Ex Libris

Interview with Jennifer Estep + Giveaway

2012-02-29T13:00:00.002+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Today I am very happy to welcome back to the blog Jennifer Estep who is in full party mode, besides the blogoversary party she is also celebrating the release of By a Thread, Book #6 of her Elemental Assassin series, which hit the shelves yesterday, woohoo! So everyone take a seat, here's your gin & tonic and read on as she answers all my impertinent and nosy questions. Oh and she's also giving away a copy (international readers are included in the giveaway, woohoo)!

Stella: Hi Jennifer, welcome back to Ex Libris! By a Thread, Book #6 in your Elemental Assassin series was released yesterday, congratulations!! Can you tell readers what they can expect of this new instalment of Gin’s adventures?

JE: Thanks for the congrats and for hosting me on the blog again. I appreciate it!

Basically, in By a Thread, Gin decides to get out of Ashland for a few days to rest, relax, and recharge after what happened at the end of Spider’s Revenge (and also in the Thread of Death e-novella). So Gin ends up going to a beach town, but her vacation isn’t as relaxing as she hoped it would be, since one of Bria’s friends is being threatened by a deadly vampire. Gin decides to help Bria’s friend and finds herself facing down a powerful enemy yet again. There are also some scenes with Gin and Bria as they try to figure out where they go from here, and someone from Gin’s past reappears as well.

Stella: You referred to By a Thread as ‘Gin on vacation’ as a working title. I personally have to tell you how happy I am to finally get to read a vacation novel! I always wanted my favourite characters (be it fictional or TV characters) to have some vacation fun and for us the audience to witness how they would spend their time away from real life, so thank you I am very excited to accompany Gin on hers! :-)

How was writing a vacation novel different? (not having the same locations, even having to do without some of the supporting cast, etc.) Was it different?

JE: It was a little different. Like you said, I had to come up with some different locations and set pieces for the action to take place in, and not all of the secondary characters appear in the book. But I thought it would be good place in the series to have a vacation book and sort of reboot the series a little at the same time now that the first main story arc with Mab is finished. But it’s still a Gin book in the end, so there’s lots of action, magic, and fight scenes.

Stella: You originally planned the Elemental Assassin series to consist of five books, having the big showdown ending the story arc of the first 5 books in Spider’s Revenge. How difficult was it to continue the series after you brought the initial big mystery story line to resolution?

JE: It wasn’t too difficult. Gin might have had her big showdown with Mab, but that doesn’t mean that Gin still won’t have problems in the future. One of the things I wanted to explore with the next few books in the series is what happens after you finally defeat your nemesis. What are the consequences? What’s the emotional fallout? Where do you go from there? So those are some of the things Gin will be going through and thinking about as the series continues.

Stella: Speaking of the big showdown, you must have planned it (at least had some ideas for it) since the beginning. Did you feel that as it was the BIG face-down battle between Gin and Mab this fight would have to surpass all the previous fights in the series? Was it challenging to choreography it? Did you have several versions, did it change much?

JE: I thought about the big showdown quite a bit, and I really did want to go all-out with it and have it live up to reader expectations. I had done this big story arc with Gin and Mab, and I definitely wanted to deliver in the end (which I hope I did).

I enjoy writing fight scenes, so I was really looking forward to finally getting to the showdown. I had a lot of fun writing those scenes with Gin and Mab. They didn’t change all that much, but I did spend some time tweaking them and trying to make them the best that I could. I hope folks had as much fun reading the showdown as I did writing it.

Stella: Widow’s Web, Book #7 in the series will be released in August 2012, can you tell us about what will happen after? Will there be more books in the Elemental Assassin series or will you work on some new and still secret projects?

JE: I’m happy to say that there will be at least three more books in the Elemental Assassin series after Widow’s Web, and I’m looking forward to writing more of Gin’s adventures.

I’m also busy writing my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series right now, but I do have an idea for a new adult urban fantasy series so I’m hoping to find time to work on that sometime soon. We’ll see how it goes.

Stella: How do you come up with the titles for your novels? All books in your Elemental Assassin series have a connection to spiders (which is incredibly cool!), is it instant inspiration, brainstorming with people who know the story, or research?

JE: Originally, I had the idea of having the word “gin” in all the titles, like “Gin on the Rocks,” “Bitter Gin,” and that sort of thing. But someone (I can’t remember if it was my editor or agent) suggested going with spider-themed titles instead, so that’s what we did.

I keep a list of potential titles, and usually, my editor, my agent, and I look at those and do a lot of brainstorming about what the title of the next book will be. I think we’ve come up with some really cool titles so far, and I’m looking forward to working on the titles for the next books in the series.

Stella: I’m also curious about your covers: you are a favourite of the Cover Gods, your Elemental Assassin novels have some of the best and most beautiful UF covers, can you tell us how do your books get the cover they do? Do you have to put together a summary of the events of the book and the storyline and then later add details for the graphic team? Or how is it done behind the scenes?

JE: Thanks! I like the covers a lot too. My editor will usually ask me for some input and what I think would make a good cover. So I usually end up sending my editor some information and descriptions of important scenes from the book, like the big fight scene at the end. Then, I’ll get to see a preliminary version of the cover and make some suggestions on that.

So far, the covers have been designed by Tony Mauro, and I think he’s done an excellent job of capturing Gin and the overall feel of the series.

Stella: Do you have to get “into the mood” to write about Gin’s adventures and channel her? If yes how do you achieve that?

JE: Like I said before, I enjoy writing fight scenes, so it’s not too hard for me to get in the mood to write about Gin. I like dreaming up new villains for her to take on and figuring out how she’ll use her wits and magic to defeat them.

Of course, there are days when I’d rather be relaxing, hanging out with my family, or whatever, but writing is a job, and you just have to make yourself sit down and do it sometimes. Writing and doing all the other things that go along with being an author is a lot of work, but I enjoy what I do, so that definitely helps motivate me.

Jennifer Garner as Gin

Stella: If the Elemental Assassin series were made into a series of movies who would be part of your dream cast? (I’m especially curious to know who you could picture as Finn :-p)

JE: I think Jennifer Garner would make a good Gin, and I could see someone like Clive Owen or Daniel Craig (with dark hair) as Owen. For Finn, maybe someone like Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds because they both have that dashing, devious, mischievous air that I think Finn does.

Hugh Jackman as Finn

Stella: If you had to characterize Donovan and Owen in a few words, which ones would you use for them? (I’m not asking for Finn because we all know we’d put sexy, flirty, charmer in the bunch :-p)

JE: For Donovan, I would say dedicated, moral, and a little reserved with a clear idea of right and wrong. For Owen, I would say loyal and protective, with a good sense of humor and the knowledge that things aren’t always black and white.

Stella: Speaking of Donovan, he is back on scene in By a Thread. Can you tell your readers and all those Owen fans what’s he doing back in the picture?

JE: Well, Donovan basically broke up with Gin and left Ashland at the end of Web of Lies, the second book. But Gin runs into Donovan while she’s on vacation, and he has a connection to Bria’s friend that Gin is trying to help. So there are a lot of scenes with Gin, Donovan, and Owen, as Gin tries to figure some things out for herself about her relationships with both men.

Stella: Which are harder to write: fight scenes or love scenes?

JE: I really like writing fight scenes, so I find love scenes harder to write. I always want the love scenes to be fun, sexy, and still have a big emotional punch and move the story forward, so it can be tough for me to balance all those things.

Stella: You also pen the Mythos Academy series which is a YA urban fantasy series. How is writing a YA series different from penning an adult one?

JE: Well, my Mythos Academy series isn’t quite as dark and gritty as my Elemental Assassin series. The heroine of the Mythos Academy books is seventeen, so she’s still trying to figure out her magic, what her place in the world is, and what kind of person she wants to be. I would say I tell a little more of a coming-of-age story with the Mythos Academy series.

But the books still have a lot of the same elements as my Elemental Assassin series does – a strong, sassy heroine, magic, and lots of action/fight scenes.

Stella: Jennifer, what shall we expect from you, what is next on your schedule?

JE: Widow’s Web, the seventh Elemental Assassin book, will be out on Aug. 21. There will be at least three more books in the series after that.

Dark Frost, the third Mythos Academy book, will be out on May 29. There will be at least three more books in the series after that.

Folks can visit my website at http://www.jenniferestep.com/ for more information and excerpts. Happy reading, everyone!

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin adulr urban fantasy series, the Mythos Academy series (urban fantasy series for young adults) as well as the Bigtime series, a tongue in cheek funny superhero paranormal romance series.

To learn more about Jennifer and her books find her at her website / blog / Twitter / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Jennifer has generously offered a paperback copy of By a Thread to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and tell us: If you know and read the Elemental Assassin series, what do you like the most about it? (the breakneck action? the humour? the worlbuilding?) And if it's a series you haven't read yet, why would you want to read a series about an assassin?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Western Historical Romance by Ann Mayburn + Giveaway

2012-02-28T13:00:00.002+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I just recently discovered today's guest's books (she blew me away with The Breaker's Concubine) even though Ann Mayburn has already published many exciting novels: her stories range from historicals, to paranormals and she even ventures out to outer space and time, but what all her stories have in common is that they are all without exception scorching hot! Please give her a warm welcome and read on to hear about why she chose to write a western historical romance!

Western Historical Romance

by Ann Mayburn

When I first started to read romance, way back in the day, I always seemed to gravitate to western historical romance. In the bodice rippers that I grew up reading I would snatch the westerns from my Mom’s bookshelf over any others. Books with pictures of a man in a cowboy hat usually holding some leading lady with fantastic hair in a beautiful gown, sweeping her off her feet.

And the women in western romance’s always seemed to have more fun than their uptight Regency cousins. Women on the frontier had bigger things to worry about than if so and so would ask them to dance at the ball or if they would be caught holding hands while strolling through the park. Frontier women had just as active role in carving out a niche for themselves as the men, and though they remained ladies, they often owned their own property and stores. These women had sass, brass, and enough courage to leave everything they knew behind for a chance at a better life.

I’m also fascinated by how the people of the frontier tended to be less judgmental than their civilized cousins. When you lived out in the middle of nowhere, in a town of less than a hundred people, everyone played an essential part not only with their own livelihoods, but also with those around them. You would have former slaves, now free men and women, working and owning property on the frontier and holding positions of high social status within the town. While I’m sure they encountered prejudice, there are also many well documented and true stories of former slaves becoming very successful business owners, ranchers, etc.

The frontier also provided women with unique opportunities to start a new life for themselves. The ratio of men to women out West was frequently 20 to 1, so you can imagine that the women that did make the journey often had their pick of husbands. It was also not uncommon for women to change their names and start whole new lives for themselves. In my new historical western romance, Diamond Heart, Rowan (the leading lady) heads west to escape the brutal life of a late 18th century factory worker and a cheating ex-fiancé. She plans to travel to San Francisco to stay with her sister and start a new life, but fate has other plans in store for her...

If you would like to win a copy of Diamond Heart just tell me if you’ve ever read a western historical romance. :)

Diamond Heart by Ann Mayburn

After catching her no good cheat'n rat bastard ex-fiancé in bed with her best friend, Rowan Belmont leaves the mills and factories of the Midwest to move nearer her sister in San Francisco. After being robbed in Kansas City, she loses the money to complete her journey and she tries to pawn her engagement ring, only to find out that it‘s fake. Alone, broke, and on the edge of giving up, Rowan hopes for a miracle.

Marcel Champlain can't get the beautiful woman he met at the Kansas City hotel out of his mind. When she turns up at his family’s jewelry store he knows that God has brought them together. He makes Rowan a job offer: Go with him to Freewill, Wyoming to open a new jewelry store and pose as his wife.

With only three months to convince Rowan that she should become his wife in truth, Marcel intends to show Rowan that no other man on earth will ever love her as much as he does. Their time together may be cut short by when it seems like fate will take Marcel from Rowan all too soon and leave her once again alone in the world.

Buy at Amazon

Ann is Queen of the Castle to her wonderful husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she's been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead-though she will deny to her children that it ever happened.

From a young age she's been fascinated by myths and fairytales, and the romance that often was the center of the story. As Ann grew older and her hormones kicked in, she discovered trashy romance novels. Great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and crappy sex. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the sex scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she's never looked back.

Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her 'sexy space' and has learned to type one handed while soothing a cranky baby.

You can learn more about Ann and her books at her website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Buy at Amazon
Read my review here

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Ann has generously offered an ebook copy of Diamond Heart to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Ann's question: Have you ever read a western historical romance?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Minor reader and writer mysteries that have been on my mind lately by Carolyn Crane + Giveaway

2012-02-27T13:00:00.114+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I have been singing the praises of Carolyn Crane's Disillusonists series ever since I had the good fortune on stumbling on Mind Games, but if you haven't yet read this series I only have to say this: if I could only take a couple of books on a desert island with me to read for eternity, this trilogy would definitely be in my suitcase! Carolyn Crane's series is unique, witty, original and so full of delicious tension mmm... So listen to me: Read. It. Now! And now I'll cede the blog to Carolyn who is here to talk to you about the mysteries of the universe and also giving away prizes ;-) Please give her the warmest welcome!

Minor reader and writer mysteries that have been on my mind lately
by Carolyn Crane

Hello, everybody! First, a big congrats to Stella for inviting me here to help celebrate her big two years! Congrats, Stella, for building such a fun blog and an awesome community.

So onto the post: mysteries!

THE MYSTERY OF WRITING THE STORY

I think one of the hardest parts of being a writer is writing a story and trusting that it will ultimately work.

A story, when I’m starting it, is always a mystery, even though I may have it plotted out. Because I never know if it is really viable, if it will truly work. Will I discover good things in it? Does it have the strength and flexibility to contain all the excitement and fun and magic I want it to contain? Or is it doomed in a way I don’t see?

I think you have to forge ahead with a lot of blind faith. Even as a plotter, I’m still working on faith, and going forward into a mystery.

Oh, my this post is starting out so obliquely! But, it’s a post on mystery. What the hell!

THE MYSTERY OF THE GUEST BLOG POST

Guest posts are a total mystery! I’ve actually never spoken to other writers or readers about this, but what are the best kind of guest posts? What kinds of posts do people enjoy most? Is it possible for you to do too many guest posts? Are interviews better?

Sometimes I do silly posts and I wonder, well, will people think I’m this silly person? But then I’ll do serious ones and I’ll wonder, is this entertaining?

However, I enjoy doing them and interacting with people, so I just do them. Look at me! Wheeee! Into the unknown! But I think posts and interviews are fun, and ways of organizing new thoughts. One of these days I’m going to do a poll on them, I think, and try to solve this particular mystery.

THE MYSTERY OF THE BOOK REVIEW

Have you ever noticed how, when reading a review, that the strangest little things will get you interested in a book or turned off to it? Well, it happens for me that way, anyway. Or, a positive review sometimes makes me not want a book, or a negative one piques my interest.

This is a way in which reviewers are dealing in mystery, too. You never know what effect you have, you just have to write what’s true for you, I guess. Or, sometimes when I’m reviewing, like on Goodreads, when I am SO excited about a book and just want everyone to try it, my review rarely comes out as compelling as when I just write up a book I liked pretty well.

THE MYSTERY OF FORMATS

This might just be me, but do you guys do that thing where, if you start a series on an ereader, you don’t want to continue it in print? You must continue it digitally? And, if you start in print you don’t want to go to ereader? You must continue in print? Or audio must continue as audio? Why is that?

THE MYSTERY OF THE MESSED-UP HERO

What is so wonderful about the messed up hero? I can’t quit you, messed-up heroes!!

I just released DEVIL’S LUCK, this novella about a character from my series, Simon (3.5 in order, but you can totally read it first or second or whenever.)

Back when I was starting the series, I created Simon as a villain, a really troubling enemy for my heroine. Somebody threatening dark, reckless. I never meant him to be a hero…EVER! But here we are, two years later, and he’s a big favorite of mine.

He is reckless, he throws away the things he loves, he is dangerous, nobody can get close to him. And oh how I love him. Siiiiimon!! Why do the really questionable guys make such delicious heroes? Zsadist, Roarke, Adrian…the list is endless.

THE MYSTERY OF THE BLOW-OFF BLOG POST

Why is it that an easy, quick blow-off blog post suddenly gets a million hits and comments, and a post you have slaved over insanely gets hardly any?

THE MYSTERY OF THE ENDLESS ATTRACTIVENESS OF DRESSES ON BOOK COVERS

Why do I never, never get sick of looking at lovely dresses on the covers of books? Other readers must have the same feeling, or they wouldn’t keep making these dresses covers.

The other day I got some books in the mail - two were hot guy covers: DRAGON BOUND by Thea Harris and SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES by Joey Hill. Did I spend a long time looking at the covers? No.

The others were A LADY AWAKENED by Cecilia Grant, A LOT LIKE LOVE by Julie James, and NOT WICKED ENOUGH by Carolyn Jewel, all with women wearing dishy dresses on them. I have those books out where I can see them all the time. The dress ones. I wear sweats and jeans in my life, but I love these pretty dress covers. Why do I eat up these dresses? I CAN’T STOP LOOKING AT THE DRESSES!

THE MYSTERY OF BLOGOVERSARY

Have you noticed there is no agreement on the spelling of Blogoversary, which is sometimes spelled Blogiversary? And other times Blogaversary? I kind of like that. Because, it is a word our set sort of made up. Yet another mystery!!

But, however it’s spelled, Stella, I hope you have the most wonderful Blogoversary month ever! I’m honored to be in the company to help you celebrate. Many more happy blog years to you. Woo-hoo! *** throws confetti ***

I'm an urban fantasy author with Bantam/Spectra. I would describe my trilogy (Mind Games, Double Cross, and Head Rush) as being on the plotty psychological intrigue end of the UF spectrum. With a tiny touch of hot luv action.

I live in Minneapolis with my husband and two daring cats, and I enjoy running and animals and taking baths and eating Mexican food, and in my day job, I'm a marketing writer.

To learn more about Carolyn and her books, visit her website / blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Carolyn has generously offered winner's choice of any of her backlist books (Mind Games, Double Cross, Head Rush, Wild & Steamy or Devil's Luck - to be released tomorrow, woohoo!) to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and tell us about one of the universe's mysteries that boggles you!

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Inside the Author’s Brain by Lavinia Kent + Giveaway

2012-02-26T15:00:00.067+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Today I am very happy to welcome back to Ex Libris Lavinia Kent who not only pens some of the most romantic historical romance novels but also the tongue in cheek witty The Real Duchesses of London Regency novellas which is a unique mix of historical romance and The Real Housewives! Please give her a warm welcome, and if you haven't tried these novellas of hers yet, trust me, pick one up, you won't be able to stop until you finish, and good thing there are more, because you'll be wanting to read on!

Inside the Author’s Brain
by Lavinia Kent

I should be clear that I can only speak for my own brain, fuzzy as it is, but I have spoken to a number of other authors and while some have a very different experience than I do, I have found many who are in complete agreement with me.

Do our characters actually talk to us?

Sometimes. Mostly I am in complete control and they only come to visit me when I am trying to put them on a page or lying in bed falling asleep and trying to figure out my next plot problem. But I do have to admit they have occasionally visited as I am waiting at a red light. If you’re ever behind me in traffic and I don’t start when the light turns green, I can almost guarantee somebody is arguing with me about why what I’ve just written is all wrong. Luckily, I can also guarantee that a good honk is like magic, and will banish my visitor for at least an hour or two.

I have two great examples of characters taking over. In one of my first manuscripts (unpublished), I had the book all plotted out. It was a great long, romantic story, all based on a misunderstanding. But my heroine didn’t like the plot. I swear it felt like she marched up to me in the grocery store and started to yell, “Do you think I am a wimpy fool? I am going to stomp right up to him in Chapter Two and tell him just what I think of what he’s done. There is no way I am avoiding him for eleven more chapters. That is just stupid.”

I was forced to agree.

The second example happened when I was writing last October’s release, What a Duke Wants. I’ve always had a thing for arrogant Alpha heroes, and I was all set to have Mark, my hero, turn away from my heroine, Isabella, in her moment of need. I was actually at the computer typing away – and suddenly my fingers were writing something else. It’s as close to an out-of-body experience as I’ve ever had. I was thinking one thing and my hands were doing another. There was a deep, rich, masculine chuckle echoing in the background.

Of course, in the end, I am in control. Even when my characters think that they’ve gotten away with something, I do know how to hit the Delete key (or more likely cut and save someplace else – I am always worried that I’ll decide later that a deleted scene was actually perfect).

So how many voices are in your head? Are you sure you’re not crazy?

In answer to the first, too many. And in regards to the second, I plead the Fifth.

The loudest voices are always from the book I plan to write next. Yes, that’s right, the next book, not the one I am working on. I suppose my current hero and heroine are getting enough time on the page, and don’t feel the need to speak up – unless I get something wrong. The characters in the next book, however, are speaking up loud and louder in an effort to get their turn.

I also have a number of past heroes and heroines pushing for time and attention. It’s one of the things I like the most about being published. Once the book is off to the printers and nothing can be changed, my characters tend to fade into the background for good – except when the want a cameo in somebody else’s book.

The one exception is the duchesses from my novella series, The Real Duchesses of London. Those women are persistent. They have strong opinions and are not afraid to share. It doesn’t help that I keep getting reader emails mentioning that there clearly should be fifth “Duchesses” story. Every time I get one, I hear, “See, we are right!” pounding through my brain. I try to explain to them, as I do to my readers, that YES there is a fifth story – Annie does get her chance for true love (hopefully this summer) – but that I do have other things to do. They don’t believe me, and think that I could do as well on four hours of sleep as eight. I’ve tried to explain that nobody likes me when I am tired, but they are not listening.

I’ve tried to reason with them. I’ve told them I know the story. I’ve even given them the first line.

Hargrove is dead.

Immediately, Annie asked, “Does that mean I am a duchess now? A real duchess?” And Elizabeth said, “That’s good. I never did like him. But, who killed him? You can’t start like that and not tell us.” And, of course, Katherine worried about being sure everything would be done right, “You do know that Annie can’t go the funeral, women just aren’t allowed. It wouldn’t be proper.”

I was finally forced to set the hero from my latest proposal on them. He’s a duke, and as arrogant as they come. He’s been very clear that he’s having too much fun bickering with his heroine to allow anybody else (even another duchess) to get a word in.

And I’ve been sticking up for him (told you I loved a good hero), because he does deserve his turn, and I don’t want him to end up in that most dreaded of places, the saved file of old Works-In-Progress. A character that ends up there, you see, almost never moves out of my mind. They are always there, fighting to move to the front again, wanting their story told.

It can give me quite a headache.

So what do you think about as you fall asleep at night? I’ve always wondered what people who aren’t authors do in those fading minutes. I can’t imagine falling asleep without a story working itself out. Even if I am not working on a book, I have to make something up. What do you do?

Tell me and I’ll draw one lucky reader to send a complete set of my ”Duchesses” novellas (either e-book or paperback) to get you warmed up for Annie. (Who is at the minute screaming that she has no intention of being quiet just because some pompous man told her to. Ahhh, business as usual.)

Thank you so much for having me. It’s been fun. I can’t wait to chat.

Lavinia Kent never knew that most people don’t make up stories in their heads to pass the time. She still has a hard time understanding how those who don’t survive the doctor’s waiting room or a grocery store line without another world to escape into.

She lives under the gracious (and usually benign) rule of Erzsebet, the cat, along with her husband, three children, one cockatiel, two rats, and Erzsebet’s younger, subordinate tomcat, otherwise known as The Golden Snitch.

As the mother of three, Lavinia finds “leisure time” to be ever-elusive, but when she is not reading romance novels, she watches far too much HBO and reality television. It must also be noted that she has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Buffy and Doctor Who.

She has four published Regency Historical romances including, A Talent for Sin, Bound by Temptation, Taken by Desire and What a Duke Wants. She also has a set of sensual and fun novellas about The Real Duchesses of London.

You can visit Lavinia and learn more about her books at her website / Twitter / Facebook.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Lavinia has generously offered a complete set of her Real Duchesses of London historical romance novellas to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Lavinia's question: What do you think about as you fall asleep at night?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Book Review: Mask of the Gladiator by Georgie Lee

2012-02-25T21:00:00.001+01:00

Title: Mask of the Gladiator
Author: Georgie Lee
Release Date: 20 January 2012
Number of pages: 54 pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: review copy provided by publisher through NetGalley
Purchasing info: Goodreads, Author's site, Amazon

Grade: 4.5 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads apetizer: Livia Duronius is driven to seek out a gladiator after watching him triumph in the Colosseum. His touch arouses a sense of hope she hasn't felt since Rome fell under the tyrannical rule of Caligula—and her late husband betrayed her. Though in danger of losing more than her heart, she vows to see him again, even after she learns her uncle has arranged her marriage to a senator.

Senator Titus Marius cannot resist indulging in a passionate encounter with the veiled woman who waits for him after the games, though he faces execution if his true identity is discovered. Bound by honor to wed another, and embroiled in a plot to free Rome from madness, he never expects to see the mystery woman again.

When the fates reunite them in the marriage bed, Titus vows to protect Livia at all costs—even from the lecherous eyes of the emperor...

My thoughts: I love Latin (studied it for 3 years) and everything to do with the Latin/Roman culture, so when I saw that one of Carina Press' new releases was Mask of the Gladiator I knew I had to read it. And I was blown away! Not only was it a captivating story taking me on a time travel through millennia but Georgie Lee managed the near-impossible: tell a fantastic story in 50 pages!

The description of the amphitheatre, the gladiator fight, the clothes and societal customs were all very atmospheric. I could hear the cheers and felt the buzz as if I were in that arena witnessing the fight.

Not only did Georgie Lee transport the reader back in time to Ancient Rome she should also be praised for painting such a true and realistic picture of the hierarchy of society.

Usually my main problem with novellas is that I can't buy into love developing between the characters in such a short time, so I was amazed how Georgie Lee made me believe and accept that after a very brief meeting the hero and heroine indeed connected. The attraction between Livia and Titus was sizzling, but what gave their relationship more substance was that they connected on several levels: besides the physical attraction they shared the same values, sense of duty and vocation for Rome.

“Only the weak give up their wives to Caligula’s lust. A true Roman stands up to another man whether he is emperor or enemy.”
She clapped her hands sarcastically. “Such pretty words. When the soldiers come, you will flee, just like my husband did.”
“Never.” His powerful voice struck the snide smile from her lips. “I’m a soldier, not just a senator. I know the meaning of honor and duty. I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with my legion against barbarians determined to massacre us and destroy Rome. I will not run simply because Caligula’s men come for me. I will fight.”

And of course Titus' strong and charismatic presence didn't hurt either ;-)

As a Latin aficionado I appreciated all the small Latin details making the story authentic and atmospheric.

Verdict: I can't remember the last time I've read such a teeny short story (50 pages) and was so satisfied with the outcome! Mask of the Gladiator is superbly written, and despite its shortness it gives a well developed and wholesome story. I loved it!!

Plot: 9/10

Characters: 9/10 of course due to length restrictions no deep character development but they felt real and vivid and their relationship was built gradually

Writing: 10/10

Ending: 8/10

Cover: 10/10 - cover perfection, it couldn't be any better!

Buy it:

All Reading Leads to Rome by Georgie Lee + Giveaway

2012-02-25T13:00:00.001+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

It is no secret that I love Latin and everything to do with the Latin culture (hey my blog is called Ex Libris and I rate the books by Latin grades) so when I saw that one of Carina Press' new releases was Mask of the Gladiator I knew I had to read it. And I was blown away! Not only was it a captivating story taking me on a time travel through millennia but Georgie Lee managed the near-impossible: tell a fantastic story in 50 pages! Mask of the Gladiator quickly became a favourite of mine, so I am very happy to introduce you today to Georgie Lee and the research behind the story!

All Reading Leads to Rome
by Georgie Lee

I am a voracious reader of non-fiction history and it is usually while I’m reading that some sentence or fact will make me sit up and say “What a great idea for a story.” The idea for Mask of the Gladiator first came to me while I was reading a book on the lives of the Roman emperors. Something about Caligula’s demise, the real PG version, not the XXX version that has also survived the ages, caught my attention. The story wouldn’t let go until I’d crafted it into a tale in which regular people get caught up in the life and death events of their era with a great romance and sex thrown in because hey, after all, this is Rome.

Having read many books on ancient Rome, I knew a great deal about the era but needed more details on the nitty-gritty of daily life under Caligula. Thankfully, researching ancient Rome was, in many ways, easy. I’m currently doing research for an ancient Egyptian romance, and though historians know a great deal about their mortuary practices, details of their daily lives are elusive. I’d pay good money right now, and I might just have to, in order to find some ancient source or modern researcher who has written a detailed description of a Pharaoh’s typical day (if anyone knows of one, please leave a comment below). But I digress.

The Romans, thanks to the length of their empire, left a lot of material, both written and physical about their lives, and these artifacts are scattered everywhere from Britain to Germany. I remember during my first trip to England marveling as I stood on a medieval wall looking down on the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre. You don’t find that kind of history where I live in California. Here, most people think Mid-Century Modern is an era of antiquity.

The wealth of information on the ancient Romans made research both interesting and easier. Thanks to surviving statues of Caligula, I was able to base my descriptions of the emperor on his busts instead of having to extract details from ancient sources, most of which were not flattering. For details on Caligula’s assassination, I turned to Justinian and Suetonius. Their accounts, though not exactly first hand, are well fleshed out, if not blatantly exaggerated in a few spots. I incorporated details from their stories into my story while adding a few of my own in order to better weave the main characters, Livia and Titus, into the historical events. In regards to the daily life of the nobility, there were endless resources available from the excavation at Pompeii to modern research books detailing the archeological evidence.

While this wealth of historical information is great, it can also be overwhelming and at times distracting. Sometimes, especially if you’ve ever read any books in the History of Private Life series, more details exist than you actually want to know about. It is a challenge deciding what to include or leave out and how true to the time period to stay without forcing the readers to keep Googling archaic terms. In the end, I think I struck a good balance between fact and fiction and created a compelling story that is both true to history and romance. I hope you think so too.

Thank you for joining me today and thanks to Ex Libris for inviting me.

Mask of the Gladiator by Georgie Lee

Rome, 41 AD

Livia Duronius is driven to seek out a gladiator after watching him triumph in the Colosseum. His touch arouses a sense of hope she hasn't felt since Rome fell under the tyrannical rule of Caligula—and her late husband betrayed her. Though in danger of losing more than her heart, she vows to see him again, even after she learns her uncle has arranged her marriage to a senator.

Senator Titus Marius cannot resist indulging in a passionate encounter with the veiled woman who waits for him after the games, though he faces execution if his true identity is discovered. Bound by honor to wed another, and embroiled in a plot to free Rome from madness, he never expects to see the mystery woman again.

When the fates reunite them in the marriage bed, Titus vows to protect Livia at all costs—even from the lecherous eyes of the emperor...

Buy at Amazon - Carina Press - Barnes & Noble

Read my review

A dedicated history and film buff, Georgie Lee loves combining her passion for Hollywood, history and storytelling through romantic fiction. She began writing professionally at a small TV station in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles to work in the interesting but strange world of the entertainment industry. When not writing, she enjoys reading non-fiction history and watching any movie with a costume and an accent.

Please visit www.georgie-lee.com to learn more about Georgie and her books, you can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Georgie has generously offered an ebook copy of Mask of the Gladiator to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Georgie's question, tell us what is your favourite historical period and why?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

An announcement and two winners go into a bar...

2012-02-25T10:00:00.002+01:00

Hey Everyone!

I have to usurp back the blog for a short announcement from all the amazing guests I have on the blog right now.

First of all while my beloved guests were entertaining you with their exciting, funny, interesting and sometimes eye-opening posts I was busy (besides doing all the organizational behind the scenes stuff) studying for my final bar exam, which I am very happy to share I passed with great results, so I'm done! Or at least exams are done! So it's time for some much deserved down time and in true globetrotter mode I planned another reward trip: this time I'll go away for 2 weeks to discover the hidden wonders of Mexico!

So at the end of February I'll fly away to sandy beaches and sunny places, but fear not, more wonderful guests will stop by and you won't be left without surprises!

(I won't have internet connection so that's why you have 2 extra weeks to enter all the Blogoversary Celebration Giveaways, so don't miss it, the deadline is March 15!!)

And now time for me to announce two lucky winners!

The winner of an ebook copy of Ride with Me by Ruthie Knox is

Anne

The winner of a copy of Edge of Midnight by Leslie Tentler is

Nerissa

Congratulations winners! I have sent you an e-mail notifying you of your win, please get back to me within 48 hours or I will have to draw a new winner. Thank you.

Don't forget to enter the Blogoversary Celebration Giveaways: at least one giveaway per day! - Open worldwide - Ends 15 March 2012

5 Reasons Why You Should Read A Midnight Dance by Lila DiPasqua + Giveaway

2012-02-24T13:00:00.091+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

By now you know that I looove historical romances. And if you are a fellow HR lover you know that historical romance stories are best when steamy ;-) But up until you have read one of Lila DiPasqua's Fiery Tales you only read stories with sparks and not with bursting flames! So trust me, if you don't mind the scorching scenes this series is for you! Today the wonderful Lila stopped by to tell you why she thinks you should read A Midnight Dance, her steamy retelling of Cinderella. Please give her a warm welcome, she doesn't come empty handed! ;-)

5 Reasons Why You Should Read A Midnight Dance
by Lila DiPasqua

My name is Lila DiPasqua, and tall, dark handsome heroes are my weakness. ;)

For those of you who don’t know me, I write steamy historical romance. My series, the Fiery Tales series, is all about seriously sexy, romantic retellings of classic fairy tales.

A MIDNIGHT DANCE (Berkley Sensation) is my version of Cinderella. There’s a strong, smart destitute beauty. A sinfully handsome, carnally-gifted “Prince Charming”. Oh, and plenty of scandalous behavior. *smiles*

I know there have been many retellings of Cinderella, but there has NEVER been a retelling like quite like A MIDNIGHT DANCE.

Here are five reasons you should read it:

1. You are like me and are hopelessly drawn to a tall, dark, gorgeous hero who has an edge of danger edge to him. Jules de Moutier is drop dead sexy. And he’s out for revenge, to find out who framed his father as a traitor to the Crown, and to restore his family’s good name. Having been stripped of his nobility, tossed out of the King’s Navy and disgraced before his peers, Jules is finally in a position to walk away from privateering. It’s taken him years, but he’s intent on using his newly captured silver treasure to help him reclaim his former life and clear his family’s name. All is going according to plan, until he crosses paths with a certain blond and beautiful desperate thief.

2. In A MIDNIGHT DANCE, you won’t find a weak heroine! Our heroine Sabine Laurent, daughter of the late playwright, Paul Laurent, may be in dire straits, but she’s not waiting for anyone to rescue her. Like any practical woman, she’s taking matters into her own hands. She’s going to steal the silver treasure. Getting her hands on that kind of wealth will save her family—or what’s left of the eccentric lot. Namely, the balance of her late father’s acting troupe, his long-time mistress and her two spoiled daughters. Too bad she didn’t realize that the wealth she’d be stealing belongs to none other than Jules de Moutier, the object of her girlhood infatuation. She’s convinced she can seduce the rake and make off with a fortune.

3. You should read A MIDNIGHT DANCE if you like passionate, scorching hot love scenes. Sabine may blame her family’s downfall on Jules and his family, but his potent appeal is difficult to ignore and even more difficult to resist. With devilishly seductive Jules, it’s not going to be easy for Sabine to snatch the silver. The chemistry between them is white-hot.

4. You should read A MIDNIGHT DANCE if you like the classic beloved fairy tale of Cinderella. A MIDNIGHT DANCE has a ball, a glass slipper, a fairy godmother in the form of a loveable yet highly opinionated apothecary, a determined impoverished beauty and a man who proves to be the Prince Charming every woman longs for.

5. You should read A MIDNIGHT DANCE if you like an exciting read with intrigue and twists. With a surprising villain that will shock you. An ending that will make you sigh . . . and gasp in surprise.

So what’s next in the Fiery Tales series? Well, in A MIDNIGHT DANCE, our hero, Jules has a friend by the name of Simon Boulenger. You see, Simon was born a commoner. Dirt poor. But he’s come a long way.

Today he’s wealthy. And the commander of a fleet of privateer ships for his country. (Not to mention, one very sexy, historical bad boy. ;) He’s determined to elevate himself from his station of birth and become an official officer of the Royal Navy.

God knows, he’s more than qualified.

But he’s made one very powerful enemy. And he’s got a mysterious beauty that just might be the key to his heart and dreams.

Simon deserved his own book. He demanded his own HEA. And so, since I have a weakness for tall, dark and handsome men, I gave into him. :)

UNDONE will be released in April, 2012. This is my version of Rapunzel!

No, there isn’t a woman with long hair that the hero uses to climb. (Seriously, that’s got to hurt). But, like every other book in this series, I’ve taken those common elements we all love about this particular fairy tale, and given it my own fresh, different and romantic twist.

Here is the blurb for my upcoming April release:

Undone by Lila DiPasqua

A Fiery Tale novel - To be released in April, 2012

Inspired by the tale of Rapunzel, Lila DiPasqua offers a new steamy, emotionally charged historical romance in the acclaimed Fiery Tales Series . . . Rescuing this beauty from the ‘tower’ is only the beginning . . .

Maintaining her ruse as a commoner, and trusting no one has kept Angelica safe. But a chance encounter with a handsome stranger lands her right where danger lies. Now, this sinfully handsome man with arresting blue eyes and a polished manner thinks he’s saved her life, when in fact he’s placed her in great peril. She’s intent on keeping him and everyone else at arm’s length. Yet, the smoldering attraction between them is difficult to deny. And impossible to ignore . . .

As commander of a number of privateer ships, Simon Boulenger dresses and speaks like an aristocrat, and has obtained wealth. But he is still not a noble. Or an officer in the King’s Navy. His lifelong dream to elevate himself from his station of birth and attain a respectable place in society is dead. Worse, he’s ensnared in deadly scheme, and must get out. But how is he to stay focused on his dangerous mission when the mysterious beauty has him utterly intrigued? He can’t afford the distraction any more than he can resist the carnal hunger she stirs. Simon soon discovers that she’s not only a passionate soul mate, but a woman born into privilege. A woman he can never have. But they’re in too deep. Their hearts are at risk . . . as well as their lives.

NOTE: UNDONE is a stand alone novel. Like the other books in the Fiery Tales series, you can read them in any order you wish!

QUESTION: Tell me your favorite kind of romance hero. One random commenter will win a signed book from my Fiery Tales series (AWAKENED BY A KISS, THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED or A MIDNIGHT DANCE). READERS’ CHOICE.

Praise for the Fiery Tales:

“Hot enough to warm a cold winter night.” — Publishers Weekly

“Sure to delight!” — Jennifer Ashley, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author

“Wickedly passionate . . . a sensual treat.” — Sylvia Day, national bestselling author

“Sensuous and deeply romantic!” — Elizabeth Hoyt, New York Times bestselling author.

“The most luscious take on fairy tales I’ve ever read!” — Cheryl Holt, New York Times bestselling author

“Romance that touches the heart.” — Top Pick! - The Season Blog

A Midnight Dance by Lila DiPasqua

A Fiery Tale novel

Inspired by the tale of Cinderella, Lila DiPasqua weaves a steamy historical romance that offers a glass slipper, a dangerous deception, and an impoverished beauty determined to find her handsome prince…and make him pay.

Born into wealth, Sabine Laurent and her twin sister lived a life of luxury, their father’s prestigious theater frequented by royalty and aristocracy alike. And Sabine dreamed of her own prince charming—the devastatingly handsome Jules de Moutier.

That was before the loss of her sister and her family’s fall from grace—a disaster Sabine blames on the Moutier family. Now, with her father’s death, she’s inherited his sizable debt and the responsibility of caring for his spoiled long-time mistress and her two wastrel daughters. But with the help of Sabine’s eccentric friends—the balance of her father’s acting troupe—she plans to get very close to her old infatuation, seduce the rake—and make away with a fortune.

Resisting Jules’s skillful mouth and tantalizing touch is not as easy as Sabine supposed. And soon she must decide whether her desire for vengeance is greater than her desire for her one and only prince...

Buy at Amazon - Kindle Store - Book Depository - B&N

Read my review

Lila DiPasqua writes wicked & witty historical romance for Penguin/Berkley. She lives with her real-life hero husband and three children and is a firm believer in the happily-ever-after.

To learn more about Lila and her books, visit her website / blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Lila has generously offered a signed paperback copy of any of her Fiery Tales books (AWAKENED BY A KISS, THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED or A MIDNIGHT DANCE) to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and tell us about your favourite kind of romance hero!

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Interview with Loretta Chase + Giveaway

2012-02-23T14:00:00.101+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I recently discovered Loretta Chase's writing and I was so amazed she immediately became one of my favourite historical romance authors. So today I am honoured and extremely happy to be able to welcome her to the blog and introduce you to her novels in case you are not a fan yet. Trust me, you don't want to spend another minute not reading her books, they are that good!! So please give Loretta the warmest welcome!

Stella: Hi Loretta, welcome to Ex Libris! For this 2nd Blogoversary I decided to introduce my readers to some of my favourite authors and novels, and you are one of my new favourite discoveries! :-) Though being a historical romance aficionado, I have heard fellow HR lovers praise your name and novels, I just recently got to discover your writing through Silk is for Seduction, and I was irrevocably seduced! So now I would like to get to know you, the author behind the story better and if there are any readers of Ex Libris who haven’t yet heard of you to open their eyes to your books.

Can you tell us why historical romance? What’s the appeal? Why do you write stories in this genre?

Loretta: First, thank you for discovering me! And I’m glad you did so via the first book of my new Dressmakers series. It’s the launch of a writing project I’m really enjoying for a number of reasons—but I especially like dealing with the cutthroat world of fashion, 1830s style. A sort of Project Runway visits the Romantic Era.

Why historical romance? As a devotee of 19th century British novels, I was drawn to a historical genre. I chose historical romance—as opposed to historical fiction or historical mystery—because I wanted to explore the way love works. Unlike so many 19th century novels, historical romance always features a love story and a happy ending. One of its many appeals is setting stories in a time period when rules of behavior are so different from our own. It’s challenging to devise ways for my heroines to succeed in a time when women had virtually no rights at all. The 19th century environment and culture gives me a lot of built-in conflict that wouldn’t be available in a contemporary romance. And, finally, I really like history—enough to devote a blog to it. At Two Nerdy History Girls, my author friend Susan Holloway Scott (aka Isabella Bradford) and I post about historical clothing, manners, gossip, jobs, men behaving badly—all sorts of things.

Stella: And what is the thing (if there is any) that exasperates you about (historical) romance?

Loretta: I can’t think of anything I don’t like about working in this genre. Historical romance tends to focus on the aristocracy (or the romance version thereof), and I find the British class structure so intriguing. Dressing my characters in the clothes of the time is fun. The research is fascinating. And there’s the ongoing challenge of creating a balance between the romance fantasy and the historical realities—or what we believe to be the realities. And, of course, the war between the sexes is so much fun to write about. In short, other things might exasperate me, but not my genre.

Stella: Do you remember how you discovered the historical romance genre? Maybe even that first novel which introduced you to rogues and gown wearing heroines?

Loretta: My sister gave me some of her favorites. The Regencies were the ones that struck a chord.

Stella: I know novels are usually to an author like children are to a mother, but do you perhaps have a favourite novel of yours? Or a hero/heroine or couple that is closer to your heart than the others?

Loretta: Well, I’m not sure they’re quite like children to me—but this matter of picking a favorite has always struck me as more relevant to readers than to authors. That said, I’ll admit that my favorite of my books is always the one most recently completed—because It’s Done! (And yes, I will have another glass of champagne.) And the other favorite is always one I’m starting because it’s all potential. In the early stages of a story, I imagine that it’s going to be so fabulous that I won’t believe I wrote it. The triumph of hope over experience, you see.

Stella: What was your hardest book or scene to write and why?

Loretta: I think the hardest book to write was my second historical, Captives of the Night, because I was trying to write a mystery and a romance and give both elements equal attention. It about killed me.

Stella: What is the hardest/worst thing about being an author? And the best part?

Loretta: Hardest part is facing the blank screen or page: that first awful moment when I’ve not a single idea in my head and am not sure I ever again will have one. Best part is making a living doing what I love, which is a great privilege.

Stella: Silk is for Seduction the 1st book in your new series was released in July 2011. Can you tell us when we can expect to see the next book(s)? Just so we know until when to wait patiently (or at least try to…:-)

Loretta: The second book in the Dressmakers series is Scandal Wears Satin, which deals with Sophy Noirot (the second sister) and that gorgeous lummox, the Earl of Longmore (introduced in Silk is for Seduction). This will be another July release, available as of 26 June 2012. Excerpts and other details will appear on my website any day now.

Stella: On your website you write: „a fateful meeting with a video producer who lured me into writing novels and eventually became Mr. Chase.” How did Mr. Chase get the idea you should write novels? And was he suggesting you write romance novels or did you start penning different kind of books at first?

Loretta: For a good while early in my writing career, I wrote scripts for corporate video. The man I eventually married was my favorite video producer. He has always been my most enthusiastic cheerleader. He wasn’t so much pushing me into a particular niche as he was pushing me to do something he believed I was capable of doing, and something that he sensed I truly wanted to do. He’s a great believer in setting goals and making plans. He didn’t influence my choice of genre. (Fact is, he prefers reading nonfiction.) That was entirely my decision, based on what I liked reading and what I believed would sustain my interest and challenge my mind over the long term.

Stella: If you were to try out your hand at writing in a different genre, which one would it be?

Loretta: My not-so-secret fantasy is to be Charles Dickens, and write something at the level of Bleak House. But he was a genius, and I’m not—so maybe it’s more intelligent for me to continue trying to excel in a genre that I’ve enjoyed and that’s always suited me.

Stella: If you could travel back in time in what period would you like to spend a few days and where? Do you have a favourite time period you like to read/write about?

Loretta: The past is a place I’m not sure I want to literally visit. It’s doubtful I could survive, even for a few days. I’d need immunity to the various things waiting there to kill me. And probably a special translation device imbedded in my brain, enabling me to understand the language as it was spoken in a given time period in a given place. Oh, and something to subdue my sense of smell. But if I could be immunized and such, and completely invisible—a sort of astral projection—I’d be happy get in my time machine and visit any of scores of eras and places. If we narrow to the setting for my stories, the early 19th C, I’d like to see for myself what was happening at Almack’s and eavesdrop on the Prince Regent & Beau Brummell when they were still friends. I’d like to snoop on Jane Austen for a while. And hover near Charles Dickens at the start of his career. And it would be fantastic to be in Egypt with Giovanni Belzoni when he first entered the Pyramid of Khafre and the Tomb of Seti I. The list goes on and on, but these are the highlights.

You can read more about Loretta and her books at her website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase

Book #1 in the Dressmakers series

From the Design Book of Marcelline Noirot:

The allure of the perfect gown should be twofold:
ladies would die to wear it ... and gentlemen would kill to remove it!

Brilliant and ambitious dressmaker Marcelline Noirot is London's rising star. And who better to benefit from her talent than the worst-dressed lady in the ton, the Duke of Clevedon's intended bride? Winning the future duchess's patronage means prestige and fortune for Marcelline and her sisters. To get to the lady, though, Marcelline must win over Clevedon, whose standards are as high as his morals are... not.

The prize seems well worth the risk—but this time Marcelline's met her match. Clevedon can design a seduction as irresistible as her dresses; and what begins as a flicker of desire between two of the most passionately stubborn charmers in London soon ignites into a delicious inferno... and a blazing scandal.

And now both their futures hang by an exquisite thread of silk...

Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle
Read my review

GIVEAWAY RULES:

HarperCollins has generously offered a paperback copy of Silk is for Seduction (US only) or an eARC of Scandal Wears Satin (open to international readers as well) to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Loretta's question, tell us why do you read historical romances? What do you like best and least about historical romances?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Don’t Miss the “Indulge in Our Favorite Authors” Epic Book Giveaway Contest!

2012-02-23T09:00:00.001+01:00

If you haven’t already heard, five romance authors are holding an epic book giveaway contest of *their* five favorite romance authors’ books. But they’re not just giving away a few books—they’re giving away complete, SIGNED backlists of the following authors:

Julia Quinn (sponsored by Shana Galen)

Lisa Kleypas (sponsored by Elise Rome)

Julie Garwood (sponsored by Heather Snow)

Elizabeth Hoyt (sponsored by Lila DiPasqua)

Cynthia Eden (sponsored by Vanessa Kelly)

Yes, it’s an epic contest, and it’s being held on Facebook right now. All you have to do is visit the Facebook pages of Shana Galen, Lila DiPasqua, Vanessa Kelly, Heather Snow, and Elise Rome, and enter the favorite book (the hint is given on the contest tab) for each of these authors.

At the end of February the contest will be over—so hurry!—and five lucky winners will win a backlist of one of the amazing authors mentioned above. Elise has said that Lisa is even signing her books after the winner is chosen for her backlist, so if you win Lisa Kleypas’ books, they’ll be personally made out to you. Also, the five authors are giving away books of their own, too.

Good luck to everyone who enters, and don’t forget to tell your friends!

Interview with Julie James + Giveaway

2012-02-22T09:00:00.000+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Today's guest became one of my favourite contemporary romance authors immediately after I read the first few chapters of her debut novel Just the Sexiest Man Alive: it was sexy, it was romantic and most of all it was witty and funny! And whenever you pick up a book by her it is guaranteed you'll get this amazing mix, please give it up for the fantastic Julie James!

Stella: Hi Julie welcome to Ex Libris! :-) Thanks for taking the time to stop by and answer a few of my questions. My first one would be: you were an attorney (just like me), working at a big law firm (just like me), then one day you decided to become a published writer. Can you tell us about how you found your way? What made you decide to choose another path and leave your job as a lawyer? How did it all begin and how long was it before you took that leap?

Julie: Thanks for having me here!

I have no writing background, have never taken any sort of creative writing class and, frankly, had never envisioned myself doing anything other than practicing law. But I love movies, and I love reading. I’d always had an idea for a romantic comedy film and one day, I just decided to sit down and write it. So I bought a book on how to write screenplays and got started.

I wrote the screenplay in my spare time, which, when you work at a large firm—and I’m sure you can relate to this—was, like, 10pm to 2am in the morning. Since I knew no one in Hollywood, after I finished the script I began cold querying agents and managers in L.A. There was some interest in the script, and I signed with a film agent. Shortly thereafter, a Hollywood producer optioned my script, and then I wrote a second screenplay (a suspense thriller), which also was optioned. I think it was about that time that I began to think, “Hmm…maybe I really can do this.” Still, because it was such a big leap—and I truly enjoyed practicing law—I did both (writing and working at the firm) for another 18 months while mulling over my decision.

As for taking that final leap and leaving law to write full-time . . . you know, it was just one of those things that I thought I’d regret if I didn’t give it a shot. Although I still vividly remember the day I told the firm I was going to leave—I was walking to the office of the partner who was the head of my group and I kept thinking, “Oh my gosh, am I really going to do this?” Luckily, that decision seems to have turned out okay!

Stella: Your 5th book About That Night comes out in April! Congratulations! Can you tell readers a bit about the story and its characters?

Julie: Thanks! I’m really excited about it. About That Night is a contemporary romance that will be available on April 3rd and is a follow-up to my previous release, A Lot Like Love. (I should mention, however, that each book can easily be read as a standalone.)

About That Night is about an ex-con, Kyle Rhodes, (who also happens to be a billionaire heir) who has just been released from prison after being convicted for hacking into Twitter. After being dubbed the "Twitter Terrorist,'" he wants to put the past--and his mistakes--behind him. He's therefore quite irked when the U.S. Attorney's office, the very prosecutors who threw him in prison, want his help in a high-profile homicide investigation involving a corrupt prison guard. But the Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the case just so happens to be a woman from Kyle's past, and may be the one person Kyle can't say no to . . .

Stella: About That Night is the 3rd book in the FBI/US Attorney series, why did you decide to write a series? Did you already knew when you wrote that it was going to be the first book in a series or it started out as a standalone and then when other secondary characters clamoured for their own story expanded into a series? Will there be other books in the series? How many more do you plan on having?

Julie: I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the FBI/US Attorneys series, so I added a page to my website that explains the inspiration behind the series and how each of the books developed. That can be found here.

As far as how many other books there will be in the series, I generally only think about a book ahead. I can tell you that my sixth book will be connected to the FBI/U.S. Attorney series, but beyond that, I don’t know. I like being able to write whatever story inspires me most, and fortunately, my publisher has been great about letting me do that.

Stella: What is your favourite part about writing a novel? The initial moment when inspiration strikes? Or when you are canvassing all the small details of the story? Or when the h/h meet for the first time? Or something completely different? (maybe when you type THE END?) I’m curious :-)

Julie: I like many parts of the writing process. I generally have a 10-15 page outline for a book when I begin writing, but it doesn’t include all the small details—so I “discover” things about the characters when I begin actually writing. I’ll give you an example from the book I’m currently working on (without giving anything away!) I knew the hero had suffered an injury in college that set his life on a different course from what he’d anticipated, but that was all I knew. So it was fun, when it came time to actually write that, to discover the details of the character’s backstory and how those details shaped him to be the person he is in the present day.

And yes, I do also like writing the moment where the heroine and hero first meet. In my books they often meet under circumstances where they think they don’t like each other, so those scenes are a lot of fun.

Stella: And another question just for fun, I’ve seen many people and readers wonder and comment about this. Please settle this big guessing game debacle that has been going on the internet regarding the exciting cover of About That Night: Kyle’s pants seem a bit tight *cough*, are those readers correct who claim to see a bulging bunchage? (just click on the cover at right to see it bigger)

Julie: LOL, that cover did create a bit of a stir. No clue what the situation is there.

After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law, Julie James clerked for the United States Court of Appeals in Jacksonville, Florida. She then practiced law with one of the nation’s largest law firms for several years until she began writing screenplays. After Hollywood producers optioned two of her scripts, she decided to leave the practice of law to write full-time. Her books have been translated into thirteen languages and Julie’s most recent novel, A LOT LIKE LOVE, is a national bestseller.

Julie James lives with her husband and two children in Chicago. Her next novel, About That Night, will be available in April 2012.

You can reach Julie at her website / blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Julie has generously offered a copy of any of her books (except About That Night) to a lucky commentator, and it can be either paperback, Kindle or Nook ebook!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment/question for Julie, or tell us: which book of Julie's would you like to read and why that one? what appeals to you about it?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

New York and I by Delilah Marvelle + Giveaway

2012-02-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I love historical romances. It is the one constant romance genre that I've loved from the beginning and never grown tired of. I just love that fairy tale/time travel escape historical romances take the reader on. But today's guest historical romance stories are unlike any others. She is not afraid to write about unusual, even shocking historical tidbits (for example she had one of her heroes battling sexual addiction because as she says it in her blog these facts are real, people just tend to overlook or overgloss them. So please give it up for the wonderful Delilah Marvelle whose shocking history lessons are not only entertaining but eye-opening, and her stories besides being romantic are also original and unique. Please give her a warm welcome!

New York and I
by Delilah Marvelle

Despite my having had a love affair with all things Regency and London since I was in high school, I will admit, I have had a much longer obsession with all things known as historical New York City ever since I first saw the movie Annie as a girl.

After seeing the movie, I wanted to know everything there was to know about New York. Everything. So my father let me loose in our local library at the age of nine and without even knowing what I was doing, I researched the history of New York City with such a determined passion that I ended up stumbling on a much grittier side of New York than what was shown to me in Annie. It was known as the Five Points. I even found words I didn’t understand. Like Prostitution. My father was horrified and told me to forget about New York AND research. But the Five Points stayed with me ever since.

When the movie Newsies came out, just as I was finishing high school (yes, I’m dating myself here), it came calling to me again in a way that sent me back to the library. There was just something about historical New York City I couldn’t let go of and it wasn’t until now that I found the stories in my head to fit the stories I saw in my youth. I wanted two very different worlds to collide (not just poor versus rich, orphan versus parents, street kid versus authority, but everything versus everything) and in my Rumor Series, I’m ensuring it.

Forever and A Day is my version of the Prince and the Pauper, yes, but you will also notice that my heroine is actually a feisty, older version of Annie, with red hair to boot.

Forever A Lady is my twisted version of the Newsies. Only I’m going with buff, older men toting pistols, instead of boys toting newspapers.

And Forever A Lord is my version of the movie Cinderella Man. Only instead of setting it in the Depression, it’s set against the savage, underground boxing rings of Regency New York with a journey that takes our hero into the upper crusts of London society as a bare knuckle boxer where he will become what he has always been...a Lord.

So my question to you is, which New York City based movie do YOU love?

I spent my youth studying various languages, reading voraciously, and playing the pianoforte. I confess that here ends the extent of my gentle breeding. I was a naughty child who was forever torturing her parents with countless adventures that they did not deem respectable.

Confined to my room on many occasions due to these misadventures, I soon discovered the quill and its amazing power. I scribed endless stories that almost invariably surrounded the topic of love, for I felt an inane need to be rescued from a family that did not understand my lust for life. In my mind, King Arthur became my true love and I waited for the day when he would come riding upon his steed and invite me to sit at his round table, not as his queen, but as his knight. To my distress, King Arthur was never to be found anywhere except for in the tip of my quill. And so I led an imaginary life for many, many years.

When I finally came of age, my family was further horrified to discover that I had fallen in love with an American. An American King Arthur who became my knight, my husband, my all. I have been blessed beyond reason and am grateful for each day I have with him.

What is equally amazing is that I now have the opportunity to share my passion for stories with the public. The reason why I write romance is because it allows me to touch upon the subject of love on a much deeper, more intimate level. Many of the stories I write, many of the stories I will continue to write, will always evolve around love. And yes, gentle readers, it will also evolve around sex as I have no intention of becoming my parents and restraining my characters from what it is they truly desire to do. I challenge you, my readers, to let loose of those corsets that have been strung too tightly due to convention and enjoy 1830 to its fullest.

To know even more about Delilah, visit her website and read the 28 fun facts about her.

You can find her at her website / blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Forever and a Day by Delilah Marvelle

Book #1 in the Rumor series

Roderick Gideon Tremayne, the recently appointed Duke of Wentworth, never expected to find himself in New York City, tracking down a mysterious map important to his late mother. And he certainly never expected to be injured, only to wake up with no memory of who he is. But when he sees the fiery-haired beauty who's taken it upon herself to rescue him, suddenly his memory is the last thing on his mind.

Georgia Milton, the young head of New York's notorious Forty Thieves, feels responsible for the man who was trying to save her bag from a thief. But she's not prepared for the fierce passion he ignites within her. When his memory begins to return, her whole world is threatened, and Roderick must choose between the life he forgot and the life he never knew existed...

Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle

The prequel novella Forever Mine is currently FREE on Amazon, get your copy now!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Delilah has generously offered a signed paperback copy of Forever and A Day to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Delilah's question: Which New York City based movie do YOU love?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Standalones vs series by Kait Nolan + Giveaway

2012-02-20T13:00:00.000+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Until quite recently I wasn't too fond of YA (understatement of the century = I avoided them religiously), but then I read three YA books that not only changed my mind but gave me back my faith in the category. One of these YA novels was Kait Nolan Red. I loved Elodie, its mature and smart heroine and that coupled with an exciting story, a wonderful and handsome hero and Kait Nolan's vivid storytelling made Red one of my favourite YA books. When I interviewed Kait for the release of Red the question begged to be asked: will there be more stories about Elodie and Sawyer? Today Kait is here to tell you more about the answer to that question.Please give her a warm welcome! :-)

Standalones vs series

by Kait Nolan

I first got the idea for my YA debut, Red, when the heroine, Elodie, literally woke me up in the middle of the night. Three in the morning and the girl is saying, “Wake up! You have to tell my story!” I was not, what you would call, sympathetic to her plight, as I value my sleep. The house was not on fire and nobody was dying, so I was Not Amused. But I made notes since she was being a pest and wouldn’t let me go back to sleep otherwise. As I was winding up another project, she kept talking. And that was different from every other book I’d done. Many, many things about Red were different from what I’d done before. It was first person. It was YA. And it was a total standalone.

For someone who tends to write and think in trilogies or series, it was this last point that was strangest. I’d become accustomed to thinking in huge plot arcs or with wide casts of characters that made for natural spinoffs (because, gee, that’s what I read all the time). But Red was very specifically Elodie’s story about coming to terms with who and what she is, and her budding relationship with Sawyer. No extraneous cast, everything resolved nice and neatly by the end of the book. It was fun and new and exciting, because as much as we grow to love our characters while writing a book, by the time we’re finished, we’re usually ready to move on to someone new.

I thought it was pretty obvious that their story was finished on the last page. As author I looked at the conflicts—they were resolved. Any wondering I did about what happened to them after that was idle play with brain dolls that wouldn’t make for anything more and a handful of scenes of pure fluff. So imagine my surprise when the first emails began rolling in from fans asking (and in many cases demanding) to know when the sequel was coming out.

Initially I found this really exciting. People really liked my story! They liked my characters and wanted more! So I politely thanked them for their enthusiasm, said I was so glad they liked it, and informed them that there wasn’t going to be a sequel, but I was definitely going to be writing more YA. The longer the book has been out, the more of these emails I’ve gotten. To the point that I’ve added information to my website hoping to stem the flow. Why? Because fans are disappointed that there’s no sequel. To a book that, to my mind as author, has nowhere else to go. Elodie and Sawyer got their happily ever after, and I’m not really interested in messing with that.

It got me thinking about the whole concept of standalone novels. This used to be the norm in publishing. You had to get it all told in one book. If that book sold well, you’d be fortunate enough to get a contract to write another. That’s just the way the business worked for ages. Then sometime in the last decade or two, traditional publishers wised up to the appeal of series and trilogies and quartets. This is particularly true in the romance genre, where we now get to read all about families and friends and whole casts of folks falling in love. Even in YA you’ve got multi-book series where people have totally fallen in love with the characters and they want more. The Mortal Instruments. The Hunger Games. The Iron Fey. The Twilight saga. The Stephanie Plum novels. Any of Nora Roberts’ trilogies.

From a business standpoint, this makes total sense. You create characters that readers engage with, storylines that they can’t put down, and you guarantee (insomuch as anything in publishing can be guaranteed) that author’s success and marketability. This has become so much the modus operandi for publishers that readers are now conditioned to expect that everything is part of a series or a trilogy. And they’re disappointed when it’s not.

As an author of a standalone novel, I find this troubling. I am not setting out to disappoint readers. I really think I did my job in terms of delivering a complete story. But if their expectation is of a series where there is none, this sets up a potential problem. I even had one reviewer drop a star on the rating because the sequel wasn’t out yet. Um…okay?

Now don’t get me wrong—I love series. I adore getting to spend more time with characters I’ve fallen in love with. But I also hate waiting. It’s frustrating to have that first love of a book, only to have to wait a whole year before the sequel pops out.

I really love standalones for this reason. I love that I get a whole, complete story, no cliffhanger ending, no threads left hanging. It is more satisfying to me to be able to read a book and not have that dissonance of unfinished business nagging me in the back of my mind. It’s like a form of literary indigestion where you’re just not quite done yet. A standalone is like the perfect meal—appetizer through dessert. Just right.

So readers I’d love for you to weigh in on this. Do you want nothing but series to read or do you enjoy a nice, well-rounded standalone for a change in pace? Inquiring minds want to know.

Kait Nolan is stuck in an office all day, sometimes juggling all three of her jobs at once with the skill of a trained bear—sometimes with a similar temperament. After hours, she uses her powers for good, creating escapist fiction. The work of this Mississippi native is packed with action, romance, and the kinds of imaginative paranormal creatures you’d want to sweep you off your feet…or eat your boss. When she’s not working or writing, she’s in her kitchen, heading up a revolution to Retake Homemade from her cooking blog, Pots and Plots.

You can catch up with her at her blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Her debut YA paranormal, Red, is currently available from Smashwords, Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Barnes and Noble, the iBookstore, Sony, Diesel Ebooks, XinXii and All Romance EBooks. It is available in paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository (free international shipping!) and Createspace.

Red by Kait Nolan

Every fairy tale has a dark side…

Elodie Rose has a secret. Any day, she’ll become a wolf and succumb to the violence that’s cursed her family for centuries. For seventeen years she’s hidden who and what she is. But now someone knows the truth and is determined to exterminate her family line. Living on borrowed time in the midst of this dangerous game of hide and seek, the last thing Elodie needs to do is fall in love. But Sawyer is determined to protect her, and the brooding, angry boy is more than what he seems. Can they outsmart a madman? And if they survive, will they find a way to beat the curse for good?

Buy it at Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle

Read my review

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Kait has generously offered an ebook copy of Red to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Kait's question: Do you want nothing but series to read or do you enjoy a nice, well-rounded standalone for a change in pace?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Military Romance by Kaylea Cross + Giveaway

2012-02-19T14:00:00.000+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Today's guest holds a special place in my heart: it is thanks to her that I discovered the military romance sub-genre and instantly became a die hard fan. If you like romantic suspense but haven't yet tried military romance, you absolutely have to and Kaylea Cross is your woman! She delivers the perfect mix of thrilling action and heart rate increasing romance in her novels, making you try to catch your breath. I think it's time you discovered this subgenre as well, so please give the warmest welcome to Kaylea!

Military Romances
by Kaylea Cross

Thank you so much to Stella for having me here today!

I love all things military, to a degree that baffles most of my friends and family. How did I become obsessed with the military and Special Ops in particular? It’s entirely my dad’s fault. He turned me into a fanatical history buff at a young age, and well, you can’t learn about history without studying war in the process. Along the way I also learned something very important about myself: I’m a big wimp. Personally I can’t imagine ever putting on a uniform and going to war.

Out of this realization came a profound respect and fascination with those that do put on a uniform and go into harm’s way for the rest of us. Honestly it makes me scratch my head. Why would anyone do this? Military life is hard. The pay sucks. They get yelled at constantly. The food is bad, when they can even get it out there on the front lines. They get sent to the most dangerous places on Earth whenever the politicians decide to send them, and put their lives on the line every single day. Frankly, I think they all deserve our respect and a heartfelt thank you, as do their families. Having a loved one away on deployment is no picnic, let alone when they’re in a combat zone.

And those are just a few reasons why I admire military personnel so much. It was a no brainer that I would dream up military characters when I began to write. I started off using ex-military heroes in my first series, but then decided I wanted to showcase currently serving soldiers with the hope of showing what the War on Terror is like from their point of view on the battlefield. And not just for my heroes this time. There are many women serving in combat zones all over the world today, and I wanted to give them their due as well. That’s how the idea for my Bagram Special Ops series was born.

In the first book, Deadly Descent, the heroine is a National Guard helicopter pilot, and the hero is an Air Force Special Operations Pararescue Jumper (PJ). Once I began research for the book, PJs quickly became my new favorite hero and I loved putting little tidbits of info about them into the story. I got to interview a recently retired PJ and an Army medevac pilot, as well as flight instructors who took me up on several flights while I peppered them with questions. Yes, I’m a wimp, but I’m also a geek. I love learning all that amazing information from the experts when I can, because it allows me to do my characters justice on the page. I want to get it right whenever possible.

Currently I’m working on the second book of the series, featuring an Air Force Combat Controller (CCT) and a female gunship pilot. Lots of sparks between these two, if Ryan can get past all of Ace’s prickly thorns. To me, the trick with military romance is balancing the love story with the action and danger, and it’s something I notice in my all time favorite books, like All the Queen’s Men by Linda Howard, for example. I also love it when it’s clear the author has put effort into researching their characters’ skill sets/roles in the military. What can I say, it soothes my inner geek.

I’m giving away a digital copy of Deadly Descent to a commenter, so please chime in about what you like to see in military romances.

Happy reading,
Kaylea Cross

Deadly Descent by Kaylea Cross

Book #1 in the Bagram Special Ops series

Devon Crawford is an officer; Pararescueman Cam Munro is enlisted. Dev flies medical evacuations; Cam jumps into danger zones to save lives. Dev wants to return home from Afghanistan with her heart untouched; Cam will do anything to win the woman he loves.

Reaching for happiness in a war zone is the last thing Captain Devon Crawford plans, but she can’t ignore the feelings she’s hidden for so long. Cam’s sexy charm and wicked kisses weaken her resistance, but she’s too afraid of losing him to give in.

When Dev’s helicopter and crew are shot down and set up as bait by notorious warlord, Cam risks it all to save the team. What he doesn’t know is that the trap is set for him…

Buy it at Amazon
Read my review here

Kaylea Cross is an award winning author of edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense. A Registered Massage Therapist, Kaylea is an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, bellydancer and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She is an active member of the Greater Vancouver Romance Writers of America chapter and lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband.

You can reach Kaylea at her website / blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Kaylea has generously offered an ebook copy of Deadly Descent to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Kaylea's question: What do you like to see in military romances? And I'm also curious: any good recommendations of military romance novels I should check out?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Army Officer vs Writer by Jessica Scott + Giveaway

2012-02-18T15:00:00.029+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I have the highest respect and amazement for today's guest: Jessica Scott is not only a career woman (an army officer at that!), wife and mother of two young daughters, she is also a newly published romance writer and all around nice person. If you like your romance novels to have emotional depth and wounded characters you must read her debut novel Because of You (you can get a first taste by reading my review here). So please give the warmest welcome to Jessica and read on, she has some wonderful surprises for you at the end!

Army Officer vs Writer
by Jessica Scott

First, I have to thank Stella for inviting me to celebrate her blogoversary here at Ex Libris. I love anything that has to do with books so I’m happy to help celebrate! Congrats, Stella for so many wonderful years and more to come!

So when casting about for a topic, Stella suggested that I write about how my life as a company commander impacts or rather conflicts with my life as a romance writer. I thought about it for a little while and then figured this is a pretty good topic, honestly.

If you’ve read Smart Bitches for any length of time, you see that one thing Sarah has been been wonderful about is defending the romance genre from literary snobs who look down on it because not only is it the dirty word of genre fiction but it’s also romance, which is only one step above, well, I’m not sure. And yet, despite people looking down on it as beneath them, annually, romance is the top selling genre across the board. And yet, the very name of Sarah’s site says it all: we’re not some dumb, ditzy females who shouldn’t be allowed out of the house.

Military women have faced many of challenges, too, in seeking and earning respect. A friend and mentor of mine flew combat mission during Vietnam. You know, when women were still “not in combat” then either? Even after a decade at war, military women are still seeking respect, not so much from our male peers but from society at large who still seem to think we’re some helpless damsels who shouldn’t be allowed off the FOB because of our delicate emotions.

Military women are smart, savvy women who do everything from fly combat aircraft in Vietnam to set up communications networks in Afghanistan or run combat patrols in Iraq. Romance novels are smart, emotional reads that connect readers with characters who mean something to them. And yet, both are still struggling for a very basic thing: respect as equals.

In many ways, I’m living that dual life. As an Army officer, I’m focused on training my soldiers for the next mission. On the other hand, I’ve written what many folks have said is a very emotional story in Because of You. I guess for the Army, I tend to shut down the things that are tough to deal with. Losing a soldier is terrible, losing a friend is crushing. And you never know what people to your left and right have dealt with during their own combat tours.

I guess I take a lot of the emotion in my daily life and channel it toward my writing. Maybe it’s a more appropriate outlet than therapy at work. And maybe it’s a way to keep me focused on my work, knowing there’s a place to put the emotional goo, you know?

There are a bunch of combat vets writing these days and I’m lucky to have the good fortune to have corresponded with many of them. I’ve written for IAVA, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. I’ve gotten the chance to read an advanced copy of Brandon Webb’s The Red Circle, which is about his life in the Navy SEALs and how he grew into a sniper instructor but it’s more than that. It’s about his life as a guy who grew up, went to war and came home a little different. The acknowledgements in Brandon’s book made me tear up and it’s a really great book.

I also just started reading J. Robert Dubois Powerful Peace, another retired Navy SEAL. I’ll be honest and tell you it’s a tough book to read but its focus is about using the force we have available smartly. It’s an incredibly powerful book and I’m really grateful Rob sent me a copy because, well, I think I can learn a lot from it.

Before you think I’m just shamelessly plugging my buddies (okay maybe a little bit) the point of me bringing up their books is that they went to war, too, and their experiences shaped them, just as my experiences shaped me. We’ve all taken our time in hell and put it to the page in different forms. Maybe it’s naive on my part to write about love and romance in the middle of war but I don’t think it is. Because it’s about relationships and every book you read about combat experiences, you’ll read about relationships. My romance novels still deal with those fundamental things any war novel deals with: loss, injury, but also victory and friendship and yeah, even love.

I’m incredibly lucky to have two things in my life I’m passionate about. I love my career in the Army. Joining the Army was the first best choice I ever made. And I’m incredibly lucky to have found my voice as writer but more, to have found an editor and team that supports what my books have to be. A gal can’t be too grateful!

Thanks so much for having me here today, Stella and congrats again on the anniversary!

Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

You can find Jessica at her website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Because of You by Jessica Scott

Book #1 in the Coming Home series

From the war-torn streets of Baghdad to the bittersweet comforts of the home front, two wounded hearts navigate the battlefield of coming home from war in this explosive eBook original from newcomer Jessica Scott.

Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.

Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire.

Read my review here

Buy at Amazon

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Jessica has generously offered an ebook copy of Because of You to a lucky commentator and a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble to another commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and tell us: What are you passionate about? (besides reading of course ;-)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Finding the Tingle by Kristan Higgins + Giveaway

2012-02-17T14:00:00.002+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I might have confessed a few days earlier that a long time ago I wasn't a fan of the contemporary romance genre. Well that changed thanks in part to today's guest the wonderful and inimitable Kristan Higgins! Kristan's books are unique in that they make the reader chuckle out loud and then tear up, she brings such emotional depth to her romance stories which is quite unheard of. If you haven't read her books yet trust me she must be added to your Must-Try-Out-Authors List! And now without further ado I give you Kristan who will be sharing with us one of her trade secrets ;-) Please give her a warm welcome!

Finding the Tingle
by Kristan Higgins

I’m here today to talk about this ridiculous thing that happens to us writers. We fall in love with our heroes.

Sure, sure, Higgins, you’re saying. We get it.

But no. I mean, it’s embarrassing. I like to have a face in mind for my hero, so the first step of our love fest is to find a face that speaks to me. It doesn’t have to be the prettiest face or the most perfect; in fact, I’m a fan of what I call the “lived-in face.” I want some imperfection and some character. I want the face to match the personality I’m developing for this character. I want a visceral reaction. I want tingling.

There are steps to find the tingle.

Step #1: The internet trawl. This can take days. I dismiss easily. Too pretty. Nope, already used him. Nah, he does nothing for me. And then…and then a face stops me. Oh, I think. Mommy likes. Who is that? I study a few pictures. If the tingling increases, we have a winner.

Step #2: Download a few photos that capture different expressions of said hottie. How many was that again, Higgins? Okay, fine. I have sixty-five pictures of my current love interest on my computer at the moment. Sue me.

Step #3: Rent every movie, no matter how bad, to see Love Interest. Occasionally, watch movies on Netflix Instant on one’s Mac, so one can take multiple screen shots. This is when it goes from crush to obsession.

Step #4: Pore over the aforementioned sixty-five pictures before beginning one’s writing day. It’s, um, inspiring.

Step #5: Repeat steps 2-4 as often as possible throughout the course of the writing of the book.

It’s always so gratifying when I get a letter from someone who says, “I was so in love with Malone/Callahan/Trevor/Liam…” My response: Preach it, sister. I think the only way to write a hero a reader can fall in love with is to fall in love myself.

And then comes the break-up. But that’s a blog for another time.

Got any heroes from books or movies you just couldn’t get over?

Leave a comment, and I’ll send one of you a copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU.

Thanks for popping in!

Kristan

You can find Kristan at her website / blog / Facebook / Goodreads

Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle
Read my review

Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle

Read my review

Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle

Read my review

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Kristan has generously offered a signed paperback copy of Until There Was You to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Kristan's question: Got any heroes from books or movies you just couldn’t get over? (as you can see mine is Henry Cavill ;-)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

My Obsession with Bonnet Movies by Laura Lee Guhrke + Giveaway

2012-02-16T13:00:00.096+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Please welcome today Laura Lee Guhrke who is not only author to many wonderful historical romance novels but also a girl after my own heart: she is just as a passionate fan of period movies as I am! Reading this post of Laura I couldn't stop nodding: I mean she mentions all my favourite period dramas (only one exception: she has left out North and South with Richard Armitage, if you are a big P&P fan and you haven't seen N&S, order it now, you will discover a new favourite!), and I couldn't agree more with her: one of the best things about Downton Abbey (besides the great cast and the gorgeous location) is that it is a series and the story will go on and keep us entertained for seasons! But now I'll let Laura take over, and please do tell us about your own personal preferences.

My Obsession with Bonnet Movies

by Laura Lee Guhrke

I have a confession to make. I love bonnet movies. I’d rather watch British period drama than anything else. Upstairs Downstairs is one of the main reasons I decided to start writing historical romance, and I’ve devoured every episode at least a dozen times. I’ve done the same with Pride & Prejudice, Wives and Daughters, The Buccaneers, Lark Rise to Candleford and countless others. I scour the PBS on-line store for new adaptions of Jane Eyre and Emma.

I find bonnet movies wildly inspiring for my own work. Books are better for purposes of actual research, obviously, but there’s something about being able to actually see the costumes, the carriages and the country houses that helps me create my own fictional worlds. In my latest historical romance, Trouble at the Wedding, part of the story takes place on a luxurious ocean liner, and although books about the Titanic were useful to me, it was the movie that helped me see the staterooms and dining rooms of a turn of the century ocean liner in my mind as I wrote. But creative considerations aside, I also love bonnet movies for a much simpler reason: they’re just so darn good.

My latest obsession is, of course, Downton Abbey, and I have to confess, it’s also my favorite, surpassing even my beloved Pride and Prejudice, partly because it’s set in the Edwardian era, which is my favorite time period, partly because it has the brilliant Maggie Smith, and partly because it’s a series, not a mini-series, which means there’s more to watch and more to love.

How about you? Do you like bonnet movies? Or would you rather watch modern American shows like the Good Wife and House? Or perhaps it’s the sci-fi world of Doctor Who that makes you race for the tv? Or maybe you’re not that into television at all and would always prefer a book? Tell me what your favorite entertainment choices are and why, and you could win the first two books of my Abandoned at the Altar series, Wedding of the Season and Scandal of the Year.

Laura Lee Guhrke spent seven years in advertising, had a successful catering business, and managed a construction company before she decided writing was more fun. From the publication of her first historical romance, Laura has received numerous honors and critical acclaim for her novels and her writing style, and her books have been seen on both the USA Today and New York Times Bestseller Lists. In addition, Laura has been honored with the most prestigious award of romance fiction, the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, and she has been a RITA finalist five times. Among her publishing credits are eighteen historical romances, including her latest for Avon Books, Trouble at the Wedding, the third book in her Abandoned at the Altar series. Laura is currently hard at work on her latest historical romance, but when she’s not writing, she can be found skiing the slopes, wakeboarding across the lakes, and fly fishing the streams of her beautiful home state of Idaho.

You can fine Laura at her website / Twitter / Facebook

Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke

Book #1 in the Abandoned at the Altar series

Abandoned at the altar ...

Lady Beatrix Danbury had always known she would marry William Mallory. She'd loved him forever and she'd never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together or his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter ... and left two weeks before their wedding.

Return of the duke ...

Will has no illusions that Beatrix would welcome him back with open arms, but six years did not dim his love or desire for her. The only problem is, she's about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable ... the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?

Read my review here

Buy it at Amazon - Kindle store - Book Depository

Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke

Book #2 in the Abandoned at the Altar series

One tryst was all she wanted ...

From their very first meeting, Julia knew that Aidan Carr, the oh-so-proper Duke of Trathen, had a bit of the devil in him, a devil who secretly yearned for what he could not have, a devil who harbored a desire for her. So when she needed to be caught in a compromising situation, Aidan was the answer to her prayers.

One tryst just wasn't enough ...

Aidan is supposed to be looking for a bride, yet his scandalous liaison with Julia is all he can think about. Hot, erotic memories of kissing her skin, falling into her bed, pulling her naked body on top of his own continue to torment and tempt him. What is it about this brazen seductress that he finds so hard to resist? And how can he stop himself from falling into her bed a second time?

Buy it at Amazon - Kindle store - Book Depository

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Laura has generously offered the first two books of her Abandoned at the Altar series, Wedding of the Season and Scandal of the Year to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Laura's question: Do you like bonnet movies? Or would you rather watch modern American shows like the Good Wife and House? Or perhaps it’s the sci-fi world of Doctor Who that makes you race for the tv? Or maybe you’re not that into television at all and would always prefer a book?

Giveaway is open to US/Can residents and ends on 15 March 2012.

Interview with Leslie Tentler + Giveaway

2012-02-15T15:30:00.001+01:00

Today I am very happy to welcome to the blog Leslie Tentler, who is celebrating the release of her latest novel Edge of Midnight, the 3rd book in the Chasing Evil romantic thriller series. Please give a warm welcome to Leslie who was kind enough to answer all my curious questions, and read on to be entered to win a thrilling read!

Stella: Hi Leslie, welcome to Ex Libris! February is Romantic Suspense month for the participants of the Romance and Me Reading Challenge, so could you tell us why romantic suspense? What’s the appeal? Why do you write stories in this genre? On your website I see it is written you are an author of Romantic Thrillers, do you consider those different from romantic suspense and if so in what aspect?

Leslie: Hi, Stella! Thanks so much for having me here today. February is also my birthday (Feb. 10), so I love that it’s romantic suspense month. In answer to your question, I really enjoy the roller coaster ride of writing thrillers and romantic suspense. Setting your story against a backdrop of danger lets you explore high-stakes situations and heightened emotions between characters more so than in regular, everyday situations, I think.

As far as romantic thrillers go, I don’t know if there’s a formal difference, but in my mind, at least, it’s like this: Many romantic suspense novels focus most heavily on romance, with the suspense secondary. In my opinion, romantic thrillers have romance as a strong secondary subplot, but the plot and related action are the main focus.

Stella: Happy birthday Leslie! Hope you had some nice presents :-) Do you remember how you discovered the romantic suspense genre? Maybe even that first novel which introduced you to this heady combination of love stories and thrilling action?

Leslie: I always enjoyed Sandra Brown novels, and Brenda Novak’s Stillwater trilogy was also a big influence. I wish I could put my finger on a specific book that kicked it all off for me, but I can’t. It was really more that I knew I wanted to write, and everything I tried came out sounding like a romantic suspense story.

Stella: You are celebrating the release of Edge of Midnight, the 3rd book in your Chasing Evil series, congratulations! Can you tell readers a bit about the series and what can they expect of Edge of Midnight (and also can it be read as a standalone novel for those who haven’t had the chance to read the first two books yet)?

Leslie: In each book of the Chasing Evil trilogy, a different FBI agent is working a different high-profile serial murder investigation. It’s similar in some ways to the television show “Criminal Minds”, although there’s obviously more romance and much more about the agents’ personal lives in my books.

Here’s the back cover copy for Edge of Midnight, which does a good job of setting things up:

The writer becomes the story when crime reporter Mia Hale is discovered on a Jacksonville beach—bloodied and disoriented, but alive. She remembers nothing, but her wounds bear the signature of a sadistic serial killer. After years lying dormant, The Collector has resumed his grim hobby: abducting women and taking gruesome souvenirs before dumping their bodies. But none of his victims has ever escaped—and he wants Mia back, more than he ever wanted any of the others.

FBI agent Eric MacFarlane has pursued The Collector for a long time. The case runs deep in his veins, bordering on obsession…and Mia holds the key. She'll risk everything to recover her memory and bring the madman to justice, and Eric swears to protect this fierce, fragile survivor. But The Collector will not be denied. In his mind, he knows just how their story ends...

Because each novel in the Chasing Evil trilogy is about a different agent and a different investigation, the stories are completely standalone and can be read in any order. It’s more of a trilogy connected by theme – good versus evil – than by characters.

Stella: Could you summarize Edge of Midnight Twitter style (in 140 characters or less)?

Leslie: Oh, that’s hard for me, but I’ll give it a try:

A victim who escaped a ruthless serial killer, her memory erased. A federal agent desperate to bring a murderer to justice. Is he willing to risk the victim to stop The Collector?

(Okay, I’m five characters over – we’ll pretend we split it across two tweets?)

Stella: Sure Leslie :-) Can you tell 3 reasons why readers should check out Edge of Midnight?

Leslie: 1. Special agent Eric Macfarlane. He’s handsome, tortured (The Collector took someone very special to him) but also not infallible. Eric is from a prominent family and he has connections high up in the Department of Justice. He’s not afraid to pull strings to get himself placed on a case in which he is very deeply, personally involved.

2. The bromance. In the investigation, Eric is reunited with his former partner Cameron Vartran, who now works for the Florida Bureau of Investigation. These guys have a history and there’s a lot of caring there, but Cam is also worried about Eric’s stability on the case.

3. The setting. Edge of Midnight is set in Jacksonville, Fla., and its nearby beaches. Known as “The River City,” it makes for a scenic backdrop for some very grisly crimes.

Stella: What kind of research did you do for your Chasing Evil series? Any funny research story you could share? What was the weirdest thing you had to research?

Leslie: There was so much research, especially with regard to homicide investigation procedures (I took an online class from a retired detective that was really helpful), and also research into forensics and physical locales.

For the first book, Midnight Caller, I had to do a lot of research into the Goth subculture in New Orleans. My research also included a look into modern-day vampirism. Let’s just say I visited some really strange websites!

For the second book, Midnight Fear, I had to learn a lot about horses since the heroine operates an equine therapy program for children and young adults. I loved the book’s bucolic setting, intermixed with scenes in Washington, D.C.

Probably the weirdest thing I ran across during research is a web site that sells the artwork of famous serial killers. Seriously.

Stella: I have heard sources close to you say that you “take writing very seriously”. What does that mean exactly? And I’ve also heard rumours about some withdrawal symptoms when you’re away from writing for too long... ;-)

Leslie: I’m one of those people who take anything I approach in life really seriously. I think you have to be serious about writing – you’re putting your work “out there” and you want to feel like it’s been given your very best effort, that it’s the best you can possibly offer. Your name is going to be on it for a long time.

When I’m away from writing for a length of time, you could say I experience withdrawal, but I think maybe it’s more like “guilt.” Like I’m not doing something that I should be. Does that make sense?

Stella: If you were to try out your hand at writing in a different genre, which one would it be?

Leslie: Oh, that’s a hard one. I’d like to try small-town contemporary romance, I think. I’d also like to do a ghost-horror story of some kind. There’s an old mansion in my hometown in East Tennessee that has quite a grim past, and I’ve always thought about it as inspiration for some type of spooky story, possibly even a period piece.

Stella, thanks again for having me here today!

Stella: You're welcome Leslie, it was my pleasure! :-)

Leslie Tentler worked in public relations as a writer and editor for nearly two decades before deciding to pursue her love of writing fiction. Her first manuscript won multiple Romance Writers of America chapter contest awards, including the prestigious Maggie Award of Excellence.

Leslie is a native of Kingsport, Tennessee. Growing up, she was an avid reader, first of Nancy Drew novels and then surreptitiously devouring her mother’s historical romances at probably too young an age. As she got older, her reading interests moved to dark, contemporary romantic thrillers, which she writes today.

Her books include Midnight Caller, Midnight Fear and Edge of Midnight (all from MIRA Books). She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Robert, and their standard poodle, Tori.

You can find Leslie at her website / blog / Twitter / Facebook

Edge of Midnight by Leslie Tentler

The collection isn't complete without her...

The writer becomes the story when crime reporter Mia Hale is discovered on a Jacksonville beach – bloodied and disoriented, but alive. She remembers nothing, but her wounds bear the signature of a sadistic serial killer. After years lying dormant, The Collector has resumed his grim hobby: abducting women and taking gruesome souvenirs before dumping their bodies. But none of his victims has ever escaped – and he wants Mia back, more than he ever wanted any of the others.

FBI agent Eric Macfarlane has pursued The Collector for a long time. The case runs deep in his veins, bordering on obsession...and Mia holds the key. She’ll risk everything to recover her memory and bring the madman to justice, and Eric swears to protect this fierce, fragile survivor. But The Collector will not be denied. In his mind, he knows just how their story ends.

Buy at Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Leslie has generously offered a copy of Edge of Midnight to a lucky commentator!

All you have to be entered is to

1) leave a comment and tell us: do you like romantic suspense? Why? Do you have a favourite author/series/novel?

2) leave me a way to contact you (e-mail address, Twitter handle, etc.)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 24 February 2012!

Good luck!

Creating the world of Vampirerotique by Felicity Heaton + Giveaway

2012-02-15T09:30:00.007+01:00

Today I am happy to welcome back to the blog Felicity Heaton who is once again on the virtual road to celebrate the release of her latest novel: Covet! Read on to get a glimpse into the fascinating and unknown world of Vampirerotique and you could also win some very cool swag. Please give a warm welcome to Felicity!

Creating the world of Vampirerotique
by Felicity Heaton

It’s fantastic to be back here at Ex Libris with the book tour for my new vampire romance, Covet. Covet is the first erotic vampire romance novella in my Vampire Erotic Theatre series.

I am unabashedly in love with world building and today I’m going to talk about creating the world of Vampire Erotic Theatre series, and therefore the actual theatre itself, Vampirerotique.

The thing I love most about writing vampire romances is that I get to play with a societal structure. I can’t help it. Whenever I write a vampire romance, I have to dream up a different sort of society, a world in which they live with laws they abide or break, people they either look up to or down on, and other fascinating aspects. It’s an intrinsic part of my vampire worlds and as important to me as what sort of vampire I’m writing.

Vampires are ageless. They live for centuries if not millennia, so it makes sense to me that they would have a very structured society that might seem antiquated to humans and perhaps a social divide too. You have to consider that they’re from a different time. When they were raised (or turned, but more about that later) it was probably in a very different world to our modern one, a time when humans had a very structured society too. The divide in modern human society is less noticeable than the one that existed a century or more ago. The divide in vampire society in this world isn’t.

I often write vampires as one breed with only age and who their sire was as a deciding factor on where they stand in society. That’s the case for my Vampires Realm series and also some of the worlds in my stand alone novels like Heart of Darkness. Sometimes though, I want a stronger divide and that’s when I introduce two very different types of vampire, and that’s the case with my Vampire Erotic Theatre series.

When dreaming up this world, I had established that the theatre would be a middle ground for vampires from the two sides of society. It’s very antiquated and old in its ways, and while both sides of society attend the theatre, they do so in a way that keeps them divided. I wanted to have that clear divide between them to reinforce the sentiments of the two sides and the feelings that run throughout the series.

Make no mistake, I have kept the vampires very similar to each other. They all stem from the same genes and ancestors after all. They breed and produce offspring. They all age at a rate much slower than humans and stop aging when they reach full maturity, appearing somewhere in their thirties to mortals. They live on a blood only diet but have some body heat and a heartbeat. The purer their blood or the younger they are, the quicker the UV rays will burn them. They live in a world they have fought to keep hidden from the majority of the human population.

What divides the vampire in the world of the Vampire Erotic Theatre series is the purity of their blood.

There are the powerful pureblood aristocrat families, who pride themselves on having only pureblood vampires in their lineage, and the elite families, who have turned humans within their bloodlines.

When I was coming up with the world, I wanted these two different types of vampires. I wanted the strong and the weaker (they’re still far stronger than mortals) vampires to exist in the same world. The aristocrats with their mission to keep their families pure and perfect, untainted, and the elites who are weaker because the power in their genes has been thinned by generations of breeding with turned humans, but are more down to earth and modern than their aristocrat brethren. The elite vampires don’t feel the same way as the aristocrats but they put up with the barriers between them and the often antiquated views of their stronger kin. If you think about it in terms of human society, the aristocrats are the lords of old and the elite are the common people they find disgusting and don’t want to associate with.

The theatres make this very clear. The aristocrats have private boxes and look down on the elite who all sit in the stalls, but regardless of where they sit, when blood is spilled on the stage all of them react the same way, with their vampire side emerging and salivating for a taste.

The series is focused on vampires from both sides of society. Four vampires run the erotic theatre, Vampirerotique. Two of them are elite, Javier and Callum, and two are aristocrats, Antoine and Snow. I wanted to have two from each world because it meant that I could play with both the upper class and lower class citizens, and show their differences or lack thereof. It also meant that the theatre could entertain both sides. In a world so focused on power and position, you would need aristocrat vampires associated with the theatre in order for their kind to deem it a place worthy of their patronage. In essence, the four owners of the theatre have found a way to bring the two sides of society together... in a way.

They also provided me with a chance to explore which of the vampire breeds are truly stronger—the aristocrats or the elite? Those obsessed with purity or those adapting to a modern world and embracing love wherever they might find it?

It’s a complicated world, with vampires fighting their pride, their past, the laws and society itself to find love that will last eternity. I hope it’s a world that you’ll step into and find yourself immersed in their lives and their romances as their fight for their forever afters.

If you want to know more about the book, the series, or the characters, you can follow the Covet book tour.

Covet is available now for Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Apple devices. It will soon be available at the Sony site, but you can get it in epub from other retailers like Smashwords and my own website.

Covet - Book 1 in the Vampire Erotic Theatre series

They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.

Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.

Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.

When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?

length: 30000 words / 100 pages

Read an excerpt at Felicity's website

Available in e-book from:

Author's website

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Germany

Amazon UK
Amazon France

Barnes and Noble
Kobo Books

Apple iBookstore Australia

Apple iBookstore Canada

Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances.

Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She’s just honoured to write down their adventures.

If you want to know more about me, or want to get in touch, you can find me at the following places:

My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/

My blog: http://www.indieparanormalromancebooks.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY

I would also like to take this moment to mention that there is a giveaway running throughout the whole of the Covet Book Tour. The prize is a bundle of signed and personalized paperbacks, and it’s open internationally. You can find out all the details at the Covet Book Tour page.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Felicity generously offered the pictured swag (Covet book covers and bookmarks) as well as signed book cover postcards, bookmarks and romance trading cards of her other books.

All you have to do is:

1) leave a comment and tell us in your opinion what piece would be played at a vampire theatre?

2) leave me a way to contact you (e-mail address or Twitter handle, etc.)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012!

My First Time by Lorraine Heath + Giveaway

2012-02-14T13:00:00.092+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I am very happy and honoured to welcome today to Ex Libris one of my favourite historical romance authors, the wonderful Lorraine Heath! She needs no introduction, all historical romance fans know her name and her beloved series, but to those who haven't yet given HR a chance and love brooding tortured heroes and heart-warming love stories I urge you to pick up her books. (one of my favourites are her London's Greatest Lovers trilogy, but the1st book in her new series The Lost Lords of Pembrook was just released and I cannot wait to finally savour it!) So please give the warmest welcome to Lorraine!

My First Time

by Lorraine Heath

Stella: First, congratulations on another year. What a wonderful month in which to celebrate. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of the celebration.

I don’t remember my first valentine as much as I remember my first valentine box. We were supposed to decorate it so it would be worthy enough to receive valentines from our admirers. Or in the case of first graders, valentines from everyone in the classroom. I remember how hard I worked to change an ordinary shoebox into a thing of beauty. How—when I was finished—it didn’t look quite as dazzling as I’d envisioned it would.

Many writers, in the beginning, feel the same way about our rough draft. We have this wonderful story idea, but as we begin writing it... well, it quite simply isn’t exactly as we envisioned it. At that point, disappointed with the result, many give up. But the truth is that the first time we do anything, it usually falls short of expectation. And the first time that we write each new story, we’re going to find that it isn’t exactly as we envisioned it would be. That’s the reason what we’re writing is referred to as the rough draft.

The beautiful thing about the rough draft, unlike my shoebox, is that it can be easily changed. The key is to get it written. To gather all our thoughts, characters, events, conflicts into one place so they have substance. Then we have a foundation for beginning the revision process: take off some of the gaudy bows, sprinkle a little glitter. Change words, delete scenes that don’t move the story forward, add scenes that do. Tighten our narration; make our dialogue accomplish more.

For me, the rough draft is always a struggle. Probably because I write by the seat of my pants. I have an idea of where the story is going but I don’t outline so very often I’m surprised as I go along.

With my latest release, SHE TEMPTS THE DUKE, I began with a story idea for the entire series, the Lost Lords of Pembrook.

I’ve always been intrigued by the story of the princes in the tower. For those not familiar with the story, Richard III had his brother’s sons, heirs to the throne, declared illegitimate by an act of Parliament so he could be crowned king. The boys were last seen in the Tower of London. Because they disappeared, it was always assumed they were murdered. Almost 200 years later when the tower was having some renovations, one of the workers discovered a wooden box beneath a set of stairs. Inside were the bones of children, believed to be the remains of the princes. Were they murdered? Did they fall ill? What happened to them?

That became the premise for the Lost Lords of Pembrook. When their father—the Duke of Keswick—dies, they disappear. What happened to them? Rumors abound that they ran off, were eaten by wolves, died of disease. Twelve years later three men—roughened by war, the sea, and the streets—return to London to reclaim their heritage.

Without much more thought than that, I began writing the oldest brother’s story. I knew Sebastian’s love was destined to be a girl from his youth. I knew that he would return from war scarred. I knew he would be obsessed with regaining what he’d lost to the exclusion of everything else. I knew his obsession would be both his strength and his weakness. But then the foundation for his obsession was laid in his youth:

Tonight was the night they would die.

At fourteen, Sebastian Easton, the eighth Duke of Keswick, wished he could be brave about it, could face death with the stoicism and courage his father would have expected and demanded of him, but he was so scared, his mouth so dry, he couldn’t even work up enough spittle to fling as an insult at whoever came for him.

When I finish a draft, then I get to go back to rework the story, to layer in the depth and add texture. Right now, I’m just finishing off the revisions for LORD OF TEMPTATION, the second brother’s story, which will be released in October. If I were to compare it with a Valentine box, I would have to confess that I’m quite pleased with it.

What’s your favorite Valentine memory?

Lorraine Heath has always had a soft spot for emotional love stories. No doubt because growing up, watching movies with her mom, she was taught that the best movies "won't half make you cry."

She is the daughter of a British beauty (her mom won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero--Joker on the original Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan, and she enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.

When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today, Waldenbooks, and most recently, the New York Times.

She also writes for teens under the name Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker.

You can reach Lorraine at her website: http://www.lorraineheath.com

She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath

Book #1 in the Lost Lords of Pembrook series

Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick—returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man—cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is betrothed now to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution to fight for a love that could once again set him free.

Buy at Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle

Amazon - Book Depository - Kindle
You can read my review of Passions of a Wicked Earl here.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Lorraine has generously offered a signed paperback copy of She Tempts the Duke to two lucky commentators!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Lorraine's question: What’s your favorite Valentine memory? (it doesn't necessarily have to be a romantic one: two of my favourite V-days weren't spent with a date: one year we had a movie night with my sisters: we baked some delicious chocolate-pear pie and drank some frothy cocktails yum! :-)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

When Secondary Characters Get Their Own Chance to Shine by Erin Nicholas + Giveaway

2012-02-13T13:00:00.085+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Those who are regulars of my blog don't need an introduction to today's guest author, but here is one for the newcomers. You may not know that I haven't always been a fan of the contemporary romance genre (and that's to put it mildly). I didn't like it. Then I happened upon Erin Nicholas' Just My Type and I was hooked. I would say Erin's books are like Nora Roberts' as in they both focus on family connections and friendships, are steamy and romantic, but besides all that Erin's stories are very witty and funny, her humour really makes her novels outstanding. Erin Nicholas not only made contemporary romance bearable for me, she converted me! Now it is one of my most beloved genres, and of course Erin keeps her eternal place on my Favourite Authors List! Please give Erin Nicholas a warm welcome and if by any chance you haven't yet read her books, trust me, you don't want to waste any more time and miss out on these amazing stories!

When Secondary Characters Get Their Own Chance to Shine

by Erin Nicholas

When I start a book, I usually know three things: who the hero is, who the heroine is and how they get together. Well, and that there will be a happily ever after. That’s what I write, after all.

Everything else comes later. Some of it I give some thought to—what do they do for a living, where do they live, what’s keeping the happily ever at bay at bay until page two hundred and fifty instead of getting there on page fifteen?

But there are several things I don’t plan out. These things develop as I go, surprising even me sometimes. Which I love. It’s fun and keeps my writing fresh. But, honestly, once in awhile it gets me into trouble. Sometimes someone does or says something I didn’t expect and it changes the whole story. Sometimes they don’t say or do something I thought they would. And sometimes someone other than the hero or heroine gets involved.

This happened big time in my book Anything You Want (e-release, March 2011, print release March 2012). One of my secondary characters really messed things up.

I always have secondary characters. Some play a bigger role than others, but my characters need them. No one lives in a bubble, and just like all of us, my characters need someone to talk to, someone to cry to, someone to tell them when they’re being stupid. These characters are often just details until I get to writing the book, then they develop as the story goes and as I get to know my hero and heroine better I figure out who they surround themselves with and why.

Trouble is—sometimes these characters want to take over.

For instance, in Anything You Want, the hero was supposed to be a guy named Luke Hamilton. For those of you who’ve read the book that may surprise you. Or maybe not. But you do know that Luke shows up in the book, big time. Just not as the hero. Nope. Ends up, Marc Sterling gets the hero title. But I wrote nearly the whole book before I figured that out! Marc was supposed to be the best friend, the secondary character. A strong one, yes, but secondary nonetheless.

The problem became apparent when I simply could not have him and the heroine, Sabrina, in the same room together without sparks flying. I thought it was temper, that they didn’t like each other. Well, passion shows up in lots of ways. So, I finally figured out that Marc was the right guy for Sabrina. Or at least that he wanted to be.

But that created a new problem. I really liked Luke. And now he was the third wheel.

Have you ever fallen for a secondary character? In a tv show, movie, book? There are a few movies I can think of where I was really pulling for that best friend character (Duckie in Pretty In Pink anyone??) who never does get the girl. I hate that.

So, that just wouldn’t do for Luke. He needed someone so I could sleep at night. It wasn’t until I figured out the right girl for Luke that I could really let Marc and Sabrina have their way. Thankfully, the perfect woman for Luke was another strong secondary character in Anything You Want. Kat Dayton, Sabrina’s best friend.

Now I smile when I think about the whole thing. Now that I’ve written Kat and Luke’s story. Now that Everything You’ve Got will be out in March. Now I can smile about it all :-) I love these two books and these four characters. They are absolutely matched up the right way.

Though I still don’t know that Andie should have chosen Blane over Duckie.

How about you? Are there any secondary characters that have really made an impression on you in a book, movie or tv show that you wish had gotten their story?

Everything You’ve Got doesn’t come out until March 20th but I’m happy to give someone a rain check or, if you haven’t read Anything You Want, I’d love to share it with someone! So, just leave me a comment and you’ll get entered to win! In addition, I’ll pick three winners to receive an excerpt booklet of Anything You Want and some other goodies from me!

Thanks for having me, Stella! And happy anniversary!

Erin Nicholas has been reading and writing romantic fiction since her mother gave her a romance novel in high school and she discovered happily-ever-after suddenly went a little beyond glass slippers and fairy godmothers! She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).

You can reach Erin at her official website, blog, Twitter and Facebook account.

You can read my reviews of The Bradfords series by Erin Nicholas:

Amazon - My review of Just Right (Book #1)

Amazon - My review of Just Like That (Book #2)

Amazon - My review of Just My Type (Book #3)

Amazon - My review of Anything You Want

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Erin has generously offered an ebook copy of either Everything You've Got or Anything You Want to a lucky commentator, and 3 other lucky readers will win an excerpt booklet of Anything You Want and some other goodies!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and answer Erin's question: Are there any secondary characters that have really made an impression on you in a book, movie or tv show that you wish had gotten their story?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Inconvenient Andrew by Maggie Robinson + Giveaway

2012-02-12T13:00:00.067+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I met today's guest thanks to a Kindle freebie: sometime last year Mistress by Mistake was free on Amazon and as the gorgeous and very sensual cover caught my eye. I read it and fell for Maggie Robinson's Courtesan Court series. If you like your historical romances to be steamy, this series is for you as it doesn't get any hotter than Maggie's series! *fans herself* So please give a warm welcome to Maggie Robinson who will tell you all about bad boys and why we can't resist them, and give you a peek at Andrew, the hero of her newest novel Master of Sin, which will be released on 27 March 2012!

Inconvenient Andrew
by Maggie Robinson

I’m thrilled to be anniversary-ing here! Or should I say blogoversary-ing? Congratulations, Stella!

I’m here today to talk about characters who move in and take over your writing life. Authors sound a little cracked when they talk about how their characters “speak” to them and won’t behave. C’mon, I hear you saying, you’re the writer—it’s your fingers hitting the keys, your words, your ideas. Fictional characters are, well, fictional. They don’t speak and they don’t type.

By and large, I agree with that, though sometimes I think I get slightly possessed by these page people just the same. When I wrote Mistress by Marriage (Kensington Brava, September 2011), I needed my heroine Caroline to have had an unhappy love affair in her past, something for which she felt tremendous guilt. Up popped Andrew Rossiter, an amoral, all-purpose gigolo. His first appearance on the page begins thus:

Andrew Rossiter was stealth itself. He slipped from the bed in the darkened room, glancing back at Sir George and Lady Everdeen, both sated, both snoring. There would be a cuckoo in the Everdeens’ nest if he’d been successful tonight, not that he cared. They paid him enough just for his pleasure. To be a sort of conduit, a job he’d had much experience with, the only job he’d really ever had. When he took up with Caroline and Nicky Parker, they’d put him on his crooked path, although that had not been their intention. But he had discovered his dual nature in pleasing them both. Why limit oneself to only half of the population? Andrew looked like an angel with gold curls and October sky eyes, but knew he was the devil himself.

Yikes, you’re saying. The ultimate bad boy. Maybe even repellant. I felt the same way too, and couldn’t wait to move on. But Andrew had other ideas and started unpacking his bags in my head. He wasn’t satisfied being talked about by the main characters and dismissed. Suddenly he wound up having his own sort of honor, and even made a quasi-heroic attempt to save the heroine. He loomed so large to me I had to repack his bags and send him off to Italy and get him out of my book.

The end, right? Nope. Andrew had good reason for being as damaged as he was, and he haunted me even from afar. Sure enough, here’s what I wrote in Edward and Caroline’s last chapter:

Edward looked up, straight into Caroline’s eyes. “This is from Andrew Rossiter.”

Caroline felt the pleasant air suck out of the room.

“He writes to tell me that he is dead, and wishes me to facilitate the transfer of his bank funds so I can purchase him a house on some Scottish island. Oh, and I’m to hire him an Italian- speaking governess.”

“Andrew is d-dead?”

“Not in the strictest sense. It seems he got into a spot of trouble and needs to go underground. But for all intents and purposes, the man we knew as Andrew Rossiter has gone on to his reward, wherever that might be.”

Caroline felt momentary relief. A tiny part of her heart would always belong to Andrew, but Edward had staked a larger, truer claim. “But why is he writing to you?”

“Because he saved your life.”

“He did not! You did! Actually,” Caroline said, reflecting, “I saved it myself.”

What the heck was I thinking? How was I ever going to turn this man into a hero? He had spent most of his life breaking society’s every rule and not feeling a minute of regret. Couldn’t I just find some nice, easy-going guy in the hero compartment of my brain for my next book? Apparently not. Never let it be said I take the easy way out, LOL.

So the Courtesan Court Trilogy wound up being the Courtesan Court Quartet with its last book, Master of Sin, which releases March 27, 2012. I can’t wait to see if readers think I’ve succeeded in redeeming Andrew and giving him his own happy ever after.

A man like Andrew needs a special heroine, and here’s his:

He tiptoed down the hallway as quietly as he ever had eluding a suspicious wife or husband, coming at last to the kitchen. A raggedy serving girl dressed in what appeared to be stray Tartans and tablecloths was bent over an empty fireplace, a pitiful pile of sticks on the hearth. At the sound of his footstep on the bare slate floor she turned and shrieked.

Some of Andrew’s childhood Gaelic had come back to him the further north he’d come. Immersion with the village women earlier had helped a bit. “Gabh mo leithsceal.” Excuse me.

“Does bloody anyone in this bloody place speak any bloody English?” the girl muttered.

She looked like a street urchin. Her brown hair was a nest, her pointed, unfashionably brown face was smudged and her brown skirts muddied. She was so very brown. Surely she couldn’t be—

“Miss Peartree?” Andrew asked, praying not.

The little wren’s mouth hung open like a baby bird waiting to be fed. Then she looked like she tasted the worm. “Oh, good lord. Mr. Rossiter?” She curtseyed, nearly tripping on twigs.

Oh, yeah. This grubby little elf is going to change Andrew’s life forever.

Who’s your favorite fictional bad boy? One commenter will win Andrew's book, my very last paperback ARC of Master of Sin!

Maggie Robinson is a former teacher, library clerk and mother of four who woke up in the middle of the night, absolutely compelled to create the perfect man and use as many adverbs as possible doing so. A transplanted New Yorker, she lives with her not-quite perfect husband in Maine, where the cold winters are ideal for staying inside and writing hot historical romances.

You can find Maggie at her website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook

The Courtesan Court series:

Mistress by Mistake (Book # 1)
Mistress by Midnight (Book #2)

Mistress by Marriage (Book #3) - read my review

Master of Sin (Book #4)

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Maggie has generously offered her very last paperback ARC copy of Master of Sin to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment answering Maggie's question: Who’s your favorite fictional bad boy?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

Letting Go by Laura Bickle + Giveaway

2012-02-11T13:00:00.078+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I am very happy to welcome back to Ex Libris one of my favourite urban fantasy authors and all around nice person Laura Bickle! Laura was one of the first authors I discovered thanks to blogging and her original and beautifully written stories as well as her friendliness won me over instantly. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading her Anya Kalinczyk or Oracle series yet I recommend you check them out, they are brilliantly unique and I guarantee you that Laura's lyrical writing will captivate you. (To get a first glimpse you can read my reviews of Embers and Dark Oracle). So please give the warmest welcome to Laura!

Letting Go

by Laura Bickle

Writing a book is often a process in letting things go. I know that seems counterintuitive, because the creative process is all about conjuring something from nothing. But there are certain points along the process that are about releasing control and allowing the story to have a life of its own.

The story starts out as an idea in my head, safe and cuddled in a warm dark nest. What if a dragon lived in the salt mine beneath the city of Detroit? What if the Oracle of Delphi survived to the modern day? At the end of the world, who would survive? I ruminate about it, journal on it, flesh it out, doodle. The idea is warmed with plenty of daydreams, sketches, and mutterings about its future.

Then comes the first surrender.

When the idea congeals, when I have a shiny blue egg of a concept, I often run it past my crit partners or agent. I like the idea, and am even more than a bit in love with it - but does it make sense? Is it even remotely marketable? Had it been done to death before, and are people sick of seeing this?

The key part here is having honesty, having people I trust who will tell me that the timing for the idea isn't right. That the market isn't right. That I haven't solidified it enough in my head, that it needs time to develop. Sometimes, an idea will get tucked back into sunny back cage of my mind, to incubate and perhaps hatch in another time. Occasionally, it's necessary to murder an idea outright - crush it quickly and bury the shell in the back yard. But sometimes, I hit upon something that I feel that I can move forward with, that might be something that other people will like to read.

Then I have the most control in the process. The idea and I are alone for months, behind a closed door, as it hatches and grows. I feed it with squirming bits of research, outlines, and note cards. I'm completely immersed in it, listening to its every chirp. I dream about salamanders, dragons, and ghosts. I'm playing with Tarot cards and dragging home stacks of books from the library. I become acutely aware of what I *don't* know about arson investigation, quantum mechanics, or Amish culture. I work to fill in the gaps while the characters begin to come to life. I'm obsessive at this point. There are no other projects but this one. Laundry piles up and science projects fester in the refrigerator.

I feel flow. This project is mine, all mine. I put the flesh on the bones of its skeleton, watching the pinfeathers sprout and make shadows against the wall. One day, it's fully formed and feathered, and I type "THE END." It's become my Galatea, and I can see the flesh seething underneath the stone.

Then comes the second surrender. And the third.

I give the manuscript to my crit partners. They cull through it, tell me what's working and what's not. In trust, I make changes. I feel control slipping away. I edit it, give it to my agent. She works through it and I have a new set of alterations to make.

The book is changing. I can feel it. It's moving out of my hands, blinking and warbling.

And then all the surrenders to follow. If I'm lucky enough to sell it, I transfer that twitching bird to the hands of an editor. She will mold the feathers to fit her vision, change it from a sparrow to a raven. We'll do content edits and line edits. The project will pace and caw as others fuss over it. The copy editor will go through it, searching for those inconsistencies that I've grown blind to and smooth the plumage. Others will assign it a cover, describe it in back cover copy.

By this time, I realize that the book is no longer mine. It has slipped through my fingers in a flurry of feathers, gone out of the nest. I've given up control and given it up to the world.

I always feel a pang of sadness at that. That I can no longer cluck over it, feed and protect it like I used to. At this point, it's perched on a shiny branch, watching me with an alert eye and stretching its wings in anticipation of being released.

But it's meant to be out there and make its own way in the world.

Laura Bickle (also writing as Alayna Williams) writes urban and young adult fantasy. She’s written four novels for Pocket Books: EMBERS, SPARKS, DARK ORACLE, and ROGUE ORACLE. Both DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE are National Novel Writing Month books. She has two upcoming YA novels with Houghton Mifflin’s Graphia line in 2012 and 2013, beginning with THE HALLOWED ONES in fall.

You can find Laura at her official website / blog / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Laura has generously offered a signed paperback copy of Sparks to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and tell us about one of your experiences when you had to gather your courage and take that metaphorical leap into the unknown. (could be anything from finally going on that trip you have been dreaming about for years, or starting pottery to find out if you were talented, etc. Anything where you had to battle and conquer your fears)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

For the Love of a Secondary Character by Laura Kaye + Giveaway

2012-02-10T13:00:00.070+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

Today I have the pleasure of ceding the blog to Laura Kaye a very versatile author. Laura pens contemporary as well as paranormal romances, erotica stories, fantasy novels, and she is here today to celebrate the release of her latest book In the Service of the King which is the 1st book in her new series. She chose to introduce to us one of her favourite secondary characters, who besides being totally handsome and charming is a loyal and trustworthy friend. Please give a warm welcome to Laura and Liam!

For the Love of a Secondary Character

by Laura Kaye

Thanks so much to Stella for hosting me here today! I’m celebrating the release of my dark paranormal romance, In the Service of the King, the first in my new Vampire Warrior Kings series. The series primarily focuses on the romantic conflict and relationship between Kael MacQuillan, warrior king of the vampires, and Shayla McKinnon, a Proffered, or a human woman trained to serve the warrior elite. Except…this post isn’t about either of them!

Every once in a while, I write a story, and absolutely fall in love with a secondary character. That happened in In the Service of the King, and the character in question was Kael’s oldest friend, most trusted advisor, and right-hand warrior, Liam.

First of all, it totally doesn’t hurt that Chris Hemsworth provided my mental image of Liam. Not the Thor Chris [though it’s totally worth reminding ourselves what he looked like there], but more the darker-haired Snow White and the Huntsmen Chris, who is also verra verra nice. *winks*

The first introduction to Liam comes right at the beginning of the book, when he's assisting the king in preparing for a ritual feeding the king hates but requires. Liam is not in the least intimidated by Kael's foul mood:

Liam opened the door and stood back, bowing his head of shoulder-length brown hair—braided at the left in the way of the warrior, and allowed the king to enter ahead of him. “After you, my lord.”

Kael stepped into the oval room and huffed. “Would you cut the ‘my lord’ crap already?” He rolled his neck again. As a room, it wasn’t particularly remarkable—it was bare except for a small altar at one end and hooks for his robes and a few ceremonial implements at the other. But it was so loaded with everyone’s expectations that the air felt thick as he drew it down his throat.

Liam grinned before schooling his expression. “As you wish, my lord.”

Kael growled and rolled his eyes, knowing even as he’d uttered the words Liam wouldn’t heed them. Fat lot of good being king was sometimes. But Liam was too steeped in the traditions of their people. He often treated Kael just as one of the warriors—which only a handful of the warriors were comfortable doing—but not on the Night of the Proffering. Tonight, to Liam, he was Kael the Fair, Warrior King of the Vampires, Chieftain of Clan MacQuillan.

Moreover, it's Liam's willingness to stand up to his king and tell him when he's wrong that gives Kael a very important second chance. Sensing something was wrong in the feeding chamber, Liam and several of the other warriors descend to protect their king, only to find him alone and the human Proffered gone:

“My lord, how may I be of service?” came Liam’s voice after a while.

“You can leave.”

“I cannot.”

Kael flashed in front of him. “You can very well fucking leave.” His fangs elongated as he lashed out.

“I will not!” Liam stepped forward, apparently refusing to be cowed. “You really want to do this?”

They hadn’t come to blows in ages, but it had happened before. The king bored his gaze into Liam’s, but finally stepped back.

Liam eased his stance. “Where is she?”

“Gone,” Kael said as he looked down at the ground. His shoulders sagged as some of the fight went out of him. Everything just felt so…wrong.

“Did you—?”

Kael rolled his eyes at Liam. There was no way he didn’t smell that goblet of blood.

“What do you think?”

“And, why—?”

“Christ, what are you? The Inquisition?” He drilled his angry stare into his brother in arms. Guilt flooded him. Minutes passed. “I hurt her.”

Liam frowned. “What happened, Kael?”

The thought of recounting all the ways in which he’d failed her exhausted him. “It doesn’t matter.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Liam sheathed the silver dagger and holstered his weapon.

“I’ve known you my whole life. You would never hurt a female. Not intentionally.”

“What do you want from me, Liam?”

“I want to know why you sent her away. Why her lifeblood sits there wasting. Why you are more distressed than I can remember seeing you in aeons.” He held out his arms.

I also love how earnest and gregarious Liam is, and he totally wins over the heroine and puts her at ease, making me adore Liam all the more. But perhaps my favorite scene with him is this one:

Footsteps approached from the stone corridor behind him. Kael braced against the thick ledge, expecting the worst. Deserving it.

“My lord?”

Tension drained from Kael’s shoulders. Liam’s voice told him the news was good. He breathed in the cleansing sea air and turned to his brother. “Thank you, old friend. She is well?”

Liam grinned. “She’s great.”

Kael’s gaze cut to Liam’s. “You spoke with her?” Liam nodded. “And what did you speak of?”

“Just introductions, really. Oh, and she wants to be able to ask you some questions.”

Kael hitched an eyebrow. “Does she now? About what, exactly?”

The warrior scratched his chin. “Didn’t say.”

“And you didn’t think to ask?” Kael’s layered robes caught the wind and danced around his legs.

He shook his head and shrugged. “Figured it didn’t really matter.”

Kael nodded and ran a hand through the unbraided side of his hair. “Fair point.” He stepped toward the entryway and Liam moved to the side, allowing the king first passage. Liam secured the stone-faced door, constructed in such a way it was indistinguishable from the rest of the rock wall on the outside. “So, did she, uh, say anything about me, or, uh…” Kael pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Did she say anything about you?” He chuckled. “No, but I could pass her a note in study hall if you like.”

Kael’s fist connected with Liam’s bicep before he’d really thought to do it. Damn, that little release of tension felt good.

Liam grabbed his arm and spit out an old Gaelic curse. His glare was indulgent, bordering on a smug smile. “Feel better, my lord?”

Kael clapped him on the back. “Much. Let’s return to the chamber, shall we?”

I just couldn't celebrate this new book without introducing you to Liam, and I hope you'll love him as much as I do. Thanks for reading!

Laura Kaye

Buy Laura's Books

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate her new release, Laura is giving away one e-copy of In the Service of the King at each stop on her New Release Tour, 1/30 – 2/15! In addition, all commenters from across the tour will be entered to win a prize bag filled with swag and various vampire items, perfect for the vampire lover! RULES: Must leave e-mail address & if from U.S. in comment. Ebook prizes open to international; prize bag to U.S. only.

In the Service of the King

Book 1 in the Vampire Warrior Kings Series

Kael, Warrior King of the Vampires, loathes the Night of the Proffering. He needs the blood of either his mate or a human virgin to maintain his strength, but hasn't enjoyed the ritual since he lost his mate centuries ago. Kael doesn't want a new companion, yet his resolve is tested when he lays eyes on his new offering, Shayla McKinnon. He is drawn to Shayla's beauty and poise...and the submission she offers. She is eager to give him anything he wishes, including her innocence, to please him. Will Kael give in to their overwhelming desire--even if it means risking Shayla's life?

About Laura Kaye

Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of a half-dozen books. Hearts in Darkness is a finalist for the EPIC eBook Award for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Laura has generously offered an ebook copy of her latest novel In the Service of the King to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and tell us: Who is your favourite secondary character? Either in a book or movie/TV series?

3. If you want to be entered in the Grand Prize drawing also leave in your comment whether you are a US resident (Grand Prize is only open to US residents).

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.

How Reviews Impact Me: the Author and the Reader by Sierra Dean + Giveaway

2012-02-09T13:30:00.000+01:00

Button made by the very talented Susi! Thank you!!

I met today's guest over Twitter. She was a new author pre-publication preparing for the release of her first novel. Shallow book cover lover that I am (come on, you know you are one too, no need to pretend here, we are among like minded friends) I loved the cover, was intrigued by the blurb so I agreed to review Something Secret This Way Comes and fell so hard and so fast for Sierra Dean's Secret McQueen urban fantasy series that each time I count back the days 'till her next release (and thank God that she is such a prolific author that she released 4 books in 2011) and Sierra Dean has her reserved spot on my Favourite Authors List. If you haven't yet discovered this action packed, funny and sexy UF series, don't waste any more time, it's time to start it! (Especially as Book #1 is a Kindle freebie right now) So please give a warm welcome to Sierra!

How Reviews Impact Me: the Author and the Reader
by Sierra Dean

Since we're coming together to celebrate a great book blog and the wonderful lady who writes it, I thought I might do a post about what reviews mean to writers, and how reviews impact me as both an author and a reader.

Authors have to have a pretty thick skin. When I first got into the publishing world and the initial reviews of Something Secret This Way Comes started to flow in I was on cloud 9 from all the positive response. They liked me! They really liked me! And then the inevitable occurred. Someone didn't like the book.

I wanted to go hide in a closet. I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and stop writing. Hell, I just sort of wanted to throw up.

In short: negative reviews suck.

I continued to get reviews, both positive and negative, and while the negative ones kept hurting, I learned not to let them get to me as much. I stopped reading reviews on Goodreads, mainly because while most reviewers will be polite even if they don't like a book, the general public won't be so kind.

Here's the ultimate truth about books: you won't EVER write one that is universally loved. The best way to realize this (and this has been said many times before) is to go to the Goodreads page for your favorite book of all time and read the reviews. People will love it as much as you, but there will also be people who HATE it with a passion so strong it will blow your mind.

Understanding this goes a long way to helping authors deal with negative reviews.

Reviews are amazing, they really are. Book blogs are the reason I achieved any initial success at all, and I will be forever grateful to book blogs and their reviewers because of that.

And for one other reason... they help ME find books to read I'd never consider. In the past year I read dozens of books I wouldn't have ever thought to pick up, based solely on the reviews of bloggers whose opinions I respect. Those books include, but aren't limited to:

Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase (AMAZING, a must read)
Stacia Kane's Chess Putnam series
Sandy Williams's Shadow Reader
The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley

and dozens more. I LOVE it when a review convinces me to pick something up I wouldn't otherwise try.

So to Stella and all the other bloggers out there... we salute the wonderful service you provide to both authors and readers alike. Thank you.

Sierra Dean is a reformed historian. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies and is allowed annual exit visas in order to continue her quest of steadily conquering the world one city at a time. Making the best of the cold Canadian winters, Sierra indulges in her less global interests: drinking too much tea and writing urban fantasy.

Ever since she was a young girl she has loved the idea of the supernatural coexisting with the mundane. As an adult, however, the idea evolved from the notion of fairies in flower beds, to imagining that the rugged-looking guy at the garage might secretly be a werewolf. She has used her overactive imagination to create her own version of the world, where vampire, werewolves, fairies, gods and monsters all walk among us, and she’ll continue to travel as much as possible until she finds it for real.

She’s also a book lover (of course!), obsessive collector of OPI nailpolish and the owner of way too many pairs of shoes.

You can find Sierra at her website / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook

You can read my reviews of the series here:

The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters (Book # 0.5)

Something Secret This Way Comes (Book #1)

Secret Santa (Book #2.5)

Something Secret This Way Comes, Book #1 in the Secret McQueen urban fantasy series is FREE on Amazon right now, so click HERE to get your copy and start this amazing series!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Sierra has generously offered an ebook copy of any of her Secret McQueen books (winner's choice) to a lucky commentator!

To be entered all you have to do is:

1. fill out the main form so I have your contact info (just once, if you have already filled it out for a previous giveaway that's enough)

2. leave a comment and tell us: what great book, series or author did you discover thanks to book blogs?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 March 2012.