Welcome Ellora Cave author, Jocelyn Modo!

Running a bit late with Jocelyn's interview, sorry, folks! I love Ellora Cave authors, I love their books and I love their covers, take it away, Jocelyn!

1) Who is your favourite author and why?

The first name that pops to the front of my boggled mind is Robin D. Owens (look her up, you’ll fall in love). She is a mesmerizing fantasy / romance author whom I adore. I have read her Heart series so many times I have huge chunks of her prose memorized. (I’ve also had the audacity to whine at her about writing too ssslllooowww.)

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Oh, baby, I’m still faking it! I feel like a fraud when I do promos. Like, who am I to talk about my books? I’m not Robin D. Owens. I’m not J.R. Ward. I’m me and I’m just starting out, still learning, still striving to connect with my readers and befriend writers/editors/agents/publishers so I can take that next step forward to make my dream a reality.

Writing is hard and a lot of work and humbling and so damn fulfilling that I wouldn’t go back to the corporate world for a billion dollars…okay, maybe a billion. Bwahhaha!

3) Describe your writing space?

Laptop? Check. Scented candle (in a color that corresponds to current scene)? Check. Story’s Playlist? Check.

4) What are you reading now?

I just finished Lover Mine by J.R. Ward. Loved John Matthew’s and Xhex’s story. Favourite quote: “There were two timelines to people’s lives: the absolute and the perceived. The absolute was the universal day-and-night cycle that for them added up to something like three hundred and sixty-five. Then there was the way that time period had gone…He figured all told…that pegged the two of them at about four hundred thousand years.”

I am breathlessly awaiting Heart Search by Robin D. Owens, which is due out in August. (Hurry it up Robin…Yes, I’m rushing perfection.)

5) How many books have your written? Which is your favourite?

Um, well, let’s go with four—100%, no rewrites needed—novel length books completed. There are more but they’re no where near ready for submission so let’s leave them outta it.

I just signed a contract with Ellora’s Cave for Revolution Lovers, which has my all time favourite character, Adie Perrin who is a tortured soul with all kinds of snide attitude. She’s war vet who’s injuries and pain have pushed her to the end of her rope. She’s ready to give up when Zin, the planet’s dethroned prince walks in and asks for her help. The mission? For her to marry him to circumvent the demand that he marry a woman of their enemy race. I loved telling her story and was so excited when my editor told me she found Revolution Lovers compelling (yeah, she actually said compelling. *huge smile*) and wanted to give it a home.

6) What comes first, plot or characters?

Character. Usually a character tells me who they are through a scene or two. I talk with them, figure out who they need to become when their story is finished—from there a loose plot organically forms

Ick. That sounds vague and inaccessible, which I hated when I started out and was searching for advice from published authors, so let’s revise that to say that planning, plotting, researching, all of the “work” needed to complete a story must come only after I hear the voices of my characters in my head. They spark my interest, my creativity, and without that I have nothing.

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

Yes, which is why I have several stories in various stages of completion going at all times. This year I have resolved to complete the bulk of these stories as some of them have been in limbo for years…wish me luck.

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

Well, reading, of course. I also love to work with my hands, doing crafty sorts of things. I’ve learned that when I am physically creative, I become mentally creative as well. I have the best ideas when I’m working with my hands.

I also do some RPing with characters from Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series. It’s (crazy, exasperating, bizarre) interesting writing storylines for another writers’ characters…yeah, let’s leave it at interesting. *snort*

9) Tell us about your latest book?

My Christmas shifter-lion quickie
On Vixen is my latest release (dropped in December). I had so much fun writing it, and I am ecstatic, happy-dance-doing, overjoyed that it has been well received by readers. Woop Woop!

I have a gorgeous little sci fi romance titled Paradise Moon, which will be out very soon…next month, I think? Yeah. It’s about, Kiana, a grrl from the dead district, the worst slums on Earth, who falls in love and moves across the galaxy to live with Alix who has a lot of money and even more romantic baggage. I love giving characters like Alix and Kiana a happily ever after ending. They become my friends and I want the best for them.

Revolution Lovers with my grumpy grrl Adie and her smoking hot prince, Zin will drop this summer. I can not wait to see the cover (please don’t let it suck)!

10) What’s next for you?

I’m finishing up the next book in my Pride & Passion shifter lion series, tentatively titled First Sight (yeah right, my editor and readers reply. No really, I’m working on it. I swear I’m making real progress), and I am in the beginning stages of writing a prequel to Revolution Lovers, which is tentatively titled Broken Bonds.

I’m also wrapping up two short sci fi erotic romances. One with a couple of kissable clones, the other with seven drool-worthy brothers (a series). Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. They’re probably going under another pen name so…yeah, that’s going to suck up all of my time for the next few months!

LOL! Plenty to be getting on with then, Jocelyn?? I, too, love J R Ward...in fact, I might have to go out and buy her latest this afternoon!

Questions? Comments?

Online friend and fantastic erotic romance writer, Lynne Roberts is here!

">Hi Lynne!

I love the subject of your post and you have absolutely NO need to apologise! I think you articulate just what it is to be a writer nowadays...a juggler! I constantly feel guilty when I have been sitting at my computer for two hours but not written one word of my work in progress but instead spent the time completing interviews, writing blogs...

It's a merry-go-round, that's for sure! Over to you...

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that very recently I posted a blog about my biggest challenge, finding time and dropping balls, and when I checked my twitter sure enough, there was a gentle reminder that I’d dropped another ball.

--Thank you BlackBerry for the Twitter app!--

Now normally, I’m very organized. I have a daily planner that I write everything regarding writing, school schedules, etc. But when I checked today’s date: nothing. Sigh.

It is possible that I wrote it down on something else with the intention of putting it in my planner... but that’s really not the point.

So what is? Writers need to become jugglers. I don’t know why I pictured us all in clown outfits but there you go.

My biggest surprise as a published author? A writer’s work isn’t just writing books. In fact, if you let yourself, writing will be a very small percentage of the time you spend at the computer.

Within an hour of posting the above mentioned blog, five writers agreed with me or at least commiserated on the frequency of dropped balls and that feeling that we just aren’t quite doing enough.

Reading the comments was actually something like a comfort. I’m not alone. It can seem that other writers have this promo/work/family/writing thing down to a science. Updated websites, a new release every month, or at least every other month, promos, banners, trailers, contests, oh my!

So what’s the solution?

I think for me it’s the old axiom: slow and steady wins the race. I have young children that need my attention and a day job. I’m simply not going to be one of those powerhouse authors who produce a book a month. I won’t catch every promo opportunity. I will drop a few promo balls (sorry Rachel, and hey, did that sound just a little dirty to you?) However, I can, and will, focus on producing quality books. Maybe only a few a year, but hey, I’m doing what I love. How many people can say that?

Blurb:

Loose ends have a way of tripping you up…

Years ago, a law school graduation weekend in Vegas had been part of Lily MacPherson’s plan. Waking up next to a naked Adonis with a ring on her finger was not. After a quick annulment, she relegated Caleb Anderson to her late-night fantasies—and very short list of mistakes—until his voice on the other end of the phone asks a favor that could shake the foundations of her neat and tidy future.

Caleb is still haunted by Lily’s horrified expression that morning in Vegas. At least it had made it easy to set her free…except they aren’t. The papers were never filed. And when the nosy patroness who could launch his painting career insists on meeting his “wife”, does he confess, or call Lily? He calls Lily.

When she steps off the plane, Caleb’s determination to play tour guide disappears in the San Francisco fog. Lily thought she could keep up the pretense for one weekend, cut the last tie to her past, and move on. But their chemistry still pops and sizzles, finally exploding into passion at Caleb’s studio.

It’s everything they remember…but so is the yawning chasm of differences that, in the end, could once again drive them apart.

Product Warnings

Contains balmy ocean breezes, coffee as seduction, the creative use of melted chocolate, and naughty shower lovin’ that gives new meanings to the term “shower head”.

PG Excerpt:

The computer screen blurred. Lily blinked to refocus her tired eyes on the deposition and sighed in relief when the phone rang. She loved her job, loved working for a law firm, but staring at a computer screen for hours took its toll.

Blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes, she reached over a stack of law books. “McPherson.” Lily glanced at the clock as her stomach rumbled. She’d worked through lunch again. Damn.

The other end of the line was silent for so long, she thought the caller had changed his or her mind. “Hello?”

“Yes, hi.”

The rich, masculine voice sent chills down her spine and knotted her stomach. Eyes closed, she gripped the phone so hard it hurt. Even after all these years, she knew that voice. “Caleb?”

A low, sexy chuckle rumbled through the line. “You remember me.”

Oh shit, why was he calling her now? Memories of the most erotic night of her life flashed through her mind. Lily opened her eyes, reminding herself the most embarrassing morning of her life had followed. “How did you get this number? Never mind.”

Despite the deep breath, the receiver trembled in her hand. “Can I do something for you?”

An intake of breath and then a pause. “We have a slight problem.”

Lily’s stomach churned acid. None of their problems had been small, not for the twelve hours and twenty-two minutes they’d been married. “Yes?”

Caleb cleared his throat. “It seems the annulment didn’t go through.”

“Oh, shit.” I’m in a bad movie. This has got to be a joke. She leaned against the back of her chair. “What do you mean it didn’t go through?”

“We’re still married, sweetie. The annulment was never processed.”

Married? “Why?” Lily rubbed the ache growing between her eyes. “No. I don’t care. Just get it processed.”

“It’s too late now. We’ve been married too long.”

“We are not married.” Lily tried to swallow past the tide of rising panic.

“The state of Nevada would disagree, sweetheart.”

She could almost see that sexy grin, those sparkling green eyes. She definitely remembered what they did to her. She’d been chocolate under the heat of his sun. “I am not your sweetheart.” She reached for a notepad. Who to call? Certainly no one in the firm. Though they were all professional and talented, people talked. She couldn’t let it get back to her family or… Oh, God. Stewart. “I’ll file for divorce in the morning.”

“Um, about that.”

She didn’t have the patience to wait out the pause. “What?”

“I was wondering if we could delay that a bit.”

A pain in her hand alerted her to the death grip she’d taken on the phone. She was suddenly glad she’d skipped lunch. “Delay? Why?”

“I need a favor.”

“Well you’re out of luck. I’m fresh out of favors.”

“Lily, please listen.”

His voice had lowered to almost pleading. Something in her heart softened. What’s wrong with me? I don’t owe this man anything! He’s a stranger. “You call me out of the blue to tell me we’re still married and now you need a favor?” It came out a little more acerbic than she’d meant.

His chuckle sounded nervous. “I guess that pretty much sums it up. You’re not married or anything, are you?”

Lily closed her eyes. “No. I’m not.”

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “Except to me.”

“Not for long. Thank you for letting me know about the clerical error. I’ll handle it from my end. Good-bye.” Lily set the phone in its cradle. Quite a feat when she wanted to slam it down. She stood and walked toward the window, leaned against the sill and stared out at the tops of the trees and below them to the expanse of grass. Interns didn’t usually merit an office with a window, let alone a window facing the courtyard. It was one of the benefits of almost being engaged to her boss’s son.

Ah, Stewart. He wouldn’t mind that she slept with someone in Vegas, though he’d be a bit irritated she hadn’t been smarter about keeping it quiet. But in his eyes, marrying a divorceé was socially unacceptable. No one could ever find out about what happened in Vegas. It had been a mistake, a horrible mistake.

She closed her eyes and the image of waking next to a naked Adonis filled her mind. His long blond hair had spread over perfectly sculpted shoulders, his head cradled by well-muscled arms. A silk sheet covered his lower back to mid-thigh but had only served to tantalize the imagination of her sleep-fogged brain. For a moment, she’d been tempted to explore the promising hills and valleys of his body and then she’d moved to touch him and seen the gaudy fake diamond ring on her left hand.

She still could only remember flashes of their night together; falling into his arms, the silky warmth of his skin next to hers, his lips. She opened her eyes in an attempt to wash out the images that had tinted her fantasies in the three years since. An ache built in her lower abdomen as she remembered the sound of his voice. She couldn’t recall standing in front of a minister and saying I do, but the documents didn’t lie. “Shit.” Caleb Anderson might be a talented artist and sexy as hell, but he wasn’t in her ten-year plan.

Behind her, the phone rang again and she sighed, turned and picked it up. “Macpherson.”

“Lily, please, listen,” Caleb asked.

“You have three minutes.”

“It’s… Damn it, Lily. It’s a long story.”

“Three minutes,” she repeated. The sound of Caleb’s sigh into her ear sent shivers down her body.

“I need you to…come out here for a few days.”

Her jaw dropped open.

After a long pause, Caleb cleared his throat. “Are you still there?”

“Is this a joke?”

“No. It’s not. If you’ll let—”

“No. Absolutely not. You’re crazy.”

“Please. I know it’s inconvenient—”

“Inconvenient? That’s an understatement. Why would I fly across the country?”

“Because it could make a permanent difference in my career, in my life. Listen, it’s complicated but…” he paused and his voice thickened. “My patroness did a background check, she found out I was married. I panicked. She wants to meet you.” The words came out in a rush.

“I appreciate your position, but…” Lily hesitated. She could vividly remember the passion with which he described his art. It had been one of the many things that had kept her by the bar ordering drink after drink until her memory faded to black.

“I’ll pay for your air fare and—”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what? Lily, I need your help. Please. It’s my one big chance. It would only be for a couple of days.”

A couple of days. That’s what got her into this mess in the first place, but something inside of her softened further. She did have some vacation time coming and she’d heard San Francisco was beautiful in the summer. Holy heaven, I’m considering it.

She had to admit, part of her hesitation was the memory of his skin on hers and the fear she’d tumble back into bed with him in a heartbeat. She’d done it in her fantasies enough times. Would that be so bad?

No, it would be so good. That was the problem. She took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it, Caleb.”

“Thank you.”

She hung up the phone, buried her face in her hands, and then grimaced. “I’ve just had my first argument with my husband.”

CREATIVE LICENSE

Available now!

www.store.samhainpublishing.com

HOOKING UP

Coming 03/18/11

www.thewilderoses.ocom

FIRST DATE

www.thewilderroses.com

AFTER HOURS

www.thewilderroses.com

http://LynneRoberts.net

Great excerpt and beautiful cover, Lynne!

Lynne is waiting to chat and would love to hear from you! Questions? Comments?

Welcome fellow Scarlet Rose author, Jennifer Jakes!

Great to have you here, Jennifer - I am leaning more and more toward those sexy cowboys as I learn the craft of erotic romance writing so I was a very happy girl when I read your blog post. It gave me food for thought about the whole western thing as a setting for a story...the sex part I can pretty much conjure up myself when I think of half-naked cowboys! ; )

WESTERN OR NOT?

Michaela and Sully. Stands with a Fist and John Dunbar. Hawkeye and Cora. Charley and Sue.

Have I got you thinking? What TV series or movies did these characters come from?

*insert Jeopardy music here*

OK, time's up!

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; Dances with Wolves; Last of the Mohicans. Open Range.

Now, down to business. :) The characters I mentioned are those I never tire of. These are the kind of characters I write about (or aspire to). These are the kind of characters that grow larger than life in my head. Ever since elementary school, when I spent my summers reading about Sacajawea leading Lewis and Clark, I’ve had a love affair with frontier stories. So I have to wonder: Does that make me a western historical romance writer? I’m not sure. Let me explain. In my opinion ‘western’ brings to mind a certain image. When you say the word, do you automatically picture Clint Eastwood or John Wayne riding down a dusty Texas street? Do you picture two gun-slingers meeting on said street at high noon? Mmm-Hmm. Me too.

And therein lies my dilemma. None of my stories take place in Texas. Stagecoaches? Nope. Cacti? Sorry. And *gasp* there’s not a tumbling tumbleweed in sight. Yikes!

Am I a fraud? Will the real card-carrying western romance writers kick me out of Dodge? :) OK, I joke, but it’s something I’ve given some – maybe too much – thought to. And I have to ask: What is my subgenre?

A chaptermate suggested I call my work frontier historical romance. What do you think? What do you expect when you pick up a book labeled western historical romance?

I'd love to give an e-book of RAFE'S REDEMPTION to one lucky commentator!

He rode into town to buy supplies, not a woman.

For hunted recluse Rafe McBride, the raven-haired beauty on the auction block is exactly what he doesn't need. A dependent woman will be another clue his vengeful stepbrother can use to find and kill him. But Rafe's conscience won't let him leave another innocent's virginity to the riff-raff bidding. He buys her, promising to return her to St. Louis untouched. He only prays the impending blizzard holds off before her sultry beauty breaks his willpower.

She wanted freedom, not a lover.

Whisked to the auction block by her devious, gambling cousin, and then sold into the arms of a gorgeous stranger, outspoken artist Maggie Monroe isn't about to go meekly. Especially when the rugged mountain man looks like sin and danger rolled into one. But a blizzard and temptation thrust them together, and Maggie yearns to explore her smoldering passion for Rafe.

But when the snow clears, will the danger and secrets that surround Rafe and Maggie tear them apart?

****
Maggie wanted freedom, not a lover…

Oh, Lord. He was going to kiss her. She shouldn’t want this. She was confused enough.
Respectable women didn’t kiss men they barely knew, certainly not men who made them have wild,
exotic dreams.

It was crazy. He was making her want crazy things. Making her not give a damn about her reputation
or her virginity. Or her long-awaited freedom. All she could think about was that dream, and the way
his sinful mouth had felt. The table was only a step away, and honey was just as sweet as peach juice…

She swallowed hard and looked up into his hooded eyes.

“Maggie,” he groaned. “Don’t be scared. I’d never hurt you.”

Her mouth parted to object, but firm lips covered hers, hungry, demanding. She gasped, shocked at his
hunger, but even more at the illicit response coursing through her. An aching heat unfurled low in her
stomach, pulsed between her legs. Oh, yes. It started just like in the dream.

He deepened the kiss, coaxed her lips with his warm tongue. Long, languid strokes teased the inside of
her mouth, encouraging, tempting before he pulled back to nibble the corners of her lips.

Oh, God. Is this what all kisses felt like? Hot, lethargic? Melting her like molasses over warm bread?

“Kiss me, Maggie,” he breathed.

http://thewildrosepress.com/wilderroses/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=156&products_id=812

About the Author

After trying several careers—everything from a beautician to a dump truck driver—Jennifer finally returned to her first love, writing. Maybe it was all those Clint Eastwood movies she watched growing up, but in her opinion there is no better read than a steamy western historical.

Married to her very own hero, she lives on fifteen acres along with two beautiful daughters, two elderly horses, two spoiled cats and two hyper dogs.

During the summer she does Civil War re-enacting and has found it a great research tool, not to mention she has continued appreciation for her microwave and hot water heater.

Visit Jennifer Jakes at www.jenniferjakes.com

Ok, you've pulled me in Jennifer! And I really admired you for writing a full-length erotic romance novel. Not sure I could do that...but never say never.

Great post - over to you guys...what makes a western a western?

Wild Rose to Carina - Welcome Taryn Kincaid!

Hi, Taryn!

Great to have you visit with me again today. Since we last spoke you have signed a contract with Carina Press so huge congrats! They look a brilliant publisher and I am thinking about submitting something to them in the future.

I wish you loads of luck with sales and look forward to hearing more about the release in the interview, so let's get started!

1) When and why did you decide you wanted to be a published author?

Hmm. I want to say “always.” As an undergraduate English major, immersed in all things F. Scott Fitzgerald for a semester, I kind of thought that drinking in Paris and dancing in fountains in New York seemed very fine, an awesome goal, something I might want to do. Until I learned that the Fitzgeralds, especially Zelda, were more or less loony-tunes, and that I am neither much of a drinker nor the sort of exhibitionist comfortable dancing in fountains. But still…it’s more fun than being an unpublished author!

2) What is the best and worse thing you have learned from an editor/agent?

I want to give a shout out to Trish Owens of The Wild Rose Press’ Scarlet Rose line, my first editor. Trish edited Sleepy Hollow Dreams. One of her pet peeves is the word “move.” I’ve also come to think it’s not all that. There’s always a better word, a more right word. I’m sort of partial to “sidle.” Also learning to stamp out (as opposed to “move”) “filter” words like “felt” and “heard” when I find them.

3) Favourite author/s?

Depends on the day. I often go in spurts. A Regency-reading jag. A paranormal jag. Lately I love Nalini Singh and Larissa Ione. I’m just starting Zoe Archer’s Blade of the Rose series, which was highly recommended to me. If I like the first book in a series, I’ve got to get them all!

4) What is your typical day?

Eh. I’m a lawyer. You really don’t want to know about my typical day. Trust me.

5) Share your blurb or short excerpt from your latest release with us.

Here is the blurb from HEALING HEARTS:

As a girl, Emma Whiteside asked Adam Caldwell, Viscount Riverton, to wait for her to be of marriageable age. Now, twelve years later, Emma hates Adam as much as she once loved him, holding the former army major responsible for the death of her brother on the battlefield.

Adam already blames himself for the loss of the men under his command. But the fiery young woman Emma's become sparks his arousal, as well as emotions Adam thought long dead. The passion between them makes him want to reclaim the man he was before the war.

Though she tries to hold on to her hatred, Emma's longing for Adam is undeniable, especially after the two share a smoldering kiss. Still, Adam is certain no woman would want a man so damaged. Can Emma prove him wrong?

And here is an excerpt:

The wind blew off the sea, moaning and wild, buffeting the man pacing the cliffs.

Hidden by a wall of rock, Emma Whiteside shielded her eyes against the bite of salt spray and continued to watch him, as she did every dawn.

Today, she thought. Today she would approach him at last. Confront him. Give him the royal tongue-lashing he deserved.
She had nothing left to lose, after all. And she might not have the opportunity tomorrow. Or ever again.

The things I will say to you, Riverton, will peel the skin from your bones and lay you lower than anything Napoleon's Grande Armée had to offer.

A small voice nagged Emma from within, the advice reasonable considering her current dire circumstances. Better to seek the man's aid than chide him. But she snapped her mind closed against the unwanted counsel. The viscount was the last man on earth she'd ever ask for help.

Grief chilled her, numbed her heart, deadened the tender feelings she'd once had for him. Only her need for vengeance broke through her frozen emotions now. She longed to set Riverton in his place, however little effect her words might have on a man so impervious to remorse.

But once again Emma could neither confront him nor beseech him. The evidence of his stiff-necked pride—and her own—continued to hold her back with as much force as if an unseen hand pressed down upon her shoulder. She glared in the man's direction, as if it were his hand oppressing her.

Fierce gusts punished him, impeding his tortured progress. Pain twisted his handsome features but he confronted the gale without flinching. A tiny chip splintered off from the ice sheath encasing Emma's heart.

Damn him.

How do you bear it, Riverton? Are you made of stone?

She knew he was not. She saw the agony against which he fought, the stalwart way he pushed himself onward, despite the uneven gait that hampered his progress.

A cold blast of wind whistled past, ripping the hood of Emma's cloak aside, whipping her hair against her neck. The frigid current stung her eyes, wringing reluctant tears. She blinked the moisture away and rubbed the damp trail from her cheeks.

No tears, she instructed herself. Not for him. Never for him.

Riverton wore no coat or cravat. His linen flapped about him, white shirttails torn from his trousers—an unlikely flag of surrender when he refused to give quarter.

Did you stand so against the French?

Emma could think of no oath dark enough to curse a man so remarkably stoic. She envisioned him in her mind's eye, saber raised, hastening up and down the lines, shouting at his men to hold: Major Adam Caldwell, Viscount Riverton, at his most courageous.

She shuddered, conjuring the brutal attack that haunted her grimmest moments, the scene clouded by smoke and thunder, blurred by the limits of her grief and imagination. The battle where her twin had fallen, belly pierced by an enemy bayonet.

Michael admired you so, Riverton. I will never stop blaming you. 'Tis time you knew it.

Anger burned within her breast, bright as her love for the viscount once had.

And yet...her gaze swept him again, lingering on the trousers that molded his muscular thighs, the loose shirt that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders. 'Twas but the vicious wind that stole her breath, she told herself.

You can find more excerpts and reviews on the Healing Hearts page of my blog, http://dreamvoyagers.blogspot.com

6) Who would you cast to play your hero & heroine in a movie?

I never really know how to answer this. Adam and Emma are so clear in my head, I can’t picture actors! Angela Waters captured them perfectly on the cover of Healing Hearts. Especially Adam. His scars. His five o’clock shadow. I drool. He has beautiful eyelashes, don’t you think?

7) Did you plan this book? Or write it as it came?

Adam has lived in my head for a while. He is based on a character I wrote some years ago, whose story never really went anywhere because the heroine was kind of ridiculous and the plot was kind of non-existent! But then Emma introduced herself to me and from the first scene, in which she spies on Adam from afar, she had me wanting to tell her tale. Really got me going. Not sure where we were all going, but we were going. Definitely wrote it as it came.

8) What surprised you the most when you became a published?

That people you don’t know actually read your books! And often comment on them, even have discussions about them. And, also, the amount of work and time involved in promoting and selling. I don’t think most aspiring authors realize how much of a business publishing is until they get that first contract.

9) Do you have a dedicated writing space? What does it look like?

I have a den that’s between my kitchen and living room. Usually, it is piled high with books, papers, boxes, junk, clothes, hangers (it’s got a pretty roomy closet that’s still not big enough for the overflow!) I have hoarder tendencies, it seems. I work better when it is clean. It is almost never clean!

10) What’s next for you?

Lots of super sekrit stuff in the works, including a romantic suspense, which is a real departure for me. And I’d like to revisit Sleepy Hollow one of these days. Paranormals and historicals. Love ‘em.

Come visit me on my blog at http://dreamvoyagers.blogspot.com

I’m on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TarynKincaid

And on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/taryn.kincaid1

Healing Hearts is available now at CarinaPress.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other on-line booksellers.

Taryn & I are looking forward to your questions and comments!

Yeehaa!! Cowboys and erotic romance - it doesn't get much better!

Happy, happy, happy to welcome Desiree Holt to my site for the next few days. Desiree writes fantastically sexy and romantic Western erotic romances with heroes I could bite, LOL!

I'd better pass you over before I get over-excited...

Rawhide – it’s just what the name implies

Raw. And that’s the way the people at Rawhide like their sex.

What’s a man to do when his sexual preferences far exceed the bounds of vanilla but he lives and is a prominent member of a very conservative community?

Reece Halloran was tired of flying all over the country to private fetish clubs to fulfill his sexual needs in an appropriate environment, with partners he could trust but had no other connection to. Certainly any of the women in his community would head for the hills if they knew about his taste of the sue of the single tail whip.

But Reece is a wealthy rancher, and so, with his friend Clint Chavez he opened the very posh, very exclusive fetish club, Rawhide, on the outskirts of the Texas Hill Country. Privacy guaranteed. Membership vetted. Everything in the club including all the toys top of the line. And maybe – just maybe – a place to find that one person to complete your life in the D/s relationship you need.

And that’s the concept for my min-series, Rawhide, a series-within-a-series-in The Wild Rose Press’s Cowboy Kink. The first story, Crack the Whip, belongs to Reece. Imagine how startled he is when he meets the new manager of the club his partner has hired – Katie Warren, the woman he loved who ran from him ten years ago when he tried to introduce her to BDSM play. But Katie’s fresh from her job as accountant for three fetish clubs in Atlanta and now the lifestyle has become something she craves. But will these two be able to pick up the threads of their life and building together in a perfect D/s situation? What happens when she sees Reece Crack the Whip?

In Slapping Leather, Liz Gillibrand has long been a BDSM player but like Reece Halliday has had to take her pleasure in places far away from her work. Why? Because Liz is the new owner of the Lucky L Horse Ranch, where her reputation and her control are the two things that she values the most. The things that allow her to keep her placed in the community and her staff in line. But Liz has known Reece for a while and become very good friends with his wife, Katie. She’s stunned when Katie tells her about Rawhide and invites her to attend one night as a guest. She’s even more shocked when the Dom she meets there is the very sexy Alex Wright, uncle of one of the young girls she’s training for barrel racing.

Liz has reservations about beginning something with the relative of a client, but she’s even more worried because she’s never completely recovered from a D/s relationship that went bad. Trust was broken, and she’s not sure if she can find it again? Can the Hallidays help her see what she’s missing if she walks away?

Watch for the debut of this series-within-a-series in March. And meanwhile check out my other two Cowboy Kind title, Back in the Saddle and Eight Second Ride. Available at The Wild Rose Press and at all the virtual bookstores.

And come visit me at www.desireeholt.com

Leave me a comment today and I’ll draw a winner for their choice from my backlist.

Desiree Holt is flavored with the rich experiences of her life, including a long stretch 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, many of whom might recognize themselves in the ages of her stories. 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 as well as a CAPA Award, winner of two Holt Medallion Awards of Merit, and is published by five 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.”

You can find her at www.desireeholt.com and www.desireeholttellsall.com

Siren Publishing author Eliza March is talking Goals...

Welcome to my site, Eliza! When I received your post through, I couldn't wait to read it as I've never had a guest talking about achieving goals before and it is often a subject raised in so many writer interviews. How do I achieve mine? Hard work and belief, end ofI!

Now let's here from someone a lot more inspiring than me, I suspect...

How to Achieve Your Goals by Eliza March

I always refer to my vivid imagination and my ability to identify with my characters as my multiple personality disorder. I believe it was inspired by my career choice. In a service industry, you learn to be what people want or expect in order to make your way. Apparently, I learned my lessons well. Now I write books to immerse those various characters in their own stories and as an author I please myself, and hopefully my readers, too. I want to share something I learned about achieving one’s goals. Perhaps this is something we can all practice.

I most admire those people able to do or have an interest in many things, those involved and/or who inspire others to do likewise. When you think about the people who are most memorable to you, they seem to know so much about so many different and varied things. The one character in my life who inspired me, who was my guru, my mentor, was like that.

·
First rule he taught me was to FOCUS. If you want something, IMAGINE it, VISUALIZE it. Put a picture in your mind, see yourself accomplishing it, and you will.

· The Second rule, SEE what isn’t obvious. The first time I saw an olive grove was with this man. I mentioned how I loved the gnarled shape of the trees, and then he proceeded to tell me everything there is to know about growing the trees, preparing the olives, using them: canning, jarring and pressing them. He tied their story to the local economy, told me how that family of growers had fought during the depression, became successful despite the odds.

· Third rule - QUESTION everything. What’s really happening? If I mentioned anything to him, he could tell me about it down to its chemical composition. He made the grove come alive for me. It became more than the gnarled trees. It became lives, and industry, a story. And everyone and everything has one.

· And the fourth rule, maybe the most important rule, is when you can look into your heart, BELIEVE you can have it, anything.

Just watch what you can achieve following these four simple points, but don’t let anyone or anything sway you.

Good luck and best wishes . . . Eliza March

Love it, love it, love it!! What a wonderfully inspiring post, Eliza. I have read articles and seen programmes that say over and again, in order to achieve what you want you must see it and believe it. These two things are key. Great job, thank you for being here!

Eliza and I would love to hear your stories and tactics...

Novella number two, SOLD!!!!

If you are not following me on Facebook then you will not yet know my news....

I HAVE CONTRACTED MY SECOND NOVELLA WITH THE WILD ROSE PRESS!!!!!

Did you hear what I said? You did? Good! I am so excited after having months of worry that even though I sold one erotic romance, will I sell another? So happy and hope it will be published toward the end of the summer. The working title is Coming Back and here is the blurb:

Kelly Hampton loved and lost him – for the last two years she’s looked for him in other men but now she refuses to emotionally cripple herself any longer. No more sex until she knows for sure she is in love.

And then the love of her life walks back into her bar claiming to still love her. Her heart hitches and her body heats – no-one has ever come close to understanding her, or satisfying her like him.

When Sean McKenzie left Jessop Hill with his mother to protect her from his father’s fists, he should’ve known he would never love again after his explosively erotic relationship with Kelly. But now his father is dead and Sean is back for the only woman he ever wanted. Their reunion is full of fire, pain and passion – and once they touch, the sexual connection is too much for either of them to resist…

What do you think? Love to hear from you!

R x