Category: Giveaway/Contest

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Interview & Giveaway with Vicky Dreiling

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to Welcome Vicky Dreiling to the blog today.  Vicky is the author of the fan named “How to” Series, How to Marry a Duke, How to Seduce a Scoundrel and How to Ravish a Rake (Spring 2012)

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle.  That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.”

When she’s not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and most of all, long lunches with friends. She holds degrees in English literature and marketing. A native Texan, she shares her home with her daughter and a spoiled mini-lop rabbit that lives in a slightly gnawed cardboard cottage.



Hi Vicky, Welcome to Books-n-Kisses.  Thank you so much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down and answer a few questions.


Vicky: Thanks for inviting me to your blog!

Q1) First, how was RWA?  Did you have a blast?  Are you finally recovered?

Vicky: RWA seems like a distant memory now, but I had a wonderful time. Every year, I see old friends and make new ones. The highlight of the conference was my very first book signing at the RWA Readers for Life Literacy Autographing.

Q2) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Vicky: I’m from Texas and have held several interesting jobs including aerobics instructor, stay-at-home mom, and a 10-year stint in corporate marketing. I am a historical romance junkie and bought my first romance by accident at a supermarket. I didn’t know it was a romance until I started reading it. That book was ALMOST HEAVEN by Judith McNaught. I couldn’t put it down and have been hooked on historical romance ever since.

Q3) When did you decide you wanted to be an author?



Vicky: I wrote in diaries as a kid, but like most authors, the urge to write romance came from reading the books. One day when my kids were in school, I decided to write a historical romance for fun. I confessed my hobby to a friend. In a twist of fate, she happened to have seen a notice for a class on how to write a romance at a local branch of a university. I signed up for the class, and that led me to join RWA.

At one RWA meeting, there was a workshop on writing contests. I got excited when I heard that some of the judges were published authors. I entered five of them with the hopes of getting ‘critiques’ from published authors. Something unexpected happened. I won four of those five contests. I even finaled in the Golden Heart contest with that first manuscript. Ultimately, I did massive revisions for an editor without promise of contract, but the book wasn’t strong enough for publication.

After a trip back to college and several years ramping up a marketing career, I decided it was time to write again. The second manuscript was HOW TO MARRY A DUKE. Shortly after I began writing, I also started traveling domestically and internationally for business. That partly accounts for why it took me three years to finish the book. During that time, however, I also wrote three drafts of the book. Obviously, I was very determined to do everything possible to sell. Then I met my agent at a regional conference, and in 2009, I sold HOW TO MARRY A DUKE to Grand Central/Forever in a 3-book contract.

Q4) Let’s talk about your books (which I must say I love) in your fan named “How To Series”
 Tell us about How to Marry a Duke.

Vicky: Thanks for your kind words about my books.

I got the idea for HOW TO MARRY A DUKE after watching one episode of The Bachelor TV show. When the episode ended, a premise popped into my head: The Bachelor in Regency England minus the hot tub and camera crew. At first, I resisted the idea. I couldn’t have those Regency misses jumping in a hot tub or going on overnight dates. Then I thought: But what if you could write a Regency-era version? I figured I had nothing to lose. How hard could it be? Can you hear my hysterical laughter all the way from Texas?

HOW TO MARRY A DUKE is the story of Tristan Gatewick, the Duke of Shelbourne, who needs a wife in order to beget the requisite heir he needs.The papers have dubbed him The Most Eligible Bachelor in England. Every silly belle in the ton is dropping handkerchiefs and fans for him to retrieve. Tristan is weary of playing fetch, so when he meets a matchmaker, he decides to retain her. Tessa Mansfield is a bit leery of Tristan, because he’s a notorious rake. However, she sees a golden opportunity for her matchmaking career. If she can successfully make a love match for the duke, maybe other gentlemen will seek her services. Unfortunately, Tristan is the most unromantic man she’s ever met. Nonetheless, Tessa is undaunted and sets out to teach him lessons in love. There’s just one little problem: Tristan and Tessa are having trouble resisting their growing attraction. Because the ‘courtship’ is public knowledge, they dare not give into their desire. He is honor-bound to marry one of the ‘bridal candidates,’ and she has a secret that could destroy them both.

Tell us about How to Seduce a Scoundrel

HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL is a Regency-era spoof of THE RULES. The book features Lady Julianne and Marc Darcett, Earl of Hawkfield (aka Hawk), two characters from HOW TO MARRY A DUKE. When Tristan who cannot stay in London asks his best friend Hawk to act as Julianne’s guardian, Hawk is reluctant, but he can’t say no to his best friend. Hawk figures it can’t be too difficult. But at the first ball, he waltzes with Julianne and is stunned by his desire for her. She’s his best friend’s sister and is off-limits. When starry-eyed Julianne realizes that Hawk has no romantic interest in her, she’s heartbroken at first, but she decides to get even. With the help of friends, Julianne writes a lady’s guide to snaring bachelors in the parson’s mousetrap. THE SECRETS OF SEDUCTION causes quite a scandal, and Julianne must keep her identity a secret. Meanwhile, Hawk is having the devil of a time resisting his gorgeous ward. He’s got his own baggage and doesn’t believe he’s worthy of her. As Julianne discovers that Hawk has dark secrets, she realizes that the man she’s always known needs her love and belief in him.

Tell us about the next book How to Ravish a Rake

HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE is a Regency version of What Not to Wear to the Ball. Miss Amy Hardwick has spent several years as a hopeless wallflower, but this year, she’s determined to shed her shy reputation. Amy yearns to be one of the pretty belles, but she knows that’s impossible. However, she’s determined to be elegant and creates her own daring designs for gowns. Soon, the ton declares her the Fashion Darling of the Ton. But Amy’s wonderful night takes a scandalous turn when the most notorious rake in London mistakes her for his hussy in a dark library. That rake is none other than William Darcett, the man the scandal sheets have named the devil. After a steamy encounter with him, Amy thinks she’s escaped with her scruples barely intact. But the devil has other ideas, and Amy is having trouble resisting forbidden temptation.

Q5) What is after How to Ravish a Rake?

Vicky: Sorry, I can’t tell you yet, but keep an eye on my website for upcoming news.

Q6) Which of your characters has been the toughest to write and who has been the easiest?

Vicky: Hawk was the most difficult to write, because he hides his dark past beneath a clown mask. If readers are interested, I have a Behind the Scenes feature on my website that discusses his characterization in more detail. This feature contains spoilers, so I recommend reading the book first. Here’s a link to the article: http://www.vickydreiling.com/funstuff.html

Tessa was the easiest character to write, because I knew her history early in the planning process of HOW TO MARRY A DUKE, and I had some idea of how her past would affect the choices she made as the book progressed.  


Q7) How did you come up with the idea for your “How to” Series?



Vicky: Once I got an agent, I needed to create sketches for follow-up books to HOW TO MARRYA DUKE (HTMAD) that we could submit to publishers. I positioned the follow-up books to contain spoofs of modern dating practices similar to HTMAD.

Q8) If you could co-write a book with any other author. Who would it be and what genre?



Vicky: I wouldn’t attempt it, because I can’t imagine meshing two voices in a novel. Some authors talk about developing their voices, but that doesn’t resonate with me at all. I write the way I write. Granted, I pay attention to diction to give my novels a historical flavor, so to speak, but I don’t overly season the prose with Regency parlance.

If you want to get an idea of what I mean by voice, take two historical romances written by two different authors and read portions of them aloud. You’ll probably note a marked difference in the cadence, the diction, and the sentence structure. I think there is a je ne sais quoi element to voice as well.

Q9) What are your writing rituals? Anything you have to have?

Vicky: I wear Bose Noise Cancellation headphones (from my old flying days) and listen to music on my iPOD. I’m a very good customer of i-Tunes. J

Q10) How does your play lists help you?

Vicky: I choose music that reflects scenes through either the lyrics, melody or both. In addition, each book has a theme song. The theme song for HOW TO MARRY A DUKE is I Believe in You by Il Divo and Celine Dion. Better Man is the theme song for HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. Right now, Sympathy for the Devil is the theme song for HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE. J

Q11) If you were not an author what do you think you would be doing?

Vicky: I can’t imagine my life without writing now.

Books-n-Kisses: Thanks Vicky for sitting down with me.



Okay… *evil look in eye*

Rapid Fire Time:

Ready?


McDonalds or Burger King? Shudders – neither. I don’t like fast food.
Summer or Winter? Spring. J
Ice cream or Frozen Yogurt?  I’m lactose intolerant. I love ice cream, but it doesn’t love me. L
Burgers or Hot dogs? Burgers.
Smore’s good or bad? Good.
Paperback or E-book? Both.
GPS or Paper Map?  GPS but I still get lost.
Coffee or Tea? Coke Zero
Action film or Romance?  Romance

Thanks Vicky again for stopping by Books-n-Kisees. I hope you enjoyed your time here and I hope that we can get back together closer to the release of How to Ravish a Rake.

Giveaway Time: 


Vicky is so great… 
She has offered to giving away one Signed Audio version of book 1 How to Marry a Duke 
& Signed copy of book 2 How to Seduce a Scoundrel. 

To Enter: 
Please leave a comment
Please leave your email (SUPER IMPORTANT PART!!!)

+1 Follow Books-n-Kisses Blog
+1 Sign up for News letter
+1 Like Vicky’s FB page

Only open to the US & Canada.
Giveaway open until August 31st
Winner announced Sept 2nd.


To learn more about Vicky’s books visit her website:
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Interview & Giveaway with Leslie Lee Sanders

 Hi Leslie, Welcome to Books-n-Kisses.  I am pleased to have you here today to learn a little more about you and your books. 
Leslie : I’m excited to be here! Thanks for having me.
Books-n-Kisses: Tell me a 10 fun facts about yourself.
Leslie: Well, I write erotica and erotic romance in the MM and MMF categories. I read everything from metaphysical books to horror and everything in between. Dark chocolate is too bitter for my taste buds. Most of my story ideas come to me in dreams. Some of my story ideas are inspired by music. Driving scares me. So, I stopped driving in 2001. Art (in every form) moves me. I’m a mother of three girls. I’m also a wife. And where are we? Ah, one more. Hmm, I enjoy watching hot, sweaty men sing and dance on stage.  
BK: Tell us about your book Benefits of Sharing. 
Leslie: Have you ever had a regret that held you back? In my story, Benefits of Sharing, Cara has a regret that goes back ten years and it’s keeping her from enjoying turning thirty. Her regret? Not enjoying wild and exciting experiences in college with her then crush Ryan. To cheer her up, her husband arranges a sexual tryst between his young coworker Isaac and Cara. As her birthday approaches, she’s quick to learn the Benefits of “Sharing.”
BK: In your story you have a M/M/F relationship.  What are the challenges of writing this type of relationship?
Leslie: Well, we have three main characters instead of the popular hero and heroine, or hero and hero. *wink* This is a challenge only because there are more personalities, backstories, dialogue and motives to incorporate into the story. That, and the fact that you have to equally give everyone their time in the spotlight because readers want to know and like each member of the threesome. You have to make sure all participants get equal attention or at least enjoy it as much as the others. In an m/m/f threesome, the men have to enjoy each other as well (maybe not at first but eventually). Oh, and another challenge…making sure you clearly know where everyone’s hands are during the love/sex scenes. Getting it all right should make for a satisfying and successful M/M/F relationship.
BK: Does your family/friends read your books? If yes, what are their reactions?
Leslie: A few has read my erotic romances. Their reactions don’t come as a surprise to me, some are uncomfortable with the diverse sex scenes, and others have a great reading experience. Instead of dwelling on their uncomfortable reading experience, I just look at it this way. You will never fully enjoy a great romantic flick if you keep covering your eyes when the hot lovemaking pops onto the screen.
BK: Do you ever get writers block? If yes, what do you do to get unblocked?
Leslie: The dreaded writers block. When my brain freezes up on me, I use a special trick to defrost it. I jump ahead. I start writing the next pivotal scene, or chapter. Or I jump ahead to the climax or even the end. If that doesn’t work, I type without looking at the screen to prevent self-editing which is sometimes what’s keeping me from making progress.
BK: What are your writing rituals?  Anything you have to have while writing?
Leslie: Music. Some writers need peace and quiet. All I need is music to match the mood of the story and I can write for hours. And if a particular song keeps the ideas flowing, I put it on repeat.
BK: Favorite all-time author and why
Leslie: I absolutely love V.C. Andrews’s novels, the first ones especially. My favorite is Flowers in the Attic. While reading that story I was completely immersed in the lives of the children and the wickedness of their grandmother. The family secrets and plot twists in her novels always keep me reading. That’s why I love to incorporate twists in my own stories.
BK: Favorite line or scene in Benefits of Sharing?
Leslie: Cara had once heard, “you only regret the things you don’t do.” Eventually time and fate had led her to a wonderful marriage with James. And being married to James was like falling in love over and over again as the years went by.
BK:  How long does it take you to write a story?
Leslie: To write the first draft of a novel will usually take me several months, maybe even a year or so. A novella could take a couple months for me to finish. And a short story a few weeks. It takes me a while to complete a project because I’m so busy with the day job (I work nights as a home health aide) and raising my family.
BK:  What is your next work in progress?
Leslie: I have several works in progress but I’m focusing more on Before the Darkness, a post-apocalyptic m/m erotic romance. Yeah, romance. It focuses on the budding relationship between two survivors of an asteroid impact and it will have a happy ending. I’m even playing around with the idea of making it the first book of a three book series.
Books-n-Kisses: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Leslie: Benefits of Sharing is now available at Breathless Press: http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/361
To find more about me and my books visit my website: www.leslieleesanders.com

Once again, thank you for having me and thanks to you readers for reading!
BK: Leslie, Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down with me and share your story.  I look forward to reading more of your books in the future. 

Giveaway Time:
We will be giving away an e-book of Benefits of Sharing. 
To Enter:
Please leave a comment
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Extra Entries:

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Giveaway ends August 26th
Winner announced August 29th



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Guest Blog & Giveaway with Berengaira Brown

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to let Berengaira Brown take over the blog today…..

Take it away Berengaira:



When I was very small, before I started kindergarten, my mom was quite ill. My dad had to work and there was no one to watch me, so I had to stay in the hospital room with my mom, and be quiet so she could rest, all day while Dad was at work.

The first day he arrived from work with a box of blocks for me to build with. They were awesome blocks, with bridges, and arches as well as straight ones for walls. But not sufficiently awesome to entertain me all day while he was at work. So the second night he started to teach me to read. Within a few days I was reading and thereafter he dropped me off at the hospital each day with an armload of library books as well as the blocks. When mom came home again he would still visit the library every few days returning with a pile of books for me to read.
Time passed. Mom got better. I began school. I read, and read, and read. By the time I was around ten I’d read every book in the children’s section of the library. Dad just smiled and gave me his adult borrowing card. I started methodically at “A” and read my way around that library. When people gasped at what I was reading, he refused to let anyone put boundaries on my reading. He let me read and borrow anything I wanted to.
Consequently I read anything, and all heat levels from the sweetest most innocent of romance to the very kinky. And all other genres as well.
And that’s the way I write. I have published one sweet romance (just a kiss), and erotic MF, MM, FF, MMM, MFM, MMF, FFM, MFMM and more.
Here’s a taste of “Dinner Delights” my MF story at Breathless Pres.
Blurb-
Two workmates. A boring dinner function. An explosion of lust. Will it lead to love?
Krystal is thrilled when Troy asks her to be his seatmate at a boring work dinner. He is a totally yummy hunk, whom she has loved forever.
When they dance, their passions combust and they rush back to her apartment to take their relationship to the next level: from friends to lovers.
Their night together is better than anything Krystal had ever imagined. But can it last? What will happen tomorrow?
Excerpt-
This time, the band played a slow song, and Troy pulled her into his arms. Drawing her closer, he said, “I’m glad we came together tonight. It’s been good to have someone to laugh with.”
Speechless with joy at his words, Krystal tightened her arms around him.
He ran his hands up and down her back and discreetly palmed her butt. Then added, “And that dress looks very good on you. I like a woman who actually eats real food and has something I can hold onto.”
He liked her being overweight? Wow!
Krystal leaned into his chest, inhaling his fresh, clean smell and loving the hard warmth of his body. “I hate going to the gym, and I’m afraid my body demonstrates that all too clearly. But thank you for being so polite about it. Besides, the food was too delicious not to eat. Guess I lack discipline.”
“Mmmm, I like your lack of discipline,” Troy murmured, pulling her even closer to him. She couldn’t help but notice his hard, hot cock pressing into her belly.
Tingles spread up and down her spine as she pushed into him with her hips, and rubbed her breasts against him.
“God, you’re hot, Troy. You’re the nicest man I know, and the sexiest.”
Troy bent his head and nibbled her earlobe, sending waves of heat through her body and a rush of cream to her pussy.



Giveaway Time: 
e-book of Dinner Delights
To enter please leave a comment
your email (NO EMAIL, NO ENTRY, I have to have a way to contact you)

Extra Point
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Contest ends August 26th
Winner Announce August 29th





Many of my books can be found at All Romance ebooks:
Berengaria Brown
Friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter
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Cherry Adair’s Cutter Cay Series & Giveaway

UnderTow

Cutter Cay #1

Cherry Adair sets a dangerous course into uncharted waters, where the hottest treasures—and steamiest pleasures—lie waiting for any man or woman bold and brave enough to claim them…
She Takes the Plunge: Teal Williams is content with her career as a ship’s master mechanic—until Zane Cutter, the “Casanova of the Caribbean,” makes her an offer she can’t refuse: climb on board with him for a real-life treasure hunt.  Teal simply has to help him dredge up a shipwrecked vessel containing an abundance of gold, silver and emeralds—and she’ll claim part of the prize.
  He’s Blown Off Course: Zane needs a mechanic who can also dive—not a lover—and Teal is perfect for the job.  So it suits him just fine that Teal is completely immune to his charms…or so he tells himself.  But with a deadly enemy in their midst—an enemy who’s silently edging closer—Zane and Teal sink into treacherous  troubled waters.  They have no one to turn to but each other as they face down a danger that runs unfathomably deep—and a passion that runs even deeper…

 Rip Tide


Cutter Cay #2

Cherry Adair plunges into the dangerous world of high-sea treasure hunting, where one man’s greatest passion unlocks one woman’s wildest fantasies…
SHE’S SWEPT INTO TREACHEROUS WATERS
Princess Bria Visconti demands the return of the money her brother rashly invested in  Cutter Salvage.  Treasure hunter Nick Cutter is too reckless, too arrogant—and far too handsome—for his own good. But he can’t charm his way out of this one. Bria plans to make Nick pay up even if she has to board his boat, don a wet suit, and dive for the treasure herself…
HE FIGHTS THE RELENTLESS PULL
Nick sees Bria  as a beautiful but spoiled princess who’s never done a day’s work in her pampered life. But once they set sail for the dive site, and the legendary fortune in gold the wreck carries, Nick begins to see Bria in a new light. This princess may be out of her depth, but she’s ready to take on the hidden danger and excitement a treasure hunt stirs to the surface. Together they must fight unexpected enemies—and reveal their darkest secrets—before they’re pulled into a rip current of danger.

Vortex
Cutter Cay #3
Cherry Adair plunges into a world of high-sea adventure and romance, where a long-lost treasure is a deadly lure—and love is the most dangerous current of all…
SWEPT AWAY
Searching for a sunken ship off the coast of Peru, treasure hunter Logan Cutter manages to pull a very different kind of prize from the sea—beautiful gallery owner Daniela Rosada. Dani claims she was thrown overboard by ruthless pirates and begs for his protection. But Logan is no strnager to a woman’s lies, and something about her story doesn’t add up.
IN TOO DEEP
With her knowledge of Peruvian artifacts, Dani offers to help Logan translate an ancient map that will lead them to a shipwrecked treasure—and into a carefully laid trap. But the closer they get, the deeper she falls for him, not realizing that Logan is hiding a secret of his own. By the time she learns the truth about his boat, his brothers—and his blood feud with pirates—it’s too late. By falling in love, they’ve set a course for disaster…
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Interview & Giveaway with JD Tyler

Books-n-Kisses to super excited to welcome JD Tyler to the blog today.



J.D. Tyler is an award-winning, multi-published author who writes for New American Library under three pseudonyms. Whether this is due to an overdose of ambition or a multiple personality affliction, she’ll never tell.

J.D. writes dark, sexy paranormal romance and has a huge thing for shifters, vampires, the Fae, and just about everything else that goes bump and grind in the night. She can’t get enough of those dangerous supernatural heroes, and the fun of creating her own was just too much temptation to resist… so she didn’t. J.D. doesn’t do self-denial.
When she isn’t writing, J.D.’s idea of a good time certainly isn’t cleaning house (sniff), bungee jumping (not in this lifetime, or the next), or camping (her idea of “roughing it” is a slow bellboy). She enjoys reading, being pampered like the diva she is, and spending time with her awesome family. She lives in Texas with her husband and two teenagers.


JD, Welcome to Books-n-Kisses. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk with me about your new book series.  

JD: Hi, Kelly! Thanks for inviting me here for a visit today!

Kelly: Do you need anything before we begin? Coffee, tea, soda?

JD: Coffee I suppose, since it’s too early for a margarita. J

Kelly: It might be a little to early, yes… *wink, wink* Shall we begin?

JD: Mmm, good coffee. Sure! Fire away.

Q1) Can you share 5 fun facts about yourself?

JD: Ooh, a fun one! Let’s see…

1) My friends know that I’m a huge Bon Jovi fan!! (I go to their concert every time they come to Dallas!!)
2) I, along with my family, was once country star Mickey Gilley’s special guest at his show 
in Branson, MO. My family knows Mickey’s steel guitar/fiddle player/comedian, so we got in free and met Mickey after the show. Very cool.
3) I once met country star Charley Pride in a restaurant in Dallas. I saw him walk through the door, and he was SO tall, broad, and handsome I thought he was a Dallas Cowboy at first. Then he spoke to me and I saw the RCA recording logo on his jacket, the HUGE Rolex on his wrist, and realized who I was speaking with. I almost had heart failure. J
4) My house is haunted. My husband, the snarkiest “ghost non-believer” in the history of the world, recently saw his very first ghost, a lady in a robe, walking down our stairs in broad daylight and almost choked on his lunch. He no longer laughs when the kids or I tell our ghost stories or watch TAPS Ghost Hunters on TV.
5) Thanks to the English teacher I had as a senior in high school, I can still recite the ENTIRE prologue to the Canterbury Tales in Old English, from memory. We had to say it for a grade, and she taught it to her class by playing the old 33 on her record player (early DVD, baby readers) over and OVER. For weeks. Thanks loads, Mrs. Dale. Twenty-seven years after high school, that nifty little talent makes for great fun when my friends and I get drunk.

Q2) Tell me a little about your 3 pseudonyms? I mean 3 really… WOW!!! How do you keep them all straight?

JD: In addition to writing paranormal as JD Tyler, I write romantic suspense as Jo Davis, and paranormal erotica as Jo Carlisle. Honestly, it’s not as hard as it sounds writing-wise. I work on one book at a time, and all of my focus is on that story and those characters at the moment. The most difficult thing for me is being organized enough to keep up three websites! Sometimes I get behind and am late sending in updates to my web folks.

Let’s talk books…

Q3) Please Describe Primal Law in 140 characters or less. (oh and I will count them….. just kidding.. I won’t, well maybe I should!)

JD: Here’s a short blurb (sorry, I didn’t count the characters!):After a massacre leaves Jaxon Law crippled, he must relearn how to fight-and battle the anger and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. But when Jax rescues a beautiful woman who awakens his primal instincts, he is unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead. Soon he must decide if the deep connection he feels with Kira is worth defying the ultimate shifter law…


Q4) How did you come up with the idea for the Alpha Pack series?


JD: My publisher asked me to write a shifter series, and I was thrilled. I wanted it to be suspenseful and fast-paced, and very sexy. I thought, why not combine Navy SEALs/military-type heroes with shifters and Psy abilities? I hit on a whole new concept I thought could work well, and it does. I love these Alpha heroes!

Q5) Primal Law is Jaxon Law’s story.  Tell us a little more about Jax. *wiggles eyebrows*

JD: Jax is a tattooed, goateed, motorcycle-riding bad boy with issues. His biggest source of guilt is that he trusted the wrong woman, and she literally turned out to be a witch who’d helped set up the ambush of his team. Now, there’s no way he’d ever trust another female, or so he thinks…

Q6) It looks like Black Magic is up next.  Black Magic is a novella in your Alpha Pack series. Would you like to share a little with us. (sorry no cover art just yet)

JD: BLACK MAGIC is a stand-alone novella involving our Sorcerer/black panther/Necromancer Kalen Black and Dr. Mackenzie Grant, the lady who’ll eventually be his Bondmate. This will be the story of how the spark between them becomes a blaze, and how a sacrifice on Kalen’s part will alter his destiny. This sets up their full-length book, which will be the 3rd of the series. Kalen’s story will be explosive!

Q7) The next book in the Alpha Pack series is going to be Savage Awakening.  This is Aric Savage’s book.  Can you share a little about Aric and his book?  

JD: Aric’s story was fun to write because he’s such a snarky bastard, which of course hides a big heart. His journey is one of self-forgiveness and learning he’s worthy of love. He’s met his match in his lady love, Rowan Chase, who’s a tough LAPD police officer and doesn’t take crap off anybody. Hands down, she’s the best heroine I’ve ever written, and they make an explosive couple!

Here’s a blurb:
After a mission goes wrong, Aric Savage is taken prisoner. Half-dead and despairing, he makes a stunning discovery: his Pack mate Micah Chase, who was reported dead, is a fellow captive. When the Alpha team goes into full-rescue mode, accompanying them is an absolute stunner with sable hair—and a spine of solid steel.
LAPD officer and Psy Dreamwalker Rowan Chase has one priority: her brother Micah’s recovery. Still, she can’t help but be drawn to Aric, the ruggedly handsome wolf shifter who pleasures her as no man ever has—however fleeting their affair is destined to be. But when Aric’s life is endangered, Rowan must ask herself what she’s willing to sacrifice in the name of love, for the man fated to be her Bondmate.
Q8) I noticed that there are quite a few pack members.  Will everyone be getting a story?

JD: It’s my fondest hope that everyone will get a story in the future! I’m not sure who will come after Kalen (book 3), but I have an idea or two…

Q9) Do you have any idea who will be after Aric?

JD: Kalen Black’s full-length story is book 3.

Q10) Do you have a favorite pack member?  If so, who & why?

JD: It’s so hard to pick a favorite among these guys! They’re all sexy and loveable in their own way, and they’re all different, appealing to a woman’s various tastes in men. Right now, Kalen is getting a lot of my attention, since his novella and full-length book are up next. He’s a fascinating hero, very different and dynamic. Hammer is also shaping up nicely, and in Aric’s story (SAVAGE AWAKENING, April 2012), the reader learns his real first name and why he’s so secretive. He’s the team’s gentle giant, one of my favorite types of hero.

Q11) Tell us about your typical writing day.

JD: I get up by 7:30 or 8, get coffee, check email. Then I reread what I’ve written the day before to get me into the groove. Then I write, write, write! I’m usually done by 4 in the afternoon because my brain is tired.

Q12) So reading over your bio I see that you are not into bungee jumping. But what is something off your bucket list that you can share with us.

JD: I’ve never been to Europe, and I’d love to visit Italy, Greece, and England! I’ll see all the sights. And of course I’ll fly there and back first class! Someday…

Q13) Going back to your 3 different pseudonyms.  Do you prefer writing in one genre over another? 

JD: All of the genres I write fulfill the need to tell a story, and each genre is different. I have to say, though, that paranormal is my favorite.

Q14) How many books on average do you write in a year?

JD: 3-4. My publisher keeps me busy, and that’s a very good thing. J

Q15) Do you prefer writing series or stand-alone books?

JD: I’m a series kind of gal. I enjoy creating a “family” of heroes and then telling each one’s story.

Q16) Where do you find inspiration?  (places, music, pictures, dreams, people)

JD: I get inspiration literally from everywhere. The news, music, photos, people-watching. I’m a incurable daydreamer, which drove my teachers nuts, and yet I managed to turn that into a career!

Q17) What is the best piece of advice you got about becoming an author that you would like to share?

JD: If you want to be a published author, it’s like any other highly selective career—lose the excuses, plant your ass in the chair and write! Join a professional writers group such as Romance Writers of America, learn the business, and hone your craft. And like any other career, prepare to hear the word “no” a lot, then forge ahead again and again until you get the “yes!” you’ve been working for.

Q18) What are your thoughts on ebooks vs paperbacks?

JD: I enjoy both formats, and I buy both. I think ebooks will continue to rise in popularity, but I think there will always be a place for paperbacks.  

Q19) Can you tell us what you are currently working on?

JD: Right now I’m working on BLACK MAGIC, Kalen’s novella, which will be out in March 2012. Then up next will be Aric Savage’s story that I just finished, SAVAGE AWAKENING, out on April 3, 2012.

Books-n-Kisses: Again a HUGE thank you to JD for stopping by my blog and share with us her newest book.

JD :Thank you again for inviting me here!

Kelly:JD, What do you say we give the readers a chance to win Primal Law?

JD: Sounds great! I’m giving a signed copy, so good luck, readers!

Giveaway Time:

One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of Primal Law. 
To enter please leave a comment below
along with your email (no email, no entry)

Extra points
+1 Follow Books-n-Kisses blog
+1 Like JD FB page


Giveaway will stay open until August 26th
Winner Announce August 29th




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Interview & Giveaway with Darynda Jones

*Squeeeekkk* Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!!!!  Welcome Darynda to Books-n-Kisses.  I am so beyond excited to have you here.  Thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to stop by and answer a few questions.  *Squeeekkk*
 
Winner of the 2009 Golden Heart® for Best Paranormal Romance for her manuscript FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, Darynda was born spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. After the Golden Heart final, she pimped herself as best she could, landed an amazing agent and sold to St. Martin’s Press in a three-book deal. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, aka the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.
 
Okay, I am fine now really
 
Darynda Jones: HAHAHA!!! I was just commenting the other day how much I sound like a dolphin when I get excited. Thank you so much for such a wonderful welcome!
 

 

*GASP* YYyyyyoooooouuuuuuu have the same shoes on as me!!!!  We are shoe TWINS!!!!
 
Okay, really I think I am okay to start now…….. 
 
BK:Where to start, hhmmm…… Let’s start with how did you come up with the idea for Charley and her story.
 
DJ: Charley was born in a dark alley with a group of magical elves watching over her.
Just kidding. She was born out of desperation. Simple truth is, I wanted to get noticed. So I thought, what would happen if I took Buffy, threw in a little bit of Stephanie Plum and tossed in a hefty dose of Lorelei Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls? And voila! Charley was born.
And let’s face it, with a combination like that, she’s bound to get into any number of disastrous situations. Being a magnet for trouble, both eliciting it and causing it, she often has to use her smarts and sarcastic wit to get out of the plethora of binds in which she finds herself.
 
BK:Have you ever sat down with Charley and asked her how she feels about you telling her story?
 
DJ: Oh, my gosh, I have! It turns out, she had NO IDEA.
I was like, really? And she was like, yeah, really, I had no idea. It was weird.
But she seems to be coping with it well. The death threats have stopped and she hardly ever calls and pants into the receiver anymore. That part’s kind of sad actually. I was getting used to it. Even looked forward to it after a long day of writing. But it’s all good.
 
*GASP* Why can I see Charley doing that….. 
 

BK: Would Charley say you are telling the true story or leaving parts out?

 
DJ: Well, she did get upset that I left out her romp with the chess club when she was in high school. Apparently, “it was a night that will live in infamy.” (Her words.) But I told her I’m not writing erotica. I can only keep so much of her story. Sheesh.
There are some other parts of her life that I really want to bring in someday. Can you imagine what it would be like to grow up the grim reaper? She got herself into many a bind, let me tell ya. Some of the stories are hilarious and some are heart-wrenching. I hope she lets me tell them someday.
 
Art work by Picky Me
BK: So the Uber-Talented Tricia “Picky Me” has created a picture of the Super-hot Reyes. Do you think that she did him justice?  Was this how you pictured Reyes?
 
DJ: Hold on while I wipe off the drool. (That was embarrassing.) I think Tricia did an AMAZING job. I picture him very much like her rendition, so much so it’s a little eerie. The build. The lines. So, so hot.
 
BK: Speaking of Reyes –Are there any deep dark secrets you want us to know about him that he doesn’t want us to know?  Like does he have fuzzy slippers or love bunnies?
 
DJ: Reyes has so many secrets, it’s unreal, and I am hoping to bring more and more of them in as his story progresses. Most of them are about his tragic past, both on and off this plane. But he does have a favorite pair of sneakers he refuses to part with. I’m dying to find out why. And of course, he loves silk (the feel of Charley’s hair), he loves gold (the color of Charley’s eyes) and he loves chocolate (the taste on Charley’s tongue…for obvious reasons).
 
BK: So for those who may have been living under a rock.  Tell us a little about your series.
 
DJ: Well, as you’ve probably guessed, the series is about a female PI who was born the grim reaper. She solves mysteries for both the living and the dead. She has a best friend-slash-receptionist who is the coolest sidekick a grim reaper could ever hope for, a dark and mysterious lover who gives her more trouble than he’s probably worth, and an associate in the form of a skip tracer who once tried to have her committed. Along with the rest of her circle—some alive, some not so much—she attracts trouble like a wet floor attracts a lawsuit. But she does it with style.
            
BK: You also have a short story on your website titled ‘For I Have Sinned’ (add cover pix at posting) Tell us a little about this short story and where people can find it.
 
DJ: I love For I Have Sinned because it is from another person’s POV, a woman who recently passed away. We get to see Charley (and several other characters, namely Reyes) through someone else’s eyes. The idea was actually my agent’s. She’s somewhat of a genius. And I think it turned out really well, especially since short stories are not my forte.
You can either get it for your ereader at pretty much any online store or you can read it on your computer absolutely free at the Heroes and Heartbreakers website.
 
BK: What is up next for Charley & Reyes after Third Grave Dead Ahead?  More books?  Please say there will be more books….. *Big Grin*
 
DJ: There will be more books! Woohoo! My amazing editor wants the series to continue, as do I, so I am working on the outlines for the next three in the series as we speak. So excited!
 
BK: I read that you will have a Young Adult book titled Grimsight.  Can you tell us a little about this book and when it will be released?
 
DJ: Yes! The first YA in the trilogy will be out in April of 2012. It is about a girl whose life is irrevocably changed when Death starts high school in her small town. Sadly, it will not be called Grimsight. *insert sad face* I rewrote so much of the story that Grimsight really doesn’t fit anymore, so my editor and I are currently brainstorming titles. And, yes, I am open to suggestions! J
 
BK: Darynda, Thank you so much for stopping by Books-n-Kisses
 
DJ: Thank YOU!!! I am thrilled and honored to be here.
 
BK: Oh Wait!!!
 
DJ: Okay.
 
BK: I forgot I have this lonely little book thong created by the super crafty Mandy over as Shiny Stupid Designs. 
 
DJ: KEWL!!! Isn’t it beautiful???
 
 
 
 
BK: Darynda, what do you say we do a giveaway of Second Grave on the Right to go with this book thong?
 
DJ: Absolutely! I would love to give away a signed hardcover of Second Grave to go with Mandy’s gorgeous creation!
 
 
 
BK: Again Darynda, THANK YOU so much for stopping by.  I had a great time sitting down and talking with you.  Let’s do it again for Third Grave Dead Ahead.
 
DJ: I would love to! Thank you again!
 
BK: It’s a date!!!
Giveaway Rules:
 
+Leave a comment 
Leave your Email (no email, no entry)
 
 
Extra Points
+1 Be a follower of my blog

 

 

+1 Follow Shiny Stupid Blog 
+1 Like Shiny Stupid’s FB page 
+1 Like PickyMe’s FB page 
+1 Like Books-n-Kisses FB page 
Giveaway will be open until August 26th.
Winner announce August 29th.
Posted on

Review of Her Slave part 1 by Lisandra Lantigua



“Her Slave” by Lisandra Lantigua

Nelly & Ryan have been dating for a year now, Nelly wants to finally explore who she truly is… with Ryan, but he will have to give himself entirely. Is that something he’s willing to risk, or will he 
leave her hot, wet and single?


Order Here






Guest Reviewer Natasha’s Thoughts:

This was a really fun short read. It’s obvious from the start that Nelly is nervous about this other side of herself that’s she’s never really explored; and she wants to share with the man she loves. Her own insecurities and fears about how he will react or if he’ll still love her surface and you see that uncertainty that makes it so real. The love between the two is evident and Ryan is such an awesome guy. I like how Lisandra didn’t just throw Nelly into this new lifestyle and expect everything to come to her; she incorporated friends to help and it played out wonderfully. I certainly recommend this story for a nice fun read that will make the wheels in your head start turning with the question…hmmm what if?


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Interview & Giveaway with Lisandra Lantigua

Hi Lisandra, Welcome to Books-n-Kisses.  I am happy to have you here.  Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk to me about you’re two short stories…. 
Lisandra: Hi Kelly. I’m very glad to be here! *waves*
Books-n-Kisses:  Shall we get started?
Lisandra: Yes!  *sips coffee*
BK: How did you come up with the idea for your stories?
Lisandra: Well, I’ve always been an avid reader, once I discovered Erotica it was like something opened inside my head. I started picturing my own scenarios, my own characters. And one day I decided to sit and write them down.
BK: Tell us 10 fun facts about yourself
Lisandra: Wow.. 10 things huh?! Hmm… 1. I love tinkerbell, 2. I’m a Harry Potter fan, 3. I snort when I laugh to hard, 4. I dance when I’m excited, 5.I love Smarties, 6.Im addicted to coffee *sips more coffee*, 7.I can’t live without candles.
I think that’s it. 7 facts, not too shabby eh?

BK: Share with us your favorite line out of Her Slave.

Lisandra: It’s not so much a line but here it is:
“Yes. Saturday “He said, almost breathless.
“Ok, my house. 7 pm” She leaned over the table, wanting to push him, she leaned closer to him
“Say, yes Mistress”
“Fuck….. Yess. Yes Mistress”
BK: Share with us your favorite line out of Her Master





Lisandra: This is from Manny to Lucy:”Beg for it baby, beg your Master to let you come”

BK: Who do you think has been your biggest writing influence?
Lisandra: Jasmine Haynes. I have read several within the Erotica genre and they are all incredibly great but, she has a way of making you feel what the characters feel. It always amazes me.
BK:  What do you do when you get writers block?
Lisandra: I do anything else but write, I try to forget the story I’m stuck on. After a while it comes back, I try not to stress it. I know that even my muse needs a vacay from time to time… who can blame her. *shrugs*
BK: What is the most challenging & Rewarding part about being a writer?
Lisandra: The challenge for me is actually making time to write. I’m a stay at home mom and by the time everyone’s in bed and I have time to write I’m tired to, but if I don’t write I feel weird, it’s like therapy.
BK: Do you feel you have learned anything from any of your characters
Lisandra: Oh yes! Especially Jade (part 3, not published yet J ) When her book comes out you will understand why.
BK:: Can you share what you are currently working on?

Lisandra: *sips more coffee* Sure. I’m almost done with Part 3 in the LIR series, which is called “Her Submission” and I’m also working on another story (not part of LIR) that I hope to release by October.


BK:: What do you do when you are not writing?
Lisandra: I read J I think that reading makes you a better writer, so I read about writing and I read just for fun.
BK: Favorite all-time author? And why?
Lisandra: I love JR Ward, Jaci Burton, Maya Banks, Shayla Black, Zane, Gena Showalter, Jasmine Haynes, Brynn Paulin, Edgar Allen Poe, Lori Foster, Kimberly Zant to name a few. And I like them because with everyone of their books that I’ve read I’ve learned something, like their story (fiction or not) has changed me in some way.
BK: One book everyone should read
Lisandra: Wow, that’s a tough Q. Hmm, Lover Unbound by JR Ward.
BK: Your most interesting writing quirk
Lisandra: I need music to get into a scene.
BK: Lisandra, Thank you so much for stopping by and letting us learn a little more about you and your books.  What do you say we give a copy of Her Slave & Her Master away to one lucky follower?
Giveaway Rules:
Must leave a comment/question along with your email address
(NO Email…. No Entry….)
Extra points:
+1 Be a follower of my blog
+1 Follow me on Good Reads 

Giveaway will be open until August 20th
Winner announced August 22nd
Posted on

Guest Blog & Giveaway with Ava Delany

Hello and welcome to the first day of my Beginnings series blog tour. Please feel free to comment because I will pick one lucky commenter from the commenters on my blog tour and they will win a copy of the soon to be released A Soldier’s Woman.

Let’s start out this tour hot. Let’s talk about the most popular types of heroes in romance today. Mmm, my favorite topic, sexy, luscious, handsome heroes.

A popular hero right now is the vamp. So what makes a vamp sexy? Superhuman powers and an alpha personality. So yummy. Plus, I love the fact that, all through the centuries, he’s chosen only the heroine. No one else will do.

The shifter is another popular hero. He has the superhuman and alpha things going for him too, and I love the feral quality of a beast barely contained.

Who could forget the bad boy? He’s cocky, sexy, and doesn’t play by the rules—especially when it comes to the woman he wants. That’s a seriously hot combo. I love the wildness of a bad boy. You never know what he’ll do.

The alpha (he can be a prince, a duke, rich, or just a plain old alpha, but he’s powerful by human standards) is another fabulous hero. He’s handsome, well dressed, and sexy, and I love the power he wields more comfortably than if it were his own skin. He knows what he wants and is willing to do what he must to get it. Just thinking about it gives me a little thrill.

The cowboy is a hero that has many women drooling. Washboard abs and manners, that’s a great combo. I love that little bit of cocky a cowboy exudes, and how well he can protect the woman he loves.

Last, but not least, the funny, charming guy. He’s funny, disarming, and hot. I love this kind of hero because he’d never intentionally hurt the heroine, but if he or anyone else does, he steps up and fixes it.

A number of my heroes fall into the funny, charming category or the alpha category, but never completely. Though in Dark Daze—the paranormal romantic suspense I hope to release this year—my hero has paranormal powers, most of my heroes are human. In A Librarian’s Desire, the hero is a sexy and cool frat boy, but he’s got that cowboy style protective streak in him. In Dominated, my hero is an alpha dom, but has a quiet desire for a strong sub. In The Wedding Night and it’s prequel A Surprising Day, my two hero-centered stories, the hero is a bad boy with tats and a wild streak, who also is sincere and sweet in many ways.

Did I miss your favorite hero type?

Even if I didn’t, feel free to list your favorite type of hero and tell us why you love him. And don’ t forget to tell us if there’s some sort of juxtaposition you love. (The alpha that’s soft only with the woman he loves, etc…) I love to talk about sexy heroes!



GIVEAWAY TIME:
We are giving away one e-copy of A Librarian’s Desire

Please leave a comment 
your EMAIL (VERY IMPORTANT, no email no entry)

Giveaway will be open until Aug 19th
Winner announced Aug 22nd


Want to learn more about Ava?  Find her here:

My Website: www.avadelany.webs.com
Blog: http://letstalkromance.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000666455673
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/avadelany
Kindle: www.amazon.com/Ava-Delany/e/B004QXQW0Y/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Allromanceebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Ava+Delany#
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Helping a pal get to 1,000 followers

If head over to Fiction Vixen and become a follower.  
Come back and tell me… When she reaches 1,000
I will pick one or maybe two people who went over followed then came back here and commented. 

You HAVE to go FOLLOW Fiction Vixen (I will be checking)
You also HAVE to come back here and tell me… 

Leave a comment that you followed and your EMAIL (VERY, VERY IMPORTANT)

Go Now… Follow… 
and have a chance to win something… 
Not telling you what just yet… 
http://www.fictionvixen.com/
Posted on

Interview & Giveaway with Kallypso Masters

 Books-n-Kisses is pleased to Welcome Kallypso Masters to our blog.

Kally, Thank you so very much for stopping by Books-n-Kisses to talk about your Rescue Me series. I am so excited to have you here *squeeekkk*. I have to say a huge thank you for allowing me to advance read Master at Arms, the first novel in the series.
Kally: I’m thrilled to be here, Kelly! You were the first reviewer to ask to interview me for a blog. Such a honor! Thanks so much!
Kelly : *looks around* Looks like it is just me and you today. Shall we get started?
Kally: Wait! Let me see if I can tear the guys away from the Masters at Arms club playroom so they can join us. Hopefully, they won’t dominate the interview. You know how much they command attention. *Kally calls Masters Adam, Marc, and Damián in. Master Adam stands with hands on hips (same pose he’s in on the cover of MASTERS AT ARMS); Master Marc flicks his riding crop against his thigh; and Master Damián glares, hoping to intimidate Kelly. Kally leans over to whisper to Kelly, “Deep down, Master Damián’s really a pussycat. Just don’t tell him I said so.” Oh, now Master Damián turns his glare to Kally.*
Kelly: *Leans over to Kally* they don’t scare me…. *wink, wink*
Q1) Tell us a little about yourself.
Kally: I’m 53 and have been writing off and one for more than 35 years (since high school). My background is in journalism and technical writing/editing, but this is my first novel. I’m happily married (28 years) and have two adult children. This past spring, I decided to quit my day job and try a one-year experiment to see if I can make a living writing full-time. I pulled out my Nobody’s Angel manuscript, which I’d drafted in May 2009, and started editing. Then I realized it was part of a series—and I started writing Masters at Arms to discover how the three masters came to be together and such good friends.
Q2) Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Kally: in 8th grade, I wanted to be a journalist. But I was so shy (I kid you not!) that, when my first assignment for the high school newspaper was to interview the principal, I froze and quit working for the school paper. But I wrote romances for fun. I had a rough childhood and being able to read a romances and watch characters go through all kinds of hell, but still have a happily ever after, gave me hope for my own life. I wanted to write stories like that, too!
     I joined Romance Writers of America in the early 1990s, but could never finish a novel. Still don’t know what that was about. Then I went to college, earned a degree in journalism in 2001 (at 44), and went to work as an editorial assistant. That was the job I quit in April after almost 10 years. I had just attended an Artist’s Way workshop and realized this was a shadow-artist job—and a crazymaker to boot. (That’s Artist’s Way jargon.) I was so drained after work that I hadn’t written anything creative in two years. Now when I see people who knew me from that time, they tell me “You’re alive again!” Writing erotic romance is good for my soul!
Q3) How did you get into writing BDSM?
Kally: I attended the annual Kentucky Romance Writers workshop in March 2009 and met a lot of local writers who were writing erotic romances. This was my first foray back into RWA in about 15 years. (We didn’t have erotic romances when I left the association!) I’ll admit, the first thing that caught my attention was how much they were making writing them. Maybe I could make a living writing fiction! So, I went home and wrote one without even reading anyone else’s. (It’s not to be published—at least not without a LOT of work!)
     Then I downloaded my first erotic romance—Cherise Sinclair’s CLUB SHADOWLANDS. (I didn’t even have an e-reader yet and read it on my desktop computer in PDF.) Oh.my.God! Amazing! I wanted to write stories like that with strong, loveable Doms! Within a month, I drafted NOBODY’S ANGEL. It was the second novel I finished, in as many months, so I seemed to have gotten beyond that mental block about finishing. But life and work intruded and I wasn’t able to write any others or revised that one until after I quit the “evil day job.”
Q4) Do you see yourself writing in any other genres?
Kally: I think I’ll always have some element of bondage and discipline in whatever I write. For instance, after I finish the RESCUE ME series (with the February 2012 release of NOBODY’S PERFECT), I’ll probably work on a Western historical I plotted it one morning in my Artist’s Way “Morning Pages.” It looks like it will be a ménage, like NOBODY’S ANGEL. In historical novels, it’s socially acceptable for a man to turn a woman over his knee and spank her at the drop of a cowboy hat. And think of those delicious beds with the headboards that just beg to have a woman restrained to them. Whips and ropes were easy to come by, too (pun intended). Oh, and what if there’s a lawman involved and he brings his handcuffs? Anyway, you get the picture. I’ll definitely have bondage and discipline in that one, set in 1883 Deadwood, S.D.
     By the way, the other books in the RESCUE ME series are basically m/f—although I don’t always know what the Masters are going to come up with, so we’ll see. For instance, I’m not sure how far Master Damián will go when Karla comes to him for advice on how to become the perfect subbie for Master Adam. (Master Damián’s got a wicked smile on his face—and now Master Adam’s the one who is glaring.) Oh, I can’t wait until I start writing Karla and Master Adam’s story, due out in December! I just put them on the page and see where the story goes.
Q5) Briefly tell us about the Rescue Me series.
Kally: Masters at Arms begins the journey of three men, each on a quest for honor, acceptance, and to ease his unspoken pain. Their paths cross at one of the darkest points in their lives. As they try to come to terms with the aftermath—forging an unbreakable bond—will they ever truly become masters of their own fates? Or would fate become masters of them? (Book One in the Rescue Me series.)
Q6) What is your favorite line or scene in Masters at Arms?
Kally: That’s like asking me which of my children I love most. There are too many favorites. I often put them in my “Six Sentence Sunday” blogs (http://kallypsomasters.blogspot.com), though. Here’s one, though, but actually several consecutive lines that I just can’t break up. This is Master Sergeant (Adam) Montague giving Damián a wake-up call and inviting him to work at the BDSM club he plans to start now that he’s retired:
“Well, last time I checked, most of the ladies at BDSM clubs are more interested in a firm hand and a stiff cock. You still seem to have both of those in your inventory. Sure, there may be some chicks with a foot fetish, but you still have a good one, don’t you?”
Q7) What gave you the idea to write the Rescue Me Series?
Kally: I love stories where the hero and heroine rescue each other. While one might rescue the other physically, there always has to be the emotional rescue, as well. I write about redemption, reunions, and overcoming unspeakable horrors in life to find true love.

Q8) Out of all the Masters who has been the most difficult to work with?

Kally: Oh, that’s a tough one, they’re all a pain in the…. *Kally glances over at Master Marc, flicking the crop again* Um, they like to hold their personal pain inside, so it’s been quite a feat getting them to reveal their secrets. Each time I think one is the worst, then another ’fesses up about something and floors me. But, I’d have to say, it’s Master Marc.
     I know, he seems like the most easy-going one. His sense of humor and love of women. Then a beta reader pointed out that he hadn’t grown at all in Nobody’s Angel. Well, HE was really holding secrets from me, one that has really has affected every relationship he’s had since his early 20s. That one is revealed in Masters at Arms, but who knows what else he’s going to reveal as I do the major rewrite of ANGEL?
Kelly: *rolls eyes* I should have guessed… *winks at Master Marc*
Q9) So, now that we know who is the most difficult who has been the most pleasurable to work with?
Kally: Oh, Master Adam. I think I’m a little in love with him myself. *OMG, as Karla would say, did he just wink at me? *MELT* He’s gritty, tells it like it is, but has such a big heart. I call him my guardian of lost souls. I love how he watches over Marc in the hospital, chases away Damián’s night terrors, and keeps watch over the hurting Karla, despite his wayward…thoughts. He seems to have his head on the straightest, too (well, until Karla starts pursuing him in earnest in NOBODY’S HERO). As you know, he’s clueless when it comes to Karla. I think he’s finally met the woman who can help him find his lost soul, even if she is 25 years younger.
Kelly *sigh* Oh Adam, Adam, Adam…. What ever will I do with you?  OH I have an idea……..
Q10) What kind of research did you have to do for these books? i.e. the sex scenes?
Kally: My, Kelly, do you have sex on the brain?
Kelly:  Who Me? Proceed…. Please….
Kally: I actually had to do a lot more research on things like the Marines, the Second Battle of Fallujah, and the treatment of amputees and casualties. And the places where the story is set. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Surviving incest and being an unwilling sex slave.
The sex scenes just come naturally to me. (Why is it every time I say “come” Master Marc grins wickedly?) *Kally returns her attention to Kelly.* Um, where were we? Oh, yes! Sex scenes. I love to write them. My editor, Jeri Smith, says I write the most awesome sex scenes, too—very hot, but tender. Of course, I do research on some of the BDSM aspects for those scenes in NOBODY’S ANGEL and for MASTERS AT ARMS where Savannah is being tortured. *Kally notices that Master Damián has a very sad look in his eye.* (Kally whispers to Kelly: He’s always wondered what happened to Savannah, but when he looked for her after his discharge and rehab, it was as if she vanished from the face of the earth. So sad. He never got over her.)
Um, I also got quite an education reading Cherise Sinclair’s MASTERS OF THE SHADOWLANDS series. (Highly recommended!) I also found a lot of photos of BDSM equipment and implements in Wikipedia and Google searches. Most recently, I’ve joined the fetlife.com, an online community of BDSM enthusiasts, to read discussions and learn more about the lifestyle, and especially the emotions relating to the lifestyle. As you know, my books are all about the emotions.
Q11) Do you feel that you have learned anything from your characters? If so what?
Kally: Sex should be fun! Get playful with it! Once you’ve established trust, then anything goes—as long as it’s safe, sane, and consensual.
Q12) Any deep dark secrets about the Masters you want to share with me? I won’t tell a soul. *fingers crossed*
Kally: Well, most of the secrets even *I* don’t know yet—until the characters show up on the page when I’m writing. I am not a plotter, although I jot down ideas for scenes and conflicts in my writing journals. They just reveal the most amazing things as I write and journal.
     Okay, you will recall the scene where Master Adam is having his fight wounds dealt with by Karla’s mom in her kitchen. (The famous “Karla sees Adam without his shirt” scene from my blog.) Well, Adam’s back is not only scarred from the ambush in Afghanistan that killed Marc’s brother and another man, but he also has made it a memorial to all under his command who have died as a result of the battles he’s led them into. And you’ll have to wait for NOBODY’S HERO to learn how he memorialized them. *Master Adam growls* Well, I hope he’s going to let me reveal that to you!
Kelly: *snickers*  I can’t wait to learn more…….
Q13) If you could spend one day doing anything you wanted with any of your Masters, who would it be, why, and what would you do? *leans forward, puts elbow on knees and chin in hands* Details please. *wiggles eyebrows*
Kally: Okay, I did establish earlier that I’m happily married, right? And my beta man is so the antithesis of any of the masters (although some of the sweeter things they do are reflections of my dear hubby).
You know, I’ve given this one a lot of thought. And, truth be told, I think I would go riding through the mountains of Colorado on the back of Master Damián’s Harley. I’ve never been on a Harley and have really been wanting to experience that. I hear it’s quite exhilarating—and sensual. My hubby gave up his motorcycle (a Honda) before I met him. So, this will probably remain a fantasy. *Master Damián smiles wickedly and gives Kally a virtual tip of the hat.*
Kelly: *winks at Damián *
Q14) Tell me the one book you think everyone should read.
Kally: The one that has changed my life most recently—for anyone wanting to recover his or her creativity—THE ARTIST’S WAY, by Julia Cameron. It was a workshop for that book in late March, and the resulting “Morning Pages” and “Artist’s Dates” (two of the tools taught in that book), that I was able to recover my own creativity. The result is MASTERS AT ARMS and my new career as a writer. But this book isn’t just for writers—it’s for anyone wanting to reconnect with that inner child who doesn’t care what anyone thinks about what she or he creates. Anyone who just wants to create for the sheer joy of it all. I know I write first and foremost for myself. If what I write moves me, then maybe it will move someone else. But, that book opened new doors for me, just at a time in my life when another one was closing.
Q15) Tell me what is up next in the Rescue Me series?
Kally: In September, NOBODY’S ANGEL, Master Marc’s story. He’ll meet his lady love while pulling Dungeon Monitor Supervisor duties at the Masters at Arms Club. But she gets away and when he finds her again, she seems more interested in his non-Dom Search-and-Rescue partner, Luke.
In December, NOBODY’S HERO will share Karla and Master Adam’s romance. Karla fell in love with Adam that Thanksgiving morning nine years earlier. Then, in the depths of her own grief, the person she runs to is Adam, who made her feel so safe before. Karla is not at all into BDSM, but she solicits the club’s subbie trainer, Master Damián, to teach her in private how to be the perfect sub for Adam. Master Adam, of course, is tortured by his attraction to her, trying not to give in to his baser needs and take advantage of the innocent Karla. But when he sees her with Master Damián, he suddenly feels the need to protect her from his surrogate son, the sadist. So, she’s definitely going to test the bond between Adam and Damián, just as Karla’s limits are tested and explored in the BDSM lifestyle!
Then, in February, Master Damián and Savannah (now Savi), will find each other yet again in NOBODY’S PERFECT. Secrets will be revealed and they will be thrown together in a desperate situation. Master Damián will try to break through Savi’s stronger-than-ever fortress walls and get her to experience what they did on that perfect day at the beach cave all those years earlier. But they’ll soon see that neither of them is the same as the 19-year-old they had been then, and will have to find ways to adjust their needs and sexual appetites, as well as deal with trust issues resulting from too many secrets in the past, and so much guilt.
Q16) Is there anything else you would like to share with me and my blog followers?
Kally: If you enjoy reading full-length erotic romance novels with lots of emotion (you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and sometimes you’ll scream), then I think you’ll enjoy the Rescue Me series. And, if there’s a secondary character you meet along the way who you think should have his or her own romance, just e-mail me at kallypsomasters@gmail.com and let me know! I can see this series continuing beyond these first four books. You can follow along at my blog with excerpts on WIPs and other craziness at http://kallypsomasters.blogspot.com. And feel free to friend me on Facebook (Kallypso Masters) or follow me on Twitter (@KallypsoMasters)!
Books-n-Kisses: Thank you, Kally, for stopping by my blog and sharing your Masters and the Rescue Me series with me and my followers. I hope to have you back when each of the romances in the series is released. I would love to interview each of the Masters before his book comes out, if they’re feeling up to it…. *wink, wink*
Kally: Well, they were a little quiet today, but I can just see the wheels turning in their heads. I think they’d like that very much. *Kally hears someone growl and wonders which one is balking at the idea.*
Kelly:  I think they are afraid I might top them or something… *snickers, hehe*  I girl can dream right…. *winks & blows a kiss at the 3 Masters*
Q17) Oh, one last question Kally. Do you think we should give away a copy of Masters at Arms to one of my followers?
Kally: I thought you’d never ask! I’d love to! Please comment below, including your e-mail address and we’ll select a lucky winner on August 15th.  
Giveaway Time
You heard the Girl…
Leave a comment along with your email (VERYIMPORTANT PART)
We will pick a winner on Monday August 15th
if my new Facebook Page Books-n-kisses makes it to 100 likes by Monday morning I will giveaway a second copy of Masters at Arms 
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Guest Blog & Giveaway with Cynthia Selwyn

For the Love of Dogs (in books and beyond)…by Cynthia Selwyn

A lot of interviewers have asked me about the dog in my recent release, Dog-Gone But Not Forgotten. Pictured on the cover, Ellie is an Irish Wolfhound on a mission to get Jack Radigan, the town dog officer, and Carrie Moore, a journalist together—for good. Interviewers ask what inspired her, or just how did you get the idea for her?
The answer is simple. I have dogs and they channel their thoughts through me. (Okay, yes, I know that sounds crazy. It’s something I started doing for my children when they were small and it became a habit; every animal talks now, even though my oldest is thirteen. But we still laugh about our dogs’ comments and adventures.)
Most of the adventures of Duffy (a Cairn Terrier—think, “Toto”) and Rosie (a black and white mutt with many hunting hounds in her genes) revolve around the quest for food. Especially the kind you have to catch. Rosie, for example, loves to chase squirrels. And within the past week, the nuts on the beech trees in our backyard have ripened so the trees are loaded with the little rodents. Loads of them. Like…a million.
For the past two mornings, I’ve opened the door to the back yard for Rosie. She pauses in the doorway, freezes as she spots those squirrels thirty feet in the air—and bolts. “I’m going to eat you!” she yells as she tries to climb the tree. “Get down here, you bad squirrrls!” (As Duffy says, “Rosie has a speech pedalment”, so the word “squirrels” is hard for her to say. Especially when she’s salivating with the need to kill. But I digress.)
Squirrels bolt; the tree is alive with racing gray streaks, swirling leaves, and falling beechnuts. “Come on squirrrls! Get in my mouth! Right now! Get in my mooooouuuuth!”
And the squirrels say, “No! Go away!” and hurl sticks at her. (Okay…maybe the sticks fall naturally, but isn’t it more fun to imagine the squirrels throwing them at her, distainful sneers on their little faces?)
Meanwhile, Duffy, who prefers not to go out first thing in the morning (because he likes to sleep in) will stand there with me at the door, watching. He mutters to himself. “Stupid puppy.” Then he flops down in the morning sunshine patch on the dining room floor, able to claim it in Rosie’s absence. Later in the day, when he’s awake, he will tremble with delight and tell me, “Look at her! She runs like the wind. She is a grand hunter.”
That’s not to say Duffy doesn’t hunt, himself. He, too, is a busy hunter for the mice which have recently taken up residence in our home. (Note: the problem with giving animals dialogue is that when you probably should exterminate them, you can’t. You think of them in the trap, screaming, “Help me!” and start to cry instead.) But Duffy spends his time staring at places mice might be or have been, like under the drawer of the stove. “Come out, Mouse,” he says. “If you get in my mouth, you will be delicious and nutritious.”
Needless to say, it hasn’t happened, yet. The mice stay under the stove and say, “No. Go away.” And Rosie sometimes chimes in. “Duffles, those mice are for poop. We need to chase squiirrrls.”
The dogs provide a running commentary about what’s going on in the house, too. “Daddy is home!” they yell. “We must celebrate! The return of the alpha! I’m so excited! I will drink water!” Or, they look at my four-year-old and say, “The little person is very annoying. He has a sandwich. Let’s follow him.”
In Dog-Gone But Not Forgotten, Ellie the dog doesn’t appear to be as food motivated as Duffy and Rosie, but by the strong, almost human-like drive to get Jack and Carrie to resolve their differences and be together as they should have been had they not been driven apart by an immature lack of communication and distance. She somehow ensures that they are thrown together again and again. And she has her reasons…but you’ll have to read the book to find out what they are and why she finally succeeds. As Duffy and Rosie have told me, it’s “…a five biscuit experience. Now give me a cookie.”  


Dog Gone but Not Forgotten 
by Cynthia Selwyn
ORDER HERE
She needs to get out of there, fast.
Eighteen years ago, Jack Radigan took Carrie Moore’s virginity—and then broke her heart by marrying her best friend. Now Carrie’s Nana has died, forcing her back to Rhode Island, where she’s trying to sell off Nana’s estate before she runs into him. But Nana had a dog not even her lawyer knew about and it appears Carrie’s plan is doomed. Because the Irish wolfhound seems to have an agenda all her own, and it involves making Carrie deal with Jack—the town’s animal control officer— on a daily basis. The havoc the beast wreaks is costing Carrie a fortune. Hopefully, it won’t cost the last whole bits of her heart, too.
Jack married Becky…but he didn’t love her.
She was pregnant and he needed to be a father to the child. Now, Becky’s gone, and Carrie’s back home.  So when her dog runs amok in their town of Narragansett , it’s his job to get the animal under control. But first, he has to control his desire to kiss Carrie, the woman he was meant to marry many years before.




GIVEAWAY TIME:

Please leave a comment 
with EMAIL (VERY IMPORTANT)
one lucky commenter will get Dog Gone but Not Forgotten (in ebook form)

Giveaway will stay open until August 12th
Winner announce August 15th.