Romance Author Hotspot

Today, our star of honor is Natalie J. Damschroder. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

BIO:

Natalie J. Damschroder writes high-stakes romantic adventure, sometimes with a paranormal bent. Since 2000, she’s published 10 novels, 7 novellas, and 14 short stories, many of them exploring magical abilities, but all with a romantic core. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her perfect partner of a husband and two daughters who are so amazing, they’ve been dubbed “anti-teenagers.”

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

 *tries not  to look embarrassed at the spotlight* Thanks so much for having me at Romance Author Hotspot!

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

 Much appreciated.

What made you decide to become a writer?

You know, I can’t quite pinpoint the decision. I’ve been a voracious reader since I was little. My mother was a writer. In high school, that’s what my teachers said was my strength. Then in college, I won a third-prize writing award, and at some point started writing a romance. That the computer lab tech deleted. I did an internship at The National Geographic Society (since my degree was in geography) and wound up editing abstracts and proofreading field guides. Once I got married and we bought a computer, I just kind of started.

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

Really good writing inspires me, whether it’s books, movies, or television. I get my ideas from everything—a “what if” twist on another story, something in the news, characters that just show up in my head.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name?

LOL My muse has so far not required beating. I have two muses.

Merlin is for my paranormal work, and Fred for my non-paranormal. I bought Merlin in a shop in Woodstock, Vermont, to be my muse. Fred was a gift from my husband one Christmas. He said he just looked like he needed to be mine. LOL

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?)

I’m mostly a flyer (I fly by the seat of my pants) but I do plot a little at a time—about as far as I can see by the headlights, to mix my metaphors. I usually get an idea that I fuse with another idea and pick a few more ideas, all little stuff that grows as I consider it. I don’t really have any weird preparations or routines, unless you count flogging myself for not getting started as soon as I sit down at the computer, but doing other stuff first.

What is your call story?

I’d actually never received a phone call for any of my sales until this book, Under the Moon. My sales for Avid, Echelon, Amber Quill, Inara, and Quartet all came via e-mail. My first sale to Carina would have been a phone call, but I’d put my contact info in my document header, which she couldn’t see with Outlook’s preview pane, so she didn’t know it was there.

So my first actual “The Call” came with my 11^th novel sale. Liz Pelletier called a day after I sent the query and then the full manuscript. She said she’d stayed up to 3:30 a.m. to read it and wanted to offer me a three-book contract. I confess I hate the telephone and was quite content not to have had to endure a “call” before then, but this was the best way it could have happened.

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one?

I actually fought writing pretty hard at first. My mother was a writer—successful in business writing and marketing, but not so much in fiction—and I got praise for it in high school, but I hated doing it. Probably because I couldn’t choose what I wrote. I never considered it going into college. My first interest was aerospace engineering, then I got my degree in geography and environmental studies, and I worked as a naturalist for a summer. Then I couldn’t get a job in my area of study post-graduation (because I followed my husband to an area that had no geography jobs!) and since customer service for a long-distance phone company sucked you-know-what, I started writing almost defensively, to have something I was passionate about.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

The industry is in such flux that it’s so hard to predict anything. One thing I do know is that I’ll still be writing romance novels and publishing them in any way I can.

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

I’ve had all the typical stuff. Rejection, bad reviews, low sales, publishers or lines closing, interested editors leaving, two agents that didn’t work out. But I have to say the hardest thing was living up to my editors’ expectations to make a book they liked into something they could (hopefully) say they loved, and felt good publishing.

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories?

I’m going to say Rachel McAdams, because I think she’s beautiful but real, talented as well as appealing, working steadily, and able to pick her projects. I’ve never successfully cast a heroine or based one on an actress, but I have used Orlando Bloom, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padalecki to inform my heroes.

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done?

The only thing I can think of is actually the opposite of what you’re asking. I was making hard-boiled eggs one day and as the water heated and air escaped from the shells, there was a high-pitched whine in my kitchen that I couldn’t identify at first. Kinda scared me! When I figured it out, I laughed, then jotted down the book idea that became Fight or Flight.

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write?

I definitely read what I write! I love paranormal romance and romantic adventure. I also read plenty of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and young adult. Some mysteries and science fiction/fantasy, but it almost always has to have romance in it. The most notable exception is Jim Butcher’s Dresden books.

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

I usually have two or three for-fun books going. I never stop reading! I do both print and e-reader. I just finished Roxanne St. Claire’s Don’t Look Back in hardcover, MJ Fredrick’s Bluestone Homecoming on my iPod Touch, and Guarding Suzannah by Norah Wilson. I also just downloaded Part Nine of Megan Hart’s horror serial, The Resurrected. She’s the only horror author I’ll read right now! LOL

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

That it would be such a long, arduous road.

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

I have very few hobbies anymore, but very little gets in the way of me watching the New England Patriots and our local pro soccer team, the Harrisburg City Islanders.

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email:    natalie@nataliedamschroder.com

   Twitter:    @NJDamschroder

   Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/NJDamschroder

   Website:    www.nataliedamschroder.com

   Goodreads:    http://www.goodreads.com/NatalieJDamschroder

Group Author blog:    www.everybodyneedsalittleromance.com

Thank you so much for being a star!  

Again, thank you for including me in this awesome event! I’ll give one commenter a choice of a print or ebook copy of Under the Moon, and some Goddess swag.

Blurb:

Their power gives them strength…and makes them targets.

Quinn Caldwell is the epitome of a modern goddess. Her power source is the moon, her abilities restricted only by physical resources and lunar phase. She runs a consulting business and her father’s bar, serves on the board of the ancient Society for Goddess Education and Defense, and yearns for Nick Jarrett, professional goddess protector and the soul mate she can never have.

But someone has developed the rare and difficult ability to drain a goddess of her powers, and Quinn is a target. With the world thinking Nick has gone rogue (whatever that means) and that Quinn is influenced by “family ties” she didn’t know she had, keeping themselves safe while working to find the enemy proves harder each day.

But not as hard as denying their hearts…

 Excerpt:

Chapter One

Society views goddesses the same way they view psychics—

most people don’t believe in us, and since there are only about a

hundred goddesses in the United States, skeptics rarely have occasion to be

proven wrong. Some people have open minds but still no reason to seek to

use a goddess’s talents. If you choose a public career as a goddess, you join

in the responsibility for image maintenance.

Help us keep public opinion positive.

—The Society for Goddess Education and Defense,

Public Relations Handbook

When Quinn Caldwell’s cell phone rang, she assumed one of her clients needed an appointment or a Society member had a questionabout next week’s annual meeting. It took her a second to pull her attention from the paperwork on her desk, another three to register the name on the screen.

Nick Jarrett.

Her spark of joy at seeing his name quickly changed to concern. He wouldn’t be calling for anything good. Quinn plugged her ear against the noise from the bar outside her office door, held her breath, and flipped open the phone. “Nick?”

“Quinn.” The rumble of his vintage Charger’s engine harmonized with Nick’s voice. “Service isn’t good out here so just listen.”

She knew it. “What’s wrong?”

“We have a problem. I’m coming early. I’ll explain when I get there. I won’t have a very good cell signal most of the time. I’m at least a day away, so stay close to Sam, and don’t…” His voice cut in and out before disappearing altogether.

Quinn’s skin prickled. She closed the phone, frowning. Nick never came until at least the week before new moon, when she was most vulnerable. In the fifteen years of their relationship, he’d never come a whole week early.

Something big had to be happening.

Quinn was the only goddess whose power source was the full moon, which meant she was only fully able to use her abilities for the seven days around it. As the month waned, she grew more “normal” until the new-moon period, when she had no ability to tap the power. That was when Nick appeared. Never now.

“Who was that?” Sam’s solid, warm hand landed on her shoulder, and he dropped a pile of papers on the desk in front of her. Quinn blinked at the shift from the surreal nature of the phone call to the mundane clutter of her narrow office at the back of Under the Moon, the central-Ohio bar she’d inherited from her father. It was her main business, a connection to the parents who died within months of each other twelve years ago, leaving her without any real family. It also kept her connected to the public between power cycles. The goddesses who made a living with their abilities mostly relied on word of mouth to find clients, and Quinn’s bar, centrally located for locals and travelers, had enough people channeling through it to give her customers for both businesses.

“Nobody,” she said, still lost in thought. She shook off the fog. “I mean, Nick.”

Sam’s eyebrows disappeared under his dark, shaggy bangs. He crossed to his smaller but far more organized desk near the office door. His chair squeaked when he dropped into it. “Nick called you?”

“Yeah. He’s coming early.”

“Great.” Sam glowered and mumbled something under his breath. “Why? The moon is barely waning gibbous.”

“I don’t know. The signal dropped.” She worried her lower lip. Stay close to Sam. Why? The order was protective—and after all, Nick was her protector, so that was his default mode—but what did she need protection from? She rubbed her right forearm, the phantom ache a reminder of the first time Nick had been assigned to her, that “goddess” wasn’t a synonym for “invincible.”

Sam sighed. “When is he getting here?”

“I don’t know that, either.” She rested her head on her hand, her elbow on a pile of folders on her worn oak desktop. The full moon would completely wane by tomorrow, taking most of her power with it, so she’d worked steadily for the last week, using mostly telekinesis and her healing ability to help her clients. She hadn’t slept enough to balance the depletion of her normal energy, and her sluggish brain resisted the apprehension buzzing in her now.

“We’ll have to wait until he shows up, I guess.” She shook off the mental fuzzies and focused on Sam. He watched her, longing mixing with concern in his light brown eyes.

Thank you so much for spending time with us Natalie Damschroder!  Don’t forget to leave her a comment below for your shot at the giveaway!  (Print or ebook copy of Under the Moon and Goddess swag)

Today, our star of honor is Christine M. Fairchild.  It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

BIO: 

Christine M. Fairchild (also known as The Editor Devil) is a California native who’s worked as a writer and editor for over 25 years. Though trained as a journalist, she spent the last two decades working for niche publications (XFiles, Paramount Pictures), technical giants (Microsoft, AT&T), and consumer product companies (DHL, Hitachi). Christine now teaches writing and editing, helping fiction writers improve their character development, dialogue, and story structure through classes and book critiques. For free writing and editing tips and tricks, visit: http://EditorDevil.blogspot.com. Her debut Romantic Suspense, An Eye For Danger, is not available on Amazon for Kindle.

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.  First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

What made you decide to become a writer?

Writing essays in 3rd grade got me started. I would get the best grade, so I got to read my essay allowed to class and I enjoyed entertaining people with storytelling. I was an addict early!

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

All of my current manuscripts start as dreams. I dream in long, full stories. Sometimes night to night. My husband used to say this was weird. Now that I’m getting paid for them, he no longer thinks that!

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name?

I’m very muse driven. In the sense that when I’m in the flow, I go deep. For days or weeks sometimes.  So when the material comes, I clear the decks. I don’t believe everyone has to engage in the same writing process, such as 2 hours every day. That works for some. I’m better at following my biorhythms: I write when I’m on, I edit or do marketing/etc when I’m not. That cycle is very productive for me. An Eye For Danger was originally written in 4 weeks. It’s the editing that takes forever to finish!

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?)

I’m definitely a pantser. The characters even correct me when I try to force something. I’ve tried to force plots, and the story shuts down. I waited 10 years to find out what happens in the end of my WWII love story, because I kept trying to force the material. So the story “shut down” and hibernated till I learned to let go and trust my characters.

What is your call story?

Sorry, I don’t know what this means

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one?

I was trained to be a journalist and worked as an editor for small pubs for years and as a freelance writer. Journalism is succinct storytelling, so many of those skills translate into fiction.

Since I’m an editor as well as an author, I know when to switch between the writer brain and the editor brain. This is critical for authors to learn, so you:

1) conserve energies

2) don’t fight yourself and undermine your strengths by forcing yourself to write when you are in your editing brain (or vice versa), and

3) produce more natural material as opposed to “forced” material.

How to you separate the writer from the editor? Let me take a second to teach this to readers, just in case they are struggling with this issue.

For years I’ve taught writing classes. To turn off the students’ inner editor, I did an exercise where we learned to brainstorm together quickly. We’d pick a subject, then brainstorm related concepts and build a big list of words. Anything goes–the crazier the better. No shutting down, no stopping, no erasing words on the page. No EDITING.

Then we’d move to a writing exercise that was more storytelling driven. Again, writing fast, moving forward, no erasing, no going backwards, just driving out words onto the page. We didn’t call this writing, but BRAINSTORMING.

Now, during the conversation time we might play with editing in the form of choosing “new directions” for the subject matter of the writing exercise. I mean “brainstorming exercise”. Instead of a red car, we’d pick a blue truck, for example. Then we’d think about how that might change the storyline or the characters or the reader’s experience. In other words, we’d pull back for a broader view of the story.

The point of this exercise is to write when you write–let it all flow, crazy and sane alike, like a brainstorming session. Then in editing we can choose different directions, different words, different ideas. We can analyze and question and re-envision storylines.

This is how you stay sane as an author and write/edit more effectively!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

Well, there was that Academy award and the Hugo and the Rita and… Frankly? I’m just happy to have readers experience these stories and characters that have been living only in my head and on my hard drive. I have 3 other books to finish writing and/or editing this next year (or two), so the future is about publishing more stories and in multiple genres, from Romantic Suspense to Women’s Fiction to Paranormal.  So, five years from now, I hope to be earning enough from my author career to buy my husband out of his job so we can travel. And then I can then write stories from exotic locations, because you know authors NEVER retire!

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

The fear of having your parents read your work when you write about issues like violence or sex, such as in Romantic Suspense. Especially the sex part. The industry expects more sensual material, bordering on erotica these days, and, well, I like to deliver to my readers a deep story, both in the suspense and the romance departments.

So when my dad asked the name/location of my novel, I mentioned this fear to him. He laughed and asked for the name/location again anyway. I’m doomed!

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done?

Not the silliest, but most earnest thing I’ve done in researching for my book, An Eye For Danger, was I entered the Seattle Police Department’s Citizens’ Academy, a 10-week program to learn about local law enforcement. My husband thought I wanted to become a cop. I’m 43. That’s a late game change if I ever heard one!

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write?

As an editor, I read everything. From memoir to romance to sci-fi to YA. It’s my job to be diverse and well-read. That being said, I’m a slow reader because I’m dyslexic. Yes, an dyslexic editor. Whodathunkit!

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

I’ve take to ereaders well because I can adjust font size when my eyes are tired, so I move through books faster. My latest read for fun was “Chosen” by Denise Grover Swank, which was a mix of Romantic Suspense with a bit of psychic and paranormal going on. I love that the genres are mixing up now. With the ebook and indie author movement, we have more freedom to move beyond the traditional borders of fiction. Our stories can finally go where they want to go without worrying about which book shelf they fit in the store.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

I wish I knew how long it would take to learn how to write novels. I studied to be a short story writer through high school and college. Writing novels is insanely different in terms of story arcs and energy commitment. Took years to learn my craft. And even longer to be able to teach it!

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

I grew up on welfare with a mom who raised 4 kids alone and was slowly becoming disabled, so I got my first job at 10 and paid bills in high school. I learned early to work hard and be on my own.

My mom told us we could be anyone we wanted to be. That no one was better than we were, but that we were also not better than anyone else. Meanwhile, others told me that kids on welfare would never graduate from high school let alone go to college or get good jobs. Well, my brothers and I put ourselves through college and we all graduated from UC Berkeley.

I’ve been told NO a lot in my life, so I use it as a challenge. Likewise, I want other authors to take the naysaying, whether from outsiders or insiders or even from their internal selves, and reply, “Oh, yeah? Just watch me!”

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email:    christinefairchild@yahoo.com

Twitter:    http://www.Twitter.com/fairchild01

Facebook:    Christine Cook Fairchild

Website:    http://EditorDevil.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for being a star!

Some folks want different types of files, I’m happy to accomodate with a copy of one of my Editor Devil Guides (The Editor Devil’s Guide to DIALOGUE & The Editor Devil’s Guide to CHARACTERS) for ANY reader who requests it!

For one big winner, I’ll give 1) both guides and 2) my novel, An Eye For Danger, and 3) a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

Blurb:

An Eye For Danger

When former war photographer Jules Larson braves a PTSD attack to jog beyond her five-block safety zone in Central Park, she runs right into a murder scene.

Excerpt:

CHAPTER 1

We marched into Central Park at dawn. My yellow mutt, Max, trotted at my side while Johnny Cash pounded “Get Rhythm” over my iPod and my heart threatened to burst through my chest. Only three more blocks till I crossed into no-man’s land. If I could hold down breakfast that far. In college a five-mile run didn’t break a sweat on me, but now a stroll beyond Great Hill could drop me to my knees. So I’d pumped myself with enough caffeine to power Manhattan and rolled out the door before food vendors hit the sidewalks. Now all I needed was courage to exceed my five-block safety zone without another damn panic attack.

I stared at my hands. Shaking. “Just the caffeine,” I said to Max. Yeah, right, Jules.

October fog blanched the sky, the mist dampening my skin when I’d otherwise be sweating fiercely. An early frost had iced over North Meadow’s ball fields, so the grass snapped underfoot as I pushed through the thick air. Even mighty New York could be conquered, at least by the weather.

Max dropped into a stalk position. Probably just another squirrel he wanted to torture. They were racking up these days.

Instinct kicked in and I caught Max’s leather collar. “Don’t you desert me, buddy. Not today.” Today was the day I broke free. “You’re my wingman, so no squirrels, no distractions.” I tugged, and Max gently head-butted my thigh before resuming his post jogging at my side. Just proof that God made dogs first.

We moved into denser woods, where blazing red and amber leaves of the park’s giant trees drifted to the ground. Max growled, a low rumble that cut through my music, which I turned down when I saw a pair of large boots jutting into our path. Military boots the color of ash, their plastic heels cracked and peeling. To these were attached narrow legs in desert camouflage pants with threadbare knees.

“Shhh,” I whispered to Max as I signaled him to sit and stay: index finger up, palm out. “He’s one of ours.”

The rest of the man’s body lay half-wrapped in a black sleeping bag under a bush. With these temperatures, he should be fully engulfed in a heating blanket to survive.

At a lean I could see his eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling. Alive. Barely, from the look of him. His face reminded me of a diseased tomato left in the sun: bright red blotches for cheeks, crinkled skin stained black with dirt at the edges, and deeply cracked lips. A mat of dreadlocks served as his beard. At least his coat looked new, like he’d picked it up at one of those Army supply stores, but the chevrons he’d safety-pinned to his shoulder caps told me this guy wasn’t just dressing the part. The insignia for a master sergeant’s ranking, if memory served me right.

My heart skipped a beat when I noted the baby-blue baseball cap from a Brooklyn Little League covering his balding head. Maybe he’d known the kid who’d owned the hat, or had fathered him. Somewhere, sometime, somebody had loved this guy. And maybe still did. Life just stank sometimes.

From my sports bra I pulled the twenty-dollar bill allocated for my cab fare home after my anticipated nuclear meltdown and my all-too-familiar inability to walk thereafter. I could always crawl home. Cement could be the new skin exfoliant.

With my fingers still trembling, I shook the bill in the air like a damned flag, an irony not lost on a woman who’d spent her share of time buried in Middle East bunkers, hiding from Taliban grenade rocket launchers and AK-7 gunfire. Shaking under fire had been shameful enough, but shaking every time the toaster popped fell into the nuthouse category.

I folded the bill in fourths to fit it into the man’s boot. That’s when I saw he was still military at heart. He’d tucked his desert-duty trousers inside his boots and tied the laces so tight not even hot sand would seep in, let alone cold hard cash.

So I crab-walked under the branches to tuck the money into the man’s coat. Enough for a solid meal. Or a bottle of his choice. The cloud of liquor over his head hadn’t escaped my notice, but who was I to judge. Lord only knew the nightmares that drove him to drink. They’d driven me to worse.

“God help us both,” I whispered, feeling petty for the sentiment. If he awoke, he’d probably be more angry than grateful.

So I scrambled out of there, taking to the track with new heart, though the old one was still threatening a coronary rupture. I spat the sourness from my mouth and aimed for the base of Great Hill at a clip. My stomach still mixed a nasty cocktail of adrenaline and anticipation, but at least my motives had clarified. My mission remained: take the hill, get my life back, or at least my sanity.

Max galloped beside me like a rocking horse, tongue spilling sideways for all the thrills we were having. I could take lessons from Max; despite his temper, he was loyal to the core and never missed a chance to brave adventure. Years ago, people would have said the same of me.

My knees quivered beneath me. “Not today, damn you.”

I’d reclaim that fearless woman today of all days. Another anniversary of Luke’s death, another doctor’s misdiagnosis and prescription for pills I refused to swallow because I knew I wouldn’t stop at one, another attempt to rejoin the rest of humanity. PTSD was for soldiers, like that vet sleeping in the bushes, not trust-fund photographers from the Upper West Side. He’d probably volunteered for multiple tours of eating bullets for breakfast, and then returned to the shock of a quiet stateside life, a shitty paycheck, and little or no emotional connectivity. Smiling neighbors, laughing families; happiness he couldn’t relate to let alone endorse. While I’d escaped a mere six weeks filled with the staccato of distant assault rifles to come home to my plush life and plan a wedding, only to watch Luke burn to death on the streets of New York.

Difference was, the vet’s suffering was called valor; mine was called first-degree manslaughter.

He’d be alive if you hadn’t been so careless.

“Enough.” I blinked, jumping back into my body. Max looked up, ears flat, like I’d scolded him. “Not you, buddy.” I rubbed his velvety ear. Who needed meds when I had Max. “Never you.”

Lengthening my strides, I took the incline to Great Hill.

An accident, that’s all it was. An accident.

My chest felt on fire, and still I ran. Harder. Feet pumping, pulse quickening. October’s chill burned my lungs, so I breathed in through flared nose, out through pursed lips. Controlled.

Focus, Jules, you can make it this time.

Yet the air was already thinner. Like I was climbing the damned Himalayas. At least I wasn’t wheezing, and I wasn’t passed out. Upright was a good sign.

Max’s growl sounded a new alarm.

“Not another squirrel.” My voice sounded as strained as my nerves. My gaze shot to the top of the hill and my feet halted. Not a squirrel.

Rusty leaves scattered on the air as a man bent and raked debris into a pile with his bare hands, like a dog covering his bone. Even from my distance I recognized his military-style boots, but his orange Carhartt pants conveyed he was no soldier, not even the homeless kind. His pea coat, wool cap pulled low, and the lack of gardening tools told me he was no groundskeeper either. At least groundskeepers wore uniforms that didn’t scream Unabomber.

His task complete, the man rose onto trunk legs, expanded his tank-sized chest and shook out his black shaggy beard of debris. Tall, scowling, bearish—no man outside a battlefield should look so menacing. And I’d photographed the worst of them.

A shiver twisted down my spine. Max and I were yet unseen but standing in the open. At a 100 yards, we still had time to U-turn, retreat to my apartment, hide inside my safe shell. Or we could go off-trail, cut north through the trees, circumvent the man, and still take the hill. Hell, we could just jog past, ignoring him. He was well off our path, skirting the edge of the woods, and probably as slow as sludge with all that weight on his bones.

Max pulled against my grip, wanting a piece of the action, but I held tight, deciphering my intentions, if not my courage. Which obstacle was I really avoiding here, the thug or the hill, and where the hell could I run and not see monsters in every shadow? Besides my usual gutful of guilt, the only real obstacle standing between me and that tree was one ugly bastard. Ugly, I could handle.

My target atop the hill stood within view: our tree, Luke had called it. The place where he’d asked me to marry him a week before the accident. Now just my tree, a twisting elm with a three-story canopy and deeply-grooved bark that I could still feel under my palms. A symbol of love and life.

Military training kicked in: feel the fear, and move your ass anyway.

But I hadn’t taken two steps when a second man stumbled through the brush, clutching his belly. Though a half-foot shorter and a good 50 pounds lighter, he looked no better dressed, no better shaven. Same pea coat, same dark cap and long beard, same designer-thug look.

Shouts flew, arms thrashed the air between the men. I hit stop on my MP3 player to catch details of their fight.

“You can try, brother,” said Bear Man, “but I’ll still plow you under. Just like Tony.”

Shit, there were three of them?

Max crouched, ready to charge—just enough Lab to be curious, just enough German shepherd to brave trouble. And these thugs reeked of trouble.

My cold fingers couldn’t hold Max back much longer, and we couldn’t stand here all morning without being noticed eventually. I wasn’t so neurotic I couldn’t calculate bad odds, and though I’d had more defensive training than most women, at 5’6″ and 138 pounds I wasn’t going to win any heavyweight titles against these big boys. Not even with Max as wingman.

Clinging to Max’s collar, I swallowed hard, forcing down the bile crawling up my throat, and watched the new guy get a running start, only for Bear Man to arm-block him to the ground so hard the guy flattened on his back and his cap flew off. A shock of long, brassy hair spilled out as he rolled to his side, shaking stars from his head. He struggled to a crouch and then onto one knee. Barely.

By now, Bear Man stood over him, smiling like a steak breakfast had just been served, laughter bursting from his belly, a thunder that seemed to shake leaves from the trees. “Should’ve finished you at the river, Sam,” he said. “What a waste of training.”

“Like I said, can’t teach a new dog old tricks. Your training sucked.” Fists clenched, this ‘Sam’ guy dug in his position, forced himself to stand—posture that bragged of audacity when he looked clearly outclassed, courage when he faced certain defeat. Or he was just drunk.

Bear Man took one step and threw a roundhouse to Sam’s head. A sickening crack of bone on bone. And down the sucker went again.

Poor sap’s asking to get his brains beat out.

My teeth were grinding so hard I could hear the enamel wear away. I’d seen worse fights. Marine on Marine could prove brutal. Still, this looked like less of a fight than a would-be slaughter.

Seconds ticked till Sam stirred, rolling in slow motion onto his side and rubbing his eyes like he couldn’t justify the world swirling. He got as far as sitting on his heels, and then he dropped his chin to his chest, his shoulders sagging, exhausted of fight. Maybe he hadn’t the strength to stand. Or the motivation.

Come on, come on. Get up. I might as well have been leaning on the ropes of a boxing ring, I grew so charged. Their battle could be over a woman’s love or stolen loot for all I cared, but I knew that giving up killed your soul first, your body last.

Bear Man retrieved something from the pile of leaves as I stood rock still and shushed Max. Any decent New Yorker would run the other direction, but I hated an uneven fight, hated bullies even worse. My dog may have been the most important guy in my life, but an underdog was a sure second. That and some desperate part of me still believed one person could make a difference in this lousy world. But without a cell phone I couldn’t call the cops and, even if I did, by the time police arrived late tomorrow, the worst would be done.

And things looked like they were about to get much, much worse.

By the time Bear Man returned, that belly laugh sending shock waves of dread through me, Sam had managed to prop onto one knee again, tilting furiously.

Max writhed within my hold, his feet scratching at the pavement. I was barely hanging on to his collar. I looked to my tree, then to the man on his knees. Missions changed, even in battle.

Instinctively, I stepped forward, willing Sam to his feet. “Get up, damn it.”

He caught my movement and stiffened, staring downhill at me.

Then Bear Man’s head snapped my direction. Oh, shit.

I froze. Max lunged, breaking from my grip and barking a hailstorm of threats as he rocketed toward the men. And when Max’s bark boomed, he got attention.

Sam scrambled to his feet, as Bear Man moved to intercept the bellowing dog charging him full force.

“Max, come!” I raced uphill, lengths behind my dog. Another bite to a human by Max and he could get put down. If Bear Man didn’t execute the job himself. With his bare knuckles.

I charged. No one touched my dog.

Whatever air I’d been struggling to capture before came in gusts now, my lungs expanding and contracting like an Olympian’s, my full-out sprint closing the distance.

Max snarled, springing in small motions toward Bear Man’s knees. If the thug moved an inch, Max would strike. Then I realized half the growls were coming from Bear Man. If Max struck, the man would move in for the kill.

At least their standoff gave Sam time to run. But the idiot just waited, watching.

“Naughty dog.” I caught Max’s collar and laughed, pretending innocence. “You’re on heel,” I said, then pulled Max backwards, unable to quell his snarling, barking fury. And not really wanting to.

Max writhed and twisted, pinching my fingers within his collar. His teeth were fully bared, saliva dripping at the corners, more vicious then I’d ever seen him. And with reason. From our close range I’d caught the acrid smoke of Bear Man’s clothes, noted the char marks on his pant legs, felt the weight of a predator’s stare from eyes full of all kinds of hate. The man made Sing Sing inmates look like milkmaids.

My gaze shifted to Sam, who should be running for the hills by now. Instead, the guy was silently swinging his head side to side, his wide eyes imploring: Don’t stop, lady.

“Sorry, still working on his training.” I laughed, relying on that dumb blonde stereotype and a pretty smile to get my ass out of harm’s way, but regretting the unintended reference to their argument. Hopefully, they’d seen my earbuds and assumed I couldn’t hear a thing over my music.

I towed Max straight through a puddle, keeping my head down. Way down.

My peripheral view remained locked on the men as we trotted off. Sprinting would hook Bear Man’s suspicion, draw him after us. So I kept perfect form, ran a casual pace, though not a calm one. Either he’d chase us down and beat us to death, or he’d assume I’d been too preoccupied with my dog to notice the glint of a metal pipe in his hand.

We neared the tree atop Great Hill and were about to cross the demarcation line into no-man’s land when my brain hurtled needle-sharp warnings to stop. Flashes of flames, the pressure of hot air hitting like a giant slap, the stink of burning rubber. I hadn’t stepped beyond this periphery in two years, and my nervous system decided to remind me why with a few mental postcards.

Damn it, this is no time for reminiscing.

My feet trudged, leaden and numb at once. Wires got crossed, intentions and actions mismatched, muscles stopped responding. Run, don’t run. God, I wanted to puke.

My lungs began to seize, the pressure spreading from my chest to my throat. This impassable space, where Luke had gotten onto one knee, where time had stopped in a fantasy of happiness, grew thick as water and cold as ice. A glacial tide against my tumbling pebble.

Bear Man turned his head our direction, saw me slowing. Then he pivoted his whole body to face us.

My nerves ratcheted up a dozen more notches.

“Run!” shouted Sam as he leapt at Bear Man and grabbed the pipe… [END EXCERPT]

Please let Christine M. Fairchild know how awesome you think she is, and how happy you were she posted with us on RomanceAuthorHotspot.com by commenting below!!

Today, our star of honor is JK Coi. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

Wow, thanks so much for letting me visit. I’m so excited!

BIO:

J.K. Coi is a multi-published, award winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She makes her home in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and son and a feisty black cat who is the uncontested head of the household. While she spends her days immersed in the litigious world of insurance law, she is very happy to spend her nights writing dark and sexy characters who leap off the page and into readers’ hearts.

She also writes dark fantasy for young adults as Chloe Jacobs (www.chloejacobs.com)

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

LOL, thanks! These interviews always make me nervous. What if I get asked a really hard question, like…

What made you decide to become a writer?

Yeah, see? Hard questions already. LOL

Honestly, I don’t remember deciding to become a writer. I’ve always been a big reader, and I was always writing too. Little things like poetry and short stories. One day I sat down and started writing something a little different (I guess there must not have been anything on tv) and before I knew it I’d gotten three hundred and some-odd pages into a book. When it was finished, my hubby said. “Sure, that’s great. But what are you going to do now?”

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

Inspiration can strike from such random things, and sometimes I’m kind of embarrassed to admit where I get inspiration. You see, I write dark stories. Emotionally scarred people. Horrible circumstances. I once got inspiration for a story by watching a couple arguing. I got inspiration from hearing about an earthquake another time. It’s not pretty the way my mind works.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name?

I have a muse. I call her Beeyotch. ‘Nuff said?? – Seriously, I sometimes have to beat her into submission. I’m at the point in my writing career where I can’t afford to let the muse dictate when and what I will write about. I’m on a schedule and I have to stick to it, so sometimes that means writing when I don’t feel like it, and writing a particular story even if the plot bunnies attack.

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?)

I have to get the email and internet stuff out of the way before I start writing. When I’m at home, that means I get up early and go online. Answer emails, pop on twitter and facebook and then turn it all off. Like. OFF. I have to unplug the router and everything. I can’t allow the distraction of internet being available at just a click of the button or I’m done-for. *shaking head* Pathetic, I know.

What is your call story?

My very first book was sold to a small e-publisher in 2007 in a four-book series. I was ecstatic!! When I got the email, I was jumping up and down and we went out to dinner to celebrate! Then, I talked to a lawyer buddy of mine and we looked at the contract. After I signed, and realized the first book would be coming out in 2008, and then I would have to deliver three more manuscripts I started to panic! LOL

Of all the books I’ve written since then, those first four are still close to my heart, and I’m actually very pleased to be able to say that they’ll be re-released soon! My Immortals series is going to be published by Ellora’s Cave. I’ll have details on the website about that as soon as I can.

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one?

I still work a day job in the legal field even now. I like the opportunity to get out of my own head for a while every day and the job I do is interesting. I don’t know that it has influenced my career, but when I start writing a spin off of “The Good Wife” I’ll let you know, LOL

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

I can only hope that five years from now I’ll still be writing. That’s really all I want to do is write. I want to try different genres and different styles, but for me I’m happy just to put those words on the page.

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

Bias. I started publishing digitally when digital didn’t get much respect. Not only that, I was writing sexy romances. I’m very happy to say that attitudes about both digital publishing and romance have improved in the few years I’ve been writing, but I think there’s still a way to go.

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories?

Oh, the fun questions!

If I could be a movie star, I’d be Leo DiCaprio. He got great roles when he was younger (who wouldn’t want to be one of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, or get to travel on the Titanic?) such that now he only picks the movies he’s really interested in doing. I like the idea of having his kind of freedom.

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done?

I’ve researched everything from ancient mythology, demonology, biomechanics, fairy tales, zombie lore, the mob, FBI procedure, and…pole dancing.

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write?

I read what I write. I read pretty much everything and anything,  actually.

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

I just got back from vacation, so I did some reading last week. I had Executive Decision by Mandy M. Roth and Wolf Signs by Vivian Arend on my ereader, and I had the Maze Runner by James Dashner in paperback. Right now I’m going to start on Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

I guess I wish I had better understood the cyclical nature of publishing. Everyone said “You can’t write that, that genre is so dead.” and “We’re not taking those kinds of books.” but times change and genres get revitalized. I also wish I had realized earlier that there would be more than one path to success for me. It would have saved a lot of early frustration. I’m so glad that authors have so many options to get their work in front of readers, from the traditional NY publishing route, to self publishing, etc.

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

I also write YA as Chloe Jacobs (who’s way more fun—just kidding). My debut YA is coming out in November and it’s called GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING. Basically, it’s Hansel and Gretel meets the Lost Boys meets Labyrinth. Dark and tortured characters. Kick-butt heroine. Awesome fantasy-style cover. I am really looking forward to release day and I’m hoping everyone loves the book as much as I do.

As I mentioned, my original Immortals series is being re-released soon with Ellora’s Cave, but book 2 of my Seasons of Invention series is coming in September from Carina Press. It’s called BROKEN PROMISES and continues Jasper and Callie’s story, who are also the hero and heroine of FAR FROM BROKEN – which is the book I’m giving away today!

I’m also looking forward to the release of an anthology in the early Fall which I’m participating in. Duty and Desire (edited by fantastic Kristina Wright) is a compilation of erotic stories with a military theme, and my story is called OUT OF TIME.

And…if all goes well…you’ll also be able to see something spooky from me around Halloween!

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email:   jkcoi@rogers.com

Twitter:   www.twitter.com/jkcoi

Facebook:   www.facebook.com/JKCoiAuthor

Website:   www.jkcoi.com

As Chloe Jacobs:

Email:    chloejacobs@rogers.com

Twitter:   www.twitter.com/jacobs_chloe

Facebook:   www.facebook.com/ChloeJacobsAuthor

Website:   www.chloejacobs.com

Thank you so much for being a star!

And thanks so much for letting me come and visit with you! I’ll be giving away a digital copy of my book, Far From Broken, so ask me more questions in the comments section to be entered. Thanks!!

Blurb:

FAR FROM BROKEN

Soldier. Spymaster. Husband.

Colonel Jasper Carlisle was defined by his work until he met his wife. When the prima ballerina swept into his life with her affection, bright laughter and graceful movements, he knew that she was the reason for his existence, and that their love would be forever.

But their world is shattered when Callie is kidnapped and brutally tortured by the foes Jasper has been hunting. Mechanical parts have replaced her legs, her hand, her eye…and possibly her heart. Though she survived, her anger at Jasper consumes her, while Jasper’s guilt drives him from the woman he loves. He longs for the chance to show her their love can withstand anything…including her new clockwork parts.

As the holiday season approaches, Jasper realizes he must fight not just for his wife’s love and forgiveness…but also her life, as his enemy once again attempts to tear them apart.

Excerpt:

The snow fell hard and fast, a wall of fluffy white obscuring the world through the frosty window until Jasper could almost believe there was no world at all beyond the train. That the steam pushed it along on rails into nothingness, taking him nowhere.

He snorted and shook his head. Ridiculous. He was definitely going somewhere.

After four months, he was finally going to retrieve his wife.

A sharp rap on the cabin door saved him from an examination of the uncomfortable, heavy sensation in his chest. He looked up through the thick square of glass inset into the door, and waved Murphy inside. The door slid open on a heavy rush of processed air.

“Colonel, we’ll be in Manchester within the hour. I’ve already wired the clinic to expect us before evening’s end and Mrs. Campbell has responded with confirmation that she will arrange for a carriage to pick us up.”

“Thank you.”

“Will you be needing anything more before we stop, then?”

“No, I don’t think so.” The only thing he needed was at the end of this long overdue journey.

“I’ll see to the luggage, and as soon as this iron death trap pulls to a stop we’ll be ready to roll.” Jasper resisted a smile at his lieutenant’s expense. Murphy had made his discomfort with their choice of transportation more than plain, but had refused to stay behind.

With a short bow, the man left him alone again and Jasper turned back to the window. His hand went to the inside pocket of his vest and closed around the pocket watch, but he didn’t remove it to check the time. There was no need. The train had started to slow already in anticipation of moving into the station. He felt the gentle drag pulling him deeper into the plush velvet seat.

Soon now. Soon he would be with Callie again.

It would be the first time he’d see her since leaving the clinic four months ago. He’d been ordered back into the field to hunt down the men responsible for her attack. It was believed that the same group was also behind the torture and death of a number of other British intelligence officers, including Colonel Wyndham—a friend of Jasper’s.

He had intended to defy those orders, needing to stay with Callie at the clinic. But when she’d finally awakened and her screams had only subsided when he was no longer in the room, it was decided his presence would hamper her physical progress, and the doctor had suggested he give her time to adjust. Callie’s health was, of course, far more important than his wishes, and so he’d gone.

Yes, he’d gone, but insisted on being sent a weekly wire with the details of each and every one of her operations, the drugs she’d taken and every facet of her difficult rehabilitation. The procedures undertaken for her recovery had been extreme, depending upon radical notions and the availability of sophisticated equipment.

He knew she’d refused to walk for a long time, still rarely spoke, and that she continued to experience terrible nightmares, although the doctor postulated that she didn’t remember much if anything of the actual attack. That the trauma of it had proven too much for her conscious mind, forcing her to lock it all away. He said he’d seen it in patients often enough. Since Jasper himself had witnessed what horrible trauma could do to even experienced, deadly soldiers, he almost approved of his hardheaded Callie pushing the bad memories out of her head rather than letting them consume her and take her sanity.

The only thing he didn’t know was how she would react when he arrived. If they could get past this. If they would ever be happy again.

His hand clenched into a fist in his lap as he remembered the sound of her laughter. He somehow doubted he’d hear that sound again soon, but he would do whatever it took to make it happen. For her, he’d try anything, give anything. Risk anything.

Just as she had risked all for him.

JK is awesome enough to be hosting a giveaway of her book “Far From Broken” for a randomly selected commenter below – let her know how awesome she is please! 

Today, our star of honor is Anna DeStefano. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

 It’s amazing to be here. Thanks for having me!

BIO:

 Best-selling, award-winning author Anna DeStefano wants to you stop, look, and keep digging, until you find the soul of your own fantasies. No matter how moody the setting or impossible the dilemma, Anna’s characters and stories challenge you to hope and dream for your own exciting future, the way her strong heroines and hunky heroes do. Her Forgotten Betrayal and over of Anna’s books have their own Pinterest pages (http://pinterest.com/annadestefano/her-forgotten-betrayal/). Scoot over for all the fun details and updates. Then join Anna’s blog each week for posts on The Soul Of The Matter, Dream Theories, Things My Teenager Says, How We Write, Waterfall Challenges, and more. And to keep up with all her 2012 releases, friend her of Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

 Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

 Ouch! That’s hot (in a non-Paris Hilton sort of way). Let me get my shades and sunscreen… Ok. MUCH better ;o)

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

No worries. I like it rough ;o)

What made you decide to become a writer?

I don’t think I really decided. I think I just am a writer, you know? If you get around to reading my extended bio on my website, you’ll see my detour through college and my first career in the “secure” world of corporate IT. Yet my knack for math and computer programming aside, I always ended up doing the writing on each project I worked or managed—until I specialized as a senior tech writer. At some point (and with some gentle nudging from my husband), it became clear I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I tried to write that book I’d always wanted to… That was something like 19 published/contracted novels ago ;o)

Resistance is futile, when your soul knows who you are long before you stop fighting the truth inside you.

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

Water inspires me. I write beside it as often as I can. People inspire me, the good and the bad in them—they become the characters that come to me long before the stories. Hope inspires me, and the things we do as we cling to the belief in our own happily ever after. Love inspires me—I’ll always write romance, no matter what else a publisher chooses to call a book, so a reader will pick it up and discover what I’ve painted inside.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name?

This is turning into a violent sort of interview. Lovely!

My muse is the everyday, I think. Whether I’m writing a gothic thriller or a family drama, or something more edgy like my sci-fi/fantasy, I see the everyday in the amazing, other-wordly, healing, damaged, magnificent and ordinary ways I write my characters. I like to be funny, though I often am not. I like to be dark, so the light can shine more brightly when you reach that happy ending. I like to be in as many points of view as possible, so your can see rather than simply listen to what I’m saying.

My muse is my reader’s emotions, and how well I turn them toward what he/she needs to experience from the story. If I engage you and transport you and bring you to a place where you’re feeling my characters’ journeys the same as they are, then I’m in heaven.

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?)

Before I start, I wanted. Shorelines, shopping malls (my natural habitat, my husband says), interior hikes into theNorth Georgiawilderness where I find my hidden waterfalls). I’m not plotting or planning at this point. I think I’m listening. And I’m more often than not alone, even when I’m in a room full of people. The things I need to discover about a story come from within, I think. Doesn’t that make me sound like a party animal!

I’m a pantser and a plotter ;o) I teach my odd method all the time, and the more I do the more people I discover who basically do the same thing, only they’ve never had a name for it.

I’m a pretty analytical person, so I live to plan and revise. Planning is all about character discovery for me—how the character comes to the story and how she’ll arc during her journey through it. Revision is about deconstructing how the story developed from my basic character and plot plans while I “pantsed” through the rough draft. I spend as much or more time revising as I do drafting every book, because that’s when I find myself at my most creative—once I know how the bones of the book will work. Then I get in there, figure out what I really want to do with all the pieces, and make the story shine.

What is your call story?

 I’d been trying to sell for about five years, had been “close” for two of those years, after regularly submitting material, having full manuscripts requested and rejected, revising for editors and entering/winning as many unpublished contests as I could. I’d really gotten to know well the editors of the Harlequin line I wanted to write for. I’d done my homework and paid my dues and kept writing, despite the let downs and bumps in the road.

My break came when I finaled in the 2003 Golden Heart. Two editors from my final round judges requested the book—one of them the senior editor at the line I ended up selling to. I won the GH, my agent came on board, I worked on spec revisions for Superromance, and within a year not only saw that book hit the shelves (and win a Gold Medal review from Romantic Times), but had contracts for three other novels (the second of which is just now being re-released by Harlequin’s Heartwarming imprint July 1^st of this year).

So, overnight success—after busting my ass for 5 years. And I haven’t stopped writing my heart out ever since ;o)

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one?

I’m a computer geek and a girl who loves technical writing—breaking down someone else’s process (mostly computer design and application in my career), and making it make sense to someone else. This skill helped me discover my own writing process pretty early on, and how to make the most of my time as I craft a new manuscript. It’s also helped me teach other fiction authors, and edit, the way I did as a tech writer.

And as I say to everyone I have this conversation with, being analytical is a bonus to a creative writer. Being able to create freely (drafting), while at the same time being able to see the different parts of what you do and how they fit together and then how to make them all work better as a whole, is a gift not every writer has. If that’s your strength, as it is mine, your challenge will be to trust your gift and engaging your creativity when you need to simply play and draft write freely—but the analytical side of you will always, if you let it, make what you create even better!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

My plan from the start has been to write for multiple publishers at the same time, which I have for the last three years. I don’t see that changing. And to be a best-selling author. Which I am.

But in the next five years of my career, I of course want to take that to another level, where more and more readers see me as a brand and auto-buy my books, whatever the genre or platform. I want to make my publishers wildly happy and successful, so in turn they will promote the heck out of my books, which will make me wildly happy and successful financially ;o) And I want to indie publish my own titles (my first self-pubbed romance will be out this fall), so I have the flexibility to write what I like and what I think my readers will love, without the middle-man of going through a publishing house/imprint.

Skies the limit in our industry these days. I want to be intuitive and take risks and write quality books readers enjoy and find more and better ways to get those stories into their hands so my career continues to grow and I can continue to create indefinitely—WHILE I send my son to college with the money I make ;o)

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

The downtime I encountered when I was sick a few years back. It was hard, but I don’t regret it. I’ve learned a lot from it. And as I’ve gotten back into the swing of my career, that time and experience has given me focus. Being away has inspired me to dive back in and revel. I’m so excited to have FOUR novels coming out in 2012. I’m grinning ear-to-ear at the possibilities and options all authors have in today’s publishing market. It’s a GREAT time to be an author!

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories?

Um…Anyone with a killer shoe collection and a reason to wear them every day ;o) They’re my shopaholic obsession ;o)

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done?

Actually, I’m a writer who does most of her research online, through reading books and articles, or exploring character. I’m not the kind of girl who stops cops on the freeway to ask them all kind of quirky questions…

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write?

Everything. Classics. Contemporary romance. Romantic suspense. Straight thrillers. Sci-fi/fantasy. Literary fiction. Words and characters and emotion. I read it, as much of it as I can, wherever I can find it.

My only rule is typically not to read in the genre I’m writing while I’m writing it. Muddles with the voice. So that’s when I mix things up the most and branch out when I need a break from my own work. You know, in all my free writing time ;o)

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

I just read Suzanne Brockmann’s entire category romance “SEAL” series, because I found it bundled for the Kindle. LOVE it. I love everything she writes, but I’ve never read all of those books in order/sequence.

I’m doing more reading than ever on an eReader, for the convenience of it, though when I find an author I know I’ll want to re-read a lot I’ll order the paper/hardcover online. I can’t tell you the last time I actually bought a book in a bookstore that didn’t come out of the remainder bin.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

To always stay true to your voice and the type of story you write, regardless of the shifts in the marketplace.

Publishing today is very different than it was eight years ago. Some of the sacrifices I made to continue writing for my first publisher sidetracked me for a while from what I’ll be writing the rest of my life—emotional, intense stories about broken people who heal and inspire all of us to find our own healing path. That’s a little dark for Harlequin, though I love all of my editors and books there.

But now more than ever there’s a place for the books I write to find readers who love them. If I’d known that all along, I’d have saved myself the worry and angst over how I’d re-make my voice into something more sellable in a single publisher’s lineup—and I’d have focused sooner on doing what I do best even better, knowing there’d be publishers lining up to work with me down the road (or that I could successfully publish my novels myself, if it came to that).

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

Um, I might write dark and stormy, but in reality I’m a snarky, smart-ass, fun-loving kid of girl ;o) I enjoy meeting readers and other writers, so look for me at your next conference or reader event. I’ll be the one with the long, dark hair on the dancefloor with my girlfriends and the cover models! Or check out my blog. We have a blast out there, too!

And lastly, where can we find you?

 Email: anna@annawrites.com

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/AnnaDeStefano

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AnnaDeStefano

Website: www.annawrites.com and www.annawrites.com/blog

Thank you so much for being a star! (Please insert giveaway here if available.)

 I’ll be around to answer any questions you have… And Entangled Publishing is offering a free digital copy of Her Forgotten Betrayal to one lucky commenter!

Blurb:

Remembering will save her life. But will the truth destroy their love forever?

 When the CEO of a global technology empire retreats to her ancestral mountain mansion to heal from a brutal shooting, she discovers the danger has just begun. Suffering from amnesia, she is at the mercy of nightmares that soon morph into something much more real…as well as a menacing stalker determined to toy with her sanity.

The FBI suspects her of illegally selling top-secret research, and has sent an agent to find evidence of her treason. She doesn’t realize the man who sweeps in from the cold claiming to be her protector, and her former love, is keeping dangerous secrets from her. She begins to trust him, unaware that he is about to repeat the most painful betrayal of her past–a past she doesn’t remember…a past that may kill her.

“Dark danger and lush romance, Anna DeStefano mysteries deliver!” —Catherine Mann, USA Today Bestselling Author

“DeStefano crafts a tense and touching suspense about forgotten pasts and reunited lovers.” —Caridad Pineiro, NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author

“Intrigue, danger, and a hero to die for make DeStefano’s Her Forgotten Betrayal a page-turner!” —Rita Herron, Award-Winning Harlequin Intrigue Author

Excerpt:

A crash beyond the kitchen’s door jolted Shaw from her thoughts. The wooden spoon rattled from her fingers to the stovetop. She whirled toward the dining room.

“Esme?” She raised a hand to cover her heart.

She was scaring herself senseless for nothing. She was going stir crazy, that was all. She’d simply been alone for too long. The unexplained rattles and noises and sometimes even voices she kept thinking she heard were symptoms of cabin fever.

Right?

The house answered her with silence, except for the soft hum of the refrigerator. She took an uncertain step forward, determined to conquer her fear. There was no one there, she told herself firmly. No one was ever there. There was no threat, except from her own panic. All she had to do was turn on the dining room lights, and there’d be no one lurking around the next corner, waiting to attack her.

She reached for

“Sorry, Shaw,” the faceless, scratchy-voiced man whispered from her nightmare.

She clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

“Don’t be such a baby,” she said out loud. “Stop this.”

Fear and the amnesia it fed had stolen everything from her. She had no recollection of the four high-tech research centers she was said to oversee. Or how she’d come to be the sole living heir to an estate that included not only this mountain house near the North Carolina border, once used by her family as a summer retreat, but also a loft in Atlanta and homes on several other continents. And to add insult to injury, no one had yet been allowed to tell her more. Doctors orders.

She wanted her life back, damn it. She smoothed her hand against the dining room door, and braced herself to push it open. She could do this. She had to.

Sudden darkness swallowed the kitchen.

Her thoughts were immediately swamped with the panicked claustrophobia of being trapped in a closet, waiting to be discovered.

“No.” She blinked, willing the lights to come back on. Her imagination was merely playing tricks on her, anticipating the worst.

But regardless of how many times she tried to force the room into focus, there was nothing to see. Someone had killed the power for real. Her nightmare was coming true. It was waiting for her in the very next room.

She backed away.

Fell over one of the kitchen chairs.

Landed hard on her backside.

“There’s no one there,” she insisted. “The electricity’s gone out. That’s all.”

Something else crashed in the dining room, followed by the distinct sound of a man’s footsteps, inching closer. She covered her mouth with her hand. She scrambled backwards on the floor, her nightgown and robe twisting around her legs. Disjointed dream memories swirled through her mind. She lurched to her feet. She felt her way along the wall, blindly heading for the storage room and its back door to the outside world.

She was a fool, a weak, clueless fool. But she couldn’t stop herself from panicking.

“Kill the bitch…” the night whispered.

She clawed at the back door’s stubborn deadbolt. A glimmer of sanity kept her from running into the freezing, moonlit darkness. If she really was in danger, heaven only knew what waited for her outside the mansion’s protection. And there was suddenly nothing but silence behind her, no movement whatsoever.

She tried to believe this was just like all the other times when she’d freaked herself out and then realized how ridiculous she’d been. She was running from ghosts. She tensed to turn back, to confront her paranoia. And heard footsteps again. Closer than before. Behind her. Coming for her. And there she stood like a paralyzed idiot, trapped between the shadows beyond her family’s home and the nightmare crowding closer within.

A hand clenched in her hair. A gun pressed into her skin. When it fired, the sound of the blast shattered her reality all over again.

Thanks for stopping by Anna!     Anna is offering a free giveaway of: Her Forgotten Betrayal (Entangled Publishing, Dead Sexy Books) to a random commenter that will be selected by her!

Today, our star of honor is D L Jackson. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

BIO:  D. L. Jackson is an award-winning writer of urban fantasy, science fiction, military romance and erotic romance. She loves to incorporate crazy plot twists, comedy and the unexpected into her worlds. As a U.S. Army veteran, she naturally adores men in uniform and feels the world could always use more. She does her part by incorporating as many sexy soldiers in her novels as she can. When she isn’t writing or running the roads, you can often find her online chatting with her peers and readers. Grab a cup of iced coffee, pull up your virtual chair and say hi. She loves emails and blog visits from her readers. http://www.authordljackson.com

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

What made you decide to become a writer? I’ve always loved telling stories. My father called me Windy as a child, because I never ceased to talk. It carried over as I got older and so people didn’t think I was nuts, I corralled it and put it into books.

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas? Life inspires me. Witnessing the funny, odd and sometimes scary things people do.  It’s like I see it, and it flips a switch.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name? I have a muse, but she’s on strike at the moment. She’s a little demon that adores shoes, sits on my shoulder and generally annoys the crap out of me. She’s called Bunny. Haven’t seen her around have you? Been looking to net her for a couple of weeks now.

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?) 100% pantser. I write all my novels in my vehicle, even when at home.

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one? I was a soldier in the Army, in Military Intelligence. I wrote before I went in, but not seriously. I didn’t start to write seriously until I got out and my children were older. They are both in the military now too. My oldest is a Marine and my youngest will be leaving for Basic Training in August. So, my mind is always on them. I write a lot of stories about soldiers, so yeah, it did influence me a little. LOL

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

Hopefully moving forward. My goal has always been to grow my career and readership. I have a story I plan to shop to an agent this summer, if I can find another 20k to add to it.

The gears are turning and I’m getting close.

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

Balancing work, family and life. I think every writer struggles with this. Last year was particularly brutal for me, and I don’t talk about it a lot. I lost six family members, two were my grandparents and while I was under contract and in edits for Seducing Liberty. Along with that, my father was going through chemotherapy and my Marine infantryman son, was deployed to a hot area in Afghanistan. It was hard to keep my focus, but the writing did help me to work through the loss and stress.

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories?

If I could pick the life of a movie star, I’d probably run the other way. I can’t imagine the in-your-face aspects of their lives. They have no privacy. Everything they do is under public scrutiny. I’m a serious introvert, and always have been. I don’t like crowds. I prefer to be home, alone or with my family. It’s one of the primary reasons you don’t see me at conferences, why I don’t live in the city, or travel to them often. I want to go and meet people, but I just don’t like large crowds, they spook me. I grew up on a ranch in the open, two hours away from cities and I appreciate the solitude of that life.

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done?

I started mixed martial arts for research, but kept going because I loved it. Same thing with Chinese language lessons. I really look kookie talking to myself in my car outside of work in Chinese, but hey, practice makes perfect—I hope.

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write? Sometimes. Hell, okay, I’ll admit it, I’m a book whore. I don’t care what it is, tampon box inserts, electronics manuals. If it’s not nailed down, I’ll read it, and tuck that useless information away to annoy the shit out of my husband later. He always says not to tell him useless facts like, National Arbor Day started in Nebraska, or that the Earth weighs a ton more every day from falling space dust, as it takes up valuable space in his brain for something important he needed to remember. Anyway, I’m reading Sun Tzu’s Art of War right now. Does that tell you anything. LOL

Time to lop the concubines heads off.

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

For fun. For fun. Hmm. The Hunter by Theresa Meyers, a steam punk romance. This last weekend.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

How better to read contracts. Live and learn.

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

I’m really not crazy. That would mean I keep repeating the same mistakes, expecting the same results. There is a method to my madness and I promise you, I will bring the fun with me to my books.

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email: dlareejackson1@gmail.com

   Twitter: Dlaree69

   Facebook: D L jackson

   Website: http://authordljackson.com

Thank you so much for being a star DL Jackson!  Please tell us about your giveaway!

  I’m giving away a copy of My Boogie Woogie Bugle Guy and a $10.00 Amazon Gift Certificate [to a randomly choosen commenter].

Blurb:

When Grace Daniels goes to the cemetery to visit the grave of her twin brother, she meets a soldier, there for the same reason, or at least that’s what she believes until he tells her about the blind date her brother arranged before he was killed in combat.

It’s the date of her dreams. Big band, brass and sass. Madame Eve from 1NightStand has set her up for an unforgettable night, a WWII swing dance party. Unfortunately she’s having trouble letting go of her past, and is afraid to take the chance given to her.

Sergeant Frank Winters is an Army trumpet player who travels with the color guard, a great dancer and six feet four inches of eye candy that could make her an addict. He’s also a soldier and soldiers can get killed. Grace doesn’t have the heart to lose someone again, but Frank knows a good thing when he sees it, and he’s determined to show her in one night, she’s got more to lose if she walks away.

Excerpt:

Frank sat up, slammed his eyes shut, and pressed his hand over his forehead. “Ah, what did you do last night, Frank?”

“You drank too much, played a horrendous solo on top of the mausoleum, and puked in my car.”

“God. Please tell me I didn’t.”

“Oh, but you did,”

His eyes snapped back open and he searched the strange room for the source of the voice. When his gaze stopped on the strawberry blonde in an overstuffed easy chair, her leg draped over one of the arms, sipping a cup of coffee, he couldn’t look away. She wore a pair of red sweat-shorts and a worn T-shirt that had faded from black down through several shades of gray until it settled into a dingy, well-loved, pewter shade. A big Army logo ran across the front in bright yellow.

Hu-ah.

“You left your bike at the cemetery. When you’re ready, I’ll take you to get it.”

“Who are you, and where am I?” Frank surveyed the room, searching for any memory of how he’d ended up there. The place was cozy, the woman gorgeous, and he certainly could have done worse. “Did we?” His head throbbed as he strained his brain for details. Certainly he wouldn’t forget hitting that.

“My name is Grace Daniels.” She snorted and rose to her feet. His gaze immediately drifted back to a body that rocked the workout clothes she’d donned. “You can rest assured, we did nothing. I had to haul your butt in here on a dolly last night.”

“Damn. Can we get a do over?”

“How about we start with java instead?”

“Yeah.” Grace Daniels. What were the chances? Frank rubbed his temple, trying his best to sooth the monster headache that threatened to split his skull. A dolly? Really? Did she say I puked in her car? There went any chance of a good first impression. He’d have to clean that up as soon as he got his bearings.

Thanks again! 

Today, our star of honor is the lady with one of the best websites we’ve seen in a while!  Its: Camryn Rhys. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

BIO:

Camryn Rhys grew up on the border of Canada and the US, and still hasn’t decided which country to call home. She splits her time between the Alberta and Montana Rocky Mountains, with friends and family in both beautiful locations. After running her own restaurant for several years and acquiring advanced degrees in writing, foodie romance seemed the only logical option. When she’s not watching the Food Network, she’s reading a romance novel, or if absolutely necessary, working as a consultant. Someone has to put really excellent food on the table.

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

Romance So Good You Can Taste It

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

What made you decide to become a writer? I’ve been telling stories my whole life. Some of them, I pretended were true, and some I knew were lies. But the story was the thing. I love stories.

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas? I think everything inspires me. I’ve gotten ideas from someone speaking another language, and from recipes, and from knowing certain people. It just depends on the moment and what will spark my mind to think… hmmm, I wonder…

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name? I do have a muse. His name is Ian and he wears a kilt. Nothing but a kilt. As far as whether or not I beat him, I may have to plead the 5^th.

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?) I used to be a pantser, and I can’t even say I really had a “process.” But I took this fantastic class about the “W” plot and now I am a faithful plotter. It’s not as fast a process as it used to be, but I think my books are a ton better because of it.

What is your call story? Actually, it depends. I have a novella call story and a novel call story. My novella call story begins with an editor approaching me… why I always encourage people to write wherever they can write. If you have a compelling voice, you can’t hide it.

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one? I definitely always assumed I’d be a writer someday. I based my whole expectation of the future upon it. I would love to think that I would be able to make a living as a writer. Then I would leave the mundane world behind. LOL!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career? Still writing books I love to read, I hope. Maybe even getting paid for it. J

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far? Definitely my time constraints. I have a very demanding day job and I spend most of my spare time writing or promoting. It’s a lot of work. If I had more time, I would definitely utilize it.

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories? Hmmmm… I wouldn’t like the life of a movie star. I value my privacy way too much.

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done? Wow, I’ve done a lot of weird stuff. Let’s just say that because I write romance, research is lots of fun, and I’m always interested in making a fool of myself… haha!

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write? Honestly, I don’t read as much as I used to. But when I do get a chance to read, I’ve been moving through fantasy books at a pretty good clip. Really fun. My head is full of fairies.

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person? Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning. Actually, I listened to it on my iPhone. Loved it!

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing? That your career can take off fast, so be ready to commit to a genre and make your writing happen!

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you? Umm… I’m really boring. My website is lots of fun, though! There’s tons of stuff about my characters and little hidden eggs all over the place!

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email: author@camrynrhys.com

Twitter: @camrynrhys

Facebook: @CamrynRhys

Website: http://camrynrhys.com

I’m giving away a copy of both my Big Muddy Westerns: BARN-DANCE and BARN-RAISING.

Thank you so much for being a star Camryn!

Today, our star of honor is Caridad Pineiro. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

BIO:  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and RITA® Finalist Caridad Pineiro is the author of over thirty-five published novels and novellas.  When not writing, Caridad is an attorney, wife, and mother to an aspiring writer and fashionista.  For more information, please visit www.caridad.com.

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

 First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

What made you decide to become a writer? I wrote my first book in the fifth grade when my teacher assigned a class project.  It was a romance and I knew from that moment that I wanted to be a writer.  I kept on writing through high school, college and law school and when my daughter was born, I decided I had to show her that it was important to follow your dreams.  That’s when I went to work trying to get published.

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas? I get most of my inspiration from the visual things around me as well as history and science.  I love taking everyday things on turning them on their heads in both my paranormal and romantic suspense stories.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name?   LOL!  I do not have a muse.  Weird, I know.  I guess because I’m a Type A personality and no matter what, sit down to write every day.  I guess my muse got tired of so much work and decided to go find someone else.  LOL.

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?) I am a recovering pantser.  That means that I have to write an outline first because my editors want to see that to acquire and before I start writing the book.  Generally that outline is very flexible because I do like having the characters and story dictate where the romance and action will go, so there is some tweaking involved to the original outline.

What is your call story?  For me, “The Call” happened on a Good Friday. I had off from work, but it wasn’t a relaxing day. It was the kind of day working mothers have way too often – trying to fit in household chores, preparation for the upcoming Easter holiday and traditional egg hunt, and a visit to my mother-in-law and great-grandma.  My husband was tied up with work at home and I had decided to take my daughter to visit the two grandmas since we wouldn’t see them at Easter.  We hadn’t been in the house more than about half an hour when my husband called. Someone had just phoned for me and he had almost hung up on them, thinking that they were a telemarketer, but something made him stop and listen (quite rare as those of you with husbands know). Then he said to me, “She says she’s an editor at Kensington and wants to talk to you about the book you sent them.” I phoned the editor and she answered immediately. Even more importantly, it was “The Call.” The editor indicated that she wanted to acquire the book I had sent in about a month earlier, but would call me back in a few days with all the details like the advance, publication date, etc. I thanked her, gave her some numbers where she could reach me and hung up.  Then I started jumping up and down and screaming, “I just sold my book! I just sold my book!” The floor groaned and creaked – okay, I needed to lose a little weight — but the home is older so that was the real reason for everything shaking. Or maybe it was that my mother-in-law, daughter and great grandma all came in to ask me what had happened and when they realized, they started hopping up and down as well.

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one? I was always an avid reader who had stories in her head, but it wasn’t until I was in the fifth grade that it occurred to me that I could take those stories and put them on paper.  From that moment on, I kept on writing.  As for whether that early career in the fifth grade influenced me, I guess you can say that it did since that book was also a romance.  I guess I knew from an early age what I was destined to write.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career? I see myself mixing up traditional print publishing with digital only publishing and some self-published works.  Like anything else, it’s good to keep a mix of things in your basket so you can determine what is the right career path for you.

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far? I’ve had two published experiences where my work was labeled multicultural/Latino and those have been some of the most disappointing and difficult episodes in my writing career.  I don’t think you should limit to whom you sell based on either race and/or ethnicity.  A good story resonates with all kinds of readers and such labeling only serves to segregate and alienate.

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories?   OMG, that’s a really really tough question.  While I like some celebrities, I’m not really into following them all that much, but if I had to choose one, it would be Gloria Estefan.  I admire her work ethic and courage in the face of adversity and yes, Gloria has shown up through mentions of her music and her hotel (the Cardozo in South Beach) in my books.

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done? The most silly thing I ever did was take a pole dancing class in Vegas with some writing buddies.  It was hard to do, I am an awful dancer to begin with and I ended up with bruises all over my knees from banging into the pole.

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write? I don’t generally read paranormals although I write them.  I like to stay away from vampires in particular so as to not let other mythologies drift into the one I’ve created for THE CALLING (which will relaunch as THE REBORN in February 2012).  I do read romantic suspense, though and love the action and romance in such stories.

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?   The last book I read for fun was DIVIDED IN DEATH by J.D. Robb and I still favor paperbacks over my e-reader.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing? I wish I had known that the publishing world is totally unpredictably.  I was a science major and used to the kind of world where you mix A+B to equal C.  That is totally not the case in publishing.  You can write a good story, get good reviews and yet not have a positive outcome.  That’s very frustrating.

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

I love hearing from everyone and getting to know you better!  Also, I will be donating a portion of my royalties from THE CLAIMED to HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS.  Here is a little bit more about this project:

In THE LOST, I remembered them by having the heroine, Bobbie Carrera, be a wounded Marine veteran. I also dedicated the book to our military women, men and families.

For THE CLAIMED, I knew I had to do something more. Because of that desire to do more, a portion of my royalties for sales of my paranormal romance THE CLAIMED will be donated to HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS, an organization that seeks to enhance the quality of life for U.S. service members and their families who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty. Also, if you’re one of the first fifty (50) to e-mail me with a proof of purchase of THE CLAIMED or proof of a donation to HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS, I’ll send you either a HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS pin or tote bag along with other swag.

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email: cpsromance@att.net

Twitter:  @CaridadPineiro

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Caridad.Author

Website: http://www.caridad.com

Other: http://www.rebornvampirenovels.com

Thank you so much for being a star!

Blurb:

Victoria Johnson loves her life. She’s her own boss in a quaint beachside town, and has great friends who keep her grounded. If only they knew who she really is: an heiress to an ancient race who possesses astonishing superhuman powers. It’s Victoria’s duty to restore her clan of Light Hunters to their former glory by choosing the perfect mate. In Christopher Sombrosa, she just may have found him. Strong, smart, and successful, Christopher exudes a powerful energy. Their connection is sensual, irresistible-and forbidden.

A member of the Shadow Hunter clan, Christopher has defied his own father to lead his people away from affliction and violence. Yet he cannot ignore his duty to carry on his ancient bloodline. Stunningly beautiful and brimming with an erotic life force, Victoria is everything Christopher ever hoped for in a mate . . . but as a Light Hunter, she’s his mortal enemy. Together, they could unite their warring tribes. But murderous factions on both sides don’t want peace-and they’ll stop at nothing to keep light and darkness apart forever . . .

Excerpt:

To read an excerpt, visit this link:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/90985909/The-CLAIMED-Paranormal-Romance

Caridad is doing a giveaway (Copies of NOCTURNAL WHISPERS and A VAMPIRE’S CONSORT erotic paranormal romance novella e-book ) to a randomly selected commenter on this post!  Join the conversation. 

Today, our star of honor is Lisa Kessler. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

Lisa’s short stories have been featured in print anthologies, and her vampire story “Immortal Beloved” was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award. She was also a finalist in RT Book Review magazine’s “Writing with the Stars” contest.

Night Walker, book 1 in her Night Series, has been released from Entangled Publishing.

When she’s not writing, Lisa is also a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in southern California. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two teens.  

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

What made you decide to become a writer?

I’m an only child, so I spent most of my childhood making up tons of stories to keep myself occupied.  Then when my kids were little I started writing every night just to decompress and escape for a while.  I got addicted! LOL

Then during a trip to New Orleans, I visited a palm reader.  Sitting across from her with my outstretched hand, I watched her study the lines and gave me a shockingly accurate reading.

She jotted down notes for me on a 3” X 5” card and started to walk me out. When I got to the door, I turned to thank her and she said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you a writer?”

“Not really.” My brow furrowed and I finally nodded with a shrug. “I do write every night, but it’s just for fun.”

She smiled and I swear her eyes sparkled. “You’re going to be a famous writer one day.”

I walked back to the hotel in a daze. I couldn’t process how I would ever write a book or get published, but she’d planted the seed that night. I wrote the plot idea for Night Walker on cocktail napkins at the airport! LOL

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

I wish I knew! LOL  Sometimes I get the piece of an idea and start researching.  Usually while I’m researching the rest of the pieces fall into place.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name?

You know I don’t have a muse, at least I don’t think I do! LOL  I’m very goal-oriented, so if I set a goal to finish a book, then I plant my butt in the chair and pound the keys until it’s done…  If I had to wait on a muse to inspire me I’d probably go nuts! LOL

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?)

I’m a pantser!  And I usually have to start writing with a playlist that inspires me for the book I’m writing or editing.  I make one for every book I write.  And if I’m really pushing for more words, I chomp gum… Lots of gum….  Scary amounts of gum…

What is your call story? 

When I got the call from Heather Howland at Entangled Publishing, my heart raced like crazy. I tried so hard to stay calm, but I’m pretty sure my nervous giggles gave me away. Her enthusiasm for my book made me giddy, and her favorite scene in the book turned out to be my favorite as well. How cool is that?

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one?

Until I met the palm reader, it had never occurred to me to try to get my work published.  Once she gave me a nudge, I started publishing horror short stories, and my vampire story, Immortal Beloved, became a finalist for a Bram Stoker award!  That definitely influenced me and gave me the confidence to keep facing rejections…

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

I’ll be writing full time.  Definitely.  Hopefully I’ll have the Night Series completed and my Moon Series (werewolf and jaguar shifters) will be well underway!

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

Hard question!  I think the most difficult thing for me has been that my books tend to not “fit” into the paranormal romance box.  Night Walker took a long time to find a home because it blended contemporary paranormal with historical, so while editors liked the story, I got many rejections with “we’re not sure how to market it so we’re going to have to pass.”

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories?

Hmmm…  I think it would be a tough life to be a movie star with the paparazzi chasing you around!  If I had to choose one, I’d probably have to say Catherine Zeta-Jones because she also gets to sing in Broadway shows…  I would love to perform on Broadway!

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done? 

Okay, this was really dumb, but here it goes…  I was researching the Mayans for my Night Series and went on a trip with my kids to Cancun so that I could tour Mayan ruins.  We went to 4 different sites, and in Chichen Itza, I hiked the pyramid.

I should probably mention now that I’m terrified of heights.  The steps were so steep that I crawled up them with my kids.  It didn’t seem like we were that high until we got to the top.  I could see over the jungle for miles.

I glanced down and started to hyperventilate, mention needing a helicopter, and my eyes brimmed with panicky tears.  The steep stone steps were also narrow and there was no railing.  I could almost see my broken bloody body lying in a heap at the bottom! LOL

Thankfully my son, Reno, grabbed my hand and said, “Mama sit on the steps and we’ll scoot down.”

My sweet boy talked about his favorite Dexter’s Lab cartoons the entire way while we scooted down one step at a time on our butts…  I swear I almost kissed the ground when we got down! LOL  So yikes!!!  I have to be more careful while researching! J

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write?

I love Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy.  I also enjoy horror!  Have you read Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box?  Such a fun, scary ghost story!  I loved it!

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

I read everything on my Kindle now.  Right now I’m reading Kelley Armstrong newest YA, The Calling.  Love it!  So much action and intrigue mixed in with the paranormal.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

I’m glad I didn’t know how much rejection I would face! LOL I guess I wish I knew about RWA sooner.  I have a great local chapter in San Diego and I spent way too many years writing all alone.

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you? I’m also a classically trained singer, so music often finds its way into my books.  I also grew up on a horse ranch.  My stepdad trained Morgan Horses, so you guessed it, lots of horses show up in my books too! LOL

And lastly, where can we find you?

I’m all over online and I love meeting readers and other writers, so please visit and say Hello! J

Email: LdyDisney@aol.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LdyDisney

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter

Website: http://Lisa-Kessler.com

Other:  Goodreads – http://goodreads.com/LisaKessler

Thank you so much for being a star!  

 Thanks for saving a spot for me in the “spotlight”!  I’ve got a signed paperback copy of Night Walker up for grabs to a lucky commenter…

Blurb:

He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her…

Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.

She’s haunted by dreams of her own death…

After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she’s drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand.

They’ve waited in the shadows for centuries…

Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he’s ever loved again.

Excerpt:

“Santa Maria!” Father Tomas gasped and jammed a knife into Calisto’s abdomen, stabbing up underneath his ribcage.

Calisto’s eyes widened as pain seared through his chest. Blood spilled from the gaping wound, but his body tingled, healing from the inside out. He let go of the monk with one hand and plucked the knife from his torso, wrenching it free from the fanatic’s clutched hand.

Father Tomas struggled like a wild animal in the presence of a predator. Calisto dropped the knife to the floor of the car and clutched the monk with both hands. He drew Father Tomas closer. His fangs grazed the monk’s skin just below his ear. The priest fought to break away, but Calisto’s grip was inescapable. The more the monk struggled, the stronger his pulse became. The scent of blood combined with fear intoxicated Calisto. His thirst clawed to the surface, threatening to seize control.

“Let me go! In the name of God, let me go!”

Calisto’s voice was no more than a cold whisper. “I have no God. Not anymore.”

He sank his fangs into the monk’s neck and drank. The man’s life flashed through his mind, visions of Spain and the monastery where he trained centuries ago. He lost himself in the images, so modern and yet still the home he remembered.

His lips pulled at the monk’s throat, drawing more blood. But then one of the visions made his heart stutter, an image he never expected, and one that changed everything. Calisto jerked back, but the monk’s eyes were vacant.

“No!”

It was too late. Father Tomas was dead.

Calisto released him, growling in disgust at his lack of control. He was left with more questions than answers.

Kate’s face loomed in Father Tomas’ mind. The Fraternidad knew she lived again.

And they watched her, too.

Today, our star of honor is LuAnn McLane. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

BIO:

LuAnn McLane writes southern bent romantic comedy for NAL/Signet Eclipse and is currently penning her fourth novel in her Cricket Creek book series.  Her books have appeared on best selling lists including Barnes and Noble, Rhapsody and Doubleday Book clubs. She recently collaborated with country superstar Wynonna Judd with the novel Restless Heart. She lives in Ft. Myers, Florida and when she isn’t writing… she enjoys family, friends, fishing, cooking, reading, music, travel and University of Kentucky basketball.

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

What made you decide to become a writer? My love of reading led me to writing… that and the stories in my head that just wanted to come out.  I’ve just always been a story-teller!

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas? Life in general inspires me.  I aspire to write stories that readers can identify with and so I created Cricket Creek, Kentucky. There are so many interesting places, people… and sometimes a news story or even something as simple as an overheard conversation.  I’m also inspired by music.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name? I do have a muse.  She is Tinkerbell.  She came flying to me during a writing exercise at a conference and has been with me since.  Oh, and I don’t beat her… feed her.  Mostly chocolate but an occasional glass of wine.

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?)

I am a pantser through and through.  I only know the premise, the direction of the story and the characters.  But I often have a character just stroll into the story and become a central part of the plot.  I have a lake in my backyard and I usually sit on my lanai and do most of my writing there.  The water is soothing and inspiring.

What is your call story?

 I was out Christmas shopping and when I came home my daughter said that someone named Kate Duffy called.  I didn’t believe her and thought she was joking.   She wasn’t.  When I called back I was shaking like unset Jell-o!  I was thrilled to have gotten the chance to work with such an icon.

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one?

I always wanted to be a writer but life got in the way in the shape of four children.  When I turned 40 had an it’s now never moment and decided to just go for it.  My kids were old enough and all in school so I suddenly had the time to go for it.    I was a stay at home mom so reading and my imagination was all I had to go on.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

I hope to write about older heroines.  My current WIP had a secondary plot with a 60 year old hero and 55 year old heroine.  Now that I am in my fifties I want to write some fiction for those who are my age.  I found love the second time around at 50 and I want to give that same hope to readers. I would also love to write some middle grade books.  I think this is an age group that gets overlooked and it is where we can grab future readers!

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

Deadlines!  That looming deadline can cause major panic.

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories?

Reese Witherspoon!  She is so sweet and girl- next-door but is sexy at the same time.  She is smart and witty and is an excellent actress.  Her personality has been the inspiration for some of my heroines.  I also think she is grounded and not tainted by Hollywood.

Through research, what is the most silly thing you’ve ever done?

This is easy… when I wrote Dancing Shoes and Honky Tonk Blues I needed to know the details of ballroom dancing to I could write the dancing scenes correctly.  I checked out how to ballroom dance videos at the library and actually did the steps all around my family room… by myself.  I’m sure I looked very strange because it really does take two to tango.

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write?

I enjoy romance novels, both contemporary and historical.  Yes, really enjoy reading romantic comedy but I like other sub-genres as well.

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

I’m currently reading The Scoop by Fern Michaels.  I like the southern flavor and the older characters.  I’m still a paperback kind of person but an e-reader is on my wish list.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

I wish I had started writing a series a long time ago.  It is so much fun to keep a story going and to have former characters pop up in books.

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

Yes!  I love to hear from friends and readers.  It really helps to have a reader let me know that she enjoyed a book or that it made her laugh or get through a tough time.  Writing is such a solitary business and getting feedback certainly keeps my fingers on the keyboard.

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email: luann@luannmclane.com

Twitter: writerlu

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1514689411

Website: www.luannmclane.com

Other: Pinterest

Thank you so much for being a star! I would like to give away a signed copy of Playing for Keeps, the first Cricket Creek novel and Restless heart, my novel with Wynonna Judd. I will include other random but fun goodies

Blurb:

Catch of a Lifetime is the second book in the Cricket Creek series 

Top Chicago chef Jessica Robinson is back in Cricket Creek-and making her aunt’s diner the go-to place for comfy gourmet fare. Former major leaguer Ty McKenna is no stranger to Jessica’s cooking. At the Chicago hotspot where she worked, he was a regular-with a different girl on his arm every night. Now he’s the manager for the Cricket Creek Cougars. And convincing the mouthwatering chef that’s a one-woman man may be harder than getting his team ready for opening day.

Excerpt from Catch of a Lifetime

CHAPTER ONE

Fighting Forty

“Lordy, lordy Jessica Robinson is forty!” Madison announced in a sing-song voice.  “So, mom, how does it feel to be turning the big four-o?”

“It’s just a number, Madison,” Jessica answered evenly and gave her daughter a little flip of her hand for good measure.  Of course it was a big fat lie.

“Well, you certainly don’t look it, that’s for sure.”  Madison plopped down on the sofa and patted her mother’s leg.

“Thank you sweetie.”  Jessica smiled but didn’t look up and continued to flip through the Modern Bride magazine knowing that her eyes would give her away.  Madison had an uncanny way of reading people, which was one of the reasons her daughter was an amazing writer.  Her sweet and poignant play Just One Thing was a smash hit at the Cricket Creek local community theater last summer and had landed her a job teaching creative writing at Cooper College, a small but prestigious liberal arts school just outside of town.

“I just hope you’ve passed those good genes along to me,” Madison added making no mention of the father she never knew or the grandparents who were mortified when Jessica ended up pregnant at sixteen.  But when she had shown up on Aunt Myra’s doorstep in Cricket Creek, Kentucky her feisty, free-spirited aunt had welcomed her with open arms.  “I want to be a cougar just like you.”

“You can’t be a cougar if you’re married.”  Jessica flicked her daughter an amused glance.  “Or at least you shouldn’t be.”

“A MYLF, then.”

“Madison!”  Jessica shook her head so hard that her golden blonde ponytail shook from side to side.  “Wait, what is that?”

“A mother you’d like to f-”

“Okay, I get it.  I swear you’ve got more of your outrageous Aunt Myra’s genes than mine!”

“That’s because her outrageous genes overpowered your calm ones.  Like little gene sword fights.”  She made little swishing motions with her hand.

“You are truly crazy.”

Madison lifted one shoulder and grinned.  “I’m just sayin’.  But really, mom, I would never peg you as forty.  You truly don’t look it but…” Madison swallowed and then nibbled on the inside of her lip.

Jessica inhaled a deep breath and then had to prompt, “But what?”

“You need to get out more often.”

Jessica drew her eyebrows together.  “I am out.”  She sliced her hand through the air.

Madison tilted her head downward and rolled her eyes up.  “Mom, coming over to my condo isn’t going out.  I mean going out… out.”

Jessica tried not to squirm in her seat.  “Madison, Monday is the only day Wine and Diner is closed.  You know how demanding the restaurant business is.  I like to kick back and relax during my time off.  Oh… did you see this dress?” Jessica tapped the glossy page with her fingertip in an attempt to change the subject.  “I Love the simple yet elegant design, don’t you?” she continued.  “You should really say yes to a dress soon.”

“Mom, Jason and I haven’t even set a date yet.”

“And you’ve been engaged for nearly nine months!”

Madison tilted her head and sighed.  “With all of the riverfront construction going on Jason barely has time to breathe much less worry about a wedding.  When things settle down with the baseball stadium we’ll set a date.  We’re thinking next spring.  But anyway, about going out…”

“Madison,” Jessica warned in a low tone.

“Mom, it’s your birthday!”

“Just another day as far as I’m concerned and I am so grateful that you didn’t throw me one of those cheesy parties with droopy boob gag gifts.”

“You made your thoughts on the subject crystal clear.” Madison leaned over and looked at the wedding dress.  “But what do you say we head over to Sully’s and grab a bite to eat and a martini?  Celebrate just a little?”  Madison held her thumb and index finger an inch apart.

Jessica scrunched up her nose.  “I don’t think so.”  She nonchalantly turned another page of the magazine but had to swallow a stupid lump forming in her throat.  Flipping through the bride’s magazine reminded her of the fact that at forty her chances of a fairytale wedding were getting slimmer and slimmer.  She put out the vibe that she was happy as pie with her single status and treasured her independence but seeing her feisty Aunt Myra blissfully in love and Madison happily engaged had Jessica suddenly getting hit with bouts of loneness.  It sure didn’t help that sexy as sin Ty McKenna, manager of the Cricket Creek Cougars, ate at Wine and Diner several times a week.  And he didn’t simply eat the food, but savored and appreciated her culinary efforts, carefully choosing the perfect wine to go with his meal.  For Jessica there wasn’t a better turn on.  Ty McKenna had awakened a yearning she had thought was long gone but she knew him from his pro baseball days when he’d frequent Chicago Blue Bistro where she had been head chef.  She had never seen the hot shot athlete with the same woman twice so he could flirt until he turned blue in the face but she wasn’t about to let him break her heart.

“Earth to mom?  Are you getting hard of hearing in your old age?” Madison teased and gave her arm a playful shove.

“What?”  Jessica cupped her hand over her ear but then mustered up a chuckle.  “Sorry, I was thinking about the summer menu,” she fibbed.

“Well, give yourself a break!  It’s your birthday!”

“So you keep reminding me.”

“Because you seem to keep forgetting, old lady.

Oh, she had not forgotten.  “Madison, thanks so much for the lovely necklace.  Nicolina Diamante makes such beautiful handmade jewelry.  It was so sweet that you remembered how much I adore her creations.”  Jessica put the Modern Bride magazine on the glass coffee table and dusted her hands together.  “Now, I really should get home and start working on the menu.  Summer will be here before you know it.  I’m thinking about adding a mango salsa, cold corn and black bean dip-”

“Come on, Mom!  We should celebrate!” Madison pleaded firmly.

“Sweetie, I love my gift but it’s no big deal.”

Madison pressed her lips together which was a sure sign she wasn’t giving up.  “Well then, let’s go out and celebrate my teaching position at Cooper.  You promised to go out and clink glasses together but we never did.”  Her chin came up in challenge.

Damn… Madison had her there.

“Besides, I’m hungry and I don’t have anything in the fridge to fix.”

“Imagine that.”  Jessica cocked one eyebrow.  “You really need to learn your way around the kitchen, Madison.  Jason is a small town boy used to home cooked meals.”

“I can’t believe my ultra independent modern mother just said that to me,” Madison muttered.

“The boy’s gotta eat… and so do you.”

Madison bounced around on the sofa cushion to face her mother.  “Okay, I’ll make you a deal.  Come with me to Sully’s and I’ll find some time this week to come over to the diner for some cooking lessons.”

“Oh…”  Madison really wasn’t playing fair and she pounced on her slight wavering.

“Come on, Mom.  Jason is working at the baseball stadium.  I’m bored.  Hungry!”

Jessica rolled her eyes.  “Girl, you want some cheese with that whine?”  She kept her voice light but she truly didn’t want to celebrate.  What she really wanted was to go home, get into her pajamas and wallow with a bottle of merlot.  The fact that this milestone was hitting her hard took her by surprise!  But deep down she knew the reason why.

Tyler McKenna.

Today, our star of honor is Nina Croft. It’s so nice to have you here and shining! I’m sure you’re ready to share with us your success and many fun endeavors. So, let’s get on with the party!

BIO:

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

Nina writes all types of romance often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

Let’s get to know you a little better. Why don’t you step over here under the spotlight and shine a little.

First questions: (I’ll go easy on you.)

What made you decide to become a writer? In my twenties, I worked as a volunteer for a few years in Africa. I found myself living in a remote village with no electricity, no internet, no TV, and very few books. The last was particularly hard. When the books ran out, I started writing as a means of entertaining myself, and I never really stopped.

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas? All over—books, newspaper articles, TV, music. Sometimes, I’ll be riding my horse or walking the dogs, and something will just occur to me and I’ll have to rush back and write it down.

Do you beat your muse? I mean…Wait! Do you have a muse? Does he/she have a name? I don’t have a muse—honest—I hear other authors talking about their muses and I’m madly jealous. I want one. Where do I get one?

Let’s talk about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? Are there any weird things that you do before you start to sit down to write? (Like stretch those fingers…? Scream at the computer…?)

I’m a total plotter. I always wanted to be a pantser, but I get stuck in the middle if I try. And if I know what’s going to happen, I don’t need to stop and think about it, and the writing flows much better. I also find that the process of plotting gives me time to really get to know my characters before I start the actual writing.

I don’t have any weird rituals before I start—I actually hate routines so I try to vary how I write.

What is your call story?

I’ve never had a call—how sad is that? Only emails—which were still very nice. My favourite was for my science-fiction/paranormal novella, Break Out. I’d had one book accepted by Entangled publishing and then I saw that they were specifically looking for space operas. I’d been wondering what to do with Break Out as it’s a bit of an unusual mix, but I thought it could definitely be described as a space opera. I sent it in on my birthday last year, and Liz my editor got back to me within the day saying she absolutely loved it and wanted to contract the ‘series’. It was the best birthday present ever.

Have you always envisioned yourself a writer? What were you doing before you started writing? Has your earlier career influence your current one?

I’ve always been a voracious reader, but didn’t start writing until I was in my twenties. Before that, I used to be a chartered accountant. I pretty much hated it, not so much the actual work—I like working with numbers—but I hated having to go to an office every day. So after a few years, I decided I needed something a little more exciting. I ended up volunteering (with my husband) to work in Africa. And that’s how I ended up running out of books and having to write my own. So you could say being an accountant influenced my current career.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now with your writing career?

Hopefully, still loving writing, improving my craft, writing regularly, being published regularly, increasing my reader base…

Long term, I’d love to write a huge fantasy trilogy like LOTRs—I have a few ideas roaming around in my mind just waiting to come to fruition.

What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your writing career so far?

I think accepting that not everyone is going to love my writing. While I’m actually getting much better, I still find my heart pounding when I open up a review of one of my books. But the fact is that you can’t write to please everybody, and if you try chances are, you’ll end up pleasing nobody. So just write what you love.

Now let’s talk more about you. If you could pick to live the life of a movie star, who would it be and why? Does this person show up in your stories? I really don’t want to be a movie star; I find the whole idea of being in the spotlight terrifying. But I did want to be Clint Eastwood when I was little. I always wanted to be a cowboy and ride a horse all day. I’ve never written a western yet—I might have to just so Clint can show up.

What genres do you read? Do you read what you write?

I’m a big believer in writing the sorts of things you love to read. Which doesn’t narrow things down very much for me because I read just about everything. Favorites at the moment are paranormal and science fiction, but they vary.

What’s the last book you’ve read for fun? Did you read it on an e-Reader or are you still a paperback-kind-of-person?

I love reading both, but because I live in such a remote area and the nearest English bookshop is a long way away, I find myself reading mainly ebooks these days. The last thing I read was the 50 Shades trilogy by E. L. James. I read it on my kindle and enjoyed it lots—very entertaining.

What did you wish you had known back then when you began writing?

It took me a while to learn that you should really write what you love, and not be hampered by specific submission guidelines or publisher requirements. I wasted time trying to fit my voice into what I thought was needed to get published. Probably a liberating moment for me, was writing my science-fiction/ paranormal romance, Break Out, where I just let myself write anything I wanted and my imagination run wild. It was a joy to produce, and I promised myself after that, that I would be true to what I really wanted to write.

Is there anything else you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

Just that I love to hear from readers, so thanks for joining me here today.

And lastly, where can we find you?

Email: ninacroft@hotmail.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Nina_Croft

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000273215409

Website: https://www.ninacroft.com

Thank you so much for being a star!

I’m giving away a FREE copy of Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire to one lucky winner who comments! 

 Blurb: Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire.

Seduction by any means necessary…

Olivia Brent is happy with her quiet life in the country, until the imminent loss of her home forces her to embark on a search for her estranged father. Catapulted into a world of criminals and totally out of her depth, Olivia is rescued by the stunningly gorgeous and enigmatic billionaire Luc Severino.

Luc has never considered himself a knight in shining armor, and if he had been, then Jimmy Brent’s daughter was the last person he would choose to rescue. But Olivia is the key to finding her father, and Luc is willing to use any methods available, including blackmail, to persuade Olivia to help him find Jimmy and finally put the past behind him.

And if blackmail doesn’t gain her total cooperation, then perhaps a little seduction will…

Excerpt:

“So, Lia…” Luc said, his tone dangerously gentle. “Tell me, why did you really go and see Harley Watson?”

Lia’s gaze shot to his face. “What?”

“You didn’t want to work at the club.”

It was a statement, not a question, and Lia swallowed. She’d always been a horrific liar, but at least Luc Severino wouldn’t know the telltale signs. He wouldn’t know that beneath the fall of her carefully straightened hair, the tips of her ears were bright red, a dead giveaway to anyone who knew her that she was about to tell a whopper.

“Oh yes, I did.”

He quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. “Why?”

“I wanted to get away from home. I live with my family in a small village outside London, and it’s so boring.” And if she ever got back there in one piece, she would never leave again. “I wanted a little excitement and I needed a job. I remembered Mr. Watson from when we stayed in London. It seemed such a glamorous idea.” She sighed, deciding it was time to inject a little much needed honesty. “But once I got there, it didn’t seem quite so glamorous anymore.” She shuddered at the understatement. “And I…well, I just didn’t seem to have the right…” she cast a surreptitious glance at her chest, “…qualifications for the job.”

Luc intercepted the look. “Not all men are obsessed with enormous breasts,” he said.

She risked a quick glance at his face and found his eyes lingering on the long length of her legs beneath the hem of her dress. Lia resisted the urge to tug it down—she was beginning to hate that dress. It was going straight back to Kelly when she got home.

“Anyway, thank you for getting me out of there. You were right—I was out of my depth.”

Luc examined her curiously for a moment. “Just what is it you thought might happen?”

“White slave trade,” she mumbled under her breath.

To her surprise Luc didn’t laugh. Instead, he inspected her from head to toe as if trying to decide whether the price would be worth the trouble.

“Not Harley’s specialty,” he said after an uncomfortable minute.

Did that mean he knew someone whose specialty it was? After all, what did she really know about this man?