Could it Get Any Hotter ...

... than an interview with Reese Colton, the hero of my vampire novel, SHADOWS OF FIRE (And yes, he's also a firefighter)? This sexy vampire arrived on the page as a complete surprise (who knew someone this dark, sexy and irresistible could also be an immortal?)

Nina: Welcome to RB4U, Reese. I know there are many readers who would love to meet you. I'm really glad you found some time to visit.

Reese: Nice to be here. I've been wondering why it's taken so long for you to invite me. *leans forward and whispers* You know all my secrets, you've delved into the deepest part of my psyche, don't you think it's time to share? *leans back with a satisfied smile*

Nina: *blushes* Yes, ah hem ,well, I didn't realize how anxious you were to bring everything to light.

Reese: Oh, aren't you the wordsmith? The whole vampire and daylight thing, I get it. Ha ha. Yes, fine, I'm an ancient vampire ... it's out there, big deal--

Nina: But Reese it is a big deal. It's part of your sex appeal. And I should have asked if it's too bright in here for you.

Reese: This space is very comfortable and you know daylight isn't a huge issue for me. I just can't be out in it for long periods of time.

Nina: Is that why you worked the night shift at the fire station?

Reese: It certainly does simplify things. But being part of RISEN, we've found it easier to do our undercover work at night.

Nina: Tell everyone about RISEN. This whole military operation is one of the things I found fascinating. How did you get involved with them anyway?

Reese: RISEN stands for Rogue Investigative Seizure and Elimination Network the acronym is meant to be funny, but what we do is deadly serious. You see, not all vampires live well with humans. You are rather delicate creatures *winks* Anyway, we find rogue vampires and bring them to justice--vampire justice. *shrugs* Not really a big deal.

Nina: Is that what brought you to the mountains of California? A rogue vampire?

Reese: We were called there by the man who saved my life over two centuries ago, Glenn Karr. He's mentored a lot of young vampires. He and Alexandra Flanagan manufactured and ran the blood wine out of the basement of the local tavern they ...

Nina: Still hard for you to talk about them isn't it?

Reese: Yeah, I shouldn't have mentioned Glenn and Alex. Memories of those fires still shake me up. *inhales deeply* Yeah, let's not talk about them. Where was I?

Nina: Telling me what brought you to South Kenton.

Reese: Right. The fires. Accidental fires were escalating. At first we found burned vampires and then humans. We suspected it was a vampire all along. We just didn't expect to find the answers we got. Really, I'm not a firefighter anymore. *flashes a trembling smile* I rebuilt the tavern and I'm running that. Don't you want to talk about that?

Nina: Sure. Tell us about the blood wine you mentioned.

Reese: *smile broadens* Well, I took the formula that Glenn and Alex had nearly perfected and made a few modifications with the pig blood and the chemical balance. Now I produce enough to support all the vamps in the mountains and the tribunal has opened up two more wineries on the west coast and we're looking at expanding down south using my new formula.

Nina: Congratulations I can see how proud you are of doing that. Is there anything else you want to tell my readers?

Reese: I suppose I should mention I did bring the vampire in South Kenton to justice as much as I hated how it all ended. On a happier note, should I mention the hot romance in the book?

Nina: *blushes profusely* My readers are very aware I write sexy stories. I think they'd already guessed that passion definitely sparks between you and Alex.

Reese: *runs a knuckle down Nina's cheek* You're too cute. I guess you enjoyed writing that part about me. *leans in close to Nina's ear* Though I would have enjoyed a few more opportunities to strut my stuff as they say.

Nina: *clears throat* Well, that's all the time I have today, Reese. I don't want to keep you from the tavern. Let me just remind readers they can find this book at most online retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iTunes.

BLURB
A woman forced to live a life she didn’t choose …
Thirty years ago, a horrendous attack in the California mountains thrust chemistry student, ALEXANDRA FLANAGAN, into the secret world of vampires. Now, unable to stomach the thought of drinking blood from another person, she survives on a chemical blood wine. But there are some who secretly disapprove of her clandestine activities and will do anything to stop her.

A vampire of honor protecting humans …
Ancient vampire, REESE COLTON, is part of an elite military operation seeking out and eliminating rogue vampires. Undercover as a firefighter, he and his team have been called in to investigate the unusual number of fires covering up the murders of vampires living on Alex’s blood wine.

A murderer seeking revenge …
When chemistry ignites passion, Reese and Alex find themselves embroiled in an affair that catches them both unaware. With the number of fires escalating and evidence against Alex mounting, Reese isn’t sure whether to follow his heart or the clues as he seeks to find a murderer in the Shadows of Fire.

ALSO AVAILABLE IN AUDIO FORMAT (Read by Becca Battoe, narrator of the "FiftyShades" Trilogy) from Amazon and iTunes

Interview with the Characters from Windswept Shores

Interview with the Hero and Heroine from Windswept Shores

Hello everyone. My name is Janice Seagraves. I’m the author of Windswept Shores.

I’ve always had a fascination with people stuck on a deserted island, using only their wits to survive.

As a child I was hooked on Gilligan’s island, later in Jr. High I read Robinson Caruso and wrote as part of my homework assignment, but I loved it. When I was older I watched the Survivor Shows, but only liked the ones where they were on an island. Then I saw the movie Castaway, and more recently the series Lost, but became lost.

So I had the idea of a couple struggling to survive on a deserted island, but it would also be a wonderful back drop for a romance.

But then I had to decide where the island was . . .

After countless google searches and looking at maps, I finally decided on the Bahamas. It’s another country but close to the U.S. just sixty miles off the Florida coast with it three hundred odd island and cays, with only eighty of which are inhabited, so I decided would be an easy place to get lost in.

With the wild weather they sometimes have there it, the island and the weather itself became almost a secondary character.

Actually the title of my book comes from my musing about the weather: they must have some awful windswept shores over there.

Windswept Shores? Hmm, I like that.

I already had the heroine, Megan’s personality down. I’m a California girl so she is one too, except she’s from Anaheim. I had her figured out before I even started writing. She’s forty-two, suffering from the after effects of a bad marriage and not ready to trust a new man. Even though she had been a housewife most of her married life, Megan had taken classes that helped her to figure out how to survive on the island.

The hero, Seth, was a little harder. I knew I wanted him to be almost a polar opposite to the heroine. But warm, caring and fun. What better than a handsome Aussie surfer? Once I got his accent down, his personality popped into existence.

“Say hello to the nice people, Megan and Seth,” I said, turning to my living room where Seth sat on my tan couch alongside Megan, who was working on something.

“G’day,” Seth says with a thick Aussie accent. He’s six foot, one. His arm and chest muscles strain against his Hawaiian shirt as he shifts position on the seat cushions.

As Megan looks up, light bounces off her bright red hair. “Oh, have we started already?”

“Yes we have. What are you making there?” I point to the wicker held tightly in her hands, as she carefully weaves a reed through.

“I’m making you a basket.”

“You are?”

“Yes, I noticed you have quite a collection on your coffee table. I thought I’d make you something to hold it all.” Megan’s sea green eyes are bright with amusement.

I glanced at my messy coffee table with its assorted junk, feeling my cheeks heat. “Yeah, maybe I should have cleaned up a bit more before I had you two come over.”

“Aw Jan, don’t mind Megz. She would have made ya a basket anyway. She’s just got to keep her hands busy.”

“True,” Megan admitted, pulling another loop through.

“Oh, um, thank you.” I glance at Megan then back to Seth. “So tell us how you both ended up on the island.”

“I reckon Megz, should go first.” Seth nodded toward the woman next to him. “She got there before I did, after all.”

Megan looks up from her basketry. “Well, where shall I start?”

“At the beginning?” I suggested.

“No.” She chuckled. “That would take too long.” Megan looks off for a moment her gaze haunted. “The plane I and my husband were on had flown into a storm. Saint Elmo’s fire danced along the plane’s wings and set the motors on fire. The plane went down. We crashed into the ocean.” Glancing at the unfinished basket in her hand, she paused a moment, blinking rapidly. “I’m the only one who made it out.”

“Then what happened?” I asked gently.

“I spent three days and two nights on a raft going up then down like a giant elevator.” She sighed. “Long-long days and nights passed with no food and barely any drinking water, except what I could capture in a mouthwash bottle in the bottom of the boat from the rain. Finally I drifted ashore on a little island. I used the raft at night like a bed and then for shelter when it rained. One day I woke up and it was flat. But by then I had started picking up the luggage that came in on the surf, finding things to make my life more tolerable.  I also took on the heartrending job of burying my fellow passenger when they washed up from the plane wreck.”

She smiled at the man beside her. “That’s where I first meet Seth. I thought he was another dead body, until he coughed and rolled over.”

Seth chuckled. “Her scream woke me up.”

I glanced at Seth. “How did you get there?”

Seth leaned forward, elbows on knees, his dove gray eyes clouding over. “Oy, me mate Bill and I were on his boat, the Dinki-Di, during a big squall that’s when she hit a reef. I got thrown overboard and had to tread water until dawn. When I could see, I lit out fer shore.”

“It was a big storm,” Megan added. “A lot of stuff got washed on the beach next day.”

Seth hooked a thumb pointing at his big chest. “Including yours truly.”

“He’s lucky he passed out after he got to the beach. Any sooner and well . . .” she trailed off with a shrug.

Seth’s glance went to hers. “When I first lit eyes on Megz, I knew I wanted her.”

Megan ducks her head, but I could see a smile.

“Maybe now would be a good time to tell about your book?” I suggested.

“Orright.” Seth grinned until his cheeks dimpled. “This time of the year most folks want to go on holiday, so they can have a bit of fun in the sun.”

Megan added, “Unfortunately that’s what Megan thought too.”

Blurb: The sole survivor of a plane crash, Megan is alone on a deserted island in the Bahamas until she finds a nearly-drowned man washed up on shore. Another survivor, this time from a boat wreck. With only meager survival skills between them, will they survive and can they find love?

EXCERPT:
Breathing hard, she flicked a glance at the teal-colored sea. She'd thought a vacation to the Bahamas would be the perfect getaway, would be a solution to the problems she and Jonathan had faced. She'd been wrong—dead wrong. Tears of grief filled her eyes. The never-ending crash of the waves on the beach and the cries of the seagulls seemed to mock her with the reminder she was utterly alone.


She'd felt like a tiny speck of sand last night when a violent storm had swept across the island. It had made a mess of her meager campsite, which had taken all morning to fix, and had demolished her seaweed SOS sign. She'll have to recreate her SOS. Sighing, Megan trudged toward a pile of kelp. As she got closer, she saw a figure wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt. Her stomach lurched.


Oh, God, it’s another body washed up from the plane wreck. That would be number twelve. As always, she couldn't help but wonder if the next one would be Jonathan. He hadn’t been wearing jeans on the plane, so she knew she’d been spared seeing his corpse this time. Thank God. She approached the body with dread. Tightening her resolve, she knelt. Suddenly the "dead body" coughed and rolled over. With a scream, Megan jumped back. She clutched her chest and pressed a shaking hand to her mouth.


He’s alive!


Biting her lip, she stared down at the still-breathing man. His drenched t-shirt molded against his broad shoulders and well developed upper body. Short, golden brown hair stuck out in all directions.


Megan, get control of yourself. Don’t wet your pants the first time you finally see a living person. She got on her knees, plucked the seaweed from him and wiped the sand from his face. His day-old whiskers scratched her palm. Reddened skin stretched across both cheekbones and over the bridge of his nose. Her thumb caressed his parched full bottom lip.


She patted the side of his face. “Hey, are you okay?” That’s a dumb question. 
He isn’t okay.


“Hmm?” Gray eyes fluttered open. He stared at her a long moment, frowning slightly. “G’day.”


“Hello there.” She hated the sound of her voice. It sounded rusty, unused.


Abruptly he rolled away from her to heave onto the sand, making a loud, ugly retching noise.


He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then looked at her. “Sorry, mate, I swallowed too much sea.” His gaze went over her shoulder in the direction of the bonfire which crackled and popped not far from them. “Mite big for a barbie.”


Sitting back on her heels with her hands folded in her lap, Megan followed his gaze, then back to him. “My signal fire.”


“Signal for what?”


“Help.”


His accent intrigued her. Was he English or Australian?


“G’darn,” he looked around, “where the bloody hell am I?”


“Don’t know. There’s no one here to ask.” Megan shrugged helplessly, but couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Are you from England?”


“Naw,” he rubbed his eyes, “I hail from Sydney, but my port of call these days is Fort Lauderdale.” He blinked up at her. “You?”


Ah, he’s an Aussie. “I’m Megan Lorry, from Anaheim, California,” she said, barely loud enough to be heard above the sounds of the surf and the roar from the fire. “Are you a survivor of Air Bahamas flight 227, too?”

Janice Seagraves' website: http://janiceseagraves.org/

Janice Seagraves' main blog: http://ladyjanice.blogspot.com/

Windswept Shores at Pink Petal Books:  http://pinkpetalbooks.com/Windswept-Shores-Janice-Seagraves.html

Or Find Windswept Shores for the kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Windswept-Shores-ebook/dp/B003URROMW

And the nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/windswept-shores-janice-seagraves/1025707130

Interview with Seth Dawson, Hero of Windswept Shores by Janice Seagraves

Interview with Seth Dawson, hero of Windswept Shores

By Janice Seagraves

 “I have Seth Dawson, my hero from Windswept Shores, with me today. Say hi, Seth.” I turned toward my couch.

Seth rests an arm across the back of my couch, which pulls his surfers t-shirt taunt against his muscles and deep chest. He’s wear tan shorts, with his ankle resting on his knee, and has no shoes on his size thirteen feet. “G’day.”

“Where are you from?” I ask.

“I reckon you know since you made me up.” Seth picks up my book on Sydney that I have on my coffee table. “I hail from Sydney, but my port of call these days is Fort Lauderdale. That is until I washed up on the little island, where I met Megz.” He picks up my book on the Bahamas.

My face heats and I clear my throat. Hmm, I should have put away my research books before he came over. “Isn’t it true that you something of a bad boy?”

Seth drops both the books back on the table and leans back. “I reckon that depends on who ya ask.” He winks.

“Describe yourself in three words.”

“I’m a true blue Aussie.”

“I think that five words.”

“No worries mate. I reckon the readers will get the reference.” Seth waves, and I looked behind me, wondering who he’s waving at.

“Uh, Okay. So tell me about meeting Megan.”

“She found me washed up on the beach. I coughed and rolled over, but I must have startled her because her scream woke me up.” Seth’s gray eyes crinkle at the corners as he chuckles.

“Is there something you’d like to tell Megan?”

“That she’s stronger than she thinks she is.”

“What would be a perfect date?”

“I’d take Megz for a walk along the on the beach and then a swim in the ocean.”

I frown. “But you and Megan live on a deserted island?”

Seth grins, his cheeks dimpling. “Abso-bloody-lutely.”

“Moving on.”  I looked down at my question sheet. “Boxer or briefs?”

“If I’m not going commando, as you yanks call it, than its briefs.”

The heat that started in my cheeks goes down my neck. “What kind of shoes?”

“I prefer being barefoot or thongs.”

“What can you tell me about your family?”

“Me parents are still around the last I looked, and me da has a few bobs to rub together.”

“A few or more than a few?”

Seth looks around and whispers, “Can ya keep a secret?”

I lean forward. “Yes.”

Seth whispers, “Da’s a very rich man, but don’t tell Megz. I want her to love me for myself.”

I lean back in my chair and smile. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

Seth grins. “Oh ace. That’s good news, that is.”

I cover my mouth. “Oops, I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“I reckon the cats out of the bag now.”

I nod. “Are you ready to tell everyone about Windswept Shores?”

“Orright.” Seth clears his throat. “For Megz it would have been a dream vacation, a holiday to the Bahamas, 

but something goes horrible wrong. For me and Megz it would be a time we’d never forget.”

Windswept Shores by Janice Seagraves
Cover Contest Winner
erotic contemporary romance
novel (approx 50K)
price $4.95
Cover Art by Pink Petal Books with assistance from Winterheart Design

BLURB:
The sole survivor of a plane crash, Megan is alone on a deserted island in the Bahamas until she finds a nearly-drowned man washed up on shore. Another survivor, this time from a boat wreck. With only meager survival skills between them, will they survive and can they find love?

Except 2:

“Will this do ya?”

Megan glanced at what Seth had in his hands. “Oh, you found my gathering basket and scrapers. Sure, that’s fine for gathering mussels.” She unbuttoned her cotton shirt and hung it on a nearby bush. The lace-edged camisole she wore underneath was a bright green but didn’t really go with her outfit. She stuck in her thumbs into the elastic band of her capri pants, stopping with a startled look at Seth.

“Don’t let me stop you.” He grinned, showing a flash of white teeth in his tanned face.

“Uh, I’ll just leave these on.” Yanking her hands out, her face heated as she ducked her head.

“If I weren’t ‘ere, you’d do it in the nuddy,” he accused.

“If that means naked, not quite,” she corrected, hanging the basket on her arm.

“Then in you’re underdaks?”

“Uh—underwear?” She frowned, wondering why he wouldn’t drop it. “Um, yeah, it saves on the washing, especially since I have to do it by hand and also drying the clothes is iffy business at best.”

“I hear ya, but still don’t let me stop you from doing something you do naturally.” Heat filled her body with the look he gave her. 

Oh, God, he’s a man all right. “Thanks, but I’m more comfortable with my clothes on with company around.”

Seth arched an eyebrow. “I’m company?”

“You’re my guest.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “How about a mate? I reckoned you could use one.”

“If that means friend, sure why not?” She smiled.

“Abso-bloody-lutely,” he agreed.

They waded out and began scraping off the black, shiny mussels that clung to the rock. The surf pulled and dragged at her legs, getting both of them thoroughly soaked. 

“Isn’t that a beaut?” Seth showed Megan a fine clutch of mussels. “I got ‘em in one go.”

“Oh, that’s great! And they’re nice big ones, too.” She held out the basket, but slipped on a stone, stumbling against his side.

He dropped the shellfish into the basket she held. “Easy there, mate.”

“I mean the mussels,” she snapped.

“I meant the mussles, too.” He scraped at another batch. “Course, a man’s muscle is his most important 

body part.”

“O-oh, you’re just like every guy I know. Why is it always sex with men?”

“Do you know which muscle I was even talking about?” He smirked. “Most blokes are scum.” He glanced 

sidelong at her. “Most blokes just want to tell their mates how many birds they've shagged that week.” He dropped more mussels in her basket. “But I could be different, if you ever want to find out.”

“You do realize I’m a married woman?”

Seth yanked his gaze up to hers. “Megz, I realize you’re a spunky widow.”

“I’m not a widow. He’s alive,” she snapped, blinking back tears.

“You have a nightmare every night about his death.”

“I-I don’t know for sure.” Megan scraped vigorously at a new spot. “Jonathan might have made it. The plane could have . . . popped out—” Half the shiny black shells fell into the water, as she snatched at the rest. “From the other side of the wave,” she finished.

“Orright.” He shrugged.

Megan dropped her mussels into the basket. “I think we have enough. Let’s go in.”

“Ready when you are, mate.”

Roaring filled her ears as a large wave hit, for a moment all Megan could see was teal tinged water.

A hand grabbed her arm, keeping her rooted to the spot. “Megz?”

Megan coughed rubbing the saltwater sting from her eyes. “I’m fine,” she gasped.

“Let me have the mussels. The waves are picking up.” He dropped his scraper into her basket, then took it from her.

Another wave hit, but this time it lifted Megan off the rocks. Seth grabbed her around the waist. She clung to him.

“The sea means to take you back.”

“It can’t have me.” She looked around. “I think I lost my scraper.”

“Let it go, mate. You can make another.”

In the lull, when the wave washed back out to sea, Seth handed Megan back the basket. “Hang on a tick.” 

She clutched it to her chest. He abruptly picked her up and waded ashore.

Surprise made her eyes big as her cheeks heated. She glanced shyly up at him, then over his shoulders to the rocks the waves crested over. “The tide has come in. I usually keep watch for things like that.”

“I must be a distraction for ya.” Seth grinned, while he set her down on the sand.

“When are you not a distraction to anyone?” she asked with one hand against his muscular chest.

“My mum said I’m always one to hog all the attention to myself.”

“I think she’s right.” She took a step back so she could pat his arm. “Thank you for keeping me from being swept off to sea.”

“That’s what mates are for.” He took the basket, with a look inside it, he added, “Besides, you were carrying me brekky.” Seth smirked down at her. “I really like yer top. You should wear it more often.”

“Oh!” Megan gave a mortified glance at her clingy camisole, which looked like it was spray painted on. Her erect nipples were making credible attempts to poke holes in the thin material. She snatched her brown shirt off the bush, hurrying to slip it on. Dammit, I’m never wearing this again.

Seth chuckled while he hauled the mussels up to their camp.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Janice Seagraves website: http://janiceseagraves.org/

Janice Seagraves blog: http://ladyjanice.blogspot.com/

Windswept Shoes buy link: http://pinkpetalbooks.com/Windswept-Shores-Janice-Seagraves.html