Teaser Tuesday: GERMLINE by T.C McCarthy

This week's Teaser Tuesday (hosted by Should Be Reading) is from a really cool book I read on the plane this weekend: GERMLINE, book 1 of the Subterrene War series, a military futuristic/SF thriller by T.C. McCarthy.

A seriously mad book, folks. It's about this reporter who goes to the front line in a hellish (and I mean truly fucked-up) futuristic war. It's got elements of horror (and a little crazy-ass romance!) as well as sci-fi/futuristic action. Ceramic thermal suits, people. Seriously? Putting on a gas mask used to freak me out. Having to live in full gear for weeks on end... brrr.

Book 2 is coming out in March, called EXOGENE. Check out the author's Amazon author page.

I knew my size and I told him. I'd been through Rube-Hack back in the States; all of us had. The Pentagon called it Basic Battlefield Training, but every grunt I'd met had just laughed at me, and not behind my back.

Rube. Babe. Another civilian too stupid to realise that anything was better than Kaz because Kazakhstan was another world, purgatory for those who least deserved it, a vacation for the suicidal, and a novelty for those whose brain chemistry was messed up enough to make them think it would be a cool place to visit. To see firsthand. Only graduates of Rube-Hack thought that last way, actually wanted Kaz.

Only reporters.

"Real special," he said. Chappy lifted a suit from the pile and dropped it at my feet, then handed me a helmet. Across the back, someone had scrawled forget me not or I'll blow your punk-ass away. "That guy doesn't need it anymore, got killed before he could suit up, so it's in decent shape."

Teaser Tuesday: VENGEANCE BORN by Kylie Griffin

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from VENGEANCE BORN, a fab new fantasy romance from my buddy (and fellow Berkley author!) Kylie Griffin. Check out the lovely cover!

And it's a series, folks: book 2 is called ALLIANCE FORGED and comes out in July.





"You're a demon."

Annika flinched like he'd struck her. Her cheeks drained of all color, shadowed pain flashed in her eyes, and Kalan realized too late he'd spoken aloud.

"Don't forget the words tainted and cursed half-blood bastard, Light Blade." Her fists clenched tight in the dress she held against her chest. "They're always a popular accompaniment with that label."









And one from me, just because I can: here's a snippet from SHADOWFAE, my debut novel from 2009.




I didn't mean to sleep, but I must have dropped off, my arms still wrapped around him, his dripping head on my breast.

When I woke, he'd melted.

Just a mass of watery blue gel, cold and sticky on my skin, the mattress beneath me drenched with indigo liquid like blood and the sour stink of decay.

Gone. Precious, giddy, lonesome Nyx, who laughed and chased butterflies through the air in Carlton Gardens, who cartwheeled into the river for fun and did handstands in the street at midnight when it rained. Who had no one better to come to when he knew he was dying than me.

Cover art: REVELATION

So... a lot's happened since I last dropped by. Christmas, and all that. I've moved to England, in the middle of winter {waves through the icy mist. Seriously? It is really cold here.}. I've been sorta-writing a bunch of stuff.

And I have a fabulicious new cover and release date for my next book, REVELATION, first in a new series from Berkley Sensation. Is he not scrumptious?

A fallen angel with a mission and a medical examiner who’s lost her faith are fighting for their souls in a glittering, near-future Manhattan…

Blind faith is for fools. That’s what Dr. Morgan Sterling believes. And she’s going to prove it by curing the zombie plague ravaging her city’s slums. She’s certain it’s not a sign of the End of Days, but a nasty disease—until an angel appears in her morgue in a flash of glory.

Luniel is not just a fallen angel. He’s a powerful warrior sworn to fight evil in hopes of a chance at redemption. He’s after the demon princes who are stealing the seven vials of holy wrath which, when perverted, will unleash eternal hell on earth.

To stop the plague, Luniel needs Morgan’s help, and her faith. But Morgan believes science is their salvation. If the zombie plague is a demonic curse—and if Luniel is true—he’ll have to prove it. Even if he loses his heart to true love or his soul to Hell…

Cool, huh? It's due out 2 October. Says so right here at Amazon. Can't wait :) now I've gotta get onto writing the next one, REDEMPTION.

The Skyrim Challenge!!

November rolls around once again, and the question on everyone's lips is: who's doing NaNoWriMo?

Me, that's who! {cheers resound}

Well, sort of. I'm already half done with this manuscript: it was at 48K when November began.

So the object isn't to write 50K in a month. It's to finish the MS, however long it may turn out to be. I may need 85K. I may need 100K. I don't know yet. And I'm shortening the deadline to November 11. Because, y'know, go hard or go home, and all that.

Just 11 days to finish my novel. Why?

Need I say more?

This awesome game releases on November 11. The local store are saving me a copy. If the book ain't finished, I don't get to play.

I'll leave you to imagine my sense of urgency. Can't talk now. Gotta write...

My new series!

Lo and behold, my new deal announcement from PM:

Erica Hayes’ new dark paranormal romance series, beginning with REVELATION, set in a decadent, near-future Manhattan, in which a young medical examiner who’s lost her faith must team up with a fallen angel warrior to stop a gang of demons hijacking the Apocalypse and creating hell on earth, in a two-book deal to Leis Pederson at Berkley by Marlene Stringer at The Stringer Literary Agency (World).

If it's on PM, it must be real! I'm so excited. It's dark, and has lots of action and urban-fantasy elements, but it's more focused on the romance than my Shadowfae books. Angels with flaming swords, demon princes, stolen vials of holy wrath. It's not post-apocalyptic: the Apocalypse is happening, right now. There will be earthquakes. The sky will rain fire at some point. Oh, and a zombie plague. What more could you want?

Book 1 is currently called REVELATION (as in the Bible, geddit?) though that might change. The MS is done and on the desk of my new editor, the lovely Leis Pederson (who also edits my bud Kylie Griffin's fab new fantasy romance series! Small world...) And I'm cooking up Book 2, REDEMPTION, about an angel who's determined never to sin again but falls for a hellcursed vampire.

REVELATION is slated for a Fall 2012 release, from Berkley Sensation in ebook and mass market paperback.

Does this mean I'm not doing any more Shadowfae books? Yep. At least for the time being. There's a Shadowfae short story, CHERRY KISSES, in the anthology HEX APPEAL from St Martin's Press, due for release I think later in 2012, and edited by the fabulous P.N. Elrod. And I have some other maybe-plans you'll hear about in due course.

Apart from that, I've been working on some new stuff. A superhero story. A new UF tale about a selfish magical thief who stumbles over an archvillain's evil plot to rule the world. A Renaissance clockpunk story, set in a dark, alchemy-fuelled Venetian Republic. And my perennial favourite: angels vs. aliens!!

None of this is finished. None of it is sold. I promise, you'll be the first to know...

Why we love dark romance, and a little story about Diamond...

Angela at Dark Faerie Tales is hosting a really cool event called Fantastic Fables, where authors put their characters into fairy tales and see what evil shenanigans ensues. Bwahaha...

Want to see what happens when a wise-ass pink glassfairy gets the job as fairy godmother to Cinderella? Of course you do. So come join the fun and check out my little story here. As well as many other tales by some wonderful authors, and loads of prizes.




Also, I'm guest blogging today at the Qwillery, talking about why dark romance is so hot. And yeah, giving away a book. Please come visit! Thanks so much to Sally for inviting me.

Giveaway winner, and stuff

Thanks everyone for hitting my blog and Twitter and Facebook with so many lovely 'yay!' messages on my release day -- you guys rock!

Without further ado, the lucky randomly-chosen giveaway winner from Tuesday's post is...

Jenn/Seduced By Books!!

Congrats, Jenn -- if you see this, drop me an email and I'll arrange for your prize. Thanks to all for entering.

A quick linky: here's an interview with me on the blog of the fabulous Rowena Cory Daniells, author of KING ROLEN'S KIN. She's doing a series of interviews of female fantasy writers, and kindly invited me to take part.  So come and chat about gender differences in fantasy writers, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how I created the Shadowfae Chronicles, here. I believe there's also a free book up for grabs.

And in a little while, I'll be at Dark Faerie Tales as part of their fabulous Fantastic Fables blog event, where authors take their characters and put them into a fairy tale. Giggle... I'll post the link when it's up.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with The Cape and a block of Cadbury chocolate.