Romance Author Hotspot

Today, our guest of honor is Charmaine Gordon.  It’s so nice to have you here! Hope you’re ready to party!

I am definitely ready  and have something good to bring to the party.

First Questions:

Wine or beer? (If you say club soda, we’ll have to send you to the corner…)

Half glass of chardonnay please or I’ll be tap dancing on the table.

Cake or chips? Are you a sugar or salt kind of person?

Something sweet to go with the salty conversation, thanks. And I’m definitely old enough to drink. No carding necessary. How ‘bout you?

So, what do you write? And why?

A year ago, a story popped in my head as I slept. In the morning I began to write. I call this sleep writing. What sells now is erotic and a lot of gratuitous sex but Reconstructing Charlie is totally the opposite and yet there is romance and suspense. When I typed The End and cried and then got over myself, I realized there was another story to be told. Sin of Omission came next. Thus my “Dynamic Duo” was created and I will gift to one lucky commenter the two books.

Blurb from Reconstructing Charlie

Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father. Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. “This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own.”

Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.

Tell us about one of your characters:

Charlie Costigan is a special character in this modern world of sexual freedom. She’s learned from watching her own family that it’s better to remain a virgin until the right man comes her way. As an attractive talented athlete, there are lots of temptations but Charlie has a steely reserve.

How long have you been writing?

Until a few years ago, acting was my career. Movies, stage, daytime drama and commercials kept me busy. Then toward the end of a run of a play off Broadway, The Fourth Commandment, I had an idea for a story. My only experience was reading scripts. Undaunted, I began to write a book. You ask why and I reply, I don’t know. I just wrote and wrote and the book was published. The following year I met Chelle Cordero, a published author with Vanilla Heart. She bought my book, told her publisher about me and now I have five books with the wonderful Vanilla Heart Publishers.

What is your writing premise?

The theme running through all my stories is Survive&Thrive. Romance/Suspense. My writin style is what I call loose and I fly by the seat of my pants.

What do you like doing besides writing and reading? Is it dangerous?

You ask about danger in my life. Everything I’ve done in my life has turned out to have a dangerous twist. Not like spies and caught in gun fire but just in the homely part of living. Like having too many kids can do injury to one little mom; too much tennis has worn down both shoulders, one knee and continues to wreck body parts. And I loved the game. But I’ve paid a high price when every doctor shakes his head and says, “Sorry,” and suddenly I’m under the lights and it’s not show biz.

Any thoughts you’d like to share?

To all the folks out there who say they’d just love to write, I say, DO IT! It’s a joy to create characters and get them in and out of trouble and just think of all the fictional power you have with your imagination. Give some bad guy a fatal disease or send him off a cliff. Give the lonely woman a lover, the poor kid a pair of shoes, the family a new home. Have fun and then get down to the real business of making a story work.

Thank you for inviting me to your party. I hope I’ve brought enough to liven things up a bit.

Love to all from Charmaine Gordon.

Charmaine is awesome enough to be offering a giveaway!  –>Giveaway-ebook copy of Reconstructing Charlie and Sin of Omission

If you’d like to find more from Charmaine find her:

http://authorCharmaineGordon.wordpress.com

http://CharmaineGordonSSS.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/#!/CharJGordon

http://www.facebook.com/charmaine.gordon

Kindle link
http://www.amazon.com/Sin-of-Omission-ebook/dp/B007XA9V2I

AllRomance link
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinofomission-784842-149.html

http://www.amazon.com/Sin-Omission-Charmaine-Gordon/dp/1937227650

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sin-of-omission-charmaine-gordon/1111456\
096

http://www.amazon.com/Reconstructing-Charlie-Charmaine-Gordon/dp/1935407910

Hello and welcome back to the party!  Today’s guest is Cassandra Dean with an exciting announcement of her own.  Please help her feel welcome!

Hi peeps!

 I’m so happy to be here, and so happy to tell you all that my second ebook, TEACH ME, is now available in print Like, a physical book I can hold in my hands! THIS IS SO FRICKING AWESOME!!!!

 Ahem.

So.

I guess you’ve probably noticed that I’m a tad excited.

 I’ve always wanted to be a writer, from the first time I learned to write. I was so thrilled when my very first book, ENSLAVED, was published in ebook. I was published! Like, ohmygodsuperwowhowamazeballs! Then, my second book, TEACH ME, was accepted and published in ebook. My golly, so excitement! My third, ROUGH DIAMOND, will be out in ebook in September. I am just delirious, and so very thrilled to be doing something I love with my whole heart. This whole caper has been a dream come true, and I’m so very privileged to share it with all you peeps.

However, this is a different kettle of fish. A print book! PRINT! I get to hold a professionally bound copy of TEACH ME in my hands, a book I wrote. That’s just the kind of sauce that is awesome.

TEACH ME came to me while I was on a bus tour of Scotland. I was staring at the back of heads on the bus when suddenly a scene popped into my head. A cold, impassive man watches a bright, effusive woman from across a ballroom, and though no emotion creases his features, amusement and love twine within him. She catches him looking at her and, with a saucy smile, beckons him to her. He goes, knowing that whenever she calls, he’ll follow.

Well, this scene just wouldn’t let me go, and of course I had no pen or paper to write it all down. What a nitwit. So, at our stop for the night, I tore the hotel room apart* searching for a complimentary pad and pen and, once found, proceeded to detail what would eventually become TEACH ME. I spent the rest of my holiday jotting bits and pieces down in a notebook I purchased, reveling in this story that had taken hold of me.

Right now, I’d like to extend a hearty, big, massive thank you to the back of heads on a bus in Scotland. If I’d found you interesting, I wouldn’t now be holding a copy of my very first PRINT book in my hands!

Cassandra

xx

*May be exaggerating for comic effect. Apparently, I do this all the time ;p

Cassandra is offering a giveaway as well: “One lucky commenter will win a PRINT copy of TEACH ME, a signed TEACH ME postcard, a TEACH ME magnet and a TEACH ME keyring!  Unfortunately, contest is only open to those with a US or UK postal address.”

You can find more from Cassandra:

   Twitter:      http://twitter.com/#!/authorCassDean

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

Website:      http://cassandradean.com

    Buylink:     http://www.amazon.com/dp/1613333137/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

BLURB:

Ever curious, Elizabeth, Viscountess Rocksley, has turned her curiosity to erotic pleasure. Three years a widow, she boldly employs the madam of a brothel for guidance but never had she expected her education to be conducted by a coldly handsome peer of the realm.

To the Earl of Malvern, the erotic tutelage of a skittish widow is little more than sport, however the woman he teaches is far from the mouse he expects. With her sly humor and insistent joy, Elizabeth obliterates all his expectations and he, unwillingly fascinated, can’t prevent his fall.

Each more intrigued than they are willing to admit, Elizabeth and Malvern embark upon a tutelage that will challenge them, change them, come to mean everything to them…until a heartbreaking betrayal threatens to tear them apart forever.

Today, our guest of honor is J.A. Garland who has a new release out this Tuesday the 4th!  Hope you’re ready for a release party!!

First Questions:

Wine or beer? (If you say club soda, we’ll have to send you to the corner…)

Well, I’m more a coffee or water type of gal.

Cake or chips? Are you a sugar or salt kind of person?

Chips…the Cheese Puff variety.

*squints eyes * Are you old enough to drink?

Wait! You can’t come in yet! What did you bring us?

Blurb:

Lone wolf, Rory Archer, never failed a single mission. Now the hunted instead of the hunter, Rory unwinds a twisted trail leading back to Amber Arlington, a spirited Halfling tied to a world of Shadows. Bound to vows initially forged out of necessity, Rory and Amber’s relationship surges into more than either of them bargained on. Scrambling to identify their attacker before joining the casualty list, Rory is faced with doing the unthinkable, or watching Amber become a slave for his species.

What makes your characters so special?

Rory is a good guy, but he’s had a tough time of things. All he wants is to do his job and forget about his childhood. The object of a botched assassination attempt, he’s launched into a complicated world where the one person who holds the answers, will only share them at a heavy price…his complete trust.

Amber is a feisty woman who holds the key to Rory’s problems. But her secrets are just as dark and deep, and she won’t talk until he tells her about his past.

Alright, I guess you can come in. Now off to the roast!

So, what do you write? And why?

I write urban fantasy. The world is an exciting place, but it wouldn’t it be even more exciting if ‘Otherkind’ creatures existed? Like demons, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, etc? Instinct is book one in a series where Shadow creatures–paranormal beings refuse to fly under the humans radar–come out to play. The National Otherkind Administration (NOA) is responsible for overseeing human/Otherkind interactions. Utilizing Analysts, they collect information on the Shadows. If they believe an infraction of the Otherkind Agreements exists, they send in the Trackers. At the top of the food chain is the Otherkind Council. They act as judge and jury, and have become celebrities of sorts in the eyes of the Otherkind. My series follows several key players on both sides of the table. My books all share this common theme, or ‘world.’

Why did you want to become an author?

Well, initially I wanted to become a jet fighter pilot, doesn’t everyone? Okay, so that was just a phase…following the movie Top Gun. I wanted to be a writer from early on, but as life has a way of doing, it moved me in a different direction. Sure, becoming and being a firefighter is full of rewards. I love serving the public. But writing is a release–an addictive freedom. I am very lucky to enjoy two such different, and spectacular careers in one lifetime.

What would your characters say about you?

They would say I am the epitome of the type ‘A’ personality. I am hard headed, inflexible…yeah, when they try to run away with my carefully constructed plot, I always rope them back in. Sometimes it chaffs them a bit. (I think one or two might be type A’s as well).

What do you like doing besides writing and reading? Is it dangerous?

If you know anything about me, you know that I am a self professed cheese puff connoisseur. I spend a lot of time researching and sampling different types of cheesy goodness. Which leads me to my next favorite thing to do…running. Thank goodness, right, or else I would be a tank! I’m also very ‘into’ the P90X workout videos. I tried ‘Insanity’, but wasn’t all that thrilled. It was all indoor cardio, and besides missing my trail runs, I lost a lot of strength from not lifting weights. So, I went back to running and P90X. It is the perfect balance!

Who is your favorite author and why? Do you write what you read?

I read what I write. And I think I’ve read just about every one of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s books. Which is quite an accomplishment since she is quite the prolific writer! No, I have never stalked, er, met her. I would love to talk to her, but not at a stuffy, automated book signing. I’m thinking it would be fun to chat about life and writing over coffee and beignets in a New Orleans cafe. What do you think, Sherrilyn? Are you up for it?

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

The plot is both the easiest and the hardest for me to write. Being type ‘A’, I sketch everything out to make sure I intertwine scenes and get that big black moment just right. The characters that carry the storyline come secondary. Sometimes, though, they don’t like to play nice. They take that ‘breath of life’ and try to run amuck with my plot!

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

I hope when you put down a J.A. Garland book you say, “That was one hell of a ride! Where’s the next one?”

What else are you working on right now?

I am currently working on book two of the Halfling Chronicles. Without giving anything away, this novel pursues the origins of the Halflings and the Shadow creatures who wish to control them. Oh, and Slade, there’s lots of Slade!

Last question: Where can our partygoers find you and your work?

Website:    http://www.jagarland.com/

  Facebook:    http://www.facebook.com/jagarlandurbanfantasyauthor

  Twitter:    https://twitter.com/J_A_Garland

***Buylink***     http://www.amazon.com/Instinct-ebook/dp/B0095YE94K/

Thank you so much for coming!  (and for the epic release party giveaway!)

Leave a comment for a chance to win this bag of goodies (winner decided on the 12th)!  Includes: Instinct ebook coupon, monogrammed coffee mug, tote bag, keychain flashlight, magnetic “chip clip,” jelly belly tins, fridge magnet, pen, Lula’s chocolates, zombie soap and more!

Contest runs till the 12th!  The more discussion/comments the better your shot at winning so don’t be afraid to say hi to JA every day 

Please join me in welcoming our newest party animal/blogger Janelle Lee!

Someone is always asking me why I write… My usual response is “If I told you I would have to kill you.” Writers get strange questions but they get stranger looks. Or maybe it is just me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I actually have been known to leave the house without brushing my hair… But I really believe it is because when someone asks me what I do for a crust (living) I say I am a writer. The usual response comes with the look of disbelief followed by the  “Really?” My usual sarcastic retort is “There are a million things I could lie about and I picked that.”

The funniest look was from a couple of women in aisle five at the supermarket. My husband was down one end with the trolley while I was slowly making my way down towards him. I wasn’t actually shopping so to speak I was thinking about a particular scene in a particular chapter. Sometimes my thinking doesn’t stay inside my head. “What sort of gun would I need to shoot the most amount of people in the least amount of time?”

It wasn’t until I saw the looks on the women’s faces and my husband rolling his eyes when I realized that my question was said out loud. The women stared at me as if I was about to pull an automatic weapon from my pocket. I smiled at the women bid them a good day and hurried towards my husband who was waiting for me. “That was fun.”

“Why do you have to do that?” he asked.

I shrugged.

Years ago an editor told me if my story wasn’t going anywhere I needed to kill someone off. It works a treat. I tell my students the same thing and with children you never know what you are going to get. I was working with the Year 5 students when one of them came over to me and told me she didn’t know what to write next. I told her to kill someone off. Probably not the most appropriate thing to tell a ten year old but I figured there were worse things I could have told her.

She made her way back to her seat with a new found confidence. Twenty minutes later she returned to show me the finished product. My right eyebrow rose as I read how she killed off thirty people in a fiery train crash. She looked expectantly at me. I had to hand it to her she certainly understood the difference between showing and telling. “Fantastic,” I told her and watched as her smile lit up her whole face.

The next morning her mother came to school to see me. I was expecting maybe a phone call but a face-to-face conversation was going to make it really interesting.

I had a whole speech prepared that included how children should be free to express themselves and I am not here to censor them in any way. My speech was a waste of time as her mother wanted to thank me for encouraging her daughter and to tell me how much she was enjoying the class. I shelved the speech and to this day I haven’t had to use it. Like me many years before the student learnt that writing is the only way you can kill someone and get away with it.

Eavesdroppers are a constant source of amusement for me. When a bunch of writers get together for lunch you can be sure writing is the only subject on the conversation menu. After eating my entrée and waiting patiently for my dessert (I hardly ever eat a main due to it getting in the way of dessert) one of my fellow diners asked me what I was working on. I told her that I was contemplating killing off one of my characters – a child – but decided that I would kill the child’s puppy instead by slitting its throat.

The woman at the next table suddenly fired off a verbal spray at me and told me I should be reported to the police and how some people should be shot. I figured that I was one of those people. I laughed at the woman, which only infuriated her more. My dining companions wanted to explain to her what I was actually talking about but I told them not to bother. It was more fun my way.

Another thing people ask about being a writer is what is the worse thing. Many writers would say the aloneness but to me it is the “Oh, you are a writer. I wrote a book do you want to read it?” Which usually equates to can you read it and fix it. A friend of a friend asked me to ‘read’ their masterpiece… Alright it wasn’t described in that way but it came close. Grammar and punctuation were non-existent, the sex scenes were laughable and I still had to work out the genre. The best I could come up with was erotica/saga/horror although the horror could have been due to the grammar and punctuation problems along with the strange wording to describe the sex. I have no idea what an oopla loopa is and quite frankly I don’t think I want to know.

When I handed it back to my friend. He asked me what I thought. I replied with “How good of a friend is your friend?”

“That bad?” he asked.

“Worse.”

Happy writing.

  BLURB: Tim O’Flaherty’s boyhood dream was to become a pilot. His dream was shattered on September 11th 2001. Fleeing the country in an attempt to rid himself of the guilt and pain he soon realizes that there is no escaping the nightmare. He arrives in Australia where he finds a deep connection with Bondi Beach. The goal of becoming a lifeguard is what drives him and when he saves a woman from drowning he inadvertently saves himself.

If you like what you’ve read you can find more from Janelle:

Twitter:    http://www.Twitter.com/janellelee747

Facebook:    Janelle Lee Author

Website:    www.janellelee.com

Thanks for stopping by Janelle!  She’s also giving away a free (PDF-format) copy of “Saving Tim” to a random commenter.  Good luck!

Please welcome special surprise guest Lynn Crain!  She was kind enough to step up for a party-pooper and we <3 her for it!!! 

Everyone knows I’m an erotic romance writer. I don’t hide the fact at all. If the story calls for some steamy hot sex, then the story gets that scene. The one thing I do get reminded of occasionally is the fact I used to be a blush queen growing up. This was brought home to me when I recently pulled up an article from another author who talked about her ‘blush-o-meter’ and it reminded me of how I used to be.

Growing up, it didn’t take much to get me going. I know I was the only high school senior to be photographed with the then President Gerald Ford who could compete with the sun. It has it good and bad points. Still, the story reminded me of my early days as an erotic romance writer and two specific times when blushing got me a lot of attention.

The first one was when I was asked to bring my very first completed book to a college gang party. These were the people I had learned to become an adult with and I had a lot of apprehension. These people had embarrassed me and held me when I cried or when I was sick. There were many good and bad memories with these folks.

I told the DH, Gordon, and he convinced me it was all good. But as we got closer to the party, the more trepidation I was feeling.

Once there, the manuscript was being handed around and then I started getting comments like, ‘great job’ and ‘I’ve never know anyone who completed a whole book before’ and then I saw one of my old college boyfriends reading it.

He walked up to me and stated, “You know if you’d done that to me, maybe we’d still be together.”

I could feel my face turning warm and I had to be very careful here. If I said the wrong thing, he’d think I still liked him or something. “Maybe I would have if you deserved that type of treatment.”

“Gordon must be a very lucky man.” He walked away as the DH walked up.

“What’s wrong with him?” DH asks.

“He got to the love scene.”

“Oh.”

“He said you were a lucky guy.”

“He did.” DH puffs up and says, “I think I’ll go talk to the guys.”

The college girl friends came up. “What’s up with the guys? And how about you…you’re blushing!”

“They’re all talking about the love scene.”

“No wonder you’re blushing!”
I looked at them and arched a brow. “Maybe I should remind all of your husbands, we all went to college together. After all I didn’t win a knockwurst contest.” Every other woman at the party had a face redder than mine. LOL! Revenge is soooo sweet!

The next big time that I can remember me really, really blushing was when I wrote my first BDSM story about six years ago now. It was also the last time that I can remember me having that particular affliction. I had to do a lot of what I considered covert research as I prepared to write this story of a woman’s darkest fantasies. Finally, I got the courage to just sit down and get it done. The whole day, I would write a sentence and get up to pace, wondering what I was doing since I knew nothing of that world. Still, I plugged away at it until I eventually got it right. It was the first thing I sold to eXtasy books. I was really surprised.

But half way into the process, my husband shocked me by showing up in my office. My face went from zero to RED in the span of less than 10 seconds.

“Something wrong?”

“No, why are you asking?”

He gives me his quirky smile and says, “There are only a few times I’ve ever seen you blush in twenty years.”

I sat still. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s mainly when I caught you doing something you shouldn’t and when you’re thinking about sex.”

I gasped. “What makes you think I’m doing something I shouldn’t? I’m an adult.”

“With an antiquated idea about sex sometimes. If you’re going to really be an erotic romance writer, you have some changing to do.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m sure that practice will help!”

I roll my eyes and tell him nothing is going to happen until I finish this story.

That very day, my whole attitude changed. I wasn’t ashamed of my writing at all. It was just that I was brought up in the Bible belt and as anyone who has grown up there knows, the fear of God and sex can be pounded into you from the moment you walk. And lordy, the brimstone…LOL! There is absolutely nothing wrong with sex. It’s a natural thing and we have such a backward sexual outlook in America that it took some retraining on my part to not let it worry me at all. Now, I barely bat an eye. There’s a private me and a writer me.

I advertise my very sexy books all the time and I do write to every heat level as the story dictates. I am passionate about all my books as every author should be. If you’re embarrassed about it, you don’t need to be writing it at all. I write what I love and nothing compromises that position. Sometimes my characters want the full Monty and others, they want it very sweet.

Now it’s my DH’s turn to blush every time he drives my car. My license plate says ERWRTER and he’s been asked many times what it means. I’ll show you all a picture sometime. He tells them the truth…it means…Erotic Romance Writer. The moment he tells the women, they get a gleam in their eye and say ‘Ah’ while the men just shake their heads and walk away, knowing they wouldn’t be caught dead in my car.

Let me know if you’ve ever had any embarrassing moments in your early days, authors.

Blurb from “The Harvester” in the Girl’s Night Out Series:

Princess Sky Xera Nerezsh came to earth to avoid the normal succession path to the throne. Being the oldest daughter, she will be required to murder her mother in order to secure her path to power. Sky loves her mother and refuses this path, choosing instead to disappear in the vast reaches of space. When her past collides with her present, she has to think quick on her feet, claim two men and a whole planet just to avoid the inevitable: a meeting with her mother. Along the way, she discovers true love and a burning need to be there for them always. Now if the other Harvesters can just keep to themselves, they’ll have no problems. But who said true love was ever easy.

If you enjoy what you’ve read you can find more from Lynn here:

 Email:  lynncrain@cox.net

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/oddlynn3

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/oddlynn3

Website:  www.lynncrain.com

Buylink: 

http://www.amazon.com/Harvester-Girls-Night-Out-ebook/dp/B008AP7ESI/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339491578&sr=1-15&keywords=Lynn+Crain

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 guest of honor is Rebecca J. Clark. It’s so nice to have you here! Hope you’re ready to party!

First Questions:

Wine or beer? (If you say club soda, we’ll have to send you to the corner…)

I hate beer. Not a huge wine drinker either. But I guess I’ll go with wine, as tequila wasn’t one of the choices.

Cake or chips? Are you a sugar or salt kind of person?

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. But really, I’d rather have pie.

*squints eyes * Are you old enough to drink?

Clearly, you’re not squinting hard enough.

Wait! You can’t come in yet! What did you bring us?

       Blurb: Once upon a time, he promised her the moon. It’s time to deliver.

Louisa D’Angelo used to believe in happily ever after—until the tragic death of her son and the demise of her marriage. Now, five years later, with her life back in order, she has a great career and a wonderful man in her life. So what if the passion and excitement isn’t there? In her book, passion and excitement only lead to heartbreak. Then, her ex-husband shows up and upsets her tidy little world.

Gabe D’Angelo never believed in happily ever after—until he met Louisa who taught him how to love and be loved. But their happiness was short-lived. Guilt and grief forced Gabe to walk away. Now, though he’s pulled his life together and should be happy, he realizes something’s missing. After seeing her from afar at a family wedding, he knows what it is. It’s Louisa.

What makes your characters so special?

Because I wrote them? Oh, you want a serious answer. Um, I love these characters because they feel so real to me, like they’re good friends of mine. They deal with very real situations and emotions, and just like real people, they sometimes don’t react the way they should.

Alright, I guess you can come in. Now off to the roast!

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

Honestly, I’d be happy to travel one town over. I never go anywhere. LOL. I’m very much a homebody. We bought a used motorhome last fall and fixed it up, and so we’re hoping to see much of our state (Washington) this summer. Right now, I don’t have much desire to travel overseas—I’d rather see our own country first. I’ve been on the west coast and the east coast, but really no place in between. On my bucket list is the Grand Canyon,New OrleansandAlaska.  This fall, for our 25-year-anniversary, my hubby and I hope to go to Vegas. I don’t gamble, and don’t drink much, so I guess I’ll just people watch, eh?

What was your first sale as an author? Was it special?

Borrowed Stilettos was my first sale. It was very exciting to get “the call,” er, “the email” after almost 15 years of writing, but even more special was getting the call a few months earlier telling me I was a Golden Heart finalist. I’d been about to give up on my writing, and had even dropped my membership in RWA and local chapters. In 2007, I met some of my writer friends at a local conference (I wasn’t attending, just meeting friends for lunch). One of them asked if I was planning to enter the Golden Heart that year. I said no, and told her my sad – sniff — story of not writing anymore. She pretty much tore me a new one and made me promise to submit Borrowed Stilettos—she’d read the beginning of an earlier version years before and still remembered it. So, Janice, if you’re reading this—thanks for the butt kick!

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

Other than coming up with the idea, every single bit of it is hard. Like the proverbial pulling teeth. I keep expecting it to get easier, but it’s getting much, much harder. Life is so unfair. With Deliver the Moon, the hardest part was getting past the content. It’s about a couple whose marriage fell apart after the death of their young son. I originally wrote this story when my own son was a toddler. Every time I’d write a scene that referred to their son, I’d start crying. It felt too real, like I was writing about my own kid. So I had to put the book aside until my son grew up a bit.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

Neither. I’ve tried being a pantser (I think that’s my natural tendency), but I keep getting stuck about 1/3 of the way in. I’ve also tried being a plotter, and while I LOVE plotting, and would buy plotting books over a new pair of shoes, I hate to write the books I plot. Sigh. Someday, I’ll figure it out.

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

I might look like a normal person on the outside, but inside I’m a quivering mess of introversion and self-consciousness. I’m very shy by nature, but have learned to fake it really well. But you can’t fake your way out of being an introvert. I love being around people, but can only take being social for so long before I shut down and need to recharge. If your readers are interested, I have a whole blog devoted to the shy/introverted writer. http://shywriters.blogspot.com.

What else are you working on right now?

I’m working on a three-book series revolving around minor-league baseball and weddings. I’m finishing up the first book now, then will shop it around and see where it lands. I can’t tell you any more information about my new project. It’s classified. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.

Last question: Where can our partygoers find you and your work?

Website: http://rebeccajclark.com

Twitter: @RebeccaJClark

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/rebeccajclark.author

Thank you so much for coming!

Hi all, Monday’s post has broken again   :’(   Our immense apologies for that!  At the last moment PJ Schnyder was awesome enough open some time in her schedule and sit down for an impromptu interview.  

That interview will go up in a few short hours – in the meantime here’s her most recent blog post.  Thank you for your patience awesome readers!  We promise more and more giveaways in the future! 

Lori Foster’s RAGT 2012

Hi all – we’re experiencing some technical difficulties, if you follow on @RomancAuthorHS we’ll let you know when everything is resolved.  In the meantime our featured author is: Betty Anne Harris!  Let’s welcome her to the party with an excerpt from her recent book:

Beyond the Point

In this much anticipated sequel to Eureka Point, the former Katie Montgomery, aka Lizzie Harrison, has now settled into a life of domestic bliss with her new FBI special agent husband, Tom Owens. With the help of her new friend and landscape designer, Abigail Grant, Lizzie has taken the plunge and started a new interior design business in the scenic, old seaport town of Eureka, California. Tom’s partner and best friend, Scott Landrew, appears to be smitten with Abby. When Tom is called out of town on business, he leaves Lizzie and Abby under Scott’s watchful eye.

Will the suspicious events that are taking place prove to be just harmless coincidences, or are they signs that the dangerous drug cartel may still be after Lizzie? Will Lizzie and Abby’s first joint assignment be the beginning of a wonderful partnership, or will Lizzie’s past put them all in danger?

Hihi!  Our fun begins this weekend with Robin Bielman.  Please welcome her and enjoy yourselves:

Starter Questions:

Wine or beer? (If you say club soda, we’ll have to send you to the corner…)

 Oh no! I, uh, am not a wine or beer drinker. BUT, I love a strawberry margarita or any other fruity cocktail.

Cake or chips? Are you a sugar or salt kind of person?

 I have the biggest sweet tooth ever! I could live on cake and cupcakes. Seriously.

*squints eyes * Are you old enough to drink?

 Aww, thanks. I wish I heard that more often. J I did get carded all the time in my twenties. I even got carded once for an R-rated movie when I was like twenty-five.

Wait! You can’t come in yet! What did you bring us?

Blurb:

 Their love was ancient history…until their paths crossed again

 Samantha Bennett put Dean Malloy out of her mind five years ago, when he broke her heart after a summer fling. But now he’s back in her life, and ready to steal a heritage protection contract that could make or break her career–if he doesn’t steal her heart first. Samantha’s vowed to hate him, but it’s more than anger heating the competition between them.

 With sparks flying across the conference table and sizzling in every touch, Dean proposes a weekend liaison. Anything to have Sam again; anything to get her out of his system. But the unresolved feelings between them complicate both their personal and professional lives, and one wild weekend could turn into a disaster that would destroy the one job that means more to Samantha than anything. For a shot at love…is it worth the risk?

 What makes your characters so special?

 Sam and Dean have never stopped loving each other. They’re both fiercely independent and driven, but once they reunite the complexities and pitfalls of their relationship fade away. They rediscover they have the forever kind of love if they’re willing to take a chance.

Alright, I guess you can come in. Now off to the roast!

What would your characters say about you?

 They would say I’m very quiet when you first meet me, but buy me a few strawberry margaritas and I won’t shut up. Just kidding. (Sort of.) 

What do you like doing besides writing and reading? Is it dangerous?

 The older I get, the less fearful I am! I’m quite dangerous in the kitchen – I bake a mean banana bread, and love to run, hike, and take my dog, Harry, for walks. Whenever I’m on vacation, I love to zipline, and skydiving and hot air ballooning are on my bucket list.

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

 I’m dying to go to Europe and spend time in France and Italy because I’ve never been. I so want to see the Eiffel Tower and Amalfi Coast.

What was your first sale as an author? Was it special?

 This is my first sale! And yes, it’s special. I got the offer to contract Worth the Risk just before Christmas. (Best present ever!) When the email arrived, I had to read it over and over again, and then have my hubby read it, to confirm I wasn’t seeing things. Then I jumped up and down and squealed for a while, and once I got my emotions under control, I called my mom. She cried. Being with Entangled Publishing has been a wonderful experience that I hope to repeat again and again and again.

Tell us about one of your favorite characters from your books.

 My character, Dean, in Worth the Risk is pretty special to me. He’s what sparked the idea for my book. I was reading an article in Outside magazine about the Best Jobs, and when I read one about heritage protection, I knew I wanted to write a hero with that occupation. Dean is loyal, protective, approachable, and stubborn. He’s incredibly passionate about the environment. Nothing matters more to him. Until he crosses paths with Sam again.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

 I am a total pantser! I love sitting down to write and letting my characters lead the way. Since writing Worth the Risk, though, I do briefly outline my stories, just so I have some idea of where I want to go. But that often changes—and I love when that happens! I love when my characters take me in a direction I didn’t see coming.

What else are you working on right now?

 I recently finished a second novella that features McCall, a character I introduced in Worth the Risk. I’ve paired him with the perfect girl to mess up his life – the widow of his best friend – and had a wonderful time writing it. I’m also finishing up revisions on a contemporary YA.

Last question: Where can our partygoers find you and your work?

 Website:http://robinbielman.com   

Twitter:http://twitter.com/RobinBielman          

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/RobinBielmanWriter           

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

 Thank you so much for coming!

Thanks so much for having me! RAH rocks!

I’d love to give away an eBook copy of Worth the Risk. Please leave me a comment about your favorite thing to do outdoors and you’re entered.