For hump day before my Amazon chart rush tomorrow, I thought I'd mix things up. I usually post about the movies that inspired me to write romance. Today, I'm posting about movies that inspired my love of creepiness. 

Here are two of the hottest vampires ever, Lestat (Tom Cruise) and Louis (Brad Pitt), from the movie adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. Enjoy!

So, fellow bloggers, any movies that inspire you?

Song Credits: "Hunger" © Noelle Pico.
 Full Download available at http://sheisnoelle.bandcamp.com

Taste Excerpt 2

I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue? ­My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts.  I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.

“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with, which made me wonder who the boy was.

He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.

I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue ice stared back at me.

“Human,” he whispered.

He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered.

Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.

“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.

He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.

Footsteps retreated behind me.

Luka reached out again.

It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.

“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.

I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.”

“The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

My cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection frightened me.

From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t come back to finish me off.

Demitri’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense muscles vibrated into me.

“What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.

I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed.

“Phoenix.”

I flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster.

“I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”

“I don’t think so.”

Ignoring my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?”

“I wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said. “Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone.”

There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.

“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.

Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”

Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.

Okay, weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before him? I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living on a different planet or something?

“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.

Without letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has been obeyed,” he said formally.

Luka nodded once.

Demitri stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.

Ooh - love it! Do you too? Well, if you want another, super-exclusive excerpt from Taste, if you can find the hidden link somewhere in this post! Good luck!

Great excerpt and fantastic interview, Kate! Thank you so much for hanging out with me today!

During my search for book bloggers who might be interested in reviewing my book, I came across so many gorgeous blogs and blog buttons that I decided to start my own little collection of them. Here are a few of my favourite pretty little buttons:

Aren't they cute?

Is it geeky for me to make my own fan art? Yes it is? Crap. Oh well, I may as well embrace my geekiness and show you all my time-wasting geekery.

The first image is going to be used as a custom silk-screen for a t-shirt. Isn't it pretty? What's amazing about this is the fact that it was FREE. I used a public domain image and then edited it on picmonkey.com, and voila! A custom image!

Here is a picture of a very hot and heavy make out session between Evan and Sarah, which is actually just a drawing of a print advertisement. Is it copyright infringement if you draw an ad? Geez, I hope not!

So, fellow bloggers, any geeky hobbies you'd like to share?

So, fellow bloggers, any book-to-movie gossip you're excited about? Tell me about it, I'd love to know!

Here I am, at an abandoned house, in the middle of the Saskatchewan prairie, after having scraped my legs, tripped over a twig and and sliced my finger on quackgrass (just like my heroine, Sarah!), to read an excerpt of Chapter One of my novel, Stealing Breath. Am I crazy? Oh, yeah!

So, fellow bloggers, do you have any fun video links of yourself you'd like (or be willing) to share? I'd love to see them!

These are a few industry people who I love to stalk when I have a chance to really sink my teeth into their content. I say that because their blogs are always extremely well-written and insightful, and they aren't the kind of blogs you can skim.

So, without further adieu, here they are, in no particular order:

Kristen Lamb's Warrior Writers Blog
Author and freelance editor, Kristen Lamb's blog is the perfect combination of knowledge, wit and edgy snark that just makes you need to keep coming back for more. Kristen started the WANA (We Are Not Alone) revolution, a group of authors all committed to creating a community in this crazy world of social media. I just joined, so I haven't figured it all out yet - but I'm totally stoked to get started!

Nathan Bransford
Nathan's blog is fascinating because he is an author with insider knowledge of having been one of the most talked about literary agents I've ever heard of. So what you get from Nathan is his writerly knowledge and tools paired with his experience in the trenches as a literary agent. He really knows this publishing biz, inside and out.

I just downloaded Nathan's book, Jacob Wunderbar on my Kindle, and my kids are already fighting over who gets to read it first.

Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Blog
Chuck's blog is the go-to for writers hoping to get published. He posts on a variety of subjects, from pitching, writing the dreaded synopsis, to my own personal favourite, successful queries. I poured over this category when I wrote my query letter, and despite a few failed attempts along the way, eventually landed myself a book contract!

I'd been reading his blog for quite some time before I realized I owned his book, Guide to Literary Agents. Actually, two of them, since the first one I referred to so much that when I lost it, I just had to buy another one. Shortly after I figured that out, I had the opportunity to meet him at the Surrey International Writer's Conference where he gave me feedback on my query and the first two pages of my manuscript! 

So fellow bloggers, any fabulous blogs you stalk? Come on, I'd love to hear about them!

It's hump day Wednesday again, and I'm back to post another one of my favourite romantic scenes! Today I've chosen Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Love it!

How about you, fellow bloggers? Any romance scenes that made a lasting impression?

What motivated you to write this book?
Hollywood Ever After was written when I was unemployed and facing a slew of changes in my life. I think it was a way to escape. Even though my changes were nothing like my heroine, Claire, her self-discovery was something I could relate to.

How would you describe your writing style? 
I normally write straight through from beginning to end. There might be one or two scenes that I know I want to include, so I’ll write them first, but for the most part – beginning to end. I’m not sure how it happened but when I’m writing contemporary, it’s in first person. When I’m writing my fantasy series, it’s in 3rd person. Wasn’t intentional, but there you have it.

What is the theme of your novel? 
Hollywood Ever After is all about believing and trusting yourself.

Tell us about your current WIP? 
I’m bouncing back and forth between Book 3 in the Red Carpet Series (Hollywood series) and Book 3 in the Loves of Olympus series (myth fantasy series). Love bouncing back and forth between worlds. :) 

The cover art is beautiful. Who designed it?
InkSpell Publishing has an amazing cover art department. I adore my cover!

Tagline: 
She wasn’t meant for movie stars, Hollywood, or happy endings. And then she met him.

Blurb:
 Happy Endings are for fairy tales. Or the movies. Not for real life. At least, not in Claire’s life. Even though she’s starting over, she knows better than to want too much this time. But when she falls, literally, into the strong arms of Hollywood’s ‘it’ boy Josh Wiley, Claire’s in for some surprises. Her plans for rest and relaxation are forgotten as one incredible night with Josh becomes two… And her heart begins to want him as much as her body. Will two kids, one bastard ex-husband, and Josh’s juggernaut career mean the end of their affair? Or can Claire find her happy ending after all?

Excerpt:

Our eyes met, mine shy, his serious. I waited for him to break the silence, but he seemed content to stare.

My camera beeped and I went over to unhook it. A slideshow began on the laptop screen, the images making me freeze. I felt Josh come to stand beside me. His hand slipped around my waist, pulling my back against his chest to hold me gently against him.

“Look at that,” he spoke softly.

“Yeah, you’re beautiful…” I muttered.

Three pictures from the beach that first day together. I was so happy to have them now.

We looked good, relaxed and somewhat smitten with each other. I looked ridiculously happy, but he did too.

I glanced at him, still surprised by him, here, with me. He kissed me quickly, then let go of me. He plugged his phone into my computer then.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“If I’m not going to see you for a bit, I’d like a picture to keep with me. Maybe I won’t miss you as much, but I doubt it.” His hazel eyes seemed to trace every feature, line, and curve of my face before he kissed my forehead. He checked his phone then slid it shut.

“Josh, I can’t come to England with my kids.” I couldn’t–could I?

He kissed me, stealing my breath and any possible argument I might have rather effectively. “You can, Claire. I have to go to this meeting, but I’ll catch up with you later. I’m not saying good-bye.” He dropped one more kiss on my lips before he walked back into the bedroom whistling.

Thank you SO much for having me on your blog Joanne!

Thank you, Sasha!


For more about Sasha and her books, you can find her online, at www.sashasummers.com