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

Monday, August 9, 2010

(Day 9) Guest Post: Anita Clenney

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


Hello everyone! Today I'd like to introduce you all to a new, debuting author.  Anita Clenney is writing an upcoming modern day Highlander series.  To say that I am excited for another Highlander series is an understatement.  Please give Anita a warm welcome, and be sure to follow her on Twitter so you don't miss any updates about her books!


"My name is Anita Clenney and I write Paranormal Romance and Romantic Suspense. I’ve worked in a pickle factory (picture Lucy and Ethel, hair nets and all--lasted half a day), a preschool, booked shows for Aztec Fire Dancers, been a Secretary, Executive Assistant, and a Realtor, and through it all, I’ve been in love. Sometimes it was wonderful, sometimes it hurt so bad I could hardly breathe. Then I found Mr. Right, and the two of us multiplied into a family of four. We live in Virginia, not far from Washington, DC, where we are slaves to a white Boxer named Lily, who thinks we live and breathe to buy new stuff for her to chew up. My husband is a Network Architect, and it’s a good thing because technology doesn’t like me. My twelve-year-old son plans to be a famous hockey or football player, and my nine-year-old daughter will probably figure out a way to rule the world.
 

With scenes rolling nonstop in my head and my feet rarely on the ground, I should have realized that I was born to write much earlier in life, but alas, no. Not until I was on the wrong side of 40 did I hear the keyboard calling me. But then I tend to do things backwards.
 
When I decided to wrestle the stories in my imagination and dreams onto the page, my husband and kids encouraged me all the way. Even when I was in the middle of a heated battle with warriors and demons and forgot that people in the real world had to eat dinner and that dishes didn’t wash themselves, still my family supported me. Finally it paid off. After three years, eleven months and twenty-two days, I got THE CALL from my wonderful agent Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency, who is really Wonder Woman in disguise. A publisher wanted to buy my story. MY STORY!!! Not just one, but three of them. A new journey begins and I hope you’ll join me for the ride."

Bio courtesy of Anita Clenney's website.


Connect with Anita:




Romeo or Rambo – What lights your fire?

Thanks for having me here, Tori!

Let’s talk men. Without them, romance novels would be just…novels. Nothing wrong with that, but I write romance and I love to read romance, so I need men. What do I look for in a man? What makes a sizzling, heart-stopping hero? What about you? Are you a Romeo kind of girl, or does Rambo do it for you?

I write paranormal romance, and most paranormal heroes tend to be Alpha males. The paranormal world is fraught with danger. There’s always a threat, and it’s usually big and bad, so it takes a big, bad man, who can think fast and move even faster to survive this world. He may be a warrior or a vampire, but he’s used to having his orders obeyed. He’s tough and he knows it.

But we can’t forget his heart. After all, this is a romance. If he’s nothing but a big, bad fighting machine, well that’s no fun. He might as well be a robot. We want flesh and blood, and throw in some flaws to make it interesting, and if he’s wounded, even better. Our alpha males aren’t machines and they aren’t insensitive, but they’ve managed to put a lid on their emotions…at least they think they have. Until they meet the heroine, who is going to be the one female on the planet to strip away that tough exterior and get to the heart inside.

Take the hero of my debut novel, Awaken the Warrior, due out May 2011. Faelan is a Scottish warrior who’s as big and bad as they come. The heroine says it best. “Faelan makes Romeo look like a girl. Heck, he makes Rambo look like a girl.” Born in the nineteenth century, Faelan is part of a secret clan of warriors commanded by Michael the Archangel. Faelan has been trained to fight demons disguised among us, bent on destroying the world, and he does it well. So well that his brothers and the other warriors have christened him The Mighty Faelan. The demon in this story really has it in for Faelan. He hatches a devious plot to destroy the world and make Faelan watch. Faelan is betrayed and put in the time vault that was to hold the demon until Judgment, but along comes the heroine and wakes him up. And it’s a rude awakening. Faelan is glad to be out of the time vault, but not so glad to see what’s become of the world. Especially with women. With no money, no sword and no horse, he’s forced to accept the help of this feisty, modern woman.

Faelan and Bree butt heads continually, because he’s used to men being tough and women being…well homebodies, peacemakers and nurturers. She’s used to doing everything for herself and is drawn to danger. He quickly learns that women have changed from his time. They’re not only nurturers, some are warriors. Gasp. “What next?” he thinks. “Will they send children into battle?” But eventually Bree works her magic on him and he faces his personal demons, his need to protect because he feels it’s his duty. Shaking off blame for things in the past that weren’t his fault. He realizes that it’s okay to make mistakes, to open up and admit he needs help, even from a woman. He even learns to respect the fact that she’s attempted to rescue him from the demon’s lair. Him. A warrior. Nevermind that he didn’t actually need rescuing, and he’s forced to then rescue her from her botched attempt. With Bree’s influence, we eventually see a much softer side of Faelan wrapped up in all that toughness, as he comes to terms with who he is, what he’s lost and what he’s gained. And that makes him a perfect paranormal romance hero. Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside.



Upcoming books by Anita: 


BOOK 1: Awaken The Warrior
Coming May 2011 from Sourcebooks Casablanca.
Mis-adventurous historian Bree Kirkland discovers a one hundred fifty year old warrior buried in a crypt behind her house. But Faelan, the warrior, isn’t dead. When this chauvinistic Scottish Warrior awakes, he has no choice but accept the help of this modern-day woman who’s rescued him, but she’s more fearsome than the demon trying to kill him. If he’s not careful, she’ll uncover every secret his clan has bled and died to protect.




BOOK 2: The Secret Child
Coming soon from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

When the powerful demon that left Amanda for dead discovers her empty grave, he comes seeking retribution. Knowing she can’t fight the demon alone, Amanda returns to her clan and the Scottish Warrior who betrayed her…the only man she’s ever loved.


BOOK 3: His Brother's Keeper
Coming soon from Sourcebooks Casablanca.
The only weapon that can kill the demon who’s trying to destroy the world is Tavis Connor’s brother’s talisman, but his brother has been captured and Tavis doesn’t know if he’s alive or dead. The Scottish Warrior risks his life to find his brother and finish the quest.












Anita is offering a $40 Borders gift card to one winner.

Giveaway Guidelines:
  1. Open to US only.
  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!



22 comments:

  1. Anita's books sound fantastic, I'll be looking for them.

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  2. They do sound fantastic, I've been looking for a new highlander series. :)

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  3. That does sound interesting. I wouldn't be me if I didn't point out something, however. A romance novel with men would be a lesbian romance novel (and I'd read that).

    The premise does sound interesting. Someone brought up in a time where men did the saving and women were never considered warriors having to figure out how to deal with such changes in person. Sounds like a good idea. Though, her botched attempt made it a little less appealing for me. There's the build up of change and then, he has to save again.

    I might have to check out highlander, because I've never read any before. *adds to massive read list*

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  4. Barbara: I know! I can't wait for her book to be released so I can devour it :)

    KittNLuv: Me too! And there are demons in this one *happy dance*

    Dawn: I don't think she meant to get technical when she made that statement. After all, her post is about our sexy alpha males!

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  5. Thanks for another fantabulous giveaway and the series sounds very interesting! Men in kilts are hot! ;)

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  6. Hi everyone, and thanks again to Tori for letting me be part of the Battle of the Sexes.

    Barbara: Thanks so much for the complement. Just hearing that this sounds like a fantastic story thrills me.

    KittNLuv: Thank to you as well. I guess as a debut author I worry that it won't be as much fun to read as it was to write, so this little pat on the back is awesome. I love highlanders too.

    Dawn: Thanks for even considering adding this to your massive reads list. Oh my gosh, do I have one of those myself, tons of books I'm trying to get to. This is definitely a book about an alpha male (no lesbians) in fact several alpha males. We'll see others as heroes later in the series. I love a good highlander story and I hope you'll enjoy this one. And hoping to restore your faith in the the heroine :) she doesn't really botch the rescue attempt so much as find out that he didn't need rescuing. There's a good bit of humor in the book. Later on, he seriously needs rescuing, and yes, she comes through. We'll find out later that she's like nothing the clan has ever seen, very powerful, and she has some deep secrets surrounding her that she isn't even aware of. Secrets that will knock her for a loop.

    Tori: Thanks so much. Yes there are demons, but these are the bad kind. Very sneaky and very powerful. You never know whose skin they might be hiding underneath :)

    Jeannette: Thank you. I agree. Men in kilts are really something. I'll share something funny here. When I created these warriors, they were very covert, relying on secrecy, not running around in kilts drawing everyone's attention. BUT...when my editor read the first part of the story, she asked my agent why Faelan wasn't in a kilt if he was Scottish. I told my agent that it would blow his mission, he was more like an 1800's Special Forces soldier. The warriors rely on secrecy and stealth. Then I thought about it and figured if she wanted a kilt, I'd give her a kilt. Darn if it didn't make more sense and add to the flavor of the story. Faelan has a good reason for having the kilt on in the beginning and though the warriors can't wear them all the time, for secrecy's sake, they prefer to as often as possible. So there's my secret about my men in kilts. They weren't supposed to be wearing them at all :)

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  7. Anita, This sounds like a great series and I can't wait to read it. Great giveaway too.

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  8. Hi Anita! I really enjoyed your post, and your new series sounds just fabulous! My very best wishes!!

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  9. Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. I love it! I think the perfect hero has to be half Rambo, half Romeo. All the best to you and your "Warrior" Anita!

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  10. Sounds like an awesome series, Anita!! I'm hung up on those Highland warriors!

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  11. Thanks, Clarissa. I wish I had a book to give away already, but money will have to do! It was so great to meet you in Orlando. I wish we'd had more time to spend together. Seems like everyone was rushing around with all their different groups.

    Kathryn, thanks so much. That complement coming from such a great author is inspiring.

    Pat, thanks for stopping by. I truly believe there is a bit of Romeo and warrior in every man. It just has to be recognized, cultivated, and sometimes unearthed.

    Thanks, Nicole. I love Highland warriors too. I know you have a lot of kilts going on--and maybe coming off--in your writing :)

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  12. Squealing here...I just got my cover, the REAL cover. WOW! It's awesome. But they left an e out of my name so they have to fix it. I was hoping to share it...

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  13. Oh no! When will they fix it?! Let me know, I'll do a special post about it :)

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  14. Anita, I'm dying of anticipation -- I love Scottish heroes, and this one sounds SO yummy!

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  15. Thanks, Donna. I love Scottish heroes too. Wait till you see the cover...

    I'll let you know when they fix it, Tori. It's so great. They kept a lot of the elements of the website, thank God, but the warrior is much closer in the foreground.

    Thanks again, for this opportunity, Tori. It's been so much fun. Loved reading the comments.

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  16. Thanks for the replies and it's good to know some of the details about the book. I wasn't commenting on the book per say with the lesbian comment. I can tell that's not what is in the book, but I was just commenting on the one statement. Just to clarify. I don't mind reading alpha males at all and often read male main character fantasy novels. But I enjoy strong female characters too.

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  17. Great blog, Anita. I can't wait to read your book. Me, I like my men to be crunchy on the outside, warm and fuzzy on the inside. Oh, and it's good if they can cook, too :)

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  18. Woot! I can't wait :) & it's really no problem, I'm so happy you were able to stop by throughout the day! It was a lot of fun.

    Dawn: Lol, didn't think you were :)

    Mary: Cooking's a must. Or at least, do the dishes if I cook.

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  19. Sorry, I missed these comments yesterday.If anyone is still here...

    The lesbian comment was funny, Dawn. I didn't realize how my statement sounded until you pointed it out :) Bree is definitely a fun female character. She'll turn out to be quite an amazing person, very powerful in her own way. But she has a lot of quirks too. Clumsy, drawn to danger, senses trouble and helps others but it always backfires on her. That plays into some of her "abilities".

    Thanks, Mary. Oh yeah, cooking is nice. Hmmm, I never did anything with cooking. Faelan is in the other stories as well. I'll have to decide if he can cook.

    Thanks, Tori. This was great fun!

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  20. I'm really enjoying your battle of the sexes!

    Thanks for the great giveaway.

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  21. Sounds like great books now on my TRP great giveaway thank you very much!

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