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!

The Shadow Wolf and Hurricane Irene

Tomorrow The Shadow Wolf is out! Yay!

Thursday we here in S. Florida are supposed to get Hurricane Irene! Boo!

My heart is beating fast, but it's not because The Shadow Wolf will be in bookstores tomorrow. It's because Irene, a Cat. 3 hurricane, is supposed to either brush our coast or have a direct impact.

I haven't gone toe to toe with a hurricane since Wilma in 2005. Score on that one? Wilma: 1, Bonnie, oh, about $50,000 in damages. Wilma dropped a tree on our roof and two others in the yard. I've posted a photo of what Wilma did to our back yard here... one of the trees crashed through the Florida room, where I had been, stupidly, standing 5 minutes earlier watching the winds pick up.

I've never taken hurricanes for granted after that.

So as excited as I am about The Shadow Wolf, I'm too focused on Hurricane Irene and what we have to do to protect ourselves from the storm.

Ironically, there is a hurricane in The Shadow Wolf. Gabe and Megan and the twins ride one out that's barely a Cat. 1. And Gabriel has a built-in generator that automatically transfers power when the electricity goes out.

Gabriel, can I move into your cottage with DH and the dogs?

The Shadow Wolf

Here's the cover. This book includes Darkness of the Wolf, my Nocturne Bite that was previously released in ebook form.

The cover is the scene where they first make love by the lake.

In writing news, my muse has awoken (yay!) and I'm coming down the home stretch with a new short story. Details to follow!

Pre-order The Shadow Wolf

Now available for pre-order on Amazon! Click here.

And here's some cool news... DARKNESS OF THE WOLF, my Nocturne Bite that was released in 2009, will be an added feature to this print book! Nice bonus!

In other book news, I've been informed that BITTEN BY THE VAMPIRE, the first short story in my trilogy of sexy Nocturne Cravings, will be released in October. It's due to be followed in November by MATED TO THE WOLF and in December by HUNTED BY THE JAGUAR.

All three Cravings are about three triplet sisters who are half-demon, half-angel. Ancient warriors, a vampire, a werewolf and a jaguar, are assigned to mate with them to tame their dark halves... or they will be forced to destroy them.

The Shadow Wolf will be available on August 23. I've posted an excerpt below. Happy reading!

THE SHADOW WOLF. (copyright 2011 by Bonnie Vanak)

"The roar of a powerful motorcycle drew her attention to the hotel entrance. A man parked the Harley, drew off a black helmet and swung a muscled leg over the saddle. Megan’s heart raced. The rider’s face was permanently stamped into memory from the photos circulated among Shadows of their worst enemies.

Black liquid sloshed as she slammed down her coffee cup. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for oxygen. Gabriel Robichaux. Oh God. She’d walked straight into a trap.

Immobilized, she searched for an exit as he entered the garden’s stone pathway leading to the terrace. Megan looked around, desperate to escape, but it was too late. If they left now, surely he’d see them. She slid down her seat.

The power and raw charisma he exuded felt like a tornado as he ambled onto the terrace. Tight black leather pants hugged each inch of his rock hard thighs and taut buttocks. A Harley Davidson T-shirt and steel-toed scuffed boots gave him a dangerous air. Stubble shadowing his angular jaw contrasted with his classical good looks, like a biker with the face of an angel. Dark brown hair curled down to his wide shoulders. His mouth was sultry and mobile.

Four women sitting at a nearby table gave him the twice-over. If they only knew what exactly he was, they’d run away screaming. Draicon, like her. Only not like her. Not Shadow, outcast and shunned. He was an Enforcer, who returned escaped Shadow Wolves to their island prison. "

To read the entire excerpt, click here.

New contest in April

April, ah April, month of my birthday! To celebrate, I'm going to hold a new contest and give away one of my backlist Nocturne books.

I'm thinking it just may be IMMORTAL WOLF.

This contest will be a little different.

To enter, you'll post a comment on my Facebook fan page. Click here to access.

I am trying to get more FB people to "like" my fan page.

If you are not on Facebook, it's okay. I'll be running the contest here on my blogl

And all you need to do is leave a comment.

The contest will start April 1 and run through the entire month. I will be posting that blog for contest entries soon.

Have a great weekend!

Excerpt to THE SHADOW WOLF

Here's a sample of my next Nocturne, in bookstores August 25. This is Gabriel's story, THE SHADOW WOLF. (copyright 2011 by Bonnie Vanak)

"The roar of a powerful motorcycle drew her attention to the hotel entrance. A man parked the Harley, drew off a black helmet and swung a muscled leg over the saddle. Megan’s heart raced. The rider’s face was permanently stamped into memory from the photos circulated among Shadows of their worst enemies.

Black liquid sloshed as she slammed down her coffee cup. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for oxygen.

Gabriel Robichaux.

Oh God. She’d walked straight into a trap. Immobilized, she searched for an exit as he entered the garden’s stone pathway leading to the terrace.

Megan looked around, desperate to escape, but it was too late. If they left now, surely he’d see them. She slid down her seat.

The power and raw charisma he exuded felt like a tornado as he ambled onto the terrace. Tight black leather pants hugged each inch of his rock hard thighs and taut buttocks. A Harley Davidson T-shirt and steel-toed scuffed boots gave him a dangerous air. Stubble shadowing his angular jaw contrasted with his classical good looks, like a biker with the face of an angel. Dark brown hair curled down to his wide shoulders. His mouth was sultry and mobile. Four women sitting at a nearby table gave him the twice-over.

If they only knew what exactly he was, they’d run away screaming. Draicon, like her. Only not like her. Not Shadow, outcast and shunned. He was an Enforcer, who returned escaped Shadow Wolves to their island prison. "

To read the entire excerpt, click here.

Quick update

My apologies for neglecting this blog. I'm on deadline with three new stories for Nocturne Bites, but these stories are much sexier and longer and may be slotted into the new Nocturne Cravings line. The heroes of these stories are a vampire, a werewolf and a jaguar. All three are Ancients, powerful warriors engaged in the fight against evil, who are assigned to mate three sisters who are half-demon, half-angel.

After I turn in these stories, I'm taking a break from writing for a little while and paying attention to various housekeeping issues, such as updating my website. Also, I plan to put THE TIGER AND THE TOMB, my second Egyptian historical, on Kindle.

That's it for now. Back to the writing!

Good news, just in time for RWA!

My editor at Nocturne loved The Shadow Wolf and it's scheduled for release September of 2011! Woot!

The Shadow Wolf is the fourth Nocturne paperback about my Draicon werewolves. The Empath was the first, followed by Enemy Lover and then last year's release of Immortal Wolf (which finaled in this year's Maggie Awards).

The Shadow Wolf is Gabriel's story. Gabriel is one of five Draicon werewolf brothers (Damian, Raphael, Indigo, Alex are the other four). He is the most dangerous of all the brothers, and hides a terrible secret. Gabriel meets his match in Megan, an outlawed Shadow Wolf who turns invisible to hide from enemies pursuing her.

When I return from RWA, I'll be tackling a new proposal for Nocturne. This proposal is about Alex, the widowed brother who lost his mate and child in a terrible tragedy. Alex finds a new lease on life and facing a ticking time bomb from a demon threatening to destroy those he loves.

Tonight I'm packing and trying to figure out how I can get everything into a single suitcase. I solved the problem of walking back and forth from the Yacht Club to the Dolphin with a pair of white flip-flops, and will change into "professional" shoes when I get to the Dolphin. I've worked out my schedule and I'm pretty sure I know where I should be at what time.

First on the agenda after tomorrow night? Poolside at the Yacht Club! I'm taking Thursday morning to relax and recharge after Honduras last week.

Then Thursday at 4:30 I'm helping the multi-talented, best-selling Jennifer Ashley present a workshop on writing short stories. Look for me there if you don't see me at the pool!

News

I've received word that COURAGE OF THE WOLF is officially approved for publication. Woot! This story is the first featuring my immortal Justice Guardians. Michael, a Phoenix, must convince Sabrina, a Draicon werewolf, to fight the demons that killed her family.

As soon as I hear of a publication date, I'll post it here and on my Facebook page. Here's the link to my FB page. I've been updating it on a regular basis with news of projects and information like links to the free online read I did for Harlequin, so FB is a good way to get news from me the fastest on current writing projects.

I'm also finishing a short story for my chapter, Florida Romance Writers, to raise money. Our brilliant former president, Kathleen Pickering, came up with a great idea that has some of us writing stories. More later on this as details emerge. My story is a werewolf/zombie short.

Short stories dovetail nicely into the workshop I'm helping Jennifer Ashley present July 29 at RWA. It's titled "Put on your shorts" and it runs from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Jennifer's a fantastic, talented and NY Times best-selling author who has all sorts of wonderful advice on writing shorts. I'll be presenting tips on emotional conflict for your characters.

All next week I will be in Honduras for the day job and after that, off to Orlando for RWA! Honduras promises to be very interesting. The region we're visiting on the second half of the trip is a remote, mountainous area that promises to be very very hot. Jungle-like. I am most excited about the women's development program we are finally going to launch. This has been a dream of mine for two years since I first came up with the idea, and it's wonderful to finally see it come full circle.

Now what?

Gabriel, my Draicon werewolf whose eyes turn a gorgeous shade of amber when his wolf emerges, has reason to to celebrate.

He finally got the girl, had wild and crazy sex, resolved all his problems and is living happily ever after.

Yes, his book is DONE and was mailed off to New York this week.

Can I shout with relief and giddy joy that I finally finished the book?

YAY!!

It wasn't an easy book to write. Back in January, when I got final approval on the synopsis and the green light to write the book, a terrible catastrophe happened. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti diverted all my attention. I worked long hours at the day job, took nearly back-to-back trips to Haiti, and struggled with my own emotional response to the disaster.

I've worked in Haiti for 16 years and what I saw broke my heart.

I also could not write romance for two solid months afterward. So I took a vacation to recover from the turmoil of Haiti, and to make a good, solid effort in writing Gabriel's story for Harlequin.

It worked. During the two-week vacation, I finished and turned in a Nocturne Bite. I also wrote an amazing 20,000 words on Gabriel's story, thanks in part to spending three days at a neighbor's cottage they kindly loaned me. I worked from morning until late night, concentrating on my writing.

When I returned to the day job, I finally had recovered my writing stride and was able to stay productive.

For three years, I've worked at a demanding day job, traveled, and had numerous deadlines and author responsibilities. And a home life!

And now, for the first time in three years, I'm without a contract.

It's a feeling of relief, not worry. It means it's time for me to take a break.

When you work at a day job and you're an author, you have different demands and different issues than when you write FT. The benefits of having a day job are simple:

Money!

A steady paycheck and benefits like vacation time mean you're not relying on contracts to pay the mortgage. I can honestly say I don't know one single author who writes FT who doesn't work extremely hard for every single dollar she earns. I have lots of respect and admiration for their productivity and talent.

The down side to working a day job, especially when you travel like I do, is time.

You must effectively budget your time. It's not easy, especially when life has a habit of interfering. Family health problems, job demands, sudden twists of fate, they happen. But the deadlines remain.

Writing is hard work. If you want to publish books, you must treat writing like any other demanding career. Publishing is unpredictable at best. But it's an amazing feeling to walk into a bookstore and see your name on a book where your ideas and imagination took flight...

or having readers tell you they loved your work. And receiving a check for the work you did and realizing you are being paid to do what you love.

I honestly don't know what's next. The fact that my brain is saying "Beats me, Bonnie" is a sign it's time for a break. Already I started playing around with two new story ideas, just for fun and because I'm a writer.

I can't stop writing!

But for now, I'm sitting back and not worrying about what comes next. Instead of spending the weekend writing and editing and gulping down caffeine, I'm going to the gym this morning. DH has obligations with his club, so I'm meeting a friend for lunch I haven't seen in way too long.

Next week I'll be in Honduras for the day job. It will be the first trip in three years I've not had to worry about writing in the hotel at night, or having a deadline hang over me.

I'll take my netbook and write for fun if I feel like it. But at night, if I'm too wiped out from the day's visits, I'll set it aside.

The other day I told a friend that every time I pick up The Falcon & the Dove and read a certain scene, I don't envision the desert and the hot sand and the handsome sheikh.

I see the hotel room in Haiti where I wrote that scene years ago at night, while visiting that country for the day job. I still can see myself sitting on the bed, typing like mad.

It's freeing knowing that I have no more writing obligations. It's a good thing as well because it enables me to visualize new ideas, have fun with my imagination and envision new possibilities.

I don't know what the future brings. What I do know is I've published more than 12 romance novels and short stories in the past 8 years, had a great time doing it, met lots of wonderful people and readers and publishing professionals, made some terrific friends, and achieved a dream I've had for years.

I'm grateful for the opportunities given to me, I've worked extremely hard once granted those opportunities and now...

I'm taking a break!

New year, new book to write, new deadline

Happy New Year, everyone.

Because I haven't updated my website in a long while, wanted to keep you informed of what's going on. I won't have a book out in 2010. However, I've gotten the green light to start the next Nocturne, which is called The Shadow Wolf.

If you've read Immortal Wolf, Gabriel is Raphael's brother, the one who agrees to forfeit his life should Rafe back out of the agreement to execute Emily. At one point in the book, Emily meets Gabe and thinks to herself that, despite his charming and friendly manner, he seems more dangerous than Rafe's other brothers, and he hides a dark secret.

She's right. Gabriel is the darkest, most dangerous Draicon. I'm starting on his story this month.

In other news, HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE III received a very new review in the Library Journal. The reviewer said about my story, "Misunderstandings, family issues, and prejudice threaten to keep a vampire and a werewolf apart in Bonnie Vanak's fierce and funny 'Unwrapped.' "

Yay! My first Library Journal Review!

Also, I received an unexpected surprise when I found out that Immortal Wolf has sold out on eHarlequin. It's still available on Amazon and other online sites, such as Barnes and Noble. But there are no more copies at Harlequin.

So that's what's going on with me. If I have any other news to report, it will be on this blog first. With the day job, I'll be traveling to Haiti at the month's end, before elections. It's always a little dicey around election time in Haiti.

Wishing you all the best for the New Year!

Cover for IMMORTAL WOLF

This is the cover for Immortal Wolf, my October Nocturne. It's a perfect portrait of Raphael and Emily. Raphael is an immortal Draicon werewolf who is the Kallan, the only Draicon allowed to execute another without consequence. Emily is a Draicon who kills everyone she touches, or so she thinks.

What do you think of the cover?

Contest! and new cover

Here's the cover to next month's BITE, Darkness of the Wolf. This story is about a werewolf imprisoned in a demon zoo who teams with a werewolf-hating woman to rescue a little girl from evil forces.

I love this cover! It depicts Guy, the hero, so well. His wariness, his dark sensuality. I do like this BITE better than my last one. I'm hoping I'm becoming a better writer of short stories. That's my goal this year, anyway.

I'm also running a special contest over at Fresh Fiction. Check it out here. It's running the whole month of July.

In other news, I'm feeling better, but trying to catch up on everything. In two weeks I leave for D.C. and RWA Nationals. A friend is coming down the first two days of the conference and we'll be playing tourist, then she leaves and it's down to business.

I had thought this RWA would be more laid-back than past ones, but nope. Still, I'm making sure to schedule time with friends I haven't seen in a long, long time.

Now it's back to the two stories due IN ONE MONTH that I have to write. Gulp.

SEDUCING THE VAMPIRE, upcoming FREE book!

Here's what's coming up in October from me... a FREE Harlequin online Nocturne serial!

This is the title and blurb. It's Indigo's story and promises to be fun to write! Indigo is a Changling, a half vampire, half Draicon werewolf. Yum!

Seducing the Vampire by Bonnie Vanak

Beautiful vampress Avril Antoine is the last person Indigo Mercier expects to stumble into his New Orleans tattoo shop one moonlit October night. Indigo, a half vampire, half Draicon werewolf, took Avril's blood and her innocence more than a century ago, an act that resulted in his banishment from the vampire clan. Now Avril is back in his life, needing a place to hide the legendary Anastasia charm from an evil vampire who covets the amulet's power to fulfill secret hopes and hidden dreams.

Avril Antoine remembers the rich, forbidden pleasure of that long-ago night with Indigo. As old passions ignite, it seems he will do anything to seduce Avril back into his bed...and Avril will be forced to choose between loyalty to her clan and surrendering to the dark, sensual call of the forbidden Changling male.

Dogs rule and release schedule

Cookie, our new addition, is on the left. Dolce is on the right. He's got a new pal. Typical guy, he ignores her, but likes having her around, lol.




Already I can tell she's calmed him down. He longer barricades the door and barks like mad when I leave. He's like, "Uh, ok, buh bye, cyah!"




And because I miss her still, and will always miss her, here's a photo from 2006 of my beloved Tia. (sniff) She was my "writing buddy."

Life is hectic, very busy with personal stuff, and trying to figure out my writing schedule before I leave for a Nicaragua trip in one week. Gulp.









Here's what my releases for the rest of the year are:



August: DARKNESS OF THE WOLF, a Nocturne Bite (ebook)





October: IMMORTAL WOLF, Nocturne. This is Raphael's story from ENEMY LOVER.


October: PURSUIT OF THE WOLF: Free online serial from Harlequin, this features Indigo, Raphael's adopted brother (may change, but that's what I'm writing for now)





December: UNWRAPPED in HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE, Nocturne, anthology. This pairs Adrian, a banished vampire, with Sarah, a shunned Draicon. Also features green gremlins singing Christmas carols in little Santa suits. :-)





Til later!

Real life heroes, writing, Emily Bryan

A lot of subjects today!

First, how about that US Airways jet landing in the Hudson, and that amazing pilot? Three cheers for him! DH, who has his private pilot's license, bets that he'll just say he was doing his job, as he was a trained professional. He was, and much more. I get teary-eyed each time I watch that footage. We sure could use that kind of good news these days, with all the bad news in the media lately.

My story for the Nocturne novella is almost there! Almost! I have that kind of feeling I get when I really like a story, and I'm totally excited about it. Hope to finish soon. It feels great to be writing again! Yay!

The day job's been challenging this week, but life's a challenge. I'll be in Haiti soon, and that will be an interesting trip.

Tomorrow join me here when Emily Bryan, author of VEXING THE VISCOUNT, visits!

New blog, post on Harlequin's paranormal blog

Some news to report.

First, I blogged over at Harlequin's paranormal blog about Enemy Lover, and how I came up with the idea for flying werewolves. Check it out here.

And speaking of werewolves, I have great news - a release date for Raphael's book! That Nocturne is called IMMORTAL WOLF and will be out next fall.

Now switching to Egypt and historicals: THE LADY AND THE LIBERTINE is my next Egyptian historical. The hero is an earl who is a rogue, and a libertine and a thief. The heroine is a woman who was raised in an English workhouse, and then sent to live in Egypt with the Khamsin. The ruby necklace she wears is the key to a fabulous treasure, and the earl desires to steal it, and her virginity as well. But will she steal away his heart?

I'm blogging about Egypt next week for the new blog some fellow authors and I have launched. The Chatelaines features Emily Bryan, Cindy Holby, Jennifer Ashley, CL Wilson (Cheryl), Gerri Russell, Joy Nash and me!

Click here and let us know what you think of the banner. I think it's very clever and funny. I'm walking like an Egyptian!

On being an author

Today is the day, America. Go vote!

DH and I early voted. Saved time. Our polling place is a nursing home. Yup, a nursing home.

Good news: DEADLY TOUCH, my next Nocturne, has a release date of next fall! Woo hoo! This is Raphael's story, the Cajun, Harley-riding immortal werewolf. The title will change. I'll post the new title when I have it.

Recently I was talking with some friends about work. life and writing. It's not easy holding down a day job and being an author. It's not just the writing. There's promoting the book, keeping up with a website, dealing with copy edits, galleys, changes, proposals, etc.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.


For all the angst this crazy business can cause; from deadline stress to rejections to last minute changes and anxiety over worrying if a book will have good sales, there is one critical factor that always stands out.

When I walk into a bookstore and scan the romance aisle, and see my new release, it has my name on it.

My name. It's my book. It's something I created, sweated over, imagined, dreamed. For better or worse in the public's eyes, it's mine.

And no one can ever take that away.

That's why I get excited when I meet an author with a debut book. I know what it's like to obtain that dream, see the vision become reality.

There's nothing else like it. And maybe, never will be again.

For all of you who are newly published, enjoy every wonderful moment of the ride.

For those of you who are still aspiring, keep trying. This business is talent, skill, and style, but 80 percent of it is sheer luck.

The moment you see your name on that book cover for the first time is one you will never forget.

No one can ever take that away from you.

WTH?

This is Tropical Storm Hanna, the biggest threat to my area. Not Gustav, which is going to slam into the Gulf Coast (sigh) sometime next week. I'm on the east coast, and Hanna is a threat more.

But look at the models. They're all wacky. Spinning around. This is how I feel during the height of hurricane season, like, uh, now.

I'm leaving the country Monday on a last minute work trip I did not anticipate. I hate hate leaving when something like this is lingering off my coast, as I have responsibilities and an elderly in-law, but have no choice.

In the meantime, this is what I'd rather be thinking of:

This is Raphael, the Cajun Draicon werewolf I'm writing about, whose story is due in four weeks. He rides a Harley, wears black leather, and, as I described him in Enemy Lover, my November Nocturne, resembles "An angel stumbling out of a Bourbon Street sex shop."

I'd rather be writing about bad boy biker werewolves than worrying about hurricanes.

Bad boy biker werewolves don't hurt innocents in my story, they just make very long, slow love, or very fast and hard, depending upon the heroine's preferences.

I hope Gustav stays the hell away from Louisiana and New Orleans. I think they've had enough. Go away Gustav!

Good news

This is the music box I bought a few months ago when DH and I were at the Flagler Museum. I was writing THE LADY & THE LIBERTINE and wanted inspiration for that time period at the turn of the century.

The music box became an inspiration to shape the hero's character. I don't always use props when I'm writing, but this one worked out well.

Anyway, forget the pretty music box. (I collect them, BTW). Look what it's sitting upon.

MY BOOK IS DONE!

I'm mailing it out today to my editor. It's done, done, done!

I'm blissfully happy. I made it!

Now for some more good news...

This week, I accepted an offer to write two more Silhouette Nocturnes, plus another Nocturne Bite.

YAY!

The first book is called DEADLY TOUCH, and features a Draicon you'll meet in Enemy Lover in November. Raphael is a very cool, Cajun, Harley-riding Draicon werewolf.

The only thing is, gulp... that book is due in October. I have two months to write it.

Sooooo I'm going to be super busy the next two months, and probably neglecting things, like email, etc.

BTW, Annie, who just emailed me asking if I'm going to write any more Draicon books? Your email address bounced twice. I tried to respond, and the answer is yes.

Okay, off to mail this puppy, and then DH and I are going bike riding. My reward.

YAY!!!