Prizes!!

We have winners!! YAY and congrats to Artemis who's name was drawn to Virna DePaul's fabulous prize package.

And to BJ, Diane D - Florida and Louisa, who each won a copy of Tawny's release, JUST FOR THE NIGHT.

If you'll email Tawny with your shipping info, we'll get those prizes right out to you - and a big happy thank you to EVERYONE for hanging out with us!!!Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search/label/virna%20depaul
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Making Out Like A Bandit (In More Ways Than One!)

An guest blog by Virna DePaul with Tawny Weber

Thank you so much to my friend Tawny Weber and all the hackey hudjson for having me here today. With my first debut novel, Chosen By Blood (A Para-Ops Novel) having just released, you can bet I’ve been doing a lot of promotion, and that includes a lot of blog writing. That’s why I hope you’ll indulge me as I do a post that’s a little different, just for fun.


10 Things I Love About The Hero Of My Debut Novel:
1. His name. Knox Devereaux. As sexy, sophisticated, and complex as he is…
2. His body. Actually, both of his bodies. His “normal” one, and the one it transforms into when he’s impassioned (by blood lust or just plain lust).
“Beneath his loose clothing, his muscles hardened and swelled. Knox grew taller, broader, not enough to rip his clothes but enough to make them strain their seams. He felt his fangs lengthen and knew from the sound of Lucy’s gasp that his eyes had shifted from silver to a demonic, glowing scarlet. Control slithered away and a primal growl vibrated in his throat.”
3. His loyalty to his clan.
4. His love for his family.
5. He’s a vampire.
6. His passion for the heroine.
“’There is no us,’ Felicia said sadly.
‘I refuse to accept that.
‘You desire me now, but you’re right—I have limited years on Earth. I need to live those years honoring what I believe. I don’t believe in—in what you’re asking me for. Besides,’ she reasoned desperately, ‘I’m just a passing fancy. When I’m gone, you’ll be glad—’
‘No.’ He growled and pulled her into his arms. She saw the terror that flashed in his eyes. ‘No.’ Before she could stop him, his mouth took hers. And it was exactly as she’d feared it would be.
Devastating.
His mouth took but it also gave. It plundered even as it cherished. His tongue rubbed hers, then retreated, mimicking a different dance and causing the music to swell even louder, until it obliterated everything but the moment.
It was heaven. The kind of heaven one only dreams about, especially when her life has been filled with fear and uncertainty and pain. The kind of heaven that a mortal can’t have.
She wrenched away and backed up, wiping her hand against her lips.
He was breathing roughly, his expression almost desperate. ‘You can’t run from this forever, Felicia.’”
7. His sense of humor.
8. He’s a bad ass.
“Knox returned his attention to Hunt, who not only met his stare head-on, but jerked his chin in challenge. ‘Might as well get it over with now,’ Hunt drawled.
Laughter, a sinister, chilling sound, tickled Knox’s throat.
Oh yeah, he thought.
Things were going to get a whole lot more fun before the day was through.
Knox took three lightning-quick steps toward Hunt, then froze. His nostrils flared as he caught her scent. A second later, he saw the woman standing just behind Hunt.
Felicia. What was she doing—
Before he could complete the thought, a heavy weight slammed into his chest, knocking the air out of him and propelling him off his feet. He didn’t stop until his body slammed into a wall on the other side of the room. Knox hit the ground. Stunned, but immediately moving into a crouch, he blinked as dust and plaster rained down on him, momentarily obstructing his vision. When it cleared, he saw Felicia wrestling with the
werebeast. And then he saw the werebeast shove her down.
With an enraged shout, Knox teleported so fast he caught her before impact. He lowered her, gently but swiftly, then almost instantly wrapped his fingers around Dex Hunt’s throat. Imagining that Hunt’s throat was an aluminum can, Knox squeezed.
Only one thought remained.
Kill the bastard who’d touched Felicia.”
9. His love for his father, the same father that was branded a traitor for telling humans how to kill vampires:
10. Uh, he’s a (Hot) VAMPIRE:
“Felicia grabbed his hand. It was dark out, almost too dark for him to see her, but she wasted no time in cupping her hand around his neck and pulling his head toward her. Not to her lips but to her neck.
‘Drink from me… I feel fine, Knox. I promise.’
He swallowed hard. Felt his mouth watering. “I’ll drink just a little. Just enough to . . .” Without another word, he gave in…Her taste filled his mouth, then his throat, then spread to every part of him…He felt the urge to suck her dry, to drink and drink and drink until every last drop of her was inside him...
Still, he forced himself to slow down, to suck softer, to pull back slightly. He felt his renewed strength, even with the small amount of blood she’d given him. He didn’t want to take too much—
She pushed his head down deeper, whispering for him to take as much as he wanted, and her full acquiescence was too much to fight. He might not need more of her blood, but he wanted it.
He gave himself over to his hunger. Planting his hands on her hips, he rubbed his body against her as he drew on her vein in long, languorous pulls. He lifted his hands to her breasts, cupping them. He felt the strong urge to leave her vein so that he could suck at her nipples.
That’s when he knew he would always be drawn to Felicia for who she was and not what she could give him.
He would always want her more than he wanted her blood.”
Virna DePaul is a former criminal prosecutor whose debut mass market paranormal romantic suspense novel, Chosen By Blood (Book 1 in the Para-Ops series), comes out May 3, 2011 by Berkley Books. In addition, Virna writes contemporary romantic suspense for Harlequin Romantic Suspense (Dangerous To Her, September 2011) and HQN (new series launching April 2012). Virna has also self-published several novels, including "A Vampire's Salvation," "This Magic Moment," and the "Red-Hot Cops" series under the name Ava Meyers. Visit her at www.virnadepaul.com.
Virna is giving away a Para-Ops tote filled chocolate, a Para-Ops mug, sunglasses, and my e-books, A Vampire’s Salvation, a paranormal vampire novella, This Magic Moment, a contemporary romance, and my craft book with Tawny Weber, Love Writing: A Guide To Writing and Getting Your Romance Novel Published (Without Losing Your Perspective, Passion Or Sanity).
Blurb of Chosen By Blood:
United by fate. Bound by desire.
Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and Otherborn— humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA—still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills.
Leader of an Otherborn clan, half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux would do anything to find a cure for the anti-vamp vaccine slowly starving his people into extinction. When the FBI contacts him about leading a team of hand-selected Others on a mission to reclaim the stolen antidote, Knox accepts. His new assignment places him in direct contact with Special Agent Felicia Locke, the beautiful human he’s craved since their very first meeting.
In bookstores now and available on www.amazon.com!
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Winner Alert!!

The winner of all the fabulous goodies from Virna DePaul's visit is Maureen! Maureen, if you'll drop me your shipping info in an email with Bandits in the subject line, I'll get that to Virna and your goodies will be on their way :-DSource URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search/label/virna%20depaul
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Challenging Your Editor or Agent - Guest Blogger Virna De Paul

by Tawny

One of the things I love most about the romance community are the incredible friends I've made. It's like this win-win situation. Great books, great people, great fun. (is that win-win-win?) So it's with a huge smile that I'm welcoming an awesome author and great friend, Virna DePaul, to the Lair today. I met Virna through one of my local RWA chapters and through the years we've not only hung out together, our kids have become super-tight friends (ahhh, the joys of Pokemon) and most recently, Virna invited me to collaborate on a non-fiction writing book with her. I won't mention the time we slept together. Cuz, you know, I'm shy and stuff.

I was beyond ecstatic when Virna received a two-book offer for her debut paranormal suspense series, The Otherkin. Her first book, CHOSEN BY BLOOD, will be out in April of 2011. And I'm thrilled to have her here with us today - so please, join me in doing a little happy dancing boogy to welcome Virna to the Lair!


First, I want to thank Tawny and all the Bandits for having me here today. I know the hackey hudjson are a tight group with a loyal following and I’m so honored to be a guest. Second, I want to ask you a question--did the title of this blog post make you a little uncomfortable? If so, why? Is it because “to challenge” means “to take exception to; call into question; dispute”. Or is it because the word was being applied to an agent and editor? Luckily, this post isn’t really about challenging an agent or editor, it’s about speaking up when you need to and knowing the difference.

Making waves. Rocking the boat. Disturbing the status quo. Being the squeaky wheel.

However you want to describe making a fuss, I generally avoid it.

I like civility. Courtesy. Fair negotiation and open mindedness.

Which is why I didn’t make a very good trial lawyer. I did fine when it came to making persuasive legal arguments, but as soon as things got “ugly” and opponents began to hit below the belt, I floundered. I didn’t expect it or see the need for it (I still don’t!), and I didn’t know how to respond to it. Truthfully, what others often saw as professional calm and enviable composure was actually stunned silence or quiet confusion. Thankfully, I was a much better appellate prosecutor. Even better, I love writing romance so much more than practicing law.

In my personal life, I can be more tolerant of my desire for peace. I like to nurture people and make them feel comfortable, plus I’m generally easy going. Where to eat or what time to be somewhere or how long to wait for something doesn’t usually matter to me so long as I’m in the company of people I like.

There are, however, several things I care deeply about, and when it comes to those things, my “easy going-ness” tends to fly out the window. Ironically, it’s during these times that the idea of being confrontational becomes even less attractive to me. First, because I’ve usually established a precedent—wouldn’t making demands seem a bit out of character now? Second, since I now truly care about the outcome, I fear that instead of just making waves, I’ll lose control and make a tsunami.

So what do I do? Usually, I’ll suffer in silence for as long as I can. Sometimes, if I wait too long, I’ll blow (and believe me, that’s not a pretty sight). Otherwise, I’ll finally get sick of suffering and I’ll do what I should have done in the beginning. I’ll problem solve and do the difficult thing in as respectful a way as possible.

With respect to my budding writing career, I’ve been fortunate to work or interact with wonderful, professional agents and editors. However, there have been a handful of uncomfortable moments over the years when I’ve had to decide whether to speak up for what I wanted or let things remain the way they stood. Each time, “speaking up” seemed tantamount to “challenging” a publishing professional. And because the other person was experienced and knowledgeable, and because I desperately wanted to be published and didn’t want to somehow ruin my chances, I had an even harder time speaking my mind.

Who was I to challenge (i.e., contradict, oppose, question) them?

Well, the answer was (and is) this: I was the person whose career was in question.

I was the writer of the book that the agent was submitting or the editor was interested in.

Moreover, I was the person who didn’t generally make demands, and that told me that my desire to make one now was something I needed to listen to.

Finally, I was the person who liked civility, so what made me think I couldn’t express myself in a civil way?

Whether it was nudging someone who hadn’t done what they’d said they were going to do, or expressing an opinion that was the opposite of someone else’s, or coming up with an alternative to something someone else had suggested, I had to accept that yes, expressing myself could be viewed as challenging another person…or it could not.

Instead, it could be viewed as being invested enough to care, observant enough to respond, and respectful enough to share. It all depended, of course, on the delivery.

Huh. What a concept.

I force myself to view it this way, even if my first instinct is to cringe away from speaking up. Because I don’t want to suffer in silence. I don’t want to blow. And I don’t want to let other people direct my journey with only myself to blame if I don’t like where I end up.

Now, when I’m feeling like I want to say something to my agent or editor but am afraid of “making trouble,” I: 1) sleep on it; 2) talk to friends; 3) write out my concerns and what I want to say; 4) sleep on it again; and 5) if I still feel I need to be heard, I communicate my concerns. I think if a person strives to be honest and respectful, most of the time she’ll get those things right back.

Be selective. Speak up when it’s important. Know you won’t always get your way. Trust that your agent and editor want your book to be the best it can be. Keeping this in mind will insure that when you do speak up, it’s warranted.

The good thing is, the more times I speak up for myself, the easier it becomes. But still, I know when to stand back and let others take the lead, and thankfully, I work with people who know how to do it and listen to my concerns. To me, that’s the biggest sign that I’m where I should be.

Is it hard for you to speak up? Does it matter if you’re in a personal or professional setting? How do you respond when something’s bothering you? Do you ruminate or respond right away?

To celebrate my sale, my appearance today, and my new craft book (co-authored by none other than Bandit Tawny) I’m offering a prize to one commenter.

1 red Heart Truth tee with swirl glimmer heart on front (M or L, winner's choice)
1 box of Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles
1 Red Poppy 2be Journal
1 2010 Photo Album Calendar (that you customize with your photos)

Also, sign up for my mailing list at www.virnadepaul for a chance to win weekly prizes, including a Savvy Author membership and a $20 Amazon gift card! Thanks so much for your support!

Virna De Paul was an English Lit major who practiced law as a criminal prosecutor for over ten years. In March of 2009, Virna was challenged by her agent to write a “big series” that would increase her chances of selling. As a long-time reader of sexy paranormals, Virna decided to try adding a paranormal element to her suspense novels. What she came up with resulted in her first sale. In November of 2009, she was offered a contract by Berkley Publishing for the first two books in a paranormal romantic suspense series. The series, which features a unique special ops team whose members include a werebeast, a wraith, a mage, and a vampire and the human female he's forbidden to love, launches in April of 2011. In the first book, Chosen By Blood, the team must recover an antidote needed to save the vampire race.

Virna conducts monthly “craft chats” at www.savvyauthors.com. She will be presenting her workshop, “Five Ingredients For Crafting A Big Book, High Concept, Same But Different Story,” at the RWA National Conference in Orlando this year. Finally, she and Blaze author Tawny Weber have a new craft book, “Love Writing: A Guide To Writing And Getting Published Without Losing Your Perspective, Passion, Or Sanity.” www.lovewritingbook.com Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search/label/virna%20depaul
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The Lair is Hot in June!

We Banditas enjoy vacations as much as anyone but we don’t take the summer off....too many stories in our vivid imaginations to take a break. And boy, do we kick the summer off right this month!

On June 2nd, Anna Campbell hosts debut historical romance author Maggie Robinson – or is she perhaps appearing as her alter ego Margaret Rowe? Maggie will be giving away a signed copy of MISTRESS BY MISTAKE.

And that’s just the beginning of a bountiful week.





Virna DePaul is visiting on the 3rd. Virna’s debut, CHOSEN BY BLOOD, is out with Berkley in 4/11 and she’s sharing her insights as she goes through the process of sold to debut. She’ll talk about Challenging Your Editor or Agent – when it’s really okay to speak up.










We end this first week on a high note with a return visit from Carrie Lofty on June the 4th. Our very own Christie Kelley talks with Carrie about her new release SONG OF SEDUCTION.


















On June 7th Loucinda McGary hosts Vanessa Kelly to talk about her sizzling new release SEX AND THE SINGLE EARL.













Swing by the Lair on June 12th and see how a teenager who already has social issues deals with the suddenly acquired ability to interact with ghosts. YA author Maureen Hardegree chats with Nancy about HAIN’T MISBEHAVIN, Maureen's new novel from Bell Bridge Books.













The 16th of the month yours truly hosts a return visit with RITA award winning author Kristan Higgins to talk about honesty and her most recent release “the next best thing”. I’m fairly certain we can get her to spill about her August release “all I ever wanted”. (Yes, I have started a FB campaign for my kitten Cricket to be featured on her next cover. Hey! It worked for Betty White!).





On the 21st, Kris Kennedy visits with us to talk with us about her latest THE IRISH WARRIOR.








Pamela Palmer is visits on the 27th, talking about Writing on the wild side - or Where do you come up with this stuff? And her latest release, RAPTURE UNTAMED which hits the shelves June 29.




We have one contest this month.

Anna Campbell has a mini novella called ‘Upon a Midnight Clear’ in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE (released on 24th June in the U.K. and 27th July in the U.S.). To celebrate, she’s giving away two signed copies! All you have to do is email her on anna@annacampbell.info and name two authors other than Anna Campbell who have stories in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE. You might find the answer in her June Latest News: http://www.annacampbell.info/latest.html or on the publisher’s website: http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&book=the_mammoth_book_of_regency_romance_9781849010153_paperback The contest closes 31st July, 2010 and for more details please visit her website: http://www.annacampbell.info/contest.html

Whew! What a month! So fill up the lemonade (or margarita) glass, plop under a beach umbrella and prepare to have fun!
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