Anya Bast

Please check back on Monday for a new book of the day and to check to see if you’ve won. Have a great weekend, everyone!!

If you’re in the romance community, you probably know Fatin, aka, “mad” or “mad4rombks”. She runs RR@H Novel Thoughts. She is a wonderful woman, has never failed once to contact me before a new release to offer a review or a spot to guest blog. She’s been a wonderful friend.

Sadly, she has recently also been the victim of a tragic act of violence, leaving her widowed with children. You can read about the tragedy here.

We want to do something to help.

This next part is copied from Lauren Dane’s blog:

If you are an editor / agent / author / Or anyone else for that matter and would like to donate something for the auction – such as a critique, mentoring, lunches at RT or RWA, swag, signed books, etc., please contact Lauren Dane with your donation items. Your help is greatly appreciated! Some examples of auction items might be signed books, baskets of fun stuff, critiques, lunches, mentoring, ARCs, pitch help, offers of specialty services like graphics design, etc. The totally awesome Larissa Ione asked readers recently what type of items they’d most like to bid on, so you might find this list helpful.

I didn’t know Tena McNeely, but her story has really touched my heart. A friend of mine told me about these unhappy circumstances over the weekend and the moment I heard about these cats, I knew I needed to do whatever I could to help them find homes.

Forty nine year old McNeely was beaten to death in her home on January 3rd. She was an animal rescuer, who had taken in a dog and a group of cats that no one else would care for. In times like we’re having right now in this country, with so many pet abandonments, these people are gold. In every news article I’ve read about McNeely, it’s mentioned how much she loved her pets.

As a cat rescuer myself, it’s hard for me to imagine McNeely resting easily, knowing that some of her beloved pets have not yet found homes. They’d probably be euthanized by now, but McNeely’s vet graciously took the animals in, knowing how much McNeely loved them. It’s been two months and ten of those cats still do not have homes.

They were beloved pets once and they deserve to be beloved pets again. The vet who is keeping them is growing desperate to place them.

For more information about these cats, call Dr. Kathy Belcher of East Shelbyville (Kentucky) Animal Clinic at 502-633-2061.

Here are their pictures and names:

Bandit

Pity Poo

Red

Violet

Sassy

Twerp

Little Girl

Furry Murray

Pumpkin Puss

Dottie

If you live in Kentucky or in a neighboring state, or if you know someone who does, will you please consider these beautiful cats? If you can’t take any of them in, maybe you know someone who might? Please pass the story on.

Anything you can do to turn this very sad story around for these cats would be appreciated. They lost all the love in their lives because of a cruel and brutal act and are now at the whim of harsh reality. They need your help.

If one of you does adopt one of these cats, let me know. I’ll send you a happy kitty adoption gift. Even better, you will have a wonderful new friend who will return all the love you give with interest.

I put together this book vid for Raven’s Quest yesterday. I wasn’t going to make one, but at the last moment I said what the hell and threw caution to the wind, ’cause that’s just how I roll.

For your viewing pleasure….

If you are a fan of my Elemental Witches or Dark Magick paranormal romance series, or are familiar with any of my erotic romances like The Chosen Sin, Jeweled, or Jaded, you will find Raven’s Quest to be a much different kind of story. Raven’s Quest was one of the first books I ever wrote and it’s a pure fantasy romance, weaving an enduring tale of love through a world rich with magic.

I wrote this novel right after the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. At that point in my life, I’d given up on my writing. Then my husband and I ended up trapped in Europe for an extra week because of the attacks. We were on one of the first passenger planes allowed back into U.S. airspace. On the flight home, I thought a lot about the people who’d been on those hijacked planes and how fast their lives had ended. I wondered why I wasn’t doing the one thing in my life I loved the most. Because I feared failure? What a stupid reason!

How much would the people on those planes give for a second chance to follow their dreams?

I came home and began work on Raven’s Quest right away. Since then I’ve written over forty other works, but Raven’s Quest still claims a very special place in my heart.

If you’re in need of a hero in your life, you might escape for a while with Lucan. The fourth son of a great king, he never expected—or wanted—to rule, but when his uncle kills Lucan’s family and takes the throne for himself, Lucan has no choice but to form a rebellion and force his unjust uncle from the throne.

Branna is a woman of magic and mystery who comes from a country far away. When she meets Lucan she knows he’s special in more ways than one. Strong and compassionate, Branna is willing to sacrifice her life for the good of her people, but the longer she knows Lucan, the harder leaving him becomes….

I had so much fun writing Branna and Lucan, building their magical world and guiding them both toward love. I hope you will enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Praise for Raven’s Quest

“RAVEN’S QUEST is a story of revenge, need, forgiveness and redemption…. Overall, (this novel) is a quest for more than just magic. It’s for the soul.”—Four Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies

“Once again Ms Bast has developed a world that is incredibly detailed and rich with life…. I highly recommend this story to anyone who likes fantasy books.”– Top Pick from Nightowl Romance Reviews

“… a brilliant and enchanting tale of destiny, love, and sacrifice with twists and turns along the way. I couldn’t put it down…definitely a five-star read!” –FRESH FICTION

“…good world-building…intriguing….” – Romantic Times BookCLUB

Excerpt from Raven’s Quest….

Branna knelt by the alhorn plant she’d found. The cool, verdant strength of Terrestra’s energy spiraled up from the ground. She held out her hand, palm down, and savored the gift of power. A breeze stirred the fine hairs around her face. She sank back on her heels and closed her eyes.

She stayed that way, eyes closed, head bowed, for several long moments and allowed the power to wash over her and calm her. Fiall grew near. The distinctive pattern he made in the Universal Fabric pulsed through her as he came closer.

They had traveled slowly and cautiously all morning because of the Valorian in the area. Now they’d stopped in a clearing to let the horse drink from a stream and give themselves a rest. They’d both been quiet, each lost to their own thoughts.

Opening her eyes, she unsheathed her athame, and cut a bit of the plant. Alhorn was a good healing plant to use when magic was not an option.

When she stood, she found Lucan’s star-stone gaze on her. His blue-gray eyes were filled with a heat that had little to do with the warm midday sun that shone down on them. Every muscle in his body seemed to be attuned to her in that moment. She returned his gaze steadily, not wanting him to see how much he disturbed her.

Her examination of his memories had shown he was of no threat to her, and he seemed pleasant enough, and unquestionably in control. But beyond all that, deep within him, there was a kind of ferity. Branna wondered if it was related to the pain she’d felt within him yesterday. She could glean nothing from him emotionally. This man had learned long ago to control his feelings.

All she knew was that, Goddess, the man made her uncomfortable.

He walked toward her, and her hand tightened on the grip of her athame. He reached out. She looked at his upturned hand, not understanding what he wanted.

“Give me the herb,” he said.

She opened her hand to him. He placed his hand over hers, and she felt his heat, his essential body’s energy radiate from him and warm her skin. He placed his fingertips at her wrist and ran them down the length of her palm, catching the small bits of herb as he went. Tingles rippled through her hand and up her arm at his touch. A current of reaction passed from him to her and sent a jolt straight up her spine.

She tore her hand away. The rest of the alhorn fell to the ground. Lucan grasped the remaining herb and regarded her without a word. It was as if he tried to make her uncomfortable. Anger flared within her.

He turned and went to the horse’s saddlebags. “I’ll keep the herb in here until we arrive at Kern.”

That he’d given up that bit of information piqued her interest enough that she forgot her anger. She sheathed her athame. “Kern? Is that the safe place you talked of earlier?”

“It is.” He deposited the herb and drew up the lacings of the saddlebag, then turned to her. “Is it true the high priestess of Tir na Ban is called Raven and is chosen by a bird of the same name when she is but a babe?” Raw curiosity showed in his eyes.

“Yes, it’s true. The raven is the messenger of the Goddess. When the old high priestess has lived her life fully and reaches a certain age, or if a young high priestess is to be called to Vallon unexpectedly, a raven will alight upon the cradle of a newborn girl.”

He shook his head. “Solan, the far-bloods have always amazed me.”

The people of Tir na Ban and Ileria were often referred to as the “far-bloods.” It was believed a race that originally came from the stars had seeded the two magical peoples.

“It is in that way that the Goddess makes it known which one will follow in the footsteps of the older.” Branna sighed wearily. “It has always been so and shall always be so, even if Magnus kills us down to our last two women,” she finished. She knew sadness had crept into her voice, but she couldn’t help it.

In order for Santa to visit, you have had to have been a good little boy or girl, but you must also be:

(A) Asleep in your bed

(B) A Christian

(C) Waiting by the chimney

Hi guys — I’m looking to send out 10 copies of JEWELED to book blog reviewers for reviews. If you’re interested, please drop me an email at anybast(at)gmail.com with a link to your book blog!

Thanks and have a wonderful Thanksgiving, if you celebrate. :)

Cross-posted from the Witchy Chicks Blog.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. To me it has little to do with the traditional Thanksgiving story, (which is revisionist history at its worst), and everything to do with the straightforward name of the day—giving thanks.

Every Thanksgiving is the same for me, has been for years. I get up, make coffee and curl up on the couch to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s a yearly tradition that has grown sweeter with the addition of my daughter, who sits rapt beside me under a blanket, staring at the floats and waiting for the Radio City Rockettes to do their rendition.

Toward the end of the parade, I’ll be getting up occasionally to prepare the turkey and put it in the oven. We always host Thanksgiving because we have a large Amish-made dining room table that seats many. I don’t mind hosting, since I love to cook and I love having my family over. I’m never alone in the food preparation, however. I do the turkey and the sweet potatoes (recipe below) and others bring side dishes and dessert. I make the sweet potatoes the day before not only to save time, but also because the ingredients taste that much better when they’ve had time to thoroughly blend in the fridge overnight.

Sometime around noon my family shows up. The wine and conversation flows freely. Before dinner we talk about all the things we’re thankful for. My list goes a little like this:

I’m thankful for our continued ability to help others less fortunate make their Thanksgiving plentiful.
I’m thankful for the good health of myself and my family.
For my daughter, who makes my world shine brighter than I ever thought possible.
For the roof over our heads and the food in our cupboards.
For my ability to find joy, peace and happiness in simple things and simple acts.
For my cats, who never fail, not even one day, to make me laugh and my heart to swell with affection and love.

We eat. YUM. Turkey, stuffing, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, steamed veggies, biscuits with melted butter.

Then comes dessert. Usually we keep it traditional. Sometimes my mom bakes a pumpkin pie, but oftentimes we choose instead to purchase a few gourmet pies instead (the pros can do it so much better than we can). I warm the pies up a bit in the oven, top the slices with whipped cream or drop a dollop of ice cream beside it. You can’t beat that for dessert.

Thanksgiving is always a day filled with good food and good company. I look forward to it every year. May your Thanksgiving be filled with all the things and all the people you love.

Anya’s Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
4 cups sweet potato, boiled and mashed
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or pecans

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the boiled/mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
3. In another bowl, mix the flour and sugar. Chunk in the butter and the walnuts/pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.