Cynthia Eden | Let Your Inner Demon Out

"Let your inner demon out"—That’s what Cara Maloan, the heroine from my new Kensington Brava release, MIDNIGHT SINS, would really like to encourage all women to do.

Cara thinks ladies should start living for themselves, doing what they want—and having one heck of a good time.

Something you should probably know…Cara’s a succubus. Yep, she’s an immortal demon who gains power from sneaking into a man’s dreams and stealing his sensual energy. Hey—it’s a job, someone has to do it. :-)

Cara is absolutely one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing. She was fun—definitely fun—but, the lady also had her hang-ups. You see, she’s a sex demon at heart, but Cara wants more than fleeting pleasure from a man. She wants love, and love isn’t something that a succubus usually gets to experience.

Ah, such is the twisted fate of my characters. When I write about my characters, I love to think in terms of opposites for them. Vampires with blood phobias…sex demons who want love…a vampire hunter who finds her perfect lover in—ahem—a vampire. Opposites.

But don’t worry too much about Cara…I gave her a good hero. She just has to get him to love her. And, of course, she has to prove that she’s not guilty of murder. Because someone is killing in the city of Atlanta—and that someone is setting Cara up for the crimes.

Falling in love, proving her innocence, catching a killer…all in a day’s work for my demon.

Now don’t you want to let your demon out? With Black Friday shopping almost upon us, whether you like it or not—she may come out. Especially once you start fighting for those parking places and those sale items…

Happy hunting! And Happy Thanksgiving to those in the U.S.!

Cynthia Eden
http://www.cynthiaeden.com/
MIDNIGHT SINS—Available 11/25/08 from Kensington Brava
Let your inner demon out…

Candace Havens | Secrets and Siblings

I grew up an only child, and I really liked it. (Smile) Except for the fact that I love to play board games and cards, and I didn’t always have a playmate.

But I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of siblings.

That’s why there are four Caruthers sisters and one brother in my new book "The Demon King and I." I wanted to write about that interaction between siblings. I have first hand experience after watching my own children, but I also did some research by hanging around and learning to understand how my friends interact with their brothers and sisters.

Take my friend Shannon’s comment about how one of her brother’s dresses. We were Christmas shopping a few years ago and she talked about how she bought him some decent clothes so he would wear something besides a t-shirt and jeans. It was her subtle way of telling him to grow up. I didn’t realize it, until just this moment but that sort of ended up in The Demon King and I. (Please, don’t tell her.)

I watched as another friend interacted with her two sisters. That dynamic was very interesting because the middle sister, my friend, has become the peacekeeper in the family. There is this constant battle for her to keep everyone happy, though it seldom works out that way.

My two best friends, Shannon and Rosemary, have become like sisters to me. We even have our own little family dynamic, though I’m pretty sure we are much kinder to one another than most siblings. But we can talk about anything, which is something I love.

So I want to know about you and your siblings. Are you like my kids, who grump at each other constantly but when the chips are down they are there for one another? They both have this thing that they can give each other a hard time, but no one from the outside better say anything derogatory. So tell me. And do you share secrets with your siblings?

Candace Havens
www.candacehavens.com/

Eve Silver | A Little Bit Dark....

I wrote my first book when I was nine, the story of an unwanted teddy bear that found a new and loving home. Poor teddy! I guess even at the age of nine was a little dark, LOL!

Years later, I tried my hand at romantic comedy (an abysmal failure). My next attempt was at a lighthearted, fun historical, the kind I loved to read. Only problem was, no matter how hard I tried, I just wasn’t funny. Everything that flowed from my imagination was creepy and dark and moody.

So what is it with me and dark books? Whether I’m writing historical gothics or sexy, contemporary paranormals as Eve Silver, or speculative romance as Eve Kenin, everything I write is dark, dark, dark (with the occasional quirky humor thrown in).

What is it about a dark, tortured hero that is so appealing? And why does the heroine love him when he’s so hard to love?

In my historical gothics (DARK PRINCE, HIS DARK KISS, DARK DESIRES), the heroes are secretive and a little sinister. Terrible things have happened to them, and they’ve done terrible things in turn. Yet, the tortured hero captures the love of the heroine and the reader, and we cheer for his happily-ever-after. Because the heroine is strong enough to be his match. She’s brave and resilient, and she brings light to the hero’s darkness.

My first contemporary paranormal, DEMON’S KISS, is just hitting shelves now, and guess what…? Yep, dark tortured hero. But this story threw a twist at me that I wasn’t expecting. The sexy, seductive hero, Ciarran D’Arbois, is sworn to protect the world of man from the demons who would decimate it. Problem is, he is the very thing that he’s sworn to fight against. How’s that for tortured?

DRIVEN, my post-apocalyptic trans-Siberian trucker tale (written as Eve Kenin) brings a whole new perspective to my dark side. The world that the book is set in is barren and bleak, and the hero is a man with no emotion. Not a guy who hides his feelings. Not a guy who has buried them deep. A guy who doesn’t have any. Kind of made finding true love a bit of a challenge.

Coming up next I have—you guessed it—a few dark, moody tales to tell. My next historical gothic, HIS WICKED SINS, will be out in August 2008. DEMON’S HUNGER, the second book about the Compact of Sorcerers is coming soon. And HIDDEN, the next book set in the post-apocalyptic world I created in DRIVEN will hit shelves in July 2008.


So what appeals to you about a dark, tortured hero? What makes him so appealing? And what sort of heroine do you think is his perfect match?

Happy reading!
Eve
--
http://www.evesilver.net/
http://www.evekenin.com/

Jaci Burton | Genre Jumping

One of the questions I get asked most is whether it's difficult to write in different genres.

The answer is absolutely not. I love genre jumping. In fact, I think it would make me insane if I were to write in only one genre. Perhaps that's because I've been writing in multiple genres since I started writing. It's impossible for me to stick to one...flavor. I love so many.

When I first started writing for Ellora's Cave, I started in contemporary, then branched out into paranormal. Then I got this great idea about faeries so I started a fantasy series. Then came futuristics and...well, you get the idea. I can't seem to stay with one genre, and I'm fine with that.

Several years and multiple publishers later, I've pretty much settled on mainstream paranormal romance and contemporary erotic romance...mostly. And that was because I was given the wonderful opportunity to write for Bantam Dell and Berkley, and each contracted me for something completely different, which was like a dream come true. I've always wanted to write paranormal romance, and my writing roots were in erotic romance. Now I can do both. And I also write for Samhain Publishing where I can mix it up with any genre I like. So I guess I'm not settling for just too after all. (Do you sense the craziness here? Heh)

But there's a method to my madness (Yes...brace yourselves...I'm about to get to the point). Genre jumping allows me a break. When I write my Demon Hunter series for Bantam Dell, I throw myself into the world of demons and the battle between good and evil. There are plots and subplots and twists and turns and romance and hawt sex and the series must continue, so I have to constantly build on that. When I finish a story, the next story I work on is typically a contemporary erotic romance for Berkley--a complete change in genre. It clears my head and allows me to focus on something entirely different. Then I can delve into the world of contemporary characters and their struggle to find love (with fun sex included!). The genres are so different, it's like taking a vacation. By the time I finish my contemporary romance, I'm ready to dive back into the world of the Demon Hunters again.

Really, I have a great job. Or multiple jobs. I get to do different things all the time and I realize how very lucky I am.

Jaci Burton

www.jaciburton.com

Hunting The Demon

www.jaciburton.com/huntingthedemon.html (released 8/28/07)

Exclusive

www.jaciburton.com/exclusive.html (released 9/4/07)