Friday, August 31, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I'm Sloane Taylor, an average woman who lives more in a dream world then reality. Images pop into my head, like watching silent movies, on a regular basis. I have to write them down or lose my mind.

I was born and raised in Chicago then lived in Houston with my first husband. A second marriage brought me back to the Midwest to be close to my grandchildren. Life happened and my husband died. Years later I met my mate for the remainder of my time here. Now I have the best of everything, a great family, Studly and writing.


Visit her website at: www.sloanetaylor.com
Blog: http://www.sloanetaylor.com/blog
Chatgroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TriskelionFever
Sign her guestbook at: http://www.sloanetaylor.com/guestbook

Questions? Email Sloane at


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Lost in the Austrian Alps, psychologist Lonnie Copley is forced to accept help from a Hell’s Angel wannabe. She never expected to be trapped alone with the Aryan god in deserted Castle Flophouse.

Disgusted with cleaning up his client’s dirty lives, attorney Wolfe Deider is in major career throes. He doesn’t need some insolent woman mucking up his mind, even if she does have a mouth made for kissing.


EXCERPT:

“What the…” Wolfe ducked as slush spewed against the back of his helmet and ice slithered beneath his collar, along his neck. He had pulled onto the wide shoulder, to rest after the long day’s drive, staring across the Alps in deep thought, when an approaching vehicle broke the silence he craved. The crunch of ice and screeching tires ricocheted in his ears.

“ScheiBe.” Shit. The car seemed to be spinning out of control as it slid closer to the edge of the mountain. No one drove at that kind of speed in heavy, wet snow. The guy drove like a Dummkopf and whatever happened was just what he deserved.

Then the world moved in slow motion, all the action exaggerated. The car swung left then right, in what seemed to take an hour. The brakes screeched, metal grinding against metal, before the dilapidated sedan glided across the shoulder. It coughed, like an old man who smoked too much, and died, its nose too close to the rim.

“Hey, Kamerad.” He pushed off the old tree trunk, waving his arms to catch the driver’s attention, and fell with all his weight onto one knee. The sharp pain clouded his mind for only a second before he regained his footing.

He waved and hollered again, hoping the man would look up. Then he did; only it was a she, with fear pasted on her face.

He stumbled again then slid closer to the door handle and yanked.

Locked.

“Open it.” The cold air poured into his lungs. “Open the door,” he yelled again.

If the previous time passed in slow motion, her action was like a movie in rewind. She mouthed a few words. With a shake of his head, he tapped on the glass and pointed to the lock. This was getting them no where.

He jerked on the handle, careful not to rock the car any more than necessary. She seemed to finally get her senses back and edged her hand to the armrest controls.

The lock clicked and in a quick movement he flung the door open, flipped the key off, then grabbed her. He yanked with all his strength, but she would not budge. Damn, she still had on the harness.

He leaned across to release the seatbelt. She fought him, flailing, and the car shifted.

“Hey, Fraulein, do not move.” She inhaled deep and briefly nodded her head. “We have to get you out of the car and keep it on the shoulder. The cows below won’t produce good milk tonight if you squash them.” Obviously humor was not working, because when she glanced up, her eyes were filled with tears.

He grabbed her arm and pulled. Ripping cloth and cracking ice echoed in his head. He hooked his hands under both of her armpits and tugged until he thought he would get a hernia. The damned steering wheel trapped her knees. With a grunt and a vigorous yank, she flew out of the car, knocking the wind out of him as he landed ass to frozen ground.


REVIEW:

“A sinfully delicious read that will leave you begging for more.”
~ Sarah Grimm, author of Not Without Risk


Offered as an ebook from Triskelion Publishing. Check Sloane Taylor's website for updates!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I have been writing seriously for about twenty-eight months. Prior to that I posted reviews on music, books, movies, cars and assorted other things on some websites. These reviews now total over five hundred reviews. I’ve also written several published ‘Letters to the Editor’ and a couple editorials for the Arizona Republic.

About March of 2005, I had an idea for a novel and began writing. By October of 2005, I finished my book and titled it ‘The Right Hand of Allah.’

Meanwhile, I had an idea for another novel and began writing immediately. I finished ‘Fortune Cookies,’ an erotic chick-lit story, in July, but I kept tinkering with it until September. ‘Fortune Cookies’ is under contract for digital publication with eXtasy Books and became available December 7th. A new book, Legs, was recently released on Amira Press.

Published history

• The Right Hand of Allah. – Booksurge (POD) January 11, 2007
  
• Fortune Cookies – Extasy Books, December 7, 2006
  
• Bananaz (Short Story) Sex and Seduction – Xcite Books April 15, 2007
  
• The Sex Therapist (Short Story) Five Minute Fantasies III – Xcite Books May 15, 2007
  
• LEGS – Amira Press, June 15, 2007
  
• My fourth novel, ‘Getting Naked at the Hilton,’has been accepted by eXtasy Books
  
• My novelette 'Forbidden' has been accepted by Dark Eden Press
  

I continue to write. I am currently working on a paranormal called ‘Hollywood Witches,’ a sequel to ‘The Right Hand of Allah,’ entitled ‘A Woman of Valor’ and a sequel to ‘Fortune Cookies,’ entitled The Fellowship of Eros.


http://deedawning.millenniumpromotion.com
http://deedawning.wordpress.com/


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Mallory Robbins, a top fashion model and fast rising movie starlet, wakes up in an unknown location, after a blissful night with an exquisite, attentive lover, with no memory of her whereabouts.

Enduring a severe headache, she becomes terrified when she catches a glimpse of herself in a dresser mirror wearing the authentic coverings, including a veil, of a wealthy devout Muslim woman.

To make matters worse she finds out she has been kidnapped to become the wife of a Saudi Prince and her lover of the previous evening is scheduled to be beheaded.


EXCERPT:

As expected, Friday at JoJo’s was a madhouse. Drew spied Mallory beating a path through the buzzards toward the rear bar. He edged over to the front bar, where he could best keep an eye on her. Squeezing between two customers, he stood with his back to the bar in order to watch his fine-looking mark. As anticipated, she joined her friend Paige.

Admiring his quarry, his mind wandered. She was so extraordinarily beautiful. Tall and lithe with cascading blonde curls, mesmerizing blue eyes, angelic face and fantastic legs. Ahh, those legs. They excited him. Sitting on her stool, her wondrous legs crossed, she turned and gazed across the room. A chill went through him when, for a fleeting moment, their eyes met. After months of following and learning everything I can about her, I’m falling in love with her.

The bartender wrenched Drew out of his reverie. “What’ll you have, Buddy?”

He looked over his shoulder. “I’ll take a Seven-Up.”

“One Seven-Up coming up.”

Drew returned to his thoughts, How can I do what I must? Can I get out of it? No, that won’t work, someone else will be sent. I must get close to her somehow, and protect her from the Prince.

****

The lounge portion of JoJo’s had three bars – one to the left of the entrance, a service bar near the restaurant and the main bar, her friend Paige liked, in the rear. For girls, it was good because it was near the ladies room, but the bad thing was you had to pass through a multitude of bawdy drunks on the make to get to it.

“Damn-it! Let go of me, you… And don’t touch me again… Creep!” Mallory shrilled as she extricated herself from the grabby hands of yet another rude, drunken God’s gift to women.

Exactly, what is the attraction of this place? Mallory half thought, half mumbled to herself.

Mallory wove her way through the masses of semi-intoxicated, on the make, male customers, perpetually searching for free hor’ douvres, half price Happy Hour drinks and if they got lucky—a one night stand.

Well, I’m nobody’s one night stand!

”Hey gorgeous, have I –“

“Never.” She cut him off.

“Baby, where ha –”

“Hiding from you,” she said jerking her hand back.

For four consecutive Fridays, Mallory’s friend of nearly twenty years, Paige Dillon, had begged her to meet for a drink at JoJo’s Bar and Grill. Having grown up together in Glendale , California , it was hard to say no.

“God you’re beautiful, you wanna f –”

“In your dreams, lover boy.”

Paige sat at her usual seat at the bar, dressed in her tight-fitting Calvin Klein jeans and low cut rust-colored sweater. She’d positioned her leather purse on the next stool, her way of saving it for her friend. Mallory was getting used to the routine.

Smiling, she handed the nutmeg dyed Prada handbag back to Paige and sat down.

“You know Paige; I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why do you insist on coming here, when you know we both get mentally gang banged on the way from the entrance to the bar?”

“It’s where Robbie likes to meet. Don’t worry; I’m thinking of leaving him, and if I do, it’ll be just you and me and we’ll go somewhere else.”

“Really, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing in particular, it’s just not going the way I had hoped. Anyway, he should be here in another ten minutes and then all the losers will lay off. Until then, we can look at the positive side of getting propositioned and felt up by the goon squad.”



INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I've always had a knack for writing but never dreamed I could write stories. The short answer is a man I know, whom I now consider a friend, asked me to review his book on Amazon.com. It's a POD book entitled Divine Witness. I was so impressed with his book, which I highly recommend for anyone looking for YA, that I got an idea and started writing. That was twenty-eight months ago and I haven't stopped.

What do you love about being an author?
Lots of things. Obviously pleasing my readers is important, my publisher, sales, which to date have been skimpy, but I would have to say the thing I get the biggest kick out of writing is reading my own writing weeks or months later and thinking. Wow, I wrote that. That's really good. I know it might sound egotistical, but I never fail to surprise myself.

Is there anything you dislike?
I know it's necessary, but promotion. It sure would be nice if everyone knew about you like King or Roberts and was waiting for you next book. Ahhh...maybe some day.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
I don't very well. I would say writing and related matters takes up eighty percent of my free time. That's why even with my patented two finger typing method, I've been able to crank out four novels and a few short stories.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
I get an idea and run with it. Like I told someone the other day, when I write a story it's like taking an unknown path in the woods. I have no idea where it will end. A beautiful mountain range with a waterfall emptying into a small lagoon would be nice. I just hope it's not a landfill.

Sometimes the idea is characters like a forthcoming book Getting Naked at the Hilton and sometimes it's plot inspired Like Fortune Cookies. Legs was a combination.

What genre(s) do you write?
Boy, I'm as eclectic as you get. Let's see. we have an action/thriller about terrorism story, a Sex and the Cityish Erotic Chick-lit story, a romantic Erotic/Thriller, an Erotic Contemporary/Romance and a Romantic Erotic Sci-fi.

Why do you write the stories that you write?
I don't know that I can answer that. I get an idea and if I have time I start writing, if not, I jot the idea down for future. As you can tell from the wide scope of things I've written I don't follow any kind of pattern.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
The main characters tend to be more fictitious than the attending characters. I do borrow names though occasionally, with no rhyme or reason.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Oh, Don't ask me that? I don't know. Truth is, while I'm writing about them, I probably fall a little in love with each one.

The why is simple. My protagonists tend to be someone I'd like to be friends or lovers with and I'll bet I'm not the only author that's like that

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
Satisfaction and a desire to read more of my work. I also hope I affected the reader emotionally and they loved my characters as much as I do.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Advice? Me give advice? I'm still green. I'm still learning. OK, I'll try. Writing is a tough business, publishing is a tough and getting tougher business. It can be very easy to get discouraged. If you have the fire in your belly, keep at it, never give up--find a way. Not for not trying, but I've never been able to get an agent interested in me. So, I gave up...on agents that is. E pubs and some small pubs don't require agents so that's the route I took.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished a very disappointing Repairman Jack novel called The Harbingers. It seems like a lot of my favorite authors are writing on reputation or maybe their having their books ghostwritten.

If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
Is President Dawning too much to ask for? I don't think I could do worse.


REVIEW:

4.5 stars: "Drew Stevens followed Mallory (a beautiful and up and coming movie star) in a frantic car chase in West Hollywood. He had to meet her, get to know her, because he was on an assignment – and one he didn't particularly like. Shadowing her these past weeks he had come to like Mallory and now he wanted to protect her from the people he was working for.

Mallory was meeting a girl friend in a rowdy bar. After one drink she starts to leave but is accosted by a drunk. Naturally, Drew is the first to rescue her. This leads to a naughty interlude between two strangers. But Drew was sent for a purpose and by making love to her he has betrayed a powerful man. For this he could lose his life. The story hots up in more ways than one as an exciting chase/adventure story unfolds. This book is erotic but it has more than a few sexy scenes and from the way it ends, which is surprising, would probably make a compelling series. I think this writer tells a good story and I would like to read more books."
- Morna, Red Roses for Authors Reviews


Legs by Dee Dawning
ISBN: 978-1-934475-11-9
Genre: Erotica
Cover Artist: Cliff Vestergaard
$5.50 (e-book) from Amira Press
$10.99 (print) from Amira Press



Purchase Legs by Dee Dawning HERE!!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cynthia Eden writes tales of paranormal suspense and erotic romance. Her publishers include Kensington Brava, Avon Red, Red Sage, and ImaJinn Books. Cynthia lives in the South (the Deep South!). She loves reading and writing about stories that push boundaries--stories that ask, "What if...?" She's been a teacher and a college counselor, but writing has always been her true passion.

For more information about Cynthia and her writing, visit her website at www.cynthiaeden.com and blog at the Romance Blog.




INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
Writing has definitely been a long-standing dream for me. In high school, I was on the newspaper staff. In college, well, same thing. I took a ton of communication classes, and when I had free time, I wrote--novels, short stories--whatever my mood dictated.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I love being able to create new worlds and characters in my mind. I've always had a very active imagination, and it's good to be able to let that imagination run free!
Anything I dislike? Hmmm. Honestly, no. I guess I just wish I had more time to write.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
Well, I've got a small son (he's nineteen months old), and he comes first for me. But I set writing goals for myself: Ten pages, or no sleep. So, I take care of my son, spend time with the hubby and the rest of the family, and I usually write at night. When I reach my daily page goal, then I sleep.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
Different stories come to me in different ways. Sometimes I'll start with just a scene, or with a character, and the full tale develops later.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write paranormal suspense (for Kensington Brava) and erotic romance (from Avon Red and Red Sage). I've been a fan of the paranormal since I was a kid (yep, got addicted with Poltergeist), and I like to ask "What if?" questions in my stories. To me, it is just more fun to create stories about supernatural creatues--with them, you can throw the old rule books out the window and just write.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
I think a lot of people don't get that authors are just ordinary people. We have families, homes, clothes that need to be washed. A writer's life isn't a glamorous party. It's hard work, but work that is so very worthwhile to me.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
They are generally from my imagination. Although I've certainly threatened to create characters based on folks I know! :-)

Actually, when I create my heroes, I do tend to steal a bit from a few folks. I've stolen Vin Diesel's voice before, and I've also taken his great, strong jaw.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
I flip-flop on this depending on the week. Right now, my favorite is Dr. Emily Drake, the heroine from my Kensington Brava, HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT (May 08). She's smart, tough (she won't take crap from anyone!), and has an addiction to chocolate ice cream (definitely my kind of woman).

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
Hands down, I think Vin Diesel makes one fabulous hero--um, you might have picked up on that from one of my previous answers. For a heroine, Sandra Bullock--she's down to earth and has a fun charm about her.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I just want readers to enjoy my books. To get lost in the story for a few hours and to forget the troubles of their everyday lives.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Don't be afraid to push boundaries. Write the story you want to read--don't worry about any trends that might or might not be out there. If you get rejected, DO NOT GIVE UP! Everyone gets rejected--that's just part of the writing game. Keep writing, no matter what.

Who are your favorite authors?
Christine Feehan, Linda Howard, Angela Knight, Shannon McKenna, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Julie Garwood...and, oh, jeez, but I could probably go on for quite a while!

What are you reading right now?
UP CLOSE AND DANGEROUS by Linda Howard.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

When Michael Morlet finds Katherine "Kat" Hardy fighting for her life in a dark alley, he instantly recognizes her as the mate he’s been seeking all of his life. From that moment, he knows that he will do whatever it takes to claim her, body and soul. Unfortunately, someone's trying to kill Kat, and the attack in the alley is just the first in a series of close calls for his mate. With danger stalking them at every turn, will Kat trust him enough to become The Wolf's Mate?


EXCERPT:

She stepped forward, into the glowing light of the moon. And he got his first good look at her face. Such a sweet, lovely face. She had big eyes, eyes that swam with emotion, a small, slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones, and full, pouting lips.

“Well, I’d better be going.” She flashed him a smile, showing perfectly white, even teeth. “Th-thanks again.”

He blinked. Surely she didn’t think that she was just going to walk away from him now? Oh, no.

He lifted his hand, catching a strand of her red hair. Little Red Riding Hood had stumbled onto a wolf. A very hungry wolf.

She stilled at his touch, her eyes widening even more.

“Mademoiselle, I’m afraid that I cannot let you leave yet.” No, not yet. Not ever.

She licked her lips, a quick, nervous move that caused his cock to swell with arousal. “Wh-why not?”

He stepped toward her, and she scrambled back, hitting the rough wall of the alley. He stared down at her, drinking in the sight of her beautiful form, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled her sweet scent.

A scent that called to him, a scent that marked her…marked her as the woman he’d been searching for his entire life.

A human. His mate was a human, like Gareth’s. He would have to use care with her, try not to frighten her too much.

“I saved you,” he whispered, bending toward her. His arms were on either side of her body, caging her in place. “Those men—they were planning to hurt you tonight.”

Her chin lifted. “And I thanked you for that. Now…now I want to go. I should probably go call the police and—”

He shook his head. “I told you, I cannot let you leave yet. After all, you owe me.”

Her lips thinned. “I don’t know what you want but—”

“Oh, it’s quite simple, really.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. Such a sexy mouth. “I want you. And when I see something I want, I take it.”


REVIEWS:

"Readers will appreciate Cynthia Eden’s steamy sex scenes while enjoying a plotline laced with spectacular action scenes. Ms. Eden has managed to spice up the werewolf theme and create an enjoyable approach to the genre."
-- Anne, CK2s Wips and Kritiques

4.5 Stars: "Not to be outdone by previous Secrets tales, number 18 releases inner beasts—paramedic hunks, a singer in distress and one hot and desperate werewolf—to make the latest Secrets one that will stay in readers’ hearts and minds for a long time. Fantastic love scenes make this a book to be enjoyed more than once."
-- Faith V. Smith, Romantic Times

"A wonderfully written addition to the anthology, Cynthia Eden has created a tale full of enough action and romance to thrill fans of paranormal romance. Michael is the typical alpha male and Kat one of the new breed of strong heroines who won't take a back seat when it comes to protecting their loved ones. My favorite of all of the tales in this anthology, The Wolf’s Mate will leave you panting for more."

"For a titillating evening of erotic escapism, SECRETS: Volume 18 will transport you to a fantasy world you won't want to miss."
-- Phillipa Ann, Romance Reviews Today



The Wolf's Mate by Cynthia Eden
Secrets, Volume 18: Dark Passions
ISBN-13: 978-0975451687
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: December 30, 2006
Publisher: Red Sage Publishing, Inc.
$10.39 from Amazon.com


Purchase The Wolf's Mate (Secrets, Volume 18: Dark Passions) by Cynthia Eden HERE!!!

(Bethany House July 1, 2007)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tony Hines is the author of the acclaimed Waking Lazarus. He has been an advertising agency owner/principal, a trade amgazine editor, and now a novelist.

He has been a professional writer for more than 15 years with articles appearing in publications as varied as Log Homes, Conservative Theological Journal, and Travel & Leisure. He is also Creative Director at Montana's largest advertising agency.

His long list of past odd jobs includes trimming Christmas trees, sorting seed potatoes, working the graveyard shift at a convenience store, and cleaning cadaver storage rooms.

As a teen he was undefeated in air guitar competitions in which he performed songs by ZZ Top.

He lives in Montana with his wife and daughter.

Website: www.tlhines.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Would You Run Into A Burning Building?

Candace "Canada Mac" MacHugh lives a ghost of her former life.

Once a proud Butte, Montana, miner who daily risked her life setting explosives, she's now a garbage collector in her dying hometown.

Her beloves father is dead and she doesn't speak to her mom. More than anything, Candace Mac misses her father. He promised to contact her from the "other side" if he could...but it's been eleven long years. And now even her beloved city of Butte, Montana, seems to be dying off.

Candace Mac is alone. Longing for the past. Dreaming of making a difference.

Until one night when her father's voice speaks to her from the shadows. Bud MacHugh's trademark growl. The dead, it seems, have messages they hunger to share with the world...warnings of impending disasters and grave danger. Of cities doomed to burn.

But they need Canada's help.

T.L. Hines' first novel, Waking Lazarus was named one of the Library Journal's Top 25 Genre novels of 2006. Now he's back with a gripping suspense that brings to light our fears and asks us if we still have the courage to fight for those around us. if we have the guts to be one of those who run into burning buildings.


REVIEWS:

"Chilling!"
-- Publishers Weekly

"...a well-paced suspense populated by dynamic characters."
-- Kirkus Discoveries


Purchase The Dead Whisper On by T.L.Hines HERE!!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

(Lords of Scandal Book 1)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Diana Bold wrote her first book in elementary school, and has been writing ever since. For the last ten years she has been seriously pursuing a writing career, while also juggling a full time job as a police dispatcher. She has won or finaled in over a dozen writing contests, including RWA's Golden Heart. She lives in a small Colorado town with her wonderful husband and three teen-aged boys.

Visit Diana's home on the web at www.dianabold.com
Blog: http://dianabold.blogspot.com



INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer?
I can't NOT be a writer.

Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I've written since I was in elementary school, gave it up for awhile, but have been writing seriously since my early twenties.

What do you love about being an author?
Writing

Is there anything you dislike?
Writing

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
I'm not sure I do. LOL I've had times in my life when I let the writing take over completely, neglecting everything else, and times when life totally gets in the way of my writing.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
My characters always come to me first.

What genre(s) do you write? Historical romance Why do you write the stories that you write?
I've always been fascinated by history, and this gives me an excuse to dive into moldy old history books

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
That it's easy

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Totally from my imagination

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
I'm usually the most in love with whatever hero I'm currently writing. :) Right now, it's Sebastian, from my fantasy historical. He's so tortured, poor guy.

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
JOSH HOLLOWAY! I love him!!

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
Love is hard, but so worth it.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Read, read, read. Then write, write, write. And don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do it. Never give up.

Who are your favorite authors?
Laura Kinsale, JR Ward, Candice Proctor, Judith Ivory and Susan Carroll

What are you reading right now?
The 7th Harry Potter



ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Captain Dylan Blake has spent the last decade fighting for his country. Desperate for a little peace, he sells his commission and returns to England, but soon finds himself angry and adrift in London society, searching for something to fill his empty days. When an old nemesis challenges Dylan to a wager - he must get Lady Natalia Sinclair to dance with him twice in one evening - he is willing to play along.

Lady Natalia Sinclair fears her enormous dowry is the only thing that draws her many suitors. But heroic Captain Dylan Blake seems different. Unfortunately, she soon realizes his smile is false, his interest superficial.

Dylan sees Natalia’s rejection as a challenge and the stakes increase when he discovers his father has ordered his older brother, Michael, to win Natalia’s hand. Passed over for Michael far too many times, Dylan needs to prove he can be first in someone’s heart.

As the lines between the wager and attraction blur, can Dylan and Natalia find the courage to take the biggest gamble of all - love?


EXCERPT:

Captain Dylan Blake, recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Natalia knew all about him. She'd read a hundred newspaper articles touting his courage, but she'd never actually met him.

“He's dreadfully good-looking,” she mused, as she cast a subtle glance in the captain's direction.

In his scarlet dress uniform, with confident military bearing and chest full of medals, he stood out in the crowd of somber lords. His thick, black hair, caught at his nape with a piece of ribbon, contrasted sharply with his light blue eyes. His high, chiseled cheekbones, square jaw, and clear, sun-kissed skin stole her breath.

Amelia gave a delicate shudder. “How can you say such a thing? He hasn't a title or farthing to his name. He's been in the military for years, serving with the very dregs of society and probably doesn't know the first thing about how to act around civilized people.”

“Surely the fact that he fought to preserve our way of life gives him the right to a few eccentricities. He's a hero, Amelia.” Natalia didn't bother to point out that a man's wealth had nothing to do with his attractiveness. It wouldn't do any good. In Amelia's eyes, money and power did determine a man's worth.

Unfortunately, Natalia's father shared Amelia's opinions, and he would choose her future husband.


The Wager by Diana Bold
PRINT ISBN 1-60154-088-4
Length: 216 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
$5.00 from www.thewildrosepress.com


Purchase The Wager by Diana Bold HERE!!!

Awesome Foursome series: BOOK 4
(Coming in April 2008)




ABOUT THE BOOK:

The fourth and final book in the Awesome Foursome series, SHE’S ON TOP is Rina Goldberg’s story.

BLURB:

Music is Rina’s passion and she can never forget the sensual rhapsody she experienced in the arms of her first lover. Ten years later, her sexy teenage boyfriend has become an incredibly hot Italian playboy whose masterful fingers still know how to create the most intimate melody of pleasure. And now Rina wants a full encore of passionate sex culminating in a glorious, unforgettable climax...


She's on Top by Susan Lyons
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: April 2008
Publisher: Kensington Aphrodisia


Watch out for the release of this book at   www.susanlyons.ca !!!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Lyons writes contemporary romance that’s intense, passionate, heartwarming and fun. Her Awesome Foursome series from Kensington Aphrodisia features four twenty-something friends who laugh, cry, bond – and find their own very sexy romances. Her award-winning books have sold foreign rights to Germany, The Netherlands and Portugal. Her short fiction has been published internationally.

Susan has studied psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling and law, and enjoyed careers that include perennial student, grad school dropout (twice), project manager, computer consultant, and legal editor. With a background like that, what else could she possibly do except pursue the best career in the world – writing romance and women’s fiction. Visit www.susanlyons.ca for excerpts, discussion questions, writing process notes, articles and give-aways.

Susan's website: www.susanlyons.ca


INTERVIEW:

(see August 26 post)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Awesome Foursome series: BOOK 3



The third book in the Awesome Foursome series (following CHAMPAGNE RULES and HOT IN HERE), TOUCH ME is Ann Montgomery’s story.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Lawyer Ann Montgomery is stressed out and in constant pain. Greek god masseur Adonis Stefanakis can provide relief – and much more. In his skilled hands, she learns to unleash her sensual side. But it’s an attraction of opposites. Career-driven Ann will never change her priorities. Will she? Or will she and Adonis learn, together, that touch isn’t just about our bodies, it’s about our hearts?


EXCERPT:
(Warning: Excerpt contains adult language)

Ann started to raise her arms so she could touch him but he caught her hands in his, holding them down at their sides. Then he leaned down. She arched up and their lips met. Softly, closed-lipped, a tender hello. A temptation, a tease that made her want more.

“You have the sexiest mouth I’ve ever seen,” Adonis said. “Drives a man crazy, thinking about what you could do with that mouth.”

She tilted her head, sent him what she hoped was a seductive smile. “And just what do you want me to do with it?”

“Everything. But for now, how about . . .”

This time when his lips came down on hers, she parted her mouth slightly. Hoped he’d deepen the kiss, turn up the heat. Instead he darted out his tongue to caress her bottom lip, then retreated. Came back to do her top lip. Kept going, finding a different spot each time. A lick, a nip, a gentle sucking pressure, she never knew what was coming next.

He was seducing her mouth, and he hadn’t even ventured inside it yet.

She answered back, finding surprising pleasure in just caressing, nibbling, tasting his firm lips. Then she upped the ante and flicked her tongue between them, touching the tip of his tongue with hers, then retreating.

He followed, and she lost all thought of time as they lazily explored each other’s mouths. The fronts of their bodies took up their own dance of touch—pressing, shifting, rubbing.

Wanting to tangle her fingers in that sun-streaked hair, caress his strong back, Ann tried to free her hands, but Adonis held them firmly. Gradually she realized he was right. This way, their attention focused on different kinds of touch. The interplay of lips and tongues, the constant exchange of messages between chests, thighs, groins.

Every single subtle movement became more intense, more arousing. Every cell in her body was aware. Deliciously sensitized.

She’d never felt like this before, both hungry with need yet content to keep on touching the way they were, not rushing into sex.

His mouth eased away from hers and he said, “Ann? Look at me.”

She glanced up. Found deep brown eyes regarding her, filled with heat and . . . Was that affection? Lust, she’d expected, but not this warmth and sincerity that seemed to look right inside of her, search out all her secrets.

That gaze made her wish she was the kind of woman he really wanted. Serene, balanced, in tune with nature and with herself.

Feeling inadequate, she did what she knew how to do best, and took control. She tugged her hands free and reached up to pull his head down. “I said sex now. Not three days from now.”


REVIEWS:

Hot...Steamy...Erotic! There are no other words to describe the story Ms. Lyons has given us. Watching Ann become a new person is like watching a caterpillar transform into a butterfly… True happiness is within all our grasps, Ms. Lyons shows us that all we have to do is reach out for it and we can have it. An exceptional read and the sex scenes just add quality to the story.
-- Liadan, Coffee Time Romance

Ms. Lyons has written another winner. Don’t miss the driving sexual heat, the characters’ relationship, the sweet love and the beautiful setting.
-- Julia Esparza, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Ms. Lyons has written a fabulous book about a woman’s life, her stress, and her needs…Touch Me is definitely a tale of opposites attracting and the sparks it can cause.
-- Sammi Wilde, Romance Divas

Touch Me is a story about growing up and away, learning what we want versus what we need out of life… This book will definitely make you want to slow down and smell the roses, preferably with your own Greek God!
-- Lisa Freeman, The Romance Studio

…a very funny book with some seriously hot sex.
-- Sassy Fontaine, A Sublime Delight



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Lyons writes contemporary romance that’s intense, passionate, heartwarming and fun. Her Awesome Foursome series from Kensington Aphrodisia features four twenty-something friends who laugh, cry, bond – and find their own very sexy romances. Her award-winning books have sold foreign rights to Germany, The Netherlands and Portugal. Her short fiction has been published internationally.

Susan has studied psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling and law, and enjoyed careers that include perennial student, grad school dropout (twice), project manager, computer consultant, and legal editor. With a background like that, what else could she possibly do except pursue the best career in the world – writing romance and women’s fiction. Visit www.susanlyons.ca for excerpts, discussion questions, writing process notes, articles and give-aways.

Visit Susan's website at www.susanlyons.ca


Touch Me by Susan Lyons
ISBN 978-07582-1702-8
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: August 28, 2007
Publisher: Kensington
$10.36 from Amazon.com


Purchase Touch Me by Susan Lyons HERE!!!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Awesome Foursome series: BOOK 2



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Winner:
More Than Magic Award for Best Erotic Romance

Finalist in:
* Lories, 3rd place
* Write Touch: Readers’ Award , 3rd place (tie with Champagne Rules)
* Golden Quill

BLURB:

Champagne Rules introduced the Awesome Foursome – four Vancouver gal-pals who are looking for mind-blowing sex. Hot in Here continues their sexy escapades.

Journalist Jenny Yuen lands a very steamy assignment: cover a firefighter calendar competition. Her personal favorite? Mr. February. Also known as Scott Jackman. Also known as hot, hotter, hottest!

Read all about it: the sexy rookie is the man of Jenny’s wildest fantasies. And they’re going to play by her rules: the Fantasy Rules. No taboos, no holding back. No commitment. The question is, will Jenny be able to stick to her own rules?


EXCERPT:
(Warning: Excerpt contains adult language)

Jenny could barely catch her breath as she scrambled to keep up with Scott. The backpack she’d slung over one arm banged against her hip with every step. Tough on her hip, not to mention the camera inside the bag.

But who cared? She’d done it. She’d seduced the hottest firefighter in Vancouver!

He yanked her through a heavy exit door and they were outside, on a landing above a short flight of concrete steps leading down into a back alley. Not the most romantic setting. Where was he taking her?

Two steps down, Scott stopped, made one of those mangled, tortured sounds only a guy can emit, said, “Fuck,” and whipped around to face her.

The expression on his face told her that setting—and romance—were the last thing on his mind. Sex. He wanted down and dirty sex, this very minute.

She set down her bag, and had just started to worry about their more-than-a-foot height difference when he solved the problem. He gripped her waist and hoisted her up. Automatically her hands circled his neck and locked. Her skirt was up around her hips, her legs hooked themselves around him, and his hands cupped her thonged butt, holding her securely.

Not only strong, but super-efficient.

She gazed up at him, a little stunned, and his lips came down on hers. Jesus!

His tongue was in her mouth. How had that happened? How could it feel so good?

Tongue, dick… Her body responded to the first as if it were the second, each stroke of his tongue making her needy pussy clench.

Hungrily she sucked that sexy tongue, danced with it until it retreated, then she followed it back into his mouth, pursuing, taking back the lead. She drove her hands through his hair, held his head, tilted it just where she wanted it, and deepened the kiss. Deeper and deeper, kiss after kiss.

Until she had to break away, gasping for breath.

She stared at Scott and he stared back. He was gasping too, his naked chest heaving under the open vest. She wanted to lick that chest, all over.

After she got her breath.

He was leaning against the metal railing that ran along the staircase, and didn’t even seem to feel her hundred pounds. The heavy denim of her skirt bunched between them, keeping their lower bodies apart. She wished she could strip it off, but settled for lifting it even higher so—

Oh yeah, he got it. He adjusted his hold so he could press against her, matching his erection to the wet crotch of her panties.

She pressed back, hooking her feet into the railing behind him and using it to give herself leverage. Rubbing against him like a cat in heat. Which she pretty much was.

Had any cat ever felt this desperate for a dick?

She threw her head back, saw the dimly-starred canopy of a hot August night, closed her eyes, let her whole being focus on the need between her thighs. She wanted him inside her but she was so aroused that even this stimulation, through their clothing, might be enough. He was hard and thick under those tux pants. And the fabric was thin, it even created a delicious friction. The tension in her body mounted with each up-and-down rub.

He was helping her, supporting her butt and lifting her, catching her own rhythm and improving on it.

“Oh yeah, Scott,” she panted, “just like that.”

“Take me,” he gasped. “Take what you need.”

“I . . .” She’d run out of words, her orgasm was building. All she needed was—

“But take it quick!”

And he gave her exactly what she needed, pulling her against him as he thrust hard at just the right angle, unerringly finding her swollen clit. Then she was soaring, tumbling, crashing, flying, and—oh my God—shrieking out her pleasure in an alley in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

She buried her face in his shoulder, embarrassed, thrilled, worried her cries would bring someone running.

“Jenny, I have to—” Abruptly he thrust her away, just when she was enjoying the after-explosion glow, the feel of his taut skin over muscle, the musk of sweaty male.


REVIEWS:

“Ms. Lyons follows up Champagne Rules with another exceptionally sizzling story. Exquisitely written, Hot in Here is a fantastic tale of a woman pulled between her family and her heart. This story goes from a spark to an inferno in a matter of pages, and all the while your fingers are being singed, you are being entertained with clever dialogue, tender moments, and some very spicy love scenes.”
-- Wateena, Coffee Time Romance (Read the full review)

“From the slow and sensual to the hot and hard – even touching on the wild and weird –Lyons turns common fantasies into excellent and satisfying reading. Her book is wildly passionate and graphic.”
-- Jennifer Madsen, Romantic Times Book Reviews (Read the full review)

“Hot In Here by Susan Lyons is the second part of her series featuring four friends who share their exploits as well as have a good time every Monday night, that started with Champagne Rules. Ms Lyons does a great job showing the conflict that Jenny has between her upbringing and her own personal views. Hot In Here is a fun, sexy, erotic read that will have you needing a cold shower.”
-– Barb Hicks, The Best Reviews (Read the full review)

“Following the precedent set by Champagne Rules, Hot in Here is full of hotly erotic scenes and beautifully emotional bonding. The awesome foursome is back again to give support and encouragement to each other as they journey towards friendship and love with the men they thought were good for nothing but sex. Susan Lyons just gets better so I know I'm not the only one who will be eager to read more of this fabulous authors work. I will definitely be looking forward to Anne and Rina's stories as well as their fabulously erotic men.”
-- Megan, Megans Romance Reviews (Read the full review)



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Lyons writes contemporary romance that’s intense, passionate, heartwarming and fun. Her Awesome Foursome series from Kensington Aphrodisia features four twenty-something friends who laugh, cry, bond – and find their own very sexy romances. Her award-winning books have sold foreign rights to Germany, The Netherlands and Portugal. Her short fiction has been published internationally.

Susan has studied psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling and law, and enjoyed careers that include perennial student, grad school dropout (twice), project manager, computer consultant, and legal editor. With a background like that, what else could she possibly do except pursue the best career in the world – writing romance and women’s fiction. Visit www.susanlyons.ca for excerpts, discussion questions, writing process notes, articles and give-aways.

You can visit with Susan at www.susanlyons.ca


INTERVIEW:

(see Champagne Rules Feature below this post)


Hot in Here by Susan Lyons
ISBN-13: 978-0758214072
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: August 1, 2006
Publisher: Kensington
$11.01 from Amazon.com (paperback)
$8.50 from www.kensingtonbooks.com (ebook)


Purchase Hot in Here by Susan Lyons HERE!!!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Awesome Foursome series: BOOK 1



Foreign rights to Champagne Rules have been sold in Germany and The Netherlands. The German edition, Haut wie Samt, was released in March 2007.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

What do you do when the best sex you ever had was with a total stranger, four years ago in a cave on Crete?

Suzanne Brennan’s gal-pals know the answer to that one: Find the guy! And so, aided and abetted by her friends, she goes online as outrageous69 and tracks down her caveman.

Neither she nor Jaxon Navarre are looking for a “relationship” – just some wild, crazy sex. And so they set up the Champagne Rules. Anything goes, at least anything that’s not conventional or mundane. Can't have those bubbles – or anything else – going flat on them!

There’s just one problem with rules. They can be awfully hard to stick to. And sometimes, the real fun is in breaking them…


EXCERPT:
(Warning: Excerpt contains adult language)

“So, tell all, Suze.” Jenny leaned forward, elbows on the table, pink flamingo earrings dancing. “What’s the best sex you ever had?”

Around their outside table at Las Margaritas restaurant, three flushed female faces grinned at Suzanne.

It was Jenny Yuen who’d launched the topic, with her description of hot sex in her boyfriend Pete’s double Jacuzzi. “It was the best sex of my life!” she’d exclaimed, brown eyes flashing. “I swear, Korean men beat Chinese, hands down.”

“Ssh,” Suzanne had said, used to the fact that Jenny’s personality was twice the size of her petite body, but wishing she didn't always have to be quite so out there.

She wished she’d kept quiet, though, when Jenny turned the question on her.

“I, um…” Best sex? Suzanne barely suppressed a nervous giggle. That would have to be with her dream lover.

Jenny rolled her eyes, turned a pink sweatshirted back to Suzanne, and said to Rina Goldberg, “So, what's the best sex you’ve ever had?”

“Not with Marty, that’s for sure.” Tonight, at the Awesome Foursome’s regular Monday dinner, Rina had already told them she’d called it quits with the man she’d been seeing for the last several months. Her heart definitely didn't seem broken.

“The best sex,” she murmured. Looking like a gypsy with a fringed burgundy shawl over her usual black clothing, she pulled a wayward lock of curly black hair behind a multi-ringed ear as she sipped her second margarita and considered the question.

The others waited, munching from the platter of nachos locos — laden with everything yummy and fattening you could possibly imagine — and working on their own second margaritas.

Rina began to smile, and nodded her head firmly. “Yeah, I know exactly. The summer I turned eighteen, I went to a music school in Banff. There was this other student, Giancarlo, from Italy. He was a pianist and he had the most awesome hands.”

The others ooh'ed and aah'ed as Rina described the things Giancarlo had done with his hands, including making her come three times in a row atop the grand piano in a student rehearsal room.

Somewhere during the recitation, a third round of margaritas got ordered for everyone but Suzanne, who had a strict two-drink limit.

When Rina finished, Jenny turned to Ann Montgomery. “Your turn,” she said, talking around a guacamole and sour cream-laden chip.

“You know I'm a conventional gal.” But Ann’s eyes were twinkling. “I'm not much into Jacuzzis or pianos. I like big, comfy beds. And a man who wears a tie.”

“A tie? Bo-ring,” Jenny scoffed.

“Not when there are four of them, all silk, and they’re tying you to a four-poster bed.”

“Bondage?” Suzanne frowned. “Ann, that’s — ”

“No, no!” Ann held up a hand to stop her. “I totally consented. And they were tied really loosely. He made slow, beautiful love to me, and all I could do was respond.”

Jenny gave a skeptical frown. “I can't imagine you surrendering control to anyone. You’re the control freak to end all control freaks.”

Ann stuck her tongue out, then shrugged. “Okay, I concede your point. And yes, it surprised me too.” She smoothed her short brown hair and straightened her shoulders inside the jacket of her navy suit. “I’ve never come so hard in my life. It was a little…scary.”

As Suzanne glanced around the table she thought how lucky she was to have found these women. They’d met last year at an introductory yoga course. The bonding began when, after the second lesson, they decided food, chat and alcohol were far better tension-relievers than contorting their bodies into pretzel shapes. The four didn't have a lot in common, but that made the conversations even more stimulating. Strong ties of friendship had formed, and now the Foursome members were deeply loyal to each other and their Monday nights.

She stopped feeling lucky when Jenny turned to her with an evil grin. “Didn't think we’d forget you, did you, Suze?”

Oh God, after her friends' sexy tales, how pitiful to have to confess that her own sex life ranged between boring and nonexistent.

Except for her cave-sex lover.

The thought sent a thrill of excitement coursing through her. She slugged back the last of her second margarita and took a deep breath.

“Remember me telling you how I treated myself to a week package deal on Crete, after second year university?” They nodded. “Okay then…” She closed her eyes, letting the scene form.

“It’s my last afternoon. I'm walking along a beach and this man comes toward me, and it’s like we’re both struck by lightning. Immediate chemistry.”

She opened her eyes, saw she had their rapt attention. “Did I mention” — she paused deliberately — “that this is a nude beach?”


REVIEWS:

“Smoking from page one, Champagne Rules is a hot, yet touching erotic romance.”
-- Cheryl, Joyfully Reviewed

“…a heartwarming romance topped with steaming hot erotica.”
-- Kelley, Coffee Time Romance (Read the full review)

“This is a keeper and one I recommend to anyone wanting a steamy story with depth and romance.”
-– Thia McClain, The Romance Readers Connection (Read the full review)

“The author has a charming writing style that will have the reader reluctant to put the book down. This story is a perfect blend of the love story and erotica. ”
-– Tewanda, Fallen Angel Reviews (Read the full review)

“Author Susan Lyons dishes up hot steamy sex, best girlfriend bonding, and a strong romantic conflict in a compelling story.”
–- BooksForABuck.com (Read the full review)

“I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy wickedly hot sex and a story line that grabs you and doesn't let go until the last word.”
-– Cyn, TwoLips Reviews (Read the full review)



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Lyons writes contemporary romance that’s intense, passionate, heartwarming and fun. Her Awesome Foursome series from Kensington Aphrodisia features four twenty-something friends who laugh, cry, bond – and find their own very sexy romances. Her award-winning books have sold foreign rights to Germany, The Netherlands and Portugal. Her short fiction has been published internationally.

Susan has studied psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling and law, and enjoyed careers that include perennial student, grad school dropout (twice), project manager, computer consultant, and legal editor. With a background like that, what else could she possibly do except pursue the best career in the world – writing romance and women’s fiction. Visit www.susanlyons.ca for excerpts, discussion questions, writing process notes, articles and give-aways.

You can visit with Susan at www.susanlyons.ca


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
As a kid and a teenager, I wrote, but for some reason I never thought about it as a career or even as an adult hobby. I rediscovered it when a friend gave me a wonderful book by Natalie Goldberg called “Writing Down the Bones,” and told me I was a writer. Seems he knew me better than I knew myself, because he was right. And once I started writing fiction, I knew I’d found my bliss.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
There’s so much to love! It’s okay to hear voices in my head and play with imaginary friends! I love working at home and living a flexible, self-directed life; I’m a person who hates routine and gets bored easily. I love writers and readers - they’re the best people in the world. And it’s absolutely amazing to walk into a bookstore and find my books on the shelves, and know that people all over the world are reading and caring about my characters. What do I dislike? The uncertainty. This is a hard business, in terms of never knowing if you’re going to sell another book, worrying about reviews, scrambling to try to make a living.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
Not brilliantly, but not too badly. I’ve pretty much always, through school and various jobs, been a self-motivated, independent person. So I’m not bad at time management. What I do is, put together a “do list” at the beginning of each week, including writing, promo, day job (I do some contract work) and personal goals. Making the list is the practical, analytical part of the process. Once that’s done, something kind of zen-like happens and things fall into place so I manage to get most of the stuff done. I’m not disciplined about writing a certain amount each day, but I usually do hit my writing targets for the week.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
How do I write? God knows! By some magical process that even my analytical legally trained brain can’t figure out. No, seriously, it’s different with each story. Sometimes it’s characters, sometimes it’s a phrase, sometimes it’s a concept. I don’t plot books out ahead of time. With some books, I do have a vague idea of how the story will progress and with others I have very little idea. For me, the fun in writing is finding out what happens as my fingers type and my muse plays. If the characters take over, I’m thrilled to bits and just follow along behind them.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I love writing about character growth. I like characters who are spunky and have a sense of humor - though some of them may be going through some angst. I like transition points in lives - and often, in a romance, the transition point is meeting a love interest who makes you reconsider what you thought you wanted out of life. As for genres, I write pretty much the whole range of romance and women’s fiction, but right now I’m focusing on two areas. My sexy contemporary romance novels are published by Kensington Aphrodisia, and I also write sweet short romances.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
That we’re rich! And also, that writing a romance novel is easy.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
They’re never based on any single person, but bits and pieces come from everywhere: me, people I know or have known, real people I’ve read about, characters in books and movies, etc. etc. One of the greatest things about writing is when a character I’ve just started to get to know really comes alive for me. Like, with my September heroine, Ann. She came alive when I realized she has an internal voice (her mother’s) always criticizing what she’s doing - and she talks back to this internal voice. Once I knew that, I had so much fun writing Ann and her story. Romantic Times Book Reviews commented on the “laugh-out-loud inner monologues,” which was nice validation.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
I think it’s always the characters I’m writing at the time. It’s like they’re my best friends. That’s why it’s so nice to have books published and let other readers get to know my special friends.

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
If I was casting my Awesome Foursome, I’d probably go with Kate Hudson for Suzanne (the right hair and a nice personality), Sandra Oh for Jenny (even though she’s not Chinese, and she’s much bigger than Jen - but she has the right attitude), Jennifer Aniston for Ann (she’s lovely but can play klutzy and insecure so well), and America Ferreira for Rina (even though she’s not Jewish, she has the right looks and she too is great at playing insecure). But I’m certainly open to other suggestions .

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
A little personal growth and a better understanding of, and sympathy/empathy toward, other people. My books have messages about things like interracial relationships, respecting parents versus finding your own path, balancing career and family, learning to love your own imperfect body, finding and honouring your sexy side, and the value of friendship and different opinions.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Do it. Then, if you love the process, go get some books on writing, take courses, join writing groups and learn about the craft and the business. But don’t do all that stuff first - the most important thing to start with is the writing itself. If you’re not passionate about the process of writing, you won’t have the motivation to persist and become published. It’s a very tough road, but also a very rewarding one.

Who are your favorite authors?
The ones that come to mind right now are Barbara Samuel, Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice and Susan Wiggs.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished “My Summer of Southern Discomfort” by Stephanie Gayle and “The Shoe Queen” by Anna Davis, both of which I really enjoyed. I’m currently reading Luanne Rice’s first book, “Angels All Over Town,” which has stood the test of time very well. Next on my list is “The Hindi Bindi Club” by Monica Pradhan, which I’m re-reading for my book club (I’d read the book and liked it so much I proposed it as the next book club choice, and now want to read it again).


Champagne Rules by Susan Lyons
ISBN 0-7582-1406-5
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: February 1, 2006
Publisher: Kensington
$11.01 from Amazon.com (paperback)
$7.99 from www.kensingtonbooks.com (ebook)


Purchase Champagne Rules by Susan Lyons HERE!!!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melody Thomas, aka Laura Renken from her Berkley days and Lori Morgan when she wrote westerns for Leisure started her career after graduating college with a degree in criminal justice. That was the moment when I realized, I had absolutely no desire to work on the streets. I either wanted to try and go to law school or write a book. But after discovering my first romance written by Kathleen Woodiwiss, I knew I wanted to write romance. That journey took years and much perseverance, which finally paid off in 2001, with her first RWA Golden Heart finalist sale. Berkley bought My Lord Pirate, which was nominated by RIO as one of the best books that came out that year. Since then Melody Thomas has won two HOLT Medallions, her most recent this year in 2007 with Angel in My Bed. That book also won the Colorado RWA award of Excellence. She has won, The Write Touch Reader's Award with A Match Made in Scandal and her books have been four times nominated by Romantic Times as best Hostorical suspense and gothic. Her books are published worldwide in different languages, and this October, her newest release, Sin and Scandal in England has been picked up by the Rhapsody bookclub for hardcover.

She lives in the Chicago USA area where she is also the former president for the Windy City RWA chapter. Visit her website at
www.melodythomasauthor.com


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I cannot remember when I didn't want to write. My entire life, I've loved reading and writing stories. I discovered while very young that I could be magically transported to other places and times, and meet larger-than-life characters that shaped my world perspective. But I didn't actually *dream* of being published until after I read my first Kathleen Woodiwiss novel when I was in my early twenties. Her books were filled with such passion and poetry, I couldn't read them fast enough. So I decided to write them. Times may have changed from those days but the magical love story has not. Sin and Scandal in England (October 2007, AVON Books) is my latest and the perfect example of that endeavor. This will be my twelfth long historical novel.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I love meeting fans of romance, speaking about the craft of writing, setting my own hours, and the actual storytelling. The only thing I don't like is having to sit in a chair all day to actually write. I'm looking for the day someone will create a computer that can read my thoughts and I can write a book while walking. :-)

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
Balancing my life is always a be a problem, especially if something personal or a special event is going and I'm on deadline. I can't tell you how many times I've missed events because I needed to write. I can't take sick leave or vacation. When a book is due, it's due.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
The process of creating a story is never the same for any two books. Sometimes a character in one book begins to take on a life of his/her own and from there another story is born. Even going into a series, I never know what the next story will be. When I started my Irish Family Donally series, I began with, In My Heart, but the family became so much larger than life that I was able to create another three books from those characters. My Mission Impossible, Charmed and Dangerous series sparked when I was writing Angel in My Bed, and I realized I had this character who had lived an entire other life I hadn't known about until I sat down and started writing his book. His back story came flowing out. From that hero's past service to the crown, a new series was born. The characters you meet in Sin and Scandal in England first appeared in Angel in My Bed.

Ian Rockwell is my most mysterious League Council servant of the crown. He was a new agent in Angel, filled with ideals and passion. Now he has a terrible secret and a mission of his own to finish. Bethany Munro whom you also met in Angel in My Bed had once been in love with the mysterious Sir Ian. But he walked out of her life without ever saying goodbye. Then when one day she sees Ian across a crowded ballroom and all of her old emotions come rushing back. Neither wishes to be recognized, they both have secrets that can get them killed, but old feelings surface. Without giving anything away, I can tell you, the ending in this book is a shocker. My stories are gritty and passionate and I like to grab the reader from beginning to end.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write historical. I love history and traveling. To me reading and writing is all about the fantasy. Contemporary time periods are an entire different feel, more the here and now. I love reading both, but historical is where I want to write. I'm in love with the romantic illusion of the past, though in reality, I really wouldn't want to live there. It's fun to experience it for four hundred pages, but I love my baths, my air-conditioning in summer, and air travel. :-)

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Though I use photographs of real people, none of the characters in my book are real. Of course many of their characteristics do come from people I know. I have pets and family members who have all appeared at one time or another in my books. I know they've read my books when I get a call from them. LOL I had one world champion croquet game in In My Heart that came right out of my family's playbook. That scene was so fun to write.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Hmmm, this is a difficult question because I have to love the my characters in the first place to create the emotion that pulls them through each story. I write through emotion and there must be that connection. I tend to love very sexy, dark-eyed alpha male types and build the story around a hero. But if I had to choose, I would probably say, Rory Jameson (Pride and Passion in London), a character from my upcoming book, He first appeared in Wild and Wicked in Scotland and will make a bigger appearance in Sin and Scandal in England. Rory embodies all the reasons I love writing romance. Also the heroine in Pride and Passion in London is the perfect dark match for Rory. David Donally and Victoria/Meg from Angel in My Bed follows a close second. I think it is a character's flaws that make him/her stand out in a book and which draws me to them. Both books contain very flawed characters who have not done very nice things in their lives. My hero in Sin and Scandal in England is particularly flawed and I had to work a long time to finally redeem him. Ian Rockwell in Sin and Scandal is also the only hero I've ever written that did not have dark hair. So he is probably my most diverse character with my most diverse storyline. This was a harder book to write because of that diversity. When you have a character who has done something bad in his past or who holds a secret that can hurt the heroine, as a writer I am very challenged to keep that character sympathetic. But Ian comes through in the end. I think my writers will really like him and maybe vote him as their favorite hero.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I want my characters to be so alive that when a reader finishes one of my books, he/she will want to read the book again. When a world I create can stay with the reader after she puts the book down then I've done my job. This is the reason I love to write.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Yes. Don't just talk about wanting to be published. Do the work it takes to get there. That means learning the craft by joining writer's groups, attending conferences with workshops, and sitting down to actually write the book. My road to publication has taken years, but I stuck to it and did not allow the rejections to make me doubt myself. I have a saying on my computer. 'If you believe you can or you can't, you are probably right." Attitude is everything!!!

What are you reading right now?
Penelope Williamson. Her prose and stories are wonderful, endearing, and memorable.

If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
I'd want to be Me. I've never wanted to be someone else or like someone else. I've wanted to be the one who creates the bar people want to reach, the one people want to emulate. At least it keeps me unique. :-)



ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Succumbing to Sin...

Bethany Munro was once madly in love with dashing Ian Rockwell. Then Ian left on a mission for the crown, and Bethany was forced to put her heart aside...until one glittering night when she spies him across a crowded ballroom, and the feelings she once felt come rushing back. But she has her secrets...

...and so does he. Sir Ian Rockwell has led a dangerous life and is now a suspect in a crime he did not commit. He never imagined the naive girl he knew so long ago could be the beauty standing before him now or that she could help prove his innocence. But in a world of glamour and intrigue where nothing is as it seems, their perilous game of seduction soon turns into a night of sin, a night where they both discover the only thing more dangerous than passion is falling in love.


EXCERPT:

England

For Bethany Munro, gaiety and frivolity ended the moment Ian Rockwell walked through the arched doorway.

As if the winter snowstorm outside had swept into the glittering ballroom, a stir of cool, speculative whispers preceded him, reaching those finding respite at the sumptuous buffet table in the back of the crowded room. A scandal in black, his broad shoulders shaped by an elegantly cut evening jacket, he walked with physical grace, a quick dimpled smile and that at promise of sin prevalent in his eyes--a gaze reserved solely for the woman on his arm.

Champagne flute arrested against her lips, she found her breathing constricted by a tightly laced corset. Since venturing from secluded country life two years ago, she had learned quickly enough the world was rife with temptation. It surrounded her, taunted her. Yet she had never been tempted, for the carnal fantasy of only one man haunted her from the past and seemed to frame her future.

But now here he was with the beautiful widowed Countess Dermott draped on his arm, the one man who had ruined all other men for her, cordially greeting their host, casually stepping back into her life even as he did not know it yet. She watched as he moved with a smooth urbanity, stopping occasionally to speak with people as he worked his way across the room, a man comfortable amidst the aristocratic glamour of his wealthy surroundings.

Bethany had not seen Ian in three years, and she had never expected to see him again. Her blond hair perfectly coiffed; her blue azure silk and tulle gown nothing more than another jewel amid a sea of rainbow-colored attire. She wondered, if he would recognize her in the crowd, then her growing apprehension usurped the initial warmth she’d felt--because he was really here at Whitley Court, a very dangerous place for them both, and the last place in the world she wanted to encounter him.

Her awareness of him became so palpable that it seemed to stretch taut across the distance separating them. Her heartbeat raced. She suddenly wanted to slip from the ballroom. Did she dare? But as she considered the question, he suddenly looked across the ballroom directly at her.

She froze as rigid as the naked mermaid ice sculptures to her left and right. His eyes touched and held her, only the merest hesitation in his sensual features, his face dark and intent. Then the woman on his arm spoke to him and, just that quickly, the contact shattered.

He bent his leonine head to listen, his mouth widening into an easy smile, his handsome face taking on a boyish cast in the warm glow of lamplight reflected in the golden tissue-draped walls and ceiling of the ballroom--all as if the last ten seconds had not occurred, as if Bethany had only imagined the touch of green fire in his eyes when they’d fallen on her.

Ian Rockwell had barely noticed she was alive.

Bethany felt a stab in her chest, yet despite herself, she made herself stand straight and tall and wrapped herself in cool composure as if she had never laid her heart at his feet and he had walked away.

Charlene giggled close to her ear. The tip of her crimson lace fan strategically placed at her chin shut Bethany’s mouth. “Don’t bother lusting after him, oh friend of mine,” she whispered. Bethany and Charlene Dubois, her host’s daughter, had met at England’s Academic Conservatory for Young Ladies two years ago. “As you can see, my Aunt Serena has taken Sir Ian off the market.”

Bethany was astounded by an unfamiliar timidity and the growing tightness in her chest. Had he been a “Sir” when she had known him? “I have no idea of whom you are speaking,” she replied, snapping open her own fan.

As the orchestra opened another waltz, the final set for the evening, Ian escorted the exotic Countess Dermott onto the floor. He seemed to tower over the dark-haired beauty. She was not tall, so perhaps every man around her looked that much taller.

“Yes, you do.” Charlene laughed, the movement setting fire to the diamond necklace that lay atop the pale shelf of her ample bosom. “He is quite wealthy, rich as Croesus they say,” she added coyly. “My Aunt met him a few months ago at the home of a mutual acquaintance. It would be a coup for Papa if Sir Ian should decide to join our organization. The Rockwells are an established family.”

“Are they?”

Charlene giggled, as if Bethany should already be privy to such local details when, in reality she’d only arrived at Charlene’s home from the conservatory two weeks ago. “His family has resided in these parts since the Vikings dominated this countryside. He is a bachelor again. His wife passed away some years ago.”

Wife? Bethany’s heartbeat stumbled. “He was married? When?”

“Three or four years ago.” Charlene waved her plump hand dismissively as she turned her focus to the banquet table. “Some whirlwind courtship and wedding that ended tragically. No one really knows what happened.” She examined the creamed salmon and cucumber hors d’oeuvres with the eye of a connoisseur. “Do you want one?”


Charlene plopped the cucumber wedge between her lips. “Sir Ian wasn’t married long enough for him to bring his wife home. In fact, the prodigal son only just returned this fall. He has been somewhat reclusive. Papa must have included him at the last moment. He isn’t on the guest list.” Charlene turned the topic to the group of Italian
gentlemen currently approaching from the other end of the buffet table

Outside the large windows, huge snow flakes had begun to crystallize against the glass as the storm sweeping off the North Sea began to blanket the provincial estate in white. But inside, the air was clement, nearly hot. Drink and food were liberally proffered to guests. Couples filled the dance floor. Bethany sighed. Ian had been married and widowed since she’d fallen in love with him those years ago.

As a handsome Italian count requested her hand in the waltz, she forced a smile, accepting his invitation to dance as if she were an actress stepping into the part of a grand play. She danced with an exuberance and a passion that extended to every corner of her life. Indeed, she never did anything halfway. The world was her oyster and she was its pearl, she’d always told herself, many times, as if saying it often enough would make her believe it was true. Perhaps that had been her greatest fault. She put too much of herself into the act of living. People were always telling her she worked too hard at making others see her, and now, when all she wanted was to disappear into the tiny cracks in the floor, she felt as if a huge ball of light were shining down on her, revealing her most embarrassing flaws.

“You are here for the two weeks?” her partner asked, sweeping her in a majestic circle to the flowing strains of music.

The fragrance of his flowery cologne surrounded her in an altogether unpleasant way, but she presented him with a distracted smile. “Yes. And you?” she asked, despite knowing he was. She’d seen the exclusive invitation list and knew exactly who was invited to this event, which was why Ian’s presence had caught her off her guard.

The count followed with a chat about the weather and other mundane topics that did not require her full attention and enabled her to catch glimpses of Ian and the countess. “Yellow,” the man said after another turn.

Yellow? She pulled herself out of her thoughts.

“I have seen you in London recently,” he said. “Some weeks ago, I believe. You were wearing yellow.”

Something in his tone cooled her. “I haven’t been to London in months.”

“No?” He leaned back and considered her. “I am sure I saw you there. But I cannot put my finger on where.”

She threw herself into the waltz, a fact noted by her partner for he pulled her nearer.

“And as I said, sir. You are mistaken. Miss Dubois and I were still at the conservatory where we both lived until the break two weeks ago.”

“You are good friends with the viscount’s daughter?”

“We attend university together. Her father sponsors the science curriculum at the conservatory.”

“Ah, an enlightened woman,” he said, his dark eyes intent on her face. “It is odd to me that I should find a woman with your, um, assets...unmarried.”

“My assets?” She feigned ignorance. “I am hardly wealthy. Certainly not as you are, sir.”

Pleased with her flattery, he tightened his hold. “You are very beautiful, Signorina Munro.”

Bethany traveled alone with her maid, and some men erroneously considered her easy pickings. She spent the rest of the dance fending off the loquacious count, as he seemed bent on seducing her. She suddenly wanted out of this room. She stepped on the man’s polished shoes nearly causing him to trip, her usual glib riposte hidden in her apologetic smile. Oaf, she thought, and couldn’t care less if this foreign lothario thought her ungainly and gauche.

The music concluded in a resounding crash of cymbals. The man, limping, escorted Bethany off the floor back to the buffet table, with a flourish typical of every Italian she had ever met, bowed over her gloved hand and quickly made his escape. Snapping open her fan, she watched him move into the crush exiting the floor. Her eyes suddenly froze on the couple standing just at the edge of the dance floor. Her pulse halted.

Bethany had stopped searching for Ian. Now without any effort at all, she stood less than thirty feet from him, his tall form easily recognizable in the crowd. Her gaze rose from the white-gloved hand intimately splayed on the woman’s small waist ...and collided with his eyes.

Her breath shuddered to a complete halt. Ian was watching her over Countess Dermott’s diamond- sprinkled hair, his expression now devoid of polite mask as he raised a glass of wine to his lips and sipped.

Bethany did not imagine the touch of green fire in his gaze,
assessing her, closing the distance between them, melting the years as if they were no longer part of the past. She felt that touch deep within her like a bruise on bone.

They each looked away from the other at the same time. And, despite the initial shock and illogic of her response, she felt something else, something familiar and very much alive. Something that made her a little afraid. He not only knew who she was, but he was not pleased to see her--anymore than she had been to see him.

She relaxed a little as another man stepped forward to claim her hand for the next waltz, until she saw who it was.

Lord Whitley’s secretary and bodyguard, Sir John Howard, stood in front of her. If there was any man present tonight that made her sick to her stomach, this was he.

Dressed much as Ian was in a formal jacket with tails, he might have been dashing if Bethany had a penchant for older, slippery men who took advantage of younger women. “Miss Munro,” he said. “I believe I am on your dance card.”

She had no dance card and didn’t pretend to be polite. He’d been watching her, she realized, and not in the way one watches a woman he wishes to seduce. “My feet ache, Sir John. I have finished waltzing for the night.”

She sidestepped him but he moved to block her exit, casually reaching across her for a chocolate strawberry on the table. “I see you have taken note of the countess’s latest lover.” He bit into the sweet fruit.

It was never a good sign to come under Sir John’s scrutiny, and, while his words bore a hint of indifference, his eyes continued to study her. His conversation bothered her. Not because the exchange was highly inappropriate, but because he had discovered her uncertainty with such ease and would make her the insect in his petri dish.

“You believe they are not?” he asked.

She fixed her gaze on Sir John’s face. “Why would I take note of anyone Countess Dermott considers her lover?”

Why would it matter to him what he thought?

“I see I have made you uncomfortable,” he conceded.

She smiled. “Not at all, Sir John.”

Uncomfortable was too mild a response for a man she suspected of being a cold-blooded murderer. Without excusing herself, she swept past him and let herself vanish into the crowd.


REVIEWS:

Sin and Scandal in England, picked up as a featured alternate for Rhapsody Doubleday bookclub.

Wild and Wicked in Scotland is the first book in this new Charmed and Dangerous series that featuring the ultimate in alpha heroes who work for a secretive branch of the government that services the crown and the women who love them.

Wild and Wicked in Scotland
4 1/2 stars
January 2007
Romantic Times Book
club Top Pick

Award of Excellence winner. "...Thomas's strikingly passionate romance will give readers butterflies..."
-- Jeffries, Heartstring Reviews

WILD AND WICKED IN SCOTLAND has it all. From the very first pages you'll have trouble putting this book down. This is one exciting and delectable Victorian Romance I highly recommend.
-- Marilyn Rondeau, Reviewers International Organization (RIO)


Sin and Scandal in England by Melody Thomas
ISBN# 978-0-06-112960-5
AVON Historical
Mass Market Paperback, 384pp
U.S release date: September 26, 2007
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
$5.99 from Amazon.com


Purchase Sin and Scandal in England by Melody Thomas HERE!!!