Happy Release Day to Nalini Singh!!!

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Wings of silver. Wings of blue. Mortal heart. Broken dreams. Shatter. Shatter. Shatter. A sundering. A grave. I see the end. I see. . .

The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed. . .far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.

At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon it becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough. . .

This war could end them all.

Advance Excerpt From Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh

“We watch,” the Primary said. “We protect.”

But things were altering in front of them, a faint glow emanating from where the aeclari had been before the filaments obscured both Raphael’s body and Elena’s chrysalis.

Beyond the balcony doors now partially covered with the snow silk of the filaments, the Bluebell turned. His eyes widened at seeing the ocean of filaments, the glow. But before he could open the closed doors, a familiar voice entered all their minds.

Leave now. It was an order from an archangel. Clear the skies above. Empty the land around. GO.

The Legion were moving even as the last word echoed in their minds. They were Raphael’s Legion, Elena’s Legion, and they had been given an order. The Bluebell wasn’t Legion. He was one of the Seven. Unique. With his own mind.

Torment wrenched his features, but he inclined his head, and the Primary saw him form the word, “Sire.”

All of them moved.

The Bluebell dropped to the grass, then ran inside the house.

The Legion broke into four parts and swept the area. Winged beings were already flying toward the river at high speed, their faces stark and their jaws determined. The Legion dropped down in front of cars moving on the nearest road. The cars were not so close to the aeclari’s home, but the archangel hadn’t said how far to clear.

When the first two cars halted with a screech that caused a burning scent to rise to their nostrils, the Legion wrenched the doors open and hauled the startled vampires out. A group of the Legion rose into the air, two to a vampire. Another group found four humans in a third car, a vampire’s cattle heading home. The scared cattle whimpered at being taken by the Legion but didn’t struggle. Neither did the vampires after they saw the angels racing from the Enclave to the water.

Golden light poured out from the windows of the aeclari’s home.

Many of the angels streaming over the water held vampires or humans in their arms, getting their households out of danger. The Bluebell was one of the last to fly out of the Enclave, and though the Legion did not speak to many outside of the aeclari, they spoke to him: Are the aeclari’s people safe? This was important. The Legion knew. The aeclari had bonds to those who lived in the house.

Yes, I got them out. The Bluebell, who could fly faster than the Primary and sometimes raced with the cars of the Blade and the Viper, fell off the cliff with his wings licked by a golden light so bright that it was difficult to face. In one hand, he held a large rectangular thing, in his other items they recognized.

Several of the Legion flew to him, and took the things. They did not understand things, but these were linked to the aeclari in their mind. We will fly them to the Tower.

Most of the angels kept on flying toward Manhattan, and those of the Legion that carried vampires or mortals kept on going, too. But the Primary turned once he was over the center of the river, as did those of his brethren who flew only their own bodies.

The Bluebell halted in front of them, the silvery blue of his wings spread and his face awash in the burning golden light that had turned the river to gold.

And the light, it grew, and grew, and grew.

Until at last, the light was so bright that it became fire and even the Primary couldn’t bear it and threw up his arm in front of his eyes. The last thing he saw was an intense white brightness.

May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

Interview & Giveaway with Erin McCarthy

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Erin McCarthy for her first visit to the blog. We are chatting about picking one book you must read before you die and her newest release TRUE.

Erin, can you please share with us a little about yourself

I’ve been a full time writer for almost ten years now (yay!) and have two almost grown kids, two cats, and a dog. When I’m not writing, I love live music, martinis, traveling, and randomly moving furniture around in my house. I love ice cream, beaches, and think fleece is the greatest thing ever invented.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I wanted to be a writer in the first grade, when I won a writing contest. But I was informed a career writing fiction was not practical, so I went to college to be a lawyer. Yeah. So not for me.

Are you a plotter or a punster or combo of both? And you explain the difference?

I’m a tweener… somewhere in between. Plotters plan everything out for the entire book in advance of writing, right down to each individual scene, whereas pantsers create the story as they write. I have an overall arch for the story figured out ahead of time and a good sense of the characters, with some scenes worked out. But I don’t use post-its or charts and I don’t have everything figured out. There are definitely surprises along the way.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I almost never work at my desk. I write on the couch, the bed, at the kitchen island. And I chair dance. A lot.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

TRUE is my first new adult story. Rory is socially awkward and is just looking to have the same sexual experiences as other girls, only she is not prepared for the feelings she winds up having for Tyler.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I don’t know, honestly. I brainstormed about five new adult ideas with a friend and this is the one that came alive and spoke to me.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I am working on a second new adult book, which features the heroine from TRUE’s roommate, Jessica. Rory and Jessica are total opposites, and while Jessica may have a ton of sexual experience, she has never let a guy into her heart—until now.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many fabulous authors! I’m not sure who else I would chose except for Edgar Allan Poe, and unfortunately yes, I realize he’s dead. But I am desperately curious to see what he was like in real life. He would either scare the begeezus out of me or I would fall in love with him.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Read everything you can in the genre you want to write in. It sounds obvious but it is such an education, plus you need to love to read what you want to write. Join a writer’s group, like RWA to meet other writers, and do lots of online research about the craft of writing.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

I always wanted to jump out of a plane and this summer I am planning to do that with a friend. It’s possible I will have a heart attack on the way down, but the box will be ticked!

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Right now I’m reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers, about life in a slum in Mumbai. I am in a book club with my friends and it’s been awesome to be exposed to books I would never find on my own.

What is one book everyone should read before they die?

ONE book?! That’s like picking a favorite child. It can’t be done. J

What is your favorite time of year & why?

Summer, hands down. I love the warm weather, I love dining outside, I love gardening. Winter is too much work.

Who is your Celebrity crush? And what would you do if you ever meet them?

Right now, I think that the guy who plays Agent Weston on The Following is adorable. The actor’s name is Shawn Ashmore and if I met him, I would make him monstrously uncomfortable by touching his beard scruff.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for having me by!

Erin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres. The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award. She lives with her family inOhio.

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April 9, 2013April 8, 2013

Guest Blogger: M. Leighton

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY:

My favorite scenes

The leading question here was what scene was easiest for me to write and what scene was hardest. Believe it or not, that’s actually a difficult question for me to answer. I don’t find any “scene” difficult. What I find most challenging are what I call “transitional scenes.” You know, those times in between “big scenes.” I have to think long and hard about those because, most often, I have little idea of where the story is going. Being a “pantser” (as my kind of author is affectionately termed in the Indie world) makes it impossible to look very far ahead, which, in turn, makes it challenging to write scenes that take the story from one big event to the next. For me, the story is developing as I go, so I do lots of mulling during these periods. I can get lost in them for hours sometimes, wondering what might come next.

Now if you’d asked what my FAVORITE scene to write was, I’d have to say the love scenes. *grins* I’m a true romantic and, for me, the culmination of all the tension and unspoken emotion is like fireworks—in my head, in my heart and, hopefully, on the page. In fact, I love writing these scenes so much that I have to rein it in a bit to make sure I don’t get carried away. That’s how much I love them. Truthfully, though, I love to write any highly emotional scene, be it about love and victory or heartbreak and death. I know that sounds terrible, but in tragedy, the emotions are so gut-wrenching, they make the happy ending that much more satisfying. And that makes all the angst and agony worthwhile, doesn’t it?

I guess in a nutshell, I’d have to say the easiest scenes for me to write are the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s the calm spaces in between that throw me for a loop. I suppose that’s a good thing, though, because isn’t it the highs that we live for? Isn’t it the lows that we can’t wait to read beyond, to see if there’s triumph to be had? I like to think so. And as a writer, I’m the same way. I wait with bated breath for the next wonderful thing or the next tragedy, all because I know that, in the end, there’s happiness. And THAT is what I live for.

Berkley Books acquires bestselling sensation M. Leighton’s two self-published series: The Bad Boys and The Wild Ones.

DOWN TO YOU has sold more than 200,000 copies since it released on September 22^nd, and has spent four weeks on the New York Times and USA Todaybestseller lists.

DOWN TO YOU hit a high of #8 on the New York Times E-book bestseller list, #12 on the combined E-book and print list, and #17 on the USA Today list.

UP TO ME sold more than 50,000 copies in its first week on sale and hit #12 on the USA Today bestseller list.

M. LEIGTON

The Bad Boys & The Wild Ones

Berkley Books has acquired two more exciting self-published series that have been garnering great buzz in the romance community. Berkley is now the publisher of M. Leighton’s two bestselling series, The Bad Boys and The Wild Ones. On February [TBD], Berkley took over the e-book publication of the first two novels in M. Leighton’s Bad Boys series, DOWN TO YOU and UP TO ME. The books will be available in trade paperback format on July 2 and August 6, respectively. The much anticipated third installment, EVERYTHING FOR US, will be released for the first time ever, simultaneously in print and e-book formats on September 3^rd.

In DOWN TO YOU (Berkley e-book; [TBD]; $4.99), Olivia Townsend is just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. But clear becomes complicated when she meets twin brothers Cash and Nash Davenport. Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich and beautiful cousin. Clarity turns to obscurity when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved and in love with both of them. Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire. She wants them both. And they want her. How will she ever choose between them?

In UP TO ME (Berkley e-book; [TBD]; $4.99), Olivia’s trust is shaken when a new threat arises. She realizes that the danger she is facing is not limited to her heart… it has become a danger to her life as well. InEVERYTHING FOR US (Berkley Trade Paperback; September 3, 2013; $14.00), Marissa Townsend has everything a girl could ask for—a great job, a privileged life, and all the friends money can buy. But one case of mistaken identity turns her world upside down. Not only does this abduction gone wrong throw her for a loop, it lands her right in the lap of the sexiest, most dangerous man she’s ever met.

* * *

M. Leighton’s Wild Ones series has enjoyed incredible self-published success. And now, Berkley Books releases the revised first installment, THE WILD ONES (Berkley Trade Paperback; March 5, 2013; $14.00), featuring brand new, sexy content from this talented new author on the romance scene. Berkley Books will release the second and third books in the series simultaneously in print and eBook formats as well.

In THE WILD ONES, the passion’s as hot as midnight in the South and the love’s as wild as the horses they tame.

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M. Leighton is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married, and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. For more about M. Leighton, visit her website at www.MLeightonBooks.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter @ mleightonbooks.

April 5, 2013April 3, 2013

Interview & giveaway with Beth Kerry

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Beth Kerry to the blog today. We are talking about her latest releases When I’m With You & Because You Are Mine.

Beth, can you please share with us a little about yourself?

I’m a long time city girl who loves art (which is why artists often show up in my books), travel, food and cooking, shoes and red wine, in no particular order. I love to observe people. My husband says I’m a paradox, because I seem so quiet and reserved and serious, but I’m really not at all, once you get to know me. I’m not rambunctious or anything, but I certainly have a silly streak. When something strikes me as funny, I will laugh until I cry.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

No. I had a completely different career previously, and a doctorate degree in an unrelated field. I was always an avid reader, but didn’t think about attempting a romance novel until I was in my 20’s. I’d read in all genres, but just thought I could write sexy romance, for some reason.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I don’t know if it’s interesting, but here goes: I live in the middle of the city but I’m strangely sensitive about outdoor noise. So I have the room set up where I write soundproofed with white noise. My sister jokingly calls it the ‘womb’ because it’s very relaxing and insulated in the midst of a bustling city.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Yes, When I’m With You, is a serialized erotic romance being released presently, every Tuesday for 8 weeks. So this is one hefty novel being released in 8 installments. It’s in the ‘world’ of Because You Are Mine, which also released initially in serial format. Ian and Francesca, the hero and heroine of Because You Are Mine, are important characters and their story is furthered. The main hero and heroine, however, are Lucien and Elise. This couple has known each other since childhood/early adulthood and both are trying to make meaningful lives for themselves outside of the gilded cage of privilege, greed and wealth. Lucien has a big secret about his motives for being inChicago, however, and it’s a mystery Elise might unknowingly divulge because of her history with him. This is a smoking hot, sexy romance, but there’s also an edge of suspense as Lucien’s, Elise’s and Ian’s story unfolds. Lucien and Elise are electric together. I think it’s one of the best sexual tension and erotic content I’ve written to date.

How did you come up with the idea for this story?

I was brainstorming with my editor at RWA last year about the story arc begun in Because You Are Mine. The seeds of the plot of When I’m With You, and the next book in the series, Because We Belong, were actually already in place in Because You Are Mine. Mostly, it was just a matter of bringing those seeds to fruition. I love the subtleties of the three books, and how characterization is so tightly woven to the action of the plot. I think it’ll be fun for readers to go back and re-read once all three books are out, and see how hints became fully fleshed out in later books.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I just finished Because We Belong, which moves Ian and Francesca back onto center stage. I had a very satisfied, good feeling about how I left things with one of my favorite couples.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many of my favorite romance authors at conferences. I’m a long time fan of Sandra Brown, however, and I’ve never been able to meet her. She writes sexual tension like no other. I enjoyed her older Loveswept, classic contemporary romances and I love her romantic suspense and suspense as well. I’m always looking to see if she’s at conferences I go to, but I’ve never had the opportunity arise to meet her thus far.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

If you love it, don’t give up. This can be a really tough field, and rejection and criticism are inevitable. Build up a healthy armor against naysayers, learn from feedback, but don’t let it dampen your love of telling a story.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?

Actually, I’m checking off something from my bucket list this year. I’m spending New Years in Londonwith my sisters and nieces—girls’ vacation in a beautiful condo right in the middle of things.Londonis one of my favorite cities, and I can’t wait to spend time there with some of my favorite people. J

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Jaci Burton’s Thrown By a Curve. I’ve been so busy with a deadline, I haven’t had a chance to get to it yet, but can’t wait. Also, I’m looking forward to Julie James’ latest, Love Irresistibly.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just thank you to Books-n-Kisses for having me!

Beth Kery is the New York Times bestselling author of over thirty books and short stories, including Because You Are Mine and Wicked Burn. She lives in Chicago with her family. Visit her online at www.bethkery.com, www.facebook.com/beth.kery, and www.twitter.com/bethkery.

Join the #WhenImWithYou conversation on Twitter with @bethkery, @InterMixBooks and @BerkleyRomance.

Giveaway:

Beth is giving away a copy of either the complete version of Because You Are Mine (ebook or print) OR the first four parts of When I’m With You (ebook).

International entries are okay, but entrant’s country must be a registered country at Book Depository. For ebook, the vendor must have a ‘giftable’ option, like Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

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