Halloween Trick or Treats: Giveaway

No tricks here *g*, but I have got a treat of a giveaway for you ...

The Cold Kiss of Death is set around Halloween and features ghosts and all sorts of creatures of the night, and readers have told me it's SCARY and DISTURBING in places, so in celebration of this auspicious night, I'm going to give away a signed copy to one lucky commentator.


So, for a chance to win a signed copy of The Cold Kiss of Death #2 (or an ARC* of The Bitter Seed of Magic #3, if you've already got TCKOD) all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me the last book, or scene in a book, that scared you.

Okay, so I'm going to start this off by telling you the last scene that gave me a SUPER SCARY MOMENT I wasn't expecting. It's in Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong - and it's where Elena and Clay are looking for something in a remote cabin, in the woods, and [redacted for spoiler] happens. Now, in hindsight I know this scene isn't going to scare everyone, but it really pushed my fright button and gave me one of those heart pounding Jurassic Park moments!

How to enter ...

Contest closes end of Sunday, 7th November, UK time, and is open internationally. ETA: winner chosen by Random.org.

1 comment = 1 entry
1 entry = Tweet or Facebook about the contest (1 entry for however many tweets/RTs/facebook comments - leave a comment with a link to your first tweet/facebook, please)
5 entries = Blog about the giveaway (leave a comment with the link to the post, please; so I can find it easily)
10 entries = Post the Spellcrackers Clan Badge in your blog sidebar with a link** to the Clan page (either right click on the image below and save, or copy the html code from here). Leave a comment with the link to your blog, please.

Oh, and help yourself to a cookie ... and no sniggering at my first attempts at decorating otherwise I'll send Genny round to hex you *g*

Just baked!

All decorated!

Happy Skulls!

Bats galore and a couple of Vlad's coffins!

Cookie recipe taken from here

***

On Saturday I was lucky enough to be interviewed at the Bridport Literary Festival about my books and my writing process, by Melissa (on the left below) who works at the Bridport Waterstone's and was super cool enough to tell me she loves my books! Yay! Hollie (on the right below, and who is also super cool as she loves my books too!) did a wonderful introduction at the start, and Melissa asked me some great questions, as did the audience afterwards, so the interview was fantastic fun.

The interview was held in the Bridport Arts Centre which is a beautiful classic style building. I really enjoyed myself and I hope everyone there did too. So thank you to all who came along, the folk at Bridport festival and all at Waterstone's for inviting me. There are more photos here.

Melissa (my excellent interviewer), yours truly, and Hollie (MC extraordinaire)at Bridport Literary Festival

* ARCs of The Bitter Seed of Magic will be sent out as soon as I receive them. I can't tell you what date yet, but hopefully soon!

Facebook Contest to win my books & yummy sweets (UK only)

Click on poster to enter!

Hallowe'en Shenanigans

I ♥ Gollancz!

Yay! It's Spellcrackers.com week over at the Gollancz Dark Fantasy page on Facebook.

There is a good chance of contests and giveaways, so why not head over there and 'like' it :-)

And while you're over there check out the pictures from the Gollancz Hallowe'en party for more snaps like these ... much fun was had by all!

Here I am witching it up at the Gollancz Hallowe'en party

Bubble, bubble, toil  and trouble with my fabulous editor Jo (centre), and another lovely witchy lady from Gollancz - notice the tray of Bloody Marys* I was studiously ignoring *g*

It's a Steampunk Stickup with Bella Pagan, editor at Orbit

***

I will also be at the Bridport Literary Festival in Bridport, West Dorset, this Saturday at 11.00. I am being interviewed about vampires, witches, faeries, and other scary things that go bump in the night - particularly around this time of year *g*

If you're around that way, I'd love you to come and see me!

So

After the interview I'll be signing books, or anything else (within reason :-)).

*or should that be Bloody Maries? Except that doesn't look right ...

Skull Scones and a Sweet Giveaway!

Because she loves Hallowe'en, and her birthday is shortly after it, my writerly pal Julie Cambell, who writes the fab Doc, the Vampire Hunting Dog stories, has a cool contest over at her website and is giving away a copy of The Sweet Scent of Blood to one lucky commenter, (US only, I think). So why not head on over there and enter, and if you've already got a copy, then why not recommend the giveaway to a friend? :-) Or just make yourself a cup of coffee and spend a few minutes reading about the wonderful Doc!

At the weekend I thought I'd get into the Hallowe'en mood too with some baking ... a.k.a. skull scones! They looked none too shabby before they hit the oven. I used sultanas for the eyes and nose, and a slash for the mouth ...

... but once they'd been floured and baked they started to look a bit battered

 ... and taste wise? ... well, it's been a long time since I did much baking, so though they were all scoffed pretty quickly, my scone making abilities definitely need a lot more practise! LOL!

Mistress of The Stone - Maria Zannini - A book you'll want to vote for!!

My writerly pal Maria Zannini (who writes fabulous romances!) is one of the last 10 contestants in the Kensington Brava/RT Writing With the Stars contest (Woot!!). The prize is to have her book - Mistress of The Stone - published, and she needs votes for Best First Paragraph and Last Line over at RT Reviews.

 Image courtesy of Photobucket.
This is not the actual cover.

Now, even though I'm biased, I think Maria's first para has such an intriguing heroine that I'd have voted for her even if she wasn't my pal, but in all fairness why not go and read all the entries, and then vote for your favorite.

Go here and VOTE for your favorite excerpt.

Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches has weighed in and commented on all the excerpts which makes for some interesting reading :-).

Below is Maria's excerpt, which is the first paragraph and last line of the novel.  

FIRST PARAGRAPH: 

Luísa Tavares had a list of sins the length of the Antilles, but there was no time to repent for them now. She spat out the tang in her throat then shimmied down the mainmast of the Coral, her tight leather britches and sharp cutlass a mockery to all that was decent in a woman. Time was running out for the captain of the Coral. And with it, his luck.

LAST LINE:  
Mayhap, his chance had come.

***

Luísa is obviously one of those wonderful heroines who grabs the reader's, and the hero's, attention and isn't going to let it go until the very last line!! Go here to read more about Mistress of the Stone.

So!! Go read!! Go vote!! You know you want to!! :-)