Thursday, June 28, 2007

Dream Realm Finalist - Zytarri 1: Virgin Blood

I was very excited to learn this morning that my dark futuristic story, Zytarri 1: Virgin Blood has been chosen as a 2006 Dream Realm Award Finalist. The Dream Realm Awards recognize excellence in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in electronically published books.

For more information about the Dream Realm Awards, visit: http://www.dream-realm-awards.net/2006.html.

For the complete list of 2006 finalists: http://www.dream-realm-awards.net/2006finalists.htm.

I thought I'd share a little information and an excerpt from Zytarri 1: Virgin Blood.



ISBN: 978-1-59632-346-9

Author Website: http://www.adriannadane.com

Zytarri website: http://www.zytarri.com

Purchase Link: http://www.loose-id.com/detail.aspx?ID=329


Synopsis: Katriel Saguna is heir to the House of Leah, descendant of an ancient predatory race once labeled bloodhunters. Centuries of vigilance have culminated in a guarded, civilized society able to trade peacefully with other worlds without fear of annihilation. Ingestion of blood is still a requirement for Sangorrians such as Katriel–dragon's blood being the main source for youth and unattached Sangorrians. Without it they would die. The time has come for Katriel to bond with an offworlder–the Primary Alpha chosen by her mother, Mistress Leora Saguna. His will be the only human blood she will ingest. He will become her partner, her protector, her lover–and her source of life...

The civilized society Katriel has always known is about to be torn apart. Will Valyn be able to protect her or is he already too late?

EXCEPT:

Leora again studied him silently for a long time. Slowly she rose to her feet and walked around the side of the desk. "Disrobe, please. I wish to confirm the replica was not altered concerning your suitability and lack of abnormalities."

He had known this was coming. A part of him rebelled at being ordered to disrobe before her, but he raised his hands and unbuttoned the brown robe, allowing it to drop to the floor at his feet. He then returned to the stance of respect and waited, focusing his attention on the window just past where Noah stood.

Leora walked toward him. He felt her assessing gaze as it roved over him and refused to let it shake him or respond to it.

She slowly circuited him, apparently studying him from every angle. She stopped to examine the long slashing wound on his arm, seemed to assess each bruise and cut, categorizing every nuance of his body.

Finally, she halted in front of him and nodded. "Your wounds are a reflection of your bravery. It is my opinion that you are well-suited as a mate for my daughter. Your conduct and bravery have already shown you will be a good protector. You may ..."

The door to her office burst open, interrupting her words.

"Mother, please ..." a frantic feminine voice spoke from behind him, then stopped abruptly.

Valyn, unashamed of his nakedness, turned his head to see who was there and was shocked to find himself staring into the startled gaze of his soon-to-be mate. She was everything he had remembered, and more so. Her long dark hair fell in dishevelment about her face, her breasts heaved with agitation, and her pale pink lips were rounded in apparent shock. But what surprised him most was the dilated dark smoky depths of her eyes. Darkened with what could only be lust.

She had eyes for no one else in the room once she saw him standing there. He saw tears pool within their depths, the startled recognition. "What is your name?" she whispered hoarsely.

He turned toward her, and her mouth gaped wider; her eyes dilated more intensely, and he saw her hands clench at her side.

"My name is Valyn, Lady. I have come for you as I vowed I would."

"Valyn," she repeated. Her small pink tongue licked at her succulent lips, tears trailing down her face. He felt his cock take on a life of its own. "You have come. It is truly you? How can this be?"

"I made you a promise, and it has led me to this path."

"Katri, you should not be here," her mother protested.

Katriel turned to look at her mother with panicked, glazed eyes. "I need him, Mother. How you found him, I do not know, but I need him desperately." She glanced back at him.

He took a step toward her and stopped, not wanting to frighten her. Instead, she stepped to where he waited. Valyn could smell her arousal as she neared him. He cupped her face and lowered his head. She closed her eyes and sighed as he dropped forward to capture her lips. Nothing and no one else in this room mattered. Only the woman who offered herself to him -- the woman he had yearned for all these years, and for whom he had prepared himself to take.

Had anything ever tasted as sweet, and had any woman felt like such absolute bliss? Deepening the kiss, she opened to him, and he felt her hands inch upward along his bare chest, felt a sharp prick as her nails dug into his flesh. Ah, sweet pain. Unlike the ache of battle, this intensity of feeling was far different. He wanted more, needed to feel her fangs piercing him as he sank his cock into her pussy.

Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he tasted her, grazed against her petite incisor and tasted his own blood as it filled her mouth. As though galvanized, she sucked, then sucked harder, opened her eyes wide, staring at him as his lifeblood spilled into her. She curled closer to his body, her nails digging deeper into his chest.

Yes, oh gods, yes. If only we were alone. It was not true pain he felt but an aching need to claim her, to burrow his cock deep inside her hot, tight channel. He wanted to feel her pulsing around him, clasping him, wanted --

He lifted his head to gaze down at her. She moaned, her claws retracted from his chest, and she collapsed in his arms, her eyelids fluttering closed. He caught her and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the lounge chair he had seen upon entering the office.

Don't forget to check out the video trailer here at myspace in my video section.

Thanks for letting me share.

Adrianna

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Esmerelda's Lovers Now Available at Amazon.com!!



I'm very pleased to share the news that my latest paperback erotic romance anthology is now available at Amazon.


Esmerelda's Lovers includes: Esmerelda's Secret, Smooth Finish, Ruthless Acts, and Closing Time.


From the first story I wrote about Esmerelda, this town has refused to leave me alone. I love small towns, grew up in one myself and there's just something that tugs to write the stories that take place in my fictional town of Esmerelda, Massachusetts.


Esmerelda, a small, sleepy town with passion as its foundation. It is a community built on tradition, holding deep, dark secrets and painful memories for some. Lives intertwine as usually happens in a small town. But as the past explodes into the present, futures will alter forever.


For Esmerelda's Secret--
4 1/2 Roses! The chemistry between Willow and J.W. is electric. ...a story that will pull you in from the beginning and doesn't want to release you until the end... -- Pam, A Romance Review


For Smooth Finish--
4 Stars!! What woman would allow her teenage crush to walk away a second time, especially when he makes her body sing? Boy, does he make it sing! Despite Jared's best efforts to keep his life in separate little boxes, Cody shows him that true love conquers all battles... --Michelle Naumann, Just Erotic Romance Reviews


For Ruthless Acts--
5 Lips!! Adrianna Dane has penned an erotic and emotionally intense story that draws you in immediately and doesn't let go until the very last page. The passion between Isandro and Elizabeth ignites the pages and will leave you wet and wanting, pulse racing for release of your own. ... Ruthless Acts is a definite must-read that'll engage your senses and leave you breathless for more... --Kerin, TwoLips Reviews


Esmerelda's Lovers, now available.




Thanks for letting me share.

Adrianna






Read excerpts of these stories at my website at www.adriannadane.com.

Friday, June 22, 2007

The Writing Process

One would think that after forty-some stories, I'd have the process down, but that's still not the case. Every book is different and has a personality of its own. But recently I did discover a few things out about me and under what conditions I write best. At least for this month.

1. I'm a morning person--I write best starting at about 6 a.m.

2. I'm definitely not a night person. After 4 p.m. my brain is mush when it comes to writing. No new chapters for me.

3. After about a thousand words, I have to get up and walk away and sort of re-set my brain.

4. I am a binge writer, at least for the first draft. I have to get it down and then sort it out later. Maybe this comes from the days when I did the NANOWRriMo (writing a novel in thirty days). It actually works for me.

5. When I'm in the creative process I have to have junk food. During this round I've discovered carmel chocolate waffle blizzards. That keeps me fueled. I think my treadmill misses me though.

6. And I need peace and quiet so I can listen to my characters. No music, no television, no talking. Other than with my muse and my characters. It's almost like I have to center myself and then the words will come.

I know, I'm strange, that's just the way it is.

I've written the end to the novel I've been working on. That was done yesterday. Writing "The End" is such a rush. Ever single time.

I think I paid a bit more attention to my writing process for some odd reason. I was able to say, okay this work, and this works, and this doesn't. Maybe it's something that will help me down the road--or maybe the next book is going to require something else.

Right now that book has to set for a bit and I need to let the dust settle on it. Then the fun part--the editing. I love the part where I can mold it, and tweak it, and trim it, and add here and subtract there, and shape it.

I love the process of writing. Would I be here if I didn't?

Sunday, June 17, 2007

5-Lips Review (and excerpt) for Ruthless Acts

5 Lips!! Adrianna Dane has penned an erotic and emotionally intense story that draws you in immediately and doesn’t let go until the very last page. The passion between Isandro and Elizabeth ignites the pages and will leave you wet and wanting, pulse racing for release of your own. Elizabeth’s growth as an individual is marvelous and her commitment to a new life and the creation of a sanctuary for her renewal was awe-inspiring. Ruthless Acts is a definite must-read that’ll engage your senses and leave you breathless for more. --Kerin, TwoLips Reviews



Title: Ruthless Acts
Author: Adrianna Dane
Collection: Taboo AmberPax
Purchase Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/RuthlessActs.html
Author URL: http://www.adriannadane.com
Publisher: Amber Quill Press/Amber Heat
ISBN: 978-1-60272-024-4
Cover Art by Trace Edward Zaber


SYNOPSIS:

Esmerelda. Elizabeth was the sheriff’s ex-wife, the daughter of a powerful man, and a woman who felt passion had passed her by. And then she met her father’s newest employee and her passion suddenly bloomed with such intensity she was bound to be scorched by the sensual fire. What she didn’t know was that Isandro antario, her father’s new groundskeeper harbored many secrets. And Elizabeth Anthony was about to be consumed by the fires of revenge.

Excerpt:

Ennui. That was the only word for it, Elizabeth thought as she walked toward the wide staircase leading to the second floor of her father’s mansion. Lately, his parties did that to her. Well, not just his parties, any of the elite functions she’d attended, be it for her father, or charity, or whatever, made her feel that way. Whether in Boston or Esmerelda, it didn’t matter.

Or maybe disillusioned was a better word for it. The fact that she was finally recovering from the second divorce she had sworn would never occur didn’t help matters. A two-time divorcee—how pathetic was that? She no longer enjoyed the displays of polite, plastic demonstrations of interest, the polished mask of the sophisticated networking among the affluent. All she could remember now were the little affairs Evan, her second husband, had instigated at those social functions. The last straw had been when she came home unexpectedly early one day and found him and his latest conquest, make that conquests—plural—in her own home, in the bed they shared. Evan and two young women cavorting in the sanctity of their home. That was taking things too far and had been the last straw.

Maybe there hadn’t been the passion of lovers between them, but there should have been some level of respect. He should have taken his little whores to a hotel, not to their home. Her home. The apartment she had paid for with money her mother had left her in a trust fund. But at least it was over now, and it had cost her a pretty penny, as well as the condo, to be shed of him. And it had been worth every cent.

Ascending to the second floor of the mansion, her footsteps muffled by the thickly carpeted hallway, she strode toward her father’s office.

How had she become so jaded at thirty-three? She stopped at the polished oak door of her father’s small library-cum-study thinking to grab a book and retreat to her room, away from the noise of the party taking place on the first floor. She had made her duty appearance, smiled and sat through dinner listening to the dull yammerings of the handsome, rich businessmen her father had seated near her, obviously hoping for a third spouse that might just take this time.

Sorry to disappoint you, Dad, but there will not be a third…anything. Not from this crowd.

She’d gone as far down that road as any dutiful daughter should be required to venture.

They did nothing for her, not even a tingle. Oh, they were handsome enough, just not men who interested her. Ever since her divorce from the county sheriff, J.W. Dalton, she had tried to do her duty to her father. She knew she had disappointed him when her marriage had fallen apart, but she simply could not stay with a man who did not love her. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure she had loved him the way she should have. But it had pleased her father and that’s what was important. At least it had been for about a year.

She finally realized that if she stayed with J.W., it would ruin the rest of both their lives, because J.W. did love someone else, with a passion that Elizabeth had only dreamed of. Until recently, that is. She had to set J.W. free even if it meant disappointing her father, because if nothing else, she liked J.W. and she wanted to see him happy.

It had taken a while, but Willow MacKenzie, the woman he truly desired, had finally returned to Esmerelda. They’d been married for several years now, with one beautiful daughter and another baby on the way. They looked very happy together, and Elizabeth knew every time she saw them, she’d made the right decision.

Then there had been Evan Manning. J.W. had at least loved Willow. Evan, on the other hand, loved only himself. He had hid it very well through their courtship, but Evan was a user, and once they were married he had been very blatant about exactly what kind of man he was.

The marriage to Evan, surprisingly, had lasted two years, but there had been even less holding them together. Certainly a lot less respect. She had tried so hard to make it work, closing her eyes to things she shouldn’t have. She would not make that mistake again.

If only she’d been able find the right man for herself. Even to please her father, she could not approach marriage again with any of the potential suitors he’d thought acceptable. She simply couldn’t bring herself to do it. She already tried it—twice. Never again.

She’d even gone back to Boston and spent time there, away from Esmerelda, and still hadn’t found anyone whom she’d wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And then she’d returned home once more, closing up her condo in Boston, to play hostess for her father. Was it only four weeks since she’d returned this time?

She loved Esmerelda and enjoyed the small-town atmosphere, the familiarity and closeness of the small community. It had taken all her powers of persuasion to get her father to allow her to attend the local high school when she was younger. Only the promise that she would agree to attend Boston University and make the grades necessary to be admitted, kept him from shipping her off to a private school. She had tried so hard to be what he had wanted her to be. But the time had come to be her own person now. Enough was enough. And she had only begun to realize there was more to life than what her father expected of her. Much more.

She opened the door to the study and stepped inside. Before she could throw on the light switch a muscular arm snaked around her, twirled her around, and thrust her face first against the door. Her heart thundered in her chest. There was an intruder in her father’s study. She struggled against the strong hold. A hard, callused hand pressed over her mouth.

She bit down and tasted blood.

"Dios, Elizabeth," a familiar, sensual voice growled in her ear. "What are you trying to do?"

"Isandro." She released a sigh of relief and the tension melted away. Speaking of passion. Who could have known what, or rather who, she would discover with this return to Esmerelda. What she found was that passion wasn’t quite the elusive stranger she had thought it was. So what if she found it with the most unlikely person—someone her father would never approve of. Someone who would never enjoy being a part of the elite society her father so revered.

He spun her around and the next thing she knew, her breath was captured by a demanding mouth, his tongue thrust deeply inside. She wound her arms around his neck. Even in the dark, he exuded sexuality, and she was no match for his meandering, sensual possession. He lifted his head and his gaze glittered through the murky darkness of the room.

"What are you doing in here?" she gasped. "How did you get in?" She felt his hand at the zipper of her dress, felt it give beneath his knowledgeable touch. To hell with what her father thought. This man made her blood sing in a way it never had before.

"I was waiting for you, amante," he responded.

"But how could you possibly know—"

His mouth descended again, cutting off her words. Any lucid train of thought was immediately shattered.

He slid the dress down her arms and it dropped to the floor in a glittering puddle at her feet. "We wouldn’t want to rip such a expensive, pretty dress, now would we?"

"What are you planning to do?" she gasped. The man had no shame whatsoever. She’d certainly figured that out in the last couple of weeks.

"I’m going to make love to you, what do think I’m going to do?"

"Here?" she squeaked.

He gripped her hand and dragged her across the room to the door leading onto the small balcony. "No, not in here. You know how I feel about enclosed places." He pulled the door open and yanked her onto the cement landing.