Find Your Valentine 99c Sale and Giveaway!

Find love in a book!
Check out 20 amazing books all on sale this weekend only.

The 13th Floor Complete Collection is on sale for the first time ever! Six novellas and one short story for only 99 cents. Get hooked!

Six supernatural tenants

living in a haunted building

on a floor that doesn't exist.

Purchase links: Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

Plus enter to win this awesome book bundle giveaway!

Friday Five for November 20, 2015

1. Help put the love back into Lovecraft! Dragon Roost Press is raising funds on Indiegogo to publish Eldritch Embraces. I have a steampunk mytho story in the collection called "What Lay Below." Please consider helping this awesome anthology. These funds include paying the authors!

2. I had two short story acceptances and three rejections in the past few weeks. I've also written a new flash fiction story which my local critique group will tear apart this Saturday. I tried to get a little fancy with this one, trying something new. That's the fun of shorter works. You can experiment with new genres and styles.

3. Next Wednesday, Lovelorn Spirits, the final book of my Paramours trilogy will be released. I'm excited. This is the best one of the three. I've booked a tour for the Paramours the first week of February. It's the month of love, and I do love the paranormal!

4. I've been working hard on the second book of my Totem series. I hope to have it finished in a few days. I've been having a ton of fun writing this one. Of course, any story I can make geek jokes makes me happy.

5. I have a couple of posts scheduled for next week, but I'll be scarce. It's off to visit the in-laws for the American Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and to my American friends and family, have a happy Thanksgiving.

Dancing with the Ghosts

The Paramours - ghost hunting with a kiss.

When Nina Azure’s talent as a ghost dancer doesn’t persuade a handsome phantom to talk, she entices him with sizzling sexual energy. Ben Moore’s spirit is tied to this world with guilt, but he breaks his self-imposed silence for the beautiful Nina. Lust makes him fully physical and she loses herself to desire. She must help him carry on to the afterlife, but her attraction to him is immensely powerful. She must push aside her own feelings and let him go—and perhaps find romance among the living.

Purchase links:
Ellora's Cave * Amazon * B&N * Kobo

Add it to read on Goodreads.

It's here! It's here! (I'll update the purchase links later today. They were late coming up!)

This project was a spur of the moment one for me. I wrote all three stories in less than a month. Of course, they were already planned out in my head, and ghost hunting is something I'm immensely interested in. The words just flowed.

Everything came together swiftly with my publisher too. Ellora's Cave dubs these novelettes Quickies. Each one in this trilogy is about 13,000 words. Perfect to cuddle into bed with on a cool autumn night.

The 13th Floor collection tour continues with romance and Marionette cover reveal

Love is in the air.

And it can be deadly.

Join me at the amazing Kyra Lennon's blog for a guest post about the romance in my short story, "The Shadow."

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of the collection.

The Goodreads giveaway is still going on too!

Lots of chances for you to win.

Now onto the wonderful T.B. Markinson's cover reveal!

 Title: Marionette
Author: T. B. Markinson
Cover Designer: Derek Murphy
Publication Date: December 2013

Synopsis:
Paige Alexander is seventeen and has her whole life in front of her. One day her girlfriend comes home to discover that Paige has slit her wrists. Paige isn’t insane, but she acts like she is. Why?

After the incident, Paige agrees to go to therapy to appease her girlfriend, Jess. However, Paige doesn’t believe that therapy will help her. She believes she’s beyond help. Paige doesn’t want to find herself and she doesn’t want to relive her painful past in order to come to terms with it. What Paige wants is control over her life, which she hasn’t had since her birth.

During her childhood, Paige is blamed for a family tragedy, when in fact, her twin sister, Abbie was responsible. Abbie doesn’t come forward and Paige becomes the pariah of the family.

To add to Paige’s woes while attending a college in a small town in Colorado, the residents are in the midst of debating whether or not gays and lesbians should have equal rights. Tension is high and there’s a threat of violence. She isn’t out of the closet and pretends to be straight at school since she fears what will happen if her parents find out she’s a lesbian. Will she end up dead like her best friend, Alex?

About the Author:
T. B. Markinson is a 39-year old American writer, living in England, who pledged she would publish before she was 35. Better late than never. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling around the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. Marionette is her second novel. A Woman Lost was her debut novel.

Sign up to TB’s New Release Mailing List here. Your email will never be shared and you will only be contacted when a new book is out.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads

Wicked Wednesday - paranormal romance vs. urban fantasy

Thank you for M. Pax for suggesting today's topic.

Most of the paranormal romances we read take place in our modern day world. They're alternative realities filled with magic, monsters, and supernatural beings. You can describe urban fantasy in the same manner. The two genres are similar on a lot of levels and sometimes it might be difficult to separate them.

The key difference: paranormal romance focuses on the protagonist's relationship. It's the heart of the story, so to speak. If the protagonist does not succeed in love, then they don't succeed with anything.

Urban fantasy might have romance, but it's not central to the story. It's a sub-plot, and if the protagonist wins or loses the heart of their love interest, it won't greatly affect the outcome of the story.

Here are some other general differences:

Urban fantasy - most often written in third person.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - most often written in first person.

Urban fantasy - creatures like vampires and werewolves are usually more horrific and traditional.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - creatures like vampires and werewolves are romanticized.

Urban fantasy - grittier style and usually a lot of violence.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - lighter style and less violence as the focus is on emotions.

Urban fantasy - darker events and more tragedies.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - more hope and the happily ever after ending.

Examples of urban fantasies:
The Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Twenty Palaces novels by Harry Connolly

Examples of paranormal romances:
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
The Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Anita Blake series by L.K. Hamilton

Not all paranormal romances and urban fantasies follow the rules. My favorite paranormal romances are the dark, gritty ones, and I don't require a happily ever after. I'm fascinated by relationships and how extreme situations affect them.

What are some of your favorite urban fantasies and paranormal romances? What makes you like one more than the other?

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful moms and like-moms out there!

It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's also the most rewarding.

Here's a few fun mom quotes!

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." Phyllis Diller

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it." Mark Twain

"It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you faster if they didn't." Barbara Kingsolver

Here's the reason why being a mother is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Even when he's chasing me and spraying me with a hose.

A to Z Challenge - L is for Lips

I'm writing one story over the course of the Challenge.

If you're just joining me, please start with A is for Abby.

L IS FOR LIPS

"Burrows lives in Wisconsin. Only six to seven hours in the car." Abby limped into the kitchen area. The washer swished quietly in the corner. She was a fast healer, but she'd be feeling the wound on her ankle for days. She tried not to wince as she balanced and attempted to make herself a sandwich.

"No." Demetrius shook his head and grabbed one of the stools from in front of the island to slide it around to her. He took her firmly by the hips and sat her down on it. "You need to rest and heal." His hands stayed upon her, and though she threw him a furious look, she didn't tell him to take them off.

"I consider sitting in the car for hours on end resting." Abby was very aware of his body behind hers as she opened the peanut butter jar and plopped a big blob onto a slice of bread. "You just don't want to sit in the car for that long. You can stay here and rest."

"I'm not leaving your side again." His hands tightened on her. "And we wouldn't need the car. I can take us north in a matter of minutes through the Ways. Once you're healed." His breath was warm on her neck. His woodsy scent enticed her, whetting her appetite for something other than a sandwich.

"We can't waste any time. Children will die if we don't do something about this now." Her knuckles turned white with her grip on the butter knife. She twisted her head. Her mouth a butterfly's breath away from his and her eyes not meeting his intense gaze. "I can't let any children die."

Demetrius pressed his chest to her back. His nose grazed hers and heat raced through her veins. The throbbing in her ankle was forgotten as a new ache blossomed between her legs. She needed to keep her mind on what needed to be done to stop the monsters. She needed to turn her head just a fraction of an inch more.

"We won't let any children die. We'll go, but let me handle everything. I can carry you." His fingers stretched out over her hips, slipping under the hem of her shirt to touch bare skin. She sucked in a breath.

"Don't be ridiculous." Abby snorted, immediately regretting how unattractive that was. She set down the knife and turned, intending to put a few inches more between them and tell him to quit treating her as a fragile doll. His mouth immediately mashed to hers and words were forgotten. His tongue parted her lips, demanding entrance. She didn't deny him. A wanton whimper escaped her, and her heart hammered in her chest.

His hands eased upward, taking her shirt with them. When his thumbs skimmed the underside of her bra, she managed to find her voice. "We don't have time for this. We need to leave as soon as possible."

"We have time." Demetrius insisted, kissing down to her neck and nibbling upon her sensitive flesh. She gripped his biceps and clenched her thighs.

"We need to go." Abby's voice wobbled. She should be pushing him away. Not just because she had a job to do, but because this could never be anything other than a fling. She was one of the Fearless. Her duty came first and it would claim her life sooner than later. He was one of the fae. His world wasn't hers. He would leave after his blood debt was paid. And she didn't do flings. Already she felt too much for him.

"We have time." He repeated, arousal making his voice deeper, more gravelly. His mouth met hers again, and then he paused to smile in that sexy way of his and say, "We have to wait until the wash is done. Can't leave without Tawa."

No, they couldn't leave with Tawa. The tension between Abby and Demetrius was smothering at times, and he was her only gulp of fresh air, but no matter how much her body cried out for his, she couldn't do it. A warrior she might be, but she didn't know how to defend her heart. He was too easy to love.

She gasped. He seemed to think it was from his touches and pressed himself more firmly to her. Abby had thought the L word. No. This couldn't happen. Not now. Not ever.

She pushed him away, shaking her head. "No. No, we can't do this."

"Abby." He breathed out her name as if in worship and nipped at her ear lobe as he attempted to pull her back to him.

"No." Abby pushed harder and yanked herself from his arms. "Don't touch me. Keep your mind on what we need to do. We're leaving once Tawa is clean." Demetrius didn't fight her on it and didn't get angry. He stepped back, brows furrowed. She turned away from him so he couldn't see her tearing up. She hoped he didn't see her hand shaking as she went back to preparing her sandwich.