When Calen MacLeod begins having dreams of an ethereal beauty who beckons to him, he passes it off as just having an itch he hasn’t scratched in a long time. But when he leaves on a journey to find her, following the directions she’s given him in his dreams, he begins to doubt his sanity. And when he finds himself high in the Mackinaw Mountains in a secret fortress with unicorns and a pink and white castle, surrounded by women, each one more beautiful than the next, it’s a fantasy no man would want to wake up from. But Arianna is the only woman for Calen.

The women of the Fortress have lived in peace, hidden away from the humans who tried to annihilate them all. But now a 500-year-old demon is out to destroy the women’s matriarch, Ariella, and he’ll stop at nothing to complete his mission. When Calen MacLeod shows up, he throws a wrench into Damon’s plans. Never let it be said Damon isn’t ready for anything, but when he kidnaps Arianna and takes her to modern day San Francisco, is he ready to meet Calen, who will stop at nothing to save his ladylove?

~*~*~

When I was a little girl I loved to read fairy tales where plain, no status girls wind up being pursued by Prince Charming and living happily ever after. I was so taken by these stories that when I was about seven years old, I used to go to a meadow near our house and sing songs trying to get the woodland creatures to come to me like Cinderella did. My friend Donna, who was a few years older, lived down the dirt road a ways, but we lived in the Trinity Alps and her house was the only one near us, and she had fabulous dress up gowns. We pretended to be everything from Miss Kitty to Sleeping Beauty and danced away the night with our own make believe Prince Charmings.

I suppose I never really outgrew the fairy tale and, although my life was far from a fairy tale, it never kept me from fantasizing or wishing for Prince Charming to whisk me away on his white steed. Of course life has a way of bringing fantasy into reality but somewhere in the back of my mind, I continued to look for Prince Charming. Since he didn’t seem to be anywhere on the horizon in real life, I figured I’d bring him from my fantasy life onto paper. I wrote my first fantasy romance in the eighth grade. Pretty mild compared to what I write these days but it whetted my appetite for more.

All through school I wrote and read. Once I discovered my mother’s “True Life” magazines, the raciest thing I’d ever read, I discovered things I had never dreamed of and began incorporating those things into my writing. I wrote my first erotic romance at eighteen. Although it was never published, and I blushed at the idea of the things I wrote about, I learned some very useful lessons. Of course, back then anything to do with bedroom activities were considered porn and porn was coming on strong in the 70′s.

As I continued to expand my horizons with each passing year, I became more interested in the research than the writing as most young people do, and then a wonderful thing happened – I met Prince Charming. Once kids came along, I went back to writing where I began, with fantasies for my children. The fantasy world can be anything, any time, any place. You can fly on your own abilities, travel through time and space, be the hero or heroine, and live happily ever after. Funny, now that I’m a multi-published author who writes fantasy romance from time to time, I look at my life with Prince Charming, and as hard as I try, nothing I write comes close to my real life fantasy.

~*~*~

EXCERPT:

She stood on the other side of the fire and watched him sleep. He was more beautiful in person than he was in her dreams. His face was soft in repose, and she walked slowly to him, careful not to make any sound that might wake him. Kneeling beside him, her fingers itched to touch the smooth skin of his face. How she wanted to trace her fingers over those full, kissable lips, to his high cheekbones, along his jaw, and over his brow. Her lips tingled at the thought of pressing them against his.

He slept without a shirt, and the sight of his bare chest caused her breath to catch in her throat. His skin was tanned from the summer sun, and she wanted to touch the golden hair on his chest. To trace a line down his body to where more hair covered his stomach and then disappeared in a trail below the band of his leather breeches.

Wondering what else lay below that line, she wanted to know if the bottom half of him was as beautiful as the top. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest to give her hands something to do, or else she knew she would touch him. And that was not allowed. She’d broken the rules just by being with him now, but she was not actually making contact with the mortal. Not a
word had been spoken between then, she had not reached for him, nor had she wakened him. Oh, she wanted to wake him—to wake him and do much more—but time had run out, and she needed to get back or she would be missed. She sat for a moment longer and when he stirred, she caught her breath. He settled back into sleep, and, impulsively, she softly kissed his brow. Then she was gone.

~*~*~

Rie McGaha was born and raised in northern California along the shores of Humboldt County where her grandmother often took her to dig for clams and watch the whales migrate. Being raised with the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, gave Rie a deep love for nature. She has resided in the Kiamichi Mountains of SE Oklahoma where she rescues animals. She is the mother of 12 and Nana of 33 (and counting).

She is an author, editor, and reviewer. She has more than a dozen books to her credit, with the other two books of the My Soul To Keep Trilogy being released later this year. You can join Rie, GA Hauser, & Stormy Glenn at Blog Talk Radio, May 14, 2011 at 7 pm CST, followed by a group chat at Erotic Promo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eroticpromo/

GA Hauser – http://authorgahauser.com/
Stormy Glenn - http://stormyglenn.com/
Rie McGaha – http://www.riemcgaha.com/

~*~*~

Thank you, Rie, for sharing your book with us!  I LOVE the cover!  I wish you all the best in sales. 

~~Becka

Glad to have you here, Jinger! Today, we’re showcasing your book Demon’s Fall.

What inspired you to write this book? I’m a big fan of Supernatural and Charmed. In Charmed I rooted for Cole Turner and his love for Phoebe. I desperately wanted to see him happy. (He WAS so sexy after all) And so I wondered, what would happen if a
demon fell in love, not with a witch but with an ANGEL?

Can you tell us a bit of what this book’s about?

As I said, I’m a huge fan of the whole Cole/Phoebe love story and I was greatly disappointed when it didn’t work out. But I wanted to explore the world of angels and demons. Andras popped into my head and stepped out to tell me that he needed
his story told. So…I did. Tange is a sweet woman who is a bit confused in her role. She’s a normal human woman—so she has always believed but suddenly she learns that she is actually destined to be a guardian angel…well it turns her world upside—especially when the forces of darkness appear, determined to sway or kill her.

Here is the Blurb:
What happens when a demon falls for an angel?

Tangela Teshua just recently buried her parents and has given up her city apartment to move back to the country house they left her. However, their deaths and her move are not the biggest changes coming to Tange’s life. Tange learns she is a guardian angel—or at least she will be when she over comes the challenges Satan will put in front of her.

Andras Belial’s father assigned him the task of destroying the newest being on the lighted path. But another battle looms on the horizon for Andras. His inner demon struggles against the strange formation of feelings, of a conscious growing to life. He falters even more when he meets Tange, the beautiful angel just might be able to save him.

Lucifer, infuriated that not only has Andras turned his back on his heritage but he has joined forces with an angel, sends an assassin demon after both Andras and Tange. Can they keep the demons at bay long enough to find happiness?

So Andras is a demon and Tange is an angel. You show Andras’s attitude changing throughout the book. Was it hard to portray him turning away from his evil nature? Writing it you mean? Not really. I mean I wanted to stay TRUE to the fact he IS a demon. But he eventually had a soul and DID show/feel compassion. He was a repentive demon; something I think is rarely dealt with.

No one likes an evil hero, but Andras is a demon. How did you manage to make him someone a reader
could love while not “wussifying” his evil at the same time?

That was the HARDEST thing to pull off.

Because while I had definite ideas of where he was and what he should be, I had to weigh that against what the editors thought a gentle reader would stand for. It was a VERY, VERY fine line that caused me a GREAT deal of wavering. I did have to eventually remove one scene because it was considered far too graphic for the general reader but otherwise, I felt we stayed pretty true. After all Andras IS a demon, but he’s a demon with a SOUL, one that CAN love and that is pretty redeeming in and of itself.

Can you tell us about any new releases or projects you have coming?

In May I have a release titled Morgan Creek coming from Carnal Passions—it actually releases on May 4th, WOOHOO!!!

http://www.carnalpassions.com/store/product.php?id_product=83

This little book was a ton of fun to write as well and since it takes place in the area I like to call home, it required I spent some time hiking, riding, walking and observing.

Morgan Creek is a book that shows what can happen when man decides to play God

Here’s the Blurb:

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should…

In peaceful Morgan Creek Arkansas four people have been brutally murdered and it’s up to Sheriff Alvarro Schmidt to find the killer that can’t possibly be real.

Agent Sage Lee works for the DOSR, Department of Scientific Research and she’s been dispatched to recapture a secret weapon that isn’t supposed to exist.

Sage and Al work against the clock to find this particular science experiment gone wrong before anyone else dies—but how do you track something that was created for its agility, stealth, intelligence and strength?

How about giving us an excerpt from Demon’s Fall and letting us know where to buy it?

Title: Demon’s Fall
Genre: Erotic Horror
ISBN: 978-1-60735-243-3
Ebook: $3.99
Released: February 16, 2011
Resplendence Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/4djg7k9
ARe: http://tinyurl.com/5uatv8y
OmniLit: http://tinyurl.com/3lkf2t8
Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/5uquqef
Book Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_IKzWdmBDE

Erotic Romance with Strong Sexual Content, Graphic Language, Violence, and Explicit Descriptions of Intimacy.

Andras Baliel stalked the narrow alleyway. The sun had just set, and the late afternoon air was warm and still. Blood roared in his ears. His gut churned. His hands shook. He needed to kill. This waiting around was driving him crazy. Never had he been so bored in all his life. Lucifer had a report of a new angel who would soon be coming into its powers, and Andras was supposed to tempt or terminate the being of light. But until the path to the angel was revealed, he had nothing to do but haunt the human
world.

An old man dressed in shabby, ill-fitting clothes weaved down the dirty alley, a little dog scurrying around his feet. The human was a worthless waste. It didn’t deserve to live. Andras darted over, grabbed the man by the collar and squeezed his throat. The man’s face reddened, and he squirmed with the need to breathe.

The fear filling the man’s heart was a heady rush. Humans had alcohol and drugs. Andras and his kind had terror and suffering. He savored the pain building in the man’s heart and body. “Worthless human,” Andras snarled as his fingers tightened.

At his feet, a mass of dirty fur alternately barked, growled and bit at Andras’ ankles. Andras raised his free hand and the dog lifted from the ground, hovering in midair like a furry balloon. He closed his hand into a fist and the dog’s shrill barking became frightened whimpers. With the mongrel effectively silenced, Andras turned his attention back to the man. Tears flowed down the man’s cheeks, and Andras read the plea for compassion in his eyes.

Mercy wasn’t something he dealt with. Andras grinned and released his grip slightly, allowing the man the ability to speak. “Beg me,” he ordered.

“Please,” the man began.

“Please what?” Andras savored the power he held over the pitiful human’s life. Soon the pleading would sing in his ears.

“Please…don’t hurt my dog.”

The man’s raspy reply caught him off guard. Surely he had misheard. The human was begging for mercy—for the dog? His grip relaxed more. ”What did you say?”

“Please…mister…don’t hurt my dog.”

A strange feeling flickered inside him. It was…what? Andras shook it off. He should split the beast wide open before the man’s eyes. He let the man drop to the ground and gripped the floating dog in both hands. Andras gradually tightened his hold on the squirming, whimpering creature, savoring the tears and fear radiating from the human waste lying at his feet. The man cried and pleaded once more, not for his own life, but for that of the worthless cur. The strange sensation that had previously flickered over Andras returned. Before he could think, his hold slipped, and the dog dropped to the ground.

The man reached out, picked up the mongrel, and held him close. He stared up into Andras’ eyes, but he didn’t move, didn’t run.

“Get the hell away from me,” Andras roared.

The dirty human didn’t wait to be told twice. He scrambled over the broken concrete and ran from the alley, the dog still cuddled in his arms.

Andras rubbed his hands together. Why hadn’t he killed them? What the f**k was wrong with him? A snarl surged up from deep in his chest and echoed off the jagged brick walls of the lane.

~*~*~

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today, Jinger!  If you’d like to find out more about her books, please visit:

http://www.freewebs.com/jingersnews/

~~Becka

Sara, you have the stage!

~*~*~

Becka’s question for you — What’s so sexy about vampires?

Thanks for the chance to hang out and meet your readers, Becka! I’ve always been intrigued by the concept of the supernatural, that there might be more things lurking out there than can be explained away by science or reason. Even as a kid, I loved reading about ghosts, UFOs and monsters. Writing paranormal romance lets me explore these concepts again as an adult, in my own unique way, and the only limits are those of my imagination.

I definitely think vampires hold a unique place among supernatural beings, because they’re so inherently predatory yet sensual. Think about it. A vampire is usually portrayed as stealing into his victim’s room under the cover of darkness, when she’s at her most vulnerable—asleep in bed. Despite this intrusion, he’s able to make her feel at ease, mesmerizing her into submission. By drinking her blood, penetrating her with his fangs, pressing his mouth against her throat, he’s intimate with her in a way that’s primitive, almost sexual.

I also think another part of the appeal of vampires is that although some are portrayed as living hundreds, even thousands of years, they retain a youthful appearance and stamina. Who wouldn’t want to look and feel like they’re twenty-something their entire lives? (And who wouldn’t want to have a lover with that kind of energy, lol?)

As far as the inspiration behind The Brethren Series, I live in Kentucky, in the heart of horseracing Bluegrass country. During my childhood, we would often drive past Thoroughbred horse farms. If you can picture nothing but rolling, open fields of lush, green grass, bordered by white fences, and horses set out to graze, you’ll have a good idea of how beautiful and peaceful they are. I often wondered about the people who lived on these farms, and it occurred to me that pretty much an entire community could live tucked away on one or more of them, with the outside world completely oblivious to their existence. From there, the idea of the Brethren eventually grew.

In Dark Passages: Tristan & Karen, Tristan Morin is a vampire on a mission: to not fall in love with Karen Pierce. To do so would prove that humans and Brethren were meant to be physically and emotionally bound to each other — something he, as a full-blooded Brethren, refuses to believe. It would be so much easier if Karen wasn’t beautiful. And if there wasn’t something about her that draws him like a moth to a flame, damn near impossible to resist.

Karen has always felt an inexplicable attraction to Tristan. More than just the fact he’s strikingly handsome, it’s as if being with him is something natural, comfortable and right. But soon a brash choice on his part leaves her heartbroken and confused, and a sadistic new enemy will put their tentative love — and their lives — to the ultimate test.

Tristan and Karen were introduced in the preceding installment of The Brethren Series, Dark Passion. As I wrote them, I really felt a connection to them and wanted to explore their backgrounds and relationship further. The idea that they were in love with each other and had been for a long time—but both of them were too stubborn to admit or act on it—appealed to my muse. The rest, as they say, is history.

Here’s an excerpt from Dark Passages: Tristan & Karen — I hope you enjoy!

Tristan Morin shoved Karen Pierce back into the nearest wall and pressed his mouth against hers. The warmth of her lips, the sweetness of her tongue, saliva and breath—it was enough to strip the senses from him.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered, because it was all he could do not to wrench her head back by the hair and sink his teeth into the hot, pulsating length of her carotid artery. His canines had extended, dropping from recessed grooves in his gum line. His pupils had enlarged, an ancient, primitive reflex that left them dilating wide enough to nearly swallow the visible portions of his irises and corneas. In this sudden, extremely light-sensitive field of vision, Karen’s pale skin seemed to glow, miniscule droplets of perspiration glistening against her face like diamonds.

“No.” She shook her head defiantly, her cheeks flushed, her blonde hair askew, her blue eyes glossy and round with eager anticipation.

He reached between them, ripping open her blouse with a single, forceful yank. Buttons popped loose, scattering against the floor. She wore no bra beneath; he drew back long enough to shrug his way out of his own shirt, then pushed himself into her, feeling the incredible heat of her body, the bullet points of her nipples against his chest.

“Tell me to stop,” he pleaded again, because if he didn’t, he was going to feed from her. And I can’t do that. God help me, I can’t.

Karen locked eyes with him. “No.”

~*~*~

Readers can check out the promotional video for Dark Passages: Tristan & Karen at my website: www.sarareinke.com. At the Flash version, you’ll also find an exclusive “About the Brethren” page that fills readers in on the series to date, and the different characters introduced so far.

Plus, for a limited time, readers can subscribe to my e-Newsletter and receive a FREE ebook copy of Dark Thirst, Book One in The Brethren Series. You can also visit the Contest page at the Source Immortal blog (www.sourceimmortal.com) and sign up for your chance to win a signed paperback copy of Dark Thirst as part of three fantastic prize packages we’re giving away for Valentine’s Day. There’s no better way to be introduced to the world of the Brethren vampires than with the book that started it all!

~*~*~

Please tell us about Black Angel, and I would usually ask what sets it apart, but when I read the blurb I was simply blown away. I have never read anything like it before

Well thank you.    It is a fantasy novella on another world, involving a hero from yet another world.  He was banished from his own planet for a crime he didn’t commit and hides on the heroine’s world.  Everyone on the heroine’s world of Tegras sees him as a demon.  He has obsidian black skin and leathery wings.  Whenever he is discovered, he moves on before the “villagers with pitchforks” comes for his soul.  LOL  Only his heroine sees him as anything other than a demon–in fact, she sees him as an angel, and their love story blossoms from there.

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

I don’t really know.  I’ve seen books with alien heroes–different than humans, and they intrigued me.  I think I was first intrigued by a series with pegasus heroes, and I don’t think they were shifters…  I actually never read that series, but it stuck in  my mind.  Then I saw a book with a lizard-man alien hero.  I thought whoa… and it was a best seller.  Were these authors on to something?

I wanted my Alric to be just enough human to relate to him, but just enough alien to make the reader wonder if they could fall for a Genessa, too.  I came across a picture of a Drow, which is an elf of the Underdark (you’d know this if you were a D&D geek).  Their skin is coal black and they have white hair.  Well, I didn’t want the white hair, and I’ve always kinda loved the look of gargoyles, so that’s the look I settled upon for Alric.  I think it works quite well, and I was VERY pleased to see my cover artist was able to get my hero on the cover.

Can you tell us a bit about the next 3 books in your Desert Princes series?

Only the next THREE books??  It’s a FIVE book series, so there’s FOUR more coming down the pipeline after VIPER.    We have the Scarab, who is Viper’s best friend.  He’s been in love with Trianna since he was a boy.  Unfortunately, she was engaged to the Viper for the past seven years.  When the Viper marries another, Scarab sees his chance and pounces.

Falcon is in love with a blind woman, and he’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, since his entire body is scarred due to a vicious attack in his youth.  He doesn’t know if he should tell her or not, since she is the only woman who isn’t jaded by them.  As they agree to become lovers, the Falcon learns that love is more than skin-deep, and will do what it takes to keep Zara by his side.

Spider’s wife died two years ago in a horrible, senseless attack on his caravan.  She’d been heavily pregnant with his heir, but now, that future is not to be.  He accepts the daughter of the governor as his bride, to bear him heirs, but he will not recognize her as his princess.  Only his first wife has that honor.  But as the days go by, he finds himself falling in love with Amani, and he fights that longing tooth and nail out of respect for his passed wife.  But then the same people who killed his princess threaten to do so again with Amani, he’s got to face the fact he’s in love with her, or risk losing it all again.

Jackal is the book I’m currently writing.  He’s been searching for the woman he wants as his princess for the past ten years.  He finally finds her, but she’s being pursued by an evil spirit.  It rocks his caravan and destroys a few of his caravs, but he will not be moved.  In a desperate bid to keep her under his god’s protection, he suggests marriage, but fate has much more in store for them than a mere demon from Kaldaeron.  When truths are faced head-on, the Jackal must decide if faith in his god will be enough to save the woman he loves.

Cast your characters: Who do you envision as your princes?

Heh, well, that’s a hard one.  Tariq is Oded Fehr from his Mummy movie days.  With a full beard, however. 

Scarab would probably Robert Downey, Jr. with his Tony Stark vibe.  Scarab has thick hair and a goatee, and RDJ is smokinhotsexy in the Ironman movies, so why not?  Heheh

I’ve always pictured Falcon as Coby Bell, the guy who played Jesse Porter in Burn Notice.

Spider is harder.  He has a soulpatch, however, it’s not a wimpy one.  Imagine… a goatee without the mustache.  It’s hard for me to picture an actor with his look. He’s gotta be hotsexy with a side of emo.  Ooo ooo, I KNOW!!  Jared Padalecki from Supernatural.  With a soulpatch.

Jackal is Zachary Levi from Chuck.  That boy is just so cute!  And seen as how the Jackal is considerably younger than the others, he fits with that “younger brother” vibe he has with the rest of the princes. 

Tell us a little about you: You have written so many books and at the same time you home school five kids! How? What is your schedule like? Do you have a cape under your clothes that says Wonder Woman?

No, I don’t have a cape, I pretty much  just write non-stop.  Well, I do stop for chores and school.  But if the family isn’t demanding my time, I’m in front of my computer.  There’s no such thing as “work hours” for me with regards to my writing.  It’s more of a need than a job for me.  And even when I’m at my computer, most of the time is spent answering emails, promoting, or just yakking on various Yahoo loops, which is in itself a form of promotion.  (Because readers tire of you pimping your books right quick).  Sometimes I have a window to write in the morning, usually between 7:ooam and 9:ooam I can write.  If I’m not writing, then I’m answering emails, and making the rounds.  After school and chores, there’s another window, between 3pm and 5:30pm I can write before the evening chores and dinner must be done.  If my hubby has things to do on his computer, I might have another window from maybe 8pm until 10pm.

I rarely write THAT much, usually I’m playing online, tweeting and plotting with my crit partner.  But that is my ME time, and I try to write in those windows as much as I can.

Some fantasy: Any hero from one of your books is going to come and sweep you away (hubby of course doesn’t mind at all). Who is coming and where are you going with him?

It would be either the Scarab Prince or the Spider Prince.  I love them both equally.  Scarab would take me to his oasis and show me where his gandarang fruit grows, and Spider would enchant me with the luscious scent of his rahala blossoms at his oasis.  I think… I’d probably go with the Spider Prince.  I love his caravan colors of black and silver, and assuming I was taking the place of his heroine, he’d love me to distraction and only show me his tender side.  The rest of the desert only sees his gruff outer exterior, but I would secretly know he’s got the heart of a romantic within him.  He’d take me to a feast at the governor’s tent in Suridesh, then we’d make love under the light of the moons and bathe Jikkar in our colors.

And in the spirit of Halloween, what is your:

Favorite Scary movie-

The movie that freaked me out the most recently is Paranormal Activity.  I prefer the toy with the mind kind of horror rather than the gory or cheap and dirty BURSTING OUT OF THE BUSHES TO DRAMATIC MUSIC! type horror.

Oh, and the best mind f–k movie of all time is The Mist.  Watch it ONLY in black and white on the director’s cut DVD.  NO COLOR.  You’ll ruin the b-movie effect, and that, in essence, ruins the movie.

Favorite Halloween-ish book-

Pet Sematary by Stephen King.  I remember reading that book as a teen, alone in my house, totally engrossed.  Like the book didn’t exist, my house didn’t exist, I was IN the story, I was so engrossed.  My dog came up to me and nudged my arm to tell me she had to go out and I screamed and jumped off the chair, scaring the shite outta that dog.  (And myself) LOL!

Favorite Halloween Song-

Grim Grinning Ghosts by Bare Naked Ladies.  I realize the song is older and they only covered it–it’s the main song played in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion–but I just LOVE their version, and we’ve blasted it out our front windows on many a Halloween.

Favorite Halloween Cartoon-

Not really a cartoon, as much as a made for HBO kids movie called The Worst Witch.  I used to love that show, with Tim Curry as the Grand Wizard, and I believe Fairuza Balk as the worst witch.  I used to watch it every time it was on during October.  It was cheesy, but we all need a little cheese!

I want to thank you for letting me interview you and of course I enjoyed learning more about your fabulous books!

Thank you for the interview, and congrats on winning the opportunity!  I’m glad you had fun.    I sure did!

~~Becka

We learned about a LOT of new books, new authors, and I gave away two copies of BLACK ANGEL, a copy of MARK OF THE B*E*A*S*T*, a copy of THE VIPER PRINCE, and a promise of a copy of THE SCARAB PRINCE when it’s released later this month.

I partied at my own chat at Champagne Books in their chat room, I had fun at The Romance Studio’s party blog, I partied with my Cobblestone buddies at the Talking Two Lips Yahoo Group, and I even partied with my book heroes on Twitter.  In short, it pretty much ruled.  Needless to say, if you missed it….  :’(

However, after doing six B3′s, I have come to the conclusion that next year’s Bash will be different.  It will be a Big Blog Block party.  For the first time, B3 will be focused on author blogs, bringing traffic to each other’s website instead of making people sign up for a Google Group or Facebook or Twitter.  Any wandering reader or author, with or without a blog, can play with us that way, and I have a few great ideas.

A free read (or maybe more than one), broken into chapters that are scattered among the participating authors’ blogs.  If a reader wants to read chapter two, they go to the next author’s blog.  Chapter three is on another blog and so on.  Interview questions will be the same way, we can each interview each other, and write guest blogs on each other’s sites.  We can do a scavenger hunt and hold our own contests.

AND, B3 will only be THREE days in 2011, instead of an entire week.  As much fun as this year’s party was, there was definite lags here and there, as some people had posted all their excerpts, others didn’t have anything to talk about, some of them were busy at work, others had obligations or real life intruded.  Which is totally fine!  But I think having a short and sweet party is better than a long one, as it keeps people’s attention better.  AND, I think if we have scheduled author days, there shouldn’t be any lag at all.

B3 2011 will be held October 4th, 5th, and 6th, a Tues-Wed-Thurs, 24 hours a day, whenever you can post.  If you’d like to sign up now, you can, or pencil it onto next year’s calendar.  But I just wanted to give you a head’s up as to the change of plans for the 7th Annual B3 shindig next year.

Thank you, everyone, for an awesome birthday party! 

~~Becka

I was having a cup a coffee the other day when a female friend ventured by, tapped me on the shoulder, and continued to the counter to get her own mug of brew. For simplicity, let’s call her Joy. On her return passage by my table, Joy seat down across from me, and began to chat. I love it when my local friends and acquaintances offer idle chit chat. Joy is a sweet but mysterious young lady. She coveys a unique reflection about life and all its complexities. Behind those green eyes resides a spark and compassion that is missing in many of today’s lost souls. Finally she came to a topic we often discuss, my books. You see, she loves to read my stories. I’m not sure whether it’s because she really likes them or because I’m the only author she knows.

Anyway, she began to ask about a character in a particular story (TAINTED HERO) and discuss how touched she was at what happened to this particular person. Then she caught me off guard with the question, “Isn’t it hard to do that?” I smiled with pride, “A little.” Joy continued. “I thought so. I’m not sure I could do that. I thing I’d be crying over the keyboard.” Then I realized the insight of this young women’s inquiry. She wasn’t asking about the creativity process; she was probing into the nature of people to empathize with the plight of others, even if they were some fictional character that was conjured from their own mind. And she was right. I remembered back to when I struggled with that particular scene. I was moved, not to tears, but my throat actually tightened and I wanted to reach through the screen and help the character, and especially to strangle the villain. I was so moved, I actually changed the outcome. In my original outline the female character died, but I was so struck by her and all she had gone through, I couldn’t deal with losing her. She still suffered, but she survived.

Then I realized I had experienced this same heartstring relationship with fictional characters in all my stories. I guess they became so real I empathized with their plight. I know it sounds weird to be moved by a scene evolving out of your own head, but I really do. Some stories more then others, but always to some degree. Maybe that’s why I enjoy that first breath of the story when I initially create the scenes, and see it happening for the first time. I remember in one story (Shadow of Guilt) I was moved to such a degree, I literally had to stop and go outside to split some wood and relieve my anguish. The character was suffering so deeply, her path in life so sad, I couldn’t stand it.

I know that’s strange, especially for a big guy, and I’m not a wussy, but don’t most of us choke up when we see another human suffering. In this case I hated the outcome of the story, but I couldn’t change it. It was what the novel was all about. Without her history, what this poor girl experienced, you had no Shadow of Guilt.

I’m curious if other authors encounter this same heartstring response when their fictional characters undergo pain and sorrow. Or maybe it’s just me. Perhaps I need to get some testosterone injections to reaffirm my guyhood. My wife always did say I was too emotional (g).

Michael Davis

There were moans and groans and public rest areas that wouldn’t allow dogs. And because of said dog, we had to spend a few nights in hotels that were more pet-friendly than people-friendly. I felt like I needed a biohazard suit to enter the bathrooms. There was entirely too much fast food and awful dog breath in the car the entire trip.

But we made it and began the job of unpacking in our new home, now in sunny SW Florida. The first morning after we arrived, the well lost its prime. No showers, no flushing toilets, no drinking water. Luckily, hubby found a local guy with the proper tools and experience to get us back up and running in a few hours. Much toilet flushing ensued.

Most of our new experiences so far have been good ones. The people here are fantastic and of course, the beach is to die for.A few days ago, though, hubby and I went to get our Florida drivers licenses. We had birth certificates, social security cards, proof of residence and our valid Illinois licenses that stated we were both safe drivers. Unfortunately, however, I didn’t bring our marriage license. Never occurred to me I would need to prove I’m married, but from what the clerk told me, Homeland Security changed the rules and regulations in 2005, and the government now tracks women who take their husband’s name via their driver’s license.

Hubby and I married twenty-one years ago. The pastor at the church filled out a certificate from the county clerk, had our best man and maid of honor witness it, and away we went. However, I learned on my second trip to the local Florida driver’s license station, that the form wasn’t valid. The clerk printed off contact information for me about getting a certified marriage license from the state of Illinois. Only thing was, on the sheet she printed off, it clearly stated that the state would not give out certified copies. So I had to go to the county clerk’s office where we were married. On their website, it states you must come to the clerk’s office, fill out a form and show a picture ID. Hard for me to do since I was 1400 miles away.

So I couldn’t legally prove I was married, and therefore couldn’t get a Florida driver’s license. Which meant, I couldn’t open a bank account or register my car or volunteer at my kids’ new school or a dozen other things that require proof of residency and legal status. Talk about a pain in the backside!

I was beyond pissed. How is it that a woman can’t get a driver’s license because she changed her name when she got married? What did that have to do with my ability to operate a car? Nothing. But Big Brother was bullying me anyway.

I’m no stranger to Homeland Security’s quirks. For my CIA thrillers, I’ve researched and read a lot over the past few years about HS in order to be as accurate as possible. When I wrote the third Super Agent book, I even interviewed one of their employees. In theory, their goals are mostly admirable and necessary in these unnerving times. In reality, too many rules and regulations don’t keep us safe. They only serve to harass normal, everyday citizens like me.

Luckily, the county clerk in Illinois worked everything out over the phone, and to Connie and her assistant, Karen, I’m eternally grateful. A few days after I called them with my tale of woe, I had a certified marriage license. Today I got my Florida driver’s license.  Tomorrow, I’m sending a letter to President Obama. Not that it will do any good, but it will make me feel better.

There’s certainly a need for many of the rules and regulations Homeland Security employs. But harassing a natural-born citizen who’s never even had a speeding ticket and chose to take her husband’s name when she married him twenty-one years ago is taking things too far. And no one should mess with a woman who’s been in a car for three days straight, moving every possession she has, with kids and a dog that has chronic halitosis.

Especially when that woman writes CIA thrillers with characters from Homeland Security in them. To paraphrase my favorite bumper sticker: Be careful HS or you’ll end up in my next novel – or maybe locked in an SUV with my dog for three days.

Misty Evans is the author of OPERATION SHEBA and the award-winning Super Agent Series. She likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters dressed in couture. To learn more about Misty and her books, visit www.readMistyEvans.com or follow her on www.twitter.com/readmistyevans .

Share one fun fact about Evie Balos:

I like adrenaline-filled adventures like rafting, go-carting and driving sports cars. I’ve had the rare treat of driving a Ferrari, albeit in a quiet neighborhood with a speed limit of 50KM.

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

In my mid-teens, when I began seriously devoting time to reading fiction, but especially once I’d read several romance books. It felt like my calling.

What was your very first book?  Is it published or tucked away in a drawer?
The very first story I wrote consisted of about eighty hand-written pages—a harlequinesque romance—that ended up in the garbage bin because I felt it wasn’t good enough. The idea was great, but I was quite young and too inexperienced to pull the storyline together.

Who are some of your favorite romance authors?

I have several, but at the top are Monica McCarty, Deborah MacGillivray, Sandra Hill, and Karen Marie Moning.

Tell us about your recent release.  Who are you published with?  (Don’t forget buy links)

The Unnecessary Bodyguard is my debut release with Cobblestone Press. It’s book one in the Dhampir Desire series. The half-vampire, half-human hero has always appealed to me; known as a dhampir in Balkan folklore. Jovan Markovic is that exotic dhampir in the story: rugged, good-looking, and a little tortured. His mission is to wipe out hostile vampire activity and run his own security company. He has little time for female pleasure, and avoids romantic relationships with humans because they don’t understand the dark side of his life. Things take a different turn, though, when the heroine steps into the picture.

Here’s a blurb:

Nina Bradley doesn’t pay attention to her friend’s premonition that she’ll be attacked by a vampire. She discovers Daphne’s assigned a dhampir bodyguard to her and clearly objects. Worse, she finds him terribly attractive, but he’s half vampire. They don’t suit. A good reason to stop fantasizing about him.

Jovan Markovic wants to keep things professional between him and his beautiful client, but his desire for her is spiraling out of control. He ought to assign someone else to the case, but he won’t. He ought to use his lover to erase Nina from his mind, but he can’t…

Link to publisher: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/bodyguard.htm

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m working on book two in the Dhampir Desire series, which is the story of Jovan’s brother, Milan. So another hot dhampir man on the way!

Ninjas, pirates, robots or zombies?  Why or why not?

I write stories that I can relate to, even on a subconscious level, which is why my paranormal series features a half-human hero. Also, robots and zombies don’t rev up my hormones, lol. Now, pirates and ninjas are a possibility.

When is YOUR birthday? 

March 21^st. A typical Aries.

Please share all your links where we can find you online!  (Facebook/Twitter/website/author loop)

Website: www.eviebalos.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EvieBalos

Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eviebalos/ (Really fun events planned!)

That’s it!  Not too painful at all. Thanks for having me, Rebecca!

It always looked so easy. Just start writing, of course, that was after I had a story outline, the names of the characters and each character’s personality chart finished consisting of personality, looks and personal history.

HA! I learned very quickly that writing about the medieval time period wasn’t as simple as I thought. How could I write a good story without knowing something about how they lived? Or how did they travel? What did they eat? And the clothing. We get an idea of some of their costumes by the drawings and paints that remain – if you can find them. But a lot of information is not available. The different dyes they used are often just a guess on our part. For example, the color green was extremely complex dye. The right chemical to produce a brilliant green didn’t make it into the mix until the Dutch chemists did their thing in the 17th century.

I discovered information on the ‘net, but that same information gathered from one source is often contradicted by other sites. I’ve  spent hours and hours looking for one tiny bit of information. For example, how did people carry their food staples when they traveled?

We can only guess at some of the food they ate. We don’t have any recipe books dating from that time period. In fact there are very few books from that time.

Over the years, I’ve found some interesting tidbits of information you don’t hear about. You certainly don’t read about it and the true facts never make it into the movies. If you probably thought people long ago lived in the cold, drafty, drab castles, well, yeh, they did – eventually. But did you know that the middle ages were warm, a lot warmer than now? In fact, the weather was so good their harvests were great, and they had lot of time to build all those castles. The workers could work much longer than in years later. And those castles. Did you know some had glass windows? Tiny little panes of glass which were usually wavy. They didn’t have the great machines we have today, so all they could make were small panes and the glass tended to show all the imperfections. They also could make colored glass. Remember the leaded famous Rose window. Inside, the castles they had bright tapestries which have since those days lost their bright colors. The walls were white washed, and they did use carpets in the upper floors. Rushes, often sprinkled with crushed heather or lavender leaves or flowers and covered the floors on the lower level.

Information like this takes a long time to ferret out, but you can do it. You visit a lot of internet sites and double check your information, sometimes, triple check it because as I said, there is a lot of contradiction out there.  I have also collected a lot of books and my shelves are full of research books about kings and castles.

It also helps if you have a friend who has an interest in the same time period about which you are writing. I have such a friend and she’s quick to help me find the kind of information I need. Recently, as I started my next medieval, I asked her for help with my villain. I needed someone from that time period who really was not a very nice person, but also someone who had no relatives. In other words, his line died either with him or shortly after him. She found a perfectly wonderful “bad” guy for me. Oh, he was extremely loyal to his king, but not to anyone else. I can use him and some of his nefarious actions in the next song book.

And it never hurts to tell people you deal with the kinds of trouble you might be having with your research. You never know when that special bit of help is around the corner. It just so happened that I mentioned some of my research problems to my computer savvy eye doctor. It seems his nephew has a degree in medieval literature, who he volunteered to my surprise and delight. Contact has been made and we’ll see if he can answer some of my questions.  And yes, I do still have tons of questions. Even with the ‘net, the books and my friend, I still have unanswered questions. But then that’s part of the fun of writing about the medieval time period. Can you guess, I love to do the research?

Allison Knight

Mary will be featuring all of her latest releases during this blog tour. At the end of the tour, Mary is giving away two special prizes:

1.            A $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com

2.            An e-book copy of any of her latest releases

Entering is simple: Leave a comment – or several comments as you track her progress on the tour (Mary and her blog hosts will get the word out and let you know where she’ll be!). Each comment gives you a chance to win!

On December 30th, she’ll randomly select three comments from visitors at any of the blogs she’s visited, and award them the prizes!

Join in the fun as Mary lets the world know about latest romances.

Biography

Mary Eason grew up in a small Texas town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her brothers and sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seem to come natural to her.

As a pre-teen, Mary discovered romance novels and knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination.

She wrote her first novel as a teen, (it’s tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued her writing career seriously until a few years later, when she wrote her first romantic comedy and was hooked.

Today, Mary still lives in Texas, and still writes about romance. In fact, she can’t think of anything else she’d rather do.

You can read more of Mary’s work through the following publishers: New Concepts Publishing, Samhain Publishing, Champagne Books, The Wild Rose Press, Whiskey Creek Press, and White Rose Publishing. Or at her websites:

Blog: www.maryeason.blogspot.com

Website: www.maryeason.com

And be sure to send Mary an email and let her know what you think about her work. She loves hearing from fans.

Blurb for The Arms Of A Stranger (Today’s featured book)

Everything Kate Bradshaw believed to be real about her marriage to her husband Alex slowly slipped away from her as the newspaper reports explained the sordid truth in black and white.  Their marriage and Alex’s seduction had been nothing more than a lie, a means of accomplishing one thing–Alex’s revenge against the man he believed responsible for killing his one true love—Kate’s own father.

Excerpt – The Arms Of A Stranger:

Chapter One

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help you finish up here?  It won’t kill me to skip one class, you know.” Brandy Richards slung her backpack over her shoulder and eyed the stack of books that still needed putting away with concern.

“Thanks, but no way, Brandy.  You need this credit to graduate at the end of the year.” Kate Edwards placed the last of the latest self-help books on the display next to the register and turned to her younger cousin.  “Besides, this is your last class before finals.  You can’t afford to miss tonight.  Go to your class.  I’ll finish up here.”

Brandy had struggled with World History for weeks now, using every available minute to study.  Luckily, the bookstore was unusually quiet this time of year due to the pre-holiday slump.

“Okay, but promise you won’t stay too late?  And don’t forget to lock the doors at six this time.  You know how crazy this part of the city gets after the sun goes down.”

“Yes, Mother.” Kate smiled affectionately at her cousin’s concern before shooing her in the direction of the door.  Of course, Brandy was right.  The downtown Austin business district transformed itself at night, from the bustling financial center of the city to a twenty-something’s party haven.

Crowds of young people flocked to the bars and clubs along Sixth Street.

Brandy hesitated for another moment before giving in.  “Okay, I’m going but I’m calling the store when I get out of class and you’d better not still be here.”

Kate had hired her cousin to help at the bookstore part-time after her parents’ death, when Brandy seemed to be floundering.  It wasn’t long before the girl excelled at the job.  With Kate’s help, and thanks to Brandy’s excellent GPA average, she’d been able to enroll at the University of Texas, Kate’s alma mater.  After a few bumps that first year, Brandy was back on track and scheduled to graduate with a degree in business at the end of the fall semester.

“Go to class, Brandy, and stop worrying about me.  I’m a big girl.  I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah, well it wouldn’t hurt you to have some fun every now and then, you know.  When was the last time you didn’t put in fourteen hours a day at this place?”

“Brandy,” Kate warned.  She knew exactly where this conversation was going.  Brandy loved the single life.  She constantly invited Kate to go clubbing with her friends down on Sixth Street, but Kate always refused.  She’d put those days behind her after college.  When her last serious relationship ended in a bitter breakup, Kate decided she needed to take some time off from men as well.

“Well, you know it wouldn’t hurt you to get laid.”

“Brandy!” The last thing Kate wanted to get involved in right now was yet another discussion about her sex life, or more specifically her lack of sex life.  “Will you let me worry about my love life for once?  You just concentrate on passing that test so you can graduate and start working here full time, okay.  Then I won’t need to work fourteen hour days.”

“Whatever you say, Kate, but technically, you have to have a love life to worry about one,” Brandy retorted.  She blew Kate a little kiss then made a hasty exit, before her cousin could manage even a single retort.

Kate shook her head.  Her cousin just refused to let up at times.  Brandy meant well, but she just didn’t understand.  Kate picked up the last remaining stack of books—a group of romance novels and eyed the couple on the cover with scorn.

Yeah right.  If men like that existed in the real world, then women wouldn’t need to read those novels.

If I could find a man like that, I’d give up my self-imposed exile and sleep with him in a heartbeat.

So far, she hadn’t found anything resembling Prince Charming in the men she’d dated in the past, certainly not in Seth Mathews.

She’d been engaged to Seth for two months when she’d finally given in and had sex with him, which ultimately resulted in Kate’s self-imposed exile from dating entirely.  After Seth got what he wanted from her, he’d quickly moved on to another woman.  Seth was a lousy excuse for a man.  And a cheat.  Not to mention terrible in bed.

But to Kate’s credit, her judgment had been impaired by all the lies Seth was so good at feeding her.  She actually believed he meant it when he told her she was the only woman he ever wanted to make love with, until she’d discovered the truth.

Thank goodness, she had her career at Montgomery Books to fulfill her.  It was immensely challenging and she actually felt good about the work she was able to accomplish at the bookstore.  She didn’t need a man to make her happy.  And if she did, she’d find the perfect man in one of those romance novels the store carried.  She could have all the pleasure without any of the pain.

Montgomery Books had been part of the Congress Avenue merchants for more than thirty years.  Kate had worked for Elise Montgomery throughout high school and college.  Once she graduated from the University of Texas, she’d begun managing the store after Elise’s husband James passed away and the older woman decided to retire three years earlier.

Someday, Kate hoped to buy the store.  She wanted to wait until she’d saved enough money for a down payment.  With any luck, and if the business continued to grow, she’d have enough money to make an offer next year.

At twenty-five, Kate was proud of what she’d done with the store since becoming manager.  When she’d first started, the financial records were in the red.  Now, thanks to her insight, the business had been running in the black for over a year.

If only she could accomplish the same in her personal life.

She placed the remaining books on the cart and moved to the romance section.  With any luck, she’d finish by eight, and then she’d go home to her one true love: Earl, the little mutt Kate found digging in the garbage bin behind the store a few years back.  Earl turned out to be the best male companion she’d ever known.  He didn’t care what she watched on TV and he didn’t hog the covers.  As far as Kate was concerned, Earl was the perfect male specimen.

Kate grabbed a rubber band from the counter and twisted her shoulder-length, golden brown curls into a knot at the top of her head to keep them out of her eyes.  Retrieving the stepladder she used to reach the higher shelves from the storeroom, she slipped out of her three-inch pumps.

At five-foot two, Kate needed those three inches just to put her on equal ground with most people.  But they were terribly uncomfortable and downright dangerous when it came to climbing up and down a stepladder.

Once the last book was in place, Kate leaned back to survey her handiwork.  She prided herself in having each group of books lined up just right.  Her full attention was on the task at hand.  Kate didn’t hear the little bell above the door at all.  She wasn’t aware of anyone else being in the store until he spoke.

“ … Whatever You Desire?” an incredibly sexy male voice asked with just a hint of amusement.

“I beg your pardon?” Kate spun around on the ladder, surprised to find the voice came attached to one unbelievably attractive male, who just happened to be standing next to the ladder.  Taken off guard, her bare foot slipped on the top rung.  Before she could steady herself, she was tumbling backwards and right into the arms of the owner of that very sexy voice.

“Hello there,” he said with more than just a hint of amusement now.

The moment Kate’s eyes collided with the most amazing ice-blue ones she’d ever seen, her breath caught in the back of her throat and answering him became impossible.  Two very strong, very capable arms held her close and not exactly in the “I’ve just met you” kind of way either, if the pressure of his hands were any indication.  One rested beneath her breast, while the other held her just above her knees.  A thousand different responses popped into her head but all she could think about was the cover of that blasted romance book.  Wasn’t the hero holding the heroine in just the same manner?

Don’t think about that now …

“I don’t think I’ve ever had this type of an effect on a woman before.” He grinned back at her.  “This must be a sign.” The warmth in his eyes melted the ice away.

Left breathless by her plunge into shame and pretty much speechless by the man holding her a little too intimately, Kate took her moment of silence to get a better look at him.

He was stunning—gorgeous, well, if you could actually use those words to describe a male, and he was definitely all male.  His dark brown hair swept back from a smooth forehead.  He had the perfect nose, amazingly full lips that literally begged for kissing, and two matching dimples.

Kate couldn’t keep from returning his contagious smile.  But when his arms tightened around her body, her smile disappeared completely.  Suddenly she became aware of her skirt slowly creeping up her thigh to reveal quite a bit of leg, which he’d clearly spotted as well.  Kate cursed the warm color spreading across her face, betraying her obvious embarrassment.

“A sign?” she repeated before her voice disappeared entirely when he tugged her skirt back down.

“Yes, don’t you believe in signs?”

I do now! Kate thought but had the foresight not to say those things out loud.

As a young girl, Kate had once been a hopeless romantic.  She loved to read and devoured tons of those sappy old romance stories because they gave her hope.  Maybe there was such a thing as two people being happy in love.  Unfortunately, real life wasn’t anything like those romance novels.  It was a hard lesson to learn, but one Kate knew by heart.

“Um, you can put me down now,” she told the handsome man holding her.  His arms tightened around her in response.  She waited for him to let her go.  He didn’t.

“Are you sure?  I mean, maybe you hurt yourself in the fall?”

Kate stared back at him as if he’d suddenly grown two heads.  But she did her best to keep her jaw dropping any further when his smile widened at her expression and the dimples made another appearance.

“Yes, I’m sure, but thank you.  I’m fine, really,” she added when he still made no move to put her down.  “So, could you please put me down, Mr.—” She didn’t even know his name and already her thoughts were heading in directions her self-imposed exile from men wouldn’t allow.  It didn’t help that he looked as if he’d just stepped off the cover of one of those romance novels.  Or out of bed …

“Alex.  Alex Bradshaw,” he said slowly and waited for some response from her.  It was almost as if he expected her to recognize the name.  No, there was no way she’d ever met this man before.  She’d definitely remember him.  Maybe he was famous.  A movie star, perhaps.

“But you can call me Alex.”

“Thank you…Alex.” Kate found her voice again.  “That’s very kind of you, but I’m fine.” Reluctantly he set her on her feet but didn’t let her go.  Instead, his hands circled her waist, inching her closer.  Kate didn’t think about resisting, even when she realized he was going to kiss her.  Instinctively her hands moved up to his chest.

“Alex.” The sound of his name dissolved into a tiny little whimper the second his lips touched hers for the first time.  Damn, could the man kiss or what?  Alex Bradshaw put all of her past boyfriend’s to shame, and made her seriously rethink the whole, self-imposed exile thing.  No one ever kissed her the way Alex was right now.

His lips glided skillfully over hers, igniting a primitive response deep inside her being.  Kate never felt this way before.  Not even with Seth.  After her first initial moment of shock, she gave into instinct and kissed him back with abandon.  Her arms circled his neck, bringing their bodies closer.

For a moment, he was the one hesitating.  Kate opened her eyes to find him watching her carefully.  Something unnamed passed between them.  Kate shuddered at what she saw in his eyes, before closing hers.

His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her in place before his lips claimed hers once more, gently urging them apart.  Kate eagerly opened up to him.  He smiled against her lips at her response.  It was as seductive as his kiss.

“Alex.” Kate fought against unfamiliar desires coursing through her body, melting her against him.  She tried to think beyond this moment.  After all, this man was a complete stranger to her.  She’d only met him and yet she’d allowed him to touch her in a way she’d long ago stopped believing in.

Shh,” he whispered into her mouth, his hands slipping over the curves of her body, down to her hips, molding her intimately against him.  She could feel him holding back.  He was being careful with her.

This is crazy!  Kate couldn’t believe she was behaving so recklessly.  If she didn’t stop him soon, she wouldn’t want to ever.  She forced her hands between their joined bodies and pushed against his chest.

Slowly Alex lifted his head, letting her go.  He wasn’t smiling any longer.  The dark inferno blazing in his eyes made it hard to breathe, even harder to think clearly.

“Are you okay?” he asked, stroking his thumb over her swollen lips.

Kate stared back at him wide-eyed.  Was he crazy?  Of course, she wasn’t okay.  She wasn’t sure what she felt at that moment, but okay certainly wasn’t one of them.

“I’m sorry—I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  I have no idea why I did that.” Her voice sounded breathless and uncertain.  She stopped talking and shook her head.

“Well, technically I think we both did that,” he told her gently then smiled when she looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.  “And it’s like I was saying.  It’s a sign.”

“Yeah, more like a sign I’ve been here way too long.  I must be tired, otherwise … ” Kate stopped trying to defend her actions when she heard him laugh.  “I think I need to go home now.” She smoothed a hand down her blouse and straightened her skirt before finding the nerve to look at him again.  “Is there actually something I can help you find?” God she was blushing again.  But did he have to have the most devilish grin?  As if he was reading much more into her innocent question.  “Because it is after closing time and—”

“Yes, you can.  You can tell me your name.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Kate, is it?  Kate Edwards.” He read her name off the gold nametag pinned to her blouse very slowly.  It sounded like a caress coming from those lips.

For a moment, something flashed within his eyes and he grew serious again.  Did he recognize her?  Kate shook her head again.  She was definitely tired.  They’d never met before.  She would remember meeting him.

“Yes.”

“That’s a very pretty name,” he added and Kate tried not to react to his compliment.

“Thank you.  So now that you know my name—is there anything else, Mr.—” She searched her jumbled thoughts, trying to remember his last name.

“Bradshaw.  But you can call me Alex—remember?  And yes, there is.  You didn’t answer my question.”

“That’s because you haven’t asked me a question yet.”

“No, but I was going to.  Before you fell into my arms and took away my train of thought.”

Kate couldn’t resist smiling at his open flirting.  The man was charming and an incredible kisser.  Not to mention quite possibly the sexiest man she’d ever met.

“Well, then I guess you don’t need anything else from me,” she said and immediately regretted the words when he chuckled softly.

“I didn’t say that.  But I’m willing to take things slow, Kate Edwards.  So, Whatever You Desire,” he repeated the same words that sent her tumbling into his arms minutes earlier.

“I beg your pardon?” Kate felt the hot color start at her toes and spread quickly through her body.

When Alex spotted her embarrassment he pointed to the paperback he held in his hand.  “Whatever You Desire?”

“Oh—the book!  Well, what about it?”

“Can you recommend it?” he teased her softly.  Even the simplest of words took on a much more alluring meaning when his eyes slid over her body.

“I don’t know.  I don’t read romance novels.” Not anymore, anyway.

Kate bit back a smile at his fake shock.  She couldn’t tell him there had once been a time when those little books fulfilled all of her teenage fantasies.

“You’re kidding?  You don’t believe in romance?”

Kate shook her head.  The undercurrent of sexual tension flaring between them still made it hard to concentrate on what he was saying.  “Do you?”

“I do now,” he told her quietly with a solemn expression on his face.

“So then you’ll definitely want to buy the book, I take it?  What with your newfound belief in romance and all,” Kate added as a challenge just to see how far he might be willing to take this game.

“Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of buying this entire line of romance books.”

Kate’s jaw dropped when he walked over to the section of paperback novels and selected ten different titles along with Whatever You Desire.

“You want to buy all of those books?” she asked incredulously.

“Absolutely.” He walked over to the register and took out some bills.

“Will that be all, Mr.—,” she began and quickly caught herself before he corrected her again.  “Alex?”

“Not at all,” he added so seriously Kate wondered if maybe he might be preparing to buy out the whole romance section.

“Oh, is there something else you wanted?” She met his gaze and knew even before he said the words he was going to ask her out.  Just as she knew her self-imposed exile from men was about to be shattered into smithereens.

Purchase Link for The Arms Of A Stranger:

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/maryeasonbooks.html#INTHEARMSOFASTRANGER

Available in Electronic Formats – $4.50 Digital

An Interview with author Mary Eason

You’re a prolific author, Mary, with books in many romance sub-genres. Do you have a favorite genre and why?

I do have a favorite genre. I started out reading romantic suspense novels written by Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney as was quickly hooked on that subgenre.  But I love writing stories that are an emotional read and filled with characters that must overcome great conflicts.

Characters, setting, or plot. Which starts your story?

Usually the characters introduce themselves to me, followed shortly by the storyline or plot.

Is there a particular character from any of your books that resonates with you, even after you’ve sent him or her off to print?

Yes, in THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU WANT, (Samhain Publishing) the main character, Carrie Sinclair fits me to the letter.  She is a little stubborn, a little insecure, sometimes clueless, but in possession of a heart of gold.

What’s one of the most surprising things you’ve learned about writing?

Just because you love your story doesn’t mean the editor will or the reader for that matter.  Writing is hard work no matter how easy it seems.  It takes a lot of fortitude to survive in this business.

How about a movie? Is there one you’ll sit through again and again?

I absolutely love Baby Boom with Diane Keaton and Chevy Chase’s Funny Farm was hilarious.
Tell us a little about your current projects and what’s inspiring you.
I’ve just finished editing a romantic suspense release through The Wild Rose Press entitled, Deadly Connection (working title). It’s about Dr. Jordan Scott who is banking everything, including her life on finding out the truth behind her brother’s murder, but she has no idea it will lead her straight to the man she trusted with everything. Can Jordan learn to trust again? And is Riley Donavan worth staying for?

In the upcoming months, I have another romance coming out through New Concepts Publishing which is a romantic comedy, entitle, Must Love Sidney. Also, I will have two new releases coming out from Whiskey Creek Press. The first will be in November, entitle Pieces Of A Family and the second in early 2011 entitle The Book Of Love, so I hope readers will keep an eye out for them as well.

How much do you read? Who is your favorite author?

I love reading. You’ll always find a couple of books on my nightstand that I’m in the middle of reading. I read a variety of genres, but my favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. I adore Rita Herron and Lisa Gardner as well as Brenda Novak. These ladies are heroes in my book. My favorite book romantic comedy is Lolly Winston’s, Good Grief.  I love that story.  I love the way the main character, Sophie deals with her grief.

Throughout your career, what has been your biggest disappointment? What has been your biggest success?
I think receiving a rejection letter for a writer is always the hardest thing to deal with. Through time, you develop a thick skin and learn to accept them and hopefully learn from them. But there are some rejection letters that are harder than others are.  My hardest one to accept was the novel that I’d put so much of myself into, THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU WANT. I cried for days over that one.  Needless to say, it found a home and at Samhain Publishing, so it all worked out nicely.
My biggest success comes from having someone tell me that they loved my work. That’s a wonderful feeling. Almost better than seeing your name in print!

Do you hear from your reader's much? What do they say? What's the strangest thing you've ever heard from a reader?
Yes, quite often I’ll hear from readers. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad comment from a reader.  The strangest thing I’ve ever heard was from one person who seemed a bit too obsessive about one of my main characters in one story.  But hey, could be worse right?
Describe a typical day in the life of Mary Eason.
I start my day out with reading emails and working on promotion. For a writer, promoting this is almost a full time job, but I try to limit my time of the internet to a couple of hours a day. Then I spend the rest of the day editing and working on my new projects. Usually I have several story ideas floating around in my head demanding my attention.

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work? That's if you have any time outside of work!
I’m starting to relearn playing the piano.  As a child, I grew up playing, but I’ve been away from it for almost twenty years…hum, I think I just gave my age away, anyway, I want to relearn it for me as well as my granddaughter who I’d like to teach how to play someday.  Also, my husband and I have a small cabin at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where we love to go during the summer months, when it’s too hot to survive outside in Texas.

Do you like to cook? If I were coming to dinner at your house, what would you cook? That's before you kick me to the curb of course.

I do cook, but I’ll be the first to tell you, I’m not the best cook in the world, but I do like to grill.  Being from Texas, I think I’d probably have to make you something like barbeque brisket or ribs. And no, I’d never kick you to the curb.  Although you might choose to run once, you’ve tasted my cooking.

Have you had any interesting day jobs on the way to your writing career? What's the oddest job you ever did?
I’d say my most interesting job was working at a pathology lab.
I ran into some interesting cases and definitely some interesting characters. Some may have even made it into a few stories of mine.
Thanks so much!
Mary Eason

Check out all of Mary Eason’s great books at her website

www.maryeason.com