Vampires

When I was a child, my brothers would love it when I'd read them ghost stories. We would set up a tent in the house or one of the bedrooms (clothesline and a sheet, nothing fancy). The dogs would curl up next to us and we'd sit around while I read stories. They begged me to read something scary. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was a favorite. It's a great book full of short stories. :D I remember watching their faces as each story moved toward the end, loving the way their eyes widened and breathing changed. When the scare point happened, they nearly threw themselves out of tent. The dogs would get in an uproar, and I'd laugh until a grumpy adult came out to scold us for being so loud. LOL! I never told my brothers how reading the story to them made it seem less scary to me, but I loved it! That one book hooked me on the scare, the wonder of something else being out there. Horror movies, ghost stories (tragic, romantic, or scary), RL Stine, Christopher Pike, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, etc. fed my growing obsession. Over time I'd read most of the ghost stories out there and drifted away for a while, hoping there would be a surge of them again. When I found Ghost Whisperer, my love of ghost stories reawakened. I picked up all the ghost stories I could, but was left disappointed. Available May 31st!I was talking with Ditter Kellen about my frustration over it. I wanted to read a particular type of ghost story and it was nowhere to be found. She suggested I write it myself. Now, why didn't I think of that? We talked about it, talked it over, got really excited about it, and then decided to write it together. Our writing partnership was born on this one little ghost story. Ditter Kellen and I wanted to write a ghost story that would draw the person in, make them want to believe in the supernatural, and give them a sexy, incredible romance. I think we did that with Haunting Melody St. Claire. It was our first book together (though another one came out before it).Haunting Melody St. Claire, coming May 31st.Melody St. Claire doesn’t believe in ghosts. Until a fire destroys her whole world, forcing her into a beautiful haunted house and the territorial domain of one very real, incredibly mysterious resident spirit.Sexy Travis Santiago haunts the walls of his family home. Resigned to being alone, he merely exists in a place between the living and the dead until the frustrating little brunette enters his life and his heart. He can give her what she needs, if she would just believe.The passion he ignites threatens to consume her, heart and soul, but may not be enough to hold back the nightmares. And Melody can’t possibly hope to spend forever with a man who is already dead.A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

The Blurb :In a world where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires swim free in a sea of humanity, sometimes you need an edge. Looking for a little love? Need some luck? Desperate for revenge? Gage can give you what you need. The most talented tattoo artist in town, he knows the right symbol and the right mix of ingredients and ink to achieve your heart's desire. One tattoo is all it takes. But remember, everything has its price. . . . Gage learned that lesson long ago, in ways he'd rather not remember. But the cruel and powerful wizards in the dreaded Ivory Towers he escaped aren't about to let him forget. Though Gage has managed to stay out of sight, he can't outrun the past forever.The wizards know Gage is using forbidden magic, and they intend to punish him for his transgressions. Too bad if innocent humans and monsters-entire cities-get in the way. They will quell a nascent magical uprising and Gage will be the sacrifice they need. First, though, they have to find him .My Thoughts :If you asked me what series has really made me go wow lately then my answer would be the Asylum Tales. I didn't ever expect to have the same amazed feeling as I did when I discovered the Elemental Assassin Series or the Women of the Otherworld but the Asylum Tales are really making me realise that there are still some great and original ideas still out there because Jocelynn Drake has caught one and I am happily going along for the ride.There are so many great things about this series so far and Dead Man's Tale is only the second book. Firstly the characters are just so friendly and somehow familiar. Like people you have known all your life. There is no need to get to know them because you instictively know and understand them. Then there is the location. A tattoo shop may not be everyones cup of tea but this line of work with all the magic involved may not be original but it makes this series special. Then we come to the Urban Fantasy angle of things. The elves, trolls, wizards and everything else so fantastically fantasy are all included in this unusual concept just keep me more than satisfied.Dead Man's Deal sees the continuation of the story and problems of Gage and his partners. There are some interesting developments in all areas and it was good to see how Gage deals with all the magical crap that gets thrown at him while the plot unfolds. There are some nice little twists and turns wrapped inside the plot and they make for spectacular reading. I enjoyed every minute.Action packed and not to be missed this is a series that is really taking my breath away. If you are a fan of Jocelynn's then you have to read this series but if you haven't tried her work before then you will grabbing for everythign she has ever written once you get a taste of this series. I suggest trying one of the novellas if you want to try before you buy. I know you won't regret it.The Asylum Tales are Urban Fantasy at its best. There are not many other authors or series that really make me want to highly recommend their books but this is one I can't wait to suggest to people. This is a must read series and I can't wait till the next book comes out to see what happens next. I will be begging the publishers for an advance copy if I don't find one somewhere from my own sources. This is a series I am going to be raving about for years to come and it has only just started! Amazon.com Widgets ? Grab this Headline Animator

Join us tonight at midnight ESTFriday May 24/Saturday May 25Bewitching Book Tours Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bewitching-book-tours12 midnight EST Saturday morning, Friday night Central time 11 pm, Mountain time 10pm, west coast Pacific time 9pm, Alaska time 8pmHow I came to write the Magic Seasons seriesI’d love to say the series was planned and plotted, but in truth it wasn’t. At the time I typed that first letter, I hadn’t even written anything other than the odd poem for about ten years. The actual idea to sit down and write a book started as me trying to get the last word in on a friend.My close friend and I both worked from home in 2006 when From Beltane Magic was written and at that time we spent nearly every day together, whether online or short road trips, even working together. In the fall she decided she was going on a trip to see family in the states and was going to be gone more than a month. I was devastated and had no idea what I was going to do with myself while she was away. When I asked her that question her reply was ‘write a book’ … so I did.A month later when she returned I was on the second book and the story was just flying onto the pages. My friend read the first story, and I’m sure she expected a joke in some way and it was my surprised when she was honestly shocked that I had an actual story, with plot—and a good one at that. The rest they say is history.Where did I get the idea for the plot? At first I didn’t really have a plot, just ideas and experiences to put onto paper. The series really started to form when I began to figure out the characters. I had just spend two years traveling around to various pagan festivals and met some rather fantastic people along the way. While I didn’t base my characters on any one person I met at this time, it clear that each character is a mix of many from that time. I really wanted to share all the knowledge I had obtained in this time and even though I didn’t have the thrill of seeing some of the fabulous things my characters can do, the underlying pagan beliefs are there weaved in the story.Of course I was as shocked when my sweet paranormal romance turned into something entirely different and the first murder victims were discovered on that damp morning of the Beltane gathering.***The characters from The Magic Seasons seriesI fell in love with each and every one of them. For almost two years while I was writing this series they were with me all the time, whether I was working, trying to fall asleep or making dinner. I didn’t want to let them go and deep down inside I haven’t, there will be more to the series later, much later.While each character is in all of the series, with news being added in later on, I tried to focus on a couple in each book so we could really get to know them. I didn’t plot their pasts, I sat down and found their names and general personality and then let them come to life and share with me what they were all about.This is why I fell in love with all of them:In From Beltane Magic:Leena is so calm and serene at times writing her scenes and just typing her dialogue made me feel a peace, it was quite amazing to experience. Aileena (Leena) is a woman that is gentle in everything, her personality and moods. She always feels maternal with her closest friends and would go out of their way to look after any one of them. Her ability of controlling the elements and knowledge of plants make her magic abilities strong and unbreakable. She is a leader at work and in life, always working hard to keep those around her close, but never allowing anyone to get too close.Owen is the strong, silent type of male. He reminded me of a giant teddy bear when I was writing his parts. Who doesn’t love a teddy bear? Owen is a man that reflects humor and cavalier vibrations to others, he is gentle and caring as is his ability to draw negative and heal others. If you didn’t know him, you would never realize he came from violence. Knowing how

May 17 Guest blogRomance on a Budgethttp://suzannerock.wordpress.com/May 17 InterviewPembroke Sinclair. pembrokesinclair.blogspot.comMay 20 InterviewLove in a Book; http://www.loveinabook.comMay 20 SpotlightThe Stuff of Success http://www.thestuffofsuccess.comMay 21 Guest blogThe Creatively Green Write at Home Momwww.creativelygreen.blogspot.comMay 22 Guest blog and reviewhttp://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning/May 22 Guest blogMarsha A Moore’s BlogMarshaAMoore.blogspot.comMay 22 SpotlightWhatever You Can Still Betray http://whateveryoucanstillbetray.blogspot.comMay 23 InterviewRoxanne’s Realmwww.roxannesrealm.blogspot.comMay 23 Spotlight and reviewFaerie Tale Bookswww.faerietalebooks.orgMay 24 InterviewBooks & Taleshttp://www.booksandtales.blogspot.co.uk/May 24 SpotlightShare My Destinyhttp://sharemydestiny.blogspot.comAphanasian StoriesRhonda ParrishGenre: FantasyISBN: 978-1481249478Number of pages: 182Word Count: About 56,000Cover Artist: Darek ZabrockiAmazon RhondaParrish.comBook Description:Three of Rhonda Parrish’s beloved Aphanasian stories brought together in one collection for the first time!A Love Story: Z’thandra, a swamp elf living with the Reptar, discovers a human near the village. When she falls in love with him, she faces the most difficult choice of her life, a decision that will affect the Reptar for generations.Lost and Found: Xavier, the escaped subject of a madman’s experiments, and Colby, a young lady on a mission to save her brother, must combine their efforts to elude capture and recover the magical artifact that will save Colby’s brother before it’s too late.Sister Margaret: A vampire hunter and a half-incubus swordsman are hired by a priestess to kill the undead pimp that is extorting, torturing and murdering vulnerable girls.About the Author:When she isn't being crafty, playing video games or procrastinating, Rhonda writes fantasy, YA and horror stories and poems. Also, she loves sushi.http://www.rhondaparrish.comhttps://twitter.com/RhondaParrishhttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2651534.Rhonda_Parrisha Rafflecopter giveaway

The battle begins on June 16th at 9PM, when True Blood Season 6 premieres. Tweet or Instagram a photo of yourself using #ShowYourFangs to tell the world that you stand with the vamps.

HBO has released a new still for season 6 of True Blood featuring Jessica and Sookie. Source: The Vault

ET caught up with Kristin Bauer van Straten to talk True Blood and her character Pam. Check out what she has to say here. Below is an excerpt: ETonline: Looking back on season five, what were your thoughts? Kristin Bauer van Straten: Oh man, it was such a good Pam year. I waited so long for that backstory — just to know what it was and see what it looked like and once it arrived on paper, I thought it was just so perfect. It was so fun to get in the clothes, get in the locations that looked like 1905, see Alex [Skarsgard, who plays Eric] in 1905 clothes, to see my brothel. Everything about it explained Pam to me in a new way and that was my favorite part. Why is she so unsympathetic? Because she came from a hard life when it was hard to be a woman and she did this hard profession. Why is she a vampire who is the least apologetic about being a vampire? Because she chose that life. She forced Eric to change her. I loved that writing so much.

HBO has released a new promo for season 6 of True Blood. Governor Burrell wants to ensure the human/vampire war is on!

Kellan Lutz graces the cover of the June 2013 issue of August Man Malaysia. Head on over to Just Jared to see pics from the magazine with Kellan looking very handsome!

Found this over at Mockingjay and thought it was hilarious! It’s Barbie as a counselor giving advice to popular love triangles from Twilight, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Disney. Enjoy