Guest Author and Contest with Raven Corinn Carluck!!

It my very special pleasure to have Raven Corinn Carluck posting at Tink's Place today!  She's going to tell us about her books, writing, and a sweet excerpt from All Hallows Blood, an excellent read for Halloween!

(Released:  March 2010  Crescent Moon Press)

 From the Cover:

Mourning her mother on Halloween, Keila O'Broin, a psychic warrior and last of her line, isn't prepared for dead teenagers to ask her to avenge them. Compelled by her family creed, Keila combats the vampiric serial killer, despite her atrophied powers.

But defeating one killer is only the start of her adventure. Into her life walks Varick Eitenhauer, centuries old undead master of Portland. The vampire tells her she will now help him defeat his rivals in a battle to control the city, and he will accept no refusals.

Surrounded by her desire and danger, the only way to succeed is to rise from her past like a phoenix from its ashes.

Raven is a native of Las Vegas, and is madly in love with her desert homeland. No matter where she wanders, she always returns. Her household is quite full, with her soulmate, her best friend and his sister, two cats, a parrot, and a snake all in residence. The fuller the house, the happier Raven is.

Her first story was written at age five, and was everything a five-year-old's story could be expected to be. Raven has been writing ever since, creating worlds and characters in an effort to share her visions. Magic abounds in her thoughts, waiting to be set to paper. Nothing will stop her from writing, as Raven is forever a storyteller.

Amongst her hobbies, past and present, are breeding snakes, embroidery, digital painting, playing table top RPGs, hiking, collecting stuffed animals and swords, cooking, growing roses, and playing computer games.

Raven codes and maintains her own website, and invites everyone to stop by and browse her story and art galleries @ http://raven.youareannoying.us or http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com

Follow on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/ravencorinn

Please help me welcome Ms. Carluck to Tink's Place!


Hi Raven, thanks for visiting Tink's Place today! It's awesome having you here!

Thanks for having me. It's great to get out and around the blogosphere.

To start with, why don't you tell us something about yourself?

I'm madly in love with my soul-mate, and we've been together for twelve years now. I love big animals, and have a very talkative parrot, a childish cat, and a gorgeous snake. And I'm stoked to be on my journey to fame and fortune.

What drew you to the genre of paranormal romance? Have you written in other genres?

I've been a fan of vampires and monsters since I was little. I'm a romantic at heart, so it wasn't a big leap for me to join the paranormal romance genre. Passion and love, immortality and powers beyond the normal, these are things I love very much.

I typically have a little more urban fantasy in me, so there's action and adventure along with the love. I also write dark fantasy, and have the bad guy win. I've never been accused of being cute and fluffy with my stories.

What types of books do you read when you're not writing? Do you read in your own genre? Do you have a favorite author or all time read?

I do read from my own genre, though I prefer fantasy and sci-fi as my main reading selections. I'll read just about anything speculative fiction. I want more than the real world in my reading selection, because reading has always been an escape for me.

Anne McCaffrey and Michael Moorcock are some of my favorite authors of all time. Carrie Vaughn is my favorite author in something resembling my own genre.

Is there any must haves when you sit down to write (I have to have hot cocoa, lol, chocolate and caffeine, yum!)?

My must have is my Orlando Bloom notebook. I'm obsessed with him, and I do all my first drafts by hand. Not much I'll do without him. Other than that, I really just need something to drink, and something in the background. Doesn't matter if it's soda, or water, sweet tea or drink mixes. And music or movie, just something to distract parts of my mind.

Is there a certain time of the day you like to write? Morning, Noon, Midnight? (I'm a night owl myself, lol)...

I'm a total night owl myself, but can't stay up too late because of the dreaded day job. I'd love to write until dawn, but I can't. I end up mostly writing through the afternoon at work, and doing edits and typing in the evenings.

I really think of myself as a storyteller, and mostly I'm just reaching out to get new readers. I want all of you to get a glimpse of what I've created, and be taken away for a while. I've got a bunch of free reads on my site, and am putting up short stories on my blog. All Hallows Blood is my first novel, but it certainly won't be my last.

An excerpt of the book will follow. If what you read catches you, come to my blog and enter in my big giveaway. You just need to friend me there, or on Twitter for a chance to get an ecopy of either of my books. And November 1st, I'm doing a drawing for autographed copies of my books. So stop by, say hi, and maybe get a free read.

Varick met my gaze, his eyes hard chips of blue. “I am judging your skills, attempting to discern how you bested a vampire past the neophyte stage.”

“Maybe he was just a loser,” I offered, crossing my arms under my breasts as I settled into the corner. Varick's sweater was loose enough across my chest, but it pulled tight when I trapped the fabric like this. I thought his eyes flicked across my form, but couldn’t be sure. I didn't know if I cared, despite the desire I'd had for him earlier. “Just because he's a vampire doesn't automatically make him badass.”

“Actually,” he said, suddenly in my face, his arms braced on either side of my shoulders, “it does.” Varick leaned closer, enveloping me in his aroma, our bodies nearly touching. He still didn’t register in my psychic perceptions, but my aura parted around him. I swallowed hard, and his eyes went to my neck.

“Vampires are predators,” he said with a husky voice. He made no attempt to disguise the way his gaze caressed my neck. My pulse jumped as I imagined his lips tracing my skin, and I bit my tongue stud. Varick knew he disconcerted me, and he seemed intent on using it to make his point. “Once we are strong enough to be away from our master, we are stronger than any human.”

I uncrossed my arms, standing a little taller, letting anger rise to displace the sadness completely. Was this really the same man who'd held me an hour ago while I cried, who'd bared his own sorrow to me? My heart skipped a beat as I carefully put my hands by my side, attempting to show that I wasn't frightened of him. I wondered if he tasted my hidden fear, if he could tell it was all a lie. “I've read accounts of vampires getting killed by humans.” I held his gaze, even as the sapphire brilliance darkened with his expanding pupils. It didn't even occur to me that I'd admitted to having knowledge of his kind when I hadn't earlier. “That vamp didn't sound that strong.”

The German must have allowed some of his aura loose, because his presence swelled. He didn't move, yet I instantly felt trapped by Varick. My blood ran cold, and I pressed myself farther into the corner. I didn't care if he knew I was scared. No one with a self preservation instinct wouldn't be scared. This was the atavistic fear all creatures carried, something in the genes that let us know when we were being hunted.

His eyes bored into mine, pinning me as easily as his body. “Even were that account true, do you really think a bunch of mewling mortals stalked into a vampire's lair and killed him without help? Perhaps he was set up? Or was he a neophyte abandoned by his master?”

I shivered, his breath washing across my face. The account I'd read was from a hunter, and he'd hinted at being a psionicist. No mewling mortal there, but someone who could level the playing field. I could tell him what I was, take the mystery out of it, but then he'd know everything about me. I couldn't do that.

The elevator bounced to a stop, chiming as the doors opened. “We're here,” I said, unable to look away from his captivating eyes.

“Never mind that,” he whispered huskily, turning his head as his gaze fell once more to my neck. My skin crawled with biting fire as he leaned forward, close enough that a deep breath would bring us together. My head slowly turned, a breathless whimper escaping my lips. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I wanted him to taste me. Right now. I shuddered, from either fear or desire, as his breath touched my bared neck. “Could you stop me?” he asked, his voice dropping lower. “Would your fighting skills do you any good in here?”

Varick's lips were nearly to my neck, the air stirred by their motion. My eyes closed, a soft groan rising from my throat. The vampire stiffened, and his left hand drifted closer to my shoulder. I couldn't think of anything but his mouth, and how his hair would feel tangled through my fingers. I wanted to tell him the vampire in the house hadn't had this kind of presence, that until he'd bitten me, there had been no desire for him. With the German so achingly close to me, I couldn't think of raising a hand to him.

I groaned again, gritting my teeth in frustration. I was not some sort of easy lay; I simply did not lust for someone like this so quickly. It had to be some function of his power, something to lull his prey into submission. It couldn't be my own hormones running rampant.

The doors swished closed behind us, and I let my eyes flutter open. I saw Varick's hand scratching at the paneling, scars standing out against icy flesh. We'd moved so close in that span of seconds, his mouth was a breath away from the vein in my neck. “Varick,” I whispered in a strangled voice. If either of us moved, my throat would end up against his teeth. It took more willpower than I realized I had to hold still .

Thanks for visiting with us here at Tink's Place!  It's been great having you here!  And remember to stop follow Raven's blog or follow on Twitter for a chance to win one of her books!