JEZEBEL:

Hey there, Avid Fans! I’m the former demon Jezebel, coming at you live from the sordid depths of Jackie Kessler’s website. Melpomene’s on an enforced vacation (some Muses really shouldn’t be allowed to drink cosmopolitans and then follow Matt Damon home — it can get very ugly), so it’s just me today.

My Dear Creator was hanging out at Dear Author, where there’s a terrific post about what it means to be a bestselling author. Me, I’d always thought to be a bestseller, you had to make a deal with You Know Who. (Hey, I drink the company Kool-Aid, you know?) Turns out, that’s not the case. Check out the post.

And look, a meme!

MEME MEME MEME

List 10 books that really should be bestsellers.

This means that these books are not bestsellers, and there’s a good chance that they will not be in the near future — but they really should be, because they are terrific books. So hey: flaunt your power. Make these titles bestsellers. And it won’t even cost you your soul. (Promise.)

Here are the (cough, former) demon Jezebel’s Books of Bestdom. And it has nothing to do with the sexiness of the characters in the books. Really. Scout’s honor. (What? I tried to seduce a guy named Scout once. But he was all White Knight, and it didn’t work out. Things happen. He’s dead now.)

1. RISES THE NIGHT, Colleen Gleason. I want Sebastian. Now. And if you haven’t read THE REST FALLS AWAY, rectify that and go buy that book too. Think Buffy, a la Jane Austen.

2. BOBBIE FAYE’S VERY (VERY, VERY, VERY) BAD DAY, Toni McGee Causey. Not only is Treveor smokin’ hawt, but Bobbie Faye is utterly certifiable. I admire that in a human. My Dear Creator has laughed out loud reading this southern caper-comedy.

3. SHADOWS IN THE DARKNESS, Elaine Cunningham. Yeah, I know, bad form to pimp my friends. But Avid Fans, I have to tell you, Ian is inhumanly sexy. And Gwen is a top-notch urban fantasy heroine, right up there with Joanne Baldwin and Anita Blake. Also fabulous is the followup, SHADOWS IN THE STARLIGHT.

4. DEMON MOON, Meljean Brook. Colin = yum. Seriously. He was also yummy in DEMON ANGEL. ((fans self))

5. SUCCUBUS BLUES, Richelle Mead. Yeah, see the above about pimping friends. But Georgina rocks, and bless me, I don’t know who’s hotter: Seth or Roman. Ah, Hell with it: I’d do them both. At the same time. And don’t forget the next in Georgina’s series: SUCCUBUS ON TOP, in January 2008.

6. VISIONS OF HEAT, Nalini Singh. This one probably is already on the bestseller list. As well it should be. Also fabulous was her first in the series, SLAVE TO SENSATION.

7. NIGHT LIFE, Caitlin Kittredge. Memorize her name, kids. Caitlin is going to be a superstar. I mean it. And yeah, yeah, I know, pimping friends isn’t cool. I am happy to not be cool about this, because this werewolf cop/urban fantasy is utterly terrific. Coming out in March 2008. Buzz, buzz!

8. EIGHTH GRADE BITES, Heather Brewer. This one’s YA, and it’s one of the funniest, darkest books of its kind. Vlad is scrumptious, and if he were only a wee bit older, I’d…well. Anyway. This one’s not only a keeper: it’s groundbreaking. Preorder your copy today!

9. HELL’S BELLES, Jackie Kessler. Cough. What can I say?

10. THE ROAD TO HELL, Jackie Kessler. Actually, Avid Fans, I know that my Dear Creator is planning something very, very big around the launch of her novel. Something about “Hell Week.” Seriously. Stay tuned. Oh, and once she gets advance reading copies, you know that I’m stealing some to give away, don’t you?

Coming soon to Cat and Muse: an interview with Fred Bimm, from SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES. More soon!

Smooches!