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Archive for Heidi Betts

TV with a twist

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
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I may be writing funny, sexy vampire romances for Kensington Brava (MUST LOVE VAMPIRES, THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS), but I don’t just like to write about the paranormal—with both a serious & humorous bent.  I also like to read it & watch it…& I’m betting many of you are the same. ;)

And the paranormal programming that’s on television right now is some of the best I’ve seen in a while.

GRIMM — I love this show!  I love that it’s a cop drama, but also has oodles of otherworldly creatures & lore mixed in.  And one of the things I enjoy most is how each time somebody turns out to be a “monster,” the monster’s character traits totally suit the human side of the person.  You know what I mean…  A snake creature turns out to be a slimy slip-and-fall lawyer…  An ogre turns out be be a big bully (i.e. ogre) in real life…  A wolf turns out to be protective & pack-like…

ONCE UPON A TIME — I always group Grimm & Once Upon a Time together, but they really aren’t anything alike.  One is straight paranormal, while the other draws its paranormal elements from the fairy tales & folk lore we’re already familiar with.  And I love the fairy tale aspect of Once Upon a Time.  The Evil Queen…Snow White & Prince Charming…Rumplestiltskin…  But I also love how it takes place in two different time periods, jumping back & forth to show us how current circumstances began in or mirror the past.  I also love the heroism & determination of Henry, the little boy who figures it all out & is fighting to put things right, even against the woman who raised him.

BEING HUMAN — To be honest, I don’t really enjoy Being Human very much.  I had high hopes for it.  A vampire, a werewolf, & a ghost…?  Oh, it had so much potential.  But even though I continue to watch each new episode just to kind of keep up with what’s going on, I really don’t care.  It’s too confusing, too convoluted, too soap opera-ish for my tastes.

SUPERNATURAL — I was a late-comer to this one.  Literally, I just started watching it the last time TNT started running the episodes in repeats from the very beginning a few months ago.  I also literally kick myself at least once a day for not catching this one from the first moment it aired. :evil:   And now that I’ve discovered it, I am completely hooked, verging on obsessed.  In fact, be sure to drop by WIPs and Chains on Thursday, where I share the amazing tale of how I came to own the entire series on DVD over Christmas. :mrgreen:   But I am totally in love with Sam & Dean.  (A little more with Dean than Sam, actually. :cool: )  Just about everything about this show is freaking amazing—including the music!—& even though I’m only up to Season 6 so far in my viewing, I hope it never gets old & never disappoints, because I want to be delighted, entertained, spellbound, enthralled, horrified…&, yes, obsessed by it forever!

Are you watching these, too?  So what do you think?  Which is your favorite & your least favorite?

Are there any other shows on TV right now with a paranormal twist that I might be missing?

what I did on my Christmas vacation

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
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Merry Christmas, everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday & are still trying to shake off the turkey & cookie comas.

Thanks to Office Max, I spent entirely too much time over the holiday weekend elfing myself.  And no, I don’t meant that in a dirty way—get your minds out of gutter! :evil: What I mean is that I put together a few “Elf Yourself” videos just for fun, & I have to admit, they crack me up!  I can’t watch even five seconds without giggling like a kid on Christmas morning.  (Which is appropriate, I guess.)

So of course I have to share them with you! :mrgreen:

You’re going to have to click on the links to view the individual videos because I can’t get them embedded, but trust me—it’s totally worth it!

Bonus points to anyone who can identify my fellow dancers, by the way!

Video #1:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/v6Jm2eAg47fSkND3Q7hh

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Video #2 (disco style!):

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/tLUGMDjxKmjZeVrIyvYa

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Video #3 (doin’ the Charleston):

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/P2aVAd3wZYGyxDEnLAIr

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So what do you think—are those as hilarious as I promised or what?  I hope you enjoyed those as much as I did!

Until next time…

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Categories : Heidi Betts

givin’ thanks

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
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Give Thanks (embroidery design) Pictures, Images and PhotosEvery Sunday on my personal blog, WIPs and Chains, is “Happy Sunday, where we take the time to stop & share what we’re happy about or grateful for from the past week.  But with Thanksgiving only a couple of days away, I thought it would be nice to take a moment to consider even more of what we should be truly grateful for.

You guys can go ahead & start, & I’ll chime in later…

All right, then, I’ll start… ;-)

I AM THANKFUL FOR my health, above & beyond almost anything else. Having just been through surgery & a month of not feeling very well at all, I am reminded of just what a blessing good health truly is!

I AM THANKFUL FOR my family & friends. Honestly, I’m not sure who else would put up with me. :evil:

I AM THANKFUL FOR my babies. Every single one of my fuzzy little loves is a blessing, & I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.

I AM THANKFUL FOR my wonderful agent & editors. Again, I’m not sure who else would be willing to put up with me sometimes. I am also extremely thankful for all of the assistants & copy editors, & everyone who works in the production & art departments at my publishing houses. They are so often the unsung heroes who work behind the scenes to put what I write into book form & make them look so darn good when they finally hit the shelves. :mrgreen:

I AM THANKFUL FOR my lovely, fabulous, priceless readers, who hang out at my blog, send me touching letters, post terrific reviews, & always run out to buy my latest book!  You guys keep a smile on my face & make locking myself in a room alone to tap away at the keyboard for hours on end completely worthwhile. :grin:

And finally, I AM THANKFUL FOR holidays like these that allow us to take a break from the hustle & bustle of everyday life, giving us a chance to reflect on just how lucky we truly, truly are! Thank you, Thanksgiving!

I hope you’re feeling as lucky & thankful as I am this holiday season!

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Categories : Heidi Betts

an excerpt from Must Love Vampires

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
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As some of you may already know, I recently underwent a bit of surgery, so I’m not feeling up to full-blown blogging just yet.  I didn’t want to leave you high & dry, though, which is why I’m sharing an exclusive, never-before-posted excerpt from my October Kensington Brava release MUST LOVE VAMPIRES.

I hope you enjoy it!

The minute their lips touched, she was a goner. He felt like warm velvet, and tasted of thick, blackberry wine and dark, secretive vampire.

Not that she had a clue what vampires tasted like, other than the one she was slurping at right now. She would have thought he’d taste like blood—that was what they thrived on, right? So she’d expected a metallic, coppery flavor.

Instead, she got warm and spicy and just . . . male.

Her fingers kneaded his shoulders, and she pushed up, wanting to get closer, wanting more. A low mewling filled the air, and it took her a moment to realize the sound was coming from her.

She never mewled. Or moaned or groaned or panted or begged. At least she hadn’t in a very long time.

But he had her doing just that. She was making noises in the back of her throat—desperate, sexual noises. And in her head, she was doing even more. Panting, begging, all of the above.

His hands found the hem of his own oversize undershirt and delved beneath, stroking the smooth skin of her waist. They were so big and warm, even against her rapidly rising temperature.

When they found her breasts, she gasped, letting her head fall back and struggling for breath while his thumbs ruthlessly teased her stiffening nipples. She let the sensations wash over her, long-denied feelings of lust and longing coming alive and battling like a couple of prizefighters to get out.

“Wait,” she gasped when she could finally catch her breath. And it took a couple of tries, as well as a lot of licking of her dry, parched lips.

His hands continued to squeeze and torture, his mouth joining the fray to suckle a line up the length of her throat.

“Wait,” she said again, using the hands at his shoulders to push him back just a smidge.

He made an unhappy sound deep in his throat, but finally lifted his head and met her eyes. His glittered, dark and dangerous, and behind his slightly parted lips, she was sure she saw the glint of long, sharp canines. Longer and sharper than normal. Longer and sharper than they had been even earlier.

“You’re not going to bite me, are you? Suck me dry?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m going to suck you. And probably bite a little, too.”

His erotic threat made her stomach clench. Along with muscles that fell much lower and wanted nothing more than to wrap around him and squeeze.

“You know what I mean. Real biting, the kind that breaks the skin and makes you anemic. You’re a vampire and I’m a human, and that’s what vampires do to humans. Right?”

“Not necessarily. Unless we’re feeding. Otherwise, it’s . . . optional.”

Tipping her head, she pondered that for a minute. All kinds of images spilled through her mind. Sexy ones, scary ones, ones that fell somewhere in between. But of course, she had no way of knowing how accurate they were.

“Is it good?” she asked with only a slight hitch to her voice.

“Very.”

For him, sure. It was probably right up there with achieving an actual orgasm. But since he was the only one with fangs, she suspected he was biased.

“For both parties, though, not just the . . . heavy biter.”

“I can make it that way, definitely.”

“How?” she wanted to know, eyes narrowing with curiosity . . . and no small amount of self-preservation.

“I’ll show you,” he said, grabbing her up again and kissing her until she forgot all about being bitten, or losing too much blood, or even her own name. His fangs scraped against her lips, but she didn’t care. If anything, knowing they were there, how dangerous they had the potential to be, turned her on even more.

Holding her around the waist, he got to his feet, lifting her as though she weighed no more than one of his empty bottles of wine. Turning, he stalked across the living room without bumping into a single piece of furniture. His lips never left hers, his tongue never stopped delving inside her mouth as he carried her down the hall.

And she was no wilting lily in this ballgame. Her arms and legs were wrapped around him like a squid, and she was kissing him back. Trying to suck out his molars, to be honest–if he had any molars to suck out. She also couldn’t seem to resist running her tongue back and forth over those pointed incisors. Testing, exploring, imagining what they could and would do to her before the night was over.

Where To Buy

Amazon :: Kindle ebook :: Barnes & Noble :: NOOK ebook

Borders :: Indiebound

Book Depository (free international shipping)

 

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Must Love Vampires release day! (+ giveaway)

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011
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MUST LOVE VAMPIRES is HERE!!!

Finally, finally, I am able to share my sexy, funny vampires-in-Vegas romance with the world! :mrgreen:

If you haven’t already ordered a copy, I hope you’ll do so now…or pick one up at your local bookstore.  You can even special order it, if they don’t have copies on the shelves! :evil:

And those of you who did pre-order from Amazon or Barnes & Noble & the like, thank you very much!  Your copies are probably winging their way to you now, & I can only hope you enjoy Charlotte (aka Chuck) & Sebastian, Chloe & Aidan as much as I have!

But before you run off to start reading, I have three other fabulous bits of news for you:

FIRST, once you’ve read MUST LOVE VAMPIRES, be sure to download the very special happily-ever-after after the happily-ever-after exclusive epilogue I created for these characters—ONE LAST BITE (an epilogue to Must Love Vampires).

ONE LAST BITE (an epilogue to Must Love Vampires) is available FREE from Barnes & Noble & Smashwords, & for 99 cents from Amazon.  (The Amazon thing is a long story; suffice to say there was no other way to get the story up there without letting them charge for it. :cry:   But if you want to get the epilogue free for your Kindle, you can download it to that e-reader from Smashwords.)

SECOND, please mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 4th when the THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS will be out in paperback!

As I’m sure you’re aware, Kensington Brava titles are first released in trade size paperback.  And when THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS hit the shelves last October, it had this cover:

Okay—gorgeous, if I do say so myself. ;)

But now that it’s coming out in regular-size paperback, it will be sporting this cover:

Also gorgeous—& fun, too!  How lucky am I to get two such fabulous covers for the same book?!

So if you didn’t pick up a copy of this holiday vampire collection last year, now is definitely your chance!  And you’re going to love it, I swear! :mrgreen:

THIRD, I would like to invite you to enter a very special giveaway I’m holding on my WIPs and Chains blog to celebrate the brand new release of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES.  I’m calling it the “VAMPS IN VEGAS” GIVEAWAY, & it is chock full of absolutely fabulous vampire & Las Vegas goodies!  See for yourself:

The specific contents & rules for entering are too much to list here, but trust me—they’re really, really awesome! :razz:   Please  visit my blog for details!  And get your entries in fast…a winner will be announced at WIPs and Chains this Sunday!

Free E-book Download!

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
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I’m so excited!  I’ve been waiting forever (well, it feels that way, at least) to share something very special with my wonderful readers.

Even though the release of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES is still a month away, today I’ve got the teaser of all teasers for you!

After turning in the manuscript for MUST LOVE VAMPIRES to my editor at Kensington Brava, I had this teeny-tiny kernel of an idea. I’d ended Sebastian & Chuck & Aidan & Chloe’s story happily enough. (Believe me, you will not be disappointed. :mrgreen: ) But I had this thought in my head of what might be happening with them a little farther down the road, after all the He’s a vampire?! shock & awe wore off.

So I wrote an extra added epilogue to the story that didn’t make it into the book.

But how am I going to read it if it isn’t in the book?! you might be asking yourself. :shock:

To which I would have to ask, Do you really think I’d string you along with all of this tease-ing, & then let you down? ;-)

The wee little extra happily-ever-after for Sebastian & Chuck, Aidan & Chloe has become…

***drum roll, please***

The cover is awesome, thanks to Hot Damn Designs.

The title rocks, thanks to Moi.

And thanks to Storywonk, ONE LAST BITE (an epilogue to Must Love Vampires) is available as a FREE E-BOOK DOWNLOAD for YOU!!! For everybody!

So DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY TODAY! Even if you don’t own an e-reader, you can download a PDF copy or read it right at your computer. (Use the Smashwords link below & choose from the long list of options available.)

*Amazon.com (Kindle)

Barnes & Noble.com (NOOK)

Smashwords (other)

Just please, please remember that this is an EP-I-LOGUE. It all takes place after the main portion of the story. So you’ll definitely want to save it until after you’ve bought & read MUST LOVE VAMPIRES or you’ll ruin a really fun, sexy time for yourself. :sad:

But other than that—enjoy!

And spread the word…I want everyone to know about this free epilogue & enjoy a very special happily-ever-after for two couples I dearly love. :razz:

(*Note:  Amazon is taking its own sweet time getting ONE LAST BITE (an epilogue to Must Love Vampires) loaded, but it really will be there eventually.  Until then, you can still download it to your Kindle via Smashwords!)

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I’ve got hot-off-the-presses, fancy-schmancy ARCs (advance reading copies) of my September 27, 2011 Brava release, MUST LOVE VAMPIRES, & I’m giving them away!

Okay, so I’m being a little stingy with them. I only have a handful of the fancy-schmancy things, after all.  But I DO want to give them away to fabulous paranormal romance reviewers who are willing to read my little vampires-in-Vegas story & help me get the word out about it all over the interwebs.

I mean, come on…don’t you want to tout this gorgeous book to all of your vampire-loving friends?  (And maybe even a few who don’t know they like vampires yet? )

LOVE AT FIRST BITE

Nightclub dancer Chloe Lamoureaux just met the man of her dreams: Aidan Raines is charming, considerate, rich, and hot. Of course, he’s a little mysterious about his age. And his favorite drink. And he’s not much for sunlight. But he’s asked her to marry him, and she’s ready to do it. Sure, she has a few secrets too—but they’ll have plenty of time to work things out while they’re living happily ever after. Right?

Her identical twin sister, Chuck, isn’t so sure. Maybe reporting for the local Bigfoot-sighting tabloid doesn’t make her an expert, but to Chuck, Aidan and his brother Sebastian look like honest-to-Dracula vampires. Especially Sebastian: beguiling, seductive, and just a hint of dangerous. Maybe she wouldn’t mind him taking a little taste. But with Chloe’s life in the balance, she has to know—do they want hot love or hot blood? Or maybe…a little of both?

So if you’re a reviewer for a site with really good romance-reader traffic—or even just know of one where you think MUST LOVE VAMPIRES should be reviewed—please contact me with all of the pertinent snail / e-mail / URL information.

And to sweeten the pot, let me add that there might just be chocolate in it for you…  (Oh, yes, I’ve got chocolate…if I can keep it from melting in this ungodly heat, that is. )

PLUS, I’m going to autograph one of my fancy-schmancy ARCs of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES & award it to one lucky winner here at the Brava Authors blog today. You don’t even have to be a reviewer…though if you are, that’s okay; we won’t hold it against you. ;-)

To enter, simply leave a comment to today’s post—with or without review site information—telling me what you love most about reading vampire romance.  (U.S. residents only, please.)

Thanks & good luck!

An “I’m Not at RWA” Giveaway

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
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Those of you who are frequent visitors of my WIPs and Chains blog already know that I am not attending the Romance Writers of America conference in New York this year. :cry:

But I’m making the best of it!  Keeping my nose to the grindstone, making margaritas in my mouth as needed, & holding a fun book giveaway here at Brava Authors.

You see, if I were at the RWA conference right now, I would probably be signing copies of THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS at the giant Literacy Autographing they host to kick off the week.

Yes, it’s a Christmas book, but it’s also my most recent Kensington Brava title (in relation to the conference date), so just consider it a bit of Christmas in June. ;-)

Since I’m not at the conference or the literacy autographing, though, & you’re not at the conference of literacy autographing…  Well, I assume you aren’t.  But even if you are, I’m still not there to sign books for anybody… I’m going to give away a copy right here!

In case you need a refresher about what the story is about, here’s the blurb:

Vampires turn to fanged and fabulous matchmaker extraordinaire Angelina Ricci to help them find that special someone to curl up with under the mistletoe in this charming (read: sexy) and delightful (read: funny) holiday collection by national bestselling author Heidi Betts. Because vampires need love, too. (Biting optional. Hot sex guaranteed.)

“All I Vant For Christmas”

Millionaire vampire Connor Drake loves trimming the tree, baking gingerbread cookies, and hanging the mistletoe for Christmas, but his Goth and gloomy vampire siblings won’t have anything to do with it. Enter Angelina, who sends party planner Jillian Parker to the rescue. But when Jillian—who’s mortal—discovers that she’s decking the halls for a family of vampires, will she run…or will Connor have a beautiful woman to share the holidays with?

“A Vampire in Her Stocking”

When Vivian learns that her secret crush, Sean, is terminally ill, she is heartbroken. Confiding in her matchmaking friend, Angelina recommends the obvious—give Sean eternal life by turning him into a vampire, too. But when Vivian refuses, Angelina decides to play Santa (with a side of Cupid) and changes Sean for her, leaving him wrapped in a bright red bow on Vivian’s doorstep…

“It’s A Wonderful Bite”

Although Angelina is happy with her longtime lover, Ian, she’s ready for a commitment. After drinking eggnog and watching It’s a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve for the (literally) four millionth time, Angelina falls into a dream where she is mortal, and Ian is involved with someone else. Talk about the nightmare before Christmas! But Santa must have checked his list twice, because this Christmas, Angelina’s wishes are about to come true…

To enter the drawing for an autographed copy of THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS—plus goodies; I always stuff my prize envelopes with lots of other fun goodies :mrgreen: —simply leave a comment to today’s post telling me what you’re doing this week while everyone else is off at the RWA conference having fun without us…or off on vacation doing the same. :evil:   (U.S. residents only, please.)

Good luck & happy reading!

we’ve got cover flats!

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
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Last month, I did The Big Reveal, sharing with you the gorgeous new cover of my upcoming Brava release, MUST LOVE VAMPIRES (September 27, 2011).

Ta-da!  Here it is again…

LOVE AT FIRST BITE

Nightclub dancer Chloe Lamoureaux just met the man of her dreams: Aidan Raines is charming, considerate, rich, and hot. Of course, he’s a little mysterious about his age. And his favorite drink. And he’s not much for sunlight. But he’s asked her to marry him, and she’s ready to do it. Sure, she has a few secrets too—but they’ll have plenty of time to work things out while they’re living happily ever after. Right?

Her identical twin sister, Chuck, isn’t so sure. Maybe reporting for the local Bigfoot-sighting tabloid doesn’t make her an expert, but to Chuck, Aidan and his brother Sebastian look like honest-to-Dracula vampires. Especially Sebastian: beguiling, seductive, and just a hint of dangerous. Maybe she wouldn’t mind him taking a little taste. But with Chloe’s life in the balance, she has to know—do they want hot love or hot blood? Or maybe…a little of both?

Oh, yes, I still love it. More every time I see it, in fact. :mrgreen:

And if you love it as much as I do, I’ve got a very special offer for you.  I would like to share this amazing piece of artwork by sending you an autographed cover flat for MUST LOVE VAMPIRES.  (Along with a handful of other fun goodies I’ve always got on hand for wonderful readers such as yourselves. ;-) )

If you’re interested, please contact me via my website with your name & mailing information, & I’ll get one out to you right away!  (U.S. residents only, please—with apologies; it’s not my fault overseas postages costs have gotten so high. :cry: )

And in the meantime, please remember that you can pre-order MUST LOVE VAMPIRES right now, if you like, so it will arrive on your doorstep the very day of its release.

Pre-Order at Amazon.com

Pre-Order at BN.com

Pre-Order at Book Depository

Happy reading!

with a cover like this, you MUST LOVE VAMPIRES

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
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One of the most exciting moments in any author’s life is when she gets her first glimpse of new artwork.  It’s the first time we get to see what our publishers’ art departments have been working on so stealthily behind the scenes.  The first time we get to see what our baby…I mean, book will look like when it comes into the world & starts showing up on store shelves.

Trust me, it is a total blast. :mrgreen:

And of course, once we get new artwork, we cannot wait to show it off.  To everyone.  We post it online, show up on our friends’ doorsteps unannounced, & carry a grainy print-out in our purses like pictures of grandchildren to whip out & force on complete strangers.  Oh, yes, we do.

Today is my day to do just that.  I am absolutely thrilled to finally be able to share the gorgeous new cover of my September 27, 2011 Kensington Brava title, MUST LOVE VAMPIRES:

Isn’t it just about the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen?  (Don’t try to deny it—you know it’s true. ;-) )

I’ve got a back cover blurb to share with you, too:

LOVE AT FIRST BITE

Nightclub dancer Chloe Lamoureaux just met the man of her dreams: Aidan Raines is charming, considerate, rich, and hot. Of course, he’s a little mysterious about his age. And his favorite drink. And he’s not much for sunlight. But he’s asked her to marry him, and she’s ready to do it. Sure, she has a few secrets too—but they’ll have plenty of time to work things out while they’re living happily ever after. Right?

Her identical twin sister, Chuck, isn’t so sure. Maybe reporting for the local Bigfoot-sighting tabloid doesn’t make her an expert, but to Chuck, Aidan and his brother Sebastian look like honest-to-Dracula vampires. Especially Sebastian: beguiling, seductive, and just a hint of dangerous. Maybe she wouldn’t mind him taking a little taste. But with Chloe’s life in the balance, she has to know—do they want hot love or hot blood? Or maybe…a little of both?

Can you say awe-some? I’m starting to get really excited about this one…& hope you are, too.

Actually, now that the cover has been revealed, MUST LOVE VAMPIRES is officially available for pre-order!  So if you want your copy as soon as humanly—or inhumanly *snicker*—possible, be sure to order today:

Pre-Order at Amazon.com

Pre-Order at BN.com

Pre-Order at Book Depository

(The Book Depository offers free shipping worldwide, by the way.  Yay!)

Soon, I should have cover flats, & will also be designing bookmarks to show off.  When I’ve got them, I’ll let you know—maybe we can have another fun giveaway & share those, too. :cool: