As of this posting I have written 17,841 words my National Novel Writing Month dark paranormal romance, The Gates of Hell. I am still in San Francisco, typing madly away… The sun is a welcome break from Seattle’s cold, rainy winter. I feel more creative when the world is not grey.

THE GATES OF HELL
Assassin and werewolf Hart has earned a reputation as a merciless, mad killer. He will let nothing stand in the way of earning his freedom from the cruel master he serves, but a final job may prove his undoing.

Scientific fact has always been nurse Kayla Friday’s best weapon in her quest to banish death and disease, but when her sister dies tragically, there’s nothing logical about it. The last thing she expects when conducting her own investigation is to uncover a terrifying world where nightmares are real, or to land in the arms of a dangerous and fiercely sexy mercenary who turns furry and rabid every full moon.

When he is ordered to deliver Kayla to her sister’s killers, Hart is forced to make an impossible choice: to seize his hard-fought freedom, or to risk his life for this woman who sparks his cold, long-buried heart.

Will he travel to hell and back, or will her love be enough to redeem his tortured soul?

On this beautiful Friday morning I don’t have a book to recommend (though I will soon – I’m in the middle of Demon Moon by Meljean Brook and loving it). Instead I’ll give you a hint at fun things to come here at ciaralira.

1. The Traveler’s Guide to Romance Novels

When I travel I take a ton of books with me. I would like those books to be set in the place I’m globetrotting: mouthwatering stories with a backdrop I can take pictures of. It was so much fun to walk around London and say OMG! there’s the Serpentine in Hyde Park that Kate fell into in The Viscount Who Loved Me! or take a photo of the Half Moon street sign where Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons live. or Whitehall and Covent Garden Market where Lisa Kleypas’ Bow Street Runners have their headquarters. I was ecstatic walking past Whites and the former Almacks just knowing these are the footsteps of all my Regency heroes and heroines!

London is easy, but what about other cities and countries? So I’m making a list of recommended books for your travels. Going to Ireland? Read Nora Roberts’ Born in Fire trilogy or Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Russia? Read Majorie M. Liu’s Shadow Touch. Seattle? Read Lisa Cach’s A Babe in Ghostland or Alexis Morgan’s Paladins of Darkness series or Richelle Mead’s Succubus Blues or Kat Richardson’s Greywalker series.

READERS: Recommend your favorites based on setting and I’ll add them to the list! (Extra credit for great fiction set in Seattle.)

2. Ciaralira blog to move eventually to www.ciarastewart.com and www.romancelandia.com.

Self explanatory. I have Big Ideas! But I have to restrain myself. Write Ciara, write. Don’t play on the internet. Write!

3. Guest Post: Author Mary Margret Daughtridge to chat with us about her new book SEALed With a Kiss.

Romantic Times Reviewer Cindy Helmer gave SEALed 4.5 stars and says, “How can this story miss? … it delivers in a huge way. Throw in a lost little boy and some great dogs and you get a heart-touching story that will keep you smiling and cheering for the characters clear through to the happy ending.”

Ms. Daughtridge will tell us about her inspiration, research, writing process – you name it. She wants questions! She will also be giving away an autographed copy to one lucky commenter.

READERS: What questions would you like to ask her?

Ah, procrastinating. My favorite thing. Too bad I don’t have enough tech skills to fully realize the designs in my head. This is what I worked on today, the new ciaralira website. Turning it from a photoshop picture to a website is going to take me a good long while, so don’t hold your breath. What do you think?