Thirteen Favorite Paranormal Books

1. Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes: This book inspired me to write. It's YA, so it might not appeal to all of you, but it's a really good story, and I'm still in love with Nikolas.

2. Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton: I have an old tattered copy that traveled with me to Australia and back in the summer of 2005. I re-read it probably five times on that trip alone, but I still love it.

3. Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon: My copy of this book is held together by tape.

Actually most of the following are held together by tape. I had to buy a new copy of Circus. It broke in half. The only reason Shattered Mirror has survived is because it's hardback, and even it's about had it.

4. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

5. Tanner's Scheme by Lora Leigh

6. Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon: It's a classic. It's the beginning of the Dark Hunters, and Kyrian is hilarious.

7. Master of Seduction by Kinley MacGregor: Gotta love pirates!

8. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward

9. Galahad by Angela Knight in the Bite Anthology

10. Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

11. Fallen Star by Morgan Hawke (Tomorrow's Friday Feature)

12. Dark One by Angela Knight

13. Dream Chaser by Sherrilyn Kenyon

And all of these authors have many more books that are incredible.

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2010 Goals

Wow, its been an eventful year for me. I finished a novel, got three contracts and two of those books were released this month. I started my first website, and have been trying to perfect it ever since (I think I'm finally happy with it). I guest blogged once a month at Happy Endings and started two blogs of my own, including a character blog.

I started college, and while I despise it with every fiber of my being (and no I am not exaggerating one tiny, itty bitty, bit), it still is a pretty big milestone.

I got my first serious job, and I actually really love it. Being Acquisitions Manager of Breathless Press is one of the best jobs I think I writer could get. I get to read (a favored past time of mine) and picking out the errors in manuscripts challenges the writer in me. I think it's just the perfect job.

Now that I've shared what I did this year I'll share my plans for next year with you.

1) I want to try and write everyday.

2) I want to finish Archer's Story, and I want to try and finish the rough draft by May 1st at the latest. I'm thinking it needs to be about 60k

3) I want to submit to agents, and hopefully get one.

4) I want to finish at least two free reads. One is a contemporary erotic romance, and another is just a short story that goes with Fear of Darkness. Just a tiny encounter between Vahe and Natalya.

5) I want to finish at least one short story to submit to Breathless Press. I want it finished by March 1st.

6) I want to start a new series. I still can't decide if I want to start my fantasy series or sci-fi. Eventually I'll have to make that choice. I think its going to be the fantasy series though, because that's what keeps interrupting my WIP.

7) I want to finish the first book in whatever series I do choose to start. I want to finish it by December.

8) This one is just something I might do. I'd like to try and finish Bad Animals. Pretty sure I'll fight for every word of that.

I don't think my goals are too ambitious, and I'm hoping I can accomplish them all.

A Blog Award

I got a blog award from Debra Kayn. Now I'm supposed to share seven things you might not know about me, and pass the award on to seven other bloggers. Lol, this might be difficult.



1. My food can't touch on my plate. My aunt tells me they have medication for that.

2. I wear my socks inside out. I don't like the fuzzy parts on the inside.

3. I'd love to be a belly dancer.

4. Weeds is a hilarious show, but definitely not for everyone.

5. I've gotten one speeding ticket.

6. I hated the series finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I'll never NOT be annoyed by it.

7. I'm watching Get Smart on DVD. The TV show from the 60's, not the new movie.

Now to find some blogs that I love.

1. Writer's Gone Wild

2. Naughty Little Vamp

3. Vauxhall Vixens

4. Wicked Lil Pixie

5. Living With Immortals - J.K.Coi

6. Melissa Aires

7. Happy Endings

The one flaw in this award: I have no clue how to contact most of these blogs.

2010 Reading Challenge

1. Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward (January 3: Re-read)
2. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward (January 4: Re-read)
3. Tanner's Scheme by Lora Leigh (January 27: Re-read)

On Writing Unconventional Horror

By Lisa Lane

My thanks to Honoria Ravena for having me; it is a pleasure to be your guest today. I think it is safe to assume that a good number of readers here are horror fans as well as paranormal romance fans. Today, I’d like to introduce you to my unique blend of horror, paranormal romance, and provocative prose. My style is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who do not enjoy a bit of literary value to their reads, but for those who do, I invite you to join me aboard my wild ride.

The Darkness and the Night series meshes qualities of paranormal romance, dark, cerebral horror, and deep philosophy, creating a story that not only provokes and entices the senses, but also leaves the reader pondering questions not typically addressed in works of similar genres. When I set out to write the series, I had some key questions in mind that I was determined to answer with gritty and lifelike detail:

·If there were such things as vampires, would becoming one really be the romanticized experience so often portrayed in today’s fiction?

·What would it be like for a good, decent person to realize that she was slowly becoming a monster? What would she do to fight it? What would it take for her to give in to her terrifying impulses?

·What would happen if she were to find out that she was pregnant with the offspring of the monster that turned her? What would her offspring be like? Is it possible for a child to be evil and innocent at the same time?

·What would she do, if suddenly she found that the only person she had to turn to was also her greatest nemesis?

·How would an underground world of vampires actually survive? What would a vampire commune be like?


Blood and Coffee, the first book in the series, follows the dark odyssey of Karen, a young adult who finds herself the pawn in a plot for revenge against her father—who has recently been released from a long-term mental hospital committal for having killed a man he had “believed” to be a vampire. The plan: present the freshly-turned Karen to her “rehabilitated” father, and then see which one survives. The plan goes awry, however, when Billy, the vampire chosen to turn her, ends up falling for her.

Suddenly finding herself on the run, with nowhere to go, Karen becomes caught between her hate for Billy, for what he has done to her, and the animalistic attraction that their unwanted blood bond has created between them.


In book two, Cosmic Orgasm (don’t let the corny porny title fool you), Karen literally goes to Hell and back in a cerebral struggle over her soul, after a freak astral death leaves someone close to her slowly becoming a demon trapped on the Astral plane—determined to take her with him. Karen begins to harness her vampiric powers, and she finds friendship and sustenance in the most unlikely of heroes. I originally wanted to title the book Blood and Shadow, but the publisher insisted upon Cosmic Orgasm after reading one of Karen’s most unusual experiences, which those who have read agree is one of the most unique and creative sexual encounters they have ever seen in print.


The third book, Twins of Darkness, follows Karen’s not-quite-human twins’ milestones and her trials of being both a vampire and a mother. The story, which has been raved as by far the best in the series, is actually four novellas that together create one extended story:

Part I: Vampire. Mommy.
Karen's past returns to haunt her as Billy's nomadic family tracks her down, set on kidnapping her infant twins, Andy and Anna.

Part II: The Innocent One
The full extent of grade-school-aged Anna's Astral abilities shine through in dark and horrifying ways as Karen's vampire-hunting father tracks them down in suburbia, intent on killing them all.

Part III: A Family Affair
Desperate to know more about her natural father, adolescent Anna uses her Astral abilities to pull an alternate version of Billy into reality. His presence proves bittersweet for Karen, who has committed herself to donor and lover, Jason.

Part IV: The Awakening
Andy begins to undergo an unexpected transformation, while commune bounty hunters track down Karen and Jason. Anna, with her goddess-like Astral abilites, is their only hope ... but her aid does not come without a sacrifice.

The combination of elements—sci-fi/horror, paranormal romance, and literary—makes The Darkness and the Night intense and horrifying, yet also a thoughtful and satisfying read. Few other books compare, which is not always a good thing in the world of publishing: the erotic aspects might turn off some straight horror readers, just as much as the horror elements may dissuade potential romance readers. I think you’ll agree, however, that the series is unique in a positive way, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Do you like mixed genre books? Let me know what you think, and you may win a free book. I’m giving away one electronic copy of each novel in the series; make sure to leave your name with your reply in order to qualify. Warm regards—and happy reading!

Lisa Lane
http://www.cerebralwriter.com