In the Author Spotlight

ANNE PATRICK

CONTEST: Anne will give away a PDF copy of A Familiar Evil to one lucky winner and will draw the name Sunday. To enter for a chance to win simply leave a comment for Anne. Best wishes!

AL: Hi Anne! Welcome to Blog Bites.

Anne: Thanks for having me Ann!

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Anne: Well I recently returned from visiting family and friends in Oklahoma. I try to make it back a couple of times a year but summertime is my favorite because of the cookouts and outdoor games.

AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.

Anne: My latest release is A Familiar Evil. I also have one coming out in August called Journey to Redemption.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Anne: I'm presently working on the second book in my Wounded Heroes Series. Kill Shot: Book One releases in November.

AL: When you write do you do a detailed outline before you get started or do you have the idea then just 'fly by the seat of your pants'? :-)

Anne: I'm a panster. I love not knowing what my characters will do next.

AL: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

Anne: Don't be discouraged by rejections. We all get them. Stick with it, believe in yourself and what you've written, and never give up.

AL: Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters wanted to go in another direction. What did you do in such a situation?

Anne: Oh yeah. I let them take the lead and see where it goes. All of my books are character driven so usually I'm just along for the ride.

AL: It’s time to get personal! You do a lot of traveling around the world. Where is your favorite place to visit and why?

Anne: I've been to both El Salvador and Honduras in Central America and fell in love with both the countries and the people. They're so genuine and down to earth, and I loved their beaches!

AL: Summer is here! What will the readers find you in; a bikini, one piece, or a full body wet suit diving into the waves?

Anne: Definitely a one piece

AL: Is there an author out there that you’d love to do an anthology with?

Anne: There are so many wonderfully talented writers out there it would be hard to choose. I have had the honor of appearing in two anthologies with Victory Tales Press and loved the experience.

AL: What’s your biggest regret in life?

Anne: That I didn't start my writing career sooner.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?

Anne: I plan to keep writing and hopefully land on the NY Times bestseller list. Hey when I dream I dream big :).

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Anne: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." ~ Walt Disney

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Anne.

Anne: Thanks for having me on your lovely blog, Ann. It's been fun!

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Anne please visit:

http://www.annepatrick.weebly.com
http://www.suspensebyanne.blogspot.com

FEATURED TITLE: A FAMILIAR EVIL

Blurb:

Jordan Russell had the perfect life until the brutal monster from her childhood resurfaced, opening up scars she thought were healed.  With the hope of finally finding closure Jordan leaves her cheating husband, and her career in the FBI, and returns to where her nightmare began.  But what awaits her in Thorny Creek will push her to the very edge of sanity and bring her face to face with her abductor.
 
Excerpt:
 
Excuse me. I’m looking for Chief Russell.”
 
Jordan’s stomach did a nosedive at the familiar voice of her soon-to-be-ex-husband.

“You found her,” Frank answered.

Jordan looked up just as Sam smiled. “Indeed I have.” He started toward her desk.

Colleen barged through the opened door. “Chief, there’s an Agent Russell here to see…oh, I guess you found her.”

“Agent Russell,” Frank repeated. He turned back to Jordan, “Isn’t Russell your married name?” He then shifted his gaze back to Sam, “That must mean you’re her husband.”

“Not for much longer.” Jordan hurried around her desk and ushered Frank out the door. “You’ll be hearing from me.” She closed the door and looked at Sam. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here at your request.”

“I specifically requested someone from the Charlotte field office.” Anyone but him.

He looked at her with the gorgeous smile that used to make her go weak in the knees. “And they forwarded that request to Agent Haines, who assigned me.”

“We’ll see about that.” Jordan marched back to her desk, and was four digits into Haines’ cell phone number when Sam pressed his finger down on the button and disconnected the call. Eighteen and a half months of built-up rage boiled to the surface. She doubled her right fist and spun around with lighting fury.

Sam, just as quick, stopped the fist within inches of his jaw. With his free hand, he took the phone from her left hand and placed it back in its cradle. Jordan felt his hot breath on her face as he peered down at her, and was keenly aware of the heat generating from his body through the hand which tightened around her wrist.

“Let me help you, Jordan…please.”

She swallowed hard, summoned all her courage, and met his smoldering gaze. “I need a profiler who can tell me exactly what I’m up against here.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve lost your touch.”

She ignored his smirk. “I need a fresh pair of eyes who can look at this guy objectively.”

“Who hasn’t allowed themselves to get too personal?”

“I just need someone other than you,” she spat.

“Too bad, you’re stuck with me. Now, what do you say I release your hand and you don’t take my head off? Or we can continue to provide the day’s entertainment for your co-workers.”

Jordan shifted her gaze to the glass separating her office from the command center. A half dozen familiar faces scattered like rats. She twisted free from his grip, grabbed her cap from her desk and shoved it down over her head. “Fine!” She was already halfway out the door before she realized he wasn’t with her. She turned back and found him smiling at her. “Are you coming or not?”

REMEMBER: Anne will give away a PDF copy of A Familiar Evil to one lucky winner and will draw the name Sunday. To enter for a chance to win simply leave a comment for Anne. Best wishes!

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

AMBER GREEN

CONTEST: Amber has a Khyber Run T-shirt to give away. She will draw her winner at the end of the week. To be entered simply leave a comment for Amber. Thanks and good luck!

AL: Hi Amber! Welcome to Blog Bites.

Amber: Thanks for inviting me back!

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Amber: Well, my older son is home from the Marines and looking to start college. My younger son is at tech school learning to repair aircraft. We're up to nine cats, having collected an abandoned little gentleman named Merlin. About two weeks ago, I found out that the US Marshals have a Violent Fugitive Task Force! As it turned out, the marshals who came in search of a former housemate were all Marines, and one of the first things they saw was my son's boot camp portrait. They spent a while chatting, probably trying to figure us out. They might also have been disarmed by my Clifford-sized pit bull; Baron is certain that the only reason anyone comes to our door is to play ball. Meanwhile I'm not bringing in enough royalties (yet) to replace my wardrobe with floaty stuff from The Pyramid Collection, I'm ticked off at Wal-Mart for discontinuing a line of shoes wide enough to fit my feet, and Governor Voldemort is messing with my day job.

AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.

Amber: My newest release is Khyber Run, a contemporary military romance, now available at Loose Id and at the Sony Reader Store. Zarak abandoned that Warrior Code crap long ago. Oscar personifies it. In a war-scarred land, two men fight for justice, honor, and who gets top.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Amber: Right now I'm working on a contemporary and a fantasy, both of which persist in ignoring my attempts to plot them out.

AL: If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?

Amber: For m/m, probably Golden Boys. It's loosely tied to the Turner & Turner series but not part of it. It's also my best approximation of a fluffy dick-lit beach read, even if both heroes do get shot.

AL: You write m/m and m/m/f in paranormal, contemporary, etc. Do you ever find it hard to move from one genre to another?

Amber: Not at all. Changing genres is a great way to circumvent writer's block.

AL: Do you have a mentor or critique partner that you work with consistently?

Amber: I have a crit group, ERA, which keeps me going when everything outside says stop and give up. I also belong to a group called WeWriteStuff, which focuses more on creativity than production. I call on other people here and there when I need to.

AL: It’s time to get personal! Who is a great example to you and how you live your life?

Amber: I wouldn't want to hang the blame on anybody for the way I live my life.

AL: When you have time just for you (if only) what do you do?

Amber: If that ever occurred, I'd probably spend it trying to remember my to-do list. Seriously, I hang out with my writing buddies and brainstorm or do Power Hour writing sprints. Or I throw a ball for the dogs and let them wrestle over which one gets to bring it back.

AL: If you had to write yourself as a villain, what kind of villain would you be? What would you be named?

Amber: How about an evil T'Pau, from the Spock-with-beard universe?

AL: If you could go anywhere in the world and in any time…where would you go? What would you do? And why that time-period?

Amber: It depends on how long I'd be there. If you're talking about a permanent relocation instead of a visit, how about Tahiti in the 1400s? It's isolated enough to decrease risks of plagues and invading armies, there's no snow to shovel, and it didn't get wiped out by a drought, volcano, earthquake, or tsunami.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?

Amber: Well, we're halfway through 2011 now, and very little has gone according to plan--sort of like my plotlines. My Man of Mystery story is simmering on a back burner, with only one chapter written, instead of being a complete draft ready to go through revisions. I've only learned to cook a handful of Pakistani dishes, and somehow my kitchen and pantry have failed to rearrange themselves according to plan. I hope to revamp my website pretty soon.

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Amber: "We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home." Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965)

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Amber.

Amber: Thank you so much for asking. It's always fun to spend a few days at Blog Bites.
AL: If you’d like to find out more about Amber please visit:

www.shapeshiftersinlust.com
http://www.loose-id.com/Khyber-Run.aspx

FEATURED TITLE: KHYBER RUN

Blurb:

After being transplanted from an Afghani battleground to a Florida playground, Zarak Momand grew up trying to instill in his younger brothers the ancient Pakhtun Way. A generation later, he’s a burned-out US Navy hospital corpsman who has lost touch with his brothers and his heritage alike.

Then he’s kidnapped by USMC scout-snipers hell-bent on recapturing a deserter who murdered a brother Marine. Z uses Pakhtunwali to navigate the ambiguities of fourth generation warfare, where there are no front lines and where the moral high ground shifts from situation to situation. At his back stands Oscar, who is every bit the seasoned warrior young Zarak had once hoped to be.

Secretly crossing the border into Pakistan, Oscar and Z take help where they find it, and become more of a couple than either man has ever known. But is Oscar’s rough passion a betrayal between brothers? And what happens when the deserter would rather die than go back?

Excerpt:

I woke muddled, thinking the ship’s engines sounded wrong. Red light glared on my eyelids. Breathing meant gagging on the seagull-shit taste of a hangover. And that sound was not my ship’s engines. More like a sardine can’s engines or…a plane?

Opening my eyes took effort. A plane. From the rear of the fuselage, I faced up an aisle between rows of knees hugging sea bags. Not sea bags: MOLLE-packs. Red lights in strips overhead barely illuminated a couple hundred hunched forms in desert camo, a row of males in body armor along each bulkhead, facing inward, and two rows of females jammed into back-to-back seats in the center. Male or female, each of them clutched one of those carbines the sponges called an assault rifle.

What am I doing in a plane packed with camo-assed bullet-sponges?

The plane’s deck angled down sharply. Screams rang in my ears, going dull. My ears cleared, painfully, and the shrieks sharpened.

Crashing. That’s what we’re doing.

The deck roller-coastered up, then yawed faster than physics should allow. Whiplash. I saw stars. The stench of vomit wrung my empty guts.

A dive and another yaw brought more screams ringing off the bulkhead, prayer in Spanish close by, retching farther away.

How did I stay in my seat, with gravity halving and doubling and snatching me starboard to port? When the plane steadied long enough to let me look down, I saw bands of dull silver duct tape strapping my thighs to my seat, and another red-streaked silver band over my belt.

Something hung on my lower face. I had some kind of mask. No. Somebody had duct-taped a puke bag to my face. It sagged obscenely against my chin, like a giant used condom.

Pulling it off hurt. The stench blasted from it.

Where do I put this? I looked around, blinking, trying to make sense. The screamers in the middle seats were mostly army. The hundred or so men squatting in the seats lining the bulkhead were marines. Some laughed at the women. Others hunkered down, as if waiting for shrapnel to find them. A few threw curious glances at me, the only squid in sight.

A cluster of pops rapped at the bulkhead, like popcorn in my mother’s big pot. One of the sponges grinned at me. “Small arms fire. Welcome to Bagram.”

Bagram? A map of the giant air base flashed in my eyes, then a dim memory of riding my father’s shoulder, hiding my face in his turban while a trio of Shuravi—Soviets—stomped an ominously silent laborer. Couldn’t be…

“He means hold on,” added another sponge.

I dropped the puke bag to grab my seat. The plane tilted, again nose-diving but this time braking hard. Instead of falling to the deck, the bag shot forward, splatting against a female’s ear.

“I’m hit! Aaah!”

“God! Brains! Oh, God!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The plane swerved and jinked, each jerk redoubling the shrieks. The smell of fear, sharp and sour, fought with the smell of vomit.

One of the marines chuckled, despite the sweat beading on his face, and pitched his voice low enough to hear under the shrieks. “You know you’re going to have to police that up, Squidward.”

“No-go, sir. The doc’s our volunteer.”

Volunteer? WTF? I twisted to see who’d called me a volunteer, but his rifle caught my attention first. A bolt-action rifle. A sniper’s weapon.

Behind the rifle, teeth flashed in a grin. He didn’t seem to exist, except as a rifle, a hint of helmet, and a grin. Then the grin vanished.

The deck flipped overhead. The unsecured marines bounced, sending bellows among the screams. I hung from my seat, still taped in place.

The deck flipped again, then slammed up at us. A marine fell across my lap. I caught his weapon before it could bean him. The cool metal slapped into my hand, rousing memories like an old lover’s name.

REMEMBER: Amber has a Khyber Run T-shirt to give away. She will draw her winner at the end of the week. To be entered simply leave a comment for Amber. Thanks and good luck!

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

JAMI DAVENPORT

CONTEST: Jami will give away an electronic copy of one of her older books to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Best of luck!

AL: Hi Jami! Welcome to Blog Bites.

Jami: Thanks so much for having me here, Ann.

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Jami: I’m enjoying the summer on our beautiful little farm in the Pacific Northwest. I’m an avid horsewoman, but my horse is no longer rideable. This is the first time in over 25 years that I haven’t had a horse to ride. I’m adjusting slowly.

AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.

Jami: My most current release is Fourth and Goal, a football hero romance I’m really excited about. If I have a book of my heart, this is the book. I’m a big football fan, and I wanted to write a different kind of football romance—not one where the heroine doesn’t like football or know anything about it and the football is just background stuff. I wanted to write a football romance that would appeal to female football fans as well as fans of romance.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Jami: I also write hotter, shorter works under another pen name. I just finished two books under that pen name and am almost done with the third. After that I’ll be finishing the sequel to Fourth and Goal, followed by a small-town romance I’ve been dying to write.

AL: When you write do you do a detailed outline before you get started or do you have the idea then just 'fly by the seat of your pants'? :-)

Jami: Mostly, I start with an idea and fly. That being said, I am doing a little more plotting than I used to because plotting is my weak point, while characters are my strong point.

AL: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

Jami: Don’t polish your voice out of a story. I did that a lot when I first started writing.

AL: Do you have a mentor or critique partner that you work with consistently?

Jami: Yes, I have a couple. Dawn Calvert and Jodi Lynn Copeland. They’ve both been invaluable to me. Allie K. Adams and I plot together.

AL: It’s time to get personal! You love horse riding. Do you own horses? If so, what are their names and whose your favorite?

Jami: I have one horse named Gailey. Gailey is a very nice Hanoverian mare that I used to show in dressage. I bought her as an unbroke three year old. She’s now 16 and is going to be a mama for the first time next year. Due to some suspensory issues in her hind legs, I can no longer ride her. I’m hoping to buy another show horse next year.

AL: Your first book was named after a Garth Brooks song…Are you a big Garth Brooks fan? What other music do you like?

Jami: When I get an idea for a book, it’s as simple as hearing a song and thinking that would make a great book. The Dance was one of those books. I do like Garth, but mostly his older stuff. I love country, jazz, and rock.

AL: Is there an author out there that you’d love to do an anthology with?

Jami: Susan Elizabeth Phillips for the tamer stuff and Bella Andre or Jaci Burton for the naughtier stuff.

AL: Sometimes people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous. I like to set them straight, so tell us what’s the most unglamorous thing you’ve done in the past week?

Jami: Do you really want to know? I had to clean up cat vomit. I also scrubbed the refrigerator.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?

Jami: I’m working on Tyler’s story, Forward Passes, which is a hoot to write. After that, I’m starting my Small Town Saturday Night series, set in the small town in Eastern Washington that I grew up in. The first book will be based on a true incident a bartender told me about. It’ll give you chills to hear it.

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Jami: A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting right next to you saying, “Wow, that was fun.”

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Jami.

Jami: Thanks so much for having me, Ann. It’s been fun!!!

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Jami please visit:

Website: http://www.jamidavenport.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenport
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamidavenport

FEATURED TITLE: FOURTH AND GOAL

Blurb:

In a game played on and off the field, only one of them will emerge the winner.

Armed with an uncanny ability for evaluating football talent, a dogged determination to succeed in a man’s world, and an empty bank account, Rachel McCormick agrees to help struggling wide receiver Derek Ramsey get his game back. Rachel believes Derek, her former best friend and lover, knows the truth behind the points-shaving scandal which ruined her father. She vows to expose the secret even if it destroys Derek in the process.

When Derek’s coach suggests sex as an excellent tension reliever the night before a game, Rachel takes one for the team. The next day, Derek has the best performance of his not-so illustrious pro football career.

As Derek and Rachel rack up nights in bed and other places, the team racks up wins on the field. Rachel is torn between her loyalty to her father and her growing affection for Derek. Now it’s fourth and goal, one second left on the clock. Their hearts are on the line. Do they trust each other enough to go for the long bomb or do they get dropped for a loss?

Excerpt:

Hiring the one woman he could never forget was a dumb-assed idea and the wrong play to run, but Derek Ramsey took the ball and ran with it anyway. Five years ago, his one-weekend affair with Rachel McCormick had tackled him for an emotional loss. She’d been his best female buddy, and he’d fucked up a good thing by following his dick instead of his brain. After battling a half decade of guilt and coulda-shouldas, he dreaded and anticipated this reunion.

She’d been employed as his caretaker and living in the little house next to his barn for a few days. He’d managed to avoid contact by taking an impromptu weekend visit to his dad and stepmom a few hundred miles away. But he couldn’t stay away forever.

Weary of postponing the inevitable, Derek walked down the driveway from his ranch house to the barn and small caretaker’s house. Pausing halfway down the hill, he whistled for backup. Consider him a coward, but his chocolate Lab would serve as a diversion if this reunion didn’t go well. Oddly, Simon didn’t come running. Derek shrugged. He must be chasing rabbits in the woods or something.

He’d have to go it alone. As he rounded the last bend in his driveway, Rachel McCormick stomped up the hill toward him.

Oh fuck. He knew females. He’d endured growing up with an older sister. Rachel had that close-fisted, furious carriage to her stride that meant only one thing: someone was going to die. Please, God, don’t let it be him.

Even as he planned possible escape routes, his male head perused her body and responded with a resounding thumbs-up, though it wasn’t really his thumb that was up.

The woman marching toward him with murder in her eyes barely resembled his tomboy buddy from his high school and college days. This Rachel wore a navy blue blazer with matching skirt and shoes, complete with manicured nails and makeup. The suit hugged her tall, lean body and accentuated her curves and straight-to-heaven legs. Long reddish brown hair was pulled back into a tidy ponytail. While he preferred the blue jeans and T-shirt version, this one was just as gorgeous and way more unapproachable. Don’t mess with me radiated from every pore in her body. Not a glimpse of the shy, sweet Rachel he had once known.

“Rachel, good to see you again.” Derek spoke calmly -- hoping to defuse the bomb -- and halted a few steps from her.

She didn’t return his small talk. Green eyes blazing, she scowled, as dangerous as a hand grenade with the pin pulled in the hands of a chimpanzee.

“Problem?” he asked conversationally and forced a pleasant smile on his face.

“Do you own a demon chocolate Lab?”

Derek barked a laugh and sealed his death sentence. Her expression went beyond homicidal. “I have a Lab named Simon. He’s opinionated and untrainable. It sounds like you’ve met him.”

“How long has he engaged in a life of crime?”

“Oh shit. What did he steal now?”

“My truck keys. My only set.”

“Oh.”

“Where is the little delinquent?” She glanced up and down the driveway.

“I called for him earlier. He didn’t come. I suspect he’s busy burying the evidence.”

“I missed a job interview because of that hoodlum.” Her laser-tight glare sliced through his defenses.

“I’m sorry. I could get you a cab.”

“It’s too late now.” She spoke through gritted teeth and visibly drew in a long, calming breath. A split second of uncertainty flashed across her face, peppered with a vulnerability that brought memories flooding back to him of the girl he had once known. Sweet Rachel with a passion for football and a kind word for even the most unworthy person.

He watched as she gathered her composure and hid behind an emotionless mask. “I still need my keys.”

“I doubt we’ll find them. He’s very good. A serial digger.”

“What do you expect when you name a dog Simon? It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.” She stared up the dirt road. “My keys could be anywhere.”

Derek didn’t hold out much hope. Dense woods surrounded the driveway on both sides. At the end of the woods was a large field, cross-fenced into several smaller grassy paddocks. It’d take an act of God to find her keys. He truly doubted the Big Guy considered such a trivial matter worthy of his attention.

“So Simon’s on your hit list along with me.”

“Right up there at the top.” No denial of his place on the list.

“Are you a member of AAA?”

She pointed down the driveway. “That’s my truck. What do you think?”

He knew what he thought. He thought her lips looked pretty kissable, even without lipstick or gloss. He thought she was the sexiest thing he’d seen in a long time. And he thought -- oh damn, every thought bordered on dangerous and impossible and stupid.

“Derek.” She stared at him as if she expected an answer, but he’d be damned if he could remember the question.

“Yeah?”

“I said I’ve scaled back on material goods and choose to live life simply.”

He raised one eyebrow, not buying that one. “Judging by the dents in the thing, you might want to part with a few bucks…for your own safety.”

“Harvey has character.” Her anger still simmered below the surface, and a stranger stared back at him with frosty green eyes. Still beautiful, but formal and cold. He liked her better mad.

Derek snorted. “Harvey looks like he escaped a life sentence in a wrecking yard.”

“He runs great.” Rachel squared her shoulders and stood up straighter. She gave him her most charming smile, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Look, champ, I’d love to stand out here and shoot the breeze with you, but I’m a busy woman. Your agent already discussed the particulars of the position with me.”

He imagined all sorts of particular positions he’d prefer to do with her. She’d feel pretty good in his arms right about now, all soft and warm. And then he’d take her to bed and bury his cock deep inside her. She’d scream and beg for more, just like one weekend so long ago. Derek shook his head. This line of thinking headed nowhere but trouble and stopped now.

“I’ll get you a locksmith.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll call one.”

Derek wiped sweat off his brow and shoved his hair off his forehead. Damn. Was she so oblivious to him that she wasn’t picking up on his thoughts? He hoped so. As far as money, he knew better than to offer any. She had her pride. He’d let her keep it. He knew how valuable pride was. Since college, his none too lustrous pro career had severely dented his.

A joyous bark caught his attention. Simon trotted down the road toward them. A stick hung from his mouth, and his tail wagged with enthusiasm. No sign of stolen goods. On his best doggy behavior, the felonious Lab sat down next to Derek, grinning for all he was worth and incredibly pleased with himself.

“Simon, meet Rachel. Rachel, meet Simon.” Simon thumped his tail on the ground and gazed up at her.

“We’ve met.” Rachel glared at the dog. Undaunted, Simon took it as a compliment and drooled on her foot.

“Rae, I’m sorry. He’s my dog. I’ll take care of this.”

“A dog-skin rug in front of my fireplace would be payment enough.”

“You don’t have a fireplace.”

“One small detail. I’ll build a campfire on the porch.”

“You’re a heartless woman.”

“Don’t you forget it.”

In the Author Spotlight

Deirdra Eden Coppel


AL: Hi Deirdra! Welcome to Blog Bites.

Deirdra: Hi! Thank you so much for inviting me.

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Deirdra: Well, this summer my hubby is being a stay at home dad so I can work on my books. I have a private office at a secret location. My goal is to get five books written by September. I have three done so ahead of schedule.

AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.

Deirdra: I just had an article accepted in an international magazine. It was fun getting that acceptance letter and signing the contract. I was also asked to be a presenter at a large writer’s conference next spring.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Deirdra: I’m also a graphic designer, illustrator and writing coach. I’ve been presenting at workshops for writers and staying super busy with my illustrating and book cover business. My main project right now is getting those five books finished by summer’s end. Editing and querying take months, so I write another book while I’m waiting to hear back from editors and beta readers. I keep sending stuff out in waves to keep the progress flow constant.

AL: What is one glaringly/specific personality trait that you put into your hero/heroine that is all Deirdra? One that a family member or friend stops and says, “Hey, this is so you!"
Deirdra: She is a cat lover. LOL. My character is driven and determined. Hopefully that doesn’t sound too much like bragging, but I think all successful authors need to be driven and determined.

AL: How do you decide upon your settings? What about the names of characters? Do you ever change either mid-stream into a story?

Deirdra: My books are historical in nature. I usually research something in history until I find something that sparks a bunch of ‘what if’ questions. I research names and find out what they mean or pull something from history.

AL: What got you jumping feet first into writing fantasy?

Deirdra: Fantasy is a powerful way of teaching metaphors without being preachy. It was also one of the ways I escaped from reality when I was a child.

AL: It’s time to get personal! What’s your favorite comfort food?

Deirdra: Chocolate doughnuts, chocolate mint ice cream with hot fudge, cream puffs, Friday’s Brownie Obsession, strawberry cheesecake, carrot cake with extra frosting, ripe raspberries and black berries, truffles. Oh boy, you and your readers are going to think I’m a junkie. I hardly ever eat that stuff, really, I haven’t had a cavity in years. (knock-on-wood)

AL: What favorite movie; or T.V. show makes you hunker down on the sofa and settle in for the night?

Deirdra: Lately my family and I are watching old re-runs of ALF. I love a good Lord of the Rings and I get teary eyed while watching Princess Bride and Chronicles of Narnia.

AL: What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

Deirdra: I jousted – yep, on horseback. I wasn’t even wearing armor. I also hunted down a few zombies in the mountains. I had a baby, that was pretty rough, but I got a cute little boy out of the deal. I’ve written nine books, how crazy is that?

AL: If you could go anywhere in the world and in any time…where would you go? What would you do? And why that time-period?

Deirdra: Okay, I fantasize about this all the time. I wish I had a huge semi-truck and can take it back in time when the pioneers were crossing the plains to give them all a lift.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?

Deirdra: I’m getting an agent this year. I’m not sure who it is yet, but I’m getting one.

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Deirdra: “We are what we believe we are.” C.S. Lewis

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Deirdra.

Deirdra: Thanks for a fun interview. You asked some really great questions.

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Deirdra please visit:

www.Knightess.com
http://www.astorybookworld.blogspot.com/

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

JUNIPER BELL

CONTEST: Since I just came back from RWA, I’ll give away a gift pack of fabulous books, hardcover and paperback, including books by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Madeline Hunter, and Meg Cabot. I’ll throw in a few other goodies from the conference too. All you have to do is leave me a comment!

AL: Hi Juniper! Welcome to Blog Bites.

Juniper: Hi Ann, it’s great to be here, thanks so much for having me!

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Juniper: At the moment I’m roaming the East Coast visiting family. I just attended the RWA conference in New York, which involved meeting tons of amazing authors, drinking gallons of coffee and getting no sleep. So now I’m catching up with family in Rhode Island and Maine, trying to squeeze in a nap here and there. I’m calling it the Sleep Deprivation Tour. It’s been lots of fun, but I’ll be glad to get home to Alaska.

AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.

Juniper: My current release is Restraining the Receptionist, which came out on June 14 from Samhain. It’s a follow-up to Training the Receptionist, which began the adventures of Dana Arthur and her two sexy bosses. This book takes their steamy three-way relationship even further, but you can enjoy the second book without having read the first.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Juniper: My next book, ironically, is called Go Deep. It’s set during a winter festival in Alaska with the motto, “Anything goes, nothing counts.” An amateur hockey coach and his wife seize the opportunity to break through some barriers into a much deeper intimacy. And once they do, they find out all sorts of things about each other. Go Deep is coming out from Ellora’s Cave, but I’m not sure when.

AL: When was the defining moment when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

Juniper: I’ve always expressed myself best through writing, but I didn’t try to be a fiction writer until about four years ago. I was going through a terrible time in my personal life and, as always during stressful moments, I turned to romance novels. In the middle of a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book it clicked that if I loved romance so much, I should try writing one. Shortly thereafter I realized it’s not as easy as she makes it look.

AL: What do you like best about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

Juniper: What I like best about writing is the writing. The real world so rarely matches what I think it should be. But when I’m at the computer writing, I can do something about that! I love creating a different world to spend time in for a while. And I love my characters. My least favorite thing is the worry about whether other people are going to like my creations.

AL: Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest - hero/heroine? Why?

Juniper: My favorite heroine is Dana Arthur from my Receptionist books. She’s a street-smart survivor who relies on her sense of humor to get her through life. She’s also deeply vulnerable, though she’s learned to hide it and rely only on herself. She has to learn to let down her barriers in order to find pleasure and joy.

AL: It’s time to get personal! Do you have a favorite sport, &/or team that you follow? I love football and my Missouri Tigers.

Juniper: I have an obsessive personality, and after an especially intense season of following the New York Mets baseball team, I quit cold turkey. I decided that my blood pressure couldn’t take it. I transferred all that obsession to the Olympics because it only comes around every couple years and only lasts two weeks. That’s my sports fix now. I tune out everything else. Does that sound crazy?

AL: Best movie you've seen recently?

Juniper: I loved Easy A. I loved her attitude, in fact she reminded me of a younger version of Dana. I put that movie in the same category as another of my favorites – Clueless. Easy A is a light, contemporary retelling of the Scarlet Letter, Clueless of Jane Austen’s Emma. Putting classic novels in the context of modern-day high school is a genius idea. I’ve found that high school keeps repeating itself over and over again, no matter how old I get.

AL: Where would you like to travel if you had the chance?

Juniper: Just about anywhere. I live in Alaska where the quiet and isolation is great for writing, but it can turn you into a hermit. I’m pretty much willing to go any place that isn’t cold and buried under six feet of snow. The tropics are at the top of the list.

AL: Do you have a top 5 actors list? You know that list of men that make you go yum, yum that would be inevitable, if only….

Juniper: In no particular order, Daniel Craig. LL Cool J. Bradley Cooper. Ewen MacGregor. George Clooney. George Clooney is on the bubble. His confirmed bachelor act is getting old – I’m ready to see him settle down. On the other hand, Daniel Craig broke my heart when he got married recently. Bradley Cooper is new to the list. But I don’t think I’ll ever let Daniel or LL Cool J go. They just do it for me.

AL: If you could have any car in the world; would it be a slow rider, or one that the wind has to hurry just to keep up with you?

Juniper: It would have wings so it could fly over traffic, and a paddle wheel for crossing water. It would be Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in other words. I also really like the idea of jet packs for getting around town.

AL: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Juniper: I’m a big believer in the saying, “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey”. I want to keep having fun with my stories. I want to keep getting better at writing, keep finding more things to explore and try. I hope that readers will keep enjoying what I offer up.

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Juniper.

Juniper: It’s been a blast, thank you so much for the opportunity!

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Juniper please visit:

http://JuniperBell.com
http://AuthorJuniperBell.blogspot.com

FEATURED TITLE: RESTRAINING THE RECEPTIONIST

Blurb:

Every deal has a loophole …the Receptionist, Book 2

Dana Arthur’s new job with the firm of Cowell & Dirk is going well. Translation: the occasionally kinky ménage with her two bosses, Ethan and Simon, has been several months of politically incorrect bliss.

Except the relationship feels unbalanced. While Ethan is the undisputed master, the partners’ iron-clad agreement stipulates that Simon must be present as she performs her “duties”. And she senses there’s a subtle, powerful tug-of-war developing for more than just her body.

Simon had agreed to share the firm’s fiery, sensually daring receptionist…to a point. With Simon out of town, Ethan plans a feast of erotic temptations designed to have Dana begging him to break the deal. He didn’t realize his heart would be a casualty.

Once she surrenders to his wicked demands, Dana realizes there’s no going back. It’s time for a three-way renegotiation…this time, all or nothing.

Product Warnings


NSFW!! Do Not Try This at Your Job. Contains highly inappropriate workplace behavior including m/f/m, m/m, bondage, creative use of office space and a high-stakes trip to Atlantic City.

Excerpt: WARNING - NAUGHTY READ COMING UP! 

My unpredictable number one boss showed up in a new mood the next day. I’d never seen him light-hearted before. Now that I had an idea about his history, not a big surprise. But that’s exactly how he seemed when he breezed into the office. He wore casual clothes, blue jeans and a light blue open-collared shirt that made his eyes look like summer without the smog.

“I’ve got no pesky clients today, luv,” he told me, without pausing by my desk to check my outfit, which he usually did. “I’d like you to order us a picnic lunch.”

“Huh?”

“Picnic. You have those in America, right? Or are they banned in the great state of New York?”

“We have them, but you can’t even spread out a blanket without kicking aside a stray used needle or two.” As soon as I said it I remembered the heroin. “I…I’m sorry,” I stammered.

But my thoughtless reference didn’t make him miss a beat. “A little local color will add to the experience, I’m sure. Handle the details and we’ll go around noon.”

Did a picnic violate the terms of our deal? Ethan and I would be doing something outside of work, just the two of us, something intimate. Almost like a date. But he hadn’t suggested anything physical. It was lunch. We both had to eat, right? It seemed perfectly harmless.

Since I was working from the company petty cash fund, I called up the neighborhood yuppie café where they served giant organic sandwiches. On my budget, I would have gone for a Subway footlong. But Ethan would no doubt demand something better.

We held our picnic on a concrete bench in a sweltering park a few blocks away from the office. Dog walkers and stroller-pushers, listless from the heat, wandered by now and then, but otherwise we were alone. The humid heat pressed on us like a steam iron. My hair stuck to my cheeks as I bit into my upscale sandwich.

Ethan didn’t comment on the slabs of free-range chicken that had probably been hand-raised and read bedtime stories before being slaughtered and inserted into a sandwich. He did remove the unruly mound of bean sprouts and toss it to a nearby pigeon. The pigeon pecked at the stuff, clucked scornfully and waddled the other direction.

I couldn’t help giggling at Ethan’s wounded expression. “I wouldn’t take it personally,” I told him. “He’s a New York pigeon. He’s used to eating dog crap.”

He chuckled. “Have you lived here your whole life, Dana?”

The sheer ordinariness of the question unnerved me. “Well, except for that semester abroad in Paris, and the year I spent in Fiji with the Peace Corps. I’m joking,” I added, when he didn’t laugh.

“Oh. Well, I’m certainly familiar with your sense of humor, but I confess I don’t understand the joke. You could have done those things.”

I let out a spurt of laughter that startled the pigeon. “I had other things to do.”

“Like what?”

“Like dodge my father’s fists after a drinking binge.”

“Ah.” Ethan didn’t show sympathy or disapproval or anything else. He chewed on his stack of multi-grain goodness. “And your mother?”

“No clue. My father always said she ran away, but for all I know he has her body dismembered in a freezer somewhere.”

That earned me a sharp taste of Blue Fury.

“I’m kidding. I have a dark sense of humor. My father’s not that bad. And my stepmother would have gone for poison instead.”

A crack of laughter from Ethan. “You really are something, you know that? You fascinate me.”

I filled my mouth with sandwich so I didn’t have to answer that. I was very much afraid the fascination was mutual. We settled into a munching, digesting kind of silence. He had one ankle crossed over the opposite knee, and occasionally his bent leg would brush against mine. Every time it happened, a little jolt of awareness zinged straight to my groin. Did he know it was happening? Was he doing it deliberately?

“Your knee keeps touching me.”

“Does it?” He didn’t move away.

“That’s against the rules.”

“So sorry.” But he didn’t look sorry. He looked entirely unconcerned, even though he moved his knee away. “One of these days we must write these rules down. For instance, is all physical contact forbidden while Simon is away, or only that of a sexual nature?”

Lord, why did he have to say “sexual” with that spark in his eyes and that slant of his eyebrow? It wasn’t fair, damn it.

“Another example. I’ve been longing to tell you how delicious you look today and how the shadow of your nipples through the fabric of your blouse keeps drawing my eyes. But is verbal praise also off-limits, since I’d be unable to keep it G-rated, I’m afraid?”

“You can’t see my nipples through my blouse!” I looked down to make sure.

“Oh, yes, I can. I know what they’re doing right now. They’re just beginning to stir to life. You’re probably feeling a pleasant prickling as they become engorged. I’ve realized something about you, you know. The sound of my voice has a powerful effect on you.”

So right he was. I tried to block out his voice. Might as well try to stop the Hudson River.

“In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I could bring you to orgasm just with my voice. I wouldn’t have to touch you at all. All I’d have to do is tell you what I wanted to do to you. I’d tell you how much I want to bend you over this bench and take you in the open air. Or how much I’d like to tie you to that birch tree over there, open your blouse and bring you to orgasm with my fist up your cunt. Sure, someone might see. For instance, those three fellows playing Frisbee over there. It’s entirely possible they’d start to notice when I tied your hands behind the tree and ripped off your blouse. Maybe they’d even come running to your rescue.”

His gravelly voice hypnotized me so I could practically picture the scene. My body melted into a shivery puddle of craving.

“And then, of course, I’d have no choice but to invite them to join us, either as witnesses or participants. They look like red-blooded, able-bodied, clean-cut gentlemen, nothing to fear. I’d have to convince them you were willing. More than willing. Eager. I’d have to show them how wet you already were, just from having your breasts exposed. You like being exposed, don’t you?”

“Stop,” I murmured. This was going into an area we’d never touched. Other men had had no place in our games so far.

As soon as I told him to stop, he did. And as soon as he did, I wanted him to start again. After all, what was the harm? He was going there in imagination only.

“Well…” I cleared my throat. “Would you let them touch my breasts?”

“I’d give them a chance, see how they behaved. Not just anyone gets to touch my Dana. Our Dana, I should say.”

I winced at the reminder of the absent Simon. But I was too caught up in Ethan’s hypothetical scenario to be bothered for long.

“Our Dana’s luscious nipples deserve nothing other than sweet tender care. Long, lingering suckles. Perhaps a man to each nipple, and one to jerk himself off as he watches. That should get you started, I’d say. You’d be making those adorable little whimpering sounds. But perhaps I’d begin to sense that you want more, that you need the grip of cold metal on your flesh.”

The image made my belly clench with need. My nipples were as hard as the bench we sat on. I thought I would suffocate if this went on much longer. I turned a pleading look on him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of nipple clamps.

This was way over the line, totally against our rules, but I banished that thought from my mind. I nodded, biting my lip. I didn’t care who watched as he reached inside my blouse and fastened the silver clips to my nipples. The sweet pain of it made me sag against him and sigh. Exquisite relief flooded me. I leaned against him as if he were a boulder. When I looked down, the clips were clearly visible through my blouse. But I didn’t care. Ethan would take care of me.

REMEMBER: Since I just came back from RWA, I’ll give away a gift pack of fabulous books, hardcover and paperback, including books by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Madeline Hunter, and Meg Cabot. I’ll throw in a few other goodies from the conference too. All you have to do is leave me a comment!

Wednesday's Witty Words

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

- Mae West

Wednesday's Witty Words

"Well-behaved women seldom make history."

- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Movie Phrase Friday

"I've always liked you Byron, but you never know when to shut up. Even bad men love their mommas."

Name that movie!

Wednesday's Witty Words

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."

- E. L. Doctorow

Wednesday's Witty Words...on Thursday?

"You know what's weird? Day by day, nothing changes, but pretty soon...everything's different."

- Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes

In the Author Spotlight

SHERI LEWIS WOHL

A walk on the wild side...

People often ask me why I write paranormal fiction. I have a career in federal finance and I go to the office every day. I belong to a triathlon club and participate in running, swimming, and biking events. Yesterday, I even did my very first half marathon and had a fantastic time. Yet, getting time in to write books seems like an awful lot of work and that’s what everyone asks me about. Sure, it seems like simply carving time out to write would be a chore. Except, it isn’t. Why? Because it’s fun!

Imagination is a wonderful thing and it takes me to places I’d never have the courage to go in life. It lets me see my world in new and creative—albeit admittedly weird—ways. It combines my activities with my imagination. For instance, I like to ride my bicycle home from work and as I ride, stories evolve in my head. My route home from the office is ten miles, the majority of which is through a beautiful state park. The plot for my upcoming novel, Burgundy Betrayal (number two in the Spiritus Chronicles), was born as I rode along the river through the hills lined with evergreens. As I a pedaled, what-if scenarios rolled through my mind until the book came together. Filled with werewolves, witches, and vampires, the park is a key element in Burgundy Betrayal.

Book one in the Spiritus Chronicles, Crimson Vengeance, came about after meeting a medical examiner. Of course, if you’ve read any of my books, you know I have a love of all things paranormal and so in Crimson Vengeance, the medical examiner is also a vampire! Again, it was the everyday world around me that provided the inspiration and let me take a walk on the wild side even if it was only through my imagination. How can I not find time for that kind of fun?

So, if you want to take a walk that wild side with me, pick up Crimson Vengeance, and we’ll make the journey together. Cheers!

www.sherilewiswohl.com
www.sherilewiswohl.wordpress.com
www.sheri26.blogspot.com

FEATURED TITLE: CRIMSON VENGEANCE
 
Blurb:
 
Love, desire, and secrets—a trail littered with murder and the choice one vampire will have to make that will seal her fate or set her free…
 
Spokane County Medical Examiner Riah Preston has a job to do and a secret to keep. Riah is a vampire and she’s on a mission to discover a cure for the very thing that has kept her a prisoner of darkness for over five hundred years. With the help of Moses Lake Coroner Ivy Hernandez and genetic scientist Adriana James, they are on the verge of a breakthrough. When victims of a rogue vampire begin to show up along the I-90 corridor, things get complicated. The appearance of vampire hunter Colin Jamison complicates the situation even further. Will they be strong enough to stop this vampire killer cutting a wide path of death and destruction? Or will the secrets Riah holds in her heart destroy them all?

Movie Phrase Friday!


Okay you all! I looked hard for something that might be tougher to figure out.

Dad: Now, what have we learned today?
Daughter: I learned to never, never ask my dad a question he doesn't have the guts to answer.

Name that movie!

Wednesday's Witty Words

"It's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing Milk Bone underwear."

- Norm from TV series Cheers

In the Author Spotlight

ZOE WINTERS

AL: Hi Zoe! Welcome to Blog Bites.

Zoe: Thanks for having me!

AL: What work are you deep into right now?

Zoe: Right now I’m working on book 3 of my Preternaturals series, which sadly doesn’t have a name yet. This is the longest I’ve gone without a title for a book. I might have to make it an open contest to name it if I can’t come up with something soon.

AL: What is one glaringly/specific personality trait that you put into your hero/heroine that is all Zoe? One that a family member or friend stops and says, “Hey, this is so you!

Zoe: The smart-assery. Most definitely. And if that’s not a word, I just made it a word. :P

AL: How do you decide upon your settings? What about the names of characters? Do you ever change either mid-stream into a story?

Zoe: I like smaller towns; they feel easier to manage, and they often have weird quirks which are fun to play with. I also like to write totally made-up places because I don’t want people who live in a place to go: “Hey there’s no coffee shop on that street corner!”

I’m awful about character names. Sometimes they just come to me, but usually I ask Twitter, lol. People on Twitter helped me name Zane (Z) and Fiona, the main characters in my next book. Z has to go by an initial because I’ve got too many rhyming names for major characters: Jane, Zane, Cain, Dayne. You can see where I need an intervention. And I try not to change those things, mid-stream. It’s too jarring for me.

AL: What got you jumping feet first into writing paranormals?

Zoe: The Buffy and Spike relationship on BtVS.

AL: It’s time to get personal! What’s your favorite comfort food?

Zoe: shepherd’s pie. It’s seriously the most perfect food ever created.

AL: What favorite movie; or T.V. show makes you hunker down on the sofa and settle in for the night?

Zoe: I really don’t have a TV. If I watch something it’s on Netflix Streaming or Hulu. And generally I watch in 15 minute increments. I just don’t have the attention span to sit and watch a full show, plus I’ve got too much to do. Though I will sometimes sit and watch a movie which completely contradicts my above statement. I’m wacky that way.

AL: What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

Zoe: I’ll let you know when I do it. :)

AL: If you could go anywhere in the world and in any time…where would you go? What would you do? And why that time-period?

Zoe: Far into the future. And anywhere, really. I just want to see if we’re still here and if we became really really stupid like in the movie Idiocracy (scariest movie I’ve ever seen) or if smart people started procreating again.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?

Zoe: Well, I’m on a ten-yr-plan and the plan is basically... write a lot of books. Keep making a living. Maybe get rich because that would be nice, and then I could write purely for passion exactly what I wanted instead of having to worry about if it would sell.

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Zoe.

Zoe: My pleasure!

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Zoe please visit:

http://www.zoewinters.org
http://zoewinters.wordpress.com
http://www.twitter.com/zoewinters

 

FEATURED TITLE: SAVE MY SOUL
 
Blurb:
 
All he’s asking for is her soul.
 
After buying the antebellum home she’s fantasized about since childhood, Anna Worthington discovers Luc, a dangerously seductive incubus who has been trapped in the house by a fifty-year-old curse. To rid herself of her problem house guest she’ll call on a priest, gypsies, ghost hunters, and the coven of witches from lust bunny hell. All she has to do is resist him long enough to break the spell so they can go their separate ways. If she doesn’t, she could die. And that would be the best case scenario.
 
Excerpt:
 
Instead of Beatrice, it was about the best looking man Anna had ever laid eyes on––airbrushed magazine spreads notwithstanding. Dark hair fell around his face, framing an olive complexion and cold, bright green eyes that appeared to burn with a light of their own.
 
They seemed to pull her in, hypnotize her. They were eyes that had known violence. Whether as the victim or the perpetrator, it was too hard to tell, but she suspected the latter.

His lips were as full as any man’s had a right to be, and Anna had to stop herself from imagining nibbling on his lower lip. He had the kind of cheekbones sculptors spent a lifetime learning to chisel into stone. Rather than sitting in the chair, he seemed to drape. Casually. Sinfully.

Shirtlessly.

She closed her eyes and raised a hand to her head, feeling for bumps. After what she’d just experienced the last thing that seemed normal was lusting after a hot stranger in her bedroom. Maybe she was dreaming again.

The next words to fly from her mouth were so stupid she would later blame a mild concussion. “You should know this house is haunted, and the last guy who tried anything got beaten bloody for his trouble. So you should ask yourself if it’s worth losing your good looks over.”

His deep, familiar chuckle slid into her, too fluid to be human. Anna vaulted out of the bed, taking the sheets with her, wrapping them around her frame as she went.

“I’ve seen it all,” he said waving a hand away as if he could never be moved by such banal things as nudity.

Not while I was conscious, Anna thought. She backed farther away as he stood and advanced on her. “Um . . . so Beatrice isn’t here?” Diversionary tactics weren’t her strong suit.

There never was a Beatrice. It was him. Her throat tightened again as that thought slammed fully into her brain. She tried to shut out the memories of all the times she’d been a little too naked in the house, either ignoring the ghost or thinking it was a woman.

A slow smile spread over his face. “I’m the thing that killed her.” Fear pulsed through her at his words, and he seemed to savor it like wine. “Beatrice went to Heaven where all good girls with intact souls go when they die. Tell me, my dear, do you think your soul will be intact when I’m finished with you?”

Add caption

Movie Phrase Friday!

"In my world, everyone's a pony and they eat rainbows, and poop butterflies!"

Name that movie!

Wednesday's Witty Words

"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."

- Abraham Lincoln

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

ALAN NAYES

CONTEST: Alan Nayes will be giving away a free copy of his biomedical thriller THE UNNATURAL to one lucky commenter. Good luck!

AL: Hi Alan! Welcome to Blog Bites.

Alan: Hi, Ann, thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here.

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Alan: I’ve recently purchased some land in rural Texas and I’m working on renovating an old ranch house. It’s taking some time but it’s fun to see the progress and who knows—one day I may just spend a month or two there and write a book. A month or two? I only wish I could write a novel that fast.

AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.

Alan: BARBARY POINT is my current release and the story is now available on the Amazon and Barnesandnoble websites. BARBARY POINT is a love story that involves a woman who flies back to Wisconsin to close out her father’s estate and ends up falling in love with a fishing guide. Even for those who aren’t keen on fishing, I think the story will “hook” you. I know—not funny.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Alan: HEMLOCK POND. I jump genres here away from romance directly into the realm of horror. HEMLOCK POND is about a woman and her young son who move into an old farmhouse with a haunted pond on the property. Um…sounds a little like my property. Uh-oh.

AL: When was the defining moment when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

Alan: No defining moment for me, Ann. But more a bunch of small moments—a creative writing class years ago, writing some music in college, and then some screenplays later and finally the eventual publication of my first novel GARGOYLES.

AL: What do you like best about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

Alan: Best—editing. Worst—trying to hammer out that first draft. Some days I’d rather go to the dentist than try to fill up a blank page with words. Not really, but it doesn’t always come easy. Wish it did.

AL: What is the strangest source of writing inspiration you’ve ever had?

Alan: That’s a tough one. I wish I could come up with something really bizarre but it would all be fiction. I must be boring because most of my inspiration comes from simple things I experience in everyday life—newspaper articles, books, dealings with people. My inspiration for BARBARY POINT came from a cottage my family owns on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. I travel up there several times a year and have always thought this would be an ideal locale for a love story. Or if no love showed up, at least relax and fish!

AL: It’s time to get personal! Do you have a favorite sport, &/or team that you follow? I love football and my Missouri Tigers.

Alan: Easy, easy, easy. The Superbowl champs—Green Bay Packers. Have always loved them ever since the days of Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Willie Wood, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, all of ‘em. Aaron Rodgers will be another great one.

AL: Best movie you've seen recently?

Alan: I don’t see many movies but one I did watch in the theaters was Avatar—pretty impressive.

AL: Where would you like to travel if you had the chance?

Alan: Three places I want to see—Antarctica, Hawaii—can’t believe I haven’t been there yet, and some island in the South Pacific—still deciding which one. Have been to my first two choices—the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. One day I’d like to climb Kilimanjaro. Better train some first.

AL: If I asked your best friend what type of person you are, what would he or she tell me?

Alan: Hardworking, honest, dedicated, great sense of humor, did I say intelligent, witty—oh, you wanted her opinion, not mine. Sorry. “He spends too much time at his computer.” Hey, I swear that one big story’s in me somewhere.

AL: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Alan: Big goal—land one of my stories on the New York Times bestseller’s list.

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Alan: My favorite movie quote is from The Flight of the Phoenix—“Mr. Townes, you behave as if stupidity were a virtue.” Sometimes I feel that way when I’m staring at that half finished paragraph.

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Alan.

Alan: Thank you, Ann. It really was a pleasure.

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Alan please visit:

Website: http://anayes.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Alan-Nayes/125860424139928
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/alannayes
Alan Nayes Blog: http://www.alannayes.blogspot.com/

FEATURED TITLE: BARBARY POINT

Blurb:

When Kelly English flies back to Oshkosh,Wisconsin, to close out her father’s estate, the last thing on her mind is falling in love. Again. Kelly is twenty-eight and engaged to an older man who is quite wealthy. She’s happy, and only desires to make the trip back brief, sell her deceased father’s place, and return to her stable life in Los Angeles. However, while taking care of business in Oshkosh, Kelly meets a fishing guide.

BARBARY POINT is Kelly’s story of what happened that one magical week in May on the shores of Lake Winnebago when the ducklings hatch and the walleye run.

Exerpt:

Mother always reminded me, Kelly, love from the mind is nothing more than a pleasurable arrangement, whereas love from the heart lasts forever.

I had listened to these same exact words beginning in junior high, again in high school, and throughout college. And it always worried me I might not be able to tell the difference.

A man I deeply loved once told me that a fish lunges after an artificial lure solely on instinct. He sees it, wants it, and zappo, he‘s hooked.

Love is a lot like that. You see someone you want, the chemistry is there, and zappo, you‘re hooked.

REMEMBER: Alan Nayes will be giving away a free copy of his biomedical thriller THE UNNATURAL to one lucky commenter. Good luck!

Wednesday's Witty Words

“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”

– Unknown

In the Author Spotlight
CORA ZANE

CONTEST: Cora Zane is giving away a glitter heart magnet set, and a goodie pack with bookmarks and a cute pin back button, to one lucky reader. Make sure to leave a comment along with your email addy so Cora can contact you if you win. Good luck!

AL: Hi Cora! Welcome back to Blog Bites.

Cora: Thank you for having me.

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Cora: It’s pretty crazy here, but that’s nothing unusual. I’m on a very short deadline right now, and at the same time, I’m trying to rearrange my office for a new computer before my laptop goes belly up. My family is looking at a necessary trip to D.C. in the near future, and we’re trying to rearrange our schedules to fit that in. Also, author Keri Ford and I will be giving a workshop on e-publishing at Bossier Parish Community College in June. This is in conjunction with our local RWA chapter - www.nolastars.com – so I’m preparing for that.

AL: Would you like to tell us about a current or upcoming release?

Cora: I’m currently in the process of wrapping up Wicked Obsession, which is an erotic vampire novel, and the official sequel to the first vampire novella I ever wrote – Wicked Temptation. With any luck, it will be available through Cobblestone Press in the next few months.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Cora: I’m in the process of repackaging a previously published story called At the Edge of Twilight. I intend to take that title, and add it in with six other erotic fairytales to create a full length erotic faerie tale collection. I’ll be putting the volume up for sale on both Smashwords and Amazon once I have everything put together and formatted, probably sometime around late September.

I’m also working on an erotic, horror-romance story, that I intend to submit to the new Shivers line at Ellora’s Cave.

AL: When you write do you do a detailed outline before you get started or do you have the idea then just 'fly by the seat of your pants'? :-)

Cora: I plot heavily and do a lot of pre-writing before I ever start writing a first draft. I don’t outline quite the way I used to. I find it saves me time, and I don’t end up having quite so much to rework later on, if I have the major mid-story crisis figured out before I write the first few scenes.

AL: Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters wanted to go in another direction. What did you do in such a situation?

Cora: When I first started writing, I had that problem a lot. I’d have a general idea of what I wanted my story to be, and usually one or two scenes in mind, but I didn’t always know how to get my characters to go from point A to point B. I think that had a lot to do with not planning far enough ahead into a story before I started writing it. Now, I make sure I understand each character’s individual goal before I ever start writing, and make sure I have an overall story goal that unifies the characters in some way to keep them all on track. It’s much easier to figure out where your characters are going if you know where you need them to be by the end of the book.

AL: If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?

Cora: I have several free reads on Smashwords, and I usually direct people over there first. My short story Heart Spell is a reader favorite. I often tell interested readers if they like the free stories I’ve posted, they’ll probably like my Werekind Series books, which are available at Cobblestone Press. Even though Dominant Territory is smack dab in the middle of the series, I tend to recommend it before the other books just because it’s my favorite.

AL: It’s time to get personal! What annoys you enough to be considered a pet peeve?

Cora: Well, my husband and friends tease me about being an earthy girl because I let the small stuff slide. It doesn’t bother me much if someone gets my name wrong or makes an awkward faux pas. It doesn’t bother me all that much if someone has stinky feet, or if they munch carrots on the phone while talking to me. It has to be a pretty nasty situation for me to consider it a pet peeve. Spitefulness is a big turn off; the same goes for disrespecting others. I think mean people in general are my pet peeve. People who never seem to have anything good to say about anyone else – I’m usually looking for an exit when I get stuck with someone like that.

AL: What are you reading in your spare time?

Cora: Lately I’m reading a mix of craft books and fiction in my spare time. If I get even ten spare minutes, I’ll pick up a book and read a few paragraphs. I’m currently reading Zombie Tramp by Dan Mendoza, which is a graphic novel. And I just finished Long Slow Burn by Isobel Sharp a few days ago. Before that, I read Beastly by Alex Flinn, which is a really cool YA beauty and the beast type book. Next up on my TBR stack is Ghost Stalker by Jenna Kernan, which is a Harlequin Nocturne. Oh, and through all this, I’ve been spot reading a book about negotiating contracts, but I can’t think of the title or the author’s name right off hand.

AL: If you could meet someone famous in either history, or present day…who would you like to meet and why?

Cora: Someone famous… That’s hard to say. I think it would be fun to see what Anne Rice has on her Nook or Kindle. Too, I always thought it would be fun to go through Stan Lee’s attic if he has one. If he does have an attic, I bet he’s got some really cool stuff up there.

AL: You have to ask a fictional character out on a date—who would you ask and what would you do together?

Cora: Haha! That’s great… I’d probably want to go out on a date with Jack Sparrow just because he’s that wacky kind of character you could see yourself waking up next to in a jail cell the following day. It would be a hoot to go with him to Mardi Gras.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2011 and beyond?

Cora: Well, I took most of last year off to hone my craft. I did a lot of studying and test writing. Now, I’m trying to tie up loose ends and be more productive, but it’s not always easy. I hope to have a new Werekind story finished by the end of the year if my schedule allows it. Next year, I’d like to have my plate cleared as far as any contractual obligations go, so I can work on something brand new. I’d really like to put out more single title work in the future.

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Cora: “Plan your work, and work your plan.” That’s actually from a fortune cookie, so I don’t know the author. It’s practical advice, though. I think that’s why I like it so much. Just for the sake of saying so, I have that fortune cookie slip taped to the printer in my home office.

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Cora.

Cora: It’s been a pleasure. :o)

AL: If you’d like to find out more about Cora please visit:

Cora’s Website: www.corazane.com. You can also find her on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and her personal blog: http://corazane.blogspot.com.

FEATURED TITLE: CONNECTION

Blurb:

Gage is a cyber vamp, an AI being who feeds off energy, sexual and otherwise. Kiri loves that they can feel each other’s pleasure during sex…during those electric moments when Gage slips his fangs into her neck ports.

Kiri knew from the start Gage wanted a no-strings relationship. But she hadn’t realized his bite would grant him full access to her heart. Didn’t count on being so lost to pleasure that she lets loose her innermost desire. Now Gage knows her secret, and Kiri can’t bring herself to face him.

But Gage has a secret of his own. He’s found more than sexual satisfaction with Kiri. He’s discovered the ultimate connection—and he’ll prove it the second he’s back in her bed.

Excerpt:

“You’re more than welcome to join us,” Adam offered. Once again his gaze settled on her neck ports, and she shivered at the way his gaze caressed her like a physical touch. As androids, cyber vampires fed off sensual energy rather than blood. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind what this one wanted from her.


With his card tucked between his fingers and his arm resting on the back of the booth again, he created a space near the edge for her to sidle in next to him if that was her wish. “Interested?”

“Um, thanks, but…” Kiri just shook her head.

He’s not Gage. Fucking him won’t fix things.

She hated herself for having to rationalize it.

Ignoring the way her clit throbbed, she tucked the serving tray under her arm and left the suite in an effort to distance herself from the temptation. Once outside, she shut the door behind her and headed down the glass walkway that ran all the way around the cylinder-shaped club, connecting the circle of third-floor suites overlooking the main club area. A discreet stairwell tucked farther down the walkway spiraled behind the inner walls of the building, connecting the multiple levels.

As Kiri reached the stairwell, she stopped to look out over the glass riser edging the walkway, gazing down at the light show that pulsed and flickered over the dance floor. Instead of going straight down to check in at the bar, she stepped back into the shadows of the tiny third-floor landing and pressed her back against the wall on the other side of a waist-high vase of peacock orchids.

The music vibrated through her, the booming bass matching the desire throbbing through her body. Her inner thighs were slick with cream, her cunt aching for a man’s attention. She couldn’t get her mind off the scene in the suite. Kiri clamped her eyes shut tight, her conscience turning over the many reasons why she shouldn’t—why she wouldn’t—accept the blond man’s offer. There were many, but still her body nagged her for release. Craving a quick climax, she glanced off to the right, around the large plume of flowers, to see if anyone was coming up the stairs and saw no one. She was alone.

Heart galloping, her skin tingling with urgent need, she slipped her hand beneath her skirt, hesitating when her fingertips grazed the edge of her panties.

She wondered if she was far back enough from the glass riser to prevent anyone from looking up and seeing her. Were the shadows dark enough for true concealment?

To hell with it. Getting caught seemed a much lesser punishment than going unfulfilled.

REMEMBER: Cora Zane is giving away a glitter heart magnet set, and a goodie pack with bookmarks and a cute pin back button, to one lucky reader. Make sure to leave a comment along with your email addy so Cora can contact you if you win. Good luck!

Wednesday's Witty Words

"Some people go through life trying to find out what the world holds for them only to find out too late that it's what they bring to the world thar really counts."

- Anne of Green Gables