Welcome to my writing world! I write both romance and nonfiction books. Fiction is easy to write since I can make the characters act the way I want...but, nonfiction is also easy since I have to stick to facts and not worry about creating a story from scratch! Both are easy; both are hard. I enjoy writing both!
Marianne Stephens writes sweet/sensual romance and nonfiction. April Ash has written two erotic romance books.
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BIO:
I started out as a reader of regencies/historical romance, moved on to contemporary, paranormal, and erotic. I wrote a book in 1994 when I knew nothing about the industry...except that I loved reading romance books. Rejections flowed and I realized I needed help. I joined RWA and Mid-America Romance Authors in 1994. It took years of writing to realize...thanks to multi-published, romance author, Carla Cassidy...that I was writing episodes, not stories that "flowed" from chapter to chapter. She told me this in 2006...and that's when I edited a book and sold it later that year.
Q: How did you celebrate publishing your first book?
A: My then-editor, Helen, lives in Australia. She emailed me offering a contract for Second Sight Dating...but it was around midnight my time. My husband was already asleep, but I woke him up to tell him the good news. I waited to call my kids/friends/relatives.
Q: What is the most important thing you do for your career now, as compared to when you first started writing?
A: Promo: all kinds. I wasn't good at getting my name "out there" and being in groups. Now I even give talks about being an author.
Q: Of all your characters, who’s your favorite, and why?
A: Katie in Gone to the Dogs by Marianne Stephens. I wrote this book in first person and loved being in her head the entire book.
Q: If you could change something about your first book, what would it be?
A: I'd add more pages to the ending. Second Sight Dating is about a psychic who runs a dating agency, and I'd love to add more detail to the last chapter.
Q: How do you choose names for your characters?
A: I like to use "everyday" names that people can relate to: Katie, Mike, Eileen, Jeff, etc. I think it makes readers feel more of a sense of intimacy with characters.
Q: Covers. Ever get one you wish you could change?
A: YES! Sexy Games by April Ash has a cover I'm not fond of. There's nothing in it I requested and the naked rear end on the cover is something I specifically asked not to have. Sometimes an author has no say in what the cover looks like.
Q: If you could give a younger version of yourself advice, what would it be?
A: Start writing sooner!
Q: Have you ever used an incident from your real life into one of your books?
A: Yes. In Street of Dreams, I have the hero and heroine experience the first East Coast Blackout in 1965. Been there; done that! Lived through it so I could have them face the same problems everyone did at that time.This is the "book of my heart".
Q: Any part of a book that drives you crazy as you write: beginning, middle, or end?
A: The middle drives me nuts, even though I know what has to happen.
Q: Out of your entire backlist, which book has the best opening line? What's the line?
A: Book: Gone to the Dogs. Best opening line: "Your dog ate your underwear". This actually happened (not my underwear but my daughter's), and that's what the vet said when I rushed the dog to the animal clinic. The dog was fine although I was very worried at the time. Later, I thought it would be a funny way to start a book and used that line as an opening hook.
Fun Stuff:
Q: What is your favorite holiday and why?
A: Christmas. I love to decorate and enjoy the warm feeling/greetings I get from others.
Q: What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?
A: I once slept on a college lab floor in a room with caged rats. My college roommate wanted to visit her boyfriend and I went with her. It was too late to find somewhere to sleep, so we went to the lab. They needed privacy, so I ended up alone in the room with the lab rats!
When I lived in Norfolk, VA, I dated a few sailors from the same aircraft carrier. Since they worked shift jobs, I sometimes had two dates in one day! Ah, my younger, wild days!
Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: A teacher...and I did that. Taught Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. Also taught remedial reading and math.
Q: Favorite food.
A: Pizza with extra cheese.
Q: Favorite happy memory.
A: My wedding day two days after Christmas! And the arrival of all my kids and grandkids.
Q: Favorite drink.
A: Iced tea.
Q: Hot summer days or chilly winter nights?
A: Winter nights. Nothing better than snuggling up and getting cozy on a cold night.
Q: What is the top thing on your bucket list?
A: See a baseball game in every stadium. I've only been to 7 so far.
Q: If you could have a super power, what would it be?
A: I'd like to be immortal. I'd keep people "in line" and make them get along and behave!
Tell us where to find you: website(s), publisher’s page(s), blog(s), Facebook page(s), etc. List them all!
Marianne Stephens:
http://www.mariannestephens.net
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Ellora's Cave: Blush Author Page
Secret Cravings Publishing:
http://tinyurl.com/4ydyl69
Amazon Author Page:
http://tinyurl.com/4npql4d
Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/marianne-stephens
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/AuthorMarianneS
Nonfiction Books:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marianneoks
https://www.createspace.com/4179777
http://www.omnilit.com/product-guiltysurvivor-512115-262.html
April Ash:
http://www.aprilash.net
Facebook
Ellora's Cave Author Page
BLURB:
Street of Dreams - Romance - Marianne Stephens
Mission Impossible describes what Detectives NICK OLSON and EILEEN MURPHY face while chasing escaped fugitives. The easy part? Battling for control of their mission while time traveling from 2039 Kansas City, Kansas, to 1965 Long Island, New York, before history’s timeline can be changed. The hardest part? Resisting hidden desire for each other while posing as newlyweds and sharing a heart-shaped bed.
BLURB:
Luke: The Miracle Dog - Nonfiction - Marianne Stephens
Luke's is a true story of a dog (Shetland Sheepdog - Sheltie) who gets lost, hit by a car and left for dead, found, and the struggle to get him healthy again. Many people helped search for Luke, assisted in his rescue, and aided in his recovery.
Luke's struggles were many; it's a miracle he survived. Although not as healthy as he was before, Luke manages to move while using a walker/cart, eats, and plays with his other sheltie "siblings". He's an inspiration for all; his fight to survive and live his life as best he can shows others the importance of never giving up hope.
This is written at a 6th grade reading level, but adults will enjoy it and can read it to younger children. Photos of Luke's recovery progress are included.
A percentage of book sales will be donated to animal organizations.
BLURB:
Strip Poker for Two - Erotic Romance - April Ash
CONTEST: In one week: Seduce a man, steal a pair of his underwear, and get him to write a detailed note about your sexual adventures together. Best entry wins. PRIZE: A one-week, all expenses paid vacation at a condo in Hawaii.
MELISSA FOSTER, now recovered from a bad relationship, is ready for fun, no ties. As an ex-military brat, she wants no part of military life. The other two contestants, coworkers, select a man for her.
Career Army Captain JASON MOLINA, a childhood friend and now living in the area, is Melissa's target. He too is looking for fun and no ties after having dealt with a betraying ex-fiancée.
To capture his undivided attention, Melissa devises different versions of strip poker...but they find it very hard to finish each new game before lust prevails. Looking, touching, tasting, all take a part in their games...and so does cannoli cream!
They fall in love, but the strength and depth of that newly-found bond is soon tested. Contest? Underwear? Note? Military Life? Trust? Can they resolve their differences and the ensuing confusion over the contest revelation in time to save their relationship?
Do you have pets? Growing up, we had chickens, a bird, fish, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, dogs, cats, and rabbits. They were a part of the family, no matter if they lived outside or inside. In fact, my dad got very frustrated with the chickens because they never laid eggs and were always in the garage on the cars or up in the trees that he had them butchered and served them for dinner one night. That was the beginning of seven years where I wouldn't eat any chicken nor turkey. 
Today, I have two dogs and one cat. Calleigh and Grissom are about ten years old and spoiled rotten. They love to sleep in bed with us and get away with a lot. But they really are wonderful. Grissom loves to snuggle with me when I'm writing and has appeared in one of my books.
Lil' Bit is the cat. I didn't plan on getting another cat. She was my childhood friend's cat. When he passed, no one else could take her so it was me or the pound. Since she was his best friend and closest companion, I couldn't see her in a pound. She's also spoiled but is not as lovable as the dogs. We are still learning each other's styles. She's very chatty though and loves to tell me stories all the time. I'm sure a cat will end up in a book at some point. 
Pets have a habit of becoming pieces of stories. Our own and the ones we share with others. Their unconditional love and companionship get us through tough times. They give us someone to care for and shower with attention. It's only natural that they end up in our stories as the companions and sometimes a sounding board for our characters. 
My latest release, Rescue Love, features four mischievous pups who were rescued from a puppy mill. My heroine is driving them to their new forever homes in Michigan and Ohio but along the way, she picks up a stranded cowboy on the run. Many of the puppies characteristics came from my own dogs throughout the years. After all, what better way to show my love for them! I hope you will check it out.
