Piper Shelly's Blog, page 269

Cover for Ryan Hunter

What’s crackin’? Are you waiting for Ryan Hunter’s book and point of view of all the events in Grover Beach?

It’s so much fun writing this book, and everything is coming together really fast. So I believe it’s time for an official cover reveal. Ta daa!!!

 

I hope you like what my cover artist, Montana Jade, made of Hunter’s cover. I was in love with it from the very first second.

Now, while everyone is impatiently waiting for the book to be released (me too), how about something funny to kill time? I’d love to hear your favorite quote from PLAY WITH ME, if you have any. Just throw it in a comment below. 

Happy Sunday evening!

Piper

Knock knock, Remy…

Today we’re doing something unusual, maybe even a little weird. I have a special guest with me, who didn’t say much in the past few years. Mostly because he’s dead.

His name is Remy and he’s the twin of Jay Crownover’s sexy hero Rule. Jay and I thought it would be cool to knock on his tomb and offer him a cup of coffee to warm his hands while we’re going to put him through a grilling.

So here he is…Remy, the nice twin.

Me: Hi Remy. It’s really cool of you to step out of your grave to meet me here. Can I offer you something? Tea? Cookies? A little makeup to get rid of the pallor?

Remy:  I look good pale. I’m fine thank you.

Me: Oh yes, he really does look good. Now do tell, have you ever thought about haunting anybody in the real world, just for fun?

Remy: Sure why not…I would mess with Rome. He’s too uptight.

Me: Ahh, the poor guy, LOL. Would get the shock of his life, I believe. Have you been listening to what’s going on in this world with one ear, or were you totally oblivious to all the crap happening around your family?

Remy: My family has always been complicated, and Rule and my mother have always had a difficult dynamic. Knowing that whatever is or isn’t going on is not a surprise to me.

Me: How does it make you feel when Shaw or Rule are coming to your place (at the cemetery) and talking to you, and you can’t answer?

Remy: Awful…I just want to smack both of them and ask them: Why are you being so dense?

Me: Yeah, wouldn’t hurt to rattle them awake sometimes. But I know, even if you can’t talk to them, they actually do listen. Or try to make it right, just because they know it would make you proud. Apart from the people you loved, what do you miss most about being alive?

Remy: Coffee and chit chatting with Shaw.

Me: Let’s hop back in time for a few years. When you first saw Shaw, what was your first thought?

Remy:  What a pretty, sad little girl. You can’t help but want some of that love that pours out of her for yourself.

Me: Would it have hurt you to see her hook up with your twin?

Remy: No. They belong together. They need each other.

Me: Is it okay to touch on the gay topic?

Remy: It is what it is.

Me: Did you know that your parents knew about it?

Remy: I kind of figured they did. The more they tried to turn my relationship with Shaw into a THING, the more I realized they were trying to change the outcome, or hoping for things that just weren’t ever going to be there.

Me: What was your worst fear if your brothers found out?

Remy: It wasn’t fear for me. I didn’t want to try and reason with Rule. He would never have just let me live my life…he would have pushed and pushed for me to just be out and open, even if that wasn’t what I wanted for myself, until it caused a rift between the two of us. And Rome would have felt like he had to protect me from anyone and everyone that had an issue with it. The world is much more tolerant now, but Rome is a hero even when you don’t need one. I do regret they never got to meet Lando and see how happy we were together.

Me: Being a little sister, I totally understand what you mean about Rome. Big brothers can be a little overly protective at times. (No offense, Daniel. I love you ) How did Shaw find out and how did she react?

Remy: She always knew. I never told her, we never talked about it, she just knew. Kind of like she just knew Rule was it for her. She is an amazing friend…look at the lengths she went to for me even though it ultimately cost her so much.

Me: Yeah, that girl sure is special. If you could reincarnate, would you want to be born into your family again, like as Rule and Shaw’s child?

Remy: No. I lived a good life. I don’t need a redo.

Me: What were your favorite clothes to wear?

Remy: I always looked good. The clothes don’t make the man and all that.

Me: How did you feel when your brother started getting his skin inked? Were you hurt because he tried to be different?

Remy: No. He was always artistic and different. He was always about forging his own path and making a statement, all the ink was a form of self-expression…and let’s not kid ourselves, he loved the hell out of pissing mom and dad off with it. Besides it was let him and Nash practice on each other or get badgered into being a guinea pig for them. I never could tell him no.

Me: Ah yes, if you look at it like that, LOL. How did you deal with the fact that you were the good twin and Rule the…well, the troublesome one?

Remy: We weren’t good or bad…Rule isn’t a bad guy…he’s just Rule. In fact in terms of who was good or bad I think lying to my brothers and hiding behind Shaw, even though she let me do it, made me far worse than Rule ever was.

Me: If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be? I know you want to say you wouldn’t get into that car the night of the accident, and I really wish I could make that happen for you. But apart from that one thing, what else would you change?

Remy: I would never have used Shaw as a buffer. I loved her, I mean LOVED her and I didn’t ever show her that in the right way. She deserved better from me, and I often wonder if Rule would have seen her and her feelings for him much sooner if I had never used her as a shield.

Me: That is a major regret. But then I think, however things turned out in the end, it was best like that. Who can tell if their relationship would have worked out when they still were teenagers and trying to find themselves. Sometimes, being a little older is very helpful.

If you could talk to one person in your family now, what would you tell him or her?

Remy: Rome. He has a hard time letting people fend for themselves and is always trying to take on everyone else’s burdens… I would tell him life is short and everyone needs to live and learn on their own. Look at Rule and Shaw they figured it out without him, even if it took a while.

Me: That’s true. Now, let’s drop the serious talk and go for some less meaningful chit chat. What’s your favorite type of car? Color?

Remy: Now I would say one that is safe…I like black.

Me: Jay and I are going to do our first tattoo today. You’ll be our guinea pig. What do you want us to ink on your skin?

Remy: The quote “Love is what makes the world go round, it’s what makes the ride worthwhile” by Franklin P. Jones.

Me: That’s beautiful. And where do we put it?

Remy: Wherever Rule thought it would look best would be my guess…he’s kind of bossy about that stuff.

Me: What is the one question you always hoped that someone would ask you, but no one ever did? And how would you answer?

Remy: Would you have tried to hook Shaw up with Rule earlier on if you knew she would have ultimately helped him deal with some of the issues that made him so emotionally distant?

I don’t know if she would have been able to do that without losing me… So no, I guess it happened for them the way it was supposed to.

Me: I’m glad you’re thinking like that about it. Okay…are you ready to go back now, or would you like to hang out in the sun a little longer?

Remy:  I got one more brother out there acting the fool, so I might have to stick around and see how that works out. And I love Nash like a brother, so I would like to see him find a happily ever after. We’ll just have to wait and see if I pop back in every now and then.

Me: If you do, drop by and say hello. Just not at night, that would scare the crap out of me Thanks for coming. Interviewing you was seriously awesome and probably the weirdest thing I ever did. Now, have a safe journey back and… Rest in peace, dude.

 

 

Meet the author of RULE

Her name is Jennifer…did you know?

Welcome to round 2 of JAY CROWNOVER’s author spotlight. I got to know Jay a little better over the past couple of weeks, and I’m glad I can say she’s totally down to earth and the hype around her book didn’t make her go all aloof or anything like that. She’s a funny woman and everything I had expected. Here’s what I could squeeze out of her in a brief interview:

Me: Okay, for a little warm up: Chocolate or vanilla? And in the form of ice cream or cake?

Jay: Neither…I like mixed. And best would be Vanilla cake with chocolate ice cream.

Me: Ah, she doesn’t leave anything out, that one, LOL. I found out, you’re pretty much my age, which we won’t give away now but tell us what you have been doing in your life before “Rule”.

Jay: What everyone else does I guess, went to school, graduated, got a great job, got laid off, went back to school, got another job…this one was not as great in terms of finance, though.  I was married sometime in there and got divorced. I traveled some, collected some amazing friends, spent time with my really cool family, saw some killer shows and hung out with cute boys in bands. I built a rock-solid support system along the way. I didn’t change the world or really do anything remarkable but I have always tried to live a good life and do the most with what I have available at the time.

Me: And since?

Jay: I’m a lot busier. I have to find time to write, to do correspondence with folks that want to talk to me. I have to be on the internet a whole lot more. I’m getting pulled in a lot of directions which is new for me since I am kind of a control freak. I spend less time at my 9-5 job now and I’ve had to invest a lot more time and money into being an actual writer versus someone that just writes. I still haven’t changed the world but I will be the first to admit that what happened with RULE was remarkable.

Me: A 9-5 job? What do you do?

Jay: I run in a bar here in town and I typically work more like 11-9.

Me: Wow, that’s so cool. But knowing what you write about, I probably shouldn’t be surprised. What do you particularly like about working there?

Jay: I’m good at it. I don’t have to get up early. I make my own hours. Beer delivery guys are super cute and like to flirt. I have a group of really great kids I work with. I can drink for free when I want to.

Mostly I love the customers and their stories. Right now my regular clientele consists of a bunch of young guys and guys my age that just got out of the military and are back in school on the GI-bill. It’s amazing what some of them have seen and have been through at such a young age. It’s impressive. I admire them and the fact they are essentially starting their lives over after Uncle Sam got through with them. I ultimately love a good story so when you work in a bar there is never a shortage of that going around.

Me: Mmmh, I do envy you a little right now for the beer delivery guys, and then I can never resist a guy in uniform. Maybe I should drop in at some point and have a drink with the guys. However…do you think you will ultimately give up working in the bar to have more writing time in the future?

Jay: I guess it depends on what happens with Jet. I’ve been toying with the idea of what I’m ultimately going to do since RULE took off. I am a person that could drown in an ocean of ‘what-if’s’ given the chance so it’s hard for me to jump into something with an unknown success rate feet first.

Regardless I love to write and will do it on the side until I make a firm decision on what I want to be when I grow up.

Me: When you grow up you say? Is that going to happen anytime within the next 30 to 40 years or so?

Jay: One can hope. I want to be old enough to know better and young enough not to care.

Me: I guess you never expected the hype you created with your debut novel. How do you deal with it? And what did your family say?

Jay: I take it with a grain of salt. I have a whole series of books I want to write about this crew and I try to keep in perspective that RULE was special and there is a possibility that maybe readers won’t embrace the rest of the guys the same way.  Everything that happened with the first book was a gift and a surprise, so I want to keep realistic expectations.

My family is awesome. I didn’t really tell anyone what my plans with RULE were so I think they were surprised, not by the success because they love me and think I’m great, but I’ve been talking about writing a book for years and never did it.  My mom understands the under-currents throughout RULE on a different level than other readers, my dad tells me I should have published a book a million years ago and reminds me about finding half finished, hand written manuscripts all over the house from when I was a teen, my Aunt wants to help me with my technical writing ability because frankly I suck at it, and my Gram wants to buy a Kindle to read it…OMG could you imagine me trying to explain a Jacobs-ladder or an Apa-piercing to my 84 year old grandma…Lol

Me: Holy shit, I’d really like to see that, LOL. I recently wrote my first adult book, which contains graphic sex, and I have yet to let my family read that… Yeah, I’m not exactly that up-front. Well, next question. On your Facebook page, I saw a dog. Want to tell us who he is? Are there more in your house?

Jay: I have 3. A black lab—Charley, A boy Italian Greyhound—Duce (the one in the pic), A girl Italian Greyhound—Pistol

Me: I like the name Duce. It’s cool. Could be another addition to the dudes you write about. Where do you get the ideas for your characters’ names from anyway?

Jay: I like stuff that is one syllable and stuff that you wouldn’t hear every day…I dunno, as person saddled with a boring name, I like to shake it up.

Me: What kind of clothes did you like to wear at age ten? Twenty? Now?

Jay: I don’t remember 10. My mom has awesome sparkly, blingy style so I am sure I looked cute and glittery all the time.  I had super long, red hair and permed bangs, though, which were epically bad.

I was pretty punk-rock at 20, so there were a lot of short plaid shirts, combat boots, really tight pants and band t-shirts. I had the requisite studded vest and leather jacket and I had a shaved head with little bangs that I changed colors all the time.  Those pictures never fail to make anyone go “whoa!”

Now I tend toward jeans and a cute top with motorcycle boots or Vans.  I like a good vintage dress with rockabilly flair and I have grown up clothes and shoes for work. My hair still changes a lot but that’s okay because otherwise the kids that work for me would get bored.

Me: Changing the hair is one thing we have in common, lass. When you have time to read, what genre are you drawn to?

Jay: I like a little bit of everything.  I’m not a huge paranormal fan but if anything is done well I’ll give it a chance. I’m leery of anything that I feel was written too genre, you just have to connect the dots so that it fits in this category or that. That’s one of the reasons I’m so glad any Indie-author can publish on their own.  Those books feel less regimented and freer to me.

Me: I totally know what you mean. That’s why I broke with my publisher and set a new course with my books. Speaking of books, name one book that you could read time and again?

Jay: Ritual Sin’s by Anne Stuart….it’s old but man is it good.  Intense and weird and such a complicated story, in fact it’s almost hard to read. She was the first author I ever read that made a bad-boy actually BAD…not just like a caricature of what a bad boy should be.

Me: I haven’t heard of that book, but do you mean bad as in actually worse than Rule?

Jay: I mean bad as in a bad person by circumstances and design but you end up in love with him anyway. He is way worse than Rule.

Me: Did you ever have a book boy crush? Who was it?

Jay: I like Ty McCabe from the Never Series by CM Stunich, I just finished Falling into You by Jasinda Wilder and I gotta say Colt had all the things I like in a book boyfriend as well.

Me: Cool, Falling Into You is next on my list, too. Now I actually can’t wait. I believe you’re getting lots and lots of fan mail. Are you answering them all?

Jay: I sure try. It’s fun because a lot of people think I’m a dude.

Me: They what?? I would never think that a dude would be able to write romance the way you did. At least, I haven’t come across anything alike from a man’s hand.

Jay: It’s the name that confuses them, I think. Jay is short for Jennifer, by the way. I think what some folks will say to a guy is way different than from what they’ll say to a chick, so it’s always interesting. I figure if someone can take time out of their day to drop me a line, I sure as hell can squeeze in the time to say thank you.

Me: She tells me they are way over 40 emails a week, so this is really awesome of her, I think. What was the nicest thing a reader ever said about your book?

Jay: That after reading it, it made him want to get his junk pierced….yep best compliment ever.

I do love it when people write me and tell me they have lost a sibling or have struggled with family dynamics like I presented in RULE.  I am always so touched when they let me know they can relate to something I created.  If you can see yourself or part of your world reflected back at you from the pages of a book it makes the reading experience so much more powerful. At least I know it does for me.

Me: What was the worst thing a reader ever said about your book?

Jay: I guess that I shouldn’t use tattoos and body modification to signify growth and coming of age. They implied that it was like promoting body modification and trying to lure younger readers into thinking that it was okay. They said something about me trying to create a cult following of tattooed freaks.

Me: Wow, that’s gross.

Jay: It was just weird and off base. I don’t care if people who read my stuff are tattooed or not. I don’t suggest anyone ever do anything permanent to their body without serious consideration.

Me: But I do believe that, with or without intention, you might have started something there. After I read the book, I actually thought about getting my tongue pierced, or maybe a lip ring. I have a tattoo on my right leg, and several years back, I had a barbell through my bottom lip. It never healed thoroughly, so I had to take it out again, and since I hate pain, I never had it done again. Too bad. So yeah, your book does touch people in a different way.

Do bad reviews still hurt you?

Jay: They never hurt me. I was confused at first, because I didn’t understand how this book was being read by so many people. I say all the time it was whim but I don’t think people really understand how clueless I really was. I see all the stuff about editing and I have heard some people feel it drags in spots but I am of the mind ‘you can’t please all the people all the time’ with that.

I tried to get it fixed up after that, and when that still wasn’t good enough I just figured the ship had sailed. I had to learn not to take it personally.  People who are mad about the editing and grammar don’t know me and they can always get a refund. JET is going to a professional, expensive as heck editor, so all I can say about that is it won’t happen again.

If people don’t want to support what I’m about then that is okay, and if they want to give me a second chance to get JET out all perfect, then they are welcome to do that too.

Me: RULE is clearly a phenomenon, but I can totally relate to those readers who don’t like dealing with the lack of editing. Heck, it took me 5 weeks to make up my mind whether I wanted to give it a try or not. Now I’m like totally happy I did Was there an inspiration for Rule, someone you know from the bar maybe?

Jay: Rule has a lot of different parts of people in him. He isn’t based on any one person but his attitude and his emotional unavailability come straight from the first boyfriend I ever had when I was a teenager.

Me: Does that guy know about this?

Jay: Probably…if you ask him he knows everything about everything.

Me: You’re agented now. The Corvisiero agency, I think, right? How and when did that happen?

Jay: Stacey found me the first week RULE was out.  I had a couple different offers from some different agencies but she was honest about things, wasn’t scared of my big mouth, and I like that she doesn’t pull any punches. Plus she’s Canadian and I like when she says eh……

Me: Who’s the publisher of your choice? Will Rule be republished with one of them soon?

Jay: I have no preference in a publishing house, one that lets me do what I do and doesn’t try and put me on a leash would be my pick. The going thought is that Rule will be bought as part of a series if he gets picked up. He’s out there on the wings but I think everyone is kind of waiting to see if I can do it again with JET.  Like I said hype is fleeting and success can be a short lived thing.

Me: What is the best choice you could have made?

Jay: In life…filing for divorce last year. For myself…hitting that publish button in Dec.

Me: If you could go out for lunch with one of your characters tonight, who would it be and what would be the first thing you’d tell them?

Jay: I love Cora. I mean I feel like if she was real we would be besties. She is fun to write, fun to read, she is just fun. She was only supposed to pop up in the first book for a second, but now she’s all over the place, and I have big plans for her later on. I guess I would tell her to keep an eye on all those boys; things are going to be pretty exciting around that shop for the next few years. I would let her know she doesn’t want to miss it

Quick draw questions:

Best friend forever?

Jay: My mom and Settie

Hugs or kisses?

Jay: Hugs

Favorite meal?

Jay: I like breakfast for dinner!!!!

Tattooed?

Jay: Really? Uh yeah super tattooed for me and whoever else I happen to be getting naked with at the time!!!

Piercings in which places?

Jay: Anything that you can’t see when you’re dressed is always a nice surprise to find later on…wink wink

Favorite long drink?

Jay:  I drink Bud Light and that is pretty much it for adult beverages…have been known to do shots of Crown but that never ends well or pretty.

Name of the book you’re currently reading?

Jay: Just finished Lover at Last by Ward… le sigh Quinn

Did you ever scream when you watched a horror movie?

Jay: I don’t watch horror movies. I like action, give me Bruce Willis any day.

If you could name a star, what name would it be?

Jay: I love the Drive By Truckers star…lol I heart DBT for short

Finish this line: Sex is best when…

Jay: …it makes me think I should remember this for a book

Me: That last one cracked me up! LOL

So, Jay, what are you plans for the rest of 2013?

Jay: Get JET edited and either sold or self-published by sometime this summer, start and hopefully finish ROME, decide what I’m going to do about my regular job, go shopping, take the bestie and my mom to Hawaii… I dunno I usually try and take it one day at a time. I’m really, really bad at living in the moment, at enjoying the here and now so I’m trying hard to just do that at this moment. I am very fortunate for the readers that get me, just honestly get me, and it is so touching and wonderful I don’t want to miss it.

Me: And finally, what is the one question you always want someone to ask you, but no one did yet? And what’s the answer going to be?

Jay: Which of the guys from your book do you like best and would be your type?  Rowdy…readers will see more of him coming up, but he’s literally there just to be my dream guy…le swoon

Me: Okay, I think we spent quite some time with this little query and answer thing, and I know you want to get back to your notebook and just hammer away, LOL. So…thanks a bunch for coming, lass. I’m looking forward to having you over in a little while again, but then in form of one of your favorite characters’ voice.

Jay: These were really fun questions. I actually enjoyed answering them. Thanks again, Piper.

 

Guys, if you enjoyed this interview, or just want to tell Jay how fast and deep you fell in love with Rule (like we all did ) then you can find her here:

Jaycrownover.blogspot.com

@jaycrownover

facebook.com/jay.crownover

See you in a little bit!

Piper

Tagged: authors, books, writing

RULE by Jay Crownover

This is a definite fiver!

I read over 50 reviews of this book before I decided to get it, and they all said the same. Brilliant but oh so many errors. As a writer and freelance proofreader this really turned me off, and even after I bought the book, I waited about a month before I decided to finally give it a try…because seriously, I can handle a lot, but heck no errors in a book. And yes, that’s where I was mistaken.

In fact, RULE is written in such an awesome style that the errors didn’t even start to bother me. And hell, yeah, that is a first!

The story begins with Rule waking up next to an ink bunny, who he better get’s out of his bed soon, because he has business to do. And before we learn what’s really going on, SHE already stands in the door. Shaw. He doesn’t bother that she sees him naked with a slut in his room. Heck, she’s seen it every Sunday over so many years. He only knows, he has to get up, get clean, and get his ass into her car in ten minutes, or she’d drive off without him.  Everything that comes after this particular scene is pretty cool romance staring a nice girl that doesn’t want to be as nice any longer, and a guy who has tattooed BAD all over him. They do match! Just not from the start.

And now I’d like to stop giving you a rerun of the book, which you can read in mostly all of the 1400 reviews on Goodreads anyway, but focus on the one fact that really hooked me and made me read all the way through, even though the story line seemed a little dragged on after the middle. It’s Jay Crownover’s amazing way to play with words. Being a writer myself, I of course look at books differently than most other readers, and it takes a lot for me to fall for a book. I’ve put more books down in the past couple of month after the first chapter than I actually finished reading, but with RULE, I realized after page two that this is remarkable writing and totally worth to be read.

It’s when we’re in Rules mind at the beginning and see him struggle to get his shit together in time, that I felt myself starting to hold my breath, reading that bit faster, just to get to the point where the first real bit of information is revealed. His name.

I was all set for a silent ride, but apparently she had things to say today, because as soon as she pulled the car onto the highway, she turned the radio down and said my name. “Rule.”

The author has a unique way of letting her mouth loose and making a point with everything she says. Her dialogues are a bit long at times, but they always serve a purpose and make sense, and it’s just beautiful to listen to Rule and Shaw debating things.

Now I gotta go see if I still have a girlfriend or if I managed to drink myself single last night.

However, the most memorable line came from a person you may deem as a side character, but the gal sure gives everybody shit who messes with her guys in the tattoo shop. Her name is Cora, and she’s just the friend Shaw needs at this phase in her life.

I think it’s genetically impossible not to be kind of in love with him, when you come equipped with a vagina.

Some of you follow my reviews, and you all know I’m honest to a fatal point with what I say about books. So I won’t lie here either. There were a few moments in the book where I wanted to jump right in and slap the heroine upside her head. It mostly happened when she was around or thinking about her parents. The way the author made this woman crawl in front of her folks just didn’t work for me. I would have wanted the girl to stand for herself from the first time her idiotic mother opened her mouth, or when her absent father threatened to stop coming up for tuition if she didn’t play nice with the jerk, who’s mostly called Polo Shirt in this book. But for the sake of a nice story, I turned my rage button off and just read over it until the very end.

And the end came clean and beautiful, with enough setup for more books in the Marked Men Series, but also with a nice solution that doesn’t leave you hanging like some other books I’ve read.

Over all, I totally enjoyed this book, but eventually I have to say that something happened to me here, which is very rare. When I finished Rule, I didn’t go like “Aww, I want to reread it and just relive all the beautiful moments with this sexy guy” like I normally do when I close a good book. No, this time my only thought was, Heck, I wish I could write like Jay!

Major congrats to Jay Crownover for creating a phenomenon with her debut novel. I wish her lots and lots of success while she’s trying to figure out how to deal with the change in her life. And if you’re curious now about who the amazing mind behind this book is, come back in a few days because then I’ll have Jay over at my virtual place and we’re talking about the good things and the crap that came along with the success.

See you around!

Piper

Tagged: books

It’s not every day…

…that you get the chance to talk to a sexy hunk like Aethan from Georgia Lyn Hunter‘s extraordinary romance Absolute Surrender.

Welcome to part three of Lyn’s author spotlight! Today with a character interview I was looking forward to do for a very long time. Ladies…meet Aethan!

Me: Tell us, Empyrean, how old are you?

Aethan: Mortals are obsessed with age. *Shakes head* Týr thinks I’m older than dirt.

Me: Why so reluctant? Just tell the number… I heard the word three-thousand once. Is it true?

Aethan: Yeah, that I’ve been on this realm. Let’s just say not as old as the Arc.

(His eyes gleam in amusement.)

Me: What have you been up to in all this time?

Aethan: Keeping humans out of trouble—not an easy task when they have this inane ability to attract trouble of the worst kind, makes our job damn difficult.

Me: Felt lonely at some point?

Aethan: My life is one of solitude—or it used to be.

Me: You’ve been alone a long time. Have you never had a woman in all the years after you left Empyrea?

Aethan: Not humans…ah, *a hint of a smile* they can’t handle me, except my mate…

(Ah damn, that smile—so sexy. I should have met this man a year ago…before he bumped into Echo)

Me: I heard about your first encounter with Echo by the stone angel. Had to laugh when she jumped onto the bench to be on eye level with you. What made this woman so attractive to you?

Aethan: She wasn’t afraid of me, or interested—something I wasn’t used too… then she jumped on that bench, yeah, that was it.

Me: How did the blue get into your hair? And how long is your hair at the moment?

Aethan: *Shrugs* The color is a recessive gene… inherited from my father’s side of my family. *He pulls off the tie, and his hair falls to his shoulder*

(Beautiful! Like a cloud of blue-black silk. I can’t resist, I touch the strands, shocking him but he lets me—cool guy. And it feels just like silk, too. I have to force my hand away from his hair…)

Me: What do you miss most about Empyrea?

Aethan: My family. *His expression turns stark—sad.* My friends, Reynner and Vallex.

Me: What do you like most in the human world? (Apart from Echo )

Aethan: The simple lives humans lead. Technology.

Me: You didn’t have technology in Empyrea?

Aethan: We have powers—abilities, there is no need for technology.

Me: Did you shower in the river and dry naked in the wind?

Aethan: Aah. *Another hint of a smile.* We have those facilities. But nothing beats nature.

Me: LOL! Okay, we’re reaching the end of our nice chat. For the closing, I have a list of quick draw questions.

Best friend?

Aethan:  Two. Reynner & Vallex

Waltz or Tango?

Athan: Waltz

Transportation?

Aethan: Range Rover

Me: And here I thought he would say “flashing”. Favorite clothes on Echo?

Aethan: A grin… As little as possible.

Sex with music or without?

Aethan: Depends… on the mood.

Planning on children?

Aethan: Definitely

What name would you give them?

Aethan: Ben & Jerry.  *smiles*

Ever heard of facebook?

Aethan: *grimaces* I communicate telepathically with the other warriors and even that’s a pain in the ass—

Me: LOL. Right, got it. Thank you so much for chatting with me. Give all your guardian friends my love—and my number.

Okay, ladies, this was the end of Lyn’s author spotlight at my place. I thought it was a lot of fun and hope you enjoyed it too.

Happy egg hunt, everyone!

Piper

I like it when this happens to me…it’s rare

Morning, folks!

Do I sound tired…? That’s probably because I am. I did a lot of reading last night and continued right when I woke up this morning, so it’s just 6:43 now and I’ve been awake already for hours.

Why? Because of a book, like I said. The book that munched me up like this was RULE. Have you heard of it?

The thing is the story wasn’t so much what held me captive, but a different, very simple thing. The writing style of Jay Crownover. Ever since I became a writer, I started looking at books differently, which truly is a curse that only few other people (mostly authors or editors) can relate to. The last book I thoroughly enjoyed was Kerrelyn Sparks’ ‘How to marry a millionaire vampire’. That was the last book I read before I turned my private life into a virtual book factory. That was the last book I read before I started editing for other authors. That was the last book where I gave a damn about typos or errors of other sorts while reading. Everything that came after this book went through a mental spell check and deep edit in my mind as I turned the pages. And guys, that’s no fun.

Why does RULE make me talk about this fact? Because the book is extraordinary in three ways. First, it’s contaminated with errors, not typos, but that kind errors where the end of the sentence doesn’t match the beginning, when you have the words THE and A teamed up and when you don’t know who is talking at the moment because the action beats are on war with the dialogue itself. Second, that exact thing, which would have driven me totally crazy in any other book, didn’t even start to bother me while reading this one. And third, Jay has a voice, a way to play with words and put them together in such a greatly collaborating way, that her style is out of this world, and I say that with the utmost of admiration from the bottom of my writer heart.

For a while now, I made it a point to review books I read. You’ll never see me give 2 or even 1 star to a book, because frankly, those are the books that I just couldn’t finish. And what’s the point in talking about them, if I didn’t live them through to the end. In fact, in the past couple of years, I put more books down after the first chapter, than I actually finished reading, which might make you think I’m a very picky reader, but…ah, what the fuck, you’re right if you think that. I just appreciate quality writing, and if it doesn’t suck me in from the get go, I don’t see a point in trying too hard or forcing myself to waste the little time I have between my day job, writing, and my family, on something that I can’t enjoy to the full. Although the story line of RULE didn’t capture me the way a good paranormal romance does, I still have to state now that the book left an awfully huge impression. Something that doesn’t happen often with me recently, and all the more I do appreciate it.

I talked to the woman, who wrote it, told her how I’m feeling about her writing…I think I did (and if not, she’ll know it now)…and asked her to get the chance for a close-up and personal during an interview which she happily agreed to. We’re going to do a three layered author spotlight on my virtual place, where you get my more formal review of Rule, a pretty long, but cool interview with Jay, and finally a character interview with a special one, someone you probably would never have expected to finally speak up.

So yeah…see you around, guys.

Piper

Tagged: books

OMG! She loves Sheldon Cooper…who would have guessed?

Hey everybody! Guess who’s visiting me today! Georgia Lyn Hunter, author of the seductive Fallen Guardian Novels. Some of you might recently have read my review of her debut novel ABSOLUTE SURRENDER, and today I’m going to introduce you to the big brain behind the story. Lyn and I did the interview in a live chat on facebook, so you might forgive us for a little bantering every now and then, cause that’s just what we normally do…

If at the end of this you have any unanswered questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Me: Hi Georgia. I’m glad you could steal some time from your writing day and squeeze in a chat with me. It’s always a pleasure to get to know my favorite authors better…not that I wouldn’t know pretty much everything about you after the past two years of our friendship. Well…everything but your actual age.

Georgia: *laughes* Thanks Piper for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Me: Okay, let’s get started. Your life in a nutshell. Who are you?

Georgia: Mom, wife, and most important a paranormal writer… my son disagrees, apparently it’s mom first. I love drawing and painting. But I’m happiest when my laptop is in front of me and I’m charging into the world of my characters, causing chaos. However, my favorite pastime is reading.

Me: Oh, you read…? I wouldn’t have guessed. Which genre are you drawn to as a reader?

Georgia: Yes—Archie comics. Kidding. I read everything, but I’m drawn to anything with a thread of romance in it. Over these past few years I’ve developed a partiality for paranormal romances.

Me: Yeah, I would have expected that, considering the hot romances you write. Speaking of hot…Who is the guy on the cover of your latest release, Absolute Surrender? And who designed that cover?

Georgia: Montana Jade created the cover. Love her work. I wanted stunning, and she depicted exactly what I wanted. Hot and loads of sensuality. The model – I have no idea who he is.

Me: Favorite character of your own books? Why?

Georgia: I like them all. But it has to be Aethan. He’s hardheaded, sexy and there’s just something so inviting about a guy who has no idea what walloped him in the heart when he meets the heroine. And then he falls hopelessly in love with her.

Me: Was there a favorite scene for you to write in AS?

Georgia: Oh yes, an emotional one, ¾ way through the book, in the bar between Aethan and Echo. To say more would spoil the scene.

Me: That was my second favorite scene, too. You gave all your heroes real depth, which I appreciate in a novel. I know you’re happily married. But let’s play “travel back in time” and pretend you haven’t met your husband yet. Out of all your books, who of your characters would be the perfect mate for you?

Georgia: * blushes * I’d say Aethan…but then, he’s too possessive. I like Reynner…from my second novel… Agh, I don’t know.

Me: I know what you’re talking about! However, apart from his dominance what else makes him particularly attractive to you?

Georgia:  * devilish grin * The man knows how to leave a woman trembling that she can’t think straight… more, I love his determination in getting whatever he sets his mind on, even when he’s such a hard-nut.

Me: Boneheads…my favorite! Your romances have some steamy love scenes in them. How did your husband react when he read them?

Georgia: Hubby doesn’t know. Jeez, he thinks I’m such an innocent. Only fight scenes and innocent kisses in my books. We don’t want to take away that illusion just yet…

Me: I’m lucky there, my husband doesn’t speak English. But I dread yet the day when my mom and dad are going to read those explicit sex scenes in my adult novels. Anyways… let’s move on to something different.

If you could have a mystical creature as a pet, what would it be?

Georgia: A leprechaun.

Me: Why? That’s a person.

Georgia: He’d lead me on all sorts of adventures—I can paint while he searches for the pot of gold and we both can become rich!

Me: If you found a magic wand, what would you do?

Georgia: Ask for world peace Or, wish me off to the Guardian’s castle. * yum yum *

Me: OMG!! THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT! Seriously, with all the world peace stuff and the Guardians… Now give me three interesting facts about you.

Georgia: I’m boring.

Me: No, you’re not. Come on, surprise me. Dig out the skeletons from your closet.

Georgia: Okay, digging…

I love solitude. My kids and hubby can’t ever understand that. But seriously, I’d rather be with my characters then go to a party. Rain… I really miss it living out here in the desert.

And I love daisies, yet my hubby thinks roses are better.

Me: So the meanie gives you roses for your birthday instead of a bunch of daisies?

Georgia: Yep, so sad. * grins *

Me: From your posting quotes on your facebook page, I know you’re an avid fan of the Big Bang Theory. What do you like most about this show?

Georgia: I simply love Sheldon’s comebacks. The guy’s hilarious. Cracks me up every time, even when I want to punch him in the schnozzle.

Me: What was your favorite TV show when you were a teenager?

Georgia: Truth is, I never watched TV. When homework was over, my nose would be buried in a book. But later on I had a few favorite shows. I simply adore Friends. I have the entire collection and recently bought the collector’s edition with all the gag reels and extra stuff. Oh, and I loved the Thorn Birds. That thing about forbidden love, I just inhale books with that concept.

Me: Okay, now a few quick draw questions:

Hugs or kisses?

Georgia: Love the feel of arms around me. Definitely hugs.

Me: If you could name a star, what name would it be?

Georgia: Blinky.

Me: Weird name. What book are you currently reading?

Georgia: JD Robb’s Calculated in Death.

Me: Any pet peeves?

Georgia: I hate when I watch something and people around me start talking. Then I want to start killing.

Me: Tattooed?

Georgia: Yeah… not me. My warriors are. They weren’t too happy though, but when you’re chosen…can’t do much, can you?

Me: Ever seen a ghost?

Georgia: I had paranormal things happen, but no ghost

Me: What is one characteristic trait of all your Fallen Guardians?

Georgia: They’re all stubborn SOB’s, as Michael calls them. But deeper, they all feel they’re unworthy to be loved. And I made them swear a lot…

Me: OMG! You swear? I’m with the wrong company.

Nah, just kidding. I know the heroes in your novels like to swear. Are you one to swear a lot in real life?

Georgia: I’m shocked you even think so. I’m an angel. Can’t you see my halo? *She blinks and smiles so innocently. One would never think to be afraid of pissing her off…but we know better.* Actually, I stunned my hubby into silence when he came across the cuss words in Absolute Surrender.

Me: Is there a time of the day where you’re not writing? – What do you like to do then?

Georgia: That can happen at any given time. But when I’m not writing, I like to cook and read.

Me: Do you have a best friend, someone you like to go out with and ramble on endlessly about your (non-existent social life as a writer? ) writing endeavors?

Georgia: It’s hard to have them when hubby’s job has us moving so often. But my daughter is perfect in that regard. Love to talk to her. She has an amazing mind and is so talented. I miss her when she’s away at university in San Francisco. Thank God for Skype.

Me: So, what’s up next in your line of the Fallen Guardians?

Georgia: After AS comes Darkness Undone, an Empyrean novel.

Me: Ooh, another intriguing title. Want to tell us a little about the main plot and the hero in it?

Georgia: Ah the hero, Reynner…betrayed, tortured and bound, until Eve saves him from his own dark self!

Me: Now I would say: Sounds totally irresistible. Can’t wait to read it. But the good thing is, I read it already, and Georgia keeps all her promises there. I love that novel. Be prepared for some stubborn Empyreans, really great fights and steamy love scenes.

So, Georgia, when you started to shop Absolute Surrender, how was the response from the market?

Georgia: No one wanted another ‘angel’ story. But this book is not like the angels we know. These are Empyreans, a carnal and seductive race of being. How carnal, you’ll see soon enough…

Me: How did you deal with rejection letters?

Georgia: Cried when I got the first one. Then had a virtual bonfire for the rest

Me: I trashed them! But I still remember the adrenaline high when I received an offer for my novel. Can you tell us about the moment when you received the first offer?

Georgia: It was late at night, and I decided to check my mail before I logged off and went to bed, when I got the offer. I stared at the email for so long and thought I’d misread. I ran downstairs to my hubby who was watching some sports show and told him. Yeah, it was a sublime moment.

Me: What would be the one perfect line a reader could send you in a fan e-mail?

Georgia: Your story lingered with me for days… I couldn’t read anything else.

Okay, we’ve reached the end, and though I know it’s been an unusually long interview, I want to thank those, who actually read until the bottom I hope you enjoyed getting to know Lyn a little more the way I know her, and if you like, please come back in a few days, when I’ll post the second part of our chat, where I actually got to interview her lead character, AETHAN, the sexiest ever written male hero…apart from Ryan Hunter, of course! LOL

See you guys around!

Cheers,

Piper

Tagged: books

Hunter’s first book

Hey guys, it’s me. Again… Yeah, that was to be expected, I know. Be still and read on

Today I’m not talking about my books or my characters for once. Because today I’d like to take the chance and introduce you to someone special. If you read the silly dedication in PLAY WITH ME (the one refering to Pinky and the Brain), then you already have heard–or read–about her. Georgia Lyn Hunter. Author and bestest critique partner in the world. In fact, she’s also my best friend in the world wide web, and yeah, I know this sucks, because we have yet to meet. But that’s just how things work between authors. LOL

Lyn’s book has been released…oh, that must be ten minutes ago. And since I critiqued for her while she wrote it, and did a recent beta read, I think it’s only fair that I give her the first inofficial but public review for

ABSOLUTE SURRENDER (that’s her book )

Here we go…

An ancient warrior from Empyrea, and a girl that is human only on the surface. Both fighting demons—one to protect the human realm, the other for personal revenge. What a stunning match they make.

Echo lost her parents early in her life, and in foster care she experienced what hatred, pain, and humiliation mean. As soon as she could, she escaped that hell and found a guardian in Damon. (Yes, that name is a definite sign…sort of. Okay, you’ll see…) In a world that’s littered with demons of various kinds, Echo lost her best friend to the most evil of them and now hunts for the one responsible for her death. She isn’t afraid of dying, only of not being able to protect those she loves. She was born with a special ability, which is seeing demon aura, and to top it all, she’s cursed with pheromones that lure in everyone with a Y chromosome, which makes hunting easy, but relationships…not. (Seriously, that part is fantastic)

Aethan, oh Aethan…how can you be so sexy and not be real?

He is always there. To save her. To catch her. And to love her when he doesn’t even want to, because it means Echo’s death. Their first encounter near the statue of a fallen angel is bristling with heat and seduction, something to characterize the entire book. Aethan—I mean that name alone is like OMG!!—soon realizes that he’s found his mate in Echo, and I’ve never come across any other character in a book, who struggles against that fact so much. The author here did a brilliant job in catching his bi-polar emotions towards Echo. In his mind he calls her mate, but on the outside he’s like granite in his resistance. And sometimes he’s just an idiot.

The tension eased out of his big body. His expression relaxed, as much a stone could.

Throughout the story, the chemistry between Aethan and Echo sizzles like a bonfire. It’s tangible on every page. But what makes it even more special, is the layer of humor G.L.Hunter strew on top of it, and the brief moments when a badass like Aethan finds he wants to actually smile because of a woman, who’s wearing the worst haircut he’s ever seen on a girl.

If he could do that without even touching her, she truly was in trouble. But she didn’t care. She only knew if he didn’t kiss her, she would burn up from her own heat and die. And then he’d be sorry.

What I often like in novels, and especially in this one, is how the hero interacts with his friends. Aethan comes with a bunch of ‘friends’, and all of them have their own story to tell. His relationship with Týr is one of a kind. They hang out, they take jabs at each other, they nearly kill themselves in training lessons, and they tell each other straight in the face what pisses them off.

The Norse’s annoying habit of eating his M&M’s according to the Pantone Color Chart made Aethan growl. “Why can’t you eat the damn things straight?”

Týr glanced at them, his expression serious. “It’s art. Each spectrum has to be enjoyed, savored, especially green.” And the shit-eating smirk was back. Made Aethan realize he’d missed the bastard.

Echo and Aethan walk through a lot before their happy ending. There’s a terrifying demonii to defeat, a human idiot to overcome, keeping their friends safe, and figuring out a weird prophecy. One of the toughest challenges for them, though, is to work out how to be together, be intimate, without having sex. Why? Yeah, if I told you that I’d give it all away, and you don’t want that, right? However, a romance is no romance if they can’t be intimate. And Hunter doesn’t disappoint with her novel. In fact, this book contains the hottest love scene I’ve ever read.

“Take your skirt off.”

Slumberous eyes gazed at him in confusion. “What?”

“Skirt. Off. All off. Now.”

She straightened to move away from him.

“No. Stand over me and do it.”

Now, that chapter was definitely an experience of the extraordinary kind. Like when you finish the scene and think: Damn should I go shower now to cool myself down? But then you decide: NO! There’s no time for unimportant things like showering, housework, or even eating and loo breaks, when you need to find out how the story goes on. So yeah, you keep turning the pages, and believe me, their HEA isn’t a done deal just yet…

Over all: Moving, inspiring, and deeply seductive, this novel comes with a heartwarming ending. Hunter’s voice is unique and catching. Her shattered-sentences style might take some getting used to at times, but it totally worked for me, and if you’re a high-level reader, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it just as much.

Her heroes jump right off the page and into your heart. She perfectly shaped her characters with flaws and traits as you would find within every real person, but they also come with this extra layer of arrogance that I can never resist. I cheered for Echo on every page and fell in love with Aethan from the get go. And with Týr…and with Blaéz, too…oh, and definitely with the Archangel…

Echo’s and Aethan’s struggle to find a way to be together is told with a beautiful sense of humor, especially when they get into each other’s way more than just once—and that even though they’re obviously fighting on the same side. There were moments when I laughed out loud, and moments when I wanted to cry with the heroine…or the hero.

This is a sexy book, which you definitely shouldn’t miss if you’re enjoying steamy romances with characters you wish they were real.

To pick up the butler’s words: That was…quite an experience.

Tagged: books

Books or Gift Card?

Let’s play!

This is…

Your chance to win LOVING YOUR LIES and PLAY WITH ME, signed and personally dedicated, in a package, plus a little surprise gift inside.

or a $25 Gift Card from Amazon.

Are you game?

    

The rules…so easy.

Recommend LOVING YOUR LIES on Goodreads and Facebook to your friends, and have as many of them as you can pick it up, read it, and write a review, including the name of the one who recommended it to them (your name) in the first line. Then just drop me the link to it in a comment to this post. That’s it!

Post as many links to reviews as you like. The more the better for you, because once LOVING YOUR LIES cracks the 100 reviews mark on Goodreads, the two commentors who gathered the most reviews will win. And you can choose your prize.

Sound fair?

GOOD LUCK!!

Piper

Tagged: Giveaway

Meet Julian and GIVEAWAY!!!

Hey everybody!

Who wants to get both my books LOVING YOUR LIES and PLAY WITH ME, signed and personally dedicated, maybe with a little present inside?

PLAY WITH ME hit the 1.000 ratings mark today. LOVING YOUR LIES doesn’t have 100 yet, and I really think it’s time that you all meet sexy Julian.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17288193-loving-your-lies

So, once LOVING YOUR LIES cracks the 200 reviews mark on Goodreads, I’ll give away two times both books in a package, signed and personally dedicated. Plus a small surprise gift.

What you have to do:

Recommend LOVING YOUR LIES on Goodreads and/or Facebook to your friends, and have as many of them as you can pick it up, read it, and write a review, including the name of the one who recommended it to them in the first line. Then just drop me the link to it in a comment to this post or on facebook. Each review must be dated after March 5th. Post as many links as you like. The more the better for you.

The one with the most reviews will win!

GOOD LUCK!

Tagged: Giveaway