Guest Lola James on Paranormal Romance/Ebook Giveaway

Today, I welcome Lola James!  Lola has shared some thoughts on the genre of Paranormal Romance.  Lola has graciously agreed to offer a copy of Bound to Remember to one lucky commenter. 

Here are the contest rules: Please leave a comment for Lola, telling her about your favorite supernatural creature.  The drawing will run until 3/15/12 11:59 PM EST.  Winner will be chosen by random drawing and announced on 3/16/12. Please follow this blog and provide an email so Lola may contact you regarding the prize.  Also, by commenting here, you are entered in the monthly drawing  at this blog for an e-copy of My Fearful Symmetry, Book Three of the Immortyl Revolution.  For details of that drawing, scroll down to the previous post by "Sexy Cedric".

Good Luck! I'll hand it over to Lola now:


Hi Denise and Thanks for having me! Before I entice your readers with my book Bound to Remember I have a little something I want to say about Paranormal Romance.


Paranormal or not!


When I first started writing, I had a hard time dealing with the category paranormal. This is strictly just my opinion, but vampires, witches, werewolves, and shifters deserve their own category. When I think of “paranormal,” I think of ghost, ghost hunters, and spirits so, lumping my dear vampires in with ghost just doesn’t sit well with me!


I’ve read a number of paranormal romance books and I have yet to find a human/ghost love story (if they are out there let me know)! I sometimes hear the vampire-werewolves-witches and shifters being put into the fantasy category, which actually fits them (they run through my fantasy’s all the time) but I still think they deserve a category that will distinguish them from dungeons and dragons. I propose the new category of Supernatural’s or Supes for short!


I can see it now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble under the fiction category just below Romance but right above Science Fiction, Supernatural will rest. They could even include sub-categories for each one! It would take the guesswork out of finding that werewolf love story that you love so dearly or in my case that vampire love story (I love vampires).


Again, this is just fantasy, but can you blame a girl for wanting to get to the vampires quicker?


Thanks for having me Denise and I hope you enjoyed my guest post!

Smooches

Lola


Here’s the blurb on my book:

Bound to Remember

Spellbound Series Book One

Toni is a young doctor with a past she can't remember and a deadly reason for forgetting it.

Ben is a nurse who has his own tragic past and transfers hospitals after an act of heroism forces his secluded life public.

Ben can’t believe his eyes when he meets Toni, she has an uncanny resemblance to an old friend of his, and Toni can’t help but find Ben irresistible.

Enter Kevin, Toni’s sexy but arrogant Ex. Kevin’s jealousy of Ben blinds him from his main objective, Toni.

A dangerous secret is revealed and a magic spell seems to be a quick remedy, but the witch that helps has a little more than magic up her sleeve…

Here is a quick excerpt:

His lips were cold but the kiss sent warmth throughout my whole body and had a flavor to it, something that was sweet, like honey but also metallic. Either I had not been kissed in a long time or he was the best kisser. We kissed for what seemed like minutes before his lips released mine.

I felt feverish as I pulled back and looked at him, suddenly remembering we had an audience of nurses. I straightened up as he released the embrace he had wrapped me in during the kiss. I saw Kevin’s frown and Dawn’s grin, when did she get there? I looked around the break room at the awe struck on lookers.

“I’m sorry; I just couldn’t resist it anymore,” Ben said with a suggestive smile. He never took his eyes off mine, and I knew that true. I couldn’t help that he happen to pick the perfect time to kiss me, in front of Kevin. I did something completely out of character: I put my hand around Ben’s neck and pulled him down into another kiss — my kiss. Kevin stormed out. Somehow, my 5’7” self- pulled Ben’s 6’ foot self-down into a kiss that was even better than the first it was more hungry than the first.

Email: lola@lolajames.com

Website: www.lolajames.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/1lola_james

My Blog: http://lolajames-author.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lola_james

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLolaJames

Fate Series Blog: http://thefateseries.blogspot.com/

Spellbound Series Blog: http://spellboundseries.blogspot.com/

Buy Bound to Remember on: Barnes & Noble

 

Lola, thanks for visiting me today!  Tomorrow, Janine MCraw will be my guest.  Sexy Cedric will return next Saturday with more naughtiness and mayhem!  While you're here, please take a moment to explore the world of Immortyl Revolution.

 

Love and Dark Kisses!

 

Denise

 

 

A. Jacob Sweeny's Hero Blogs on his Journey

When A. Jacob Sweeny asked me if her hero Elliot De-Costa could do a blog post here, I thought it was a great idea.  (Those who follow me know that my rascally lad, Cedric MacKinnon, has his own Twitter account and Facebook page.)  I'm always interested in what characters have to say, so I give you, Elliot!

Hello. I’m Elliot De-Costa, and this is my first blog posting:



First of all I would like to thank ‘Immortyl Revolution’ for giving me the space to express my thoughts, although I have never seen ‘immortal’ spelled this way before. This must be a modern internet linguistic development. I try to keep up with as much as I can, but at times fads just come and go and it’s difficult to decide which ones I should spend my energy on.


I know that a lot of people want to know so much about me, but obviously it’s difficult to include everything in a few short passing words. I guess I should start with my age, as this is what people seem so shocked about. I am 4700 years old. I was born in the city of Nun-Ki, otherwise known as Eridu, in Sumeria, which is now encompassed within the modern day country of Iraq. The first thing you need to understand about my age is that I am not old. Old is a term attached to the passage of time. My body stopped its aging process somewhere between the ages of 20 and 30. I don’t know when exactly, because it wasn’t something I was paying attention to. So when people like yourselves worry that someone like Michelle is too young for me, what you are doing is applying human time standards onto someone that is not human, not entirely at least. Michelle is great. I adore her. I have adored many it’s true. But everyone is different and I can appreciate many people. Michelle, I believe, is more stubborn than I am. She was very set in her way about getting to know me. Now I’m glad that she didn’t give up. In a few years Michelle will be an outstanding woman. She’s a bit of a project, but a lot of that is my fault. I should have never left her that night… How about we don’t discuss Michelle anymore?


Of course being alive for so long makes me more knowledgeable than any of you can ever dream of being. I collect all my experiences into this mind of mine, and my brain files things away. I have had time to study in more universities than I can even mention. I have earned many degrees and doctorates, and in many different languages. Being alive for so long, you kind of have time to get to know yourself and your surroundings pretty well, although I can still have a few rough days here and there. The skill I use the most is probably my medical training. No, I don’t practice medicine, and never wanted to, although I could. I studied medicine in order to hone my abilities. You have a headache? I can help because I know which nerve is where. You have a broken bone? I can stimulate bone growth directly on the break. I think each and every one of us has studied medicine at one point or another. When I say us, I mean my friends, who are also of my kind. None of us know how many of our kind are out there. But I have lost good friends along the way. I don’t know if I will meet new ones. I haven’t in a long time.


The story of how I met Kahl, who is one of my dearest friends in the world, is actually pretty funny. I was working as a hired bodyguard and traveling the trade routes with my boss who was a wealthy merchant. This was before I made my own fortune. I will tell you a small secret. Yes, they were making crude glass before I was born, but I used my abilities to heat up the sand and experimented until I found the ideal heat and combination. After that, as they say, the rest is history. Where was I? Oh yeah, Kahl. Well my boss headed to one of the local ‘inns of the women’, you get my point right? Anyway, I was just resting under a tree close to our camels and horses when I heard people arguing. I got up to see what all the commotion was about and there was Kahl in the middle of a circle of men who were all yelling at him that he was a thief. They looked like they wanted to kill him. Off to the side there was a toothless merchant that was gathering his knifes off the ground. I guess Kahl had used his own abilities to figure out that the blades that the guy was trying to sell him were not pure bronze, which was important at the time because other metals were far too soft to be useful. But since they didn’t see Kahl melt the metal in a fire, he had no way to prove that he was right. He wanted his money back, while the merchant’s bodyguards were about to give him a good licking. I asked to see one of the blades and tested it myself. Kahl was right. The bastards were trying to cheat him and it didn’t look like a fair fight. So I decided to even up the odds and help the poor guy out. We kicked some serious ass together, and when Kahl and I were the only ones that remained standing, we could see that both our eyes were glowing. Kahl was the second guy of my kind that I met, after Devin of course.


Alright, back to the present. Yes I am here, and yes I know the ladies go crazy on me and my friends. At this point it’s no big deal, but I will confess that we have all had some good times… There is nothing better on this earth than spending a sweet night with a beautiful woman who is smart and knows how to laugh. With music in the air and good food… alright I’m getting off topic here. Sure, give me a call. Leave a message at the Hekademos Learning Center for me. If I’m not there, one of the other guys will be –

Thanks Elliot for the interesting view into your world! You've certainly been around and learned many fascinating things.  Here's some more information on Pulse of Heroes.


Pulse of Heroes weaves together elements from several different genres: romance, suspense, myth/fantasy, paranormal, history and at its core, a heroine’s journey and transformation. It tries to craft a true and sensitive coming-of-age narrative of a quirky teenage girl protagonist becoming a confidant young woman with her own voice. And at the same time draw the reader into a gripping adventure filled with fantastic historical elements and the crushing intensity of first love. Pulse of Heroes is a YA/crossover novel with lots of (hopefully) memorable characters and multiple story arcs. It has a multi-cultural perspective with characters from around the globe, and a prominent female point-of-view. It is available from the official website: http://www.pulseofheroes.com/
where you will also find links to other available formats such as Kindle on Amazon.





Michelle used to feel like she was behind in everything, especially relationships. Her great aunt says she is like a bland meal, "no salt or pepper". But in junior year, everything changes. Her father takes a position on the Town Council, a popular boy in school is interested in her, and most importantly, the Hekademos Learning Center, a private school for 'troubled' students, moves into her quiet neighborhood amidst the protests of the entire town. Upon seeing the School Regent out with a group of young guys just before Christmas, Michelle is convinced that there is something odd about them. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she embarks upon a mission to figure out what is really going on. After an embarrassing fall over the school wall, Michelle meets Elliot and her ordinary ‘bland’ life changes its course forever.


Elliot is no ordinary human. No one at the Hekademos Learning Center is. Beautiful and fierce, they have survived throughout the millennia by weaving in and out of human events. Although Elliot carries numerous painful memories from his many pasts, he disregards his own better judgment and the advice of his friends, and finds himself falling for Michelle‘s offbeat personality.


At Elliot's side, Michelle must learn to deal with the bundle of contradictory emotions called love, but when History catches up with them, the difference between their life paths threatens to destroy any future that they might have had together. Ultimately, Michelle will have to trust her intuition in order to face the danger and uncertainty of being drawn into Elliot's wondrous world.

About the AuthorA. Jacob Sweeny holds a degree in History with an emphasis on Ancient Near East. Her immersion in world myths and her archaeological fieldwork provided the initial spark that led to the development of Pulse Of Heroes. Besides writing, A. Jacob Sweeny is a strong advocate for the protection of women and children worldwide. She enjoys cooking spicy food and regularly suffers from bouts of creative insomnia.

Some reviews of Pulse of Heroes
I love this book! Move over Edward and Bella, a new power couple has hit the scene! Michelle and Elliot from Pulse of Heroes by A. Jacob Sweeny will give Stephanie Meyer's characters a run for their money! I have read so many books, and it takes a lot to knock my socks off but A. Jacob Sweeny did just that! With her original storyline and unforgettable characters she has an award winning series in the making. -Dawn Hagan, I love Books Blog-page-




Sometimes I will come across a novel, which I classify as a rare jewel: a book that captivates me from beginning to end… an amazing story that it is impossible for it to not capture my heart and Pulse Of Heroes is a rare jewel.
There are only two other series' that I consider rare jewels: the Twilight series, and Vampire Academy ... I was wondering when the next book would come along that would really pull me in, make me feel emotionally attached to the characters, make me care about them in such a way that I would think about them weeks, months after I had finished reading the story and Pulse of Heroes did just that. -Alishia, Treasured Tales For young Adults Blog-page-


I have been waiting for a book to come along that has a new paranormal twist to it, Pulse Of Heroes is exactly that book! This book made me laugh, I wanted to slap characters, hide or cry out for help, and most of all it made me cry. Happiness, loss, pain, terror, and true love brought on an arsenal of tears that I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried. I am absolutely on the edge of my seat for the next installment of this powerful moving series. I loved this book the same way I loved Twilight and The Hunger Games. The author signed my book "Enjoy the adventure and fall in love a little too". Her words were far shortcoming of what I experienced. Mirabolante the Italian word for astonishing is only cracking the surface of the multitude of words I really want to use. -Anne, Paranormal Book Club

Giveaway! The author is sponsoring a drawing for a 2012 Pulse of Heroes magnet calendar for the giveaway.  To enter, please become a follower of this blog and leave a comment with a contact email.  Contest ends 10/4/11 at 11:59 PM EDT.  Winner to be chosen by random drawing. 



Author David Ferraro on Gay Teen Paranormal Romance

Today my guest is David Ferraro.  He's written a Gay Teen parnormal romance called Twice Bitten.  I'm very interested in promoting diversity in speculative fiction.  Several of my Immortyl Revolution characters are gay or bisexual.  When David and I talked about his post topic, I suggested he share information on his book and tell us a little about his genre.  So, here's David!  Enjoy.

Teen books have exploded in recent years, thanks in part to Stephenie Meyer’s "Twilight Saga," and the titles available for a teen audience have slowly become more varied. When I was reading young adult books sixteen years ago, the genre was very new and consisted mostly of "Teen Fiction" and "Teen Thrillers," which were mostly slasher novels. Things have come a long way since then, fantasy and paranormal romances booming and becoming quite the presence in teen literature.

There are few taboos left in teen fiction that haven’t been touched upon, from drugs to sex, and even incest quite early on in V.C. Andrews’ "Flowers In the Attic" from 1979 (before young adult literature was really even recognized as such). You would be hard-pressed to find something that teens can’t really handle in today’s market, yet gay novels moving into the realm of the teen paranormal romance genre seemed to take a while to happen. The thing about teen fiction is that it’s the perfect place to tell stories about coming out and discovering who you are. Teenage years are formative years, and a teen audience is sure to gravitate toward books that reflect what’s happening in their own lives. We’ve seem a variety of excellent books on gay teenagers from authors like Alex Sanchez and Peter Cameron over the past decade, but gay characters haven’t really moved into the realm of fantasy in young adult books until the past few years. Gay characters had certainly made appearances in teen paranormal romances, such as Cassandra Clare’s "Mortal Instruments" series, but as the lead character, it was basically unheard of.

In adult literature, there seems to have been little hesitation for gay characters to star in paranormal romances. They’re out there in droves. But even straight paranormal romances took awhile to make their way to teen books. You would find paranormal romances in the adult science fiction section of bookstores, like with Laurel K. Hamilton’s "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series. Only a handful of titles, like L.J. Smith’s fairly wholesome "The Vampire Diaries" were shelved alongside other teen titles. Recently, a slew of racier teen books like P.C. Cast’s "House of Night" have paved the way for a category that’s all but exploded in recent years, and sex is becoming an ever-growing presence in young adult fiction, even in fantasy titles. And now sexual orientation is slowly becoming part of the equation, with gay characters making the leap from the sort of coming out stories we’ve seen in the past, to star in the books of a booming genre. I’m frankly surprised that so few have been released yet. Certainly if sexuality is addressed in more realistic fiction, gay teens must be ready to see themselves reflected in other genres that they love, especially if the fan fiction devoted to romances between popular characters like Edward and Jacob, or even Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, are any indication. This is in part why I decided to write "Twice Bitten," a gay teen paranormal romance about a teen celebrity caught between the love of a vampire and a werewolf. This past year has actually seen a few gay teen paranormal romances trickle out: Michael Griffo’s recent vampire title "Unnatural," and Brent Hartinger’s book about astral projection, "Shadow Walkers," come to mind. And there have been a few that have been released in the past few years before them as well. Gay teens need more of a voice, and not just when it comes to the usual coming out stories that there are plenty of out there. I even made a conscious effort to write a book about a character who has already come out, and address the fact that he’s gay very little, instead going forward with the mindset that he’s a teen celebrity who happens to be gay, instead of a gay character who is a celebrity.

It might be that publishers didn’t think that audiences were ready for gay teen paranormal romances until recently. Even now, there are issues with Amazon taking down yaoi (manga featuring romances between two boys, mostly marketed toward women) content from their digital bookstore, while leaving boy-girl manga with sexual content mostly untouched. When it comes to teenagers, sex can be a touchy subject, but sexual orientation doesn’t mean that it’s a book about sex. And a book with a gay protagonist doesn’t necessarily need to be about sexual orientation. I would like to see more books out there in a wider variety of genres featuring gay protagonists.

Barnes & Noble link: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Twice-Bitten/Dave-Ferraro/e/2940012366825/?itm=1&USRI=twice+bitten+a+gay+teen+paranormal+romance

Link to the first two chapters of "Twice Bitten," through David's blog: http://ferrarofiction.blogspot.com/2011/04/welcome.html

                                                                        Twice Bitten

Jesse Hartwick is a teen celebrity, recently out of the closet, and just beginning to take off as the next big thing in Hollywood. Distanced from his only family, Jesse puts his all into his career, leading a lonely life in the spotlight.

Everything changes one day when he meets Kurt, a cute mysterious stranger who saves him from a mob of fans, beginning a romance that will change things forever, but is Jesse's celebrity status the only thing that Kurt is interested in?

When Lane comes into the picture, it just confuses Jesse more, but he can hardly deny the strong feelings he has for him, especially since he didn't even know that Jesse was a celebrity when he met him, making him all the more appealing.

Shortly after meeting these two men after his heart, Jesse is attacked by a werewolf, then saved from certain death by a vampire, changing him into something altogether new. With his new abilities, he doesn't know who he can trust, let alone how to balance the spotlight with this aspect of himself that he must hide. But in the end, he must decide between the warring factions within: Vampire or werewolf? Kurt or Lane?

A very big thanks to David for visiting today!  Please leave him a comment or question.

If you'd like to enter to win a Cara Mia t-shirt, scroll down to either of my "Cedric Speaks" posts and leave a comment. I will be holding the drawing on 11 PM, May 31st.