AuthorIsland Tiki Hut

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Ryder Islington

2012-01-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

This week at the Tiki Hut, we welcome mystery and suspense author Ryder Islington as she pops in during her blog tour! The full list of Ryder's blog tour stops can be found at LL Publications and Ryder's Blog.

A graduate of the University of California and former officer for a large sheriff’s department, RYDER ISLINGTON is now retired and doing what she loves: reading, writing, and gardening. She lives in Louisiana with her family, including a very large English Chocolate Lab, a very small Chinese pug, and a houseful of demanding cats. She can be contacted at RyderIslington@yahoo.com or visit her blog at http://ryderislington.wordpress.com/.

Writing Mystery and Crime

Mystery and crime are not mutually exclusive, but they are very different beasts. Mystery is all about keeping the truth from the reader until the right time while giving them plenty of truth, along with a few red herrings. I love a good mystery. The best advice I ever got regarding mystery was to make the truth of the matter so plain that the reader would be saying, “Naw, it can’t be that easy.” To do that, you have to make sure there is a logical explanation for why it can’t possibly be that easy. Supplying just enough information, and creating characters the readers trust and believe in, can really divert the truth. As readers, we want the good guys to win, the bad guys to suffer, and the truth to be our own truth.

Writing crime is all about making the reader understand what really happened to the victim, and the truth behind the criminal’s motivations. First, you have to understand the nature of the crime. Kidnapping may be defined differently in one state than in another, so you have to do your homework regarding the definition and elements of the crime you’ll be writing about. If you have characters who work in law enforcement, you have to learn some of the codes they use, which again, vary from state to state.

Then there is the victim. Who is she? Why was she there? Why was she chosen? What was she thinking? What did she go through? How many times does she get close to getting away? Does she even try, or is she too afraid to move?

And finally, the criminal. Is the kidnapper the father of the victim? Or a boyfriend? Or a crazed maniac looking for fast cash? Is he big enough to overpower the victim? Or did he have to compensate with a weapon? Is he a coward at heart? Was he once a good guy that had terrible things happen, things he couldn’t cope with? Is he smart enough to plan the crime, or does he have someone else pulling his strings?

I personally like to write about the psychology of the victim and criminal. I like to get into their heads and make the reader feel some compassion for the bad guy, and some negative feelings about the victim.

And then you have to decide about the gore factor. If you’re writing a cozy, the crime is over with and the scene scrubbed. But I like the gritty stuff, so when a young boy sticks a hunting knife into the gut of a pervert, I want the reader to feel the knife going in, the blood running over his fist. And when the boy smiles and says, “Ooo, warm. Velvety,” I want the reader’s face to scrunch up as if she’d just bitten into a dill pickle.

While revising Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery, I kept returning to the gory scenes, upping the ante, spilling the guts, and then going to the psychological response to the gore, trying to make it disgusting but at the same time, believable. This is the stuff of real life. This is what officers all over the country face regularly. It’s not all tickets, and hauling drunks in to sleep it off. Every day there are murders, kidnappings, rapes and other violent crimes occurring. I’m hoping that reading my book will give you a glimpse into what can shape people into psychopaths, and how ‘normal’ the bad guy can seem.

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ULTIMATE JUSTICE by Ryder Islington

A Trey Fontaine Mystery

Special Agent Trey Fontaine has his hands full as he tries to juggle three different sets of cases in his hometown. While healing from a bullet wound, and on limited duty, he is charged with helping find out what's happening to young women who are disappearing without a trace. But that's just the beginning. Someone is beating and raping women in town, women who are related to his godfather, Detective Russell Coleman. And then the bodies of men start showing up, eviscerated. Are the crimes related? Or are has the town become a haven for all sorts of criminals?

Wile, Rocky, and Drew, three children from a violent home, take matters into their own hands and soon the small town of Raven Bayou, Louisiana is brimming with dead bodies. But the only victims are those whose background proves them to be deserving of such justice.

Can Special Agent Trey Fontaine stop the violence? Or will he only figure out the truth after someone he loves is dead?

BUY THE BOOK *** BUY THE eBOOK *** BUY IN KINDLE *** BUY IN NOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Sam Cheever

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

This week's guest at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut is Sam Cheever and she stops in to talk about what she's looking forward to in 2012.

Sam writes fast paced fantasy and romantic fiction with feisty characters who deal with life's little challenges in unique and often hilarious ways. As a reader Sam is very impatient. She quickly loses interest if a story doesn't have a good pace and snappy dialogue. Sam's inability to focus in a backwash of human angst and subtleties works out well for her readers, since she writes the way she likes to read.

In her real life, Sam lives on a hobby farm in Indiana with 10 dogs, 4 horses, 2 barn cats, 2 daughters, and one husband. Not necessarily in that order.

Find out how you can get free goodies and many even your name in one of her books by joining her Fan Club!

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Best of 2011? Not a chance!

Nothing makes me change stations faster on a radio or TV than those hated words, “And now for a look back over the year…”. I’m one of those people who hates repetition and rehashing things. I thrive on change, and once I’ve set off in a new direction, I rarely look back.

I never reread books, rarely see a movie more than one time, and can’t stand eating the same thing over and over again. Unlike my husband, who could eat the same thing three meals a day for a month before even starting to get tired of it. LOL. My oldest daughter reads her favorite books several times and watches movies and fave TV shows multiple times. And my youngest daughter HATES change. I mean…she gets heart palpitations if something changes.

So am I odd? Well…of course I’m odd. #:0) But, I mean, is my resistance to looking backward at all the key events and accomplishments of the previous year unique? Maybe, I don’t know. I’d love to hear from some of you. Are any of you the same way?

Don’t get me wrong, I love history and I think it’s vitally important. Despite the fact that every generation believes it’s smarter than and different from every generation that came before, the human race has stayed basically the same since its inception. Which means, though the clothes and music might change, we basically live through the same things and are capable of making the mistakes over and over again throughout history. If we don’t know what the earlier versions of us screwed up, we can’t avoid making the same mistakes. So knowing our history is very important. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m referring to the human animal’s love of rehashing recent history.

My motto is, if I can still remember it clearly, I don’t want to go over it again. Yawn. And trust me, with my memory, the list of things I remember clearly is short. LOL!

So you won’t get a list of key 2011 events from me. But I will give you my list for the year coming up. Looking forward is a much more exciting proposition than rehashing where I’ve already been. Mind, this isn’t a list of resolutions, consider it my personal plan for the year. So what’s on my list for 2012?

World Peace…okay, just kidding…world peace would be GREAT but it’s just a tad unrealistic. Besides, I’m so NOT doing the swimsuit competition. Hehehe

Here’s the real list:

• Launching a totally new and exciting genre/theme under a new alias. Nope, not gonna spill the beans just yet. #:0)

• Writing/publishing 5 to 6 full length books and several shorter works.

• Finally losing those last, pesky pounds. Not a resolution, just a lifestyle change.

• Weaning myself completely off Corporate America so I can focus full time on my writing.

• Becoming more self sufficient, growing some of my own food, learning to can the food I grow, and finding ways to do with less.

• Reaching out to help others who are struggling.

• Taking the time to enjoy my family, my critters, and my life.

• And, kind of tied to the last one, forcing myself to relax about the writing enough to enjoy the successes and not focus on the sour points.

There you have it. I’m looking forward…not back. Isn’t that much more fun?

Have a great 2012, everybody! I know I plan to.

Sam

WIN - p.s. Send me your own “Plan for 2012” at samcheever at samcheever dot com, and I’ll drop your name into my gardening hat for a chance to win the book of your choice from my backlist. I’ll pick the winner on January 9th. Good luck!

My next release is a sexy Cupid story in Musa Publishing’s Love Notes Anthology, January 27th!

Cupid Only Rings Twice – Fantasy, IR/MC, Romance

Rori Foster overhears the Neanderthals at the bank where she works betting on one man’s ability to seduce her with a love note. She schemes to embarrass them at their own game, but she won’t stand a chance against a Love Demon’s spell. Lucky for her she has Cupid Damios Persis on her side. Damios is willing to go undercover, Super Cupid to save her from her office mates’ scheming.

But what happens when he starts to fall for her himself? Will he write her a love note of his own?

Stay tuned!

Tim Smith's Tiki Hut Winner

2011-11-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with Tim last week as he talked about his new release MEMORIES DIE LAST and congrats to Mary S - your name was drawn as our winner! Be on the lookout for an email from Tim with your prize!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Tim Smith

2011-11-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

This week on our Tiki Hut Blog, we welcome author Tim Smith as he celebrates the release of MEMORIES DIE LAST, his first Nick Seven Story published with eXtasy Books.

Tim Smith is an award-winning author of numerous books, ranging from thrillers to contemporary erotic romance. He is also a freelance photographer and when he isn’t pursuing these two passions, he works in the human services field as a case manager for adults with disabilities.
WEBSITE

Memories Die Last is actually a re-boot of my first published novel that came out nine years ago in print, but with numerous changes. All I saved was the title, the characters and the basic plot. Everything else was rewritten to build up the romance between the lead characters. I’m pleased to be able to offer it in e-book format for the first time.

I enjoyed the challenge of rewriting and updating this story for the romance market. It isn’t often you get the chance to do a makeover and it was fun. I especially enjoyed developing the relationship between the two lead characters. In the first version there were sparks and sex, but this time I got to do it right and fully develop the attraction between Nick and Felicia. I was also able to fine tune the intrigue and thriller aspects, as well as updating the story to reflect current themes.

The opportunity came about as a result of the stars being correctly aligned. This book and my second one were both up for contract renewal with my former publisher, but I wasn’t keen on the idea of re-signing. By this time I had developed a niche with Extasy Books in the contemporary romance genre, and my e-books were outselling my print books. I made an inquiry with my Editor in Chief, and she was eager to have this series in their catalog.

As they say, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.

***

MEMORIES DIE LAST by Tim Smith

A Nick Seven Book

A former CIA spook, the woman he always wanted but couldn’t have, and a nemesis from their past all come together in an explosive mix of intrigue and espionage.

What happens when your life is turned inside out by something from your past that won’t leave you alone? Former CIA operative Nick Seven finds out when his peaceful life in The Florida Keys is disrupted by the appearance of an old nemesis he thought was buried alongside the painful memory of a personal tragedy.

Nick reluctantly gets back into the spy game to settle an old score and is pleasantly surprised to find himself paired with beautiful Felicia Hagens, a former co-worker from Barbados. Together they uncover a complex maze of intrigue, espionage and high-level government corruption. The assignment gets more complicated when they realize they have unrequited feelings for each other.

Can Nick finally hit the elusive target and reclaim his personal corner of paradise? Will Felicia return to Barbados or stay with the rugged former spy she’s always had a secret thing for?

BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Leave Tim a question this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a ebook copy of his erotic romance, MISTLETOE AND PALM TREES. Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are today's winner - Good Luck!

This Week's Special Guest Marie Treanor

2011-11-07T22:00:00.010-05:00

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, Marie Treanor's is stopping by to talk about her release BLOOD ETERNAL, book three in her Awakened By Blood Series and how hard it was to end her trilogy.

Marie was born and bred in Scotland, but for some years moved around the UK working and studying. Now she's back home and happily married with three young children. Having grown bored with city life, her family lives in a picturesque village by the sea where, instead of working for a living, Marie is lucky enough to be able to enjoy herself writing stories of romance and fantasy.

She draws the inspiration for her books mainly from the people around her and from Scotland's rich history and culture - with, of course, large helpings of fun and imagination!

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Awakened by Blood… How can it end?
By Marie Treanor

For some time now, I’ve found these words echoing around in my head. More recently, as the release date of Blood Eternal has come and gone, it’s been in the sense of, “How can I bear to leave this world and these people?” Because obviously, after two years and three novels, the main characters of the Awakened by Blood trilogy are almost like family to me!

But the question was bothering me long before that. Obviously, I want readers to be intrigued enough to wonder how it will all end. However, as I began to think out the details of the final book, I found myself scratching my head and thinking, “How can it end?” As in how can I make the ending work? How can I resolve all these impossible situations? Because I already knew the ending I’d originally planned just wasn’t going to happen. Elizabeth and Saloman wouldn’t allow it.

In case you’ve no idea what I’m rambling about – and who could blame you? – I’d better begin at the beginning, and explain that Awakened by Blood is a trilogy of vampire romances/urban fantasy novels featuring a powerful, sexy, enigmatic hero - the vampire Saloman - and his strange love affair with Elizabeth Silk, the young academic who accidentally awakens him from a death-like sleep that’s held him captive for three hundred years.

Blood on Silk opened the trilogy last September, followed by Blood Sin in April this year; and the finale of the series, Blood Eternal, released on 4th October.

As enemies, allies and lovers, Elizabeth and Saloman have fought their way across Eastern Europe, Scotland, New York, and other exotic locations, trying to resolve their turbulent passions while facing down the threats to the world of both vampires and rogue humans. And now, just as the secret of their relationship is out, the secret of vampire existence is also erupting, and Saloman has to confront his painful past in order to save Elizabeth and ensure his future.

However, I deliberately set Saloman and Elizabeth up to oppose each other. Saloman needs to kill Elizabeth in order to gain the mystical strength of his Awakener, which will help him take his revenge on his betrayers and rule the world. Elizabeth needs to kill Saloman to stop him from ruling the world, and from doing all the dreadful things vampires do in the process.

Elizabeth is a little shy, a little introverted and naive, when she first encounters Saloman, but she has to grow very fast into her role as unofficial hunter, just to stay alive when all the vampires in the world want to kill her. Plus, she has to deal with the mind-boggling notion that Saloman, who makes no secret of his attraction to her, sees nothing wrong in making love to her one night and killing her in the morning. In fact, he believes that in giving her a little happiness first, he’s being kind. Saloman just isn’t human.

In addition, Elizabeth’s a good person, and recognizes her duty. So even when she falls in love with Saloman – after all he is fascinating and incredibly sexy - she still knows she has to kill him. Only, of course, she can’t. And as it turns out Saloman’s obsession with her sees him finding ways around his need for her death.

By the beginning of Blood Eternal, this unlikely couple is in a recognized relationship, however troubled, and things are spiraling out of control. Saloman’s rule is having unforeseen effects on both vampires and humans. The vampire hunters who’d become Elizabeth’s closest friends no longer trust her, now that she’s sleeping with the enemy. And of course, Elizabeth and Saloman haven’t really resolved their differences. Saloman is still hell-bent on ruling the world, although he may have adjusted his tactics, and Elizabeth is equally determined not to let him.

Elizabeth has always known she’d never accept immortality, even from Saloman. But now, troubled by prophecy, destiny, mysterious illness and acute temptation, Elizabeth re-examines her options, with and without Saloman. Events force both of them to choose sides and make difficult decisions.

And yet I couldn’t let either of them just give in! It isn’t in Elizabeth’s nature to roll over and follow Saloman blindly, just because she loves him. And would the mighty Saloman really give up his dream of world domination just to please a human woman?

I discovered I’d written myself into a bit of a corner with these characters. Because no matter how strong their feelings for each other, if one of them doesn’t give way, where the hell is the “happy ever after”? In parting and new loves? In “true death” for both of them? As the forces stack up against them, this becomes a genuine possibility.

So how did I fight my way through this morass of tragic impossibilities and find the ending to Blood Eternal?

I didn’t. Elizabeth and Saloman did it for me J. I let them fight it out on paper, with themselves and each other and their friends and enemies, and Blood Eternal is how it ends. For the time being, at least J

But I would love to know your opinion. Can you understand a strong hero or heroine who “gives in” for the sake of love? (I mean, of course, on more important issues than whose turn it is to wash the dishes!). Is it justified, or would it annoy you? Let me know!

***

WIN - Tell Marie your opinion on her topic this week and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of one of the books in her Awakened by Blood Trilogy. Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

This Week's Special Guest Jacquelyn Frank

2011-10-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today on our AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome Jacquelyn Frank as she celebrates the release of ADAM, the sixth book in her bestselling Nightwalkers Series and tells us a bit about the series and her new book.

A native New Yorker, currently living in North Carolina, Jacquelyn Frank loves animals, specifically cats, to a point of insanity. She loves her boys like she would honest to goodness children.

Jacquelyn Frank is the New York Times bestselling author of Seduce Me in Dreams, the Nightwalkers series (Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien, and Noah), the Shadowdwellers novels (Ecstasy, Rapture, and Pleasure), and the Gatherers novels (Hunting Julian and Stealing Katherine). She lives in North Carolina and has been writing romantic fiction ever since she picked up her first teen romance at age thirteen.

WEBSITE *** BLOG *** MYSPACE *** FACEBOOK *** TWITTER *** NEWSLETTER

Hey all! Guess what happens this week? Yeah, okay, so you don’t have to guess. ADAM RELEASES!! WOOT!!!! ADAM!! Book six in the Nightwalkers series, comes out on October 25th! YAY! Okay, so I am a little overexcited. What can I say? These past few months have been incredibly hard on me, so I am taking my excitement where I can get it. And here is definitely where I get it…

Oh don’t tell me you haven’t heard about ADAM! The next installment in the NIGHTWALKERS series? Come on people, get with it! You’ve been dying for this release for almost three years! Look, I’m not teasing this time! I have the cover to prove it. ☺

Ain’t he purty? I love his chesticles. They are my favorite. ☺

But in case you’re a newbie and haven’t read my work here is a little insight into my Nightwalker world…

There have always been people who live on the fringes of society, but what if there were entire species living on the fringe of human existence? We tell the tales of vampires and other things that go bump in the night, but imagine if there were entire cultures living alternate lives and life cycles to day-worshiping humans. This is part of the premise of my Nightwalkers series. Demons, Vampires, Lycanthropes and more, each its own race, its own society, living outside of human discovery. (For the most part. Apparently we’ve crossed paths enough to create our monstrous perceptions of them.) The series starts with the Demon race and slowly blossoms out into others, both known and unknown. They are complex cultures with histories they champion and histories they regret just as we do. When their existence begins to bleed into ours, it makes for some very intriguing discoveries about how very similar we all can be at our core…and how sometimes fate has plans for us we have absolutely no control over…wouldn’t you agree? So with that being said I hope you enjoy this small taste of what’s to come when fate decides she’s in the mood to play ☺

WARNING: YOU MIGHT GET WET!!

He changed form in the blink of an eye, morphing from man to a deluge of water that dashed against her face and body. But unlike normal water he did not cascade off of her and fall to the ground. Instead, he flowed over her supple body, slowly washing over and around her, covering her inch by inch. He felt the smoothness of her skin beneath his touch, the weight of her breasts…tasted the hard points of her nipples.

She gasped in shock when he first hit her, but that shock quickly changed to something deeper and far sultrier. The sound that erupted from her as he flowed over her was nothing short of purest sin. He took satisfaction in it.

And even as he covered the most intimate inches of her skin with his exploration, he knew he was going too far. It had gone too far the moment he had sat in the brush to stare at her as she bathed. But this, what he was doing now, it was a whole other level of perversion, and as glorious as she felt, he knew he was stepping way over the line.

Did you enjoy that? Now rush out and buy the book!

I’d like to take this opportunity to give you all cyber hugs, answer a few questions and say thank you SO much for your devotion to this series. That has allowed it to be translated into over half a dozen foreign languages including German, Thai, Portuguese an now the entire set is available in audio format by Tantor Media! (The fabulous Xe Sands does our gang of men and their ladies proud!) Anyway, I have wondrous things planned for you and this world in the future. Follow my on my website, Facebook, Twitter and blog and I’ll keep you up to date on me, my books, my life, my peeves, my cats, my kid…basically all the floatsam of my life. Oh, and on Facebook we have a neat roleplaying page you ought to join called Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalker World official role-play page. You get to watch actors play your favorite NIGHTWALKER characters, get to oogle the Hump Day Hunks on Wednesdays and a variety of other things as well. Oh, and the person who plays Ruth (cough) is sick and twisted and does a FABULOUS job, if I do say so myself. Hehehe. So…on to all the juicy details my avid and diehard readers have been waiting patiently to know…

*Yes, I do have plans for Tristan from the Shadowdwellers to get his HEA eventually. What form and time this takes shape in is a grey area at present, but there is an intention.

*Yes, I do have plans for the next installment in the Nightwalkers universe, and it is going to be spectacular! And as soon as it’s in writing you all will be the first to know because I will be shouting it from the mountaintops ☺

*My original intent when I finished Drink of Me was for it to be a stand-alone title. However, after massive amounts of fan mail begging me to continue, I have decided to give the idea some careful consideration.

If you haven’t heard of me or tried me before, I hope you will. A good place to start is either Book One of the Nightwalkers series, JACOB, or
my stand alone title DRINK OF ME! I hope you pick up ADAM. It definitely stands on its own even if you have not read the first. (But I, personally, am a stickler for reading things in their correct order)

Here is a sample of JACOB on audio, ENJOY!

Listen here: http://www.tantor.com/mp3/B0318_JacobNightwalkers.mp3

Also don’t forget SUPERNATURAL, an anthology that gives my devoted readers a long-awaited insight into what exactly transpires between Kane and Corrine that very first Samhain night. Remember, Corrine was near death that night, and Demon instincts don’t make leeway for fragility in a mate. (Especially since Demon mates are not usually fragile humans!) So what’s a Demon obsessed with mating to do? Check it out and see, In Stores Now!!

Thank you so much for having me, It’s been a blast!

Hugs & Kitties,
Jacki Frank

Jacquelyn lives in the Western North Carolina mountain area around Asheville with her ten male cats (no, that isn’t a typo) and about ten thousand voices in her head. Rather than take heavy meds to chase them away, (the voices, not the cats) she indulges them and brings their stories to life. She’s lived in many places and worked many jobs, which she says makes her ‘colorful, not inconstant.’ She is always rescuing one stray or another, be they animal or human, and thinks the invention of electronic reading devices could only be improved if they could just manage to make them smell like ink and paper. A self-admitted techno-geek, she loves all kinds of gadgetry.

She believes every romance should have a happily ever after.

You can often find her on Facebook. Join her fan page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacquelyn-Frank/371620872548 or visit her website at http://www.jacquelynfrank.com/ . There you will find a blog, notices of upcoming book releases and personal appearances, an FAQ (frequently asked questions), and ways to follow her on Twitter. Email her personally at jackifrankwrites@gmail.com or snail-mail her at P.O. Box 2164 Skyland, NC 28776.

WIN - Leave Jacquelyn a comment this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a Jacquelyn Frank Prize Package! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner!

This Week's Special Guest Nina Pierce

2011-10-10T04:00:00.003-04:00

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome author Nina Pierce to talk about romance novels and her new book DECEIVE HER WITH DESIRE.

Award-winning erotic romance author, Nina Pierce, grew up in a house full of readers. So becoming enamored with books was only natural. She discovered romance stories in her early teens, falling hopelessly in love with knights in shining armor and the damsels who saved them.

Eventually, reading about alpha males and the journey to find their happy-ever-after endings wasn’t enough. She needed to pen her own stories of fated loves and soul mates. Nina’s discovered the passionate side of romance with her sexy stories. For her, it’s all about the sweet scent of seduction mixed with the heartwarming aroma of romance.

Nina resides in the northeast with her high school sweetheart and soul mate of twenty-seven years, their three grown children and several very spoiled cats who consider her “staff”.

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A Romance by Any Other Name
Nina Pierce

Like so many writers, I’ve read lots and lots and lots and lots of books. I read titles in a variety of genres from science fiction to historical, medical thrillers to mysteries, but I always come back to my all time favorite—romance. The wonderful thing about today’s romance is that it comes in all subgenres.

I’ve been finding blogs and twitter posts recently from readers who were incensed that the paranormal or urban fantasy book they were reading was classified as a romance. They were disgusted that the world was too well developed to be a romance, appalled the plot was too deep for romance or that the characters were too multi-dimensional to be romance. And I just want to scream. What the heck are they thinking about romance stories?

I’m a well educated woman. I’m neither lonely nor bored (though I’d happily suffer through a night of boredom *g*). I’m happily married to a wonderful man who fulfills my every need, often and on a regular basis. LOL! The point is, I don’t read romance to fill a missing void, I read romance because I enjoy it. *gasp* Yep, let me repeat that, romance stories offer me every subgenre I enjoy and I seek them out at the bookstore.

Of course this doesn’t surprise readers of romance. I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know. I guess it’s just some of the general public out there that are very confused. I’ve heard people accuse romance writers of trying to disguise the true genre of their book through clever blurbs that boast rich characters and twisting plotlines. Yeah, whatever. We lovers of romance know that our reading tastes are based on good writing, solid stories and a love of the happy-ever-after, not a desire to fulfill an otherwise solitary existence. (Though a hunky hero or two never ruined my love of the romance genre. *wink*)

*** So tell me, what’s your favorite subgenre of romance? Anyone commenting will be eligible to win an ebook of “Blind Her With Bliss”, the first book in the Tilling Passions series and a set of romance trading cards. ***

Nina’s most recent romance release, “Deceive Her With Desire” is available for Kindle lovers (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057XV0F4) Nook Lovers (http://tinyurl.com/6a8fqvy) and in all other digital formats at Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/68862)

BLURB:

A woman determined to protect her heart…

Landscaping in Delmont, Maine hasn’t been DEIRDRE TILLING’s only passion. Up until two months ago, it had included a live-in lover. Jilted for the third time in as many years, Deirdre’s decided to give up on love. With her feet firmly planted on the path of one night stands, she finds herself heating up the sheets with a dark haired stranger she met at her new employer’s party. But one night with the man who is both sexy as hell and compassionate, may not be enough.

An agent hell bent on proving himself…

DEA agent, AYDEN SCOTT, has a lot to prove after a disastrous drug bust in Miami three years earlier that left a member of his team dead. Working undercover as lead investigator, he’s determined to bring down an elusive drug cartel smuggling heroin into central Maine. He’ll use any means necessary to complete his objective, including sleeping with the suspected drug Lord’s landscaper, Deirdre. He just hadn’t expected the feisty redhead to be so much more than long legs and dangerous curves.

One night neither of them can forget…

Deirdre and Ayden both thought one sexually explosive romp in the sack would be the end of their relationship. But Deirdre’s arrest for heroin possession and her father’s near-fatal heart attack prompts Ayden to confess his true identity. When Deirdre is kidnapped by the drug cartel and used as a pawn, Ayden is forced to choose between his heart and his mission. The question is…who will survive his decision?

EXCERPT:
The sun glistening off the windshield of the Jag had finally burned off the early morning fog.

“Turn here. The farmhouse is only a couple more miles.” Deirdre’s voice was weak.

“Do you need me to call anyone? Rachel? Mark?” Ayden asked.

“No, I talked with Rach when she was at the hospital. She’s going to call Shawn and let him know about my dad. There are a couple of small jobs I put off, but Rachel will go there with Mark and crew.” A small laugh escaped. “Of course in the middle of all that, the witch forgot to mention she’d told my sister about the drug mess.”

Ayden reached over and squeezed her leg. “You’re pretty lucky to have such a supportive family.” She looked so small, so defenseless, huddled in the leather seat. He didn’t know how to make this better. Ayden had lost his family so long ago he didn’t know the kind of strength that came from sharing grief. He knew for certain, after her tearful confession to Julie and Meghan about the arrest, Deirdre had nothing to do with Jameson’s drug operation. She’d told him the truth.

He owed her the same. But how much worse could the timing be?

After Sunday, after they busted Jameson, he’d tell Deirdre everything, all the sordid details of his life. He just didn’t know if the reality would send her running in the opposite direction.

That would be his luck.

He’d started this relationship looking for a distraction, but Deirdre had quickly become so much more than a casual affair. He’d felt her defenses fall away last night with her clothes. She’d given all of herself to him and allowed him into her family. He looked over at the woman who’d tied his emotions in knots and worried about her reaction to his confession.

Her mother had pulled him aside while Deirdre was sitting with her father. Men hadn’t treated her daughter well, and Alice hoped Ayden’s intentions were honorable. He hoped like hell they were too. He hadn’t had time to sort that one out yet.

But if the night had proven anything to Ayden, it’s that he wanted what the Tillings had. Actually, he wanted Deirdre, the rest of the package was just icing.

The familiar burn of doubt heated his gut and he absently reached for the antacids in the glove box.

“You all right?” Deirdre asked.

“Too much vending machine coffee and not enough sleep.” He popped a couple of tablets. Yeah, not even close to the truth. The fact was, when the Jameson deal went down, there was no way he was going to be able to walk away from the sexy redhead who’d crawled into his bed and wrapped herself around his heart.

But he also knew, after the emotional turmoil of the past twelve hours, Deirdre sure as hell wasn’t ready to hear that confession.

Ayden pulled the Jag into the dooryard of the farmhouse. There weren’t any neighbors visible in either direction, cars either. It occurred to him Deirdre’s welfare had taken priority over his undercover work. Not a smart move on his part. Not when Jameson seemed to be breathing down his neck. He hadn’t really been on the top of his game over the last few hours.

There was nothing he could do about it now.

Deirdre reached for the door handle, too tired to open it, her hand fell back to her lap. “I need a shower,” she mumbled.

“What you need, Deirdre, is some food and rest. You barely ate anything at the diner. Meghan promised to call if there was any change. You don’t need to be back at the hospital until this afternoon. You guys have a pretty good system going there. Rotating shifts with your mom.” Lifting her hand, Ayden rubbed it against his lips. “I don’t have any pressing business meetings today. Everything I need to do can be done by phone. Let me take care of you.”

“I’d like that.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WIN - Leave Nina a comment or question this week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a digital copy of her book BLIND HER WITH BLISS, the first book in the Tilling Passions series and a set of romance trading cards (for shipment to US or Canada only). Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

This Week's Special Guest Marie Treanor

2011-09-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, Marie Treanor's is stopping by to talk about the setting of her upcoming release BLOOD ETERNAL, book three in her Awakened By Blood Series.

Marie was born and bred in Scotland, but for some years moved around the UK working and studying. Now she's back home and happily married with three young children. Having grown bored with city life, her family lives in a picturesque village by the sea where, instead of working for a living, Marie is lucky enough to be able to enjoy herself writing stories of romance and fantasy.

She draws the inspiration for her books mainly from the people around her and from Scotland's rich history and culture - with, of course, large helpings of fun and imagination!

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Blood Eternal – Where it all Happens

By Marie Treanor

When choosing the settings for my books, I always find it easiest to follow the old adage, “write what you know”. And although I haven’t visited every single place I’ve ever written about (some of them are made-up for a start!), I do like to have at least a vague knowledge of the country concerned.

Not that I want to fill my books with long descriptions that could double as accurate travel guides! But whether my characters are in a village I invented or in a well-known city inhabited by millions, I do like to be able to convey some kind of genuine atmosphere, a general feel of the place.

This is true in particular of my Awakened by Blood vampire romance novels, which are set in Romania, Hungary, Scotland, the United States and, most recently, Turkey. Apart from New York – where I confess I’ve never set foot and had to depend for my “feel” on film, television and internet research! – I’ve at least visited all those countries. And co-incidentally, I’m not long back from Turkey, where much of the first half of Blood Eternal takes place.

It wasn’t my first visit. My family and I have spent several holidays there over the last five years, staying in the same mountain village, and we love the country and the people. It really is a kind of gateway between east and west, a mix of both familiar and unfamiliar cultures to a western European like myself. I love to lie in bed there listening to the dawn call to prayer and the cacophony of animal noises that greets the sun in a traditional Turkish village. The slower pace of life and the air of peace; the friendliness and kindness of the people – many of whom have very little but want to share what they have; the colour and variety of the markets and the insistence of the traders; the beauty of the mountain scenery and the Mediterranean coast, all make it a magical place for me. And the perfect setting in which to awaken an insane Ancient vampire and chase him as he rampages through the countryside.

Of course, it’s terribly romantic as well! I was happy to fit in a few trysts for Elizabeth and Saloman among this scenery - between vampire hunting and angst, of course!

The house in which Elizabeth and the hunters stay is based on one we lived in several times. So is the village. And the town of Fethiye, where Elizabeth and her friend Mihaela, have their heart-to-heart, is a real, thriving market town. Much of the older town was destroyed by an earthquake in the last century, but here are the ancient tombs carved into the hillside, as visited by Elizabeth and Mihaela in the story, and this is the view they might have had from the harbour-front café where they had lunch.

It’s good to have real places to envision as your characters move through them. I really hope that in the books, I’ve conveyed the charm and generosity of the people as well as the beauty of their country.

How important to you is a genuine setting for a book? Or does it not matter at all, so long as the story grabs your attention? If you have any favourite settings, I’d love to hear about them!

BLOOD ETERNAL: an Awakened by Blood novel by Marie Treanor

Secrets don't disappear after seduction...

Elizabeth Silk is struggling to reconcile her passion for the vampire overlord Saloman and her allegiance to the vampire hunters. When a shocking vampire revolt calls Saloman away from her, she refuses to follow him.

To make matters worse, Saloman's beloved cousin Luk has been
found and awakened by one of his greatest enemies. Frenzied
with bloodlust, Luk embarks on a killing spree and prepares to
expose Saloman's biggest vulnerability: Elizabeth.

But under Saloman's regime, vampires have become less concerned with secrecy, no longer willing to hide their power. Rumors are swirling about attacks on humans. After Saloman joins forces with the vampire hunters to consolidate his power, Elizabeth begins to understand her role in the inevitable collision of the two worlds. She could bring resolution between vampires and humans - if she can manage to stay alive long enough to play both sides.

BUY THE BOOK *** BUY IN KINDLE *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Leave Marie a question this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of one of her Awakened by Blood books! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner!

*** Btw - don't forget to check out the Kindle Marie has up for grabs over on the contest page of AuthorIsland.com!!

Special Guest Erin Nicholas

2011-08-15T09:00:00.001-04:00

This week our special guest over on our Tiki Hut Blog, is Samhain Publishing author Erin Nicholas.

Erin has been reading romance since her mom first let her into her book cupboard when Erin was about fourteen. LaVyrle Spencer, Julie Garwood, Debbie Macomber... they took Erin's 'happily ever after' ideas from animated princesses to real people in the real world.

She's been writing romance almost as long. Many a family car trip was spent with her head bent over a spiral notebook in the back seat. She'll confess that her very first attempts at fiction were fantasy and paranormals, influenced by her father's love of the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the original Alice in Wonderland. If Harry Potter had been around, Erin's sure he would have been on the bedtime story shelf as well.

But it wasn't long until Erin started writing about true love and that's where she's been ever since.

She's so thrilled to be able to share these stories with you and hopes that they make you smile, sigh, maybe even choke up a little. Most of all, She hopes that they help you believe in magical things like first kisses, the spark of passion, and the power of true love.

Erin loves to hear from readers! Please write her at Erin@ErinNicholas.com

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The End

I’ve made no secret of the fact that the Dark Moment (the moment when all seems lost) is my least favorite part of a book to write. It takes me forever and I’m usually way too nice the first time (and the 2nd. At least.) My second least favorite part to write is the end. It’s hard because I want it to be good, to linger in the reader’s mind, to be true to the characters. But it’s bittersweet. The End means the book is done, in my books it means they’re together and starting their happily ever after. But it also means the book is done. The characters don’t need me anymore. They’ve figured it out. We say goodbye.

Especially Sara and Mac’s book, Just My Type. This is the third book in the Bradford series. There are three Bradford siblings. So I knew going in that it was the last book of the series.

Needless to say, it took me forever to write that ending. And I never was totally happy with it. I think because I didn’t want it to end. I’m like that as a reader too. I love when the couple gets together but I also hate that it’s all over with. As an author it’s almost worse. Usually I have my next project ready to go. It helps with the pain of the end of my relationship with these characters to start getting someone else together. But I still miss them.

Especially at times like this. It’s been well over a year since I typed that The End but now I get to revisit those characters with blurbs and interviews and blog posts for the print release (August 2). Sigh. I really think I need to write some more of these guys…

Until then, though, here’s how the whole thing starts (I like beginnings… not endings ). And I’d love to give an e-copy of any of the Bradford books to one lucky commenter this week!

JUST MY TYPE - Book 3 in The Bradfords Series by Erin Nicholas

Secretly wanting her—no problem. Her not-so-secretly wanting him—big trouble.

There's only one problem with the woman Jason "Mac" Gordon wants: his best friend's little sister is off limits. Way off limits, and too young and innocent for the likes of him. From past experience, he's learned to hide his not-so-nice preferences from the nice girls he seems to attract. That definitely includes the woman he's always thought of as a sister. At least until recently.

Sara Bradford always gets what she wants - which is partly Mac's fault. After all, he helped spoil her. So she has no intention of taking his no for an answer on anything - least of all his refusal to sleep with her. He thinks she's too innocent? Fine. She'll simply get un-innocent and show Mac that she wants him - the good, the bad and the nipple clamps.

When Mac's plan to drive her away works too well, he's forced to follow her to a tropical paradise, determined to make sure she doesn't find her wild side with anyone but him. Once she gets a real taste of what he likes, he's sure everything will go back to normal.

That's until he discovers a slight kink, er, flaw in his logic...

Warning: Contains hot sex at the beach, kinky online shopping - and yes, cotton-candy-flavored body powder does exist.

BUY THE BOOK *** BUY THE eBOOK *** BUY IN KINDLE *** READ THE EXCERPT

Excerpt:

Mac settled down into his chair and pushed the chair next to him out for her. “Want me to stay over and answer the phone until Tuesday?”

She swiveled on her chair seat to look at him, gauging the motivation behind the offer. She knew he didn’t mean it like that. He’d slept on her couch before.

“Yes,” she said simply.

“I will,” he told her lifting his glass. “But you have to buy Twinkies.”

Mac’s favorite food. Normally, she would roll her eyes and joke about his propensity for junk food. But she was in a mood tonight. She leaned over and put her hand on his hard, flat stomach.

“How do you keep these so tight with all those Twinkies?” She rubbed her hand back and forth over the warm, white linen of his shirt.

Mac seemed to freeze. And stop breathing. His eyes were locked on hers and she felt a current zing between them. She’d never touched him like that. They’d held hands, even hugged before and she’d touched his arms, back, shoulder, even face once, but never his chest, or stomach, or lower.

“Sara?” His voice was definitely hoarse.

“Mac.”

“Move your hand.”

She slid it downward and Mac shot back, tipping his chair onto its back legs and throwing him off balance enough that he stumbled to his feet, knocking the chair over.

“Hell, Sara!” he swore. Straightening to his full height and glaring down at her he demanded. “What the hell was that?”

She blinked at him, trying for innocence. “You said…”

“I didn’t mean that!” he snapped.

“Well, why not? I certainly wouldn’t mind doing it.”

He gaped at her and she almost laughed. She’d never seen Mac flabbergasted like this.

“You wouldn’t mind doing what exactly?”

Maybe he thought—or hoped—she was talking about something else. She had to make this clear.

“Putting my hand on your…”

“Okay,” he interrupted, throwing up his hands. “Enough. You’re obviously drunk.”

Instead of looking up and arguing his statement, Sara’s eyes found the object of conversation almost right in front of her. And he looked interested in what she was proposing.

Mac had an erection. Right there. Front and center. Unmistakable.

“You sure you’re not interested?” She looked directly at the tent in his pants.

He quickly righted the chair, sat and dropped his napkin in his lap. “Knock it off.”

“What? You’re telling me you’ve never thought of it? Ever?”

“Of having your hand down my pants at your brother’s wedding? No, I can honestly say I haven’t.” He wouldn’t look at her.

“So when have you thought about having my hand down your pants?”

He opened his mouth, shut it again, shifted in his chair, frowned. “Stop it.”

She scooted her chair closer. “Mac, honestly. Have you ever thought of us together?”

“Sure. We’re together all the time at Sam’s, at the Center and the hospital.” He still wasn’t making eye contact.

Sara touched his knee and he nearly jumped out of his chair again. She smiled. She was no dummy. She had a Master’s degree in psychology and was a licensed Social Worker in Nebraska. She studied people. She’d watched the two people she knew best—her sister Jessica and her brother Sam— fall in love with their spouses. She’d seen the effect that intense attraction had on people and how they acted until they admitted the attraction and did something about it.

“I’m talking about naked, you and me.”

“Of course not,” he answered quickly. Too quickly. He was scowling again. “You’re a kid, like a sister to me.”

He was lying. He had to be lying. Before she could think it out any further and potentially chicken out, Sara slid from her chair to Mac’s lap, cupped the back of his head in both hands and kissed him with all she had.

This Week's Special Guest - Betty Gordon

2011-05-30T08:00:00.002-04:00

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome mystery author Betty Gordon as she talks about Egypt and her new novel VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS.

Betty Gordon, a native Texan, moved from Dallas to Houston in search of her destiny. After careers as a dance instructor, sculptor, and legal assistant, she followed her dream to write books that would entertain and challenge readers.

Betty graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown with a B.S. in Professional Writing and from U of H-Clear Lake with an M.A. in Literature (Creative Writing), and an M.A. in Visual Arts. She attended law school for a year before leaving for the world of art and writing. She continues her education with on-line writing workshops and conferences.

A supportive husband, three grown sons, and a Maltese who thinks he's another son complete her family.

Publishing credentials: Murder in the Third Person, Deceptive Clarity, The Magic of Christmas (a mini-ebook collection of short stories for all seasons), Valley of Obsessions (Coming Soon), and The Common Thread (co-authored with CC Smith) Release date 2011. Numerous short stories in L&L Dreamspell's anthologies, Dead and Breakfast, A Death in Texas, A Box of Texas Chocolates, and Twisted Tales of Texas Landmarks.

Betty is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Writers' League of Texas, The Final Twist, Houston Writers' Guild, and Bay Area Writers' League.

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VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS
by Betty Gordon
BEHIND THE SCENES

VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS and the delights of exploring ancient Egypt were just mustard seeds when I was trying to convince my husband to make San Antonio, Texas, our vacation spot some years ago. Beautiful scenery, festive restaurants, and shops await visitors as they follow the Riverwalk that borders the San Antonio River. We had been to San Antonio more times than you could count on one hand, but I enjoyed it every time.

My husband acted interested and said he would check on travel details. I was happy and began the imaginary journey during the days that followed. A few days passed. He hadn’t said anything about the trip and I couldn’t stand it one more minute. So, trying not to sound plaintive, I asked how plans for the trip were coming. He smiled but didn’t say anything. I’m not known for my patience, so this time – not caring if I sounded plaintive or not – I started in on him.

“If you don’t want to go, just say so.”

He hugged me and let me in on a secret he managed to keep from me. I’ll never forget his next words as they made a dream of a lifetime come true.

“How would you like to take a journey down the Nile?”

The rest is history. We went to Egypt and had the experience of our lives. I only wish I could go again and experience more, but with the unrest in that part of the world, I doubt it will happen. Truthfully, it doesn’t matter. I was there, I saw as much of Cairo and the monuments as possible., I made a voyage down the Nile via a boat that allowed passengers to disembark at historical sites, I saw King Tutankhamen’s Tomb, and I relived it all in VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS.

The concept for the story and characters began when I made this trip to Egypt some years ago. The pharaohs, the monuments – everything about the country intrigued me and had done so since childhood when I could only look at pyramids in picture books. I decided during this memorable trip to write about my adventures although the actual words wouldn’t come to life until much later. Many unbelievable things happened during my journey to this impressive country and these happenings are woven into the story. Of course, not ALL occurrences are real and even those that are have been fictionalized to a certain extent. Sketches of prominent story sites are included as well as one photo I took while in Egypt. I had numerous photographs, of course, but sadly they failed to transfer well. The history of this country, the majestic and memorable pyramids, and monuments wrapped themselves around me impatiently waiting to see print.

My characters usually evolve from my imagination when I first enter the twilight zone at night. Unfortunately, oftentimes these thoughts keep me from sleep and I end up at the computer describing a character or creating a budding plot. Desiree Roberts, the protagonist in Valley of Obsessions, is a natural for me as I wore a hat as a paralegal/legal assistant for many years. So, I understand this woman who searches for ways to unite with a fascinating country in a special way and find love at the same time.

Most of the time I am what one would call a “pantster.” I develop the story as I write, but this novel evolved in a way that required some outlining. Even though I write down the characters’ traits when I begin the story, their personality quirks develop much later and are capable of changing the direction of the story. My Muse usually takes over at this point and uses the personality quirks to create numerous tantalizing threads in the cast of characters. I think, and hope, that these tantalizing threads lead to a conclusion that is both challenging and surprising for readers.

VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS by Betty Gordon

Desiree's passion for ancient Egyptian culture leads her on a dangerous trip down the Nile.

Can Desiree Roberts leave her law career in Texas and become a 1980's Egyptian?

Will the country that has captivated her since childhood embrace her, or will it lead her down dangerous paths fraught with deception and betrayal?

As Desiree follows her dreams and treks through shifting sands, she enters portals of pharaohs long since entombed. Her obsessions lure her into alien territory filled with suspicious characters - where someone wants to end her fantasies.

How far will he go?

BUY THE BOOK *** BUY THE eBOOK *** BUY IN KINDLE *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Leave Betty a question this week at the Tiki Hut because TWO lucky readers will receive their choice from Betty's book list check out her website for your choices! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are one of this week's TWO winners!! Good luck!

This Week's Special Guest - John Nelson

2011-05-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week at the Tiki Hut, we welcome John Nelson, an author with Wild Child Publishing as he talks about his new thriller - AGAINST NATURE.

AGAINST NATURE by John Nelson

The U.S. is ground-zero for a mysterious global pandemic. The disease is highly infectious and kills its victims within two weeks of exposure. It’s neither bacteria nor a virus and all traditional treatment regiments have failed.

Serena Salus, a radical scientist, discovers the organism is an extraterrestrial dust mite brought to earth by a shuttle astronaut.

The government contends it’s a genetically-engineered organism created on earth by enemies of freedom.

Dr. Salus uncovers a vile plan for distributing her experimental antitoxin and finds herself in a deadly confrontation with powerful forces that’ll stop at nothing to control the distribution of her vaccine.

BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

Welcome to the Tiki Hut John, could you tell us a little bit about your novel?

It’s a dystopian thriller. The U.S. is ground-zero for a mysterious global pandemic. The disease is highly infectious and kills it’s victims within two weeks of exposure. It’s neither bacteria nor a virus and all traditional treatment regimens have failed.

Serena Salus, a radical scientist, discovers the organism is an extraterrestrial dust mite brought to earth by a shuttle astronaut. The government contends it’s a genetically-engineered organism created on earth by enemies of freedom.

Dr. Salus uncovers a vile plan for distributing her experimental vaccine and finds herself in a deadly confrontation with powerful forces that’ll stop at nothing to control the distribution of her vaccine.

What led you to write this book?

Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. In our proverbial rearview mirror we see things like Abu Ghraib, secret prisons, torture, wars built on lies and before us we see Social Darwinists rising to power in Washington. Scary stuff! I wondered what would happen if we had a great catastrophic event like a global pandemic; a disease without a cure. I used some past events and superimposed them on my fictitious event and what came out the other end was a pretty frightening dystopian thriller.

What do you believe is the key to good fiction?

I think a good novel blends facts with fiction and if successful, blurs the lines between them. The story should be plausible enough to pull the reader in and keep them turning pages.

The Dystopian genre seems to be popular again.

Yes, I think that’s true in young adult fiction, especially with the success of the Hunger Games series. Against Nature is geared for the adult reader, but that doesn’t mean it won’t appeal to young adults too. I think Against Nature is infused with a larger dose of social criticism in the spirit of Orwell or Huxley. I’m glad to see more dystopian novels hitting the shelf (or e-reader.)

What do you want your readers to get out of your book?

Any good dystopian novel should make you think. That’s my goal with Against Nature.

Was the story compelling and entertaining and did it make you think? If so, then I succeeded.

WIN - Leave John a comment or question this week here at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a copy of his new book! Please leave your email address, so we can contact you if you are today's winner! Good Luck!

Ashley Blade's Tiki Hut Winner

2011-05-23T07:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all those who stopped by the Tiki Hut to visit with Ashley and congrats to Stacie DM - your name was drawn as our winner!

Be looking for an email from Ashley with your free copy of ONCE BITTEN - enjoy it and be sure to let us know what you thought of it!

This Week's Special Guest - Ashley Blade

2011-05-16T08:00:00.008-04:00

This week at our AuthorIsland Tiki Hut we welcome author Ashley Blade as she celebrates her brand new release ONCE BITTEN and tells us a bit about herself and how she feels about being published.

As a single mom working as a car sales person, Ashley manages her time between her passion for books, writing and her family. When she is not surfing the web or writing, you can find her rooting her daughter toward certain victory in a soccer match or curled up with her better half and a good book.

WEBSITE *** BLOG *** FACEBOOK *** TWITTER

ONCE BITTEN by Ashley Blade

Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug.

Luka was beginning to feel like both. With a raging hard on and death surrounding him, he couldn’t see the killer right in front of him. He was blind unwilling to see the truth. At least that’s what he told himself.

Flora, was the self appointed protector of Luka. A vampire who was under the spell of his creator; Kira. Now with the help of her sisters she must face the killer of innocent humans and the woman who was standing between her and the object of her affection.

Flora's only hope; She could save Luka in time and not lose him to a fate worse than death…his maker.

BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

I don’t really talk about myself. Sure I answer questions when given, but I mean I could tell you I live on Mars, my hair is blue and I have a three-toed Sloth as a pet. Would the reader believe me? Maybe two of the three things I listed but mostly likely no. So when I asked for a spot here at the Tiki Hut, I really had to think about what I wanted to say. Oh I know I need to promote my just released book, ONCE BITTEN, but I wanted to do a little more than just promote, because let’s face it, readers love promotion. But, they also want to get to know the author too, right?

So here goes. My real name is Amanda. I am from the sunny Southern California beaches and I now live in the tiny town of Roanoke, Alabama. I have always loved the idea of writing, but never thought I was good enough to actually get published. I wrote my first published short on a dare from my good friend, Dakota Trace and I haven’t looked back. In the very beginning I thought, oh no, what if I run out of characters or plots to write about? I feared it every day, especially when I was writing a story and it was almost done. So far it hasn’t happened. If anything, I am overwhelmed with characters at the moment.

I am totally green when it comes to the publishing industry. I am slowly learning with the help of my publisher and my editor. I am sure I have given them plenty of gray hairs with all of my questions or, “huh?” responses. But in the year I have been doing this, I can’t imagine not wanting to continue down this path. I am having a blast. I have met some amazing people, including some of my favorite authors. I experienced my first Cyber Monday and my first Black Friday this year. Yes people I did do a little giddy dance at the prospect that someone might have bought my books those two days.

Every time I am in a book store, and I see someone pick up a Nook or an e-reader I introduce myself and say, guess what you can purchase my books on there. Then I have that surreal, oh wow, you really can buy my books on there, moment. I know this is not typically what authors say, but this is me. I get excited over the little things. I’m not used to it, I may never get used to it. Heck, I hope I never do. I have gone so far as to tell my boss lady, if I get to the point where I am like ehh, it’s another release day, remind me of who I used to be or shut me down. The reason is simple, I am not doing it anymore because it is fun, and I’m doing it because it’s what is expected of me.

Writing is fun for me. It brings me out of my shell and makes me happy. I am not in this for the money. I will never be a millionaire. I know this and have made peace with it. I have no expectation of the industry other than the fact e-books are a thing of the present and the future. We are changing as a society. Instant gratification is common place and if I can grab my Kindle, I can download a book. It’s simpler that way.

That is the other thing that makes me excited about being an e-book author. I am now running with the big dogs. Slowly but surely NYC publishers are putting their books into digital format. Right now my books are alongside Nora Roberts and Hannah Howell in Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Crazy right? I still can’t grasp that concept. I don’t think I ever will. It was the chance I was given that brought me here. If my boss lady would have come to me ten years ago and said see you soon, you’re going to be one of my authors, I would have scoffed at her. My mom and I were homeless. I couldn’t even imagine having a computer, much less a hot meal at night. My imagination was just as broke as we were. Here I am though, an author. It amazes me how much my life has changed in such a short amount of time.

Before I close this little ditty, I have to one last thing to say. If you have a wicked imagination where dragons and elves or vampires and zombies run free, write it down. Then mold it, create a world and keep going. If you have that itch to have it published, try. We all get told no, but the first yes is all it takes. That is your toe in the door, use it to your advantage, learn from your publisher and keep going. Always remember who you are and always remember what it felt like when your first story was available for download or purchase. It’s the best feeling ever!

Ashley Blade.

WIN - Leave Ashley a comment or question this week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a free ebook or her ONCE BITTEN!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

Stacey Kennedy's Tiki Hut Winner

2011-05-16T07:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with Stacey last week and thanks to Stacey for a great post and for offering up a great prize!

Congrats to June M - your name was drawn as our winner! Stacey will be sending you out a copy of BLESS THE BEAUTY, so keep an eye on your inbox and enjoy!

This Week's Special Guest - Stacey Kennedy

2011-05-09T09:00:00.004-04:00

This week on our AuthorIsland Tiki Hut Blog, we welcome Urban Fantasy author Stacey Kennedy as she stops by to talk about why she loves writing series.

Stacey's novels are light-hearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again.

Her journey as a writer began as a way to keep her brain alive since being a stay at home mom can sometimes be a little...let's say numbing. It was an escape from screaming kids, dirty diapers and plain old mom duty.

It started as a hobby, but as the stories progressed it became a passion. Now, Stacey indulges at nap time, especially the juicy bits! Every mom needs a good thrill!

WEBSITE *** FACEBOOK *** GOODREADS *** TWITTER

Series, love 'em or hate 'em?

A question I’m asked all the time is, “why do you write series?” The answer is simple, cause I love them! I’m not a huge fan of single titles and rarely read them. Mainly because after I’m done the book I’m left wanting more and frustrated that it ends there.

So, when I started writing it was pretty clear cut that I would write series. I enjoy the exploration of the characters and the way that it’s not just a single adventure but a few that makes up their life. For me, what makes a story great is the attachment received from the characters. You want to cry with them, cheer them on, and swoon over their growing love. And that, for me, just isn’t possible in a single title. I’m always left saying, “but what happened after...”

I suppose I get emotionally attached to the characters I write as well as read. I live their journey with them and I want to feel fulfilled that I’ve watched them grow, go through hardships, but in the end, succeed. I need to see all of the events that have brought them happiness, because as we all know, life is forever changing. And I want to experience that process with them.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Are you like me who just can’t let go after one story or are you satisfied with single titles?

If you like series like I do...danger, love, supernatural creatures and men that make you swoon, The Magical Sword, might be right up your alley.

~ Stacey

THE WILLOW - The Magical Sword Series - Book One by Stacey Kennedy

A past of secrets, a life broken by death - awakens to a world of promise and love, but lurking danger threatens to destroy it all.

In Carson City, Nevada a tragic car accident has claimed the lives of Nexi Jones' adoptive parents. Now, without them, her reason to live has vanished and she is determined to end her pain.

The problem with that, it's not heaven she wakes up to, it's the Otherworld. Nexi must reconcile the truth about her past, and her heritage as part guardian/part witch, while she begins to train to join the Council's guard. But it's not the combat training that has her worried, it's attempting to keep her cool around the luscious guardian, Kyden that's her biggest concern.

Before long, Nexi's skills are put to the test as she begins to fight against the supernatural who have taken a human life. But nothing can prepare her for the journey ahead. Soon, she will find herself lost in a mystery and fighting to keep all she's gained, as Lazarus, a vampire, threatens to take it all away.

BUY THE BOOK *** BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Leave Stacey a comment or question this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for the first book of any of her series - head over to her website to check them out and be sure to let us know which one you want along with your email address so we can contact you in case you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

Sandra Marshall's Tiki Hut Winner

2011-05-02T07:59:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by last week to visit with Sandra and keep her company! And thanks to Sandra for being a great "special" guest and for the great prize - iTunes Cash!

Congrats to Western Lovin!! - your name was drawn as our winner! Sandra will contact you soon with your prize, so keep your eyes open!

This Week's Special Guest - Sandra K. Marshall

2011-04-25T08:00:00.007-04:00

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome author Sandra K. Marshall as she talks about her story in the new anthology FOOL ME TWICE.

Sandra grew up in the mid-west in a small farming community where she belonged to 4-H. When she was thirteen, her family moved to, Lawrence, Kansas, the town where the University of Kansas thrived. After high school, she traveled to California to live with a friend and to find a job. She became very homesick and returned home.

She worked for a major airline for thirty-six years and during this period she furthered her education. It was a lovely time in her life working for a wonderful company. She traveled to many countries such as Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Australia, Egypt and Hong Kong just to name a few.

While at the airline, she started writing due to her husband's influence, and in 1999 she retired to write full time and worked seriously toward publication. In 2008, she had her first book published, and then her second one in 2009. Shortly after her publisher closed their doors, and she immediately moved to a new publisher. She is still with the publisher and has had three books and a short story published with them.

She's now working on another one hoping to finish it before the end of summer. It's a romantic suspense set at an airline maintenance overhaul base, and it's the one she was writing when she retired. She's doing a complete overhaul of this book and it's not the easiest thing she has ever done. :)

WEB SITE *** BLOG *** MYSPACE

The book I want to tell you about is an anthology titled, Fool Me Twice. My story is A Fool's Fool. The blurb and excerpt are posted below.

Blurb
Pranks are carried too far.

Kathy O'Reilly, a strong-willed woman doesn't allow men to walk over her or anyone else. When one of the co-owner's of Gagsters, Norm Jokes, is allowed to get away with playing pranks, she speaks up to her boss.

Jason Barrone, co-owner of Gagsters is attracted to his assistant and will not allow his best friend to cause him to lose her. Jason wants them to be friends because he doesn't want to have to make a choice of who goes and who stays.

Excerpt

Kathy O'Reilly walked softly behind Norm Jokes as he crept up the aisle between the cubicles, making sure he didn't know she was near. It was obvious he was planning to sneak up on someone to either scare or do something worse.

Norm was as obnoxious as any guy she'd ever met, but for some reason her friend, Allyson Metzl, thought the joker just needed attention.

Uh oh—Norm sped up, and she saw the reason why.

Allyson stood just a few feet away, waving her hands as she leaned in a cubicle to talk to a co-worker. Her friend’s back was to him; Allyson's long dark hair covered the derrière of her diminutive figure.

Her pal had just gone through a divorce, and was feeling frail. There was no way Kathy would let anyone hurt her friend again. Kathy called out, "Allyson."

Allyson wheeled around, her mouth opened in a big O when she almost smacked into Norm.

He put his hands on Allyson’s shoulders. “Don’t move so suddenly. You almost knocked me down, and I would’ve fell on top of you.” He glanced over his shoulder at Kathy.

With an inward laugh, she joined them. "Stopped you from being an obnoxious ass.” She watched him, knowing by his grin that he’d enjoyed himself. "You're going to get into big trouble one day." His right eye ticked knowing he'd been caught in the act. Too bad fellow.

"Did someone want me?" Allyson asked; her black lashes fluttered as she glanced between Kathy and Norm.

His face reddening, Norm stuttered, "I wanted to tell you how pretty you look in your outfit."

"Thank you for noticing, Norm." Allyson peeked up at him. "It's new."

The skunk, he hadn't even noticed her friend's lime green outfit until he needed to get his ass out of a jam. "Allyson, I wanted to talk to you a moment."

"Uh, I'll leave you two to it," Norm muttered.

Kathy glared after him as he slinked toward his office. He had nerve pretending to have noticed Allyson other than her butt. She hoped her friend didn't fall for his Mr. Nice Guy act.

Allyson's cherry red lips turned up, laughing she showed perfect white teeth and her milk chocolate gaze focused on Kathy. "The way you're scowling at Norm he must've been up to no good."

"He almost got you, but I managed to save you."

Allyson laughed, her eyes sparkling. She shook her head, her long straight hair swaying from side to side. "Thanks, but who knows? Maybe I would have liked it.”

Her friend hadn’t dated since her divorce, and she constantly defended Norm to the other girls in the building. Why? Kathy couldn’t understand unless Allyson secretly had a crush on him. Kathy hoped not, because in truth, the man terrorized all of them. They were afraid to say anything for fear of losing their jobs. Luckily, she wasn’t in the same circumstance since she worked for the head boss.

"Next time I’ll let him get you.” She grimaced. “You need to get out more if that guy interests you.” He almost pinched her friend’s bottom. He liked to pinch the other girls and play pranks on them.

“Now you’re just being mean.” Allyson’s perfect white teeth chewed her bottom lip. “I think he’s cute.”

"To each their own, but something has to be done to stop him from picking on all the women."

Allyson giggled. “I might be able to help. We could play a trick on him. April Fool’s Day will be here soon and it would be an appropriate time to do something to him.”

"Great. I would like nothing better than to get revenge on the skinny runt."

Her dark brows rose and Allyson asked, “Has he done anything to you?”

“He better not or I’ll make his life miserable.” If Norm ever pinched her, she would bring a harassment lawsuit against him and the company, Gagsters, Incorporated.

"You won't do anything to hurt his feelings, will you Kath?" Allyson’s brows knit together slightly.

Well, on second thought not against Gagsters, just Norm. She didn't want to hurt her boss, Jason Barrone. As his administrative assistant, Kathy was treated courteously and as an equal. Not only was he a perfect gentleman, he was a very handsome one. She liked his cleft chin and green brown-flecked eyes. Besides, he often told her he couldn't do without her— she was his right arm.

For some reason, she was drawn to Jason even though normally, she went for the tall, dark, and dangerous bad boys. Jason was the exact opposite with his light brown hair streaked blond from the sun. The one time she accidentally bumped into him he was solid as a rock and just as dependable.

A veil lifted from Allyson’s face and a light shone in her eyes. Her friend’s hound dog nose twitched on the scent of a mystery. She’d better say something quick.

"Feelings. I doubt if Norm has any, he's such a dope. His antics have to be stopped."

She leaned toward Allyson with her hands fisted, but at the widening of her friends eyes, Kathy drew back, took a deep breath, and relaxed her hands. "You know the other girls won't step out of their cubicles when he's around, and when they go to the lunchroom or bathroom they're constantly looking for him over their shoulders."

Allyson nodded. "I know. Some of the younger girls have even talked to me about it."

"Then you’re completely with me on this?"

“I have an idea of something we can do that would get the message across without hurting him.”

“What?” Kathy watched excitement build on her friend’s face.

“I’m an artist. I could make a poster to put in his office or hang overhead somewhere.”

Smiling, Kathy said, “Okay.”

"Later. My phone is ringing." Allyson hurried away to answer the call.

Kathy wondered what kind of drawing Ally would come up with. She hoped Norm could take a joke. After all, he dished out plenty of them. It was time for him to have some pranks pulled on him. Besides, it was going to be April Fool’s Day in a week.

Buy Links for Fool Me Twice:

">http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/
">http://allromanceebooks.com/product-foolmetwice-525509-149.html
">http://1placeforromance.com/romantic-fiction/foolmetwice/prod_3885.html

Also, can be found on Smashswords.com, B&N and Amazon

If anyone wants to learn more about me visit me at these URL's:

">http://www.skaymarshall.com/
">http://www.sandramarshallblog.blogspot.com/
Facebook - ">http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1496954556
My Space - ">http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall
Twitter - SandraKMarshall
LinkedIn - ">http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sandy-marshall/1a/851/a04
Good Reads - http://www.goodreads.com/skmarshall

I hope everyone has a great week.

WIN - Leave Sandra a question or comment this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a $15 iTunes Gift Card! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

Tim Smith's Tiki Hut Winner

2011-04-25T07:59:00.001-04:00

Thanks to those who stopped by to visit with Tim during your busy holiday week. Congrats to booklover0226 - your name was drawn as our winner. Be on the lookout for an email from Tim along with your free ebook - THE SWEET DISTRACTION!

This Week's Special Guest At The Tiki Hut - Tim Smith

2011-04-18T08:00:00.011-04:00

This week's special guest at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut is Tim Smith as he stops by to talk about his new Vic Fallon Mystery Series.

Tim is the author of five novels, including two contemporary romantic comedies with eXtasy Books. His first three adventure novels starring the one and only Nick Seven have won critical acclaim and several awards. He is also a freelance photographer and works in Dayton, Ohio as a case manager for adults with special needs. When he isn't devoting time to writing, you can find him in The Florida Keys, doing research in between parasailing and seeking out the perfect Pina Colada.

VISIT WEBSITE

***

I’m pleased to be back at the Tiki Hut this week. Apparently I didn’t alienate too many visitors last time or I wouldn’t have been asked to return. This week I’m featuring my new novel, a romantic mystery called “The Bundle,” which was recently released by Extasy Books. I returned to my thriller roots with this one, after writing three romantic comedies. “The Bundle” is the first in a series I’m starting, about a former cop named Vic Fallon, who lives in Sandusky, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie.

This is no ordinary series of romance novels, though. Vic Fallon will be the only recurring character but he’ll have a different gal pal in each installment. It’s written in the style of Raymond Chandler and Donald E. Westlake, with a dash of Mickey Spillane thrown in for seasoning. Oh, I should mention that it’s also very erotic and contains some explicit sex.

I’ve been asked why I chose to set this story in northeast Ohio instead of my usual haunt, The Florida Keys. When I was conceiving the story I took a vacation to the Lake Erie islands, near where I grew up. As I looked at the lakefront scenery it hit me that I could set a story there and make it just as atmospheric as Florida. I also wanted to create a different feel for this series, since I already had three books set in The Keys featuring another male character, former CIA spook Nick Seven.

As in most of my romances, this one has a “happy for now” versus a “happily ever after” ending. I wanted to leave the ending of each installment open and have the reader guessing “Do they or don’t they...”

THE BUNDLE - A Vic Fallon Mystery by Tim Smith

Vic Fallon had little use for the rich and famous when he was a police detective and his attitude hasn't changed since he was forced to turn in his badge. When pop singer Kimberly Daniels returns to her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to promote her latest album, Vic reluctantly agrees to be her bodyguard as a favor for a friend. He isn't told that she has a death threat hanging over her head, with no shortage of suspects.

The set-up takes a bizarre twist when her stalker shows up and Vic uncovers a family secret Kimberly would like to keep hidden. Things get more complex when they develop a strong attraction for each other, in spite of their different lifestyles. Can Vic ensure Kimberly's safety until she returns to LA? Will Kimberly decide to ditch her glitzy celebrity life and stay with the rugged ex-cop she's fallen for?

BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Leave Tim a comment this week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a free download of his erotic romance THE SWEET DISTRACTION. Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck! And don't forget to check out his contest over on the http://www.authorisland.com/ contest page!

Desiree Holt's Tiki Hut Winner

2011-04-16T07:59:00.004-04:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit Desiree yesterday during her blog tour!

Congrats to Chele Blades - your name was drawn as our winner - be looking for an email from Desiree, and in the meantime, head to her website www.DesireeHolt.com to check out her booklist cause you won an ebook of your choice from her 100 books!

Today's Special Guest - Desiree Holt

2011-04-15T07:00:00.003-04:00

Today at our Tiki Hut Blog, we're welcoming award-winning and bestselling author Desiree Holt's as a stop on her blog tour to celebrate her super impressive 100th Release!!!

Desiree has lived a life of excitement that brings the color to her writing. She was a summer fishing guide, a summer field hand where she was one of only three women working, a member of a beginning ski team that skied in competition (and no, no broken bones!). She spent several years in the music business representing every kind of artist from country singer to heavy metal rock bands. For several years she also ran her own public relations agency handling any client that interested her.

She is twice a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award, a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio, and is published by four different houses. Romance Junkies said of her work: "Desiree Holt is the most amazing erotica author of our time and each story is more fulfilling then the last."

WEBSITE *** BLOG *** FACEBOOK *** MYSPACE *** TWITTER *** YAHOO GROUP

You’ve been hit by the dreaded writer’s block

So. You current WIP is racing along at warp speed, your characters all know their place, no one is speaking out of turn and you’re feeling pretty darn good about yourself. Then bam! Out of nowhere, a granite wall surrounds your brain. No matter how long you sit at the keyboard and stare at that pesky monitor screen, not one word will come to your brain. What to so. What to do.

There are so many suggested cures for writers block out in cyberspace that if you took the time to read them all, you’d for sure never get any writing done and you wouldn’t have to worry about your frozen brain cells. I thought some were very creative, some were hysterical, and some just plain made good sense.

One suggestions was hypnosis. Of course, you’d have to find a qualified hypnotist and be sure you were a good subject. But if you get past that, maybe you could have him or her implant a few extra suggestions for your next stories. And actually, believe it or not, for $12.95 you can download a CD, play it and hypnotize yourself. Only…who wakes you up?

Another suggestion is to step away from the computer. Well, duh. Don’t we all try that? But while you’re away from the dreaded computer, try translating a poem into another language (Google Babelfish). Or better yet, writing one yourself. It takes your brain on a whole new trip and gets it unstuck from the crossroads you can’t cross.

Watch a movie with English subtitles. I watched the movie, “Z”, that way and not only found myself drawn into the movie but as I concentrated many other idea came to me.

Indulge in a favorite treat. For me it’s coffee ice cream, or sometimes coffee and chocolate mixed together. Which of course is why I’ll never be modeling on the cover of Vogue.

Meditate. A good companion to hypnosis. Sometimes it helps to wipe the brain clean, sometimes it finds that little bend in the road where it’s stuck and unkinks it.

Brainstorm with a friend. Unless of course the friend is either under deadline or having her own writer’s block. If that latter, I suggest a two margarita lunch.

Keep a journal and write in it on the fays your brilliant ideas smack you in the head and the days your brain won’t work at all. When you go back later on and read them you’ll be surprised, stunned, hilarious at what you’ve written.

And finally, just put your WIP aside and start something new. Maybe something outrageous you haven’t tried before. Something that takes you to a whole new place. You’d be surprised how it will flow backwards to the place where you got stuck.

Me? I personally find my brain works best in the shower, which is why I often resemble an old prune.. But then, at least you know I’m always clean!

***

WIN - Celebrate Desiree’s 100th release, DOWNSTROKE, with a party at over 30 different blogs in the month of April. Each day the blog hostess for that day will pull a name from the commenters for a free download of the winner’s choice from Desiree’s backlist. A different winner every day. And be sure to register here for a refurbished Acer Netbook with external DVD drive!

And check out the http://www.authorisland.com/ Book of the Day today - you could win a copy of Desiree's UNTIL MIDNIGHT!!

Desiree Holt's Tiki Hut Winner

2011-04-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday to visit with Desiree and celebrate her 100th release, DOWNSTROKE!!

Congrats goes out to Beth - but you didn't leave your email address so please email me at AuthorIsland@yahoo.com so we can get you out your prize - thanks!!

Welcoming Desiree Holt

2011-04-13T05:37:00.009-04:00

It's been twenty years since security specialist Charley Roper and country star Dallas Creed had their bitter parting. Now a killer has brought them together again, but neither is ready for a reunion - despite signs that their explosive chemistry hasn't waned with time. She can't forget the feel of his hands on her body. He can't forget the hot touch of her mouth. When they finally tumble into bed, the sex is just as good as they remember, hot enough to singe the sheets. But is it enough?

Thrown together during an exhausting, frenzied concert tour, with a killer nipping at their heels, Dallas and Charley find themselves on a hot, suspenseful, erotic roller coaster ride. Can he convince her to trust her heart to him one more time, to reach out for a richer, deeper, more mature love?

More importantly - can Charley keep Dallas alive long enough for either of them to enjoy a second chance?

BUY THE eBOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT *** WATCH THE VIDEO

****

The making of a book by Desiree Holt

Downstroke, the story of an anguished love and it’s chance to mature, is my 100th release. And it’s appropriate that for a milestone like this the book should be one that came straight from my heart.

I didn’t begin it as I do many of my stories, with a kernel of an idea or a character who wouldn’t get out of my head. Or in the case of one book, one line of dialogue. To tell you about the birth of the book I have to explain that in a life that’s been fortunately varied and exciting I spent ten years in the music industry, as a booking agent and a manager. The music has changed and technology has altered many things in the industry. But one thing hasn’t changed at all–the excitement of a performance and the magic that an electrifying performance brings.

Driving into town one day I happened to pull an old cassette out of the console in my truck (yes, I know, cassette – LOL! That’s how long ago I was in the business!). It was the recording of a concert with a major headliner that one of my bands opened for. As I listened to the music I was transported back to that night in the open air amphitheater, the crowd stirring restlessly as it waited for the concert to begin, the notes of the band tuning up behind the curtain. The anticipation that something magic was about to happen.

Except for one story I hadn’t really drawn on those years of experience in my writing but now ideas began dancing around in my mind. I wanted people to know what it was like in the industry, to share the excitement I’d felt so many times over those years. I’d have a hero-Dallas Creed-and a heroine (ultimately named Charley) and against a backdrop of the music business and the tension of a stalking killer I’d tell their story.

When I walked into my appointment that day I came face to face with the man who would become the inspiration for Dallas Creed-lean and muscular, mid forties, blond with streaks of grey in his hair. Smoky eyes filled with wisdom and anguish. I couldn’t wait to get home and get started.

As I listened to the music again on the way back the title popped into my head-Downstroke. The word refers to the motion of the hand from the top string to the bottom on a guitar. And in my book it would also refer to the rise of my hero, his fall to the bottom and his rise again. I could feel him in my heart-a man who’d thrown away a chance at happiness for the glitter of fame and success, who’d nearly died because of it and now was back on top again but with an emotional emptiness he couldn’t fill.

And then back into his life comes Charley, the woman he’s always loved. Top notch security agent with a successful business but also a void in her life. Twenty years of bitterness lies between them when she’s hired by his brother to find the killer stalking him.

This is a romantic suspense novel and a story of an exciting industry. But most of all it’s a love story of two people in midlife who have a chance to recapture what they threw away. Writing Downstroke was my reward to myself for all the time I’d spent learning my craft, earning my stripes. However you want to define it.

I hope you will love it as much as I do.

***

WIN - Celebrate Desiree’s 100th release, DOWNSTROKE, with a party at over 30 different blogs in the month of April. Each day the blog hostess for that day will pull a name from the commenters for a free download of the winner’s choice from Desiree’s backlist. A different winner every day. And be sure to register here for a refurbished Acer Netbook with external DVD drive!

Stacey Kennedy's Tiki Hut Blog Winner

2011-02-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to eveyone who stopped by to visit with Stacey last week and congrats to StacieDM - your name was drawn as our winner - Stacey will be contacting you soon to get you out your free ebook!

This Week's Special Guest - Stacey Kennedy

2011-02-21T10:00:00.010-05:00

This week on our AuthorIsland Tiki Hut Blog, we welcome Urban Fantasy author Stacey Kennedy as she stops by to talk about her book FIRST AND LAST, the latest release in her Magical Sword Series.

Stacey's novels are light-hearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again.

It started as a hobby, but as the stories progressed it became a passion. Now, Stacey indulges at nap time, especially the juicy bits! Every mom needs a good thrill!

WEBSITE *** FACEBOOK *** GOODREADS *** TWITTER

FIRST AND LAST

The Magical Sword ~ Book Four

Liquid Silver Books ~ January 24, 2011

One woman, one bond, one final battle … can even Nexi Jones defeat the deepest darkness of evil?

Meet Nexi Jones—Witch, Guardian and now, Lady of the Underworld. Embracing her new role, Nexi begins the task of changing a world led by darkness. But not everyone is happy to see her rise to power. Before long, a resistance within the Underworld is forming.

As the darkness begins to close in around her, Nexi’s magical abilities flourish in response—forcing Nexi to dig down deeper into her past to discover this source and why she was gifted with such incredible strength.

With her Guardian, Kyden by her side, Nexi will meet her greatest challenge yet as she begins to discover that fate might have been a bitch, but she was a bitch with a plan.

You can get a copy of First and Last at any of the locations below:

Buy Links:

Liquid Silver Books - http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&category=Stacey+Kennedy

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004G9KR9A

Fictionwise - http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a60492/Stacey-Kennedy/?

Now, onto a little something that has come up in conversation lately. First and Last is the final novel in The Magical Sword Series. Through seeing the first three stories published I have received a couple reviews saying, “The novel was too short—it went to fast.”

All of the stories in The Magical Sword series are sixty thousand words, so I wouldn’t necessarily say they are short. But I do understand what they're saying. The thing is, I keep them this length on purpose. Why? Well, it’s quite simple. When I read a story I get bored of lengthy details and drawn out moments. I love dialogue, monologue and descriptions that allow me to envision the world. And that’s about it.

To be honest, I could have easily added twenty thousand words to my stories to up the word count and give long descriptions of everything. But as I said, I’m not a fan of reading a book that has that in it. In truth, I usually just skim those parts to get back to the dialogue and the good stuff.

I love a fast paced novel that leaves me turning the page to find out what happens next. I enjoy hearing the characters interact with each other and I get bored when nothing is happening. Needless to say, it’s not much of a surprise I write the way I do. For me, it’s thrilling to be constantly wondering what’s going to happen next.

So, if you’re like me, a person who skims over the lengthy boring stuff, who enjoys danger, romance that warms your heart and sex scenes that leave your cheeks pink...then come give my series a try!

-Stacey

You can find and get in contact with Stacey below:

Website - www.staceykennedy.comFacebook - http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=100000956942180

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3473046.Stacey_Kennedy

Twitter - http://twitter.com/Stacey_Kennedy

WIN - Leave Stacey a comment or question this week at The Tiki Hut Blog, and your name goes in the hat for a download of your choice from any of her book! Please leave your email address and your choice of which book you'd like to have, so we can hook you up if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's Tiki Hut Winners

2011-02-14T09:00:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Cheryl Kaye Tardif for the fantastic post about how she came to write her romantic suspense LANCELOT'S LADY and for offering up three ebook copies of it as prizes for the week!

COngrats to Estella, CJ and Katie - Estella, thanks for leaving your email address, Cheryl will be contacting you soon with your prize.

CJ and Katie you two need to email me at AuthorIsland at yahoo dot com with your email address by the end of February to claim your prize!

This Week's Special Guest At The Tiki Hut - Cheryl Kaye Tardif

2011-02-07T10:00:00.007-05:00

Cheryl Kaye Tardif

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome author Cheryl Kaye Tardif who stops by to talk about how she came to write a romance.

Cheryl is an award-winning, bestselling Canadian suspense author. Her novels include The River, Divine Intervention, and Whale Song, which New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice calls “a compelling story of love and family and the mysteries of the human heart...a beautiful, haunting novel."

Cheryl has finished two thrillers, Children of the Fog, and Divine Justice (book 2 in the Divine series), both of which are slated for publication in 2011. She also enjoys writing short stories, which has resulted in Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories (short story collection) and Remote Control (novelette).

When she is not ruthlessly killing people off in her thrillers as bestselling Canadian suspense author, Cheryl Kaye Tardif, she is busy relaxing in her hot tub, sipping champagne, eating chocolate-covered strawberries and plotting romantic suspense with scintillating sensuality as romance author Cherish D'Angelo.

Cherish's debut romance, Lancelot's Lady placed in the semi-finals of Dorchester Publishing's "Next Best Celler" contest and went on to win an Editor's Choice Award from Textnovel. Currently living in Edmonton, Alberta, she enjoys long walks on the beach, except there aren't any around so she has to make do with trips around the hot tub or a vacation to a tropical paradise. And margaritas.

Booklist raves, “Tardif, already a big hit in Canada…a name to reckon with south of the border.”

WEBSITE *** BLOG *** TWITTER *** FACEBOOK *** MYSPACE *** GOODREADS

What inspired me to write Lancelot's Lady?

Many people have asked me: "What inspired you to switch genres, select a pen name and write a romance novel like Lancelot's Lady?" Well, unlike my other novels, I wasn't inspired by things that happened to me when I was a child (Whale Song), or my mom telling me about some river from which people went missing (The River), or my love of all things weirdly paranormal (Divine Intervention), or by Stephen King (Remote Control and Skeletons in the Closet). No, what inspired me to write Lancelot's Lady was much simpler than these. It all boiled down to one thing: I love a good love story.

When I was a young teen, I was fascinated by the books my mother brought home―ones with a gorgeous woman in a beautiful flowing dress on the front cover and often a barely dressed, dashing man gazing into her eyes. My mother would leave her books open and face down on the table, while she went to get more coffee, and sometimes I would sneak a peek and read a page.

In my home, everyone read. We had crappy TV stations; there wasn't much else to do. My father would read mainly sci-fi and computer books. My mother was into romance novels. My brother Derek read sci-fi and fantasy, and I read everything they did, plus mystery, suspense and horror. Nancy Drew, Dean R. Koontz and Stephen King were my three "best friends" back then. But then so were Danielle Steel, Iris Johansen and other romance authors.

A few years ago I decided to try my hand at a romance novel. I called it Reflections. It was to be a romantic suspense. I wrote about half of it and let a good friend read it. She liked it, but I wasn't sure I really was ready to become a romance author. So I put the manuscript away.

When Textnovel announced they'd partnered with Dorchester Publishing for the "Next Best Celler" contest, a contest where writers could text their chapters (or write via PC) one at a time to Textnovel and have readers vote and comment, I decided to dig up Reflections. After months of rewrites and fine tuning, Reflections merged into what is now Lancelot's Lady, a contemporary romantic suspense set in the Bahamas and showcasing one of the vilest villains I've ever created.

It made it through the contest and was voted as a semi-finalist. That's when I knew I was on the right track. Lancelot's Lady is a far better story than the original manuscript, Reflections, and Textnovel readers loved it. I am so happy that everyone now gets to read the complete novel.

Lancelot's Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.

Available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and "Cherish the romance..."

You can learn more about Lancelot's Lady and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherylktardif.com/ and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com/

WIN - Leave Cheryl a question this week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for one of THREE ebook copies of her romantic suspense LANCELOT'S LADY!! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are one of our THREE WINNERS!!

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Jana Richards' Tiki Hut Winner

2011-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'd like to thank Jana Richards for being such a wonderful guest with such a great post! And thanks to all who commented and popped in last week to keep Jana company!

Congrats to Regina Ross, your name was drawn as our winner - congrats and enjoy Jana's new book FLAWLESS - she'll be contacting you soon to get it to you!

This Week's Special Guest - Jana Richards

2011-01-10T09:00:00.004-05:00

This week we welcome Jana Richards, as she celebrates her new release FLAWLESS, a historical romantic suspense and talks about "The Male Perspective" in romance writing.

J ana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side. She believes there's nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm, working at her day job as an Office Administrator, or dealing with ever present mountains of laundry, Jana can be found on the local golf course pursuing her newest hobby.

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren, along with two university aged daughters and a highly spoiled Pug/Terrier cross named Lou.

WEBSITE *** BLOG *** FACEBOOK *** MYSPACE

The Male Perspective by Jana Richards

As a woman writer, I often wonder if I’m getting my male characters “right”. Romances are overwhelmingly written by women. Are the men in our stories too in touch with their feelings to be real? Are we representing men the way they are or the way we’d like them to be? Here are some of my thoughts about things to consider when constructing male characters.

What did you Say? Dialogue is one area where our male and female characters often differ. Women tend to be more verbal, using conversation to talk about their feelings and vent emotions. Men may feel their emotions as keenly as women, but they likely will not talk about them as much.

Vanessa Grant, in her book, “Writing Romance”, talks about a problem in one of her romance novels, “Pacific Disturbance”. In it, her male character makes a long speech to the heroine, thanking her for her work. In “Writing Romance”, Vanessa says she later regretted that speech because it was more like something a woman would say. A man would say “You’re doing a great job.” Short and sweet.

I feel, therefore I am. Most men won’t show their feelings or talk about them as much as women, no matter how strong their emotions. They will likely keep feelings bottled up inside, and often the only sign that they feel anything is through their body language. A clenched jaw or a fisted hand might be the only clue that your male character feels anger. Crossed arms may signal his annoyance and hostility. “The Definitive Book of Body Language” by Allan and Barbara Pease, is a great resource for authors. It helps to decipher what gestures, facial expressions and body positions really mean.

When the alpha male does show his emotions, it’s usually a spectacular display. One of my favorite scenes of an alpha male losing control is in Suzanne Brockman’s “Breaking Point”. Max has been in love with Gina for a long time, but has pushed her away because he believes that not only is he too old for her, he’s no good for her. When Gina is reported dead, Max reacts stoically, barely showing any emotion. But when he and a fellow FBI agent go to the morgue to identify her body, they discover that the body is not Gina’s. Max is totally overcome with emotion and relief, and simply falls to his knees, all his feelings totally on display.

Are you really going to wear that? Women tend to be more conscious of their appearance then men, and women are often more critical of their own appearance then men are. Unless he’s feeling self-conscious or insecure for some reason, a man wouldn’t think very much about what he’s wearing. He would, however, notice what the heroine is wearing, especially if she looks particularly sexy. But he probably couldn’t tell her what she’s wearing. Most men, especially Alpha men, wouldn’t be familiar with different types of women’s fashion. If your hero, in his internal monologue, begins thinking about the heroines’ cornflower blue slip dress with spaghetti straps, and fitted bodice designed by Versace, it may not ring true. More likely, he’d be thinking about the short, sexy blue dress that hugged all her curves and showed off acres of creamy bare skin.

Talk dirty to me. Men think more about sex then women do. It’s probably a given that your hero is going to have one or two carnal thoughts about the heroine. Your hero will likely make up his mind quite quickly about the desirability of the heroine as a sexual partner.

A woman may express her love through words or gestures. Men tend to express their love through sex. A partner making love to him is the ultimate affirmation of love for many men.

Me Tarzan, you Jane. Men like to think of themselves as heroes, as protectors and breadwinners. If a woman comes to a man with a problem, he’ll try to “fix” it for her, even if all she really wants to do is talk. Above all, men like to be thought of as useful.

Perhaps the best way to write a good male perspective is to read works written by men. Also, you might want to ask male friends or family to read parts of your book to see if your male characters ring true.

These sweeping generalizations don’t necessarily apply to all men or all male characters. While we want to make our male characters believable, we have to keep in mind that our mostly female readership may not want “real life”, but perhaps an idealized life. Romance heroes are men as women would like them to be.

What do you do to give your male characters the ring of truth? Do you agree that the romance hero represents men the way women would like them to be?

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WIN - Leave a comment or question for Jana this week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a free download of her brand new book - FLAWLESS! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - good luck!

Erin Nicholas' Winner

2010-11-22T09:00:00.003-05:00

The winner from Erin Nicholas' blog tour is...Chelsea B.!! Check out the details on Erin's Website.

This Week's Special Guest Erin Nicholas

2010-11-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

This week's special guest at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut is Erin Nicholas. We're a stop on your blog tour to celebrate the anniversary of her first published novel NO MATTER WHAT, which btw, is a finalist for an EPPIE, along with her novel JUST RIGHT!

Erin has been reading romance since her mom first let her into her book cupboard when Erin was about fourteen. LaVyrle Spencer, Julie Garwood, Debbie Macomber... they took Erin's 'happily ever after' ideas from animated princesses to real people in the real world.

She's been writing romance almost as long. Many a family car trip was spent with her head bent over a spiral notebook in the back seat. She'll confess that her very first attempts at fiction were fantasy and paranormals, influenced by her father's love of the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the original Alice in Wonderland. If Harry Potter had been around, Erin's sure he would have been on the bedtime story shelf as well.

But it wasn't long until Erin started writing about true love and that's where she's been ever since.

She's so thrilled to be able to share these stories with you and hopes that they make you smile, sigh, maybe even choke up a little. Most of all, She hopes that they help you believe in magical things like first kisses, the spark of passion, and the power of true love.

Erin loves to hear from readers! Please write her at Erin@ErinNicholas.com

Visit Erin at her Cyber Home

Welcome Erin!

Since November is the anniversary month of my first published book, I decided to go on a tour and chat and give stuff away!

The “theme” (I use the term loosely) is Writing Romance Is Like…
And every blog stop has a different comparison that will give you some insight into who I am, how I write and my slightly weird sense of humor. Oh, and you can win stuff! Every commenter gets entered for a chance at a book from my backlist. And if you really want to have some fun: follow me around to all the stops on the schedule (on my website) get the answers to the questions (on the form on my site) and then e-mail them to me by December 15th to get entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com or MyBookstoreandMore.com. Come join the fun!!

And now, the 6th stop on the tour:
Writing Romance is Like… Dieting

Dieting. Yuck. I’m actually one of those people who have been convinced that terms like “lifestyle change” or “food intake moderation” are better. “Diet” conjures all kinds of bad images for me (and makes me want to run, not walk, to the nearest Twinkie!)

I’m dieting right now for the umpteenth time in my life (seriously, umpteen is the number I’m up to). Losing weight isn’t really the problem. Though I have noticed that as I get older it definitely gets harder (not to mention that I pretty much despise exercise. I like walking, playing with my kids, shooting hoops, even a rec game of volleyball. And dancing! But I hate exercise—so I never call it that g). Anyway, I’ve lost weight. A number of times.

The problem is—all together now—keeping it off.

That’s right. Keeping the weight off is the challenge. Because initially it’s super fun to see the numbers going down, discovering new lighter recipes that actually don’t suck, and buying new clothes. Oh, and seeing someone you haven’t seen in awhile—“Wow, you look amazing!” are four words I’ll never tire of hearing, how about you? ;)

But then a plateau. You’re doing everything the same but the scale isn’t moving. You’re tired of yogurt. If you have to walk one more minute on the treadmill you’re going to die of boredom. While you feel so much better and buying that smaller size jeans is really always fun, it’s hard to get back to that “this is gonna be great” phase.

Writing is like that for me sometimes. Finishing a book is wonderful, getting an acceptance from an editor is awesome, talking about the new book, getting reader comments, seeing the cover… all of these things are fun! Exciting! Easy to get up about!

Then, inevitably, I once again have to face the computer screen. And it always starts out blank. It’s not always easy to be up knowing I have 250-some pages to go. Knowing that my characters need depth and my plot can’t be contrived and making it fresh and entertaining and maybe even a little meaningful can be daunting.

But I have to just start typing. There’s no other way for the story to get there. You can’t end if you don’t begin. You can’t expect the scales to go down if you don’t start paying attention to what goes into your mouth. And you can’t expect words and characters and chapters to just magically appear—you have to push the keys on your keyboard.

It’s always about choices: fruit or candy bar? Sofa or treadmill? Writing or checking Twitter?

It’s tough to keep up sometimes. It’s tough to think “this is gonna be great” every minute. But it’s also about goals. It’s about knowing where you’re trying to get to—just like dieting. And it’s about appreciating where you are and the fact that writing is as important to my health (my mental and spiritual health for sure) as eating well and being at a healthy weight. Steady. Every day. Focus. Commitment. Those are things that make dieting and writing work.

Join me at the next stop on my blog tour: Samantha Sommersby’s blog: http://immortalitybites.blogspot.com/ on November 18th!

And now a little blurb, from Just Like That, (the brownie discussion -- perfect for a dieting post, yes?

Danika frowned at that. “They have not been duds.” They’d all been nice, sweet guys. Unassuming, undemanding…un-lots of things. Just the way she liked them.

“Maybe not duds,” Abi said, gently. “But they’re…vanilla cupcakes.”
“What?” Maybe it was the tequila. The conversation just kept getting crazier.

“You love fudge brownies,” Abi said. “But you’re dating vanilla cupcakes. They’re not bad, but you don’t crave cupcakes.”

Carmen’s grin was huge and Danika groaned.

“That’s a perfect analogy, Dani,” she said. “You’ve got to find a fudge brownie.”

The thing was, it was a good analogy. It was scary how close her sisters had just come to the truth. It wasn’t like she was picking cupcakes on accident. She knew her weakness was fudge brownies. And therefore trouble. A great brownie could make her throw all her discipline away, forget her goals and plans. Even a not-so-great brownie—because, after all, even a bad brownie was still a brownie—could make her lose control, decide the pleasure was worth the consequences.

“So I’m supposed to only date men who make me think of food?”

Abi grinned. “Men who make you think about indulgence and devouring and…licking all over.”
“Exactly,” Carmen said, her eyes twinkling. “It’s like your life is a bakery and you have everything to choose from. But you go for the vanilla cupcakes, even though you could have a brownie and that’s what you’d really like and what would completely satisfy you.”

Her life was a bakery. Terrific.

“I like cupcakes.” Danika knew she sounded grumpy, but she was feeling grumpy. And judged. And criticized.

She hated when her sisters were right. Her boyfriends were no more exciting than cupcakes. They were good, just not…worth not fitting into her favorite jeans for.

“Cupcakes are fine,” Carmen agreed. “And for some people that’s it. Their favorite thing. The thing they go crazy for. But not for you.”

“You have to find a fudge brownie,” Abi agreed. “A big one.”

LIKED THE EXCERPT??? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK

More on Erin
www.ErinNicholas.com
NineNaughtyNovelists.blogspot.com
ErinNicholas.blogspot.com
http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/erin-nicholas

Duane Simolke's Winner

2010-11-14T22:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all who stopped by to visit with Duane Simolke and congrats to Valerie! You win a copy of Duane's sci fi adventure - DEGRANON!

This Week At The TIki Hut - Duane Simolke

2010-11-08T06:47:00.004-05:00

This week we welcome author Duane Simolke to the Tiki Hut to talk about his science fiction novel DEGRANON: A Science Fiction Adventure.

Majoring in English, Duane Simolke received degrees from Belmont University (B.A., 1989), Hardin-Simmons University (M.A., 1991), and Texas Tech University (Ph.D., 1996). His doctoral dissertation was on Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio.

StoneWall Society gave Pride in the Arts literary awards to The Acorn Stories, Degranon, and Holding Me Together. AllBooks Reviews gave The Return of Innocence a Reviewers Choice Award.

Simolke also edited and co-wrote a fundraiser, The Acorn Gathering: Writers Uniting Against Cancer.

BLOG *** GOODREADS *** YOUTUBE

Revisiting Diversity in Science Fiction
By Duane Simolke

Now that I’ve completed a draft to the sequel of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure, I still find myself surprised by the slow but steadily growing audience Degranon finds. It’s been almost ten years since the first edition appeared. I rewrote the book two years after its publication, following an earlier idea of making some of the major characters gay.

Those changes, and some others, made the novel even more memorable to me, and it remains my favorite out of everything I’ve written. Dealing with themes of discrimination, religious turmoil, and oppression added emotional layers, but I mostly wanted to create interesting characters and exciting scenes of adventure. That revised, second edition immediately gained attention.

In Worried, the upcoming sequel to Degranon, the characters still wrestle with some of the same problems, though they have overcome weight discrimination, censorship, and some of the other specific issues they struggled with before. However, some past failings haunt the citizens of Valchondria, the human home world. Dark secrets haunt the Valchondrians even more.

Also, the first book spanned generations on two planets. Worried takes place over five weeks. Most of the action happens on the capital city of the home world, except for a few scenes set in outer space. Still, the epic scope of the first book gave me a universe, and that entire universe still affects the characters and events of the second book. I think Degranon’s new and old readers will enjoy the journey back; I’m certainly enjoying it and look forward to the next few months of revision.

Warning, mild spoilers lurk ahead. Some hints about what to expect in Worried follow.

The wedding of two male characters from the first book.

The rumors of a dangerous alien race weren’t exaggerated.

The balance of power on Valchondria remains in question.

The effects of past addiction linger.

Enemies might need each other.

(Read reviews of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure at Rainbow Reviews and I Must Be Dreaming.)

WIN - Leave Duane a comment or question this week, here at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a free ebook of DEGRANON. Please leave your email address, so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

Anne Hamilton's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-10-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to visit with our special guest Anne Hamilton as she talked about the inspiration for her new book A BLONDE BENGALI WIFE.

Congrats to Sandy B. - your name was drawn as our winner! Anne's publisher, LL Publications will be contacting you for your information - thanks for leaving your email address!

This Week's Special Guest Anne Hamilton

2010-10-18T05:00:00.002-04:00

The Story of A Blonde Bengali Wife

There’s a torn billboard along the urban sprawl that links Zia International Airport with the dusty clamour of downtown Dhaka; it has the tag line “Come to Bangladesh before the tourists do.” I, the so-called Blonde Bengali Wife did just that and in doing so framed the story of a three month journey through the landscape and culture, the people and places, the humour and highlights of a little-known Bangladesh.

Whilst the book invites you to swim at Cox’s Bazaar, the longest sea beach in the world; to trek rare tigers amidst the earth’s largest mangrove forests in the Sunderbans National Park; to refresh your taste buds beside Srimangal’s verdant, rolling tea gardens, and to watch the sun rise and set at the same most southerly point in Kuakata, it is so much more than a travel memoir because A Blonde Bengali Wife has inspired, and is supporting, a UK based charity called Bhola’s Children.

It all began with my first (of eight and counting) visit to Bangladesh as a volunteer for a Non Government Organisation (NGO) when I fell utterly in love with the country. Draft after redraft followed until it was read by literary agent Dinah Wiener. It wasn’t remotely commercial, Dinah said, but it made her want to visit Bangladesh, and that was enough for her to agree to represent it—and to make a trip to Bangladesh herself. By chance, there she met Howlader Akkel Ali. Ali, orphaned at the age of eight and with forty years’ experience of caring for disabled children, had a dream of a home and a school where children and young people with different disabilities could live, learn, and work together.

Ali comes from the Barisal district of Southern Bangladesh in which lies the island of Bhola, jutting out to the Bay of Bengal. In Bengali, bhola means “forgotten” and it was on this “forgotten island” that Ali had found the property that is now called Bhola Garden. Together with some orphaned and disabled children and staff, he carried out basic renovations, and then began encouraging families all over the island to send their disabled children to daily lessons. Dinah discovered that Bhola Garden took the traditionally grim notions of orphanages, third-world poverty and disability, and simply knocked them on their heads. Full of life, love, and colour, the word Dinah used to describe it was “magical.” Thus, the charity Bhola’s Children was established by Dinah and registered in March 2007 with a commitment from all of the Trustees, of which I am one, to nurture and progress everything that makes Bhola Garden what it is today and what it can be tomorrow.

Bhola Garden is now a home to about forty children and a school for another fifteen, with many more waiting in the wings. In practical terms, Ali and the children live in very basic conditions. They bathe, swim, do their laundry, and breed fish all in the same pond. Their staple food is rice, with meat or fish a couple of times a week; milky, sugary sweets are a rare treat. They grow most of their own vegetables. When they receive gifts, they are delighted with toothbrushes, plastic combs, and hair oil. There is little to spare for visits to the doctor, the dentist, or anything unexpected.

Outreach work, that is teaching the community about disability, is part of daily life. Ali oversees hospital arrangements in Dhaka for the many infants whose frightened parents agonise over cleft palates and club feet. Better, he says that these are prevented—and educating people about the need to reduce inter-marriage and avoiding very young pregnancies is the best way forward. Better, too, that families learn there is no stigma in their child being blind or deaf and sending them to school, rather than hiding them away, will significantly improve their life chances.

As well as the day-to-day financial support, the charity’s first purchase was a Toyota microbus so that, for the first time, outings and picnics and trips to appointments didn’t rely on public buses or rickshaws. The initial major project was to complete a properly-built, two-storey hostel for the children, staff, and Ali to live in year-round safety and far greater comfort than the tin shacks that barely protected them from monsoon, floods, and hurricanes. Two years on, the current scheme involves updating the equally primitive sheds in which carpentry and tailoring are taught. Proper workshops mean these will grow into businesses creating much needed income. Longer term, the grand plan is for a dispensary and health clinic that will meet the needs of not just Bhola’s Children but the surrounding community too. Ultimately, of course, it relies on successful fundraising and charitable donation.

All money earned from A Blonde Bengali Wife goes direct to Bhola’s Children. Not because Dinah or I are particularly generous or kind people, but because once you’ve been to Bhola, you just can’t not be involved. A Blonde Bengali Wife it isn’t about Bhola, but it is a tribute to my journeys into Bangladesh and all the friends I have made there. Most of all, it is the story of the country that inspired Bhola’s Children.

BIO
Between her travels, Anne Hamilton currently lives in Scotland where she is working on a novel whilst studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Glasgow University. Anne and her husband celebrated the birth of their first baby in August 2010.

A Blonde Bengali Wife is available in print and in several ebook formats. It can found at http://www.ll-publications.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, as well as many other print and ebook retailers.

WIN - Leave Anne a comment or question this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for your choice of either a print or ebook of her new book, A BLONDE BENGALI WIFE. To be entered, you must leave your email address, so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good luck!

Desiree Holt and Cerise DeLand's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-10-17T23:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with Desiree and Cerise this week! Congrats goes out to Marybelle - you win a free download of the first book they co-authored together UNTIL THE DAWN.

This Week's Special Guests Desiree Holt and Cerise Deland

2010-10-11T06:09:00.008-04:00

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut , we welcome award-winning authors Desiree Holt and Cerise DeLand who stop by to talk with us about co-authoring. Together they just kicked off the Nemesis Series, a new series for Ellora's Cave's Breathless line of erotic romantic suspense, with their first book together UNTIL THE DAWN.

Meet Desiree Holt: All her life, Desiree dreamed of faraway places and unbelievably sexy men. From baseball players to rock musicians to television personalities she met them all and each one enriched her life. Now tucked away in the Texas Hill Country, she shares her fantasies with her readers. In her satin robe, with her scented candle burning and a chilled glass of wine at hand, she lets her mind run wild — and hopes you’ll take the journey with her. When she’s not writing, she reads and indulges in her other passion — watching football.

VISIT DESIREE HOLT'S WEBSITE

Meet Cerise DeLand: What’s a gal to do if she hails from D.C., lives now deep in the heart of Texas, travels often everywhere, and adores Paris, Florence, London, Tokyo and all points east and west? Ah. She becomes an author who can write about those romantic places. And if your sweet tooth craves spies, pirates, body guards and gutsy women of today and yesteryears of medieval and Regency England, then she is the author you crave for smoldering erotic encounters and delicious love affairs!

Her name? Cerise DeLand. What’s more is that Cerise is the award-winning author of 18 print novels of mystery, mainstream and romance with St. Martin’s Press, Pocket Books and Kensington. Her books have been on every book club list you can name, including Featured Selections of The Mystery Guild, Doubleday and Rhapsody. And when she isn’t dreaming up fiction? Cerise also writes non-fiction. Busy lady. Happy writer.

VIS IT CERISE DELAND'S WEBSITE

Co-authoring…the spice in the stew
Cerise Deland and Desiree Holt
Authors of Until the Dawn, Nemesis: Book One

So you’re doing really well as a solo author. Great. Most of the authors out there are right there with you. But did you ever think about sticking your toe in deeper water? Finding the ticket to enhancing your ‘voice’? Bringing a new dimension to your writing? Exchange ideas? Give your work a fresh voice? Put the ‘fun’ back in writing? Then maybe co-authoring is for you. It offers continued interaction with another writer outside a critique group, and the interaction helps keep you sane, happy and creative.

Co-authoring is different than collaborating. In collaboration two or more authors get together to create a series, each one writing an entire title. In co-authoring, you are writing simultaneously. In some instances this means alternate chapters, in some alternate POVs. You have to find out what works for you. What your best method of working together is. This means brainstorming plots, refining characters, finding the common ground on which to build the story. And as you do this, the best method of co-authoring emerges.

How do you decide the point in your career to try this? For everyone it’s different. Maybe you’re stuck in a genre rut and want to try something new. Maybe you’ve become too plot-oriented and want to hook up with someone who’s more character-oriented. Maybe you want to try a new genre altogether but doing it alone is scary and intimidating. And maybe you’re having coffee, or wine, or a long cyberchat with another writer with whom you’ve developed a great relationship. And then suddenly out pops an idea and you both say, “Let’s write a book together.”

The first thing to consider is whether your styles blend. Have you read each other’s work? Do you know how the other person writes? For example: if a writer tends to write dark but you have a light and fun style could you work together? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe the style could complement each other and create a fresh new voice for both of you. That’s definitely something to hash out.

Another point to consider is how you write. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do your characters talk to you when you’re writing and sometimes send the story in another direction? If it happens to one of you and not the other, then you have to discussing detail if the two methods can blend without disrupting the story. Following a timeline is another point to discuss. How much time a day you each spend writing and will you both keep to the schedule you collaboratively set for yourselves.

And finally, can you each accept the other’s critiques without blowing a gasket. Writing is probably the single profession where having a thick skin gives you the best advantage. You may be in love with every word you write but not everyone else will be. And you will not grow as a writer—or work effectively with another one—if you are not willing to be a sponge and soak up every bit of logical criticism. And then between you, you take what works and toss the rest.

We consider ourselves very fortunate. We blend our styles, work easily and well together, love the same kind of stories and the same kind of characters. This series, Nemesis, of which Until the Dawn is the first book, is iour first co-authoring venture but you can bets it won’t be our last.

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WIN - Leave Desiree and/or Cerise a comment or question this week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for a copy of their first book together UNTIL THE DAWN. Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are this week's winner - Good Luck!

Tim Smith's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-09-27T09:00:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to check out Tim Smith's interview with the hero of his Nick Seven novels. That was great fun and we thank him for sharing it with us!

Congrats to Susan - you win your choice from his three Nick Seven books! Thanks for leaving your email address, we'll be contacting you soon for your mailing information.

This Week's Special Guest Tim Smith

2010-09-20T06:07:00.007-04:00

This week's special guest is Tim Smith with a special interview with the hero of his action-packed romantic suspense novels, a former CIA agent named Nick Seven.

Today we’d like to introduce Nick Seven, a former CIA agent who lives in Key Largo, Florida. Nick is the hero of three romantic adventures by award-winning author Tim Smith, “Memories Die Last,” “Never Trust Your Dreams” and “The Vendetta Factor.” His adventures have just been re-released in second edition bargain-priced paperbacks.

Nick, how do you feel about the renewed interest in your adventures?

Nick: I think it’s about time more people had a chance to read about my exploits, even though they’ll never hear the real juicy stuff I did when I worked around the world tracking down terrorists. I could tell some good stories, but I’d have to kill anyone who read them.

Yes, your adventures are now limited to The Florida Keys, aren’t they? How did you end up there?
Nick: When I decided to quit the bureaucratic nightmare known as the CIA, I couldn’t decide where I wanted to settle. I could’ve gone to Italy, Germany, Bermuda, Rio, you name it, but I’d been to The Keys and something about the laid-back atmosphere hooked me like a marlin and reeled me in. Besides, I’ve always loved fresh seafood and the sunsets are to die for.

Okay, inquiring minds have to ask about Felicia, the beauty from Barbados you’re living with. In your first adventure, “Memories Die Last,” you two are reunited when the CIA drafts you back into action, but we can tell there’s a spark there. Anything you can add?
Nick: To put it bluntly, Felicia is sex on two feet – bronzed skin, long woven hair, sensual eyes, the cutest West Indies accent and a body a supermodel would kill for. She also has a right cross that’ll bring a wrestler to his knees. Felicia was a member of my team when I was assigned to England. There were some sparks at first but I couldn’t do anything about it because I’d recently gotten married to a young Scottish woman I’d fallen hopelessly in love with.

Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be and after my lovely bride was killed by a terrorist who was after me, Felicia really came to my emotional rescue. When the spooks in Washington conned me into coming back for one more case, there she was. We just picked up where we should’ve started a few years earlier. Good things come to those who wait, right?

In one of your adventures, “Never Trust Your Dreams,” you both are used as pawns by the CIA and Felicia is kidnapped by a rogue agent to force your cooperation. How did you respond to that?

Nick: It was déjà vu all over again, a nightmare I wasn’t about to relive. I’d already lost the one person I thought I’d ever love and there was no way in hell I was going to lose my second chance at happiness. Before Felicia came back I’d been going through life on auto-pilot, from one meaningless hook-up to another. She reminded that there’s more to it than that. In that same story I got framed for murdering a former girlfriend and had to outwit the cops and the girl’s filthy rich S.O.B. of a father. Funny, but I thought when I left covert intelligence my life would be a bit less eventful!

One reviewer said “Nick Seven is the kind of guy your mother wouldn’t let you play with.” Is that an accurate assessment?
Nick: That probably explains why I had such a lonely childhood. Seriously, I suppose some of my rougher edges turn off a few people, but when they take the time to know me I’m really a pussycat. I just don’t show it very well or very often.

Except with Felicia?
Nick: Geez, what is this, a Dr. Phil segment? Okay, I admit she’s managed to housebreak me, but I’m still the same tough guy I always was. Can we get onto another subject now?

Sorry for striking a nerve. You thought you’d gotten away from the intrigue after your first two adventures, but in the third one, “The Vendetta Factor,” you really got thrown for a loop when you were dragged into the middle of a Mafia turf war in Miami. How did you feel about that?
Nick: I think thoroughly pissed about covers it. All I did was help out a friend, a professional gambler named Rock Moretti, who used to own my club in Key Largo before opening a floating casino off Palm Beach. ‘I’m having some trouble,’ he says. ‘Come out to the boat and check things out. Nothing to it.’ Ha! How the hell did I know some Don in New York was putting the squeeze on him to sell out? Moretti didn’t share that piece of information with me and I didn’t find out until it was too late that another Don in Miami had a vested interest in keeping this other guy out of his back yard. Sometimes I think I’ll never learn.

That story gave you one of your most dangerous adversaries, didn’t it?
Nick: You mean the hit man, Tony the Crease? Yeah, he was a tough character, but Felicia and I managed to show him a couple of new tricks when he came after me. We actually ended up having a hell of a time with that adventure, but we never did settle the argument about whether Frank Sinatra or Julius LaRosa had the bigger impact on pop culture.

Frank Sinatra or Julius LaRosa? What was that about?

Nick: Read the book and find out.

So what does the future hold for you and Felicia?

Nick: Probably more adventures, whether we want them or not. I’m just trying to live my life in my personal corner of paradise, but this Tim Smith cat won’t let me do that. What did I ever do to this guy, anyway? As to Felicia, I sort of proposed when she came to live with me, but I get the impression that if I don’t keep out of trouble, she’ll pack her bags and haul ass back to Barbados – which she’s threatened to do more than once, by the way.

***

And now a word from author Tim Smith.

I’m pleased to announce the second edition release of my romantic intrigue novels “Memories Die Last,” “Never Trust Your Dreams” and “The Vendetta Factor” in bargain-priced paperback versions. This was made possible because of the readers who supported the first editions, and I hope this allows a new audience to discover them.
MEMORIES DIE LAST

Former CIA agent Nick Seven finds that some memories are better left alone in this romantic political action thriller by Tim Smith.
Former CIA agent Nick Seven gets pulled from his peaceful life on Key Largo to pursue a resurrected terrorist halfway around the world, only to find himself drawn into a web of espionage, murder, blackmail and high-level government corruption that threatens national security and the principles of freedom.
BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

NEVER TRUST YOUR DREAMS
The covert intelligence community got more than they bargained for when they crossed Nick Seven in this romantic topical thriller by Tim Smith.
Nick Seven left the CIA for the tranquility of the Florida Keys, thinking he'd found an idyllic life in paradise with Felicia, his dream lover from Barbados, and that his life of intrigue was once again in the past. The last thing he wanted was to be used by his former employers as an unwilling pawn in America's war on terror.
As Nick and Felicia maneuver through a complex maze of treason, assassination and government corruption, they cross paths with a rogue agent with a personal agenda, a mentally unstable killer, and a wealthy industrialist with ties to several terrorist organizations. When Nick is set up as the fall guy for a murder he didn't commit, and Felicia becomes part of the agency's scheme, the stakes become higher and more personal. Nick's quest to get out from under the CIA's thumb and regain control of his life forces him to realize that what dreams may hold, nightmares also share.
BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

THE VENDETTA FACTOR
Former CIA spook Nick Seven doesn't realize what he's up against when he takes on the mob in this suspenseful, quirky adventure by Tim Smith.
When former CIA agent Nick Seven did a favor for his friend, gambler Rock Moretti, he didn't know that his innocent gesture would place him in the middle of a turf war between two crime families, each fighting for control of the lucrative Miami market. Nick's peaceful life in the Florida Keys becomes a battle of wills as he must call on his instincts to outwit both Dons, as well as a Justice Department prosecutor with a personal agenda. When Nick becomes the target of a hired assassin, he realizes that he has his own vendetta and thirst for revenge.
BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT
WIN - Leave a comment or question for Tim or Nick this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of your choice from these three books! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are our Tiki Hut winner - Good Luck!

Last Week's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-08-02T09:17:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who stopped by to visit with Cris and to find out just how she ended up on the cover of her new book WHAT SHE NEEDS!

Congrats to Artemis -your name was drawn as our winner, thanks for leaving your email address so Cris can contact you with your prize.

This Week At The Tiki Hut -- Cris Anson

2010-07-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

This week's guest at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut is Cris Anson who writes for Ellora's Cave and she stops by to tell us all about how she ended up on the cover of her brand new release WHAT SHE NEEDS!

15 Minutes in Angelo’s Arms
by Cris Anson

Ellora’s Caveman Angelo exploded into our consciousness at last October’s RomantiCon, Ellora’s Cave’s first annual erotic romance conference. (He has since graced dozens of Ellora’s Cave covers.) The quintessential tall, dark and handsome Venezuelan riveted everyone’s attention as he danced. Made our hearts beat faster whenever he smiled, which was often. Charmed us all when speaking with us in his delightful accent.

For a lucky few, he was more. Saturday morning of the conference, I was invited to participate in a photo shoot with Angelo at his virgin cover-model gig for Ellora’s Cave. My immediate reaction: Is the Pope Catholic? Does the sun set in the west?

If you’ve attended a Romantic Times convention, you’ve seen the Mr. Romance contestants or the Ellora’s Cavemen posing as a group with one attendee at a time, proceeds to charity, three minutes max and on to the next person in line. And yes, I have a few of those poses myself.

But this. This was fifteen minutes of permission to stand seriously close to Angelo, to look deeply into his warm brown eyes, to run my fingers through his long black hair. To have his undivided attention as he held me in his muscular arms.

Have I mentioned that Angelo is hawt?

He was wearing only a towel, as you can see from the photo gracing the cover of my July release WHAT SHE NEEDS, and I’m not positive (or maybe it’s wishful thinking), but he might have gone commando. Be still, my heart!

Alas, I could never quite forget the photographers arrayed around us—standing, kneeling, moving to get different camera angles. Furniture had been moved to the side. Sunlight poured in through the hotel room’s windows. Lights had been set up to the side and behind us. Directives flew like machine-gun fire.

“Look this way.” “Turn around just a bit to your left.” “Now move behind her.” And so on.

The results astounded me. Or, I should say, the results of Ellora’s Cave Art Director Syneca’s efforts with PhotoShop astounded me. I look like…someone Angelo might want to get closer to. Like someone living the script she wrote. Like Delia Barnes, the heroine of WHAT SHE NEEDS, who found her younger man in a most unexpected place—an erotic romance convention.

Here’s the blurb for WHAT SHE NEEDS:

Older widow Delia Barnes greets fellow authors before an erotic romance convention sporting a black eye, which she explains away with “I didn’t say ‘Yes, Master’ quick enough.” Sitting at the bar, burned-out ad executive and former Dom Kurt Reinhardt overhears that comment once too often and interrupts to suggest, “Maybe you need a new Master.”

Urged by her friends to accept the younger man’s invitation to learn some D/s basics—hey, an author needs to do her research, right?—Delia joins him to get first-hand experience at being submissive, starting with removing her panties in a corner booth. Later, she learns more than she bargained for when she spends a weekend at Kurt’s home with his eager business partner added to the mix.

But an innocent misstep brings Delia’s world crashing down around her. Can she trust Kurt with her heart…and her life?

You can read an excerpt of WHAT SHE NEEDS and buy the book here.

If you want to know more about RomantiCon 2010, here’s the link. We’ll be eagerly looking to see which of the Ellora’s Cavemen attend.

To read more about me and my books, please check out my Website , my MySpace page and friend me at Facebook.

Oh, and one more thing about WHAT SHE NEEDS mirroring real life: I attended my first Romantic Times convention sporting a black eye. This photo of me with Mr. Romance finalist and Ellora’s Caveman John Fish was not PhotoShopped.

If you enjoyed this mini-peek into a model’s hard life, I hope you’ll take a moment to comment (this will enter you into the drawing for a prize). Thanks for stopping by!

PS - Please leave your email address, so Cris can contact you if you are this week's winner!

Tim Smith's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-06-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who popped in to visit with our special guest Tim Smith and congrats to Valerie in Germany! You win a free download of Tim's first erotic romance - ANYWHERE THE HEART GOES. Thanks for leaving your email address, Tim will be contacting you soon!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Tim Smith

2010-06-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome author Tim Smith who stops by to talk about his hot new romantic comedy just released with eXtasy Books called THE SWEET DISTRACTION.

Tim is the author of five novels, including two contemporary romantic comedies with eXtasy Books. His first three adventure novels have won critical acclaim and several awards. He is also a freelance photographer and works in Dayton, Ohio as a case manager for adults with special needs. When he isn't devoting time to writing, you can find him in The Florida Keys, doing research in between parasailing and seeking out the perfect Pina Colada.

VISIT WEBSITE *** BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

***

I’m pleased to return as this week’s guest blogger on Author Island to share my new release, “The Sweet Distraction.” Let me tell you a bit about my newest romantic comedy. The main character, George Sullivan, is a writer of thriller novels and he’s about as far down in the dumps as you can get. His last few books haven’t sold very well, he drinks and gambles too much, he’s drifting through life on auto-pilot due to a bad break-up and he’s desperate for success. His agent arranges for him to write the memoir of notorious mob boss Vito Pasquale, who is a big fan of George’s books, and George realizes this could be the big break he’s always wanted. Simple, right? Not a chance. You just know love will get in the way, in the person of the Don’s beautiful but spoiled daughter, Cookie. Cookie is accustomed to getting what she wants and pursues George, but he resists because he fears how her father might react. What happens? Read the book to find out if love triumphs or if George winds up in the middle of Lake Erie in a cement overcoat for fooling around with the Don’s daughter.

This is a very humorous, sexy romance. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and I hope you have as much fun reading it.

I’ll now take your questions.

Tim Smith

WIN- Leave Tim a comment or question here at the Tiki Hut this week and your name will go in the hat for a free download of his first romantic comedy with eXtasy books, ANYWHERE THE HEART GOES. Please leave your email address, so we can contact you if you are our winner!

Jennifer Linforth's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-05-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat with Jennifer Linforth while she was here at the Tiki Hut. Congrats goes out to JoanneR - you are our winner, please send your mailing address to AuthorIsland at yahoo.com so Jennifer can get your prize out to you!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Jennifer Linforth

2010-05-03T07:00:00.001-04:00

This week at the Tiki Hut is author Jennifer Linforth who talks about why she tackled Leroux's Phantom of the Opera in her historical series published by Highland Press.

If one is going to query a publisher, Jennifer Linforth suggests not doing so in pink ink. Her first, written when she was twelve, was nothing if not colorful. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Romance Writers of America in addition to being a writing mentor. Writing historical fiction and historical romance with unusual themes and locations, such as autism and the social mores of the mentally ill in the 19th century, she has a passion for Austrian culture and is often found searching for stories in long forgotten histories.

It was her love of research and classic literature that brought her to expanding Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera.

Writing from a tiny loft office, Jennifer admits to being country mouse with city mouse tastes and is constantly fighting to keep the little critters in line. She can't pronounce pistachio, hates lollipops with gooey centers, and dearly loves to laugh. If asked for her motto in life, she points to the following poem upon her office wall:

Come to the edge. We might fall. Come to the edge. It's too high! COME TO THE EDGE! And they came, and he pushed, and they flew. ~ Christopher Logue Croyez.

Visit Jennifer's Website *** Blog *** Myspace *** Facebook *** Twitter

***

Everyone wants to undress Mr. Darcy in one way or another. Whether literally, or by expanding his story, readers yearn to dive deeper between his sheets. So why then did I choose to do so to a Phantom?

The Phantom of the Opera has one of the largest and most devoted fan followings in the world. Choosing to expand such a classic came with an impending sense of doom. Would this idea be embraced like the countless tales of Pemberly after the nuptials? Or would I be tarred and feathered…

I had to find out. The result was a three book series contracted by Highland Press Publishing, and one which has, thus far, left this author thankfully featherless.

Certain stories transcend time leaving more questions than answers. No author made me question as much as Gaston Leroux. My love for The Phantom of the Opera stemmed from a deep respect for a book that was a mystery, horror and romance rolled into one. After revisiting Leroux’s novel for the third time the questions in my head would not fade. Why—as a jurist—did he leave so many unanswered questions in such a fascinating book?

The only way to find out was to devote years of my imagination to living deep below an opera house with a corpse-like madman.

The first challenge? Breaking down the visions created by Andrew Lloyd Webber. His musical and 2004 movie starring Gerald Butler created an iconic image of The Phantom and the story as a whole. Leroux’s original is quite different from the romantic, famous love triangle of Webber’s that millions of fans saw and fell in love with. In Webber’s film and musical we see a mildly deformed man clearly oozing sex appeal who happens to have murdered out of anger. Webber stripped away the unattainable parts of Leroux’s story to leave a basic romance as the focus. In Leroux, Erik (The Phantom), was a murderously vengeful personality… a clear madman, while concurrently being a repressed and ardent gentleman. He was the central character in a Death and the Maiden tale. Hideously deformed and hiding behind a full black mask, he slept in a coffin. He had issues with maternal longings just as Christine had issues with paternal needs. Leroux penned him as a monster for a reason. I did my best to adhere to his original ideas for my series while maintaining there was indeed a man with in the madman. Naturally, certain elements were changed to suit the limits of my imagination and to reach the broader market desired by my publisher.

The second challenge? Weaving enough of Leroux’s original story into the fabric of the series so readers could enjoy it without needing to read Leroux’s book first. Book one in my series, MADRIGAL, (released October 2008) begins four years after Leroux’s original ended.

Despite all of the above, Erik was a simply seeking the most basic of human emotions--love. Yet how can one when love society sees you as nothing more than a deviant of the underground?

You fake your death and start anew…

Sharing the back cover blurb for MADRIGAL:
Years ago he faked his death and vowed the Phantom would never again haunt the Opera Garnier. But strange packages left by Anna, an unwanted Samaritan turned unlikely friend, causes Erik to desire the unattainable—love.

When Anna’s haunted past puts Christine Daaé in danger, Erik is falsely accused of the vicious crime. The Phantom is reborn as Erik, forced to the brink of insanity, revisits his passion for Christine—the woman he once swore to possess. Fighting the injustice against Erik, Anna struggles to prove his innocence. Standing in the way is her past that cannot be transcended, and years of prejudice labeling Erik more monster than man.

Battling the nobleman determined to lock him away, Erik must save Christine, control his demons, and tame a heart unexpectedly beating for two opposite women. Christine, who he longs to love, and Anna: the woman who saw beyond his bitter soul to the man beneath the mask.

In the midst of a brutal manhunt, can he be loved for himself or is he condemned to be The Phantom of the Opera?

Murderer, Maestro, Magician, Mastermind.

ABENDLIED, book two of The Madrigals released January 2010 and continues to expose more of Erik and the manhunt to bring him to justice. ABENDLIED can be read prior to MADRIGAL even though it continues the first book. It follows all characters as they endure the manhunt and introduces an often forgotten part of Leroux’s plot:

Desiring normalcy is difficult enough with a price on his head, but when Erik is falsely accused of killing Philippe de Chagny, brother of his nemesis Raoul, he is launched toward madness.

Anna is an unlikely companion, sharing Erik's heart and the bounty on his head. As the manhunt heats, Erik's mysterious relationship with Philippe spurs the campaign against them forward, and exposes her darkest secret: defending her honor ended in murder.

Plagued by his past as The Phantom of the Opera, Erik's memories enslave his heart to Raoul’s wife Christine, whose shocking confession brings a ruthless bounty hunter into the fray and blackmail to the Chagny bloodline. Blackmail from a hunter who cares little about the Phantom or Philippe, and everything about the one he has lusted for: Anna.

With the past weeping like an open wound, can love endure or will it take memories of one unlikely man to heal them all?

Memories of Philippe Georges Marie, Comte de Chagny...

Philippe de Chagny was a vital secondary character in Leroux’s original story and my favorite of all classic literature. It was his story that sparked the creation of this series. A series I hope readers will continue to embrace long after I put down my quill. For those who are more adventurous, once I am done writing stories that expand classic literature I can loan them some feathers… I leave it to them to find the tar!

Enjoy!

WIN - Leave Jennifer a comment or question this week at the Tiki Hut and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of her novel, MADRIGAL. Be sure to leave your email address, so we can contact you if your are this week's winner!

Last Week's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-04-05T06:22:00.001-04:00

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to visit with J K Maze last week and congrats to Andrea I who get a free download of her book, MURDER BY MISTAKE.

This Week At The Tiki Hut - J. K. Maze

2010-03-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

This week's special guest is mystery author Joan K. Maze to talk about heroes.

Meet J.K. Maze:

I've always been involved in the arts, music, writing and painting, beginning with studying voice at Northwestern University. I interrupted this endeavor for a family, but finally finished my degree at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. The emphasis, this time, was in subjects related to writing.

My first attempt at fiction was at the age of eight when my mother taught me how to use her turn-of-the-century typewriter. It was so heavy I couldn't lift it, but that didn't stop me from spending hours learning to type and, supposedly, write. As far as the story is concerned, it contained every mistake known to the publishing world, but it sparked my interest, which grew from that point on.

After spending years learning the craft of writing and producing stories, I joined Romance Writers of America, then KOD, the mystery and suspense group, and subsequently others. While I've received help from a local non-RWA writers' group, I credit RWA for bringing my writing to the point where it was considered publishable. Red Rose Publishing is a great organization to work with, and I'm delighted and honored to be one of their authors.

My first published novel, MURDER BY MISTAKE, is a cozy and the first in the Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series, it was followed by FRAMED IN FEAR, a single title romantic suspense. The second Mollie Fenwick mystery is almost ready to present to Red Rose Publishing, and is entitled MURDER FOR KICKS.

VISIT WEBSITE

How does a writer choose between two heroes? by Joan Maze

I’ve been asking that question ever since working on Murder By Mistake, the first in a cozy mystery series (also Chicklit). When I originally planned this book, it was to be a stand-alone mystery. That quickly changed when I realized I wanted to keep this protagonist, and thirty-something widow. She’s also an artist and works part-time for a bus company, transporting seniors and the disabled.

She’s also psychic, and when she sees a vision of a murder in her apartment, she decides not to inform the police of the clues. Who would believe a psychic?

The hero I originally planned for this mystery is her next door neighbor, a hunky homicide cop. Below is her first impression:

I couldn’t help grinning at the memory of the hunk. He had stood there, glaring at me, his arms folded across a broad chest, his legs slightly apart. Despite my agitation, I’d been unable to resist looking him over, my eyes going from the top of his head to his feet. His hair was a sort of russet brown with an errant lock tumbling over his forehead. He wore jeans molded to powerful looking thighs.

Then the unexpected happened. Another man walked onto the set and absolutely refused to leave, at times overshadowing Hero #1. How could this happen? I hadn’t planned him at all.
To discover why I didn’t want to get rid of him, check out the following excerpt, where she meets him for the first time.

Knowing Gladys’s penchant for the unusual, I thought I was prepared, but when we walked into Jack Wolf’s studio, I damned near fainted. The man out-intimidated Bartholomew by a mile. Wolf’s black hair was long and loose, Indian style, his short-sleeved white shirt hung open, revealing the bronzed skin of his heritage and a six-pack I simply gaped at. He wore his jean shorts low, and his muscles made it obvious he still worked out regularly. He was tall, maybe six foot three or four, and his eyes were black. The room was lined with shelves containing art supplies, and three easels contained paintings in various stages of completion. The whole scene before me suggested emotions and feelings in a big way. There was also strength, as evidenced not only by the paintings themselves, but by the man.

Wolf has become a very important part of the series; in the second book, Murder For Kicks, he becomes the heroine’s kickboxing instructor, and the heat index goes up about fifty degrees, maybe more.

So, how does a writer choose between two heroes? I still don’t have an answer. Not only is my protagonist, Mollie, unable to choose, neither is this writer. And guess what, there’s a third hero waiting in the wings, anxious to take a larger role in the next book, Murder By Spook. (That’s spook as in spy, not ghost.)

The first time a character took over, I tried to fix it. It didn’t work. Now, after many such occurrences, I’ve decided it’s logic taking over.

Either that or my characters are smarter than I am.

WIN - Leave Joan a question or comment here at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut this week and your name goes in the hat for a free download of her book MURDER BY MISTAKE. Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you're our winner! Good luck!

Shirley Tallman's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-03-28T23:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who stopped by to celebrate the release of Shirley Tallman's new Sarah Woolson Mystery SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL with her and congrats to Julia Rachel Barrett, your name was drawn to win an autographed copy of one of Shirley's first three Sarah Woolson books. Please email AuthorIsland at yahoo.com, along with your mailing address and which of Shirley's first three Sarah Woolson Mysteries you'd like to have, so we can get you out your prize!

Gale Laure's Tiki Hut Winner

2010-03-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who stopped by to chat with Gale Laure about her book EVOLUTION OF A SAD WOMAN and congrats to Jerry B. Please email AuthorIsland at yahoo.com with your mailing address so Gale can get you out an autographed copy of her book!

This Week At The Tiki Hut - Shirley Tallman

2010-03-22T09:01:00.000-04:00

Hi fellow Islanders, and thanks for inviting me to blog on Authorisland! I’m honored to be asked.

First of all, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Shirley Tallman and I'm an author and screenwriter. I've written a syndicated newspaper column (titled Penny Pinchers), movies for ABC, CBS and NBC (including THE BABYSITTER'S SEDUCTION starring Keri Russell), stage plays, romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouette, and murder mysteries for St. Martin's Press (the Sarah Woolson historical mystery series).

My husband and I live in Eugene, Oregon (GO DUCKS!!!), but we spend a lot of time at our cabin in Lake Tahoe (the Nevada side). And no, I don't gamble because I never win. If I just once hit a jackpot -- JUST ONCE! -- I could probably be persuaded to change my mind. But I never do. Oops! All right, you caught me. Maybe I still give it a try every now and again. I mean, come on, there's gotta be a first time, right??

Okay, now that you know a little bit about me, let me tell you something about my books – mystery whodunits set in 1880s San Francisco. My heroine, Sarah Woolson, is young, intelligent, and beautiful – the only daughter of an eminent, well-to-do family. She is, in fact, the sort of woman any man would be delighted to marry. There’s just one catch: Sarah has no intentions of entering the domestic state, which would legally allow her husband to pretty much control her life! (Sounds awful, doesn’t it? But that’s the way it was in the 1880s).

To the dismay of her family and friends, Sarah has chosen a very different path. Defying Victorian convention, she has vowed to become an attorney, a decidedly unwomanly profession! As far as nineteenth-century San Francisco is concerned, women belong firmly in the home. To venture outside this realm is to go against God’s will – a firmly held belief most men, and a surprising number of women, are all too willing to say to her face.

In MURDER ON NOB HILL – the first book in the Sarah Woolson series – feisty Sarah finagles an interview at one of the city’s most prominent all-male law firms, managing with a little subterfuge, to be hired on as the company’s newest, and only female, associate attorney. She soon acquires her first client, a lovely young society matron accused of murdering her wealthy, and abusive, husband. Ignoring her employer’s protests, Sarah champions the young woman, only to find herself embroiled in shady legal maneuvers, a daring Chinatown raid, and a secret and very scandalous sex club.

Book two in the series, THE RUSSIAN HILL MURDERS, finds Sarah once again risking her job, and her reputation, to defend a man whom she believes has been unjustly accused of murder. Faced with her first criminal trial – and an unfriendly judge and jury – she very nearly loses her own life in an effort to prove her client’s innocence.

In THE CLIFF HOUSE STRANGLER, Sarah and her reluctant colleague, Robert Campbell, brave the worst storm of the season to attend a séance at San Francisco’s famed Cliff House. After a dramatic display of spirit apparitions, flying trumpets, and phantom music, Sarah and Robert make a grisly discovery: One of the twelve people seated with them around the séance table has been brutally strangled!

SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL – which will be released on March 30th – opens when a badly beaten murder victim is discovered only two blocks from Sarah’s peaceful Rincon Hill home. Within the next week two more bodies are found in the same neighborhood, and the city is thrown into a state of panic. Reluctantly, Sarah agrees to represent the two young men accused of the killings, only to find herself faced with the all but impossible task of proving the men innocent.

Engaged in a desperate struggle to find the murderer, Sarah becomes involved in the erotic escapades of the town’s infamous high-end brothels, secrets surrounding a proper Anglican church, the volatile goings on in San Francisco’s theater district, and a vicious killer who will stop at nothing to achieve a scandalous objective!

I think you get the idea. Our resolute heroine is determined to go to whatever lengths necessary to defend her clients, even if it means taking on the entire male-dominated 1880s legal establishment! She’s one very brave and determined young woman.

But I’ve gone on long enough – probably longer than DeNita had in mind when she invited me to write a blog for her fantastic website. If you’d like to learn more about me, or my books and movies, please visit my website at http://www.shirleytallman.com/. While you’re there, you can check out my book video, read chapter one of SCANDAL ON RINCON HILL, visit my blog, the San Francisco Facts page, or just drop me a note to say hi. I LOVE to hear from you, and promise to answer all your letters personally.

Thanks again for letting me visit the Island and meet all of you. It was great fun!

Aloha,

Shirley Tallman

WIN - leave Shirley a comment or question this week and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of your choice of one of the first three Sarah Woolson Mysteries! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if your name is drawn. And don't forget to check out the fantastic contest Shirley has going on over at her website www.ShirleyTallman.com - she's giving away a KINDLE and $75 in Amazon cash this month to celebrate her new release!!

This Week's Special Guest Gale Laure

2010-03-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

This week's special guest at the Tiki Hut is international selling author, Gale Laure.

Gale is a native Texan. She was born along the coast of Texas in an area referred to as the "Golden Triangle".

Gale Laure spent her young adult years in Tyler in East Texas, and Houston, Texas. She has resided in a small suburban town in the Houston area for more than 20 years with her husband and family.

As mysterious as her mystery-suspense thriller book and novel, Laure writes under a pseudonym. She is very adamant about maintaining her privacy and the privacy of her family as a mystery!

With an attitude that "you can do anything you set your mind to", Laure travels forward in life fulfilling all of her dreams. She credits her huge imagination and true love for research for taking her to this career decision to be an author. She also credits some special people in her life which offered encouragement to become a mystery writer.

She has gained her experience for writing from her careers including owner of a business service, marketing and consulting company, owner of her own travel agency, employment in the medical field including office manager, a short stint as a legal assistant, a paralegal, and employment in an insurance office and CPA's office.

Gale Laure enjoys her career and life as an author. She finds inspiration from her readers, friends and family.

Laure's hobbies include genealogical research, movies, creating stories for the children around her, involvement in her church and people watching. By watching people she obtains ideas for the characters in her books. So watch out! You may see some of your own traits in a character in her mystery, romance, and suspense-thriller books. She loves the "human being" and everything about them, both good and bad.

Gale Laure is known for her informal Southern style of writing. Books written by Gale Laure include her current debut, mystery-suspense thriller, Evolution of a Sad Woman. It is selling internationally as an ebook download, Kindle and a trade paperback.

WEBSITE *** BLOG *** MYSPACE *** TWITTER *** FACEBOOK *** GOODREADS *** AUTHORS DEN *** PODOMATIC

***
An Interview with Keziah Elaine Theriot
By Gale Laure

Keziah Elaine Theriot - or Kizzy, as she is called – is the main character and the murder victim in Evolution of a Sad Woman. Kizzy is described as being a different woman with each of the five men that she loved. These five men join forces as strangers to try and solve her murder in this mystery, suspense, thriller and romance novel.

Kizzy, how many men have you loved in your life?

I have loved only six men in my life. My father, Alan, was the first man I ever loved. My father was strong and gentle all at the same time.

Tom Hastings was my first true love. Tom was the most fascinating man I ever knew. I could feel weak in Tom’s arms. He was so big and so strong.

William Newton was the smartest man I have ever known. He was actually brilliant about everything. He had dignity and poise. His smile could light up a room.

Evan Picard was the gentlest person I ever knew. He tries to be tough with other people, but he always treated me with gentleness. His hands were strong and soft all at the same time.

Jimmy Smithson was the sexiest, bad boy I have loved. Even Jimmy’s badness was good. Jimmy does everything with a passion.

Father C.D. Casmiersky was the best person I have ever known. He is a genuinely good and God-like man. He was pretty good looking, too.

How many men have you had sex with, Kizzy?

(Giggles). I don’t think that number is important. I can tell you, many people have found me sexy and none of them have ever been disappointed.

What did you want for your life?

(Kizzy answers very solemnly)
I always wanted happiness. I wanted to be a movie star with the camera lights flashing around me. I wanted to strut on a deliciously, deep, red carpet with one of the men I loved on my arm. I wanted to go home from the event to my children sleeping sweetly in their beds. I wanted to kiss their foreheads and cover their toes. I wanted simple peace.

If you could live your life over again, would you change everything? Anything?

To change my life would say that I had done everything wrong. I think I would repeat meeting and loving the six men I have loved. Would I change everything? No. Would I change some things? Maybe. I would not do everything differently. You see this time I would know the outcomes of all my actions in advance. So I would do everything the same. It would only be the outcomes that would be different.

Do you feel your loss of innocence was your downfall in life?

My loss of innocence? I never lost my innocence right up to the end.

Do you think you are a good person, Kizzy?

Of course, I am. I am as good as anyone else. I am much better than many people. Believe me, I could name some.

Were you a different woman with each of the five men?

I don’t know why you say that. I am just me – always. Maybe they were different with me.

Kizzy, what do you think about the men you have loved falling in love with other women?

(Slowly moistens her large pink lips) Those five men will never love anyone the way they loved me. Once I love a man, he stays loved. (Smiles) They will never, ever forget me!

Lastly, Kizzy, what would you like to say to the readers?

Don’t judge me. You don’t know me.

(Leans forward and whispers) And, you never will!

(smiles)

WIN - leave Gale a comment or question sometime this week and your name goes in the hat for an autographed copy of her book EVOLUTION OF A SAD WOMAN. Please be sure to include your email address, so we can contact you if you are this week's winner!

The Cougar Book Winner

2010-03-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

I want to thank our very special guest authors - thanks so much for sharing your excerpts with us this past week and hope you had fun...we sure did!!!

And thanks to all our fantastic readers, who stopped by to enjoy those excerpts and hopefully get to know these wonderful authors just a little bit better.

Congrats to joder!! You won the copy of THE COUGAR BOOK - I know you're going to love it!!

The Cougar Book - An Excerpt From Heidi Champa

2010-03-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Heidi Champa is a typical last-born child. Snarky, attention-seeking and rebellious, she started to create dirty stories to keep herself out of real trouble. Having tried her hand at a million terrible jobs, she bought herself a laptop and finally started typing up those handwritten tales. After much deliberation, she started to let other people read her work.

In addition to her flare with the written word, she knows every sentence of the movie Clue by heart and bakes a mean Funny Cake. When she is not writing, she can be found reading, hiking or filling her iPod with more music. Her life has taken her all over the world, but a piece of her heart will always be in Australia. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband. Her greatest wish is that her sarcasm would translate better in the written form.

She has been published in numerous anthologies including Best of Best Women's Erotica 2, Best Women’s Erotica 2010, Playing With Fire, Frenzy and Ultimate Curves. She has also steamed up the pages of Bust Magazine. If you prefer your erotica in electronic form, she can be found at Clean Sheets, Ravenous Romance, Oysters and Chocolate and The Erotic Woman. Find her online at heidichampa.blogspot.com.

Excerpt of SPRING TRAINING by Heidi Champa

THE COUGAR BOOK

I looked out the window, watching the fluid, easy motion of his arm. He barely looked at the ball when he caught it. It was as if he were on autopilot; until the ball thrown by his partner sailed past him, and went careening off the wall of the building where I was sitting. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him running straight towards my window, his legs pumping hard. The ball skipped up against the base of the building. Before I knew it, Derek was standing right in front of my window. He bent down to pick up the ball and stood up, his eyes staring right through the glass at me.

I froze, unable to move an inch in my chair. I expected him to just run off, but he didn’t. He just kept staring, his eyes fixed on mine. A deep flush rose up in my face. His smile surprised me, as did his apprising gaze. His hand reached out and touched the window, just for a second. His hand truly was large, his fingertips leaving smudges on the thick glass. It felt like he was touching me, a jolt of electricity shot through me. He turned and ran away, returning to his buddies and their game of catch. Nothing had happened, but it felt as real as anything ever did. Turning away from the window, I tried to calm down. But, my breath was ragged and quick. I could feel a rush of moisture between my legs. My reaction seemed out of proportion, somehow odd. I looked at my clock. It was almost lunch time again. I cast one last glance out the window, before heading to the break room. Somehow a boring sandwich seemed like just what I needed.

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WIN - Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!

The Cougar Book - An Excerpt From Craig J. Sorensen's ADRIAN'S LOVER

2010-03-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

One evening at the close of the 1970’s in Caldwell Idaho, while sitting on a milk crate overlooking Tenth Avenue and waiting for a customer to come in and break up the monotony, Craig Sorensen had a revelation. It may not seem earth shattering now, but to a man not yet twenty years of age, this moment would be defining in ways he had yet to fathom: There had to be more to life than pumping gas. He also knew he couldn’t take the same course that so many seemed to suggest was the only proper way for a young man to get to the next stage of life. An answer seemed materialize from the cold, dry Treasure Valley air.

Sorensen joined the US Army where he learned to work with computers not long before the introduction of the PC. Armed with a blitzkrieg education in the programming language COBOL, he embarked on a journey to define himself as a soldier, programmer, businessman, manager and in creative pursuits. Many life changes later, family, career and fully succumbing to his first passion of writing, Craig has never forgotten what it means to experience a change that helps to define a person.

A nearly lifelong fascination with sexuality and a love of both beauty and ugliness that makes getting up in the morning worthwhile brought Sorensen’s writing to the fertile ground that is erotica. Though he loves to write in many genres, he is infinitely comfortable in the expression of passion and sensuality. By combining this with the study of those changes, sometimes small and sometimes big, that shape lives, he has found his creative voice, and is grateful to have found places to express this voice in numerous anthology collections by a host of editors including Rachel Kramer Bussel, Maxim Jakubowski and recently in Jolie Du Pre’s enticing collection, The Cougar Book. His story in this anthology, “Adrian’s Lover,” explores a change akin to that moment sitting alone in that gas station in 1979.

Beyond continuing to develop short stories, Sorensen’s recent efforts are devoted to writing a novel based on those days not long after that revelation overlooking Tenth Avenue as he joined a mixed bag of soldiers in a Military Intelligence unit in West Germany.

He maintains a blog at http://www.just-craig.blogspot.com/

ADRIAN'S LOVER by Craig J Sorensen
THE COUGAR BOOK

Setup:
Brendan Vivaldi is a young writer who has landed in a small town working for a local newspaper. He is searching for direction in his life when he is assigned to do an interview at a local bar with a little known musician from the 70’s named Adrian Parker. From the very beginning, Adrian provides him with more surprises than he can handle.

Excerpt:

Adrian ripped into her guitar and belted out the vocals for another set. This time, she plied even more from that Les Paul Junior Guitar, with those long, strong hands. Her powerful voice caressed the room, now nearly empty. The passion of her performance didn’t dwindle in the least. At closing one of the few that remained brought up her old album. “Jesus, darlin’ where did you find that relic?”

The man folded his hands nervously. “I bought it new.”

“Oh, you’re a doll.” She signed it. The man blushed.

“May I?” The rightful owner handed it to me. Adrian had indeed been skinny. Her hair had been straightened and was cut short around her angular face. They’d put a tight silky purple blouse on her to make her eyes appear even more exotic and to showcase her high, full breasts atop her slim chest. Her skin was warmly tanned and buttery.

“You’re more beautiful now.” I suddenly worried she’d think it was just another line.

Her brows lifted like a draw-bridge.

I shrugged. “Well, you are.”

A soft, sweet smile like I’d not seen on her face opened. “Thank you, darlin.”

“Um, listen Adrian, I haven’t, um, asked all my questions.”

One knee pressed between mine. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

A fresh hard-on stretched my zipper. She took my hand.

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WIN - Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!

The Cougar Book - An Excerpt From Sascha Illyvich's WHISKEY TASTING

2010-03-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today's special guest, Sascha Illyvich.

I am a published erotic romance author with several releases out at Renaissance E-books and Total E-bound. My contemporary romance A Christmas Favor is a recommended read from The Romance Studio. I continue to write for Renaissance E-books and Total E-bound with releases throughout the year. I host the UnNamed Romance Show on Radio Dentata where we interview the hottest in today’s erotic romance fiction. I am also a founding member of the WriteSEX team, dedicated to educating authors of all genres on how to add erotic elements to any story.

Learn more at SaschaIllyvich.com

I'll share an excerpt from my story "Whiskey Tasting" which features a rather sexy yet familiar woman in my world, who just happens to own a cigar bar. Her favorite client comes in frequently. One night he comes in with a younger woman and Morganna gets irritated. Determined to establish and keep him, she arranges to have the bar open for him alone for a special type of tasting…

WHISKEY TASTING by Sascha Illyvich

THE COUGAR BOOK

Drawing the shades over the windows, she looked at the clock on the wall. Ten till 2.

If she knew him as well as she did, he’d be slightly early.

Her body hummed in anticipation of his arrival. Nervousness wasn’t something Morganna normally dealt with but the fact that another five minutes had passed way too slowly and Nicholas hadn’t arrived yet bugged her.

She looked down at an empty shot glass. Picking up a bottle from the bin, she poured herself a shot of single malt and knocked it back. Dutch courage for a cougar, she laughed.

The handle at the door jiggled.

Morganna looked up and walked around to the front of the bar. Reaching for the handle, she pulled the door open to see Nicholas standing before her in black jeans and a faded gray tank top. His suit coat hung over thick shoulders.

She licked her lips. “Come in.”

With a smile, he nodded and stepped into the bar. “Wow,” he looked around. “It’s odd being here when it’s quiet.”

She chuckled. “Yeah. It’s kinda nice sometimes. I can fire up a smoke, sample inventory or just clean extra thoroughly if I want. But you’re here for a different reason.” She winked.

He didn’t miss a beat. Shutting the door behind him, he reached for Morganna with one hand.
Catching her by the shoulder, he pulled her forward and wrapped his arms around her.

Crushing her chest against his, she felt the firmness of strong muscles beneath the cotton shirt.
Hands cupped her bottom, squeezing her.

She squeaked and stepped back from him with a glint in her eye. Looking up at him, she saw her smoldering desire reflected in his gorgeous eyes.

He started to speak, started to dip his head down to meet her mouth, but stopped short.
Morganna parted her lips.

Nicholas didn’t move.

She arched an eyebrow. “Something the matter?”

He shook his head. The look in his eyes definitely spelled out desire. If there was any doubt, the bulge beneath his jeans reaffirmed his arousal.

“Then what, sweetie?” She touched his cheek, running fingers over the smoothness of his face.
He’d shaved, making it easier for her fingers to glide over smooth masculine skin.

Stepping closer, she inhaled. Picking up the rich scent of cigars, light sandalwood and his aroma, the smile on her lips widened. “You’re not used to being the seducer, are you hon?”

Nicholas nodded.

She smirked. “I thought so. Come this way and we’ll make this easier for both of us.” She turned, sliding her hand down his chest until she’d captured his hand.

Pulling him towards the bar, she led him into a seat where the first rocks glass and a bottle of highland single malt sat. She walked around to the other side of the bar and pulled off the top.
“This is a standard highland single malt, similar to the one you normally drink.” She poured a 1 oz. shot into the glass, then retrieved a glass for herself.

Nicholas picked up the glass and swirled it around. Shoving his nose into the glass, he inhaled a deep whiff of the liquid before bringing the scotch to his lips. Taking a sip, he kept his eyes on Morganna the entire time.

She mimicked his movements and took a sip of the strong scotch, picking up caramel notes along with charred oak before the liquid slid down her throat and confirmed her thoughts. She should know what the drinks in her bar tasted like.

Her eyes roamed up and down the length of Nicholas’s body. After the rest of the first shot hit him, he relaxed his shoulders just slightly. Leaning forward, he set the empty glass down on the bar and smiled. “Good stuff.”

Morganna moved down the line to the next bottle. Pulling the top off, she poured another shot into another empty glass and slid it forward before pouring a shot of her own.

Nicholas did the same thing, swirling, smelling and sipping the scotch.

By this time, the warmth of the liquid hit Morganna. She wasn’t feeling light headed by a long shot, and her inhibitions were never really a problem but the draft from the fans had ceased making her cold once the second shot of highland single malt hit her.

Licking her lips, Morganna poured another round for them both of the second bottle. “This particular highland malt could go great with those Hondurans you always smoke. The Patels?”
Raising his glass to Morganna, he nodded. “Good point.”

Watching the line of his throat work while he took a large sip excited her. The motion called to her desire to lick a trail down his neck and peel off that tank top to caress his chest with fiery kisses.

Setting the empty glass down, he slid it forward and smiled.

Morganna decided it was a good time to switch to shot glasses for his special treat.

He eyed her with curiosity. “Why the switch in glasses?”

Inhaling a deep breath before letting it out slowly, Morganna’s lips curved upwards in a wicked smile. She leaned forward, reaching for Nicholas. Catching him by the collar of his tank top, she tugged him forward. “I have a surprise for you, my favorite scotch drinker.”

Nicholas’s body became pliant to her pull. He moved forward, planting his lips against hers.
His mouth curved upward against her lips before parting.

She slid her tongue inside his mouth, swirling around the contours and his own tongue.

The two wrestled for control of the kiss.

Morganna inhaled deeply, the taste of scotch on his breath mingling with the heady after scent of Nicholas. Pure, masculine. Not in control.

Leaning further so that her breasts brushed across the bar, Morganna pulled back and nipped at his lower lip.

Fingers stroked her chin and along the side of her neck before reaching for her hair. And capturing tangles between nimble fingers.

Another hand pressed against the top of her breast.

Morganna adjusted herself and let his fingers wander down into the neck of her oh so tight top.
His fingers skittered along her skin lightly.

Her flesh tingled from his slight touch. She purred into another kiss, tasting him with a subtle sweep of her tongue. Her panties were wet by now, nipples had become taut against the fabric of her top.

Pulling back from the kiss, Nicholas’s eyes were somewhat glazed over.

Morganna felt a surge of pride at her ability to turn this man on. He may not know how to approach a woman bent on seduction but he sure as hell knew how to use his mouth. Bending over more, she nipped his bottom lip and grinned into another kiss before stopping to notice her feet were no longer on the floor.

Swinging back, she giggled and moved the bottles away from where she planned her next pour.
The smug look on Nicholas’s face confirmed what she suspected. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but was about to enjoy finding out.

He cocked his head to one side and licked his lips. “What are you doing?”

Morganna squared her shoulders. “Giving you a final taste of the last whiskey. This,” she picked up a shot glass and showed it to him, “is a special blend of various single malts from different regions of…” She pursed her lips together for a moment, then decided that her body was right.
She needed him in her. “Me.”

His eyes widened in surprise.

Grabbing the bar for leverage, Morganna hoisted herself up on top of the bar so that she squatted before him. Her skirt bunched up. Standing straight, she hiked up her skirt so that her panties showed.

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WIN - Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!

The Cougar Book - An Excerpt From Donna George Storey's COMFORT FOOD

2010-03-11T08:30:00.005-05:00

The Flavors of Pleasure

By Donna George Storey

I didn’t fall in love with my husband just for his literary last name, but I have always want to be a writer ever since I can remember. I finally followed my dream when my first son was born, and I started writing short stories during his naps. Thirteen years later, I’m still writing and loving every minute of it.

My true passions in fiction are a sexy love story and a celebration of good food—which can be almost as delicious in prose as on the table. In my erotic novel, Amorous Woman, which is based on my own experiences living in Japan, I linger as lovingly over the amazing meals I enjoyed there as I do over the amorous encounters. Likewise my story in The Cougar Book, “Comfort Food,” also explores how the art of cooking can nourish, heal and create a delectable connection between a woman “of a certain age” and a handsome young chef.

To me the appreciation of pleasure is more than hedonism. It’s a way to open ourselves to the beauty and poetry of the world. That’s what I try to do in my stories and in my kitchen. Bon Appetit!

Website http://www.donnageorgestorey.com/
Blog http://sexfoodandwriting.donnageorgestorey.com/
Book Trailer--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlnXqY-LyEE

Excerpt from “Comfort Food” in The Cougar Book

As soon as I got back to my room, I tore open the bag and ripped into the paper box inside. The waitress—or Joseph—had thoughtfully included a napkin and a plastic spoon, but like some wild beast, I pinched off a chunk of the rice pudding with my fingers and jammed it into my mouth.

The moan that escaped from my lips made me glad I’d retreated to my private lair. It was, quite simply, the most delicious rice pudding I’d ever eaten in my life. The texture was mousse-like, rich with cream but airy as a cloud. I tasted a kiss of rum, a heartier vanilla than the day before. Mexican perhaps? I’d only gotten a mere ribbon of sauce in my first mouthful but it did indeed taste like the essence of summer sunshine.

Joseph might be a recipe-hoarder and an incorrigible flirt, but when it came to pudding, the guy was a genius.

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An excerpt from Amorous Woman: Amorous Woman Link-- ISBN: 1905619170

“And so I told him how living in Japan would give him a leisure no mere tourist has, to know the rhythms of the place, a land of tiny poems. In autumn, he’d see the persimmons glowing like huge, orange jewels on their bare branches, then winter’s dusting of snow on blue tile roofs. He’d learn why the old erotic pictures are called “spring prints” — because in that season the air is as soft as a lover’s whisper––and he’d sigh at the perfect coolness of iced barley tea slipping down his throat on a wilting summer afternoon. As the year passed, he would become part of it. The neighbors would stop staring and start to nod a greeting, and one day the tiny old lady in the gray kimono at the snack stand would wrap up his regular order of red-bean-and-rice balls before a word was spoken, and she’d flash him that first gold-toothed smile, and he’d be happy all day. ‘It’s like someone’s given you a whole other life, I told him, an extra life, to live for a while.’”

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WIN - Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!

The Cougar Book - An Excerpt From Jeremy Edwards' BOSTON. BREASTS. BOHEMIAN.

2010-03-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

The libidinous fiction of Jeremy Edwards has been widely published online, as well as in over forty anthologies. His work was selected for The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica, vols. 7, 8, and 9; he has read at New York’s In the Flesh and Philadelphia’s Erotic Literary Salon; and he has been featured in the literary showcase of the Seattle Erotic Art Festival. Jeremy’s first erotic novel is Rock My Socks Off (Xcite Books). Readers can drop in on him unannounced (and thereby catch him in his underwear) at www.jeremyedwardserotica.com .

Jeremy Edwards - My Fantasy, Her Story

There's no reason I need to know whether the fortyish woman I found sexy as hell in 1985 thought I was a cute twentysomething. It wouldn't have mattered then (we were both happily attached and monogamous), and it matters less now.

Don't get me wrong: I liked to *fantasize* that she thought I was a hot young pup. Hey, it still makes a great fantasy, even though I'm now older than she was then. As we know, the past can exist quite vividly in fantasyland.

But discovering the truth of her internal reaction to me--whether my presence made her want to lick her lips or roll her eyes--was not necessary to enjoying the fantasy. It might even have interfered with it.

And then, a quarter century down the road, I had the opportunity to write for Jolie du Pre's Cougar Book.

The story I tell in this anthology, "Boston. Breasts. Bohemian," is not my real-life story of the mid-'80s. But it draws on some elements of my memories. And through the puppet show of my characters--who only resemble me and "her" a smidgen--I indulge the fantasy.

And yet, as I tell it now, it is not a young man's fantasy. It is my conception of *her* story, my attempt to envision her needs, her passion, her perspective, and her complexity.

Here's a taste of the tale, narrated by my protagonist Claudia:

***

BOSTON. BREASTS. BOHEMIAN. by Jeremy Edwards

THE COURGAR BOOK, Logical Lust

I was never taken with the ambitious ones. Even if they were nice ...even if I judged that their interest in bedding me had nothing to do with their career aspirations ... I simply didn't respond to their suits, their calculating punctuality, and their disconcertingly smooth adaptation to the yuppie milieu of 1980s Back Bay Boston. Damn it, a twenty-two-year-old--male or female--should not look totally natural with a briefcase, I thought.

No, I liked the guys with the ratty knapsacks. The guys who weren't sure when or when not to drink at lunchtime; who didn't see that as cool as their thrift-store vintage jackets looked on the hanger, they didn't fit right; who still believed, thank goodness, that it was their art or writing or music that mattered, and not getting to the"day job" five minutes early--and who would say so out loud in their cubicles, being too naive to realize I listened from my open-dooroffice around the corner. They figured I disapproved of their chronic tardiness and forgave them; but in reality I loved them for it. It made me want to fuck them. It aroused what had never died in me, no matter how many meetings I had to take with marketing people and accountants and lawyers: my passion for beauty. And my passion for young men who really, really cared about something--who weren't, for instance, too occupied or tired or lazy to go see some incredibly important underground band I'd never heard of on a Wednesday night,even if it meant they had to walk home afterward and get short changed on sleep. I had no intention of listening to the latest "amazing"album, but I wanted to know my bohemians bought it the day it came out.

BUY THE BOOK

WIN - Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!

The Cougar Book - An Excerpt From Julia Barrett's YOU MIGHT JUST GET IT

2010-03-09T07:00:00.004-05:00

Julia Barrett has lived many lives, but the one central theme of each is her writing. She’s written prose and poetry since she was a child. She comes from a long line of men and women who love to read and write, starting with her beloved grandmother, a playwright. Julia has had articles published in medical and nursing magazines and poetry published in various literary journals. Now she writes romance in several genres, including science fiction, futuristic, paranormal, romantic-suspense and she dabbles in contemporary romance.

Julia and the love of her life live on the West Coast with an entire food chain of animals and three children who come and go frequently. She loves to hear from her readers! Website: http://juliarachelbarrett.net/ email: Julia @JuliaRachelBarrett.net

YOU MIGHT JUST GET IT by Julia Rachel Barrett
The Cougar Book, Logical Lust

EXCERPT:

Eric lifted his eyes and studied the woman seated across the small table from him. Her damp curls surrounded her head like a halo. The first time he’d seen her, in the window across the courtyard, her hair had been damp, just like this. Sweet. Very appealing. He wondered if she had any idea her kitchen window looked directly into his. Probably not. She’d only moved in ten days ago. Eric assumed she was still busy unpacking. That was one of the reasons he’d invited her to dinner, one reason among many. He wondered briefly how old Kate was. It was hard to tell. She could be anywhere from twenty-nine to forty-five. But he wasn’t about to ask her and he didn’t care. Her age didn’t matter to him. Her laugh did. Her big brown eyes did. Her luscious lips. Her wide white smile.

When he’d arrived home and found her soaked to the skin and shivering on the stoop, he got to play the hero. That was twice in two days. There was no way he’d pass up an opportunity to spend time with her. He’d hoped she’d accept his offer of dinner and he‘d been pleased when she did. It was no big deal, one of his easy meals. Oven toasted rustic bread with melted gruyere, roasted tomatoes, baby arugula and a soft fried egg. Simple and sensuous. The sandwich was messy and it required the use of all your fingers. There was a lot of runny egg yolk and licking involved. Eric hoped he could segue that licking into something else entirely.

God, there was a lot to like about her. Not only was Kate easy on the eyes, she was intelligent, articulate, mature, and she appreciated his sense of humor. Plus she blushed at the drop of a hat. Eric found that adorable. She wasn’t jaded or flighty, like so many women he’d met recently. He’d bet the farm she hadn’t grown up in California. Probably Iowa or Illinois. Someplace rural. An old-fashioned country girl.

“Where’d you come from? I mean, where are you from originally?” he asked.

“Blair, Nebraska. It’s a little town near the Missouri River. I went to school there. Dana College. You?”

“Minneapolis.”

“You’re kidding? You don’t have a Minnesota accent.”

“Yeah, well, I worked hard getting rid of that. I can do it if you like.”

“You mean like…Minnesooooota, North Dakoooooota, ya think? Like that?”

It was Eric’s turn to laugh. “More or less.” He looked at her plate. “Finished?”

“Oh, yes, thank you. The sandwich was great. I can cook, but I guess it never occurred to me that such simple ingredients could taste so good together.” Kate reached for his empty plate and set it on top of hers. “Let me help clean up. That’s the least I can do.”

He watched as Kate rose from her chair and stretched. He enjoyed watching. Her breasts were pert. Not large, but pert with perky nipples. Two handfuls. That’s all he needed.

“You have a long day today?”

“Not too bad. Really. It would have been better if I hadn’t locked myself out. But…what can you do? I was sort of hoping to curl up in a hot bath with a good book, but I left my book in the car and then the key…well, you know the story.” Kate carried the plates to the sink.

Eric followed with the empty glasses. “You can still have a hot bath,” he said.

“Yeah, I guess,” she replied, rinsing off the plates.

Eric set the glasses down on the counter and ran a hand lightly through the chestnut locks that hugged the back of her neck. He watched goose bumps rise as he trailed his fingers along her shoulders. He heard Kate’s sharp intake of breath. He waited momentarily to see if she’d move away, but she remained still.

“I mean, if you’re interested, you could have a hot bath…with me.”

BUY THE BOOK

WIN - Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!

This Week At The Tiki Hut We Celebrate Logical Lust's New Cougar Anthology

2010-03-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

This week, we celebrate a new anthology from Logical Lust that celebrates The Cougar in all women!

Hot on the heels of the successful anthology SWING! Adventures in Swinging by Today's Top Erotica Writers comes THE COUGAR BOOK, a stunning collection of hot stories of Cougar women.

What is a Cougar woman? She's age 40 or over, and she dates younger men. She's also intelligent, confident, attractive, enjoys sex, and she knows what she wants. These strong, successful ladies know exactly what they look for in a younger man - and they get it!

Available in both ebook and print, edited by Jolie Du Pre and with an introduction by Valerie Gibson - The Original Cougar, this new anthology from Logical-Lust features a "Who's Who" line up of authors: Rachel Kramer Bussel, Shanna Germain, Bill Brent, Madeline Moore, Jolene Hui, Emerald, D. L. King, Craig J. Sorensen, Jeremy Edwards, Donna George Storey, Sascha Illyvich, Heidi Campa, Tara S. Nichols, J. C. Wesner, Randall Lang, Adriana Kraft, Keeb Knight, Dona Lee, Doug Harrison, Brenna Lyons, Trish DeVene, Julia Barrett and Blue Canyon.

BUY THE BOOK

Six different authors will stop by this week with excerpts from their stories to give you a taste of the different genres covered in this one hot anthology! To read an in-depth interview on each of the authors included in this collection, head over to the Logical Lust Blog!

WIN - One reader who leaves a comment on each of this week's posts (March 8th - March 14), will win an autographed copy of THE COUGAR BOOK!!! Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner!!!

The Cougar Challenge - Winners!

2010-03-08T07:00:00.004-05:00

What a fun week!!!

Thanks to all the authors for being such great guests and thanks to all the readers who stopped with great comments and questions - you guys are the greatest!

Congrats to ALL the winners - enjoy there are some great books coming your way!!!

Joder - you win a free download of Samantha Kane's PLAY IT AGAIN SAM
S7anna - you win a free download of Lynne Connolly's BEAUTY OF SUNSET
Estella - you win a free download of Dalton Diaz's WINTER'S THAW
Maria - you win a free download of Desiree Holt's HOT TO TROT
Flchen1 - you win a free download of Mari Carr's ASSUME THE POSITIONS
Sweet Vernal Zephyr - you win a free download of Mari Freeman's SIN ON SKIN
Armenia - you win a free download of Ciana Stone's CAM'S HOLIDAY

And for the grand prize - CathyM - you win the beautiful tote bag filled with author goodies and signed by the authors at the 2009 RomantiCon!

The Cougar Challenge - Book Seven - CAM'S HOLIDAY by Ciana Stone

2010-03-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Call it fate or coincidence, but when Autumn Kelley, Rachel Bridges, Camille Stockton, Monica Allen, Elizabeth Winters, and Stevie Jones meet at Romanticon™, an Erotic Romance convention, an instant bond is formed. Not only do they share a love of Erotic Romance, but their lives are traveling remarkably parallel paths. All single due to quirks of fate (or unfaithful men), each of them longs for the kind of sexual adventure and romance they read about in the erotic romance books they so love. And each one is terrified at the idea of trying to pursue that dream.

When the convention ends, the friendship grows. They chat online and by phone and even blog on a private blog Camille sets up. They discuss their fantasies and tease one another about not having the courage to have a “real” Cougar experience. Soon they are joined by an unlikely new member, Edie Howard, unbeknownst to them an ex-supermodel.

One of the women gets a bit tired of “all talk and no action” or as she refers to it “the Elvis song” (a little less conversation a little more action) and challenges everyone to get out there and see what’s available.

And so they do.

Each woman finds her own brand of sexual adventure and perhaps sexual reawakening. And she blogs about it to her friends. They cheer one another on, laugh at the “oops” moments and tease each other good naturedly as their stories unfold.

Books in the Cougar Challenge Series:
1. PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM by Samantha Kane
2. BEAUTY OF SUNSET by Lynne Connolly
3. WINTER’S THAW by Dalton Diaz
4. HOT TO TROT by Desiree Holt
5. ASSUME THE POSITIONS by Mari Carr
6. SIN ON SKIN by Mari Freeman
7. CAM’S HOLIDAY by Ciana Stone

Come meet the ladies of Cougar Challenge at Romantic Times Booklovers convention. The Cougar Growl on Thursday, April 29 2:30-3:30 will have the authors in person and feature lots of prizes and giveaways. Visit their blog for yummy pictures, posts and details!

CAM'S HOLIDAY By: Ciana Stone
Book seven of the Cougar Challenge series.

Fantasies about being with a younger man? Before her husband left her for a younger model, they wouldn’t have crossed Cam’s mind, but now she has plenty. After meeting a group of ladies at RomantiCon, Cam and the women form a blog celebrating younger men—Tempt the Cougar. Then they challenge each other to find a younger man to make their fantasies come true. It’s not a husband hunt. It isn’t about love. It’s about a night of hot, steamy sex.

When Lee Holiday enters Cam’s life, he seems like the right man for the job. A personal trainer, he makes it clear he’d love to ring Cam’s bell. And ring it he does. Repeatedly. Cam’s found sexual nirvana. Only Lee’s not going to be happy with a short-term, sex-only relationship. He wants the whole nine yards and is out to prove to Cam that he’s more than just a holiday from her normal life. He’s the man of her dreams.

BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Seven authors, seven books, seven days...each day this week, we'll talk about one of the books in this hot and sexy series from Ellora's Cave and each day, we'll give away a free download of that book to one of the readers who comments that day! All readers who comment on each of this week's seven posts will get their name in the hat for a beautiful tote bag filled with author goodies and signed by the authors at the 2009 RomantiCon! Please be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're one of our winners.

The Cougar Challenge - Book Six - SIN ON SKIN by Mari Freeman

2010-03-06T07:00:00.002-05:00

Seven of the wildest women of erotic romance pull out all the stops in a series about women who dare to take the challenge and experience the delights of sex with a younger man. Women who cast off their cloaks of conventionality and indulge their inner wild woman.

Call it fate or coincidence, but when Autumn Kelley, Rachel Bridges, Camille Stockton, Monica Allen, Elizabeth Winters, and Stevie Jones meet at Romanticon™, an Erotic Romance convention, an instant bond is formed. Not only do they share a love of Erotic Romance, but their lives are traveling remarkably parallel paths. All single due to quirks of fate (or unfaithful men), each of them longs for the kind of sexual adventure and romance they read about in the erotic romance books they so love. And each one is terrified at the idea of trying to pursue that dream.

When the convention ends, the friendship grows. They chat online and by phone and even blog on a private blog Camille sets up. They discuss their fantasies and tease one another about not having the courage to have a “real” Cougar experience. Soon they are joined by an unlikely new member, Edie Howard, unbeknownst to them an ex-supermodel.

One of the women gets a bit tired of “all talk and no action” or as she refers to it “the Elvis song” (a little less conversation a little more action) and challenges everyone to get out there and see what’s available.

And so they do.

Each woman finds her own brand of sexual adventure and perhaps sexual reawakening. And she blogs about it to her friends. They cheer one another on, laugh at the “oops” moments and tease each other good naturedly as their stories unfold.

Books in the Cougar Challenge Series:
1. PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM by Samantha Kane
2. BEAUTY OF SUNSET by Lynne Connolly
3. WINTER’S THAW by Dalton Diaz
4. HOT TO TROT by Desiree Holt
5. ASSUME THE POSITIONS by Mari Carr
6. SIN ON SKIN by Mari Freeman
7. CAM’S HOLIDAY by Ciana Stone

Come meet the ladies of Cougar Challenge at Romantic Times Booklovers convention. The Cougar Growl on Thursday, April 29 2:30-3:30 will have the authors in person and feature lots of prizes and giveaways. Visit their blog for yummy pictures, posts and details!

SIN ON SKIN By: Mari Freeman

Book six of the Cougar Challenge series.

Wild women do…

That’s the theme for the friends Stevie Jones found at an erotic-romance convention. But as the women share their experiences with younger guys on their Tempt the Cougar blog, Stevie discovers she’s the least wild of the bunch. Finding a younger man isn’t the problem; after a lifetime of unfulfilled desires, Stevie needs a younger alpha man. In the meantime, getting a tattoo is an easy, safe way to begin ramping up her wild side.

Tattoo artist Errol knows instantly what Stevie needs, and it’s not just a bit of ink. He’s hot, young—and he’s just invited Stevie to his private BDSM club. Before you can say “green light”, Stevie is experiencing things she’d only read in her favorite erotic novels. Sinful toys, spanking benches and voyeurism are just some of the stops on what will become the wildest ride of her life.

BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Seven authors, seven books, seven days...each day this week, we'll talk about one of the books in this hot and sexy series from Ellora's Cave and each day, we'll give away a free download of that book to one of the readers who comments that day! All readers who comment on each of this week's seven posts will get their name in the hat for a beautiful tote bag filled with author goodies and signed by the authors at the 2009 Romanticon! Please be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're one of our winners.

The Cougar Challenge - Book Five - ASSUME THE POSITIONS by Mari Carr

2010-03-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

Book five of the Cougar Challenge series.

Damn Cougar Challenge!

Rachel’s thankful for the new friends she met while attending an erotica-book convention. They instantly connected and began sharing the relationship woes unique to older single women on their Tempt the Cougar blog. Then Monica issues that challenge… How is Rachel going to convince a younger man to have sex with her? Hell, even she doesn’t want to look at herself naked. To control her growing angst, she makes a list of eligible men then… Nothing. It’s been too long and her divorce was too painful. She’ll never be able to do this.

Ethan, one of Rachel’s physical therapy patients, is pissed when he learns of the challenge. Not because he finds it silly—because he’s not on Rachel’s list! So he does what any self-assured young stud would do. The luscious police officer gives her a copy of the Kama Sutra then asks her to make a new list.

And assume the positions…

BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Seven authors, seven books, seven days...each day this week, we'll talk about one of the books in this hot and sexy series from Ellora's Cave and each day, we'll give away a free download of that book to one of the readers who comments that day! All readers who comment on each of this week's seven posts will get their name in the hat for a beautiful tote bag filled with author goodies and signed by the authors at the 2009 RomantiCon! Please be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're one of our winners.

The Cougar Challenge - Book Four - HOT TO TROT by Desiree Holt

2010-03-04T07:00:00.002-05:00

HOT TO TROT By: Desiree Holt

Book four of the Cougar Challenge series.

Buying a ranch on eBay was the wildest thing Autumn Kelley had ever done. Past forty, she’d pretty much written excitement out of her life. But then she discovers the ranch comes with a foreman who makes her pulse pound and could give her an orgasm just by looking at her. As if that isn’t enough, he has a friend equally as mouthwatering—and the two of them take Autumn on an erotic trip that outdoes any fantasy she could ever have imagined.

If sex with one hot boy toy is fantastic, sex with two at the same time is a whole new level of amazing. But what happens when Autumn inevitably has to come down from the orgasmic high

BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT

WIN - Seven authors, seven books, seven days...each day this week, we'll talk about one of the books in this hot and sexy series from Ellora's Cave and each day, we'll give away a free download of that book to one of the readers who comments that day! All readers who comment on each of this week's seven posts will get their name in the hat for a beautiful tote bag filled with author goodies and signed by the authors at the 2009 RomantiCon! Please be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're one of our winners.

The Cougar Challenge - Book Three - WINTER'S THAW by Dalton Diaz

2010-03-03T07:00:00.002-05:00

Book three of the Cougar Challenge series.

OR nurse Elizabeth Winters is forty-one, divorced and determined to figure out what all the fuss is about sex. Her ex spent over twenty years crushing her sensuality and it is long past time for release. Literally, dammit! In her quest, she befriends a group of women her age who admit having a passion for younger men—and thus begins a challenge…

Thirty-year-old engineer Kevin Springer loves solving puzzles and “Elle” has him aching to fit the pieces. The more he gets to know her, the more intrigued he becomes, especially in bed. He quickly realizes he wants more than her offered no-strings-attached, wild sex, but convincing her to take a chance on a relationship isn’t going to be easy.

The Cougar Challenge - Book Two - BEAUTY OF SUNSET by Lynne Connolly

2010-03-02T07:00:00.005-05:00