Acceptance by Cupcake - Ends 12/31

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Enter to win an author goodie package. Just comment on the post below. You do need to be a member of the NOR Newsletter / Fan Club or sign-up today. USA Shipping Only. Ends 12/31/2010

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Acceptance by Cupcake by J.M. Griffin

When I was in Maine last year, I was inspired by the beauty of the state. The Atlantic shoreline is wonderful, wild and a bit chilly. I visited a lighthouse in Portland. It was simply marvelous and that’s when the idea began to germinate. You’re wondering what this has to do with cupcakes, am I right?

Let me explain how the whole thing came together. My friend and I were sitting at a luncheon table when out of nowhere a pink bead fell into my friend’s lap. We’d been talking about faeries and the marvelous desserts on the table when Surprise, here comes the pink bead! Nobody was sitting near us, the wait staff was dressed in uniform without jewelry and here is this little pink bead! We chuckled over her faerie bead without giving it much more thought. Later that day, we visited the lighthouse. I watched waves crash against the shoreline, thinking about how craggy the rocks were. As a writer, the starkness caught my attention and my imagination took flight.

On the way home I scribbled notes on faeries, cupcakes (my favorite), and the Maine shore. Before I knew it, I was enthralled with the idea of murder, mayhem, and a tea house with its own garden faeries not far from the coast. With a healthy dose of romance included, I figured I had a winner.

Time passed and the story grew, as did the characters. By the time I was finished, I’d decided to call it Faerie Cake Dead. I shopped the manuscript around, but couldn’t get any bites, until one day I got a call from an editor who’d heard that I wasn’t having any luck selling the novel. She wanted read it and then asked to sell the idea to her editor-in-chief. Like the pink bead, the deal fell into my lap. Surprise!

Faerie Cake Dead begins in a tea shop named Faerie Cake Junction. Faerie cakes are the British equivalent of the American cupcake. Garden faeries live in behind the shop. They not only like the shop owner, but often visit her. The story has a cantankerous sheriff, a handsome hero, two busybody wait staffers and a slew of other funny characters. The story is lighthearted, good-humored and has a wicked twist at the end.

Like the appearance of faerie beads, you can never tell what surprises you are in for. Check out Faerie Cake Dead and read the mystery surrounding Luna Devere, the faerie cake baker.

J.M. Griffin
http://www.jmgriffin.net/

Angels – are they the ultimate forbidden love? - Ends 12/31

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Enter to win one of three eBook copies of "Her Dark Angel" by Felicity Heaton!

Just comment on the post below. You do need to be a NOR Newsletter subscriber / Fan Club member to enter. Just leave the first bit of your newsletter membership email on the post. Ends 12/31/2010

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Angels – are they the ultimate forbidden love?

I’m Felicity Heaton and I’m here to talk to everyone about why I decided to write angels for my latest romance e-books.

I have been writing paranormal romance for the past seven years and have been an indie author for the past four. During that time, I have written all of the main species covered in paranormal romance books. I have explored vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters, even witches and demons. Sometimes a writer needs a new challenge. Angels were that challenge for me.

What makes an author decide to venture into the world of angels? For me, it was more than just the challenge of writing a new species. It was the chance to take on a whole new world and see what I could do with it. I had heard that people were writing angels but that they were focusing mostly on fallen angels. I wanted to explore more than just the angels that had been cast out of Heaven. I wanted to explore this new genre to the full and that meant dealing with angels who were still in the employment of a higher power.

Here was my chance to see if feathers could be just as sexy as fangs, and I decided to take it.

Two out of the three angels involved in my Her Angel series so far aren’t fallen. They’re still working for the man, and even the third one is trying to prove his innocence and get back in. While I love the idea of the lost-soul angel who has fallen and then falls in a different way for a mortal, it isn’t complicated enough for me. I like my love to be really forbidden, and there’s nothing more forbidden than a fully-fledged angel falling for a mortal... unless you count an angel falling in love with a demon... and I even wrote that angle in Her Warrior Angel. I had a great time exploring angels and the world that I was creating. I researched and dreamt up different ranks of angels, giving them different responsibilities and a different look to distinguish them. I thought about what my angels would be like and loved the idea of them being fun and frivolous, but having to deal with all mortals believing they were saintly and asexual, which they’re very definitely not. Then I thought about how the heroines would react to them. All three of the heroines are very different. Two already know that angels exist. The third is mortal and gets the shock of her life when her hero reveals that he’s an angel. All of them share common doubts though. Surely the hero can’t fall for them? Surely it’s a sin to be with an angel? I wanted the hero to have to work to prove that a relationship with them isn’t forbidden or a sin, except in the case of Her Warrior Angel where it really is very forbidden! In that book, the hero has to work to prove that he doesn’t care what the rules say, because he’s mad about the heroine.

I also thought about other elements like what things would be forbidden for angels to do, say or experience. I enjoyed playing on an almost childlike level of curiosity when it came to things that had been previously off limits to the angels—like alcohol for example. Humans would probably leap at the chance to try something that someone had told them they couldn’t do, so why would an angel be any different? All of the angels in my series are very curious about human life, human things, and anything that is prohibited. I think readers will relate to that. We’ve all been curious about things, especially when someone has told us no!

The last thing I considered was their loyalty to their world and their duties. In all of the stories, I have explored how that loyalty can cause conflict within them, leaving them torn between it and the heroine. There is only one true way for them to be with the heroine, without asking her to go to Hell and back, which is by surrendering their wings and immortality. That’s a tough decision for an angel to make, especially when they love flying so much. The series focuses on the sacrifice that the hero might have to make in order to win the heroine’s heart and love, as well as the great trials that the heroine might face to save her hero the pain of having to give up his immortality.

It’s one of the ultimate forbidden loves in my eyes. Angels and mortals (or demons!). Two very separate worlds with very different rules. Love has a way of overlooking such things though and teaching us to look beyond what people tell us to see, to what we feel in our hearts, and that’s what the Her Angel series is all about.

Stories in the Her Angel series:

Her Dark Angel
Felicity Heaton

An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn’t called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it’s to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.

Serenity is shocked when a gorgeous black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He’s no other than the angel of death! When Apollyon offers to obey her and help her have revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can’t resist the temptation, but can she resist him? Can an angel as dark as Apollyon ever fall for a mortal woman like her?

Their charade as lovers quickly becomes reality when one dance leads to another and Apollyon proves that he’s as sinful as he looks. His sensual and hungry touch brings Serenity back to life, freeing her from the hurt of being betrayed and reigniting her passion, but she can’t ignore her growing fear. Lost in their moment together, Apollyon realises that there is a reason he heard her call—he’s in love with her.

But will Serenity see past the wings and believe that Apollyon returns her feelings and won’t hurt her? When her ex-boyfriend asks her to forgive him and be with him again, will she take the easy route or will she find the courage to fly away with her dark angel?

Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Dark Angel is a tale of intense desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to get your heart racing.

Read the excerpt or buy now: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel

Her Fallen Angel
Felicity Heaton

Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her pub three years ago. He’s stunning, his vivid green eyes lending to his otherworldly beauty, but he’s seriously out of her league. When he tells her that she’s beautiful and confesses that he wants her, she can’t resist him and his passionate kiss. She unleashes her desire and seizes the moment and Lukas with both hands. But Lukas has a secret, one that will test Annelie’s love for him and threaten to tear them apart.

He’s an angel.

Annelie can’t believe it when Lukas says that their feelings for each other aren’t a sin, but she can believe his pain when he tells her the reason he’s on Earth. He is fallen, cast out of Heaven as punishment for a crime he didn’t commit. Lukas isn’t about to give up and accept his fate though. He’s determined to prove both his innocence and his love for Annelie, and to show her that the intense passion they share is real.

When Lukas and Apollyon discover who framed him, will he be able to stop them from going after Serenity and Annelie? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?

Read the excerpt or buy now: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel

Her Warrior Angel
Felicity Heaton


Einar is one of Heaven’s best hunters and he’s on a mission to uncover why an angel was working with demons. When he finds the first demon fighting a beautiful woman named Taylor, he intervenes and saves her life. Taylor has spent her whole life protecting London from the lowest demons and she’s not about to let an angel waltz into her city and take over her job, and she’s certainly not about to fall in love with him, even if he is gorgeous. The reason why she can’t is simple—she’s half demon.

There is no love in this world more forbidden than that between an angel and a demon.

Sense tells Taylor to get out before she gets her heart broken, but she winds up convincing Einar to partner with her instead. Einar is certain that working with Taylor is a bad idea, and not only because he can’t focus when he’s around her, but he can’t let her go. The mission leads them deep into the city’s underworld, where old flames burn Taylor while new flames of passion and fear of the consequences consume them, and the threat of Einar’s demons hangs over them both.

Can a love so forbidden ever have a happy ending or are they destined to break each other’s hearts?

Read the excerpt or buy now: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Warrior%20Angel

Biography:

Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances.

Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She’s just honoured to write down their adventures.

Thanks for having me here today and if any readers have any comments or questions, please feel free to voice them and I’ll answer them as soon as possible.

If you want to know more about me, or want to get in touch, you can find me at the following places:

My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk

My blog: http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton

Felicity Heaton

Accidental Demon Slayer Series - Ends 12/17

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Enter to win win signed, first edition copies of The Accidental Demon Slayer, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers and A Tale of Two Demon Slayers - Details at the bottom of this post! Ends 12/17/2010. You do need to be a NOR newsletter subscriber and leave the first bit of your email address on your post.

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Hey all! The biker witches are back and I’m celebrating with a big book giveaway. Wait. Who are the biker witches, you ask? Fair question. They are characters in the Accidental Demon Slayer series.

I write about a preschool teacher turned demon slayer who hangs out with the Red Skull biker witch gang. They don’t always get along, but they get things done. And when you’re slaying demons, that’s important. This latest book in the series takes the characters on a cross-country Harley ride after a particularly nasty Earl of Hades.

Booksellers tell me that one of the reasons why this series has taken off like it has is because the characters are rebels at heart. They’re as untraditional as it gets when it comes to ridding the world of these awful creatures, yet their willingness to go out on a limb works for them. It gets kind of scary to watch sometimes, but it always serves them well.

And maybe that’s the lesson I need to learn from these books. You see, we were all set to release The Last of the Demon Slayers at the end of this month, when my publisher started having issues. Dorchester wasn’t meeting its contractual obligations regarding my books.

After considering things carefully, I contacted my publisher and took back the rights to the book. With the help of my agent, I went ahead and put it out myself – early – as an ebook. And now that there’s been such a demand, we’re going to be releasing the print version in a few weeks.

Would the biker witches be proud? I hope so. Because I’m not sure I want them showing up at my door with suggestions, or spells or anything else (Besides, once you let them into your living room, they never leave). Anyhow, I hope you check out The Last of the Demon Slayers. It works great as a stand-alone book, or as an addition to the adventures of Lizzie and the biker witches.

And to give you a taste of the series, I’d like to give away a set of the earlier books to one lucky poster. Just take the quiz: What’s Your Biker Witch Weapon of Choice? Post your answer below and one lucky commenter will win signed, first edition copies of The Accidental Demon Slayer, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers and A Tale of Two Demon Slayers. Good luck!

Excerpt: http://angiefox.wordpress.com/excerpt/

Quiz (for the prize): http://quiz.angiefox.com/biker-witch-weapon/index.php

Angie Fox
http://angiefox.wordpress.com/

Let's Laugh About SPAM! - Ends 12/17

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Enter to win PDF copies of Prairie Peace & White Heart, Lakota Spirit by Ginger Simpson! Just comment on the post below.

You do need to be a NOR Fan Club newsletter subscriber to enter. You can get signed up right over there on the right. Put the first part of your email address on your post for entry. Ends 12/17/2010

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LET'S LAUGH ABOUT SPAM! by Ginger Simpson

SPAM! I hate it, yet like everyone else, I’m forced to endure it. The problem is I have to weed through mine to find messages from friends and associates that have a meaning for me. My mail server insists on sending random posts to either my SPAM or Trash folder. Just this morning I found a very important contract that might have cost me a substantial amount of money had I not noticed it.

Scanning 600 plus emails is not fun. I’m amazed at the array of ridiculous promises in the subject lines alone. Several people have posted, promising to ‘cleanse my colon.’ Thanks, but been there, done that, and in my opinion, the condition of my colon is between me and my doctor and not up for debate. Anytime you see colon and cleanse together in a sentence…run! Think of: time/bomb, blow/up, fire/works.

Look! I can get financial aid and earn my online degree (and at this age) and erase all my debts, too. Let’s not forget I can ‘get money overnight’, ‘free smokes’ and my ‘TRUE LOVE AWAITS’. I hope my husband doesn’t find out. Heck, I didn’t even know.

Let’s see, I can ‘attend culinary school’ and ‘become a great chef.’ Or, I can ‘save money on a new SUV.’ Wait, there’s an offer to ‘save $$$ at the gas pump.’ Hmmm, seems like if I take advantage of both of those offers, I’m defeating an important purpose. Gas guzzlers or saving gas! Decisions, decisions. The chef thing is definitely out. I hate to cook.

Swell! I can ‘order on-line drugs’ to help lose weight, but then that conflicts with the post telling me ‘men love full-figured women.’ Yeah, right. Probably the same ones who’re looking for people with weight problems. OH, and definitely I can’t overlook the one thousand emails from South Africa, London, and Nigeria asking for my bank information so I can ‘claim that exclusive lottery money’ that’s in my name alone. With all that cash, I can reel in a man without losing weight.

Gee, I can hardly contain my glee. I’ve been awarded a ‘free gift card’ to shop at Costco, Walmart, Target and Kohls. Like I’m falling for that. I didn’t tumble off a turnip truck yesterday. It was last month and the knot on my head is almost healed.

Hey…a ‘free poker pass’! That’ll come in handy if I take that drug for restless leg syndrome and develop the gambling addiction they warn about in their commercials. Oh, great, there are fifteen more ‘Detoxify Your Body’ posts. I’m pretty sure it’s the ‘Colon Cleanse’ ad disguising itself for those faint at heart people like me.

I guess SPAM is something we’re going to have to live with. It used to come stuffed inside your bills via the US Postal Service, but now that many are doing everything online, advertisers had to find a way to continue to annoy us. It’s working on me, how about you? I guess laughter is the best way to deal with it. It’s the best medicine you know, regardless of what they tell you.

Suppose you can tell that I always aspired to be a comic. I try to add a little humor in every book I’ve written, despite a sometimes serious topic. Laughter has seen me through some difficult times, and I high laugh whenever the opportunity arises. If you’d like to check out my accomplishments, please visit my website at http://www.gingersimpson.com. I have a lot of new releases coming up and I’m excited.

Thanks to Nite Owl for having me here today and for providing such a wonderful site for authors to promote themselves. Now on the count of three…everyone giggle. It makes the word a better place.