Book auction

Guys, I'm offering my two books as an auction lot on eBay to raise
money for displaced e-book author Inga Mahn
who has been left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. You can bid on the
books here. Various goodies (autographed cover flats, bookmarks, etc) will be
included in the lot. Please go and bid to raise some money for her!

IQ

I'm clever today. Why? How? Simple. 15 minutes with Ms Clairol's finest. I always thought I wasn't meant to be a brunette, but see, I can do it!

Don't you think I look smarter?

Release of Blue Moon aka Shameless Promotion

Blue Moon is released today! (well, actually last night, but it was really late and I was tired, and I only found out when I got fanmail -- yes, I get fanmail! -- okay, shutting up now). Here's the blurb:

You never know when you might run into -- or over -- Mr. Tall, Dark, & Psychotic.

When a crazed wolf hurls himself at her car, Magda’s more worried about the bodywork on her car than her own safety -- after all, she’s a werewolf herself -- until she realizes the wolf in question is a loup-garou, totally mindless in the face of the full moon, bent on destruction and death.

But when the moon goes down her loup-garou is a beautiful man with a gentle soul. Just the thing for Magda, who’s already been bruised and beaten by love, left with three children and a thirst for independence. Yet how can she trust a man who can’t trust himself?

Go to the Changeling site, where you can read an excerpt and buy the book, or go to my website, where you can enter a contest to win a free download of Blue Moon, plus a silver wolf charm and other Blue Moon goodies.

Ad break over. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Contest again!

Well, it's that time again! Blue Moon is being released very shortly
(I'll let you have the exact date as soon as I'm sure of it!) and to
celebrate I'm holding another contest. Just go to my website,
read the excerpt of Blue Moon, and answer the
two questions on the Contest page. Email your answers to me at
catmarsters@gmail.com, and I'll draw the winner from the correct
answers on Wednesday, 28th September.

The winner will receive a free download of Blue Moon, a silver wolf
charm, an autographed cover flat, and other Blue Moon goodies. So get
on over to the site and get reading!

Cat

Spuffy voting

Yes, I'm shamelessly canvassing for votes. I've never won a fanfic award before (although this particlar fic has been nominated, on another site), but it would be nice. Haven't written fanfic in aaages. No time! Anyway. If'n you feel like voting for me, click on the 'vote for me @ Spuffy awards' button on the left (the one with the lovely fetching manip of Buffy & Spike), scroll down to Best Fantasy Long Fiction, and vote for Etaknosnhoj and Smashed, Wrecked, Gone. I promise you, the story features Spike as a highwayman. With the thigh boots and everything.

Procrastination Station

The bats made me do it.

New cover

Here's the new cover! Slightly pixellated where I squished it down, but you'd never have known if I hadn't told you, right?


And you can read the details about it here. Possible release date of 30th September: I like to do these things at full speed!

Silver star from JERR!

Hey, that rhymes. Good news is well-needed now, and this actually had me mouthing like a fish. A happy fish. My second review -- and it's even shinier than the first!

Reviewer: Dani Jacquel
Rating: Silver Star Award
Heat level: H
Masika's day starts off bad after encountering a
vampire slayer, but begins to get better when she meets
Mr. Yummy Butt in a local bar. He's a blonde-haired
vampire and their connection seems instantaneous. Of course,
just because her day starts getting better doesn't
mean it will end well.

I believe Sundown Inc.: She Who Dares is Ms. Marster's
first book, and as such, I must say she'll have trouble making sure her
following books can hold up in comparison. Sundown Inc.: She Who Dares was
an excellent story. I was surprised by how well Masika was characterized, as
well as how the little details given about her history didn't
interfere with the story, just helped round it out. Masika came off
as a badass woman with a no-holds-barred attitude, but there were moments that
revealed her soft inner core. I really loved the fact that she didn't
spend a moment of the story in denial about her emotions or feelings, even
with all that attitude.

The sex, too, didn't lack in any way. It was hot,
intense, and I easily fell into the characters' passion for each other.
Dare was the epitome of a hot, dangerous man, but that didn't stop him from genuinely
feeling something for Masika. The part of the story that revealed Dare's
secrets was well timed and beautiful.

I can't say how much I loved Sundown Inc.: She Who Dares.
There are only a handful of short stories that have
had characters that I connected to so quickly that I felt immediately
teary-eyed with emotion over their pain and successes. Of course, that doesn't
dismiss the absolutely fabulous humor this book had. It may have ended on a
more serious note, but the beginning was charming and hilarious. For all
these reasons, I found Sundown Inc.: She Who Dares deserving of the Silver
Star Award. I'll definitely be looking forward to Ms. Marster's next
book.
Dani Jacquel
Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Pretty groovy, huh?  I only go alerted to this when the other Changeling Authors
started congratulating me. Just call me a dizzy blonde.

I also got the cover for my next Changeling book today.  It's very, very pretty,
and when I have a moment I'll upload it here and show you.

Willow updated

We found her, and she was still alive, but in a really bad way. About half past one we decided to call the vet, who tolkd us to go to the Saffron Walden surgery (about ten miles from us, not our usual surgery which is about 200yds away. Saturday they only have emergency appts). He said to bring her in at 3.

We set off about half two in absolutely torrential rain, Mum driving, me carrying Willow. Poor baby was crying and shaking, she went all stiff as if she was in really bad pain, and then she just got quieter and stiller until I realised she wasn't breathing. We turned around, six miles from home, and by the time we got back she was cold.

I'm sorry we couldn't get her there before she started hurting so badly. but I'm glad we were with her, and I'm glad we all got to say goodbye. And I'm glad she's not in pain any more. But I'm not glad she's dead, because I loved her, I still love her and I always will. When the rain eases up we'll bury her next to Meu. I think she'll have a white rose when they're in season.

These are pictures I took of Willow on Thursday. When i'm feeling better I'll try to find some pictures of her when she was younger, and not looking so sad. But here she is:


And here with her brother, Tinker, who came from the same litter. He's on the right, and Willow is in the red collar.


Time to go and give Tinker and Candy some big hugs, I think. Having only two cats is going to take a lot of getting used to.

Willow

We think it's goodbye to Willow. She spent all of yesterday afternoon lying under the kitchen table, didn't want to eat, was breathing very snuffly little breaths (she seems to have recently caught a cold). About nine-ish last night she got up and wandered outside, and that's the last we've seen of her. Didn't come in for breakfast. Can't find her anywhere in the house or the garden. It really seems to me that she's gone away to find somewhere to die. She never was a real house-y cat anyway: probably prefer to die outside than in. So if we really can't find her today, we're going to have to go around to all the neighbours and ask them if they have a little dead cat on their property.

Positive stories from New Orleans

All you ever hear in the wake of a disaster is the bad stuff. How many thousands of people have died. How many more have lost everything. Families broken up, cherished pets lost forever, bodies in the streets. Looting, disease, death. Political incompetence.

Silver linings aren't much compensation, but they are there. Disaster brings out incredible qualities in so many people. A very good friend of mine (getting gooder by the minute!) in Austin, Texas, spent the Labor Day weekend volunteering to help evacuees, and the stories she has told made me truly proud both of her and the people she worked with and for. Here are some wonderful stories of bravery and kindness in New Orleans.

I know evacuees are being sent all over the US. Maybe you don't have any money to send to the Red Cross, but you might have some spare time you could donate at the evacuation centres in your city. It's not always money these people need: they need kindness, and compassion, and maybe just someone to talk to.

Oh, and if a hurricane ever hits your area, if you have pets, get them out as soon as you hear the H word. Get them out, or lose them. While families were being evacuated from New Orleans, no animals were allowed on the buses. I read a heartbreaking story about a little boy who had to leave his dog behind and screamed for him until he was sick. Imagine how hard it is to keep yourself safe, and then try adding an anxious pet into the mix. I know if such a thing happened to me I just wouldn't leave. But then you all know I'm a big old softie about my menagerie. I'd no more leave them than I would a child.

Please remember to keep organisations like the ASPCA in mind if you're thinking of donating. I really feel strongly about animal welfare and am totally heartbroken on behalf of anyone who has lost a pet in this tragedy. I've also heard of an organisation called Noah's Wish that rescues and shelters animals affected by natural disasters. There's a purple button on the left panel which, if clicked, donates for free to animal rescue charities. Whatever heaven you believe in holds a place for these people.

And, just in case I haven't guilted you into anything yet, I shall leave you with this:

He's old, black, and gay. If he was human, he'd probably be on Oprah by now. But he's a cat, so he'd have just got eaten by a 'gator instead.

My first review!

Maybe there will come a day when superlative praise no longer excites me. I hope not. I' m so stoked about this!


4 ½ stars

SHE WHO DARES is a fast, intense, “grabs you from the start” kind of story. Full of wit, drama, and super sexy characters, it’s a simply decadent little treat.



Masika started out life as an ancient Egyptian. She’s now a centuries old vampire working for Sundown Inc., an agency that hunts down paranormal beings. When she’s contracted to kill another vampire, she’s surprised to learn that he’s someone from her past. Dare has been in love with Masika ever since he saw her as a child in the pharaoh’s garden. Now that he has a chance to be with her, someone wants him permanently dead. Masika and Dare can finally be together but there is a big surprise in store for Masika and a danger that threatens to pull them apart.

I loved this story! It’s just…wow! I’m so excited to see that it’s the first in a series because I really hated saying goodbye to this one. The characters are sexy and exciting, the dialog is fabulous and witty, and the highly visual settings pull you right into the story. If you love vampire romance, you’ve got to read this one. I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next SUNDOWN INC. story!

Susan Biliter
EcataRomance Reviews

Holy flaming credit card, Batman!

Just got my first royalty statement. She Who Dares sold 87 copies in its first month: not bad for a first-timer! If anyone else would like to contribute to my financial stability, I'd like to sell even more in September! Remember, every copy sold during this month donates to the Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

It also contributes to me paying off my credit card.

Thank you!