Congratulations to all the Winners!

Mary Keith Winner  Laurie Schnebly Campbell 

Donna Hatch Winner Karen Michelle Nutt

Ashlynn Monroe Winner Debby

Karen Michelle Nutt Winner K.A. M’Lady

Gypsy DeWildes Winners Laura Shinn, Joseph D Palermo, Joder, Loretta Canton

Laura Tolomei Winner Fiona Mcgier

Tracy Lynn Cook  Winner  Joder  

Paula Quinn Winner Joseph D Palermo 

Jenna Storm Winner Julie

Tia Dani Winner Lorrie

Jackie Vick  Winner Jenna Storm

Farrah Rochon Winner Stefanie

Ivy Reisner Winner Debby

Kilt Kiltpatrick Winner Rebecca Leigh

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mary

I want to thank all the authors, editors, promo people, and reviewers.

I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone.

 Keith Publications is scheduling blogs into Oct. and Nov. If you would like to blog or if you are on a blog tour, let me know.  We will put you in our schedule.

I’m also scheduling workshops. If you have a workshop you are interested in doing, let me know. We have one coming up in March, so check back with us often.

Our bloggers for our September grand opening, did an awesome job.
Thanks to all of you. These are not listed in any certain order.

Dana Fredsi, Elaine Cantrell, Liz Munoz, Suzannah Safi, Katie Dupuie, Amylynn Bright, Vijaya Schartz, Connie Flynn, Tony-Paul De Vissage, Belinda McBride, Kathryn Kennedy, Kristin Tualla, Joseph Palermo, Donna Hatch, Ashlynn Monroe, Karen Michelle Nutt, Gypsy DeWildes, Laura Tolomei, Tracy Lynn Cook, Paula Quinn, Jenna Storm, Tia Dani, Jackie Vick, Farrah Rochon, Ivy Reisner and David Fitzgerald.

mary@keithpublications.com

www.keithpublications.com

www.wicketinkpress.com

www.dinkwell.com

www.dreamsnfantasies.com

www.ilovereviews.com

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mary

Kilt Kilpatrick is the pen name of an Irish erotica author sometimes called “the Ferris Bueller of San Francisco.” He is also a nonfiction writer, public speaker, Bay Area event organizer, and somewhat oxymoronically, a biblical historian and atheist activist. He speaks Irish Gaelic and bits and pieces of about two dozen other languages. He loves reading, movies, dancing, sex, and has been swordfighting for over 25 years.  He lives in San Francisco with his steady girlfriend and no. 1 fencing partner, author Inara Lavey.  And yes, he does wear kilts. If you know anybody like that, it’s probably him.

Writing Outside of Your Comfort Zone 

Hello. I am a gay male erotica novelist. Try saying that with me. Does it makes you squirm a little? No? Well, good for you! But let me talk to the rest of the class for a sec. If the phrase “I am a gay male erotica novelist” doesn’t come tripping easily off your tongue, perhaps you’re a straight female. Or maybe you’re a gay male, who isn’t quite ready to tell the world yet. Or maybe you’re like me, a more or less ordinary straight male with the obligatory thing for lesbians who somehow managed to find himself a bona fide published gay male erotica novelist. Maybe your particular squirm-provocation has nothing to do with writing gay male erotica at all. But whoever and whatever you are, my fellow squirmarinos, welcome to the club! Come join the ranks of intrepid authors who have stepped out of their comfort zone.

How did I get here, anyway? I’ve always thought of myself as a biblical historian and atheist activist (and incidentally, how’s that combo for working outside your comfort zone?) but in that unexpected tail-wagging-the-dog sort of phenomena that life is so good about throwing at us, while waiting to hear back from publishers on my non-fiction writing, I wrote a few short stories for Ravenous Romance, who had liked my girlfriend’s writing enough to publish them. Long story short, after they had published a few of mine, they asked me if I would write a novel (50,000 words! Yikes!) – a romance novel (Erk! What did I know about romance? I only wrote smut!*) – and if those weren’t enough deal killers already, what they really wanted from me was a GAY MALE. ROMANCE. NOVEL.

* Okay, not technically true, but still.

And so I did. The End. Just kidding. But to be honest, the simple fact is, there’s not a lot to say about HOW to write outside your comfort zone – it’s a state of mind. You simply have to mentally give yourself the permission to do it. And what do you know? Turns out when you do, it’s a brilliant life lesson, with transferable skills to the non-writing portions of your life, assuming you have any, of course.  So how do we do that?

Stepping out of your comfort zone is an exercise in courage. Fear evolved in our brains to help keep us safe from things like sabretooth tigers and dying of embarrassment in our social circle. So there’s no shame in being afraid; it’s just something you have to overcome when it’s keeping you from doing what needs to be done in the cold cruel real world. After all, a ship is safest when it’s in a harbor… but that’s not what ships are for. Here’s some helpful tidbits of wisdom I’ve gleaned off the internet over the years to help you step out of that cozy warm trap in your head:

“Do one thing everyday that scares you.”  -Eleanor Roosevelt

“Make a fool of yourself. One of the biggest things that holds many of us back is our fear of what people think. After all, you don’t want people to think you’re weird or rude or creepy or obnoxious or annoying, do you? But wait — think about the most lovable, magnetic people you’ve come across in your life. Odds are, they weren’t the meek, agreeable people who are reliably pleasant to be around. They were the people who were crazy and charming. People who blurted out silly, maybe inappropriate things, or who made huge, slap-your-forehead mistakes, or who were over the top most of the time, but others forgave them for being less than perfect and in fact, liked them for it. So shatter your concern for what people think of you. You’re allowed to be less than perfect, and you may find that people like you more for it, because it makes you a more exciting person to be around. Get laughed at, laugh with ‘em. Do something you normally wouldn’t do for fear of looking like an idiot. Be that idiot. You’ll be fine.”  -source unknown

“Become comfortable with taking risks. Your comfort zone is comfortable because it’s where you know what to expect. Going out on a limb can be scary because you might fail. You might lose something. But you might also gain something, too…” -source unknown

Experiment –  Doing the safe thing as a writer only leads to stagnation.

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”  -Frank Zappa

“When you decide to do something, do it for its own sake, not so that you can get a particular result. If you gamble, gamble with money you’re ready and willing to lose; gamble for the fun and exhilaration of gambling. If you win, that’s icing on the cake! But if you lose, no big deal. In other words, let go of your attachment to a certain outcome; instead, focus on the joy of doing whatever you’re doing. Live in the moment.

“When things don’t go your way, and they won’t, shrug it off. If you’re clinging to your comfort zone, you’re hanging on to an idea that the world is supposed to be a safe, predictable place, and that’s an illusion. You’re setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Open your eyes. The world is a dynamic place where things go right and wrong. That’s just the way it is!

“Enjoy the unknown. When’s the last time you felt excited about not knowing what was going to happen next? If you’re deep in your comfort zone, it’s probably been a while. Don’t you miss it? Don’t you miss the mixture of anticipation and anxiety that makes your heart flutter and stomach turn at the same time? Bring that feeling back into your life.” -source unknown

LITANY AGAINST FEAR

I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain.

 Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear – From Frank Herbert’s Dune Series

So go out there and take some chances with your writing. Stretch your imagination. Don’t worry if you’re the wrong person for the job. After all, almost everyone writing vampire novels is a mere mortal, as far as we know. Straight women can write lesbian fiction (and vice versa) Strait-laced writers can write wild sexy romps. And straight men can write gay erotica that doesn’t suck – at least, doesn’t suck in the bad way…  Now go out there and get to it!

All the best,

-Kilt Kilpatrick

P.S. Still not sure if a straight man can really write gay erotica? Try this excerpt and let me know what you think:

Liam carefully extricated himself and knelt down to kiss me again. “That was amazing,” he groaned again. “Now come up here so I can do bad things to you.”

He helped me back up onto the bed, and sat down beside me. But then the next thing I knew, he swiftly scooped me up, cradling me to his chest like I was his baby with my backside in his lap and my legs dangling from his arms. Oh Daddy…. He kissed me some more and I had never been happier. I wrapped my free arm around the nape of his neck, reveling in his attention. We kept kissing as I felt his hand tugging my underwear down and off, so that I was bare-assed in his lap, feeling the snug warmth of his cock on my skin. He reached his hand between my legs and began caressing my balls and the shaft of my engorged, trembling dick. Then he ran his hand lower, stroking the sensitive skin below my balls and finally sliding down between the cheeks of my ass. He removed his hand to lick his finger, then started to massage my hole with gentle but firm circular movements. “I want to fuck you now,” he whispered in my ear at last. His words made me so horny I nearly came right there in his arms.

In a perfect world, right then some handy lube would have magically appeared in the nightstand drawer, but the boring truth is we had to stop what we were doing, cuss up a storm and look around for some. We had no commercial stuff; we vowed never to be without any in the future. “Well, there’s some suntan lotion in the medicine chest,” Liam called from the bathroom. I was a little dubious about that, and we both started searching the kitchen. We found truffle oil, which was way too expensive; briefly considered some butter substitute or slicing off a piece of the aloe vera plant on the counter, but then I found some olive oil.

“You think this will work?” I asked him.

“Let me look at the label—oh yes, perfect; it’s virgin olive oil.”

“Funny guy.” But I was done quibbling and ready to get fucked already. We ran back to the bed and he poured some into his hands. “Now lie down and roll over,” he told me. I did what the man said, trembling with anticipation and feeling girly. He sat up on his knees, and I watched up close as he oiled up his rod; the oil glistened and smelled like basil; a smell I had never found particularly erotic before, but would forever after now. Then he poured out a bit more, and warmed it up in his fingers. With a serene smile, he leaned over me and slipped his slick fingers between my ass cheeks.

It was my turn to groan as he worked his thumb up and down my taint and made tight circles with his fingers over my virgin rosebud. He took his time; slowly, firmly massaging me. With his free hand he drizzled some more oil and let it run down my crack to his busy fingers. The combination of pleasure and further anticipation was making me moan like a cat in heat when I felt his finger enter. I caught my breath, and then he began to push it in and out in a slow, sensuous rhythm and I had to close my eyes from the delicious torment. He tenderly edged a second finger in and moved them both back and forth in me.  

He kept this up with great patience, gauging my reactions with a scientist’s careful eye. I sighed when he pulled his fingers out and leaned in close to my ear.

“Are you ready for more?”

I nodded, deliriously mute. He spread my legs apart further.

“Why don’t you get up on all fours for me?” I did just that, my limbs feeling shaky and rubbery—except for my dick, which was rock hard, quivering for what was coming next. I turned and took one last glance over my shoulder to watch him get into position behind me…

From The Manny Diaries by Kilt Kilpatrick

Links:

The Manny Diaries:

http://www.ravenousromance.com/m/m/the-manny-diaries.php

Reach Out & Touch Someone:

http://www.ravenousromance.com/m/m/reach-out-and-touch-someone.php

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1573879196112&sk=messages#!/pages/Kilt-Kilpatrick/160928497477?ref=ts

RR Author Page:

http://www.ravenousromance.com/component/option,com_author/Itemid,70/id,199/lang,en/task,view/

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mary

Ivy likes to stand with one foot in the future, and one in the past. She’s been known to read on a Kindle while at her spinning wheel. She has a passion for quantum physics and 19^th century Japanese history, both of which she can’t say she understands as much as she would like.  

The Legend of Set

Author Ivy Reisner 

explores the inspiration behind her upcoming release

from Keith Publications 

SOLDIERS OF THE SUN SERIES

“OVERTHROWING SEBAU”

Ancient Egyptian Mythology

In the modern world, generally it’s Horus who gets the laurels for being the great and noble king of the gods and Set who is viewed as the villain, but it wasn’t always so. In my novel, The Book of Overthrowing Sebau, I dip back into the older legends where Set gets to play the role of hero, defending the sun barge from being eaten by dragons. Now if only he could get Naomi to see it that way.

In the original mythology, the war between Set and Horus started with the Goddess of Sluts, Nephthys. Okay, she might not have officially been given that title, but no goddess was ever so fit to fill that role. She desired her husband, Set, who, god or otherwise, needed a night off. She decided he had to be getting a little on the side, so she transformed herself to look Isis, and tried her advances then. Set, already exhausted from his wife, beat a hasty retreat. I find it delightful that he is so frequently ostracized for refusing to cheat on his wife. Osiris, king of the gods and husband to Isis, came upon the transformed, and exceedingly hot, Nephthys and, thinking her to be his own wife, took her to bed. Nephthys said not a word of protest.

Soon it was discovered that Nephthys was in a family way. When the baby Anubis was born he looked a lot like Set, but Set wasn’t fooled. He quickly discovered that the real father was Osiris (a fact that could not have surprised Set more than it did Osiris). Set tricked Osiris (granting Osiris the title of Lord of the Gullible) into partaking of a party game in which each guest would lie down in a box. Whoever fit best, would win a prize. Set had made the box to precisely fit Osiris.  As soon as Osiris lay down in the box, Set slammed it shut and cut Osiris, box and all, in pieces. He scattered the pieces throughout the earth. Isis and Nephtys, in shock and in mourning, gathered the pieces, except for the phallus, which was eaten by a fish. Isis fashioned for him a silver penis (some say she used a bit more silver than was truly required to match the original) and restored him to life–sort of.  He went from being the king of the gods to the Lord of the Dead.  Upon his revival he impregnated Isis via his eyes. Oh baby, look my way again.  The baby was named Horus.

Set, being the brother to Osiris, tried to take over as king of the gods. Horus, on reaching maturity, tried to reclaim the throne. The two went to war over it, and gods fight dirty. Set tore out Horus’ eye. Horus tore off Set’s testicles. The accounts vary on which happened first, but this is where the idea for the Eye of Horus talisman comes from. Be glad we didn’t get a corresponding icon for Set. Horus, establishing himself as Master Crybaby, went to grandpa Ra to make it all better, and so had his eye restored. Set, King of Obstinacy, did without his family jewels. 

The war went on, and one day Isis approached Set in disguise as a beautiful woman. Clearly, she’d learned a few tricks from Nephthys.  Set chased her into a woods, averring that he must have her. When he caught up to her, she told him she could not be with him because she was sorely grieved. She told him her husband was a cattle rancher who died, and a tyrant was trying to claim her son’s inheritance. Set demanded to see the tyrant, that he might give him what for. She dropped the illusion and explained that he was the tyrant stealing her son’s inheritance. He didn’t buy it. In frustration he, still without his testicles, spilled his seed on the ground in frustration.

It came to pass, during their fighting, that Set tried to taunt Horus saying “What a lovely buttocks you have”. Horus attacked, infuriated. Set knocked him flat and tried to rape him, but Horus caught Set’s sperm in his hand. Thinking about the mechanics of this, it was clearly a form of barroom theology. I’ll add that this was again after Horus ripped Set’s balls off. Horus threw Set’s sperm into the Nile where it was eaten by a fish. Fish in Ancient Egypt had strange feeding habits. Horus then ejaculated into a salad, then went and gave it as a peace offering to Set, who ate it. Apparently he didn’t find anything strange about the taste. That should have suggested that Set accepted Horus’ peace offering, but instead he went to the council to prove himself superior to Horus. Set called to his sperm, which answered from the Nile. Horus called to his sperm, which answered from within Set. Therefore it was seen that Horus was the greater deity.  This victory lasted until Set’s stomach settled.

Set then suggested that he and Horus fight it out in the ocean. Both should turn themselves into Hippopotami and whoever gave up and came to land first, lost. Isis, thinking this a trick, tried to harpoon Set. She missed and hit Horus. Horus, doing what he did best in those days, wailed, “Mooooooom!” She chanted magic words and the harpoon fell away.  Then she harpooned Set. Set asked if she could truly strike her own brother. She repented, and again spoke the magic works, and again, the harpoon fell away harmless. Horus was furious that she would show mercy to Set, and so attacked her (thus climbing out of the water and forfeiting the contest).  He beheaded her, so Ra gave her the head of a cow, to get her by until she could restore he own head.  The council of gods became furious with Horus and went after him, but apparently nothing ever came of that, and he ended up king. 

I hope you’ll give my novels adaptation of the older mythologies a try. You can reach me at Ivy@IvyReisner.com. I’d love to hear from you.

You can find her at http://www.IvyReisner.com, or come visit her blog, her knitting podcast, her writing podcast, or her book review site. She also does audiobook reviews for SFSite. Her work also appears in the Complete Guide to Writing Horror, coming soon from Dragon Moon Press.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mary

Good morning Farrah Rochon and welcome to our new blog here at Keith Publications. 

Before we get started with your interview tell us a little bit about yourself.

 I’m a native of southern Louisiana, a small town on the bayou, about just west of New Orleans. I did the college and graduate school thing, and even tried working in the professional world for a few years. Then I can to my senses and realized writing romance novels was a much better job. My favorite pastime is reading, of course, but I am also a huge sports fan.  Those who know me know better than to try to contact me on the weekends during the Fall. That time is reserved for college and professional football watching. I also enjoy Broadway musicals and traveling.  

Farrah, you have a new sports themed series coming out about sexy football players and the first in the series, Huddle With Me Tonight just came out this month.  Congratulations! Can you tell us a little bit about it?

HUDDLE WITH ME TONIGHT, the first in my New York Sabers series, is, in my opinion, the perfect combination of sports, food, romance, and fun.

Entertainment writer/blogger, Paige Turner, writes a harsh review of wide receiver Torrian Smallwood’s new memoir/cookbook. It sparks an online war between the two, which eventually leads to a cooking competition on a local morning news program. Things heat up pretty quickly between Paige and Torrian.  It was tons of fun to write, but I advise readers not to read it on an empty stomach.

How many books will be in the series?

So far there are four books contracted in the series, but I’m hoping for a lot more.

What gave you the idea of writing about football players?  Did you have a real life football player in mind while you were writing the story?  You know inspiration. J

I’m from South Louisiana, where football is basically a religion. I also come from a family that has been immersed in football for decades (have an uncle and cousin who are both in the NFL), so writing about football wasn’t much of a stretch. Did I mention that I also love, love, love the game? As for having a single player in mind…not really, though I can probably find a favorite player on just about every NFL team.

What were the challenges in the research in bringing it to life?

Those family members that are in the NFL that I mentioned? Well, they were my sources. I also used social media outlets such as following football players and agents on Twitter.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I answered this question in a recent interview. If I had the chance, I’d probably change everything. I always find things wrong once the book has gone into print, which is one of the reasons I usually never reread any of my books.

How did you come up with the title of your book?

Actually, my original title for the book was “Playing With Fire” but was changed to “Huddle With Me Tonight” by my publisher, because it played on the football theme.

What other genre would you like to try or stay away from?

I played around with a Young Adult book a few years ago, and think I may try my hand at it again. I doubt I’d ever write historicals, simply because I’m too lazy to do the research.

Where can readers find you on the web?

I’m always available through my website (www.farrahrochon.com), or through Facebook and/or Twitter.  Jump over to my website for links to both.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mary

Jacqueline Vick writes in several formats but injects them all with humor.  Her short fiction has been published through Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Orchard Press Mysteries, and Scruffy Dog Review to name a few. Her experiences with a pet psychic influenced “Calling Canine Clairvoyants” in the April 2010 edition of FIDO Friendly Magazine and pushed her to write a pet psychic mystery. Her story “The Membership Drive” appears in the “Every Day Fiction Anthology Two”, and her novella “The Groom’s Cake” is available through Wicked Ink Press. Her web page is www.jacquelinevick.com and includes a link to her blog, A Writers’ Jumble.

A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Seltzer

in My Hero’s Pants

 I’m a humor junkie.  I can giggle over the gentle satire in a PG Wodehouse novel and five minutes later tee-hee over the political humor in the television show “30 Rock”.

Let’s just say I’m never going to write a drama. I tried once. Someone asked me to script a story about Brian Boru, the Last King of Ireland. Serious stuff, right? By the time I was done, Brian’s power hungry third wife Gormflaith and her greedy son Sigtrygg “Silkbeard” served as comic relief.

Why couldn’t I make it through a historical bio pic without adding laughs? People are inherently funny, whether in King Brian’s time or 2010. I mean, this kick-butt Celtic warrior was known for playing the harp. Can’t you see the possibilities?

People are at their most comical when they are taking themselves seriously. It’s why comedy teams need a straight man.  The Steve Martin character in “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” thinks life should be anal retentively perfect, but the John Candy character thwarts this goal with his earnest efforts to help. If Steve weren’t so darn humorless, it wouldn’t be funny.

Humor also makes truths go down a bit easier. Which teaches the more memorable lesson about inept politicians–a painful reading of the daily news or watching Rufus T. Firefly systematically destroy Freedonia in the Marx Brothers’ “Duck Soup”?

We’ve all suffered at the hands of or witnessed a Bridezilla as she’s tortured friends and family in the name of the perfect day. In “The Groom’s Cake”, I reverse the roles and place the shallow attitude firmly on the shoulders of the groom. His lovely bride-to-be takes second place to that gastronomical delight–the groom’s cake.  When the groom’s cake is in danger, the idea of matrimony loses its luster.

The human condition is rife with reasons to laugh. A foul-mouthed drunk becomes hysterical once you know that he’s a “Bad Santa”. Greed becomes laughable when shown to extreme in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”. One of the funniest plays I’ve ever seen was a musical based on Charles Manson.  You’ll have to trust me on that one.

They say that laughing is good for your health. With the ammunition for jokes available to us daily just by walking out the door, we should all live long lives. 

Tia Dani is the published writing team made up of good friends, Tia Eaton and Dani Petrone. Together they create endearing and realistic characters, humorous dialogue, and unusual settings.  And, best of all…they’re having the time of their lives.  

 Tia and Dani happily call Arizona home where they play in the sunshine and dance in the twilight of the beautiful Sonoran desert. When they aren’t chasing grandbabies, or cruising the mall for a great sale, yummy chocolate, and sexy shoes, you can find them pool side, probably with a puppy on their lap, hard at work creating another hot, spicy love story.

Team Writing.  Really?  And you’re still friends?

First of all, we want to thank Keith Publications for inviting us to be a part of the grand opening blog. We’re excited to be here visiting with you and your readers. In appreciation we are giving away a CD of our book, Color of Dreams, to one lucky reader who leaves a comment.

We’re asked all the time about how we became a writing team. You know how something happens that wasn’t planned?  That’s kinda how Tia Dani came to be.  One day it just happened.

After several years of friendship, we decided to put their heads together and write a story just for fun.  At the time we were trying to get our writing jump started, plus find a way to stick to a schedule, stay motivated to complete and submit a manuscript.  Also, we thought by working together it would be an interesting way to learn all the technology of submitting and editing online.  We don’t know about you, but we’ve always found it more fun when you work with a buddy.

Anyway, we’ve said many times before that erotic romance wasn’t our first choice of genre, but on a whim we thought, hey, if we’re going to try something different, and it’s just for fun, then what’s more fun than writing an erotica?  Right?  So the writing of our first book, Layover, began. 

While having all this fun we discovered something else about ourselves.  We have this unique quality of being more than friends sharing common interests.  We understand each other.  We think alike when we’re writing, and often finish each other’s sentences without missing a beat.  Yet, we still maintain our individuality.  And it’s these differences that make our writing work.

We really had to dig deep into our personalities to create the Tia Dani voice. Her voice is a combination of the two of us.  Because we have been such good friends for years now, we trust each other’s opinion and we have no problem speaking up to offer a suggestion for each other’s work, but it’s always offered with respect, even if we disagree we will talk it out with consideration of the other’s feelings.  After all the main goal for us is to have the end result be our absolute best before we send it off to an editor.  Although, it’s amazing to us how many    type-o’s we missed when the manuscript comes back.

Of course writing stories together is more than just being co-authors. There’s no magic formula for team writing, as with any type of business partnership takes a lot of trust in each other and a strong commintment to the partnership. But for us, we couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

To learn more about Tia Dani please visit our website at: www.TiaDani.com

Our Books:

Layover – Available in e-book

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/wilderroses/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=443

Color of Dreams – Available in print & e-book

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/color-of-dreams-p-1195.html

Seduction to the Altar – Available in e-book http://www.sapphirebluepublishing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=88&osCsid=5101f6c365a99a78d1a6108d9609cae3

Death Unseen – Available in e-book & Print- Coming soon from The Wild Rose Press

www.thewildrosepress.com

Jenna Storm grew up in Pennsylvania and moved with her family to sunny Arizona after she graduated high school. She has a B.A. in Fine Arts, drawing and painting but her true love is writing. When not writing, she spends time with her daughters and enjoys reading various mythologies, romance, paranormal and suspense. The more vampires and mythical creatures the better. Throw in gloomy, cold weather, a soul shaking thunderstorm and she’s hooked.

Is this your first book? 

Her Last Kiss is my first published book and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share it with readers.

I have other manuscripts that are in the submission process. So far, my heroes tend to be strong, passionate alpha males who meet their match with strong willed heroines. My heroine may start out a wreck in the beginning of the story, perhaps some tragedy or past relationship shakes her to the core and she struggles to rebuild her confidence while battling obstacles, including the intense alpha-hero. By the end of my story the heroine is more than ready to handle her assured, virile man who turns out of course, to be putty in her hand. 

My intent when crafting a story is to create a tale that evokes a moody feel using a setting ripe with mystery or volatile weather, a romance with plenty of conflict, external danger and, of course, the paranormal. Vampires, daemons and witches are my favorite but there’s no telling what future mystical being will hijack my imagination.

Are you working on the 2nd book of the series?

I sure am. The next Stone Dagger installment focuses on another of the Brethren enforcers and introduces another mythical species (the Auras) as the heroine. The Auras muted golden essence is compelling, draws attention and is a symbol of their goodness. Unfortunately, it also makes them an easy target for the daemon factions who want their, oh so tasty, blood. Why feast on fast food when you can have gourmet? 

This tale (not yet named) will take place in Alaska with the heroine desperate to protect the Kassi, a gilded box that contains the Auras resurrection (Upprisa) ability. With the loss of Upprisa every living being the Auras touch will die while the daemons will have the ability to resurrect. The Brethren must not let this happen. It’s the hero’s duty to obtain control of the Kassi and the woman who possesses it. Lots of obstacles, secrets, fiery passion and tender moments between these two characters. 

Tell us about Her Last Kiss.

I wanted to create a story that took place in the Arizona White Mountains where I could use stormy, volatile weather to set a dark mood and create another obstacle for the characters. The heavy storms and remote location seclude the characters and keep them in the center of danger where they must rely on one another to survive. The seclusion enflames Alek’s passion for the intoxicating Geneva and resisting one another’s allure proves impossible. Toss in an antagonist who is on the brink of insanity and uncontrollable feasting and you have Her Last Kiss… 

Geneva Phillips life changes forever when she embarks on a weekend in the Arizona White Mountains to soothe her broken heart. Geneva never realized offering an injured man refuge from a raging storm would plunge her into a dangerous and sensual world. When a bloodthirsty daemon targets Geneva as his next kill, she must rely on the mysterious stranger to keep her alive. Alek Savakis is an Enforcer for the Brethren of Stone Daggers. His mission is to destroy a rabid daemon loose in the area. His one intent is to kill the daemon and move on, the last thing he needs, or wants, is to find himself stranded with a woman who drives him mad with the need to possess her. As their dark enemy continues to feed on the innocent ones Geneva fears Alek will go to any length to protect mortals even if it means sacrificing her to the daemon. 

I enjoyed creating the heroine Geneva. She has a sense of humor even as she discovers the world is full of dangerous creatures that would like nothing more than to drink her empty. Alek is strong, virile, and risks his life to protect an ‘innocent’ he just met. 

What made you think to have this as a series?

While I wrote Her Last Kiss, ideas for more stories featuring other Brethren popped into my head. I made the daemon world more diverse with different types of daemons who have different powers depending upon their ancestry. I also added another species, the Auras who I introduce in the second book of the series. 

How did you go about writing Her Last Kiss? 

Her Last Kiss was intended as a shorter story but when I started writing Geneva and Alek’s conflicts and the interaction between them the story grew into the length it is now. I enjoyed my characters too much to end their story. I found Geneva a fun personality, a little quirky while Alek, my tough Enforcer showed a gentle, patient layer existed under his forceful exterior.  

What will be the thread that ties the books together?

The Brethren are a group of daemons who want to protect mortals, the innocent ones, as they’re called throughout the books. The Brethren will always be fighting the faction of daemon who seeks more power and has a disregard for life. When I created the backstory for the daemons I had them banished to caves and encased in crystal. For the Brethren series, I created a special weapon, a stone dagger, needed to destroy the daemons. 

The series will depict the good and evil within the daemon world. The daemon who kills wantonly and the daemon who takes just enough blood to survive and resists his/her base desire which is to drink their prey to the point of death. 

How many books do you see in this series?

I have so many ideas for this series running through my head I can hardly get one jotted down before another takes its place. I would love to write about the Brethren for as long as readers enjoy it! 

Are you a plotter or a panster?

I always start my writing with character worksheets and then move onto an outline. As my characters develop in my mind and their character arc evolves I come up with more scenes for my outline. However, my outline is not something I have to follow. Some of the best twists in my stories come after I’ve already started writing and I’m revisiting the outline for the second or third time. 

What else are you working on? 

I have another paranormal series I’m getting ready to submit. This one has a psychic, witch and daemon with vampire tendencies. 

Where can people find you on the web? 

I am working on my different social networks, but soon you can visit me on these pages.

Please visit me on the Jenna Storm Facebook page. 

Author’s Island and GoodReads Author page.

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Good morning Paula.  I am so glad you could make it to our blog today.  First, tell the readers a little bit about yourself.

Hi Mary, thanks so much for having me. I live in New York with my husband, three children and more animals than any normal household should have. (But I love them all) I’ve always loved to write, beginning with poetry and Sci/Fi short stories when I was a child. Currently, I have seven books in publication and am working on number eight.

Paula, you are well known for your Highlander books. Do you write in other genres or just historical romance?

I have three earlier books out set in the Conqueror period. Right now though, I am concentrating on Highlanders (lucky me). In the future, I’d love to do some paranormal historicals.

How do you go about writing a series? Are you a plotter or panster?

I find series a bit more difficult to write because the concept is already set. I like free reign for my characters, and they do get that even in a series, but it’s a bit more structured. The good thing about writing a series is that I get to work with characters I love from previous books.

I’m both a plotter and a panster. I need a basic idea (plot) of where I want the story to go, but it never turns out the way I planned

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Sure. Seduced By A Highlander is a tale about the “prodigal’ son of Callum and Kate MacGregor from Laird of the Mist, and his quest for honor. When he meets Isobel Fergusson, the daughter of his kin’s most hated enemy, he embarks upon a journey long forgotten and one that could get him killed, or worse, exiled from his family. He wants to end the feud between their clans, but Isobel wants nothing to do with him–until she begins to see the sparkle of armor beneath his carefree veneer.

What you think readers will like best about this book?

I think readers will like watching a reckless rogue find his path to honor.

Do you have anything new coming out that you would like the readers to know about?

My next installment in The Children of the Mist series is Tamed By A Highlander and will be on sale Sept. 2011

Where can they find you on the web?

Readers can find me at www.PaulaQuinn.com

and on Twitter  http://twitter.com/Paula_Quinn.

I’m also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/NYC-NY/Fans-of-Paula-Quinn/336691429368?ref=ts,

and Goodreads www.goodreads.com/author/show/253272.Paula_Quinn

Thank You All For Your Support

Donna Hatch – PDF of  The Guise of a Gentleman and The Stranger She Married
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Mary Jo Guglielmo – Intuitive Coaching Session for Writers  (1/2 hour session conducted over the phone)  www.theadvantagepoint.com

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