Welcome! Please note this site deals with adult themes.
This blog is the often amusing, sometimes dangerous den of two British writers of contemporary and paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. Most of our stories are based in the UK and our heroes and heroines are passionate Brits - yes, passionate Brits exist! Come on in out of the cold, pull up a chair and see for yourself...

Friday 30 November 2012

Newly published: Releasing The Wolf


EBOOK
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/259714
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Releasing-The-Wolf-Storm-ebook/dp/B00AEXUFJ4
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Releasing-The-Wolf-Storm-ebook/dp/B00AEXUFJ4
Coming into other stores in a few weeks.


PAPERBACK
Amazon US: (pending...5th Dec)
Amazon UK: (pending...5th Dec)
Createspace: (pending...1st Dec)

Also available in Amazon international stores.

Enjoy! x

Monday 26 November 2012

Juggling

I'm not the type of writer who can juggle projects, and the reason for that being that when my attention is torn between so many stories I find it hard to sit down and get them finished. Naturally, when you start writing a story you want to follow it through from the beginning and right to the end. If you have more then one project, which means a variety of characters, and different plots . . . well, it's going to get confusing, isn't it? Characters might start sounding the same, which you can't have. Plots may collide and get ruined . . . Juggling isn't the best idea, or at least it isn't for me.

In saying that I am very envious of the writers who are able to juggle projects. In reading interviews and talking to these writers I have heard them say the same thing "it keeps their minds active and ideas fresh."

Envious. Envious. Envious.

I find myself on a daily basis comparing myself to other writers. I wonder why writing comes so easy to them when I go through phases where I am so stuck I want to bang my head against a wall. In these moments I often find it shocking that I have managed to complete eight books. At least the fact that I have is a sign that I will get out of these phases, eventually.

I don't know how other writers deal with dry patches, which is what I am having, because I refuse to say it is writers block. I know for a fact it isn't that. I want to write. I'm itching to, but at the current moment I find myself torn between which project I should work on. And isn't that just ridiculous? I'm torn between which of my projects to work on. You would think it would be easy, but for some reason it isn't. I suppose the fact that I am a panster, and a very bad one at that, doesn't help.

So, I thought to myself if I'm going to be torn anyway, and at the moment little to no writing has happened due to this - and the fact that I was playing catch-up, but I finally have a handle on that - why the heck shouldn't I juggle projects? Why shouldn't I do a little work on each of them each week until either one of them grabs me by the throat and demands I write, or I end up finishing a couple of stories at once. Either way I will be writing and finishing some new material, which I really want to do, because despite the fact I am finding it difficult to settle on the projects my muse is still showing me new story ideas. Great ideas that I would love to work on, but can't since I have books to write that are a priority at the moment.

My muse is a pain in the ass. Not that I'm complaining, because it is better to have ideas, write them down, and save them for later, than to never have any. It's just my typical luck that she wants to feed me when I am full.

Well, wish me luck. I have no idea if this is going to work for me, but I have to try something.

How do you cope when you have patches where you're either a) stuck with a story, b) can't write for a particular reason, or c) basically kicking yourself because compared to other authors you're rather rubbish?

Thursday 22 November 2012

Why did I write about werewolves?

It's quite simple really: I wanted to write a series where the focus is on the struggle between the body and the mind; the physical self and the emotional self; where dreams and wishes can become overpowered by more basic wants and desires, and where the morality of these dualities become blurred.

The werewolf encompasses the above beautifully in my mind. It's a creature that can illicit sorrow and tenderness, but also viciousness and primal need. To some extent, I suppose the vampire does, too, but I have always seen werewolves as more carnal in nature because of their animal side. They are more "earthed" and less mystical in this sense. Whereas the vampire has a certain ethereal quality, the werewolf does not - its more rough, raw and rugged - more crude.

The above ideas and thoughts are what drove the creation of my new adult paranormal fantasy series Eye Of The Storm. The first book, Releasing The Wolf, is out on 30th November. Do join my Facebook page for daily quotes from the book, over the next week :)


Monday 19 November 2012

Feature: Stepping Stones

It's been a rather hectic fortnight. I've been taking care of my mother who has had a really bad flu, which I am trying to not catch by taking tons of paracetamol, garlic pearls, and throat sweets. So far so good.

Five days after the release of my dark erotic paranormal f/f short, "On the Rocks," my sweet contemporary romance novel, "Stepping Stones," was released. I'm sure you remember me mentioning it a few weeks ago. This is the first sweet novel I have ever written. It's family orientated, and all about regrets and second chances etc. Plus the story takes place at Christmas, so it is sure to get you in the festive mood. :-)

As you can imagine I have spent every spare second whipping up promo, and my mind is now idiotically empty. So, I thought I would leave you with a nice long excerpt from "Stepping Stones." Something to make your Monday seem a little brighter.


Stepping Stones

BLURB:

There's nothing like a wedding to bring the family together . . . .

And if it wasn't her baby sister’s wedding, Margaret West, wouldn't be returning home at all.
Why else would she go back after six years knowing full well that she has people to face, and explanations to give?

If her parent’s interrogation wasn't bad enough, the fact that she has to be civil to her foster brother, Adrian, is. Best friends since childhood, they haven't spoken since he went to America . . . The day before Margaret was supposed to be getting married.

And to make matters worse, her ex-fiancĂ©e, William, is the Vicar who will be conducting her sister’s wedding ceremony!
All want an answer from her, and they aren't taking no as one of them. Why did she run in the first place? Why has she been so angry with, Adrian? Why didn't she marry, William?
Margaret isn't even sure she knows the real reasons any more.


~ * ~
EXCERPT:
Chapter One

December 9, 2013
Several months ago, Jessica—my younger sister—called to announce that she and Edward finally set a date, and she wanted me to design and make her wedding dress. I had promised her that I would when her big day came; so I had to keep my promise.
That seemed like the simple part.
Then she informed me that she wanted me to be her maid of honour; I hadn't been expecting that piece of information.
I tried to coax her into changing her mind and giving the honour to her best friend Stacie, but being a sweet and determined young woman, Jess managed to make me agree. Any other sister would be thrilled by such a requested; for some reason, the honour didn't thrill me.
My sister's impending marriage to Edward made me happy, but the thought of trying to excuse myself from the wedding, well, the idea slammed against the walls of my brain more than a few times over the last four months, and, I'm ashamed to add, repeatedly. But I couldn't do that. Not to Jess, not my baby sister, and not on her special day. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I couldn't. I would never forgive myself.
So why do I have an overpowering urge to fling open the train door and jump?
I watched the passing scenery blend together, turning into nothing more than flying colours as the train to Penzance took me farther away from the hustle and bustle of my busy London life. With each second, I felt my heart sinking lower and lower into my stomach as the carriage gently rocked from side to side.
Survive two days, and then go home. Back to my routine, my life; far away from the end of the world.
I closed my eyes and rested my head back against the seat, holding back the tears.
What kind of a sister am I? It’s bad enough that I’ve delayed coming until two days before the wedding. Now I want to cry like a silly child, just because I have to go somewhere I don’t want to go.
I took a deep breath and looked out of the window. "Stop being stupid." I mumbled to myself, grateful for the empty seats nearby.
The sun crept downward, trying to hide its face behind the passing hills. Hiding the way I wanted to; the way I had been.
Not yet 4:00 p.m. yet, and the sun had almost vanished. Typical of Jess to want to get married in winter.
"The magic of Christmas." She laughed down the phone when she told me the wedding would be in December; my sister, the young romantic.
Early today, my mother phoned and demanded I stay in my family home instead of going to a hotel. Reluctantly, I agreed. In all honesty, I actually missed her, and my father, even though I knew he wouldn't keep his mouth shut for the duration of my visit. He would probably guilt trip me into going back for Christmas.
I looked forward to a long and uncomfortable few days.
And no one to blame but myself.

* * * * *

Thursday 15 November 2012

A little bit about Releasing The Wolf (and an excerpt)

I didn't post last week, and to be honest, it's been a hell of a week! Apologies for that.

So I'm keeping this post fairly short and I'm going to talk up my upcoming novella, Releasing The Wolf (Eye Of The Storm #1).

It will hopefully be published on 18th December in eBook format.

Now, if you're expecting your soulmate-type, true love kind of werewolf story, forget it. Yes, there are elements of that in this new series of mine, but that's not the focus of the series and it's not completely where I'm going with my werewolves.

The Eye Of The Storm series has a strong romantic undertone, but it's not about romance. It's about a werewolf mythology, friendships, humanity, biology and the struggle between the heart and body. And yes, there's a lot of growling in it, and a lot of sex in it... we're talking werewolves here ;)

Also, this is the first book (novella length at just over 30,000 words) of a series, so obviously all questions are not going to be answered. This first book will set the scene for all to come. As per my writing style, this is a fast-paced book.

Here's a little taster (probably the last one I'll post before publication) to whet your appetites - enjoy :)


Excerpt, copyright Dianna Hardy, 2012, all rights reserved. This excerpt may be subject to editing or deletion before publication.

Bad things always happen when you let your guard down – she’d learnt that early on in life. It was very rare for her to let her guard slip, but tonight – as she began to enjoy the hustle and bustle of her job – she had.
So the scent completely took her by surprise.
She stiffened, pen in hand, mid-order, as that smell raced through her mind as well as her body, awaking some primal desire. That smell of ‘green’.
Taylor.
She turned towards it, eyes scanning for him, but it wasn't Taylor they landed on.
All at once she could tell that his smell was a little different, although no less intoxicating. The man that sat where Taylor should be was tall, well-built – even through his jacket she could see that – with flaxen blond hair that fell to his shoulders and the palest blue eyes she’d ever seen.
And he was staring at her, his expression nothing short of icy.
Her legs sort of trembled. No, her entire body trembled, and she just about managed to ignore the nonsensical urge she had to drop to her knees. But she couldn't ignore the heat that rose up from within her. It seemed to centre on her neck, and she suddenly felt like she was being strangled by her own hot flush. Without thinking, she undid the top button of her blouse and tilted her head up to expose her neck to the cooling air, and she did it all without dropping her gaze from his.
His eyebrows rose a fraction, and his eyes softened for a millisecond before resuming their iciness. That millisecond was enough – she’d done something right. She didn't know what it was, but for the first time in a long time, she had done something right.


Add the book to your shelf on Goodreads!

Monday 12 November 2012

Questions for a character interview

So, I'm a little stuck for a topic at the moment. The guest posts I was talking about for "On the Rocks" take place this week, so I don't have any link to share with you yet.

I could opt to talk about my new sweet contemporary release, but I have already written a post over at my own blog and would end up repeating myself due to tiredness. So, if you're interested in learning about that book, just click here.

The only thing that leaves me with is asking you if you would be interested in asking my leading ladies from "On the Rocks" - Meghan and Zenzie - a question or two?

I am holding a character interview in a week for these two and am in the process of putting together a list of questions. Naturally, if you have had the chance to read "On The Rocks" then you may have a very specific question you would like to ask, but if you haven't that doesn't matter, because you can ask them anything at all. They're not shy, believe me.

So, if there is anything amusing or personal you can think of to ask either of these ladies, feel free to leave it in a comment to this post and I will add it to the list! :-D

~ * ~


On The Rocks
(The Edge Erotica Series)

BLURB:

On the Rocks is the hottest club on South Padre Island, and Meghan’s new workplace.

If the warped mermaid uniform isn’t enough, the fact that she can’t stop thinking about the club’s singer, Zenzie, is. Everything about the female gets Meghan hot, but when she finally gets her shot with the temptress, it turns out Zenzie isn’t as perfect, or as human, as Meghan thought. 


~ * ~

EXCERPT:

Her warm breath skated down my neck causing a shiver to curl around my spine. She straightened then slid her hands through my hair. My eyelids fluttered at the feel of her fingertips stroking over my temples and along my hairline.
“I saw you watching us.”
I stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“Do you like watching?” She retrieved a few items from the vanity table, twisted two sections of my hair, and pushed the hair clips into place. “It’s all right. You can tell me, Meghan.”
My body tightened at the husky way she said my name. The knot between my legs pulsed under her piercing stare. I had no idea how, or even why she managed to get under my skin, but God, I wanted her.
“I’m not a pervert or anything.”
“I know you’re not.” She slid a chain of small red flowers into the black mass of my hair.
“I just heard a noise. I guess my curiosity got the best of me.” I shifted on my seat. “I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be. I liked you watching.”
My nails dug into my knees as her hands moved down my throat. Her skin like satin—her touch, soft. She ran her fingertips over the top of my breasts.
“I would have asked you to join us, if you hadn’t run.” Her gaze caught mine again while she slid her hand inside my skin-tone bra. “Will you run now, or will you do what we both know you want to do?”

Monday 5 November 2012

On The Rocks

As you might know my dark paranormal erotic f/f short, "On The Rocks," was released last Friday. I don't know about other authors, but when I have a release I have a tendency to be on Amazon and other such sites checking for ranking and reviews and all sorts of stuff.

I was thrilled to find that on Friday evening "On The Rocks" was listed as number #100 in "books" > "Gay & Lesbian" > Literature > Fiction > Lesbian

It wasn't at that spot for long, but the fact that it was means the world to me. It's the first time any of my books have ever been in the hundred category let alone the top 100. So super awesome!

It has also received a silver star from All Romance Ebooks and has been listed as one of the best selling Lesbian titled.

Needless to say I am super thrilled. So, thank you so much to anyone who has purchased this little number, or who is thinking about buying it. I loved writing this story so I hope you enjoy reading it.

On that note, if you are interested in getting your hands on a copy you can head on over to "The Edge" blog and leave me a comment. On Nov 8th I will be picking one lucky commenter with the help of random.org and giving them a copy of "On The Rocks." You still have four days left to enter, so if you're interested just hop on over. - http://thedecadentedge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/theres-first-time-for-everything.html?showComment=1352156936480#c4714042143309469690

Over the next two weeks I'm going to be hanging out a couple authors threads talking about both "On The Rocks" and my next release "Stepping Stones," which is due out tomorrow.

I will be sure to keep you informed as I will be giving a couple of copies of both books away. Plus, Meghan and Zenzie, the leading ladies from "On The Rocks" will be getting interviewed, which should be fun. So, if you have any crazy questions you can think of, please feel free to leave a comment and I will make sure the ladies get the chance to answer you.

Hope you've had a great Monday!

Friday 2 November 2012

An update on current happenings.

So much has happened in a short space of time that I thought I'd do a quick update here on this blog for my Thursday post, and I promise to think of an actual subject for next week!

1. The Witching Pen is FREE to download at the moment across retail sites. It's free until at least the 8th November, but depending on the feedback I get, I may keep it free until the end of the year. I've never offered an entire book free before - a short story, yes - but not a whole book, so this is a bit of an experiment. I have to say that at the moment, the feedback is wonderful :D Here are the download links:
2. I've redesigned my website :D Always fun!!! If you've read The Witching Pen series and watched the trailer for The Last Dragon, you'll know who that couple represent in the header ;)

You can view my site HERE and while you're there, I'll add that I've updated my FAQ page. I've added what is hopefully a useful "Will I Like Your Book?" answer, among other things, but I may as well paste it here - it's a hint at my writing style for anyone who isn't familiar with it:

ANSWER
I have no friggin' idea! I find it impossible to know who will like my books and who will not. My books tend to be a lot lighter in tone than people expect, and they can find that weird because I touch on very dark, sometimes taboo, subjects. From what little I can gather, those that like my work most tend to be those that love fast-paced stories that "feel a bit YA" in writing style, although please don't take that as read - you may still not like it, and the guy down the road with a Masters in Biochemistry may love it. Who knows. Reading is subjective.

Avid romance readers should take note of this: I don't write to a formula. There are no rules. My books contain multiple characters and each book is not just dedicated to one hero and heroine, and the "happy" may not happen until the very end of the series. The romance may also not be seen as "traditional". Please consider yourselves forewarned ;)

Oh, and my books are not recommended for those under 18.

3. I'm hosting a giveaway right now for a bunch of SWAG and a signed Demon Bride paperback. It's on Facebook and you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=464195380285720&set=a.321274827911110.72074.144058758966052&type=1&theater

4. Lastly, I'm 71% into writing Releasing The Wolf... and still going ;)

Hope you all had a great Samhain / Halloween!

Dianna xx