This Week: In Diana's Head

The aftermath of Authors After Dark

Okay, I've made a few realizations. One, Kodak will never make a fortune off of me. I'm not a camera junkie. I took like two pictures and both are too dark to see. Second, I love meeting other authors and readers. I went total *squee**fan girl* over a few (you know who you are). Third, I'm going to make this my annual Get The Hell Out Of Dodge trip. Seriously. It was a fast weekend, but it was sooo much fun. So expect to see me again next year, because I'm going to be there.

There are some awesome photo albums out there already. One can be found on Kim's FB page, here, and they're all tagged too. She did a great job getting a bunch of us. Let me see if I can name everyone I got to meet for the first time.... *deep breath*

Joey Hill

Rosemary Laurey

Sunny

Jennifer Armintrout

Cat Johnson

Mima

Tilly Greene

Selena Illyria

Samantha Sommersby

Eliza Gayle

Judi Fennell

Stephanie Julian

Leigh Ellwood

Kayleigh Jamison

Teresa Noelle Roberts

Stella and Audra Price (and the happy ninja! LOL!)

Jacquelyn Frank

Mechele Armstrong

Jo Lynne Valerie

I also got to reconnect with Cathy Clamp of 'Sazi fame. :) My roomie was Linda Mooney, and all three of us are Texas gals! Now there was some southern fun!

Now don't you wish you could've been there? Guess what? We're doing it again next year! It'll be bigger and better and so much fun! You know you want to do it. So start planning now.

Why? Well here's the real reason: It's a chance to escape! Seriously, it was the first weekend I've had to myself in two years. I got to leave it all behind for a few days and I'm already ready to do it again. The food was awesome! There was a great party Saturday night and some really awesome panels (I did three). There were prizes galore, books, baskets, bags, candles, bath sets, stuffed animals, perfumes, chocolate, jewelry... And this was all to win or be drawn for door prizes!!! There were a ton of free books and the bookstore, which I was a total bad girl at. AND it's so much cheaper than just about anything and everything else out there.

So start planning on it (tentative dates are late September 2010, Thurs-Sun. See? It was so much fun we're adding a day!!). I'm going to be there. Are you?

Thursday Book Review: Ecstasy by Jacquelyn Frank

 

Among the Shadow dwellers, Trace holds power that some are willing to kill for. Without a stranger's aid, one rival would surely have succeeded, but Trace's brush with death is less surprising to him than his reaction to the beautiful, fragile human who heals him. By rights, Trace should hardly even register Ashla's existence within the realms of Shadow scape, but instead he is drawn to everything about her - her innocence, her courage, and her lush, sensual heat.

After a terrifying car crash, Ashla Townsend wakes up to find that the bustling New York she knew is now eerie and desolate. Just when she's convinced she's alone, Ashla is confronted by a dark warrior who draws her deeper into a world she never knew existed. The bond between Ashla and Trace is a mystery to both, but searching for answers will mean confronting long-hidden secrets, and uncovering a threat that could destroy everything Trace holds precious.

 

A new branch in the Nightwalker tales, Ecstasy is the first book of the anticipated Shadowdwellers, a race of nighttime living "people". Not human, they do share some essential characteristics. With the exception of a high intolerance to any kind of light, they look the same, and in general act the same, but live within their own society and world, much as the other Nightwalker races do.

I was sucked right into the intrigue of the storyline. Trace is a formidable character, encompassing so many of the characteristics that I enjoy in an Alpha male. Ashla was strength personified in a wrapper no one expected. I think that was the best part of her.

Unfortunately the external conflict, the strife striking the society and their government, was left wide open, but it feeds right into the following planned sequels, which I am now all to eagerly looking forward to.