Author spotlight with C.R. Moss

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
Learn the craft! This means grammar, characterization, plot, etc., all the good things that go into a story. You might be able to tell a good story, but if you can’t write it by showing what the characters are doing/feeling, your writing career won’t go anywhere. Get involved in a critique partnership/group. Learn the non-creative side of the business as well. Be prepared.

Name one thing readers don’t know about you.
I used to crew for a balloon pilot.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
It’s a tossup between Anne Rice and Stephen King.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
Sometimes they’re easy, other times they’re hard. For me, it depends upon the story and the mood of the characters. In one story I worked on, my hero and heroine were supposed to have a threesome with another character and then my hero decided he didn’t want anyone else but him to touch his girl. We were at a stalemate and the story went on hold until he stopped having a hissy fit.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
I’m able to get paid doing what I love.

To date, which is your favorite story? Which one did you have the most fun writing?
To date, my favorite Extasy Books story is The Redeemer found in The Mystics. The one I’ve had the most fun writing so far is Dirty Little Trip in my Dirty Little series of books that follows scrumptious, bad boy demon, Ash.
Readers can find C.R. Moss at www.crmoss.net

Author spotlight with Courtney Breazile

Courtney, what has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Everything I have read. I have always loved books and all the enjoyment I found in them since I was a child, I wanted to create and share with others. Every time I read a great book, I thought about how much I wanted to write something like that.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
So excited and scared. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of my shyness to be able to advertise myself and put myself out there.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
I am definitely a pantser. I usually sit down with a vague plot line and a great opening scene in my head, but no real idea of where I am going. I really like the story to flow and not feel like I am stuck with an idea I already came up with.

What makes a book great in your eyes?
It makes you want to ignore everything around you just so you can finish it! I do that often, just ask my family.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
The best piece of advice I have ever gotten, and use quite a bit is, when you’re stuck, go back, re-read what you have written and figure out where you deviated from the book you were intending to write.
It works for me, I would recommend it to others.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Oh yes, and they are my little secret…

What influences your writing? And why?
I am influenced by a lot of things. What I read, what I watch, my dreams and sometimes just what I hear from people around me. I often look at people or situations and think of how it would look in a story. I don’t think I am ever not getting ideas and storing them in my head for later.

Name one thing readers don’t know about you.
Okay this is kind of funny but…I have never mowed the lawn! Seriously, I was a spoiled child I guess. I never mowed the lawn and never lived without a man to do it for me. I plan to keep it that way, a small but very attainable life goal I think.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on edits for the third book in the Immortal Council Series and also something new I am not quite ready to announce.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
I don’t have a favorite, there are so many that I love. One that stands out that I have loved for a long time is Stephen King. I love horror.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
It depends, some are easy and some are more difficult. It depends on how much personal experience I have to relate to the scene.

Do you write in one genre or several different ones? And why?
There is always romance behind my stories, but I have written historical, horror, urban fantasy and contemporary. I write whatever feels good at the time. I like not being bound to one particular genre.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
On a tropical beach, always on a tropical beach.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
I try and force out words sometimes, just to see if I can get the flow going. If that doesn’t work, I read over what I have written or I get away from it and take a break. Sometimes start writing something else.

Do you have another career besides writing? What is it?
I have a degree in elementary education and teach preschool.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
Knowing that I am doing what I have wanted to do since I was a kid, knowing that I am not one of those people who sit back and say I could do that or I want to someday, I am doing it and that feels great.

To date, which is your favorite story? Which one did you have the most fun writing?
My favorite story so far is Keeping Blood, the second in my Immortal Council Series. I absolutely love the characters in it and how it really created the series. I started writing it first, then went back and wrote Blood Visions, the first in the series.

How do you go about developing your characters and setting?
I take notes when I am beginning a story on the character. I picture them in my head and go from there. Setting is the same, I feel like the books play out as a movie in my head as I write.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Visit Courtney at: www.courtneybreazile.com

Author spotlight with Regan Taylor

Hello Regan,
Tell us, what has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Having a vivid imagination. My own every day life is pretty staid. I like it that way. I'm not big on needless drama and constant adrenaline rushes. But I do like the idea of going to other times and places. Reading is one avenue for accomplishing that and writing takes me every further.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
Stunned. Utterly and completely stunned. It wasn't anything I ever saw myself doing.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
Dreamer—most of my books come from my dreams. I have vivid dreams, often lucid dreams and write them down as soon as I wake from them. I've studied dream work since high school and have trained myself to wake up immediately after a dream and to write it down. Since I started writing, I dream the next scene for most of my books. So does that make me a dreamster?

What makes a book great in your eyes?
Three dimensional characters, solid research, being able to transport me into the story so I feel like I'm part of it.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
You know, even after, ummm, let's see, five years since my first book was published, I still feel like a beginning.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
I'm human, what do you think?

What influences your writing? And why?
My dreams, my day to day life.

Name one thing readers don’t know about you.
I take classes like normal people go to movies.

What are you working on now?
With All Dispatch.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
Alexander Dumas.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
Painfully so.

Do you write in one genre or several different ones? And why?
Most of my books are time travels so that seems to put me in several genres within the same book. I do like books—and writing—with reincarnation and dream themes.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
Right where I am—in my living room with my cats.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
Writer's block? Knock wood, never had it.

Do you have another career besides writing? What is it?
I'm a legal secretary.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
I can decide what the ending should be.

To date, which is your favorite story? Which one did you have the most fun writing?
Traveling Bride—which hasn't been sold yet. The Thrill is Gone—it's my fantasy of what my life should have been.

How do you go about developing your characters and setting?
The characters tell me who they are and what they see.
Okay, at the risk of sounding crazy and going back to my other career—I was a therapist for awhile although I guess I still am because it's not really something you resign from. While completing my masters, Jung was my icon, my hoped for arrival point as a therapist. I believe when we say our characters speak to us that they are in fact parts of ourselves. They say most of us use 10% of our mental capacity. I believe authors have found a way to use at least part of that other 90% and that’s where those fascinating characters come from. They are parts of our psyche and if we listen to that inner voice, we know what makes a good story.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
Happy reading.

http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com/

Author Spotlight with Blak Rayne

Hi Blak and welcome!
Tell us, how did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
Excited and happy all in the same breathe, and I suppose there was a little fear of the unknown mixed in there.

What makes a book great in your eyes?
A great book maintains solid characters who aren’t impervious to change and an interesting secret helps as well.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Smoking. I quit a long time ago, but I still get the urge to light up. The main character in the novel I’m currently writing is fighting with the same bad habit.

What are you working on now?
The story has a surreal futuristic setting. The main character, a bounty hunter, is asked by a close friend to assist with a murder investigation and stop a black market slave trade smuggling ring, while at the same time struggling with his feelings for his latest bounty. All I can reveal, it there are several stories within a story and a secret or two.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
I find them fairly easy as long as I’m in the mood. When I write, my moods shift from character to character, taking into account how they’re feeling during that particular scene.

Do you write in one genre or several different ones? And why?
I’ve always written in several different because I find where one lacks or inhibits me another will allow me to release my full imagination.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
It gives me a chance to share my personal experiences, thoughts, feelings and opinions with the reader.

How do you go about developing your characters and setting?
Almost every character I’ve ever created is loosely based on someone I know. This can include my own personality traits or who I’d like to be. And it’s the same set of rules for the settings in my stories, most are again loosely based on places I’m familiar with and the odd time somewhere I’ve dreamt of traveling too.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
If anything I’ve written causes someone to pause for a thought, made them laugh or cry, or even made them angry, then as far as I’m concerned I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. Emotions are a powerful tool and when the reader feels as the characters do then the book has succeeded to entertain and perhaps even enlighten. I appreciate feedback so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line at http://www.blakraynebooks.com/ or at any of my other links listed in the website. Thanks!

Character spotlight with Reeve From Devotion

Author: “Hello, my name’s Blak Rayne and I’m the author of a soon to be released novel titled Devotion. This is the first of two parts. It will be available for sale through Extasy Books and here’s the link(s) http://www.blakraynebooks.com/ or http://www.extasybooks.com/ where it can be purchased.”

Character: “Bestseller, babe, bestseller! You have to be confident!”

Author: “I’m so sorry for that untimely outburst. One of my characters is here with me as well and I guess he feels a need to be involved. Oh lovely…and I can see he’s drinking this morning.”

Interviewer: **Makes a failed attempt at cutting in on the conversation**

Character: “Only two, I swear!”

Author: “Anyway, I guess now’s as good a time as any to introduce you to Reeve Taylor. Go ahead, Reeve, knock yourself out.”

Interviewer: **Sighs loudly, giving up and holds the microphone closer to the cowboy**
Reeve: “Much appreciated, babe.” **Grabs Interviewer’s wrist, so the mike is even closer** “As my author already established, I’m Reeve Taylor and one of the central characters in her novel Devotion. I’m six foot six, sexy and balling the other male lead, Slade, blind. And is he hot! Ha ha! Well he is, trust me. I work for one of the world’s larger military bases we call Zone Zero. I went into training right after my father found out I was a homosexual and booted my ass out the door.” **Stops to swirl the ice cubes in glass**

Interviewer: “What makes you special? What differentiates you from your kind? Do you have special abilities?”
Reeve: “What makes me special you ask…well I thought that was obvious? I’m a sniper by trade–and a damned good one, actually the best in my world. I carry a big ass rifle called a Villarus 5000X, I’m hot–and if it’s not too bold, I’m incredible in bed! Would that be classified as a special ability?” **Laughs and points at lover’s abashed face** “Oh and you know it, sweet cheeks! There see he’s blushing! I am a god!”

Interviewer: “Tell me about your most current adventure.
Reeve: “Coping with Slade’s secret. I was sent away on assignment and ever since I’ve returned things have been real shitty.” **Pauses to emotionally regroup and suck back another mouthful of rye** “Sorry, I’d prefer not to talk about it right now and I don’t want to hurt the other half. He’s quite sensitive. And I’ve had a couple of drinks this morning and there’s certain things I won’t discuss when I’ve been drinking. I suggest you read an excerpt of the book my author has inserted at www.blakraynebooks.com on the Bookshelf Tab. The book’s due out on September 1-2010.”

Interviewer: “If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?”
Reeve: “Blak, babe, stop sniffing the glue–just teasing! Here’s my advice, she knows how much everyone loves my character and the relationship I have with Slade, so I wish she’d seriously consider writing a sequel.” **Taps mike** “Did you hear me, Blak?” **Writer pretends to ignore**

Interviewer: Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
Reeve: “I think so, for the most part. Okay that’s not really true. I’d love more exposure and I don’t think my character’s been written to its fullest potential yet. All right, I admit, I’m just an honest guy who’s got a few skeletons in the closet, but I never fail to get in trouble, and with my trusty sidekick and my undeniably witty sense of humour it’s a winning combination.” **Pauses to refill glass** “I want people to experience more of me—if that’s not to arrogant sounding. I want them to read the book and walk away with a sense that they need more. Popular! That’s it! I want to be every reader’s fantasy!” **Laughs**

Interviewer: “Does your author ever try to take over the story? And how do you deal with it?”
Reeve: “Of course she does, she’s the author, but there’s no talking to the woman when she goes off on a tangent. So that’s when I sneak off, ingest a stiff drink and try to ball Slade.”

Interviewer: “Is humor important? Why or why not?”
**Loudly laughs** “Sorry I’m still in stitches from the last question. Hell yeah I think humour is important! It’s the key to survival in my book, literally speaking, and it makes for awesome entertainment. Plus Slade doesn’t have a sense of humour, so I have to compensate some how. Okay…now he’s glaring at me.”

Interviewer: “Is expressing love difficult for you? Why?”
Reeve: “Not really, but for the significant other it is.” **Chokes** “Sorry about that, I disappeared for a second there. Slade just elbowed me and I spilt my drink. To be honest, I don’t embarrass that easily and personally I don’t give a shit what anybody thinks. I just say whatever leaps to mind. I’m an affectionate person so the verbal sharing thing comes quite naturally for me.”

Interviewer: “Is there a message you want to get across in this interview?”
Reeve: “Drinking is not the only answer, sex helps.”

Interviewer: “What does your significant other think about your adventures? And how do they deal with it? Do you ever ask your significant other for advice?”
Reeve: “More like misadventures and he wasn’t too thrilled with any of them. I guess he coped as best as he could. My forte is guns. I’m the one the government calls in to do their dirty work. It isn’t pleasant blowing people’s heads off, but I get paid well and someone has to do it. I don’t normally ask Slade for advice, actually I don’t usually ask anyone for advice because I might appear weak and I’d hate like hell to shatter my image.”

Interviewer: “Have you ever lost control?”
Reeve: “If you mean temper wise–shit yeah! And it was so bad I nearly killed the guy. As for anything else, I have developed a bit of a drinking problem…the only other thing I can think of is sex, but we won’t discuss that here. Is this interview over?

Interviewer responds: “Not quite, I’ve got just one more.”
Reeve: “Okay, well make it fast, because my rye’s gone warm and Slade’s giving me the look.”

Interviewer: “What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?”
Reeve: “In a word whipping cream…” **Roars with laughter**

Author spotlight with Melody Lane

Hi Melody!
Thanks for joining us, today. Tell us, how did you feel when you got your first publishing contract? Ecstatic! I had self-published a few times, but that first real contract where you don’t have to pay out any money is stellar!

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter? A little bit of both. I try to do an outline as to what I want to achieve with the story—beginning, middle, end. It may change along the way as I love the freedom of writing. There isn’t a better feeling than being at a part in your book where you can just let your fingers fly over the keyboard…the dialogue, the sex, the emotion, the action. You know what you want to accomplish and can do it while having fun!

What makes a book great in your eyes? The plot, the characters, the pacing. I’m a reader who is bored with too much description of the outside of the house or someone’s clothes. I also don’t like slow pacing. I’m a believer in keeping it moving.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer? If it is truly your dream, don’t give up. Keep trying. When I look at my early writing, I see many mistakes. I have learned so much over the years. Continuous quality improvement are words to live by.

Do you have any guilty pleasures? Thinking of my favorite rock stars and actors make the romantic lead easy to write…especially the love scenes. I also have trouble turning down a good margarita, girly martini or fruity white wine. And if you tell me you have an airplane ticket to just about anywhere, I’m there with you. Are you ready to go?

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write? They were hard for me to write in the beginning because I had never planned on being a romance writer. But with a little genre studying, a little dreaming…and a little wine as I thought about some hot men…it has gotten easier.

Do you have another career besides writing? What is it? I’ve been a registered nurse for many years working in a variety of settings. Since I have always enjoyed the medical field, I will be having books come out with a bit of medical in them. Can’t help it. Write what you know and all that.

http://www.melodylanebooks.com

Character spotlight with Ann Raina’s, Eric

Hello Eric, thanks for joining us this afternoon. It’s very kind of you to share some time with me before…
Hey, lady, I’m always kind. You should know that. Haven’t I seen you last week at the farm?

Oh, no, you must be mistaken. *blushes* I would never…
I’m quite sure, lady. Who could forget those…

Wait a minute. Why not get started with the interview, okay? Tell me a bit about you.
*points his finger at her* If that’s what you want. I’m Eric Bletchley, one of the main characters of Ann Raina’s No Fool: An Undercover Mission that came out in August this year at eXtasy Books. If you want to have a closer look, check it here: I’m the experienced guy at the wellness farm of Lady Summerston. Means, I’m already there when that guy Matthew comes in, totally unaware of what he has to expect. I show him around, you know, and tell him about his duties. We become friends. Later in the story, we have some fun at a bar.

Fun? What kind of fun?
Uh, well… I’m a known charmer and no woman can deny me. That evening in the bar, some guys weren’t so happy about me trying to flirt with their girlfriends. Things got rough and…you know, punches flew and Matt had a real good time showing off with his fighting talents.

You say, he got you out of the bar.
Alive, yes.

That makes me wonder: What are your special abilities?
I’m not a fighter, lady, I’m a lover. Look at me. I’m six foot four, muscled, young, got a great face, good manners—all of Lady Summerston’s boys have to have good manners or we wouldn’t work there—and not to forget my black hair, paired with green eyes. Besides that, I can flow with the rhythm. Whatever the woman wants—with me, she’ll get it.

And what is your part in the adventure?
Matt doesn’t understand the undercurrent that exists in a group of men. He doesn’t know nil about competition, distrust and the fear of being exposed to the laughter of others. At the wellness farm, all men fulfill the dreams of women, but they don’t want to tell the world about their job. I’m sure you understand that. It was my task to help Matt get acquainted with the other boys.

If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
Hell, give me a greater part! It’s Matthew here and Matthew there, and I get only the small scenes. That’s disappointing. I want her to write another story and give me the main part.

Do you like how people perceive you?
Yes! Yes! Though I admit that it is more important to me how women perceive me. It’s a wonderful push of ego to learn that women choose you for a night, a day, a week to show off with you. It makes me feel great. I love my job.

Is there a message you want to get across in this interview?
Sure. Women, take whatever you want. If you want soft love, make sure you get it. And if you’re the rough type, don’t hesitate to ask for that, too. I’m so sick of women who always hide their sexual wishes because they are afraid of what their friends would say about them. What about you? Did you tell your friends you were here?

I really like your enthusiasm.
I’m the enthusiast in person, yes.

What was the least interesting thing that has ever happened to you?
Lady, do you have to ask this? Once, a woman took me to the opera. Yes, she wanted to show off, but can you imagine me to live through three hours of singing and even more singing? God, I was bored to death and still had to smile and be good company.

If you could pull your author into your world, what do you think would happen to her?
*smiles broadly* First, I would recommendate to never attend the opera. Sorry, just a joke. Second, I bet that she would liberate herself and ask the right questions to reach fulfillment. In everything. Every time. I would personally take care of her if she wanted me.

If you had the chance to meet another character, who would it be and why?
Another character? Hum, that beautiful woman that Matthew gets in the end. Yes, I’m almost jealous that she voted for him and not for me. Matt’s much smaller. He can hide behind me, y’know. She’s a classy woman, intelligent, strong in mind. Thinking about it—I don’t know if I could handle her. She gives me the impression of a woman who likes to be in command.

And that is something you don’t want?
Come on, didn’t you check out the dungeon last week? Ha, I knew you did! I’ve been down there many times. And if you’re bound, the woman’s in command. Bet on it.

Tell us what it’s like to spend a day with you.
That depends if I’m alone or with a woman. If I’m alone, I go to the gym for three hours, training. My body’s a fine-tuned machine that needs exercise every day. After that, I’ll have lunch and go for a swim or take my bike. Lady Summerston doesn’t want us to be in town alone. She always thinks that her precious boys could get molested or something. So I spend much time on the premises. In the evening, there will be a woman on my list. I take her out to a restaurant or… Last week, I had a really nice lady who wanted to ride a motorcycle with me. Hell, that was fun! She was about fifty and had never ridden a bike before. She enjoyed it immensely. And I did, too.

What’s the oddest thing you’ve seen or done?
That’s a long list, lady! The one thing was painful, really painful. A lady chose me and lost control. Since that happened in the dungeon, you can imagine how I looked afterwards.

Tell us about the lady.
No, hell, no! She’s a kind of evil creature I want to forget. Most of the ladies are nice and kind, even if they live out their fantasies which include my body. I’m not shy, I’m open for any kind of game, but that one woman… Matt avenged me. That was a good feeling.

Thanks, Eric, for that insight. Is there a question you wish I had asked but didn’t?
*Looks her deep in the eyes* Aw, yes. You can ask me if I’m free for tonight. And the answer is…

Eric, I have a boyfriend.
Lynn, I’ve had many, many women, and I never told their husbands or boyfriends about what we did. I won’t change that principle.

*Takes a deep breath* Thank you for the interview, Eric, and have a good night.

Author spotlight with Kelly Jacobs

Hi Kelly and welcome!
What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
I think being a self-professed 90s kid was the big deal. In the 90s, we had this thing called the animation renaissance. We got the best cartoons the world had ever seen, and with most of the artist and writers among us, it instilled a belief that it was our duty to equal that beauty and imaginative quality of those works.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
Because of the current recession (let’s not kid ourselves, it’s an economic depression with a smiley face sticker), my heart jumped for joy! Like so many people my age who got robbed of all of the promises for the future we had been raised with, this was a glimmer of light in a dark cave.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
Texan. Maybe pantser. I start with a decade, and a singular character I like the idea of, and apply the story around that character.

What makes a book great in your eyes?
The ability to learn and feel from it. All the schmaltzy schlock that news anchors and celebrities in the world pile into pages just to sell a cheesy book is what’s killing the writer’s job. Those books have no feeling, or depth.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
Research all options, even strange and non-traditional ones, investigate new genres, and never give up. Did we surrender at the Alamo, no! The Mexican empire won, but only by default. (all the Texians died)

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
I don’t do anything I’d feel guilty about, like stealing. If it’s something like fudge or real Virginia ham, why would I feel guilty? My hips, my body, my rules. My ham, don’t touch.

What influences your writing? And why?
A desire to teach, and help others by any means necessary.

Name one thing readers don’t know about you.
I don’t care for coconut. It’s not the flavor, but the texture.

What are you working on now?
Whatever the editor and boss say to. (I bow before Tina and Jay) Seriously, a new and soon to be finished gay (m/m), regency era romance, set during the Texas revolution.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
Herman Melville, or R.L. Stine. What? I’m a 90s kid, I can like Stine if I want.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
Only ones that are forced from the author, ones that I don’t care about.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
Over the grave of Jimmy Hoffa, or the grave of Genghis Khan. Just so we’d know where to dig.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
Bourbon, and staring at a picture of the Kiowa war chief Sitting Bear, and Walt Disney. I hate Disney so much. Happy now?

Do you have another career besides writing? What is it?
Embalming.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
If you have ever learned something from my books, that’s my reward.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
Don’t touch my ham, kidding—do what is right, even if it is hard, even if you do it alone. Do what is right.

Author spotlight with Kelly Jacob’s, Tom

Hi! I’m Tom, and I’m in a book. I think this is where the rest of the group stands up and groans hi Tom. No? Okay. I was born in Texas, not south Oklahoma, and I joined the Marines a few years ago. When I lost my leg I was put in a German hospital, where I met the cutest guy. His name is Jake, and he’s just... wow.

Do you have special abilities?
Well, I’m gay and I don’t know any show tunes, I don’t have anything with glitter on it, oh, and I can field strip an AR15 in 20 seconds. Does that count?

Tell me about your most current adventure.
Let’s see, Kelly had this early Texas, Alamo thing she’s working on. It sounds kind of neat, but I heard she’s going to have buffalo in it. I clean up goat mess on a regular basis, but a buffalo? She is way too patient.

If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
Stop being so serious. Really, Kelly, when I said Adam Lambert was making me hot, I saw you turn the AC down. God, she is so literal, I told her it was chilly outside, and she got a bowl and some crackers.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
I had a reader come up to me and ask me about saving money, like I’m some kind of econo-guru. She was really sweet, but Kelly put a little too much detail in the book. Aside from that, all of the readers have been super-supportive.

Does your author ever try to take over the story? And how do you deal with it?
Kelly is well meaning, but every now and then I just wanna smack her. Kidding, only kidding. She could kick my butt.

Is expressing love difficult for you? Why?
It’s not difficult in a private sense, but with Janie around, and the way a lot of people see me and Jake, it can get frustrating.

What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you?
Aside from getting my leg blown off, and the court battle? Maybe this time when me and Jake were hiking in the woods, and, well... take a guest.

Is there a message you want to get across in this interview?
Not really, but as for Kelly, can you say preachy? I was at her place last week, and she gave me a guide to canning with jars. We get it, girl. God, she’s so cheap.

If you could time travel, where would you go?
The fifties or the forties. I love the cars, the food, the decor, and that old rock and roll. Like with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. Not so much with the politics of the time, but I’d try to fix what I could.

What has been your all time favorite question from another character?
I really wasn’t asked a lot, but being fiction based, we non-existent characters get to meet so many other characters. Did you know Daffy really hated Bugs, learned to smoke cigars from Groucho, and was Jewish? Pretty cool, huh?

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
Defiantly my first time with Jake, it’s all in the book.

Is there a question you wish I had asked but didn’t?
I wish I would have asked Tina if they had chorizo, cabrito or regular food in Canada. We went to visit her, and there were ketchup flavored chips, no jalapenos, and gravy on the French fires. It was surreal.

What are your opinions on Jake?
He’s my world, without him, I’d be alone, and depressed, and without barbeque. God, that man can smoke meat.

What are the pros and cons to being a gay?
The pro is that we can wear anything we want, and help out straight guys with meeting girls. The con is, well, we’re in Texas.

How does one become a cool uncle?
The real trick is to just do some things that parents won’t do but keep it within reason. A sip of beer or wine is okay, a jug is not. Let them curse at your place when the parents are out, let them hold your cigar in front of their friends while you go get a beer, and teach them something cool, like guitar playing, or how to play poker. One of Jake’s cousin’s sons came over, and Jake taught him how to pick up a girl. I was surprised he knew how.

Describe your best kill. Why was it the best?
[n/a] After the military, I was done with that. Let’s not talk about it.

What makes being with a virgin the best sexual experience?
Jake was just so innocent and sweet the first time. Have you ever held a scarred kitten, it was like that, but with bodily fluids.

Character spotlight with Gwen Campbell’s, Jarek

Welcome to eXtasy Books. My name’s Jarek and I’ll be your host today, heh, heh. By the way, I like your hair like that. It looks…sultry. Anyway, back to business. I’m the lead male character in Gwen Campbell’s The Muse. If you like what you read below and you’re interested in more, you can buy my book at
Click here to purchase The Muse

What makes you special?
What makes me special? To be honest, I’m having a hard time answering that. In my time (about five-hundred years from now) art has become the new demigod. I’m a model you see. For a time I was popular and in demand. Then I got older and my looks became unfashionable. Oh I still dreamed about modeling contracts, but my day job (I’m a dock foreman) built up too much muscle. That ruined any boyish beauty I might have once had. The artist who discovered me thinks I’m special though. She’s a terrific lady. I hope she’ll be my lady, one day.

Anyway, despite life’s ups and downs, I’m a confident guy. I believe in myself. My friends are guys of good character and we have a good time together. I believe in my artist, too. Now there’s a lady life’s thrown a few curves at.

Tell me about your most current adventure.
Sometimes life just hands you a pile of luck, you know? That’s what happened to me. For some reason I still can’t understand, a master artist picked me out in a crowded bar. I didn’t even recognize her at first. When I saw her, I was blown away by her soft curves and that gorgeous red hair of hers. Staying professional was hard when she asked me to strip down for her and pose—at her place, not the bar. I’ll let Gwen tell you about it…
   “Are you ready to begin?” Calla asked after a time. She smiled at him gently.
   “Yes,” Jarek nodded firmly. “How would you have me pose, Master?”
   “Nothing so grand yet, Jarek.” Calla waved her hand and grinned. “Not today anyway. If I may, I’d like to see what I have to work with, then I’ll spend some time thinking about how best to portray those admirable qualities that drew me to you.” She couldn’t be sure but she thought he blushed. “If you are ready, please remove your shirt.”
   She watched to see how readily or how awkwardly he’d obey. She’d asked about his experience in an effort to carry on a conversation with this stranger but also to find out if he had any legitimate modeling experience. If he’d know how to pose or arrange his body when asked, how to hold a pose without becoming fatigued. She’d been shocked to learn he’d had not one but several bad experiences and from the sounds of it, he hadn’t done much work since. She wondered if he was past them.
   Jarek hesitated for only a second, then he stood and slowly began unbuttoning his shirt.
   Calla stood and started to move around him, giving him a wide berth so he wouldn’t feel crowded. “I will observe your torso from every angle, Jarek,” she told him calmly and matter-of-factly. “Your torso and your face.”
   “Not my—?”
   “I will not need to see your genitals unless I am going to paint them, Jarek,” she explained quickly. “I am not ready to paint you yet and asking you to display yourself before then would be a misuse of your trust.”
   His gaze lifted to hers and tracked her movement as she moved to his side. He felt something pass between them. Perhaps it was the trust she spoke of. Jarek’s expression said he felt confident and beautiful. Straightening his shoulders, he undid the rest of his buttons slowly and with obvious deliberation, then let his sturdy linen shirt slip off his back.
   Calla had to work hard not to gasp. Jarek’s shoulders were indeed a sensual delight, broad, sculpted and striated and his skin shimmered with golden warmth in the midday light. His shirt fell past his buttocks as he slipped his hands out of the sleeves. Calla felt like she was being teased, perhaps even seduced by the slow deliberation of his movements, although she did not mind. She chewed on her lower lip as he casually laid the shirt across one of the chairs. He straightened to his full height, lifted his chin and stood still.
   The smooth line of Jarek’s skin was broken by the defined ridges and dips of a full, pronounced and very male musculature. His lats fanned out in a mouth-watering arc, the muscular ridges on either side of his spine were deep, powerful and flawless. The muscles at the base of his neck flared out over his shoulders and provided the perfect shelf for the tips of his dark, curling hair to brush against.
   “May I touch you?” Calla asked before she was aware the question was in her head. She was surprised her voice was steady.
   “Of course,” Jarek answered without a trace of self-consciousness. He dipped his head to one side at the sound of her approach. His only reaction to her small, warm fingers on his skin was a catch in his breath he couldn’t hold back.
   Calla locked her knees to keep them from shaking. Her reaction to this vital and profoundly masculine man was even stronger in the quiet of her patio than it had been in the noisy animated tavern. Struggling to keep her breathing even, Calla ran her fingers down one side of Jarek’s back. His skin seemed unnaturally soft although it was taut and she could practically feel the strength humming through him. Slowly and methodically, she explored every dip and swell of muscle after muscle. She stroked his back, his spine, the dimples that graced the expanse of skin just above his belt…just above the rise of his perfect buttocks. She touched the backs of his arms, wrapped her fingers slowly around his biceps and tested the resiliency of his skin. She breathed him in—man and spice and what had to be a pheromone because she started breathing a little deeper and her cleft grew damp. Her nipples hardened and Calla fought not to lean into him and comfort their nagging arousal with the pressure of his body against hers.
   Jarek’s breath caught when she swirled her fingernails over the inside of his forearms. He straightened his fingers when she caressed them. He almost captured her hands in his but relaxed at the last minute, letting her fingers slip out of his grasp. Calla lost all track of time as she stroked the sides of Jarek’s body, seeing, feeling and scenting him with a growing need that trampled all boundaries of professional propriety.
   Deliberately, she stepped away from him. She moistened her lips and trembled from head to toe. “Thank you. You can get dressed,” she managed to say without her voice breaking, picked up his shirt and handed it to him. Calla kept her hands firmly at her side when Jarek turned around to face her. His slipped his shirt back on with a slowness that almost had her ripping it back off his perfect, powerful torso.
   “Did I pass the audition?” he asked with what sounded like deliberate audaciousness.
   This time, Calla blushed. “Definitely,” she breathed and fanned herself theatrically.
   Jarek grinned contentedly. He finished buttoning his shirt and tucked it into his pants. “When do I start?” he asked.
   Calla walked back to the table, picked up her cup of now cold tea and sipped it—more to give herself a second to breathe away from Jarek’s powerful sensuality than anything else. “Any time tomorrow. I can’t promise I’ll come up with anything brilliant by then but we will work through a few ideas.”
   Jarek nodded sagely, then ruined the effect by grinning down at her boyishly. “Any time tomorrow? How about one minute after midnight?”
   “One minute after midnight and you’ll catch me in my bedclothes.”
   The intensity in Jarek’s dark blue eyes jumped. He’d like to catch her in her bed and wondered how she’d react if he asked to take her there now. He leaned over the table, watching her predatorily. Calla’s breathing jumped and her nipples grew hard again.
   Something in her expression shifted, like he was overwhelming her or she was unprepared for the unexpected heat rising between them. Moved by compassion, Jarek was the first to look away. “Okay,” he said casually. “Two minutes after midnight then.”
   Calla laughed. “Anytime after sunrise will do nicely.”
   “Agreed.” Grinning, Jarek turned away. It seemed like a long time since he’d felt this good about himself. As he left the patio, he paused beside the marble statuette and looked at it once more. Like before, he laid his hand on the base. “What will it feel like,” he asked himself more than her, “to be immortalized like this? What did your model say when he saw this completed?”
   Calla’s mouth thinned. “He did not see it completed. He left me before it was finished. That is the last rendering I ever did of my ex-husband.”
   Jarek’s gaze rose slowly to hers and, guardedly, he watched Callandria’s face for anger, tears—even resentment, but found none. He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
   “If even the greatest fool of our time can be so perfectly cast, then there is indeed hope for me yet.” He took her hand and pressed a lingering kiss to her palm. “Until tomorrow, Callandria,” he said quietly, bowed his head and left.

If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
I wish she’d find a way to keep my artist’s dirt-bag ex-husband out of the picture. The guy’s a narcissistic jerk who’s happiest when he’s running Calla down.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
I guess I don’t think about it much. Like I said before, I’m a pretty confident guy. Sure I wish my life had been different…before now that is. I wanted to contribute to the arts, to support myself through modeling. That didn’t happen and I accept that. I treat people the way I’d like to be treated. Just don’t confuse my easy-going nature with an inability to step up in someone’s defense if it’s called for.

Is humor important? Why or why not?
Humor? Absolutely. Like it was five-hundred years ago, life sucks sometimes. People treat you like dirt. If you rise above that, don’t let yourself sink down to other people’s level, you’ll be okay. Humor helps me do that.

Is expressing love difficult for you? Why?
When I was younger, yes. Nowadays, I’m more open to new experiences, feelings. Take my relationship with my artist for example. She’s a tough, classy lady whose ex betrayed her. To this day, he won’t lay off trying to grind down her spirit, even her credibility in the art world. Whenever Calla needs it, I make sure I’m there, supporting her, reminding her how terrific she is. I also can’t lay off staring at that great ass of hers whenever I get the chance. I like how it lights up her eyes whenever she catches me.

Share a little bit of the ‘real’ you with our readers. Any Dark secrets?
Yeah, I’ve got a few. I’m not proud of it, but when I was younger, I took some questionable modeling jobs. The kind where rich men gather around a private studio and the models assume various grappling poses. Nude of course. Hints of forced seduction, defilements…that sort of thing. I’m a big guy and I make other models look defenseless by comparison. I left the work when I realized these so-called artists were more interested in watching than sketching. And that they wanted me to move far more than pose. Calla hit the nail on the head when she referred to that kind of session as life sex shows under the guise of art. She never looked down on me after I told her though. Like I said, she’s a terrific lady.

What has been your all time favorite question from another character?
It was the day Calla came down to the docks and talked my boss into donating my work hours so I could work with her full time. As I was leaving, one of the guys I work with asked, “When will you be back and does she have a sister?” My answer? “If she had a sister she’d be far too good for the likes of you. As to when I’ll be back…I’ll be back after I’ve been immortalized.”

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
This is just between you and me, right? I’m not a kiss and tell kind of guy. There was this one morning…Calla was working in her studio. Life had been messing around with her, again, but despite that, she’d had a breakthrough. She was working on this wax model. A sculpture of me, of course. *wink* I was just so floored by her amazing talent I dropped to the tiles, sat between her knees and started kissing her…well, you get the point. She’s the kind of lady you want to worship, even if it means your balls ache for the rest of the day. I’m pretty sure she’ll make it up to me though.

Author spotlight with Gwen Campbell

Hi Gwen and welcome!
What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Getting downsized from my job. No, really. I’ve always written (little stories and plays for my friends when I was kid, then historical romances that didn’t sell. Hundreds of magazine articles that did sell.) When I got downsized, I had a window of opportunity (before the bank balance got to zero) to focus on writing romance. I learned how to be real professional about the industry, how to read my work critically and accept and learn from the criticism of others, parked my butt in the chair and kept it there while I worked at my craft.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
Relieved. Like all those hours and all those sacrifices my husband made so I could stay home and pound the keyboard had been worth it. I may write about delicious alpha males, but HE’S my hero.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
A plotter, definitely. When I gave my life over to writing full time and ran the risk of dragging my family’s financial future down the drain with me if I failed, I put on my big-girl panties and approached writing like I would any business plan. I didn’t have time to waste on false starts or massaging a temperamental muse. What I’ve got is an on-going idea file. The genesis for a book might be a single picture in my head, a single scene or a character. That information gets added to the idea file. Over time, as I go back to the file again and again, that original nugget gets expanded on. Or not, depending. After awhile (some quicker than others) the idea for that book evolves into a fully realized plot outline, complete with fleshed-out characters, conflicts, over-arcing themes and (if I’m lucky) subtext.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Chocolate. Hands down. And there’s actually NO guilt involved. Next question?

What are you working on now?
A Halloween-themed book about a time-traveler from the future and a DEA agent. She transports into his house because she needs a place to stay and faulty information told her he’s out of town on assignment. He wakes up in the middle of the night to find her standing in front of his open refrigerator, naked, drinking milk straight out of the carton. Like most of my books, there’s a dog in this one. A beagle named Toby. He’s not a time traveler though. He’s just cute.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
That’s assuming there’s only one. So many different genres and writing styles turn me on. I like Ann Maxwell’s early stuff. Stephen King, Patrick O’Brien. I used to be a massive Elizabeth George fan, but after fourteen books, she made her Inspector Lynley unlikable. I often wonder if it was deliberate, like Arthur Conan Doyle made Sherlock Holmes jump off a waterfall, killing him so Doyle wouldn’t have to write about him anymore.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
Paying back my local writing community. I remember those depressing years when I would use up my spare time writing one historical romance after another. I’d send out dozens of query letters and never get anything more than a standard rejection form…if I got a reply at all. I’m now a member of a local writers’ group and Romance Writers of America. At the meetings, it’s great talking writing and just listening to other people, but if I’m asked, I’m privileged to share whatever insights I have about the industry, getting published…but mostly I encourage, encourage, encourage.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
Thank you! Really, really thank you.

www.GwenCampbell.net

Character spotlight with Mahalia Levey’s, Merikano Varadi

Good Morning. Today I’m introducing Dare Merikano Varadi to everyone. His story is Merikano’s Fury available now at eXtasy books.

Here’s the buy link

What makes you special?
What can I say; I’m a one-of-a kind type of male.

What differentiates you from your kind? Do you have special abilities?
I possess both the genes of a Hawk and Cheetah. Special ablilities? Now that would be telling. But I do this and that. Work for a high profile shifter.

Tell me about your most current adventure.
Merikano’s Fury is a fast paced read, filled with tales of one woman oblivious to danger and the handsome as the devil male, *me* who get to chase after her and keep her safe.

Excerpt

   Dare followed at a distant pace, watching her move along the people crowding the paved walkway. He watched her flutter around with her fuzzy hood, taking pictures of any and everything. Damned crazy woman. He froze his gonads off while following her.
   He picked up his cell and got the voicemail for the CEO. “You so owe me, you lucky bastard. Next time you wish a tail on someone, make it someone who uses a car and has enough sense to stay out of the elements instead of some quirky crazy chick that’s snapping pictures of people she doesn’t know.” He slammed his phone shut and weaved through the people. He couldn’t wait to catch up to her and grill her for her inept way of placing herself in danger.
   His wish came true as she turned and boarded the A-Train. Finally, he shook his head. He had a way to confront her without causing a stir, a way to talk with her and not give away his position. Deryck and his damned ideas! He blew warm air on his hands and rubbed them together. For damn sure he’d be wearing a full-length leather trench tomorrow, provided he couldn’t sway her to stay indoors.
   He leaned against a pole in the fifth car. The jam-packed car made it hard to move at this time of day. He watched through the glass, using his hawk’s eye, where she stood three cars up, her camera poised as she snapped pictures of the train’s occupants. He wondered when someone would take her camera and shove it up her ass. She’d been riding the same car all week, taking pictures of the same people. Of course, they could think that she was some freak stalker. He heaved his lean body off the stationary metal pole and walked, holding onto the hand straps as he went from train-car to train-car. He stopped in her car and just watched her watching others. “A watcher of people, not birds,” he whispered, a hairsbreadth from behind her.
   Krissy turned around, mace out and ready. “Excuse me?”
   “If you watch them or take any more pictures, they might mob you.” He then motioned to the annoyed faces and tense bodies of the train’s inhabitants.
   Krissy looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “I know you…” She frowned, as if trying to place where she knew him.
   “Dare,” he replied, trying to help her to remember.
   “Ohh, you look different with clothes on.” She laughed out loud, oblivious to the questioning gazes of the fellow passengers whose attention was now riveted on the tall, dark man looming over the petite brunette who’d been invading their privacy.
   “Do I now?” Dare laughed and then plucked a broken branch from the fur surrounding her face. “Warm enough there, Eskimo?”
   Krissy laughed. “Well, you were in nothing but a sheet last time I saw you and then you dropped it.” She blushed.
   “Was it so bad?” He couldn’t help but to egg her on.
   “You’re the perfect image of the man my ma said to stay away from. You know, you and Truth had a lot of fun making fun of my innocence when you both double teamed me at the shoot.” She shook her head and moved a step away from him.
   “We didn’t tag team you, per say. We just persuaded you to try and think of new things.”
   Krissy choked. “I had on the most God awful ensemble for the shoot, Mr. Romance Novel model,” she pushed.
   “Like you said, I’m every woman’s dream,” he quipped back.
   “You’re ruining my project,” she replied with a frown.
   “You’re project isn’t safe.” He couldn’t help but gaze into her eyes and take in her flushed face.
   “It’s safe enough that I’m not harming anything.” She was becoming exasperated.
   “Okay, tell me that running in Central Park or going through Battery Park at dusk is a safe thing for a lone female to do?”
   “Spying on me, Dare?” She raised a brow, the mace container still primed and aimed for his face. She smirked, obviously certain he couldn’t see her little device in the palm of her gloved hand.
   Dare’s reflexes were quick—lightning quick, to be exact. He took her off balance and pulled her small body against his lean one. Her back hit his chest as his arms wrapped around her wrist. Krissy turned inward to break his hold, but encountered his thighs, preventing her from moving, the steel pole and seats preventing her from going elsewhere. The occupants seemed to be enjoying her folly. She stepped on the instep of his foot and jabbed back with her elbow, encountering rock hard abs.
   “Okay,” she grumbled.
   Dare didn’t fall for her mechanisms. As he let her loose, he gripped the hold on her wrist so that the tube cylinder would roll out onto the floor. He caught it with the instep of his boot and launched it upward into his palm before handing it back to her. “You don’t need to be spied on. You do the most insane things that are apparent. If you want to live long, then blend in. If you don’t, then keep doing what you are doing and you’ll end up raped and mutilated before you can say help,” he enunciated.
   “I have mace,” she said.
   “That would be the same mace I just disarmed you with. In a public setting full of people,” he vocalized. “Mace won’t help you against beasts of the night, sweetheart.”
   “Quit following me. What are you, a stalker?” she shrieked and gathered her things closer to her.
   Dare looked at her. “Look, I’m not stalking you, Krissy. I just have been in the neighborhood and witnessed for myself the way you innocently place yourself in harm’s way.”
   Krissy flushed red with annoyance. “I’m not changing my schedule for a what if. The chances of someone attacking me are zilch. I’m perfectly safe with my own safety devices and besides, I know self-defense.” She crossed her arms in defiance.
   “Suit yourself, sweetheart. Just don’t get mad when I say I told you so.” He tapped his finger on the tip of her nose and jaunted past her to make his way out of the subway.

If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
To mind her own. She has a habit of interfering in things that don’t pertain to her. I’m a man, Krissy is my woman. I hardly need a woman to tell me how to take care of what’s mine.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
At first I wasn’t. I mean, I’m a man. We chase skirts, until a good one comes along and we want to change. There’s nothing worse than a broad thinkin we’re unsavory.

If you could pull your author into your world, what do you think would happen to them?
She wouldn’t last a minute. I’d have to coral her muse and have a hero made for her to keep her safe…from herself. Okay, so she’s talented in bringing us out. I’ve met many a chick in her mind and seen the outcome. C’mon, they have to get their traits somewhere besides a psych research book. My bet is they’re more like her than she knows. She’d need a strong man like me to keep tabs on her alright.

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
Waiting excruciating months to mark Krissy. The wait was definitely an experience, I’ve never had and never will again.

Does shifting hurt?
When I was in puberty. You get used to it though.
Share a little bit of the ‘real’ you with our readers. Any Dark secrets? I’m a simple man. I have simple tastes. As for Dark Secrets, that’s classified information. I may look and be a romance cover model, and damn good at it…but my real job consists of much, much more.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Surrounded by laughing children. *Grins* I plan on practicing real hard to make it a reality.

What kind of abilities do you get when you become a cheetah?
About the same as any shifter. I’m stronger, faster than any other shifter. My eyesight and sense of smell is enhanced. When I kill, and, I do kill, blood sustains me more than water.

Is silver dangerous for you or is that a myth?
Hell no, it’s a myth, although any type of bullet hurts like a son of a, so does being stabbed.

Thank you for your time.

It’s been pleasant, though not as pleasant as laying with my girl. You can find my author at her website. I’m aiming for brownie points. Rhaikar is determined to get revenge. I’m determined to ensure it doesn’t happen.

http://www.mahalialevey.com/

Author spotlight with Dianna Hunter

Dear Dianna,
Thanks for agreeing to the interview.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Writing has allowed me to release all those emotions and stories beating against the walls of my brain.

What makes a book great in your eyes?The ability to keep a reader’s attention and put him inside the character’s skin.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
Write what you feel—no matter what it is. If you feel pain, put it on paper—if you are feeling erotic, tell us about it, etc.

What are you working on now?
The new title is Daemon Hunter. Leanna is a world-walker from the world of Haiti. She is tracking a rogue wizard through the Chain of worlds to rescue her brothers. Her biggest challenge is the chance encounter with other races who may mistake her for the fabled demons of their own mythology for Lea is a tall, slender young woman—with scaled bronze-gold skin, red/gold eyes and a magnificent set of horns curling through her locks of forest-green hair.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
It is both for no matter how much fantasy is involved, there is always just that touch of someone remembered and loved.

Do you write in one genre or several different ones? And why?
Fantasy is the world I feel most at home.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
On the beach.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
I take a couple of days off and do something else—I take pictures or just read a book by one of my favorite authors to take my mind away from my own world.

Do you have another career besides writing? What is it?
I am a photographer.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
I get to take some of the chaos out of my mind and organize it on paper.

To date, which is your favorite story? Which one did you have the most fun writing?
I think like The Druid’s Revenge the best. It was originally titled Hear the Wind Cry because it was how I heard the story told. I like Mariah’s way of gathering her power to her and coping with her inner pain.

How do you go about developing your characters and setting?
A character comes to me of her own and the world forms around us. Anything from a newspaper story to a real event can instigate this. In The Druid’s Captive, the murder at the beginning of the story was real—perhaps the perpetrator was not a big man in black but—well, they never did catch him.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
Just keep on dreaming – and writing it down to share!

Author spotlight with Thadd Evans

Dear Thadd,
Thanks for agreeing to the interview. Tell us, what has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
In elementary school, junior high, senior high and college, teachers praised me for my short stories and essays. In high school, my English teacher said, "You're the only one in my class who has anything to say. Write more!"

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
I was shocked, in a good way.

What makes a book great in your eyes?
It makes you laugh, think, imagine and hope. It opens your mind to many possibilities.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
Read Elements of Style by Strunk and White and The First Five Pages, Staying out of the Rejection Pile, by Noah Lukeman. Also, write as much as you can and join a writer's group. That is an over simplification, but it's a start.

What influences your writing? And why?
Images in my head, movies, books, newspaper articles. For about thwenty-five years, I read about quantum mechanics, a field that is so weird, so fantastic that it boggles the mind. Why? Because these provoke my imagination.

What are you working on now?
Beyond Portal 2212, a science fiction novel about a group of cloned humans who are trying to survive in an alternate universe.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
It's a tossup between James Joyce, author of Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man and Josesph Heller, author of Catch-22.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
I get tired, but I never have to deal writer's block.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
Today, it's the fact that my stories are the best way to articulate my ideas about the future. Although movies like Terminator and Blade Runner and other movies deal with that topic, there are many possible futures.

Author spotlight with Viola Grace

Dear Viola,

Thanks for agreeing to this interview. Let’s start by asking how you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
Pantser all the way. Every time I plot, it goes off in a different direction.

What makes a book great in your eyes?
Emotional development of a character. If the characters don’t evolve, then what is the point? I want the females and the males to come to realizations and discover a part of their personality that they had forgotten about.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
Write, finish, submit. Write again.

If you don’t’ finish something, then you will never know if your writing can stand on its own. Choose your genre by writing a book you enjoy, not by what you think someone else may like. If you are lucky, your passion for your topic will come through and then your audience will come.

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
A love scene is easy. A sex scene is difficult. With a love scene, I am concentrating on the feelings of the couple. The sensations, the seduction of the senses. With sex scenes, you have to break it down to the physical, steps in a dance. If someone steps on the other’s toes, the music stops.

Do you write in one genre or several different ones? And why?
I write in both Urban romantic fantasy and in erotic romantic fantasy. I started in erotic writing because I knew I could do it well, but as I have evolved, the urge to tell the story has become all-consuming. It is easier to write an action/romance without having to work in a detailed sex scene.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
I call my friends and bitch about it. I craft, craft, do housework, craft, chat online and when my brain feels it is time, I go back to writing.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
Fan mail. I LOVE fan mail. I have suspected that someone is reading my work, but getting emails from readers makes my day. Better than a good review any day.

To date, which is your favorite story? Which one did you have the most fun writing?
Freak Factor is my current favourite story. The most fun one as well. Creating superheroes in space makes the Sector Guard my favourite set of books in general. They were all fun to write.

How do you go about developing your characters and setting?
For setting, I create a place where the characters can get together with a slight amount of privacy. The logic behind their seclusion has to make sense. As for characters, I pick a personality trait that I want the character to embody and I build the character around it.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
Thank you so much for letting me do what I love for a living!

 http://www.violagrace.com/
viola@violagrace.com

Author spotlight with Jon Bradbury

Dear Jon,
First, thanks for agreeing to the interview.
Tell us, what has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Not so much what as who. Five people, my high school English teacher, Mr. Sorgent, was the first person to make me realize I could be a writer. My college Journalism Professor, Francis Garland, and two guys I both knew and worked with on the college newspaper, Don McGee and Steve Elliot, plus a drama professor, Jerry O‘Donnell.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
It was very exciting, but anti-climactic as well. I didn’t even speak to the person on the phone. All contact was through email. I submitted the manuscript. I got an email back saying, We like it but we need you to make changes. I made the changes and sent it back in. Then I got an email back saying, Here’s your contract.

What makes a book great in your eyes?
A book needs primary characters someone can relate to and imagine knowing. Strong vivid writing to place the reader in the moment as the events in the story are happening. Strong character and plot development.

What is the biggest piece of your advice you can give a beginning writer?
Read as much as you can from as many different sources as possible—books, magazines, newspapers, online articles, blogs, to get exposure to as many different writing styles as possible.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Baywatch.

What influences your writing? And why?
A lot of pop culture, like music and music videos, gives me material for stories. Personal experience or that of others.

Name one thing readers don’t know about you.
I love cartoons—Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, ect.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on several stories right now—a sequel to Diamonds Are Forever, a story called One Good Reason, about two people in the Air Force who meet in Paris, and several other stories in various stages.

Who is your favorite all-time author?
Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park

Are love scenes easy/difficult to write?
Love scenes are usually difficult to write, but fun. You would think love scenes would be easy to write, but there are a lot of details involved. Much like porn movies, you have to plan the situation, where they’re at, what they’re wearing, positions, what they do, ect. It’s fun but it can be difficult.

Do you write in one genre or several different ones? And why?
I write urban contemporary romance, but I am interested in branching out into swords-and-sorcery stories, and I have an idea for a vampire story. I don’t want to muscle in on anyone‘s action, I just think it would be fun to write other types of stories. Maybe one will see the light of day.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
Anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Or maybe just Baja LOL.

How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?
I recognize that I’m trying too hard. I give myself a break and do something completely different to give my brain a vacation.

Do you have another career besides writing? What is it?
Well, as of this interview, I am unfortunately not employed. But for the last several years I have worked in call centers.

What’s your biggest reward in being a writer?
Knowing people are reading my books. Hopefully they like them.

To date, which is your favorite story? Which one did you have the most fun writing?
Wow, that’s a tough one. But I would have to say my favorite would be Midnight Blue. The one that was most fun to write was Infidelity. I let my inner bad boy out to play.

How do you go about developing your characters and setting?
I start with a character, either male or female, and put them in a situation, either good or bad, one they want to stay in or get out of, then take the plot from there, and add in lots of details.

If you had the opportunity to say one thing to your readers, what would that be?
Thank you to everyone who has bought my stories. I appreciate all the support, and there is more coming!

Visit Jon at:http://hstrial-jonbradbury.intuitwebsites.com