This is the last post on this blog.

I'm moving! The dust is settling slowly, and you can find my new blog at http://teresadamario.com/blog where it looks more like "Me". So take a peek at the new home of Teresa D'Amario, Paranormal Romance Blog!

Tag, You're it.

Tag You're It!

Well, I lasted a long time without getting tagged! Really, I did. I've ducked it for a good six months, so I guess I can't complain. I was tagged by Lauren Murphy who was tagged 2 days after starting her first blog, so I guess I Can't really complain. :)

The tag was placed on my Myspace blog, but I will put it online at both places, as my primary is at http://teresadamario.blogspot.com

The rules:
Link to the person who tagged you;
Leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours;
Post the rules on your blog;
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog;
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post;
Include links to their blogs;
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


Seven things about me:
1. I'm a huge paranormal freak. Paranormal everything. It could be tv, books, stories in the news. Been this way all my life.
2. I'm addicted to facebook. Ok, I tell everyone it's because it's great marketing strategy, but I can't seem to stop playing all the silly, useless games! Vampires, Slayers, Werewolves, Oh My!
3. I tell people I'm from Alabama, but I was born in Atlanta.
4. I'm terrified of these little bugs I can't even type the name of because they give me such creeps. Ok, in Alabama they aren't so little! And they FLY there too. Ewwww!
5. I once had a cat in a no pet apartment I rented - This is a do as I say, not as I did, because I got kicked out over it!
6. I wrote my first story in 6th grade.
7. I finally decided to write my first book after my husband thought about writing one himself. I finished mine - but then I type faster too.

I am tagging the following bloggers:
1. Sonya Foust,
2. Jenna Black
3. Larissa Ione
4. Bethanne Strasser
5. Emily Ryan-Davis My fellow Freya's Bower author
6. Ava Rose Johnson another Freya's Bower Author.
7. Tess MacKall

What Says Love?

Today I was talking on a message board about favorite authors and books, and I was reminded of my favorite "That says love" moment in a book.

Today, alot of Paranormals, mine included, have "MINE" moments. It's powerful, and strong, an instinctive acknowledgement that this is the one. But that's not love. Authors don't intend people to think it is. But it says something, about deep inside of that character.

But as the story progresses, the reader is looking for more. At least in romances they are. They want to feel the characters fall for one another, admire one another. And most importantly, love one another.

Every book has it, the moment the hero or the heroine make known their love, not in the words "I love you", but in their actions, or other dialogue. The moment that makes you get all warm and fuzzy inside.

That character may not yet have even acknowledged the emotion inside - per the story line, but you know it's there, because you, as the reader, feel it.

My favorite is from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Unleash the Night, and I hope she will forgive me as I butcher out the Dialogue tags and action in between and provide you with only the dialogue.

Setup: The Heroine is returning the hero's wallet. He on the other hand is trying to convince her he can't see her anymore.

H: "Have you ever wanted something you knew was bad for you? Something that you ached for so much that you could think of nothing else?"

h: "Yes, which is why I end up eating the whole chocolate bar anyway."

H: "And I want to inhale my chocolate, kitten. Even if it kills me."

Now that says love. Her response, in this case, isn't what's important. What's important is not the herone's response to his declaration, because it slips right past her, but in how he not only explains his dilemma, but how he associates it with her, and how much he wants to give up for her.

So tell me, what says love in your mind?

Preditors & Editors Nominations.

I made the mistake of telling hubby it's open nominations after my cover got nominated, and he jumped in and nominated me for a 2nd category. LOL Gotta love a man who wants his wife to succeed!

So, without further ado:

Best Novel
Best Novel of 2007

And, as if you guys couldn't POSSIBLY Guess by the stir my cover has gotten here locally:

Best Cover Art
Best Cover Art

So if you haven't already voted in those categories, take a look now!

Teresa D'Amario
SheWolf - available at Freya's Bower NOW
http://www.freyasbower.com/content/view/339/101/
http://teresadamario.com
The tension is unmistakable, the action exciting, and the book will
stay in your mind and on your shelf for a long time to come.
~Romance At Heart


Within every breed of creature lies a subspecies where evolution
took an odd turn. In the darkness hides a world where animal and man
are one.
Man and Beast.
Beast and Man.

Together, their hearts reign.

An unknown war has been fought in the city streets, and Man is no
longer the strongest predator.

For in city jungles, The Beast has won.

But I've never read an eBook!

I've heard that so many times. People who've never read an eBook. They haven't taken that wonderful leap into the world of the unknown.

I understand that fear, the fear of not knowing what you're buying, not knowing if you are going to be able to finish the book. I have that same fear. Everytime I buy a book, whether it's eBook or Paper, I take that chance. Recently a myspace friend added a comment of how excited she was when she discovered the multitude of wonderful authors available in eBook format.

It's true folks, there are wonderful authors out there, either getting their start in eBooks, or publishing books first in eBook format, then on to paper!

So now is the time to give eBooks a try, and what better way to try than reading SheWolf, my paranormal romance? it's hot, it's sexy, it's dangerous and scary.

Go on, give it a click! You KNOW you want to!

The tension is unmistakable, the action exciting, and the book will stay in your mind and on your shelf for a long time to come. ~ Romance At Heart

Within every breed of creature lies a subspecies where evolution took an odd turn. In the darkness hides a world where animal and man are one.
Man and Beast.
Beast and Man.

Together, their hearts reign.
An unknown war has been fought in the city streets, and Man is no longer the strongest predator.

For in city jungles, The Beast has won.

I couldn't help it, I just had to share!

Your Score: Exotic bad-ass

You scored 90% masculine, 70% athletic, 63% exotic, and 43% refined!

You want everything in a man at the same time! Masculine, built like a Greek god, exotic and mysterious and even some bad-ass in there too. I think you would really like Freddy Ljungberg, the Swedish soccer player. He's the guy on the right. But let's face it, the whole point of this was to look at a bunch of hot guys. If you liked what you saw, please rate my test!

Link: The What type of MAN turns you on Test written by thinkandcome on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(thinkandcome)

Making 'Em Believe

Often when writing paranormal romance you hear the phrase “Suspend the reader’s disbelief”. It’s a HUGE part of writing paranormal.

Interestingly enough there’s another part of writing, one that applies to all styles and methods that is just as important. “Making the reader believe.” Now I’m not talking about making them believe the Hero and Heroine are in love. That’s a given. No, I’m talking about taking it a step forward. Let me give you an example.

When I decided to become an author I read and reread the books of authors I loved, and asked myself questions about them. How did they do what they did, what made them successful, and so forth. So when I decide to learn to do something new in my work, something that others have done expertly, I go re-read their books and ask myself those same questions. It was time for me to learn to write action. Not just any action, but fights. Fist fights, knife fights, anything that took human contact. I’d read everything on the topic I could, and now it was time to compare against the author who was an expert at it. I chose the one author I knew had outstanding fight scenes. An author who kept me on the edge of my seat with action and intrigue. Her name? JR Ward.

I opened all five of her books that were out at the time and scanned them. Uh oh. Something’s missing. There’s no fights. Ok, yes, there are fights, but not the detail for which I searched. All but one fight scene was in a third party’s point of view, and that third party was always looking the “Other way” when the big things happened. JR Ward Made the Reader Believe. She made me, the reader, believe she had this wildly exciting battle. It’s the way she built the tension, the way she handled the entire scene. It’s the way she tied up everything into a tightly wrapped package.

Recently I’ve been receiving comments of how hot SheWolf is. One even compared me to Laurel K. Hamilton herself. At first I wasn’t sure how to take these comments. You see, I don’t want to be known as an erotica author. I don’t write erotica. I write romance. While I have explicit sex scenes, they are not nearly as explicit as the current trend has led.

Then I realized I’d managed to do the same as JR Ward had done. I made them believe. I made the reader believe the scene was more than it was. The power and emotion dragged the reader deep inside and they felt what wasn’t said. They felt the intensity and the heat, and the final satisfaction of the characters. All without saying the C words. Not a one. Not even the most acceptable C word of all. I didn’t describe the color of pulsing body parts, nor did I write a book where sex was the primary purpose. Is there a lot of it? You bet. This is a shifter books and shifters are driven by instinct and included in that is the instinct to mate. But it's done on a level that can only be described as "tasteful".

So I’m satisfied. I’ve got the afterglow of a new writer who’s just received a big award. I did what was always one of my goals: I Made ‘Em Believe.