New Covers and Winners and News and DABWAHA!
March 19th, 2010
Hi everyone!
Making this short…I have a ton of stuff to do today. SO glad it's Friday!
Okay, so Ecstasy Unveiled is one of the DABWAHA tournament picks! Which means I'm going to be pleading for votes now and then. In fact, until noon today, he's up for vote, as well as several other books you might have read!
New covers…no, not mine! But check out Stephanie Tyler's new covers for her upcoming Shadow Force books! OMG, I LOVE them!
News! Sin Undone is being released earlier! Yep, Sin has been moved up, so she's now releasing on August 24th! Woo hoo!
Remember the International Heat Contest in the blog post below? Well, winners have been selected! So if you participated, be sure to check the International Heat blog!
And DH, if you're reading this, I've been researching fences. The SECOND you get home, we're putting something up…
At Borders Romance Blog Today!
March 16th, 2010
Yay! Today I'm over at the Borders True Romance blog with Sue Grimshaw, where I answered a few questions and then I asked readers a question. And my publisher, Grand Central Publishing, and I are giving away stuff! You could win the set of first 4 Demonica books…plus a Demonica tote bag!
So hop over and say hi, and don't forget to vote in the poll on the right! 
International Heat Global Warming Blog Tour!
March 13th, 2010
To celebrate the first anniversary of International Heat, we've set up a Global Warming blog tour and invited some friends to join the party. And what sort of party would it be if we didn't have prizes?
During the week of March 13-17, we invite you to visit our blogs as we will each post a special red-hot excerpt, cover or review for you. (I have a Sin Undone excerpt below!) Simply leave a comment at each blog you visit. Visit them all and your name will be thrown in the hat for a special drawing. Four winners will be chosen and they will be announced here on March 18. It's that simple.
What are the prizes?
Prize one:
Waiting for Wednesday ebook by Mari Carr
Autographed print copy of Dream Machine by Jayne Rylon
Only Yours ebook by J.R. Patrick
Prize two:
Choice of ebook backlist by Jambrea Jo Jones
Death, The Vamp and his Brother tote bag, plus winner's choice of Lexxie Couper ebook.
Choice of backlist title by Dawn Montgomery
Prize three:
Bath and Body gift bag courtesy of T
Choice of backlist title and a package of TimTams from Jess Dee
Rodeo Heat by Desiree Holt
Prize four:
Choice of backlist title from Amanda Young
$10 gift card to Amazon courtesy of Valerie Tibbs
Choice of backlist ebook from Vivian Arend
Blog tour (you don't need to go in order, but you do need to comment at all of them to be eligible for a prize.)
Larissa Ione (That's Me!)
*
And now…my excerpt! This is from Sin Undone, which is the fifth book in the Demonica series, and will be out August 31st!
*
“I’m not going home with you.”
“We’ll talk about it while I’m patching you up.” Con jerked his thumb toward the back. “Go.”
Grudgingly, Sin climbed between the front seats and ducked through the hatch-like door separating the cab from the box section of the ambulance. A dull red light illuminated the space, and the same Haven spell symbols from UG were scrawled on the walls, but other than that, it could have been a human ambulance.
Her leg throbbed as she worked her way down the narrow isle between the bench seat and the stretcher, but that wound wasn’t nearly as bad as the pain spreading through her arm. She didn’t have to look to know a large gash had split her dermoire across her biceps. The pain had struck suddenly, but she’d borne it in silence, the way she always did. As an assassin, she never gave her victims the luxury of a scream, so she figured she didn’t deserve one any more than they did.
She didn’t deserve for the gash to be treated, either. She’d allow Con to mend her leg, but her arm was off limits.
Con jerked black rubber shades down from rollers over each window. Every sliver of outside light was snuffed, obviously a necessity when transporting vamps and other light-sensitive demons during the day. “Take off your pants.”
“Wow. Not one for foreplay, are you?”
He turned to her with lethal grace despite the limitations of the cramped compartment. “I spend hours on foreplay,” he said, his voice a slow, sexy drawl. “What about you?”
Heat flooded her face. Somehow, he knew the answer, knew she’d never engaged in foreplay in her life. For her, sex was fast food, not gourmet cuisine.
“Foreplay is overrated.” The gash in her arm screamed with pain as she shed her pants and hopped up on the stretcher. She left her thigh and ankle holsters in place, though, because they weren’t going anywhere.
“Then you’re not doing it right.” Con snapped on some surgical gloves, somehow making the sound and the action erotic. “You’ve had shitty lovers.”
“You were one of my lovers,” she pointed out, but he didn’t take the bait.
“Once. And there is something to be said for a hard, fast fuck.” His voice became a mesmerizing purr. “But there’s nothing like taking the time to slowly peel off every article of clothing, to kiss every inch of your lover’s skin as you do it. To lick all the sensitive places until they quiver. To explore all the textures of your partner’s body with your fingers, your mouth.” His fangs flashed as he added, “Your teeth.”
Hunger gripped her so fiercely she had to struggle to breathe. Yet somehow, she managed to speak calmly, as if Con’s graphic words hadn’t affected her. “The end result is the same. An orgasm. So why waste all that time? In the hour it takes you to lick someone from head to toe—” God, seriously? Want. “—I could have had half a dozen orgasms.” Assuming she was with some fictional male who could come that many times too — or a Seminus demon, whose ejaculate left females climaxing over and over, even if he left the room.
“Trust me,” he murmured, “the wait is worth it. You’ll get all those, but they’ll be better. Hotter. A-fucking-mazing.”
Sin went utterly wet and achy. Even if her succubus needs weren’t creeping up on her, Con would have jumpstarted things.
“Put pressure on your laceration.” The abrupt change of tone and subject made her blink, but he turned away to paw through the glass-faced cabinets and toss supplies next to her on the gurney.
Still dizzy with the images he’d put in her head, she grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser behind her and held it to the bleeding wound. A trickle of warmth ran down her arm and into her palm, and she covertly tucked another paper towel inside her coat sleeve. Then she entertained herself by watching Con’s fine ass hugged by black BDU pants. When he swiveled around back to her, she got a kick out of the way his gaze went to her bare thighs and black silk thong that was now damp with her arousal.
The longer he stared, the faster her heart beat, the more her belly fluttered.
The hotter it got inside the damned ambulance.
When his silver eyes finally snapped up, they’d darkened to a rich, smooth pewter, the hunger in them stark and undeniable, which was no surprise given what they’d just been talking about. For just a moment, she wondered if he’d act on his need…
Today’s Post…
March 11th, 2010
is at Pop Culture Divas!
Talking about the hybrid classic books! Wondering…have you read any? Do you plan to read any?
Any books you'd like to see hybridized?
Come join us!
On Breaking Rules In Your Own Universe
March 10th, 2010
So…I'm getting ready to go to bed, and I get an email from a reader. Yay, right?
Er, no. This is an irate reader. A reader who read Ecstasy Unveiled and is angry because I "broke my own rules" by creating Sin. She even pointed to this review and comment (which is actually a mostly good review) at Amazon that proves her case. (Oh, it's nice to know how much I suck just before I go to bed. Yay, me!)
Okay, so anyway, this post isn't about an angry reader mail. I actually get stuff like that all the time. I'm broken in.
This is about the rules of your paranormal (or real) universe.
Every fictional world has rules. These are promises an author shares with the reader that go like this: "I, the author, swear to make you feel safe and secure within my world so that you trust me, my writing, and my decisions, and you'll know that I won't pop a blue troll into a world where I've said blue trolls won't exist."
The reader's rules? Well, it would be nice if readers had enough faith to believe that any deviations from the rules will be explained, BUT…that's not required. As a reader, I've been burned before, and it takes a while to trust an author I've never read.
So, yeah…as a reader, IMO, your only rule is to read the book you bought at your convenience. Don't like the book? It happens? Love it? That's awesome.
Authors? We have to make sure we don't break our own rules.
Except…
What if blue trolls DO exist in the world where you've said they don't? First of all, there had better be a damned good reason. If they show up, there NEEDS to be an explanation.
I'm a rule-breaker, but that's because in the real world, there are exceptions to every rule — BUT THERE ARE REASONS FOR THE EXCEPTIONS. 
Let's take Wraith. Wraith is an anomaly. But he doesn't break any RULES. I said there are no female Seminus demons. I never said that vampire Seminus demons can't exist. Just that none ever had. I love anomalies.
But Sin…she's a rule-breaker. Yes, another anomaly. But that doesn't mean that I've run out of ideas — I had her planned from the very beginning…she was an initial idea. I LOVE to break rules. (Have I mentioned that?)
And here's where the reader confidence thing comes in. By this point in the series, I HOPE I've earned enough reader trust that they will know that Sin's existence will be explained. She didn't pop up from nowhere. There IS a reason for her existence. If I didn't achieve that trust…well, that sucks. I clearly didn't do my job for some readers.
World-building can be seriously challenging for authors, especially in the fantasy and paranormal world. But even in the real world, it can be difficult, because people "know" things in real life. (And actually, that's the big challenge for writing contemporary and historical novels — overcoming the things people "know" that aren't true, or things people know without seeing any exceptions.)
In fact, I would say that keeping reader trust in a contemporary novel is actually harder than in a paranormal. In a paranormal, I can create my own rules, and as long as I do it believably and don't break those rules (heh) readers can believe it. But having your character pump his own gas in Oregon? You'll get crucified. (For those who don't know, you can't pump your own gas in Oregon.)
But say you NEED your character to pump his own gas? Here's where the rule-breaking rules come in. There's a way…you just have to make sure it's believable. If you have your hero pull up to a gas pump and start pumping, fine. That happens. My husband did it, not knowing he wasn't supposed to. Got quarter of a tank before the attendant came flying out of the station like he was going to explode. But the attendant DID come out.
So…don't have your hero pump his gas, go in to pay, and the attendant is like, "Oh, sorry, dude. Oops, didn't see you." Even if that happened to you, it's just not believable, and let me repeat, EVEN IF IT HAS HAPPENED. That's how we people are. The fiction world has to be more believable than the real one.
You need a good, solid reason for the attendant to not have noticed that the gas was getting pumped.
So have your hero go inside and find the attendant shot from a robbery. Or tied up in the back. Whatever. You CAN break that rule — but make it believable. You've got to make it obvious that you, the author, KNOW that you're breaking a rule or that you KNOW you're doing something that might not be normal.
Just recently, there was a conversation about pop/soda/Coke on Twitter. It reminded me of a critique I got a long time ago, where I had a character order a pop in Maine. I got nailed to the freaking wall for that. "We say soda in Maine!!!!"
Yes, but my character was from Washington state, where they say "pop."
Didn't matter to the critiquers, because they knew that in Maine, people say soda. Period.
Were the critiquers morons? No. I, as an author, did not do my job. I didn't convey, to the reader, that *I* knew I was doing something out of the ordinary. I made it look like I didn't research, didn't take into consideration reality, whatever.
The fix? So simple. Make it clear that I knew that what I was having my character say was out of the ordinary.
"Can I have a pop?" Tom asked.
The clerk cocked an eyebrow. "You aren't from around here, are you?"
Tom grinned. "Just moved here from Washington."
NOW the reader knows that the author knows that what he said didn't make sense.
Okay, so…rules. I breaks them. I like breaking them. I like it when authors break them. But show me that you know you're breaking them and that there's a reason for it.
I hope I've earned reader trust by now, but no author works for everyone.
Readers, have you been burned before, so that you have a hard time trusting certain authors — or all authors? Authors, what do YOU think is harder to create — a fantasy/paranormal world, or a real one?
Upcoming And Current Events
March 6th, 2010
Hi everyone!
Hope you're having a great weekend! I'm spending it doing revisions, which are going really well. I love seeing a book get better and richer with each pass. I am not one of those authors who can write a perfect book the first time around. I need lots of revisions (my poor editor!) But I always love the finished product.
So anyway, real quick, I wanted to give you the latest news! First, I have a new interview up at Perpetual Prose. I'd love it if you stopped by if you get a chance!
Next, fun news! I had to turn down the opportunity to go to the Romantic Times Convention this year — a combination of having no time and having no babysitter. But I am able to work in Lori Foster's Readers and Authors Get Together! I'm so excited!
I wasn't planning to go — I wanted to, but I wasn't sure about my husband's work schedule, and I also didn't want to travel alone. But then, my Writeminded buddy, Amy Knupp said she couldn't go and traveling alone didn't appeal to her either…but since we live near each other, I talked her into going!
So we're going together, which will be all kinds of fun (well, fun for me…she hasn't seen me drive yet!) 
For those of you in the Cincinnati area, there will be a Barnes & Noble booksigning at the hotel that's open to the public! I'll be there, along with gobs of other authors, so even if you can't make it to the conference, you can always try to make the signing! It's on June 6th from 2-4 PM at the Cincinnati North Marriott. Yay!
For more information, and a list of attending authors, click here.
Okay, off to work on revisions. Have a super weekend, everyone!
Today’s Post…
March 4th, 2010
is at Writeminded! I'm talking nightmares…
Nothing But Fun Today
February 26th, 2010
Yeah, one of these days I'll actually post something of substance instead of fun fluff, today will not be that day!
First up, a new contest! You can win EITHER Ecstasy Unveiled OR your choice of Demonica books! Just leave a note which one you want in the comments, and chat up about tattoos! Hop over to Darkly Reading to enter!
Second, how often do you read books and think, wow, I want this to be a movie, and I'd love for (insert actor here) to play (insert character here.) Well, now you can cast the books! The website is called Story Casting, and it's all kinds of fun! Who would YOU choose to play the lead roles in the Demonica books?
Tonight, Stephanie Tyler and I are chatting at the LIST Forum at 8PM EST, so if you're up and around, we'd love to see you there!
Okay, that's it for now…have a great weekend, everyone!
Send Me Stuff, I’ll Send YOU Stuff!
February 24th, 2010
Okay, holidays are over, deadline is past, release day is in the rearview mirror…I finally have some spare time! Not a lot, mind you, but I can now sleep, eat, and take showers. (TMI?)
So…as promised, I'll give you my address, and if you would like a signed bookplate and/or bookmarks, you can send me a stamped, self-addressed letter-sized envelope (you know, the long ones), and I'll pop the goodies into your envelope and stick it in the mail back to you.
Just send your SASE to:
Larissa Ione
PO Box 302
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
I will sign the bookplate to the name on the envelope unless you specify different. Sorry, but no non-personalized bookplates. (Also, right now this is for US residents only. Apologies, but I haven't figured out how to do international mailings yet with SASE's. I might just have to have people send an addressed envelope and then just deal with postage and the PO myself.)
And speaking of stuff, there are two copies of Ecstasy Unveiled up for grabs at Over The Edge Book Reviews!
Over at Bitten By Books, author Mark Henry is having a launch contest for his new book, Battle of the Network Zombies. I'm bringing this up because his videos are freaking hilarious, and I also just happen to be reading the first book in his urban fantasy-zombie Amanda Feral series, Happy Hour of the Damned.
OMG, the book is twisted, gory, disgusting, and funny as hell. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Sin Undone!
February 23rd, 2010
Squee!!!!! I has a cover!!!!
Now, I realize it's black and white — and pretty. But it'll be even prettier in person, because it'll have a metallic wash over it, so it'll be silver and black instead of black and white. I can't wait to see it!!!!!
HER TOUCH IS DEADLY
As the only female Seminus demon ever born, master assassin Sinead Donnelly is used to being treated like an outcast. She spent decades enslaved, and now vows she’ll die before she’ll relinquish her freedom again. Then Sin’s innate ability to kill her enemies goes awry: She creates a lethal new werewolf virus that sparks a firestorm of panic and violence.
HIS HUNGER CAN’T BE DENIED
Half-werewolf, half-vampire Conall Dearghul is charged with bringing in Sin to face punishment for the plague. And she’s no stranger: He’s bound to her by blood, and the one sexual encounter they shared has left him hungering for her raw sensuality. Worse, Sin is the underworld’s most wanted and Con soon learns he’s the only one who can help her . . . and that saving her life might mean sacrificing his own.
Here's a link to Sin Undone's page…with an excerpt!
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