In the Author Spotlight & Contest
N.J. WALTERS

AL: Hi N.J.! Welcome to Blog Bites.

N.J.: Thank you so much, Ann. It’s great to be here.

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

N.J.: Right now, I’m trying to get through the rest of winter. lol It’s been extremely cold where I live and I can’t wait for spring. The upside is I’m inside more so I’m getting a lot of writing done.

AL: Tell us about a current or upcoming release.

N.J.: Quinn’s Quest is my latest release from Samhain Publishing. It’s part of my Legacy werewolf series and tells the tale of Quinn Lawton, who is searching for his missing sister. The last thing he expects to find, or wants, is a woman who makes him think about all the things that are missing in his life. He can’t allow any attraction to distract him from his hunt. But fate has other ideas.

AL: What other steamy stories are you whipping up for readers?

N.J.: I’ve got two more Legacy books releasing this year and I just submitted another Awakening Desires book to my editor at Ellora’s Cave. Right now, I’m working on an entirely new paranormal series. It’s very different for me and I’m having a blast working on it.

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

N.J.: That is so tough. I love all my books for different reasons. Annabelle Lee is my first published book so that one is special. Discovering Dani was the first book I ever wrote so that book will always hold a place in my heart. The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke is also a personal favorite, simply because I love Shamus so much. I could go on and on and on…

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'? :-)

N.J.: The characters are the starting point for me. I have to know them before I can start thinking about the story. Once I know who they are (or at least as much as they’re showing me at the moment) I start thinking about their story. I may jot down a few notes, but I’m not a plotter. Once I have the first scene worked out in my head, I start writing. The rest of the story flows from there.

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

N.J.: I love being able to get inside the heads of my characters and experience something totally different from my own life. The creation aspect is quite addicting. I’m not sure there’s anything to dislike, but I find that I spend more time now promoting and doing writer-related things than writing sometimes. It can get frustrating, but it’s part of the job.

AL: It’s time to get personal! St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner. Do you get rip-roarin’ drunk drinking green beer while dressed head to toe in green, or are you lucky to find green in your closet and leave the drinking to others?

N.J.: LOL Hubby is the one with the Irish heritage. He even played in an band for a few years back in the early ‘90s. We’re pretty low-key around our house. If we’re drinking beer, it’s probably at home.

AL: Best movie you've seen recently? I want to see The Vow and have not had the opportunity yet.

N.J.: The best one I’ve seen recently is This Means War. It’s action-packed and funny. A great date movie.

AL: If you were a Superheroine, would you wear tights and a cape?

N.J.: No cape, but probably tights. Those suckers help keep things in place.

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

N.J.: I’d love to meet the Dali Lama. I think it would be amazing to sit and talk with him for an afternoon.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2012 and beyond?

N.J.: Hubby and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year. Not sure what we’ll be doing yet, but something special. I have no idea where the years have gone. Beyond that, I’ll be writing and enjoying myself as much as possible.

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

N.J.: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." (Lao Tzu)

AL: Thanks so much for sharing, N.J.

N.J.: It’s my pleasure, Ann. Thank you so much for having me here.

AL: If you’d like to find out more about N.J. please visit:

Website: http://www.njwalters.com/
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com/
Newsletter Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Nj-Walters/714113604

FEATURED TITLE: QUINN'S QUEST

Blurb:

He can give her anything and everything she needs—except a future.

Legacy, Book 4

Kidnapped and held in a crazy doctor’s underground laboratory, Bethany Morris only manages to escape because Chrissten, one of her fellow abductees, creates an opportunity—by shifting into a werewolf.

Bethany’s desperate for help, but who’ll believe her story? The police? That’ll just buy her a one-way ticket to a padded room—because here’s the kicker: she’s discovered she’s a half-breed werewolf. Her only hope is to find Chrissten’s brother.

Quinn Lawton’s long, grinding search for his missing twin has turned up nothing…until Bethany rekindles his hope. Something else catches flame too—her heat cycle and a searing attraction branded with the word mate. Yet with so much blood on his hands, any future he might offer is already tainted beyond redemption.

Desperate for Quinn’s touch alone, Bethany has no choice but to take Quinn up on his offer to quell her terrifying need, no strings attached. And hope that as the search for Chrissten intensifies, the battle with their personal demons doesn’t destroy their razor-thin chance at forever.

Product Warnings
This book contains heartbreak and love found, a crazy scientist and his werewolf flunky and a tortured werewolf hero. Plus lots and lots of steamy hot sex!

Excerpt:

The phone rang twice before it occurred to Bethany that the middle of the night might not be the best time to call anyone asking for help, especially not with the crazy story she had to tell. “Damn.” She thought about hanging up but she was committed now. She tightened her hand around the receiver.


“Yeah.” The voice was male and hoarse with sleep.

She cleared her throat. “Is this Quinn Lawton?” She prayed she’d remembered the number right. She didn’t know what she’d do next if this wasn’t Chrissten’s brother.

There was some rustling in the background and the voice was more alert this time. “No.” Bethany’s heart sunk. Maybe she’d dialed the number wrong. Before she could apologize and hang up, the man was speaking again. “Just give me a second and I’ll get him.”

Hope surged inside her. She hadn’t failed. The phone number was the right one. Her knees threatened to buckle so she sank into the chair that Margaret had vacated. Her stomach felt queasy and she was still very weak. She could still hang up the phone and let the police handle this. All she’d have to do is tell them she was kidnapped. No need to tell them about the rest of it. Quinn Lawton would never be able to find her. There was no way to trace the call back to the shelter.

She clutched the receiver in her hand and took a deep breath, knowing she could never do that. She was committed now. No turning back. Footsteps sounded through the receiver and she knew the man who’d answered was taking the phone to Chrissten’s brother, who was a half-breed werewolf just like Chrissten. Just like she was.

Bethany still couldn’t quite wrap her head around that one, but she was trying to understand it. She hoped Quinn had answers for her.

“Yeah.” The voice was low and gruff and masculine. Every cell in Bethany’s body reacted to the sound. The fine hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her nipples contracted. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Who is this?” The voice was more demanding now, all trace of sleepiness gone.

Bethany forced herself to speak. “Is this Quinn Lawton?”

“Who wants to know?” She almost hung up on him. His impatience and arrogance bled through the phone line. But she’d promised her friend.

“Do you have a sister named Chrissten?”

“Where is she? Who are you? Where are you?”

Bethany was so startled by the angry outburst she dropped the receiver. She could hear Quinn yelling at her through the line. She grabbed the phone and hung up, panting hard for breath. He was one scary man.

She sat there for about thirty seconds before she grabbed the phone and punched in the number again.

“Hello. Are you there?” he demanded.

“I’m here.” This was for Chrissten, she reminded herself. And for yourself, a little voice in the back of her head said. You want to know more about who you are. What you are.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” His low tones made her shiver and she wasn’t sure she believed him. Even his apology was short. A voice in the background was urging him to stay calm. She recognized it as the man who’d originally answered the phone. She was beginning to wish she’d talked to him instead.

“Umm, I need to talk to you about your sister.” She had to do this face-to-face. This wasn’t something you talked about over the phone. “Where are you?”

“I’m in Chicago. Where are you?”

Bethany was shocked to find out that help was close at hand. She hadn’t expected that, but would take it as a good sign that maybe her luck was changing. “Where in Chicago? I want to meet you.”

“Tell me about my sister.” His frustration was palpable and she almost blurted out everything she knew. But she had to meet him in person. She’d promised Chrissten she’d get help and that meant more than simply making a phone call. Plus, she was curious about him, about what he was. What she was.

“Where shall I meet you?” Bethany could be just as stubborn as he was.

“There’s a bar in Wicker Park. It’s called Haven. Meet me there.”

“When?” Bethany glanced at the clock over Margaret’s desk. It was half past four in the morning.

“Now. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I don’t have any money to pay for a cab.” It was demoralizing to admit she needed him to pay for her to get there. She couldn’t walk, as she had no idea where she was going. Even if she wanted to take public transit she still had no idea where to find this particular bar.

“Just get here. I’ll take care of the cab fare.”

She sucked in a breath and said, “Okay,” as she exhaled. The quicker she did this the better for her peace of mind.

“What’s your name?” The urgency in his tone brought home just how desperate he was for news of his sister.

“Bethany. My name is Bethany. As of less than a day ago your sister was alive. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”