Lisa Chalmers's Blog, page 8
November 7, 2013
Interview with the Stiletto Girls
Please welcome the Stiletto Girls to the blog today for a fun interview.
What inspired this story?
CDR – The Stiletto Girls looked forward to writing Stilettos in the South because we all three grew up in the South. We each took a memory from our childhood and developed a story around the memory. It was fun to relive times we thought we had forgotten.
MR – Yes, our fans kept asking us to write about them. So it was just easy to do something from the South, since, as Deanne said, all three of us grew up there.
GW – It was wonderful to relive memories with these two. They’re just a hoot.
Do you have a favorite scene or character from the book?
CDR – My favorite scene from my story Twilight Beach is the opening scene. It was fun to set it back at one place which played such an important part in my childhood. I loved it.
MR – I would be hard to choose one scene or one character. Not only do I like all of mine but I like all of Deanne’s and Glenna’s, too.
GW – Well, let’s see – I like them all. I especially like my character Jason Storm from my story “River Rescue.” He’s just a rugged, handsome man and I like that.
Was there anything particularly challenging about writing this?
CDR – The timeline was difficult because Twilight Beach was filled in and turned into a housing addition after I graduated from high school. I had to make the timeline of the story work around that.
MR – Ending the story. I always want to keep my characters alive. I just hate to write “The End.”
GW – I was writing from an article Maggie had sent me. I just had to make it fit into my characters’ world.
How did it compare to writing your other books?
CDR – I’ve enjoyed writing all my stories included in the books in The Stiletto Series. Once we decide on a theme for the stories, they fall into place. I’ve also enjoyed writing my own books. There is something very special about seeing your name as author of a book.
MR – Each story is different. That’s what our fans love about The Stiletto Series. They’re short, fast reads. I write individually, too, in addition to writing as one of “The Stiletto Girls.” As Deanne said, once we decided on the theme everything else just falls into place and we start writing.
GW – I’m a relative newbie. I love writing as one of “The Stiletto Girls.” I’m also working on my own book which will be different from the ones I write with Maggie and Deanne.
If your heroine had a theme song what would it be?
CDR – I’m not sure I would have a theme song for any of my heroines.
MR – All of my heroines are so different I don’t think one song would fit.
GW – Not sure they have one.
What character gave you the toughest time to write in the book?
CDR – My hero, Colt Matthews, in Cowboy Temptation ~ Colt and Cassy. He started out as my ‘bad guy’ and turned into the hero. I even tried to kill him off in one scene and he wouldn’t die. I guess you can say he was the winner of that battle.
MR – They all give me fits at one point or another. I killed off one of my heroes right smack dab in the middle of the book. Had to go back and rethink that one!
GW – I think they all give me a little trouble in the beginning, before I really get to know them.
Which character is most like you or unlike you?
CDR – I like to think all my heroines have some of my characteristics. I like to write a strong woman with a huge capacity to love, but don’t cross her.
MR – I’m like Deanne on this one. I think they all have some part of me. Probably only recognizable to myself.
GW – I think every character has part of their writer in them. Maybe not necessarily intentionally but I think we put our own emotions and lives into them a piece at a time.
Any chance of a sequel or a spin-off with one of the other characters?
CDR – probably not in The Stiletto Series, but I am planning a sequel to Cowboy Temptation ~ Colt and Cassy.
MR – There’s always that possibility.
GW – I like to start fresh with new characters, new places, new lives so I don’t think there will be, but you just never know.
Who would your ideal cast be if a movie was made?
CDR – I don’t know that I could pick an ideal cast. In my story from Venus in Stilettos, my hero was based on Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys. I don’t know if he would consider acting instead of football, but he is nice to look at.
MR – Jeremy Mooney (you can find pics of him on my FB) comes to mind. He’s an Alabama boy born and raised. Like my Southern Gentlemen!
GW – Oh, honey, as long as he has muscles, I wouldn’t care!
If your book had a soundtrack, what kind of songs would be on it?
CDR – Music from the sixties and seventies, lots of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.
MR – Anything from Alabama. Love their songs. A little bit of Rascal Flatts and a whole lot of Willie Nelson.
GW – Love songs.
Do you have any writing rituals?
CDR – I don’t really have a ritual, but I do need peace and quiet. I hide in the sunroom some days wearing headphones or turn on music and shut doors. If I am writing a love scene, I need the right motivation. Watching Dirty Dancing or listening to romantic music helps get me through such a tough job.
MR – Not any rituals as such. I usually wake up at 2 a.m., write til 5 or 6 a.m. then go back to sleep for an hour or two.
GW – I have to have noise. Either the radio blasting or TV going.
What do you like best about being a writer?
CDR – I love the idea I can create whatever I want to create. I can create people and worlds and no one can tell me I’m doing it incorrectly. I love the freedom and creatively writing allows. Having someone tell you they loved your story is the best feeling ever.
MR – That’s easy – having written. LOL! I like the feeling of having completed my story.
GW – It’s a solitary job. I don’t have to make contact with other people. I’m more of an introvert than Deanne and Maggie.
What is your writing process like?
CDR – I am a definite pantser. I don’t like to outline my stories, but I do love to plot. I write until the characters take over my story and then I’m just there to listen and take notes. I love it when that happens.
MR – I’m a pantser, too. I did outline one story once but then I couldn’t write it. I still have the outline!
GW – I’m a definite plotter. These two drive me crazy and I’m sure I have to drive them crazy as well. We talk on the phone a lot.
If you get writer’s block, what do you do to snap yourself out of it?
CDR – I begin a new project or go back to one I haven’t completed. Changing stories keeps the creativity flowing but gives you a different path to go down. I always have several projects in different stages of completion.
MR – I take a walk in the woods. Get outside with Mother Nature for a bit. I love watching ducks on a pond or deer roaming around. I’m an animal lover so I take a bit of a break from being stuck inside.
GW – I haven’t run across that problem yet so I guess I don’t know.
What would your dream writing space look like?
CDR – My dream writing space would be on a beach in Hawaii in a cabana with my laptop and cold drink. Maybe a nice looking cabana boy.
MR – I’m going to go visit Deanne in hers! Seriously a log cabin in the woods with plenty of windows so I could see the critters that live there, too.
GW – I think I have mine already. I live on a farm and my writing space is an office that faces some woods and some pasture land, too.
What’s one thing that’s always on your desk?
CDR – Paper and a Thesaurus along with my IPod.
MR – Oh that’s an easy one! Stilettos! I have everything Stilettos – paperclip holder, tape dispenser, bottle holders, keychains, cell phone holders. If it’s in the shape of a stiletto, I probably have it. My fans are absolutely wonderful at sending me things they find. I take photos of them and put them on FB.
GW – Pictures of my family. Paper, pens.
What would readers be surprised to know about you?
CDR – My favorite snack food is Cheese Its. I absolutely love them.
MR – Well, a lot of the people I graduated high school with didn’t know I joined the Air Force after graduation and became a nurse.
GW – That I knew Maggie as a kid. Oh, the things I could tell you about her!
What was the last book to be added to your keeper shelf?
CDR – Sidney Sheldon’s Memories of Midnight.
MR – Stilettos in the South, of course!
GW – Maggie got me hooked on Sharon Sala. I borrowed “The Hen House” by Sharon Sala from Maggie and she’s not getting it back!
Do you organize your TBR pile?
CDR – I try, but my TBR pile is out of control. I don’t have enough time to read all the wonderful books that make up my TBR pile. One of these days…
MR – You mean I’m supposed to actually read the books in my TBR pile. LOL!
GW – My TBR pile is stacked in the corner of my office and I just keep adding to it. I read from the bottom up.
If you could have a dinner party with six people, dead or alive, real or fictional, who would you invite and why?
CDR – My Grandfathers, Grandmothers and my Dad who have all passed because I miss them terribly.
MR – Agatha Christie, Zane Grey, Edgar Allen Poe and Alfred Hitchcock because they were fantastic writers. Sharon Sala, my favorite author in today’s world and my mom because she left us way too soon.
GW – Oh my, can I only have six?
*What’s next for you?
CDR – The Stiletto Girls have two new books in the works, Stilettos at Sturgis and Stilettos in Wine Country. On my own, my next book Southern Sophistication will be available soon and I am also working on In the Heart of Valley. I will have both of these books out the beginning of 2014. I hope everyone will watch for them.
MR – The Stiletto books, of course, plus some books under my other pseudonyms. Also, The Stiletto Girls are having a big blowout of a book signing party in my home town. On May 3, 2014, we’ll be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at the Hilton Garden Inn from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. Plus, if you’re in the vicinity you will definitely not want to miss this because we have Jeremy Mooney and Steffen Hughes coming, too. Again, you can find photos of both on our FB pages.
GW – I have a book of my own in the works plus working on the new Stiletto book.
November 6, 2013
Guest Blog with Martha O’Sullivan
Please welcome author Martha O’Sullivan back to the blog today to talk about her latest release, LAST CHANCE.
November marks the release of my third novel and the conclusion of my Chances trilogy,Last Chance. When I started writing Second Chance five years ago, a trilogy was the farthest thing from my mind. Moira and Paul’s story was originally part of that first novel. But as Lindsay and Brian’s adventure evolved, I realized there wasn’t room in the book to do Moira and Paul justice, not to mention the beauty of the Lake Tahoe winter. And since Delaney and Mike’s Chance Encounter was dancing relentlessly in my head, I put Moira and Paul on hold. Now it’s their turn for Happily Ever After. And what better way to conclude the Chancestrilogy than to come full circle. I hope you’re as excited to see them again as I am!
In Second Chance, star-crossed lovers Lindsay Foster and Brian Rembrandt get a second chance at love amid the brilliant blue waters of Lake Tahoe. In Chance Encounter, Delaney Richards and Mike Savoy’s quest for love takes them from Tahoe’s fawn-colored shores to the serpentine streets of San Francisco. But the heat in Last Chance comes not from the blazing summer sun and rugged, white-hot sand, but from the prurient, torrid fervor between lifelong friends Moira Brody and Paul Webster. And even the single-digit temperatures of the Lake Tahoe winter are no match for their long-bridled desire.
Last Chance excerpt:
The black ice cast an eerie sheen on the road ahead and the glare of the oncoming high beams had Paul squinting as if at the summer sun. The weather was coming in fast and he wondered if Moira had gotten home safely.
Or at all.
Or alone.
He should’ve gotten her roses.
But he didn’t.
Because she’s…Moira. Effortlessly beautiful, remarkably grounded, perpetually good-natured Moira.
And tonight she was something else.
Irresistibly sexy.
In tight-fitting jeans and a scooped-neck top he’d never seen before.
With her freshly washed, begging to be touched spiral curls skimming her shoulders.
And eye makeup.
With red lipstick.
She smelled pretty good too. Like spring rain and lilac laced with desire.
All for the guy begging for roses at the flower shop. For someone he’d been “interested in” for a while. For whom he had a last minute arrangement thrown together.
From his cuttings.
For his girl.
Paul huffed out a harried breath.
Is that what she was?
Apparently not.
But he sure as hell wanted her to be.
He slammed on the brakes and the Beemer swerved, then leveled, sliding into the precarious U-turn.
It took Paul twice as long as usual to get back into town with the slick roads. And by then the temperature had dipped enough to turn the spitting rain into pellets of steel. A frigid, damp sleet akin to the block of ice that had staked a claim in the pit of his stomach.
Turning the high-curbed corner, he heaved a halfhearted sigh of relief when he saw no car in the driveway and a hodgepodge of lights burning inside.
She was home.
Alone.
Unless they came in one car, he prepared himself through gritted teeth.
Paul knew the garage code, but didn’t want to scare her, so he opted for the conventional route. He could see her profile through the slates of the plantation shutters as he made his way up the flagstone path to the front porch. She was in the kitchen fussing with something, still dressed up like she hadn’t been home long.
Alone, it would seem.
His throat muscles contracted as his mind began to race. Had her date seen her home or had they parted ways at the office? Gone somewhere for a drink after dinner? Made another date? He looked on as Moira stepped back from the beaded board kitchen island, arms drawn across her chest, and appraised her work. The midnight blue jeans sat just below her hips, hugging every one of her curves from hip to ankle and Paul found himself disturbingly covetous. The sheer shirt rested at her waistline and when she bent over, the dimples at the small of her back implored him to wonder what came next. And her breasts looked bigger somehow, like they’d grown overnight. The mere thought of it made his heart skip a beat and his cock begin to grow ridged.
Seemingly pleased with her work, she reached for the dish towel flung over her shoulder and dried her hands.
That’s when she saw him out of the corner of her eye.
She did a double-take, then mingled with his soulful gaze momentarily. He thought the corners of her mouth curved slightly upward, but the distance between them was too great to be sure. She shook off whatever she was thinking and walked toward the front door. He visualized her on the other side, squeezing her eyes shut and taking a few deep breaths before opening it. She greeted him with a wobbly, “Hey.”
She looked captivating in the amber light. Her eyes were languid and clung to his as if unwittingly attached. Her lips were naked now and Paul told himself it was from eating. The tendrils around her face had doubled, like some vagabond strands had fallen from the clip at the crown of her head. Also from natural causes, he forced himself to assume. “Hey,” he returned. “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” she invited blandly, ushering him in.
Stepping inside, Paul rapid-fired, “I’m glad you’re home. I wanted to—”
“Where else would I be at eleven o’clock at night?” she cut him off.
“I don’t know.” His mind was suddenly a mare’s nest and his palms were beginning to sweat. “I wasn’t sure what your plans were for the rest of the evening.”
“I’ve been home for almost an hour,” she informed him crisply.
“Alone?” His eyes scanned the house beckoningly.
“Yes,” Moira patronized. “It was just dinner, Paul.”
On Valentine’s Day, he silently added. “About that, I came by to apologize.” He wondered if she sensed the audible relief in his voice. “I shouldn’t have assumed we’d see each other tonight. And I certainly shouldn’t have assumed you’d be,” he bit off the word, “available.” He looked away then, into the cottage-style kitchen, and saw what she’d been working on.
Flowers.
His flowers.
She must have acquired clairvoyant powers in those few seconds, because her tone softened and she said, “I had to bring them home. They were too beautiful to waste.”
Like her.
No, like them.
With four wide steps he advanced into the antique white kitchen he’d designed. “Where are the roses?”
She followed him. “At the office.”
“They’re not too beautiful to waste?” he quickened in a thick voice, turning to face her.
“No, they are.” Her breath hitched. “They’re just not from you.”
Her emerald saucers were filling behind their licorice lashes and she was biting her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears. Paul couldn’t have stopped himself from going to her if he’d wanted to.
“Moira, what are we doing?” he entreated, gripping her forearms. “What have I done? Have I lost you?”
She shook her head from side to side and her eyes began to empty, leaving sooty tire-like tracks on her china doll face. Tipping his head back in silent thanks, Paul took her in his arms. She moved into his body, sobbing through sawed-off breaths.
“Tell me nothing happened. Tell me there’s nothing between you and him,” he prayed out loud after an affecting moment.
She answered by burrowing her head deeper into his shoulder and wreathing his middle. He felt her breathing level off and he kissed the top of her coal-black mane. She smelled like a subtle version of earlier, infused with wine and garlic. Hope replaced the uneasiness in his stomach and he heard himself say, “I had to force myself not to go back there. I’ve been driving around for hours, going crazy.”
She angled out of his grasp just enough to make eye contact. Suddenly she was the girl he used to know again, not the woman tying his insides into knots. Or maybe the perfect combination of both. Her eyes began to shine and a satisfied smile curved her lips. “You have?”
“Yeah. Like outside my mind crazy.” He laid his lips on hers and tasted the salt from her tears. She melted into the kiss, then the next. He wondered if she could sense him growing behind the zipper. Or the spool of want unwinding into a thousand frazzled threads in his gut. Gasping for air, he released her mouth and cupped her face. “You make me crazy, Moira Brody. Absolutely crazy.”
Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes began to swell again. She swallowed hard and allowed, “Then I like you crazy.”
Resting his forehead on hers, he let the night roll down his back like a recalcitrant tumbleweed. Then he closed his eyes and appealed, “Do I need to fight for you, Moira?”
She laughed a little. “Well, Jason did bring flowers, dinner, wine.”
“I brought flowers, dinner, wine,” Paul defended high-mindedly, straightening. “Did you ever get the Chinese food?”
“Yeah, it’s in there.” She nodded over his shoulder at the sub-zero they’d picked out together.
“It’s your favorite. Cashew chicken.”
“Thank God,” she gushed, dabbing the outer corners of her eyes. “I’m starving.”
Paul’s nose wrinkled. “Did Bernini’s have a bad night?”
“Not from what I picked at.”
“Poor guy,” he gloated through a chuckle. “Went to all that trouble for nothing.”
“I wouldn’t say for nothing,” Moira demurred, her eyes dancing with innuendo. “He seemed to enjoy the evening.”
“Oh?” inquired Paul, stepping out of her embrace.
Gleaming now, she raised her eyebrows mischievously. “Yeah.”
He felt his expression plummet. “Did he kiss you good night?”
“He did,” preened Moira.
Paul couldn’t believe how much that bothered him. “Did you want him to?”
Her face instantly sobered. “No,” she avowed, then finished with hushed care. “I wanted you to come back.”
“I did.” As if he’d had any choice in the matter. Paul drew her to him again and ran his hands up and down her willowy back. “I had to.”
“That was all I could think about during dinner,” she lamented into the crook of his shoulder. “That I could’ve spent Valentine’s Day with you.”
“Don’t let it happen again.” He leaned back and dried her tearstained cheeks with his thumbs. “I know I won’t,” he warned gallantly.
“I didn’t want it to happen to begin with.”
“Good to hear.” He kissed her nose with the puissance of a snowflake. “Think he’ll call you?”
She shrugged matter-of-factly. “Yeah.”
“What will you say?”
“What should I say?” Her voice was hopeful.
“No.” He reached into his jacket pocket. “And thank you.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she took the red velvet box from his open hands. “What is this?”
He gestured toward the white satin bow-topped lid with a tip of the head. “Open it and find out.”
Moira obliged as Paul looked on eagerly. A tiny gasp escaped her throat when she saw the studs inside.
“I know they’re on the small side, but you’re not one for flash.”
She glided her fingertips over each diamond. “They’re beautiful.”
“Megan thought they were perfect.” Just like you, he almost said.
Her astonished gaze shifted upward. “Megan?”
“She’s not sick. She found another sitter for tonight.” He paused to let the benevolent betrayal sink in. “So we could spend Valentine’s Day together.”
“Oh, Paul! I’m so sorry!” she effused. “I had no idea.”
Neither did he. Until just now. And the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. “You can make it up to me tomorrow night,” he told her extemporaneously. “We’re going on a date. It’ll be our first one.”
The Chances trilogy by Martha O’Sullivan. Available at: marthaosullivan26.wix.com/marthaosullivan
http://eredsage.com/store/OSULLIVAN_MARTHA.html
Last Chance (November release) direct buy pages:
http://eRedSage.com/store/LastChance.html
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-chance-martha-o-x2019-sullivan/1117301476?ean=2940148897194
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18746342-last-chance
Martha O’Sullivan has loved reading romance novels for as long as she can remember. So much so that she would continue the story in her head long after the last chapter was read. Writing her own novels is the realization of a lifelong dream for this stay-at-home mom. She writes contemporary and erotic romances with traditional couples and happy endings. She is the author of the Chances trilogy available now from Red Sage Publishing. Her current work in progress in a Christmas novel set in Florida. A native Chicagoan, she lives her own happy ending in Tampa with her husband and two daughters.
Find her on the web at:
marthaosullivan26.wix.com/marthaosullivan
https://www.facebook.com/martha.osullivan.50
https://twitter.com/@m_osullivan26
http://www.pinterest.com/mfrworg/erotic-contemporary-romance/
November 5, 2013
Interview and Excerpt with author Vicki Batman
Please welcome author Vicki Batman to the blog, so happy to have her here with an interview today and a great excerpt of “The Great Fruitcake Bake-off”
What inspired this story? Who hates fruitcake? *a bazillion people raise their hands* LOL. Not me, I love it, and especially so when dunked in chocolate (tastes like candy). And thus was born “The Great Fruitcake Bake-off,” a holiday romantic comedy. Just the title has me in hysterics. I’m hoping to make fruitcake haters into fruitcake lovers.
Which character is most like you or unlike you? I have a split personality. The heroine, Samantha Greene, is nice and sweet. Her best friend, Bethany, is sassy and has funny lines. Together, I’m both. LOL
What is your writing process like? I work out every day, clean up, eat toast and milk, pop open a diet Coke and sit in front of my monitor. I check emails, Facebook, Triberr and help with my marketing group. If any fires are flaming, I put them out, then open the story I’m working on. I’m good for a long stretch, eat lunch, and run errands. Back torturing characters until 5-ish.
What would your dream writing space look like? I am a lucky girl! When we remodeled eight years ago, I carved the downstairs guest room into my room. My desk sits in front of a window which looks out to the front lawn and street. I have a brown leather love seat and matching chair nearby. All my covers hang in black frames on the wall. I have a fun lamp made from a silver plated pitcher. Behind my chair are four bookcases, and yes, they are filled to the top!
What’s next for you? Many things! In February, my third short and sassy indie book comes out, Bug Stuff…and Other Stories. I’m working on two more parts in my “I Believe” paranormal romance series. An essay for the Sisterhood anthology will be published next spring. And I just sold to The Wild Rose Press my big book, a romantic mystery, Temporarily Employed. Can I say I’m in love with the hero?
Here’s a fun excerpt from “The Great Fruitcake Bake-off”:
“I am not entering this year.” I pinned an unbreakable stare on Bethany, my long-time friend. We were piddling over coffee in her cubical like we always did before getting to the nuts and bolts of company business. “Period.”
“Why not, Samantha? You should be proud to be the five-time winner of the Great Fruitcake Bake-off. You’re a legend.”
“Is being a legend in the fruitcake world a good thing? It’s exhausting finding the perfect recipe, then bake and exhibit it. Besides, shouldn’t somebody else win?”
Bethany’s fists went to her hips. “Sam, we’re talking fruitcake. It’s not groundbreaking like, like the Declaration of Independence or…the Pyramids.”
“I’m shocked to hear you say that. Fruitcake is the cake of all time. It dates to–”
She bobbed her head. “To the sixteenth century.”
I raised my finger. “It gets a bad–”
“Rap.” She sighed a soul searching blow of breath. “You always say that. You also always say you love participating; yet, you’re not defending your title this year.”
“I’ve used up all of Grammie’s recipes.”
“You could start over with the first confection you entered five years ago, couldn’t you?”
“It seems like cheating…in a weird way. And I don’t cheat.”
“You are a shining example of excellent values.” Bethany drummed her fingers from the littlest to the index and considered. “I’ve got it! Why not check online and find a recipe?”
“They don’t call you brainchild for nothing.” I rubbed a finger along the divot below my lower lip. A tiny speck of excitement blossomed within me. “I’ll need a brand new fruitcake. I wouldn’t want to be like Crazy Wanda who enters the same freakin’ lump of dough every freakin’ year.”
“It never hurts to expand your repertoire, even if it’s by collecting fruitcake recipes.”
Find “The Great Fruitcake Bake-off” on December 1 at MuseItUp Publishing: http://museituppublishing.com
Find Vicki at: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for having me today!
November 3, 2013
Guest Blogger MS Kaye
Please welcome author MS Kaye to the blog today. Glad to have her here. Check out what words and phrases drive her nuts, and feel free to chime in in the comments with words that bug you too, then check out a great excerpt from her book, FIGHT PRINCESS.
Evil Words and Phrases
We all have certain things that drive us nuts. This is my list of annoyances (at least those to do with the craft of writing).
Suddenly. Don’t tell me something was sudden. Show the guy next to me wetting his pants.
Got. Don’t be lazy. Say what you mean.
I could hear. Unless you’re deaf, of course you COULD hear. Write instead: I heard; or better yet, “The fire alarm ripped through my ears likes shards of glass.”
Whispered softly. Can you whisper loudly?
She nodded her head. What else was she going to nod? (There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere…)
He shrugged his shoulders. See previous comment.
I know all you fellow writer geeks have your own list if despised words and phrases. Share!
I dare you to find any of these in my new book Fight Princess.
Blurb for Fight Princess:
Things aren’t what they seem. Don’t get involved.
Celisse is too headstrong to listen. Her best friend’s boyfriend is dead, and she does not heed Cullen’s warning, slipped to her in a note as he’s being arrested for the murder.
Cullen tries to keep Celisse out of danger and also tries to avoid her, both unsuccessfully. He can’t deny his feelings for her anymore, but he knows he can’t have her. If she ever discovered the truth about his past, she’d surely hate him.
While struggling with her intense feelings for Cullen, Celisse uses her skills as an ex-prosecutor to investigate, all while continuing to fight for Ogden, the organizer of an underground fight ring. She eventually realizes things are connected—the ring, Ogden, Cullen, the murder, and herself. She races to uncover the truth before she’s arrested or becomes the next victim—or perhaps, the next culprit.
Purchase at:
Amazon – http://amzn.to/15xQX8O
iBooks – http://bit.ly/17Asczv
Barnes & Noble – http://bit.ly/1abP1LC
Liquid Silver Books (publisher – all formats) – http://bit.ly/172SszA
Author Bio
M. S. Kaye is a 4th degree black belt and certified instructor of Songahm Taekwondo. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, FL, where she does her best not to melt in the sun.
Contact M. S. Kaye at:
@mskosciuszko
Excerpt:
Through the peephole she saw Cullen staring her down, as if he could see through the door. “I know you’re in there, Celisse. Your car’s outside.”
Celisse grumbled under her breath. Then she spoke loud enough for him to hear. “How do you know where I live?”
“It’s not that hard to get a person’s address—as you damn well know.”
Crap. How did he know? “What are you talking about?”
“You made it downtown so quickly because you were already in my apartment.” His jaw flexed as he continued to glare at the door. She was almost impressed he was able to maintain that intense, pissed-off posture and expression when she saw in his eyes that he was barely hanging on through the exhaustion. Like riding a bike, if he stopped, he would probably fall down.
She turned the bolt and opened the door. “How would I have gotten in your apartment—and why would I want to?”
“You flashed a beautiful smile at Alfie. Don’t tell me you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.”
Celisse hesitated. Hearing him say that… She wasn’t sure how to react.
He pushed the door open a bit further and slid past her into the apartment. She didn’t think to stop him until he was already past her. She turned and looked at him standing in the middle of her little living room, like a storm cloud in her usually calm and cloudless space. This small, cheap apartment was the first place she had ever lived where she felt completely comfortable.
She realized he was looking at her, not at her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want?”
His jaw tightened again, and he met her eyes like lightning flashing across the sky. “Don’t ask me why in the hell you’d want to be in my apartment.”
It took her a second to realize he was answering her previous question.
“What did you think you’d find?” he asked.
“Certainly not stacks of hundred-dollar bills.”
“It’s none of your goddamn concern how much money I have and why. Stay out of my business.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“My best friend’s boyfriend was murdered, and then the accused slips me a note that says things aren’t what they seem. What did you think I was going to do?”
He paused, and the glare in his expression that had about blinded her a few seconds ago dulled to the glower of the moon in a clouded sky. He turned and looked around her apartment—her TV stand with a couple movies on top, the potted plant next to the sliding glass doors, her one pathetic attempt at gardening, and then over to the bookshelf where he started reading titles.
She stood next to him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Does it annoy you?” He took a book from the shelf and flipped through its pages. “Someone going through your things, invading your privacy?”
Celisse snatched the book out of his hand, before he realized what it was.
“Are you pissed yet?” he asked.
“I wonder how it would look to the court if the police were called on you the same day you posted bail.”
He took a step toward her, and she backed up with her hands in guard position.
He stopped, and his voice was inside out from what it had been. “I would never hurt you.”
“You were arrested for murder today.”
His expression sobered, like fog pulling across a jagged cliff face. “I’m sorry. I never meant to scare you.” He walked across her living room, out the door, and down the stairs.
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October 31, 2013
Fall Into Winter Blog Hop
Welcome to my blog post for the FALL INTO WINTER ROMANCE GIVEAWAY HOP. The grand prize is a $50 amazon.com gift card. For my blog stop I’m giving away three ebook copies of my debut paranormal romance IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES.
First, let me say that the timing of the FALL INTO WINTER Blog Hop is apt, given we just got our first sprinkling of snow the other day, and according to the weatherman will have ten inches of the fluffy white stuff by the end of the weekend. So it will be a picturesque day or two that could likely resemble the pic for the blog hop and then, well, not so much as the temperatures go back up for a few days.
But one of my favorite things to do on a cold wintery day is curl up with one of my favorite fuzzy blankets and a good book — a good drink is also a must.
What’s your favorite book & drink combo to curl up with on a cold day? I’m partial to hot chocolate on the really cold days, don’t forget the marshmallows. 
Excerpt:
Fresh from her doctor’s appointment with her new best friend, Blake, she’d asked him to go to the cemetery right after. She’d felt a pull to go to Josh, to be able to talk to him like she used to. She knew she’d shocked him with her request, but she hadn’t been ready to go home yet. For some reason, after seeing the baby for the first time, she just needed to be where Josh was, even for a few minutes.
They walked in silence up to the spot where Josh was. “I’ll give you some space.” Blake squeezed her hand and started to walk away.
The bench the guys had bought had already been installed. A simple slate gray granite with a back rest. She brushed the dust off the bench and sat down, her eyes locked on the spot where the headstone was going to go. How could she go from an hour ago seeing the life they’d created, listening to the racing heartbeat to being here, with this being as close to Josh as she’d ever get again.
She kept trying to picture the headstone that would rise above his grave, the angels carved into the stone. Blake had showed her the picture of what they’d ordered that morning. She couldn’t imagine his whole life summed in a handful of words. Beloved Son, Brother, Friend. Four words that didn’t come close to the truth.
Didn’t capture what they’d all lost.
She rubbed the back of her neck tiredly. She hated thinking that one day she’d bring their son there, that this was as close as he’d ever get to his father.
“Are you here, Josh?” Everything was so still all of a sudden, like the world had gone silent waiting for her to speak. Part of her wished she’d see him walking towards her. Even if it would just be her imagination playing tricks on her, she didn’t care.
“I guess I’m hoping you’re here, that you’re somewhere, and you can hear me.” She smoothed the coat over her lap, picking at a loose thread on the seam. “Today was the second doctor’s appointment. Baby’s fine.” She stopped and took a deep breath, daring another glance over. Why didn’t it feel real? Shouldn’t it have felt real if he was really gone? A sigh fell from her lips. “So the baby’s fine, perfect health apparently. Even got the first baby picture.” She pulled the small photo out of her jacket pocket, straightening out the small crease that had appeared since she’d put it there a short time earlier. A breeze went by, calm and gentle. “You were right, it’s a boy.” She put the picture down on the bench beside her. She pressed the picture down as a strong gust of wind came up, the corner of the sonogram lifting like someone was trying to lift the photo out from under her fingers. She smiled, wanting to somehow believe that it was Josh trying to get a look at his son.
Josh sat down beside her on the bench, his fingers next to hers on the sonogram picture. He didn’t know what to feel. A mix of elation and sadness tore through him. A boy. He’d known it somehow from the very first moment she looked at him sheepishly, saying there was something she had to tell him. He remembered the way her voice had faded out once he heard her say pregnant. The way he’d pulled her on his lap and hugged her so tightly, so happy, so full of love at that moment. He’d thought he had everything he’d ever want and need right there in his arms.
He pulled his fingers away from the photograph, his gaze drawn towards the grave for a moment. It was strange to have his own name staring back at him from a headstone, knowing that there was a chance, the slightest chance that this could all be erased in a moment, that it would be nothing more than a bad memory burned into his mind for all time.
“Don’t cry, please, Avery…” His eyes stayed on the sonogram. The first pictures of his son, the son who would never know his father. “I was supposed to come back to you…today…baby, I failed. I couldn’t make them understand how much I need you. How wrong this whole situation is.” He shut his eyes. “They don’t know how much the two of us lost…” He shook his head. “The three of us,” he corrected himself. Two people who meant the world to him, and he’d never get the chance to meet one of them. To know what it was like to hold his newborn son. He bowed his head, wishing he’d somehow been able to make them understand. Couldn’t they feel his pain, her pain? The anguish that never seemed to leave him at all.
Praise for IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
“If Tomorrow Never Comes is by far the best ugly cry book I have ever read! This incredible love story has ripped my heart out and has left me a massive pile of crying goo. Oh yes, it is THAT GOOD!”
“a heartbreaking and heartwarming story all wrapped into one”
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October 28, 2013
Hot Halloween Heroes Blog Hop
Welcome to my blog post for the HOT HALLOWEEN HEROES GIVEAWAY HOP. I’m giving away three copies of my debut paranormal romance IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES.
What makes a hot Halloween hero? Alpha and of the paranormal variety spring immediately to mind. Add in a touch of danger, sexiness and a bit of a bad boy persona.
Here’s a list of some of my favorite Halloween heroes. Did I miss any good ones?
Angel:
Spike:
Cole from Charmed:
Leo from Charmed:
Sam & Dean from Supernatural:
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Snarkology Blog Hop
Welcome to my blog for the Snarkology Paranormal Blog Hop. For my giveaway, I’m giving away an ebook copy of my debut paranormal romance IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES. Be sure to work your way through the hop for more chances at winning the grand prize of one $60 Amazon gift card to be chosen via Rafflecopter
October means Halloween which equals ghosts or in my case, ghost movies. I love a good ghost movie, but confession, I’m not that great about scary movies. Aside from a few (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Valentine, Scream) I haven’t seen any and really don’t want to. Nope, I prefer my ghosts more on the comedic side of things. So below, find my top list of fun, ‘feel good’ ghost movies.
In no particular order:
Topper – With Cary Grant & Constance Bennett.
A wealthy couple die in a car accident and deciding that a good deed will get them to heaven, decide to help their banker, Topper. Hilarity ensues.
Haunted Honeymoon – With Gene Wilder, Gilder Radner & Dom DeLuise
Beetlejuice – Starring Michael Keaton and Geena Davis, a classic from the 80s.
The Ghost Breakers (1940) – Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard
Mary Carter inherits her family’s ancestral home, located on a small island off Cuba, and, despite warnings and death threats, decides to take possession of the reputedly haunted castle. She is joined by radio broadcaster Larry Lawrence who, believing he has killed a mob gunman, flees New York with his butler, Alex. Once on the island the threesome enter the eerie castle and after viewing the ghost of one of Mary’s ancestors and fighting off a menacing zombie, they find the key to the castle’s treasure but are interrupted by an all-too-human foe.
The Cat and The Canary – Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard – A mysterious house, a power outage, a reading of a will and someone murdered? Perfect. Add in some hidden passageways, a few attempts and it’s a fun mystery.
Ten years have passed since the death of millionaire Cyrus Norman. Relatives gather at midnight in a creepy old house for the reading of his will whereupon the local prison guard arrives to warn all assembled that a homicidal maniac known as ‘The Cat’ has escaped and could be heading for the house…
What about you, what do you prefer to watch on Halloween? Did I miss a fun ghost movie in my list?
1.
The Snarkology
2.
Lisa Rayns
3.
Zoe Forward Blog
4.
Beth Caudill
5.
Tricia Schneider
6.
Rose Anderson’s Calliope’s Writing Tablet
7.
Living With The Muse
8.
Draven St. James
9.
Tara Mandeirno
10.
Daryl Devore
11.
Karen McCullough
12.
Hywela Lyn
13.
Beth Caudill Author Blog
14.
BC Brown Books
15.
Lisa Chalmers
16.
Quill or Pill
17.
Shapeshifter Seductions
18.
Wickedly hot, dangerously fun.
19.
Karen McCullough
20.
Kathryn Knight books
21.
Author Rose Wynters
22.
Pieces of Me
23.
Sheryl R. Hayes
24.
Dylan Newton Paranromal Romance
25.
Broken Faith
26.
She Likes it Verbal
27.
The Price of Freedom
28.
Brenda’s Blog
29.
Paranormal Romance Author Juli D. Revezzo
30.
Phaedra Seabolt (INT)
31.
Naomi Bellina Adventurous Erotic Romance
32.
Eva Gordon
33.
Karen Michelle Nutt’s Official Blog
October 27, 2013
Guest Blogger: Tanith Davenport
Please welcome author Tanith Davenport to the blog today. So happy to have here stop by.
Developing a Ghost
When I first began planning Sleepwalker, I had just two characters in mind – my sleepwalking heroine, Tally, and my hot hero Kyle. However, as the story developed, it became clear that a third character was required – the Blue Lady, my matchmaking ghost.
Sleepwalker is set in the haunted Madigan Hall, which is partially inspired by a real location and partially by episodes of Most Haunted. Every ancient hall and medieval castle seems to have its own ghost, usually with a tragic backstory involving murder, suicide or loss: the lady of the house who lost her child, the daughter who threw herself to her death, the maid who was murdered to conceal her pregnancy by his lordship. The Blue Lady was no exception, although I gave it a slight twist in that she isn’t Madigan Hall’s most famous ghost. When Tally and the other guests come to the Hall for their annual Paranormal Evening, they’re expecting to see the White Lady. The Blue Lady is a complete surprise.
As is her motivation. But I’ll keep that part secret. Let’s just say she is a helpful matchmaker, a trait which initially developed from the image I had in my head of a sleepwalker gradually waking up to find a ghost leading her by the hand. I don’t know about you, but that would scare the life out of me.
Not to mention what she does to make sure Tally doesn’t escape without doing what she wants. The Blue Lady knows what’s best for her, even if Tally doesn’t.
It’s not the first time I’ve written a matchmaking ghost, and I suspect it won’t be the last. Developing a ghostly character and planning their interactions with the living is great fun – I just hope it’s equally entertaining to read!
www.facebook.com/TanithDavenport
Buy link: https://www.totallybound.com/sleepwalker?author_id=180
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Guest Blogger: E Ayers
Please welcome author E Ayers to the blog today for a fun interview!
Thanks so much for inviting me to be on your blog. I love meeting new readers and introducing them to my books. A Skeleton at Her Door is a novella. It’s perfect for the chilly autumn evening at home. Besides I love Halloween and the fall season – who doesn’t? It’s the colors, the weather, the wonderful freshly picked apples, roasted chestnuts, pumpkin pie, and funny jack o’ lanterns. Halloween is the fun holiday for the child in all of us.
What inspired this story?
A real life event! I opened my door to a skeleton and dragged him into the house. Our neighborhood was getting ready for a big Halloween party and I thought he was part of our haunted woods. The opening scene of the book is darn close to what happened.
Do you have a favorite scene?
I didn’t realize it until after it was published, but my favorite scene is actually when Tom (the father and hero of the story) and his young teen daughter (Emily) have a little chat. There’s a part of me that is still floored that I wrote something that funny. Not a ha-ha funny, just very realistic banter between a single father and teen daughter.
How did it compare to writing your other books?
No two books are alike because the characters are all different and so are their circumstances. This story went together very quickly, maybe because almost anyone can relate to the characters and the circumstances. I’d call it adult because it was written for adults and not teens. It’s far from erotic, but probably not what you want to read with a seven-year-old hanging over your shoulder. I’d call it sexy, in a nice way.
Which character is most like you or unlike you?
Well, I can easily relate to Angie (heroine) because she’s about to date for the first time in years. She’s divorced and I’m widowed. Neither one of us owns that LBD. And hair? Who hasn’t styled their hair and jumped back in the shower because it was too awful?
But I have some of Tom’s parenting traits. I just closed the door to the teens’ rooms and about twice a year I’d force them to spit shine it. I had baskets and I’d toss their things into the basket as I cleaned up the house. Tom also had adopted the fact that once children reach a certain age, they are responsible for themselves. As parents, we can’t police them 24/7. We set a standard and expect them to adhere to it. Plus there’s an openness in the household, a freedom to speak no matter what the topic. I raised two girls, but they were as comfortable talking to me, as they were to their father.
What’s one thing that’s always on your desk?
My coffee cup! I’m a decaf junkie. And I don’t drink the flavored stuff. Plain unleaded coffee.
What’s next for you?
I’m very excited because I’m branching into a new sub-genre, historic westerns. When I wrote A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming, I mention a diary in the story of Clare Coleman who settled with her husband in Wyoming in the late 1840′s. I’ve been asked for that diary. I started to write it. Then I was asked to write a story for Debra Holland’s newest Christmas anthology, Sweetwater Springs Christmas, part of her Montana Sky series (available for pre-order on Amazon). The year was 1895 so I used a grandson of Clare Coleman’s.
As I wrote A Christmas Far From Home for the anthology, I realized I had another story happening. The heroine in that story had a sister, Malene. A young Native American man who was widowed befriended Malene. As soon as I finished the story for the anthology, I started on Malene’s story, which picks up a few weeks after Christmas. It’s two people from different cultures, bound by friendship, and the undeniable spark between them as they both try to make new lives for themselves.
I have totally enjoyed writing these historical stories. The research has been a fascinating journey of not just dry facts, but the way these people lived, and what they endured. I’ve never been someone who could keep dates in my head. History, the way it is taught in school, is a series of dates. This is different.
I’ve tried hard to bring the realism that exists in my contemporary stories to these historical ones. This still un-titled western novel about Malene Reiner and Many Feathers should release about the middle of November and with luck, the Clare Coleman diary will follow around Christmastime.
A Skeleton at Her Door
available at most e-book stores
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-skeleton-at-her-door-e-ayers/1105870513?ean=2940011509230
***
Sweetwater Springs Christmas
Amazon (exclusive)
Contact Info
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1297251502 (Facebook)
https://twitter.com/ayersbooks (Twitter)
http://www.ayersbooks.com (website)
***
Books by E. Ayers
Wanting (A River City Novel)
A New Beginning (A River City Novel)
A Challenge (A River City Novel)
Forever (A River City Novel)
A Son (A River City Novel)
A Child’s Heart (A River City Novel)
Coming Out of Hiding (novel)
A Fine Line (a novella) *
Mariners Cove (a novella)
Ask Me Again (a novella)
A Skeleton at Her Door (a novella)
A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming (a novella) *
A Cowboy’s Kiss in Wyoming (a novella) *
A Love Song in Wyoming (a novella) *
A Calling in Wyoming (anovella) *
Sweetwater Springs Christmas (anthology) *
* sweeter reads
***
E. Ayers is an Amazon best-selling author in Western Romance.
While still in her teens and when she least expected it, she found her prince charming and married him five weeks later. She uses that heart-warming passion as a basis for all her books, because she believes everyone needs someone to love.
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October 26, 2013
Guest Blogger: G.D. Ogan
Please welcome author G.D Ogan to blog today.
What inspired this story?
As it says on the first page of my first novel, “Immortal Relations,” when I found the old photographs of my father standing in front of the Old Town Hall Clock in Prague, I turned the photograph over and saw HER handwriting on the back…that brought back the memories of what my Mother had said all those many, many years ago…that night I couldn’t sleep and it was as if I “channeled” the story.
Do you have a favorite scene or character from the book?
When Gary is accepted into the Guardian’s to allow him to be forever with Magdalena and Eviana, it’s as if the Heavenly Angles gave voice to his feelings of love!
Was there anything particularly challenging about writing this?
If I told you how easy it was to write you wouldn’t believe me, all I can relate it to is “Channeling.” Now AFTER it was written, oh boy the difficulties with getting my first novel noticed by potential readers…WOW has THAT EVER BEEN DIFFICULT! Without blogs such as this I doubt there is any way someone new to authorship would have any chance to get their work read. And to me that is my goal – t o have others enjoy my books.
How did it compare to writing your other books?
At the time of writing my first novel, I had only written factual articles for magazines and a book on assessment and treatment of ADD and ADHD while working in psychology, programs for treatment of addictions in criminal justice and technical writing while in the Air Force. The freedom to allow my mind to create the world of the good vampires as well as the evil types was exhilarating and it felt like my soul had been freed to explore the heavens!
If your heroine had a theme song what would it be?
She is so lovely and so caring it would have to be a classical piece, something like “Clair de Lune” I would have to believe. If you could see her now as I do in my mind’s eye, your eyes would be as moist as mine are now!
What character gave you the toughest time to write in the book?
I hate an evil person (human or immortal) that is the reason I had to write about the good vampires who safeguard humans and animals, so writing about Lt. Semenov and his evil vampire gang wasn’t easy…creepy and evil to the core…yet such villains do exist and in great numbers. I’m ex-military and the evil I know of perpetrated by our enemies…well, I would never put THAT in a book…readers would throw-up! I had to tone down the exploration of Semenov’s wartime background for just that reason – yet it will still shock some sheltered readers. My first book has “explicit togetherness” however, it was never meant to be salacious, rather it is a confirmation of their complete openness and love, plus vampires don’t have human hang-ups about sex. I have a WARNING about ADULT CONTENT in the front of the book and while some might be shocked by the details of love making…I meant it more for the acts of Semenov.
Which character is most like you or unlike you?
Oh, Gary Logan (Guy Ogan) big jump there. Gary IS my character, my military knowledge and background as well as my “passionate nature.” LOL
Any chance of a sequel or a spin-off with one of the other characters?
The two sequels: “Immortal Relations, Love and War” http://amzn.com/B006ZCBT6G and “Immortal Relations Coming Out” (not that type of coming out) is now out in print and will soon be available for Kindle and Kindle App: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1481822780 (print version) and both my first and second are “on sale” for 99 cents and I’ll try to do the same for book #3. There will be at least three more “Immortal Relations” books (Good Lord Willing) as I’ve been dreaming about what my good vampires are up to and what the evil vamps and evil humans are planning to do. Believe it or not, I’m currently writing a children’s book: “Lily and the Time Buggie” for my five year old granddaughter who loves dinosaurs…we are going back to the Devonian Era and work our way forward through the various Epochs of Time to view the changes in the Earth and the Animals on it. Due to the technical nature of time-travel, it will be a book to be READ TO CHILDREN rather than one they might pick up and read themselves.
Who would your ideal cast be if a movie was made?
Actually the female and male leads of “Underworld” Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman would do well, as both have been in vampire films (if far darker than what mine would be). They could be Magdalena and Gary and perhaps the actress who played Alice in Twilight would work for the high-energy, lovely pixy that is Eviana in my vampire world.
If your book had a soundtrack, what kind of songs would be on it?
I’m a fan of a wide spectrum of music from rock through classical, but I’d defer to the fans of my books to help decide upon the music that would be the best fit. I really LOVE the first song they used in the first movie of the Twilight series, it fit so well as the plane lifted off from Phoenix and her father’s car crossed the bridge! I think the song “Here I Go Again” for Gary’s flight to see the location where his father’s picture was taken might work. But I would certainly want to have input from others, more versed in today’s groups and their music to suggest songs for different parts of one or more movies (and mention their help in the credits for picking out the various songs – I always like to give credit to others who help).
Do you have any writing rituals?
I write whenever I get the chance. I’m a care giver for our four Pomeranians and try to help around the house in addition to other pursuits so I don’t get as much time to write as I’d like. If I don’t have destractions,
What do you like best about being a writer?
When I get time to really sit down and immerse myself in the world of my good vampires and all the fine work they do to protect and defend humans and animals it gives me a feeling that I can only describe as “Heaven on Earth!” For the flip-side of Heaven, that comes when I must try to publicize my writings. While I love it when someone appreciates the books I’m not one to seek praise…praise the story and the brave, selfless, guardian vampires in the story – not me…as I’ve said before, it is as if I’m channeling what my Muse is letting me write (and I’m thankful to be allowed to do so).
What is your writing process like?
That is easy, sit down and write until something or someone forces me to stop. I’ve started writing at six in the evening and been writing along when I feel a physical “calling” and look up and it will be four in the morning. Wth my own Attention Deficit I’m never at a loss for ideas and since I dream in the storyline many nights, it is pretty seamless to put it into the digital format (a lot easier than when writing in longhand)! Young people today probably have little experience with writing in longhand…lucky them!
If you get writer’s block, what do you do to snap yourself out of it?
Hah…writer’s block?! My problem is the reverse: “Writer’s Tsunami,” moderationg the crashing waves of ideas and memories relating to the topic at hand.
What would your dream writing space look like?
Something with more room for my long legs and more shelf space for my research materials – I write in what was a 48” by 48” Sewing Closet that my late Mother-in-Law wanted built in when we asked her to come and live with us after her husband (my best friend) passed away. We were more than happy to have her stay with us – she was a wonderful lady and a good friend…none of the “Mother-in-Law friction” so many talk about. This little space was next to her bed and it, a walk-in clothes-closet and a ¼ bathroom along with a dining room was what we added on when she came to live with us. We were lucky to have her for eight years before she passed away. She was a nurse and stayed active until a few days before her death. I miss both her and her husband!
What’s one thing that’s always on your desk?
My writing closet doesn’t have room for a desk, but the shelf upon which my keyboard and monitor sit always has various papers with research materials, communications from other authors I mean to respond to and some would say a lot of trash. LOL
What would readers be surprised to know about you?
Looking at me now (I’m in my 70s), they wouldn’t suspect that I used to love to dance and run marathons. My daily training regimen was running 15 miles in the morning and another 15 miles in the evening (while it was still light). I did that for many, many, many years. I used to keep a log of my daily runs and we added them up while I was in the service and still running (just not as much because of the work I did) and I’d logged in over 300,000 miles at that time, so it is no wonder I have the hip and knee pains I now have, but I still get around fairly well…just no more running (a shame as I REALLY LOVED TO RUN – when I ran I always got the runner’s high)!
What was the last book to be added to your keeper shelf?
Well, of course, now it is “What was the last book to be added to my Kindle?” Revelations of Cian is my most recent read and Augusta Fern is going to be the next Ann Rice I predict. Get this book as her second in the series has just been released and you’ll want to hop right into that one.
Do you organize your TBR pile?
Afraid not, I read whatever looks interesting at the time (I have over 100 books on my TBR list on my Kindle). I try to read about two a week – my problem is I usually pick up three or four new ones every week (so the faster I read it seems the further behind I get)! LOL
If you could have a dinner party with six people, dead or alive, real or fictional, who would you invite and why?
Unquestionably Jesus would be first on the list and then I would try to get the five most evil men in the world (usually this means leaders of countries or evil regions that encourage killing those who don’t agree with that religious view). We could all sit, listen and hopefully learn to be more compassionate and exchange evil for good! I certainly don’t exclude myself from learning to be more caring.
What’s next for you
As I said earlier, I’m writing a little book to be read to children about the different ages of the Earth and the types of animals representative of that era (especially dinosaurs) since that is what my granddaughter is really interested in. And, you’ve heard it here first: My next “Immortal Relations” novel will be titled: “Immortal Relations – REVENGE!” Spoiler Alert: For those who have read the first book in the series, remember the “vampire gang” was made up of all male vampires? Where were all the female vampires and where did they go? There, that is a hint as to what some of the story-line in the fourth book will be. LOL
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