Felicity Heaton - Paranormal Romance Author (Books and Ebooks)

Her Demonic Angel - plotting, planning, and drinking lots of coffee

2012-01-28T17:40:00.000Z

Since returning from Barcelona on Thursday night, I've been busy with the Her Angel series. I skimmed through Her Guardian Angel to read the Veiron parts and remind myself of everything that happened in the book, and to remind myself of each character too. I haven't written anything in the Her Angel series since Her Guardian Angel came out last year, so I'm a bit rusty when it comes to the world and the characters.

I wrote notes for Her Demonic Angel yesterday, printed out those notes and numbered each scene. Then I numbered lots of small white cards and wrote a sentence about the corresponding scene on them. Following that I performed writer's magic, where I shuffle the cards and somehow they come out in the right order.

I've spent the best part of today writing up some other notes and then putting everything into order in the rough outline for the book. There are still some things for me to think about, namely the end and some parts in the middle. It's mostly together now though. I am tired now but I'm pleased that the story is beginning to take shape. I need to dig out my character bios for the series and create a new one for the heroine, Erin, and update the hero, Veiron, too.

Not all the previous characters in the series will be in this one but there is a reason for that, and it will be mentioned in the book. A few firm favourites will be making appearances, including Amelia and Marcus since Erin is Amelia's younger sister. Apollyon will have a part to play too.

I'm really hoping that I can get the book outline completed tomorrow so I can begin writing it on Monday. I have 15 writing days until my ear operation comes around and I want the book done by then. This means that I will probably have to write around 8000 words a day. I can manage that. Balancing everything else like blogging, touring, promoting, etc at the same time might drive me crazy, but it is necessary. I'm really not looking forward to my operation so perhaps Veiron and Erin's action-packed, crazy, and intense love story can keep my mind off it. The upside is, when I complete the first draft of Her Demonic Angel, I'll probably be around 50% done with my writing word count target for the year!

If you're not familiar with my best selling Her Angel series, then it's available in ebook and paperback. Here's a little more info about the books:

Her Dark Angel
Felicity Heaton
An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn’t called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it’s to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.

Serenity is shocked when a gorgeous black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He’s no other than the angel of death! When Apollyon offers to obey her and help her have revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can’t resist the temptation, but can she resist him? Can an angel as dark as Apollyon ever fall for a mortal woman like her?

Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Dark Angel is a tale of intense desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to get your heart racing.

Her Dark Angel is on offer for $0.99 on Amazon Kindle right now!

Available in e-book from:
Author's website | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France | Apple iBookstore USA | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada | Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Sony Reader Store | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble

Her Fallen Angel
Felicity Heaton
Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her pub three years ago. He’s stunning, his vivid green eyes lending to his otherworldly beauty, but he’s seriously out of her league. When he tells her that she’s beautiful and confesses that he wants her, she can’t resist him and his passionate kiss. She unleashes her desire and seizes the moment and Lukas with both hands. But Lukas has a secret, one that will test Annelie’s love for him and threaten to tear them apart.

He’s an angel.

Annelie can’t believe it when Lukas says that their feelings for each other aren’t a sin, but she can believe his pain when he tells her the reason he’s on Earth. He is fallen, cast out of Heaven as punishment for a crime he didn’t commit. Lukas isn’t about to give up and accept his fate though. He’s determined to prove both his innocence and his love for Annelie, and to show her that the intense passion they share is real.

When Lukas and Apollyon discover who framed him, will he be able to stop them from going after Serenity and Annelie? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?

Available in e-book from:
Author's website | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France | Apple iBookstore USA | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada | Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Sony Reader Store | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble

Her Warrior Angel
Felicity Heaton
Einar is one of Heaven’s best hunters and he’s on a mission to uncover why an angel was working with demons. When he finds the first demon fighting a beautiful woman named Taylor, he intervenes and saves her life. Taylor has spent her whole life protecting London from the lowest demons and she’s not about to let an angel waltz into her city and take over her job, and she’s certainly not about to fall in love with him, even if he is gorgeous. The reason why she can’t is simple—she’s half demon.

There is no love in this world more forbidden than that between an angel and a demon.

Sense tells Taylor to get out before she gets her heart broken, but she winds up convincing Einar to partner with her instead. Einar is certain that working with Taylor is a bad idea, and not only because he can’t focus when he’s around her, but he can’t let her go. The mission leads them deep into the city’s underworld, where old flames burn Taylor while new flames of passion and fear of the consequences consume them, and the threat of Einar’s demons hangs over them both.

Can a love so forbidden ever have a happy ending or are they destined to break each other’s hearts?

Available in e-book from:
Author's website | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France | Apple iBookstore USA | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada | Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Sony Reader Store | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble

Her Guardian Angel
Felicity Heaton
A simple mission becomes a fight for survival in this fantastic instalment in the Her Angel series.

A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior orders him to gain Amelia’s trust through seduction, Marcus starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has watched over since her birth.

Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he doesn’t turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there’s more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world—a world where God and the Devil exist, and only one angel can save her from death—Marcus, the angel she’s falling in love with.

On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by Marcus’s angel friends and their amazing women, fighting for survival against the odds, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.

A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.

Available in e-book from:
Author's website | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France | Apple iBookstore USA | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada | Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Sony Reader Store | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble

Covet Book Tour continues at Book Monster Reviews / Literal Addiction

2012-01-27T15:22:00.001Z

It's time for an update on my Covet Book Tour. I hope you've all been following the tour and are enjoying learning more about the series. There are some great posts about this vampire romance book and the Vampire Erotic Theatre series coming up so keep following it!

Don't forget, if you comment on the tour posts, you're also entered into my grand giveaway for six signed paperback copies of my paranormal romance releases of 2011. Sounds good, right? You can read all about it by clicking the Covet Book Tour button above!

I'm going to start keeping a different style of listing for the book tour now. It's easier for me to list all the dates and just keep adding the links in when the dates come around and the book tour posts go live!

COVET BOOK TOUR

JAN 23rd: Riverina Romantics - Author Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway
JAN 24th: Bona Fide Reflections - Introduction to the Book / Giveaway
JAN 27th: Book Monster Reviews / Literal Addiction - Character Interview / Giveaway
JAN 30th: Grave Tells - Writing the Book / Giveaway
FEB 1st: Madame D's Boudoir - Introduction to the Series / Giveaway
FEB 3rd: The Book Nympho - Character Interview / Giveaway
FEB 6th: Lush Book Reviews - Author Interview / Giveaway
FEB 7th: Rage, Sex and Teddy Bears - Author Interview / Giveaway
FEB 10th: Bookin' It Reviews - Exclusive Excerpt / Giveaway
FEB 14th: Page Flipperz - Character Interview / Giveaway
FEB 15th: Ex-Libris - Creating the World / Giveaway
FEB 16th: Reading Between the Wines Book Club - Exclusive Excerpt / Giveaway
FEB 17th: Bitten by Paranormal Romance - What's Next? / Giveaway

I wish I was writing more in this series at the moment, but I have to write Her Demonic Angel now so it's ready in time for its scheduled September release. I'll just have to wait until I've written it and then I can dive back into the series and write the final two books. It'll be nice writing a novel for a change though. I like to write novellas, but I do love the twists, turns and other things I can do only in a long novel.

Covet Book Tour delves into the world of Vampirerotique and other Vampire Erotic Theatre news

2012-01-24T17:47:00.000Z

Hot on the heels of my first date in my Covet Book Tour where I stopped by Riverina Romantics for an interview and shared an excerpt, plus giveaway, I'm visiting the fabulous Bona Fide Reflections and talking about the book, Covet, and the theatre, Vampirerotique!

Don't forget, if you comment on the tour posts, you're also entered into my grand giveaway for six signed paperback copies of my paranormal romance releases of 2011. Sounds good, right? You can read all about it by clicking the book tour button.

On Friday, I'll be at the wonderful Book Monster Reviews and Literal Addiction interviewing Javier and Lilah about the theatre. Full details of the tour is available on my Covet Book Tour page. The tour schedule gets busy after this week, with another four stops next week, three the week after, and four the week after that!

In other Vampire Erotic Theatre series news, I've just completed the first draft of Enslave. It finished at 33500 words but I think this one will grow a little in edits as I want to up the UST in the first half of the book. I really want to write the next book in the series, Bewitch, now so I can finally write Snow's book, Claim, but I can't.

Since Enslave is the final planned release in the series for the year, it means I have to switch my focus to another of my series that actually has a release schedule for 2012. I have to read Her Guardian Angel so I can plan and write Her Demonic Angel. Since I plan to release that book this September, I really need to get cracking on it. It's a hard life but someone has to live it. I was going to read Her Guardian Angel when I'm in Barcelona over the next couple of days but I think I'll read something by Lara Adrian or Gena Showalter instead. I need a break from work.

Covet Book Tour kicks off and other Vampire Erotic Theatre news

2012-01-23T17:05:00.000Z

It's time to tour again. This year I'm trying to keep my book tours smaller and more focused, so I don't end up spending too much time writing tour posts when I could be writing. I really want to streamline things this year to maximise my writing time. I'm also offering touring with a difference for my paranormal romance books in 2012. There's a grand giveaway for each of my tours and the prize you can win simply by following the tour and commenting on the posts is six signed paperback copies of my paranormal romance releases of 2011. Sounds good, right? You can read all about it by clicking the book tour button.

The first stop on the Covet Book Tour is at Riverina Romantics where I was interviewed by the lovely Kristen. I'm also hosting a giveaway there. So why not hop on over to the blog, read the interview, enter the giveaway, and don't forget to leave a comment on the main post so you're entered into the grand giveaway too! Visit Riverina Romantics and read the interview

Tomorrow, I'll be at the wonderful Bona Fide Reflections talking a little about the book. Full details of the tour is available on my Covet Book Tour page.

In other Covet news, I've had some more amazing reviews come in for the book. I'm utterly floored by the love this erotic vampire romance book and series is getting. Seriously.

"This is the first book in Felicity Heaton's Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series and I have to say she is off to a very good start. This series seems to have a darker, sensual vibe to it and definitely more erotic... A wonderful addition to the paranormal erotic romance genre and one that will be a favorite for many."
-- Bitten by Paranormal Romance, 5 Stars! (Read the full review)

"I was completely in love with Ms. Heaton’s writing style and ability to bring me into the scenes. Every emotion that Javier and Lilah felt, I felt and was able to connect that much more to them and the story. Her vivid imagery of the world, settings and characters brought the book to life and made it burn."
-- Hesperia Loves Books, 4 Stars! (Read the full review)

"This story for me was extreme heat at its finest as it felt like a long seductive and sensual foreplay between Javier and Lilah... The author, Felicity Heaton, created a theater, which made me feel as though I wanted to be apart of it with its erotica performances. Fans of paranormal erotica will surely feel satisfied once they’ve reached the end of this story of forbidden love."
-- Romance Novel Junkies, 4.5 Stars! (Read the full review)

"Felicity Heaton depicts the Vampirerotique so vividly I had to look around just to make sure I was not on stage! Thanks to the writer gods for Felicity Heaton! I am looking forward to Novella #2"
-- Queentutt's World of Escapism, 5 Stars! (Read the full review)

Covet

Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

ebook price: $2.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 30000 words / Novella
Book 1 in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series

Available in e-book from:
Author's website
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr
iBooks US | iBooks UK | iBooks Australia | iBooks Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Manday Hotties - get your Monday mancandy fix!

2012-01-23T00:01:00.001Z

It's time for the Manday Hotties Hop again! Be sure to follow the links in the list below to get your full fix of hot sexy mancandy this Monday.

Snow, a vampire in my Vampire Erotic Theatre series, has been the man on everyone's lips these past couple of weeks so I thought I would find some pictures that sort of resemble him... but it's very difficult to get white-haired mancandy so you'll just have to either imagine it white or pretend Snow has dyed his hair.

Second one is going behind a cut because it's bordering on not safe for general audiences...

Mmm... Snow.

Don't forget to clicky click him to make him bigger!

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

Six Sentence Sunday - Another hot scene from Covet - erotic vampire romance novella

2012-01-22T00:01:00.000Z

My Six Sentence Sunday today is from my new release and is from the same scene as last week's offering. Covet is an erotic vampire romance and the first in my sexy new Vampire Erotic Theatre series of novellas.

Please take a moment after reading and comment (comments are nice) to visit the Six Sentence Sunday site to find the other great authors who are participating, or check out the #sixsunday tag on Twitter!

A little setting info for the scene: Lilah is cleaning empty private boxes during one of the performances at the erotic theatre where she works. She tries to keep her eyes off the show on stage involving vampires and thralled humans, but when her boss and the object of her forbidden affections comes to question her about an incident, she can't block out the show, especially when he turns her to face them and tells her to watch them while he touches her.

Lilah nodded and bit back a groan when Jaiver slid his hands down over her stomach and then around to her backside, palming it through her short dress. He suckled the lobe of her ear and then kissed her throat and ran his hands up her sides, pressing them in hard as he passed over her ribs. He cupped her breasts and stepped into her. The feel of his erection against her bottom sent a new hot flood of arousal pooling between her thighs.

“You cannot deny me this,” he uttered into her ear and she trembled at the command in his tone, the hunger that roughened it. “I will have you.”

I had promised I would share more from this scene... so I hope you all enjoyed it!

Covet

Snag yourself some fantastic paranormal romance paperbacks in the Shameless Giveaway-Hop

2012-01-20T00:01:00.000Z

In the spirit of all things hot and sexy (abs, serratus muscles, pectorals and that delicious V spot some men have) I am participating in the fantastic Shameless Giveaway Hop hosted by the wonderful Jen (Red Hot Books), Brie (Romance Around the Corner) and Michelle (Michelle's Book Blog)

First, a word from my (I wish) regular Manday Hottie... Just to get you all in a shameless sort of mood!

The Shameless Giveaway Hop will run from January 20th to 27th. My giveaway is open internationally so anyone around the world can enter, but I am giving away adult paranormal romance books... so if you're a bit young to be reading hot love scenes, please don't enter.

THE PRIZES

One signed paperback copy of Heart of Darkness, plus signed book cover postcards, bookmarks and romance trading cards
One signed paperback copy of Ascension, plus signed book cover postcards, bookmarks and romance trading cards

HOW TO ENTER

Subscribe to this blog using the form below. You must subscribe via FeedBurner to participate. GFC doesn't count since they're getting rid of it in March.
Fill in the Rafflecopter form.
Leave your name and email address in a comment.
If you want to do the extra entries, feel free to do them! I'm having an amazing giveaway for six signed paperbacks at my Facebook page too.

SUBSCRIBE AND ENTER

a Rafflecopter giveaway

VISIT THE OTHER BLOGS IN THE HOP

Vampire Erotic Theatre Series: More fantastic reviews for Covet and now writing Enslave!

2012-01-19T16:56:00.000Z

I didn't blog yesterday as I had a day off with my DH. I'm back today, have you missed me?

Things are going really well for my Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series. Covet has been the book on everyone's lips and it has been receiving some fairly amazing reviews. The Snow fan club is growing each day and Snow is preening himself like a male peacock. He has to look good for the ladies. I swear this guy is shooting you all down with nothing but a sexy growl and a wink.

Of course, with all the love for Covet comes all the high expectations. And with those high expectations comes a heck of a boat load of pressure. I find myself panicking about Crave and whether it's going to be good enough for everyone after the hotness that was Covet. The book is hot, make no mistake, and chocked full of forbidden love between the elite vampire Callum and the sassy werewolf Kristina, but I'm still worrying about it. I'm sure when I read it over for its final proof, I will be fine with it and will relax a little.

With Seduce, the third book, wrapped up in first draft, I decided to plunge straight into writing Enslave today. Enslave is now standing at 7700 words and I had to force myself to stop writing so I could do my other work for the day. That's surely a good sign. There's already a fantastic dynamic between Andreu (Javier's younger brother) and the fae heroine Varya. Yes, you read that right. She's a fae. She's a succubus in fact.

Varya is the first fae I have written and I'm having fun with her so far, meddling with the whole myth behind her species and making it my own. There are other fae in the series, and in particular the next book I have planned. I've found I really like mixing in fae with werewolves, vampires and other supernatural creatures.

I had always been reluctant to toy with fae before because I felt that everyone was doing fae so well that I wouldn't stand a chance, but I couldn't resist bringing the fae into this series. I really hope you like my take on them!

My 7700 word start on Enslave has boosted my year's word count to 52700 though, so I'm already 13.2% of the way towards my target!

Here are some snippets of the amazing reviews that Covet received recently.

"I loved this novella and was able to finish it over the course of two nights. Believe me when I say it was hard to put down that first night! Felicity Heaton's first erotic story is one that shouldn't be missed and I am already counting the days until Crave, the second book in her Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance series hits digital shelves in March!"
-- Night Owl Reviews, 4.5 Star Top Pick! (Read the full review)

"Can Felicity Heaton write the steamy or can Felicity Heaton write the steamy? ... Fast paced and entirely too fun, Felicity Heaton's vampires are well-fleshed out and will leave you waiting impatiently for the next book in the series."
-- Reading the Paranormal, 5 Stars! (Read the full review)

"This was a very interesting new brand of vampire for me. Set in present day, yet it had an almost historical feel with the various levels within the vampire social hierarchy. There are also many rules that must be followed in their world. I truly feel that rules are supposed to be broken. Javier and Lilah feel the same way I do about rules... Their sex scenes are highly erotic. There is a spicy blend of voyeurism, mild bondage, mild dominance and some very intense sex scenes. The performances of the theatre are an added bonus to the flames that Javier and Lilah are throwing."
-- The Jeep Diva, 5 Stars! (Read the full review)

"With a unique plot and some of the most erotic scenes I've read (and I've read my fair share of them!), Covet is not for the shy but definitely for the smut lover. If you're new to Ms. Heaton's work, this book will make her an instant favorite, and if you're just looking for a spicy novella to get you out of a reading funk, this book will no doubt do the trick!"
-- Romancing the Dark Side, 4 Stars! (Read the full review)

Covet

Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

ebook price: $2.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 30000 words / Novella
Book 1 in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series

Available in e-book from:
Author's website
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr
iBooks US | iBooks UK | iBooks Australia | iBooks Canada
Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

SEDUCE (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3) completed in first draft and series news

2012-01-17T15:58:00.001Z

Although I probably should have rested my shoulder yesterday, as it has been very bad for the past week or so and was hurting when I was writing, I ignored it and battled through the pain with the help of some meds. I know that probably isn't a wise thing, but I really needed to write and nothing can stop me when the mood strikes, especially when it strikes as hard as it did yesterday.

My word count and progress on Seduce rose nicely yesterday, bringing me 9000 words closer to the end and up to around 40,000 words. Seduce is turning out a little longer than the first two books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series, but I think that's because Antoine has a lot in his past that he needs to get off his chest and then there's the whole thing with Snow, his older brother. Now that's a relationship you don't want to come between, although I'm beginning to suspect there are a large number of readers willing to play host to Snow's darkest desires. He's gaining himself quite a fan club. Or should that be fang club?

This morning I woke up and my shoulder was mercifully feeling much better. It's still dodgy, but it no longer hurts when I'm writing. My back is also acting up less. I bought a new office chair when I became a full time writer but I think I need something better for my posture. I have sucky posture. My own fault for living in front of a computer screen.

Back to Seduce.

I brought the book to a satisfying conclusion this afternoon, finishing with it standing at 45,000 words. It will probably grow a little when I edit it, or maybe it will shrink. There are a few things to iron out as the story shifted directions a few times when I was writing it but I'm sure a read through pre-edit will highlight anything that needs tweaking.

Now that Seduce is done, I will be moving on to planning the next three stories in the series, and also the next novel in the Her Angel series. Yes, my astute lovelies, you did read that right. I won't be ending the Vampire Erotic Theatre series on book 4. I am having far too much fun in this world and two candidates have stepped forwards, making their first appearance in Seduce, as the heroes of the extra books.

What does this mean and when the heck do I get my Snow fix? I hear you crying it.

It makes sense for the books to be added in at position 4 and 5, so Snow's book will be moved to book 6. He deserves the finale and I have more I want to do with him before we get to see his story unfold. I think it works better for the series if his book doesn't follow hot on the heels of Antoine's. It makes life far too easy for the brother's, and we all know I'm all about giving my heroes a hard time.

The first hero has already been mentioned in Covet, but not by name. He's Javier's brother, Andreu. The second is another elite vampire with a bit of a secret, and his name is Payne.

Andreu will now be the hero in Enslave, as that book title suits his story far more than it suits Snow's.
Payne's book will be entitled Bewitch.
Snow's book is tentatively entitled Claim.

So, the running order of the series is now as follows:
#1 - Covet (Javier and Lilah) - out now.
#2 - Crave (Callum and Kristina) - 10th March
#3 - Seduce (Antoine and Sera) - 23rd June
#4 - Enslave (Andreu and ?) - 4th August
#5 - Bewitch (Payne and ?) - December
#6 - Claim (Snow and ?) - January 2013

I'd love to get them out quicker but I need to tour with them and give myself time to promote them, and I also need to release Masquerade in my Vampires Realm series and Her Demonic Angel in my Her Angel series.

In other news, I'm considering writing a werewolf equivalent to Vampire Erotic Theatre next year. Interested?

I feel I should duck and cover to avoid the angry swings of the women of the Snow fan club. I promise, you'll get a dose of him in each book!

Teaseday - A sexy introduction to the second book in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series

2012-01-17T10:02:00.000Z

Since I'm deep in Vampire Erotic Theatre series territory at the moment, what with writing Seduce, the third book, and the fact that Covet, the first book has just hit virtual bookshelves, I thought I would tease you all this Tuesday with a sexy, hot snippet from Crave.

Crave is the second book in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series and features the elite vampire Callum, and a female werewolf Kristina, as the hero and heroine. We've stepped away from the London theatre for a business trip to Paris that will turn into one seriously forbidden pleasure ride.

CRAVE - TEASER

Three weeks had passed since Callum had left London and headed to Paris to scout for performers for a new show at the theatre he ran with three other vampires, and it had been one week since he had last emailed Antoine, the aristocrat pureblood in charge of overseeing the performances at Vampirerotique.

He should have contacted him again by now. It wasn’t as though Callum hadn’t thought about it. He had booted up his laptop and started to type out the email every morning before retiring for the day. Yesterday, he had even reached the point of typing in his name at the end of the email before deleting the entire thing.

Callum leaned his back against the brass rail that edged the curved dark mahogany bar top, his green gaze scanning the occupants of the crowded room, picking out viable prey, potential performers, and identifying the species of each person his eyes fell on. Part of him was still working and it was that part that kept whispering that Antoine wouldn’t be angry with him for disappearing. If he just dropped a brief email or even a text message stating that he was still looking for performers but hadn’t spotted anyone worthy of joining the Vampirerotique family in the past week then Antoine would probably forgive him for disobeying his command to contact him daily.

It would be a lie though.

He had seen several vampires, both male and female, at the nightclubs he had been moving between for the past three weeks. All of them would work well in the theatre and draw the crowds. They were exhibitionists who had been more than comfortable performing private acts in front of the gathered dancers. There had been males who had groped and grinded with their human female prey, and female vampires who had engaged in acts just a whisper away from screwing in the open booths where anyone could see them. All of them had been worthy of him approaching them and giving them the hard sell. Not many of their type refused to audition when they gained an all expenses paid trip to London and the chance to try out for a place in a famous theatre.

There was one female who had stood out amongst the usual crowd last week. She was perfect for the new show that Antoine had in mind, could easily be the star performer, but Callum couldn’t bring himself to approach her and whenever he thought about mentioning her to Antoine, a knot formed deep in his gut.

Callum had ignored the feeling and just satisfied himself with watching her in the club. He had first seen her with another female, one that he had approached during a lull towards the end of the evening. She had eagerly accepted his offer of an audition, even though she knew the sort of place his theatre was and that it didn’t normally look for performers from her species.

Werewolf.

When Antoine had first told him that he would be departing for Paris in search of new talent, and that it wouldn’t just be the usual scouting mission this time but would include seeking werewolves for a special performance, Callum had almost choked on his glass of blood.

Vampirerotique had never hired werewolves before. In fact, he was certain that in the hundred years they had been running the theatre, there had never been a werewolf on stage. Their kind rarely interacted with each other, unless you counted the occasional war. Werewolves didn’t like vampires. The feeling was more than mutual.

Callum had sent three werewolves to audition so far, all female as requested.

This female would be perfect for the show too. She would steal it and make it hers, just as she stole the attention of the entire club as she moved through it with sensual grace that had the eyes of every male and some females on her, and made Callum think about some therianthropes he had met in the past. She had the moves of a feline shifter rather than a werewolf.

Callum could easily imagine her moving on the stage, how she would sidle over to the large vampire males and bring them to their knees with only a seductive sway of her hips and flash of a sultry smile.

Hell, she had Callum on his knees. He had been following her for a week now, shunning his duty in favour of tracking her down each night and watching her from a distance. His new private pleasure. The club she had chosen tonight catered to a mixed crowd, although the humans didn’t know that. One of the male bartenders was a shifter, one was human, and one was a vampire. That surprised Callum. He had never thought he would live to see a vampire working alongside a shifter, but the two young males seemed to get along. He couldn’t sense any bad feelings between them so it wasn’t an act put on for the sake of the patrons and the human bartender.

Callum’s gaze tracked the female through the club, studying how she slid between the dancers, occasionally stopping to work her body against a male. She smiled wickedly at a young human man as he caught her wrist and pulled her against him, twisting her so her back pressed against his front. She wriggled her hips and raised her hands above her head as she slid down the length of her partner and then back up again, almost as tall as he was in her heeled black boots. Her tight dark jeans emphasised lean long legs that Callum had rather disturbingly dreamed about since first seeing her, imagining their slender strong lengths wrapped around his backside as he fucked her. He had dreamed about pushing the loose flowing material of her empire-line top up to reveal the toned plane of her stomach and then kissing it, feeling her body shift beneath him, before continuing and peeling the high waist tucked under her breasts over their full firm globes. He had dipped his head and captured each sweet dusky bud in turn, swirling his tongue around and sucking them until she moaned low in appreciation.

The brunette female werewolf moved on, thanking her temporary partner with a brief brush of her rosy lips across his cheek and a saucy stroke of her palm over his crotch that had Callum ready to speed onto the dance floor and rip the human to shreds.

She was his.

He drew a long slow breath to calm himself, focusing on it and not her, waiting for the need to pass. If he looked at her now, he would be on the dance floor before he realised what he was doing and would be tugging her into his arms, using all of his strength to make it clear to her that she belonged to him now.

Callum shook his head to rid it of the desire to dance with her and feel her body pressing into his, hot and supple under his questing hands. He wouldn’t let her go as easily as the male human had.

He watched her move through the dancers again, twirling and smiling, her wavy soft brown hair dancing with her, tumbling over her shoulders and breasts. Each time she lifted her bare arms in the air, the hem of her top rose, revealing a tantalising flash of her stomach or back. Her jeans rode low on her hips, barely covering her backside and crotch.

She was a vixen, a real predator as she glanced over every man, even those with partners, looking for tonight’s fun. He had seen her leave with a new man every night. A strange urge to follow her and see what she did with them had built inside him until he had no longer been able to resist the need to know. It wasn’t what he had thought it would be and an even stranger feeling had swept through him on realising that she was luring males away to feed on them. Like his kind, werewolves enjoyed the taste of blood and needed it to survive, although they could supplement their need with nourishment from food.

Unlike his kind, werewolves couldn’t turn a human. Her bite wouldn’t change the human into a werewolf. Once she had finished with the man, she had wiped his memory and left him in the alley.

Callum had almost followed her home but had forced himself to return to his hotel instead. The sight of her feeding had given him some seriously erotic dreams and he had woken tonight with a raging erection that hadn’t gone down until he had tended to it.

It was coming back as he watched her, his thoughts diving down routes they shouldn’t be taking. A vampire had no place desiring a werewolf.

Desiring?

Hell, this hunger went beyond desire and ran deeper in his veins than lust.

He craved her.

Callum turned and flagged down the vampire bartender. The blond man smiled knowingly, nodded, and took down a martini glass. He filled it to the brim with dark liquid that was black in the flashing purple and blue lights of the club and stuck a cherry on a stick in it. Callum held out a twenty euro note at the same time as the vampire placed the glass down on an elegant white napkin and slid it across the bar to him.

“I’ll take one of those,” a female voice said right beside him, “and tall, dark and sexy here is paying.”

He was?

Callum frowned and turned to say that he damn well wasn’t paying for her drink and froze as his eyes fell on the female werewolf. He felt the vampire bartender’s gaze on him, sensed him waiting to see what Callum’s reply would be. Callum glanced at him and nodded. The vampire made up another glass of blood, stuck a cherry in it, and slid it over to her before moving away.

The werewolf raised her glass in a salute to Callum, sipped the blood, and set it back down on the napkin. Her bloodstained lips curved into a wicked sultry smile.

Callum was smitten.

She leaned closer, her bare left elbow resting on the bar, and ran her fingertips down his dark purple silk tie. Her smile widened when she curled her fingers around it, drew it away from his black tailored shirt, and tugged him towards her.

“You’ve been watching me like I’m a bitch in heat and you’re an alpha. What gives?” She wasn’t French as he had expected. Her accent was as British as his own.

Callum calmly removed her hand from his tie, straightened it out and smoothed it down. “I’m just here on business, and I’m definitely not an alpha. I’m a vampire.”

She smiled and tilted her head to one side, causing the long waves of her brown hair to shift across her breasts and cover the tempting display of cleavage the tight section of her black sleeveless top created.

“A vampire with a definite hard-on for a species most of his kind would see as disgusting and forbidden,” she said over the rapid beat of the music, lifted the cocktail stick and cherry from her drink, and popped it into her mouth.

Callum’s gaze narrowed on her mouth, transfixed by the sight of her sucking the cherry. She parted her lips and withdrew the glossy red fruit, dipped it back into her blood and swirled it around before raising it back to her mouth and teasing him by licking the crimson liquid off it again. His chest tightened and he struggled to breathe as the tip of her tongue flicked over the cherry, swirling around it. She slowly slid the fruit into her mouth, lips puckering as she sucked, her eyes closing in what looked like pleasure to him. The sight of her ratcheted his hunger up another notch, flooding him with a deep throbbing ache to feel her tongue brushing his in the way it had the cherry, to have her mouth on his flesh and to run his lips over every inch of her bare skin and drive her wild until she was sobbing his name and begging for more.

“I don’t have a hard-on for your species... just you.” Callum moved faster than she could evade, catching the wrist of the hand she held the cocktail stick in, pulling it away from her lips and claiming them for his own.

She responded instantly, her tongue thrusting past his lips and teeth to slide along his. He slanted his head, slipped his other arm around her slim waist and dragged the full length of her body against his as he seized control of the kiss. She melted against him, as supple and hot as he had dreamed she would be, her breasts pressing into his hard chest, the heat of her driving him to the edge. He tangled his tongue with hers, swallowing her breathy gasps as he dominated her, crushing each attempt she made to reclaim control. Her fight only made him burn hotter for her, made him use his strength on her and tighten his grip on her wrist and side. Her gasps became low rumbling moans. The firmer he was with her, the more of his strength he used, the lower they became and the more she struggled, as though she wanted to feel how much more powerful he was than her.

She liked it.

The female werewolf snapped out of his grasp and slapped him so hard across his cheek that he couldn’t fail to realise where he had gone wrong. His fangs cut into his lower lip. He hadn’t noticed them extending. Before he could explain to her that it was just the heat of the moment that had brought them out and that he hadn’t intended to bite her, she was striding away from him, heading back towards the busy dance floor.

Callum growled, swiftly drank his martini glass of blood to take the edge off his hunger and followed her, intent on explaining and tasting her again.

Was that a tease, or was that a tease?

You'll have to wait until March 10th to get your real taste of Crave, but the first book in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series is out right now.

Covet is available from Amazon Kindle stores, Apple iBookstores, Kobo Books, Smashwords and All Romance eBooks. It will hopefully be available at BN Nook soon.

Download a sample of Covet or grab it in e-book from:
Author's website
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr
iBooks US | iBooks UK | iBooks Australia | iBooks Canada
Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Oxford - A duck feeding expedition to the setting of some scenes in my Prophecy Trilogy

2012-01-16T17:52:00.000Z

I remember back when I was writing my Prophecy Trilogy in my Vampires Realm series that I just had to include Oxford, my home city. The architecture and age of the city alone make it the perfect place for vampires. Add to that the large parks and plenty of people and what vampire wouldn't want to live there?

If you remember rightly, Oxford was the home to Mathias in the Prophecy Trilogy, and was the place that Valentine took Prophecy to with the intent of leaving her there in relative safety while he trotted on back to his own life before that got wrecked by someone discovering his treasonous behaviour.

There's a specific park featured in one of the scenes in the second book in the vampire romance trilogy, Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea, shortly after Valentine and Prophecy have returned to Oxford. Valentine is having a bad day and takes it out on a few humans, two of which happened to walk into a park. The park I wrote about in the book is the one where I like to feed ducks with my husband. Quite the contrast to the activities that Valentine gets up to in the same park. I thought you guys might like to see some pictures of it though, so I snapped some on my phone.


This is Christchurch college, which is there the park is. Such a moody contrast of sunshine and black clouds.

These are the trees where Valentine stalks the couple under the veil of night, and ends up killing them, and the weakling vampire who tries to interfere. Go Valentine.

Geese standing to attention. They really wanted the bread we had. They're biters too.

Christchurch again, looking sunny this time.

I picture Mathias living in a building like these.

I'm sure I mention this building in the book too, which is the Radcliffe Camera.

This is our mini Bridge of Sighs, which also featured in the latest X-Men film.

Awesome sunset... which you could say is like the one Valentine describes to Prophecy in the first book.

I really love writing about places I've been to and including them in my stories. It's not just because writing about somewhere you've been is vastly easier, and more accurate, than writing about somewhere from pictures. It's because I know the feel of the place and can put that into words. Oxford is my home city, so I know it off by heart, and that's probably why I feature in my favourite series. I love London too, and all the cities I write about, but Oxford makes me think about Vampires Realm and that makes me think about Valentine.

:)

It also makes me think of Oneiric, which leads me to Eve and Lilith, and then makes me think about writing Hunger. I've been thinking about Hunger a lot lately. I really hope I can start writing it this year. It's Eve and Tor's story, and is going to be full throttle and hot too.

Manday Hotties - get your Monday mancandy fix!

2012-01-16T00:01:00.001Z

It's time for the Manday Hotties Hop again! Be sure to follow the links in the list below to get your full fix of hot sexy mancandy this Monday.

I'll continue my new pictures theme this week... it's such hard work having to trawl the internet for some seriously hot hotties!

My hottie this week is the same as last week but we've had a few requests for his name, which is Aaron o'Connell

You like? Personally I adore those lovely serratus muscles... the ones to the sides of his abs, below his pecs... mmm man numminess.

Don't forget to clicky click him to make him bigger!

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

Six Sentence Sunday - Hot scene from Covet

2012-01-15T00:01:00.003Z

My Six Sentence Sunday today is from my new release (which came out just yesterday). Covet is an erotic vampire romance and the first in my sexy new Vampire Erotic Theatre series of novellas.

Please take a moment after reading and comment (comments are nice) to visit the Six Sentence Sunday site to find the other great authors who are participating, or check out the #sixsunday tag on Twitter!

A little setting info for the scene: Lilah is cleaning empty private boxes during one of the performances at the erotic theatre where she works. She tries to keep her eyes off the show on stage involving vampires and thralled humans, but when her boss and the object of her forbidden affections comes to question her about an incident, she can't block out the show, especially when he turns her to face them.

Lilah had wanted Javier for so long, had craved the feel of his hands on her body, ached to know what it would feel like to be with him. She had never thought it possible though, had thought her bond to Lord Ashville would prevent it and pain her if she accepted the touch of the vampire she desired with all of her heart.

Javier licked the nape of her neck near her hairline, teasing her, and she couldn’t stop herself from arching her backside into him. He groaned and cursed softly in her ear, kissing it and nibbling it with blunt teeth.

“Watch them,” he whispered into her ear and licked the lobe, teasing it with the tip of his tongue. “Keep watching them while I touch you.”

I wish I could share more of the scene, but I can't. Six sentences only. Maybe next week :)

Covet

Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

ebook price: $2.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 30000 words / Novella
Book 1 in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series

Available in e-book from:
Author's website
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr
iBooks US | iBooks UK | iBooks Australia | iBooks Canada
Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Covet - my new erotic vampire romance book is out today!

2012-01-14T15:19:00.001Z

It's finally come! The official release of Covet, the first book in my sexy new series, Vampire Erotic Theatre, is today.

It has been a manic day so far, but that's nothing unusual. Release days are always hectic. The great news about this one is that the book has finally been approved by Smashwords and it's already available on Apple iBookstores and Kobo Books. It's also available from all Amazon Kindle Stores, Smashwords and All Romance eBooks.

If you're a BN Nook or Sony Reader owner, the book should hopefully be at the stores soon. I'll blog again when it becomes available.

So, here's the blurb and an excerpt for you all to sink your teeth into...

Covet

Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

ebook price: $2.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 30000 words / Novella
Book 1 in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series

Available in e-book from:
Author's website
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr
iBooks US | iBooks UK | iBooks Australia | iBooks Canada
Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

EXCERPT

There was one rule his kind honoured above all others: an owned human must never be touched by a vampire other than their master.

Every vampire knew that to lay a hand on a bonded human out of desire or feed from their vein caused them immeasurable pain and suffering, and that their master would know of it and would come to act out the penalty.

Death to the vampire who had broken the sacred law.

Death was not something that Javier was looking for but knowledge that it awaited him should he break the law hadn’t stopped the fierce heat of desire from gripping him the moment she had arrived at the London theatre two years ago, sent to work by her master. Javier had been telling himself to forget her ever since. In the time that she had been in the service of the theatre, he had been unable to escape the torment of her presence. The simplest task had become agonizing for him. Giving her orders for the night with the other staff was torture he couldn’t endure. Two years and his need for her had only grown worse. His desire had gone from a liquid fire that threatened to make him step out of line if he were in her presence for more than a minute to a crushing need to kiss her whenever he heard the soft melody of her voice in the distance.

It was unbearable.

But bear it he would.

There was no alternative. Her owner was one of the richest of Vampirerotique’s patrons and his business partners would stake him if he lost the man’s much needed money. That was, if the man didn’t kill him first. Lord Ashville was an aristocrat, a pureblood vampire, and almost three times Javier’s age and strength. As only an elite, Javier couldn’t contend with him. His death would be swift and brutal, and by law he wasn’t even allowed to defend himself. If he dared to touch her, to act out his dark urges and needs with the human female, he would have to quietly accept the consequences.

It was madness to desire a human owned by such a man. He would easily sense the violation of the bond. It was madness.

Javier swirled the blood in his crystal whisky glass, staring at it but not seeing it. His head was full of her, his heart rebelling against his better sense that said it was impossible and to give up on his futile desire for her. She would never be his.

The soft lighting in the back of the black limousine turned the blood dark and uninviting. He drank it anyway, forcing it down, and poured himself another glass from the decanter in the small refrigerator built into the back of the driver’s seat. He had been drinking more and more often recently in the hope that it would stave off his growing hunger for her.

Lilah.

The car engine purred as they slowed and dread settled in his stomach. This was the moment he always feared whenever he was called away from the theatre. Lilah had been on his mind the whole time during his journey, and the whole month that he had been resident at his remote family home in northern Spain. He could still see her clearly in his mind, could vividly remember how she had looked at him with her beautiful golden brown eyes when he had announced to the staff that he would be leaving them in the capable hands of Callum, and how her heart had set off at a pace, colouring her cheeks when his control had slipped and he had looked directly at her. She was so beautiful, so alluring even in the plain long black dress of her uniform. She had haunted him this past month, had been waiting for him to close his eyes each morning and drift off to sleep before stepping into his dreams and ensuring his desire for her burned fiercer than ever each night he awoke.

A month.

The car pulled to a halt on the road outside the elegant columned Grecian façade of the theatre. Warm floodlights lit the sandstone from below. On a normal night of business, it would have looked inviting to him, his home away from home, the place that housed something so precious to him. Tonight, it looked cold and dark, ominous and frightening.

An icy chill settled in his chest.

What if this time his fears became real and he had returned to find that she was gone?

A month was long enough for Lord Ashville to have decided he needed more servants in his mansion and sent for her. Callum had emailed Javier regular reports on the staff and the theatre while he had been away attending his sister’s wedding. His old friend hadn’t mentioned Lilah at all but that didn’t mean she was still here. Javier had wanted to ask about her so many times, had typed the words in his emails to Callum only to delete them when sense had overcome the desires of his heart. Callum might understand his plight but if word reached Antoine or Snow, the aristocrat brothers who ran Vampirerotique with them, there would be hell to pay.

The car door opened and Javier swiftly necked the glass of blood. He set the glass down and stepped out of the limousine, his polished black leather shoes reflecting the lights of the theatre. He straightened his deep silver-grey tie and fastened the button on his black suit jacket, preparing himself mentally at the same time. The driver nodded and closed the door, and then opened the boot of the vehicle and removed his luggage. Javier took the dark grey suit bags from him, hanging them off his fingers by his side, and looked up at the theatre. Six tall columns supported a triangular block of sandstone. Each carved figure on the frieze had been cleaned during his time away in preparation for the new season. Tonight was the first show, open only to elite vampires. The aristocrats were yet to return from the countryside or abroad.

Javier managed a smile when the wooden shutters on the other side of the windows and glass doors drew back, revealing the sumptuous red and gold interior of the theatre and his friend. Callum’s steps were swift and sure, his handsome face a picture of darkness as he hurried down the wide marble staircase in the middle of the entrance hall, tying his long black hair back into a ponytail. He shoved the doors open, leaving one of the staff to hurriedly wipe his handprints off the glass, and briskly took the five stone steps that led down to the pavement and Javier.

“It’s a nightmare.” Callum raked long fingers through his hair, messing it up again. It was a habit of the elite vampire’s when he was under stress. His green eyes flashed with irritation and Javier could sense that he was angry about something as well as see it.

“Hello to you too.” Javier’s smile widened and he motioned for the driver to come to him.

Callum snatched the black designer suitcase from the driver, stuffed a large tip in the man’s breast pocket, and waved him away. Like Javier, Callum wasn’t used to the attention of servants and being waited on. It had taken them both years to get used to having humans and weaker vampires fetch them things or do menial tasks such as carrying their baggage. Clearly Callum still had difficulty with the latter.

Javier looked beyond him to the foyer of the theatre, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lilah. Was she working tonight?

He frowned, his sandy eyebrows knitting tightly, and stared at Callum. What if his nightmare had something to do with the staff?

“Has something bad happened?” He fought to keep the note of worry from his voice. Callum would see straight through him if it slipped out. They had spent years together at the finest vampire academy in England even though Callum was a century younger than he was and had remained in touch after graduating. They had always been close friends, even when they had been hundreds of miles apart and in two different countries.

“Victor got into a fight and got his nose broken. He’s a bloody mess.” Callum practically growled the words, his British accent hardening the final two and emphasising his anger.

Javier could understand his distress now. Victor was one of their best performers and often took the lead in the final act of the show, seducing a human thrall before feeding from them in front of the audience. He was a favourite among the female theatregoers because of his good looks and the fact that he was happy to engage with male as well as female partners on stage, and could handle more than one human at a time. He had been with the theatre for almost a decade and was a big draw. Even the aristocrat females liked him and he wasn’t averse to giving some of them private performances to keep them sweet and keep the money rolling in for the theatre. They needed Victor on form and on stage. On a normal night, Javier might have felt more concerned by the news, but the flight from Spain had felt as though it had taken days rather than a couple of hours and his frayed nerves were telling him to find somewhere quiet to rest, at least until he knew that Lilah was still here.

Still temptingly close.

Once he knew that, he would be able to function again and find his usual calm edge and the emotional balance he needed in order to face a crisis. He couldn’t think straight at the moment, let alone deal with the drama of their star performer having a broken nose when he was due to go on stage tonight.

“So tell Antoine.” Javier swept his suit bags over his shoulder, resting the back of his hand on the soft material of his black suit jacket. “He deals with the performers, not me.”

“Antoine is busy with Snow, and I have good reason for coming to you first.” Callum mounted the sandstone steps again and led the way into the brightly lit foyer of the theatre. The black haired elite vampire looked over his shoulder at Javier, his vivid green eyes still dark. “It was one of the staff who hit him.”

“One of the staff broke his nose?” Javier found that one difficult to digest. All of the staff were either human or of weak vampire lineage. Victor was of elite blood. His family weren’t as strong as Javier’s or Callum’s, their blood diluted by too many turned humans in their ranks, but he was still powerful enough to deal with any of Javier’s staff.

“A woman.” Callum dumped Javier’s expensive luggage down in the middle of the marble floor. He waved to one of the passing male staff and the man came over to them. “Take these things to Javier’s office.”

The man dutifully picked up the suitcase and then held his hand out to Javier. He stared at it.

“I was going to freshen up and change before the performance tonight. It has been a long journey, Callum. I’m sure this can wait.”

The look on Callum’s face said it wouldn’t. Javier sighed and handed the dark grey suit bags to the man. He bowed his head, hurried across the foyer to the side of the double-height elegant room and opened the plain wooden door that led to the staff only areas of the theatre.

“The show starts in under an hour. We need to get Victor fixed up and then you need to speak with the woman who hit him and find out what happened before Antoine hears. He has enough problems on his plate at the moment. Snow is going through a rough patch again. I doubt he will tolerate this, regardless of who her owner is.”

“Owner? The female is human?” Javier said and Callum nodded. “Who was it?”

Callum’s dark eyebrows rose and he shrugged his broad shoulders, shifting his black designer suit jacket. “You know I’m not good with their names.”

Javier knew that. Callum dealt with the darker side of the theatre business, tracking down vampires who could become good performers from cities all over Europe and sourcing human victims for the final act and other parts of the show the theatre hosted each week. His friend had long ago given up finding out anything about the humans. He had said it made his work easier. Javier took that to mean that his old friend was growing a conscience about what he was doing. He had even given the sourcing of victims over to a firm of vampires recently, letting them deal with it all, and had focused on finding vampire performers to bring into the Vampirerotique family instead.

Callum started across the foyer in the direction the man had taken and Javier followed. An hour wasn’t a long time to fix this mess without Antoine hearing about it. If Snow was in a bad way again, Antoine would be in the mood for bloody murder. Whenever his older brother went off the rails, Antoine’s temper degenerated into nothing short of vicious.

“Can you describe her?” Javier suspected that Callum would be able to manage that at least. He had an eye for detail, especially when it came to human females. The prettier the better to him.

“Tall, reddish brown hair... fiery... great tits... and had the strangest golden eyes.”

Javier stopped dead. Callum paused with his hand on the wooden door, holding it open, and looked back at him.

Lilah had hit Victor?

Before he could ask Callum more about it, a female member of staff appeared out of the gloom on the other side of the open door. She bowed her head to Callum, who still held the door, and then Javier and walked through. Javier’s gaze tracked her, his head tilting to one side as he took in what she was wearing.

“Do you like it?” Callum said and when Javier looked back at him, he was smiling, all trace of anger and concern gone from his eyes. “I thought it suited the theatre more and it means the staff can move around during the performances without being an eyesore for those attending.”

Javier turned back to stare at the woman again. She stood near the glass doors, speaking to one of the male staff as he polished the windows.

“I leave you in charge for a month, and you change the uniforms?” Javier couldn’t quite believe it. Callum thought that the incident with Victor was a nightmare. This was a nightmare to Javier.

The male uniform hadn’t changed much. The material of the black formal outfit the man wore was a little finer than before, and the cut was tailored now so it fit snugly to his figure, but the long tail of the jacket still made him resemble a butler.

The female uniform.

Javier couldn’t stop staring at it.

It looked as though Callum had gone to a sex shop and bought out every French maid uniform they had. The puffed sleeves of the black dress were lined with black lace, and the neck scooped so low that Javier was surprised he couldn’t see her nipples. Perhaps he could if he was close enough. The lace that trimmed the material there was probably obscuring them from this distance. The horror of it didn’t stop there. The previous uniform dress had reached the ankle of the wearer. The new one barely reached mid-way down her thighs, revealing creamy flesh and long over-knee black socks. The only thing that had remained the same was the black pumps and the colour.

If he saw Lilah in such an outfit, it would be the death of him.

And he had to find her and find out why she had punched Victor.

The Devil help him, he wasn’t going to be able to resist her any longer.

It would be a miracle if he even managed to utter a single question before finally succumbing to his need for her.

Callum’s intent gaze on him roused him from his thoughts and he turned a blank look on him.

“You don’t like it.” Callum let the door drift shut. “We can change it back. I just thought it gave the guests something to look at between acts. Antoine thinks it’s a good idea.”

“I like it,” Javier lied and forced another smile. “We should speak to Victor before Antoine comes down to speak to the performers prior to the show.”

Javier hoped that Victor would tell them everything and then he wouldn’t need to find Lilah and speak to her. Callum opened the door again and Javier strode down the dimly lit black corridor with him, heading for the area to the side of the stage where stairs led up to the offices and hallways led backstage and off to the staff quarters. They were almost at the end of the hallway and out into that brighter double-height expansive room when several females crossed before him. Lilah was among them, carrying a broom and a red plastic box of cleaning equipment, her dark chestnut hair twirled up in a bun at the back of her head.

She said something he didn’t hear to the three other women and then broke away from them and struggled to open the heavy wooden doors that led to the area in front of the stage in the theatre. Her broom knocked against the door when she managed to open it, fell from her grasp and clattered on the floor. She cursed softly and Javier echoed her in Spanish when she let the door close again and bent to retrieve her fallen broom.

The frilled black skirt of her dress hid nothing from view as she picked up the broom, her back to him. He stared at her bottom and her black knickers, blood pounding in his temples, his hunger for her kicking back into life and threatening to seize control of him. He pictured crossing the scant few metres that separated them, sliding his hands over the firm peachy globes of her backside, and drawing her back against the raging erection tenting the black material of his tailored trousers beneath his jacket.

Lilah straightened so fast that he jumped and she whirled to face him. Her cheeks coloured, rosy and dark, and the startled edge to her round eyes captivated him. She blinked, shuttering her beautiful golden irises, and then dipped in a curtsey. Her gaze stayed downcast this time, her head slightly to one side, so the cord of her neck remained taut and tempting.

“This is the one, Javier,” Callum said and Javier almost barked that he knew that already and barely stopped himself from throttling his friend for interrupting his perusal of her neck.

He cleared his throat instead. “I will deal with you later.”

Callum moved on. Javier remained where he was, his feet firmly planted to the dusty floor, his eyes glued to her, waiting to see her reaction.

Lilah’s gaze slowly rose, bringing her head up with it. When it touched on his, the colour on her cheeks darkened and he forgot to breathe. He stared at her, mesmerised, lost in the black abyss of her dilated pupils.

Enthralled.

She didn’t take her eyes away from his as expected. She held his gaze, steady and unafraid, no trace of fear in her scent. The way she looked at him spoke of desire and he had a hard time telling himself that he had to be imagining it. Her bond with her master made it impossible for her to feel anything for Javier. The gentle rhythm of her heartbeat called to him, luring his gaze down to her cleavage, and he fought his desire to step closer so he could reach out and run a lone finger over the luscious curves of her breasts. Touching her would only bring her pain. He couldn’t. No matter how much he needed to have her warm soft skin beneath his fingertips and know the feel of her at last. It would hurt her. He didn’t care. No. He did care. If it hurt her, he would stop. He would never harm Lilah. To pain her was to pain himself. He cared about her too much.

“Are you coming?” Callum’s voice shattered the spell she had cast on Javier and he glanced at him and nodded.

When he looked back, the door was closing and Lilah was gone.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, drew in a long deep breath, catching the enticing scent of her in the air, and followed Callum backstage.

Later.

He would be in her presence. Alone.

And he wouldn’t be able to resist her any longer.

If it hurt her, he would stop, but he needed to touch her.

He needed to know the feel of her and her taste.

Even if that one taste was all he could ever have.

Even if it signed his death sentence.

Do you all want yourself a slice of Javier now?

Winter Warmers - Paranormal Romance Ebooks from $0.99 - Ends Sunday!

2012-01-13T17:26:00.000Z

My fantastic Winter Warmers deals end this Sunday so it's your last chance to grab a copy of my books at a discount price. It will be a while before I run any more discounts, especially on these paranormal romance ebooks.

I have a few books on offer for just $0.99, but others are available for only $2.99. Prices will go up on Sunday. The offers are available on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Apple iBooks / iBookstore, and more.

Here's some info about the books on offer right now:

Vampire for Christmas
Felicity Heaton
It was one last mission. Shannon, a demon hunter with the agency, is looking forward to leaving behind the small town and the vampire she's been stuck with for the past two years. Things are getting complicated fast and she wants out. A fresh start, free of her vampire partner, awaits her if she can survive their final mission and the lonely Christmas holidays...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords

Her Dark Angel (Her Angel series #1)
Felicity Heaton
An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn't called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it's to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords

Ascension
Felicity Heaton
A witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic. With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig's blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Smashwords

Prophecy: Child of Light (Prophecy Trilogy #1 / Vampires Realm series #1)
F E Heaton
A vampire unlike any other, Prophecy lives life in the dark until the night she encounters Valentine, a gorgeous vampire who is both her enemy and the man who will change her life forever. Convinced that the prophecy about her is wrong and unable to ignore the vision of them that he saw in her blood, Valentine goes against his orders to execute Prophecy and kidnaps her instead. The attraction between them grows as they search for the truth behind the prophecy, battle a dark evil that threatens to destroy the world, and attempt to evade their families and the Law Keepers...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords

Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea (Prophecy Trilogy #2 / Vampires Realm series #2)
F E Heaton
The final battle draws closer. Prophecy's world becomes darker and more dangerous, pushing her to the limit and testing her strength and her heart, almost breaking her. Old friends turn their backs, leaving her to fight with the help of an unlikely ally and forcing her to call on the devastatingly seductive and powerful Lord Hyperion for assistance...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Smashwords

Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising (Prophecy Trilogy #3 / Vampires Realm series #3)
F E Heaton
An enemy with unimaginable power and bloodlines with centuries of hatred bred into them, two things that threaten to tear Prophecy and Valentine apart as they fight for their lives and their future together. Their vain attempt to join their houses into one army drains the last of their strength, leaving them more vulnerable than they've ever been. The tension escalates between the bloodlines, and, more dangerously, between Valentine, Prophecy and Venturi. As everything crumbles around them, defeat seems inevitable...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Smashwords

Seventh Circle (Vampires Realm series #7)
F E Heaton
Born with powers similar to a vampire's, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. On the same night as she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she is faced with her worst nightmare—a client who is not only attractive but a vampire...

Available for $2.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords

Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm series #8)
F E Heaton
Their lord drinks blood and they are dead men walking. The tales of the mansion don't stop Nika from falling for one of the guards, but when wolves attack her and he rides to her rescue, she discovers that her knight is anything but saintly. He is a vampire and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between their species is forbidden—the penalty death...

Available for $2.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords

Find out more about the books, including excerpts and reviews, and these great offers at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php

As a reader, what do you like authors to post on their blogs?

2012-01-13T14:40:00.000Z

As a writer, I do my best to write quality books that provide value to the reader, gives them an escape from the daily grind, and leaves them feeling satisfied when they reach the final page. If I can give the reader a story and characters that stay with them, and perhaps has them wanting to re-read it, then that's all the better. But being a writer is really only half of my job.

The flip side of the writer is the author. The author is the one who has to talk about the book, and seeks to engage readers. Sometimes this is hard. It's the one thing I find really difficult and nothing I try works well.

I love to blog, and I love talking on Facebook and Twitter. Blogging is my primary love though because I feel I can say more here, and talk about my books and other things that catch my eye or I'm obsessed with at the time, like TV shows or books I've read. My blog is like my journal, but it's not for other authors so much as it's for readers. I know there are a lot of writers out there who pen posts about writing, sales, marketing, promotion etc. I have very little interest in doing that. It's great for attracting comments and people to your blog, but if you think about it, who are you attracting and engaging by posting about writing? Certainly not your readers. You're attracting other authors. That's great, but it's not the sort of thing I want to do on my blog. The purpose of my blog is giving something back to readers.

I want to engage you, the reader. Hello! Yes, you.

I love being social, and chatting to people in comments on my blog, or through my social networks. The trouble is, sometimes it's difficult to know what will encourage you all to step out of hiding and leave a comment. This is where you come in.

In 2012, I want to get to know you all better. Yes, every single one of you. It's not about selling you books. It's about providing posts that are of value to you, that you get some enjoyment out of, and perhaps gain some insight or get to learn something new about me or my writing. In turn, I might learn something new about you, or discover we share a common interest (Vampires... angels... our favourite coffee... a band we both love).

So, I'm asking you to lend me a hand. What I really want to know is what do you enjoy about authors' blogs?

What has you commenting or coming back for more? Is it posts about the books they're writing at the moment? Cover reveals? Blurb reveals? Excerpts? Talk about the series you like on TV? Or perhaps them discussing their own book series and what might be just around the corner in it?

On the flip side, what are your turn offs when it comes to authors' blogs?

The purpose of asking you this is purely for the reason I said above. I want to get to know you all better and give you something back in the form of blog posts that you enjoy reading and might take a moment to comment on. There isn't much point in me blogging about things you all hate! :)

Please take a minute or two to answer in the comments section with what you love about authors blogs and what sort of posts keeps you coming back for more. I really do appreciate it and I do answer commenters.

Thanks!

SEDUCE (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3) first draft progress

2012-01-11T18:44:00.000Z

I'm making good progress on the first draft of Seduce, the third book in my Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series, now. There have been highs and lows with writing this one, and my word count per day is lower than my normal full-speed output. I blame the fact that it's a novella and therefore it isn't meticulously planned out. I tend to be more flexible with novellas and let them take the lead.

Speaking of taking the lead. Antoine, the aristocrat vampire hero of the book, has taken it upon himself to dictate a few changes. Seduce is supposed to be as hot as the first two books, but this vampire has a lot of emotional torment that he needs to get off his chest and he's refusing to cooperate with the erotic side of romance. I had expected him to act stand-offish considering his heroine (an elite vampire!) but the man has decided that HE will tell the story, not me. I do so love it when heroes take over the book. It does happen from time to time. At the moment, the only change was a scene earlier than anticipated and an extra one. I'm sure once we get this out of the way, he will be feeling lighter and will respond when I whip him into behaving wickedly.

I did get to write an on-the-fly unplanned scene today that I probably enjoyed a little too much.

Is it wrong of me to enjoy writing a crazed vampire?

Snow is just so delicious when he's having a nuclear and terribly animalistic meltdown. Snow lovers out there will find a few surprises in this book.

I'm up to around 26,000 words now. This one may run to closer to 40,000 words in the end. I have a few things to add into the opening chapter already and will go back and tweak it when I hit the end. I'll up the ante in other scenes too, layering in the erotic since Antoine is intent on trying to scupper me. Strange to have a hero refusing to get down and dirty. I did manage to write 10,000 words today, but it took me close to 7 hours. Normally, I could write 10k in 5. I haven't written for a while though, so I'm out of practice.

Still, this nice tidy amount of progress today means that I have now reached a total of 6.5% progress on my year's writing target of 400,000 words. Yay!

If you're new to the Vampire Erotic Theatre series, the first book, Covet is due for release on January 14th, but it's available right now at Amazon Kindle Stores! It has been receiving great reviews at various websites, including a 4.5 Star Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews!

Covet
Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

Available right now from Amazon Kindle:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr | Amazon.es | Amazon.it

Early reviews for Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre series #1) are in and they're awesome!

2012-01-10T18:15:00.000Z

I was supposed to have stopped working an hour ago, but I'm pushing my day into the 9 hour mark once again to quickly post about the wonderful early reviews that COVET, the first book in my new Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series, has been receiving.

This is nothing but good news considering that I'm currently working on the third book in the series.

So, what have reviewers been saying about this erotic vampire romance novella?

"Covet was a fast paced, blood-rushing, erotic romance story. Felicity Heaton is a great writer. It was a definite pleasure to read this book. I can't wait until the next book comes out because Covet left me needing MORE, I will be buying her next book in this series for sure!" -- Simply Kayla's Book Reviews, 5 out of 5! (read the full review)

"Covet is a great introduction into Felicity's new Vampire Erotic Theatre series. It's filled with longing, love, passion and lust- smoking hot sex ... Kick arse action and characters I'm sure you will adore." -- PageFlipperz, 5 out of 5! (read the full review)

"All I can say is wow!! This was one darkly erotic read full of debauchery, lust, and obsession. So needless to say, I loved every second of it. From the word go I was attracted to Javier, and curious about his craving need to have Lilah, a human who belonged to another." -- Madame D's Boudoir, 5 out of 5! (read the full review)

"I'm so stuck for words for this one, the story was amazing, so not what I expected. I expected it to be good but not this good. It had me reading and reading because I didn't want to put it down." -- Satin's Bookish Corner, 5 out of 5! (read the full review)

Covet is due for release on January 14th, but it's available right now at Amazon Kindle Stores!

Teaseday - Winter's Kiss - vampire werewolf romance book

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000Z

Today my Teaseday post comes from another of my current books on offer, Winter's Kiss, a vampire werewolf romance book and the 8th book in my popular Vampires Realm romance series.

At the moment, I have a fantastic offer on a selection of my ebooks. There are plenty of fantastic reads to choose from, all priced between $0.99 and $2.99 and in a range of lengths between novella and long novels, and a variety of paranormal romance sub-genres including sinful angels, sexy vampires, seductive werewolves, and even a super-hot demon and sassy witch pairing. Offers end 15th January 2012.

Find out more about the books, including excerpts and reviews, and these great offers at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php

Winter's Kiss is on offer for just $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Smashwords and other retailers. You can also get Seventh Circle for just $2.99, and the first three books in the series, the Prophecy Trilogy, for only $0.99 each!

So, here's a single chapter tease and a link to a downloaded extended excerpt pdf!

Winter's Kiss

F E Heaton
Their lord drinks blood and they are dead men walking. The tales of the mansion don’t stop Nika from falling for one of the guards, but when wolves attack her and he rides to her rescue, she discovers that her knight is anything but saintly. He is a vampire and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between their species is forbidden—the penalty death.

Winter’s world is shaken beyond salvation and his allegiance to his bloodline tested as he watches the woman he’s fallen for turn into a werewolf. His heart demands vengeance and that he protects her, both from the werewolf now hunting for her and from himself, but she tempts him more than he can bear and it isn't long into their journey before he’s torn between upholding the law and succumbing to desire.

Will Nika be able to convince Winter to leave his world and stay with her or will she spend eternity dreaming of Winter's kiss?

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Only $2.99 (normally $3.99) as part of my Winter Warmers deal - offer ends 15th January 2012. Find out more about the offer and where it is available.

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Winter's%20Kiss
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Winters-Kiss/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000802090/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-winter039skiss-620974-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/winters-kiss/_/R-400000000000000254325
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Winters-Kiss-Vampires-Realm-Romance/book-EnqLOg3Bska1G5ouPxjkcA/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7932
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781452386980
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781452386980
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781452386980
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781452386980

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489895/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489895/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Winters-Kiss/F-Heaton/e/9781456489892/

EXCERPT

A scream rent the still night air.

Winter raised his head. The brush in his right hand paused against his horse’s sleek black flank. He frowned, calculating the distance from where he stood in the stable courtyard to the person who had shrieked. The human female voice could carry for miles on nights as calm as tonight. If she screamed again, he would be able to pinpoint her location to within one hundred metres.

A Watchman of the Validus bloodline, Winter had spent years honing his skills in tracking, hunting and killing to the highest echelon of perfection. They gave him the ability to ascertain that whoever the victim was, she was over three miles away.

He returned to his work, lovingly stroking the huge beast’s glossy coat and murmuring soothing words to him. It had been too long since he’d had the chance to ride. The rotation of duties within the household and Hyperion’s plan to spread their empire wider across Europe had left him with longer shifts at the gate. It was an honour to protect his lord, but long nights spent braced against the freezing winds that scathed the landscape in this part of Russia were tiring and left him little time before dawn to ride. His eyes closed. Honour wasn’t the only good thing to come of standing guard from sunset to sunrise.

He saw her more often.

An image of her flashed across Winter’s mind. Pale blonde hair hanging in waves down her back. Sparkling green eyes that glittered under the moonlight. A cherub’s rosy lips that promised sweet kisses and an imp’s smile that spoke of mischief. That image had branded itself on his mind the first night he had seen her as an adult. Every night that she passed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, she burned her face a little deeper into his heart.

His horse kicked impatiently at the floor, scratching the scattered hay away from the dirt and leaving a long groove.

Winter patted Midnight tenderly on the neck and placed the brush down. Gathering the large black saddle, he positioned it on the horse’s high back and let his thoughts wander while he buckled the straps.

They instantly roamed back to her. Many years had passed since Winter had first seen her. She had been a little girl then. Now she had become a beautiful woman. Perhaps soon she would find the courage to speak to him for longer. She had stopped a few times, always singling him out even though his black armour covered him from head to toe, leaving only the section across his eyes exposed. She had spoken to him tonight, asking him why he wore armour and guarded the mansion. He hadn’t answered her. He had no place talking to humans when he was on duty.

There had been a beautiful lack of fear about her. Not even the sight of the naginata that he and the other Watchman held bothered her. Perhaps one day he could turn her. He cursed under his breath and tightened the last strap on the saddle. Those were not thoughts that he should be entertaining. His loyalty was to his lord and his bloodline first and foremost. He had a debt to repay. Once he felt as though he was worthy of asking his lord for permission to court the girl, he would, but until then he had a duty to do.

And that duty came first.

No matter what his feelings for her were.

A ride would clear his head.

A wolf howl sliced through the night.

Winter tensed and instinctively brushed his long heavy black cloak aside and reached for the sword hanging at his side. His fingers closed around the hilt as he calculated the distance to the howl.

Three miles.

Was the wolf after the woman?

Another scream shattered the returning silence. This time, it was a word.

“Niet!”

Winter’s eyes shot wide, an emotion rushing into his heart that he hadn’t felt in long years. Fear. The girl. He would know her voice anywhere.

With the preternatural speed and grace of his kind, Winter mounted the horse and bolted straight for the stable entrance. Midnight thundered forward, hooves pounding the dirt in a sure confident gallop. The gates barely had time to open as they approached. Winter tucked into the horse, bringing his feet up behind him along with the stirrups. The half-open wrought iron gates brushed his knees as they raced through, almost knocking the guards over.

Someone shouted something abusive in his direction.

He didn’t have time to slow down. The moment they had turned onto the road, he urged Midnight on, lowering his feet again but leaning forwards against its neck. It stretched forwards too, mimicking his move and galloping harder as though it had sensed his desperation.

The bottom of Winter’s chest armour dug into his hips as he rode. His long cloak streamed out behind him. The light flurry of snow became bitter darts of ice that cut into his eyes, forcing him to squint. He changed, his eyes turning purple to reveal his bloodline as his senses sharpened. The thundering hooves of his horse were the only sound in an otherwise still world. Winter snapped the reins. Midnight snorted and galloped faster, heading directly for the woods with no sign of slowing.

Winter willed the woman to make another noise, or the wolves to break their silence. He needed to get a fix on their location but it wasn’t only that driving him to beg the woman to shout or scream. He needed to know that she was still alive.

He hunkered down against his horse’s neck when they entered the thick forest of pines. Snow exploded from the branches as they crashed through them, heedless of the pain it caused them both. His armour would protect him from the whip-like branches of the trees, and his horse, Midnight, would go wherever he bid him to, regardless of whether it hurt.

A branch hit Winter directly across the black leather and metal mask covering his nose and mouth. It smacked the armour against his nose and forced a flinch from him as pain shot out in warm waves across his skull. He turned Midnight to his right and towards a more open area of forest. While the pain didn’t bother him, it would dampen his senses and he needed those as sharp as possible.

He pulled Midnight to a halt in a clearing and scanned the darkness, stretching out with his senses and searching for her. The wintry weather hadn’t managed to penetrate the dense trees and the ground was clear of snow, leaving him without a visible trail to follow. He breathed deep, catching a faint hint of her scent on the breeze. She had been here. He cursed. Where was she now?

Was she dead?

Had the wolves killed her already?

That thought made a dull ache settle in his chest. Winter refused to believe it. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw her body for himself. Another deep breath caught a stronger scent. A growl rumbled up through his chest.

Not wolves.

Werewolves.

His eyes narrowed into dark slits between his black helmet and facemask. He stared into the distance as one hand left the reins and closed around the hilt of his sword. Blood would spill tonight. Not only because werewolves had dared to enter Validus territory. If they had killed her, no, if they had even touched her, they would die by his hand.

A distant scream reached his ears.

He pulled on Midnight’s reins.

Midnight reared onto his hind legs, whinnied and then broke into a gallop. Winter sneered behind his facemask, his blood calling for violence.

* * * *

Nika walked the quiet winding path through the woods, wishing she had chosen to wear her thicker coat. Thick fake fur lined the long black coat she wore and it would have been warm enough under normal circumstances in late spring, but tonight was bitterly cold and the icy wind was searching, discovering cracks and places it could sneak into the coat and chill her to the bone. It was strange to have such wintry weather this side of spring. When she had left, the weather had been pleasant enough, and the snow had melted. Now it had come back with a vengeance. She had hoped the weather would be warm and sunny by the time she had returned from the city.

She folded her arms across her chest, trying to keep a little heat in. Her coat and dress reached the floor, both grazing the leaf litter and twigs that covered the path. The wind found its way into there too and blew upwards, snaking around her legs and sending her shivering. Her honey hair blew across her face as she turned and she clawed it away, thankful she’d had the good sense to take two long strands from beside her temples and plait them before tying them at the back of her head. It kept the bulk of her hair in place but left the long strands from that point downwards to dance in the breeze.

At least the snow couldn’t make it through the trees.

Nika hummed quietly to herself while she walked, thinking about how nice it would be to arrive home and sit down in front of the fire. The thought of that warm blaze made the cold feel distant. She wasn’t far from the village now. Soon she would be safe in her family’s home, out of the frigid night and bleak woods. It felt like months rather than weeks since she had gone away to St. Petersburg. A smile touched her lips when she recalled walking past the mansion. He had been on guard duty again, silent and sentinel outside the gate with another man. She knew it was him. Those beautiful dark eyes had spoken to her as they always did, telling her words that her heart loved to listen to. He never looked at her, but there was always a strange emotion in his eyes when she stopped in front of him. The cold emptiness that used to fill them disappeared, leaving what her heart interpreted as warmth behind.

She didn’t know who he was, or even what he looked like beneath his armour, but she knew one thing. She wanted no other man in this world.

Her heart lightened as memories of him came back, always protecting the gates of the large mansion. On the few occasions that she had plucked up the courage to speak to him, he had never uttered a word back at her. He hadn’t even spoken tonight when she had mentioned the tales about the man he guarded. Terrible tales they were. Stories of demons and death, of bloodshed and violence. Her whole village whispered of them. They were right in a way. There was something different about the men there. In all the years that she had passed those gates, that man had never changed. Not when she was a child and not now that she was an adult. It was the same man. He hadn’t aged one year in the twenty she had seen him. She was sure of it.

Through the trees, pinpricks of light flickered in the darkness. The village. She doubled her pace, thinking only of the warm fire and seeing her father again.

A howl sliced the night in two.

Nika froze to the spot, ears pricked and heart thundering.

Perhaps it had been the wind.

Low growls made her head snap around. Seven large dark shapes slinked out of the shadows. Their fur spiked in a line down their backs, wriggling like a snake when they shook themselves and growled at her. They stepped onto the path between her and the village. These were no ordinary wolves. She remembered them from her childhood. They had killed half of the village.

The one in front lowered its head and stared at her with bright amber eyes that promised a painful death. It snarled to reveal huge canines.

Nika screamed.

Before it could attack, she turned, dropped her bag and ran. She grabbed the front of her coat and skirt, lifting them so she could sprint unhindered, and headed through the woods in the direction of the mansion.

It wasn’t long before her legs were beginning to tire. Their muscles strained under the pressure of running over the uneven ground and seized up as the fear broke into her mind, sending panicked thoughts pounding through her skull.

She was going to die.

The voice at the back of her mind told her to give up, but she wouldn’t. She wasn’t ready to die. It was something that happened to someone else, not to her or the people she loved. If she could make it to the mansion, she would be safe. The men there would fend off the wolves. The man would protect her.

Nika shrieked again as she tripped on a branch hidden beneath the frozen leaf litter and hit the ground hard. She immediately scrabbled to her feet and ran blindly into the forest, desperate to escape the wolves. Behind her came their thundering feet and heavy panting. They were closing in.

In the blink of an eye, it was over. The full weight of one of the wolves hit her in the back, sending her tumbling to the floor. Another howled. She turned and wrestled the wolf off her, scrambling across the dirt away from it. One of them grabbed her ankle, the thick leather of her boot the only thing protecting the delicate joint. It growled. Nika screwed her eyes shut and brought her hands up in front of her face as the others leapt at her.

“Niet!”

Nika kicked the wolf off her ankle, eliciting a whimper from it, and pushed against the others. Breaking free, she got to her feet and ran again. Moonlight broke through a gap in the trees some distance ahead of her, illuminating a small shack.

Her heart willed her to make it there. It was her only chance.

She screamed again when one of the wolves snapped at her, trying to grab her arm. She punched it across the face and kept running, desperate to survive.

A thundering sound joined the cacophony of wolf growls and snarls and her rough breathing. Nika looked ahead of her to see the shack and then a large black horse with rider. She reached out to him, a silent plea for him to help her, and then fell when the wolves pounced on her. Pain erupted in her leg. Her heart missed beats as claws and teeth tore through her clothes.

Her last hope left her when she found herself face to face with the largest wolf. Hot breath washed her face, stealing her own. She sent a prayer to God and stared into the wolf’s yellow eyes, into the eyes of death.

The thundering hooves stopped. Above her the horse’s legs appeared, kicking out as the huge black beast whinnied and snorted. The wolves scattered, leaving her pressed into the dirt and frozen leaf litter, petrified and in too much pain to move.

The horse snorted again as it came down onto all four feet beside her and the rider appeared in her tear-blurred view.

“Hand,” he said in a muffled Russian voice and extended his towards her.

Nika feebly raised hers towards him. She wanted to take hold of that black gloved hand and escape this nightmare. He shook his impatiently. She struggled to move faster, weak from the white-hot pain burning inside every inch of her body. He bent forward on the saddle, caught her hand, and pulled her up into the air as though she weighed nothing. He settled her on the saddle in front of him. Pain shot up her leg and lanced her stomach. It stole her senses, filling them until she knew nothing but the warm pulsing throb. She was vaguely aware of his arm against her back and his hand on her waist, and the wolves closing in.

He turned the horse. Nika gritted her teeth and leaned into him. Each step of the horse’s gallop jostled her on the saddle. The pain was unbearable, wracking her to the depths of her bones with each movement, but the alternative made her cling to consciousness and life. The wolves growled, closer now. The horse suddenly stopped and the man lowered her to the ground. Her legs buckled beneath her. He caught her before she could collapse and held her close to his hard chest.

“Run!” he said and she hazily wondered if he was talking to her. She didn’t think that she could run. The pain in her leg was too intense, blinding. The horse whinnied. Was he talking to it?

Her heart beat faster, each pulse sending stabbing needles sweeping around her body. Darkness encroached at the edges of her mind, sending her thoughts fuzzy and her body numb. The man carried her into somewhere and set her down on something soft but lumpy. The sound of wood scraping and heavy objects slamming made her open her eyes. She frowned, vaguely aware that they were in the small shack she had seen and that he was barricading the door.

A wolf howl sounded just outside.

She flinched in pain when she curled up, the wounds on her body stinging. Her left leg burned as though it was on fire. She couldn’t move it. She left it lying limp in front of her. The man looked at her and then around the small hut.

“Do not be frightened,” he said, as though those four words could erase all her fear.

It crushed her chest and stole her breath. She struggled to suck in air, panic closing her throat and pain making the slightest thing too hard. Her leg was wet. She could feel the steady slide of blood down her arms. Oh God. She was going to die.

Her panic only increased when the dreadful sound of claws against wood filled the small shack. Snarls came in under the door and growls made her skin crawl. She tried to back away but the sound surrounded her, leaving her nowhere to go. The man stood at the door, his tall figure a black shadow in the low light. He didn’t move. He stood sentinel with his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side.

The blade of which gleamed when he began to draw it.

The wolves scrabbled faster at the door and walls, as though they were trying to dig their way through. Nika reached out to the man, numb and petrified. He stepped towards the door and her heart slammed against her chest.

The two small windows on either side of the door exploded, showering her and the man in glass. The wolves leapt high, paws scrambling for purchase on the windowsill. They disappeared again only to attempt another go at getting into the building.

The man fully drew his sword.

She extended her hand further towards him. “You can’t fight. There’s too many!”

A terrible scream made them both jump. She had never heard such a horrifying and inhuman sound. A chill swept over her back and down her arms. The scream came again amidst a discordant symphony of growls and snarls. She closed her eyes and used the last of her strength to cover her ears, not wanting to hear the horse as it died.

Dreadful silence fell.

DOWNLOAD EXTENDED EXCERPT PDF

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Winter's%20Kiss
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Winters-Kiss/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000802090/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-winter039skiss-620974-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/winters-kiss/_/R-400000000000000254325
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Winters-Kiss-Vampires-Realm-Romance/book-EnqLOg3Bska1G5ouPxjkcA/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7932
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0035LDN4Q/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781452386980
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781452386980
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781452386980
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781452386980

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489895/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489895/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Winters-Kiss/F-Heaton/e/9781456489892/

SEDUCE (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3) is underway!

2012-01-09T17:10:00.000Z

I was a good author today and, having spent yesterday evening typing up scraps of notes I had scribbled in various notepads and piecing them together with the notes already in my outline document so they formed a coherent flow that worked for the plot, I started writing the third book in my Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series.

Seduce is Antoine's story. Yes, those of you who have read the first book already, Covet, might think this aristocrat vampire has a stick up his backside and isn't very nice, but I guarantee that by the end of his story, you will be melting for him. You know I can write a tortured hero like no one else and that I can come good on that promise.

I wrote out the character bios this morning for Antoine and his heroine, Sera, and then scribbled down a rough chapter by chapter blow of the story. It's all quite sketchy but it's enough to keep me writing. Nothing slows me down like a lack of clear direction. I have to outline my stories to the letter normally, but with novellas I have a little more leeway and I only slow down when things just aren't clear and I'm not sure how to proceed. I hate having to stop and think during a writing session. It tends to dent my confidence in the story.

My session on the book today, seated in my local cafe with some fruit, water, and only a skinny latte and two cups of tea to fuel me, ended with me at the 8200 word mark. The chapters on this one have been quite short so far because we're switching quite rapidly between Antoine and Sera. They'll get longer now, back to my usual length. I like to write shorter chapters sometimes, especially when I feel there's a rapid exchange of views needed like in this book. The short chapters are necessary. You'll see.

I'm happy with it so far. I'll probably have it done by Friday since it's only a novella. No full on sex scenes as yet but I get to write one tomorrow. Pretty much first thing too, which should be interesting. I'll have to read over the story to work up the required amount of passion. I can write a love scene from a cold start. I need to get the tension and attraction between the couple back into my mind again and start where it left off.

I'm also pleased because it means my 2012 Word Count Target has now left zero and is sitting at a measely 2.1% done. That looks quite pathetic. Still, only another 391,800 words to go until I hit my target for the year!

In other Vampire Erotic Theatre related news, Smashwords is being exceptionally slow and still hasn't approved Covet for distribution. Useless. I really hope that BN opens Pubit to international authors soon, and that Kobo and Apple go ahead with their intended self-publishing platforms, because dealing directly with the publishers will be blissful. I had hoped that giving Smashwords a two week start on getting Covet distributed would mean it was at retailers in time for the book's official release day on January 14th. It doesn't look like that's going to happen now. Sorry folks. As soon as they finally deem the book worthy of approval, and it reaches the stores, I'll let you all know.

In the meantime, Covet is available for Amazon Kindle devices at:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr | Amazon.es | Amazon.it

It will be available on my website from January 14th, in epub, mobi, pdf and html formats.

Manday Hotties - get your mancandy fix!

2012-01-09T00:01:00.003Z

It's time for the Manday Hotties Hop again! Be sure to follow the links in the list below to get your full fix of hot sexy mancandy this Monday

I had to look around for some new pictures because I seem to be getting through them somewhat! Hope those chosen few below satisfy those Monday morning pangs for a hottie...

You like?

Don't forget to clicky click him to make him bigger!

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

750 facebook members drive - snag yourself 6 signed paperbacks - only 180 fans to go!

2012-01-07T16:05:00.000Z

Wow. It's less than a week since I started my750 Members Giveaway on my Facebook page but we're already at the stage where there are only 180 LIKES to go before we unlock the first tier of prizes! How incredible is that?

If you haven't entered the giveaway yet, and you want to get your hands on a bundle of hot prizes - a signed paperback copy of each of my paranormal romance books released in 2011 - then go on to my facebook fan page, LIKE it and then go to the 750 Members Giveaway page (linked in the left menu) and put your name/email into the Rafflecopter form! Easy as that.

The paranormal romance books included are Love Immortal, Hunter's Moon, Ascension, Forbidden Blood, Her Guardian Angel, and Heart of Darkness!

If my facebook fan page reaches 750 LIKES by February 14th 2012, I will giveaway this bundle of signed books. For each 250 LIKES we go beyond the 750, I will add another bundle! So if we reach 1000 there will be 2 bundles of books on offer, for 1250 there will be 3 bundles, etc.

Giveaway is open internationally.

If you want to make sure we reach the 750 LIKES, or even hit the numbers beyond it to unlock more prizes, then start spreading the word to your friends.

ENTER HERE: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton?v=app_204684816209053

My sexy angels will soon be speaking Spanish! COVER REVEAL!

2012-01-06T14:17:00.001Z

February is drawing closer and I'm getting more excited by the day because that's the month when my sexy seductive angel heroes in the Her Angel series will learn to speak Spanish and reach a whole new audience of readers through the amazing Booket imprint of Grupo Planeta.

The first book that will be released is the Spanish translation of the first three novellas in the series, which will be available as a single anthology in both ebook and paperback. That's Her Dark Angel, Her Fallen Angel and Her Warrior Angel in one book. I believe that Her Guardian Angel will follow in the summer.

It's all very exciting, especially because word on the street is that readers are looking forward to the addition of my angel romances to the already popular Booket imprint (which also publishes Christine Feehan) and because I can now reveal the cover. Before you ask, yes, I did design the cover for the book. Take a peek below:

Ángel

Viven camuflados entre nosotros. Están aquí para observar nuestro mundo, protegernos o incluso luchar contra los demonios. Son hombres atractivos y apasionados, atrapados entre las órdenes de sus superiores y los dictados de sus corazones. Y no son precisamente santos...

La historia de amor entre una bruja mortal y un ángel justiciero que nacerá en medio de una venganza. Un ángel forajido acusado de un crimen que no ha cometido intentará recuperar sus alas y, al mismo tiempo, conquistar a la mujer de la que está perdidamente enamorado. Un ángel guerrero sacrificará sus alas por la mujer que ama. Ella le ayudará a recuperarlas, mientras juntos luchan contra los demonios que tendieron otra trampa a otro ángel.

¿Qué esconden estas tres historias? Descúbrelo en Ángel y prepárate para vivir una apasionada historia que te llevará desde el Infierno al Cielo.

Publicación en un solo volumen de los tres primeros títulos de la serie "Ángel": acción, aventura, misterio y pasión en las relaciones de pareja más oscuras imaginables.

Isn't this exciting? I find it giggle-worthy just reading the description. I'm not good at Spanish myself, but I definitely think I'm interested in learning it now so I can read the books in Spanish!

I think Apollyon is going to sound mighty hot speaking it... don't you?

Wallpapers - January features Covet - my upcoming vampire romance book

2012-01-06T10:26:00.000Z

January's wallpaper features my first release of 2012, COVET, which is also the first book in my hot new vampire romance series, Vampire Erotic Theatre. Covet comes out on January 14th, but is already available at Amazon Kindle stores:

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B006RW977M/

You can download the desktop wallpaper for January in various sizes direct from my website. There's also a version of each wallpaper without the calendar element so you can have them on your desktop at your leisure.

Just click on the sample image of the wallpaper below to go to my site and find the size right for you!

If you want wallpapers with or without a calendar, I have them available for my books in the Goodies section of my website. At the moment, I have ones available for: Heart of Darkness, Hunter's Moon, Love Immortal, Her Guardian Angel, Forbidden Blood, Ascension and Covet.

Yummy!

A New Year means new goals - Writing, indie publishing, reading and others

2012-01-03T13:16:00.000Z

It's that time of year again where we're caught between looking back and looking forwards.

2011 was a very special year for me. It was the year when all my hard work over the past five years started to pay off and I was able to quit my day job and venture into the unknown murky waters of being a full-time writer. So far, it has paid off, partly because of my own focused determination to succeed and continue to publish top quality paranormal romance books and partly because I have the most amazing readers, and some of them are awesome enough to help spread the word about my books to their friends, through reviews, or through sharing posts on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you to everyone who has done something for me in 2011, has been a friend, or supported me in some way. Without you, I would be sitting here writing for myself.

It was also a year where I achieved more than I had dreamed possible as an author, and now that I know what I'm capable of, I can set crazy targets for the coming year. Here's a few of my goals for 2012.

As a Reader

I read 24 books in 2011 through the Goodreads challenge. Considering I probably read around 3 the year before, this was a substantial and welcome leap for me. I joined the challenge late in March, but still managed to reach my goal.

In 2012, I am upping my game and challenging myself to read 36 books. That's a lot when you're a writer too! I've already read one, and I'm on my second. There's a huge TBR pile on my bookshelf just screaming at me to read them all.

As a Writer

My goals as a writer are quite big this year, and some might think they're a bit crazy, but I think with a little grim determination and hard work they are completely possible.

Sell 250,000 books in total in 2012 (not including free books)
Write 400,000 words, and track progress on my blog in sidebar
Achieve a NY Times / USA Today best seller
Win an award for my books
Overhaul the Vampires Realm series website
Create the Her Angel series website

I think those are quite straightforward and achievable. I have other goals too, but not the sort that people will be interested in.

I also intend to change my Vampires Realm series over to my main author name of Felicity Heaton to help promote sales of my books and make it clearer that they're both by me, and remove some of my older books from sale so I can read them and decide whether to do a second edition of them, or whether to just trim the fat on my backlist a little.

The other thing I want to do is really get my brand sorted and working for me, and put together a three year plan for my business.

So, what are your goals for 2012? I already know that some of you plan to read a huge amount of books that has left me in complete awe!

Teaseday - Seventh Circle - vampire romance book

2012-01-03T12:00:00.001Z

Today my Teaseday post comes from another of my current books on offer, Seventh Circle, a vampire romance book and the seventh book in my popular Vampires Realm romance series.

At the moment, I have a fantastic offer on a selection of my ebooks. There are plenty of fantastic reads to choose from, all priced between $0.99 and $2.99 and in a range of lengths between novella and long novels, and a variety of paranormal romance sub-genres including sinful angels, sexy vampires, seductive werewolves, and even a super-hot demon and sassy witch pairing. Offers end 15th January 2012.

Find out more about the books, including excerpts and reviews, and these great offers at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php

Seventh Circle is on offer for just $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Smashwords and other retailers. You can also get Winter's Kiss for just $2.99, and the first three books in the series, the Prophecy Trilogy, for only $0.99 each!

So, here's a single chapter tease and a link to a downloaded extended excerpt pdf!

Seventh Circle

F E Heaton
Born with powers similar to a vampire’s, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. On the same night as she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she is faced with her worst nightmare—a client who is not only attractive but a vampire.

Lincoln is a powerful pureblood with a problem. He’s caught up in a prophecy and has little time left to unravel the mystery of the contract between his lord and the Devil before he dies. When witches foretell that a vampire hunter will save his life, he’s prepared to work with his most hated enemy, but he isn’t prepared for the forbidden desire he feels when he meets her.

Their mutual attraction becomes difficult to deny as they work together but when Lincoln reveals the truth about her powers, will Lilith find the strength to embrace a side of herself that she wished didn’t exist? And when they discover Lilith’s role in the prophecy, how far will Lincoln go to save her?

Dark, sensual and fast-paced, Seventh Circle is a story of forbidden love so strong that it will save the world.

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Only $2.99 (normally $3.99) as part of my Winter Warmers deal - offer ends 15th January 2012. Find out more about the offer and where it is available.

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Seventh%20Circle
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035LDO68/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035LDO68/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Seventh-Circle/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000800973/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-seventhcircle-620973-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/seventh-circle/_/R-400000000000000249275
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Seventh-Circle/mix-ZGYNJZH8-kmDBm5GV0YlJg/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7734
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0035LDO68/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0035LDO68/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781452369952
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781452369952
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781452369952
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781452369952

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1460978579/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1460978579/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seventh-circle-f-e-heaton/1021362622

EXCERPT

Lincoln stared at the ceiling. Sleep evaded him, chased away by the thousand screaming heartbeats in his head. He clapped a hand over his eyes, wishing to shut the world out. The blood of every human in the building still called to him.

None more than Lilith’s.

He focused on it as it beckoned him, a strong steady melody in his ears, a siren song. His eyes slipped shut behind his hand and a smile teased his lips as he reached out with sharpened senses and listened to her moving around the small apartment. She was muttering to herself about the heat. It was hot in the building. Everyone’s blood was rushing close to the surface, their hearts working overtime to cool their bodies down. It only made them more alluring.

Shifting his focus, he listened to the clanging of metal on metal far below him. Someone was trying to fix the boiler. Its malfunction was obviously the cause of the temporary heat wave.

Lilith cursed again from the other room, loud enough this time that he would’ve heard it if he’d been human.

Her heart thumped rhythmically, pounding in his blood and telling him to go to her. Neither of them could sleep. Perhaps they could begin researching, although it would probably be unwise to disturb her now. When her superior had told her to share her apartment with him, and that his safety was maximum priority, she’d looked as though she’d been chewing a wasp. Her superior had been right. She did despise his kind, as did everyone here. Common sense told him to leave before someone got it into their head to attempt to kill him, and not just make idle threats. His heart said that he had to stay. He had to know if she really was the one.

Sitting up, Lincoln stared at the closed door of his room. On the other side was Lilith. She was moving around the kitchen of the small two bedroom apartment. The modernity of this area of the mansion was a strange contrast to the more in-keeping look of the area he’d first arrived in, with its large rooms filled with antique furniture and old paintings. This wing seemed to act like a dormitory for the hunters. Were all the apartments like Lilith’s or was hers special? Perhaps hunters shared them. Had she shared this apartment with her dead friend or her sister? His focus shifted back to Lilith as she moved again. He could sense her fatigue. It gave out a call to his instincts, telling him she’d be easy prey in her current state. It was hard to ignore such instincts even when he had to.

It had been near impossible to stop himself from killing those hunters this morning.
Lincoln frowned when Lilith stopped dead and sniffed. Her change in emotions was abrupt and would’ve been unreadable had he not known her recent history. The death of her friend was upsetting her—a death that he was responsible for. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have bothered him. His kind had to feed, and had to protect themselves. A vampire hunter was the perfect target for sport and a good meal, and it meant there was one less in the world when you were done. Yet it bothered him now. He didn’t want to consider the reason why.

Getting up, he walked to the door and opened it. Lilith was in the kitchen side of the living room now, busying herself in some vain attempt to pretend he wasn’t here, that he hadn’t heard her crying, and by the looks of things making tea. He studied her, amused by the way the oversized grey t-shirt swamped her and the loose black jogging bottoms trailed on the floor. She’d tied her golden hair back into a high ponytail. The tips of it brushed her neck. He dragged his eyes away from it and raised them to her face. She looked tired, her face drawn and pale.

He glanced at the coffee table and saw it spread with books. She must have gone out to get them during the short hours of sleep that he’d snatched. Now the sun was growing close to setting and its sway over him was less. Soon night would fall and it would be almost impossible to ignore the lure of the cacophony of heartbeats.

Aware that he was dressed only in his black jeans, he walked with head held high into the kitchen area and leaned against the counter near her.

Her eyes darted to him and then away again. They didn’t make it as far as his face. They’d only reached his chest. He smiled internally at this small victory over her. Since their meeting this morning, she’d been a hellion, refusing to work with him and making sure that he knew how much she hated him. She wanted to make things difficult for him and he was more than willing to show her what a pain in the backside he could be to her. Besides, it was interesting to see a human’s, a hunter’s no less, reaction to a vampire, especially when they couldn’t kill them. The temptation to push her to breaking point just to see what she’d do was overwhelming and a wonderful way of alleviating his boredom.

“You can’t walk around my place like that or I will lock that door just like I threatened.” She frowned at him, her eyes managing to make it to his this time.

“Why not?” He challenged her, leaning back a little and planting his palms against the counter so his muscles tensed. She did a good job of resisting a look. He could see that she was curious.

“It’s...” She swallowed, pensive and still frowning beautifully.

“Distracting?” he suggested with a smirk.

“Off putting,” she said, deadpan and glaring.

She moved to the sink and filled the kettle before putting it on. Lincoln watched her, silent and motionless. The way she moved around was entrancing. Strength laced her natural grace. It spoke of it to him, telling him that she believed herself a force to be reckoned with. Maybe she was in human terms.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” she said.

“I could not sleep.” He moved closer to her, leaning against the tall cupboard next to where she now stood waiting for the kettle to boil.

“Vampires have sleepless days?” There was a playful note in her voice that he hadn’t expected. She seemed surprisingly relaxed around him now. The trace of fear he’d detected in her this morning was gone.

“More often than you think when we are hungry,” he whispered, his eyes caressing her throat.

“Never going to happen,” she said without even looking at him.

Her senses were acute if she’d detected his intent without having to see it with her own two eyes. There was something different about her. Perhaps she’d been modified like some of the other hunters he’d encountered recently. Since the Law Keepers’ report that humans had been playing god, they’d met more genetically altered hunters. They’d killed every one.

She filled her mug, removed the tea bag and went to move past him towards the lounge area. Her eyes strayed to his torso again.

He tensed his muscles for her and she quickly looked away. Either she was a prude, or it was because he was a vampire that she didn’t want to look at him. He hoped it was the latter. It would be fun to prove to her just how curious she was about his kind. Her eyes strayed again and he waited to see what she’d do this time. She stood there, gaze furtively taking in his body. A dull ache settled in his chest, followed by another in his gut. Temptation whispered to push her now while he had the chance.

“Have you ever been curious? Come now, you must have been curious to know sometimes.” Lincoln held her gaze when it darted to meet his. She looked wonderfully innocent and clueless. It didn’t fool him. She understood what he was saying. He stepped away from the cupboard and towards her. “What we feel like, what it feels like.”

“Never!” There was such defiance in her voice, such vehement denial. He might have believed it if she’d managed to keep better control of herself. Her eyes betrayed her. They strayed to his chest for a split second.

He grinned, enjoying this game. It was time to up the ante.

He trailed his fingers across his bare chest.

“I know you want to feel it.” His senses locked onto her heart, revelling in the staccato rhythm it had adopted. A rush of adrenaline entered her blood, sending the scent of it into the air through her overheating flesh. She was either embarrassed, or his words held some truth and she wanted to touch him. Another push. “Just reach out and touch. I can see the questions in your eyes, Lilith. Is it cool, hard? Would you feel a heartbeat? Would I feel your touch, feel pain if you scraped your nails down it... feel pleasure?”

Her cheeks blazed and her eyes widened. She went to turn away. He was beside her before she could move, his hand tight around her wrist. He couldn’t let her get away when it was just getting interesting.

Taking the mug from her other hand, he placed it down on the counter away from them, his movements slow so he didn’t draw her attention away from his eyes. He drew her towards him. Her fingers shook in his. Her breath trembled uneasily, quivering with her racing heart. Her dark eyes fell to his chest and she slowly wet her lips with the bare tip of her soft pink tongue. He stared at her mouth, mesmerised by the motion of her tongue against her lips, and then snapped himself out of it.

This game was turning dangerous for them both. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t stop now.

He had to see what would happen.

“Surrender to it,” he whispered, voice smooth and convincing.

Her fingertips barely grazed his skin and he was on fire. His eyes half closed as he absorbed the sensation of her warm caress heating his body. He hadn’t expected this. He clawed back a modicum of control, telling himself this was just a game to annoy her, to make her feel weak. It shouldn’t make him feel this way.

Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated as she stared at her fingers where they traced patterns on his chest. She was lost. He could smell the hint of arousal, the alluring pheromones coming off her.

He breathed in a voice of temptation, “Imagine what it is like to kiss me.”

Her gaze burned him, trailing fire over his body as it rose to his mouth. He stared at hers, imagining the silky glide of her lips against his and the brush of her tongue, the warmth of her.

“Imagine what it is like to be kissed by me.” He smiled to reveal his extended fangs.

She jerked her hand away and then shoved him hard in the chest. He laughed. She stormed off into her room. A small cream table lamp took the brunt of her anger. It hit the wall not five feet from him and smashed into pieces, raining down on the kitchen counter. He’d expected her aim to be more accurate.

Lincoln forced his teeth to recede and listened to her tramping around her room. What was she doing? Was she looking for something else to throw at him? He didn’t know why she was angry with him. All he’d done was play a vicious game as she had been. Only his game was different. Instead of being designed to show her how much he hated her kind as hers was, it was designed to show her how curious she was about them and how tempting they were to her.

She walked back out of the bedroom.

He froze and stared at her.

The only trouble was she was becoming tempting herself.

The rose-coloured camisole hugged her upper body to the point where imagination wasn’t necessary. It emphasised her breasts. They swayed as she moved towards him, free of a bra to restrain them. Dark blue jeans were moulded to her legs, revealing their slender shapely form. Her small feet were bare, her toes painted a sultry black.

She neared him and he raked his eyes back up her. They didn’t make it to her face. She made sure of that. Her fingers skimmed across her chest, gathering the sheen of sweat there until it beaded against her skin. He swallowed. She stopped close to him, not three feet away. He couldn’t take his eyes off what she was doing. The sensuality of it only heightened his desire for her, his want to take her and her blood for his own. He curled his hands into tight fists of restraint. It didn’t stop his desire from rising. It was no use. He was captivated. She had turned his game against him and triggered thoughts that he shouldn’t be entertaining. What they spoke of was forbidden. It was a sin to want a human.

He licked his lips and stepped towards her, still mesmerised by the motion of her fingers on her chest. A single drop of moisture slid down over the arc of her breast and into her cleavage. His lips parted in fascination and he looked at her. She smiled, all innocence laced with seduction. This was a cruel game to play with a man.

Another step.

She moved before he had time to react, reaching into her back pocket and pulling something out.

His eyes flicked to it.

A stake.

He leapt backwards.

She didn’t attack.

His own weakness hit him with tremendous force. She’d lured him in and had drawn her stake before he’d even known what was happening. If she’d been serious about staking him, there was no telling what might have happened, but there was every possibility she would have hit her mark.

“Next time you try something, I will be armed, and I will kill you,” she said, voice dark and lethal.

He raised his hands, in control again. “Touché.”

She slipped the stake into her back pocket and walked towards him. His eyes followed her and he turned as she passed him, unwilling to show her his back. She grabbed the waste bin and pushed all the pieces of the lamp into it.

“And you owe me a new lamp.”

Lincoln stared at Lilith’s back, cocking his head to one side. Just below her neck and between her shoulder blades was a black tattoo. He stepped closer to see it better as she picked up her mug of tea. It was a sun surrounded by pointed rays and inside the circle of it was a crescent moon.

She turned to face him and sipped her drink. It had to be cold by now.

His little game would have seen to that.

In the end, he wasn’t sure who the victor had been. She’d touched him and he’d seen in her eyes that she was curious. It didn’t seem to go beyond that. Her scent had only shown a tiny sign of desire. If she’d been a vampire, she would have easily noticed the change in his own scent. He’d wanted her. Looking at her now, he still wanted her. The moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d admitted to himself that she was attractive for a human. She called to him on some base level where he wasn’t master.

There was no way he could act on the attraction he felt though. The law was there to prevent such trysts between vampires and humans, unless he intended to kill or turn her. He had to uphold the law regardless of his situation. If he survived this, he would face trial for conspiracy against his bloodline. He didn’t need to add any more sins to his list or he would lessen his chances of making the Law Keepers release him rather than execute him.

“Are you even listening to me?” she said with such an air of irritation that he realised their game still had her flustered.

He wondered if she felt as flustered as he did. Did the hunters have laws to prevent such relationships too? He doubted it. Humans seemed a lawless race.

“From the look on your face, I’m guessing no.” She placed her mug down on the counter and glared at him. “I think we need a few ground rules, or I’m going to end up killing you before this assignment is complete.”

He denied his urge to laugh at what she’d said. Laughing at her when she was already angry with him was going to get him nowhere, no matter how ridiculous her idea of being able to kill him was.

“What like?”

“First, no walking around my apartment naked.”

Lincoln looked down at himself. “I fail to see that I am nude. Half nude perhaps, but not nude.”

Lilith frowned and narrowed her eyes into a look that might have killed him if he’d been close enough. “Second, I need a reason not to lock you in your room during the day.”

“Other than the fact I could just pull the door off the hinges or kick it down?” Another sour look met his question. “Are you afraid I am going to attempt to kill you?”

“I’m afraid you’re getting ideas above your station, demon.”

He raised an eyebrow at her tone. Snide and derisive. It sounded familiar. She sounded like he used to.

“Speak to me in that way again, and I will show you who is inferior.” His eyes switched to red for a moment, enough to give her a reminder of just what she was dealing with. There was only one reason he hadn’t killed her yet, and that was because she might be key to his own survival. If she hadn’t been, he would’ve turned her into a delicious meal the first time she’d insulted him by grabbing him in her superior’s office.

She walked past him, evidently choosing to ignore his warning.

“I mean it. You’re surrounded by humans and they’re unlikely to ignore you. It’s our calling to kill creatures like you. The treatment the men gave you this morning was just a taster. What’s to stop you from killing them next time?”

The only thing stopping him from killing them was himself. He realised any other demands she might have were just padding to draw his attention away from how important this one was to her. She was worried about her friends and with good reason. He wouldn’t think twice about killing any of them, anyone but her, unless it meant that she would take her services away and leave him vulnerable.

Could he honestly say what she wanted him to say? If pushed, he would push back. Instinct and years of training made him see her kind as below him, as nothing more than fodder for his species. She was asking something of him that he didn’t know if he could do. He could only try.

He swallowed his pride and the bitter taste of his thoughts. To promise her this would be to lower himself, and that was something he wasn’t used to. His heart rebelled against the idea.

“I will make a pact with you,” he said in a clear voice full of conviction even as his instinct told him to kill them all, to revel in their deaths and force her to help him.

“Your terms?” She seemed so confident and calm. There was a sparkle of victory in her eyes.

She had taken him down, kicked out his legs, bound his hands and forced him to submit to her, and all it had taken was the idea that she would turn her back on him and leave him to face his terrible fate alone.

“You will protect me... and in exchange, I will give you my word not to kill any member of this compound.” Those words were easier to say than he’d thought they would be.

A smile bowed her dusky lips. “Agreed.”

He frowned and watched her moving around the apartment, gathering a black shirt from where it lay draped over the back of the dark brown couch and then checking a crossbow that sat on the coffee table beside the books.

She’d agreed incredibly quickly. He’d thought she’d protest to the idea of having to protect him. She’d accepted his terms without a moment’s pause. He only wished he could accept hers so easily. This feeling of weakness and his reliance on a human sickened him. He needed to feel strong again.

“Where are you going?” he said when she put the crossbow down, checked her stake was in her back pocket and then started putting her boots on.

She looked over at him, dark eyes still sparkling with diamonds and her smile.

“To hunt,” she said.

No wonder she sounded so happy. He stared into the distance as he remembered what it felt like to hunt—the rush, the thrill, and the beauty of violence. He’d always been happy when he’d been going out to hunt. A vampire hunter had to feel something similar.

“I would be interested to see you hunt.” He moved to block her path to the door.

Her wide eyes spoke of shock. It soon gave way to something else. She held her head high and looked him over, assessing him. What was going through her mind?

“Get dressed then,” she said with a half smile. “And I’ll show you just what hunters are made of.”

* * * *

Lilith’s muscles screamed in protest as she tried to push herself that bit harder. It was too much to ask of her tiring body. There was no way she could keep running at this pace. It was too fast.

Lincoln was edging away from her, taking the lead now.

She’d valiantly kept up with him, wanting to catch the demon before he did for the sake of her pride as a hunter. It was impossible. He was relentless and showed no sign of stopping or slowing.

The dark clouds above surrendered to the pressure of their load and heavy rain fell, drenching the pavement and road, and turning the grass embankment slippery in an instant. She ran onto the path and pushed on, not wanting to admit that she was beginning to slow down. She could continue. She could keep up with him. It wasn’t about the demon anymore. It was about Lincoln being better than her.

She hated that.

Even with her gift and her natural strength, even though she could outrun any hunter in Section Seven, she couldn’t beat him.

He had to be tiring now, surely? They’d chased the demon across the city and no one, not even a vampire, could keep running forever.

Stopping dead, she keeled over and grasped her knees.

A vampire hunter definitely couldn’t.

She breathed hard through burning lungs as her body shut down, shrieking with pain. It was useless. She couldn’t go on.

He’d won.

Closing her eyes, she fought to level out her breathing. Her throat was sore and tight, her chest wheezing with each lungful of air she dragged in and exhaled.

“The demon is getting away.” Lincoln didn’t sound as though he was mocking her. Her heart said that he was. The matter of fact tone he’d adopted didn’t hide his underlying thoughts behind those words. He knew he’d won. He’d bested her when she’d brought him out on a hunt with her to prove her strength and superior skills.

“Let it,” she rasped through a sticky throat and dry mouth, dying a little more.

It took all the energy she had left just to raise her head and look at him.

He towered above her, black hair slicked by the rain and forming spikes against his forehead. Droplets raced down his cheeks to his chin and fell to his chest. His clothes were soaked, sticking the black t-shirt to his chest and making her think of this evening.

She couldn’t believe that she’d touched him. Worse than that, she’d wanted to. His words had been so convincing, making the temptation rise in her until she’d no longer wanted to resist it. She’d wanted to feel him and know all those things he’d whispered.

“I could go on alone,” he said and again there wasn’t a trace of malice in his voice.

He seemed to be enjoying the hunt, and it didn’t seem to bother him what he was hunting. She’d dispatched a weakling vampire with all the grace, speed and skill she’d wanted to show him. The fight had been short, but not as short as his one against another weakling.

He’d killed it with one blow.

It had taken seconds.

Then the demon had shown up and she’d seen her chance to show him that she was better than him.

Only he’d beaten her that time too.

He’d outrun her and he didn’t even look as though he’d broken a sweat. Did vampires sweat? They probably didn’t.

Straightening, she peered into his dark eyes. The light was bad, sickly yellow sodium that did nothing to illuminate his face. She didn’t see any sign of fatigue though.

“Aren’t you tired?” she said and then wondered when she’d fallen onto such easy terms with him. A part of her said to rebel and treat him as she had when she’d first met him. She was too tired to go through with it. Maybe tomorrow she’d give him hell again.

She hadn’t realised how close he was to her until he shifted slightly. He was barely three feet away. It compounded the strange notion she’d come up with earlier in the night. He was always close to her. Was it his need for protection driving him to stay so near, or something else? His desire for her blood? He hadn’t hidden that back at her apartment. He’d bite her if she let him, of that she was sure. This was different though. It was as though he couldn’t leave her side, as though they were one and the same. She didn’t like that thought. It made her stomach turn and made conflict ring in her head.

Her gaze fell to his hand. The angle of their bodies made it close to hers. There was strength in those large hands and long fingers. She’d felt it when he’d held her wrist and seen it when he’d killed the weakling.

Her hand shifted to her pocket where she kept her stake, and she went rigid and alert as a noise broke the silence. Down the road, a man crossed over to the other side. She slumped back into a more relaxed position and lowered her hand. Lincoln moved a step closer and her attention was with him again. He looked thoughtful and then shrugged.

“I am certain that I will need a good stretch come tomorrow night.” He laughed and she noticed his extended fangs. They glistened in the streetlight, capturing her attention until she was staring at his mouth. Would it hurt?

That thought shocked her and she backed away a step, distancing herself from him as though that would rid her of the things going around her head.

“I know what you are thinking,” he said.

Her heart hammered at the idea he might, that any cocky comment he was about to make might actually be true.

“You do?” Her voice shook.

“They take a while to get used to when talking,” he said and relief filled her, swift and calming. “There is a lot of bloodied tongue at first... not that that is a bad thing.”

The idea of that should have repulsed her. She knew that. For some reason it didn’t sicken her to the extent she’d thought it would. She frowned and rubbed her temples. This was all getting horribly complicated and she was beginning to lose perspective.

He was a vampire.

She killed vampires.

That’s all there was to it.

She hated his kind. He used hers as food or for amusement and then food.

Her heart whispered a reminder that he wasn’t just a demon now, not to her. He’d somehow made himself almost human. She was beginning to forget what he truly was. He was starting to become something other than an enemy.

Her eyes fell to his mouth again and the sight of it stirred thoughts she’d been trying to repress all night—his teeth, his lips, his kiss.

His fangs receded, shifting back into normal teeth, and he flashed a winsome smile.

“The demon?” he said in a voice that sounded distant to her ears.

“Let it go.”

What was happening to her?

She was still staring at his mouth when her senses screamed of danger. Her instinct kicked in, her training taking over. Her hand shot to her stake. She turned to face their attacker.

The man that had crossed the road changed in front of her eyes. In the space of a heartbeat, he’d sprouted a curling pair of horns and tattered leathery wings that beat the air. Razor-sharp teeth cut across his widening mouth and scales erupted over his body. The demon unleashed an ear-splitting shriek that had her desperate to cover her ears.

Another heartbeat and it flew upwards, out of her reach, heading into the darkness.

It had taken Lincoln with it.

DOWNLOAD EXTENDED EXCERPT PDF

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Seventh%20Circle
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035LDO68/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035LDO68/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Seventh-Circle/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000800973/
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Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Seventh-Circle/mix-ZGYNJZH8-kmDBm5GV0YlJg/page1.html
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Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0035LDO68/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0035LDO68/
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Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781452369952

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1460978579/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1460978579/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seventh-circle-f-e-heaton/1021362622

750 facebook members drive - snag yourself 6 signed paperbacks!

2012-01-02T20:27:00.000Z

That's right, you can get your hands on a bundle of hot prizes - a signed and personalised paperback copy of each of my paranormal romance releases from 2011.

The paranormal romance books included are Love Immortal, Hunter's Moon, Ascension, Forbidden Blood, Her Guardian Angel, and Heart of Darkness!

If my facebook fan page reaches 750 LIKES by February 14th 2012, I will giveaway this bundle of signed books. For each 250 LIKES we go beyond the 750, I will add another bundle! So if we reach 1000 there will be 2 bundles of books on offer, for 1250 there will be 3 bundles, etc.

All you have to do is head over to my facebook fan page, LIKE it and then go to the 750 Members Giveaway page (linked in the left menu) and put your name/email into the Rafflecopter form! Easy as that.

Giveaway is open internationally.

If you want to make sure we reach the 750 LIKES, or even hit the numbers beyond it to unlock more prizes, then start spreading the word to your friends.

ENTER HERE: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton?v=app_204684816209053

Manday Hotties - Your first manday fix of 2012!

2012-01-02T00:01:00.001Z

It's time for the Manday Hotties Hop again and it's the first hop of 2012! Be sure to follow the links in the list below to get your full fix of New Year mancandy!

I have to kick off the New Year with an old favourite... my lovely Josh Kloss... *purr*

Don't forget to clicky click him to make him bigger!

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

Celebrate the New Year with a new vampire erotic romance series!

2012-01-01T14:13:00.000Z

The first book in my new erotic vampire romance series, Vampire Erotic Theatre, has hit Amazon Kindle stores nice and early. If you're a Kindle user, you can get your hands on COVET (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1) for just $2.99 or £1.99 or EUR 2.99 depending on where you're shopping.

Covet will be available on other retailers such as Barnes and Noble Nook store, Sony Reader Store, Apple iBookstores, and Kobo Books soon. I'll post when it reaches them.

Here's the blurb, cover, and links to the Amazon Kindle stores. The book also includes a preview of the second book in the series, Crave, which will be released on March 10th 2012

Covet
Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

ebook price: $2.99 / £1.99 / EUR 2.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 30000 words
rating: sultry
released: January 2012
Book 1 in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series

Available in e-book on Amazon Kindle from:
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle Italy: http://www.amazon.it/dp/B006RW977M/
Amazon Kindle Spain: http://www.amazon.es/dp/B006RW977M/

Ring in the New Year with these amazing ebooks!

2011-12-31T11:07:00.002Z

It's the New Year, time to spread love and happiness, and try something new perhaps? That's why I'm opening my blogs to authors who are participating in a little open blog day.

You are welcome to make a short post in the comments section about your romance book. The book must be a romance, but it doesn't have to be paranormal romance. I'll also accept urban fantasy too.

Please only promote in one comment to give others room. If you have multiple ebooks you want to promote, please use short descriptions with a link. I will delete all comments by the same author and leave only the first one they make.

Just include the link to the book, the blurb, title, author name and genre, and the link to your "Ring in the New Year with these amazing ebooks!" post on your own blog so I can reciprocate and post my book on your blog too. Don't forget to tweet about your post using the hashtag #newyearsbookpromo

If you don't have the post on your blog, your comment will be removed.

Here are my shiny books that I want to talk about on my own blog. Don't worry, I'll be only posting a single book at everyone's blogs! But hey, this is my blog... so what I say goes here :D

All of the books I'm featuring below are part of my fantastic Winter Warmers offers. The offers end on January 15th 2012, so there's only two weeks left to grab these books at bargain prices!

Here are some blurb snippets and links for all the books on offer!

A new blog design for a new year!

2011-12-29T14:28:00.000Z

I had to write another book summary today, which means that I ended up procrastinating and redesigning my blog. I had grown tired of the dark colour scheme and wanted something lighter for the coming year. It's just a quick redesign at this stage but I'm quite pleased with the changes that I've made.

I wanted it to still reflect my look while being easier to read for users and a lot more orderly. My old blog was beginning to get a little messy. I think there's still some clean up required to get the side bars a little neater but I'm definitely happier with the new look.

What do you think of it?

Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1) by Felicity Heaton - Cover and blurb reveal!

2011-12-28T15:39:00.002Z

Because of my 2012 release schedule re-shuffle, I am having to work over Christmas. I did say that something always comes up to steal my relaxing and reading time. I'm going to reward myself with some days off in the New Year. I have just finished proofing Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1) which will come out on January 14th (Although look for it in stores before then as it will hit Amazon and others earlier than that!) and have put the finishing touches on the blurb, and wanted to get everyone's opinion on it.

So, here's the blurb for the book, with the sexy-as-hell cover... what do you think? Would you rush out and grab a copy of this book?

Covet

(Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1)
Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now they can no longer resist the sinful desires of their hearts.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

ETA: I changed the final paragraph having been inspired by Kezzer! Thanks Kezzer!

I tried really hard not to be long winded or give too much away, as it's a novella, but while I was a bit long winded as always, I think I succeeded on the second bit... maybe. It may shrink a little more before the official release day.

What do you think?

Vampire romance book trailer and 6 chapter excerpt - Heart of Darkness by Felicity Heaton

2011-12-28T10:15:00.000Z

I have put together a six chapter excerpt from Heart of Darkness now so I thought I would blog about it and also about the book trailer. This is only the second book trailer I've ever made but I really like this one and it has inspired me to make more trailers for my paranormal romance books!

Here's the book trailer for my vampire romance book, Heart of Darkness.

Here's a little more about the vampire romance novel and where it's available, including a link to the six chapter excerpt download in PDF.

Heart of Darkness
Felicity Heaton
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won’t stop until the last of the vampire hunter’s progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It’s the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline’s mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince’s hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?

DOWNLOAD THE SIX CHAPTER PDF EXCERPT

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781466173286
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-darkness-felicity-heaton/1106991833
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/heart-of-darkness/_/R-400000000000000534302
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97624
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466452897/

2012 Paranormal Romance Book Release Schedule - updated!

2011-12-27T12:18:00.000Z

I haven't officially announced my release dates for the coming year but people have known that Masquerade (Vampires Realm series #10) was going to be my first of the year. I've had to change that. I still feel that Masquerade needs a little more love and attention before I am truly happy with it. Rather than release it before I have total confidence in the book, I have decided to reschedule it for later in the year.

So, rather than starting the year with a Vampires Realm release, I will be kicking it off with the first book in my new Vampire Erotic Theatre series.

Here's a breakdown of what will be coming out when in 2012...

Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series #1) will come out in January, with Crave (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series #2) following it in March.

Masquerade (Vampires Realm series #10) will now come out in May.

Following that, I will be releasing Seduce (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series #3) in June with the final book, Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series #4) coming out in August.

In September, I will release Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel romance series #5).

Yes, it's the year of series in 2012!

I am hopeful that I can get another novella or novel written and released in 2012 too. It might be another Vampires Realm one as I'm getting back into that series now. There is every chance that I will get impatient and release Masquerade sooner and have it overlapping with my VET series books as it is written under another name after all. Of course, that would mean running two blog tours at the same time!

Teaseday - Forbidden Blood - vampire romance book

2011-12-27T12:00:00.002Z

Today's Teaseday comes in the form of a single chapter excerpt plus a downloadable extended excerpt in PDF format, and the book I've chosen is part of my Winter Warmers deals, Forbidden Blood, a vampire romance book.

At the moment, I have a fantastic offer on a selection of my ebooks. There are plenty of fantastic reads to choose from, all priced between $0.99 and $2.99 and in a range of lengths between novella and long novels, and a variety of paranormal romance sub-genres including sinful angels, sexy vampires, seductive werewolves, and even a super-hot demon and sassy witch pairing. Offers end 15th January 2012.

Find out more about the books, including excerpts and reviews, and these great offers at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php

Forbidden Blood is on offer for just $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Smashwords and other retailers.

Forbidden Blood
Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.

Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire’s grasp, it turns out she’s the lead he’s been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?

As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn’s world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.

Forbidden Blood is a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Only $2.99 (normally $3.99) as part of my Winter Warmers deal - offer ends 15th January 2012. Find out more about the offer and where it is available.

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1103572024
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-forbiddenblood-613573-139.html/
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/forbidden-blood/_/R-400000000000000406450
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Forbidden-Blood-Vampire-Venators-Romance/book-mWkS9umUmkmp2XI4cX_woA/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66030
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781458181381

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1461132193/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1461132193/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1031509117

EXCERPT

She shouldn’t have looked.

Amber hurried through the dark side streets of central London, heading for the nearest Underground station. She glanced back over her shoulder. The man from the courtyard of the redbrick factory building stood on the other side of a busy road. The hood of his black coat obscured his face but Amber could feel his eyes on her—intent and cold.

She turned away, huddled up into her thin black suit jacket, and carried on walking. She could feel the man still staring at her.

The courtyard flashed across her mind. Two men with sacks and another sweeping disinfectant out into the street. She had never seen the wooden gates open before, but there was always a puddle of disinfectant outside in the mornings. What did they have in those bags? What were they trying to wash away?

Car headlights snapped her out of her thoughts. A white Audi sports car purred past her, rear lights flashing bright crimson in the darkness as it stopped at the junction ahead and then turned and roared away.

Amber undid the button on her jacket and one on her white shirt, hot from her leaving party and panic. She had to get a grip. She glanced back again, shifting her handbag on her shoulder. No one was there save a few Londoners making their way home from the pubs or going to nightclubs. She hated walking around the city so late at night. It always got her jittery and the few drinks she’d had with her work colleagues at the pub weren’t helping.

It wasn’t far to the Underground station. If she focused on thinking about good things, she would be there before she knew it and then she would feel foolish for being so nervous. She smiled when she thought about her leaving party. She had worked for the company for years, but it was time for a change and she couldn’t wait to start her new life. In only a few weeks, she would be working in Paris. She would be able to see her brother more often and would be able to soak up a different culture. It seemed like a dream and she was so caught up in it that she didn’t care about all the work she still had to do—the crash course in French, even though it was a British firm she was going to work for and there would be English speakers there, all the packing and things she had to arrange.

Amber turned down a narrow one-way street. A light on the wall of a building above her blinked on and off. Footsteps rang out behind her, echoing along the road. Pleasant daydreams about her future life in Paris disappeared. She walked faster, her heart beating quicker now as fearful thoughts crowded her mind.

She had almost reached the other end of the road when two men appeared, walking towards her. She went to cross the road to avoid them but they split up and motioned to each other. Her hazel eyes shot wide when she recognised them from the courtyard. She turned to go back the other way.

The hooded man stood at the other end of the street.

Amber searched for a way to get past him. Why had he followed her? Her heart beat harder. Long heavy black sacks. Pink disinfectant.

Bodies?

Blood?

A hand around her wrist sent a jolt through her and she tried to pull free. One man twisted her right arm behind her back and the other grabbed her left wrist. They pulled her backwards into the shadows.

Amber kicked her legs and opened her mouth to scream. A heavy gloved hand covered it. The smell of leather filled her nostrils and she breathed hard through her nose, staring wild-eyed at the man in front of her. The hood obscured his face but she could see his jaw, see the hint of a smile on his lips.

He nodded to the two men behind her and their grip increased. Amber flailed, desperate to escape. It was impossible. She stamped on their feet, kicked their legs, wriggled with all of her strength, but they wouldn’t let her go.

The man motioned to one of the others holding her. The moment he removed his hand from her mouth, another covered it, keeping her silent. She tried to call out anyway, her eyes darting between her attackers and the street. The hooded man smiled at her, as though amused by the muffled sound and her panic.

Amber stilled when he reached inside his long black coat and pulled out a knife. Her eyes went round and her heart raced, fear thundering in her veins.

He was going to kill her.

She shook her head and didn’t stop, not when the man took another step back and not even when he raised his left hand and drew the knife down the palm of his leather glove, cutting into his flesh beneath. Not a trace of pain showed on what she could see of his face. Was he trying to frighten her by showing how strong he was? She was already petrified. He stepped towards her and she redoubled her fight against the men, kicking with all of her might.

“Hurry,” the man to her right said in a low voice as her heel connected with his shin. “Get to it already.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks and a chill swept in constant waves over her skin, stealing her strength. She shook her head again and begged the man not to hurt her, but the other man’s hand over her mouth turned her words into nothing more than a frightened murmur. Futile.

The hooded man stepped up to her, balled his cut hand into a fist, and raised it towards her face. What was he going to do? She kept her eyes fixed on the knife in his other hand, afraid that he would stab her if she dared to look away from it.

She gasped when the man holding her mouth released it but didn’t have time to call out for help. He pressed his fingers into her cheeks, forced her mouth open and tilted her head back. Her gaze snapped to the hooded man’s hand. He held it above her and drops of blood trembled on the edge of his black glove.

He was going to make her drink his blood.

She tried to move but couldn’t. The men’s grip on her increased again, fingers pressing hard into her arms, bruising her. The drop fell, landing on her tongue, and another quickly followed it. The hooded man tightened his fist and more dripped into her mouth. She tried not to swallow, didn’t want to taste his blood. It slid down her throat, one drop after another, until she wanted to be sick.

And then she felt strange.

A hollow feeling opened inside her and her mind emptied.

His hand hovered above her, feeding her blood, and it no longer felt repulsive or frightening. It tasted good. Thick, heavy fog rolled into her mind, weighing her head down. She closed her eyes and then struggled to open them again.

The men behind her released her arms.

Amber stood there facing the hooded man, her shoulders relaxed and her head tilted to one side. He wavered in her vision as he raised the knife and licked the blade. It didn’t scare her. Her handbag slid down her right arm to the crook of her elbow as she raised her hand. She held it out to him, palm up, and blinked languidly.

He took it in his, so gently that she smiled, and ran the knife over her palm. The sting of pain was pleasurable, flooding her with hazy warmth from head to toe, awakening blissful awareness of his touch and his hungry intent.

The man lifted her hand towards his mouth and dipped his head. Was he going to kiss it better? She continued to smile, amused by his chivalry.

What a nice man.

His tongue came out. White lights flashed across him.

They blinded her and she flinched away, afraid of the bright light that drowned out the world. The man released her hand and was behind her in an instant. Her handbag dropped to the floor and she tried to blink away the white spots in her vision and they multiplied.

The sound of footsteps echoed in her mind and she cursed the other men for fleeing. They would pay for leaving her here to deal with this Venator.

Her hands tightened into fists.

She couldn’t risk fighting the Venator but she had to taste the blood. She raised her hand towards her mouth. This was an unexpected twist but she could work it in her favour. First, she had to be sure she was a Source, and then she would take care of the Venator.

What was a Source?

She stopped with her hand mid-way to her mouth. Blood pooled on her palm, black in the low light.

What was she doing?

The door of the white car opened and Amber looked at it. It was the Audi. A man stepped out and she moved back. Damn interfering Venator.

Amber frowned at her thoughts. What was a Venator? What was going on? She tried to remember but her thoughts became tangled with others, ones she didn’t understand. They didn’t feel as though they were her own.

She turned towards the hooded man. The car lights shone on the lower half of his face, highlighting his jaw and mouth. A tilt of a smile touched his lips. She needed to taste the blood.

“Get in the car,” a male voice said behind her, deep and intense.

She refused. She had to taste the blood and then leave. She raised her hand and poked her tongue out. A taste was all it would take. Then she would know.

“Now!”

Amber jumped, startled by the volume of that word. She looked at her palm, horrified by what she had been about to do, and then at the hooded man. He continued to smile at her and she felt compelled to do as he silently wished.

“Car, now!” the man behind her said. He was right. She had to get away from the man who had cut her but she couldn’t move.

Her thoughts became strange and distant again, and no matter how many times she told herself to run, her feet wouldn’t cooperate. She wanted to go with the hooded man, even though she knew he would kill her.

Her head spun.

She took a step towards him, her mind heavy and thick again.

Someone grabbed her arm from behind and then a bright blue flash burst out of the corner of her eye. She stared at the silver handgun beside her head and the strange blue marks on the man’s hand. They glowed. Shiny. Amber reached out to touch them.

The new man moved his arm away from her and pulled her back, so she was almost behind him. She tried to focus on his arm and the gun. The fog descended on her mind again, swamping everything, turning her numb and empty. Her gaze moved of its own accord, shifting to the man’s face. Silver hair. Green eyes. Damned Venator.

She struggled against his grip, clawing at his hand.

“Calm down.” He glanced at her and then back at the hooded man. “Lower the knife and come peacefully.”

“Peacefully?” She yanked on her arm in an attempt to free herself, twisting her wrist in his tight grip and not caring that it hurt. She had to get away from him. The silver-haired man turned her way, his vivid green eyes bright in the car headlights and boring into hers. She sneered. “I will never come peacefully, Venator.”

“Let her go,” he said and she shook her head.

Amber kept shaking it, trying to clear the weird dull feeling and get her mind into order. How did she know this man? The knowledge she sought shifted and evaded her grasp, as though it was a living thing and could anticipate her. The haze in her head lifted long enough that she saw the silver-haired man clearly at last. His eyes were cold as he stared into hers, pupils narrowed and an edge of darkness about his handsome face.

“I said, let her go.” He turned to the hooded man.

Amber looked there too. She couldn’t see them, but she could feel his eyes on her, and could feel him inside her head and her body. She scrubbed her throat with her hand, her mouth, trying to get him out of her. The silver-haired man held her tighter. What was he waiting for? Shoot him. He had tried to kill her. He had put something inside her and now she felt strange.

The silver-haired man started to pull the trigger.

“No!” she screamed and knocked his hand away. She stared at his raised gun and her outstretched hand. What the hell was she doing? She wanted the man dead, so why had she stopped him?

The man holding her shoved her backwards and then ducked away from her. A silver streak shot past her wide eyes. The knife clattered to the floor a short distance behind her and a thin dark line flowed down the man’s neck from his ear, soaking into his white shirt. He raised his gun again but she grabbed it and pulled it around to point at her.

He froze.

The hooded man laughed.

Amber’s gaze shot from the barrel of the gun to him. She stared at his mouth.

Fangs.

He grinned and it felt as though he was looking straight through her. Whispered voices filled her head, clashing with each other so she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She tried to focus on one of them but couldn’t. The clamour in her mind rose and a deep sense that she wasn’t alone washed through her. Someone else was in her head with her. The hooded man’s smile widened. Him. How? One of the voices rang out above the rest and her questions fell away, leaving her docile again. He knew something about her that she didn’t. Something important. She had to know too.

She took a step towards him and he was gone, leaving the street empty in front of her. Why? She went to walk after him and frowned when her arm lagged behind her, held fast by something. Her eyes drifted to her wrist and the hand tightly grasping it.

“Are you all right?” the silver-haired man said and her head suddenly felt lighter.

Her gaze ran up his left arm to his shoulder. A trail of blood stained his white shirt and she followed the drips and dashes downwards to the black holster around his shoulders. His gun was in it but not secured. If she made a lunge for it, would he reach it before her? Amber shook that thought away. This man had saved her. Why would she do such a thing to him? Because he was dangerous. She didn’t want to go with him. She wanted to find the man. The feeling ran deep in her blood, flowing through her veins, compelling her. She needed to find the man.

This Venator would be her downfall.

Amber shook her head again and the haze in her mind dissipated for long enough that she felt her normal self again. Her panic and fear returned full force, crashing over her. What was happening to her? She kept thinking about things she wasn’t familiar with, like Venators and Sources, and wanted to do things that went against her nature, like injuring someone.

The man held his bleeding ear with his right hand. There were pale tribal markings on it. They wove down over his wrist and under his white shirtsleeve. Those markings had glowed ethereally earlier. She couldn’t have imagined it.

“You need to come with me,” he said, and before she could take in what was happening, he dragged her to the white Audi R8 and pushed her into it on the passenger side.

He closed the door, picked up the knife and her handbag from the pavement, and rounded the car. Amber sat there, thoughtless and empty, her eyes fixed on the spot where the hooded man had been. She should have gone with him.

No. She shouldn’t have. She didn’t know what she was thinking anymore.

The car moved and she became gradually aware of the man next to her. Her gaze slid to him. He was handsome, his green eyes fixed on the road now, shadowed by a frown of concentration, and the messy finger-length strands of his silver hair brushed back out of his face. He didn’t look old enough to have such white hair. He seemed barely five years her senior.

Venator.

It echoed in her head, as though something inside her knew it applied to him even when she had never heard the word before tonight.

“What is your name?” His deep voice soothed her, easing away some of her tension even when she felt she should be on alert, or escaping.

Amber didn’t reply. Her eyes dropped to the gun tucked under his left arm when he clipped the leather strap over it, securing it in place. It unnerved her but not as much as the fact that she wanted to use it against him, or the fact that his arm had glowed blue and the other man had fangs. None of that made sense, even when she felt it did.

The man looked at her and she glanced up, meeting his gaze. The streetlights flashed on his face, stealing all colour and warmth from his eyes. They were so cold that she couldn’t tear hers away. She stared into them, chilled by the detached air that he emanated but fascinated by him at the same time. Was he as empty inside as his eyes? She had never met anyone who looked as hollow and emotionless as this man did. Something terrible must have happened to him to make him look this way.

She remembered the way his arm had glowed.

Inhuman.

Her head spun.

Venator.

She wanted to get away from him. Her priority was to escape, not fall under a spell.

They pulled to a halt at a set of traffic lights and her hand went straight for the door. She shoved it open and the man grabbed her, pulling her back against him. The door slammed shut without her touching it and the locks clunked into place. She elbowed the man in the ribs, struggled out of his grip and lunged for the door again, frantically tugging on the handle. It wouldn’t open. Her eyes darted over the moulded leather of the door. No way of unlocking it. The Venator would stop her before she could find the button on the dashboard that would unlock the doors. She spat out a curse. Never mind. If she couldn’t escape, she could at least taste her blood.

“You cannot leave. You are in too much danger out there.”

Amber stared down at the cut on her right palm. It had bled all over her trousers.

She had to lick the blood and taste it.

She raised her hand but the man caught her wrist.

“What happened?” He frowned at the cut.

Amber tried to get her hand back but his grip was vice tight. Interfering Venator. She gritted her teeth and twisted her arm. He didn’t let go. Her stomach turned when she saw the blood on her palm and her vision distorted. She stopped struggling and looked at the man. His expression was soft, silently reassuring, and the longer she stared at him, the calmer she felt, until the sense that she wasn’t in control of herself disappeared again.

Amber tried to remember what had happened to her hand but it slipped through her fingers every time she came close, as though she didn’t really want to recall it.

“He gave you his blood, didn’t he?”

That memory popped to the forefront of her mind and she nodded. The man had made her drink his blood. It had been disgusting and she could feel it inside her.

“Hold on.” He released her hand, put the car into gear and roared off the white line.

Amber did. She grabbed the edge of the seat with her left hand as they raced through the streets of London so fast they were a blur. She couldn’t take her eyes off the road and the cars as they swerved around them, barely missing each one. Her heart lodged in her throat, her right hand trembling where she held it out in front of her. What was happening? It felt as though she had slipped into some dreadful fantasy world and she wanted out.

He turned the car around a corner so sharply that the tyres screeched and she slammed against the door, and then they were going down a slope towards an underground garage. The car spun around in the brightly lit space, coming to a halt facing the exit, and the engine cut out. A grey shutter slowly rolled down, eclipsing the world outside.

Amber stared at it, still trying to catch up.

The man had given her blood, and then he had cut her. She needed to taste her blood before the Venator stopped her. She was about to lick her palm when the door beside her opened and he pulled her out of the car.

“Damned Venator!” She kneed him in the groin and ran for the garage door.

He reached it before her and stood in her path, his eyes darker and colder than ever. He glared at her and drew his gun.

“Let her go,” he whispered, voice strained.

She grinned, satisfied by the pain in his voice.

“No.” Amber tried to pass him.

“You do not want to leave, woman. You do not want to do as he bids.”

Amber stopped. “As who bids?”

The strange feeling inside her grew worse, something telling her to keep going and not listen to him. She had to get past the man and drink her blood. That was all that mattered now.

“Listen to my voice.” He put the gun away and stepped up to her.

The moment his hands touched her shoulders, Amber felt different. She stared into his eyes and her thoughts fell into better order, enough that she could recall things clearly again.

Her heart pounded.

“The man made me drink his blood… I saw him in that place with the gates and the disinfectant and then they were after me. He cut me.” She held her hand out and it trembled between them, fluttering in time with her heart. “I just want to go home. I want this nightmare to end. Please? I can’t take this. Please?”

The man stepped back, his eyes still fixed intently on her face, the frown not leaving his.

“The man will come for you.”

“Fangs,” she whispered and her eyes widened. Her heart missed a beat and then slammed painfully against her ribs. “He had fangs. He was going to drink my blood.”

“I will not hurt you. You must ignore your instincts and listen to me. I will not allow him to harm you. You will be safe here,” he said, so calmly and softly that the deep waves of fear surging through her eased to gentle ripples. “He will find you if you leave. I can protect you. I will not allow the man to harm you.”

Amber looked at the closed garage door and then back at him.

There was honesty in his green eyes and her options were limited. Either she stayed here with him, or she ventured outside where there were monsters. If she did that, and the man found her, she wouldn’t escape him a second time. He had fangs. He had been about to drink her blood.

Something inside her said that she would be fine outside, and that she wanted to find the hooded man again. She wanted him to taste her blood. Desired it more than anything. This man was lying to her.

No. Amber closed her eyes, battling the compulsion to leave, and then looked back into the silver-haired man’s eyes.

The other man had wanted to kill her and drink her blood. This man had saved her. He said he could protect her.

“I will bandage your hand and make you feel better if you come upstairs,” he said in a low voice, one that soothed her ears and quelled her fear. The desire to escape him drifted away, replaced by a need to remain.

“Will you tell me what’s happening to me? I feel strange.”

He held his hand out, pointing to his left. “If you come with me.”

Amber looked at the dark grey metal door far to her right across the empty garage and then back at the man. His gaze held hers, cold but honest, and she ignored the voice inside her that was screaming for her to leave and taste her blood.

She nodded and went with him.

DOWNLOAD EXTENDED EXCERPT PDF

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1103572024
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-forbiddenblood-613573-139.html/
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/forbidden-blood/_/R-400000000000000406450
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Forbidden-Blood-Vampire-Venators-Romance/book-mWkS9umUmkmp2XI4cX_woA/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66030
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781458181381

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1461132193/
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1461132193/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1031509117

Fantastic paranormal romance books in my Christmas stocking!

2011-12-26T13:01:00.000Z

I have a headache this morning, not alcohol induced, but I am sure that the coffee and chocolate cake I had for late breakfast will help fix that. There is nothing that chocolate cannot fix!

My Christmas Day was rather good. I don't have children myself, but it was nice to play with my nieces and nephews and see them all excited (and rather loud - why must children all try to speak to you at once so it becomes a battle of epic proportions where the volume is cranked up each passing second?) and to play games against them, my sisters, husband and my mum.

I didn't come away from Christmas unscathed though. I started at around lunch time by slicing my finger open on the foil around the top of a wine bottle when trying to push the cork back in for my DH. Then when I made it to my parents' house, I banged my knee rather hard on the pointy corner of a wooden trunk - owie - and that is now bruised and aching. Then, later in the evening when we were all doing lucky dip courtesy of one of my aunts, my future brother in law dropped the bottle of wine he had won. It bounced off the door and landed on my foot! Thankfully, I think it's just a deep bruise but it really hurt at the time, and still hurts to walk now. Weirdly, all three of those accidents were on my right side. But that's enough about Christmas war wounds.

I received a nice pile of paranormal romance books for Christmas this year. It's always fun writing my list of things I want because there's always a large number of books with half naked men on the covers. I'm relieved whenever my grandparents opt to give me money or a different present. I can't imagine what their view of the book covers would be, or myself for reading them. They know I write paranormal romance for a living, but I don't think they quite understand exactly what that means. Romance books have moved on rather since they were young and reading them.

So, here's my pictures of my paranormal romance book score for the year:

All in all I received:

Kiss of the Night (Dark-Hunter #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Night Play (Dark-Hunter #5) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter #6) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sins of the Night (Dark-Hunter #7) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Unlease the Night (Dark-Hunter #8) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dark Side of the Moon (Dark-Hunter #9) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Dream Hunter (Dark-Hunter #10) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter #12) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter
The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter
Deeper than Midnight (Midnight Breed #9) by Lara Adrian

That's a lot of books! I now have a TBR pile of 37 books on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1649956-felicity-heaton?shelf=to-read

I think perhaps I need to do some reading over the holidays! I'll definitely be reading Taken by Midnight (Midnight Breed #8) by Lara Adrian and The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter. I really need to crack on with the Dark-Hunter series too.

What books did Santa bring you this Christmas? Did you get an ereader? What are you looking forward to reading over the holidays?

The Night by Felicity Heaton - FREE Fantasy Romance book on Amazon Kindle!

2011-12-26T11:45:00.000Z

I just wanted to pop on to let you all know that for a limited time only, The Night, my fantasy romance book, is available for FREE on Amazon Kindle stores! That's right, you can get this short story for absolutely nothing right now. The offer ends on December 29th, so snag your copy before then!

Here's a little more about the book:

The Night
Felicity Heaton
A powerful seventh level wizard, the last thing Zane expected to happen in his life was being cursed, even if he did deserve it. Each night he turns into a cat and remains that way until dawn breaks. His search for a cure uncovered rumours of a powerful witch who might be the only one in the world who could save him. From the moment he set eyes on the beautiful and mysterious Celene, he was lost.

Celene took Zane in without question a year ago and since that night she has been falling for him. Fearing he will leave if he discovers the truth about her, Celene learns all that she can from books and does all in her power to help him, but nothing is working and from daybreak to nightfall she must leave him to fight on alone.

When she realises that time is running out for Zane, Celene redoubles her effort to cure him but his stubborn refusal to tell her anything about the curse only hampers her efforts. But Celene can be stubborn too, and when she finds a slip of parchment with the clue she's been hoping for, she sets about forcing Zane to confront his past.

Will Celene be able to save the man she's come to love? And will Zane finally discover the truth about Celene and break his curse?

Get your copy for free at:

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de
Amazon.fr | Amazon.es | Amazon.it

Manday Hotties for the holidays!

2011-12-26T00:01:00.000Z

It's time for the Manday Hotties Hop again! Be sure to follow the links in the list below to get your full fix of mancandy!

I honestly intended to have some festive hotties this week, as all of my fellow hosts have managed it, but then I got distracted by a rather nice fellow and had to feature him instead...

Forgive me for not finding a seasonal sexy offering?

Don't forget to clicky click him to make him bigger!

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

Sunday Snippets from my paranormal romance books - Her Guardian Angel, Forbidden Blood and Love Immortal

2011-12-25T13:03:00.002Z

It's Sunday, and it's Christmas Day, so Happy Christmas to everyone who celebrates it! I hope that Santa brought you lots of new books or an ereader, and that you have a great time with your family and friends today.

Since it's a special day, I'm sharing snippets from three of my paranormal romance books. It's a mixture of angels and vampires for your reading pleasure today. I have snippets from Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel romance series #4), Forbidden Blood and Love Immortal! All of them are available in paperback or in ebook at Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBookstores, Kobo Books, Sony Reader Store and other retailers.

Click on the book covers to read more about the book, including excerpts.

He stood with his back to her, the warm breeze tousling his black hair, his broad shoulders relaxed as though he wasn’t facing two dangerous men.

But what stole her breath, what made her heart flutter in her throat, was his clothing.

Gone were his jeans and shirt and boots.

In their place was something she could only describe as armour but it seemed ridiculous that he would be wearing such a thing. The deep blue back plate shone like mother of pearl in the fading light of evening, reaching only mid-way down his back, and had two long slits over each shoulder blade. She could see his tattoos through them. Strips of armour in a similar material covered his backside like a short skirt but revealed the dark material beneath. His muscular thighs were bare and taut, exuding strength as he stood firm with one hand at his side and the other still clutching hers. The armour encased his bare forearms too, brilliant blue and edged with shining silver and decorated with rearing silver unicorns.

Amelia stared at him, head light and fuzzy, confused and unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

Marcus was wearing armour.

“Come on.” She grabbed his arm.

He looked at her hand on him, slender but strong. She walked away, luring him along the length of the bar to where she had been sitting, and he followed her blindly.

Kearn’s eyes stuck like glue to the back of her neck, catching teasing glimpses of the nape of it and the black velvet choker through her dark hair. He longed to part the brown waves and kiss there, to run his tongue over her skin and taste her, and feel her shiver in pleasure. He wanted to ease his fangs in deep and slow, claiming her and her blood as his and his alone. Nothing compared to biting someone, to the incredible rush from the connection and the intense intoxicating feel of their blood in your veins. It was what he had been born to do—to take life from the blood of humans like a thief.

Like a beast.

And right now, he wanted to take all of Amber. He wanted to strip away the mask and show her just what he was underneath—a creature lost in her, thirsting for her body and blood.

For her love.

“Then what are you?” Lauren risked a step towards him, relieved when his expression altered and all sign of his anger melted away. “Tell me so I can understand. There’s so much I still can’t get straight in my head. Please?”

When his look softened, concern touching his pale eyes, her heart warmed and she took another step forwards, wanting to be closer to him. Her fingers itched with the temptation to reach up and pull the funnel neck of his coat down so she could see his face. She wanted to see if he was as handsome as she was picturing. She needed to see him.

“Yours,” he whispered and her heart leapt. A wave of warm tingles spread through her. He looked away from her and then back again. All affection was gone from his eyes. His tone was empty. “Your Arcadian. Your protector.”

I hope you enjoyed these Sunday Snippets!

Saturday Snippets from my Paranormal Romance Books - Winter's Kiss, Ascension and Prophecy: Child of Light

2011-12-24T10:02:00.000Z

It's the weekend which means that it's time for my Saturday Snippets. Since it's a special weekend, I'm posting snippets from three of my paranormal romance books each day!

Your Saturday Snippets fix this week comes from Prophecy: Child of Light (Vampires Realm romance series #1), Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm romance series #8), and Ascension! Ascension and Prophecy: Child of Light (Vampires Realm romance series #1) are available for just $0.99 and Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm romance series #8) is available for just $2.99 for a limited time at Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBookstores, Kobo Books, Sony Reader Store and other retailers.

Click on the book covers to read more about the book, including excerpts.

“I’m not a child!” She retaliated and his fingers closed tightly around her arms again as he stared into her eyes. They moved over her, hunger burning in him as he ran them down her body and back up again.

“You really aren’t.”

She stilled in his grasp, her eyes becoming wide at first as she caught his meaning and then drooping again as the moment of recognition passed and the pleasure of the feed fogged her brain.

Her flesh felt so warm under his fingers. The borrowed heat from the blood and the alcohol made her even more alluring than she had been in the cemetery. He pushed her away, wanting to shut out the desire he felt for her. A deeper sensation coiled in the pit of his stomach, spreading into his chest and drawing him to her as she stood before him with a drunken smile on her face. She was too tempting right now and he was too weak to resist if she made a move.

He looked down into her eyes and stepped towards her again. He licked his lips at the same time as she cleaned hers of blood. He wished it were his tongue doing that, not hers.

The sun broke the horizon.

Slumping into the corner, Winter closed his eyes and his head fell forwards. He would need to sleep light in case Willem caught up with them. His eyes opened when Nika knelt beside him, her knees brushing his thigh.

“What is the matter?”

She toyed with her cloak and smiled nervously. He frowned and sat up, assessing her heartbeat and the flush of heat through her body, trying to discern what was wrong. Was she becoming sick again? Her heart beat erratically. Deep rose stained her cheeks.

His body jolted when her hand caught his and her fingers curled around to hold it, their tips brushing his palm.

“Kiss me, Winter, please?”

When she was like this, the magic making her hungry, it wasn’t her in control. It wasn’t her who reacted to him in lustful ways. It was her magic. It wanted more than just blood. It wanted his power. It wanted his body.

Lealandra suddenly pulled back, releasing him and gasping at air. Her chest heaved with it, bosoms pressing against her rich purple corset top and threatening to spill over. He stared at them, watching the rough rise and fall, tempted to reach out and touch, to take this to the next level regardless of his knowledge that she was barely in control. Until the power in his blood was absorbed into hers, the magic held the reins.

She knocked the air out of his lungs when she slammed into him, her hands on his shoulders, gripping tight. Her mouth was on his before he could stop her, the taste of his own blood stirring his demon until it verged on taking control. He grabbed her arms and shoved her away.

Red eyes glared at him with pure anger.

I hope you enjoyed these Saturday Snippets! What books would you like to see snippets from?

Indie publishing year in review - becoming a top 50 KDP author, signing a Spanish book deal, and more

2011-12-23T17:12:00.000Z

I don't often talk about my self-publishing adventure or my life as an indie author of paranormal romance books and the odd science fiction romance, but I thought that I would take a moment to talk about it as we head towards the final days of 2011, because other indies seem to be genuinely interested in it.

I get emails asking about my self-publishing story and I think I've spoken enough about it in the past on various blogs that most people know how I got to where I am today, so in this post I'm going to focus on 2011 only, with the odd flashback to 2010 and my life prior to the ebook boom, roaming the wastelands of the book publishing world in search of the mirage that was ebooks hitting the big time.

What happened in 2011?

2011 was the year that I would really begin my journey as an indie author. I didn't really know it back at the end of 2010, at least not before that crazy Christmas week, and even then I didn't have a clue as to just how things were going to change for me.

Prior to this year, I had been waiting for ebooks to make it big and for the world to sit up and take notice of them. I have been self-publishing my books since 2006, when I formed Alinar Publishing with fellow author Alexandra Marell / Candy Nicks. Our vision was to create a friendly umbrella company for a select few authors that we knew so we could publish our books on places like Fictionwise. The idea was that we would work as a cooperative, helping each other promote our books to a wider audience. Every year we heard that ebooks were going to make it big and every year we waited for it to happen. I sold well back in those days. Probably more books that most authors who were e-published. It’s nothing compared to what I sell now, or what most indie authors can. Times were hard, and they were difficult times to work through. There wasn’t a chance that a self-published author, or even most e-published ones, could live on their royalties. Of course, it’s a whole different world now for indie authors. It’s really not that difficult any more to make some money on your ebooks because there is now a platform and a market for them, and indie books are more widely accepted by review sites and readers.

To get a feel for why 2011 was going to be a monumental year for me, I need to go back to 2010 and a decision I made.

In July 2010, I sold a whopping 2000 books on Amazon. Considering that I had released nothing new for around a year because I had been pursuing finding an agent with a book I had been working on the previous year, this was impressive to me. That translated to around $2000 earned. I figured that I could just about scrape by on that and the royalties I received from Smashwords per quarter, and with new books coming out in August, October and November 2010 and then a steady flow after that, I would be able to survive with perhaps only a small amount of contracting as a web developer to top up my earnings. It would have been a definite drop from my £40,000 a year salary as a developer without the contracting but all of a sudden being a full-time writer was a possibility. I had always joked with my husband about staying at home and writing all day, and it was meant to be nothing more than something we would laugh over. It wasn’t supposed to become a reality. Sales went up and down, but by November I had crunched the figures a thousand times and decided that they were steady enough to provide a small income and that I could take a shot at it. If it all went wrong, I would go back to contracting and then eventually back into a full-time developer position.

So, in December I handed in my notice at the company I was working for in London. I was on a three month notice, so would have to wait it out until the end of February 2011 before I became a full-time indie author. I set aside what I could each month as a contingency fund to see me through the bleaker months. I am a realist after all. I don’t expect the ebook boom to last without a little backlash at some point. I’m still waiting for it to happen. I sit here every morning grabbing my daily sales figures, watching them like a hawk, and have done that since early 2010 when I first put my books on Amazon.

I don’t think anyone could have predicted what happened over the Christmas week in December 2010. Sales on Amazon tripled, and sales at other retailers I sell at via Smashwords also shot up. I think many indie authors on Amazon KDP were left gobsmacked by the sky-rocketing sales figures they were seeing and as we went into the New Year we were all left waiting for the bubble to burst. I know I was watching my figures wondering when they were going to return to normal.

Well, they didn’t. I went from selling around 2700 in November, to 4400 in December, and then 8300 in January 2011. It didn’t go down as I had expected. In February I came close to selling 10,000 books in one month on Amazon. Considering this was also the month where I was out of action for two weeks because of my ear operation, I was surprised to see the numbers still rising. I put it down to the fact that in January I released Love Immortal, a vampire romance novel, and in February Hunter's Moon came out, which is the ninth book in my Vampires Realm series.

In March 2011, I became a full-time indie author. I had visions of just working a few hours a day on writing, as I had when working as a full-time web developer, but that just isn’t the way I work. I think I have worked around 8 to 11 hours a day since going full-time. That may seem crazy to some people, but it works for me and it allows me to do my writing and do everything else that I have set out to do in order to build my author platform. Believe me, even with that many hours put in each day, I am still behind on a multitude of things. March was also the month that I broke the 10k barrier of sales on Amazon.

I was receiving around $13,000 in royalties each month. I don’t tend to talk sales figures because I don’t like to feel I’m throwing it in people’s faces. I feel extremely fortunate that readers enjoy my books enough to keep buying them, and that all my hard work over the past five years as an indie author has begun to pay off. I try to tell myself that I have worked damned hard to achieve what I have and that I should probably be a little more proud of my achievements than I am. I know that some indie authors like to see how others more established than them are doing, so I hope this buoys them up and gives them a reason to keep pursuing their dream.

In March, I also made the decision to leave Alinar Publishing. It wasn’t an easy one to make because I had grown with the authors there but I felt it was time to focus on my own career so I could really make a go of it and wanted to move on. I don’t regret it. Life is too short for regrets. It was great while it lasted but it was also a lot of work and time for me that I felt was better spent on my own books and career. I no longer had the time to run another website. Not if I wanted to improve my own and do all the other things I had written down on my plan for the year, such as touring blogs with my books.

Settling in to life as a full-time indie author was hard at first. I remodelled my office, strove to find some harmony in working from home and headed to cafes whenever that wasn’t working, and often lost focus due to the internet. The internet is the bane of a writer. It sucks up your time and your productivity bombs.

In April I released my next book, Ascension, and kicked off my first official blog tour. I had done a few posts at blogs prior to this for my previous books, Love Immortal and Hunter’s Moon, but this was the first time I would be writing posts about my books, character interviews, and a ménage of other things all in a concentrated period. My blog tour basically lasted a year. I arranged dates throughout the entire year as I knew I would be releasing at least another three novels, one of which was the next book in a popular series of mine, Her Guardian Angel. I met some wonderful people at the book blogs and it was great working with them and getting to know them as I toured with each of my books, and touring their blogs again in 2012 is part of what I’m looking forward to most about the coming year.

It took me quite a while to find my balance as a full-time writer. I’m still not sure that I’ve found it but things began to improve in May, even though my sales figures had dipped again because I removed some books from sale in April.

In June, something incredible happened and I still smile whenever I think about it now. I received an email from a large Spanish publisher who were interested in translating some of my books. We discussed them all and they were quite settled on publishing my Her Angel series in Spanish. They had a few paranormal romance authors on their books already, such as Christine Feehan and Kresley Cole, and wanted my angel romances for the same imprint as the Christine Feehan books. I agreed and then we did the usual contract back and forth. I don’t have an agent at the moment, but I was lucky enough to have my friend Maria’s husband offer to take a look at the contract and his advice was invaluable.

We agreed on everything in the end and the first book, the anthology of my Her Angel novellas Her Dark Angel, Her Fallen Angel and Her Warrior Angel will be published in February 2012 with Booket. It’s very exciting not only because this is the first time I have received an advance from a publisher, but because I’ll get to see my heroes speaking Spanish and will see the books in large retail stores whenever I visit Barcelona and on top of that I designed the front cover image for the book too. I supplied a design idea for it when we were discussing the cover design they had come up with and they loved it.

So my life as an indie author was on the up. To celebrate the release of Her Guardian Angel at the very end of July, I put Her Dark Angel on offer at 99 cents on Amazon Kindle and some of the book blogs I had been working with were kind enough to promote the offer for me. Her Dark Angel sold 2000 copies in that first month, and went on to sell 3000 in the next two months. In total it sold close to 14,000 copies between January and November 2011 on Amazon Kindle, making it my best seller for the year and also pushing it into the best seller positions on Amazon. It was number 1 in paranormal romance on UK and US.

By the start of November and the release of Heart of Darkness, my sixth novel of the year, I had worked my way into the top 50 Amazon KDP authors and had sold over 100,000 books in 2011 under my two names of Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. I hadn’t really considered how well I was doing before this point. I wasn’t thinking about my book sales in terms of the year. It was a monthly thing for me and I wasn’t adding up the figures as I went, rolling one month into the next. I wasn’t even keeping track of how well particular books were doing. My focus was on total daily sales and trying to keep those on track.

I think the sales figures don’t just show my hard work and the benefit of new releases, but they reflect the increase in ebook sales in general too. In the whole of 2010, I sold 22,000 books at Amazon. Bearing in mind that I didn’t have my entire backlist of books added until summer 2010, I thought this figure was rather good. If December ends up like November, then I have experienced around a 550% increase in my book sales this year on Amazon alone. According to people like Bowker, ebook market share has increased by 10% this year. If a 10% increase in market share, plus the amount of hours I put into promotion, marketing and writing, and the steady number of releases I put out, equals a 550% increase in sales, then I think I shall probably do the same again next year! I only wish I could break into the Apple and BN market more. At the moment, around 79% of my book sales come from Amazon, and 21% come from other retailers. Around 10% of that is Apple, and probably around 5% is BN. I put the low BN numbers down to the fact that as a UK indie author, I can’t use their Pubit! scheme and that they promote Pubit! books more than they promote books from Smashwords etc.

But I digress.

In November, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The Romance Reviews. I couldn’t compete with the authors I was up against, but was honoured to see my book there alongside Lara Adrian, J R Ward and Gena Showalter. It’s at this point I began to feel that I really was close to making it and living the dream I’d had about being an author. I adore those authors, and Christine Feehan. They are some of the top paranormal romance authors and it was thrilling to see my book there competing with theirs, and it will be thrilling to see my book in Spanish bookstores next to Christine Feehan next year.

As we head towards the New Year, I do feel as though I’m on the verge of making it. I have big plans for next year, for the next few years in fact, and will continue to pursue my dream and do all I can to make it happen. I’m realistic. I’ve never had fantastic luck like some people and a lot of making it big in publishing is luck. That isn’t going to stop me. With a lot of hard work and effort, good old fashioned elbow grease, I feel I can achieve anything that I put my mind to or set my heart on. I’m never one to back down from a challenge, so I’ll be striding into 2012 with my head held high and determined to beat the system and snatch a shot at my dreams.

What I’m taking away from 2011 isn’t about book sales or royalties though. It’s the sense that I can make it, that I have what it takes and I write books that people want to read and even fall in love with. That knowledge inspires me and gives me the strength to keep going, to keep pushing and keep trying. What I’m taking away from 2011 are all the kind words people have sent to me, whether it’s in emails, on Facebook or Twitter, or in reviews for my books. It’s all the laughs I’ve shared with the people I’ve met on Facebook. All the friendship offered to me by bloggers around the world who have taken a moment out of their busy schedules to host me on their blog or help me promote my books. I’m taking away the kindness I was shown by everyone I met, the appreciation and praise for my books, as that’s what gave me the most pleasure this year and that’s what will keep me writing in 2012 and for a long time to come. Being an author isn’t about book sales and royalties. I spent four years without much of those, but kept going because of the people I met and the love they showed my books. I write because I want to reach readers, not make a fast buck. I want to give something to people, a world full of possibilities and romance, and fantastic heroines and heroes they can fall in love with. I am thankful to everyone who has read my books, and doubly thankful to those who took a few minutes to let me know they had enjoyed them. I am grateful for all the friends I made in 2011, and I’m looking forward to stepping into 2012 with you all at my side.

If you're an indie author with a question, or anyone with a question, feel free to leave it in the comments section and I'll reply to you as soon as possible.

Run a review blog? Like paranormal romance books? I'm looking for new reviewers!

2011-12-22T15:07:00.000Z

Do you run a review blog and do you like adult paranormal romance books? I'm asking because I'm looking for more review sites to add to my list of places to send review requests to in 2012. I have a small list so far but I would love to expand it. I'll also be touring extensively again, so if you like guests, then I may come knocking!

I write paranormal romances that often feature dark deadly vampires, sexy werewolves, sinful angels, and hot demons. If you love paranormal romance authors such as Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Gena Showalter, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan then you will probably enjoy my books.

I will be releasing several new books next year, including a four book series of vampire erotic romance novellas and the tenth book in my popular Vampires Realm series and the fifth book in my best selling Her Angel series.

If you would like to get a feel for my writing, then check out my 2011 paranormal romance books:

Love Immortal - Vampire Romance Book
Hunter's Moon (Vampires Realm series #9) - Vampire / Werewolf Romance Book
Ascension - Paranormal Romance Book
Forbidden Blood - Vampire Romance Book
Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel series #4) - Angel Romance Book
Heart of Darkness - Vampire Romance Book

So, if you're interested in reviewing my books in 2012, please drop me an email to: author at felicityheaton dot co dot uk

Or leave a comment!

If you're interested in reviewing any of my books from 2011, I can send you copies of them too. Like I said, I'm always on the look out for new review websites, especially if you post reviews at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Apple iBookstore.

Thanks in advance!

Personalised signed paperbacks of my paranormal romances now available

2011-12-22T13:29:00.000Z

You can now get your hands on personalised and signed copies of eight of my paranormal romance novels. I have set up a small store area on my author website where you can place an order for the signed paperbacks, my romance trading cards, or my Limited Edition beaded bookmark thongs that I hand make.

The paranormal romance books that are available for purchase as signed copies are:

Love Immortal by Felicity Heaton
Ascension by Felicity Heaton
Forbidden Blood by Felicity Heaton
Her Angel (Her Angel series #1-3) by Felicity Heaton
Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel series #4) by Felicity Heaton
Seventh Circle (Vampires Realm series #7) by F E Heaton
Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm series #8) by F E Heaton
Hunter's Moon (Vampires Realm series #9) by F E Heaton

Each are priced at the same retail price or lower than Amazon.com, and postage and packaging costs are on the page. I have limited copies of each book, and once they're gone, they're gone for good, so be sure to grab your copy ASAP to avoid disappointment!

Also available at my store are romance trading cards for Heart of Darkness and Ascension, and four different Limited Edition beaded bookmark thongs.

Visit the store: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-books.php

270000 words written and 680000 words released as an indie author in 2011

2011-12-21T16:29:00.000Z

I was thinking about how many words I had written since turning my hand to writing original fiction (around two million as of this moment) and how many of those I had released this year, and was curious about how many I had actually written this year. It turns out a lot less than I released, but that makes sense as I had a lot of books waiting in the wings for me to edit them and then publish them.

I know many will find the figures a little odd, but I don't always rush to get books out the moment I have written them. Yes, I write fast, but I that doesn't mean I'm in a hurry. I can easily write a 120,000 word novel in under a month, but that's only because I have written a lot of books and my speed has picked up over the years and the stories. I often take around two to three times as long to go through the various editing stages of the book as I do to write it. A 120k novel normally takes me around 3-4 months from start to finish.

Technically, I wrote 270,000 words in 2011, and around 160,000 words of those are actually for books I'm releasing in 2012. Only one of my releases in 2011 was written this year, and that was Her Guardian Angel, the fourth book in my best selling angel romance series Her Angel.

The first drafts of Heart of Darkness and Hunter's Moon were written in 2010, and the first drafts of Love Immortal, Ascension and Forbidden Blood were all written in 2009. I like to take my time when it comes to editing so I can do a quality job on it and really polish the book until it shines. There always tends to be a backlog of books in my editing pile, because my muse likes to throw new books at me and sometimes I give into his wicked whispers to write the book straight away, especially if it's a novella.

So, while I may have only written 270k in 2011, I did publish closer to 680,000 words this year. The reason the figure is so high is because I published several paranormal romance novels whose word counts were in excess of 100k.

I think that 680,000 words is probably a record for me in terms of most words released in one year, and is probably a very high figure for any author to release in one year, even an indie author like me.

In 2012, I will probably be releasing two to three novels and four novellas, which will total around 350,000-400,000 words. I will also be writing other novels and novellas for 2013, so expect my writing figure to be a lot higher next year as I will be doing my best to get more books down in first draft for editing in 2013. I think my figures will probably be somewhat reversed next year, with the writing figure higher than the published figure.

Here's a breakdown of my indie published releases this year, their genre, a little about them, and their word counts:

2011 Paranormal Romance Books

Love Immortal

Felicity Heaton
Rescued from werewolves by the most breathtaking man she's ever seen, Lauren is dragged into the fight of her life and a dark world she never knew existed. There, she discovers that she's the latest reincarnation of a goddess and must drink the blood of her immortal protector, Julian, in order to reawaken and continue her three thousand year old mission to defeat Lycaon, the original werewolf.

With the help of Julian and an organisation of people with supernatural abilities, Lauren fights for her life, their future and the fate of mankind against Lycaon and his deadly army, but can she succeed when Lycaon has killed all of her predecessors?

Can she crack the armour around Julian's heart and seize her happily forever after with him? And can Julian bring himself to trust Lauren with the fragments of his heart after everything he's been through?

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 157000 words
released: January 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal

Hunter's Moon

F E Heaton
The horror of the night he failed to save his werewolf pack from the cruelty of their vampire masters has haunted Nicolae for one hundred years, driving him deep into the Canadian wilderness in search of peace. That peace is threatened when unfamiliar hunters and the scent of blood lead him to a beautiful woman and a hard decision—face his past and help her or risk losing everyone he cares about again.

Bearing a heart filled with grief and with vengeance on her mind, Tatyana is intent on killing the hunters she’s tracking and returning to her vampire bloodline, but her plan didn’t include being shot with poisoned arrows or rescued by a glowering alpha werewolf who stirs forbidden hunger in her.

When the hunters make their move, will Nicolae be able to stop them before it’s too late? Will he be able to overcome the darkness in his heart and embrace his desire for a vampire? And can Tatyana face her fears and risk her life for the sake of forbidden love?

genre: paranormal werewolf romance
length: 65000 words
released: February 2011
Book 9 in the Vampires Realm series

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Hunter's%20Moon

Ascension

Felicity Heaton
A witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic.

With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig’s blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy.

Old feelings come flooding back as Taig allows her into his world and Lealandra finds herself fighting not only for survival but to win his broken heart again and heal the pain in their past. Can he forgive her for walking out on him all those years ago and will he ever believe her when she tells him that he’s not a monster but the man that she loves?

genre: paranormal / urban fantasy romance
length: 91000 words
released: April 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Ascension

Forbidden Blood

Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.

Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire’s grasp, it turns out she’s the lead he’s been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?

As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn’s world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.

Forbidden Blood is a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
released: June 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood

Her Guardian Angel

Felicity Heaton
A simple mission becomes a fight for survival in this fantastic instalment in the Her Angel series.

A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior orders him to gain Amelia’s trust through seduction, Marcus starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has watched over since her birth.

Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he doesn’t turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there’s more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world—a world where God and the Devil exist, and only one angel can save her from death—Marcus, the angel she’s falling in love with.

On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by Marcus’s angel friends and their amazing women, fighting for survival against the odds, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.

A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.

genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 110000 words
released: July 2011
Book 4 in the Her Angel series

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel

Heart of Darkness

Felicity Heaton
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won’t stop until the last of the vampire hunter’s progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It’s the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline’s mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince’s hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 130000 words
released: October 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness

30 Days of Vampires: Writing vampires with a balance of darkness and light in my paranormal romances

2011-12-20T17:33:00.000Z

Lori Devoti was kind enough to invite me to her amazing 30 Days of Vampires event and I was clever enough to accept. I'm over at her site today talking about how my love of vampires began, why I love writing them and why I write them the way that I do, always paying homage to the myths of old and always striving for darkness as well as light in my vampire heroes and heroines. I'm also sharing an excerpt fro my latest vampire romance novel, Heart of Darkness too.

You can read the post over at her site, and don't forget to comment in order to enter the giveaway for an ebook copy of one of my vampire romances!

Read the post and enter the giveaway: http://www.loridevoti.com/30-days-of-vampires-vampires-a-balance-of-darkness-and-light-prize/