HAPPY HALLOWEEN - GUEST BLOG Wednesday

First, let me shout out a big thanks to Kerensa for inviting me to blog today and giving me the chance to chat a bit about my upcoming book -

So here’s how this went down--Kerensa invited me to blog on Halloween and I said yes because Kerensa is super-duper nice and she works for my agent who’s also uber nice. She mentioned blogging about funny paranormals and Halloween and I said okay. Yep, yep, yep—can do.

Like I’m all an expert on funny paranormals.
Or not—because I’m really not, but thinking things through and I are strange bedfellows.
Then I looked at this page for like evah.
Blankly.

Kerensa also mentioned blogging would be good promotion for my books coming out in February and July of 2008 (THE ACCIDENTAL WEREWORLF and ACCIDENTALLY DEAD respectively) and then I thought, sweet mother, I truly blow at promo. Anyone who knows me personally knows I’d much rather have my nose hairs yanked out follicle by follicle than promo my books. I’m shy like that. I’d promo yours in a minute, though J. I mean, I’m just sayin’ on the off chance you’re looking for good, reliable help…
Anyway, I beg of you, bear with me. I’m going to try and promo about my two books coming out on February 5th and in July 2008 (The Accidental Werewolf. Feb 5th 2008. Accidentally Dead July 2008. Berkley Sensation) with finesse and style. Curtsy. Ahem…

Anyhoodles, like I said, I was blank as to what to blog about besides promoting my book, but then my friend Renee made a comment to me about the popularity of paranormal romances and how funny it is that a were-anything, coupled with a vampire, a demon, a witch or a warlock just ain’t so scary anymore. Now they’re all romantic and mysterious.

Vampires and werewolves were once freaky-deaky creatures—not dudes you wanted to ya know, boink—let alone do anything else with, but run in fear from. Back when I began reading romances (when I was 20—just last year, I swear), they didn’t have this kind of stuff. We had sheiks and princes and really rich dudes with private jets who needed nannies to care for their children while they lusted after the heroine. Not to mention, when I was a kid, my Prince Charming totally didn’t have fangs or more hair than a yeti. He wasn’t the leader of some werewolf pack, he didn’t drink O neg (gak) and having a tail was soooo off the heinous charts. I can remember when I didn’t even like facial hair let alone a hunk that looked like my German shepherd.

But nowadays, we dig a hot alpha—or even beta werewolf (To read more about why, read--The Accidental Werewolf. Feb 5th 2008. Accidentally Dead July 2008. Berkley Sensation)/vampire/demon/warlock.

Do you ever wonder what led you to even pick up a book starring a guy who drank blood or a hero that howls at the moon? Do you remember when you feared those creatures and lusting for one was a mondo, resounding “Um, hell, no?”

That’s so not the case anymore. The first batch of books I read about vampires and werewolves were very serious takes on this alternative to mortality. Awesome books, no doubt, but I felt kinda bad for all the wandering around the heroes and heroines did, wishing they could be mortal again, fearing their paranormal nature and despising their magical abilities. I don’t know about you, but I thought it’d be the shiz to be immortal. That’s what made me think—what if?

And for real, that’s always where my trouble in life begins…

So I wondered, what if you were a vampire and you were allergic to blood? Or what if you were a narcoleptic vampire and you fell asleep on a park bench only to be presumed dead and end up in the local morgue as John Doe? What if you were a werewolf and during a shift you found yourself caught by the local pound, landed in a cage at the local ASPCA and were labeled a stray dog?

Or what if a werewolf or a vampire accidentally bit a human and turned them into a paranormal creature merely by mistake? (For more info on said predicament read--The Accidental Werewolf. Feb 5th 2008. Accidentally Dead July2008. Berkley Sensation!)
Not only is that a major “oops, my bad” on the part of the biter (my hero Keegan), but imagine being the bite-ee (my heroine Marty). I mean, Marty—a multi- level cosmetics saleswoman (think a lot like Mary Kay—radically into color wheels of life and your aura’s palette) is all innocently walking her teacup poodle, Muffin—who’s a territorial beast and clearly just doesn’t get that she’s like destined to be meat when she attacks another, much bigger dog (As told in--The Accidental Werewolf. February 5th 2008. Berkley Sensation), latches onto the animal she thinks is a threat to her beloved mistress and while Marty tries to pry her precious ball of fluff off the other alleged dog, she’s bitten.

Word.

Then that led me to wonder what would happen to my heroine if some freaky changes began occurring to her as a result of the bite. Like, what if you were a devout vegan and all of a sudden sinking your teeth into a nice plate of steak tar-tar became your sole mission What if your body went to war with itself after being gnawed and because your chemistry is all wonked out, you need a vat of wax to thwart the hair growth on your legs—or your once very expensive Tapioca Pudding highlighted blonde tresses darken by the day? What if you find yourself getting a good freak on over the smallest of issues when you used to be so downright easygoing?

And as if that isn’t enough—think about the dude in this scenario. Keegan, my hero, didn’t mean to bite Marty. It really was an accident. So, how do you go about explaining to this chick—while looking her in the eye in your human form—you’re the dog that bit her? How do you convince someone you’re not a dog but a werewolf (Find out in--The Accidental Werewolf. Feb 5th 2008. Berkley Sensation) and now because of you, she is too?

Uh-huh. A conundrum, fo sho.

Ah, but then, what if the dog, er, werewolf, er, guy that bit you was hawt, hawt, hawt? What do you do if this hawt, hawt shapeshifter wants to teach you how to be a werewolf because he feels responsible for your predicament?
What if you find out at the least convenient moment that well, okay, maybe you are a werewolf because you’ve partially shifted and a wee something (To find out what wee something read-- The Accidental Werewolf. Feb 5th 2008. Berkley Sensation) is the only thing on your body that cooperated and now, to add to your newly acquired bucket o’ crap, someone’s trying to kidnap you?

Thus, in my whacked, “what if” filled mind The Accidental Werewolf (sigh—tired of me yet?—February 5th 2008. Berkley Sensation) was born. Caaa-razy, right?

And believe it or not, my agent, who so totally has the most awesome sense of humor said, “Yeah, okay! Let’s do this!” She even said it with like excitement in her tone… Well, it was in email, but the tone of her email was excited. I swear. I know, I did the same thing you’re doing right now. You’re all sitting there going, well, huh. Who, I ask you, who’d buy a book like this?

Well, someone did (thankyouthankyouthankyou!)—which leads me to believe we all need a little zany in our lives—or therapy—perhaps a six-pack. There’s nothing too angsty—nothing too stressful. Just some fluffy fun—strictly a cotton candy read, howl at the moon style.
And I do hope that’s what you’ll find if you pick up The Accidental Werewolf and Accidentally Dead in February and July of 2008 from Berkley Sensation.

I mean like I’m really hoping… desperately even—or does that lack class and integrity to share that in a public forum? Probably, but this could be why I stink at promo, eh? Tee hee.

So a big thank you to anyone who pops in today and most importantly, won’t you join the world of the accidentally bitten and my heroines, Marty and Nina in February and July of 2008 for The Accidental Werewolf and Accidentally Dead—we’d so love to share a good giggle with ya!

Dakota J