Ann Aguirre, Euphemisms and Blue Diablo Contest

Perhaps by now you have heard of Blue Diablo, the new book by Ann Aguirre that will hit the shelves on April 7th?

BLURB:

Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her “gift”. Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that’s why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance…

Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine’s gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic…

Katiebabs: Can I saw how thrilled I am to have Ann on my blog?

Mho Fho: Don't forget me! The King of the Demon Sheep has much love for Ann. Especially the cute redhead Corine who can handle my- *Kate puts hand over Mho's mouth and locks him away in the closet*

Katiebabs: *Ahem* Why don't we have Ann take the floor...

The Joys of Euphemisms by Ann Aguirre:

Years ago, the genre boundaries were pretty concrete. In science fiction, there was the intrepid explorer, almost always a man, who sought out new worlds and strange civilizations. He might shag a blue-skinned babe or two along the way, but he never stayed with them. God forbid, he never fell in love with them. This sci-fi hero was a love-em and leave-em kind of guy, James Bond in space. Back in the day, women went to all kinds of lengths to hide the fact that they possessed two X chromosomes if they hoped to write science fiction. Just consider Andre Norton.

Likewise, in mystery, the heroes were generally hard-boiled types, who used women, slept with them, and then discarded them. In a detective novel, the bombshell, a sassy-mouthed dame with great shoes, was either a pawn in somebody else’s game, or she was the bad guy. She got her comeuppance, but only after the hero got his, if you know what I mean. Again, there was no love present.

Mystery and science-fiction were seen as a boy’s club, and men didn’t want women getting their girl cooties all over it, filling their tough as nails books with gushy love stories, rainbows and cuddly puppies. Everyone knew the lines were hard and fast.

Women had their own books, romances, where the hero was a doctor, and the heroine was his nurse. Or maybe it was advertising executive and secretary. Women succeeded the best way they could, by falling in love with their bosses, and marrying well. As for sex, well, it was flowery and imprecise. Women don’t want to read dirty stuff, do they?

(Smirk)

True story, I discovered HQN romances when I was ten. Don’t worry; they were so discreet that I had no idea what was happening in the “intimate” scenes. I always suspected they had gone to the beach to watch fireworks, though. I did thrill to a number of punishing kisses.

When I was a bit older, I discovered Loveswept romances, and they were more explicit. I got quite an education out of those books—let me tell you. My favorite authors back then were Fayerene Preston, Kay Hooper and Iris Johansen. As it happens, I have a tasty collection of old Fayrene Preston books right here with me. I’m going to sample love scenes from five of them for fun.

“As her tightness slowly eased around him, he gradually pushed forward, but so gradually that every centimeter a new, more heated sensation racked her body, until at last he was all the way inside her, his hard need filling her as she had never been filled before, his eyes watching the expressions of passion flicker over her face.” –Mississipi Blues, pg 104 (1985)

“Their bodies were made for each other, and they moved together in a savage, perfectly matched rhythm, her hips rotating with a fierce energy, meeting his mighty thrusts without qualm.” –Mysterious, pg 110 (1986)

“His weight on her and his length moving in and out of her gave her ecstasy beyond belief.” –Sapphire Lightning, p 115 (1988)

“Suddenly she arched her back and stiffened as convulsions of ecstasy tore through her body.” –Caprice, p 129 (1993)

“At the same time his body convulsed and he erupted into her.” –The Prize, pg 98 (1998)

Are these awesome or what? In skimming these old books, I saw “kernel”, “bud”, “nub”, and “erection” (that was in a later one). But I seriously loved Fayrene when I was a teenager like whoa and damn. These books were my soap operas.

So I was thinking it would be hella fun to revisit the days of yore. Do you think you can do better than Fayrene?

Here’s the dare: write a single sentence depicting a pivotal moment in your love scene. Use as many euphemisms as possible, and disregard all rules of punctuation to make yours the longest, purplest sentence ever written. We’ll vote on the best one by popular consensus.

Winner takes home a copy of Blue Diablo. And game on!

Katiebabs: Leave a comment here by tomorrow at 2pm eastern U.S. time. I will announce the winner on Thursday night and will send the winner’s email to Ann's wonderful assistant and all around great commenter Azteclady so she can send you your prize!

Mho Fho: *peeks out from closet door and sticks tongue out at KB* And if you yell at that meany Katiebabs for being cruel to me, I will help you win.

A Stranger Passes Out On the Sidewalk. What Would You Do?

Have you ever heard of ABC's "What Would You Do?" The show tests how people respond to emergencies or calls for help or any chance to simply do the right thing.

The program camped out unseen on Ferry Street in Newark, NJ and filmed passers-by as they blithely walked past a homeless man passed out on the sidewalk. The man was in fact an actor. 88 people in total did not stop!
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Only one person stopped to see if he was okay. Her name is Linda Hamilton and she is homeless. It seemed half of Newark -- 88 people actually -- walked by before someone took pity on the unconscious soul laid out on the sidewalk. That someone was Hamilton, who watched over him despite her own issues. She's diabetic, limps with a cane from two strokes and takes medication she can't afford for her battle against schizophrenia.

This incredible story was on today's front page of my hometown paper, the Star-Ledger of Newark.

By the time I finished reading I was shocked. I had tears in my eyes. I was angry because how could so many people walk by a person in trouble?

But then this poor homeless woman does one act of kindness and because of it her life has changed for the better.

One act of unselfishness is all it takes.

So I ask. What would you do?

Books Read for March 2009 and Mho's Adventures on Twitter

*My TBR Bookshelf*

Here are the books I read for March:
1. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James- A (top 10)
2. Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran- A- (top 10)
3. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale- B+
4. Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan- B+ (top 10)
5. Ghostland by Jory Strong- B (top 20)
6. A Fine Specimen- Lisa Marie Rice- B
7. Revealed by Kate Noble- B
8. Close Encounters by Catherine Allred- B
9. The Naked Baron by Sally Mackenzie- B
10. Wicked Intentions by Emma Wildes- B
11. Sins of a Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan- B
12. Highland Outlaw by Monica McCarty- B
13. Catherine’s Awakening by Joanna Wylde- B
14. Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison- B-
15. Loving Lucas by Lisa Marie Davis- C
16. Voices and Lies by Tonya Ramagos- C
17. Blood Blade by Marcus Pelegrimas- C
18. Some Like It Wild by Teresa Medeiros- C
19. The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor- DNF
20. Death’s Daughter by Amber Benson- DNF
21. In Love With a Younger Man by Cheryl Robinson- DNF

Grades:

A = 2

B+ = 2

B thru B- = 10

C+ thru C- = 4

D and lower = 3

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This month was the least amount of books I read thus far. *head falls in shame*

Let's take a look at the good old TBR book shelf that continues to grow by leaps and bounds! In these two shelves, there are about 30-50 books I need to read and review by June:

There has also be excitement this month because Mho has joined Twitter. This is Mho checking out his page and all "the lovely twitter ladies" as he calls them. I think he is using Twitter as a dating service. And he can't help but twitter his Friday night drinking adventures! But Mho still has time to steal some of my books to read...

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This is Mho enjoying Ann Aguirre's next release. Blue Diablo comes out next week and already Mho has a new crush on the heroine, Corine Solomon. He is so far gone he thinks Corine talks to him while he reads.

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Kate: *looks in her bag for Blue Diablo* Hey Mho, have you see BD? *looks over at Mho and frowns*

Mho: Sorry babe, Corine and I have a date tonight. Lovely Corine and Blue Diablo are all mine.

Kate: But Mho, Ann is stopping by the blog tomorrow (Wednesday 4/1) to talk about Blue Diablo. I also need to finish reading it so I can post my review.

Mho: *looks up from book and backs away with it in his hand*. Why are you trying to seperate Corine from me? You are jealous. She needs me. We are in love!!

Kate: *looks at Mho like he has two heads* Hello, you are a sheep! I think you have been drinking too much Grey Goose. Corine is a fictional character! Plus she has too many HUMAN men in her life at the moment. She has the sexy detective Jesse Saldana who is special like Corine and then there is Chance, her semi-shady ex-boyfriend who walks back into her life. She doesn't have time for you because she has to solve a horrible crime about Chance's mother who has gone missing. Sorry dude.

Mho: *head tips to the side* Will there be a sequel? I need to have a little talk with Ann because Corine should have a pet demon sheep in her next book. We can fight crime together! Corine and Mho back in action in Blue Diablo II!

Kate: *Smacks head and walks away*
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Next Mho will want to be King of the Fairies!

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Don't forget to stop back tomorrow when Ann Aguirre stops by. You will also have your chance to win your own copy of Blue Diablo!

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perhaps someone wants to take annoying demon sheep off my hands?

Lorelie Long Reviews Smooth Talking Stranger

Welcome to another guest review by Lorelie Long! The book of choice is Lisa Kelypas's Smooth Talking Stranger (St. Martin's).

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From the desk of Lorelie...

Ha-ha, I got my hands on an ARC of Smooth Talking Stranger and y’all didn’t!
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Heh. Yeah. Like it was anything special I did. *looks adoringly at Katiebabs*
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I’ve been thinking my appearances here at Katiebabs’ space need a series title:
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Watch Lorelie Become a Lisa Kleypas Fangrl. Because seriously, this book was all that and a bag of chips. Emotional, sexy, fun. Everything you’d – ok, I’d want from a book.
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Okay, the deets –
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Ella Varner: a survivor of an abusive, manipulative mother, she’s built herself a neat, safe little life.
Jack Travis: A happy-go-luck playboy, he thinks he’s satisfied with flavors of the week.
The Problem: Luke, the baby foisted on Ella by her sister. And Ella’s got reason to believe Jack’s the father.
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Ella’s historically been her family's fixer. But she’s managed to break away from the role due to some heavy duty therapy. When her mom, Candy, calls up and says that Tara, Ella’s sister, has dropped her baby and ran, it’s a problem Ella cannot leave alone. She remembers all too vividly what it was like to grow up with Candy as a borderline psychotic maternal influence. The only alternative to Ella zooming in to save the day is Candy’s threat to call Social Services and turn the kid over to them. That's not a real alternative at all.
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So Ella drops her life, including her boyfriend of four years, and rescues Luke. Tara has not named Luke’s father, but Ella’s a sensible woman. This kid needs child support. Which means daddy-o must be found. Jack Travis is the strongest candidate named by Tara’s roommate, so Ella busts into Jack’s office and demands a paternity test. Jack swears there’s not a chance he’s responsible, but agrees to the test anyway and even puts Ella up in first in a lush hotel, then in an apartment owned by his realty company.
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And sparks fly. (Naturally, this is a romance novel, after all.) .
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Jack is almost too damn perfect. Smart, funny, and super-sexy, he’s an eco-friendly Alpha who’s even reasonable about his Alpha-ness. Even his playboy past is no issue, once it’s explained by his sister Haven. Me, I like my men with a little angst. (Ah, who am I kidding, I like ‘em with buckets of angst. But I can get over that sometimes.) I like the hero to have feet of clay at the very least. Jack is iron from top to bottom. Hell, he’s gold – and everything he touches turns to gold, including Ella’s life.
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Thank god there’s the budding relationship between Ella and Luke. Luke is appropriately a baby-like lump, but he works magic on Ella the way babies have been doing since the dawn of time. And that’s where this book really starts to come to life. He’s the one who first cracks through the shields she had to grow to survive her childhood. I’d go as far to say most of Ella’s growth as a character comes through Luke.

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I’m an end-peeker. I can’t help it, it’s like a disease. After the first chapter or two of a book, I always, always, always read the last few pages of a book. Yes, even when I’m reading a romance and I know the last pages are just going to be hero and heroine riding off into the sunset hand in hand. That excatly happened with Smooth Talking Stranger.
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And even though I KNEW what was going to happen, I dissolved into tears at the first black moment. It’s wrenchingly heartbreaking. Then Kleypas trowels on a second black moment.
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“Oh, did ya like that pain? Here, have some more.”

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I can see why some people wouldn’t like the second one. It smacked a little bit of convenience when I thought about it after the fact. While I was reading? Yeah, I was a blubbery mess. And I really don’t know if it matters after the fact that I can pick and pick at the hero, if the book emotionally touched me *while* I was reading.
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Final grade: B+

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P.S. All through this review, I wanted to type “Lhuke.” And he even wears pink socks at one point, though no pink bow.

Katiebabs: I really have to hand it to Lorelie for this review. In the past few months publishers have been cutting back on ARC and galleries, as well as sending out actual print copies for review only 2-3 weeks before the book is published.

I only received Smooth Talking Stranger a little over a week ago. Lorelie helped me out. I sent her Smooth Talking Stranger on Monday. She had it in her hands by Thursday, read it in one day and was able to have her review written by the weekend.

You can also fine the fabulous Lorelie on Twitter.

Why Read Romance? So You Can Tame the Alpha Male!

I found this interesting 5 minute documentary filmed during the 2007 Romantic Times Convention. Some authors, reader and male cover models were asked why romance novels are such great reads. The answers given are really great.

There must be something about these books that someone will spend over $500 a month on.

Does it all come down to taming the alpha male?

Watch the video and you decide.

Don't drool too much over the footage of the Mr. Romance Competition.

Official Announcement about the Annual RWA Conference!

This is my official announcement. I will be attending the 29th Annual Romance Writers of America Conference in Washington D.C. from Wednesday July 15 to Saturday July 18.

What is this conference that I speak of?
Every year, writers and industry professionals come from all over the world to attend Romance Writers of America’s Annual Conference. The Annual Conference is a four-day event filled with educational workshops, career enhancement, and community involvement. At the conference, career-focused romance writers can anticipate:

- Education and information,
- Networking with fellow writers,
- Interaction with editors, agents, publishers, booksellers, and other romance publishing industry professionals. .

The conference will enhance your writing and knowledge of the ins and outs of publishing at more than 100 workshops; get the inside track at panels and round-tables featuring publishing professionals; schedule a one-on-one pitch meeting with an acquiring editor or literary agent; attend parties and network with the stars of romance fiction; and be a part of RWA's massive, 500-author strong "Readers for Life" charity book signing. And let's not forget the 2009 RITA and Golden Heart Awards.

Last year I went and had the time of my life. I was more of an observer then. This time around I am going as an aspiring author and to network. I want to get my name out there. And if I am brave enough, I may even pitch to an agent or two. *bites nails*

Keep in mind the whole conference experience can be a bit pricey. Unless you are really going to take advantage of everything there, I would recommend you not put out all the money. If you are going to just “hang out” just for fun, keep in mind what it is costing you to go:

If you are not a member of RWA you will be paying $500 for the conference. As a RWA member you will pay $425.

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What Is Included in the Conference Registration Fee?
Admittance to all official RWA Conference events: the Literacy Autographing, Opening Session, workshops, Continental breakfasts, luncheons, and the Awards Ceremony and reception.

Hotel Rooms range from $210-$350 a night. It all depends if you are sharing a room with three other people and if any of them have RWA membership. If you have a membership the room is almost cut in half.

How you are getting to Washington D.C.? If you are driving, you only pay gas and tolls. Taking the train? Again you are paying for a round trip ticket to get there. By plane, well it all depends how far away you are. Plane fares have gown down, but when I went to RWA in San Francisco last year, it cost me $550.

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Also keep in mind you need some extra cash on you for transportation around the city if you are going to leave the hotel to sight see or visit places other than the hotel. The Metro, which is the D.C. subway system, and the taxis also cost money. You need to eat of course, and even though you will be fed on Thursday and Friday at the luncheons as part of the conference package, you still need to eat breakfast or dinner. If you are smart you may be wined and dined by some publishers. You may also have the munchies such as a need for your morning caffeine fix or some afternoon delights. Also people like to hang out at the hotel bar and drink. The hotel bar can add up. A beer in D.C. costs about $5 a bottle. Mixed drinks rang from $8-$12. I like martinis. But because I am used to NYC prices, paying almost $10 for a drink doesn’t shock me.

So, in my estimation, considering how far you are traveling as well as other circumstances, you maybe spending anywhere from $1200- $2000 for only four days. This is a hefty price if you are just a fan who wants to pal around with authors and other industry types. But again, the conference is what you make of it.

It is a four day whirlwind where you are constantly on the go. I barely slept more than four hours a night. There are parties, author meet and greats and more books than you can ever imagine. I came home with almost 50 books last year.

RWA can be an author and book lover’s dream. It was mine and I hope my experience this July will be even better then last year.
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If you are interested in knowing what my experience was like as a newbie attending last year, check out my reports:
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Ramblings on Romance, etc.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Final thoughts

Any other questions you have that I may have not answered? And do I bring my demon sheep with me this time to cause some havoc? *heh heh*

Ghostland Book Review *Jory Strong*

Ghostland has a very eye catching cover that gives the reader a good sense about the story inside. Jory Strong has written a post-Apocalyptic tale that deals with fears. These fears are everything from loss, death and isolation. There is a great deal of isolation in Ghostland seen through the eyes of the heroine Aisling McConaughey. Aisling is very special. She is an orphan shamaness who lives on a farm in the outskirts of the city of Oakland, California. Aisling has the ability to walk in the spiritlands, a world where the dead wait for judgment or to be reborn, where they find heaven or hell depending on their belief. The spiritlands, or ghostlands is the afterlife. Think of this more like purgatory, a gateway in between heaven and hell. As a shamaness Aisling bargains for answers and help from these dead.

Aisling lives during a time after The Last War that was started by religious zealots who wanted to cleanse mankind. The date is unknown, but I would say it is a hundred years or so after the war has ended. Because of this war the supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves and demons have come out of the shadows. These creatures of myth have taken over the night and because of it, humans lock themselves away in their homes after the sun sets. The United States is no longer what it was. The country, or at least California, is run by martial law. The Church, which is made up of a group of very powerful humans have total control of the remaining human population. The Church needs Aisling’s services and if she doesn’t do what they want, they may kill her and her foster family.

Aisling takes her spirit guardian and pet ferret Aziel with her and will go to Oakland. The only person she can trust for the moment is Father Ursu, a priest who works for the Church. He really does seem to care for her well being. Perhaps it is because he needs her safe and whole for what he has in store for her? Aisling is given shelter and money to buy precious commodities like food. If she excels at the services expected of her, she can keep the house and remain in Oakland in safe keeping under the watchful eye of the Church.

An important woman by the name of Elena has disappeared. They need Aisling to find her either alive or if her soul has left and entered into the spiritlands. When Ailsing returns to the spiritlands she sees some dark-robed men wearing goat heads about to sacrifice Elena. Aisling has no choice but to summon a demon to stop them. She calls for Zurael en Caym, son of the dark prince. Because she has summoned Zurael she can command him at will.

Zurael saves Elena by killing the goat headed men. But that means he is at Aisling’s beck and call until she decide she is done with him. Zurael is not just a demon but also a Djinn. He hates Aisling because she has such power over him. When the time is right, he will kill her. The thought of being tied to a human, a child of mud, as he thinks of her is unfathomable. Zurael finds out that the dark priest that he killed was trying to summon an entity from the spiritlands and make it human. Because he stopped this sacrifice Zurael is given an important task where he must retrieve an ancient stone tablet that has been lost to the Djinn. In order for Zurael to search Oakland for this tablet he must remain with Aisling. For the time being he won’t kill her.

Aisling is not sure how to handle the present situation she is in. She has accomplished what she was set out to do, but now she has a beautiful and powerful demon male basically as her slave. All she wishes for is to have her old life back, but now that is no longer possible. And when Elena comes to Aisling asking her to investigate her kidnapping, Aisling again has no choice; she must accept. Part of it has to do with the type of person Aisling is. She wants to help those around her even if she may endanger her life. What Elena wants Aisling to do may kill her because she must venture into a world filled with kinky sex and drugs. The drug of choice is called Ghost. A person takes Ghost and will find themselves in the spiritlands to enjoy the kinky S&M type pleasures that await them there. Elena was ghosting when she was taken and wants to know why. The spirits that walk in the spirtlands also want Elena to find those who are creating Ghost and kill them.

Aisling may be able to go back and forth into the spiritlands, but she is still fragile on the mortal plane. Zurael becomes very protective of Aisling and begins to care for her because of her giving nature. Something as simple as Aisling sharing her meager food with Aziel and himself really touches Zurael. Zurael will aid her in her quest. Soon they are waking a fine line between the dead and the living. Something more powerful then the Church wants Aisling. Aisling and Zurael have entered into a very dark world where reality and fantasy become one. And Aisling’s fantasies are become more real because Zurael is hungry for Aisling’s tender flesh where he can give her endless pleasures in his arms.

Ghostland is a complex and descriptive world filled with desperation and the unholy needs people have. Jory Strong really does a great job with her writing. Her world building is great and the story is intense. Not only is there a paranormal element, but there is fantasy and some really hot sex scenes between Aisling and Zurael. Some may call this an Urban Fantasy because of the setting, but this is more of an Urban Fantasy Romance. Perhaps even an Urban Fantasy Erotica. Aisling is a worthy heroine but she is very different from those other types of heroines in the past Urban Fantasies I have read. She is a bit too quite and broken in a way. Every trip to the ghostlands drains her. Some may think she is a victim because of the situation she has been placed in, and if Zurael wasn’t there to save her, Aisling may have not survived. I wouldn’t say Aisling is weak but she comes across scarred and emotionally unattached, as if she doesn’t know how to interact with those around her.

Zurael is definitely an alpha male who looks out for Aisling’s best interests, but when it comes to sex, he pushes her to the limits. From the moment he meets Aisling, he is all over her. The lust he has for Aisling is intense and she feels the same way. I was a bit surprised by how quickly Aisling was open to having sex with Zurael because she keeps everyone at a distance. But Zurael is larger than life and won’t be ignored.

I assumed Aisling was a virgin but the first time she was with Zurael you would think otherwise. There is a great deal of hard nipples and wet panties for Aisling. Aisling must have gone through a great deal of panties in a few days because they were always wet. That is mentioned many times so we won’t be able to forget her need for Zurael. Zurael is hard all over and even in the sign of danger he wants Aisling. These two have a great deal of sex and is the typical fare with a great deal of shuddering and thrusting. Even though Zurael doesn’t kiss Aisling on the mouth there is still a lot of tongue action on his end. He can’t kiss Aisling on the mouth because he is afraid he will lose his soul to her if she takes in his breath. But he is more than fine with enjoying some 69 action with her, that oh so naughty scene that pops up from time to time in romance. For some reason I find that act much more intimate than kissing. I guess someone stealing your breath is more serious than both drinking in each other’s sex fluids.

Ghostland is a strong debut by Jory Strong, who has a background in writing erotic romance. I would say that Jory is one author to watch for 2009. I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading Ghostland even with all the mention of lusting and weeping body parts. Urban fantasy fans will want to give this one a try. (April, Berkley)

Final Grade: B

Ghostland is the first book in the Ghostland World series. The next book, Spider-Touched will be published in August.

Here is a sneak peek:

In a post-Apocalyptic world where supernaturals have emerged from hiding, wealthy humans live secure while the masses struggle to survive. Civil rights belong to the powerful—and ultimate freedom to those brave enough to risk their souls by embracing ancient enemies…

Held prisoner by humans, his angelic memory and power lost because of the sigil-inscribed collar around his neck, Tir dreams of freedom and hungers for vengeance. He’s sworn he’ll never lie with a mortal, but when Araña removes his shackles and helps him escape his captivity, she melts his icy control and leaves him burning with desire. She’s a temptation he can’t resist—an unknowing enemy who might well enslave him more thoroughly than the chains he’s worn for centuries.
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Branded, feared, untouchable because of the deadly spider-shaped mark on her skin, Araña is unaware of her true origins. Raised in a fundamentalist settlement until she escaped and found refuge among outcasts and criminals, she believes herself demon-tainted. But when her unnatural psychic ability causes her to weave her destiny to Tir’s, their alliance turns into an exploration of passion, and begins a quest that will lead to her Djinn heritage.
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Powerful forces brought them together to serve a greater purpose…but learning the truth of what they are will destroy them—unless their love is strong enough to overcome the dark legacy of a battle that began with the birth of mankind.

Forget the RITAS. It Is All About the RUTAS!

Who needs the RITAS when we have the RUTAS!

Have you heard about the 2010 RUTA awards? Ann Aguirre has created them.

It has come to my attention that filthy & fabulous books get short shrift in certain awards, so the time has come for a new star to arise.

The RUTA celebrates all the books that don’t follow the rules. In Romance Up the Ass, we will cheer the foul-mouthed, sexually confident heroine. Graphic bangage? Fine! Violence? Bring it on.

So we’re now in the planning stages. Climb aboard, and help us create categories that rock your

world!

Ann needs some volunteers to get this new award up and running. Why not stop by and post your suggestions on her blog?

I came up with:

Best use of foliage in a sex scene

Best spur of the moment sex scene while be chased by zombies, vampires and or demons.

I also think the award should be a golden dildo.

Mho Fho wants a golden sheep.

Harlequin Teen and the RWA Nominations are Announced

Harlequin is targeting the teens!

Harlequin is set to broaden its presence in the young adult market. Harlequin Teen, a fiction line, debuts in August with Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Take, the first installment of the Soul Screamers series. Another paranormal tale, Intertwined by Gena Showalter, is rolling off press in September. The imprint will initially consist of trade paperbacks, hardcovers and digital publications, and it will encompass a spectrum of genres including fantasy, contemporary, historical, science fiction and—no surprise—romance.

This is perfect for both aspiring and published YA authors!

Harlequin Teen has a website set up.


The Romance Writers of America announced the 2009 RITA and Golden Heart Finalists.

Purpose
The purpose of the RWA contests—RITA and Golden Heart—is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding romance novels, novellas, and manuscripts. Each contest (Golden Heart and RITA) shall be limited to the first 1,200 paid entries.

Entry Qualifications and Rules for All Contestants

If an entry is the result of a collaboration, all collaborators must be RWA members in good standing to pay the RWA member entry fee. If any of the collaborators is not a RWA member, the higher non-member entry fee shall prevail.

These awards are like the Oscars of the romance industry. Congrats to all who were nominated. But there are some authors that in a word were- robbed. As readers we all have our favorite authors and books that we consider the best. I can name about eight that should be on one of those lists, but weren't.

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I need to add this little rant on my part:

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And can someone tell me why Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas wasn't nominated? That was a major FAIL! What about Kresley Cole? Larissa Ione? Julie James? Meredith Duran? Loretta Chase? Linnea Sinclair? Ann Aguirre? Multiple noms for Meljean Brook? Judith James? Carrie Lofty? Jeaniene Frost? C.L. Wilson? Jo Davis?

I would say Colleen Gleason, but she didn't enter.

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Who else am I missing?

What do you think of the RITAS and Golden Heart awards? Which authors or books were you surprised weren't finalists?

The Rules of Blogging (Cute Animals vs. Hot Men)

The New York Times standards editor Craig Whitney has written a hot-to-memo on how to blog. And because it is the New York Times, what they says must be true!

Here are the 10 rules you must follow or will be doomed to failure in the blogging world!

*cue dramatic theme music*

- What should be avoided in all of them is any hint of racist, sexist or religious bias, or any suggestion of nasty, snide, sarcastic, or condescending tone — “snark.”
- If something could easily fit in a satirical Web site for young adults, it probably shouldn’t go into the news pages of nytimes.com.
- Contractions, colloquialisms and even slang are, generally speaking, more allowable in blogs than in print.
- Obscenity and vulgarity are not.
- Unverified assertions of fact, blind pejorative quotes, and other lapses in journalistic standards don’t ever belong in blogs.
- Writers and editors of blogs must also distinguish between personal tone and voice and unqualified personal opinion.
- A blog or news column has to give readers the arguments and factual information that led to the writer’s conclusion — enough argument and fact on both or all sides of the issue to enable the reader to decide whether to agree or disagree
- That does not apply to editorials or Op-Ed columns, which “are not intended to give a balanced look at both sides of a debate,” as the Readers’ Guide says.
- Headlines on analysis should try to capture the debate rather than taking sides in it.
If the comments contain vulgarity, obscenity, offensive personal attacks, say that somebody “sucks,” or are incoherent, moderators are advised just to chuck them out.

In my years blogging or even visiting blogs, I find the blogs or posts that are “snarky” tend to be very popular.

And blogs that have pictures of cute animals seem to work. Why not post cute animal pictures for more traffic:



If cute animals are not your thing, why not post hot half nekkid men?



Are there any “rules” you stick to when sent up a post on your blog? Or as a commenter, what do you want to see?

Cute animals vs. hot nekkid men? Which works better?

Why not have both together?

More KB Book Pimpage And Zebra Changes

I must add these most desired future releases.

Jeaniene Frost just posted her new cover today:

Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, Book4). Coming from Avon on July 28.

Doesn't Jeaniene have the most awesome covers? Kudos to to the Avon art department!

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh. Coming from Berkley on November 3.

This is Dev's book. I am obsessed with his big gun.

Carrie Lofty has a post up on her blog about changes that her publisher Zebra will have to their debut line. As of August, the $3.99 books will be $4.99 and the $4.99 books will be $5.99.

On the positive side, they have improved the look of their covers:

Coming in November:
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Wild Heart by Lori Brighton

All He Desires by Anthea Lawson

KB Is Pimping Some Book!

Every so often I love to pimp out some future books. I gave a shot out on Twitter about any future book recommendations and this is what I came up with:

Standoff by Lauren Dane. Coming from Samhain Publishing on March 31.

It’s the law of the Pack—or anarchy. A Cascadia Wolves story.

Lover's Talisman (Book 2 in the Talisman Bay series) by Ashleigh Raine. Coming from Samhain Publishing April 3.

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Is she a victim of a madman’s agenda, or a willing player in his demonic games?

Red Alert by Lynne Connolly. Coming from Ellora's Cave this month.

When a dragon flies over Central Park, he jolts the world into awareness...



Close Encounters: An Alien's Affair novel by Katherine Allred. Coming from from Eos Publishing on April 1. *I won this from Eos. Review will be posted soon*

Kiera Smith is not like ordinary Genetically Engineered Persons...
The Bureau of Alien Affairs needed a special GEP agent with empathic abilities to handle their most extraordinary assignments—and a rogue geneticist saw to it that Kiera fit their specifications. But she turned out stronger, faster, smarter, and more impervious to harm than anyone anticipated. A reluctant "superhero," Kiera wishes she were normal, but it is not to be.

Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland. Coming from Bantam on June 23.

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When Homicide Detective Kara Gillian finds traces of arcane power on a body, she quickly realizes that this is no ordinary murder. The serial killer known as the Symbol Man is a nightmare that Beaulac, Louisiana thought had ended three years ago, but now he's back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he is well-versed in demonic lore...

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane. Coming from Del Ray on Oct. 27. *so far away! **pout**

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The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water...

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And because I heart Jaci very much! Riding on Instinct (Book 3 in the Wild Riders series) by Jaci Burton. Coming from Berkley Heat on April 7

Department of Justice agent Shadoe Grayson is out to prove she’s no rookie, and eagerly accepts her first undercover assignment at a strip club in New Orleans. Working with the Wild Riders, a government agency of bad boy bikers, her goal is to bring down a corrupt DEA agent. All she has to do now is learn to strip like a pro...
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So many books are on the horizon! I am thinking about do a weekly post on books to keep your eye on called KB's books to pimp. How does that sound?

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Any new books you want to recommend?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth Book Review *Carrie Ryan*

There are not many books in my past twenty odd years of reading that have scared me to the point I was looking over my shoulder as I read, expecting the monsters from the book to be standing there. There are two books to this day that still send chills down my spine. One is The Stand by Stephen King. When I read that book, I tricked myself into believing that the US government created a virus that has wiped out half of mankind. The other is I am Legend, the short story by Richard Matheson about the last man on Earth trying to stay alive after the whole world has been transformed into flesh eating zombies.

I must admit that I hate everything to do with flesh eating zombies. I blame George Romero for Night of the Living Dead and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later. Everyone has their fears. Mine are the zombie creatures that are walking, mindless, essentially soulless beings with only the hunger for a human’s flesh.

The latest book by Carrie Ryan called The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a cross between M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village and George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. This book has tapped deep into my fears and psyche. Imagine the world filled with zombies who want to eat you? You have no where to turn, for they are all around you, crying in hunger, waiting for the right moment to attack. Imagine the only thing that keeps you from being infected by them and becoming one of them or becoming zombie food is a fence that keeps them out. What if that fence was breached and they were able to come through? This is the world young Mary lives in.

Mary has dreams. She dreams of the ocean her mother told her about. Mary has never seen the ocean or has left her village that is surrounded by a fence that keeps the Unconsecrated out. The Unconsecrated are flesh eating zombies who have taken over the world. Mary is not sure how long the world has been like this, perhaps it started around her grandmother’s time. But all Mary knows is that she longs to go to the ocean, to escape the moaning and scraping of the Unconsecrated. She is slowly dying inside because she has the need to see the world, to see if there are other people just like her living in villages, safe from the zombies who hunger for human flesh.

The forest beyond Mary’s village is called the forest of hands and teeth, named for the zombies who would love nothing more to rip apart human flesh with their hands and tear at it with their teeth. Mary is so alone because her father has gone missing while he was on a patrol of the fences. Her mother has slowly become insane because her husband may have become one of the Unconsecrated. She wants to join him. It is Mary’s responsibility to keep her mother away from the fence. But Mary fails in her responsibility and her mother is infected. Because of this, Mary’s older brother Jeb turns away from her. She is sent to The Sisterhood. The Sisterhood rules over the village with the talk of god and scripture. Because Mary has no man who wants her, she will become a sister.

Mary is well known for the stories she tells. Her best friend Cass enjoys hearing about the ocean. She thinks it is just a story, that there can not be an endless body of water where there are no Unconsecrated. Cass loves Harry, who in turn loves Marry. Mary cares for Harry as a friend but has a deep longing for Harry’s younger brother Travis. One day Travis is brought to the Sisterhood because of a broken leg. As Mary prays for him to heal, they fall in love. But Mary is promised to the Sisterhood and Travis began courting Cass. If Mary wants out of the Sisterhood, she may have to turn to Harry.

Day in and day out Mary cares for Travis and learns the way of the Sisterhood. The Unconsecrated are always there in the background waiting. Mary becomes even more isolated and lonely. But then someone from the outside enters the village! Mary notices a girl wearing a bright red vest being held in one of the rooms in the cathedral that the Sisterhood lives in. She finds out she is Gabrielle from the outside. Mary is overjoyed! There is a world outside the village! But then Gabrielle has gone missing and Harry comes and wants to marry her. Travis and Cass will be married also. All hope is lost for Mary. But that is not the worst of it. Gabrielle is back but now she is an Unconsecrated and she has broken through the fence along with the other zombies.

Mary along with Cass, Travis, Harry, Jeb, his wife Beth, and a small orphan boy Jacob and Mary’s dog Argos that Harry gave her as a wedding are the only survivors. Now they must find a way to stay alive. There is another path that is surrounded by more fences. But they paths are unknown; they lead to anywhere. If they don’t find another village, they will die in the fence tunnel surrounded by the Unconsecrated. This gives Mary hope because one of these fenced in paths may lead her to the ocean.

The Forest of Teeth and Hands is a chilling debut by Carrie Ryan. This is a book not for the faint of heart. There is death and destruction, filled with violence and fear. The fear is not surviving from the monsters whose only goal is to consume the living. But is this truly surviving? Mary doesn’t think so.

The heroine Mary is full of hopes and dreams, unlike her friends and family who are happy in their present circumstance. They marry not necessarily for love but for the survival of their race. They work for the common good. Mary is so very different from everyone around her. She wants to spread her wings and fly because she is slowly suffocating. On one hand Mary wants Travis, who only wants to be with her and nothing more. That is his dream. At one point he even asks Mary why isn’t having him and loving him good enough? Why does she try to reach an impossible dream? Mary’s yearnings are both a wonderful attribute and her downfall. She wants more than what she has. And because of that she suffers.

Mary is definitely not some flighty teenager on the cusp of becoming a woman. She has needs and longs for love and respect. She finds that with Travis. She wants to escape the chaos that surrounds her. The ocean may be the impossible dream to reach, but it keeps her alive and strong. If she doesn’t have that to look forward to, she will become like the Unconsecrated, doomed to walk the Earth, hungering for something she may never have.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is one book that stays with you days after reading. This is a young adult book, but the subject matter is more for older teens because of the adult matter. There are subtle scenes of sex that are handled really well, but the violence may really scare some readers. There is one scene with a zombie baby that made me stop reading for a moment because it was so unsettling.

This is the third book this year where I find myself torn between what grade it deserves. I had many questions because some scenes were not descriptive enough in their telling and some of the actions of the characters confused me. I believe The Forest of Hand and Teeth takes place one-hundred years in the future, but there is no technology or barely any records of the time before the zombie apocalypse. Also I was a bit critical when it came to Mary’s village, especially when the zombies attacked. There was really no plan “B”, as well as no real means of protection other then a fence. Also, how can such a village survive with no outside communication? In this time there are no such things as guns or other weapons to take out these zombies? Why would people cut themselves off from civilization? Mary may not be the one to find out these answers, but you would think the other villagers would be curious.

There is no happily ever after for Mary. Carrie takes a great deal of chances with the way things turn out with her characters, especially with the relationship between Mary and Travis. Mary isn’t the one who loses in all of this. It is actually Travis, because he loves Mary. He becomes the ultimate sacrifice because of her unrelenting desires and wants. There is a sequel planned for 2010 where all these questions these questions may be answered.

The Forest of Hand and Teeth is a book that makes your heart thump in your chest and makes you jump at shadows. Carrie Ryan, take a bow because you may have written the one book this year that will continue to give your readers nightmares for years to come. And I mean that as the highest compliment. (Delacorte Press)

Final Grade: B+

I also recommend you check out these out reviews:

Book Smugglers

Dear Author