?”

Raum tugs Kirin down by his curls and whispers something in his ear. The sight of those two men, wrapped together in such an intimate embrace sets my blood and body on fire. They must have sensed it because a moment later Kirin gives me a smile that seems to send all the blood in my body pooling to my groin.

“You’re right, Master. We should apologies for being so rude.”

With a chuckle that sounds more like a purr Raum stands from his chair with an elegant stretch, the blue sheen of his skin sparkling in the light coming through the window overlooking the rose garden. Kirin moves behind him and helps ease his tunic over his head, licking a path along the exposed skin, his pink tongue shocking against the pale blue flesh.

“What are you doing,” I manage to stammer out even as I sit on the very edge of my chair, straining with all my might to memorize this image forever.

“I’m going to show you what makes me happy.”

His words rush through my mind, a flurry of mental images in their wake. Full breasts like my own, a tight ass like Kirin’s and most of all the thought of wrapping my lips around his length, sharing that hard bulge in the General’s pants with his concubine. Their hands grasp me, strong and sure before lifting me from the chair and showing me a pleasure of such depth that I know understand why human’s sell their souls to the devil.

Ann is givingaway a PDF copy of Daughters of Lust. International. Leave a comment or question and your email to enter.

Review Emerald Moon by Ann Mayburn

Title: Emerald Moon (Prides of the Moon #2)
Author: Ann Mayburn
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Format: eNovella, 28 pgs
Release Date: August 23, 2011


Ben Harkil had long ago given up on love, refusing to believe that he was worthy of it. When he is given the gift of a 1 Night Stand blind date he goes into it expecting nothing more than a night of savage pleasure. Instead he finds the missing piece of his heart.

Jude Carson has an impossible task in front of him. He has to convince the man that he hasn't seen in fifteen years that he still loves him with all of his heart and wants him back. A task made even more diffuclt by the horrible circumstances that lead to their parting and tore their former pride apart.

Ben will have to learn that sometimes the hardest person to forgive is himself if he wants a second chance at the greatest joy he has ever known.

October's Paranormal romance characterfest with Danielle Smith and giveaway !

Welcome to Characterfest

Characterfest is a month long event where you’ll find a different character interviews written by the author each day. Each interview has a giveaway(s) make sure the giveaway is open to you and if so add a comment or question along with your email. I will close all giveaways at the end of the week and add the winners to the winners post on that Tuesday. Odds are if you won you’ll be hearing from me.

One thing I will ask is if you could please twitter or hit the facebook likes button on the post so that others can see the interview. I want to get these authors out to as much as I can and you’re my go between in this event.

I hope you enjoy each interview and please try to make it here each day to find out whom or what’s next. If this goes as planned I will be hosting this next year.


 List of attending authors here 

SKRIKER: A CHAT WITH THE BLACK DOG

Greetings, my lovelies!

I am happy as a pig in shit to be participating in this Characterfest event here at Bitten By Paranormal Romance. Seriously. And beyond that, I am thrilled to introduce to all you fabulous readers out there a man who has helped to put me on the map as a writer, all by simply being “himself” and not letting me push him in any other direction. He’s not your typical bad boy…I mean, he does own a Harley or two and drives a classic Camaro. He does have a slew of hot old school tattoos and the body of a Greek god. And he’s hung like a damned donkey. But what makes him unique is what created him…the love between a human woman and a Servant of Hell, what most of us would call a demon. Please help me welcome Skriker, half-demon hunter and one of the most rollicking, good-time heroes you would hope to meet on the paranormal street!

DANI: Welcome, Skriker! It’s so great to see you again. You’re looking hot as always, my Halfling friend!

SKRIKER (sweeping his big fingers through his spiky platinum blond hair): Aw, you know the pleasure’s always mine, Dani, my love.

DANI: As with any informative interview, history is very important. Your parents were a unique pairing, to say the least. Tell us about them.

SKRIKER: Boy, were they! My pops, Faustus, was a collector demon…one of the best the Pit had ever spat out. I think he was around five thousand years old when he met my mama, Annie. A babe in arms compared to, say, angels, but still great at his job. My mother was working at this place called The Neon, where she stripped both on stage and in a buddy booth. He snuck in to meet her one night and they hit it off right away. They nurtured a tentative friendship for a while until she was attacked after work one night…and my dad swooped out to save her, wings and fangs and tail and all. Scared her to death. But she had come to love him, and got over that pretty damned quick. Anyway, whatever was “tentative” developed into a full blown romance, and the rest is history. I was conceived in the back of my mother’s ’68 Camaro, and from what I understand, that was my dad’s first time with a woman. He abandoned his infernal birthright and decided to settle on terra firma to be with my mom. Hell didn’t like that too much…and they let him know about it. He sired two sons, me and my kid brother, Rory, who sadly was killed the same night as my mom and dad. Hell doesn’t like it when her best servants bail on the Boss, and they hold grudges for a long, long time.

DANI: Tell us about your childhood. At least what you can remember.

SKRIKER: Believe it or not, I can remember all of my childhood…except the name my mother gave me. Go fig, right? Some kind of “trauma”, something like that, I guess. Anyway, when I was born, my mom and pops moved me just outside of town, into one of the more family-friendly neighborhoods. Yeah…old Skrike spent his kid-hood in the burbs. I went to public school and loved it. Played Little League…and no, nobody suspected I was half-demon. Dad taught me and my kid brother how to keep that well hidden. I got really good grades, excelled at math and science and English and the like, though to look at me everyone probably thought I was just a big blond kid who’d turn out to be some meathead, working at a junkyard or running in some biker gang. At home, it was great. My mother left her stripping job to take care of us, and being a crazy smart chica, she had saved up a ton of that cash and we didn’t have to worry about much. The only rough thing was that my dad was gone more than we’d have liked…and I think I know why, even though he didn’t talk about it. He was hunting, possibly for hire. He taught me and my brother how to fight from our first steps, and how to command out demonic abilities. And his relationship with my mom was sweet as honey…I remember that well. It was a good, good life, until Hell found us. I ended up on the streets alone from age eleven to age thirteen, and then a werewolf (one of the rare good ones) named Harry found me, took me in, and made me like his son. I had a new childhood after that, one where I became what you see now.

DANI: How did you get into the profession of hunting the “evils that dwell in darkness”, as you like to put it? You are both a hunter and a supernatural mercenary for hire.

SKRIKER: The hunts are definitely more personal…like a vendetta that I truly enjoy. A big part of that has to do with revenge, with the fact that I’m trying to do away with the evils that threaten good families, good people. Thighs that threaten those who would turn away from evil and choose a redemptive path. Plus they’re fun as all hell. The mercenary work is work for hire…and I get paid loads for it. My pockets are always lined. Maybe not always as fun, but well worth it for the dough I earn. All the more cash to spend on my girlfriend. (He chuckles, blushing prettily.)

DANI: I also understand that you are a professional “underground” cage fighter. How did you get into that?

SKRIKER: Yep, I do indeed cage fight. And I make a shit ton of cash doing it, just like the mercenary work.  I got into fighting underground through my patron and rescuer, Harry. He runs this underground fight club and bar for displaced and rebellious paranormal beings…dark things turned good or neutral. A lot of hunters hang out there, too. I started out just fighting humans, and then we went nuts. As I got older, I started taking on other crazy shit…and I got really good at it. Folks started coming just to see me put the smack down on some gnarly thing. I got famous in those circles. I rarely lose, as you can see…I’m still alive.

DANI: Do you ever implement your demonic abilities into your cage fighting regimen?

SKRIKER: Always. Being underground, there are no rules. This ain’t the UFC…this is fucking Thunderdome. The cage is reinforced stainless steel and chain link with barbed wire all around the top. I’m known for taking on whatever they can find for me…I have fought monsters, weres, shifters, vamps, ghouls…I even did a water fight in a tank once against this gnarly ass thing called a Kelpie. Sticky, crazy motherfucker. There were a few times I thought he had me, lemme tell ya! (Laughs uproariously.)

DANI: Tell us about your love life. You yourself are involved in a most unusual romance. How did you meet your girlfriend, Rose?

SKRIKER (his voice growing wistful, his gaze distant): Oh, yeah. You bet it’s unusual…and that’s just fine with me. A few years back, I struck out on a hunt. A nest of these vampyres called Bloods supposedly rooting around in this dead, ugly-as-shit ghost town called Paradise Hill about fifty or so miles outside of my home city. Nothing unusual for a guy like me. I was expecting to have everything to myself, selfishly. Selfish was my thing back then, I guess. Anyway, I ran into this woman, another hunter. I…still find it hard to describe her properly. To say that Rose is beautiful only scratches the surface. We literally ran into each other, and for me it was like slamming into a shaft of moonlight. She was impossible; I actually thought at first that I had only imagined her. And boy did she spit at me! (Laughs heartily.) She didn’t want me near her…she had already claimed the hunt for herself and she wanted me gone. Anyway, I sweet-talked her into running with me on the hunt. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. At first she was standoffish, but that changed pretty quickly. Halfway through our second night camping out we battled Bloods and ghouls in the old elementary school, and I was forced to reveal my true Halfling form during the fight.  Not surprisingly, she tried to kill me. I fought her off, barely, and ended up with a shoulder wound. Anyway, she felt bad and offered to clean me up. After that, well, one thing led to another. Best sex of my life, bar none, and I’ve had enough pussy to make a pro basketball player jealous! Anyway, we became inseparable. Have been ever since. The clincher? Rose is a Nephil. For those who want to know what that funny word means: she’s half-angel. And her daddy is one of the biggest, baddest motherfuckers Heaven’s soldier ranks ever saw. He found us together and tried to kill me…Rose was the only thing that stopped him. Yeah, ‘unusual’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.

DANI: Spill the beans a bit more. Give us the gory details on how your romance with Rose works.

SKRIKER: Rose is my soul mate, even though we shouldn’t even breathe the same air. The way we connect…it’s like magic. The sex is always sweet, hot, and generally pretty dirty. I think that Rosie is torn about her relationship with me at times…her instinct should be to hate me, and she was raised by an angelic father who drove that home hardcore. We don’t live together yet, and I can’t count how many times I have asked her to marry me and been refused. She turns me down every time. I think that has to do with her being what she is. But we hunt together, shack up together, as often as we can. She comes to watch me fight, and she knows my adopted family as well as she’d know her own. She will spend days, even weeks at a time at my place. We are tied at the hip. All I can hope is that one day she says “yes”.

DANI: I have an odd question: what do you value the most? Family & friends, or power?

SKRIKER: This may sound crass, but for me, it’s a mix of the two. Naturally, my family and friends are my world, my life... I’d take a bullet for any of ‘em on any day of the week. But you need power to protect them…you need to be powerful, and send the bad guys that distinct message.  I was born to a creature who chose family and goodness over his Evil lineage, and I am proud as shit of that. But he became a victim because being earthbound took away some of the power that Hell gave him at birth. Our entire family was torn to shreds by Hell’s minions…literally. And I will not ever let that happen to my loved ones…bet on that solidly, Dani baby.

DANI: Okay, now for the fun questions…

How would you finish this line? Bliss is…

SKRIKER: Ohhh, mama. Bliss is being in the bath with my Rosie and an uncorked bottle of sweet wine. Simple as that.

DANI: Do you speak any other languages?

SKRIKER: I speak Swedish like I was born there. My mom spoke to my little brother and me in Swedish quite a bit, since she wanted us to know all about our heritage and respect the shit out of it. I didn’t get screamed at in English, lemme tell ya…not that my mama screamed that often. But when she did, lagom went out the friggin’ window! (Laughs heartily.) I also speak a decent amount of Finnish and Norwegian, and a nice bit of conversational French that my Rosie taught me. When I was hunting vampyres in Paris before I met Rose, I got where I needed to go on charm only! HA!

DANI: What’s your favorite color?

SKRIKER: Dark red. Like wine. Like the vamp blood I splat all over the walls. Everyone needs a hobby. (winks)

DANI: You are usually seen zipping around town and elsewhere in a black 1968 Chevy Camaro and either a Harley Heritage Softail or a Harley Dark Custom Crossbones. A man who rides like that has to have a few fave band selections. Share those with us.

SKRIKER: Speakin’ my language! The short list would include the classics: Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Nazareth. But that isn’t all there is to me, baby, and I want all the fine ladies out there to know that. I also fancy a bit of good opera or classical music now and then…especially when I need to think.

DANI: I hear you also have a very special pet…

SKRIKER (laughing and clapping his hands roughly): You bet I do! The best freakin’ pet in the world. But you have to hear how we found each other…at least the short version. It all started when I was but a lad, hunting Black Dogs in Lancashire, England. I tracked this pair into their den—a nasty old bitch and her mate—and did them both in. Well, just me bein’ me…I had to trip a bit deeper into the cave, get a look to see if there were any more nasty bad Blackies to do away with. Well, all I found was the cutest little ball of black fluff you’d ever see, sittin’ there, yelping away in this big straw nest. This little pup had to have been no more than two weeks old, not even weaned. Boy, did he do a number on ol’ Skrike! I smuggled him out of the country when it was time to head home, and he’s been like my kid ever since. Named him Trash. He’s quite a bit bigger now, and fearsome looking, as all the Hellhound breeds are.  But he’s soft as butter and sweet as cherry pie, and I can’t imagine my life without him. After Rosie, I adore him above all else. He’s like my child, and I spoil the poop out of him. He’s content to lie on his side on my couch and have me scratch his belly while I watch TV. Oh, and yeah…he’s the reason why they call me the Black Dog. Everyone thinks I’m insane to have adopted a Demon Hound as a pet…but they don’t understand diddly-squat.

DANI: I hear that demons love to eat. Any favorite foods?

SKRIKER: Anything sweet! Especially with jam. Jelly doughnuts are almost as good as sex to me, let me tell you. In the really old days, if a minor demon was disturbing the household, the Jews knew to leave him—or her—a plate of jam. That was the polite way to get one of us to leave. And a gold coin would usually be left on the plate, our own little thank you very much. Give me the sweet shit any day. Snackies make me a happy, happy boy. Rosie knows this well…she rarely shows up to see me without a dozen doughnuts or a pie or the like. A good, good woman, that one.

DANI (giggling): Do you give her a gold coin?

SKRIKER (grinning hugely): Oh, I thank her with something worth more than gold. Ten inches of rock-hard gristle…the gift that keeps on giving.

DANI: Wow! Okay, moving on. As your popularity grows, there are rock stars and other well-known book characters that you are frequently compared to by readers. Who are some of those figures?

SKRIKER: This question always cracks me up. As far as “real” people go (makes ‘quote-on-quote’ gesture with his fingers), Billy Idol is the big one. For TV, there’s that Spike guy, from that dumb ‘Angel’ show. Don’t get that one…that dude was shorter than a member of the Lollipop Guild and skinny as a whip. As far as books go, I’m usually compared to some dude from a series called ‘Night Huntress’, or something…some guy called Bones. Another vampire, I guess. Always with the fucking vamps. That just cracks me up. Where I come from, vamps ain’t sexy. They’re ugly, dumb, and low on the food chain. So the comparison is hilarious to me. Whatever works, I guess. (He snickers and winks.)

DANI: What’s next for you, Skrike?

SKRIKER: Hopefully getting Rosie to marry me…finally. Not gonna stop asking! She tells me she wants to find the guys who killed her mom first, so I’ll help her do that. I just got word of an old friend of mine in Stockholm needing some help with a hunt over there, so we’re gonna make a trip over around Christmas and hunt whatever he needs help with while I show Rosie how pretty Sweden can be in the winter.

DANI: I have to ask…would you ever want to have children with Rose someday?

SKRIKER (wistfully): Oh, Dani, you have no idea how much I want that. You wouldn’t think a guy like me would want a family…but I do. Ever since I met Rose I wanted her to have my little seedlings. A big strong boy, or a pretty little girl…doesn’t matter either way to me. Rose thinks it’s crazy and impossible, but I have hope. And I think, deep down, she’s intrigued by the idea. She may be a wild raven-haired bitch on wheels, but she has a soft side that I have been lucky enough to see. I know she’d make a great mama. As of right now, only time will tell.

DANI: Thanks so much for joining me again, Skrike. You know how much I love to chat with you, you crazy sexy mother!

SKRIKER: And you know I feel the same, honey. (He blows a juicy kiss.) That’s to all the new lovely ladies reading about me for the first time. Pick up a few books by Ms. Dani here and get to know me a bit better…it’d be a pleasure to show all you sexy mamas a good time, Skriker style!

A MESSAGE FROM SKRIKER: Okay, sweet ladies, Dani is offering y’all a lovely, lovely gift just for joining us here today. She is giving away electronic copies of the first two books of the Black Dog and Rebel Rose series, including her newest release, Coyote Night, to one lucky winner…and you’ll get a big load of my hot action shot right at your face as you read these books! On top of that, it’ll be winner’s choice—Kindle or eBook. To enter, just leave a comment saying hello with your email…and feel free to ask old Skrike a question or two, if you get the urge. I’ll be popping back in now and then to chat with you cute kids personally. *Kiss, kiss!*

DANIELLE D. SMITH INFO:

BIO:

Danielle D. Smith was born in San Diego, California. She was first published at age 29. In addition to being a writer of gritty angel-and-demon themed fantasy stories that are quickly gaining a cult following, she is an accomplished fine artist and illustrator whose visual work has appeared in various public, private, and gallery exhibitions and in national publications, and has studied everything from costuming to tattooing. Dani, as she is known by many who are close to her, lives in San Diego with a large number of books, indie flicks, and documentaries. Her novels appeal to dreamers, troublemakers, dark romantics, horn dogs, and general escapists who like their reads outside the mainstream. She is the proud owner of a beefcake husband who looks like the dudes on those romance covers, as well as several beautiful tattoos. She is currently pregnant with her first child, a spunky baby boy named Ryker, and is wiling away the months working on her first graphic novel, a comic book version of her popular novella, Black Dog and Rebel Rose. She will be launching her co-owned publishing house, Rebel Rose Publishing, LLC. in Fall 2011 with the release of DEMON’S SLAVE, a BDSM erotica tale with a unique paranormal flair, followed by releases from select contracted authors moving into 2012.

WHERE TO FIND DANI:

WEBSITE: http://www.danielledsmith.com

BLOG: http://www.theangelsgate.blogspot.com

FACEBOOK PROFILE: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=522911002

FACEBOOK FANPAGE: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Danielle-D-Smith/156986440989397?ref=ts

SKRIKER’S FACEBOOK FANPAGE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181560128573594/

TWITTER: @DaniDSmith

My micro-press, REBEL ROSE PUBLISHING, LLC. (coming in Fall 2011): http://www.rebelrosepublishing.com

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/DaniDSmith?feature=mhee

Review Amber Moon by Ann Mayburn

Title: Amber Moon (Prides of the Moon #1)
Author: Ann Mayburn
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Format: eNovella, 38 pgs
Release Date: July 26, 2011

Sabrina Wayne yearns for the perfect mates to fill the void in her heart. As a werepuma Beta, she is driven to find the strongest Alpha to submit too, or in her case, Alphas. Sabrina craves the delicious softness of a woman as well as the rugged strength of a man. She has almost given up finding the right couple when she takes a leap of faith and allows Madame Evangeline of the 1Night Stand matchmaking service to set her on what Madame Eve promises will be an evening she'll never forget.

Alphas Nick and Madeline Turea have been searching for a woman like Sabrina for a very long time. After a disastrous relationship with a former Beta female, the couple has been extremely cautious to let anyone else get close to them or the Amber Moon pride. When Madame Evangeline contacts them about a possible match, both are eager to meet the beautiful woman who may complete their family.

A night of reckless desire and burning hot passion leads to an unknown danger that might destroy Sabrina's one chance at a perfect love. She must learn to surrender to the power of her Alphas and gain their trust before it's too late.


Rating -

Sexual -

My Review:

Short and sexy! This is the first in Mayburn's new Prides of the Moon series which is part of Decadent Publishing's 1 Night Stand series.

Madame Eve of the 1 Night Stand dating service works her magic again in this thirty-eight page short.

Sabrina, a werepuma, is set up for a one night stand but hopes they'll be her mates. She's "two natured" (i.e. bisexual) and "sex between werepumas wasn’t just physical, but a magical exchange of energy that satisfied her soul as much as her body." At first her glance of Madeline, Sabrina is disappointed at her "soft and cuddly kitten" look but then she meets her eyes and sees the strength she's looking for.

Madeline and Nick, mated Alphas of the Amber Moon pride, have been set up for a one night stand but are hoping to find someone to complete them. Madeline is instantly attracted to Sabrina, she is physically her opposite. She's glad she asked to meet her alone first. Madeline loves Nick "with all her heart ... but feels they are incomplete". Nick is at first upset with Sabrina for endangering Madeline with her little stunt but is also attracted to her

This has F/F, F/M and F/M/F and I rate it Hot! (3/4) on the heat scale. If F/F makes you squeamish, this may not be for you.

I read it in one sitting, along with the next two shorts in Mayburn's series, and enjoyed it.