This weekend I find myself in need of comfort. A difficult decision was taken out of my hands, when my beloved pet, Sally passed away peacefully at home on Friday evening. Now, I need something to distract myself from her loss. I know many of you have what you consider to be comfort reads, and pull one of those from your keeper shelf and indulge. I however don’t have a keeper shelf per se…I have books I’ve kept because they’re autographed and not necessarily rereads time and time again. To read more of How Do You Find Comfort? please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Women of the Otherworld #10 October 2009On Sale: September 29, 2009Featuring: Elena Michaels; Clayton Danvers384 pages ISBN: 0553806629EAN: 9780553806625Hardcover$26.00 Romance Paranormal, Fantasy Urban Buy at Amazon.com Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong The Alaskan wilderness is a harsh landscape in the best of conditions, but with a pack of rogue werewolves on the loose, it’s downright deadly. Elena Michaels, the Pack’s chief enforcer, knows all too well the havoc “mutts” can wreak. When they hear of a series of gruesome maulings and murders outside Anchorage, she and her husband, Clay, journey to Alaska in the dead of winter in order to hunt down the dangerous werewolves. Trapped in this savage, untamed winter realm, she and Clay learn more about their own werewolf heritage than they bargained for, tapping a little more into the wild nature of the beast within. With Elena back in the starring role, this is the book Kelley Armstrong fans have been waiting for. One of the very best entries in this talented author’s Women of the Otherworld urban fantasy series. Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

In honor of Twilight: New Moon opening this weekend, our Saturday Smackdown is vampire on vampire, bad boy on bad boy, angst on angst. It’s 20th century versus 21st with a whole new generation of teens to angst and swoon over the silken wickedness of these boys. The Vampires in Question Damon Salvatore is the creation of L.J. Smith in her trilogy of novels that began in 1991. Damon made the leap from novel to television this year with the debut of the CW’s The Vampire Diaries. He arrived in Mystic Falls with more than one fang to grind. Angelus, on the other hand, is a vindictive, cold hearted villain who debuted in Sunnyvale following a night of passion with Buffy. Damon Salvatore For the purposes of the smackdown, we’re going to focus on the Damon from the television series rather than the Damon from the novels. Damon and his brother Stefan loved a vampire named Katherine, They vied for her affections and they were, one after the other, turned into vampires by her. During the Civil War, Katherine and many other vampires were trapped and died. Since then Stefan and Damon have mourned in their own ways, but Damon’s…

One of the best things about being a writer is all the stories knocking around inside of my head. One of the worst things about being a writer is all the stories knocking around inside my head. When it is the former, I sit down to write and words just pour out to fill the metaphorical cup created by the blank screen or page. However, when it is the latter … Ding! Ding! In This Corner, Weighing In at 85,000 Words … Writing anything is like refereeing a cage match. For example, currently I am working on a fantasy romance, the sequel to Remembering Ashby. But vying for attention are sequels to Prime Evil, Hel’s Belle and a third as yet fully formed novel tentatively titled The Rapture. Like wiggling puppies, if I so much as glance in their direction they dash up to grab hold of my attention and soon, instead of writing, I feel like wrung out, wet rag as the tug-of-war becomes a three or five way battle. It is enough to make me want to yell, “don’t make me pull this computer over!” Because you can’t get too frustrated. You can’t try to block out all…

I recently appeared on the Morning Joe program alongside legendary historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to discuss my new book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. I had just finished telling the hosts, Mika Brzezinksi and Willie Geist, how excited I was to write about a woman heroine in the dramatic story of this small group of museum directors, curators, art historians, architects and artists who volunteered to save so much of the great cultural treasures of our western world, including paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and sculpture by Michelangelo, from the destruction of World War II and theft by Hitler and the Nazis. In fact, I stated my belief that Rose Valland was the greatest heroine of World War ll. Upon making that statement, Doris Kearns Goodwin raised her fists triumphantly and said, “Finally, a woman!” This small group, numbering no more than a dozen men on the ground within about a month of the D-Day Normandy landings, and no more than 60 or so in all of Europe responsible for protecting structures (hence the moniker “Monuments Men”) and other works of art, were faced with an impossible task. With an average…

June 2009On Sale: May 19, 2009Featuring: Red Mallin; Abra Barrow368 pages ISBN: 0345505883EAN: 9780345505880Mass Market Paperback$6.99 Fantasy Urban Buy at Amazon.com Moonburn by Alisa Sheckley Some instincts are too powerful to deny. Except when the moon is full… Some instincts are too powerful to deny. In the past year, veterinarian Abra Barrow has gone through some major changes: She’s left Manhattan for the deceptively quiet small town of Northside, ditched her cheating husband, and discovered that he has infected her with the rare werewolf virus. Now Abra is finally beginning to feel as if she has her life under control–except when the moon is full. But then, all of a sudden, Abra starts losing her temper–and her inhibitions–even when the sun is shining. Her new man, shape-shifting wildlife expert Red Mallin, seems to know more about her condition than he’s letting on, but he’s a little preoccupied with strange creatures that have been crossing the dimensional border. With her hormones in overdrive, Abra finds herself releasing the beast in all the men around her. As life in Northside becomes increasingly more peculiar–and more perilous–she must decide whom she can trust . . . when she’s not even sure she can…

Everyone once and a while, you discover an extraordinary piece of prose. The work captivates your imagination with history, compelling characters, rich, vibrant settings and language so alluring that you cannot put it down. I do not review books often for the Daily Dose, but I really want to share this book with you. Best Read of 2009 Presumptuous as the statement may be, considering we’re six weeks out from 2010, but for me, THE SPLENDOR FALLS was hands down the best book I’ve read all year. The first thirty pages captivated me, inviting me in to sit and stay a spell. Because I was only able to read in drips and drabs, I was forever grumbling about having to close the book to work, to drive, to eat and yes, even to sleep. In three pages, we meet Sylvie Davis, embrace her talent and cringe as she breaks her leg on the stage. The visceral crunch of the bones made me wince, the fall made me cringe and referring to the incident forever as The Accident made me sad. I danced when I was younger, I was not a prime ballerina, but I danced pretty well. I tore my…

Who isn’t look for a good deal? Especially in this day and age where the economy’s in the toilet and we’re all searching for ways to save a buck or two? I have always been a fan of great love stories. So it’s always a plus when those stories I love include not only a main romance but a secondary one as well. Two of my favorite contemporary books include secondary romances-Perfect, by Judith McNaught and Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Often times, when rereading old books (which I tend to do when I just want to relax), I skim over sections that aren’t related to the main plot. But I never skip the secondary love stories in these two books. And it’s a testament to these writers that their secondary characters have sucked me in as much as the main characters. There will always be a debate among readers as to whether or not secondary romances have a place in romance novels or if they’re just “filler”. Sometimes-I will admit-that’s what they feel like. A way for the author to stretch their page count. But if done right, a secondary romance is tightly interwoven into…

Moon #10 April 2009On Sale: April 7, 2009Featuring: Renata Cordona; Jacob Marshall304 pages ISBN: 0425227006EAN: 9780425227008Paperback$7.99 Romance Paranormal, Romance Suspense Buy at Amazon.com Eternal Moon by Rebecca York They are destined to be together for all eternity—if they can defeat the evil stalking them. Determined to stop a madman, P.I. Renata Cordona is undercover when she’s almost attacked by a pack of vicious dogs. A lone wolf saves her. Then, out of nowhere, a man with an electrifying touch appears—the man who is clearly her destiny. Good and evil clash down through the ages in a struggle for supremacy. Renata Cordona is the reincarnation of an ancient goddess. Werewolf Jacob Marshall is a dog whisperer and her true consort. They have met countless times through the centuries in different lives. And each time, a demon steps into the equation to keep them from fulfilling their destiny. They’ve never been strong enough to fight the ancient evil. But can a werewolf change the equation? Or will they repeat the pattern of destruction and doom humanity along with themselves? Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

‘Tis the month before Christmas, and all through the ‘Net Every creature is stirring, including our Vets; Virtual shopping and wish lists are begun with care In hopes that packages will soon be shipped there; The children want everything they see, While parents wrestle with decorations, stockings and tree; And I in my pajamas, with mocha for a treat Settle in for a long winter’s Tweet, When out in the living room there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the computer to see what was the matter. Away to the front room, I flew like a flash, Banging my toes and cursing balderdash. The kids bouncing on the sofa like our dog the collie Pointing to the television and the commercial ads and folly, Santa Claus and his elves hard at work in their shop, Creating toys and wonders from previous years at the top, With video drivers, transformers and Barbie too I knew in a moment just what to do Sliding on the iPhone I sent text messages too My husband, he laughed and called me a name It was funny and jolly and little bit beyond tame I waved to the kids and back to the computer…