Cate Masters's Blog, page 54

4th Day of Christmas: Faith Bicknell-Brown

Cate: Faith Bicknell-Brown (AKA F.L. Bicknell, Azura Ice and Amber Redd) is here to spread some holiday cheer! Faith, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Faith: Hi Cate. Thanks for having me on your lovely site! I write erotic romances under several pseudonyms. A couple pen names are exclusive such as Amber Redd for Dreamspinner Press. I’m repped by a great agent, too. As for my personal life, I’m an Appalachian “hillbilly” and I’m happily married with several kids as well as four grandbabies so far—my already big family is exploding, LOL!


Cate: Oh, I can relate! :) What do you love most about Christmas?
Faith: I like the atmosphere, as in the lights and the music, especially when there has been a heavy snowfall.


Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?
Faith: Yes, the biggest Christmas I’ve ever had. I was about 8 or 10 at the time. I’m an only child and we lived by the skin of our teeth through the 70s Recession. When my dad finally found work that Christmas my parents went all out. Imagine a li’l girl who had to climb over gifts to even reach the tree! I’ll never forget that feeling when I stepped into the living room and saw all those presents and a fat tree decked out with hundreds of multi-colored lights.


Cate: So sweet! If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?
Faith: A home where I don’t have to pay someone rent. The coalmine and a group of people in our area have been buying up everything the last few years. It seems like the only places for sale is in towns, and the hubby and I refuse to live in town.


Cate: What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so special?
Faith: Nothing in particular. It was that one specific Christmas I mentioned earlier that sticks with me. I’ve received a lot of nice gifts over the years, but that one holiday as a kid had a special quality because my family had been struggling for so long.


Cate: Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?
Faith: Well, I could share my hubby’s two recipes for Christmas ham or turkey, but then I’d be in the dog house for the next two years, lol. He guards his recipes fiercely!


Cate: Lucky you, that he's such a great cook!Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Faith: That would be When I’m Gone under my exclusive Dreamspinner Press pen name, Amber Redd. It releases December 12th, but readers can pre-order it now http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3442


When I’m Gone is the 2ndbook in the Stone Trail Series. Stone Trail is a southern mountain town with a population of just over 5K. Strange things happen in this community, things that involve magical wolves and evil werewolves. Here’s a brief blurb:


As New Year's approaches, a grieving Richie Tatten collects his dead sister’s belongings from the institution where she lived. The mystery of her suicide confounds him and adds to his growing frustration with the disappearance of his life partner, Albert, who vanished months earlier. Hoping to find answers, Richie heads to the small town of Stone Trail, but the unwelcoming citizens leave Richie reluctant to continue his search. Then new information about his sister’s death gives him a lead on Albert’s whereabouts—and thrusts him into the middle of a battle between magic and werewolves.


This time I decided to give Stone Trail a holiday theme. It was fun writing bits and pieces about a Christmas that had just passed and how the characters prepared for the upcoming New Year’s while dealing with the paranormal.


The 1st book, Chasing the Mailman, is available here: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2203


Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Faith: Sure, here’s a brief excerpt where the mc, Rich, has an encounter with his deceased sister, Nancy.


Relaxing into the soft leather, he finally allowed himself to dwell on Albert, the smell of his skin, the sensation of his hard muscles pressed to his as he pushed deeper into Rich’s body. Oh, how he missed him and how he longed to lie quietly in his arms and listen to the sounds of the apartment building as it grew quiet during the nighttime hours.
Tears welled and squeezed free of his eyelids. Angry at himself for letting his guard down, he swiped at them and rose. He freshened his drink and added another piece of ice.
As he turned to sit again, cold air swirled around his feet. He glanced at the door, thinking maybe one of the inn’s employees had knocked and he hadn’t heard it. The cool air grew stronger, its caress icier. It whirled around him like he stood in the direct path of an air-conditioning vent.
A gust swept between the chairs and the fireplace. The flames wavered and fluttered.
Rich set his drink down and wandered over to the windows but found no air seeping around the seals. A familiar aroma assailed his nose.
White Diamonds.
Frowning, he checked the door and even held his hand over the ducts in the floor in case someone downstairs had accidentally turned on the central air. He returned to the sitting area and stared into the fire for a moment. Shaking his head, he turned toward the chair, preparing to sit again.
“Where the hell is that air—?”
“Richie?”
Recognizing the voice, he spun on his heel and came face to face with Nancy standing between him and the fireplace.
"F***!" He jackknifed over the furniture. His heel caught on the chair’s arm, and he sprawled out flat on his back on the floor.


Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Faith: I’ve always been fascinated by lycanthropy. Werewolves go back in history for centuries. In every legend there’s a grain of truth, so the “what if” factor really gets my cogs to turning. I wrote a full paranormal romance involving a werewolf curse (that my agent has) and enjoyed writing it so much that when I decided to write for Dreamspinner, I was pulled back to the same topic. This time I built an entire town around the legend; each book will have a different set of main characters.


Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Faith: Just my links. I hope readers will visit my websites and join me on Facebook and Twitter.
www.FaithBicknell.com
http://ablueice.wordpress.com
http://kiyarabenoiti.com/mm-Faith-amber-redd/
www.Facebook.com/faithbicknellbrown
www.Facebook.com/FLBicknell
www.Twitter.com/FLBicknell


Cate: Faith has a giveaway!
Faith: Anyone who leaves a sincerecomment or a question for me will be entered to win a $5 amazon.com gift certificate. I’ll draw the winner over the weekend. Readers, share this interview link with your friends so they have time to stop by, too! Remember to leave your email address in your comment.


Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday!
Readers, here's more about Faith:
F.L. Bicknell's work has appeared in a wide range of genres and publications such as: Would That It Were, Touch, GC,  and Ohio Writer magazines as well as with publications in Canada and Turkey. Under her pseudonym, Molly Diamond, she  was a regular contributor to Gent and Ruthie's Club and has had fiction published in Hustler's Busty Beauties,  Penthouse Variations, and Twenty 1 Lashes. Ms. Bicknell is the author of several e-book and print titles, also writing as Azura Ice, Amber Redd, Cutter Phoenix, and Kiyara Benoiti. She has served as co-editor and managing editor for three different publishing houses. She is represented by TriadaUS Literary Agency. 

3rd Day of Christmas: Lorrie Struiff

Cate: Lorrie Struiff is here to spread some holiday cheer! Lorrie, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Lorrie: Lol, I think I’m sooo boring. Let’s see. I live near Pittsburgh, Pa. Isn’t that exciting?
I have published many short stories in anthologies and have a few novellas out and a book.
My main goal in writing is to entertain readers, so I have no brand. I write across the genre field and honest, you never know what you will get from me next.


Cate: What do you love most about Christmas?
Lorrie: Oh, I love to see my grandchildren’s faces as they open their presents Christmas morning. So eager and their smiles are worth a million dollars. The squealing, jumping up and down and all the excitement is contagious.


Cate: Love that too. Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?
Lorrie: A box of chocolate covered caramels. My aunt, who is long gone now, knew they were my favorite candy of all time. So every year she would buy and wrap that box of candy just for me. I wasn’t a baby doll gal kind of kid. Get me a catcher’s mitt and a bat. Or a bicycle, but I did look forward to my chocolate covered caramels. Every time I eat one now, I think of her and Christmas.


Cate: It was Matchbox cars for me, lol. If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?
Lorrie:  I suppose it has to be a reasonable wish, huh? Not like make me look fifteen years younger. Or give me more pep, vigor and energy. Okay, Santa baby, bring me a nice four-wheel-drive vehicle. You might like the snow, you fly in the white stuff in your sleigh with your reindeer, but I’m no snowbird. I fear winter driving in all the snow on the roads. Please? I’ve been a very good girl. *winks*


Cate: What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so special?
Lorrie: My first laptop computer. Ha, I bet everyone can guess what made it so special.


Cate: Seems to be a popular item, lol. Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?
Lorrie: Since I live alone and tired of cooking and baking, not really. I let my kids do all that for the holiday. I’m only delegated to make deviled eggs, and stuff celery. I get shrimp and make the cocktail sauce and probably bake the ham. That’s it, no special recipe for me.


Cate: Sounds good to me! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Lorrie: Eeeny, meeny, miny, moe. I choose this one. A Heap of Trouble published with MuseItUp.
http://www.amazon.com/A-Heap-of-Trouble-ebook/dp/B0099VXLLG/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348757143&sr=1-4&keywords=lorrie+unites-struiff

Cate: Care to share more about it?
Lorrie: Instead of a blurb and such, I would like to send one of the reviews I’ve received from a renowned reviewer. Here goes.


Everybody in town respects and likes Sheriff Cole Walker. He does a good job keeping the peace in the little Kansas town. Things are going along pretty easy until three things happen: Mattie Wells moves to town, rustlers start snagging JJ's cattle, and a ringtail monkey decides Cole is his BFF. After all that, well, Cole's in for a heap of trouble. This is a funny tale of a mixed up lawman. He's fallen for Mattie, can't get rid of the monkey, and the rustlers elude his every attempt to track them down. Throughout this tale, you're laughing at the monkey's antics. But you're also wondering, along with Cole, why Matty says she likes him, then blows him off. And just who is stealing the cattle? Lorrie Unites-Struiff has a knack for putting together humor, romance, and danger into a solid tale of the west. Don't think you like westerns? Think again. You'll definitely enjoy this book. I did.
4 STARS for Lorrie Unites-Struiff from Lin Holms reviews.


Cate: Congrats! And I heartily agree. What inspired you to write about the theme?
Lorrie: Well, I’ve always wanted to write a western romance. And most times I can’t quiet my funnybone. So, think of BJ and the Bear back in time, but with a lot of romance thrown in.


Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Lorrie: Most of my readers have fallen in love with Beggar, the monkey, and want to adopt him. He’s mine, I tell you, mine! Mine! Mine!


Cate: Oo, Lorrie has her Santa hat on!
Lorrie: To one commenter I will give a PDF copy of this book, or I have several formats they can choose from.


Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday!
Lorrie:  And a jolly holly holiday to you Cate and to all the readers that visit this blog today. Thank you so much for allowing me to join your twelve days of Christmas. This is fun.
Come visit my blog, you never know what you will find there. Be surprised. http://lorriejuly.blogspot.com/

2nd Day of Christmas: Jessica E. Subject

Cate: Jessica Subject is here to spread some holiday cheer! Jessica, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Jessica: Happy 12 Days of Christmas, Cate! Thanks for inviting me to be a part of this event. I write romance stories that may include a sexy alien or two, clones, and even regular people. Depends on my mood. Plus, I’m also a wife and a mother of two wonderful children.
Cate: What do you love most about Christmas? Jessica: Besides the excited expressions on my children’s faces when they see their gifts? I love getting up early before everyone else. It’s been that way since I was a little kid. But as I grew older, I learned to let everyone else sleep in.
Cate: The kids make it so much fun, don't they? Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past? Jessica: Oh gosh! I remember so many wonderful Christmases. It’s hard to pick only one. Last Christmas was pretty cool though, as it was the first my son actually knew what was going on.
Cate: If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for? Jessica: To keep my family happy and healthy.
Cate: Love that. What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so special? Jessica: My first laptop computer. It was shortly after I received it that I submitted my first story and was offered a contract for Celestial Seduction.
Cate: And you put it to work right away, I bet! Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share? Jessica: In my household, I always have to make the peanut/marshmallow squares, and peanut butter cups. Though growing up, one of my favorite recipes was Christmas Jewels. 
Here’s the recipe:
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar (not used all at once) ¾ cup softened margarine 1 egg ½ tsp salt 1 ½ cup mixed nuts 1 ½ cup halved candied cherries (red and green) 1 cup chocolate chips
1. Combine flower with 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Cut in margarine until crumbly. Press mixture into bottom of ungreased pan. Bake at 350F for 15 min.
2. Beat eggs slightly in a large bowl. Stir in remaining brown sugar and salt. And nuts, cherries, and chocolate chips. Toss mixture lightly to coat. Spoon evenly over baked layer. Press firmly to ahere layers. Bake an additional 20 min. Let cool.
Cate: Yum! Thanks for sharing. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Jessica: My latest release is the print anthology of all of my 1Night Stand stories, Intergalactic Heat. It is available from Amazon (Canada, UK, US), Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and more. Here’s the trailer for the book.
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Jessica: Sure, here’s the blurb:
A date on a space station? Alien lovers? Madame Evangeline, owner of the exclusive 1Night Stand dating service is known to be magical in fulfilling the ideal dates of her clients, but she’s outdone herself this time, bring together beings from Earth and beyond. As long as applicants are willing to let go of their pasts and open their hearts and minds, she will find their perfect match, whether they be a former sci-fi television star, a nurse, an employee of the Space Service, a former Marine, or even an extraterrestrial. Because everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after…
And an excerpt from Beneath the Starry Sky, the first story in the anthology:
She’d held onto so much hope for this date, and nothing had gone right. She still didn’t know who this guy was. Yet, he’d already rejected her with his expression. This is the last date I’m going on, unless I’m lucky enough for my hair to grow back. His gaze never left her, making her even more humiliated. “You’re….” “What? Ugly? Bald?” He shook his head. “No, I was going to say my date. I’ve been so busy lately and Madame Evangeline had to send me a reminder.” She paused at the Frenchwoman’s name. Could this hunk of a man really be her date? Didn’t matter. He wouldn’t want her now. “Well, surprise! I’m damaged goods, so you might as well leave and ask her for a refund.” As she slumped to the floor, more tears streamed down her face. Why is life so unfair? She’d worked hard all of her life, never taking shortcuts or the easy way out. Not an outcast or popular, she’d been friends with everyone in school and college. And healthy. She’d taken extra care to eat properly in order to avoid being diagnosed with diabetes, like her parents. Since that fateful day when she’d discovered her two, oval-shaped bald patches, she’d been dumped by her fiancé and lost all of her hair, along with any chance to find love and have a family vanishing. Kids were out of the question. Sure, their chances of inheriting alopecia were unlikely, but on the chance they did, they’d hate her for passing her faulty genetics on to them. She couldn’t live with that. She’d be alone. Forever. Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Jessica: The overall theme in all of my stories is unconditional love and acceptance. It’s something I believe in, so, of course, that is reflected in my writing. As for writing the 1Night Stand stories, well, I started with Celestial Seduction. Then many of my readers asked for Tamara and Josh’s story. After Beneath the Starry Sky, I was addicted, and I wrote more.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Jessica: Yes! I have another story releasing on Friday, called Alien Lover. It is a sci-fi erotica story about a woman searching for her lost love in space.
Cate: Woot! Jessica has her Santa hat on. :) Jessica: Leave a comment telling me your favorite gift from childhood for your chance to WIN an ebook copy of my upcoming release, Alien Lover. Prize will be gifted to the winner from All Romance eBooks. Winner will be chosen December 6, 2012. Good luck!
Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday! Jessica: Thank you again for having me. Happy Holidays to you and all of your readers! 

1st day of Christmas: Taryn Kincaid

Cate: Taryn Kincaid is here to spread some holiday cheer! Taryn, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Taryn: My middle name is “Ebenezer.” That’s right. Taryn Ebenezer Kincaid. Bah. Humbug. In fact, someone once gave me a green velvet pillow with the those words embroidered in gold. The pillow is plump and soft and plush. It hangs from a gold cord. I have yet to figure out why. I mean, it’s not like a bauble you’d hang from your tree. And it doesn’t have any pockets for lumps of coal and such to hang on your mantle. Not that I have a mantle.
Cate: Ha, too funny! But seriously, what do you love most about Christmas? Taryn: I love when people decorate the outside of their homes so that not an inch of house or lawn is visible and the glow is so intense you will drive off the road if you are not wearing dark shades. Oh. Yeah. And cookies. Did I mention cookies? Those alpha gingerbread heroes, especially. The ones that bite back.
Cate: Yep, I'd wear sunglasses at night for the cookies too, lol  Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past? Taryn: In elementary school, the sixth graders made candy houses. It was sweet, messy goodness, icing and gumdrops and licorice and lemon drops. And my personal favorites, red hots, which would often tint the icing so that the candy house looked the a demon’s summer place in hell. These took an entire day to make. Maybe even an entire week. The memory is not what it used to be. The whole entire school would come by the classroom for a viewing. So from the time of your first December in kindergarten, you looked forward to the day you’d be a sixth grader and would make a candy house and be the envy of all the littler kids.
Also, when my mom, who was not particularly known for her cooking and baking prowess, would make sugar cookies from scratch and let us cut them out into stars and trees and lumpy men and then put out bowls of colored icing (I loved those little tiny squirt bottles of food coloring!) and sugar sprinkles and jimmies and those silver ball things I can’t remember the names of and let us go crazy.
Cate: Ah, yes, making cookies is almost as much fun as eating them! If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for? Taryn:  World Peace. Oh. Wait. That was not a Miss America question, was it? No, but seriously: Peace on Earth and Good Will Towards Women.
Cate: Amen to that! What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so special? Taryn: Yeah, um, you know…I don’t think I’m gonna splatter that all over the internet, actually.
Cate: *tee hee* Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share? Taryn: Take a tub of really good vanilla ice cream. Soften it up. Fold in shards of smashed up candy canes. Refreeze. (Or, if you want to be devilish, throw in a couple of handfuls of cinnamon red hots instead.) What can I say? I take after my mom.
Cate: Sounds like something you should patent! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Taryn: THUNDER. It’s my second sexy paranormal for Decadent Publishing’s popular 1Night Stand series. The hero, Sean Jones, a hunky contractor and developer, is the brother of Campbell Jones, the studly architect hero of my first 1Night Stand, LIGHTING.
Available from:  Decadent Publishing | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | All Romance | Smashwords | Book Strand   
Want to see a really cool video? Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWB9zh4OZjc&feature=relmfu
  Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Taryn: Why, yes, yes I do! Thanks for asking!
BLURB: Lonely young witch, Veronica Hardwicke, has struggled to get on with her life after the death of the elderly husband who’d left her a fortune and a sprawling estate in mystical Sleepy Hollow. When frightening things go bump in the night on a stormy Fourth of July, who better to call than the sexy developer and contractor, Sean Jones, who's been renovating her mansion for months? Sean may grace the tabloid pages with a different supermodel on his arm every night, but it's Veronica who drives him nuts. Ignoring his instinct to stay away, he answers her summons. Will the thundering passion of their 1Night Stand tear down the barriers between them?
EXCERPT Veronica paced back and forth in the grand entry foyer of the Belmont mansion, the kitten heels of her Prada mules clacking on the marble floors. The rest of the place might not be finished, but she’d insisted on having a few rooms completed, so at least she felt like she was living in a home, rather than a massive, never-ending construction project. Well, her contractor had insisted, even though working around the main entrance and central hallway created more work for him and his crew. But she was forced to admit he was right. Her cell phone chimed on top of the antique credenza shoved flush against one wall. She leaped for it. Probably Geneviève, to regale her with all the fun she was having in Paris. Or Sean, to advise her he couldn’t make it after all. She sighed and read the text message on the small screen. Congratulations, Veronica. 1Night Stand has found your date. Have a good time. With both anxiety and mounting excitement, she stared at the screen and waited. No other info. Outside in the night, thunder boomed. She jumped then laughed at herself. Ghosts are one thing, but freaking out at the weather now? Cripes, you really do need this date! She let her imagination run wild, then texted back for more details: When? Where? Who? An insistent pounding at the front door jarred her out of her fantasy. She swung the door open on another explosive crack of thunder. Sean stood on her doorstep, his soaked T-shirt molding sculpted pecs and abs, his drenched hair flattened over his brow. Rain poured down as he fiddled with his iPhone, a bemused expression on his face. Behind him, jagged arrows of lightning tore the dark sky. He glared at the screen, glanced at her in confusion, then back at the screen. Veronica’s own phone pinged again. Thunder roared. She read the message in disbelief. You’re looking at him.
Cate: It's on my TBR list! Anything else you’d like to share? Taryn: Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Cate: Taryn’s got her Santa hat on, you lucky readers! Taryn: Tell me why you think you might like to read THUNDER and one random commenter may find a copy (and other cool swag) in her stocking.
Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday!
Taryn: And to you, too. And you, and you, and you….
 

J.E. Taylor spills the beans!

Hi J.E.! So glad to have you at Spilling the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book. Grab a cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? JET: I’ll pass on the cappuccino, but I’ll be glad to have a Peach-Mango V8 Energy Fusion please…  :)
Mm, that does sound yummy.Fur or feathers, petwise? JET: Fur. I would rather shoot our feathered friends – this goes back to a nest on a air conditioner and many sleepless nights. Now I’m openly hostile towards birds.
Oh dear, lol. Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns your biscuits? JET: Office politics – or any political posturing for that matter. Stop pussy-footing around and say what’s on your mind. I’d rather have someone be honest to my face than stab me in the back.
And politics in general these days, unfortunately!Favorite quote? JET: Oh my – this one is hard because there are so many… I have these listed on my personal Facebook Page: Losers always whine about doing their best while winners go home and f#$& the prom queen! Yipee-ki-yay-mother-f#$&*#%'s Go pound sand.
And a few others on my Goodreads page… http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/list/3063663
What’s your ideal day like? JET: My ideal day starts with waking up at our beach home, taking a walk on the two mile stretch of Long Sands Beach and then hanging with the family at the beach, reading in the sunshine, getting a little writing time in the afternoon and then happy hour with the neighbors followed by a nice dinner and then end the day with drinks around the camp fire.
Ahh, lovely.Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith Urban (what types of music makes you rock out)? JET: I have quite a variety of tastes but my preference is rock. I can’t stand elevator music and twangy old-school country music – both of those make me hostile.
Does music influence your writing? Do you have a music playlist for your book? JET: Music has some influence over my writing – and when I’m in need of finding the writing zone, I do pop in my headphones and rock out to a specific playlist. But when I’m in the zone, I actually don’t hear the music, it fades into oblivion like everything else around me.
Me too. Hubby says I wear invisible blinders. :)Which of your characters would you most/least like to hang out with, and why? JET: This is another hard question and because I’m on the Saving Face blog tour, I’ll focus on the characters in the Steve Williams series – Ty Aris/Ty Ryan would be the character I’d most like to hang with because I’d love to pick his brain for hours on end. He’s damaged and has done some horrific things in his lifetime, but he’s also found redemption.
Least like to hang with…The Windwalker…because he is one sick individual.
While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned? JET: I did a fair amount of research for the Steve Williams series, from researching how cocaine is made to blood splatter patterns to wiccan beliefs and Indian folklore. I also did a great deal of research on the different locations, like Georgia and Italy. I have never been to either, so google satellite maps was a godsend.
The most surprising thing for me was learning to shoot a gun. It isn’t as easy as aim and shoot and it gave me a healthy appreciation for firearms and those with expert marksmanship within the law enforcement agencies.
Where can readers find out more about you? My website: http://www.JETaylor75.com Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/JETaylor/190872939774 Twitter: @JETaylor75 Blog: http://jetaylor75.blogspot.com/
Please share a book blurb and/or excerpt. The Windwalker Serial Killer stalks the inlets of southern Maine for the next beauty to advance his collection and Special Agent Steve Williams is frustrated with always being a breath behind the slippery psychopath.  Escalating the pressure, Steve’s adopted sons, CJ and Tom Ryan, take teenage rebellion to an entirely new level, leaving Steve in an explosive situation.
When the Windwalker slaughters Tom’s ex-girlfriend, taking her face as a macabre trinket, Tom is found on the scene covered in her blood, with her scalped body draped across his lap.  Damning evidence against him is unearthed, his father's secret identity is about to be exposed, and he's charged with Tanya’s traumatic murder.
To prove his innocence, their only hope is the worst-case scenario; for the Windwalker to harvest a new face.
Saving Face on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009XW5ZK6/ref=cm_sw_su_dp Saving Face on Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-face-je-taylor/1113658928?ean=2940015890563 Saving Face on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/249103 Saving Face on Kobo books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Saving-Face/book-1RKkLjf9fkKE329IrmMBZQ/page1.html?s=Co_5SVgJSkGNap1QzFTFtw&r=5
Thanks for spilling the beans today J.E.!

12 Days of Christmas

I had such a good time bringing so many authors to my blog during Halloween, I'm going to do it again for Christmas. The 12 Days of Christmas will run from Dec. 1 through 12, so I hope you'll visit!

I'm still working out the details, and still have plenty of room left for authors who'd like to join in. Just let me know if you're interested.

Series vs. stand-alone stories

I think I've mentioned before - I have a LOT of stories in my head. If I had the time, I'd have twice the titles published as I do now. Unfortunately, I also have a short attention span, and once a story's revised and polished to the best it can be, I'm ready to leave it behind.

But what if readers aren't? A few have commented certain stories were too short, or they'd like to read more about the characters. I thought I'd put out an informal questionnaire - do you prefer series? Or is a stand-alone story enough for you? Or does it depend on the story itself? Or the author?

Weigh in! I'd love to hear your opinion.

Giveaway today at TRR's YES

Do you love fantasies? Do the holidays make you warm and fuzzy inside despite the chill in the air? Then pop over to The Romance Reviews and enter the Year End Splash for a chance to win my Christmas fantasy, Ground Rules!

Historical BlurbFest at TBR this weekend

Hope you're recovered from Thanksgiving overeating and Black Friday shopping! Time to take a break and read some great book blurbs, maybe add a few to your TBR list. Yep, you know where this is going... TBR's Historical BlurbFest is this weekend. Share your book blurb for your historical fiction - any subgenre.

Deanna Jewel introduces Nathaniel Clairmont of No Turning Back

Thank you for stopping in to learn about my books and more about me. I write multi-genre romance and being an Indie author allows me to write in the genre of my choice. This works exceptionally well for me because the characters who tap on my shoulders and live in my mind aren’t all from historical or contemporary time periods. My first love for reading is historical and when Nathaniel Clairmont began giving me bits and pieces of his life story, he showed me England, took me on a tour of his ship and then through his family castle that overlooked the ocean atop a rocky precipice.

His story is my historical novel that takes place in England 1778, No Turning Back, and he’s here with me this week so you can learn about his story, too. I'm pretty excited today about having Captain Nathaniel Clairmont here to chat with us for a bit. I've pulled him from the pages and I know he can't stay long. He's my handsome hero from No Turning Back, a respected ship captain, friend and breeder of horses, he loves to ride, but loves the ocean just as much. And here’s a secret - he’s also a Duke!

Another note to all readers out there…the characters from No Turning Back are reincarnated in my new contemporary upcoming release, Whispers at Ghost Point! More about that after the interview plus news about my contests, so I hope you read all the way through today! Thanks for being here with me!





Deanna:  Nathan, your home in Scarborough, England sounds like a wonderful place, overlooking the ocean. How long has the castle been in your family?

Nathan:  The fortress has been in my family for over one hundred years. A castle's structure is cold and damp so I do what I can to keep it warm and comfortable inside. I've done some reconstruction inside and out due to the age so it won't crumble down around me. I've collected tapestries from around the world and those hang on the walls to help keep the heat inside. I enjoy walking out on the parapets that look out onto the water, to listen to the crashing waves on warm summer evening.

Deanna:   With all your travels and time at court with the King, I envision all types of women wanting to get to know you better. Tell us what you look for in a woman who might interest you.

Nathan:   *Nathan rubs his chin as he thinks about an answer*  I would have to start with height. I like tall women, with a nice smile but doesn't constantly giggle and chatter. Is that a good start? I want to be able to read her eyes, the windows to a woman's soul. I'm a fairly good judge of character. I like a smart woman who is able to hold a conversation; beauty is nice but there is more to a female than good looks.

Deanna:   Well that gives us a list of attributes to start with. My readers place themselves in the heroine's character you know; they all want to be in my story with YOU! Are you the type of man who doesn't like getting tied down to one relationship, play the field, so to speak?

Nathan:   *he gives us a deep laugh* I don't have time to play the field, Deanna. The King keeps me pretty busy at court or traveling on his behalf and when I'm not doing that, I'm at my home where I breed beautiful horses. The woman of my dreams will share that love with me. I like to think of myself as a one-woman man and our love will last a lifetime, if I'm lucky enough to find that.

Deanna:   So…have you found the woman of your dreams, Nathan?

Nathan:   I can't answer that without giving things away, now can I. *he gives me a sexy wink*  I've had my share of women in my life but I want to settle down one day, to have children, someone to leave my home to.

Deanna:   When you're on the ocean...sailing...are you at home there? Do you feel in control of something larger than life?

Nathan:   I was raised aboard ships. My father took me with him when he sailed and I learned how to read the water, to know when I don't have control because the sea takes orders from no one. A captain depends on a good crew to help keep the ship safe and I have that in my crew. I trust them with my life.

Deanna:   We all have enemies. Care to enlighten us about a few of yours?

Nathan:   Hmmm.....Langley has been a thorn in my side since childhood. We didn't necessarily run in the same circles of London society, but he did attend some of the same entertainment and events such as a local ball or two. He was jealous of the ease at which I could talk with women and there were a few females I guess one could say I turned in my direction and away from him. His jealous nature is also part of the reason he can't keep a woman; that and he's bloody greedy.

Deanna:   Nathan, thank you for taking the time to be here with us. I know our readers have been thrilled to know you a little better. Can you stick around for a few questions?

Nathan:   I can do that. I can't wait to hear what questions they might have for me!

Deanna:   I can't be responsible for their actions or questions, you know! So be prepared...we look forward to it. Again, thank you!

Nathan:   My pleasure!

Deanna:   Everyone, thank you for stopping in today. I hope we’ve been able to add one more book to your shelves and TBR list. No Turning Back in e-format is on sale for a limited time for .99! Now, who has a question for Nathan or myself? Don’t forget to enter my contests below!





Upcoming release of Whispers at Ghost Point
The book will be out in e-format before mid-December and in paperback in late December or January! Whispers’ is a contemporary story that reincarnates my characters from No Turning Back and brings them to the present time. Dana is my heroine who is obsessed with an abandoned lighthouse in Wilmington, NC and she dreams of renovating it for a bed and breakfast but she can’t get through to the owner. She’s also realized there is a ghost in the lighthouse tower who has plans for her! Can a ghost from her past destroy her future? Check my websiteto learn more and I hope you click over HERE to read Chapter One and watch the book trailer!





To enter my book tour CONTEST, click HERE  The drawing will be Dec 10th! Below is my other contest where one lucky winner will receive the beaded book thong!





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