Join the Twitter Party!

On Friday, October 4th, at 8EST, search for #TellAllTweets

to chat with the following romance authors.

Happy Book Birthday for Hero for Hire

Happy  Book Birthday to Hero For Hire!

Today is an awesome day.

A super-special day.

Today, Hero For Hire officially enters this world!

So join us in celebrating what is for us, a day long in coming–Hero For Hire‘s Book Birthday!

To celebrate, we had a ton of fun things to choose from. But because we are both readers, and both need books to survive any coming apocalypse, we are going to share our Top Ten Must-Have Reads for our Doom Shelter. 

Now, If you don’t already know this, we may as well break it to you now. We don’t follow rules real well. You could say we fail at rule following. Which means–our top ten reads *might* be series.

But hey! If there has to be an apocalypse, and there has to be a doom shelter, we should at least get to have entire series to choose from. Its only fair, right? And since there are two of us, we ARE limited to five choices each…
So without further justification and excuse, here are *drumroll* our Top Ten DOOM shelter reads….

Merissa

1. Hunger Games, the entire series. For inspiration and moral support. Because if Katniss can survive with grace and style, and still manage to have two boys drooling after her, I can do it too. (Probably not with grace or boys, but I can do it.)
2. Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Because it’s awesome. Also, it is set in a world that ends up degenerating into a Fae-induced post apocalyptic hell. So I could read the series and not feel quite as alone. Plus, there are really sexy fae, really sexy highlanders, and most importantly, there is Barrons. Sigh.
3.  Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey series. These historical mysteries stories are incredibly well written, and abound with details of another time and a different, more genteel way of life. In other words, they’re perfect for when I need to forget about the zombie apocalypse outside, and recharge by losing myself in a story or five.
4.  Jennifer Armentrout’s Covenant series. I adore this young adult series. It has forbidden love, teenage angst, a kick ass heroine, two, yes, two super hot, super hero love interests, and an amazingly well drawn paranormal world filled with the decendants of greek Gods and Goddesses. And sometimes, the Gods and Goddesses themselves pop in for kicks.  This series I’d be sure to bring along just because I adore it. That is all.
5.  Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.  Because come war, come the promise of losing everything–even each other, come what may, Jamie and Claire never, never, never ever give up.  They fight with their consciences, regardless of the fact that they know they probably won’t win. They hold tight to each other no matter what, and they choose the way they think is right, regardless of difficulty. I adore them, I adore this series, and I need them in my Doom shelter.

Margaret

1.  The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.
You’d think in the midst of a zombie apocalypse the last thing I’d want to read was a seven-volume epic about apocalypse. But this series has always been my all time favorite and I wouldn’t want to live the rest of my life anywhere without being able to reread it. Besides, we might just learn something about survival from the Roland’s ka-tet.
2. No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
This book is amazing on so many levels and every time I read it, I discover some new subtle element I missed before. It’s bloody, violent, and starkly prophetic, but I love it.
3. The Dragonfire series of paranormal romance by Deborah Cooke.
This series counters all the gloom and doom of King and McCarthy. It’s all about love, loyalty, and honor, and sexy dragon shapeshifters who find their true loves among human women. Cooke has managed to build a compelling mythology around her dragon men that makes me want to keep going back for each new story.
4. The Percy Jackson series.
Because it’s rip-roaring fun.
5. Harry Potter series
What doom shelter would be complete without Harry Potter?
What about you guys? What would you choose to bring to your doom shelter? And would you allow series in your list?

But hey! Wait!

We’re not done celebrating yet!

Here’s the birthday book for you all to enjoy:

Hero for Hire by Margaret Madigan and Merissa McCain

One day her prince would come…disguised as a zombie-killer.

Having been disgraced and tossed out by her own scientific community, Gwyn is convinced she can develop a cure for a SuperVirus that has turned the Infected into zombies. By pure luck and determination, she has survived on her own for years, but while out scavenging, a clash with the local zombies leaves her potentially infected. Now, running out of time, she needs help and takes a chance on a hero for hire.

Rafe loves the apocalypse. Since the world went to hell, everything’s come up roses for him. Having procured a mansion in the Hollywood hills, adopted a slew of homeless boys and one cantankerous but useful Doc, Mr. Charming is benefiting from the nasty zombie infestation. His job? Killing the bastards, which he considers fun anyway.

Gwyn Snow needs Rafe Charming to help retrieve her research from the Paragon Pharmaceuticals lab, also known as Zombie Central. Believing she can yet save the world, Gwyn makes Rafe question whatís right and what’s worth the fight.

CONTENT WARNING: Prince Charming, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as you’ve never seen them before.

A Lyrical Press Fantasy Romance | Once Upon

Yay!

Happy Birthday Hero For Hire! We are so proud of you!

If you guys want to check it out, go here:

http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Hire-Tales-Beyond-ebook/dp/B00FF7IFFK/
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/hero-for-hire-7
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hero-for-hire/id677147662?mt=11
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hero-for-hire-merissa-mccain/1116984509?ean=2940148537380
You can find Merissa here:

www.facebook.com/MerissaMcCain,
www.twitter.com/MerissaMcCain/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7199113.Merissa_McCain,
or via email at merissa.mccain@gmail.com

If its Margaret you’re looking for go here:

www.bestbooksintheworld.com
https://www.facebook.com/mmadiganauthor
www.twitter.com/mmadiganauthor/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7242698.Margaret_Madigan
mmadiganauthor@gmail.com
 




Thanks so much for helping us celebrate Hero For Hire’s Book Birthday. If you’d like to help us celebrate a bit more, please spread the word! We’d really, really, really appreciate it.

Thanks, Merissa and Margaret

Rafe's Rules for Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

As part of day five of the Hero for Hire blog tour, our Hero himself, Rafe Charming, is here to share with you his rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse.

You can find more fun with Hero for Hire at today's stop on our blog tour:

The Suburban Eclectic 

Rafe's Rules for Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

How many of you saw that zombie movie a few years back with all the rules? Everyone thought it was clever, but nobody knew they’d actually have to face a zombie apocalypse someday. When it really happened, practical rules for survival were suddenly really important.

Most of the rules in that movie were just bullshit, but some of them made sense. Here’s my list of the ten most important rules to follow in a real zombie apocalypse:

1. Shelter is your most important asset.

I survived a little over a year alone in the streets of Los Angeles. Trust me, you do not want to be caught for long without a place to sleep or rest because life in the zombie apocalypse is all about survival every single day.  It’s best if your shelter has solid – not glass – doors that lock, and not many (if any at all) windows. You want more than one exit – this is critical. One way in and out leaves you trapped. The more lockable doors (yes, they can open doors) between you and the zombies, the better.

2. Travel light.

If you don’t have a permanent home base, you don’t want to be lugging around a whole ton of crap. Living on the street or on the run means new shelter every few nights. With so many people dead or zombies, the homes all those people used to live in are probably still full of canned goods, clothes, blankets, water - supplies. You don’t have to haul it all with you, and traveling light means you move faster.

3. Guns should not be your primary weapon of choice.

Sure, I live in a mansion now with an impressive armory in the basement. But if you don’t have that luxury, you need practical weapons to protect yourself. Guns aren’t practical because you need a steady supply of ammunition. You’d think given America’s obsession with guns every house would be bristling with bullets, but that’s just not the case. The most reliable way to kill a zombie is to take its head off, so a sword would be an excellent choice, but swords aren’t so easy to find.  Baseball bats, axes, any blunt instrument is good.  You have to get close, which is disgusting, but it works. If you survive long enough, building and getting skilled with a slingshot is good, too.

4. Nontraditional is the new traditional.

All of us have lost relatives or people we loved. Nowadays you take family where you can get it. It’s always better to have other people with you – it keeps you from getting lonely, it helps share the burdens of survival, and multiple heads are always better than one for problem solving. The apocalypse still sucks, but it’s a lot better with Gwyn, Doc, and the boys.

5. Everything you learned in the movies about zombies is pure crap.

Movie zombies aren’t real zombies. Real zombies aren’t reanimated corpses. They’re infected people. There are a couple of different kinds of zombies – the ones that are so far gone they may as well be undead, and the smart ones. They all move fast, they all eat whatever fresh meat they can get their hands on (sometimes each other), but some of them are smarter and can figure things out.  Live by the motto:  never assume anything because when you do you’re zombie chow.

6.  Put together a tool kit you take with you everywhere.

Never leave your shelter without: a knife of some kind, a flint, matches, or lighter, your weapon of choice, a screwdriver, duct tape, a belt.

7. Always wear comfortable shoes.

You can’t outrun zombies in flip flops or heels.

8. Food isn’t what it used to be.

Don’t ever turn your nose up at something edible, even if you’d never have eaten it before the apocalypse. You can’t go to the supermarket and pick up hamburger or pork chops anymore, and the zombie apocalypse isn’t vegan. You can scavenge stores and houses for canned goods, and if you’re lucky you’ll eventually find a place like we did that’s secure enough you can have a garden. Until then, you eat what you can find and sometimes it isn’t pretty. My advice: Close your eyes and pretend it’s chicken.

9. Take pleasure in the little things.

This sounds sappy, but the apocalypse puts things in perspective. The things that make me happy now are finding a book from Gwyn’s list while I’m out scavenging then seeing the smile on her face when I give it to her; playing Monopoly with the boys; pillow fights; watching the evil genius of Doc as he invents some new gadget or weapon; the fact that because there’s no electricity left in L.A. Gwyn and I can snuggle on the mansion roof and stargaze.

10. When it comes down to it the number one rule is there are no rules.

You do what you have to in order to survive and protect your family.


Hero For Hire is available here at Amazon for Kindle right now!  It'll be available on Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo and other locations on October 1.

Hero for Hire is Available on Amazon!

Hero For Hire is live on Amazon!!

Because we're both excited first timers, we had to share. Trust me, there's been some squeeing.

We've been stalking Amazon, waiting for it to go up.  And today, Merissa got a call from someone, telling her it was there.  She dashed to the computer so fast, she said she thinks she might have discovered unbeknownst superpowers.

First, she IM'd me and we both just about fainted. Then - seven hours apart and on different continents - we both ran to Amazon and searched.

And there it was–beautiful and shiny, sitting on the Amazon virtual shelves. Even cooler? It is available to download, an entire week early!!

See?

And then? Merissa one clicked, just to be sure it was actually available and not a pre-order or some kind of hallucination.

Yes– I KNOW we've already read it. But it was so pretty and shiny and ours! We had to be sure.

And now, it’s on her Kindle, where it looks amazing.

See?

Gorgeous, right?

Okay, we're done squealing and bouncing around - for now. 

Thanks for putting up with our glee. And if you want to see if for yourself? No problem. Just click here. http://goo.gl/4OIp4X

~M&M

Hero For Hire's EPIC Blog Tour Begins...

In anticipation of the October 1 release date for Hero For Hire, the Hero For Hire EPIC Blog Tour begins today! 

Now, what might such a blog tour include, to be considered EPIC? 

We're so glad you asked.

We have spotlights. We have reviews. We have light and funny interviews. We have kinda tough interviews and we have thoughtful ones. We have top ten lists for Doom Shelter Reads. We have rules for surviving the Zombie apocalypse. We have fun, and tons of it, and we have a giveaway.

I know, right? Epic.
 
So, if you want to follow along with the fun, here’s the blog tour listing. The wonderful Lisa Filipe over at Tasty Book Tours helped us put it together, and she outdid herself, so come on over and join the fun.

It is, of course, going to be epic.

~M&M 
 

Hero For Hire

Sept 23rd- For the Love of Reading- Spotlight
Sept 24th- Mythical Books- Guest Post
Sept 25th- Rose & Beps Blog- Guest Post
Sept 26th- I am a Book Addict…And Proud of it- Review
Sept 27th- The Suburban Eclectic- Review
(Stop 2) Busy Moms Books Reviews- Review/Guest Post
Sept 30th- Tattooed Book Review- Review
(Stop 2) Emraz THE SPARK- Review/Interview

Oct 1st- Caribbean Accent Book Reviews- Character Interview
Oct 2nd- A Passion for Romance- Guest Post
(Stop 2) Illustrious Illusions- Review/Guest Post
Oct 3rd- Mind Ventures- Review
Oct 4th- Racing to Read- Review
Oct 7th- Escaping Reality One Book at a Time- Review
Oct 8th- Toots Book Reviews- Review/Guest Post
Oct 9th- Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess- Review/Guest Post
Oct 10th- Sun Mountain Book Reviews- Character Interview/Review
Oct 11th- N/A
Oct 14th- Literary Nook- Review/Guest Post
Oct 15th- Romance Bookworm- Review
Oct 16th- Claire’s Book Corner- Character Interview/Review
(Stop 2) Evie Knight- Guest Post/Excerpt
Oct 17th- Reading Bliss- Review/Excerpt
Oct 18th- Storm Goddess Book Reviews- Review

Paranormal Month is Coming! 

We love October, not least because Hero For Hire is coming out October 1st.

But also, we (okay, it was Merissa's idea) wanted to do something really fun for October this year - so Paranormal Month was born!

We're going to have a different spectacular paranormal read/author every day of the month, until the 31st. On the 31st, we'll have a recap of all the great books we’ve looked at over the course of the month.

Sound fun? We hope so. 

We're inviting other paranormal/paranormal romance authors to the blog, one per day, the 1st through the 31st. You can do a guest post, and/or a spotlight of your book (it doesn’t have to be new, just paranormal).

Every author agrees to promo every day’s post, not just their own. It’d be a fun way for us all to get extra exposure, and to celebrate the fun of October.

If you're interested, contact: merissa(dot)mccain(at)gmail.com.

Many spots are already taken, but there’s still some to be had. First come, first serve, guys!

This is going to be a blast.

Help Us Celebrate Paranormal Month

This post is for all the Paranormal Romance Authors out there.

So, we have this book coming out October 1, 2013 called Hero For Hire. 

Imagine Snow White retold as a romance set in a post-apocalyptic world. It’s awesome. And it's a paranormal romance.

We figured since it's coming out in the month of Halloween, and if any month of the year is paranormal month, it’s October, so why not do a month long celebration of all things paranormal?

So here’s the deal. We're inviting other paranormal romance authors to our blog, one per day, the 1st through the 31st. You can do a guest post, and/or a spotlight of your book (it doesn’t have to be new, just paranormal).

Every author agrees to promo every day’s post, not just their own. It’d be a fun way for us all to get extra exposure, new followers, and to celebrate the fun of October which is, as of now, officially deemed Paranormal Month.

What do you say? Are you in?

If you are, contact Merissa at merissa(dot)mccain(at)gmail.com.

A few spots are already taken, but there’s plenty more to be had. First come, first serve, guys.