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Touch of Power is available now in both North America, the UK, and Australia. Click the links to learn more about the book, and click “Browse” on the widget below to read a sample.

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All Things Urban Fantasy is holding their third annual paranormal cover art awards! Until December 29, vote for your favorite UF covers of the year here.

Included among the nominees are the following Harlequin titles:

• For Best Foreign Cover, the UK edition of Rachel Vincent’s Blood Bound (Mira Books)
• For Best Steampunk, The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (Harlequin Teen)
• For Best Duo or Group Cover, Laurie London’s Bonded by Blood (HQN Books)

To cast your vote, click the button below!

Attention paranormal romance fans! Authors Caridad Pineiro and Laurie London will be having a live chat TONIGHT starting at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific. Caridad and Laurie will be sharing their thoughts on vampires at Christmas (they did write novellas for A Vampire for Christmas after all!)…and I hear there just might be a giveaway, too

For full details about the chat — including how to access the chat site — click here to visit Caridad’s site.

Maria V. Snyder is the New York Times bestselling author of the “Study” series (Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study) and “Glass” series (Storm Glass, Sea Glass and Spy Glass) from Harlequin Luna/MIRA Books, as well as the Harlequin Teen Inside Out/Outside In duet — and she’s kicking off a brand-new fantasy series next month!

Touch of Power, the first book in The Healers series, will hit stores in print and ebook format January 1. To celebrate, Maria is going on a blog tour from now until January 16, 2012. Each stop will have a contest to win a copy of Touch of Power with a final grand prize of a $100 spa gift certificate to be announced on Maria’s website.

So where can you find Maria on tour? Here’s the schedule:

• Wednesday, December 14 – Read Now Sleep Later
• Friday, December 16 – I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!
• Wednesday, December 21 – Fantasy Book Critic
• Friday, December 23 – My Bookish Ways
• Monday, January 2 – Live to Read
• Wednesday, January 4 – Two Chicks on Books
• Friday, January 6 – Seeing Night Book Reviews
• Monday, January 9 – Lindsay Cummings
• Wednesday, January 11 – Books Complete Me
• Friday, January 13 – Fantasy Cafe
• Monday, January 16 – Announcement of Grand Prize Winner

About Touch of Power:

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life….

To learn more about Maria and her books, visit her website, blog or Facebook fan page.

The Royal House of Shadows quartet from Harlequin Nocturne wraps up next month with the release of Lord of the Abyss, by New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh. As an early Thanksgiving treat, it actually hits stores tomorrow, November 22! Look for Lord of the Abyss, wherever books are sold as both a regular Nocturne novel, and as a special 2-in-1 with Desert Warrior, one of Nalini’s early contemporary romances first published by Silhouette Desert.

Plus, download one of these free desktop wallpapers of Lord of the Abyss:

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Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.

Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who’d cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember.

Because they only have till midnight to save Elden.

For more about the Royal House of Shadows miniseries, visit the website here.

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Attention aspiring Harlequin romance authors! Today is the launch of our second annual “online conference” So You Think You Can Write. From November 7-11, you can get tons of the advice and guidance from Harlequin editors and authors on how to write the perfect Harlequin novel in blog posts, live chats, Twitter chats, podcasts and more.

The week is divided by theme so if you’re a novice or you’ve already got a couple of manuscripts under your belt and you’re looking to fine tune your work for submission, we’ve got something to help you. Here’s the breakdown of the schedule:

Day 1: Writing Romance

Day 2: Starting Your Book

Day 3: Revising Your Book

Day 4: Selling Your Book

Day 5: Submitting Your Book

To view the complete calendar of each days’ events, click here. Please note that the links won’t work until the start time of each event, and all times posted are in Eastern Standard Time! Be sure to look up your local times for any live events you’d like to attend. If you miss something, don’t worry — this year, everything will archived here (including transcripts of live chats) so you can catch up or review anything at your leisure.

Along with the informational sessions, we’re offering you an opportunity to bypass that slush pile and send your work directly to Harlequin editors for critique and advice. In the daily assignments, you can enter a part of your book used in a typical submission (e.g. opening page, a gripping scene, synopses and query letters) for a chance to get it critiqued by an editor. A selection of submissions are chosen each day for a response from our editors. The deadline to enter each daily assignment challenge is 6pm Eastern time.

And the best part…at the end of the week we’ll be opening up a writing contest where the winner will get their story published! For details about the contest, including the full official rules, click here.

We hope you’ll join us for So You Think You Can Write! You’ll find a lot more information about the conference (including some handy FAQs) on soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com and if you’ve got a Twitter account, you should start following @HarlequinSYTYCW and the #sytycw2 hashtag for constant updates and to join the conversation.

~Amy

Happy Halloween! On this spookiest day of the year, Harlequin.com is celebrating with a site-wide sale: 31% off all books! You can also save 31% on ebooks at www.ebooks.eharlequin.com with coupon code HALLOW3111. But remember, this offer expires TODAY at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

Here is some other paranormal news to make your Halloween spook-tacular (other than my bad puns ):

1) Author Gena Showalter has revealed the cover for first book in her new angel series, a spin-off of her bestselling Lords of the Underworld series! Check out the sexy cover for Wicked Nights here. The book will hits stores June 26, 2012.

2) And speaking of cover reveals, Rachel Vincent posted a first look at her next book Shadow Bound, as well as the back cover blurb and some small excerpts. Look for Shadow Bound June 1, 2012.

3) Did you miss The Iron Knight launch party on Twitter last week with author Julie Kagawa? Not to worry, Julie has posted a wrap-up of the event here on her blog, including a link to read the love letter from Ash to Meghan that was unveiled during the party. Also among the party announcements is a photo contest to win a trip to New York City to meet Julie Kagawa. For details, visit the Iron Fey Facebook fan page. (And psst, The Iron Knight is on sale now!)

Halloween is right around the corner and we have a new batch of paranormal romance reads just in time! Most of these titles are available in stores or online now, with a few more being released on November 1.

Plus, you can stock up spooky yet sexy reads with Harlequin.com Paranormal Romance sale — spend $16 on selected books, save $4. For details and eligible books, click here. And be sure to visit Harlequin.com on October 31 for our annual Halloween sale!

Now, let’s get to the books!

A Vampire for Christmas by Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro, and Alexis Morgan (HQN Books)

All they want for Christmas is you…

It’s the time of year for twinkling lights on trees and kisses under the mistletoe. Yet the passing of another year means nothing to the stunning immortals who lurk in the shadows of the new-fallen snow.

And they don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice.

Let four fanged lovers open your eyes to a passion you never dared to imagine. After all, there’s no place like home for the holidays—and these dazzling vampires can’t wait for an invitation.

Dark Sins and Desert Sands by Stephanie Draven (Part of the Mythica series, Harlequin Nocturne)

Escaping a hellish Syrian prison, U.S. serviceman Ray Stavrakis emerged with uncanny mind-control powers and an eerie ability to morph into a mythical Minotaur. As a half man, half bull, Ray had legendary power, but only one woman could prove his innocence. The woman who’d driven him to the brink of insanity with her cool-eyed interrogation and her hot-blooded sensuality.

But Vegas psychologist Layla Bahset had no memory of Ray or her past. Only a feeling of being stalked by a nonhuman predator. Was it Ray…whose eyes condemned her soul even as his hands ignited her body? Or was another evil force at work? But nothing could stop Layla from remembering what she was…and what her evil creator had planned for her and her soldier lover….

Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen (Book three of the Royal House of Shadows series, Harlequin Nocturne)

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

For practical Reda Weston, nothing could explain how reading a sexy version of Little Red Riding Hood catapulted her into another realm—face-to-fang with the legendary wolf-creature who seduced women. A wolf who transformed into a dark, virile man….

Dayn cursed the Sorcerer that turned him wolfyn and damned him to a lonely fate. As a beast, he mated with women to gain strength. Strength he needed to save Elden. But as a man, he craved Reda’s heated, sizzling touch. With little time left, Dayn had to either embrace his wolf to save his kingdom…or fight it to save his woman.

Mated to the Wolf by Bonnie Vanak (Part of The Ancients series, Harlequin Nocturne Cravings)

Grayson Adler—lone werewolf, powerful Ancient and empath Healer—has never lusted after prey before. As a paranormal bounty hunter, he’s duty bound to capture Samantha Fuller. She’s half demon and half angel, with deadly powers emerging and a vendetta against the hunter who killed her parents. Yet Grayson aches to touch her and let her angelic half soothe his hurts, his longing for a connection as powerful as his sexual need. Then he gets a new assignment: to absorb her evil powers and tame her by becoming her mate before she turns demon….

The Djinn’s Dilemma by Mina Khan (Harlequin Nocturne Cravings)

Rukh O’Shay, half-djinn and assassin, is used to taking out the bad guys. But his latest assignment, Sarah White, is nothing like he expected. A glimpse of her bright aura reveals her gentle spirit, while her luscious beauty clouds his mind and makes him long for only one thing—to taste her.

Sarah shares the feeling of raw desire at Rukh’s touch. He can turn her on with a glance, and satisfies desires she didn’t even know she had. But Rukh had been hired to kill her—and the only way to save her is to find out who wants her dead before someone else finishes the job….

Cougar’s Conquest by Linda O. Johnston (Part of the Alpha Force series, Harlequin Nocturne Bites)

Gwynn Macka hasn’t seen Brett Sorrellson in over a year, not since their relationship had ended so abruptly. Not since the brilliant, sexy man she fell for learned her secret and she’d been forced to flee.

Now Brett is back with an offer to join a covert military unit of shapeshifters, and the spark of their attraction is instantly reignited. Neither can resist sharing one last night of passion, but as a cougar shifter, Gwynn had been taught only to trust her own kind. Can she truly trust Brett with her secret…and with her heart?

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey (Luna Books)

The eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual pitfalls.

Anxious to avoid the Traditional path, Bella dons a red cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with “Granny,” the local wisewoman. But on the way home she’s attacked by a wolf—who turns out to be a cursed nobleman! Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous inventions and makes her laugh—when he isn’t howling at the moon.

Breaking spells is never easy. But a determined beauty, a wizard (after all, he’s only an occasional werewolf) and a little godmotherly interference might just be able to bring about a happy ending….

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (Book four of the Iron Fey series, Harlequin Teen)

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything.

Crave by Melissa Darnell (Book one of The Clann series, Harlequin Teen)

Savannah Colbert has never known why she’s so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It’s as if he’s a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she’s destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can’t stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

Are you hooked on the Royal House of Shadows series? Then you’ll know that tomorrow the third book in the quartet hits stores — Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen! Look for it wherever books are sold as both a regular Nocturne novel, and as a special 2-in-1 with Twin Targets, a bonus Harlequin Intrigue romantic suspense novel by Jessica.

To celebrate, download one of these free desktop wallpapers featuring the Wolfyn lord himself, Dayn….

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1280 x 960

1600 x 1200

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

For practical Reda Weston, nothing could explain how reading a sexy version of Little Red Riding Hood catapulted her into another realm—face-to-fang with the legendary wolf-creature who seduced women. A wolf who transformed into a dark, virile man….

Dayn cursed the Sorcerer that turned him wolfyn and damned him to a lonely fate. As a beast, he mated with women to gain strength. Strength he needed to save Elden. But as a man, he craved Reda’s heated, sizzling touch. With little time left, Dayn had to either embrace his wolf to save his kingdom…or fight it to save his woman.

For more about the Royal House of Shadows miniseries, visit the website here.

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Are you a fan of Julie Kagawa‘s Iron Fey series from Harlequin Teen? And are you eagerly awaiting the release of Prince Ash’s book The Iron Knight on October 25?

Then you’ll definitely want to follow @HarlequinTeen (and the hashtag #IronKnightParty) on Twitter on Monday, October 24 at 10pm-midnight Eastern time for an Iron Knight online launch party! There will be giveaways, special announcements and more. For full details, click here.

* * *

Julie and Carly from Harlequin’s digital team are back from last weekend’s New York Comic Con — and they had a fantastic time meeting fans and telling them about our paranormal, sci fi and fantasy books from Luna, Harlequin Teen and Carina Press! The zombie makeovers by makeup artist Edward O’Rourke and Steampunk Dress-up Day were big hits, and author Julie Kagawa and CE Murphy held signings for readers. But don’t just read about it, check out the Comic Con photos we’ve posted on the Paranormal Blog’s Facebook Page! Here’s a quick peek at a couple…

Julie gets “zombified”.

Author CE Murphy with a fan.

Julie Kagawa signs one of our sample booklets for a reader.

* * *

If you’re an aspiring Harlequin author (perhaps for our paranormal series, Harlequin Nocturne ), take note — November 7-11 the Harlequin series editors will be holding the second annual So You Think You Can Write event, a week of online seminars, podcasts, articles, chats and more all about what it takes to write for Harlequin.

The official SYTYCW site is in the works, but you can get up to the minute updates by following @HarlequinSYTYCW on Twitter (and follow the #sytycw2 hashtag).