Anya Bast

The winner of the copy of LAID BARE is…….

Booklover1335

Congrats!!! Please drop an email via the contact form on my site or email me at anyabast (at) gmail.com

I’m still catching up from being on vacation, you all! I have a metric ton of email to answer and a prize or two to send out. I finished up edits on Wicked Enchantment yesterday, so I should have some time to get my act together this week. Thanks for being patient with me.

Kinda sorta back, anyway. I’m home from our vacation, the longest and best trip to Europe, we’ve ever taken, but I have edits to do on Wicked Enchantment so I’m still not blogging and Twittering up to my usual strength.

We spent a little over a week in Bordeaux, France with my father-in-law’s family. He rented a big house where we all swam, played ping-pong, relaxed, and ate way too much of very good food (and drank a lot of very good wine).

After that my husband, daughter and I went up to Belgium where we spent a little over a week visiting my mother-in-law. My husband is Belgian, so we try to go over there at least once a year to see the family. Good thing our three-year-old seems to be a natural traveler. This was her second time crossing the North Atlantic. I’ll try and find a couple pictures to post in the next few days (edits willing).

Until then, have a contest.

Lauren Dane’s LAID BARE released this week. Want a shot at winning a copy? Sure you do!

Leave a comment for a chance to win. You have until Monday to enter. That’s when I’ll pick a winner. Tell me what you’ve been doing during the last three weeks I’ve been gone. What have you been reading? Looking forward to the kids going back to school? What’s up with you these days? Let’s get reacquainted.

I love that word, hiatus. It’s almost as good as Venezuela, which is my favorite word ever.

Anyway, I’ll be back the first week of August, guys. Until then I’m on vaaaaaacaaaayshun. Well, my body will be on vacation, at least. My brain and my fingers are still going to be working away on Cruel Enchantment and Jeweled. My deadlines don’t permit me to leave the laptop at home. But that’s okay, because I love my job. Blogging, however, will be suspended until August.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer (or winter, depending on where you reside in the world)!

Cross-posted from The Bradford Bunch Blog.

It’s summer. Beach season. Well, okay, maybe not so much for those of us in the middle of the country. For us it’s wish-we-were-at-the-beach-instead-of-the-public-pool season. Nonetheless, we tend to read more in the summer than we do the rest of the year due to vacations, lounging poolside, ect.

My reading habits go through phases. Sometimes all I’m in the mood for are historical romances set in Scotland. Other times all I want to read are paranormal romances, or urban fantasy. I become burned out on one genre or sub-genre and need to switch. My To Be Read pile has books of many different genres/sub-genres in it. Some have been there awhile–just haven’t been in the mood for them yet. (This drives my non-reading husband nuts.)

Right now I’m in a heavy historical fantasy reading phase. I want thick books (700 pages, please) of fantasy novel set in some faraway place in some faraway time. I’m glomming all the historical fantasy I can that sounds good to me. Unfortunately, there’s not tons of it. The market for this sub-genre doesn’t seem to be huge. A pity.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. Most readers, I think, tend to go through phases like these. So, how about you? Are you a dedicated romance reader, or do you stray to other genres sometimes?

I’ll let you in on a little secret, I LOVE writing the villain almost more than any other character. Mustache-twirlers need not apply. I like my heroes interesting, layered, maybe even a little sympathetic. I want their motives to match their actions. I like them passionate and full personality.

This is a snippet from Witch Fury with one of my favorite villains, Stefan Faucheux. Enjoy!

As she drove, a swell of memory assaulted her. Images her brain were able to suppress in Chicago reared their nasty heads here, so near her childhood home. In her mind a memory of her mother flickered. The middle-aged redhead stood on the lawn of their home brandishing a grilling fork, insane words pouring from her lips. Flames licked and the scent of burning…

Sarafina lunged for the radio and found a good station that played loud, hard rock music. She opened the window of her car and threw herself into the song, singing the lyrics out loud. She wouldn’t allow her mind to go back there, she just couldn’t.

Instead, she thought of Grosset, her Pomeranian. She’d left him with her neighbor for the trip south and couldn’t wait to see him again. Sarafina smiled. See? Life wasn’t so bad. She had friends, a job, and, most importantly, she had the love of a good dog.

Then there was that guy who kept asking her for a date. His name was Brian. No… Bradley. Cute, too. He was a UPS guy, came into the office every afternoon and sought her out specifically to sign for the deliveries. What was it about UPS guys? He flirted with her every day, cajoling her to go to dinner with him. It was flattering. She’d been turning him down because of Alex, but now she was free. Maybe the next time he asked, she’d say yes.

She rolled into the northern Chicago suburb in the early evening and parked in front of the beautiful eighteenth century home where her apartment was located. It was only a few blocks from her office downtown, though she always took the EL in to avoid parking problems.

Stopping the car at the curb, she turned off the engine and stared up at the beautiful, huge windows. Sarafina loved this place. The neighborhood was quiet and older, the street lined with stately old trees. Hopefully her landlord would give her an extension on the rent. Most likely he would. After all, this would be the first time she’d ever been late.

She knocked on her downstairs neighbor’s door and Alexis, a college girl, answered. “Grosset? Oh, he’s already at your place. Your boyfriend came and picked him up. He’s cute!” she squealed, then said, “Your boyfriend, I mean. Grosset’s cute too, though. Ta!” and closed the door in Sarafina’s face.

Boyfriend? God, she hoped Alex wasn’t having second thoughts. She stared at the closed door for a moment, anxiety making her stomach muscles tighten. Then she stalked up the stairs to her apartment, her mind whirling about she would say to him. Now that he was gone, she wanted him to stay that way.

Her apartment door squeaked open and she started down the hallway, hearing someone cough in the living room. “Alex, listen—“
She stopped short and her keys clattered to the floor. Shock held her immobile as she stared at Stefan Faucheux standing in her living room…holding her dog. Her mind stuttered.

Stefan Faucheux?

Everyone knew who he was. The rich playboy and CEO of Duskoff International had been the media’s darling for a long time. He was everything they loved–handsome, interesting, intelligent and monied. Then one day he’d disappeared. For a year the world had wondered where he’d gone. Foul play had been suspected and investigations undergone. All the entertainment shows had been atwitter with the mystery.

Then suddenly six months ago he’d simply popped back into existence, taking up where he’d left off as if he’d never been gone. He’d been traveling, he’d explained. Mostly he been in Costa Rica surfing. No one had been able to find him because he hadn’t wanted to be found. If you had enough money, Sarafina guessed you could do that, just disappear without a trace. Personally, she wouldn’t know.

Most people thought it had simply been a publicity stunt. Maybe they were right. Stefan seemed to like attention.

Right now he really wanted hers.

The bigger question was why? Why was he standing in her living room?

“Wha–” she started and then snapped her mouth closed as Bradley stepped out from her small hallway and stood next to Stefan.

What the hell was the UPS guy and Stefan Faucheux doing in her apartment?

Stefan inclined his head. “Sarafina Connell, it’s a pleasure. I think you’ve already met my associate.” He took a step toward her while Grosset panted and smiled a happy doggie smile at her. “We tried this easy way, but you were more resistant than most to Bradley’s charms. Women normally just swoon right at his feet, boyfriend or not, making our job so much easier.”

“What’s going on? What are you–“

“Since Bradley couldn’t get you alone, I’m afraid we’ll have to do it the less pleasant way. Trust me, we’re doing you a favor.” He clucked. “Data entry, Sarafina? You’re wasting yourself. We’ll make the most of your skills where we’re taking you. I just wish your initiation could have been nicer.”

That was a threat. Stefan Faucheux had just threatened her in her own living room, and he was holding her dog!

Sarafina opened her mouth to scream and someone grabbed her from behind, a big meaty hand clamping down hard over her lips. A needle bit deep into her hip and a thick drowsiness almost immediately closed over her. Her knees buckled and someone lifted her. Her head lolled to the side, unconsciousness closing over her in a slow wave.

Stefan tilted his head to the side and petted Grosset’s silky head, while the Pomeranian panted happily. “Now we have you and your little dog too.”

Want more Snippet Saturday? Here you go:

Leah Braemel

Shelley Munro
Cynthia Eden
SJ Day
Jaci Burton
Michelle Pillow
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Sacha White
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage
McKenna Jeffries
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
Beth Williamson

The cover for Wicked Enchantment (Berkley Sensation, January 2010). Tony Mauro is the cover artist. He’s done all my covers for Berkley so far and every one of them have been gorgeous.

When you’re a half incubus, your reputation precedes you…

All eyes are on Gabriel Mac Braire the day he makes his first appearance in the Seelie Court, including those of Aislinn Finvarra. Despite deep bitterness over her last failed relationship, Aislinn cannot help but be curious about the half incubus who is known to possess dark magick, both lethal and sexual in nature. Rumors abound of the women who have become enslaved to his irresistible charms.

So when the Summer Queen of the fae orders Aislinn herself to act as his guide in the court, she is understandably on guard. She’s fallen under the spell of far less persuasive men before. In addition, Gabriel might be more than he seems and his true mission is far from innocent.

This time, Aislinn must protect not only her heart, but her very life…

…at least so far as the Elemental Witches series.

I wrote this up for Cynthia Eden’s 30 Days of Demons contest. It’s still going on! Go on and take a peek, if you haven’t already. This piece gives you an insider’s peek into the demon portion of the worldbuilding in my Elemental Witches series.

Demons seem to be a whole new trend in urban fantasy and paranormal romance these days. Sometimes they turn up as the good guys, the bad guys, or sometimes a shade in between. The demons of the Elemental Witches Series are shade in between. Well, except for the Atrika. They’re pretty much all bad.

There are four demon breeds in my worldbuilding:

The Ytrayi (E-TRAY-EE) – The leader caste. Loyal and operating on a strict Code of Conduct, they rule things in their world. The leader of the leaders is called the Cae. His name is Rue.

The Syari (S-YAR-EE) – The scholar caste. They are the archivists, holders of knowledge and do all magickal research.

The Mandari (MAN-DAR-EE) – The builder caste. Responsible for creating and maintaining the structures in the capital city of Ai and in all of Eudae. The buildings are made of lavender and rose marble, sometimes black or gray, and are built in columns, gentle slopes and arches. The palace, called Yrysvront, is majestic in its architecture.

The Atrika (A-TREE-KAH) – The warrior caste. Genetically engineered by an unknown hand, they are brutal and unforgiving. They are also like passionate children, following their whims no matter the destruction they might cause. Their favorite food is rotting meat and they have a nasty habit of cannibalizing their enemies on the spot in battle.

In my series the elemental witches are a hybrid of human and demon. Long ago, during the early days of human civilization, the daaeman, (who reside in an alternate reality called Eudae), opened a portal to Earth and came through it to interact with human beings.

In the beginning, it was a free-for-all on humans. Some of the demons hunted them for sport, others respected humanity and helped them improve their societies, and still others fell in love with them. For the ones who fell in love and wanted to marry and have children, there was a problem since the basic difference in the genetic makeup between humans and daaeman didn’t allow for mating. Human women couldn’t carry daaeman babies.

Out of this need, the daaeman constructed a magickal solution, using the four elements as a base. The children born of these unions were demon/human halflings and their magickical abilities were tied to one of the four elements used in the spell—earth, air, water or fire. They became the elemental witches.

It was decided that the daaeman were interfering too much in the evolution of humanity and so they withdrew from Earth, closing all the portals. When they did this, it shrouded the origins of the elemental witches in secrecy. The elemental witches learn about how they came about only midway through my series, when the witches begin interacting with the daaeman once again.

There’s a little interesting side-effect of the hybrid demon/human condition. The elemental witches with an overabundance of Ytrayi genes tend to be the good guys—the coven witches. Those with the Atrika genes tend to be the baddies—the Duskoff warlocks, who have turned their back on the tenet of harm ye none and betrayed the coven.

But there are the quirky ones, like Micah, who definitely has a bunch of Syari in him. And there’s Jack McAllister whose father was the head of the Duskoff, yet Jack never inherited his father’s baddie leanings.

So there are no blacks and whites in this world, just shades of gray, which is the way I like it best. Makes it far more interesting, and, I think, more realistic.

In Witch Fury the threads I’ve pulled between the Duskoff, the coven witches, and the daaeman throughout the series will finally weave together in an explosive mix. The Atrika and the warlocks have things planned for the coven witches and it just might end them.

~*~*~*~*~

The winner of my contest (entrants from all places were compiled) from a couple weeks ago is…. Sara M., who said “I’m currently reading Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge…..” Yay! You’ve won your choice of autographed title from my Elemental Witches series. Please drop me an email to anyabast(at)gmail.com within the next two weeks to collect.

Hi All! Today’s Snippet Saturday theme is Seduction FAIL. My characters have many seduction fails, when one character (generally the hero) is trying his best to tempt the heroine into bed with him and she’s resisting. This is the first meeting scene between Daria and Alejandro of The Chosen Sin and the first of a few seduction fail scenes for them. (Daria has much more will power than I ever would.) Enjoy!

In this sensuous and lust-filled otherworld, the Chosen are vampires fighting for their very existence.

It is Daria’s destiny to become one of them…

Daria Morris is a special forces agent with one obsession: to wreak vengeance on the brutal vampire who nearly destroyed her. Now she’s finally about to get her chance, on one condition. She must become something she detests: a vampire.

Her fate rests upon one man’s lethal bite. His name is Alejandro Martinez, and he can help her infiltrate a highly guarded group of the Chosen. But Alejandro is also a distraction for Daria. Because thirteen years ago, they shared a scorching night of passion neither has forgotten.

Now, while Daria struggles against her newfound bloodlust, the two must slip into the shadows to bring a monster to justice—even as their desire threatens to consume them. But under the cover of night, they’ll discover that it’s the darkness within that may stand in the way of their hunger for retribution…

Excerpt from The Chosen Sin ~ © 2008 Anya Bast

Daria pushed the door open and stepped into the Blood Spot. Her pupils adjusted to the dim light and her nostrils flared at the heavy odor–a combination of Darpongese booze, the bitter smoke from rashish cigarettes, and the metallic scent of blood. The pounding beat of the club’s music assaulted her eardrums.

There were vamps in here. She could feel them. This sleazy club in the outreaches of the Darpong was well known as a place where veilhounders, blood donors who were psychologically addicted to a vamp’s veil and physically addicted to the chemicals secreted by a vamp’s bite, hung out, waiting for a vampire to grace them with their presence…and their fangs. The edges of her mouth curled down in disgust.

If it was up to Daria, veilhounding would be illegal everywhere. She found the practice abhorrent, despite the supposed joys of having a vampire sink his or her fangs into you and unfurl their illusions within your mind.

There were addiction clinics all over the Angel System. For the love of the quad planets, you’d think people would learn not to get their kicks this way.

There were even isolated cases of vampires trafficking in the sale of addicted humans they called blood slaves. Sometimes they abducted veilhounders from places just like this one and sold them into it.

She shook her head, glancing around at the people that filled the building. The fools.

Daria’s hand rested on her patrol-issued pulse disruptor, a weapon capable of briefly preventing muscular impulses, or the cessation of synapses firing in the brain, depending on the setting. The weapon worked on most species, even the Chosen. She was not a willing blood donor and she’d be damned if anyone mistook her for one.

Her pupils finally adjusted to the dim light and she sought out Alejandro Martinez. She hadn’t seen him in over seven years. All the same, she spotted him right away since he still looked like sin made flesh.

A black leather dune-biker jacket sheathed broad shoulders and his muscular arms and chest. Thick black hair framed a face hewn in masculine lines, with a strong chin, chocolate-brown eyes, and a mouth made for kissing…and other things. She filled in from memory what she couldn’t see, since his face was currently buried in the neck of a tall redhead.

Daria hung back, watching him sway and dip the woman in his arms, a veilhounder most likely, his pelvis moving sensually against hers. The rhythm to which they danced was a lot slower than the music. They looked like they were in the throes of a slow, pleasurable fuck, oblivious to everyone around them.

Daria shook her head. It had been far too long since she’d had one of those. Everything looked sensual to her these days. Although, Alejandro had always exuded confident sexuality, even before he’d been Chosen.

What the hell was he doing biting a human? That was against GBC regulation.

She worked her way around the edge of the room, picking past entangled vampires and donors and stepping in sloshed beer and other substances she didn’t care to identify. Finally, she entered the crush on the dance floor and elbowed her way to him

“Alejandro?” she queried loudly, competing with the music. “It’s me, Daria.”

No reaction. Just that irritating sway and thrust.

“Alejandro,” she repeated, louder this time.

He raised his head. His dark eyes were heavy lidded, and a hank of black hair had fallen across his forehead. Dark stubble graced the square jut of his jaw and shaded the skin around his well-formed mouth. Those beautiful lips twisted. “Your turn?” he drawled in his Spanish accent.

He released the veilhounder redhead who stumbled back drunkenly with a smile on her face. Daria stepped away, but he grabbed her around the waist and drew her close.

Her protest died on her tongue as his hot breath caressed her throat. Some strange quirk of vampire chemistry made a Chosen’s breath consistently sweet. Their non-human bodies took the blood they drank and transformed it into pure energy, pure life. Scientists had hypothesized that it acted as a mild tranquilizer, lulling their human victim.

Daria held her breath, trying not to inhale it. Alejandro bussed his lips across the bare skin between her collarbone and shoulder. The hard rake of fangs followed the sensation.

That broke her momentary stupor. She pushed him away and hooked her leg around to sweep his legs out from under him. He went down hard on his back, scattering the bar’s patrons around them.

Daria knelt beside him, drawing her pulser and pointing it at his temple. It whirred up, readying to fire. The light on top that was connected to her brain wave patterns flared red. “I told you, Alejandro. No fangs.”

Want to read more? These authors are also participating in Snippet Saturday today. Check them out.

Cynthia Eden
Sylvia Day
Leah Braemel
Shelli Stevens
Michelle Pillow
Jaci Burton
Anya Bast
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
Vivian Arend
Shelley Munro
Lacey Savage

If you’re expecting something in the mail from me, it probably went out yesterday. I sent out a mountain of contest prizes yesterday. The post office people should have learned to run and hide every time they see me coming, but they remain sunny and friendly as ever.

I have set myself with deadlines for two books that are right on top of each other. I want to get the first draft of Cruel Enchantment done before I leave for France in mid-July on vacation. (Wheee!) That means I need to head into my cave and write like a ravaging wildebeest…er, or something like that. Then I can set Cruel Enchantment aside for a bit and work on Jeweled, the other book I’m writing. Then I can go back to Cruel Enchantment, revise/edit and not miss my deadline (which is a good thing!).

Okay, like 95% of you probably just went to sleep.

ANYWAY, this is just a note to let you know that my blogging will be spotty and I might not be on Twitter all that much (my internet addiction of choice these days), ect, because I’m headed into my writing cave for some intensive work.

I’ll be announcing the winner of my current contest on Tuesday, June 22nd (the next time I blog at the Bradford Bunch).

Cross-posted from the Bradford Bunch blog.

Hi all! I’m back from a trip to Minnesota to visit a very good friend of mine. While I was there I slept with my daughter (two, almost three), who likes to put her knee up my nostril at least five times a night. So I’m pretty much a walking zombie this morning. It’s going to take me at least a week to recover sleep-wise, I think.

We had a blast, though. We went to the Mall of America, to a cool little zoo, and to an outdoor street festival. My daughter had a great time and so did I. Spending time with people I love always recharges me.

So, Witch Fury came out last week. Yeeeeha! Normally I have a bunch of book release anxiety when I have a book release, but I gotta say, it wasn’t there with this one. I’m all cool as a zen cucumber. I’m really thankful for this. As I mentioned I was trying to do, I think I’ve finally found a good spot in my head with this stuff (book releases). It makes my contentment with my “job” so much higher.

Thank you to the most awesome Ann Aguirre for offering a chance to win Witch Fury! 🙂 (Go here to enter that one) I’ll offer you another chance. Well, actually, this is a chance to win one book from the series–your choice. Winner can choose from all the books in the series. So, if you’ve just read Witch Fire, this is your chance to get Witch Blood and continue on. Or if you haven’t started the series yet, here’s your chance to start it.

Here’s another chance to win Witch Fire — Stumbling Over Chaos is offering a chance to win a signed copy. I think the contest ends on Thursday.

So, what on your reading list for the summer? What books are coming out that you can’t wait to read? Or what’s in your current TBR pile that you can’t wait to get to (or are reading now)? Let’s talk books, people. Leave me a comment and you’ll be entered for a chance to win.

If you’re reading this on my web site blog or on my LJ, you can leave a comment here to enter and I’ll compile them all.