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Saturday 27 October 2007

SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS

Jules Gerard has vowed that he will never become a Killer. But when he discovers that the man who turned him into a vampire is dead and kicking in Baltimore, the allure of extra power is tempting.

Standing in his way is a human, spitfire Hannah Moore, who has followed him to Baltimore to help him confront his past. Hannah doesn't seem to realize how dangerous vampires can be--and despite his façade of disdain, Jules has a real soft spot for the petite P.I.

Jules is going to have to choose: vengeance or love? Damnation or redemption?

This is the second book in the Guardians of the Night Series by Jenna Black.

We met both of these characters in the first book. And I have to admit that I was instantly interested in them. So, it was really cool to read Hannah and Jules' story.

I finished it last night, and boy was it good! It was an excellent story, honestly. I can't wait to get stuck into the third one... which is already on my bookshelf. Lol. This one's going to be Gabriel's story, and since I was intrigued by him in this book, I can't wait to see what happens there. Looking forward to reading about his redemption. Love redemption stories about bad boys. Though, I really liked him in this book. Even if he was a violent SOB, there was still something about him...

Anyway, there was plenty of action, romance, revelations, and just about everything else in between. Hannah's a very real character who has to deal with a vampire hellbent on revenge. Of course, when you find out why, you can totally understand why Jules wants Ian dead. I loved the way the relationship between Hannah and Jules developed. And was totally shocked at how the book ended. I loved that!

Can't tell you why, but just take my word for it.

This is turning out to be an awesome series, and I can't wait to see what else Jenna's got planned for the Guardians. :D

Sunday 21 October 2007

THE ULTIMATE BITE

One dark, wild night a mysterious stranger seduced Kim Wright, changing her forever. He did wicked things to her, things she'd never dared dream of.
He even bit her! And by doing so, he transformed Kim from an inexperienced mouse to a sinfully sexy woman.

A woman who craved more of what only Stephen could give her.

Now, a year later, Kim has finally found Stephen again. And she still wants him, desperately. But Stephen's not like other men. He can't get attached to any one woman. Still, he can't resist sinking his teeth into Kim just one more time.

Too bad Kim's not going to let Stephen get away that easily.

Oh, I loved this book! It was so good. Of course, I love this writer's style. She's totally awesome, and writes some fantastic vampire tales. You've gotta check her out. She's very cool.

Anyway, I'm very impressed with these Extreme Blaze books, so far. And since I'm hoping to write one myself, it's totally cool.

If you enjoy a good story, read this. If you enjoy reading about interesting characters with flaws and real life situations, with a paranormal edge thrown in, read this. If you enjoy a sexy, sensual connection between hero and heroine, read this. Oh, and I loved The Lost Boys quality to it, too. I know there's going to be a follow up to this one, so I can't wait!

Well, I guess there's no more to say but read it. ;)

Monday 15 October 2007

One Movie & a Bunch of Shows

This weekend, it was my turn to pick a movie to watch. So, what did I pick? 28 Weeks Later, of course. :D This is a movie I'd been waiting to watch for a while. I absolutely LOVED the first one. So, I just had to see what else they were going to do with this story...

It starts with a different bunch of survivors, which I thought was super clever. You know, you only ever see a bunch of people, and it makes you wonder who else is out there, right? So, this concept totally grabbed me.

One thing about this movie that I really enjoyed was the pacing. It moved very quickly, especially whenever those rage-infected people were on screen. And man, I don't want to give away any spoilers here, but my gosh, something happened in this tale that really blew me away. I never expected it, but totally loved it! It was gory, but awesome and clever.

The two kids in this flick sure are annoying. You know how kids just don't listen and do whatever the hell they want anyway? Yeah, these guys are exactly like that. Lol. I guessed the ending, but who cares? What can I say? I'm totally in a zombie-state of mind. Though these creatures aren't zombies. They're infected with the rage virus! ;)

I've read some very mixed reviews for this one, but I loved it! It totally kicked butt. I just hope they keep them coming. I want to see 28 months later next. Heeee. Heeeee.

We also caught up with our fave TV shows. Wanna know the to-watch list? Here it is: Californication, The Sopranos, Heroes, House and Life. Oh, and Supernatural will be added this week. Yay!

Here's an update on what I'm thinking about each show:

Californication: This is so darn funny and vulgar. You just gotta love it.

The Sopranos: Like always, WTF? I totally knew Christopher would cop it this season, but didn't expect it to go down like it did. And man, we've got 3 eps left. You know what? As much as I love this show, I'm glad it's going to end soon. Tony's really annoying the hell out of me this season.

Heroes: Oh man! I'm LOVING it so far. Lotsa cool things going down here!!!

House: Yeah. Love this show, but this ep bugged me a bit. The concept of having 20+ people doing his bidding isn't as exciting as the team of 3 he usually has. I miss Chase, Cameron and Foreman.

Life: We kinda missed the first ep, but man, this one was totally cool. Really enjoy the way this cop works. :)

Bionic Woman: As you've probably already noticed, this one's no longer on the list. We watched ten minutes of the second episode and shut it off. That line about forget Mr. Right and worry about Mr. Right Now (or something like that) was totally crap. Just didn't fit into anything, IMO. The bionic chick is totally annoying. And a little multiple-personality, if you ask me. She seems to morph into a completely different person, with a new attitude every few minutes! I reckon they wasted their money on her. ;) So, we're not watching this anymore. It's being cut from the list!

And there you have it. Of course, I've got plenty more to say, but I'll leave it at that.

My daughter goes back to school today. And I intend to use my time wisely.

Hope everyone starts off the week well.


 

Tuesday 9 October 2007

Hello New Week!

I can't seem to get away from the vampires. I mean, why would I want to? Right? Lol.

I finished a vamp book the other night, and without even realising it, picked up another one yesterday. But hey, I'm fine with that. I enjoyed the first one in this series a lot!

Oh, and I got through the final draft of my Vampire Oracle DEATH novella the other day. It took me a little longer than I thought it would, because of the detail thing I mentioned the other day. But it's now finished and waiting in the CP submission queue. So I won't think about it for a bit... okay, that's probably a lie. I always think about the stories I sub! ;) Still, if I keep busy with other tales, that'll keep me busy.

So, Aussie TV has done something different this year. For the first time ever, they've decided to play the new seasons for US shows about 2 weeks after they're on in America. The lag is a little annoying, because I have to make sure I don't read any spoilers on blogs, etc. But let me tell ya, the hubby and I are loving this! Honestly, Oz is usually behind by about 5-6 months. So, this is very cool.

We watched HOUSE and HEROES. Man, they're such cool shows! HOUSE gave me goosebumps. That medical stuff can creep me out sometimes. HEROES made me feel all giddy again, about how much I love this show! It's very cool. And once again, they're throwing us into the thick of things. Gotta love that. And don't you love that they saved the world at the end of season one and now have to go back to normal, everyday life? That's awesome! Yikes!

The other show we were both pretty excited about is THE BIONIC WOMAN. We watched the first ep, and I was left a little... disappointed. First, it's not at all like I expected. That's not a bad thing, I love unpredictable angles. But the main chick, I'm not feeling it with her. There's something about her. To be honest with you, I'm more intrigued by the blonde psycho chick. Now that's a story I wanna know about. But still, even that doesn't hit the spot. I don't know what it is, but it's missing something. We're going to give the second episode a go and see if we still want to watch it. With the amount of shows we have on our list already, I refuse to waste time on something I'm not completely and utterly enjoying!

Which brings me to the final season of THE SOPRANOS. My gosh. These people are so f***ed up. Honestly, they crack me up. In a bad way. Still, this season is as addicting as all the others were before it. We've got 4 eps left, and I can't help but wonder what the hell's gonna happen.

Oh, are any of you guys watching CALIFORNICATION? The hubby and I get a kick out of this show. Duchovny's so cool in it. A bit of an ass, but he's funny. I like the adult content too, haven't seen a show like that since Six Feet Under and Sex and the City, which I loved! It's funny too.

SUPERNATURAL returns next Monday night. I can't wait to catch up with the Winchester boys. Yay!

We also watched a movie called, HOT FUZZ. Have you guys heard of this one? It's got the guys from SHAUN OF THE DEAD (love that movie!) and it was a riot! You know those kind of movies that you can't believe where it's going and totally unlike you thought it would be? Yeah, that's what this was like. My gosh, it was so darn funny! This is worth checking out.

Anyway, that's a lot of show and movie talk, isn't it? Don't worry, I've also been reading... as you can tell from my previous three posts. ;)

The hubby went back to work today. He had yesterday off for his birthday, which was mega cool. And my daughter's got one more week before she goes back to school. We had some fun on Friday afternoon making some bracelets and book thongs. She loves to do beading together. It's cool.

On the cards for today - writing wise - is the first edits for my Forbidden Publications story, BLOOD CHASE. I'm about halfway through. Yeah, lappy died on me before I could get too far. But that's okay. I'll get back to it. The cool thing about this is the timing. I was planning to write the next installment this week. Reading the first one is always a good way to get into the characters again.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

POSTCARDS FROM THE DEAD



Cassandra Moore is the personal property supervisor at the coroner’s office in charge of giving the decedents’ possessions back to the grieving families. She’s often also able to give them other information. For she receives postcards sent by dead residents of the morgue.

Drew Brinkman is a journalist for The Chronicle. Given the assignment of reporting the historical facts of the ghosts of San Josue for the Halloween edition, Drew decides to give the old story a new twist. He’s going to lay those ghosts to rest once and for all, starting with the ones sending postcards from the morgue.

I finished reading this very cool story on Sunday night. It's written by fellow CP author, Ericka Scott. And I loved it! It was one of those stories that throws you deep into the narrator's problems, and you can't wait to see how it's all going to turn out. It was also surprising and unpredicatable, which I always love in stories!

The paranormal and mystery elements are blended in so well that it's a seamless read. We had a busy weekend, so I actually had to read it in two sittings... and I couldn't wait to get back to it.

This was a lovely and touching Halloween tale. You should check it out! I really enjoy Ericka's voice, too.

Sunday 7 October 2007

KISS ME DEADLY

Death cocktail is what the vampires call a witch's blood. It's poisonous—a drop will destroy a vampire within minutes. Nikolaus Drake is the rare vampire who has survived his first taste. Now he's on the hunt for the witch who almost brought him to his demise— Ravin Crosse.

A witch who spends her nights hunting vampire tribes, Ravin has three obligations to fulfill to set her soul free. One of those obligations—crafting a love spell— twists her world upside down when Nikolaus draws the spell from her veins. Natural enemies rarely make the best bedfellows—but is it possible their intentions are really, truly the same? Can Nikolaus's tribal loyalty survive if he surrenders to desires far darker than his own?

This is the second Bewitching the Dark book. I really enjoyed the first one, and since we met Ravin, the heroine in that tale, I was intrigued. Couldn't wait to see what she got up to in this book.... and well, it didn't disappoint! What a cool read. I really wanted to get through this one very quickly, but other things kept getting in the way. :/

Anyway, by Friday afternoon, I decided that I was going to get to the end no matter what. And boy am I glad I did.

Both Nikolaus and Ravin had great voices that really sucked me into the story. I also loved the concept of this story, two enemies drawn together by a love spell. It was a wonderful way to throw them in the deep end and then have to get them to rise above it. I was quite surprised at how it all came together. Of course, that's a great thing.

I really enjoy reading Michele's books, and I love how she tackles the world of the vampires.

This is one you just have to read if you're into vamps. ;) So many cool concepts here, and a rich world of the paranormal. Check it out!

ISOSCELES TRIANGLE


Dr. McAllister finally succeeded in his life's work by creating Adam, the world's first clone cyborg. Adam, however, only has one thing on his machine mind--bedding Dr. McAllister’s assistant, Chelsea. Chelsea has loved David for years, but if his cyborg clone is all she can get—will she take it?

Well, this is another CP Tryst that I read the other day. Yikes! Was it hot. Man, these Cobblestone chicks really know how to write hot! ;) But seriously, I really enjoyed the premise of this story. I love it when a machine makes the humanity and emotion rise out of humans. It's so cool.

Summer's eBook was a great little story, with real characters and an outcome that will satisfy every reader. Of course, by the time you get to the end you would've been satisfied in another way already. And BTW, isn't that cover gorgeous?


I really enjoyed it. Can't wait to see what other deliciously naughty stories Summer will have available in the future...

Friday 5 October 2007

OMG! I'm surrounded by vamps!

Well, I'm back in the world of the vampire. And I'm certainly not complaining, because I love vamps. ;)

<--- Isn't this pic pretty? I got it from Glitter Graphics. There are some lovely pics over there. I really wish I could be more artistic. Lol. I'm always amazed at some of the work I find on the internet. Amazing!

I was actually planning to get the third draft of my Vampire Oracle DEATH novella done yesterday, but things didn't go according to plan because of certain details that I needed to research. Isn't it amazing when something which will only add to one sentence, requires quite a bit of research? That's exactly what happened to me. But that's fine. It's made the story that much better, and the description realistic.

This is also the first story I'm setting outside of Sydney. :/ It was a lot of fun. But now I wish I could visit Savannah. It just sounds and looks so beautiful...

Anyway. I changed my goal and decided that today is the day. I would like to have the DEATH novella finished by this afternoon. So far, I've done 64/88 pages. So it looks as if it may be possible. If I do this, it'll mean that I met all my personal writing goals for this week. Yay!

So, not only am I revising the vamps, but I'm also reading a vamp book. I usually don't do that, I like to read about a different (paranormal) subject to what I'm writing. But it doesn't matter because I'm really enjoying this book. Have you read it?

Okay, better get started with the day. I'm hoping to get a few other things done today, too.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday 2 October 2007

October here we come!

Well, we had a long weekend here in Oz. It was Labour Day yesterday, so that was cool. Except, it sucks when the hubby has to go back to work. And this week, I've got my daughter with me. :/ She's lovely and everything, but can sure suck the creativity outta me...

Anyway.

The other night we watched SUNSHINE. It's a Sci-Fi flick that I'd really been looking forward to watching... but don't you hate it when it doesn't end up being all that great? I think it was probably my fault. I hyped it up so much in my own head that there was no way it would reach the expectations I had.

The concept of the sun dying and having to send a bunch of experts to relight it sounded great to me. But there were too many plot holes. The characters weren't likeable. The humanity was missing. There were too many questions left unanswered. I mean, I'm all for the reader/viewer coming up with their own conclusions, but this was a bit too much!

In the end, I really wanted to love it. I really did, but it was pretty average. Oh well.

Last night we also watched the TMNT movie with my daughter. It was pretty good. I used to love watching the 90s cartoons. They've really changed it a lot, but the relationship and struggles between the brothers is pretty much the same. I really enjoyed it. My daughter laughed a lot! It was a fun movie.

Okay, I've got some NEWS, NEWS! Yay. I'm VERY excited to announce that my V-Day novella has been accepted as part of The Valentine Monologues 2008. Woooohoooo! This'll be my first first POV tale with CP, so that's ultra cool. It's called Valentine's Beast and deals with a dark subject that most wouldn't associate with the day of love... but you all know how I love to walk the edge of darkness. ;)

And wow, this morning I had an email waiting for me from Whispers. You all remember how I told you months ago that I entered a story in their Seven Wonders of the World Contest? I ended up focusing on the Sydney Opera House - Sydney, of course! ;) Anyway, my story came in at third place! OMG!!!! Can you believe it? It's called Selkie Skin and I can't wait to share it with everyone. Yay!

I'm SO excited. This is awesome news!

Well, I've got several things I want to get done during this week. With my daughter home it becomes a bigger challenge, though. I need to organise things to do with her as well. So... here's hoping that I get what I want to do done. Does that make sense? So far, I've already gotten the Beyond HellBlaze galleys done and emailed. So that's cool.

Wish me luck!
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