Erin Quinn and cover model Jimmy Thomas

This picture was taken at AZ Dreamin' Readers event--an event that was more fun than I can describe.  If you're a reader and you want to meet authors, participate in some fun activities and talk about our favorite topic--BOOKS--then you should really try to come next year.  I will post more on this later, but for now, wanted to share the picture.  (and yes, all those muscles are real and every bit as rock hard as I have described them in books, lol).

Jimmy was nice enough to agree to the pictures with AZ Dreamin' participants and to donate all proceeds to charity.  (of course I was so flustered after the picture, I forgot what charity the proceeds went to--but suffice to say someone benefited, ha ha)

Another great moment caught on film--me, Sylvia Day and Cindy Gerard at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver Colorado this past weekend for RomCon--another great reader's event that was such a blast.

Welcome author Julia Rachel Barnett

Recently I was a finalist in the paranormal catagory of the Booksellers Best contest (and I won!!!) which was very exciting.  I was so thrilled by it all, that I started reading some of the other finalists in both paranormal and historical which are my favorite categories.  Almost as thrilling as being one of the final few in this contest, was the great new authors I discovered.  I absolutely LOVE discovering new authors--although sometimes I don't manage to discover them until late in their careers, lol. 

One of the first books from Booksellers Best that I read blew me away.  Titled CAPTURED by Julia Rachel Barnett, it's a fast-paced science fiction story that shouldn't have been my cup of tea (because I don't read much science fiction) but it totally was.  The heroine is so tough and likeable, and the hero such a great man who changes so much.  I really thought it was great.  No surprise, this book won the Best First Book category in the contest!

I ask Julia to stop by and blog with me and I was thrilled when she agreed.  So, without further ado, I welcome Julia Rachel Barnett to Quinn's Essentials!  Be sure to leave a comment because Julia is giving away an autographed copy of Captured to one lucky commenter!

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Captured

When Erin read my science fiction novella, Captured, and invited me to write a guest post for her blog, I was thrilled, humbled, excited and nervous - she is so far out of my league. But, how could I turn down such a generous offer to talk about Captured?

This book is such a big part of me. I am in love with the story and the two main characters, Mari and Ekkatt. The truth is, the book began as a dream. It may sound odd, but while I was in the middle of working on a four-book science fiction series, I dreamed Captured from start to finish. I stopped the series and wrote Captured in three weeks. It wasn’t all that hard, I simply recorded the dream, conversations and all. Thus Ekkatt and Mari sort of sprang from the top of my head fully-formed like a fantasy Athena.

The novella is a bit of a morality play. Mari is a woman captured for the meat market by trappers from advanced species, a species that officially considers us to be at the same evolutionary level as apes. While Ekkatt’s people, the Atun, are vegetarians, many other species in his quadrant of the galaxy have developed a taste for human flesh and the trade is quite lucrative. Humans are an oddity, a curiosity. The species populating the planets Ekkatt is familiar with are singular. For example, all Ekkatt’s people have black hair, bronze skin and yellow eyes, while we come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. He notices Mari because he is attracted by the sun shining off her red hair.

When Mari wakes from stasis during the voyage and Ekkatt has the opportunity to interact with her, he gradually comes to the disturbing realization that everything he’s been taught about humans is a lie. While humans may not be as technologically advanced as the Atun, they are every bit as intelligent and civilized, and most important, they possess a soul, the one thing the religious authorities of Atun insist a human does not possess.

Once Ekkatt’s eyes are opened, he cannot close them again and he is rocked by what he’s done; he’s sent sentient beings to their deaths. His entire world view is upended. Overwhelmed by guilt, he decides that although he cannot save all the cargo, he will risk everything to save this one human woman.

Thus begins the impossible love story of Mari and Ekkatt. I think it’s a beautiful tale. If a reader asked me to recommend only one of my books, I would recommend Captured.

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A word from your sponsor (Erin):  Sounds great, right?  It is.  And if you want to know more about Julia's books, here is the blurb from her next novel, INCORPOREAL.

Sara Wise is sick of ghosts. They’ve haunted her since she was a child, destroying her family, endangering her life. When an incorporeal being appears in her shower, she curses him soundly and orders him out, but this ghost is sticky. Not only does he invade her shower, he moves into her home, invading her dreams, sharing her bed. The reluctant Sara finds herself falling in love with a dead man.

Despite Sara’s objections, Natan de Manua isn’t permitted to leave. Protecting the woman is both his penance and his means to redemption. She’s not easy to protect, she fights him nearly every step of the way, except in her bed. Nathan may have come to regain his soul, but instead he risks losing his heart.

You can find more about Julia at:  http://juliarachelbarrett.net/

To purchase Incorpreal: http://amzn.to/mTvA1j


To purchase Captured:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/htzG6t

Siren: http://www.bookstrand.com/captured





Romance novel convention comes to Denver

This weekend I was at RomCon in Denver, Colorado. I got to meet so many new readers and it was a wonderful experience. Fox 31 in Denver covered the conference and if you watch closely, you'll see that I made a cameo. :)

Romance novel convention comes to Denver

New release I just have to shout about! Kathryne Kennedy's The Lady of the Storm

Kathryne Kennedy is one of my favorite authors.  Her stories are so rich in imagination and romance that I always fall in love with her people and her world.  I've been lucky enough to be a pre-reader for the last few of her books and now that THE LADY OF THE STORM is coming out, I can't wait to read it again.  Read more or what the video (below)!

One lucky commenter will get a copy of The Lady of the Storm so be sure to say hi!
THE LADY OF THE STORM BY KATHRYNE KENNEDY—IN STORES AUGUST 2011


Giles is bound to protect her...

In a kingdom viciously ruled by warlike elven lords, village blacksmith Giles Beaumont reluctantly swears to protect the half-elf, half-human Cecily Sutton, never dreaming that he will fall under her enchanting spell.

But duty soon turns to desire...

When Cecily's father disappears, Cecily and Giles set out to find him. But, as their journey unfolds, duty is quickly replaced by desire—and the search for Cecily's father leads to a magical destiny that could end the rule of the elven lords forever...

“Fantastical creatures, magical spells, lengthy quests, angst, and passion will satisfy readers looking for a romance plot in a well-developed fantasy setting."~Publishers Weekly

“Kennedy’s exquisite world building and terrific plotting make this a must-read.”~Booklist STARRED review Amazon

You will find THE LADY OF THE STORM on sale at all your local bookstores or buy at:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Borders
BooksAMillion
Chapters/Indigo
Kathryne’s Bookseller Directory

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathryne Kennedy is an acclaimed, best-selling, award-winning author of magical romances. She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at www.kathrynekennedy.com. She’s lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S., and currently lives with her wonderful family in Arizona, where she is working on the next book in The Elven Lords series, The Lord of Illusion (February 2012).

Haunting Desire--Recommended Read....

It's always exciting when a reader "gets" your books.  It's just as thrilling when that reader is also a reviewer.  Just in on Two Lips Reviews, a top rating Recommended Read.  A snippet of what she had to say:

"Haunting Desire by Erin Quinn is a passionate love story set within a complex backdrop of vividly described scenery and horrifying monsters. This is truly a unique and compelling read that sucked me in from the start and didn’t let go until the incredible ending......Tiarnan makes the ideal hero with a mix of strength and vulnerability. And Shealy is his perfect heroine with her determination and force of will that refuses to see failure as an option. Ms. Quinn weaves an unforgettable tale that will leave you yearning for more. An absolute must-read!"

Gotta love that!

Digital Digest: Interview with Erin Quinn

I'm talking about writing and other stuff over at Digital Digest. Come on by and say hi! Leave me a comment and I'll enter you for an autographed book!

Digital Digest: Interview with Erin Quinn: "I nterview with Erin Quinn Author of The Mist of Ireland Series By Shannan Albright I want to thank you Erin for taking the time out of yo..."

And the winner is....

Congratulations to LeAnne of Birch River West Virginia.  LeAnne has won my Thank You to My Readers prize pack with books, Mists of Ireland swag and a bookstore giftcard!  Want to learn about events like this so you can enter?  Sign up for my newsletter