The Love Story of a Girl and a Sucker

Those of you on Facebook have probably seen bits of my Endless Vacuum War. I’ve gone through three vacuums in two years, and each one clogged/burned out the motor/died in some horrible way. On Facebook, I lamented on their crappiness often. About two weeks ago, I sucked the head of a feather duster into the hose (it’s best not to ask) and created my own housekeeping porno by shoving a broom handle through the vacuum’s tube for two hours, and then (in a totally unrelated incident) blew up the motor right before the in-laws came for dinner, so our house was filled with the lovely scent of burning oil and dust.

So I took the advice of everyone on Facebook, closed my eyes to the price (though my tears still leaked through) and bought a Dyson. I’m hoping that it will last at least five years and end up paying for itself, because in five years I’d have probably gone through six or more cheaper vacuums. Still, ouch. Thank goodness for a discount and free shipping — and it finally came two days ago. Even though I was sick with a head cold, I put that baby together (okay, I just snapped a few pieces into place) and vacuumed the ever-loving hell out of my carpets.

I will only say this: Obviously, the vacuuming was overdue because I hadn’t done any since my last one blew up almost two weeks ago. We don’t wear shoes or anything inside the house, though, and although we have two cats, we don’t really have a problem with cat hair. Still, this vacuum sucked up enough dirt to fill a canister…and then another. And then I used it again, and it got more up. I’m pretty sure now that my old vacuum was just dicking around on me.

Anyway, I haven’t made out with it yet, but if a future hero shows up in my books with the name “Dyson,” you know things have gotten pretty hot and heavy.

The End…?

Also, I cut my hair off last year, but my author photos were showing me with long hair and 27 years old. So I decided that I would update them. Of course, with my luck, I had my head cold on the day of the scheduled shoot — thank god for Photoshop to get rid of the red and puffy.

I contacted Doug Crouch for the photos after checking out his website, and he ended up being totally awesome. He prefers to shoot on location, but since my apartment isn’t exactly awesome swanky and my desk is shoved up beside my bed (and my carpets were unvacuumed) we went to Portland’s White House B&B instead, because they are super-awesome fantastic and the house is gorgeous. So this is what I look like now! (Except, you know, less puffy and sniffly and I wore something besides my pajamas.)

Which is pretty much exactly the same, but now with more wrinkles (also smoothed out, because Doug Crouch is awesome talented that way.)

And finally! I posted this snippet from Heart of Steel during the Goodreads chat, and realized that I should post it here, too, for everyone who wasn’t able to participate in the chat. It came about because Telma asked:

“Yasmeen is very mysterious in HERE THERE BE MONSTERS and fun in THE IRON DUKE. What more can you give us about HEART OF STEEL until November 1st? (oh time move faster!)”

So I posted this:

***

Archimedes fought the sinking sensation in his gut. “How many men have ever managed to make a fool of you?”

She offered her hard-edged smile and glanced down at the bracelet. “The better question is: How many are still alive?”

“One,” he guessed.

“And if you’d like to keep it that way, Mr. Fox, make certain not to do it again.” She smoothed her woolen cuff down her wrist, hiding the bracelet. “If you even suggest to my crew that you’ve threatened your way aboard my lady, I’ll rip out your spine.”

He could see she meant it. God. “That’s unbearably arousing.”

She swept a considering look the length of his body, pausing once. Her gaze lifted to his again. “Your purse is bulging, Mr. Fox. Tuck it away before you board.”

***

Then added: So I guess you could say that Yasmeen is fun, sexy, violent, a bit ruthless, still a little mysterious, and — to Archimedes — somewhat terrifying.

Everything a heroine should be, of course

…is up on the book page.

I probably should be cooler and put up lots of tidbits, but the truth is, I never know what bits to pick. I could mention that I considered making most of Ash’s speech out of song lyrics, but a) there would probably be rights and usage issues, and b) she’d have to rely on my store of lyric knowledge, and no self-respecting demon would ever say “and the beating of my heart is a drum and it’s lost and it’s looking for a rhythm like you,” and c) it’s been done and done.

So, yeah. An excerpt from the first chapter (but not the opening scenes, because SPOILERS) is what we get.

I’ll put up a bit from Taylor closer to the release. But don’t cry! You only have to wait all summer for it, unless I cave earlier. Which, okay, I probably will.

the sampler

I forgot to mention that there is an excerpt that starts on Chapter 1 and includes part of Chapter 2 at the end of Demon Blood. The same excerpt is featured in the free paranormal sampler that Berkley has been distributing at conferences (and that might be in bookstores soon? I’m not exactly sure how wide the distribution is). That excerpt has been edited for space and is missing big chunks of Mina & Newberry’s drive from the ball to the Iron Duke’s estate, during which we learn more about the world and the duke himself, so you won’t want to skip to Chapter 2 when you pick up The Iron Duke.

The excerpt at the back of Burning Up starts at Chapter 2 and ends after the first scene.

So I’ve finally added an excerpt to the site — for those of you who have read the previous two excerpts, the first part isn’t new, but the second part is. It starts at Chapter 2 and continues on through the next scene.

*I will have some of these samplers at the Powell’s signing in September — but if you have Demon Blood, then you have the same excerpt, anyway.

The Book Smugglers are having a steampunk week over at their blog. I’ve gotten a ton of questions about What Steampunk Is, and this might be a great place to start for those of you still wondering: The Introduction (and Primer) ETA: And this, Bloggers Talk Steampunk.

And for a look at how I am handling the question, I’ve put up an (unedited) excerpt for “Here There Be Monsters,” from the BURNING UP anthology out in August. THE IRON DUKE is up for pre-order as well at Amazon (it’s a trade sized novel, which is why it’s $15 — and I don’t know yet if it will be re-issued in mass-market. I suspect that is something the pub decides after they see how well (or not) the book does.) As soon as I see it for pre-order at other locations, I’ll add those links in, as well.

For those of you wondering about how The Iron Seas fits together as a series — all of the novels are lightly connected with some recurring characters, but each romance and plot stands alone.

…I’m at Odd Shots, talking about the music for the Guardian series.

And in case you missed it, I put up an excerpt for Demon Blood (it does include spoilers for Demon Forged, so if you haven’t read that yet, be warned.)

Here’s a snippet from the Burning Up novella (I am LOVING the steampunk, but it’s also why I’m not posting here often.):

Her heart pounding, Ivy held still as Mad Machen crossed the distance between them. His dark face lowered, stopping with his lips a breath from hers. He murmured, “Here in front of my men, or in my cabin. That is your choice.”

“Your cabin.” Frustration shook through her whisper. “And damn you to a kraken’s belly.”

His brows rose, and a surprised laugh broke from him before his mouth suddenly covered hers, his long fingers cupping her jaw. Not a hard kiss, and not tender—it was a statement, she realized, for the men watching them. A claim, pure and simple.

A claim that went on until Ivy had to employ all of her willpower to refrain from biting him.

He finally lifted his head, and turned to the boy. “Duckie, escort Ivy Blacksmith to my cabin. See that she wants for nothing.”

“Yes, sir.” The boy gathered her satchel from the captain, and looked expectantly to Ivy.

Plastering on a smile, she pulled at her trouser legs and curtsied to Mad Machen. His laugh followed her to the stairs—and Ivy decided she could make a statement, too. A brass finial shaped like an egg decorated the end of the banister. Ivy closed her gray hand around it. Metal shrieked as she crushed the finial between her fingers.

His laughter stopped.

She released the mangled brass, and called over her shoulder, “I await your mighty prick, sir!”

Oh, wow. I can’t believe Demon Forged releases in only a few weeks. So here is a little bit (from a few chapters in, to avoid spoilers).

***

Their argument hadn’t gone unnoticed. Beyond the mouth of the hallway, Becca sat curled on one of the common room sofas, pretending to read. Though the novice’s nose was buried in the book, her eyes were too wide and her body too still. Listening, then. And if she’d understood their French—which was likely—perhaps she was wondering if Irena intended to kill Lilith.

But Irena doubted Becca would ask. Although the novice possessed a bold mouth with anyone aged less than one or two centuries, she became a mouse around the older Guardians.

At the end of the hall, Alejandro paused in front of one of the closed doors, turning his head as if he’d caught a scent. Irena caught up to him just as the door opened.

If you aren’t sure if the name is yours (more than one Sarah, for example) you can check the comment number listed — and if you still aren’t sure, e-mail me, and I’ll see if your e-mail is the same for that comment.

I will be sending an e-mail out to all of the winners…soon. If you want to get a jump on me, please feel free to e-mail me using the contact form at the link above.

Also — I got in the new bookmarks/rack cards and stuff for DEMON FORGED (now with shiny excerpt!) If you want some, just let me know where to send them and how many you want.

For the Demon Angel/Demon Night giveaway:

True Random Number Service
Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

61 101 21 66 55
20 67 31 37 98

61 – Jennifer M – DEMON NIGHT
101 – Dottie – DEMON ANGEL
21 – Jackie (Literary Escapism) – DEMON ANGEL
66 – Carol Thompson – DEMON ANGEL
55 – Sarah – DEMON ANGEL
20 – Jacqueline – DEMON NIGHT
67 – ckyboston – DEMON NIGHT
31 – Virginia Hendricks – DEMON NIGHT
37 – Lynda – DEMON ANGEL
98 – Gregory House – DEMON NIGHT

First Blood Winners:

Random Sequence Generator

Here is your sequence:

27 – CrystalGB
55 – kardis
39 – adelina
17 – Diane Higgins

And…I’ll be having another giveaway tomorrow. I just haven’t decided what it’ll be yet, because I’ve got a huge box of books to slowly give away.

I know I said I’d give 24 hours notice that I’m closing the contests, but I just realized that WordPress automatically closes the comments after a certain length of time, so some people haven’t been able to enter. So I’m going to be closing both on Monday night at midnight, which gives everyone a little extra time.

Here’s the FIRST BLOOD giveaway.

Here’s the DEMON ANGEL/DEMON NIGHT giveaway.

And here’s an excerpt for DEMON FORGED. To avoid DEMON BOUND spoilers, it starts after chapter one.

I’ve got just a bit left to fix, then I’ll be back Tuesday-ish with the winners (“ish,” because I might crash).

First — I’m looking for someone who can verify an Italian translation for me. The dirtier the Italian you know, the better. It’s only a few lines from my current manuscript; I just need to make sure that the word choice/grammar is correct. Any takers? Send me an e-mail or leave a comment. (As soon I’ve got someone, I’ll update this space.)

And, THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF PARANORMAL ROMANCE. I thought this was releasing in April (except for in the UK, where it is already available) but I just found out that Amazon has it and is shipping it. I have a short story — unrelated to the Guardian series — called “In Sheep’s Clothing,” and here’s a quick excerpt (it’s a very short story, so I’m only putting up a very short excerpt *g*):

Five years ago, Emma Cooper would have thought a blown tire in the middle of a blizzard was bad. But bad was the small, spiked metal ball her fingers found embedded in the rubber — and worse was the truck, its headlights on bright, pulling off the two-lane highway and onto the shoulder twenty yards behind her Jeep.

The tire iron in her hands rattled against the one lug nut she’d had time to crack loose. She hadn’t even raised the jack yet; it lay on the icy asphalt behind the flat front tire.

No, not much time had passed at all. He must have been waiting off the road for her to drive by, his truck concealed by the dark and the snow.

Don’t panic, Emma told herself, and pulled in a long breath between her chattering teeth. Now was definitely not the time to panic.

Still gripping the tire iron, Emma rose from her crouch. The rattling rumble of his diesel motor cut off. The pounding of her heart filled the sudden, snow-muffled silence.

Stay calm. She tugged open the front door of her Jeep, slid into the driver’s seat, and hit the locks. Emma had been living in Seattle the past five years, but she’d kept up on the local news. In the last eighteen months, four vehicles — each with flat tires — had been found abandoned on this rural stretch of an Oregon highway. Each time, searchers recovered the body of a woman from the surrounding woods. Each woman had been raped and strangled.

The truck door slammed shut. Oh, God. She squinted against the glare of headlights in the rearview mirror, but couldn’t see anything. With her right hand, she rummaged blindly through her purse on the passenger seat and found her cell phone.

It had been years since she’d dialed the number, but she still knew it by heart. Nathan Forrester answered on the third ring. She spoke over his sleep-roughened greeting.

“Hey, Sheriff Studly.” Emma could see the dark figure in her side mirror now. The silhouetted shape was tall, and wearing a thick coat and a cowboy hat. She couldn’t tell if he carried a gun. “I’m on the side of the highway with a flat tire, and I could really, really use a lift.”

“Emma? Oh, Christ. Emma, listen — don’t accept any help.”

“I didn’t plan on it.” She stared at the mirror. He’d walked half the distance to her Jeep. Her fingers tightened on the tire iron, her nails drawing blood from the heel of her palm. Stay calm. “But I think he plans to offer help anyway.”

She heard Nathan swearing and running across a wooden floor. “Where are you? You still have your Jeep?”

“About ten miles before the Bluffs turnoff. And, yes. I still have it.”

“Okay, Emma, I’m on my way, but you’ve got to drive. Stay in low gear. The flat tire will pull hard at your steering wheel, but your Jeep will go. So you start it now and get the hell out of there.”

Emma jammed the phone between her cheek and shoulder, turned the ignition key. The engine fired up. A shadow darkened her window.

She looked over just he swung her jack through the glass.

There’s a complete list of authors and titles at Jeaniene Frost’s blog (via Lynda Hilburn’s blog).

The Celebrate Romance conference was awesome, even though I didn’t go to all of it. MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS is available for pre-order, and I’ve sent back copy-edits for the story. ANGELS’ BLOOD is out. It’s darker than Nalini’s Psy/Changelings, so don’t be surprised by that — and with a hero that brings to mind Anne Bishop’s dark and deadly heroes. He’s scary, but Nalini finds the human in him, Elena is strong (click for an interview with her) — in the absolute best way, both kick-ass and smart — and it’s an amazing ride. Larissa Ione has a contest going for her next Demonica release. Jane’s feeling a paranormal malaise (I had to comment briefly). KMont wonders about the c-words while I just drool over the cover. Also, THE SHADOW QUEEN is out, and I’m going to talk about it as soon as I can…somewhere else. God, there’s so much other stuff, but this is not brief anymore.