April 13, 10 @ 10:23 am
Don’t forget to comment on yesterday’s post for your chance to win a signed copy of a published book from Larissa Ione’s Demonica series or a Demonica tote bag. I’ll be choosing a winner at random tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST. Good luck!
Today I want to share another snippet from THE DEMON IN ME. Nineteen more days to go before it’s out!! I’ll be doing a couple more excerpt posts between now and then to hopefully whet your appetite for more!
Hmm…. let me see… *flips pages*….
Okay, this is a scene from Chapter 7…. Darrak is able to take corporeal form during daylight hours, but he is compelled to stay close to Eden at all times. In this scene she wants to, uh, test that theory….
***
The doors on the elevator closed before he got in. Eden jabbed at the ground floor button. She heard Darrak yell her name, and then a bang as he pounded on the elevator door.
The elevator began to descend slowly and she stifled the immediate feeling of guilt that swelled inside of her.
She wanted to see how far they could be apart? The opportunity had just presented itself nicely.
Eden’s apartment was on the fourteenth floor. By the eighth she began to feel a bit lightheaded. She brought a hand to her forehead and inhaled shakily. She didn’t remember feeling that way when Darrak tried to walk out of the office yesterday.
The impromptu experiment was working.
Six floors at approximately ten feet per floor? So that was sixty feet.
Seventy feet.
Eighty.
A sharp pain wrenched through her stomach. She doubled over and staggered back until she hit the wall of the elevator. A moment later, thick black smoke slithered in through the crack at the top of the elevator door. It moved to pool on the floor, then slowly took form.
Just before the doors opened on ground level, Darrak had fully rematerialized. He crouched on the floor at her feet, his chest heaving. Sweat beaded his forehead. His current expression was anything but the pleasant and amiable Darrak she’d begun to expect. In fact, he looked furious.
She’d wanted to see what would happen—to test their boundaries and perhaps find out that they didn’t actually have any, but now the stab of guilt returned to replace the pain that she’s felt before.
“Don’t do that again,” he said darkly. “Please.”
She swallowed hard. Well, at least he said please. “I just wanted to see if we could—”
He rose to his feet, grabbed her upper arms firmly, and pushed her up against the mirrored elevator wall. In human form, he was very tall. And big. And strong. And she suddenly felt extremely intimidated by him—especially by that angry look in his blue eyes that for a split second she could have sworn changed to a strange, flickering amber .
“You want to get rid of me.” Despite the fiery look in his gaze, the words were as cold as ice cubes lobbed at her ears. “I get it. We both want that. Do you think I want to put up with you every hour of the day, either? Think again. But right now we can’t do anything about it but try to make this work.”
“Let go of me.”
“First I want to make sure you understand me.” His eyes narrowed. “And just so you know, being forced to lose form like that hurts like hell. And I know what Hell feels like.”
“I understand.” She said through clenched teeth, before her own swell of anger faded. She’d only wanted to test a theory, not cause any him more pain. “I felt something unpleasant this time, too.”
“Of course you did.”
She frowned at his quick agreement. “But yesterday I didn’t feel anything when you tried to leave the office. And even during the exorcism…I only felt a twinge. But today it was actually…painful.”
“Lucky you.” A cold, humorless smile curled his lips. “It means we’re bonding.”
April 11, 10 @ 12:42 pm
It’s been a bit of a demonic weekend. Did I say I was going to do a blog post EVERY day? Perhaps that was a bit ambitious.
Come back tomorrow, though, because Day #10 features a Q&A with New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione and another fabulous contest!
Till tomorrow…….
April 09, 10 @ 9:13 am
***Thank you to all the commenters and thank you to Jill for visiting! The winner of the signed copy of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi is comment #27 – Maria Pilipina Dias! Congrats! Maria has been contacted by email to claim her prize.***
To celebrate the countdown to my new release, the first book in the Living in Eden series, THE DEMON IN ME, I’m blogging every day (well, I’m going to try!) — and some days I have fabulous guests and prizes!
Today it’s the demonically delicious Jill Myles, author of the Succubus Diaries series. She’s generously giving away a signed copy of GENTLEMEN PREFER SUCCUBI to a randomly selected commenter (US addresses only please). Winner will be chosen Saturday, April 10th at 10:00 p.m. EST. Good luck!
***
Welcome Jill! What inspired you to write about demons?
I wanted to write about a normal girl that had been turned into something awful, and see how she’d cope with it. Turning her into a succubus seemed like a pretty heinous thing to do to a character, and the rest played itself out from there.
Demons — shades of gray or always evil?
I have two kinds of creatures in my books – the real demons, and the succubi (which are actually not all that demonic). I like to think of my succubi as truly neutral. They’re only out for themselves and bounce between both good and evil. My true demons are always evil, and always up to no good.
What’s your demonically awesome book about?
Gentlemen Prefer Succubi is about Jackie Brighton, who gets turned into a succubus, and now she has to have sex to survive. It’s kind of a bad gig for her, because she’s not great with men. Plus, she has to answer to two very sexy, very different masters. And did I mention that she has to work as a go-between for the good guys (angels) and bad guys (demons)? Yeah. She’s definitely got her plate full.
Let’s say that Jim Cameron calls and he’s interested in making Gentlemen Prefer Succubi into a movie. Who are your actor/actress choices?
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) as Jackie, Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) as Noah, and Chris Pine (Star Trek) as Zane. Yum.
What’s your one line of advice for aspiring writers (demonic or otherwise)?
Play up your strengths. If you’re not great at writing knock-down-drag-out fight scenes, write quieter stories. If you’re really good at writing dialogue, or mystery, write those. Not only will it feel more natural, but you’ll feel more confident about what you write. Confidence is a big must in this business.
***
Thanks Jill!!
To learn more about Jill and her fabulous books, please visit www.jillmyles.com!
April 05, 10 @ 12:40 pm
Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for an ARC of THE DEMON IN ME. Contest closes tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9:00 p.m. EST.
And head’s up — tomorrow I have the fabulous Michele Bardsley here for a demonically delicious Q&A and she’ll be giving away a $10 gift card for Barnes & Noble.
***
Today I wanted to talk a bit about inspiration. And when I talk inspiration, of course I’m talking about hot actors! 
I usually cast the characters I’m writing in my head so I can see everything play out like a movie. Then, ideally, I just write down what I see. Sometimes this works smashingly, and sometimes it doesn’t. But I find having a set image in my mind of who my heroes are doesn’t hurt!
I’ve written two demon heroes thus far. The first, Nathaniel, in my 2006 release ANGEL WITH ATTITUDE was easy to cast. At the time I was a bit infatuated with Jude Law, so there you are. Jude was the Nathaniel in mah little brain. A little somethin’ like this:
Sign me up, tempter demon!
Now for my Living in Eden series, Darrak’s the name of the demon in residence. And he is the first character EVER that has not had any one actor who’s been right for the part. I’ve waffled on this several times, casting and recasting in my imagination, but to no ultimate success. Darrak’s that mix of humorous cracks/sarcasm, hotness, angstiness (occasionally, but not nearly as much as my previous heroes), and demon-next-door — it just didn’t gel together for me with any one look. Some of the boys that have been in the running include:
Each of these actors had a quality I thought was right for Darrak, but it didn’t quite mesh for me. Finally I settled on the perfect mix of hot physique and quirky/fun personality:
This isn’t exactly how Darrak looks in my imagination, though. I was surprised by how much of a perfect match the cover model chosen is to how I pictured the character in my head. So it’s a nice blend of the two.
I’ve said before that Darrak is my favorite hero to date to write. I think it’s that fun mix of humor and supernatural alpha hero. In any case, he’s been tons of fun to write in both THE DEMON IN ME and SOMETHING WICKED. I hope readers connect with him!
So, my question du jour if anyone would like to answer it — when you’re reading a book and if you have a favorite hero, do you picture an actor in the part? If you were casting a movie, do you have the perfect person for the role?
April 04, 10 @ 10:03 am
***Thank you to everyone who entered. The randomly selected winner of the ARC of THE DEMON IN ME is comment #72 – Erin Copeland. Erin’s been contacted by email to claim her prize.***
Today I want to give away one of my last ARCs of THE DEMON IN ME to a commenter I’ll choose at random on Tuesday, April 6th at 9:00 pm EST.
Have I mentioned that Publisher’s Weekly calls this book “funny, suspenseful, and frequently hot”? Yes, indeedy!
Here’s a short excerpt as my heroine Eden readies herself for bed while dealing with the difficulties of having an inner demon.
***
Eden pulled off her shirt and jeans, kicking them over onto her fuzzy pink bathmat, and then reached around to unhook her bra. She let it fall to the floor.
“I’m feeling much better now,” Darrak said.
She stifled a scream and clamped her hands over her bare breasts. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“Did I interrupt something?” There was a short pause. “Oh, I see. Don’t let me stop you from getting naked. Please, continue.”
Eden scanned her reflection with wide eyes. Could she see the demon inside of her? A shadow in her eyes? Did she look possessed?
Nope. There was nothing noticeable. Other than the deep voice in her head only she could hear.
“This should be interesting.” Darrak sounded amused. “As I said before, I’ve never shared living space with a woman before. I honestly never would have guessed black lace panties for you. But I do approve.”
She glared at her reflection, feeling equal parts anger and embarrassment from being caught half-naked by the demon. “I think we’re going to need to set some boundaries.”
“Then I suggest you don’t look at yourself in the mirror when you’re in a state of undress. It’s the only way I can see you—all of you, at the moment.”
She turned away from the mirror. “Fine.”
“Isn’t it a little early to have Christmas hand towels out? Or do you use those all year round?”
She looked at the floor instead. The last thing she needed was a demon critiquing her lousy decorating skills.
“Darrak—” she let out a shuddery breath “—I need my privacy.”
“That’s going to be difficult. For obvious reasons.”
April 03, 10 @ 10:32 am
THE DEMON IN ME, the first book in my new Living in Eden series, is out exactly thirty days from today — May 4th. Hooray!
I plan to blog every day for each of these thirty days about the subject of the book and about DEMONS in general. There will be snippets, inside info about my writing process and this book in general, discussion of demonic entertainment (think Buffy and Supernatural!), and also I have some fantastic GUESTS AND PRIZES lined up — authors who also like this particular subject enough to include demons in their books.
I’m still gathering some guests, but right now I have the following fabulous ladies scheduled (check back to this post as I’ll be adding more guests as they’re confirmed):
April 6th – MICHELE BARDSLEY – Michele is giving away a $10 Gift Card for Barnes & Noble!
April 9th – JILL MYLES – Jill is giving away a signed copy of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi!
April 12th – LARISSA IONE – Larissa is giving away winner’s choice of any one signed book in her NYT Bestselling Demonica series or a Demonica totebag!
April 15th – CHARLENE TEGLIA – Charlene is giving away a signed copy of Wicked Hot and Claimed by the Wolf!
April 19th – JACKIE KESSLER – Jackie is giving away a signed copy of Hell’s Belles!
April 22nd – Q&A with urban fantasy author of The Mage in Black JAYE WELLS
April 26th – JACQUELYN FRANK – Jacquelyn is giving away a signed copy of Noah!
My 30 Days of Demons will culminate on May 4th when I’ll be throwing my usual virtual release party right here on the blog. You know, virtual drinks, chocolate fountain, munchies, PRIZES, the works! I spare no expense, people. None. I throw a fantastic virtual party and you’re all invited!
So that’s what’s up for the month. Hope you can join me to celebrate the darker side of heroes (and, yes, sometimes villains!) — the great thing about demons, in my honest opinion, is that they’re the ultimate bad boys (or girls), a step beyond the somewhat defanged vampires of late. I don’t see them as being true evil — this is a fictional take on a very interesting subject not a religious discussion.
I believe (fictional) demons can be conflicted about right and wrong. In my books it’s all about the choices characters make (and this included my Immortality Bites series). Anyone, no matter what they are or where they came from or what their past includes, can choose good if they want to. Writing about demons doesn’t mean you’re glorifying the bad, it means you’re talking about redemption and hope even in the darkest corners of the heart. Shut off from heaven (aka: the embodiment of “good”), can someone still choose to do the right thing? I think so. And when a demon falls in love….well, watch out. You’re never going to find a more protective hero than that. At least, that’s how it rolls in paranormal romance.
I also write about demons in my YA Demon Princess books. In that, the 16-year-old heroine is half-demon. She’s not evil, of course, but she needs to deal with powers that could get out of her control and the true nature of good vs. evil. If she’s half-demon is she aut
omatically evil? Do other people’s perceptions of who you are shape the person you become?
Ah, my themes. Gotta love ‘em. They keep showing up time and time again!
I wanna know, to kick things off with a question. What is your favorite TV show, movie, book that features a demon character? I’ll throw one out here — I loved Angel because among many other demonic characters, it featured Lorne. He wasn’t that much of a romantic hero, but he was funny, charming, a kickass singer who owned a nightclub, and not the least bit evil unless he was pushed to the breaking point. So….what’s yours?
March 23, 10 @ 11:35 am
You know, months and months go by with nobody saying much about your book as it approaches its publication date. I typically finish a book a full year (or more) before it hits the stands. And it’s always a big question if anyone’s actually going to like it.
My first official review for THE DEMON IN ME is in from Romantic Times! And I’m thrilled!!
THE DEMON IN ME
by Michelle Rowen
RT Rating: 
½
Category: PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Publisher: BERKLEY SENSATION
Published: May 2010
Type: Paranormal Fiction
The Living in Eden series starter is funny, sexy and completely entertaining. Rowen writes charming, believable and seriously funny heroines and then weaves a dark tale of intrigue around them. Watching Eden resolve her internal conflicts while struggling to stay alive and manage her attraction to the demon that possesses her is just magic. Can’t wait for more! It promises to be a fantastic series.
Summary: On her first day as a “psychic consultant” for the local police, Eden sees a serial killer gunned down in front of her. She watches as black smoke slinks from his mouth and slams into her. Moments later she begins to hear a voice inside her, a demon named Darrak. After a failed exorcism, Eden promises this seemingly “nice” demon she’ll help him remove a curse put on him 300 years ago, if he’ll help her manage her romantic life with the sexy detective, Ben. As they struggle to find a way to release the curse, Eden must learn to live with the sexy demon inside her.
Darrak is torn between wanting to keep his promise and help Eden with Ben, and wanting her for himself. Her psychic energy makes him strong enough that he can take human form during the day, and it’s not only made him feel indebted to her but it’s also made him more human, less evil demon. (BERKLEY SENSATION, May, 352 pp., $7.99) —Annette Elton
March 19, 10 @ 12:59 pm
SIGNING:
If you’re in the Mississauga, Ontario area, come see me at Chapters Square One tomorrow between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of the first Demon Princess book, REIGN OR SHINE.
***
Soooo…. long time no blog post. Yeah, I know. I’ve been keeping a low profile. If you don’t count Twitter or Facebook, that is.
So what’s up, buttercup?
Other than feeling sick about the news re: Jesse James (another cheating jerk) and my fave actress Sandra Bullock…. ugh. I just can’t believe it. I think it’s the first Hollywood marriage I’m actually mad about! I just love the “story” of the bad boy who changes his ways for the love of a good woman. But I guess that type of romance is just a fictional fantasy. That’s why I write books! Because my heroes would never cheat on my heroines. Even the ones who can live forever. Leave me to my dream world. I’m happy here.
March has been one mega busy month for me, writing-wise. I’ve finished two proposals. I’ve brainstormed a novella. And I’m currently diving into the second draft of NIGHTSHADE #2.
Since I’m deep into this world right now, let me give you a little more info about these books — which are a teensy bit of a departure for me.
First of all… I have THE DEMON IN ME coming out in 45 days. This will be followed by SOMETHING WICKED in October. These books follow the same (demon) hero and (psychic) heroine in their paranormal journey together. They’re inline with my previous books in that they’re fun and funny, so if you liked my Immortality Bites series, you’ll love these books. There’s mystery, action, supernatural angst, and romance galore. The Living in Eden books are written in third person — the first one all from the heroine’s POV. The second one is evenly split between hero and heroine and a bit of POV from a secondary character. I love getting the chance to show more of the world than just what the heroine sees and I LOVE WRITING THIS SERIES SO MUCH. Good times!
But that’s not what I’m working on RIGHT NOW.
I have a darker side, you see. A few shades darker, anyway. I got to explore this side when I wrote COUNTDOWN (as Michelle Maddox). There’s still some wit in there — I don’t think I could write without any humor at all even if I tried (and I have) — but the storyline lends itself to increased danger and edginess. This is the kind of book I’m drawn to reading. I actually don’t read that much really light stuff anymore.
ANYHOOOO… so I did the proposal for NIGHTSHADE once upon a time when I wondered how I’d handle the darker side of vampires. Vamps are the baddies in this book, the threat. They don’t go out for drinks with you. You are the drink. Etcetera. My heroine doesn’t kick ass per se like some urban fantasy chicks, but she is able to kill vampires because her blood is poisonous (and irresistible) to them.
I got the original spark of the idea from watching/reading Twilight, believe it or not. I thought: so Edward is irresistibly drawn to Bella’s blood. He desperately wants to bite her and it takes all of his strength to resist. He resists because if he bites her he’ll kill her.
So I thought — how about if he bites her, her blood kills HIM instead of her. That’s a pretty good incentive for keeping your fangs to yourself. So that’s the concept behind NIGHTSHADE. Whee. And I put my heroine, Jillian (first person POV), in direct and constant contact with Declan, who is a dhampyr — half vamp, half human. Therefore he is also drawn to her blood despite the fact he needs to protect her from the real baddies. Good times.
Since it was a two-book contract, I structured things as a two-book arc and I’m currently polishing the second book. This is definitely darker, more urban fantasy, than anything I’ve previously done (aside from COUNTDOWN, of course). There’s salty language, violence, sex, and I really loved writing these books because I could torture my characters mercilessly. I had no idea what a sadist I was (yes, I did).
I just reread NIGHTSHADE the other day to get back into the world and was surprised at how much of a romance it is. I had thought it leaned more urban fantasy. And it does. But it straddles that romance/urban fantasy line very nicely, I think.
The books will be published by Berkley and will take place over a mere three week period following Jill and Declan’s adventures. This is how they’re going to pan out:
1.0 – NIGHTSHADE: February 2011
1.5 – NOVELLA (title to come) in the Lora Leigh Anthology: April 2011
2.0 – NIGHTSHADE #2 (new title to come): July 2011
And contrary to what I’ve said in the past, I will be writing these books as MICHELLE ROWEN, not under another pen name. I think my regular readers can handle my dark side, don’t you??
And I already have a couple of fabulous quotes for NIGHTSHADE:
“Rowen’s characteristic wit, infused with a dark edge. A great read!” — Kelley Armstrong, New York Times Bestselling Author
“Rowen takes us on a high-octane thrill ride to a fresh, new, dark and sexy world. NIGHTSHADE is an amazing roller-coaster of a read.” –Eve Silver, National Bestselling Author
Can’t wait till we get closer to the pub dates — so near and yet so far!
However, 2010 is the “Year of the Demon” for me. Two paranormals and one YA with that subject matter and I couldn’t be more excited. I equally love demons and vamps (and angels, and witches, and werewolves. Well, maybe not werewolves).
So that’s my update and that’s where I am mentally and creatively right now. Happy reading! (and I’ll try to blog more, I promise).
February 27, 10 @ 3:58 pm
I’ve received new cover art for DEMON PRINCESS: REIGN CHECK. A waayyyy different look, don’t you think? I’m digging it big-time. I like the darker vibe much better than the original pink version of this cover. I think it looks older and a bit more reflective of the tone of the books, which is darker than the previous bubblegum color might have let on. However, this new look definitely still maintains that fun, sarcastic edge of the books.
There’s shiny new back cover copy to go along with the shiny new cover art, too….
Nikki Donovan has had a lot to deal with since learning she was half human, half demon. But things take a darker turn when Rhys, a gorgeous—but potentially dangerous—faery king enrolls at her high school to investigate Nikki’s potential for fulfilling an apocalyptic prophesy. Nikki knows she’d never turn violent, and she certainly couldn’t destroy the world…could she?
Of course, all Nikki really wants is to be reunited with Michael, a Shadow creature whose status as her personal servant is further complicated by their undeniable attraction to each other. Even though the rules of the Shadowlands strictly forbid their romance, Nikki is determined not to let Michael go. But when she is summoned to the Underworld to appear before a demon council, it will take all her courage—and perhaps a bit of demon-level strength—to get herself out again.
From what I’ve heard, the cover with Michael and Nikki on it (either with the pink or another background cover) will likely still be the one used in Australia and New Zealand when it comes out there in July, but the black version is the one that will be in the U S of A. And Canada too. I think? Time will tell.
Here’s the original cover art:
What do you think? Do you have a preference between the two covers?
By the way, REIGN CHECK is out on May 25th. Not too far off!
Visit my YA website to read the first two chapters that are now up.
And, by the way, pre-ordering is also a very good thing! Hey, it’s just a suggestion. 
