Christmas Gifts - Just for fun!

Check out these awesome gag Christmas gifts!

You might find something that tickles your funny bone and know just who to give one them to come December 25th!

A sticking stuffer for the kids perhaps

A bumper sticker worth getting!

Always practical and fun!

Always good for those reports/memes

There are just some days this will apply!

The gift for an arachnophobe!

I found all of these on Prank Place.

DARK SIDE DOWNUNDER: Erica Hayes

The Dark Side DownUnder series continues this month. I invited you to get to know some paranormal romance authors from Australia & New Zealand, maybe find a couple of new-to-you-authors & reads!

These authors are part of a blog group I'm affiliated with, called the Dark Side DownUnder. The site is aimed at showcasing all things speculative fiction - articles, authors, books, spotlights on... and contests/giveaways. You can find out more about DSDU here.

My good friend, Erica Hayes is the Dark Sider in the hot seat today!

Erica Hayes is an Aussie author of dark fantasy and paranormal romance, currently living in England, where at least the beer and the hospitality, if not the weather, is warm.

She was a law student, an air force officer, an editorial assistant and a musician. Her books feature tough, smart heroines and colourful heroes with dark secrets.


Growing up, did you have an interest in the paranormal, Erica?
I used to scare myself stupid with books from the library about vampires and monsters and being buried alive, bwahaha...It was all ‘horror’ back in those days, not a romantic vampire among them.

Tom Baker - 4th Dr Who

There wasn’t much TV in our house, but I used to watch Doctor Who (the Tom Baker and Peter Davidson versions!) when I got home from school.

(Kylie's comment: For those unfamiliar with the awesomely popular British TV series, you can find out more about it here.)

Erica, what drew you to write in the paranormal romance genre?
I like monsters. And sex and violence. So paranormal romance is perfect! I dunno, I can’t seem to come up with a plot that doesn’t feature some kind of made-up element, whether it be magical or sci-fi.

In your books, what sorts of characters or themes do you like to write about?
Oh, the ‘core story’ question, ooga booga :) Mine, apparently, is ‘the darkness within’. Always something to do with people who lead a double life somehow. Everyone has two faces.

No one is what they seem, or who they pretend to be, or even who they’d like to be. They have a dark side that pulls them in conflicting directions, and because it’s paranormal, usually that dark side comes to life!

My heroine Jade in SHADOWFAE is possessed by  a demon fragment called ‘rapture’. The hero in SHADOWGLASS has a split personality. The heroine in DRAGONFLY, Carrie, is a deep cover agent pretending to be someone else, who’s pretending to be yet another someone.

Fav. paranormal TV series: probably Supernatural. I give everything that comes on a go! I even watched The Vampire Diaries for a while (seriously? How many times can we have the same plot?) and I got through season 3 of True Blood before it jumped the shark for me.

But I always seem to return to Supernatural... and the answer is Sam. In case you were wondering.

Which paranormal romance author would you just love to meet in person? They tend to hang out at conferences, so it isn’t that hard...  Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein? She’s not likely to turn up at the next RWA. Not exactly a HEA in that one, but still...

Most intriguing paranormal creature: I like my vampires, yes I do. And I’ve had great fun with angels in my Seven Signs series. I’ve also done djinni, fairies, shapeshifters, demons, zombies, superheroes...

Not much of a fan of werewolves, to be honest, but for me the most intriguing paranormal creature is one who leads that double life I was talking about – one thing by day, and another by night.

Fav. paranormal movie: The Mummy.

Keeper paranormal romance series/books: I’ve got lots. I don’t give away many books! And there are so many good ones. Some that I’m currently enjoying include Linda Poitevin’s Sins of the Angels, and the Hearts and Thrones series by Amy Raby.


Which would you prefer - transporter, TARDIS or immortality: Well, if you had a TARDIS, a transporter would be redundant.

Immortality... Well, you’ve heard the stories. Too much fine print.

So I guess I’d opt for the TARDIS. Does it come with the Doctor?

Peter Davidson - 5th Dr Who

You can find out more about Erica on her website, or you can follow her on Twitter, or Facebook.


Check out Erica's latest release & her other books:

DEMON CHAINED
(released 18th September, 2013)

Bk#5 The Shadowfae Chronicles

Jewel is a djinni of the lamp, an enchanted slave, bound to her owner by dark magical cravings she can't resist. She burns for freedom, and when her lamp is stolen—by Tam, a hot and dirty bad-boy thief—she vows to be rid of her new master at any cost. Even as she plots Tam's demise, the lamp's dark fascination makes her long to claim him as her own.
But the last thing Tam wants is a spellbound djinni who can't say 'no'. Cursed by a demon to suffer living death, he's tormented by undead longing for pain, pleasure, any sensation he can get. To have this exquisite, besotted Jewel at his bidding is pure torture… because Tam refuses to succumb to her magical allure.
Not when he knows she can't truly be attracted to an ever-dying freak. And not when he’s already on a mission from his cruel demon master: capture and deliver one djinni...

The Shadowfae Chronicles (dark urban fantasy romance)

(Bk#1)

(Bk#2)

(Bk#3)

(Bk#4)

(novella)

(short story)

The Seven Signs series (dark apocalyptic paranormal romance)

(Bk#1)

(Bk#2

Hunter’s Blood (a short vampire romance)
 

Dragonfly (a romantic sci-fi adventure)

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

GUEST AUTHOR: Maggie Mundy

Today I have Maggie Mundy, a fellow RWAustralia author - please make her feel welcome as she shares a post about her latest release, HIDDEN MORTALITY (now out with Soul Mate Publishing, October 2013).

Take it away, Rowena.

Maggie Mundy lives in Adelaide, Australia and is a member of Romance Writers of Australia, and the local chapter SARA (South Australian Romance Authors). She recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and English at Flinders University.

She had a short story published in the RWA Topaz Anthology Little Gems in 2010 called Sea and Vines. Over the past year she has had stories on line with Alfie dog in the UK and Antipodean SF in Australia. She has also performed for many years in corporate entertainment for which she wrote her own sketches which probably explains why her head is so full of characters.

She loves writing romance but thinks falling in love can be scary, especially in her stories where creatures of the night really exist.

As an introduction to a character from HIDDEN MORTALITY, today I'd like you to meet Seth the hero.



Name: Seth Scanlon.



Race: human.

Characteristics: At six foot five with a muscle-bound body and a shaved head one of the character in the novel describes him like Vin Diesel on a bad day. Of course they don’t know the demons he cares about his past.

Age: 35 for more than 200 years so far. When I stared to write this novel I always saw Seth as a combination of Kelly Slater and Vin Diesel. I have to admit I find them both yummy.

 

Background: Seth was born in the early 1800 in a small town called Trowbridge just outside of Bath where he trained with his father to be a blacksmith. He hated his father who was a drunk and beat his mother. She was found drowned in a local river and it was considered suicide. He swore he would never become like his father but he didn’t completely succeed.

His first true love Rosie was married when he met her. He was honourable and left her alone. When her husband died Seth was already in an unhappy marriage and starting to drink. His wife died in childbirth and Rosie was murdered. His life was spiralling out of control
.

Rosie was killed in a ritual that was said to provide immortality to the killers. She had witch blood and granted the gift of immortality to Seth as well. She asks him to protect her descendants and find the killers.

Two hundred and more years have passed and Seth still searches and watches over Rosie’s descendants. Recently his need to find Rosie’s killer has changed because he has fallen in love with her descendant Cara.

Interesting facts: Seth can only kill the other immortal who murdered Rosie with a dagger he fixed. He does not know the whereabouts of the dagger. When he kills the murderer he will die himself. That was fine with him until he met Cara.  Below you can see the cover for Hidden Mortality that will be out with Soul Mate Publishing in November. I actually like the fact that Seth’s face is not completely shown as it gives the reader the ability to fill in the rest of the details.

A witch is murdered in 1850 in a ritual that will grant longevity to four men. What they are not aware of is that she has bestowed the same power to another called Seth to avenge her death.
Cara lives in present day Bristol, and is a descendant of the witch. Having been unlucky in love she fills her days with food with her Irish themed catering business. Her nights are another matter; they are full of erotic dreams of a mysterious lover, or nightmares with mutilated bodies. So this wasn’t the best time for her Nana to tell her she is coming into her power.

DARK SIDE DOWNUNDER: Christina Phillips

The Dark Side DownUnder series continues! I invited you to get to know some paranormal romance authors from Australia & New Zealand, maybe find a couple of new-to-you-authors & reads!

These authors are part of a blog group I'm affiliated with, called the Dark Side DownUnder. The site is aimed at showcasing all things speculative fiction - articles, authors, books, spotlights on... and contests/giveaways. You can find out more about DSDU here.

My good friend, Christina Phillips is the Dark Sider in the hot seat today!

Christina loves writing dark tales of tough, sexy warriors who are brought to their knees by their heroines. A mystical touch of fantasy or paranormal usually weaves its way through her stories, although strangely enough this wasn’t her intention when she first starting writing her historical romances. But when ancient gods and goddesses get involved, it’s best just to go with the flow.

She is published by Ellora’s Cave and Berkley Heat and has dipped her toe in the indie pub waters. She is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, Romance Writers of America, the DarkSide Down Under Group Blog and Historical Hearts Group Blog. She helped establish the inaugural Professional Development for Authors program and has been a member of the editorial team for the RWA’s monthly newsletter, Hearts Talk.

Christina is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in sunny Western Australia with her family. She is also owned by three gorgeous cats who are convinced the universe revolves around their needs. They are not wrong.

Christina, growing up, did you have an interest in the paranormal?
Looking back, I’ve always been obsessed by the paranormal although at the time it all seemed perfectly normal to me. Why wouldn’t there be a magical land in the back of a wardrobe? Of course toys came to life as soon as you went to sleep at night. I still remember as clearly as anything hiding behind the sofa watching Doctor Who on Saturday evenings (but it never occurred to me – or my parents, apparently! – to stop watching the show!) 

What drew you to write in the paranormal romance genre?
I’ve always enjoyed writing about the weird and strange. Even my English essay homework involved time travel to ancient Rome and epic space journeys.

When I first started writing with the aim of publication I tried writing category romance, but even then an errant guardian angel appeared and my second heroine was a powerful medium in denial.

In your books, what sorts of characters or themes do you like to write about?
I write a lot of historical romances and one of the obvious constraints that arises is the fact that in the past women have been severely repressed (I realise that, unfortunately, inequality still exists in many forms).

I think this is why I gravitated towards the dark and misty times of the Druids, just before they were decimated by the Romans. Because we know so little about the Druids I was able to unearth a culture where female Druids were as powerful and respected as their male counterparts. Their pantheon of gods, unlike the Romans, wasn’t patriarchal or created to subdue women… at least not originally…

In the same way my Highland Warrior Chronicles, set during the ninth century in the Highlands, have the mysterious Picts. Again we know so little about the Pictish people who lived in the Highlands before the Scots, yet the few things we do know about them paint an intriguing picture.

And so I once again went back to the Goddess culture where women had been on equal footing with men. But this is a time of great change and upheaval in universal beliefs, and woven through the ancient myths and legends a new God arises. It makes for fascinating conflicts between the Scots warriors and their Pictish princesses.

Another theme that I appear to like, although I must admit I didn’t even realise it until recently, is the enemies to lovers trope. I’m not sure why, but when I looked back at my books that theme runs through them all!

QUIZ
Fav. paranormal TV series: It’s been ages since I’ve sat down and watched a TV series. And when I tried to think of one we’ve bought on DVD all I come up with are sci fi ones instead!  I love Star Trek TNG and Voyager, Stargate and of course, (are you ready for this revelation?) Battlestar Galactica! 

Which paranormal romance author would you just love to meet in person? I consider myself hugely fortunate to have actually met in person several of my favourite paranormal authors – present company included! On a side note my eldest daughter is still green with envy that I’ve met (and spoken with! And hugged!) Nalini Singh.

Most intriguing paranormal creature: Ever since I was a child I’ve found mermaids fascinating. I’m talking about the beautiful maidens with long flowing hair… and a tail. As I got older the tail kind of freaked me out, but despite the many questions I have as to their romantic rituals, mermaids still intrigue me.

Fav. paranormal movie: I do love Enchanted, it’s such a delightful feel good movie and always makes me smile when we watch it (which is frequently!!) Also love Terminator, Alien and Déjà Vu with Denzel Washington– not sure they all qualify as paranormal movies though!

Keeper paranormal romance series/books: Psy/Changeling by Nalini Singh.

Which would you prefer - transporter, TARDIS or immortality: Much as I would love to travel in the TARDIS (hello, David Tennant!) my super technology of choice would be a transporter. With so many friends and relatives scattered across the country and the globe it would be completely awesome to be able to visit them with just a quick snap of the fingers! 

Christina, thanks for visiting today!

Driven by the knowledge he failed to protect his king and embittered at losing the woman he loves, Celtic warrior Gawain despises the lust he feels for the beautiful Roman patrician, Antonia. She is everything he’s never wanted in a woman, yet she ignites his passion like no other. Despite the danger of discovery he embarks on an illicit liaison with her, determined to uncover the reason for the infinite sorrow that haunts her eyes.
Newly arrived in Britannia from Rome, Antonia is inexplicably drawn to the cold, tough Celt whose touch stirs a desire she long thought died at the hands of her brutal former husband. With Gawain she learns the pleasure of sex and his unexpected tenderness thaws her frozen heart. But she hides a deadly secret that could be her undoing, and knows her growing feelings for him can lead nowhere. Yet when a shadow from her past threatens her future Antonia is torn between the Empire of her birth and betraying Gawain, the man she’s grown to love.
Inside Scoop: This medieval romance dabbles a wee bit in the paranormal.

A Romantica® historical erotic romance from Ellora's Cave

 

--> Ellora’s Cave      Amazon      Amazon UK      ARe      Kobo 

When tough Scots warrior Connor Mackenzie rides into the barbaric lands of the Picts on a mission for his king, he never expects to be captivated by a beautiful Pictish widow. Drawn under her spell, yet unaware of her true identity, he risks everything for one passionate night in her arms.
Aila, princess of Pictland, swore long ago she would do anything within her power to help defeat the Vikings who invaded her land and murdered her husband. But after meeting Connor, her frozen heart thaws and once again she imagines a future filled with love and passion.

When Connor delivers the message from his king, Aila becomes a pawn in a deadly game of politics. Her heart belongs to Connor, but she must marry the prince of Dal Riada – Connor’s half-brother. But the fates have other plans for the star-crossed lovers as they fight their enemies and themselves to find true love.

A Romantica® historical erotic romance from Ellora's Cave

Ellora's Cave    Amazon     ARe     Nook     Amazon UK     Kobo 

Christina's Backlist:

Stand-alones 

Bloodlust Denied
Touch of the Demon
Foretaste of Forever 

The Forbidden Series
Forbidden
Captive
Betrayed
Tainted 

Forged in Blood, United in Passion, The Highland Warrior Chronicles (Coming Soon)
Her Savage Scot

Her Vengeful Scot

Her Defiant Scot 

Writing as Christina Ashcroft 

Archangel of Mercy

You can find Christina at the following places:

Website    Facebook    Twitter     Goodreads    Blog   

DARK SIDE DOWNUNDER: S.E.Gilchrist

The Dark Side DownUnder series continues! I invited you to get to know some paranormal romance authors from Australia & New Zealand, maybe find a couple of new-to-you-authors & reads!

These authors are part of a blog group I'm affiliated with, called the Dark Side DownUnder. The site is aimed at showcasing all things speculative fiction - articles, authors, books, spotlights on... and contests/giveaways. You can find out more about DSDU here.

Today, S.E.Gilchrist is the Dark Sider in the hot seat!

SE can't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Now she writes stories where her favorite words are ...'what if' and 'where'?

Her writing features stories in the romance genres of futuristic/sci-fi, fantasy, ancient history and post-apocalyptic. She has now added contemporary rural romance to this list. The heat level of her stories varies from scorching to sweet and everything in between.

SE is published by Momentum Moonlight and Escape Publishing and is an indie author.

Growing up, did you have an interest in the paranormal?
I've been an addict from a very young age ie devoured books on different countries' legends and mythology. Lost in Space and Dr Who were watched almost religiously.

What drew you to write in the paranormal romance genre?
Speaking from a sci-fi aspect, I love to invent worlds with different rules, cultures and politics. Places and people limited only by a person's imagination - who could resist?

In your books, what sorts of characters or themes do you like to write about?
My characters aren't superheroes. I like to draw them from every day life with normal hang ups, baggage and BIG problems which they have to deal with or overcome over the course of the story.

QUIZ
Fav. paranormal TV series: Stargate. No, Firefly. Wait! The Walking Dead...you get my drift.
Which paranormal romance author would you just love to meet in person? Karen Marie Moning
Most intriguing paranormal creature: A draptile.
Fav. paranormal movie: Wow, so many.... Serenity.
Keeper paranormal romance series/books: Ms Moning's Highlander Series & JD Robb's In Death series.
Which would you prefer - transporter, TARDIS or immortality: A TARDIS.

You can find out more about SE at her website, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook or you find her at the Hunter Romance Writers' blog.

AWAKENING THE WARRIORS
Set in the world of the bestselling title Legend Beyond the Stars, an erotic novella about two warriors who have lost the ability to desire, and the human woman who is about to wake them up.

 
Fran must have been crazy to leave her ordinary, safe life and volunteer as a colonist to terra-form a new earth. Now she is trapped in a prison cell on an alien planet a zillion miles from home and bound for a hideous death in notorious research chambers.

 She has one chance of escape: awaken the long dormant sexual urges of the Darkon Warriors shackled in the next cell.

It’s a desperate job, but someone has to do it.

DANCE IN THE OUTBACK
Years ago Melanie Black was rescued from a burning house by her best mate, a fellow foster child. When he begs for help to save his marriage, she can’t refuse and soon finds herself on a cattle station supervising his children.
There isn’t a mall in sight. It’s hot and swarms with flies – none more persistent than Dirk Tanner who apparently wants her and his brother-in-law out of his sister’s life for good.
Before too long, Melanie finds herself falling in love with both him and the red expanse of the Outback. But to achieve her childhood dream of love and belonging, she has to face her worst nightmare.

BOUND BY LIES
After trudging in the footsteps of the Fomorian army, Aileen longs to have a home of her own, far from the horrors of war. She will do anything to achieve her goal. Even lie to the kin of her newly deceased husband. But lies are nothing, compared with drugging a pixie king and stealing his memory … and his seed. Now Ioducus will teach her a lesson she won’t forget; and discovers, that here may be the one woman who can free him from his curse.

S.E.Gilchrist's backlist:

DARKON WARRIORS SERIES:
   Legend Beyond the Stars
   The Portal
   Awakening the Warriors
   Star Pirate’s Justice (coming February 2014)

EROTIC HISTORICAL/FANTASY SERIES:
    Bound by Love
    Bound by Lies

POST APOCALPYTIC / EROTIC:
    Paying the Forfeit   
    Storm of Fire (coming November 2013)

CONTEMPORARY RURAL
    Dance in the Outback: available approx. 31 Oct.2013

Signs & Symptoms You Could Be an Author...

OK, a bit of light-hearted teasing, let's-poke-fun-at-authorly-types post today!

If you're a reader, it might give you some insight into your favourite authors and their behaviour.

If you're an author, I wonder how many of these apply to you?

• You're constantly editing! Any time you see a grammar or spelling error - on a street sign, an email, someone's social media post, while judging a competition entry, a written message left you by someone in your family - you just can't stop the automatic impulse to find a red pen and correct the mistake!

• Curiosity is your middle name. You're always watching what's happening around you, particularly in a public place. You notice things the average Joe doesn't - the mismatched socks on someone's feet, the odd tattoo on someone's arm, an out of place object...all provide fodder for your "ideas" file on your computer.

• You're ALWAYS daydreaming (which is part of the creative process, right?!?!). How many times have friends and family caught you staring off into space and called your name wondering what on earth you're doing? Scenes and characters having conversations with you are constantly running through your head like movies. There's no such thing as being bored, not when you can zone out and daydream.

• You're a walking thesaurus - never short of ways or words to describe people, places or things. And you're always thinking about how to describe things!

• You listen in on conversations. How many times have you sat at a cafe, or been walking around a mall or at a family gathering and you overhear snatches of conversation or secretly listened in to the people talking the next table over intrigued by their choice of topic. The result - your imagination runs riot as you work out how to incorporate some of it into your next book!

• People approach you to help them with applications or projects because "you're the writer or the creative one".

• 
  You find grammar jokes hilarious.

• You think about your WIP whenever you have a spare moment, travelling to work, when you're shopping, during boring meetings, as you go to sleep at night, when you wake up...

• Guilt plagues you when you haven't written anything for a day. Or you get an idea and start frantically searching for a pen and something to write it down on...in the supermarket, while on a date, mid-conversation...

• Writing is an obsession, not a hobby. You just have to write despite knowing published authors aren't "overnight successes", the chances of being the next Nora Roberts/E.L.James/J.K.Rowlings/Stephanie Meyer are inconceivable, earning a million dollar contract is as rare. You'll continue to write no matter what.

So, if you're an author, can you add any signs or symptoms to this list? :-)