So, I gave them to Donna’s kids and let them run free.  The 7 year old grew bored pretty quickly and wandered off to start a dance party.  But the 6 year old got very quiet and determined and started two different books.  The first was The Adventure of a Dog, but she quickly grew bored of her foray into contemporary fiction and tossed it aside in favor of this:

“What?” … “No >:(”
It looks like an alien love triangle story, amirite?

“One day in the bay alien invatted.”
Hey, she sounded that out pretty well. 

So I guess a fondness for speculative romance is in the blood, huh?

In other news…well, there’s not much news.  Except that I might be blogging a little more in upcoming days, because I’ve finally gotten some admin work off my back. I might be posting a bit more over on Facebook, too, if you like to keep up with things there.  Especially snippets of upcoming work.

Though I could always post snippets here, too! Y’all are the ones reading. What would you like to see?

Speaking of that, on twitter Tamara offered money to anyone who could provide a picture of me in chain mail.

Alas, no such photos exist, but knowing how many incriminating photos of me are out there made it seem smart to jump the gun and try to win the cash reward myself.  So I tweeted this back:

Welcome to 1997. That’s me on the left. Did you think I was lying about being a total dork? Honestly.

I’m still waiting for my cash prize. I expect Ms. Morgan will be weaseling out of it on the whole chain mail technicality, but I think I earned it.

(Please, childhood friends who are reading this…I will pay you far more money to not post any pictures. Far. Far. More. Alternately, I might retaliate with even more embarrassing photos. I kept them all.)

And now I’m back to editing Impulse!

Want a snippet from the scene I’m working on now?

UNEDITED SNIPPET FROM SOUTHERN ARCANA #5 – IMPULSE

He smiled, slow and wicked.  “Not fun enough for you like this, I guess.”

Too much fun, and perversely even more so when he denied her.  The usual twinge of unease didn’t even accompany the thought–not when he was so smugly pleased with himself and her reactions.  Maybe she was still a little bent, but he didn’t seem to care.

She wouldn’t care either.  Instead, she wiggled underneath him. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.  Maybe you should teach me a lesson.”

“Dirty.”  They rolled, and she landed on top of him.  “Why don’t you be in charge for a while?”

Sera laughed and shoved her hands under his shirt, pushing it up. “You think I don’t know the difference between being on top and being in charge?”

“Show me you do.”  He grasped her hips and drew her into a smooth rock over him.  “Take off your top.”

# # #

And that is that.

Speaking of, she’s here today to give you her advice on how to visit your local Renaissance Fair. (Not that I’ve ever held a season pass to one of these events. Just that one time. Ahem.)

What to Wear to a Renaissance Fair

So. You’ve finally decided to attend a Renaissance fair.

Good for you. Even though one of the characters in Love is a Battlefield refers to her local Renaissance fair as “a pulsing orgy of shafts and breasts,” I’ve always been a proponent of any event that allows grown up, educated people to wear costumes and guzzle ale by the full light of day.

Now, I know it can be a little intimidating to be a spectator at one of these events. They are usually run by such a tight-knit group of improv actors and history aficionados that bursting onto the scene with your $10 ticket and no idea where to start can be a barrier to you having a good time.

Don’t be scared.

Hand your ticket to the wench at the gates, head over to the ale and pickle house (this is a real thing), and relax. You’ll know where you fit once you take a survey of the clothing and compare it with your own attire for the day.

Costume #1: The Performers

The actors and actresses who run the fair are your hosts for the day. They almost never drop out of character and go by names like Sir Baldrick Goodfellow and Amanda Plunder. You’ll know them from their plumed headdresses, heavy velvet fabrics (even on a hundred degree day), and, if your Renaissance Fair is as awesome as my town’s is, the lone grey wizard who walks around welcoming the hobbits.

Costume #2: The Hangers-On

My favorite part of the Renaissance fair, these are the people who aren’t part of the production but are always prepared to bring their own party. Don’t be surprised to find handcrafted chain mail from head to toe, Halloween pirate-whore costumes, and a surprising abundance of robes. (It seems lots of people are hiding hooded mage robes in their closets. Who knew?)

Costume #3: The Contextually Appropriate T-Shirts

I suspect these people are a regular part of a Renaissance fair but, for personal reasons, have chosen to opt out of that particular day’s events. My favorites include My Other Shirt has Puffy Sleeves and I Drink Dragon Tears. I want both these shirts. A lot.

Costume #4: The Bystanders

This is where I can be found. As much as I love the ambiance of the Renaissance fair, I’m an introverted writer given more to people-watching than participation. Since our fair is always in August, when the sun is doing its best to end me, I’m the one in shorts and a tank top, sweating over my notebook. Wave to me or buy me a pickle. I’m nice.

Costume #5: The Noobs

You can always spot the first-timers at a Renaissance Fair. I’m not saying they all have fanny packs and cameras, but, well, they all have fanny packs and cameras—and they’re usually the ones stepping up to try and throw an axe at a tree stump. (Hint: This is a lot harder than it looks.) Don’t give in to the urge to mock these people. They’ve been transported to a new and magical world where peacocks and belly dancers mill about in equal abundance, and it’s going to take some time for them to get used to it here.

You know what? Wave to them and buy them a pickle, too. We’re all family here.

About Tamara Morgan

Tamara Morgan is a romance writer and unabashed lover of historical reenactments—the more elaborate and geeky the costume requirements, the better. In her quest for modern-day history and intrigue, she has taken fencing classes, forced her child into Highland dancing, and, of course, journeyed annually to the local Renaissance Fair. These feats are matched by a universal love of men in tights, of both the superhero and codpiece variety.

You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Would you like to enter to win an eARC of Tamara’s battle-of-the-sexes debut?  Leave a comment below and tell us which costume category you’d fall into if you visited a Renaissance Fair.  (Me? I was always a #2. The best part of any group trip to the local Ren Fair was stopping at McDonalds in chain mail & corsets on the way home.)

IN. LOVE.

It’s Archer, in art format. And I’m. In. Love.

Thank you thank you THANK YOU to cover artist Kanaxa, who can not get more awesome.  Look at what she’s given us:

Archer has a grim future ahead of him. Accused of betraying the Bloodhound Guild once, his only chance at regaining the trust of his fellow hounds is to earn their respect, one dangerous job at a time. Crystal Springs may be the worst yet. The town has been deserted by all but the poor and the desperate, but the vampires stalking the edges of the settlement haven’t closed for the kill.  Now Archer has to figure out why.

Someone is clearly hiding secrets, and no one has more of them than Grace Linwood.  A professional liar, she’s been masquerading as a border schoolteacher for so long she’s almost fallen for her own con.  The frontier was supposed to be her chance at a respectable life, but now the cowardly part of her wants to flee.  When Archer catches her considering a run for safety, she knows it’s only a matter of time until he sees through her charade.

Both in search of atonement, they become allies in the quest to uncover the mysteries of Crystal Springs. But every knot they unravel ties them closer together.  Grace soothes a hunger Archer didn’t know he had.  Archer awakes a passion Grace didn’t know she wanted.  They both know their pasts are too shattered for a hopeful future—until their investigation uncovers a secret about the Bloodhound Guild.  One that could make betraying the Guild the only path to redemption.        

I’m so excited I’m dancing! It’s a sleepy sort of dance, but dancing all the same.

Length: Story | Rating: Erotic | Publisher: Reissued Backlist
Themes: Werewolves, Hot Techies, Erotica, Werewolves in Heat

FREE AT BARNES & NOBLE
FREE AT ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS
(epub, pdf & mobi/prc formats available)

For those of you who may not know about the series, we recently reissued them with new covers at a reduced price.  Each story is a stand alone erotic story about a paranormal character with a supernatural sex problem meeting the person who can help them fix it.  They’re short, they’re dirty, they’re occasionally campy, but they’re always edged with a little bit of romance and end happily-for-now.

So if you’d like to try something short, sweet & spicy, have a free taste.

This is a random picture of my fluffy cat. He spent the week at the vet and I was sad, but now he’s home and I am happy! Wheeee!

With that out of the way…I’ve got winners, yes I do!

Winners of a copy of Ghosts of Boyfriends Past by Vivi Andrews:

1) Beverly @ The Wormhole
2) Laura Surgenor
3) Mikaela
4) Susan
5) Belinda Wolf-Whitaker

Winners of a copy of Wilder’s Mate or an eARC of Hunter’s Prey:

1) Mary Jo
2) Tracey D
3) Myranda
4) Catydid
5) JJ

No need to do anything, winners. I’ll be contacting you with your prizes over the next few days! 

It’s BLOODHOUNDS time again!  Wooohooo!

Sarah at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books called Wilder’s Mate a ” steampunk erotic paranormal wild west romance” and I think that describes the series as well as anything.  It’s a little lighter on the steampunk and heavier on the paranormal, but there’s no skimping on the erotic or the wild west.

So! Having said that, now I’m offering review copies and holding a contest!

Reviewers: you can fill out the form below to request a review copy of either book.
Readers: you can leave a comment to be entered to win your choice – a copy of Wilder’s Mate or an eARC of Hunter’s Prey.

More about the books…

Book One: Wilder’s Mate
Blogger Cheat Sheet | General Book Page | Good Reads Listing
* Digital Release Date: March 8th, 2011 (ISBN: 978-1-60928-380-3)
* Print Release: (As Shadowed Moon) Spring 2013

Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America’s frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication–keeping his hands off the man’s pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.

At odds with polite society, Satira’s only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn’t going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel’s life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn’t worth saving. Besides, if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that brains are more important than brawn.

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they’re fighting to save.

Warning: This book contains a crude, gun-slinging, vampire-hunting hero who howls at the full moon and a smart, stubborn heroine who invents mad-scientist weapons. Also included: wild frontier adventures, brothels, danger, betrayal and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

Book Two: Hunter’s Prey
Blogger Cheat Sheet | General Book Page | Good Reads Listing
* Digital Release Date: March, 2012 (ISBN: 978-1-60928-575-3)
* Print Release: (As Shadowed Moon) Spring 2013

Having survived the violence of his first full moon out of a cage, Hunter isn’t looking forward to his first new moon. Ophelia offers to be the woman who sates his needs during the three long days of sexual fury, but he can’t abide the thought of hurting her in a state of mindless lust. Especially since she longs to settle into a respectable life, and his needs are anything but respectable.

Their mutual goal is simple: avoid entanglements. It’s a solid plan, at least until a vampire drug lord and a couple of nosy Guild representatives force them to work together to defend their friends and everything they hold dear–including each other.

Warning: Contains a mostly feral, vampire-hunting hero and a tough survivor of a heroine whose retired-hooker heart is more steel than gold. Also included: dangerous frontier intrigue, fancy brothels, mad-scientist weapons and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

BLOODHOUNDS CONTEST!

If you’re not a reviewer but you’d like to enter to win a book, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment below.  Just tell us which of the two books you want to be entered to win! We’ll be picking winners of the contest by random drawing this weekend and announcing them on the blog next week.  Review copies will go out as quickly as I can process the requests. 

This book is just…sweet.  Sweet and fun and funny, but not in a slap-stick trying-too-hard sort of way, just in a natural wit and banter between two wary adults who don’t want to be attracted but can’t help the sparks.  And so Donna & I are going to give away 5 copies to 5 lucky winners so they can enjoy the delightful haunted antics of this poor love-cursed witch and her many ghostly ex-boyfriends.

No really, guys. I love this game. I mean, everyone knows I love this game. I tweet about it all the time, because whenever I’m not making sweet productive love to a looming deadline,  I sneak off to make armor, enchant it, pick flowers, make potions…oh yeah. I kill some bad guys and stuff too. Sometimes. When the mood strikes me.

What.

Come on, I know I’m not the only one. Who’s playing?

That’s my character on the left and Tamara Morgan’s character on the right. She took one with her character standing next to a giant spider, because she just loves me that much. *shudder* That’s what I get for asking her for a picture after midnight, I guess.