Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Warmest wishes for health, happiness and all the best for 2010 to all.
Read a Story - Give dosh for GOSH
Read a funny, heartwarming story with elves, goblins, snowmen, polar bears and of course, Santa and Rudolph! [just look out for Sputnik *g*] and donate some dosh for the kids at
Great Ormond Street Hospital. GOSH
Great Ormond Street Hospital. GOSH
*A Christmas Crisis
by Fiona J Mackenzie
Once every thousand years, Old Father Time travels to the North Pole. At the Grand Ceremony of the Claus, on the stroke of the millennium, he hands the famous velvet and fur trimmed robes to the next generation of Santa Claus.
Then the new Santa solemnly takes his Legend of Christmas oath, to uphold the traditions and joys of the Yuletide, to be guardian of the Christmas Grotto, and to bring happiness to all the children of the world.
But this year, Santa has a problem.
It was Christmas Eve. Silent snow drifted against the windows of Santa Claus’ great log cabin, wood fires slumbered and the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg spiced the air.
Nicholas glanced yet again at the twenty-four ticking clocks that covered the end wall of his office, but it didn’t matter which one he looked at, there was only a short time left. He paced up and down, trying to ignore the palpitations and cold sweat that chilled his skin.
It was no good. He couldn’t go through with it. He would have to cancel Christmas.
Read the rest of the story and donate** here
Now bring on the cute . . . A baby reindeer . . . Awwwww, he [or maybe she] is still waiting for his red nose *g*
Then the new Santa solemnly takes his Legend of Christmas oath, to uphold the traditions and joys of the Yuletide, to be guardian of the Christmas Grotto, and to bring happiness to all the children of the world.
But this year, Santa has a problem.
It was Christmas Eve. Silent snow drifted against the windows of Santa Claus’ great log cabin, wood fires slumbered and the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg spiced the air.
Nicholas glanced yet again at the twenty-four ticking clocks that covered the end wall of his office, but it didn’t matter which one he looked at, there was only a short time left. He paced up and down, trying to ignore the palpitations and cold sweat that chilled his skin.
It was no good. He couldn’t go through with it. He would have to cancel Christmas.
Read the rest of the story and donate** here
More pictures of the Waverley Herd Reindeer here courtesy of the BBC
* Picture not representative of the story - A Christmas Crisis does not contain reindeer with cell phones, shades or glocks. *g*
** donations via credit cards or paypal. Story can be read without donating.
** donations via credit cards or paypal. Story can be read without donating.
Winning Birthday Books!
Help a fellow book lover celebrate her birthday in style* with a chance to win one of these fabulous books**
over at One Book Away From Heaven.
!!!Just look at what you could win!!!
over at One Book Away From Heaven.
!!!Just look at what you could win!!!
Click here to enter contest. Closes 13th December '09.
*Happy Birthday Pattepoilue!!
**I'm thrilled that Pattepoilue has named The Sweet Scent of Blood as one of her favourite reads of 2009! Yay! Thank you! *beams*
Floating Heads FTW!
Wow! I'm honoured to report that the cover* for The Cold Kiss of Death has been nominated in the 1st Annual Urban Fantasy Cover Art Awards in the 'Best Floating Head Cover' category! Yay!
Now *bats eyelashes pleadingly* anyone who wants to vote for my book can go here, or you know, if you want to vote for any of the books, that's cool too . . . there are some fab, fab covers: this one below is possibly my favourite. I loved, loved, loved the book, and now Fade Out is currently sitting on top of my TBR pile as my treat for finishing writing The Bitter Seed of Magic [I'm days away from typing 'THE END' so watch this space . . .]
Voting is open from now until 30th December '09. Plus there are prizes for voting too - check them out here :-).
Back to the writing cave now . . .
* Kudos goes to Gollancz' art department! :-)
Child of Fire : Harry Connolly
Got any good turkey leftover recipes?
Want a chance to win this book?
Check out Harry Connolly's blog
Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He's the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him-or let someone else do the job. Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise's next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who's sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must find-and destroy-the source of that inhuman magic.
I haven't read it yet, but it looks a fantastic read - one for the wishlist :-)
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it. Hope you had a good one.
Want a chance to win this book?
Check out Harry Connolly's blog
Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He's the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him-or let someone else do the job. Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise's next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who's sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must find-and destroy-the source of that inhuman magic.
I haven't read it yet, but it looks a fantastic read - one for the wishlist :-)
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it. Hope you had a good one.
Claudico
Via Fiona J Mackenzie:
Meet the enchanting ‘Claudico’, who is having a seriously bad day! Claudico was created by Fiona's lovely friend, Amy Furey.
Happy Hallowe'en
Happy Hallowe'en everyone - wishing you all a spooky one!
~ Seeing as it's Hallowe'en, I've added a short article - Magical London - to my website on how different places in London have influenced my books, along with some interesting links. Among other things, the article talks about real myths and magic in London. Grab yourself 5 minutes and a tea/coffee/cocktail, and pop on over for a quick read :-)
~ Insert blatant self-promotion - The Cold Kiss of Death takes place in the week leading up to All Hallows' Eve so is ideal scary reading for this time of year *g*.
And for those who have a Kindle: The Sweet Scent of Blood - Spellcrackers.com 1 and The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers.com 2 - are now available.**
~ Cover Tease! I've seen an early preview of the cover for The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers.com - and I *LOVE* it! The Gollancz art department have done a fantastic job. Sorry to tease, but I'll share as soon as I can.
~ Writing news! I'm still writing [slow writer here *sigh*] The Bitter Seed of Magic, and I'm very happy with how the story is going [on my good days - on the bad days . . . well then it all feels like everything is sooooo bad that no one will like it :-( ]
Anyway, here's a small unedited quote from The Bitter Seed of Magic - enjoy!
Bandana grinned wider. ‘You should thank me, sidhe. You tried to swallow too much magic and it was ripping you apart, if it hadn’t been for my hold on you, you would’ve have faded.’ His long ankle-length brown coat split into a cape of thin whip-like willow branches that shifted in the spring breeze. I suppressed another shudder as the sensory memory of his branches tightening around my arms and legs surfaced, then pushed Finn away as my stomach roiled and I vomited up a stream of brackish-tasting liquid.
‘Oh and I poured salted river water down your throat while you were out of it.’ I heard Bandana say happily past the noise of my own retching. ‘Didn’t want the magic to have any nasty lingering after effects.’
Sadistic bastard. I wiped my mouth on the sleeve of my denim jacket, wishing not for the first time that I’d blasted all of him into wood shavings five months ago, instead of just his appendages.
That's all for now, so Happy Hallowe'en, and may you all have a fun-filled, scary time, with more treats than tricks!
* Whinge alert! - I've had some minor health problems which have meant my RSI and carpel tunnel problems have resurfaced. I'm fine, I've got all the correct medication and various splints etc, so it's all under control. But it's meant [along with my impending Deadline of Doom - is there any other kind? *g*] that I've had to be careful about resting - so the blog has fallen by the wayside. Sorry everyone.
** Both books are also available as Ebooks here.
Friday Five
Emerges from The Writing Cave, looks around, blinks . . . thinks *it's Friday*, and blogs :-)
1. Chapters Bookstore in Dublin asked me five questions for their blog - Go check it out and read a small hint about The Bitter Seed of Magic : Spellcrackers.com #3 : Plus the blog has lots of other great posts to check out, including five questions with Sara Rees Brennan, brilliant author [and really fun person] of The Demon's Lexicon.
2. Read the first three chapters of Fire - Kristin Cashore online for free!
3. This next one is so cool! The Sweet Scent of Blood has been nominated in the 101 Best Fantasy Books. A BIG, BIG THANK YOU to whoever nominated it, the love is very much appreciated! Yay! I'm so honoured to be on the same list as some of my favourite and most admired authors. So go vote - [not for me, unless of course you want to *smiles hopefully and flutters eyelashes*] and you could win the number one book! More Yay! Voting closes September 14th.
4. The Writing Cave update - writing on The Bitter Seed of Magic is going well [if slower than I want or need with the DEADLINE Of DOOM looming . . . *bites nails* ] which is, of course, why I'm not here very much lately. I promise I'll be back more regularly once I get to THE END :-) But despite the slow going, I'm really happy with the book [unless I'm having one of those 'this is such a load of crap, days' *sighs*] New and interesting characters have appeared to surprise me [1], the usual characters are getting into hot water . . . and out again LOL! and my BFF and writing buddy who sees everything I write first has given it the big thumbs up, while nagging me for more, more! [Thank you, Fi :-)]
5. The Naming of The Beasts, the new Felix Castor book by Mike Carey is out!! Yay! I'm superexcited about this, and can't wait to read it [But in case my editor is peering over my shoulder, I want to assure her I will be saving it - along with the rest of my TBR pile - until after the DEADLINE OF DOOM is done - go here [where my editor talks about high heels and whips!!! *bites nails again* I'm a good author, truly!] for why!
[1]I'm sort of what Jaye Wells [4] calls a Planster when I write. I know the overall plot, I know the main characters and their motivations[2] and as I write I uncover the road my characters have to take to get to THE END. And it is that journey where the really fun bits come in, when events/characters I don't expect appear out of my subconscious and the road twists and turns in exciting and unusual ways.
[2]I always write my characters with this great advice from Kurt Vonnegut in mind - Every character should want something even if it is only a glass of water.
[3] Please note: any errorrrs or inconsissssstencies in this post are due to caffeine and sleep deprivation.
[4] My fantastic CP and awesome author - Look at her new fabulous cover for The Mage in Black This book is so, so good, even better than Red-Headed StepChild with all the wonderful characters that Jaye has created returning, plus some really fab, fab new ones - be jealous that I've already read it *evil laugh*
Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead. So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of 'Chosen' who'll unite the dark races. Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny. But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple, but it looks like it wants to bite back.
1. Chapters Bookstore in Dublin asked me five questions for their blog - Go check it out and read a small hint about The Bitter Seed of Magic : Spellcrackers.com #3 : Plus the blog has lots of other great posts to check out, including five questions with Sara Rees Brennan, brilliant author [and really fun person] of The Demon's Lexicon.
2. Read the first three chapters of Fire - Kristin Cashore online for free!
3. This next one is so cool! The Sweet Scent of Blood has been nominated in the 101 Best Fantasy Books. A BIG, BIG THANK YOU to whoever nominated it, the love is very much appreciated! Yay! I'm so honoured to be on the same list as some of my favourite and most admired authors. So go vote - [not for me, unless of course you want to *smiles hopefully and flutters eyelashes*] and you could win the number one book! More Yay! Voting closes September 14th.
4. The Writing Cave update - writing on The Bitter Seed of Magic is going well [if slower than I want or need with the DEADLINE Of DOOM looming . . . *bites nails* ] which is, of course, why I'm not here very much lately. I promise I'll be back more regularly once I get to THE END :-) But despite the slow going, I'm really happy with the book [unless I'm having one of those 'this is such a load of crap, days' *sighs*] New and interesting characters have appeared to surprise me [1], the usual characters are getting into hot water . . . and out again LOL! and my BFF and writing buddy who sees everything I write first has given it the big thumbs up, while nagging me for more, more! [Thank you, Fi :-)]
5. The Naming of The Beasts, the new Felix Castor book by Mike Carey is out!! Yay! I'm superexcited about this, and can't wait to read it [But in case my editor is peering over my shoulder, I want to assure her I will be saving it - along with the rest of my TBR pile - until after the DEADLINE OF DOOM is done - go here [where my editor talks about high heels and whips!!! *bites nails again* I'm a good author, truly!] for why!
Thinks *caffeine* [3] and *whips*, and scuttles back to The Writing Cave via the kettle . . .
[1]I'm sort of what Jaye Wells [4] calls a Planster when I write. I know the overall plot, I know the main characters and their motivations[2] and as I write I uncover the road my characters have to take to get to THE END. And it is that journey where the really fun bits come in, when events/characters I don't expect appear out of my subconscious and the road twists and turns in exciting and unusual ways.
[2]I always write my characters with this great advice from Kurt Vonnegut in mind - Every character should want something even if it is only a glass of water.
[3] Please note: any errorrrs or inconsissssstencies in this post are due to caffeine and sleep deprivation.
[4] My fantastic CP and awesome author - Look at her new fabulous cover for The Mage in Black This book is so, so good, even better than Red-Headed StepChild with all the wonderful characters that Jaye has created returning, plus some really fab, fab new ones - be jealous that I've already read it *evil laugh*
Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead. So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of 'Chosen' who'll unite the dark races. Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny. But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple, but it looks like it wants to bite back.
Fire - Kristin Cashore : Winner!
This week's contest is now closed and Random.org has drawn the following winners ...
Thank you to everyone for taking part and for leaving your comments, I've really enjoyed reading them. And many thanks for linking and tweeting! Right back off into the Writing Cave now to find a way for Genny to escape from the clutches of [redacted for spoiler alert] in The Bitter Seed of Magic!
Winner 1 = No. 40 Eli
Winner 2 = No. 53 a flight of minds
Congratulations to both of you! You've each won an ARC of Fire : Kristin Cashore. Please send me your snail mail details to contest [at] spellcrackers [dot] com within the next 7 days.
Teleportation appears to be the favourite superpower [in my completely unscientific 'oh, lots of you seem to have said that' way of deciphering all your comments LOL!] , saving us all time and money and letting us travel to exotic places at the drop of a hat! Works for me *g*
Fire - Kristin Cashore : Giveaway
Okay, so I'm not here okay. You haven't seen me, 'cos I'm in The Writing Cave - Writing :-) But I've a treat for you while I'm away . . .
But first my thanks to everyone who has bought The Cold Kiss of Death, I'm really thrilled that you've let me know how much you've enjoyed reading it! Yay! *Big happy smiles*.
In another fab news, The Sweet Scent of Blood - Süßer als Blut - released in German [by my lovely German publishers Goldmann] two days ago [earlier than I thought!] It's so amazing to think my book's been translated into another language. *more big happy smiles* I'm just sad that I know no German *sigh* but here's a big HELLO and welcome to any new German speakers who might be reading.
Now on to the giveaway! Thanks to my lovely UK publishers Gollancz I have two ARCs of Fire : Kristin Cashore due for release on 17th Sept in the UK and 5th Oct in the US to giveaway to two lucky winners.
But first my thanks to everyone who has bought The Cold Kiss of Death, I'm really thrilled that you've let me know how much you've enjoyed reading it! Yay! *Big happy smiles*.
In another fab news, The Sweet Scent of Blood - Süßer als Blut - released in German [by my lovely German publishers Goldmann] two days ago [earlier than I thought!] It's so amazing to think my book's been translated into another language. *more big happy smiles* I'm just sad that I know no German *sigh* but here's a big HELLO and welcome to any new German speakers who might be reading.
Now on to the giveaway! Thanks to my lovely UK publishers Gollancz I have two ARCs of Fire : Kristin Cashore due for release on 17th Sept in the UK and 5th Oct in the US to giveaway to two lucky winners.
!!!LOOK AT THE GORGEOUS UK COVER!!!
Both Fire, and Kristin's first book, Graceling are about characters with POWERS. So to win a copy of Fire by Kristin Cashore, please leave a comment telling me what super power you would want to have. My super power choice, unsurprisingly, would be to streeeetch time so I could have at least twice as much of it, or more to do my loooong to-do list *g*.
Two winners to be drawn by Random.org. Contest open to all, and ends end of day [anywhere] Thursday 2oth August 2009.
ETA: 21.8.09 8.30 am Giveaway Closed!
Wow! Lots of fantastic superpowers,I would be great to have them all LOL!
Thanks to everyone who's commented, I've really enjoyed reading them. And many thanks to everyone who has linked, and tweeted, and blogged, it's very much appreciated.
And a big hello and thank you to any new followers, I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog :-).
For some reason blogger decided to play around with the last few comments and want them to be moderated . . . I have no idea why, so sorry about that. Hopefully it should be okay now.
The giveaway is now closed, and I'll be posting the winners a bit later today. Good luck!
Suzanne xx
I comment = 1 entry
Post a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and gain yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
So what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
Friends as Characters: or why I was forced to make Pierce Brosnan a vampire
Friends as Characters: what a nail-biting and horrifying fantastic idea this can be.
First where do characters come from? It’s one of those questions that writers are often asked. My own characters arrive from various places: some stroll onto the page fully-formed complete with name*, description and dialogue; others start out as bit parts or walk-ons and then suddenly demand a life of their own and a much bigger slice of the wordage; and a few take a bit of investigating before they start to form in my head.
Genny Taylor – the main character in my books – was one who took a bit ofhair pulling and banging of head on desk investigating. Although I knew a lot about her before I started to write, it took me a while before I found both her and her voice. In fact it took a whole short story**; one that takes place ten years before the events in The Sweet Scent of Blood at a very traumatic time for Genny. Seeing how she reacted from another character’s point of view really helped nail Genny as a person for me.
But there are other ways to find characters for your books! [cue dramatic organ music]
One thing I’d never thought I’d do was base characters on anyone I know [winces at possible litigation and rotten tomatoes], or anyone famous, except thenmy arm was twisted after a chat I changed my mind. The conversation went something like this . . .
Fiona: [best writing buddy] You know I really don’t like vampires, I just can’t see what the attraction is [shudders]
Suzanne: [wondering where this conversation is going and how anyone cannot love vampires] Uh-huh.
Fiona: Although there are exceptions I s’pose, I mean Pierce Brosnan*** would make a great vamp, don’t you think?
Suzanne: [cool, hot-looking in that sophisticated older guy way and with that Bond charisma thing going on] Sure.
Fiona: Good! I’m glad that’s settled, you can make him a vampire in your book and then I can be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: [reels in shock] but you just said you don’t like vampires.
Fiona: I do if they’re Pierce Brosnan and I get to be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: You really want to be a character in my book who dates a vampire?
Fiona: [Looks determined] Of course, but only if it’s PB.
Suzanne: Oh! [Sees the end of a beautiful friendship happening.] What if you don’t like you in the book?
Fiona: He’s PB! What’s not to like. [hands over a brochure] Now here’s the dress I have to wear, it’s a Chanel.
Oh and these are the shoes [flips page briskly] they’re Christian Louboutin.
Rubies added via fictional license
And PB should have that casual look going on; you know where he’s on the beach in that film – The Thomas Crown Affair – dark tousled hair, linen shirt, jeans … [stares dreamily into distance]
Suzanne: [starts mulling over the possibilities, rubs hands] Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Some time later . . .
Spouse reading book: [wry tone] I see Fiona got herself in the book then.
Writing group: [collectively hold hands up and gasp in horror] Fiona does what!!??!!
Fiona: Brilliant - all my chums at work are waiting for your book now - they have heard that I'm in it and get practically strangled by a ruby necklace. Makes you realize who your friends are *G*
And here’s where Genny first meets Fiona in The Sweet Scent of Blood . . .
‘Not at all, Ms Taylor. I can assure you that all of our customers are very satisfied.’
I swivelled towards the woman’s voice and saw luminous grey eyes, short white-blonde hair and salon-perfect makeup.
‘I am Fiona, the proprietor of Tir na n’Og.’ Her dress was spectacular, form-fitting black silk with what looked like very expensive ruby and diamond catches holding it together. There were more rubies sewn onto her elbow-length evening gloves.
...I followed Fiona up the stairs, or rather, followed her shoes: red suede courts with four-inch heels, studded with more rubies. The ruby extravaganza made my spine crawl. Fiona had hit my radar as human, so why was she blinged up like a witch or a goblin queen?
More recent conversation . . .
Fiona: [discussing The Cold Kiss of Death] umm . . . Fiona doesn’t get much of a mention does she? [steely look] I hope you’re going to give her more page time in book 3?
Suzanne: [looks shifty] umm . . . I’m not sure what’s happening with Fiona in book 3—
Fiona: [points an accusing finger] you’re not going to kill her off are you? You can’t! I won’t let you!
Suzanne: [mentally resurrects Fiona] ooh, alright then . . . maybe I’ll kill PB instead [evil grin].
FYI: Part of this blog post was posted over at Karen Mahoney’s LJ where she was kind enough to have me as her guest on the 4th Sept 2008. Karen is brilliant new writer [of Urban Fantasy :- )] and her story Falling to Ash is published in The Eternal Kiss anthology – you can read the first six pages through Amazon’s ‘look inside’ feature here.
*Trivia! Walk on characters’ names are something I have an issue with; in the first draft of my book, I ended up with three characters all called Peter, and because they were such different people in my mind, I never noticed until after I’d written them in. Trouble is I still think of all three of them as Peter! So now a lot of my secondary characters start out as XXX until I can think of suitable [and different] names for them. *g*
**Currently undergoing a re-vamp :- )
***Profuse apologies to PB – it wasn’t my idea, but you really do make a fantastic vamp!
First where do characters come from? It’s one of those questions that writers are often asked. My own characters arrive from various places: some stroll onto the page fully-formed complete with name*, description and dialogue; others start out as bit parts or walk-ons and then suddenly demand a life of their own and a much bigger slice of the wordage; and a few take a bit of investigating before they start to form in my head.
Genny Taylor – the main character in my books – was one who took a bit of
But there are other ways to find characters for your books! [cue dramatic organ music]
One thing I’d never thought I’d do was base characters on anyone I know [winces at possible litigation and rotten tomatoes], or anyone famous, except then
Fiona: [best writing buddy] You know I really don’t like vampires, I just can’t see what the attraction is [shudders]
Suzanne: [wondering where this conversation is going and how anyone cannot love vampires] Uh-huh.
Fiona: Although there are exceptions I s’pose, I mean Pierce Brosnan*** would make a great vamp, don’t you think?
Suzanne: [cool, hot-looking in that sophisticated older guy way and with that Bond charisma thing going on] Sure.
Fiona: Good! I’m glad that’s settled, you can make him a vampire in your book and then I can be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: [reels in shock] but you just said you don’t like vampires.
Fiona: I do if they’re Pierce Brosnan and I get to be his girlfriend.
Suzanne: You really want to be a character in my book who dates a vampire?
Fiona: [Looks determined] Of course, but only if it’s PB.
Suzanne: Oh! [Sees the end of a beautiful friendship happening.] What if you don’t like you in the book?
Fiona: He’s PB! What’s not to like. [hands over a brochure] Now here’s the dress I have to wear, it’s a Chanel.
Oh and these are the shoes [flips page briskly] they’re Christian Louboutin.
Rubies added via fictional license
Suzanne: [starts mulling over the possibilities, rubs hands] Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Some time later . . .
Spouse reading book: [wry tone] I see Fiona got herself in the book then.
Writing group: [collectively hold hands up and gasp in horror] Fiona does what!!??!!
Fiona: Brilliant - all my chums at work are waiting for your book now - they have heard that I'm in it and get practically strangled by a ruby necklace. Makes you realize who your friends are *G*
And here’s where Genny first meets Fiona in The Sweet Scent of Blood . . .
‘Not at all, Ms Taylor. I can assure you that all of our customers are very satisfied.’
I swivelled towards the woman’s voice and saw luminous grey eyes, short white-blonde hair and salon-perfect makeup.
‘I am Fiona, the proprietor of Tir na n’Og.’ Her dress was spectacular, form-fitting black silk with what looked like very expensive ruby and diamond catches holding it together. There were more rubies sewn onto her elbow-length evening gloves.
...I followed Fiona up the stairs, or rather, followed her shoes: red suede courts with four-inch heels, studded with more rubies. The ruby extravaganza made my spine crawl. Fiona had hit my radar as human, so why was she blinged up like a witch or a goblin queen?
---
More recent conversation . . .
Fiona: [discussing The Cold Kiss of Death] umm . . . Fiona doesn’t get much of a mention does she? [steely look] I hope you’re going to give her more page time in book 3?
Suzanne: [looks shifty] umm . . . I’m not sure what’s happening with Fiona in book 3—
Fiona: [points an accusing finger] you’re not going to kill her off are you? You can’t! I won’t let you!
Suzanne: [mentally resurrects Fiona] ooh, alright then . . . maybe I’ll kill PB instead [evil grin].
Fiona: [narrows eyes] you are *not* killing PB either! End of! Oh, and I've found a picture of Fiona's ruby ring, there's such a romantic story about it [sighs]
The Worlds largest and most exquisitely faceted ruby, A 23.1 carat gem, is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Gem and Mineral collection in Washington, D.C.
The dazzling diamond and ruby ring was a gift from Peter Buck, founder of the Subway Sandwich chain in honor of his late wife.
---
*Trivia! Walk on characters’ names are something I have an issue with; in the first draft of my book, I ended up with three characters all called Peter, and because they were such different people in my mind, I never noticed until after I’d written them in. Trouble is I still think of all three of them as Peter! So now a lot of my secondary characters start out as XXX until I can think of suitable [and different] names for them. *g*
**Currently undergoing a re-vamp :- )
***Profuse apologies to PB – it wasn’t my idea, but you really do make a fantastic vamp!
Friday Three - err . . . now Friday Five!!
# 1 ~ My good writing buddy David Bridger is going to be a guest panellist on Litopia-After-Dark. David is an all round good guy [it's okay, he didn't pay me to say that, but he did bribe me with a mention of my book *beams*] Oh, and he's going to mention Personal Demons* by Stacia Kane**, and all sorts of other writerly goodness. So if you get a chance, go listen and cheer him on - even if he can't hear you :-)
The 45-minute live show goes out at 8pm London time (3pm EST & 12 noon PST) and you can listen here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Litopia-A
And this is where the recording will appear, two days later: http://www.litopia.com/podcast/~
# 2 ~ My other good friend Neil Ford [thank you Neil!] sent me these - The Cold Kiss of Death seen in Borders, Brighton [in pics 1 & 2] , and it looks like it might be on special offer*! Yay! So if you're in the UK and near a Borders, go get yourself a bargain. Pic 3 is in Waterstone's, Horsham, and both my books are shelved in the Horror section; not only that if you look closely, I'm sandwiched between Sunshine by Robin McKinley *Big, Big, Fan-Girl Squeee* and Richelle Mead [awesome writer]!
# 3 ~ The lovely Amber [no she didn't pay me either, but Wow! Do I owe her a big piece of the fab German Chocolate Cake in the Birthday Cake Winner's post here :-)] has reviewed The Cold Kiss of Death at ParanormalRomance.org and at her own great blog: Amberkatze's Book Blog.
Amber says . . .
'Genny is the Anita Blake of the Fae world mixed with Rachel Morgan. She is hot, independent and kicks major magical and paranormal butt . . . The series as a whole is dark, action packed and full of mystery. . . Fresh, unique and urban fantasy at its best, this is an author you need to check out if you are a lover of the genre.' Read the rest of the review here.
# 4 ~ The equally lovely Mardel has also reviewed The Cold Kiss of Death at the Rabid Reader [I'm going to need another of those scrumptious chocolate cakes - or maybe two, with her own shaker of Vampire Kiss Cocktail - just for Mardel, as she says such fantastic wonderful things *blushes*]
'Wonderfully done. I'm hoping Ms McLeod feels like writing more about Genny and her crew. I'm hoping Ms Mcleod feels like writing anything in the urban fantasy genre. She writes well, and most important of all- THE DIALOGUE IS NEVER LAME, NEVER DUMB. . . This book just flows, from beginning to end. Suzanne McLeod . . . has now joined my mental list of auto-buy writers.'
One of my favourite bits of Mardel's review is . . .
'I am usually able to read vampire books without feeling all gooey about the vampires { come on...they're dead! and usually cold, and the diet-kind of icky! } but I kind of like Malik, and Darius { the slut }, as well as the fae- Finn, and Tavish....and few others.'
I kind of like Malik, and Darius, and Finn, and Tavish too *g* They were a lot of fun to write :-) Read the rest of Mardel's review here.
# 5 ~ On Wednesday I had a quick day trip up to London, where I signed stock books at both Goldsboro Bookshop [a beautiful, specialist bookshop with some drool-worthy books] and at Forbidden Planet [OMG such a cool place for SFF books and great stuff - check out their website!]. So if you're out and about and want your own signed copy, pop in a buy one. Or both shops have signed copies to buy online.
And now back to the writing cave :-)
*My books are Urban Fantasy as opposed to Paranormal Romance [they do have some *HOT* romantic subplots *g*], but heck, so long as the shops are putting them on the shelves [and not in the gardening section LOL] and anyone interested in buying them can find them, I'm cool :-)
** Stacia's new book Demon Inside is out on the 28th July! I loved the first book and I'm so looking forward to catching up with Megan and her own personal demons: Malleus, Maleficarum and Spud! Happy Early Book Birthday, Stacia!!!
Birthday Cake Winner!
This week's contest is now closed and Random.org has drawn the following winners ...
Pam said: I have such a sweet tooth and love cake, usually some kind of chocolate. One favorite I don't get often is German Sweet Chocolate Cake.
Congratulations Pam! You've won your choice out of the 8 books here. Please send me your choice and your snail mail details to contest [at] spellcrackers [dot] com.
Thank you to everyone for taking part and for being with me to celebrate the release of The Cold Kiss of Death : Spellcrackers.com [2] : over the weeks leading up to it. Thanks to all my new followers, it's great to have you along. A special thanks to all of you who have linked and tweeted, it is very much appreciated. And thanks to all of you for making me eat more cake than is good for me telling me your fav cakes *g*. I drooled had a lot of fun reading the comments, and I wish we could have all have had a real-life book launch party with all the wonderful cakes, and cocktails from the Strange Brew Giveaway :-).
That's the end of my celebratory giveaways for now, but I'll be posting at least a weekly blog here, and I hope to do some flying visits to other blogs, so watch this space for details as and when. I'll be in the writing cave for most of my time from now until book 3 - The Bitter Seed of Magic - is finished, so wish me luck.
Winner 1 = No. 87 Pam P
Pam said: I have such a sweet tooth and love cake, usually some kind of chocolate. One favorite I don't get often is German Sweet Chocolate Cake.
Congratulations Pam! You've won your choice out of the 8 books here. Please send me your choice and your snail mail details to contest [at] spellcrackers [dot] com.
That's the end of my celebratory giveaways for now, but I'll be posting at least a weekly blog here, and I hope to do some flying visits to other blogs, so watch this space for details as and when. I'll be in the writing cave for most of my time from now until book 3 - The Bitter Seed of Magic - is finished, so wish me luck.
Birthday Cake Giveaway
Today's the official release day for The Cold Kiss of Death, and my last celebratory giveaway. So after the fab recipes for cocktails in last week's giveaways, I hope you'll all join me in raising a glass of your favourite drink, and toast my second book's release along with a large piece of cyber cake *g*.
So onto this, the last week's giveaway*. To win your choice out of the 8 books above, please leave a comment telling me your favourite cake! Right now my fav cake [and this changes on a daily basis, after all this is *cake* we're talking about ~ LOL!] is New York Cheesecake! nomnomnom!
One winner to be drawn by Random.org. Contest open to all, and ends end of day [anywhere] Thursday 23rd July 2009.
I comment = 1 entry
Please help me spread the word about The Cold Kiss of Death and the giveaways with a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and win yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
* I'm retreating to the writing cave now as the deadline for The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers.com book 3 - is fast approaching, so I won't be around quite as often, but keep an eye out for a couple more chances to win a copy of The Cold Kiss of Death in the next few week's on some other blogs ~ details will be posted here as and when :-).
ETA: Last night I was lucky enough to have a celebratory dinner with my good friend and fellow author Alex Bell for the release of her book - Jasmyn - and Yay! Alex and her mum had made these fantastic cup cakes!
*whispers* Some of them followed me home nomnomnom
But it's not just my book that is released this month - over at Fangs, Fur & Fey [if you haven't already found it, it's a great site to find new authors and info about . . . Fangs, Fur & Fey in fiction *g*]. These books have their release this month too! So a big congratulations to all of the authors! Whoo Hoo!
So onto this, the last week's giveaway*. To win your choice out of the 8 books above, please leave a comment telling me your favourite cake! Right now my fav cake [and this changes on a daily basis, after all this is *cake* we're talking about ~ LOL!] is New York Cheesecake! nomnomnom!
One winner to be drawn by Random.org. Contest open to all, and ends end of day [anywhere] Thursday 23rd July 2009.
I comment = 1 entry
Please help me spread the word about The Cold Kiss of Death and the giveaways with a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and win yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
* I'm retreating to the writing cave now as the deadline for The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers.com book 3 - is fast approaching, so I won't be around quite as often, but keep an eye out for a couple more chances to win a copy of The Cold Kiss of Death in the next few week's on some other blogs ~ details will be posted here as and when :-).
ETA: Last night I was lucky enough to have a celebratory dinner with my good friend and fellow author Alex Bell for the release of her book - Jasmyn - and Yay! Alex and her mum had made these fantastic cup cakes!
*whispers* Some of them followed me home nomnomnom
Strange Brew : Winners
This week's contest is now closed and Random.org has drawn the following winners ...
Winner 1 = No. 29 Llehn
Congratulations Llehn! You've won a copy of Strange Brew, plus a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death; and The Sweet Scent of Blood if you haven't read it. Please send me an email to contest {at} spellcrackers {dot} com with your snail mail details.
The winners of the special 'Thank you for Following' draw are
The winners of the special 'Thank you for Following' draw are
No. 102 chimera1973 - a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death
No. 81 BrigidsBlest - a copy of Strange Brew
No. 60 TinaChristopher - a copy of Dead and Gone [with thanks to Gollancz]
No. 123 shartyrant - Sir Simon Vampire Magnet
No. 35 Lexie - Samantha Witch Magnet
No. 81 BrigidsBlest - a copy of Strange Brew
No. 60 TinaChristopher - a copy of Dead and Gone [with thanks to Gollancz]
No. 123 shartyrant - Sir Simon Vampire Magnet
No. 35 Lexie - Samantha Witch Magnet
The following 'Thank you for Following' draw winners have won a set of two book cover magnets [The Sweet Scent of Blood & The Cold Kiss of Death]
No. 15 Everlight
No. 43 Cecile
No. 92 house_mouse88
No. 71 Lori
No. 119 pattepoilue
No. 15 Everlight
No. 43 Cecile
No. 92 house_mouse88
No. 71 Lori
No. 119 pattepoilue
Congratulations and thank you to all of you. Please send me an email to contest {at} spellcrackers {dot} com with your snail mail details.
Thank you to everyone for taking part and for being with me to celebrate and for letting me know your favourite cocktails. There are some really fab recipes there; plenty to try out for lots of celebrations *g*. I had a lot of fun reading the comments and I'm sorry more of you couldn't win. Thank you again.
Remember to check back for the details of this week's contest later today!
Thank you to everyone for taking part and for being with me to celebrate and for letting me know your favourite cocktails. There are some really fab recipes there; plenty to try out for lots of celebrations *g*. I had a lot of fun reading the comments and I'm sorry more of you couldn't win. Thank you again.
Remember to check back for the details of this week's contest later today!
The Cold Kiss of Death : Book Birthday!
Whooo Hooo!! Today is the day The Cold Kiss of Death officially releases*, so this is the SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION post *g*
Kimberly at Darque Reviews has given The Cold Kiss of Death a starred read!
'Ms. McLeod outdoes herself, and takes her fictional world to new levels. The Cold Kiss of Death is a refreshing escape that will keep readers glued to every page.'
'Ms. McLeod outdoes herself, and takes her fictional world to new levels. The Cold Kiss of Death is a refreshing escape that will keep readers glued to every page.'
Gareth over at Falcata Times says ...
'Great writing, enough sass to make [Genny] believable and above all a tale that makes us all want to visit to see the “hidden” side of this ancient city. . . making [Suzanne] perhaps Britain’s premiere Urban Fantasy Author.'
Lovevampires.com** has given The Cold Kiss of Death
!
'The Cold Kiss of Death [is] an exciting and satisfyingly complex read. Throw in an imaginatively realised fantasy London with demons, sorcerers, satyrs, vampires, necromancers and a wide variety of faery beings and it’s clear that this book is a sure-fire winner for fantasy fans.'
Wow! What can I say but A BIG THANK YOU to all of them for reading my book and saying such wonderful things! I'm off to float away on Cloud Nine before my quickly expanding head gets too big to fit through the door *g*
But I'll be back later, so don't forget to come back yourselves to find out the winner of the Strange Brew giveaway; the details of this week's contest; plus the special thank you draw for those of you who have been kind enough to follow me :-)
* Available from The Book Depository with free worldwide delivery - and already received two days ago by one fantastic reader! Thank you, Mardel, I do hope you enjoy it :-)
** Lovevampires.com has a fantastic new look for their site - plenty of great books to see and read about, so why not go over and visit :-)
Lovevampires.com** has given The Cold Kiss of Death
!'The Cold Kiss of Death [is] an exciting and satisfyingly complex read. Throw in an imaginatively realised fantasy London with demons, sorcerers, satyrs, vampires, necromancers and a wide variety of faery beings and it’s clear that this book is a sure-fire winner for fantasy fans.'
Wow! What can I say but A BIG THANK YOU to all of them for reading my book and saying such wonderful things! I'm off to float away on Cloud Nine before my quickly expanding head gets too big to fit through the door *g*
But I'll be back later, so don't forget to come back yourselves to find out the winner of the Strange Brew giveaway; the details of this week's contest; plus the special thank you draw for those of you who have been kind enough to follow me :-)
* Available from The Book Depository with free worldwide delivery - and already received two days ago by one fantastic reader! Thank you, Mardel, I do hope you enjoy it :-)
** Lovevampires.com has a fantastic new look for their site - plenty of great books to see and read about, so why not go over and visit :-)
Gremlins Terminated!
!!!NEWS UPDATE ON THE GREMLIN FREEDOM FIGHTING LIBERATION ATTACK ON FALCATA TIMES!!!
Recent statement from Falcata Times: Just wanted to bring everyone up to speed, we've now regained control of the site from the Gremlins, thanks to Genny Taylor at Spellcrackers.com.
Check back later on Falcata Times for more news about Genny's latest adventures in The Cold Kiss of Death. . . as and when it hits!
Check out Spellcrackers.com via Genny's business card*.
Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a copy of Strange Brew to celebrate the official release of The Cold Kiss of Death on the 16th July, 09.
*Many thanks to Gareth at Falcata Times for the fantastic design of Genny's business card :-)
Check back later on Falcata Times for more news about Genny's latest adventures in The Cold Kiss of Death. . . as and when it hits!
Check out Spellcrackers.com via Genny's business card*.
Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a copy of Strange Brew to celebrate the official release of The Cold Kiss of Death on the 16th July, 09.
*Many thanks to Gareth at Falcata Times for the fantastic design of Genny's business card :-)
In The Wild!
Whoo Hoo! First sighting at Forbidden Planet, London - Many thanks to Neil Ford for the picture :-)
Placeholder post for pink ribbon picture
Placeholder post for pink ribbon picture
The Gremlin Freedom Fighting Liberation.
!!!BREAKING NEWS!!!
MEET THE LEADER OF THE GREMLIN FREEDOM FIGHTING LIBERATION
MEET THE LEADER OF THE GREMLIN FREEDOM FIGHTING LIBERATION
Want to know what's going on? Head on over to Falcata Times to catch the latest* . . .
And don't forget to enter this week's giveaway to win a copy of Strange Brew and a copy of The Cold Kiss of Death - now avialable to buy at Forbidden Planet, London and also shipping early from The Book Depository and Amazon.co.uk! Yay!
12th July ETA: I'm going to be M.I.A. again for the next couple of days [not even reachable by email so ...] . Have fun without me, and don't forget to pop on over to Falcata Times to see what else those Gremlins get up to over the next few days *g*
*Falcata Times have spoken off the record - They are hoping to have the situation under control as soon as possible - rumour has it they are calling in the experts . . . no names have been mentioned . . . yet . . . but I think we all know who the expert is going to be :-)
Strange Brew :: Giveaway
There's just over 6 days left [as I write this] - whoo hoo - until The Cold Kiss of Death :: Spellcrackers.com book 2 :: is released. And two exciting things happened today! 1. I got my author copies in the mail! WooT! and 2. The Book Depository started shipping the pre-orders for The Cold Kiss of Death! So there might still be 6 days left until the 16th July, the official date, but ... my second book could be out there in the wilds of book shops even sooner! Yay!
Which means it must be celebration time!
Cue the party poppers, the balloons and the cocktails!
Cue the party poppers, the balloons and the cocktails!
And not just any cocktails, but Hallowe'en cocktails LOL!
1. Evil Spirits 2. Creepy Crawly 3. Vampire Kiss :: Recipies under the cut
Extract from The Sweet Scent of Blood
The waitress indicated a tray of wide-mouthed glasses. ‘Would you like a complimentary Blue Heart cocktail? It’s a mixture of blood oranges, raspberries and blueberries.’
The glasses contained a dark red liquid that looked like tired old blood. I picked one up and gave it a tentative sniff, managing not to poke my eye out on the blue paper umbrella. ‘No alcohol?’
She shook her head. ‘We don’t serve alcohol at the Blue Heart. It’s part of our healthy living policy to prepare ourselves and our bodies for the Gift.’
‘Sounds great,’ I said, eyeing the neat punctures on her neck as I handed her the glass back, ‘but I think I’ll pass.’
Extract from In The Cold Kiss of Death
Now I stood in the Blue Heart’s foyer. I looked around with detached interest. It was Saturday night, and the place was heaving. Humans stood in long queues at the semi-circular payment booths, waiting for their entry stamps, and others waited with bulging baskets at the checkout point in the bat- and pumpkin-decorated gift shop. Yet more gathered at the Blue Artery Bar, where a dark red sludge-like smoothie swirling with toxic orange – enticingly labelled Carotid Cocktail + Scary Shot – appeared to be the hot-ticket item.
Personally I prefer my own cocktails with alcohol *g*, and my all time favourite cocktail is a Margarita! Yay! I always have at least one when I'm on holiday [okay, sometimes more than one, but hey, I'm on my hols :-)] So now onto this week's giveaway for a copy of Strange Brew, an anthology with stories from some of my favourite authors: Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs and more.
1. Evil Spirits 2. Creepy Crawly 3. Vampire Kiss :: Recipies under the cut
In Genny's London, the local vampires have turned themselves into A-list celebs and opened the Blue Heart: a hot vampire club right in the middle of Leicester Square. The Blue Heart has its own signature cocktail - yep, you've guessed it - The Blue Heart *g*.
Extract from The Sweet Scent of Blood
The waitress indicated a tray of wide-mouthed glasses. ‘Would you like a complimentary Blue Heart cocktail? It’s a mixture of blood oranges, raspberries and blueberries.’
The glasses contained a dark red liquid that looked like tired old blood. I picked one up and gave it a tentative sniff, managing not to poke my eye out on the blue paper umbrella. ‘No alcohol?’
She shook her head. ‘We don’t serve alcohol at the Blue Heart. It’s part of our healthy living policy to prepare ourselves and our bodies for the Gift.’
‘Sounds great,’ I said, eyeing the neat punctures on her neck as I handed her the glass back, ‘but I think I’ll pass.’
Extract from In The Cold Kiss of Death
Now I stood in the Blue Heart’s foyer. I looked around with detached interest. It was Saturday night, and the place was heaving. Humans stood in long queues at the semi-circular payment booths, waiting for their entry stamps, and others waited with bulging baskets at the checkout point in the bat- and pumpkin-decorated gift shop. Yet more gathered at the Blue Artery Bar, where a dark red sludge-like smoothie swirling with toxic orange – enticingly labelled Carotid Cocktail + Scary Shot – appeared to be the hot-ticket item.
Personally I prefer my own cocktails with alcohol *g*, and my all time favourite cocktail is a Margarita! Yay! I always have at least one when I'm on holiday [okay, sometimes more than one, but hey, I'm on my hols :-)] So now onto this week's giveaway for a copy of Strange Brew, an anthology with stories from some of my favourite authors: Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs and more.
Here's what and how you can win: leave a comment telling me your favourite cocktail** and the commentator drawn by Random.org will win a copy of Strange Brew, plus a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death; and The Sweet Scent of Blood if they haven't read it. Contest open to all, and ends end of day [anywhere] Wednesday 15th July 2009.
I comment = 1 entry
Follow me = 1 entry [see here for info on the extra 'thank you giveaway' for followers]
Please help me spread the word about the release of The Cold Kiss of Death and the giveaways with a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and win yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
** Cocktails can of course, be virgin - My fav is a Gentle Sea Breeze
Shake a mixture of equal measures of cranberry juice and pineapple juice, and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Recipes under the cut
1. EVIL SPIRITS
{via Rachael Ray}
Yield: 12 cocktails
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups vodka
Juice of 6 lemons
1 cup grenadine
Club soda, chilled
Directions:
Fill a pitcher with ice cubes. Pour in the vodka, lemon juice and grenadine and stir until chilled. Strain the mixture into martini glasses and top with club soda.
***
2. CREEPY CRAWLY
{via cocktailtimes.com}
Yield: 1 Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 oz Brandy
1 oz Blood Orange Puree*
2 oz GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Glass Garnish:
1-12 oz Bag of Dark Chocolate Chips**
1 Orange Truffle or Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slice
1 Plastic Spider (optional)
Directions:
Using 8 to 10 chocolate chips for one drink, heat in the microwave for 20 seconds until almost melted. Take chips out of the microwave and stir with a spoon until completely melted (this method creates best chocolate consistency for making the web). Place the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle and 'draw' a spider web on the inside of the martini glass (glass can be prepared in advance**).
In a Boston shaker, add the rest of the ingredients and shake well. Pour into the decorated martini glass. Garnish with an orange truffle or chocolate dipped orange slice. Plastic spider is optional as an alternative garnish or decoration.
***
3. VAMPIRE KISS
Yield: 1 Cocktail
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Finlandia Vodka, chilled
1.5 oz Korbel Champagne
.75 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
Directions:
Pour vodka and half of the Chambord in a martini glass, top with Champagne and pour the remaining Chambord over the back of a spoon to make it float.
Cocktail recipies taken from here with thanks.
I comment = 1 entry
Follow me = 1 entry [see here for info on the extra 'thank you giveaway' for followers]
Please help me spread the word about the release of The Cold Kiss of Death and the giveaways with a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and win yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
** Cocktails can of course, be virgin - My fav is a Gentle Sea Breeze
Shake a mixture of equal measures of cranberry juice and pineapple juice, and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Recipes under the cut
1. EVIL SPIRITS
{via Rachael Ray}
Yield: 12 cocktails
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups vodka
Juice of 6 lemons
1 cup grenadine
Club soda, chilled
Directions:
Fill a pitcher with ice cubes. Pour in the vodka, lemon juice and grenadine and stir until chilled. Strain the mixture into martini glasses and top with club soda.
***
2. CREEPY CRAWLY
{via cocktailtimes.com}
Yield: 1 Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 oz Brandy
1 oz Blood Orange Puree*
2 oz GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Glass Garnish:
1-12 oz Bag of Dark Chocolate Chips**
1 Orange Truffle or Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slice
1 Plastic Spider (optional)
Directions:
Using 8 to 10 chocolate chips for one drink, heat in the microwave for 20 seconds until almost melted. Take chips out of the microwave and stir with a spoon until completely melted (this method creates best chocolate consistency for making the web). Place the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle and 'draw' a spider web on the inside of the martini glass (glass can be prepared in advance**).
In a Boston shaker, add the rest of the ingredients and shake well. Pour into the decorated martini glass. Garnish with an orange truffle or chocolate dipped orange slice. Plastic spider is optional as an alternative garnish or decoration.
***
3. VAMPIRE KISS
Yield: 1 Cocktail
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Finlandia Vodka, chilled
1.5 oz Korbel Champagne
.75 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
Directions:
Pour vodka and half of the Chambord in a martini glass, top with Champagne and pour the remaining Chambord over the back of a spoon to make it float.
Cocktail recipies taken from here with thanks.
The Naming of The Beasts : Winners
This week's contest is now closed and Random.org has drawn the following winners ...
Congratulations Caffey! You've won your choice out of: All four of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series [generously donated by Orbit, but not including TNOTB] or your choice of one of the Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts*** along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood. Please send me an email to contest {at} spellcrackers {dot} com with your choices and your snail mail details.
Congratulations Tonya! You've won whichever prize Caffey doesn't choose :-) Please send me an email to contest {at} spellcrackers {dot} com with your snail mail details and I'll let you know which after Caffey has been in touch.
Thank you to everyone for taking part and for a great turnout in letting me know your favourite demon. And now I remember even more of my own favourite demons LOL! I'm sorry more of you couldn't win. I had a lot of fun reading the comments, and although the rest of life is still eating a lot of my time, I hope to get round to answering all your comments at some point. Thank you again.
Remember to check back for the details of the next contest to win Strange Brew later today!
*** To be posted out later once it is available from the printers.
Winner 1 = No. 58 Caffey
Congratulations Caffey! You've won your choice out of: All four of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series [generously donated by Orbit, but not including TNOTB] or your choice of one of the Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts*** along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood. Please send me an email to contest {at} spellcrackers {dot} com with your choices and your snail mail details.
Winner 2 = No 18 Tonya
Congratulations Tonya! You've won whichever prize Caffey doesn't choose :-) Please send me an email to contest {at} spellcrackers {dot} com with your snail mail details and I'll let you know which after Caffey has been in touch.
Thank you to everyone for taking part and for a great turnout in letting me know your favourite demon. And now I remember even more of my own favourite demons LOL! I'm sorry more of you couldn't win. I had a lot of fun reading the comments, and although the rest of life is still eating a lot of my time, I hope to get round to answering all your comments at some point. Thank you again.
Remember to check back for the details of the next contest to win Strange Brew later today!
*** To be posted out later once it is available from the printers.
Soul Fire : R. F. Long - Happy Book Birthday
Happy EBook Birthday* to Soul Fire : R. F Long!
Yay! I'm so looking forward to reading this one! After all, it's got hot faeries**!
What's not to love :-)
ETA: Visit R.F.Long's blog to enter her own celebratory giveaway for two prizes: a copy of the ebook and a beautiful enchanted acorn pendant as worn by the faeries :-) Go now! *g*
Read an excerpt from Soul Fire - Paranormal Romance Ebook
BREAKING NEWS - Orbit have generously donated books 1 - 4 of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series for The Naming of The Beasts giveaway so there will now be two lucky winners. First winner chosen by Random.org gets their choice of either books 1-4 [Felix Castor] or their choice of one of the five Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood. Whoo Hoo! Thank you to Orbit for their excellent extra prize!
Yay! I'm so looking forward to reading this one! After all, it's got hot faeries**!
What's not to love :-)
ETA: Visit R.F.Long's blog to enter her own celebratory giveaway for two prizes: a copy of the ebook and a beautiful enchanted acorn pendant as worn by the faeries :-) Go now! *g*
“Iron born and iron bred.
Trust not iron, it will see you dead.”
Rowan Blake could really use a magic wand to keep her struggling art gallery afloat. But the faerie key she stumbles across is far from a lucky charm. It’s a magnet for danger, and by touching it she’s unwittingly put herself in the middle of a war between the forces of light and dark. And in the arms of its rightful owner, Prince Daire.
While searching for his brother, Daire finds himself trapped in the Iron World with a mere mortal woman who ignites his passion like no other. Each stolen kiss deepens their attraction and sends him spiraling closer and closer to the edge of his inherent dark desires. Desires that act as a homing beacon for the Dark Sidhe, who are intent on forcing him to fight on their side.
The longer he lingers in her arms—and in her bed—the closer his enemies get to her door. And the greater the risk that the gateway to the Faerie Realm will shift, destroying not only his power to protect her, but his very life.
Read an excerpt from Soul Fire - Paranormal Romance Ebook
*Okay, blogger hates me, this was supposed to post automatically tomorrow, but ... umm looks like I've pressed the wrong button, so Happy Early EBook Birthday! LOL!
** Warning: Contains enchantments, danger, some very scary monsters, a trip to the dark side and hot, soul-transforming sex with an immortal prince.
** Warning: Contains enchantments, danger, some very scary monsters, a trip to the dark side and hot, soul-transforming sex with an immortal prince.
BREAKING NEWS - Orbit have generously donated books 1 - 4 of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series for The Naming of The Beasts giveaway so there will now be two lucky winners. First winner chosen by Random.org gets their choice of either books 1-4 [Felix Castor] or their choice of one of the five Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood. Whoo Hoo! Thank you to Orbit for their excellent extra prize!
Gollancz Newsletter aka shameless [blood-splattered] self-promotion
This is the latest Gollancz [my publishers] Newsletter! Not only does it feature the wonderful Charlaine Harris and True Blood and this video snippet [can't wait to see this!], but my books are in there too*! Yay! I *heart* Gollancz
And if you haven't already, don't forget to enter this week's celebratory giveaway to win your choice of Mike Carey's Felix Castor books, including his new one The Naming of the Beasts, plus a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood.
* As if you needed reminding! LOL!
And if you haven't already, don't forget to enter this week's celebratory giveaway to win your choice of Mike Carey's Felix Castor books, including his new one The Naming of the Beasts, plus a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood.
* As if you needed reminding! LOL!
The Naming of The Beasts :: Giveaway
Only 14 days, 4 hours 14 mins and 14 seconds - whoo hoo - [as I write this] until The Cold Kiss of Death :: Spellcrackers.com book 2 :: is released. I'm so excited, it feels like I'm waiting for . . . Hallowe'en* which is a very significant date for Genny in The Cold Kiss of Death, although for her, All Hallows' Eve comes much too quickly and brings with it some terrifying and unwanted adversaries. Yep, Genny's life is full of dangerous surprises - like ghosts deciding to haunt her, vampires wanting her to paint the town red, and let's not mention the witches! So she really doesn't have an easy time of it in book 2 [although she didn't exactly have a great time in book 1 either *evil author cackle* LOL!] . Now onto this week's celebratory giveaway to help get the word out :-).
'The Naming of the Beasts' :: Mike Carey [book 5 his Felix Castor series] comes out 2nd September [which isn't a minute too soon for me :-)] Mike Carey[#1] is right there at the top with my other favourite authors and I love the Felix Castor books. They have a fantastically different take on ghosts, zombies and were-beings [not to mention demons!] Felix a.k.a. Fix is a freelance exorcist and he is such an interesting character, one who grows and changes with each book as he comes to terms with his own inner demons. Add in really cracking stories, some wonderfully elegant plotting, and prose that begs to be read over and over** . . . Oh, and Fix's occasional partner is my all time favourite kick-ass demon, Juliet [Ajulutsikael] a succubus trying to go straight, or sort of anyway *grin* . . . and so coming to the end of a Felix Castor book makes you desperate to read the next one; or failing that, turn back and start from page 1 again. You can read an extract from The Devil you Know here.
Yep, you've guessed it, I'm a total fan-girl, but you don't have to take my word for how great the Felix Castor books are, check out this review of Thicker Than Water at Falcata Times or this one at My Favourite Books. Then leave a comment here to enter the giveaway to win your choice out of the five Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts*** along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood.
BREAKING NEWS - Orbit have generously donated books 1 - 4 of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series for The Naming of The Beasts giveaway so there will now be two lucky winners. First winner chosen by Random.org gets their choice of either books 1-4 [Felix Castor] or their choice of one of the five Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts*** along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood. Whoo Hoo! Thank you to Orbit for their excellent extra prize!
Yep, you've guessed it, I'm a total fan-girl, but you don't have to take my word for how great the Felix Castor books are, check out this review of Thicker Than Water at Falcata Times or this one at My Favourite Books. Then leave a comment here to enter the giveaway to win your choice out of the five Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts*** along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood.
BREAKING NEWS - Orbit have generously donated books 1 - 4 of Mike Carey's Felix Castor series for The Naming of The Beasts giveaway so there will now be two lucky winners. First winner chosen by Random.org gets their choice of either books 1-4 [Felix Castor] or their choice of one of the five Felix Castor books including The Naming of The Beasts*** along with a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death or The Sweet Scent of Blood. Whoo Hoo! Thank you to Orbit for their excellent extra prize!
So what do you have to do to win? - Just leave me a comment telling me your favourite or scariest demon from fiction, TV or film. Contest ends end of day [anywhere] Wednesday 8th July 2009.
1 comment = 1 entry
Follow me = 1 entry [see here for info on the extra' thank you giveaway' for followers]
Please help me spread the word about the release of The Cold Kiss of Death and the giveaways with a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and win yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
* The Cold Kiss of Death is set around All Hallow's Eve, so forget about the July sunshine, go and buy it now [pleeeease :-)] and give yourself an early Hallowe'en treat!
** Beautiful prose that I wish I'd written *sigh*
*** If you choose The Naming of The Beasts I'll get the book to you asap, but I currently can't guarantee it any earlier than its publication date, so unfortunately it won't arrive until September. My own book will be posted out to the winner straight away :-)
#1 - The Felix Castor books are Urban Fantasy at its best [and set in London too! Yay!] but Mike is also well known as a writer for Marvel and DC comics, as well as several other comics publishers. His works include: Batman, Hellraiser, Red Sonja, Vampirella, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, X-Men and check out the rest here!
For more info and another great contest with Mike Carey hop on over to SciFi Guys place :-)
Follow me = 1 entry [see here for info on the extra' thank you giveaway' for followers]
Please help me spread the word about the release of The Cold Kiss of Death and the giveaways with a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and win yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry
Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!
x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.
* The Cold Kiss of Death is set around All Hallow's Eve, so forget about the July sunshine, go and buy it now [pleeeease :-)] and give yourself an early Hallowe'en treat!
** Beautiful prose that I wish I'd written *sigh*
*** If you choose The Naming of The Beasts I'll get the book to you asap, but I currently can't guarantee it any earlier than its publication date, so unfortunately it won't arrive until September. My own book will be posted out to the winner straight away :-)
#1 - The Felix Castor books are Urban Fantasy at its best [and set in London too! Yay!] but Mike is also well known as a writer for Marvel and DC comics, as well as several other comics publishers. His works include: Batman, Hellraiser, Red Sonja, Vampirella, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, X-Men and check out the rest here!
For more info and another great contest with Mike Carey hop on over to SciFi Guys place :-)
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