Moira Keith

Ellen Keener tempted me and I am now going to attempt to do the same to you….

Fugitive shifter, Aria Legreve, is always on the run. With her own life at risk, she helps a badly beaten shifter to his Pack, knowing the danger her meddling entails. Hoping to use her status as an Outcast and be set free, her world changes when she meets head on with no other than her Mate—who is dead.

Alpha Lukas MacLeod has been searching for his wife for the past year, until Aria walks straight into his lair. Fate intervenes and gives them a second chance. Caught up in an intricate web of lies and prophecies in the making for generations, Aria and Lukas must discover a way to balance the darkness in their world, but will their love be strong enough to save their pack and each other?

So I had the privilege of meeting this author through the Internet writing circles….and when I saw this title on her website (and after the drool had subsided), I just had to feature the book on Temptation Tuesday. Seriously, if for no other reason than to be tempted by the cover alone. Really looking forward to reading this one. If you are too, then pop on over to Decadent Publishing and pick it up!

Okay, I wanted a fun song… wasn’t feeling nothing. So I typed in top 100 songs… which led me to Yahoo Music, which I hadn’t perused videos on there prior to this. While there I came across this song and lord help me I couldn’t not watch it. What the hell? Not that I mind Katy Perry, because some of her music seems to have the toe tapping effect on me. I’m blaming the guy in the video on my inability to look any further for music to post on Monday. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Happy Monday everyone! Thanks to the parentals, I have a new computer and I am able to get back to the business at hand. WRITING!!!! Why is it that only being down a little over a week seems like seven years in writer years? Oh well, no use concerning myself with that business now. All is well in the world of Moira. Now to find all my files…..

Well, this is a little late in the day, but on top of holding out for any late commenters, my computer decided to die a very quick death. Yes I cried buckets of tears because as usual, yours truly did a back up to what I thought was my external drive and alas it was a big FAIL! It backed up to my computer. It is gone. Beyond repair. Dead. The sound of Taps is playing softly in the background as we speak.

However, all is not doom and gloom because we have a winner! Yes ladies and gents, the magic hat has spoken and Zina is the winner of the $15 MBAM gift certificate! Whooo hooo! Pary in the house of Moira! So little ray of sunshine Zina…. your prize will be on its way post haste.  Thanks again to my commenters, readers, and of course the lovely Fiona Jayde!

I have talked to several of my fellow authors and the consensus seems to be the same. We all loathe writing the much needed query letter. Have you ever tried to sum up a 90k story into say…. one to two pages? So not an easy task.

They are a necessary evil and I can appreciate the value in a well written query. It is very much like pitching your awe inspiring epic urban fantasy novel to an agent you met in an elevator and have 30 seconds to capture the awesomeness that is your book and sell it. Those authors out there who can do just that without struggling or sounding like an arse… I admire you.

I will master the query letter. I am determined to make it bend to my will. Ok, possibly not, but with each letter I write it has to get easier right? No doubt it is a learning process much like every other aspect of writing. So regardless of how difficult and daunting the task seems… I will keep on keepin’ on as my dear friend Molly McClain said (though on a totally non query letter topic. )

Hi all of you fabulous readers and fellow authors out there. Today I have the pleasure of hosting Fiona Jayde, the author of the upcoming book Night Haven, which if you recall from Thursdays post, I am quite anxiously awaiting the release of. So as if the cover, blurb, and excerpt on the Samhain site weren’t enough to tempt you, she pops in here today to discuss what inspired the book. Help me in welcoming Fiona to the blog and feel free to leave a comment or question should one pop to mind.

Fiona Dishes on the Inspiration for Night Haven~

I have a confession to make: I love Buffy The Vampire slayer. I rewatch it every year. So when we’re talking about vampires, my first thought is Angel. And Spike.

The show is just so rich in themes and ideas that speak to me. Throw in a smart mouthed kick-ass heroine, and I’m happy.  In fact it was an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which inspired the main theme of Night Haven and kicked off the Bloodwolf series – what happens to a vampire slayer when she looses her strength?

The idea fascinates me – always had, ever since I watched that particular episode for the first time. In the episode, Buffy looses her slayer-strength in a test to prove that even without her powers she is still a vampire slayer. I love this theme of someone who never wanted her destiny in the first place suddenly finding that she can’t be who she is without it.

In Night Haven, my bloodwolf heroine – Dina – looses her ability to shift after meeting Luke – the vampire hero and her sworn enemy. Unlike Buffy – who had her abilities consciously taken away from her by her reluctant watcher, Dina is unable to shift because of her conflicting desire for Luke, a vampire. And since in my world, bloodwolves shifting occurs as a result of a unified mind and body (there’s that Aikido training!), Dina’s internal conflict renders her unable to shift into her wolf form.

Similarly to Buffy, Dina must discover her own reasons for fighting vampires – and falling in love with one before she can shift in her wolf form.

To The Readers: who are your favorite super heroines?

Answer and be entered in a drawing to win a gift certificate for $15 from My Bookstore and More! Come on ladies and gents, start showing the love! The winner of the contest will be announced on Friday.

I would also like to extend a HUGE thank you to Fiona for taking the time to stop by and sharing her inspiration with us. I know inspiration comes in many forms, television shows, dreams, something you drove past when you were on your way to work, or an over heard conversation. I always find it interesting to see where others derive their inspiration for a particular story from. Night Haven will be released later this month, September 21st to be exact, by Samhain Publishing in eBook format. Be sure to pop on over there and get your copy when it does. The wait promises to be worth it from all I’ve read and heard so far! Get your entries in and be sure to leave me  a valid email address so that I can notify you if you won!

This one is for my best friend, Rissa who will no longer be a Miss in a few weeks. So exciting. Anywho, this is just a small reminder of a concert we went to. Really enjoyed these guys and hope you do too. And yes, I do believe I am ‘Ready to Roll’ into this week. Hope you all have a productive and most enjoyable day and don’t forget to stop by and visit Fiona Jayde who will be guest blogging on Temptation Tuesday tomorrow!

On that day, the strength of a nation was tested and it is still tested to this day. On that day and the many that followed, you could not drive or walk down a street without viewing a sea of red white and blue. The sea of flags has receded, but the memory and images will always remain. I have no words to share that would lessen the pain brought on by this day. I will not get into a political debate or tarnish the memory of those whose lives were lost on that tragic day in our nations history along with those who still are putting their lives on the line today. All I ask is that we remember the impact this event had on our country, the solidarity we felt as an American people after the towers fell, and that we continue to live with that strength and remembrance at our very core.

I told you I would divulge a little more information on my guest for this upcoming Tuesday and I am here to deliver on said promise. After rummaging around this author’s site, I am a bit beside myself. How do I compete with a woman who is a space pilot, a ninth degree black belt in three styles of martial arts, a computer hacker, a mountain climber, a jazz singer, a weight lifter, a superspy with a talent for languages, and an evil genius. Oh wait… it’s all in her head. Or so her website claims. (Perhaps she says the latter simply to make us all feel better?)

You are still wondering who this amazing woman is? Why none other than the loverly Fiona Jayde ladies and gents! She  has penned several stories which have now made their way onto my reading list. There is one though, that has made its way to the top of my must read first list and that is Night Haven, which releases September 21st from Samhain Publishing. Oh if I could only express how excited I am. If there were a webcam in my home you would see me bouncing up and down. After all, any book whose first line starts off with:

She should have kicked his ass after she’d kissed him—

Definitely tempts me to read further. More icing on the cake? It is the first in a series. Total joy overload! This is one author that I am sure you won’t want to miss, so stop by and show a little love next Tuesday. And go read a little more about her upcoming release from Samhain. Just click on the awesome cover and let it lead the way….

That’s how I feel lately. The day job has been chaotic which has left me drained at the end of the day. I missed music Mondays which is one of my favorite days and today I failed to do my tempting Tuesday post. Perhaps I will get one up later.
For now though I wanted to let you know that next week we will have an author popping in for temptation Tuesday. Hope you stop by. I will drop more information on this special guest on Thursday. Til then…

Yes today’s post is coming a little late in the day, but though I am not posting the hotties as frequently, I did feel this man deserved his turn in the spotlight. Many of you may recognize him as the oh so dangerous and tempting older brother on Vampire Diaries. If you don’t recognize him, well your a little late to the party, but I am a forgiving person. Just please keep the drool in check, as is my usual request.