Virtual Book Blast: Cream by Zenobia Renquist

Please welcome Zenobia Renquist and her new book, Cream, to the blog! Ready for a teaser of this fabulous interracial romance? 

Zenobia is giving away a $25 Starbucks gift card to a randomly drawn commenter!

CREAM

by Zenobia Renquist

She’s entered a world where blood, sex, and cash rules everything around her.

What do a four hundred-year-old vampire and a mid-level necromancer have in common? Money. Jeliyah needs it to pay off the people who trained her and Teaghan enjoys killing to get it. Together they hunt rogue vampires—assuming Teaghan can focus on something other than getting her in bed and Jeliyah doesn’t put a bullet in him first.

The uneasy partnership promises to be lucrative until Teaghan and Jeliyah get on the wrong side of a feud. Jeliyah is forced to use forbidden magic and finds herself bound to a man she should hate—but whom she can’t stop fantasizing about.

Every second they stay alive fuels a growing desire Jeliyah is unwilling to deny. Is it the magic? The danger? The only way to get the answers she craves is to outrun the enemy or kill them. She knows Teaghan’s preference but it’s Jeliyah who must put their mind-blowing sex aside and make the choice that will decide both their fates.

***

Did that whet your appetite? I bet this excerpt will!

***

Teaghan kicked the room door shut behind him and then laid her on the nearest bed. “At least this time you’re not glowing. Let’s not make a habit of this.”

“I feel the same.”

“Then again…” His gaze wandered to her breasts.

Images of Teaghan running his hands over her breasts and teasing her nipples entered her mind. She reared up and smacked him at the same time she brought her other arm up to guard her chest.

Teaghan didn’t react except to grin at her. “You’re flushed, necromancer. Your heart rate jumped too. My little idea get you all hot and bothered?”

She glared at him.

“No? How about this one?”

A mental picture of Teaghan yanking off her panties so he could run his tongue over her clit invaded her mind. The detail was so vivid Jeliyah felt her pussy twitch in anticipation. Damn the man and this stupid mental connection. It might be one way, but she had access to his thoughts and now he wasn’t trying to hide them. “You can’t do that without an invitation.”

“So invite me.”

“Shouldn’t you be going to sleep? The sun is up.”

“Sun’s got nothing to do with me.” He moved closer, planting his hands on either side of her legs and leaning into her. “Invite me.”

Jeliyah scooted back off the bed and away from him. Once on her feet, she said, “Don’t get all cocky just because I took some of your blood, vampire. I told you that was a one-time thing and not to get ideas.”

“Yeah, I heard you but,” he hopped the bed and crowded her against the wall, “here’s the thing. You could have gotten the same results by asking me to open a vein. A simple prick to the finger for a few drops of blood would have sufficed. You kissed me, necromancer.”

“It was a split-second decision. Back off.” She clutched the necrome at her throat and said, “Shield.”

Teaghan laughed as the shield expanded to include him. “Forget something important, did you? Your necromes recognize me now. I’m not a threat.”

Shit. She’d forgotten one of the major side effects of Recognize. Her necromes—and any others made from her blood—no longer worked against Teaghan. There was no way to deactivate Recognize either, just like an invitation once given.

She shoved at his chest but he kept leaning forward until his lips were close to hers.

He said, “Let’s talk about that kiss.”

“It was spur of the moment. It meant nothing.”

“Care to test that theory?”

“You can’t. I haven’t invited you.”

“Kissing is the one thing I don’t need an invitation to do.” He pushed his lips against hers as he forced her hands over her head and pressed his body closer.

Jeliyah couldn’t turn from the kiss, though she tried. This wasn’t fair. Vampires needed permission to enter a person’s body. Why didn’t that extend to kissing? And why was she giving in to his kiss?

Zenobia Renquist lives in her imagination. When not traveling through her fantasy worlds, she can be found in Hawaii living with her husband and two cats.

She is an Air Force brat turned Air Force wife, which means she’s accustomed to travel and does it whenever possible (so long as she doesn’t have to fly). Her favorite pastime is torturing her characters on their way to happily-ever-after for the enjoyment of her readers.

On the few occasions her muse flees the scene of the crime, Zenobia likes to read (comics, manga, and romance), go to the movies, play a few levels of whichever puzzle game has hijacked her interest or experiment with a new chain maille weave.

website - http://zenobiarenquist.com
blog - http://blog.dreneebagby.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/Author.DRBagby.ZRenquist
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/zenobiarenquist

Buy at the following locations!

Ellora’s Cave - http://www.ellorascave.com/cream.html

Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B3UYBJC/

Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cream-zenobia-renquist/1114503151?ean=9781419944659

Kobo - http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/CREAM/book-B0GDBxjujEKbzoyNiqjG7g/page1.html

ARe (coming 03 May)

 

Latest project.

Hey everyone! I haven't been talking about my latest project because it wasn't "ready" yet, but is there such a thing as "ready"?

I'm planning on a novella tentatively called, "Auntie Vamp", an erotic coming of age story of a young woman who is dumped (via text of all things) who then goes in search of her own sexual identity.  A sort of Cinderella meets Auntie Mame story. :)

http://justira.deviantart.com/art/DailyDoodle-Male-back-study-150952545

Here is a quick snippet:

Holly Shepherd was an engaged woman. And she was darn happy about it, she vowed. She would not stare at the man who stood in front of her on the bus. No. Absolutely not. Never. She would not look at the muscles in his arms as he clasped the stabilizing strap with one hand and dug a phone out of his back pocket....

That tight ass looked like he could fuck all day. Holly wiped the sweat off her collarbones. It would feel so good to have his hips between her thighs, his package rubbing against the crotch of her panties under her blue summer dress. His long arms would brace him above her, giving him a great view of her face and breasts as he teased her, promising he would enter her, but at his own pace. He would demand she fall apart underneath him….

The virtual book tour continues on!

Only a few more dates are left. Be sure to comment to win the very last of my sexy dragon necklaces.

 April 22:  Taylor Made Fiction
April 24:  Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30:  Today!! Shelley's Book Case
May 3:  Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7:  Long and Short Reviews
May 9:  Simply Ali
Today, today, today! May 14:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15:  It's Raining Books
May 17:  Queen of the Night Reviews

And don't forget to check out my short horror story, Predator and Prey, now available at Amazon for a mere $.99.

As if living in a city called Normal, Illinois wasn't horrifying enough on its own. a serial killer is hunting the women of this Midwestern college town. And he has his next prey in sight...

Some More Virtual Book Tour. :)

Don't we all need some Nike today?

April 22:  Taylor Made Fiction
April 24:  Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30:  Today!! Shelley's Book Case
May 3:  Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7: The Most Recent! Long and Short Reviews
May 9:  Simply Ali
May 14:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15:  It's Raining Books
May 17:  Queen of the Night Reviews

Best of...

Over the years, I've taken a look at criticism leveled at romance. For example, people couldn't wait to pile the nasty notes all over the Twilight series. In response, I created a serious of articles on the phenomena and this was one of them.

***

Today, I'm going swipe ideas from one of my favorite books about romance - Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, edited by Jayne Ann Krentz.

Several themes emerge from the essays in this book. First is the one discussed a couple of days ago: Twilight and other romances are fantasies. To quote Krentz's introduction:

[T]he readers are no more confused about this fact, nor any more likely to use their reading as a substitute for action in the real world , than readers of [Robert] Ludlum, [Robert] Parker, [Dick] Frances, and [Anne] McCaffrey. (p. 5)

'Nuff said.

The second theme of the book is a shameless song of female empowerment. In a romance, the woman lives. How many times do women die in male action movies because she found a man attractive and acted on it? How many great female characters in literature are punished for daring to act on her own ideas?

Not only do the women live, all of them win. Again, Krentz:

With courage, intelligence, and gentleness, she brings the most dangerous creature on earth, the human male, to his knees. More than that, she forces him to acknowledge her power as a woman.

A cursory glance at the statistics of the causes of female death reveal the radical nature of these ideas.


Finally, for me, the most outrageous theme of romance (and Twilight) is the discussion of Male and Female. Long before Twilight came out, Laura Kinsale discussed the real truth of romance.

[For] a woman, a romance may be a working-through of her own interior conflicts and passions, her own 'maleness' if you will, that resists and resists giving in to what is desired about all, and yet feared about all, and then, after the decisive climax. arrives at a resolution, a choice that carries with it the relief and pleasure of internal harmony. (p. 39)

Long before Edward came along, Linda Barlow described the romantic hero. Sound familiar?

Dark and brooding, writhing inside with all the residual anguish of his shadowed past, world-weary and cynical, quick-tempered and prone to fits of guilt and depression. He is strong, virile, powerful, and lost. Adept at many things that carry with them the respect and admiration of the world (especially the world of other males), he is not fully competent in the arena in which women excel- the arena of his emotions, which are violently out of control.

Is this the sort of woman most women want? Of course not....[A]lmost from the beginning, I identified with the hero. I saw him as Self, not Other. And I dimly recognized him as one of the archetypical figures in my own inner landscape.

The romantic hero is not the feminine ideal of what a man should be. The romantic hero, in fact, is not a man at all. He is a split-off portion of the heroine's own psyche which will be reintegrated at the end of the book. (p. 49)

This is why Twilight is popular. We are endlessly attempting to claim and integrate our power. It's not about falling in love with the endless git that is Edward.

It is about understanding the parts of ourselves that are dark, angry, and dangerous.

On the road!

I am going to the Romantic Times Convention! I am looking forward to meeting readers and writers in Kansas City and sharing my cool giveaways.

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3

Fooling Around with Light

My dear friend Jamie and I went to a cocktail party held at a good friend's house. We went outside to enjoy the cooler night air and there, we found the security light by the garage door.

Getting started

A few shadow puppets later, we decided to play with the pretty pattern on Jamie's shawl.

You can (sort of) see the paisley pattern.

A better look.

Ta-dah!

Virtual Book Tour, Stop Three!

My book tour for Dracula Unleashed continues!

April 22:  Taylor Made Fiction
April 24:  Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26: Racing To Read
April 30:  Today!! Shelley's Book Case
May 3:  Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7:  Long and Short Reviews
May 9:  Simply Ali
May 14:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15:  It's Raining Books
May 17:  Queen of the Night Reviews

Ok, so I ran out of cute alligator pics...

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3

Virtual Book Tour, Stop Three

Squee! Here is the review from PamM over at Racing to Read.

 ***

My Review

I love this series and this book is a great addition to it.

 

Valerie has settled in with her two men and her toddler Minerva. She thinks she is ready to have a peaceful life but she is also haunted by memories.  Her peace is soon shattered and in many ways she welcomes it. The paranormal and humans peace is about to erupt and Valerie may be the only one to stop it and keep things on track. She just may have to unleash Dracula once again.

Valerie is as awesome as she always is. Whether she is trying to figure out her place in life now, motherhood, battling evil or just being sexy as always she rocks. I love how you see inside her as she battles what she was and who she is now. She may be old but she really grows in this book emotionally wise.  John and Lance are hot as every and you can see why Valerie loves these two so much. I really loved the scenes with Minerva and John. Now Minerva is going to be a handful you can tell by how she acts now.  I love this toddler she doesn't seem afraid of anything.

This is the third book in a fantastic series. I love the other books and this one makes a nice addiction to it. I love the thought that Dracula was a woman gives it a fresh take that if that wasn't enough to get you to read the series you also get some action packed battles, amazing people and some steamy scenes that are very hot. You get several little side stories as you read this book and you get to enjoy other characters and their struggles as well. You even get to see the weak side of Lucifer. I really hope we see more of these people cause I want to see Minerva grow up and come into her own. If you love paranormal books with hottness pick this up.

4 out of 5 Stars

*** 

Thank you so very much, PamM! You just made me feel like this:

The Sunshine Award!

I was awarded the Sunshine Award by Maggie Jaimeson. This is what she had to say:

The Sunshine Award is a lovely sunny flower that bloggers give to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.  I love your attitude about writing and life, and frequently find interesting things on your blog.  That's why I'm nominating you for the award.

*blushes!!*

there are rules....

(1) Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post. 
Thank you, Maggie!

(2) Do the Q&A below

(3) Pass on the award to 10-12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.

Here are the fun questions:

Favorite Color:  Green! It is also currently the color of my hair. I also love the color gold.

Favorite Animal: The hippopotamus, for they are deceptively strong and dangerous. They remind me to be courageous. And otters, because they remind me to not take things too seriously.

Favorite Number: 57. It makes me smile.

Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Water.

Facebook or Twitter:  I use both. I like Facebook a bit better because I prefer more in-depth conversations.

Your Passion: Connecting with people in meaningful ways (I really hate small talk. I'm bad at it).

Giving or getting presents: I embrace the power of 'and'. :) I

Favorite Day: Monday. Everything is fresh and full of possibilities.

Favorite Flowers: Daffodils. They are they heralds of hope and renewal. 

Thank you again, Maggie!

Virtual Book Tour, Stop 2!

My book tour for Dracula Unleashed continues!

April 22:  Taylor Made Fiction
April 24: Today!! Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26:  Racing To Read
April 30:  Shelley's Book Case
May 3:  Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7:  Long and Short Reviews
May 9:  Simply Ali
May 14:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15:  It's Raining Books
May 17:  Queen of the Night Reviews

When you comment, you are entered into a drawing for one of my stylish and sexy dragon necklaces.

Greatest Hits

Jane with Heather Locklear.

Once again, it is time to get into the Way Back Machine and discover what exactly is hidden in my blog's archives.


Published January 7, 2010, here is a writing game courtesy of Jane Porter.

***

Several years ago, Jane Porter spoke at my local RWA chapter, the Rose City Romance Writers.

I'll be honest. Jane's blonde, gorgeous, petite, skinny, and looks about sixteen. I was consumed by envy. Then she gave a brilliantly inspirational speech about where your writing fits in the market.

I was expecting something very business-like, maybe a breakdown of the different publishers and what they tended towards.

Instead, she talked about the roots of your writing- the fables, myths, and fairy tales that consumed you as a child. What could you listen to over and over? What were those themes? What keeps coming up over and over for you?

The fairy tales didn't reveal that much about me, I thought. I picked.

1. The Seven Swans: I chose discipline, faithfulness, and sewing shirts out of flowers (transformation) as the themes I loved about this story.


2. Aladdin : Flying, courage, and risk.


3. Sleeping Beauty: Disguises, awakening to a new reality, and (what the hell) fairies with personalities.

I really flailed with these. No common themes seemed to emerge. Then we went to mythology. I chose:

1. Medea: Revenge, justifiable wrath, a woman who controls her life, a woman who kills, escape



2. The Golden Fleece: Powerful allies, justifiable wrath, travel



3. The Aenead: Rising from the ashes, travel, new starts

I suddenly realized why my attempts at light-hearted romantic comedy failed miserably. I had much darker stories inside of me.

I focused on the story that began, "She swam in an ocean of blood" instead of "Lola blinked." I'm pretty sure we can all tell which first sentence is far more attention grabbing. :)
(That's not the first sentence anymore, by the way ;).

Myths, fables, legends, and fairy tales are our playground. They provide the archetypes, the symbols, and the language for our lives.

Play the game with me. What are the stories that have haunted you? What themes do you carry inside of yourself?

Virtual BookTour, Stop One: Reviews of Dracula's Secret!

Today is the first day of my review book tour!

My schedule is:
TODAY: April 22:  Taylor Made Fiction
April 24:  Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26:  Racing To Read
April 30:  Shelley's Book Case
May 3:  Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7:  Long and Short Reviews
May 9:  Simply Ali
May 14:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15:  It's Raining Books
May 17:  Queen of the Night Reviews

I will be awarding a fabulous dragon necklace (since Dracul means Dragon, after all), to one random commenter (USA only please).

 ***

And here is the the review from Susan Taylor's website!

Dracula Unleashed is third in the Series Blood Wings delivers a inhumanly fast paced ride. 

A battle is about to break between immortal forces and then does, devastatingly so. 

Lance walks amidst wreckage with the Angel of Death who determines the beings which have started this war are indeed vampires.There's only one solution. A hunter must be utilized, or unleashed. Valerie Tate is called upon to against Lance's wishes. She is wife to him and John, angel and Guide, (that's right a vampire with two husbands!!), a mother, and the huntress in this tale.

The paranormal cast within Dracula Unleashed is varied and rich giving the story an unsual twist.

 

First, I must say the interplay of passion between Valerie and Lance is imaginative, delicious, salacious. YUM! And then there's some pretty hot video menage that will leave the reader breathless.

I found the sibling against sibling tension a driving force, all the way to sacred ground. The constant powerplay of good against evil mesmerizing. And let's not forget, the stunning passion between the characters. Dracula Unleashed is absolutely a dark, hot read that will captivate the reader.

***

Thank you so much, Susan!

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3, 

Another attempt at a video in a post.

Well, my last post didn't quite come through the video attached, so I'm going to try again.

I was walking home from my favorite coffee shop (Insomnia Coffee, for all locals). I was in a pretty good mood and as I walked along, I started to sing one of my mother's favorite songs.

I hope you all swing on stars today. :)

My deepest condolences to those in Boston.

My heart is with you all.

May whatever is Out There hold you close and comfort you.

A very important update.

Summer is a'coming, and it is  time to talk about getting ourselves ready for the beach - including that all important Bikini Body. Follow Melissa Fabello's easy three step rules for summer fun.

(Warning, some bad language at the end)




Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3,

Retreats, and why we need them.

Since the beginning of the year, I had had two vicious bouts with the flu (bad), house guests (great!), traveled to Las Vegas (more fantastic), conferred for a second tattoo (scary), and been to conferences.

Notice the one thing I haven't put in there? Yep. Actually writing.

This is Su.

This past weekend, I was able to fix that.

For me, at least, the purpose of a retreat is to claim a time and space to focus

And this is Darla!

on one task, surrounded by others who are following the same path. Everyone's combined efforts lift us from the everyday distractions and clears the mind.

I am blessed to know Susan Lute and Darla Luke. 
They graciously allowed me to join them at their weekend away in Waldport, Oregon. Tucked into a small cottage, the three of us shared silence, plot difficulties, and writing strategies. I foresee asking Darla for an interview on her mapping technique! ;)

Here I did more work than I had in the previous month.

I'm refreshed, ready, and full of mojo. Thank you, Darla and Su!


Here are a few pictures.

Bridge over the bay

Wild Strawberries, turning the sandy soil into a garden.

Su's work ethic amazes me.

The morning after a huge storm.

Check this out!

I'm part of eKensington's promotion - right up there with FERN MICHAELS!!!!  Does life get better than that?
  :)

More of my weird brain. And Peeps.

I was driving home from the gym this morning and Radiohead's "Creep" came on the radio.

You know, this song:

And of course, my weird brain turned the lyrics into:

But I'm a Peep

I'm a marshmallow

What the hell I'm doing here

It's after Easter....

 

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3,