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Archive for vampire romance

Vegas & vampires & showgirls – oh, my!

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012
Heidi Betts Icon

Whenever I’m working on a new book, I suddenly become obsessed with movies & music & quotes that seem to go with the topic or characters of my latest story.

Vampire movies or TV shows aren’t terribly hard to find, but how about some of the great—& funny!—quotes I collected while writing my latest release MUST LOVE VAMPIRES?  I’m hoping they’ll amuse you as much as they amused me. :mrgreen:

“…always remember—just because you have a stripper name doesn’t mean you have to grow up to be a stripper.” (My Name is Earl)

“What’s up with these strippers not taking my singles? They must not like Kraft.” ~Megan Amram

“Luckily, in Vegas, it’s never too late for crazy to happen. Never.” (Raising Hope)

“That’s a feline.”
“That will drink you like a juice box.” (Psych)
[You may have to read the book to get this one. ;) ]

“I can play games, too. I once dated identical twins while pretending to be identical twins.” (Whitney)

“Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except herpes. That shit’ll come back with you.” (The Hangover)

“What happened to laying low?”
“Who lays low in Vegas?” (Race to Witch Mountain)

“…got married in Vegas.”
“Because, really, who doesn’t?” (Numb3rs)

“Nobody messes with the twins.” (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)

“How about a daytime ceremony in the park?”
“Fabulous. Enjoy your honeymoon with the big pile of dust.” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

“Since when do you give a crap about vampires?”
“Since, uh…what’s today, Friday?” (Supernatural)

Just because you’re stone cold dead doesn’t mean you can’t be stone cold hot.” (Mike & Molly)

“These days, all they care about are their iPhones & those kissing vampire movies.” (Grimm)

“Without mentioning vampires, I can’t tell you the story.” (from Laurell K. Hamilton’s Incubus Dreams)

“Somebody’s gotta stop reading those Twilight books.” (Raising Hope)

“And suddenly I’m thinking ‘suck’ isn’t a good word to use around vampires.” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

“Vampires. Always thinking with your teeth.” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

“You’re a vampire. Oh, I’m sorry, is that an offensive term? Should I say ‘undead American’?” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

“I love your pallor.” (The Simpsons)

“Back off, you unholy dreamboat!” (The Simpsons)

“You’ve never even been out of the abbey. How do you know about vampires?”
“I read.” (Van Helsing)

“Word to the wise—immortality is no excuse not to floss.” (Forever Knight)

“You thought Dracula was sexy?”
“Oh, no. He was yuck.”
“Yeah, except for the whole tall, dark, & handsome thing—yucko!” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

A man shouldn’t use immortality as an excuse to let himself go.” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life chasing after vampires. All I want to do is graduate high school, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, & die.” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie))

“Is that all I was to you—a one-bite stand?” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

“I happen to be very biteable, pal. I’m moist & delicious.” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

So what do you think—did they make you laugh? And do you have any favorites of your own that I might have missed?

even more to LOVE (+ a signed book giveaway)

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012
Heidi Betts Icon

(NOTE: The “Vampire Prize Packs” from June’s giveaway are packed up & ready to mail. With luck—read: as long as it doesn’t get too stinking hot again :sad: —they will be sent out this week, so watch your mailboxes!)

Now on to the fun stuff…

So y’all know my vamps-in-Vegas paranormal romance MUST LOVE VAMPIRES is being re-released in paperback on September 4th, right?

And y’all know that I wrote a short, extra happily-ever-after epilogue for the two couples involved titled ONE LAST BITE that was released separately in digital format.

But the intention was always to include the additional content at the end of any other editions of the book that were released.  And now, with the mass market paperback right around the corner, I am delighted to announce that IT IS!!!

This means that if you haven’t had a chance to read MUST LOVE VAMPIRES yet, or simply haven’t downloaded ONE LAST BITE (an epilogue to Must Love Vampires), you will now be able to get the whole vampires-in-Vegas experience in one volume! Super extra-special happily-ever-after for both couples & all! Yay!

It’s also a great excuse to add the paperback edition to your personal library, whether you’ve already read it in another format or not. I mean, new cover, new content…who could resist? ;-)

So mark your calendars for SEPTEMBER 4, 2012!

Or pre-order your copy today, & it will land on your doorstep just in time to get it read before Halloween. :mrgreen:

Order Your Copy Today

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

Books-a-Million :: Indiebound

The Book Depository (free international shipping) :: !ndigo :: Amazon.ca

In the meantime, I’m giving away an autographed copy of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES to one lucky visitor here today!

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what you’re most looking forward to about MUST LOVE VAMPIRES September 4th release.

Contest open only to U.S. & Canadian residents only.

Winner will be announced in the comment section sometime tomorrow (8/29/12).  Be sure to check back to see if you won!

Winner is responsible for contacting me with her mailing information to collect her prize.

Good luck & happy reading!

vampire prize pack giveaway!

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
Heidi Betts Icon

As promised, I’ve finally gotten a stack of fabulous cover flats for the upcoming paperback release of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES (September 2012) & I’m ready to give them away!

But not just cover flats…  I’m making this an extra-special Vampire Prize Pack Giveaway!  That means that in addition to a signed MUST LOVE VAMPIRES cover flat, you’ll also get a pack of “I Heart Vampires” sticky notes & some frightfully delicious vampire bite chocolate candies.  (While supplies last, of course. ;) )

Photobucket

(FYI, I know the chocolates are delicious because as I was putting together this picture for today’s post, I noticed that the foil was all wonky on one of them. And I couldn’t give someone defective candy, could I? :shock:   No! So I stepped up. Stepped up & ate it myself…because that’s the kind of selfless, giving author I am. And it was yummy. Frankly, you’re lucky I haven’t already eaten them all! :mrgreen: )

So who wants candy & a bunch of other terrific goodies?

U.S. & Canadian residents only, please.  But simply contact me via my website with your name & address, & I’ll pop one of these cute little prize packs in the mail to you.

And don’t forget to mark your calendars for September, when more than just the cover of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES will be available.

double the pleasure, double the fun

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
Heidi Betts Icon

Remember that old ABC promotion for their summer reruns:  “If you haven’t seen it, it’s new to you!”?

Well, if you haven’t read it yet, MUST LOVE VAMPIRES will be new to you, too.  :mrgreen:

That’s right—the showgirl twins & vampire brothers are back, turning Las Vegas hotter than the Mojave Desert all over again!

The mass market paperback edition of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES will be released in September with a brand new GORGEOUS cover!

I am feet-over-fangs in love with it, to say the least.  But what do you think?

And for anyone who was moderately annoyed with some of the mistaken character names on the back cover copy of the trade release of MUST LOVE VAMPIRES, I’m pleased to announce that they have been corrected & the blurb is 100% accurate this time around.

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?

I should have cover flats, so maybe next month, we’ll have a giveaway! :razz:

Win an ARC, Happy Valentine’s Month!

Friday, February 3rd, 2012
Rebecca Zanetti Icon

UPDATE:  Congrats to Bon for winning the ARC!

Hello all!  This is my first Brava post for 2012.  Not because I accidentally missed my January spot (which, let’s face it, was entirely possible), but because some stupid hacker took our site down for a couple weeks in January.  How, I have no clue.  I could no more hack an internet site than beat Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) in an arm wrestling contest.

I have to ask…why don’t these internet gurus use their genius for good rather than…annoyance.  Notice I didn’t say evil.  They’re not evil.  They’re just dumb@$#%s.  (I’m pretty sure I can’t swear on the Brava blog).

Anyway, I digress.   HAPPY NEW YEAR!  And since it’s now February, Happy Valentine’s Month!

I’m gearing up to promote both Tempted and Hunted.  Tempted is an e-novella from the Dark Protector series featuring Max, a tough Russian bodyguard, and Sarah, an ex-teacher who just escaped from a mental institution.  Really, it could happen to any of us.  Please note that you don’t need an e-reader to get Tempted.  You can use “Kindle for PC,” which is a free program from Amazon – you just read on your computer.  I use it all the time.  (I also have a new Kindle Fire I’m loving!)  Tempted will be released on March 27th.

Hunted is book three in the series and features Connlan Kayrs, the ultimate soldier, and Moira Dunne, a tough witch from Ireland.  The two accidentally mated a hundred years ago, and Conn gave Moira time to train as a witch.  Time is up.  Hunted will be released on April 24th.

Both books are available for pre-order now.  Hint.  Hint.

So, I’d like to give away an ARC of Hunted to a commenter here on the Brava blog.  The contest is open internationally and will close late Sunday night.  (Today is Friday here).  Feel free to just say hi, or answer a question.  Could you hack an internet site?  Have you ever been hacked?  Why do you want a Hunted ARC?  Do you think you could beat the Rock in an arm wrestling contest?

Must Love Vampires release day! (+ giveaway)

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011
Heidi Betts Icon

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
Heidi Betts Icon

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!)

Rebecca Zanetti Icon

UPDATE:  Random.org choose the winners this time around.  The ARC of Claimed goes to:  Heather Leonard.  The two signed copies of Fated go to:  Jeff Salter and Donna Bezio.  Congrats all!  I’ll be sending you an email asking where to mail these.

If you didn’t win…there’s another giveaway going on all week over at Good Choice Reading.  Click for the link:)

Hi all!  I’m working on revisions for Hunted, which is book 3 of the Dark Protectors.  Megan sent me ARCs of Claimed (book 2), and I would love to give one away here on the Brava blog today.   An ARC is an ‘advanced reader copy’ sent out to reviewers months before the book is released.  You know, I’d also like to give away two signed copies of Fated (book 1).  So, leave a comment below for a chance to win.  I’ll draw three names next Monday.

Here’s the blurb for Claimed: 

While geneticist Emma Paulsen appreciates vampire king Dage Kayrs rescuing her from the creepy Kurjan leader who wanted to mate with her, she wouldn’t have needed rescuing had the vampires not gone to war. And while she’s willing to spend one night fulfilling her fantasies with Dage, no way does she plan to stick around.

Whether the king happened to brand her flesh or not.

That is until her pregnant sister, Cara, contracts a Kurjan virus that will not only destroy the baby but strip Cara’s chromosomal pairs until she’s possibly less than human. A virus that can only be defeated by science and magic combined.  And the only way to save her sister is to suspend her disbelief and trust in Dage’s power and passion…

So, I’m curious what readers think about a continuing series.  Personally, I love staying in the same world with the same characters…it’s kind of like checking in with old friends.  Here are a couple of questions if you’d like to comment today.  The contest is open world-wide.  Answer one, answer all…or just say hi.  :)   Do you like a series?  Have you ever seen an ARC?  What do you have planned for the rest of the summer?

Heidi Betts Icon

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
Heidi Betts Icon

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!