In the Author Spotlight & Contest

Annmarie Ortega

CONTEST: Annmarie has a copy of Summer Solstice Scorchers from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid she will give away to one lucky winner. Make sure to leave a comment along with you email address for a chance to win.

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

Annmarie: Thank you very much for having me. I was thrilled when I found out I would be here.

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

Annmarie: Well, it’s nice to be able to take a break and do this interview with you. Besides writing I’m also the President of my kid’s PTA, so I’m always running around for that. I’ve also become a gym rat the past few months and spend a few hours a day there. It doesn’t hurt that my personal trainer is a cutie and that inspires me to go!

AL: So, fill us in on your recent release.

Annmarie: My most recent e book is titled “Dead Girl Talking”. It takes place here in Chicago. It’s a contemporary written in the first person. It’s kind of like “Bridget Jones” meets “Interview With a Vampire”. It’s available from Resplendence Publishing. This is a book I LOVED writing. The hero is hawt which is way hotter than just normal hot! LOL. I am going to be in a new print anthology titled “Medieval Menage” that will be released from Resplendence later this month. The other two authors are Marianne LaCroix (who has an interview in the Feb issue of the RWA magazine RWR this month!) and Kimberly Garland. ( And Kim is actually my one and only cousin!)

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Annmarie: I have a few projects going on right now. I’m finishing up a book I started a few years ago titled “Guarding Pandora”. It takes the story of Pandora and puts a whole new spin on it. I’m also going to try my hand at my first police/true crime/erotica story. It’s going to take place here in Chicago too. Right now my working title is “Cocked and Loaded”. I also have an ongoing project with Kim, and another with Marianne. Lots of writing going on!

AL: You write in several different genres…do you have one that is most near and dear to your heart?

Annmarie: I find I like contemporary the most. I also have had a bit of luck writing in the first person which some people don’t find easy.

AL: When did you know you had to be a writer?

Annmarie: I come from a family of writers. My cousin Kim Garland is published at Resplendence too. I was going to Columbia College to get my Bachelor’s in Fiction Writing. I have 4 classes left to finish my degree.

AL: So far, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the writing industry?

Annmarie: Writing is a lot of work! You have to be great at time management. Not only do you have to write, but there’s so much more that goes along with it. You have to do promo like Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo groups, blogs, websites, twitter, etc. It can be a huge source of time suckage if you don’t stay focused on the task at hand. There’s no one standing over my shoulder telling me to write. I have to know what I have to do every day.

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

Annmarie: Wow… I’m not sure. Can I take some friends shopping to help me spend the money? LOL I’m sure they’d be willing to help me.

Ann: Best movie you've seen recently?

Annmarie: Zombieland was great! Woody Harrelson is hot! And I LOVED The Ugly Truth. I laughed my *ss off during that one.

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....

Annmarie: Haha! As a matter of fact a couple of my friends keep a “5 guy list” like Ross and Rachel did on Friends! My list would be:

Keanu Reeves, Ryan Reynolds, Christian Bale, Justin Timberlake, and Zac Effron. LOL

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?

Annmarie: I wouldn’t care as long as it’s a convertible. I always wanted one.

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

Annmarie: I think she would say loyal. I will bend over backwards to help a friend. I am fiercely loyal to those people I’m close to.

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

Annmarie: Ok… This is going to sound strange, but the other day I was talking to my best writing friend Marianne LaCroix, and we were talking about the gym. We were talking about using the weight machines and how you have to pull out that little pinto adjust how many pounds you’re going to lift. I said something about not always being sure if it was in correctly, and Mari said “Just stick it in and hope for the best!” Well, after she said it we both started laughing at how obscene it sounded! But then we said really that’s great advice for a lot of things in life! Hehe ; )

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with joining us this week, Annmarie.

Annmarie: Thank you for this opportunity. I had a great time chatting with you! I’d like to mention that I will be at a few book signing events in March and April. If you go to my blog I’ll have information posted about them.

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

www.annmarieauthor.blogspot.com

FEATURED TITLE: DEAD GIRL TALKING

Blurb:

Until recently, I led a pretty normal life. But then I did something that kind of changed things for me: I had a one night stand with a vampire. Things got a little carried away and he bit me, turning me into a vampire too. I guess you can say I learned the hard way that love bites, and once bitten there's no going back.

Excerpt:

I'm not a slut. I've never been the type of woman who has a one-night stand with a man I just met. I have to know a man for a while before getting naked in front of him. So it was completely out of character for me to be lying flat on my back getting my brains screwed out by a guy I just met, but I did just that. And sleeping with that stranger changed my life forever. It just so happens that my one-night stand was with a vampire who in the throes of passion bit me making me a vampire too. I learned the hard way that love bites, and once bitten there's no going back.

I usually go to one particular nightclub to meet my roommate Veronica. This particular night she never showed up and I honestly wasn't all that surprised. She had a boyfriend that she was with all the time and she was hardly ever at our apartment anymore. I knew it was just a matter of time before she'd tell me that she was going to move out of our place and in with her boyfriend.

After waiting around for Veronica for a while I decided to go home. The club scene wasn't my thing and I'd much rather put on my favorite flannel pajamas and read the book I bought earlier that day. I was walking towards the club doors to leave when a man I was passing stopped me.

"Hey, you're not leaving now, are you?" He had an exaggerated frown on his face when he grabbed my arm. I had never seen this guy before and was positive I'd remember him if I had. He was gorgeous. While he spoke, I was baffled as to why he was even talking to me. Let's just say I'm no model. I have long brown hair, brown eyes, average height and thighs a little too large for my liking.

I laughed while nodding my head to him. "Yeah, sorry I'm about to go." I knew he was trying to pick me up, but I wasn't interested.

"My name is Jake. How about you let me buy you a drink before you go..." he trailed off waiting for me to tell him my name. He comically raised an eyebrow waiting for my response.

I looked at him and thought about my pajamas and book waiting for me at home. Then I decided one drink couldn't hurt. "My name is Janice and I'll stay for one drink, but that's it." I emphasized the word one so he'd know I had no intention of hanging around all night.

"Cool, come on." He turned to lead me back towards the bar. "Is vodka and tonic ok?"

"Yeah, sure that's fine," I answered.

We sat next to each other on stools and he ordered us drinks. We sat at the bar and talked for a while, joking and making each other laugh with silly small talk. When I finished my drink I pushed the glass away from me on the bar indicating I was finished.

"Jake, it was nice meeting you and thanks for the drink. I have to be going now." I stood up to leave.

"You're going to go? I was thinking that maybe we could dance?"

"Oh were you?" He was a smooth talker and probably they type of guy who got everything he wanted. I knew his type well; too well in fact. I had been in a relationship for a long time with someone who reminded me a lot of this guy.

"Dance with me," he pleaded as he got up and started to pull me by the hand to the dance floor. I thought he was adorable and I knew I wasn't going to say no to him. We danced to a few songs together on the overly crowded dance floor. I started to notice a lot of women staring at us. Then I realized actually they weren't staring at us, they were staring at him. He was the kind of man you'd see looking at you from the glossy pages of a magazine, not in real life. He had light brown hair that was all one length and hung past his shoulders. His eyes were a light brown with amber colored flecks in them. He wore a white t-shirt and faded jeans over his muscular frame. It was obvious to me that he worked out from the muscles I could see bulging through his shirt.

When the song we were dancing to ended, he took me by the hand leading me off the dance floor. I didn't even ask where we were going. I followed him up a tall flight of stairs to the second floor of the nightclub. There were various rooms upstairs, each one painted a different color. Some rooms had overstuffed sofas or chairs for people to sit and talk. He led me to a room painted a bright peacock blue; the only furniture was a red sofa shaped like a pair of giant lips against the wall. He led me to it, sitting down then pulled me down to sit on his lap, straddling him.

Jake had an expression that made my pulse race; there was a fire raging in his eyes. He put his hands on my face and stared at me intensely, then pulled me to him so our lips touched. Our first kiss was gentle, but then he seemed to lose control and his kisses became harder and more intense. His tongue pushed against my lips and I opened myself to him. I knew that I should get up and leave but I let what my body was feeling control me instead of my sense of reason. I missed kissing, and I guess I simply let myself be carried away.

Jake's hands caressed my hair as I wrapped my arms around his neck. My entire body turned hot from his kisses. His mouth left mine and started to trail down my neck. I could feel his breath against my skin as he groaned low against my throat.

He took one of my hands in his and guided it to his lap and the bulge between his legs. I could feel his rock hard erection under the denim of his jeans. My head was thrown back, my mouth slightly parted as I caressed him and he continued to kiss my neck. His mouth moved from my neck to my ear. "God, I want to fuck you, Janice."

I didn't say anything back; I was completely lost in him. He could have taken me right there and I wouldn't have protested.

All of a sudden, the music stopped and the overhead lights in the club came on. It was jarring and brought us back to reality quickly.

"What time is it?" he asked.

The way he stopped kissing me was abrupt, and from the way we'd been kissing, his actions surprised me. "Well if they're turning on the lights then it must be four in the morning." I couldn't believe that time had gone by so quickly with him. We had spent almost the entire night together.

"Damn. I have to go right away." He was clearly upset because of the time.

"Oh, ok." I got up off his lap. I was disappointed he seemed in a hurry to leave all of a sudden.

Jake stood up. "Bye," he said then kissed my cheek. He turned around to leave and started to walk to the staircase we used to get to the second floor. I watched him pause, then turn around and rush back to me. He took my hands in his. "Listen, I'm so sorry I have to leave like this and I'd really love to see you again. Could you meet me here next Saturday night?" His eyes looked anxious and he seemed tightly wound, as if he was fighting the urge to run down the stairs out of the club.

"Sure, I can be here." It was obvious we were attracted to each other so hell yeah I wanted to see him again. When I had gone there that night, I hadn't planned to meet anyone but I enjoyed him kissing me and feeling his hands on me. I hadn't made love with a man for a long time and quite honestly, the idea of having a one-night stand was appealing to me.

"Good. So I'll see you next weekend." He turned around to leave again, then once again hesitated and turned back and kissed me one last time. He rushed back to the staircase and hurried down the stairs. I walked over to the balcony that overlooked the entire dance floor. I saw him look up at me to smile and wave before he disappeared into the crowd of people leaving through the club's front doors.

I stood there for a moment with my hands on the railing, thinking about everything that had happened that night with Jake. I wondered if he would really show up next weekend. One thing I did know; I would be there to find out.

REMEMBER: Annmarie has a copy of Summer Solstice Scorchers from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid she will give away to one lucky winner. Make sure to leave a comment along with you email address for a chance to win.