Xio Axelrod's Blog, page 17

Trading Spaces – Romance Writers Weekly

Welcome to another installment of Romance Writers Weekly! This week, Elizabeth Janette asked us to invite you into our personal writing spaces. Fun but scary! For me, anyway. Ehehe

Did you just land here from the wonderful Ronnie Allen‘s page? She’s so organized! And I love that she wrote at a beach club. Really, go check it out.

Oh no! Not the comfy chair!

I have three spots in my house that I rotate between. One is the comfy chair in my living room. It’s not much to see and looks nothing like this.

It’s really Mr. X’s chair but I think I spend more time in it than he does. And it’s leather, not covered in flowers.

Upstairs, I have two areas  for writing. One is flooded with natural light and pillows – lots of pillows, there are 5 in the photo and another 5 outside of the frame – and a view of my enormous birch tree. It’s bare right now, so all I see are my neighbours’ backyards. Thankfully, one of our bonsai trees provides a nice substitute for the birch against today’s cold, blue sky. There are also books – foreign language dictionaries, scifi, LINUX, calculus textbooks – but mostly romance.

The other space is, quite literally, a cave. It used to be my office, but when we converted hubby’s former office into a proper guest room/writing room, we condensed.

Mr. X has two PCs and three monitors on his side, I have a Mac and two monitors on mine. It sorta looks like the Matrix in this room, complete with mood lighting.

And then there are my dolls and figurines. Jack Skellington, the Corpse Bride, Bob the Skull, Edgar Allen Poe, Mr. Oogie Boogie and some Living Dead dolls all peer down from their perches. I also have a Spike puppet (from Buffy), Mal (from Firefly), an Edward Scissorhands plushie,  and other collectibles. (They’re really quite dusty right now. I should get right on that. Heh.) This room also has a window – with a coffin shaped window seat. (Note the theme? C’est moi.)  We keep the black curtains drawn to protect all of the machinery. These photos were taken yesterday around noon.

Dark, no? Like a cave. Since this is also where I write music and record demos, I have various instruments and equipment strewn about. That’s for a different post.

I guess, now that I look at it, I don’t really have a traditional writing space. I don’t even have a set routine. Sometimes I write in bed, sometimes on the couch, sometimes in the pillow room (though not since October) and sometimes in the cave. It’s all about my mood. I feel fortunate that I have options, though. Nothing like a change in venue to spark ones’ creative flow.

Next up is the delightfully talented Eden Ashe who shares her space with her cat, Misha. Or maybe Misha shares the space with her? Who knows with cats. =)

See you next time!

FoX Friday with Carlene Love Flores!

I am soooooo happy to welcome the lovely and talented Carlene Love Flores to my little corner of the interwebs. She’s here with a peek at her fabulous new release, Stay for Me. Welcome, Carlene!

Carlene: Hi Xio! Hi Xio’s friends! I’m here to share my new release with you but first, I just have to say that I was snooping around and I want to know—no, I need to know—when does Starstruck come out, Miss Axelrod??? I love the blurb and the idea. Please tell me we don’t have long to wait and if I’ve somehow missed its release, please bop me over the head and point me in the right direction!

Xio: Haha! No, you didn’t miss it. Starstruck has a new name, Falling Stars. I hope to release it around the end of May/beginning of June. It’s been a long time coming, ehehe.

Carlene: And I also know you have a mutual and profound love of music so I thought I’d share the writing play list for Stay for Me…

Move Together by James Bay

Fade Into Me by David Cook

Stay by Rihanna

Stay by Dave Gahan

The End by Kings of Leon

Xio: That’s a fantastic playlist! Mine are all miles long.

Carlene: It’s always tough keeping a playlist on the short side but it helps me focus on the emotions the artists put into those particular songs. So what about you? Can you narrow your favorite songs down to a Top 5? Please share, I’d love to hear about them.

Xio: I could never, but maybe some of the readers could. My list of favourites changes daily. Thanks for popping by, Carlene dear, and best of luck with your release.

Carlene: Have a great day everyone and please enjoy my promo…

One night to finally make it right before it all gets torn apart…

            Two years ago, best friends Emma Chester and Sam Jason tried being intimate. Due to Sam’s massive size, it didn’t work. Emma was hurt. Embarrassed, they did their best to move on. Now the day has come when Emma must suspend Sam as a dancer at the club they work at, awakening the buried pain of that one night.

Sam has seen this day coming but is shocked when Emma asks him to strip for her just once before he leaves the club. Allowing himself to feel for her again is too dangerous but she’s clearly not in her right mind and needs him.

Can he maintain his restraint and help her?

When she hands him his uniform to strip out of, is she handing him her heart? Or is it too tattered to ever belong to him again?

***

How amazing does that sound? I’m 1-clicking it right now, lol. Carlene was kind enough to give us an excerpt from Stay With Me as well. Enjoy!

“Are you okay?” she asked as he felt his back move against the wall.

No. In fact, he was ashamed of the slip in control as the thrill of that shot of her breath reminded him. He’d once thought of nothing else besides making love to her and had been pretty damn reckless in going after it as a twenty-one-year-old man. Didn’t matter that they’d been best friends since they were thirteen. In fact, that was what should have stopped him. How much time she and her family had given to improving his home life should have been his reminder not to touch. Not to kiss.

The sudden mind game didn’t stop there.

Tight knots shot up through his gut. Damn, he was not getting aroused, except for damn, he was. It was her eyes and her hair and what she’d been trying to do for him. He pushed down and adjusted the growing and inappropriate bulge so it didn’t bust the overworked zipper of his god-awful, tight pants. As soon as he did that, she finally spoke.

            “You’re still in costume.” He watched her chest rise and fall with her deep breath, wondering what exactly it meant.

God, was she responding to him? He’d lie if he didn’t still have the clearest picture of her smile taking over her face when he came off the plane to meet her and her parents. She’d even told him how good he looked in his Army uniform. Haunted by the knowledge of how badly he’d hurt Emma trying to make love that night, he prayed for her sake that he was wrong. And now here he was thinking what? Two years he’d lived up to that vow. There had to be a way to crawl back into the hole he’d dug where feelings for Emma were buried.

            Then she did the most dangerous thing of all. She crawled over to the wall where he’d escaped, reached out, and touched his shoulder.

“Didn’t have time to take it off,” he said and came out of his squat to rest on his knees, preparing to get up and leave before he did something stupid.

            He could not hurt her again, and he was dangerously close to breaking his vow.

This was about quitting one job and replacing it with another, finances, and upholding secret arrangements with her parents who he loved like his own. Not drudging up the night he’d put everything on the line and asked her to be his, how eager she’d been to say yes, and how he’d screwed it all up. But now he couldn’t ignore the flood of fire as Emma’s brown eyes did their best to lie for her, same as his tried on his behalf.

            “Emma, I should go. Gotta clean out my locker.”

            Get some fresh air and a pair of pants that aren’t so damn tight.

            He vaguely noticed the slight shake to the ends of her hair before she said the words that rocked his world, taking this completely off the playing field he’d been prepared to run around.

            She rubbed at the tip of her cute little nose. “I only took this job because I knew if you left without me that night, you’d find a way to stay away for good. For my good. Just like you’re trying to do now. I’m calling bullshit, on all of this. I’ve wanted to be yours since the eighth grade, Sam. You tell me how to quit that. I’m tired of lying.”

Grab a copy at: Evernight / Amazon / AllRomance eBooks / Barnes and Noble

Carlene Love Flores is a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), honest music (especially Depeche Mode), and her traveling family (no favorites there-she loves them all). These things inspire her intimate style of romance writing. She feels honored to be a member of Washington DC Romance Writers (WRWDC), RWA San Diego (RWASD), and the Waterworld Mermaids. Carlene currently lives in the San Diego area where she can often be found listening to live music and looking up at the sky on clear nights.  If she could touch someone’s heart with her writing the way others have done for her, she’d say truly there never lived a luckier girl.

Carlene would love to hear from you, find her here: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Evernight / Goodreads / Pinterest / Facebook Author Page

Flash Fiction – Romance Writers Weekly

J.J. Devine said “It’s been a while since we’ve done a Flash Fiction so let’s do this again. Give me a scene of 500 words that contain the words, happiness, egg, and purple.” Woo, tough one. Did you get a chance to check out what Gemma Brocato wrote? It was sooooo dreamy. She really knows how to set a scene. =)

Here’s my take on it.

If she had known that the recipe for happiness included a boiled egg and a purple wig, Jill could have saved a ton of time and aggravation. Pablo was difficult to shop for, especially since he claimed to hate his own birthday.

“That’s good, now turn this way.”

She swiveled. “This is definitely not my good side.”

“Every side is your good side.” Sweet talker.

“Yeah, well…”

Light flashed in the corner of her eye. Pablo mumbled to himself, giddy. It was kind of adorable, if not a little weird.

“I can’t believe I never noticed how much you look like her.” Ever since Jill agreed to this impromptu photo shoot, she’d ceased to be his beloved wife and had become little more than a prop.

The temperature in the room was unbearably hot. The whir of a small, portable fan barely stirred the air. Her black leather pants had begun to stick in places where she’d rather they didn’t. The wig itched and her face smelled like feet. Pablo kept click-click-clicking away.

“This egg is starting to rot under these lights.”

The camera went quiet. “Aww, I’m sorry babe. I’m almost done. These are going to be great!” He paused. “You know…”

Uh oh. Now what?

“Tickets for Comic-Con go on sale this week.”

“Yeah?” Of course she knew that, she had every intention of getting him a pair. She’d slip them into his birthday card.

“You’re the perfect Leela. And I could go as Fry!” As if.

“Dear, sweet hubby o’ mine, when you said roleplay-“

“Cosplay.”

“Whatever. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

What she did have in mind was a curve-hugging corset for her and a breezy peasant shirt for him. And a kilt. Mmmm… Definitely a kilt. Worn in the true Highlander way. Commando. Great. Now she was horny. And she still smelled like eggs.

“Babe?”

“Huh?

“The egg is slipping.”

Arrgh! “Pablo, dear?”

“Yeah?”

“So is your standing in my good graces.” Jill heard his audible gulp and stifled a giggle.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“Not since you sat me here on this stool, no. My memories before that are fuzzy.”

“Ha. Ha.” She heard him approach. Jill expected a soft kiss or a warm embrace, signaling the end of the ordeal, but no. He adjusted the egg, adding more putty to her forehead before kissing her cheek.

“I love you more than anything.”

“Anything?”

“Yep, and since you’re being so gracious-“

Cough.

“Go on.”

“As I was saying, since you’re being such a good sport about this, you can pick the next one.”

“The next one? Is this a thing now? Like, our thing?”

“It could be.”

“And…we’d take pictures?”

She heard him set the camera down. “Or, you know, whatever.”

Jill lifted the painted sunglasses that had covered her eyes. Pablo, in all of his glory, came into focus. Hip-hugging jeans, bare chest, disheveled hair. Yum.

“I’m totally up for whatever.”

“C’mere Leela.” He pulled her into his arms.

“Oh…Fry.”

***

That went in a completely different direction than I intended, but whatevs. =) By the way, do you know Fry and Leela? Now you understand how my brain works. Sorta.

Well, that’s it for this week’s blog hop. If I am your first stop, head on back to Brenda Margriet ‘s and see what she wrote. See you next time!

FoX Friday introduction to Damian Jericho

Damian Jericho is the pen name of a best-selling sci-fi/fantasy novelist who tragically does not have a name that is half as interesting as ‘Damian Jericho’. Both of them are friends of mine, both reside in the Boston area and one of them is real.

Damian released book one of his darkly erotic Forbidden Gems series on Tuesday (happy birthday to me! lol) and book two will be in stores on the 3rd of March.

Here’s a bit about both.

It’s an unusual night at the museum. The legendary Pazuzu gemstones are making an appearance, in the company of the man who discovered them: the almost equally legendary Argent Leeds.

Mara, a young intern, expects nothing more from the evening than a chance to get a glimpse at the almost mythical stones. What she gets is a private showing, and a great deal more: the beginning of an erotic journey unlike anything she could have ever imagined.

Available at Amazon and AllRomance

Trust me when I say that you’ve never read anything quite like this. Here’s a bit about book two.

While sorting through the archeological findings from one of Argent’s digs, Mara makes a surprising discovery, one that might connect back to the gemstones. Eager to share what she’s found, she meets Argent for a private dinner in an exclusive club, and ends up sharing a great deal more when clothing becomes entirely optional.

Forbidden Gems is a six part serial. Book two is available for pre-order at Amazon.

By the way, I did the cover art for the series. Tres sexy, non?

You can stay in touch with Damian Jericho via Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

FoX Friday with Jo Richardson!

My lovely and talented friend, Jo Richardson, is back! She brings with her the shiny new cover for her upcoming release, Cookie Cutter.

Iris Alden and Carter Blackwood couldn’t be more different. Change-averse Iris likes her life neat and organized, while Carter’s itchy feet mean he doesn’t plan to stay in the same place for long.

When Carter moves into the house across the street from Iris, to renovate it, she fights the disruption it causes in her life. Before long, though, it’s not simply the house Carter’s rebuilding, but Iris’s heart, too.

Yeah, I am so ready for this one but it won’t be in my hot little hands until March 23rd. So I twisted Jo’s arm (not really) and snagged an excerpt.

Enjoy!

“What are you doing here?”

It’s Carter freaking Blackwood. Of course.

He smiles that ridiculously bright, white smile of his and lets out a soft snicker. “I’m fixing a floor for a friend, what are you doing here?”

It’s completely obvious what I’m doing here, seeing as I’m carrying two huge trays of sugar cookies in my arms.

“A friend? You just moved in. How do you have friends already?” I say it a bit harsher than I probably should but honestly, how does he have friends already?  James and I were here a good six months before people started really talking to me.  It was a year before I could call any of them friends. The edges of Carter’s mouth turn down and his head dips to one side as his shoulders hunch then settle.

“People like me, I guess.”

The smug look on his face is enough to make me want to slap it.  Or kiss it.

Wait. Not kiss it. I didn’t mean kiss it. Why am I staring at his lips?

“People who don’t want to kill me that is.  Are you okay?”

I blink, and search my brain, but I’m still not quite sure what to say to him, so I extend my arms. “I brought cookies.” As soon as I say the words, I hear them. I sound ridiculous and Carter’s bright eyes crinkle with amusement.

He closes his lids and he breathes the baked goods in. Then hums. The sound of his voice sends a vibration through me and I shiver. I am eternally grateful that he doesn’t see it happen.

His eyes open slowly. When they reach mine, I’m glued to his stare like a deer in headlights.

“Those cookies smell really fucking good, Iris.”

The bedroom eyes catch me off guard and my mouth falls open so I snap it shut. I’m a buffoon with no ability to speak.

“Can I have one?” He reaches out and I balance the platter with one hand, then slap his fingers with the other while I find words. A word that is.

“No.”

“Ow.” He pulls his hand away, like a child getting reprimanded, only when we make eye contact again, he doesn’t seem child like to me.

I wouldn’t say he’s angry. He doesn’t exactly laugh, either. And his eyes gleam as he stares at me. I hate his eyes almost as much as I hate his teeth. Maybe more. Dammit, I’m staring, again.

“They’re for Ally’s class,” I tell him. “Fundraiser, I mean bake sale.” I fumble my words. He’s so frustrating.

About Jo:

A movie fanatic, a writer of stories, a lover of life.

Jo grew up in Maryland with four siblings, three parents and an endless number of cousins within the vicinity – but it was too cold up North for this thin blooded girl. So today, she lives in Florida with her two girls and a husband that shares her same sense of humor and basic take on life as we know it.

Life is too short to put dreams on the back burner.

Jo tells contemporary stories with romance, humor, the supernatural, the paranormal, suspense, mystery, action and anything else she can think up.

In 2012, she wrote Cursed be the Wicked, a character driven, paranormal mystery romance that was picked up by Soul Mate Publishing and released in March of 2014. Since then, Jo has also written a couple of short stories and her recently contracted contemporary romantic comedy, entitled Cookie Cutter, is set to release on March 23, 2015 through Little Bird Publishing.

Catch up with Jo on her Website, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook or Twitter

Other works by Jo:

Cursed be the Wicked, a paranormal mystery romance, released March 2014 through Soul Mate Publishing

AMAZON | B&N | GOODREADS

Lost in Christmas, a short story included in Soul Mate Publishing’s 2013 Christmas anthology

AMAZON | GOODREADS

Cover reveal from A. S. Fenichel!

Do you like Paranormal Historical Romance? My friend A. S. Fenichel dropped by to show me the sparkly cover for her upcoming release, Deception – Book Two in The Demon Hunters series. I gave you a sneak peek on Tuesday, but here’s the full monty.

When Demons threaten Regency London, only a Lady can stop them.

Lillian Dellacourt is beautiful, refined and absolutely lethal. She’s also the most feared and merciless demon hunter in The Company. She’s come a long way from the penniless seamstress’s daughter sold to the highest bidder, and it wasn’t by trusting a man, let alone an exiled Marquis with more on his mind than slaying the hellspawn . . .

For Dorian Lambert, Marquis de Montalembert, being sent to keep track of Lillian is no mean task. He’s wanted the fiery vixen since he first heard of her five years ago. But wooing the lady while fighting the demon uprising is no easy feat, especially when the lady’s tongue is as sharp as the Japanese sai blades she favors for eviscerating the spawn of hell.

These two will have to learn to trust each other fast, because the demon master is back, and he’s planning to turn Edinburgh into a living hell…

Sounds fantastic, Am I right? =) The book will be out on July 7, 2015 but it it available for Pre-order: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kensington Publishing

There’s also a Rafflecopter giveaway!

About the Author:

A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back.

A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story.

Multi-published in erotic paranormal, contemporary and historical romance, A.S. is the author of the Mayan Destiny series, Christmas Bliss and many more. With several books currently contracted to multiple publishers, A.S. will be bringing you her brand of romance for many years to come.

Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in the East Texas with her real life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing she enjoys cooking, travel, history, and puttering in her garden.

Find A.S. Fenichel at her website, on Goodreads, Twitter,  Tsu, Facebook, Google+, and on Pinterest.

Voyage, Viaje, Viagem – Romance Writers Weekly

Hello! And welcome to another installment of Romance Writers Weekly. Am I your first stop, or did you swing by Fiona Riplee’s?

This week, A. S. Fenichel wants to know about our favourite vacation spots. She also just revealed the gorgeous cover for the second book in her Demon Hunter series, Deception. It comes out on the 7th of July, but you can pre-order it now. Look at the pretty!

Mr. X and I didn’t start vacationing regularly until a few years ago. Between his travel for work and my touring schedule, the calendar never cooperated. We’d gone to Hawaii (gorgeous!) for a belated honeymoon, and took a couple of weekend trips down to Disney (I love it there) but that’s about it. Four years ago, we decided we needed to get away. We didn’t want to fly more than four hours and we didn’t want to blow out our bank accounts, but we also wanted paradise.

So where did you go, Xio?

So glad you asked.

The Dominican Republic has to be one of the best-kept secrets in the Caribbean, at least for us American tourists. Every time we go, we run into a ton of people from Canada, Russia, and Germany but we’re often the only people at our resort from the States.

Our first trip down was in 2011 and we stayed in Puerto Plata. The resort was quaint and had very few amenities (no WIFi). While in Hawaii, I had worked most of the time. (E-commerce never sleeps.) And Mr. X, being the tech genius he is, is always on-call. D.R. forced both of us to drop off of the grid and just…enjoy. I’d never really done a ‘laze on the beach all day’ vacation.

We chose an all-inclusive so that we wouldn’t have to think about meals and drinks. All-in-all, it was a wonderful first experience. Was it paradise? Not quite but that was more about our location on the island. The beach, while pretty, was a little rocky and not very clean in places. I stepped on a nail the first day. Fortunately, my sandals took the brunt of the puncture, or it would have been a very different vacation lol. At night, there was really nowhere to go off of the reservation. I mean you could, if you really wanted to, but the perimeter was patrolled by uniformed men with air rifles. So…yeah.

Our next trip down, we went to Punta Cana. Having read that this was the place to be, we decided to go with the popular choice for a change. I am really glad that we did. Punta Cana is much more developed than Puerto Plata, while still retaining its island charm. The resort was beautiful, the staff was super friendly and funny and sweet to us and the food was so much better. And the drinks? Uh…yeah. Those were gooooood. *hic*

But the real reason Punta Cana will always be my D.R. destination is because of views like this.  Postcard-perfect wherever you look. And yes, it is meticulously maintained to give you the illusion of perfection. Empty cups and plates magically disappear from the beach and the sand is always perfectly level when you go down in the morning. If you’ve ever been to Disney World or Disneyland, you’ll notice the manicured similarities. Every aspect of the all-inclusive resort experience is designed for your convenience. In a place like Punta Cana, it means that all you have to do is eat, drink and be merry. You’re faced with difficult decisions, though. Margarita or mojito? Pool or beach? Sushi or empanadas?

Le grand sigh. So arduous.

There are island excursions, of course. When we stayed in Puerto Plata, we toured the Brugal rum factory (with free tastings!) and went to the Amber and Larimar museum. Larimar is a stone native to the Dominican Republic from which they make the most beautiful jewelry. It’s sort of a cross between turquoise and opal. We also toured the “city” and took a cable car ride up Torres mountain. It was a one-day thing.

In Punta Cana, the resort complex was so huge that we never left it. Different restaurant every night, concerts and shows – you name it – they had it.

One of the reasons I really love D. R. is that it is so very affordable. We went to Puerto Rico in 2011 as well and were astounded by just how expensive everything was. Beautiful, of course, but crazy pricey. So yeah, I love the Domincan Republic. When we’re there, I feel like a local and they treat me like one. Good thing I speak Spanish, eh?

There are, of course, other places that I plan to vacation if I ever get the chance. I love Portugal, but I’ve never been down to the Algarve. I’ve always wanted to travel to the South Pacific, as well as the beaches of Morocco and Cape Verde. Maybe I’ll hit the lottery one day. For now, I’ll enjoy the slice of paradise that’s just a four-hour flight from home. Buen viaje!

Hop on over to see where Brenda Margriet likes to spend her down time. See you next week!

A musical Valentine from Xio!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my lovelies!

Two years ago, as I accidentally wrote my very first romance (long story), a friend and I recorded one of my favourite songs for another project.

As I sat listening to it, a one-off chapter for the book – which was a web serial at the time – came to me.  In it, Adam watches his two friends, Sam and Valerie, perform a song together and wonders how he could have been so blind.

Here’s the song, “Yellow” (originally by Coldplay):

http://xioaxelrod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Yellow.mp3

Wishing you lots of love!

Xio oxo

Celebrate Romance Week with me on Goodreads!

Oh l’amour. This is the time of year when people around the world celebrate the ones they love (or hope to love.) Candlelit dinners…moonlit strolls in the park…chocolate. Swoon! Am I right?

Goodreads is celebrating this most romantic of holidays by inviting you, the reader, to chat with your favourite romance authors. Vote on your favourite books (including The Calum!) and find new favourites to read.

All week, I will be answering your questions about all things romance, so swing by early and often.

See you there, young lovers!

~Xio

oxo

Ready? Set! – Romance Writers Weekly

Welcome to another installment of Romance Writers Weekly! Each week, we give you – the dear reader – insights into what makes us tick.

This week’s question comes from Brenda Margriet, author of the delightful Chef d’Amour. She asks “How do you choose the setting for your book? Does where you live inspire you? this can apply even to books set in paranormal worlds – what do you use from real life?” Did you land here after visiting Dani Jace? Her upcoming novel Hot as Blazes is set in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Is it a place that’s close to her heart?

Story ideas come to me in a myriad of ways. Sometimes I’m inspired by a news article. Other times, I’ll meet an interesting person and the what-ifs start whirling through my brain. And then there are the times when I’m on the road (I travel a lot) in some exotic place and I find myself wondering about the lives of the locals. As let loose my books upon the world, you’ll find them set in anywhere from Lisbon to Los Angeles to Philadelphia.

My first novella, The Calum, was inspired by my love for all things Outlander. Set in the picturesque Scottish Highlands, my heroine falls in love with the landscape even before she falls for my hero. Quite often a setting can become another character in a story. It’s one of the things I love so much about writers like Diana Gabaldon and Anne Rice. Authors like Rhenna Morgan and Hugh Howey, who build their own worlds, set me – the reader – down in the middle of it. Immersion.

Hop on over to see what inspires Ronnie Allen to set her novels in the area where she lives.

See you next week!

Xio