Dracula's Secret is now available for pre-order!

OH MY GOD! Look at this!

Dracula's Secret is now available for pre-order!

Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/draculas-secret-linda-mercury/1108361642?ean=9781420129755&itm=1&usri=linda+mercury

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Draculas-Secret-ebook/dp/B0070XF028/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1327443099&sr=8-6

Yet another trip to the Chinese Garden.

I love going to the Garden of Awakening Orchids in downtown Portland. It is the perfect place to gather my thoughts, look at the dizzying array of plants and buildings, and then drink tea and eat moon cakes at the Tao of Tea, also known as the Tower of Cosmic Reflections.

I like to go there when my brain has been reduced to a blithering ball of mush. I then take quick snapshots on my cell phone to jolt my creative side to see things from a different angle. Last week, I visited the second floor of the tea house for the first time.

*Above left - I really loved my cranberry-orange tea and tarot root moon cake. They were the perfect accompaniments for contemplation on a rainy day.

*Above right - the Garden was putting up decorations for the Chinese New Year.

*Left- It's hard to see, but I really loved this little dragon's, "Oh, hai!" face. It was adorable.

The rest of my pictures turned out fuzzy, but that was ok. I wasn't taking them for any other reason than to re-fill my word well. :)

OH. MY. GOD!

This is my gorgeous cover art for Dracula's Secret! I love how sexy and mysterious my heroine looks, and how strong and determined my hero is. YUM yum yum!

In additional news, Dracula's Secret will be available for pre-order within the week. It will have a mid-July release.

And to top it off, here is my back cover blurb.

In a new world where paranormals and humans share an uneasy coexistence, the most dangerous and sensual legend of the night lives once more—and one of the greatest secrets of all time is about to come out….

SHE HUNGERS FOR HIS LIGHT

She calls herself Valerie Tate. One of the few vampires left on earth, as beautiful as she is powerful, Valerie has resisted her craving for human blood for years, just as she once hid her true gender. But the night she lays eyes on the most enticing man she’s ever seen, it’s game over. He radiates goodness and light—and searing sexual energy.  Valerie must have him. Taste him. Consume him. For he is temptation—and he is her destiny…

HE BURNS FOR HER DARKNESS

Lance Soleil is a rugged war veteran who runs a homeless shelter in Portland. At first gaze, he knows what Valerie is—and wants her even more. But when he welcomes a pack of werewolves into his shelter, he attracts the attention of Valerie’s oldest rival—her bloodthirsty brother, Radu, who hopes to become the first vampire President of the United States. Valerie knows Radu has a hidden agenda, and with Lance’s help she is determined to stop his unholy rise to power. But first, she must risk their growing love by fully revealing herself—as the one and only Dracula…

Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

My author picture

Photo by Michael Baxter

This is the picture that we chose for my author photo! I think it is arty, moody, and makes me look like someone who would write vampire novels.

The best Christmas present ever.

Last night, The Charming Man and myself went over to our dear friends' house (I'll think of a kicky name for them soon) for our holiday meal. I brought my laptop and spiral-bound notebooks with me since I wasn't interested in watching the basketball game.

As I sat in a quiet corner, brainstorming on my notepaper, another friend up to me. She is an avid reader of sexy paranormal romances and had been curious about Dracula's Secret since she met me.

She asked if she could read my manuscript early.

I said sure, but not the whole thing. So I handed over my laptop and let her read while I worked.

Here are her direct quotes:

"This book has surprised me in every chapter! You get used to things being a particular way in these novels, and you haven't done any of them!" (said with a great big grin on her face)

"I could read this all night!"
and
"This is some of the best stuff I've ever read."

Now imagine me running around screaming in joy like a madwoman. It was something like this:

EeeieieieeeewowohwowohwowieeeyeesssssWOW!
              \c O(
               \ _/
            ___/(  /(
           /--/ \\//
       __ )/ /\/ \/
      `-.\  //\\
         \\//  \\
          \/    \\
                 \\
                   '--`

(edited to add: In my joy, I forgot to credit the origin of the ASCII art:

This is Boy Running from Men in ASCII Men by Joan Stark)

Overheard at the Mercury-Charming Household.

Me, staring at my laptop, freaking out, "Do you really think I can do this?"

The Charming Man, wandering around the house, looking for his slippers, "Of course you can. Madness and despair are the inevitable consequences of attempting to do anything hard. They are also temporary states. Also, my slippers were on top of the ottoman. I must frequently walk there."

Yes, madness abounds here. I am grateful to have a crazy wise man to share it with.