Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

Bastian, The Lords of Satyr is out now! It released Tuesday at online e-tailers like Amazon and B&N, and has been spotted in traditional bookstores even though it’s a May release. If you get a chance to read it, let me know what you think! Here’s some scoop and an excerpt link:

Infamous for his archaeological finds in the Roman Forum and more highly sexed than most of his kind, Bastian is admired and envied. Yet he is tortured by visions. Silvia has ties to the Vestal Virgins and seeks to use him to locate a powerful artifact. But she never expected or wanted to love him. For she cannot have him. Bastian belongs to her dearest friend.

Friendship is a strong theme in Bastian. First, Bastian and Silvia became unexpected friends. Then came attraction. Then love. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever found love after friendship? In a variation on the friendship theme, Silvia hesitates to love Bastian because her best friend loves him. Have you ever been part of a love triangle? Tell me your story, and I’ll tell you mine!

Friend my new FB fan page and post a photo you’ve taken yourself of Bastian or any of the satyr novels on my FB fan page, for a chance to win Bastian (or your choice of satyr novel). Winner to be randomly chosen May 20th. Fan me and post.

Bastian excerpt

Elizabeth Amber
The Lords of Satyr series:
Nicholas | Raine | Lyon | Dominic
Dane ~ RT Book Reviews TOP PICK! RT Award for Best Erotic Fantasy Romance 2010!
Bastian ~ NEW! NOW! OUT!
erotic historical paranormal romance
Kensington Aphrodisia
http://www.elizabethamber.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/

Picking up on Kate Douglas’s last post (March 18), I, too am a glass half-full person. I’m optimistic and a worker. I get things done. I’m determined and energetic. I do get upset or depressed sometimes, like everyone, though. Everyone except my mom, who is the most optimistic person I know. Even when she should be unhappy because her life is not going well, she’s not! As you can imagine, I enjoyed growing up under her wing.

So I’m watching the news and reading news blogs. I was glued to CNN when Egypt first revolted. My husband has a very good friend here on a school visa from Egypt and she was super-glued to the TV. In her family’s town, the neighborhood residents trolled the streets at night, trying to protect themselves against looters taking advantage of the unrest.

Sometimes, the world seems to be going crazy around us, doesn’t it? And it’s unsettling. There are things I’ve counted on before that are changing. When I say ‘counted on’ I don’t mean I wanted the status quo to remain in Egypt or Libya. I just knew where things stood. Change is often a good thing, but it still rocks our world–the big world and the small one made up of our friends, families, jobs, homes. And some change is not so good. In Japan, they couldn’t count on the very ground beneath their feet to remain steady. Now that, is a frightening thought. I lived in the ‘ring of fire’ at one time and went through only one small quake. Talk about rock your world. I’ve never run out of the house so fast.

I moved to NC a few years ago and we bought a house. I didn’t really hang many pictures or get enthusiastic about furniture arrangement in this house. It has been fine, but not home. Suddenly, I’m hanging pictures and making pillows. I’m cleaning. I’m making sure to get together with neighbors and friends. After reading Kate’s post it occurred to  me that I’m trying to fix my nest. Or more accurately, maybe exert some control over it. I used to do this when things felt unsettled in my family home growing up. It makes me feel better, more in control, more able to carry on and accomplish my goals and be the person my family depends upon.

I’m so glad I can lose myself in writing and reading–a mix of work and pleasure immersion. I’ve been re-reading books I know and love, which I think is another way to comfort myself. I know what to expect with these old friends. We’ve met before and they didn’t let me down. I’m still making time for new books–Maya Banks’ KGI series, Lora Leigh’s Elite Ops, and I’m looking forward to Kate’s Starfire here shortly. (She’s holding a giveaway of it for members of my enewsletter at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/ ) And my new release, BASTIAN, The Lords of Satyr, is coming in one month! I revel in these successes and pleasures. I’m a half-full lady, remember?

I hope you’re all finding ways to make your “small” world make sense. How are you coping in your life, with the broader picture? Do you see your kids or families finding ways to cope that surprise or touch you? I’d love to hear from you. Hugs to all. xox

~ Elizabeth Amber

The Lords of Satyr series:
Nicholas | Raine | Lyon | Dominic
Dane ~ RT Book Reviews TOP PICK! RT best erotic fantasy romance winner!
Bastian ~ coming April 26, 2011
paranormal erotic historical romance
Kensington Aphrodisia
http://www.elizabethamber.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/

Hi all, I’ve posted a first excerpt from my upcoming May release Bastian, The Lords of Satyr on my brand new website! Bastian is on track to release around May 1st, or maybe as early as April 26 according to Amazon. I hope you enjoy the excerpt. Let me know. (Many thanks to Frauke of Croco Designs, who created my website.)

DANE WINS RT BOOK REVIEWS AWARD! I received word from Carol at RT that DANE was chosen as Best Erotic Fantasy Romance of 2010! (And congrats to Kate Douglas who was honored with a career achievement award in erotic romance! Winners will be announced in the May issue and there will be an awards banquet at the RT conference, which is in Los Angeles this year April 6-10.

GERMAN SATYRS: DOMINIC will release in Germany September 2012; and DANE will have a German release in September 2013! If I knew what “Woo hoo!” is in German, I’d say it!

FACEBOOK: I figured out what my link is on facebook, so if you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you’ll friend me at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1351688841

I’m putting together a basket for the May 13-15 for the Write On, Vancouver conference chaired by our own Aphrodisia author, Susan Lyons. I added gold Hershey’s kisses after I took this photo and after I ate some of them myself. Yum!

We’re supposed to have thunderstorms and wind here, so I guess our March is “coming in like a lion” as the saying goes. I hope you have a wonderful month!

Until next time…

Elizabeth Amber
The Lords of Satyr series:
Nicholas | Raine | Lyon | Dominic | Dane | Bastian | Sevin
Dane ~ RT Book Reviews TOP PICK! RT Best Erotic Fantasy Romance award!
Bastian ~ coming April 26, 2011
paranormal erotic historical romance
Kensington Aphrodisia
www.elizabethamber.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/

Dane, The Lords of Satyr

The Bastian, The Lords of Satyr cover is not up any online bookstore sites yet, but if you’re the first to spot it at any of these online stores: Borders, B&N, Amazon, Booksamillion, Indiebound, let me know at elizabethamber1 at aol dot com and you’ll win a copy of your choice of satyr novel: Nicholas, Raine, Lyon, Dominc, Dane. So if there’s one you missed and would like to have, this is your chance. When I have a winner, I’ll post on my enewsletter group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/ so that’s the best place to find out if you’ve won.

Also, the winners of my Bastian dedication/book contest will be named December 1st, so there are still a couple of days to enter. The details are on the November 1st post at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/ Basically, winners will be chosen from members of the enewsletter group who enter, and they’ll have their name in the dedication in the first few pages of Bastian and will receive a free copy of the book when it pubs in April.

In case you’re wondering…this is the Lords of Satyr family tree in progress. The final version will be typeset and included in the front matter (first few pages) of Bastian. If you spot any problems, please do let me know!

Satyr family tree

Thanks for dropping by the Aphrodisia blog. I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday!

Dane, The Lords of Satyr

I saw the cover for Bastian, The Lords of Satyr a few days ago, but I can’t post it until I see it on Kensington’s site. It’s similar to all the other covers, but with one stand-out difference. See if you can spot it when you see the cover! The manuscript is in copyediting now. My editor said she “loved it” (with two exclamation points), which was an amazing joyous moment (two exclams!!) Writing the same book over and over would not be fun for me, so every one of my novels is different, and Bastian is no exception. More about that in my next blog! So I’m now working on the book for Bastian’s brother, Sevin. Coincidentally, this will be satyr novel number…seven.

So now, let’s talk about conferences. Although I love them, I haven’t been to many, have you? In fact, I think I’ve only been to three–ECWC in Washington state; two RWA conferences (most recently in Florida’s Disney World campus last summer); and New Jersey’s Put Your Heart in a Book.

I got a call from author Lora Leigh about a month ago regarding her Readers Appreciation Weekend (RAW). She mentioned that my name had come up on the conference wish list numerous times, which was wonderful to hear. I’ve heard great things about her conference and I’m a huge fan of her work, especially her Wicked Pleasure/Forbidden Pleasure books. I was having a total fan moment when I spoke with her by phone. So I’m seriously thinking I’ll go in 2011, finances permitting. Another conference I’m seriously considering is Authors After Dark. I’ve met author Stella Price at a couple of conferences and am a fan of hers and of her work, as well as Jacquelyn Frank‘s work. Dane, The Lords of Satyr was nominated in a blind nomination in the Erotic Romance Novel category of AAD’s Bookie Awards recently, and I’m great company.

So which are your favorite conferences? Will you be at RAW or AAD in 2011?

Drop a comment for a chance to win a copy of the AAD nominated, Dane! I’ll respond to comments throughout the month of November, and will post the winner here November 28th. Thanks for dropping by the Aphrodisia blog!

70 Author Book Fair!

I’ll be at the Book Fair October 2nd, along with about 70 other authors. It’s open to the public from 4pm – 6pm, in Bellevue, WA (adjacent to Seattle) at the Bellevue Hilton. I hope to see some of you there! List of authors.

Elizabeth Amber
Nicholas | Raine | Lyon | Dominic | Dane
hot historical paranormal romance
Kensington Aphrodisia
www.elizabethamber.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/

Night Owl Reviews Halloween Hunt

Just a heads-up that Night Owl Reviews is hosting a month-long Halloween Web Hunt in October. Over 100 prizes, including gift cards, signed books, and more. Click graphic for deets:

DANE, The Lords of Satyr

My husband just got back from 2 weeks in Sweden and Denmark. It was part work and part vacation for him. I stayed home working on Bastian, my 5th Lords of Satyr novel. I missed my husband, but I enjoyed my alone time with Bastian!  Oh yeah!

And I have to say that it is SO much easier to work when my husband’s not here. No interruptions, except phone calls. And I got things done, baby! I worked on my novel every day, but I also assigned myself one task from a to-do list. One day I cleaned a spare bedroom, which tends to become a catch-all room for empty boxes and ‘treasures’. The boxes got flattened and put out with recycling and most of the ‘treasures’ went to Goodwill. I think I need to send my husband off once a year, so I can do spring cleaning like this!

Without exception, my friends all said they envied me because I had the house to myself. And, although I’m glad my guy is home again, I did enjoy the solitude. Are you like this? Even though you love your husband/partner/SO/children/pets, do you yearn for some alone time? To clean, to read, to shop, to think, or whatever you want? What do you do when they’re gone?

Drop a comment for a chance to win a copy of my newest release–Dane, The Lords of Satyr.

Elizabeth Amber
Nicholas | Raine | Lyon | Dominic : The Lords of Satyr series
Dane ~ RT Book Reviews TOP PICK! (June 2010)
hot historical paranormal romance
Kensington Aphrodisia
www.elizabethamber.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ElizabethAmber/

When I first saw the Nicholas cover, I fell in love. It got the Lords of Satyr series off to a great start, and the book won numerous regional RWA awards, including Judge A Book by its Cover. I’ve loved every cover since (a total of 5.) The design is consistent–each book has an LOS logo, is named for the hero, and best of all–each book has a hunky headless cover model. My June release, Dane, The Lords of Satyr, begins a new trilogy within the Lords of Satyr series. I’ve moved the stories up 50 years and moved from Tuscany to Rome. I’m currently writing the next book, Bastian. I haven’t seen the US cover for that one yet, and am looking forward to it. (I suggested a royal purple.)

From the US: Nicholas, Raine, Lyon, Dominic, Dane

From Germany: Nicholas Raine Lyon

But over in Germany, the Satyr lords are just getting started. And, look at these covers. Can I just say, wow? Yummy, aren’t they? I don’t know the story behind why the Nicholas cover (the green, black, & white one) is different from the Raine (purple tattoo) and the Lyon (green tattoo.) Nicholas released some time ago, and shortly afterward, similar Raine and Lyon covers were designed and posted on Amazon. Then they disappeared and these two tattooed guys showed up.

So which do you prefer? The US covers? The non-tattooed German covers? The tatted-out German ones? Do you dislike all of them? Love them all equally? And why? I’m really curious to know which you prefer and why, and plan to pass the info on to my publisher. Answer in a comment below to be entered to win an autographed copy of Dane, The Lords of Satyr. Winner to be chosen July 4th.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what Dane looks like in a German edition!

Dane, The Lords of Satyr

My June release, Dane, begins a new trilogy within my erotic historical paranormal Lords of Satyr series about half-satyr/half-human brothers who guard the secrets of their ancestors while hiding what they are from humankind. In myth, the satyr are the carnal followers of the Roman wine god, Bacchus, so I created highly sexed heroes whose lives are complicated by the fact that they’re driven to engage in a monthly ritual involving fleshly pursuits from dusk to dawn.

They’re vulnerable during this time, and when we meet Dane and his two brothers, the satyr have never been in more danger of discovery due to the fact that excavations have begun in the Roman Forum.

To further cloak themselves in normalcy and entrench themselves in Italian society, they are directed to select human wives. I get to play matchmaker through the character of the heroine, Eva, who is dispatched from ElseWorld to assist in this. But when Dane meets his matchmaker — Eva — he also meets his match. She is the only female satyr in existence, something she disguises. And she has her own agenda — she’s determined to make the Roman society that scorned her mother, accept her.

Both Dane and Eva are troubled by mysterious secrets in their pasts that make them perfect for one another. I loved having a part in bringing these two together!

The settings for the satyr novels (1800s Italy) came about because I’m a museum junkie and an art history buff, and am completely fascinated by Greco-Roman history. I’m also mesmerized by museums of all kinds—transit museums, fashion museums, toy museums–pretty much any kind. I once went to Musée de l’Erotisme, an erotic museum near the Moulin Rouge in Paris. It was a little cramped, but was intriguing and worth a look if you’re ever in the area.

Museums feed my passion for the past. They fuel my longing to return to various time periods or events—not forever, but just for a few hours or a few days. I’d love to go to Coney Island during its heyday. Or to Henry VIII’s court for an evening.

Or to the Roman Forum. I so wish I could have been there during its excavation. Writing the stories The Lords of Satyr is as close as I can come.

satyr sculpture

What era and place would you return to if you could time-travel for a few hours or a few days? What’s your favorite museum?

See some of the photos I took in and out of museums on a trip to Europe that inspired the satyr novels at RT Book Reviews blog.

Dane is an RT Book Reviews (Romantic Times) TOP PICK in the June issue (4.5 stars), 5 stars from Romance Junkies, Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews, 4.5 stars from Bookaholics, and a Recommended Read at Kwips & Kritiques! Many thanks to these reviewers for taking time to read Dane and post a review.

One randomly selected commenter will win a copy of DANE, THE LORDS OF SATYR. USA only, winner chosen today (Friday.) Good luck everyone and thanks for dropping by the Kensington Aphrodisia blog today!

Dane, The Lords of Satyr (May 25)
by Elizabeth Amber
Read a DANE excerpt.
erotic historical paranormal romance / Kensington Aphrodisia
ISBN 978-0758241283
www.elizabethamber.com
my e-newsletter for contests, news, and more

Dane, The Lords of Satyr (June!)

I’m late with my post! What else is new? Seems like my blog date creeps up so quickly on me. Are you one of those on-time people, or are you often just a few minutes late for things? Do your friends get mad if you’re late? Or if you’re a punctual person, does it bug you when your friends are late?

Also, I’m at the Readers At Home online event all week at

http://lucymonroeblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/gotta-love-hea-by-elizabeth-amber.html

Just drop a comment to be entered! Lucy has done a wonderful job organizing this event and there are many great prizes. (I can tell Lucy is a punctual person, btw. She was very organized!)

I don’t have my copies of Dane yet, or I’d offer one here. Next month for sure! It releases June first. I’m excited!!!
Excerpt: http://www.elizabethamber.com/excerptDane.html