Goodreads Giveaway Continues!

The Goodreads giveaway of The Vampire Shrink continues until April 4. Just go here to enter (it's free): http://bit.ly/ndFWdX

Awesome Cover!

Angie at Hot Damn Designs made this excellent cover for Until Death Do Us Part, a tiny story in Kismet's professional world that I'll post to Amazon, Smashwords, etc. around the first of April. Is this cool, or what?

Interview with FBI Special Agent Alan Stevens

FBI Special Agent Alan Stevens has been on the case of "the vampire murders" for months, following a bloody trail across the country. In addition to indulging his irreverent, curious nature, he has a unique -- secret -- reason for being so obsessed with the crimes.

Alan, how and why did you and the FBI get involved in this case?

I actually brought the "vampire murders" to the attention of my bosses at the FBI. They're used to my unusual interests, so at first they dismissed my story. Of course, they're all thinking the killer is human -- a "normal" serial killer. After the bodies began to pile up, they finally sent me out to investigate. My task is to work with the local police in each jurisdiction and to offer my assistance. To tie the cases together. I never tell anyone what I really think is going on. They wouldn't believe me, anyway.

Tell us about this case. What made it so special?

You probably know that the FBI deals with serial killers quite often. More often than the public knows about. The special thing about these "vampire" murders was the fact that the bodies were drained of blood. Totally. And there were those strange, little holes in the victims' necks. During my investigation, I stumbled on an informant who blew my mind. His story pushed me into a new investigative direction and brought me to Denver, and a group of individuals who could blast the case wide open. And then there was Dr. Kismet Knight, a Denver psychologist who didn't realize what kind of tiger she had by the tail. She thought she was counseling vampire wannabes-- sad Goth pretenders -- when the truth was much weirder. Lucky for me, she was open to my advice --and my romantic advances.

What made the case hard to solve?

It was a combination of the various police jurisdictions not connecting the dots and sharing information, the fact that there was no forensic evidence left behind, and the ability of the individuals involved to keep secrets. In fact, it wasn't until Dr. Knight and I joined forces that the case began to unravel. She has some unique abilities of her own.

Did anyone else help you with your investigation?

Yes. I couldn't have done it alone, even though I'm pretty amazing, if I say so myself. In addition to Dr. Knight, I was assisted by the Denver police department, especially Lt. Bullock. She had her own reasons for being a bulldog on the trail. And, then there were my "unnamed sources" in the Goth and occult communities. Without them, I'd have been in the dark.

Has this case affected your personal life in any way?

Big time. Now I have verification of something I've long suspected but couldn't prove, and that knowledge is both exciting and terrifying. I have my own personal reasons for wanting to learn about these paranormal groups. Once you've seen things that are "impossible to believe," life is never the same. Meeting Dr. Knight has changed me, too. I don't know what's going to happen with us -- I have heavy-duty competition --but now I know for sure that anything's possible. I also know that no matter how scary our human nightmares might be, reality is worse.

Guest Blogger: Linda Andrews

What if? Those two words are the most powerful tool in a writer's toolbox. Ask any writer and they'll probably say their stories started with those two words. What if vampires existed? What if people changed into werewolves during a full moon? What if steam powered the world and not fossil fuels? What if there existed a magical place that was accessible via a subway station, or a wardrobe, or a bed knob?

If you're a fan of the paranormal I bet you can think of a novel that answered each of those questions.

Now let's take it a step further. Let's explain how those things can actually exist. Let the paranormal world collide with the scientific one.

We'll do the easiest first-steampunk. Not really a paranormal thing, I know, but bear with me. Although we don't see great billows of steam pouring out of our cars, steam does power our world. Coal and diesel are used to boil water to make steam that turn the turbines that produce electricity which power our homes. Nuclear power plants run pretty much on the same principle. And you know what? Some solar collectors are being focused on containers of oil to heat water and produce steam, so the solar power plants continue making electricity long after the sun sets.

We live in the steam age!

As for vampires, zombies and werewolves, they're easy to explain -- genetic engineering. Zombies are obviously a virus that has gone horribly wrong. Werewolves -- the virus is only activated by the wattage of moonlight produced during a full moon. Vampires -- the agent tinkered with the digestive system as well as producing sunlight allergies.

Now, we're at those magical places accessible only through specific locations. Areas that bend space and time have a name: worm holes. Others could actually be inter-dimensional portals. Why not? They're both accounted for in scientific theories.

What about elves, ogres, gnomes, leprechauns and the other decidedly nonhuman beings? How about alien visitors to our planet? Who says they didn't come here through a worm hole or another dimension? There are quite a few fantasy books that suggest this very thing.

And last but not least, ghosts. I propose that our souls are comprised of energy and that when our bodies die, the souls lose the connection to this dimension and transition into another. But some hardy souls (sorry, I couldn't help the pun) are able to make contact with this world by using some form of energy -- be it heat, electromagnetic, or electricity (AC or DC) -- to make the transition back.

So what do you think? Sound plausible? What other beings can you think of that might be explained by stretching science?

In honor of my new release one person who comments will receive an electronic copy of Blue Maneuver.

Here's the blurb:

The extraterrestrials have landed and they're human.

Rae Hemplewhite didn't believe in aliens until a close encounter with out-of-this-world technology drags her into the extraterrestrial security program. Helping alien refugees adjust to life on Earth is difficult enough, but her first clients have a price on their heads. Plus, her new partner seems torn between the urge to kiss her or kill her.

And that's the good news.

The bad news: Alliances are forming in deep space. If Rae doesn't keep her witnesses alive long enough to transfer their top secret information to the right faction of humanity, Earth will become a battlefield.

Blue Maneuver available now:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords

And if you want to follow my blog tour, I'll be at Tracy Sumner's talking about the relationship triangle between my heroine Rae and two handsome extraterrestrial humans on Friday and with Lynda K Scott on Monday.

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Linda is giving away a copy of her ebook to one commenter. Check back to see if you won.

UK Mass Market Cover of The Vampire Shrink

Whoa! I was surprised to find this on the publisher's website. I like it! What do you think?