Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
I’m a big fan of Karen Mahoney’s writing. Both her nerd-girl vampire Moth from Falling to Ash and alchemist Donna Underwood from the Iron Witch trilogy are young adult protagonists I connect with and ones that resonate with teen readers, too. The third book in the Iron Witch trilogy The Stone Demon releases today. It is excellent (and Donna wears a really gorgeous dress at one point, which made me wish... 
I’ve always been drawn to different mythologies and folklore. Norse, Greek, Celtic, Asian…there are so many wonderful, epic stories out there, I find something new every time I settle in with a fat reference book. If I’m struggling to start a new story, there is always some kernel of an idea that will pop up in some obscure tidbit. And I love when real world stories coincide with those of legend.
My... 
Here’s the setting of the Lady Lazarus trilogy: Europe on the eve of World War II. The protagonist, witch Magda Lazarus, travels a world ready to explode, in search of her magical inheritance.
That’s kind of like saying that I live in 21st century America — not too specific!
Here are five particular spots you will visit with my characters when you crack open the pages of Lady Lazarus,... 
One of the most important elements in the Shaede Assassin series (for me, anyway) are the flash back scenes. I think it helps to give the reader a more rounded story and better insight to Darian’s character when you can see what events have molded her present. I wrote a scene from Darian’s past that didn’t make it into Crave the Darkness (out today), and though it’s an unhappy memory, it was one... 
Karina Cooper’s Dark Mission series is one of my favorites. You’ll find it on the VBC paranormal romance recommendations page for a reason. All her couples spark with sexual tension. It doesn’t matter if they’re running from the bad guys, trying to decide which side they’re on, saving lives or, you know, making soup. The chemistry is there.
When I finished Sacrifice the... 
The hero of Marlene Perez’s Strange Fates isn’t exactly your standard hero. So, he wasn’t willing to write a traditional love letter for Elizabeth in our Character Love Letters event. However, if you read on you’ll know what he believes in, and what to expect from the first Nyx Fortuna book, which releases on March 5.
Love? I don’t believe in love. I don’t believe in love at first sight, where... 
Both Jo and I put Amanda Carlson’s debut Full Blooded on our Best of 2012 lists. It has that breakneck pacing I enjoy and more than one super sexy shifter. Put that in a nice urban fantasy landscape, and well, we’re fans. However, if you read the first book, you know Jess isn’t exactly the mushy type and Rourke and her have a bit of forced distance until we get more in the second book Hot... 
I finally was able to meet Cynthia Eden last weekend at the Olde City, New Blood mini-convention. She’s delightful, and her love for paranormal romance—especially the alpha nature that is often inherent with vampires—was obvious. If you haven’t tried her The Fallen series yet (vampires and fallen angels), I suggest it. Read my review of Angel of Darkness for possible convincing.
Or, better... 
From Chelsea/VBC: Today we’re turning the blog over to the fantastic Diana Pharaoh Francis. Her latest Horngate Witches novel Blood Winter releases on Dec. 18. Like me, she’s excited about all the food that comes with the holiday season. Turning it over to Di…
Hi everyone!
Thank you for having me here. I’m really excited! I was pondering what to write about for awhile and I realized... 
From Chelsea / VBC: Super happy to have Regan Summers on the blog again. Her Night Runner books are big on action and awesome. Make sure to read to the end for your chance to win Running in the Dark!
Thank you so much for hosting me again, Chelsea. I’m so pleased to be here!
I love my vampires dark and mysterious, and occasionally fatal. A tortured past never hurts. Simmering sensuality is pretty much... 
