Whipped Cream Best Book Honor Poll Nomination

My book, The Devil's Den, has been nominated for the Best Book Honor over at Whipped Cream Erotic Romance Reviews! Voting for the contest runs only this weekend from Saturday, 11/22, through Sunday, 11/23. Here's the link if you're interested in checking it out:

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/recentrev.htm

Yikes! That's two contests I've been nominated for now. The first one is over at Night Owl Romance and it runs through the end of December. Here's the link if you're interested in checking it out:

http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/NORAwards/fall2008norawardseroticebooks.asp

I'm not winning either of the contests, but I'm just excited to be nominated! It's a HUGE honor!!!

Strange Coincidence or Demonic Influence?

Awesome Friday! I'm out of my depression, so I won't send you into the weekend with a meloncholy blog. So, so, terribly sorry, everyone, for posting my misery for you to read. :-(

A week or so ago I watched the television show, Paranormal State, which airs on Monday nights on A&E. In this particular episode the girl was possessed by a demonic entity. Whether I believe in demonic possession is not the point of my post today. This entire family came across as victimized and mentally tormented. Needless to say, they were terrified. The demon force had written words on the daughter’s body, tried to drown her while soaking in the bathtub and other various occurrences had happened to her and her parents.

When the psychic medium arrived to give the Paranormal State team his physic take on the situation, he immediately began channeling the demon’s hatred toward the religious artifacts in the home. At one point the psychic cautioned that the demon declared he would “kill the bitch”. Yikes! Those were strong evil words. I’m not saying this was real, but in the dead of the night with the possibility that demonic possession could be real swimming around in my head, it was enough to unsettle me.

So, the investigation gets underway and the demon starts writing again on this poor girl’s body, drawing six diagonal lines down her back. They almost looked like strange claw or scratch marks to me. They call in a holy man who thinks an exorcism should be performed. The family agrees to an exorcism and one begins. During the course of the exorcism, the demonic entity begins to speak through the girl. It says its name is the number 6. Something kept me from spelling that word out like it was a name, as if writing it like a name would give a real demon—if there is one—with that name power somehow. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but just in case…well, anyway, I’ll tarry on with my thinking.

The demon’s name is spoken and my eyes go wide and round. My heart is suddenly racing and my hands are sweaty. Like an echo in my mind is “Holy Freaking Crap!” Why am I thinking this, you’re wondering?

Well, I may have mentioned that my book, The Devil’s Den, started out as a dream. My character’s names are Serena and, you guessed it, Six. For those that have read it, the dance scene where they meet for the first time, that was the actual dream. I spent a lot of time on this one chapter, trying to get the seductive charm of Six just right, while also hoping I could make the reader feel the latent menace, evil, and power at his core. In my dream, this scene was all of that and so much more.

In the dream that spawned the book, Six was a demon. I grew up hardcore Christian, so sometimes I have a hard time adjusting what I was taught to work it into my writing as a non-evil entity. I’m working on this and getting better at it, but for the book I took some creative license and morphed Six into a vampire rather than a demon.

He gripped her firmly, molding her backside snugly against his frame. He felt large and strong and she stiffened at the unexpected quiver that raced through her. She didn’t like the solid feel of him, and she didn’t like the quiet, dangerous strength that he emitted. There was nothing about this predicament that she did like.

Before she could protest he strategically guided her onto the dance floor without allowing her to even catch a glimpse of his face. Then slowly, his body began to move, taking hers with his. Her buttocks cupped against his groin. The intimacy of it had her face flaming.

He swayed and ground his pelvis against her bottom again. One large hand stroked her left arm, while his other hand had mysteriously found its way underneath her shirt and was flexing possessively against the middle of her waist.

“I hear you’re looking for someone,” he crooned, rocking against her in the timeless suggestion of the act of love as the hand on her waist slipped a notch and his fingers nestled to his knuckles inside the waistband of her jeans.

Nodding her head, she croaked, “Yes.” Her throat closed tight in fear and it was the loudest voice she could make. Fire was spreading through her body and her limbs felt languid from its blaze as the hand rubbing her arm lowered to her hip. His fingers flexed, gripped her hips, and pumped her bottom against him. Serena choked on the breath that lodged in her throat.

Who are you looking for?” His voice was silky and made her feel almost languorous.

The hand that had been rubbing her arm lifted and dove into the hair on the back of her head. He pushed her head forward and pumped against her buttocks again. Serena gasped at the erotic contact. He smiled, but if she could have seen him she would have known that no warmth entered his colorless eyes. He leaned forward and brushed his lips across her bare shoulders. Serena tried to stiffen, but her body failed to respond.

Excerpt from The Devil’s Den Copyright © 2007 Gracen Miller

That’s not all the chapter, but it’s enough for you to get the idea. When that dream-demon grasped me from behind and did the sexy dance with me—just like he did to Serena in the book—his thick, husky whisper purred into my ear, “I am Six.” It felt like a sweet wicked caress across my entire body. That’s when I woke, aroused and already half in love with him.

I admit I’m a unique—or “normalcy challenged” as a friend of mine would say—individual. Often I use my nightmares to create stories. I do find it strange that instead of waking from that particular dream in a cold sweat with fear clawing at my mind and a paralyzed need to hide beneath the blankets, I was obsessed with the need to put the demonic sexiness of my dream-demon into words. After waking, I knew Six had to be immortalized. Typically the lure of a dream wears off after a couple of hours, but not this one. The memory of Six had me obsessed for weeks, all throughout the writing of the book. And when I was finished writing his life, I was a smidgen sad because our relationship was over.

So, yeah, while watching Paranormal State, I was sitting here thinking, “Holy Freaking Crap!” as they tried to expel this demon with the same name as my character from her body. It had me thinking if demons are real, was that a demon that spawned the dream rather than my imagination? That thought sends shivers all over my body. And it’s not those wickedly pleasurable shivers that my dream inspired.

Holy freaking crap what might I have actually immortalized? A dream? A demon? Was it simply a matter of strange coincidence? Yeah, probably. Even most likely. But what if…

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for a chance to win a copy of one of Elizabeth Black’s books!

My youngest son is having adenoid surgery today, so I won't be around much this weekend. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Superstitions

Awesome Friday! I have some personal information I want to share before I start my blog this week.

First, I’m participating in a Carnival at Bitten By Books Review Site. There is hundreds of dollars worth of contributions for you to win. I will personally be giving away five copies of my book, The Devil’s Den, one copy to five different winners. If you’re interested in checking out the Carnival, here’s the link: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1364 I will post this link under "Blogs and Other Websites We Enjoy" for your convenience.

As more information becomes available, I will pass it along! The Carnival looks exciting and I’m sure you won’t want to miss it! There’s tons of stuff there to win. Good luck to everyone that participates.

Secondly, if you’re interested in winning a copy of my e-book, The Devil’s Den, I am going to be giving away a copy of it on Friday, October 31st—Halloween Day! I will announce the winner Halloween day at approximately the noon hour Central Standard Time, so that the lucky winner can have it to read Halloween evening if they so desire. To participate in the contest, post a comment to either today’s blog, Sunday’s blog or to my Halloween blog that morning before the noon hour! For each comment you make, you will be entered for a chance to win it. So, if you make three comments, then you will be entered in the drawing three times, upping your chances of winning.

Thirdly, I checked the 2008 Fall Night Owl Romance Awards, I am up to 4% of the votes, which is still a long way from winning. I’m just excited that someone thought enough of my e-book, The Devil’s Den, to vote for it! Thank you to all of those that voted for me. Terry Spear has 9% of the votes—she’s tied for first place!—for her book Heart of the Wolf. Congratulations, Terry!!! If you’re interested in voting for either of us (we’re in separate award categories, so there's no conflict), here’s the link: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/NORAwards/fall2008norawardseroticebooks.asp

Lastly, I asked my sons to give me a topic for today’s blog. My oldest son could barely comprehend the request. *rolls eyes* I think hormones are getting in the way of his coherent thought process. My youngest son, who is 6, gave me a goofy story instead and I promised to post it for you all. Here it is: “A ghost ate your feet. Boo!” :-) I didn’t say it was great, but I was chuckling at the simple craziness of it. He was standing beside me giggling, with his chest puffed out in pride, as I typed it up for you guys to read.

Now, off to my Friday topic….

Superstitions…

Are you superstitious? Growing up in the South, superstitions have plagued my life. Do you believe in superstitions? Me, I do not particularly think of myself as superstitious and typically scoff at them. I do, however, have a few that we practice in my home because my husband does believe in them. Which is truly crazy because this man does not believe in the supernatural, anything paranormal or in aliens from outer space? His faith lies with God and superstitions, that’s it, nothing else has a place for rationale in his logical thinking. His grandparents and his mother have spoonfed him superstitions all of his life.

So, here are a few superstitions that I could think of and how they got started. I found it interesting. I hope you will too.

1. We cannot wash clothes on New Year’s Day because if we do, my husband says we will wash someone out of our life. I scoffed at this one for many years, but typically we were too busy on New Year’s Day for me to actually test the theory and wash clothes. Not that I want to wash someone out of my life—well, maybe I can think of one or two, but I don’t think I get to pick the recipient. *snaps fingers* Too bad. I'm just kidding...a little. ;-) So, just my luck that the first New Year’s Day that I actually washed clothes, my husband’s grandmother died in October that year. That was in 1990. I haven’t washed again on New Year’s Day until this year, 2008. Forgetting my husband’s fanatical belief in this particular superstition, I put on a load of towels and it was in the rinse cycle by the time he realized what I was doing. He stopped the wash and muttered something about hopefully he had stopped it in time. Strangely enough, my girlfriend’s mother died on October 12th. Is there any validity to this superstition? Seriously, I don’t believe there is, but my husband is convinced. Me, I think it is just bad coincidence. A really bad, morbid coincidence. But…maybe, just maybe...I’ll refrain from washing clothes again on New Year’s Day just to be safe.

2. Spilling Salt and tossing it over your left shoulder. Salt once was very expensive and had many purposes. It was and still is used to purify. Salt has had many uses throughout history. In Greece, slaves were traded for salt. Hence, it’s where we get the saying, “He isn’t worth his salt.” Every grain of spilled salt was once believed to represent future tears in old English beliefs. If this were true, I would be in so much trouble. Spilled salt was believed to arouse enmity to the Germans. Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she disobeyed the angels by looking back at the city of Sodom as it was being destroyed. Jesus referred to his disciples as “the Salt of the Earth.” Matthew 5:13 states, “You are the salt of the earth…” Parallel verses to Matthew 5:13 are Mark 9:49-50 and Luke 14:34-35, wherein he is referring to Christians as “salt”. The famous painting by Leonardo DaVinci, The Last Supper, depicts Judas Escariot—Jesus’ betrayer that led to his crucifixion—has spilled some salt on the table, which was thought to be a portent of evil and bad luck. I could go on and on with all the salt superstitions I found and the numerous biblical references. By throwing a pinch of salt over our shoulder, it is being thrown straight into the Devil’s face who is hanging out over our left shoulder because it is the sinister side of our body. Again, this is not a superstition I adhere to. My husband…well, again, I’ve seen him toss salt over his shoulder more than once when salt has been spilled. He’s so freaky about it that he will toss salt over my shoulder for me when I spill it. I find this upsetting because he’s getting salt all over the floor or counter.

3. Weddings are wrought with superstitions, many of which I participated in because they are considered good luck and it’s become like a tradition. The bride is supposed to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. There is supposed to be a penny in the bride’s shoe as well…this was most uncomfortable. The “something old” signified that the couple’s friends would stay with them; “something new” was for the couple’s future happiness, health and success; “something borrowed” was for the Bride’s family to give her something as a symbol of their love, but it must be returned to guarantee good fortune; and “something blue” was because the color represented fidelity and constancy. The penny in one’s shoe was supposed to bring the couple prosperity in their wedded years. At the bridal shower, I remember being told that the number of bows I broke while unwrapping the gifts indicated how many children we would have. It is a very old fertility rite to throw confetti, while throwing grains and/or nuts was considered life-giving seeds, which was probably also related to fertility.

4. Breaking a mirror is supposed to cause 7 years of bad luck. This superstition can be traced back to the Romans. However, many cultures believed that a mirror had the ability to possess a portion of the viewer’s soul. So if the viewer’s reflected image was distorted in any fashion, it could mean the viewer’s soul was corrupted. Worse yet, it was believed that a broken mirror reflected that the viewer’s soul was broken, as was the viewer’s health.

5. Walking under a ladder. In medieval times it was thought that a leaning ladder resembled the gallows, so in essence one was playing out their own execution by walking underneath it. Another explanation was that when a ladder is leaning up against a wall, it makes a triangular shape which represented the Holy Trinity. So by walking through the triangular shape, one was violating and desecrating God, and therefore, the violator would fall prey to Satan.

6. Various other superstitions that I won’t go into are, the horseshoe, the four-leaf clover, the wishbone, unlucky number 13, don’t open umbrellas indoors, making a wish when one blows out birthday candles, wishing on a shooting star, saying “break a leg” as opposed to saying “good luck” to actors/actresses, rabbit’s foot, and the list goes on and on, but these were the ones I could think of. The last one I’ll mention is the one I hear from my boys, “Step on a crack and you’ll break your mother’s back.” I just want to know why we can’t break their father’s back instead of ours? I’m tired of getting the raw end of the deal. ;-)

Do you believe in superstitions? Tell me your superstitions, the ones you practice and believe in. Tell me it's a bunch of malarky, but tell me what you think. Remember, your comments enter you for a chance to win a copy of my e-book, The Devil’s Den. If you’ve already read The Devil’s Den, I still want your comments. Just let me know that you’ve already read it.

Reminder to those that participate in the end of Daylight Savings Time, we turn our clocks back next weekend (November 2nd).

I hope everyone’s weekend is made of awesome!

Weekly Contest

Sorry I'm a little late posting this weeks contest. It's been a little crazy for me lately. Since I'm posting this on Sunday, we will extend the contest to make up for the late posting. The winner will be announced on Wednesday instead of Tuesday this week. Without further ado...

Welcome to our weekly contest on The Deadly Vixens blog! The winner will receive The Devil's Den by Gracen Miller. Gracen's book is a dark paranormal and not for the feint of heart. If you're interested in winning this book, just follow the directions below.

To enter, just leave a comment to this post and tell us what you think of the Olympics this year. Have you been watching? What is your favorite sport?

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Be sure to check back and see if you have won. If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com to claim your prize. Include your email address within the email when you claim the prize to ensure delivery. Tell us in the email which book you'd like to receive and which format.

New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of drawing.

Best of luck!

The Deadly Vixens

*WARNING* Some books may contain explicit material and are for persons 18 years of age or older. If you are not at least 18, please do not enter the contest, as we have no way of knowing your actual age. By entering this contest, you are accepting these terms and agree that you are at least 18 years of age. Thank you.