Category: Author Q&A

Q&A with Lori Foster + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Q&A> blog tours> Book Giveaway> Giveaways

Lori FosterToday, Reading Reality is part of Lori Foster’s Getting Rowdy Blog Tour! Read my review of Getting Rowdy here and enjoy this Q&A from Lori.

Marlene: What is your favorite scene from the book and why?

Lori: I based the video book trailer for Getting Rowdy off my favorite scene: Avery showing up at Rowdy’s apartment, soaking wet from a furious rain, insistent that he follow through on sensual promises. :::sigh::: Rowdy needed her to do that, and somehow Avery knew. If you haven’t seen the book trailer, it’s here on YouTube.

honor's splendour by julie garwoodMarlene: Book you most want to read again for the first time?

Lori: Honor’s Splendour by Julie Garwood. Ooooh, I just love, love that book! Also Lion’s Lady and The Bride and… well, all of her historicals. I also love historicals by Catherine Coulter and Johanna Lindsay and Amanda Quick… good stuff!

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future?

Lori: I just finished Dash’s story. Dash is the brother of the hero from the first book, Run the Risk. I think readers will be surprised with Dash now that it’s his turn to reveal his soul. I know I was surprised! I kept thinking, Dash, you devil! Lol.

And now I’m ready to get started on Cannon’s book. Cannon (You met him in Getting Rowdy) will actually star in the first book of a new series set for Sept 2014. I really enjoyed him in Getting Rowdy, and he has a larger role in Dash’s book, Dash of Peril (April 2014) so I hope readers like him as much as I do!

Marlene: What are some words your family and friends would use to describe you?

Lori: Hmmm… I actually just asked them, and here’s what they said:

Compassionate, considerate, kind, animal lover, grounded and organized, and from one of my sons: Small and Feisty, but also faithful and considerate.

Awww… I have such wonderful family and friends!

Marlene: Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Lori: Morning! I’m usually up by 4:30 am and by 9:00 pm I want to be in my PJs. I’m usually dragging off to bed by 10 or 10:30 pm. I’ve always been something of an insomniac, and about 6 hours in the bed is all I can take.

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~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

Lori is kindly giving away a paperback copy of Getting Rowdy to one lucky winner. To enter, use the Rafflecopter below.

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Q&A from Author Carla Neggers + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Q&A> blog tours> Book Giveaway> Giveaways

Today I’d like to welcome Carla Neggers, who recently published the third novel in her marvelous romantic suspense Sharpe and Donovan series, Declan’s Cross (reviewed here). Here she is to do a bit of Q&A!

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Where do you do most of your writing? Do you have a certain place that inspires you most?

Carla: I do most of my writing in my office at our house on our hilltop in Vermont. I look out at a huge old maple tree on the edge of the woods. Great view when I need to think! But I don’t stay in my office. I migrate to other parts of the house, local cafes…and Ireland. Ireland is an incredible place to write.

How did your own trip to Ireland inspire this book? What inspired you most?

Declan's Cross by Carla NeggersCarla: When I started thinking about Declan’s Cross, I knew that Emma and Colin were taking a break in Ireland. What could go wrong? I had no idea but I knew that something would! Then my husband and I visited Ardmore, a lovely village in the heart of Saint Declan country on the south Irish coast…and I got to thinking what if Emma’s grandfather, a renowned art detective, had investigated an unsolved Irish art theft, and what if an American with no apparent connection to the theft disappeared? Throw in Julianne Maroney, the hotheaded marine biologist with an on/off relationship with Colin’s lobsterman brother, Andy, and Declan’s Cross started taking shape.

Your books have been described as being very down-to-earth. Do you think your strong sense of roots and your big family have something to do with that?

Carla: No doubt! Having six brothers and sisters helps keep me grounded. We grew up in rural New England but our father was Dutch — he’d been a sailor -– and our mother is from the Florida Panhandle. Imagining their lives before we were born, in such different places, fueled my imagination. My Dutch cousin Christine and I were pen-pals as kids. I used to try to picture her life in Holland. We finally met as adults when I visited her in her pretty Dutch village, not unlike the one I’d imagined for her. “Roots” don’t necessarily involve people down the street!

Favorite place to read?

Carla: In bed, under a cozy comforter…whether it’s at home or on the road.

Carla NeggersAbout Carla Neggers

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 novels, with translations in 24 languages. Born and raised on the western edge of the beautiful Quabbin Reservoir in rural Massachusetts, Carla grew up with tales of her father’s life as a Dutch sailor and her mother’s childhood in northwest Florida.At a young age, Carla began penning her own stories on a branch high up in her favorite sugar maple. Now she enjoys spending time at the family homestead (now a tree farm) with her six brothers and sisters and their families. When she’s not writing, Carla loves to travel, hike, kayak, garden, and, of course, dive into a good book. She lives with her family in Vermont, near Quechee Gorge.

To learn more about Carla, visit her website or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

Carla is kindly giving away a hardcover copy of Declan’s Cross to one lucky winner (U.S. and Canada only). To enter, please use the Rafflecopter below.

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Q&A with Author Linda Lael Miller + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Q&A> blog tours> Book Giveaway> Giveaways

Big Sky River by Linda Lael MillerI’d like to welcome Linda Lael Miller author of the Parable, Montana series (and many other western romances) to Reading Reality. Her Parable series is one of the first western romances I’ve read, but I’ve enjoyed them so much, (review of Big Sky River here and review of Big Sky Summer here) that I’m sure they won’t be the last! Linda is also giving away a print copy of Big Sky Summer (U.S. only); to enter, please use the Rafflecopter at the end of the post.

Q: What made you choose the Montana as the setting of your newest series? Do you know Montana well? What about the landscape really stood out for you?

A: Montana is my mother’s home state; she was raised in Choteau. Her brother, Jess, made saddles and built fireplaces and was just all-around creative. I don’t know Montana as well as I’d like to, but I’ve been there plenty of times, and I love its mountains and lakes and immense stands of timber, as well as its vast prairies and, of course, that amazing Big Sky. Parable is, in fact, Choteau, thinly disguised.

Q: Do you find it’s harder to write the male or female characters, and why? The men in your books feel as multi-dimensional as the women. Walker is as complex—and likeable—as Casey. How do you manage to make everyone seem so real?

A: I’m not sure how I do that, but I’m honored that you believe I do. I guess I’m a “method” writer; I try to get inside the person I’m writing about, whether they’re male or female, and see the world and the situation through their eyes. I try to feel what they’d feel and think what it seems to me they’d be thinking, and the rest of it just seems to come to me as I go along.

Q: There’s always a lot at stake when kids are involved. Did you find it complicated to write about Walker and Casey’s romance knowing that their choices would impact two teenagers?

A: Yes, writing about kids is challenging—I haven’t been one for a long, long time, after all—but I love it just the same. Kids are so honest, and so literal. As for a lot being at stake, well, that’s certainly true of kids—they are the future.

Q: You write a lot of sexy men—Walker Parrish is pretty hot!—but they still seem real. What character traits do you think make for the most interesting male leads in your books?

A: I admire strength in a man, courage, integrity, and follow-through. You can count on a cowboy to do what needs to be done right now—for instance, when it’s freezing out, cowboys will get out of a warm bed to build the fire or turn up the heat. They’ll wade through deep snow to get the rig started, and sometimes even put the coffee on to brew. If they see an animal or a child in a pickle of any kind, they don’t just shake their heads and say what a shame, they DO something. In creating my characters, I simply incorporate the traits I appreciate most—remembering, of course, that cowboys are human beings and they have faults.

Continue reading “Q&A with Author Linda Lael Miller + Giveaway” →

Q&A with Author Josh Hanagarne

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Q&A

Today I’d like to welcome Josh Hanagarne, author of The World’s Strongest Librarian (reviewed here). In addition to being a newly published author and avowed booklover, Josh is also a librarian at the Salt Lake City Public Library, which made some of his humor in the book ring particularly true for me since we share that profession. 

For those of you in the Seattle area, Josh is going to be in town and talking about his book! Tomorrow, May 18th, he’ll be at Third Place Books, and on Monday, May 20th, he’ll be at the Seattle Central Library.

And now, here’s some Q&A with Josh:

Q: Why did you decide to write this book?

The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh HanagarneJosh: Everyone loves a good story, including me.  And there’s nothing as messy and chaotic as a human life, which is why memoirs can be so engaging and surprising.  It just so happens that this story was about me and I’d be the one to write about the mess.  I started writing the book because I wanted to see where the story went.  I kept writing because I had to see how it would end.

Q: How has Tourette’s impacted your life?

Josh: Let’s get the negative out of the way: My case of Tourette’s hurts, it’s disruptive, it’s exhausting, it makes it hard to be out in public, it made me a great target for bullies, etc—Tourette’s often steals my chances to make my own first impressions. There’s this weird thing that goes out before me, announcing me, defining me, before I get the chance to explain myself. But it’s not me.

There are positives, though: Tourette’s has made me tough, stubborn, and has given me a low tolerance for whining and inertia. And it’s lead me to a lot of wonderful people in the Tourette’s community, particularly the kids who are having a tough time adjusting to the disorder.

Q: What are some of the ways you have tried to conquer your tics?

Josh: Lots of pills. A nicotine patch. A faith healer/chiropractor in Elko, Nevada, who dressed like Randall Flagg from The Stand and administered to me with ramen noodle crumbs in his scraggly beard. I got botox injections in my vocal cords for three years, which took away my voice, so I couldn’t scream, but I couldn’t really talk either.

Lifting weights helped for a while, because I would train so hard that the pain of the workouts made the tics pale in comparison, but that’s a stupid way to approach a problem. I’ve also tried to stifle the tics through willpower, but that doesn’t work for long.

Ultimately, it’s come down to a grim truce. I’m still convinced I’ll get rid of it entirely, but until then, I’ll be running on pure spite, here in the library, on full display and defiant.

Q: What do libraries mean to you? What do you think is the future of the public library?

Josh: The library is the ultimate symbol of freethinking and curiosity. Its presence in a community is a challenge to the pack mentality and an invitation to ignore ideology and explore your mind. However, it will be tragic if the library gets reduced to nothing but that symbol. The future of public libraries depends on whether people think they need a library or not. Libraries need to prove that they can offer people something they can’t get anywhere else. As long as they’re doing that, they’ll exist in some form. I hope they don’t become museums.

Q: Are you still a Mormon? How has your faith changed throughout your life?

Josh: Not really. I still go to church now and then with my family; it certainly doesn’t hurt me. I’d call myself a “heritage Mormon.” Mormonism is such a fantastic American story that I get a kick out of being from such tough stock. Those pioneers were rough customers.

At this point I’ve got some of the habits, minus the conviction.

The major shift in my lifetime of faith is that now I’m more interested in how I think than in what I think.

Q: Why is strength training important to you?

Josh: Training is the only time I feel like I’m in control of my body. It’s where I can actually see that I’m getting better at something. You’re either stronger than yesterday or you’re not. In any case, there’s no downside to being strong and healthy, so don’t feel like you need to have Tourette’s to take care of your body! It’s a gift you can always give yourself.

Q: How can we get kids to read more?

Josh: They need examples. If you’re a parent who loves books, your kids will probably love books. If you are in a mentor role and kids who emulate you know that you prioritize knowledge, they will too. This sounds very after-school-special-ish, but learning is fun. Kids learn and adapt by watching the adults around them. If you play Angry Birds all day in front of your kid, you don’t get to whine when his reading comprehension lags.

Q: What do you hope readers will get out of this book?

Josh: I hope they’ll laugh, hug their families, use their libraries more, read more books, and ask all of those uncomfortable questions they’ve been avoiding. And then I want them to write to me and recommend a book that I should read. Anyone can send me a recommendation through my website.

Josh HanagarneAbout Josh Hanagarne Josh Hanagarne is a proud dad, husband, writer, speaker, and librarian.He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Yes, voluntarily.He is obsessed with books and book culture. Speaking of, his own book, a memoir called The World’s Strongest Librarian, will be published by Gotham Books in 2013. This is extremely awesome.

He is nearly as obsessed with the fringe world of physical strength.

Most of the time he loves people. He is interested in helping as many of them as possible, as long as it doesn’t involve pretending he knows things he doesn’t.

All of the time he hates boredom.

He has an extreme case of Tourette’s Syndrome. He is owning it.

He loves his parents.

He likes to ask questions.

He loves big words but tries not to trot them out for casual conversation.

To learn more about Josh, visit his website and blog or follow him on Twitter.

Q&A with Author Lori Foster + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Q&A> blog tours> Book Giveaway

Today, Reading Reality is part of Lori Foster’s Bare It All Blog Tour! Read my review of Bare It All here and enjoy this Q&A from Lori.

Also, I’m very pleased to be able to host a giveaway, courtesy of the tour, of one print copy of Bare It All. (US only)

Marlene: Describe the qualities in your “perfect” hero.

Lori: Well first off, he has to be imperfect. I can’t imagine anything more boring that perfection.

He has to be a man. A man’s man. I’m totally not into the metrosexual guy. If he paints his toenails… yeah, he won’t be in my book. Oh, and if he waxes his chest? Bleh. My guys are too busy kicking butt and saving mankind to groom their chests.

He has to be strong – physically strong is nice, but more important than that is mental and emotional strength. If he’s going to cry, it better be for a really good reason. Not because he lost a sporting event or watched a sad movie.

He has to be respectful to everyone who deserves it – which means unless someone has given him real reason to be disrespectful, he’ll be polite.

He has to be capable. It drives me INSANE when someone writes a hero who can’t change a diaper. I mean, that’s pretty basic. If you can’t do that, how can you possibly master anything complicated like driving a car or shaving?

He should be kind, with a sense of humor.

And he absolutely MUST love animals and feel protective toward children.

Being a stallion in bed doesn’t hurt either.

Marlene: When it comes to food, are you the adventurous type who will try anything once, or do you prefer to stick to tried and true foods and recipes?

Lori: Tried and true! Nothing with eyeballs. Nothing that looks like a bug. (Shrimp = grub worms. Lobsters = insects. Whole fish that are looking at me… shudders.) I love roast and mashed potatoes, stuffed pork chops, beef stew and bean soup and sauerkraut with ribs… I’m a country girl.

And I’ve never met a dessert I didn’t like!

Marlene: As a romance writer, what is your idea of the “ideal romantic evening”?

Lori: My husband and I are not, and never have been, party people – unless it’s an afternoon family party. When we go to the movies, it’s usually a matinee. So with that in mind, I like easy, slow evenings where he cooks me something delicious for dinner (he’s turned into an amazing cook!) and then either the theater (not too late) or a good movie on the television, dressed in our comfortable clothes. Just us, quiet time, being together.

Marlene: Any place we can find you in person or on the net this month or next?

Lori: I have an event schedule to make it easier for readers to locate me!

I’m all over the net, too. Goodreads, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, PushPage, and I have a really useful once-a-month newsletter that keeps readers caught up on all the happenings.

June of every year I organize the “Reader & Author Get Together” with my good friend Duffy Brown. 500 romance readers, authors, editors, and editors getting together for fun, food, games, raffles and book signings. We’ve sold out already, but the book signings are open to the public! Check out the deets on that here!

Marlene: What project are you working on next?

Lori: That depends on how long it takes me to finish my current manuscript – which will be book 4 in the Love Undercover series. If I finish it early enough, I’ll start a new L. L. Foster book, meaning more urban fantasy and more graphic gore. If it takes longer to finish, then I’ll jump into the next romance single title.

BlogtourSuitcase_BARE IT ALL

~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

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Interview with Author Cherry Adair + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours> Book Giveaway> Giveaways

Today I’d like to give a warm welcome to Cherry Adair. Cherry is the author of the T-FLAC action/adventure romantic suspense series, and the latest book in her series is titled Ice Cold. I’ll tell you right now that the action (and the romance) in Ice Cold is plenty hot! Check out my review for more of the sizzle. And if you want a paperback copy of Ice Cold for yourself, you’ll have a shot at the end of the interview.

Meanwhile, here’s Cherry!

Marlene: Hi Cherry! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Cherry: I was born in Cape Town, South Africa. My mother was a well-known opera singer and actress, and  my father was a second rate magician who took one look at her up on stage and declared that he was going to marry her. They got married a couple of weeks later. I trained as an interior designer at the University of Cape Town, then came to America in my early twenties and opened my own interior design business in San Francisco. My husband came in to look for wallpaper (it was a Wednesday <g>). By Sunday we were engaged, two weeks later we were married. That was 30 plus years ago. I still refer to him as my first husband just to keep him on his toes. Lol.

I’ve always loved to write, and sold my first book –The Mercenary– in 1993. A couple of years later I sold my interior design business in San Francisco to write full time. I write three different worlds. T-FLAC, my counterterrorists, Cutter Cay, underwater treasure hunters, and Lodestone, in which a main character has a sixth sense after a near death experience, giving him the ability to see the GPS location of a lost object or person. Currently I’m writing book # 36.

Marlene: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Cherry: I’m a Night Owl. I come alive at about 10 P.M. and then fall into bed at about 6 or 7 A.M. As long as I get about 8 hours sleep it doesn’t matter when or how I manage them. When I’m on a deadline (which is most of the time) I sleep in four or five hour stretches, and write in-between.

I was a pantser until I sold my first book. Then I saw the error of my ways. My right brain gets annoyed when my left brain insists on logic. <g> Now I spend a week plotting and doing basic research before I even open a Word document and write Chapter One. Plotting well enables me to use my left, analytical brain before I jump into the story with both feet. Still, even when the book is well plotted, I loathe writing the first draft. It always feels as if I’m writing. One. Word. At. A. Time. Once that’s done, and I have what I need on the page, it takes a crowbar to get me away from the story as I layer and texture all the fun parts into it.

Marlene: What drew you to write romantic suspense?

Cherry: I’ve always enjoyed reading romantic suspense, and still do when I have the chance. But I consider what I write action adventure, more than romantic suspense. I love the running, chasing, shooting, wild monkey sex of action adventure. <g>

Marlene: And how do you research the military/adventure/suspense sides of the romantic suspense equation?

Cherry: I do a huge amount of research for all of my books. I do basic research before I start writing. I know what weapons my character uses, and the skills they’ll need as the story progresses. I always start with the plot, and what I need my characters to do, or what I want their experiences to be so they’re prepared for what I’m about to throw at them. There’s a lot of information to be had online, but my biggest resource is my little black book, where I keep contact information for all sorts of interesting people. People like nuclear physicists, tech people, bomb disposal experts, Navy SEALs, a famous biologist, a botanist, a lovely man who (allegedly lol) sells weapons to shady people. . .I even have some of his shady people in my black book. Lol I collect people’s skills like other women collect shoes (I collect shoes as well of course. <g>) I also have people listed by their language proficiency. (Foreign languages, not swearing. <g>) I have some pretty famous people between those pages, and some people whose number I call and the call is rerouted electronically in an awesome spy-way. I also have great contacts at some of the agencies, FBI, CIA etc. People love to talk about what they do (well, most of them). And I love, love libraries where I spend hours getting completely lost in research. Information is everywhere.

Marlene: For those newbies among us, could you give a quick intro to T-FLAC and the T-FLAC series?

Cherry: Terrorist Force Logistic Assault Command is a privately owned counterterrorist organization based in Montana. The idea was conceived on a very long, very smoky return flight from Italy many years ago. Eight T-FLAC, and six T-FLAC/Psi books, and two new series later, I’m back in the world of counterterrorists and hot sexy espionage with ICE COLD. I had SO much fun writing this book, it was like being back with old (incredibly sexy lol) friends.

Marlene: What can readers expect of Ice Cold?

Cherry: For those who have not read any of my books – let me sum them up quickly for you. Running-chasing-shooting-wild monkey sex-action-adventure. A little over the top-a lot sexy.

ICE COLD is the story of  two counterterrorist operatives. Cyber-geek Honey Winston and bomb ‘whisperer’, Rafael Navarro as they race across Europe in search of a bomber determined to bring the organization they work for to its knees.

ICE COLD is a cat and mouse game, with plenty of twists and turns. And while the story is running-chasing-shooting-falling-down-icy weather-hot sex-sexy-romantic action adventure, at the heart of it, it’s the story of two people learning each other and eventually falling in love.

Backcover copy for ICE COLD:
T-FLAC operative Rafael Navarro will never allow another woman to suffer the consequences of his dangerous life. But in a world where a terrorist can do more damage with a keyboard than a bomb, he needs the expert help of a cyber-geek. And fast.

Fellow operative, and cybercrimes specialist Honey Winston prefers computers to people. But when a serial bomber threatens the world’s financial infrastructure, she’s forced to work closely with Navarro, whose notorious skill in the bedroom is as legendary as his dexterity defusing bombs.

Honey and Rafael must fight sparks hot enough to melt their resolve, and push beyond fear itself, as they join forces in a bid to race the clock before a sinister and lethal bomber proves just how much they both have to lose.

T-FLAC is back, and the timer is counting down in the most pulse-pounding explosive op yet—

About Cherry
New York Times bestselling author Cherry Adair’s innovative action-adventure novels have appeared on numerous bestsellers lists, won dozens of awards and garnered praise from reviewers and fans alike. With the creation of her kick butt counterterrorist group, T-FLAC, years before action adventure romances were popular, Cherry has carved a niche for herself with her sexy, sassy, fast-paced novels. She loves to hear from readers.

Places to find Cherry: website | twitter | goodreads | faceboook

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Interview with Aubrie Dionne + Giveaway!

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours> ebook giveaway> Giveaways

I’m always happy to host a fellow member of the SFR Brigade! My guest today is Aubrie Dionne, the author of the fantastic science fiction romance series A New Dawn. Aubrie is here to talk about the series, especially the final book in the series, Haven 6. (see review at Book Lovers Inc for more details)

This series has told a fascinating story of the last of the human race as it makes its way out among the stars, searching for a new home in colony ships on generations-long voyages. For the story of those ships, see Paradise 18 (reviewed here at Reading Reality), and Tundra 37 (reviewed at Book Lovers Inc.) Where it all began is told in A Hero Rising (review at BLI).

But now, here’s Aubrie to tell us about her writing journey. And if you want a copy of A New Dawn for your very own, take a look at the giveaway at the end.

Marlene: Hi Aubrie! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Aubrie: I’m a professional flutist by day and a writer by night. I make up stories to go along with the music that I play or teach, so the stories were always there in my mind ever since I started playing at age 9. Some of my flute students said I should start writing them down, and here I am today!

Marlene: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Aubrie: I write before work, then a little after work. I used to be a panster, but now I have to submit a synopsis to my agent to get my work on her reading list in time. So, now I plot. It works much better for me, because I’ve already figured out the story and I don’t get writer’s block nearly as much.

Marlene: What is it about the fantastic and the futuristic that draws you to write in those worlds? Why do you make yourself go through the pain of creating a new world for each story instead of writing contemporary?

Aubrie: Contemporary always seemed harder for me. I had no glorious settings to hide behind, and I knew anything I wrote about had to be realistic. That ruled out a lot of stuff for me, because I have no idea how a lot of things in the real world work! Like a cop- what is their day like? Who knows? Or an archaeologist?  Sounds cool, but I really don’t know what they do day to day. So, when I finally decided to take the plunge and write contemporary, I wrote about something I knew a lot about: music. Then, I branched out from there!

Marlene: In your blog, you mention your love of science fiction, but what was your inspiration for the New Dawn series? Why a “human race diaspora” story in particular for the series?

Aubrie: That’s what I think is going to happen to Earth. I’m so worried we’ll use up our resources and pollute ourselves into a bind. I want to know that we have a back-up plan.

Marlene: You’ve written about the science fiction shows that inspired you, Star Trek, Star Wars and Firefly, but what about the authors? Who are the science fiction and fantasy writers that made you escape into their worlds?

Aubrie: I love Patricia McKillip. My favorite book of hers is Winter Rose. Every sentence is beautiful and poetic. I also grew up reading Tad William’s Memory Sorrow and Thorn trilogy over and over again. I loved the alternating points of view and the way the main character, Simon, grows up throughout the books starting as a scullion and turning into the next King.

Marlene: What can we expect of Haven 6?

Aubrie: Haven 6 is epic. I had to tie in all the loose threads from the previous three books in the series and make the entire series arc make sense. It was no easy task for me. I wanted it to be a satisfying conclusion for my readers.

Marlene: How does playing a flute combine with being an author? Or does it? Explain about the flute, please?

Aubrie: I think I answered this in the first question. But, let me add that the two careers go very well together because they are both so flexible. I teach 3-8 Mon- Thurs, 9-3 Friday, and 8:30-5 Saturdays. All the rest of the time I can spend writing if I need to.

Marlene: What was the first moment you know you wanted to write?

Aubrie: Probably in grade school. My very first poem was about how I was sad I’d never see a unicorn!

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read and why did you choose that book?

Aubrie: If you’re a writer, then you should read Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, and On Writing by Stephen King. If you’re a fantasy reader, then you should read Tad William’s Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy.

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Aubrie: They are adventurous, they give you a warm fuzzy feeling at the end, and I think it’s the perfect combination of romance and fantasy/sci fi. Not too technical, but not too steamy you’re embarrassed to read it out loud.

Marlene: Will there be more books in this series? What is next on your schedule?

Aubrie: This is the end of the series, sadly. But, I do have a YA spin off series called the Paradise Reclaimed series. The first book, Colonization, comes out November 7th– which I think is the day of this interview!

Marlene: Coffee or Tea?

Aubrie: Both! I need all the caffeine I can get!

Amen to the caffeine! And also, double for me on Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. That’s one that we kept on our keeper shelf, in hardcover, through all of our moves.  Thanks so much Aubrie, for the marvelous interview!

About Aubrie Dionne:
Aubrie grew up watching the original Star Wars movies over and over again until she could recite and reenact every single scene in her backyard. She also loved The Goonies, Star Trek the Next Generation-favorite character was Data by far- and Indiana Jones. But, her all time favorite movie was The Last Unicorn. She still wonders why the unicorn decided to change back to a unicorn in the end.

Aubrie wrote in her junior high yearbook that she wanted to be “A concert flutist” when she grew up. When she made that happen, she decided one career was not enough and embarked as a fantasy, sci fi author. Two careers seem to keep her busy. For now.

Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She recently signed her YA sci fi novel with Inkspell Publishing titled: Colonization: Paradise Reclaimed, which will release in October 2012.

Places to find Aubrie: Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

Haven 6 by Aubrie Dionne

A product of an illegal pairing, Eridani is the only woman without a lifemate aboard the colonization ship, the Heritage, and she is determined her less than perfect DNA will not get in the way of finding love. As the ship nears it’s final destination of Haven 6 after five hundred years of travel, images of the surface show evidence of intelligent life on a planet that’s supposed to be uninhabited. Commander Grier assigns Eri to the exploratory team to spy on the alien society and return with information on how to defeat them.

When Eri’s team lands, tribes of humans attack and Eri is saved by Striver, the descendant of a colonist and a pirate from Old Earth’s colonization efforts in other parts of the galaxy. Striver helps Eri rescue her team and they are drawn to each other despite their different allegiances. While Striver battles with trusting Eri, Eri must decide whether to warn him and his people about the commander’s intentions, or follow orders and complete her mission.

Places to buy Haven 6:

Amazon | B&N

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Interview with Samantha Kane + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours> ebook giveaway

I’d like to welcome today’s guest, Samantha Kane. She’s here to talk about her first book in her new historical romance series for Loveswept, The Devil’s Thief. It’s a fun, frothy romance about stealing hearts (and pearls) from reformed rakes and the friends who set them up for their proper comeuppance. Take a look at my review for more details.

But here’s Samantha to tell us where she got the idea for her “Saint’s Devils”, and a few other things. Don’t forget to check out the giveaway at the end of the post!

Marlene: Hi Samantha! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Samantha: I’m 45, married for 16 years, and I have 3 kids ages 12, 9, and 6. I live in the South and I love it here. I love both the mountains and the beach. I like to knit, though I’m not very good at it. I did just finish a cute little stuffed animal for my son’s birthday. I’m moving next week and still have so much to pack! I’m actually moving the day my new book comes out. Because you can never have enough stress, right?

Marlene: Please describe a typical day of writing for us. Are you a planner or pantser?

Samantha: I’m a plotter. I used to be a pantser, for my first few books. I think you can tell the difference in my writing. I wanted to bring more depth to my stories and plotting has always been my weakness. Now I plot using screenwriting techniques, Act I, Act II, Act III, mid-point, climax etc. I plot each scene in the book, including point of view, and I outline character and romantic arcs. As for a typical day, I don’t have those. I write whenever I can, which may be morning, may be afternoon, may be evening. I do try to write in the morning before I go to the gym on days when I don’t have other commitments. Then lunch, writing, pick up kids, homework, dinner, writing.

Marlene: Why romance? Why not fantasy, or mystery, or science fiction? What is it about writing in the romance genre that drew you to writing in it in particular?

Samantha: I love the emotional investment in romance. I’ve written science fiction; it turned into science fiction romance. I’m sure whatever I write will have a romantic element. I just think adding romance to any plot increases the reader’s emotional investment in the stakes for the hero or heroine. It creates an intimacy between the reader and the story that’s lacking in other genres.

Marlene: What can we expect of The Devil’s Thief?

Samantha: Good things, I hope! This is a bit of a non-traditional Regency. There’s a lot of humor and action. Burglaries, fistfights, chases, criminals, and some pretty hot sex scenes. There’s a lot of interaction between the hero and his friends, other Devils who will be the heroes in future books in The Saint’s Devils series.

Marlene: And what about the rest of the series? Is there a story behind that most intriguing title, The Saint’s Devils?

Samantha: The Saint’s Devils is the nickname given by society to the heroes of the series. They are a group of rakes that have been friends since school. Their unofficial leader is Sir Hilary St. John, a Sherlock Holmes type character who was inspired by Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes. Sir Hilary helps the heroes solve a mystery involving their heroine in each book. Sir Hilary is mysterious, his past is shadowy and he is frequently engaged in secretive inquiries for mysterious clients. The second book in the series, Tempting a Devil, is Roger Templeton’s story. He’s the ne’er do well Devil, penniless, hilarious, and drunk more often than not in The Devil’s Thief. He’ll meet his match in an old friend from his childhood, Lady Harriet Mercer. No longer the tomboy Roger remembers from his youth, Harry is a gorgeous widow in need of help with a secret that could break Roger’s heart.

Marlene: The Devil’s Thief is your first title for Loveswept. How did you feel when you got the call that the book had been accepted?

Samantha: I was excited. I’d heard of Sue Grimshaw, my Loveswept editor, when she was the romance buyer for Borders, and I was eager to work with her. I think Loveswept fits my style of writing and I like the idea of being part of the beginning of the new Loveswept. My readership is digital, and Loveswept definitely fit me in that way, too.

Marlene: And how is The Devil’s Thief different (or similar) to your award-winning erotic romances?

Samantha: The Devil’s Thief is a very sensuous mainstream romance, so expect some scenes that don’t artfully fade to black. I think my readers will recognize the intense emotional and physical relationship that Alasdair and Julianna have. However, it is not erotic. And there’s more humor in this book than in my Brothers in Arms books. The camaraderie between the Devils is similar to the close relationships the men in my BIA books share, without any sexual overtones. I think the similarities most evident will be the fully drawn characters, both the main and the secondary characters, and the emotional element of the story.

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future? What is next on your schedule?

Samantha: I have a short Brothers in Arms story coming out this week, Love and War: The Beginning. It was originally written as a free read for my newsletter subscribers and I’m now making it available to everyone. I’m also working on the 3rd book in The Saint’s Devils series, which should be out next year. Within the next few months look for another Brothers in Arms novella and a full length Brothers in Arms next year.

 

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Samantha:
1. Because they love a good, old school romance.
2. Alpha males and clever heroines excite them.
3. They like humor and witty dialog in their romance.

Marlene: Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn’t know to ask?

Samantha: My favorite kind of music is country.

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read and why that particular book?

Samantha: I can’t think of one. I hesitate to recommend books to people who don’t ask. And I recommend different authors based on what kind of book people like to read. I tend to recommend authors rather than books. So I recommend JR Ward, Nalini Singh, Eloisa James, Rachel Gibson, Kristin Higgins.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Samantha: Night owl, definitely. Then I pay for it in the mornings.

About Samantha
Reviewers have called Samantha Kane “an absolute marvel to read,” and “one of historical romance’s most erotic and sensuous authors.” Her books have been called “sinful,” “sensuous,” and “sizzling.” She is published in several romance genres including historical, contemporary and science fiction. Her erotic Regency-set historical romances have won awards, including Best Historical from RWA’s erotic romance chapter Passionate Ink, and the Historical CAPA (best book) award from The Romance Studio. She has a master’s degree in American History, and taught high school social studies for ten years before becoming a full time writer. Samantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children.
Places to find Samantha Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

 

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Interview with Cindy Spencer Pape

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours

I’m so happy to welcome Cindy Spencer Pape to Reading Reality! I discovered Cindy’s work in an all-night reading binge, when I tore through five of her books all at once, and I’ve been scooping them up as fast as they come out ever since. If you’re a fan of either paranormal romance or steampunk, you can’t go wrong with her Urban Arcana or her Gaslight Chronicles. The Gaslight Chronicles combines steampunk with the incredible concept that the Knights of Round Table weren’t just real, but that their descendants are still around!

But today she’s here to talk about the latest entry in the Gaslight Chronicles, Moonlight & Mechanicals. A werewolf trying to resist his love for an engineer! How much more steampunk can you get? (I loved it, take a look at my review for details) But let’s hear what Cindy has to say.

Marlene: Hi Cindy! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Cindy: Let’s see, I live in Michigan with my husband of 27 years and two college-age sons. Two dogs, one iguana, and I’m still the only female in the house. My professional background is in wildlife education, but now I write full time.

Marlene: Describe a typical day of writing. Are you a planner or pantser?

Cindy: I’m not disciplined enough to really have a “typical” day. I get up. Usually I answer my email and play for a little bit on Facebook, plus do any promo I need to for the day. Then I write until dinner time, and sometimes into the evening. I take breaks for email, Facebook  food and Diet Coke though-out the day. I can write through just about any chaos, so the TV or XBox is often chattering right beyond my monitor and the dogs demand in and out often enough to keep me from sitting still for too long. As far as plotting, I’m somewhere in between. I have a general idea of where the plot is going to go, and I usually sell on a synopsis these days, so I have a plan, but the details always surprise me.

Marlene: The Gaslight Chronicles take place in a steampunk version of Victorian England. Would you like to provide readers with an introduction to your particular version of steampunk Victoriana?

Cindy: Okay. In the real world, in the 1830-40s, a man named Charles Babbage developed plans for what he called an “analytical engine.” Ada, Lady Lovelace a mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, wrote the code that this machine would use, on punch cards, to operate. In real life, Babbage’s world fell apart and he never finished this machine. Modern scholars are convinced it might have worked. So in the Gaslight Chronicles, computers were invented in the 1840s, and a woman was the first coder. Lady Lovelace went on (in my world) to establish a college for women in the sciences at Oxford. Therefore, by the middle of the Gaslight books, we have university-educated engineers and doctors who are female. Also, this world has vampires, but they’re not sexy. They’re stinky and rotting and all they want to do is feed. The Order of the Round Table, descendants of the original knights, still exists, mainly to kill vampires and deal with other supernatural threats. Werewolves, on the other hand, are just people, including Liam, the hero of Moonlight. There are some hints that the Fae might be running around as well.

Marlene: Steampunk isn’t just about fiction, it also influences art and costume design. What do you think makes the concept of steampunk so appealing to so many people in so many forms?

Cindy: Well, for one thing, the clothes are incredibly cool. You can go full-on Victorian, or just wear a knockout top hat with your jeans. The genre as far as music, art, fashion, and fiction go is really limitless. As for the social aspect, I suspect it’s a case of lots of grownups who are little kids at heart to get together and play with cool stuff. At least that’s what I like about it.

Marlene: It was an absolutely brilliant idea, but what inspired you to blend the legends of the Knights of the Round Table with steampunk in your Gaslight Chronicles?

Cindy: I have to give credit to my husband for this one. We were sitting outside on the deck and I said, “I need a name for my organization of monster hunters in Victorian England. I described a little of what they do and he suggested the Order of the Round Table. I looked at my manuscript and realized I had already named characters MacKay (son of Kay) and Lake (du Lac). It was as if The Order had already taken shape before I even realized it.

Marlene: A lot of your books, whether they are historical or contemporary, steampunk or not, have at least some paranormal elements. What draws you to write about worlds where the “things that go bump in the night” really exist?

Cindy: Again, I think it comes back to the idea of stretching my imagination. I like my fiction to be an escape from reality, so I try to take it all the way.

Marlene: What can we expect of Moonlight & Mechanicals?

Cindy: Well, Wink is one of the most headstrong heroines I’ve ever written. She’s literally crawled her way up from the gutters and she’s not about to let anyone stand in her way. Liam has a bit of a stick up his bum about his own potential as a mate, so he’s going to do his best to hook Wink up with somebody “safe.” You’ll find a bit of Cyrano creeping into the story. And then there’s a maniac trying to take over England with his infernal inventions.

Marlene: You’ve published a number of titles with Ellora’s Cave, and now quite a few with Carina Press. From your perspective, what was different about the publishing experience with these two different publishers?

Cindy: The biggest difference is that Carina is a division of Harlequin. So although the Carina team has a very similar mind-set to other e-publishers, the mechanics of it, the contracts, the royalty checks, and the covers go through more layers of bureaucracy. On the other hand, I’ve gotten a better distribution through Carina, but I do love that Ellora’s Cave offers print. Really, I have good things to say about both publishers, but the experience isn’t at all the same.

Marlene: Will there be more books in this series? What is next on your schedule?

Cindy: The next Gaslight Chronicles book will be out next April and is a shorter novel called Cards and Caravans. Or in my head, it’s the Order goes to the circus. 🙂

Marlene: Will there be any more books in the Urban Arcana series? (please? whimper, whimper)

Cindy: Right now, there aren’t any planned, but I haven’t ruled it out entirely. There’s still Vin the demon who needs a story, and Maeve, the healer from Motor City Fae. I’m not sure if they go together or if they need two separate stories.

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Cindy: I’m really bad at touting my own work, but I’ll give it a shot. I tend to write characters who are smart and use their brains as well as brawn to solve problems. People tell me there’s humor in there, although I don’t write intentionally funny. What I *do* write is a story meant to take you away from your day to day problems for a little while and transport you to where the good guys always win and get their HEA.

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read and why do you recommend that particular book?

Cindy: One of my books that very few people have read was my first sale, Curses. It’s set in a world fairly similar to Urban Arcana, although it’s in a small Michigan town. It was my first werewolf book, and remains one of my favorites.

Marlene: Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn’t know to ask?

Cindy: I was a grad student intern at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, once, a long, long time ago.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Cindy: Night owl, all the way.

Cindy, you had me all the way back at “Diet Coke though-out the day,” just so you know. Thanks so much for giving us a little more insight into your world. Babbage’s Difference Engine made all the difference! That makes perfect sense. 

Interview with Author Nikki Logan + Giveaway!

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours> Giveaways

Please welcome Nikki Logan to Reading Reality today. Nikki comes to us all the way from the West Coast of Australia. She’s not just here to tell us about her latest book from Entangled Publishing, Wild Encounter (review coming up on Friday) but she’s also going to give us just a glimpse into life down under. And not city life, but life in a part of the country we don’t usually hear much about. Her description really brings her world to life.

Some of the description of the way people live makes it sound a bit like Alaska without the snow. (Maybe for our next move…)

Here’s Nikki!

Marlene: Welcome Nikki! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Nikki: Sure. I’m an Australian writer who also works in the wildlife/conservation industry. I live over on the West Coast of Australia with my man and two dogs, two cats, four birds, four frogs and three fish. I’ve written contemporary romance (category length) for a couple of years and am really happy to now also write Rom-Sus for Entangled/Dead Sexy.

Marlene: It’s pretty clear from your blog, and from your books, that you definitely have a love affair with nature. When and how did your romance with nature begin?

Nikki: I can’t remember a time that I didn’t identify with wild places or creatures. I was always a really animal-y kid and that has never left me. When I studied film at Uni it was with the intention of become a natural history filmmaker, I really wanted to show people what so inspired me about the natural world. That didn’t happen (I ended up going into commercial production and video distribution for a decade) but I’ve kind of ended up where I wanted to be, just via a different route. So very happy with that.

Marlene: For those of us who live in the U.S. especially in the cities, your life in Western Australia seems like a great adventure. Would you be willing to tell us a little bit about what it’s really like?

Nikki: Perth is the world’s second most isolated capital city after Honolulu (devastated to discover we’ve been bumped from first place!). Check it out on a map and you’ll see that the nearest other capital is 2,500kms away. Western Australia also has a really small population relative to its size. Imagine everything west of Denver (USA) with only 2.2million people in it, but then imagine 2million of those only being in Los Angeles and the other 200,000 spread out across the rest of that space. You can go for days, out there, without seeing anything other than wildlife. Fantastic. But also dangerous if you get in trouble.

This isolation means we have quite a unique social culture within Australia (which we love and embrace, btw, we don’t see it as a minus). We have a massive coastline all to ourselves and so a big boating/fishing/water-based leisure culture. We love to dine, walk, and play on, in or beside oceans and rivers and seafood is a huge part of our dining experience.

We also have a really big ‘back yard’ culture. People have expansive outdoor kitchens here with flash BBQs and we sit out with our family and friends or we hangout in sprawling home theatres or beside clean, crystal pools and enjoy each other’s company more than some of the more ‘happening’ east coast cities where going out straight after work and not getting home til late is really common.  We have more hours of sunlight than any other city in Australia and boy do we use it.

The south-west of WA is all about forests and temperate agriculture and wine and caves and tourists and leisure and ‘tree-changes’. The far north of WA is all about red, ancient landscapes with a whole different weather system, dramatic land- and sea-scapes and extraordinary creatures. And, in between the two, we’re all about desert and resources and the grazing industry (our state lives and breathes on cattle, sheep and what gets dug up out of the earth).

We have a really unique sub-culture here called FIFO to support our massive mining industry. That means that a big percentage of our population (men mostly) work in remote areas of the state on mines or oil-rigs or whatever, so they fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) on rosters like 9 days on 4 days off because it’s cheaper for the companies to fly their staff all over the state every day from the City than to accommodate them in remote towns. If you walk into the business lounges of any airline anywhere else in the world you’ll find it filled with well-dressed business types. Walk into one at Perth airport and its full of steel-capped boots, king-gee shorts and tanned, masculine legs 🙂

So that’s my home. Enormous, resource-rich, sparsely populated outside of the city, abundant with wildlife and ancient landscapes, hot in summer and warm in winter, and very, very sunny. I love it.

Marlene: Now, could you describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Nikki: My writing sign is Pantser with plotster ascending 🙂   I have a general idea of what I’ll be writing about and while I’m capable of developing a story arc/outline I seem to be incapable of sticking to it. So I just resign myself to lots of go-overs (and some do-overs) while the story takes shape from my subconscious.

Marlene: What made you choose to write romances that incorporate your love of nature? (It’s a terrific concept!)

Nikki: Write what you love. The old adage. I knew I wanted to write stories set in or about wildlife and when I first started looking at the whole nature-based thing there wasn’t anyone doing that overtly. I didn’t know if that meant there wasn’t a market of just that no-one had turned it into a brand. So I held my breath and went for it. I do firmly believe that having a clear and unequivocal brand helped me to sell to Harlequin originally because they ‘got it’ straight up. And now it’s really awesome (from a business perspective) to have that clear brand to help guide my decisions. Sometimes you could go two ways and can’t decide but only one of them will support the brand and so it helps make that decision easier.

But it was a compromise because to have that brand I knew I’d be effectively writing myself out of some of the bigger selling market places (with the glamorous settings and very urban stories).

Marlene: What can we expect of Wild Encounter?

Nikki: A wild, danger-filled ride. A fantasy romance grounded in reality. Lots of wildlife. Lots of sweat and angst. Lots of blood (which was very exciting for me to write!)

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future? What is next on your schedule?

Nikki: I write full time (5-days-a-week) and I work my day job the other two and so I have a very full schedule. It means I have a few things on the go at once but in between the contemporary romances I’m fiddling with two more rom-sus ideas, one is a sequel to Wild Encounter (featuring MI6 operative,McKenzie) and the other is a paranormal set in Indondesia.

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Nikki: For the escape. For the wildlife. For the compelling, relatable characters.

Marlene: Who first introduced you to the love of reading?

Nikki: My  mother with her enormous book collection. My most enduring memory of her is her perched at the kitchen bench, cup-of-tea by her side, elbows on the counter, book in hand. She always read and so reading was such a normal pastime in my house, growing up. But both my grandfathers were also great storytellers and so I definitely got the story-teller gene from them.

Marlene: What words of advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Nikki: Learn the business. Talent is no longer enough. Perfected craft is no longer enough. Whether you traditionally publish or self-publish the rules are the same, you need to watch the market, watch the trends, read up on the issues and see what’s working for other people. If you don’t want to approach this as a business then just make sure you always keep writing as that gorgeous thing you do on the side. The thing you do for you. The moment it becomes work you have to change your mindset.

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read and why did you pick that particular book?

Nikki: Orson Scott Card – Enders Game. I picked it because it was the first book (well, series really) that grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. Card is such a gifted storyteller (personal politics aside) and linguist and his stories exemplify the best of genre fiction — engaging, entertaining, memorable.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Nikki: Both. As required 🙂

Nikki, I want to thank you for an absolutely fantastic interview. You’ve been terrific!

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