trueromance

BORN TO DIE

When my editor at Kensington Publishing came up with the idea for a new series, I thought he was nuts. His idea was a series about a team of two female cops. I immediately thought of Cagney And Lacey of 1980’s television fame.

Really?

That’s where we were going?

Now you have to understand that John Scognamiglio and I work closely together. We take turns coming up with and sometimes discarding new ideas. Most of my ideas come from something I’ve seen or read about or heard, a germ of a story that I develop into a novel. Honestly I don’t know where John gets his ideas.

So when John suggested the two female cop thing, I wasn’t completely on board. Then out of the blue, his germ of an idea blossomed. In my mind’s eye I saw the first cop–a struggling, twice-married single mother of teenagers, and not necessarily A students at that. No, those kids didn’t appreciate her. She had red hair to match her temperament. I’d name her Regan–-yeah, Regan Pescoli, once married to Luke “Lucky” Pescoli. Yeah! She’d have a daughter and a son by different fathers, neither of which were supportive. Hot-tempered, willing to bend the rules every which way, Regan would be teamed with a emotionally distant, never-been-married woman who was smart as a whip and played everything by the rules. Selena Alvarez began to form in my mind and she came to me with a dark, deeply-imbedded secret.

And they weren’t city cops. Oh. No. These women were detectives with a county sheriff’s department. Far away from New Orleans where my Bentz/Montoya series is set, I came up with the town of Grizzly Falls, Montana set right in the heart of the Bitterroot Mountains.

I’d deal with craggy mountains and a small town perched on an icy river rather than the sultry, big-city feel of New Orleans.
I saw the town and peppered it with the characters that came into my mind. A sexy, guilt-riddled sheriff, a loner who is convinced he was once abducted by aliens and a women who talks to ghosts are a few of the citizens.

Recently I wrote BORN TO DIE, the third book and it’s available in August 2011. Detectives Pescoli and Alvarez are on the scene again and this time they discover the victims have an eerie resemblance to each other. No one is more aware of this disturbing fact than Dr. Kacey Lambert, who, herself, bears an uncanny likeness to the victims.

From a B level actress in Hollywood, to a teacher in the local elementary school, the victims are near mirror-images to Kacey. It only makes matters worse when she learns that the sexy rancher she’s confided in has been involved with several of the dead women.

And it scares her to death.

All in good old Grizzly Falls, Montana around Christmas time! Fa-la-la-la-la, La-la-Ti-Dah!

Question: What really has had you so frightened you could feel your heart skip a beat?

Setting: Peru and Sierra Leone
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Luke (Doc Holiday) Colter
Heroine: Val (Valentina) Chamberlin

One sentence summary: His plans for a quiet vacation in the Peruvian Andes turns deadly when a Black Ops., Inc. operative rescues a stunning stranger from a mysterious train robbery and discovers she’s the target of a vengeful manhunt.

Scene you like most and would never cut: First scene, Chapter 9 – Luke and Val are tucked into a cave in the Andes, hiding out from the kill team that is after her. The team has already passed them by, so they’re just waiting it out a little longer as some extra insurance before they head out to continue dodging their pursuers. It’s the first kiss scene, involves her very bad case of claustrophobia, Luke’s total reluctance to admit it was more than a kiss, and a potato. Yes, a potato :o)

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: She’d never be caught dead playing the diva, even though with her beauty, fame, and influence she could walk all over people.

Tell us one quirky thing about your heroine: She’s claustrophobic, a problem she’s fought to overcome since she was the victim of an abduction for ransom when she was a little girl.

What is your heroine’s occupation? Valentina is an international supermodel and philanthropist

What is your hero’s occupation? Luke is a former Navy SEAL, and a current team medic for Black Ops., Inc. a covert paramilitary unit based out of Buenos Aires

What you think readers will like best about this book: Hopefully the action and adventure and a really dynamite love story. Doc has this great sense of humor which lends a wonderful sense of playfulness to the mood of the story and helps see him and Val through some really tough spots.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: I’ve had the most requests for Nate Black (CO and founder of BOI) and Juliana Flores’ story.

What’s next: I’m currently writing LAST MAN STANDING, Joe Green’s book and I’m having such a great time writing this emotional and action-packed story, which takes place in Sierra Leone and the U.S.

What draws you, the reader, to the Romantic Suspense genre and what are you NOT finding there that you would love to read about? I’ll be giving away 2 copies of RISK NO SECRETS, Book 5 in the BOI series to 2 commenters.

About Me:

1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? - THE BRIDESMAIDS. It totally rocks! Best chick flick ever!
2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? Romantic suspense, what else?
3. What’s the first book you remember reading? Black Beauty
4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Snow White
5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? Tweety Bird
6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? I’d like to tell them that I so treasure the support and enthusiasm I feel from them with every new release. Every writer worries that the next book won’t be the best book and that they will somehow let their readers down – which is the last thing we want to do. So when I hear from my readers after each release and they tell me that they now have a new favorite, it’s like manna from heaven! So thanks! And thanks again.
7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? My ‘fantasy’ career? A singer. Probably country.
8. What do you do to unwind and relax? READ! Typical busman’s holiday. I also love to have fun with my girlfriends, family, travel, fish (yes, I said fish), and I have some favorite TV shows, with Justified, The Good Wife, NCIS, The Closer, Burn Notice and Rescue Me topping the list.
9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Tea. On ice. No sugar.
10. What does love mean to you? My husband and my children. There is nothing more fulfilling.
11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise, and why? Most? Oh, the Regency era would be my least favorite. All those wigs and corsets – need I say more? As for most favorite? I think the Roman’s had it right. Soft, flowing dresses, sandals and updos :o)
12. What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? The truth? I don’t have that special name just waiting for a character. When my characters come to me, they have names. Don’t ask me how or why. I just know that this guy is a Luke or a Gabe or this woman is a Jillian or a Jenna. They arrive with perfect fits :o)
13. Dog person or cat person? We have both. Please don’t make me chose :o)

Setting: Present day U.S. and Mexico
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Zach McBride
Heroine: Natalie Benoit

Quick summary: Denver journalist Natalie Benoit and Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride, a former Navy SEAL, find themselves captives of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Working together, they escape through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun, while forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both…

Scene you like most and would never cut: I’m especially fond of the emotional scene in which Zach “communicates” with his lost SEAL teammates and is finally able to let them and the grief he feels over their deaths go. I also love all the “bromance” scenes involving heroes from the past I-Team books when they come together to protect Natalie. Their trading of insults and banter is one of the things readers love most about the series. But beneath the banter is a deep affection and respect. That deeper emotion is laid bare in a scene late in the story, and it’s a scene that is already a reader favorite. I guess I would also say the love scenes, which I think are some of the most emotional I’ve ever written.

Thing your hero would never be caught dead doing/saying: Zach would never be caught betraying his mission. Duty is everything to him. Trained to carry out tough special ops work, he’s the kind of man who actively takes responsibility, doing the job others cannot do and doing it well. He is ready to give his life if that’s what it takes to finish his mission and protect the lives of others.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Natalie would never be caught being intentionally rude to anyone. Raised in the Garden District of New Orleans, she was taught that manners matter.

Tell us about your hero: Zach is probably my most heroic hero to date. A wounded warrior, he volunteered to serve his country and has paid a high personal price for that service. The only survivor of his SEAL team, he carries both physical and emotional scars. While his body has healed, his soul has not. And that’s where Natalie is able to reach him.

Tell us about your heroine: Natalie will probably be readers’ favorite heroine so far. She’s very feminine and sweet — and a bit sheltered. But she’s also incredibly strong. I think she’ll surprise readers again and again, truly earning her happily ever after with a hero like Zach.

What is your heroine’s occupation: Natalie is an investigative reporter with a gift for writing who graduated from high school and college early. She gained renown in journalist circles for her coverage of the storm, i.e., Hurricane Katrina.

What is your hero’s occupation: Zach is a former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient who hasn’t been able to make peace with what happened to his SEAL team during the war. He tried to return to civilian life, but found that he couldn’t find “normal” again. So he is now working “the line,” i.e., the U.S./Mexico border, as a chief deputy U.S. marshal, fighting a different sort of war against drug cartels. He uses adrenaline like a drug, ignoring the pain of his past.

What you think readers will like best about this book: Readers will love watching Zach and Natalie find love and healing with one another. They’re both such good people, and both of them have suffered tragedy and loss. In a very real sense, they are both stuck in the past. Zach protects Natalie, helps her find her inner strength, and revives her heart, bringing her to life again, while Natalie’s strength and love help Zach heal from war wounds that are invisible to everyone but her.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Horny Holly! I adore her and get emails asking for her book every day.

What’s next: Right now I’m working on Defiant, the third book in the MacKinnon’s Rangers series, a historical romance series set during the French and Indian War in upstate New York. The book tells Connor’s story — something readers have been waiting for since 2008’s Untamed, which is being re-released in December, and 2006’s Surrender, which will be re-released in January 2012. Defiant is slated for a February 2012 release.

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? If I have to choose just one, I guess it would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? Historical romance. It’s the first subgenre of romance I ever read, and it’s still the subgenre that’s dearest to me. I’m truly able to slip away and just be somewhere else when I read historical romance.

3. What’s the first book you remember reading? Ever? That would be Rain Makes Applesauce, a children’s story. I still have that book. I drew pictures of flowers and butterflies all over the inside jacket. For romance, it was The Flame and the Flower. I knew right then I wanted to write romance.

4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Sleeping Beauty. There’s nothing like a prince willing to slay dragons so that he can wake you with a kiss.

5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? I don’t really have one. If I can count animated characters, then I guess I’d say Belle and the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? Thank you! I love chatting with all of you and sharing my stories with you. Your support keeps me going when I’m frustrated, uninspired and exhausted, and your kindness never ceases to touch me.

7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? Well, I’m a journalist by profession. I’m trained in archaeology. But if I were to pick a new career, I would be a doula or midwife.

8. What do you do to unwind and relax? I get a massage, go for a walk, or take a nap.

9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? I’m a lover of vanilla lattes. I once calculated that I spend almost $2,000 a year on lattes at coffee shops. The entire local coffee industry depends on me for its continued survival. That’s a heavy responsibility and one I take seriously.

10. What does love mean to you? It means being willing to give of yourself deeply and willingly, wanting what is truly best for the person you love and demanding the best from yourself for their sake. It means selflessness above all else.

11. Dog person or cat person? Cat! I love their attitude. There’s nothing quite as amusing as a 10-pound ball of fluff gliding around on fuzzy paws like it owns the place.

So I’ve answered questions. Now I have a question for readers.

Recently, after the news of Seal Team Six swept the nation, a reporter from the Washington Post called to ask me why romance readers love Navy SEALs so much. You can find the link on my Facebook page to see what I said. But what do you say? Why are women so attracted to military heroes, particularly SEALs?

I will be giving away a signed copy of Breaking Point to one lucky person who posts and answer to that question below.

Previous books in the I-Team series:

Setting: England 1815
Subgenre: Historical
Hero: Mr. Diccan Hilliard
Heroine: Miss Grace Fairchild

One sentence summary:
When plain Grace Fairchild wakes up in bed with aristocratic Diccan Hilliard, she doesn’t only have a sudden marriage to deal with, but secrets that could destroy not just her marriage, but her life.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
My favorite moment is when Diccan tries to kick Grace out of the house she has inherited. Grace’s reaction is something I’ve wanted a heroine to do for a long time.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
The very last thing I can ever imagine Grace doing is having a temper tantrum. I don’t think it’s genetically possible.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero?
His horse, described as the ugliest horse in Christendom, is named Gadzooks, and enjoys nothing better than biting the hand that feeds him.

Heroine:
Grace has filled her inherited home with packing crates. It’s what’s inside that is the surprise.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
From the time she was born, Grace has followed the drum with her father, living all across the world in military environs. She is an expert in moving, provisioning, nursing and making a home from nothing.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Diccan is a rising diplomat, who has, until recently, been stationed in Brussels. He also belongs to a group of aristocrats nicknamed Drake’s Rakes who clandestinely help protect England.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
I hope what they like the best is Diccan’s growth, as he comes to know the stranger who is now his wife (did I say how much I love marriage of convenience books?)

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
That would be Lady Kate Seaton, who is Grace’s friend. But don’t worry, I’ve just finished Kate’s book.

What’s next:
ALWAYS A TEMPTRESS, which will come out in October. To protect her from dangerous traitors, Lady Kate Seaton is locked in a deserted estate with Major Sir Harry Lidge, the man who betrayed her ten years earlier.

And last but not least, when I was in India I bought a lovely ruby and emerald bracelet that I think would look gorgeous on somebody’s wrist. So I’ve decided to have a contest on my Facebook page, Goodreads and my website. Fun prizes will be copies of my books. The Grand Prize will be the bracelet. Stop by and take a chance. www.eileendreyer.com.

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I’m a huge movie buff. But I’ll give it to The Quiet Man. First of all, I grew up on John Wayne movies(I have 5 brothers). And I’ve always believed that an alpha male needs an alpha female, and you can’t have an alpha couple better than John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. And boy, did those two have chemistry. A lovely romance, all in all. Not only that, it was filmed in one of my favorite spots on earth, Connemara, Ireland. Add a great supporting cast(who is better than Victor McLaughlin in anything?), and one of the best fight scenes ever filmed, and it’s a delight every time. (Great. Now I’m homesick for Ireland. Sigh. I’m going to have to pull it out and watch it….or Ryan’s Daughter, or Matchmaker, or Waking Ned Devine….)

2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?
Actually, it’s exactly what I’ve written in Never a Gentleman. My very favorite story is a marriage of convenience story. I simply love to watch two strangers negotiate what seems to be an impossible situation. They have to begin the journey resenting each other. They don’t want to be together. They don’t want to like each other. It’s only through work and, of course, chemistry, that they can see their way through. I think those HEAs, are particularly satisfying.

3. What’s the first book you remember reading?
The first book I remember is the Nancy Drew mystery, The Hidden Staircase. I know I’d read a lot before then. I haunted the library like Oliver Twist the orphanage’s dinner table. But for some reason, Nancy Drew was the first story I remember on its own. I think it was because ole Nance was such a kick-butt kinda girl. She really spoke to me. Not only that, she had a boyfriend, but he wasn’t the one solving the crime. It was Nancy.I really liked that.

4. What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Hmmm. Sleeping Beauty and Snow White never much appealed to me. As you can guess from my love of Nancy Drew, I’m not wild about heroines who wait around for something to happen. I like a girl who takes matters into her own hands. I was going to say Tam Lin, because I love the idea of the heroine facing off with the Faerie Queen herself to save her love, but it occurred to me that Tam Lin wasn’t a very heroic male. He deflowers Janet, gets her pregnant, and then asks her to save him. Yeah. If it were my fairy tale, he’d be waiting a while for that to happen.

I love a strong heroine, but I like a strong hero just as much. So I choose Beauty and the Beast, because I love the idea of not only seeing the worth no one else does (in fact, that is the theme of NEVER A GENTLEMAN, although in reverse), but of taming the beast. And really, the two of them save each other. I think that’s the best kind of relationship.

5. What’s your favorite cartoon character?
Great question! I’m going with Daffy Duck. I love those anti-heroes. Especially if they have a great sense of humor. And tell me if you’ve ever heard anything funnier than What’s Opera, Doc? (Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit….)

6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers?
I’ll be frank. I’m not writing radically different historical romance. I’m not going to invent a new genre. I love the standard stories. What I try and do is take the stories that I love and give them a few new twists and insights that make them completely mine.

7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer?
First of all, a matter of clarification. I’ll always be a writer, even if I don’t publish anymore(quickly making gestures to ward off the evil eye). I actually tried to stop a couple of times. It didn’t work.

But if I weren’t published, I’d probably return to being a trauma nurse. What I’d really like to do, though, is organize specialized trips to places I love. Most people don’t know that I am the Queen of Internet Travel(you can follow my adventures on the Travel for Fun page of my website). I adore traveling, and sharing the places I’ve come to love with other people. I also love finding neat out-of-the-way places, and great deals. In fact, planning is half the fun of a trip for me. So, if somebody pays my way, I might just do that for a living.

8. What do you do to unwind and relax?
You asked at the perfect time of year. I have fallen in love with gardening. There is just something about playing in the dirt that is greatly satisfying for me. After all, the only thing flowers want from you is to be fed and watered. They don’t want an education, or the car keys, or a tattoo, or a deadline or revisions….they just want to bloom. I like that in flowers. My neighbor says he can always tell it’s spring when he sees me sitting in the dirt listening to spring training on the radio. Which, in fact, just happened today. Of course, I also read voraciously, I do needlework, I love movies, I walk, and oh, did I mention that I am addicted to traveling? Oh, and baseball? Go, Cardinals!

9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?
Yes, thank you. Mostly I drink iced decaf tea with Sweet n Lo. Hot tea with Chinese food. But I have a favorite coffee shop, and if I don’t have iced coffee(a bit of skim milk and sweetener, thank you), I drink hot coffee with cinnamon, nutmeg, cream and sweetener.

10. What does love mean to you?
This is also a timely question. When I think of love, I think of my mom and dad, because nobody exemplified it better. And I just lost my dad recently, which has made me reflect. Let me tell you about him. He loved my mom until the day he died. He loved every one of us kids, and all of our spouses, and our children, his siblings and his friends. And what he gave to all of us was respect, laughter, tenderness, curiosity, imagination, courage, generosity, guidance,patience, and an ear for listening. A strong shoulder, a helping hand, and the firm belief that no one could be more special than the people he loved.

11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why?
Oh, that’s an easy one. I look at women who lived during the Victorian era and wonder what the heck they were thinking. If the corsets didn’t kill me, the hoops would have. I am not especially coordinated. I’d be on my nose half the time with my bloomers showing.

Most?
Also easy. Regency. I don’t have an hourglass shape. I’m more straight up and down, which would be hidden beautifully with the Regency attire. In fact, I’ve spent a lot of my life in empire dresses. The only drawback would have been the fact that they weren’t notorious for dressing for the cold. I guess I wouldn’t have been very fashionable, because I like pneumonia just a bit less than I like corsets.

12. What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet?
Actually, after 38 books, I’ve gotten to use pretty much every name I’ve wanted. My problem is that for some reason in every book I’ve written, the heroine turns into Maggie at least once. My copy editors have been great about catching it, but it has snuck through a few times. In fact, if my readers can find any, I give prizes. Just get in touch with me through my web site.

13. Dog person or cat person?
Yes. I grew up with animals, everything from gerbils to Great Danes!(great dogs!), often at the same time, and can’t ever imagine being without them. We lost our last dog two years ago(my lovely Molly, a black lab/ great dane mix). Since our children are now grown and we tend to travel a lot, we’ve decided that for now, we can’t have another dog. Dogs need their humans, especially Danes. I really don’t think it’s fair to a dog not to be there for him. So we have two cats. Cats will punish you for leaving, but it’s just the principle of the thing. As long as they have food and each other, they’re perfectly happy. Since my two are litter-mates, they’re wonderful together, even sleeping curled around each other. And they’re both affectionate boys(especially around dinnertime).

I love marriage of convenience books. I think there isn’t anything more satisfying than watching two near strangers navigate the rocky shoals of marriage together. What is your favorite story line and why? (Beauty and the beast? Love on the wrong side of the tracks? Reunion of old loves? Love and danger?…)

Setting: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; Glacier National Park, Montana
Subgenre: Contemporary/Romantic comedy
Hero: Nick Lowery, architect
Heroine: Harper James, divorce attorney

One sentence summary:
Twelve years after their divorce, Nick Lowery and Harper James face off as best man and maid of honor in the same wedding, are forced into a road trip, and wonder if they can ever possibly forget the past and get along.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
Oh, gosh, that’s a tough one…there are quite a few favorites in this book. But the one that leaps to mind first is the scene in which the wedding party goes on a trail ride in Glacier National Park. Harper’s horse is a far cry from the faithful steed she imagines, and she encounters some trouble. When Nick joins the fray, there’s this mixture of terror, humor, attraction irritation…and wildlife…that I just love.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
“All you need is love.” She’s a divorce attorney, after all, and most people getting divorced have found that love is only one of the things you need for a happy marriage. Case in point: Harper and Nick, Round 1.

Your hero, is he a boxer or brief kind of guy:
I wonder if Nick goes commando…well, let’s stick with boxers for my official answer.

Ancillary character you had the most fun with:
BeverLee was great fun to write—my first Texan! She seems like such a stereotype at first, but I think you’ll see pretty fast just how multilayered BeverLee really is. I also have to mention Father Bruce. I just love that guy. He’s Harper’s foil in the marriage game—obviously, he wants people to stay together, whereas Harper’s career is facilitating divorce. They’re great friends, though, and their conversations are wicked fun.

Your heroine’s favorite hobby:
Does cleaning count? She’s a bit on the, er…anal retentive side. She also likes bike-riding and sitting on her deck, watching the sunset, throwing tennis balls to her dog, Coco.

Your hero’s favorite hobby:
Nick likes building things out of whatever material is at hand—steel, wood, French fries. Like his author, he also enjoys watching the Yankees win.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
I think they’ll like the humor and the beautiful settings, but mostly, I think they’ll love the characters. Like the rest of us, Nick and Harper are flawed—and wonderful—and they each view their version of the past as true. They really, really loved each other, but they weren’t able to make their marriage work for very solid, realistic reasons. In their heart of hearts, they’ve never been able to let go of that love, and this little road trip will remind them of that fact, and just how important that love still is.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
There’s quite a few, actually! I’ve had requests for Natalie’s story—she’s the younger sister in Too Good To Be True; Parker, the heroine’s best friend in The Next Best Thing, and even requests for a romance for Mike O’Neill, the heroine’s dad in Just One of the Guys. I love all these characters, so you never know…readers just might see them again.

What’s next:
Until There Was You is due out in November, and I’m really excited about this book. First of all, it has the hero’s point of view (at last!) as well as the heroine’s. It’s a story about the power of first love, the return of the high school bad boy, and how the years have changed the people involved. Family roles, rivalry, what it means to be chosen…all that juicy stuff. And a great dog, too. Plus a couple of cats, who are also quite nice.

A lack of love was never the problem with Nick and Harper. They had great reasons to get married…and great reasons to separate, too. What, aside from love, chemistry and genuinely liking a person, do you think are the critical elements to a long-term, happy relationship?

Spicing it up by Mia Bailey

Hi all — hope you had a marvelous weekend? I was fooling around on You Tube, looking at all the videos– there are how to’s for just about everything! Then I got to thinking how important videos in general have become. For example, Skype, especially during difficult times where you cannot travel has become a convenient way talk to loved ones. Videos can be very important & useful part of our lives.

Booktrailers have been around for quite a few years — originally started in the Romance biz by Sheila Clover English with Circle of Seven/Readers Entertainment Group, & now authors create their own too.

Mia Bailey is a new author that writes for a small press. Her book, Spicing It Up is a wonderfully written Romantic Contemporary that readers may or may not find in stores as her publisher primarily is a digital publisher. Mia has had trailers made to give readers more of an insight into her stories — personally, this one really intrigued me & will be a book I buy for my KOBO– & honestly, had I not seen the trailer I’m not sure I would have thought to buy the book. With so many books available to us how do we choose which ones to buy? Do booktrailers help you in your decision making?

Love to hear your feedback — comment below! Thanks for joining us here 2day - SueG

OF NIGHT & DESIRE

A little more than three years ago, at the urging of my wonderful husband, I took a chance and wrote my first book.
It took me a little more than six months to complete and I, like many young or aspiring authors didn’t know much about the publishing industry. In the end I signed the book with a very bad company.

Afterwards, I thought to myself, “That book may be gone for now, but I can do it again, and this time, better.”
That’s how my latest paranormal romance, A Taste of Terror, came about.

Although I’ve written every genre from paranormal to contemporary, to historical/western, paranormal is by far my favorite genre to write.
I worked hard to create an entirely new species of immortal for the books of the Guard My Heart Series called Guardians:
*It is the job of the Guardian to protect all living beings, mortal and immortal alike.
*All Guardians are male, of course, and are given only one mate in their lifetime.
*They find their mates by their screams.
Once the Guardians mate’s life is in great peril, the Guardian is led to them by sheer instinct.
If the Guardians mate is mortal, the gods see to it that after the Guardian saves her life, if he makes to her in time, she is turned immortal, whether in the end she agrees to be their mate or not.

I try to incorporate all creatures people love into my stories, from werewolves to vampires, demons to regular immortals.

In A Taste of Terror, Cole, the Guardian just so happens to find his mate in the form of a newly turned nurse/werewolf named Chloe.

At the moment, I’m working on an all new paranormal romance titled, Killer Kisses.
You’ll find no Guardians here, only an adult novelty store owner named Tina James and a luscious five hundred year old vampire detective, Alex Monroe, who’s in search of a maniac killer who has his sites set on Tina as his next victim.

I hope this little bit about me and my books has piqued your interest and as always, I would love to hear what you think. Just shoot me an email at: chastitybush@yahoo.com!

You can also read the first three chapters for Killer Kisses at: http://chastitybush.webs.com/worksinprogress.htm.
Also, excerpts for all of my books can be found on my website: http://chastitybush.webs.com.

Setting: Ebbany and the space between the Three Worlds
Subgenre: Paranormal/Fantasy/SciFi Romance
Hero: Bronse Chapel
Heroine: Ravenna, Head Priestess of The Chosen Ones

One sentence summary: Bronse is a super elite soldier for the Interplanetary Militia (IM) who begins to dream about a woman with abilities that have the potential to save his life, if only he heeds her warnings!

Scene you like most and would never cut: When Ravenna exposes to Bronse that there is much more to her abilities than he realizes.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Turning her back on the other Chosen Ones.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? He doesn’t have anything quirky! He’s very straight-laced. Heroine: Ravenna’s key quirk might be the way she deals with her sometimes-obnoxious brother, Kith.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: She is the Head Priestess of The Chosen Ones

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: He is the Commander of the First Active Extreme Tactics Force for the Interplanetary Militia.

What you think readers will like best about this book: The super hot soldiers and their dogged loyalty to one another. The troubled and powerful Chosen Ones are also very compelling.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: (answer only if applicable) Jasmine from my Nightwalkers series. But actually, I just finished book six in the Nightwalkers series, entitled Adam, and she’s the lead heroine. It’s due out in November 2011.

What’s next: Seduce Me in Flames. Due out July 26th! The adventures of the IM soldiers continue as we learn more about the Three Worlds!

If you could create your own world, what would be the most peculiar thing about it? Anyone who comments becomes eligible to win a signed copy of Seduce Me in Dreams!

About Me:

1. What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Avatar. I just love the imagination and all the boundaries it stretched.
2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?
Strangely enough, I am a sucker for fictionalized stories about Queen Elizabeth I or anything about the Tudor dynasty. I try to imagine what it must have been like, how hard it must have been to be a powerful woman back then.
3. What’s the first book you remember reading?
Go Dog Go!
4. What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Beauty and the Beast of course.
5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? Calvin and Hobbes.
6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? To read the FAQ on an author’s website BEFORE writing to them. It’s kind of annoying to be asked questions over and over that are clearly answered already.
7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer?
I’d probably work in an animal shelter.
8. What do you do to unwind and relax?
Watch HGTV. I’m addicted to Mike Holmes, a knight in shining overalls!
9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Neither. Hot Cocoa, made with milk not water!
10. What does love mean to you?
It means someone understands exactly who I am and wants to be in my life anyway.
11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? The Wild West perhaps. It all depends on the ‘class’ of clothing you are talking about. Most? Elizabethan. All the jewels and wealth spent to adorn clothing…it makes up for the corsets and panniers.
12. What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? LOGAN. I love that name. But ever since Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine…it’s going to be hard to work it out.
13. Dog person or cat person?
Umm. Cat. Like…nine cats worth of a cat person. Possibly eleven soon. I never make it through kitten season unscathed it seems. And if you get one kitten, well, it needs another to play with you know…

Setting: Grundy, Alaska

Subgenre: Paranomal Romance

Hero: Cooper Graham, the taciturn naked werewolf in question.

Heroine: Mo Wenstein, a Mississippi transplant seeking peace and quiet far away from her intrusive hippie helicopter parents.

One sentence summary:
A girl moves to Alaska, meets a surly werewolf, helps him resolve his pack dysfunction, finds her place in life.

OR

Northern Exposure meets The Wolfman, with a dash of Stephanie Plum.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
Mo and Cooper’s first love scene. My romances are usually pretty mild in that department. But Mo and Cooper are very intense with each other and while I was writing, the character gave me more to work with. I think this is a family web site, so I’ll spare the details. But I was really proud of how it turned out. It’s the first one I’ve written that made my mom say, “Yeah, I’m not comfortable reading this.”

I was so proud!

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
Mo would never pretend to be something she’s not. Of all of the characters I’ve written, she is by far the most comfortable with herself. She’s confident, kind, smart and a little bit of a badass. She won’t change that to make someone else happy.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? Heroine:
Mo was raised by hippies, but rebelled by eating junk food and choosing to go to public school. This led to a summer job at a local drive-in, where she developed considerable skills in the kitchen.

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
As I mentioned, Mo has some serious kitchen skills. She was selling newspaper inserts when she lived in Mississippi. On her first day in Grundy, she has lunch at the local saloon and is witness to the cook nearly taking off his thumb performing a stupid knife trick. While the cook is recuperating, she takes over his duties and makes a place for herself in the community.

*The stupid knife trick was inspired by my brother, Matt. He’s a trained chef. He has the scary expensive ceramic knives. He got through culinary school unscathed, but while he was cutting a plastic Coke bottle in half for some project, he sliced open his hand and severed a tendon. He had to have two surgeries to fix it. I have now warned my family that when they do something that memorable, it will end up in future books.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
The quirky humor, the endearing secondary characters and the white-hot chemistry between Mo and Cooper.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: (answer only if applicable)
A lot of readers seem to want Dick Cheney, the vampire from my Nice Girls Don’t series, to have his own title. As much as I love him, he’s definitely a background character. And he’s so schmoopily in love with Andrea, that there wouldn’t be much of a romantic conflict to write about.

What’s next:
The sequel to HOW TO FLIRT, called THE ART OF SEDUCING A NAKED WEREWOLF, will be released on March 29, 2011. I’ve just finished the fourth novel in the Nice Girls vampire series, which will be released in March 2012. And there will be two “spin off” titles to the Nice Girls, set in Half-Moon Hollow, which should be released in 2012.

For the readers, do you consider yourself exclusively vampire or werewolf readers? Or are you willing to read about both types of creatures?

Giveaway for 3 US commenters chosen randomly below - good luck!

About Me:

1. What’s your favorite movie of all time?
It’s hard to choose, but I really love the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?
Oddly enough, children’s novels. I remember finishing the first Harry Potter book and feeling so hopeful and happy, like anything was possible. I felt the same way when I was kid, reading Roald Dahl.

3. What’s the first book you remember reading?
It was one of those Serendipity children’s books.

4. What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Beauty and the Beast. It’s one of the few in which the “princess” works to save the prince.

5. What’s your favorite cartoon character?
Scooby Doo!

6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers?

7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer?
That’s a scary thought. Other than a tragic stint as a telemarketer, I’ve never had a job that wasn’t related to writing in some way!

8. What do you do to unwind and relax?
I had a massage about a month ago. And afterward, as I warmed up the spa shower, I checked my Blackberry for frantic, “Where the hell are you, woman? How long does a spa day take?” texts from my husband.

My hands were slippery from the massage oil, the Blackberry shot out of my hands like a bar of soap, landing right in the shower. I spent the rest of the day replacing my fried phone and trying to track down my contacts’ information.

This is why I don’t try to relax. It’s dangerous.

9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?
I like herbal tea. And if I drink coffee, it has to be half sugar and cream. It’s painful for my Dad, the black coffee drinker, to watch me make myself a cup.

10. What does love mean to you?

11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most?

The 70s. I look back at the photos of my mom and dad, and the fabrics alone make me want to cry.

Probably the 40s. The clothes were so elegant, and the designers seemed to know what to do with a “curvy” gal.

12. What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet?

13. Dog person or cat person?
Dog. I have two dachshunds named Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks.

Setting: Scottish Highlands 1817
Subgenre: Paranormal Regency
Hero: James Maitland, Baron Kettering
Heroine: Blaire Lindsay

One sentence summary:
Lying dormant and imprisoned inside a castle in the Scottish Highlands for two decades, vampyre James Maitland is finally awakened by the arrival of a battle-born witch, Blaire Lindsay, who could have the ability to save his life-after-death.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
I think the scene I like the best is when Blaire accidentally interrupts James’ bath after she frees him from the bowels of the castle. She goes to take him some clothes and stumbles upon him, fully undressed. Battle-born Blaire is supremely confident and strong, and has always been much more comfortable fighting with men than talking about fripperies with women. But she immediately finds herself discomfited by the stranger and unable to put two feet together in front of her and walk without catastrophe. That’s a mere prelude to the havoc he’ll wreak on her life.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
Blaire would never be caught dead practicing feminine arts like sewing or flirting. She’s born to battle, after all.

What celebrity is your hero like:
James is very charming and suave. He’s comfortable in his skin and has long ago buried his past demons. He reminds me a bit of Robert Downey Jr. Strong, with a dark past but utterly unflappable now.

What celebrity is your heroine like:
I totally see Blaire as a Kate Beckinsale type. Beautiful and dangerous all rolled into one. She isn’t a girly-girl, yet she captures a man’s interest and holds it like nothing else.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Blaire is a member of the Còig, a coven of Scottish witches. As their strongest member, she finds great sport in besting the men in her hometown and in her family. She’s a fighter born and bred, which is lucky for both her and James when his past begins to catch up to him.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: A hold over from the Elizabethan era, James Maitland, Baron Kettering, is a gentleman through and through. Though his circumstances force him to take the life source of another in order to survive, he’d never bite a woman to whom he has not been properly introduced.

What you think readers will like best about this book:

This book has a twist at the end that changes the lives of all the characters. I think readers will like the outcome and I can’t wait to see how they feel about it.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
It’s funny, I get requests all the time to write about Prisca Hawthorne’s very non-paranormal brothers. All of them played a role in The Wolf Next Door, but they aren’t werewolves or vampyres, just regular Regency bucks. We’ll have to see if there is a future for the brothers Hawthorne at some point.

What’s next:
I’m finishing up the vampyre trilogy which starts with It Happened one Bite and then goes on to tell the stories of two more gentlemen vampyres and the witches they can’t seem to stay away from.

The Còig is a tighly-knit coven, and each witch has a special power that is hers alone. They are all friends and closer than sisters in a lot of ways. Do you have a friend or group of friends you’d do anything for? And if so, what makes your bond so special?
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