GOOD-BYE TO THE OLD, HELLO TO THE NEW!

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THE ANTHOLOGY COVER IS HERE!

And isn’t it beautiful? I love this cover! So sexy! And the ocean background is exactly right. You can click the image for a slightly larger view.

I can hardly wait for this first anthology to come out! Most of the stories will have been on the blog, but the last two are longer and brand new–one featuring Duncan and Emma, and a second novella-length story which covers Raj and Sarah’s wedding. So I’m especially excited about those. The e-version will definitely be available on Valentine’s Day–what can I say, I’m a romantic, why else would I write these stories? 😉 The print version should also be available on that day, although it’s harder to pinpoint Amazon’s inventory control. But, I’m sure it will all work out.

I’ll also be doing some promo for the anthology, including giveaways, but I’ll let you know those dates as they draw closer.

And speaking of giveaways, remember last week when I said I was forgetting something? Well, it was my Holiday Blog Contest from way back in December! So much has happened since then—including the fact that I completely missed the holidays because of my husband’s illness—and I totally forgot all about the giveaway!

Duh!

So, I’m announcing the winner here and now. And the winner is …

TAMMY! (with an email address that begins with the letters jfar)

Tammy now has one week to get back to me, i.e., by next Sunday night at midnight (01/29/12), confirming her status as Winner of the Holiday Blog Hop prize, which is a copy of any one of my books, winner’s choice, in either print or Kindle format. Be aware if you choose Heart of the Wolf, that this is an e-novella, and available in e-format only.

Hmm, okay, I think that’s it for this week. I’ve got to get back to writing. Now that the anthology is on its way, it’s time for me to finish Raphael and Cyn’s first ever e-novella, and then it’s LUCAS time!! Yay!

See you next week!

DBR

ALL QUIET SO FAR

Yep, 2012 is definitely starting on a quiet note. My darling husband was finally released from the hospital, which means I got to sleep in my very own bed, thank all the gods! I think we slept about 15 hours that first day home. But then it was a mountain of laundry, a mini-mountain of paperwork (still sitting on my desk, though the laundry at least is done.)

I want to thank all of you again for your thoughts and prayers for my DH’s recovery. It helped me get through some of those long, sleepless nights, and days, too.

My DH is very happy to be home at last, happy to have his books and his newspapers (he never did understand why we couldn’t send someone out for the daily paper–I think he confused the hospital with a fine hotel on some days – LOL!) And I’m happy to have my own kitchen and refrigerator, not to mention my own bathroom and shower. Plus, my elliptical. The exercise routine definitely suffered, but between meal deprivation and stress, I’m pretty sure I lost rather than gained weight, so no worries there. My back is very happy to be exercising again, gotta keep those muscles loose, and, of course, sleeping in a bed is much easier on my back than in a chair!!!

So, feeling very productive today. I put in a couple of hours on the new blog site. Getting very close to being finished. The design was done weeks ago by someone far more skilled than I. But I’ve got to transfer all of the old posts and pages, plus I’m reorganizing, and html code can be a troublesome thing. Still, it won’t be long now.

Working on the blog tonight, I somehow ended up with an Ugly Betty marathon on TV, and was too preoccupied to locate the remote and change it. Fortunately, the sound was down, but really … an Ugly Betty marathon?? I did finally change the channel and right now I’m looking at an extreme close-up of Spike’s gorgeous cheekbones, having found a Buffy marathon instead. btw I discovered several new shows while wandering through the hospital’s very limited TV offerings. Don’t you think if one is going to be trapped for hours and hours in a hospital bed that they could at least offer satellite TV? Of course, that might just be me. 😀

I read lots of books, but can’t recommend any of them so far. Currently reading Kresley Cole’s Lothaire. I love her Immortals After Dark series, and Lothaire is the latest. It’s too soon to tell, but I will say that the sex in this one is HOT. I did read PRIVATE #1 Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, the second book in a non-romance, non-paranormal, straight thriller/mystery series which I really enjoy. I’ll post more on that later.

Hmmm. No new reviews this week, no new promo appearances–saving all of those for February and my very first Vampire Vignettes Anthology! Woohooo! But lots of writing going on as I finish off the Vignettes and get back to the Cyn/Raphael novella which is up next. And after that, I’ll finally turn all of my attention back to the ever-so-charming LUCAS whose story is dying to be told. The boy does have an ego, but then, don’t they all?

Hopefully, next week I’ll have some cover art for you–it’s so pretty and sexy, too. But in the meantime, I guess I’ll count my blessings that it was a quiet week, and get back to work on my Vignettes.

See you next week.

DBR

AND SO THE NEW YEAR BEGINS!

This will be the first real work week of the New Year for a lot of people. Most kids went back to school last week. One lovely teenage relative of mine even had to go back to school last Monday, which hardly seems fair. It’s not the students’ fault that there was a freakishly early snowstorm on Halloween! And a pop quiz on top of it? That’s cruel and unusual!

But for many of us, this week marks the official return to the routines of life. No holidays, no days off, no last few days of winter vacation. Just the long wait for Spring. Used to be the months between the winter and spring holidays really dragged, but TPTB have inserted a couple of one day holidays in there to lighten the wait for those of us in the U.S. Still, it seems like a long cheerless slog until summer.

But not if you’re a lover of my vampires! (cool transition, huh?) I’ve been working on my Vignettes anthology this week. Volume 1 and very exciting. This first anthology will include all of the Vignettes posted so far, plus a couple of brand new and much longer ones that you won’t see anywhere else. I’ve seen the cover concept and it’s gorgeous, plus I’ve now revised and finalized all of the stories, except for a few final touches on the the very last Vignette, which is Raj and Sarah’s wedding story. As can be expected, not everything goes as smoothly as one might wish! After all, where would be the story in that?

The Anthology is expected to release on Valentine’s Day (naturally) and should be available in both e-format and print, although obviously the e-format will be much less expensive. Also, it’s expected to release for all of the e-platforms. Details will follow as we get closer to the event, and I’ll post the beautiful cover as soon as it’s finalized.

I’ve also been working on the launch of my new blog site. That’s been slowed to a crawl by my darling husband’s recent illness. I’ve had to prioritize, and obviously, he comes first (and pretty much second through tenth, too.) But after that, I’ve had to choose writing over blog prep, so work on the new site has been all but non-existent for the last few weeks.

I want to thank everyone who sent wishes and prayers for my DH’s quick recovery. It’s been a stressful and exhausting time, for him more than anyone else, but we’ve made it through and I’ve hopes he’ll be coming home for good this week. Gotta get the guy back home and fatten him up a bit! Hospitals are bad for your health.

In other news, Night Owl Reviews gave DUNCAN 5 of 5 stars and named him a Top Pick this last week.

This is the fifth book in the Vampires in America series; while you can read this as a stand-alone, I highly, highly recommend you read all the books in the series. Reynolds’ writing style is smooth and packs one heckuva punch.

In more exciting news, DUNCAN made a couple of top ten (or six) lists for 2011. Stephanie at Paranormal Haven included DUNCAN on her list for Favorite Books of 2011 …

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, PNR fans must give this series a try. It has a ‘real’ feel to it and the writing is fantastic. Duncan has been one of my favorite characters since book one and I was very happy with how his story was told. One of the best installments and again, I highly recommend this series!

And Dot at La Deetda Reads puts DUNCAN on her list of Best Reads of 2011.

And last but definitely not least, Were Vamp Romance is still running my interview and giveaway. This event got lost in the hospital shuffle, but the contest is still open through today, so please stop by, read my brilliant interview and take a chance on winning any one of my books, winner’s choice, in either print or Kindle format, unless you choose Heart of the Wolf, which is only available in the various e-formats.

And I think that’s it for me this week. Hopefully next week I’ll be back to say my DH is happily home and getting fat, and I’ve finished the Vignettes and moved on to the new Cyn/Raphael novella. Another first for my vampires and very exciting!

See you next week!

DBR

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you all for your good wishes for my darling husband, who’s been so sick. Poor baby, truly. Anyway, he’s finally coming home from the hospital tomorrow, which means I’ll have access to my very own computer network once again. Not to mention my own bed and my own husband to sleep next to. Sheesh!

I’ve got lots of news, reviews and top 2011 lists to tell you about. It just has to wait until my DH and I are home for good. Tomorrow!!! Yay!

See you then.
xxoo
DBR

A FLY-BY POST!

Remember in Top Gun when Maverick and Goose buzzed the Tower and that guy spilled his coffee?

Well, put down your coffee/tea/beverage of choice, ‘cuz I’m buzzing the blog tonight.

I actually wrote a post, had it all ready to go … on my laptop … which is back in my husband’s hospital room. The hospital with really crappy Wi-Fi and a firewall that won’t let me pick up my email or post to my own blog! Not Facebook either. I can post to Twitter, but that’s about it.

Anyway, I wrote the post, then promptly left the damn laptop back at the hospital when I made my daily dash home. Oh, yeah. I spent my holiday weekend in the hospital with my darling husband. Poor baby is sick. Right now, I’m just crossing my fingers (or I will when I stop typing) that we’ll be home for New Year’s. (please, please, please) ‘Cuz those sleep chairs just aren’t designed for six foot tall me.

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day, no matter how you celebrated, and that you were with someone you love and are loved by.

xxoo
DBR

A HOLIDAY GIFT FOR MY WONDERFUL READERS!!

A special Holiday Vampire Vignette to say “thank you” to all of my wonderful readers, who have made this year so very special.

Love from me and all the fangy gang …
DBR

THE HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US!!

And I still haven’t wrapped (i.e. bagged) my gifts. On the other hand, I have it on good authority that bagging (with appropriate tissue embellishments) is a completely acceptable form of wrapping.  Which begs the question of why I haven’t done it yet.

You all will be happy to know, however, that the reason I haven’t yet bagged my gifts is because I’ve been writing like a fiend. So there. Good excuse, right? 🙂

Still, it’s nearly the official start of winter, and my blog isn’t the only place where it’s snowing. Google’s gotten into the holiday spirit, too. If you enter Let it Snow into a Google search bar, you’ll get so much snow you can’t see your search results. At which point, you can hit the defrost button and start all over again.

And holiday sales abound this last week of shopping.  I personally avoid shopping malls, but I’ve seen the ads. My publisher ImaJinn Books is having a holiday sale, too. 25% off your entire order through 1 January–this applies only to orders directly through the ImaJinn website. They’re also having a contest on their Facebook page, giving away five (5) free books of your choice. Click the Free Books Holiday Contest (with the gold star.)

And Night Owl Reviews is throwing a web hunt with lots of cool prizes, including a Kindle, tons of books and gift certificates.

And I’m having a contest,too. It’s part of RomFan Reviews holiday blog hop. I posted a special blog hop entry HERE. The prize is any one of my books, winner’s choice, either Kindle or print format. All you have to do is comment, and be sure to leave your email address, in case you win. CONTEST CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT DECEMBER 23.

And, in addition to writing like crazy this past week, I did a bunch of review/recommendations. I’ve read a lot of books in the past few weeks, but only a few I’d recommend, and I’ve listed those on my What I’m Reading Now page, as well as on GoodReads.

And finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous, I was searching for an e-mail I deleted by accident, paging through my deleted folder, and I came upon an e-mail from … Best-Penis. Huh. I don’t remember meeting him. 🙂

Okay, good reviews, best penises and holiday gift wrapping aside, I’m going back to work (i.e., writing.) Hanukkah begins this Tuesday at sunset, and (surprise!) I’ll see you all before then. 😉

xxoo
DBR

ROMFAN REVIEWS HOLIDAY BLOG HOP!

When Annette at RomFan Reviews asked me to write about a favorite holiday memory, my first thought was that I don’t really have any. Sure, we always celebrated Christmas when I was growing up. And, yeah, with six kids, a mom and a dad, and assorted animals, life in our house was hectic on the most routine of days, which Christmas certainly was not. But special memories?

I suppose I could talk about the Christmas when I was six and realized there was no such thing as Santa Claus. It wasn’t a particular shock to me. I was just standing there looking at the huge (in my eyes) tree and I knew. No Santa. But, hey, as along as I got the giant ballerina doll in her pink tutu, what did I care where it came from?

And then there’s the Christmas when I was fifteen, when I really wanted an archery set. Not some cheapo kids’ bow and arrow toy, but the real thing with metal tipped arrows and a bow with some serious draw. I thought for sure my parents had blown me off, but, no. At the last minute, my dad brought out this long box wrapped in candy cane striped paper, and I knew even without opening it what it was. I mean, really, what else could it be? But the best part of that memory is how I went on to win my high school’s all-school archery championship in the Spring. Apart from the obvious reason why that’s a good thing, there was a more subtle motivation at work. My older sister and her friends were all the girl jocks of the school. They took all the spots on the girls’ athletic teams and, let me tell you, they played for blood. So, I can’t tell you how pissed off they were when I beat all of them to win that championship. And the fact that I was the younger sister of one of their own just added salt to the wound. Sweet!

Ahem, okay, so back to the holiday spirit and all that. There was the midnight mass I went to with my sister and her fiancé (different sister) when I was twenty or so. I was already disillusioned with the church, but there’s something magical about a midnight mass with its pageantry and, especially, the choir. The sound of human voices raised in song is one of my very favorite things.

And then there’s all the wonderful holidays spent skiing with my darling husband. The sunshine (usually) and cold air as you zoom (more or less gracefully) down the slopes, stopping for lunch at a picnic table at base, thawing out at the end of the day with martinis and good food. And then waking up the next morning and doing it all over again.

Yes, lots of memories over the years, some lovely, some drunken, many filled with love. But all in all, I gotta say, it’s the archery set … and my subsequent victory over the jock girls that stands out. Yep. That’s the one! (heh, heh)

Happy Holidays, everyone! And may all your holiday memories be victorious, er, joyful!

Comment below for a chance to win a copy of any one of my books, winner’s choice, in either print or Kindle format.

CONTEST ENDS AT MIDNIGHT, DECEMBER 23rd! YOU MUST PUT A CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT, SO YOU CAN BE NOTIFIED IF YOU WIN.

DBR

LIVE CHAT TODAY (DEC 14) AT LITERAL ADDICTION!

I’m doing a LIVE CHAT today, December 14,at LITERAL ADDICTION.

Check in early to be sure your Java is up to date and to create a log-in, if necessary.

CHAT is at the bottom of THIS PAGE.

SEE YOU THERE!

DBR