Interview with @CateMasters, author of CURSED #paranormal #romance #DPTease

Interview with Clare Dargin, author o... Back List Blast – Alien Lover by Jess...

Interview with @CateMasters, author of CURSED #paranormal #romance #DPTease

Hello everyone! It’s such a pleasure to have fellow Decadent Publishing author, Cate Masters on my blog today. Hi Cate! Tell us about your new release.

CM: I am incredibly psyched for this release! Cursed is the first of The Vitruvian Man series, a dark paranormal with elements of magic, science and a twist on history. Decadent invited me to write for its new Tease line, and I’m so excited that Cursed launched the line on April 24! You can watch the book video at http://youtu.be/Zwp1Xdg0Dd8

Describe the heroine from Cursed in three words.

CM: Geeky. Daring. Innocent.

What traits does the hero possess that makes the heroine swoon?

CM: Bruno’s a very complex alpha male. Cultured, brilliant, tortured hero with secrets. He doesn’t know he’s ready to share them until he meets Melina!

What was your inspiration for this story?

CM: A couple of very different news articles meshed together in a strange and wonderful way. The first was my introduction to Carnevale, the 10-day festival in Venice; the second detailed the finding of a sketch of The Vitruvian Man that predated Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic man-within-a-circle illustration. Finally, another about the study of the hormone oxytocin, also called “the love drug” (seriously!). From that, Cursed had its setting, its hero and heroine’s occupation.

Amazing how many influences can transform into a story! Who is your favorite character from this book?

CM: I’m so terrible at choosing favorites! All my characters are like dear, dear friends. Hm, let’s see… Bruno’s a very complex and tortured hero, and I still find him very intriguing, so I’ll go with him. *grins*

Here’s a peek at the opener:

La Serenissima. Venice. The promise of a touch, a caress, however brief, is what drew me to the surface each year for Carnevale. Anonymous as the others in my costume and full-face mask, I drank in the sweet, fresh air as I made my way through the streets. They’d donned their elaborate costumes for merrymaking. Necessity forced me to hide in mine.

An earlier light rain had left a sheen on the square, reflecting the golden lights hung above the archways lining one side. Revelers traveled in pairs or groups, more sparsely than I’d expected, though it was only the first night. Excitement tinged the air and filled me with anticipation.

Arms linked, three women weaved toward me. I tensed at their laughter and murmurings, but slowed despite myself. In the gathering dusk, their beauty struck me. Underground, the nondescript hues dulled my senses, but the explosion of colors during the festival nearly overwhelmed me. I knew the city well, but like every year, it took me many minutes to orient myself. To school my muscles to stop from running out of sheer giddiness. Freedom was such a heady thing.

I took a moment to reel in my senses. I inhaled a deep breath and allowed myself a long look at each of the three. Their gowns cut low across their breasts invited such attention. The beast in me had already awakened and would soon demand satisfaction if I kept it waiting. It had been much too long.

Catching my stare, the lady nearest me smirked below her gilded eye mask. With a bow, I touched the rim of my tricorn hat. Her stroll became an exaggerated saunter, and her smile grew more predatory than teasing. She dipped in a low curtsy. The other two laughed and tugged her. Heel slipping on the wet stone, she yelped, soft and helpless as a kitten, a sound that aroused my male protectiveness, along with something much less benign.

Very intriguing! What other titles do you have published?

CM: Here’s the long list, broken down by category:

Contemporary

Design for Life, Top Ten Finisher in 2011 Preditors & Editors poll

Going With Gravity, a 2011 EPIC finalist

Homecoming, 1 Night Stand

Just the Right Amount of Wrong, interracial erotic romance

Picture This, a 2011 EPIC finalist

Rock Bottom, a rocking romance novel

Tonight You Belong to Me, 1NS short

Wilderness Girl, a 2011 EPIC finalist in erotic romance

Writing Off the Past

Fantasy/Paranormal

The 12 Dancing, Zombie-Killing Princesses, futuristic fairy tale

A Hard Day’s Knight, 1NS short Arthurian-themed fantasy

Clio’s Choice, midlength dark paranormal

Dancing With the Devil, Book 2 of The Goddess Connection, erotic romance novel

Dead to Rights, dark paranormal

Death Is A Bitch, dark paranormal novella with erotic/romantic and humorous elements

The Duende and The Muse, short fantasy

Ground Rules, Christmas fantasy

In The Midnight Hour, dark paranormal ghost story

The Magic of Lavender, Book 1 of The Goddess Connection, sensual romance novel

Romancing the Hero, short fantasy

Soul for Sale, 2011 EPIC finalist, dark paranormal novella

Surfacing, fantasy novel about a mermaid and a rock singer

Historical

A Midwest Summer Night’s Dream – Western historical with Shakespearean twist

Angels, Sinners and Madmen – set in 1850s Key West, Florida and Top Ten Finisher in 2011 Preditors & Editors poll

Follow the Stars Home – 1870s Native American historical about the opening of the Carlisle Industrial Indian School and Top Ten Finisher in 2011 Preditors & Editors poll

Seventh Heaven – 2012 EPIC finalist set in 1960s in my hometown of Lambertville, NJ

Mainstream

The Bridge Between – dramatic novel also set in my hometown of Lambertville, NJ

Winning – short mainstream/speculative

Freebies and Indie Shorts

Visit my blog for more!

Wow, that’s quite the list. What are you working on now?

CM: I’m in the middle of the third story of The Vitruvian Man series now. This world just kept calling to me! I have about a dozen WIPs, but have been focusing on two contemporaries and two paranormals.

And I’m super excited there are more Decadent releases coming soon! Three more 1NS stories – Sweet Revenge, The Ex Factor and Cinderella Dreams. Plus a historical romance, Betting It All, and Charmed, the second book in The Vitruvian Man series. It’s going to be a crazy busy year.

For sure! What genres do you enjoy reading?

CM: Any and all, lol. Honestly, I will read any story that grabs me. I just love a well-written story with a compelling plot and engaging, relatable characters.

Do you belong to a critique group or have critique partners? If so, what have you learned from them? How has it affected your writing?

CM: I couldn’t write without my crit partners! Or at least, not very well. *grins* I’ve been with my core group of crit partners for about ten years. They’re extremely craft-focused, which I love because they’re always pushing me – and themselves – to the next level. I love all my crit partners for their honesty, toughness and encouragement. They are the best!

Is there anything else my readers should know about you?

CM: I’m a bookaholic. I absolutely love books, and buy way more than I can ever read. I’m somewhat shy but also pretty goofy, which my grandboys appreciate, lol. I have a terrible singing voice but it doesn’t stop me from belting out tunes I love, haha. And I love that my grandboys are picking up the habit – at age 4, 3, and almost 2, we sing the theme songs from Disney/Pixar movies together. Well, sometimes they ad lib the lyrics, but give them about ten years and they’ll be breaking some hearts. It absolutely kills me to hear my 3-year-old grandboy sing, “Baby you’re a firework.” Of the three, he’s the most likely to break into song at any given time, lol.

All those books are research. Or, that’s my excuse. LOL Where can my readers find you?

Where can my readers find your books?