trueromance

Setting: New Orleans
Subgenre: Dark Paranormal
Hero: Max Savoie
Heroine: Charlotte Caissie

One sentence summary: Police detective Charlotte Caissie and shape-shifter Max Savoie thought they’d overcome all odds and differences to be together. . . now, it’s the past that threatens to tear them apart as Cee Cee calls on Max’s preternatural talents to find the serial killer who’s kidnapped a colleague’s daughter.

Scene you like most and would never cut: It was cut. Sigh.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Wearing a polka-dotted Doris Day dress while making kitchen small talk with her partner’s sweet Stepford wife. Funny the things you’ll do out of love . . . and guilt. “Ken and Barbie off to visit the family.”

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? Heroine? Max accessorizes his Armani business suits with red high top sneakers. The way to Cee Cee’s heart is through a big block V-8.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Cee Cee’s an NOPD detective, so what’s she doing on stage at a strip club with the moniker Chili Pepper?

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Max is the prophesied leader of the New Orleans Shifter clan and a reformed mobster. So why is he letting his secret slip to outsiders and making deals to traffic human cargo?

What do you think readers will like best about this book: From page one to page end, it never lets you go. The pace is fast, the action furious, the suspense taut, the dialogue crisp and sometimes laugh-out-loud, and the romance hot, hot, HOT. And then there’s Max. Who could ask for a fiercer, sexier, more complicated, loyal and yet vulnerable hero?

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Jacques LaRoche, the muscle-bound Shifter owner/bartender at Cheveau du Chien who dispenses justice with a Louisville Slugger, has Max’s back and a soft spot for his friend’s human mate.

What’s next: Even though BOUND BY MOONIGHT wraps up Max and Cee Cee’s romance arc, the series continues with new heroes and heroines within the By Moonlight world. HUNTER OF SHADOWS will be available November 29, 2011 featuring a Shifter cop with a hidden agenda and a programmed assassin who complicates it on both professional and intimate levels, then Book 6 comes out in July of 2012, with Jacques LaRoche, because you asked for him.

The first four books in my By Moonlight series featured the same hero and heroine, which is common in urban fantasy but rare in paranormal romance. The next two By Moonlight books have a different hero and heroine in each book. As a reader, do like a relationship that carries over from book to book or do you prefer your happily-ever-after on the last page of each one?

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? L.A. Confidential. Fabulous acting, smart dialogue, fascinating twists and turns. And Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey.
2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? Any Dean Koontz book.
3. What’s the first book you remember reading? My mom used to read to me every night. Rutabaga Stories was my number one request, but for doing my own reading, Dr. Seuss was my go-to guy.
4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Cinderella. After I saw my name in print when my fractured fairy tale version of it was published in my elementary school newspaper, I knew all I wanted to be was a writer.
5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? Yosemite Sam is my hero and Pepe LePew eez my lovair.
6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? Authors really like it when you come up to them at conferences or book signings or even in the checkout lane to talk to them, especially if you love to read, write or want to gush about their characters. Don’t be shy. It’s a privilege and a perk, not a bother to us. And we like to have our pictures taken with you, too.
7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? I still have my full time job as a 9-to-5 legal assistant to fall back on.
8. What do you do to unwind and relax? Netflix and a warm cat when there isn’t a sandy beach available. It’s more fun than exercising or cleaning house, which is what I do to get my creative muse kicked into gear.
9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Strong, flavored coffee, black, in my Keurig every morning…best Christmas present EVER!
10. What does love mean to you? Never having to say “Put the seat down” or “Hang up that towel.” Actually, it’s my grandson running down my apartment complex’s hallway yelling, “Grammy!” at the top of his lungs. That sums it up.
11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? Would hate all the restrictions of the Victorian era. I don’t even like underwire. I’m a 1940’s gal. All that big shouldered glam and hats!
12. What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? Price, so I can say, “The price is wrong, beeotch.”
13. Dog person or cat person? Fur, feather and fin person. Love ‘em all, have had them all…and still feed most of them on my 4th floor balcony.

Congratulations to Aubrey Ross for winning the Readers’ Crown Award for Short Erotic Romance! Is that not just the hottest cover?

Aubrey is unable to blog today so here is a bit more about her book:
Winter is the second book in a paranormal erotic romance trilogy. It is hot, hot, hot!

After surviving the horrors of a salt refinery, Winter is convinced she’s prepared for anything. Her mission is simple, seduce Ulrick Brant and convince him to reveal the location of the mysterious Chemist. Ulrick is handsome, sexy, and heroic. How hard can this be?

Ulrick doesn’t mind helping the Resistance, but he won’t tolerate being used. Before Winter realizes she’s caught, he has her naked and in restraints. He arouses her slowly, commanding her body with skill and tenderness until they both forget it’s a game.

Winter is dazzled by the pleasure they share, but the Resistance won’t wait forever. Danger is closing in, and Ulrick must choose his final role, ruthless invader, or freedom fighter.

Bio:
When my parents realized I had an aptitude for storytelling—okay, even at an early age I was a consummate liar—they encouraged me to find constructive ways to put all that “creativity” to use. I wrote my first novel when I was in junior high school. It was a typical teenage girl’s fantasy about being kidnapped by a rock star, finding out he was really misunderstood, a millionaire’s son, and living happily ever after with the reformed rebel…

Now I spend my days, and many of my nights, trying to keep up with the characters springing to life within my mind. I find creative ways of avoiding errands and housework because I can’t drag myself away from the dramas unfolding in my latest story. And everyday I thank God I was able to quit my day job and actively pursue my dream!

What is your favorite type of cover?

Harlequin will randomly select 3 commenters to winners a set of the six books! Valid only in USA.

Watch how the covers have changed over the years and get an exclusive sneak peek at how a Harlequin® Blaze™ cover is made, and all the fun behind the scenes at the photo shoot!

Extra Innings by Debbi Rawlins
One sentence summary: The book is an Encounters, a trio of novellas revolving around three minor league baseball players hoping to be called up to the Majors and the three women who challenge them more than the game.
Tell us one quirky thing about your heroine? Naturally I like all three women, and choosing one I like the best feels too close to naming a favorite child. That said, Tori tickled me. The woman has no concept of censorship. Bless her, she says all the things I wish I could.
What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing? One hero is an enigmatic short stop, another is a bad boy pitcher who’s already pitched in the Majors, and the third a heartthrob first baseman.
What you think readers will like best about this book? The stories are fun and fast paced, with the heroines achieving what few of us mere mortals can.

If you had the chance to go out with a celebrity, be it a sports figure, movie star, singer, anyone, who would it be, and what about him or his profession do you find attractive? This is just between you and me. of course

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Hard to choose just one, but I’ll pretty much see anything Bruce Willis does, and I’ve watched Pretty Woman and Pride and Prejudice an obscene number of times.
2. What’s your favorite cartoon character? I had a ridiculous crush on Johnny Quest.
3. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? Anything to do with animals
4. What do you do to unwind and relax? I love to read, grow flowers, not to be confused with weeding, play with my dogs and annoy my cats.
5. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? Any time before women wore pants would have been a deal breaker for me. If I ever wear a dress again it’ll because someone held me down and sprayed it on.

Hotshot by Jo Leigh
One sentence summary: He shattered her heart once, can she dare to let him get close enough to do it again?
What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Sara is an Air Force Captain
What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Luke is an Air Force Pilot
What you think readers will like best about this book: The passion and the redemption.

Have you ever reconnected with a guy from your past? Was it disappointing or did it change your life?

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Too many to name, but some are Raiders of the Lost Arc, Love, Actually, Sin City, Broadcast News
2. What’s your favorite cartoon character? Rocky & Bullwinkle
3. What do you do to unwind and relax? Hang out with my pets.
4. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? Least: Upper Palaeolithic. So few really great handbags. Most: 1930s-40s. Of course, I’d want to be as tall and gorgeous as Kate Hepburn while I’m there.
5. Dog person or cat person? Both. We have four dogs and five cats, all rescues!

Too Hot to Touch by Julie Leto
Scene you like most and would never cut: I love the final scene where the hero has to use skills he disapproves of in order to get the heroine back. She’s brought him to his knees. That’s always fun.
Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: My heroine would never be caught saying, “Well, officer, you see, I lied about who I was and I’m actually a fence dealing in stolen goods.” It’s all true, but she’d never say it.
Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? My hero is not quirky. He frowns at quirky. Unless it’s the heroine, in which case he embraces it. Heroine: I think the fact that she lives a double life is fairly quirky.
What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: She’s a fence, meaning she moves stolen goods for her adopted brother, who is a thief. But she’s also an art expert.
What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Alex would never be unemployed! His family owns an auction house in Madrid and he runs it.
What you think readers will like best about this book: I think the readers will love the subtle references to a certain legend regarding a mask-wearing bandit who made the ladies swoon all over colonial California. And they’ll love Alejandro, because he’s the quintessential tall, dark and handsome hero.

Readers always seem to love spin-offs and sequels. How many is too many?

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Star Wars, or what George Lucas wants us to call now “A New Hope.” This story ignited my imagination in ways that directly led to me becoming a writer.
2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? The kind that is well-written and emotionally compelling. It can be anything, but it’s the writing that grabs me and takes me away.
3. What’s the first book you remember reading? Misty of Chincoteague, about the wild horses. I distinctly remember that book.
4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? The better question is what is NOT my favorite fairy tale. I adore fairy tales.
5. What do you do to unwind and relax? Ha! I wish I could say I escape to my vacation home in the south of France, but honestly, I usually try to find a Criminal Minds or NCIS marathon to watch on television. I do love to travel, though.

Cowboys Like Us by Vicki Lewis Thompson
One sentence summary: When an injury ends Logan’s pro baseball career, he heads to the Last Chance Ranch and discovers that Caro Davis makes him forget all his troubles!.
Scene you like most and would never cut: When Logan’s thrown from his horse into a patch of wildflowers and ends up with them in his hair.
Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: “My glass is half empty.”
Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? Logan can juggle cocktail shakers.
What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: She’s a bartender.
What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: He was a pro baseball player and now has to figure out what to do with his life.
What you think readers will like best about this book: COWBOYS LIKE US is about resilience — finding new dreams when old dreams die.

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Anything starring Colin Firth.
2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? A swashbuckling adventure in which I picture Colin Firth as the hero.
3. What’s the first book you remember reading? THE SECRET GARDEN, which I now picture starring a young Colin Firth.because guess what? The boy in that book is named Colin.
4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Beauty and the Beast, which I’d love to see enacted by Colin Firth.
5. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? I love you all almost as much as I love Colin Firth

The Braddock Boys: Travis by Kimberly Raye
One sentence summary: A sexually frustrated wedding planner meets the ultimate Texas bad boy (oh, and he’s also a vampire).
Scene you like most and would never cut: They’re like my babies. I love them all!
Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: “I can’t do that”. Holly is the ultimate wedding planner and she wants to make dreams come true for her brides.
What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: He’s a working cowboy who trains horses. Very good at what he does because of his vamp senses. Can communicate telepathically with the animals and understand their primal instinct.
What’s next: I’m currently working on the last book in the Braddock Brothers series—this book features Colton and will finally give the brothers closure on the tragedy that destroyed their family. Oh, and I’ve just discovered Twitter. I’m becoming a major Twitter whore.

What’s your favorite hero type? Cowboys? CEOs? Cops? Vampires? Which type of man really floats your boat?

About Me:
1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? The Terminator. The romance was skimpy, but those few moments were smokin’ hot!
2. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? It’s so comforting to know that I’m not the only hopeless romantic out there.
3. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? A baker. I love to bake goodies in my spare time. (Cupcake Wars here I come!)
4. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Neither. I’m a diet coke fanatic and yes, Brenda, it is possible to consume an entire six pack in less than three hours.
5. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Regency. Too many rules. Most? The Wild West. No rules!

Undeniable Pleasures by Tori Carrington
One sentence summary: In UNDENIABLE PLEASURES, the third and final book in the Pleasure Seekers miniseries, bad boy Jason Savage from RECKLESS PLEASURES is all over over a special case involving a difficult federal witness…along with sexy club owner Jordan Cosby, who has ‘pleasure’ written all over her…
Scene you like most and would never cut: Oh, that’s a tough one! Each scene is so tightly connected to the next if you were to cut one, the entire story might unravel. But I know that’s not what you mean. Hmm…in this case, I’d have to say one of my personal favorites is when Jason and Jordan indulge in a hot and heavy hallway make-out session at his grandmother’s house and she catches them. Instead of scolding them, however, she merely asks they not get anything on the rug…and points out there is a perfectly good bedroom nearby. Few things are more satisfying than when a character – secondary or otherwise – surprises you….
Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: “No.” Well, at least not to a perfectly good proposition from a perfectly yummy proposition maker. Too suggestive? Well, then, let’s go with “Single With a Cat.” Of course, this is before she’s put in protective custody and ends up spending more time in her apartment in two weeks than she has in the past two years and one of her friends gives her a black, long-haired female named Cleo to keep her company. Then again, by book’s close, it appears she’s not going to be single for very much longer, either….
Tell us one quirky thing about your hero and heroine: She loves breakfast cereals…the sweeter and more kid-like the better. He loves to cook…the more complicated and gourmet the better. A match made in Food Network Heaven…
What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: An inactive Marine, he’s one of the original six partners of Lazarus Security, which usually handles more important cases than Jordan’s… But as luck would have it, this particular one turns out to be one of his most important to date….
What you think readers will like best about this book: The interplay – sexual and otherwise - between these two strong-willed, independent characters. She’s the ultimate bad girl to his irresistible bad boy. They’re lucky to make it out alive, much less in love. Also the fact that it’s intimately tied into stories that have come before.
What’s next: RED-HOT SANTA, Harlequin Blaze Uniformly HOT! available December 2011. While UNDENIABLE PLEASURES is the final book in the Pleasure Seekers Miniseries, I’m thrilled to report Lazarus Security stories will continue, beginning with RED-HOT SANTA, which features Jason Savage’s younger brother Jackson and Jackson’s longtime best friend Maxine McGuire…who decides she wants to take “friends with benefits” to a whole new hotter level….

When did you first discover the hotness that is Blaze? Have you been with the line since the beginning? Or are you just now picking up the awesome titles?

About Me:
Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Tony and I are both coffee fiends. Rare is the time you’ll find us without a cup at our elbows. I do tea every now and again, usually green. In the summer, I’m also a huge fan of frappes, a favorite of our comedic mystery gal pal Sofie Metropolis, who drinks ‘em all year long. For info on all of our titles, visit us at toricarrington.net. For fun and easy Greek recipes, go to sofiemetro.com.

Setting: Baltimore, Maryland
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Homicide Detective JD Fitzpatrick
Heroine: Dr. Lucy Trask, Medical Examiner

One sentence summary: When Dr. Lucy Trask stumbles over a body in the park, she has no idea that it’s the beginning of the end of all she holds most secret – or that she’ll need the help of dark and dangerous Detective JD Fitzpatrick to stop a killer who’s planned her death for years.

Scene you like most and would never cut: The alley scene! I sure don’t want to spoil things, but this scene is pretty hot. It almost wasn’t written to begin with. The inner me said, “Really, Lucy, in an alley?” But Lucy and JD weren’t listening to me. They were a little too busy at the time…

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: “The sight of blood makes me faint.” Or … “Those heels are too high.”

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Lucy is a medical examiner by day. But by night she has another job which requires black leather miniskirts and five-inch stilettos and her business partner wields a whip. Get your head out of the gutter, people! It’s not what you think.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: JD is a homicide detective with a tender heart that he hides well. If he weren’t a cop, he’d be great at selling anything to anybody. He’s a real charmer. If that didn’t pan out, he could be a bar bouncer.

What you think readers will like best about this book: I hope they like the twists and turns JD and Lucy must negotiate as they track down a killer without a conscience. I really hope they like that JD and Lucy begin to open their hearts to each other along the way.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Well, the book before YOU BELONG TO ME was SILENT SCREAM, David Hunter’s book. For years David was the character everyone asked for (and I hope readers loved his story!). Now they want the story of David’s nephew Tom, who readers first met as a gangly but brave fourteen year old boy in DON’T TELL, my first book. Tom’s 21 now and a really great guy. But he needs to grow up a little bit more before he gets his own story.

What’s next: My next book is titled NO ONE LEFT TO TELL and is Paige Holden’s story (readers met her in SILENT SCREAM where she was friends with both heroine Olivia and hero David). More on this to come in future months!

Lucy’s night job requires a skill that I’ve always wanted, but have never been able to master. I can tell you that she’s very musical. When I was a kid I wanted to play the piano so badly! The other kids complained about having to go to lessons and I wished I could change places with them. When I was a teen, I did learn to play the guitar, but not so well. I’ve always wished I would wake up one morning and be able to play an instrument with fine technique and lots of heart. If you could wake up with a newly found skill, what would it be? Superpowers count

I’ll be giving away one signed book from my backlist, winner’s choice!

About Me:

1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. I’ve seen it countless times and it still makes me weep, every time.

2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? I love stories with characters who steal my heart and secondary characters that make me want to be their neighbor or sister. Genre-wise, I’m partial to paranormal romance, but I’ll read any book where the characters make me fall in love.

3. What’s the first book you remember reading? It was a Disney book that came with a 33-1/3-rpm record. Tinkerbell dinged when you were supposed to turn the page. It was based on the Small World ride. An orphan boy wants to know where he’s from and goes to Disneyland with his friends. He rides the Small World ride to try to guess his own heritage and real name. I must have listened to that record hundreds of times. My parents were very patient! I still remember one of the lines: “Perhaps my name is Patrick. I do like green.”

4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Probably Cinderella. I think Forever After, the Drew Barrymore version, might be my favorite of all the tellings!

5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? Evil monkey villain Mojo-Jojo from the Powerpuff Girls. Curses… He is my favorite because he is my most favored, the one I like the best, the one I hold in highest regard… Incidentally, SILENT SCREAM’s heroine Olivia Sutherland’s dog was Mojo, named after the evil monkey villain himself.

6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? THANK YOU! You’ve made my dreams come true.

7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? I’d go back to teaching high school math.

8. What do you do to unwind and relax? I binge on whole series of TV on DVD or Netflix. My most recent binge was Pushing Daisies. So sad when it had to end.

9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Coffee, with lots of cream. Tea if it’s iced. Hot tea is for sore throats. I think I have a mental block at drinking hot tea when I’m not sick.

10. What does love mean to you? YOU BELONG TO ME will be released on my 25th wedding anniversary. I’ve been a fortunate woman to have loved and be loved by my husband. I think it’s wanting the other person’s happiness to come before your own, but also to be irrevocably meshed with your own. It’s knowing that whatever happens, that person will be there. That together the two are stronger than the sum of them individually. I’m quite partial to the Clint Black song, “Love isn’t something that we have, it’s something that we do.”

11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? I never could have survived corsets! I kind of liked styles in the late seventies, early eighties, with the ruffled skirts and cowl sweaters. Maybe this is because that’s when I began to choose my own clothes and it was my first statement of individuality. I’m not a fashionista and rather envy women who can accessorize! The simpler the fashion for me, the better. Which is why my closet is mostly filled with black.

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

13. Dog person or cat person? I like both and have both. I prefer dogs, big goofy ones who love you and want to be with you always. My dog Loki fits this bill perfectly.

Setting: A small town in west Texas
Subgenre: Contemporary Romance
Hero: Colt Lomax
Heroine: Hope Scroggs

One sentence summary: After her high school sweetheart marries a twin sister she didn’t even know she had, Hope Scroggs is forced to look elsewhere for her happily-ever-after—she just doesn’t plan on finding it with the bad boy of Bramble, Texas.

Scene you like most and would never cut: The Chevy scene where Colt and Hope steam up the windows. There is just something about a naughty bad boy wanting to see your panties.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Hope has trouble admitting she’s wrong.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? Heroine: Hope makes lists for everything. Colt is a great dancer due to all the times he danced with his mama when he was little.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Hope is an out-of-work actress. Because of her love and devotion to her hometown, she should be the mayor of Bramble.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Custom motorcycle designer and builder.

What you think readers will like best about this book: Colt and Hope’s struggles to shed the town’s labels and become their own people.

What’s next: Shirlene Dalton’s story. She’s Colt’s sister and Faith’s and Hope’s sassy, margarita-chugging friend.

Discussion: Make Mine a Bad Boy is a story about two people who let societal labels keep them from seeing each other for who they really are. Judging a book by its cover is easy to do. The first time I met my husband I thought he was a popular jock with a cute country twang who would never look twice at a skinny, flat-chested girl like me. Luckily, he looked more than twice.

Do you have any you-can’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover stories? (Were you the book or the reader?) If you do, I’d love to hear about them.

The best story will win a signed copy of Make Mine a Bad Boy.

Do you read the author’s dedication when you start a new book? The dedication is always the first thing I read—and the last. I hope to gain a sense of the tone of the book by reading it before and I want a better understanding of who the author is by reading it after I’ve finished the book. That doesn’t always work because sometimes the dedication doesn’t convey much of the author’s personality.

Some dedications are profound, others downright silly. Mark Wahlberg, for example, dedicated his 1992 memoire to his penis!

Comedian/actor Russell Brand said, “For my mum, the most important woman in my life, this book is dedicated to you. Now for God’s sake don’t read it.” It makes sense to have a humorous dedication when your life is all about being funny.

Some of my favorite dedications are from Lemony Snicket in the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” books. Here are a few of the thirteen jewels, all to Beatrice Baudelaire, the subject of Lemony Snicket’s unrequited love:
“For Beatrice –My love for you shall live forever. You, however, did not.”
“For Beatrice –You will always be in my heart, in my mind, and in your grave.”
“For Beatrice –When we were together I felt breathless. Now, you are.”

The beauty of a dedication is that it is the only place in a fiction work where the author can speak from his or her heart about his own life and present it as such.

I dedicated my new book, Protective Custody to the memory of my grandmother because Megan’s grandmother figured prominently in the story. Her “Gram” is nothing like my grandmother, but the character and the real person have one thing in common—they were both very important and influential to a young girl. Gram raised Megan after both her parents disappeared from her life. Mine took in my father and I after my mother died when I was a baby. We lived with her until my father remarried, but I spent many weekends with her and she spoiled me wonderfully! There was never any question in my mind that I’d dedicate that book to her.

What about you? Do you pay much attention to an author’s dedication? Do you think the dedication should match the tone of the book or should it merely convey a heartfelt sentiment from the author? Do you always read the dedication?

Comment and I will enter you in a drawing for a $25 gift card to AMC Theatres.

Here’s an excerpt from Protective Custody:

Megan checked the clock for the hundredth time. Night shadows crept across the ceiling, and the wind whispered lonely strains that filtered through her windows. She pulled the covers higher, clear to her chin. Why had she insisted Will leave? Maybe she’d have managed to rest if he’d slept on the couch.

But the hole in her heart would have ached even more. God, she’d done her best to move on after she’d broken up with him. Memories of Will refused to stay locked away.

Gram had been furious when she’d called it quits with Jerome, said she’d thrown away her chance at happiness. But Megan refused to pretend. Jerome was an empty shell. A good-looking man with no ambition, no brains to speak of, and most important, he wasn’t Will. What she and Will had shared was the real thing. At least it had been for her.

The creaking of floorboards cut through the silence and had her holding her breath.

Waiting.

Listening.

Trembling, she peeled back the covers and sat up. She stood, mindful of the noisy springs in her antique bed. A grating sound drifted through the air as if someone were dragging a rake along the wooden shingles outside the house. She patted the night table for her cell but didn’t feel it.

Damn it. She’d left it in her purse. Her hands trembled so badly she wouldn’t be able to hit the buttons.

She tiptoed out her bedroom door, all her senses sharp. Footsteps crunched in the dry grass outside.

Oh God. She slapped her hand to her mouth, afraid she’d be discovered. A shadow stalked past the narrow windows flanking the front door. She tried to draw air into her lungs but only managed a single ragged breath.

It’s him.

Witness to a murder, but no one will believe her…

Shocked by the brutal crime she witnesses through the window of her small office, Megan Jackson calls the police and is devastated when they question the truth of her story. With no body and no evidence of a crime, she’s written off as a nutcase.

Megan suspects the killer saw her face. Terrified, she calls the only person she can trust—her ex-boyfriend and former police officer, Will McCoy.

Despite a devastating breakup, Will jumps at the chance to help the woman who broke his heart. When the killer ramps up the stakes, Will is forced to take her into hiding—where the passion they once shared reignites, deeper and hotter than ever. But can Will keep Megan alive long enough to win back her heart?

Hello again! I can’t believe it’s been six months since I last chatted with you about my first anthology for Cleis Press, Fairy Tale Lust. That collection was so well-received by readers (thank you!!) and reviewers that I still get emails about the book and the individual stories. Fairy tales are hot, hot, hot (and I’ll let you in on a secret: I just signed a contract to edit another collection of erotic romance fairy tales to be released next year!), but you know what else is hot? Paranormal erotic romance—which just happens to be the theme of my second anthology, Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance.

Mmm… paranormal erotic romance. Just the phrase conjures up all sorts of delicious creatures and scenarios and when I set out to edit this collection, I was looking for sexy, romantic stories involving all sorts of paranormal elements. The authors didn’t disappoint me! I received hundreds of stories about ghosts, mermaids, werewolves, demons, vampires, possession, witchcraft, magic and more. These stories represent the very best of paranormal erotic romance by some of the finest erotica and erotic romance authors.

Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance includes stories from seventeen amazing authors who pushed the boundaries of the paranormal to deliver uniquely sensual stories of otherwordly delights. The authors in the collection include Justine Elyot, Delilah Devlin, Shanna Germain, A.D.R Forte, Craig Sorensen, Kristina Lloyd, Saskia Walker, Sacchi Green, Nikki Magennis, Alana Noel Voth, Victoria Janssen, Lana Fox, Lucy Felthouse, Kate Pearce, Madeline Moore, Ericka Hiatt and myself, with a foreword bestselling erotic romance author Megan Hart.

Do you like stories about sexy shapeshifters? Then you’ll be delighted with “Where the Heart Is” by Saskia Walker, “Moongirl Meets the Wolfman” by Alana Noel Voth, “Lust As Old As Us” by Madeline Moore and “For Humans, Love’s All About Weight” by Lana Fox. Lana’s story is about a variety of shapeshifter I’d never seen written about before—a birdman! From the air we go to the sea with Delilah Devlin’s mermaid tale (tail!), “Dreaming by the Sea.”

Among the pages of Dream Lover, you’ll also encounter a sugar-addicted male fairy in Shanna Germain’s delicious “Devil’s Food” and a couple of randy clairvoyants in Victoria Janssen’s sexy baking story, “Vanilla.” What can I say? I was hungry when I was reading stories for this collection!

If you like ghost stories, you’ll want to read about Justine Elyot’s sexy cursed poet in “Love Resurrection.” Craig Sorensen takes the traditional ghost story in a different direction with his powerful and sensual tale, “Shattered Belle.” Tormented lovelorn spirits and possession is the theme of Kristina Lloyd’s darkly erotic story, “Living Off Lovers.” I promise you will never look at an old apartment building the same way again!

Kate Pearce takes the motif of the old abandoned mansion to a new level in her story of a centuries-old cursed man and a lovelorn woman in “Folly” and Nikk Magennis gives us a reunion story of witchcraft and revenge in “Old Fashioned Glamour.” “Rainmaker,” A.D.R. Forte’s atmospheric tale of longing and the power of passion, will stay with you long after you read it.

No collection of paranormal erotic romance would be complete without a few demons and Dream Lover is populated by some of the best! There is a vengeful gargoyle in Sacchi Green’s “Freeing the Demon” and a tale of two demons in love in Lucy Felthous’s “Succubus Comes Home.” Ericka Hiatt’s demon in “The Eye of Pearl” is the enemy rather than the hero—and what a story she has written about the power of true love! To balance out the demons, my own story “Thief of Hearts” explores the connection between a fallen angel and the woman he was supposed to protect.

This collection was a labor of love as I have been interested in the paranormal since I read my first Stephen King novel as a young teenager. The appeal of the otherworldly (or underworldy) cannot be denied. To step outside our own reality and explore the farthest reaches of our imaginations to discover the creatures of the night, the magic in the ether—oh, it makes my heart beat faster just to think of the possibilities! And so I’m delighted to present Dream Lover: Pararnormal Tales of Erotic Romance to you. I hope the stories in this anthology will haunt your dreams as they have haunted mine—in the best possible way!

Next up for me is another collection dear to my heart—Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance. I thought steampunk, with its fantastical gadgets, historical settings and tales of high adventure, was the perfect theme for an erotic romance collection. I just turned in the final manuscript to my publisher and I’m happy to say I was right— this is an anthology whose time has come! I can’t wait to introduce to the sensual world of corsets and clockworks. Steamlust will be an October release, and promises to be a one of a kind collection of erotically charged romance. (Not to mention the potential for Halloween costume ideas is staggering!)

Happy reading!

Giveaway: Three lucky commenters will be selected at random to receive an autographed copy of Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance signed by the editor, Kristina Wright.

Setting: Multiple settings in the human and paranormal world
Subgenre: Paranormal romance
Hero: Ares, second Horseman of the Apocalypse
Heroine: Cara Thornhart, human

One sentence summary: When a human woman is dragged into the world of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, she finds herself in a fight for her life, her heart, and the very fate of mankind.

Scene you like most and would never cut: I love the scene in which Ares gives Cara a mild sedative, and it has an unexpected effect on her. She gets a little…amorous…

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: She would never, EVER harm an animal or wear fur.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? He must win at all costs. Always. He’s no fun to play Monopoly with…

Heroine: Cara loves pajamas. Flannel pajamas with animals on them.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: She’s unemployed, but she should be a veterinarian.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: He’s War, second Horseman of the Apocalypse. His job pretty much involves being a legend.

What you think readers will like best about this book: Readers familiar with the Demonica series will like getting to see their favorite characters, and hopefully, everyone will like the humor mixed with a dark, dangerous story.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Reaver. In the Demonica series, he got a fallen angel’s happily-ever-after, but readers want him to have a romance. I do have plans for him, so we’ll see!

What’s next: The last Sydney Croft book (erotic romance written with Stephanie Tyler,) comes out at the end of June. Taken By Fire will wrap up the paranormal ACRO series and take it out with a bang. I’m really excited for this book. After that, at the end of August, I have a Demonica/Lords of Deliverance novella that will release as part as the Supernatural anthology with Alexandra Ivy, G.A. Aiken, and Jacquelyn Frank.

About Me:
What’s my favorite movie of all time? That’s the hardest question ever, because I’m a huge movie buff. I guess I’d have to go with either the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the new Star Trek movie. Or Independence Day. Or…I could really keep going…

What’s my favorite kind of story to get lost in? I love fantasy. Robert Jordan’s Eye of the World series is a favorite. Once I start reading, the rest of the world is dead to me. DEAD, I tell you…

What’s the first book I remember reading? Tik-Tok of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. I remember that every time I visited my grandparents’ house, I would read the complete collection of Oz books that were my dad’s when he was a child. Tik-Tok of Oz is the one I remember most, though to be honest, I’m not sure why.

What’s my favorite fairy tale? I’ve always been strangely fascinated by Hansel and Gretel, but I LOVE Ever After, the Cinderella movie with Drew Barrymore.
What’s your favorite cartoon character? Spongebob Squarepants. Love that sponge…

What’s something I’d like to tell your readers? I just want to thank them for all the support, emails, and good times. They got me where I am today, and I’m beyond grateful!

What would my occupation be if I were no longer a writer? I’d go back to doing what I did before, which was to work in the meteorological field.

What do I do to unwind and relax? Watch movies, read, or play RPGs. Right now I’m digging Dungeon Siege 2.

Tea or Coffee? And how do I take it? Coffee, black and strong!

What does love mean to me? It means sharing each others’s strengths, helping each other through weakness, and building each other up. Love means that you love yourself as much as you love your partner.

Which era would I least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? Least? The 70’s. Yes, I lived in the 70’s, but I was a kid, so my memories are, thankfully, fuzzy. But the fashion was horrific! Most? I think now. I love the fashion in many periods in history, but I can’t separate the harsh/hard lifestyles and treatment of women enough to properly appreciate the fashion. Plus, I’m not overly fond of dresses.

What name have I been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? Rig. I don’t know why, but I want to use it. I’ve had to keep this name a secret from Stephanie Tyler, because she’d steal it. She loves names like that — my husband and I affectionately refer to them as “Steph Names.” (I mean, come on…she’s named characters Hex, Ender, Trance, Mace, and Gearshift. Or maybe that last one was Clutch…) In any case, shh!

Dog person or cat person? I’m a huge animal lover, so I love them both, but I’ll have to go with cat person. They are so underappreciated as pets, and I’ve found that whether or not a man likes cats can tell a lot about them. I could never have married a man who didn’t like cats!

So, here we are, talking about a paranormal series that brings a bit of explosive apocalyptic plot to the scene. I absolutely love apocalyptic fiction, whether the end-of-the-world events come from natural disasters, man-made actions such as nuclear war, or paranormal/science-fiction scenarios like aliens or zombies.

So what is YOUR favorite book, movie, or TV series that focuses on apocalyptic events? Me, I LOVE The Walking Dead and Independence Day!

Setting: Modern Day Texas outside of Houston
Subgenre: Urban Fantasy
Hero: Declan, half fire demon
Heroine: Maggie O’Malley, kick ass witch sporting a kick ass black widow spider tattoo

One sentence summary: Ancient Mayan curse to bring down, sexy demon to seduce, teenager to deal with – just another day.

Ever since my paranormal books and now my urban fantasy, Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend, has come out, I’m asked if I’m a witch. I like to say “No, but I used to play one on TV.” Too bad not everyone gets that old joke!

I grew up loving fairy tales. Not just the prince carrying the princess off to his castle, but also the witches. I liked to think if they had been nicer maybe they wouldn’t have come to a bad end. Who doesn’t remember the Wicked Witch of the West shrieking “I’m melting, melting!” after a bucket of water is dumped on her. Makes you reconsider that long bubble bath you were planning, doesn’t it?

I’ve always thought of the witches I write about as someone I’d love to hang out with. Go shopping with, grab coffee, you name it. And the creatures that make up their sidekicks are the pesky pets that you might hope the neighbors don’t find out about. After all, how many people do you know that have bunny slippers sporting razor-sharp teeth running around the back yard harassing the rubber ducks in the spa or a black widow tattoo that can leave you any time she wishes and has her own netbook in her web?

I call them my witches because they’re not just my creation, but they’re my friends. Because I feel they’re real, I hope I convey that to my readers. I weave spells to make them believe the unbelievable.

And if their bunny slippers tend to carry off their chocolate stash … I’m afraid there’s not much I can say about that except there’s no good hiding place. Trust me, I’ve tried.

Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend is a bit of a change of pace for me. It’s darker, grittier, and more involved. I loved writing this book and hated to see the characters end, but I know they’ll show up in flash fiction on my blog. They all tend to do that.

I hope you’ll enjoy the book and try my other witches if you haven’t read my Hex series.

My publisher Sourcebooks is giving away two copies of Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend. I will pick two random winners. US and Canada only please.

So what about you? Did you root for the witches in fairy tales or think about their turning good all of a sudden?

Linda Wisdom
www.lindawisdom.com

Setting: Scotland, the north central Highlands,1401
Subgenre: Scottish Historical
Hero: Sir Finlagh “Fin” Cameron
Heroine: Lady Catriona Mackintosh

One sentence summary: Sparks fly when famous (or infamous) warrior, “Fin of the Battles” Cameron, who has sworn a sacred vow to seek vengeance against the Mackintosh leaders of the great Highland confederation known as Clan Chattan, meets and falls hard for Lady Catriona Mackintosh, the beautiful “wildcat” daughter of Clan Chattan’s war leader.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Catriona would never expect someone else to fight her battles (and, with a few exceptions—such as her grandfather, the powerful Captain of Clan Chattan, known simply as the Mackintosh; and her father, who is Clan Chattan’s war leader—she dislikes anyone who expects her simply to submit to his commands without discussion). Her two brothers call her their “wildcat” for good reason, and Fin will learn that she has claws. However, Catriona would never say, “I don’t want to talk about that.” She usually means that she wants what she wants, but Fin’s ability to debate anything without firing up or losing his temper challenges her, and his ability to listen to her (rare among the men of her acquaintance) charms and delights her.

What celebrity is your hero like: I never know how to answer this question, because my opinion of modern celebrities is that most of them seem to be self-obsessed to an unhealthy degree and are therefore utterly un-heroic. Since, despite Fin Cameron’s extraordinary achievements, he thinks of himself (as most true heroes do) as a man who merely tries to do what is asked of him and who sees himself as the antithesis of brave or heroic, no celebrity comes to mind. However, occasionally, I will give a hero a few traits similar to those of one my own favorite characters in movies or books. A man like Lee Childs’s Jack Reacher, for example, might make a great fourteenth-century hero. Some of John Wayne’s characters also occasionally come to mind, or the Bruce Willis character in the Die Hard movies. But even those moments are rare for me.

What celebrity is your heroine like: The same thing goes for my heroines, although each one doubtless bears some resemblance at one point or another in the story to characters played by Katharine Hepburn, Sandra Bullock, and others who frequently play intelligent women with minds of their own. Lady Catriona Mackintosh certainly thinks for herself and resists domination in a land and time of domineering men. Her brothers’ nickname for her is Wildcat. The truth, though, is that if Cat bears a resemblance to anyone, it might be to the author herself. Certainly, Cat’s love of solitary rambles through Highland forests with only her wolf dog (ancestor of the Scottish deerhound) for companionship mirror my own mountain walks with my son’s beautiful, highly intelligent golden retriever, Bella. Likewise do I know from my own experience that such a dog can provide excellent protection for a woman who enjoys solitude.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Lady Catriona Mackintosh is slender but sensuously voluptuous, proud of her heritage, intuitive, observant, even a little fey. Some believe that she possesses the gift of Second Sight. She loves animals, is a capable archer, and carries her own dirk. She is often demanding, always willing to share her opinions, wistfully romantic, occasionally vain, and a fiercely loyal friend. When angered, she has a quick, fiery temper that burns out just as quickly. Otherwise, she is friendly, outgoing, and generous but enjoys solitude (and getting her own way). When Catriona and her wolf dog, Boreas (God of the north wind) come upon an unconscious young warrior in the forest one day, Cat doesn’t hesitate to do all she can for him. When she realizes that he still has miles to go to reach his destination, she insists that he return with her to Rothiemurchus, her castle home in the middle of a Highland loch, to recuperate from his injury, little knowing that he is a member of the enemy Cameron Clan and has sworn to kill her father.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Sir Finlagh Cameron of Tor Castle in Lochaber is a knight, an expert swordsman, and a skilled archer. He is also seductive, argumentative but diplomatic, and cool under pressure. Fin has a strong sense of fairness, can always—sometimes maddeningly—see both sides of an issue, and he will fight for what he believes. An experienced leader, he makes decisions on the fly and is dedicated to his clan. He is the finest swordsman in Scotland and the sole Cameron survivor of the great Clan Battle of Perth, won by Clan Chattan. On that battlefield, Fin’s dying father “bequeathed” to him the sacred duty of seeking vengeance against the Mackintosh leaders of Clan Chattan if not against their entire confederation. Fin was just twenty-two then, and in the bloody aftermath of the battle, distraught and grieving, he promised that he would accept that bequest. Now, nearly five years later, Fin is serving Scotland’s crown prince, Davy Stewart, who has ordered him to seek the Mackintosh’s aid in arranging a meeting with the Lord of the North and the Lord of the Isles. On his way, Fin falls victim to an arrow and meets Catriona and Boreas. Only as they approach her home does he realize who her father is. One might say that his dilemma smacks him in the face then, because accepting Highland hospitality puts as much burden on the guest as on his host to remain civil, which is to say, to resist murdering him.

Scene you like most and would never cut: I love the scene where a tiny kitten adopts the huge wolf dog Boreas as its hero, but my favorite scene between Fin and Catriona comes just before the climax of the book, when Fin realizes that it is up to him to save everyone and orders Catriona back into the safety of Rothiemurchus Castle (her island home, now boatless). Catriona has learned that defying him doesn’t pay, but neither is she willing simply to bid him good luck. It is her home, after all, and Fin will need her help. So, despite her worries—not least of which is the pouring rain—and specifically her concern for Fin’s safety…nay, her terror that he means to sacrifice himself to save her family, she waves cheerfully goodbye to him, and then…

What you think readers will like best about this book: I hope that readers will love the two main characters of this book. He is a warrior, accustomed to command and to being obeyed. She is a young woman accustomed to dealing with domineering warriors and to making her own decisions. She has two older brothers, one of whom is the greatest swordsman in Scotland, and their father is the war leader for the entire Clan Chattan confederation. Oh, yes, and their maternal grandfather is the Mackintosh himself, Captain of Clan Chattan. Fin will teach her how to control her temper even as he learns that she can usually take care of herself, and she will show him how to resolve his greatest dilemma as they battle enemies of both clans. Also, I’m sure that many readers will fall in love with Boreas and his tiniest, most adoring fan.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Jake Maxwell, who will be the hero of the third book in the Scottish Knights trilogy, is just such a character. Many of the fan letters that I received for KING OF STORMS (Forever, August 2007) contained a hope that the enterprising and outspoken young Jake would someday reappear. He was eight in KING OF STORMS, and his father was the captain of the Serpent Royal, a fine new ship that belonged to the Duke of Albany. The motherless Jake sailed with his father then, and the events in KING OF STORMS changed his life forever.

What’s next: HIGHLAND MASTER is the first book in my new ‘Scottish Knights’ trilogy. Next comes HIGHLAND HERO (Oct 2011) and then HIGHLAND LOVER. The heroes of these three books became friends at St. Andrews while they studied with Bishop Walter Traill, who was also briefly guardian and mentor to young Jamie Stewart (later James I of Scotland). Traill’s successor, Bishop Wardlaw, continued Traill’s ‘school,’ which under Wardlaw’s guidance developed into St. Andrews University. HIGHLAND HERO is the story of how Catriona’s brother Sir Ivor Mackintosh (Scotland’s greatest archer) and Queen Annabella’s rebellious niece, Lady Marsaili Drummond, team up to get young Jamie safely to St. Andrews before he falls into the clutches of his wicked uncle, the Duke of Albany. The third book, HIGHLAND LOVER, will tell the story of Sir Jacob Maxwell, whom many readers will remember from KING OF STORMS (see above). Jake is now grown up and a renowned ship’s captain and warrior. Since he enjoyed a unique relationship with the Duke of Albany, which gives him a different perspective on my favorite villain, I thought Jake would be the perfect hero to involve in the King of Scots’s ill-fated attempt to send Jamie, his youngest son and now heir to the throne, to France when Scotland becomes too dangerous under Albany for Jamie to stay there. Jake’s heroine in HIGHLAND LOVER is Lady Alyson MacGillivray, a cousin of Catriona’s and Ivor’s who chances to be sailing on the same ship as the young prince.

In HIGHLAND MASTER, Fin faces a dilemma because in the heat of a horrific battle and its aftermath, he inadvertently swore two mutually exclusive but nonetheless sacred oaths. We all do or say things under great stress that we would not ordinarily do or say. Can you think of other such situations that might challenge a person of integrity who tries to resolve them equably, either in a book or in real life? For that matter, do you think that such dilemmas can be resolved satisfactorily?

Of those who participate, three will be selected at random to receive a galley for the next book in the Scottish Knights series, HIGHLAND HERO.