Okay, yes, I’m blogging at my own site, but I’m doing it to tell you that I completed an interview at Midnight Moon Cafe, a paranormal romance site, a few weeks ago. They put it up this morning. Please stop by and comment! I’m also giving away a signed copy of TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS. If you don’t have your copy yet or it’s not signed, now is the opportunity. And I’d love to see some familiar folks over there, maybe a little post-birthday rah-rah?

And be sure to come back here tomorrow. Will have a NEW excerpt for SNEAK PEEK, and who knows? Maybe a prize or two.

Happy Thursday!

So it’s that day of the year I get to celebrate being a year older. Whopee… But as my dad says, “You want to be another year older or you want the pine box?” Okay, put like that, another year older sounds great.

I’ll be writing today. Still trying to finish POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT. And I’ll be sticking near my phone. My father-in-law is still in critical condition. I’m hoping we see improvement soon, but every day seems to be a different day right now. Then tonight, looks like we’ll be going to the local hibachi place for dinner. Weather is nasty today, so we’ll just have to see.

In the meantime, here’s a little something I can share with you. Enjoy!

Gang, I’m running behind. Father-in-law is in the hospital and we’re all feeling the strain in my family. I don’t know how much longer he’ll be there. Maybe a week… Everything is up in the air now. If you’re cool with prayer, please say one.

Very quickly, I’m still finishing up POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT. Thiiisss close. Another few days, and I’ll be done, which will thrill me, and I’m sure my editor too.

Since I need to get back to the book, I’ll just leave you with a little someone to heat you up on a cold winter’s night.

I’m just SURE he needs someone to sit in his lap… Enjoy!

Feeling a little wicked? Want to join in on goodly wickedness with other readers? Join Sylvia Day/SJ Day, Shayla Black, Sasha White, Mackenzie McKade, Cathryn Fox, Monica Burns, Karin Tabke, and Melissa Schroeder on the Wicked Writers Readers’ group. Get the inside scoop on your favorite Wicked authors, where they are going to be appearing and what books they have coming up. There is always lots of fun, excerpts, book talk, and a nekkid man or two for your pleasure. Because they love their readers, they are celebrating their anniversary with a Weekend of Wickedness. Join us Jan 24-25 for lots of excerpts, fun, and most importantly, PRIZES. There will be prizes for two days, and then the Big Box of Wickedness, filled with books from all the authors, fun items, bookmarks and much, much more! Go to Wicked Writers’ Yahoo Group today and join if you’re not a member to make sure you are there for all the fun!

We haven’t had any no-cal eye candy for a bit. Sorry to have gotten off course…but I’m back now. Diving into a lot of work, so I have nothing witty to add. Then again, a picture IS worth a thousand words, right?

It looks cold outside his window, but I have no doubt he could keep a girl pretty hot. Enjoy and have a great week!

Disney World was a lot of fun, despite a little cold weather toward the end of our trip. We stayed at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. This time, as last, it’s a nice resort. We had a view of the pool/courtyard area. Meant to take a pic from our balcony. I forgot. BUT I do have some other pics and insider tips for you.

Our first day walking the parks was Epcot. Great weather, lovely breakfast with the princesses at Akerhaus (the restaurant at Norway). We were there before park opening and there just after it closed, as we stayed for Illuminations, the fireworks show. I’ve seen the show a number of times. Always neat. Needless to say, after like 12 hours mostly on our feet and walking, walking, walking, our feet were sore. And unbelievably, we didn’t make it all the way through the park. Close…but we missed 3 countries: Italy, Germany and China. Had to go back for them on our last day.

Insider tip: Soaking your feet in the hotel’s hot tub after a long day at the park really does work wonders!

Our next day was at the Hollywood Studios. We rode all the big rides up front, so Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Rollercoaster were quickly off our list. But we took in some shows as well. The pic above is RAH (Romance Author Husband) and I at the set of the High School Musical 3 traveling show. It was a cute little show, kind of a condensed version of the movie. Not great, but fun to hear the songs. Poor cast members were out there sweating, and it was only a 75 degree day. I shudder to think about how they’ll feel this summer…

The next picture is from the finale of the Beauty and the Beast stage show. This particular “Beast” looked as if he’d be more interested in Gaston than Belle…but it’s all for the little ones, and they seemed to enjoy it. This show is VERY short. Even shorter, I think, then when I last saw it. The effects, dances and sets are the same. Funny how Munchkin liked it 5 years ago. This time, it was “lame”. LOL

Insider tip: Eat breakfast before you go on Tower of Terror. Your stomach will thank you. Really. All that freefalling on an empty stomach…not so fun.

Day 3 at Disney World was finally our Magic Kingdom day. This is my favorite park. It’s the classic, and I’ve been a hundred times, I’m sure. But it never grows old for me. Each time I see Main Street USA, something just makes me smile. One of the first things I saw was Captain Jack Sparrow. They now do this nifty “Pirate Tutorial” just beside Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s funny and cute for the kids. Sadly, Jack doesn’t stay for photo opps, but on this particular occasion he did sing the entire PotC song, which I’d never hear from start the finish. Drink up me hearties, yo ho! The fact he was kinda hot really helped. LOL.

On this particular Magic Kingdom day, we decided to cut the day short. We really were feeling the effects of 12+ days on our feet. So we divided the Kingdom up. Got to see the work they were doing on Splash Mountain, as it was closed for renovation. We did everything at Magic Kingdom that day except Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, Space Mountain excepting. Can’t NOT do that! After lunch at Pecos Bill’s and a little trip through the Haunted Mansion, which hasn’t changed much (the addition of some stairs that seem to lead nowhere in the middle and the shoring up of the bride storyline in the attic), we called it a day about 2pm.

Insider tip: When your feet say “Uncle”, listen up! We were sore all over by then, blisters and the works. It really was a comfort just quit early that day and just hang around the hotel.

Day 4 was our off day. Tuesday. We had a leisurely breakfast, read, watched TV, explored the resort, went outside the World for a bit, then headed back. RAH and Munchkin rented a speedboat and were enjoying the heck out of it until it started raining. They returned all giggles. We stayed close to the resort after that and turned in early.

Insider tip: Plan some downtime. You’ll be much better prepared mentally and physically for the rest of your stay. Oh, and get directions if you want to find International Drive. Shockingly, we drove for nearly 2 hours and never found it. Go figure…

Enough for now. I’ll post Back to the Big Mouse part 2 on Wednesday!

Literally. Today, I’m leaving for a week at Disney World! So I won’t be around to post, which I’m sorry for. But I will come back with pictures and stories…and to finish Possess Me At Midnight. Everyone have a great week. I know I’ll be having one at the most magical place on earth!

I have some news about a couple of my releases that I hope will excite you.

First, I received my author copeis for SNEAK PEEK. I’ve heard an “official” release day of either January 15 or January 27. Not sure which is accurate, but I do know the books have reached the distributor, so they should be arriving on whatever stores have elected to stock it. Please keep in mind that with the economy and bookstores having a less than fabulous holiday season, many stores are electing not to stock books from small presses. You may need to special order (which stores will do at no extra charge) or order from someone online like Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

The other piece of news is that Ellora’s Cave has just announced that DANGEROUS BOYS AND THEIR TOY will be out in print sometime this spring! I can’t get more specific than that yet. But sometime between now and April, I will hear that the printing process has been completed and the book is available. Again, the distribution may be spotty, but this is one you should be able to get online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I will advise when the pre-order link becomes available.

Rhapsody/Doubleday Book Club has also purchased the rights to create hard cover editions for BOUND AND DETERMINED. It will be a featured alternate selection in either March or April. So if you’re a Rhapsody, you can have a hardcover of your very own this spring!

While I’m here, I’ll also let you know that I’m VERY close to finishing POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT. I’m guessing that, by January 20 or so, I’ll be sending it off to my editor at Pocket!

More tomorrow about something I’m personally stoked about…

A couple of months ago, New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian sent me an advance copy of VEIL OF MIDNIGHT, which came out December 30. Fabulous! Nikolai is an incredibly yummy hero, and this book is a huge page-turner. Now that I’m nearly finished reading the book, I wanted to help spread the word.

Veil of Midnight is the 5th book in the Midnight Breed series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but if you’ve missed out on the books before, I urge you to catch up now!

VEIL OF MIDNIGHT
Dell Books
ISBN: 978-0-440-24449-3
Order from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders

Bound by blood, addicted to danger, they’ll enter the darkest–and most erotic–place of all . . .

A warrior trained in bullets and blades, Renata cannot be bested by any man–vampire or mortal. But her most powerful weapon is her extraordinary psychic ability–a gift both rare and deadly. Now a stranger threatens her hard-won independence–a golden-haired vampire who lures her into a realm of darkness . . . and pleasure beyond imagining.

A combat-loving adrenaline junkie, Nikolai dispenses his own justice to enemies of the Breed–and his latest quarry is a ruthless assassin. One woman stands in his way: the seductive, cool-as-ice bodyguard, Renata. But Renata’s powers are put to the test when a loved one, a child, is threatened and she is forced to turn to Niko for help. As the two join forces, as desire fans the flames of a deeper hunger, Renata’s life is under siege by a man who offers the exquisite pleasure of a blood bond–and a passion that could save or doom them both forever. . . .

Reviews

“Adrian’s newest heroine has a backbone of pure steel. Rapid-pace adventures deliver equal quantities of supernatural thrills and high-impact passion. This is one of the best vampire series on the market!” –Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4.5 Stars)

“Veil of Midnight is yet another great installment . . . With hot romance, sexy (yet realistically flawed) alpha-male heroes and a fast paced fantasy action plotline that just keeps getting better — what’s not to like?” –LoveVampires.com (5 Stars)

“I am dying to see what happens next in this paranormal, yet contemporary and believable world. Veil of Midnight will enthrall you and leave you breathless for more.” –WildOnBooks.com (5 Stars)

Excerpt

Excerpted from Veil of Midnight
by Lara Adrian
Published by: Dell Books (January 2009)
© 2008 by Lara Adrian LLC. All rights reserved.
(Note: excerpt may contain explicit language and sexual situations)

Renata stepped outside the lodge and strode through the darkness to one of the peripheral outbuildings in back. The hunter who’d originally built the woodland compound some hundred-plus years ago had evidently doted on his dogs. An old timber kennel stood behind the main residence, laid out like a stable, with a wide space cutting down the center and four gated pens lining each side. The open-beam roof overhead peaked some fifteen feet high.

Although small, it was an open, airy space. There was a larger, newer barn on the property that would allow for better movement, but Renata tended to avoid the other building.

One time inside that dark, dank place was plenty. If she had her way, she’d burn the damn thing down to cinders.

Renata flicked on the switch inside the kennel door and winced as the bare bulb overhead poured a wash of harsh yellow light into the space. She walked in, over the smooth, hard-packed earthen floor, past the dangling ends of two long, braided leather straps that were looped around the center rafter beam of the structure.

At the far end of the kennel interior stood a tall wooden post that used to be rigged with small iron hooks and loops for storing leashes and other gear. Renata had pried away the rigging months ago, and now the post functioned as a stationary target, dark wood scored with deep gashes, gouges and nicks.

Renata placed her wrapped blades on a tight bale of straw that squatted nearby. She slipped out of her shoes, then padded barefoot to the center of the kennel and reached up to take the pair of long leather straps, one in each hand. She looped the leather around her wrists a couple of times, testing the slack. When it was comfortable, she flexed her arms and lifted herself up off the floor as smoothly as though she had wings.

Suspended, feeling weightless, temporarily transported, Renata began her warmup with the straps. The leather creaked softly as she turned and shifted her body several feet off the ground. This was peace to her, the feel of her limbs burning, growing stronger and more agile with each controlled movement.

Renata let herself slide into a light meditation, eyes closed, all her senses trained inward, concentrating on her heartbeat and breathing, on the fluid concert of her muscles as she stretched from one long, taxing hold to another. It wasn’t until she had pivoted into an upside down pose, her ankles now caught securely in the straps to hold her aloft, that she felt a stirring in the air around her. It was sudden and subtle, but unmistakable.

As unmistakable as the heat of an exhaled breath that now warmed her cheek.

Her eyes snapped open. Struggled to focus on the inverted surroundings and the intruder who stood under her. It was the Breed warrior–Nikolai.

“Shit!” she hissed, her inattention making her sway a bit from the straps. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Easy now,” Nikolai said. He lifted his hand as if he meant to steady her. “Wasn’t trying to scare you.”

“You don’t.” Flat words, spoken coldly. With a liquid flex of her body, she moved herself out of his reach. “Do you mind? You’re interrupting my training.”

“Ah.” His dark blond brows quirked upward as his gaze followed the line of her body to where she still hung by her ankles. “What exactly is it you’re training for up there, Cirque du Soleil?”

She didn’t dignify the jab with a reply. Not that he waited for one. He pivoted away from her and walked over to the post at the far end of the kennel. He reached out, fingers tracing the deeper of the wood’s many scars. Then he found her blades and lifted the cloth that contained them. Metal clinked together softly within the folded square of ribbon-tied silk and velvet.

“Don’t touch those,” Renata said, freeing herself of the straps and swinging around to bring her feet down onto the ground. She stalked forward. “I said, don’t touch them. They’re mine.”

He didn’t resist when she snatched the prized possession–the only things of value she could claim as her own–out of his hands. The spike in her emotions made her head spin a little, lingering aftereffects of the psychic reverberation that she’d hoped was passed. She took a step backward. Had to work to steady her breath.

“You okay?”

She didn’t like the look of concern in his blue eyes, as if he could sense her weakness. As if he knew she wasn’t as strong as she wanted to–needed to–appear.

“I’m fine.” Renata brought the blades over to one of the kennel pens and unwrapped them. One by one, she carefully set each of the four hand-tooled daggers down on the wooden ledge in front of her. She forced a smug lightness into her voice. “Seems like I should be the one asking you that question, don’t you think? I dropped you pretty hard back there in the city.”

She heard his low grunt somewhere behind her, almost a scoff.

“We can never be too cautious when it comes to outsiders,” she said. “Especially now. I’m sure you understand.”

When she finally glanced over at him, she found him staring at her. “Sweetheart, the only reason you had the chance to drop me was because you played dirty. Making sure I’d notice you, pretending you had something to hide and knowing I’d follow you out of that club. Right into your little trap.”

Renata lifted her shoulder, unapologetic. “All’s fair in love and war.”

He gave her a slow smile that hinted at twin dimples in his lean cheeks. “War, is it?”

“It sure as hell isn’t love.”

“No,” he said, all serious now. “Never that.”

Well, at least they agreed on something.

“How long have you been working for Yakut?”

Renata shook her head as if unable to recall specifically, even though that night was etched in her mind as if it had been burned there. Blood-drenched. Horrific. The beginning of an end. “I don’t know,” she said lightly. “A couple of years, I guess. Why?”

“Just wondering how a female–even a Breedmate with your powerful psychic ability–would end up in this line of work, particularly for a Gen One like him. It’s unusual, that’s all. Hell, it’s unheard of. So, tell me. How was it you hooked up with Sergei Yakut?”

Renata stared at this warrior–this stranger, dangerous and cunning, suddenly intruding on her world. She wasn’t sure how to answer. She certainly wasn’t about to give him the truth. “If you have questions, maybe you should ask him.”

“Yeah,” he said, studying her too closely now. “Maybe I’ll do that. What about the kid–Mira? Has she been here as long as you?”

“Not as long, no. Just six months.” Renata tried to sound casual, but a fierce protective instinct rose in her at the mention of Mira’s name on this Breed male’s lips. “She’s been through a lot in that short time. Things no child should have to witness.”

“Like the attack on Yakut last week?”

And other, darker, things, Renata acknowledged inwardly. “Mira has nightmares just about every night now. She hardly sleeps more than a couple hours at a time.”

He nodded in sober acknowledgment. “This is no damn place for a kid. Some might say it’s no place for a female, either.”

“Is that what you would say, warrior?”

His answering chuckle neither confirmed nor denied it.

Renata watched him, questions of her own bubbling into her mind. One in particular. “What did you see in Mira’s eyes earlier tonight?”

He grunted something low under his breath. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to know.”

“I’m asking, aren’t I? What did she show you?”

“Forget it.” Holding her gaze, he raked a hand through the golden strands of his hair, then exhaled a ripe curse and looked away from her. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. The girl definitely got it wrong.”

“Mira is never wrong. She hasn’t been wrong once, not in all the time I’ve known her.”

“Is that so?” His penetrating blue stare swung back to her, both hot and cold as it traveled the length of her body in a slow, assessing glance. “Alexei tells me her skill is imperfect–”

“Lex.” Renata scoffed. “Do yourself a favor and don’t put your faith in anything Lex tells you. He says and does nothing without an ulterior motive.”

“Thanks for the tip.” He leaned back against the blade-scarred post. “So, then, it’s not true, what he said–that Mira’s eyes only reflect events that could happen in the future, based on the now?”

“Lex may have his own personal reasons for wishing it wasn’t so, but Mira’s never wrong. Whatever she showed you tonight, it’s fated to be.”

“Fated,” he said, sounding amused by that. “Well, shit. Then I guess we’re doomed.”

He looked pointedly at her as he said it, all but daring her to ask if he deliberately included her in that observation. Since he seemed to find the idea so damned entertaining, she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of asking him to explain why.

Renata picked up one of her blades and tested the weight of it in her open palm. The cold steel felt good against her skin, solid and familiar. Her fingers itched to be working. Her muscles were limber from the warm-up, ready to be pushed with an hour or two of hard training.

She pivoted around with the blade in hand and motioned to the post Nikolai was leaning up against. “Do you mind? I wouldn’t want to misjudge my mark and accidentally hit you instead.”

He glanced at the post and shrugged. “Wouldn’t you rather make it interesting, spar with a real opponent–one that can strike back? Or maybe you operate best with the odds stacked unevenly in your favor.”

She knew he was baiting her, but the glint in his eye was playful, teasing. Was he actually flirting with her? His easy nature made her hackles raise with wariness. She ran her thumb along the edge of the blade as she stared at him, unsure what to make of him now. “I prefer to work alone.”

“Okay.” He inclined his head, but only took a fractional step out of the way. Challenging her with a look. “Suit yourself.”

Renata frowned. “If you’re not going to move, how can you be sure I won’t aim for you?”

He grinned, full of cocky amusement, his thick arms crossed over his chest. “Aim all you want. You’ll never hit me.”

She let the blade fly without the slightest warning.

Sharp steel bit into the wooden post with a solid crack, striking home exactly where she’d sent it. But Nikolai was gone. Just like that, vanished from her line of sight completely.

Shit.

He was Breed, far faster than any human and as agile as a jungle predator. She was no match for him with weapons or physical strength; she knew that even before she sent the dagger airborne. But she’d hoped to at least nick the cocky son of a bitch for goading her.

Her own reflexes honed to precision, Renata threw her arm out and reached for another one of her waiting blades. But just as her fingers closed around the tooled grip, she felt the air stir behind her, heat sifting through the swaying chin-length strands of her hair.

Razor-sharp metal came up under her jaw. A wall of hard muscle crowded her spine.

“You missed me.”

She swallowed carefully around the light press of the blade beneath her chin. As smoothly as she could manage, she relaxed her arms at her sides. Then brought the hand with the dagger in it behind her to rest meaningfully between his parted thighs. “Found you.”

VEIL OF MIDNIGHT will warm up your coldest January day. Grab yourself a copy!

I’ve had a little good news over the last week I wanted to share. First, my Shelley Bradley title by Samhain, A PERFECT MATCH, has been nominated for a CAPA award at The Romance Studio for best contemporary romance of 2008. I’m really excited because this was a sweet book very close to my heart for many years. Seeing it finally published was fabulous. Seeing it nominated for an award is mind-bogglingly wonderful.

The vote for me part is that TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS has been nominated at the popular online readers’ site Preditors & Editors for best novel (other genres) of 2008. I’m super-thrilled with this because the nominations are all from reader suggestions. If you have a spare second, click here and vote for me.

Thanks and have a great weekend!