Friday, September 25, 2015

Midnight Kiss is only $0.99!

So excited to announce MIDNIGHT KISS, the first book in my "Touched by Midnight" series, is ONLY $0.99 through September 27th! If you haven't read this Regency-set paranormal that was one of the books creating the first wave of vampire romances back in the '90s, now's the time! The entire series is currently being reissued with all new covers (and a chance for me to go back in to pull out the plethora of passive voice "was"s!). Watch for Book 3, MIDNIGHT SURRENDER, which should be available . . . TODAY!



“Dark and compelling, Gideon's novel will appeal to those who enjoy the vampire novels of Anne Rice.” —Library Journal

“A colorful and hauntingly beautiful tale of otherworldly love . . . destined to become a classic!”—Affaire de Coeur

“Incredible, spellbinding reading!” —Rendezvous

Hunt or be hunted . . . A centuries old obsession stalks a noble family fighting to hide their dark secret from an ever-changing world. Sink your teeth into Nancy Gideon's Touched by Midnight series.

A DARK CURSE

Miss Arabella Howland is content to forgo the London marriage mill to assist her father in his research, especially when it comes to his intriguing patient, Louis Radman. But it’s not long before Bella’s curiosity alerts her to the danger of her father’s work . . . and to the fact that Louis is not who or whathe seems.

A BRIGHT PROMISE

After centuries struggling with his vile existence, Louis Radman will soon be free of his affliction, thanks to his very capable physician. Unfortunately, his heart is less secure around the man’s tempting daughter. His yearning to walk in the light once more is complicated by his desire for the delightful Bella, who is as intelligent as she is fearless. But if history has taught him anything, it’s not to tempt fate.

AN UNFORGIVING PAST

Still, happiness has a price and Louis is soon reminded that mortality comes with unfortunate limitations. To protect his new bride, he must face the demons from his past who wish to pull him back into their vampiric fold.

Yet, if he’s forced to return to his midnight world, will he lose his beloved Bella forever?


Happy Reading!

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Nancy Gideon on the Web



Monday, September 7, 2015

Research All the Things


I’m not sure if I’m overly obsessed with research or whether I’m just really good at choosing locations and subjects for my books about which I know virtually nothing.

Over the course of writing my latest manuscript, I spent four months researching the housing costs, landscape, street names, cemeteries, restaurants, rainfall and average temperature, distance to other cities, architecture, politics, economy, demographics, history, churches with obscure services, vehicles, hotels, and a million other little details for the setting, even traveling to the location to do some last-minute verification and get a visceral feel for the place before finishing my revisions. Many other hours of research went into the court system, public defenders, plea bargaining, magical practices, mythology, poisons, alcohol, knife wounds, bleeding out, PTSD, and even underwear. (My Google search history, I’m sure, has landed me on all kinds of watch lists.)

As I started formulating a plan for my next manuscript even as I was finishing the last, I tried to pick something that wouldn’t require quite so much research, because I’d like to finish this one a little more quickly. No sooner had a ghost of an idea entered my head than I was off to the search engine, checking out property and land rights, maps, indigenous culture, bars, and male strippers (yep, just slipped that right in there) for a new setting. I’ve also chosen professions for my two main characters that I know nothing about. There will be agriculture and animals with large heads involved.

And as I google LGBT-friendly wedding vendors in, of all places, Billings, Montana, I have to wonder: why do I do this to myself? Why can’t I just, as the adage goes, write what I know? My mother gave me that advice when I was thirteen years old after reading a story I was working on. She was probably right in that case; I didn’t (and still don’t) know anything about what it was like to live near Hiroshima at the end of World War II.

It would be great if I could tap the experience of my personal career history and write an urban fantasy series about being a cop in Louisiana or a crime series about being a forensic anthropologist in Montreal. But writing about a heroine whose work experience spans essential oil boutique clerk, bowling alley snack bar waitress, data entry specialist, word processor, administrative assistant, web graphics designer, and editor just doesn’t have the same punch.

I write about what I don’t know because it interests me. Hopefully, I do a passable job of writing somewhat knowledgeably about the situations and places I put my characters in, though I’m sure I’ve made many mistakes. No doubt I could make my life easier by using the city I live in as a setting, and giving my characters jobs I’ve done. But I could also make my life easier by not writing at all. And what fun would that be?

Guess I’m all in for the next ride, environmental activists, gay cowboys, and all.

Friday, September 4, 2015

When you nurture future Paranormal Romantic kids, they want a picture of an anti-demonic possession symbol on their birthday cake


By Maureen L Bonatch


And no one in my little town is going to go for that. But being the good mother that I am, tried my best to make it happen since I was, at part, responsible.
Hadn’t I been ecstatic when they’d finally been ensnared in reading? Starting with the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, the Percy Jackson series and then I was thrilled when they devoured the Harry Potter series. With a hunger for the world of magic and enchantment, they didn’t stop there. Besides reading every YA fantasy/paranormal they could get their hands on, they moved onto watching television shows.

Their most recent favorite being the Supernatural series .
Granted, part of me wondered if the obsession with the show had to do with the two sexy, leading men playing Dean and Sam Winchester (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) 

So when they asked for their 14th birthday cake to have a picture of an anti-demonic possession symbol on it, and explained to my raised brow that it was from the show and both Sam and Dean have a tattoo of it, I said I’d try my best. 

But my best wasn’t good enough, because I’m a writer, and not a cake decorator. The cake decorator wasn’t privy to this back story and viewed me as if I was a bit off my rocker with my printed photo of an anti-demonic possession symbol, requesting to put it on a devils food chocolate cake, of course.

After hesitantly asking the baker if they had any images from the Supernatural television show and receiving a confused expression in response, I pulled out my photo of my anti-demonic possession symbol and requested they put this photo on the cake. This resulted in a lengthy explanation of how this was not a copyrighted picture from the site, but one I made. Then the hesitant argument... (cause I’m sure by now the baker was a little wary of me)...was they couldn’t use a symbol that they couldn't identify.

Seeking reinforcements, the baker’s supervisor, and the manager came to surround me as I insisted it was only an anti-demonic possession symbol as my voice grew quieter and quieter voice and my face became redder and redder. The manager tried to help by pulling up the symbol on his phone, only to declare, “Oh look, there’s your symbol. Right by some devil symbol.”

Three heads turn to look at me.

There comes a time, despite how much one loves fantasy, paranormal and supernatural that a mom must retreat and get a boring, ordinary birthday cake that says happy birthday and print out her own pictures to tape to popsicle sticks and jam into a cake.




Find Me Here: 
Penning stories boasting laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world. 
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Looking for your next Paranormal Romance Fix? 

Carman has worn out more towns and last names than impractical shoes protecting the secret of her magic blood. But when a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman must choose. Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.


Magic bounty hunter Dylan has scoured libraries of banned magic paraphernalia seeking a method to distinguish genuine witches from impersonators. He suspects unorthodox librarian Carman might hold this information tighter than the hair he’s dying to unleash from her bun. With a past as hidden as his sleeve of tattoos, Dylan discovers he’s been used to gain Carman’s trust and their passion risks more than mixing mortals and magic.