Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Eve Langlais to the blog.

Eve, can you please share with us a little about yourself.

I am a masked avenger with skin tight, hot pants! I wish lol. In reality, I am a housewife with three ankle biters and a hubby determined to drive me insane J

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes and no. In my teens, I loved to write, fiction mostly which used to throw my teachers for a loop when they gave me assignments. However, I gave up writing for a while to be a grown up. The real world needed my attention as did my family. But a few years ago, after reading a really bad story, I decided it was time to write again. I might have been somewhat influenced by hubby who dared me to do better! Lol

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

I love a whole bunch of writers for different reasons. Heck, it changes monthly even depending on who has caught my attention with their prose. One all time favorite is still Stephen King. His are some of the only books that survived my bookshelf purge. As for influence, having read so many books that didn’t quite make it for me, I don’t try to follow any particular style. I just write what I want to read. Lucky for me, there’s other readers out there that share my twisted sense of humor.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I love writing sci-fi and paranormal romance, especially with humorous overtones. The creativity aspect with those two genres can’t be beat. I have dabbled a little into magical fantasy, light BDSM and contemporary, but I find I really flow best when I’m writing about aliens or werewolves lol.

What are some of your writing rituals?

Closed door. A general idea. A bag of almonds to snack on. Oh, and some 80’s music in the background. J

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

A Demon And His Witch is my newest story. Based in Hell, it features a reader favorite Lucifer, who decides to pair up an incorrigible demon with a witch, just so he can watch the sparks fly. It is highly humorous, completely irreverent, and sexy!

How did you come with the idea for this story?

A while back, I wrote a trilogy entitled Princess Of Hell. In this series of books, I created a paranormal world where Hell was a real place with a society and set of rules. The world and hierarchy I created fascinated me. I just couldn’t resist going back to visit.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I’m working on Furry United Coalition, book 3. Readers have been eagerly awaiting this sequel, centering around Viktor and the mysterious woman he found locked in the mastermind’s dungeon. I can’t say too much yet, because the story is still in progress, but I’m of course aiming for laugh out loud moments, unique characters and of course some story progression, and perhaps even a revelation of who the mastermind is.

What would you be if you were not an author?

What I still am since I can’t quit my day job lol. A website tech support person.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I am dying for Illona Andrews newest Kate Daniels book. I read that series over the winter and love, LOVE Curran.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you! Thank you for having me visit and thank you for reading my stories. I hope to interact with you in the future either through my site, FB or Goodreads. It’s always great to meet new people.

Eve’s Web: http://www.evelanglais.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eve-Langlais/107381705952783?ref=ts

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3431194.Eve_Langlais

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome 1st time guest Heather Lin to the blog today. 

Heather, can you please share with us a little about yourself

I am an avid fan of romance, adventure, fantasy, and science fiction. I read and write several genres, but I’m most known for my foray into erotic short stories and contemporary romance. I’m twenty-three, just married my husband in May, and we have a house and cat together in rural Delaware. Five days a week, I nanny for an adorable eighteen month-old girl, and the rest of the time I hang out with friends and family or, of course, write! I also run a blog here: http://heatherlin88.blogspot.com/

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes, definitely! I’ve been writing since I could pick up a pencil. My mother read to me constantly, and the stories she chose sparked my imagination and inspired me to make up and write down my own. The very first thing I wrote was a story about my new bike when I was five. At ten, with various video games and Harry Potter going to my head, I decided I was going to write the next great fantasy novel. I didn’t, but I gave it a pretty good go. Around the age of fourteen, I delved into the world of fan fiction, and by the time I was seventeen, I was ready to write an original story of my own with the intention of having it published. That’s where The System started, actually.

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

I’ve always adored J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien. The fact that they could create such amazing, new worlds in their writing is fascinating and something I aspire to. But I do feel that my love of the romance genre, and Carly Phillips in particular, has influenced my writing the most. These books taught me the general arc a romance should follow, and I learned what I like and dislike in a relationship between two characters.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

The mixed genre of sci-fi romance came naturally to me. When I was younger, I was obsessed with Star Wars and the Jedi Apprentice book series that supplemented it. Firefly came along and took my breath away, and although I wasn’t an avid fan, I caught the odd Star Trek episode here and there. With all of these futuristic images and ideas in my mind, I always leaned towards the sci-fi/fantasy genre in my writing. And I’m pretty sure most people who know me would agree that I was born with boys on the brain. So when I finally sat down to write my first novel, it had to have the excitement and intrigue of science fiction along with the emotion of a good romance.

As for writing in a different genre, I do have an interest in writing a young adult novel or series one day. But even then, I feel like it would still have some kind of romance involved!

What are some of your writing rituals?

I write best on the couch with my laptop. I save my work after every sentence I write because I’m paranoid I might lose something. And, as with most writers, I tend to do my best work when I have a good cup of coffee in one hand. J

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

I’d love to! My latest (and favorite) book is a science fiction romance novel called The System.

Blurb

Capri is an alluring young prostitute with a painful past; Brody is a ruthless mercenary for a crew of thieves from the spaceship Gypsy Lass. When he enters her brothel, the attraction between them is instant, electric, and too much for him to handle. After a robbery gone wrong, the crew takes Capri hostage, forcing her and Brody to remain in close quarters until they see fit to drop her on another planet.

But Capri’s plight and the intense feelings between her and Brody turn out to be the least of their problems. Together—whether they like it or not—they uncover a secret no one in the whole System could have expected.

Excerpt (Unedited)

Year 564 after the Migration

Brody walked along a quiet street on the outskirts of New York on Earth one. A car zoomed by every few minutes. The newest ones were held aloft over the street by opposing magnetic charges; others were navigating themselves as the drivers fixed their hair or ate their lunch; and the cheapest ones necessitated the driver to attempt to handle the controls while fixing their hair or eating their lunch. He glanced over to admire a new Ford Mustang before opening the door to a small, neatly-kept building.

On the outside, it looked like a nice, upscale bar, but the inside would have shocked any upper-class drink connoisseur. There was loud yelling and catcalling, beer splashed out of mugs, and scantily-clad girls sat around, waiting for their turn to dance on poles. Brody grinned and rubbed a hand over the stubble of his chin. This was his kind of place.

“Good evening, sir.” At the intrusion of the male voice, Brody tore his eyes away from the dancing girls. “Will you be needing service tonight?”

“Yeah, how much?” Brody replied to the short, well-dressed man.

“Depends on who you like. Sit down and have a drink.” He smiled accommodatingly. “There isn’t any hurry to decide.”

Brody gave a short nod before heading to the bar. He watched the girls for a while, took in the scenery. There were older girls who were too faded for his liking and younger girls who were too fake. He was well into his second beer before he saw one that really made him want to open his wallet.

She was coming out of one of the side rooms, tugging a heavy-set, bald-headed man by his hand. They were laughing and chatting, and by the flush of their cheeks, they had just finished something hot and heavy. The girl was a young one, barely old enough to be called a woman, with a slim figure and long chestnut curls that were scattered with braids and beads. She must have felt Brody looking at her and met his gaze for a brief moment. Brody gave her a grin and signaled to the brothel’s manager. He came over to the bar with the scheduling window already up on the screen in his hand.

“Have you come to a decision?”

“Yeah. That pretty brunette there.” He waved a hand in the girl’s direction.

“Capri. She’s a very good choice. But I’m sorry to say that was her last customer. Our girls only take five per day. They need their rest. Would you like to choose another one or make an appointment for tomorrow?”

“I think I can handle another one, Guy,” said an alluring female voice.

Capri had escorted her last customer to the exit before approaching the bar. The barkeep handed her a glass of water, and she kept her eyes locked on Brody as she took a sip, examining him, sizing him up. He was keenly aware of his unshaven face, ratty jeans, and the gun strapped securely to his hip. But he was unapologetic. He might not be one of her upper-class clients, but he had the money for her. For now, she was his, whether she liked him or not. And by the way she’d jumped to get his pay, he doubted she was fazed by his rough exterior.

“I like the looks of this one,” was all she said to Guy by way of explanation before beckoning to Brody and heading back to her room.

“That’ll be five hundred,” the man told him.

Brody took out his wallet and opened it. A pocket on one side held blank cash cards and the other side held a small scanning device with a numbered keypad. He entered his password and the amount of money and swiped a card. Then he handed it to Guy and followed Capri into seclusion.

She was sitting on the edge of a double bed, her long, smooth legs crossed, waiting for him. Dark curls fell elegantly over the satin fabric of her red dressing gown, and her hazel eyes gleamed green in the overhead lighting. She was the image of perfection, and Brody could feel desire pulsing within him. He sat next to her and fingered the smooth fabric of her outfit.

“Red’s my favorite color,” he said.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Capri smiled and reached up to touch his face. He sucked in a breath at the tender gesture.

“It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it?” she asked softly.

“Don’t get the company of women much in my career.”

“What career is that?”

“There ain’t one in particular,” he replied, trying to focus on what he was saying as her fingers traced the muscles of his chest and abdomen. “The crew I run with just does… sorta odd jobs.”

“Sounds exciting,” Capri murmured, raising her eyes to meet his. “So how about you tell me your name before we get started?”

“Shots,” he answered.

“Is that your real name?”

“That’s what the boys call me.”

“Well, as you can see, I’m not one of the boys.” She gestured to her modest, but all-too-appealing curves.

“Brody,” he answered after a moment.

“Brody,” she repeated softly, grasping the bottom of his shirt and sliding it up over his head.

The System is available for purchase here:

https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/products_id/924/

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I had the characters figured out before I built the world and decided on the full plot. I knew Brody would be “a grumpy hero” as one of my editors put it, and I knew Capri would need to balance him out and help endear him to readers. They would be part of a crew of thieves in space, have a turbulent romance, and live happily ever after. Or at least happily for now. Over the six years it took to complete the story, my writing skills and the plot evolved until The System became more than just a simple, futuristic romance, but a well-planned story with action, adventure, and a passionate relationship at the center.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I have two stories I’m working on at the moment, and I’m very excited about them both! One is a sequel to The System. I fell so in love with this new world and these dynamic characters that I couldn’t let them go just yet. So, with any luck, there will be more! The second is a contemporary romance inspired in part by the Robsten scandal.

What would you be if you were not an author?

I’m so happy being a nanny. I would probably just stick with that. J

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I’m in the middle of A Game of Thrones right now, and I can’t wait to read the last two books in The Hunger Games trilogy. I’m also excited to read Riding the Night by Jaci Burton. If you want to keep up with my current and TBR lists, check out my Goodreads page here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4862021.Heather_Lin

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Everyone who comments today and leaves their e-mail address will be entered to win a $5 Starbucks gift card!

*giveaway ends 8/24*

Anyone who comments is also automatically entered to win a custom-made bracelet engraved with a quote from The System.

Winner to be announced on my blog September 1^st!

Okay, I have to start this interview by letting everyone know that I am a Beaver fan and Kendra over there is a Duck fan.  

Benny & Ducky

What does this mean to you?  Well, we are in state rivals and will let’s just say Beavers don’t like Ducks and Ducks don’t like Beavers…  Still don’t understand why I am telling you this?

Kendra’s 1^st book in the Bone Secrets Series “Hidden” is set at Oregon State University home of the Beavers! But that doesn’t always mean that it is a good thing.

Kendra:   I was the first duck in my family. My parents, older brother, and older sister all went to OSU. The youngest sister fully rebelled and went to the University of Utah.

So now that we know all that.  Let’s begin.

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Eleven years ago, the Co-ed Slayer murdered nine female students on the Oregon State University campus. Lacey Campbell barely escaped his attack, but lost her best friend whose remains were never found. As the sole surviving victim, Lacey helped send the sadistic serial killer to prison for life.

Now a forensic odontologist examining teeth and bones for the state Medical Examiner, Lacey is devastated when she arrives at a crime scene and identifies the skeletal remains as her college friend’s.

The remains are discovered on the land of ex-cop Jack Harper. Sparks fly between him and Lacey, even as they realize that the prosecution’s witnesses from a decade ago are now being murdered one by one. All the evidence points to the Co-ed Slayer as the culprit—only, he’s long since dead. So who’s the new killer? And is Lacey next in line to die?

Kendra, can you please share with us a little about yourself:

I live in the Pacific Northwest and am married to an amazing man. I have three daughters, two odd cats, and an adorable Pomeranian who has us all wrapped around his little paw. I was a dental hygienist for many years and quit last spring to write full time. I have a degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon and used it extensively to write brilliant notes in dental charts.

Who has the better school colors?  You have to know Orange and Black is better than Yellow and Green any day right???

Let’s just say both sets of colors really suck. I mean, who wants to look like they’re wishing for Halloween all the time? And the yellow and green is simply too much bright color together. Someone should have used purple.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

God, no. Who’d want total strangers reading your work and telling you what was wrong with it? It wasn’t until about six years ago that I decided to write. I loved to read and after reading Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER for the tenth time, I decided to give writing a try. I had no visions of publication, I just wanted to know if I could write a book.

Are you a plotter or a panster? And you explain the difference?

I’m a little of both. A plotter plots every twist and turn in the book. A pantser writes by the seat of her pants, going where instinct drives her as she types. I’m naturally a major planner and assumed I would be a plotter, but I’ve found some of my best writing occurs when I’m simply forcing myself to sit down and write. I’ve been bogged down with plotting to the point where I’ve wasted weeks not writing, because I couldn’t plan where to go next. A great tool for me is #1K1HR on twitter. It puts you with other writers who are racing to get 1000 words on the page in an hour. You just start pounding away at the keyboard. My stories take great unplanned turns during these sessions.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I like silence while writing. No music. I write my notes on graph paper—the stuff with the tiny squares. I don’t like lined paper, especially yellow legal pads. And ink must be blue, not black. Wow. Those were really boring quirks.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

For HIDDEN, I had an image stuck in my head of a woman’s corpse buried in the foundation of a house. I think I picked it up from watching an episode of CSI. From there it just grew, incorporating aspects that I wanted to write about. Forensic dentistry, serial killers, and a clash between the hero and heroine.

For CHILLED, I attended a writing workshop led by a forensic nurse who volunteered with a search and rescue team. She was utterly cool and a fantastic inspiration for the heroine of a book. I later interviewed her and used several of her experiences in CHILLED.

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For BURIED, which comes out in 2013, I walked around for weeks with an idea of a group of children on a field trip who simply vanished long ago. I decided to make Michael from HIDDEN the hero of the story and have one of the missing children be his brother.

Why did you pick OSU as your setting for Hidden?   

My heroine competed in college gymnastics. OSU has a program, I don’t think UofO ever did.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

Hmm. I’d have to say Diana Gabaldon or Robert Crais. I’ve met most of the authors I love at conferences or signings, but these two have been avoiding me for some reason.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Write and read lots. Repeat. Continue until luck happens.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

Mine is pretty short. I want a quiet home on the water somewhere where my husband and I can walk on the beach, talk, and write. I would like to see Machu Picchu and spend some time in Italy touring and eating.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I can’t wait for Lee Child’s A WANTED MAN in September. I buy all his books in hardback. Recently I discovered Lisa Unger. I want to read her backlist.

What is the best and worst thing about living in the Pacific Northwest?  For me it would be that it is so green and the worst would be lack of sunshine.

I like the rainy days. I don’t have to shave my legs or water the lawn on those days. Best thing would be simply quality of life. I know that is general, but the air is clean, crime is low, the people are friendly, and it doesn’t cost a fortune to live here. Worst would be it needs more snow!

What is your favorite time of year & why?

Fall. The kids go back to school and I have a quiet house for several hours of the day. And I love gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ve learned that getting ready for the holidays is usually more fun than the holiday itself. I usually make a list of things I want to do with the kids. Cookies, shopping, decorating and simply enjoy them.

Who is your Celebrity crush?  And what would you do if you ever meet them?

George Clooney. I would smile, forget all words, and wish I’d worn something different.

I would say that this interview went really well, despite the fact that you are a Duck and I am a Beaver. Is there anything else you would like to add?  

Yes. I’m very sorry your Beavers have not won a Civil War football game since 2007.

Giveaway Time:

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Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Sinead MacDuglas to the blog today.  

Sinead, can you please share with us a little about yourself
Sure. I’m a born and bred Canadian with deep Irish roots, a bit of a cynic who still believes in magic, and I talk way too much, especially when I’m nervous. I’ve always been a late bloomer, and a horrible procrastinator, so it’s no surprise that I’m just now getting to publishing my writing, after over 30 years of dreaming about it. The only things I ever started early were talking, reading and writing.

Have you always wanted to be an author?
Just about as long as I can remember. I also wanted to be an astronaut, an anthropologist, a veterinarian, a doctor, a rock star, a teacher … well the list is incredibly long. Being an author is the only one I really stuck with though.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know about interesting, but maybe weird. I absolutely cannot read a novel when I’m writing one. I can read short stories, articles and blogs, but I have to set aside longer works when I’m writing. See, I tend to get right into a novel I’m reading, and then the piece I’m working on gets, well, for want of a better word, tainted. It’s like I absorb the personalities of the characters, and their emotions, and then I catch myself drifting out of character in my own writing

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?
My first full-length novel just released through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. It’s a contemporary crime fiction novel with some really dark overtones.

The main character, Emily O’Shea, is working two part-time jobs, and struggling to keep her marriage together. She writes a column for the local paper, on exceptional teens in the community, and she has her eye on a spot in the news department. Just an average woman, living an average life, but there’s more to Emily than she’s letting on. She’s been running from her past, and hiding from the truth of it for a long time, and the reader meets Emily just minutes before her entire world begins to fall apart.

Someone abducts a young friend, and past subject for the column. Emily starts getting creepy phone calls. The most terrifying monster from her childhood is on the loose, and her deepest secrets are about to be exposed. When she gets pulled into a murder investigation, and her ex-lover is one of the lead investigators, things really go sideways!

The main story takes place in, mostly, just six days, in the summer of 1995.

How did you come with the idea for this story?
The original Learn To Love Me was supposed to be a Women’s Lit. book, actually. I stalled in the ninth chapter and, at a friend’s advice, scrapped the whole thing, except for a few of the characters. Emily was such a deep, troubled soul, I just couldn’t abandon her. See, my friend, (and cover designer for the book), just couldn’t believe that one woman could go through so much and keep her sanity. I made a flippant remark about having her “snap and start taking people out”, and he thought it was a great idea for me to write a murder mystery.

I thought about it afterward, and realized that years of reading true-crime and profiling books, and religiously watching shows like Law & Order, CSI Vegas and Criminal Minds, had given me a pretty solid base for mystery writing.

I decided to give it a shot, and began an outline for the new Learn To Love Me.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?
I have three projects I want to work on, but only two I’ve begun. One is the story of a woman who has a car accident and wakes up in limbo. She finds that the world of mythology and religion is a lot more connected, and a lot more complicated, than she ever believed. Before she can move on to her next destination, she’ll have to defend every major decision she made in life, and negotiate the terms of her continued existence.

The other project I’ve begun is somewhat a sequel to Learn To Love Me. I say ‘somewhat’, because this book is a dark paranormal fiction, but at least three of the characters from Learn To Love Me will play a role in it. It takes place in 2025 and up,  and involves cults, psychic abilities, soul mates and Native American culture, in a strange mix of the past and future.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?
I always answer this the same way, and this is no exception. I want to meet Richard Bach. His book, “The Bridge Across Forever” is the first modern novel to really get into my head and under my skin. I can’t even remember the character’s names, details of the story, or progression of the plot, but even after over 20 years, I can still remember how it made me feel to read it.

I want to know how he did that!

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
I have a long answer, but I’ll keep this one short. Just write. Observations, musings, feelings, write it all down. The more you do that, the more you’ll get comfortable with your voice. The technical stuff can suck the life out of your writing like a starving vampire. Find your style and voice before that happens.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.
Go to Ireland. and see the places my Nana and Papa were born and raised in.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?
I`m absolutely dying to get my hands on a paperback copy of Beyond the Never. It`s an anthology by the five ‘first wave’ authors at CH&BB. The cover is gorgeous and the concept behind the stories has me in awe. Unfortunately, my TBR pile is somewhere around 45 books deep already, so even when I get a copy, it’s going to be a while before I get to read it.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Two things, if I may.

For the readers: If you pick up a copy of Learn To Love Me, please let me know what you think. I live for feedback! In fact, one of my favourite things to hear from readers, is their guesses on the ‘bad guy’ while they’re still reading, and if they change their mind as the story progresses. Reviews are always appreciated, of course. I think the same goes for any writer, really. I have yet to meet an author who doesn’t pray, every day, for a new review.