Latest News - and Opinions Sought!

First, unexpected but fabulous news! My Psychic Seductions novellas at Ellora's Cave - Hunting Karoly, Guitar Man and Freeing Al - have just been released in one paperback volume called Seducing Scots!

Here are the details and a quick excerpt. (I haven't changed the settings here to over 18 yet, so it's a non-smutty one from Hunting Karoly :))

SEDUCING SCOTS by MARIE TREANOR

Out Now in Paperback from Ellora's Cave

You're not meant to fall for the bad guy, are you? Not the vampire, or the possessed, or the ex-con...

    He knew that I knew. Slowly, a smile began to form on his full, sensual lips and the terror galloped through me till I thought I would be completely crushed.

    Then a lamp clicked on by the window, causing both me and the vampire to look across the room. Bathed in light, Maggie got up from a sofa, still in her fine white wedding gown—not quite spotless, since someone had spilled red wine on the sleeve, but still looking pretty regal.

    “Hi Jenny.” She walked straight past me. If she noticed her best man clutched in the arms of the kilted vampire, she didn’t mention it. “Back to the guests, I suppose…”

    Fear for her finally broke through my torpor. Why had she been sitting there motionless in the dark, unless…? My mouth opened to demand if he had hurt her, but something—the dull, objectionable training perhaps?—stopped me. Maggie was walking and talking and leaving the source of the danger. Davie was not.

    I turned back to the vampire.

    “Let him go,” I said hoarsely. I was surprised any words came out at all. I was even more surprised when the vampire obeyed, casually releasing the best man so that he slumped gracefully to the floor, revealing a long expanse of muscled thigh. I just wished I’d seen in it in other circumstances. A thin trickle of blood ran down the side of Davie’s neck into his collar.

    “Is he dead?” I whispered in horror. I don’t know why. It wasn’t as if the vampire was about to call an ambulance.

    Astonishingly enough, the evil one answered me.

    “Of course not,” he said irritably. “Why would I leave dead bodies lying around?”

    His voice was another shock. Smooth, deep in timbre, curiously beautiful and yet with accents that came perilously close to Bela Lugosi.

    “Oh please!” I said, rolling my eyes. “How gullible do you think I am?”

    The vampire misunderstood. Frowning, he said, “For your information, he’s asleep because he is dead drunk. And he tastes disgusting!”

    He kept the accent. More worrying, he started to walk toward me, his kilt swinging subtly with his graceful, cat-like movements, for all the world confusing evil demon with noble Highland warrior.

    His words, however, were merely carping. “What is the matter with the people in this town? What do they eat, for God’s sake?”

    “Meat and cakes,” I said, surprising myself as much as him. He actually paused in his stride to stare at me.

    “What?”

    “And chips,” I babbled. “Lots of chips. No fresh fruit or vegetables. Curry.”

    For a second, a frown puckered his smooth, pale brow. Then, to my amazement, a definite glint of amusement sparked in his inhumanly cold eyes. They shifted to my throat. “Thank you for taking the trouble to answer me. Do you eat your vegetables?”

:) You can read more about all three novellas on my website, http://www.marietreanor.com/.

Other news: I'm guest blogging at Sci-Fi Guy tomorrow (Friday) - on the science - or lack of it! - behind the Awakened by Blood trilogy. Hope you'll come by!

And finally, what do you think of the appearance of this blog?

It's just a generic Blogger template, obviously. I think it has the advantage of being clean and simple, and so should suit - or at least not clash with! - the different theme parties we hold here. On the other hand, perhaps it's not very interesting or festive? What do you think? Would the heading at least benefit from a makover by somebody technical and artistic? (That is, by someone NOT me!). Or are such things unimportant?  Either way, let me know! Since I'm hoping you'll all be at the parties, your opinion is important to me :).