Guest Blogging Over at Titan Books!

I know I haven’t been posting a lot on my blog the last few months (okay, fine, the last half a year), but this does not mean I haven’t been writing.   I finished the final draft of Plague Town, jumped back into spicy romance land and finished Fixation, my upcoming paranormal novel for Ravenous Romance, and then immediately did another leap onto Plague Nation, the second Ashley Parker novel, which I’m working on now.  I’ve also been writing guest posts for Titan Books’ blog and the first one went live (or perhaps “undead”) today and can be found here.  Unfortunately there is no comment section on the Titan blog (we authors do love our comments!) so if you go read it and are so inclined, I would love to hear from you in the comment section below! 

Demon Lovers – An Anthology


And what a kickass anthology it is, too!   So I’m glad that when Holly and Lori with Ravenous Romance
 emailed to ask if Dave and I (aka Kilt Kilpatrick and Inara LaVey) wanted to edit an anthology of succubus and incubus stories for Ravenous that we said yes, desite very busy schedules.

How busy, you ask?

Well, we didn’t just have full plates; we had “all you can eat” buffet piled high type plates. And yet… the idea of reading other peoples’ work and putting together an anthology sounded like fun.  And it was.

We sent out a call for submissions (Submit!!  All Kneel Before General Zod!) both as an open calls via social networking, as well as emails to specific writers we knew would be perfect for this book.  We got an amazing response and ended up with a selection of sometimes funny, sometimes scary, always sexy stories from thirteen talented authors (listed here in no particular order):  Lisa Lane, Kat Sheridan, Elena Derring, Red Hanner, Ray Garton, Anastasia Greumach, Angela Cameron, Olivia Cunning, Loren Rhoads, Courtney Sheets, Elizabeth Black, Kilt Kilpatrick, and yeah, my alter ego Inara has one in there too.  

Anastasia, btw, is as of yet too shy to reveal her secret identity so we will leave her unlinked. 🙂 

Demon Lovers is available for sale at Ravenous Romance and just came out for Kindle at Amazon

too!

And for a little taste of what’s inside…

They come for you in your sleep…

The Succubus, nocturnal seductress of men; the Incubus, the perfect male no woman can resist; enticing demon lovers who haunt your bedroom, slip into your fevered dreams and drag you into delicious sins of the flesh…

Demon Lovers is a fresh new collection of seductive, frightening, hilarious, adventurous, sumptuous, thrilling stories of succubae and incubi from today’s hottest and most exciting authors in paranormal erotica!

A girl with something extra finds her match in a mysterious carnival jack; in Victorian London, a celebrated singer with a secret plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a lover; girl sleuths at a finishing school must solve a series of deadly seductions before they are the next to succumb; a female UPS driver discovers that the most unlikely of prospects can lead to an unforgettable erotic encounter; to gain an ancient treasure lost to the Arabian Desert, a roguish archeologist in 1927 must gamble on surviving a seductive Moroccan she-demon! You can find these and many more hot paranormal tales in Demon Lovers!

 

Day 12 – Research

Yikes, I was so busy a: taking care of kittens (okay, playing with them); b: putting Advantage and new collars/tags on our resident felines (got all but one of ’em!); and c: researching and writing on FIXATION last night that I totally forgot to put up a post for this morning!  And I don’t have any cute pictures on hand to toss up and caption so I’ll have to actually have… gasp… CONTENT.

Which brings me to the research portion of my c: category up there.

I’ve never been huge on preemptive research for my projects.  If I need to find out something specific, sure, I’ll grab a book or use Google and figure out what I need on the spot.  I’ve written a lot about what I know (places, subjects, clothes, food, zombies) and didn’t really need a lot of help getting going on stories or novels. I find the more I write, however, the more I’ve been relying on research to lend credibility to even the most fantastical plot elements (zombies, shamans, were-jaguars, flu vaccines gone REALLY wrong, and just how would the military deal with a zombie outbreak?) on one of my current projects, I’ve been using it to help spark ideas to expand a short story into a book.

FIXATION was originally a short story for the Ravenous Romance anthology FANGBANGERS (I’ll let you figure the title out) about a girl with psychic powers who encounters a shape-shifting jaguar shaman trapped at a place loosely based on the Exotic Feline Breeding Facility, where I’ve volunteered for over twelve years to varying degrees. I did a little research for the story on Meso-American cultures, trying to figure out where would be the best place to have my shaman originate, what culture I wanted to use as the historical starting point and inspiration for names/gods/goddesses/type of magic … stuff like that.  I spent about an hour trolling the web and our home library for what I needed.  And then the story pretty much wrote itself.

The book, however, has been proving more problematic because my writing muscles over the last few months have not been exercised as much as they’d been the previous three years.  For a number of reasons to be found in my blog archives, I pretty much took a break from writing with the exception of re-reading my first Ashley Parker (formerly Ashley Drake) novel with an eye towards revising for its paperback re-release with Titan Books.  So my brain has been very reluctant to get back with the program as far as coming up with fresh ideas.  I could make a bad joke about not needing fresh ideas for a zombie novel, but I’ll just let that one sit and rot.  HAH!

ANYway, a friend of mine (thank you, Maureen!) loaned me a bunch of books on South and Central American culture, shamans, spirit animals.  I’m halfway through JAGUAR (about Alan Rabinowitz, the man who established the world’s first jaguar preserve in Belize) and it’s fascinating, heart-breaking, and the most random bits have sparked ideas and filled in huge gaping plot holes.  The actual writing is still coming very slowly compared to my previous speed (I am a word count whore, okay?  I admit it!), but it’s coming and I’m putting the time in.

All in all my attitude towards research has changed and I’m no longer looking at it as taking away from my writing but rather a part of the process as a whole.  Of course, I have to watch that I don’t use it as an excuse to not put the time in on the actual writing and acquisition of precious word count.   I’m great at rationalizing and I do love to read.  As with many other things in life it’s all about balance.  And word count. And kittens. 

Two Book Related Announcements!

First of all, I’m happy to announce that today’s Ravenous Romance release is I KISSED A GIRL, Volume II.  My alter ego Inara LaVey’s short story Queen of Swords is included, along with a story by Inara’s honey Kilt Kilpatrick.  In the words of our wonderful editor Regina Perry:  

 I Kissed a Girl, Volume II: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology

 

Our readers asked for it, and now I’m pleased to present Volume II of first-time lesbian encounters inspired by Katy Perry’s hit song. Seven returning authors continue to arouse, plus six new authors will not disappoint.

This diverse collection travels the globe and the ages. No two settings or circumstances are alike, proving that women from every walk of life and culture are curious and eager to explore their full sexuality. You will be titillated, tantalized and enamored as you journey to Australia, where two long-time friends discover more than friendship; fly to Hawaii, for a language lesson interrupted; stop in Costa Rica, for a massage in a tree house; travel north to Alaska, where strangers connect; across Canada, to discover how co-workers release tension; over the Atlantic to the United Kingdom, where a concert is more than guitars strumming; close your eyes to wander into a mythical kingdom, where women take charge; voyage to historical Italy, to discover things are not always what they seem; then jet back to the heat of Miami, and be entranced by a goddess; before exploring the rest of the USA to discover: two mothers considering new interests as toddlers sleep; a boyfriend’s ex, who has more to offer than contention; what goes on behind the scenes might be more engrossing than the theatre; and a ghost, full of surprises in a mountain inn.

Join me as we trot the globe and enjoy out-of-this-world experiences. Please come.

 My second announcement is the release of the book trailer for What Women Really Want in Bed,co-written by myself and Cynthia Gentry.

Check it out here!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivq-vAW4YNQ

 Thank you, Bay Area Pictures, for a stellar job!

 

New Book Out Tomorrow!

That’s right!  After months of writing, whining and waiting, A Plague on All Houses, the first in my zombie hunter series, is coming out as an eBook with Ravenous Romance!  It will eventually be coming out in paperback with …  er … well, hopefully I’ll be able to let that particular cat out of the bag this week.

What I can share right now are the wonderful blurbs by some of my favorite authors.  Thanks right off the bat to each and every one for taking the time to read and comment on Plague.  I have first hand experience on just how challenging it can be to find the time to read someone else’s work when you’re in the middle of your own writing deadline hell, so I am truly honored and touched.  The list isn’t complete yet either. 🙂  Anticipation for more blurby goodness …  yes-s-s-s-s, my precious-s-s-s-s…

Ahem. 

The blurbs:

“A PLAGUE ON ALL YOUR HOUSES is sexy, weird, creepy, over-the-top zombie goodness. Required reading for the deranged.” Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of PATIENT ZERO and MARVEL ZOMBIES RETURN

 Spooks, scaries, and zombies, oh my! Treat yourself to Dana Fredsti’s A Plague on all Houses, a zombie romance (don’t worry, romance between humans, no one losing body parts in the midst of–romance!) Chills and thrills for that season when you’re looking for–chills and thrills!

Heather Graham, author of Hallowed Ground & The Flynn Brothers Trilogy

 

 Dana Fredsti has created a world as familiar as our own back yard and populated it with recognizable people we care about … and zombies. But this isn’t just another zombie novel. It spans a spectrum of emotion and action that sets it above the rest. A PLAGUE ON ALL YOUR HOUSES will have you turning pages fast … and checking the locks on all the doors.
Ray Garton
, author of LIVE GIRLS and SEX AND VIOLENCE IN HOLLYWOOD


“As adorable an end of the world as you’re liable to get, Fredsti’s A PLAGUE ON ALL HOUSES is brisk, witty ultraviolent romantic gurlventure, full of zombie gore and pop culture know-how. It is, in a word, a hoot.”

Gina McQueen, author of OPPOSITE SEX and APOCALYPSE AS FOREPLAY


“Dana Fredsti’s ragtag band of movie-quoting Wild Cards makes A PLAGUE ON ALL HOUSES a delicious gore-filled zombie treat. Fredsti’s writing is razor sharp as her heroes fight off the horde while fighting their attraction for each other. Who will win? Ashley and Gabriel or the Undead outside their door?”
 

Stacey Graham – author of The Zombie Dating Guide [zombiedatingguide.com] and contributor in the anthologies Hungry For Your Love and The Undead That Saved Christmas.

“The Plague on All Houses  is a fast-moving zombie tale that reads like a blast of energy.  If you like zombie apocalypse stories, this is a must read!”

             

    — Lois GreshNew York Times Best-Selling Author of BLOOD AND ICE and ELDRITCH EVOLUTIONS

 

 Psst… for those of you not in the know, Gina McQueen is rumored to be the female pen name for noted horror author John Skipp, a zombie aficionado in his own right.  But it’s just a rumor.  Right? 

And just so you know what you’re getting into with this book (written under my own name instead of my erotic romance pen name Inara LaVey):

Ashley Drake is just a pretty northern California co-ed with a love/hate crush on the strong-jawed, golden-haired Gabriel, her frustratingly handsome T.A.  But neither are what they appear to be. In the space of one day the world has gone topsy-turvy. A viral outbreak is bringing the dead to life. Ashley discovers strength and abilities she never dreamed she had when she becomes drawn into the struggle against the walking dead as part of an elite zombie hunting unit. Her new squad leader? Gabriel, who is shouldering more than a few secrets of his own.  Between fighting with zombies and fighting with Gabriel, Ashley is about to learn the true meaning of drop-dead gorgeous. (A Plague on All Houses) is BUFFY meets THE WALKING DEAD with the sexiest zombie hunters alive – or undead…

 

Hungry for your Love


Ah, how I love zombies… How DO I love thee, rotting, shambling, flesh-devouring corpses? Let me count the ways!

Er…

Lots!

So I’m delighted to announce that Ravenous Romance’s ground-breaking zombie romance anthology, edited by Lori Perkins, is now available in paperback from St. Martin’s Press! I’m holding a copy in my hands (okay, I’m staring at it ’cause typing with a book in one’s hands is difficult) and it’s truly a thing of grim beauty…and chock full of zombie goodness from such authors as Kilt Kilpatrick, Gina McQueen (John Skipp in a dress), Lois Gresh, Stacy Graham, Brian Keene, Jan Kozlowski, Vanessa Vaughn, Jeanine McAdam, and more! 

Not trying to be all Gilligan’s Island with ‘the movie star … and the rest!’ before they gave Professor and Mary Ann credit  here…but go to the link and check out all the wonderful authors for yourself!  

Available at Amazon and (I hope) bookstores near you!

Fang Bangers Released Today!

Hot off the presses from Ravenous Romance!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

FANG BANGERS collects 14 hot stories of fanged and clawed love and lust – Vampires loving shape shifters, werewolves lusting for fairies and every creature imaginable with the girl next door!It’s a collection of the ultimate taboos.

Erotic super star Cecilia Tan gives us some Vampire BDSM, New York Times best-selling author Lois Gresh gives us a clawed creature of unique proportions and propensities, and Gina McQueen (New York Times best-selling author John Skipp in drag) shows us some new werewolf tricks.

And more importantly from my perspective, my alter ego Inara LaVey and her boyfriend Kilt Kilpatrick both have stories in Fang Bangers as well, along with our friend Rebecca Leigh!  Click on the book cover for more information! 

Just to get back in the habit…

As my friends and family know, I’ve been buried in work the last few months. Work work and writing work.  I’ve been plowing through the WiP That Wouldn’t Die and have watched two self-imposed deadlines pass by at a speed that’s frightening.  My only social life has been Thursday night wine tastings at Vin Debut and the occasional quick hello to friends, the social equivalent of hit and runs.  And I’m STILL not done with the WiP.  Oh, I can see the light at the end of the zombie-infested tunnel … but there is still work to be completed. 

In August, however, I plan on being back in the blogging habit. Not only here at the Den, but the bi-weekly Ravenous Wednesdays on UnBound, my Monday posts at Fatal Foodies and my bi-weekly Sunday posts on Make Mine Mystery (if the latter two haven’t replaced me in disgust by now). 

I’m hoping to have good news to share in a few weeks, but in the meantime… I write.  I walk on the beach. I play with kitties… and I write some more.  

I miss you, world!!!  See ya soon!

 

Champagne available in Paperback!

That’s right!  Our sexy-torso endowed garden gnome (you KNOW it looks like a garden gnome with the castle turret right there) is now available in paperback here.  Champagne is a book I’m especially proud of because it really pushed my limits and comfort zone as a writer to create a story with a: no mystery, and b: no zombies.   🙂

Product Description

“Well-written with Ms. LaVey’s usual flair for humor, sex and fun, Champagne is a wild ride through France. Ms. LaVey has a way with words and humor; she never fails to leave a smile on my face.” –Bookwenches (4 stars)

 

“Champagne by Inara LaVey is a witty, fun, informational and erotic adventure through France’s wine country. I look forward to reading more work from this talented author.” –Dark Divas (4 “delightful divas”)

 

Jeanette Wilson is an American girl on the trip of a lifetime to the wine regions of France. Unfortunately, she’s trapped with her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Daryl, a self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing, self-styled wine expert bent on swirling, sniffing, sipping, swishing, chewing, swallowing and occasionally spitting his way through the wineries. Between his endless lectures and insufferable putdowns, her insignificant other is quickly turning her dream vacation into a nightmare. But things change for Jeanette once they come to the zenith of their French road trip, the Champagne house of Chateau Roux-Dubois. Their hosts, Amaury and Marie-Elise Roux-Dubois, turn out to be both charming and attractive, and go out of their way to extend a warm welcome to her. And they make it very clear that it is she, not Daryl, who is their special guest, particularly when the striking Marie-Elise takes Jeanette down to the wine cellar for a very personal tour, followed by an unusual French lesson from Amaury. When she and Daryl are invited to stay and participate in the harvest festival, Jeanette finds herself caught up in a ménage a trois with the Roux-Dubois, both intent on teaching her many things…and not just about wine.