Hey everyone!  This is Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series.  After the release of The Iron Daughter a few weeks ago, one of the questions I’ve been asked most frequently revolves around Meghan and her ability to fight back.  I now give you a short excerpt from the upcoming The Iron Queen, the third book in the Iron Fey series, which I hope will help to answer that question:

 Ash strode to a nearby rock, swooped down, and tossed me a long, slightly curved stick.  When I caught it, I saw that it was actually a leather sheath with a gilded brass hilt poking from the top.  A sword.  Ash was giving me a sword … why? 

            Oh, yeah.  Because I wanted to learn to fight.  Because I’d asked him to teach me. 

            Ash, watching me with that weary, knowing look on his face, shook his head.  “You forgot, did you?”

            “Nooooo,” I said quickly.  “I just … didn’t think it would be this soon.”

            “This is the perfect place.”  Ash turned slightly to gaze around the clearing.  “Quiet, hidden.  We can catch our breath here.  It’s a good place to learn while you’re waiting for your father to come out of it.  When we’re done here, I have a feeling things will get much more chaotic.”  He gestured to the sword in my hand.  “Your first lesson begins now.  Draw your sword.”

I did.  Unsheathing it sent a raspy shiver across the glen, and I gazed at the weapon in fascination.  The blade was thin and slightly curved, an elegant looking weapon, razor sharp and deadly.  A warning tickled the back of my mind.  There was something about the blade that was … different.    Blinking, I ran my fingers along the cool, gleaming edge, and a chill shot through my stomach.   

            The blade was made of steel.  Not faery steel.  Not a fey sword covered in glamour.  Real, ordinary iron.  The kind that would burn faery flesh and sear away glamour.  The kind that left wounds impossible to heal. 

            I gaped at it, then at Ash, who looked remarkably calm to be facing his greatest weakness.  “This is steel,” I told him, sure that Leanansidhe had made a mistake.

            He nodded.  “An eighteenth-century Spanish saber.  Leanansidhe nearly had a fit when I told her what I wanted, but she was able to track one down in exchange for a favor.”  He paused then, wincing slightly.  “A very large favor.”

Alarmed, I stared at him.  “What did you promise her?” 

“It doesn’t matter.  Nothing that endangers us in any way.”  He hurried on before I could argue.  “I wanted a light, slashing weapon for you, one with a good amount of reach, to keep opponents farther away.”  He gestured to the saber with his own weapon, a blindingly quick stab of blue.  “You’ll be moving around a lot, using speed instead of brute force against your enemies.  That blade won’t block heavier weapons, and you don’t have the strength to swing a longsword effectively, so we’re going to have to teach you how to dodge.  This was the best choice.”

“But this is steel,” I repeated, listening to him in amazement.  He could teach a class with his knowledge of weapons and fighting.  “Why a real sword?  I could seriously hurt someone.”

“Meghan.”  Ash gave me a patient look.  “That’s exactly why I chose it.  You have an advantage with that weapon that none of us can touch.  Even the most violent redcap will think twice about facing a real, mortal blade.  It won’t scare the Iron fey, of course, but that’s where training will come in.”

            “But … but what if I hit you?”

             A snort.  “You’re not going to hit me.”

            “How do you know?”  I bristled at his amused tone.  “I could hit you.  Even master swordsmen make mistakes.  I could get a lucky shot, or you might not see me coming.  I don’t want to hurt you.”

            He favored me with another patient look.  “And how much experience do you have with swords and weapons in general?” 

“Um.”  I glanced down at the saber in my hand.  “Thirty seconds?”

              He smiled, that calm, irritatingly confident smirk.  “You’re not going to hit me.” 

Meghan’s story, and the war with the Iron Fey, continues in The Iron Queen, coming February 2011, from Harlequin TEEN.

by Artist Arthur, author of Manifest (Kimani TRU)

Growing up reading romance novels set the pace for what type of stories I would eventually write. I love bringing two people together despite the odds that may be against them. Creating wonderful characters and enticing relationships has been the highlight of my career writing as A.C. Arthur.

But about a year ago I decided to switch gears. Actually, the decision was sort of made for me, in the form of advice from so many important people in my life. After seven years of professionally writing and having sensual romance novels published, I was about to embark on a totally different, drastically new form of story creation. I was about to write a young adult book, and not just any young adult book, but a paranormal series that would cross many barriers.

As background, during my years of reading I’ve read quite a few adult paranormal stories, loved the transformation from my contemporary world to the world of witches and warlocks and otherworldly creatures. So I knew that if I was going to go in a different direction I might as well go all the way. I left behind the rich heroes and strong independent heroines set in today’s reality. What I wanted was something more.

A small town with a mysterious history, weather patterns that left more than physical damage, teenagers with more than just puberty to worry about—the Mystyx were born. Outlining this series was the most intense part of the project because there was so much I needed to know. Research took days and more days because creating a whole new world is not as easy as it sounds. I needed a lot of different elements to piece together the perfect group of teenagers or misfits as I first thought of them. A lot of the character research came from other teenagers I knew and some I’d never met. Just by observing them I was able to create Krystal, Jake and Sasha—three unlikely friends drawn together by the unexplainable, yet loyal to each other because of something more important.

The world around them had to also be unique, the town where they live, the students they go to school with, the adults that would never understand what they were going through. This was another piece of the puzzle that took some thinking. The Mystyx Series needed to be realistic and yet steeped in the world of fantasy. I spent a lot of time juggling both trying to be as equal as possible. I relied on memory for this part, my old teachers and neighborhood parents, adults at my church when I was younger. This gave me a colorful assortment of would-be characters to work with.

The bad guy is oh so bad. Although the ultimate bad guy has yet to be revealed, the subplots had to include an adverse element as well. In this area I tried to think of current affairs, what was going on right now with teenagers, what pertinent issues were they facing? There are many and this series is not meant to be preachy or overwhelmingly radical, but I wanted it to be currently important. Therefore, in each book readers will see an issue that’s sort of a hot topic today.

Diversity was also a key component of The Mystyx Series. We are a diverse nation, why shouldn’t our reading reflect that? I’ve read tons of romance and young adult books and found only one thing lacking—ethnic diversity within the main characters. So with this series the plan was in place from the start to set each book in the POV of a different Mystyx, and each Mystyx would have a different ethnicity. So far we have Krystal—the middle class, part Native American and part African American; Sasha—a rich, part Argentinean and part Caucasian; and, Jake—a Caucasian from the wrong side of the tracks. Throughout each story there are more cultural and social differences addressed which I think adds just another layer to this series.

And finally, the paranormal. Supernatural has always been an interest of mine, mainly because I think it’s so close to our reality. There are a phenomenal number of persons today that claim to possess known supernatural powers. Now, answer this, are all of them crazy or are we in denial? I don’t claim to possess any powers, nor have I met anyone who actually does, but I’m not as totally against the idea as some are. It’s an intriguing area that because I had the opportunity I figured I’d delve into.

In a nutshell that’s the creation of the Mystyx. Seems a lot simpler now that I’ve written it out then when I was actually going through the process. But know that this series is still creatively in process, whatever readers think might happen, there’s a good chance it will, and an even higher chance it won’t. This world is ever evolving for me and for the readers, I hope.

Check out the Mystyx website at at www.mystyxseries.com or get the first book here!

Congratulations to all of the White Heat Twitter Party winners! To claim your prize email bnparty1@gmail.com with your name, your Twitter handle and your shipping address. Here is the complete list:

$50 Outback gift card: @tjh2008
$50 Barnes & Noble gift card: @MandaPanda429
Murder Mystery Game: @LuvUrBooks
$50 Olive Garden gift card: @ShyGoddessWolf
$50 Borders gift card: @LaurieJD
Signed copies of The Perfect Couple, The Perfect Liar and The Perfect Murder (2 winners): @cluttery AND @Uticawoman
White Heat, Body Heat and Killer Heat Lip Glosses (2 winners): @BookOwner AND @kaisquared4

Unfortunately, Brenda could not answer all of the fabulous questions during the party, but she will stop by the eHarlequin Community soon with a response. Thanks everyone!

Please join us tonight on Twitter for our Brenda Novak party!  You need to use the hashtag #BNParty (go here to learn how to do this), and join the group on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 8 – 10 p.m. eastern time on Twitter.

If you’re not already on Twitter, be sure to create an account.

You can talk to Brenda, ask questions and win some amazing prizes including iPads, books and gift cards!

Brenda has a wonderful new suspense trilogy on sale.

Come and check it out – -it’ll be fun!

by Marie Ferrarella, author of Cavanaugh Reunion (Silhouette Romantic Suspense, September 2010), her 200th release!

There are times I still have trouble believing it, believing that I am in effect “living the dream.” Despite the fact that for a number of years I wanted to be an actress when I grew up, there was a part of me that always wanted to be a writer. It came into focus because back when I was a little girl, aside from Barbara Stanwyck, there were no strong women to be had, certainly not on television, my entertainment of choice.

So, if I wanted to be an actress on TV, I needed to write parts for myself. I wrote myself into a number of TV series, expanding the stories until, somewhere along the line, I shed the initial storyline renamed the characters and made the stories my own (as with Bonanza where I was the sister they never talked about because I was away in boarding school but came bouncing back into their lives, the center of each story from thereon in.)

Eventually, I stopped thinking about acting and started focusing on getting something published. That little odyssey (from its inception to the date of my very first sale) took a mere twenty-two years. My first rejection slip came, at the tender age of eleven, from Children’s Digest. They chose not to publish my Christmas story which must have read far too much like The Little Match Girl to them. There was a reason for that. I’d read that story and then “adapted” it to fit my style, leaving far too many similarities in it for it to be remotely mistaken as origin work. Who knew you couldn’t do that? I didn’t. But I learned.

The rush I got from hearing my agent tell me that the editor at Berkeley Jove liked my work and was making an offer on it was unbelievable. From then on, I was hooked. The really neat thing? Even now, as I am being given the details of my umpteenth contract—for book number 229—that same wonderful rush returns. Selling books is something I will never get used to, never take for granted. Number 229 means the same to me as number 1.

By the way, the Harlequin Blog will hold a tiny contest for me. The winner, chosen by random, will get a much-faded (but authentic) first copy of my very first Silhouette book: Tried and True, a Desire published under the first name I used when I first came to join the Silhouette family: Marie Nicole. Ten books later, I took off my Clark Kent glasses and revealed my secret identity and, coincidentally, my real name which was to be my new name. I’ve been Marie Ferrarella ever since. And very happy, I might add, because the dream continues, thanks to my editor, Patience Smith, and to you. I’d be lost without either one of you.

As ever, thank you for reading and continuing to make me very, very happy.

Editor’s Note: Marie’s right! We’re giving away one copy of Tried and True to a very lucky winner! To enter, leave a comment on this blog post. Submit your comments by 11:59pm EST Sunday, August 8th. Only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contest details, click here.

Join White Heat author Brenda Novak and Harlequin Books for a Twitter party Wednesday, August 4, between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. EST! Never been to a Twitter party? Not sure what a Twitter party is? Check out the Twittorial below and you’ll be a pro in no time!

• If you’re not on Twitter yet, head over and set up an account – it’s free, easy and fun! Pick a username that’s short and fits who you are, and upload a photo so other partygoers can see your lovely smile!

• Take a few minutes to play around with your new account: click @YourName to see public tweets directed to you, click Direct Messages to see private messages. Click Find People at the top of the page to search for some of your friends or favorite celebs to follow.

• Be sure to follow @Brenda_Novak and @HarlequinBooks before the party! You can follow by clicking the links or searching for their names.

To join the party on August 4, you can search #BNParty on Twitter or use our official party tweetgrid. Parties move fast, and you want to refresh often if you’re using Twitter. TweetGrid refreshes automatically. Check out Tweetgrid below – there are columns for you to see ALL party tweets, tweets just from Brenda or Harlequin and tweets directed at you!

• Ask Brenda questions or chat with other partygoers—just be sure to type #BNParty at the end all of your party tweets! (This is added automatically in TweetGrid.) This feature (called a hashtag) allows everyone to know your tweet is part of the party.

• Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party! And don’t get discouraged. If your tweet is overlooked at first, ask again! The more you tweet, the more fun you have.

• Watch for questions from @HarlequinBooks to win awesome prizes including iPads, books, and gift cards!

• Please don’t post any spoilers and pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:00pm EST.

• Please feel free to spread the word. We look forward to chatting with you!

by Brenda Novak, author of the upcoming Department 6 trilogy, starting with White Heat, available now!

Not really. I’d invite you to my house if I could, but that might involve quite a bit of traveling, at least for most of you. And it could get crowded. So…I’m doing the next best thing and throwing a Twitter party!

What will we be celebrating? The release of the first book in my new Department 6 trilogy—White Heat, a story about two private security contractors who must pretend to be married in order to infiltrate a dangerous cult that’s taken over a ghost town (appropriately called Paradise) in the middle of the Arizona desert.

Some of the early reviews are in. Here’s what people are saying about White Heat:

“A fast-paced romantic thriller guaranteed to keep you entranced to the climactic end.” —Fresh Fiction

“White Heat is full of passion, adventure, mystery, and red hot action.” —Coffee Time Romance & More

“…the best high action thriller of 2010…” —Midwest Book Review

“White Heat is flawless and easily a Best of 2010 contender.” —Shannon Raab, Suspense Magazine

“A chilling tale that readers won’t want to put down.” —Romance Reviews Today

Body Heat, the second book in the Department 6 trilogy, will be out August 31st and Killer Heat, the third book, will be out September 23rd. So we have a lot to look forward to.

But I digress. Back to the party. Please join me on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 8 – 10 p.m. eastern time on Twitter.

If you’re not already on Twitter, be sure to create an account.

Then go to www.BrendaNovak.com and register for the party. Why? Because everyone who registers will receive a snail mail party pack that includes:

• Raffle tickets for all the fabulous giveaways (like one of THREE iPads, jewelry, gift cards, autographed books and more)
• $1.00 off coupon for WHITE HEAT
• A pair of 3D glasses so you can view the cool 3D book trailer on my web site (just click on the link below the 2D version and/or, while you’re there, download one of two free 3D screensavers)
• A 30% off coupon for White Heat lip gloss (created by Three Custom Color Specialists, a high-end make-up company in NYC who developed this shade just for me)
• A reminder card (okay, so maybe this last item is more practical than exciting…)

If you’re not familiar with Twitter, don’t worry! We’ll be emailing all participants a quick and easy tutorial. We’ll soon have you tweeting like a pro as you eagerly watch the announcements to see if you’re one of our lucky winners (so be sure to hang on to your raffle tickets!).

Note: Must be present to win….

Any questions? Email me at Brenda@brendanovak.com.

See you at the party!

by Emma Cunningham, Production Coordinator, Digital & Internet

Here at Harlequin, we get excited when good things happen to good authors. We are extremely proud of one of the members of the Harlequin family, Tess Gerritsen, for writing the Rizzoli & Isles crime thriller series for Ballantine Books, which was turned into a TV show that premiered last night on TNT.

In the premier episode, See One, Do One, Teach One, Homicide Detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon , Women’s Murder Club’s Lindsay Boxer) and Medical Examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander, NCIS’s Special Agent Kate Todd) teamed up to take on Charles Hoyt (aka Warren Hoyt in the novels), the villain of the first two books in the series, The Surgeon and The Apprentice. The TV show skips The Surgeon and jumps right into The Apprentice, where Hoyt is introduced as a former nemesis of Jane’s who has escaped jail to team up with a new killer whom he has taken on as an apprentice. With some gruesome scenes and strong characters, who are more personable than their novel counterparts, Rizzoli & Isles made a promising debut last night. Memorable characters such as Detective Barry Frost (Lee Thompson Young), Detective Vince Korsak (Bruce McGill) and FBI Agent Gabriel Dean (Billy Burke) all put in appearances in the show. Jane’s mom Angela is especially priceless, brought to life by Lorraine Bracco.

Here’s what people are saying:

“There’s something about Harmon that undeniably captures the archetypal image of the tough but lovely enforcer.” – Los Angeles Times

“I can tell you with all honesty that… I really liked this pilot episode.” – The Trades

Tess wrote eight books for MIRA, available now as anthologies. Check out: Never Say Die & Whistleblower, Presumed Guilty & Keeper of the Bride, and In Their Footsteps & Thief of Hearts, now available as ebooks from Harlequin! 

In Their Footsteps & Thief of Hearts is also available in print.

You can follow Tess on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tessgerritsen, visit her website at http://www.tessgerritsen.com, or check out Rizzoli & Isles on TNT on Monday nights at 10/9c.

by Heather Foy, Senior Manager, Public Relations

I had the chance to hit the road last weekend with authors Carla Neggers, Gena Showalter, Susan Mallery, Rachel Vincent and Emilie Richards on the Authors in Motion Book Tour and it was a blast. We had a great time riding in the “love bus” (although our driver one day was a little crazy) and it was a real privilege to see them meet excited readers.

From L-R: Susan Mallery, Rachel Vincent, Emilie Richards, Gena Showalter and Carla Neggers

Fans arrived from all over (even neighbouring states) to meet them, some with quilting squares for Emilie Richards and others with custom-made books for Rachel Vincent. All the fans got photos to remember the experience, and they left with signed books and great memories.

Thanks to all the authors on the tour! Harlequin is so proud to publish your amazing work, and you are all incredibly talented. I’d be happy to travel with any of you, and we proved that with Starbucks all things are possible!

Gena Showalter cuddling up to something Grande and iced.

And just in time for the holiday weekend, here are their latest releases from the authors on tour – ALL great beach reads!

Happy trails!
Heather

PS—Check out Rachel Vincent’s blog for more photos of the tour!

by Heather Foy, Senior Manager, Public Relations

Road trips.  Nothing says summer like hitting the road in search of fun and adventure.  This weekend, I’m lucky enough to be striking out with five of my favorite Harlequin authors for the ultimate summer signing road trip.

If you’re in the Chicagoland area this weekend, you have a unique opportunity to join best-selling authors Carla Neggers, Gena Showalter, Susan Mallery, Rachel Vincent and Emilie Richards as they make stops on the Authors in Motion book signing tour.  I’m so excited to have this amazing group of writers all appearing at the same time, and they are anxious to meet their fans.  Susan Mallery joked: “Most of us work at home in our sweats or pajamas so it’s a big deal to get dressed up with makeup and shoes!”.  Don’t miss this opportunity to meet your favorite writers, get a photo, and of course a signed book.

The tour rolls into 8 different locations between Chicago and Milwaukee and the complete schedule is below.  You can follow our adventures on twitter also at #lovebus.  Come and join our summer road trip!