Wednesday's Witty Words from Wise Women....on Thursday

"The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands."

- Alexandra Penney

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

KATHLEEN MIX

CONTEST: Leave a post and Kathleen will give away a digital copy of Secret Stranger, one of her romantic suspense novels from The Wild Rose Press to one lucky winner.

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

Kathleen: Thanks so much for inviting me, Ann.

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

Kathleen: Well, it’s summer, so I’m busy dividing my time between writing, gardening and sailing. I love to grow my own vegetables and have a bumper crop of tomatoes and cucumbers ripening in my back yard. I write most mornings, then pull weeds and fight off insects in the afternoons. Two or three days a week are spent sailing on Chesapeake Bay or doing maintenance on my boat. I just returned from a visit with family in Connecticut, so I’m scrambling to get back up to speed on my yard work, in particular.

AL: Tell us about your new or an upcoming release.

Kathleen: My latest release is Beyond Paradise. It’s a multicultural romance about a Latina dive shop owner who is struggling to overcome her father’s outdated beliefs about women and prove she is capable of running the family business. The last thing she needs is the distraction of a handsome pediatrician. But once they’ve met, she can’t get him out of her mind and soon her whole world is turned upside down.

I first had the idea for the story when I took SCUBA lessons a few years ago. Once I knew my heroine, Marina, would be a Latina whose father had old-world, macho beliefs, I was able to sit down and write. She turned out to be one of my favorite characters – although that I feel that way about all my protagonists until I write the next book.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Kathleen: I’ve just finished the sequel to Beyond Paradise. The new story, Beyond Yesterday, features Greg and Trish, the two characters in Beyond Paradise that everyone loved and wanted to read more about. The former lovers meet again seven years after a nasty breakup. And despite their differences, they must work together to prevent a breach of national security that could result in hundreds of deaths and smash Trish’s dreams for the future. I enjoyed giving the teenage sweethearts their own book and hope my readers will find their story satisfying.

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'? :-)

Kathleen: I always write from a very detailed outline that includes character sketches and a list of major scenes. I rough out the scenes with notes on who, where, when and why. Sometimes I include tidbits of dialogue, a reminder about the purpose of the scene or ideas about how my character should be affected by the action. Of course, things change while I’m writing, and more things change while I’m editing. But I find I work better when I know where the story is going. Until I know my characters and can visualize the ending, I have a difficult time starting my first draft.

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

Kathleen: When a story suddenly gels in my mind, it’s like I’m on a fabulous high. The characters become real, the words flow, and I get a deep sense of accomplishment. My least favorite thing is having a critique partner or editor read my work and point out my errors. I always hate to hear my baby isn’t perfect.

AL: Who inspired you to follow your dream of writing?

Kathleen: My husband has always been very supportive. I started my career writing non-fiction for sailing and travel magazines, and he often helped with research. When I switched to fiction, he read and critiqued all my early manuscripts.

AL: Now, let’s get personal. When you have time just for you (if only) what do you do?

Kathleen: I read. Voraciously. Books are a huge part of my life. I always have a huge stack next to my favorite chair in the den waiting to be read. And every time I go to a bookstore or pass the book display in a grocery store, the pile gets higher. I keep almost every one and most get a second or third read. So many books, so little time!

AL: What is this romance writer's idea of the "perfect romantic evening"?

Kathleen: My husband and I own a sailboat and often slip away from the dock for a quiet weekend. Sitting together on deck watching the stars while anchored in a snug cove is my idea of a perfect evening. We don’t need candlelight or wine, just each other.

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?

Kathleen: We had a nasty thunderstorm the end of last week. Since I live on a country road at the bottom of a hill, heavy rainfall pushes leaves, sticks, and roadside litter down the drainage ditch at the roadside and the debris often stops in my driveway. My unglamorous job was to collect the soda cans, chip bags, Styrofoam cartons - and even a tattered pair of men’s swim trunks - and add them to my own trash. Picking up trash is a special occasion. Normally my excitement for the week is cleaning the bottom of the duck coop and fighting with a black snake for possession of the ducks’ eggs.

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

Kathleen: I’d love to have met Thomas Jefferson. The wording he used when he wrote the Declaration of Independence was worthy of a Pulitzer. He managed to be eloquent yet clear in authoring one of the most important documents in our country’s history. He also was a book lover and his personal library was even larger than mine. When I visited his home, Monticello, I was in awe of his many inventions. For example, at his writing desk, he connected two quill pens with a series of rods so that he could produce an automatic copy of everything he wrote. As a naturalist and fellow gardener, he kept detailed notebooks of plant varieties and experimented with growing methods unheard of in his time. His flowerbeds and orchards are still works of art. He was a fascinating person, and even a few minutes in his presence must have been stimulating and inspiring.

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?

Kathleen: I divide my career plan into dreams, hopes, and goals. My dream, of course, is for one of my books to appear on the New York Times Best Sellers List and be made into a movie. My hopes are more realistic: simply to continue selling the stories I love to write and build a larger and larger readership. My goals are very specific. I’m working on a non-fiction book I want to finish by the end of the year, and a romantic suspense I’ll have finished late-September. My major goal for the next two years is to sell a multi-book series of suspense-on-the-high-seas novels that I’ve been plotting for several months.

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

Kathleen: When I’m writing my heroines, I frequently think of a quote from Nancy Reagan:

"A woman is like a tea bag. You don’t know what she’s like until she gets into hot water."


In my personal life, my favorite is: "Do the thing you cannot do." – Eleanor Roosevelt

AL: Thanks so much for joining us, Kathleen.

Kathleen: It’s been my pleasure.

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

http://www.kathleenmix.com/
http://www.samhainpublishing.com/

FEATURED TITLE: BEYOND PARADISE

Blurb:

Even the deepest love needs an air supply…

Dive shop manager Marina Hernandez is carrying a heavy load as she tries to save the family business. On one shoulder rides a bucket of red ink. On the other, her father’s age-old cultural belief that women belong in the kitchen.

Now that a cutthroat competitor has pushed her to the brink of bankruptcy, any chance she’ll ever win her father’s respect is fading fast. The last thing she can afford right now is the complication of a tempting man.

After years of building his practice, pediatrician Brett Sutherland has changed his focus. He seeks a more well-rounded life, including a woman who’ll devote herself to caring for a family. Workaholics need not apply. Then he signs up for scuba lessons, and Marina’s luminous eyes and spirited personality turn his neat, logical plan upside down.

Brett’s dazzling looks heat her blood, and his compassionate nature makes her yearn to build her own life—but not if it means letting the business collapse. A little harmless flirtation couldn’t hurt, though.

Yet with every kiss, she’s stretched thinner between the promise of Brett’s love and her father’s expectations. Until a critical decision pushes them both to the breaking point…

Excerpt:

The little bell over the dive shop door jingled.

Marina locked the cash drawer and turned toward the tall man pushing open the door and coming inside.

Ay caramba. Why now?

“I’m sorry, we’re closed.” She huffed out her breath, hating the idea of sending away a customer. But she had no choice. She was already running late.

The man ignored her warning and let the door swing shut behind him. “I’m here to sign up for tonight’s introductory SCUBA session. Has it started yet?”

She glanced at the clock: two minutes after seven. “No. And it can’t start until I get to the pool area. I’m the instructor.”

Worried someone else would come in and delay her schedule more, Marina rushed to the front door and slid the deadbolt across. When she turned back toward the man, her gaze met a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes.

He flashed a smile. “Does the fact that you’re locking me in mean I can stay?”

Without any time to stare at his gorgeous eyes, she blinked and considered his question. To remain in business, she needed every student she could get. “Yes, you can stay.”

“Great. What do I need to do?”

She scanned his chestnut brown hair, the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and the thick eyelashes that were too perfect to belong to any man. She had no idea what he needed to do, other than sweep her into his arms and whisk her away to the Caribbean.

“Ah…a liability waver, you need to sign a liability waver.”

After a long silence, his expression turned puzzled. “May I have one, please?”

He slipped a well-manicured hand inside his suit jacket and removed a gold-trimmed pen from his pocket. Meanwhile, she stole another look at his face.

Earth to Marina, the logical half of her brain yelled. Escúcheme. Listen to me. A liability waver, get one!

Her cheeks heated. She rushed behind the checkout counter and grabbed a registration packet. She wondered why he made her feel short of breath like she’d just finished swimming a marathon and why she wanted to stare at him as if she’d never seen a man before. But her brain failed to supply a reason.

Get your mind back on business, she scolded herself. There’s no time in the schedule for you to act like a giddy teenager. You have people waiting to start a class.

She turned back toward him, and her mouth went slightly dry. She drew in a huge breath, straightened her shoulders, placed the registration packet on the counter and removed the top form.

“Please read and sign this liability waiver, then you can participate in the introductory session. If you decide to continue with lessons, you can fill out the rest of the registration packet later. Right now, I’m short on time, and I’d like to get started.”

He bent his head over the paper, was silent for half a minute, then scrawled a signature.

She squinted at the bold, but completely illegible, signature at the bottom of the page and searched for letters in the dips and spikes. Unable to decipher the hieroglyphics, she asked, “Would you print your name under your signature please?”

His printing was slightly more legible. Marina watched him spell out Brett before she glanced up. The overhead lights reflected off his hair, and her fingers tingled with the desire to find out if the strands felt as silky as they looked. She interlocked her fingers behind her back to keep them under control.

“Thank you, Brett. Did you bring a swimsuit?”

He held up a blue gym bag. “Right here.”

“Good.” She pointed toward a doorway at the far corner of the showroom. “The locker rooms are through there. If you’ll change, then go out to the pool area and join the others, we’ll begin.”

He nodded and strode away.

For a few seconds, Marina watched, imagining him undressing and wondering what it would feel like to help him remove his shirt. If he looked so fabulous fully clothed, he’d probably look phenomenal in a swimsuit.

She blinked. Then mortified at her unprofessional thoughts, she knocked her fist twice against her forehead to make her brain behave and hurried out to the pool.

REMEMBER: Leave a post and Kathleen will give away a digital copy of Secret Stranger, one of her romantic suspense novels from The Wild Rose Press to one lucky winner.

In the Author Spotlight

FIONA JAYDE

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

Fiona: Thanks so much for having me Ann!

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

Fiona: I've recently moved to a new place and now living amidst boxes and bags. Between myself and my husband, we have a TON of books. I love having shelves and shelves of books - but man they are a pain to box up and move!

AL: You have a bunch of books for us to read. Which one would you like to tell us about?

Fiona: Today I'd like to talk about Night Haven, the first installment of the Bloodwolves series at Samhain Publishing. The novella is about Dina - a bloodwolf - who lost her ability to shift because she found herself wildly attracted to her enemy - a vampire. The story is about Dina's struggle to overcome preconceived notions - and expectations she has set for herself.

AL: What other works are you “whipping” up for us?

Fiona: I have a bunch of fun projects in the works! Night Legacy - a second installment of the Bloodwolf series, a sci-fi space opera, and a couple of romantic suspense stories. So many ideas and so little time:)

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?

Fiona: I've definitely had a situation like that. Its both a blessing and a curse. I'm a plotter, so when my character insists on going another way, the control freak in me starts to well, freak:) But I also have a healthy respect for my muse. (Plus if I go against my intuition the words tend to dry up). If a character makes the story go another way, I pretty much have to let them - it always makes for a better story.

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

Fiona: Oh man, I'm not sure! I love Mateo Rivera from my contemporary erotic romance Pas De Deux. And Dina from Night Haven is a strong stubborn kickass heroine - I just love that... So hard to pick one without upsetting the others:)

AL: Where do most of your ideas spring from? Music? Movies? TV? Dreams?

Fiona: Yes to all of the above:) Ideas are usually easy - and I got to a point where I'm consciously collecting them. I love going out to places and just overhearing people talk - there's a well of ideas to explore just from snippets of conversations. The hard part is fitting them together to spin a cohesive story.

AL: Summer is here. Grab a drink and let’s settle by the pool – What is your favorite part about this sizzling summer season?

Fiona: Hmm... shirtless guys walking around... And yummy BBQ:)

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?

Fiona: I think I would go to feudal Japan and study the way of the ninja. I'm fascinated with Japanese martial arts, especially the art of stealth. (Plus it would force me to get off the computer and work out)

AL: What annoys you enough to be considered a pet peeve?

Fiona: One of my biggest pet peeves is when people assume writing is easy. This is often the case with romance writing. You hear everything from "its just formula" or "if I had the time" or all sorts of other excuses. That kind of attitude bugs the heck out of me!

AL: What decadent delight must you have no matter what?

Fiona: I get a massage once a month :) Its one of those necessary luxuries that I simply have to have.

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?

Fiona: My goal is write a full length 90k novel. I've finished a very rough draft of a contemporary romantic suspense - just short of the word count goal - but it should plump up with revisions :)

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

Fiona: One of my favorite quotes if from the Tempest: "O brave new world, That has such people in't!"

AL: Thanks so much for joining us, Fiona.

Fiona: Thank you so much for having me Ann!

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

www.FionaJayde.com

FEATURED TITLE: NIGHT HAVEN

Blurb:

Desire cuts both ways…

Nothing gives Dina more pleasure than leaving the vampires she hunts to the mercy of the dawn. And yet most humans she is sworn to protect seem all too happy to offer up their necks. She has vowed never to be like those needy creatures yet, three months ago, she allowed a vampire to kiss her. The memory still makes her body burn—and her skin heat with humiliation.

For over twenty empty years, Luke has lived in a world of dead pleasure and burning sunrise, feeding off those who long for immortality and taboo thrills. Only his art makes him feel half-alive. Until one night in a dark, moody nightclub, where a reckless, amber-eyed bloodwolf left behind her clean, sharp scent—and an ache in his blood nothing but another taste can ease.

Finally, with the chance to purge Luke out of her system, Dina moves in for the kill. But she comes to a horrifying realization. She can no longer shift, and the desire to taste him—body, soul and blood—is making her crazy. As an enraged bloodwolf threatens to rip them both apart, she may just be crazy enough to trust Luke with her life.

Warning: Contains interspecies lust between a bloodwolf and a vampire, and desire thick enough to cut with a blade.

Excerpt:

Chapter One

She should have kicked his ass after she’d kissed him—tall, dark and undead, wearing ancient leather with a matching attitude. Dina should have guessed he was a vampire three months ago instead of being sucked in by those dark, smoldering green eyes that looked like they could pin her to the wall and leave her shuddering.

He hadn’t smelled like blood then, and she’d needed to wipe away a horrid evening. That night had been the first and last time that she’d agreed to be set up. She’d slammed her fist into her date’s arrogant snout the second time Roguell had said she should be having babies—no doubt with him—instead of out hunting vampires.

So she’d made out with one instead—a perfect way to end a hellish evening. And here she was dejaing this vu while a blonde armed with a sloppy smile draped herself over the same guy. Even in the dim lights of the bar, Dina could track them easily though the hip Thursday crowd.

Because it wasn’t party night, the music didn’t scream and bang with drums and vocals. Instead, the trio on the small raised stage plucked out cool blues. Tomorrow, the tables would be cleared to cram in girls sporting barely-there skirts and knockoff perfume. They would dance on the black shine of the bar secure in their own invincibility and youth. Just like the grinning blonde who leaned closer to the vampire Dina was hunting.

Brooding and handsome—another reason Dina had lost her mind that night. His type always appealed to her—the square hero’s jaw, wavy brown hair that glinted a bit in the light, the long lean body under the soft leather of his jacket.

He’d kissed like a wet dream.

He was a damned vampire, which was why she had spent the last few months haunting Santa Barbara bars until she found him again. As soon as he showed a bit of fang, she’d have enough justification to kill him and clear her conscience.

A bloodwolf making out with a vamp. If she’d heard that about someone else, she would have died laughing.

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

T. M. HUNTER

CONTEST: Two random commenters will each win a signed paperback copy of Hunter's latest book, Friends in Deed. Please make sure to leave your email addy so T. M. Hunter can contact you if your name is drawn. Best wishes!

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

T.M.: Thanks for having me! It’s great being here…

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

T.M.: Just trying to keep my head above water in this economy that seems to be collapsing or recovering depending on the day of the week. Have to keep the day job so that I have something to support this nasty writing habit, you know.

AL: Tell us about Aston West?

T.M.: The best way to describe my favorite space pirate actually came from a reader, when they said that Aston West truly is everyman. He puts off a good front of being self-absorbed, but when the chips are down, he does the right thing, even if it’s not what he wants to do. As to his origins, he actually came from a starship pilot I came up with for a different novel (which never went farther than a few chapters). I resurrected the main construct of that character when the role came up for my first book Heroes Die Young and Aston took it from there.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

T.M.: I currently have both an Aston West novella out there (where he meets a psychic mind-reader) as well as another novel (not featuring Aston), both with beta readers. While I wait for those comments to get back, I’ve been penning the first draft of my third Aston West novel and am nearing the end on that. And of course, I’m neck-deep in several short stories and other projects related to my universe.

AL: When did you know you wanted to write Sci-Fi?

T.M.: It’s funny, because I didn’t even begin writing science fiction until I was halfway through college. Before that, I penned some mysteries, thrillers and a few others. None of that was working for me, and then on the way back from a cross-country road trip a friend and I were taking, I started getting thoughts about writing stories based in space. It just grew from there, and now I hardly write anything else.

AL: What is one glaringly/specific personality trait that Aston West that is all you? One that a family member or friend stops and says, “Hey, this is so you.”

T.M.: I imagine that a lot of family or friends probably try to read Aston as indicative of my personality traits, but I’d like to think he’s completely separate. If I had to think about it, we probably share some familiar ground on pessimism (though he has a whole lot more), and in our feelings on politicians and politics in general. As long as people don’t think I’m alcoholic like he is.

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

T.M.: It’s always been a toss-up between several of my stories, and for different reasons. My story “Little White Truths” gets a lot of my love because it was my first published story. Then “Ever Dark” which makes me smile when Aston turns to his dark side and exacts revenge for those who can’t themselves. And then one of my most recent ones “Lifeline” which went a heck of a lot darker than anything I’ve written to this point. I don’t imagine I could pick one in particular.

AL: Time to settle in and dig deep – Who is a great example to you and how you live your life?

T.M.: I’d say my grandparents on my mother’s side have always been an example to me, especially after my mother’s death when I was in high school. They definitely have their opinions on just about everything, but have always been great models of how to handle life, love, finances and about any other circumstance you could think of. Sadly, my grandfather passed away a few years back, but I still keep in contact with my grandmother on a regular basis.

AL: Do you remember the first guilty pleasure you purchased with your first check?

T.M.: I learned a lot about finances from my grandparents, who went through the Great Depression. As such, I do a lot of saving and not a lot of spending unless it’s necessary. So, honestly, there aren’t a lot of guilty pleasures I’ve ever purchased. From time to time, maybe, but I honestly don’t remember them.

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

T.M.: I think it would be fun to travel to Europe, as that’s where my ancestors originated. Of course, in this day and age where there’s a huge target on Americans all over the world, I think I’d be content just sticking to places in-country. Hawaii, maybe?

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2010 and beyond?

T.M.: Well, as I mentioned, I have a novel and a novella which are in the final stages of preparation, and will be heading out on submission before long. Then, there’s the next Aston novel. In the meantime, I have a short story collection coming out in the next few weeks with ResAliens Press, which is going to be awesome. I also have another plan that was just proposed to me days ago, which I can’t go into details about, but if it happens, it’s going to be a huge hit (I really want to say, but am afraid it will jinx the outcome).

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

T.M.: I think it would be fun to have a date with Kinsey Millhone (I’m a big fan of the 80s), as long as we could stick to heading out for a Quarter Pounder, and avoid the long runs. I’m not an athletic person by any means. Who knows, maybe we could bring along Stephanie Plum for some extra excitement on the date? Think those two would go for it? Ha ha.

And of course, I might have to ask my wife for permission…heh.

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

T.M.: Midwest Book Review: “This book was great fun to read, exciting and believable. Aston West is an appealing character, and the plot engaging. Author T. M. Hunter is a name to remember for you sci fi fans out there.”

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us this week, T.M.

T.M.: Thanks again for having me. It’s been a blast!

AL: If you’d like to find out more about T.M. please visit:

http://astonwest.com
http://twitter.com/astonwest
http://facebook.com/astonwest

FEATURED TITLE: FRIENDS IN DEED

Blurb:

Aston West was condemned to life on the prison planet Lycus IV for spitting in a man’s face. Being forced to reside with the likes of murderers and thieves, he owes his freedom to Lars and Elijah Cassus, who orchestrated an escape. Now the twin brothers call in the favour and force him to return with their team to Lycus IV to rescue crewmate Leah Jordan.

Aston discovers Leah’s desire to leave the twins forever, but Lars and Elijah use fear and intimidation to control their group and no one leaves alive. It’s a case of kill or be killed and Aston will need to become more like the brothers than he ever wanted.

Excerpt:

Even in the depth of my nightmares, Lycus IV was a formidable hell. The scenery misled one to think of mighty grandeur. Lush green trees lined the banks. Sporadic cloud cover offered broken views of a pale blue mountain range.

This prison planet’s terror was not found in its natural surroundings, but from its unwilling inhabitants.

A wide, slow-moving river flowed in front of me over a deep bed of rocks. My filthy clothing was ripped and shredded, and exposed bloody skin. I gazed back across the clear, inviting water.

A bellow filled the air and I turned. A pale, naked giant rumbled through the brush, still yelling at the top of his lungs. High above his head, he gripped his makeshift mallet, a boulder strapped into the fork of a tree branch. I jumped aside as the weapon crashed down.

He stared with one wide eye and the other glazed over. Saliva dribbled from his lips.

“I am King of the wooded realm! You dare invade my territory?”

This wasn’t a fight I planned to stick around for. Psychotics were the worst type of violent.

He hoisted his club and swung it at me. I stumbled back and it came so close I felt the breeze. I turned toward the opposite bank and sprinted across the riverbed.

“Your punishment is death! Vengeance is demanded!”

I high-stepped through calf-deep water while the beast screamed bloody murder. I dared not look back, because there was no doubt he gained on me with every step.

My foot caught a cluster of rocks under the surface and I splashed down, drenched by the cool, clear water. I flipped over and faced my attacker as he left me in a cold, dark shadow. Milky-white foam oozed over his lower lip.

"Prepare to meet your maker!”

He raised the mallet high above his head. At least death would be quick, but I couldn’t say much for painless. I closed my eyes and waited for the crushing blow.

A whistle filled the air and the giant beast gasped and choked. My eyes flashed open as the beast dropped his weapon into the river behind him.

Only one object stood between me and oblivion, a homemade arrow buried in his neck. He couldn’t pull it from the front, so reached back. His mind gave up hope as soon as his fingers probed the stone tip. The monster’s eyes rolled up out of the way, then his body fell backward.

The corpse splashed down and huge waves rolled past me. I scrambled around and gazed at the opposite bank. There, a bow in his left hand and more arrows strapped to his back, stood the man who’d just saved my life.

Elijah Cassus.

REMEMBER: Two random commenters will each win a signed paperback copy of Hunter's latest book, Friends in Deed. Please make sure to leave your email addy so T. M. Hunter can contact you if your name is drawn. Best wishes!

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

GERALD COSTLOW

CONTEST: Gerald will pick two names (from those who leave comments), to receive a signed copy of The Weaving. Make sure to leave your email addy so Gerald can contact you for you mailing address. Best wishes!

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

Gerald: Thanks for having me on. I’ve really enjoyed reading your author interviews and it’s an honor to be included.

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

Gerald: Oh, this year my wife and I are staying at home and mainly enjoying this fine Michigan summer. While sitting on a porch swing and watching the birds feed would bore lots of folks to tears, but it’s our idea of a good time.

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

Gerald: I have an enchanting fantasy novel titled The Weaving, a romantic fable about a good witch who specializes in helping people with their quests but decides she wants a True Love of her own, destiny be darned. It can be described as a battle between good and evil woven around a love story.

AL: What other works are you deep into?

Gerald: This first novel was followed just this month by Pill Hill Press publishing my second novel, a prequel to The Weaving titled, A Plethory of Powers. It’s two shorter, novella length stories under one cover. Both are adventures that take place in the world of The Weaving and involve some of the same characters. The first adventure is a straight-out detective story called The Case of the Missing Succubus, and the second one is an old-fashioned slapstick comedy called A Conference of Powers.

AL: When did the writing bug take a bite out of you? The fantasy bug to be specific…

Gerald: I’ve always been a precocious and voracious reader, and as a young boy became enchanted with science fiction and fantasy adventures. I was also something of a loner, and would create my own make-believe worlds to pass the time. An early dream of mine was to see my own stories in the magazines that I loved to read. Of course, I ended up with a pile of rejections and it took me many years to learn how to turn a good story into a well written story.

AL: What is the most difficult part of being a writer and do you write whenever the mood strikes, or do you have a specific routine?

Gerald: The most difficult part for me, and probably for almost all writers, is handling the inevitable rejections. As for my routine, I’m an early riser so I do a lot of my writing in the early morning hours while even the dogs refuse to get up, and then I think about the scenes and dialog during the day, and do editing for an hour or so in the evening.

AL: Has an editor ever disagreed with something you’ve written and wanted a total re-write?

Gerald: Heh. Jessy of Pill Hill Press was my editor on The Weaving, and after telling me how much she loved the story, rolled up her sleeves and started marking entire scenes that she thought were confusing or unclear or needed work. And you know what? She was right. After I rewrote those paragraphs and pages, I had to admit I liked the new scenes much more than the old ones. A good editor vastly improves your finished story. A bad one, on the other hand...

AL: Now, let’s settle back and get personal – Besides writing, what other things do you like to do in your spare time?

Gerald: Nap. Read. Take my wife to the store or the dogs for a walk. Search online auctions for rock and mineral specimens to add to my collection. Play with my rock and mineral collection. Adults would probably find my life boring, but the grandkids seem to get a kick out of me.

AL: Have you always lived in Michigan? Tell me what’s one great thing about your state? Me? I like northern Michigan with all its trees and lakes. In my younger years whenever I thought of Michigan I immediately thought of Detroit (kind of like most people do with New York).

Gerald: I moved to Michigan from Ohio some years ago to take a job, and discovered it’s mostly farming country, so I felt right at home. One great thing? With the exception of Detroit, you don’t get those huge traffic snarls like you do at just about every big city out there.

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

Gerald: I love animated movies and wild special effects, as long as the movie makes a passing stab at a good plot. I can and have watched some of my favorite animated movies a dozen times.

AL: Can you describe yourself in 3 sentences or less?

Gerald: I’m just a middle-aged man living a middle-class life in mid America.

AL: Silly question… If you had to go live on an island for six months, which three things would you HAVE to take with you?

Gerald: A laptop with a satellite internet connection, a generator with a six month supply of fuel, and enough diet coke to last.

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

Gerald: “If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.” (Isaac Asimov)

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with us this week, Gerald. If you’d like to find out more about Gerald please visit:

http://www.pillhillpress.com/
http://theweaving.blogspot.com/

FEATURED TITLE: THE WEAVING

Blurb:

Rose, the Witch of the Woods, twists destiny when she embarks on a campaign to find true love. During her quest for happily-ever-after with her familiar-turned-husband, Tom, Rose accidentally releases Lilith, a powerful demon, from her ancient prison.

Rose and her allies battle Lilith in an epic struggle of destinies woven together by fate. With help from the Three Ladies, telepathically linked oracles, Rose struggles to vanquish Lilith from the realm and restore peace to the kingdom.

Throughout her journey, Rose discovers the true meaning of magic, devotion, and most importantly, love.

Excerpt:

She searched for the right words to say. "Is it really so important that you remember? Aren't you happy the way we are now?"

He took her hands in his. "Very happy. I wake every morning in amazement at my luck in finding you. But I lie awake at night sometimes, wondering who I am—who I was, before you rescued me and gave me this wonderful life. I don't feel complete. I'd like to know, Rose. I think I need to know."

She felt a tear starting and resolved not to cry. This was the moment Rose had been avoiding for the past two years, but she'd always known it couldn't be put off forever. "What if...what if you already have a wife, maybe children?" she asked. "What if there's a family out there, and they want you back?"

"Is that what you're afraid of? It never occurred to me" He paused, then shook his head. "It's disturbing to think there might be a family out there I left behind. I suppose if that were true, they'd consider me dead by now. Maybe I could keep it that way. It could get complicated, but I'd never leave you."

He gently wiped the tear from her cheek. "I'm more afraid it would turn out I'd been an outlaw, some bandit who escaped the King's justice. What if I'm a murderer or rapist? How could you still love me, then?"

Rose laughed, needing the relief. "Oh, Tom, people don't change what they are by losing a few memories. You're an honest, caring man. You didn't get that way overnight." She could see the pleading in his eyes, but he’d promised to take her advice. He’d walk away from the Lady if she told him to. Maybe one day he would walk away from her as well, in search of his past.

She did what she had to do. "Tom, ask the Lady your questions. Then together, we'll go find out who you were. I won't even eavesdrop this time." She sniffed and managed a smile. "I can say I've never been happier in my whole life. Maybe when this is through, you'll be able to say the same."

She walked back up the path, leaving Tom and the Lady alone to conduct their business. For the first time, she wasn't at all excited or happy about going to battle as the Witch of the Woods. She wished she was just an ordinary woman whose biggest challenge was getting her husband to take a bath more often.

REMEMBER: Gerald will pick two names (from those who leave comments), to receive a signed copy of The Weaving. Make sure to leave your email addy so Gerald can contact you for you mailing address.

Roundhouse Kick!

Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water AND make it drink!

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

MECHELE ARMSTRONG

CONTEST: You don't want to miss out on this! One lucky winner will receive a promo pack of Mechele Armstrong goodies plus signed copy of Dinah’s Dark Desire. Make sure to leave your email addy along with your post for a chance to win!

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

Mechele: Thank you so much for having me! I’m excited to be here.

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

Mechele: I just returned from Savannah! Went there with my youngest’s Girl Scout troop. Had a wonderful time.

AL: You have many sizzling tales for us to read. If possible, please pick one and tell us all about it.

Mechele: Seek and You Shall Find is my first release from Liquid Silver. It’s the story of a prince who must find his way to safety and the irresistible woman who will become whatever he most desires. Blackguard has to fight his attraction to Annalisse as he ushers them to safety while Annalisse finds out the woman that Blackguard wants isn’t that different from the woman she is.

AL: What new works are you deep into?

Mechele: I’m working on a story about a geek. LOL. It’s about a computer programmer and the woman who has his heart but doesn’t know it.

AL: What got you jumping feet first into erotica?

Mechele: I always liked reading books where the bedroom door was open. Hated books where you weren’t sure if they had sex or not. This led to me keeping the bedroom door open when I write. I find that so much can happen in the bedroom to move the relationship along and I think it helps take the writing of the characters deeper. At least for me as an author.

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

Mechele: My favorite thing is making up my own universe. I love the power of creation. My least favorite thing is commas. They are my bane!

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?

Mechele: I’d like to see my pace pick up a little. I’ve slowed down to focus on the books and also this past year on my oldest before she moves to middle school. I’d like to see my writing take more chances. I keep saying I would love to write a thriller or romantic suspense one day but haven’t yet.

AL: All right Mechele, let’s get personal … 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?

Mechele: LOL. Oh yes, very glamorous. Cleaning the litter box, cleaning up cat puke and pooper scooping the back yard from the dog rank among my unglamorous items. And cleaning the toilet. Ick.

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

Mechele: I would hope they would say I’m a good listener and kind-hearted.

AL: You’re in line at the movies. Which one do you go see, The Last Airbender or Eclipse? Why?

Mechele: The Last Airbender. *ducks* I’m not a big Twilight fan. I’ve tried reading the first book and saw the first movie. For whatever reason, it just doesn’t appeal. Now the Last Airbender looks intriguing with a boy who grows into his powers.

AL: What's your favorite music?

Mechele: LOL. Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Jonathon Coulton and Paul and Storm. I’m not sure what to call what they play. They write humorous (especially Paul and Storm) and geeky (definitely Coulton). Coulton has a lot of science in his music. I tend to listen to alternative (Green Day, Eve 6, Bowling for Soup (even their kids’ music) or country (Sugarland).

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

Mechele: The movie is either a futuristic romance or a romantic comedy. It’s about a ship trying to make it out in space (like Serenity but not exactly) or a comedy about a writer pulled into intrigue (maybe spying). My character is the shy geek turned heroine. In the futuristic she’d be a scientist. In the comedy, she’d be a writer. *cough* my leading man is played by Nathan Fillion.

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

Mechele: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”—Albert Einstein

AL: Thanks so much for joining us this week, Mechele.

Mechele: Thank you so much for having me. I do appreciate it.

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

http://www.mechelearmstrong.com

FEATURED TITLE: SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND

Blurb:

Blackguard only wants to get back to the war his planet is fighting, but instead, he's picking up a woman. A seeker morph. She's been promised to him to cement an alliance his world desperately needs. When he's betrayed and all his men are killed, he's forced to flee without his promised morph.

Only a pod opens in the back of his shuttle.

The seeker morph, Annalisse, emerges. She's awake from stasis and is now in a sexual heat. Her body is demanding that she bond, and Blackguard is only too willing to fulfill her needs, except that he also must keep them safe from the enemies who betrayed him. Annalisse will become whatever the man she bonds with desires, only she finds Blackguard wants a woman much like she already is.

It's a race to a communications array that will allow him to get them off the planet in one piece. But once they lift off, Blackguard must resume his duties as ruler, which requires him to abandon Annalisse.

Will Blackguard seek out the woman he never knew he sought? Will Annalisse find the man who allowed her to stay true to herself?

Excerpt:

Then, with a downturn of the shock wave, he crashed.

On the planet of his betrayer.

His head bleeding, he cursed everyone involved from here to eternity as his shuttle skidded to a stop.

They were all dead.

He struggled to look behind him at the roaring inferno. No one could have gotten out of there alive.

If he'd stayed, he'd be dead now, too.

He swallowed. Now was not the time to dwell on the losses. Now was the time to get off his ass and back to his planet. There, he could sort things out and figure what his next move should be.

Vengeance.

The pod that he'd seen the crane load started beeping from behind him.

"Shut up." He tried to circumvent failing systems to get the shuttle back up in the air as he took off his harness. A no-go. Too much damage had been done to the small craft. "Shut up." The persistent beeping annoyed the hell out of him as he kept trying to access the systems even as they failed on him. He might be stuck at the crash site. He couldn't even get a radio signal out from this small of a ship to the other ship unless he cleared the atmosphere. It would be several more hours before they'd launch a rescue on their own.

He drew his phaser and turned around, ready to shoot the offending pod's controls to silence the beeping, only to find it had opened. The crash must have broken down the locks on the thing. It had unlocked whether he wanted it to or not. "This isn't a good time." Watch it be something alive like parsec beetles, a delicacy for some races, or psi-cats, a pet. Just what he needed all over the dying shuttle.

The cover slipped open as the beeping subsided.

Blackguard kept his gun trained on the pod, even as the heady scent of spices met his nose. What could it be, a spice delivery? He turned toward the back, facing all the way around, to get a better look.

A woman sat up with a stretch of her body. Her pert mouth yawned. A naked, beautiful woman lay in the pod. With big breasts. Long dark hair. Green eyes. Big breasts. He couldn't tear his gaze away from her. He reacted as if he'd been struck in the gut with something heavy. Could hardly get breath out of his lungs.

He blinked, not having expected a person to be in the pod, especially not this lovely creature. The gun shifted downward. Even with the surprise and the circumstances, lust filled him at her appearance. His cock tightened. He'd never seen a female so delicate looking. So beautiful.

He'd never scented anything like her either. Something resided below the spice's scent, which had to be her. His cock rose up as his heart pounded. The adrenaline raised by his getaway channeled to his libido. His whole body reacted to this woman and wanted things with her, that even in his wickedest days, he couldn't imagine. Until now.

He shook his head to clear the fog. This was a bad time for arousal.

Her gaze centered on him as an unsteady smile graced her lips. "You must be Blackguard. I'm Annalisse. Yours to do with what you will." Her voice sounded throaty. Husky. It ran along his spine like a rolling river with a sharp dip down to his heavy cock.

He almost groaned at the impact of her words. Annalisse. Beauty had a name. His arousal grew tenfold, which hardly seemed possible. Oh, yeah.

Maybe it was a good time after all.

REMEMBER: You don't want to miss out on this! One lucky winner will receive a promo pack of Mechele Armstrong goodies plus signed copy of Dinah’s Dark Desire. Make sure to leave your email addy along with your post for a chance to win!

In the Author Spotlight & Contest

CAROLINA MONTAGUE

CONTEST: Carolina has a contest running on her website for The Entrancement. There are three questions there for readers to answer – two answers can be found in her website and the third is an open-ended question. The first prize is a paperback copy of her murder, magic and mayhem in the middle ages medieval paranormal, Door in the Sky, and a copy of Writing Romance, with romance writing tips from SFA-RWA authors like Barbara Freethy and Karin Tabke (and a chapter by Carolina!). The second and third winners each receive a copy of Door in the Sky. The questions and instructions for the contest can be found at:

http://carolinamontague.com/blog/contest-for-the-entrancement-faith-healersnake-handler-meets-erotic-bluegrass-fiddler/

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

Carolina: Really glad to be here, Ann. 

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

Carolina: Work at the University never seems to slow down, even in the summer. The students will be coming back soon, so we’re getting ready for them. My son is finishing up at community college and deciding where to transfer. He’s an artist so we’re looking at art schools.

I guess the biggest thing is that I’m going back to an ashram in India in September. I just went to get my Visa renewed in San Francisco today. Now all I have to do is book my flight, get a lot of rupees and pack for Chennai.

AL: Tell us about your new or upcoming release.

Carolina: I had two books come out this year. First, The Entrancement, my snake-handler/faith healer meets erotic bluegrass fiddler came out in March from Champagne Books. In May, Sacred Guardian, my dark angel book, was released by The Wild Rose Press.

AL: What other works are you “whipping” up for us?

Carolina: I love that term: “whipping up!” Right now I am working on the sequel to Door in the Sky. I felt I was unfair to the Inquisition soldier at the end of Door in the Sky – he was a villain who turned into a hero (think Ralph Fiennes – he can look tortured and lethal at the same time) - I didn’t let him get the girl. The sequel is his book and his love interest is fifteen years older than him and an Irish Wisewoman. This book takes the Inquisition soldier and his love interest (they really fight the overwhelming attraction to each other) from Ireland to Avebury in Britain, to Paris, and finally to Damascus and the Holy lands where the Inquisition soldier goes on a crusade for Saint Louis of France.

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

Carolina: When I was about six or so I had to tell stories to my little sister to get her to shut up and go to sleep so I could get some rest. It worked so I kept telling her adventure stories where she was a magical creature and then I started writing them down.

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'? :-)

Carolina: I’m a “pantser” – I love to be surprised. I always know the beginning and the end of each book but the rest just flows on out. Usually a character starts to bug me. For example, in the Entrancement it was the hero. This was really odd because though I was raised Christian, I’ve been Wiccan for the past 40 years or so. I completely respect all faiths but when this faith-healer preacher started to bug me I wondered what was up. I knew he lived in the South and I knew his story was kind of quirky and not a standard romance, but I gave up fighting him, sat at my computer and allowed to story to take off.

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

Carolina: Don’t quit your day job! Of all the authors I know, very few write for a living. All the rest, including me, have jobs.

AL: Now, let’s take a splash in the pool…Summer is here! What is your favorite part about this sunny season?

Carolina: The ice cream truck! It sounds silly, but we still have one here that visits the neighborhood park. I used to get treats for my son when he was little and I was walking with him back from his YMCA Kid’s Club Afterschool program. I remember fun stuff like bubble gum and spider man ice cream. When I hear the truck it brings that all back.

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

Carolina: When I first went to the ashram in India in 2006 the airplane I was on nearly shook apart because the pilot kept trying to land in Hong Kong during a huge cyclone with tons of rain and wind! I remember seeing the sides of the plane bulge and the woman I was paired with (because she was afraid of flying!) grabbed my hand. The pilot finally gave up and we had to land in mainland China. They wouldn’t let us get off the plane and we were all on the same plane for 35 hours. We missed our connection in Singapore and our ride to the ashram but it all worked out.

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

Carolina: I’d like to meet Nelson Mandela. I heard from a Teacher that he needed to be in jail for so long to deeply learn to forgive, that the man who went into jail was not the same man who emerged so many years later.

AL: What annoys you enough to be considered a pet peeve?

Carolina: I get annoyed when I can’t find something. This bugs me at work; it bugs me at home, even in my car. “Now, where did I put that CD? I know it’s here somewhere . . .”

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

Carolina: Probably an E-Reader and a few hundred book-downloads. Music as well – can’t forget that!

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

Carolina: From the movie Lord of the Rings, spoken by Cate Blanchette

“The world is changing. I can feel it in the earth; I can feel it in the air.”

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

Carolina: Thanks for the chance to talk to you!

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

www.carolinamontague.com

FEATURED TITLE: THE ENTRANCEMENT

Blurb:

Laney Parker has a secret. She is completely devoted to her church, but to support herself and her disabled child, she plays the fiddle in an erotic bluegrass band. The women wear overalls and are completely naked underneath. The lead singer wears a codpiece, an item that grows in size as he sings. No way can she let anyone know what she has to do for a living!

Jesse Murdoch has a secret too. Born with a Healing Gift, Jesse serves in his father’s church. However, Jesse’s gift has a price; its use requires him to experience extreme sensual experiences. When this cost becomes deadly, he flees his parents and becomes Pastor of Laney’s church. No way can he let anyone know what he must do to appease his Gift!

Worlds collide when Jesse meets Laney. He must hide his Gift’s price and she must hide the fact that she plays the fiddle onstage with barely a stitch of clothing. When a Hollywood agent discovers the up-and-coming Tennessee Tussle band, and Jesse’s Gift makes greater demands for its use, the jig is up.


Excerpt:

“Alida, get out of there!” Laney stretched to see around the bushes. “Someone’s coming.” She smoothed her hair and skirt.

Alida slid out of the door and was under the police tape before Laney could finish her second sentence.

“Why, Pastor Jesse.” Alida put her arm around Laney’s back and pinched her. “Laney was just showing me the damage the old ghostie made.”

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Jesse glanced over Alida’s shoulder but turned to Laney. “Ms. Parker.”

“Laney,” Alida corrected him. “I know those rules.You’ve had your date, so you’re on first name terms now.” She leaned way over the police tape and stared into the shadowed office. “Did that brother of hers behave himself?”

“He didn’t eat anything but a handful of raspberries.”

“Well of course he wouldn’t eat! He’s still Johnny Reb until after Gettysburg.” Alida’s mouth set in a straight line. “Then he’ll be going back to his woman, and… Yow!” Alida jumped back. “Lane!” Her face had turned green-gray and her fingers dug into Laney’s arm.

“It’s okay, Lida. The ghost never comes out here.” Laney tapped Alida’s death grip on her arm where her skin was purpling underneath Alida’s nails. “Come on now. That hurts!”

“But Lane, I can see him!” Alida let go but jumped behind Laney. “And he’s lookin’ at me!”

Jesse reached for Laney’s arm and trailed his fingers over her bruised and dented skin, leaving a path of teal light and a liquid melting inside her middle that was so sweet it fair curled her toes. Laney startled and glanced at Alida, but her friend was looking away from her, still staring at the

church office doorway.

“Can’t you see him there?” Alida’s voice had a ragged huskiness to it. “Tell me I’m not just seein’ things.”

Jesse squinted at the doorway and pointed to the top left corner. “Right there. Either he’s floating, or he’s over seven feet tall.” He pulled the police tape up over his head and motioned the two women to step inside the perimeter.

“B-but the police…”

“It’s my church.” Jesse took Laney’s arm, but no glow formed where he touched. “What?”

“It’s not happening because Alida’s watching,” Laney whispered as she stepped underneath the tape. She turned to face Alida. “Come on now, Alida. Remember Ghost Patrol? No ghostie’s a gonna get me,” she lilted.

“That was a movie, Laney.” Alida stepped from foot to foot, but finally ducked under the tape. “What’s the ghost’s name?”

“If the accounts are accurate, we’re dealing with a single entity, the late Pastor Blackstone.”

“He won’t bust me up like he did the room, will he?” Alida hung back while Laney and Jesse moved forward. “Hey, I’ll just keep a lookout here,” she hollered.

“Oooo. Cold spot right here in the doorway.” Laney chafed her hands together and blew on them. “It’s so cold I can see my breath.”

“You’d better stay back, Laney.”

“Why?”

“The ghost is looking at you in a way I don’t like.”

“And just what way is that?”

“Have you had an experience with this entity before?”

“He stole my slip once.”

“What!” Jesse swiveled in place until he was standing in front of her. “Your slip?”

“We’d all changed into Christmas costumes. I was Mary Magdalene that year, and my slip showed under the costume.” She shrugged. “When I came back it was gone.”

“Was it ever found?”

“Nope.”

Jesse stared at her. “Anybody else could have taken it. Maybe a boy who liked you took it, or someone did it on a dare.”

She reached up to smooth her hair, avoiding his eyes. “No sir. The room was locked during the ceremony and Mrs. Downing had the key. Later on, I felt this cold spot in the corner where he’s standing.” She glanced at the apparition. “It was the ghost.” The good Pastor Blackstone looked sad. “Jesse, he doesn’t seem mean or anything. Maybe he just wants to be noticed.”

“I’ve dealt with this kind of thing before and I still don’t like the way he’s looking at you.” Jesse’s eyes narrowed. “He destroyed the property of this church and either directly or indirectly caused the deaths of several men. I intend to do something about that.”

Jesse looked down and took a breath, one huge inhalation. Laney thought he’d never stop, but once he did, he blew the air out fast. When he finished exhaling, he looked up. His midnight blue eyes had gone flat and an electric current ran all around his form tinting the edges of his arms and hands with clear blue light. “Pastor Blackstone.” His voice was quiet, but commanding, and it had a ringing to it that reminded Laney of when she’d used a wooden stick to strike the brass bowl Alida had gotten when she’d gone through a Buddhist phase back in high school.

Laney looked back at Alida. Her friend made the cuckoo sign around her ear, but Laney shook her head.

Jesse pivoted back to face the destruction of his office. “Come out where I can see you better.”

The ruined desk rattled and the door bowed inward. Alida squeaked and grabbed at the police tape.

“I said show yourself.” Jesse took another deep breath and exhaled again. “Now!”

A Bible Jesse had used for sermons before the ghost had destroyed the office floated into the doorway. Pages in it turned until it came to a stop and stayed there, floating in the air.

Laney looked back. Alida was right behind her now, breathing on her shoulder in quiet little moans. “Quiet, Lida. You wanted to see this.”

“I didn’t know it was like, for real.”

“Shhhh.”

Jesse stepped forward into the room. “Do you know Who I represent?”

The Bible stilled, but tipped so the page could be seen. Jesse didn’t pause. He reached for the Bible and plucked it out of the air. “It appears to be smudged over a passage.” His thumb worked at the dirt that covered the page. “It’s Acts 2:17a. ‘I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.’”

Laney jumped, her elbow jabbing behind her, hitting

Alida.

“Ow!”

“Lida, I’m sorry.”

“S’okay.” Alida looked up at Jesse. “What does it mean?”

Laney tried to look at Jesse, but couldn’t meet his flat, all-seeing eyes. Anyway, he just looked at the Bible, a line forming between his brows. Laney tugged Alida back toward the police tape and whispered, “It’s from the Book of Acts. I think it was Peter’s words. At the time of the Pentecost.”

“The whatacost?” Alida poked her. “Remember I’m some kind of dumb about the Bible and just tell me what it means.”

Jesse looked up and closed the Bible, but recited, “‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…’”

Laney shivered and completed the verse, “‘and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” So there was the context of her Scripture Box verse. She shivered but looked right into Jesse’s eyes now. He stared at her but she thought he wasn’t seeing her.

Alida shoved Laney aside and passed her hand right in front of Jesse’s face and he didn’t blink; he just kept staring. “Oh, man, this is too end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, Laney. Will he be okay? Can’t we just, you know, leave him here?”

“You stay right where you are, Alida Johnson.” Laney grabbed her friend’s arm. “Is it possible that this ghost came to my house, Jesse?” Laney trembled and made sure Alida was watching when she touched Jesse’s arm.

He stirred. “Don’t worry. It’s not end of days, Ms. Johnson.” When he looked Alida full in the face, Laney felt her friend’s arm slacken. “Not yet.” He caught Laney’s gaze. She couldn’t look away.

“The ghost can’t leave the place where the old church stood.” His words were reassuring, but his eyes weren’t. She could see a roiling in their depths, a black cloud so deep that it should have seemed cold.

But it wasn’t. Heat reached out from his eyes and seared Laney.

“Oh, Lord.” She had to use her fingers to force her eyelids down, evading his blazing eyes. “Send him to his rest, Pastor Murdoch. He just needs to go home. Please?” A swift touch on her arm and a rustling noise told her Jesse had turned.

She kept her hands over her eyes but peeked out from under them. Jesse was looking away from her, at the transparent figure of a man dressed in garments from well before the Civil War: a long coat, brocade waistcoat and tight pants of fine cloth. This was no poor country parson. Laney

took her hands away from her eyes and moved toward Jesse. “Give him some peace, Pastor.” She touched his arm again.

Jesse looked back into her face. She caught the edge of the seeking heat of his eyes, but he only said, “For you I will do this,” and turned to the ghost.


REMEMBER: Carolina has a contest running on her website for The Entrancement. There are three questions there for readers to answer – two answers can be found in her website and the third is an open-ended question. The first prize is a paperback copy of her murder, magic and mayhem in the middle ages medieval paranormal, Door in the Sky, and a copy of Writing Romance, with romance writing tips from SFA-RWA authors like Barbara Freethy and Karin Tabke (and a chapter by Carolina!). The second and third winners each receive a copy of Door in the Sky. The questions and instructions for the contest can be found at:

http://carolinamontague.com/blog/contest-for-the-entrancement-faith-healersnake-handler-meets-erotic-bluegrass-fiddler/

In the Author Spotlight

BONNIE DEE

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

Bonnie: I’m happy to be here and to get a chance to share my book, The Thief and the Desert Flower. It’s released from Samhain and is now in print as well as all digital formats.

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

Bonnie: I’m working through some empty nest issues. I didn’t think it would bug me to let my kids go, but now that they’re so busy they never stop by, I miss them surprisingly much. I didn’t expect that. And there’s a pervading low grade sense of anxiety because everything they do is now beyond your ability to influence. It’s like having bits of you scattered around the world doing their own thing. Very odd feeling.

AL: You have many sizzling tales for us to read. If possible, please pick one and tell us all about it.

Bonnie: The book I want to profile, The Thief and the Desert Flower, came out last year. But it never got the readership I had hoped for. It’s such a great adventure story. Really tons of fun. And the reviewers who did take the time gave it five star and top pick reviews. I’m not quite certain why it didn’t catch on with readers but maybe it was because they didn’t know quite what to make of the premise.

Set in a fantasy world, a princess is on her way across the desert to marry a neighboring head of state and seal a bond between two kingdoms when her caravan is waylaid by thieves. The chief of the desert clan takes one look at the gorgeous princess and decides to have her for himself, despite the fact that he’s told his men they must never kidnap or rape the women in the caravans they rob. He’s set on wooing the princess until she wants to be with him, but is unprepared for the battle of wills that follows. It’s an old fashioned, fun adventure tale and the “desert flower” of the title is no shrinking violet. She is a strong-willed woman who, in the end, saves the day.

AL: What other works do you have stirring in the pot?

Bonnie: I’m currently writing a vampire ménage and another m/m historical with Summer Devon set in turn of the century America in a traveling carnival. Moving back and forth between stories is a productive way to work. When I get stuck on one, I can always work on the other—unless it’s with Summer so she can add her part.

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

Bonnie: I don’t get confused about where I’m at in terms of style or tone if that’s what you mean. Some stories are more angst-filled; some are lighter romps that also have a helping of drama. There are genres I enjoy more than others. I like historical the most, even though some readers of the genre are quick to call a writer on any errors. When I get tired of the nit-pickiness of that, it’s nice to be able to switch over to a completely make believe world – as in the Thief story – where I don’t have to worry about any inaccuracies other than those within the context of the world I’ve created.

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'? :-)

Bonnie: I jot down the ideas that spawned the story, and a sort of stream of consciousness ramble which might include several directions in which the story could go. Then I launch into those easy first chapters when everything’s shiny, new and easy. About half way through I start to bog down and wonder what corner I’ve painted myself into. It’s great to have a writing partner to give input and help set the wheels in motion again. And when a story is co-written, we pass it back and forth every few thousand words or so – not even necessarily full chapters.

AL: What is one glaringly/specific personality trait that you put into your hero/heroine that is all Bonnie? You know, the one that a family member or friend’s head pops up and they say, “Hey, this is so you!”

Bonnie: I tend to work from a center of logic rather than emotion, which is why I believe (though I could be wrong) that I’m pretty good at a male point of view. I tend to invest my heroines with the same pragmatic, level-headed quality. They usually aren’t girly girls who are easily emotionally injured or take things to heart.

AL: All right Bonnie, let’s get personal … Who is a great example to you and how you live your life?

Bonnie: Well, if we’re really getting personal…I follow the teachings of a yogic master and practice meditation techniques—when I’m not being lazy. The Eastern philosophy of balance suits my logical soul. There is no point in getting too invested in anything in this world. We’re only here for a limited time. Which isn’t to say you should be blasé about life, just take it with a grain of salt and don’t allow yourself to become too ruffled or get sucked into unnecessary drama. I’m not saying I live that credo perfectly by any means. I’m as prone to desires and anxiety as anybody, but I try to keep an even temper and a sense of humor about things when they go sour.

AL: What is this romance writer's idea of the "perfect romantic evening"?

Bonnie: I’m sorry. I may write romance but I’m not too much of a romantic. No roses and candlelit dinners required to entertain me. I love movies with a passion and would rather be treated to a movie than anything else. My husband and I like riding motorcycles and often go out with friends. Don’t know about romantic but it’s fun.

AL: Lots of good movies out. What’s the best movie you've seen recently?

Bonnie: Not Sex and the City II, I can tell you that. I went with my daughter and her girlfriends, and while the gals’ night out was fun, the movie sucked. I would rather have seen Prince of Persia, which I still haven’t gotten around to. Honestly, I can’t think of something I saw recently that was a keeper. I’d been looking forward to Robin Hood but it was pretty generic. Nothing special.

Ah, I did download and watch an Irish film with Colin Farrell that only had limited release in the U.S. Ondine is the story of a fisherman who draws up an unconscious woman in his net. His young daughter decides she’s a selkie and the woman soon brings the man luck with his fishing. Romance ensues and eventually the mystery of her background is revealed. It’s a pretty good little movie, if a little scattered at times.

AL: Can you share some of your plans for 2010 and beyond?

Bonnie: I have several releases coming out in 2010. Awakening Beauty is the third installment in Marie Treanor and my Fairytale Fantasies series. Aurora is awakened, not by a kiss but by a guy shaking her awake—in modern times. How does she adjust to the strange new world she faces? We’ve really enjoyed taking familiar tales and giving them a new and sexy twist. Others in the series are Cinderella Unmasked and Demon Lover.

Summer Devon and I have co-authored another m/m historical, The Nobleman and the Spy which will be available from Loose Id in fall. There’s romance, mystery and political intrigue in that one.

I also have my first attempt at steampunk coming out at Carina Press either this year or next, not quite sure when. Like Clockwork is about an alternate Victorian England in which automatons have been invented to take over all the menial jobs. But what work does that leave for the poor and uneducated laborer? Social politics and a serial killer all come together along with a romance.

AL: Silly question… You are the heroine and you have the hero on the island in the middle of your kitchen. What food would you be feeding…nibbling off each other?

Bonnie: I suppose melted chocolate. It would sting and burn a little as it landed on the skin which can be a painfully sexy sensation. Plus it tastes good, so bonus.

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

Bonnie: Oh my gosh, there was something I read just a few weeks ago. I remember thinking, “I have to remember that line. It’s priceless” but I have horrible memory issues. I can’t tell a joke and remember the punchline correctly for anything. But if you want a quote that kind of reflects my personality, I think it might be, “Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead.” I can tend to be rash and impulsive, which is at odds with the Zen state of being I’m trying to cultivate. It’s a conundrum.

AL: Thanks so much for joining us this week, Bonnie.

Bonnie: Thanks for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity to chat about my favorite subject—ME! Just joking, I’m not self-absorbed, I promise. Or at least not any more than everyone else is.

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

http://bonniedee.com
Twitter ID: http://twitter.com/Bonnie_Dee
Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=1352577313

FEATURED TITLE: The Thief and the Desert Flower

Blurb:

Can a princess find love in the arms of a desert thief?

Princess Chala is facing an arranged marriage to a man she’s never met. When her caravan is attacked in the desert and she’s kidnapped by the nomad leader, she thinks only of escape—at first. But the charming rogue, Kyo is set on seducing her until she freely gives him what he’s craved from the moment he saw her. The fiery-tempered princess and the unscrupulous scoundrel engage in a battle of the sexes.

Lust slowly turns to love as they share details of their lives and realize they have more common ground than expected. But Chala’s powerful bridegroom, Brachas isn’t about to let a merger between two kingdoms dissolve without a fight. His soldiers find and reclaim the princess, who now has an agenda of her own.

Can a clever princess and her determined lover save a desert people, bring a despot to justice and find a future together in a world of their choosing?

Excerpt:

What had he been thinking of, bringing the ganza princess here? Of course, he could hardly take her to camp, letting everyone know what he’d done, but showing her his hideaway practically ensured he could never let her go. If he returned her to her people now, she might not be able to draw a map through the wilderness, but could describe his lair, giving them a starting place for their search. Stupid, Kyo, blinded to reason by a beautiful face and a throbbing cock.

The girl slipped on the shale again, flat gray stone sliding from beneath her shoe and down the slope. Kyo pulled her upright once more and around the big boulder that served as excellent cover for him to watch over the surrounding valley.

“Where are we?”

“Middle of nowhere. Ass of Karachi,” he teased.

That’s what Tanjia, his adopted brother, had called the desert when they were young. Tanjia was originally from Gendera, a survivor of an attack on his village who had stumbled into their camp. He’d won Kyo’s mother’s heart and a place in their tent. In all the years he’d lived with them, he’d never gotten used to the desolation of the nomads’ land and used to make Kyo laugh by calling the desert “God’s asshole”.

Kyo guided the girl into the pitch-black cave. If the desert was dark, the cave was blindness. It sucked up light like the sun drank water. Even Kyo, who knew the layout and right where to find his flint and a torch ready for lighting, stubbed his toe on a rock. He struck sparks from the flint and the oil-soaked torch flared to life. Several large mirrors Kyo had confiscated over the years reflected light around the cave, sending black shadow demons dancing across the stone walls.

He glanced toward his guest, checking out her reaction to his secret domain.

She stood just inside the entrance, brown eyes wide as she gazed around. Kyo looked, too, seeing the place with fresh eyes. He owned nothing larger than could be carried on a pack horse, so there was no furniture, but no one in his tribe had ganza furnishings, which were too hard to transport as they moved from place to place.

The floor boasted several thick carpets with rainbow colors, which gave some cushion against the rocky floor. Sometimes he liked to lie belly-down on them, tracing his finger over the intricate woven patterns. Would the princess think the carpets pretty? Would she find the cushions, mirrors and trinkets gained from years of thieving as rich as he did? Kyo saw only dismay in her eyes. He studied his meager possessions again and realized they were a collection of junk. To her they were scavenged odds and ends only an ignorant desert rat would think luxurious.

His gut twisted and he turned away from her to ignite the previously laid campfire with the torch. After that he lit his oil lamp and set it on the flat rock he used as a table. He gestured at a pile of cushions on the floor.

“Sit. I take care of horses.” He bound her hands together, but doubted he needed to. She’d slumped exhausted onto the pillows and her eyes were nearly closed.

Kyo retreated from the cave and drew a deep breath as he gazed across the shadow-filled land below. What had he done? What was he going to do with the woman sitting in his den? His expectation she’d adjust to being his prisoner was ludicrous. Just then he’d have given anything to start the day over. This time he wouldn’t look twice at the ganza princess—simply take her jewels and ride away.

Night was plunging the valley below the rocky outcropping into blackness. His torch would be visible for miles. He’d better tend the animals quickly. He rubbed down both horses and left them cropping the sparse grass.

As he walked back up to the cave, Kyo clenched his hands lightly at his sides, his stomach fluttering. What was wrong with him? Where were his balls that he was allowing this woman to make him suddenly nervous? This was his land, his kingdom in the desert. He was in charge and what she thought of him or his den didn’t matter in the least.

With that attitude, he strode into the cave, shoulders back, chin up, his arrogant bearing proclaiming him a leader among his people and a fine figure of a man. He stopped short when he saw the woman. She lay on her side on the pile of cushions, eyes closed, fast asleep or pretending to be. Her bound hands were drawn up near her face. One naked leg gleamed pale in the lantern’s glow. The open flap of her split skirt showed everything. He couldn’t take his eyes off that smooth, gleaming leg from the ankle above her shoe up to the lacy edge of her underwear.

His cock rose hard and full, pressing into his pants. He tore his gaze away from her casually bent leg to look at her face. Thus far, he’d only caught flashes of snapping brown eyes and a jutting lower lip. For the first time, he was free to study her features without interruption.

In sleep, her face was relaxed and very young. Shinjate! How old was she? Her sun-flushed cheeks were as soft as a young child’s, not weathered by sun or wind. Her pouting rosebud of a mouth invited kisses, and he imagined sucking the plump lower lip between his teeth. Her brown hair gleamed golden in the lamplight and tumbled around her face in flowing waves.

A frown creased her finely drawn eyebrows and she made a small protesting sound in her throat. Guilt struck him like a snake’s fangs that she must be dreaming of the raid with Kyo as the demon of her nightmare. He wanted to sit beside her, stroke her tangled hair and soothe her fears away, but very likely his touch would only startle her awake into her real-life nightmare.

Instead, he carefully spread a length of lightweight jamoma over her body. After watching her sleep a few moments longer, he headed to the back of the cave. Kneeling beside the spring-fed pool that bubbled up in a crevasse in the rock, he drank his fill then peeled off his clothes and washed the sweat and grit from his skin. This abundance of water was an indulgence he would never take for granted. His appreciation for cleanliness had reached the point where he could hardly stand to spend time in camp, where water was strictly rationed and sweat-soaked fabrics dried stiff against dirty bodies.

When he’d cleaned up, he put on a fresh shirt and set his other to soak. He scooped a dipperful of water and padded barefoot across the cave to set it near the woman. If she woke in the night, she would be thirsty.

Stroking his hand over the jagged tear she’d made in his cheek, he wondered if he dare untie her hands. He decided against it, not wanting to wake with his head bashed in. After smothering the torch and turning the lamp wick low, he paused to stare at the sleeping woman again. Her eyelids flickered and he wondered if she was faking sleep.

Kyo considered lying beside her, holding her snug against him, but for tonight, he would sleep separately, letting her know she was safe with him. Soon enough he’d wrap himself around her, cover her body with his, touch her, kiss her, lick her… He swallowed, his cock hard as granite.

“Time. Patience. Persistence.” His grandfather had repeated those words many times. That creed was what gave the desert people the strength to survive in a land no others would inhabit.

Taking the words to heart, Kyo wrapped himself in a plain, woven blanket and lay down. He would be as steady and inexorable as the wind that shaped the desert to its whim. And slowly he would bend the woman’s will to his.

If you would like to buy The Thief and the Desert Flower you can here:
http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/the-thief-and-the-desert-flower

Movie Phrase Friday

" Ladies! Will you please shut it? Listen to me. Yes, I lied to you. No, I don't love you. Of course it makes you look fat. I've never been to Brussels. It is pronounced 'egregious'. By the way, no, I've never met Pizzaro but I love his pies. And all of this pales to utter insignificance in light of the fact that my ship is once again gone. Savvy?"

What movie is this from? Better yet, who said it?