Wicked Writer Wednesday Guest – Mary Hagen!

Welcome to another installment of Wicked Writer Wednesday! Today I want you to meet one of my favorite people, Mary Hagen. It is my pleasure to showcase this amazing woman and author. She has done so many things – it’s just fascinating to talk with her and hear about her life. So go grab a cuppa, sit down, and scroll your way through my interview with Mary and learn all about her newest book, Secret to Hold!

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~ How did you get started writing?
I’ve written since ninth grade when I won 2nd place a school short story contest put on by my English teacher.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what’s the order in which the books should be read?
My book Secret to Hold is not part of a series, but I’m thinking it could. I want to see how the book fares before I write another as a series.

How did you come up with the story?
My book is a western historical set in Wyoming Territory, l886 located on a ranch I’ve visited. The house is listed as a national historic site but the ranch and house have been sold to an oil company. My sister tells me, the house is boarded up and falling into disrepair.

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That’s kinda sad. Seeing a house that has so much history abandoned is almost like seeing books tossed by a dumpster. In the rain.  : (

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Who’s your favorite character in the book? Why?
My heroine, Jessica Bradley who must conquer her fears to get on with her life.

What’s your favorite line in the story? “It’s not our past that matters. It’s what we do with the present and the future.”

What genre(s) do you write in? Why?
I have a difficult time staying with one genre, but short contemporary romance is a favorite. The book I’m working on currently is another western historical located in Wyoming which is my home state, incidentally. I have a request to send a “Women in Jeopardy” novel with elements of romance to a publisher. The book is one of my favorites.

Tell us about your latest release.
Jessica accepts a position to teach two children on a remote Wyoming ranch. Before she arrives, she is warned by two individuals that the hero, Cameron McPherson, murdered the previous teacher. As she falls in love with him, she determines to prove the rumor false, but events lead her to question her decision.

What inspired your latest book?
I grew up on my father’s sheep ranch where cows were queens. All western ranchers I’ve known called all cattle cows so I use the term. It includes cows, steers, bulls. When I visited the ranch I write about and learned the owner was a sheep rancher who had enough wealth and water, he could hold off powerful cattle barons in spite of prejudices against sheep, I knew I had a story.

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That sounds amazing, Mary! Nice conflict. Yep – you’ve got a great story there!

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~ What is your favorite thing about being a romance writer?
I’m a romantic at heart. It follows I would love reading romances and writing about romance. I think of my books as love stories. One of my favorites is PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. It’s a love story.

~ What is your favorite part of writing?
Becoming involved in my stories puts problems of my own out of my mind. I call the writing “My great escape from reality.”

~ What is your least favorite part of writing?
Getting them ready to send to an editor followed by marketing.

~ What is your next project and when will it be released?
Good question. I’m working on my western I call “Day of Reckoning,” but I have a long way to go before I finish the novel. I haven’t put out a proposal but my new contract says I must submit it to Desert Breeze Publishing.

~ What is your typical writing day like?
Sometimes I work all day for several days. Then I take a break from writing for several days. I admit this is not a good practice because I lose continuity. In another way, I sometimes come up with a different way I want to go with the book or some incidents I think will strengthen the story.

~ How much time do you spend promoting your books?
Very little. Avalon sold to libraries, but they’ve sold to Amazon so if they take one of my books, I’m going to have to work at promoting.

~ What works best for you?
I’m hoping my connection with CRW will give me ideas. After all, we have some super writers in our group who are doing very well with their books. They always seem willing to help the rest of us.

~ How has your experience with self-publishing been?
I’m not into self-publishing. I think I’ll leave that to the published writers in our group who are super good at promotion.

~ Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
Experiences, newspapers, old journals, speaking with people. My list could go on and on.

~ What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?
Go for it. I think self-publishing is great and will help the industry by making editors and agents take notice of very good writers who have been passed over for one reason or another and open doors to new writers.

~ Do you have critique partners?
Yes. My favorite activity every two weeks is meeting with my critique group. They’ve helped me become a better writer.

~ What is your favorite dessert/food?
Unfortunately, I have a sweet tooth. I like candy, cake, cookies, you name it. I can’t say one thing is favorite, but I’d list banana cream pie high on the chart.

~ How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?
My characters are composites of many people I’ve known not people I meet.

~ What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
I think characters because they have emotions that lead to conflicts. They force me to think of so much making up individuals for my books. No easy task.

~ Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?
It’s never a walk in the park, but not always fraught with peril either.

~ Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?
I have an office but no view. Darn. I could use one instead of looking at my computer screen all day. My office is messy and I’m always searching for things, swearing I’ll come up with a filing system that works. I never find time to do the filing.

~ Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.
My hero has lost the love of his life and is certain he will never love again. He’s left with the responsibility of bringing up his daughter. Because his brother was killed, he is, also, the guardian of his niece. His hands are full.

~ Describe your hero in five words.
He’s a dream. He wears his dark hair long to his collar. He has brown eyes and when he smiles, wrinkles radiate from the corners of his eyes. His voice, to the heroine, sounds like a cello. He’s tall, 6’1″, muscular, and sun-tanned from spending time in the out-of-doors, and he sits his horse well, the fringe on his jacket barely moving as he rides. His laugh is contagious. He smells of sage and leather.

~ What physical aspect does your heroine love most about your hero? Least? Details, please!
He’s kind to his children, tells them stories, and shows her respect in her duties as a teacher. She has a secret, she hopes he never knows. When he finds out, he tells her the past is not important. It’s what she’s doing now that matters and he loves her. When she first becomes attracted to him, she is disappointed at his cool reaction to her.

~ Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.
My heroine enters the story with insecurities that overwhelm her. In fact, she isn’t certain she wants to live until an accident makes her realize life is valuable. She’s able to defend the children she teaches against destructive prejudices of the antagonist who threatens to reveal her secret.

~ Describe your heroine in five words.
Plain, beautiful eyes, tall, slender, insecure.

~ What genres are you drawn to as a reader?
Regencies, historical, mysteries, contemporary romance.

~ Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?
I read almost everything.

~ Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?
No.

~ Do you write under a pen name? Why or why not?
No. I haven’t found it necessary.

~ How far do you plan ahead?
I don’t plan ahead. I’ve been accused of being a “free spirit”. Whether that is good or bad, I don’t know.

~ Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?
I have a picture of a stork holding a frog in its bill. The frog says, “never give up.”

~ What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
I read a great deal and I usually wanted to be the heroine in whatever book I was reading so I wanted to be lots of things. My husband is a fantastic writer. To entice him to write, I decided I would spark the competitiveness in him by becoming a writer. It didn’t work.

~ Do you or have you belonged to a writing organization? Which one? Have the helped you with your writing? How?
I get an enormous amount of help from CRW. I love the meetings, the speakers, and talking with other writers especially.

Did you have several manuscripts finished before you sold? If so, did you send them out yourself?
I didn’t have several manuscripts finished. I sent them out myself.

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Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Mary, and congratulations on getting under contract for this book! I can’t wait until it comes out! Readers, be sure to check back here later this year for more about Mary Hagen and her upcoming release, Secret to Hold!

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Wicked Writer Wednesday Guest – Holley Trent

Welcome to Wicked Writer Wednesday. I’m so pleased to introduce today’s showcase author guest, Holley Trent! Holley is the author of humorous contemporary romance with a “Quirky Kink” twist. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Reading one of her irresistible short works is truly a pleasure and a vacation from the ordinary! Read on and learn more about Holley and her latest novelette, All Shook Up! Welcome Holley!

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Thanks, Lori, for letting me visit today!

I’m Holley Trent, a Coloradan romance writer. I author stories set in rural North Carolina (where I’m from). They’re usually quirky and sort of bawdy. I want to tell folks about my new romantic comedy novelette All Shook Up and why I wrote it.

What’s a novelette? A novelette is basically a long short story not quite long enough to be a novella. You don’t have a lot of time for world-building or character development: you drop your characters into a situation and make them solve it as quickly as possible. Get in, get out, boom.

After I wrote my first rom-com The Spirit of Things, I felt my “boom” wasn’t boomy enough so I felt compelled to improve the “happily ever after.” That’s what All Shook Up spawned from. In it I do something a lot of writers would probably consider cheating: I dumped in a lot of new characters so I could make Nikki, my heroine, the anchor of a loose series. I knew I was done with her love story, but I wasn’t done with her community.

As soon as I turned All Shook Up in to Rebel Ink Press, I started Polished Slick: a novel being released next month. Two minor characters from All Shook Up take the lead roles. And in the next book, which I think I came up with a title for today, two more minor characters from Polished Slick grab the baton. Nikki shows up again to facilitate the story.

Novelettes are handy, huh?

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Well, they sure sound like a ton of fun to me! I know from experience that writing short is truly an art form. UIt’s not as easy as you would think. I love the way you described it – dropping your characters in a scene and letting them figure it out!

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Here’s a PG-13 excerpt (language) from All Shook Up where you can see the hero from Polished Slick’s stealthy introduction:

All Shook Up Excerpt

Mercedes opened the office door, looked out to see if anyone was lurking in the hall, and then pulled her head back in to close it. “The rumor is that she’s made one of those porno movies—and not even the good ones that you get in the mail in plain brown packages, but one of those shitty internet ones you have to download and then hope nobody finds while they’re on computer printing coupons and shit.”

The right side of my face twitched. I didn’t even know which part of the statement to address first. “Do you think it’s true?”

“Wouldn’t be hard to find out. You want me to find out?”

I imagined Luz stumbling onto the computer her mother had negligently left open on some scandalous link and shuddered.

“Um. No…um… Hey, you know what? I know a hacker-type guy who lives alone in a trailer and who would probably love to do me a favor. I’ll ask him.”

“You mean that guy who lives out on Yellowhammer who has all his windows painted black?”

I blinked mutely at Mercedes’ knowledge of the county crazies.

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That guy’s name is “Jerry” by the way. Right now I’m sketching out the characters in the next story, and I need some help naming one of the supporting cast members.

So this week I’m asking blog readers to tell me their favorite “old-fashioned” name. On Saturday, I’ll pick one at random and use that name on a secondary character in the next book—and you’ll get a mention in the acknowledgements for the suggestion.

I can’t promise it’ll be a likeable character, so keep that in mind!

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That sounds amazing, Holley! Readers, be sure to comment for a chance to name a character in Holley’s next novelette! Thanks so much for being with us today. BTW – where can we find your latest, All Shook Up?

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All Shook Up is available now at:

Amazon (Kindle)
All Romance
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
BookStrand

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Watch in September for my sensual romance novel Polished Slick and stay tuned for news for the next spin-off. I’ll announce it on my website—holleytrent.com/blog—or possibly blather about it on Twitter. Just follow @holleytrent.

Wicked Writer Wednesday Guest – C.R. Moss!

Image of CR MossAre you ready for a Wicked Writer Wednesday one night stand? I hope so because today you all are in for a real treat. I’m featuring C.R. Moss – author of Sunset Seduction and Sunset Desires, two volumes in Decadent Publishing’s 1 Night Stand Series!

I met this wonderful author in June of this year at RomCon 2012. We really had a great time attending the events, eating, drinking and generally making merry. Authors are readers too, so it’s always great to meet a fresh new authors at these events. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy this interview. Welcome Chis!

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Thank you, Lori, for having me on your blog today!

Hi everyone, my name is Chris, and I write under the names C.R. Moss for erotic and mainstream romance and Casey Moss for mainstream dark fiction (horror, suspense, urban fantasy).

My professional bio for C.R. Moss: An eccentric and eclectic writer, C.R. Moss pens stories for the mainstream and erotic romance markets, giving readers Worlds of Possibilities when it comes to love.

The bio for my other persona: Casey Moss delves into the darker aspects of life in her writing, sometimes basing the stories on reality, sometimes on myth. No matter the path, her stories will take you on a journey from the light-hearted paranormal to dark things unspeakable. What waits around the corner? Come explore…

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~ Do you write under a pen name? Why?
Yes, I do. The names C.R. Moss and Casey Moss are pen names. When I first started off writing and publishing erotic romance, I decided to use my initials. Seemed the easiest way to come up with a pen name at the time. For my mainstream stuff, I’m using a childhood nickname. As for the last name, my real last name isn’t too ‘general public friendly’ or ‘writer sounding’ so I used an English translation of it.

~ What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
For a very brief period of time, I had ideas of becoming a teacher or an astronaut. Both occurred before the age of ten. But for the most part, I knew I wanted to write at a young age, as early as I learned to read. I was always cooking up stories to entertain myself in the rural area I lived in. Had to since there were no other kids around to play with. My defining moment came when I received an A in English in grade school. I was just shy of being a teenager when I had my ‘calling.’ Ever since then, most of my choices in life have revolved around my goal of becoming a full-time fiction writer and being published.

~ When did you start writing toward publication?
Upon my ‘calling.’ I had written a story for a magazine. It’d been rejected, but that was my start. After that, I began studying the craft of writing. It started with working on the school newspaper in middle school to creative writing classes and Teens Art Festivals in high school. I received a BA in Communications, Information and Library Studies from Rutgers College with a strong concentration in English Lit/Writing and Interpersonal Communications/PR. Studying under the mentorship of Terri Valentine (author of ‘Sands of Time,’ a Zebra Historical Romance), I honed my novel writing skills. In the mid to late 2000s, I finally put my foot down, got over my nerves and took the plunge into submitting stories to publishers. I’ve been published since 2008, and as for the craft, I’m still learning things by taking the occasional online class, attending industry conferences, and devouring all the writing how-to books I can get my hands on.

~ Where do you get your inspiration?
I get ideas from everywhere…conversations, news headlines, television, songs. On occasion I’ve been known to pull from my old careers and the people I’ve known, drawing out tidbits of personalities for characters, places for settings and information to assist with subject matter—for example, using the basis and background knowledge of energy work that I learned in the massage field for paranormal stories I’ve worked on.

~ Has anything in your real life ever inspired scenes for your books?
Of course it has. I love using the places I’ve lived in and visited as the settings. There was one story I wrote (it’s not available at the moment) where I used a situation I’d been in one night on a beach. Granted, I elaborated on the situation and made it much more intense than it had been, but the foundation was there.

~ What are you currently working on?
Under my C.R. name, I’m in the process of finishing my parts of the next Wild West book that my writing partner and I are writing which will complete the first draft of that manuscript, then it’s onto the third Wild West story since I have some more scenes to do for that, too. I also have a WIP that I’m planning on submitting to & hopefully will be picked up by Evernight Publishing’s Naughty Fairy Tales line. That story will take up where an anthology story left off. I also have two more Sunset stories to finish for Decadent Publishing’s 1NightStand line.

For Casey, I have an urban fantasy series started, a horror series in the works and some editing and republishing of several other stories.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what’s the order in which the books should be read?Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.
Today I’m talking about my erotic romance/chick-lit Sunset books. It’s a series I’m doing for Decadent Publishing’s 1NightStand line. Originally, I had some outlines for stories that I wanted to submit for a particular publisher’s ‘destination’ line. When I attended a conference and met the people from Decadent and heard about Decadent’s 1NS series, I was excited to rework and apply the story ideas to their line. I’m thrilled to be a part of their series now.
Sunset Desires, the first of my Sunset books, is available at Decadent Publishing. Inspiration for the story came from my love of sunsets and a trip to Grand Cayman. In the first book set on the Caribbean island, four women relatives are introduced, and the one woman, Gwen, has her date that her cousin, Heather, set her up on.

Sunset Seduction, the second Sunset book which takes place in a hotel room in Las Vegas, is also available at Decadent, and follows Heather and her date. The third and fourth stories, Sunset Temptation and Sunset Heat, are currently works-in-progress. Temptation will be a M/F/M to M/M/F erotic romance that centers around Ivy. Heat will be a M/F erotic romance that will follow Seana and her date. And, I’m proud to say, both Sunset Desires & Sunset Seduction are All Romance Ebook Best Sellers! 🙂

Sunset Desires

~ A blind date. A hot tropical evening. She’ll be someone he can’t forget. He’ll fulfill her ultimate fantasy.
~ Gwendolyn Tramonto is stunned to learn her cousin set her up with sex on the beach and it’s not the drink. But after a several year dry spell of no relationships, no dates…no sex, Gwen decides to take her cousin up on her offer and go out on the blind date. For once, she’d like to indulge in a fantasy, be wined and dined instead of the other way around, and if she and the man ended up in bed together, that would be a nice bonus.
~ Evan Cadell is looking forward to the date his uncle arranged for him through an exclusive matchmaking service and taking a one night break from work, life and all its demands. From Gwen’s profile, Evan knows what her fantasy is and believes he’s the man who can make it come true.
~ But will one night in paradise be enough to satisfy their desires?

Sunset Seduction

~ One evening. One date. Easy, right?
~ Heather Tramonto, a business woman with only her career and a quickie on her mind, is all set for her 1NS date and a bit of adult fun–no conditions, no commitment–when a surprise shows up at her door.
~ Lane Stanwyck is entering the dating world after years of an estranged marriage and the passing of his hostile wife. When Madame Eve schedules an anonymous tryst for him–no conditions, no commitment–he believes it to be the perfect arrangement for his first time out in the dating field in ages. That is until he sees the woman of his dreams.
~ One night. No strings. That might be a problem for this pair.

Excerpt for Sunset Desires

Gwen. The match up. A distraction for a night. A short break from the drudgery of life. Uncle Lane wanted him to start a relationship. He only wanted a fling. That’s all he’d promised his uncle, who seemed gung ho to have him settle down. Weird idea coming from a man who hadn’t had a happy marriage. Evan’s habits of living alone and immersing himself in work were ingrained. He had thirty-five years of bachelorhood to his credit. If it weren’t for Lane, he’d still be at the office poring over figures. Not much else to do when you lived so far away from friends and family, and on an island.

But Uncle Lane, a recent returnee to the dating pool, had decided all the single males in the family needed to dive in with him. He put Evan at the head of the matchmaking line. Lucky me. Shrugging, he downed the rest of his beer. The least I can do is make the best of it and show her a good time. Glancing down at Gwen’s profile, he focused on the main words of her fantasy—vacation, exotic location, handsome man, sensual rendezvous.

Handsome? Check. At least he’d been told he had above-average features. Exotic location? Check. He had the perfect spot to take her. Erotic tryst? Though friends and family called him charming and women praised his skills, he hoped he could give her what she wanted and make her dreams come true.

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Wow! It’s great to see the virtual buffet of books you have available for readers. Both of your Sunset books sound amazing, and that excerpt for Sunset Desires is very tempting.

Thank you so much for coming on today for Wicked Writer Wednesday! One last question, where can readers find your books?

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C.R. Moss

Casey Moss

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What a pleasure it is to have you on today, Chris! Readers, I’ve got a couple of her books and I’m really enjoying them. Visit her website and blog by clicking the links below.

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Connect with C.R. Moss at: http://www.crmoss.net
Connect with Casey Moss at: http://caseymossbooks.com
Keep up with the happening on her blog: http://crmoss.blogspot.com/

Wicked Writer Wednesday Guest – R.M. Sotera!

Welcome to a very “Sinful” session of Wicked Writer Wednesday! I’m pleased to introduce you all to R.M. Sotera, an awesome author I met this year at RomCon in Denver, Colorado. We really had a great time enjoying the events. R.M. lives and creates her amazing stories in none other than Sin City – Las Vegas! Isn’t that awesome? Welcome, R.M.!

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I would like to start by first saying thanks to Lori for having me on her blog. Lori and I met in June at Rom Con. We had a blast taking part in the convention and sitting after hours with other authors laughing, drinking and causing trouble!

So, let’s hit the questions.

How did you get started writing?
The biting bug bit me in high school. It started with the dreaded diary. I filled up many a diaries wishing for my heartthrob Donny Osmond to step from the pages of Tiger Beat magazine into my dream world. Yes, I’ve always been a die-hard romantic at heart always pretending to be the woman in the bodice ripper types of books. So, since I couldn’t actually be the woman, why not write the woman. And thus my love of writing romance began.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what’s the order in which the books should be read?
The books I’d like to share with you today are from my Stiletto Series and are published through Siren Publishing. A few years ago, I watched this awesome documentary on real vampirism. Yep, you heard me right, real vampirism. I couldn’t believe that there were actually people out in the world who drank blood. So of course, the teacher in me (yes I teach high school English by day) had to find out what this belief and practice was about. The more I dove into the lifestyle for research the more I really loved getting to know these people. And the more I got to know them the more I started to think, who am I to say their beliefs are wrong? If drinking other peoples blood (and the people they drink from are donors and people that they trust and have a contract with) is what makes them feel right, and complete, who am I to say they’re wrong?

And the wheels started turning in my head. What if I wrote a book in which the heroine was a good Catholic girl and she met this guy who was a real vampire? How could she morally accept his lifestyle? And what if they were soul mates? And what if he was a player who believed himself beyond redemption? Could they both find a way to be together? Major conflict, baby! And thus Cassadaga Moon was born.

I truly had a ball writing Cassadaga Moon because although I hate to admit it, the heroine is a lot like me. I grew up in a very religious family and religious dogma was all around me. Hell, I thought into my late twenties that masturbation was going to send me to hell in a hand basket. So I did have personal experience to pull from when I designed the character that is Mia. And along with Mia, I designed Cindi Vera Cruz, Mia’s best friend after one of my dear friends. Their relationship was easy to write.

The next book in the series, Vegas Moon, released on July 22, 2012 and is about the relationship between Cindi Vera Cruz and Tristan Dane. These two characters get together in book one and have such a strong connection in the first book that I had to give them their own story. I won’t spill the beans but their scenes are pretty steamy and their not even the main characters. She’s ten years older then him and a firecracker in every sense of the world. This book is probably my most erotic to date. One that my mother will never read. And one of the books I’m giving away today.

What is your favorite part of writing?
My favorite part of writing is the worlds I can create. I also have the job of teaching writing everyday. My day job allows me to share the knowledge I have with others and I am so thankful for that gift.

What is your least favorite part of writing?
I would say when my muse decides to take a hiatus or wakes me in the middle of the night with a great idea. Actually, the waking me in the middle of the night is the one that happens to me most. So, I keep post-it notes and tablets on the nightstand just in case Styxx makes and appearance.

What is your next project and when will it be released?
I have two projects in the works. Both are a paranormal series, however, one is YA. And neither one is erotic, just steamy. I’m hoping to have the first books in each series finished and critiqued by the end of the year. I’d like to enter them in a few contests and see how it goes. Although I’m a bit gun-shy with contests, I figure what the hell; I’ll give it another try.

Do you have critique partners?
I do have critique partners. Actually through the years I’ve had several different ones. Can I say that it is much easier to have only a few critique partners at a time. I think when you have more than four including ones self the work load gets to heavy. One gets boggled down with so many crits, and so many different styles of crits that one’s own writing sometimes becomes non-existent. Of course this is my opinion, and only my opinion. More than four may work like a charm for others, I just haven’t had that experience.

What is your favorite dessert/food?
I LOVE York Peppermint Patties. They are my guilty pleasure!

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?
It’s usually a given that at some point in my writing if you are a friend part of you will end up in one of my characters. LOL

Let’s talk about Mia and Jordan! – Book 1 – Cassadaga Moon
http://www.bookstrand.com/cassadaga-moon

What physical aspect does your heroine love most about your hero? Least? Details, please!
Jordan is a sexy man. He is over six-feet tall. He has long blond hair with a patch of black hair running down the side next to his cheek. His eyes are dark grey and his ears are triple pierced and he wears three sets of hoops. His tongue is pierced and his nose is pierced. He changes out the diamond in his nose with a ruby on occasion. He’s medium build and muscular but not burly. His voice is deep with a slight southern drawl, and he has a wicked sense of humor.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.
Let’s see, Mia’s pretty but not beautiful. Her hair is light brown, long, and she has brown eyes. She’s 5”6 and curvaceous. Her body has always been a source of embarrassment for her so she covers it up, to the point that when she was a young girl she taped her breasts flat so that boys wouldn’t gawk at them. Most of what she does in her life is guided by a moral compass. It’s not until she meets Jordan that her thoughts begin to change. She has an inner strength that helps her in times of need. One of her weaknesses is that she is overly naïve, stemming mostly from her sheltered upbringing.

What does your heroine love most about your hero? Least? Details, please!
First, let’s get this out of the way – Mia loves what Jordan does to her in bed. How he brings out the woman in her that she desperately wants to be. He is her first real lover and a hand-full at that. Jordan’s darker desires peak Mia’s curiosity, and his desire for blood gains the interest of the teacher in her, too. Yes, she’s a drama teacher.

He is all consuming something that Mia isn’t prepared for, but craves the more time she spends with him. With Mia, he finds redemption but it isn’t an easy road for them.

There is a scene in the book where Mia stumbles across her best friend Cindi and her boy-toy Tristan taking part in a BDSM blood play scene, and Mia battles with her desire to have Jordan do the things that Tristan is doing to Cindi with her. Most of Mia’s conflict is internal, and it’s interesting to watch her character evolve into the woman she is at the end of the book. Okay that’s all you get. Read the book if you want to know more!

There are many firsts for Mia and Jordan, and a lot of humor accompanies their encounters. Actually, I think the humor is what drives the book, but I’ve yet to hear a yes or no on that.

How about now we talk about the second book in the Stiletto Series – Vegas Moon.
It’s about Cindi and her boy-toy Tristan. Check it out!
http://www.bookstrand.com/vegas-moon

Vegas Moon Blurb

Siren Allure: Erotic May-December Romance, with F/F and M/F/F elements, voyeurism, exhibitionism, consensual BDSM, whipping, food play, blood play, sex toys, HEA]
Psychic vampire Cindi Vera Cruz has no intention of falling in love with sanguine vampire Tristan Dane. She makes that fact perfectly clear to Tristan every chance she gets. He’s twenty-one years old, ten years her junior, and as she sees it, definitely not in her cards as a forever type of man, only a lover. But when Tristan decides he’s tired of her games and demands she admit her feelings for him, all hell breaks loose.

Situations heat up when Tristan walks into the yearly Stiletto Sanction coven party only to find Cindi feeding on his energy without his consent. His shock turns into anger. And then anger turns into a game of battle of the wills. Tristan calls her bluff by raising the stakes in the blood play room. She has always been a willing participant in bleeding for him in the name of pleasure, but will she bleed to feed his need for pranic energy?

Note: Hero involved in acts of vampirism.

Excerpt

They’d reached the Dessert Erotica house at noon. Cindi pulled the Mustang borrowed from Victoria into the small parking space and shut off the car. Tristan didn’t waste any time in jumping out of the car. When she emerged, he was standing a few feet from the front door of the establishment eyes fixated on the huge fiberglass sundae. In the center of the perfectly shaped and flavor-colored ice-cream scoops was a naked female mannequin.

“Check out the tits on her.” His eyes were glued on the big-busted doll.

Just like a man, eyes to tits and bypass everything between.

“I think they’re fake.” She chuckled.

He gave her an incredulous stare and headed for the front door.

“What is this place?” The way Tristan asked the question, he sounded like a kid in a candy store.

His excitement got the best of her, so she divulged just a tiny bit of information, enough to wet his appetite.

“Well, lover, this is a place where women and men enjoy a little dessert with sex. A little sploshing.”

“Sploshing? Mmm…sounds enticing.” He kissed her cheek. Then licked the tip of her nose. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to try this out.” Tristan pulled her hand into his and pulled her toward the front double doors.

Cindi stopped them halfway to the front doors. “Hey, do you know what sploshing is?”

“Nope. But sex and dessert sounds like a winner. I’m ready to find out. Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looks like we’ve come to the end of my post. I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know me and a little about my books. You can always find me at the links below. Once again, Lori, thanks for the opportunity to chat on your blog. Oh, and before I go, one more thing I have two books to give away. If you comment on the blog you could be the lucky winner of Cassadaga Moon or Vegas Moon. Your name will be picked randomly and you will be notified by Sunday, August 12th. And the books will be sent along with the notification.
All the best.

RM Sotera

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great interview, R.M. and I loved the excerpt! Just enough to tempt. Thanks so much for visiting with us today! Readers remember to leave a comment for a chance to win either Cassadaga Moon or Vegas Moon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connect with R.M. Sotera at: www.rmsotera.com
Friend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rmsotera
Follow her on Twitter: @rmsotera

Check out her books on her Author Pages –
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/RMSotera
Siren Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/rmsotera
Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/RMSotera
Extasy Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/rmsotera
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/RMSotera

And keep up with her happenings on her Double D Ranch Tales
Blogspot: http://doubledranchtales.blogspot.com/

Vice President – Las Vegas Romance Writers: http://lasvegasrwa.org/

Co-Vice President – Hot Mojave Knights – A Reader Event
Coming to Vegas October 2013 http://hotmojaveknights.weebly.com/

Wicked Writer Wednesday Guest – Summer Mahan!

Welcome to Wicked Writer Wednesday! Today I’ve got wickedly awesome pre-published author extraordinaire Summer Mahan! She’s my CRW-sister and an amazing author of Historical and Contemporary romance (and just about any other genre she takes a liking to!!!). She’s also a fabulous critiquer, as I’ve found! Read on to learn more about her. Welcome, Summer!


How did you get started writing?

I started writing as an outlet in a very rough patch in my life. I instantly fell in love and finished my first novel within three months. It’s one big hot mess, but it’s all mine! I took an extended hiatus and about 3 years ago started again. I have written about 6 books since and started many, many more….

What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write everything! I’m very scattered and keep my options open. I love to explore different worlds and especially enjoy anything and everything dealing with the Celtic. The people, the artifacts, the culture. My love of history helps in my writing and opens a very wide creativity field.

Tell us about your current series.
I am currently writing a historical western novella for my blog www.Herstorycalls.com . I am also editing a full length Regency and a contemporary for the HOTR contest for Colorado Romance Writers.

What is your favorite part of writing?
The first draft. I love getting the story out and onto paper.

What is your least favorite part of writing?
Editing! I know this is the most important part in writing (a great writer is a great editor) and I struggle with edits daily. I’m hoping someday this will change.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
Everywhere. For example, my latest contemporary was inspired from the TV series, Cake Boss. Buddy and his family were visiting Italy, riding Vespa‘s and I saw a whole chase scene in my head. The story was born-don’t ask me how-but I wrote 55,000 words in one month from that little snidbit.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?
I view the kitchen. Perhaps this is why I’ve gained weight and edits are so unfulfilling? And my desk? Well, my desk is a cluttered wreck. For the record, though, I know exactly where everything is. The piles are a secret to my madness.

Thank you so much for visiting here and telling us more about you and your writing! Good luck to you in the HOTR writing contest. I know you’re going to do great!

Be sure to check back here this Friday to visit with award-winning author Helen Hardt!

Summer Mahan Bio
I love to laugh. I adore sparkling conversation, wit, and charm. Reading is a pleasure one should indulge in at least once a day and writing is for the fearless. I love my family, my friends and my life. I believe everyone should seize the day and never stop learning!

I have an unhealthy obsession for Dt. Coke, list making, and counting my children. There are only three. But if you had twins…you would completely understand.

When I’m not counting, uh, playing with my kids, writing or gardening I can be found at…
~ www.summermahan.com
~ www.herstorycalls.com
~ @Summer_Mahan
~ Facebook Author Page
~ Facebook Page
~ Romance Writers of America
~ Colorado Romance Writers
~ Celtic Hearts

Destiny’s Awakening Release Day!

Destiny's Awakening cover imageYAY – it’s June 28th! The release day for Destiny’s Awakening available from 5 Prince Publishing! I’m so excited. We’re going to have some fun today. I’ve got bags and bags of swag and both print and eBooks to give away to lucky commentors. I’ve also got a couple Barnes & Noble gift cards for the 10th and 25th commentors!

This first book in the “Tales of The Fey” trilogy tells the story of Evie, an archaeologist who loves things of the past, and Alexander, an enchanted Fey Prince awaiting his date with destiny. Although the story may sound  familiar for many of you who already have read Evelyn, this “Author’s Cut” has much  to offer! With almost 15,000 additional words, there’s a lot more to enjoy.

I hope you consider checking out my twisted fairy tale. It can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and All Romance eBooks. In a couple days, it will also be available on iTunes.

I’m also visiting several sites to spread the word on my release. Check out these sites for chances to win swag and book prizes! Here’s my schedule:

Monday, June 25 – Elizabeth Haysmont

Tuesday, June 26 – Lia Slater

Wednesday, June 27 – Karen Docter

Thursday, June 28 – Her Story Calls

Friday, June 29 – Lizzie T. Leaf

Next week I’ll be visiting M.L. Guida on Monday, July 2 and Jessica Aspen on Thursday, July 5! The following week is extra busy with visits to Lynda Hilburn on July 10, Cynthia Woolf on July 11, and Bernadette Marie on July 12! Check those blogs for more chances for giveaways and swag!

I’ll also be reading from Destiny’s Awakening at the Denver Lady Jane Salon on Tuesday, July 10th at 7:00pm. It’s held at the Wine Loft at 15th and Wazee downtown. It’s an absolute blast and well worth the trip! Swag and prizes to be given away!

I love to hear from my readers and sister-writers, so comment away! Chances are good you’re going to win something!

Happy Release Day!

Lori

 

 

This book

Wicked Wednesday – Voices in Your Head

Now, most people think that having voices in your head is something you might want to have a professional check out. I mean, you’ve got these people talking to you and they’re sharing intimate details about their lives. Geez – I can understand overhearing details like that on a subway in New York City, but in your car on your way to work?

Most of my author readers out there are probably nodding their heads about now. They’ve heard them – they know. These same authors also say they write because they have to.

Yeah – to clear the voices outta your head!

I don’t know – for me it just seemed freaky to be having characters talk to me – in my head – at any time of the day or night. Even though I’ve always wanted to write, I’ve never had those requisite voices in my head. Sometimes I’d have a wild thought and I’d follow it along its meandering path until I caught it, but that wasn’t characters talking to me, was it? Besides, did you really need them to succeed? Couldn’t I just find out information about my characters the old fashioned way – by putting my brain in thumbscrews and squeezing the information out?

I decided that maybe I was that different author that wouldn’t have voices in her head.

But then one rather Wickedly Good day it happened to me. I was in the car on my way to work and Dom, my hero in Fire Season started to talk to me. He was at the scene of a fire, and he was telling me what was going on. I could actually hear the man’s voice – not so much with my ears, but with my imagination – my creative side!

It was a good thing traffic was backed up!

You see, I’d been struggling a bit with how my hero should sound. I wanted it to be authentic without being too technical. I’d even talked the previous night with my brother, who is an active duty Lieutenant at a metro area Fire Protection District, about how my hero should sound. He gave me some ideas, and I guess they percolated pretty well through the night! In any case – out they came – in Dom’s voice.

He just kept talking, and talking, and talking. He talked about how much he loved his job – and how it was being on the scene of a fire. He told me how he worked with his crew to outsmart the flames, and that the safety of those under his command was his first priority. Then he talked about Alexandra, the hot doctor he wanted to get to know VERY well.

Thankfully – I wasn’t too far from work. As soon as I got there, I put it in park and pulled out the trusty notebook that I carry with me at all times and started to scribble. Five pages later I put the pen and paper away. It has finally happened. My character talked to me. I learned right there that when your characters start to talk – you need to stop, listen and type – or write – as fast as you can!

Speaking of characters talking, ‘Bas, the hero in my latest work in progress (wip) is waiting patiently for me to finish my blog so he and I can talk. He’s new to the project, so I’m as yet unfamiliar with his voice and I have a lot to learn about him.

He knows I’m telling you all about him now, and his eyes are narrowing a bit. Ah, he just crossed his arms over his chest, highlighting his impressive pecs. I’m sure glad his shirt is buttoned…this time. I need to pay him some attention now.  Since he and I will be spending much time together very soon, he’s definitely worth taking a *few* minutes getting to know, don’t you think?

Enjoy!

Lori

Wicked Wednesday – Guest Jenn LeBlanc!

Welcome to my first ever post on Wicked Wednesday!

Today I have a special treat for everyone. The ever fabulous Jenn LeBlanc is visiting! She’s celebrating the February 14th release of the fifth installment of her series, “The Rake and The Recluse.” She’s sharing all sorts of scrumptious details on the books and the muse that helped make the serial redux of her ground-breaking illustrated romance novel possible. Now that’s wicked good! Take it away, Jenn!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Derek Hutchins photo

Lori invited me by her blog today for Wicked Wednesday to talk about my real-life muse, Mr. Derek Hutchins. Derek and I have worked together for a little over two years now, and to be perfectly honest, without him, my book THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE, would never have happened the way it did.

Hiring models can be a crap shoot. You never know what is going to walk through the door, and some guys are…well. Others are fabulous, awesome, wonderful, fantastic. Then a very, VERY few of them are Derek. I can’t say enough about him, he is so very talented, honest and genuine.

Beyond that we connect on an artistic level that really surprises me at times.

The first time we worked together was a bit nerve wracking, but I think we both acknowledged that there was something else going on. I decided to illustrate the book instead of just shooting a cover package to attract attention. He was game. We moved forward.

Derek Hutchins photo

The more we work together the better it gets. Derek also studied photography and is aware of the light. He moves and finds it without me having to say anything. Sometimes it’s like he reads my mind. We’ve also got this silent communication that we use, hand signals, head movement, and apparently sounds. I don’t know what kind…he says he can tell when I like what he’s doing so…whatever works right?

Beyond the work, we’ve become close friends. We have so much fun together, it really never seems like work at all. We’ve dealt with a lot in the past couple years. He’s there for me when I panic about my new release, and he calls me in the middle of the night a few days later when my book goes on sale and the awesome reviews start going up. Mostly so he can laugh at me and say “I told you so!” But it’s all good, and worth every minute.

Derek Hutchins photoWe are drawn by the same beauty and light, the same form and function in things. It’s surprising to me how much we have in common, and we end up looking for and finding the same things.

We have a few projects coming up this year, he is going with me to New Orleans and we are touring the Gulf when I go down to attend AAD. We’ll also be shooting around LA and down the coast when I travel to RWA in Anaheim. I’m also planning a trip to NYC at some point and he’ll be here for RomCon as well. Anytime we can shoot, is good.

Derek is… Derek. We talk practically every day, if we aren’t talking we’re texting or tweeting. You really just have to meet him to understand the kind of person he is. He is a real sweetie. And my hero. Two times over.

 

Derek Hutchins and Jenn LeBlanc photo

This is D and I on Garrapata Beach in California last August while we were shooting for his Lookbook. He was cold. Something about ZERO body fat.

You can check D out on the web at DerekHutchins.com and on his Facebook page. The work we did last year for his portfolio has been compiled in a digital Lookbook available exclusively on Amazon.

~ ~ ~

Lori said she was going to give away part of TRATR to a couple commenters, so I am going to up the ante and give away two copies of Derek’s Lookbook on top of that to two commenters.

So tell us now, do you have a muse?

Derek Hutchins photo

 

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Where to find me: Twitter | Facebook | Author Site | Blog | Tumblr (NSFW)
And please come find me! I LOVE to chat with readers!

And what follows is a bit about the books:

Trailer:  http://youtu.be/RSW_LyFR5To

Blurb:
A woman out of time.

A man stifled by propriety.

A nemesis determined to take her away.

A brother to the rescue.

~ ~ ~

How will a powerful Duke deal with a woman who doesn’t know her place? How will a woman used to the 21st century survive in time where she is considered property?

 Francine Larrabee woke up on the wrong side of the century. She was fairly certain she went to sleep in her own comfy bed, but she doesn’t quite seem to be there now. Only adding to her problems is that she has no voice, is constantly being glowered at by a large, stunning man who is obsessed with propriety, and she is apparently betrothed to another horrid little man, determined to ruin her, and any other girls that get in his way.

How does she find herself in the past, when she couldn’t even find herself in her present? How does a self sufficient businesswoman survive in a time when women were still considered property for the whole of their lives and what is she going to do with this man who draws her to him so fiercely.

~ ~ ~

Where to get the books:

THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE

FREEDOM: Part one brings Francine to the world of the Duke of Roxleigh, clashing worlds in first installment of the completely revised novel, with all new material.
The Rake and The Recluse, Part One
Available now from these ebook retailers:
Amazon

Barnes & Noble

All Romance eBooks

iBookstore for iThingys

~ ~ ~

FOUND: Part two finds Francine in the world of the Duke of Roxleigh. The clashing of worlds in first installment of the completely revised novel continues as Francine finds her footing, discovers secrets about her elusive host, and learns more about herself than she ever thought possible.  
The Rake and The Recluse, Part Two
Available now from these ebook retailers:
Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance eBooks

iBookstore for iThingys

~ ~ ~

TAKEN: Part three brings Francine and Gideon closer than they ever imagined possible, until the unimaginable tears them apart. What will Gideon do if he loses her, this time, forever?
The Rake and The Recluse, Part Three
Available now from these ebook retailers:
Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance eBooks

Goodreads

~ ~ ~

RUINATION: Part four is full of revelations, celebrations, protestations and one surprise that will have you holding your breath for the final chapters. What has Perry done?The Rake and The Recluse, Part Four

Available now from these ebook retailers:
Amazon

Banes and Noble

All Romance eBooks

Goodreads

~ ~ ~

SUBMISSION: In part five, Perry leaves Roxleigh House without a backward glance only to be tossed headlong into one of the most difficult trials of his life. How will he protect the very thing he is dedicated to pursuing? How will a man dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure survive a woman who refuses to relent, when he knows he cannot have her.

Available now from these ebook retailers:The Rake and The Recluse, Part Five
Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance Ebooks

Goodreads

~ ~ ~

RETRIBUTION: In part six, Perry must find the woman who has managed to capture his heart, then he must find a way to keep her. Someone else is on the hunt, someone from her past who doesn’t appreciate that she still lives and breaths.

Coming February 28, 2012

 

 

 

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