Spring Fling: A New-to-You Author

Spring is here! For those of you still coping with snow, rest assured that Spring arrived on March 20 at 12:57 P.M. EDT, even if it hasn't shown its fair face in your location yet.
Time for a spring fling! To a dedicated reader, that means books. What, you were expecting shopping for frilly, pastel Spring clothing and new shoes or packs of garden seeds? Hah! We readers have our priorities straight!

I participate in a group blog called Supernatural Underground.  We are a terrific group of authors who focus primarily on the paranormal genre. I'm pleased to be in such outstanding company! There are often giveaways on SU. I'm going to introduce all of us quickly, in alphabetical order. Click on our names to visit our web sites and follow us on Twitter with the links after our names. Get to know us better!

Amanda Arista (@pantherista) was born in Illinois, raised in Corpus Christi, lives in Dallas but her heart lies in London. Good thing she loves to travel. The summer of second grade, she read every book in the young adult section of the library. So she started making up her own stories and hasn’t stopped since. She writes the DIARIES OF AN URBAN PANTHER series.




Dakota Banks (@dakotabanks) writes the Mortal Path dark urban fantasies, paranormal thrillers with a splash of romance. With Ancient Sumerian mythology brought forward to the present, a three-hundred-year-old woman tries to redeem her soul by saving as many lives as she's taken. The third book in the series, DELIVERANCE, won the 2012 USA Best Book Award for Fantasy. As Shirley Kennett, she writes suspense thrillers in the PJ Gray series. As D.B. Ayers, she's published HONOR'S JOURNEY, a middle grade historical novel.

A.A. Bell (@ThePoetTrees) is the winner of the prestigious 2011 Norma K. Hemming Award for Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Themes (Race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, etc.) for her debut novel, DIAMOND EYES, and for her second, HINDSIGHT. She's the first to ever win the award twice. As Anita Bell, she writes children's books, and was the first author to win an International “CrimeStoppers Award" for a children's crime series. 

Merrie Destefano (@MerrieDestefano) writes edgy urban fantasy: Vampires and fairy tales, Bladerunner meets Jim Butcher. AFTERLIFE (where everyone gets nine lives) and FEAST (edgy urban romance) leave you wanting more. Her first book of short stories, WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT, is highly satisfying, and the title tells all.  She writes for Young Adults too, and can teach you how to draw fantasy characters.


Jocelynn Drake (@JocelynnDrake) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Days series and The Asylum Tales. When she’s not hammering away at her keyboard, frowning at her monitor, or curled up with a book, she can usually be found cuddling with her cats, Harley and Demona, walking her dog Max, or flinging curses at the TV while playing a video game.

Kim Falconer (@kimfalconer), a bestselling SF/Fantasy author, writes the Quantum Enchantment and Quantum Encryption series, epic stories that seamlessly mingle science and technology with sociology, environmentalism, philosophy, and magic. Astrology has been a part of her life for over 30 years and she teaches and consults in this field. Born in Santa Cruz, California, she lives and writes in the far eastern coast of Australia, sharing her dwelling with two black cats and a pair of Torresian crows. (!)

Leigh Fallon (@Leigh_Fallon) was born in South Africa, raised in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Cork in her 20s. Her debut paranormal romance in the Carrier series was discovered on Inkpop, a website for writers of teen fiction. Within weeks, book one of the in the series, CARRIER OF THE MARK, hit the coveted top five spot and was reviewed by an editor at HarperCollins. A few emails and some hysterical screaming later, she signed her first deal with HarperTeen. The second book in the trilogy is SHADOW OF THE MARK.

Jeaniene Frost (@Jeaniene_Frost) is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of vampire stories in the Night Huntress series, Night Prince series, and the upcoming Broken Destiny series. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to eighteen different countries. Jeaniene lives in North Carolina with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she swears like a sailor, rarely cooks, and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies with her husband, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling – by car.

Terri Garey (@TerriGarey) is the RITA^© award winning author of six novels, two series, and various novellas. Her devilishly delicious tales from the dark side have been described as "sweet yet smouldering" by Publishers Weekly, and "sultry and upbeat" by Library Journal. Despite her choice of spooky subject matter, Terri prefers to avoid graveyards, especially on Halloween.

Colleen Gleason (@colleengleason), a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, has written more than two dozen novels in a variety of genres  – most of them with some sort of supernatural element. From vampire hunters in Regency England to dystopian romance (as Joss Ware), Colleen has run the gamut. Her most recent release is ROARING MIDNIGHT, a spin-off of the internationally bestselling Gardella Vampire Chronicles, in which she brings the vampire-hunting family to Roaring Twenties Chicago.

Helen Lowe (@helenl0we) is a Fantasy/Science Fiction author, poet, interviewer and blogger. She won the prestigious Gemmell Morningstar Award for THE HEIR OF NIGHT, the first novel in her The Wall of Night epic fantasy series. THE GATHERING OF THE LOST, the second in the series, was described as a "a classic right up there with the likes of George RR Martin's A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE" by SF Site. Helen has twice won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Excellence in SciFi-Fantasy: for her YA novel THORNSPELL and for THE HEIR OF NIGHT.

Kristin Miller (@KM_Miller) is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes the dark and sexy Vampires of Crimson Bay series featuring a blood war between vampires and shape-shifters and the Seattle Wolf Pack series, with her latest release GONE WITH THE WOLF. In addition to paranormal romance, she also writes contemporary and  historical romance and romantic suspense.

Nicole Murphy (@nicole_r_murphy) has been a primary school teacher, bookstore owner, journalist and checkout chick. Her urban fantasy trilogy Dream of Asarlai's last book is ROGUE GADDA. As Elizabeth Dunk she writes contemporary romance. As a journalist, Nicole has won awards for her writing; she has also had more than two dozen short stories published, the most recent in BLOODSTONES, an anthology of urban fantasy. Nicole lives her love of science fiction and fantasy through her involvement with the Conflux science fiction conventions. As Elizabeth Dunk, she writes contemporary romance. She lives with her husband in Queanbeyan, NSW, Australia.

Pamela Palmer (@Pamela_Palmer) is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen novels including the Vamp City, Feral Warriors, and The Esri series. When Pamela's initial career goal of captaining star ships failed to pan out, she turned to engineering, satisfying her desire for adventure with books and daydreams until finally succumbing to the need to create worlds of her own. Pamela lives and writes in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Jaime Rush (@Jamierush) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden series about humans with the essence of gods who walk the knife’s edge between the glamour of Miami and a place filled with dark magick and dangerous beauty. She also writes the Offspring series: Dangerous outcasts with extraordinary psychic powers who must band together to fight an enemy out to destroy them. As Tina Wainscott, she has published eighteen romance novels, mostly suspense and many with a touch of paranormal.

Kerrelyn Sparks (@KerrelynSparks) is the bestselling author of the paranormal romance Love at Stake series, which has hit as high as number 5 on the New York Times list and 22 on the USA Today list. Her most recent release is THE VAMPIRE WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. She also writes historical romances. She lives in the Greater Houston area with her husband, children, and a house full of garlic.  So far, there are no vampires in her family. Werewolves are another matter entirely.

Wasn't that a blast?! You followed all of us on Twitter, right?  Right? You might find a New-to-You author among us who could turn into one of your favorites. Check us out!

Hugs,
Dakota