Azazel Reviewed by Joyfully Reviewed

Azazel is a demon of the First Angelic Revolt and Lucifer’s top assassin. Luc has sent him to retrieve a group of souls who escaped from the pits of Hell. Alexia is a vampire and one of the best vampire assassins of the Alliance.

Azazel has tracked the souls to Alexia’s friend and fellow assassin Kelsey. “Partner” is a foreign word to both of them but Alexia refuses to stay behind when Azazel hunts the souls. There are a lot of firsts for Alexia and Azazel in this fight. The one that may destroy them is love though.

Nothing beats a good demon and vampire story except a good demon and vampire story with romance and sex. Azazel’s storyline is as engaging as Azazel and Alexia’s tumultuous relationship. Along with its dark and well written plot, Azazel has a very sensual romance. Azazel is a dark, handsome, warrior and Alexia totally kicks ass. She’s a fighter through and through. Every once in a while her vulnerability shows through. They make an amazing team both in battle and in bed. ~ reviewed by Nannette

Link to Review.

My Hero ~ Thank You

I spend so much time writing about fictional heroes, I thought I would focus on a real hero today. Mine.

I met my husband, Tor, when we were both 19 years old. I was in the Navy, he was in the Marine Corps, and we were both stationed in Italy. Right off the bat I knew he was the one. No one can convince me that love at first sight doesn't exist. I'm originally from the city, and here was this man standing before me in jeans, big worn boots, and a flannel shirt - looking just like the Brawny man. You could have described him just like a hero out of a book...large shoulders, broad chest, square jaw...so handsome. Within ten minutes he asked me on a date.

Since we were in Italy there were numerous wonderful restaurants to choose from. He chose to take me to a place called Tony's...where I had been before. In fact, all of the members of the military went there on a regular basis. I knew the owner Tony by name because I frequented there. That Tor took me to Tony's let me know two things about him instantly - One, he was grounded. He wasn't trying to impress me. And two, he was a man who enjoyed the familiar. My interest in him grew. Of course I messed up the date by trying to pay my share at the end of the meal. Tor was insulted...and he still talks about my insistence on paying to this day. I promised he could pay for our next date, and with a wink he said that would work.

We were married in Italy less than a year later. Within that time he had gone to Bosnia, and during those months I realized just how much I loved him. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Through letters I came to know the sensitive side of him. Many romance readers go for the alpha male - but we want a little beta in there. We want our hero to have a sensitive side - a side that perhaps only we can see. He had both. I've kept all the letters he's written over the years, and I read them every now and then. (There are even a few poems in there, but he'll deny that. The beta in him will write them to me, the alpha tells me to keep them to myself.)

We've been married over ten years and during that time he's been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. As strong as I like to think I am, I was a mess during those deployments. While stationed in Iraq he trained Iraqi's to become police officers. He wasn't stationed on a base...he was in the middle of no where with little protection other than the eleven or so Marines with him. I couldn't watch CNN because I was afraid I would hear of a Marine detachment getting harmed. At the time that was all that was on CNN.

He's the strongest man I know. There isn't a thing he can't fix on a car or in the house...at the same time he knows how to separate the laundry and fix a delicious chicken and dumplings meal. If you ask our two daughters who makes eggs the best, they'll say he does, hands down. Cheesy eggs happen to be 'the' thing to eat on weekends in this house. :)

While I struggled to get published he was always there telling me I could do it. He believed in me even as I framed my rejection letters and put them on my office wall with tears in my eyes. He sat in the bookstore with me as I read through magazines and books on the industry, picking and choosing which books I wanted to purchase. He footed the bill for RWA Nationals when both of us knew the money was needed elsewhere. He was there to pick me up and twirl me around when I finally got the email that offered contract.

I wanted to write this as a thank you to the man who completes me in every way.

If I can get my heroes to be half the man he is, then I've done a damn fine job.

Fast Draft Starts Tomorrow!

I'll be doing a Fast Draft with Liz Pelletier, Nikki Duncan and Jax Cassidy starting tomorrow. I'm very excited! It's been a few months since I did my last Fast Draft. My goal is 13 - 15 pages a day for two weeks. Candace Havens came up with Fast Draft and Revision Hell. You can go to her website and click on her workshop's page to read more about Fast Draft.

Anywho...I plan to finish up Ronove, which only has one chapter written right now. By the end of the two weeks I should have about 180 pages...and I only need 140 pages. If you are a writer and you find it difficult to get, or stay, motivated, check out Candace's website. You can join her yahoo group from her workshop's page and get all the motivation you need from the members there.

Happy reading and writing!

Blah Blah Blah

I feel like this cat looks. Perhaps I have the flu or something. I had to re-read Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward to feel a little better. There's nothing like a dose of Zsadist to make even the worst cold go away for a while.

I'm working on a few books right now, and wouldn't you know it, a new plot came to mind yesterday. So...I had to write down the jist of it, and hopefully the story will remain fresh in my mind until I'm finished with what I'm working on.

That's about all for now. I have a few interviews coming up, and I'm going to be a guest blogger on J.K. Coi's BLOG on the 26th of January. Stay tuned. :o)

Asmodeus releases tomorrow!

Genre: Paranormal Romance

ISBN: 978-1-60504-357-9

Length: Novel

Price: 5.50

Available January 13, 2009

* * *

Blurb

Being an aspiring witch is daunting business…

When Brianna Claxton accidentally summons a demon, she is forced to face hermistake head-on. That becomes problematic when her mistake comes in the form of ahot, ancient demon named Asmodeus who refuses to go back to the hell from whichshe summoned him.

Thoughts of revenge have kept him sane…

Asmodeus is leader of the Rebel Watchers, angels who fell from grace out of lust forhuman women. He had been subjected to the Abyss, tortured in a virtual Hell in Heaven,until the careless mistake of a human witch released him from the fires. Now faced withtemptations of the flesh by the sexy witch who summoned him, he tries convincinghimself that embarking on a relationship with Brianna would be a mistake of biblicalproportions.

Two lives hang in the balance…

Just when things start heating up, four Death Angels give her a mission: Use herpowers to kill him…or face the Abyss herself. Gaining his trust is the key—except thecloser she gets, the more he reveals the man he is, not the demon she thought him tobe.

To read an excerpt click HERE.

www.dawnmcclure.com

Review for Azazel

5 out of 5 star and a must-read rating from Crave MoreRomance.

Sometimes a girl needs more than just a little sizzle and asmoldering body to fulfill her desires. For Alexia, an ass-kickingvampire and member of the alliance trained to hunt down demons, ithad been far too long since either demon or vampire had turned heron. Of course it's a little hard to be aroused when you're able to takedown every member of the opposite sex without even running out ofbreath. That is until she meets Azazel, a demon who can best her inbattle time and time again.

Paranormal romance has never been better than it is in Ms.McClure's hands. Not only is the story unique, blending a world ofvampires and demons, itsthe most fun I've had with paranormal romance in ages. There isnever a dull moment in AZAZEL! I'm delighted to give Ms. McClure'sAZAZEL five stars and a must read rating.

Reviewed by Crave More Romance

Purchase by clicking on My Bookstore and More.

Armageddon Week on the History Channel

Of course I missed the show I wanted to see! It aired last night. But if I know anything about the History Channel, I'll soon get to see it over and over and over again. :o) This is a blurb I yanked off the History Channel website...

SUNDAY January 4
8:00 PM ET / PT
Seven Deadly Sins: Pride
The Italian writer Dante called the sin of pride the "Chief of All Sins" -- the sin of Satan himself. The sin of pride was condemned by the Bible and the philosopher Socrates, while Romans and Vikings made it their greatest virtue. The sin of pride is thought to have led to the fall of Satan but strangely enough, the most famous story about Satan is not in the Bible. So what is the origin of the sin of pride? CC HD [TV14]

...I have one other show I must watch this week...

MONDAY January 5
9:00 PM ET/ PT
Seven Signs of the Apocalypse
The Seven Signs are clear: We will be struck by deadly plagues, famines and earthquakes... The sky will turn dark and oceans will turn to blood... And the antichrist will emerge to fight the final battle between good and evil. Could this all be true? Experts decode this powerful prophecy and come to a startling conclusion: there is now scientific evidence that many of these catastrophes could, in fact, be occurring. A star falling from the sky could be one of thousands of rogue asteroids that may be approaching earth. The plague foretold in the Bible could be a deadly strain of avian virus that researchers fear could kill millions. Oceans turning blood red could be triggered by microorganisms that release dangerous neurotoxins that have the same effect as nerve gas. To reveal the ultimate truth behind the prophecy, this investigation will turn to the past to reveal why the prophecy was written, and why it keeps such a powerful hold on our imagination today. CC HD [TVPG]

Go to the History Channel Website to find out more.

What the...Hell yeah!

So, I'm not hip to many things in the publishing industry...I'm a newbie. So when I received an email from a reader saying she voted for my book Azazel on the Preditors & Editors reader's poll I had to go investigate.

Dude! Azazel was on the list of (I'm thinking best) romance novels published in 2008. Get. Out.

So, here's the link if you want to go and vote. VOTE HERE.

FAQ

Okay, I never thought I would be writing a post about frequently asked questions - although in this particular case it's a frequently asked question (no plural there) - but here it is. In the past few weeks I've had many people ask me where I got the ideas for my books. Where did I come up with the First Angelic Revolt and Second Angelic Revolt? Where do I find the names of my demons?

I've always been interested in religion. From Christianity to the old Norse gods, I find the stories fascinating. Who isn't intrigued by Loki? The lost books of the Bible? In fact, it was in the Book of Enoch that I found the basis for my fallen angels. In the book of Enoch we are introduced to a group of demons who fell from grace and had sex with human women. Their coupling produced a race of giants, and from there we have the Flood - which purified the world from the evil that had taken over.

My demons - most of them - seek redemption. If they choose to put someone's life above their own - a completely unselfish gesture - then they pass the test (usually given by an angel) and are included in the book of life once again. Some are given access to Heaven and others are not. It depends on the demon and their past transgressions. To me there is no greater emotion than love. Even the nastiest villian loves someone (or something). When I sat down to write my demonic heroes I kept that in mind. Nothing is ever black or white...there's a gray area, and I used that thought to come up with a well-rounded (not purely evil or good) demon. When I began to research Asmodeus, this was the first picture I came across...

Not exactly a man to incite lust, is he? But the story behind the Rebel Watchers interested me, so I read a little more from the Book of Enoch. Enoch, if you are familiar with the Bible, was the male who walked with God for 300+ years, and he had such a good, clean soul God took him. (FYI - Enoch is Noah's grandfather) In the Book of Enoch we find out that he is now an angel. The Rebel Watchers, who fell out of lust for human women (don't quote me on any of this) go to Enoch and ask him to speak on their behalf. It was right there, when I read about their HOPE for redemption that I thought, hey, that would make a good premise. Demons with a heart. Since I write romance I threw in a heroine, who captures the love of the demon, and 'redeems' him.

The one problem with humans and demons mating (according to my world) is that it is forbidden. Remember the Flood? The Nephilim? Well, demons still mate with humans, and those unions still produce Nephilim. So, the demons from the Second Angelic Revolt must keep the Nephilim numbers down by hunting them and killing them. The Nephilim are monsters anyway, right? Well, they are and they aren't. Nephilim are born as normal children. They laugh, they cry, they love, they have cute baby fat, and need to be burped...and then they hit puberty. That's when they turn into Nephilim creatures. So, the demons from the Second Angelic Revolt must kill these creatures, per archangel Michael's orders, or face the fires of the Abyss.

What is the Abyss? To put it bluntly it's Hell located in Heaven. It's a place set aside for Fallen Angels who get a little too big for their britches. There are three tiers, each a little worse than the last. That's a little harsh to have a virtual Hell in Heaven, but you have to recall the teachings of the old testament - 'eye for an eye.' It wasn't until we get to the new testament that we see the adage 'turn the other cheek.' (I'm partial to the old testiment, but then again I'm a little sadistic.)

In a nutshell, that's where I came up with my premise. Here are a few links if you want to look into it.

Demon Names. Here you will find a small list of demons and a little on their background.

The Book of Enoch. The book of Enoch translated from the dead sea scrolls. This site tells you a little about the book and you'll find a link to read the text.

Rebel Watchers. This is the specific page that inspired my stories. Here we see Enoch speak to the Fallen. We also read about Nephilim - or 'giants.'