http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=10453

http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=2967

http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=2854

http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=2341

http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=2027

Bitten by Books is excited to welcome author Cheryl Brooks today as our featured Guest Blogger! She will be talking with you today and answering questions. Check out the contest at the end of this post! You could win the amazing prize she is offering up today!

****************************************************

Sex With an Alien?!?

Come on now, you know you’ve thought about it, haven’t you? A love affair with someone . . . different? While some may prefer vampires, werewolves, ghosts, or wizards, for me, it’s always been aliens. Thinking back to when I first began watching Star Trek, there was something about Mr. Spock that made him so much more intriguing than Captain Kirk! For me, it was his enigmatic persona, that seemingly emotionless man who did have some very strong emotions, though they were buried very deeply in his psyche. Kirk was easy: all you had to do was throw a scantily-clad beauty in his direction and he would go for her. But Spock? If you could inspire passion in that man, well, that would have been a truly remarkable feat! My favorite episode was the one where Spock actually did fall in love—granted, he had to be drugged by some mysterious alien plant spores to make it happen—but happen it did, and the tenderness in his touch and the note of warmth in his voice were well worth waiting for.

Not all aliens inspire that sort of response in me—never thought the little guys in ET would be any fun at all, nor would the slimy tentacled things in Independence Day—but there have been others that have captured my imagination. Take Jeff Goldblum in Earth Girls are Easy—in a heartbeat! With an alien like him, I would have been as “easy” as any Earth girl! And what about Klingons? Not in the original Star Trek, perhaps, but Worf in Deep Space Nine? Sure, he always said that human females were too “fragile” to mate with a Klingon, but didn’t you still want to give it a go? Some other Deep Space Nine favorites of mine were the Cardassians, Damar and Gul Dukat. Damar was just plain sexy, but Gul Dukat had that sexy evil thing going on with him. Yeah. Pretty hot!

When I sat down to write my own version of the irresistible alien, I wrote about guys who were not only the best lovers in the galaxy, but were so good that someone decided to eradicate them, making them very rare and highly prized. I’m not what you’d call a cat fanatic, but I have always admired cats for their sensuous nature, and it didn’t take long for me to invent an alien with feline traits, starting with the ability to purr! Then I added their exotic eyes and fangs, along with that aura of latent power and potential danger, coupled with some highly sensuous body language. I also like a man with curly hair—even more when it’s down to his waist!—and in tribute to Mr. Spock, I added his ears and eyebrows. All of these things I chose from other sources, but for their sexual equipment, I came up with something unique to their own species. For more details about that, well, you’ll just have to read The Cat Star Chronicles series!

And just the fact that they’re aliens isn’t that much of a draw for me—unless they have a good personality to go along with it. Even the most handsome human males don’t do a thing for me unless they have a good sense of humor and a great smile. Arrogance and belligerence are two traits that will turn me off quicker than flipping a switch; rakes might reform, but jerks rarely do. My Zetithian heroes are all man, but they aren’t overbearing about it; they love their women completely, and I think that’s their best quality.

We all have specific attributes about men that inspire and intrigue us, but we must have some desire for more otherworldly traits, or we wouldn’t be reading—or writing—paranormal romance, would we?

So, let’s hear from you! What are some alien characteristics you’d like to have in your romantic hero?

Readers please check out Cheryl’s website! http://www.cherylbrooksonline.com/
****************************************************

Questions and Contest: Now, I am going to open up the internet floor so to speak and let our readers ask Cheryl some questions and post about your holiday traditions. Feel free to post as many questions or comments as you like. They will be popping in and out today and tomorrow to answer them.

Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do ONE or ALL of these things, and each one will give an additional entries at a chance to win. Copy of Cheryl’s latest release Warrior

1. Ask Cheryl some questions. Ask as many questions as you like, each one is worth an entry. You can also start a stimulating discussion.

2. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter here on the right hand side of the site. This is for new subscribers only.

3. Post the link and and information about the interview here today (http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1995) at another blog, website, Myspace, Ning Group, Facebook, Yahoo Group (any group where it is appropriate) and you will be given TEN additional entries for a chance to win for every link you post. BUT you MUST come back here to this interview and post those links in one response here in this thread. The more places you post the event, the more entries you get, so spread the word! NOTE: if you post multiple links here, your post will not show up right away. If you don’t see it, don’t keep posting it, we WILL approve your entry later on in the day.

4. Purchase copies of Cheryl’s awesome books TODAY or TOMORROW and send us a copy of the receipt for your purchase to: racoo.smith @ gmail.com (no spaces) for TWENTY additional entries. You get TWENTY entries for each one you purchase. Not valid on past purchases. Click these links to buy her books:
Warrior
Slave

Books make GREAT gifts for friends and family anytime!

5. Add us as your friend on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bittenbybooks

Add us as your friend on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614064436

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BittenbyBooks

Then Twitter the URL for this event: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1995

Be sure to mention that you are friending us for this contest so we know to enter you!

6. Stumble, Digg or share the post with any social networking sites. There is a button right at the end of this post that says “Share” that you can use.

7. Join the The Blood Bank the Bitten by Books Community! here: http://bittenbybooks.ning.com/ then come back here and tell us your username. Be sure to post something about yourself on your blog there.

8. Read the Bitten by Books reviews of Cheryl’s books here:

http://bittenbybooks.com/?page_id=58&book_author_id=Cheryl%20Brooks

Then leave a meaningful comment IN THE REVIEW post that shows you read the review, not just a post that says “sounds good” or “nice review”, a couple of sentences would be great! Simply share your thoughts, ideas or opinions and show the author some love.

9. Add Cheryl’s website to your blog roll or links page: http://www.cherylbrooksonline.com/

10. Add Bitten by Books to your blog roll or links page: http://bittenbybooks.com if you leave our link up permanently you will always be entered into our contests automatically. Just be sure to stop by each contest we hold and leave the link to where it is so we can give you your entry!

11. Invite ALL of your friends! If your fiends come and post here and say you sent them, they get TWO entries and you get TEN entries! They have to tell us who you are so we know who to give the entries to. You can invite as many people as you want and get all the extra entries!

The contest will run through tomorrow 11/13/08 at 3:00 pm Eastern time to allow our East coast and international readers a chance to win too!

Be sure to include an email and name where we can contact you if you are a winner.

We will be awarding the book and announcing the winner to the Bitten by Books website later. And REMEMBER you can’t win if you don’t play!

SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Guest Blogger Cheryl Brooks”, url: “http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1995” });ShareThis

Tags: Aliens,Cheryl Brooks,Contest,FREE

Exclusive Bitten by Books

Interview with Author Candace Havens

A big welcome to our readers today! Be sure to read to the end of the interview to find out how to WIN the the great prize package being offered up today. The contest runs until 3:00 pm Eastern time tomorrow to give our east coast and international readers a chance to participate.

NOTE: this is not a fixed time event, the post just goes live at 8:00 am PST. You can stop by any time during the day or evening and leave your questions and comments.

Interview:

Hi Candace!

Welcome to Bitten by Books, we are excited to have you here today!

I would like to thank you taking the time to join us for the question and answer session with our readers. It has been very interesting to get to know more about you and what makes you tick as a writer! Readers, if you haven’t done so already please stop by and get your copy of Candace’s latest release The Demon King and I.

BBB: First off, CONGRATULATIONS on your release of The Demon King and I this week! Are you excited?

CH: Thank you for letting me hang out here today. I am so excited about the new release. Usually when I have a book coming out I get really nervous, but this time I’m just excited for everyone to jump into this new world I’ve created. These Caruthers sisters are so cool, and I’m totally living vicariously through them.

BBB: What do you find the most challenging aspect of writing?

CH: Focusing on one project at a time. I have so many ideas and my mind wanders, so I really have to tell myself, ‘We’re working on this right now.’ I’m also not super fond of editing, but it’s a necessity.

BBB: What is the most rewarding aspect of writing for you?

CH: I wish I could say just the writing, but I love it when someone comes up to me or emails and says, “I liked your book.’ It means so much to me when people get what I’m trying to do and connect with the characters and stories.

BBB: What or who was your muse that got you started writing?

CH: I’d been an entertainment journalist for a long time before I started writing fiction, but I’d always wanted to write a book. A journalist friend suggested I should give it a try and I did. I loved it. It’s such a part of me now I can’t remember not writing fiction. Jumping in and out of new worlds, it’s the biggest high.

BBB: What do you feel are the benefits of the new electronic readers such as Kindle or the Sony Digital Book Reader to the environment?

CH: I heart my Kindle. I travel so much and I can carry my entire library with me. I also edit my manuscripts on there. I think it’s a wonderful thing, and it saves trees. Though, I still buy books. There’s nothing quite like the experience of having an autographed in your hands, or the smell of the paper. Here’s a little TMI, I sometimes stand in the middle of the bookstore and just sniff. I love the smell of books. (I know, I’m weird.)

BBB: What impact do electronic readers create on the bottom line for authors in the end? Do you feel they have a negative impact or positive, or no impact at all that you can see?

CH: I honestly don’t know. It’s in my contract that I get paid for electronic. As long as people are buying your book, it’s a good thing.

BBB: Who among your characters is your favorite and why?

CH: That’s like picking a favorite child. I can’t do it. Sorry. I love Bronwyn, she’s a powerful witch who protects the British Prime Minister in my first series. She’s so funny. But I also love all my Caruthers Sisters. They are strong, funny, sexy and each has a very distinctive personality.

BBB: How do you like interacting with your fans at events? Do you feel shy or are you right out there bigger than life?

CH: I’m a bigger than life kind of girl. I love the fans. Love chatting with them and meeting them. I just love talking about books in general. And I’m very easy. Tell me you like my books and I’m your BFF.

BBB: Can you tell us if there are any sequels planned for The Demon King and I or your Bronwyn the Witch series and when we can expect them? Or what your next releases will be if they are stand alone titles?

CH: There are more books in the Caruthers Sisters series. The next one is Dragons Prefer Blondes, you can see the new cover on my website. I would love to do more Bronwyn and Kira books at some point. I love those characters.

BBB: Succubus or Vampire. Which would you choose to be and why?

CH: LOL, No one has ever asked me that. I’m all about the vampires. I’m a night owl. It might be tough for me though, because I love garlic. (Smile).

BBB: In your Bronwyn the Witch series, how would you describe the writing style? Is it serious dark paranormal or a cross between chick lit and paranormal?

CH: We call it contemporary fantasy. It’s written in diary form and it’s very tongue-in-cheek. There are dark moments in all my books, but they are also funny.

BBB: How do you keep track of your characters and world building?

CH: I had to start writing everything down in a big journal, so I could keep with everyone. Same with the world building. I couldn’t remember from one book to the next how I did certain things, so I had to start writing it all down. I also make small collages with all my characters so I can remember what they look like.

BBB: What is your favorite paranormal book of all time?

CH: OMG. You have to be kidding. I honestly can’t do it. Um. Nope I can’t pick just one. But I can tell you a funny story. After I wrote Charmed & Dangerous, and before it came out, I started to freak out a little. I’d never seen a book quite like mine and I was worried people wouldn’t get it. My friend Shannon took me to a bookstore and pulled out Undead and Unemployed by Mary Janice Davidson. I sat down and cried. There were other people with a warped sense of humor just like me. (Smile)

BBB: What do you like to do in between all the time you spend writing?

CH: I don’t have a lot of between time. I have a day job I love too, writing about celebrities, TV and film, and I also do radio. Oh, and I have two sons, though they are older and don’t need me as much.

BBB: What did you do before you became a writer? Do you write full time?

CH: I write for the day job and the novels, so yes I do write full time.

BBB: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with our readers here today?

CH: Oh, I don’t know about wisdom, but I love books more than just about any other kind of entertainment. If you read mine, I hope you know they are written with great passion and love. I love to tell a story. I just hope you guys enjoy them.

Hey everybody! Be sure to check out Candace’s sites!

http://www.candacehavens.com/

http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/blog/

****************************************************

Questions and Contest: Now, I am going to open up the internet floor so to speak and let our readers ask Candace some questions. Feel free to post as many questions or comments as you like. She will be popping in and out today and tomorrow to answer them.

Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do ONE or ALL of these things, and each one will give an additional entries at a chance to win. One lucky participant will be chosen to win an amazing prize package that includes a copy of The Demon King and I and a Amazon.com Gift Card!!

1. Ask Candace some questions. Ask as many questions as you like, but only two of your questions count towards entries, two questions, two entries. You can also start a stimulating discussion.

2. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter here on the right hand side of the site. This is for new subscribers only.

3. Post the link to the interview here today (http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1793) at another blog or website and you will be given FIVE additional entries for a chance to win for every link you post. BUT you MUST come back here to this interview and post those links in one response here in this thread. The more places you post the event, the more entries you get, so spread the word! NOTE: if you post multiple links here, your post will not show up right away. If you don’t see it, don’t keep posting it, we WILL approve your entry later on in the day.

4. Purchase copies of Candace’s awesome books TODAY or TOMORROW and send us a copy of the receipt for your purchase to: racoo.smith @ gmail.com (no spaces) for TWENTY additional entries. You get TWENTY entries for each one you purchase. Not valid on past purchases. Click these links to buy her books:

The Demon King and I

Like a Charm

Bronwyn The Witch series in the order they should be read:
Charmed & Dangerous
Charmed & Ready
Charmed & Deadly

Books make GREAT gifts for friends and family anytime!

5. Add us as your friend on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bittenbybooks

Add us as your friend on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614064436

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BittenbyBooks

Be sure to mention that you are friending us for this contest so we know to enter you!

6. Stumble, Digg or share the post with any social networking sites. There is a button right at the end of this post that says “Share” that you can use.

7. Twitter the URL for this event: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1793

8. Read the Bitten by Books reviews of Candace’s books here:

http://bittenbybooks.com/?page_id=58&book_author_id=Candace%20Havens

Then leave a meaningful comment IN THE REVIEW post that shows you read the review, not just a post that says “sounds good” or “nice review”, a couple of sentences would be great! Simply share your thoughts, ideas or opinions and show the author some love.

9. Add Candace’s Blog to your blog roll or links page: http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/blog/

10. Add Bitten by Books to your blog roll or links page: http://bittenbybooks.com if you leave our link up permanently you will always be entered into our contests automatically. Just be sure to stop by each contest we hold and leave the link to where it is so we can give you your entry!

11. Invite ALL of your friends! If your fiends come and post here and say you sent them, they get TWO entries and you get TWO entries! They have to tell us who you are so we know who to give the entries to. You can invite as many people as you want and get all the extra entries!

The contest will run through tomorrow 11/6/08 at 3:00 pm Eastern time to allow our East coast and international readers a chance to win too!

Be sure to include an email and name where we can contact you if you are a winner.

We will be awarding the AMAZING prize package and announcing the winner to the Bitten by Books website later. And REMEMBER you can’t win if you don’t play!

SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Author Interview And Contest With Candace Havens”, url: “http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1793” });ShareThis

Tags: Amazon Gift Certificate,Author,Author Interview,Bronwyn the Witch Series,Candace Havens,Contest,FREE,Interviews,Like A Charm,The Demon King And I

<!– –>

Recently:

• Eternal Seduction by Jennifer Turner
• Calling By Jack Brokenshire
• Romancing Rebecca by Amber Polo
• Author Interview And Contest With Candace Havens
• Charmed & Ready by Candace Havens
• Charmed & Dangerous by Candace Havens
• Author Interview And Contest With AJ Hampton
• The Book Giveaway Carnival! Over $748 in Books and Goodies!
• Cimmerian City by Rae Lindley
• Better Off Undead Edited By Martin H. Greenberg and Daniel M. Hoyt

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!