Sundaes, Cider, and Sexy Magical Men

I'm supposed to talk about what I'm most excited about regarding attending AAD. Well, that would be the people. I don't get a lot of opportunity to talk romance at my day job, or in other book groups. A few people admit reading it, but they don't want to talk about it much. I guess it's the geek in me. I like discussing which first kiss was more memorable. So yes, hanging with real people who actually adore talking about romance is the biggest thing on my radar. Fan Girl SQUEEE! That was me learning about a weekend event with some of my favorite romance authors! A chance to listen to them talk writing, stories, and get to know them better, at an affordable price, within driving distance. I was so there! Then came more information about all the fun activities, notably the make our own sundaes and the hard cider tasting. Just about two of my favorite things in the world, after reading and sex. Romance fans, WE are going to have so much fun. I have this rosy vision of friendly, interesting women of all ages gathered to chat about life and books. In our pjs. I'm not sure about you, but I don't get to do that very much in real life. On the internet, I have publisher groups, and writer friends, with friendly snippets on Twitter. But nothing replaces the connection of face-to-face time, and I am so eager to meet with people who aren't afraid to admit how awesome paranormal romance is. I am going to ask a thousand questions and soak up all the opinions. Who's hotter, the shadowdwellers or nightwalkers? *giggles* I'm going on fourteen about this weekend, I'm telling you! If you're someone who is thinking about this weekend, rest assured you'll be welcomed. I'm coming alone, so you can do it, too. You can stick with me. We'll debate gargoyles vs. aliens and pick out all the green m&m's. Mima is a children's librarian who writes erotic magical romance between reading jags. Learn more about her newest merman release at http://www.mimawithin.com/.

Yay, Wisconsin!!!!

Well, we're all moved and settled in! The move went well -- the best of 12 moves we've made. Usually we have to drive from one coast to another, but this time the drive was only two days, from VA to WI. And instead of taking two cars, we only had to take one. So hubster drove while I popped open my laptop and worked on edits. It was a pretty decent trip. So now we're here. Hubby is out on his Coast Guard boat until mid-month, so I'm getting the house set up by myself. I took today off, however. Today was a "curl up on couch and drink hot cocoa day." Why? Because you would never know it's not summer! Today the high temperature was 54 degrees, and it's rainy and foggy outside. I have a fire going in the fireplace, hot cocoa in my cup, and slippers on my feet. I'm loving it! Such a nice change from VA, where we were already using the A/C in February! So anyway, I'm here and happy. Hope everyone else is doing well! Hugs, Larissa

Updates

Hi to all, I hope your summer is going well. Mine is flashing by at lightning speed, nothing unusual in that. Just returned from a roadtrip with my son looking at colleges, which was a blast, but has put me seriously behind. While I was gone my husband tore apart our house in the name of repairs...sigh. I hope that he gets it put back together before his football season starts. On to more important matters :) I at last have the covers for Darkness Unleashed which has been moved to November 2009...yeah! Beyond the Darkness (Salvatore's story) has also been moved up and will now be released in April! Well, always presuming I get the danged thing done! Hope all is well with all of you and that you're having a fantastic summer! Best, Ales

Mountains, Windmills & Rain

I've been traveling since the beginning of June from one end of the country to the other. I absolutely LOVE road trips, though I don't often get a chance to do things like this anymore. I've seen all kinds of mountains and vegetation, from scrub and tumbleweeds to giant pine trees. At the left is a picture I took out the window of my vehicle as we drove along, somewhere in Wyoming, I believe. One thing that was new was the sheer number of windmills in the midwest and mountains. They're everywhere! I like it. I also got to see oversized trucks carrying one propeller blade at a time to where they're building even more giant windmills. One thing that really impressed me is the sheer size of these windmills. From a distance they really don't look as big as they are. When you consider that just one propeller blade is WAAAAAY longer than a normal 18-wheeler truck bed, and then realize there are three of these stupendously long blades on each windmill... well, these things are gi-normous! Driving is fun but I'll be glad when this trip winds down. I've got books to write and two new releases - one in print and one in ebook - this month. So check out JACI'S EXPERIMENT in print this week in a bookstore near you, and my latest paranormal, INFERNO, in ebook on June 30th. Oh, and I forgot to mention the rain! We had fun racing in between the raindrops in the midwest. One thing this suburbanite can't get over is the fact that you can SEE weather coming miles and miles away. It's really amazing stuff! I'm observing a lot that will probably show up in a book of mine at some point. LOL. Fun stuff! And it proves a point I made in my recent Samhellion newsletter article - writers never really go on vacation. We're always observing and learning, filing away experiences to use in our work! :)

And Im back for the first time LOL.

Hey all! Things have been busy in the land of Stella and Audra so far this month. We finished edits, got a cover, are one scene away from finishing another book, Subbed out a new book, and started yet another offering for the Eververse. I love when we are seriously busy. This month, We have a new release, Surrender in Moonlight, the second in our Knossos West series with TEB. You can check out the Blurb HERE and We will be doing a contest again for this release. I cant wait to see who reads this. We got the cover for the final book in the Knossos West series called A Gift of Daybreak. It will be out in August and its a sweet and sexy little story. Its also new, so we are excited to see what readers will say about this first time book for us. WOO. cant wait. We are one scene away from the next Eververse book being finished and Masquerade is going to blow the others in the series away. The story is about Oscar, first general of the Conglacio race, meeting a woman named Uriel that is very familiar to him in looks and countenence. Theirs is a story of love, acceptance and a hell of a lot of action. it will be out in August in e book, and in print in September, just in time for AAD in october. Speaking of AAD, If you havent signed up yet, DO IT! your going to miss a fantastic event with some amazing authors if you dont. With what we have planned for you guys, the awesome raffle baskets and parties and of course, hanging out with the authors, it is really a reader paradise! Check everything out at the WEBSITE, and get your registration in! Lastly, we have started Drake's book for the Eververse series (Finally!!!). Im so stoked! I cant wait for this one to be out to you guys, and you can all fall in love with Drake like I have LOL. Ill be posting more about this in the next month. OOH and don't forget! Tomorrow on our SHADOW HEIGHTS forum we are having a freaking awesome online picnic with excerpts and goodies from a bunch of the AAD authors and their freinds, and you could win some amazing prizes including ARC's, swag, signed print books and E books galore! So get your ass to the Forum, sign up and hangout with us tomorrow June 11th from 9am EST to midnight PST. So for my contest this month Im giving away a small goodie pack. Whats in it? I dont know, but there will be a free print book that I got from RT this year. Not sure which one. So what do you have to do to win? Simple. Comment here on the covers I have posted, and your thoughts on the Authors After Dark event. thats it. I'll pick a winner next month. Cheers all! Im off to write!

Moving!

Apologies for making this quick, but I'm in the final stages of a move from Virginia to Wisconsin. Internet will shut off on Tuesday, and I'm not sure when we'll get it back again. It's scheduled to be turned on by the 15th, but that all depends on how quickly we can get our household goods delivered. Boy, I hate moving! So anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful June and get lots of time to relax, enjoy the sun, and read! Hugs! Larissa

Summer Reading Plan

Hey everyone hope you had a great holiday weekend. Mine was filled with family, writing and movies. I managed to see both Night At The Museum 2 and Terminator this weekend. Enjoyed the heck out of both movies by the way. So i've seen all the big blockbusters so far this season. Wolverine, NATM2, Terminator and of course my favorite Star Trek! I'm sure I will be seeing lots more this summer but for now my attention is turning to my summer reading list. I have a huge and I mean HUGE pile of books in both my paperback stack as well as my virtual stack of stories waiting for me to read them and for the month of June I am going to put a huge dent in them. I get so excited about new releases that I buy them as soon as they come out and then half or more go into the TBR pile to be read when I find some time. Does this mean I won't be buying new books this month? HAHAHAHAHA. Yeah right. This is where I need your help. I want to buy the latest and greatest according to you. I'm happy to buy a book based on the book cover and the blurb but I find myself enjoying the ones recommended by friends the most. So i'm going to post a list here of some of my older books in my TBR pile so you know what I am reading in June and I would love it if you would tell what I MUST add. Here is my reading list for June and yes some of these will be kind of old but I am determined to hit some of those that I have been eyeing for a while. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward Burning Wild by Christine Feehan Happy Hour Of The Damned by Mark Henry Heart Of The Wolf by Terry Spear The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor Rogue by Cheryl Brooks Tempt Me With Darkness by Shayla Black Okay so the list is growing a little long and it may be July before I get all these finished. (I do have to write as well) But go ahead and hit me with your favs. I need to know what i'm missing. Also on a more personal front...Lucas, book one of the black cougar series, came out in print last month. Squeeeeee!!!! Here is the blurb again: Kira MacDonald is in trouble. Plagued by false visions and erotic dreams of a man she’s never met, she fears losing both her psychic powers and her sanity. The cure? Finding and bonding with her mate. The stubborn red-haired warrior might not want one, but fate has other plans, plans that include her rescuing Lucas Gunn. As the Guardian of his shape-shifting clan, Lucas Gunn lived a quiet, solitary life. Until he was kidnapped, examined, and tortured. Now imprisoned, his only tie to the outside world is the memory of his dreams and the passionate woman who appears in them. He thought she was nothing more than a vision. Then she came for him. An uneasy alliance, a mating call that won’t be denied, rituals that must be honored, and unrelenting enemies who will stop at nothing to get what they want. It all comes together in the first of Eliza Gayle’s sensational Black Cougar Series. Passion and pride. Duty and danger. In the end, there’s really only one choice…for Lucas. The paperback can be purchase at MBAM here and Amazon here. And next week several us from the Authors After Dark blog will be in Ohio at the Lori Foster event. If you are anywhere near there or planning to attend the event, please stop by and say hello!