Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate

Each year, the little town where I live has what's called a "Chocolate Walk" (gee - could it have anything to do with the chocolate factory in the middle of town?). People purchase tickets ($15.00 and all proceeds go to charity) and then can go to 30 different stores in town and have something chocolate. It starts at 10 a.m. and goes until 4 p.m. And there are rules - you have to wear the button that came with your ticket and you have to get your ticket stamped - one time to each place only. It is a day dedicated to decadence. There are truffles, brownies, cakes, cookies, smoothies, fruits dipped in chocolates, french toast, pretty much anything you can imagine - in chocolate. Most people have learned to bring along a container for their samples.

Yesterday was Chocolate Walk day. I don't participate in the walk since I have to work - which I did yesterday. By the time I got to work at 1, town was packed. Curb-to-curb people strolling in the beautiful weather, all with their eyes on their next chocolate fix. Our store featured a small restaurant that specializes in smoothies. (If your store isn't a food place, you bring in someone who is).

In addition to the chocolate draw, it's a day when a lot of people get shopping done for the upcoming holidays. We had a lot of customers in for the chocolate who also browsed our shelves and purchased books - which is always nice.

One thing I love to be able to do is recommend books to people. In our store, my specialties are Romance and YA paranormal, though the three of us who work there have knowledge of all the sections (it's a very small store, but very well known!). What stymies me all too often is people saying they love author A, who else would they like? I'm okay if it's an author I know, but too often, it's someone I'm not familiar with and I'm lost so I ask for the "type" of book they like and try to go from there.

So, my question to you is... what authors would you team up to recommend as similar in style?

Highs and Lows of Writing

Well, I tried to post this earlier, but my on-going love-hate relationship with my computer, resulted in it not happening. I think I may be headed for an electronic divorce.

At any rate, I wanted to talk a bit today about the highs and lows of writing. Every writer knows them, and unfortunately (or fortunately) some folks experience more of one or the other. How do you all cope with them?

I've found my critique group not those closest to me, to be the most valuable resource that I've had for navigating both highs and lows. When there's things to celebrate, man we really celebrate! When we have lows, we band together to pull each other up by the boostraps and kick our butts in gear to keep on that proverbial wagon.

This week I had some frustrations. My critique partners allowed me to vent, both on the phone and in our email. They helped me navigate a rough spot in a work in progress. And they aided my momentary self-pity by frankly, just letting me indulge. Sometimes when things get low, that's the best way to handle it. Have the cry, get it out, then move on.

Conversely, my week ended on a high point. I discovered I finaled in a contest, (results are still unofficial so I can't say much), and my critique partners were there to raise that proverbial glass in toast.

In all, they are my rock. I'm not sure what I'd do without those phenomenal ladies.

So, I'm curious -- what do you all do to celebrate your successes? How do you navigate your frustrations?

Interview of Author Rebecca L. Gillan

Today I'm pleased to present an interview of romance author Rebecca L. Gillan.

Latest Book: The Hawk’s Bride
Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/the-hawks-bride

BIO:
I first became interested in the paranormal at age four, when my dad let me watch Salem's Lot. For several years after, my mission in life was to catch a vampire and keep it as a pet. My older sister, who had the joy of sharing a room with me, did not enjoy me trying to use her for bait, though.

Now, thirty years later, I write fantasy romance. My taste, however has gone from keeping vampires in bird cages to elves, shape shifters and the tales of ancient Briton, Whales, Ireland and Scotland. If you have ever read the Mabinogian or the Book of the Kells, you will recognize many of my characters.

Q: What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?
A: I immediately shut down my internet browser, then opened it back up and logged back in to see if the editor’s e-mail was going to vanish.

Q: What part of the book is the hardest for you? Why?
A: Love scenes are the hardest for me to write. I’m constantly wondering if maybe this scene is too raunchy or too sweet or two alternative or too much like the last scene I wrote. Add to that the who “to swear or not to swear” conundrum make them very tricky for me.

Q: Do you eat comfort food when writing? If so, what food inspires your imagination?
A: I do eat comfort food when I write. The food depends on the story, though. For some odd reason, when I write about the Wild Lords, I crave apples. I mean really, really crave apples! I actually ended up making that a mannerism of the hunt lords. When they are agitated, they eat apples, too.

Q: What’s your strongest point as a writer?
A: My strongest point as a writer is my ability to keep track of story lines in my head. I can flip-flop between them like most people change channels with a remote. On the one hand, it does take a bit longer to completely finish a story, but on the other hand, I never get writer’s block.

Q: What genre would you like to try writing in but haven’t yet done so? Why?
A: I would love to do a regency romance. That genre is like the gold standard for me. I haven’t actually tried it because my one attempt a highlander romance, which is similar in many ways, ended out as a really unusual blend of steam punk chick meets wild highland laird. I’m just a bit afraid of what I might come up with if I try to write a regency.

Q: Facebook, MySpace, Blogs, Chats, or Twitter. Which do you like best and why?
A: I like blogs the best, though I’m on FB quite a bit. Blogs let me get out what I’m thinking and get feed-back from others in the comments section. Facebook is my next favorite. It’s like MySpace and Twitter all rolling into one, except Twitter only lets you have 140 characters and FB gives you about 400, I think. I must confess, I don’t do chats. Everyone starts “talking” over each other and if you aren’t careful, someone’s feelings are going to get hurt and then you have a flame war on your hands. Not my idea of a fun time.

Tell us where to find you: website(s), publisher’s page(s), blog(s), Facebook page(s), etc. List them all!
My page: http://rebeccalgillan.com
My Publisher: http://www.bookstrand.com
I post every Wednesday at http://shapeshifterseductions.blogspot.com
My author page at FB: http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Rebecca-L-Gillan-Author/133163163371571?ref=sgm

Back Cover BLURB:
Banished as a child, Lucan Hawk has grown to be a bitter warlord with a bad reputation. Now someone is killing the king's heirs. King Patton wants him named heir, assuming a shifter lord trained by black elves will be a harder target for an assassin. But Luc can't forgive his uncle for allowing the banishment ten years ago. Then he's offered a boon he can't refuse--the right to marry the only woman he ever loved!

EXCERPT:
Caitriona, a human-born cat shifter, was orphaned as a young child and brought to Aintoch to be raised by the captain of the guard. Feisty and beautiful, Cait was Luc's childhood best friend and teen sweetheart. Though she knew she could never marry her elfin lover, she never forgot him. The night Luc comes for her, she thinks she's dreaming. But the dream turns to a nightmare when the assassin targets her!

“Something amuses you, lass,” a warm, honey voice whispered into her ear, sending chills of another sort down her spine. Cait closed her eyes and inhaled his scent deeply, vaguely recognizing it. Odd, she thought. She only knew one shifter lord well enough to recognize his scent, though she hadn't seen him in years. She didn't remember him talking like a human.

She heard him inhale her scent as he buried his face in her neck, and felt his tongue licking her tender skin. Liquid heat seared her skin, starting at the spot he’d licked and running straight for her core. He breathed deeply again, inhaling the pheromones her body had released with her desire. Cait was vaguely aware that her arousal was not normal, but couldn’t bring herself to care.

She felt the elf lick her again. Another shot of heat sizzled her skin. He groaned and latched onto her neck with a deep, sucking kiss. Falling to her knees, Cait felt the hand that had been clamped around her belly loosen into a soft caress, and felt the one around her shoulders drop and fondle a breast.

“Let me hae ye.” The desire in his voice thickened the brogue she’d only slightly detected before. Cait whimpered. This had to be a dream. One's dinner didn't usually turn into a seductive stranger wanting a mate!

“Please, little kitten,” the voice whispered softly in her ear. He licked the lobe of her ear before purring, “Please let me hae ye.” Then, he gently bit down. Cait splintered apart. She felt his growl of satisfaction more than heard it. The elf lowered her to the ground. She sprawled on a mossy bit of earth on her belly and rolled over to see him hastily stripping off his clothes. Her breath caught in her throat. He was tall with long, curly, golden hair, a couple of locks at his temples in thin braids that dangled halfway down his chest. He had a very well-defined chest, ripped without being bulky. On second thought, Cait figured this elf's seduction might be more enjoyable than snacking on a slimy, raw bird.

The dream buck, sensing Cait's cautious willingness to be seduced, placed his knee boots beside his discarded tunic, dropping to his knees in front of her. He grabbed her legs and parted them on either side of him, pulling her in close. Cait felt her breath catch in her chest at the sight of his sex straining the top of his unfastened pants.

He noticed where she was gazing and smiled wickedly. He pulled his sex out and began stroking it, groaning softly at the top of each up stroke. Cait watched raptly, breathing fast and shallow at the sight of this divine male pleasuring himself for her.

She was so wrapped up in watching him that she didn’t notice his other hand smoothing the skin of her inner thigh until a large, calloused finger nudged gently at the folds of her mound. She shuddered violently as that finger burrowed between the folds to find her swollen nub, the nail lightly scraping as he flicked his finger over it in time with the hand pumping for his own pleasure. Cait’s hips started to rock in time with the primal rhythm he was creating.

The elf changed the finger to his thumb, rubbing more firmly now, and slipped the rest of his hand under her butt, urging her to lift up onto her heels, to raise her woman’s core up to where he could reach it better. He scooted closer, sliding his knees under her thighs, holding her hips high, and then placed his sex against her folds, not entering her. Instead, he used the hand that he'd been stroking himself with, firmly pressing it into her dampness.

Cait felt the head slipping over her nub, slick from her own juices. She felt the elf penetrate her with the thumb that had been stroking her nub, plunging it into her counter to his thrusting hips.

“Please!” she whimpered. “More! I need more!

Anything else you’d like to add?
I am running a give-a-way right now. On September 1, I gave away a 4 gig USB bracelet flash drive to one lucky winner who entered the contest from the contest form on my website. I am seriously thinking about extending this to give away one the first of every month until all the flash drives I bought are gone.

Interview of Author Wendy Burke

Today it's my pleasure to present an interview of romance author Wendy Burke.

CONTEST: Someone from this blog's Follower's list will win a copy of Wendy Burke's new book, Respite. Winner will be chosen at midnight, 7 October. If you're not a Follower, click on FOLLOW and join!

Latest Book: RESPITE
Buy Link: http://www.decadentpublishing.com

BIO:
When not writing for pleasure and to appease the people running around in her head, Wendy is a TV newsroom assignment manager. She lives with her chef husband and two feline children in the Great Lakes region of the Midwest.

Q: What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?
A: I really want to say I climbed to the roof of my house with a bottle of Brut and shouted to the world ‘I have a book contract!’ but my condo association would have frowned upon that. (Uh, like it frowns upon everything!)

It might be the occasional ‘duh’ in my personality, but I wasn’t quite sure I actually ‘sold’ the book. I had come off nearly a week without internet access and was going through my emails. An email from Decadent had ‘Welcome!’ in the subject line. It was a short note with three attachments, one a contract. Despite pretty much being ‘on the ball’ I still had to ask my husband, “Uh, there’s a contract attached, do you think they want the book?” After much eye-rolling from his end, it began to sink in. I went from ‘OH MY GOD!’ to a sing-song ‘I’m gonna have an editor!’ to tears of shock more than once during that weekend.

Needless to say, I’m STILL walking on air – despite the hard work which is to come.

Q: What part of the book is the easiest for you to write? Why?
A: I don’t know if it’s exactly a ‘part,’ but I ‘find’ ideas very easily. A fire drill at work? – yep, saw that DEA agent from upstairs in our building again...another story. Driving from Wisconsin, gee, what would happen if there was some sort of attack on the…? Front row seats at Miller Park in Milwaukee – well that turned into a mega-novel that really needs an editor’s pen!

After all the ideas are deciphered from a scribble on a Starbuck’s napkin I found in the crease of the passenger seat of my car (notes are hard to write at 75 mph…and even harder to read later!)I let the ‘people in my head’ (that sounds SO psychologically wrong!) take over.

I love character development as well – again, going back to the ‘people in my head,’ they get to go, do, and experience so many things I might never (or may not want to) – it’s vicarious living through writing.

Q: What part of the book is the hardest for you? Why?
A: The end. Am I finishing this correctly? Did I get ‘the point’ across? Is there something missing? Did I let down the reader?

It may be that the ‘end’ signals the end of a relationship with some ‘people’ I’ve spent a great deal of time with and with whom I’ve gone on an interesting adventure.

For the most part, I don’t use outlines, so there’s no ‘A happens, then B, which brings us to C’ in a nice concise pattern. I also write from the ‘inside out’ at times, so I have to bring all the pieces together in a way that not only makes sense, but is interesting, entertaining and doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the ending.

I joke with my writing partners that I always have great pieces, I just have no beginning, middle or end!

Q: Do all your heroes and all heroines look the same in your mind as you “head write”?
A: For the most part, no. I have a couple of ‘types’ I particularly like so I use that as a model. I have noticed I have very few blonds in my writings – it may be because I have no experience as one, being brunette myself.

However, my writing friends would say my main characters do look the same – I guess it’s the actor, actress or athlete du jour. Whomever I’m hooked on at the time, that’s who the character starts to look like!

Q: What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?
A: It’s not really a ‘hobby,’ but since I’m not independently wealthy from book royalties…well yet…(lol!)I do enjoy my ‘real’ job. As a TV newsroom assignment manager, everyday is different; every phone call could be a lead story. Contrary to popular opinion, if it bleeds it –doesn’t necessarily – lead. I really enjoy playfully coercing information out of people on the phone and the interaction with my co-workers, most of them half my age.

When not at work… my husband and I are travel bugs and we do so as much as we can. Every trip, of course, starts another story, so…it’s a tax write off!

I like physical work, since I’m sitting on my butt behind a desk nine hours a day, so I work out every morning on my elliptical while enjoying a good novel – getting two things done at once!

We’re baseball fans in our house, so during the summer there is always a game on. (Again, thanks to the Detroit Tigers and much of the MLB, I have a finished work that needs some good scrubbing.)

I garden, am somewhat of a beerophile (thanks to my betrothed), and really enjoy trying new, interesting and odd foods.

Q: What genre would you like to try writing in but haven’t yet done so? Why?
A: Political thrillers. I’m a huge Brad Thor fan. I guess I haven’t done one yet, because I just haven’t gotten around to it!

Tell us where to find you: website(s), publisher’s page(s), blog(s), Facebook page(s), etc. List them all!
http://www.decadentpublishing.com
Facebook – Wendy Burke –author
http://whateverwendy.blogspot.com

BLURB:
Ryan Davison needs respite – from war, death, the horror of WWII Europe.

Maddy Raburn needs respite – from family and a secure future which is not of her choosing.

Together they find an exotic world unlike anything they had ever experienced and a passion they would have to fight to save.

EXCERPT:
His lovely mouth was tweaked into an entertained grin. He gestured to a neighboring chair, friendly and welcoming.

Maddy noticed propped next to his seat was a battered canvas bag, the US ARMY stencil on the side of it was still legible despite its obviously extensive travels. A piece of correspondence peeked from one of the bag’s pockets, addressed to a Sgt. R. Dav….

“Thank you,” she mentioned, handing over a bottle and extending a hand.

“Madeline Raburn.” She swallowed hard as he took her hand, callused and strong. His warm grip and something in his pure blue eyes again had her reconsidering her rules of independence.

“Davison, Ryan Davison. Have a seat.” A slight twinge crossed his brow as he began lifting his left leg from an adjacent chair.

She stopped him with a gentle hand to his knee. “I’ll take this one.” She sat across from him, plopping her dusty boots next to his injured leg. “So, Ryan Davison, do you come here often?” Why she knew he would find the corny line funny, she did not know, but was glad he did. His easy chuckle and broad smile forced her to stare. She had to stop herself – wrong time, wrong, place, it would just be …wrong.

He ran his hand through his sandy blond hair. “Actually, I do,” he continued to chuckle. “Been here three times in the past three days.”

“And you’ve been in town…”

“…three days.”

“Guess you’re a regular then.”

“I suppose.”

She stopped suddenly, turned and hurled a blue line of French vitriol toward the bar. The two whispering men shut up immediately. Turning back to her tablemate, she smiled, slightly embarrassed, “Sorry. A woman can’t travel alone without it being thought she’s on the sly, you know?”

Ryan tapped his ear, “I apologize. I would have defended your virtue if I could have heard them.”

She understood, embarrassed she did not realize his situation more thoroughly-the stenciled canvas bag; his overgrown standard issue military-looking haircut; the tarnished chain which peeked from the neckline of his sweater and, not that she was looking quite this closely, the outline of dog tags against his hard chest. Then, there was the seemingly embarrassed tug on his sleeves. Maddy had noticed the scars before he had a chance to cover them.

Maddy dropped her face guiltily. She should have known better, put it all together before she had the chance to make such an insensitive blunder. Here she was running from her well-to-do life back home, while he was most likely resting after his life-and-death experiences of the war.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

Ryan shook it off, “No reason to be.” He sipped his beer until she raised her face. “What were they saying?”

She could see his little smirk. It immediately put her at ease. “They were commenting on my possible employment.”

“And they didn’t say anything about archeology, did they?”

She raised a well-groomed eyebrow at him, questioningly.

He cocked his head toward her bag. “Your pick is showing.”

Anything else you’d like to add?
First, thanks for the opportunity. In my ‘regular’ job I usually do most of the question asking, so being on the other side of the inquiry was interesting!

So far, this process of writing/editing/getting published has been an incredible experience, learning and in other aspects. If you write and want to get published, surround yourself with other writers – it’s great to have people around to help, commiserate, celebrate and kick you in the butt when you think you ‘can’t.’ Find a local chapter of the RWA or other writing group and share your stories with others. You’ll be surprised how much important and welcoming input you’ll get from them.

I have to say a huge ‘thanks’ to my butt-kicker, Deanna Wadsworth! If you want an adult take on a childhood classic, check out her ‘Red Riding Hood’ on http://www.decadentpublishing.com.

Spoilers

Before I started writing romance, I had planned to become an author of suspense novels. Unfortunately, none of them sold. However, I did learn valuable techniques for pacing and doling out just enough information to keep a reader interested until they reached The Big Reveal.

In writing contemporary erotic romance, I hadn't had much chance to use suspense techniques in my work until my latest release In His Arms.

Given the intricacies of the plot, I had to tread very carefully in certain areas so as not to give away the main elements of the story. From comments I've read, I succeeded in maintaining many surprises.

And that brings me to spoilers in reviews or on loops, the subject of this post.

Let me begin by saying that I truly appreciate the efforts of reviewers. I know they're extremely busy. They read tons of books, write insightful reviews (for free), and manage their daily lives, with most of them (I suspect) having an EDJ/husband/children in the mix.

More than once, a reviewers' kind words for my books have brought me to tears. I'd like to take this post to thank them all.

And now, I'd like to ask readers, authors and reviewers too, if spoilers in a review bothers them.

A few weeks ago I had an instance where a wonderful reviewer revealed a part of the plot for In His Arms that I'd worked very hard to keep under wraps until near the end of the book. As soon as I read the review, I emailed the individual asking if the spoiler could be taken out. The reviewer couldn't have been more gracious. The sentence was removed immediately.

Had it stayed, I wonder if it would have ruined the experience for a reader. It brings to mind that old movie Psycho. Knowing Janet Leigh is going to get it in the shower is revealing a spoiler; however, learning that Tony Perkin's hacked her up and is pretending to be his mother gives away everything.

Would you still see the movie if you knew The Big Reveal? Would it bother you? Would it ruin the experience?

Asking myself that same question, I can truthfully say I like to be as surprised as I can be, to approach the work (book or film) without any notion of the major plot points. Just give me a summary, thank you very much.

So what do you all say? Is that the way you are? Or do you like to know the spoilers before you begin reading or viewing?

What's Your Theme?

Have you ever been stumped when asked to describe what the book you are reading or writing is about? Can you explain it before the person asking eyes glaze over? Several years ago I took an interesting workshop from Melinda Rucker Haynes to learn how to identify and explain the theme, or the central message of my books. One of my favorite lessons was one where I watched a movie and tried to identify how many places the theme was actually explored.

I chose the movie "French Kiss" and after watching it once and taking notes, I watched it again. Yeah, tough assignment watching Kevin Kline and Meg Ryan fight and flirt for two hours. How I suffer for my craft:-)

Surprise, surprise, the theme of the movie was identified in the first scene. Meg's character Kate is terrified of flying and proceeds to get her money back from a company that has promised they will teach her to be unafraid. There is a sign on the wall behind the woman refunding Kate's money. The sign: "Nothing to fear but fear itself" sums up the entire movie.

From the beginning when Kate is trying desperately to summon a vision of her "little stone cottage" that brings her peace so that she'll have something to concentrate on besides her fear, to the end when she finally lets go of her fear enough to grab for what she wants, the underlying theme that letting go of your fear is played out.

You see this in the French con-artist, Luc (Kevin Kline) who's afraid his last chance to redeem himself and become a success is slipping away to Kate's fiance`, Charlie (Timothy Hutton)who is so terrified of becoming like his parents that he takes up with a French girl who is Kate's total opposite.

This is a simplistic explanation because you can see the theme reflected in each character of the story. They are all afraid of something and it is utilized in almost every aspect of this story. It's hinted at in the very beginning and ends with a very romantic and satisfying conclusion that ties into the very first scene.

If you love wonderful, romantic movies, sit back and watch this one. Just for grins, try to identify how the theme is used throughout the movie and explain it in a few sentences. Authors do it everyday to pitch their books to editors and agents. I imagine readers might do it when describing a favorite author or book.

Just for grins, how would you describe "French Kiss" if it was a book and you were pitching it? I think I might say: It's the story of two people who need to learn to let go of their fear in order to get what they are most afraid they will never have. And isn't that a truth that resonates!

Happy reading! (or watching movies:-)
Paris
http://parisbrandon.com
Red Stilettos-Ellora’s Cave
Head Over Heels-Ellora’s Cave
Assassin’s Kiss-Ellora’s Cave
No Holds Barred-Ellora’s Cave
IOU-A Carnal Reunions Tale-Resplendence Publishing
Ellora’s Cave Titles: http://www.jasminejade.com/m-524-paris-brandon.aspx
Resplendence Titles: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=151-201-101-449-1

Pitching!

Good morning everyone,

I decided this would be a good topic this morning since I just survived my very first face-to-face pitch session this weekend. I'm also going to include some great advice from the wonderful author, Suzanne Brockman, who did the keynote at the conference I went to.

First of all, I attended the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Conference in Worthington, Ohio on Friday and Saturday along with fellow Siren author Cheri Denis. We had a great time visiting and learned some very valuable information. Suzanne Brockman was the guest speaker and let me tell you, if you haven't heard her, she's wonderful. The main thing I took away from her keynote address had to her suggestion on getting focused and having a productive day writing. Her suggestions were to find somewhere you can dedicate your time to just writing, not making your grocery list, not answering the phone, not talking to your significant other (which mine loves to do). When those interruptions happen, you force yourself to walk away from your writing until you can refocus on only that. I plan to start this today by using my laptop in another room, keeping it disconnected from the internet because I love to get on IM and chat and by the time I realize it, my day is shot.

Now you ask how does this all play into pitching? You see I had a pitch appointment at the conference with Charles Griesmann who is an editor from Harlequin/Silhouette. He's a great guy and awesome to talk to. I had the chance to sit next to him at dinner and he's very nice and personalable. I told him I had a pitch appointment with him on Saturday and he said, "Well tell me about your book." I did, but not in lengthy detail as I knew he had my pitch sheet I'd sent into the conference coordinator, but I gave him a quick synopsis. When I went to my appointment the next day, the first thing I said when I walked in was, "It's me again." This is was my way of making the situation no so tense. I wasn't really that nervous actually. My 8 minutes went by in a flash. We talked about my book more and he asked me a few questions about it, my writing elsewhere and how I promo ebooks.

In the end, I walked out of there with a request for synopsis and sample chapters! Now, I need to focus and get my baby polished and shined. I have a wonderful friend who is an editor and writer herself, who has offered to help me make the best impression.

My advice if you have a face-to-face pitch? RELAX! The editors/agents are people too. They eat, they sleep, they laugh and they want to like your book. Know your piece inside and out and make it glow in your mind before you sit down with that person. Be energetic and happy to be there with them. And realize, it's not the end of the world if they feel it doesn't fit into what they are looking for. Someone will like it and take a chance. Be persistent and most of all BE YOURSELF!

~ Sandy

Interview of Author Kathryn R. Blake

Today it's my pleasure to present an interview of romance author Kathryn R. Blake.

Latest Book: Deadly Enchantment
Buy Link: http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=newconcepts&product_name=Deadly+Enchantment&exact_match=exact&return_page=http://www.newconceptspublishing.com

BIO:
Though she has been writing romances with paranormal twists since the early 1980s, Kathryn R. Blake out the unusual in books and movies for many years before finally creating her own. She published her first book in 2003, despite a 9 to 5 that required 60 to 75 hours of her time each week, but her second did not emerge until 2008. Unhappy with the lengthy turnaround time, Kathryn is now focused on writing full time and completing a sequel to her first book, Mortal Illusions, this year.

Q: What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?
A: Gasped at the sudden erratic fluttering of my heart, then I immediately ran to my husband and told him. He's very good at calming me down, sometimes just a little too good. After that I called my friends via conference call and told them. They screamed! Lots of fun had by all.

Q: What part of the book is the easiest for you to write? Why?
A: The plot or the story. I tend to outline my books from beginning to end. The book does not always follow what I've written, but a plotting outline gives me a place to start and go forward, so I tend not to have writers block. I have a rather quirky and vivid imagination, so creating a story is fun. Turning (revising, editing) my manuscript into a publishable work is what takes me the longest, and is probably the most difficult part for me.

Q: What part of the book is the hardest for you? Why?
A: When I write my first draft, I concentrate on character, plot and dialogue, so the hardest part for me is narrative. Having two or more people involved in a "heated" discussion is fun to create, but centering the reader so he/she can see the scene as fully as it is taking place inside my head takes more work. I do have two other writers that I share my work with, and they are great about pointing these "lapses" out to me.

Q: Do all your heroes and all heroines look the same in your mind as you “head write”?
A: Each character is definitely different, but especially my heroes. My heroines tend to be thin, because I am not. They also tend to be graceful and even athletic. Not me, either. In some ways, personality-wise, I am more similar to my heroes with a few notable exceptions. They do tend to be dominants. Not in the leather, whips and chains sort of way, but in the way they attempt to manage or control the heroine. All of my heroes tend to be overly-protective of their loves almost to the point of being obnoxious about it, and that's where my heroines strive to set them straight. My heroines tend to act first and ask questions later. My heroes tend to ask questions first, then take action. That's where I am more similar to the boys than the girls.

Q: What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?
A: I am an avid reader who's almost reading a book a day now that she has a Kindle. My favorite genre is paranormal romance, but I enjoy futuristics, science fiction, horror and even some mysteries. I prefer all the stories I read have some sort of romance, though they do not actually have to be a Romance. I do enjoy the spicier, more erotic, stories that can include, but are not limited to, BDSM (Bondage/Discipline/Sadomasochism) and GLBT (Gay/Lesbian/Bi-sexual/Transsexual) as long as the story is essentially a romance between two consenting adults. I have discovered, however, that I do not like heroes that share or put their romantic interest up on display for others to see and perhaps touch, so I avoid stories that claim to have exhibitionism and multiple partners. I'm also more than a little squeamish when it comes to pain, so some BDSM stories can make me very uncomfortable.

Q: What’s your strongest point as a writer?
A: Dialogue, I'd say. I was a theater major in college, and even wrote some plays (none of them any good), so I have a feel for dialogue, and I love to write it. My stories are probably 70/30 with the 70% being dialogue and 30% narrative.

Tell us where to find you:
website(s) http://www.kathrynrblake.com
publisher’s page(s) http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/Kathryn-R.-Blake.html
Facebook page(s) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathryn-R-Blake-Romance-Writer/377050772371
Twitter http://twitter.com/KRBwrites
Email: krblake@kathrynrblake.com

BLURB:
Murders most foul, Magic most terrible, as shapeshifting brothers battle to win a deadly game of revenge.

Deadly Enchantment takes you to a world where your purity is validated, your mind is read and your dreams are violated. A journey back to 1888, late Victorian England, where Dominic Westcroft is a wizard who can change his shape at will and Serena Cunningham is a sensitive who has nightmarish visions of Dominic brutally slaughtering her sister. Neither trusts the other, but unless they can come together to uncover the truth, one of them will die.

EXCERPT:

PROLOGUE
September, 1876 - Lynwood Manor – England

“Dominic, a word if you please.”

Dominic Westcroft gave a mental groan.“Now, Zaltasar?” he asked, impatience adding a sharper edge to his query than he intended.

“Yes. I promise not to keep you and your blushing bride apart too long, but there are things I must say before you go to her,” the elderly wizard advised. His voice, though little louder than a whisper, expressed a grim direness.

Giving a reluctant nod, Dominic followed his black-robed mentor down the darkly lit stone corridor to a small antechamber. Though Dominic wasn’t untutored in the ways of men and women, at seventeen he couldn’t claim a great deal of experience either. Even so, he hardly needed a lecture on the birds and the bees on his wedding night.

And so, he was a bit taken aback when Zaltasar leaned against the edge of a table and said, “I counsel you, not as your tutor, but as your father would, were he still alive. Passion between a husband and wife is both glorious and sacred, but you, my eager, young student, are not just any groom and tonight’s not just a wedding night for you. Though you may not be innocent in ways of the flesh, this union will be unlike any you have experienced before. Because that is so, I must caution you to be judicious and employ the utmost care not to let your passions rule over your head or heart. I have taught you things I’ve taught no one else to protect you against the treachery of those who would do you harm. But my teachings carry a price. And if you do not wish tonight to turn into a disaster you’ll regret for the rest of your days, I beseech you to heed me now. Your young bride’s life may well depend on it.”

* * * *

Washed, powdered, and gowned in the finest white silk London had to offer, Felicity Westcroft, nee Cunningham, lay as still as she could on the large four poster bed while her heart pounded with maidenly anticipation for her groom to claim her. Holding up her hand, she gazed again at the gold band he’d placed on her finger a few mere hours ago. She loved Dominic and trusted him completely, although she’d long suspected there was a darker side to the man she now called husband. A more sinister side that even he didn’t fully understand. Even so, she had a gift for seeing into the hearts and minds of others, and she knew his essence was pure. His soul carried a few scars, but none were of his making. Others had wounded him deeply causing him to be wary. She’d been the one who’d reached out to him. And despite his initial surliness, she’d managed to gain his interest and attention until he was the one who pursued. She let him think he’d caught her, but she’d wanted to be caught since the day they’d first met. She knew she would be good for him, and he would be good for her as well.

Deep into her thoughts, Felicity did not see the door to the bedchamber being nudged open, but she sensed movement and presence. Despite all that she suspected, she still let out a small gasp when a white leopard slipped through the crack in the door. Then it turned and stared at her through deep-green eyes that were aware, intelligent and ravenous.

Morrigan – The Great Dane

As promised from last month, I would like you all to meet Morrigan, our Great Dane. She’s our resident character and what a character she has, can’t you tell by the photo?

This huge girl, wasn’t always so big. When we rescued her, from a backyard breeder, she was in SERIOUS need of medical attention. Actually, none of us, including the Vet thought she would live. For a 6 month old puppy, she was the size of a 6 month old kitten. Yes, it’s hard to believe that her entire body fit in one hand! She was cute, but the truth is that she never should have been so small.

Morrigan was infested with worms, fleas and I know you can’t tell from this photo, but as a very young puppy, her left eye was punctured and left as is. I won’t described the details, believe me, you don’t want to know them. It was pretty gruesome and we, my partner and I, were pretty pissed! Needless to say, she is blind as a bat in that one eye.

After 7 rounds of MAJOR antibiotics and 5 rounds of de-wormer, we were finally able to get her stabilized. We all now believed she had a pretty good chance to survive, because she still wasn’t in the clear, yet. The infection from the eye injury had wrecked havoc on her poor little body.

Skipping forward several months and the fact that I believe we bought our Vet his new house…Morrigan is a happy and healthy galouf! Yes, I do call her our galouf. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that she is blind in one eye. Believe me! She’ll be 3 years old and I swear, she’s a 120 lb freaking puppy and we have the broken furniture to prove it!

She’s one smart cookie, sometimes too smart for her own good! She’s loyal. She can be affectionate. She warns us before Jaque has a seizure. She loves our cats, although they aren’t always too sure about her. She’s sensitive, God forbid, we yell at her for anything, she gets her feelings hurt. And she doesn't like strangers. Not a bad combination.

We would have it any other way? No! All in all, she’s a great addition to the family.

Now, for a little shameless self promoting…

My newest book, Gaia’s Lust was released a couple of weeks ago. It is Book 5 of the Hightower Series and it’s got some hot, sexy scenes, involving hard candies. Yes, you read correctly. Hard candies.

You can read an excerpt on my webpage: http://www.anniealvarez.net/

Please note: This is intended for mature audiences only!

If you’ve read my series, no doubt you know about Zoe, the were-human. Next month, I’ll introduce the cat behind the character!


Thanks for having me here!
Annie Alvarez
http://www.anniealvarez.net/
http://naughtylittlevamp.blogspot.com/

Halloween HUNKS in...or out...of Costumes!

Halloween. Costumes. Fun. YEA!


I love Halloween and enjoy handing out goodies to the kids that come to my front door. I loved this holiday as a child and the child in me still loves it!






Now these guys look good in their costumes...don't you think so, too?





COWBOY


He's getting ready to shoot...love that holster!








ANGEL

He's ready to "save" you!
Love that loincloth!








FIREFIGHTER

He's ready to help with the "fire" you've got pumping through you!









PUMPKIN

Best costume of all. No cost to the wearer. Just use a magic marker!







Photos: Flickr: riptheskull, teddifish photostreams. Rockshots.com

Enjoy Halloween!
Here are some links to make your own Halloween video cards:
http://www.trickortreatyourfriends.com
http://www.monstermashup.com
http://www.tweetaspell.com (for Twitter)

http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.aprilash.net