UFI welcomes Carla Smith Author of A Vampire's Promise. Thanks for Joining us!!
Favorite paranormal authors …
As a writer I know Golden Rule # 1 is to write every day. Something that, despite my best efforts, I am not always able to execute. It would be so much easier if I didn’t have to deal with those little interruptions that are a part of … well, life. Things like making dinner, doing laundry, or making sure an old dog with dodgy bowels makes it outside in time. There are days when just thinking about opening my laptop is the full sum of my creative productivity.
Same goes for Golden Rule # 2, which is to read. All writers need to read, especially their own genre. While it’s highly doubtful that J.R. Ward or Sherrilyn Kenyon are rushing out to see what new and inventive plot line yours truly has come up with, I fantasize that one day my novels will make it on their “must read” list.
In the meantime. here are some of my “must read” paranormal authors.
I don’t think you can write anything about vampires, and not include J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. These boys definitely know how to party and in case anyone is interested, my favorite is Rhage. I find his open-mouth-insert-foot manner kind of endearing. And that tat on his back is a definite jaw-dropper.
Now although her series isn’t primarily about a vampire, there is a character who definitely believes he’s one in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever books. But to be honest I spent so much time trying to decide who was hotter, the death-by-sex Fae prince, V’lane, or the not-so-human Jerricho Barrons, everyone else kind of faded into the background.
Of course Anne Rice is famous for her Interview with the Vampire (and by the way I thought Antonio Banderas stole the movie with his portrayal of Armand - eat your heart our Brad Pitt!), but she also wrote a truly fabulous book called The Witching Hour that I can read over and over again. And no bookshelf should be without Erica Hayes’ Shadowfae Chronicles. They’re a great must-read. Similarly Susan Squires’ Companion series has a fantastic symbiotic relationship between vampire and host which I found very original.
While I’ve never read The Vampire Diaries, I do like the Night World books written by L. J. Smith, and it would be remiss of me not to mention both the Twilight series as well as the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Both wildly successful, and responsible for bringing vampires screaming back into the mainstream. Thank you to both authors.
For fantasy it doesn’t get any better than George R. R. Martin with his A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones), and Anne Bishop wrote a great series called The Black Jewels (don’t tell me the demon-dead don’t have vampire inclinations). For anyone who hasn’t read these books, I would definitely advise reading the first three in order, because then you won’t be going ‘WTF?’ at events referenced in later novels.
And by the way both Annes have now ventured into the land of werewolves. The Wolf Gift Chronicles (Anne Rice) and The Others (Anne Bishop) are two very different and unique takes on the subject of our furry shape-shifting friends.
But my absolute favorite author of all time doesn‘t actually write romance novels. Not that there aren’t romantic elements in his books, but for sheer absolute how-the-hell-does-he-come-up-with-this-stuff?, you can’t beat Stephen King. The guy can take the washing instructions from a pair of pants and make them scary. Now that’s genius. Oh, but he did write about vampires. A little gem called Salem’s Lot.
Absolutely Brilliant.
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Carla Susan Smith owes her love of literature to her mother, who, after catching her pre-teen daughter reading by flashlight beneath the bed covers, calmly replaced the romance book she had “borrowed” with one that was far less risqué, and much more appropriate! Though she was encouraged to include different genres in her reading tastes, romance - paranormal romance in particular - has always been her first love.
Born and raised in England, she now calls South Carolina home, where she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband, awesome son, and a canine critique group (if tails aren’t wagging then the story isn’t working!) When not writing, she can usually be found in the kitchen trying out any recipe that calls for rhubarb, working on her latest tapestry project or playing catch-up with her reading list.
Find Carla and her books
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A Vampire's PromiseAmazon Kensington iTunes BN
Trust Your Instincts__________________________________
Rowan Harper is nothing but a smart-mouthed bookstore clerk with a crappy love life on the night she walks into Rosie's Bar. Most of the drama in her life is borrowed from her best friend's adventures. But when she meets Gabriel--tall and movie star gorgeous--everything changes. Never mind that she turns down the drink he offers, or that he brims with secrets she can't begin to guess at. He ignites a desire in her she never suspected--and shows a fascination with her she can't explain.
He has no family, no job, no bank account;he knows where she lives and her favorite flower. An aura of mystery cloaks him, even as Rowan grasps for facts, even as she fears an answer that could destroy her happiness. Gabriel can guide her through a wonderland of new sensations. But only if Rowan trusts him enough to follow. . .
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