Road To RomCon with Alexandra Ivy + Giveaway

Meet Alexandra:

I’m not exactly sure when I fell in love with books. Probably on my mother’s knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me. I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library.

Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries? Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays. In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on.

Years later (no, I’m not admitting how many) I’m still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy.
For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold!

I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander. Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams. They are truly my heroes.

Connect with Alexandra: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Blog

Despite the fact that I’ve been published since 1998 (yikes that makes me feel old) I very rarely attended conferences. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy getting together with fellow writers and readers, but I live in a rather isolated area and I never belonged to a writers group. That meant I would have to travel across the country to attend the conference all on my lonesome. Not the easiest task for a person who feels much more comfortable in the role of hermit. And of course, like most women, I was a wife, a mother, a full-time employee, and writing in my spare time...the spare time being the middle of the night when everyone else was in bed. Just thinking about adding in a conference was exhausting.

Then last year I made a New Year’s Resolution that I would come out of my shell.

My first attempt was RWA in New York. I had a blast. What could be more fun than hundreds and hundreds of industrial professionals all gathered in Times Square? Still, while I enjoyed the book-signing and was fortune enough to have dinner with my agent and editor, it was more than a little overwhelming. I’m not the kind of person to push myself into a group of people who already know each other. Writers are some of the nicest, most generous people I’ve ever met, but I’m not comfortable just pushing into conversations. Besides, it was more focused on writers and publishing houses.

I knew that what I really wanted was the opportunity to meet fellow readers.

That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to attend RomCon. It’s exactly what I’ve been searching for. A chance to meet writers and readers in small gatherings. I love, love talking books and to know that whoever I’m with will be sharing my obsession is very exciting. Plus, there are plenty of activities to help break the ice

So I hope all of you are brushing off your tea-hats, packing your most comfortable shoes, and preparing for hours of fun and frivolity. And when you see me, please come up and say hi!

I’ll be looking for you!

Best,
Alexandra Ivy

Las Vegas

The Forum shops in Caesar’s Palace were a wonderland for any female, let alone one who’d spent the past thirty years secluded from the world.

Beneath the ceilings that were painted to resemble a blue sky, the elegant stores wound their way past fountains intended to give the image of being transported back to Roman days, although their glass display cases filled with the sort of temptation designed to make a modern woman drool.

With a wry smile, Caine stepped behind his dazzled companion to wrap his arms around her waist, tugging her back flat against his chest.

He could only wish Cassie would look at him with that same wistful longing, he ruefully acknowledged.

Or perhaps not, he swiftly corrected as his body hardened with a familiar, brutal need.

Since discovering Cassie being held prisoner in the cave of a demon lord weeks ago, Caine had done his best to play the role of Knight in Shining Armor.

Although possessing the natural strength of a pureblooded Were, Cassie had not only been altered in the womb not to shift, but she was as innocent as a babe and twice as vulnerable.

Add in the fact she was the first true prophet born in centuries, and currently being hunted by every demon loyal to the Dark Lord, and she was a disaster waiting to happen.

She desperately needed a protector.

And since Caine (once a mere cur) had died and been resurrected as a pureblooded Were in her arms, he’d assumed that protecting Cassie was the reason the fates had returned him to this world instead of leaving him to rot in his well-deserved hell.

Unfortunately, his miraculous return to life hadn’t included a sainthood and he remained a fully, functioning male with all the usual weaknesses.

Including a rampaging lust toward the tiny female currently wrapped in his arms.

As always completely impervious to his torment, Cassie breathed a soft sigh of wonder.

“Oh…”

“Cassie.”

“Cassie, listen to me.” Bending down, he spoke directly in her ear.

She tilted back her head to meet his narrowed gaze and Caine briefly forgot how to breathe.

Holy shit, but she was beautiful.

Her hair was pale, closer to silver than blond, and pulled into a pony tail that fell to her waist. Her skin was a perfect alabaster, smooth and silken. Her eyes were an astonishing green, the color of spring grass and flecked with gold.

Her face was heart-shaped with delicate features that gave her an air of fragility that was only emphasized by her slender body. Of course, beneath her jeans and casual sweatshirt, she possessed the lean muscles of all pureblooded Weres.

“What?” she prompted when he continued to gawk at her in mindless appreciation.

He sucked in a deep breath, savoring the warm scent of lavender that clung to her skin.

“You promised me that you would blend.”

She wiggled from his grasp and darted toward the nearest store to press her face against the window.

“Mmmm.”

Caine rolled his eyes. “I knew this was a mistake.”

“There’s so many,” she murmured as he moved to stand beside her. “How do you choose?”

“We’ll go into a store, pick out a few of your favorite clothes and try them on…”

“Okay.”

Excerpt from Fear The Darkness ©2012 by Alexandra Ivy

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FEAR THE DARKNESS:

Genre: Paranormal
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Zebra (August 28,2012)

Her visions lead her to danger
Beautiful Cassandra is a Were, a prophet both vulnerable and defiant, blessed with visions that portend the fate of the world. A rare and delicate creature, Cassie must be protected at all costs. Enter Caine, a powerful cur turned pureblooded Were whose recent tangles with a demon lord have left him in serious need of redemption. Caine is duty-bound to keep Cassie out of danger—and that means resisting his potent urge to seduce her...

And only he can save her
As Cassie’s mysterious visions lead them in and out of danger, Caine believes he has found his true mate, the woman with whom he is bound for all eternity. Cassie is both charmed and frightened by Caine’s magnetism, and unsure if he--or her feelings for him--can be trusted. But Cassie can’t afford to doubt Cain now. A deadly enemy bent on destruction is closer than they realize—and only they can keep chaos from ruling the world...

Pre-Order: Amazon(pb) | Kindle | B&N(pb) | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Meet the Guardians
Other Books in Series:

And now on to the giveaway...Alexandra is giving away one(1) ARC of Fear the Darkness and some fun swag to one(1) lucky reader. Here's how to get your hands on the goodies:

• Leave a meaningful comment for Alexandra about paranormal romance. If you're going to RomCon, what are YOU looking forward to?
• Fill out the rafflecopter form below. You must leave a comment. All other entries are optional.

Don't forget to check out the other giveaways during our Road To RomCon event here.

A huge thank you to Alexandra for stopping by the blog as well as donating the prizes. Excerpt is copyrighted by Alexandra Ivy. 

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