Cindy firmly believes in happily-ever-after. Married for more than twenty years to her own, sometimes-kilted hero, she lives in southern Michigan with him and two teenage sons, along with an ever-changing menagerie of pets. Cindy has been, among other things, a banker, a teacher, and an elected politician, but mostly an environmental educator, though now she is lucky enough to write full-time. Her degrees in zoology and animal behavior almost help her comprehend the three male humans who share her household. For more about Cindy and her books, you can find her on her website, www.cindyspencerpape.com or her blog, www.cindyspencerpape.blogspot.com.
Cindy is offering a downloaded copy of one of her books to one lucky reader so read all the way to the Lynda Again section to see how you can be the winner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Man vs. Monster
Somewhere in the last decade or so, vampires stopped being scary. In fact, sometimes they even sparkle. Modern fiction, particularly paranormal romance and prime-time television, have taken many of the monsters of historical legend and turned them into romantic heroes and heroines. Vampires, werewolves, demons and dragons, you can walk through the romance section in any bookstore and find stories featuring each of these and more. More interesting still, almost each author creates a slightly new spin on the legend, keeping some elements, replacing others. So some vampires burn to death in the sunlight, while others only get sunburnt badly, and others, yes, sparkle. Some kill without a conscience, while others are simply people with a very specialized diet. Heck, some can even eat regular food, while others can get pregnant and have babies. You’ve come a long way, vamp-boy.
Werewolves mythologies, like vampires, go back thousands of years, and many cultures, all over the world, had their own ideas on the subject. Modern authors (including yours truly!) have had a field day with these, too. Do werewolves live in packs, or are they solitary? Are they forced to change only on the full moon, or is their shape-shifting under their conscious control? Can the ability/curse be passed by a bite, or are baby werewolves born to werewolf parents? And what about other were-creatures? Jaguars, lions, tigers, even birds, snakes and dragons. They’re all out there on the bookshelves, just waiting for us to discover them.
Would Bram Stoker roll over in his grave if he read a book by Stephanie Myer or would he smile, knowing his work has become such a component of modern culture that hundreds of new authors are working frantically to create a new spin on these enduring legends? As an author, my preference would be the latter. To come back to Earth after a century and find out that people were still talking about my books? That’s pretty much a writer’s ultimate dream, though I do know other authors who would be upset by having their creations “altered.”
Me? I’m as guilty as any other author of plundering the ancient legends. My favorite thing to do is mix it up. Why just have a werewolf falling for another werewolf, when you can have more fun tossing him together with a hereditary witch or a shy vampire? (Curses and Exploring Ari, respectively.) How about a demon and an elf? Or even two elves? (Three for All) and then there are dragons...happy sigh. Gotta love those dragons. I’ve only just begun to explore all the fun an author can have with those.
So what is it about these former monsters that keep readers coming back for more, even now that they’re not as scary as they were on the Late Late Show? I have a few ideas. To start with, let’s face it, romance novels are about fantasy. Even those with no paranormal elements are a bit idealized, a way to escape from the harsh realities of life. While I firmly believe in happily ever after, even in real life, it’s not exactly ever after, is it? We all know life is short. In paranormal romance, the happily-ever-after can literally be forever. That’s an awfully powerful fantasy. Also, we’re looking at heroes with pretty much unlimited strength, wisdom, and machismo. Sigh. That’s kinda yummy too, isn’t it? In many cases, the heroine is also powerful, if not at the beginning of the book than by the end. So the female reader gets to feel empowered and drool over a hot immortal. That’s just a win-win situation!
So while my most recent release is Awakening Augusta, a straight historical romance at Ellora’s Cave, (link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8076-awakening-augusta.aspx) I’ve by no means given up on my love of all things paranormal. You can watch for Dani’s Demons (female vampire and two hunky demons) coming soon from Ellora’s Cave, and Motor City Fae (yep, elves in Detroit) coming later this year from the brand-new Carina Press. As for what’s after that? Who knows? There’s a lot more mythology left to mess with!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Djinni and the Geek
Geek Love #2
By Cindy Spencer Pape
Available in ebook and print from Ellora’s Cave:
ISBN: 9781419959202
Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/m-304-cindy-spencer-pape.aspx
Review: “Fans of steamy love scenes will not be disappointed in the least since Anissa and David have great chemistry together. Cindy Spencer Pape has written one appealing genie tale that should leave you with a smile on your face knowing that a geek has finally found a wonderful love with a woman both beautiful inside and out.”~~Katie from Romance Junkies
Professor David Garvaglia is nobody’s idea of a hero. Is he? When David opens an antique box and finds a sexy Djinni in his bed, his desire for her is almost as powerful as his determination to set her free. Anissa has spent centuries as a prisoner of the box and has dreamed of the day some handsome master would release her. The scruffy computer geek isn’t what she expected, but everything about him turns her on.
While David and Anissa explore their explosive passion, he helps her adjust to the twenty-first century. Complicating things is an evil wizard who wants Anissa for his own. Between scorching sex in his faculty office and hacking government computers, David does everything he can to keep her safe—and satisfied.
Excerpt:
David shook his head. Today had just been too damn long, and he didn’t want to think about anything any more. He snagged a beer from the selection in the fridge and walked toward the stairs, turning lights out on his way. Good beer was his one indulgence, his one way of admitting to himself that he’d made it in the world. He’d never be a wine connoisseur or a gourmet chef, but he could appreciate the difference between an ale and a lambic.
Finally, he shrugged. Whatever was going on, the gods would reveal it in their own sweet time. He set the bottle on the milk crate beside the bed and picked up the box. With a silent prayer to every god of fools and lunatics, he gently brushed his thumb over the carved flowers on the lower left-hand corner of the box’s top. He moved his callused digits over the delicate inlay and paused when he felt a tiny electrical jolt from the ring. He brushed back against a flower in the upper left-hand corner. Yep, there was the tingle. He could almost feel Anissa’s warm sweet breath and hear her sultry voice in his ear cheering him on.
With just the tip of his thumb, he exerted pressure on each petal, one at a time. With an almost inaudible click, the third petal depressed. A heartbeat later, the box gave another, slightly louder click, and a seam appeared, dividing the box into two uneven halves, following the flow of the pattern rather than a straight line. It resembled a rectangular Easter egg cracking open slowly from the inside.
His hands were big; they almost engulfed the box as he palmed each of the halves gently trying to separate them. He tested a couple of different motions, finally discovering that if he rotated the halves counter-clockwise, the tingle returned to his fingertips. That must be it, then. He twisted slowly, not wanting to accidentally break whatever treasure was inside. When he finally felt the mechanism give, he expected the box to come apart in his hands dropping whatever it contained onto the comforter covering his lap.
Instead, he heard a loud whoosh, as if someone had just launched a missile in the room. The box was hot; it singed his fingertips till he dropped it to the floor beside the bed. Then he coughed as he inhaled a cloud of lavender-colored, licorice-scented smoke. He closed his eyes against the sting of the wispy tendrils. A second later, he opened them again. The burning sensation and the lavender cloud were gone, but the licorice scent remained.
And there was a woman kneeling on the comforter at the foot of David’s bed. Her face was down on her knees in a position of full obeisance, but the curly black hair that fell all around her to puddle on the comforter was a dead giveaway. Dave knew who he’d see when she lifted her gaze. He tried to speak, but couldn’t get the words to leave his throat. He stared in rapt fascination as she spoke without lifting her head.
“How may I serve you, oh master?” Her voice was soft and husky—pure distilled sex. Exactly as it had been in his dreams. Dave’s body throbbed just thinking about the possibilities. Maybe he was still dreaming, because here she was in his bed.
Then she looked up and saw him, and all the color drained from her lovely face. Her tilted violet eyes widened and her hand covered her mouth as she shrieked.
“Who are you and what have you done to my hero?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- Lynda Again LOL, Don't you love the last line of that excerpt? Okay, getting back to business.
Cindy has generously offered one lucky reader a free download of their choice of any of her books (can be reviewed at www.cindyspenserpape.com To become eligible to win one of Cindy's books, you must leave a comment and email her with the book of your choice by noon Friday January 22. She'll announce the winner here on Star-Crossed so be sure to check back.
Technorati Tags:
Cindy Spenser Pape, Lynda K. Scott, paranormal romance, vampires, werewolves
Flickr Tags:
Cindy Spenser Pape, Lynda K. Scott, paranormal romance, vampires, werewolves
Del.icio.us Tags:
Cindy Spenser Pape, Lynda K. Scott, paranormal romance, vampires, werewolves
Furl Tags:
Cindy Spenser Pape, Lynda K. Scott, paranormal romance, vampires, werewolves
Post a Comment
Post a Comment