Paranormal. Erotica. Rynne Raines shares all. Mega giveaway!!!

Welcome everyone! As I said a few weeks ago, I’m so thrilled to have some spectacular authors visiting my blog in between events. This week it’s my extreme pleasure to introduce talented romance/erotica author Rynne Raines.

I first met Rynne online in early spring of 2007. We’d both been recently contracted through The Wild Rose Press. Rynne all but held my hand and walked me through the pull-your-hair-out process of creating a Myspace page. Long story short, we connected instantly. I will always consider Rynne one of my dearest friends. We just clicked that well. Truth told, she's a keeper. I always tend to tell her about the big things happening in my life first. Need to hear her feedback. You all must have a friend you feel that way about. A hands-down 'true friend' no matter the ups and downs life dishes out. 

Speaking of life and all its facets...Rynne’s getting married this year! While I won’t be able to make it to her wedding in Mexico, she knows darned well that I’ll be there in spirit. Congratulations my friend, I wish you a lifetime of happiness!!!

All the mushy stuff aside, I can honestly say Rynne is very good at what she does. (In fact, I'm downright jealous) While I went the way of fantasy/paranormal romance, Rynne wrote paranormal then dove headfirst into Erotica and has, without doubt, proven herself a cut above the rest since. I’m so proud of her!

Time to have some fun! As always, there’s a contest involved with this post. Rynne is graciously offering a total of four prizes. Two winners will be drawn. One will win a digital copy of Welcome to Eden and a $10 gift certificate to Digi Books Cafe. The other will win a digital copy of Pure Sin and a $10 gift certificate to Digi Books Cafe. So how do you enter to win? It's super easy. Click HERE to head over to Rynne's 'Meet My Heroes' page at her website. Pick out your favorite hero then swing back here and leave a comment telling us who you chose and why. Be sure to leave a comment by Friday, September 24th, 12 PM EST. Alright, time to get to know Rynne a bit better! 

From Rynne’s lips to my blog… “I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. In 2005, I relocated about an hour away from Alberta’s capital city and into a smaller town, Wetaskiwin. The rural community is flanked by farms and boasts a whopping eleven thousand people or so. Big change from the million population I was surrounded with growing up. And, to tell you the truth, I’m still a city girl to the bone. At times, the slower pace of what I call “country life” is welcomed but not always. So, why did I relocate? Drumroll please…for love of course.

As for writing, I started at a very young age. To be honest, I think it all began out of boredom and the need to control something when I felt like I had no control in my life. My parents got divorced. I didn’t exactly “fit in” at school. I needed a creative outlet. Now, why did I continue writing? Well, I could toss out a generic answer and say it’s in my blood and the need is just something I can’t ignore but that wouldn’t exactly be the truth. Writing is hard. It’s frustrating and it’s time consuming. More often than not it’s absolutely exhausting. So, I tip my hat to every writer out there still pecking away at the keyboard. If I had to narrow my motivation down to one thing it would be the “high” that comes with completing something that I feel is good.”

Sky here! How incredible does Rynne sound already? I couldn’t agree with her more, there is a certain “high” that comes with completing something in the writing field. Naturally, I HAD to interview her and learn more. So here goes…

SKY: Thanks so much for joining me, Rynne. I’m psyched to be able to share you with everyone!

RYNNE: Thanks for having me, Sky. Psyched to be here.

SKY: I’d really like to focus on your latest release, Pure Sin. Follow-up to Welcome to Eden, what was it that inspired you to create the hero and heroine of Pure Sin? Were they secondary characters from Welcome to Eden or brand new to scene?

RYNNE: Cade and Bianca weren’t secondary characters from Welcome to Eden. When I originally wrote Welcome to Eden, I had no intention of writing a follow-up but as positive feedback began rolling in, I felt good about writing another one.

SKY:  Let’s talk more about Bianca Alexander…who is she? Any weaknesses? Strengths?

RYNNE:  Hmm…Bianca is a complicated female. She’s a very prideful, strong, and independant woman. Those attribute tend to appear in everything she does. As a BDSM instructor at Eden, her job is to educate and really clue people in about the lifestyle. In this profession, she calls the shots and is the one in control but, behind closed doors she’s a submissive to the bone. So, those previous attributes I mentioned lead to some conflict throughout the story.

Weaknesses…I’d have to say her biggest weakness happens to be Cade—tall, dark, handsome, and all Dom. He can turn her into mush in about five seconds.

SKY: So can't blame her! He sounds delicious. I’d love to crawl inside Bianca’s head for a moment. How about an excerpt from her point of view?

RYNNE: Sure. A little set up—this excerpt takes place the day after Bianca discovers Cade is meant to “assist” with her BDSM classes and she’s none to happy about it.

A curtain of darkness fell over her, a lead blanket of sleep that washed away the uncertainty in her mind and any fear of what the next day might hold. She was in a world where she controlled the secondhand on the clock, manipulated the very essence of time. She’d slain the dragon, rode the white stallion and rescued the helpless prince. Nothing could touch her. Nothing could wake her. Nothing except…the pounding on her goddamn front door.

Five minutes of holding her orthopedic pillow over her head and then another five of her goose down comforter on top of that didn’t make the knocking stop. Bianca cursed into the mattress then squinted at the boxy indigo numbers reading ninetwenty-two across the clock radio on her nightstand.

Saturday morning. Damn. Already she could smell the stiff, gelled hair parted down the middle, could visualize the clip-on tie and one-size-too-small white shirts on the boys prepared to spread the word of God—didn’t God invent sleeping in?

Grumbling, she dragged her ass out of bed and headed for the door.

“Morning, sunshine.”

Worse than God’s messengers.

“I hate you.” She slammed the door, but Cade stuck his boot in the jamb before it closed all the way and shouldered inside. If he hadn’t have been carrying two cups of coffee and a bag of what she assumed was breakfast, she would have cold-cocked him. What in the hell was he doing here anyway?

“Still not a morning person, hmm? Good to see some things never change.”

She glared through one narrowed eye, then stomped back to the bedroom with the full intention of sleeping another hour before she had to shower and get to work.

“Interesting spread you’ve got here. I particularly like the purple bean bag chairs—very nice touch.”

Indifferent of whether her robe was too short or too skimpy and giving him the full view of her bare ass, Bianca flopped face first onto the bed.

“You’re the devil,” she muttered into a pillow and contemplated bloody murder. Fortunate for him, the sound of his light laughter was enough to preserve his life until he told her what he was doing here. “I don’t remember ordering a wake-up call.”

“Told you I’d be up early.”

“Yeah, well, when you told me that, I didn’t think you meant you’d be up early and over here.”

“I’ll clarify next time.” He set one coffee on the nightstand and removed the lid. The aroma drifted toward her. As if he didn’t have enough of an advantage over her. Did he have to know all her vices?

“That wouldn’t happen to have two creams and a sugar in it?”

“What do you think?” He sat on the edge of the bed, sipping from his own cup.

“I think you’ll live to see another day.”

SKY: Slammin' excerpt! Pure Sin’s hero, Cade Sinclair is hot as hell. Let’s mix it up. If he could say one heart-felt thing to Bianca outside your story, what would it be?

RYNNE: Heart-felt, eh? Hmm…not sure Cade is exactly the “heart-felt” type but I’ll give it my best shot. He might say, “Those handcuffs aren’t too tight, are they?”

SKY: Ha! Nice. I say we crawl inside Cade’s mind as well. Have a super yummy ‘his point of view’ excerpt available?

RYNNE: This is the only one I could find that was yummy and not completely x-rated…lol.

Cade’s gut knotted with urgency as he expertly worked his fingers against a small area of skin uncovered by her leather and lace corset. This was his last chance. The moment of truth. Bianca was ready to run and if he failed to play his cards right, he had no doubt, she’d disappear from his life again. But this time, permanently.

He wouldn’t let that happen.

Cade punctuated the vow by pulling her body harder against his and ravished her mouth with long, fluid strokes of his tongue. He didn’t smile when she moaned and stabbed her fingers in his hair. This was not the victory he was looking for. Their bodies had been on the same page since day one. Her heart was what he wanted.

He took her by the shoulders and eased her back from him. Long vibrant lashes swooped against her high cheekbones as her eyes closed in dizzy satisfaction. He put his ego aside and refused to delight in her reaction. It had been his intention to knock her off balance, lower her guard, if only for a moment, and plant a seed of desire to replace her reservations. But for the first time since they’d started this charade, he wasn’t sure desire would be enough.

“You’ll give me tonight,” he said, taking a casual stance and forcing his hands back into his pockets. “You’ll give me tonight. And, after, if you so choose, you’ll never have to see me again. I want you, Bianca. I know you want me.”

She didn’t answer immediately and Cade’s heart thundered in his head. The office tilted around him in a distorted haze, but it didn’t matter. He focused on Bianca’s liquid-blue eyes, clouded with emotion he couldn’t quite read.

Then it happened. She slowly sank to her knees. Arms behind her back, she shifted forward until the insides of her thighs aligned with his ankles. He couldn’t breathe. How long had he waited for this, for the moment she would submit to him again? She had only been back in his life a few days now, but in his mind, he’d anticipated this for four long years.

“You’re right,” she said softly. “I do want you.”

His fingers flexed in his pockets while his cock jerked at the soft sound of her surrender. Christ. He held back a moan as her short, prissy skirt rode high up her thighs, the garters stretching her stockings tight. If he were the same man she’d met four years ago, he would have spun her around, bent her over and taken her like a savage.

However, he wasn’t that callous youth any longer. That’s where he’d gone wrong with her all those years ago, he was sure of it. There was no way in hell he would make that mistake again.

“Stand.” At his verbal release, she slowly rose to within an inch of his mouth, but he warded off the temptation to kiss her again with the anticipation of long-term success. “Follow me.”

“Wait.” She touched his arm and stared up. “We’re leaving?”

The uncertainty in her voice, in her eyes, slashed at him like a thousand blades but he refused to let it show. For Bianca to accept him as a permanent part of her life, he couldn’t lose himself in the heat of the moment. She had submissive needs, far too long neglected.

He lowered his head, brought his lips next to her ear and spoke slowly. “If you hadn’t been so disobedient this week, I’d be fucking you right now. Unfortunately, there’s a matter of punishment we

need settled first.”

SKY: Damn! I know firsthand, Pure Sin is fabulous. Can we expect a third in the Eden series? If so, have you a ‘working title’ yet?

RYNNE: If all goes well with the submission process, you CAN expect a third in the Eden series! I’m on the verge of completing the first draft of Legally Bound—Two rival lawyers. She has a secret. He wants to expose it. A weekend of powerstruggle within the walls of Eden will land one of them on their knees….

With any luck it will be ready for submission in before the end of September.

SKY: Can't wait to read it! It’s been great having you visit, Rynne. Thanks so much!

RYNNE: Great being here. Thanks for the opportunity.

What's being said about Rynne's stories...

You Gotta Read Rating for Pure Sin—“The sex they had had me thinking, "Hmmmm ... I wonder...". Ms. Raines did what most authors strive to do; grab the reader by the collar and make them want to continue turning the pages and tell those around them, "One more page. One more page."—Reviewed by Shira, You Gotta Read Reviews

Pure Sin is listed as one of the Seriously Unforgettable best stories of 2010—“VERY NICE!!! What a wonderfully decadent tale of love, sex and bondage! This fantastic treat was a show stopper from start to finish with characters, plot and SEX that left me breathless!” –Seriously Reviewed

5 Cherries for Pure Sin—“Rynne Raines writes a wonderful story with many ups and downs. Pure Sin is a fast-paced story that keeps the reader glued to the pages from the beginning. Cade and Bianca’s relationship is a very erotic read. With very strong elements of BDSM behavior in it this story is a hot read. This author does a good job of giving a glimpse into understanding the needs of Bianca and Cade and the depth of their emotions. I truly enjoyed this book and will be looking for more from Rynne Raines in the future.” –Mistletoe, Whipped Cream Reviews

5 Cherries for Welcome To Eden—“Rynne Raines has created a winner with this short story that left me wanting more, if only to get more of a taste of the heat generated between Caitlyn and Evan. My only complaint… I wanted MORE! I just fell in love with these characters and Rynne Raines has become someone to watch for. Her skillful blending of humor, heat and the beginnings of a relationship are more than enough for me to wholly recommend Welcome to Eden as a hot, intense and quick read.” –Reviewed by Viscaria, Whipped Cream Reviews

5 Diamonds for Welcome To Eden—“Rynne Raines pulls the reader into a wonderful world full of sensuality and keeps you entranced from start to finish. This book is a hot read and should not be missed. My only complaint is that it was over to quickly. I will certainly be on the look out for more from this author.”—Reviewed by Gabrielle, Got Erotic Romance

4 stars for Reflections—“This short story is filled with so much emotion and events, it’s as multi-colored as a prism in the light. I loved how each vibrant character and event reminded me of another color of the rainbow. Rynne Raines puts a lot of heart into a short story. The passion of her characters is wonderful to read. A very enjoyable story.”—Reviewed by Robyn, Once Upon A Romance

5 RRT Rating for Reflections—“ Great characterizations in an amazing short read all readers will love.”—Reviewd by Robin Lee, Romance Reviews Today

4 Cupids for The Awakening—“The Awakening was by far the best short story I have ever read, and one I will definitely read again and recommend. Not only is the story emotional and realistic (even with the paranormal element!), it is extremely satisfying.” –Reviewed by Mandy, Rogues and Romance

Learn more about Rynne and her books. Visit her Website or Blog.

Contact Rynne directly at rynneraines@rynneraines.com

You've got to admit it....Rynne has you intigued, eh? And she should! Her stories are enthralling, her dialogue fresh, her characters captivating...you can't help but want more! So don't forget, for a chance to win one of the two prizes listed at the beginning of this post be sure to click HERE and head over to Rynne's 'Meet My Heroes' website page and pick your favorite hero. Swing back to this blog and share with us who you chose and why in a comment. Contest closes Friday, September 24th, 12 PM EST.

Thanks for popping in!

~Sky