Yesterday marked the release of my thirteenth full-length novel, and one of the most difficult to write of my career.

What you may know: Shadow Bound is the second book in my Unbound trilogy, set in a world where some people have special abilities (Skills), which make them assets—willing or not—to Skilled crime organizations all over the world.

What you probably don’t know: Kori, the heroine in Shadow Bound, is the character I wanted to write first. Her story—an early version of it, anyway—is the one I originally pitched to my editor. I wanted to write about a woman who’d done horrible things because she had no other choice. A woman who was haunted by what she’d been made to do, but didn’t quite feel worthy of redemption. A woman who would be willing to do almost anything to get out of the situation she was in—even if that meant dooming someone else to serve in the Skilled syndicate in her place.

My editor seemed to like the idea, but she also seemed fairly certain that that woman, who hadn’t yet been named Kori, would be hard to sympathize with, if she opened the trilogy. My editor thought we should open with someone else’s story and introduce Kori in the process.

My editor was right. No one was surprised.

But over the course of writing Blood Bound, the first book in the trilogy, in which the world building and most of the major characters were established, Kori’s story changed. Before I’d even written it. Because of how Blood Bound ended, Kori’s story in Shadow Bound got a new opening. Korinne Daniels, my bada$$, over-the-top action heroine, whom I’d wanted to write for so long, began her own book at the weakest point in her entire life.

She’d been locked up, beaten, and tortured for weeks. Physically, she was broken. Emotionally, she was broken. Yet inside her remained a spine of steel and fierce spark of anger. Those two things, along with a limitless love and devotion to her family, turned out to be almost enough to give her back her strength. To reclaim her power over her own life.

If Shadow Bound is one of the most difficult books I’ve ever written, Kori is hands-down the most difficult-to-write character I’ve ever worked with. The challenge of writing her was two-fold.

First, the physical. How on earth could I write a bada$$, take-no-prisoners, “girl playing (and winning) a man’s game” kind of character when she’d just spent weeks being tortured and half-starved? Kori was in no shape to take on the world. So I had to work with what assets she still had, and what she could reasonable regain in the two weeks I gave her to get back in shape—too short a time for any real healing, either physically or mentally.

Kori isn’t the smartest heroine I’ve ever written. She’s not stupid, but I’d say her intellect is only average. Her supernatural Skill is common in her world, and her abilities within that Skill are only above average because she’s been using them professionally for years.

Her true assets? She’s quick and deadly with a gun. She knows how to throw a punch. She knows how to take a punch. And she knows her enemies. Intimately.

The trick to making Kori physically able to take on the bad guys was eliminating all great feats of strength. I knew from the start that there would be no throwing bad guys all over the place. Instead, Kori would use her gun and her fists. After two weeks spent concentrating on her physical recovery, she’s well enough to aim and fire, and to throw well-aimed—and well-timed—punches.

The heaviest thing she swings in the entire book is the back of a toilet tank. Seriously.

Thus, I was able to work around her physical limitations.

The emotional challenge was…more difficult. Being in Kori’s head for weeks on end put me in a very dark place, as a writer and as a person. Drawing on my own experiences and on her background and personality, I knew that Kori would not have an instant recover from what she’d been through. I can’t imagine that’s possible for anyone.

But Kori is a fighter. Kori thrives when she’s in control of the situation. Of her life. Of her own choices. She hasn’t had that control in a very long time, and when the book opens, she’s angry. She’s determined to regain control, even if that means pushing through every emotional barrier she had to erect to survive being isolated, tortured, starved, raped, and beaten.

Kori has no middle ground. That’s something I knew almost immediately. She constantly swings from one end of the pendulum’s arc to the other—alternately bad$$, in-control hellcat, then broken, fragile kitty, who’ll hiss and swipe at anyone who comes near, when something triggers memories of her days in isolation and torture.

Remember how I said that Kori steel spine and anger were almost enough to give her back her strength? I didn’t realize until my edit letter arrived from my editor that something was still missing. She needed something else to help her heal.

She needed Ian.

My editor reminded me that there can be no shadows without the sun. That Kori, my dark, fierce, yet broken heroine needed a man who could balance her out. A man who could be her strength, when she can’t find that in herself. Who could back off when she needed space, without ever abandoning her. Who could capture her heart in a very short amount of time, just by being there for her. For giving a damn what happened to her, and why she was still fighting the good fight, even after all she’d been through.

Kori needed Ian like plants need the sun. The catch? To free herself and her sister from indentured servitude to a psychotic mafia boss, Kori will have to damn Ian to serve in her place. But the more time she spends with him, the more in love with him she falls, the more impossible that task becomes.

And, of course, Ian has a story of his own, as well a POV of his own. I’m not going to spoil his secrets for you, but I hope you decide to get to know him for yourself. But keep in mind, if you do, that he’s taken. Kori won’t let him out of her sight anytime soon…

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On Monday we told you about blog tour in honour of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, part of Kady Cross‘s Steampunk Chronicles series. Today we’ll be revealing another exclusive quote from the book as well as a chance to win a copy, but first let’s get to the really exciting bit… As part of the tour, Harlequin Teen is offering an awesome grand prize: you could win the necklace used on The Girl in the Clockwork Collar! Enter to win at the Harlequin Teen Facebook page until Friday June 1.

The “Clockwork Collar” was created by Colleen, who sells her steampunk jewellery creations on Etsy as ClockworkZero. Colleen also answered a few questions for us about her work:

How did you get into designing jewelry, and more specifically, steampunk jewelry?

I’ve been making jewelry since I was a teenager in highschool. I read Steampunk back in the early 90′s and made some Victorian jewelry back then. It wasn’t very successful, but years later when the Steampunk movement got started, I already had materials. For me it is a way to combine my love of technology, literature, jewelry and creativity.

Have you designed for anyone else before? Other publishers, etc?

My work has appeared in WIRED Magazine, a Superbowl commercial, the Sante Fe Opera, Auxillary Magazine, Style-ology Magazine and others. I do a lot of commission pieces for photoshoots and for film or TV. These are so much fun but often they mean I’m dashing off to the post office to ship something down to LA for some “secret film project”.   Right now I’m working with a local artist producing sculpture.

What other covers from Harlequin TEEN has your work appeared or will be appearing?

I worked with Marie-Eve Trembley, a very tallented local stylist here in Toronto, providing some of the jewelry for the cover of The Girl in the Steel Corset so I was thrilled to work with her again on this cover. I used my trademark “chainmail” as a basis for this piece and worked with Marie-Eve to combine lace, pocket watch parts, clock parts for a really romantic creation.  Working with the Harlequin team has been truly inspiring!

Where can people go to look at/purchase your designs?

My Etsy store. I can never keep anything in stock these days!

* * *

You can also follow ClockworkZero on Facebook, where she sometimes posts special events and giveaways, as well as occasional sneak peeks of jewellery before it goes up on Etsy. Thanks so much for the interview, Colleen!

Now onto today’s quote The Girl in the Clockwork Collar and giveaway!

Giveaway: We have one copy of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar to give away! To enter, leave a comment telling us which accessory you’d rather have: a non-lethal version of the Clockwork Collar, or Finley Jayne’s Steel Corset from The Girl in the Steel Corset?

Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST on May 22. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on May 23. For full official rules, click here. UPDATE: the blog giveaway is now closed. Please check the comments for the winner announcement.

For a schedule of the entire Clockwork Collar tour, click here.

Good luck!

About The Girl in the Steel Corset:

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her “straynge band of mysfits” have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade—the dangerous device Jasper stole from him…for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei’s neck tightens. And tightens.

From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper’s elusive trail. And they’re about to discover how far they’ll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley Jayne will rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley…and will risk his life and reputation to save her. Sam, more machine than man, finds his moody heart tested by Irish lass Emily—whose own special abilities are no match for the darkness she discovers on the streets.

Now, to help those she’s come to care for so deeply, Finley Jayne must infiltrate a criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much….

My favorite romance novels are the ones I can relate to. When I sit down to read, I want a novel with themes that resonate and characters who struggle with major issues in their lives. However, I want to read a romance that pushes boundaries, adds a little mysticism and sweeps me away to somewhere magical.

It’s not a surprise that I’m a paranormal romance junkie. I love writing it as much as I love reading it! Growing up, I never liked dramas. Anne of Green Gables? Nope. Not a fan. I’ve never been able to sit through a tear-jerking movie and I can’t read books that make me quiver.  Give me vampires, werewolves, witches, magic and enchantment. Give me underworlds and kick ass heroines, alpha males with bad intentions and soft hands. Mix those bumps in the night with raw, human emotion stemming from the cuts of first love, forbidden love, deception, lust or lies and I’m hooked.

Like the saying goes, I write what I want to read.

Claimed by Desire, my first Nocturne Craving novella, is set in an enchanted world on the Isle of Feralon. Dragons rule the air, werewolves trek the land, and merfolk swim the sea. When they’re not fighting for territory or battling for dominance amongst their own, they’re humans. Shifters. Able to love and betray, give and hurt.

Take a peek inside their world:

Claimed by Desire

“As teenagers, dragon shifter Rafe Landon and empath Misty Burke shared a heart-stopping love and heated passion that neither expected…especially since on the mystical Isle of Feralon, dragons aren’t supposed to embrace members of other races. Fearing for Misty’s life should she be claimed as his rider, Rafe commits the ultimate sacrifice and sets his love free, banishing her from the enchanted isle.

The last thing he expects is for Misty to return to Feralon ten years later as a very mature, and deviously sexy woman on a mission: use her heightened sensory powers to locate the missing Draco stone, a sacred gem that strengthens the dragon race. But Rafe is hiding a secret of his own. Forsaking a rider will end his life…in two days time. Despite his eternal love for Misty, he refuses to imprison her on the isle, condemning her to an early grave.

For Misty, Rafe will gladly pay the ultimate sacrifice—he’ll die, so she can live.

It’s not long before Rafe and Misty are swept away by undercurrents of passion that never waned. Their quest to find the sacred stone may be more of a journey than either realized—one that not only leads to the lost gem, but to true, undying love.”

I’ve created a world as enchanted as they come, yet have kept the relationship as basic. They’re a dragon and an empath searching for a magic energy source. They’re first loves who are destined to be together. One is dying. And the other is too blinded by the past to see the future standing in front of her.

What kind of books do you like to read?

I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of magic.  Spells, potions, mojo bags…I love it all!  So in The Prophet (Book Three of the Graveyard Queen Series), I was thrilled to return to Gullah country, that area of the marshy Carolina coast and outer islands still steeped in the mysticism of the Southern sorcery arts.

Rootwork, hoodoo and conjure are often used interchangeably to mean folk magic.  Not to be confused with voodoo, which is a religion, hoodoo is a set of traditions that utilizes roots, herbs, stones and other natural items.  A smear of blood root paste will cure your skin irritations, a pinch of goldenseal will help your digestion.”  Dr. Shaw stared down into his cooling tea.  “A little celandine will ward off evil spirits and the law.  And anything else that may hound you…”

With quaintly named spells and elixirs like law-keep-away dust, pay-me sachet, and come-to-me oil, hoodoo is mostly a benign practice that has been passed down through generations.  But some will tell you that there is a dark side to this Southern magic.

Dr. Darius Goodwine is an ethnobotanist whose knowledge of roots and herbs has sent him down a dangerous path.  He’s one of only a handful of men who have been granted access to gray dust, a powerful extract that stops the heart and allows an initiate to enter the realm of the dead.   But what happens when the user brings something back from the other side?

Amelia Gray is about to find out.

Over the years, there have been many books and movies that reference rootworking, conjure and hoodoo, most notably Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  I’ve also enjoyed The Skeleton Key and Eve’s Bayou.  What’s your favorite ‘Southern’ movie?

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I couldn’t think of a better place for people of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and…species to blend into crowds than in New York City. The city teems with who knows what beneath the glitz, glamour and neon lights. It’s a great place for shapeshifters, vampires and demons to live undetected by humans. That’s why I chose NYC for my first Nocturne Cravings story, Hot Demon Nights.

Since I wanted my heroine to be a cop, she had to be a tough, kick-ass-take-no-prisoners kind of gal. And she’s beautiful…which she hates that fact and it gives her all the attitude she needs to scare the other cops at the 5th Precinct into leaving her the hell alone. Since she’s such a strong character I decided to write this story all in her point of view. Here’s a taste of what you’re in store for:

HOT DEMON NIGHTS

She didn’t ask for the job, it landed in her lap, literally. Rookie cop and budding paranorm butt-kicker, Katya Danse, becomes a member of the Lower Manhattan order of the Paranormal Investigation Team (PIT). This elite group of multi-skilled law enforcers is tasked with keeping peace between the human and otherkin inhabitants of Manhattan. Katya never knew she had special skills until a zombie fell in her lap from the fourth story of her apartment building, and she lopped its head off. From rookie cop to PIT crew, she’s sniffing out zombies and tracking down rogue demons, vampires and werecreatures for a living. Nicked-named Iceman for her ability to cut a man’s ego down in a single word, Katya has never met a man she can trust, much less a demon. The last thing she needs is a smart-ass demon dogging her every step, especially one with mind-melding gazes and sex-appeal that could corrupt even the most heart-hardened cop.

Blaise Michaels, one of the few paranorms recruited as part of the select PIT crew, teams with Katya to discover the source of a fresh outbreak of zombification and nip it in the bud. Not only is he interested in the challenge of awakening Katya’s inner demon, he knows their adversary is dangerous, beyond even their initial indications. Forced into close proximity, Katya’s and Blaise’s investigation takes them into the darkest, dirtiest shadows of the Manhattan underworld, pitting superhuman skills against a barrage of creatures fighting for survival and domination in a world most humans will never know exists. As their investigation intensifies, so too does the heat between them, fire melting ice, a combustible outcome sure to ensue.

Don’t you think big cities are great places to hide in plain sight? What other cities would work as well as NYC? Leave a comment and let me know.

Like vampires, dragons were often the bad guy in the stories of our childhood. Dragons hoarded treasure and demanded things, like beautiful princesses, be brought to their caves. The heroes of our youth were knights and princes who rode on white stallions and slayed those dragons, bringing back its head—along with the princess and piles of gold.

Boy, how those days have changed.

Now dragons, like the hero of my new release The Witch Thief, are the good guys. Well, maybe good is stretching it a bit. It is hard to be a dragon or a vampire and be completely good, but they are now the heroes and strong, sexy ones at that.

Dragons are, as I mentioned above, associated with hoarding gold and making demands. Because of this, they are often a symbolic representation of greed.

In The Witch Thief I played with this. Joarr, my dragon hero, not only has a hoard of his own; he is also responsible for guarding one of the dragon world’s most revered artifacts. Unfortunately for him, he not only has the dragon weakness for hoarding treasure, he also shares their tendency to be a tad… arrogant.

You can’t blame him for that. He’s a dragon! Who could defeat him?

A woman, of course. Or in this case, a witch who takes advantage of his arrogance and steals the object he has been entrusted with guarding.

This activates a third tendency of dragons: rage and the need for revenge. As many old legends have shown, dragons do not like their possessions being pilfered, and Joarr is no different.

He captures the witch, Anna, and forces her to work with him to reclaim what she had stolen.

Unknown to Joarr, however, Anna has possession of an even greater treasure than the one they are seeking—his unborn child.

I had a lot of fun playing with the various tendencies that dragons are known for and creating a few new ones of my own. I also enjoyed adding some twists on other well-known characters from fantasy and lore, in this case dwarves.

If when you hear dwarf you think Disney, think again. Mine are tough, hard-workers, but they are not a stalwart side-kick for a princess. They have goals of their own, goals that are quite at odds to those of our valiant dragon and witch heroes of this tale.

And one… well, let’s just say he shares more in common with the vampire enemy of lore than that hard-working Disney dwarf you may think of.

The Witch Thief is part of my Unbound series for Harlequin Nocturne.

Today, I’m giving away paperback copies of the first three books in the series: Unbound, Guardian’s Keep and Wild Hunt to one winner.

For more information on this series and all of my books, visit my web site at http://www.loridevoti.com. While you are there, sign up for my newsletter. I give away a prize every month to one subscriber!

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Giveaway information: To enter, please leave a comment below. Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. We’ll be taking entries until 11:59 pm EST on May 7. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on May 8. For full official rules, click here. UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed.

Michele Hauf, author of Werewolves in Minnesota?  Well, of course!  What a perfect setting for the big loveable lugs.  My current story is set on the outskirts of Minneapolis, though there is a quick trip ‘up North’ to visit another pack.  That’s what we Minnesotans say when we’re going anywhere out of the Twin Cities.  Up North.  Goin’ up North for the weekend!  Hey, you headed up North?  Oh yeah, sure, you betcha.  (Sorry, my Minnesota slang slipped out a bit there.)

The hero of The Werewolf’s Wife is Ridge Addison.  If you’ve read some of my previous stories, you may recognize him from Her Vampire Husband. He was the bad guy’s right hand man in that story.  I knew when I was writing that story that I wanted to explore Ridge a bit more.  What made the guy tick?  Who was he?  What led him to answering to one of the meanest pack leaders in the area?  And how could he overcome a bad situation and rebuild the pack in the wake of Amandus Masterson’s evil reign?

Lots of questions, but the most important?  What kind of woman could bring the werewolf to his knees and give him everything he deserves?  Only the Baddest Witch in the Midwest.  And she’s not alone.  This is one of very few stories I’ve written that involves a child.  The heroine has a 13 year old son.  It was fun to match the boy against Ridge and see how the two reacted to one another.  I think the threesome will end up spending a lot of time together after this story, and probably trek ‘up North’ on more than a few winter vacations of snowmobiling and skiing fun.  So does that mean this one ends happily?  Yeah, you betcha!

Michele

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Question from Amy: Where do you think is the perfect home for werewolves? And don’t miss our giveaway of The Werewolf’s Wife (along with Pamela Palmer’s Warrior Rising) here, closing on Thursday.

Our monthly giveaway for April is all about series paranormal romance — you could win this month’s Harlequin Nocturne releases by Pamela Palmer and Michele Hauf! Keep reading to learn more about these two novels and how to enter today’s giveaway….

Warrior Rising by Pamela Palmer:

Single dad Harrison Rand craved vengeance only for the harm the evil Esri race had inflicted on his young daughter. But now that he found himself the sole guardian of the Esrian princess Ilaria, exacting his revenge wasn’t the simple task he’d thought it would be.

Because Ilaria—despite her cold beauty and royal entitlement—was like no Esri he’d encountered before. With a simple act of kindness, the princess made him question everything he thought he knew about her race. And to save his own from total annihilation, he needed her compassion and her power to seal the gates between their worlds forever. To save his soul, he found himself needing only her love.

The Werewolf’s Wife by Michele Hauf:

The legacy he must obey…
The child she must save…
The man who threatens to fulfill her every fantasy…
and break her heart.

Alpha wolf Ridge Addison left his wife in Las Vegas, vowing to put their one reckless night of passion behind him and return to his clan. Thirteen years later he needs a divorce so he can become pack leader. Yet he’s never forgotten the sensuous witch whose life he saved…or the knee-buckling kisses he still craves.

After they parted, Abigail tried banishing Ridge from her memory. Now her heart belongs only to her son. But when the boy is kidnapped, she knows she alone can’t save him. Though Abigail’s body still aches for Ridge, she’s willing to give him his freedom in exchange for his help. But who will shield her heart from the only man she’s ever let claim her, body and soul?

Giveaway information: To enter, please leave a comment telling us if you’re a Harlequin Nocturne reader — or if you won, would these be your first?

Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. We’ll be taking entries until 11:59 pm EST on Thursday, April 26. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on Friday, April 27. For full official rules, click here.

UPDATE: The Giveaway is now closed. Please check the comments for the winner announcement.

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Bestselling author Heather Graham has a new novel with her special brand of spooky suspense out this month. Check out The Unseen:

1800s. San Antonio, Texas: In room 207 at the Longhorn Saloon, in the long shadow of the Alamo itself, a woman renowned for her beauty was brutally murdered. Her killer was never found.

One year ago: In that same historic room, another woman vanished without a trace. Her blood was everywhere…but her body was never recovered.

Now: In the last month, San Antonio has become a dumping ground for battered bodies.

All young women, many of them long missing, almost all forgotten. Until now.

Texas Ranger Logan Raintree cannot sit by and let his city’s most vulnerable citizens be slain. So when he is approached to lead a brand-new group of elite paranormal investigators working the case, he has no choice but to accept the challenge. And with it, his powerful ability to commune with the dead.

Among Logan’s new team is Kelsey O’Brien, a U.S. marshal known for her razor-sharp intuition and a toughness that belies her delicate exterior. Kelsey has been waiting all her life to work with someone who can understand her ability to “see” the past unfolding in the present. Now she has her chance.

Together, Kelsey and Logan follow their instincts to the Alamo and to the newly reopened Longhorn, which once tempted heroes with drink, cards and women. If the spirits of those long-dead Texans are really appearing to the victims before their deaths, only Kelsey and Logan have the skills to find out why.

And if something more earthly is menacing the city’s oldest, darkest corners, only they can stop it—before more innocent women join the company of San Antonio’s restless ghosts….

Keep reading for an excerpt from The Unseen, on sale now from MIRA Books…

San Antonio, Texas
April

Logan Raintree had just left his house and was walking toward his car when the massive black thing swept before him with a fury and might that seemed to fill the air. He stopped short, not knowing what the hell he was seeing at first.

Then he saw it. The thing was a bird, and he quickly noted that it was a massive bird, a peregrine falcon. Its wingspan must have been a good three feet.

It had taken down a pigeon.

The pigeon was far beyond help. The falcon had already ripped the left wing from the creature and, mercifully, had broken the smaller bird’s neck, as well.

As Logan stood there, the falcon stared at him. He stared back at the falcon.

He’d seen attacks by such birds before; they had the tenacity of jays and the power of a bobcat.

They also had the beaks and talons of their distant ancestors—the raptors, who’d once ravaged land and sea. This kind of bird could blind a man or, at the least, rip his face to shreds.

Logan stood dead still, maintaining his position as he continued to return the bird’s cold, speculative stare. There seemed to be something in its eyes. Something that might exist in the eyes of the most brutal general, the most ruthless ruler. Touch my kill, and you die! the bird seemed to warn.

Logan didn’t back away; he didn’t move at all.

He knew birds, as he knew the temperament of most animals. If he ran away, the bird would think he should be attacked, just to make sure he did get away from the kill. Come forward and, of course, the bird would fight to protect it. He had to stay still, calm, assured, and not give ground. The falcon would respect that stance, take its prey and leave.

But the bird didn’t leave. It watched Logan for another minute, then cast its head back and let out a shrieking cry. It took a step toward him.

Even feeling intimidated, Logan decided his best move was not to move…

“I have no fight with you, brother,” he said quietly.

The bird let out another cry. It hopped back to the pigeon, looked at Logan and willfully ripped the second wing off, then spat it out and stared at Logan again.

This was ridiculous, he thought. He’d never seen a peregrine falcon so much as land in his driveway, much less pick a fight with him.

He reached with slow, nonthreatening movements for his gun belt and the Colt .45 holstered there; he had no desire to harm any creature, but neither would he be blinded by a bird that seemed to be harboring an overabundance of testosterone.

As if the bird had known what the gun was, it leaped back.

Logan had the gun aimed. “I don’t want to hurt you, brother bird,” he said. “But if you force my hand, I will.”

The bird seemed to understand him—and to know he meant his words. It gave yet another raucous cry, jumped on the pigeon and soared into flight, taking its prey. Logan watched as the bird disappeared into the western sky.

Curious about the encounter and very surprised by it, he shook his head and turned toward his car again.

He took one step and paused, frowning.

It suddenly looked as if he’d stepped into an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The Birds.

They were everywhere. They covered the eaves of his house, the trees and the ground, everything around him. They sat on the hood and the roof of his car. Every bird native to the state of Texas seemed to be there, all of them just staring at him. Jays, doves, grackles, blackbirds, crows and even seabirds—a pelican stood in the center of his lawn.

It was bizarre. He was being watched…stalked…by birds!

None made a move toward him.

As he started to walk, a sparrow flapped its wings, moving aside. He continued to his car, wings fluttering around him as the smaller birds made way. When he reached his car door, he opened it slowly, carefully, and then sat behind the wheel, closing the door. He revved the engine and heard scratching noises as the birds atop his car took flight.

Logan eased out of the driveway. As he did so, a whir of black rose with a furious flapping of wings. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, they were gone.

Every last bird was gone.

He looked back at his old mission-style house, wondering if he’d somehow blacked out, had a vision, and yet managed to get into his car. But that was not the case. He didn’t black out. For him, visions were dreams. They occurred only when he slept, and he usually laughed them away. His father’s people believed that all dreams were omens, while his mother’s father—psychiatrist and philosopher William Douglas—believed that dreams or “visions” were arguments within the human psyche. In William’s view, fears and anxiety created alternate worlds seen only in the mind; their role was to help resolve emotional conflicts.

Whichever approach was correct didn’t matter much. He’d seen what he had seen. This hadn’t been a vision or a dream.

But it was odd that it had happened when he was on his way to meet with Jackson Crow, FBI agent and head of the mysterious Krewe of Hunters—a unit both infamous and renowned.

San Antonio. It was different, that was all. Different. Kelsey O’Brien looked out the Longhorn Inn’s kitchen window. From here, she could see the walls of the old chapel at the Alamo. The city was bustling, pleasantly warm now that it was spring, and the people she’d met so far were friendly and welcoming.

She still felt like a fish out of water.

That’s what she was missing—the water.

She’d been in San Antonio almost three days and they’d been nice days. San Antonio was a beautiful city. Kelsey actually had a cousin living here, Sean Cameron, but he worked for a special-effects company, and they were currently out in the desert somewhere, trying to reproduce the Alamo as it had once been for a documentary. She was grateful that her old camp friend, Sandy Holly, had bought the historic inn and one-time saloon where she was staying. Sandy made her feel a bit less like a fish out of water, but it was strange not to be within steps of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Her life—except for summer camp and college upstate—had been spent in the Florida Keys. Where there was water. Lots and lots of water. Of course, they had the river here, and she loved the Riverwalk area, with its interesting places to go and dine and shop. The history of the city appealed to her, too.

It was just…different. And it was going to take some getting used to. Of course, she still had no idea what she was doing here, or if she was going to stay. She might not be in San Antonio long; on the other hand, she could be transferring here. And she might be taking on a different job.

She was a United States Marshal, which meant she worked for a service that might require her to go anywhere. She’d certainly traveled in her life, but the concept that she could be moving here, making a life here, seemed unlikely—not something she would have chosen. Now that it might be happening, she had to remind herself that she’d always known she could be transferred. But her training had been in Miami, and because of her familiarity with Key West, where she had grown up, she’d been assigned, as one of only two Marshals, to the office there. She’d been doing the job for two years now, enjoying an easy camaraderie with Trent Fisher, her coworker. They reported in to the Miami office when required, and occasionally their Miami supervisor came down. Key West was small, and despite the friction that could exist between law enforcement agencies, she’d quickly established excellent working relations with the police and the Coast Guard and the other state and federal agencies with which the two Marshals worked. And then…

Then she’d suddenly ended up here. She was still wondering why, because Archie Lawrence, her supervisor, had been so vague.

“You’re going to love the situation,” Archie had assured her. “You go to this meeting, and then you’ll have a two-week hiatus to decide what you feel about an offer you’re going to receive. So, nothing is definite yet.”

“I’m being given a vacation so I can get an offer and think about it?” That hardly seemed typical of the government. “What’s the offer?” she’d demanded.

“That’s what your meeting is about,” he’d said.

And no amount of indignant questioning or wheedling would convince him to share the details. If he even knew them…”Look, your meeting is with an FBI agent and you may be transferring services,” Archie had told her. “That’s all I’m at liberty to say.”

“Why?” she’d asked him. “I don’t want to change agencies!”

“Hey, it’s come down from the brass, kiddo, and it sounds unusual—two federal agencies getting together on a friendly basis. Hallelujah!” Archie rolled his eyes. “No one’s going to force you to change. You’re being presented with an opportunity. You can say no. I mean it. If you don’t like this offer, you have the option to pack up and come home, with no harm done to your status here. So quit asking me questions. Go away. Don’t darken my door—for the time being, anyway. You have things to do, arrangements to make.” He’d sent her one of his lopsided grins. She liked Archie and considered him a great boss. He was always easygoing until he went into “situation” mode and then he could spew out orders faster and with more precision than the toughest drill sergeant.

Sometimes, of course, she wondered what Archie really thought of her. She was good at her job, although some of her methods were a bit unexpected. Luckily, a lot of criminals were still sexist. They didn’t realize that a woman could and would hold them to task, shoot with uncanny aim and manage handcuffs with ease. But she’d felt Archie’s eyes on her a few times when she hadn’t really been able to explain the intuition that had led to her discovery of a cache of drugs, a hiding place—or a dead body. She even wondered if he was hoping she’d take another position.

Today, soon, she’d attend a meeting with a man from the FBI: He had an offer for her that presumably had to do with the unique abilities she’d shown during her two years with the government, and due to the status of this particular branch of service, various government offices were cooperating. On the one hand, she felt like telling someone that if she’d wanted to work for the FBI, she would have applied to the FBI. But she was curious, and she wasn’t prone to be difficult; it was just the mystery of the situation.

Law enforcement agencies were not known for their cooperation—rather sad, really, since they were all working toward the same goal. That was one of the reasons she’d loved working in Key West; they had plenty to deal with, but they were smaller, and thus got along fairly well. Drugs were constantly out on the waterways. The Coast Guard was overworked, ditto the state police and the county police. The cops in Key West loved the Marshals. It had all been pretty good. State police, Monroe County police, the Coast Guard and the U.S. Marshal’s Office, all getting along, most of them meeting for a beer here and there on Duval Street or some off-the-tourist track location. In her case, it had probably helped that she’d gone to the University of Miami and done an internship with the U.S. Marshal’s Office. She’d zeroed in on her chosen profession early. And she’d expected to stay in south Florida.

To contemplate a life here, in Texas, was just…strange.

Nothing wrong with Texas, of course.

But she had it all figured out. It was the water. In San Antonio, there was no coast. There was the river, though.

We’ve got a TON of news today about New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa’s new series, Blood of Eden! It’s the official launch of BloodofEden.com and book trailer for the first novel, The Immortal Rules. Be sure to pay close attention to the book trailer, too, to unlock hidden content on the site….

Today also starts a blog tour with author Julie Kagawa to celebrate the upcoming release of The Immortal Rules! Harlequin’s Paranormal Romance blog is thrilled to be the first stop on the tour AND the place where you can enter to win the tour’s grand prize of a Kindle Touch with with a special Immortal Rules cover.

Keep reading for a message from Julie herself to kick things off, information about the blog tour schedule (which will have book giveaways at each stop), and the contest entry form. Good luck! ~Amy

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Hello, readers!

So, today is the start of a brand new blog tour for The Immortal Rules, and I couldn’t be more excited for it.  On the tour stops, we will follow protagonist Allison Sekemoto as she transforms from human to vampire and asks herself, what does it mean to be immortal, to be separate from the rules of the living?  We will also discover her world–New Covington, the Fringe, the wilderness beyond, and all the dangers that lurk therein.  We will glimpse the most terrifying aspect of this new reality–the rabids–and hope that we escape with our lives.  And we will meet some of the other characters of The Immortal Rules–Kanin, Zeke, Jebbadiah, Sarren–and see just how they fit into Allison’s life.

Someone once asked me if it was very different switching from writing about faeries to writing vampires, and I have to say yes, it most certainly was.  The Immortal Rules proved to be an even darker tale than Meghan’s story in The Iron King.  Allie’s world is filled with monsters, and each day is a fight for survival, but her greatest enemy isn’t the rabids or the vampires or even the humans who despise vampires and want her dead.  Her greatest enemy is herself.  Especially as she tries to cling to her humanity, to fight the Hunger within, to not become a monster.  This is her story.  I hope you will join us for the ride!

- Julie Kagawa

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Thanks for blogging us with today, Julie!

So where else will The Immortals Rules blog tour go next? Here’s the schedule below — and remember, each stop will have a unique look at a different aspect of the Blood of Eden series AND a giveaway!

• Tuesday, April 17 –  I Read Banned Books
• Wednesday, April 18 –   I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
• Thursday, April 19 –Supernatural Snark
• Friday, April 20 – Mundie Moms
• Saturday, April 21 – Books Complete Me
• Sunday, April 22 – I am a Reader, Not a Writer
• Monday, April 23 –  Reading Teen
• Tuesday April 24 – 4 stops to celebrate release day for The Immortal Rules! — Electrifying Reviews, Waste Paper Prose, Page Turners and Bookalicious
• Wednesday, April 25 – Tynga’s Reviews
• Thursday, April 26 – Once Upon a Twilight
• Friday, April 27 – All things urban fantasy
• Saturday, April 28 – Total bookaholic
• Sunday, April 29 – A good addition
• Monday, April 30 – Reading Angel
• Tuesday, May 1 – Taming the Bookshelf
• Wednesday, May 2 – Teens Read and Write

Now for OUR giveaway! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win a Kindle Touch with an Immortal Rules cover. You can also get additional entries by doing the following:

1. Add The Immortal Rules to you ‘to read’ on Goodreads (or if you’ve read it already, rate the book)
2. ‘Like’ Julie Kagawa on Facebook
3. ‘Like’ HarlequinTEEN on Facebook
4. Become a ‘fan’ of Julie on Goodreads
5. Follow @HarlequinTEEN on Twitter

Details: Open to residents of the US and Canada (excluding Quebec) only. Must be 13 years of age or older. Contest closes at 11:59 PM (EST) on May 2, 2012. Please read full contest rules here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway