The Day of Mel!

Happy Birthday to my awesome friend and writing-partner-in-crime, the one and only Mel! Most people celebrate their birthday on the actual day. Not Mel. She claims the entire month of March as her own, even calling it the Month of Mel (her posts are hilarious). But since today is the ACTUAL day, I'm giving her a shout out. Happy Birthday, my friend!


If you haven't read any of Mel's books, you are losing out. Her latest, Love Sucks! is as awesome as Mel is.

AJ Ashe is moving on. Sure she still has not-so-sisterly feelings for Ryan, her ex-boyfriend-turned-step-brother, but there’s a new vampire in town and his name is Alexander Archer. Caught between the desire to move forward with Sexy Lexy and being drawn to her past with Ryan, AJ thinks life couldn’t get anymore complicated. Yeah, right.

When her mother’s pregnancy is threatened, it looks like AJ’s long lost father is the only person who can save her. But Dad’s help comes with a price. AJ is forced join the evil side of her family, and a very creepy shape-shifting demon is there to make sure AJ cooperates. All this and she’s still got to plan the prom. Being a teenager is tough, but being a teenage vampire just flat out sucks. Pun totally intended.

Good things

First off, mea culpa! Please forgive my lack of blogging. Won't happen again. I promise. Well, I say that now, but you know sometimes life interferes with the best of intentions, so let me say that I promise to try not to let it happen again.

The winner of this last Tuesday's give away, All I Ever Wanted, is Marian Pearson Stevens. Marian, please email me at mariageraci1@gmail.com with your address. And congratulations!

So now for the good things:

1. My awesome friend and critique partner Mel had a fabulous review for her latest novel, Love Sucks! at Fresh Fiction. You can read it here. I'm so happy for Mel! She's an awesome writer and her books deserve the wonderful reviews they've been receiving.

2. My other awesome friend, Louisa Edwards' 3rd book in the Recipe for Love series came out this week. It's called JUST ONE TASTE and it too has been garnering fabulous reviews. I haven't read Louisa's latest, although it's on my list for things to do this weekend and I expect it to be as wonderfully entertaining and romantic as her first two books are.

Bad-boy chef Wes Murphy is dreading his final-semester cooking class—Food Chemistry 101—until he meets the new substitute teacher. Dr. Rosemary Wilkins is a feast for the eyes, though her approach to food is strictly academic. So Wes decides to rattle her Bunsen burner by asking for her hands-on advice—on aphrodisiacs…

Rosemary is a little wary about working with Wes, whose casual flirtations make her hot under the collar. But once they begin testing the love-enhancing power of chocolate, oysters, and strawberries, it becomes scientifically evident that the brainy science nerd and the boyish chef have some major chemistry together—and it’s delicious…

Doesn't that sound awesome? Hint: I'm going to be giving away this book next week, so check back on Tuesday to enter!

Hot Vampire Love give away

First off, aren't these just the most gorgeous covers ever?

I'm excited to announce that my good buddy, Kate Pearce aka Naughty Kate (take that as you will) has a new book coming out today. It's part of a hot new series featuring vamps in the time of Henry VIII. Yep, it's The Tudors meets vampires and it's sure to be a huge hit. The guy on the cover is so deliciously yummy I could... well, never mind what I could do. Just use your imagination.

And then there's the fabulous Love Sucks! by Melissa Francis whose follow up to last year's Bite Me! came out last week. Also a beautiful cover, sure to make teens and adults everywhere sweep it off the shelves. I'm half-way through the book and loving it as much as I did when I read the first rough draft.

Here's a little bit about Kiss of the Rose.

First in a sexy new series that takes a bite out of the court of King Henry VIII.

Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the English crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids that bound him and his heirs to the Druid’s deadly struggle against the Vampires. Ever since, the Llewellyns, an ancient Vampire slaying family, have been in the permanent employ of the monarchy.

Now Henry VIII is on the throne, and his father’s bargain has almost been forgotten. Until corpses drained of blood start turning up in the most inappropriate of places, including the king’s bedchamber. But are these people the victims of the Vampires-or of the Druids?

To save the king from a nameless assassin, Rosalind Llewellyn, Vampire hunter extraordinaire, must form an uneasy alliance with a known Druid slayer. Sir Christopher Ellis hails from a family that has protected the Vampires for centuries, yet Rosalind has no choice but to rely on his help. And with her life threatened and her loyalty tested, Rosalind may even have to acknowledge the unthinkable. This sworn enemy may be her soul mate.

Sounds awesome, doesn't it? I'm trying something new on my blog. As a writer, I love love love reading. And I also love free books! So, if you're smart enough to read my blog, you will now be rewarded for your great intelligence. Each week I'll be giving away a free book or 2. Books that I love, by authors that I love. So you can start loving them too (if you don't already!)

This week's giveaway will of course be Kiss of the Rose and Love Sucks! Just leave a comment here by Sunday and I'll use the random selector to pick a winner. Check back Monday to see if you've won! Only US or Canadian residents, please.

Off to Orlando!

In less than an hour or two (or whenever my last load of laundry gets dried) I'll be packing up the car and heading down to Orlando with Mel. It's the 30th annual Romance Writers of America conference and I plan to suck the marrow (and whatever else I can find) out of it. I spent all yesterday running errands, doing laundry (still!) getting groceries and trying to leave enough food for my men-folk who will be holding down the fort in Tallahassee.

If you're in the Mickey area, please stop by the "Readers for Life" Literacy signing. All the proceeds go to adult literacy foundations, plus you'll get to see some really BIG stars in the romance industry. Right now, I'm a little star, but I'll be there, signing copies of Bunco Babes Gone Wild. Will keep you posted and updated on the week's events.

Oh, and don't forget, Love Sucks! comes out today. Go but it!

Love Sucks!

Do you realize that just 2 days from now the sequel to last year's hot debut YA novel Bite Me! will hit the shelves? That's right. Love Sucks! by the incredibly talented, witty, fantastically awesome Melissa Francis comes out Tuesday. I read the uncopy edited version of this last year and it was fabulous. Can't wait to read it in print. Here's a short blurb:

AJ Ashe may have gotten rid of her vampire stalker and her evil ex-teacher, but things are hardly back to normal. For one thing, she still has to maintain a strict look-but-don't-touch policy with Ryan, her hot ex-boyfriend-turned-stepbrother. For another, she has to learn to control her vampire superpowers—which means more than a few dates with Lex, mind-reading professional vampire trainer and too-sexy-for-his-own-good bad boy. And as if that's not enough, she happens to be the key to her father's plans to take over the world . . . and he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants.

All this and she's still got to plan the prom. Being a teenager is tough, but being a teenage vampire just flat out sucks!


Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Run out Tuesday to your local bookstore and buy it! And get a copy for your favorite teenage girl. She'll love you for it.

Oh, and if you just so happen to live in the central Florida area, don't miss out on the "Readers for Life" literacy signing at the Romance Writers of America Conference to be held at the Swan and Dolphin Resort. It's Mel's first time signing and my second. Should be a blast! Here's a link with more info.