Cate Masters's Blog, page 20

Alexa Bourne will make your dreams come true!

Cate: Please welcome Alexa Bourne to my special Halloween celebration. Alexa, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Alexa: Thanks for having me, Cate! I’m a middle school teacher by day and a writer by nights, weekends and all school holidays. I’ve been writing forever and published since 2012. I write mostly romantic suspense but I also have a few contemporary books as well. My favorite things to do when I’m not working on a story or grading papers, are to watch soccer, travel, read and think about exercising.

Cate: You're one busy woman! Haha, I think about exercising too. Maybe it's a writer thing, lol. What do you love most about Halloween?
Alexa: I love giving out candy, especially to the little kids who get so excited. I love seeing their cute costumes, too.

Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?
Alexa: I used to go out Trick or Treating with my cousin, who is quite a bit younger than I am. I loved getting to spend time with him.

Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? 
Alexa: Yes, actually. I was having a medical procedure done just before my 7th birthday. It required me to be awake and stay still for a long time. There was a man who sat on my left side wearing scrubs and his glasses, and he talked to me. He kept me calm and helped me stay still. No one was able to answer when we asked who it was, not the hospital staff nor my own doctor.

Cate: Aw, your guardian angel. :) What frightens you the most?
Alexa: Clowns. After watching the movie for Stephen King’s It (as a college sophomore), I can’t even look at a clown anymore.

Cate: They are creepy *shudders* Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?
Alexa: I have been on ghost tours before. I went on one in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was amazing and creepy. Then I also went on an unofficial tour with some other authors at the Menger Hotel when I was in San Antonio for the Wild Wicked Weekend conference. I didn’t see any ghosts on either tour.

Cate: I never catch sight of any on ghost tours, either, but they are fun. :) Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?
Alexa: I don’t have ANY recipes! I’m not the cook of the family. J

Cate: Lucky you! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Alexa: Wake Me is a romantic suspense set in Austin, Texas. I’m very excited because it’s my first venture into anything with paranormal elements. Also, it’s the first book in my Hidden Destiny series, where a main character from each book will have some paranormal ability he or she must learn to accept.

Cate: Gorgeous cover! Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Alexa: Sure! 

Her psychic dreams come true. Sarah McKinley’s attempts to take her foreknowledge of crimes to the Seattle Police Department marked her as a troublemaker and were never taken seriously. Starting over in Austin, she plans never to reveal her gift, but shortly after she arrives, the dreams begin again, and the local police want to know why she has knowledge only the killer could possess.

Detective Jesse Cordell watched his mother con people with her “psychic ability” all through his childhood. He hones in on Sarah, who has means, motive, and opportunity to have murdered the victim in his current investigation. Instinct tells him she didn’t commit the crime, but she definitely knows more than she’s letting on.

Can he put aside his doubts and join forces with her, against everything he believes in, to find the real killer? Or will he do his job and put her behind bars? After all, there’s no such thing as the “psychic ability.” Or is there? 

Excerpt 
The buzz around her head grew louder as more students joined the crowd. Yellow tape secured the crime scene several yards away, but limbs still stuck over the cement edge of the water fountain.
A guy in plain clothes ducked under the tape and ventured toward them. A gold shield hung from his belt. “Can anybody tell me what happened?”
“She can!” a male voice from behind called out.
Hoping to take attention off herself, Sarah joined the other students in whirling around to see who the guy meant. Several voices rushed toward the man, accosting him with different versions of the crime. Sarah floated through the sea of people, away from the crowd.
For the nine months, she’d lived in Austin, she’d never mentioned a word about her so-called psychic gift. Almost a full year had passed. She’d started to think she would be normal again.
But a brand-new dream reminded her she would always be different.
Heading toward the street, she picked up her steps. Don’t look back. You’ve done enough damage. 
“Miss! Hey, wait up!”
“Damn.” She slowed her feet. No point in trying to run. She’d look guilty of something then the cops would have a reason to haul her off the school campus in cuffs.
Turning, she came face-to-face with the striking plain-clothes cop. “I’m Detective Cordell with Austin Police.” He stood at least six inches taller than she, his jet-black hair sheared in a standard cut for police. The bulk of his chest stretched the material of his short-sleeved dress shirt. With dark eyes and sexy confidence, he was all sorts of captivating. If he hadn’t been such a threat to her freedom, she might even have called him handsome. “Do you have a minute? I’d like to ask you some questions.”
There died his charm.

Wake Me is available from:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Hidden-Destiny-Alexa-Bourne-ebook/dp/B00OFEP9DU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413167147&sr=1-1
Decadent Publishing: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=995&osCsid=cilqte4j0chb5atbb1khme9a67


Cate: Love it. What inspired you to write about the theme?
Alexa:  The characters from the Hidden Destiny series have lived in my head for over a decade. When I first wrote their stories, only Wake Me had a paranormal element. Plus, I was still a new writer and I really couldn’t do the stories justice yet. So I kept the manuscripts and decided to “retell” the stories when I became a better writer. This past spring I decided it was time to tackle the series again and with some brainstorming help from my students, we came up with many of the details for the series. (Just a note: I talk to my students about the writing process and my writer duties in general terms. I don’t share my pen name or my book titles with them…at least not until they are 18!)

Cate: Very cool! Anything else you’d like to share?
Alexa: I invite readers to learn more about me and my books. Come visit my website! www.alexabourne.com.

Cate: Woot, you guys are so lucky - Alexa has a giveaway for you!
Alexa: I’m happy to giveaway a Wake Me treat! I have a beautiful dream catcher my best friend made, some other cool stuff, and I might be persuaded to throw in some Halloween candy, too!

Cate: Fun! Don't forget to leave your email address, everyone. 
Thanks for joining in the Halloween fun, Alexa!

Kitty Keswick makes a howling good Halloween!

Cate: Please welcome Kitty Keswick to my special Halloween celebration. Kitty, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Kitty: Hi there, **waves** I’m Kitty Keswick. I have a few light YA paranormal romances published with Leap Books. Think girly with ghosts, werewolves, and British hotties. I’m also working on a super fun WIP. But, that’s top secret. So Shhhhh.

Cate: Mummy's the word. I mean mum! lol What do you love most about Halloween?
Kitty: Everything! I like to sew, so making costumes are super fun. I used to be an Interior Designer in my day job, so decorating is a blast for me, too. I bought stuff early this year and scored big. I can’t wait to decorate. I like vintage/classic designs that aren’t gory. My step son is still freaked out by scary…so we compromise and I still get to have my Halloween decor

Cate: lol, I can relate. The grandboys like Halloween "light" too. Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?
Kitty: Every year this house not too far from where I live, does it up big time for Halloween. Last year, it was Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. The front of the house was a maze, complete with huge rolling boulder, lava pit and the Ark. My hub and I had fun touring it. We can’t wait to see the theme for this year. If we didn’t live in a town home, I would love to turn my yard into something fun and crazy.

Cate: Wow, what fun neighbors! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?
Kitty: Yes, I lived back East, in PA. Many strange things would happen. Doors opened when nobody was there. A vase fell off my mantel, again no one there. Heard my name called when I was alone in the house. Freaky stuff that made me want my nightlight.

Cate: *shudders* I hope your house was far away from mine in central PA! lol What frightens you the most?
Kitty: Spiders. Hate them. Anything that can spin its own hotel and have room service in the same sticky web, just makes me shiver. Spiders seem to seek me out. Dangling over my bed, in the shower, hanging around my car side mirror, crawling straight for me on the carpet…
 
Cate: We have a multitude of spiders (and snakes) too. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?
Kitty: Yes, I did Gettysburg ghost tours and a ghost tour in London. Fun!

Cate: London - how cool! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online 
Kitty: I took a wee break from writing to get married and move to another state. My latest release will be Furry & Freaked, book two in the Freaksville series. It has a 2015 release date. http://leapbks.net/authors/g-l/kitty-keswick

Cate: Cool cover! Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Kitty: Sixteen-year-old Kasey Maxwell left Freaksville behind when her family moved from California to rural Pennsylvania. But she didn’t leave her troubles behind. As her Valkyrie side grows, the spirits become more haunting. When her visions turn bloody, Kasey must trust new support systems—paranormal ones.
Someone at Kasey’s new high school wants to sink their claws into her, igniting an ancient feud. Kasey is torn between two loves and two natures—one that heeds the cool whispers of the dead and the other, a fierce predator lurking beneath, lying in wait. She needs all her allies and even her foes to save those she loves before the moon bleeds.
Thanks, Cate for having me!

Cate: Thanks for being part of the Halloween fun, Kitty!

Hywela Lyn's come all the way from Wales to share her spooky tales!

Cate: Please welcome Hywela Lyn to my special Halloween celebration. Lyn, please tell us a little bit about yourself. LYN: Hi Cate, thanks so much for inviting me to be part of your Halloween celebration. Hmm let’s see. I’m a UK author of futuristic and fantasy romance. I’m Welsh, although I’ve lived in a small village in England since I married my husband, Dave. I write as ‘Hywela Lyn’ but I’ve always been known by my second Christian name, Lyn. I love the outdoors and the countryside, all animals, especially horses and dogs and despite being a Brit, I love Western riding. The beautiful and wild landscapes of my native Wales, as well as its wealth of myths and legends, inspired much of my writing. I love writing about strong heroines who are not afraid to retain their femininity and heroes with an air of mystery about them. I usually manage to squeeze a horse or some cute alien critter into all my stories. I have two novels published with The Wild Rose Press, ‘Starquest’ and ‘Children Of The Mist’. I’m currently finishing my revisions of the long overdue third story in the series.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween? LYN: The fun of seeing the little ones all dressed up and excited, and scary stories being told on the internet!
Cate: The kids are adorable. :) Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? LYN: We didn’t do much for Halloween when I was a kid, it’s only in recent years that Halloween has really taken off in the UK, but we did dress up and go Trick or Treating, although it wasn’t really much of a big deal then. In recently years though, I became friendly with the late Sharon Donovan. She loved Halloween so much and having lost her sight through Diabetes, she asked me to decorate her blog for Halloween.  I loved doing this and Halloween always reminds me of the on-line fun we had together. My only regret is that we never managed to meet up, since she passed away before I could visit, although I did travel to the US and met her parents, along with Mary Ricksen, who was also a close friend of Sharon. Sharon sent me a lovely gold ‘Cleopatra’ masquerade mask and I wear it every Halloween in her honour.
Cate: Sharon was such a sweetie. *sniff* We all miss her. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? LYN: Funny you should say that.  There is an old mansion in Wales called Gregynnog.  It’s a beautiful  old Elizabethan house with extensive grounds.  The University of Wales in Aberystwyth frequently held writing weekends there and during one of these a friend and I were walking in the grounds; I took some photographs of him and he took some of me, standing by a large sculpture of a hand (the sculpture seemed a little weird and out of place in the formal gardens but the students had thought it a good idea.) When the pictures were printed, those of my friend were just a normal picture of someone standing by the statue, with a blue sky and shrubbery behind – but one of me looked as if a mist had come swirling down behind me – and in the shrubbery was the shadowy form of a lady in a long, flowing dress.  Not everyone could see it but to those that could see it, it was quite clear.  I found out that the mansion was supposedly haunted by the ghost of a lady who had owned it but whose family had fallen on hard times several  hundred years previously and had to leave. Apparently she was so sad at losing her home, she came back to haunt it after her death.  I think that’s rather sad, and I have to say I did feel a ‘presence’ in the house but it was a warm, welcoming one.  Not all ghosts are scary!
Cate: Love that! I so would love to visit Wales. :) What frightens you the most? LYN: Complete darkness. I have too vivid an imagination!
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? LYN:  No, unfortunately, although I’d like to. The nearest I’ve got was visiting the underground passages in Exeter – although the stables of another reputedly haunted house, Nanteos, where I used to keep my horses, used to resound with the sound of an unearthly screeching late at night. One of the other horse owners, who lived in a flat above the stables, said it was the sound of ‘souls of the damned in torment’. It turned out the unearthly banshee wailing was screech owls, but it was quite unnerving if you didn’t know that!
Cate: I can imagine, lol. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. LYN: I don’t have a recent release at the moment, unfortunately (I’m still working on that) but I have self-published the story I wrote for ‘The Song Of The Muses’ series, having had my rights back, and one of my favourite excerpts is based on an ancient Welsh legend of demons known as the ‘Ellidan’ who lured unwary wanderers into the bog, to their doom.
Cate: Very cool! Care to share a blurb or excerpt? LYN: Here’s the excerpt from ‘Dancing With Fate, which I mentioned above: EXCERPT The sparks of light appeared a few hours before dawn. Terpsichore looked across to where she could just make out Myrddin, lying close to the fire, apparently asleep. She stood and wrapped her brat around her shoulders. What unearthly lights were these? In the name of Hades, she had never seen anything like this before. She watched them, swooping and dancing. They seemed to beckon to her. She walked forward a few steps. This was not natural. She sensed evil, but of a kind she had never come across before. She tried to turn her head, to look away and move back to the fire. Some force compelled her to keep staring at them, to move forward. Further and further from the campfire she wandered. The air grew chill and she pulled her brat more closely around her. The flickering lights gyrated in a wild dance, inviting her to follow them. Dawn was approaching. In the dim early morning light, she could make out demon faces, red glowing eyes, hands outstretched, with flames at their fingertips. She recoiled in horror. Somewhere in her subconscious, she knew she was in deadly danger, but still she moved forward. They summoned her to follow and she could not help but obey. She tried to call to Apollo, and her father, but her mind was numb. She could reach no one on Olympus. "Myrddin!" No sound came from her lips. Still, a strange unearthly power obliged her to walk forward toward those eerie, mesmerizing points of light. The ground grew soft beneath her feet. Cold mud oozed between her bare toes. The further she walked, the deeper the mud became; eventually, she realized she was up to her waist in chill, muddy water, and she was powerless to turn back, or even to move any more. Zeus, oh, Father, please help me...don't desert me now. For the first time in her eternal life, she knew fear. These creatures of nameless evil had her trapped. They would drag her down to the underworld and she would never see Olympus or her family again. Then strong arms encircled her, swung her round. "Cora, look at me." She gazed into two pools of azure blue, filled with concern, and a pale face set in resolve. Still she had an irresistible urge to look at those weird, flickering lights. She turned her head, and at the same moment, there was a flash like lightning. The ground behind her burst into a wall of blue flame. It blotted out everything, engulfing the demonic lights and the hideous forms that a moment before had lured her onward. "Look at me. Look at me...don't look back again." Before she could reply, he swept her up and carried her back toward the campfire. Eos in her chariot had started her journey across the sky and the pearly light showed their camp and the two horses grazing nearby. Never had anything looked so welcome. Never had Terpsichore felt so safe in a man's arms. He set her down, near the fire, and wrapped his own brat around her. He wore only his truis, and was bare-chested. "You're trembling, you'll catch your death of cold...but that would be better than the fate which almost befell you."
Cate: Gorgeous cover. :) What inspired you to write about the theme? LYN: I love writing fantasy, although my previously published books and the one I am currently working on, are Romantic Science Fiction, albeit, with a touch of Fantasy. When I first thought about collaborating in the ‘Song Of The Muses’ series, I was intrigued by the idea of sending a Greek muse to 5thcentury Wales, and gradually I began to weave in elements of Welsh mythology and the Arthurian legends. The research was such fun and I got quite attached to the characters, despite the otherworldly ordeals I put them through! Thank you for having me on your beautiful blog, Cate, and I hope you and your readers have a very happy spooky Halloween! I’ll get the Random Generator to pick the writer of one comment and the winner can choose a download of any of my books.
Cate: Very cool! Readers, don't forget to leave your email address. :)Thanks so much for partying with us, Lyn! Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!

Lyndi Alexander's latest will make you scream!

Cate: Please welcome Lyndi Alexander to my special Halloween celebration. Lyndi, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Lyndi:  I’m a single mom of a daughter on the autism spectrum, a multi-published novelist in both romance and sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal, a family law attorney during the day, and I also volunteer making patchwork blankets for Project Linus, which donates homemade blankets to children in hospitals so they have something homey.
Cate: Wow, that is amazing. Kudos to you! What do you love most about Halloween? Lyndi: In our town, people decorate outdoors for Halloween the way most towns do for Christmas. It’s so much fun to drive around and check out all the orange lights and giant spiders!
Cate: It is fun, isn't it? :) Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Lyndi: When I was about eight, we were living out in the country in Indiana on my grandmother’s farm, and she let me have a Halloween party out in the barn. It was so spooky, with real mice and bats in the rafters. I’m not much of a dresser-upper, so I haven’t attended many parties since I grew up, but that was was a hoot.
Cate: Fun! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Lyndi: When we first moved into our Pennsylvania house, we noticed that toys would move without being touched. Often lights would flash on and flash off without any reason—lights that weren’t even on the same circuit flashing at the same time! Several “sensitive” friends said they felt a presence in the house. I’d have loved to come face to face and chat with whoever it was, but we never did get that opportunity.
Cate: Yikes! Scary stuff. What frightens you the most? Lyndi: Things I don’t know they’re there. Like if I know there’s a spider up in the corner (as long as it’s small and doesn’t have fangs or anything, of course) and it stays in the corner, it can live there forever. If it wants to come by and drop down in front of my face and surprise me, it’s toast. That easy.
Cate: Ha, I hear you. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Lyndi:  We took a tour of the cemeteries in New Orleans, which are above ground in concrete tombs. Pretty creepy after dark!
Cate: Very cool! New Orleans is on my bucket list. :) Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Lyndi: Our family has a tradition of making popcorn balls, not because we actually like popcorn balls, but because the first Halloween after we moved north from Miami, my sister and daughter made a batch of popcorn balls and really burnt the syrup badly—then served it anyway! Ever since that, we always make then just to remind her how awful those turned out.: 7 cups popped popcorn 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
2T margarine 7 cups of assorted nuts, dates, candy corn, chocolate chips, M&Ms—whatever you like. Boil sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook over high heat until mixture reaches 255 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over popcorn evenly, and mix with buttered hands until every piece is coated. Then add your extras. Shape into balls and set on a tray or wax paper to cool. 
Cate: Now for the real goodies! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Lyndi: My paranormal mystery is called LOVE ME, KISS ME, KILL ME. It’s a 2009 NaNoWriMo novel, and is published by Hydra Publications.  You can buy this book at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, Smashwords, and more, or order it in print from your favorite local bookseller! Readers can learn more about it at my website, http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Lyndi:   A bad divorce, a broken heart, a need to begin again. These three things propel reporter Sara Woods to leave her comfortable position working for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and take the first news job that comes along, working as the new reporter for small-town Ohio’s Ralston Courier. Ralston is a sleepy little town that doesn’t seem to have much to offer this big-city girl, but her very first assignment is to investigate a dead body, a young woman found half-frozen on the side of a country road. But soon the story on this body ties in with others, and she finds herself scrambling to come up with a common link among the dead other than the fact that they’re all young women Sara’s age. Still recovering from a previous auto accident and struggling with chronic pain, she becomes a patient at the Goldstone Clinic, a local mecca of healing. But all is not as it seems at the Goldstone, its doctors and nurses are all the picture of perfect beauty and health. Patients at the clinic first seem to get better, then they deteriorate. Sara enlists the help of Dr. Rick Paulsen, a doctor at the city hospital who shares her concern about the deaths of the young women, one of whom was his own patient. He teaches her through Eastern techniques how to access her internal power, skills she never knew she had, revealing secrets from her past. Police officer Brendon Zale also takes an interest in Sara, but he stalks her, watching her every move, and he won’t leave her alone. He always turns up at the most suspicious times, especially where the dead bodies are found. What’s his interest in Sara? As she digs deeper into the story, and more young women die without explanation, she tries to choose allies wisely, and finally discovers the heart of the danger before her. By then, it’s too late.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Lyndi: I’d done some studying into the Eastern healing regimens, and they really interested me—the knowledge of the body’s energy fields and how they can be adjusted to give a person good health. Of course, my mind then took the opposite tack—what if someone wanted to use his or her knowledge of these powerful forces in a negative way, regardless of the cost to the person? I think we’ve all known people we’d call “emotional vampires,” people who just weigh on us and suck the life out of every situation. People can have a really strong effect on each other, intentional or not.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Lyndi: Many things exist in the world that we may not understand. Sometimes they’re attainable through education, like Sara does in my story. I’ve learned many of these techniques myself, and have friends who also practice self-healing through aromatherapy, natural medicine and so many more. Some things may look like magic, but turn out to be science. Some things are truly mystical. I hope they are. As long as we have mysteries to pursue, we can continue to expand our own knowledge and worldview.
Cate: Heads up, you guys – Lyndi has a giveaway for you! Lyndi: I’d be glad to provide an ebook of LOVE ME, KISS ME, KILL ME to one of your readers—we’ll choose from those who leave comments, shall we? Happy Halloween to one and all! Thanks for coming by and reading about my book.
Cate: Thanks so much for joining the Halloween party, Lyndi!

Jen Colly will lure you In the Dark!

Cate: Hi Jen! Welcome to the party. :) What do you love most about Halloween? Jen: I love that everyone gets a chance to be their hero for a day, or just play dress-up.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Jen: I wasn't allowed to trick-or-treat as a child, but my kids go. Last year my little boy, dressed as Batman, was beside himself to have met Spiderman in the middle of the street. For days he told us how Spiderman went into the church to get a cookie.
Cate: Too funny! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Jen: Yes! I worked at a video store that stayed open until midnight, and late at night we could hear what sounded like giggling children running across the ceiling. Later I found out the store had been built over hospital grounds. Eek!
Cate: Yikes! That's spooky. What frightens you the most? Jen: Something reaching out from under my bed and grabbing my foot. I literally leaped into bed until I was about 16, when I got a dog who liked to sleep under the bed. Dusty, my monster fighting hero!
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Jen: Nope, won't do it. I'd start leaping into bed again!
Cate: lol Any favorite Halloween recipes you'd care to share? Jen:   Mississippi Mud
1 – 16 oz pkg Oreo cookies 1 – 12 oz Cool Whip ½ cup butter or margarine 1 large instant chocolate pudding 1 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese 2 and 2/3 cup milk 1 cup sugar
Crush cookies in blender; reserve 1/8 cup crumbs. Melt butter; pour over cookie crumbs. Mix well. Press into bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Chill.
Whip cream cheese and sugar until creamy; fold in ½ Cool Whip. Spread over crust. Chill.
Prepare pudding with milk. Spread over cream cheese. Chill until firm, then spread with remaining Cool Whip and sprinkle with remaining cooking crumbs.
Halloween version...Add gummy worms or other spooky treats on top.
Cate: Yum! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Jen:  In the Dark brings you into an underground world of vampires when Soren rescues, then kidnaps the lost human, Faith.
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cities-Below-Jen-Colly-ebook/dp/B00NY9OC9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cities-Below-Jen-Colly-ebook/dp/B00NY9OC9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412193609&sr=8-1&keywords=jen+colly"&HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cities-Below-Jen-Colly-ebook/dp/B00NY9OC9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412193609&sr=8-1&keywords=jen+colly"qid=1412193609HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cities-Below-Jen-Colly-ebook/dp/B00NY9OC9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412193609&sr=8-1&keywords=jen+colly"&HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cities-Below-Jen-Colly-ebook/dp/B00NY9OC9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412193609&sr=8-1&keywords=jen+colly"sr=8-1HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cities-Below-Jen-Colly-ebook/dp/B00NY9OC9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412193609&sr=8-1&keywords=jen+colly"&HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cities-Below-Jen-Colly-ebook/dp/B00NY9OC9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412193609&sr=8-1&keywords=jen+colly"keywords=jen+colly
http://jencolly.weebly.com
Cate: Love, love, love that cover! Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Jen: Soren and Faith must find a way to survive the evil and darkness.
Faith’s spur of the moment vacation, meant to free her and boost her spirits, has left her lost on the streets of Paris. And apparently, Paris is populated with something more than just humans. Vampires, suave, seductive and oh so sexy, and one such warrior vampire has set his sights on her.
When Soren hears Faith’s terrified screams, he rushes in and saves her life without considering the consequences. Two problems: one, she’s a human and clearly aware of his vampire qualities, and two, the men who attacked her were not men at all, but demons. Their target, his beloved underground city of Balinese. He can never let Faith go home again, but can she learn to love his people...love him?
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Jen: I love this question. My unique take on vampires living in underground cities scattered throughout France came about in a rather strange way. I intended to write about a pirate. You heard me right, a pirate. I had this hot picture of a man in black slacks, an unbuttoned white shirt, and long black hair that disappeared behind his back. After staring at his picture for over a week (such a hardship), I had nothing. Not a name, title, plot, or even a heroine. Just him. Why could I picture him speaking, moving, and wielding a sword, but could never place him on a ship? Then it hit me. He wasn’t a pirate, he was a vampire. Looking at him in this new light…er, moonlight, all the answers fell into place. Long story short, there are now four vampire cities in France, and over ten books planned for the series, The Cities Below. The pirate turned vampire is the hero in book three, and you’ll explore a new city with entirely different dynamics in book two. The first book, In the Dark , brings a human into the vampire’s secluded underground city, introducing you to their culture and laws through her.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Jen: I'm a total geek for my sci fi. Star Wars, Dr Who, Firefly, and I'm really liking The 100 so far.
Cate: Jen has a giveaway!  Be sure to leave your email address in your comment. :) Jen:  An ebook. I have epub and adobe files.
Cate: Thanks for joining in the Halloween party, Jen! Have a fun time with your kids!

Erin Fanning knits some spooky tales!

Cate: Yay, Erin Fanning's here for my special Halloween celebration. Erin, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Erin: I split my time between the mountains of central Idaho, my home state, and the lakes and forests of northern Michigan, where my husband grew up. Both places are quiet and remote, perfect for generating story ideas and allowing the imagination to go wild.
Cate: Sounds perfect for writing! What do you love most about Halloween? Erin: Trick or treating with my nieces and nephews. I love their enthusiasm and wandering the neighborhoods with them, and, of course, sampling all their candy. It makes me feel like a kid again.
Cate: Any favorite Halloween stories you’d care to share? Erin: The remoteness of where I live has greatly influenced my writing with everything from a mountain biking guidebook to kayaking articles to nature essays. But the deep forest and soaring mountains have particularly sparked my imagination, helping me write many fantasy and horror short stories.
In 2008 Sam’s Dot published my collection of short stories, The Curse of Blackhawk Bay : “Around Lake Trillium strange events occur. Children disappear, ghosts appear, and a man bursts into flames. The lake itself is inhabited by something vast and dark. With each event there appears a crow--but what does it want? Who will be next to confront the secret of the lake and of Blackhawk Bay?”
And some of my individual stories can be found for free on the Internet like:
Crossing the River Styx , Lonnie’s Gold , and The Devil’s Knitting Needles .
Cate: Very cool! Tell us about your latest release. Erin: I’m currently editing Blood Stitches, the first book in the Yarn Weavers series, an urban-fantasy-romance based on Mayan mythology (how’s that for a genre-buster?) due out from Lyrical/Kensington May 2015.
Cate: LOVE mashed genres :) Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Erin: Here’s the back-cover blurb: “It’s called El Toque de la Luna—Touched by the Moon. At least that’s how nineteen-year-old Gabby’s older sister, Esperanza, refers to the magical powers she inherited from their Mayan ancestors. Esperanza says women with El Toque weave magic into their knitting, creating tapestries capable of saving—or devastating—the world. Gabby thinks Esperanza is more like touched in the head—until a man dressed like a candy corn arrives at their Seattle home on Halloween. But “Mr. C” is far from sweet…
Soon, Gabby and her almost-more-than-friend, Frank, find themselves spirited away to a demon ball, complete with shape shifters—and on a mission to destroy Esperanza’s tapestries before they cause an apocalyptic disaster…And before it’s too late to confess their true feelings for each other.”
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Erin: In 2009, an Italian woman, trapped underneath her bed after an earthquake, kept herself occupied by knitting. I read about her around the same time I was learning how to knit. I imagined firefighters digging through the rubble and finding her wrapped in a knitted afghan.
The story tumbled around in my brain, somehow intersecting with my interest in Mexican culture. From there, I discovered the Mayan twin myth and the battle with the demon Vucub Caquix. Bit and pieces of Mayan mythology adhered themselves to my imagination, morphing into a history of magic and needlework.
Soon Gabby and her family formed, along with a question: what if you could not only knit your way to safety but also create a disaster through knitting. It wasn’t long afterward that Blood Stitches pushed its way through my fingertips.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Erin: For more information, please visit my website: www.erinfanning.com
Cate: Thanks for being part of the Halloween bash, Erin!

Stephanie Beck takes you out of this world for Halloween!

Cate: Welcome Stephanie Beck! So happy to have you at my special Halloween celebration. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Stephanie: Hi! Thanks for having me. My name is Stephanie Beck. I write romance novels, some of the super spicy variety, some very sweet. I love writing romance, and when I’m not busy working, I’m knitting, crafting and hanging out with all my favorite people.
Cate: Very cool. :) What do you love most about Halloween? Stephanie: I love that it is in the fall! I love all things autumn. Apples, pumpkin, any kind of spice combined with either apple or pumpkin—it all makes me so happy.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Stephanie: I have three kids, so I find my memory bank growing every year. Last year, my son—who was 2 at the time—refused to put on his costume, and instead wore a sweet little pumpkin sweater. He was the happiest little guy and got twice as much candy as either of his sisters.
Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Stephanie: Not that I want to remember! I am a huge wimp. I don’t do freaky things, heights, or ‘true’ stories that make me jump at the sounds in the night.
Cate: What frightens you the most? Stephanie: As I already shared, I’m a giant wimp, but what scares me most is the thought of something bad happening to someone I love. I can freak myself out pretty badly with just my imagination.
Cate: The curse of every writer, lol Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Stephanie: Nope. Sounds like a terrible idea.
Cate: lol It's actually very fun! Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Stephanie: I made a delicious pumpkin spice cake the other day. It was a standard box of cake mix, and a 15 ounce can of pumpkin. Mix the two together very well, and bake at 350 degrees until it springs back to the touch—mine took about 35 minutes. I added cream cheese frosting and everyone who tried it, really enjoyed it.
Cate: Yum, that does sound good. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Stephanie: Starlight Cowboy is my newest release. It is from the Beyond Fairytale series from Decadent Publishing. The whole idea was to take an established fairytale and spin it to something new. I love the story that wove together in Starlight Cowboy—sassy leading characters, a groundbreaking mission, true love…eventually. I was in the mood for something different, and Starlight Cowboy is definitely different.
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Stephanie:  From the storybook of the stars.
A groundbreaking mission to the moons of Jupiter should have been Annalina's big ticket for advancement, but instead of captaining her own ship, she's second fiddle to Shields Albright.
Playboy, adventurer, immature.
Shields has been called it all, but really, he just wants to fly and hasn’t spent a lot of time on his social skills. Mutual attraction grows as the walls of the space ship close in, and they come to an arrangement that satisfies them both, while allowing them professional distance. The distance doesn’t last, not as they grow to understand themselves…and each other as someone who just fits.
Not all is as it should be among the stars.
Their ship is attacked, and the moons of Jupiter are not exactly untouched when they finally arrive. The little world they’ve built high above terra firma is about to smack down in the middle of a dangerous, maybe even deadly, reality. If Shields didn't attract trouble like fireflies on a bug zapper, the two might have an actual shot at true love.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Stephanie: The Decadent Publishing call was so perfectly timed. I’d been in the mood to write something sweet and sassy, but also classic, or maybe beyond classic. I was just in a mood, and then I got the offer to write for Beyond Fairytales. Starlight Cowboy was so much fun to write. I love that I get to share it now.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Stephanie: Thanks for hosting me!! I hope everyone has a lovely fall, and gets to enjoy the changing seasons.
Cate: Woot! Stephanie has a great giveaway for you guys!. Stephanie: I would love to offer a giveaway. I have a fantastic bag of swag from the Midwestern Book Lovers Unite convention that was held in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. For shipping reasons, US only. Void where prohibited. Please leave a comment sharing your favorite fall flavors as well as your email address
Cate:  Thanks for partying with us, Stephanie! Have a ghoulishly good Halloween. :)

Shannon MacLeod's sharing spooky tales and Barmbrack!

Cate: Woot! Shannon MacLeod’s here to party Halloween style. Shannon, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Shannon: Let’s see…I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain…I’m a recovering D&D player, live by the ocean, love high heels, cats and movies with either talking animals or stuff blowing up. And dragons. Anything with dragons.   
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween? Shannon: An entire month of really bad and/or really old horror movies.
Cate: lol Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Shannon: I grew up in the very rural country. It was common for houses to be a half mile or more apart, so trick or treating was done by car. My favorite house had the oddest couple, the Waltons. They reminded me of a short, portly version of Gomez and Tish – their house was way back off the road, and crammed full of taxidermied animals, books, hanging beads and crystals. There was a concert grand harp in the living room and they always had homemade candied and caramel apples. I remember one year the lady wore a lovely tumbled stones bracelet…found out later they were gallstones.  
Cate: Interesting neighbors! :) Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Shannon: Lots – where I grew up ghosts and odd doings were more normal than not. I once lived in a house where you could hear very faint big band, WWII type music playing if you stood in one particular spot in the middle of the hallway.  
Cate: How cool! What frightens you the most? Shannon: Spiders. I’m also claustrophobic to the point of silliness. 
Cate: Tight spaces are horrific, I  agree! Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Shannon: Not officially, I’m pretty sure my grandmother’s house was haunted. After my grandfather passed away, we all saw him pretty regularly.
Cate: How sweet - he didn't want to leave :) Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Shannon: One of my favorite Halloween treats is Barmbrack. This is a sweet bread with bits of fruit in it. When I was growing up, it wasn’t officially Fall until this wonderful smell coming out of my own seanmhathair’s kitchen announced its arrival. Here is a good basic recipe – I bake mine in a cast iron frying pan and cut it in wedges like cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1 lb dried fruit (I’m partial to sultanas, raisins, cherries, blueberries and a dash of lemon zest)
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp all spice
Pot of hot Irish tea
The trick to making a good Barmbrack is to soak the dried fruit in the tea overnight. Add the sugar and egg to the dry ingredients and mix. Drain, then fold in the drained fruits gently. Be careful not to work the dough too much after adding the fruit because the newly hydrated pieces will start coming apart. Pour into your pan of choice. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Whip up a quick glaze with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons boiling water. Right before the loaf is done, brush the top liberally with glaze and pop it back in for 1-2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cate: Yum! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Shannon: One of my new ones is Rogue on the Rollaway – you can find it here: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/29744
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Shannon:   “…He’s in here, Miss. I’ll be right outside the door if you need anything.” The uniformed officer escorted Colleen into the small interrogation room furnished only by two folding chairs and a gray metal table. She gave him a grateful smile when he closed the door behind her then turned her full attention to the room’s only occupant.  Faolan was looking entirely too cheerful given his current position of being seated in one of those chairs and handcuffed, his long legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles. “Good day, Princess,” he said with a grin. “Yer home early.” Dropping into the seat opposite him she demanded in a low voice, “Faolan, what the hell did you do?” “‘Twas all a simple misunderstanding, I’m thinking…” he began. “I was at the market…” Colleen’s eyes widened and she gasped in disbelief. “Grocery store? What on earth were you doing there?” “Shopping,” he drawled, like it should have been completely obvious. “Had ye been listening this morning instead of tearing about like a wee mad thing, ye might have remembered me mentioning we were out of--” She waved her hand impatiently to stop him. “Wait. How did you get there?” His smile was dazzling. “I drove yer car,” he said proudly. Thump. She closed her eyes as her forehead hit the tabletop. “Faolan, you can’t do that,” she mumbled. “Let me guess. You learned to drive like you learned to make coffee, by watching, right?” At the soft sound of movement she cracked open one eye to see his concerned face level with hers on the table. “Please doona do that, Princess,” he said, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. “It pains me to see ye so distressed over such a trifling matter as this.” She gave him a sour look and sat upright. “Trifling matter,” she mimicked then frowned when she realized what else was wrong with his admission. “My car wouldn’t start this morning. How did you manage that? Been watching mechanic shows on A&E?” He cocked an eyebrow, an enigmatic smile playing about his lips. “Magic, Princess. A wee incantation ‘twas all it took and--” Thump. “Yer really going to have to not do that,” Faolan admonished, giving her a stern glare. She sat up again, took a deep breath and plunged in. “Okay, tell me what happened.” With a casual shrug of one shoulder he began to explain. “Och, aye. Well, being as ye were too busy this morning, I drove meself to the market and the officer was behind me in a car that had bright blue lights upon it. It made a hell of a racket too, a loud screaming sound the likes of which I doona ever wish to hear again. Does yer car make that noise?” When her lips tightened in irritation, he hurried on without waiting for an answer. “Those spinning lights came on as I was turning into the parking area. I dinna know he wanted me to stop. He approached me when I got out of the car and asked me for…something…some sort of papers. I dinna have any papers other than my list and I told him so. He insisted I come with him. I insisted he call to tell ye where I was so ye wouldna worry. He told me I couldna give him orders, and I told the clot heided buffoon if he intended on taking me anywhere he’d do as I say because I’ll not have ye worrying.” He indicated his handcuffed wrists and gave her a bright smile. “And so here’s me and here’s ye. Gaols are much cleaner now, ‘twould seem,” he observed, looking around the room, his gaze returning to rest on her. “Will ye be off the rest of the day, then? We could--” “Focus,” Colleen hissed. She yanked opened her purse and dug around for her wallet. “I’ve got to get you out of here. There should be money left to bail you out.” She stared up at the ceiling. “How in the world--” “Calm yerself, lass,” he soothed, “I’m going to get myself out of here and all will be well. What I need for ye to do is keep those beautiful lips of yers closed and let me do that. And no questions until we’re home,” he added when she opened her mouth to speak. “Do ye know the papers he was asking for? Give me yers, please.” Beautiful lips, her heart fluttered at the words. Giving herself a mental shake, Colleen steeled herself against melting into a gooey puddle at his flattery and focused on the immediate problem. “Most likely he wanted your license and registration,” she nodded. She handed both to him and sat back in the hard plastic chair, waiting to see what happened next. With a strange glint in his eyes, Faolan leaned forward. “Ready to see a wee bit of real magic, Colleen?” he whispered. Funny how she kept forgetting he was insane. She favored him with an indulgent smile and folded her arms across her chest. “Sure. Dazzle me...”
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Shannon: It started out as a really great dream. As soon as I woke up I started scribbling and the book details just fell into place.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Shannon: I’ve got three paranormal romances out right now plus two reference books on the Tarot. Please stop by my website for blurbs and excerpts! http://www.shannonmacleod.com/
Cate: Thanks for sharing in the Halloween fun, Shannon! 

Juliette Cross unleashes dragons for Halloween!

Cate: Please welcome Juliette Cross to my special Halloween celebration. Juliette, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Juliette: I’m a southern Louisiana girl. I live with my husband and four kids, ranging from 18 to 4. Yeah, we’re not the best of planners. Haha! I’ve always loved writing from a very young age. I taught English to gifted high school students for 17 years, which I loved because I was constantly immersed in literature and art.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween? Juliette: The atmosphere. Fall is my favorite season and Halloween brings an air of mystery to everything. It just makes me want to snuggle into a corner with my laptop and write a haunting, romantic story.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Juliette: Probably the costume party we threw in college at our apartment. I dressed as a go-go girl. I can’t remember where I found that silver mini-dress. But it was one of those epic parties we all still remember and laugh about.
Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Juliette: Not personally, but I know tons of people who’ve had ghostly experiences. Lots of older homes around where I live. One of my friends said when he was growing up, his mom used to check on him and his brother at night. One night, he looked up and saw her leaning over his brother’s bed. He asked her what she was doing. She turned, put her finger to her lips and said, “Shhhhhh.” He went back to sleep. At breakfast the next morning, he asked her what she was doing staring at her brother the night before. She said she was never in there. Creeeepy. He had tons of stories as his house was a hundred years old and there had been a murder in his house long ago. Yikes!
Cate: What frightens you the most? Juliette: Monsters of the real world; humans who prey on the helpless.
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Juliette: Yes! I live close to New Orleans and have been going there since I was a young girl. One time, my best friend and I went down for the weekend and took the ghost tour of the oldest homes/old hotels in the back of the French Quarter. It was so cool to get a good history lesson and hear some haunted tales, especially when we ended the tour at the house of the famous Voodoo priestess, Marie Leveau.
Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Juliette: Hmmm, I’m afraid I don’t. We eat some foods seasonally down here in Cajun country and the fall does bring out the big gumbo pot. Unfortunately, I don’t have a written recipe as I make it by heart. As we often say down here, first you make a roux, then throw in onions and then everything else.
Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Juliette: SOULFIRE comes out October 20th. It’s a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet in a world where a hybrid-dragon race lives alongside humans. My MC, Jessen, is the daughter of the wealthiest man in the Gladium Province. She strays to the Morgon side of town one night with her best friends and meets Lucius Nightwing, the eldest son of the most powerful Morgon clan. Fate brings these star-crossed lovers together in a society rife with prejudice between the races. But unlike Romeo and Juliet, Lucius and Jessen get their happily ever after. J
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Juliette: Here’s the beginning of Chapter 1….
I swung one leather-clad leg over the balcony railing and froze. Straddling the stone balustrade, I gazed upward, willing my heart to still. A crescent moon cut a half-smile in the starry night as if mocking my rebellion. Or perhaps encouraging it. Don’t look down. A smudge of cloud blurred over the moon, nudging me into the darkness. Deep breath in, I swung the other leg over and shimmied toward the ivy trellis. My long legs helped me maintain balance on the stone balcony, making it easier to climb down. Of course, I had to have the villa suite on the top floor—an obscene luxury for a college student. Only the best, my father would say. I knew the truth. He tucked me away in an ivory tower, complete with armed guards, imprisoning me to watch my every move. It had nothing to do with protection. Not mine, anyway. My maroon silk blouse snagged on a tendril of ivy. I slipped it loose and dropped the final few feet to the grass below. I peeked around a manicured shrub toward the front of the complex. One of the guards leaned against the entrance, nearly dozing. Smiling to myself, I crept across the shadowed lawn to the side street. I jumped into the sleek, black coupe waiting at the curb and turned to Sorcha. “Let’s go.” She grinned and tore off into the night, away from Cade Heights. “I don’t get it.” Ella leaned forward from the back seat. “Why can’t you just walk out the front door like everyone else, Jessen? There’s no curfew or anything.” I flipped down the compact mirror above the passenger seat, checking my hair. I plucked a leaf from the black waves falling past my chest. “Ella, have you actually met my father?” I wiped away a streak of dark liner from below one eye. “Sorcha, where’s your eye shadow?” “Check the glove compartment.” I touched-up the tawny shade of color on the outside corners and smeared a glossy cream on the bottom lids, setting off my light brown eyes. Pleased my hair and makeup looked fresh, and not like someone who just crawled down an ivy trellis, I flipped the mirror shut. “Yes, I’ve met your father. You know I have.” Ella didn’t get the concept of rhetorical questions. Her glazed look, as always, made her pretty features more child-like. “So?” “So!” Sorcha careened around the next corner, veering deeper into the city. “That man could suffocate a person with a glance.” I sighed. “Forget about him. Don’t you ladies want to know our destination tonight?” “Oooo, I do love it when you’re sneaky, Jess. So what’s the big secret? Why am I decked out in my highest-heeled boots and shortest skirt?” I pulled the glossy flier from my back pocket and handed it over. “Oh, yeah. That’s what I’m talkin’ about, baby.” Sorcha turned down a side street, heading for the farthest edge of the Gladium Province. “What is this?” Ella snatched the paper from Sorcha’s hand. “We can’t go there. It’s a Morgon club, Jessen! We’re not allowed.” “Oh, Ella. Relax.” I snatched the flier back and pointed at the headline. “Do you see who’s playing tonight? We have to go. For moral support.” “Yeah, for moral support,” agreed Sorcha with a mischievous grin, tossing her dark red locks over one shoulder. “And to play with a little fire.” I laughed. Ella didn’t. “You two are crazy. Out-of-your-minds crazy. I don’t care if Jed’s band is playing. He knows we’re not allowed on that end of town, much less in one of their clubs.” “Calm down.” I twisted in my seat. Ella looked like a wide-eyed doe frozen in the headlights. “First of all, that’s not true. It’s not illegal to go to a Morgon club.” Ella needed a refresher course on desegregation laws, and how it was illegal for either race to bar anyone from a public place. Of course, my father might let a Morgon come into his place of business, but he’d never let one step foot in his house. Not unless there was money riding on it. Unlawful or not. Ella’s parents also fell into his line of thinking. “Look. Other humans go all the time. Jed told me. I mean, why the hell would they hire a human band to play if it were against the law? Times are changing.” I wanted to believe it was true, whether or not my father was stuck in the dark ages of bigotry and discrimination. Ella heaved a small sigh, voice almost a whisper. “But, my mom, she told me never to go to their side of the city.” I glanced over my shoulder. She twisted a blond curl around her index finger, a sure sign of distress for my timid friend. “It’s dangerous, Jessen. Your dad would kill you.” “Hence, the very reason I snuck out of my apartment rather than let his henchmen tail me all night long, as usual.” Sorcha zoomed into the Morgon district, the buildings transformed to suit the dragon-hybrid race—sharper, wider, taller, like mountains made of glass and steel. “I don’t approve,” protested Ella. Sorcha squeezed her car into a parking spot on a street where glittering clubs lined the block, then popped open her purse and applied a fresh coat of cherry-red lipstick in the rearview mirror. I gave Ella my reassuring expression while Sorcha primped. “I know. Don’t worry. Jed wouldn’t invite us if he wasn’t sure it was safe. Now, come on. Let’s have some fun.” “Wait!” Sorcha passed me the lipstick. “You look good in this.” I applied and handed it back. “Better?” “Luscious.” She winked. “Look out Morgon men.” We walked the block in silence, taking in the towering sight of Acropolis at the end. At least ten stories of Gothic stone with wing-like buttresses and spires stabbing into the darkness above. Grotesque gargoyles glared down. The stone creatures drew my eye with their long limbs, sharp claws, wings spread wide, and gaping mouths, tongues lolling. Was this some kind of subliminal warning to beware of winged beasts? Sorcha glanced up at one particular fiendish gargoyle, seeming as if it would leap off its pedestal at any moment. “Mmm. I’m feeling like a damsel in distress. How about you, Jess?” “Um, isn’t this owned by the Nightwing clan?” asked Ella, sandwiched between us. “Yep,” I replied. Sorcha added more sway to her walk. “Awesome.” Though the exterior reeked of an ancient time, an electric blue sign burned above a black door—Tonight: Red Dream. My heart skittered at the sight of the man checking IDs. I’d never seen a Morgon this close. We’d had a guest speaker in my Multicultural Literature class, but the Morgon woman, a poet, stood on the stage a good distance from the audience. This guy was huge, a wall of bulging muscles. His brawny physique wasn’t what kept the three of us riveted to the spot. Massive wings—leathery, jagged, and magnificent—held us spellbound. The man cleared his throat to get our attention, gesturing inside with a crooked smile. “Welcome, ladies.” “Such a gentleman,” said Sorcha, batting her bedroom eyes. As we stumbled into the club, she grabbed my shoulder and leaned in. “I think I’m in love.” “Slow down, Sorcha. There are plenty more inside.” Sure enough, there were.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Juliette: I love the theme of forbidden love. And Shakespeare is a master storyteller. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at retelling one of his tragedies, but giving it an HEA. 
Cate: Thanks for being part of the Halloween fun, Juliette! Have a spooktacular Halloween. Here's more about Soulfire and Juliette:
SOULFIRE   SOULFIRE by Juliette CrossNightwing Series, Book 1Genre: Urban Fantasy/RomancePublisher: Lyrical Press/Kensington Publishing Corp.Release Date: October 20, 2014Book Length: 109 pages
BlurbIn a world divided by prejudice and hatred, only love can bridge the chasm.Tensions are rising in the Gladium Province. The boundary between humans and Morgons has begun to blur. While the human aristocracy strives to maintain distance between their daughters and the dragon-hybrid race, fate has other plans.As the daughter of the corporate king, Jessen Cade is duty-bound to honor her arranged marriage to a man she detests. Feeling trapped by family duty and a loveless future, she longs for more, straying to the Morgon side of the city.Lucius Nightwing is the eldest son of the powerful Morgon clan, and the greatest enemy of Jessen’s father. When a bar-room brawl thrusts Jessen into his arms, his dragon roars to the surface, craving to sate his carnal hunger in the brown-eyed beauty. The beast in Lucius recognizes her as his own, even if the man refuses to admit the truth.

Buy Links for SoulfireAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Soulfire-Nightwing-Juliette-Cross-ebook/dp/B00MMMGY1S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1409435651&sr=8-3&keywords=soulfire
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soulfire-juliette-cross/1120138661?ean=9781616505615
Author Bio Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.
Author LinksWebsite: https://www.juliettecross.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliettecrossauthorBlog: http://www.juliettecross.com/blogTwitter: https://twitter.com/Juliette__CrossPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/crossjuliette/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7795664.Juliette_CrossNewsletter: http://eepurl.com/XeKIn

Rebekah Ganiere's here with some Halloween cheer!

Cate: Please welcome Rebekah R. Ganiere to my special Halloween celebration. Rebekah, please tell us a little bit about yourself.Rebekah: Hi! I'm Rebekah R. Ganiere and I'm a Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy Romance writer. My zombie romance Dead Awakenings released in January. Red The Were Hunter, the first book in my Fantasy Romance series released in April and Snow The Vampire Slayer, the second book in that series released in September. My Dystopian Paranormal Romance Reign of the Vampires is released Nov. 17 through Lyrical Kensington J I'm a SAHM of four wonderful kids, an English bulldog named Diesel, three tortoises, two bearded dragons, a rabbit and an escape snake.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween?Rebekah: What don't I love? Halloween is my favorite holiday ever! I go all out with decorations and costumes! I love the spooky, creepy, cosplay fun of it all!
Cate: A woman after my own heart, lol Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?Rebekah: Hmmm… I don't know. I love all Halloweens. I think the last few have been my favorite because I haven’t had any sick kids and we've gotten to go around trick or treating with great friends and just have fun.
Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?Rebekah: Yes, but not on Halloween. I was driving from Utah to Idaho in the middle of the desert and suddenly out of nowhere, with no sound at all, a bright light shone through my sunroof, like a search light and then it vanished. It was super creepy!
Cate: Yikes! That does sound creepy. What frightens you the most?Rebekah: Spiders and bugs. And I'm not a fan of horror movies that are people being mean and sick to other people. That frightens me most. Give me Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies any day of the week! It's people that scare me most.
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?Rebekah: Nope. No thank you! I watch Supernatural and that is as close as I'll ever get to ghost hunting!
Cate: lol Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?Rebekah: I have seen so many cute ones on Pinterest. I really like to make sluggy looking punch with floating eyeballs. And I like making chocolates that look like witch fingers and skeleton fingers. Those are fun.
Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.Rebekah: My latest release is Snow the Vampire Slayer. It came out on Sept. 22nd. It is the second book in my Fairelle Series. A series of fairytale retellings. The first award winning book in the series Red the Were Hunter, released in April. Snow Gwyn is the sister of seven Vampire Slaying brothers. Sage is the deposed vampire prince in exile. Two people who should hate each other can't help but fall in love. It can be found on: Amazon, BN, Kobo & ARE
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?Rebekah:
Snow stepped outside and the hairs rose on her neck. A feeling of being watched overcame her. She wasn’t alone. In the two years she'd been coming to the cabin she hadn’t seen so much as a squirrel at night. The grasslands of her home were relatively sheltered from the wildness of Fairelle. Her gaze swept the wooded area for predators. She dashed for the glade, and retrieved her sword, her palm burning where she grasped the hilt. "Who's there?" she called.No answer.A chill ran down her spine and she swung the other direction. She should've brought her bow. Had Father taught her nothing?"I know you're out there. Show yourself." Adrenaline coursed through her at the prospect of an imminent fight. Her heartbeat quickened and her skin flushed with heat. Her fingers twitched and her gaze swept the area.A rustle in the trees by her cabin caught her attention and a tall, well-built man stepped out of the shadows. "Who are you?” She pointed her sword at him. “What are you doing in my glade?""Your glade? I was under the impression that this glade belonged to no one."She swallowed hard. Legally this was not her land, but by rights of her having claimed the abandoned cabin, this was practically her own backyard."Why are you out at such an hour, girl? Should you not be at home in bed, instead of playing swords?""I am no girl. And I have trained with swords since I was young. Besides, what matter is it to you what I do?" Who did this man think he was talking to her the way her brothers would?The man shrugged and moved closer still. "True. It is not my business what you do. But what kind of man would I be were I not concerned for the wellbeing of a lovely maiden, alone, in a glade, near dawn?" He brushed his long, blond hair from his face.He'd called her lovely. Her cheeks heated and her heart thundered in her chest as he circled her. It had been a long time since a man had called her lovely. His tall, broad-shouldered frame moved with the precision of a cat. He stopped and examined a dummy. "What are you doing out at this hour?" he asked again.Thoughts of secret rendezvous and kisses in the moonlight flitted into her mind. She shook her head. She retreated a step. What was she thinking? She was far from home and her brothers were unaware she was gone. Her loneliness must run deeper than even she knew to be thinking such things. He glanced at her, his bright blue eyes flashing in the moonlight. "Did you make these?" She squared her shoulders. "What if I did?""Impressive. For a lady." He poked the dummy in the face. "Personally, I like to stroll at night, when everyone still sleeps. It's like seeing the world as it was meant to be." Her sword drooped a fraction. He felt the same way? "You should go." She raised her sword again. He watched her with an intensity that made her shiver involuntarily. She backed up a pace. Midnight rendezvous were fanciful in storybooks, but in real life they rarely ended well. Trusting a stranger was not only reckless, it was stupid, and she wasn't stupid."I'm not going to hurt you, love." He put up his hands and smiled. His pearly white teeth shone."Don’t' call me 'love'."
Cate: Love it :) What inspired you to write about the theme?Rebekah: I've always love fairytales from the time I was young. The brothers Grimm were truly amazing writers. About 10 years ago there was a miniseries called The 10th Kingdom and in it all the fairytales lived in adjoining kingdoms. I thought that was such a cool idea, so that's what sparked the idea for the nine book series.
All of my characters live in Fairelle and they all know each other through one connection or another. Sage the vampire prince from Snow the Vampire Slayer was in the first book Red the Were Hunter. Belle, from Belle and the Beast, which is book 5, is best friends with Snow from book 2. Cinder The Fae, which is book 4, has known both Snow's family as well as characters from later books for a long time as well. So it was a lot of fun to come up with that.
Cate: Very cool. Anything else you’d like to share?Rebekah: It was great to be here! Thanx so much for having me and keep an eye open for my first Novella in the Fairelle Series releasing on my birthday Dec. 3rd J
Cate: Thanks for joining the party, Rebekah! Hope you and your family have a fun Halloween!