Normally I’d quote a bunch of reviews, but this time I’m just going to say: HOLY CRAP, JUST LOOK AT THE COVER.

Read an excerpt here (oh, and see more reviews, too.)

I’m completely astounded by the number of entries for the ARC — thank you all so much for entering. I combined the number of entries from my blog and my Facebook page, and here are the results from random.org

True Random Number Service
Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

29 51 130 97

#29 – Heather (Darkly Reading)
#51 – Devon Alexander
#97 – Jacqueline C.
#130 – Katrina Whittaker

Congratulations! And thank everyone again, so much. I wish I had a lot more to give away. But since I don’t, I’ve added a snippet (edited to cut out paragraphs that wouldn’t make sense without the previous chapters, and mildly spoilerish for Demon Forged):

It’s that time again! I have four ARCs of DEMON BLOOD to give away on this site. No hoops to jump through — you just have to comment before midnight on April 24th to enter. But! there is a small catch.

These are advance review copies, and I’d really love it if they were used as such. So if you win one, please review it somewhere by the week of July 6th: on your blog, on an online bookseller’s site, Goodreads or Library Thing, wherever. I’m not asking for positive reviews, or even detailed reviews — just reviews. If you don’t think you can read it by July, please pass on these advance copies; I intend to give away several final copies when the book is released, so you can try again, then.

About the ARCs: these are the yellow-covered bound copies, and are copy-edited (by Berkley, but the version in these ARCs doesn’t have my copy-edits entered yet.) That means that there are more errors than in a final version, and that some dialogue, sentences, and descriptions are different than will be in the final version. There are no substantial differences in plot, characters, or any of the scenes, but a few passages have been altered and some small references changed or clarified. More pronouns have been clarified. If you have any questions while reading, I’ll be more than happy to answer and/or send you the corrected passage, if applicable.

For new readers to the Guardian series: Everything you need to know is included in the first three chapters. Seriously, it’s the longest prologue, ever. You won’t have the same emotional connection to some of the recurring characters, but you (hopefully) won’t be lost, so feel free to give DEMON BLOOD a try.

Sorry, a cover flat isn’t included, because that’s the only one I have. I just put it in the picture because it’s pretty. You will get bookmarks, though.

So, the rules: Comment by midnight PST on 4/24/2010 for your chance to win. Four winners will be selected randomly using random.org, and their names posted on this blog 4/25/2010. Only one entry per ISP address. The contest is open to international readers. No purchase necessary to enter, but a good faith effort to review the book by the release date is deeply appreciated. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited.

I’ve got a post up at Odd Shots featuring the trailers of several paranormal-ish movies that I’m looking forward to (once I get caught up with my writing.) I’m not online much, and I expect that this blog will be pretty quiet through the end of February, but I’ll always be at Odd Shots on Fridays.

So far, my 2010 release schedule looks like this (full descriptions below the cut):

DEMON BLOOD (excerpt added), July 2010
“Here There Be Monsters” in BURNING UP, August 2010
THE IRON DUKE, October 2010

I expect to revamp the site around March or April, and I should have more information regarding the Iron Seas series up then, along with excerpts. I hope everyone is having a fantastic New Year!

Click to see the full descriptions of the upcoming books…which I totally copied from the “Upcoming” page on this site, heh. Cut and paste blogging, you gotta love it.

…the Demon Blood cover? I didn’t think I’d ever love any cover as much as Demon Forged, but Oh My God…holy WOW. The cover artist, Cliff Nielsen, is the same — and once again, I’m blown away. There are a few changes to the font that will be made, but otherwise, I think it’s perfect for Rosalia and the book.

Also, today is Friday! Come give a shout-out to your favorite cover artists at Odd Shots.

Monthly Contest: I’m giving away WILD THING and DEMON MOON, and the last day to enter is Aug 31st. Click on my contest page for the entry form.

Cover contest: Don’t forget to nominate your favorite 2009 covers at the Cover Cafe! They are also running polls on covers that have been nominated.

MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS releases next week. Will I be back to regular blogging by then, or does the summer not officially end until Labor Day? Hmmmm….

Other news: I have a title for the 10th Guardian book: DEMON BLOOD. No details yet, because the description is kind of a spoiler for DEMON FORGED.

The first of the Iron Seas books will be a novella, “Here There Be Monsters,” (subject to change) in a not-yet-titled anthology releasing August 2010 in mass-market. The novella is a lightly-connected-but-standalone story, as will be all of the books in that series.