Four sexy brothers for Darah - greedy, greedy....

1) Did you set any goals for 2010?

Goals and Darah don’t get along. If I don’t meet my goal, I get depressed or feel too guilty and it’s counterproductive. It’s like having a list but doing everything except what’s on the list. I’m overwhelmed as it is.

2) What is the best part of the writing process for you?

Falling into the characters, becoming someone else for a little while. I love the little tingles I get when the characters are “aware” of the other. I get teary when one of my characters’ heart is breaking. And when they fall in love...ah, gotta love the romance.

3) The worst part?

When I’m not feeling it. When the characters aren’t speaking to me and the words won’t come. That’s when I have to walk away and do something else for a while. It’s usually because I’ve gone in the wrong direction or I don’t know where I’m going.

4) What is the book you wish you’d written?

You mean someone else’s book? The Marriage Bed by Stephanie Mittman. The hero and heroine were put through so much angst. I’ve read it many times but it still packs a punch. I’d never part with it.

5) Favourite author/s & book/s?

Hmm, too many to name and I’m pretty eclectic. Let’s see, the one mentioned above...then there’s all of Pamela Morsi’s and Lavyrle Spencer’s historicals, Lora Leigh, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Emma Holly, Julia Quinn, Stephanie Laurens, Vicki Lewis Thompson’s nerd books...I could go on and on.

6) Tell us about your latest release?

Bachelor Auction released September 3 and is the second in a series involving four brothers. (Unmasking Zorro, released April 2010, involved Spencer, second oldest.) The third brother of the four, Marcus, is really a very easy going guy until Charlotte sets foot in the room. She brings out the worst in him. Of course, she does her best to antagonize him. I’ve said it a hundred times, but Marcus is and will always be my favorite hero.

7) Tease us with a blurb/short except

Blurb:

Marcus Preston wants a relationship built on love and trust, but the woman he wants made it clear long ago she's only interested in fun and games. Yet, moving on proves difficult when no one else can erase the memory of the night they shared last summer.

Charlotte Reese doesn't believe in love, marriage, or happily ever afters. An occasional one-night stand is all she needs to take the edge off her loneliness and enhance the bad-girl image she uses to discourage commitment-seeking men—especially Marcus, the only man to melt both her body and her heart melt.

When Charlotte wins Marcus hot off the block of Houston’s Most Eligible Bachelor Auction and they’re forced to spend the weekend together, she seizes the opportunity to seduce him and extinguish the attraction sizzling between them once and for all. But for Marcus, it’s all or nothing. He won’t be seduced. Instead, he’ll show Charlotte she has more to offer a man than sex.

Excerpt:

Charlotte paused in front of the country club’s coat closet and read the sign “Back in 15 Minutes.”

“To hell with that,” she muttered as she slipped around the counter and through the open door of the closet. They would be announcing the winning bids by then, and she’d rather not live through that nightmare. The one she’d suffered moments ago was bad enough.

She must have been out of her mind to think she could dance with Marcus, be that close to him and not fall victim to her own longings or risk another rejection. But he had seemed sincere in wanting to dance with her. At least until the music slowed, forcing him to actually pay attention to his partner. That he was uncomfortable with her was an understatement.

She scanned the hundreds of coats that lined the walls on either side, but the faux sable mink she’d worn suddenly resembled dozens of others that were most likely real. “Concentrate, Charlotte, so you can get the hell out of here.”

“You’re not going anywhere until I’ve had my say.”

Her heart plunged to her stomach at the sound of Marcus’s hard-as-steel voice. She restrained herself from rubbing the goose bumps beneath her sleeves and instead, shook her hair over her shoulder and continued her search. “What? You’re not through insulting me?”

“I’m not the one who left you standing on the dance floor, looking like a fool.”

“Because it was obvious you couldn’t stand touching me.”

“That’s not—”

A giggle from the hallway thwarted whatever reply he might have made, and relief swept over her when he turned to leave. Her relief was short lived when Marcus eased the door to within a couple of inches of being closed then returned to stand directly in front of her. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, elbows grazing the coats on either side.

His nearness distracted her, as did his musky cologne and the jet-black hair that fell over his furrowed brow, emphasizing the deep green eyes staring intently back at her. But she couldn’t afford to get carried away by her attraction to him and end up hurt again. Her response to him in the mayor’s garden had certainly proven her resistance was no match for his charm. Still, she had to keep the barriers up, to play her part.

Instead of waiting for him to finish what he’d started to say, she shrugged. “Hey, it’s no big deal if you don’t want to dance with me. To each his own, right?”

“You should know by now I never do anything I don’t want to.”

8) What is your favourite attribute of the hero and heroine?

Marcus thinks he knows what Charlotte is all about and tries to protect her from herself. Charlotte encourages Marcus to think the worst but she’s really very vulnerable.

9) What’s next?

I’m working on a follow up to Saddle Broke (released last April at Ellora’s Cave) and have plans for a third story in the series. And then there are the two remaining Preston brothers, Chad (the youngest and most carefree) and Mitch (the oldest and a very wounded, bitter soul). I look forward to both their stories.

10) Tell me where you write?

I write in my bedroom. I had a little cubby set up near my laundry room but moved my desk to my daughter’s room when she left for college. The cubby became something else and she moved home. I was hoping my bedroom would be a temporary situation but it doesn’t seem so. It works though and I have a lock on my door!

11) Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

Steady. I don’t have big dreams of hitting a national best seller list. I just want to continue to write when I can and share my stories with readers. So I suppose in 5 years I’d like to be writing more and sharing more.

12) Where can we find you?

You can find me at:

www.darahlace.com
www.darahlace.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/darahlace

Thank you so much for being here today, Darah - Fantastic excerpt and what a thrill to be given a series by The Wild Rose Press, wow! I can wait to read what questions or comments readers want to share with you...

Welcome Brynna Curry today!!

Hi Brynna, so glad to have you here with us today. First thing I need to say is how much I love your book covers, can you tell me who the artist/s were? You must be thrilled with them! Let's start the interview...

1) Who is your favourite author and why?
Sherrilyn Kenyon, because I can actually turn off the writer/editor part of my brain and just enjoy her vivid storytelling.

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I mailed my first submission to Harlequin. It was politely rejected.

3) Describe your writing space?

I do most of my writing in my bedroom, so there are stacks of papers and books everywhere on the bedside table. At the new house, my 'office' is in the dining room. I have an antique sewing machine table I use as a desk. Of course there's bookshelves filled mainly with Nora Roberts books and paranormal romance novels by different authors. I'm completely addicted to books. Of course, there is usually a hammer, nails, or even a saw lying nearby. Right now our remodeling crew consists of me and anyone I can bribe to help me. It's a work in progress. I like to have figurines and plants around me when I'm working. Dragons, wizards, forest critters, knick knacks with stars or moons on them are my favorite ones.

4) What are you reading now?

I'm re-reading Come the Spring by Julie Garwood Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks, and Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts, along with a ton of review books for YGR and To Take Up the Sword by yours truly. It will be my first read through just for fun (meaning editing's done, set in stone, and I've moved on to writing a different book) before it hits the shelves 9-6-10.
5) How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

To date I've completed four books and have seven works in progress. Out of the completed books? I'd have to say Gypsy Moon (written under Brianna Roarke) because its a great story and made me push the boundaries of my comfort zone. Out of the Elemental Magic series? Fire's Ice which isn't quite finished yet because of all the magic. Devin (the hero) is just wicked enough to be fun. A wizard and Scottish laird banished from his clan by magic, he's lived a thousand years waiting for the spell to end. Fire's Ice wasn't actually part of the original series, but my readers liked Devin so much, he became a continuing character and eventually I gave him his own book. It will be out sometime next summer if we stay on schedule.

6) What comes first, plot or characters?

Characters. Always. Usually from dreams or sometimes a song will trigger an image of a new character. I build around that.

7) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

No. Not really. I usually have several projects going at once. When one set of characters is quiet, one of the others will 'speak' to me and I'll work on their book. The story is almost always better for the time away and fresh read through.

8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Aside from reading, I like to finish little (and sometimes huge) home improvement projects on the house we are remodeling. I also love to play video games with the kids. Legend of Zelda and Spyro are my favorites.

9) Tell us about your latest book?

To Take Up the Sword is the second book in my Elemental Magic series. Here's the blurb and an excerpt:

After the acquittal of Gueraldi's right hand and favored killer for hire, Ashton Smythe, Special Agent Gabriel Spiller takes time away from his work with the FBI. Having failed in his mission to avenge his lost would be lover, Serena Roarke, Gabe returns to Alabama in search of the missing diamonds needed to reopen the investigation and to lay low from the death threats he's received since Smythe went free.

Almost two years after her sister's death, Leannan O'Neal feels the loss of Serena more now than ever. A secret meeting between them before she died left Lea with an ugly figurine and nothing but questions. Hang-up calls at work and a trashed house reminds her of the card Serena gave her. "If you find yourself in trouble, go to him and only him" were the last words her sister spoke to her.

With Smthye out for revenge and hot on her heels, Lea goes on the run in search of Serena's 'Angel', but how long can Gabe keep her alive, and is the cost worth more than her life?

Excerpt:
Lea fished her keys out of the pocket of her windbreaker and unlocked the front door of her sweet little house. Uneasiness swept over her for the second time this morning. Turning, she scanned the empty street behind her. Nothing looked out of the ordinary as far as she could tell. At six-thirty, it was too early for the school bus riders in her neighborhood to be waiting outside.
She’d be at her desk in her warm classroom if she hadn’t forgotten the graded test papers. Those really needed to be added to the signed papers she sent out over the weekend.Though it was an hour before she’d have to report to her first class, she’d go in at seven o’clock to catch up on grading homework. The smell of Dunkin Donuts’ coffee and sweets lingered on her jacket, beckoning her back to the car. She just had to get one thing she’d forgotten.
Opening the door, Lea froze. Oh my God! What had happened to her house? She picked her way over the broken glass of an old vase in the foyer and looked into the living room. Couch cushions were ripped apart, stuffing all over the floor. Mirrors, shattered lamps tossed into corners. As she picked her way through the destruction of her home, down the hall she found her office and bedroom the same way. Completely trashed. She’d never get the blood out of her clothes or mattress. Were the criminals who’d done this still here? Why would they want to attack her home? Unless... This was about Serena’s statue. Lea thought back to the last meeting with her sister here in her home.
“Lea, I need a favor, a gigantic one.” Lea watched Serena’s red curls bounce around her face as she emphatically pleaded with her sister.
“Sissy, calm down, I’ll do it if I can.” Lea noticed Serena kept her back to the wall, alternately looking between the windows and her watch. Serena thrust a statue into her arms. “Keep this safe and with you always. Never let anyone know you have it. When I need it I’ll come back for it.”
Lea looked at the cheap trinket curiously and shook it, but it made no sound.
"I will, because it’s important to you. Can you tell me why?”
“No, I can’t. I will return for it, Lea.” A chill went through Lea and she
hugged her sister so tightly she could scarcely breathe. “I love you. I’m sorry to
ask this of you, but I have no one else to trust.”


"Not even your husband? You’re scaring me, Sissy.”
“Especially not Jack, his life depends on it. I know you’re scared. You need to be. If I don’t come back or you find you’re in danger, go to this man and only him. Promise me.” She grabbed a ballpoint pen off a nearby table and scribbled something on the back of a small white square. Serena gave her Gabriel’s business card. “Tell him who you are. He will help you. I’d trust him with my life, and in a way I guess I am.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Lea asked.
“I don’t know...” She paused as she opened the door. Her eyes were grave as they met Lea’s gaze “Tell no one I was here. We’re estranged. You don’t know me. No one does, not anymore. Take care, I love you.”
The next time she’d seen Serena was in a casket.


Whoever had done this must have been looking for the statue. Thank goodness she kept it with her, even on her morning donut runs. She took stock of the damage. In her bed, on her pillow, covered in blood was a mannequin’s head that bore a striking resemblance to her.Get out now! Serena’s voice flitted through her mind.
What the hell? Hurry! Run! Find Gabriel!
Covering her mouth with her hand, she backed into the dresser. Lea dug through her lingerie drawer and found the small cloth bag with stars on it she’d hidden there after Serena’s visit. Checking the contents, she found the roll of twenty-dollar bills she’d saved, one of her two credit cards and all her identifying papers. She switched her flats for tennis shoes, ran back to the front door and said goodbye to her house.
10) What’s next for you?
I'm looking forward to To Take Up the Sword's release (like a kid at Christmas) on September 6th. Wait for the Wind is about to go into edits with an anticipated release in January and I'll be completing the last two books in the series. I'll be running contests all month to celebrate Sword's release. More details will be available on my website soon.

The fall issue of 'Apollo's Lyre' will be out that month, my first as acting review editor. It will be busy too with book reviews for You Gotta Read. After that? We'll just have to see where the road takes me.

It's been wonderful to visit with y'all today. I'd love for you to stop by the site or blogs and say hello.
http://brynnacurrybriannaroarkebooks.webs.com/
http://brynnacurrybriannaroarkebooks.blogspot.com/
http://brynnacurry.wordpress.com/
http://paranormalwriters.blogspot.com/

I'm also on Facebook, Twitter, My Space, & Linked In as Brynna Curry.

Great interview! I am also a huge Nora Roberts fan - I pledge to one day own everything she's written, mmm, we'll see if that's achievable in time! I'd love to know how you manage to juggle so many works in progress! Comments please...

Missing Guest - apologies!!!

Try as I might I have been unable to track down today's guest, Rebecca Dale in time to post her blog or interview - if anyone knows Rebecca, please ask her to contact me as soon as possible and I will do my very best to get her onto the site.

In the meantime, I thought I could use this opportunity to update you on my debut release 'Explicitly English'. The edits are complete and have been with my editor for a couple of weeks now so I am tensely waiting for news of a release date and most of all, my cover art, EEKKK!! I don't know if its just me but this is the most exciting part of writing books for me, LOL!!

As soon as I receive it, believe me, it will be post here!

Bye for now,

Rachel x

A writers struggle - but she's getting there! Welcome, Lisabet Sarai!

Confessions of a Clueless Newbie
By Lisabet Sarai

Let me begin by making my title clear. I've been writing since I was six or seven years old. I've been publishing for more than a decade. So I'm not a clueless newbie as an author. No, the area where I'm sadly clueless is the romance genre.

From reading author interviews, I get the impression that most romance writers started out as romance readers. Not me, I'm afraid. Before I began submitting to romance publishers, my idea of “romantic” fiction was Wuthering Heights, Gone with the Wind and Romeo and Juliet. Stories like these tore at my heartstrings, but you'll note that none of them has a happy ending. I read my first mainstream romance (some title by Danielle Steele) in my forties and to be honest, I didn't think much of it.

My earlier publications were basically erotica. I entered the romance world only three years ago, when the owner of Total-E-Bound contacted me about six months before the company launched to ask if I'd be interested in submitting something. I offered them two of my erotic novels that had gone out of print. The books really weren't traditional romance―in both cases the heroine has encounters with several individuals beside the hero―but they did both end with the hero and heroine getting together, and they were sexually intense, something TEB was seeking.

Since then I've penned more than a dozen new tales specifically targeted for the romance market. But it has been tough. I've had to learn new narrative conventions. For instance, much of my previous work was written in the first person, but my publisher made it pretty clear that she preferred third person. I wasn't used to providing detailed descriptions of my characters, but I came to understand that many romance readers want this. I've learned that I can give reign to my sexual imagination―the days of the closed bedroom door are over―but only if I keep the spotlight on the protagonists. I can't have the sexual subplots and the side scenarios that I used to include. One of the most difficult issues for me has been the apparent dislike that readers of M/M fiction have for including any female-oriented sexuality of any sort. I've also had to accept the relative unpopularity of F/F stories, even though I enjoy writing them.

Finally, one of the biggest adjustments for me has been always delivering a happy ending. I know that most of you reading this blog will find this strange. It's clear from the polls that I've conducted that romance readers insist on things turning out well for the hero and heroine (or hero and hero). But personally, I prefer more ambiguous resolutions to a story's conflicts. The problem with guaranteed happy endings (from an authorial perspective) is that they make it really hard to create any kind of suspense. No matter how impossible the obstacles dividing the protagonists, readers always know that everything will work out in the end. How do you make the reader care about the conflicts―how do you make the problems believable? --when a HEA is a foregone conclusion?

I'm still struggling with this issue. I've been reading my colleagues' work, trying to understand the dynamics of romance―what makes it work. I think I'm improving, but like I said, I still consider myself something of a clueless newbie. I hope that my readers will take that into account and be gentle!

My latest release is a M/M/F vampire ménage set in Jamaica called Fire in the Blood. Here's the blurb:

MADDY AND TROY HOPE THAT A CAREFREE VACATION IN TROPICAL JAMAICA WILL RE-IGNITE THE PASSION IN THEIR FIVE YEAR RELATIONSHIP. ON A SCENIC MOUNTAIN TRAIL RIDE, MADDY'S HORSE BOLTS AND CARRIES HER DEEP INTO THE JUNGLE. INJURED AND LOST, SHE IS SAVED BY A SEDUCTIVE GIANT OF A MAN WHOSE MERE PRESENCE KINDLES UNBEARABLE LUST. BY THE TIME SHE UNDERSTANDS HIS DARK NATURE, IT IS FAR TOO LATE FOR HER TO ESCAPE.

BITTER AND ALONE, ETIENNE DE RÉMORCY HAUNTS THE FOREST AROUND THE RUINED PLANTATION OF FIN D'ESPOIR. HE HAS SWORN TO NEVER AGAIN TASTE TASTE HUMAN BLOOD, BUT WHEN SLENDER, RAVEN-HAIRED MADELEINE BEGS HIM TO TAKE HER, HE CANNOT RESIST.

TROY IS HUGELY RELIEVED WHEN MADDY MAKES HER WAY BACK TO THEIR HOTEL AFTER HER ORDEAL IN THE MOUNTAINS. BUT HE FINDS HER GREATLY CHANGED―FIERCELY PASSIONATE IN BED, RESTLESS AND DISTURBED AT OTHER TIMES. THE TALL, ELEGANT STRANGER HE MEETS ON THE BEACH HOLDS THE KEY TO HER TRANSFORMATION―AND SOON HAS SEDUCED TROY AS WELL. EVEN ETIENNE'S MOST POTENT MAGIC CAN'T EXTINGUISH THE FIRE IN TROY'S AND MADELEINE'S BLOOD.

FIRE IN THE BLOOD IS NOW AVAILABLE AT TOTAL-E-BOUND. YOU CAN READ AN EXCERPT AT HTTP://WWW.LISABETSARAI.COM/FIREINTHEBLOODEX.HTML. YOU'LL FIND INFORMATION ON MY OTHER WORK AS WELL AS LOTS OF FREE STORIES ON MY WEBSITE, TOO.

Love, love, love your honesty, Lisabet! We all struggle with this from time to time, I think. HEA is not always easy to achieve if the plot doesn't warrant it - I have had to stop myself several times and go back to rethink. What will guarantee the HEA without making it contrived or 'convenient'. So over to you guys, there must be other writers who want to share frustrations!

There's a steamy hot elevator situation going on...

Welcome, Marie! Great to have you here today to tease us with your latest release and to give my visitors a chance for a free download...

Rachel, thank you for having me on your blog today. My first book IN PLAIN Sight was released from The Wild Rose Press, earlier this year. Here is a blub and excerpt for the book.
Blurb: In Plain Sight
Bad boy businessman Joe Bradshaw has achieved almost everything he’s wanted in life, but his strait-laced colleague Victoria Collins is proving an elusive challenge. A steamy encounter in the elevator begins a wild journey of sensual discovery. Joe’s determined to break through Vicki’s barriers to reveal the red-hot woman hiding inside. But Vicki is stalked by her past—her ex-fiancé will stop at nothing to get her back. Falling in love and keeping Vicki safe could be the biggest challenges of Joe’s life.

Excerpt: In Plain Sight
"You’re too dangerous.” The words slipped out before she was even aware of voicing them.
His eyes widened, and another of those sexy devilish grins spread across his lips. “I’m not dangerous. I’m a teddy bear.”
Victoria gave a snort of laughter. He took another step into the room and suddenly her bedroom felt too small. Now the man invading her territory. “Grizzly bear is more like it,” she muttered.
“A man,” he said, taking two more steps. “A man who wants to get to know you better.”
“If we get to know each other any better, we’ll be arrested.” Her gaze locked with his. He stood less than a foot length from her.
“I got things a little backwards last night.”
“Backwards?” That was an odd word to use. She tilted her head to one side and stared at him.
“Yep, backwards.” His arm rose, and he caressed her cheek. “Making love to you in the elevator was impulsive.”
She opened her mouth.
“But,” he continued before she could get a word out. “I don’t regret one second of it.”
In Plain Sight is Marie's first book for The Wild Rose Press. Please visit Marie's website at: www.marietuhart.com and enter her contest. Marie also posts to her blog every Monday at: www.escapetoaneroticfantasy.blogspot.com, please stop.
Direct link to buy In Plain Sight: http://www.digibookscafe.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_24_25&products_id=318

I have an upcoming release later this year (check my website in Sept. for an exact date). Roped and Ready was a fun book to write and I'm hoping the readers will like it as well. Here is a blurb from Roped and Ready

Quick Silver Ranch is no ordinary dude ranch.

After Becca Dalton finds her fiancé in bed with her boss, she ends the ill-fated engagement on the spot and quits her job. She heads to Quick Silver Ranch, looking to regroup before she can plan her next move.

Becca's best-laid plans are ruined when she discovers she's signed up to stay a week in an exclusive ranch where consenting couples spend their days and night exploring their most wicked fantasies. For Becca to remain at the ranch and take advantage of all the arousing activities, she needs a partner.

Her sexy college lover, Tyler Carson is willing to break all the rules, partner up and have her roped and ready for one week of unimaginable pleasure. If only he can keep this city girl from walking out of his life again.

Contest: For everyone reading the blog today, send me your name, mailing address and email addres to marietuhart@yahoo.com, put Rachel's Blog in the subjet line, you'll be entered in a blog drawing to receive a e-book copy of my book In Plain Sight, everyone who sends me an email will receive a post card and bookmark, and will be entered in a speical basket drawing to be held at the end of October. I will not share your information with anyone else.

How could you resist?? Leave a comment and email Marie right now!!

Bianca writes from as sexy sounding a condo as her work, love it!!

Welcome, Bianca! I am so happy to have you hear, I really feel as though we got to know each other through our exchanging of emails while I was on holiday, LOL! Shall we get on with the interview?

1) Who is your favourite author and why?

So many from which to choose! I guess my all time favorite is Oscar Wilde. I love his sarcastic wit, innuendoes and the lush language.

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer? When I won the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award with a vampire romance before they were even heard of. Berkley called, said they didn’t publish vampire stories but asked if I had anything else to submit. That really dates me! Hindsight is 20-20—and regrets I have a few—I didn’t say what are you looking for.

3) Describe your writing space? Two months ago, I moved, so I’m settling into this new space. I bought a condo in town. Square footage is limited but the floor plan is open, and one of the bedrooms is the “piano room” (it’s painted red). In the living room,over the back of the brown leather sofa, my traditional inlaid desk faces a fireplace with a plain marble surround and the flat panel TV (which I rarely watch). The floor, too, are marble. The rug is Persian Meshad(got a great deal on Craigslist! Scented candles and the baby grand with a player system lend ambience. I love my bachelorette pad!!

4) What are you reading now? Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I started reading the book on the plane to and fro a visit with my son in England. I found it very much like the DaVinci Code. I really enjoyed Sebastian by Anne Bishop.

5) How many books have you written? Four completed manuscripts—under a different name.

6) Which is your favourite? Hot Spanish Nights is my favorite. I loved writing about the sexy, brave men who fight bulls on horseback. For many years, I bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses. They are magical. The stallions are proud but gentle. The Andalusian has often been used as the unicorn in films (The Dark Crystal). I immersed myself in the story of a young woman who flew to Spain to buy a spectacular stallion—and found a two-legged stud who made her forget why she’d boarded that plane.



7) What comes first, plot or characters? Characters, always, they introduce themselves and tell the story. Granted, I toss a lot of pages by way of introduction.

8) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? Constantly. I have the day job from HELL—I’m a legal assistant. I come home completely whipped. Life gets in the way of my fun and creativity.

9) What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Drive, hard and fast. I’ve always been a devotee of sports cars—top down and pedal to the metal. I also love piano, the theatre and symphony. I enjoy quiet evenings at home and going out with my friends. I have two spectacular friends—Lisa and Beda—who, over a bottle of wine, edit my scribbling. I no longer own horses but the love of them never fades.


10) Tell us about your latest book? The hero in Hot Spanish Nights, Damián Xeres, is hot, hot, hot on the surface yet a secret self lurks behind the mask of the courageous rejoneador and wealthy heir to a sherry empire. When he introduced himself, I fell in love with that other man as well as the façade the world sees. Erica, the heroine, has the single-minded focus that people who live and breathe horses bring to their sport, but when she meets the hero, her world—and her reason for rushing to Spain—spin ninety-degrees. Their parents are business associates. An affair between Erica and Damián spells scandal, but love—or lust—makes you feel like you’re dying if you deny the feelings.

Excerpt

Erica didn't need to close her eyes to picture the man riding behind her. His white shirt was open at the neck, the sprinkling of dark hair on his chest visible. For just a moment, she leaned back against that muscled chest, pretending the strong arm lightly circling her waist hugged her tight. As she rocked with the cadence of the horse's canter, she imagined Damián's firm, hot cock pressed to her butt. When she visualized how his erection would look in the tight riding breeches, a pleasant shiver glided over her.
Mustn't let my imagination run away like this.
"Sit deep," he said, and her fantasy became a reality as he slid closer.
His long legs molded to hers, moving ever so slightly to the three-beat thud of hooves. Sweat broke on her brow. Her heart pounded in her ears, resonating in her core. She should inch away from the hard pressure on her ass, but he felt too damned good. Images of turning around and doing him on the horse scrolled through her mind. She lost the rhythm of the stallion’s smooth gait and slid to the side.
Damián's arm closed around her waist, steadying her. "We must work on your seat, Erica. You look beautiful on a horse, but you must become one with him."
Thinking of becoming one with him—the man not the horse—had caused the problem.


11) What’s next for you? My second erotic novella has been submitted to The Wild Rose Press as well as other publishers who publish shorts. Eden is the story of an angel, injured in the Second War in Heaven, who plummets from the sky into a woman’s arms and wants to stay there—despite the consequences.

Bianca lives in Texas with her baby grand piano and is very fond of her snazzy little convertible. She still believes the power of love—and the power of lust—and enjoys delving into the soul of both of the L-Words, bringing to life hot men and the hot women who love them on the sizzling page.

Phew!!I LOVED the excerpt, Bianca! In fact, I am to do a little Wild Rose Press shopping right now, fantastic. Bring on the comments and questions, Bianca would love to hear from you!

Back from my break in Wales and thrilled to welcome my first August guest, Emly Forrest!

Welcome Emly! I am thrilled to have the chance to interview you...let's get started!


1) What is your writing routine?
Oh, I hate that word—routine. In fact, I do my very best to not get caught up in routines if I can. Of course, I am a creature of habit in some ways. Mornings are structured somewhat with dog duties and chores, and I have my favorite rituals before turning in for the night. For writing, however, I eschew the routine. While I almost always write in the afternoons, I don’t have a specified time or place. Often I’ll listen to music: Miles Davis or another jazz great, classical, or for romantic sections I might be working on, Luis Miguel does the trick. The only rule I impose on myself is that I must write a minimum of five hundred words a day. I strive for a thousand, but I don’t thrash myself if some days just don’t work out that way.

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?
Barbara Kingsolver, James Lee Burke, Stephen King (yes, really—my editor and I think he is one of the most underrated authors in recent times), Pete Hamill (Forever is one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read), Dennis Lehane, Amy Tan. Yes, I know. None of them are romance writers. Nonetheless, I consider them all fine, readable authors whose talent I can only dream of attaining someday.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?
I’ll let you in on a big secret: I don’t read much romance of any kind. Is that sacrilege? It’s not that I don’t like it. I do. It’s more a sense I have that I’ll be too heavily influenced by established authors of the genre and (if unconsciously) imitate them. I’d rather find my own voice and character development.

If I had to choose one romance sub genre as a favorite to write, I suppose it would erotic romance. It rather ignores a lot of the “rules,” which I appreciate.

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?
I yell, kick, and scream for a few seconds, then I get depressed for a few seconds. Then I let it go. I’ve been a copywriter, an editor, and a copyeditor for more years than I like to think about and have been reviewed by the best and the worst. I don’t take it personally any more. I think it was James Lee Burke (who holds the record for most rejections by an famous author—something like 117 no-thank-you’s) had a rule for rejections. When he received one, he committed to submitting to a different publisher within thirty-six hours. Look where that got him. Can you imagine how those first publishers who rejected Burke’s manuscript felt after he became so wildly popular?

5) What do you expect from an editor?
First and foremost, honesty. Second, a sense of humor. Third, a little experience and good sense. I’m fortunate to have an editor at Lyrical Press (Piper Denna) who has all these qualities and a bunch more. We connect on so many more levels than just writing and editing. From what I’ve seen and heard, this is not always the case.

6) Tell me about your latest release
The Last Resort follows the literal and figurative journeys of Margaret Murphy Ryder (known to most at Murph), who is newly divorced and searching for personal and sexual identity. She takes to the road in her motorhome (one of the spoils of her settlement), only to find that she was really escaping to a place she would call eventually call home. She entertains a few lovers along the way, but ultimately finds serendipitous passion where she least expected or looked for it. She also winds up as the owner of a failing but potentially profitable RV park. The bulk of the story takes place in a fictitious Gulf Coast town in Louisiana—an area I’ve spent a lot of time around and have come to love, so I included a lot of regional bits for those who may not know much about this part of the US.

7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt
Sure! Here’s a little piece from near the end of the story:

I learned to speak a few words of Cajun. Learned that cher is pronounced sha. That “T” before someone’s given name is short for petite and is used much like junior: T-Maurice was likely the son of Maurice, and not necessarily a small man. I discovered that I liked crawfish better than shrimp and became adept at picking the bit of fat out of the head that Cajuns love to eat. I came to recognize zydeco artists and their different styles. In short, while I might never be completely as acculturated as a native to this part of the world, I became accepted.

I also got mail from Lee during his absence. Not cards, but actual handwritten letters. In some, he included photos he’d taken while at the Beach. A few of our photo shoot on the beach. He’d made me look much more beautiful than I am.

One envelope had no letter, just photos. The top photo was a picture of Lee holding a long sign that read “Hi, Maggie. Wow! I love you.” Lee clearly had nothing on and held the sign in a strategic spot to cover the good stuff. The second photo was the same, but the sign had been shortened to “Wow! I love you.” The third only said “Wow!” And the fourth, well, no sign. I hung all four photos in a row along a wall in my tiny bedroom. Some nights, I danced a slow sensuous dance in front of the photos, pretending I danced for Lee. I could hardly wait until he got back and could dance for him in the flesh.

8) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?
Definitely, Lee Soloman, Murph’s ultimate love interest. He’s modeled after someone I knew years and years ago, so I guess this book was a way for me to renew my fantasies about him. If I knew how to get in touch with him, I’d love for him to read the book and give me his thoughts.

9) What is next for you?
Lyrical Press has graciously consented to publish a romantic novella I’ve written with an Irish theme, just in time for St Patrick’s Day, March 2011. The story, titled Irish Ice, takes place in Boston and includes a suspected (and possibly dangerous) IRA operative and an unsuspecting woman who is falling hard for him while on a business trip to the city. Per my editor’s request, Jessica (the unwitting protagonist) is some years older than her Irish paramour.

10) What are you working on right now?
Lots of stuff! Mostly, though, my focus at the moment is a paranormal romance set in the wilds of Montana. Think hiking, werewolves, steamy sex, and Big Sky rolled into one.

I’m also plugging along on a story told exclusively through exchanged emails and a mainstream novel about a woman who reaches middle age to find that no one really pays much attention to her (well, almost no one—the plot develops nicely in her favor, eventually).

11) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?
Work hard to make your manuscript the best it can be and don’t give up on the possibility of it being published. Sometimes it takes a few tries (or even several) before you find the perfect match for your work. Also, be sure to follow the submission guidelines of publishers to the letter. They put them out there for a reason.

12) Where can readers find you?
I’d love to hear from readers at emlyforrest@gmail.com. Due to a procrastinating husband, my website is still in the works, but will soon be accessible at www.emlyforrest.com.

In the meantime, readers can find more information at www.lyricalpress.com/emly_forrest

Fascinating how little romance you read/watch, Emly but how wonderfully you can write it! I can't help wondering how many other romance writers are the same whereas I read more romance (across the sub-genres) than anything else. This is a great talking point - or comment on anything you'd like to pass on to Emly, she'd love to hear from you