BRENDA NOVAK'S ANNUAL ONLINE AUCTION FOR DIABETES RESEARCH

A swag of authors, prizes and giveaways, there are so many to choose from - it's all happening! Let your friends know & check it out here.

But more specifically, for those who love paranormal romance (and a lone rock star):

Aussie Romance Writer's Set: 6 Books Signed Books From 6 Aussie Authors
This is your chance to get your hands on 6 books and some swag from some of Australia's best paranormal romance writers (we're all ARRA Awards finalists or winners)!

VENGEANCE BORN - Kylie Griffin
FORGED BY DESIRE (ARC) - Bec McMaster
REVELATION - Erica Hayes
SHADOW KIN - M.J.Scott
LICK - Kylie Scott
OUTCAST PRINCE - Shona Husk

There's something for every discerning reader - warriors galore, avenging demons, steampunk vampires & weres, fallen angels, a wraith assassin, an uber-sexy rock star and mysterious fae! You can find samples of each book at individual author websites.

The good news - this auction is open internationally!

Good luck, good reading, and thank you for supporting this wonderful cause!

ALLEGIANCE SWORN is an ARRAwards finalist!

I woke to some awesome news this morning!

Sitting in my inbox was an email from the Australian Romance Readers Association letting me know that ALLEGIANCE SWORN is an ARRAwards finalist in the following categories:

• Favourite Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Futuristic Romance
• Favourite Cover from a romance published in 2013 (hats off to Gene Mollica, the cover artist, & the Berkley art department for such great work!)

I'm so thrilled, especially on seeing the finalists lists on the ARRA blog - wow, am I in some fantastic company! Scrolling through them, I kept ticking off the ones I'd read and enjoyed. So many wonderful stories and authors!

And I'm tickled to pieces that my writing buddies Bec McMaster and Dakota Harrison are also nominated for a selection of ARRAwards! Woohoo!

Now, it's a waiting game - winners will be announced at the ARRAwards Dinner to be held on 22 March 2014 at Cello’s Restaurant in Sydney.

GIVEAWAYS: Last Days!

There are only a few days left in my Christmas Giveaway!

I have signed copies of VENGEANCE BORN & ALLEGIANCE SWORN over on Goodreads.

The Rafflecopter giveaway for ALLIANCE FORGED is here on my blog.

And for any newsletter subscribers, you have until Nov.30th to get your Quiz answers in to me to be in the running for some Light Blade swag.

Don't miss out! You could win some great gifts for yourself or a friend.

SATURDAY SEVEN (My Lady Quicksilver)

It's Saturday Seven!

Bec McMaster might be one of my writing buddies (and so you can probably assume I'm just a tad bias) but she writes intricate, gritty, engrossing steampunk romances. MY LADY QUICKSILVER (Bk#3 London Steampunk series) is no exception.

Bec takes us away from the streets of Whitechapel and Blade's band of fighters and rogues, and we get to see more of the Nighthawks (the law enforcement of the Echelon, if you like) and the humanist movement (those fighting against the Echelon).

Rosalind applies to be Lynch's secretary. The Nighthawk Captain doesn't realise it but Rosalind is Mercury, the humanist fugitive he's been obsessed with hunting down and capturing. She's desperate to find her younger brother and working for Lynch could possibly give her access to information she needs.

In this scene Lynch discovers Rosalind in his study, the one room he always locks, and she has to think fast on her feet...

"Tell me...did you find anything of interest?"
"Interest?"
"When you were rifling through my things?"
For a moment she thought he'd caught her out. Then she realized there were faint creases at the corners of his grey eyes and just a hint of a smile edging his harsh lips. Her heart started beating again, thundering in her veins.
And she liked the feeling.
"There were many things of interest," Rosalind said, circling the desk behind him. His head turned to the side then stopped, and she knew he was tracking her by sound now. His thick dark hair was cut brutally short, barely edging against the stiff starched cut of his collar. Rosalind eyed the broad span of his shoulders. "You're an interesting man."
"Yet you're afraid of me," he murmured.

In the mist-shrouded streets of a steam-fuelled London, a clockwork army is on the rise, vampire blue bloods rule the streets, and war is brewing…

“I WILL COME FOR YOU…”
He will find her no matter what. As a blue-blooded captain of the Nighthawk Guard, his senses are keener than most. Some think he’s indestructible. But once he finds the elusive Mercury, what will he do with her?
It’s his duty to turn her in—she’s a notorious spy and traitor. But after one stolen moment, he can’t forget the feel of her in his arms, the taste of her, or the sharp sting of betrayal as she slipped off into the night. Little does Mercury know, no one hunts better than the Nighthawk. And his greatest revenge will be to leave her begging for his touch…



Other books in this series:

Book #1

Book #1.5

Book #2

Saturday Seven! (Colonist's Wife)

It's Saturday Seven!

Kylie Scott writes great post-apocalyptic romance, hot NA romance and now science fiction romance. COLONIST'S WIFE is a mail order bride in space story with a twist.

As part of a witness protection program, Louise leaves earth to enter an arranged marriage to miner on Jupiter, only to find her original husband died in a mining accident and has been replaced by another.

Their initial meeting is less than stellar but over time each learn more about each other. Louise finally realises there's a quiet depth to Adam, one haunted an tormented by something in his past. Adam learns that there's more to Louise than her princess-like appearance.

The following scene is one of the major turning points in their romantic relationship.

The hint of dark stubble dragged at her fingertips and he held himself perfectly still. Apart from the muscle jumping in his jaw. "What are you waiting for, Adam?"
"For you to make the first move."
"I came in here."
"The second one then."
Well. Actions spoke louder than words.
Louise slid her hand around the back of his neck and sealed their mouths together. Done. She was kissing her husband.And he made a sound in the back of his throat that shot straight to her best bits, squeezing her insides tight in a delicious rush.
Oh yeah.

You can read another excerpt here.

It’s 2088, and having testified in a gangland murder trial, nowhere on Earth is safe for Louise. Witness Protection has organized a new identity and a marriage contract for her on the mining colony of Esther, one of the moons circling Jupiter. The man who meets her there is not the groom she expected.
Adam Elliot is neither sweet nor sincere, and he looks like he was hosed off a barroom floor. But soon a memorial service reveals Adam’s soft underbelly. Throw some stellar sex into the mix and the two decide that maybe marriage to each other might not be so bad after all.
But an assassin is already at work. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues on the planet’s frozen surface. Louise is determined to live long enough to draw the maniac away from the husband she just might have fallen for.

Saturday Seven! (Caged Warrior)

It's Saturday Seven!

The cover of CAGED WARRIOR sold me on Lindsey Piper's debut paranormal romance even before I turned it over to read the back cover blurb.

My first thought was "Spartacus in modern times!" - hoo-rah!

And, in some ways, that turned out to be the case. CAGED WARRIOR is the start of a new, sexy, gritty paranormal romance series that doesn't pull any punches (no pun intended).

Leto is a cage warrior, tasked to win glory and fame for his Master. He's tasked to train Audrey, a cast out member of a Dragon Clan (she was exiled for marrying a human).

Initially, he's sees her as a means to an end (he's fighting to save his Clan) - winning three matches together earns him the reward he's fought for all of his life - so he's determined to get her to use and master her powers, which she denies having, and he'll do anything to ensure their success.

"I can't help how I was raised."
"Bullshit, as you say." Leto leaned against the mesh steel. "You were cast out, I assume. I can't imagine he was worth it."
She stood. Slowly at first. Knees unsteady. She lifted her chin. That killer instinct had returned. Leto breathed in and relished the sight.
"He was worth everything I endured, everything I ever will. And you've never felt its like."
Anger lifted in Leto's chest. Almost pain. Almost shame. Because she was right.
Blink. Kick to the lower back. Scream.
This time she didn't fall. She whirled on the balls of her feet. The blaze of her silvery eyes caught with his. An uncanny glow stopped him cold.

CAGED WARRIOR (Bk #1 The Dragon Kings)
Ten years ago, Audrey MacLaren chose to marry her human lover, making her an exile from the Dragon Kings, an ancient race of demons once worshiped as earthly gods. Audrey and her husband managed to conceive, and their son is the first natural-born Dragon King in a generation–which makes him irresistible to the sadistic scientist whose mafia-funded technology allows demon procreation. In the year since her husband was murdered, Audrey and her little boy have endured hideous experiments.
Shackled with a collar and bound for life, Leto Garnis is a Cage warrior. Only through combat can Dragon Kings earn the privilege of conceiving children. Leto uses his superhuman speed and reflexes to secure the right for his two sisters to start families. After torture reveals Audrey’s astonishing pyrokenesis, she is sent to fight in the Cages. If she survives a year, she will be reunited with her son. Leto is charged with her training. Initially, he has no sympathy for her plight. But if natural conception is possible, what has he been fighting for? As enemies, sparring partners, lovers, and eventual allies, Leto and Audrey learn that in a violent underground world, love is the only prize worth winning.
Read another excerpt here.

CONFERENCE: RWAustralia (part 3)

For the last few years at our annual conference, the Romance Writers of Australia have held a joint book signing event with the Australian Romance Readers Association. This year was no different.

ARRA volunteers and the UWA Co-op Bookshop were outstanding in their roles as organisers/ushers and conference bookstore.

At the ARRA Book Signing

A huge 160 romance readers turned out for the Saturday evening event! Hats of to all the WA'ers who took the time to come and take part - you are awesome!

Angela Verdenius

Eden Summers - erotic romance author

YA author - Kaz Delaney

Michelle Diener - historical romance author

Juanita Kees - Escape author

Also attending the event were 65 Australian romance authors as well as 9 international romance authors - Julia Quinn, Nina Bruhns, Caitlin Crews, Maisey Yates, Susan Stephens, Nicole Flockton, Carole Mortimer and Jackie Ashenden, as well as well-known blogger Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

YA author - Ebony McKenna

Shambles put in an appearance, too!

 A swag of Dark Side DownUnder authors made an appearance!

Eleni Konstantine

Jenny Schwartz

Shona Husk

S.E.Gilchrist

Denise Rossetti - one of my fav authors!

It was wonderful to meet so many readers and I everyone went home with a swag of great books and fun memories/photos!

Maggie Gilbert - YA rural romance author

The effervescent Paula Roe

 

Romantic suspense  RITA finalist - Bronwyn Parry

During the conference our guest editors and agents held a couple of awesome panels where they spoke about their company and role and listened to some cold reads then explained what appealed to them about the work or what could have been improved to grab their attention more.

Agents & editors pitching to authors

Survivor Island - cold reads at conference

To finish off, I'd like to showcase the awesome Awards night setting put on by the Esplanade staff and RWA conference committee - desserts & coffee - the tables were gorgeous (my photos don't do it justice).

An ethereal, underwater atmosphere!

The scrumptious desserts on offer at the Awards dinner!

Next year, the Romance Writers of Australia conference will be in Sydney (at the Novotel, Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush).

The theme - "Romance Rocks!"

And didn't the ballroom fill with gasps and cheers when two of our guest speakers were announced - thriller writer and writing craft author, James Scott Bell, along with award-winning, best-selling romantic adventure author, Cherry Adair.

You can check out more details about the conference here.

CONFERENCE: RWAustralia (Part 2)

As promised, here are some highlights from the Romance Writers of Australia/Harlequin Cocktail Party where the theme was "Nautical or Nice" - high seas, lows seas or along the coast everyone who attended made the effort to dress up in some way to fit the theme.

Pirates galore!

The only Viking brave enough to show!

Ahoy, matey!

Fair maidens, Devil from the Deep (book title) & more pirates!

The lone palm tree of the night

A touch of pirate

A mermaid (aka Anne Gracie)

My favourite of the night (outside the life-sized cutout of Captain Jack Sparrow?) - Anne Gracie's shoes!!!

My roomie - Imelda with Jack!*

Anne Gracie's awesome shoes!

Next post - the RWA/ARRA Book Signing and a couple of conference highlights!



* Photo sourced from Wine, Women & Wordplay (Imelda's blog)