Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick - Now in Print!!!

Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick, Book 1 in the Tales of Sydney Sedrick, is now officially available in Print through:
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.amazon.com
www.soulmatepublishing.com

Here's the back cover blurb:

After a rogue werewolf attack triggers her latent powers as the Selected, Sydney Sedrick is reluctantly dragged into a war of vampires and werewolves, both battling for total species domination. Each try to use her as their pawn and are willing to use any force necessary to gain control of her special gifts. For her protection, Sydney is armed with only her grandmother's journal and Blake, the sexy werewolf who insists they are meant to be together. In order to succeed, Sydney must embrace her destiny and join the battle to protect both sides from genocide. Caught between two very different worlds, belonging to neither, Sydney is forced to risk it all, or lose everything and everyone she holds dear.

Betrayal Bites - Book 2 in the Tales of Sydney Sedrick is now available on ebook

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The Delphi Bloodline by Donna Del Oro

I'd Like to welcome Donna Del Oro to my blog today!

Donna, what inspired you to write The Delphi Bloodline? 

Behind THE DELPHI BLOODLINE: My Personal Research into ESP Phenomena

                                    By Donna Del Oro

            It started with my cousin. She was a full-time, practicing psychic. People came from all over California for her “readings”, at which she claimed an approximately 85% accuracy. One day, while in my 40’s, I decided to get a reading from her.  Extremely skeptical—although I’d known her all my life and knew she wasn’t a con artist—I arrived, fully expecting a lot of lucky guesses on her part.  An hour later, I left dazed and confused. How did she know that my husband and I were deliberating over which of two investment opportunities to take. We hadn’t mentioned this to anyone, not even anyone in my family or my husband’s.   The one my cousin advised against—and which we didn’t take, fortunately—ended up in bankruptcy a year later. There were other revelations that day that proved true in the months to come.

            And so, I became intrigued by this strange phenomena known as ESP, or sometimes psi. Whatever you called it, it was known as “extrasensory perception”. My cousin claimed to be a “clairvoyant”, or able to “see” what most humans cannot see. Her insights into people, their health, and other personal facts were amazing to me. People in my family both welcomed and dreaded her phone calls. It was often: “You’ve got diabetes,” “You have a cancerous tumor in your bladder. See a doctor immediately”, “Your appendix is infected. Get yourself to a hospital now!” One close friend of the family received one of her calls. She told her that her brother was dying of cancer and that this friend should call him as soon as possible. The friend insisted that her thirty-five year-old brother was perfectly healthy and they’d just spoken days before. However, my cousin persisted and prevailed, even over objections of the friend’s brother. Two weeks later, the friend’s brother called back. He’d seen a doctor, had gotten a series of tests, and his prognosis was grim. He died a year later after a valiant battle against cancer.

            When I probed my cousin, she explained the genesis of her visions and revelations. As a child of eight, she began having dreams. Some occurred at night while she slept, while others happened as daytime visions.  A recurring vision puzzled her but one day it suddenly made sense. Her parents—my aunt and uncle—had announced that they were moving to Hollister, California and had just bought a house with property attached. My cousin “knew” what it looked like and proceeded to describe it to her parents, who hadn’t shown pictures of it to anyone. What she described, from the house to the trees, driveway and outbuildings, matched the place her parents had just put a down payment on.

            After that, the family believed my cousin to have a gift from God. That experience prompted me to open my mind and begin a thirty-year exploration into ESP. What I’ve learned has convinced me that clairvoyance does exist, and that perhaps to some extent, precognition. Many people have incredible, intuitive abilities and many share this gift with others, at no intent of monetary gain but simply a desire to help others. A poll cited in the Journal of Parapsychology showed that at least sixty percent of Americans believe that they have had at least one psychic experience in their lives.

            The difference between a true psychic and a charlatan, or someone who uses trickery and seeks profit or notoriety?  Only one does it for monetary gain. True psychics, as do the psychic women in THE DELPHI BLOODLINE, share their gifts quietly and gratuitously.

            Like my cousin.

Okay, I'd definitely listen to your cousin!

Now, can you tell us a little about your novel, The Delphi Bloodline? 

Present day descendants of the ancient, psychically powerful Delphi bloodline face the threat of extinction when an evil tycoon hunts them for his own nefarious intent, a global spy network.

When artist Athena Butler, the modern-day descendant of a powerful, ancient bloodline of psychic women, realizes she’s the target of mysterious and dangerous kidnappers, she gets help from strange sources—the spirit of an ancient ancestor and a handsome man who claims to be one of her bloodline’s Guardians. Her mental powers and his brawny skills keep them one step ahead of the mastermind behind these kidnappers. Until the time when an FBI task force decides to use Athena as bait.

Sounds like a great read, Donna!

Now, let's get a sneak peak into your novel :) 

“Maybe you’re too focused on that homicide case,” Athena stressed. Her mother had no idea the danger she was putting herself in. First-hand experience had taught Athena that working with the cops was a dangerous business. Let them do their work and solve their own cases.

I’m done with all that.

Her mind darted back to the vision in her dream. She took a deep breath and steadied her voice.

“I saw you in your car, Mama. You stopped to get out. A black car pulled in front of you and another one—a long white one—blocked you in back. There was a woman driving the car in front and she was with men who had guns.  Someone grabbed you and carried you to the white car. I could smell salt water and then they took you away. Some place far away. And then I was in the mountains, the Sierras, searching for you.”

Athena bent over, clutching the cell phone, her lifeline to the one person she loved most in the world.  Her stomach cramped into a hard ball.

There was silence. “Mama, go home,” she repeated.

“Okay, Thena, I’m turning back toward the freeway. The harbor shops are on my left. Remember that eight-sided tower, the one with a great view of the harbor and breakwater. The octogon tower. You remember going there on your last visit here, don’t you?”
More silence followed then as an image sprang to Athena’s mind. Yes, they’d had lunch there…

Her mother gasped loudly.  A screech of brakes, metal crunching, glass breaking. Her mother cursing a blue streak in her native Italian.

“What happened, Mama? Are you all right?”

“Yes, dear. Just a stupid fender bender. Merda! Daniel’s going to throw a fit. My second one this year! I’m getting so distracted with these cases—not paying attention to what I’m doing. I swear this car pulled right in front of me, cut me off. It’s not my fault this time.”

More angry muttering followed.

“Dio, I really smashed up that rear end! Thena, I’ll call you right back as soon as I exchange insurance information with the driver. Be right back, Thena.”

“Mama, don’t get out of the—”

The line went dead.  With a cry, Athena sank to her knees on the cold, tile floor. Shivers of dread rippled through her. Her mind went numb with panic.

For God’s sake…Think! Get help!

This sounds like a great read, Donna, can't wait to get my copy! Best wishes in all your writing adventures and thanks so much for visiting on my blog today :) 

Sizzling Summer Reads Party July 1 - July 31

http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php

Okay all you romance lovers and paranormal fans who just can't get enough, you have got to check out the Sizzling Summer Reads Party over at The Romance Reviews blogsite. Over 400, yes, that's 4 times 100, authors and publishers are giving away great prizes! There are games to play and points to rack up, so go on over and get started! Personally, I love the match game with all the cool covers :) Good luck, hope you find some new authors/novels that you can fall in love with. Happy reading :)

Where to Draw the Line: Romance vs. Erotica

In honor of the release of my second novel, Betrayal Bites - yes, release date is today! - I decided I wanted to delve into the discussion of when a novel is categorized romance, and when it's slapped with the label of erotica. Personally, I think I write romance, and there's always heavy paranormal elements to it. But then I got to thinking, maybe what I write could be considered erotica? I mean, if a love scene is built up to, and then the big 'penetration experience' is missed or only implied, that's considered romantic, right? I've begun to think that's no longer the case. While writing Betrayal Bites, I have to admit, my goal was to make the reader want to go and find their lover and go at it, I wanted to make the reader so hot they had to do something about it ;) Is that erotic? I don't think so. For me, and how I look at my writing compared to others, well, I think the best way to look at it is if there is penetration, fine, still romantic, but the inclusion of toys, and I'm not talking to pain inducing kind in the BDSM novels that are now rampant in the top sellers' lists, I'm talking stimulation toys, 'enhancing' items that help explode one's level of pleasure they experience during love play, now that's erotic.








Because today is a big release day for me, I wanted to also include the back cover blurb for Betrayal Bites, available at www.soulmatepublishing.com, and amazon and BN.com in the next few days!







Blurb: Sydney Sedrick, cursed with the powers of the Selected, is monitored by the vampires and werewolves who covet her abilities to rid the city of one another. Sydney receives a summons to attend the Blood Rites Ball, an Elder vampire ceremony to determine her fate. The Midwestern Werewolf Pack demands her loyalty, while Blake, the heir to the wolf pack, is adamant she is his life-mate, meant to be together, forever. To make matters worse, an insider is betraying the vampires, leaking information to the rogues, who want Sydney dead.

For The Love Of A Gypsy Lass - by - Juliet Chastain

Greetings, fellow romance readers and writers. I am in the middle of writing a series of short stories called Gypsy Lovers. One has been released and more to come each month. These are sexy 99-cent novellas, set in the Regency period about Gypsies and the English men and women love them.

I wanted to do some stories in which totally inappropriate, culturally, and socially mismatched men and women find love together. I've always been fascinated by the Romani people, Gypsies, who for a thousand years traveled around Europe and were very separate from, and often despised by and even persecuted by, the people among whom they lived.

A Proper Lady's Gypsy Lover is available at Breathless Press!

Amazon
All Romance eBooks and at many e-book stores

For Love of a Gypsy Lass will be released soon and available as above

To learn more about upcoming stories or about me: julietchastain.com While you're there, check out my other short romances: The Captain and the Courtesan and The Cry of the Wolf. You can also find me on www.facebook.com/JulietChastain or Twitter@julietchastain


In the first book, A Proper Lady's Gypsy Lover, we have Lady Lucy-Ann who is a hellion. She does not want to be a proper lady although her relatives require it. What she wants is to roam free and swim and fish and ride astride. And most of all she wants to be with her childhood sweetheart the handsome Gypsy, Liberty Wood. Liberty is the caring kind of man who will do anything for the people he loves, but he's also a gambler, a horse trader, and an adventurer. Of course, he adores Lucy-Ann but is a totally unsuitable suitor.


In the second book, For Love of a Gypsy Lass, we have a bored-out-of-his-skull English nobleman, Lord Harry Beresford who has simply had it with his luxurious and dull existence and the noble and dull ladies he is supposed to court. He falls hard for an itinerant Gypsy singer called Talaitha Grey. He assumes she can be easily seduced by his wealth and prestige, but to his surprise she's not the least bit interested in any of that—although she is, against her will, attracted to the man behind it all.

Somehow these characters must find their way to happily ever after—and they do so in unexpected ways.

And Thank you Juliet for taking time out of your very busy writing schedule! Can't wait to see what's coming next!

Effective Dialogue Tags by Ann Montclair

I have a problem. I like dialogue tags. Why simply “he said,” “she said,” when he can “shout,” “aver,” “repudiate” or “concur”?


My editor taught me this simple lesson. The more complicated the dialogue tag, the more the author is telling not showing. In fact, she believes no dialogue tag is the best dialogue tag. It should be clear from what is being said who is saying it and how.

‘“I don’t care about you,” he frostily declared before exiting the room.’ is better as ‘”I don’t care about you.” His shoulders rose as he inhaled sharply, turned his back, and strode out the door.’

The first way tells, and the second way shows. Big improvement, huh?

I love big, fancy, complicated words. Being a professor, they are my cache, my favorite currency. But if my reader needs a dictionary to read my book, I’ve failed. I can expound in the classroom, but in my novels, I have to be clear, concise, and evoke emotion. And since frustration is not what I’m after, the fancy dialogue tags had to go.

If you read my newest book, you’ll see I’ve learned her lesson…well, almost learned it anyway. I’m a work in progress, and I hope as time goes by, my writing and my stories get better and better.

Ann’s latest book is One Wet Summer

Maura Fields loves her uncomplicated, independent, single life, but things quickly change when a summer vacation opens the door to an unexpected world of passion and desire. Wealthy Savannah hotelier Ben Driscoll had his playboy lifestyle upended when his ex-wife died, entrusting him to care for their daughter—a child he sequesters and vows to protect from future heartache and disappointment. Can the wall Ben has built around his heart withstand the assault from the intriguing, beguiling Maura, or will it crumble, leaving him vulnerable to the undeniable attraction and unbridled need to make her his own?



One Wet Summer is available at--

Musa Publishing

http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=285

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/One-Wet-Summer-ebook/dp/B008600R6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337956948&sr=1-1

All Romance ebooks

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html

Please visit her at http://www.annmontclair.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnnMontclairFanPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AnnMontclair


Ann, thanks again for taking time out to visit my blog today, I absolutely love your discussion on dialogue tages! Great tips from a great author :)   Can wait to read One Wet Summer!

Knee Deep - Jolene B Perry - New Release Blog Tour

Thanks for stopping on my blog today, I know how busy it can be with a new release, can you tell me a little about Knee Deep?

Knee Deep Summary
Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.
Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.
Sawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.

Here's a post from Jolene about her writing experience:
Sometimes a story is more personal than you expect it to be.

I read an article in an online newspaper that talked about the YA books coming out that year which dealt with abusive relationships.
I'd part mapped one out a while back, and thought maybe I'd work on it - all evidence that the market had just gotten an influx of them didn't sway me the way it should have…
The more I wrote in the story, the more personal it became.
I was not ever hit by my boyfriend in high school. He never screamed and yelled at me - though I heard him trashing his room a few times when I left after an argument, and he didn't hesitate to show me when he was pissed about something.
He'd pick fights with me over the phone and hang up, knowing it meant I'd sneak out to "straighten things out."
There was one really horrible night with him that I'd blocked from my mind for a long time, that I remembered when I was writing, so I used it.
I see these cases my husband talks about with women who are beaten and bruised and making up excuses and going back over and over. One ended in murder a couple of weeks ago. A case my husband will be prosecuting when it goes to trial.
The abuse story I told is nowhere near that dramatic, but so much of Ronnie's story was mine. WAY more than I realized while I was writing it. When I got to the end, and started writing down the parts of her story that were real (I always do this for my author site), I realized more and more how much of me was in that girl.
I stared at my computer screen in shock.
I had one of my best friends, who was a guy, who I shared more with than I probably did to most of my girlfriends - (like Luke from Knee Deep) and a boyfriend I'd known since I was a kid (like Shawn from Knee Deep) And I felt this draw to my boyfriend, only because I'd known him for so long, not because we really had anything left in common.
I felt more like I was stuck in this relationship, and didn't even realize I didn't want to be there until I visited a friend in college and saw how much more LIFE was out there. It was just that the idea of this one person had been in my head for way too long.
And where did I end up? Married to the best friend.
People talk about writing what you know, and then talk about keeping yourself out of your books. But you know what? I KNEW that situation - and I know I'll get some bad reviews (like you always do - ESPECIALLY when you tackle a tough topic) that are going to say that Ronnie's actions weren't believable.
But here's the thing - I told her story, the best way I knew how. Ronnie's reactions with pieces of my truth. And there are some drastic differences, but there are also some startling similarities. So, to me, Ronnie's actions were completely and totally understandable.
And that's the story of how Knee Deep came to be.

Okay, I want more! Here's more from Knee Deep, check it out!
My front door opens. “Hello?” Shawn calls.
“In here!” I say back. Suddenly this feels weird. Why would this feel weird? This is just what happens when one of us is stuck at home. Why would today be any different? But my heart’s beating against the inside of my ribs, trying to tell me this is different.
Luke scoots away from the couch. Does he feel it too? That maybe him and me hanging out alone for the day might not have been the best idea?
Shawn steps through the hallway and scowls when his eyes meet mine and then pass to Luke. This shouldn’t be a big deal. Except...I’m so stupid. I was just thinking how I needed to make Shawn’s life outside of his house less stressful, and part of me knew it was weird that Luke was here without Shawn. I thought it, and did nothing. But again, it is just Luke.
“What’re you doing here?” Shawn asks. His dark eyes fix on Luke.
“I figured you’d be here, man.” Luke stands up. “It’s like we always ditch together, right?”
Romeo and Juliet kissing in the pool on the TV screen probably isn’t helping anything. Maybe Shawn won’t notice, or maybe it’s just sending my heart into crazy flutters because this tension between Shawn and Luke and, I guess, me, is happening during the most romantic scene of the movie.
“Uh, I don’t know.” Shawn’s still scowling, his brows pulled low and his jaw tight.
“You would’ve hated it,” I say. My eyes catch his, but his are as black as his mood seems to be. I’m so stupid. Why did I have to let Luke stay?
“Yeah, maybe.” Shawn’s narrowed eyes go from Luke to me, back and forth, as if judging the situation. Really? What did he think could possibly happen between Luke and I? Even if this is suddenly on my top three ‘most awkward moments’ ever. I can’t even think about what the other two might be. Maybe I’ve just found number one.
“Romeo and Juliet all day.” Luke laughs, but I know him well enough to see he’s trying really hard to be relaxed. His shoulders are too stiff, and his normal stance is too rigid. I wonder if Shawn sees it too. “Guess I’ll leave you two alone.” Luke’s trying hard to keep his voice light.
“Yeah.” Shawn has yet to return Luke’s smile. “I almost never see my girl anymore.”
It’s like I’m on the edge of my seat, tension pinpricking every part of me. I’ve never seen Shawn like this.
“Well, I should get my ass to rehearsal anyway.” Luke gives Shawn a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading outside.
I don’t watch him go. My eyes are on Shawn, trying to figure out what to expect next.
"What the hell was that?” His sharp gaze is now pointed directly at me.
to the side, trying to be relaxed. “It didn’t seem like a big deal this morning.” Maybe if I play it off as nothing Shawn won’t be so mad. He knows Luke and I are friends. No big deal, I tell myself again. But I don’t know if I’m trying to convince myself or Shawn.
“Was he here when we were texting?” he asks. His voice may be low, but not in a good way. It’s low in a way that makes him sound like he’s past the edge of reasonable anger.
My body’s screaming for me to take a step back, which makes no sense. This is Shawn. My Shawn. “No.” But I’m weakening by the second, almost shaking inside. His jaw tightens again.
It was as I remember, and dread fills my chest. “He got here as I sent my last one.” Is that bad? Good?
“And you didn’t think to tell me? What the hell is that?”
I jump at the sharpness of his voice. Shawn doesn’t need this stress. I know this. I reach forward to put my arms around him. We just need to hold one another for a minute, then it’ll all be fine.
He stops me, grabbing my arm—hard—just above my wrist.
“This is not okay.” His jaw is set.
“Hey.” My voice shakes. My body shakes. I’m actually scared of Shawn for the first time ever. I jerk my hand once, but he tightens his grip...impossibly tight. My lungs can’t pull in a breath; there’s just not enough air in the room anymore. “Shawn, you’re hurting me.” He can’t mean to hurt me. He can’t.
His face is stuck in a sharp scowl.
“He’s your friend.” My voice is crying. I want to try and pull my shaky arm out of his grasp again, but I’m afraid to; he’s squeezing so hard. Tears are hot against the back of my eyes, threatening to spill over. How would you feel if I spent all day with some chick?” The words come out as angry spit from between his teeth.
I open my mouth to answer but can’t, the lump in my throat has taken over. All I can think about is that I need to find something to say so he’ll let me go. Some way to get the air through my throat to form words. “It’s just Luke,” I plead, sucking in a breath.
“Whatever.” He throws my arm back at me, turns, and walks out the door, slamming it hard behind him. My body jumps at the sound.
I stumble backward onto the couch. I’m like a leaf battered about in the wind. Nothing’s working right. I need to sit. Normally I’d run after him, but I have no idea what to expect. And I’m afraid. Of Shawn.
He’s never been that way before. Ever. He’s moody and particular, but this seems...extreme. I’m cradling my wrist with my other hand, afraid to look at any possible damage. It hurts to move it. What just happened here? How did it happen?
It’s like there suddenly must be something fundamentally wrong with the universe. But the TV’s still on. My house looks normal and quiet. I’m still breathing, but Shawn, my Shawn, just hurt me. Lying down seems so anti-climactic, but I can’t bring myself to do anything else.
When Juliet realizes Romeo’s dying the sobs take over, and I pull my knees to my chest as if making myself smaller will somehow dull the pain.
It doesn’t.

Here's a little about the author:
Jolene Perry's Bio:
Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.
After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible. - Wow, Jolene sure if a busy lady :)

She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.

Here are some cool websites to check out to learn more about Jolene and her new release!
Knee Deep web site:
http://knee-deep-book.blogspot.com/

Knee Deep Twitter hashtag:
#KneeDeep

Knee Deep GoodReads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12987551-knee-deep

Jolene Perry's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002038196677

Jolene Perry's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/JoleneBPerry

Jolene Perry's Website:
http://www.jolenebperry.com/

Jolene Perry's Blog:
http://www.jolenesbeenwriting.blogspot.com/

Jolene Perry's GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4944599.Jolene_B_Perry

Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com/

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Okay, where can we buy your book?
Kindle Buy Link - 2.99$
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XW8JLK/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20

Nook Buy Link:
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&subid=&offerid=239662.1&type=10&tmpid=8432&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%252Fw%252Fknee-deep-jolene-perry%252F1110433794%253Fean%253D2940014556149