ŷ������

Anyone who knows me knows that I sincerely appreciate my readers. I answer my email, posts and requests for signed books. I do my best to do a little social media each day. I have my own online community where I give out “goodies�� and interact on a more personal level. I try to be available as much as I can since I don’t travel a great deal.



I do a little bit, everywhere. I want to go to my readers where they are. It’s great to have readers come to my website, read my blog, interact in my online community, but I feel it’s important for me to do my best to be available where my readers are. That’s one of the reasons I blog on ŷ������ instead of making my own personal blog on my website. Many of my readers are already on ŷ������, so it’s more convenient for them if I have my blog here. And for those who only like to go to my website, the blogs are forwarded there automatically.



I receive many emails via my website, which is easy enough to find-
As a side note, that page also tells you how to get a signed book from me, or where to send snail mail.

I have a lot of questions sent that way.

Of course, I have a newsletter which I only send out when I have a book release-

I’m asked where people can find my books in chronological order, or if I have a list or catalog. I do! And I have a wonderful team who helps me to keep my website up to date. You can find that catalog here-



My website was recently remodeled and I love it, but I don’t think people realize how many resources are there. Or how many fun things! I write up little news snippets about my books, which you can find on that book’s landing page. And of course my community gets a lot of “first to know�� stuff and exclusives.

You can sign up for my free online community here-


There are other places you can find me online. I try to reach as many online places as I have time for. I don’t know where you like to hang out online, but hopefully one of those listed below will be a good place for us to meet up!

In celebration of Dark Sentinel I have a fun game for you to play!



Reader’s Entertainment Magazine asked me to play a game they call “If I were to…�� and then we thought it would be fun to ask readers to play as well here on my blog. I hope you’ll play along.

Put your answers in the comments. You can answer just the ones that interest you, or answer them all like I did!

You can see my answers here-

This is just for fun, but I do hope you’ll play along!



If I were to spend a week vacationing with any of Christine’s characters it would be-

If I were to choose any ability from any of Christine’s series or characters to take on as my own it would be ��

If I were to ask Christine to invite another author’s characters into her world to be an ally it would be ��

If I were to choose any comic book superhero or villain to be in a Dark Series book it would be ��

If I were to shapeshift into any animal it would be a ��

If I were to say who my personal choice of most intriguing NEW character in the Dark Series it would be-

If I were to choose a new city to set one of Christine’s series in it would be ��

If I were to choose my favorite thing about Dark Sentinel it would be (no spoilers though!)-


I hope this was fun for you, too. Be sure to comment your answers!













(Exclusives, Sneak Peeks, Discussions and more) -

I’ve had a vague idea for a heroine for quite some time, but I only knew certain things about her in the beginning. I knew she had to be strong, both physically and mentally. I knew she was a fighter. And I knew she had experienced a great tragedy that left her alone in the world on many levels.



But, until I found the right lifemate for her she had to stay in the background.

As I began Dark Sentinel I knew the hero would be one of the monastery ancients and realized it would be Andor. Unfortunately, Andor was at the end of his long life and ready to die. That’s when I knew who my heroine was and that her time had finally come. Lorraine Peters was absolutely the only person who could save Andor. Not just because she was his lifemate, but because of her life experiences and who she was as a person. It couldn’t be anyone else.
Lorraine came from a family of fighters. They trained daily. She was disciplined and fast. She was strategic and level-headed. She was brought up that way and it became a natural part of her. And, like most of the women who become lifemates, they are born with light and love in them. Lorraine loved her family. She was loyal and dependable. And even though her brother struggled with anger issues, she showered him with love and encouraged him to be good.

So, you can see how Lorraine would be a wonderful lifemate to any Carpathian male. Strong, yet loving. Loyal and accepting. But, I needed someone who would, in a split second, decide to help a stranger who was being attacked by murderers, even though she was all alone. It had to be someone who wouldn’t run for help because the odds were so astronomically against her. Something in her had to be so infuriated at what was happening that she would give her own life to stop it.



Years ago, there was a terrible crime that happened around the area in which I live. A local family had a son who was mentally ill and had anger issues. They had asked for help from the medical community. They’d even asked for help from law enforcement. No one helped them. One day their son lost control and killed several people from another local family and then was shot and killed by police.

Of course everyone was devastated by the tragic loss. There was such an outpouring of grief and support for the family who’d lost their loved ones. The victims were good people and now their family had to deal with their loss. As the community talked about what happened it occurred to me that the family of the boy who was the murderer also lost a child. They were also victims. No one talked about them. I wondered what it was like to be the family members of the killer. These were good people who had tried everything they could think of to get help and who had told law enforcement they were afraid something terrible would happen, but they were left on their own to manage their adult son. Did they feel alone? Did they feel guilt? Weren’t they just as devastated? These were the questions I thought of as I created Lorraine Peters. This scenario happened to her and everyone she loved was involved in this single event.

The stigma of what happened left Lorraine friendless and utterly alone in the world. She was the woman whose brother was a murderer. After some time she realized she had to get away and find herself again. So, she decided she’d go camping out where no one would know her secret guilt and shame. She wanted to find a way back to who she was. And the perfect opportunity for that opened up in that moment when she saw several men torturing and about to murder an unarmed, beaten, bleeding man who had no fight left in him.
Lorraine saw her chance to stop a murder. Those men were not going to get away with murdering anyone. Not on her watch. She wasn’t there to save her family, but she would save this man no matter what.
It is always satisfying when you find a perfect match. It took a little while for Lorraine to be fully realized as a heroine. It took the perfect lifemate who needed her and only her. It had to be Lorraine for Andor. And I think she was totally worth the wait.
















(Exclusives, Sneak Peeks, Discussions and more) -

Some heroes come to me easily. They speak to me in a way which may sound crazy, unless you’re an author, but is true. When I say that they speak to me, I mean that I know what their voice is. I know if they’re calm or volatile. I know if they are old fashioned or modern. I have a clear idea of who they are and how they behave.
That doesn’t always happen right away though. Some heroes are stubborn. When you see me torture them a bit, it may be that I’ve been struggling with him and he won’t fall in line with what I want. Those are often the most surprising heroes in which people either totally love them, or they don’t.



I love them all. Those who cooperate and make my storytelling easy for me. And, those who fight me along the way, forcing me to bend to their will, or causing me to force them into compliance.

Andor was a joy to write. I was in the mood for someone romantic and deep, perhaps a little vulnerable so our heroine could come along and remind him that life is worth fighting for. There’s something about a hero who struggles and suffers, but who would dig deep within himself to protect the woman he loves and is willing to compromise in order to secure his woman’s happiness. Andor was that man.

You know from the first chapter that he is weary. Like all of the other ancients from the monastery, he didn’t believe suicide was the answer. To “meet the dawn�� because he hadn’t yet found his lifemate and had become dangerous to others was the reason he’d gone to the monastery, but time and violence and a perpetual lack of hope had worn him down. So, when he’s attacked and about to die, he is ready to accept it. Dying while fighting evil was an honorable way to go. He’d put in his time, fought his battles, and now he just wanted a release from his suffering.



Then, in storms a woman waving a saucepan and looking to save his life and in an instant everything in his world changes. Fate, destiny, dumb luck, call it what you will, but in that final moment Andor sees his salvation. And he sees it in full color.

Centuries of turmoil, violence, anguish and torment couldn’t hold a candle to a single second filled with hope and love. Everything that had made him the fearless, dangerous warrior he’d been for all that time sparked back to life and he was once again a deadly predator. And a dark sentinel.









(Exclusives, Sneak Peeks, Discussions and more) -

High up in the Carpathian Mountains is a monastery hidden away called the Retreat in the Veil of Mists. Until recently, this monastery was the last refuge for those ancient Carpathian warriors who hoped to keep humanity safe by locking themselves away and working to keep the darkness at bay.



These warriors are men of honor, suffering and in despair. They didn’t feel suicide was right and so they sought the company of others like themselves, looking for both sanctuary and camaraderie. Though, without the hope of ever finding a lifemate it was a lonely existence.

But, the outside world slipped in, in Dark Ghost, when Fane introduces himself as keeper of the monastery to Teagan and offers his assistance as well as the assistance of the warriors within the monastery. We learn much more about the monastery and its inhabitants in Dark Promises when Gabrielle follows Gary and finds, in a very horrible way, that Aleksei, one of the monk warriors, is her lifemate. Aleksei brings Gabrielle inside the monastery as he determines her fate, and his own. It is here in Dark Promises that two modern women are found to be lifemates; Gabrielle and Aleksei and then Trixie and Fane. The ancients can see for themselves that there’s hope out in the world now that they know psychic women can be lifemates.

With the ancients now aware that human women can be lifemates many of them join Tariq Asenguard in Southern California where he has set up a compound and monitors vampire activity, something that soon becomes an all-out war. More ancients join as the battle continues and we find in Dark Carousel that Tarqi has been chosen by Mikhail, the Prince, to represent him in the United States.



In Dark Legacy we discover that the vampires have a plan and are strategically working toward carrying out that plan, which includes killing Tariq and everyone who is helping him. Dark Legacy has a lot of action as the battle begins to spread and a huge twist leaves the danger growing more than the Carpathians realize. Dark Legacy also has some surprises that readers will be excited about and this revelation will reverberate throughout the next several books.

Dark Sentinel brings the New Guard together in a new way. And, we’re re-introduced to the human society of vampire hunters that have joined in the fray. Andor, one of the ancient warriors, is attacked on several fronts leaving him to die, which he is ready for. In order to save him it will take his lifemate and the New Guard of ancient warriors to ban together along with Gary Daratrazanoff, a great and powerful healer. But, they have to completely trust in each other, because there’s only one way to save Andor, and it’s never been tried before. If something goes wrong, some, or all even all of them, could die.

These ancients have suffered a long time and finally have a shot at finding a lifemate. They have hope for the first time in centuries. They just have to hold out a little longer. Be strong. Don’t give up.

Andor has lived a long time and the loneliness has become unbearable. Fighting vampires, going out as a warrior with honor was something he could accept. He knew he’d received more than one killing blow. This was the end for him. And as he lay there waiting for death to take him he heard someone come to defend him, and his entire world was awash in color.

Lorraine is a fighter and she fought those who were trying to kill Andor. She already has to wrap her mind around what’s she’s seen. Andor’s wounds aren’t something easily survived and she knows this at a glance. Then, Andor convinces her to put him in the dirt, which is healing for Carpathians. She knows how dire the situation is, so she’s willing to try anything.

She thinks he will die and doesn’t want to leave his side. She wants to comfort him, ease his suffering. This couple was a perfect fit for each other. No one could possibly save Andor except for Lorraine. Not only because she is his lifemate, but because her past would never allow her to give up on him.

Drake Sisters, Sisters of the Heart/Sea Haven and Torpedo Ink



All of the books are written to be stand alone books, but a series is meant to offer a fuller experience, often with an additional story arc that ties them all together. It also allows a reader to become familiar with, not only characters, but with a location as well.

Sea Haven is a place in Northern California and the first time we learn about Sea Haven is with the Drake Sisters. These magical seven sisters are always there for each other though they all have very different occupations and lives. The series starts out very sweet, though there’s always an element of suspense in each story with varying levels of the paranormal. You can read any of the books and in any order but the final Drake Sisters book, Hidden Currents is darker and knowing what came before it might enhance your overall experience, but you’d still be able to understand the story even if you haven’t read the previous books in the series.

The bridge from the Drakes to the Sisters of the Heart/Sea Haven series is the community. Blythe, who is a cousin to the Drakes is in the Sea Haven series and so you have a small tie to the family. But, you do not have to read the Drake sisters series in order to read the Sea Haven series. Those characters will make an appearance occasionally, but not in a way that affects the story. They become secondary characters in a way. At least until the final book, Bound Together, where the Drakes play a bigger role.



Water Bound starts out the Sea Haven series and you learn there is a group of women tied together by their traumatic experiences. They met in group therapy and became so bonded they moved to Sea Haven and created a sort of compound or farm where each woman has their own home, but they live on the same property and help one another.

Like the Drake Sisters series, the women’s bond is caring and supportive and you feel like you could be best friends with them if you met them in real life. Each story is contemporary and brings with it a tale of suspense and/or danger. It isn’t until the final two books, Fire Bound and Bound Together, that we see the beginning of an overall story arc that ties up the series, but even then, you can read the books on their own and enjoy them.

Bound Together is a pivotal book. It completes the Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart Series (this series is officially called the Sea Haven series, but often is referred to as the Sisters of the Heart) and is a sort of entry to Torpedo Ink.

Torpedo Ink is the newest series that utilizes the Sea Haven area. Though the motorcycle club sets up shop in nearby Caspar, Sea Haven is the next town over and is visited or referred to. Blythe is again the link between a series, this time as the wife of Viktor, the president of Torpedo Ink.



Though it’s fun to get an introduction to the Torpedo Ink characters in Bound Together and to know Blythe and Viktor’s love story, Judgement Road introduces them again in a way that’s fresh and that allows you to read the book as a stand alone.

If you want to read the Torpedo Ink series you can start with the first Torpedo Ink series book, Judgment Road, but if you’d like the love story for the president of Torpedo Ink you will have to read Bound Together.
I would venture to say that each book is a stand alone with about 10% of the book referring to or containing information relevant to an overall series arc. It’s written in a way that you may not even notice that there’s this extra storyline. There’s no confusion that takes you out of the actual story of that particular book. It’s more like a story mosaic in which the pieces are beautiful on their own, but put together you see an additional story before you.

The ability to travel using shadows in order to bring justice to those who deserve it isn’t as easy as it may sound. Cool, yes. Easy? No.



As I began world-building for the Shadow Rider series I realized I’d have to make some things complicated in order to have conflict both internally and externally. That would make things harder on me as the writer, but the stories would be more compelling.

First of all, there wouldn’t be a lot of Shadow Riders, but there would have to be some or having two Shadow Riders marry would become very complex. By the end of Shadow Reaper, the second in the Shadow Rider series, you realize there are other Riders all over the world. Ricco had been sent to train in Japan and there you discover there are a few families who have Shadow Riders. There are leaders of those families and there are rules of conduct. Over those families is a council, but I don’t talk much about that. Not yet.

The Ferraros always had abilities, but it wasn’t until the Saldis tried to wipe out the entire family that those who survived went to America to start over.

Not everyone born into the Ferraro family, or their extended family, can Ride the shadows. Not all of them have special abilities. Some are normal people. But, a few do have other abilities like being a human lie detector, which comes in handy when you’re an investigator for the family, or a greeter.



The way it works is that someone from the outside comes in to ask for justice that they feel they wouldn’t get, or they didn’t get, through regular law enforcement. That person is greeted and assessed and if the Ferraros take their case two investigative teams are assigned; one to investigate the accusation, the other to investigate the accuser. If the investigator finds evidence of injustice then it is decided how that justice will be meted out. That’s when a Shadow Rider is called in. They ARE justice.

Shadow Riders can sense each other, especially if they can see someone’s shadow. Shadows touch and the two Riders can get an impression of each other. Sometimes they can tell if the other person would be a good match for them. They may even feel compelled to claim this person, which is both good and bad.
Claiming that other person means you’re together forever. The penalty for divorce is steep. Lost memory for one; loss of Shadow Riding ability for the other.
Then there’s the training and riding itself. Training starts at age two and begins in the home. At a certain age the child is sent to train with other Shadow Riders and remains there until it’s felt that the training is complete. A Shadow Rider, even after he/she returns from training, trains daily. Their body and mind must be kept in top shape because the act of riding the shadows is severe on them.



As a Rider enters into a shadow their molecules are torn apart. Those molecules travel down the “tubes�� which connect shadows and as the person exits the tube they are instantly reassembled. This process can be painful, especially if they are traveling fast or at great distance. While they’re inside the tube, reaching the place where they wish to exit, they must mentally remain aware since they have to find an appropriate shadow to exit from and this means choices must be made in a split second. Often, before going on a mission, Shadow Riders will be given floor plans or photographs of the place in which they must exit. Even knowing where things are and that the likelihood of there being shadows to choose from when they arrive at their destination, there are no guarantees that there won’t be people already in that area. They could exit and be killed the moment they’re solid again.

The physical and mental demands of Shadow Riding means that not everyone born a Rider can actually ride the shadows. We know in Shadow Rider, the first book in the series, that the youngest of the Ferarro brothers, Ettore Ferarro, was killed when he was forced by his parents to ride the shadows. He was just 16 years old.
Shadow Riders have their own set of rules and processes. These are put in place to ensure the law never catches up with them. They use the paparazzi as alibis and are not allowed to take justice into their own hands. Justice and how it is dealt with is something that must be agreed upon by the family unless there’s imminent danger.



It becomes even more complicated within the family structure itself and how the family conducts business. For example, if it is determined justice must be dealt in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles family would not do it. They need to keep away from trouble in their own city unless they’re defending themselves. So, the Ferraros from Chicago or New York would be assigned. Several members of that family would visit Los Angeles, making sure the paparazzi see them. The Shadow Rider who does the actual assassination is never seen in the city. They slip in, do what’s needed, and wait for the rest of the family to go home. Their presence is masked and the rest of the family is given alibis.

I’m not finished with the world-building for this series, so rules and processes may evolve as new stories require. But, this was a base to start with and so far I’ve enjoyed this fictional kick ass world.

Shadow Riders are assassins who mete out justice, using shadows to travel. The Ferraro family is one of a few “Riders�� worldwide, so rare that it is the duty of a Shadow Rider to marry and produce more Shadow Riders. If a Rider hasn’t found someone to marry by the time they reach a certain age then the family will arrange a marriage to an appropriate Rider of another family.




Not all Shadow Riders are born knowing they have that rare ability. When Sasha and Giovanni meet there aren’t enough shadows in the club to realize she’s a Rider, but Giovanni feels pulled toward her anyway. Sasha has no idea what she is, but she does realize she can tell when someone lies. Giovanni has his work cut out for him when they meet. And on more than one level.
But, when two Shadow Riders meet, their shadows move like serpent-wraiths, reaching out for each other. They can feel one another; know when someone is a Shadow Rider. They can also feel a compatibility with another Rider. Often this potential compatibility can be triggered by the sound of that person’s voice. Combined with the reaching and intertwining of their shadows, a Rider will feel something deep within him or her click into place and they will know this person belongs with them. Or potentially does.



If a Shadow Rider claims a mate and that mate rejects them, things become disastrous for both of them. The same goes for divorce. Should two Shadow Riders divorce, it rips their entwined shadows apart leaving one partner without their memory and the other partner unable to ride the shadows ever again. So, choosing someone who will fully accept a committed relationship is imperative.

It’s different if a Shadow Rider is widowed. With the partner deceased, the entwined shadows fade away and are not violently ripped apart as it happens with divorce. Though the partner may be sad, they could still re-marry and they lose nothing. They keep their memories and their ability to ride the shadows.
A Shadow Rider could marry a non-Shadow Rider if that person has the riding gene. Some of the Ferraro’s extended family are “Greeters�� or “Investigators�� and they have different gifts and abilities. Other Shadow Rider families in the world have these gifts and abilities and may hold a recessive Shadow Rider gene, but not have manifested in that person. Instead, that person could have a child with a Shadow Rider and their child could also end up a Rider.





We find out in Shadow Reaper there are Shadow Rider families and extended families all over the world. Training is often done outside of the family. Ricco was trained in Japan and we learn of powerful Shadow Rider families there. Riders throughout the world look to pair up, with or without the benefit of love, in order to produce more riders. An actual love-match isn’t easy to find.

So every chance encounter for any of the Ferraros could lead them to find a Shadow Rider who will match them. A mate. Love. All they need is a lot of luck and a lot of shadows.

The ride's not over!

We've had a lot of fun with Shadow Keeper and I wanted to make sure you didn't miss any of it.
Here's a rundown of some of the fun things we've done for the book release.
Let me know what you enjoyed the most!







Who is Your Shadow Rider Trainer?