January 28, 2007

This is your last chance to use the Borders/Waldenbooks coupon to get $1.00 off The Rest Falls Away! The coupon expires on Sunday, February 4, so if you've been waiting for an excuse to buy the book…well, you don't have to any longer.

Here's the link. Feel free to share the love with family and friends!
Now…back to our regularly-scheduled program. Whatever it is. 

January 26, 2007

You know what I'm talking about…jokes that make you go "nohhhhhhhhhh!" in a big long groan.

Maggie posted a great one yesterday:  "Never iron a four-leaf clover. You don't want to press your luck." Heh!

My favorite one, which I've loved since Dave Goss told it to me in college:

Q: What's brown and greasy and lives in a tower?

A: The Lunchbag of Notre Dame.

Heh heh heh. I still chuckle when I read that. 

So what's your favorite groaner? Tell me in the comments, and then check back so you have a whole list of bad jokes for bar night tonight!

January 25, 2007

…of supernatural phenomena?

Wendy Roberts wants to hear from you, over on Muse/News, so come on by and share your story…or why you don't think there are ghosties haunting cemeteries. 

For the record…I know enough people who've had supernatural experiences, so my mind is wide open! (And don't forget…I write about vampires and demons!) 

January 24, 2007

Thirteen Things about Vampires in The Gardella Vampire Chronicles

Those of you who've already read The Rest Falls Away probably know a lot of this…but there might be a few tidbits you didn't learn in the first book. Those of you who haven't read it…well, what are you waiting for?

Go buy it! Read it! Tell all your friends!

(Ahem.) Anyway…things you should know about vampires in the world of the Gardella Legacy… 

1. They're afraid of silver.

2. They're really afraid of silver crosses. (It has to do with the fact that the first vampire was Judas Iscariot; thirty pieces of silver–the connection is obvious.)

3. A very powerful vampire, however, can get used to the presence of a silver cross and learn to look at it, rather like we mortals get used to a sudden bright light in the darkness. However, only the very, very powerful of vampires would be at ease around such an object.

4. Direct sunlight fries their delicate skin; makes it peel off in sheets.

5. Most vampires have red eyes when they are ready to bite their victim; their fangs protrude and their irises turn blood red.

6. However, Guardian vampires, who are the elite guard of the queen of the vampires, have ruby-pink eyes. They also have special poison that emits from their fangs at will, and they have an extra powerful ability to enthrall their victims.

7. Imperial Vampires are the strongest, most deadly of the vampire hierarchy. They fight with swords, they fly, are ultra-strong and much older than the other vampires. They can pull one's soul from one's body without even touching them. Imperial vampires can be identified by their magenta-colored irises…and the swords they aways carry.

8. Speaking of souls…they still have'em. They're just horribly mutated souls, turned evil, once they turned into a vampire.

9.  By the way, demons and vampires are different creatures. They also hate each other. Demons are Fallen Angels, and have been hanging around with Lucifer for millennia. Judas Iscariot was turned into the father of a new race: half man, half demon, by Lucifer, who considers the vampires his children. Thus, the enmity between the demons and the vampires: always jockeying for Lucifer's favor and the keys to Hell. The old guard versus the younger upstarts.

10.  Vampires procreate by turning selected victims into undead. They drink most of the blood of the victim, then offer their own mutated, vampire blood to replace it. The victim falls into a deep sleep, and awakens as an undead.

11. However, a new undead isn't damned until he or she feeds from a mortal.

12.  Yes, my vampire queen's name is Lilith. So is Nora Roberts's. It's like calling the devil Lucifer! It's a common name for a woman demon, okay? (I'm still willing to pit my Lilith against Nora's anyday.)

13.  Vampires cannot sense the presence of a Venator (what the Gardella vampire hunters call themselves). Thank goodness for Victoria!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. AnneD
2. tvaddictgurl
3. Jeannine
4. Fence
5. Christine D'Abo
6. Zeus Excuse
7. Carmen
8. SciFi Chick
9. Scooper
10. Thomma Lyn
11. Jaci Burton
12. Miranda
13. Darla
14. Gypsy
15. Annie
16. Raggedy
17. JAM
18. Sparky Duck
19. Dane Bramage
20. Fond of Snape
21. Milady Insanity
22. West of Mars
23. (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here.)

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January 24, 2007

I stole this basic meme from Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings and tweaked it from the scifi/fantasy focus to more of a romance/women's fiction focus.

So here are my answers…stick with me, 'cause I'll tag someone at the end.

Contemporary, Historical, or Paranormal?
Yes! I read all of them, but my focus is historical.

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Depends on the book, but for reading comfort, I prefer mass market paperback. It's easier to transport and to hold, especially since I read everywhere. I like hardcovers for collection purposes, though. Trades…not as crazy about.

Heyer or Austen?
Love'em both, but if I had to pick I'd probably say Heyer. Mainly because there are more of them to read! My faves are The Corinthian, The Grand Sophy, and Fredericka.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
I used to buy more at Amazon, but I've started to swing more toward the brick and mortar stores. I have this instant gratification thing going on. I do use Amazon for harder to find books, or when I'm buying a slew of different kinds of books/things (movies, music, books, kids books, etc.).

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Borders has a slight edge, only because I used to go to the very first, original Borders Brothers bookstore in Ann Arbor when I was in college. I have a soft spot for them. 

Woodiwiss or Lindsay?
Woodiwiss! Loved Ashes in the Wind in particular…and there was another one I loved but can't remember right now.

First romance novel you ever remember reading?
I don't remember. It was a Harlequin Presents, I know that. But I can't remember much more. I must have been 11 or so. 

Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Random most of the time…when I get organized, I go by author and then genre/subgenre. 

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep or donate. (Throw away???? EEEK!)

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Remove dustjacket! 

Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake?
Sookie. (I've loved Eric since he came into the first scene….wayyy at the first book.)

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
When tired, or otherwise compelled to (eg, because my name is called at the doctor office, the scout meeting is over, it's time to leave to go somewhere…)

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Mmmm…probably "It was a dark and stormy night"…but sometimes those "Once upon a time" stories get their own dark and stormy nights…

Crusie or SEP?
Love'em both, but in a pinch, I'd have to pick SEP.

Buy or Borrow?
Mostly I buy new…sometimes I borrow, but very rarely. 

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Mostly browsing and/or recommendations. Book reviews don't affect my buying decisions too much unless I'm on the fence about something and a reviewer that I trust likes it (or doesn't).

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Tidy ending with some loose threads, actually, if it's a series.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
How about…whenever reading! I actually always read at lunch (if I'm eating alone) and at least a few pages before I go to bed every night. 

Series or standalone?
I like series or interconnected books. 

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Alinor by Roberta Gellis. I've yet to meet anyone else who's read it. So if you're out there, please speak up!

So I tag…Jaci, Diana, Jana, and Mary.