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Authors, if you have an article idea for the FAR newsletter, email us.

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Email either Jaymi or JoAnn for details.

To check out new releases and upcoming books, don't forget to visit our NR by Month pages.

If you would like to donate to our newsletter prize pack, send us an email.

Authors, if you would like to set up an author day or donate for Monday Mania or Freaky Friday, please email Cindy.

On the FAR Blog we have Way Back Wednesday! Stop by and check out the books you might be missing from your favorite authors!

We'd like to welcome Heather to the FAR staff!




~ Upcoming Chats ~

All chats are @ 9 PM EST, unless otherwise noted.

04/02/09 - Samhain Publishing

~~ eBook to be given away.

04/07/09 - Lorie O'Clare

~~ eBooks to be given away.

04/10/09 - Delilah Devlin with guest author

~~ Prize to be given away.

04/17/09 - Phaze

~~ eBooks to be given away.

04/26/09 - Delilah Devlin, Myla Jackson and Shayla Kersten

~~ Prize to be given away.

~ FAR Blog ~

Join Cindy at the FAR Blog for Monday Mania, Freaky Friday and Way Back Wednesday's!

04/27/09 ~ Maria Zannini

~ Quirky Question of the Month ~

Did Noah have woodpeckers on the ark? If he did, where did he keep them?
In wood boxers? ~ Sahara Kelly

Nope, they were birds, and the birds could fly so he left them on their own. ~ Sasha White

The steel isolation chamber. Along with the termites. ~ Mechele Armstrong

With the termites. ~ Lucinda Betts

Far away from Mr. and Mrs. Woody the Owl. ~ Jackie Kessler

Yes, but only two! He left them loose in the ark and charged them with making sure all the other animals had sufficient air movement. If any of the critters were feeling oxygen deprived, the woodpeckers would create extra air holes in the partitions between their stalls. The birds were very careful about assisting with exterior excavations, though. They had no desire to sink the boat! ~ Debbie Mumford



~ Favorite Covers from FAR Angels ~

March 2009
     
   

We voted and our favorites were chosen...do you agree?

~ Featured Reviews ~

Recommended Reads for February 2009
A Summer Without Rain by Christie Gordon
Bedeviled by Maureen Child
Bound Eternally by Dawn Montgomery
Bound in Fury by Dawn Montgomery
Breathe 1: Sanguine Shadows by Willa Okati
Captivity by Adrianna Dane
Conflict by Stevie Woods
Dead End Street by Rick R. Reed
Every Demon Has His Day by Cara Lockwood
Eye Walker by Barbara Miller
Fallen Angel by Sherrill Quinn
In the Blood by Adrian Phoenix
Invisible by Kimber Chin
Kiss of Fate by Deborah Cooke
Love at First Stake by J. Morgan
One on One by Cathryn Fox
Reckless Liaisons by Kayleigh Jamison
Ship of Dreams by Reilly Ryan
Snowed In by Rhianne Aile & Madeleine Urban
Sunset Bay by Susan Mallery
'Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Undead on Arrival by L.A. Banks

~ Reader Question of the Month ~
What was the last book you read that you absolutely couldn't put down?

Send answers to farnews@fallenangelreviews.com.

Answers could be featured in later newsletters and you could win a free ebook. This month were going to give away a copy of Francine on Fire by Sloane Taylor.

~ Reader Question & Answers from February ~
Spring is right around the corner. What are you most looking forward to when it finally gets here?

The blooming of the Wisteria. They grow like wild vines here in the heart of Carolina and I absolutely love them and their smell....beautiful! ~ Karen H.

Congratulations to Karen who has won a PDF copy of a copy of Ecstasy In Edmonton by Randi del Marco.

~ Author Spotlight ~
Cassandra Gold
cassandragold.com
First of all, would you tell us a little bit about what you are currently working on.

I have what I call Author ADD, so I'm usually working on at least a couple of things at one time. Right now, I'm working on Fantasies: Christmas as well as a couple of paranormal stories.

Describe to me your ideal hero and your perfect villain.

Oooh, good question! I like a lot of different kinds of heroes, but the most important thing to me is that they be flawed. I hate reading about perfect people. A physical or emotional flaw adds realism and depth, in my opinion. Of course, it's good if he's hot too. ;) As for my ideal villain, it needs to be someone I love to hate. In fantasies and historicals, I love diabolical, over-the-top villains. In contemporary stories, I like villains who aren't 100 percent bad. If they have at least one redeeming quality, they seem more realistic and interesting. I've seen some authors turn a villain into a hero in a later story. I'm not sure if I could ever do that, but if done well it's a great twist. (And who's a more flawed hero than a former villain?)

I personally am a fan of your Fantasies Resorts series. What kind of research did you do in preparation of writing these stories? Please tell me that you visited many resorts and spent much time sipping exotic beverages under the sun.

I wish. The idea came to me after a visit to Hawaii a few years ago. I didn't stay in an exclusive resort like Fantasies, but I loved Hawaii. I based some of the resort on my firsthand experience, but the rest was internet research and pure imagination. I'm hoping to have a chance to go to another tropical locale soon. Maybe I can write it off on my taxes somehow...It would be purely for research purposes, of course. *cough*

You appear to have a number of werewolf stories coming out soon. What inspired you to write about lycanthropes?

There's just something fascinating about creatures that seem so human most of the time, yet they're more than meets the eye. Despite being a die-hard skeptic, I've always been interested in the paranormal, and werewolves are my favorite supernatural creatures.

Do you prefer dark or milk chocolate? With nuts or perhaps chili peppers? Or would you rather just have a glass of wine and skip dessert?

Now I'm getting hungry! I like chocolate in all its forms. As a kid I preferred milk chocolate, but my hubby got me started on dark chocolate. I like to nibble on those dark chocolate Hershey's kisses while I write. I'm sure they help me think. And I'm pretty sure any calories consumed while working don't count. :)

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Lynn Lorenz
lynnlorenz.com
What inspires you to write a series of stories? Does the first novel start out stand-alone and then just evolve, or do you plan it ahead of time?

Sometimes, when I get an idea for a story I'm not thinking..."Hey, this would make a great series!", but then a secondary character manages to come to life and demand his/her own story and voila! Instant series. And other times, I've decided upfront, before even beginning to write, that this is the first of a series. Series are good, for readers who love the concepts and characters and want more, and for the author, who can build a readership with a series. But for publishers, it's sometimes more risk than they want to take on. A series may bomb, or the author may not deliver on the next ones, and that leaves them hanging...and the readers. Not good. You never want to disappoint your readers. And then that seem to go on and on and on, never quite knowing when to call it quits. I don't see more than 3-4 books in any of my series. Keeping the stories and characters fresh and new and having each book be able to stand alone, that's tough.

What's new that we, your readers, can anticipate?

Hey, I'm glad you asked, Whitney. This year, I'm working with a new publisher, Amber Quill. In May David's Dilemma, and in July, The Avalon Patrol: The Road To Avea, comes out with them. One will be a gay romance, the other a straight romance. And speaking of series, in April, the third Common Powers Edward, Unconditionally will be released by Loose Id. And I have a WWII historical gay romance, Pacific Nights, being released for Memorial Day in May. Currently, I'm working on the third In The Company of Men story, Baymore's Heir, and several other projects for later in the year that I hope will not disappoint my readers.

When you start a new story, do you plan in detail in advance, or do you tend to fly by the seat of your pants?

As much as I hate flying...because I'm not in control of the plane for one, and for another, I hate those small seats... I'm a panster. An idea will germinate... sprout... then I run it through in my mind, coming up with "what ifs" and "maybes", and then I start the first chapter. From there, the story grows and expands. Most of the time, I'm a "pantser with plotting elements." I have a general idea of the direction I want to go in and where I want to end. I've even written the ending and filled in between. The bad thing about being a panster, is sometimes, the story seems to go on and on, winding its way to the end, and is much longer than I'd planned. On the other hand, the great thing about it is the uncertainty, the freshness of "where the hell am I going with this?" I love how the story will unfold, evolve, how characters speak to me, and even when they hijack the plane I think I'm flying and change direction, and take me to places I've never been. Now, if I could just get them to fly me down to Aruba....with a couple of my guys along for the ride, like Drake (who'd make sure I got there safely), Ivan (who'd buy me whatever I wanted), Brian (who'd keep me out of trouble) and cowboy Rush...well, just cuz I need me a cowboy in tight jeans and boots to look at. Hell, I'd be happier than a pig in mud. Oh, and I'd have Sammi as a cabana boy...sweet, young, sexy as hell, and delicious.

Of all your characters, who is your favorite and why?

Can I have three? Please? Whitney, girlfriend, don't make me beg...*whimper* Thanks! My favorite male character is Drake, from The Mercenary's Tale. I loved him so much, he's so big, manly, brave and honorable, and yet, when he falls in love, it brings him to his knees. He's got the strength to pull himself out of the depths of pain and try love again. My favorite female character is Sarah, from The Avalon Patrol. She's a fish out of water in the world of majik, but she's also kick-ass, smart, and tends to break the rules. She's a perfect match for Stefan, and keeps him off-balance, unsure, and drives him crazy, but in a good way. And one of my favorite secondary characters, although, if you listen to him, the book is all about him, is Cho. He's the wise-ass lizard in Warriors At Heart and is Nic's (the vampire slayer) sidekick. Cho has personality to spare, along with his opinions of what Nic should and shouldn't do. He's sort of like Jiminy Cricket with a smartass attitude. (sort of like me!)

Since you're originally a N'awlins gal, do you celebrate Mardi Gras with a King Cake? Who got the baby this year?

Whether I'm in Texas or N'awlins, there is king cake. There are so many people who've come to Houston from N.O., and we've dragged our customs with us. I have a tight gang of ex-pat friends now living in Texas...and we always celebrate, with food and drink of course. Is there any other way? This year, my father (84) died in N'awlins during the Mardi Gras season, and I was in the city for a few days. Instead of a wake, I visited with my dearest friends, had dinner, toasted my dad and talked about our memories of him, most of them filled with laughter and head shaking. One of the things I brought home, was a king cake -- the old-fashioned ones with just the sweet brioche bread and purple, green and gold icing, and my family and friends shared it. My son got the baby. My BFF Ralph rode in Okeanas (a parade), and gave me tons of gorgeous glass beads, the old kind they threw when I was a kid, not that plastic crap, and trinkets and stuffed animals for the kids. I'll be handing out those beads at RT this year, so if you're there, see me.


Authors, if you would like to sign up for an Author Spotlight, email us.

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~ Monthly Contest ~
Click here to see our monthly contest.

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~ Newsletter Contest ~
This month's question is: What author interviewed in February said that readers would be surprised to learn that they use to play the violin as a young girl?

Send your answer and shipping address to farnews@fallenangelreviews.com

Congratulations to Tess K. who was last month's prize pack winner!