Sidekicking the Sidekicks

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Sidekicking the Sidekicks

In A Brush of Darkness, Abby ends up the accidental owner of a miniature (cat-sized) unicorn. Originally, he was only supposed to be there for comic relief since he’s a bit of an anti-unicorn in some ways – Phineas bites, drinks beer, sniffs panties. In short, he’s kind of obnoxious. However, as I continued writing the book, I decided he really needed more of a purpose, and about part way through, he started to talk. Even though my original intension was to keep him quiet, I rolled with it.

Strangely enough, it worked. Instead of being a mostly passive character, he took on a nice life of his own. But more than that, he allowed me to weave in certain plot points that might not have worked as well otherwise. (And in fact, he’s going to have a much more pivotal role in the second book. No, he didn’t just show up by accident.)

Even though he’s pretty crude at times, his observations are often fairly spot on and can pull Abby back on track. This sort of ability is really a nice advantage when it comes to animal/familiar sidekicks in stories. Whether they’re magical or not, characters often have a way of opening up to these sidekicks in ways they might not do with other people. As readers, we can make more allowances for their behaviors, simply because we don’t expect human-type characteristics from them. (As long as they stay within proper boundaries. If a cat is simply a normal cat, I’m going to get a bit suspicious if it starts acting a little *too* intelligently for the sake of plot.)

Animal sidekicks give the main characters someone to turn to when they are hurt or upset, as well as often providing the same sort of unconditional love we might expect from a real pet. If it’s a magical sidekick, maybe the creature has a talent that is useful and moves the plot forward in some way.

In either case, I’ve always found it rather fascinating at just how frequently sidekicks are used in stories – clearly there’s a need for them. Do you like it when there are animal sidekicks in stories? Why or why not? Who are some of your favorites?

Allison Pang
http://www.heartofthedreaming.com

Karma and Ben

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Inside the Characters of Karma and Ben from Yours for the Taking - A scene for the NOR Readers

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Karma Kincaid smiled to herself as she topped off the beer she was pouring for Ben Walsh—her favorite cousin. Okay, her only cousin, but if she’d had a whole slew of them, Ben would still be her favorite.

“Here you, go.” She slid the beer down the bar; it stopped just before it hit Ben’s hand. Perfect every time. She grabbed a bar rag and slid over to him. “So, how’s it going?”

Ben took a sip of his beer. “With Gina? Great. With everyone else? What do you think?”

Karma was thrilled that Ben and Gina’s marriage of convenience had turned into so much more. “I guess the word is out then?”

“About Gina thinking I was gay the first time we got married? Yeah, your brothers will never let me live that one down.”

“I can’t say that I blame them. You gotta admit, that’s just too funny.”

“What the hell was I supposed to do? If I’d told Gina I was straight, I was afraid she wouldn’t marry me, and then I would have lost the ranch. Besides, this is all your fault, you know.”

Karma barely kept from throwing the bar rag in his face. “How is it my fault?”

“You’re the one who pointed out the hole in my plan. You said yourself if I married Gina, she might fall for me. I didn’t want that to happen—or at least that’s what I thought then, so when Gina said she thought I was gay, I didn’t correct her.”

“How long did it take her to figure out the truth?”

Ben smiled that smile of his that made all women weak in the knees…well, all women but her. “Way too long.”

Karma laughed and Ben joined in.

“What’s so funny?”

Karma looked over and saw Gina, Ben’s wife. She climbed on the stool beside him. Ben gave her a lingering kiss.

“You two really are disgusting. I’d tell you to get a room but I know the two of you would be out of here like a shot.” Karma started pouring Gina a Grey Goose dirty martini. “We were just talking about how long it took you to figure out Ben was anything but gay.”

“I figured it out just as soon as we were forced to share a room. You remember when Grampa Joe insisted we come to Idaho for a real honeymoon?”

Karma nodded.

“We flew to Boise and for the first few days we stayed with Gramps. Since most married people share a room, we were expected to too.”

Karma slid the drink over to Gina and leaned against the bar. “How’d you finally figure it out?”

Gina took a sip and then swallowed just before she laughed. “I tricked him.”

Ben groaned but Karma waved him away.

“I pretended I was asleep and did my best to drive him crazy.” She shot Ben a smile. “It worked.”

“What happened then?”

Ben laughed and covered Gina’s mouth with his hand. “I guess if you want to know most of the gory details, you’ll just have to pick up Robin Kaye’s book, Yours for the Taking.”

Karma perked up. “Have you read it?”

Ben got up and nudged Gina off her stool. “We have to go…do something—” He took Gina’s hand.

Gina laughed. “You know guys—Ben only read the hot sex scenes.” She waved and allowed her husband to pull her out of the bar.

Karma leaned against the bar and laughed. She pulled out her Kindle and started searching…

----About the Book

YOURS FOR THE TAKING BY ROBIN KAYE – IN STORES JANUARY 2011

He might be too good to be true…

Ben Walsh shouldn’t be single. Handsome and wealthy, Ben is equally at home in Idaho where he grew up and in Manhattan where he’s now an art dealer. Suave and successful with impeccable taste, he normally has women beating down his door. But the one woman he wants can’t be convinced that he’s for real…

She isn’t sure if she has time for fairy tales…

Gina Reyez has fought for every bit of her success, and it’s about time for things to start going her way. So when Ben makes a proposal that will allow her to take care of her family the way she wants to, she agrees. Besides, a guy this perfect would never be interested in her...right? By the time Gina figures out that she’s read Ben all wrong, the arrangements are made, the papers are signed…but what exactly are they getting themselves into?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robin Kaye is a professional writer and winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award for her first novel, Romeo, Romeo. Her romantic comedies feature sexy, nurturing heroes and feisty, independent heroines. She lives with her husband and three children in Mt. Airy, Maryland, where she is working on a brand new series for release 2011 and 2012. For more information, please visit www.robinkayewrites.com.

Magic in the Real World

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Enter to win a Print copy of Visions of Magic by Regan Hastings.

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Regan Hastings, Author of VISIONS OF MAGIC, on Magic in the Real World Although VISIONS OF MAGIC is the first book by Regan Hastings, it’s far from the author’s first book. Under another name, her contemporary romance novels number in the double digits, and she has been nominated six times for the prestigious RITA award from the Romance Writers of America. Her romance novels have appeared many times on the USA TODAY bestsellers list. She’s holding a contest for readers to guess her true identity for a chance to win a Federal Bureau of Witchcraft fleece jacket. Enter at www.reganhastings.com. The contest ends February 1, the release date of VISIONS OF MAGIC, so enter right away!

In VISIONS OF MAGIC, I created a world where magic is real. The Magic Police are the iron fist of the Federal Bureau of Witchcraft, whose sole mandate is to eradicate witchcraft. There is no presumption of innocence for witches. Thousands of helpless women are caught in the web of society’s paranoia, imprisoned without trial and even burned at the stake.

I believe there really is magic in the world, and you’ll find it on YouTube. It’s disguised behind words like “new invention.” Seriously. Search for “cool technology” on YouTube. It’ll blow your mind. You look at these videos and you think, “How is that possible?!”

Check this out. A guy in Spain has invented spray-on clothing.



It looks like silly string going on, but in a few minutes, all these polymers bond together and become a shirt. And then you can take off the shirt and throw it in the wash.

How is that not magic?!

If this inventor lived in the world of VISIONS OF MAGIC, he’d be hunted as a witch and reviled by society. Even in the real world, I revile him some. Spray-on clothing will not look good on anyone with a little extra flesh. Of course, that’s true of a lot of clothes we see on the runway.

More evidence of magic in the real world: wizards scientists have created a bioprinter that can “print” organic replacement parts such as livers, kidneys, and teeth, almost like an inkjet printer.



Frankly, I haven’t had great luck with inkjet printers. If I were a test subject for this bioprinter, I’d be much more willing to try out a new tooth than a new liver. (Then again, I suppose if I needed a new liver, I might change my mind about that.)

In today’s magic world, telekinesis exists! Scientists have found a way for people to move objects with the power of thought.



Someday, The Clapper will be obsolete because we’ll only have to think about turning off the light switch. (And how lazy am I, that I think it will be cool when I don’t have to clap anymore?)



What new technology seems like magic to you? What do you wish scientists would invent next?

Oh, and here’s one more video for your enjoyment:

"Trust that you have greatness inside of you." - Ends 1/28

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Enter to win one of two copies of "Kiss at Your Own Risk" by Stephanie Rowe.

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"Trust that you have greatness inside of you." by Stephanie Rowe

When I read Robin Becker's post about a potter who effortlessly creates pots so magnificent that many of his creations are housed in famous museums, her story resonated with me. The potter in question creates many pots, and every so often, a true masterpiece emerges. His response to where the magic ones come from? "[T]rust that there's something inside you, something simultaneously human and divine, that will come out in the work. When you find a pot that exhibits the ineffable, then you've made art. It's easy to pick the functional pots from the brilliant pots. The brilliant ones glow from within."

The brilliant ones glow from within.

I am sure you've read books like this. Books that capture your soul from the first word to the last, the ones where, after you finish them, you close the book, set it on your chest and don't move for another hour, because you are simply breathing in the magnificence of the experience you just had.

Where do those books come from? Hours and hours of hard labor? A brilliant idea touched by God? A slave-driving critique group? Some well of awesomeness that only the best authors have access to?

Nope. That magic, that beauty, that reverberation that can shake the world? It comes from the soul. That resplendence is there within every one of us. Within me. Within you. Within the cranky old man down the street. It's there, it's yours, and it pulses with the anticipation of you unlocking that door, taking down the wall, abandoning your resistance, and allowing it to come to life.

See, here's the thing. We all WANT to be magnificent. Either as a writer, or a mom, or as a ballet dancer, or as a friend…whatever it is that we do, in our hearts, we want to be magnificent. It's our nature as human beings. But in the desire, the raw, burning need to be great, we often try too hard. We look elsewhere to see how others are doing it. We question our instincts. We do market research. We sit down and force our brains to perform. We judge ourselves as lacking to force us to try harder. We criticize. We compare. When we do that, when we FORCE things, of course we can put words on paper. We can provide solid advice to our kids. We can sort of be what we're striving for. But what we're really doing is using our minds, our discipline and our knowledge to direct our performance, instead of drawing that greatness from within.

But when we stop trying, when we stop forcing ourselves in a certain direction, when we simply relax and allow the wisdom, the beauty and the love within us to flow outward and to fill our actions with inspiration instead of duty, that is when the magic comes to life. And when we draw the greatness from within, then we allow ourselves to shine in that way that only we can, in the way that makes each of us unique, special and truly, truly magnificent. For me, my book Kiss at Your Own Risk, was that moment when I learned how to trying so hard, and to simply allow myself and my writing to shine from within. This book will always be my triumph, my special moment, the time when I finally understood the beauty within me.

Does anyone have any examples of times when they stopping trying so hard and felt the power of allowing their beauty to flow from within?

KISS AT YOUR OWN RISK BY STEPHANIE ROWE – IN STORES JANUARY 2011

He needed a killer woman…

Blaine Underhill is one lucky man after having recently escaped a century and a half of imprisonment at the hands of an evil witch. Now he’s determined to save his still-enslaved friend, but in order to do so, he’ll need the help of one of the world’s most lethal women.

She was drop dead gorgeous, literally…

Trinity Harpswell is sick and tired of being a Black Widow. Having managed to go three years without accidentally killing anyone she loves, she’s one short week away from freeing herself from this killer curse forever.

When Blaine tracks her down and convinces her to help him, little does Trinity know that the next seven days are going to be murder!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Four-time RITA Award nominee and Golden Heart Award winner Stephanie Rowe is a nationally bestselling author, and has more than twenty-five contracted titles with major publishers such as HarperCollins, Dorchester and Harlequin. Stephanie has charmed reviewers with her unique blend of humor and otherworldly magic. She lives outside Boston, MA, where she is working on the next two books in the Soulfire Series: Touch if You Dare (July 2011) and Hold Me If You Can (September 2011). For more information, please visit http://www.stephanierowe.com.

Historical Romance and Historical Sex Words - Ends 1/18

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One Day Contest from Lacy Danes!

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Historical Romance and Historical Sex Words by Lacy Danes

Hello! I am so excited to be here and to talk about something so dear to me. Historic sex slang and words that make you go squick.

When I first began writing historical I thought it would be easy and a challenge all at the same time. But, not for the reasons you might think. I had been reading historical romance for years, so that part of the equation didn’t register with me as something that would be a challenge. It was writing in general that I knew I would struggle with. I received C’s in English in high school and C’s & D’s in College.

Plainly put, I didn’t feel that the English language was important way back then. Photography was important. Reading was important. Having fun was important. But, how to put a sentence together… well that was low on the radar.

My journey to becoming published is somewhat of an odd story, which I will share at some point, but not today. What I found out when I started writing was my grammar sucked and the historical aspects required a lot of research. The research I instantly loved and was amazed by. I was shocked that most of the things that we struggle with accepting today have been around since time began. The deeper I went into researching humanity, the more I realized sex and sexuality played a HUGE part in what people did and why they did it. I picked up books about orgies and the hell fire clubs. I picked up books about sexual divination during the Regency and Georgian times. I picked up and read books about contraception through history. I was hooked on social history and specifically sexual social history.

I realized the historical romance I typically read didn’t even approach what actually happened in upper society or for that fact even with the poorer ranks. I started writing and my stories took on their own sexual tilt. I say tilt because it was different than anything I had read. It was erotic, it was naughty, it was HOT.

The one thing I did notice is that I had no idea how to capture the language used for sex. Not only was I at as disadvantage with the English language, I also had a disadvantage about sexual language during the time period I had decided to write in.

I searched on line. I searched books on regency language. Sadly the section on vulgar terms was missing. So I decided to start my own list. (http://www.lacydanes.com/historic-sex/) Some words I found in Thesaurus. Some I found in historic text. Some I found in a great little book called Sexual Slang. But, what I noticed when both writing and reading was that I Have a squick word and so does everyone else! What is a squick word? It is a word that is so hard for you to read, and even harder for you to say!

For me that word is …. Ack… errrrr…. Ummm… that word is… Pussy.

There, I said it.

Every time I write the word, all the hairs on my neck stand on end. I do use it… I mean… pussy in my stories. I force myself to, but I still am very uncomfortable with it. Most people are surprised that I don’t say my squick word is cunt. But I can say and type that word over and over without hesitation. Grin. Cunt cunt cunt cunt cunt.

So to leave you all with a bit of historical sex from my stories, here is an excerpt from my most recent story and my most loved.

House of Sin now available from Samhain (http://store.samhainpublishing.com/house-of-sin-p-6222.html)

Blurb:

Her most important duty—serve the master’s pleasure.

Emily’s dreams are simple: a life of dedicated service at a respectable estate, and a strong marriage filled with love and devotion for one man. Portage Place, the manor where her parents apprenticed, seems the perfect place to start. Though it is whispered that all is not as it seems behind its grand façade.

The rumors, it turns out, ring with truth. The halls are saturated with sensuality, desire and lust. Despite the scandalous duties she is asked to perform, she is determined not to stumble on what could be her first step toward her dreams. Dreams that, lately, have included the manor’s fiery haired groomsman.

A promise to watch over his younger half-brother brought Adam to Portage Place. For the first time in five years of enjoying the delights of the manor’s unbridled debauchery, Emily’s innocence touches the protector that still lives deep in his core. This house of sin may have ruined him, but he will see to it that it doesn’t ruin her. It seems, however, that behind every door lurks a conspiracy to bind Emily in velvet chains of desire. Until the only way out is for Adam to take the biggest risk of all…

Excerpt available (http://www.lacydanes.com/house-of-sin/#read-an-excerpt)

And my most loved Animal Lust. (http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Lust-ebook/dp/B0012Y1GP6/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295234430&sr=1-1)

Blurb :

In Regency England, there is a world ruled by feral passion and forbidden desire—a world where every fantasy is realized as four brothers take their women to rapturous new heights of carnal bliss…

The Ursus brothers are descended from a Viking clan whose ancestors doomed them to a life of all-consuming sensual urges. Haunted by their insatiable hunger, each brother knows that only one thing can tame their wild yearnings: claiming the heart and soul of the woman who is his destiny…

Surrounded by an aura of danger and driven by his unshakeable instincts, each brother knows immediately when he’s encountered the right woman, and they immediately instruct them in the art of giving and receiving pleasure. But once these women get their first sizzling taste of raw abandoned ecstasy, they only want more and more…

Excerpt available (http://www.lacydanes.com/animal-lust/#read-an-excerpt)

So now for the giveaway.


Reply to this post with what word makes you squick to say or write or hell even do! ;-)


And at the end of today 9p.m. PST 1/18/11 I will pick two names from the comments to win one of the books from my book list.( http://www.lacydanes.com/books/) and a copy or my critique partners new book, Delilah Marvelle’s Prelude to a Scandal! (http://www.amazon.com/Prelude-Scandal-Hqn-Delilah-Marvelle/dp/0373775377)


You must be a member of the NOR newsletter to enter and leave the first bit of your email address on your post. If yo win this is how we will get your full address for contact.

Good luck and hugs to you all!

Lacy.

Is Nine Lives Really Enough? - Ends 1/21

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Enter to win a print copy of "I Dream of Genies" from the publisher. Two winners will be selected.

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Is Nine Lives Really Enough? by Judi Fennell

A Character Interview by Judi Fennell, author of I Dream of Genies So how ya doin’ folks? I’m Obo, best friend to Eden and Matt Ewing, and a better friend you’ll never have. Yeah, I can do the whole humble thing, but really… why? It’ll all shake out in the end and you’ll see I’m not blowing smoke. That, I leave to Eden. (She’s a genie, in case you didn’t know.)

Besides, humble isn’t who I am. Who else is going to go to the middle of the godsforsaken Sahara desert to face down a hoard of scimitar-wielding djinn, dodge the next Mrs. Obo-wannabe, give up a magical gold amulet, then show up to save the day? (And don’t listen to the reviewers; I’m the one who saves the day and if it weren’t for me, Matt might still be hanging off that cherub’s arrow.)

But it’s all part and parcel of being me. Best friend extraordinaire. Rescuer of the fair maiden, and sidekick to the swoon-worthy hero you all just have to have.

Yep, that’s right, I’m the rescuer. I’m the savior of the day. I’m the real hero here. Moi. Obo The Cat, nee Titus, Cleopatra’s boy toy—yes, that Cleopatra. You didn’t think you were talking to just anyone, did you?

So how did I go from Boy Toy to tomcat? Some would say there’s not much difference between the two, but trust me, that human to feline thing is definitely different.

As to how I got that way, well, it’s kind of a long story. Let’s just say that I should have considered Cleo’s feelings for Marc Antony as something other than fleeting, and I should never have tried blackmailing Faruq, the Djinn world’s vizier. Faruq had his own ideas for Cleopatra, but once Cleo saw Marc Antony, that was it. There was no one else for her. Good ol’ Antony decided I was too much of a threat in my well-oiled, well-built, charming human self, and turned me into a cat.

Not that I can complain, really. I spent the next two millennia in blissful ignorance, knowing only the four-pawed approach to life and let me tell you, there’s a reason it’s called “tomcatting around.” Sweet!

But with all indulgences, there comes the time to pay the piper, and in this case, the piper was Fate. Or Karma. Or whatever your belief system is, but if I want to have a happily ever after Atonement, I need to make up for all the, er, not-so-niceties I might have perpetuated in my nine lives.

So when Bastet, the Egyptian goddess, required someone to keep an eye on Eden while she was confined to her bottle (why does she get a cushy place to spend her punishment and I’m stuck outside fighting the elements? I mean, my transgression was just to love women; she killed a man. Oh, sure, she didn’t mean to, and she actually saved a bunch of kids, but still… She gets the silk-covered cushions and whatever her little heart desires inside her temperature-controlled bottle, and I’m out foraging for scraps and trying to keep the rainwater off my fur.)

But I digress. Bastet came along with her deal: keep an eye on Eden and get a few tally marks in the Plus column of my celestial scorecard. Piece of catnip, right? I wish.

If it weren't for Faruq’s unholy obsession with Eden, it might have been. But, no. He wants to control her, and when she gets out of her bottle accidentally, I’ve got my work cut out for me. Faruq can’t have her, Bastet wants to know where she is, and now there’s this mortal, Matt, who wants her back.

That’s where I come in. I untie Matt, jump in his truck and give him— Well, I guess I shouldn’t give the entire story away, right? I mean, it is a heck of a ride, and yeah, I might get a cut of the proceeds (a very small cut. About enough to buy some cheap caviar; I’ll have to see if I can renegotiate with my author), and Bastet is giving me a look.

So, if you’re in the mood for magic, a hunky guy, butterflies hummingbirds and a cute baby dragon, diamonds and rubies and sapphires, outsmarting the bad guy and a mythical beast, plus a whole bunch of romance—not to mention moi—I Dream of Genies is the (magic carpet) ride for you.

And here’s proof positive of just how instrumental I am in Eden and Matt’s tale. If it weren’t for me, that night of magical fireworks may never have happened. Hmmm… I might have to put in a request for Beluga caviar. I think I’m worth it…

Obo ducked behind a trashcan on the street across from a taxi cab that had discharged the last person in the world—or beyond—he wanted to see. Bulls’ balls, Faruq had gotten here fast.


Dropping the leather bag beneath his front paws, Obo poked one set of whiskers out, twitching them, trying to catch Faruq’s foul scent. It’d been years—close to a thousand, actually—since he’d gotten a glimpse of the Djinn’s Gift to Djinn, as they’d all called Faruq behind his back. The vizier thought the obeisance given him was out of respect. Ha. The guy was delusional. Everyone knew what a trigger temper he had. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of that lightning bolt.


Obo risked peering out with one eye, just in time to see Faruq disappear through the door of a shop. Murphy’s Antiques.


Son of a bichon, the vizier was hot on her tail. It wouldn’t take him long to trace her to Matt’s, then who knew what would happen. Obo was going to have to warn them. And somehow he just knew this whole mess was going to wind up costing him the amulet.


He swept the bag beneath his belly as he sat there, contemplating how to minimize any losses with this latest development. He’d planned his End-of-Life for millennia and the amulet played a big part in that, so losing it wasn’t high on his list of priorities.


A light flicked off inside the store and the flap of Faruq’s coat reappeared in the doorway. Contemplating time was over.


And then Gigi or Fifi or PeePee—some silly little Paris Hilton–named, overstylized inkblot of a poodle—spotted him and started yapping. Fabulous. Now he had no choice. It was now or, well, now.


Obo picked the strings up in his mouth and raced across the street, wending through the pedestrians and the idiots on bikes, making it to the alley next to Coffman’s Music in record time. He peeked back around the corner to make sure he hadn’t been seen—


Only to find Faruq staring right at him.

© Judi Fennell, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2011

I DREAM OF GENIES BY JUDI FENNELL – IN STORES JANUARY 2011

He needs to change his luck, and fast!

Matt Ewing would gladly hunt down a fortune in lucky pennies if he thought it would help save his business. But for all his hoping, Matt’s clueless when his long-awaited lucky charm falls in his lap in the form of a beguiling genie. He just can’t believe that this beautiful woman could be the answer to his prayers…

She’s been bottled up for far too long!

Spending 2,000 years in a bottle would make any woman a little stir-crazy. So when Matt releases Eden from her luxurious captivity, she’s thrilled to repay him by giving him the magical boost he needs…

But for all her good intentions, Eden’s magical prowess is a little rusty and her magical mistakes become more than embarrassing. And though Eden knows falling in love will end her magic and immortality, she can’t help but be drawn to the one man who wants her just for herself…

About the Author

Judi Fennell is an award-winning author and writes what she calls “fairy tales with a twist.” Her romance novels have been finalists in Gather.com's First Chapters and First Chapters Romance contests, and have won numerous RWA Chapter Awards, including the FF&P Prism Award, and the New Jersey Golden Leaf Award. Judi lives with her family in suburban Philadelphia, PA, where she is working on the next book in the Genie Trilogy, Genie Knows Best, set for release in November 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.judifennell.com.

I’m a visual writer - Ends 1/21

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Enter to win a signed print copy of "Earl of Darkness".

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***

I’m a visual writer. I keep pictures of my characters in a folder on my computer. When they travel, I track their progress on old maps. And when I imagine their homes I’m always helped by a visual cue; floor plans, landscapes, photos of the actual places my characters inhabit.

In my latest historical-paranormal EARL OF DARKNESS, Cat O’Connell has been hired to break into the Dublin town house of Aidan Douglas, the Earl of Kilronan in search of a mysterious diary. Kilronan House sits on Henry Street, north of the river Liffey. It’s part of a city in flux as fashionable society slowly relocates south of the river. Perfect for my impoverished earl. Yet he’s not completely without means and his home reflects the former grandeur of his family.

Charlemont House, residence of the Earls of Charlemont seemed a perfect prototype for Aidan’s mansion. Situated in Rutland Square, the three-story five bay house was built around 1764 for the first earl and was considered one of the finest mansions of the day, though by 1815, the neighborhood was no longer as affluent as it had been.

The first earl of Charlemont was an intellectual with a passion for books and rare editions. Much like Aidan’s father who nearly bankrupts his family with his scholarly pursuits.

The library held little more than the desk, a sofa, a few comfortable chairs, and an avalanche of books. The combined remnants of the collections from Belfoyle and Kilronan House. Refugees from countless auctions and private sales. Selling them off had been painful, his father’s lifelong passion computed in pounds and pence. But it had been that very blinkered passion that had put the family’s finances in this predicament. There had been no choice. Anything unentailed became fair game.

As the story unfolds, Aidan and Cat escape Dublin, traveling west to the village and house of Knockniry in search of Daz Ahern, a man who may hold answers to the growing web of danger surrounding the old earl’s diary.

Daz lives the life of a country gentleman. Rather than seeking out notice, he shuns all visitors and has withdrawn into the sanctuary of his own mind. In searching out an image of a house that would suit, I came across a black and white image of a stone house sitting solid and alone within a park of tall grass.

The house turned out to be Mount Ievers Court located in Co. Clare. Built in the early eighteenth century by the architect John Rothery, it is three stories with tall chimneys and a steeply pitched roof. The seven-bay fronts are almost identical except that the south front is gray limestone, the north front Dutch brick. The interior is simple, befitting the home of someone wealthy but not outrageously so. But it was that first striking image of that lonely-looking house that stuck in my memory and gave rise to the description of Knockniry

The house stood off the main road. Down an overgrown lane shaded by rowan and snarling gorse. A far cry from the wide avenue and rolling park he remembered. 


The overgrown avenue opened into a sweep of weed-choked gravel before the stately stone house, now swallowed by ivy so that only the upper windows remained completely free of the tangled jungle of green.

The final house of my book is the final stand for Aidan and Cat.

Belfoyle, the country seat of the earls of Kilronan stands on the coast of Co. Clare, north of the rugged cliffs of Moher. It’s there Aidan and Cat will face the truths discovered in the diary and fight to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. For the dramatic climax, I needed a dramatic locale. A house that served as fortress in a country all too often caught up in conflict. In this instance, no one house encapsulated the image in my mind. Belfoyle became an amalgam of many houses, the biggest influences being Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare and Glenveagh Castle in Co. Donegal. My description clearly showing my blending of houses.

The coach slowed as they climbed a hill. And she caught her first glimpse of the house, though house hardly seemed a fitting description for Belfoyle.

Beyond the arch, huge towers of gray stone rose straight up into the sky topped by steeply pitched roofs and crenellated battlements. Upon cresting the hill, they drove beneath the gateway into a courtyard where additions and wings moved in every available direction. Tudor warred with Jacobean led into Baroque until the whole place was a hodgepodge of styles and periods.

The existing structure of Bunratty was built in about 1425, but by the seventeenth century was owned by the O’Brien’s, earls of Thomond who handed it over to Cromwell’s army in 1642.

Glenveagh Castle is a nineteenth century gothic idea of a castle nestled amid the rugged mountains of Derryveagh and Glendowan on the edge of Lough Veagh. It was built in 1871 by Captain John Adair, an Irishman who’d made his fortune in America. You just have to catch a glimpse of the turrets and roughhewn stone amid a backdrop of wild mountains for the creative juices to flow.

Town house. Country estate. Castle. Three distinct houses with three very different styles, but all of them needed to bring Cat and Aidan’s story to life.

I’m giving away a free signed copy of EARL OF DARKNESS to one lucky commenter, so drop me a note and tell me which house you’d pick—are you a wealthy city dweller, one of the landed gentry, or peer of the realm?


Alix Rickloff
http://www.alixrickloff.com

The Adventure Continues in the Second Fatal Book - Ends 1/14/2011

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Enter to win an eBook copy of Fatal Justice. Just answer Marie Force's question in the comments section below. You do need to be a NOR newsletter subscriber. One entry per person. Ends 1/14/2011

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The Adventure Continues in the Second Fatal Book

By: Marie Force

Thank you so much for having me back for another visit to celebrate the launch of Fatal Justice, the second book in my new Fatal Series. I’m really excited to continue the story begun in my June 2010 release, Fatal Affair, where readers met Washington, D.C. homicide detective Sam Holland and her significant other Nick Cappuano, chief of staff to murdered U.S. Senator John O’Connor.

Fatal Justice opens with Sam and Nick entering a new phase in their professional and personal lives. Sam takes the oath of office as a police lieutenant on the same day Nick is sworn in a U.S. Senator, completing the last year in the term of his murdered friend and boss.

A police detective pared with a U.S. senator. To say that Sam and Nick encounter some conflict in their lives is putting it mildly! In Fatal Justice, readers will also see more of Sam’s adorably innocent partner, Detective Freddie Cruz. Freddie was so popular with readers of Fatal Affair that I thought it would be fun to share a preview of his story in Fatal Justice (warning, this excerpt is slightly PG-13…)

Detective Freddie Cruz paced the sidewalk in front of Total Fitness on Sixteenth Street. On this first day of the New Year, he was all about resolutions and none of them involved spending more time at the gym. No, this was the year he was finally going to get laid. No matter what it took, no matter what he had to do, no matter what personal ideals he had to sacrifice, he was going to have sex.

Raised a devout Christian by a single mother, he’d done his best for twenty-nine long years to make his mother proud by saving himself for marriage. But since he didn’t even have a girlfriend, let alone a potential wife, and with rampaging hormones making his life a living hell, he had decided to give in.

Nick’s aide Ginger had practically thrown herself at him at the party last night, but Freddie wasn’t interested in her.

Since he and Sam interviewed personal trainer Elin Svendsen during the O’Connor investigation, he found himself fantasizing about her day and night. The way she’d been so free about her sexuality and talked so openly about the kinky sex she’d had with the dead senator. She was all Freddie could think about. She was the one he wanted.

That was why he was lurking outside Total Fitness, wearing one of his trademark trench coats while trying to work up the nerve to step inside to inquire about personal training. She didn’t need to know he was interested in personal training of a different sort. At least not right away.

“Detective Cruz?”

Startled, he looked up, and there she was. Tall, blonde—so blonde her eyebrows were almost white—she had dark blue eyes and a smile right out of a toothpaste commercial. Carrying a tray containing four coffees and wearing a light blue down vest and black yoga pants, it was all Freddie could do to keep from drooling. She was even sexier than he remembered—and he remembered every excruciating detail of the night he’d spent protecting her in a hotel room while Thomas O’Connor hunted down his father’s ex-girlfriends.

“I thought that was you,” she said. “How are you?”

“I’m, um, fine. And you?”

“Crazy today. It’s the busiest day of the year for us—all the resolutions.”

“Right,” Freddie said, remembering his own resolutions.

“Are you working on a case?”

“Me?” No, idiot, Freddie thought, that other guy she’s talking to. “Not today. I was just in the neighborhood and thinking about resolutions.”

She smiled.

He went hard as a stone and was thankful for the long coat.

“Do you want to come in? I could show you around and tell you about our program.”

“Um, sure, that sounds good.” He wondered if she’d think it strange if he kept his coat on inside.

Join Sam, Nick, Freddie, Skip, Celia, Gonzo and the rest of the Fatal crowd for the second book in this unfolding series. You can find Fatal Justice at http://ebooks.carinapress.com under the Romantic Suspense tab. Later this year watch for book 3, Fatal Consequences, followed by the Fatal Wedding Novella, Fatal Destiny. Then early next year, book 4, Fatal Flaw!

Question for readers: In Fatal Justice, Sam and Nick are in the throes of new love, yet life keeps getting in the way. Has that ever happened to you and your significant other? How did you handle the challenges? I’ll give a copy of Fatal Justice to one respondent. Thanks again for having me!

About the Author:

Marie Force is the author of FATAL AFFAIR (June 2010) and FATAL JUSTICE (Jan. 2011), Books 1 and 2 in her new Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press. Book 3, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, is coming in July 2011, FATAL DESTINY in September 2011 and FATAL FLAW in February 2012. “This novel is ‘The O.C. does D.C.,’ and you just can’t get enough.” (RT Book Reviews, 4.5 stars for FATAL AFFAIR). In its July 2010 issue, RT Book Reviews named Marie a “Future Star of Romantic Suspense.”

Marie is the author EVERYONE LOVES A HERO (Feb. 2011), LINE OF SCRIMMAGE (Sept. 2008) and LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT (July 2009). Of LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, Booklist said, “With its humor and endearing characters, Force’s charming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyond sports fans.” Wild on Books said, “LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT by Marie Force is most definitely a keeper. It is an astounding book. I loved every single word!” Marie is also the author of TRUE NORTH and THE FALL, available as ebooks via Amazon.com and Smashwords.

Since 1996, Marie has been the communications director for a national organization similar to RWA. She is a member of RWA’s New England, From the Heart and Published Author Special Interest Chapters.

While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of Emily, 15, Jake, 12, and a feisty dog named Brandy.

Find her at www.mariesullivanforce.com, on her blog at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com, where she runs the popular weekly Romance and Oreos Book Club, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Force/248130827909, and on Twitter at twitter.com/MarieForce. Marie loves to hear from readers. Contact her at marie@marieforce.com.