A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

Tori

Saturday, August 7, 2010

(Day 7) Guest Post: Lara Adrian

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Click on the image to check out all other available/upcoming giveaways/events.


Welcome to Day 7 of the Battle of the Sexies!  I hope you've been enjoying the week so far, and I hope everyone still ready for all the other awesome authors stopping by.  Today we've got New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian stopping by to talk about alpha males with us.  Please give her a warm welcome!


"As a child, Lara Adrian used to sleep with the covers up around her neck, afraid she might become the midnight prey of deadly vampires. Later on, under the influence of Bram Stoker and Anne Rice, she had to wonder if her fear wasn't actually something else: a secret desire to walk in a darker world, to live a dangerous and sensual dream with a man of seductive, preternatural power. It is that twining of fear and desire that fuels Lara's own fantasies today, and the idea that she explores in her New York Times bestselling Midnight Breed series of vampire romance novels from Bantam Dell Books.
 

With an ancestry stretching back to the Mayflower and the court of King Henry VIII, Lara Adrian lives with her husband in coastal New England, surrounded by centuries-old graveyards, hip urban comforts, and the endless inspiration of the broody Atlantic Ocean.
 

Lara's books are available in mass market paperback and e-book through Bantam Dell, and in limited edition hardcover through Doubleday Book Club, Rhapsody Book Club, Book of The Month, and the Science Fiction Book Club.
 

Additionally, translation rights have been picked up by 14 countries: Egmont Lyx (Germany), Ulpius-haz Publishers (Hungary), Fanucci/Zorro Editore (Italy), Oakla Publishing (Japan), Roca Editorial (Spain), Grace Publishing (Thailand), Constable & Robinson (United Kingdom), Vina Book (Vietnam), King-in Publishing (China), Wydawnictwo Amber (Poland), Epsilon Yayinlan (Turkey), Deus (Czech), Azbooka (Russia) and Bragelonne (France).
 

In September 2008, Lara Adrian became an international bestseller when the German translation of Midnight Rising (Gebieterin der Dunkelheit) spent two weeks on Europe's prestigious Der Spiegel Bestseller list in the #20 and #21 spots. Lara's subsequent releases were also Der Spiegel bestsellers, with the German translation of Veil of Midnight (Gefährtin der Schatten) spending three weeks on the list, climbing as high as #8, and the German translation of Ashes of Midnight (Gesandte des Zwielichts) spending three weeks on the list, peaking at #6."

Bio courtesy of Lara Adrian's website.

Connect with Lara:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads




Alpha Males
Guestblog by Lara Adrian © 2010

If there’s one thing romance writers and readers love, it’s the alpha male. He’s hard to miss, after all. That man who walks into a room and instantly owns it with an arresting combination of cool confidence, sharp intellect, and raw sex appeal? Oh yeah, ladies, I’m talking about him.

He’s the leader of the pack, the man in charge, the tippety-top of the food chain . . . the male whose presence speaks to both genders on a primal, instinctual level. Alphas, whether in the animal kingdom or our own human one, are the males who command an instant respect—not merely by chest-pounding or by locking horns with every would-be usurper to their throne. Alphas are the chief protectors of their social groups, the ones who call the shots and take control, whether on the battlefield, the boardroom, or the bedroom.

Their decisions and actions hold the power to impact the welfare of many, and the consequences of failure can cost the alpha not only his position and rank within his group, but often—as in the case of the animal kingdom and less civilized (or fictional) worlds than our own—mistakes can cost the alpha his life. They don’t say “with great power comes great responsibility” for nothing. Alpha males understand this, but unlike their beta and omega brothers, alphas rise to the task anyway.

While lesser males instinctively stand down to alphas (I’m sorry, all you non-alphas, I know “lesser” sounds harsh, but you know it’s true), females respond to the alpha’s courage in very visceral way as well. We want him. We see in him a strong, intelligent male who would not only make a reliable and protective mate, but a physically and mentally ideal candidate to father our offspring. Even if we’re liberated, modern women with no plans to raise a brood of our own, alpha male makes us fantasize—if only for a few breathless moments—just how incredible it would be to make beautiful, healthy, genetically gifted babies with him.

As for the romance writer and reader’s love affair with this delectable specimen of masculinity, you needn’t look very far to find the brand of alpha male who rings your bells. He might be an international spy, or a hometown fireman. He might be a cowboy or Navy SEAL. He might even be a vampire—although I sincerely doubt any self-respecting alpha male vampire would submit to sparkling for any reason whatsoever. The point is, we love the alpha male, in romance novels as in real life. He’s eternal and golden and mysterious . . . just like love itself.

Thanks for reading!
Lara Adrian


To learn more about Lara Adrian and the sexy, eternal alpha males who inhabit her New York Times bestselling Midnight Breed vampire series from Bantam Dell, please visit www.LaraAdrian.com



Books written by Lara:
Click on an image to learn more about that book.

kissOfMidnight150px kissOfCrimson150px midnightawakening150px
midnightrising150pxveilofmidnight150px ashesofmidnight150px
shadesofmidnight150px




One lucky winner will receive a signed book of their choice written by Lara.

Giveaway Guidelines:
  1. Open to everyone!
  2. Fill out the form below.
  3. Giveaway ends 9/4.  Be sure to check back after that and see if you've won!  I will not be emailing winners after they are announced on the blog.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is picked.
Extra Entries:
  • [+1] Tweeting about this giveaway
Being a blog follower is not required, yet is extremely appreciated!



20 comments:

  1. It's definitely in our genetic code to see the big strong alpha male and our bodies to say "ummm...stong healthy babies, must tackle him now" hehe

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  2. Great post and I love Lara's books!

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  3. Thanks for another great giveaway!

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  4. Thank you for the interesting post and great giveaway! :D

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  5. I love Alpha Males!!!

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  6. Thanks for the comments, and thanks to Tori for inviting me to participate in the Battle of the Sexies week. How fun! Good luck to everyone in the drawing for the autographed book!

    Hugs, Lara

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  7. Midnight Breed is a great series and i loved reading every one of the books. looking forward to the newest installment!

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  8. Lord Have Mercy Lara...I got hot just reading your explanation on Alpha males! I am just drooling for "Taken by Midnight'!!

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  10. Great week and great post, thanks!

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  11. Lara knows her Alpha's =) The Breed is awesome and I can't wait for her next book to come out. She is one of my favorite autors in Paranormal Romance.

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  12. Reading Angel: and that's what makes them so great. Except, no babies for me, kthx. I'll just keep fantasizing.

    Lara, my pleasure, thank you for agreeing to participate! :)

    Anonymous: LOL

    Tanya: She certainly does. Good to know some authors have amazing alphas for us to read about.

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  13. I love Lara's books, and I have all of them, so I'm not going to take a chance to win away from someone who hasn't read her books. Good luck everyone.

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  14. Love big, strong, protective alphas.

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  15. One thing about your Alpha males, Lara, is that you match them up with the most awesome females. I never worry that your heroines won't be worthy of the males you create. That's one thing about your Breed males that I adore... they treat their females with respect and adore them, but also believe in their abilities.

    For me, it doesn't matter how drop-dead gorgeous and perfect an Alpha male is, if the heroine is self-centered, whiny and stubborn beyond all reason, by the end of the book I'm praying the hero will just kick her whiny butt to the curb and find someone else who'll appreciate him.

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  16. I have only one book from Lara. I just need more books from her !

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  17. Hi,
    Just wanted to tell you I love all your books and can not wait til the next one comes out..Counting down the days..
    :)

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  18. Thanks so much for making this international! :)

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