Recipes and a look at her book! Welcome Mary Burton!

Today it is my pleasure to host a look at Best-selling author MARY BURTON's newest release, THE SEVENTH VICTIM. As well as sharing an excerpt, Mary's also sharing some of her wonderful recipes for you to enjoy over the Holidays!

We'll also be doing a giveaway for a paperback of Mary's novel, so do leave a comment and your email address for us to contact you!!

Now, a peek at the novel:

EXCERPT FROM MARY BURTON’S THE SEVENTH VICTIM

                 He pushed his cup away from him.  “I’m not sure how much more Texas coffee I can stomach.”

                 “I made this latest batch.  It will be good.”

                 “Good coffee in Texas?  I don’t think so.”

                 She cocked a brow.  “Be right back.”

                 Before he could answer, Danni vanished behind the counter.  She grabbed a new cup and carefully poured coffee into a mug.  She moved toward him with quick, purposeful steps and then set the mug in front of him.  “That’s good coffee.”

                 “Really?”

                 “I can’t write legibly, and I can’t cook a lick, but I can make coffee.”

                 He took a sip and found he was pleasantly surprised.  “Good.”

                 “Puhleez.  It’s the best.”

                 “I’m from Seattle.  We are ground zero for coffee.”

                 “As long as I’m on duty the coffee will be good.”  She took the half-full cup and set it on her tray.  “Enjoy.”

                 “Thanks, Danni.”  As she turned he said, “Hey, didn’t that girl that was killed work here?”

                 Danni’s eyes grew suspicious.  “Yeah.  You a reporter?”

                 Raines shook his head.  “God, no.”

                 “Cop.”

                 “Do I look like a cop?”

                 Danni arched a brow.  “Yeah.”

                 “Nice to see I haven’t lost that.”  At her confusion he added, “I used to be a cop.  Long time ago.  I guess the case caught my eye.  Hard not to ask questions.  Sorry.”

                 His honesty appeared to disarm her.  “No harm.  And for the record, I didn’t like what they said about her in the news today.”

                 “Straightforward enough.”

                 “I guess I just didn’t like the way they boiled her life down to bare facts.  She was so much more than that.”  Anger hardened her face, but there was no hint of tears.  “Her uncle is flying in tomorrow to claim her.”

                 “I feel for them.  I wouldn’t wish losing a child on my worst enemy.”

                 “Yeah, well.”

                 “What can you tell me about her, so I’ll remember more than the basic newscast?”

                 Danni’s voice grew softer.  “She was kind of corny.  Liked pink and singing Lady Gaga in the kitchen.  She was moving to New York.  I was kinda jealous of her.”

“You’ve got nothing to be jealous of, Danni.  You strike me as a sharp kid.”

She snorted a laugh.

“Was there anybody who might have wanted to hurt her?”

“Mack and I were talking about it, and none of us can think of anyone.  Like we told the Rangers, we’re all thinking it was some random guy.”  A customer at another table caught her attention.  “I’ve got to go.”

He watched as she moved toward another table and began to gather up plates.  Danni was a tough nut and no wilting flower.  Just like his daughter.

He could almost hear his wife now.  “That girl of ours is going to be a general one day.”

He sipped his coffee, thought of his wife, Susan, and how much he missed her, their daughter, and home.  Pushing aside a pang of guilt, he redirected his gaze to the patrons.

Within seconds he spotted a slight blond woman enter the café. She wore jeans, a T-shirt, and sandals and had a backpack slung over her shoulder.  She was as slight as a teenager, but she moved with a confidence that only came with maturity.

Lara Church.

Beck had been right.  She wasn’t the meek girl who’d fled Seattle seven years ago.  As a man approached her, Raines noted slight stiffening in her back as she extended her hand.  Her handshake was firm and her gaze direct.

She laughed as the graying gentleman in his fifties spoke.  After what looked to be a question, she pulled out a notebook and made a note.  They chatted another half minute and then she made her way to the diner register, where she ordered a coffee.  Just as quickly as she came, she was gone.

Lara Church, the Seattle Strangler’s last victim, had managed to rebuild her life.      

©Mary Burton

www.maryburton.com ● www.facebook.com/maryburtonfanpage ● www.kensingtonbooks.com

THE SEVENTH VICTIM

Mary Burton

Zebra Books/Mass Market Original/Fiction

February 2013/On Sale 1-29-13/$7.99 ($8.99 Canada)

978-1-4201-2505-4

The tradition continues!  Baker extraordinaire and bestselling author Mary Burton is once again sharing her favorite holiday recipes. This treat honors the protagonist of her next novel, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, with a recipe both delicious and memorable. 

Lara’s Church Lady Maple Cookies

1/2 pound (two sticks) butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Cream together butter and brown sugar.

Add the egg and mix well.

Add the maple syrup and vanilla.  

In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt and baking soda.

Slowly blend dry ingredients into butter- sugar mixture.

Spoon cookies onto a greased baking sheet, leaving room between them because they will spread.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Sit back and enjoy!

It’s true.  I’ve forgotten how many people I’ve killed already but the number keeps rising—least in my novels.  I’m delighted to say that no one has yet expired as a result of my passion for baking.

This one’s a family favorite that the kids expect to see multiple times during the holiday season.

    

I hope your family and friends enjoy Lara’s Church Lady Maple Cookies as much as mine do.

                                         

Dressed In White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2-3/4 cups flour

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup coconut

Confectioner's sugar

Cream together butter and sugar.  

Blend in coconut extract and egg.  

In a separate bowl mix baking powder, baking soda and flour.  

Mix dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture.

Add white chocolate chips and coconut.

Spoon onto a baking sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  

Dust with Confectioner's sugar.

Enjoy!

The romance between coconut and chocolate has made this recipe one that’s asked for time and again by my family and by those on my always growing holiday cookie list.  Even a few friends who say they don’t like coconut have a soft spot for these.

I always set a few dozen aside so we still have some left to enjoy as we ring in the New Year.  We pour the eggnog and champagne, sprinkle (probably too much) Confectioner’s sugar over them, and try to imagine what the next year will hold. 

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you and yours!

Mary

 www.maryburton.com ● www.facebook.com/maryburtonfanpage ● www.kensingtonbooks.com

THE SEVENTH VICTIM

Mary Burton

Zebra Books/Mass Market Original/Fiction

February 2013/On Sale 1-29-13/$7.99 ($8.99 Canada)

978-1-4201-2505-4

12 Days of Christmas SALE and an Interview With A Vampire!

Interview With A Vampire

First, I’d like to thank my friend April, as well as the ladies at my Facebook group and Talking Two Lips for the suggested questions for Demetri deVerieux from HUNTERS’ GAME:

The interview:

What do you and Cliantha look for in a person when you’re looking for a toy for the evening? Do you go for looks or lack of intelligence to make it easier for you to trap your prey and make them compliant?

Demetri: What do we look for? You mean apart from a warm vein? *raising an eyebrow to emphasize the sarcasm* What I look for, and let’s be clear on this, I select the prey, Clia is the bait. Intelligence makes the game more interesting and more satisfying. Anyone can lure a drunk or some poor bastard who’d jump at the chance to breathe in the same air Cliantha inhabits, to entice an intelligent human into coming to us willing is always a victory. Since we’re looking to indulge in an array of passions and hungers, appealing prey is preferred. Compliancy isn’t an issue, willing or not, I control this game and all the players in it.

Who turned you? How old are you? How did you hook up with Cliantha? Are you into the BDSM lifestyle or is it just with Cliantha that your inner caveman comes out?

Demetri: I was turned by Stavros almost 500 years ago. Cliantha is the reincarnation of the only woman Stavros ever loved. Several hundred years ago, I let her be killed to save my own ass, he was more than a little annoyed about it and we parted company for a couple of centuries. Clia is mine now. After I put Stavros in his crypt for the final time, she was broken. I offered her shelter. She’s entertaining, so I keep her.

Inner caveman? If you call a male who takes what he wants and makes it his, then perhaps I am. She knows better than to fight with me, she loses. And then I have to make her aware of who is the master and who is the slave in this relationship. *smiling* BDSM is not a lifestyle to males of my breed. We are masters, and you are our slaves.

What are you going to do about the glimpse of betrayal you’ve seen in Clia?

Demetri: *laughing* Clia is never going to betray me, she knows how painful my vengeance will be if she dares to attempt it. *shrugs* If she feels the need to test my patience, I’m certain it will be memorable for us both.

How did you and Cliantha meet? Are you satisfied with your existence as a vampire? Is there anything you wish were different? What's on your "bucket list"?

Demetri: Clia was devoted to Stavros when I met her, it was simply my wish that she belong to me not him. It took several hundred years, but I get what I want.

*eyes the interviewer and laughs* Satisfied with my existence? I can’t die, I have no laws to obey, can do anything and no one can stop me. What’s not to love? I have no bucket list, because what I want, I take. What I want to do, I simply do.

What is the relationship between you and Stravos? How did it come about? Is it an amicable relationship or strained?

Demetri: I’d hardly call it a relationship. His daughter wanted me as her pet, so he ripped out my throat, turned me and gave me to her. I gave him her heart while it was still warm once I got tired of her. I’d call our interactions strained for some reason.

Was there a time when having a normal life, growing old, having family, meant something?

Demetri: Yes, it meant growing old, getting sick, and dying. I can’t imagine why I didn’t want all that. *stands and smiles* Thank you so much for this fascinating conversation, stay off the streets later if you’d like to continue breathing.

And with the interview ended by our illustrious vampire, if you’d like to know more about him and his partner, check out their story. At the moment, if you purchase off the PUBLISHER site, you can get in on a great CONTEST!!

New Dawning Bookfair's Huge 50% off, Twelve Days of Christmas Sale & Contest is going on right NOW. All titles are  half priced and will remain so, until Christmas. Everyone who purchases a book will automatically be entered for a chance to win a dozen books of their choice. Those who choose not to purchase books can enter by addressing an email to us saying, "I'M IN!" along with their name and email address. Contest winner will be selected on Wednesday December 26.

HUNTERS’ GAME

From the PUBLISHER

(50% off until Christmas!)

AMAZON

ARe Romance eBooks

Bookstrand

In modern Toronto, two vampires stalk the night, their hunting a game that is seductive and deadly. In a darkly compelling Goth Club, they find the prey they seek for their pleasures, and the night runs crimson with blood and unquenchable thirsts....

Excerpt (non-adult for this blog):

A flicker of reddish blond hair caught her eye and her vampiric sight pierced the murky atmosphere, saw him smile at her from across the room. Already her body hummed with the knowledge that his hands would soon be on her skin, inciting a hunger that no one else could feed.

She brushed past the few who lingered near the top of the stairs, and skirted the metal bars that gave the place such a distinctive look. By the time she reached where he’d been, he’d vanished. Grinding her teeth, she whirled around and studied the crowd. Again, his pale presence drew her. One arched eyebrow rose in amused challenge.

“Your game is intriguing, love,” she whispered. He’d hear her despite the deafening music.

And which role do you prefer to play? Predator or prey? His answer whispered inside her head, and she grinned.

What does it matter? It always ends the same and I have never objected...

From the PUBLISHER

(50% off from now until Christmas!)

GUEST: J.W. Nicklaus

Can We Out-spend Our Discontent?

by J. W. Nicklaus

John Steinbeck's words prophetically float to mind: Now is the winter of our discontent.

As of this writing (which certainly won't coincide with your reading), the media are stepping all over themselves to quote economists who are injecting their mantra of the death-of-the-recession to all within earshot. Obviously there are way too many unemployed Americans who don't see eye-to-eye with their diagnosis. 

And here we go into the busiest capitalist orgy of the year—the holiday shopping season, and everything it entails. We’re conditioned... no... expected, to drop our fiscal wads over gifts for everybody we know. Sometimes, even for people we don't like, say at the office; that's got to be like chewing on sandpaper! Yet with so many out of work, and some even having their unemployment benefits expire, it amazes me even more this year that the retail barons still put on the full-court press of seasonal spending Bacchanalia. As a matter of course, I understand that for many retailers the holiday season is when they make the bulk of their money for the year. But for my money there are a number of things which they have yet to be able to profit upon, simply because they are indeed priceless:

The snow will still fall where it's cold enough to freeze the angels’ tears. 

Meals will be shared and memories created amidst the bare trees of winter and in close proximity to the warmth of a carefully tended fire inside, the frost on the windowpanes flickering from the glow within the fireplace.

Children will laugh as they play in the snow. 

And all of that comes to us regardless of the economic climate. Except for those of us who don’t live in snow country—we spray white stuff on our trees and eat snow cones instead. It’s the best you can hope for at lower elevations. 

But what if we took a decidedly simpler approach to the holidays, like before the over-indulgence of credit cards? 

What if we still hung our stockings by the chimney with care

And actually spent less than ever we’d dare

It’s not always the gift, rather the thought we find nice

Nurturing the human touch has no monetary price

And when trimming the tree keep it simple but complete

Use stringed popcorn, it’s cheap and good eats

And those holiday cards, sure they’re nice to get

But nowadays we text or send them over the ‘net

Many a consumer can say “Of money, we have little”

At times like these we can’t just meet in the middle

We all want the holidays to feel better, to dispel our worst fears

Above all the clatter we hope to be of good cheer

Perhaps the hard times can restore focus to the season

And remind us that to buy gifts really isn’t its reason

It’s more subtle

More soulful

Even quietly profound

It’s the one time of year we should feel better, all around

Though the weather may be chilly

And our wallets wafer thin

Remember that it’s not what you spend that’s important

It’s what bubbles up from within

Respectfully I suggest a return to simplicity,

The seasons trapping should reflect our plight

And God bless us all, every one of us

Trust in yourselves, not your dollars, America . . . and all will be right

About the Author:

J.W. Nicklaus attests to living somewhere between the city closest to the Sun and upon the precipice of Hell—but the winters are mild in Arizona. An avid reader and peerless amateur philosopher, he is “DNA and energy. I am cellular and soulful. I am shadow and light. I am carbon and water . . . and I am stardust. As are we all.” His singular ambition is simple: to leave the world a slightly better place than when he came into it.

J.W.'s latest book is the fiction drama novella, The Apocalypse of Hagren Roose.

You can find out more about J.W. at http://avomnia.com/about.html.

Or, visit him on Facebook 

About the Book:

Once a small-town success and happy family man, Hagren Roose finds his slide backwards at once abrupt and wrenching. His small-town mentality sets him on a journey of his own making, of which he has no control—and only he can atone for.

The Apocalypse ofHagren Roose Tour Page

The Hands of Tarot: SM Blooding

The Hands of Tarot
Series: The Hands of Tarot
by SM Blooding
Format: E-book & Paperback
Genre: YA Steampunk (Mature)
Length: 316 pages in paperback

Blurb:

She killed his father.

She imprisoned and beat him.

And now she thinks he’s her trophy.

Synn El’Asim will do almost anything to prove her wrong. But he’s only proving her right.

Queen Nix awakened his Mark of power and inducted him into the House of Wands. She knew what she was doing. The son of the two most powerful Families standing against her is the ultimate prize.

What she didn’t take into consideration was that maybe he was too strong for her.

Maybe.

The  Families aren’t. They’ve been weakened, and it’ll take a lot more than one young man with a powerful Mark to take on the Hands of Tarot.

EXCERPT: 

Queen Nix turned to me and smiled. “Do you wish to declare war, little boy?”

“Let them go,” I commanded, my voice ragged. “What have they done to you?”

She stalked toward me, her nose nearly touching mine, all semblance of beauty twisted with rage. “They refused to submit to me.”

I stared at her aghast, my hands clenched, my jaw tight. “So because you couldn’t control them, you’re going to destroy them?”

The rage turned cold across her features as she drew away, her shoulders back.

“Are you so weak?” The muscles in my cheek twitched.

Father took a step toward us. “Perhaps we can reach a mutual agreement.”

Someone in the cage screamed, the scream turning to ravaged sobs.

I let out a growl. “You will stop this!”

The queen turned her eagle-eyed stare to me. “I do not take orders from a mere boy.”

“Queen Nix,” my father started, “let us be reasonable.”

She took a step back and assessed him.

“The Umira have never been a harmful Family.” My father’s hands were wide at his side, his expression open. “They have always lived in peace with the Hands.”

Her eyes flared and she advanced on him. “You’ve allied yourself with them.”

Father’s eyes widened as he took a half step back.

I watched in alarm, unsure what to do. My father was the strongest man I knew.

The queen grabbed his coat and pulled his face close to hers. “The Umira have always been a peaceful Family, so imagine my surprise when they assaulted us with cannons and weapons.”

“They have the right to defend themselves, Nix.”

“Not against me.” She pushed him away and turned to her gathering guard. “Take him and his heathen son. Throw them on the pyre.”

My father drew his sword and faced the guard. “Go, Synn, now!”

Our men drew their weapons and stood by his side.

“I’m not leaving you, Father.” My sword was in my hand. I was ready to die an honorable death by my father’s side.

He backhanded me and roared, “You will protect our people, Synn El’Asim.”

I was torn. I wanted so badly to fight beside him, to protect him.

But my father had given me an order. One I could not ignore.

I turned and ran.

About the Author:

SM Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, their new addition, Mr. Bird, who’s a real bird. She likes to hike the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and is learning to play the piano and guitar. Currently, she’s trying to MURDER them both. Friends call her Frankie.

She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

She’s also an investigator with a 

local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!

Find out more about her at:

Twitter

Facebook           

Website/blog

Amazon – Kindle   

Amazon – Paperback    

B&N – Paperback   

Autographed copy  

Additional information

Goodreads

 

http://www.smblooding.com/

http://www.smblooding.com/the-hands-of-tarot/

REVIEW:

SM Blooding's new book The Hands of Tarot is a long and intricately plotted book that carries you along and keeps you turning pages. This is a steampunk YA (mature) novel, and the hero of the story is the focal point of this one. His strength and resilience will determine the fate of powerful families, and the Queen who is determined not to be bested by them. From the opening sentences, you get a sense of atmosphere, growth, and ever-deepening understanding of the characters who inhabit this world.

Synn El'Asim possesses the Mark of power, and the Queen has awakened it. She believes him to be hers, despite the fact that she's killed his father and imprisoned him. Nix has inducted him into the House of Wands, and believes him under control. But is he? Nix is the kind of creation that makes you turn pages wondering what she'll do next, seductive evil and powerfully fascinating at the same time.

The writing flows smoothly, is descriptive and engaging, a real plus in this age where everything feels rushed and glossed over. The book is also written in first person, which has a way of pulling readers into a story much quicker than many realize. There are connections to the Tarot Deck throughout, as the mystical cards are in fact key to the crafting of the story, as their symbolism and magic weaves with the tale. As with life, there are people you like, people you don't, and people that keep you guessing. This is the first of a series, so it's not all wrapped up nicely at the end. There is an excerpt for the next novel, The Knight of Wands, and it promises to be as absorbing and exciting as this first book.

All in all, The Hands of Tarot is a book I would recommend to YA readers and Adults, as well. It's rich in detail and attention, thoughtful, well-written, and delivers a satisfying story that will keep you thinking long after you've put the book down. By all means, check this book out and enjoy it!!!

And the WINNER of the ring is...

Rhonda D. is the winner of the Vampire Diaries ring. E-mail me, Rhonda, and we'll get your ring in the post to you ASAP.

BUT, since you were all so wonderful, email me HERE if you'd like this set of laminated bookmarks? I'll mail them out to you on Monday.

Please use Vampire Diaries Blog Contest in the Subject line of your messages everyone - thank you.

Thanks so much everyone for playing! And, later this month I'll be giving away another lovely piece of jewellery so watch for that contest!!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

**If the ring isn't claimed by next Saturday, I'll draw a new winner.

Nancy Northcott's RENEGADE

FOREVER YOURS PUBLISHES THREE TIME GOLDEN HEART AWARD FINALIST NANCY NORTHCOTT'S FIRST NOVEL, RENEGADE, AS AN EBOOK ORIGINAL ON SALE NOVEMBER 6th

Northcott Brings Romance, Suspense and the Paranormal to RENEGADE, the

First Book in her The Protectors Series

RENEGADE by Nancy Northcott

A Forever Yours E-book Original/ On Sale 11-5-12/$2.99/1-4555-2665-7, 978-1-455-2655-9

"Clever world building at a breathless pace...gripping."-New York Times bestselling author Dianna Love

"Darkly compelling...thrilling paranormal suspense."-New York Times bestselling author Patricia Rice

"Nonstop action...smooth prose, gripping emotion and dynamic characterization."

-Gerri Russell, Award-winning Author of A Knight to Desire

"A new writer to watch...I loved Renegade, and you will, too."

- New York Times bestselling author A.C. Crispin

RENEGADE, the first novel in three time Golden Heart Award Finalist Nancy Northcott’s The Protectors series, introduces one of Collegium council’s top sheriffs, Valeria Banning, the mage council's sheriff for the southeastern United States. Valeria doesn't just take her job seriously, she takes it personally. So when Griffin Dare, a notorious fugitive sworn to protect innocent Mundanes and mages from dark magic, risks his life to save her, she has to wonder why. To find the answer, she'll put everything on the line, starting with her heart.

Before Valeria can recover from the attack that almost killed her, evil forces are moving against them. Soon,  they're fighting side by side. What they are doing is forbidden, and when the council discovers they are working together, Valeria and Griffin  must run for their lives, and not just from the law.  Danger threatens at every turn  as they try to prevent the advent of a ghoul takeover, and struggle to find the traitor they believe is betraying the Collegium and working with ghouls to send unsuspecting mages to their death.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nancy Northcott has been a lover of comic books, science fiction, fantasy and romance since childhood.  An attorney, she left that profession to teach at the college level and to write. Now, she combines her passion for romance and high stakes in RENEGADE, her first published novel and the first book in her contemporary mage series.   She continues her story in GUARDIAN, which will be published in May 2013.

Nancy lives with her family in North Carolina. 

Excerpted from Nancy Northcott's RENEGADE, Book 1 in the Protector Series

                 Fire seared Val's eyes. With a gasp, she jerked upright, trying to open them.  Pain flashed through her body. She choked down a cry and fell back.

             At least she landed on pillows and a soft mattress. Definitely not ghoul hospitality.

             "Easy," a man's deep voice said at her side. A callused hand closed gently over her clenched fist. Mage power resonated in the touch. Like sunlight in her blood, strengthening power flowed from him. "You're safe now."

             Truth also vibrated in his touch. Along with...worry? Regret?  Before she could probe, his hand withdrew. She couldn't sense anything now.  He'd locked down his power and his emotions. She forced herself to relax.

             Her eyes wouldn't open. She raised a hand to her face and gasped at biting pain in her shoulder. Her fingers touched linen. Bandages. The air smelled of lemon verbena and lavender, healing scents. Homey ones, with a hint of bay leaf for protection? on the pillowcase. Not hospital smells. A droning noise and a stream of cold air hinted at a window air conditioner.

             "Venom in your eyes," the man said. "Sorry I can't heal them fully, but at least there's no organic damage."

             His deep voice gave her a tingly sensation, like velvet drifting over her skin, and warmed her inexplicably. She pushed herself up to sit.  The movement hurt pretty much everywhere, but she felt at a disadvantage lying down.

             He banked pillows behind her. Awareness of him, pleasant and also somehow familiar, prickled over her skin.

             "I'm Kyle Connor," he added. "You're at my home near the swamp."

             "Valeria Banning." She offered her right hand. He took it in a warm, firm grip but released it too soon for her to probe. Yet the vibes of his magic felt familiar. "Have we met before?"

             "We had a couple of reeve training classes together before I chose a different career. Do you remember the fight?"

             Ghouls. A tall, brave mage, who looked, who fought, like...but Griffin Dare had no reason to help her and every reason to let her die. With the damage to her eyes, she hadn't seen the man clearly. Maybe Connor only resembled Dare, with the same height, lean, broad-shouldered build, and jet-black hair. "I assume you rescued me. Thank you, so very much."

             Yet cold fingers of unease pinched her throat. Though her vision had been blurred from the injury, she'd seen that the man fought with a quarterstaff, an antiquated weapon almost no one used. In the Southeast, where people spoke with his accent, only Griffin Dare wielded one. She had best tread carefully.

Copyright © 2012 by Nancy Northcott

Watch the video here

LJXpress newsletter review column - RENEGADE

RENEGADE by Nancy Northcott

A Forever Yours E-book Original/ On Sale 11-5-12/$2.99/1-4555-2665-7, 978-1-455-2655-9

GUEST: J.E. Taylor

Natural Disasters…

I am writing this four days after Sandy hit the East coast. I’m one of the more fortunate people that is far enough inland in Connecticut to not have a huge impact this go around. The biggest impact we had at our house was a flicker of electricity on Monday evening. That isn’t true of the other side of our town which was out of power for a few days and schools were closed through Wednesday. Even so, for us this weather event was a far cry from last year at this time when we were crippled without electricity for a little over two weeks by the same type of snowstorm that hit West Virginia with Sandy.

As I watch the news and the devastation up and down the coastline from New Jersey through the shores of Connecticut, I’m astounded at what Mother Nature can do. I don’t ever remember New York City being as crippled as it was in this storm. The idea of an entire tunnel being flooded like the one from Brooklyn to the Battery is one that brings nightmares to mind. The mayor was smart getting people out of the city so early.

Can you imagine if they had scoffed at the weather reports and that tunnel filled during rush hour?

Well, as a horror and suspense writer, this what-if scenario brought forth a great many unwanted visuals in my mind and they were just as disturbing as the actual devastation viewed on the news lately. The flooding, the black out in the city, days without power, food, water and even gas in some places drives a great deal of fiction ideas, which for me, lands on the side of chilling.

Beyond the flooded tunnel, one of the ideas this has sparked in my mind centers around this question:

What would happen if the power grids in New York City were shut down for good?

I shudder at the possibilities this particular situation would bring forth, and yet, I can see a compelling story surrounding that type of catastrophe. A brilliant ‘What If’ that has been explored many times before, but my flavor of this would be revolved around the darker of the human elements.

So, along with a glimpse of the dark ideas this disaster brought to my mind, it also brought the sorrow for the losses people in those areas suffered. Remember, things can be rebuilt, lives can’t. You all are in my thoughts and prayers. I wish you well.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings today and I hope you are safe and surrounded by loved ones in the wake of this disaster.

In the meantime, check out my new Steve Williams release, Saving Face:

The Windwalker Serial Killer stalks the inlets of southern Maine for the next beauty to advance his collection and Special Agent Steve Williams is frustrated with always being a breath behind the slippery psychopath.  Escalating the pressure, Steve’s adopted sons, CJ and Tom Ryan, take teenage rebellion to an entirely new level, leaving Steve in an explosive situation.

When the Windwalker slaughters Tom’s ex-girlfriend, taking her face as a macabre trinket, Tom is found on the scene covered in her blood, with her scalped body draped across his lap.  Damning evidence against him is unearthed, his father's secret identity is about to be exposed, and he's charged with Tanya’s traumatic murder. To prove his innocence, their only hope is the worst-case scenario; for the Windwalker to harvest a new face.

SavingFace on Amazon 

SavingFace on Barnes & Noble 

SavingFace on Smashwords 

SavingFace on Kobo books 

Until next time…

Ciao

JET

Vampire Diaries Scavenger Hunt!

Yes, this is the prize up for grabs - a lovely replica of a very special ring featured in THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.

All you have to do to win is answer the following FIVE questions, and if you choose to answer the sixth question, you qualify for a Bonus Prize of the eBook of your choice from my catalogue.

I will pick a winner next Saturday. So, one week from today - and this is open to everyone, no restrictions on country. For the duration, all comments will be moderated, so you can put your answers into a comment, and I'm the only one who will see them. At the end of the week, I'll make the draw, announce the winner, and all the comments will show on the site here.

Thanks, and have fun. I bought this ring from a dealer in Hong Kong, via eBay, and it's truly lovely. It is adjustable, so it will fit anyone. I'll ship it in the box you see in the photo.

Good Luck to everyone - and have fun!

Questions:

How many novels were in the original series of books?

What are the two Unofficial books about the television series?

What is the name of Ian Somerhalder's Charity Foundation?

How many titles are listed on my website as specifically "vampire" in genre?

Of my current releases, which one fits this category?

Bonus Question: Who designed and created my beautiful website?