2024 COVERS

2024 covers

Welcome to the Dark Side!

We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Sunday 30 September 2012

Weekly Overview



COMING UP THIS WEEK



Tues 2 Oct - GOOD NEWS DAY


Wed 3 - A BITE OF... with Nicole Murphy


Thurs 4 - MAGIC THURSDAY: Cathleen Ross with a giveaway of one of her Forbidden Fantasy series


Fri 5 - BRAND NEW COLUMN with Mel Teshco ~ Real Life Paranormal














DARKSIDER TREKKING


The DarkSider Trekking will be changing its focus in the coming weeks.


We will be featuring blogs the DarkSiders appear as guests and then cycling through our members blogs and online presences.

Here are some of our members and their blogs. Why not visit and follow them.


Jess Anastasi

Maree Anderson

Keri Arthur

Amanda Ashby

Christina Ashcroft

Rhyll Biest

Angela Castle

Louise Cusack

Rowena Cory Daniells - also Ripping Ozzie Reads

Cheryse Durrant





WHAT'S UP



Welcome to our newest DarkSider - Cheryse Durrant! Visit Cheryse at her website.


We have a brand new column this week, brought to you by Mel Teshco. It's Real Life Paranormal, where our members and guests will tell you about their real life paranormal experiences.


The Subscribe by Email will be changing as apparently Feedburner, which we run this off, will be finishing up at the end of October. I'm looking at alternatives for this and will keep you updated.





Have a fantastic week!

Thursday 27 September 2012

Magic Thursday: Monsters and Mayhem


by Bec McMaster



I have always been obsessed with monsters and paranormal creatures, but since my latest book is set in the Victorian era, I’m very aware that there were monsters of the human variety too. One of the things that inspired Kiss of Steel was the legend of Jack the Ripper. I don’t deal with the Ripper case, but there is a murderer on the loose in the Whitechapel rookeries my hero and heroine call home. Whether or not the murderer is human however… you might have to read on to find out.




KISS OF STEEL

Honoria Todd has no choice. Only in the dreaded Whitechapel district can she escape the long reach of the Duke of Vickers. But seeking refuge there will put her straight into the hands of Blade, legendary master of the rookeries. No one would dare cross him, but what price would he demand to keep her safe?

Ever since Vickers infected him with the craving, Blade has been quicker, stronger, almost immortal—and terrified of losing control of the monster within. Honoria could be his perfect revenge against the duke…or the salvation he never dared to dream of.



Excerpt:
Setup: When a pair of bodies are found in the rookery, my heroine Honoria fears the worst. Has her old enemy finally found her? Or is this the work of someone closer to home?


“Stay back,” Blade commanded.

Honoria took one look at the crowd and hurried after him. They were three houses down from the small flat she rented. There was no way she was going to stay behind.

Blade pushed through the crowd of people ahead of her, forging a path through the swarm of goggling onlookers with his powerful body. Honoria stumbled along behind. People shot glares at them – until they saw who was pushing through. Then the way miraculously cleared and the master of the rookery found himself in the eye of the storm. It seemed being known as the Devil of Whitechapel was extremely useful in certain situations.

Blood sprayed the cobblestones, gleaming black in the moonlight. One of the spectators had located a flare-stick and the fluorescent glow highlighted the brilliant scarlet splashes near Blade’s booted feet.

Honoria swallowed. She’d seen blood before. In vials and tubes in her father’s laboratory or on the samples she took from her younger brother Charlie to examine his virus levels. Not like this. Not painted across the flagstones as though someone had wielded an artist’s flamboyant brush, flicking drips of it in every direction. The ghastly sprawl of the two bodies was almost garish in the moonlight. Some quirk of fate had found this part of London free of its almost-perpetual ground cover of fog.

Blade turned and found her on his heels. “I tol’ you to stay back.” He looked around. “Go on. You seen it. Now get.”

The crowd dispersed with a handful of whispers. The burly man who’d found them at the White Hart knelt beside Blade, surveying the scene with his burning amber eyes. Two others hung around and the tattoos on their wrists proclaimed them Blade’s men. One had a steel cap riveted to his scalp and a wicked hook in place of his left hand. The other winked at her with a devilish smile.

“Cutthroat Nelly cried beef,” the man he’d called Will said. “O’Shay sent me after you and came ‘ere to clear the street.”

The taller man, the one who’d winked, spat to the side. “Bleedin’ vultures swarmed me before I could keep it quiet.” A thick lilt of Irish filled his voice.

“Who are they?” Blade knelt down, fingertips pressed together and a burning look in his eye as he stared at the bodies. He didn’t go any closer and she realized that he was wearing that expression again. The one that made his nostrils flare and his pupils consume his irises.

No matter how hideous the scene was, he liked it.

Or the smell of it, anyway.

Honoria shivered. She looked down the lane, to the little flat three houses down, with the light blazing in the window.

“Smells like Jem Barrett o’er in Brick Lane and his brother, Tom,” Will said.

“Jaysus,” O’Shay swore. “He did a right number on ‘em. Their own mother wouldn’t e’en recognise ‘em.”

Blade reached out. Touched his finger to a droplet of blood. “Nothing human did this.”

“Aye.” Will agreed. “Tore ‘em apart. Throat first at least. They weren’t aware o’ most o’ it.”

“Only blue blood in these parts is you,” O’Shay muttered. “And you wouldn’t lose control like this.”

Honoria went cold. It started in her stomach, then crept outwards, spiralling through her core. There was a bitter taste in her mouth. Oh God. Her sister Lena!

She broke into a run.

Blade caught her at the door of the flat, dragging her into his arms.

“No! Let me go!” She hammered at his chest. “I have to...” She couldn’t speak. A gurgle of something, a sound of inarticulate pain, crawled up her throat.

“Let me go first, luv.” His voice and hands were gentle but he controlled her as easily as if she were a fluttering bird in his hand. “Just let me make sure its safe.”

She collapsed against his chest, feeling the slow, inhuman thump of his heart beneath her cheek. His body was hard, firm. Strangely comforting. “No,” she said weakly. “No. You can’t.”

Because if he found Charlie he’d kill him.

“Honor?” Lena called, from the other side of the door.

Her knees chose that moment to give out. “Lena?” There were arms around her, holding her close, and a quiet murmur against her ear.

The door opened. Lena peered out, her fingers trembling. Honoria pushed Blade away and dragged her frightened sister into her arms.

“I thought it might have been... That you were...” Honoria turned her face into Lena’s hair, breathing in the sweet, familiar scent. Safe. Lena was safe.

“I could hear them all yelling but I didn’t dare go out.” Lena swallowed.

“Charlie?”

Lena looked past her, at Blade. “He’s still in bed. I didn’t unlock the door.”

“Good. You did good.” Her knees were still shaking. But Charlie was still in bed and Lena was... It dawned on her then. Her brother hadn’t lost control and turned.

Which meant that there had been another blue blood in Whitechapel.

A dash of ice water down her spine. But if the Duke of Vickers had found them, then he would have taken Lena and Charlie and tossed the house, searching for the diary with her father’s secrets.

Or would he?

This was exactly the type of game he liked to play. Cat-and-mouse. Toying with her. Leaving a pair of bodies torn apart in the street just to prove that he could. That nowhere was safe from him.

You are nothing, he’d once whispered in her ear. I could take you here and now and you couldn’t do a thing to stop me...

But he hadn’t, because it was far more enjoyable to watch her live in fear. Once he broke her, the game wouldn’t be as entertaining anymore.

What could she do? Should she run? But where? And how could she take Charlie now, when he was so ill? Where would she ever find another respectable job?

“Blade?” A man called, startling her back to the present.

She’d forgotten about him in the horror. And Blade was just as dangerous – if not more so – than Vickers. When she turned, she found him watching her, leaning back against the railing with that nonchalant way he had. With his leather coat over her shoulders, he wore only a white shirt and black velvet waistcoat. Despite herself, despite everything, she couldn’t help remembering how stroke-able that waistcoat had felt, when he had held her in his arms.

A laugh took her. She was going mad. She had to be, to think such a thing at a time like this.

Blade held up a hand, instantly silencing O’Shay. His gaze met hers and she felt as though she fell into a bottomless well, her body straining towards him, her eyes unable to drop from his.

“All’s well?” he asked softly.

She nodded, holding Lena’s hand tucked safely in hers. “All’s well.” It was a whisper. Her palms itched, as though they hungered for the touch of him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he told her. “Don’t go out ‘til morn. I’ll make sure Will’s on guard, just in case.”

He looked away. The spell was broken and Honoria blinked, sucking in a deep breath. She felt as though something important had happened, something that her mind couldn’t yet make heads-or-tails of. Then he turned and strode back towards the bodies.

“Honor,” Lena whispered. “That man just called him Blade. He’s not the Blade, is he? Where did you go?”

Honoria held her sister’s hand, watching as Blade sauntered down the steps. “He took me for a meal.” It was starting to rain, a light drizzle that did little but dampen the air. In the distance, Blade knelt down over the pair of bodies, examining them with the trio of men at his side. “I don’t know why.”

“I don’t like him,” Lena said. “You shouldn’t see him again.”

Honoria turned and shut the door behind them. Her eyes were burning with exhaustion. There’d be little mending finished tonight. She desperately needed sleep.

“I don’t have much choice,” she said. “He’s our new protector.”




So what do you think is scarier? Man or myth? Human or monster? Comment to go into the draw to win a copy of
Kiss of Steel.






Tuesday 25 September 2012

Good News Day!

Welcome to this week's good news...



SALES 

Maggie Mundy has sold her book Midworld Lover to Red Sage. Wonderful news!

Kathrine Leannan has sold Warrior Born (Bk#1 of the Katana series) to Arrow Publishing, Washington DC.

And as announced in Publishers Lunch:
NYT bestselling author Keri Arthur's Fire Born in a new series about a phoenix, a fire spirit capable of taking on human form who is also cursed with the ability to foresee death via her dreams, to NAL, in a two-book deal.

NYT bestselling author Keri Arthur's next two books in the Dark Angels series, featuring a half-werewolf/half-Aedh, again to NAL.

Cheryse Durrant has signed a three-book contract with Clan Destine Press for her young adult, urban fantasy Heart Hunter series. The first book, Demon Hunter, will be published in April next year.
Cheryse also had a non-fantasy short story published in Great Australian Ute Legends (ABC Books/HarperCollins) this month.



BOOK LAUNCH

One hundred and twenty people turned up to Bec McMaster's debut book launch for Kiss of Steel (steampunk romance) in Ararat last week. The local librarian and a friend organised a couple of local theatre group actors to dress up as Honoria and Blade (heroine & hero) for the night. The two actors also did the book reading.

Check out the awesome cake served up on the night! Congratulations, Bec, wonderful to hear the night was such a success!
Kiss of Steel cake
Bec will be here on the Dark Side blog on Thursday 27th with a giveaway copy of Kiss of Steel!



BOOK COVERS & RELEASE DATES

The Final Wish is Tracey O'Hara's short story for Momentum's Hot Down Under line, and it has a release date of November 1st.

Her latest master, Caleb Salt, a hot young rock star, has one wish left. The curse of sexual need has nothing to do with the lust she feels for him, but he doesn’t seem to desire her in the same way.
Caleb has used his first two wishes to save his brother. Will he do the same with the last, or will he use it for himself? Either way, once he makes that wish, his erotically sensual genie will be lost to him forever and she’s something he’s just not ready to lose.

Link here. 

URL Love marks the first publication in contemporary romance by Nicole Murphy, under the pen name of Elizabeth Dunk. Ten snazzy romance short stories all dealing with love in the digital age. 
 From Texting to Twitter, the Hottest Online Love Stories
We all love a hot romance ... and what could be more relevant to the way we live now than a love story involving text messages, Facebook, online dating, emails or tweets?
′URL Love′ is a collection of ten sexy, sweet and sassy stories about love in the digital age. For fans of E L James (′Fifty Shades of Grey′), Marian Keyes (′Watermelon′, ′The Mystery of Mercy Close′) and everyone in between!

Link here.



CONTESTS

S.E.Gilchrist has placed =2nd with her erotic fantasy novella, Bound by Love, in the Music City Romance Writers 'Minuet of Love' contest! Congratulations!!!



REVIEWS

A 4 Bee review from Bumbles & Fairytales for Bec McMaster's Kiss of Steel!
"I honestly don't know where to start, this book really exceeded my expectations. The author was able to uniquely combine quite a few genres - a paranormal, romantic, historical fiction with a few steampunk elements to it! I was blown away with Bec McMasters writing, unique characters and vampire..."

Sunday 23 September 2012

Weekly Overview



COMING UP THIS WEEK



Tues 25 Sep - GOOD NEWS DAY


Thurs 27 - MAGIC THURSDAY: Bec McMaster with giveaway of Kiss of Steel 


Sat 29 - DARKLIGHT ON... Anna Hackett






DARKSIDER TREKKING


Rowena - www.rowena-cory-daniells.com

Fiona - 
at Gromit's Story

Nicola - magicalgains.blogspot.com


Eleni - eleni-konstantine.blogspot.com






Kylie G - kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com


Emmeline - www.emmelinelock.com



Cassandra - www.twystedwriter.com


Denise -
at Australian Romance Readers Association


Dy - dyloveday.com/?page_id=12


S.E. - www.segilchrist.com


Sandra - www.sandraharrisauthor.com


Jenny - authorjennyschwartz.com


Nicole - nicolermurphy.com
at Conflux 2013at Supernatural Underground

Maree -
at Rowena May Sullivan


C.T. - www.ctgreen-author.com


Christina - christinaphillips.blogspot.com


Lilliana - www.lillianarose.com/?cat=9


Romance Writers of the Apocalypse - with blog post this week by:
  • Tracie  
  • Christina


Hot Down Under - with blog posts this week by:
  • C.T. 
  • Shona


Hotter than Hades - with blog posts this week by:

  • Imogene





WHAT'S UP


Thanks to those who have sent feedback regarding the blog. Changes will be happening in the next few months, including a brand new monthly column.....






Have a fantastic week!

Friday 21 September 2012

What We Are Reading

After a bit of a break welcome back to the What We Are Reading column. Today, we have Eleni Konstantine, Kylie Griffin and me, Shona Husk.

Eleni Konstantine
You Had Me at Halo! by Amanda Ashby
Fantastic, funny, witty and superb. Loved it!

The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
Amazing! Great thrilling, well paced, book. Interesting characters, and setting (college dorm during Thanksgiving).

The Goblin King by Shona Husk
I totally enjoyed the first book in the Shadowlands trilogy. I had started reading this during a busy time at study and struggled to find the time, but once on holidays, I was able to read the rest at a good pace for me. Thoroughly enjoyed the world-building and the relationship between Eliza and Roan. Fabulous story with an unlikely hero (which was part of the charm). Can't wait to read book 2 of The Shadowlands Trilogy!



Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator by Janni Nell Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed Allegra's voice. She's tough but vulnerable, and she tries her hardest for her clients. Loved the inclusion of Casper, the friendly guardian angel, and their dilemma. Will be going onto book 2 :)

Book of Shadows by Alexandra Sokoloff
A really great book. Was intrigued with the murder mystery and how it all fitted together. The supernatural element was creepy, but I couldn't stop reading :)
Another thumbs up book!

Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby
Freaking awesome! I loved this now - and I would have loved it as a teen. Funny, witty, and an enjoyable read.


Kylie Griffin
Nightfall: The Dark Ages Dawning series by Ellen Connor
What do I love about this first book in the series? Where do I start? There's a lot I really liked about it. The world-building, the main characters, the secondary characters, the story arcs hinting at what's to come in the next two books in the series (which I'm now hanging out for, BTW!!!).

No spoilers given, I'll stick to generalisations, so you can safely read what I have to say next. :-)

The hero, John Mason, is a tough-as-nails ex-marine/survivalist who owes a life debt to the heroine's father. He honours a promise to keep Jenna Barclay safe after the world succumbs to a prophesied change. So from the outset the hero and heroine are on very uneasy footing and this is part of the whole fascination I have for the story.

I love the process of watching these two learning to trust each other, first through necessity and then because they recognise the attraction they have for one another. Neither accept it easily, even though you can feel the need they have for one another.

As a reader you want them to get together but the whole establishing a relationship and learning about them as individuals is a very satisfying experience. So you know they earn each others trust and respect through the journey by the time they do get together.

The prophesied change and world-building is riveting too. The old world and technology slowly disappears and the characters have to come to terms with that as well as the new world order of mutated animals and supernatural powers.

This isn't so fantastic that you know it's far-fetched or impossible, the exact opposite actually. There's enough realism woven into it that you think it could happen. It was done so well I was definitely able to suspend my disbelief and lose myself in the story rather than analyse it (as I would a writer reading another writer).

The secondary characters are great too and when I read the blurbs for the other books in the series I realised they get their own stories and because of the connection and empathy I had for them I immediately went out and pre-ordered them. LOL

So, if you're looking for a solid, satisfying post-apocalyptic adventure/romance with great characters and a strong storyline then get thee to a bookstore and buy this series. I don't think you'll be disappointed! The two books that complete the trilogy are Midnight and Daybreak.

Shona Husk
Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles, #2)Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
I’ve read Hounded and Hexed in the series so far. This series had me at 2000 year old tattooed Irish Druid. It’s lots of fun and is kind of like the Dresden Files (magic, battles, people trying to kill the hero…)
Enclave (Razorland, #1)
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
I discovered Ann Aguirre through the Dark Age Dawning Series. When I saw this at the library I thought I’d give it a go. It’s YA, which I don’t read a lot of, set in a dystopian future. In places it is quite shocking what the kids are doing and yet they pull together and get through. The sequel is Outpost which I will be sure to read.

Thursday 20 September 2012

Magic Thursday: Your Opinion is needed



Righto, I didn't get any responses to my question that was in the Weekly Overview regarding the blog, so I'm thinking because it was at the bottom of the post people may have missed it.

I'm in the process of thinking about redesigning the blog, and thought this would be a good time to ask about what you like and don't like about this blog.

This also includes content. What would you like to see MORE of, or LESS of? What do you like about the blog? What don't you like about the blog? Are you happy with dark look of the blog, or would you prefer it to be more traditional?



To help you along, here are the columns we do

Weekly Overview - shows what is coming up in the coming week, and where the DarkSiders were in the past week.  (Weekly on Sundays)

Good News Day - pretty self explanatory - good news of our members (Weekly on Tuesdays)

A Bite of... -  has an extract from our member's works. (Fortnightly on Wednesdays)

Magic Thursday - blog posts about different topics by our members regarding books, the paranormal, myth and magic. Sometimes with giveaways, which are announced on Mondays. (Weekly on Thurdays)

What We Are Reading - a look at what DarkSider members have read and a quick review. (Monthly on Fridays)

Darklight On... a spotlight on one of our members (monthly on Saturdays)

Enchanted Orb - a look at the inspiration behind the stories (monthly on Saturdays).

We also have pages of Latest Releases and Upcoming releases, Book Trailers, Our Member Web Hangouts, Our Bios, Contest news (for writers), Agent and review site info, and market news.


Basically, now is the perfect time to speak up. All comments will be taken into consideration, fed into our computer, collated, analysed, correlated, go into warp speed to come to the conclusion of what we should do next.

Truly.

So okay, you have got me there. While all comments will be considered, it will be by the blog team. So help the team out and less know.



You can leave comments below, or if you prefer, you can email us at darksidedownunderATgmail.com

Thanks!


~Eleni and the blog team



Wednesday 19 September 2012

A Bite of... The Dark Rose

Welcome Back!

After a lengthy break, our fortnightly "A Bite Of" segment is back!

Today I would like to introduce the amazing Denise Rossetti with her book  - The Dark Rose - which is the much anticipated final in her "Four Sided Pentacle" series.



Can you in five words describe your book?
Deeply sensual, fantasy/SF/steampunk, gasp-a-minute adventure. (Am I cheating? LOL)

The Dark Rose is the fourth and final book in the Four-Sided Pentacle series, so of course, I had to write it or die of severe frustration! Not only was a Happy Ending required for Rose and Quin, it was essential to tie up every possible loose end in the series. A handy by-product was saving the Universe-As-We-Know-It. I like high stakes - can you tell? *grin*

As for the gorgeous Rosarina... I relish the idea of a woman so innately sensual that her face stops men in their tracks, but I purely adore knowing that she also has a fine, subtle intellect. Rose is a secret agent and she's on a deadly mission. The fate of her homeworld depends on well she can manipulate the Technomage, Quin - a man as infuriating as he is brilliant.

In The Dark Rose, we have two people who recognise their match on a deep, instinctive level. But guess what? They're too darn clever to trust each other. Rose is a challenge Quin can't resist. He's a threat she's been ordered to...eliminate.
Ah, I love that dynamic.
You can read the whole first chapter on my website - http://www.deniserossetti.com/rose.html

And without further ado, here is the excerpt:

"So," she said, "what are you doing on Green IV?"
"I could ask the same of you."
Gently, Rose pressed her fingers into a muscled forearm clad in superfine cloth. Quin slowed and stopped, staring down at her. Not even the flattering light of the lanterns could soften the hardness of his features or disguise the way he studied her cleavage, giving her breasts the same concentrated attention he'd given the glowglobe.
Lifting her chin, Rose inhaled. "You first."
With tremendous satisfaction, she watched his pupils dilate. A weapon that worked. Thanks be to the Sister.
The Technomage moved on down the path, drawing her with him. "I'm running extensive tests on the Machine. The Fitzgerald asked for me specially."
"He doesn't have people of his own?"
"Not with my experience and skill." He said it without a trace of vanity, as if it were an acknowledged fact. As they reached the side of the great house, Quin reached over Rose's head to open a set of tall carved doors. "What about you? Fresh fields to conquer?"
"I, too, was invited." She swept past him into a small vestibule, dimly lit and populated only by a stone warrior snarling out of the gloom and a set of side tables with slender legs. The smell of furniture polish was strong, but not unpleasant. In the sudden silence, the sound of the doors swooshing shut reverberated like a shout.
Rose caught her breath, but she continued calmly enough, "The Harte wishes to establish a school for the young people of the Sciony. He asked me—"
Quin's deep chuckle bounced off the walls, a surprisingly rich sound that enveloped her in the strangest mix of warmth and affront.
"What's so funny?" Was that a dimple?
"Ah, Rose." He snorted, still grinning like a boy. "You? A schoolteacher?" When he skimmed a fingertip over her cheek, she jerked her head away, the jewels on the poniards thrust through her coiffure tinkling like tiny deadly bells.
"Yes, me," she snapped. "Like you, I have experience and skill to offer."
"I bet," Quin murmured, moving so close his body heat gave her gooseflesh and her nipples hardened in a stinging rush.

Rose's fingers curled into her palms. Godsdammit, it would be the work of seconds to draw one of the thin jeweled daggers and use it to puncture his masculine pride, but that would never do. Instead, she breathed deep and waited until his gaze was drawn once again to her cleavage. She suppressed a thin smile. No need for panic. Everything — including Quin, especially Quin — was under control.
"You forget," she said mildly. "Prue and I own the best known courtesan house in the Isles. Our apprentices learn everything required for the profession — the art of conversation, physical grace, singing and music, business sense, basic self-defense." She paused. "Good manners."
Unable to resist, she tilted her head and flashed a brilliant smile. When he blinked, she wanted to crow.
Quin gave his head a shake, like a dog emerging from the water. "Social graces." His lips thinned. "Nothing of any lasting worth. It's all just ... surface, for show."
"You couldn't be more wrong." When he would have spoken, she placed her fingers against his lips. Immediately, he gripped her wrist, holding her there.
She said, "Social graces make societies function, like, like ... oil in the gears. Manners allow people to show they care for each other, to negotiate."
She held his gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable in the poor light. "Wars begin when the social graces fail," she said.
Quin turned his head and nipped the pad of her finger, his tongue flicking over her flesh so lightly she might have dreamed it if not for the sudden jolt in the pit of her stomach. "For such a beautiful woman, you're far too serious."
Patronizing—! She snatched her hand back. "I believe I came to the garden to view the roses." Moving toward the door, she said, "Good night, Quintus. I wish you joy of the Machine."
"Not so fast." His arm barred her passage. "Come and see the Harte's portrait gallery with me." He smiled, no doubt under the impression he was coaxing. Instead, he looked like a direwolf contemplating a steak. "More interesting than flowers. I guarantee."
Oh yes, that it would be. Such a complicated man, so many layers.
"I don't think so."
Footsteps approached from a nearby passageway, accompanied by a number of voices in cheerful semi-inebriated conversation. A woman giggled and a man replied, laughing. Another chimed in.
Quin cursed under his breath. "For Science' sake, I want to talk to you. In private."
Rose patted his broad chest, right over his heart. "Life is full of disappointments," she purred. "Another time."
He slipped an arm around her waist. "Don't scream." He scooped her up.
"What? Aaargh! Quin, put me down!"
"Quiet. They'll hear you." With rapid strides, he moved toward a flight of stairs at the far side of the room and charged up them.
Speechless with shock, Rose gripped his shoulders for dear life. She had visions of tumbling down the stairs to land in a tangled heap at the feet of the Harte's guests. What's more, she'd bet every cred in her strongbox she'd be the one underneath, cushioning his fall. Deep and regular, Quin's breath puffed warm against her hair as he climbed. He wasn't even panting, damn him. Rose's admirers had called her many things — voluptuous being among them — but no man, however besotted, had ever referred to her as small.
Rigid against Quin's chest, she kept very still, acutely conscious of the strength of his arms, his boot heels thumping down on the carpeted treads. Those boots! Vividly, she recalled her first sight of him across the Harte's ballroom, leaning against the plinth of a statue, all leashed, indolent power. He seemed to enjoy leaning. Over-the-knee boots were completely unsuitable for evening wear, but together with tight cream breeches, they emphasized the solid shapely muscle of thigh and buttock in a ... well, a wonderfully physical way. Sister have mercy, she had a job to do, but she wasn't blind, and it had been a long, long time ... 

Love it Denise! Thanks for sharing.
If you'd like to see what Denise is up to, you can find her at these websites;

Website: http://www.deniserossetti.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denise.rossetti.980
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeniseRossetti

Buy links for The Dark Rose -
Amazon http://amzn.to/Ohg0oy
Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/Ohf83l

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Good News Day!

Welcome to this week's good news...



SALES 

Eden Summers has just recently signed her third contract for a Halloween Anthology with Etopia Press. Go Eden!



SHORT STORIES

Maggie Mundy has a short story called Bumble Bee that will be online with Alfiedog.com on September 16th!



COVERS & RELEASE DATE

Nicole Hurley-Moore's new book, Until The Stars Burn Cold will be released on the 20th Sept. by Pink Petal Books. It's a paranormal/time travel novel.

Forbidden love...
Long ago in ancient Persia, there lived a pair of star crossed lovers. In a desperate bid, the lovers sought to flee the town of Adwan. But they were caught and torn apart.
For his insolence, Jinn is cursed into a ring. Ages pass and empires crumble... and Jinn is still forever bound in a circle of frozen silver. Bound, that is until present day antiques dealer, Mia Templeton accidentally releases him. There is more to Mia than just her beauty... somehow she seems familiar.
Is love eternal and evil everlasting? Can the power that destroyed Jinn's life in Adwan, reach through the centuries and threaten his future?


Mel Teshco has Beneath the Light of a Silver Moon coming out in November with Momentum's Hot Down Under line.

Kristen Treymore isn't living anymore – she's existing.
Trapped in marriage to Jack, an alcoholic who uses his fists to communicate, Kristen has given up her freedom in an attempt to protect his daughter.
When Conrad Doyle, childhood friend and the man whose heart she unwittingly broke, shows up on Kristen's doorstep and offers her a lifeline, she can't refuse.
What she never dreams possible is how much she still wants him—but is that enough to keep them together when terror still beats deep in her heart?

Momentum is the new digital-only imprint of Pan Macmillan Australia and they'll be releasing a series of 13 erotic short stories by new and established Australian romance writers, including some of our Dark Siders - Rhyll Biest, C.T. Green, S.E. Gilchrist, Shona Husk, Kylie Scott and Tracie Sommers (aka Tracey O'Hara).

Shona Husk has just received a cover for Saved by the Trickster, out later this year with Ellora’s Cave! It's an erotic fantasy romance with demi-gods, magic and a fallen Celestial Warrior addicted to ambrosia.


Saving Sara is Angela Castle's latest release from Whiskey Creek Press. It's the 5th book in the Warriors of Kelon series.

Sara, abducted from Earth by cruel aliens, is used as a torture slave and left to die.
Solron, a healer of Kelon, is annoyed at being ordered to go on a cleanup mission to check abandoned enemy war bases. When he and the crew discover a small human woman on the brink of death, Solron manages to save her. But the beautiful little human stirs more within him than his need to heal. Under Solron’s care, Sara falls deeply in love with the alien doctor and he claims her for himself. But when confronted by the Xerson who tortured her, Solron demands a fight with him.
Sara knows she has no choice but to let them fight, but will she now lose the man she loves to the curled Xerson, or will justice at last be served? 



REVIEWS


Bitten By Paranormal Romance have reviewed Annie Seaton's paranormal romance, Blind Lust.

A wager between the gods can change your life. Even if you are a witch…
When Venus has a wager with Cupid, that prudish librarian, Lizzy Sweet cannot be enticed to love, she neglects to tell her son that Lizzy is a three hundred year old witch.
The first man Lizzy sees after Cupid shoots his arrow is Josh Deegan, a famous country and western singer who has come to town to rediscover his muse, in an old farmhouse haunted by a culinary ghost.
Local warlock, Wesley Gordon, who has been hitting on Lizzy to no avail for over one hundred years, is not impressed.
The quirky old folk of Silver Valley watch fondly as the battle between love and lust plays out. Leaden and golden arrows zing around, spells are magicked, potions stirred, and ghosts hunted.
Who will fall in love and who will let the other go forever?

You can read the full review here! 

Kiss of Steel, Bec McMaster's debut steampunk romance is a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick!

"Unique, spellbinding, thrilling and complex are only a few words that can describe this fantastic book. This has to be a must read from paranormal fans and steampunk fans alike. Even historical fans may like it if they enjoy urban fantasy books. I wasn’t sure I would be able to like a book with so many various elements but they come together in such a way that you wonder why this isn’t done more often.
I have to highly recommend this book and wonder when the next in this new series will be out. I think I’ve found another auto buy author!"
Click here for the full review.

Under the Covers has also reviewed Kiss of Steel. A snippet:
"...Blade...has promptly been added to my list of book boyfriends, a very bad boy who has a soft spot for those he considers his family and of course the woman he loves and a tortured past, how was I supposed to resist that? But you can't swing a cat in the romance world and not hit a hero like that, but Blade had that extra something that had me panting, darkly sensual and struggling with inner demons but determined to do right by the people he protected I was doomed to love him."
You can read the full review here.

And Kiss of Steel has also been reviewed at The Romanceaholic:
"The gloriously dark world-building, the steampunk elements blended beautifully with the paranormal, the luscious romance and the incredible chemistry all added up to a must read for any fan of gothic romance with a steampunk twist."
Full review here.



OTHER

Debut author, Bec McMaster continues her Kiss of Steel blog tour. You can find out more about Blade, Honoria and the steampunk world they live in at these blogs - and there are giveaways up for grabs!


Kylie Griffin visited The Book Connection in Dubbo (NSW) September 7th for a book-signing event. She met readers from the central west of NSW and was interviewed by PhotoNews, one of Dubbo's local newspapers. In all, a great day!

Kiri & Rae (two of the staff) from The Book Connection with Kylie

Monday 17 September 2012

Magic Thursday winner


The winner of Gateway to Hell is:


Sue!!


Congratulations, Sue.

Please email me at eleni AT elenikonstantine DOT com with your preference in format from pdf, mobi, epub or prc (kindle).


Thank you to everyone who commented.



Sunday 16 September 2012

Weekly Overview


COMING UP THIS WEEK



Tues 18 Sep - GOOD NEWS DAY

Wed 19 - A BITE OF...with Denise Rossetti

Thurs 20 - MAGIC THURSDAY: to be announced

Fri 21 - WHAT WE ARE READING





DARKSIDER TREKKING



Kylie G - kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com


Mel - melteshco.blogspot.com


Emmeline - www.emmelinelock.com


Eden - 


Denise - 
at Australian Romance Readers Association











Maree - 
at Rowena May Sullivan


Rowena www.rowena-cory-daniells.com
 at Ripping Ozzie Reads


Maree - www.mareeanderson.com


Jess - jessanastasi.blogspot.com



Kylie S - www.kylie-scott.com
at Zena Shapter


Romance Writers of the Apocalypse - with blog post this week by Shona. 


Hot Down Under -  post by S.E.





WHAT'S UP


Welcome to our newest DarkSider - Nicole Hurley-Moore! Visit Nicole at her website.


Question for our followers - I'm in the process of redesigning the site and wanted to know what you love and what your don't love?  Let me know please by leaving a comment or emailing at DarkSideDownUnder @ gmail. com (no spaces).




Have a fantastic week!



Saturday 15 September 2012

Enchanted Orb - Christina Ashcroft Inspired



Welcome to the Enchanted Orb for September. Today Christina Ashcroft has graciously agreed to talk about what inspired her to write. While she's focussing on archangels at the moment, you should also know that she also writes hot historical romance. So settle in, and I'll let her tell you about where her ideas come from.



Take it away, Christina!

         

The Inspiration behind the World of my Archangels

Unlike many of my author friends, my mind isn’t overspilling with a thousand different story ideas. I don’t have twenty different heroes battling it out in my head, demanding that I write their story next. My process is painful in the extreme and I suffer from huge panic attacks that this book is the last one I will ever create.

But luckily, as I approach writing the final third of the current book, another hero or heroine takes up residence with my Muse and over the next few weeks make themselves very much at home. I have this superstitious fear that if I try to analyse where my ideas come from they’ll vanish, so if I can possibly help it I just kind of let it all bubble away doing its own magical thing. But since I’ve been asked where I find my inspiration, I’ve tried to nail it down!

My new series for Berkley Heat is about fallen Archangels. The first inkling for this idea came from a random comment several years ago by our very own Eleni (and I’ll be talking more about that in a couple of months!). From nowhere this archangel invaded my mind and I was instantly hooked, despite having no idea who he was or why he was rampaging through the universe.
 
A few years later, after encouragement from my editor, I revisited this moody, Alpha Archangel in the hope he’d be more forthcoming with his story. But this time, a couple of other things began to stir into the mix.

I’ve always been fascinated by the myths and legends of a lost continent. What’s not to love about the idea of an ancient civilization that we know next to nothing about? This fascination was fed more than twenty years ago when I read something that pointed to evidence that the pyramids and Sphinx are thousands of years older than we’ve been led to believe.

Add to this my morbid delight with the whole Mayan calendar legacy and suddenly the world that my Archangel inhabited in his wild, untroubled youth unfolded before me.

It was the spark I needed to illuminate the dark side of the Archangel Gabriel. And while I still don’t have a thousand stories hammering in my mind demanding to be told, I do have a fabulous world with a multitude of archangels, demons, vampires and various other immortals. I might not know their stories yet, but I’m sure that when they’re ready to share they’ll let me know.

Christina Ashcroft writes about bad ass Archangels and the women who capture their hearts for Penguin/Berkley Heat. Her first book in this series, ARCHANGEL OF MERCY, is out on 4th December 2012. Hopefully the Mayans got it wrong…

Between an angel and a desperate woman comes salvation-
and a raw passion that challenges them at every turn… 
When Aurora Robinson attempts to open a rift between dimensions to embrace her true heritage, an arrogant Archangel is the only one who can save her from the jaws of hell. And while she owes Gabriel her life, she’s determined not to fall at his feet-despite the desire she feels whenever they’re together.
After his wings were brutally destroyed millennia ago, Gabriel has no compassion for humans like those who ruined him and betrayed the ones he loved. But when he inexplicably finds himself defying ancient protocols to rescue a woman from a fate worse than death, he is shocked by the searing attraction he feels for a mortal.
As the ancient forces that seek to punish Aurora for her actions close in, Gabriel offers the tempting woman protection at his private sanctuary. But as they both succumb to their desires, they discover an even deeper connection-one that threatens to consume them.

Archangel of Mercy can be found at:

Visit Christina’s website for more info: http://www.christinaashcroft.com
check out all our books on our dsdu-books shelf:
DarkSide DownUnder's book lists (dsdu-books shelf)