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TV: Burn Notice

Once in a while, I like to talk about TV shows I enjoy. Hope you don’t mind.

Have any of you seen this show – Burn Notice? It’s on the USA network and it’s a super-cool spy show. I managed to catch a marathon of all of last season’s shows one day a few weeks ago and I’m hooked!

For one thing, crazy Bruce Campbell is one of the main characters. He’s always a lot of fun. The star of the show, Jeffrey Donovan, also reminds me a lot of my college boyfriend. (Give him blonde hair and they could be brothers. Weird!)

I like the narration and the A/B story lines that are featured in each show. See, there’s an over-arching plot that runs throughout all the shows of the “burned” spy trying to get his life back. Then there’s a person he’s helping and a Mission: Impossible-esque kind of operation that goes on in each show. Very entertaining!

There are elements of the classic Robin Hood storyline as well as echoes of TV shows I’ve loved in the past. It reminds me a lot of a show I used to watch in grad school called Dark Justice that featured a vigilante judge with a band of merry men who would give criminals their just deserts. It also feels a lot like an old CBS ninja/spy/adventure show called Raven that I used to love, without the mystical edge.

The reason it feels a lot like Raven is because of Bruce Campbell’s character, most likely. In Raven, the serious ex-spy had an aged Lee Majors as his screwball sidekick. In Burn Notice, it’s Campbell. Frankly, with Campbell’s prior reputation and all the crazy parts he’s played before, he plays the screwball sidekick a little more believably than Majors did.

Unfortunately, I LOVED the mystical aspects of Raven and miss that. In this show, the naration makes up for it a bit. I like the little tidbits about running an op from the spy’s point of view. It adds a lot of flavor and I actually learn a lot. LOL.

As with all TV shows, there is a need for the suspension of disbelief. For one thing, they go around running their stings, leaving fingerprints and DNA everywhere. Right. You mean to tell me there’s not one forensic scientist in all of Miami that might realize there’s a common link present at multiple shootings, bombings, disturbences, etc? *sigh*

Second, the young female character, Fiona – Fi for short. The girl who plays the part is too model-like for my tastes. Too skinny. Not enough muscle tone. I know martial artists. Hell, I was one most of my life. No way that skinny girl could fight like that… ever. (The volume of obligatory fistfight scenes in the entire show is a little annoying, come to think of it.)

It’s clear she’s there for eye candy – to reel in the young male demographic. In the season opener, for example, there’s the bikini cat fight by the pool between her and another too-skinny model type who’s supposed to be a criminal. Hmm. No bruises. Not even a black and blue mark the next day. Riiiiiiiight.

I’ve only known one real world spy in my lifetime. (To my knowledge. LOL) In my opinion, the typical TV show super-model femme fatale is probably NOT the most effective undercover operative. For one thing, women like that are too memorable. I’d sooner believe the mother character in “Burn Notice” is the real spy than the chick they’ve got playing Fi. I mean, picture it – a kindly older lady would make a MUCH better spy than a 20-something skinny girl who wears pricey clothes and high heels. Am I right?

Regardless, the show is fun and as long as you don’t let those things bother you, it’s an entertaining escape. If you like witty spy shows, check it out! (And if anyone knows where I can get copies of Raven on DVD, please let me know!)

Scorch: Win a copy of Forever Valentine!

The winner of last week’s Scorch is:

Natasha A.

Congratulations! Email me within 30 days at biancadarc at gmail.com to claim your prize.

Now for this week’s Scorching February contest…

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. Leave me a comment on this post telling me your funniest, or most romantic Valentine’s Day story. One lucky commenter will win a copy of Forever Valentine.

Here’s a little bit about the book…

A Valentine’s date gone wrong marks the beginning of a love that will last for all time.

Jena knows about vampires, particularly about the one who watches her every step, lest she somehow reveal her knowledge to the mortal world. Ian Sinclair would be her executioner should she even try to share her knowledge, but she doesn’t fear him. No, Ian bothers her on an even more elemental level. He’s just too sexy for his own good—and hers.

Ian finds himself attracted to the all-too-mortal lady doctor, though he knows better. He’s been assigned to watch her, not seduce her, but seduction seems to be all he can think of when he looks at the gorgeous woman who works entirely too hard and has such sad eyes. He feels things he hasn’t felt in centuries when she’s around, including an unreasonable jealousy when he follows her on a Valentine’s date with one of her colleagues.

After the disastrous date, will they both be able to resist temptation when Jena invites the vampire in?

Buy Now from MBAM

Wallpaper Wednesdays

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Awesome News!

Not only was I totally surprised by last night’s recognition as a Best Selling Author for 2008 on AllRomanceEbooks.com, but I also found out I’d won two awards from Rites of Romance Reviews! Thanks to all who voted and bought my books!

 

A Day Without Internet…

Actually, more like 2 days with no internet and I’m seriously behind!

First, let me thank ARe for the Best Selling Author of 2008 Award. I made it home just in time to attend the ceremony, held online at BlogTalkRadio and even with hardware issues (speakers fading in and out), I was able to hear most of the program. They did a great job announcing the books, authors and fans who won this year’s awards. Thank you to ARe and to all the readers out there who made this possible!

And let me apologize to those of you who might’ve made it into the chat room. Between the strangeness going on with my speakers and my loopiness from having just returned home fifteen minutes earlier from a 200 mile 3+ hour drive, I don’t think I was making much sense in the chat. I apologize! (And am mightily embarrassed!)

Special shout outs to all the other talented authors and to my publisher, Samhain, who won the Best Publisher of the year award. WTG!

Now, a quick recap of Sunday and Monday to bring you up to date…

Sunday was my day at NY ComicCon. I met Stella Price there and we walked over 7 miles on the exhibit floor! (I wore a pedometer, just out of curiosity.) We ran into a few celebrities and got a lot of books and freebies. Ate an overpriced lunch at the convention center ($4 for a small soda?!) bought stuff and generally had a good time. We even ran into author, Isabo Kelly in the final panel, but had to boogie out of there to catch our ride. Stella’s boy toy was kind enough to give me a lift to Penn Station, from which I took the train home.

I was home for about 15 minutes before heading right back out again, this time in my car, for a whirlwind trip to Pennsylvania and back. When I got there – surprise! – no internet. Wah! I went through the pains of withdrawal and suffered horribly. I arrived home about 9:15 pm, only to realize I was supposed to be at the ARe Awards in 15 minutes. Hence, my discombobulation at the actual event.

I have a ton of email to sort through, so if you’re waiting on a response from me, please understand and give me a little time to get back into the swing of things.

Thanks once again to ARe and congratulations to all the winners!

Rare Vintage Released Today!

The second in my vampire novella trilogy, Rare Vintage, releases today from Samhain Publishing. All three of these novellas (One & Only, Rare Vintage, and Phantom Desires) will eventually be collected together into a single print volume sometime later this year.

Here’s a little bit about the book…

She would give her life to save his, but can he save her from himself?

Marc LaTour is the Master vampire. Kelly is the new Gal Friday at the winery her best friend and her new husband own. Marc is obsessed with Kelly, though he doubts he could be so lucky as to finally find his One after over six hundred years of searching. Still, he reacts with jealousy when his old friend and fellow Master comes for a visit.

Marc and the other men take turns watching over Kelly, hoping to prevent heinous events foreseen in her future from taking place, but there are other intrigues afoot. An upstart vampire in Marc’s territory issues a challenge to Marc’s leadership. It will be a fight to the death, but Marc knows he has much to live for… if Kelly turns out to be his One.

(This book was released previously as a short story by another publisher. It’s been expanded considerably – it’s now over twice its original size - and totally reworked.)

Book three in the trilogy comes out on April 3rd, so stay tuned!

For more information or to buy Rare Vintage, visit the Samhain Publishing Website or My Bookstore And More.

Scorch: Win a copy of One & Only!

Here it is, our first official Scorching February post:

Comment on this post for a chance to win a PDF download of One & Only. I picked One & Only because it’s the first in my vampire novella trilogy and book two, Rare Vintage, comes out tomorrow.

In your comment, tell me what you like best about paranormal creatures. Are vamps your favorite? If so, tell me why. If you like werecreatures, tell me what kind! Be creative! Feed my curiosity!

I’ll pick one lucky entry and announce the winner next Thursday. Good luck!

Here’s a little bit about One & Only…

A deadly crash forces the hand of one lonely vampire. Should he save the one remaining human survivor, or end it all for both of them? Destiny has surprises in store after his fateful decision…Charmed by an intriguing mortal woman upon boarding a doomed mini-bus, vineyard owner Atticus Maxwell saves her life after the vehicle crashes over the side of a rain-slick mountain road in the dark of night. Only her faint heartbeat calls him back from the edge of his own oblivion. He’d almost given up on life — until he caught sight of her.

Charmed by an intriguing mortal woman upon boarding a doomed mini-bus, vineyard owner Atticus Maxwell saves her life after the vehicle crashes over the side of a rain-slick mountain road in the dark of night. Only her faint heartbeat calls him back from the edge of his own oblivion. He’d almost given up on life — until he caught sight of her.Lissa is heading for a conference at the mountain resort in a last-ditch attempt to find a job. What she finds instead, is the love of her life. When he saves her from the wreck, she learns quickly that he is not quite human. He’s weakened from his injuries, but he gains strength from drinking her blood. Now that she knows what he is, she is even more fascinated by the man who stirred her latent psychic abilities from the moment she first saw him.

Breaking the news of her rescue by one of the most eligible, if reclusive, bachelors in the valley to her closest friends, Lissa gains acceptance for Atticus and the relationship that seems to have blossomed overnight. Things are moving along according to their plan when Marc LaTour, the Master Vampire of the region, reveals the accident that brought Lissa and Atticus together might not have been an accident after all. He warns them to be careful, but without knowing who their enemy is, all they can do is try to be careful as they go about their lives. Will it be enough?

Buy Now from MBAM

Wallpaper Wednesdays

Rare Vintage will be released this Friday, February 6th. Look for it!

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Click on the size you want, then right click and “save as background” on most systems.

Harlequin Gives Away 16 eBooks

I don’t know if you all saw this yet or not, but Harlequin is celebrating their 60th anniversary by giving away 16 free ebooks. I downloaded them yesterday and it was much easier than I expected. Just click on the format and *bwrrrrrrp* file downloaded, ready to read.

I couldn’t sleep last night, so I read the historical offering, His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls. It was a good read. Of course, I went through more than a few Kleenex from some of the heartbreaking scenes. But in the end, even though the hero was SO MEAN to the heroine and both had distinct communication problems, they got together. *happy sigh*

(The erotic romance author in me kept hoping the hero’s twin brother would be a little more *ahem* active in the plot, but this IS Harlequin, after all.)

So if you love category romance like I do, go over and download them all while you can: http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=1317  And many thanks to Harlequin and its authors for such a generous giveaway.

February Newsletter is Now Available!

	February Newsletter from Bianca D’Arc Now Available! Click Here
Rare Vintage In eBook Feb. 6, 2009 from Samhain Publishing More Information She would give her life to save his, but can he save her from himself?	Highlights Excerpt from Rare Vintage New Contest and much more! All in our fabulous February Newsletter!