Merry Christmas

I'm about to log out for the night and it occurs to me I should share some good wishes.

So, here's hoping your Christmas is happy and safe.

And to 2013.  I hope it is filled with all the wonders, excitement and great opportunities that you look forward to.

Imogene

Christmas Hopping Winner

Congratulations to Khloe Wren.  You just got a $10 Amazon gift certificate!  Thanks for entering!

5 Things Winner Announcement

Congratulations to BLHmistress.  I can see Starline coming your way later today!

5 Things...

So here I am trying to quantify what are the top 5 things I'm grateful for.

Have you ever tried that? My list is almost endless...

• Family & husband 
• The freedom I enjoy 
• My sight (could you imagine not being able to read?) 
• Chocolate and wine... (food of the Gods...) 
• The ability to travel (imagine having to spend your life in one place... urgh!) 

So many of the things we enjoy and take for granted are not available to others, within this world. I keep thinking of the young Pakistani girl, Malala, who was shot by the Taliban because she not only wanted to learn to read, but campaigned for the rights of other girls.

To be honest, it then leaves me thinking about whether I am grateful for the opportunity to

• Vote and stand for office,
• Go to school and learn to read. 
• For a lifestyle that lets me stay at home to write full time (which is why by May 2013 I will have a total of 7 releases... and working on more!) 

We live in such enlightened times, that my daughters will have the chance to choose for themselves who they want to marry (if they marry) and at what age.







We can communicate with others, world wide at the touch of a button.
People are looking to find ways to colonise the stars.

When I think of all these, great gifts, I am very grateful.

Not necessarily in order, my top must be:

To be born here in Australia
In my century with all it's technological inventions
With the gift of sight and hearing
To have my husband & daughters 
To have the opportunity and time to write, particularly Starline, my first book.

So, here I pose a question to my readers, what are you grateful for? 

One lucky commenter will win an SCP gift certificate to spend on any Imogene Nix title, they would like to read.

So, to be in the running with a VALID entry:

Add your top 5 list of things to be grateful for.
Tell me which of my titles you would like to read
Leave your email address within your comment - remember to leave spaces though.

I will draw this on the 23rd December (my youngest daughters birthday) and will name the winner here on my blog.

Now that you have checked out and taken part in mine, why not pop along to the Secret Cravings Blog and see what the authors of Secret Cravings have chosen to be thankful for

Imogene

Christmas Hopping

Welcome to my Blog Hop entry :)

I decided to focus on my Queensland Christmas adventures, just to give you a taste of what we usually enjoy here in Summer :)

Because I live in Australia, it seems odd to hear so many of the followers talking about White Christmas, plummeting temps and staying warm.  Our problem is quite the opposite with the hum of air conditions cooling the rooms :)  Where I live, the temps can and regularly are in the mid to late 30's  or even 40 degrees (between 95 & 104F)

The madness begins the day before, when I clean like a demon.  Every window and screen is scrubbed, the floors are swept and mopped.  Not a dust bunny is to be found in our house on Christmas Day.  Every piece of dirty clothing is washed, folded and put away...  Then I do the tables after lunch on Christmas Eve.  (Dinner on Christmas eve is something either takeaway or cold, so that it involves no cooking and throw away plates... leading to no washing up.)  The table is decorated differently each year... with snowy white cloths, gold or blue tasseled runners and the best silverware and china.  The middle either has a tree or something special...

We are traditionalists, so it is still bacon and eggs with mushrooms and croissants for breakfast, real coffee and juice, before we head into the cool lounge (aircon humming away) and set up the recording equipment.  Because we have always lived so far from family, we video proceedings and send them to family).  So we settle in with Santa Sacks to begin with... then comes the presents from family and friends.

Hubs cooks on Christmas Day (Well... I do breakfast...) So downstairs he goes with Duck, Pork and vegetables (all lovingly prepared) and they cook away merrily for hours.  Meanwhile we lounge around, enjoying your new goodies, talking (and in some cases) snoozing the day away.

Them main meal usually takes place around 2pm, piping hot and enjoyed under fan in the middle of the house... We have crackers (bonbons) glasses of good champagne and sparkling non-alcoholic for the kids) as we tuck in.  Afterwards, we wash up and wait until around 7pm before eating either pudding, trifle or fruit salad, depending on whether we are hungry or not (so far, not has outweighed hungry 95% of the time)

Then we do something family like... a joint movie, game etc.

I do know families that go to the coast, each prawns (shrimp) and have summery Christmas fare, but for us, we still enjoy the hot fare and family time.

But all in all, the best part about Christmas is being together.  Just the four of us.

Giveway Time

So now that I have told you about our Christmas, tell me what you and your family enjoy most about your Christmas Day.

Prize:  $10 Amazon Gift Card

To Enter:  Leave your comment, your email address in the comment (remember to leave spaces) and sign up for my blog.  Simple :)

Imogene

Middle of December Blues

Well, here it is the middle of December, and I bet you thought I'd forgotten all about my blog?  Yes?

Well, I haven't.  In fact this weekend kicks off 2 more blog hops I'm participating in!  Yes, I know, most would think one would be enough.  But no, I went and signed up to 2.

Between that, writing a very short 3K manuscript and trying to finish another novel, which I am so totally enjoying.  But its keeping me on my toes.

So why do I say blues?  Well the present shopping is nearly complete, the cake is made.  However, the pudding isn't and neither is the trifle base.  It's hot and sweaty weather and I'm trying to finish this manuscript by Christmas with 2 girls at home.  That's my blues.  *sigh*

My 2 girls and each working part time, I'm finding time is at a premium.  However, having said that, you will find I am still doing my challenges with the Hotter Than Hades blog.  :)  And there are some great stories going live this month.

Okay, apart from that, I will probably be offline for the next couple of weeks.  Hesparia's Tears, my new SciFi is moving well and with Christmas and two teenage daughter birthdays in December, I'm planning on being very very busy.

So... Let me wish all my lovely readers the very best of the holiday season.  I hope Santa visits in his big red sleigh and fills your stockings with cheer, great books and the goodies you are hoping for.

Take care.  I look forward to chatting with you all next year.

Merry Christmas!
Imogene

The Next Big Thing... Blog Hop

Welcome to the "Next Big Thing" Blog Tour – Thanks to Eva Scott who tagged me to continue the chain - make sure you read to the end of my post to check out the great authors I've tagged next!

Okay, so the blog idea is to talk about our current or next release...

• What is the title of my current work in progress?

The Girl Who Couldn’t Say No.

• Where did the idea come from for the book?

It started out life as a short I was writing for a Science Fiction Romance Anthology…  but like all good stories, it took on a life of its own.  I have always wondered how an earth woman would take being the first “contact” and falling for an alien… who needs a woman to help him restock his planet with child bearing capacity…   

 • What genre does your book fall under?

Futuristic/Science Fiction Romance… Not sure of the heat rating yet, though.  I would imagine, if my characters stay true to form, it will probably rank as Erotic.

 • What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Galan would be Ioan Gruffudd (except blonde) and Jessa could be played by Emma Watson.  (She’d be perfect in the role.)

• What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Aliens come to earth seeking women who are capable of bearing children led by their captain, the son of the king who works with a reformed juvenile delinquent.

 
 • Is your book self-published or represented by an agency?

Previously, I have sold titles to Secret Cravings Publishing, Beachwalk Press and Total-E-Bound.  I’d love this one to be taken up maybe by a publisher like TEB, simply because I think the appeal would be worldwide.  But, we’ll just have to wait and see.

• How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I’m still working on this. It was full steam ahead until I got caught up with an anthology, which I’m currently working on.  So it has taken a backseat.  Having said that, I would imagine within 6 – 9 months it will be ready to submit.  The average novel takes me around 6 months from sitting down with the first idea through to final submission ready draft.   But, of course, that is subject to change… depending on outside influences from husband, children, animals, holidays, extended family… (you get the drift…)

• What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hmm some of the works of Linnea Sinclair such as Games of Command or even Finders Keepers, or maybe a couple of Eve Langlais… Umm Anne MacCaffrey…

 • Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Aha, this one was totally whim driven, I’m sorry, there really isn’t any other reason.  I just felt this burning need to start and off it went. 

• What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The earth bound story is set in Parkes, NSW, Australia.  We have a world class facility but it rarely gets a mention, outside of quirky movies like The Dish. 

You also have a strong heroine who has been tagged as a juvenile offender, for something she actually didn’t do and she has this need to prove herself a worthwhile and contributing member of society… even though she still lives at home with her parents and teenaged brother. 

The hero has a sad backstory, which filters throughout the story, comprising of personal loss, a wavering faith and a strong sense of fealty to his family.

 

There is also a nice (read: soft) jab at politicians and people with very large egos…

There will be some light and funny bits as well as some deeply tense emotional scenes.

Apart from that, I’m known for my Erotic Science Fiction tales, with the Warriors of the Elector (Check out the covers above).  The last title, Starburst releases in February 2013 and I have also sold an Erotic Futuristic tale (with a beautiful Jimmy Thomas cover... again the book cover for The Plan is above) with an April 2013 release date and have a Light Erotic Contemporary with Paranormal themes due for release in May 2013.  To see more about me and my writing visit  http://www.imogenenix.net

To see what some of my writer friends are doing, I’m going to tag.

Khloe Wren and Angela Castle.

Three wonderful writers, I hope you enjoy hearing their story!

Bad Habits Of A Certain Author

I’ll bet you thought this blog was about me…

Don’t you…

Don’t you?

(Sung to You're So Vain...)

Actually it is.  Over the last four weeks my writing has been down to practically zilch.  Bummer.

The first 3 weeks I do have an excuse.  I had hubs home after his operation and I felt unwell.  Actually I could barely get out of bed for at least a week of that.  But since then?

Skiving.  Yes… Facebook games have snared me again.  I go through cycles where I’m really good and don’t play or limit myself… but at the moment my ability to ignore them is nonexistent.

Lately it’s Lost Jewels and Lost Bubbles, Epic Bubbles, etc., All time wasters.  But so addictive and so much fun.

So starting tomorrow morning?  Yes, well, depending on edits of course, it will be back to work for me.  Whether I start back into:

The Girl Who Couldn’t Say No (Working title)

The book after  Blame The Wine (No title yet)

Dark Souls

Well that is yet to be decided.  But the time has come to be productive again.  I’m ready to write again.  Tomorrow.  Can’t wait.

Imogene

When does it become Too Much?

Remember the adage, the empty can rattles the most?  As a writer, I live in fear of being categorized the “empty can,” the one that rattles ceaselessly about everything and anything.  In today’s ever increasingly, easy to access via social media world, the author has to interact with their readers.  It’s encouraged and expected, which is fantastic, but for an author, there is the double edged sword.  When does it become too much?

I could say, when one name comes up twenty times a day in the facebook feed… with them promoting themselves.  Or when, every time you turn around and download your email, their name is there in the send and receive pile.  But it’s not really that simple is it?

So I went a-hunting, to see what was out there, in terms of the ‘how to’ of author self promotion, this blog is the results of my investigations.

A word of warning:

The wise words of Andy Straka (1), were among some of the first I found, summing up my fears very effectively.  Sometimes too much self-promotion can hurt relationships. No one wants to be around a constant self-promoter. Your relationship with someone is far more important than the particular book you may be pitching at the moment. You know what?  I think he’s right.  How many times have we seen an advertisement on television, only to say, “Oh not that again!” But it’s true.  If we keep telling the world how good we are, you run the risk of it becoming too much.  These then become the facebook pages we either unlike or hide or in the worst possible outcome, get tagged as spam.  They are the ones we drop from our twitter feed and they are the friends we leave behind.

Target your words to keep them meaningful:

It’s easy to find one place where you participate in online discussions.  Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads or even your blog (yes there are many platforms and I have only chosen a handful here).  But if you focus on one platform only, you run the risk of becoming rapidly obsolete.  As an author, it is our job (yes, alas it is) to get out there and interact outside our comfort zone. 

While there is the argument that says we should keep in contact with our current readers, we don’t want to stagnate.  We need to find new readers of our words, reach a new audience and grow our followings. To do that, we need to look elsewhere and network effectively.  Blog Hops, Guest Blogs and participate in a wide array of groups will help, but we need new and interesting material each and every time.

We also need to weigh and measure what we are saying.  If our sum total of interactions is “Look at me! Look at me!”  then our readers will become gradually more disenchanted as we self promote ourselves and forget their needs.  

That’s not to say we shouldn’t tell everyone about our high points of being published, achieving personal milestones.  But we need to have balance in our interactions.  What we do should include a good size dose of meeting with others, carrying on meaningful discussions with our peers and our readers and learning from them.  And most of all, our readers need to feel wanted/included/valued.

Protect your platform at all costs:

 

Your platform is your public face where you maintain your presence online.  It is the one people come to know, and will interact with and should become one of your most important marketing tools as an author.  So  it’s important that we know how to protect it.

Simple.  Follow the rules. (This is a personal bug bear of mine…) Over the last few years I have seen all kinds of scary things such as how to flout the guidelines of Amazon (2)  to ignore the terms and conditions of facebook, twitter etc.,  I find this scary because at the end of the day, authors are supposed to be Professionals.  

I can’t think of anything worse than building up a following, with thousands on a platform, just to lose it because we believed the rules did not apply to us.  To me, this is like signing a contract with a publishing house to give them worldwide rights to a book and then selling, say, the German rights to another company just because we can.  As professionals, we would never consider doing that to the publishing houses we have signed with, yet some are willing to be unprofessional in other avenues.

How does Over Communicating and Over Marketing hurt authors?

As with any industry, when you over communicate, your followers begin to see it as spam.  Laura Lake quantifies the situation like this:  a few weeks ago I unsubscribed to a newsletter. Why? The communication became overwhelming. I was following this company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and RSS Feed. I was receiving close to 5 to 7 communications daily about upcoming events. Perhaps that doesn't seem like a lot but take that times 5 times a week and you'll see my point - that's approximately 25 to 35 emails weekly. I wanted information on the events and I was even interested in attending them, but I was turned off by all of the communication. True, Laura is not an author, but the message remains the same.  

Consider what you are saying and where.  Think about how many times your followers/readers are seeing the same message.  

If you think that you could be a perpetrator or this new and unusual torture, take heart!  Help is available.

What you can do if you are over marketing/communicating about yourself:

Unfortunately, while there have been some notable situations where negative publicity have worked in the favour of authors, we cannot rely on this working for us.  So we need to prepare a game plan for dealing with the fallout of negative reactions to our marketing.

It’s never too late to evaluate what you are doing and find a new way to interact.  Check how many times a week you tweet/message or even send out your newsletters saying exactly the same thing.  Check the content to make sure it is valuable and interesting and not targeted at the same group over and over again.

Give your readers something to look forward to… do you have giveaways, snippets, family trees or even timelines on your website for your stories?  Can you add freebies?  These are all quick and easy marketing ideas that cost you nothing, except a little bit of time.

If you have a monthly or on release newsletter, give your followers a choice of whether they want to follow your paranormal releases newsletter or your contemporary.  Not every reader is interested in every genre you write in.

Have other authors in your genre and outside too, leave a guest post for you.

Become a Blog Hop host.  New authors bring their own followers and you may be lucky enough to pick up a couple of new followers.

Add interesting and informative posts to your blog site.

Most of all, step out of your shoes and be discerning about your interactions with others.  Weigh and measure before you hit send.

Imogene

To read more about the science of marketing, visit:

http://southernauthors.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/three-rules-of-publicity.html

http://www.promotionalacarteblog.com/2012/07/teaching-authors-violate-amazons-reviews-guidelines/

http://marketing.about.com/od/internetmarketing/a/Marketing-Communication-How-Much-Is-Too-Much.htm

http://robinmizell.wordpress.com/2007/09/29/part-7-free-publicity-for-book-authors/

http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/oct02/ksmith.htm

http://www.amazoncategoriescreatebestsellers.com/2012/07/authors-teaching-authors-to-violate-amazons-review-guidelines/

http://insatiablebooksluts.com/2012/07/28/the-authors-guide-to-social-media-does-bad-publicity-hurt-authors/

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Ways-to-Deal-With-Negative-Publicity&id=4032314
 http://marketing.about.com/od/strategytutorials/a/socialmediamktg.htm

Chatting with Julie A D'Arcy

Hi and thank you for having me as a guest on your Blog today.

Today I would like to tell you a little about my new Fantasy Romance Novel, Elven Magick.

Elven Magick is along the lines of, The Lord of the Rings, but with a lot more romance J Sword and sorcery, Elves, action, love, lust, betrayal!

Elven Magick is the follow up novel to my previously released novel by Secret Cravings Publishing, called, The Dragon and the Rose. I have included a summary of the story and a review. Hope you enjoy reading about my new release. J

Cheers~

Elven Magick can be purchased at http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=23&products_id=444   from Wed. 07 November, 2012 onwards. And from Monday 13^th Nov. from Amazon. 

ELVEN MAGICK by Julie A. D’Arcy

The Saga continues...but will the price be too high this time? It has been over twenty-one years since Narokah; the Dark Priest was overpowered and doomed to the Fiery Abyss. Vellandril was certain by keeping the Sword of Niraz in his care instead of returning it, he was doing the right thing, but years later, he finds himself on a new quest, that leads him to buried secrets as he once again must leave the elven village of Tarlis-Leah.

Vellandril Ballindoch, King of Tarlis-Leah cannot believe that the Sword of Niraz has been stolen. He had kept the sword close to him in hopes of remembering the days of old when he and the others had shared good times. It had been his only link and by thinking it was safe, he had been drugged and it stolen, from him, right under his nose. He feels like he has betrayed the Gods. Now he must go out and find it and this time return it to its rightful place. He seeks the advice of Meggahn, since she always held wise counsel. He could only hope that she would send the Knight Sir Gwayne, Johden's father, in Garrik's place, on this search for the sword.

Queen Meggahn is surprised to see Vellandril but when he inquires of her husband's whereabouts, she informs that Garrik and her son have gone west to fight in the raging war. The battlefield only grows worse and she can only hope that they will be spared and return to her when the fighting is over. When she learns why Vellandril has come for help, she insists that the King's First Knight go along with him to find the sword.

Johden has fought many years to try to forget the elven prince, Vellandril. Even after all the passing years, when she sees him again, her knees turn to jelly. To keep her heart intact, she must be bold and feisty, so she decides to be rude to him. She cannot believe she has to join the elf on some mission to find the sword again but she is the best of the Knights and she does enjoy a great adventure. And when Gabriene steps into the picture, she refuses for anyone to tell Vellandril that he is Vellandril's son. When she is ready to inform the elf, she will be the one to do so. For now she will accompany Vellandril every step of the way, while trying to keep her feelings locked deep inside her heart.

Gabriene Ballindoch has no idea that his father is the elf prince. After he decides to follow his mother on the journey, he hopes to uncover his best friend's killer. A moon ago, Jon, the Baron's son was murdered and it still bothers Gabriene. But in his way to locate the killer, he learns the identity of his father, as well as the woman fated to be his love. Morganna le Mordah is not the ordinary woman that Gabriene expected. He found her somewhat cold, unfeeling and cruel underneath all that beauty. But that was after she had wished him to lie with her, and discovered he was an elf, known as scum of the earth. Morganna had no idea that one man would make her come alive with a simple touch, after she had been told how awful it would be for a woman to mate with a man. She quickly learns that what she was informed was incorrect. After seeing that Gabriene is an elf, she gets irate and calls for help but after he is gone, she only remembers his delicate touch and how he made her feel so much like a real woman. Now she realizes where her love really lies, but after feeling the sensations that Gabriene instrumented to her body, she doesn't know if she will ever see him again. Even though he was forbidden, that only made her want him more.

It has been twenty-two summers since Vellandril entered the Castle de Danann, and twenty-one summers since he has seen the lovely face of Johden. He can't believe that he has returned to a place he sworn he would never set foot again. Vellandril may have betrayed her, but one thing that never stopped was the buried love he held in his heart for her. But more importantly, he never knew that there was a son that he never knew and one that would make him most happy. After Vellandril learns that he has a son, he is more torn with Johden and doesn't understand why she had to keep the secret. It is an intense battle between the two as their heart opens and the past is revealed, opening events that stir strongly for the two. If the sword were not enough to worry over, others are caught in their own upsweep of events with sworn revenge, losses of inheritance and escapades that abound as a war rages in the west with loved ones wondering if their husband or sons will return home again.

ISBN: 978-1-61885-411-7
Formats: EPUB, HTML, LIT, MOBI, PDF  

 Excerpt from “Elven Magick”

“This was the last place I thought I would find you.”

She jumped and broke from her reverie as Vellandril spoke from behind her.

“I was surprised when Liahm told me you were here.”

In truth, Johden hadn’t remembered walking the path. She had found the pond four days ago. It was identical to the pond at Eldora where she had given herself to Vellandril, and it called to her every night since its finding, evoking memories poignant and intensely sweet.

She had been so caught up in the past, but now the past had become reality and Vellandril stood behind her. His scent flowed around her, and his breath was hot on her nape. Although he hadn’t touched her, his body called to her with every fiber and sinew.

Theirs had been a forbidden love. It still was, but it was now her doing the forbidding. Johden crossed her hands over her chest, hugging herself, drawing in her emotions.

He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders, hardly a touch at all, but his handprints burned their mark.

She tensed.

She didn’t want Vellandril to touch her, yet she would die if he didn’t. There was an age in between when they had loved, and she was not the innocent she had been … nonetheless, she was more afraid now than she had been at sixteen.

“Johden, look at me.”

She shook her head, and looked away. She could not gaze into those all seeing eyes. She was frightened of what he might see. Of feelings she could not disguise. Of words she could not say. Tears welled and impatiently she wiped them away. Tears for all the wasted summers, tears for a girl who had locked her heart away and could not find its key.

Vellandril exerted enough pressure to turn her to face him. She looked away, unable to meet his gaze, but he forced her back. “Why do you cry, sweet Johden? What could be so hard to bare that would make my warrior girl cry?” He leaned down and pressed his lips to the tears on her cheeks. “Why do you fight me? You know it is inevitable. It was written on the wind the day you called my name from outside the temple cave.”

Johden looked up, searching the depths of his eyes. “You heard me?” Her voice was a mere breath.

He touched his lips tenderly to her forehead. “I heard, and forever your cry has been locked in my heart.”

“You did not stop. You did not come back. I needed you so much to come back.” Johden’s voice cracked.

“I know.” He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “But know this. I will never leave you again. Ever.” Vellandril’s breath touched the corner of her mouth. “I love you. I have loved you since that night beside the pond, perhaps even before, but I fought it. In the summers that passed, I could never rid the scent of your hair from my mind, the taste of you from my mouth, no matter how I tried. I sought to be a good husband to Glindel, the Gods know I tried, but I could never love her as I loved you. I left my heart with a girl in a pagan temple twenty summers ago and I never got it back. She has it still.” He held her tight, her cheek pressing to his heart. “I come here often to think, and this pond always brings me memories of you.” Vellandril took her hand and sank to the grass, taking her with him. “Do not fight me anymore, Johden.” His mouth claimed hers, soft, yet hard, and agonizingly sweet, and his body rocked against hers, slowly, devastatingly.

“I’m so tired of fighting,” she murmured, surrendering to his lips. It had been too long since he had touched her. So many nights she had yearned for that touch as a desert flower thirsts for rain. He took her mouth in another drugging kiss that seemed to go on forever, then he bent and drew on one of her breasts through her tunic. Her nipple tightened, and Johden thought she would die from the shock of awareness that rocketed through her body.

How many times had this scene filled her dreams all those cold nights in her bed? How many times had she awoken to reach for him only to find the place beside her empty?

Her fingers threaded through Vellandril’s hair and slid down his back. Then she helped him push his tunic up over his head and tossed it aside. He drew his knife and stabbed it into the grass, and Johden relished the forbidden feeling of his hard lean body as he came down over her. His lips touched her breast and trailed her throat with soft wet kisses, his hands untangling the laces of her tunic. He lifted her tunic over her head and the evening air stroked her hip, her stomach. Heat pooled between her thighs.

Vellandril slid his hands between their bodies and she felt the tie on her leggings give way; his callused fingers scrape over her hip…

 A review by “Romance at Heart Magazine.”

Elven Magick is a very impressive read. Once again this reader was captivated by the scenery and the characters that detailed this lovely fantasy. I could almost feel the sensation flowing through Vellandril when he hears that Johden was not married. And the meeting of the two after all the passing years was so real, so genuine, it just smoldered in the pages. I loved the character of Johden, strong, feisty and determined to stand on her own, yet a softer side to her whenever she is around Vellandril that just oozes through her pores. Not to mention Vellandril when he is near Johden, the chemistry between the two is remarkably written and the dialogue, magnificent. Gabriene and Morganna had their own fiery heat that sprinkled in the storyline. All the characters were so remarkable that it is hard expressing them in one word, but this reader could feel their emotions strongly.

Julie A. D'Arcy crafts another brilliant tale that engages immediately from the first page. With her in-depth characters, wonderful intrigue, and detailed description of a breathtaking area, this is one story that should not be missed. If you haven't read the first of the series, The Dragon and the Rose, it would be best to read it first, then spring right into Elven Magick. Just get a comfortable chair, sit back and get ready for a fascinating venture that will not be forgotten. She blends in excellent conversation, and a storyline that keeps the story moving along, creating a tale that practically comes to life with every flip of the page. From the lovely castles, the intense fighting and the damsels often in need of help, she pens a charming book that is a timeless piece of art. I like the way she makes her heroine's strong, yet tender, and her hero's ready to do anything for the one woman they love. This is one explosive read that shouldn't be missed. Why not pick your copy of Elven Magick up today. An exciting fun-filled adventure waits in this dynamite read! I love her work! And the covers are spectacular.

Sincerely good reading,

Romance at Heart Magazine

Linda

About the Author

Lives in Wangaratta, North East Victoria, Australia with her life partner Philip and her spoiled Tonkanese cat Jessalyn. Julie attended Monash University in Melbourne, Australia where she majored in Art and Design. She started writing at 38 when she became disenchanted with the books on offer to read. So wrote a book combining her two favorite genres, Fantasy and Romance and has not looked back since.

Julie’s first two novels Time of the Wolf  and Silverdawn were first published in 1999 and 2000 and Shortlisted for several prestigious awards, including the PEARL and Sapphire, with Time of the Wolf winning the 1999 RIO (Reviewers International, Dorothy Parker Award) in the Fantasy category for Women’s Fiction. Both books were also runners up in the prestigious Australian, RUBY* Award run by the Australian RWA.

Julie began writing seriously in 1994, and is the author of a series of Fantasy romance novels based in her fictional medieval world of Tarlis. The first book, The Dragon and the Rose will be the next book released by Secret Cravings Publishing.

Julie has written for such publishers as ImaJinn Books, Mundania Press, Eternal Press, Moongypsy Press, Noble Romance Publishing and is now proud to be part of  Secret Cravings Publishing.

Julie is the author of 8 full length novels (now out of print, but being released again soon) and 2 novellas. She has written in such genres as Fantasy Romance, Vampire Romance, Ghost Romance, with all books crossing many genres, such as witchcraft, reincarnation and all of her books are very much plot driven, with most reviews scoring no less than a 4-5 and several receiving BEST READS by Reviewers.

More of Julie’s titles, excerpts, extra Bio information and her gallery of book covers can be found at www.julieadarcy.com

You may visit her Blog at http://satinandlipstick.blogspot.com.au/

Julie also loves nothing better than for her readers to contact her with feedback about her novels. You may do so on julie.darcy3@bigpond.com 

Or, help spread the word about Julie’s novels by writing a short review to place on Amazon Book Reviews, found on the Amazon Book page under her titles.

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