‘Tis The Season . . . Don’t Let It Pass You By! by Nancy Gideon

Is anyone else suffering from a post-holiday hangover? Dirty dishes, loads of leftovers, pants that groan at the seams while snoozing in front of parades, reruns and football games, the manic penny-saving rush that comes with Black Friday . . . you know, the joys of the season! And it's just getting started!!

Despite the frenzy and the disruption of my dogmatic routine, I reeeeeally love the holidays between Halloween and Christmas because I LOVE to decorate and hostess. They give me an excuse to come out of my hermitude without guilt. I should be writing. I should be doing PR on that new release. I should (I really should!) be putting together a newsletter. Sometimes, shouldn't we just reacquaint with the joy of connecting with friends and family, filling our homes with sinful scents (calories have a delicious odor!), turn our everyday staid surroundings into Party City and give ourselves a break? I can hear those who know me groaning, "Yeah, right. You? Ms. OCD Squared, take a day off?" It could happen . . . and it does happen (though I confess to still feeling a bit guilty!). Community recharges batteries that can overheat under continuous use (or abuse!). We sometimes pull ourselves so deeply into our imaginative caves that we forget there's a real world beyond the fiction we create, that time is flying by. If I'm not careful, I could be that Rip VanWinkle, squinting out into the daylight behind my office door to discover my pre-teen grandson has started college! How the hours, days and years fly by!

But because I can’t go cold turkey (Sorry, couldn’t resist!), I’ll slip in a few seconds of work then go on to enjoy the rest of my loooong weekend. I’ve got my second “Midnight to Moonlight” blog tour sale going on with the first book in my “Touched by Midnight” vampire romance series only $.99 (!) and a shout out for my newest release, Book 3 in my 4-book “House of Terriot” shapeshifter series, complete with giveaway. My late Black Friday offering . . .

With the realization that by this time next month, I’ll be recovering from my second knee replacement (Same surgery, different knee. I’ll be bionic!), don’t wait until the last minute (or until you’re trying to sleep flat on your back on good drugs with your knee above the level of your heart for three weeks) to get out and enjoy some of the fun and excitement the season offers.

Happy writing, Happy reading and Happy Holidays!!

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Tools of the Trade by Nancy Gideon

I've always loved this picture of the early 19th Century vampire hunting kit. A nice, tidy assortment of all-business paraphernalia needed to get the job done that, I realized in an epiphany, hasn't gone out of style from my first vampire romance MIDNIGHT KISS, in Regency era England, to the last, MIDNIGHT CRUSADER, set in glittery Las Vegas. Now that's a guy who knew how to pack for the long haul!

Today, I'd have gone for a nice Gucci carry on to stash my stuff, paired with matching shoes, depending on the event. Or the warded trunk of a badass black '67 Impala driven by a Winchester.

Whoops, wrong badass . . .

The tools of the trade are pretty much standard for taking out your ordinary vampire, werewolf, demon, etc. : Bible, holy water, cross and rosary, fire, stake with hammer to drive the point home, and silver - either sharp and pointy and/or bullet version, with pungent garnish optional, whether in an old Carpathian village or on the streets of New York City. You gotta love tradition with staying power. With the passage of time, the tools may be newer, shinier, NIV vs King James, or carry a warranty from Sears, but they all maintain the century's old attributes for killing the unnatural dead (again). But that doesn’t mean you can’t update a classic for your paranormal hunter. Take a tip from VanHelsing's rapid fire crossbow, Abraham Lincoln-Vampire Hunter's acrobatics or Blade's iridescent UV grenades. Nothing is more fun than upgrading the traditional to delight your audience. Or surprising them when the expected cure (or kill) all proves nothing but a myth. What do you mean that only works in the movies?

Don't mock the classics. When in doubt, go for basic black . . . and blue (like those knuckle dusters inscribed with Enochian symbols) but don’t be afraid to include a few flashy accessories (take that from a gal who LOVES her accessories!). The tried and true spiced with your own magical take on what gets your hero and heroine though the night alive can make a believer out of the most cynical reader and have them returning, over and over, just like Dracula remakes.

Sink your teeth into these tasty tributes to the undead where it doesn’t hurt (much) to think outside the box.

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | Google

What are some unique ways you’ve seen (or written) for disposing of preternatural pests?

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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!

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“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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It’s ALIVE! And a New Release!

by Nancy Gideon

Some of my favorite movies growing up were those horror flicks about rebirth and resurrection. Frankenstein’s monster finding new life with not all original parts. Dracula rising up from the grave. The Mummy’s tomb opening to release him (especially if Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo were involved!). Reissuing my Touched by Midnight series is kinda like that.

The first three books of the series were written over fifteen years ago when the vampire romance genre was a new creature just clawing its way to popularity. The idea was so new, my books were often mistakenly placed in horror! After their brief and unfulfilling life span of two weeks on the shelves, the books were stripped and buried.

But you can’t keep a good vampire romance hero down!

Readers wanted more. Though the first three books were impossible to find (in this day prior to e-books and Amazon!), ImaJinn Books, a small press newly created to serve the needs of paranormal lovers, allowed me to continue the series with six more books, weaving the familiar heroes and villains in and out through three centuries. And for fifteen years, I struggled to resurrect those first three books by getting the rights back. And finally, thanks to ImaJinn Books, they’re alive again!

For the next nine months (easiest labor ever!) ImaJinn, now an imprint of BelleBooks, is rereleasing all nine books of the Touched by Midnight series, a book per month, starting with MIDNIGHT KISS with all new covers to transport an all new generation of readers from Regency England, to post-Revolution France, to Turn-of-the-Century New York and New Orleans, the Roaring ‘20s, to high tech research labs and the jungle of Peru with characters who refused to go quietly. Rumors of their death were greatly exaggerated . . . thank goodness!

Sink your teeth in and enjoy!

Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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 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?

ïïïïï

Nancy Gideon on the Web

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Revisiting Old Friends. . .

by Nancy Gideon

There’s nothing like an old friend. No matter how much time has passed since the last time you saw them, the minute you reconnect it’s like it was just yesterday. This April, I’ve enjoyed two reunions – one in Arizona and one on my laptop.

I just got back from a much needed vacay in Tucson (it’s a dry heat!) with critique partner Elizabeth Fortin Hinds (who also writes awesome Egyptian mythology based adventure romance as Elizabeth Alsobrooks) sightseeing to get back in the mood for reissuing my Dana Ransom western series and soaking up the sun – only to return to snow in Michigan! I never knew a week could go by so fast – especially when you spend so much of it in four airports!

I also started proofreading the scans of the first book in my “Midnight” vampire romance series from back in the ‘90s, MIDNIGHT KISS, which will be reissued by BelleBooks’ ImaJinn imprint in July. How I loved that story! That whole series! I remembered how much when I began reading the first page. Just like yesterday. Here’s a taste to sink your teeth into:

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Arabella heard the front door open. With a soft cry of relief, she tossed aside the book she’d been pretending to read for the past two hours and scrambled from the bed. Thin white nightgown fluttering about her, she ran out into the hall to the top of the stairs.

“Louis!”

The first floor was dark. A strange phosphorescent light spilled in from the open door, and with it, a thick, roiling mist. A wintery chill seeped up through the house until her quick breaths plumed visibly. She hugged herself as a tremor of alarm swept through her along with that prickling cold. She was about to turn and call for Takeo when the mist began to churn and change, yielding up the shape of a man.

“Bella, my love.”

His words tingled within her. Truly afraid, yet compelled by his voice to move forward, Arabella eased down two of the steps.

“Louis?”

He was standing at the foot of the stairs, face uplifted. His features were bathed in an odd blue-silver light that was not quite moonlight, not quite natural. It etched his cheekbones with bold, sharp strokes and his mouth with delicate sensual lines. And from out of that eerie, ethereal light, his eyes glowed hot and golden.

“Louis, I was so worried . . .” She clung to the railing for balance. Something about his stare dragged upon her consciousness with an insistent sleepiness. Her limbs were unresponsive, heavy, tired. But beneath that seeping weariness, panic flickered like a resistant flame.

“I told you not to worry, Bella. I told you I would never leave you.”

There was something in the quality of his voice—it was bigger, echoing, coming from all around and within her.

He started up the stairs, the mist rising with him, cloaking his feet so it seemed that he moved them not at all, but merely rose without effort. Confused by this trick of light, Arabella retreated, backing up the steps to the landing. Her heart pounded with an unexplained fright. Her eyes told her it was her husband coming up to her, but her senses decried it, warning with every frantic pulse that she was in dreadful danger.

He stood at the landing before her, his stillness mesmerizing. He was so—beautiful. She stared and lost herself in the looking. His magnetism surrounded and seduced her. His eyes were so deep they went on forever. Then he took a step and she took one away, her breath coming in soft little gasps.

“Don’t be afraid,” came that smooth, glassy voice, and terror surged within her only to be blanketed by his warm, stifling will. She couldn’t move, could barely breathe as he closed the distance between them. His hand reached out to her and she shrank back but couldn’t avoid it.

His fingers slid caressingly along her cheek and the solidity of that touch broke Arabella’s fearful trance. She exhaled in a rush.

“Oh, Louis, it is you!”

His neck was quickly circled by her arms and his curled lightly about her, drawing her up against him. She hugged him while desperate shivers drove out the last of her tension. She stroked her hand through his hair and kissed his neck, his cheek, and finally his mouth with a reassuring urgency. Then she simply clung.

“I did not mean to frighten you,” he whispered without inflection.

She gave a nervous little laugh. “It was silly—I don’t know what came over me. You seemed so strange, and I—it doesn’t matter now. You’re here, and that’s all that matters. Are you all right?”

“I am full of the night’s chill. I need your warmth to sustain me.”

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I can’t wait to get to the next two books which have also been long out of print. ImaJinn is rereleasing the entire nine book series, one per month, all with new covers, beginning with MIDNIGHT KISS, MIDNIGHT TEMPTATION and MIDNIGHT SURRENDER (finally resurrected!) in July, August and September. I can’t WAIT to see the new packaging.

What kind of covers do you like on your vampire romances? Manscaped male torso? The clenching couple? Moody broody atmospheric? I need to get my art sheet done and would love some suggestions.

In the meantime, get back together with your old friends and enjoy the rediscovery!

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