Wednesday's Witty Words

The only way not to break a friendship
is not to drop it.

- Julie Holz

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

Michelle M. Pillow

CONTEST: Leave a post and one winner will receive a pdf copy of Realm Immortal: King of the Unblessed.

AL: Hi Michelle! Thanks for being in the “Author Spotlight” this week.

Michelle: Thank you so much for having me!

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

Michelle: I’m in the process of trying to set up a small greenhouse. I’ve never been that lucky with gardens so I decided this year to really study up and use the old greenhouse on our property. I love to try new things and this looks like it might be a fun and rewarding project—if I can get anything to grow.

AL: What new release do you have out for us to read?

Michelle: 2009 is a very busy year for me. So far, I’ve had Pleasure Island (EC, Jan) and the start of a new alternate reality series, Divinity Warriors: Lilith Enraptured (EC March), Faire Justice (NCP, April) as well as a three book release of the Realm Immortal series—King of the Unblessed, Faery Queen, Stone Queen (Samhain, March).

My newest release will be Divinity Warriors: Fighting Lady Jayne from EC May 15th. This series is so much fun and I’ve gotten some really steamy covers for them. Whew!

AL: What are you currently working on?

Michelle: I’m finishing up the Divinity Warriors series with book four. I’m almost done with the first draft. Books 1-3 are already contracted with Ellora’s Cave and due out this year. After that, I will be working on a new book for my agent.

AL: You write different genres, do you favor one genre over another?

Michelle: I love working in different genres. Historicals are my first love, but I really love the creativity of world building that comes with paranormals and futuristics. Not only do you get to make up cultures and societies, but technology, world events, mythologies. I also write contemporaries and fantasies. I like switching things up and trying new things. I’d love to be involved with some non-fiction projects and maybe do a photography art book….someday.

AL: Out of all your stories do you have one that is more near and dear your heart?

Michelle: It’s so hard to say. I love the straight historicals like Maiden and the Monster (EC) or the Realm Immortal (Samhain) fantasy romances where there’s bigger world building and a larger cast of characters. I also tend to fall for the bad guy side characters. I love writing them. King Lucien of the Damned in the Realm Immortal series seems to be a fan fave. Everyone wants me to redeem the unredeemable.

AL: You’ve been in the publishing game for several years now, what has changed? What has remained the same? Has there been any difficulties adjusting, or do you flow with the “winds of change?”

Michelle: I tend to just flow and try not to stress over things I can’t control. I try to focus on the positive. I’ve learned a lot since I’ve started and met a lot of great people. Ebooks continue to gain in popularity and notice. And the genre lines continued to blur. I know when I first started the marketing departments would scratch their heads when I said I wanted to write a dark paranormal romance. Now, you can get them everywhere. I love the options.

AL: I can tell it’s really important for you to help other authors. What got you started on this “kick”?

Michelle: As a newbie, I got a lot of different reactions from those who’d been at it longer than me. Some were great and incredibly helpful and others were, erm, not so great. I always said that if I got to a position that I could help others, I would try to. And I find that many of those I’ve helped are willing to return the favor when I need a hand.

AL: So, now for the important questions. 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?

Michelle: Ugh, do I have to say? LOL Writing is so not glamorous. It’s hours staring at a computer in your pajamas, forgetting to eat, forgetting bedtime, forgetting social contact. Thank goodness for the internet or most of us would never talk to anyone. This last week? I deep cleaned the house. Covered in grime and sweat is about as unglam as you can get.

AL: You’re the actress in a must see blockbuster movie that everyone’s been waiting all summer for. What’s the movie about? Who’s your character? And who’s your leading man?

Michelle: Well, if it’s a blockbuster, it’s not a story of the girl in her pajama pants staring at a computer screen. I think it would have to be something epic, a little funny, and definitely with some zombies thrown in. And the hero would have to have a sense of humor. I mean, he would be a comically epic zombie after all.

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?

Michelle: It would be a 1950 Merc, blue with suicide doors and maybe a little chop to the roof.

AL: Do you have a favorite sport, &/or team that you follow?

Michelle: Are cooking competitions a sport? LOL. With so many strange sports out there from wife carrying to cheese rolling to outhouse racing, it’s hard to pick just one.

AL: With Spring upon us, what’s some of your favorite things about the season?

Michelle: It’s great photography weather—mild temps with pretty flowers blooming, people out and about, the landscapes waking up. Though, to tell the truth, I think all seasons are great photography weather, lol.

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.
Michelle: "Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." E.L. Doctorow and “Fuck structure and grab your characters by the balls." Jack Kerouac

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Michelle. You’ve been in the game so long and have done so much to try to help other authors that I struggled to condense all the questions I had for you.

Michelle: You’re very welcome. Thanks again for having me!

AL: Want to find out more about Michelle and the many books she has for you to read? Please visit:

- Website – http://www.michellepillow.com/
- Blog – www.michellepillow.com/blog
- Newsletter - http://www.michellepillow.com/newsletter/?p=subscribe
- Raven Radio www.blogtalkradio.com/ravenradio

- Raven Free Story – http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/

FEATURED TITLE:

BLURB:

Sorin of Firewall lives in a land forever at war. In fact, the Starian men are so busy fighting, their marriage ceremony has been reduced to a “will of the gods” event where they simply pick a woman out of a lineup and claim her as a wife. With women becoming scarce, it’s necessary to trade the offworld Divinity Corporation for brides. Duty-bound to attend the ceremony, he has no intention of picking a bride, let alone one from another dimension. That is, until he sees Lilith, the bewitching woman sent by the gods to reward—or punish?—him.

Lilith, a data analyst for Divinity, is betrayed by the Corporation and wakes up in a primitive, uncharted dimension filled with warriors who only know war and duty. But her initial fears of becoming a sex slave to a big beefy knight become all too real when a warrior of god-like proportions claims she’s his new woman. As Lilith discovers, there are worse fates than being the focus of Sorin’s skillful and earthy seduction.

EXCERPT:

Sorin took several deep breaths, feeling as he did when about to go into battle. Heat filled him as tension worked its way into his limbs. With a single thought, he could will his body to spring into action. He could erase her from the world and end this before it started.

But it was too late. He was lost the moment he’d looked at her, had seen her big blue eyes staring at him in trepidation. No, he was lost before that, when he felt her looking at him, beckoning him with her unwavering gaze to find her in the crowd.

Temptress. Witch.

He willed the desire inside him to go away. It shouldn’t have been so strong. He’d relieved himself like he always did, had spilled his seed to ease the lonely ache.

Light from the fireplace shone through the white of her gown, silhouetting the long length of her legs and arms. The linen clung to her shoulders, swooping gently along the curves of her breasts—breasts that would be bare beneath. The tied hands were a new addition to the ceremony, thanks to Sir Aidan’s wayward woman, Lady Paige. Sorin’s barbaric side found he liked the addition.

Hunger rushed into every limb, lifting his cock beneath the long tunic. He didn’t think to hide the reaction. No one would care. It had been so long, so very long, since he’d had a woman in his bed. He suppressed a groan. Soft flesh. Round breasts. Taut nipples. Slick, warm vessel to catch his passion. That certain female smell when he pressed his nose to her sex.

A thought whispered in the back of his mind. Maybe she’s different. Maybe she’ll be better. Maybe this one will stay.

He cursed the thought. No. She wasn’t different. She wasn’t better. Sorin had made up his mind long ago. He’d come, he’d look, but he never, ever wanted to find someone. He wasn’t meant to have this, or her, or any kind of peace. Sorin was born into a land of war. He was made for it, every piece of him. One of the bloodiest battles in their history happened the very hour his mother gave birth to him.

Some were lucky to find peace in marriage, but not him. Tradition and necessity dictated he come to these ceremonies and try to find someone. He came from a noble line, a position of power, one that demanded he have sons to carry on his family’s name. But society could not make him choose. It could not make him step forward and lay claim.

“Mine.”

Where did that word come from? It sounded like his voice, booming over the hall to quiet all who watched into stunned silence. It felt like his body refusing to go to his place at the table, instead moving forward with arm uplifted to point at the blonde-haired beauty. But it couldn’t be his body or his voice. That would mean he’d just announced his claim. Everyone would have heard it. He couldn’t back out once the word was said.

“Sorin?” his younger brother, Ronen, hissed. Like Sorin, Ronen led one of the more renowned armies in all of Staria. Very few would dare to challenge their word or honor and the fact made it even more impossible for Sorin to take back what he’d done.

“Mine,” Sorin found himself repeating. Was he possessed? What madness was this? He kept walking toward her. She merely stared at him, those wide, gorgeous eyes capturing his. Straight blonde hair hung long down her back, just as a woman’s should.

“Brother?” Ronen questioned. The shock was evident in his voice. Sorin couldn’t blame him for the surprise because that very day he’d been instructing Ronen to stay strong and not fall for a woman’s pretty face. And what did Sorin do? He claimed a woman with a pretty face.

The hall remained quiet. Sorin stopped before the woman, noting with pleasure that she didn’t cringe and fall away from his looming presence. Her strength would serve her well. Years of frustrated desires surged inside him. He couldn’t put them off any longer. Deny it as he might, he needed a woman. He would never admit the words out loud. The need was not just for physical release, but for the softness of her, the sweet smell and the temporary relief from the endless fighting that such a creature could bring.

You tried this before, Sorin. Such things are not for you.

Fool.

Idiot.

Weak.

His accusing thoughts infuriated. Reaching for her bound arms, he took hold of the ropes. Not even his condescending inner voice could stop his actions. Sorin held her gaze steady, stating so she couldn’t mistake his claim, “You are mine.”

CONTEST: Remember to enter for a chance to win...leave a post and one winner will receive a pdf copy of Realm Immortal: King of the Unblessed.

Wednesday's Witty Words

I'm not offended by all the
dumb blonde jokes,
because I know I'm not dumb...
and I also know
that I'm not blonde.

- Dolly Parton

In the Author Spotlight

Alisha Rai

Ann: Hi Alisha! Thanks for being In the “Author Spotlight” this week.

Alisha: Thanks Ann! I’m honored to be spotlighted. Spotlit. I love it all!

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

Alisha: Well, my day job is kind of seasonal (florist), so I just finished up Easter, next weekend we have prom and weddings, and then Mother’s Day, for which I will crawl into a cave and not emerge until the 12th of May. Good times. I’m enjoying the business-and the money-while it lasts, though, since the summer means a flat line for us. Other than that, I have two family members getting married this summer, so I’m busy helping them plan.

Ann: What do you have gracing the virtual bookshelves?

Alisha: My debut novel, Glutton for Pleasure, released last month! So exciting. It’s a ménage with a pair of hunky twins and the shy chef they fall for.

Ann: What other saucy tales are you cooking up for us?

Alisha: Right now, I’m working on Devi’s sister’s stories; I’ve finished the rough draft for Rana, and outlined Leena. Rana was complicated, so I’m going to let her simmer for just a bit.

In the meantime, I just finished a tale about a hermit who lives in the woods and a naked, injured cutie who tumbles onto her doorstep. Keep your eyes out for it.

Ann: I see you love to cook and your heroine is a head chef. Will characters from your other books love the kitchen just as much as you and your heroine from, Glutton for Pleasure?

Alisha: You know, I gave my latest project to a beta reader, and the first thing she did was e-mail me back to ask: “why do all your heroines love to cook so much?!” I found this funny, as the heroine was the aforementioned hermit, and the food was not the focus of the story at all. I suppose I do tend to stick it in subconsciously.

In Leena’s story, she does not cook, at all. When you grow up in a restaurant, I guess you either lean one way or another!

Ann: What was the defining moment when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

Alisha: Gosh, I don’t think there was one. I feel like I’ve always been writing. When I was little, I used to tag along to my dad’s office. He never had crayons or markers, so I couldn’t draw. He used to give me a pen and paper and tell me to write him a story.

I’ve known I wanted to be a romance author since I was about fourteen though. There’s no other job where you can dream up perfect men AND happily ever afters.
Ann: 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?

Alisha: Er, what’s an outline? When I start a book, I do know who my characters are, what the conflict is, and how it will resolve. Everything else gets filled in as I go along.

Ann: You have just won five thousand dollars! But...you have to spend it all today. What will you buy?

Alisha: Oh gosh, I’m a total techno geek, so I would probably go on a spree at Best Buy or something. I need a netbook or two, a dedicated e-reading device (financial concerns have kept me away from that delicious red Sony). From there, I’d run over to the toy store to go on a buying trip for the various children who seem to be running all over my house. And then? The grocery store, for the makings of a full course gourmet meal for my friends and family. I’m talking name brand ingredients here, none of the generic crap.

Just in case you think I’m being too selfless, there’s totally a pit stop to the Coach store somewhere in there.

Ann: You’re snowed in for a week in the Swiss Alps. You’ve enough firewood and food to get you through the blizzard waging outside. What are three things that you would have to have with you?

Alisha: Do I have electricity? In that case, my computer (can’t live without it, and then I’ll have a DVD player and an e-reader), my babies (pure entertainment value), and lots of chocolate and marshmallows. Cause, um, calories you consume while you’re snowed in don’t count.

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

Alisha: Lost! I love that show so much, despite all of its WTFery. Though I’ve never been so desperate for a series to end, so I can find out what the whole deal is.

Ann: By day you’re a florist. By night you’re a writer of sexy, curl your toes stories. What other things do you enjoy doing?

Alisha: Reading! Of course. I also love to knit and crochet, and really just curl up on the couch with the people I love. I’ve never been an exciting person, I guess ;).

Ann: Please share a favorite quote with us.

Alisha: I absolutely adore kid’s movies, so my favorite quote in the world comes from Horton Hears a Who: “In my world, everyone’s a pony, and they eat rainbows, and poop butterflies!” If you haven’t seen it yet, you probably won’t quite get it.

Ann: Thank you so much Alisha for sharing with us today.

Alisha: Thanks Ann, for having me! I love to hear from my readers, so if you’d like to chat, please visit me on the web at http://www.alisharai.com/ or e-mail me at alishawrites@gmail.com

Ann: You can also visit Alisha at http://alisharai.wordpress.com/

Featured Title:

BLURB:

They’re craving something sweet. She likes it spicy.

Devi Malik knows how to heat things up. She does it every night as head chef in her family’s Indian restaurant. Her love life, though, is stuck in the subzero freezer. Now, with a chance to fulfill a secret fantasy with her long-time crush and his brother, it’s time to put her desire on the front two burners.

For Marcus Callahan, a love-’em-and-leave-’em attitude isn’t only a necessary evil of their kink. It’s a protective device. Lately, though, his brother Jace has been making noises about craving something more.

Jace’s dissatisfaction with their lifestyle grows with every glimpse of sweet little Devi. Yet Marcus is too haunted by the pain of their shared past to give love a chance.

Despite their reputation for vanishing with the dawn, they discover one night with Devi isn’t nearly enough. And Devi finds herself falling in love with two very different men.

It’ll take more than explosive sex to light up the shadows surrounding the Callahan brothers’ secrets. But Devi’s never been afraid of the dark…

Warning: This title contains two sizzling men for the price of one, ménage a trois, oral sex, anal sex, fun toys, great food, and creative uses for syrup and dressing rooms.

EXCERPT:

Excerpt contains strong sexual language and profanity. Please do not read if you are under eighteen or easily offended.

"I didn’t hear you knock.”

Devi spun around, her hand pressed against her chest. “Oh. Marcus. You startled me.”

“I was in the garage.”

He stood in the kitchen doorway in only a pair of unsnapped jeans. A sexy smear of grease highlighted his rock-hard abs. Involuntarily, her gaze slid over his bare chest, the arrow of hair that trailed into his open jeans. She was suddenly all too aware of the little toy she wore, forgotten while she’d toured the house.

“Um, Jace told me to just come on in. He’s upstairs, showering. I hope that’s okay.” He didn’t say anything. “I like your house. Or what I’ve seen of it.”

“Take off your clothes.”She blinked. “Wow, you’re not one for social niceties, are you?”

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“Do you want a drink?”

Devi slicked her tongue over her lips. “No. I’m good.”

“Good. Take off your clothes.”

“Marcus.” She frowned, though she really wanted to laugh.

“I want to see if you’re wearing the stimulator.”

“I said I would, and I am.”

“You wore it from the minute we dropped you off?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Devi stared at him, confused. “What?”

He grinned and slid his hand into his pocket. The first gentle vibration had her legs stiffening in shock. The little box came alive, rubbing against her already-stiffened clit like the finger Jace had likened it to. She relaxed and allowed the slow pleasure to sink into her bones. Marcus didn’t allow her time to appreciate it, and he must have turned a dial up somewhere, because the vibrations against her over-stimulated clit increased in their intensity. She moaned and leaned against the couch, her legs boneless and incapable of supporting her weight.

A low male chuckle reached her. “I think we can believe her.”

She opened her eyes to find Jace standing in the room as well. Clad only in a sexy pair of black boxer briefs, water still glistening on his chest and hair, he watched her with a small smile and narrowed eyes already heated with lust.

Just as her climax yawned before her, the soundless stimulation ended. “What are you doing? Turn that back on, this instant.”

Marcus tsked and walked forward until he stood right in front of her. “Didn’t we discuss you giving us orders?”

Heat rose from his body. All of the relentless unappeased desire from the day welled up inside of her. She frowned at him. “I was about to come.”

“We don’t want you to, yet.”

“I don’t care,” she said waspishly. “Turn that damn thing on again or one of you fuck me here.”

Amazing how a couple of days of ceaseless pleasure could lower her inhibitions—she felt no hesitation in making the demand.

“No.” With that simple announcement, Marcus startled Devi by scooping her off her feet.

She shrieked and grabbed on to his shoulders. No one had carried her since she’d been a small child. Pudginess had crept up on her at a young age, so even her father had declined picking her up. “I’m too heavy for you. Put me down.”

He ignored her and spoke to his brother. “Where are the supplies?”

Supplies?

Jace studied her with predatory interest. If she hadn’t already been soaked, that look would have done it. "In my room.”

“Did you hear me? I’m too fat to be carried around like this.”

Marcus walked out of the room and back into the grand entryway. He glanced over his shoulder. “I think the toys were a bad idea. They’ve made her way too contrary.” He jostled her until she tightened her arms around his neck in reaction.

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here. Wreck your back, see if I care. And the toy doesn’t make me contrary. Hours of sexual deprivation make me contrary.”

“Then you should be nicer to the men who are going to end that deprivation,” Marcus explained patiently. “In the meantime, why don’t you pretend your hero is carrying you off to be properly ravished instead of worrying about your damned weight?”

Devi paused. He had a point. Once she thought past her sexual frustration, of course. She relaxed into his arms. “Sorry. I’m not a very good heroine, I guess.”

He handled the dark stairs with ease, not even breathless. He turned right at the top of the stairs and entered a tidy bedroom lit by soft track lighting. Peripherally, she got the impression of heavy wooden furnishings and a huge four-poster bed. Marcus looked down at her, his face cast in shadows. “That’s okay. I’m no hero.”

She slid her palm over his jaw, the slight stubble catching on her skin. “I think you’re doing a pretty good job.”

Devi caught the hardening of Marcus’s jaw under her hand. “Then your judgment sucks.”

Happy Friday All

I thought this was a riot. My family raises cattle so to me it's a riot...

Wednesday's Witty Words

Sorry, I missed last week. I was sick, sick and sick.
Here's what we missed...


You know what real power is? Real power is when you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing the best it can be done. Authentic power. There's a surge, there's a kind of energy field that says, "I'm in my groove, I'm in my groove." And nobody has to tell you, "You go, girl," because, you know, you're already gone.

- Oprah Winfrey

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

Cat Johnson

CONTEST: One lucky reader will receive a cowboy charm & rawhide bookmark so make sure to leave a comment along with you email. :)

AL: Hi Cat! Thanks for being In the “Author Spotlight” this week.

CJ: Hi Ann! Thanks for having me.

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

CJ: Well, it’s convention season again. So with the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Orlando in April, and Book Expo America in New York in May, I’m traveling a lot this spring. It’s exciting though, because I host the All Romance eBooks’ What’s Hot in Romance Blog Talk Radio Show and we are taping live interviews on site with authors at both events in my very own custom made recording booth. On top of that is my spring booksigning tour, which is taking me to bookstores in NY, NJ, PA, and CT nearly every weekend. I’ve been pretty busy.

AL: What do you have out for us to read?

CJ: There is always, of course, my Task Force Zeta military romance series. I just love the last release in that series, A Prince Among Men, which is the sequel to Model Soldier and is about my soldier friend’s platoon in Afghanistan, but my most recent release, Rough Stock, is about rodeo cowboys.

That is not as much of a departure from my soldiers as it sounds since one of the characters in Rough Stock joins the Army, and actually, the original kernel of the idea for Rough Stock came from my soldier friend who consults me on the details for my military books. He popped on IM one day and told me that his Bravo Team leader used to be a bull rider, and then asked me if a cowboy turned soldier would make a good story. I was like YEAH! And why didn’t you tell me this before?! So that was the beginnings of the two saddle bronc-riding rodeo cowboys in Rough Stock. I have to thank my soldier friend because Rough Stock has done really well in both sales and with the professional reviewers.

AL: What are you currently working on?

CJ:I had a feeling after completing Rough Stock that it would be a hot book, so I immediately pitched another cowboy ménage story and its sequel to my editor and she loved the ideas. And while researching Rough Stock, I became friends with a real life rodeo cowboy. He helps me so much with the details, I couldn’t NOT write more cowboy books, so right now I am just finishing up final edits on the first of 2 new cowboy stories and I am well into writing the second. The series is tentatively named Studs in Spurs and the first book has a working title of Unridden and the sequel, Bucked, but you know the publishing world and sometimes (often) these things change.

AL: It looks like you like the Army boys and the cowboys…what is it about these men that call to you and beckon such great stories?

CJ: I’m beginning to wonder if I have a boot fetish. Combat boots, cowboy boots, doesn’t seem to matter! But seriously, I tend to write Alpha males. Of course they have a soft side, or a least a soft spot when it comes to the heroine, but who doesn’t love to see the tough guy tamed by love? And military men and cowboys are some of the toughest guys you can find.

In addition to that, I really immerse myself as much as possible in the worlds I research for my books. It’s the only way to absorb the nuances that make them really accurate and believable. I’ve become close friends with a soldier, a Marine and a cowboy. These real men are so wonderful in the way they selflessly help me with my little old romance novels, and I really respect each one for what they do and how they live their lives, it is easy to be inspired by them and model characters after them all.

AL: Of your books, do you have a favorite hero and heroine?

CJ: I don’t have a favorite heroine because quite honestly, I fall in love with all my heroes and I’m jealous that the heroine gets to have them and I don’t! As for the men, as I said, I love them all. Each and every one of them. Who could possibly choose from a lineup so wonderful?

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?

CJ: Of course, like most authors, I would love a contract with one of the big NY print houses, though I do realize that is probably one of those ‘be careful what you wish for’ situations because there is something to be said for being with a smaller publisher. Besides that, my long term, reach for the stars, dream goal is to have one of my books made into a movie or TV series. It doesn’t even have to be a big Hollywood production. I’d be happy with Lifetime Television. I’m easy!

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

CJ: I think I write a little bit of myself into each heroine. And I definitely weave in some real life experiences though I really hesitate to say that since the last two stories I wrote were pretty hot ménages and I don’t want people thinking I’m having a kinky threesome with two cowboys. Honestly, I’m not that lucky in real life. LOL.

So anyway, I always wanted to have a really fun name, like Laurel. I guess I would name myself that. Laurel would be a sassy, tough, take no bullshit type of heroine…which is pretty much like me in real life on a good day (when I’m not stressed out about a deadline or something!)

AL: Now that we know what kind of heroine you are and your name, why do you fall in love with the hero?

CJ: Laurel would fall in love with the hero because he loves her for who she is, faults and all. He allows her freedom and independence but is also always there to support and protect her… The perfect hero is a modern man with a medieval chivalrous streak. And of course he would be hotter than hell, incredible in bed and have eyes only for her. LOL. I guess the heroine in me wants a hero with it all! Good thing this is fiction, huh?

AL: In your next life, if you came back as a critter, what would it be? (I might know the answer to this one already…)

CJ: You are probably correct in your guess. No question about it. As I look around my bed at all my many cats lying in various positions of total relaxation and snoring, I know for sure, I want to come back as a cat.

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?

CJ: I already own my dream car. It’s a black Thunderbird convertible and I love it. The V8 engine is amazing, though I have to watch my speed because it is easy to be breaking the law and not even realize it because it is so fun to drive. And it is so gorgeous I get comments from men, women and children alike.

AL: Please share a favorite quote with us.

CJ: Well there are the usual philosophical quotes that I truly believe in, such as the before mentioned “Be careful what you wish for”. But as far as quotes for entertainment value and cleverness, I particularly love one quote from Rough Stock. The heroine, April, has just confessed to her gay male best friend, Ben, that she had a summer-long, threesome relationship with two saddle bronc rodeo cowboys and Ben says, “If you choose men who think 8 seconds is a long time, perhaps you do need 2 of them.” I love that line!

AL: Thank you so much Cat for sharing with us today. I hope the questions were fun, or at the very least made you ponder for just a bit. LOL!

CJ: Yes, and thank you! I had a great time and thanks again for inviting me.

AL: If you'd like to find out more about Cat and her work, please visit:

http://www.catjohnson.net/

www.myspace.com/authorcatjohnson

FEATURED TITLE:

BLURB:

Bronc riders Mason and Clay have shared both good times and bad, but they never expected to share their boss’ daughter, April. Can two friends love one woman, body and soul, without it destroying them?

The heart wants what it wants. For April that means not choosing between the two cowboys she loves, no matter how wrong it may seem inviting them both into her bed. But can the relationship survive when life sends the three lovers in opposite directions?

Filled with hot sex, passion, and realistic characters, and set amid the world of rodeo where life is lived eight seconds at a time, Rough Stock sends author Cat Johnson galloping full speed into the tantalizing realm of ménage romance.

EXCERPT:

“I’ve thought about us being together…like that. The three of us.”

She stared straight up at the ceiling as she let that bomb drop on them both.

For once, even Clay was speechless. All Mason heard come out of his friend was a soft shocked wheeze of air at April’s comment. She’d said it so casually, as if she hadn’t just blurted out the most outrageous, tantalizing thing Mason had ever heard in all of his eighteen years.

He realized just how close their three faces were. So close, that when she turned her head slightly on the pillow, her breath tickled his nose. Her hand came up to pull Mason’s head even closer. She kissed him softly on the lips.

Then, as Mason’s heart pounded with the possibilities, April turned her head and planted the same soft kiss on Clay. Only Clay wasn’t as polite, or perhaps not as shocked, as Mason had been. It took barely a second before Clay tangled his hand in her hair, tilted his head and kissed her deeper, just inches from Mason’s face. He watched his two best friends kiss, amazed, aroused, confused…

As their tongues tangled and Clay let out a small moan, Mason began to wonder what the hell to do. Should he leave? Stay? Join in? Mason moved on the bed, sitting up, unsure until April blindly grabbed his denim-clad thigh with one hand and held him there. Her touch sent shockwaves through his body, directly into his now rock hard erection.

She broke the kiss with Clay and turned her head back to him. In the dim light, Mason saw her lick her lips before she leaned in. Then the tip of that tongue he’d watched dart out of her mouth just seconds before, was parting his own lips. Her mouth was hot and wet and tasted of toothpaste.

His eyes still open so he wouldn’t miss one moment, Mason saw Clay’s hand snake around from behind her to cup April’s breast through her t-shirt.

If Clay wasn’t fighting this, Mason sure as hell wasn’t going to.

In the Author Spotlight

N. D. Hansen-Hill/Melody Knight

AL: Hi Norah! Thanks for being In the Author Spotlight this week.
NH: Thank you so much for having me this week, Ann!

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

NH: I'm working, study postgrad archeology, plus spending as much time as I can with my teenage daughter. She and I are sci-fi buffs, and spend a lot of hours watching DVDs of TV shows such as Doctor Who and Stargate Atlantis. Last weekend I went on a behind-the-scenes tour at the zoo, and had an opportunity to feed a hippo, pet a rhinoceros, and get roared at by a lion (and was nearly sprayed - lucky I'm a fast runner!).

AL: Do you have a current or upcoming release you’d like to tell us about.

NH: I've had three releases so far this year: Artifact, Gray Beginnings, and Bane of his Existence. Artifact and Bane are written by Melody Knight (my romance side), and are quite hot novellas. Artifact is about a woman who gave up on love when the man she adored died, only to find that he is not deceased after all. Bane is a werewolf story, very spicy. Gray Beginnings is written by my N. D. Hansen-Hill side, and tells of a dowser with an out-of-control "gift".

AL: You write under two pen names, Norah Hansen-Hill & Melody Knight. Does it ever get overwhelming trying to keep up with both?

NH: I think I've given up keeping them separate, LOL! I even have some new books coming out under both names. Basically, if it's written by Melody, it's a romance, and may be quite sexy. If it's written by N. D., it's much more mainstream sci-fi/fantasy/horror, with little or no romance (or if there is romance, it's not the focus).

AL: You also write several different genres. What is your favorite genre to write in and why?

NH: That actually varies from book to book. Recently, I've begun writing historicals, which goes with my love of time travel novels. Most of mine end up having paranormal and sci-fi elements, so perhaps one of those? The problem is, I get bored easily. If I write too much in any one genre, it's time to move on to another.

AL: What was the first piece you ever wrote?

NH: Trees. It was a fantasy novel, and I followed it with 5 sequels (after rewriting it 13 times, LOL!).

AL: So, now for the important questions. 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?

NH: Dishes. I hate dishes. Laundry. Going to work on the bus.

AL: Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter?

NH: Harry Potter, though LOTR is right up there, too. How can it not be? It was filmed here, and some people I knew made armor for it, were extras, and so on, LOL.

AL: You are told you have to meet one paranormal creature, no safeguards, what do you choose? What do you bring with you?

NH: A wood nymph, just so that I could confirm for myself that fantastic beings really exist. I'd bring a smile…and a camera.

AL: Besides reading and writing, what’s something else you enjoy doing?

NH: Archeology. Research. Painting. Watching DVDs.

AL: Describe yourself in 3 sentences or less?

NH: happy, dreamer, sometimes workaholic

AL: Please share a favorite quote with us.

NH: You never know what you can do until you try!

AL: Thank you so much Norah for sharing on Blog Bites. I hope the questions were fun.

NH: They were great fun, and different from any others I've had before. Thanks so much, Ann!

AL: If you'd like to find out more about about Norah and her books please visit:

http://www.ndhansen-hill.com/

www. MelodyKnight.com

FEATURED TITLE:

BLURB:

Claudia has it all—a long-awaited opportunity to work in Berenike, the ancient Egyptian Emerald City; a colleague interested in pursuing their relationship further; the thrill of ancient artifacts mingled with new discoveries. Her paranormal episodes may even be an advantage here, offering her some insight into past events.

There's part of her paranormal peculiarities that she'd like to leave behind, but he doesn't seem to be willing. Nigel, her spectral lover, has much more carnal interests that one would normally expect from the deceased. He's been visiting Claudia for six years, but Claudia wants a fresh start, particularly after meeting Carlton CT Sheffield. CT is an expert on Egypt, but he'd clearly like to become an expert on Claudia, too.

Now, Claudia must contend with two lovers vying for her favors—one living, and the other—unfortunately—dead.

EXCERPT:

Loving, lustful...living?Egypt...Archeology...Romance

Sir Julius Vogel Award Finalist

It was midday on the second day when it happened. According to her map, and her sources, there was a small town a mile or so off-road, which the mine workers had once inhabited. No one had done much more than note its existence, and Claudia felt the thrill of discovery. Who knew what a place like that might hold? Other Mons Smaragdus towns had yielded pottery and metals, low grade gemstones, and a variety of other, more homely items. There were sure to be buildings, if the place had been impressive enough to be noted on the map. Gooseflesh danced down her back. The wadi region was laden with small piles of rubble -- the remnants of ancient huts. This township held the promise of oh, so much more.

She readjusted her hat, conscious of her thirst. It seemed she was always conscious of her thirst in this wretched heat! She sucked on her canteen then mustered ahead. No track, so she'd just have to make her way. A couple of times she glanced back at the truck, even climbing one of the little hills to make sure it was still within sight. It was only on the last check that she saw it had disappeared, but that was what she expected. This was hilly country, after all, and the town should be just ahead.

Only, it wasn't, nor could she find the truck. She tried tracing her own footsteps, but this area was rock, rather than sand, and it was no use. Her compass was erratic, due to magnetic deposits, leading her nowhere. Two hours later, dragging her body through the heat, Claudia had to admit it -- I'm lost. Lost in the damned desert. Her water bottle was dry, but she refused to panic. If I don't check in, they'll come looking.

The sun had never been so hot, and Claudia knew she should have been resting midday away instead of hiking. But it was too late -- too late for anything. She rooted around in one of those piles of rocky debris, picking up rocks that burned her hands to pile them into a wall that might offer her partial shade -- if it didn't fall on her head first. She didn't possess the building secrets of the ancient Romans or the Bedouin. And her blistered hands were shaking so badly she didn't know how she'd survive the next few hours.

It was then an icy chill came on her, colder than death.

Nigel!

She didn't speak -- she didn't have to. He was there…for her.

Wednesday's Witty Words on Thursday

“I can support myself,” we say proudly, and then
we go to support groups, long for supportive
husbands, wonder why women aren’t supporting
other women, demand more support from our
institutions, and we wear support hose. So where is
it written we have to be consistent?...We can
support ourselves, and we want to – except when
we don’t want to.

- Wendy Reid Crisp