Reading Until Dawn Featured Author: E.D. Walker

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE... 
of the Reading Until Dawn Con author features here at Alpha Heroes.  

The features continue! As a Featured Blogger (ahem) for the Reading Until Dawn conference, it is my pleasure and my sacred responsibility to showcase the delightful authors that will be hanging out and playing embarrassing SUPER FUN AND AWESOME games with us in October.  We're not doing panels.  We're not doing pitches. We're seriously not doing serious. We WILL be doing games.

If you've read Alpha Heroes for very long, you know I'm not too into author interviews. I'm not very good at them, to be honest. So just pretend this is a game instead of an interview.  I gave my authors a Mad Libs^TM style questionnaire, and here are the results!  (note: truthiness is optional... these are fiction writers after all!)

Please welcome E.D. Walker, author of The Beauty’s Beast fantasy romance series of fairy tale retellings.

The Reading Until Dawn Con is different from typical fan conferences in that it will feature tons of games.  So here are my game-themed questions (truthiness is optional).  

1. No one ever beats me at the game of __Jenga____. (My husband kicks my butt at Scrabble EVERY TIME, but I dominate when we play Jenga.) 

2. Please fill in these blanks: "When I was a kid, and they were picking teams for sportball, I was usually:
a) picked right away
b) not picked right away (to put it mildly)
c) one of the captains   Later in life, I found myself __despising sportball__, and I think it was all because of how the sportball teams were picked.  I so feel you there.

3. The most embarrassing/hilarious game I ever participated in was _dirty Scrabble _.  Everyone was laughing at _...just how many dirty words we could think of.   We ARE going to do this at RUD Con, right? Right. Let's make it happen.   

4. In an alternate universe, I am George R. R. Martin, only my fabulously successful 700-page epic book is titled "Game of _Scones_." it is about _a baking shop_  Mmmmm, scones.  

5. Once,  __my best friend__ suggested that we __go clubbing on a Monday night__, and I could only respond, GAME. ON.  Then what happened? Shockingly, there are very few places to get your dance on on a Monday night. Go figure. I'm pretty sure the last time I tried this, Al Gore wasn't done inventing the internet, and the hottest dance tune in the place was this. Not in a nostalgic way.

6. Would you like to play the 5-words game? Sure. Yay!

The 5-words game rules:

The inimitable Aaron Ritchey challenges you to use the following 5 words in a piece of flash fiction, as long or short as you wish. Don't overthink it :-)

Then, give 5 words for the next victim, er, interviewee to use.  They will have the option to build on your piece or do a stand-alone.
Your words are: lush, ball-bearings, plunge, caterwaul, uvula Meet Belle, P1 from Roselynn Cannes
And THEN this happened, P2 from Katee Robert
The latest installment, P3 from Aaron Ritchey

And now, Part 4:

Belle brushed past Guztavus and hurried down the street, hoping he would get the hint.

Instead he plunged after her into the street. "Where are you off to, ma Belle?" Gustavus let out a loud laugh, clearly pleased with his own cleverness. His mouth opened so wide she could see his uvula swinging at the back of his throat.

Belle restrained a low growl of annoyance. Unassuming maidens did not growl. Unassuming maidens also did not rip people's throats out. More's the pity. "I have an appointment, ah, at the church. Please, don't let me keep you from your shopping."

"Nonsense." He tossed a Clementine from one hand to the other. "I'll walk with you. It's a fine day to walk with a fine lady."

Lord spare me from the wit of Gustavus. But, seeing no graceful way out, she continued walking with him down the street. Her heart thumped with tension with each step they took together, and she glanced around, waiting to catch that ringing sound again. Maybe she'd heard wrong, maybe they hadn't found her, after all.

But, even as she had the hopeful thought, she caught the sound again, a bright ringing of soft bells. The sound should be cheerful, but it only made her stomach lump with dread. She picked her pace up again. A skittering started down the street with a flash of something that caught the sun-- a mass of small, shining ball-bearings rolling toward her. "Gustavus, look ou--"

With a flash, the ball bearings exploded around her, cutting her skin and blinding her with light. Gustavus barreled into her, knocking the two of them down to the hard pavement together. He was howling with pain or fear, a regular caterwaul of sound that grated on her nerve endings. Belle shoved at his shoulder to get him off her while he whimpered in a ball on the street.

Her clothes were torn and she bled from many cuts, but one of the few virtues of her…predicament was an accelerated healing factor. She took off at a run. Maybe there was still time, maybe she could make it to the willow--

Someone slammed into her from the side, slamming her against the wall of the nearest building. She thrashed to throw her attacker off, but he only let out a deep, warm laugh. "Now, now. I just wanted to chat."

She froze, arrested by the rich baritone of his voice. The fiend had deep blue eyes, a chiseled chin like granite from the local quarry, and the fullest, lushest, most kissable lips she'd ever seen.

"You're a very difficult woman to catch up with you know." The stranger smiled as he said it, and her heart sped a little at the sight.

She let her body melt against the wall and he instinctively relaxed his grip on her. "Is that so?"

He smiled again, pleased and smug about her compliance.

That was when she bit him.

Go Belle!  I have to admit it, I love these stories!

A bit more information about the author:
E.D. Walker (a.k.a. Beth Matthews) is a Southern California girl, born and raised. She’s a total geek, a movie buff, and a mediocre swing dancer. She lives in sunny SoCal with her husband and two of the neediest housecats on the planet.

Links:
Website: http://edwalkerbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iambethmatthews
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/E-D-Walker/128616687160916

=====================================

Are you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con? 

If not, why not?! Join us for fun, games, snacks and possibly pants-optional dancing.  

Register here, and see you there!

Be sure to keep up with all things Reading Until Dawn, by following it via your own personal social media drug of choice: Facebook |Twitter | Google+ | Up All Night Reading Challenge | Pinterest | Tumblr | RSVP at the Facebook Event.

Sunday Soup, August 30

In The Soup This Week... Katrina, book lists, gas ranges, and some so-so reading...

Soup Dish:  on my mind
✽Hurricane Katrina was ten years ago yesterday. I just have no words for the sadness at the destruction and loss.

✽I'll read anything Loretta Chase writes, including any kind of interview or op-ed piece like this one.

✽There are so many lists published about what to read, it's hard to find one that resonates.  I have a pretty good idea of how much work it takes to put together a post like this one at Under the Covers book blog (note to self, this post is much better on the site than in your feed reader) and my hat is off to the folks that compiled it.  But I am actually pretty partial to this one, curated by the inimitable KatieBabs.  Ten is a number I can wrap my head around, and once I peel off a few that aren't my thing, I could conceivable make a pretty good dent in this one.

✽Randomly:  I'm in the market for a new gas range. I need a 30" width, and a dual oven is a very nice option, though i guess not 100% required.  Consumer reports gives me contradicting information, with reviews of some pretty bad experiences all over their top recommendations.  Meh. I have internet-review-induced paralysis.  Anyone have one they love?

What I'm reading
✽I downloaded a Violet Duke title, Resisting the Bad Boy, based on a special price promotion, and I've seen some buzz about the author. I liked the story fairly well but I did not realize that it wasn't an HEA book, but the first in a trilogy (or possibly more).  I'm further turned off by the fact that the next book pits the hero of the first book's brother against him in a love triangle, so I'm out. No issues with the writing or characters, but I guess I'm traditional enough in my genre formula that I don't want to read this kind of book.  It's still a freebie on Amazon though, so if you want to give it a try, now is the time.

✽I found myself starting another short story this week, an oldie from Kim Harrison in the Holidays Are Hell anthology.  Haven't finished it yet, but I likely will in the next day or two.

✽I'm still grudgingly making progress on the Regency I've mentioned, which I'll go ahead and name: it's I Loved A Rogue, from Katharine Ashe's Prince Catcher series. This is my first title from Ashe, and I have to say I expected better.  I can't quite put my finger on what is dragging me down on this one, but it looks like I'll finish it, so maybe I'll have a perspective on it at that point.

Sunday Soup - August 22

In The Soup This Week... Gaiman and Ishiguru, John Scalzi, Ilona Andrews and more...

Soup Dish:  on my mind
✽ One of the best articles on genre I've ever read: Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro : Let's Talk About Genre.  Ishiguro is not an author I typically read, but the book that prompted this discussion, The Buried Giant, just went to the top of my "acquire and read" list.  There's so much good material in this article, I could pull quotes from it all day long, but this one is probably my favorite, from Ishiguro:

I don’t have a problem, necessarily, about reading for improvement. I often choose a book because I think I’m going to enjoy it, but I think also it’s going to improve me in some sense. But when you ask yourself, “Is this going to improve me?” what are you really asking? I think I probably do turn to books for some sort of spiritual and intellectual nourishment: I think I’m going to learn something about the world, about people. But if by “improving”, we mean it would help me go up the class ladder, then it’s not what reading and writing should be about.

✽A major highlight this week was seeing John Scalzi speak.  I recently (about a year ago) made a move to work for Microsoft in Redmond, and the company hosted a private session.  Scalzi spoke about the similarities between science fiction and high tech work - which incidentally, Ishiguro also brings up in the article above.  A little personal synchronicity, perhaps.  Scalzi also spoke about his choices to speak up about inclusivity and I've got to tell you, I could not like this guy more.  On a lighter note, I have to say that one big highlight was an impromptu Shatner impersonation. 

✽A couple of book-ish blog post that caught my attention this week:

• Phyl (one of my most ancient online friendships!) on the Hardcopied challenge. Which  a topic that interests me quite a bit.  I might check out the next challenge round.
• I always enjoy Pamela's posts, and her latest is no different. In depth, thoughtful, no spoilers but an enticing description of In Wilderness, by Diane Thomas.
• I really liked Francesca's musing on the evolution of her reading taste, over at Under The Covers book blog.

What I'm reading
✽I still have the paranormal and the Regency in progress that I mentioned last week.  Their likelihood of becoming a DNF is growing. I've also got one for review that I really can't DNF that I really want to. #reviewerproblems

✽When you get stuck like that, the best thing to do is to pick up a sure thing. Ilona Andrews just released the latest in the Kate Daniels series and that would fit the bill perfectly. When I went to buy it though, I realized that I hadn't picked up the previous one yet, so Magic Breaks was my choice. The great thing about that is, as soon as I finish the review book and the review, I am going to reward myself with Magic Shifts. I should add that I dearly loved the short story with Julie as the main character at the end, and I am looking forward to more!


✽From the RT14 thumbdrive, I read The Sixth Lover, by Alice Gaines, which was quite good. If you have a fondness for Victorian erotica (authentic or "in the style of"), you'll enjoy this piece. It has much of the style of that genre, but without the non-con aspect and with enough of a plot and emotional content to remain engaging beyond the erotic scenes.

✽Ever since I did the Antholopalooza years ago, I stay on the watch for inexpensive print anthologies.  I keep one in my car at all times for time-killing emergencies.  Recently I found The Other Side, anchored by JD Robb, for a dollar at Half Price Books.  I needed something to read but didn't want to start a full novel, so I read The Other Side of the Coin by Mary Blayney, a new-to-me author. It was a short story about a Regency couple who swapped bodies, courtesy of a mysterious coin, a la Freaky Friday. Not bad, but it didn't blow me away.  Cute premise, a nice emotional wrap-up, but an awful lot of internal narrative "telling."

Flash Fiction Special Feature!

When I see this author at the Reading Until Dawn Conference, I'm going in for the full-contact hug (you've been warned, Mr. Ritchey!)  He gave me a chapter for BOTH #TeamBelle AND #TeamCandy!  That's some serious commitment right there.

For all the author-profile-ish low-down on Ritchey, hopefully you saw yesterday's post.  Today, we're following up the adventures of Candy, whose world just keeps getting weirder.


You can find Candy's backstory at these links:

Part 1 from Selena Laurence,
Part 2 from Chelsea O'Neal
Part 3 from Holley Trent
Part 4 from Seleste DeLaney  

And the challenge words from Candace Blackburn are:  drift, segment, ribbed, slick and clementine. 

P5 (and all that jive):

Mr. Tall, Dark, and Criminal didn’t respond. He was focused on her finger which was swelling up like a segment of a clementine. So much for golden-eyed men being able to multi-task.

He squeezed the lube onto her finger, slickening the dodecahedronical diamond ring. He tugged, but it wouldn’t come off. She felt it tighten even more. Her arousal had taken a train to Gone-ville and panic had flown in on a red-eye from Cleveland.

He moved away, agile for such a large man. Candy clutched at the ring and tried as hard as she could to pull it off. Both the pain and the frustration made her scream.

Returning to her, the man held a book—well, not just any kind of book, but an ancient leather weather-stained tome. He flipped open to a page, muttered three words, and the ring fell from her finger. Only the ring didn’t fall. It drifted to the floor. She expected to hear it clatter on the stone, but instead, it remained, floating.

Candy watched it, speechless. She wanted to say something flippant, or rib her savior, but all she could do was stand, stunned, as the ring floated above the stone.

“A mine shaft, yes,” the man said. His voice, his presence, brought her back, and she found herself staring into those mesmerizing eyes.

“We of the A’hem search for what was lost but must be found. Just as I found you, you will find your love for me.” He paused. “Princess.”

“You of the A’hem. Not me.” She made a face. “Princess? No, I’m a lot of things, stripper, poet, pastry chef, Mensa member, but I am not a princess.”

“But you are.” He took her hand and rubbed the soreness from her finger. “Lost royalty. And I swore an oath to your real father, before he died, to save you.”

“Which means Jace is a prince?” She made another face.

“A fallen prince, yes. He gave you the dodecahedronical ring for a reason. Not to marry you, but to kill you, so he could reign supreme. You see, the A’hem are without king, without queen, and the war with the Nah still rages in worlds unseen by mortals.”

She expected him to smirk. He didn’t.

Breathless, she looked down at the ring, still floating. “You know, I finally realize what that ring looks like. In high school, I played way too much Dungeons and Dragons. That’s a twelve-sided die.”

Candy signed. “Tell me more about the Nah, and the…” she cleared her throat… “A’hem.”

“Funny.” For the first time, Tall, Dark and Prophetic smiled.

A'hem. Nah. And he got my D&D die reference (yes, I donated the first 5 words). I'm having a moment here.

Alright then.  If THAT doesn't make you want to come to the Reading Until Dawn Con, I'm not sure we want you there.

If you'd like to see more of Ritchey's work, you know the drill: check the website, then head for Amazon or the retailer of your choice.

If you'd like to influence the next authors, vote for #TeamCandy or #TeamBelle, either on Twitter or here in comments!

=====================================

Are you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con? 

If not, why not?! Join us for fun, games, snacks and possibly pants-optional dancing.  

Register here, and see you there!

Be sure to keep up with all things Reading Until Dawn, by following it via your own personal social media drug of choice: Facebook |Twitter | Google+ | Up All Night Reading Challenge | Pinterest | Tumblr | RSVP at the Facebook Event.

Reading Until Dawn Featured Author: Aaron Ritchey

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE... 
of the Reading Until Dawn Con author features here at Alpha Heroes.  

Some bloggers could probably manage to keep a very even cadence of author profiles, reliably posting on certain days of the week, consistently and regularly like a drumbeat.

So, yeah, that's not this blogger.  As you may have surmised.  Around here, we like things a little more unpredictable.  A little more spontaneous.  A little less formal.  We had a bit of a break, but there's a nice roster of fantastic authors lining up to play with us here at Alpha Heroes.  We'll be publishing these features as they come in, as various schedules allow, so keep an eye out in your feed and check in regularly!

As a Featured Blogger (ahem) for the Reading Until Dawn conference, it is my pleasure and my sacred responsibility to showcase the delightful authors that will be hanging out and playing embarrassing SUPER FUN AND AWESOME games with us in October.  We're not doing panels.  We're not doing pitches. We're seriously not doing serious. We WILL be doing games.

If you've read Alpha Heroes for very long, you know I'm not too into author interviews. I'm not very good at them, to be honest. So just pretend this is a game instead of an interview.  I gave my authors a Mad Libs^TM style questionnaire, and here are the results!  (note: truthiness is optional... these are fiction writers after all!)

Please welcome Aaron M. Ritchey, self-described gamma hero (what exactly does that MEAN?) and sushi lover.  I stole this from his "About Me" page, and I defy you to read it and NOT want to come party with this guy:

When anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer was the same: a writer.  On the first day of kindergarten, when I figured out they weren’t going to teach me to read that first hour, I packed up my stuff and walked home.  Cut school on the first day of kindergarten.  That’s how I roll.

Come on now. You know you want to.

The Reading Until Dawn Con is different from typical fan conferences in that it will feature tons of games.  So here are my game-themed questions (truthiness is optional).  

1. No one ever beats me at the game of __Murder. Murder most foul.____.  I, uh, that's like a role-play thing, right? 

2. Please fill in these blanks: "When I was a kid, and they were picking teams for sportball, I was usually:
a) picked right away
b) not picked right away (Never picked. Always spurned. Why, God, why?)
c) one of the captains   Later in life, I found myself __typing “Murder Most Foul” for alphaheroes.net , which I swear was meant to be funny…or was it? __, and I think it was all because of how the sportball teams were picked. Oh yes! SUPER-funny!    

3. The most embarrassing/hilarious game I ever participated in was _underwater naked monopoly _.  Everyone was laughing at _...Laughter? There was no laughter. When I play underwater naked monopoly, I play for keeps. It’s the most dangerous of games.   I see.  Was I laughing? I didn't mean to laugh. I would never laugh.   

4. In an alternate universe, I am George R. R. Martin, only my fabulously successful 700-page epic book is titled "Game of _Self-Pity_." it is about _The lives of several writers, all living a long, long time._  Well.  That sounds... long.  Franzen-esque, perhaps even.  

5. Once,  Mario Acevedo suggested that we take over Uraguay and rule the peoples as benevolent dictators during the day and poet kings at night, and I could only respond, GAME. ON.  Then what happened? All was going well until Mario was bit by a bat and turned into a vampire. I woke up to find him drinking my blood via the heel of my left foot. I shooed him away, and he took off on a motor scooter screaming, “I am THE Felix Gomez! I live! I live!” Right.  I... I've got nothing.

6. Would you like to play the 5-words game? HIT ME!  OK, well there's no need for violence.

The 5-words game rules:

The lovely Candace Blackburn challenges you to use the following 5 words in a piece of flash fiction, as long or short as you wish. Don't overthink it :-)

Then, give 5 words for the next victim, er, interviewee to use.  They will have the option to build on your piece or do a stand-alone.

Your words are:  _drift, segment, ribbed, slick and clementine._

  
Meet Belle, P1 from Roselynn Cannes
And THEN this happened, P2 from Katee Robert

P3:

“Going somewhere in a hurry?”

Belle’s heart fell to her ankles. Not today, please, not today. She hurried on, hoping to appear she hadn’t heard him. Maybe, this time, he wouldn’t harass her. No such luck.

Gustavus LeGume drifted over to her, then matched her pace. His long legs fell in tromping boots. His hair didn’t move, too slicked, too black, too shiny--freshly washed and even more freshly combed. He whirled in front of her, stopping her march.

“You are such a strange girl, Belle, and yet, I am inexplicably drawn to you. Would you like some of my forbidden fruit?”

She wanted to growl. Actually, she wanted to bite.

He shoved a segment of an orange fruit into her face. “It is a ribbed clementine. For your pleasure.”

Her first instinct was to slap the fruit away, punch him in the face, and run. Yet, she had to remain the unassuming maiden everyone expected her to be, however different she was. Any attention she drew to herself might be dangerous.

Belle sighed and said, “Oh Gustavus, I wish I could, but of course, since I’m an unassuming maiden, I must always be limiting what I eat. For after all, a comely face requires a trim figure.”

“Of course.” His knowing nod made her want to rip the lungs from his chest, fill them up with air, and parade the grisly balloons around as an example to others. Where did such thoughts come from? She knew. All too well.

She had to get away from Gustavus and get to the willow by the church as quickly and as demurely as possible. One thing about her monthly escapades—she didn’t have to be so horrifying demure. She could horrifying in other ways. 

Wow.  Kind of hilarious, kind of grisly.... I think I like love it.  *giggles* LeGume. heheheh.

If you'd like to see more of Ritchey's work, you know the drill: check the website, then head for Amazon or the retailer of your choice.

Come back tomorrow to see what he does with Candy...  That's right, we have a two-fer from this author.  Can't wait!

=====================================

Are you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con? 

If not, why not?! Join us for fun, games, snacks and possibly pants-optional dancing.  

Register here, and see you there!

Be sure to keep up with all things Reading Until Dawn, by following it via your own personal social media drug of choice: Facebook |Twitter | Google+ | Up All Night Reading Challenge | Pinterest | Tumblr | RSVP at the Facebook Event.

Let The Games Begin!

One of the main goals of Reading Until Dawn Con is to give our readers a chance to get silly and have fun with our authors. We've got a full schedule of games planned for October... but we thought it would be great to get the party started a little early. That's right... some of us Featured Authors and Bloggers are getting a head start on the fun times and hosting a SCAVENGER HUNT!

Authors and bloggers will be posting their logo/game graphics from August 17th through the 21st, and Reading Until Dawn Con will accept entry emails through August 25th. Since the Scavenger Hunt IS a game, there has to be a prize, right?? One grand prize winner will win DINNER WITH OUR EMCEE, DARYNDA JONES at Reading Until Dawn Con!! That's right, just you and Darynda, chilling out and chatting over a meal, our treat. We'll also have four runner up winners, who'll each receive special book and swag packs from a few of the Featured Authors.

So... who's ready to start playing?? If you haven't registered for Reading Until Dawn Con, now's the time to get that done, so you're ready to enter to win a meal with Darynda! Good luck, everyone... and happy hunting!

Scavenger Hunt Details:

There are twenty (20) logo/game graphics hidden on 20 of the feature author and bloggers websites. A schedule is posted at Reading Until Dawn Con, so you can see who will have their graphic up on which dates. All you have to do to play, is check out the website and/or blog posts of each of the authors or bloggers on their scheduled date. Keep track of who has which graphic, then once you have all 20, just email your list, along with the name/address you used when you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con, to ReadingUntilDawnCon @gmail.com.  For Alpha Heroes, use the name of the game in the graphic below:

=====================================================================

Are you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con this October in Denver, Colorado? If not, why not?! Join us for fun, games, snacks and possibly pants-optional dancing.

REGISTRATION is now open! Come party with the authors who keep you up all night.

Be sure to keep up with all things Reading Until Dawn, by following it via your own personal social media drug of choice: Facebook |Twitter | Google+ | Up All Night Reading Challenge | Pinterest | Tumblr | RSVP at the Facebook Event.

Sunday Soup - August 16

In The Soup This Week... Adrianna Dane, Candace Blackburn

Soup Dish:  on my mind
✽I don't have much in the way of interesting links for the Soup this week.  Lately I've been sort of an island in the stream (you're welcome for that earworm, if you're of a certain age) of social media.  I'm seeing a lot of it go by, having a look at what's interesting, but it's mostly washing on by without sticking with me too well.  Partly this is because the system I had for marking and remembering links is under reconstruction, as I'm finding that my Evernote extensions aren't working quite right in the latest round of browser updates and changes.

✽Our family spent the afternoon yesterday at the local Renaissance Faire, eating faire food (which is a little, but not entirely, different from fair food), drinking sarsaparilla soda, and perusing wares with all manner of anachronistic aspirations.  Flower crowns, weaponry, costumery, jewelry, soaps and oils, textiles, blacksmithed items -- I really enjoy this sort of shopping, and it's a welcome relief to me from the malls where everything looks exactly like everything in every other mall.  My younger daughter was obsessed this year with obtaining a paper parasol, and my older one brought home a cake of divine-smelling orange and clove soap. This is a favorite summer tradition, and our local weather yesterday made it one of the most enjoyable visits ever (usually it's way too hot for comfort).

What I'm reading
✽Following up on the Candace Blackburn feature last week, I picked up Return of the Lycan King, the first in a trilogy. Although I found it a little slow in places, I think it's a pretty good start to a new series, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.  The attraction between the h/h both emotionally and physically is strong and convincing, and to me, that's the most important part of a romance.

✽Digging into my RT14 thumbdrive backlog, I read Delicious Sinn, by Adrianna Dane. Short m/m erotica with some oh so angsty character development. I liked the backstory between the characters, and I really liked how Will went about seducing Sinn. I don't read a ton of m/m, but I liked that the voicing read quite masculine to me, for whatever my opinion on that is worth. I skimmed a little of the internal narrative (so much angst) but overall I'd recommend.

✽I have a couple of other books in progress, one regency and one paranormal, neither of which is working really well for me. I might take a break and re-read the 2nd Jacqueline Carey Kushiel book, or maybe Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. Someone tweeted about their re-read the other day and it planted that little tickle in my reading id.

Reading Until Dawn Featured Author: Candace Blackburn

WAVE 2 IS HERE... of the Reading Until Dawn Con author features here at Alpha Heroes.  

Some bloggers could probably manage to keep a very even cadence of author profiles, reliably posting on certain days of the week, consistently and regularly like a drumbeat.

So, yeah, that's not this blogger.  As you may have surmised.  Around here, we like things a little more unpredictable.  A little more spontaneous.  A little less formal.  We had a bit of a break, but there's a nice roster of fantastic authors lining up to play with us here at Alpha Heroes.  We'll be publishing these features as they come in, as various schedules allow, so keep an eye out in your feed and check in regularly!

As a Featured Blogger (ahem) for the Reading Until Dawn conference, it is my pleasure and my sacred responsibility to showcase the delightful authors that will be hanging out and playing embarrassing SUPER FUN AND AWESOME games with us in October.  We're not doing panels.  We're not doing pitches. We're seriously not doing serious. We WILL be doing games.

If you've read Alpha Heroes for very long, you know I'm not too into author interviews. I'm not very good at them, to be honest. So just pretend this is a game instead of an interview.  I gave my authors a Mad Libs^TM style questionnaire, and here are the results!  (note: truthiness is optional... these are fiction writers after all!)

Please welcome Candace Blackburn, author of the seriously sexy Lycan King trilogy.  Well Candace, let's get right to it!


1. No one ever beats me at the game of _ beer pong.  Bring it!__

2. Please fill in these blanks:
"When I was a kid, and they were picking teams for sportball, I was usually:
a) picked right away
b) not picked right away
c) one of the captains

B.  Clearly, my 4'11" height intimidated everyone.  (As it should have).

Later in life, I found myself _ ruling all games, all the time, and making challengers cry,_ and I think it was all because of how the sportball teams were picked. 

3. The most embarrassing/hilarious game I ever participated in was _Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  __  Everyone was laughing at the painful placement of the tail (donkey sang soprano after that night). Ouch!

4. In an alternate universe, I am George R. R. Martin, only my fabulously successful 700-page epic book is titled "Game of _NOT KILLING JON EFFING SNOW!"  it is about Tyrion bitch-slapping Cersei, and Jon Snow NOT DYING. Hmmm.  I'm sensing some strong opinions here.

5. Once, Michael Fassbender suggested that we run away together, and I could only respond, GAME. ON. Then what happened? _I remembered my husband, and how he has a great set of legs, and, well, I've kind of trained him already, so I turned down Fassy.  *sad face*_ I hear he's kind of high maintenance anyway, and who needs that?

BONUS!

The 5-words game rules:

The lovely Seleste DeLaney challenges you to use the following 5 words in a piece of flash fiction, as long or short as you wish. Don't overthink it :-)

Then, give 5 words for the next victim, er, interviewee to use.  They will have the option to build on your piece or do a stand-alone.

Your words are: 

Silly.  Pet.  School.  Pretzel.  Mining. 

  
The Tale of Candy continues....
Part 1 from Selena Laurence,
Part 2 from Chelsea O'Neal
Part 3 from Holley Trent
Part 4 from Seleste DeLaney 

Unbelievable. A stranger - albeit a drop-dead gorgeous stranger - had taken her underground, and the biggest shock was his arrogance. Once she was out of this situation, Candy made a mental note to have her head examined.

"Excuse me, but I will most certainly not grace your bed. And just where did you get your information?"

His full lips curled up in a sensual smile. "Ah Pet, I had a feeling you'd be curious. I'll bet you were the head of your class in school."

His voice has probably caused millions of panties to go up in flames. She had to resist, and not be silly enough to fall for his sensuality. She looked all around the cavern, and tried to ignore the firm grip of the hands on her thighs.

"Yeah, no shit. You've got me down here in the Bat Cave and Bruce Wayne is nowhere to be found. Not to mention, you're under the false impression that we're going to get married. Now, you're either going to tell me what is going on, or find me a bag of pretzels because I'm starving."

Her captor grinned. He had dimples. This was wrong. Kidnappers should never have dimples. Standing, he reached for a ledge and grabbed a tube. Her eyes gaped as she recognized what was in his hand.

"Just happened to have a bottle of lube laying around?"

"Sure did. My future bride may have a kinky side. But we'll discuss that later. Give me your hand. That ring is going to cut off your circulation."

Reluctantly, she held out her hand. His fingers on hers felt incredible. Distracting herself, she looked down and saw what appeared to be old tracks. Biting back a moan at his touch, she inclined her head to the ground.

"Is this place an old mining shaft?"

I am so digging this story.  Vote #TeamCandy, either commenting here, or on Twitter, and see if we can influence the upcoming authors.  If you'd rather hear what's going on with #TeamBelle, let's hear from you too!

For more from Candace, check out her home page or her Amazon author page.

Thanks for playing, Candace!

=====================================

Are you registered for Reading Until Dawn Con? 

If not, why not?! Join us for fun, games, snacks and possibly pants-optional dancing.  

Register here, and see you there!

Sunday Soup - August 9

In The Soup This Week... Cynthia St. Aubin, Holley Trent, Sunil Patel.

Soup Dish:  on my mind
✽Summer is flying by, but we've had a quiet week or two, recovering from two weeks of travel.  I think we're all just appreciating the comforts of home right now.  I have my hotel booked for #RUDC15 in Denver, and I think I'm going to give up the idea of carpooling and book a flight this coming week. Wheeeeee!

✽I might be the last romance blogger to comment on the NPR Top 100 romances, but it's always fun to comb through lists like these and see what I've read, where I agree, if I disagree, and of course, build my never-ending TBR even higher.  The classics were unsurprising: Gaffney's To Have and To Hold; London's The Windflower; Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm.  Lots of my personal favorites were on the list too: Outlander by Gabaldon; Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, Julia Quinn's Bridgertons, The Beast by Judith Ivory, newer faves like the Pennyroyal Green series by Julie Ann Long, AND my all-time favorite LaVyrle Spencer, Morning Glory.  And that only goes through the historicals.  So many books!  Being a listmaker, I'm feeling compelled to print it out and score myself on what I've read.

✽This was a fun article, although I take ISSUE with Rhett as an alpha-hole. That is a total oversimplification and does not take into account Scarlett's personality.

✽Apparently it's National Book Lovers Day.  Which is awesome and everything. My problem is, I can't really see how I should do anything differently from  any other day.

✽Also this is kind of cool:  StoryCorps roving reporter...

What I'm reading
✽As mentioned last week, I finished the last full-length novel in Wen Spencer's Elfhome series, but I was happy to find out that there are at least 2 more books in the pipeline, Project Elfhome and Harbinger (titles may change).  Plus there are a couple of short stories I haven't read yet.

✽In my ongoing support of the Reading Until Dawn conference, I nabbed a title by Cynthia St. Aubin called Unloveable: the Case Files of Dr. Matilda Schmidt. At just over 100 pages, it's a fast-paced farce, drawing from familiar Greek mythology characters. The humor worked for me and it was pretty sexy too, although it's a light touch and not a focus. Not a romance, but the beginning of a fun-looking series about a "paranormal psychologist." This title is currently free on Amazon, so grab it now and see for yourself. And of course, you could always come to the Reading Until Dawn conference and meet St. Aubin herself. Personally I'm hoping to see a short story sometime next year inspired by #RUDC15 shenanigans...

✽Similarly, I finished Beast, a Norseton Wolves novella by Holley Trent (another #RUDC15 author). Really enjoyed it, and I liked the setup. I found the heroine to be pretty unusual personality-wise; she's uneducated and sort of... beaten-down at the beginning, but she jumps at the chance to be essentially a mail-order bride, and leave West Virginia for remote New Mexico. She has some behaviors you'd expect from an abused woman, but enough spark to get her own story burning, and a cheer-worthy refusal to stay down. As a prologue to a series it's just right: there's definitely some unfinished business between Anton and Christina, which left the story feeling a little unresolved but makes you want to read more in the series. For 99 cents, why not give it a whirl?

✽Finally, I want to give a huge shout out to Sunil Patel.  I've been following him on Twitter for awhile and he's delightful there - funny, and humble, and has this ability to deliver a surprise skewer, and what's more endearing that that?  I read his new short story, The Merger, first over at The BookSmugglers (cannot find the link now?) but I bought it on Amazon for the deleted scenes.  It's really just an opportunity to make fun of corporate-speak which I can never, ever resist.  The intergalactic/alien components have a strong Douglas Adams influence, so BAM, sold.  Favorite quote:

"We are pleased to see that the termination of your appendix has been successful.  We do wish it the best and thank it for it's many years of service.

"The appendix doesn't do anything," said Sita, taking Paresh's hand again.

"We thank it for its many years of service," the blob repeated.

Last Word
That's all for this week!  If you haven't registered for Reading Until Dawn, I really hope you will.  It's going to be all fun and no stress.  Oh! and there's a tee-shirt!  You should order one, because it's funny, even if you're not going to the conference:

Sunday Soup - August 2

In The Soup This Week... Reading Until Dawn Con, another indie bookstore, Wen Spencer, Codi Gary and Victoria Dahl

Soup Dish:  on my mind
✽Tessa Dare starts a hashtag and Twitter hilarity ensues:  If Men's Fitness Magazine were a Regency publication.  When writers start playing with words, it's no-holds-barred.

✽Bloom County is back!  This makes me so, so happy.  Facebook seems to be the best place to catch the new stuff.

✽Somewhere back in time, I found or put together a list of the "best" (whatever that means) independent bookstores.  And while in my experience, indies are not necessarily romance-friendly, I still sort of want to bucket-list the big ones.  So when I found myself traveling between Des Moines, IA and Chicago a couple weeks ago, it was just a short side trip to stop in at Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City.  I'm pretty sure it was this fellow that, when I asked if they carried romance, gave me a one word answer: "NO," spun on his heel, and stalked across the store as fast as he could get away from me.  I bought a fantasy novel for my daughter and the clerk, who was trapped into an actual conversation with me by virtue of needing to process my payment, was slightly more polite:

Me: I'm surprised you don't carry any romance.
Clerk: Uhhhhh, I think that was a choice of the previous management.
Me: Considering that it outsells every other genre, it seems strange to me.
Clerk: I think mystery is actually bigger than romance.
Me: Nope, romance outsells mystery by volume almost two to one*.
Clerk: Uhhh, I'm pretty sure that I see more mysteries on the NYT best seller list.
Me: *side-eye* Well anyway, thanks for ringing this up.

Prairie Lights is an apparently very successful indie bookstore with a lit-fic niche, which fits very well with Iowa City's claim to literary fame, the U of Iowa Writer's Workshop. But they clearly don't want my money, which I guess works out ok, since I live 2000 miles from there.
__________________
*my numbers were a little out of date.  According to Publishers' Weekly, in 2014, Romance sold 30.9 million books compared to Suspense/Thriller at 20.1 million.  So only a 1.5:1 rate, rather than the 2:1 I had remembered.

✽And of course, you can see by the activity on the blog that the Reading Until Dawn Conference is occupying more and more of my brain space in general, and particularly of my reading and blogging brainspace.  You could buy a tee-shirt!

What I'm reading
✽I am currently SO engrossed in Wen Spencer's Elfhome series.  I just downloaded the last book and I'm dragging my feet a little bit about starting it because when I finish that book, the series will be all over for me.  I've even been good about taking a breath between books and reading a couple of other things here and there, just to stretch out the experience. The world-building is a crazy mix of quantum physics, bio-engineering, multi-dimensional sci-fi, and (literally) fairy tales: it's completely irresistible.

✽Just for a total contrast, I've been looking forward to Victoria Dahl's Taking the Heat since I saw a few provocative tweets from reviewers with ARCs.  It released last Tuesday, so I downloaded and gobbled that up.  Worth the wait! I love how Dahl can take down-home characters and give them so much dimension.  Snap it up if you like hot-- and I do mean SCORCHING HOT-- contemps.  (sidenote, I was SURE I wrote a review here on the blog for either Talk Me Down or Start Me Up, but what the hell, now I can't find it... arg, #bloggerwoe).
 
✽If you like Dahl's Jackson Hole books, I would suggest you give Codi Gary's Rock Canyon series a try. I picked up Bad for Me before I left on vacation, and it was a very nice read. They share a western/country feel that is a little different than the small-town subgenre. The outdoors and countryside plays a certain role, and the characters have a down-to-earth-ness about them that I like a lot. This particular title involved two characters with a lot of scars, inside and out, and Gary did a nice job of putting them through the right kind of character growth that they needed in order to be able to come together.

That's all for this week's soup -- hopefully we'll have a few more RUD Con authors for you later this week. Be sure to vote by Twitter or here in comments to see if you can influence the authors to write for your favorite flash fiction story -- #TeamBelle or #TeamCandy!