There's No Danger Greater Than Falling For Your Enemy... Anger Lover by Tricia Skinner.

Today I’m thrilled to welcome over Tricia Skinner, author of Angel Lover, a Paranormal Romance.

Release Date: 6/30/15

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

There's no danger greater than falling for your enemy...

Book Description

The Nephilim are bound. Their powers cursed. But half-angel Kasdeja will do anything to free them from Heaven's tyranny. When Kas is approached by a striking, mysterious woman, she tells him his greatest enemies hold the key to his freedom.

Mariel keeps herself shrouded in secrets, using them to hide her true self. For she is not just employed by the Renegades--enemy fallen angels—she is a double agent, working on the sly for Heaven. Her directive is to seduce the gorgeous Nephilim—despite her insecurity about such sensual acts.

For Mariel is playing a dangerous game, and falling for Kas could only cause trouble; her assignment isn't just seduction. It's destruction. 

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Purchase at    Amazon    BN    Entangled

Giveaway! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter after this post for a chance to win 3 antique lockets (US residents Only). Celebrate the release of ANGEL LOVER with a one-of-a-kind collectible piece. Each locket features one book in the Angel Assassins series (Angel Bait prequel, Angel Kin #1, and Angel Lover #2), plus silver charms.  

Let’s Interview!

 What inspired you to write this book?

Angel Lover gave me the opportunity to play with two characters who see themselves as not being as strong as their peers. That’s not usually the case with the hero in most paranormal romances. He’s often characterized as Alpha male and sure of himself. In my novel, Kasdeja is forced to kill someone because he didn’t have any other way out of the situation. That choice eats away at him, leaving his confidence in his abilities as a mind reader and his position on a bad-ass team of half-angel assassins in question.

My heroine, Mariel, is the other side of the coin. She’s coming from a place riddled with survivor’s guilt. She lived through a terrible event and her choices since then have twisted her personal beliefs. Her trust issues directly affect the romance.

What made you choose the main setting for your book?

I’m a Detroiter. If you’ve ever met another, you know we tend to be rather fond of that old city, despite all its troubles. It’s an underdog in so many ways, and I think that made it perfect for my Angel Assassins series. The Nephilim who make up Kas’s team, the Bound Ones, are perhaps the greatest underdogs I’ve ever come across.

If you could spend an hour in real life with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Easy! Kas is a geek, like I am. We would spend hours playing computer games. But only an hour? That’s not a lot of time to raid Jedi bases in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Give us three.

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

I mentioned before that Kas and Mariel believe themselves unworthy in the eyes of others, which lends to the conflict their relationship faces. You also have a hero who can read minds and a heroine who can block angelic powers with a kind of “white noise.” Sprinkle in Kas being a half-angel assassin being watched by his superiors and Mariel is a spy ordered to stop him from his mission. Nothing is easy for them.

If you had to sell your book based on one run of dialogue (start quote to end quote), which would it be?

From Kas to Mariel: “Dangerous women excite me. Mysterious women give me ideas.”

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

I’m also finished with a novella for one of the characters from my first novel, Angel Kin. That was a surprise project that came about because readers asked me to write more about Abel, the “bad guy” in that book. He is the twin brother of Kin’s hero, Cain, and I guess readers couldn’t get enough of him. It’s been a blast to write!

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

Another easy one. Yay! I love my newsletter because while there are many social media choices for authors to spread the word about their books, none allow for a more direct contact. My subscribers don’t get flooded with “buy me, buy me” posts. I tell them what I’m working on, ask for their feedback on something like the next heroine for a hero, share deleted scenes, and simply get to know them through interacting in the newsletter.

How long have you been writing? How long have you been published?

I used to be a newspaper reporter so I wrote for years. When I think of my author career, that started after I took some classes in 2010 on novel writing. I signed my first book deal in 2012, landed an agent in 2013, and then another book deal. I’m still learning the ropes, but it’s been awesome. 

Excerpt

He traced his fingers under her tank top and made small circles against her back. A soft sound escaped her lips, then she relaxed.

“Mariel.” He barely recognized his lust-blown voice.

She answered by renewing their passionate kiss, full and open and bone melting. She kissed him thoroughly, drawing the oxygen from his lungs as she twisted her fingers into his long hair.

Kas lowered her on the comforter with care, never breaking their kiss. He eased back, and with his gaze on hers, he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it.

Mariel’s gaze made several passes over his body.

What did she feel for him? Admiration? Uncertainty? He’d never hurt her. No one would ever hurt her again, not if they expected to live.

Then Mariel’s gaze fell away. “You are...beautiful.” Her shoulders drooped, and she pulled back.


“You don’t believe you are.”


She didn’t reply, except for the stubborn jut of her chin. Kas smoothed his thumb over her cheek then gently raised her head. She wouldn’t look at him. He wouldn’t allow her to withdraw from him, from them.

He touched her shirt at the waist, and her hands clamped over his, her eyes wet. Her fearful expression tore him apart.

“Trust me as I trust you,” he said gently.

Kas waited until her grip loosened, and her hands fell to the side. He infused a smile with warmth and then eased the material up in torturous increments. Time she could use to stop him.

Her flat stomach and tight abs were revealed. He smothered his reaction, afraid Mariel would mistake a groan for disapproval. Smooth, golden skin fed his hunger an appetizer.

“You have control,” he told her. “If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop.”

Mariel peeked through her lashes and nodded.

He lifted the shirt higher, stared at her breasts, and bit back another sound. God of All, they made him salivate, but he tapped more of his self-control.

Finally, the shirt was over her head and joined his on the floor. Mariel’s arms stayed locked at her sides like a soldier at attention.

Kas moved around her and climbed onto the bed next to her. “Lie on your side, facing me.”

“I do not know,” she said, whisper light.

Again his chest felt as if it had crushed inward. No woman should be made to believe she was ugly. None should feel shame about her body. He wanted to beat bloody any man who’d ever looked at her wrong.

Mariel expelled a long breath as if she’d resolved herself to do what he’d asked. She stretched out alongside him, chest to chest, her right arm pillowing her head.

He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her cheek and lips. “Touch me.”


About the Author

Tricia Skinner is an author of passionate dark fantasy. She is a features writer for Fresh Fiction and a project manager for Short Fuse. She began her writing career as a business reporter and wrote for The Detroit News, Investor’s Business Daily, MSN, and The Houston Chronicle.

Raised in Detroit, Tricia graduated with a BA degree from the nationally acclaimed Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State University. She earned a Masters of Liberal Studies – Creative Writing degree from Southern Methodist University and will obtain a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in 2017.

Diversity in genre fiction is dear to Tricia’s heart. She is represented by Laurie McLean, co-founder of Fuse Literary Agency.

When not writing, Tricia can be found reading, lifting weights, or geeking out over games, movies, and music. She has a Tom Hiddleston obsession, and she is Team Vader. Her family includes three Great Danes (so far).

Author Website: http://www.triciaskinner.com

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorTrish

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTriciaSkinner

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/triciaskinner

Newsletter: http://www.triciaskinner.com/newsletter/

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Historical Romance. Scent of the Soul by Julie Doherty.

Today it’s my pleasure to welcome over Julie Doherty, author of Scent of the Soul, a Historical Romance.

Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

Date of Publication:  February 11, 2015

ISBN:  978-1-61935-705-1

ASIN: B00SZ0SKUE

Number of pages: 288

Word Count:  91,000

Cover Artist: Leah Suttle

Book Description

In twelfth century Scotland, it took a half-Gael with a Viking name to restore the clans to their rightful lands. Once an exile, Somerled the Mighty now dominates the west. He’s making alliances, expanding his territory, and proposing marriage to the Manx princess.

It’s a bad time to fall for Breagha, a torc-wearing slave with a supernatural sense of smell.

Somerled resists the intense attraction to a woman who offers no political gain, and he won’t have a mistress making demands on him while he’s negotiating a marriage his people need. Besides, Breagha belongs to a rival king, one whose fresh alliance Somerled can’t afford to lose.

It’s when Breagha vanishes that Somerled realizes just how much he needs her. He abandons his marriage plans to search for her, unprepared for the evil lurking in the shadowy recesses of Ireland—a lustful demon who will stop at nothing to keep Breagha for himself.

Book Trailer  

Available at   Amazon    Amazon UK    Amazon Canada

Giveaway! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter after this post for a chance to win one of the following: 10 bars of soap open to US Shipping or one of five Kindle Gift Copies of  Scent of the Soul.

Let’s Interview!

What inspired you to write this book?

It was a combination of things. The first occurred at a gas station while I was waiting in line to pay. A man stepped into line behind me, and I felt this unbelievable energy emanating from him. It was really bizarre, because he was not the sort of guy I’d ever notice. In fact, if I met him in an alley, I’d probably run the other way, but as he stood behind me, I could feel the heat of him against my back. It’s been about twenty years since that happened, and I’ve never forgotten the power of it. I’ve often wondered why I found him so magnetic. There was nothing sexual about it—just a magnetic pull, like I already knew him somehow. Were we soul mates in a past life? Were our lives somehow meant to connect? I’ll never find out, because I paid for my gas and ran out of there like my pants were on fire. It’s crazy, I know, but it led to the question: what would happen if someone bumped into a soul mate from a past life? Would we recognize him/her? How?

It wasn’t until later that I decided to write a novel featuring reuniting soul mates. I was researching my ancestry at the time, and I came across Somerled of Argyll. Although much of his story has been lost to time, we know he was a hero long before Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. In fact, he’s the progenitor of many of the Highland clans so popular in fiction today. Without him, those clans may have disappeared altogether, since it was Somerled who wrenched Scottish lands from the hands of the Vikings. He’s also credited with inventing the moveable stern rudder, which changed the way men sailed. If that’s not enough to earn a spot in a novel, what is?

I combined the “soul mate recognition” spark with Somerled, threw in a little supernatural scenting ability, and SCENT OF THE SOUL was born. Readers will recognize the “gas station event” in the scene where Somerled appears behind Breagha in the slave corner.

How did you come up with the title?

My female character recognizes Somerled by scent, so SCENT OF THE SOUL made perfect sense.

If you could spend an hour in real life with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Somerled, but I’d want more than an hour. As for why, well, heh heh.

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

Somerled has risen from obscurity in western Scotland. He plans to cement his position as a man of considerable wealth and influence by marrying the Manx princess, but when he meets Breagha, a slave with a supernatural sense of smell, she turns his world upside-down. He resists the intense attraction, knowing Breagha offers no political gain, and he can’t have a mistress making demands on him while he’s negotiating a marriage his people need. Besides, Breagha belongs to a rival king, one whose fresh alliance Somerled can’t afford to lose.

Somerled thinks he has time to decide between power and love. What he doesn’t know is someone else wants Breagha, too—someone who will stop at nothing to keep her for himself.

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

Somerled was a twelfth century warrior king with a vast fleet. It seemed only fitting to feature a longship, since he owned many of them. The cover image hints of a voyage to some mysterious place, which is pretty much what happens in the novel. We journey with Somerled, not to a place, but to himself  . . . and to fulfillment.

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

I finished a second novel called SCATTERED SEEDS. This story features Ulster-Scots Edward and Henry McConnell, who flee impoverished, eighteenth century Ireland with the one valuable thing they still own—a torc that once belonged to Somerled of Argyll, their ancestor. Unfortunately, they arrive in Philadelphia at the outset of the French and Indian War.

Currently, I am writing my third novel, which sees one of Somerled’s present-day descendants unearthing a torc on her Pennsylvania farm. Curious about its origins, she travels to Scotland to investigate, where she’ll find more than she bargained for.

What sort of personality does your hero have?

Somerled is a passionate and driven man with a wicked temper and an inferiority complex due to past insults and his mother’s Norse blood.

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

I loved writing the scene where Peader the monk is cooking turnips over an open flame because I was furious at someone in real life that day. The monk paid the price, unfortunately.

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

Believe it or not, my car. It’s the only place I can find complete privacy.

Thank you so much for the spotlight and interview. I know how much time blogging takes. I truly appreciate your dedication and willingness to share my work.

My pleasure, Julie. Wishing you much success. Scent of the Soul sounds like an amazing read.

Excerpt

As Godred’s oarsmen shoved off from the jetty, Somerled wondered if there was any man less suitable to deliver a marriage proposal. Godred of Dublin was coarse, marginally Christian—indeed, marginally sane—and easily riled. Nevertheless, King Olaf liked him, and for that reason alone, Somerled had selected him as his envoy.

“No side trips,” Somerled shouted before Godred was too far away to hear. “Ye have three places to go and that’s it: the Isle of Man, your clan, and back here.” Godred was prone to unscheduled detours.

Unless bad weather or the scent of easy plunder pulled Godred and his thirty oarsmen off course, Somerled would have Olaf’s answer in a few days. If Olaf agreed to the marriage, Somerled would add a wife to the items decorating his new castle at Finlaggan and eventually, the Isle of Man to his expanding area of influence.

The nobles would respect him then. Half-breed or not.

Behind him, a door squealed on one of the two guardhouses standing sentinel over the Sound of Islay. The small building spat out Hakon, his chief guard, another man of Dublin birth and temperament. Hakon strode the length of the jetty to join him. “I have every confidence the Norns will weave Godred a successful journey, my lord king,” he said, his words puffing white clouds above his tawny sheepskin cape.

“If your goddesses have woven anything, it’s an unfortunate headwind,” Somerled said. “Godred is forced to tack.” He closed his cloak and secured it at his throat with a brooch he once plucked from a Viking who no longer needed it. “The wind promises hail. My proposal will be delayed.”

“Aye, likely,” Hakon said, his hair and beard whipping into copper clouds, “but it will hasten Olaf’s reply. Do not despair, my lord. Ragnhilde will marry ye soon enough.”

Despair? Somerled stifled a laugh. Did Hakon think he had feelings for a lassie he had never met? He was about to tease his guard about being a romantic when Hakon stiffened.

“Another ship,” Hakon said, looking past Somerled’s shoulder.

Somerled spun around to inspect the northwestern waters of the channel separating Jura and Islay—the jewel of the Hebrides and the island that served as the seat of his burgeoning kingdom. “Where?” he asked, squinting.

Hakon thrust a finger toward the fog bank blanketing the horizon. “There, at the promontory, in that pale blue strip of water. See it?”

At first, Somerled saw nothing but swooping terns and ranks of swells. Then, an unadorned sail appeared. It crested on a wave, dipped low, and vanished.

“Should I sound the horn?” Hakon asked.

Somerled raked his fingers through the coarse, wheaten mess slapping at his eyes and held it at his nape while he considered his response. Behind them, the signal tower on Ben Vicar was smoke-free. Across the sound, the towers on the frosty Paps of Jura were likewise unlit, although clouds partially obscured their peaks. The Paps had a commanding view. If a signal fire blazed anywhere, the men stationed there would have seen it and lit their own.

“My lord king, should I sound the horn?” Hakon impatiently palmed the battle horn dangling at his broad chest.

Men began to gather on the jetty.

“Let us wait. It is only one ship, and it looks to be a trader. The signal fires would blaze by now if it were someone worthy of our concern.” Somerled glanced back at the mud and thatch cottages shouldering against one another. At their doors, the bows of half his impressive fleet rested on the shoreline, a sandy slip extending well into the distance. The rest of his ships sheltered at the far side of Islay, in Loch Indaal. A signal fire would deploy them quickly and, perhaps, needlessly.

“Alert the village. Have Cormac ready Dragon’s Claw,” he said, “but send only the nyvaigs for now.” The nyvaigs were smaller, but no less deadly. They would be out and back quickly.

Hakon sprinted through the gathering crowd and past the guardhouses. He leapt over a pile of rocks with surprising agility for a man of his years and size. In no time, specialized warriors and oarsmen were boarding the boats. A pony thundered inland, its rider instructed to warn, not panic, the people of Finlaggan.

Though Somerled carried his mighty sword, he had dressed for warmth, not battle. His mail shirt, aketon, and helmet hung in his bedchamber, two miles away in Finlaggan. He singled out a boy in the crowd. “Lad, find me a helmet and a shield, and be quick about it.”

The boy shot like an arrow toward the cottages.

Somerled held his breath as he watched the nyvaigs head out. At the first flash of steel, he would blow the battle horn. His men would light the towers and he would board Dragon’s Claw. The foreigner would be sorry he entered the Sound of Islay.

The ship’s features were barely discernible, but he could see that its high prow lacked a figurehead. He was trying to identify the banner fluttering on its masthead when the ship’s sail dropped and scattered gulls like chaff in the wind. His heart hammered against his chest as he waited for the foreign vessel to sprout oars; it didn’t. It stalled—a sign its crew had dropped anchor.

Dragon’s Claw bobbed next to him at the jetty, her top rail lined with colorful shields and her benches holding sixty-four of his savage warriors. Cormac gripped the tiller, but he would move aside when Somerled barked the order to do so. He would serve as his own shipmaster in the face of an enemy.

Low and curvy with a dragon’s head exhaling oaken flames from her prow, Dragon’s Claw was his favorite vessel, not because she was new or particularly seaworthy, but because he had wrenched her from the last Viking to leave his father’s lands.

The memory of that battle warmed him and occupied his thoughts while the nyvaigs swarmed around the foreigner. Then, they swung about, furled their sails, and rowed for home like many-legged insects skittering on the water’s surface.

When the boats reached the beach, Hakon jumped from his nyvaig and jogged through ankle-deep water, apparently too impatient to wait for his men to haul the vessel’s keel onto the sand. “Well, my lord king,” he said, “it seems to be the day for marriage proposals. It is an envoy from Moray, who comes at the behest of Malcolm. He asks to speak with ye regarding Bethoc.”

“Malcolm MacHeth . . . the Malcolm MacHeth . . . wants my sister?”

He had met Malcolm MacHeth only once, at King David’s court, on a night spoiled by ill-bred lassies who had mocked his foreign garb and speech. Malcolm, a bastard nephew of the Scots king, had observed his humiliation and pretended not to notice.

Yet here was Malcolm of Moray, a claimant to the Scottish throne and a known rebel, seeking Bethoc’s hand in marriage. Tainted bloodline or not, Somerled was apparently worthy of notice now.

 About the Author

Something magical happened in the musty basement of Julie Doherty’s local courthouse. She went there intending to research her ancestry, not lose herself in a wealth of stories, but the ghosts of yesteryear drew her into the past and would not let her go. The trail left by her ancestors in those yellowing documents led her from rural Pennsylvania to the Celtic countries, where her love of all things Irish/Scottish blossomed into outright passion.

She became particularly interested in Somerled, self-styled "King of Argyll" and progenitor of the Lords of the Isles. In 1164, he led a fleet of 164 galleys up the River Clyde in an all-or-nothing attempt to overthrow the Scottish crown. What would lead a man of his advanced years to do such a thing?

Of course, history records he did so because the king demanded forfeiture of his lands. But the writer in Julie wondered ...what if he did it for the love of a woman?

Those early ponderings led to SCENT OF THE SOUL, Julie’s first novel, coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing.

Readers will notice a common theme throughout Julie’s books: star-crossed lovers. This is something she knows a bit about, since during one of her trips to Ireland, she fell in love with an Irishman. The ensuing immigration battle took four long years to win. With only fleeting visits, Skype chats, and emails to sustain her love, Julie poured her heartache into her writing, where it nourished the emotional depth of her characters.

Julie is a member of Pennwriters, Romance Writers of America, Central PA Romance Writers, The Longship Company, Perry County Council of the Arts, and Clan Donald USA. When not writing, she enjoys antiquing, shooting longbow, traveling, and cooking over an open fire at her cabin. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, who sounds a lot like her characters.

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Shapeshifting Wolves Battle for Life and Love. Desert Moon by Anna Lowe.

Today it’s my pleasure to welcome over Anna Lowe, author of Desert Moon, Book One in The Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch.

Genre: PNR 

Publisher: Twin Moon Press

Date of Publication: March 4, 2015 

ASIN: B00TEEHDPS 

Number of pages: 133

Word Count: 38,800 (roughly 40k) 

Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Book Description

Lana Dixon knows well enough to steer clear of alpha males, but Ty Hawthorne is as impossible to avoid as the sizzling Arizona sun. Her inner wolf just won’t give up on the alpha who’s tall, dark, and more than a little dangerous. One midnight romp under the full moon is enough for Lana to know she’ll risk her life for him — but what about her pride?

Ty puts duty above everything — even the overwhelming instinct that says Lana’s the one. She’s the Juliet to his Romeo: forbidden. And with a pack of poaching rogues closing in, it’s hardly the time to yield to his desires. Or is love just what this lonely alpha needs to set his spirit free?

There’s more than meets the eye on Twin Moon Ranch, home to a pack of shapeshifting wolves willing to battle for life and love.

Available at Amazon

Giveaway! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter after this post for a chance to win 3 ebook copies Desert Moon.

Let’s Interview!

How did you come up with the title?

The title comes right out of the setting and the story. There's something magical about the desert at night, and a full moon brings out the impulsive and unpredictable side in all of us. It's a perfect place to throw a destined mates together – just let them try to resist the temptation! (And they do try, silly things.) 

What made you choose the main setting for your book?

I wanted a strong, moody location that could act as a character in itself and immediately knew Arizona would be the perfect setting for my dark and dangerous series. I come from the East Coast (like the heroine of Book 1, Lana) but I fell in love with Arizona the minute I arrived there for a job on a ranch. That special place quickly inspired the Twin Moon Ranch of the books, from the gateway to the dining hall with its massive stone fireplace, in addition to the overall ranch layout and the overall issues that influence the ranch management (land and water rights, environmental issues, etc). It didn't take long for my imagination to sprinkle werewolves and hot alpha heroes into a place I love and make it even better!

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

Desert Moon is a second chance love story between a thorny Romeo and his stubborn Juliet.

Lana Dixon knows well enough to steer clear of alpha males, but Ty Hawthorne is as impossible to avoid as the sizzling Arizona sun. Her inner wolf just won’t give up on the alpha who’s tall, dark, and more than a little dangerous. One midnight romp under the full moon is enough for Lana to know she’ll risk her life for him — but what about her pride? 

Ty puts duty above everything — even the overwhelming instinct that says Lana’s the one. She’s the Juliet to his Romeo: forbidden. And with a pack of poaching rogues closing in, it’s hardly the time to yield to his desires. Or is love just what this lonely alpha needs to set his spirit free?

If you had to sell your book based on one run of dialogue (start quote to end quote), which would it be?

This is one of my favorite scenes, when Ty and Lana talk for the first time in the ranch's dining hall, where everyone shares meals a couple of times a week:

                “Hi, she mumbled, her eyes meeting his. The blue hues of her irises were so varied and vivid, he could swear they were swirling and changing as he looked on.

                “Hi,” he said. Well, he tried to. His lips moved but the sound didn’t quite make it out. He struggled to remember where he was and why.

                Right, dessert. He reached for a piece of pie exactly when Lana did. Their hands froze halfway to the platter, both wavering over the key lime pie. The last slice.

                “Cody!” He cursed his brother under his breath.

                Lana pulled back. “You take it.”

                “No, you.”

                Her eyes narrowed at him. Crap. He hadn’t meant for it to come out as an order, but she was already gritting her teeth.

                “No, you,” she ground out.

                “I’m good.” He tried taking the edge off his voice, but he was badly out of practice.

                Lana studied him so closely he would swear she could see into his childhood memories. Her nostrils flared, and he saw her catch a breath and hold it. Then she slowly exhaled and turned to the platter, scooping the last piece onto the last plate. She forked it roughly in half and held it between them with icy determination.

                “We’ll share,” she growled.

                The alpha in him both bristled and admired her pluck. The wolf licked his lips — and not for the pie.

                Her eyes flickered, focusing on something in his. He noticed an outer edge of green in her eyes that he’d missed before, like the foam that slid off the crests of waves.

                “Trouble today?” she asked, keeping her voice down.

                Trouble? So she’d noticed the meeting. “No trouble,” he insisted.

                She snorted. “I do that, too.”

                “Do what?”

                “Pretend.”

                Ty blinked. “I don’t pretend.”

                “Then what’s the trouble?” She took a bite of pie and licked a smudge of cream off her lips.

                A breath caught in his throat, and a word slipped past his lips before he could catch it. “Rogues.”

                Her face hardened as some dark memory rocketed through her eyes. “Confirmed report?”

                “Not yet, but…”

                She nodded, letting him trail off. In an absent movement, her right arm rubbed briefly over her left, where a wicked scar trailed out of her sleeve.

                “Trouble?” he murmured, eyes on the scar. For a shifter to scar, it must have been bad.

                She yanked the sleeve down. “No trouble.”

                I do that, too, he wanted to say. Pretend. His gut warmed with something strangely close to pride. This East Coast wolf wasn’t just sassy; she was tough, too.

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

I loves putting the “hero” back into heroine and letting location ignite a passionate romance, whether that's in my dark and dangerous werewolf series or the exotic and exciting travel and adventure romances I will release starting in July. In all cases, I like creating a heroine who is independent, intelligent, and imperfect – a woman who’s doing just fine on her own. But give her a good man – not to mention a chance to overcome her own inhibitions – and she’ll never turn down the chance for adventure, nor shy away from danger.

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

I love variety, so I write a bit of everything. The Twin Moon Ranch stories are all long novellas (about 40,000 words each) while my travel romances are short novels, and the adventure romances are fast-paced novellas of 30,000 words. In between, I love writing short stories that show couples living their Happily Ever After – whether that's Lana bringing Ty home to meet her parents in Desert Wolf, or a marriage proposal up a New Zealand mountaintop between the hero and heroine of Island Fantasies (a travel romance set on a tropical island near Bora Bora). As a reader, I like variety too: sometimes I prefer a long saga, other times a weekend read, and sometimes just a quick escape into a world and characters I love.

Do you write books in series? If so, share a bit about the series you currently have published or are coming soon.

Desert Moon is the first of the Twin Moon Ranch series. Book 1 focuses on Ty, the ruling alpha's oldest son – a man whose life is heavy in responsibility and light on privilege. In Book 2, Desert Blood, his brother Cody gets center stage. The brothers are opposites: if Ty is a thundercloud, Cody is a ray of sunshine, and his life is the other way around: heavy on privilege but light on responsibility. Cody yearns to be trusted with more – and gets his chance when his destined mate Heather comes along, on the run from vampires. Book 3 is about Kyle, a cop turned shapeshifter in a biker brawl who was taken in by Twin Moon Ranch. He's still not quite settled into pack life until childhood buddy Stefanie comes along and gives him something to believe in again. Books 4 and 5 are about Ty and Cody's sisters, and you'll love them, too. All the story have different villains and different outside conflicts, such as land rights, inter-pack rivalries, and rogue incursions. And all end in sweet epilogues (I just can't resist those).

The adventure romance series I'm writing right now is set around a group of six cousins who inherit their grandfather's sailboat, Serendipity. The grandfather's last wish was for each set of siblings to reconnect by going sailing together in the Caribbean. In Uncharted Waters, responsible Seth is sailing among the gorgeous reefs of Belize with his party-boy brother Tobin when he meets Julie, an archaeologist on the run. In Uncharted Territory, Tobin gets his second chance at the woman who turned him down at the altar six years before. Now Cara is stuck in a remote Panamanian village, and Tobin's the only one who can get her out. The question is, will she let him back into her life? The series continues with Tobin and Seth's cousins as they get their turn to sail the boat, two at a time. The sailboat lives up to its name as it brings each cousin to true love through serendipito 

Excerpt

“One of Tyrone’s boys is coming to get us,” Jean said, looking up and down the road.

                Lana looked too, gnawing her lip. It figured the kid would be late. While the two older women stood in the shade of a bus stop, catching up on twelve years of news, she paced. Out into the piercing sun, then back into the muted shade. Out and back, out and back again, each footfall a step into the past, then a determined about-face into the future. She tried to numb her senses, but they kept darting around, tasting the arid flavor of this place, listening to its emptiness. Everything felt so familiar, yet so strange, like visiting a childhood home after someone else had moved in.

                That was the strange part. Arizona had never been her home and it never would be. She’d only visited once before. She went stiff at the memory, as if the old emotions might creep up and carry her away. Emotions like hope and love and unexpected passion, blazing bright. She’d been so young and impressionable back then — only twenty, and that was the problem. Too young to know better than to fall in love with a vague scent in the hills. For a while, she’d even imagined the scent came with a man.

                But it had been a siren song at best, and it had ruined her. There was no man, no promise, only a ceaseless whisper that stirred her during the day and haunted her at night. And now she was back again, right in the thick of it: the heat, the dust, the lying air.

                “Oh, there he is,” Jean called.

                A faded Jeep Wagoneer pulled up to the curb and creaked to a stop. From what Jean had said, Lana had been expecting the driver to be a newly licensed teen — a kid delighted for any excuse to get out on four wheels. The type with narrow shoulders, a pocked complexion, and gangly limbs.

                She was not expecting this.

                Lana gaped as the “boy” emerged from the car with a smooth, easy step. Evidently the state of Arizona was now issuing driver’s licenses to rugged, six-foot-two slabs of muscle and raw power. Authority bristled off him in waves, as if he were facing an entire platoon and  not just a couple of guests. Dark. Sensual. More than a little dangerous. This was their ride?

                “Hello, sweetie.” Old Jean gave him a cheery peck on the cheek. The gesture made Lana’s inner wolf hiss so fiercely that she wobbled and took a step back. Since when did a man affect her like that?

                Since right now, apparently.

                But why? She didn’t want or need a man in her life, especially one who was so…so…alpha.

                And yet every molecule in her body was screaming Mine!  

About the Author

Anna Lowe loves putting the "hero" back into heroine and letting location ignite a passionate romance. She likes a heroine who is independent, intelligent, and imperfect — a woman who's doing just fine on her own. But give the heroine a good man (not to mention a chance to overcome her own inhibitions) and she'll never turn down the chance for adventure, nor shy away from danger.

Anna is a middle school teacher who divides her time between coastal Maine and a village in view of the Austrian Alps. She loves dogs, sports, and travel — and letting those inspire her fiction.

Once upon a time, she was a long-distance triathlete and soccer player. Nowadays, she finds her balance with yoga, writing, and family time with her husband and young children. On any given weekend, you might find her hiking in the mountains or hunched over her laptop, working on her latest story. Either way, the day will end with a chunk of dark chocolate and a good read.

http://www.annalowebooks.com/author/anna-lowe

http://www.annalowebooks.com/blog

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Lowe-Books/677291092359521

  

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Uniting Two Passionate Souls From Different Worlds and Ages. A Time Apart by Rebecca N. Caudill.

Today I'm thrilled to welcome over Rebecca N. Caudill, author of A Time Apart, book one in the Macauley Series.

Genre: Paranormal Romance , Vampire

Date of Publication: February 8, 2015

ISBN: 978-1508482666

ASIN: B00TDR1O6U

Number of pages: 211 (estimated)

Word Count: 71,020

Cover Artist: Rebecca N. Caudill

Book Description

A love story that traverses the confines of time, life, and death, uniting two passionate souls from different worlds and ages …

Olivia Donnelly has spent her whole life obsessing about how she will die. When tragedy strikes, reality comes crashing down and she’s forced to confront her fears head on. Hoping that a move across the globe will help her to cope with a devastating loss, she arrives in Ireland a broken down shell of a woman looking for a second chance at life.

Almost immediately Olivia is drawn to places she’s never been, and to a man that she’s never met. When she crosses paths with the mysterious and frustratingly private William Macauley, her life is thrown into turmoil unlike any she has ever known. The two couldn’t be more different – she’s human, he’s a vampire – but Olivia can’t get him out of her mind. Having acknowledged her overwhelming desire for William, now she must come to terms with how her feelings for him will greatly alter her future.

Olivia’s understanding of life – and death – take on new meaning as she examines the truth of the person she once was, the woman she was born to be, and how William is the key to her everlasting happiness.

Available at Amazon

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Let’s Interview!

What inspired you to write this book?

I first had the idea for A Time Apart in 2008 when I was reading a bunch of paranormal romance books that featured heroines who were much younger than I was at the time. It’s not that I begrudge the New Adult phenomena, but I have a really hard time connecting with the characters. I really wanted to read about adult situations, with adult characters and so I started thinking about what a heroine, Olivia, would look like in my fictional world, and because I tend to enjoy really multifaceted male characters, I had to make William even more dark and complex than she was. The notion that she was the reincarnation of his dead wife came to me one night as I was struggling to come up with a valid reason for why they were so inexplicably drawn to one another. I felt like it couldn’t just be regular attraction – there had to be something more, a reason why they couldn’t stay away from one another, and from there the story took on new life.

How did you come up with the title?

Once I came up with the story angle, it seemed obvious to me. In fact, I had the title figured out before I had a lot of the story specifics figured out. On the one hand, you have William who has lived centuries without her; on the other, you have a woman who is only half of who she is supposed to be. I liked the play on her being only a part of her true self.

What made you choose the main setting for your book?

My grandmother was Irish and I’d grown up hearing stories about the place, even though she’d never been herself. Over the years it took on a sort of mythical quality in my mind, which fit well with the concept of a paranormal romance. The Yorkshire moors have their gothic tales, and I thought it would be perfect to have a vampire castle in the Irish countryside. I was a year into writing my book before I ever stepped foot in Ireland, and that trip helped me further refine my setting and descriptions.

What sort of personality does your hero have?

William, for all of his confidence and argument to the contrary, is very conflicted about who and what he is. He accepts it, yes, but he still can’t forgive himself for the things he did when he was first made vampire, and that anguish informs a lot of who he is now, almost four hundred years later. He’s sexy, of course, and commanding – men want to be him, and women want to be with him. He likes to think he has control in all situations, but we see pretty early on in the book that he doesn’t. Olivia rattles him, and he makes pretty rash decisions in his interactions with her. Once the two meet, the reader understands – even if he doesn’t – that he’s at war with himself over whether he should have her or let her go. She makes him lose his cool, while breaking down some of the cold reserve he’s built around himself. The longer they’re together, the more relaxed he becomes and we even begin to see glimpses of playfulness in him.

What sort of personality does your heroine have?

First and foremost, Olivia is a very strong woman. She grew up in an unhappy home and so she doesn’t see the world through rose-tinted glasses. When the reader first meets her, she’s trying – unsuccessfully – to come to grips with the death of her parents, hence the trip to Ireland to get a fresh start. She’s acerbic, and dry, and doesn’t easily trust other people but deep down she has a huge capacity for love. No doubt she’s impulsive, and she certainly has a temper, but much of that is only a mask for her vulnerability. All of these emotions lurking below the surface are what lead her to so quickly fall under William’s spell, and why she wants – needs – him so quickly. She’s always known that a part of her was missing, and she finally understands why. Armed with that knowledge, she won’t let anything stop her from getting the happiness that has so long been denied her.

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

I don’t want to give too much away here, but my favorite scene to write is one of the last ones of the book. When I initially envisioned the full story of A Time Apart – which, incidentally, has been the title since the moment I started writing it – I knew how I wanted the relationship between William and Olivia to play out; they were always going to get together. Midway through the book we see her making the decision to be with him, which was a joy to write, but I knew it wasn’t The Scene.

I felt that it was important for the story that when Olivia truly give herself to William that there be a romantic element as well. Yes, this is a paranormal romance, but above all, it’s about the love these two people share for one another. So immediately I knew what I wanted the scene to be, even well before I had ever written any of the other steamy sex scenes in the book. I was a bit worried about going overboard, or being able to artfully weave the scene together, but when I finished writing it, I felt immensely proud of what I had created. It’s one of the few scenes in the entirety of the book that didn’t really change at all during the editing and re-writes.  

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

There’s an old saying about judging a book by its cover, and doing so is something that I’m definitely guilty of. Let’s be honest, some romance covers – regardless of sub-genre – are pretty out there. I still can’t believe people carried books with Fabio on the cover on public transportation!

Because I know just enough about Photoshop to be dangerous, I set about designing my own cover even before I was finished writing the book. I went through several ideations that started with a castle as the main imagery – after all, Macauley Castle plays a central role in my novel, as much as some of the characters in the book. At first I was really happy with what I had produced, but then I started to feel like it wasn't setting the right tone. All the photos I had at my disposal were of a castle during the day, surrounded by verdant fields of green. As readers know, very quickly the action shifts to night, which made that sort of photo wrong on a few levels. 

After scouring several stock photography sites I was nearly ready to give up and just go with a generic cover that I could purchase for $40 but then I stumbled on it – a series of photos of a red headed woman who looked a lot like I had pictured Olivia. I looked through the set and realized that with some time in Photoshop I could take those images and give them the feel I wanted. Photos purchased, I set about giving the images a darker look and feel, and after several different versions I settled on the imagery that I used when my book first debuted. When it came time to do a print cover, I used the same imagery but flipped it, and added some additional noise and darkness and changed the font to be a bit bolder.

When the reader is first introduced to Olivia, she's living in this sort of in-between state. She's of the living, but she hasn't been living; rather, the death of her parents has triggered a set back in her emotional stability and now she's pretty much obsessed with death. Everywhere she goes, everyone she meets, she wonders how he or she will die, and she most often wonders how SHE will eventually die. I liked the misty white gradient as it rises up to meet her face – in full, bright color – as it gives you the sense of someone who's fading. On the opposite side is a dark, black grungy, web-like texture peeking out in the shadows, which hints at something more sinister. It balances out all of the white; it tells you that this isn't a story of light.

One of the things that I really like about this cover is that it isn't dark. Almost every paranormal romance novel out right now has a dark cover. Of course, going this route could bite me in the arse, but I enjoy that what I’ve created isn't the norm for the genre, that it stands apart from the rest, that it establishes OLIVIA as the hero of my story, and not WILLIAM. Then again, I’m sure a picture of a hunky William’s chest would have sold more copies. J

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

I’m in the process of editing and revising Blood of My Blood: Book Two of the Macauley Series; you can catch a sneak peek of it at the end of A Time Apart. It picks up exactly where Book One leaves off, but in it we learn more about William’s life after he became a vampire, and we see how Olivia is settling into her new, preternatural life.

I’m also working on a regency romance that has been simmering at the back of my mind since I’ve been obsessed with the period for many years now. I don’t want to give too much away about it because it’s still in the early stages, but there’s a paranormal angle there as well and I’m really excited to mix the genres as they’re my two favorites.

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

Ha ha ha ha! I’ve gone through so many these past several years, but I haven’t really found one that I would call a favorite. When I first started writing A Time Apart we lived in a beautiful 1910 craftsman, but I didn’t really have an office space of my own so I wrote the beginnings of the book on the couch. Later, I began working from home and we transformed the third bedroom into a dedicated office for me, and while it was great for the writing I did for work, I felt sucked dry creatively so I couldn’t really work on my book in there. Since then, we’ve sold our house and have been renting an apartment in a more vibrant part of town. It’s much smaller so I no longer have dedicated office space. Also, last year I fell on a dock and messed up my tail bone pretty bad so I can’t sit in one place for too long before the pain sets it, so I move from the bedroom, to the couch, to the dining nook, and all around. I long for the days when I have a creative space of my own where I can be comfortable writing. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s not too far off in the future.

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

Those who have read my bio know that I have a pretty extensive background in public relations. In fact, I have over a decade of pitching and securing coverage for the underlying technologies that power some of the world’s current technological innovations. I had (naively) thought that having been successful with something that most people can’t understand, that doing publicity for my book would be a breeze. Ha! I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Honestly, I haven’t quite figured out what my favorite marketing tool is as an author, and I’m still getting the hang of it. I love Twitter, and have had an account since its early days. In 2015, I created an account specifically to talk about writing and becoming an author, but I’m having a hard time finding my footing in the community. In general I’ve never found Facebook a great marketing tool outside of big brands, so I’m still not convinced it’s the right avenue for me to pursue, especially with the changes Facebook has implemented with promoting accounts.

I don’t mean to sound negative about marketing. I’m not at all. I think I’m just learning to re-set my expectations on what book marketing is, compared to technology marketing. Old habits die hard, can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and all that jazz. ;)

That said, the marketing tool that I’m certainly most intrigued by is the video trailer. I have done videos in my previous profession, so I know how powerful they can be in driving interest in a product, but until I started following book tours, I hadn’t seen anything like it for authors. I really love the idea of giving readers an idea of what the book is about in video form, and it’s something I’m excited to explore with future releases.

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

As a reader, I prefer to go more in-depth with the characters and to really examine what is happening to them and around them. I think that’s the reason that I haven’t pursued turning any of my ideas into short stories. The few that I’ve read seem to end just as I’m getting interested in the characters. Also, if my answers here haven’t clued you in, I’m a bit long-winded so I’m not sure that I could stick to putting together a short story that was worthy of publication.

At over 70,000 words, A Time Apart is a full-length novel, but I am intrigued by the idea of creating shorter novellas for future installments of the series. There are so many twists and turns coming up in the story that it could make sense to examine each of them as standalone novellas rather than trying to wrap them into one longer, cohesive story. The other thing that has changed the way I think about the novella is the success of them with self-publishers, and with the one-click ease of purchasing via digital outlets. (I have a Kindle, so I use Amazon.) If a novella is priced right, the story is riveting and fast-paced, I can definitely see that being a great avenue for a writer. Now you’ve got me thinking about all of the possibilities! 

Excerpt

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Flight 716 with service from San Francisco to Dublin. We ask that you please fasten your seat belts and secure all baggage beneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartments. At this time, please turn all personal electronic devices to airplane mode so that they cannot transmit a signal. As you know, smoking is prohibited for the duration of our journey to Dublin, and that includes in the lavatories. Thank you for choosing Aer Lingus. Enjoy your flight.”

It was usually at this point in any flight where Olivia’s real panic kicked in. Shortly – terrifyingly – the plane would be airborne with nothing but land and sea below. While she knew statistically that airplanes were safer than cars, she’d never known anyone – let alone two anyones – who had been killed, their bodies never recovered, from a freak accident on the freeway. Not to say that it didn’t happen everyday; she just didn’t know anyone that it had happened to.

To distract her mind, she listened to the crew outline the plane’s safety procedures and then the Captain’s welcome, including the weather forecast for Dublin – rainy and brisk, how shocking. Sipping the champagne the flight attendant had offered her when she boarded, Olivia felt the combination of the Valium and the alcohol take over her body, but not quite enough that she gave up the death grip she had on the arm rests. As she felt the tell tale tingle of the Valium working its magic, she thought – not for the first time – that maybe someday a plane crash wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to her. Maybe someday she’d just never wake up from the self-induced drug and alcohol fueled nothingness she needed just to fly. 

Who am I kidding?

Sadly, more and more frequently it wasn’t just plane rides that had her mixing booze and pills. Most days she wrapped herself in a hazy blur of alcohol like a security blanket, protecting her in a cocoon of mental fuzziness.

Olivia felt her pulse beginning to race and her breathing accelerate, and she made a conscious effort not to panic, not to look over at Judgy lest the woman start advocating for professional psychiatric help. It wouldn’t have been the first time some well-meaning motherly type had tried to get Olivia into therapy. She stole a quick glance in Judgy’s direction only to find that she was already engrossed in her novel, Olivia’s neurosis and emotional paralysis the least of her concerns.

Not too long after she had fought back the near panic attack, the whirring of the engines lulled Olivia into a stupor that soon resulted in a fitful sleep. For the next ten hours she didn’t exactly fall into a deep slumber, but she wasn’t fully awake either. Her mind seemed to float between a dreaming and wakeful state, and she felt strangely separated from her body. She’d see snippets of things in her head but wasn’t sure if the images were of events or instances that she was remembering, things she was imagining, or scenarios she was concocting to be used in her novel. 

And then Olivia saw, quite clearly, the face of a man she had never met and yet she felt like she had known him all of her life – blue eyes, sharp and unnaturally piercing as if he could see deep into her soul. She saw a field of green that stretched far and wide, rolling hills dotted with sheep and lined with stacked stone walls. She saw herself as a child chasing a puppy larger than she was down by a river while laughing that high-pitched squeal that only a child can make as the dog raced back toward her covered in mud and dripping with water. And then that image changed as quickly as it came and she saw her mother as a young woman, happy and carefree, in love with a man who was not Gerald Donnelly.

And as she always did when in one of her fitful states of sleep, Olivia saw all the ways she could die – car accident; mugging gone horribly wrong after having put up a brave fight; her house on fire, the flames licking at her feet as she tried to run; her body weak and broken as it was ravished by cancer; or her heart slowly stopping as she lay in her bed, blind from old age and hunched with the rigors of time.

And in these dreams she was ready for it – any of it – almost welcoming the vast blackness that would follow whatever her death would be.

And then she saw that face again – the man she didn’t know but felt so deeply that she should. He whispered her name, longingly, “Olivia.” 

About the Author

Rebecca Caudill read her first novel when she was just four years old and has been hooked on books ever since. When she wasn't writing her own stories, she was sneaking copies of her mom's paperbacks to read late into the night.

Fast forward several years later and Rebecca graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in English Lit, which gave her new insight into the written word. Following college, Rebecca embarked on a career in tech PR in the famed Silicon Valley, which eventually led to her leading Global R&D communications for a Fortune 500 company that everyone knows by name. Finally, after more than a decade of writing words ascribed to other people, in December 2014 she quit her job to pursue writing full time.

Today Rebecca lives with her husband and beautiful-but-neurotic cat in Oakland, California. When not creating fictional worlds inhabited by strong women, rakes, rogues, and dashing heroes, she is planning her next vacation, trying out new recipes, or drinking Islay scotch.

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