New release alert! Incubus Wolf

Incubus Wolf, my erotic Nocturne Craving, releases as an ebook on September 1!

Alexandra Kosta once knew beauty and privilege as stepdaughter to the Fae king, until he banished her and scarred her for life. Now working as a bounty hunter, she's tasked with hunting down sexy werewolf Dominic Farrell. But Dominic is also part incubus, possessing the power to seduce any woman into doing his will.

When Alex is injured on the job and Dominic takes her back to his lodge, he agrees to release her—if she will share his bed first. Unlike most men, he doesn't recoil after seeing Alex in her natural state…and she cannot deny their overwhelming attraction.

But in order to save herself she has to turn Dominic over to the enemy. Can she destroy the one man who loves her as she is?

Here's a sample...

Alex was a good actress. She lowered her lashes and summoned her sexiest smile. “Leaving so soon, stranger? Don’t want to stay and see what’s on the table?”

            He cocked his head, his eyes very blue, like lasers. “Is that an offer, sweetheart?”

She shrugged. “I don’t think you’re up to the challenge.”

He said nothing, but studied her a moment. Then he leapt forward with the savage speed of his kind, pulled her off the stool and into his arms.

            The kiss was absorbing, maddening, a fusing of lips. He tasted of cold beer and hot desire. Lazily his tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her with possessive intent. Her lower belly clenched hard as her nipples tightened. It was the kiss of a man who wanted to lay a woman down and mount her. The kiss of an incubus, who knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it.

            In the corner, the jukebox played “Hot blooded.” Alex’s mind swirled with a shocked vortex of pleasure. Celibate for the past 10 years, she felt her body slowly kick from dormant to sexually charged. She slid her arms around his neck, leaned into him and kissed him back. His beard bristle abraded her cheeks. Beneath the layers of clothing, his body was hard with thick muscle. A low growl rumbled from his throat as he stroked a thumb over her pulse, feeling her heart shift from normal into overdrive.

            He released her abruptly, amusement gleaming in those eyes. Except now they weren’t ice cold, but flaming. He wanted her...

Click here to preorder on Amazon.

Click here to preorder on Barnes and Noble NOOK.

Lessons from elementary school

When I was in elementary school in New Jersey, something happened that changed me forever.

Her name was Mrs. Lerner and she was my fourth grade teacher.

I started writing in fourth grade. Although I had written poetry in third grade, Mrs. Lerner encouraged us to write poetry and stories.  And I loved it.  Kept my writing between the lines and in a childlike script, wrote everything my overactive little mind could imagine.

Mrs. Lerner thought I was terrific.  She held up examples of my work as something others should imitate.  She pinned my stories and poems on the bulletin board.  You’d have thought that Mrs. Lerner had discovered Sylvia Plath was sitting in the third seat, second row over.

One year later, I had Mr. Gates for a teacher.  Mr. Gates thought my writing sucked. I went from the pinnacle of fourth grade success to the pitiless bottom of fifth grade suckiness.

That’s when I realized my final destiny — to be a writer.  To feel that pain again. That’s when I realized the reality of having others judge my writing — everyone has an opinion.

Two years after I graduated from Mr. Gates’ class, he checked himself into a mental institution.  I guess we all succeeded in doing what he always told us we would — we drove him crazy.

Maybe it was my writing...

Call me a sap...

This morning as I sat on the deck of the rental, drinking coffee and gazing out at the fields and mountains, a thought kept running through my head. I am a sap.

I love happy endings.

I told this over dinner the other night to a few people, friends of friends I had just met when they asked me what I write, and why I write it. The answer came to me like a slap on the head.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for relationship stories and I enjoy creating paranormal worlds and action, adventure and mystery.

But it's the happy endings in romance novels that give me the greatest reason to write what I write.

It's so peaceful here in TN, quiet and serene. One could get away from the world and its troubles, and I've had first hand encounters with some, mainly in the name of hunger and poverty encountered in my travels for the day job.

For nearly 19 years, I've worked hard at the day job to help those who are hungry, homeless and hurting. Sometimes I think it's not enough. Real life isn't fiction. It twists and turns like a mountain road, with a few surprises leaping out at you. Sometimes in the form of joy, sometimes sorrow.

But books, ah, books! I love being an author. And I love happy endings, which is why I write romance, and why every book I write has a happy ending. And why, as much as I adore good fiction and read outside my genre, I hesitate to pick up a book where I'm not certain all will be resolved.

No matter how awful the circumstances, how deep the conflict or how big the odds, when you read one of my books you can be assured the characters will be in love, realize their love, commit to each other and face life together by the time you read the last page.

Turn on the television these days, search the internet there is plenty of bad news.

It's why books are so important to me. They provide an escape, a respite, much like a cabin in the mountains of TN.

Real life is tough enough. It's why I am a sap for happy endings in books.

Guilty as charged.

Contest to celebrate the release of The Covert Wolf!

It's release day for The Covert Wolf! And I'm holding a special contest. First, this is the cover for the Mills and Boon version. It will be released in the UK in September.


You finally get to see Matt's face! 


And to order The Covert Wolf in the US on Amazon, click here.


To order The Covert Wolf on Barnes and Noble, click here.




Here's the deal...


Pop over to my Facebook page by clicking on this link.

Now, look through my page (please "like" it while you are there) and look through the various photos of The Covert Wolf on his "book tour." 


Answer this question: What year is the NASCAR sticker on the car The Covert Wolf chose as his vehicle to pursue demons?


Hint: It was posted on July 13, so you'll have to scroll down.


Once you find the answer, either post it on my FB page, on this blog, or email me at bonnievanak@aol.com


Two lucky winners will each get a paperback copy of The Empath, my first Nocturne, which is now out of print. Contest ends August 10, 2012.


Good luck and happy hunting! 

Review for The Covert Wolf!

4.5 stars from CataRomance! Woo hoo! The Covert Wolf is in bookstores on Tuesday, July 24! If you haven't seen the fun "tour" I've been doing with the book, please check out my Facebook page.


Click here!


Review of The Covert Wolf

“Since the mystique associated with werewolves has always fascinated me while the risky exploits of SEALS also intrigues, I was very excited to discover how the two would be blended in the first book of the Phoenix Force miniseries. Bonnie Vanak certainly does not disappoint in her latest Harlequin Nocturne story, as emotions, conflict and peril escalates.

There are eight men in the special Navy SEAL team to which Lieutenant Matthew Parker belongs, and the Draicon werewolf is proud to serve his country. All members of the Phoenix Force squad have paranormal abilities, so they are better able to battle other supernatural beings who would terrorize unsuspecting humans. Unfortunately, a good friend serving with him is killed by demons when the two are setup, and Matt vows revenge against those responsible. The same demons are seeking the powerful Orb of Light, so he is doubly intent on finding them and keeping their destructive plans from becoming reality.

While Sienna McClare has agreed to work with a SEAL in order to retrieve the Orb, she had no idea the person would be a Draicon werewolf, a race of beings that she despises. Since she is a hybrid, the family by whom she was raised has abandoned her, and she believes locating the ancient object would get her back in their good graces. Matt and Sienna need each other to reach their goals, and they soon realize the connection between them is also very crucial to their future wishes.

Bonnie Vanak is an author of innovative paranormal books. Her previous stories about supernatural beings have been inventively unique, and the Phoenix Force miniseries has additional out-of-the-ordinary features. Taking the real life profession of a Navy SEAL and giving these brave individuals traits that cause them to be even more powerful is a noteworthy premise, and Ms. Vanak makes every aspect of the story frighteningly believable. Could the malevolence that takes place during war sometimes be caused by demons and not ordinary humans? 

While the SEAL activities at the start of the story come across as possible, the rest of the book is just as conceivable. There are a number of situations where supernatural capabilities come into play, and regardless of the species, their talents seem very natural. Although every member of the SEAL team is not human, there is still camaraderie amongst them like regular soldiers, and these moments sometimes had me smiling and definitely sensing their friendship. I am already eager for more of their stories! 

The relationship between Matt and Sienna is totally realistic, as they both have dreams yet see no way for them to become an actuality. Their heartaches are so genuine, and any happiness practically leaps off the page because of affecting feelings. I adored these two individuals with their compassionate natures, and I saw Matt as a true hero on so many occasions as the safety of others came first. The sexual awareness they each felt is intense and causes plenty of tension, and when they finally express their inner feelings, the scene is beautifully sensual with fiery heat. 

There are a few surprises to be learned before everything concludes, and I was shocked by almost all of them. Several characters from past Bonnie Vanak books make an appearance, and they enhance the story whether you have read about them or not. 

THE COVERT WOLF is a magically enthralling novel with imaginative scenarios, particularly likable characters, a touch of humor and dangerous suspense.”

Amelia Richard, CataRomance

Writing, writing

The next few months will be hectic. The Covert Wolf is being released July 24 in bookstores, and August 1 on Kindle. And  I found out that the next book in my Navy SEAL paranormal series will be released next year.

I have a hard deadline to meet and I'm busy writing that book, which I'm titling The Phantom Wolf.


Incubus Wolf, the next Craving, will be released in September. I just finished copy edits for that novella. Cool cover, huh? It's a very sexy story about a werewolf who has incubus blood, lives in Alaska and is being  tracked by a Fae bounty hunter determined to bring him back to the demon prison he escaped from. But instead of capturing him, she finds herself captured... in his lair...where he is determined to seduce her.


I won't be posting much on this blog in the next couple of weeks as I try to focus on The Phantom Wolf. DH and I are also traveling to Cass, West Virginia to visit the railroad park, which has the largest collection of working Shay locomotives in the United States. We are indulging our love of steam trains, while our house sitter watches over our dogs. The dogs love it when she comes to stay at our house. They think they can get away with things, like sitting on the couch, sleeping on the bed... oh wait.


Been there done that. Heh.


Have a good week, everyone! 

Cool news!

First, I got my author copies for THE COVERT WOLF, my July 24 release. Woot! I love getting author copies. It's always a thrill, no matter how many books I've written.

Second, THE PANTHER AND THE PYRAMID is FREE on Kindle starting today for the next five days!

You can download it here.

The promotion for free book ends on June 26, so hurry and download your free copy today.

And third, I found out that Harlequin is releasing THE COVERT WOLF as an audio book on Audible! How cool is that.

Have a great weekend!

Back from El Salvador

I'm back from El Salvador. It was a very tough trip, working 12-hour days, but rewarding as well. We met many families and cases of extreme need, and I talked with some orphans who had horrific pasts. The stories of these children would break your heart. Two girls I interviewed had been locked in a closet and left naked and alone by their mother when they were only 2 and 3 years old. She'd then go out for the day, not even giving them any food. They were so hungry that they defecated on the floor and then ate their own feces. Oh, and their grandfather? He'd come over to the house once in a while and rape them.

When police found out their case, they brought them to the hospital. The girls were so ill and malnourished that they spent several days in the hospital before going to the orphanage.

Today they are in an orphanage where they are loved and cared for. I just don't understand how a mother can do that to her children. These are the stories that drive me to work hard at my day job by raising money to keep children safe and secure in orphanages so no one can abuse them anymore. And these are the stories that drive me to write fictional romance with happy endings, so I can decompress from the horror of how they suffered.

The photo is taken from the shores of Lake Ilopango, a crater lake formed by an ancient volcano, which is 60% polluted with chemicals from factory runoff, wastewater and other delights. We are doing a water project for the two communities who have to rely on this water for bathing and cooking and sometimes, even drinking. It's odd because it's such a beautiful and peaceful lake on the surface, with such deadly contaminants lurking below.

Now it's back to trying to catch up to stuff at home...I need to return to writing the next book, which I'm titling The Phantom Wolf. DH and our dogs were so happy to see me after all this travel. I think they may have taken my suitcase and are holding it hostage so I can't leave them any time soon.

DO NOT buy my book!

Here's a little secret... if you are thinking about purchasing my Egyptian historical, The Panther and the Pyramid, on Kindle, don't do it. Not yet.

Because starting later this month, it will be... gasp...

FREE!

That's right. The Panther and the Pyramid will be a free book on Kindle June 22 through June 26. I'm getting ready to leave the country, again, and wanted to give everyone advance warning, as I won't be back until right before the promotion starts.

So if you'd like to read Panther and you have a Kindle, just wait until June 22. And you'll get it for free!

The link is here. 

Have a great week, everyone. I'll touch base upon my return from El Salvador.

Back from Honduras

And I got a lot of good ideas for my next Navy SEAL paranormal book. Then I found out my July 24 release, The Covert Wolf, is now available for pre-order on Walmart. Cool! You can check it out here.

Had a very productive trip to Honduras. We visited a lot of cases and met many single moms with kids who barely can scrape together money for food. One mother told me that sometimes she gets so desperate from watching her children cry from hunger, she wants to hang herself.

She said this while glancing at the leaky ceiling of her shack. We gave her food, promised we would not forget about her, and I am hoping, we gave her a reason not to despair.

We also visited an island called Amapala which is in the bay shared by El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Lovely island, but many poor people living there. We stopped for lunch at the bayside fish shack pictured above... crude wood boards as flooring, plastic chairs, and very fresh fish.

Next week I will be in El Salvador for the day job. I haven't been to that country in years, and I'm very much looking forward to the trip.

Excerpt from The Covert Wolf

Leaving for Honduras for a week. I'll be offline and out in the country, somewhere.  In the meantime, I updated my website to include an excerpt of my July 24 release. 


Click here. Hope you enjoy it and have a great week!

Imagine...

Next week I'll be in Honduras for the day job. I was there back in March as well. As we toured areas north and west, ideas sparked.


I envisioned one of my Navy SEAL characters in the mountainous terrain, engaged in a dangerous mission to find an evil warlord. As our team trudged down steep mountain paths to interview villagers about their living conditions and what we could do to help, my mind clicked into overdrive.


Later that night in my hotel room, I jotted down those ideas. Buoyed by venturing into different terrain, my mind came up with all kinds of ideas.


Those ideas sparked into the book I'm now writing called The Phantom Wolf. Phantom is the next book in my new military series for Nocturne and features a secondary character from The Covert Wolf.


Sam "Shay" Shaymore is a Navy SEAL and an extremely powerful Mage who can shapeshift into a wolf. Shay and Kelly, the heroine, venture into a small village in Honduras overpowered by evil. There, they must rescue Mage children who have been kidnapped. 


This story has action, adventure and overtones of child trafficking, as well as the paranormal element.


It's definitely a trademark for me to always have a happy ending in every book I write. I must...it's why I choose to write romance. I could write other types of fiction, but having worked in the field of humanitarian relief and development for nearly 19 years, I NEED a happy ending. And the elements of child trafficking in the book I'm writing? I wish I could say they were straight out of my imagination. They're not.


Child trafficking happens frequently in Haiti and Honduras and other countries I visit for work. It's a horrible reality. The organization I work for, and our partners, help as much as we can, but our work is diverse and the evil forces (they ARE evil, there is no other way to describe them) behind child trafficking are powerful. We do what we can. 


So to compensate for the misery I see, the sad stories I hear, I write issues like this into my books and resolve the situation. It's what makes writing paranormal romances so satisfying...and a much-needed escape for me.


I can't save every child in my work for the day job, but in my books, everything always turns out all right. It's why I enjoy being a romance author. During the day, I try hard to fight the dark forces of poverty and injustice. But at night...watch out... 


You never know when a big, powerful Navy SEAL shapeshifter will come charging through the jungle to set everything straight. 

Dogs and their toys

Came home for lunch and as usual, our three dogs greeted me.


Dolce, the male, and Holly, the female, each picked up a toy. The toy greeting is something Holly learned from Dolce.


But Holly picked up the PINK toy and Dolce the BLUE TOY! Blue for boy dogs, pink for girls!  It was so cute I had to take a photo of it and upload to my blog.


Now if I could only teach them to do laundry ...

Back from Nicaragua

It was a very productive trip. Met a lot of sad, very poor people, including Maria, a mother of four who lives in this flimsy house made from sticks and plastic. You could kick it and the whole house would topple down. Maria is a single mom who works hard and managed to save US $400 for land to build the house.


But because the house is not secure and doesn't have a door that locks, Maria's 14-year-old daughter was raped inside the house and is now pregnant. Maria was in another town picking coffee. She had to leave the children alone because if Maria doesn't work, the children do not eat. We are going to build this family a new house with a steel door that locks. 


On this trip, I traveled north from the capital of Managua to the mountains of Matagalpa, where many of the coffee plantations are. We visited some remote areas where we will build houses. And while in Matagalpa, I had the chance to try "huevos de toro" soup.


Translation:  Bull testicle soup.


Not bad! Not something I'll clamor to eat again in the near future, but I'm glad I tried it. 


Before I left the country, I emailed the new Craving novella, Incubus Wolf, to my editor. This story is scheduled for release in October. 


Now I have to begin the new book, which I'm calling The Phantom Wolf. It's the second in The Phoenix Force series, about paranormals who are US Navy SEALS.

Cover for THE COVERT WOLF

Here's the cover for my July 24 Harlequin Nocturne, THE COVERT WOLF. First in The Phoenix Force, a new series about an elite group of Navy SEALS who are paranormals. This book features Matt, a Draicon werewolf. 


Fire plays a big role in this book. Matt and the heroine, Sienna, must find an orb of magick before fire demons use it against Matt and his team. 


You can pre-order The Covert Wolf here on Amazon. 


And save 34% by ordering here on Barnes and Noble.

Nook

I've been on deadline with the Craving coming out this October. It's been tough to write because of a lot of distractions lately. Next week I'll be in Nicaragua for the day job. I'll be interviewing poor people about their plight, asking them questions about their greatest needs...


seeing hungry children who have no food. These trips always take a little out of me.


But I digress... I wanted to share an amusing tale about my disorganized book collection and how my Nook came in handy last week.


I wanted to read a paperback I'd purchased last year. I knew it was in the bookshelves, someplace. Mind you, trying to find a book on my shelves is like searching for the dog when it's time to go to the vet. I KNOW she is there, someplace, but she's good at hiding.


I looked at my bookcase, at all the books, and just could not deal with it.


Then I looked at my Nook, and how easy it was...


I bought and downloaded the book. It's now digital, on my reading device and I don't have to search anymore.


Of course I KNOW that paperback will pop up sometime before I finish reading the book... that's the rule, isn't it? 

Regaining a lost imagination

Today is my birthday. Our house is being watched over by our vigilant housesitter and we are taking a break. As I sit here. on the porch of our Keys hotel, listening to seagulls cry and bulldozers roar (construction next door), I'm contemplating life. It's been a challenging year, but it's finally quieting. I'm struggling to regain something I've lost over the past 11 months.

My sense of imagination and adventure.

Oh, I still have it, but it's lurking deep inside and it's a struggle to coax it out. It stopped accompanying me wherever I went, like a playful child. Instead it sat in the corner as if it were condemned to a long time out.

When your life has been turned upside down, by something unexpected and traumatic, your priorities shift, along with your focus. Even quiet time, down time, is occupied by thoughts of what lies ahead, what you must do. The sense of imagination and adventure gets put on the back burner because your life has changed.

I realized this is what happened with me ever since last May when my father-in-law fell ill and eventually died in Hospice. Our world turned on its axis and left us struggling to carry on, and the main daily responsibilities of home and jobs became the focus, and the myriad of items regarding my FIL's house and his small estate became the secondary focus. I found myself daydreaming, not about werewolves and vampires and stories, but about hiring a cleaning woman to help me clean up 30 years of linens my father-in-law never tossed. No longer was my free time spent in happy, quiet imagination, but immersed in a haze of legal papers, tax forms enough to make the IRS weep with joy, and a blizzard of contractors as we renovated his house to sell.

It's all over now. The house is on the market, the IRS has their fair share and the contractors are gone. Yet I find myself trying to recapture my imagination, my sense of joy at creating stories, and it's evasive, like that imaginary child in the corner who is finally free. She is sullen, but I feel her tug at the corners of my mind like a child who takes my hand to explore the seashore, the cry of a gull, the small waves lapping at the rocks. And finally, she is showing me things I had overlooked in the frenzy of the past few months, allowing me to envision possibilities and finally let my creativity soar.

"See those bushes outside the porch? They're a forest of tall trees, and lost among them is a fairy who got shrunk to the size of a thimble by the spell of an evil sea god, and she's trying to find her way back to her home," she says.

I'm glad she is finally free, and now, at last, with a sense of hopeful adventure, I can take her hand and explore the world and unlock all the playful ideas waiting for me. My well, as Julia Cameron puts it, needs to be filled and at last, it is beginning to bubble with fresh ideas.

It's the best birthday gift I could ever give to myself.

Sometimes you just need to celebrate...

After nine months of agonizing renovations, WE ARE DONE! My father-in-law's house is finally up for sale or rent. And more good news! My editor approved the proposal to write the next book in my new Navy SEALS paranormal series. 

My birthday is next week, but more than a cake, I wanted to celebrate listing the house and writing the next book. So I went to the grocery store and got this cake. It says, "Yay Me!"


Everyone should have a "Yay Me!" cake. Just do it. Go celebrate yourself! You deserve it. 

Books, books, books!

Argh!!!!!! I did it again! I could not resist. I bought more books on Amazon.


A friend and I were talking about the Boxer Rebellion in China during the turn of the century. I mentioned how I'd read a romance novel set in that period. I remembered it vividly, although it's been years since I read it, because of the vivid descriptions of the terror felt by the Europeans during the rebellion, and the suspense of the siege. 


So I went looking on Amazon for the book and found it. The Time of the Dragon by Dorothy Eden. 


It was one of my mother's old romance novels. After she died, I stored the entire collection in a closet in a spare room. But I suddenly had to have the book NOW, because I wasn't sure if that paperback survived the move. Mom might have traded it. 


So I bought the book. And then links popped up about other books I read, and loved, during my formative years. Mary Stewart mysteries! They've been reissued. I can get them for new! CLICK... PURCHASE. 


And now I have an order coming from Amazon for MORE books I have no time to read and have no room to store in my bookcase. Because I can't get rid of my books. Each time I try, I think, "No, I'll read this again."


I have a Nook and love it. But wow, I love, love, love paperbacks, trade and hardbacks. I can't resist...


My name is Bonnie Vanak and I'm addicted to books. 


Is there a 12-step program for this? If so, don't tell me. Because I'm like that character Burgess Meredith played on an old Twilight Zone episode. The bank teller simply loved to read and couldn't stay away from books. 


When my Amazon order arrives, I plan to take those books and set them aside for my upcoming birthday. I can't think of a nicer present for myself than taking a few hours to sit and read, read, read! 

Now available for pre-order...The Covert Wolf!

This is my next Nocturne and the first in a new series featuring The Phoenix Force, a group of elite, top secret paranormals who are Navy SEALS. The Covert Wolf features Matt, a Draicon werewolf. He first made his appearance in Taken by the Alpha Wolf. Matt is brother to Cindy, who is married to Etienne Robichaux.


Etienne's brothers are in my Draicon werewolf books, Enemy Lover, Immortal Wolf and The Shadow Wolf.


In The Covert Wolf, Matt teams with a pretty Fae to find an ancient source of power before demons can use it to destroy mankind. 


Click here to order on Barnes and Noble, and save 34% on the paperback version!!!


Click here to order on Amazon.

FREE today on Amazon Kindle!!!

My Egyptian historical, THE SCORPION AND THE SEDUCER.


Click here to download. Happy reading!

Nightly Special now FREE on your Nook!

Now available for your Nook as my special Valentine's Day gift for the month of February, a FREE download of my short story, NIGHTLY SPECIAL! 


Constantly teased by her pack, a pretty shifter named Bunny sets out to prove her courage. But a protective werewolf cop is determined to keep her safe when she meets up with big trouble at a zombie café.

I received a Nook for Christmas and I love it... I'll always be a paperback reader, but the Nook is so convenient. I have an older Kindle as well, but find the Nook easier to take with me. Maybe it's because I have a pretty pink cover and the Nook is in color? 


Next release is my March Nocturne Craving, SEDUCED BY THE WOLF. If you have read HUNTED BY THE JAGUAR, you'll recognize the hero...it's Jarrett, the rogue werewolf leader who had lost his mate and is now looking for another. 


Click here to download NIGHTLY SPECIAL. 


Happy reading!

A special thank you to readers...

I love to read books and I'm grateful to all the readers who have read mine. Books are important to me, both writing them and reading them. They provide an escape, allow me to dream of possiblities and expand my horizons.

So as a special thank you to readers, I'm giving a gift for the month of Valentine's Day.

Nightly Special is my short story from the anthology, Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies, Oh MY! The anthology was penned by a few authors from Florida Romance Writers to raise money from our chapter.

Nightly Special is now available as a stand alone story and absolutely FREE on Smashwords. I had a new cover designed and had the story formatted.

Click here to find out.

I hope you enjoy! And thank you for all your support and your love of romance novels.

Seduced by the Wolf available for pre-order!

SEDUCED BY THE WOLF, my March Nocturne Craving, is now available for pre-order on Amazon!


Jarrett Lawson can't fall in love—but he needs a woman. Pack rules dictate that as the alpha male, he must mate before the rest of his shifter community can. But after losing his cherished wife, Jarrett has vowed never to risk his heart again. A vow that is tested when Ariel Abidos reenters his life.



Jarrett and Ariel once shared an explosive sexual chemistry, but Ariel left him with no explanation just before they became lovers. So when the sexy Lupine Fae needs his help to investigate why her people are vanishing on his ancestral land, he asks one thing in return: that she become his new mate....


Click here to order!

Now available on Smashwords and Kindle...

The Cobra and the Concubine, from my Khamsin Egyptian series! I had it reformatted. Next up will be The Scorpion and the Seducer, and then all seven of my Khamsin Egyptian historicals will be available.

The Covert Wolf, my August book, is finished and turned into my editor. Right now I'm working on the next Nocturne Craving, as well as a proposal for the next Nocturne.

To read a preview and order Cobra on Smashwords, click here.

To order Cobra on Amazon, click here.

New cover, New Year and contest winner!

Here's the cover for SEDUCED BY THE WOLF, my Nocturne Craving for March. It's another short story in The Ancients line. The reason why she's lit from within? When she gets sexually excited, she glows. I mean, REALLY, glows.

SEDUCED BY THE WOLF is the sequel to HUNTED BY THE JAGUAR. Wolf features Jarrett, the werewolf. I liked his character so much I decided he needed his own story, especially since he had lost his mate and child.

It's a new year and I'm pleased to announce the winner of my contest from last month is Cathy (Caffie!) Cathy please email me for your prize.

In other news, I finished the book! Yay!!! The Covert Wolf is scheduled for release this August. I wrote the book in three months. It was very, very tough, with working full-time and traveling for the day job, plus the holidays, but I did it.

It's not easy being an author, whether you work a day job or your FT profession is writing. Deadlines must be met, and then life happens. 2011 was a tough year. We lost my beloved father-in-law, and had lots to deal with in a haze of legal paperwork. It's not over. But we are blessed with good family and friends to help us through.

For Christmas, we went to Tennessee, and had a lovely time with my great brother and his very sweet, very fun wife. It was good to get together with family. And it was cold!

Just as cold as South Florida promises to be tonight. In celebration of finishing the book, we'll probably have a fire in the fire pit, and toast the New Year with a bottle of red wine.

Here's hoping 2012 is good to you, and brings you and yours plenty of blessings, and everything your heart desires.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

From sunny and warm Florida, wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season!

And best wishes for a peaceful, happy New Year and a wonderful 2012!

The Empath and new website

The Empath has been released by Mills and Boon in the UK!  Enemy Lover will be released next month by Mills & Boon.

In other news, I finally have a new website. You can check it out here. I wanted a darker look to reflect the dark paranormals I'm writing.

My wonderful designer organized the books page to make it easier to access all the books, and there's a new releases page and a page for international editions. This will make it much more user friendly. If you want to know the latest books, you need only click on the new releases page.

In other news, I'm busy trying to finish the Nocturne due the end of this month, getting ready for Christmas and sorting through a lot of projects at the day job. The book is close. Almost there. Almost. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to work because if I make the rum balls first and then write... not a good idea!

My mom

She was a very special person, a best friend as well as my mother. Mom enjoyed reading romance novels. It's because of her love of the genre that I started reading them as well.

We took many wonderful vacations together. Sometimes we visited states like Montana, where she would sit on a bench reading a book while I went hiking in Glacier National Park.

This photo is from our last vacation together, the year before DH and I got married, and the year before she died from cancer.

It was a dream trip for both of us. I'm very thankful we were able to take this vacation, and I feel blessed with all the memories I'll always cherish of our times together. This weekend  it will be 16 years since we lost her. Some days, it feels like yesterday. Mom adored Christmas. It was her favorite holiday. She'd spend weeks getting ready, from making cookie press cookies, to decorating the house and shopping. She created a wonderful tradition. We had to give away some of our toys to poor children before Christmas, because before we could get new toys for Christmas, we had to share what we had with children who had nothing.

When she was dying from cancer, my brother bought her a little Christmas tree with lights, so she could look at it from her bed. I still have the tree, and when I put it out, I remember my mother and the joy she brought to us all during the holiday season. We buried her 3 days before Christmas, three months after Dh and I married. She hid her illness from the family, along with her pain. It was only after we returned from our honeymoon and she collapsed that we discovered she didn't have long to live.

I think she wanted to make sure I was settled, and happy, before passing on. That was the type of woman she was - always putting others before herself.

Miss you mom, always. Thank you for everything you did for all of us.

Technology and the holidays

Confession time. I'm tech-challenged. Can't keep up with all the changes. Just when I was comfortable with Blogger, they changed the template and the browser settings. I'm finally learning FB. And my phone is hooked up to Twitter, but sometimes when I message a friend, I almost end up tweeting. Um, hello world, I did NOT mean to tell everyone that I was so tired that I brushed my teeth with hemorrhoid cream instead of toothpaste...

Dolce also prefers books and toys to computer wires

So if you want to send me a message either through Twitter, Facebook, send a direct message through the Networked blogs (I still am trying to figure that one out, I think I pressed a button and now I'm networked), or Goodreads (I'm not signed up on Goodreads and don't always go to that site) or send up a smoke signal, and I don't always answer, it's because I'm tangled in a wired world and don't know how to find my way out. The best way to contact me is email. Bonnievanak@aol.com






Busy with the holidays, trying to finish the new Nocturne due the end of this month and working at the day job. I am also working with a terrific designer and hope to launch my NEW website by January 1.


Happy holidays, and may the stress of the season stay far from you!

In memory of our Tia

Tia, our beloved Shih Tzu, died Dec. 7, 2006. She had liver cancer. She was a wonderful dog and a friend as well. Miss you, sweetie. I hope all dogs do go to heaven, because you sure deserve to be there. 

Tia, Christmas 2004

New release, new contest

Today is the release day for HUNTED BY THE JAGUAR, the third novella in The Ancients!




Stranded miles from home, Ariana Fuller has few ways to protect herself from the enemy hunting her—except to let her demon side take control over the angelic half of her soul. The last man she wants to come to her rescue is jaguar shifter Daimon Nelson, the man who claimed her virginity and still tempts her like no other.

Though Ariana fears giving in to erotic abandonment will free her inner demon, Daimon's scorching kisses and wicked aura of sensuality make her forget all common sense. She tries to resist his allure, but Daimon is equally resolved to complete his mission of seduction. He must mate with Ariana to absorb her dark powers before they are unleashed—and before the enemy can claim her for himself....


Click here to order HUNTED BY THE JAGUAR on Kindle.

To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy of MATED TO THE WOLF, my second novella in The Ancients series.



Just leave a comment on this blog to enter, or email me at bonnievanak@aol.com. Contest ends Dec. 30. Good luck and happy holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving

Back from Honduras, thankful I live in the USA. I'm thankful for my home, that has real walls and a roof and solid floor, running water and a low enough mortgage. I'm thankful for DH, friends and family, and our dogs.

I'm thankful for a new book contract, the chance to put my imagination on paper to hopefully provide readers with much-needed escapes.

I'm thankful for my readers, and my writing buddies.

And I'm thankful for the chance to be able to help the poor through my writing, and my day job, which I've done now for 18 years. Eighteen years of traveling to poor countries has given me the chance to meet some amazing, wonderful people who give true meaning to the ideals of faith and trust in God, and the compassionate, generous people who help them.

And last, but not least, I am very thankful to all who serve in our armed forces. To all the US troops, at home and overseas, who put their lives on the line each day. A very special thank you, and blessings for the holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Contest next month!

Watch this blog for details. I'll be giving away an electronic copy of one of my novellas in my new series, The Ancients!

Still busy writing the Nocturne that is slated for release next August. I really love how these characters have taken on a life of their own. Matt is very sexy, very handsome and very dangerous, more so than the average Draicon werewolf. He's courageous and loyal and would die for the woman he loves. And at this point in the book, he's ready to make that ultimate sacrifice, if necessary.

Next week I'll be offline and in Honduras for the day job. Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Hunted by the Jaguar

Now available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle.


Stranded miles from home, Ariana Fuller has few ways to protect herself from the enemy hunting her—except to let her demon side take control over the angelic half of her soul. The last man she wants to come to her rescue is jaguar shifter Daimon Nelson, the man who claimed her virginity and still tempts her like no other.

Though Ariana fears giving in to erotic abandonment will free her inner demon, Daimon’ s scorching kisses and wicked aura of sensuality make her forget all common sense. She tries to resist his allure, but Daimon is equally resolved to complete his mission of seduction. He must mate with Ariana to absorb her dark powers before they are unleashed—and before the enemy can claim her for himself….

This is the third story in my series, The Ancients, for Harlequin's Nocturne Cravings line. Another novella, Seduced by the Wolf, is a sequel to this story and will be released in March, 2012.

In other news, I'm hard at work writing the Nocturne that will be an August 2012 release. Nearly halfway there!

Mated to the Wolf cover!

MATED TO THE WOLF is my November release from Nocturne Cravings. It's the second in The Ancients series. Maybe it's because I enjoy writing werewolves, or because the hero is scarred emotionally and physically, but this story was the most fun to write out of all three.

I love this cover. The colors are sultry and evocative, and having his face cast partly in shadow is reflection of his inner torment.

Here's the blurb:

Grayson Adler—lone werewolf, powerful Ancient and empath Healer—has never lusted after prey before. As a paranormal bounty hunter, he's duty bound to capture Samantha Fuller. She's half demon and half angel, with deadly powers emerging and a vendetta against the hunter who killed her parents. Yet Grayson aches to touch her and let her angelic half soothe his hurts, his longing for a connection as powerful as his sexual need. Then he gets a new assignment: to absorb her evil powers and tame her by becoming her mate before she turns demon…

I got the idea for the opening scene of this book when DH and I were dining at a neighborhood bar. It was a unique place, because the dining room was separated from the bar area by a wall and several windows. It was a cool place to go after work and grab a meal and have a glass of wine or a beer. We'd slide into one of the wooden booths, order and talk about our day. That night, I was gazing at the bar and the scene suddenly came to me. I always carry a small journal with me should ideas strike, and I jotted down the images I had for Grayson and Samantha's story.

Sadly, that bar/restaurant closed a few months ago. Like other businesses struggling to make it in this economy, they had to shut down for lack of sales. But for me, they'll live on in this story.

You can pre-order MATED TO THE WOLF on Kindle here on Amazon.

Or here on Nook.

Happy reading!

In memory of Steve Jobs

Thank you for all you did. The world has not only lost a true genius, but a man who truly understood the importance of creative vision.


“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Steve Jobs

New release!

Bitten by the Vampire is the first novella in The Ancients series by Harlequin's Nocturne Cravings line.

Vampire Lucian Marcello knows it's his destiny to claim Mara Fuller as his own. She is a Darklighter, half-demon and half-angel, and has sworn to destroy the man who almost killed her. If she succeeds, her demon side will take over and she will turn evil. The only way to save Mara is for Lucien to mate with her and absorb her dark powers. But though tempted by a shared erotic vision, Mara is resistant to his charms. It will take all Lucien's powers of seduction to make her surrender to his dominance and desire. For if he fails, her life will be forfeit…

You can purchase it here on Amazon...

Or here on Nook.

Next month is Mated to the Wolf, followed by Hunted by the Jaguar. And in March of 2012, look for Seduced by the Wolf!

Advice to authors

This November marks the 9th year I've been a published author. So, for debut authors out there, I have a little advice for when you're faced with a bad review and want to say something to the reviewer.

Don't.

Bad review, snarky email, it comes with the business. Some people will love your books. Others will scratch their heads and think, "WTH?" And the public criticism of your books will come. It might be a small suggestion, or something large and very snarky on a popular romance blog. You'll want to fire off a response about your book, the one you sweated blood and tears over.

Don't.

Here's the best advice I can give you, and it applies to the corporate world as well. Don't ever write an email when you are upset/angry/want to hold the critic's head under water until you hear a gurgling sound. Write a letter to yourself instead.

Get on your computer and fire off everything you feel inside. Get out all those feelings, frustrations, etc.

Keep that letter in a safe, password protected file. Wait 48 hours and cool down.

Then delete it.

Time and again it's been shown that authors, even superstar ones, who take on their online critics, pay for it. The payment may not be lost sales. But it can be something everyone needs these days..something very precious...

Time.

Why waste time responding to online criticism of your books, unless you are correcting a misconception about your book? (For example, if you wrote a romantic comedy about pigs and included the fact that a pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes and the reviewer said, "She is ridiculous! Whoever heard of a half-hour orgasm?" Then you can send a polite email to the reviewer and point out your research. You were not pulling this out of thin air, or your butt. You know the facts. BTW, pigs DO have 30 minute orgasms. Seriously. Lucky pigs!)

You'd be better off spending your time writing another book and therefore, collecting another advance and more money! If the criticism really gets to you, get together with friends, have a drink and commiserate. Then get back to what you do best...writing!

Criticism comes with this business. Readers also change their taste. So someone who loved your books a year ago may be snarking about them tomorrow with their online friends. It happens. It does NOT mean you are a poor writer. Remember, you got published. Your book resonated with an editor! Be proud of that.

And keep all your positive reader emails in a file. When you feel a little down about a bad review, pull them out and read them for reinforcement.

Be proud of yourself and your work. You're an author. Congratulations! You persevered and you made it.

Now go out and show the world what a professional you can be.

Now available from Ellora's Cave...

From author Blair Valentine...

When Nicolas Hoffman wakes up naked, chained to a wall and ordered to give three orgasms in a row to a rival pack’s heiress, the sexy werewolf thinks his worst nightmare has come true. He vowed he’d never again be used for sex, but he is the last resort for the lovely and emotionally cold Jessenia Drake. She needs Nicolas’ hot touch and passionate lovemaking to break the curse that keeps her frozen.

The sex is sizzling and intense and Nicolas suspects someone wants to keep the heiress on ice in order to seize her power. But Jessenia has an additional concern. As her emotions return, her greatest fear isn’t remaining encased in a world of emotionless ice, but losing her heart forever to her handsome werewolf lover. Reader Advisory: Contains brief m/m and group-sex scenes.

You can purchase it on Amazon Kindle by clicking here.