Retro Blog

Hi all! I'm bringing back one of my favourite posts because...well because it's one of my favourite posts, and because I really don't want to have to write something. I got out late from work and fought traffic to go to the in-laws' for dinner, then didn't get home until even later and I really really wanted to get some time in on my WIP, but I also had to write a blog for the Vixens about my recent vacation (which you can find here). So enjoy, and come back August 23 for a special guest-the talented Vivian Arend! (I say talented because only Viv could be a guest on MY blog and still get me to do all the work for it)

EVERYTHING I KNOW I LEARNED FROM BUFFY

I was a child of the...well, I was young enough to get totally hooked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not when the 1992 Kristy Swanson movie came out (possibly the worst movie ever), but with the first television episode starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in 1997. At that moment I, and millions of other fans worldwide, very happily became slaves to the vast brilliance of the Whedonverse.

What was it exactly that made this show so special? Was it inspirational to young teens? Did it try and impart some cosmic wisdom? Did it leave the watcher with a message of hope and love? Yes, it did all of that and more...

Take away the empowered superstrong girl who totally kicks ass and takes names, even without the vampires and the drool-worthy heroes, cool lesbian wiccas, the snarky, brilliant writing, the great shoes and boots (her wardrobe people rocked), and you were still left with a fabulous show that spoke to young people about the trials of growing up, in a way that was fresh, exciting and that broke ground for female heroes in television.

What's even more amazing is the sheer volume of academic study and writing which has been done on and around the Buffy phenomenon, and which continues even today, long after the show itself has been relegated to our dusty DVD shelves. (For example: Why Buffy Matters, Sex And The Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer For The Buffy Fan; Blood Relations: Chosen Families In Buffy The Vampire Slayer; Philosophy and BtVS: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale...and my favourite; The Comic Anti-hero in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Silly Villain: Spike is for Kicks.)

So what did I learn from Buffy?

1. That it is possible to run in heels.

2. That it's important to have a solid group of scoobies to watch your back.

3. Teen sex is a bad idea. Even if you don't get pregnant, your boyfriend might turn evil and try to bite you. Then try and shoot you. Then blow you up...

4. David Boreanaz is hot.

5. If you think your roommate's a demon, it could just mean she's really annoying...but she could actually be a demon.

6. Every difficult situation can be made better with a healthy dose of sarcasm and a witty comeback.

7. High school students have no clue about what goes on in their library, and in fact have probably never been there.

8. David Boreanaz is hot...wait I said that already...James Marsters is hot.

9. There can only ever be one Slayer in the world at a time. Unless there's two.

10. If you're going to save the world, someone should go for donuts.

Oh, and some of my favourite quotes, just for fun!

Buffy: Spike, I just saw you taste your own nose blood. You know what? I'm too grossed out to hear anything you have to say. Go home.
Spike: It's blood. It's what I do!

Buffy: [pulls a glowing orb out of her bag] What the hell is it?
Giles: It appears to be paranormal in origin.
Willow: How can you tell?
Giles: Well, it's so shiny.

Oz: Well, I sorta test well. Y'know, which is cool. Except that it leads to jobs.

Willow: Oh, I don't know, though. He is a senior.
Buffy: You think he's too old 'cause he's a senior? Please. My boyfriend had a bicentennial.

Xander: Yep. Vampires are real, a lot of 'em live in Sunnydale, Willow will fill you in.
Willow: I know it's hard to accept at first.
Oz: Actually, it explains a lot.

Spike: No more of this 'I've got a soul' crap?
Angelus: What can I say, hmm? I was going through a phase.

Spike: You've really got a yen to hurt this girl, haven't you?
Angelus: She made me feel like a human being. That's not the kind of thing you just forgive.

Angelus: Dear Buffy. I'm still trying to decide the best way to send my regards.
Spike: Why don't you rip her lungs out? It might make an impression.
Angelus: Lacks... poetry.
Spike: It doesn't have to. What rhymes with lungs?

Buffy: You know, it’s not even that he’s acting that suspicious. It’s just - there he is. On the hell mouth. All day, every day. That’s got to be like being showered with evil. Only from underneath.
Willow: Not really a shower.
Buffy: A bidet. Like a bidet of evil.

So, what did you like about Buffy? What did you hate? What other shows made an impact on your youth?

New Moon

You know, I've never been a big fan of the Twilight series. I tried Twilight, but it didn't really work for me for whatever reason. HOWEVER I did really enjoy the Twilight movie (mostly because the movie cut out a lot of Bella's depressing woe-is-me crap), and I think I'm really really going to like New Moon:



What do you think?

GUEST AUTHOR: Diane Craver

My Next Projects

I need your help!

J.K. gave me great topic choices for today's blog post, and I decided to use her suggestion to write about my next projects. The problem is I haven't started my new writing project because I have several stories I want to write next. I'd like to focus on one. I have worked on more than one story at a time before, but want to get busy on my next big single project, and want it to be longer than my last completed manuscript. It's a short romance that's being considered by an editor. Now I'm at loose ends.

I'll give you the stories I want to write. I have jotted down character descriptions for each one, big scenes I can see happening, and have an ending in mind for each possible novel. Of course, my endings might change because my characters seem to like to take over while I'm writing. You tell me which story idea you like the best.

Okay, you ready…here's the first one:

No Title yet Genre: Contemporary Romance
The main character, Dr. Lindsay Anderson is a heart surgeon. Her best friend Allie since kindergarten needs emergency heart surgery and Lindsay has to operate on her. When her friend dies, Lindsay feels so much guilt. She's always been in love with Allie's husband. Lindsay keeps going over in her mind if she did everything possible to save Allie. And Lindsay never married because she couldn't settle for anyone else. Allie's husband Troy falls in love with Lindsay.

Second possible story to work on next:

Title: Journey Home Genre: Contemporary Inspirational Romance with a mainstream appeal.

It's what I call my movie star book. Emma Woods is an actress with a young son. She left home when her minister father caught her in the barn with boyfriend Nick. Her father is a farmer and a minister of a small church. He calls her a whore and says she is just like her mother. Emma's mother had left them when she was 4 years old but planned on returning. She left to become an actress but was killed in an automobile accident. Emma's mother had always been faithful to her husband, but he thought she was having an affair. A church member planted the lie in his head. Emma becomes ill and decides to return to the farm. She wants to repair her damaged relationship with her father. Emma also tells Nick, the only man she's ever loved that her child is really his son. There is a lot more to this story with many twists so it will be a longer book.

Third one:

No title yet Genre: Women's Fiction
Family of 4 – Son is deaf and his disability causes the father to be very bitter. He hates that his son is deaf and he adores his daughter. The father can't overlook his son's disability long enough to see the wonderful child he has. The mother loves both her children equally. The daughter loves her dad but hates that he's having an affair with another woman. She doesn't tell her mother. When a tragic accident occurs, the mother doesn't have enough time to save both children. She can only save one. Can you imagine how heart breaking this would be?

There is a mystery I'd like to write about a missing couple, but I haven't thought about it enough yet. But here is what I have so far. The couple is older and enjoys driving the countryside looking for a place to build their retirement home. One day they never return from their road trip, and their daughter becomes alarmed when they don't answer their cell phones.

Which story do you think I should write first?

Whitney in Charge:

Whitney Benson is tired of her older sisters’ attempts to fix her up with every single male they meet. Shannon and Regan cross the line when they arrange for her to go skydiving with the simple excuse that more guys like to float in the air than women. Whitney needs to find something else to keep them busy.

When she suggests that the three of them start a family business, the fun begins in their small town. And she thought being a TV producer in New York had been exciting.

Without going skydiving, Whitney meets two eligible bachelors, Jack and Ben, who constantly battle for her affection. Which one will she choose? Both men make Whitney realize, even a heart shattered by her husband’s death, can once again be made whole.

But did she have to fall off a cliff to learn that?

JK Coi: Thanks for visiting Diane. And to all of YOU, as an added bonus today, Diane will be putting the names of all the commenters from each blog she's visited this week into a draw. Good luck!

Winner!

This is short and sweet because I'm up at the cottage playing in the lake and wanted to rub it in! (just kidding)

The winner of my birthday blog contest is:

RK Charron

Email me at jkcoi(AT)rogers(DOT)com with your contact info and mailing address.

Thanks for all the great birthday wishes everyone!
I hope you'll join me this year as I bring you exciting new reads!

New Reading Recommendations

A couple of great new reads for your TBB list--and mine.

In print:

The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife, is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry finds himself periodically displaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

The Time Traveler's Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare''s marriage and their passionate love for each other, as the story unfolds from both points of view. Clare and Henry attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals -- steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

by Audrey Niffenegger

In e-book:

The Bond That Saves Us–Book 4 in the Eternal Bond series

For years, Sean Donaldson blamed himself for the Ecada attack on the Eurus colony, pushing everyone away. When he’s injured after a security breach, he realizes that he has nothing and no one important left in his life.

Captain Amy Bryson is trying to draw as little attention to herself and her ship as possible. All she wants is to participate in the Catallian race and bring home the prize money. In order to protect her ship and crew from attacks, Amy enlists the help of Sean as both bodyguard and co-pilot.

With a drug lord intent on fixing the race for his own purposes, Amy and Sean fight against outside forces as they try to resist the pull of Amy’s sexual pheromones. They must learn to keep their passion in check, or run the risk of ending up dead.

By Christine D'Abo

Death, The Vamp and His Brother

When it comes down to love or duty, pick a side—and pray your heart survives.

Death exists for one purpose and one purpose only: to sever the life-threads of the living. She does her job with pride and an unwavering commitment. Nothing ruffles her. Until she encounters Patrick Watkins. The Australian lifeguard pushes all her buttons—and makes her tailbone itch like crazy. And when her tailbone itches, it means trouble is brewing. Big trouble.

Ven’s gut tells him that Death is taking aim at his kid brother. He should know—he died and was turned vampire while trying to prevent another failed murder-attempt eighteen years ago. Patrick is meant to do something important in the world, and Ven will do anything to keep him safe. Even take on Death herself. In more ways than one.

As far as Patrick’s concerned, the whole thing is a load of bull. But what if everything Death tells him turns out to be true? How is he expected to save mankind from the worst fate of all—the Apocalypse? Especially when all he can think about is how quickly he’s falling in love with the most feared Horseman of them all…

by Lexxie Couper

Pictures!

I've got pictures from our camping trip. It was a lot of fun--even though hubby and son didn't catch any fish :)


I told you that we'd had a bear wander through our campsite didn't I? It happened last year too, but the camera was locked in the car--Well this year we got pictures! For a black bear, it wasn't huge, probably only a year old. But apparently while we were out hiking later on that afternoon, another one came by. One of the other campers across from us said that it was much much bigger. I'm glad we weren't around for that visit!


It was too bad I couldn't grab my camera fast enough to get a shot of this plane landing in the water with all the spray shooting out from beneath the skis. It was awesome to watch!


Hubby and kiddo love to go fishing--and I usually park a camp chair at lake's edge and read my book, or just watch them together. My two guys.


My son is going to be one of those guys who heads out into the wilderness with nothing but a compass and a ball of twine, then comes waltzing back weeks later looking just as crisp as the day he left. He LOVES hiking, camping, fishing. He loves animals and being out doors. Sometimes, I envy him his simple outlook on how life should be--and I hope he never changes.

Happy Birthday...To ME!

Today is my birthday! What am I doing?

Urgh.

I'm going to work.

LOL, it's okay. But I still don't get why I am the one having to bring treats to the office. Shouldn't other people be bringing them for me?

Leave me a comment today to tell me what you did on your last birthday, and be entered to win a nice basket with lots of goodies...including a print copy of Dark Immortal!

The Trouble With Destiny

YAY! I've gotten a new review! Dianna from Manic Readers gave Forever Immortal 5 stars and said:

JK Coi has done it again. Forever Immortal is the fourth book in her Immortal Warriors series. Wonderfully written, it keeps your mind locked into the story from the moment you first pick it up. I do not know where she comes up with this stuff, but I seriously hope her muse keeps working this well for her in the years to come.

Please check out the complete review here

Thank you so much Dianna!

But that's not all...

WOO HOO! I'm finally able to share! Now that the blurb and cover are up on the Samhain website here, I can show it off! Look for this re-release on September 18, 2009!



There’s got to be more to life than studying…

The starving student routine is starting to wear a little thin for Sarah McInnes. If only she could be left alone long enough, she could finish grad school, get a normal nine-to-five and finally afford to move out of her one-room apartment. Maybe even afford a decent wardrobe.

Destiny has other ideas. Not the least of which is the mysterious, overbearing, insufferable Dorian…who also happens to be the hottest thing this side of hell. Three months ago he saved her from certain dismemberment at the hands of a daemon. He also discovered she possesses the ability to send these beasts back to hell where they belong.

Now he not only won’t leave her alone, he’s forcing her to face certain facts: Her social life isn’t going to improve anytime soon. And she may never make it to calculus on time again.

It’s enough to piss a girl off.

Warning: This title contains a beautiful, capable college student whose mystical tats have gotten her in almost as much trouble as her smart ass mouth. It also includes a devastatingly hot, mysterious warrior whose sense of humor is as non-existent as his humanity.

Excerpt:

I braced myself when I exited the bathroom, wary of the neon light I expected to find streaming in through my one large window. But surprisingly, the curtains had been pulled tightly closed. Dorian must have done that. He’d know my headache would be coming on hard and fast, making my eyes sensitive to the lights from Mrs. Patel’s grocery sign. She had thoughtfully hung it just outside my window, and it made the whole apartment glow with bright green and yellow light all night long.

I threw a quick glance in Dorian’s general direction as I came out of the bathroom. Holy hell. There should be some kind of law against a guy looking that good.

Honestly though, as much as I could appreciate the view, I was tired, and my head was already pounding too hard for it to have a substantial effect on me. Sad but true.

Like a coward, I avoided looking directly at him. My circa 1980s, thirteen-inch television set with the manual dials along the side panel was turned on with the volume down low, and if I didn’t know better I’d say that Dorian was engrossed in the final minutes of the hockey game. He was quiet as I walked past the sofa where he sat. Too quiet.

I kept my gaze averted as I passed him on the way to my bedroom. There was a thick tension suddenly swirling in the air, so I knew he wasn’t asleep.

Despite my best intentions, the draw was too strong and I finally looked. He was staring back at me. I met his gaze. I drowned in the depths.

“Stop it!”

He blinked, surprised. “Stop what?”

“Stop that…that thing you’re doing with your eyes. Stop looking at me like you want to devour me.” I hesitated. Maybe that was a poor choice of words, because it sounded more like an invitation than a rebuff even to my ears. Heat crept up my throat and into my cheeks.

His breath caught and I could see golden flames starting to leap and dance in the deep brown of his eyes. All of a sudden I wasn’t worrying so much about my headache anymore. What headache? And I didn’t really care that my body ached.

Now I ached in a whole new set of places.

He sighed and dropped his head. “I can’t,” he said. “Believe me, Sarah. I would if I could.”

“What do you mean you can’t?” Whoa. That sounded a lot like an admission. Was Dorian actually acknowledging that he was attracted to me? Was he saying it right out loud for the public record? Was this the Twilight Zone?

Wait a minute. “What do you mean you would if you could?”

It wasn’t that I doubted Dorian might feel something for me. I’m not exactly hideous, even if I haven’t had a date in an eon and a half. I just never expected him to admit it, or ever do anything about it.

But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t have come up sooner or later. I know I couldn’t have continued to ignore the snaps of electricity crackling between us forever. In the last several weeks it had built to what could only be termed explosive levels. In fact, I felt like I had been walking through a brambly field strewn with fifty-year-old land mines. Each step was measured, careful, because they couldn’t all be duds and it was just a matter of time before I put my foot down on a live one and it blew me to smithereens.

After a slight pause and a deep breath, Dorian stood and walked to me. I wasn’t sure of the wisdom of that idea. The part of me that worried over my self-preservation knew that Dorian and me, together, was a nuclear disaster waiting to happen and wanted to take a corresponding step backward. But the wilder, more daring part of me wondered if the crash and burn might be worth it. That part knew that Dorian and me, together, would be the hottest, sexiest, most explosive disaster that ever rocked the Casbah.

Lovely Vacation

Well, I'm back from my camping trip. I have to say, I was very impressed. Everything went off without a hitch. No traffic, no rain, not too hot, not too cold. We went hiking, we went to the lake, we played card games together and read books and had marshmallows on the campfire. The stars were so beautiful and the loon calls haunting. We had the privilege of meeting a bear as it moseyed through our campsite and saw a mother moose and her little one far off in the distance from the road. A little chipmunk also came by to say hello as we sat down to every meal. (I have a feeling he was interested in more than just our friendship, but in that he remains disappointed lol)

I admit, I didn't even think of opening up my notebook. I thought very little about writing anything except for a review for a book I finished reading. But now that I'm home I look forward to starting something fresh. The short story I wrote just before leaving for vacation made me feel great! It was quick and easy and the characters felt rich and right and strong. I can still feel the momentum, and I want to see where it takes me next.

First...today is going to be all about the cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping--ugh.

Take care and have a great weekend!

(PS pictures to come soon--I'm an old fashioned girl and have to get the film developed first)

Mondays

Mondays kinda suck, don't you think?

It's the first day of getting up early again. The first day having to figure out what uncomfortable business suit and pointy shoes to put on again. The first day--the day when you KNOW the whole work week is still in front of you.

I don't much like Mondays, but actually I don't hate them either. Monday is a return to my routine. Weekends get so crazy with all the running around that you can't find time for during the week. I like the way Mondays slow everything back to normal. On Mondays I go to work and spend the day there. I usually take a lunch break to do some writing. And when I get home my family is waiting for me with dinner. Afterwards there's really no time to do anything else except relax and get some more writing in. (I guess I could do some cleaning, but let's not be ridiculous)

Besides, what could be better than to wake up on a Monday that is the start of a short week?

As of Wednesday I'm on a bit of vacation, and I'll be away right through to next Tuesday. YAY!! Camping with the family in Algonquin Park. It's way beautiful.

As long as it doesn't rain.


By the way, drop over to visit me at Happy Endings Tuesday for my blog about...blogging. It's a mini intro to my marketing and promotional workshop.

And...through the magic of the internet, I will be posting a blog at the Vixens on Thursday about finishing my new short story, so come on by and check it out.

Best Book of the Week Poll

Okay everybody, it seems I need your help once again to nominate Dark Immortal for Best Book of the Week honour over at Long and Short of It: Whipped Cream Reviews.

I posted about the actual review earlier this week here and it was so wonderful. If you didn't get a chance to read it yet, please do.

I'd sure appreciate your support. The contest runs through Saturday and Sunday. Click on over here to vote.

Thanks and take care!

Long weekend anyone?

Oh, I know that technically the long weekend is next week (at least for Ontarians who will have the benefit of the "Civic Holiday"), but I took a vacation day today! Yay, no day job!

So what am I going to do?

Well, hubby made an appointment to take the car in to get the tires rotated. (I almost expired from exceitement.) Then we're going to go shopping. Actually, this should be fun. We'll be doing Ikea and all the outlet stores, and the amazing MEC! (If you don't know MEC and you're a die-hard outdoorsman(woman), check it out here)

I'm really hoping to have a serious shopping experience. Folks, we're talking a full day of pounding the pavement looking for deals. I'll need shoes, clothes, gadgets, and probably a break for ice cream!

What are your plans this weekend?

High Concept Gone Wonky?

Come check us out over at the Vauxhall Vixens today, but make sure you bring your craziest high concept pitches!

Dark Immortal Reviewed

I was very pleased to see a new review for Dark Immortal

Magnolia from Whipped Cream Reviews at The Long and Short of It gives Dark Immortal 4.5 Cherries and says:

The action is awesome; the sex is thrilling; and I just fell in love with the entire story!... I can’t say enough about this wonderful tale that ventures into a dark world unlike any I’ve ever read before. This is definitely worth putting down your current read for!

Thank you Magnolia!

Please click on over to read the complete review here

Lazy Sundays

This Sunday was a great day for relaxing about the house. Kiddo was up early, as usual, to watch his morning cartoons and hubby and I cuddled together all warm and cozy until about 8:00 (no extra sleeping in for me this weekend).

After breakfast, I hunkered down to do some writing (most of it in the area of plotting, so the actual wordcount was only about 1500 words), and then we went out to the mall for a while to run some errands. I did some more writing when we got home while hubby and kiddo played Ben 10 on the Wii. Click here if you're at all interested in knowing what Ben 10 is (you don't want to be less informed than a six year old, do you?)

Just before dinner, I got it into my head that I needed to make brownies. Of course, I put my question to the Twitterverse and received a couple of great recipes, but the best one by far was from writer pal Viv Arend. Since my first attempt flopped, I tried her recipe afterward, and the brownies were TO DIE FOR! Thanks Viv!

Despite the fact that I worked on my new WIP for the better part of the day and only got about 2000 words, I'm very excited about this little short story. I think it's totally rockin' and can't wait to share it!

Relaxation

I'm off to the cottage today!

I don't know what the weather's going to be like. I had heard it might rain. But either way we're going. We have family visiting from Montreal and what better place to entertain them than the beach? Even if it does rain, we'll have lots of things to do. Movies. Music. Games. The cottage is one of those places designed just for fun.

What are your plans this weekend?

GUEST AUTHOR: Kinsey Holley

I wrote Kiss and Kin on purpose, so to speak, specifically for the Samhain anthology.

I’ve been working on a full length story set in the same world, only in Colorado, not Houston. (It’s been over a year, and it’s not quite finished. Pieces of it have finalled in some contests, I’m almost there, but…yeah. You know how it goes). So when I saw the Shifting Dreams submission call, I thought – well, hey, I like this world I’ve built, and I’m frustrated with the big WIP, so I’ll write a short story.

But I’d never sat down to make up a story all at once. I can’t explain it, but I get the characters first, and maybe just a hint of a background, and then they start walking around and talking, and then I start to see a story. Character and dialogue are my two strengths, I think. It’s the plot that gives me fits. If only readers didn’t insist on interesting plots…

So then I had to come up with a story I could tell in thirty thousand words. I’m kind of verbose – I envy my writer friends who have to really work to make a story hit seventy-five thousand words. I mean, the big WIP stands at ninety-four thousand words and I’m not done. But anyway…

I had this idea about a nightclub, drug dealing wolves and a heroine who gets in trouble because she was dragged along by a friend. It took me a while to come up with a hero and a real plot. Then I thought about the very first story I tried to write, the one that got stalled at six thousand words because I started having visions of this dark, bearded werewolf in Colorado. So when it was time to come up with this short story, I didn’t want to use Nick Wargman, the hero of the stalled WIP, because I’m going to finish him one day (soon, I hope). I decided the hero would be one of Nick’s wolves. After that, Lark just sort of popped up on her own, and the whole cousins-but-not-cousins thing. (There was a conversation recently over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books about what kind of hero/heroine setup you’re a sucker for. I’m a sucker for the stories where either the hero’s been in love with the heroine for years, or vice versa, or they’ve been carrying a torch for each other and neither of them knows it.)

And of course, the hardest part was the plot. I drove my sister in law crazy as I tried to work out what the bad guys did and how it happened. And you read the story now, and it’s like – that’s it? That simple little plot took you forever to come up with? Yep. I can make people walk and talk and breathe, but I have a helluva time making them actually do anything interesting!

Kinsey Holley

Brotherly love? Oh hell no…

A Sexy Shifter story.

On the surface, court reporter Lark Manning looks like the luckiest girl in the world, blessed with great friends and a wonderful family. Underneath, she harbors a hopelessly unrequited love for the sexy werewolf everyone thinks of as her cousin. Taran rarely notices her except to condescend or lecture. He’s treated her the same way since she was eight years old, and there’s no reason to think he’ll ever change.

Taran Lloyd, a detective in the Houston Police Department’s Shifters Investigations Unit (SHIU), lives for those rare moments he gets to spend around Lark, torturing himself with what he can’t have. Kin only by marriage, she thinks of him as her big brother. He couldn’t bear her pity—or her disgust—if she learned he wants her for his mate.

When weres from a rival pack attack her, Lark screams out the first name that comes to mind—Taran. Only this sexy alpha can keep her safe until they find out who wants her dead, and why. But keeping her safe means keeping her close. And the closer they get, the harder it gets for these not-really-cousins to honor their commitment to keep their paws off.

Family

 

(By Bev Sykes from Davis, CA, USA (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

I'm NOT a morning person. I hate being up before 9:00 am and during the week I'm like a walking zombie at work before that time.

On weekends when normal people sleep in and relax the morning away, I'm usually still forced to get up at 7:00 am. Hubby and kiddo ARE morning people. Neither of them can stand to be in bed if the sun has begun to peek through the break in the curtains through the window.

First I'll hear kiddo moving around in his room. Sometimes he'll start to play with his toys in bed or read his book aloud to himself, but most of the time he'll jump up and I'll hear his door opening. He'll practically run to the bathroom because his six year old bladder can't hold on for a minute longer. At this point, I could still get back to sleep if kiddo were to go back to bed, but hubby starts shifting beside me, throwing an arm around me and coming in closer--almost like he wants to get his cuddle in before we are descended upon.

After finishing up in the bathroom, kiddo will come to our door and peek in. My eyes are closed, but I know he's wondering how "asleep" we are before he jumps on the bed and crawls between us. He gets in on the cuddling for a while before the chatter starts. Lots and lots of chatter. So much chatter, my poor zombie-ish brain can't handle it. And then hubby starts to talk. I love his low, rumbly voice but I do NOT care about breakfast. It's 7:00 am. I want to DREAM about breakfast!

Usually they'll both leave me in bed at that point, but I'm not allowed to go back to sleep. Within five minutes I get called down to join them for breakfast, an invitation that I just can't turn down :)

BUT yesterday was quite a different story. Yesterday I got to sleep in. A rare gift from my husband and son that I cherish. Hubby got up at 5:30 am (crazy!) and crept out of the house to go fishing, and when kiddo got up at 7:00 am he climbed up beside me for his morning hug and then said that I should go back to sleep, he was goign to pour his own cereal and watch cartoons.


BLISS!!

I love my family

What is the sweetest thing someone has done for you lately?

By they way, I have an interesting interview up at Jody Wallace's blog--or at least, my kitty does. Check it out! :)

Vixen Reading

I'm blogging today at the Vauxhall Vixens. Hope to see you there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Um...not to me. Not yet.

But all this month author Leah Braemel is celebrating her birthday with new guests on her blog and today i'm up! Come on over!

Dogma

One of my favourite movies because it's so funny!
Having long-studied theology, especially Catholic dogma, some might think that I would be offended by this particular movie. Well, in fact, I can't get enough of it. I think it's hilarious as a celebration of the nature of belief as well as a funny poke at the structure of the Catholic Church.

Enjoy the weekend clip and go rent Dogma

Summer Reading List

I cleaned out my office space on the weekend. Stripped the wall-to-wall shelves bare of all books! before rearranging everything neatly. I'm surprised that the weight of all those books hasn't fallen through the floor yet. It looks very pretty now and still very full, even though I ended up putting 58 books in a pile to give to the local women's shelter and gave another bunch to my mother. But it means I have a little shuffle room on the shelves and it has me looking forward to getting in a few new reads this summer.

First on the list, a must read is going to be Nalini Singh's newest in the Psy/Changeling series, Branded by Fire.

Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he’s a wolf, she’s a cat, and they’re both used to being on top.

But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man—before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it’ll leave them both branded by fire…

I've also just picked up Sherry Thomas' Not Quite a Husband and I'm looking forward to it. Honestly, the thing that convinced me about this book was the quirky book trailer that she made for it, which you can watch at YouTube here.

Their marriage lasted only slightly longer than the honeymoon—to no one’s surprise, not even Bryony Asquith's. A man as talented, handsome, and sought after by society as Leo Marsden couldn't possibly want to spend his entire life with a woman who rebelled against propriety by becoming a doctor. Why, then, three years after their annulment and half a world away, does he track her down at her clinic in the remotest corner of India?

Leo has no reason to think Bryony could ever forgive him for the way he treated her, but he won't rest until he’s delivered an urgent message from her sister—and fulfilled his duty by escorting her safely back to England. But as they risk their lives for each other on the journey home, will the biggest danger be the treacherous war around them—or their rekindling passion?

Eloisa James' newest, this is the duchess book I've been waiting for! This Duchess of Mine.

Wedding bells celebrating the arranged marriage between the lovely Duchess of Beaumont and her staid, imperturbable duke had scarcely fallen silent when a shocking discovery sent Jemma running from the ducal mansion. For the next nine years she cavorted abroad, creating one delicious scandal after another (if one is to believe the rumors).

Elijah, Duke of Beaumont, did believe those rumors.

But the handsome duke needs an heir, so he summons his seductive wife home. Jemma laughs at Elijah’s cool eyes and icy heart—but to her secret shock, she doesn’t share his feelings. In fact, she wants the impossible: her husband’s heart at her feet.

But what manner of seduction will make a man fall desperately in love…with his own wife?

Lastly, but not in the least, is In The Blood, by Adrian Phoenix. This is the second of her Maker's Song series. I loved the first one, A Rush of Wings.

DANTE LIVES.

Vampire. Rock star. Begotten son of the fallen angel Lucien. Dante Baptiste still struggles with nightmares and seizures, searching for the truth about his past. It is a quest as seductive as his kiss, as uncontrollable as his thirst, and as unforgiving as his determination to protect one mortal woman at any cost.

KNOWLEDGE KILLS.

FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace now knows the extent of the Bureau corruption that surrounds her, but worries she is losing the battle. And when Dante and his band Inferno come to Seattle on tour, Heather can't help but be drawn back to the beautiful, dangerous nightkind. But what Heather and Dante don't know is that new enemies lurk in the shadows, closer than they think...and even deadlier than they fear.

DESTINY UNFOLDS.

Shadowy government forces have pledged to eliminate all loose ends from Project Bad Seed -- and Heather and Dante are at the top of the list. Elsewhere, the Fallen gather in Gehenna, intent on finding their long-awaited savior, the True Blood nightkind whom Lucien DeNoir would die to protect. And a damaged and desperate adversary, with powers as strange and perilous as Dante's own, plots to use Dante as a pawn in a violent scheme for revenge. But only one of these lethal forces holds the key to Dante's past -- a key that could finally unlock the secret of his birth and the truth of his existence...or destroy him completely.

There are also quite a few new ebooks that I'm looking forward to.

Check out

Inferno, by Bianca D'Arc

Somebody Killed His Editor, by Josh Lanyon

and Blood Vice, by Keith Melton

GUEST AUTHORS: Shifting Dreams Anthology

I have another guest--guests--please welcome Vivi Andrews, Robie Madison and Kinsey Holley, authors featured in Samhain's recent anthology, Shifting Dreams.

In the Beginning…

What do a seedy pick-up joint, a Welsh pub, and a Houston nightclub have in common?

The answer: Three intriguing first chapters in which an alpha hero meets his match in a spunky heroine.

Read on to learn why authors Vivi Andrews, Robie Madison, and Kinsey Holley were inspired to set the opening scenes of their Shifting Dreams novellas in a bar.


Bar Nothing

When my shape-shifting heroine Ava Minor walks into the Bar Nothing in the opening of Serengeti Heat, she sets off a chain reaction that burns through the entire story. For months, she’s lived in the same pride of lion-shifters with (and harbored a secret lust for) Alpha Landon King, but he couldn’t even remember her name. Something had to happen to shake them out of the status quo and set them on a collision course.

A pick-up bar seemed the perfect place for Ava to finally get her hero’s attention. Ava doesn’t show up looking for Landon – any man will satisfy her need for rebellion – but when Landon sees her there, he sees her in a way he never has before. She isn’t the small, shy, invisible little sister of his best lieutenants. She’s a force to be reckoned with, intoxicating and sensuous.

A seedy honky-tonk meat-market was just what this couple needed—for Landon to realize Ava exists and for Ava to realize she doesn’t have to always play by the rules to get what she wants.

Vivi Andrews
Buy Serengeti Heat

The Sheep’s Tail

“You can get a decently priced dinner at the pub in town when you’re ready to venture out.”

I was faced with an intriguing challenge when I went to write the first chapter of The Man of Her Dreams. The heroine and hero already knew each other—but only in Megan’s dreams.

How, then, to bring them together in real life after Megan discovers Owain’s portrait in a Victorian heirloom locket?

Since the story is set in Wales—Megan’s destination in search of answers about her dream lover—I, fortunately, had a ready made answer—a pub. It’s the traditional place for people to congregate in the evening for a pint and perhaps a game of darts. Pub meals are also famous, so I simply had the landlady of the B&B where Megan stays make the suggestion and let the inevitable happen.

But I added an element of fun while plotting Megan’s surprise. Trefriw, the village where the story is set, is very real and quite famous for its woolen mill and an old Roman spa. I’m certain there’s a pub or two in the vicinity, but I invented one for the purposes of putting Owain in Megan’s path and gave it a cute name. Hey, there are A LOT of sheep in Wales!

Although Owain and Megan don’t spend very long in the pub, there was another good reason for choosing it as a place for them to meet. Within walking distance from the B&B, The Sheep’s Tail is set back from the road and is surrounded by a forest, which proves very convenient and, ah, quite private for a dalliance. Enough said.

Robie Madison
Buy The Man of Her Dreams

Le Monde

I wrote Kiss and Kin on purpose, for the Samhain anthology. I’d gotten stalled in my full-length WIP, set in the same world, and when I saw the submission call for the shifter anthology, I decided to try something new and short to loosen me up.

I kept thinking of a girl, a bar, and a bunch of bad wolves. In my world, shifters and fae have been out for sixty years, and they’re pretty well assimilated into American society. And some human women have a thing for werewolves or other shifters—fur chasers, shifter humpers, etc. And I thought—a girl, with her ditzy friend, goes into this werewolf biker bar, and she knows it’s dangerous, and the girlfriend gets kidnapped or something, and one of Nick Wargman’s wolves is there keeping an eye on the bad wolves, and he jumps in and saves the girl and they roar off on his motorcycle, and they have to hide out, and….I got stuck. Wasn’t working.

And the more I thought about it, the more I thought—ok, it’s not a biker bar, it’s a club. And Nick’s wolf is a cop, and he already knows the girl, and he doesn’t want her there, and then…Lark and Taran just started forming in my head.

So the second scene is in the bar. Lark doesn’t really want to be there, she just went because her selfish, ditzy friend begged her to go out. She’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and if Taran hadn’t been there, she’d have disappeared just like the other women. It’s her being in that bar—and Taran realizing that he nearly lost her, she nearly got snatched from just a few feet away from him—that starts bringing them together. If she hadn’t come so close to getting snatched from Le Monde, she and Taran might never have found a reason, or an excuse, to get close.

I’m still gonna write a scene in werewolf bar. It’s not a biker bar, it’s a pool bar —Cowgirls and Werewolves. It’s mentioned briefly in Kiss and Kin. I think TJ and Nick are gonna have a big old fight in Cowgirls, and Nick’s going to act like a jerk, and TJ’s gonna tell the bouncer to kick him out, and the bouncer’s gonna say… “um, Teej, he’s the Alpha, and besides, he owns a stake in the place…” That’s about all I’ve got on Nick and TJ yet. If anyone has ideas for a plot, email me.

Kinsey Holley
Buy Kiss and Kin

GUEST AUTHOR: Sandy Lender

Hi everyone! I'm very pleased to bring a new guest to the blog today.

Jamieson Wolf, author of Hope Falls, Electric Pink,Electric Blue, and Garden City said, "Choices Meant for Gods is without a doubt the freshest most engaging high fantasy novel to come out in years and breathes new life into a tired genre. The characters leap off the page and the plot is lightning quick and deftly written with many layers that tease the mind and imagination. Choices Meant for Gods is not a mere novel; it is a gorgeous piece of written art. I can hardly wait for the second book!”

This book sounds fantastic!

Not even the gods noticed when Chariss was born with the mark of The Protector. Now she and her wizard guardian seek shelter from a mad sorcerer in a household not just full of secrets and false hope, but watched by the god who will unwittingly reveal her role in an impending war.

When an orphan sets aside a lifetime of running and fear to accept the responsibilities of guarding an arrogant deity, can she face the trials in the prophecies she uncovers? Will Nigel Taiman of her latest refuge dare to use his dragon heritage to bind her to his estate or to help her in her duty?

And as an added bonus for this wonderful Saturday afternoon, Sandy will be putting the names of all the commenters from each blog she's visited this week into a draw for an autographed, hard cover, first edition of Choices Meant for Gods. Good luck!

Inspiration’s Not So Easy to Pinpoint

Many interviewers have asked me what inspires me. My answers always feel inadequate because just about everything inspires me. But I can’t give a glib answer like that. It would be rude when someone has taken the time to single me out and ask about my writing.

I at least list a few of the things that inspire me—Duran Duran, baby sea turtles, my parrots, sci fi shows/movies, thunderclouds over the Gulf at dawn, short elderly drivers in huge Lincoln town cars, bizarre chicks in L.A. bars, snow in the mountains, etc. At my fancy new Web site, my letter to visitors tells of a funky incident from my early teens that inspired a short story in the recent chapbook WHAT CHOICES WE MADE.

Something I find that fires the flames of inspiration for me is setting up my writing space. I’m a romantic at heart, so I like the old-world sconces and wax-caked candle holders around my writing desk. I set up an old-fashioned, curved metal book stand with my Klaeber edition of BEOWULF on the corner of the desk (because you just never know when you’ll need to reference something in there) and place various dragon pictures around the room. Oh, I should have listed dragons above…

You get the picture here, right?

That’s my inspirational mayhem! There’s probably more. Writers checking in today can most likely empathize. Readers are welcome (and encouraged) to ask questions! Thank you for diving in. “Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”

Short Excerpt from CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS
There are a few at my fancy new Web site at http://www.authorsandylender.com under the “Books” navigation button.

Short Blurb About CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS
CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS is a Girl Power fantasy adventure where prophecy twists out of control. Captivating humans, wizards, Ungol, and dragons populate the realm of Onweald where even the gods must turn to an unlikely fugitive for help.

Let's Have Fun!!

WOO HOO WHOO HOO!!!!
Come on and visit the Vauxhall Vixens today to see why we're having such a good time!

Oh! Don't forget to come visit me at Fangtastic Books today! And come on over here tomorrow to chat with my special guest Sandy Lender, author of Choices Meant for Gods.

Making the Most of a Marriage

I am a guest today at Yankee Romance Reviewers, talking about Forever Immortal. Hop over and leave a comment for a chance to win!

Love and marriage are two very different things, but they both need to be cultivated, and as a romance writer I actually get asked quite a lot about my own love life. Come visit me at the Vauxhall Vixens today for my tips on keeping your relationship fresh and energized!

Ahoy Mateys!

Arghh!

Whew. I'm beat. That's about all the pirate-speak I've got in me. But I figured I should practice since I'm sailing away on the Revenge today with Edward Cullen from Twilight! There'll be lots of rum and tons of fun!

But the week's just beginning because on Thursday I'm blogging at Yankee Romance Reviewers and on Friday I'm going to be at Fangtastic Books as well as chatting with Ashlyn Chase on her Yahoo Group.

Fanning the Flames

I'm blogging today about sexual tension at Erotic Muses. Come on over!

Knee Deep in the Puddle of Promo!

I'm very excited to say that I've been getting great feedback about Forever Immortal which was released this Tuesday. I was also surprised to hear from one of my sweetest fans--she always has great things to say about my books, but I usually don't hear from her so soon! And this time she almost made me cry her words were so nice!

I still get nervous when I have a new book coming out. I start biting my nails and I don't get any sleep. I can't think and I can't write. That first letter from a reader is crucial to my mental wellbeing--and my manicure.

So now I'm very relieved and super excited! Thank you again to all of you for such amazing support for this series!

I hope you'll all join me over at Emily Bryan's blog today, author of the wonderful book Vexing the Viscount!


Oh, and because it's Friday, I'm going to share...I've found a new tv show--Patrick Swayze is great in it, and Travis Fimmel is such a cutie! (I like him much better without the girly long hair)

More Cool Places to Visit!

Today I'm blogging with the Three Wicked Writers. They're a fantastic group of authors who know how to have a GREAT time, so come on over and join us.

Also, the party is still going strong over at Bitten By Books, and you have until June 23 to get your entry in for the contest!

Forever Immortal Launch Party

Join me at Bitten By Books June 17, 2009 for an awesome New Release Party, Chat and Contest!

Prize 1: A Sony Cyber-shot 10.1 megapixel digital camera (valued at $249.00), a print copy of Immortal Kiss and a free download of Forever Immortal

Prize 2: A $25.00 gift certificate for Amazon.com, and a free download of Forever Immortal

Prize 3: A free download of Forever Immortal
Contest open to readers worldwide.

Forever becomes a lot more complicated when you’re immortal...

An Excerpt:

Gideon knew he would need a direct shot to the demon’s black heart to send the thing to the Abyss, but Lyssa lurched sluggishly between him and the monster, faltering as she tried to get to her feet. Dazed, her gaze was wide and unfocused. A dark line of blood ran down her face from a nasty gash in her temple. Gideon couldn’t do it. He wasn’t confident enough in his aim to point his gun right at her and hope he would be able to make a shot that would send a bullet whizzing barely an inch from her head.

“Lyssa, honey, come on. Look at me.” Gideon reached for her, urging her to take his hand as she lifted her head. At the same time, he raised his gun and took aim at the raging demon. “Hurry, baby, come to me.”

Lyssa’s bright eyes cleared a little as she finally focused on him. Steadying herself with brave determination but obvious difficulty, she took his outstretched hand.

As soon as Gideon had a grip on her, he jerked her to him and pulled the hair trigger of the gun. His barrel was targeted right at the demon’s heart, but at the last moment, everything went wrong. The world slowed. The Scelero reached out, digging its claws deep into Lyssa’s neck and shoulder, sinking into her and pulling her back.

Lyssa’s scream of agony resounded in the depths of his soul.

“Ah, God. Lyssa, don’t let go,” he begged, tightening his grip over her arm at the same time that his round tore its way into the demon’s chest.

Gideon couldn’t hold on. Her slim fingers were grimy with sweat and dirt. He looked deeply into her glistening green eyes, his grip slipping.

She didn’t beg him to save her, didn’t say a word. But he saw the frightened plea in her pain-filled eyes.

The demon tore her from him, its roar of triumph echoing into the night. Just before they both disappeared in a blinding flash of green light and a loud crack of thunder, it uttered, “Mine.”

Oh no. What have I done?


Get Forever Immortal now!

It's almost here...

Forever Immortal
This coming week marks the release of the fourth book in the Immortal series. Come join me in the fun!

On Tuesday, for release day, I'll be blogging and giving away a copy of the book at Hooked on Romance, fantastic blog of authors Jax Cassidy, Nikki Duncan and Abi McKenley.

On Wednesday, whatever else you do, you must stop by Bitten By Books and get your entry in. We're having a massive book release party and major contest! Grand prize is a Sony Cybershot Digital Camera!! But there'll also be Amazon gift certificates and book prizes up for grabs!

Then on Thursday, come and chat with me at Three Wicked Writers, the home of authors Kelley Nyrae, Regina Carlysle and Anne Rainey.

And on Friday, I'll be visiting with Emily Bryan, author of Vexing the Viscount.

When the death of an Immortal triggered Gideon Bennett’s life-changing physical transformation over five years ago, the easy-going research scientist was forced into a world of violence for which he was ill prepared. Now a seasoned warrior, the memory of his one massive failure and the face of the woman he couldn’t save haunts him still and has made him hard. If only he believed in second chances…

Lyssa James wasn’t looking for trouble when she set out to enjoy a night on the town. She just wanted to escape for a while, to leave behind her dead-end job and obnoxious ex-boyfriend. What she got instead was a first class ticket to a demon hell dimension where she’s been trapped for five long years, years spent remembering the face of the man that couldn’t save her. If only she could escape…

Then providence intervenes, giving Lyssa the opportunity she’d been waiting for, access to the very portal that had swallowed her whole and taken her life. Miraculously, when she comes out the other side, she finds herself facing the same Immortal that botched her rescue five years ago. If only she could turn back time. If only life wasn’t so complicated. If only she was still human instead of the very thing Gideon’s sworn to destroy. Demon. If only…

Preorder your copy now!

Another day closer to Forever Immortal!

Today I'm blogging with at Love is an Exploding Cigar chatting about emotion (mainly humour) as the most important writing tool in my belt (that and coffee).

But I'm also visiting with Cynthia Eden as part of her "30 Days of Demons" and I'll get to show off a few of my own demon characters.

I have two (count 'em) posts today...but not here.

First, hop over to the Midnight Moon Cafe to read about Forever Immortal--Exciting!

Then click on by the Vauxhall Vixens for my post about the crappiness of writers block--Frustrating!

Updates, News and a Big Contest!

First, I received another awesome 5 Star review this week for Dark Immortal. Woot!! Thanks so much Dianna of Manic Readers

JK Coi has done it again, Dark Immortal is a fantastic ride though the world of the Immortals. This is the third book in this series which is looking to be one well worth having in your library. I am a big fan of paranormal and this fills my need for the unusual just perfectly. I am willing to bet you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Second--and undoubtedly most important--I have to announce the winner of my When Worlds Collide contest. (I received a lot of email entries along with the comments on my blog, and even though most of you didn't actually answer the question, everyone was entered.) So...the winner of a copy of Kimber Chin's Invisible and Leah Braemel's Personal Protection is:

Keta!
(email me at jkcoi(AT)rogers(DOT)com to claim your prize)

In further news...

Join me on Saturday, June 6 at the Love Romances Cafe Yahoo Group where I'll be chatting with the other paranormal/fantasy authors of Linden Bay from 7-9pm EST.

Then next week on Tuesday June 9, I'll be a guest over at the Midnight Moon Cafe, enjoying some of their to-die-for cocktails, talking with the fabulous ladies there about my upcoming release Forever Immortal, and offering a CONTEST!

On Thursday June 11, I'm blogging with Cynthia Eden as part of her "30 Days of Demons" and I'll get to show off a few of my own demon characters, but I'll also be at Love is an Exploding Cigar chatting about emotion (mainly humour) as the most important writing tool in my belt (that and coffee).

Also...

STROKE OF GENIUS CONTEST
Want to see your name on the acknowledgment page of Emily Bryan's next book? Here's your chance! Emily is giving her readers an opportunity to name an important secondary character in her upcoming STROKE OF GENIUS. The winner will receive signed copies of Emily Bryan's entire backlist (including A CHRISTMAS BALL anthology, due out Sept 29th). PLUS you'll be mentioned on the acknowledgment page of STROKE OF GENIUS. The contest begins June 1st and entries close July 1st. For more information, visit www.emilybryan.com.

Character Interview: Morag from Amy Ruttan's Enchantress: The Sorceress

JK Coi: Hello, thank you for being here today. Let’s start with your name and where you’re from.

Morag: My name is Morag, and I am from the North. Far beyond the ancient wall of Hadrian, I believe you call it Scotland.

JK Coi: What’s the biggest problem in your life right now?

Morag: Dealing with demons, leaving my loved ones behind and having to deal with the most annoying, albeit charming and sexy man I have ever encountered. Alfwyn drives me around the bend. He’s frustrating, infuriating and I have no idea why the fates have paired me with the likes of him.

JK Coi: Alfwyn sounds like quite the challenge, but I’m sure you’re up to it. But demons, huh? I kind of have a thing for demons. What kind of demons are these and what do they want?

Morag: Alfwyn will most certainly be a challenge, but what man isn’t eh? *wink* As for the demons, well these demons are evil, controlled by blood. You would not want to trouble yourself with these creatures. As for what they want, they want to control the world and enslave mankind. For some reason unbeknownst to me, the McKellar, their controller, wants me for his own. From what I know of the McKellar I know when he wants something, nothing and no one can stop him.

JK Coi: So, I hear you got yourself stuck out on the edge of a cliff in the middle of nowhere. You want to tell us what that was all about and how you got out of it?

Morag: I faked my own death, and in my people’s custom I was sent on a funeral barge at sea. I must have taken too much of the sleeping draught and my barge crashed against a rock. I do not swim very well, so I hung on. Fortunately, Alfwyn was there to rescue me.

JK Coi: Why would you have to fake your own death?

Morag: To escape the McKellar. He cannot have me if I am dead, he cannot use my powers either. I was hoping that by faking my death it would thwart him. I was foolish in my assumption. I know better now that he will never give up.

JK Coi: I can imagine that marriage to a demonic warlord might be something you want to avoid, so kudos to you for taking steps to get out of it, but I have doubts that this dreaded McKellar will just let you go. Why does he want you so badly, anyway?

Morag: The McKellar never gives up. As to the reason he wants me so badly, it must have something to do with my powers, though I know there are more powerful sorceresses out there. I am sure I am not worth the effort, still he is not and never has been the most rational individual, but he’s a demon and how can a demon be rational?

JK Coi: So you’re a sorceress? Is there much of a market for sorcery work?

Morag: I try to keep that quiet. I help those who truly need it. All I want is a simple life.

JK Coi: Okay, last question. Give us five words that you’d use to describe yourself and five words to describe Alfwyn.

Morag: I think I shall start with Alfwyn, boorish, pigheaded, stubborn, charming, sexy and kind … in his own way. I think I am pigheaded, stubborn, quiet, private and fair. Although I am sure Alfwyn has his more colorful expletives for my personality. *smile*

JK Coi: Well Morag, thank you for being here today. It was nice to meet you and I’m looking forward to reading the book and meeting Alfwyn as well.

Amy Ruttan’s Enchantress: The Sorceress is available now from Linden Bay Romance!

When Worlds Collide-Part 3

Authors Leah Braemel, Kimber Chin, and J.K. Coi have joined together to combine the best of all their worlds. Three writing buddies, three romance genres, three to-die-for heroes. Throw in an ancient artifact and the possibility of the end of the world...and you've got one exciting short story put together for you in one FREE read that we're offering to you in three parts!

If you've missed Part 1 of When Worlds Collide, click to Kimber Chin's blog and then come back to read Part 2 here, before you jump on over to Leah Braemel's blog today for our exciting finale! We've been giving prizes at each of our blogs with every installment and there's still lots of time to enter!

When Worlds Collide-Part 2

Authors Leah Braemel, Kimber Chin, and J.K. Coi have joined together to combine the best of all their worlds. Three writing buddies, three romance genres, three to-die-for heroes. Throw in an ancient artifact and the possibility of the end of the world...and you've got one exciting short story put together for you in one FREE read that we're offering to you in three parts!

If somehow you missed Part 1 of When Worlds Collide, please drop on over to Kimber Chin's blog and then come back to read Part 2:

Gideon shook his head, his booted feet echoing in the cavern-like stairwell as he headed upward, following the stench of brimstone that filled the whole damn building. Part of him wondered what the hell a Hoth demon was doing in a place like this, but the why paled against the urgency of making sure it didn’t escape to wander into any other, more residential areas. 

Pushing through the door to the second floor corridor, Gideon heard shuffling and grunting noises coming from somewhere down the hall and pulled his sword from the sheath at his back.

The demon hurtled from one of the offices, sliding to a halt at the other end of the corridor as it spotted Gideon. At the same time, the stairwell door creaked open behind him. The humans. From the way they’d been making a beeline for the back door earlier, he hadn’t pegged them as stupid. “Didn’t I tell you to get out of here?” Gideon spared a glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, one of the men was stepping forward, pulling a gun from a holster under his jacket. “Jesus, buddy. What the hell do you think you’re going to do with that?”

The guy came forward. “I can help,” he said, taking up a protective stance at Gideon’s elbow.

Gideon groaned and rolled his eyes. God save him from ex cops. “I appreciate the sentiment, but you have no idea what you’re dealing with. This is not your fight.”

“It is now.” Yep, must have been a cop. From the way he held himself, Gideon determined the man had been well trained, but it still wouldn’t even begin to prepare him for what was to come.

The Hoth demon growled, baring razor teeth. Beside him Gideon heard the man draw in a sharp breath. “Damn. What the hell is this guy on?”

“You really don’t want to know. Just turn around and—”

“Sam!” A woman’s voice, her soft accent giving a slight lilt to her alarmed tone.

Gideon shot another look over his shoulder. The woman was stepping forward, a Glock in her hand. The other guy stood at her side, but the two of them stopped in their tracks at his warning look.

The last woman came through the doorway then. “Ramos, get back here. You’re in those idiots’ way. Hagen, you idiot. You’re no good to me dead.” Apparently, she was the only sane one of the bunch.

Expelling a long chain of curses, Gideon turned back to the demon. “Let’s get this over with.”

The creature surged forward with a roar.

“This is not going to end well.” A horrified whisper from behind.

Before Gideon could stop him, the trigger-happy hero at his side cracked off a shot, hitting the demon right between the eyes. Good aim, but useless.

The demon dropped its glamour completely, and without even the half-hearted effect of the mask, there was no longer any doubt what they were dealing with. Horns stretched higher, curling out from its temples. Sharp claws gleamed under the fluorescents. Shaking its head back and forth, the demon’s inhuman howl echoed in the hall. “Great work, buddy. That just made it angry.”

“How the hell was I supposed to know the thing isn’t even human?”

The other man piped up behind them. “The freakin’ six-inch claws and animal growl gave it away.”

Before the Hoth demon could fully regroup, Gideon rushed it. He ducked a wicked swipe, and evaded a nasty chomp of razor teeth, before finding an opening and slashing downward in a calculated swing of blade that severed the demon’s head from its body.

With the typical flash of sickly green light, the threat was suddenly gone.

Now to find out what had drawn it here in the first place. He walked into the office that the demon had emerged from. The large boardroom table was tipped over on its end, the corporate telephone had been smashed and papers were littered everywhere. Gideon leaned down and picked one off the floor.

Oh hell no.

Crumpling the sheet in his fist, he stalked back into the corridor where the foursome waited, eying him with confused caution. Heading straight for the would-be hero, he fisted a hand in the man’s shirt and threw him up against the wall.

“What do you think you’re doing with this?” he demanded in a harsh growl, shoving the hand-drawn sketch under the guy’s nose.

 

***

To celebrate our collaboration together, today I'm holding a contest and I'll be giving away a free download of each of Kimber Chin's and Leah Braemel's books. To be entered, just answer this question:

What are the names of each of these authors most recent releases?

And don't miss the exciting finale of When Worlds Collide coming tomorrow, June 3 at Leah Braemel's blog!!

When Worlds Collide-Part 1

Authors Leah Braemel, Kimber Chin, and J.K. Coi have joined together to combine the best of all their worlds. Three writing buddies, three romance genres, three to-die-for heroes. Throw in an ancient artifact and the possibility of the end of the world...and you've got one exciting short story put together for you in one FREE read that we're offering to you in three parts!

Don't miss Part 1 TODAY at Kimber Chin's blog! She's holding a contest to celebrate!