Secret Cravings Publishing Paranormal Blog Hop
Paranormal romance is fun to read and to write. It allows you to explore new worlds or new dimensions of the world we live in. Mythical creatures come to life in the pages of paranormal romance books, and new species can be created in the blink of an eye. The best part? The romance that leads to a happily-ever-after ending, which seemed impossible while watching the hero and heroine’s struggles throughout the story. Yes, it is a great genre for anyone who likes to think outside the box or who loves legendary and mythical beings and can’t get enough of those happy endings.
My fascination with Dracula is what led to my start in writing paranormal romance. Endless possibilities floated before me when I thought about what could happen if a vampire lived in the modern day and wanted to love someone. In the end, and with plenty of encouragement from my paranormal-loving sister, I wrote Thirst for Love. I was absolutely thrilled when Secret Cravings Publishing offered me a contract for it. Want to know what the book is all about? Take a look.
Blurb:
Victor Nicolescu wants only two things: blood to sate his hunger and a woman to love him for eternity. The blood is easy—his butler donates to Victor’s personal blood bank on a regular basis. Sometimes, however, Victor has an undeniable craving for fresh blood. His most recent craving leads him straight to Claudia Reyes, a gorgeous psychiatrist who doesn’t believe in the existence of vampires. His bite transforms her into one of the mythical immortals and forces her to leave behind everything familiar. Victor longs to help her adjust to her new life as a creature of the night, but her anger at his choice to transform her threatens to destroy their chance for love. When the night of the full moon rolls around, however, Claudia discovers he desperately needs her help to overcome a part of him even he never knew existed.
Excerpt:
He slid one hand to her lower back and pressed her closer. His other hand slipped up the back of her neck, and his fingers tangled in her silky hair as he tilted her head back just a little. When he lowered his lips to the throbbing pulse in the side of her throat, he could feel her fear. He projected soothing thoughts into her mind and savored the feel of her warm flesh and the blood flowing beneath it.
Trust me. I will not harm you.
He sank his fangs into Claudia’s skin, unable to wait any longer. She gasped, but he quieted her with his mind. Warm, thick sweetness flowed into his mouth, and he drank deeply, his strength returning with each swallow.
Claudia leaned into him, her movements seductive as she tried to dance while she weakened. Victor had to restrain himself as her blood filled him with warmth and her body filled him with desire. It had been a long time since sating one hunger had ignited another, but he knew couldn’t completely satisfy himself tonight. She would be too weak after giving him the sustenance he needed to satisfy his other cravings.
She grew limp in his arms, and he forced himself to stop. He had swallowed more than enough to regain his full strength, but she tasted so sweet, so wonderfully feminine. He withdrew his fangs and kissed the slight trickle of blood from her skin, healing the twin wounds with a gentle swipe of his tongue and leaving only faint scars on her smooth, caramel neck. She shivered and moaned softly as she leaned into his embrace.
“Thank you, love,” Victor murmured, supporting her with strong arms. He shouldn’t have waited so long to feed, but he had craved specific blood. Nothing else would do. Now that he had met Claudia and tasted her, growing so weak had been worth it.
“I don’t—I don’t feel well,” she said, sagging against his chest.
He had taken too much from her. She wouldn’t last much longer as a human, but he could provide the proper care to ease her transition into a vampire. His bite had started the process, and soon she would slip into a coma. Then her heart would slow until it stopped completely, the last step in the transition. Although the process wouldn’t be uncomfortable once she lost consciousness, he couldn’t leave her like this. He had with others, but Claudia was different. She had put her own spell on him, and she didn’t even know it.
~~
Want to read more? Thirst for Love is available from most online booksellers, including Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Book Strand, and of course Sweet Cravings Publishing.
Leave a comment telling me your favorite thing about paranormal romance, and you’ll be entered to win a $5 gift card to Sweet Cravings Publishing. On Monday, June 17, I’ll draw a winner from all the commenters.
Be sure to check out the other participants in this weekend’s Paranormal Blog Hop! You can find the complete list on the Secret Cravings Publishing blog http://secretcravingspublishing.blogspot.com.
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Mother’s Day Sale at Sweet Cravings Publishing
In honor of Mother’s Day this Sunday, my publisher Secret Cravings Publishing/Sweet Cravings Publishing is having a sale this weekend. May 10-12 all ebooks in the store are 25% off! All you have to do is use coupon code Mothers25.
I’m so excited that both of my sweet paranormal romances are on sale! If you’ve been thinking about reading one (or both) of them, now’s the perfect time to do it.
Sailing through the Minch, fey princess Tara enjoys her last taste freedom before facing her betrothal to an Irish prince—a man she doesn’t love and has no interest in marrying. The smooth voyage takes an abrupt turn for the worse when a group of ornery Blue Men of the Minch appear and brew up a storm. Tara has no choice but to give into their whims when she is swept overboard.
Caeden, a fey cursed to live as a Blue Man, can’t believe he is seeing the grown version of his childhood best friend. He hopes she’ll be the one to break his curse and allow him to return to life on land. Tara sees the fey man trapped inside the blue exterior, but is she his one true love and the key to breaking the curse? Or will Caeden live as a Blue Man of the Minch forever?
Buy link: http://store.sweetcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=10&products_id=148
Victor Nicolescu wants only two things: blood to sate his hunger and a woman to love him for eternity. The blood is easy—his butler donates to Victor’s personal blood bank on a regular basis. Sometimes, however, Victor has an undeniable craving for fresh blood. His most recent craving leads him straight to Claudia Reyes, a gorgeous psychiatrist who doesn’t believe in the existence of vampires. His bite transforms her into one of the mythical immortals and forces her to leave behind everything familiar. Victor longs to help her adjust to her new life as a creature of the night, but her anger at his choice to transform her threatens to destroy their chance for love. When the night of the full moon rolls around, however, Claudia discovers he desperately needs her help to overcome a part of him even he never knew existed.
Buy link: http://store.sweetcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=88
I hope you’ll stop by the Secret Cravings Publishing and Sweet Cravings Publishing stores and download some amazing books!
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Sexuality, Media, and Society
I’m sure by now most of you have realized I write sweet romance. I tried to make it as sensual as possible, but there’s just something that holds me back from going “too far,” whatever that means. At times, I feel almost ashamed of being unable to write hotter romances. After all, we’ve all heard the saying “sex sells.” When it comes to romance, especially paranormal romance, this seems to hold true. Unfortunately, that makes it awkward for someone like me who enjoys the paranormal aspects and heart-melting romance, but not so much the sex scenes.
This push for open sexuality can create some rather uncomfortable circumstances, such as the expectation that certain types of romance (vampires, for one) should include fully described love scenes. Now, I know most women have no qualms about reading sexy romances, but as an author, I have another thought in mind. What if a thirteen-year-old girl gets hold of a copy of one of my books? Do I really want to risk her reading graphic descriptions of sex before she’s mature enough to handle it?
While I know that sounds like a ridiculous concern, think about this. How many women admit to reading their first romance while they were still in middle school? By the time I was thirteen, I was checking books out of the adult section of my local library. With that in mind, I can’t ignore the very real possibility that my books could end up in the hands of girls who are too young to deal with hot content. Then there are my personal beliefs, which also guide the heat level of my writing and apparently make it impossible for me to write smokin’ hot romances.
But American society as a whole seems to be pushing girls to be sexy and explore their sexuality at younger ages all the time. You shouldn’t have to teach elementary kids about safe sex. I still remember when requiring sex education in all high schools was somewhat controversial. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against hot romances for mature audiences. I just want to protect the vulnerable minds of preteens and teens who are trying to navigate a world that tells them, “You have to be sexy, even if you don’t understand it.”
Along with the push to make girls and women into sex objects is another conflicting message presented to society through the media. Girls and women are supposed to be sexy, but if they get caught being sexy, watch out. Your reputation will be dragged through the mud, especially if you’re famous. And it doesn’t even take much to cause an overblown, guilt-inducing scandal. A recent post by Sarah M. Anderson on Heroes and Heartbreakers does an excellent job of detailing this weird phenomenon of pushing for more sexiness while shaming any woman who gets caught doing anything close to that (even if it’s accidental). This paragraph in particular does an excellent job of summarizing the confusing world we live in:
Everywhere we look, young girls and women are told they must be sexually available, sexually ready at all times—but when they act on that (or, in the case of Janet, Kate, and Anne, exist near it) they are held up as examples of sin embodied, everything that’s wrong with our sex-obsessed culture.
Check out out the whole article, which is excellent, and share your thoughts on this topic. Do you think women and girls are being shamed for doing what society tells them they must? Is the prevalence of sex in romance novels helpful or harmful? Let me know what you think!
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And the winner is…
Thank you for your participation in the Where in the World are the Secret Cravings Publishing Authors? Blog Hop! I hope you all had a great time visiting blogs and trying to guess where each SCP author lives. I know I have fun with it!
As most of you have figured out by now, I live in the great state of Indiana, home of the Indy 500 and the world’s largest ball of paint. 🙂 Everyone who guessed correctly was entered into the contest for a PDF copy of Thirst for Love, and Random.org has picked a winner.
The winner is Nancy S!
- Image courtesy of Chris Sharp / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Congratulations!
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Where in the World Am I?
My publisher Secret Cravings Publishing and some of their authors are having a “Where in the world am I…” blog event this weekend. How does it work? Each author has posted a few clues on their blog to help you figure out where in the world they live. You can find a complete list of participating authors and links to their blogs on the Secret Cravings Publishing blog http://secretcravingspublishing.blogspot.com/.
I’ve posted a few hints below about the state I live in. Leave a comment letting me know where you think it is, and all correct guesses will be entered into a drawing for a PDF copy of my vampire romance Thirst for Love.
Hints:
- It’s the first state to have a chapel in its state capitol
- The “Grand Central Station” of the Underground Railroad is located here
- Home of the world’s largest ball of paint
Where in the world am I?
Leave a comment with your guess before 11:59 p.m. (PST) Sunday October 7. Be sure to check back on Monday (October 8) to find out the answer! I’ll also announce the name of the winner of Thirst for Love.
Good luck to you all!
Blurb:
Victor Nicolescu wants only two things: blood to sate his hunger and a woman to love him for eternity. The blood is easy—his butler donates to Victor’s personal blood bank on a regular basis. Sometimes, however, Victor has an undeniable craving for fresh blood. His most recent craving leads him straight to Claudia Reyes, a gorgeous psychiatrist who doesn’t believe in the existence of vampires. His bite transforms her into one of the mythical immortals and forces her to leave behind everything familiar. Victor longs to help her adjust to her new life as a creature of the night, but her anger at his choice to transform her threatens to destroy their chance for love. When the night of the full moon rolls around, however, Claudia discovers he desperately needs her help to overcome a part of him even he never knew existed.
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Six Sentence Sunday
Ready for another peek at Thirst for Love? I hope you love reading this part as much as I loved writing it.
—
She walked toward him, her hips swaying hypnotically under her pale yellow dress. The light fabric threatened to drive him completely out of his mind as it flowed around her like the rhythm of deep red streams coursing through her veins. He fought to maintain his composure and began to work his magic on her.
He inhaled her scent and spoke softly in her ear. “So sweet. So beautiful.”
—
Be sure to visit Six Sentence Sunday for links to more snippets!
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Six Sentence Sunday
It’s time for another six-sentence sample from Thirst for Love!
—
The Hispanic woman in the center of the trio looked up, her gaze locking with his. Her heart beat faster, and he knew she was the one. He tried to move toward her, but his step faltered. She would have to bring her precious blood to him.
Come to me, love. Come and dance.
—
Hop over to Six Sentence Sunday for links to more brief excerpts.
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Six Sentence Sunday
I recently learned about Six Sentence Sunday and decided this week is a great time to join in the fun. Below are six sentences from my vampire romance Thirst for Love to help keep you warm as the days grow cooler.
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As Victor explored the cool recesses of her mouth, Claudia slid one hand behind his head, trailing her fingers through his dark hair. Her other hand pressed against his back and pulled him closer. He tightened his grasp and wished he knew how far she was willing to go. Somehow, she had unconsciously blocked him from that part of her mind.
He slid his hand down to her waist, pressing her firmly to him. She fit so perfectly, like she had been created just for him.
—
I hope you enjoyed this brief excerpt! Please visit Six Sentence Sunday for links to other authors’ offerings.
Misha Tagliaferro 