Make Us WANT to Read, Nalini Singh!

About Nalini...in her own words: I've been writing as long as I can remember, and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings, and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.

I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips.

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp, and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency, but I call it grist for the writer's mill.



Make Us WANT to Read, Nalini Singh!

Click the cover to order your copy of MINE TO POSSESS today!

What are FIVE things readers will love about your latest novel MINE TO POSSESS?

1. The luscious, sexy hero, Clay

2. The strong, determined heroine, Talin

3. The DarkRiver leopard pack - these changelings are possessive in the best way. They'll protect packmates with every ounce of their being.

4. The love scenes. Seriously, I loved writing these particular scenes. Clay and Tally have known each other a long time - they were friends before theybecame lovers, and they're so utterly comfortable with each other - which makes the sparks they generate all the sexier.

5. The banter between Clay & Tally. Even when they're mad at each other (and they are plenty mad at each other at the start), they sizzle together.


MINE TO POSSESS is book FOUR in your Psy/Changeling series. What's the backstory to how the series came to be?
I've always been fascinated by psychic powers, by the idea that we might have unawakened abilities inside of us. One day, it was as if all the ideas I'd be playing around with came together and boom, I began writing - I had these two incredibly vivid characters in my head (Lucas & Sascha from Slave to Sensation (book 1)), and they wanted to show me their world. I wrote the first draft in 3 weeks and it was an incredible experience.


What THREE music tracks would set the mood to read MINE TO POSSESS?
Can I go general? I think first you need something dark and intense, something fun, and something sexy. Because this book has all those things - because of who Clay and Tally are!


MINE TO POSSESS focuses on TWO strong main characters - Clay Bennett and Talin McKade. What strong characteristic does each of these characters possess?
Stubbornness - both of them. In spades. You can see how this might be a problem. But both also possess a capacity to love with everything in them. When they take the step into trust, they do it without barriers, without holding back. Isn't that worth a little stubbornness?


What's your ONE favorite thing about MINE TO POSSESS?
Clay and Tally's relationship. They just fit. :)



Want to sample a taste of MINE TO POSSESS? Click (HERE) to read the first chapter!

Need YOUR Literary Baby Edited: Special Edition

First-time writers – and not-so-first-time writers – often have great ideas for stories and jump right into them, pouring out pages upon pages. Once they come to the end, they look at the screen or the page and say, "Now what?"

They know that they love words and that they love to tell stories, but the writers may not be able to analyze their work to check for:

o sentimental writing
o overwriting
o clichéd writing
o powerful, first chapter punch
o tightly woven story arc
o holes in storyline
o camping and marching in a story
o developed characters


I am now offering manuscript evaluation services to help in developing your story as A STORY, one that is strong from beginning to end.


A manuscript evaluation includes the following:

o an edit of your work (electronic or hard copy), looking at the above bulleted issues to analyze your submission as a literary work; if you submit electronically, I will use the TRACK CHANGES and COMMENTS features in Microsoft Word; if you submit a hard copy, I will mark the manuscript.

o assessing glaring grammatical, sentence-level, and story-level errors that hinder the work

o a written manuscript evaluation that summarizes and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the work


Types of Works Evaluated*
o Submission Package Evaluation – (one- to two-week turnaround, depending on size) – if you have the first three chapters of your book, a query letter, and a synopsis, and you believe you're ready to send it out to potential agents and editors, this evaluation will check for story structure and also offer copy editing and proofreading of material.

o Query Letter Evaluation – (three- to five-day turnaround) – there are key components needed in a query letter. The letter will be read for format, structure, "punch," and grammatical/mechanical issues.

o Synopsis Evaluation – (week turnaround) – the synopsis evaluation will analyze the synopsis' structure, development, and grammatical/mechanical issues.

o Completed Manuscripts up to 80k – (three- to five-week turnaround)

o Completed Manuscripts from 80k to 100k – (four- to six-week turnaround)


***SPECIAL ALERT****SPECIAL ALERT***
If you hire me to edit your completed manuscript (up to 100k) during the month of April, you will receive a 40% discount* for the project!
***SPECIAL ALERT****SPECIAL ALERT***



*If you wish to receive quotes for your project, please e-mail me, and in the e-mail, tell me a bit about your project.


Want to learn more about me? Check out my (VITA)!

Realize Your Literary Dreams TODAY!

Do you have an idea for a story? Have you been visualizing the story and can literally see and hear your characters? Are you unsure where to go now that you have this idea?

Many new writers often feel lost when they sit to begin writing a story. It seems like such a daunting task to look at a blank screen or an empty page and realize that you not only have to fill that screen/page, but you have to do it several hundred times.

Because of this seemingly Herculean tasks, would-be writers put their literary dreams on the backburner, promising to return to them once they have time.

Well, guess what? Things will always arise that will keep you from pursuing your dreams.

Because of this, the time is NOW, and the literary dream you hold onto can be envisioned within four weeks with WRITERS BOOT CAMP.



What IS Writers Boot Camp? Learn more (HERE) and get started on realizing your literary dreams!

Make Us WANT to Read, Chris Marie Green!

Chris Marie Green (website), former school teacher turned full-time writer, gets out of the office by taking long trips to places such as Japan, Italy, and New Orleans. When she’s not causing international incidents, she enjoys yoga, movie-going and dabbling in firsthand research such as fencing, Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She also writes under the name Crystal Green.


Make Us WANT to Read, Chris Marie Green!


Click the cover to order your copy of MIDNIGHT REIGN today!


In 50 words OR LESS, tell us what your latest novel, MIDNIGHT REIGN is about.
When a serial killer with vampiric tendencies threatens to expose the L.A. Underground, the beautiful creatures rally, making Dawn Madison's attempt to uncover their whereabouts much harder. She's also getting sucked into a trap that might have been set for her all along.


What three adjectives would you use to describe MIDNIGHT REIGN?
Dark. Emotional. Continuing.


MIDNIGHT REIGN is a part of your Vampire Babylon series. Tell us the backstory of how this series came to be.
I had finished my first vampire book, THE HUNTRESS, so I had vampires on my mind when I was watching one of those entertainment shows where the reporters were saying things like, “He’s the next James Dean” while talking about certain actors. So I started thinking, “What if he was really the old James Dean?” And it went from there. Also, for book one in the Vampire Babylon series, I’d always wanted to work with that Hollywood story about the ghost-boy in the background of THREE MEN AND A BABY, so that added to the book’s core mystery, too. This will be an ongoing series, with the third book ending this initial trilogy with all its character and mythology arcs. (BREAK OF DAWN, Book Three, comes out in September.) Then there’s going to be a new Vampire Babylon trilogy starting April, 2009.


What makes your series' main charater, Dawn Madison, someone we should root for?
Throughout the series, she exhibits major growth, and that’s how life is for a lot of us. We don’t always start out in an attractive place, and hunting down these vampires actually allows Dawn to discover certain truths about herself that she tries to change. I think that’s relatable.


What's your favorite thing about MIDNIGHT REIGN?
I love working with the twists and turns of the story/trilogy because I love to read books and watch movies that take me on a wild ride, too!



Want to read an excerpt of MIDNIGHT REIGN? Click HERE to read!



Books go DIGITAL! Check out the book trailer of MIDNIGHT REIGN below!

Make Us WANT to Read, Jaci Burton!

After spending too many years to count in the high stress business world, Jaci's thrilled to be living her dream of writing passionate romance. Now she gets to write in her pajamas while surrounded by yipping little dogs that she adores but drive her crazy. She'd like to say she leads a glamorous life, but it's all too normal. She still does laundry, dishes and feeds her family, but wouldn't have it any other way - okay, admittedly, servants would be nice...hehehe

She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Charlie, who inspires her to create stories about sexy, stubborn alpha males who don't always do what the heroine wants them to. She has a teenaged stepdaughter who is her shopping buddy extraordinaire, and two grown sons who live on the west coast that she misses terribly but fortunately gets to see when time and air travel permits.

She is a multi published author who writes in many genres. She writes for Bantam Dell, Berkley, Ellora's Cave and Samhain Publishing. She has been fortunate to win several awards, including the Romantic Times BookReview Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Erotic Paranormal.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal's RWA Chapter, Passionate Ink and Romance Writer's Ink. For more information on Jaci, visit www.jaciburton.com.



Make Us WANT to Read, Jaci Burton!


Click the cover to order your copy of RIDING WILD today!


Your latest novel is RIDING WILD; what can you tell us in 50 words OR LESS that will make us NEED to read this book?
RIDING WILD is an action adventure erotic romance about two people who knew each other when they were younger, fell in love, but broke up. Now they've reunited under the most dangerous of circumstances, and the sparks really fly...as do the bullets.


What three adjectives would you use to describe RIDING WILD?
Suspenseful, steamy and emotional.


What three music tracks would set the mood to read RIDING WILD?
Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf, Sorry by Buckcherry and Far Away by Nickelback


You write paranormal action/adventure, erotic romance, and romance - why do you think these genres appeal to you so much?
I love paranormal, sinking into a world I've built from the ground up. But after writing a paranormal, I like to cleanse my genre palate, so to speak, by moving into the reality of contemporary. All my books are pretty steamy, so writing my erotic romance just notches up the heat factor a bit.


What's your favorite thing about RIDING WILD?
My husband owns a Harley and we ride a lot, so I had an idea to create a new suspense series about undercover government agents who happened to be bike riders. It's been fun immersing myself in the biker culture, adding in a touch of suspense, lots of action and of course, hot guys, hot Harleys and the hot women who ride with them.



Want to read an excerpt of RIDING WILD? Click HERE to read!

I'm Interviewed over at Blogging in Black

I talk about the importance of editing - check it out! Here's a (link). Leave comments!