Warriors of Poseidon

Winners!! Thank you!!

2011-08-13T01:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for these great questions! We hope to use many, if not all, of them, so we've decided to award an autographed book to each person who submitted a question!! Congratulations and thanks for taking the time to contribute.

Each person who posted a comment by August 1st (entries are now closed), please send your mailing info to Connor@alyssaday.com by August 17th.

Thanks again!

Connor

Hello from Alyssa's new assistant - and Prizes!!

2011-07-20T01:53:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm Connor, Alyssa's new assistant. My job is to de-clutter her life so she can focus on writing books for you, her awesome readers. Right now we are starting a contest to fill up the FAQ page of her website. (Click on the link to see what's already posted.)

If you have any questions you’re dying to know the answers to about her books or series or upcoming projects or life in general, please enter them in the comment section below. Winners whose questions are chosen will each win an autographed copy of Vampire in Atlantis. I know I'll have a great time doing this and other projects, so I hope to hear from all of you soon. This will be open through July 31st.

Thanks!
Connor

Teaser Tuesday - VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS

2011-06-15T01:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, boy, meeting a lost love again can be awkward. All those misunderstandings to clear up. Past history to revisit. Especially after 11,000 years . . .

EXCERPT FROM VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS, in stores now:

Serai woke as Daniel put her down on a pallet in what looked like another room in the same cavern. Same dark stone walls. Same dank stone-and-dirt-cavern smell. A small fire glowed in a corner of the room, giving off a bit of heat and light, but not enough to really help. She was shivering bone deep and felt like she might never be warm again.

Daniel sat on the edge of the narrow bed as he pulled rough blankets around her, but his hands stilled as he realized she was awake and looking at him.

“How are you feeling?”

She lifted one shoulder. “I’ve been better, but I’m alive. I’m free. There’s much to be said for that.”

An awkward silence fell, and she watched him as he looked at the blankets, around the room, anywhere but at her. Maybe he didn’t want to be around her. Maybe he’d forgotten about her long ago, and she was an unwelcome reminder of a painful past. Maybe—

His hands shot up and grabbed her shoulders, and he finally stared directly at her—into her eyes, as if the secrets of the universe hid there for him to find.

“I thought you were dead,” he said, anguish in his rough tone. “How can you be alive, all these millennia later? You’re not a vampire, but you’re still exactly the same as the day Atlantis fell and not a day older. How is that even possible?”

“Have you ever heard the tale of Sleeping Beauty?” she asked wryly.

He just looked at her, silent, and for a moment a hint of the shy boy he’d been surfaced in his eyes. But only for a moment. The hard, deadly man he’d become had no patience for whimsy, she suspected.

“They put me in stasis,” she explained, arranging the blanket around her shoulders and pulling her knees to her chest. “Maidens intended as brides for future kings of Atlantis. Not just me. There were others, many of them woken long ago, but six of us remained. We’ve been asleep since Atlantis dove beneath the seas more than eleven thousand years ago.”

He released her shoulders and stood up, impatient or disbelieving, and she felt the ache of loss as he walked away from her toward the small fire. He tossed a few pieces of the wood stacked nearby onto the flames and considered his handiwork before turning toward her, still crouched beside the fire.

“That’s not possible. What magic could do such a thing? Even Alaric, and the gods know he’s more powerful than any sorcerer or witch I’ve ever met, couldn’t do such a thing.”

The name distracted her. “You know Alaric?”

“I’ve worked on the same side as High Prince Conlan and his warriors several times,” Daniel said. “Poseidon’s high priest often accompanies Conlan and his elite Warriors of Poseidon on missions.”

He crossed the room and motioned to the edge of the bed, as if for permission. She nodded, and he resumed his seat, not touching her this time.

“Your Atlanteans have to fight the big, bad vampires, don’t you know?” he said, mockery in his voice and raised eyebrow.

“I’ve heard about the warriors. The temple attendants gossiped enough,” she said bitterly. “And I’d prefer not to talk about Conlan. Not now, not ever.”

It was his turn to be surprised. “I’ve always found him to be a decent enough guy.”

“He didn’t leave you imprisoned in a crystal cage for hundreds of years after he learned about you. He didn’t plan to wed you, either, and then abandon you to remain in that prison after he found a human woman for whom he was willing to abdicate his throne.” She shook her head. “Trust me when I say I will never take the man’s hand in friendship.”

She finally looked up at Daniel and caught her breath. His eyes glowed a fiery red and his face had gone hard and feral. For the first time since she’d found him again, she thought about what becoming a nightwalker truly meant, and her breath caught in her throat.

“Plan. To. Wed. You?” he gritted out between clenched teeth. “You were betrothed to Conlan? After . . .”

“Jealousy? You dare show me jealousy when you abandoned me to be caged and imprisoned for eleven thousand years?”

“I didn’t know!” he shouted. “I thought you were dead. I woke up and you were gone, and they told me you had died. They took me to deal with the newness of the bloodlust, and by the time I could control it and came back for any scrap of news of you, you and your whole godsdamned continent were gone.”

A flare of something very like hope flamed in her chest, and she tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come. Not until he touched a finger to her cheek and it came back wet did she realize she was crying.

“You thought I was dead? You didn’t abandon me?”

The red flames had vanished from his eyes, and they shone a strange, almost silvery black as he stared at her. “I would never have abandoned you."

For chapter 1 and more, see my website HERE!

An author's sincere apology

2011-06-14T04:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it happens. Authors mess up. I'm sure you've read books with typos or continuity errors in them (in one chapter the protagonist has black hair, in the next he's a blond). I've caught some typos in my printed books, but never before anything as egregious as this.

I SCREWED UP. I am here, with egg on my face, to apologize: No, Reisen's missing hand did not magically regenerate in the scene with Melody where she says she felt his "two big hands" on her bottom. TWO hands.

ARGH.

Here's how it happened: That scene originally happened with a different character, not Reisen. Reisen had a whole subplot where he was hopelessly infatuated with Serai. But that subplot took away from the book - it was a distraction, and not a good one. As a writer, my firm law is every scene must advance the plot or deepen understanding of character (preferably both) or it gets kicked. So Reisen in love with Serai? Got kicked. But then I noticed that Melody had kind of a thing for Reisen.

Instant attraction.

What could I do? I had to let them play. So the scene I'd deleted, the one in the bank vault with Melody and another character, came back. But this time I played with it and it came back with Reisen, because oh, wow, the chemistry between those two? Smoking hot!!

What I didn't do, obviously not carefully enough? Triple and quadruple check the details. Reisen did NOT magically grow back a hand. (I could have told you some mumbo-jumbo about Atlantean mental powers that made her think he had two hands, but that would be dishonest and cover-my-butt-ishness and I wouldn't do that. You deserve better.)

The simple truth is that I missed it. We all missed it, at every stage of production, but the fault and blame lies squarely with me. Every word in my books is my responsibility and I should have caught that. You can be damn sure I'll do my best to get it fixed in subsequent printings.

I'm sorry. I'm only human, and I missed this one. I hope you can forgive me.

hugs,
Alyssa

Movie Monday!

2011-06-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

We saw X-Men first class this weekend and I kind of loved it. Of course, I love James McAvoy in everything (confession! wow those blue eyes!), but it explained so much about the origins and it made for a fun conversation with the kids afterwards about which super powers we wish we had. How about you? Did you love it? Hate it? Indifferent? Saw something better?

ALSO we spent yesterday touring Mt. Fuji. Didn't have time to see a fraction of the sights, but what we did see was pretty amazing. I'll post pics later when I'm done writing for the day.

AND thank you SO MUCH for all the wonderful mail about how much you love VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS!!! I appreciate it more than I can tell you!! And if you haven't read it yet, first chapter and buying information is HERE!

hugs,
Alyssa

PS If you won a prize from me (you've already been notified, they are going in the mail tomorrow (post office closed on Mondays here). And if you won a copy of Vampire in Atlantis (you've already been notified), my author copies never arrived, so I purchased new books from Amazon and Book Depository and those are shipping to you right now, so I autographed bookplates and mailed those to you separately. Mail from Japan takes a while, so you may get your bookplates later than the books, but they're coming. And if you're waiting on a bookplate, we found enough copies of my backlist in the Closet of Happiness that we're mailing each of you a signed bookplate for VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS plus a signed copy of one of my backlist! Just because I love you all! :) Thanks for your patience - this mail to/from Japan via military mail processing center is a pain in my backside.

VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS is here!! In stores now!!

2011-06-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

1. The book!
2. The reviews!
3. The excerpts & gorgeous new website!
4. Come see me in New York!

1. VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS is here!! Daniel finds love . . . finally!

Sightings in bookstores abound! Yay!

I had so much fun writing Daniel’s story – this is a love story that waited 11,000 years for the telling. When Daniel first met Serai, Atlantis still rode the surface of the ocean. He was an apprentice blacksmith and she an Atlantean princess – a forbidden love that was shattered when a brutal army bent on conquering the Seven Isles rode into Atlantis. Serai had to make a choice for Daniel: life as a Nightwalker or death.

For the next 11,000 years, both of them regretted her choice. Daniel as a vampire who committed deeds so dark he feared he could never deserve redemption, and Serai as a princess in stasis waiting for some unknown future prince of Atlantis to claim her as his reluctant bride.

But the world has changed and those who seek power have destroyed the power of stasis. Serai escapes just as Daniel chooses to face the sun—and walks into Atlantis. Romance, passion, action, and a dangerous quest spice up the pages of this book – and the reviewers are raving:

2. The reviews!

“Alyssa Day’s Warriors of Poseidon adventures are the stuff that make your heart go pitter-patter. The books are riveting and positively fun to read. Beautifully put together, the pages fly by until you wonder just where they all went.” – Night Owl Romance, TOP PICK 5 STARS!!

“The love scenes were so steamy hot, I needed a cold glass of water! And Daniel, in that alpha male "mine" mode? Oh *swoon* I about melted into a puddle. I even cried at one point. Vampire in Atlantis will grip you, and hold you tight til the end of the book, you won't want it to let you go, and you'll find yourself slowing down so you can savour the story.” – Demon Lovers Books and More

“Undying love is the cornerstone of this chapter of the Warriors of Poseidon series, as unlikely allies hunt for another missing Jewel of Poseidon. The relationships between Day’s cast of characters are layered and enduring and they make this series unforgettable. Day aces another one!” – Romantic Times BookClub 4 ½ stars!!!

3. The excerpts!

First chapter HERE!

Excerpt from chapter 2 here - just scroll down on the blog!

Check out my gorgeous new website HERE!!

4. Come see me in New York!

Tuesday, June 28, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. I’ll be signing books with more than 500 other romance authors at the "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing, which has become one of the most popular events at RWA's annual conference. Each year we raise thousands of dollars, which are donated to ProLiteracy Worldwide. Since 1990, RWA has donated more than $670,000 to literacy charities.

THANK YOU!!! I hope you love Daniel and Serai as much as I do!!!

Thank you, as always, for reading my books. I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you.

Happy June!!

hugs,
Alyssa

--

WINNERS!!!!

2011-06-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

We have winners of my pre-order giveaway -- three, count 'em, THREE winners we've chosen randomly to receive an authentic Japanese Kokeshi doll. Kokeshi dolls are lovely wooden dolls that originated in Northern Japan and are wildly popular with everyone here. We've begun quite a collection to take home!!

But never fear - EVERYONE who entered will receive a personalized autographed bookplate for your own copy of VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS, and some of you will receive even more! I've cleaned out my author copy closet and will be sending autographed copies of my backlist to 22 of you with your bookplate! Yes, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE you for reading my stories and for caring about the world of Atlantis with me.

Drum roll, please! The three winners are:

1. Gloria Bidmead

2. Laura Troth

3. Alana Caldwell

Please give at least 2 weeks for receipt; mail from Japan seems to take forever. Thank you!!

And tomorrow: VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS is finally here!!! I hope you love Daniel and Serai as much as I do.

hugs,
Alyssa

When the vampire wakes up in Atlantis . . .

2011-05-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

Hey! The world didn't end! So VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS will still be out June 7th! Yay! Here's a sneak peek of when Daniel finds Serai again . . . after eleven thousand years:

Excerpt from VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS, June 7, 2011, by Alyssa Day:

For the first time, Daniel took the time to look around at his surroundings and saw the two fallen guards lying unconscious on the ground, but when he looked up to ask her about it, the sight in front of him stunned him to speechlessness for several seconds.

“What?” Serai snapped. “I didn’t kill them, if that’s what you’re thinking, although now that you’re a nightwalker, can’t you hear their heartbeats to confirm my claim?”

He pointed, still unable to form words. At the dome. The freaking glass dome that surrounded them as far as he could see—and the deep, dark blue currents of the ocean beyond it. A dark form swam past, and a single giant eye blinked at him

“Is that . . . is that a whale?” He stared, feeling like his eyes would bug out of his head at any minute as it finally hit him. “Are we . . . are we in Atlantis?”

She rolled her eyes, apparently a timeless gesture. “Where else would we be? Now move.”

She raised her arms and began to sing. Sing. The woman he’d loved and lost eleven thousand years ago—loved all of that time, if he wanted to be honest, although he didn’t—was singing.

In Atlantis.

Or else, and he sighed as he came to the obvious realization: he really was dead. Somehow he’d ended up in the good grace of the gods instead of in the nine hells. He was here with Serai and she was singing and …

… she’d stabbed him. With a spear.

“Nope. Probably not any form of heaven,” he muttered.

A shimmering oval of pure light appeared in front of Serai, and the smile that crossed her face in response blinded Daniel more than the light. She was so beautiful. Every bit as beautiful as he remembered, and more. Her silken dark hair was so black it had blue highlights in it, and longer than he remembered, swinging past her perfect, curving hips. Her eyes matched the ocean waves, just as blue. Just as deep.

And her lips—oh, her lips. He reacted just as strongly to their sensual curve now as he had when he was a young apprentice, showing off a little with his metal-working skills and his muscles for the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

She still was.

The oval grew larger and wider, and he knew what it was. He’d seen Atlanteans use its magic before.

“The portal. You’re singing to the portal? I’ve never seen the warriors sing.”

She cast an amused glance at him. “They are barbarians. The portal only gives fully of its magic to those who understand and appreciate it.”

“Ven did mention how capricious it could be. Dumps them in the middle of the ocean sometimes.”

She laughed and then looked as startled as he felt, before she touched her fingertips to her lips. “I haven’t laughed in so very long,” she whispered, but then she took a deep breath. “Portal, take me where I need to be, I ask and beseech you.”

A wave of golden light shimmered over the silvery surface of the portal’s oval form and Serai smiled. She took a step forward, then hesitated before turning back to Daniel.

“Come with me?”

She held out her hand, and the ocean itself took a deep breath. She held out her hand. To him. He reached for her, and then paused, as a horrible thought struck him.

“To where? It was full daybreak where I came from, and if the sunlight strikes me, I’ll die in flames. I would risk that for you without hesitation, but I would not have you in danger from the fire.”

“We have no time for this. Conlan and his guards will be after me, or these guards will wake up . . .” She broke off mid-sentence and smiled at him, and he realized he would follow her smile into the fires of all nine of the hells, without question. “Trust me?”

He took her hand and they stepped forward into the portal, but as the light surrounded them, she cried out and doubled over. He caught her in his arms and held tight to the beautiful woman, who was his past and his future, as the world fractured around them in a vortex of spinning light, and he prayed to any god who would listen. He couldn’t lose her again.

Never again.

#

Taking Back My Space! And a CONTEST!

2011-05-18T01:42:00.000-07:00

I have let Twitter and Facebook overtake my online time, and Facebook's decision this week to disallow contests when I was in the middle of a big one really ticked me off. But more than that, it made me realize I need to take back my space, and put content that's important to me up here, instead of where the social media sites can limit my words or change rules on me. (Of course, blogger could do the same thing, I suppose, but let's pretend we're safe here for now!)

SO here we are at only 3 weeks until VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS hits a bookstore or an e-book reader near you!! Woohoo! June 7th! For chapter one and pre-ordering info, go HERE.

Which brings me to the contest. It's a PREORDER extravaganza!! Publishers love pre-orders; they let them know how many books to get out to stores. So if you pre-order VAMPIRE IN ATLANTIS (Daniel!! At last!!!), email me a copy of your receipt at mail@alyssaday.com with your name and mailing address and you will be entered to win one of two genuine Japanese Kokeshi dolls, purchased on my travels.

And EVERY SINGLE READER who emails me your preorder receipt will receive a personalized, autographed bookplate for your brand-new book (the stamp's on me!) just for entering.

Enter today! The contest runs through June 1st. Good luck!

hugs,
Alyssa

If only my bookcases would organize themselves like this!!

2011-02-25T05:26:00.000-08:00

Like THIS ONE does!

Had a lonely, homesick for the U.S. kind of day. Made blueberry pie & felt better!

Only one tree was blooming this early at the Plum Blossom Festival, but I got a great shot:

Figured out another plot twist for the secret project today, and it's terrific! I'm so excited about this book!!

Happy weekend, everyone!

A hair crisis & a plum blossom festival

2011-02-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm feeling *that* shallow today. Hair color update went a little extreme yesterday, so now I'm so blonde I REALLY look like Writer Barbie. This would not bother me so much if I didn't have appointment for haircut this morning and new pictures for website and book cover this afternoon. But it's all good. Hair, in the grand scheme of things, is SO not a big deal.

Am going to try microblogging since the idea of huge updates always makes me procrastinate until I don't blog at all. So, here are a few pictures from our trip to the Asakusa Plum Blossom Festival this weekend:

Very crowded. On the upside, there was much shopping. MUCH shopping. Got Brennan a new throwing star (whee!) and a lovely handmade leather purse for me. Hand-painted silk ties for Navy Guy and ninja gear for Science Boy. Princess came out with many goodies, as she usually manages to do. The upside, even in this kind of crowd, is that I'm at least a head taller than most people so I never have to worry that the kids will get separated and not be able to find me.

Sensoji Temple is one of the most famous in Japan. Dedicated to Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and I loved that. I understand it's even more beautiful lit up at night so we'll definitely go back. This is the gate to the temple and it's just as amazing.

Evidently I can't put more pics here so I'll add more tomorrow.

So you want to role play!

2011-02-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

What is RPG? Role-playing fictional characters has been around for a long time. Many fans who love a fictional world want to participate in it in more ways than just by reading the books, and they create online personas based on that world and interact with each other. When Alyssa first became aware of this, she had admittedly mixed feelings, but ultimately she recognized this tradition for the honor it is.

In her words:

Hello, readers! Thank you to everyone who is interested in role-playing (RPG) with my characters and my worlds. At first I thought “Oh, no! They’re putting words in my characters’ mouths!” – because authors, by nature of what we do, are mostly admitted control freaks. But then I realized what an honor it is that you love my worlds enough to spend your own time and hard work to create facebook pages, worlds, etc. However, legal stuff being what it is, my publisher insists that I make you aware of the rules below, and if you are part of any RPG group based on my creation, you agree to this by default. Please read and repost at your world site.
- Alesia Holliday, aka Alyssa Day

[NOTE: A huge thank you to Dianna Love and Sherrilyn Kenyon for direction on how to approach this and for the basis of the agreement.]

Also, my publisher asked that official RPG groups post the following agreement on their sites acknowledging Alesia Holliday/Alyssa Day’s ownership of her worlds and trademarks and copyrights. Please copy and paste at your site. I’m working on an official banner and button you can post that names you an official Alyssa Day RPG site, as well.

PLEASE NOTE: Alyssa does not host, participate in or read any of the RPG groups out there.

RPG RULES AND AGREEMENT:

For your records, here is the agreement you are making in order to participate in any Alyssa Day role-play game (RPG).

Thank you for wanting to participate in an Alyssa Day RPG.

By being added to the Alyssa Day and/or any website, Facebook page, myspace page or any other internet web site, group, loop or other entity that exists currently or in the future involving Alyssa Day’s worlds, you are agreeing to the following:

1) Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day owns the Warriors of Poseidon and all other universes she created and all they/it entail(s), but does not monitor any kind of RPG and/or fanfic, loop, group, etc. As such, she has no control over their actions or comments and cannot be held responsible for any action or inaction those groups or individual members may or may not take. By participating on or in any loop, group, page, site, etc. you acknowledge and agree to hold Alyssa Day, her licensees, sub-licensees and associates innocent and free of any misconduct by those who are active on said loop, group, page, site, etc.

2) The characters, places, names, plot points and any and all other content contained herein are Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day’s copyrighted material and property. She is permitting them to be used by others for nonprofit entertainment purposes only. Portrayals of these characters, places, and all matters contained herein do not necessarily reflect the characters, places, and all matters as portrayed in the works of Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day. Anything portrayed herein should not be taken as fact or indicative of any characteristic of any character, place, or matter that may or may not appear in any past, present or future works of Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day.

3) Furthermore you agree to all the following statements:

A. Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day owns the intellectual property rights, copyright and trademark of the content of this loop/group/website/web page and all of her universes (past, present and future) and all pertaining therein. The content on this loop/group/website/web page is made available to visitors for noncommercial, personal, entertainment or educational purposes only. The content may not be modified in any manner from its original post and the intellectual property notice must be included on every display and copy of the content. No other use is permitted.

B. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring any right under any copyright or trademark of Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day in the content provided on this loop/group/website/web page. All characters and series related terms are copyrighted terms of the series and/or universes of Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day. The display of copyrighted terms, trademarks or trade names on this loop/group/website/web page does not convey or create any license or other rights in these marks or names. Any unauthorized use of these terms, trademarks and/or trade names is strictly prohibited.

C. These sites enable visitors to post comments, characters, places and other content to the site. If you post comments, or other content on any loop/group/website/web page that involves her worlds and/or universes, you grant Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day and her affiliates a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sub licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such reviews, comments, or other content throughout the world in any media. You also grant Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day and her affiliates and sub licensees the right to use the name that you submit with any comment, or other content, if any, in connection with such comment, or other content. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the comments and other content that you post on any loop/group/website/web page and that use of your reviews, comments, or other content by Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day and her affiliates will not infringe upon or violate the rights of any third party.

D. You understand and accept that this agreement is subject to be changed and fine-tuned from time to time to keep up with the latest trends and advancements. As such. you agree to periodically review and update this text on any and all sites that pertain to Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day’s worlds and/or universes and to abide by any changes and/or additions and/or deletions.

By accepting membership and/or being added as a friend or member on any loop/group/website/web page that pertains to the worlds and/or universes of Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day you agree that you have read, understood and acknowledge the above terms and agree to be legally bound by them.

Copyright notice � and TM 2011 Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day. All rights reserved.

Sick sick sick sick

2010-12-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

Pneumonia and bronchitis. Taking massive drugs. Please send all cyber chicken soup and "get healthy" thoughts my way. Thank you thank you.
Sneeze.
Cough.
Ugh.
Alyssa

Winner!!

2010-11-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

We have a winner from Caridad Ferrer's fabulous giveaway!! She says: "Well, random.org gave me #4, Highland Hussy!"

So a very happy Thanksgiving indeed to you, Highland Hussy.

Alyssa

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

I have two pumpkin pies, stuffing, cornbread muffins, and Navy Guy's green bean casserole all baked and on the cooling racks and ready to go when the turkey pops out, and I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you're in the U.S.) and--no matter where you are--tell you that when I give my own thanks today, my wonderful readers will be high on the list. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

hugs,
Alyssa

Welcome guest author Caridad Ferrer!! And prizes!

2010-11-23T02:12:00.000-08:00

I’m thrilled to have my dear friend Caridad Ferrer, the fabulous author of terrific young adult novels, drop by to talk about her new release, WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE, which is in bookstores today!! OK, tomorrow morning is Tuesday for you in the U.S., but I wanted to get a jump on this since it’s already Tuesday over here.

Since you, my darling readers, always tell me you prefer to get to the “juice” instead of a lot of background, I have for your reading pleasure an EXCLUSIVE excerpt of Caridad’s new book!! Also a chance to win prizes!! One lucky winner will win a signed copy of WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE and another will win a special, limited edition t-shirt created especially for the book. So dig in, and for more of the deets about Caridad, please check out her website HERE!

WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE, copyright 2010 Caridad Ferrer

A dancer driven to succeed.

A musical prodigy attempting to escape his past.

The summer they share.

And the moment it all goes wrong.

Dance is Soledad Reyes’s life. About to graduate from Miami’s Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before.

But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad's affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer.

* * EXCERPT * *

"Soledad, you ready?"

While Raj backed away with a whispered, "Break a leg," I ventured further out onto the floor, assuming my opening pose, breathing deep as I sank into my zone.

Okay, yeah, it had been tempting to choose something from Carmen, in a d'uh, sort of
way. Or, if I wanted to stay within the realm of classical ballet, Firebird, especially since it was polished to a diamond shine for the showcase.

But the last couple of days, weighing the pros and cons of everything I had in my repertoire, I'd kept coming back to this one piece—"El Tango de Roxanne" from Moulin Rouge—as being perfect. Dangerous, raw, sexy, angry, and above all, passionate. All of it building from a deceptively quiet and mysterious introduction. Only way to make it better would be chocolate.

While the piano and guitar traded delicate riffs, I prowled the expanse of the floor in a rough figure eight. At the strings' dramatic entrance, my footwork mimicked the sharp staccato precision, my upper body remaining taut as a wire. In contrast, my arms were fluid and sinuous, mirroring the vocals in telling the story of a professional seductress, paid for her favors, forced by circumstance to hold herself aloof until she meets the one man who's so different, who really wants her for who she is and who desperately tries to convince her she no longer has to sell herself. As the narrator's passion and fury grew, that fluidity traveled down my fingers, through my arms, into my body and legs, the precise, deliberate movements giving way to something more; something untamed and wild, as I veered between the security of a wealthy customer and the temptation of unconditional love.

During one quiet passage, I skirted the edges of thefloor, meeting all those eyes, weighing… deciding… finally extending a hand and pulling a smiling Raj—my chosen customer—up. Taking the cue, he fell into step with me, the two of us swaying together, perfectly matched for a few brief moments until the music crescendoed once again and I pushed him away, bursting free, covering the floor in a huge sweeping series of turning leaps. Soaring, feeling the familiar, glorious stretch and burn of my legs in full extension, lost in the beauty of the music, in the story, building toward that one moment—where the strings, the brass, the vocals all joined together in a brilliant cacophony, prompting one last series of rapid-fire steps before I began spinning on one leg, turning in the classic fouetté en tournant, my free leg whipping around and around, faster and faster, never touching the ground until the last, final crashing note where I dropped to both knees, head thrown back, both arms thrust up and out, imploring my lover to return.

My eyes closed, the only thing I heard was the sound of my own harsh breathing, whistling through my throat and nose. After a few seconds I managed to get my breathing under control, and still… nothing. My arms dropping to my sides, I blinked, the room fuzzy and gray for a second then, as it sharpened into focus, the first thing I saw was the owl convention in the bleachers all focused on a tight group that included Gray and Jonathan's dad, all of them whispering like a bunch of viejitas at one of my family's holiday barbeques. And clearly, they were whispering about me, since, well, they kept looking over at me and gesturing at me and then looking some more, the bleacher creatures following their every move.

"Um, hello?"

Did I suck?

Don't be a moron. You didn't suck.

I rocked back onto my heels and stood, fisting my hands on my hips and trying for bravado as all eyes turned my way. And really wishing I'd driven myself, 'cause if I had sucked, I wanted to eighty-six this joint in a hurry and there's no way that could happen, not with Jonathan having to play at Responsible Guy. I looked up at him and found that he seemed to be stuck staring at the small group of instructors with that intense gaze of his I'd first seen back in the dressing room at school.

Like he was trying to will them to make a decision. The right decision.

"Anyone?"

Finally. Gray broke away, leaving the others huddled together and whispering.

Handing me a towel and a bottle of water, he said, "You can quit looking like that darlin'. You did fine. Better than fine, actually. And I think you know that."

"Thank you," I replied, meaning the bottle as well as the compliment. I took a long drink of water and ran the cold bottle along my forehead. "And yeah, it felt great, actually, but what do I know from your standards for suckage? Could be that it wasn't at all what you had in mind."

"No, it wasn't," he admitted, which sent my heart doing a dive into my stomach.

Good— but not good enough. Or too different. Or something.

A part that should be mine, slipping away.

Again

Damn.

"But you know what it was?"

I couldn't look at him. Instead, I stared down, carefully pointing and flexing one foot against the floor. "What's that?"

"The missing piece."

Slowly, I lifted my head. "What?"

"Yeah. You've just changed the direction of the whole show."

My grip tightened on the water bottle, plastic giving beneath my fingers with a loud crack. "Say what?"

"Using 'El Tango' is a perfect way in which to bring in a contemporary twist yet still keep within the show stylistically speaking. It's exactly what we've been missing—keeping Carmen from being the same old, same old and it's brilliant because really, Roxanne, Carmen… both opportunistic characters—creates a beautiful symmetry." And no matter how slow and easy that drawl of his was, each word still sounded sharp and measured—this wasn't any kind of a whim. He knew exactly what he was saying. In the four minutes and forty-four seconds it had taken me to perform, he'd completely reformulated the corps' show. Wicked impressive, even if it left me feeling just this side of queasy.

"We'll have to get started on new arrangements rightaway and new drill and we'll need to start brainstorming your exact routine—and I can already see your costume."

I swear, even the palm trees on that butt-ugly shirt were perking up with every idea he kept throwing out. The other instructors who'd joined us looked as hyped as Gray—all except for one whose expression was going more granite and hardass with every word.

"Three weeks before tour?"

"Not like we haven't done it before, Marc," Gray replied mildly. "And what else are the first few weeks of tour for, other than tweaking? Come on, name me one corps that's ever come out of the gate with the final product? What we need to do right now is get this girl set up—get the forms filled out, arrange for the stipend—"

"Hel-lo, 'this girl' is still here and what is the matter with you people that none of you know how to actually ask any damned thing?" I glared up at Jonathan in the bleachers, looking like he was going to crack up—and felt the temper that Mamacita kept warning would one day be my downfall ratchet up another notch.

"I mean, I haven't exactly said I'd do this yet."

* * *

So go forth and buy this wonderful book for yourself or for the teenager in your life. The holidays are coming! Here's a little help from me:

You can find WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE at Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Borders
or Indiebound

For a chance to win a book or a t-shirt, please answer this question in the comments: Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, Survivor, or Amazing Race: which show would you be most likely to go on?

Rainy day here in Japan

2010-11-21T18:28:00.001-08:00

Perfect for staying indoors and getting work done after the Migraine From Hell finally subsided. Had a *great* as in gave-me-shivers great idea for a new book this weekend and can't wait to get started. Also bought my turkey for Thanksgiving. I CANNOT believe it will be December next week!!!! Almost 2011! Wow. This has been one crazy year. I think I need to start on my goals for 2011 . . . hmm. How about WRITE MORE BOOKS? :)
hugs,
Alyssa

Trip to the bazaar

2010-11-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

And bought a few gifts! Japanese Christmas ornaments on the right and a Kokeshi doll with scroll (the scroll unrolls so you can write things or have your friends write things to save for posterity) on the left with a jade elephant.

If I hadn't just moved here and vowed, after unpacking all those boxes, never EVER to buy things again, I think I could have gone a little crazy there. Beautiful beautiful traditional Japanese art and furniture and antiques. I may go back tomorrow (remembering my camera this time) so I can show you some of the amazing things.

Lovely, lovely new cover art!!

2010-11-15T05:41:00.001-08:00

Oh, Daniel, how deliciously hot you are!!!!

Changes, ch ch ch changes

2010-11-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

Sushi happiness at the local market

I have to remind myself that change can be great, sometimes, and open myself up to the possibilities. Right now I'm having a little bit of a stress meltdown from this move.

In other news, it's a glorious sunny day here and the kids just headed off for an adventure on their bikes, which it was too hot all summer long for them to do in Florida, so that's good news.

I'm hoping you're all enjoying your Novembers so far. The 9th was my birthday and Navy Guy went out of town for 3 days so I was feeling a little sorry for myself, but wallowing is over! Optimism is back! LOL. And the end of the book is finally in sight! One of my birthday promises to myself is to remember to chat and reconnect via the blog, at least with tiny snippets. I'm also going to highlight guest authors, because who wants to hear from me all the time? Stay tuned; all good news begins after I turn in this book next week.

hugs,
Alyssa

Typhoon on its way

2010-10-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

Not sure if trick or treating will be a go or not. We have a LOT of candy, since the kids here on the Navy base plus the local Japanese kids all come by, so we've heard. Fingers crossed the weather holds off or your friendly neighborhood author will be marooned with 60 lbs of candy.

This would NOT be good.

Busy day - crazy happiness in writing and then to homecoming football game to see my son perform in the band at halftime (my first time to see him!). Hope you have a great weekend, dear readers!

hugs,
Alyssa

Travels with Alyssa: A brief expedition

2010-10-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we had an expedition over to Camp Zama (the nearby Army post) where my son goes to middle school, and I took pics along the way. The route is 5 miles through town, town, and more town, so it's not the most scenic route, but I'm going to the tours office tomorrow to sign up for something much more "real" Japan. But for now, I thought I'd share my (admittedly jet-lagged) impressions of the trip.

Even stop signs look exotic to me.

And even more mundane notices look like art.

Road signs are very clear:

and my son is waiting for me to go on a walk so more later!!

Atlantis Betrayed is a New York Times bestseller!

2010-09-17T19:01:00.001-07:00

#18 bestseller of all mass market fiction!! All I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my readers!! What wonderful news to arrive right in the middle of moving stress.

hugs,
Alyssa

ATLANTIS BETRAYED IS HERE!!

2010-09-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

ATLANTIS BETRAYED is in stores now!! And at all your favorite e-book retailers! Rush out and buy the book that RT Book Reviews and Night Owl Romance both gave Top Pick reviews!

Hunky Atlantean warrior Christophe finally meets his match in the famous cat burglar known as the Scarlet Ninja – and sparks fly when they realize they're both trying to steal the same jewel!

See below for:
1) Excerpts
2) A link to the coolest music video in the world
3) Book release donation
4) More news

1. Excerpts!! We have excerpts! Go HERE for chapter 1 :

And here's the exciting teaser:

Poseidon's warriors have learned that the battle to protect humanity produces unexpected enemies--and alliances. And one of the most powerful of all Atlantean warriors will soon find both…in one daring beauty.

A warrior's mission, a woman's desire…

What could Christophe, powerful Warrior of Poseidon, have in common with Fiona Campbell, prim and proper Scottish illustrator of fairytales by day and notorious jewel thief known as the Scarlet Ninja by night? Answer: The Siren, a legendary Crown Jewel that Fiona has targeted for her next heist. It's said to be worth millions, but to Christophe it's invaluable. For the Siren also happens to be one of the missing jewels from Poseidon's trident.

And the unnatural evil that could destroy them both.

But breaking into the Tower of London is a two-person job, so Christophe and Fiona team up to commit the crime of the century. As newfound passions fire their motives--and cloud their judgment--they realize they aren't the only ones after the priceless gem. A dark force is shadowing their every move, and threatening to shatter their trust with revenge, betrayal, and a haunting revelation about the past.

2. The coolest music video in the world!
Radiator Music, a new and exciting music production company, contacted me because they loved my books and wanted to write an original song about them! Of course I said sure, and then they decided what's a song without a music video?? So I spent a few days living the glam life of a film producer (OK, without most of the hard work) on beaches in St. Augustine, the historical fort of Castillo de San Marcos, the lighthouse, and the haunted jail at Green Cove Springs. I think you'll LOVE the result!
HERE'S THE VIDEO!!

3. Book release donation: I have always done this informally, but this year I decided to formalize. I am so lucky and grateful to be able to do a job I love, and from now on, I will make a donation to a charity suggested by a reader with every book release. This time, since I didn't have a chance to get the request process in gear, I've donated to a cause near and dear to my heart, the Pug Rescue of Florida.

4. More news! They're packing my house today with the express shipment (important things that will go by plane) for my move to Japan. 2 more weeks and the ship-bound household things go. I'll be in touch from there, but be sure to keep in touch through Twitter and Facebook where I'll be posting interesting snippets and video from my travels.

As always, feel free to share this newsletter with any readers who may enjoy it, and thank you all again for reading my books. I appreciate it more than I can ever express.

Hugs,
Alyssa

Special excerpt day!!!

2010-09-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

Go HERE on my website to read Chapter 1 of ATLANTIS BETRAYED. Go ahead, you know you wanna. :) OK, are you back? Great!!

Now just take a peek below at chapter 2 -- this is an exclusive excerpt never seen anywhere else1

Chapter 2

Christophe soared through the air in mist form, circling the Tower of London as he had many times before, but this time with the goal of finding a way inside, instead of admiring the exterior. He recognized the irony of planning to steal William the Conqueror’s sword, famously and prophetically named Vanquish, from the tower whose construction old Will had first begun. Technically, he didn’t need the sword, and Prince Conlan probably wouldn’t like it if he took it—interfering with sovereign possessions and so forth—but just taking the Siren from the sword’s jeweled hilt seemed like a waste of opportunity.

Not that he had much need for what rumor claimed was a ceremonial-only, badly balanced sword. His own, left in Atlantis this trip, was utilitarian, simple and deadly; undecorated except for the single emerald on its pommel. A line from an old nursery tale flitted through his mind, though perhaps in a different form than he’d heard as a child.

The better to fight evil with, my dear.

But, after all, why not? Calculating the ways and means of how he might remove the entire sword from one of the most fortified locations in the world made for an amusing way to pass the time. An endeavor that didn’t bore him.

Passing over the main gate and the long-unused moat, he floated over the bridge where millions of tourists crossed into the Tower grounds every year. He could have taken the easy route and made his way in as a tourist during the day, except first, he didn’t like crowds of smelly humans, and second, when had he ever done things the easy way? Not to mention that asking himself rhetorical questions was probably one of the unpaved steps on the road to insanity. Not far up from talking to pigeons.

The pale yellow brick glowed in the night air, resonating with the quiet dignity of walls that had stood sentinel, indifferent and stoic, as the tempests of humans had ebbed and flowed over the centuries. If walls could talk, as the old saying went, these would offer a history lesson on power—or a cautionary tale for those in search of it.

Somewhat like the ancient tales of Atlantis herself.

Floating over the spot where the Duke of Wellington’s statue had been before somebody decided to banish it to the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich—ha, the fleeting nature of fame, Duke, old boy—he examined the exterior windows of the Waterloo Barracks, opposite to the scaffolding and white stone of the White Tower. A flicker of light glinted off a gargoyle as it . . . moved.

Damn.

Either imagination or adrenaline was working overtime, because Christophe was sure that the gargoyle had moved an inch or two. He approached it, still suspended as mist, only to find exactly what he should have expected: there was no way the gargoyle had moved since somebody put its butt-ugly self there in the first place.

He must be having hallucinations.

It was adrenaline. The excitement of doing something different for a change, instead of the same old same old. He’d had enough of killing vampires and smiting shape-shifters to last a lifetime. And Atlantis was no better. It was getting crowded in the palace, with all of his fellow warriors finding women. Not temporary women, either. No, these were keeper women, the long-term, asphyxiate-a-guy kind of women.

No, thank you. Not for him. He was going to steal the Siren, the enormous aquamarine that graced Vanquish’s hilt, and take it back to Atlantis so it could be reattached to Poseidon’s Trident, where it belonged. Hand that sucker straight over to Alaric. Or better yet, instead of to the high priest in person, to one of his minions, so there would be no repeat of Alaric’s most recent lecture: Why Christophe Was Wasting His Magical Abilities by Refusing to Join the Priesthood, Part 784.

He didn’t want to be a priest. He wanted some fun. Like this job. It was a heist, pure and simple. Fun.

The jewels were housed on the first floor, with nobody but the Tower Guard, various electronic devices, and the Yeomen Warders to protect them. Of the three, only the Yeomen Warders concerned him at all. The shape-shifters in that group were rumored to be pretty damn tough, and no few of them claimed to be descended from the shape-shifters who’d been among the original Warders back in 1485.

Of course, back then, shifters weren’t roaming around in broad daylight, with everybody knowing who and what they were. Vamps, either, for that matter, but the past decade-plus had brought big changes to the world.

Mostly for the worse.

The Tower Guard was part of the Queen’s Guard, according to the handy tour guide a tourist had conveniently left on a bench for Christophe to find. They didn’t live in the Tower, but the Warders still did, unfortunately. If only everybody trusted their electronics these days. Atlantean magic wreaked holy hells on electricity.

The thought of powerful Brennan, locked in that electric cage with Tiernan, flashed through his mind, and his mood soured. Sometimes the electricity won.

Christophe eyed a tiny crack in the casement of a third-floor window on the tower, just to the left of the main doors. Not even a large insect could fit through that crack.
Mist, however, could get in just fine.

* * *

Fiona had timed out the midnight-to-eight A.M. shift patterns of the Tower Guard and the Yeoman Warders on multiple occasions over the past several weeks. One thing was certain: the men and women, human and shifter alike, who guarded the Jewel House, were serious, dedicated professionals. No mere thief would get anywhere near those jewels.

Good thing she was no mere thief. She was world class.

Stealing onto the grounds had been child’s play, but breaching the Waterloo Barracks and the Jewel House would be a little trickier. She knew her . . . talent would keep them from seeing her, but shadowing only completely fooled living eyes and cameras. Motion detectors made for trickier adventures.

From her position leaning against a tree in the courtyard at an angle to the main doors, she saw the team of two stride around the corner of the building exactly on time. Two A.M. on the dot; one could set her clock on the punctuality of the guards. These were two enormous, burly men, probably shifters, having a lovely conversation about rugby or something else vital to England’s national stature.

She slowly leaned farther back into the rough bark of the tree, concentrating fiercely. Shifters were tougher to hide from than humans—she’d have to bend air as well as light, and the shifters’ minds were not as easily amenable to clouding.

Ribbons of silken moonlight danced through the air surrounding Fiona and the tree, circling her with nearly imperceptible shadings of dappled light. A spill of liquid darkness spread over her—through her—so gradually that only the keenest observer would have felt even a tingle of awareness. Light and the very air itself bent to her will as Fiona focused on dispersing her scent and disappearing from view.

The shorter of the guards stopped suddenly, his body tensing and leaning forward in the unmistakable sign of alert. He held up a hand, and his partner whirled to face the direction from which they’d come and settled into the same wary crouch. Precision back-to-back stance; these were no decorative guards put in place to amuse and delight tourists with their furry hats. These were the guardians of the dark hours between dusk and dawn, and their honor stood guard with them. For a shifter to lose face over the theft of a jewel under his care would be a gut-wrenching, soul-deadening failure.

For an instant sympathy encouraged hesitation in her mind, but she forced herself to visualize the rebuilding of Wolf Hall as a headquarters for the United Kingdom shifters. More than one hundred million euros of public money had been thrown into the project thus far, with much more to come. Now that the family of Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII, were rumored to have been shifters, the press were tantalized, and even Hollywood had come to call. Anyone who questioned the extravagant expenditure was drowned out in the usual British religion of celeb worship.

Shape-shifters with ties to royalty: the new rock stars.

Fiona clamped down on her mental wanderings when indignation made her focus waver for a split second. The taller guard lifted his nose into the wind and leaned forward, staring into the shadows around her tree. His sense of smell wouldn’t be nearly as keen in this form as when he was a wolf, but still better than that of any human.

Deeper. She sent her mental command arrowing ever more deeply into her own brain, until she felt the almost audible click that signaled total control of her Gift. Air and light bent to her will in the space surrounding her. The scent of her body dispersed into the vestigial odors of the millions of tourists who crossed this courtyard. Her image vanished, hidden by the shadows caressing her. Even the sound of her heartbeat and breath floated away, broken up and scattered with the obedient winds. To any of the guards’ five senses, she simply did not exist, so long as she didn’t get close enough to touch.

Damn the luck, though. Her Gift had no control over the sixth. Intuition. Hunches. The peripheral senses of shifters who trusted their own instincts—they’d come near to unveiling her more than once in the past. Her lips quirked at the idea of how unhappy Hopkins would be if her outrageous streak of good fortune chose now to desert her.

She caught her breath and tightened her hand on the grip of her tranq gun as the shifter took a step toward her. There was no possible way she could outrun a wolf, not even one in human guise. It was the matter of a moment, anyway, for the more powerful shifters to transform, and these looked anything but weak.

The guard with his back to her glanced over his shoulder at his partner. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” the one with the nose said. “Nothing. Something. Maybe.”

The first one snorted out a laugh. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

“I don’t know. But whatever it is—”

The sharp sound of pebbles clattering to the ground interrupted him, and Fiona and the guards all turned their attention to the sky. Or, more specifically, to the roof of the building, from where the pebble shower had originated.

“Maybe a bird?”

“That was no bird.” The guard lowered his gaze and aimed one long last stare at the tree where Fiona stood—perfectly still, perfectly silent—with her gun at the ready. “But maybe what I thought I sensed over by the tree was.”

“Or maybe we’ve got vamps playing games,” the other one snarled, as he turned sharply on his heel and started running back the way they’d come. “I warned those freaks the last time they tried to hang out here—”

“Bloodsuckers don’t listen to warnings.”

Neither do ninjas, Fiona added silently, as the pair vanished behind the building, presumably making for the particular side door that was the guards’ preferred entrance. But with just a bit of luck, they’d call in for replacements who might choose a different door. The main entrance not thirty feet away from her, for example.

It took her fewer than ten seconds to make her way to the side of the double wooden doors and plaster her body up against the wall. Another ten seconds and the sound of pounding feet approached, and the doors swung open, spilling out a new pair of guards. This time, they were both human, but their reflexes were almost shifter-quick.

Fiona wasted no time in ducking under the arm of one guard to enter the building, seconds before he yanked the door closed. Still shadowed, she slowly stood, careful not to move until she’d scanned the area for further guards, either human or shifter. Glowing carriage lamps with modern bulbs lit up the dark hallway, their illumination dimmed for night but still bright enough for their light to pounce on any unwanted visitor.

It was a familiar sight and one she’d toured often enough, usually with guests from elsewhere. A left turn would take her to the Hall of Monarchs with its various and sundry thrones and coats of arms. Glorious, but not really what she was after tonight. Nor was the cinema room with its video of Elizabeth II’s coronation, or Processional Way, with its walls of shining maces, or even the Temporal Sword of Justice. No, Fiona wanted a jewel from a quite different sword and it was in the Treasury. The jewel part of the Crown Jewels.

One jewel in particular.

And all she had to do was liberate William the Conqueror’s sword to take it.

No worries.

[Excerpt of ATLANTIS BETRAYED, by Alyssa Day, out Sept. 7!]

The Music Video!!!!!

2010-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Here it is!! A sneak peek at my amazing music video by Radiator Music, complete with original song Every Time You Read My Mind, both based on my Warriors of Poseidon novels. It's absolutely breathtaking. This video is based mainly on the first book in my series, ATLANTIS RISING, and my newest, ATLANTIS BETRAYED, will be out next week. Go HERE to my website for all the deets and excerpts! Thanks!

Atlantis Alive Video Final from Radiator Music on Vimeo.

OH NOES I WAS WRONG!

2010-08-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

The lovely folks at Fresh Fiction invited me to blog today -- please check them out HERE for a chance to win a signed copy of ATLANTIS BETRAYED!! (Out a week from today! Yay!)

But I gave them a snippet that I think was too hot for them to post! (That naughty warrior, Christophe.) [EDITED TO ADD - I was totally wrong, I think it was my browser. The whole snippet is up at Fresh Fiction. Yay, Fresh Fiction! But here is the end anyway, just cause I love it! hee!)

So pop over to Fresh Fiction and comment for a chance to win!

Here goes:

. . . She blushed to think her brother had heard the last part of what she'd said, but she forgot her embarrassment with Christophe's next words.

"Is that what I did, Princess? Be honest with yourself and with me. Which one of us cast the spell on the other? Because I can't seem to get through five minutes without wanting to kiss you. To strip you naked and taste your skin. Right now I'd bend you over that table and drive into your perfect body if I thought you would let me, so tell me, Fiona. Who is in control, here?"

Whew!! That man is HOT!! Only one more week!!
xoxo
Alyssa

[AlyssaDayNews] New excerpt posted, original music video, booksigning, & VAMPIRES IN ATLANTIS!

2010-07-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest newsletter- be sure to sign up at my website if you'd like to receive my (infrequent) newsletters straight to your inbox.

Happy summer, everyone! I hope you're enjoying lovely weather and days at the beach or pool! I have some exciting news to share – things are hopping here in Warriors of Poseidon land! See below for news of an excerpt, the super cool music video, the big booksigning in Orlando, and what's up with Daniel and his book, VAMPIRES IN ATLANTIS. Thanks!!

First, ATLANTIS BETRAYED! Less than 2 short months until release on September 7th! I have posted the first chapter excerpt HERE!

And here's a little sneak peek from the back cover:

What could Christophe, powerful Warrior of Poseidon, have in common with Fiona Campbell, prim and proper Scottish illustrator of fairytales by day and notorious jewel thief known as the Scarlet Ninja by night? Answer: The Siren, a legendary Crown Jewel that Fiona has targeted for her next heist. It's said to be worth millions, but to Christophe it's invaluable. For the Siren also happens to be one of the missing jewels from Poseidon's trident.

But breaking into the Tower of London is a two-person job, so Christophe and Fiona team up to commit the crime of the century. As newfound passions fire their motives--and cloud their judgment--they realize they aren't the only ones after the priceless gem. A dark force is shadowing their every move, and threatening to shatter their trust with revenge, betrayal, and a haunting revelation about the past.

Second, an original music video based on my books!!

I spent most of the first half of this week, all day and all night for 3 days, with the film crew filming the MUSIC VIDEO of the ORIGINAL ROCK SONG based on my books!!! How cool is that? I have some pics of the film shoot up at my blog and will soon be able to share more. We expect the song to go up on iTunes within about 6 weeks, and the video will launch shortly thereafter, so I'll be sure to share more when those dates firm up. The song is called Every Time You Read My Mind, and it gives me chills every time I hear it!

You can see pics of the film shoot here (AT THE BLOG, BELOW).

Third, I'll be signing books with about a kajillion other authors in Orlando in just 2 short weeks! Here's the scoop, straight from RWA's website:

The "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing has become one of the most popular events at RWA's annual conference. More than 500 romance authors participate in this two-hour autographing event, and each year we raise thousands of dollars, which are donated to ProLiteracy Worldwide. Since 1990, RWA has donated more than $600,000 to literacy charities.

The 2010 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing takes place on Wednesday, July 28, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Walt Disney World® Dolphin Resort, Pacific Exhibit Hall, in Orlando, Florida. This event is open to the public; there is no admittance charge. Since the proceeds from this event are donated to charity, we ask that you purchase books at the event instead of bringing your own books. (RWA accepts cash, check, or credit/debit cards for book purchases at the event.) If you do bring books, please limit yourself to one or two books and consider making a cash donation to the cause.

Finally, yes, for all of those who have asked/pleaded/offered me chocolate, Daniel/Drakes/Devon DOES get a book . . . AND IT'S UP NEXT!!!

VAMPIRES IN ATLANTIS will be a spring release, exact date coming soon, and I love this book!! Daniel has long been one of my favorites.

As always, thanks for reading my books. I appreciate it so very much. Please feel free to share this newsletter with anybody who might be interested in hot warriors, strong heroines, and exciting sword fights. (Wait till you see Quinn wielding a sword in the video! Wow!). Oh—and I'm often on Twitter, if you tweet, and at Facebook. And the new website section with the gemstones of the Trident will be up soon at my website. Thanks for hanging in there to read this far!!

Hugs,
Alyssa

More pics from the filming

2010-07-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

This is the scene that made me cry. It was the first image that came to my mind nearly 5 years ago when I first created the world of Atlantis in my mind - a prince in chains. Who was he? Why was he captive? When I saw this on set, it actually brought me to tears.

And here is the evil vampire goddess who held Prince Conlan in chains, Anubisa in the cold, cold flesh (photo courtesy of Johnny St. Ours):

I will never, ever be able to say enough wonderful things about video and song producers Radiator Music, director Johnny St. Ours, and DP/cinematographer Andy and his crew at Applebox.net. Plus of course the talented cast, led by Autumn Adele and Lee Dahlberg (Anubisa and Prince Conlan, above). Absolutely amazing and talented group of folks. I also must thank the wonderful folks at the Green Cove Springs historical jail, Fort Castillo de San Marcos, and the St. Augustine lighthouse. More pics later, including a full list of credits, when the pain from the whiplash subsides. (sigh)

hugs,
Alyssa

The glam life of an author (true for once!!)

2010-07-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

OK, how much do you wish you were me this morning? I woke up at 5 a.m. so I could drive to the beach at St. Augustine, Florida, to take advantage of the sunrise, because we are filming my MUSIC VIDEO OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS!!!!!! This is unbelievably exciting and fun and I can't wait to spill all the deets about Radiator Music and their exciting new venture and my original rock song about The Warriors of Poseidon!

But for now, a little sneak peek!

Here I am enjoying my morning very much, surrounded by the cast of actors who are playing my Warriors of Poseidon(this is the guys without their long hair) and High Princess Riley. Yes,that's me in the blue shirt with the HUGE grin - it's crazy fun to see my characters step out of my head and off of the page and into life.

Here is our awesome director John St. Ours (on the left, looking like he could be an Atlantean himself! and yes, I'm geeked out about the fact that, among other things, he has done videos for the Dave Matthews Band!) and our actor Lee Dahlberg (who will be in an upcoming TV show following The Bachelor) who plays High Prince Conlan on the right, talking about setting a shot:

And one of the shots of filming the warriors walking up out of the ocean from Atlantis:

OK, back to work before I head out for the next location - the atmospheric (and reportedly haunted!) Green Cove Springs jail. They got the aerial shots yesterday (from a helicopter!) and tomorrow we're filming at the Fort Castillo de San Marcos and then at the St. Augustine lighthouse. This is so much fun!! I'll spill all the deets as I can and share more pics and behind the scenes footage from the video, too,as soon as I can!

hugs,
Alyssa, who is having a total blast and loving this author gig

New cover art!!

2010-06-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here is Christophe's cover: I absolutely LOVE the elements, not so sure about the color. (Also, they forgot to put New York Times bestselling and I'm kind of proud of that, but next book I'll REMIND them.)

My son said, "Mom, they're from Atlantis. They don't know about sunscreen."
BWAH HA HA! But this is it, there's no changing it, so please buy it in spite of the color. It's a wonderful story!!

Christophe meets Lady Fiona Campbell, children's book author by day and famous cat burglar and art thief known as the Scarlet Ninja by night, and his life will never, EVER be the same.

(COMING SEPTEMBER 7!!!)

Here's the dish from the back cover:

Poseidon’s warriors have learned that the battle to protect humanity produces unexpected enemies--and alliances. And one of the most powerful of all Atlantean warriors will soon find both…in one daring beauty.

A warrior’s mission, a woman’s desire…

What could Christophe, powerful Warrior of Poseidon, have in common with Fiona Campbell, prim and proper Scottish illustrator of fairytales by day and notorious jewel thief known as the Scarlet Ninja by night? Answer: The Siren, a legendary Crown Jewel that Fiona has targeted for her next heist. It’s said to be worth millions, but to Christophe it’s invaluable. For the Siren also happens to be one of the missing jewels from Poseidon’s trident.

And the unnatural evil that could destroy them both.

But breaking into the Tower of London is a two-person job, so Christophe and Fiona team up to commit the crime of the century. As newfound passions fire their motives--and cloud their judgment--they realize they aren’t the only ones after the priceless gem. A dark force is shadowing their every move, and threatening to shatter their trust with revenge, betrayal, and a haunting revelation about the past.

A Moment of Mommy Nostalgia

2010-05-08T08:24:00.001-07:00

This is my baby at 4 weeks old. The most beautiful baby boy in the world will become a teenager tomorrow, on Mother's Day. I brought him home from the hospital on Mother's Day in 1997. It's making me quite teary. Hugs to all of the moms out there, especially mine, who gave me the "I hope you have a child just like you" blessing (curse? LOL) when I was little.

And I did. Two of them. The most wonderful, amazing, life-changing, challenging, blessings in the world. One of whom is now going to be a teenager. (help!)

Hugs and happy Mother's Day to everyone!!
Alyssa

I heart south Florida writers! and NEWS!!!

2010-03-16T10:24:00.001-07:00

I spent Friday and Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, hanging out with the gang from Florida Romance Writers and the Mystery Writers of American chapter. Let me tell you, they are wonderful folks! So friendly and welcoming and gracious -- I had a total blast. Late dinner after my flight kept getting delayed after storms and we had so much fun that I absolutely couldn't believe it when I woke up at 4:30 a.m. in the hotel -- sick.

Miserably, head cold, sneezing and sore throat, kind of sick.

Thank goodness the Sheraton had a gift shop with Dayquil that opened early. I over-medicated to get through my talk and lunch and I think it went pretty well. I was talking about interjecting humor in dark fiction (romance or mystery/suspense) so it's a topic I know well enough to conquer the cold medicine-induced fuzziness. Then lunch was wonderful and I made it home all the way to my house before I collapsed for 3 days. Ah, those lovely spring colds. Still working my way out of it but actually up and about now, which is good.

So my news, if you haven't heard it around the 'net, is fabulous: ATLANTIS REDEEMED debuted Sunday at #22 on the prestigious New York Times bestseller list!!! Boy was there champagne last Wednesday evening when we found out! Thank you all SO much for buying the book and for recommending my books to your friends. My dreams could never have come true without you.

(non-contagious) hugs,
alyssa

Top 10 (tongue in cheek) reasons to buy Atlantis Redeemed!

2010-03-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #10 hot & steamy is on FIRE when a warrior regains emotion after 2000 years.

Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #9 Olympics are over (& Atlantis invented sports!)

Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #8 my rescue pugs are almost out of dogfood! Royalties=bacon! :)

Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #7 Save the world from another lawyer (old day job) :)

Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #6 Sexy Atlanteans, shape-shifters, and vampires, Oh. My!

Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #5 Yes, there's a Quinn & Alaric scene!

Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #4 Fresh Fiction calls it steamy and exemplary!!

Finally, Top 10 reasons to buy ATLANTIS REDEEMED #3, 2, & 1: Wonderfully sexy romantic loves story - with swordfights!

We're packing up the POD this week and I'm on tight deadline, but I promise the giveaways will begin soon! And I'll double up on books some days to make up for the delay.
hugs,
Alyssa

ATLANTIS REDEEMED is in stores now!!

2010-03-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

Happy release day to the Warriors of Poseidon! Brennan's hotly anticipated story is in stores today! Check out an excerpt here!

And another excerpt here - when Brennan first re-encounters Tiernan (boy, is it steamy!)

I'm also thrilled to share news of a wonderful author (and dear friend) whose first urban fantasy releases today. Eileen Rendahl's DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER is action-packed fun! Check her out at http://www.eileenrendahl.com.

Thank you again for reading my books. You help make my dreams come true!
hugs,
Alyssa

When Brennan returns . . .

2010-02-23T06:34:00.001-08:00

ONE WEEK TILL ATLANTIS REDEEMED!!!! WHEE!!! Here's a special sneak peek at the first time Brennan encounters Tiernan:

The fog coalesced into a sparkling, shimmering shape—a large and broad shape—the shape of a man. The golden light from the lamps reflected off of tiny particles in the water, projecting a cascade of mini-rainbows across every flat surface in a brilliant light show. Then the cloud of mist exploded outward as if triumphantly hailing the man who stepped from it.

The man. The man who, mere seconds before, had been nothing but a cloud. A fog. The man who now stood in the center of her hotel room, breathing hard, staring at her with his ice-green eyes.

Except they weren’t as icy as she remembered. No, this man’s eyes were pure green fire, and every inch of her skin burned as the heat of his gaze swept her from head to toe and then back, lingering on her neck.

“Brennan?” His name came out in a whisper, but he snapped his head up and stared straight into her eyes when she spoke. A brief whisper of danger sent a chill down her spine, and her senses translated the deadly stillness in his pose as that of a feral animal crouching to leap.

Feral and primitive. Wild and beautiful. His silky black hair fell in waves around a face that would cause the highest paid TV anchor to weep with jealousy. Pure masculine beauty, with dark brows over those amazing green eyes. The cheekbones and bone structure all the Atlanteans she’d met had shared, as if they alone had posed for the most magnificent of the ancient Greek statues. And his mouth . . . oh, his mouth. How could a simple combination of lips and teeth make her wonder what it would be like to taste him?

As reality crumpled around her, some vestige of control snapped into place and Tiernan managed to force words from her suddenly dust-dry throat. “I’m guessing I missed a pretty spectacular entrance back in Boston when I was hiding behind that couch? I had wondered how you guys busted through that window so high off the ground, but I was more thinking ropes coming down from the roof.”

“You are Tiernan?” he demanded, ignoring her nervous chatter. “Tell me. Now.”

“Yes, I’m Tiernan. You know me. We--"

She gasped a little and stopped talking as he took a single step toward her, then another, his large, muscled body leaning forward as if he were stalking her. “He dared to touch you,” he growled, the words nearly unintelligible. “He put his mouth on you. I will kill him.”

She backed away but the motion seemed to infuriate him even further, because he dove across the several feet separating them as if he really were that wild animal leaping for its prey.

“Brennan, stop! I don’t know what this is about, but you need to calm down so we can--" Memories of his crazed wildness the first time he’d seen her flashed into her mind, shutting down her powers of speech as he took the final step and slammed his hands flat against the wall on either side of her head, caging her against his body.

He wasn’t going to listen to her. She was in danger. Rick had been right, she should have listened, but no, she had to be tough and now for the second time in an hour she was facing a predator.

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to be prey for a vampire or anybody else,” she shouted, shoving at his chest as he leaned further toward her. It was like shoving a brick wall. A hot, hard, brick wall, that smelled like salt and sea and man.

He froze in place, then tilted his head to one side, pinning her with a long, considering stare. “Not his prey,” he finally said, his deep voice sizzling across her nerve endings.

She caught her breath, but before she could speak he lifted one hand from the wall to touch the side of her face.

“Not his prey,” he repeated, bending his face down to hers. “Mine.”

ATLANTIS REDEEMED, copyright Alesia Holliday, releasing March 2, 2010

Prepare for book giveaway extravaganza!!

2010-02-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

Beginning March 1st, in celebration of ATLANTIS REDEEMED, I'm going to be giving away TWO BOOKS A DAY!!!! But hold on - this gets even more exciting - they'll be books written by my friends!! Stay tuned for the deets.

Also, just because I can't resist, with all credit to the spectacular Onion.com:

Lots of book release wonderfabulousness!

2010-02-16T07:46:00.001-08:00

ONLY TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY FOR ATLANTIS REDEEMED!! (Can you tell I'm excited? LOL)

For the first time ever, I'm a FEATURED SELECTION in the Rhapsody Book Club!! And that comes with a lovely 2-page spread in the catalog:

And Fresh Fiction just gave Atlantis Redeemed a wonderful review:

"THE SEXY WARRIORS OF POSEIDON ARE BACK FOR ANOTHER STEAMY STORY IN THIS EXEMPLARY SERIES."

I'm so excited for this release. Also very excited about going to Sacramento next week, so I need to get cracking and finish these revisions so you can all meet Christophe's heroine in September as planned! She is maybe my most fun heroine yet -definitely daring and outrageous! She gives that often-surly warrior a run for his money, let me tell you!!

Having used up her daily quota of exclamation points, the author is now going to make some hot tea and get back to the book . . . LOL.

But first a quick THANK YOU!! For reading my books and sharing the enthusiasm with others. I receive so many emails that begin "my friend said I MUST read your books . . . " and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Forget TV commercials or newspaper ads; the only REAL thing that helps an author succeed is word-of-mouth from happy readers. So thank you thank you thank you!!

hugs,
Alyssa

The last 12 years of my life, in cartoon

2010-02-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

So my son had to do an autobiographical assignment and chose to do the comic strip. He storyboarded it, and in a feat of near-unbelievable sibling cooperation, his little sister made the art happen. So it's from Connor's POV, with Lauren's magic touches, and--considering she just turned 10 on 1/25, I think it's freaking amazing. I could never do it. (She did it on her Bamboo drawing pad, with MS Paint software). I'm particularly fond of: 1) how perky & lovely I am both times after giving birth (!!); 2) the black mourning baby blanket she put on her baby self; and 3) the terrifyingly toothy smile of "Shamoo" the whale. Yes, having a proud Mommy moment today:

New website! Excerpts & More!

2010-02-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

Dashing in quickly to let you all know I have a Brand! New! Website! Filled with excerpts and fun stuff like video interviews of me talking about how I create the world of the Warriors of Poseidon and more. Also a FREE SHORT STORY!! Available to read on-screen or download to your e-reader of choice.

Random notes:

1. I'm not much for men in skirts, necessarily, but I make an exception for kilts and for Sam Worthington in warrior gear: Picture & article HERE.

2. AND I'm proud to announce I resisted the urge to put purple streaks in my hair and simply went with more coppery lowlights. (I know everybody totally cares about this news, LOL.)

3. A Nashville music producer contacted me -- he is creating original theme music for my books! Deets and a sample soon!

4. The Sacramento RWA chapter is touring me around in style in a limo on a winery jaunt when I arrive the end of this month - yay Sacramento! Yay wine! Yay RWA! I'm SO looking forward to it.

5. Pre-orders: For those of you who asked, yes, please do go ahead and pre-order Atlantis Redeemed! Healthy pre-orders cue the publisher and stores in to be sure and have plenty of stock on hand. Counting down!! which brings us to:

5. Countdown To Atlantis Redeemed!

WOOHOO!!! Please check out the new website and read the excerpts and sign up for my newsletter (newsletters only go out a few times a year and often include exclusive early excerpts and more!). Thanks!!

hugs,
Alyssa

Just for fun!

2010-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law developed an app for the iPhone! (Thrilled to be related to tech geniuses ) And guess what it does? Makes S'Mores!! LOL. Check it out here!

Alyssa Day's world tour

2010-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

Boy do I have some major, MAJOR news. In August, right after the RWA national conference in Nashville, I'm packing up the kids and the dogs and joining my Navy Guy husband in Japan (Atsugi Naval Air Station, right outside of Tokyo) for THREE YEARS. Yep, that was THREE YEARS.

We're a little stunned here, too.

We're already planning the trips (hike Mt. Fuji, ride elephants in Thailand, go castle seeing all over the gorgeous and historic wonder that is Japan) and we've started learning the language and we're looking forward to this most excellent adventure!

Of course, we're a little nervous, too; worried about being homesick and so far out of our comfort zone. I, as a nearly 6 foot tall woman, am probably going to have a hard time buying clothes. LOL. But I lived in the Philippines for 2 years and in Turkey for 2 years when I was a kid, and am a big fan of my kids having the experience of living in another country and experiencing another culture.

Now, for the big question that you're probably wondering about: the books. I've had a long talk with my editor and there will be absolutely no problem at all with my publishing future. Everything is electronic these days; I submit my books via e-mail and get edits the same way. The time zone difference is just far enough that she can call me in the evening and it will be morning for me, so no worries. And I've already promised to come back in October since I'll be the opening speaker for the wonderful Seattle Emerald City Writers' Conference!

I plan to visit home and friends and family and NY at least 3 times a year, and come to conferences, and of course, the entire world is smaller and just one big happy community thanks to the internet.

So please wish me luck on this exciting new venture and I promise to give updates on the international move excitement and the world travels. I may just have to set one of my Warriors of Poseidon loose on Tokyo . . . Godzilla v. Atlantis . . . hmmmm. The world is full of possibilities!!!

hugs,
Alyssa

Winners!

2010-01-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry this didn't get posted earlier! The 5 winners my random generator picked are: Rhonda, Linda Henderson, Id Brugler, Patrice, and LyndaH. Thanks for playing! Please email me your mailing address to authoralyssaday@gmail.com

It's gray and dreary here today and I'm playing the soundtrack from Glee to try to WAKE UP and GET CREATIVE!! What do you do when you need to get moving and just want to go back to bed? Any tips appreciated!
hugs,
Alyssa

January 20th?? Already??

2010-01-20T13:59:00.001-08:00

This month - wow. It's crazy. I got some news that knocked me a little sideways, and then I got some great news, and I'm writing and tweaking the brand-new website that's going up soon . . . wow. Crazy! But stay tuned: the new site will be up in a few days, with brand-new excerpts, videos, and even a lovely fun short story FREE to my lovely fun readers!!!

May cold shivery January treat you well! Our insane low temps are finally gone and we're back to 70 degree Florida winter-just how I like it!
hugs,
Alyssa
PS. Will announce winners from the prize blog this week!

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

We're very happy here after spending the holidays with our family all together again, after my husband's 6 1/2 month deployment. I have great news to share on Atlantis Redeemed and a new website that will be unveiled very soon -- can't wait to tell all!! But I'm going under for the deadline for the next 2 weeks. I'll try to pop in and say hi but it's going to be crazy!

May your 2010 bring you much joy and see all of your dreams come true!
hugs,
Alyssa

Happy, happy days!

2009-12-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is trying to stay sane and grounded in December, which has to be the craziest month of the year for many of us. I made the very very bad mistake of going to the mall today --on a Saturday -- with not quite 2 weeks left until Christmas. Bad, bad, mistake. On the bright side, I found new pillows and a gorgeous quilt set for my bed at a very good price and stocked up on the video games my kids are hoping to find under the tree. It only took me an hour to calm down from the crowd-induced hyperventilation. (whew!)

We are counting our blessings here, because my Navy Guy husband finally came home Thursday from a 6 1/2 month-long deployment. We are all so thrilled to have him home and our thoughts and prayers are with all of you whose military family members cannot be home with you for the holidays. We've been through that, on previous deployments, and know how hard it is. So extra hugs to you and please, everyone, give special love to your military family friends and loved ones.

I have some fun news of my own: Romantic Times BookClub magazine just nominated Atlantis Unleashed as a Reviewers' Choice finalist in the 2009 contemporary paranormal category! That book was my baby, for many reasons, so I'm thrilled to see it honored like that. And I'm with wonderful, wonderful, company: Ilona Andrews, Kresley Cole, Larissa Ione, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Jennifer Lyon are all finalists in my category. What an honor!

Tuesday I'm going to New York for my annual "Happy holidays with my editor" trip. I'll be filming Project Paranormal (deets later) at Berkley and doing dinner and a show with my lovely editor and her darling assistant. Plus seeing wonderful friends. (I hope it snows!!) I'll try to blog and post pics from there - NYC at the holidays is gorgeous and wonderful.

Stay tuned, by the way, because my new website is in progress and I should be able to unveil it soon! Can't wait - the design is gorgeous.

So, much much much going on!! To celebrate the Reviewers' Choice nod, I'm giving away 5 autographed copies of Atlantis Unleashed to 5 randomly selected folks who tell me in the comments something special you're doing this month to celebrate the holidays.

hugs and may your shopping be crowd-free,
Alyssa

A Thanksgiving feast . . . and really tiny chairs

2009-11-23T10:37:00.001-08:00

I'm just home from the 5th grade Thanksgiving feast and boy, was it a feast. I brought my usual, since I am the Queen of Cupcakes, and a cooler full of juice boxes, and everybody else pitched in--woo hoo, it was awesome. We all sat around on very tiny chairs and ate a gracious plenty of yummy treats. I am full of turkey and mashed potatoes and pie (apple blueberry, yummy!) for what I plan to be only the first time this week, and feeling thankful.

So, here goes. I am thankful for:

1. My family, and especially that Navy Guy will be home from a 6.5 month deployment in 2.5 weeks. We are so grateful and SO looking forward to seeing him again. Our family's prayers and best wishes are for everyone else with a military family member away during the holidays.

2. Our health. Especially this year, with so many scares.

3. You. My readers. You make my dreams come true every time you buy my books.

4. My editor and my publisher and everyone at Berkley. They work so hard for me and I appreciate it more than I can say. (See you next month! NYC and West Side Story, yippee!)

5. So many, many more things, but I'll wrap this up by saying pie. I am very thankful for pie. : )

If you're in the U.S. and you celebrate, may you have a wonderfully happy Thanksgiving with much pie and happiness.

hugs,
Alyssa

Movie (and more) Monday

2009-10-19T15:34:00.001-07:00

I had a couple of tween girls (one my own) here Saturday evening/night, so I took them to see Fame. Backstory: these 2 attended a long, grueling, but wonderful week of Broadway Camp in NYC last summer, which builds one heck of a bond, and they're both crazy dancing and singing divas. The movie? meh. Some fun dancing and not quite as fun singing, depressing and pointless ?plot?. Sure didn't have the impact of the first one, but then again, I wouldn't have taken tween girls to that one. Anybody see anything they loved this weekend?

In book news, I am working away at editing Brennan's book. Realized I need one more small scene near the end, and it somehow turned smoking, blazing hot. That Brennan! Give a man emotions after 2000 years and you'd better step back or prepare to get burned. My cheeks actually got a little warm as I read some of the things he said to Tiernan. Whew! *fans self*

Also, ran 7000 errands and got mailings out. Poor allergy-ridden dog back to vet. Fixed son's glasses. Etc. etc. Very hamster on wheel day.

Son said to me in car: I did a mind meld with the dogs, Mom. Precious's brain was elevator music & Buckeye's was a dial tone.

BWAH! Laughed so hard I missed my turn.

Working hard on Christophe, but the urban fantasy keeps sneaking in to poke at me. I've never gotten so far in a book without already *knowing* what the title should be. this one is still UNTITLED. Sigh. It will come to me.

OK, off to feed kids. They'll just eat and then grow and need new clothes, which is a vicious circle, but there are laws . . .
hugs,
Alyssa

The prodigal author returns! Random ramblings

2009-10-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know at least 3 or 4 of you missed me, LOL. It has been interesting around here. I deleted the past few posts about the Fire and Ice blog since we decided that, while a good idea, we were all too busy to really keep up with yet another group blog.

So here are a few updates:

1) The book!! The book, the book, the book! ATLANTIS REDEEMED is finally finished and my editor love, love, loves it!! Said it's her fave in the series yet, which is saying a lot! I'm so thrilled and can't wait for you all to read it. It will be out in March, 2010, and the lovely cover is newly posted on my website home page HERE.

2) The email address and reader mail. As many of you know, my computer blew up when I was on deadline. I had to finish the book on my son's computer. I took it to the super computer place to switch out the corrupted hard drive for the new one, and retrieve my data, but almost all of my AOL mail did not make the transfer. I am DEVASTATED that, among much else, I lost ALL of my saved reader mail. I am truly heartbroken that I've lost so many, many emails from everyone with your kind words about my books. Also, if you've written to me in the past month or so, I've lost that, too, which means I never wrote back to you. I apologize so much for that, but I have no way to retrieve those emails, so please write to me again if you still need (or want!) an answer.

My new email address is authoralyssaday@gmail.com. No more stupid AOL for me.

3. The new book! I'm writing Christophe's book, ATLANTIS BETRAYED, right now, and it's so much fun!! It's a heist book, which is a little different for this series. I just left Christophe hanging off the front of Big Ben in London. Can't wait to start showing you excerpts!

4. The website. I'm going to change things up a little, so if you have things you'd really like to see on the new site, please write to me and let me know or post a comment here at the blog.

5. The urban fantasy. Yes, it's still coming!! My publisher is focusing on the Atlantis books, but the first UF will be along soon, I promise. It's REALLY EXCITING and I'm having a blast writing it! Can't wait to share excerpts with you for this, too.

6. The thanks! Thanks, as always, for reading my books, sharing them with friends, and for being part of the reading community. Readers rock!

hugs,
Alyssa

My new author portrait

2009-08-20T13:37:00.001-07:00

as drawn by my daughter, Princess. Apparently dolphins love me!! LOL.

Teasing on Tuesday

2009-08-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

When Tiernan meets Brennan again, from ATLANTIS REDEEMED:

The fog coalesced into a sparkling, shimmering shape—a large and broad shape—the shape of a man. The golden light from the lamps reflected off of tiny particles in the water, projecting a cascade of mini-rainbows across every flat surface in a brilliant light show. Then the cloud of mist exploded outward as if triumphantly hailing the man who stepped from it.

The man. The man who, mere seconds before, had been nothing but a cloud. A fog.

The man who now stood in the center of her hotel room, breathing hard, staring at her with his ice-green eyes.

Except they weren’t as icy as she remembered. No, this man’s eyes were pure green fire, and every inch of her skin burned as the heat of his gaze swept her from head to toe and then back, lingering on her neck.

“Brennan?” His name came out in a whisper, but he snapped his head up and stared straight into her eyes when she spoke. A brief whisper of danger sent a chill down her spine, and her senses translated the deadly stillness in his pose as that of a feral animal crouching to leap.

Feral and primitive. Wild and beautiful. His silky black hair fell in waves around a face that would cause the highest paid male model to weep with jealousy. Pure masculine beauty, with dark brows over those amazing green eyes. The cheekbones and bone structure all the Atlanteans she’d met had shared, as if they alone had posed for the most sublime of the ancient Greek statues. And his mouth . . . oh, his mouth. How could a simple combination of lips and teeth make her wonder what it would be like to taste him?

As reality crumpled around her, some vestige of control snapped into place and Tiernan managed to force words from her suddenly dust-dry throat. “I’m guessing I missed a pretty spectacular entrance back in Boston when I was hiding behind that couch? I had wondered how you guys busted through that window so high off the ground, but I was more thinking ropes coming down from the roof.”

He took a single step toward her, then another, his large, muscled body leaning forward as if he were stalking her. “He dared to touch you,” he growled, the words nearly unintelligible. “He put his mouth on you. I will kill him.”

She backed away but the motion seemed to infuriate him even further, because he dove across the several feet separating them as if he really were that wild animal leaping for its prey.

“Brennan, stop! I don’t know what this is about, but you need to calm down so we can--" Memories of his crazed wildness the first time he’d seen her flashed into her mind, shutting down her powers of speech as he took the final step and slammed his hands flat against the wall on either side of her head, caging her against his body.

He wasn’t going to listen to her. She was in danger. Rick had been right, she should have listened, but no, she had to be tough and now for the second time in an hour she was facing a predator.

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to be prey for a vampire or anybody else,” she shouted, shoving at his chest as he leaned further toward her. It was like shoving a brick wall. A hot, hard, brick wall, that smelled like salt and sea and man.

He froze in place, then tilted his head to one side, pinning her with a long, considering stare. “Not his prey,” he finally said, his deep voice sizzling across her nerve endings.

She caught her breath, but before she could speak he lifted one hand from the wall to touch the side of her face.

“Not his prey,” he repeated, bending his face down to hers. “Mine.”

from ATLANTIS REDEEMED, coming February, 2010

New cover!!

2009-08-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's gorgeous! what do you think? This is my darling Brennan, who was cursed more than 2000 years ago to feel no emotion. But then he meets Tiernan . . .

Monday marvelousness with a side of guilt

2009-08-17T18:26:00.001-07:00

I am feeling a little robber baron-ish right now. I finally hung up my cape and decided to stop being Super Woman. What that means in practical terms is that I hired a housekeeping service to clean my house. (It's The Cleaning Authority, if anybody is looking, and they're FREAKING FABULOUS). They came today for the first time (right after the landscaping team my daughter calls the Lawn Fairies) and spent 5 and a half hours doing a spring clean of my house.

It's amazing. My house looks like it's brand new. The pugs went to the dog resort this morning since we're heading to Sea World Orlando tomorrow, and I think there isn't a dog hair left in my entire house. It's astonishing. Base boards. Sinks. Floors. Blinds, my friend. Even my BLINDS sparkle.

Wow. It's wonderful beyond all reason, and yet, I feel . . . guilty. Inadequate.

The problem, of course, is that keeping a home clean is all tied up, for me, with notions of what a wife and mother should be able to accomplish, brilliantly; effortlessly; wearing pearls, even. My mother's much-talked-about "floors you could eat off" during my childhood must have made more of an impression than I thought. (Of course, Mom never held down a full-time job until I was 16, so she had more time to clean floors, do laundry, and be a Domestic Goddess. This is, after all, the woman who sniffed the interior of my refrigerator every time she came to visit for the first decade after I moved out of her house.)

I will have more time to write now, more time to plot and plan and create the worlds and characters I see so vividly in my mind, when I'm not worrying about mopping floors or dusting furniture or cleaning bathrooms. That was the goal, and I'm happy to have achieved it. So, tell me: why do I feel so guilty about it?

My computer is back!!! Yahoo!!!

2009-08-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

So the Dell tech guy came to my house a couple of hours ago and replaced my entire screen and now I CAN SEE!! My screen is not a dim, flickering, or ENTIRELY BLACK nightmare of not working! Doing handsprings and cartwheels here!

AND since I can now access all of your lovely addresses, I'm going to spend the rest of the day getting out every single one of the books from my mailings that are sadly overdue!! I'm sorry and I promise these books are going to the post office first thing in the morning!

Yay! And my regularly scheduled blogging will resume, too. With pictures! And Ryan from The Proposal!
hugs,
Alyssa, having run out of exclamation points

Random thoughts

2009-07-24T10:48:00.001-07:00

I'm a little sad. I know, I know, what do I have to be sad about? Career is going along wonderfully, I had the BEST time in DC at conference, life should be all roses and champagne (and red wine; Darling Agent sent another case of wine to congratulate me on this second book's awesome showing on the New York Times list).

But my husband and best friend in the world is still gone for 4 more months (at least; needs of the Navy) and I miss him dreadfully. It's harder than I can explain to go through deployment. The kids miss Daddy and I miss him; not just his presence and hugs but his calm efficiency -- I get to the be the creative person when he's here while he deals with the pest control guy and the lawn and the car repair and taking out the trash and etc. etc. etc. But when he's gone I get to be Mom and Dad and in charge of everything. It's tiring and frustrating, and believe me when I say that all the single parents out there have my total respect. But it's a little different for military spouses who are single-by-deployment. We live wherever the military stationed us, not necessarily near any family support. I have good friends, but it's not like I can say "please take the kids for a week, I'm on deadline."

Anyway, enough whining. I am so fortunate and grateful that we are all healthy and I know how lucky I am. I'm just . . . a little sad. Please do me a favor and hug a military spouse or single parent friend of yours. Take them to lunch, offer to watch the kids for an hour, or have a margarita evening. Something. It's kind of lonely sometimes, and friends mean everything to us.

OK, enough of that. What's new? I'm trying to get caught up after conference. We're in the middle of packing up all the books we're sending out to you, so if you were a winner from my newsletter contest, please be patient. This has been a crazy week. We'll get them out as soon as we can!

We saw Harry Potter - I'm not sure I loved it. It seemed to go on too long and yet not cover enough of the book. What do you all think?

Also strangest thing I've heard myself saying lately: "Do NOT unclog the toilet with that sword!"

Ah, yes. The glam life of the NYT bestselling author continues . . . ROFL.

Oh, and I'm going to get a tattoo. Hee.

So what's up with you?
hugs,
Alyssa

Life, it is surreal

2009-07-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

Just keep staring at the New York Times list and having moment of shock to see the books I'm sandwiched between:

27 ANGELS AND DEMONS, by Dan Brown. (Pocket)
28 ATLANTIS UNMASKED, by Alyssa Day. (Berkley)
29 THE BOURNE SANCTION, by Eric Van Lustbader. (Grand Central)

Um, really??? Really???

Personal note to my readers: I want to make you all chocolate cake. Seriously. Everybody come to my house for cake and champagne. All week long. I adore you beyond all reason.

hugs,

Alyssa (Oh, and in the "real world" I'm unpacking from conference and doing mounds of laundry, ah the glam life. I bet Dan Brown and Eric Van Lustbader are NOT doing laundry. I'm just saying . . .)

Washington D.C. RWA conference happiness!!

2009-07-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! This week is crazy. I wasn't sure what bringing kids to conference would be like, but was determined to be low key about it and have a good time and not stress about what I was missing, and so far so good. They've been great and really helpful - all 3 of us helped set up the giant signing which raised money for literacy charities and they've been having a blast meeting so many of my friends and colleagues.

OK, I don't know how to begin to break this down unless I do it day by day so here goes:

Monday, flew in, cab to Marriott Wardman park - gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I don't know what I expected from the largest conference hotel in DC but it wasn't this. Beautiful landscaping, feels almost like being in a country estate. flowers everywhere. Location is terrific, too, only blocks from the zoo and surrounded by many many places to eat and little shops too (already hit the CVS for the loaf of bread, jar of peanut butter, and jar of jelly. (did I mention kids? LOL)

Threw kids in wonderful outdoor pool Monday evening to burn off travel energy

and then hung out with friends. Even slept! In a hotel! which I can never do!

Tuesday: off to the spy museum first thing. This place is insanely wonderful. My son is still telling everyone we see that they MUST go - and I have to agree. He and Eileen Carr's sons went on a special interactive 1-hour program where they actually became spies, deactivated a nuclear bomb, and saved Canada. Or Kandar. I wasn't exactly sure. But they loved it! The rest of us toured the rest of the place, which is also hugely interactive and very very cool. Princess climbed through the overhead duct system spying on the crowds and felt very "spy-ish" she told me. Success!!

Lunch at a microbrewery and we were fueled up for an afternoon at the Smithsonian. Air and Space first, saw Amelia Earhart's plane and went to a show at the Planetarium. LOVED it! Rejoined the Smithsonian since there are good chances we'll move here next summer and then of course blew some more money in gift shops. A quick sweep through Natural History and then back to the hotel with our aching feet.

Dinner with Serena Robar, Cindy Holby, and Barb Ferrer, where I received a photo of my first-ever "dump" - a standalone cardboard case of only my books that gets prominent placement in the stores!! My friends and I were squeeing (embarrassed kids again; theme of the week. Heh.)

Will tell all about Wednesday later, including my 5-minutes before the booksigning news that I HIT THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST AGAIN!!! Thank you again!!!

But for now, pictures!!

ATLANTIS UNMASKED in stores now!!!

2009-07-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sightings in bookstores abound! And this time you only had to wait one short month! Yay!

I had so much fun writing Alexios's story - especially after he and Grace seemed to have such a strong connection in Unleashed. I couldn't wait to discover more about her - she is my first warrior heroine and I absolutely love her. Strong, funny, and totally in control - except when it comes to Alexios.

Of course, he's exactly the same way about her!! And the scene between Alexios and Alaric on the waterfront where they have a very uncomfortable conversation about "feelings" made me laugh so hard even as I was writing it. I hope you enjoy it as much.

I'm actually doing some booksignings, too! I'll be at my local Borders here in Jacksonville this Sunday the 12th with 10 other authors; then I'm with hundreds of authors at the giant literacy fundraiser booksigning at the RWA national conference next Wednesday, July 15, and I'm doing a signing with the wonderful Karen Rose in Altamonte Springs, near Orlando, Florida, on August 8th. All details are on my "About Alyssa" page of my website in the left column. I sure hope to see some of you there!

Please feel free to share and forward this post everywhere book lovers may gather and THANK YOU!!!

Thank you, as always, for reading my books. I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you.

Happy July!!
hugs,
Alyssa

Excerpt snippet time!!

2009-07-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!! Atlantis Unmasked releases Tuesday (sightings are already pouring in) so here are some "get you in the mood" snippets:

***

“It’s almost impossible to shoot a bow while driving.”

Grace Havilland clenched her fingers around the steering wheel of the Jeep and waited for the Atlantean warrior riding shotgun to respond to what she thought had been her very reasonable point.

Waited. Waited a little longer.

She’d met Alexios months ago and seen him sporadically since, but she’d never been in such a small space with him. It felt like being trapped in a cage with a lion that’d just eaten a full meal. Deadly, dangerous, and exhilarating, but maybe—just maybe—you’d live through it.

Unless he suddenly felt like a snack.

***

Alexios looked around the crowded lobby, remembering the countless times he’d waited for one or another of his fellow warriors to be healed. Unlike the healing chambers in Atlantis, which were an oasis of serenity—all fresh air and sunlight, soft silken cushions, and masses of flowers from the palace gardens-- this room where desperate and injured humans waited smelled of sweat, blood, antiseptic, and despair.

Grace huddled in an orange plastic chair, strangely diminished without her many weapons strapped to her body. He stood across the room from her, leaning against a battered vending machine, and tried to think of a time he’d seen her without them, but came up empty. The bow, knives, and guns were part of her; oddly dissonant to her beauty and her name.

Grace. It suited her. She was Grace in motion, in and out of battle. Except now, when she hunched in that ugly chair, arms wrapped around her knees, waiting for the bleakest kind of bad news.

***

“Hello, Grace.”

She jumped a little at the sound of his voice; the sound she’d been waiting for—and dreading--all morning. Coffee splashed over the rim of the mug, stinging her fingers. “Ouch!”

“Not the greeting I would have expected, but you do have a history of surprising me.” The amusement colored his voice until it was as rich and dark as the coffee.

She told herself the shiver snaking down her neck was simply because of the cold. He couldn’t possibly be as formidable in reality as he was in her memories. Adrenaline-fueled attraction, that was all.

Pasting what she hoped was a friendly but neutral expression on her face, she put the mug down and swung around to face him. “Alexios. Welcome. We’re glad you’re here. Did you just get in through the magic doorway?”

It hadn’t been the adrenaline.

He was tall. Broad-shouldered and lean-hipped with the exact muscular body type she’d always found irresistible, but that wasn’t what she saw first. It wasn’t what anyone would see first.

In the bright afternoon sunlight that turned his mane of thick hair the color of molten gold, the sight of his scarred face was almost shocking. She’d seen him—seen his face—several times before, but always in the night time. Always in the dark. The merciless quality of the winter sunshine cast dark shadows along the jagged edges of the badly healed gouges. The left side of his face was scarred from temple to chin, leaving only his left eye and, oddly enough, his nose, whole and unmarked. But the right side was perfection; both counterpoint and mockery to the damage it mirrored.

The half-smile that had quirked at the edges of his lips faded under her perusal and she was suddenly desperately ashamed. How long had Alexios been forced to endure the stares and speculation? And, worse, what torture and unimaginable pain had he suffered that could have caused such scars?

His narrowed eyes, rapidly turning the deep, turbulent blue of a storm-tossed sea at dusk, gave her the answers: far too long and far too much.

“No," he replied, a grin quirking the edge of that sensual mouth. "I took the tram.”

More tomorrow! Whee!
hugs,
Alyssa

ABC Family channel: you FAIL. FAIL FAIL FAIL

2009-07-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine my horror and disgust when we're freshly home from the pool and watching Scooby Doo (my 9 y.o. daughter, 12 y.o. son and I) and a commercial for upcoming ABC Family programming comes on. The girls in the spot are driving along listening to a tape from Dad, apparently, where he warns them about venereal diseases.

Explicitly.

When the fire quit coming out of my ears, I wrote this, using the contact information on the ABC Family site:

"I am absolutely furious that you're blasting commercials on your family-friendly programming that feature the words "gonorrhea, syphillis, and genital herpes" over and over. My nine-year old is trying to watch Scooby Doo, of all safe and family-friendly shows, and was subjected to this garbage. I expect better of you and am very disappointed that you are letting down your target demographic in such a huge and awful way."

Since when are venereal diseases funny? Or --and hey, ABC "Family" -- family-friendly topics?

Anyone who has read my books knows I'm no prude. But there's a huge difference between what adults choose to read and what young children have blasted at them on a channel touting itself as family friendly.

Change it, ABC Family. Change it, now.

YAHOO!!! MORE BOOKS!!!

2009-06-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to share that I have a new 3-book deal for more Atlantis
books!! Got surprised by the offer last Monday since I hadn't even turned
in a proposal yet; we worked out details during the week and yay!! More
books!! That plus the 2-book urban fantasy contract are going to keep me
pretty busy. I mailed my husband the "Alyssa Day's Trophy Husband" shirt
that my darling Toni McGee Causey made for him, ROFL. He promised to wear
it proudly. Love that man - I would have given up on this career a couple
of years ago without his support, but he believed in me all the way. I told
him I'd buy him a new truck to celebrate,
and Mr. Frugal says, "Nah, but how about a paint job for the one (150K
miles) I already have?"

Anyway, yay!! Thanks for letting me share!

HUGS,
Alyssa, quite dizzy from the roller coaster these past few weeks
PS: Here's a new review for ATLANTIS UMASKED, coming out in only 2 weeks!!

The first few days in the life of a brand-new New York Times bestseller

2009-06-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this at the NovelThoughts blog at the request of the lovely and gracious Aztec Lady, but I had such great response to it, I had to share it again:

Wednesday, June 10th

6:30 a.m. Wake up, begin obsessively checking the bestseller lists. Is Bookscan out yet? Nope. USA Today? No chance.

7 a.m. Beg night-owl nine-year-old daughter to wake up for last day of school. Do the breakfast thing, remind her to brush her teeth, wear shoes (!) grab her backpack, and finally herd her into the car for drive to school.

8 a.m. Out to breakfast with dear friend– have champagne cocktails to celebrate release week (mine) and other good news (hers). Check Bookscan on iPhone and discover Atlantis Unleashed is 14th bestselling romance (all formats) in the nation! Cheers! Drink all champagne; too excited to eat much of lovely asparagus omelet.

9 a.m. Wander around bookstore in a happiness/champagne daze, admiring prominent store placement and comparing it to the placement of my last chick lit book, which was generally used to prop open bathroom doors in bookstores across the country.

10 a.m. Arrive home and receive frantic phone call from daughter who needs clean clothes since pajamas she wore for pajama day are now covered with fruit punch. Drive clothes to school. Wonder if other bestselling authors have nannies.

11 a.m. Talk to agent, who is thrilled with good news. Agent says: June competition really tough. Do not be disappointed if don’t make NYT list this time; you’ll make it eventually. I say, I won’t. He says, Can I write that down?

Afternoon: Blurry. Stuff happens. Obsessively check to see if USA Today list up yet. Child comes home. Clean clothes now also covered with fruit punch. More stuff happens. Made USA Today list again – all 3 books have done it! More happiness!

5:30 p.m. Talk to lovely editor, who is miserably sick but still in office. Tell lovely editor to go home, get rest, see doctor. Editor says: No, I’m waiting for NYT list – I think you might have made it. I say, I have no chance to make it. Summer beach read competition, etc. etc.

5:35 Other line rings. It’s agent. Heart rises into throat. Start stuttering. Editor yells at me to ANSWER PHONE. Click over to line with agent and say, Hello? Agent says, NUMBER 28!!!

5:37 Start laughing and make squee-ing sounds and fall out of chair. Say, Are you sure? Agent says, Yes. Start crying. Agent (who is a guy) hurriedly says, Talk to editor now!

5:38 Tell editor. Both of us are laughing and crying. Blurry. Said stuff. Thanked her for believing in me. She said words like, I told you so. More laughing and squeeing. Some shouting of happy words. Finally tell lovely (sick) editor to go home and take much Nyquil to celebrate.

5:40 Tell children. They shout out Yay and congratulations!! Then: She says, He touched me. He says, She stuck her tongue out at me. Wonder if other NYT bestselling authors have nannies. Or Swiss boarding schools.

5:50 Call agent back. He is very happy for me. Thank him for believing in me. Say, I am NYT bestselling author now. He says, I always knew you’d get there one day. More tears (me only, see above re: guy) and laughing.

6 p.m. Out to celebratory steak dinner. Too excited to eat much. Announce news on Twitter and email with iPhone. Congratulations start pouring in from lovely, lovely friends. Husband calls from Japan. Tell him, You are now my trophy husband. He cheers for me, tells me he always knew I’d make it. More tears. More laughing. Wonder if other NYT bestselling authors are so emotional. Wonder if other NYT bestselling authors are tempted to get letters N Y T in a tasteful tattoo. Start laughing at self and realize am still crying. Waiter is a little freaked out, wonders if I am having psychotic break. Leave big tip.

7 p.m. Out for celebratory ice cream. Wonder if all NYT bestselling authors weigh 5 lbs more than the other kind. Realize Dairy Queen is not really special enough, go wild and add chocolate dip to ice cream cone order.

8 p.m. till ?? Email and answer email congrats in a daze. Call family. Call friends who have been there through all the ups and downs of the past five years in publishing. Stare at pile of laundry. Decide NYT bestselling authors do not have to do laundry until tomorrow.

3 a.m. Finally fall asleep, still smiling so huge face hurts.

7:30 a.m. Son wakes me up. Dog threw up in family room; I need to clean it up. Realize NYT bestselling author’s life not much different from other kind.

Thursday: more congrats via email and phone and Twitter. Many bouquets of flowers arrive. Lovely editor gives day off so spend afternoon at pool. Home again and doorbell rings: lovely agent sent case of champagne! Case is 12 bottles. That evening: Do a very good job of making case only 11 bottles. Some singing and dancing ensues.

Friday: Wonder if other NYT bestselling authors wake up with hangovers. Decide was totally worth it. Still feel like luckiest, happiest person in world, albeit with headache and upset stomach. Post heartfelt THANK YOU to readers on website. Get back to work on current story, just had a great idea for putting my characters in more trouble. Realize that nothing has really changed: I still have the best job in the world.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!!
hugs,
Alyssa

I am a New York Times bestselling author!!

2009-06-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you SO MUCH to all of you for supporting me and reading my books and hanging in there when Justice took a while to come out. I am laughing and crying and am going to drink champagne now. Just wanted to share how overwhelmingly happy and grateful I am to all of you!!!!

hugs,
Alyssa

IT'S HERE!! IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

2009-06-02T06:24:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to finally announce that Atlantis Unleashed is now in a bookstore near you!!!

Today, June 2nd,is the day my new novel, Atlantis Unleashed, hits stores. I'm thrilled that everyone finally gets to discover what happened to Justice after he sacrificed himself for his family!

You can find deets here: !

And you can view the TV interview with me about being a military spouse and writer here:

I've been thrilled with a ton of good reviews, like:

"Day is back and better than ever. She doesn¹t skimp on the action, but
this story also delves into the psychological, giving the characters real depth. Power and passion unleashed make for outstanding reading!" - RT BookClub Top Pick

"an action-packed adventure filled with magic and romance. Alyssa Day does a superb job of world-building that will leave you stunned with the richness of detail. The characters of Atlantis are sexy, intelligent, and fascinating. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for more! – Romance Junkies Blue Ribbon review

"Ms. Day's world building is a beautifully crafted and the characters she has woven into it are edgy and believable. The scorching passion and spicy sexual tension add great complex weaves to an already smoking hot series. I am really looking forward to the surprises she has in store in the next books. I enthusiastically recommend this book as well as this series." – Night Owl Romance Top Pick!

And even the guys like it, in SPITE of the cover:

"what I discovered was an action romance that very much reminded me of Golden Age pulp fiction, bigger than life, full of alpha heroes and smart heroines, Gods and Goddesses, mystery, magic, and exotic locations. Think Saturday afternoon matinee Tarzan adventures or Doc Savage tempered with intelligent modern female protagonists." – SciFiGuy reviews

Thank you so much for hanging in there with me!! The loooong wait is over and I hope the fact that Alexios's book comes out next month, July 7th, will help make up for it!! Please spread the word wherever readers may gather and thank you again!

Hugs,
Alesia, who has used a lifetime's worth of exclamation points :)

Countdown continues!!

2009-05-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

3 days!! Woohoo!!

OK, the news is flowing in fast and furious:

1. I'm at Running with Quills this weekend, talking about why Sundays are hard. Please stop by!

2. Doug Knipe, aka SciFiGuy, emailed me to say that Unleashed is different from any paranormal romance he has read in the past and guys will love it, too!! His review is HERE - and I especially LOVED this part:

what I discovered was an action romance that very much reminded me of Golden Age pulp fiction, bigger than life, full of alpha heroes and smart heroines, Gods and Goddesses, mystery, magic, and exotic locations. Think Saturday afternoon matinee Tarzan adventures or Doc Savage tempered with intelligent modern female protagonists.

3. Borders reports in that I'll be prominently displayed up front in the stores! LOVE Borders!!

4. The rest of the world discovers what WE already knew - reading romance is GOOD for you!!!

5. I'm the featured author at wonderful Australian bookstore EVER AFTER!!!

6. Dear friends Toni McGee Causey and Yasmine Galenorn have books out Tuesday, too!! I had the privilege of reading CHARMED AND DANGEROUS by Toni and Yasmine's DEMON MISTRESS in ARC format and they're both FABULOUS!!! June 2nd is super book shopping day!!!

7. Once I get Brennan and Tiernan out of trouble for the day in ATLANTIS REDEEMED, I'm off to take the kids to see UP!

Happy weekend, everyone!! I'll be posting more news Saturday and Sunday, so stay tuned!

hugs,
Alyssa

Countdown is on!!!!!

2009-05-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

According to the countdown clock, at the moment I'm writing this it's only:
4 days
or 107 hours
or 6475 minutes till ATLANTIS UNLEASHED is released!!!!

I've got exciting things happening every day so I'll be sure to post updates here!! For now, here's a sneak peek to a TV segment that will be appearing all over the country starting today! You can see it at BetterTV.com (click on Military Wife) or go direct to the clip on YouTube HERE.

In the meantime, the great reviews are pouring in!! I'm so thrilled and grateful that my readers were patient enough to wait for Justice's book. I love you all!!
hugs,
Alyssa

Yippee!! I'm a Top Pick - again!

2009-05-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Night Owl Romance this time!! Reviewer Heather posted this rocking review - 5 out of 5 stars:

Alyssa Day’s much anticipated release; Atlantis Unleashed is a creative and deeply fascinating and a great continuation of her series. I have been waiting, and not patiently, and I wasn’t disappointed either.
* * *

Ms. Day’s world building is a beautifully crafted and the characters she has woven into it are edgy and believable. The scorching passion and spicy sexual tension add great complex weaves to an already smoking hot series. I am really looking forward to the surprises she has in store in the next books. I enthusiastically recommend this book as well as this series.

Great Reads Thursday

2009-05-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

I have what my friends down here in the South call a "gracious plenty" of great reads to talk about in my first GRT! And many of them are friends, which makes it even more fun.

First off, the lovely and talented Jennifer St. Giles has two new releases for your reading pleasure: KISS OF DARKNESS and BRIDE OF THE WOLF. Her Shadowmen series is growing deeper and richer with every book.

And speaking of lovely and talented, my friend S.J. Day has begun a back to back release schedule of kick-ass urban fantasy!! I was lucky enough to read EVE OF DARKNESS in ARC format and loved it - now I'm holding my breath for book 2 (also on June 2nd, yet another release buddy). If you like urban fantasy, you should give the Eve series a try.

For tried and true, two of my favorite urban fantasy series had new releases lately - Charlaine Harris's DEAD AND GONE and Jim Butcher's TURN COAT. Both are long-running series, and it was interesting to me that both books gave their respective protagonists a kind of new beginning by culling some of the long-running characters and forcing Sookie and Harry to stand alone. Some interesting parallels there and both are great examples of how to keep a series fresh and exciting. Charlaine took Sookie to a very dark place and to a realization of just how very alone she is, even though she stands at an intersection of so many supernatural races. Fascinating stuff.

In the Dresden Files book, Harry has to stand for an implacable enemy, both for personal reasons and also just because, under his unique code of honor, it's the right thing to do. Personal relationships are destroyed for him, too, and lives are ended.

It's something I have to say when responding to reader mail, sometimes. If the stakes are high enough, sometimes characters will die. It's unreasonable to expect that only the bad guys will ever die in a battle to save the world. If every "good" character had a "get out of harm free" card, then there would be no real danger or suspense. The story has to control where the characters go, and sometimes, no matter how much I may love them, bad things happen to them.

But I always ALWAYS promise a happy ending for my heroes and heroines. After the torture I put them through, I think they deserve it, don't you?
hugs,
Alyssa

Writing Wednesdays

2009-05-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

So another week seems to have gotten away from me. This time the culprits are obvious: deep in rewrites for Atlantis Redeemed, planning the release stuff for Atlantis Unleashed (only 2 weeks and 6 days, woohoo!!) and my darling Princess has strep throat. Yes, we're on baby Motrin and the dreaded pink stuff (Amoxycillin, for those of you without kids). But she's happily ensconced with her juice in front of some cartoons, fever down for now, so I can get in a good hour of writing.

I missed Movie Monday again and OMG all I can say is STAR TREK STAR TREK STAR TREK!!!!

It was FABULOUS!!! Saw it Friday and saw it again on IMAX Sunday (Mother's Day gift, yay me!). LOVED it!! I'm a confirmed Trekkie, so it was such a treat for me - all the callbacks to the original show were fun and the casting was brilliant. I'd been concerned about Urban as Bones - didn't seem like a fit - but he was absolutely terrific in the role. I hope he gets a bigger part in the future movies! How about you? Did you see it? Thoughts? Oh, and Spock and [SPOILER]??? ZOWIE!!!!

TV Tuesday continues the season finales and reminds me how much I hate the way network TV does season finales. Cliffhanger, cliffhanger, cliffhanger. Yawn. Do they realize that by the time the show comes back, we won't care? I'd like to have some of this stuff actually WRAPPED UP for a sense of closure. Don't give me spoilers about Fringe, though - it's safely on Tivo and I can't watch till little ones are in bed for the night. Too scary! Am thrilled about Leonard Nimoy casting there and that it has been renewed for next year.

OK, a little good news, I'm starting a Great Read Thursday on the blog - will talk about books I've read that I enjoyed (and why) and I hope you'll do the same in comments so we can intro each other to new authors.

But for now, the story is calling me, so here for WW is a snippet that nobody has seen yet for Atlantis Unleashed (out in less than three weeks!! You can preorder now!! ) - a secret sneak peek just for you!! They've made it to the jungle . . .

Excerpt from Atlantis Unleashed, copyright Alesia Holliday, writing as Alyssa Day

Keely pushed her hair away from her face and tried to breathe, but the heat and dehydration, probably combined with the events of the past few days, had taken their toll. Justice released the energy sphere, lifted her into his arms and moved them both out of the chamber and back to the mouth of the cave, where the outside air was much fresher.

She leaned over, pulling in slow, steady breaths, until the dizziness and hyperventilation passed. “I’m fine,” she said finally. “Just really could use some water.”

Unexpectedly, he smiled. “Although the Nereid still hides from me, or is recovering from the use of so much power, I find that my Atlantean gifts are returning. If water is what you want, my Keely, then water you shall have.”

He strode outside to stand, legs braced apart and arms held up in the air. The sunlight shone down on him as if he were some primitive god, himself, returned to his people and ready to accept their worshipful homage. He was beautiful and stern and primal, and something deep inside her stirred, shaken and moved by the sight of him. Her breasts tingled and her nipples hardened, craving his touch, and her thighs tightened as liquid heat pooled in her center, readying her for him like some ancient virgin to be sacrificed to a lusty god.

Her face flamed at the thought and she tried to remind herself of the biological imperative that caused women to be attracted to powerful men in dangerous situations. She was a scientist. She of all women couldn’t fall prey to something so primal.

Even as she tried to resist the siren call of his intense sexuality, he lowered his gaze from the sky and stared straight into her eyes. His own had darkened to black with blue-green flames dancing in the exact centers of his pupils. “Poseidon, hear me,” he called out in a voice filled with tempest-tossed waves and gale-force winds, never taking his gaze from her. “Bring water to me that it may give life and health to my woman.”

“I’m not your woman,” she whispered, but this time even she didn’t believe it. At that moment, with winds circling Justice like a typhoon, whipping through the clearing to center on him, energy crackling around him like miniature lightning bolts in shades of silver, blue and green, she could deny him nothing.

“For Poseidon,” he roared, throwing back his head. Somehow his braid had loosened, and long strands of hair whipped around his face and shoulders; blues all the spectrum of possibility caught in the strands of his hair flew in the wind as it danced to his call.

She looked up, following his gaze, unable to doubt him for even an instant. He had called for water, so it would come. She knew it, and when the swirling, twirling coils of crystal clear water tumbled through the air toward him, she laughed with delighted joy.

“Come to me, Keely,” he said, and the heat in his eyes seared through her until she wanted to tear off her clothes and throw herself on the ground in front of him; a pagan offering to be taken right there in the downpour that he had created. But instead she stumbled forward, hands clenched at her sides, until she stood a mere breath away from him.

He laughed down at her and shouted out another word, a beautiful word, a word she did not know. The water turned into a spring shower, falling onto them and into their open mouths and down their necks and soaking into their filthy clothes.

From Atlantis Unleashed, in stores June 2nd!

Writing Wednesday

2009-05-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, wow, the week has been getting away from me! Much kidlet stuff this week. I helped Princess's class work on their writing skills for the state test FCAT writes, and they all passed with flying colors! Much joy and I baked cupcakes to take into class today.

Also, Science Boy turns 12 Saturday (how did THAT happen???) He was JUST BORN! GAK! So there has been much secret and not-so-secret shopping as the new Nintendo DSi he's desperate for has made its way to my house. Just need to wrap it and hide it till Saturday . . .

So, in brief: Movie Monday - who saw Wolverine?? Thoughts? Love Hugh, love Gambit, a little disappointed. Not what I expected, no humor, too grim. Can't wait for Star Trek this weekend!

TV Tuesday, I admit to watching Biggest Loser and I cried when they finished that marathon. How affirming!! Anybody else a fan? Or did you catch American Idol? How was it?

Writing Wednesday: Have you checked out the excerpt for Atlantis Unleashed yet?? And I know, I need to put the back cover copy on the site. Doing that as soon as I finish my chapter of Redeemed today. have a great Wednesday!!
hugs,
Alyssa

Writing Wednesday

2009-04-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy days!! Only 33 days till Atlantis Unleashed is out and I'm so excited!! I'll be doing lots of guest blogging leading up to release, so I'll be sure to share where you can find me.

Today I'm hard at work rewriting a scene in Atlantis Redeemed, where Brennan first finds Tiernan again, in the heart of Yellowstone National Park, after he nearly lost his mind over her in Atlantis Unleashed (you'll see that scene soon, it's CRAZY!).

But for writing Wednesday, I'm sharing a different snippet from Atlantis Redeemed, where Tiernan first finds out that she may have more enemies than she expected at the science conference . . .

From Atlantis Redeemed:

Tiernan stilled at the mention of the Atlanteans. She’d never told Rick, or anybody else, the full story. That she’d passed out at that awful party in Boston and woken up under the dome of the lost continent itself.

Atlantis.

Brennan.

The image of his wild, almost feral, ocean blue eyes staring down at her, while his muscular arms held her to his hard, hot body, burned through her memory, making her shiver. That face that belonged on a magazine cover--beautifully sculpted masculine features framed by thick waves of long black hair. He’d been crazed, with power or passion or . . . something. He’d been crazed, and then he’d been gone.

She still wondered about that. About him.

Rick opened her car door, yanking her out of her reverie. “Now, maybe, Tracy?”

Tiernan nodded and grabbed her leather backpack and fake press credentials, put on her slightly ditzy “Tracy Baum” smile, and stepped out of the car. She took a deep breath and raised her mental shields as she straightened up to her full height, wobbling a little on the ridiculous heels.

The heels were part of her cover. The shields were part of her sanity. The last thing she needed was to be overwhelmed by crashing pain from a hotel full of lying neuroscientists. Her job was simple. All she had to do was work her way through one lying neuroscientist at a time.

All that could matter was the job. The mission. The paper that had to come out – the story that had to come out. The truth, as they said, would set her free.

Pulitzer.

Pulitzer.

Save the damn world, and get a Pulitzer.

If she repeated it often enough, like a litany, maybe the truth would be forced out. It had to come out.

As she smiled at the bellhop and pretended to listen to Rick’s conversation with the man, she tried to create a visual focus in her mind. The headline. Front page, above the fold:

SCIENTISTS’ EVIL PLOT FOILED: SHAPE-SHIFTERS AND HUMANS SAVED

But the image of her success kept fading. Wavering. Replaced by a pair of ocean blue eyes.

She teetered across the concrete drive, and then up the sidewalk alongside a row of dense hedge, following Rick and the bellman with their luggage, silently vowing that the damn shoes had to go the minute she escaped to her hotel room.

She never even saw the knife until it was taut against her throat.

Atlantis Redeemed, copyright Alesia Holliday writing as Alyssa Day

Countdown to Atlantis Unleashed!!!

2009-04-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

Countdown To Justice

Ask the Author

2009-04-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm the featured author at RT Bookclub's Ask the Author till May 1 - please stop by and ask questions or chat!!

RT, the most prestigious review publication in romance fiction, gave Atlantis Unleashed a Top Pick review!!! They said:

Day is back and better than ever in the newest rousing installment
of her Warriors of Poseidon series. She doesn¹t skimp on the action, but this story also delves into the psychological, giving the characters real depth. Power and passion unleashed make for outstanding reading!

computer gurus say prospect is good

2009-04-14T09:30:00.001-07:00

that I recover my files!!! doing happy computer dance!!

SmartBitches who love Trashy Books have some bosom heaving going on!! Today is release day - they'll make you laugh so hard you pee. But in a good way. Seriously. Sarah and Candy ROCK the romance love.

Back to work recreating ending, just in case. Oh and be sure to check out the BRAND NEW WEBSITE DESIGN!! New forums!! New EXCERPTS!! Justin at Stonecreek Media is fantastic!

And as if 72 ways to find me weren't bad enough, I'm now at Twitter: It's a sickness.

well my computer blew up

2009-04-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

And lightning fried my backup. Am frantically trying to recreate a book while I wait anxiously for the techs to tell me if they could recreate my files. For the whole awful story, go here: http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/2009/04/09/stress-perspective-and-the-romance-writer/

Sad pugs, their person is on deadline

2009-03-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Back soon to play, I promise!! And I saw the prototype of the new website layout and it's GORGEOUS!!! Can't wait to share!
hugs,
Alyssa

Writing Wednesdays

2009-03-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hey! Two days in a row! Theme week continues with Writing Wednesdays. Here is a sneak peek at my short story,
The Princess and the Peas, in The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance:

Excerpt from The Princess and the Peas, copyright Alyssa Day

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a princess in a tiny kingdom known as Elvania. The kingdom’s exact location is long lost in the mists of time; some say it became part of France, while others claim it for Switzerland. The Swiss claim has more merit, perhaps, as the precedent of impartial and wintry cold neutrality has sometimes been a guiding tenet of that people. All agree that the princess claimed a lovely view of the waters of what is now called Lake Geneva from her turret bedroom.

Not that she cared much for views. Or lakes. Or anything at all, in fact, other than her single-minded, unswerving quest for the perfect husband.

This is her story. (Except where it isn’t.)

***

“Lucinda!” The dulcet shrieks of her-royal-pain-in-the-nether-regions rang through Lucy’s skull like a trumpet blown by a particularly incompetent musician. She shot up out of her narrow bed, clutching the threadbare quilt to her chest, blinking stupidly, wondering what was on fire.

With any luck, she was. She being Princess Margarita Gloriana Dolores Tresor Montague, Glory to her friends, not that she had any. Lady, mistress, and hellspawn to Lucinda since the two of them had been ten years old.

When the cry didn’t repeat itself, Lucy closed her eyes and started to sink back into her lumpy mattress, hoping that it had been a nightmare. Maybe she could fall back into that inexplicably tingly dream, although it was curious that Ian, his dark eyes flashing, had been riding his horse through the main hall, coming to get her. Since when did she dream of Ian?

More to the point, since when did any dream leave her feeling quite so . . . breathless?

She repressed that line of inquiry and opened a single eye. The glimmers of pink light edging through her narrow window told her that it could be no more than an hour since the princess had finally, finally pronounced herself pleased enough with the preparations, so that Lucy could crawl off to her room--the tiny chamber adjacent to Glory’s own—and catch at least a few short hours of sleep before the guests arrived.

More stinking royalty.

If Lucy lived through the week, it would be a miracle. Why couldn’t she be a cook or a scullery maid or even a laundress? Surely slaving away in the hot kitchens or over the clothes boiling away in the pots must be a stroll in the gardens compared to dancing attendance on the spoiled brat of a princess.

Never mind. It didn’t matter. Sleep. Lovely, blessed sleep.
Just a few hours, and then a strong mug or three of hot tea, and---

“Lucinda! Get in here right this minute, you lazy girl! We forgot the peas!”

Lucy startled awake with a jerk and slammed her head so hard into the stone wall that she was sure to have a goose egg on her skull in a matter of hours. Not to mention the headache. She gritted her teeth, threw her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up, swaying a little with dizziness from the pain in her head.

“I. Am. Coming. You. Horrible. Monster,” she gritted out under her breath. Then, louder: “Coming, my lady.”

She didn’t bother to put a spritely tone in her voice. Glory wouldn’t have believed it anyway. The last time Lucy had sounded spritely, it had been the day she’d left a very wet and slimy toad in Glory’s bed. She grinned at the memory but then sighed.

Sad to live on the memory of a childish rebellion that had happened nearly eleven years ago.

Lucy stumbled into Glory’s room, taken aback as always at the virulent pinkness of it. Wall hangings, rugs, bed coverlets, and even Glory herself were all a vision in nauseating pink. And rose. And red-tinged violet. It was like walking into the inside of a sow’s stomach.

She rubbed her eyes again, hoping it would go away. It didn’t. It never did.

“What are you talking about, Glory? What peas?”

“That’s Your Highness,” Glory snapped. “Or Milady, at least while our guests are here. I can’t have it thought that I allow the serving wenches to address me with such familiarity.”

“Serving wenches? Serving wenches? Whose shoulder have you cried on more times than either of us can count? Whose bed did you climb into for safety and comfort whenever there was a thunderstorm—and that up until you were fifteen years old?” Lucy asked with—she thought—admirable calm. “Mayhap you should rethink that term, or I’ll find out if Magda can come help you this week.”

Glory gasped at the idea of the pig keeper as her personal servant. “Magda? She hasn’t bathed in months. You must be joking. Don’t forget that you owe me--"

“I owe you nothing,” Lucy said flatly. “I’ve spent the past eleven years working far and above the value of my keep, in spite of the promise your mother made to mine. I turn twenty-one in three days and am only staying this week as a favor to the Glory I once loved as a sister.”

Glory had the grace to look abashed, but only for a span of seconds. “You know you cannot leave me, twenty-one or no. There is no place for you to go.”

“There is the world, Glory. There is the world. Or do you forget?” Lucy waved her arm and the scattered pillows, clothes, and assorted frippery covering every inch of Glory’s floor flew gracefully to their assigned places in trunks and the wardrobe.

“Now. What peas?”

[For more, check out THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF PARANORMAL ROMANCE, in stores now!]

TV Tuesday

2009-03-10T12:43:00.001-07:00

OK, I'm dreadful at blogging so am going with themes. THEMES, dammit, will keep me in line. So, TV Tuesday:

Anybody watch CASTLE with Nathan Fillion? I've loved him since Firefly and have been hoping he found a home in a TV show that lasts. There was the EXTREMELY short lived show about people in a bizarre road race, but that disappeared before it started, practically. Anyway, I had a blast with it! Love the daughter, love the Mom from Dharma and Greg, think the police detective is great (for those who think she's too tightly wound, HELLO, she needs to have a beginning point so she can have a character arc!), and love, love, love Nathan Fillion (HELLO, AGAIN, those who find him too over the top and annoying, he has to find his own character arc, give him a chance). And those of you (you know who you are) fizzing about teensy details like OH, NO, HE WOULDN'T TYPE IN SINGLE SPACE IF HE WERE A REAL AUTHOR, well, just hang up the crazy hat.

It's CAPTAIN MALCOLM REYNOLDS. Back on TV. And I'm in my happy place.

AND IN GREAT PERSONAL NEWS, just found out that THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF PARANORMAL ROMANCE came out this week instead of next month! (Teensy glitch in communications, there). Check it out!! I've been sneaking a peek at all the wonderful stories and it looks like so much fun! Not to mention that the seriously hot high prince of the Fae, Rhys na Garanwyn, who I introduced in my story makes a very definite appearance in Atlantis in July . . .

hugs,
Alyssa

Steve Martin! Tina Fey!! Yay!

2009-02-22T17:54:00.000-08:00

The alien king Rondelay. Rofl.

THE OSCARS

2009-02-22T17:53:00.001-08:00

I love Hugh Jackman beyond all reason. That opening was fantastic!!

Happy Friday!!

2009-02-13T17:39:00.001-08:00

Ran around like a fiend all day and now I’m getting ready for our excellent chapter meeting of the First Coast Romance Writers. We’re flying Marcela Landres, an editor from NY, in to speak to the chapter and we’re really looking forward to it!

Off to fold laundry, prepare for meeting, and watch ep 1 of Joss Whedon’s new Doll House. Can’t wait! Joss is the Master.

Hugs,

Alyssa

http://www.alyssaday.com

RITA award winning author
Atlantis Unleashed, Atlantis Unmasked, June & July '09!

Random thoughts and Kryptonite

2009-02-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

I'm guest blogging at Romancing the Blog on why I need Kryptonite. Stop by HERE if you get a chance!

10-second tale: Hole in roof! Boo! Water damage! Boo! Insurance adjustor comes right away! Yay! Contractor comes right away! Yay! Roofers and painters here all day tomorrow! Boo! But all done in one day! Yay!

Got darling son his first pair of contacts today. WHY is it fair for 11 y.o. boy to have 3-foot long eyelashes??

Lovely editor LOVED new ending for Alexios. Yay!

Off to play in Brennan's world for another chapter, since today went down the crazy hole of errands/roofing.

hugs,
Alyssa

ps Please send any healing thoughts and/or prayers to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of my personal heroes. She's facing cancer again. Her work for women's rights paved the way for so many things we take for granted today. She's a tiny woman with an enormous brain and tremendous talent and my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family as she takes on yet another challenge.

I say we call for a boycott

2009-02-02T05:39:00.000-08:00

Worst commercial in the Super Bowl HERE.

Never, ever ordering from Teleflora. Ever. Because, REALLY???? No, I mean, REALLY???? Because we live in the 1950s again and women don't order flowers? Women who don't particularly want to be insulted in such a crude, sexist, misogynistic way??? Oh, and wait -- women who read ROMANCE NOVELS???? Screw 'em. Let's boycott the asshats.

Crazy week, back to Brennan

2009-02-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

It was a catch-up week here; dogs to vet, son to eye doc, etc. etc. So I'm happily ignoring Mt. Laundry and ensconced in my office with Ghirardelli chocolate peanut butter squares and a fresh mug of coffee so I can dive back into Brennan's story. I've got so much swirling around in my mind on 3 different books that I wish I could write 18 hours a day!! Hope you're all having a lovely weekend. We're planning to watch the Super Bowl, but only for the commercials! LOL. We only care about college football (Go Buckeyes!)
May you have lovely half-time food while rocking out with Bruce.
hugs,
alyssa

New cover!

2009-01-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

This is Atlantis Unmasked for July!!

New cover!!

2009-01-23T09:10:00.001-08:00

This is the new and improved version of Justice's cover - countdown to June is on!!!

Happy almost weekend!

2009-01-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

I'm back into Brennan's book in a big way; the curse he's under is making life very very tricky for him (and for me, not that he cares!) and for his heroine Tiernan! (You'll meet her in Justice's book.) When I was finishing up copyedits for Alexios, the absolutely perfect ending scene came to me and it was so lovely that it made me choke up a little writing it. I hope you love it, too. You'll meet Grace in Justice's book, too, by the way. OH! And for a little teaser, I put the first chapter of Brennan in the end of Alexios! Yay!

I just realized I toss those terms around and it might be helpful if I actually explained, LOL: copyedits are the stage where the manuscript comes back to me with the copyeditor's grammar and punctuation corrections - evidently I have a semicolon problem, who knew? - and continuity issues like "Hey! this character had brown hair in chapter 2, why is it purple in chapter 4?" and it's my last chance to make any substantial changes to the book.

After that, the next thing I'll see are the galleys or page proofs, where the pages are actually typeset so they look like the actual printed pages in the book will look and I'm only allowed to make very minor corrections at that stage, like fixing a typo.

Well, in other news, my darling baby is turning 9 on Sunday (how did that happen??? she was just born!!!) so I'm off to buy ingredients for her cake and maybe a gift or two.

May you all have a lovely lovely weekend.
hugs,
Alyssa

Busy, cold cold day

2009-01-21T05:04:00.000-08:00

It's the coldest day of the year here so just drinking hot tea and trying not to go outside for any reason. Finishing copyedits on Alexios so those can go to UPS tonight and have been writing both Brennan and the first urban fantasy simultaneously. I have never written more than one book at once, but the UF won't leave me alone, so I'm still sneaking pages in at night. We'll see how it goes! So far, I'm loving it. I have a title, but need to be sure my editor approves before I can share. Oh! And I have cover art to share. Will try to get that uploaded in the next day or two.

If you're waiting on a mailing from me, I'm sorry but my assistant has been sick so we're behind. I promise to get all those books and totebags mailed out this weekend!!

And the website - I know, it's terrible. Trust me, it's just a placeholder. I've hired a wonderful new designer, but the new site won't launch until probably late April or May 1 at the latest. I'll try to keep loading stuff to this temporary site in the meantime. I have many cool excerpts! Be patient!

Hope you're having a wonderful day and staying warm!
hugs,
Alyssa

random snippets

2009-01-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

This one is from ATLANTIS UNLEASHED. If you remember from ATLANTIS AWAKENING, we left poor Justice in a very bad place:

Present day; the Void created by Anubisa, goddess of Chaos and Night

Justice floated in a dark dimension composed entirely of pain, his mind cannibalizing his memories for some sense of himself.

Viscous as a thick, murky potion conjured by a dark sorceress, the pain surrounded him, taunted him, buffeted him and cradled him until he no longer existed other than as a supplicant; a slave; an unwilling participant in a twisted and torturous game.

His consciousness had dwindled down to the barest pinprick of flickering light. He knew his name, knew he was Justice in a vastness of injustice, knew that his sacrifice had saved Others whose names had long been torn from his mind. But nobility was as nothing against the pain; the pain ate nobility, consumed strength, devoured pride. Ate the Body until what was left of the Body burned in acid rebellion against the Mind. The Mind screamed and howled, silent shrieks of protest against an unyielding evil that licked his blood, feasted on his terror and laughed a dark, breathless humor of longing.

But the memories flashed; taunting him with their evanescence. First; a glimpse of the beginning. There was the cavern, and then there was after. After had been when the pain began. Of that, at least, he was sure.

It's an addiction

2009-01-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

TV. Love great TV. Shows I'm having great fun with lately:

1. The Mentalist - Simon Baker. Yummy. Plus the writing is smart, funny, and with that hint of danger/madness that always intrigues me.

2. Leverage: Timothy Hutton is superb, but this really is an ensemble show. Just when I think I love Sophie best, Porter the little orphan-turned-thief will do something terrific. And the guys on the show are all funny and smart and sexy. What's not to like??

3. Of course, the old standby, the new season of American Idol. I actually like the new judge; she's a songwriter and makes actual sense when she has comments.

But I have a dirty little secret: I'm giving up most of my TV watching because I'm having so much fun with the books I'm writing that I keep ignoring the TV to write "just one more page." LOL!!

So tell me: what great shows are you watching now? What have you given up on, like I did on Heroes?
oh and P.S. if you're a teacher, I admire the HECK out of you!! Spent the day talking to three different 6th grade classes about being an author and it totally wore me out. How teachers manage to keep all those kids' attention all day long is far, far beyond me!!
hugs,
Alyssa

OK, if vampires ARE alive?

2009-01-13T07:58:00.001-08:00

I'm betting they're not doing cheesy line dancing . . .

Video is work safe but definitely not good for your eardrums! Thanks (??) to my darling friend Barb and her 'net surfing addiction for the link.

Giving good things to the universe

2009-01-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

I was speaking at my local chapter of Romance Writers of America Saturday (First Coast Romance Writers here in Jacksonville, if you'd like to join us) on a panel and one speaker, the lovely and talented Tracy Montoya, said something that really resonated with me. If someone in the group said something negative about herself, Tracy would advise "giving it back to the universe" -- in other words, don't offer such negativity; don't allow it into your life.

I love this.

So many times during my life, I've fallen in with negative thinking and negative thinkers. Woe is me, life is terrible, this job sucks, my bosses are out to get me. Unfortunately, I tend to be somewhat like a sponge for negative energy, so I soak it up and reflect it back, to the universe, if you will. And though I firmly do *NOT* believe that "bad things happen to bad people" - I worked pro bono for abused and neglected children, enough said -- I do believe that it is possible to view life's events through a prism that can be distorted.

It certainly happens to those of us who have suffered through depression; it's hard to see the light from the bottom of the black pit.

So for 2009 and beyond I'm going to try to find, if not rose-colored glasses, at least those without the shades of black and gray. I'll offer it back to the universe. I hope everybody can join me in this.
hugs,
Alyssa

Guest blogging and more prizes!

2009-01-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

I'm at Yankee Romance Reviewers today talking about goals, hopes, and wishes for 2009. Stop by if you have a chance!

WINNERS: My darling daughter picked random numbers, so JILL and ANONYMOUS who says her real name is Alyssa Day (hey! what fun!) are the winners. Please email me at authoralyssaday!aol.com with your mailing info for the book!
hugs,
Alyssa

Don't dis the YA authors

2009-01-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

OK, I never do this. I never respond to all the critical and media disparagement of genres in which I write. Romance takes it hard - you can almost never read any article about the romance genre without the outdated and ridiculous term "bodice rippers" coming up. It's outright insult at worst and sloppy journalism at best - like putting a discussion of steam engines in an article about modern physics. But I write romance and women's fiction, and I love writing emotionally satisfying stories about love and a woman's journey and all of the terrifically exciting adventures that can go along with those things.

I've also written a couple of young adult books, just for fun, and they were very light-hearted. But I'm now working on a very intense, lovely, dark and deep love story YA novel that has (of course!) a very paranormal vibe to it. So maybe YA is on my mind, and that's why this hit me so hard. But while eating breakfast today I was glancing through this week's Entertainment Weekly and there's a piece about their predictions for the Oscar noms. Under Best Adapted Screenplay, they have a "For Your Consideration" box that says this:

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist writer Lorene Scarfaria fashioned rounded characters from a young adult novel.

And, you know, this really ticked me off. The implication is glaringly obvious: the screenwriter MUST deserve an Oscar for MANAGING to turn characters from a YOUNG ADULT NOVEL into "rounded characters." WTF??????

Let me tell you, this EW writer hasn't read much in the way of YA novels. I have so many friends writing in the YA field right now, and their books are amazing, thought-provoking, and --surprise! -- their characters are definitely "rounded." Read Caridad Ferrer, or Niki Burnham, or Serena Robar, or Marianne Mancusi, or Simone Elkeles - and her new book, PERFECT CHEMISTRY, is out now and you MUST watch the hilarious rap video parody she did for the book - the music will stick in your mind AND make you want to buy the book AND tell you how to pronounce her last name, LOL.

So, please, media. Get over your outdated prejudices. We romance authors don't write "bodice rippers." We young adult authors DO write wonderfully rich and rounded characters who are experiencing all that life has to offer when you're on that thrilling cusp of adulthood and your future shimmers with endless possibilities.

OK, stepping off soapbox now. It's 2 days till WILD THING's release!! So in the comments tell me your favorite romance or young adult novel you've read recently and I'll randomly select two to win an autographed copy.
hugs,

Alyssa

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-03T19:47:00.001-08:00

May 2009 be wonderful for us all!! I UPS'd off the copyedits for Justice (and a batch of yummy cookies) to my lovely editor today for Monday, so am feeling very pleased with myself.

I'll probably start in on revising the very end of Alexios (ATLANTIS UNMASKED) tomorrow, because I'm sick that way and can't help myself.

OH! Did I mention I got cover art for Alexios? I'll post it as soon as I can get a better .jpg file. I'm not quite sure what I think and would appreciate opinions.

Also, Brennan's book is going GREAT!! I'm almost afraid to admit it without knocking on wood - but Brennan (ATLANTIS REDEEMED)is really REALLY fun to write!! You're going to be present in the very first scene waaaay back when Poseidon first cursed Brennan - it's a crazy, wicked curse and cruelly designed to cause the most pain . . . when Brennan can feel pain again, that is!!

I'm in the process of a new website design, so please be patient, but new excerpts are FINALLY going to be posted. Also, DON'T FORGET THAT WILD THING IS OUT TUESDAY!!! Sightings of it are in bookstores already. It's the anthology with Maggie Shayne, Marjorie Liu, and Meljean Brook, and it's Bastien's story with Kat the panther shifter. I love Bastien and I hope you enjoy his book. (This is a reissue for only $7.99 of the larger, $14 version from May, 2007 so if you bought that one don't pay for it again!)

Finally, in news that I'm not crazy about yet, they picked a new Doctor Who. Not only will I miss the wonderful and amazing David Tennant, but this guy? he's sort of all hair. Weird hair. Sigh. But maybe with a haircut . . .

The kids go back to school Monday!! Boo! But Yay! More time to write! Happy New Year, everyone - 2009 is going to be WONDERFUL!!
XOXO,
Alyssa

Merry Christmas & happy holidays!

2008-12-25T09:30:00.001-08:00

May your holidays be filled with love and joy.
hugs,
Alyssa

A fascination with clutter

2008-12-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

My guilty little secret lately is that I am addicted to the show Clean House. Niecy Nash, the host, is hilarious, but my real fascination with the show is that they go around the country finding people with the most cluttered houses and organize them. I have some sort of weird fascination in seeing just how horrible the clutter can actually be in people's homes.

But it's not nearly as simple as the clutter itself. The problem is that nobody lives in a house so overflowing with junk that they can't walk around, unless there are some emotional or psychological issues involved. So getting Joe Smith to give up his collection of 5000 Beanie Babies or Jane Jones to part with her 6200ceramic bunnies can be a problem.

I'm the anti-pack-rat - I hate clutter with a horrible passion and sweep for it on a regular basis, boxing off anything not nailed down to charity. If it doesn't fit or we don't use it, why have it collecting dust or sitting in cardboard boxes in the house or garage?

Of course, I'm married to a man with a teensy bit of pack-rat in him - he tried a couple of years ago to get me to let him keep his dot-matrix printer by offering to let me print drafts of my books on it.

My 500 page books.

This would take a week and a half. Not to mention how much my poor editor would have appreciated the eyestrain . . .

If I ever decide to quit writing, I'm going to become a professional organizer. In fact, perhaps I should audition for Clean House. I'm pretty blunt, so I could be the Simon Cowell of the show - "Are you OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND??? Why would you POSSIBLY want to keep THAT??"

On second thought, maybe I should keep my day job.

Holding out for a hero!!

2008-12-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

I'm guest blogging at Romancing the Blog today about heroes and why we love them! Please stop by and say hi!
hugs,
Alyssa

Well, it has been a wild and crazy ride

2008-11-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

I never did log back into the NanoWrimo after the first week's horrific computer/server problems, but I think I did okay:

Tired now. Editing madly till I turn it in 12/3 . . .

A day to be thankful

2008-11-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

If you're in the U.S. and rushing around baking pie and roasting turkey, or if you're somewhere else around the world and today is just a regular Thursday, please take a moment to know I'm sending you my very best wishes for a wonderful day.

This year has been rough and today when I sit down with my family for the annual feast, when we hold hands around the table and share what we're most thankful for, all of you will hold a very special place on my list. I am thankful for your kindness and caring and for your generosity in making my books a small part of your life.

May the holidays bring you much love and joy and many, many delicious kinds of pie!
hugs,
Alyssa