Pick Me Up Monday - Sizzling 4th

Happy Monday!

 

We are burning it up here in Las Vegas with temps close to record highs. So naturally I dedicate this Pick Me Up Monday to our hard working firemen everywhere. They may be dousing fires, bit they know how to kindle a different kind of fire in us females.

 

Things are back to normal more or less, my novella Dark Hunter will release through Evernight on July 17th and I'm hard at work on Dark Desire and Soul Fire. It looks like both books will be ready by the end of fall and Soul Fire should release in September. Dark Desire I hope to release around the same time.

 

With The Summoning and Demon Bewitched lurking in the background, not to mention the fourth installment of my Dark Breed Enforcers untitled book I have a very busy schedule. It's looking like 2014 is going to be even busier than this year has been.

Throw into the mix Hot Mojave Knights coming up in October and sometimes I wonder if I have enough time in the day to get it all done. 

Over the weekend I met up with my committee and went to Hunk Mansion to get an idea what it will be like. All I can say is wow, it's going to be one hell of a good time for the authors who are going.

 

I have several things coming up this month which you may enjoy. Several author spotlights, a cover reveal, plus a scavenger hunt with Close Encounters of the Night Kind. I'll be giving away an autographed copy of my print book Dark Passion Rising. So keep in touch and I'll have all the dates for you right here on my Monday blog. Everyone have a safe holiday and we will see you next week.  

Close Encounters of the Wicked Kind Scavnger Hunt

Welcome to a fun filled month full of 30 wickedly delightful opportunities to win! I'm Shannan Albright I write about sexy, dark and oh so yummy supernaturals which go bump in the night. I'm not talking about stumbling into furniture either! If you have a taste for all things paranormal I'm your gal. Without further delay here is my question for you to answer.

 

 

Look around and find out it shouldn't be too hard to find. What, you may ask am I doing for the giveaway? I'm sending the lucky winner a PDF copy of Beloved Wizard. The first in my oh so wicked trilogy The Knights of Excalibur. Though this is the tamest of the three it will tantalize you with many possibilities. For the grand prize I am giving a print copy of Dark Passion Rising. The first of book in my Dark Breed Enforcer Series. Nothing better to prime you for the second book Passion's Flight and my soon to be released Dark Hunter novella. Here is a small teaser.

 

BLURB:

 

Tambra Ellis has just had her world turned upside down! Surviving a bite from a Lycan, attracted to one hot vampire guy and now she has to look forward to turning into something from some bad werewolf movie.

          Marcus Valerian has enough on his plate without the added complication of Tambra Ellis. Fiery and independent? Sure. Beautiful with a body made for sin? Oh Yeah. And a human cop. Tambra is everything he needs to stay away from.

    As leader of the Tribunal’s enforcers it’s up to him to find out why the Dark Breeds are going feral and killing humans in ever increasing numbers. Tambra’s life is in the balance as the secrets of her past place her in the middle of old deceits and a betrayal that will change the world forever.

     Will Marcus and Tambra’s love survive or will it be too late.

EXCERPT:

Tambra gave him an incredulous look.  “Are you telling me I am turning into a…a dog?” She jumped up, pulling the comforter around her, and headed for the door.  “Look buddy, I don’t know what your damage is, but I want no part of it, okay?  I’ll just call a cab and be on my way.”

     Marcus moved to the door in a burst of speed, and stopped with his arms folded across his chest, lips compressed into a thin line as he glared at her.  He drew his brows low in a scowl.

“W…what the hell are you?” she stammered, unable to mask her unease.    

“I am not here to harm you.  I have been the one tending to you as your body adjusted.” “You haven’t answered my question,” she pushed.

     “That’s because it’s not relevant to the situation.”

     “Like hell, asshole.  If it affects me then it is my business.”

     Marcus liked her toughness, finding it remarkably refreshing.  Her strength was impressive, not many could make it through the beginning stages of the change when turning from human to Were, yet she had fought through it.  She had overcome it all, despite how badly she had been injured. 

     He used his most reasonable tone to calm her, knowing that the next few minutes was crucial to keeping her receptive to what he had to say.  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, making his tone as calm as he could manage.  “At this time the only thing we need to focus on is your change.  You are not out of the woods as of yet.  There are too many things that could go wrong.”

 Her eyes widened in horror as she took a shaky step backward.

“Oh, God.  This isn’t happening.  It can’t be real.  Werewolves don’t exist.”

     “Believe me, they do exist.  Denying what you have seen will be foolish and dangerous, for you and everyone you’re around.”

     “No.  I don’t believe this.  I won’t believe it.  There has to be some logical explanation for what I saw.”  The sharp edge of hysteria rose in her voice.  “I will not turn into a dog.   I don’t even like dogs.”

     That made him smile despite the seriousness of the situation.  She was absolutely adorable and he was in deep shit because of it.  Yet, he couldn’t seem to make himself care. “Wolf, not dog.  You were bitten by a Lycan, not Lassie.”

     “Ha, ha, laugh it up big guy.  You don’t have to worry about fleas.”

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Pick Me Up Tuesday - After Romcon Special!

 

I could really get into snuggling up to this beautiful male.

 

The Mimosa Madness Crew!

Well, back from Romcon and I must say that it was a phenomenal event! Heather Graham was a hoot, keeping me in stitches every time we got together and through all her great successes she was a down to earth approachable lady who I would love to meet up with again. Terry Spears, what can I say? A talented and great lady who I enjoyed meeting immensely. Gina Showalter was a doll, always with a smile and kind word for every person who approached her.  

Pamela Palmer was such a classy lady who helped me pour Mimosa's for the Mimosa Madness party we were part of hosting. Donnell Bell, you rock girl and value our new friendship. Also to the other Mimosa Madness crew, Hope Ramsey, Sandy Loyd, Kate George, Darynda Jones and Barb Han, big cyber hugs to all of you!

 

Then there are those who you chat with on facebook, hoping for a day when you can finally meet face to face. Shyla Colt you are awesome girl and spending time with you was a memory I will always cherish. See you on the bestsellers list!

 When I met Robin Kaye it seemed like we have been old friends for years, she is so comfortable to be around the time flew when we got together. Robin, I cherish the friendship you so openly gave to me. I see many years of crazy and happy times coming for the two of us.


I made many connections this year that are the start of new friendships I would never have had the opportunity to have if not for Romcon and can't wait to see all of you again. Vickie I can't wait to see you at Hot Mojave Knights!




Pick Me Up Monday - RomCon Bound!

Happy Monday once again!

Is that a smirk I see on his face? Hum...he looks happy to see us don't you think? Lol! There are some guys who are so hot with a hairy chest. Sighing here.

 

Well, back to my post :)

 

Thanks to those who commented on my blog and on Facebook about my last post. Your words of encouragement

meant the world to me. To those who shared their own stories on body image touched my soul. I'm blessed to have found such beautiful people inside and out. 

 

I've finished my final edits and should be getting my cover soon. I'll reveal that to you along with a little about Dark Hunter later this month. Zeke's book Dark Desire is coming together quite nicely and love the characters since they are playing nice with me. The same with Soul Fire, the historical paranormal I should have out this fall.

 

This week I'll be away to Colorado Springs for RomCon and looking forward to a wonderful time with some of my favorite authors and readers. I connected with some great people last year and look forward to catching up with them. I'm hosting two paranormal events this year and will have lots of stuff to gab about next week.

Due to the fact I'll be a zombie on Monday my post will be delayed so look for it no later than Wednesday next week.

 

Well back to Zeke, he's yelling in my ear at the moment, since I made him take his shades off so we could finally get a look at his eyes. And...you will just have to wait to find out what's really behind those damn shades of his.

 

That's all for now, have a wonderful week and we will chat again.

Body Image- My personal Journey

 

Shocking picture huh? I don't normally talk much about myself. And this is far from the norm of my usual blog posts. For me this is a topic of great importance, and I couldn't let this go without saying something. I still struggle with body image every day of my life. I've been looking at this post for a while, trying to find the courage to share it with you. It's tough since I find the topic a very painful and personal area in my life. I don't mind talking about my journey as an author, and let's face it. My books are much more fun to talk about right? There are also much safer emotionally speaking.

Then why write this blog post?

A good friend of mine and fellow writer Siobhan Muir had an article she shared on Facebook in regard to plus-sized models. The article talked on the way plus sized models manage the media. It caused a bit of stir and ever since I read the article, a slow burn began in my gut. Reading the article was painful, bringing out many memories I thought buried.

I come from a family where the women are at least five-foot seven and all have the typical model body. In fact, my mother and several of my cousins have done modeling gigs. Then here I come, 5'3" with a body like Marylyn Monroe instead of Twiggy. (For those who are too young to know, Twiggy was one of the first super models who became popular in the late 60s and was as skinny as a twig, hence the name.)Yeah, try getting clothes in the 70s and 80s that flattered that type of figure.

My hours spent in a dance studio didn't help things much since I developed quite a bit of muscle. I used to get teased when I wore shorts in school about how muscular my legs were and to this day can't wear shorts in public with any comfort.

So, to say I had a sucky body image of myself is putting it mildly. I spent my life in an endless cycle of starving and bingeing my body. Eating one meal a day and sometimes that meal only consisted of a bowl of veggies. Then after weeks going like that I would eat everything in sight, unable to stop.

I'm surprised I never tipped over into anorexia. I hate throwing up, so bulimia was never an issue with me. Then in my late forties I started forgetting things, stuttering, and the room would spin. Concentration on the simplest thing was impossible and my ability to communicate what I was thinking became so bad, co-workers thought I was high or drunk. Frustration and isolation were my constant companions.

What was wrong with me, why was this happening? It ate at any self-esteem I had. I ended up losing a job because of it, which made everything worse. Depression was a constant getting so bad I could barely think. I would spend whole days just crying, feeling sorry for myself. My husband worried since this was not like me. I've always been a fighter, never-say-die type of personality. It got so bad I finally went to the doctor and had a three-hour glucose test done and surprise! I found out I suffer from hypoglycemia. Oh goodie, I thought. Then they lowered the bomb on me. It turns out all the years I spent starving my body put me in this position. I also discovered I was straddling the edge of Diabetes, which runs on both sides of the family.

I've struggle with hypoglycemia and my body image even now, and the road is a rough one to recover from. It's so easy to say don't let the media sway you, ignore what people say about how large you are, and not let it get to you. Yeah, easy to say, hard to put into practice. Let's face it, words hurt and when you're vulnerable within yourself, they can haunt you for life.

I have always stood out because of the way I'm built, though I have never been considered obese, I've heard plump quite a bit. I have the build of Marilyn Monroe, which by today's standards is not what is considered beautiful. I'm sure as hell a far cry from Twiggy!

I can spout tons of statistics about what the average woman's real size is. There are millions of young girls out there who struggle like I do because of sharing an unrealistic body image. But I don't want to get stuck on numbers. Anyone can get onto the internet and get those. And frankly to go on and check those stats just makes me depressed as hell.

What is beauty anyway? That’s  the true issue here. Because at the end of the day all you have is what God gave you. I'm finally seeing the light and realizing that I just may be alright at a size 12 instead of a 0. Not that I ever got THAT small Lol!

I wanted to share this pic here. I believe this is a more realistic of the body type I, and many other women are born with. If I could take back the years, I would do so many things different. I know for a fact I wouldn't be fighting with the health issues I am faced with now. Having to prick my finger whenever I feel even slightly off kilter-which happens at least several times a day, and worrying if I will pass out or worse go into convulsions before I can get a glucose tablet into my system. Great way to live huh?

When I look at this picture, I for one see a woman who is mature and beautiful. What do you see? I'm not putting down those born with what I call “skinny genes”. But, we need to advertise the beauty of all women, regardless of shape. And stop the ridicule. Instead of being weight conscious it would be wonderful if all that energy could be funneled into becoming health conscious.

If there is one thing sharing my story can do, I sincerely hope it's to keep another young woman from feeling like she is lacking simply due to the way she is built. If she can see past the media hype and look deeper to the beauty that is there, then my post would be worth it.

I'm still fighting to be comfortable in my skin, and it's a battle I live with every day. Maybe one day things will change. I can tell it is getting better, but I still have a way to go. My mother used to say, beauty comes from the inside and radiates outward. This is the mantra I say every day. Like a flower opening to the sun, let your curves show and embrace your body as the unique extension of who you are.

Pick Me Up Monday - News on books coming soon and Hot Mojave Knights A Reader Event!

Happy Monday!

 

I love leather and jeans on a man don't you? Here is my yummy hunk to help you get through the week.

 

Been a busy week for me with edits on Dark Hunter sent in and working hard to finish the rough draft of Soul Fire. What is that? It's the next series I'm working on and this will be a self-published effort so I'm very excited about it.

 

Along with Dark Hunter I'm also working on Dark Desire, Zeke's book in the Dark Breed Enforcer series and hope to have it submitted by September. Things are heating up in my Dark Breed world, the stakes are higher, villains turn to Allies and an evil the world has never seen begins to stir. Oh yeah, things are getting interesting now.

I have finished my revamping on my website check it out at www.shannanalbright.com and let me know what you think. I'm still adding things to it, especially the reviews for all of my books

 

In other news Hot Mojave Knights is gaining momentum as we are four months out and we have got a lot of wonderful surprises in store for you. Keep checking the site www.hotmojaveknight.com to keep abreast of all the updates and we will see you there in October.

Well, back to work for me, tons to do and little time to do it in. If you are going to Romcon come by and say hi. See you next Monday.

 

 



Pick Me Up Monday - Website Redeux

Happy Monday!

 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and ready for the week ahead. I saw this and couldn't stop staring. The man has such intense eyes, they seem to pull you in.

 

I'm happy to report I'm now past the third chapter hell on two of my WIP's and should pick up the pace quite a bit now. Thank God!

 

I have also begun the arduous task of giving my website a redo and hope to have an unveiling on it very soon. I am really enjoying how it's coming together and will be announcing my new look through twitter and Facebook.

 

I'm also now on pintrest. Just search Shannan Albright and you will see me :)

 

In other news I'm waiting on edits and my book cover for Dark Hunter. It's a novella in my Dark Breed Enforcer world and should be getting it ready to go for a June release.

 

I'm also finishing up my second year as president of my local RWA chapter and looking back, am so very happy to have had the opportunity. My term, though at first was a bit chaotic, smoothed out and put me in a wonderful position to help others to get published.

 

With this behind me I will have more time to devote to writing and my dream. Hot Mojave Knights a reader event held here in Las Vegas. In an intimate setting to give authors and readers time play and talk books. Plus let's not forget the Knights all ready to do what it takes to get your favor and win the title of King of Mojave Knights. It promises to be a weekend to remember.

 

Well, that's all for this Monday, Have a great week and we will talk next Monday.