Well, new banner! Isn’t it lovely? I can’t stop staring at it and smiling.
It was made by the wonderful Erin Lark, who besides being an all-around nice person and awesome author, also designs covers and things like headers!
I chose (and bought) these stock photos and she worked magic to put it all together.
The city in the photo, by the way, is my own beloved Pittsburgh.
What do you think? I still can’t stop smiling!
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone’s holidays were enjoyable. If you didn’t get a chance to check out the New Year’s Kisses party at Kay Berrisford‘s and Tara Lain‘s blogs, head on over. There’s still time to enter to win prizes, as the contest is open until the 7th.
As for me, I’ve been working on the my next book, which is a sequel of sorts to Close Quarter. We leave Silas and Rhys for a bit to follow what happens to Vasil after the events in Close Quarter. I’ve tentatively titled the book Strong in Spirit and it takes place, as I’ve said previously, in Istanbul.
I’ll be doing The Next Big Thing blog hop soon, so I’ll have a bit more about the book then. In the meantime, I’ve been going through old vacation photos from my trip to Turkey for inspiration.
The first photo is of the Spice or Egyptian bazaar. There are several such bazaars in Istanbul, both open air and cover like this one, including a book bazaar.
The second photo is of a cruise ship on the Bosporus. Vasil isn’t working for the cruise line anymore, due to… uh… stuff happening (poor guy). But he’ll see reminders of his previous life fairly often, as the Bosporus is a busy shipping lane.
The third photo is of old and new buildings along the strait. Istanbul has been a major city more more than 1,700 years, so you get an intermingling of styles, all built on the bones of the previous city.
The fourth Photo is of the Hagia Sophia or Holy Wisdom, the great Basilica that Justinian, completed in 537. It was the third church on the site and was in continuous use until 1453, when it was converted to a mosque with the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks. It became a museum in 1935, with the founding of the Republic of Turkey. Vasil is faithful, in his own way, so the Hagia Sophia does hold some meaning for him.
The last photo is a view of the Asian side of Istanbul from the Topkapı Palace. Istanbul is a beautiful, huge city.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since I traveled to Istanbul. I’m ready to go back… if only in a book this year. Hope you’ve enjoyed a little peek at where Vasil will be spending his days. Though, he might be too busy to enjoy the sites… we’ll see.
The New Years Kisses Party is underway over on Kay Berrisford‘s and Tara Lain‘s blogs. There’s a HUGE bundle of ebooks up for grabs and a $35 gift certificate to either Loose Id or All Romance Ebooks. There’s a ton of excerpts from some awesome authors. I’m tickled that my little excerpt is among all that talent.
Check out both blogs for chances to win the bundle. There’s more about the prizes here.
And have a sizzling New Year!
Kay Berrisford and Tara Lain are hosting a New Year’s Kisses Party from Dec 31 to Jan 1. The party will feature more than forty top writers of m/m, m/f, and menage romance sharing sizzling first kisses from their hottest novels. There’s also a chance to WIN a $35 Gift Certificate and an exciting bundle of romance e-books, plus a runners up prize of a $10 Gift Certificate by entering our first kisses quiz.
I’ve thrown a copy of Close Quarter into the bundle… and Silas and Rhys’s first kiss will be featured on Kay’s blog.
A great way to get a little (or a lot!) romantic in the new year.
The winner of the Kay Berrisford giveaway was Erika Lindsen. Congrats! Kay should be contacting you soon.
Just so you know, the giveaway of Close Quarter Kay Berrisford’s blog has been extended until Nov 30th! So if you still want a chance to win a copy of Close Quarter, head on over and comment.
And I’m extending the giveaway of one of Kay’s backlist titles until the 30th, as well. So if you want to win another sexy book about the fae or elves, do comment!
And here’s a lovely piece of art by Alphonse Mucha, for your viewing pleasure! He didn’t just draw women.
Just a quick note to say that for the next week, Close Quarter is 10% off over on Loose Id’s website!
Today, I’m over at Jessica Freely’s blog talking about the vampires in Close Quarter, giving you a sneak peek at them, and offering another free copy of the novel to one random commenter.
These vampires? They’re going to eat you. And not in the happy fun way…
Stop on by to see what I mean.
You’ve reached the website and blog of Anna Zabo!
My debut novel, Close Quarter, will be published in November 2012 by Loose Id.
It’s a male/male erotic paranormal romance where a grieving sculptor meets a jaded woodland fae on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic. What’s a forest fae doing on a ship surrounded by water? Hunting vampires, of course.
I’m currently waiting for edits to fall into my lap, but I’ll be posting about some of my inspiration for the story as time marches closer to November.
So please stick around. There will be more.
Anna Zabo 