Hi all!  Welcome to the very exciting Love’s a Beach Blog Hop.  I’m in the midst of copy edits for Provoked, which is Kane’s story that will be released on November 1st.  For a short time, it looks like the book is at a hugely discounted price…and since I’m never in the loop about these things, I truly don’t know how long my publisher will keep it there.  So, how about a quick glimpse at a scene in Provoked?  And I’m giving away a signed copy of my back list to a commenter on my blog here, as well as a copy on the main page of the blog hop.  Here’s the excerpt:

Kane peered down at her. “Amber?”

“Yes?”

“If you’re going to attack with whatever’s in your right hand, could you hurry it up? We need to get going.”

She started, her gaze slashing up to him. “How did you know?”

He shrugged. “What kind of a knife do you have?”

Her cheeks pinkened, and she drew her hand forward. “I have a pen.”

A blue ballpoint pen. He blinked twice, his gaze on the harmless tool.

Maybe it was the ridiculousness of the pen. Maybe it was the woman’s courage in planning to use it on him. Or maybe it was the sheepish half-smile she gave.

Either way, his heart rolled over.

Warmth flushed through him, so hot, so fast, his ears rang. His mind blanked. For the first time in centuries, his brain shut off. The woman was crazy. Stepping in, he grasped her chin, tilting her head back.

Her eyes widened, and then her gaze lowered to his lips. A soft sound of surprise emerged with her breath.

He dove in, allowing the animal within to awaken. For the first time in three centuries, there was no thought. All instinct ruled as his mouth took hers…no finesse, no calculation, just pure, raw need. He shoved her against the truck, his other hand clutching her hip as he went deeper.

Honeysuckle exploded along his taste buds as his tongue swept inside her mouth. Not gentle, not persuasive, just taking. Claiming.

And it wasn’t enough. Not even close to enough.

Pressing into her, body to body, heat to heat, something clicked. Beyond his brain, beyond his body…somewhere deeper.

Finally, he found home.

To purchase Provoked:

 

So, did you have a nice summer?  Was it summer where you live?  Any fun plans for fall?  To jump back on the hop, click on the picture below:

 

My name is Izzy and I interview book characters.  Many people say I’m a character, myself.  *Snort*.  That’s nice of them.  I’m hoping Rebecca lets me interview a bunch of her characters–I can’t wait to be in the same room with all of those hot vampires.  MEOW.

So, I’ve been wanted to meet Moira Dunne ever since I read Hunted and the scene where she threw a plasma ball at Connlan Kayrs, the most dangerous fighter alive.  Sure Moira’s a witch…but Conn’s a freakin vampire!  So, when Moira and Conn agreed to meet with me for an interview, I was ecstatic.  We met at a dive of a pizza joint on the other side of town.  They drove up on pretty awesome street bikes–looking like the power couple they are.  Here’s the transcript of the interview, with a couple of my thoughts thrown in:

ME:  Thank you so much for meeting me here!  I know how busy you are with both of you needing to fight for your people right now.  How goes the war?

CONN:  We’re winning.

At this point, Moira tossed red curls over her shoulder and snorted, rolling her eyes at the vampire.  I doubted many people rolled their eyes at the guy.  He’s well over six feet tall, packed hard, and with green eyes that probably make women swoon.  Women much weaker than me, of course.  I may have drooled…but I did not swoon.

Moira:  Well, we’re working on it.  The Kurjans are stepping up their game a little bit, and I’m afraid the demons are about to make a move against us.

CONN:  There’s no need to be afraid.  The demons are having some problems of their own…we’ll find the allies we need.

Moira:  I didn’t mean ‘afraid’ of the demons…I could blow several up in a moment.  I just meant it as an expression.  Stop being a dork.

CONN:  I didn’t think you meant ‘afraid’ like you feared the demons. I was trying to be reassuring and positive.  You’re the dork.

Okay.  You really haven’t lived until you’ve seen one of the toughest guys alive use the word ‘dork.’  And the grin that accompanied the insult was just charming beyond words.  Even pretty Moira blushed as Conn yanked one of her curls.

ME:  So, how’s it going marriage-wise?  I mean, with the witches and vampires and the war?

CONN:  Good.

MOIRA:  I think maybe more info is required…dork.  We, ah, are doing…just fine.

CONN:  Yeah.  That was a lot of info.

MOIRA:  Well, okay.  The witches are hanging in there – but if you’ve read Hunted, you know we have some issues right now.  And I put my younger sister, Brenna, on the Council, and she’s working hard, but something’s going on with her.  I’m not sure what.  But as soon as we get things settled with the vampires, I’m going to go figure it out.

You know, I’ve always wondered about Brenna.  She seems like a sweetheart, but she’d have to be rather tough to live the life she’s living.

ME:  So what about Brenna?  Is there a mate in her future?

CONN:  Well, according to Dage, who’s psychic, there’s a mate in her future.  But Dage won’t say who.  And whenever he talks about it, his eyes flash blue through the silver, and that’s always a bad sign.  So we don’t ask.

MOIRA:  Dage has always been really fond of Brenna, so if there’s a difficult path for her, he’d be worried.  But I also trust him to tell me when it’s time for me to get involved.

CONN:  Yeah, right.  I know you.  You’re getting involved the first second you get the chance.

MOIRA:  Yeah, I am.

ME:  So, it seems like a lot of the Realm leaders are finding mates.  How goes it with Katie and Jordan?  Are those two ever going to get together?

CONN:  Sure.  Fate is fate…

MOIRA:  I’d like to be so confident.  But, well, their path is a tough one…much tougher than most people know right now.  You’ll know more after reading chapter 1 of CONSUMED…oh yeah.  If they can figure it out…wozza.  What a life.

Which reminds me.  I think I read somewhere that if Consumed gets 100 ‘likes’ on Amazon, the first chapter of Consumed will be put up on Rebecca’s FB page.  Hmmm.  I need to head to Amazon after this interview.  Speaking of which, this is the longest time I’ve managed to keep interviewees in the chairs.

ME:  I have high hopes for Katie and Jordan…always have.  What about Kane?  I’ve heard a rumor that he’s maybe found a mate.

MOIRA:  Well, there’s a possible mate.  It’s my understanding the woman is very powerful…but doesn’t know it?  And she’s some sort of Vegan.

CONN:  I’m not giving up meat.

MOIRA:  Nobody asked you to give up meat.  Geez.

ME:  So, Moira.  I was wondering.  Obviously you’ve read Hunted.  What’s your favorite line from the book?

MOIRA:  That’s a great question!  Well, I don’t want to give anything away here…but things were looking bad and I was fading fast…here’s the line:

With a flash of speed and the shattering of glass, Connlan Kayrs leapt through the window.

MOIRA:  I know that doesn’t give you a lot of insight…but it pretty much represents Conn.  He’d sacrifice anything for the people he loves.

Okay, I melted a little.  I mean, who wouldn’t?  They’re such an awesome pair, and the affection and love is there.  As well as an edge…these two have enemies and they know it.

ME:  Okay, that is really sweet.  What about you, Conn?  Have a favorite line?

CONN:  What book?

Oh yeah.  I’d forgotten the vampires either didn’t know about the books, or they just didn’t want to talk about it.  These guys aren’t exactly the type to share their lives with the world.

Just as I was about to sigh…Jase Kayrs walked in.  Man, if you haven’t seen Jase, you’re missing out.  The youngest Kayrs brother is sexy as sin.  Wide shoulders, charming grin, danger glints from his eyes.  Yeah, I might have a crush.  But, then he told Conn that something was up and they had to go…something with the demons and a mission…and just like that, quick goodbyes were made. 

Although I’m no psychic, I suddenly had an odd thought.  I wondered who Jase’s mate would be?!?

UPDATE:  CONGRATS to VIRGINIA for winning!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I write about love. Okay, I write about darkness, vampires, demons, and sexy situations. But love is in there, too! To celebrate love and the rest of it, I’m holding a contest for the next couple of days. The winner gets signed copies of all three books (Fated, Claimed, and Hunted).  Right now I only have ARCs of Hunted, so the winner can either take an ARC, or if you want a copy of the finished book, I’ll send that as soon as I get my promo copies.  There are different ways to enter the contest. You can do just one or all of them for more chances to win.

1) Leave a comment at the end of this blog for one entry into the contest.

2) Follow me on twitter and tweet the following for three entries into the contest:

Enter for a chance to win all 3 print books from Rebecca Zanetti’s Dark Protector series:  http://wp.me/pyBVu-Rc

3) Follow me on FaceBook (see facebook button to the side) and put this on your wall for three more chances to win:

Like vampires and sexy books? Rebecca Zanetti is having a contest this week and the winner will receive signed copies of the print books from the Dark Protector Series. Go here for details:  http://wp.me/pyBVu-Rc

So, that’s it. Enter any way that works for you. Don’t forget to leave a comment at the end of the post. Some people like a prompt question, which I’m happy to throw out there. Any plans for Valentine’s day? What about spring break? If you had an entire day all to yourself, what would you do? Any great traveling plans coming up? (You can answer one, all, or just say hi!)