My Mission: to breach the personal space of others and sniff.
  (Male or female, doesn’t matter).

Why? Because smell is one of the five senses with which writers are supposed to imbue their scenes, and I need to experience ‘scent’. Sound I get—onomatopoeia helps,  seeing I get; taste is easy—bitter, salt, sour, sweet, umani (savoury) and touch is fun—unless it’s painful. 

But smell? No, it rarely registers, so I need to sail forth, nostrils wide and eager. Also I’m a little tired of heroes smelling of ‘mint’ or ‘mountains’ or ‘musk’ (what the hell is that), and heroines who waft ‘roses’, ‘wild flowers’ or ‘summer meadows’.

A really terrific story that sucks a reader right in and spits them out the other side a changed person, doesn’t start on page 1. It starts with a stunning cover and pre-release tease, both of which should capture the essence of the tale, the personality of the characters and the sensuality of the journey upon which the writer is inviting the reader to embark. It’s called curb appeal—but for books.

And author Lindsay J Pryor is mistress of the art when it comes to getting curb appeal right.  She's also a master story teller, 'Blood Shadows', Book 1 in her acclaimed Blackthorn series proved that.

And here is how Lindsay is launching Book 2:-

See what I mean? How could you not be tempted to check out 'Blood Roses'.   You've got character, you've got sensual, you've got a hint of menace and, already sold on the promise of an eventual happy-ever-after, you know damn well you've got an emotional adventure ahead of you.

Now mix in the blurb:

 "She was supposed to kill vampires, not save them. Those were the rules. That 
was the lore." A rare and powerful witch whose blood is lethal to vampires, 
Leila has always viewed her serryn abilities as a curse. After seeing her
mother  slaughtered as a child, Leila longs for a safe, quiet life. That wish is 
shattered by Caleb Dehain - a vampire with a dark past and a darker heart. The 
most feared serryn hunter of his generation, Caleb now needs the help of one of 
the witches he despises to save his dying brother. A serryn who has no reason
to help him. Except that he has her sister. Caleb and Leila are each other's
worst  nightmare - but the slow-burning spark of attraction between them is
undeniable.  Will Leila's blood be his damnation? Or could her kiss be his
salvation?"

And these endorsements:

'a shining, brilliant new talent in the paranormal genre.' CC MacKenzie
'Earns a place alongside Paranormal Romance's best writers' Michele Hauf 

...And suddenly you've got irrisistable. 

Ms Pryor, I applaud you for recognising 'the hook' doesn't come on Page 1, it needs to be dangled even before the spine on thebook gets a cracking.

Buy Blood Roses #2: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble
 
Find out more about Blackthorn here: http://www.lindsayjpryor.com/


 

Me, sunny? I don’t think so. Overcast with the threat of violent storms would be more accurate.

So imagine my surprise (sunny moment) on being nominated not just once, but twice, for a Sunshine Award. Break out the bunting, candy floss and carousel rides for authors, Shehanne Moore and Lindsay J Pryor, by way of thank you. (Shey, you can be the Fortune Teller cos you spin a fine tale and Lindsay, you can run the bar. Bloody Marys on the house for your vamps.  Sorry, but I get to be in charge of the shooting gallery.)

So what’s a Sunshine Award? Tis a pretty e-flower. One, a fine blogger hands to another deemed to ‘positively and creatively inspire others in blogosphere’.  In return, by way of acceptance speech, the recipient

1.      Thanks the nominee(s)
2.      Completes a Q&A session (see below)
3.      Passes forward the baton to 10-12 fellow bloggers meriting recognition.      So here goes:

Favourite Colour?          
Black and white (not strictly colours so I get two)

Favourite Animal?         
Anything that doesn’t bite, scratch, poison, eat, kick, swim, slither, carry the plague, run up vet bills, escape…and break your heart by up and dying on you.  Not that I don't love animals, I truly do. Even opened my own zoo and have cages waiting for the following specimans whilst always on the hunt for more. (And yes, they do get to run around and enjoy their freedom...a lot.)

Favourite Number?         
2 and because I like to double everything, 4. (2x2=4) I tap things 4 times for luck and only ever use cubical 2 or 4 when using a public loo. I'm not strange, just cautious.
 
Favourite Non-alcoholic Drink?
Handsdown Coke, ‘the real thing’, or Pimms (the cucumber, mint and fruit render it alcohol free and good for you. Trust me on this, been eating Pimms for years.

Facebook or Twitter?     
Pinterest (I never could follow rules or colour inside the lines)

Your Passion?
Apart from my Zoo, BANTER. Verbal or written, listening or participating, the more outrageous the better...Oh, and world peace :)

Giving or getting presents?
Giving, definitely giving. Receiving embarrasses me, although donations to Black's Zoo are always welcome.

Favourite Day?
Always today. (Not a fan of yesterdays, and who knows what the hell tomorrow will bring.)

Favourite Flowers?
Peonies for those rare moments of refinement and Anemonies for the down and dirty.