Just Imagine

Feeling chatty?

Welcome to my blog! Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and read what's on my mind. I've a vicious sense of humor, an apprecation for romance and a mad addiction to writing.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Forbidden Temptation. Knights of Stone by Lisa Carlisle.



Today it’s my pleasure to welcome over Lisa Carlisle, author of Knights of Stone, Highland Gargoyles, Book 1, a paranormal erotic romance.

ASIN: B00O9EHH5E

Number of pages: 100 

Book Description


Gargoyles, tree witches, and wolf shifters have divided the Isle of Stone after a great battle twenty-five years ago. When Kayla, a tree witch, hears about the unconventional rock concerts in the gargoyle’s territory, she sneaks from her coven and into their territory to see for herself. Night after night, she returns to see one in particular shift into human form and play guitar at these unconventional shows.

For several nights, Mason has kept watch for the pixie-like female. He plans to seduce her, thinking she’s a visitor from another island. When he discovers she’s one of the tree witches, he retreats, attempting to keep his distance. The temptation is strong, but forbidden.

Kayla and Mason attempt to meet in secret, but other elements on the isle command their attention. A magical cloak created by the three clans on the island is thinning, leading to repercussions for all the clans. Kayla and Mason are caught in the middle of it, and their actions may change the fate for all.

Available at  Amazon    BN   ARe    iBooks    Kobo

Giveaway! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter after this post for a chance to win one of three digital copies of Dark Velvet, the first part of the Chateau Seductions series.

Interview Time!


How did you come up with the title?

Knights of Stone is also the name of the band in the story. Since they’re gargoyle shifters, a clan of brothers, it fit.

Tell us a little bit about the conflict in your story.

There’s a forbidden romance between a gargoyle and tree witch. Their clan and coven forbid them to associate after they divided their island in a battle many years prior.

Tell us about your book cover and how it relates to your story.

The cover features the gargoyle shifter Mason in human form with the island’s ocean environment in the background. If you look closely in the water, you can see his gargoyle image.

Are you currently working on another story? If so, we’d love some details.

I have had such a tremendous response to Knights of Stone with readers asking me to write more that I’ve decided to turn it into a series. More hot gargoyle rock stars to come.

I also have several other romances released this fall, including Dark Muse and Rock My Senses, both paranormal romances.

Did you enjoy writing one scene above all the rest? If so, share.

I loved writing the opening scene in Knights of Stone when you see the gargoyle shifters transform on stage. Also, any scene where Mason and Kayla were together, struggling against their feelings was fantastic to write.

Tell us about your favorite writing environment. Is it indoors, outdoors, a special room, etc.

I love writing in cafes or libraries, but usually end up writing on my sofa.

It’s time to promo. What is your favorite marketing tool?

I spent a lot of time on Facebook, chatting with authors and readers. Find me there if you want to connect—Lisa Carlisle. I’m also on Twitter--@lisacbooks.

What genre/genres do you prefer to write? Are there other genres you’d like to write in the future?

I write in several genres. My professional writing career began in nonfiction and I still write articles. In fiction, I write paranormal romance, new adult, contemporary, military, and even suspense. My favorite at the moment is paranormal romance, but I may have more military romances in the near future.

Do you prefer to write short stories, novellas or novels? Why?

I write all of the above, but mostly read and write novellas. They are perfect for an evening or two.
Do you write books in series? If so, share a bit about the series you currently have published or are coming soon.

I have multiple. On Halloween, Rock My Senses was released, part of my paranormal erotic romance series with Ellora’s Cave. It features a computer geek by day/ rock guitarist by night, a fun character to explore.

Dark Muse also just came out, part of my Chateau Seductions series set at an art colony on a remote New England island. It includes a romance between a socially awkward painter and elusive rock guitarist. I love losing myself writing about the castle setting—would love to visit there myself if it existed. ;)  

Excerpt


Five torches blazed on the stage all at once, lit by an unseen force. The audience erupted in cheers as the dancing lights from the flickering fire basked the statues. The flames lowered, casting the gargoyles in an eerie, almost reverent glow.

Movement. So slight, Kayla wondered if it was simply a play of light and shadows in her anticipation for the change. She fixed her gaze on the statue in front of her, the one she’d gravitated to each time she’d had snuck out to see the show. Its massive gray form stood straight on two legs built for sturdiness. Its chest jutted out proudly. Gray wings with detailed feathers etched in the stone arched from a point below its shoulder blades. Eyes cast straight ahead on a face that appeared to be a mixture of canine and lion. Its right hand twitched, so slightly she would have missed it if she hadn’t stared so intently. Then a clawed foot inched forward.

Murmurs of astonishment burst from the crowd as the transformation began. Their cries of fervor grew louder as the monstrous statues transformed into taller, slimmer figures with the bronzed skin of warriors who battled under the midday sun. The tartan fabric fell over their thighs as they stood erect, covering their nudity.

Kayla barely blinked, mesmerized as always, as the statue before her stood to full height, taking on the form of a human male, but with beautiful raven wings. Hair just as black snaked rebelliously past his chin. The stony eyes flickered with animation, turning to a mossy green. His deep gaze seared the audience, seeming to burn anything in the path. When he found Kayla, he stopped.

His expression was unreadable, but the intensity in his unblinking eyes made her swallow. She froze under the scrutiny as if hypnotized, unable to break eye contact. Her stomach lurched, heart pounded, and every muscle in her body tightened, fueled with blood now scorching through her veins. His penetrating appraisal affected her so. When his eyes took on a smoldering glint, her skin tingled and a red-hot awareness grew between her thighs.

He broke the stare and continued to assess the audience. She gasped, not realizing she had been holding her breath, and panted while she tried to breathe at a normal rate. He turned on robust legs and strode to a guitar stand. She tore her eyes from him to note the other gargoyles. They, too, had shifted into the form of striking males. One had black hair draped further down his back, one had long blond hair, and two had reddish-brown hair—one wavy and shaggy, the other straight. They took their place at other  instruments. She sought the guitarist again and caught the first sound of the pick striking the strings. On hearing the guitar projected through the amp, the crowd roared again, pressing Kayla forward.

The freak show was about to begin.

Spotlights flooded the musicians, powered by solar panels near a massive amplifier. The guitarist continued playing and the others joined in, playing a raucous crossover between hard rock and heavy metal. The one with long blond hair grabbed hold of the microphone and belted out a shattering cry that sounded like a call to battle. The crowd went pin drop silent to listen and then cheered in unison as the band played on. The front man sang piercing growls and low croons about the Knights in Stone, the protectors of the ancient forests, battling against the evil tree witches.

Kayla’s coven. 

About the Author



Lisa loves stories with dark, brooding heroes and independent, caring heroines. She feels very honored to be a multi-published author since she's wanted to write since the sixth grade. Her travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels, including deployments while she served in the Marines. She lived in Parris Island, the California desert, and Okinawa, Japan. She also backpacked alone through Europe, and lived in Paris, France, as an au pair before returning to the U.S. and buying a book store. She now lives in New England with her husband, two children, a cat, and many fish.

Visit Lisa Carlisle








Sign up for the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/3qmnP




Friday, November 14, 2014

Freedom. Passion. Romance. Plight of the Highlander- The MacLomain Series: Next Generation.



It’s hard to believe that I started the MacLomain Series: Next Generation in January and have already finished. I have to admit it was pretty tough writing the last few chapters of today’s release. It was time to say goodbye to a lot of characters who helped me through a fairly difficult year and I won’t soon forget them. I’d also like to thank you, my readers, for joining me on all of 2014’s MacLomain adventures and hope you’ll join me in 2015 for two more MacLomain series. 

So on to the grand finale. Since first meeting Torra in Mark of the Highlander (Book 1), I’ve been eager to share her story. And of course I’ve had my eye on Colin MacLeod for some time now. How did a lass who is part dragon fall in love with a man she supposedly never met? Never mind someone from a clan who had lukewarm relations with the MacLomains. At last we learn their backstory and dive deeper into the connection that formed between these two in Plight of the Highlander

GIVEAWAYS! I’ll be dishing out five $25 gift cards to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble as well as nine signed paperback books. Keep reading to learn more!

Blurb


With the dragon blood of her Viking ancestors coursing through her veins, Torra MacLomain has long tried to keep her Scottish clan safe. But a ruthless enemy has been watching...waiting. As Keir Hamilton launches his plan to possess her, many secrets come to light including her passion for a certain highlander.

When Colin MacLeod's undying love for Torra is discovered, he's given an ultimatum. Watch his lass die a brutal death or defect from his clan to lead the Hamilton armies. Four winters later and in charge of Keir's warriors, Colin battles in an ongoing war against the MacLomains. Yet now the worst has come to pass. His ill-found chieftain has finally trapped Torra.

In a castle siege unlike any other and because of time travel, the modern day Brouns and medieval MacLomains join together in a final stand-off against their merciless enemy. Battles rage. Mysteries are revealed. Freedom is found. But most importantly, a love long repressed at last rises up determined to conquer all in Plight of the Highlander.


Excerpt


Colin reeled her in until she stood between his legs. He braced his hands on her hips, eyes penetrating as he said, “You keep secrets…even from me.”

“Especially from you,” she whispered, voice failing when thickened with emotion. “‘Tis safer that way.”

Colin’s face remained impassive and he clasped her hips a fraction tighter. “There is nothing safe about me not knowing what you intend. To keep me without knowledge only makes it more difficult for me to protect you.”

Torra gently touched his cheek, thoughts once more on the eve before as she murmured, “There will be times that you cannae protect me, that I must fight battles on my own.” Unable to stop herself, she ran the pad of her thumb softly over his lower lip. “‘Tis all part of the fear that you help me face, aye?”

Colin closed his eyes briefly before they narrowed on her once more and he shook his head sharply. “I cannae force words from your lips but know this, ‘twill be unforgivable if harm befalls you and I could not help because you shut me out.”

Torra offered a small nod. What else could she do? Pain and frustration were clear enough in his eyes. That caused her grief as she thought about what he had done for her the previous night. What he had done to her. Not only his kiss but his touch had kindled a wide swath of sensations that swept her away in a rising tide of soul-deep need. She never imagined a simple kiss could feel so good.

Now sampled, she wanted more. Far more. But it wasn’t just his lips she craved. Now she knew there was an indescribable pleasure to be found in his arms. Torra instinctually pulled away. But Colin didn’t let her get too far. His eyes flared and whipped down her body then back to her flushed face.

When he stood she put up a hand and shook her head. On a heavy swallow she said, “Nay, ‘tis too soon. I need time to gain confidence.”

Her words sounded like an excuse even to her own ears. Mayhap for all she thought this morn that she had come so far, she had not at all. Torra watched Colin internally fight his assertive nature. She knew full well he was tempted to pull her into his arms. Instead, he inhaled deeply and raked a hand through his hair.

“Confidence will only be gained through repetition. ‘Tis what I tell my warriors,” he muttered under his breath and stalked into the adjoining chamber.

“I am not one of your warriors,” she reminded, following, trying not to get aggravated.

“Aye, but you are.” Colin’s regard swung her way as he poured two mugs of mead. “You are mine and you are a warrior.” He handed her a mug, eyes the hardest she’d ever seen them. “If you will not share your secrets then I will focus ever harder on those aspects of this war in which I can help.”

She knew precisely what aspects those were. Torra set aside the mug and crossed her arms over her chest. “So you think to train me by seducing me?”

“Aye, lass.” His lips quirked but his eyes remained mirthless. “Your greatest strength lies in the relationship you have with the dragon. To become the best warrior you can you must have full control over your other half.”

It didn’t matter how much sense he made, his words irked her. But despite her rising temper, Torra was surprised to realize that not only his words but the stern way he looked at her ignited…desire? This time his lips didn’t quirk but curled up ever so slowly, well aware of both her mental and physical reaction.

Celebrating with Contests!


Celebrating ten years with the MacLomain clan! It’s hard to believe that I officially began researching for this series in November of 2004 and typed the first word of Fate’s Monolith in December. Though it was only ever going to be a standalone book, the moment I met Adlin MacLomain, I knew it would be so much more. Now, twelve MacLomain books later and one spin off series, it’s time to celebrate!


The holidays are right around the corner so I thought what better way to spread cheer than to offer three giveaways for Christmas. What’s up for grabs? Three prize bundles consisting of a signed print book set (The MacLomain Series- either the Early Years, Original Series or Next Generation) as well as a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Three winners drawn. 

How do you enter to win?

Easy. Choosing from the Early Years, Original Series or Next Generation, simply post on my Facebook Page- Christmas Contest: then share who your favorite MacLomain character is and why. Don’t forget to mention what book they’re in. Contest ends December 25'th. 

On Tour. More Giveaways!


Plight of the Highlander starts its book tour today. Be sure to join me along the way for a chance to win one of two $25 gift cards to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Tour Schedule


November 14th


November 14th

November 17th

November 17th  

November 18th

November 18th  

November 19th

November 19th  

November 19th  

November 20th

November 21st

November 21st


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Paranormal Romantic Suspense. Witch Resurrected and Mean Streets by Gail Roughton.



Today it’s my pleasure to welcome over Gail Roughton, author of Witch Resurrected, War-N-Wit, Inc., Book 1 and Mean Streets, War-N-Wit, Inc., Book 2.

Genre:  Paranormal Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Books We  Love, Ltd.

Date of Publication:  September 21, 2014

ISBN:  978-1-77145-314-1
ASIN: B00NSY9NZ8

Number of pages:192
Word Count: 63,858

Cover Artist:  Michelle Lee

Giveaway! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter after this post for a chance to win one of five print copies of Witch Resurrected.

Witch Resurrected, War-N-Wit, Inc., Book 1

Book Description      

Ariel Anson thinks she has her life in order. She’s young, smart, and beautiful, even if she doesn’t believe the beautiful part. She’s a paralegal with a great career and a fiancé who’s a CPA. You just can’t get any steadier than that. Then she meets private investigator, bounty hunter, process server Chad Garrett.

What does War-N-Wit, Inc. stand for anyway?

Warlock and Witch? For real? Oh, yes! For real.

Her life as she knows it is over! Instead of organizing corporate documents and pleadings, she’s chasing bail jumpers and taking down serial killers. And investigating secret societies. Like Resurrection.

Not everyone can join, just the elite few who remember their past lives. Only the Seer knows if those memories are truth or fabrication. There’s just one problem. The new Seer is missing in action. War-N-Wit’s new assignment is a blast from the past! But whose past?

Available at Amazon.

Excerpt


“I still don’t know who you are!” I exclaimed. “You’re—you’re—talking like a crazy person and I’m sitting here listening, which I still don’t believe—”

“You’re listening because you know I’m right. So let’s cut to the bare essentials. We’ve been here before, you and I, many times, we are one, baby girl, we are each other’s eternal soul mates, each other’s other half, and I know it and you know it. And if nothing else, I intended to establish enough contact so I can find you easier next time. And if you refuse to believe it and believe in us and I have to wait till next time, then I will. But I will find you again. Because you can run but you can’t hide. I just want as much of you as I can get this time so it won’t take so long next time.” He shrugged again. “Last time I didn’t find you till we were both so much older it almost wasn’t worth it. That one was a bitch. And I don’t intend for it to happen again.”

The world stood still, closed in, retreated, kaleidoscoped back out into swirls of scenes of places and times I’d never been, never seen. Hot, bright sun beat down on an arena covered in sand and blood, my heart ripping apart as I looked at the bodies lying so still amidst the roars of the approving, raucous crowd. I felt the biting cold, so cold it burned, coming from the snow stretching out across what I knew, knew with absolute certainty, to be the Russian steppes. I cringed from the visions of the shadowed chambers filled with monstrous man-made instruments of pain and the screams rolling out of them. I stood on the mountains in the mists and heard the faint echo of bagpipes. I saw blue water and shining white sand and smelled the salt air.

I swayed and felt the blood drain out of my face. He stretched his arm out and encircled me quickly, pulling me close. I didn’t pull away.

“Oh, God! Too much too quick, huh? I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d go into total flashback.”

I was beginning to get my bearings back a bit. “I’m fine. And it wasn’t a flashback, it was—it was—it was a whole lot of whatever it was. Which was nothing. I’m crazy, you’re crazy. This is a—shared delusion.” I sat up straight. Time to put the conversation back on a normal frame of reference. “Are you through? I have a lot of shopping to do, are you coming or are you a typical man who doesn’t like to shop?”

He raised his eyebrow. “I’m not a typical anything, baby girl.”

Mean Streets, War-N-Wit, Inc., Book 2


Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Books We Love, Ltd.
Date of Publication: October 17, 2014

ASIN: B00NT22DXI

Number of pages:194
Word Count: 58,274

Cover Artist: Michelle Lee

Book Description


Daytona Bike Week. Biker’s paradise. The perfect place for Chad and Ariel Garrett to take a few days off and relax with Chad’s buddy Spike and Ariel’s little sister Stacy.

But nothing ever goes as planned with that magical duo. Trouble just stalks them like a black cat. A missing agent riding with an outlaw biker gang, a call from Chad’s past, and War-N-Wit, Inc.’s riding again, with romance blooming in the midst of danger. From Daytona, the crew heads back to Vegas and another family wedding. Spike and Stacy are ready to say “I do!” In the Tunnel of Love Drive-Thru at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Vegas, of course. It’s become a family tradition.

But what’s supposed to happen in Vegas just refuses to stay in Vegas. And you’re not going to believe this side-trip!

Available at Amazon.

Excerpt


I peered around the corner of the Tallahassee alley where we’d parked the SUV. Yep, there he was. The skip. Danny Delvecchio, a/k/a Ferret a/k/a Dapper Dandy Dan. At the moment, operating as Father Daniel right in front of the Teen Rescue Center run by St. Benedict’s and soliciting donations with practiced ease. I shoved the wimple completing my nun’s ensemble above my eyebrows. Damn thing kept slipping down.

“One more time, from the top,” Chad said.

“Magic Man! It’s not rocket science! He’s just a sleazy con man parading around as a priest. Which is really low, even for a bail-jumping con man.”

“Sure is. So from the top. You’re going to—”

“I’m going to rush up, grab him and babble about a poor boy doubled over in the alley who’s probably overdosed and come with me now, I need help. That about it?”

“That’s about it.”

“Okay. I’m on it!”

I peered around the corner again. Good a time as any. I hitched my habit up a bit and headed toward him in a sprinting semi-jog.

“Father! Father, I need help—”

Before I could grab his arm, I heard an echo. Not in my voice though.

“Father! Father, I need help!” And a hand, not mine, grabbed Dapper Dandy Dan’s arm from behind.

“Oh! Thank you, sweet Jesus!” The hand dropped Dandy Dan’s arm and grabbed mine. “You’re even better! The Lord provides!”

An older nun hauled me through the door of the Rescue Center, her habit flying out around her legs.

“One of the girls—she’s in labor and I’m all by myself right now, even all our kids are gone this morning! We didn’t know she was pregnant. She’s been hiding it under big sweatshirts. I’ve called for an ambulance but I don’t know if they’ll make it, she’s been in labor for a while, I think, she’s in denial! She refuses to believe she’s having a baby!”

She pulled me through a curtain separating the front room from a back room used as a dormitory. The girl lay on a cot under a sheet she clutched close, refusing to let go. And she was all of fourteen. Maybe.

“Sister Marie! Sister Marie! It’s just a stomachache! You’ve got to let me up, I’m not—” She broke off and writhed in pain. Sister Marie dropped to her knees besides the cot. 


“Sandra, you’ve got to listen to me! I’ve called for help but it might not get here in time. You’ve got to let us help you, child. You are having a baby and if you don’t listen to me and open your legs, you can hurt it. Badly. You don’t want that, do you?”

Wisps of gray hair peeked from Sister Marie’s wimple, and a harsh ray of sunlight highlighted every wrinkle on her face. Her hand, visibly work-worn and roughened, smoothed the girl’s hair back from her forehead. Sitting there in a halo of harsh sunlight, face lined with compassion and concern, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I felt like a fraud. Until I remembered. I could help. There was no such thing as coincidence. I was here for a reason.

Interview time!


What inspired you to write this book?

Back in the days before I ever published, or ever thought I would, my friends used to pass my books, both those already written and those in progress, back and forth.  One of my friends asked me if I’d mind if her mother read them.  I wasn’t too sure about that, actually, I still had trouble believing even my friends weren’t just being polite, but I said okay.  Fortunately, my friend knew her mother better than I did, and Miss Louise loved them.  She sent me a message:  “Tell Gail to write something funny on purpose, ‘cause she’s so funny sometimes without even meaning to be.”  So I did.  And that was the origin of the War-N-Wit, Inc. series.

How did you come up with the title?

The series title was easy.  These were stories about a private investigator, bounty-hunter, process-server who just happened to be a warlock.  So there’s the “War”.  He was also on the hunt for his Witch, the soul-mate he’d reincarnated with many times in the past.  So there’s the “Wit”.  He always knew he’d find her, so he named his business for the two of them.  “War-N-Wit, Inc.”  And never mind if she didn’t have any idea she was a witch. He figured she could get her magical training on-the-job while she trained as a private investigating, bounty-hunting, process serving apprentice. For each individual book, the title just flowed out of the plot.

What made you choose the main setting for your book?

Well, War-N-Wit, Inc. is a service provider for many different areas of the legal profession and law enforcement.  Some of those “enforcement” agencies they work for might be a little off the charts, by the way.  You know, agencies that are more concerned with “magical and/or celestial” offenders than say, the local Sheriff.  I’ve been in a law office for 40 years now, so I’m what you might call very familiar with those settings. The real ones, I mean, and I figured the more magical, celestial agencies would have to be set up more or less the same way.  And while their adventures take them to different locales (for which the internet provides a wealth of information, including videos), they’re based in Georgia.  I’m a native-born Georgia girl, and I really believe in writing what you know.  I think it gives a reality and depth to the characters that can’t be faked. 

Tell us a little bit about the conflict in your story.

Before I start explaining, let me emphasize—the Wars are funny.  Basically, providing entertainment, both to readers and for myself as the writer,  is always my ultimate goal. But when I stop and think about it, the War “plots” can be described in three words.  Or rather, several sets of three words.  Good versus evil.  Light versus dark.  Balance versus chaos.  I didn’t consciously set out to do that.  I’m a writer.  I tell stories, I don’t try to change the course of humanity.  But Chad and Ariel, the Warlock and Witch of War-N-Wit, Inc. are what Chad terms “persons of power”.  And persons of power have a greater responsibility than ordinary mortals to protect the good, the light, the balance.  And that’s what they do at all times, in all assignments, whether ordinary assignments of a purely legal nature, or assignments from the more esoteric agencies.  They guard the light.  And when you think about it, isn’t that what life’s all about?  Or should be about? Holding true, keeping the balance, guarding the good?

Tell us about your book cover and how it relates to your story.

First off, let me state unequivocally – I love my War-N-Wit covers.  They’ve evolved somewhat, because as previously explained, they started life as four separate novellas.  But Chad and Ariel remain constant, and those models are, to me, the perfect Chad and Ariel.  I think they capture the essence of the characters perfectly.  I love the Witch on a Broomstick logo, I love the sparkle of the stars.  I think they just scream magic.  But Michelle Lee, the brilliant cover artist of Books We Love, Ltd., threw one detail into that very first cover that added a whole ‘nother dimension to the War-N-Wit novels.  She put a black cat on the very first cover, walking across the letters of my last name. Since these novellas were planned as a series, she also went ahead and worked on the covers of the next two Wars, and she put that same black cat, in a different pose, in different spots on each of those covers.  Hmmmmmm. A black cat that moves around a lot. That black cat became Micah. And I wrote him into all succeeding War-N-Wits. He  became a pivotal character in the books, a character the readers just love. As do I.  I can’t imagine a War-N-Wit without Micah.

Are you currently working on another story? If so, we’d love some details.

I’m always working on another story, even if I’m not actually to the writing stage of it.  I’ve always got a couple of plots simmering over in the corner of my brain, waiting for one of them to come to boil.  Right now, I’m working on a paranormal thriller, a rather dark one, titled Black Turkey Walk.  I don’t really set out to write in any particular genre, I just tell stories.  I’ve written everything from humor to action to thriller to horror, and usually have elements of several genres mixed into the story line. I’ve got another War-N-Wit plot brewing but I don’t know when I’ll start it.  Definitely not until I finish Black Turkey Walk, that’s gotten interrupted a couple of times already for other projects.  I’ve got what I term a “real-life country comedy/drama” on simmer, too, one I hope will make readers laugh in one chapter and cry in the next, the way real life does.  I’ve learned not to give myself deadlines, though.  They hinder rather than help and I’m pretty sure they make the characters mad and send them into hiding, which really puts a crimp on the creative process. 

Tell us about your favorite writing environment. Is it indoors, outdoors, a special room, etc.

I keep my laptop on the kitchen table and write there. I’ve been on a computer in a law office for so long (I’ve been a paralegal for forty years), I’m geared to think while typing in the midst of noise, bustle and chaos.  My husband actually set up a little typing desk for me in our bedroom, bless his heart, “so nobody’ll bother you”.  I sat down at it for about five minutes and moved my laptop back to the kitchen table.  I can’t think if I’m not where I can monitor everybody’s comings and goings, follow the action on the tv show in the great room, hear the timers dinging for the oven or microwave, and see the pots if they start to boil over. 

What sources do you use for research?

I really don’t research a great deal because (a) I write what I know; and (b) I’ve been an eclectic and omnivorous reader my entire life with a great love for both history and the paranormal (yes, I’m nuts, most writers are) and I’ve got this really weird memory that retains the most useless pieces of information imaginable.  Sometimes I amaze myself at how frequently I can just reach in my brain and pull out what I need for a particular plot.  But nobody knows everything, of course, nobody’s been everywhere.  And when I need something I don’t have any knowledge of whatsoever, I fall back on two things.  First, forty years in a law office has given me a wealth of contacts with fascinating people who’ve done fascinating things, and they’re invaluable for brain-picking. Not to mention my son-in-law is a K-9 officer on our county’s drug interdiction specialty force. I’m sure he hates to see my name and number pop up on his phone.  Then there’s this invention called the internet – a wondrous, wondrous thing.  You can take a virtual tour of pretty much anywhere and look up pretty much anything.  If I’m ever suspected of a crime and my laptop confiscated, I’m dead meat.  Because the search engines would show me looking up voo-doo, hoo-doo, the street value of cocaine and how to cut it, prostitution laws in Nevada, how to make a gas bomb, the most popular bars during Daytona Bike Week, outlaw biker gangs….oh, yeah.  I’d be dead meat.  

About the Author



Gail Roughton is a native of small town Georgia whose Deep South heritage features prominently in much of her work. She’s worked in a law office for close to forty years, during which time she’s raised three children and quite a few attorneys. She’s kept herself more or less sane by writing novels and tossing the completed manuscripts into her closet.

A cross-genre writer, she’s produced books ranging from humor to romance to thriller to horror and is never quite sure herself what to expect when she sits down at the keyboard. Now multi-published by Books We Love, Ltd., her credits include the War-N-Wit, Inc. series, The Color of Seven, Vanished, and Country Justice. Currently, she’s working on Black Turkey Walk, the second in the Country Justice series, as well as the Sisters of Prophecy series, co-written with Jude Pittman.

Another War-N-Wit plot always seems to be brewing on the back burner, too, whether she’s actually trying to brew one or not, and usually boils quicker when she’s trying not to brew one at all. 

Visit Gail Roughton 






Twitter: @GailRoughton