Great Beginning!

...to a New Year that I hope will bring you everything you want! I didn't make any resolutions, as normal, I plan to wing it. *smile*

But I did wake up to a new cover and wanted to share it, along with a snippet, with everyone.

Dirty Rotten Vampires 2

Love Me Madly

Coming soon to Changeling Press

With one undead and the other full of fire, they had two choices—fight dirty and love madly.

Split (Sophronius) Kryder didn’t enjoy hunting demon mixed vampires, hell, his daughter is one. Drawn back into the battle for vampire supremacy, he needs a new partner. The council tossed the name Tang into the pot so Split figured the vamp must be good. Turns out Tang Odette has curves and legs that go on, and on. A maddening inferno of desire ensues wreaking havoc on his world and to possess her Split plans to fight dirty…and win.

The new slayer assigned to Tangerine Odette is an ancient, chauvinistic, and cold-ass vampire she plans to ditch immediately. His superior attitude drives her crazy. Didn’t help any that each time she’s near him, her body heats up more than a pit in hell. Maybe if she gives the old jackass a taste of what he pines for, he’ll whimper away into a corner and leave her to fight.

Excerpt:

Heat has a smell. Magical and as sweetly perfumed as an exotic night-blooming jasmine, warm air whispered around him, gently brushing his face with butterfly-soft wings. Keeping his eyes shut tight, Split Kryder embraced the scent, allowing it to render him helpless, exposing memories buried deep a long, long time ago.

Shit. Opening his eyes to the real world, he spied a spider vanish into a crevice between ornate moldings joined high up in a corner across from him. He shoved a booted foot against the desk and sent the antique piece banging against the wall. Standing, he strode to the corner, stood on the desk, and reached to rip wood away. “Goddamn Philadelphia.” The gray, dank atmosphere was colder than his undead heart. Split slammed his fist into the wall and pulled chunks of red brick away.

“Sophronius!”

Spinning, he eyed Vigier Stone, a vampire with slightly more skill and strength than himself. “Don’t call me that.”

“Have you lost the capability to levitate along with your mind?” Vig, a member of the vampire council, elicited fear and respect because of his position. “Get off my desk; that was a gift from…”

“There’s a spider in here.” Yeah, I’ve lost it. Screwing with Vigier was not wise, but the only thing Split feared at the moment was going fuck-nuts if he didn’t get the hell out of the City of Brotherly Love.

“You could have killed it with a flick of your fingers.” Vig blinked the behemoth desk with a myriad of cubbyholes and paper stacks back to its original position in the office, leaving Split hanging in the corner. “Fix that gaping hole or I send your sorry ass after the eight-legged horror.” He shuddered. “I can’t believe you disturbed the nest.”

Split contemplated the council member. “Whatever.” Landing lightly on the balls of his feet, he waved a hand and watched stone and mortar fly into place and the splintered wood bind together, forming a loose bond in the corner. “Has your almighty council found me a partner yet? I’m growing cobwebs sitting here.”

“Insolence has won you no friends on our council.”

“Those bastards sit in luxury while slayers keep demon mixes from chewing their lazy, fat asses off.”

Vig smiled wanly at the corner as he tightened the molding with a mental nudge Split didn’t miss. “Have you ever seen a fat vampire?”

“You get my drift.”

Available now at: Changeling Press; All Romance Ebooks; B&N; Kobo; Amazon

Dirty Rotten Vampires 1

Hurt Me Good

A cold heart plus hot blood sweetens the pain.

Barringer Ganteau has hunted enough demon-mixed vampires to last a million lifetimes. His wish is to see all demi-vamps maimed, preferably dead. Single-handedly, he attempts to vanquish the scourge of mixed breeds from the face of the earth. Then Ringer meets Armada, a demi-vamp with the power to deliver the kind of pain he desires and melt his frozen heart.

Armada comes from Haiti, carrying the exotic heat of the islands and her kind with her. When she faces a cold-hearted vampire, a being superior to her mixed heritage, she vows to hate him as much as he hates her. Armada hadn’t reckoned with the vamp’s ability to use pain to bring out a side of her she had not known existed.

Read More

J. Hali Steele
Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.

Make a resolution you want to keep

As one year ends and the promise of a new one begins, just about everyone is looking to make goals and resolutions for a new beginning...and then generally breaking those resolutions before the first month of the new year is through. 

Who made a New Year’s resolution last year? (Eagerly raises hand)

How many of you have kept the resolutions that you made last year? (Slowly lowers hand then looks around to see if anyone else still has a hand up)

 How many remember their resolutions? (Nods)

Is it because they're the same ones you’ve made year after year and never keep but think this year will be different? (Ducks head)

Yep, that’s me. Making those same resolutions to eat better/lose weight, exercise more, get more sleep, write so many words/pages... 

How about trying something different this year and make a resolution to do more of what you love? 

It's a win, win because you'll be happier and less likely to break your resolution. So take a minute and write down some of the things you love doing most in your life. 

Go ahead...I'll wait.

Okay, here's mine!

Resolution Number #1 for me is to resolve to write more and write even better than before!

Next develop some steps on how you're going to meet your resolution, then you'll be more likely to obtain it. 

Here's how I'm going to do it: Reading and writing and arithmetic... movies.

·      Read more books: My TBR pile is ginormous! Luckily most of it is on my kindle or I might not be able to get into my office if I had all the books in print. As most writers know, the best way to become a better writer is to read more. So while I'm immersed in my favorite happy place of a good book, I'll know that I'm improving my writing by 'studying' other writers.

·      Watch more movies: It’s amazing how movies can be so educational to writing. I find myself pointing out (to the dismay of my hubby trying to watch the movie) the black moment, how the backstory is added in (good and bad), red herrings...all invaluable to my own writing skills.

·      Write more-The more you write- the better you’ll get. I can prove this by pulling out an old story that is waiting to be finished. (The horror! Look away before you burn your eyes!) But I'll set a time and place, so it's measurable and not a vague goal.

·      Other writers: While reading more stuff, how about trading writing with a writer friend? It’s a win, win situation in that you’re getting another writing perspective on your work while reading more books.

Have you made any resolutions you'd like to share? 

~Maureen 

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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A Little History on Our New Year.

New Year is the time at which a new calendar year begins. In many cultures, the event is celebrated in a variety of customs. Here in the gold old US of A, many of us go out to celebrate or stay at home and watch the apple fall from New York Times Square. The New Year of the Gregorian calendar, today in worldwide use, falls on 1 January (New Year's Day), as was the case with both the old Roman calendar and the Julian calendar that succeeded it. The order of months was January to December in the Old Roman calendar during the reign of King Numa Pompilius in about 700 BC, according to Plutarch and Macrobius, and has been in continuous use since that time. In many countries, such as the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the United States, the first of January is a national holiday. During the Middle Ages in western Europe, while the Julian calendar was still in use, New Year's Day was variously moved, depending upon locale, to one of several other days, among them: 1 March, 25 March, Easter, 1 September, and 25 December. These New Year's Day changes were generally reversed back to January 1 before or during the various local adoptions of the Gregorian calendar, beginning in 1582. The change from March 25 – Lady Day, one of the four quarter days – to January 1 took place in Scotland in 1600, before the ascension of James VI of Scotland to the throne of England in 1603 or the formation of the United Kingdom in 1707. In England and Wales (and all British dominions, including the American colonies), 1751 began on March 25 and lasted 282 days, and 1752 began on January 1^st.

A great many other calendars have been in use historically throughout the world, some of which count years numerically, and others that do not. The expansion of Western culture during recent centuries has seen such widespread official adoption of the Gregorian calendar that its recognition and that of January 1 as the New Year has become virtually global.

Regional or local use of other calendars persists, along with the cultural and religious practices that accompany them. In many places such as Israel, China, and India, New Year's is also celebrated at the times determined by these other calendars. In Latin America, the observation of traditions belonging to various native cultures continues according to their own calendars, despite the domination of subsequent cultures. The most common dates of modern New Year's celebrations are listed below, ordered and grouped by their appearance relative to the Gregorian calendar.

Contrary to common belief, the civil New Year of January 1 is not an Orthodox Christian religious holiday. The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar makes no provision for the observance of a New Year. January 1 is itself a religious holiday, but that is because it is the feast of the circumcision of Christ (8 days after his birth), and a commemoration of saints. While the liturgical calendar begins September 1, there is also no particular religious observance attached to the start of the new cycle. Orthodox nations may, however, make civil celebrations for the New Year. Those that adhere to the revised Julian calendar (which synchronizes dates with the Gregorian calendar), including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Romania, Syria, and Turkey, observe both the religious and civil holidays on January 1. In other nations and locations where Orthodox churches still adhere to the Julian calendar, including Georgia, Jerusalem, Russia, the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Ukraine, the civil new year is observed on January 1 of the civil calendar, while those same religious feasts occur on January 14 (which is actually the Julian, January 1 in accord with the liturgical calendar.)

Adapting January 1^st as New Year’s Day took place in the following years.

It took quite a long time before 1 January again became the universal or standard start of the civil year. The years of adoption of 1 January as the new year are as follows: Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1362, Venice 1522, Sweden 1529, Holy Roman Empire & Germany 1544, Spain, Portugal, Poland 1556, Prussia, Denmark and Norway 1559, France 1564, Southern Netherlands 1576, Lorraine 1579, Dutch Republic 1583, Scotland 1600, Russia 1700, Tuscany 1721, Britain, Ireland and British Empire except Scotland 1752, Greece 1923, Turkey 1926, and Thailand 1941.

The Islamic New Year occurs on 1 Muharram. Since the Muslim calendar is based on 12 lunar months amounting to about 354 days, the Muslim New Year occurs about eleven days earlier each year in relation to the Gregorian calendar, with two Muslim New Year’s falling in Gregorian year 2008.

The present-day Coptic Orthodox liturgical calendar reflects the same fundamental ancient structures, even though its early break from Eastern Orthodoxy in 452 shows evidence of a separate development. The Coptic calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar, which Emperor Augustus reformed in 25 BC to keep it forever in synch with the Julian calendar, but it is not identical to the Julian calendar. The Coptic liturgical New Year, at the feast of Neyrouz, synchronized with the Julian September 1 at a different point from the Gregorian calendar, has therefore a different degree of separation today. Between 1900 and 2099, Neyrouz occurs on 11 September (Gregorian), with the exception of the year before Gregorian leap years, when it occurs on 12 September. (The Coptic year 1731 began in September 2013.) The Ethiopian Orthodox New Year, Enkutatash, falls on the same date as Neyrouz. The Ethiopian calendar year 2006 began on 11 September 2013.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII while reforming the Julian calendar established January 1^st as the beginning of a New Year of the Gregorian calendar.

And there you have it, a condensed history lesson our New Year.

So what do you do to celebrate the coming year? I know what I do. I sit back, watch a little tv while the clock counts down, have a toast with my hubby then hit the sac. I’ve grown too old to fight the crowds at the bars then try to drive home intoxicated. (grin). However you decide to celebrate the coming year, be safe, don’t make promises you can’t keep and most of all have fun!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!

V.S Nelson 

*Much of this was taken directly from Wikipedia

Top Ten Celtic Mythical Creatures

Happy New Year!

To start it off right, the paranormal way, I thought I'd share my...

Top Ten Celtic Mythical Creatures

1. Dearg Due – Celtic Vampire

The Dearg Due means red blood sucker in Gaelic.

A beautiful young woman fell in love with a peasant, but was forced into marriage by her father to a rich man who abused her. She committed suicide and rose from her grave to seek revenge by sucking all the blood from her father and husband’s body.

She was buried near Strongbow’s Tree in Waterford, and rises one a year using her beauty to lure men to their deaths.

The Dearg Due may possibly have been Irishman, Bram Stoker’s inspiration for Dracula!

2. An Dullahan or Gan Ceann - Celtic Collector of Souls.

An Dullahan (meaning "without a head" in Gaelic) is a type of unseelie (Dark) fairy.

It rides a headless black horse with flaming eyes. He carries his head under one arm. But beware if he stops riding and calls out your name…For he will have taken your soul and you’ll no longer be among the living.

He likes to ride on Samhain (Halloween) and has a weakness-Gold. So if you have to travel during this time make sure you have some on hand or risk your soul!

3. Bean Sidhe (anglicized as Banshee) 

She is seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. Her wails alert that someone is about to die.

The Bean Sidhe, or Bean Nighe in Scotland, are seen at the banks of streams washing the blood from the clothing of someone who is about to die. 

If you see her, and ask politely, she will answer three questions, but be forewarned- you will have to answer three of hers first.

4. Balor – Celtic Demon King

Balor is the demonic God of Death in Celtic mythology and the progenitor of The Evil Eye.

His forehead contains one single eye that could kill someone simply by staring at them. The Celts believed the eye emitted an ethereal form of light, and was a prominent belief in the Scottish Highlands.

5. Sluagh – Celtic Evil Faeries

The foulest and most dreaded of the realm of Faerie, the Sluagh (pronounced SLOO-AH)

are scary creatures that hunt down souls!

Dead sinners that fly from the west in groups resembling a flock of Ravens or other black birds. They try to enter a house where someone is dying and steal their soul. 

These are the spirits of evil people who were unwelcome in heaven, hell, and the Underworld.

So lock your West-facing windows or risk your immortal soul! 

6. Carman – Celtic witch

Carman is the Celtic goddess of evil magic.

This malevolent witch roamed around Ireland with her three evil sons: Dub (“darkness”), Dother (“evil”) and Dain (“violence”), destroying all in her path.

Carman blighted Ireland’s crops and terrorized the Irish until the Tuatha De Danann, the “peoples of the goddess Danu,” used their magic to fight and defeat her, and drove her sons across the sea.

7. Kelpie – Celtic Sea Monster

The kelpie can take on multiple shapes, but usually it appears in the form of a horse.

The kelpie lures people into the water, drowns them, and takes them to their lair.

Beware of the Kelpie, if you come across a horse with a mane dripping with water or a beautiful ‘human’ - check to make sure they don’t have seaweed in their hair, or risk being taken beneath the loch and eaten.

8. Caorthannach  - The Devil’s Mother

Caorthannach (pronounced queer-hawn-nock), the Celtic fire-spitter was believed to be the devil’s mother.

A demon who was fought by St. Patrick when he banished the serpents and demons out of Ireland.

But one monster managed to escape – Caorthannach, the fire-spitter.

Patrick fought the demon long and hard and was finally able to banish her from The Emerald Isle.

But beware, some say she is just hiding, biding her time until she makes her presence known again.

9. Leanan Sidhe – Deadly Celtic Faerie

Leanan Sidhe (pronounced "Lah-nan Shee-uh.") is a different kind of vampire.

This Faerie is a beautiful muse who is said to give inspiration to poets and musicians. But encounter this muse and you’ll pay for your success with your life.

When this muse lover leaves her prey, they become so depressed they die. She brings them back to her lair and drains their blood into a large cauldron which is the source of her never ending beauty.

You might want to watch out where you find your inspiration, or suffer the consequences. 

10. Questing Beast – Celtic Hybrid Monster

The Questing Beast is a monster with the head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the backside of a lion, and the hooves of a deer.

The beast’s constant cry sounds like 30 dogs barking.

The Questing Beast was hunted down by many a knight, and in Celtic myth was chased by King Pellinore, an Arthurian character.

Well, there you have it. My top ten scariest Celtic Monsters.
If you'd like to read a novel steeped in Celtic mythology, be sure to check out, Protect Her.

Only $2.99 on Amazon

Happy New Year!

Sophia Kimble

#Christmas Cards and Dying #Traditions with @MeganSlayer ... Plus an #Excerpt of Frost Moon

I'm sitting and staring at my tree, watching the needles tumble to the ground. I've kept the tree watered, but they only last for so long. But looking at the tree got me thinking about how pretty it was and how it would've made a good Christmas card image. 

I wrote out many cards this year. It's usually an undertaking, but well worth the time. It's funny. I read somewhere that the tradition of sending actual cards is on the decline. People don't want to send cards when they can send e-cards or emails or something else. I like those cards, but there's something about a paper card in my hands that says Holiday Time! 

Maybe it's knowing that the person thought enough of me to send the actual card or hearing from family that I haven't heard from in a long time, but I enjoy getting the cards and writing them out. 

I'm one of those odd individuals who actually likes writing by hand. My script is horrible, but I like it. I also love the older traditions of the holidays - like writing cards, taking a drive to look at the Christmas lights and caroling. Those bits showed up in my work this year, too. In Frost Moon, my hero went to sit on Santa's lap (not like that, it was totally innocent). He asked for what he wanted this year. Did he get his wish? Well, you'll have to read Frost Moon to find out.

What about you? Any traditions you have to do each year? What are your favorites? Let me know. :-)

Frost Moon  

Book 3 in the Moon Series

MLR Press

Contemporary, Paranormal, LGBT

Novella

M/M, Anal Sex

Jagger doesn’t want much for the holidays—just an angel for Christmas.

Christmas is the time to heal wounds and come together, especially if you’re an angel. Michael’s job for the last few hundred years has been to clean up the messes created by the humans and the demons. Although he loves his job, he wants more this Christmas than to watch everyone else be merry and bright. He loves the holiday and wants to share the day with someone special…especially once he sees Jagger. The sexy, but sad looking man has confessed he hates Christmas. Can a Christmas angel really sway the Scrooge and help him find more than just the beauty in Christmas?

http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=MSSNOBAL

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-frostmoon-1700261-340.html

http://www.amazon.com/Frost-Moon-Megan-Slayer-ebook/dp/B00QZBAOW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419259485&sr=8-1&keywords=frost+moon+megan+slayer

EXCERPT!! ©Megan Slayer, 2014,  All Rights Reserved

“Now, have you been good this year?”

“I’ve done the best with what I’ve got,” Jagger answered. He wasn’t kidding. He liked sex. He liked to mingle. There might have been an occasion or two where he’d had a few too many and gone home with a guy only to have the relationship last as long as the blow job, but who was honestly a total angel?

“I see. I’ll have to keep my eye on you.” Santa shifted in his seat. “What would you like for Christmas?”

“An angel.” 

“A what? A porcelain one?”

“No, no. Like the old song. An angel sent to me.” He’d loved that Shelly Fabares song so much. So the tune was hokey and the words were dated…he didn’t care.

“Ah. What do you want her to look like?” Santa asked.

Oh boy. Jagger fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I’d like him to be at least six feet tall. Brown hair. Shaggy hair, like just rolled out of bed shaggy. Blue eyes. Nice smile. Not a ton of chest hair. Great personality. Oh, and I want him to be the boyfriend type.” That about summed up what he’d wanted.

“You’re thorough.” Santa rubbed his chin. “That’s a tall order, pardon the pun.”

“I know. I figure you’re my last hope. I’ve tried meeting guys on my own. Tried the dating scene, the website thing, and the set up by friends thing. None of it has worked. If you can’t, then I’m hopeless, and December will forever suck.”

“Aren’t you positive?” Santa paused. His dark eyes glittered. “Does his name have to be Johnny?”

“Nope.”

“If you have this man come to you, you’ll enjoy the holiday?” Santa asked.

“I will.” Granted, he wanted the man to stick around and be more than short term, but love wasn’t going to happen overnight. 

“Well, I’ll see what can be done. You’re cutting it mighty close.”

“Don’t I know it.” 

* * * * *

http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

Megan Slayer - It's Always Fun to Squirm

From My Worlds to Yours!

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Merry Christmas

by Stephanie Beck
Did you know that it is officially Christmas eve eve eve? Well, it is and my kids told me first thing this morning. 3 more little days until Christmas morning is upon us and we celebrate what we've been waiting for during advent.


In Minnesota, our plans rely on the weather cooperating. This year, it looks like the roads might be okay, or they might be complete crap. Tis the season to not take the weatherman's predictions as truth. For this reason Christmas celebrations tend to be very fluid and changeable. On any given Sunday in December, chances are you'll find a family celebrating Christmas, because so and so has to work, or will be with the in-laws on Christmas Day.


My family's traditions are pretty mild. We spend most of December in church or with our church family and friends. On Christmas morning my kids wake me up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa brought and to see what their dad and I got them. Then we eat breakfast, monkey brains (monkey bread), sausage, and fruit. Due to the weather, we rarely make plans the day of Christmas. We stay home, watch movies, play with new toys, and snack all day. If we feel like it, we go to the movies and watch one we haven't seen with the kids.


It's a low stress day where we enjoy each other, and savor the day that we waited for during advent. We celebrate the true gifts in life, and it's pretty fantastic.


Merry Christmas!
Stephanie Beck
www.stephaniebeck.net
www.facebook.com/StephanieBeckAuthor
www.twitter.com/StephBeck123