Yes!  Finally!  Today is the first official release day for THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book to come out since last Christmas. :reindeer:

And why, you may be asking yourself, do I say “first official release day”?  Because today is the day Amazon.com will begin shipping BITE…or allowing Kindle downloads.  Which means it might be available other places, as well.  If not, then Friday, October 1st is the Big Day.

And you know what that means, don’t you?  It means TWO fang-tastic launch parties here in The Dungeon. :party:

So here’s the rundown (starring the love of my life…oh, wait, different rundown :blush: )…

#1 — You can learn all you need to know about THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS on my home page: http://heidibetts.com/ Back cover blurb, excerpt, where to buy…everything.

Then, if it isn’t already at the top of your To Buy list, please put it there.  First week sales are sooo important in showing reader support for a book (& author, of course) which means that picking up your copy of BITE as soon as possible would mean the world to me.  (And the future of my sexy, funny vamps. :vampire: )

If you didn’t pre-order a copy, you can go to Amazon right now & buy it, & it will be shipped to you immediately.  Or if you’re the techno-savvy type, you can download it immediately to your Kindle.

If you prefer to buy your books at the local bookstore or retail outlet, you may not be able to find it quite this early—although, you may!—but start looking on Friday.  Because THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is a trade release, it may not be available in every Wal-Mart or Target, but real bookstores should have it, & if they don’t, they can order it, so please ask them to!  The great thing about asking them to order a book they don’t have on the shelf is that sometimes they’ll actually order a few extra copies with it, & then the title will be in stock. 🙂

#2 — If you are a member of my “Street Walkers Street Team,” then you have already received your packets of promo items.  (Hopefully you kept them safe & dry & will be able to find them when you go looking. 😉 )  Now is the time to dig them out & take them with you each time you leave the house.  Yes, you heard me.  Keep them on you at (almost) all times, because you never know when or where you’ll discover a lovely display of THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS & be able to bling it up. 😎  If you have any questions, please contact your fearless leader, Darling Laura (a.k.a. Huggy Bear) at hb.streetteam @ yahoo . com (without the spaces, of course).

And for everyone—Street Team member or not—please remember to take pictures of THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS when you spot it on the shelves, if you can.  Then send them to me & I’ll post them here (& maybe on Twitter & Facebook, too) for everyone to enjoy.

#3 — I have put together one of the most fun giveaways I think we’ve ever had here in The Dungeon.  I call it the “Fang-Tastic Vampire Swag Bag Giveaway,” & it’s exactly what it sounds like—a collection of fabulous vampire swag.

But just because I’m calling this a giveaway doesn’t mean I’m actually going to just give this stuff away.  Nope, I’m gonna make you work for it. 😈  You see, because of a major mess-up over the summer, my entire collection of addresses for my mailing list has been lost & I need to build it back up again. So in order to enter, you must sign up for my newsletter, even if you’re a long-time reader & think you should already be subscribed. A winner will be drawn from all the new addresses collected.

So here’s all the information you need to know about this fun contest…& please spread the word—the more the merrier, & there’s plenty of time to enter!

CONTENTS

Demonia patent coffin tote (coolest thing ever—sorry, just sayin’ )

bloody fangs necklace (to show the world you don’t mind being bitten…by the right tall, dark, and fang-some)

set of sexy red handcuffs (courtesy of Mistress Heidi, of course, but strong enough to keep your vampire lover in line)

rubber Devil Ducky (the unofficial mascot of The Dungeon & Mistress Heidi’s favorite pet)

bat Pez dispenser (with Pez candy, of course; you need to keep your strength up when you’re dating the undead)

Cold-Blooded ice cube tray (this makes the neatest fang ice cubes for your Bloody Mary!)

Vampire Brew (blood red hot chocolate (a delight for humans & vampires alike—yum!)

Death Mints (for that pesky morning “blood breath” )

a vampire fangs whistle (this could used as either a rape whistle if you’re attacked by a bloodthirsty vampire…or to call one, if you’re in the mood for a little fang-bangin’ )

other (the Halloween season is upon us, after all, & I fully intend to collect even more vamp-tastic goodies to include; updates as they become available)

RULES

To enter, you must sign up for my Newsletter. (And remain subscribed, of course.)  Please use this form to join the mailing list: http://heidibetts.com/newsletter/ (Note:  Even if you think you may already be signed up, please sign up again…a major catastrophe has wiped out all previous subscriptions.)

Contest will run until All Hallow’s Eve…or October 30, 2010 for the unenlightened.  Winner to be announced on my WIPs and Chains blog.

U.S. residents only, please.  (For the prize only, because of the high cost of overseas postage rates.  But everyone is welcome to sign up for my Newsletter!)

If the winner doesn’t contact me with her mailing information within seven (7) days, another name will be drawn & a new winner announced.

Good luck!

Tomorrow may be THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS‘s Big Day (one of them, anyway 😉 ), for which I am very excited, but today I’m having a problem with a different vampire book.

Kensington’s sales department isn’t thrilled with the working title of my second Brava release, VAMPS IN VEGAS. 😥   There’s more than a little boo-hoo in this, because I happen to love that title, & have also been living with it for…oh, about four years.  So this is pretty much like asking me to rename my child.  (Or my cat. :cat2: )

But if Marketing ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy, which means I need to come up with handful of other ideas that would work for this story.  Preferably by the end of the day. 😛

Here’s a brief overview:

Part 1 — “Vampnapped” — As a reporter for the Sin City Tattler, Charlotte “Chuck” Lamoreaux is used to investigating the bizarre and outrageous—everything from alien abductions to potato chips that look like Elvis Presley. But this time, she’s on to something big . . . and something she believes might actually be true. Which is why she decides to switch places with her identical twin sister, a showgirl for the Inferno’s dance troupe, Lust. All she needs is to get closer to Sebastian Raines, the billionaire owner of the Inferno Hotel and Casino, and find proof that he is what she suspects—an honest-to-Dracula vampire.

Sebastian Raines isn’t sure why his brother’s so-called fiancée has been following him, but he’s pretty sure she’s up to something more than simply picking out bridesmaids dresses. Fearing that Chloe Lamoreaux is trying to get her hands on the hefty Raines coffers by dragging his younger sibling to one of Las Vegas’s many all-night wedding chapels, Sebastian vows to stop her by any means necessary . . . and to keep her from discovering the secret they’ve kept for the past hundred years. But how was he to know she had an identical twin sister? Or that when he grabbed the fully-garbed showgirl on her way off stage, he was abducting Chuck instead of Chloe?

Part 2 — “Married . . . with Fangs” — Although she’d like to deny it, Chloe Lamoreaux is exactly what Sebastian Raines believes her to be—a gold digger. As much as she loves dancing, she’s tired of the long hours on her feet and the men who think “showgirl” is synonymous with “high-priced hooker.” She needs stability; a man with money who can support both her and her young son. And she’s pretty sure she’s found just that in millionaire playboy Aidan Raines.

For the last hundred years, both before he was turned and after, Aidan Raines has played second fiddle to his older brother, Sebastian. He wants something of his own; to make his mark on the world without being overshadowed by Sebastian’s wealth and accomplishments. Then he meets Chloe and begins to think that being the first to settle down might be the perfect way to set himself apart from his unattached, lone wolf brother. Of course, when Aidan pops the question, he doesn’t bother telling Chloe that he’s a vampire. But then, she never told him she had a kid, so he figures that makes them even. The question is, can he adjust to instant family life (just add water), or will Chloe freak out and start sharpening her stakes when she learns that her new husband is more—much more—than he seems?

So, um…any ideas?

As an added incentive for all of you Darlings of the Dungeon to put on your thinking hardhats, I offer you…

#1 — A sneak peek at tall, dark, sexy, rich, fanged, & luscious casino owner Sebastian Raines.  You know, for inspiration. :-*

#2 — Should your suggestion for a new title be chosen by Kensington’s Powers That Be, your choice of either an Advanced Reading Copy of my first vampires Brava, THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, now…or the promise of an ARC of the newly titled VAMPS IN VEGAS later.  (It’s currently scheduled for October 2011, so we’re looking at a year from now for delivery of that prize.  I’ll send you a cyber-coupon or some such that you can redeem when the time comes. :mail: )

All right, folks!

Hardhats on. :skywalker:

Brains engaged. :poop:  I mean,  :hypnotized:

Let the reconstruction begin! :bomb:

Happy Sunday!  Which is really just a new & improved version of our old Super Sunday posts. This is where we share our happiness & gratitude over the wonderful things that have happened to us during the previous week. Or even sometimes things we’re looking forward to soon.

Yes, I know sometimes keeping a positive attitude & thinking of something we’re happy about isn’t easy, especially when the urge to strangle is strong.  (Hey, who knows…every once in a while, don’t be surprised if a “Grumpy Sunday” post pops up.  And maybe later, even a Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, & Doc. *snicker*)

But this week, we’re going to focus on an attitude of gratitude. I want to know what’s been making us happy, happy, joy, joy.

The first thing I’m happy about is that The Dungeon is back up & running. This particular look may be temporary, but it’s awesome, & at least we’re live again.  At least we’re back to our old, fun selves, with a healthy side order of naughty & nice.  With more to come. :devil:

Happy #2 is a very special sneak peek for my Darlings of the Dungeon only. You see, our awesome temporary hang-0ut is about to get a makeover, & I just got a wee glimpse of the new website design.  And when I say “wee,” I mean it; this is a very small image that I’m sharing—a magnifying glass may be necessary.  But that’s the general idea, & it’s still under construction, but I have no doubt it’s going to be fabulous.

Another Dungeon exclusive…?  The big relaunch is scheduled for this coming Friday, October 1st, the same day as THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS‘s second official release day.  Mark your calendars, because it is going to be a blast! :bomb:

Happy #3 is Top Secret.  Something really fun that I’ve been working on for quite a while—and, whew, am I tired! :ZZZ:  But here are a couple of hints:  It has to do with THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS‘s fang-tabulous release…& I’ll be announcing it tomorrow. :kissed:

That’s about it for me.  So what are you happy, happy, joy, joy about this week? :rainbow:

:rose: :rose: :rose:

As an addition to the regular Happy Sunday attitude of gratitude, I thought it would be fun to include an occasional “random act of kindness”/”together, we can make the world a better place”-type thing.  (I wanted to steal Darling Jessica‘s blog title, Smile, Feel Good, Pass it On, but that didn’t seem to be keeping in the spirit of random acts of kindness. Curses! :curse: )

So I’m going to call mine “Mission:  Possible.”  And each week—or as I said, occasionally, depending on how many I can think up & what kind of mood I’m in—I will post a specific activity for you to participate in.  Your mission, should you choose to accept 8-), will be to keep the action in mind & carry it out to the best of your ability.  And then, of course, to report back & let us know how you did. 😉

Here is your very first Random Act of Kindness. (Insert theme to Mission: Impossible…do-do-do do-do-do-do do :bomb: )

MISSION: POSSIBLE — Say hello to everyone you meet.

That’s right.  Simply say hello or give a friendly nod to everyone you encounter this week, everywhere you go.  At work, at the mall, in the grocery store, in the book store while picking up your very own copy of THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, which comes out on Tuesday…or maybe Friday… *hint-hint*.

Good luck!

:rose: :rose: :rose:

And finally, we need to announce the winner of this (or would it be last? :idk: ) week’s Free Book Friday giveaway.

Jennifer!

Congratulations, Jennifer! Please contact me with your mailing information & I’ll get your ARC of THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS out to you as soon as I can.