Mining for gold

Picture for a moment the following scenario: a writer sitting on a sofa, laptop in their lap, furiously typing away at the keys as outside a cool wind blows against the windows. The backspace key is hit a couple of times, then a paragraph is highlighted and moved to a different part of the manuscript. A few swipes of the scrolling ball and the writer once more begins to type with purpose and determination.

Until…

A few days later. The manuscript feels “off”, lurching about drunkenly. There’s something wrong with the heroine. She’s supposed to be a strong Alpha-female who doesn’t take any crap from anyone. Now, after a little hanky panky with our hero, she’s turned into a blithering, soft, tearful…well, girl. It’s a wonder the other characters in the story didn’t throw her off the ship.

Sigh.

So not where I wanted to go but yet I still need to show the softer side of the heroine because if I don’t, she’s just gonna be some frigid biatch who no one will care if she lives or dies at the end of the book. What to do? Where’d I get off track? And the biggest question of all, how to fix it, can it be fixed and do I want to? Better to deal with it now than to try to catch it once the book’s finished and I’ll have an even bigger mess.

I set the book aside for a couple of days. Started a new novella just for fun and to clear out the cobwebs. Talked and chatted with a couple of people about the book’s woes. Stared at my computer screen…

…and when the words didn’t rearrange themselves, I sat down and buckled in. It was time for revisions.

That’s right. The bane of every writer’s existence. The rewrite. But here’s the thing. As much as I hate the prospect of revisions, the best story is always found in them. The rewrite and polishing. The looking at the words and ruthlessly cutting away, pruning down the story until I can find the real meat beneath.

That’s where the real book lies. Underneath all the crap I’ve already written.

And deep down, I already knew that’s what was wrong. Too emotional. Too mushy. Too not my character. I was in denial—yeah, another mortal enemy of a writer’s life and she brought a friend, insecurity—just as deadly to a career (but much tougher to banish). Luckily, someone came along, gave me a swift kick in the pants, and told me to keep going.

I wrangled with that offending chapter, knocked it on its ear and I’ll be darned if it’s not so much better. That’s why we need revisions. To make the book stronger. To make it flow better. To inject it with enough believability until it makes sense.

Don’t be afraid to rewrite what you previously thought was a fantastic scene. If it doesn’t fit and doesn’t work, pitch it. Move on. Move up.

Now, onto the next couple of chapters. Darn it.

Happy writing!

What do you read when you need to write?

Sometimes when I can't seem to get my muse in working order, I stop everything I'm doing and read something I've already read.

Maybe that sounds silly. With everything I have going on, how do I have the time to reread things I've already read when there is so much to read that I haven't read yet? That's a good question. Truthfully, I don't have the time.

But it's an absolute must do.

Because reading things I've already read, that are well written and that I enjoy, help me refocus on writing as a craft that I enjoy and less as an overwhelming, difficult, disaster filled process.

Lately, that need has led me to reread the entire Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. I think I could read those books a hundred times and not get enough of them. Have any of you read this series?

What do you read when you need to write?

Excerpt Monday

Happy Manic Monday everyone! Today is Excerpt Monday again.

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site.

This excerpt is from a work in progress so please forgive the roughness. It's a paranormal erotic romance which took over my life a couple weeks ago. Now that the first draft is done maybe I can get some sleep again. LOL. I hope you enjoy it and the other excerpts listed on the link above.




No one could call Spice weak, at least not to her face, yet she returned to Chicago with nothing but the clothes on her back. If only the strong survived then why did she feel like such a loser?

Narrow, box-like homes lined the street as she peered at the addresses in the dark. The bus driver dropped her off a block away with directions. Cold wind blew into her thin trench coat, she tried to pull it closer but her teeth started to chatter anyway.

Her sister lived here? She pulled an envelope from a pocket and checked the return address once more. It was correct. Maybe Sugar rented, she doubted a librarian’s salary enough to afford house in the North West Side of Chicago.

The dark brick brownstone sat close to the curb. A wide set of granite stairs led to the front door. Her sister’s Christmas lights still hung from the window and around a tiny evergreen tree struggling to live in the small front yard.

She could relate to it.

It was February. Sugar should have brought those decorations in awhile ago.

She sighed and stared at her feet. They hadn’t spoken in years. Things in Vegas had gone from bad to worse for her during that time. She didn’t want her twin sister to know but now she didn’t have anywhere else to go.

She knocked.

The wind picked-up and she shuffled her sneaker clad feet to get keep numbness at bay. No one answered but she could see a light in the window. This was a bad idea. Sugar didn’t care about her. She spun around and took the first step. Tears burned in the back of her eyes, she couldn’t remember the last time she cried.

Warm yellow light streamed from behind her. “Forget your keys, Sugar.” A male voice asked from the doorway.

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder but saw only his silhouette.

“Oh my God, you cut your hair. Daedalus is going to freak.” The laughter in his comforting voice disappeared and he moved closer. “Don’t cry.” He wiped a tear from her face. “It looks great.” With a grin, he ruffled her short blond curls.

She couldn’t help but smile back.

He thought she was Sugar, her twin sister. Something in his voice sounded familiar. The face didn’t ring a bell though but shaggy brown hair fell around most of it. He had a nice, easy-going smile. It would be wonderful to come home to a smile like that every night but it belonged to her sister.

Her grin faded.

He wrapped his strong, thick arm around her shoulders and pulled her inside. Laughter drifted from the living room where three men and an oriental woman were setting up a board game.

One of the men, who had short cropped red hair, looked up. “Where’s the food? You were supposed to grab some grub on the way home from work.”

“We’ll order pizza.” The guy next to her squeezed one more time before walking into the next room, which looked like a huge kitchen.

“You cut your hair.” The woman spoke with a thick oriental accent and sprung across the room to run her fingers through her hair.

She retreated and bumped against the entrance wall. This game of pretending to be Sugar used to be fun as kids but not anymore. With her hands raised, she kept the strangers at bay. Sugar had everything she wanted, a loving man, friends, and a home.

“Daedalus let you cut your hair?” A short man built like a body builder approached them.

The awe in his voice snapped her out of her self-pity and the protector inside reared its head. This was the second reference to someone allowing her little sister to do something. “What do you mean ‘let me’?” What kind of relationship did Sugar have? She needed permission to cut her hair? Maybe destiny brought her back to Chicago to save her little sister from some monster. Again. All those bad things happening to drive her here couldn’t all be coincidental. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Where is my sister and what are you doing in her house?”

They glanced at each other. “What?”

The one in the kitchen stuck his head out of the door, his bright, blue eyes wide as he stared at her. “Spice?” The smile he’d given to her when he thought she was Sugar returned but wider.

Her heart skipped a beat. In the light his face seemed familiar as well. “I know you.”

“You should, we were only neighbors forever as kids.”

“Eric!” He had grown. Stupid, of course he’d changed but the skinny, lanky bottle-cap-glasses-wearing nerd developed into a charming, handsome I-wanna-snuggle-you-on-a-cold-night kind of man. “Hi.” All the jobs as a hostess, a bartender, and the most recent, a stripper taught her how to talk to men the way they liked. With him grinning at her like a happy puppy, her mind went blank.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Links to other Excerpt Monday writers are availabe below.
Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

EXCERPT MONDAY

Interview with V. J. Devereaux

Hi all, J. Hali here, so you know it’s Friday. I’d like everyone to welcome fellow Ellora’s Cave author, V.J. Devereaux, to Paranormal Romantics. VJ, thanks for taking the time to talk to me.

VJD - No problem, thanks for having me!

JHS – It’s my pleasure. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

VJD- I’m from Pennsylvania originally—Philadelphia by way of the romantic Pocono Mountains where I grew up—but now I live in Ohio, out in farm country. It took me four tries to find my soul mate, but I finally found him. (Laughing) I’m definitely an optimist. Persistent, too. No kids of my own but I have two grown stepchildren and a new step grandchild, two dogs, two cats and an African clawed frog named Hopper. I also have a full time day job — the best geek job in the world, testing electronics like computers and Xboxes.

JHS - Hey two original Southeastern Pennsylvania girls! And I’d love to have your job. Tell us, how long have you been writing?

VJD - I self-published my first book, with illustrations, at age eight and got an A, but it would be nearly forty years later, when I met my husband, before I could really follow my dream.

JHS – Did you do the illustrations yourself?

VJD – Funny you should ask, as a matter of fact I did. Over the course of my checkered career I actually made a living as a portrait artist for a little while. I still do it, where other people doodle, I do portraits. LOL

JHS – That's so neat. I know this question is hard but can you tell us a little about your favorite character.

VJD - Which one? One from someone else’s book, this book or one I’ve written?

From someone else’s — Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mockingbird.

My favorite character that I’ve written is from a book that isn’t published yet, The Coming Storm. Elon is an Elf, a swordmaster, defined by his Elven concept of honor, and trying to come to terms with humans. Including the one he doesn’t know he’s in love with. It’s complicated.

In Night Moves, which releases today, it’s Rafi, the female lead. She’s a lot like me when I was single and still looking, still hopeful, a little jaded and trying not to be.

JHS - I love that name—Elon, and his story sounds interesting. Who inspired or inspires you the most?

VJD - On a personal level someone like Nelson Mandela, or Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, people who sacrificed for their principles.

On a professional level, hands down, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb. She rarely gets critiqued, slides under the radar, and writes almost consistently good books. I want her career.

JHS – We all want Nora’s career! Are there any genres you’d like to try writing in?

VJD - (Laughing) Oh, I don’t know, I’ve already written an epic fantasy (The Coming Storm) and its sequel; a mystery called The Last Resort that’s getting some pretty good feedback; romantic fantasy (Song of the Fairy Queen and Heart of the Gods); several contemporary romances; and a novel about a woman turned into an assassin by the government. I’ve even tried historicals and a western. I haven’t tried steampunk yet, that sounds interesting, and it’s been a while since I did horror. (I get bored easily, can you tell?)

JHS – Steampunk seems to be the next new thing. Are you working on anything new?

VJD - My next book with Ellora’s Cave, Cherry’s Jubilee, is in process. The cover is gorgeous!
I just finished the second in a series of books about demons (they seem to be the new vampires these days), and I’ve got ideas for the third.

JHS – You’ve been busy, lady. Can’t wait to see the cover for Cherry’s Jubilee, certainly got my mouth watering. EC does turn out awesome covers. Tell us, when you’re not writing, what are some of your favorite things to do?

VJD - Read, of course. And go to movies – I’m a huge action movie fan, my husband likes comedies. We’re going to see The Men Who Stare at Goats this weekend. Walk the dogs.

JHS – The trailer for that looks hilarious. You’ll have to let me know if it’s good. These questions are just for fun. What’s your favorite vacation spot?

VJD - Hawaii

JHS – Gosh, I’d love to go there too, I hear it’s beautiful. If you could own any car you wanted what would it be?

VJD - A Maserati, or any sports car really. I pay my annual speeding tax every year, and did on the way back from Romanticon!

JHS – Are you serious? (laughing) another speed demon in the house. RomantiCon was a blast especially the parts with the Cavemen. I’ll bet there’s a nice sports car in Night Moves *grins*. If you could do it all over again, is there anything you’d change about your life?

VJD - No, not even my first marriage (tres bad), because I got such great stories out of it. Besides, then I’d be a different person.

JHS - Thanks for sharing a part of yourself with us, you’ve had an interesting life. Now, tell us a little about Night Moves.

VJD - Here’s a blurb and a small excerpt:

With her unglamorous job, crappy hours and limited choices, Rafaela finds herself reduced to internet dating. She just wants to meet a man she considers even remotely interesting. Or satisfying.

Her latest match-up is tall, dark and handsome Michael. He and his cousin and companion, Nico—gorgeous must be a family trait—are vampires. They’re getting tired of constantly hunting for a good meal and good sex. Too many complications. Too much danger of discovery.

They have decided to offer one woman—the right woman—an interesting proposition. An offer that just might fulfill all of Rafaela’s wildest fantasies.

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

     “Are you hungry, Raffia?” he asked, softly.
     The original plan had been for a late dinner, but there was clearly no need for it.
     Rafi searched his eyes, smiling at the play on her name. This wasn’t a game for him.
     That kiss had made her stomach flutter. She was fairly certain she couldn’t have eaten a bite, even if the most enticing steak was put in front of her.
     “No,” she said. “Are you?”
     “A little,” he admitted, “but I can wait.”
     Frowning lightly, Rafi said, “Are you sure?”
     “Quite,” he assured her. “I’m not ready for the evening to be over but I don’t know that I want to stay here. Will you walk with me a while?”
     She thought the cooler air outside would help her overheated body.
     It did and it didn’t.
     They walked through rain-washed streets, Rafi’s arm through Michael’s, laughing and talking. She could feel the muscle beneath the shirt, beneath the perfectly tailored suit.
     He seemed to enjoy her company, bowing his head now and then to hear her reply.
     There were moments when he would unexpectedly swing her into his arms to kiss her senseless and she would feel almost as if she were floating, as if she were…somewhere else.
     The first time he did it, it surprised her. Unconsciously she wrapped her hands around his strong wrists as he halted, his unexpected motion bringing her around in front of him as he brought his hands up to cup her face.
     By itself, the tenderness of the gesture alone nearly undid her.
     His lips touched hers with such obvious delight, such obvious pleasure, that it caught her off guard.
     One moment he was laughing and then she was in his arms.
     For a moment he drew back to look at her, his hands sliding deeper into her hair, his eyes very intense. The intensity and heat in his gaze set off a firestorm inside her as his mouth settled to hers once again. Every time he did it—looked at her that way—she felt warmer, safer, as though she needed to get closer. He took her mouth deeply as his hands skimmed down her back to pull her closer, to mold her body against his hard one.
     She skimmed her hands up into his silky dark hair as his hands settled on her hips. Her body seemed to be one pulse point, throbbing and aching. She had never reacted to a man this strongly, this quickly.
     For the first time in a long time, Rafi felt a breath of hope. She had started to become cynical, jaded and she knew it. And hated it.
     Rafi found that she didn’t care that it was getting late. She wasn’t on duty the next day so it didn’t matter how late she stayed out. The more they talked the happier she was, the more they kissed, the warmer she got. Excitement raced through her.
     They came to a stop and Michael drew her into his arms once again, but this time the intensity and heat of his gaze nearly scorched her as he skimmed a hand into her hair. He studied her face as if memorizing every line of it, seeking something in her expression, in her eyes.
     Michael gestured. “My car.”
     It was a very nice Jaguar, dark green, with soft honey-colored leather inside.
     Rafi looked at him, mesmerized.
     “If you will trust me,” he said, “I would like to show you my home. I like you, Raffia, very much. I want you to come with me.

Here's a look at the video:


JHS - Nice! How can readers get a copy?

VJD – They can buy it today at Ellora’s Cave and this is the direct link: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-7784-50-night-moves.aspx

JHS - I know how busy an author’s life can be and I appreciate your taking time out of your schedule to join me at Paranormal Romantics. Here’s a few other interesting facts I was able to get out of VJ:

What’s your favorite food? Steak with mushrooms.
Where would you like to live if you had a choice? Central California south of San Francisco on the coast.
What’s your favorite color? Aqua (both blue and green!)
Who’s your favorite actor/TV show? The Big Bang Theory (I’m a geek, what can I say?)

JHS - Sounds like you want to be smack dab in the middle of wine country! I lived in the San Fernando Valley for 8 years and would love to go back. Maybe we’ll both get there. VJ, thanks so much for stopping by and don’t forget, you can get her book Night Moves starting today at Ellora’s Cave.

VJD - Thanks for inviting me!

Hey folks, come by next Friday. I’ll see what I can cook up for you. In the meantime: Growl and roar-it’s okay to let the beast out. - © J. Hali Steele

My Favorite Vampire Series

Happy Manic Monday Everyone!

Oh wait a minute. Is today Monday??

Nope but Rae asked me to fill in. Sorry to those who came looking for an informative blog. Mine is just full of my opinion. I promise it will be short and sweet then I want to hear your opinion.

My favorite vampire series. For someone who writes about vampires all the time I've come to realize how limited my library is. Mine you each of these series has many books to them.

Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton changed my views from vampires being monsters to sex objects. Not just vamps but werewolves and werecats.

Anne Rice's series starting with Interview with a Vampire introduced me to vampires. Lestat with his moral views affect many of my alpha males.

The Twilight series showed me how to get indept with my character. I love writting in first POV and Stephenie excells in getting in her character's head.

The next series I'm looking at is Cirque de Freak by Darren Shan. If anyone has read this I'd love to hear what you have to say.

What are your favorite vampire reads and why?

Interview with J. Morgan!

Today, I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming my friend and fellow Desert Breeze author, J. Morgan.

SS: Tell me a little about yourself. How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?


JM: Due to restraining orders and such, I'm not allowed to tell even a little about myself, but as soon as the government releases it from the Top Secret folder, you will be the first to know. Until then, I can give you my name, rank, and library card number. J. Morgan, but will answer to anything if dessert is involved. Rank, author in sanity absentee and library card number is too private a thing to share. We barely know each other.

Seriously—hey who said that?—but really I've been writing I think for my entire life, but didn't begin to take it serious until 2005. I sat down and over a few months wrote my first novel, which sucked a big one. I have the rejection letter to prove it. None too bright, I started on my second book. That one sucked a little less and was snapped up by a now defunct publisher, as was my next book. Since then, I've been writing nonstop, when not suffering from writer's block and an excess of life.


SS: Funny. Now I really want that library card number...Anyway, what genre do you like to write best in and why?

JM: I love paranormal and comedy. The two just seem to blend together so easily for me.

SS: How do you find ideas for your books?

JM: Everyday life and tons of TV and movies. Experience is the best place to find just the right balance between sanity and fiction. Sometimes they even blend together. Not often, but hey, you got to take the good with the sane.

SS: So true! How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

JM: Depends on my frame of mind. Some times it just flows and other times it's like self-dental work, sure it can be done, but you don't want to try it.


SS: I hope that means you haven't actually done the dental work thing... Hmm, tell me a little about your new book.

JM: Love to Stake Another Day is Book 2 in the Love Bites Series. This book takes up right where the first one left off. So if you missed Book 1 (Love at First Stake) go out right this instant and get it. You don't have to read the first book but it might help. Love To Stake Another Day is the story of Kristain and Lyssette who are after Val, the daughter of Rudolpho from Love at First Stake. They must track her down to save Lyssie's brother Eli. Along the way they fall in love, and find out about a conspiracy that could topple the new treaty between the Vampires and Humans.

SS: How did the inspiration for this work come to you?

JM: Love of vampires truly and wanting to do something besides make them brooding tragic figures. Because if I sucked blood to survive, I'd want to find something to laugh about it. Love Bites is more than romance. It's my homage to all the movies I've seen. I wanted to translate that high octane action into book form. Think of Love Bites as my Star Wars.

SS: Awesome. Can't wait to read it. Do you identify with the characters you write about?

JM: You have to identify with your characters or you wouldn't be writing them. I use my friends as the basis for my characters so it's like talking to a friend when I write them but, believe, me my buds would never let me throw them into the situations I put my characters in.

SS: How many books do you have in print/e-print now? Do you have a favorite?

JM: Love to Stake Another Day marks my 6th. I hate picking favorites. They're all my favs and picking just one would tear me apart.

SS: I never thought about it that way before. Do you have a “day” job? How do you balance both “worlds”?

JM: Like most writers I do have a day job. There is no balancing the two. A good day at work means a good day writing. A bad day—oh boy—you might as well hang up writing anything.


SS: What a wise and learned author you are! What piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers that you wished someone told you when you started?

JM: Treat writing as acting, only on paper. If you can't slip into your character's mind, how can you expect a reader to do it? That is perhaps the best advice I've ever gotten.

SS: What is your next project?

JM: I just finished up Where Love Blooms, which will come out in January from Desert Breeze Publishing and I am currently working on Love Free Stake Hard Book 3 in the Love Bites Series. Looks like my brain will be vampy fried before the new year.


SS: Awesome. If you could interview any of the characters in your books, which one would it be, and why? What shocking thing might that character say?

JM: I have interviewed him. Stud Lee Monkey from MisStaked and you won't believe the things he said. Let's just say I won't let that monkey out of his box again for awhile.

SS: This may be a loaded question but what else would you like to share?

JM: I don't share my Oreos, so that's out. I think I'll share a fond wish for everyone to have a wonderful and safe Holiday Season. And if you find time in the coming hustle and bustle check me out on the internet at any of these links….

http://www.freewebs.com/jmorganslair/
http://themorgandiaries.blogspot.com/
myspace.com/jmorganslair
http://www.facebook.com/JmorganAuthor

Love to Stake Another Day

Lyssette Ravell finds herself smack dab in the middle of a mess her brother started. When a new threat surfaces to threaten the Vampire/Human alliance recently set in place, she finds herself teamed with Kristain Marshall, who just so happens to be her almost brother-in-law.

Sent to rescue her brother Eli from the clutches of Rudolpho's daughter Valerious, Lyssette finds more than she bargained for. There's a traitor on the Vampire Council. Now, Lyssette must save her brother, root out this traitor and at the same time avoid at all cost falling in love with Kristain, the one man who could make her forget all the vows she's ever taken as an agent of the VCI.


http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-45/%3Ci%3ELove-Bites-Book-Two-cln-%3C-fdsh-i%3E/Detail.bok

SS: Thanks for the refreshing glimpse into you world! Let me tell you folks, I've read the first book in this series and I can definitely recommend it. Buy one or five copies now!

Interview with Serena Shay

Hi everyone and welcome to Paranormal Romantics. I am so pleased to welcome the extremely talented author Serena Shay. I had the pleasure of reading her book The Challenge, available from Liquid Silver Books.

Let me say it’s a really fun, exciting read that deals with the politics of a half-jaguar shifter becoming the mate of the Alpha of the local pack. No one will accept her as queen of their pack after they learn she is only half their kind, maybe not even her mate.

Thank you for joining us today Serena!!

Here is an excerpt from Serena’s book:

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Betty Boop, the squeaky flirt, embraced the well-worn seats of Marina’s Honda

Civic in an oooh baby, look at me sorta way. The cartoon character’s sexpot act helped to bolster her flagging courage, every bit of which she needed now—in spades.

Deep growls and hooded glances coming from the perfect example of an alpha male in the driver’s seat promised untold pleasures, sex with an edge and orgasms at their finest. He played her body without a single touch, keeping her wet and ready for anything. The twenty-minute drive from the casino to his home sped by in a blur of sexual need.

From the car window, she could see he was right about the beauty and the privacy of the area. Tall trees lined the dirt driveway, ensconcing them in a dimly lit tunnel. Moonlight glanced off leaves weaving together a myriad of greens. Lights and darks, even mottled overgrowth surrounded the car, blanketing them in nature at its finest.

As the car drew to a halt and Bastian got out, she wondered again if she was making a mistake. Yes, she wanted to know the wildness of sex with this side of her physiology, but at what cost? Did she dare risk the loss of her anonymity? She’d hidden for so long behind her talent that it was hard to put herself out there for sex alone.

“We’re here.” His hand reached out, palm up, ready to assist her from the car.

He left her breathless with his considerate gesture. How many men these days opened car doors?

A symphony of nature met her as she rose from the car. Water lapping onto the shore and a fresh pine bouquet filled her with a wild yearning. She could run here, be free here.

Maybe she could be more, here.

They moved along the dock towards a giant gazebo outlined with twinkle lights. Silky netting hung suggestively around a raised pedestal in the center of the room, a bed hidden within its depths. They were alone, and the incredible man at her back demanded her full attention.

“Shh, pretty kitty.” Bastian wound himself around her, calming the shakes racking her body. When had those started? “There’s probably a minimum of a hundred things I could call you.” His tongue dragged lightly over the whorls of her ear. “But do you know what I would like?”

She tingled as pictures raced through her head. Her body sprawled over the hood of the car, the warm metal teasing her breasts as he pounded into her from behind.

“Wha—what?”

“Your name, darlin’, what do I call you when I demand your release?”

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So let’s jump right in, I’m not much of an interviewer, but hopefully this won’t be too painful.

First of all, I have to tell you how much I loved the Challenge. I was really, really moved by Mari. She broke my heart, a lot. But then she really becomes this really strong woman who is a force to be reckoned with.

Hi Rebecca! Thank you so much! I love hearing from folks who loved my story… It tells me that I channeled Bastian and Mari to the page in a very good way. Broken heart and all…Trust me, I told her she was killing me on a daily basis. J

Do you have a model for female strength that you based Marina on? Was their someone who inspired you?

Actually, Marina is more a compilation of women in general. She came to me in full, vivid Technicolor. She was strong, weak and like many women I know, gave so much of herself to others that she tended to think of herself last… Thank goodness, she got a wakeup call before it was too late!

Let’s talk for a second about the sex scenes. Do you have a trick or a plan for writing a good love scene? Do you think that the paranormal calls for steamer romance?

Yes, please, let’s talk sex! Hehe, these are my favorite scenes to write! ;) Tricks or plans, hmmm. Generally, when it comes to the sex scenes I turn off the internal filters and employ a whole lot of voyeurism. The scenes will run through my head in vibrant detail from start to multiple finishes. I’m the documenter quietly taking it all in from my corner of the room. From there it is getting it on to the page.

Oh absolutely I think it calls for steamier romance. J Paranormal for me means “extra, super, more than” normal. With the extra animal senses our shifters have, arousal can be smelled and tasted at such a deeper level than a regular human. Plus, for paranormal creatures across the board, shifters, vamps, or witches, they wield incredible powers everyday….can you imagine these guys and gals having lackluster sex?? LOL

Why Jaguars? Was their something about them that drew you to them? Did you have to study them to describe them so accurately?

When I first started writing for possible publication, rather than just for fun, I read a call that was out for cat shifter stories. I had nothing like that written at the time, but this faraway voice whispered Jaguar to me repeatedly. When I turned around, there stood Bastian and Mari telling me they had a story and to get ready.

As for studying them, I did read a bit about jaguars, their fur, the noise they make, and how they act in the wild, but that was about it. Most of what got into the story is just what I pulled from my imagination.

I get asked this question all the time and I do not have a good answer so maybe you can give me one. How do you balance motherhood and writing?

There’s a way to balance it? LOL I missed that discussion or class along the way! For me it’s a day, hour, minute, and second by second thing. Luckily, my Darling Diva is now in school, so I have time during the day to dedicate to writing, promo, blogging, volunteering, well everything, but it’s the summer and the days off that take away from the writing.

Mari and her sister are so close and inspiring. Will we be seeing her again in a future book? Will be see more of the Jaguars?

Oh definitely there will be more of the Jaguars. Once Mari and Bastian told their story, so many others have come creeping out of the bushes. J Gunner and a sassy Goth waitress, met in The Challenge, have been going rounds in my head lately, Maximillion, Max to anyone who doesn’t want to die painfully, has been insisting on getting some exposure. His Mississippi barge days are getting dull. Lots more Jags.

LeAnn’s story is about halfway finished. She insisted on a break as she is so private and telling her story has become a test of her fortitude. LeAnn has a special problem in the Jaguar world and requires a triad to be complete. To add to her shock, rather than a traditional triad of a female, a beta male and an alpha male, she calls to two alphas…Oh my!

Who do you read? Who inspires you to write?

Anyone and everyone! I love to read, and always find myself thigh deep in stories. I do tend to lean towards paranormal, but any story with an interesting blurb and intriguing characters, pulls me in.

As for who inspires me to write, well that is my hubby. He’s been my rock and my cheering section for as long as we’ve been together.

Let’s talk for a second about the dreaded writers block. Has it happened to you and what did you do to make it go away?

Ah, ye ole writers block. Yep, I’ve had my struggles with the beast, but I’ve found for me that it is less a block and more a “hey, writer dummy, you’ve taken a left instead of a right in the story” block. I always know that if I’m stuck with something or at a certain scene, struggling to put the words on the page, I’ve made a misstep in the words above. Usually all it takes then is a quick reread to see where I went askew, and a reroute to get me back on track!

Tell me about your muse. What is she like?

My muse, huh. Well my muse is sometimes a lazy bitch who wields the guilt wand with the assurance that she is always right. Sometimes though, she is the whisper in my ear of all of the sexy and deeply erotic things one, two, three people or more can do with one another and sometimes she is a he and encouraging me to write with the promise that words on the page equals less clothes on his delicious body.

My muse tends to be what I need at the time. Yep, I’m super lucky! ;)

Thanks for coming Serena! Its been so nice having you!!

Thanks for having me at Paranormal Romantics, it’s an awesome blog! BTW, these were great questions, such fun to answer!

Rebecca

Please contact Serena in the following places:

Serena's blog - http://serenashay.blogspot.com/

Serena's website - www.serenashay.com

Group blog - http://shapeshifterseductions.blogspot.com/

Twisted Fairy Tales

Twisted fairy tales have captured my imagination for quite some time. Probably since my tomboy self got pulled into the Disney movie that was Cinderella. Or was it Snow White?

Movies had delved into tales as inspiration as well. From the retelling of Cinderella in the movie Ever After to the darker and more action oriented Grimm Brothers. Originally, fairy tales were darker and at times in history, the purpose of the story was to impart a moral. Little Red Riding Hood has versions where the wolf eats everyone, versions where Red escapes, versions where the Huntsman rescues Red and sometimes Grandma. Morals have spanned from sexual awakening to the natural cycles of life.

One tale in particular captured my imagination, Bluebeard. This is a lesser known tale, and in all honesty, if you say the name "Bluebeard", most people will think you're referring to a pirate, so similar the name to Blackbeard, the notorious historical figure and well-known pirate. The tale isn't commonly told to kids because it's full of murder and the moral isn't exactly what you want to teach your up-and-coming liberated girl.

Bluebeard was a wealthy older man, usually not-attractive, who married young virgins. He gave each successive wife a key to a door in the house and ordered them not to open it before he left to go off on a trip. Sometimes they were given an egg and told not to get it dirty. Of course the women failed in this, because their curiosity absolutely forced them to open the door. Things got bloody after that. His last wife, the focus of the tale, usually managed to not get killed and got rescued. Sometimes she even escaped by using her wits. Sometimes Bluebeard got beheaded. The moral? Wives should'nt be curious and should listen to their husbands. Through all the versions of this tale, though, I wondered. What if a young girl married the man known to have killed his wives? And what if he really did kill them? What if she fell in love with him?

The Forbidden Chamber is the result, a complete twist of Bluebeard, a twist of the Gothic Romance, with an alpha-male shifter thrown in to make sure the heroine couldn't resist the hero. What would you do, if you were stuck in the mansion, with a delicious, cursed, wife-murdering husband?

One random commenter will be picked to receive a digital copy of The Forbidden Chamber.


Ella Drake is a Dark Paranormal and Science Fiction Romance author published with Cobblestone Press, Liquid Silver Books, and Samhain Publishing. Sometimes she dabbles in Weird SF stories and is a regular contributor to the Raven Happy Hour in a monthly column on SciFi and Future Technology. To learn more about Ella, visit her on her webpage at www.elladrake.com. Ella can also be found on facebook and twitter.

Out now from Samhain Publishing: The Forbidden Chamber
“Your life is forfeit if you open that door.”
All her life, Lady Isabel Colven has followed the path laid out for her, content to look neither left nor right for excitement. Her future holds a dutiful, passionless marriage to some nice young man, and she’s content…until the exotic and compelling Lord Rukh Hayle threatens her maidenly reserve. Rumor paints him as a wife-murderer; desire tempts her to look past his aura of danger.
Rukh refuses to let his family’s curse kill a third bride, but Isabel awakens the Raven within him, compels him to take her to wife—and to bed—despite the secrets that live under his skin. That lie is locked in the darkest corners of the manor, waiting to be unleashed. Their lusty union arouses the curse, entangling Isabel in an erotic tug of war that can only end in her destruction. There is no escape for either of them. Not from his family’s shadowy history. Not from demons imagined and real. And not from the choice Rukh faces to save his bride from a fate worse than death…

Warning: This gothic contains heady kisses that lead to ruin, passionate sex on a desk chair, a mysterious husband who may be a murderer, a cursed family of raven shifters, and an unspeakable evil hidden in the closet.

Contest Results!

Hope everyone had as much fun as I did yesterday!  Here are the contest results. I will exchange e-mail address between winners and givers at some point tonight.

Crista Paige's contest- 1st place winner  Mindy - Jewel case with novella and gift basket.
                                   2nd place winner Kris - download of novella Bound by Deception

Annie's contest- RK Charron PR t-shirt

Judi's contest- Joann Hali mermaid charms

TJ's contest- Carol L. a download of one of TJ's back list.

Adrianne's contest- Anna Shah Hoque  a choice between Memory on Record or Longest Night.

Sandra Marshall's contest- Mitz a mystery prize

Cornelia's contest- April Ash and Stephanie Julian  a copy of a Fine Cauldron of Fish

Stephanie's contest- Debby  a copy of Kiss of Moonlight

Dariel's contest- Judy a gift certificate from Black Classics books and gifts

Ari's contest- Susan Hanniford Crowley a copy of Death by Sex

Inez's contest- Jaxxy a copy of Myla by Moonlight

Crista McHugh's contest- Virginia C gets a copy of Cat's Eye
                                        Sandra Sookoo a copy of Raven

Thanks again for coming to both authors and readers.

Halloween is drawing to a close by Sandra Sookoo

...and all the ghosties and ghoulies should be leaving our world for theirs.

Oh wait, excuse me while I chase that last one out of here with a broom... Dang, he didn't want to go until I gently reminded him that he could visit again this time next year :-)

I love writing about ghosts. It's fascinating to me to entertain the thought that they can more readily visit our world on that one night. I'm sure I'll write another story with a ghost in it. I can't seem to help myself.

Anyway, the candles are showing their last flickers. The fires in the hearths are dying down. Black cats are done prowling. The bats have found somewhere safe to sleep before the dawn. If you listen closely, you can hear the last, weak chirp of the cricket before the frost claims him, the weary hoot of an owl as she returns to her tree after a night of hunting. The light of the moon frosts the landscape in shivery silver light and gently draws a blanket of sleep across the world.

With one soft exhalation of breath, I extinguish the dripping candles and pull closed the lacy curtains at the window. My broom is resting in the corner until it's needed again, either to clean the house or go for a joy ride...

Goodnight fellow writers and readers. Sleep tight in the knowledge that this night of revelry is over and a good time was had by all. Please join in my giving hearty congratulations to Annie for setting this whole thing up and hosting such a grand event. And thanks also to all the guest posters :-)


Until the next time, always check the shadows...