Tag Archives: Author Interview

An Interview with Fabio Bueno

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An Interview with Fabio Bueno


The Reading Café would like to welcome Fabio Bueno,who has published his first book…Wicked Sense. 

Our review of Wicked Sense was posted before this interview. 

Let us meet Fabio.

 

 

Hi Fabio.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.
Will you please tell us about yourself?

Fabio: Thanks for having me over at the Reading Café, Barb! My name is Fabio Bueno (yes, it’s my real name :). I live in the Pacific Northwest with my wife and kids. I like to write and hang out with friends and family, travel, run, play games, drink coffee, and talk endlessly about books, movies, and sports.

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing?

Fabio: Yes, since I was a kid. I’ve written a little in high school, a novel after college, and a couple of screenplays a few years later. However, I’ve only decided to write seriously a few years ago.

TRC: Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Fabio: Writing is a solitary business. It was hard in the beginning, but now it’s not so bad. I meet weekly with my great critique group (we call ourselves Writers in the Rain because we all live near Seattle). I go to conferences, workshops, and book events. And I’ve been fortunate to meet many friends online (readers, writers, editors, bloggers). Now, I don’t feel alone at all.

TRC: What is your writing process?  Do you like to write at specific times, in a special place?

Fabio: I usually create a rough outline of the novel before writing anything. Nothing too detailed, just a sentence describing each chapter. I also like to have fully fleshed out characters before I start. Then, I let the details come organically to me. As for the writing environment, I prefer mornings, writing in the library, and being offline, but I’ve written anywhere and anytime 🙂 If you wait for ideal conditions to write, you will write very little.

TRC: Wicked Sense is your debut novel.  It is part of a series- Singularity. How many books do you plan in this series?  How did you come up with the idea of Singularity?

Fabio: The Singularity Series will be a trilogy. I have also outlined a pair of novellas featuring a couple of intriguing secondary characters, but there’s no release date for those yet. 

The Singularity concept came from a series of questions: what if witches lived among us in a secret society within our society? How would that work? How challenging would it be to remain hidden today, when technology is available everywhere? How would this society resemble the old folk tales about witches?


TRC: Would you please tell us the premise behind Wicked Sense?

Fabio: Witches live in our world, hiding behind a Veil of secrecy enforced by a code and by magic. But when an extraordinary release of magical energy announces the arrival of a teen witch with unparalleled powers (the Singularity), the Veil is threatened. The British covens send Skye to Seattle to find the Singularity. Skye, however, gets involved with a charming boy and faces a formidable rival in one of the Night Witches. 

I wanted the audience to experience both sides of the relationship, so I decided to write it in alternating chapters showing the points-of-view of the female and the male protagonists.

  • Link to Amazon (readers can also download a free sample for kindle and free kindle apps)
  • Link to Goodreads (free sample available in .epub format for most other e-readers)


TRC: Wicked Sense is YA & Paranormal.  Your website says you love Urban Fantasy and Paranormal. What drew you to YA, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal?  Have you considered writing any other genre?

Fabio: I just read a lot of YA and fantasy in general. I believe I like YA because it deals with a very special time of our lives, when our personalities are still taking shape, the possibilities are endless, and everything seems possible. The fantasy aspect builds on that, taking the “what-if” factor to an even higher level.

I like to write suspense and romance too, but instead of writing these genres, I try to incorporate elements of both into the YA paranormal/UF stories 🙂

TRC: How do you describe what Urban Fantasy is?

Fabio: For me, a book is considered Urban Fantasy if it has supernatural elements and takes place in modern times, in our world, but depicting a secret or underground society.

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Fabio: I’m working on the sequels to Wicked Sense, and on a new series, a darker YA urban fantasy.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Popcorn!

Favorite Dessert: Chocolate cake topped with condensed milk (I know it’s unusual, but you should try it)

Favorite Author: Nowadays, it’s John Green

Favorite Novel: “The Giver”

Favorite Movie: “Casablanca” (perfect blend of everything: romance, action, suspense…:).

Favorite TV Show: A tie: “Firefly,” “The West Wing,” and “Gilmore Girls” (I guess I have an eclectic taste 🙂

Last Movie that you saw: “Super 8” – it has an “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” vibe. I liked it.

Thank you Fabio, for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Wicked Sense.  Keep us informed about any new books or series that you have planned.

If you would like to learn more about Fabio, you can find him at the following links:

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An Interview with Katie MacAlister

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An Interview with Katie MacAlister

The Reading Cafe is happy to have the fantastic Katie MacAlister as our guest today.

Katie just released A Tale of Two Vampires in September. Our review of A Tale of Two Vampires is just below this interview.

Katie is here to talk to us about her latest book, as well as telling us a bit about herself.

Let’s meet Katie

 

Hi Katie.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: What is your writing process?  Do you have a favorite time, or place to work? What is the most difficult process in creating your stories?

Katie: I’m a morning person, so I always write in the morning. Usually I stagger in to the computer around 8 or 9 am, and then immediately proceed to procrastinate for as long as I can get away with it. Having dogs helps with that. Also having people doing things around the house—assistant, house cleaner, handyman dude who is always wandering around fixing things—helps keep me distracted, but inevitably, I have to sit down and write. I write for about four hours,  then move on to other things related to writing, such as promotional work, chatting with readers on Facebook and Twitter, pulling contest entries, making book videos, and on and on.

There’s little about the process that isn’t difficult, because I really want readers to enjoy what I’m doing. So I’m constantly aware that my characters need to be funny, sexy, and easy to relate to. But on the whole, writing the first draft is the hardest part. Once that’s done, I’m a happy little camper in the land of editing—I love to edit. It’s my chance to take the bare bones story and polish it up until it’s full of goodness.

TRC: Can you please tell our readers who are new to your Dark Ones series, the premise of this series?

Katie: My vampires are a bit different than others—they are called Dark Ones, have a female who is their other half (and has the power to redeem the vamp’s soul), and they all have a good sense of humor. Even if sometimes it’s a grumpy sense of humor (I’m looking at you, Adrian).

TRC: The Dark Ones is the 10th book of this series with your new release “Tale of Two Vampires”. How many books do you plan for this series?

Katie: I don’t have an end planned for the series. Every year I step back and consider whether readers are still enjoying the books, and still asking for more. Thus far, the answers are still yes, so I’m still writing them.

TRC: Can you please tell us the premise of Tale of Two Vampires?

Katie: The official blurb says it much better than I can:

Time isn’t always on a vampire’s side…

Iolanthe Tennyson has had a very bad year—due in part to the very bad men in her life. So, she’s accepted her cousin’s invitation to spend the summer in Austria indulging in her photography hobby. There, rumors of a haunted forest draw Iolanthe into the dark woods—and into the eighteenth century…

Nikola Czerny is a cursed man, forced by his half-brothers to live forever as a Dark One. But his miserable existence takes an intriguing turn when a strange, babbling woman is thrown in his path. Iolanthe claims to know Nikola’s daughter—three hundred years in the future. She also knows what fate—in the form of his murderous half-brothers—has in store for him. If only she knew the consequences of changing the past to save one good, impossibly sexy vampire…

TRC: You write in many different genres, such as paranormal (vampires, dragons), contemporary romance, historical romance, and YA.  Do you have a favorite, if so why?

Katie: Really, all of them are favorites. I learned early on that writing something I didn’t love was not only painful to write, it was worse to read. So henceforth, I make sure that I really love the book before I start writing it. And that goes for genres—I love my dragons, but I also love the vamps, the contemps, and so on.  Sometimes I get in the mood to write one over the other—that happened a couple of years ago when I suddenly decided I HAD to write a contemporary—but for the most part, I love all the genres equally.

TRC: Also how are you able to jump between paranormal(vampires & dragons) and historical, as you have been doing? When doing your research, is one genre more difficult then others?

Katie: I love, love, love research, so none of that is difficult. In fact, the more research I have to do, the happier I am (hey, any excuse to buy research books is good with me). As a rule, though, the historicals take more research because they are based on a real time, and I try to keep the anachronisms to a minimum. The paranormals are much more easy to research because I do much of the world building on my own, pausing to dip into various mythologies now and again if I need something special.

TRC: Is there any other genre you are interested in writing, or would you like to return to YA again?

Katie: The YAs where a blast to write, and I don’t think I’d have an issue tapping into my inner-sixteen-year-old again, but right now, my time is better spent writing adult books. That doesn’t mean I won’t go back to YAs someday—I just need the write story to tempt me into it.

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Katie: Right now I’m editing the first book in a new paranormal series. The book is very, very late due to my husband’s death this summer, and my publisher has been wonderful about letting me have extra time to get back into the swing of writing. Once I’m done with the editing on that, I’ll be diving into the sequel. And after that…I’m not sure if I’ll write a vampire book, a dragon book, or something else. That’s just too far ahead for my brain to consider.


LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Pizza. No, salt and vinegar chips. Wait…milk chocolate. Orange milk chocolate. Um. Homemade spaghetti. Crap. I can’t pick. There’s so many yummy things!

Favorite Movie: Right now my favorite movie is the Rifftraxed version of a truly horrendous movie called Birdemic. The guys at Rifftrax—they used to be Mystery Science Theater 3000—did a commentary track for Birdemic that literally made me cry I was laughing so hard. And when I watched it with some friends earlier this year, they loved it so much that now we randomly quote lines from it. I highly recommend the Rifftrax version, and will even gladly plug it: http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/birdemic

Favorite TV Show: Chopped. I love cooking competition shows, and Chopped makes me very happy because it stumps chefs with bizarre food combinations.

Favorite Author: Agatha Christie. You can’t go wrong with one of her books.

Last book that you read: The last book I finished was Eton: A Dame’s Story (yeah, I have odd taste). The books I’m reading right now include an 1871 bound volume of the Illustrated London News, Edward and Alexandra, A Short History of England, and the Visual Guide to Lock picking.

Favorite Character from books you have read: I’ve spent ten minutes trying to pin down just one character, and I every time I think I have one, I think of someone else. So I’m just going to go with a couple of my favorites because yes, I am that wishy-washy. In the romance world, one of my favorite characters is Adam from Roberta Gellis’s Fire Song. In the mystery world, I love Detective O’Yee from William Marshall’s Yellowthread Street series. In fantasy, gotta be Barry Hughart’s Number Ten Ox. And in children’s literature—the Lewis Carroll’s White Knight.

TRC: Thank you, Katie for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you again in the future.

Katie: Thanks so much for having me at The Reading Café! I much appreciate you including me.

If you would like to learn more about Katie, you can visit her at the following links:

Website: http://katiemacalister.com/
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:

 

Katie has graciously offered to give four members of The Reading Cafe a $25 gift certificate for her favorite shop, Loomingmoon on Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/loomingmoon. 

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hi to Katie.

4.  Giveaway open to U.S. & Canada Only

5.  Contest runs from October 14th – 17th.


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An Interview with Faith Hunter

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An Interview with Faith Hunter


The Reading Cafe is happy to have the fantastic Faith Hunter as our guest today.

Faith has just released Death’s Rival, her 5th book in her Jane Yellowrock series. Our review of Death’s Rival is just below this interview.

Faith is here to talk to us about Death’s Rival, and to tell us a bit about herself.

Let’s meet Faith.

 


TRC: Hi Faith.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book, it is a pleasure to have you here at The Reading Café.

Would you please tell us about yourself?

Faith:  Hi. Thanks for having me here.

Well, I’m a writer with several different pen names (all of them mine, BTW) and I write in a *lot* of different genres. As Faith, I have written post-apocalyptic urban fantasy (the Rogue Mage series) and am currently writing dark urban fantasy—the Jane Yellowrock series.  Lately I’ve been writing 2 books a year, but I am getting ready to slow down on that a bit and see if I have a life left!

When I’m not writing, I am caring for elder parents and in-laws, making jewelry, target shooting, gardening bit, and white water kayaking. My hubby and I like to RV to white water rivers and paddle. I missed most of the paddling season this past summer with those elder-care issues so I am really looking forward to some fall paddling!

TRC: When and how did you become interested in writing?  What is your writing process? Do you have a specific place and time you like to write?

Faith:  I fell in love with writing in high school and decided on writing as a career when my tenth grade teacher told me I had talent. I have a writing room painted a soothing shade of bluish-green, furnished with a lovely little glass-topped wooden desk, a PC, a gas log fireplace, a dual recliner, TV, whichever of my orchids are currently blooming, and most of my collection of skulls and bones.

TRC: How did you come up with the idea of the Jane Yellowrock series?

Faith:  Tea with Kim Harrison. Seriously. We were tired and brainstorming—mostly to remember what it felt like to be purely creative. And Jane was born. 🙂

TRC: Can you please explain the premise of your Jane Yellowrock series?  Also, how many books do you plan for this series?  Hopefully this continues for a long time to come.

Faith:  Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee Skinwalker who can shift into any similarly-massed, female animal, *if* she has sufficient DNA material. Jane is a hunter of rogue-vampires, and in Skinwalker—the first book in the series—she is hired by the Master of the City of New Orleans, Leo Pellissier, to find and dispatch a rogue-vamp who has turned on his own and started draining and eating vamps.

I am hoping for 10 to 15 books. And then spinoffs. Of course. LOL

TRC:  You just released your 5th book in the Jane Yellowrock series.  Please tell us a little about Death’s Rival.

Faith:  For Jane Yellowrock, having Leo Pellissier as a boss took some getting used to. But now, someone is out to take his place as Master Vampire of the city of New Orleans, and they’re not afraid to go through Jane to do it. After an attack that’s tantamount to a war declaration, Leo knows his rival is both powerful and vicious, but Leo’s not about to run scared. After all, he has Jane. But then, a plague strikes, one that takes down vampires but leaves humans untouched, but as carriers of the dread disease.

To uncover the identity of the vamp who wants Leo’s territory, and to find the cause of the vamp-plague, Jane will have to venture into the underbelly of vamp society, where rules were made to be broken. As she circles closer to the truth, she finds the answers to the secret that could turn every vampire in the U.S. true-dead…

TRC:  Your other series is the Rogue Mage.  Would you please tell those who have not read this series, the premise of Rogue Mage. 

Faith:  The end of the world came. The angels appeared and lifted swords of justice and billions of humans were judged and died in the first of the three great plagues. Then the demons appeared and brought the celestial war to Earth. The first generation of humans born after the “end of the end” were able to twist and work with left over creation energy to do something that looked a lot like magic. Afraid of what they didn’t understand, the remaining humans declared war on the teenaged mages and the seraphs put the magic users into gilded prisons called Enclaves.

Thorn St.Croix is a mage in hiding, the only of her kind living in secret among the humans. If the humans discover what she is, she will be tortured and killed. But when her ex-husband is kidnapped by the Dark, Thorn’s stepchild comes and begs her help. To keep the child happy, Thorn will brave both the Dark and the humans who hate her. But she has no idea what that decision will cost her or the world in which she lives. That’s the premise for book one – BloodRing – and the entire series.

TRC:  Many people are confused as to how to describe Urban Fantasy.  Since both of your series are Urban Fantasy, would you care to try and explain this genre?

Faith: For me it is three things:
1. Voice. The way the authorial voice (or narrative voice) sounds and feels is called voice and tone. All Urban Fantasy has a similar contemporary voice (though each writer is distinctive within this field) .
2. Setting. Modern, urban, technological, violent, and tough. A story where the bad guy (or the bad thing) gets what he/she/they deserve.
3. Character. One who is modern, urban, cool, and kick ass.

TRC:  What are you working on now?

Faith: Trying to finish Blood Trade. Sigh… And I am getting behinder and behinder. (rolls eyes)

Okay. Let’s talk all things Beastly.

TRC: Beast has her own Facebook page.  How has Beast handled her popularity?

Faith: Beast is . . . preening. And enjoying the invitations to hunt in the fan’s backyards. She believes that she fully deserves all the adulation and attention. Hey. She’s a cat. Know what I mean?

TRC: *frowns and looks toward the doorway…* ‘Was that a scream I just heard?’

Faith: Ummm. Yeah. It *is* okay that I brought Beast along on the interview, right? I mean she gets pretty ticked off when I leave her behind, and she’s been left behind a lot on this blog tour.

TRC:  *eyes wide open…stutters*  Welcome Beast, I hope you ate.  But I do have two rare steaks in the refrig.

 

Beast:  (sits slowly and stretches out, panting) Want to hunt cow. Or Bison. Do you have cow to hunt?

 

 

TRC: Uhhh. No. But since you are here. . . Beast, you have become a big star.  How do you feel about this?

Beast:  Beast is happy as long as hunting is good. But humans who offer belly rubs are good too. Rub my belly?  (Beast rolls over, exposing her belly. She yawns hugely, showing off killing teeth). Come on. Rub. (chuffs with laughter when human backs away.)

TRC:  Beast, since you are so close to Jane, can you tell us something we don’t know about her?

Beast: Jane has no secrets except from herself. She does not remember her past. She does not remember the evil she has done. But she will remember soon. (looks at Writer) Writer knows.

TRC:  What do you think about Jane’s Rick.  Do you approve?

Beast:  Want Rick as mate. Want Bruiser as mate. And Leo. Need strong mates. Jane is foolish kit. Wants only one mate. I do not understand this.

TRC: You do complain about Writer not taking you on trips. How did you arrange to come here?

Beast:  (chuffs with laughter) Writer did not see Beast hiding in back of essuvee. Beast is good hunter. Beast is good hider. Beast is good.

TRC: Beast is there anything you would like to tell your fans.

Beast:  Fans should send Beast deer to hunt. Beast likes deer. Also want to hunt elk. And bison. Cow would be good too but Writer will not let me hunt cow. Says cows belong to cattlemen. Writer is not fun.

TRC:  Faith, I read on your website that you enjoy target shooting.  Does this come in handy when you need to calm down either Jane or Beast?

Faith:  Mostly when I need to let off some steam. After a long week at the keyboard, I need a valve-release. If I don’t have time to go paddling, then a trip to the shooting range is in order. The Hubby hangs my man-shaped targets on the basement windows to scare off burglars. It seems to be working. 🙂

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Shrimp

Favorite Dessert: Italian wedding cake

Milk or Dark Chocolate: Dark

Favorite TV Show: NCIS with Covert Affairs as a rising second.

Last book that you read: I don’t remember the last one, but I am currently reading
Deb Harkness’ Shadow Of Night.

Who is your favorite fictional character (not your own): Harry Dresden.
Hands down. Love me some Harry!

Do you have pets? Oh yeah. We have two spoiled-rotten rescue dogs, Blonde Pomeranians named Tommy and Tuffy. Right now Tommy is asleep on the leather recliner—on a pillow, of course, for his royal comfort, and Tuffy is under my desk chair wedged between the wheels so I can’t shift *at all* without him knowing instantly.
Can you say separation anxiety?

TRC: Thank you, Faith & Beast for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you again in the future.

Faith: Thanks for having me here. It’s a good day. Come on Beast. Home. Beast! Stop chasing the nice people here. Stop that! They do not liking hiding under their desks. BEAST!

If you would like to know more about Faith Hunter, you can find her at the following links:

Website:http://www.faithhunter.net/wp/
Facebook
Twitter:
Goodreads:
Beast Facebook:
Jane Yellowrock Facebook:

Faith has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to win a copy of Death’s Rival.

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hi to Faith or Beast.

4.  Giveaway open to U.S. & Canada Only

5.  Contest runs from October 9th – 12th.

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An Interview with Jennifer Ashley

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An Interview with Jennifer Ashley

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome the fabulous Jennifer Ashley as our guest today.

Jennifer just released Mate Claimed, her newest book in her Shifters Unbound series.  We posted our review of Mate Claimed yesterday.   

Let’s begin our interview with Jennifer

 

 

Jennifer, we at the Reading Café would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. We are always looking forward to learning more about the author behind the book.

Jennifer: It’s great to be here. Thank you!

TRC:  We would like to start with some background information.  Would you please tell us about yourself?

Jennifer: I love to write. 🙂 I also like to travel and explore new places. I was lucky to grow up living in various places around the world. Then I married an army man, and went to more places around the world. While other wives seemed fearful of venturing off the US posts and bases, I jumped aboard trains to see where they’d take me. I haven’t been everywhere I want to go (I got busy, sadly), but I have been able to see many countries in Europe and Asia just by wandering through them. I strongly advise travelers to venture off the well-trod tourist paths (carefully in some areas, I realize). You see far more and learn much more about real life, history, and people when you wander.

I now live in the beautiful Sonoran desert of the Southwestern US and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

TRC:  When and how did you first become interested in writing?  What was your first book ever published?

Jennifer: The first book I ever got published was Perils of the Heart, a book I sold to Leisure / Dorchester. It was an obscure midlist book, but it did well enough to let me have another contract, and away we went.

I love Perils, a humorous high-seas adventure about a shy governess who gets caught in an evil pirate’s plans, and the handsome ship’s captain whom she’s sent to distract and seduce. Evangeline has no idea how to seduce a man, but she fears for her brother’s life if she doesn’t. Unfortunately, Captain Blackwell sees through her attempts and slaps her into the brig.

I had a lot of fun writing that book. I decided to stop trying to follow the romance “rules” and just go for it. And lo and behold, I finally got published (after six other romances that got nothing but rejections).

I have written stories all my life, since the tender age of eight, and fortunately was encouraged by my parents, teachers, and friends. Took a lot of hard work and figuring out how to write a “real” book and get it published by a New York publisher, but I finally did it.

TRC:  Besides Jennifer Ashley, you also write under the names of Ashley Gardner and Allyson James.  As Jennifer Ashley, you write Historical Romances/Paranormal; as Ashley Gardner, you write more Urban Fantasy/Paranormal; and as Allyson James, you have written more erotic series such as Tales of the Shareem and Stormwalker.  How do you keep each separate? What are the challenges in doing so?

Jennifer: It’s easy for me to keep each separate, because the characters and situations are unique to each one. When I’m in one world, I’m not thinking about any of the others. I can immerse myself.

The greatest challenge is getting everything done!

This year alone I’ve written four full-length novels, two half-length novels, and one novella, revised and released three backlist books, and I still have two half-length novels to write before the end of the year. And still readers tell me I don’t write fast enough!

TRC:  Which genre do you prefer to write and which is the most difficult?

Jennifer: I like all the genres I write (paranormal, historical, mystery, urban fantasy, erotic romance). Each gives me something new and different to explore, and keeps me fresh when I return to the other genres. I have always loved historicals—that’s what I originally set out to write, and those storylines come to me most easily.

Erotic romance is the most difficult to write. The stories need to be emotional, sensual, sexy . . . without becoming tedious, repetitive, or just plain stupid. Love scenes can cross the line from sensual to boring very quickly, and it’s a lot of work to make sure they don’t.

TRC:  What is your process in writing?  Any specific place you like to write or special times of the day/night?

Jennifer: I like to start the day writing while I’m eating breakfast at a bakery / coffee house. I can get a lot of writing done there for some reason. Then I return home and spend most of the day writing. I sit on my sofa with a laptop—writing at a desk hurts my back. Sometimes I’ll go out to another coffee house if I find myself getting too distracted by stuff going on at home. That’s about it. Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard, cushion at back. 🙂

TRC:  Can you please tell us the premise of Shifters Unbound series?

Jennifer: Shifters Unbound is about shapeshifters who have revealed themselves to the world, only to be rounded up and made to live in Shiftertowns, and wear Collars (half Fae magic, half technology) that spike pain into them if they turn violent. Humans believe they have Shifters tamed, but Shifters, who were dying out in the wild, are using their captivity to grow stronger.

Shifters are very family oriented, valuing mates and cubs above all else. The sexy male Shifters will do anything to protect their own.

TRC:  Mate Claimed is the latest book in that series, which was released the other day, October 2nd.  Can you please tell us a little about the story?  How many books do you plan for this series?

Jennifer: Eric Warden knows that half-Shifter wildcat Iona is passing for human, living without a Collar in the human world. He also knows that if she does not acknowledge her Shifter nature and her mating hunger, it could kill her.

Eric has a lot on his plate, though. Another Shiftertown has closed, and those Shifters are being stuffed into Eric’s town. The leader, an alpha Lupine called Graham, makes it clear he wants to take over. Eric needs Iona to help stop him.

Iona finds the mysterious and dangerous Eric, a wildcat and leader of his Shiftertown, haunting her dreams, but she vows never to take the Collar, fearing backlash against her mother and sister for hiding the fact that she’s Shifter. But Eric is a compelling Shifter male, and Iona’s hunger calls to him.


TRC:  Highland Pleasures is another one of your successful series. The Duke’s Perfect Wife came out in April, 2012, which we reviewed.  January, 2013 is the release date of the next book in the series, The Seduction of Elliot McBride.  For those who have not read about your wonderful Mackenzies, can you please tell us about this series?  Is there an end in sight?….Hopefully not anytime soon.

Jennifer: The Mackenzie brothers (and son / nephew) are a highly dysfunctional Scottish family in the Victorian age—they are decadent, rich, scandalous, talked about, and they don’t care.

The family is led by Hart Mackenzie (the duke of Duke’s Perfect Wife), followed by Cameron (a womanizer who owns and trains racehorses), Mac (an artist whose attachment to alcohol made his wife Isabella leave him), and Ian, the youngest, who spent time in an asylum. (Ian has Asperger’s Syndrome, though at the time there was no name for it.)

Then there’s Daniel, Cameron’s son, who’s a teenager during the first four books, but will grow up and have his own book next year. He’s an inventor, loving to tinker with his machines when he’s not seducing beautiful women. Then he meets a lady who turns all his assumptions upside down.

The McBrides (in The Seduction of Elliot McBride), are the brothers of Ainsley, the heroine of Cameron’s book.

Elliot McBride was captured and imprisoned for ten months while living in India, tortured and starved before he escaped. He’s now fighting PTSD (another condition not understood at the time), and has decided that buying his great-uncle’s rundown house in Scotland and marrying the woman he’s loved since childhood is the answer to his madness. Too bad the young lady (Juliana) is about to walk up the aisle to marry another man . . .

Elliot’s story is a spinoff, but I hope everyone likes it.

This Christmas, though, I plan to release a short novel, A Mackenzie Family Christmas, which I’ll be putting out on my own. This will be an Ian / Beth story, but all the Mackenzies will return, as well as some of the spinoff characters.

I’ll do at least another 3-4 full-length books, and 3-4 short novels / novellas.

TRC:  As Allyson James, you have a new Stormwalker book out (Nightwalker).  How many books do you plan for this series?  Also for Tales of Shareem, any new books coming out in that series?


Jennifer: Nightwalker is finally out, I am pleased to say. I plan several more books for this series, including shorter novels. The Tales of the Shareem will wrap up in one or two more books. I never say it’s over, though. If I have ideas, I’ll do more stories.

 

TRC:  As Ashley Gardner, you have just written your 8th book in the Captain Lacey Regency series, A Disappearance in Drury Lane.  Would you like to tell us the premise of this series, and how many books do you plan?

Jennifer: These are not lighthearted, frothy Regencies! 🙂 They show both sides of Regency London—the elegant ballrooms and the dirty backstreets.

Gabriel Lacey is a cavalry captain who’s come home from the Peninsular Wars and lives on half pay in London. His father, a landed gentlemen, lost most of his money before he died, so Lacey is poor and has only a rundown house in Norfolk to his name.

While walking through Hanover Square one day, he gets caught in a commotion and discovers a distraught father convinced that one of the respectable gentlemen in the square has abducted his daughter.

Lacey gets involved, and soon becomes entangled in a dark, underworld crime, complete with a crime boss, James Denis. With the help of his friend Lucius Grenville (a wealthy man-about-town) and a street girl (Black Nancy), Lacey solves the crime.

A romance arc develops in the series starting in Book 2. I am working on book 8, and plan at least a dozen. Ideas keep coming to me, darn it.

TRC:  What are you working on now?  Any new series on the horizon?

Jennifer: Working feverishly on all my series. There will be more of what I’m already doing, but I’d love to start something new. I’m hankering toward contemporary romance or an out-and-out suspense / thriller.

TRC:  Who is your Muse?

Jennifer: Anything beautiful. Musicians who can really play. Art. Great writing / storytelling. Miniatures. 🙂

TRC:  Your websites showcasing your miniature worlds is amazing.  How do you do these beautiful dollhouses?  How do you find the time to work on the miniature worlds with all of the book you write?

Jennifer: Thank you! I love minis. I’m nowhere near as good at it as the artisans out there, but I enjoy myself. I collect pieces, build from scratch or from kits, and just play.

How do I find time? Good question! I make the time. I find that working on minis, which means working with my hands, is a good way to take a brain break, work out a plot point, just step away from the keyboard for a while. No computers involved.

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

Jennifer: Thank you so much for taking time to interview me, and readers for taking time to read my books. You’re awesome!

 

LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD: Cheese.

FAVORITE DESSERT:  Butterscotch pudding

MILK OR DARK CHOCOLATE:  Dark!

FAVORITE BOOK: Oh. Um. Uh. I don’t know. I love too many!

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING: Two: The Bourne Identity and The Widow of Larkspur Inn (two very different books, I must say!)

FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER (NOT YOUR OWN): Eleanor Dashwood (from Sense & Sensibility)

FAVORITE MOVIE: Get Shorty (love me some Elmore Leonard)

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Right now: New Tricks (British series about retired cops working cold cases—funny but with depth)

TRC:  Thank you, Jennifer for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Mate Claimed.  We look forward to talking with you again in the future.

Jennifer: Thank you! I’ll do a giveaway 
TRC: See below for Giveaway instructions

If you would like to know more about Jennifer Ashley, or her other pen names, you can find her at the following links:

Website: http://www.jennifersromances.com/
Twitter:
Facebook: 
Goodreads:
Allyson James Website:  http://www.allysonjames.com/
Ashley James Website: http://www.gardnermysteries.com/

Jennifer has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to win a copy of Mate Claimed or another book of her series.

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say Hi to Jennifer.

4.  Giveaway open to U.S. & Canada Only

5.  Contest runs from October 5th – October 8th.

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An Interview with Joan Swan

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An Interview with Joan Swan


The Reading Cafe is happy to have the wonderful Joan Swan as our guest today.

Joan has just released Blaze, her second book in her Phoenix Rising series. We did an early review of Blaze yesterday. Joan is here to talk to us about Blaze, and to tell us a bit about herself.

Let’s meet Joan.

 

 

Joan, we at the Reading Café would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. 

Joan: Really appreciate you having me!

TRC: Please tell us about yourself

Joan:  Um, I’m kinda boring. 🙂 Just an average American girl. Born, raised, educated, living and working in California. Married over 22 years to a veteran firefighter. Two beautiful daughters, one in college, one in high school. Work as a sonographer at UCSF Medical Center and write the rest of the time. A few of my rare hobbies are swimming, walking, photography, horses, knitting, scrapbooking…

TRC: When and how did you first become interested in writing? 

Joan:  I started writing over a decade ago out of boredom and impatience. Before then, I’d been one of those voracious readers we authors love, and had finally devoured all the books I could find from my favorite authors. I did try branching out and found some new voices that I enjoyed, but more often, I found myself unwilling to settle. To keep myself distracted while I waited for one of my favorite authors to release something new, I started to play with the stories in my own head.

Once I started writing, I just kept writing. At first, it was just for fun. But before long I realized that writing allowed me to express myself in a way other creative outlets didn’t. That’s when I started taking my writing seriously and looked into the publishing process.

TRC: Was Fever your first book ever published? How did it feel to see your first book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble?

Click HERE for our review of FEVER

Joan:  The publishing process is a very long process and we are exposed to the book at every stage.  We see the cover many months before release. Then we get the cover jackets for promotion. Then the ARCs come. Then the actual book. THEN they’re on shelves. So by the time the book is actually available for purchase, I’ve seen the book so many times, read and revised and edited it so many times, that seeing it on the shelves is more relief than anything. 🙂

TRC:  Your Phoenix Rising Series began with Fever. Can you please tell us the premise of the series, and how you came up with the idea?

Joan:  A mysterious explosion at a military warehouse injures a team of seven hazmat firefighters, killing one.  The contents of the building, chemicals used by the Department of Defense, have inflicted the team with various paranormal abilities.  Abilities the government wants to study covertly.  Abilities the team wants to understand and expose.

Each book in the series focuses on different member(s) of the team and their struggle with the aftermath of the explosion. And as the group delves deeper into the incident and uncover pieces of the puzzle, their personal issues are complicated by a powerful enemy trying to keep its secrets.

The idea for the series developed incrementally. FEVER was originally written as a straight romantic suspense, but because RS sales had slowed considerably in the market at that time, I added a paranormal element to the story, and it sold.

TRC: Blaze is the second book the Phoenix Rising series, which was released today.   Can you give a brief description of this story.

Click HERE for our review of BLAZE

Joan: In FEVER we uncover the surface of a conspiracy, we see the strength of the enemy and discover who is being manipulated and why. We learn of the first member of the team adversely affected, his struggle to overcome and outsmart the bad guys and his discovery of love in the most unusual place during that process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In BLAZE we peel back the next layer, and discover the extensive and bold moves this enemy will take to keep its secrets from exposure.  My hero and heroine in BLAZE are members of the original firefighting team. In love and involved at the time of the explosion, the after affects tore them apart.  In this book, they’re brought back together to face a formidable enemy who they discover has taken far more from them than ever realized.

TRC:  How many books are planned for the Phoenix Rising series?

Joan:  I’ve agreed to continue the series with Kensington through book 4. Book 3, RUSH, releases October 2013 and Book 4, untitled, releases April 2014. I can currently envision 7 full novels in the series and 2 novellas.  Though, new and intriguing characters keep cropping up…so…

TRC: Intimate Enemies, which you recently released, is a different story.  Can you tell us about the premise of this story, and is this a standalone book.

Click HERE for our review of INTIMATE ENEMIES

Joan:  Yes, INTIMATE ENEMIES is a straight romantic suspense. The manuscript finalled in the RWA Golden Heart twice, but still needed to be rewritten to match up to my current writing abilities. The rewrite made the story deeper and the characters richer.

INTIMATE ENEMIES is the story of a woman whose family was killed in a mysterious yacht explosion off the coast of Mexico. When no cause is found, she takes on the investigation only to be hindered by a man she’d once believed she could trust.  Even while the two grow close, physically and emotionally, they continue to pursue opposite goals and their individual secrets threaten to kill them both.

This is the first in a new series—the Covert Affairs series.  So there will be many more tense undercover ops and sexy heroes and tough heroines to come in this series.

TRC:  You like to write Romantic Suspense.  But you mention that you like to dabble in Paranormal.  Do you have any desire to write a paranormal series?

Joan:  Actually, I do. I currently have a long paranormal proposal with my agent, the first of a new series and I hope to have good news about that series soon!

TRC:  What are you working on now?

Joan:  I’m finishing up Book 3 in the Phoenix Rising series, RUSH. This is Quaid and Jessica’s book, a heart-wrenching, action packed, twisting suspense novel.  This book has a deep and moving emotional current running within, and I adore the characters and the changing landscape of the government conspiracy plot.

TRC:  Who is your Muse?

Joan:  No muse. I believe if you show up, the words will come.

TRC:  You work at a busy Medical Center, which you say is intense and helps give you ideas.  How do you manage to write, work, and take care of your family?  

Joan:  I don’t clean, cook, have any hobbies or get to the gym. 

Just kidding…sort of.

If I were honest, I’d tell you I’m pretty imbalanced in comparison to your average person. Then again, I’m of the belief that one works hard for what one wants, that one reaps what one sows, and that great progress takes great sacrifice.  I could also tell you I’m a little…neurotic…sometimes.

My daughters are older, 16 and 20, and I don’t have to take care of them in that draining toddler way anymore. But, honestly, their issues just change (and get bigger), the girls don’t get any easier to raise. 🙂 

My husband is also a huge help. He is a career firefighter, and amazing at helping around the house and pitching in with the girls. Plus, he’s super easy going, so when I don’t get to the house or the laundry or the grocery shopping…he doesn’t fuss. (He could also be scared of me, but it sounds so much better the other way).  But, um, I really don’t cook.


LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD: Fruit or chocolate…hard decision.

FAVORITE DESSERT: Fruit or chocolate…hard decision  🙂

MILK OR DARK CHOCOLATE: Milk…dark makes me pucker.

FAVORITE AUTHOR: I’m going to have to invoke my author’s 5th amendment here.

FAVORITE BOOK: And, yep, going to have to invoke my author’s 6th amendment here.

FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER (not your own): Dexter…you know, the cartoon Dexter? The child-chemist who saves the world and has the sister Didi. “Oooo, what does this button do?”

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW: In the Cold Light of Day

TRC: Thank you, Joan for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Blaze.  Keep us informed about your upcoming releases. We look forward to working with you again.

Joan:  Thanks so much for having me!

If you would like to learn more about Joan, you can visit her at the following links:

Website: http://joanswan.com/
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:
Pinterest:

 

                                Joan has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to win a copy of Blaze.

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say Hi to Joan.

4.  Giveaway open to U.S. & Canada Only

5.  Contest runs from September 25th – 27th.

 

Joan Swan’s BLAZE Blog Tour Schedule

Tour runs from September 17 – October 6

 September 17 – Grave Tells – http://gravetells.com/

September 18 – Book Reader Addicts – http://bookreaderaddictsgiveaways.blogspot.com/

September 19 – Pearl’s World of Romance – http://pearlsworldofromance.wordpress.com/

September 20 – Under The Covers – http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.ca

September 21 – Reading Between The Wines –             http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/

September 22 – Riverina Romantics  – http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/

September 23 – Reading on The Wild Side – http://readingonthewildside.blogspot.com/

September 24 – United By Books – http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/

September 25 – My Keeper Shelf – http://mykeepershelf.blogspot.com/

September 25 – The Reading Café  – http://thereadingcafe.com/

September 26 – Ramblings From This Chick – http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/

September 27 – I Smell Sheep – http://www.ismellsheep.com/

September 28 – Paranormal Haven – http://www.paranormalhaven.com/

September 29 – Just Romantic Suspense – http://www.justromanticsuspense.com/

September 30 – Just Romantic Suspense – http://www.justromanticsuspense.com/

October 1 – Close Encounters With The Night Kind – http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/

October 2 – Book Monster Reviews / Literal Addiction –

            Book Monster – http://bookmonsterreviews.blogspot.com/

            Literal Addiction – http://www.literaladdiction.com/

October 3 – Books-n-Kisses – http://www.books-n-kisses.com/

October 4 – Readers Confession – http://www.readersconfession.com/

October 5 – Book Lovin’ Mamas – http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com//

October 6 – Cocktails & Books – http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/

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An Interview with Christi Barth

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An Interview with Christi Barth

The Reading Cafe welcomes Christi Barth to our site today. Christi has just released her first book in her new Aisle Bound Trilogy series..Planning for Love.

Let’s meet Christi.

 

Hi Christi.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: Will you please tell us about yourself?

Christi: I earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew me to wedding planning.  Ultimately, I succumbed to a lifelong love of books and now write contemporary romance. 

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing?

Christi: I’ve always wanted to be an author.  As a bookworm and a speedreader, I’ve had a deep and undying love for writing forever.  Rumor has it I started reading at age 2!  Of course, I also wanted to be a princess, just for the pretty clothes and tiaras.  The chances of either career goal coming to pass looked slim.  However, I first realized that I actually could be a writer five years ago, when I completed my first book (which I sold!).  Having a complete manuscript under my belt made it real.

TRC: Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Christi: I guess as a romance author I shouldn’t admit this, but love scenes are brutal to craft.  You can only say he stroked such and such body part so many times, so many ways.  The actual writing becomes very clinical and leaches all the sexiness out of it for me.  I can grit my teeth through makeout scenes, but when it comes to full blown sex, my requirements are a single white Russian (nope, no other drink will do) and Pink Martini on the cd player.

TRC:  What was the first book you published?  Can you please describe your reactions when you saw your book published?

Christi: Carolina Heat:  An undercover journalist finds steamy passion, mortal danger…and the love of her life.  A missing best friend escalates into a mystery with ties all the way back to the Civil War.  My reaction on actually seeing it for sale filled me with joy. Sheer, unadulterated joy. With a large dollop of pride.

TRC: Planning for Love is the first book in your Aisle Bound Trilogy. What was the catalyst that influenced this particular series?

Christi: For once, I’ve got a great answer to this question!  I used to be a wedding planner.  9 out of 10 people who learned this would say you should write a book!  Then they’d launch into elaborate eye winks about bridezillas, and mother of the bride horror stories. 

Except, in my experience, 90% of weddings are wonderful.  They are a celebration of friends and family and enduring love.  Most people do pull it together and behave like grown-ups.  So I didn’t want to write a scathing tell-all.  But a series that focuses on the wedding industry, showcasing people who spend every day creating the perfect happily ever after?  That felt like a good place to start.  And maybe a few crazy hijinks did slip into my manuscript.  It is a comedy, after all!

TRC: Would you please tell us the premise behind Planning for Love? 

Christi: Hopeless romantic Ivy Rhodes and anti-Cupid Bennett Westcott request the pleasure of your company for their disaster of a courtship

Wedding planner Ivy Rhodes is the best in the business, and she’s not about to let a personal problem stop her from getting ahead. So when she’s asked to star in the reality TV show Planning for Love, it doesn’t matter that the show’s videographer happens to be a recent—and heartbreaking—one-night stand.

Bennett Westcott admits he didn’t handle his encounter with Ivy very well. But looking at her beautiful smile—and great body—through a camera lens every day? He can’t be faulted for suggesting they have some no-strings fun.

The more time they spend together, the more Ben realizes Ivy isn’t the wedding-crazed bridezilla he’d imagined. But if he doesn’t trust himself to make a relationship last, how can he convince Ivy to give him another chance?

TRC:  You write contemporary romance, have you ever thought about writing in another genre, such as YA?

Christi: Nope. For me it is all about the happily ever after.  Love makes the world go round.  You name the sappy romantic cliché, and I’ll agree with it.  Romance makes people happy and fills them with hope and joy.  What could possibly be better?

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Christi:  I am knee-deep in book 3 of the Aisle Bound series, Friends to Lovers. It follows Daphne the florist and Gib the British lothario as they journey from—well, friends to lovers! Just finished writing their aphrodisiac dinner that works far better than either of them expected.  Also, please keep an eye out in December for my novella Ask Her At Christmas, in the anthology Romancing the Holiday, also featuring stories by Jaci Burton and Helen Kay Dimon. It, too, is set in Chicago, with a cameo appearance from the hotel where Ivy & Ben have their one torrid night. 

TRC: What is your writing process?  Do you like to write at specific times, in a special place?

Christi: After years as an actress, my creative juices kick into high gear after 6 pm.  I do my plotting during the day – well, whenever the ideas strike, which is often either when I’m at the gym or the symphony, oddly enough.  But the bulk of my writing takes place between sunset and midnight.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas with family and friends.  With whom do you bounce ideas?

Christi: My local chapter of the Romance Writers of America is full to bursting of talented authors.  Lucky for me, some of them are my critique partners. We are all 110% both supportive and blunt with each other, which is invaluable. My number one advice to new writers, in fact, is to be sure you find a critique group.  One person isn’t enough – you definitely need a group.

TRC: What books, authors or people in your life have influenced your writing?

Christi: Not only am I a bookworm, but I’m also a speed reader.  I spent about twenty years going through a minimum of 7-8 books a week (that number has diminished now that I spend my evenings writing).  With that many books under my belt, it is hard to point to just one or two.  Every single book I’ve ever read influences my writing – whether it is learning the good, or recognizing the bad.  I can tell you the first full blown adult romance I read (hiding in a closet) was Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss – classic!  And Nora Roberts is my idol.  Can’t gush enough about her.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Christi: Find Me Here

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Pasta. Could eat it for days in shockingly large quantities.

Favorite Dessert: Cherries Jubilee – both delicious, and has the excitement of a show when they light it on fire.

Favorite Author: Nora Roberts.  Hands down.  I just finished her latest hardcover, The Witness, and it was like a master class in how to write romantic suspense.  So brilliant and entertaining.

Favorite Novel: Whichever one I am currently reading (hey, I’m a bookworm.  No way could I choose just one!).  Right now I’m reading The Good Girl’s Guide To Getting Lost for my book club and Chase Me as the book that glues me to the elliptical machine – so those are my favorites for today.

Favorite Movie: White Christmas. I’m a sap for Christmas, musicals and snow, so this covers all of them!

Favorite TV Show: Three way tie on this one:  Greys Anatomy, Big Bang Theory & Mad Men

Last Movie that you saw: Ted. Laughed until I practically hyperventilated.

Thank you Christi, for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Planning for Love.  Keep us informed about any new books or series that you have planned.

Christi has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to win an e-copy of Planning for Love.  

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hello to Christi.

4.  Giveaway open Internationally.

5.  Contests runs from September 9th – 11th.

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An Interview with Dianna Love

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An Interview with Dianna Love

 

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Dianna Love as our guest today.

Dianna has a new release upcoming on September 18th, and we were thrilled to be able to offer an early review of The Curse, which we reviewed yesterday.

Let’s begin our interview with Dianna

 


TRC: Hi Dianna.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book. 

Dianna: Thanks for asking me, Barb. I’m thrilled to be at The Reading Café today.

TRC: Would you please tell us about yourself?

Dianna: I live in the Atlanta, GA area with my husband. He’s a long distance motorcycle rider and motorcycle safety instructor. I’ve been a two-wheel enthusiast for many years myself and currently ride a BMW F 650 GS when I can get out of the writing cave for a break.  My other passion is saltwater fishing.  I grew up in Tampa, FL where I fished most nights after school with my dad to feed our household of seven. I prefer to stay busy even on my time off. My husband says I’m like a shark in that I need to always be in motion – except when I write or read.

TRC: On your website, you say you never envisioned yourself as a writer. What changed to start your journey into writing?

Dianna: I guess what really put me on this path was the challenge of writing a book. It’s daunting, especially for someone who had no creative writing training. At the time, I felt very blessed to enjoy a good level of success as an artist, but after all the work and projects I’d done in that field I no longer felt a sense of challenge, and I thrive on tackling something difficult that I’m passionate about. Art will always hold a special place in my heart, but writing is here to stay as well.

TRC: We also read that prior to deciding to give writing a shot, you were an artist.  Can you tell us a little bit about what you did, and why did you stop?

Dianna: I didn’t start out life as a writer, but as an artist and spent most of my life from age seventeen climbing over a hundred feet in the air to paint large murals.  My specialty was photo-realistic portraits, but then I expanded the business to create giant three-dimensional outdoor products for a select group of Fortune-500 companies.  Because I was working so high in the air, I spent a lot of time alone and made up stories in my head as entertainment during the day.  When the business grew and I started spending more time on the ground, I sat down to write one of those stories and got bitten by the writing bug.  I won’t commit to anything I’m not passionate about, but I fell in love with creating stories.  That started in 2001, and I sold that first book, which won a RITA®.

TRC: Many writers bounce ideas and information with either a family member, a Friend, or another writer.  Who inspires you?  Do you have a muse?

Dianna: No one person inspires me, but everything around me triggers my imagination.  I rarely go for a meal or meet someone that an idea doesn’t pop up for a character or a story.  I have a file drawer I throw notes in that are written on everything from napkins (cloth and paper) to paper sacks.  If something hits me, I write it down, no matter how obscure the idea seems. Later on, I’ll read one of those notes and it’s like finding a gold nugget in a mud hole.  With a little attention, that nugget might blossom into something special.

TRC: Was Worth Every Risk your first published book?  You won the RITA award for that book.

Dianna: Yes, that was the first book I wrote and the first one I sold.  I was very flattered to win a Rita® with my first book.  It was originally a single-title-length story, but Harlequin asked for it, so I cut it down to category length for them.  Now, I’m revising it into the original full single-title novel again, and that will come out in February as LAST CHANCE TO RUN.

TRC: You met Sherrilyn Kenyon at a writers conference.  How did the two of you decide to write a book together? 

Dianna: It happened about 2:00 AM one morning in the middle of a tour.  I don’t remember the city now, but we’d just gotten in from a late signing and were trying to unwind quickly so we could grab a couple hours sleep and be ready in time to head out by 6:00 AM.  We started talking about each series she had going and got around to the BAD agency.  She wanted to give it the darker, edgier feel of a thriller so I immediately started brainstorming something off the cuff.  The next thing I know she suggested we write it together. This is where the cartoon dialogue cloud above my head read, ‘Let me think about this…collaborate with a #1 NYT bestselling author?’.  My answer?  Let me put it this way – my mamma drowned the dumb kids. 🙂 But that was the extent of our planning how we’d do it.  Later that day, we started writing on the first book.

TRC: I have always wondered how two authors can work together on the same novel.  Can you please tell us how you and Sherrilyn work to create the storyline, and to write it?  How does it work?

Dianna: Sherrilyn and I are similar in some ways and different in other ways.  She’s been writing since she picked up crayons, but I didn’t start writing until 2001.  Sherri goes to bed at 4:00 am and I get up at 4:00 am. She’s a seat-of-the-pants writer and I tend to plot out complex story threads. We don’t take separate chapters or characters to write.  I like to write the opening of the story, but once we get rolling we’ll hand off the book in the middle of a scene. We both read each other’s words and edit at will.  From the beginning, we had one common goal – the story came first.  Splitting up characters and/or scenes disrupts the author voice, in my opinion.  I’ve read stories written that way and it’s easy to pick up who wrote what because I got pulled out of the story.  I’ve also read stories written the way we write and find myself immersed on the journey, so that works for us. 

TRC: B.A.D. was the first series you co-authored with Sherrilynn.  What is the premise behind this series, and will the series continue?

Dianna: The premise is that B.A.D. is a shadow agency that supports national security by being able to cross any border and launch operations at a moment’s notice without wading through red tape.  Conversely, there’s an international organization similar to the Illuminati that is called Fratelli de il Sovrano, who are an ancient order determined to bring the world back under control.  Their control.  To reach that goal, they’re willing to sacrifice any nation, the US being at the top of that list.  We have the next book in the series in the works and hope to bring it out in 2013.

TRC: The Beladors is your latest urban fantasy series.  How did you come up with the idea for this series, and can you tell us a bit about your latest release The Curse, which is to be released September 18th.

Dianna: Back in 2006, I started thinking about these mythological gods and goddesses, wondering what would happen if a deity from one mythology had a conflict with a god or goddess from another mythology.  In the first novella, then the first book, that happens when warriors of the Celtic goddess Macha have a throwdown with a Hindu warrior who belongs to the god Shiva.  Beladors are Macha’s warriors, and at one time, they were deadly warmongers.  Macha destroyed many of them and laid down the law to the rest. Now each Belador warrior lives by an oath—a code of honor—that if broken, could destroy the warrior’s entire family, spouse and children.  As an Alterant - part Belador and part unknown – in this world, Evalle is an outcast who is accepted by only a few.  She suffered a terrible attack as a teen and is vigilant about maintaining her control or she’ll shift into a beast that is one of the most deadly creatures around...but there’s a sexy Skinwalker named Storm….and that hasn’t stopped him yet from pushing her buttons. *grin*

Links to pre-order The Curse:
Amazon:
Barnes & Noble:

TRC: How many books are planned for the Beladors.  Will Evalle ever have her HEA?

Dianna: We don’t have a set number of books at this time, but we do know there will be several major series arcs, the first of which will be in the fourth book coming out in 2013.  I can’t tell you about Evalle without giving away spoilers, but I will say as a romance reader myself that I’m dying for you to read The Curse and the 2013 book because of Evalle and Storm.  How’s that for a non-answer? 🙂

TRC: What are you currently working on? Any thoughts of a new series?

Dianna: I’m excited about my new Slye Temp romantic thriller series.  I wrote several books in this series years ago, but before I could take it out I made the commitment to collaborate with Sherrilyn.  Now that we have a flow going to handle the work load on the collaborations, I’m ready to expand.  LAST CHANCE TO RUN—the one I mentioned earlier as the first one I wrote—is actually a prequel to this series. It was originally published as WORTH EVERY RISK, but I’m taking it back to a full-length novel to set the tone for the Slye Temp series. Prominent characters in LAST CHANCE TO RUN return  in the first Slye Temp book – NOWHERE SAFE. I   love this series and am having a blast working on the Slye Temp team again.

 

 

 

 

 

 


TRC: Do you have any advice for new authors?

Dianna: Don’t let anyone tell you there is only one way to write, because the only rule you must follow is:  Write the best book you can every time.  If you’re new to writing, don’t be surprised if book three is when it all starts to click.  I did sell the first book I wrote and it did win a RITA® that I’m very proud of, but I recently got the rights back and am enjoying going back through to revise.  I’ve learned SO much since then.  Revise and get ‘beta’ reads (not your friends and family) before you put your work out there.  You’ll be judged on that first page and that first scene – make sure they both rock.  Last – writing is hard.  Only the dedicated become career authors.  You have to write when you don’t want to and when everything you put down sounds like garbage.  I promise you when you go back to read later, you’ll be surprised that some of it is better than you thought and you’ll fix the garbage.  I wish you all the best of luck in this business and will cheer your success!

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Dianna: Yes, I’d like to invite readers to visit www.KeeperKase.com where I and other authors are giving away signed cover cards of books.  I created this program specifically for E-fans who no longer have something to put on their keeper shelves, but all readers are welcome to collect these cards.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Anything my husband cooks, which is all wonderful (marry a man who cooks!)

Favorite Dessert: Homemade banana pudding

Milk or Dark Chocolate: DARK!!! 🙂

Favorite Author: Besides Sherrilyn Kenyon? <g> I have many favorites, but I give credit to Alexander Thom for reigniting my passion for reading after a hiatus when he wrote From Sea to Shining Sea.  Brilliant.

Last book that you read: Hank Phillippi Ryan’s new thriller – The Other Woman (excellent)

Favorite Movie: I love action movies like the A-Team and Star Trek, but I also enjoy clever story telling in more subtle movies like Lars and the Real Girl.

Favorite TV Show: That’s hard – Amazing Race and Burn Notice

TRC: Thank you, Dianna for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you in the future.

Dianna:You’re more than welcome!  I’ve enjoyed it, and I love interacting with readers.  It’s my favorite part of being an author. You are all welcome to visit my website where I update the news items every week, and there’s always something going on, including contests and scavenger hunts, at my Dianna Love Fan page on Facebook.

If you would like to find out more about Dianna, you can visit her at the following sites:

Website: http://www.authordiannalove.com/
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:

Dianna has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to win a signed copy of The Curse and a Keeper Kase*™ loaded with a special selection of Keeper Kase*™ *Cards.  

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hello to Dianna.

4.  Giveaway open U.S. & Canada Only

5.  Contests runs from September 7th – 10th.

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Interview & Giveaway with Shana Abe

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Interview & Giveaway with Shana Abe

 

 

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome the wonderful Shana Abe as our guest today. Shana has her long awaited release of The Sweetest Dark upcoming in early 2013, and she is here today to answer our questions, as well as tell us about her books.

Let’s begin our interview with Shana.

 

 

 

TRC: Please tell us about yourself?

Shana:I’m a rowdy rebel girl trapped in a grown-up’s body, with constantly changing,
multi-colored hair (right now it’s brown, white, and blue) and a great, great appreciation
for how wonderful my life really is. Plus, I have a really cute boyfriend. 🙂

TRC: You are an animal lover…you have a dog and five rabbits. Interesting combination..how do they get along?

Shana: They get along very well, because the dog is sweet and smart and knows to stay away from the bunnies. The bunnies, however, are wildly ferocious and always plotting ways to overtake the world...or at least my house. 😉

Rabbits are insanely territorial. You can’t mix them, so they live in separate areas,every one of them a mini despot. That’s the way they like it.
(They’re all rescues, most with horrific and/or tragic back stories, so it’s
nice to let them rule their own realms now. I’ve been rescuing rabbits for
over twenty years. It’s always an adventure.)

TRC: When and how did you become interested in writing?  Have you always liked to write?

Shana: Like many authors, I’ve been writing since I was able to piece together
the alphabet, mostly short stories and poems and once—quite ambitiously for a seven-year-old!—a play. But it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I thought I might like to write novels. I wrote my first one at seventeen.

It was very, very bad. So I stopped for a while, did some other things for a few years, then realized that I really wanted to write.Because I hated my office job, LOL. I’ve been so lucky. If I’d known more about the industry before I submittedmy first book to my first agent, I might have been too intimidated to even try.

Thank God for ignorance!

TRC: Would you please tell us your process in writing your books?

Shana: I make it up as I go. I’m not trying to be flip: I really do. Some writers create these amazingly detailed outlines, but I can’t. I get bored with outlines,and I don’t like being confined by rules or even ideas. I typically have a vague notion of how I want the story to go, but that’s about it. I never know what’s going to happen next when I write. It’s one of the aspects I love most about the process. That, and falling in love with my characters, even the villains.

You gotta love them all.

TRC:  When you published Smoke Thief to start your Drákon series, did you know how far you wanted to go in this series?

Shana: I had no clue! (See my answer above about making things up as I go,LOL!)
THE SMOKE THIEF came to me as a stand-alone story.By the end of it, I had an inkling for the plot of its first sequel,THE DREAM THIEF—mostly because of Zane. Even as a child hewas just so compelling, I knew he needed his own story. And then it just kept going. I was as surprised as anyone else.

 

TRC: A number of our readers, who also follow the Drákon Series have some questions, if you can answer them.

·    Will we ever see again, or know where Christoff, and Rue have disappeared?

Shana: Yes! Rue and Christoff have what I would call an historical role in my new book, THE SWEETEST DARK. They’re not the main characters,but they are mentioned. I don’t mean to be coy about it; I just don’t want to give away too much because it’s part of the plot of this new story. (Also, I’m thinking they still might get an entirely new book of their own,  but I’m not sure about that yet. However, I want to assure everyone, that I do know what happened to them, where they went and why.) In fact, the back cover blurb for THE SWEETEST DARK is an excerpt from a letter in Rue’s voice.

·     In the last installment The Time Weaver, Amalia had visions of her own brother (Kimber) murdering members of a rival Drákon tribe. Are we to believe that Kimber is power hungry like the other council members, or will he be more like his peaceful father? 

Shana: Kimber’s not power hungry, per se. But he’s definitely ruthless whenhe needs to be. He perceives the rival tribe as a direct threat to his own,and most specifically one member of that tribe (who does end up beingpretty evil, as you’ll recall). So it’s more a matter of he’s going to do what he must to ensure the survival of his own family and his species. He doesn’t want to kill. But he will if he feels he must. It’s part of both the honor and the burden of being the Alpha: he must be strong enough to protect the tribe,  and he must make the unsavory choices no one else will make.

·  Will we ever see this family reunite, and live out their lives without fear of capture, imprisonment, possible death etc…by the council members whom rule the Drákon. Will Amalia be forced to continue living a life of exile, or will she someday be allowed to live in peace with her human husband Zane?

Shana: Wow. Um….

Anything is possible. I can absolutely envision a time and place where the entire family would reunite. The truth is, I sort of like Amalia and Zane in exile, because they get to live in such cool places, LOL. If and when Rue and Kit show back up, they’ll have a huge secret to reveal (again, I’m not trying to be coy; you get a big hint of it in THE SWEETEST DARK).

Those were all awesome questions!

TRC:  Tell us a little about The Sweetest Dark.  Do you consider this a continuation of the Drákon series, or if this will be the start of a new series focusing on Lora?

Shana: It’s both, actually. I’d say it’s the beginning of a new stand-alone series,but also one that dovetails into the Drákon Series in a subtle sort of way.It’s not necessary to have read any of the previous books to understand  the new series. Everything’s fresh, including the characters and the setting.

It’s the story of Eleanore Jones, an impoverished orphan living in 1915 London. She’s always felt different from the rest of the people she’s known; she hears songs no one else hears, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with what can only be described as a dangerous voice inside of her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

Lora has no idea she’s one of the last of the drákon. As World War I begins to take its toll and London’s children are evacuated from the city, she’s shocked to discover she’s been selected as the new charity student to the elite Iverson School for Girls on the southern coast.

Iverson was great to write about—an eerie, gothic castle with ghosts and secret tunnels and mean girls and not one but two extraordinary boys nearby who are suddenly, acutely interested in Lora.

Jesse’s the school groundskeeper: beautiful, mute, and aware at once of who and what Lora is. 

Armand is the elegant aristocrat who can’t figure out why he’s drawn to thisstrange new girl, but can’t deny that he is, deeply so.

But there’s still a war going on, and peril is never that far way. Lora’s going to discover she needs to embrace her powers at last, or risk losing everything (and everyone) she loves.

TRC:  Do you have any thoughts of a new series in a different genre?

Shana: I do! It’s bubbling at the back of my mind. I can’t indulge in it just yet, though. I’ve got to finish Eleanore’s series.

TRC:  Who is your favorite Female Character in your books?

Shana: Oh, lord. I have no idea. They’re all amazing to me. Rue for herdesperation and originality; Lia for her cleverness and kind heart. Avalon, from THE TRUELOVE BRIDE, who was my first brilliant, deeply magical heroine.  Eleanore too, because she’s pretty much me when I was sixteen, both awkward and confident, someone who is trying hard to figure out not only the hidden mysteries of herself but also the vagaries of the real world.

TRC:  We know you love to read...who are your favorite authors you enjoy reading?

Shana: I know it sounds geeky, but I’ve always loved Shakespeare. (I even majored in drama in collage, I love theatre so much.) Loved the Harry Potter series. Really liked The Hunger Games. But it seems I’m always on deadline; I haven’t read for pleasure in so long, it’s disgraceful. There are so many wonderful authors out there.

TRC:  Who is your muse?

Shana: I don’t know! It’s not a person or a thing. Maybe it’s more a state of being.  Of relaxing, letting go. Allowing the creativity to come without judgment.  That can be incredibly difficult.

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

Shana: Just that I’m so happy to be doing this interview, and I mean it. I’m so, so grateful that you all are reading this, and that you care about the stories. I love what I do and hope I get to keep doing it, and that certainly won’t happen without you all. So thank you!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: My mom’s spaghetti and meatballs. But I’m a vegetarian now, so that doesn’t happen much anymore.

Favorite Book (not your own): WATERSHIP DOWN. (Not because it’s about rabbits! Anyway, it’s not really about rabbits,  but rather the human condition.)

Favorite character (male & female) not written by you: I love pretty much all of Barbara O’Neal’s heroines, and all of Laura Kinsale’s heroes.

Favorite Movie: Serenity

Favorite TV Show: Hmm. I don’t really have just one: The Mentalist (Simon Baker!), Hawaii Five-0 (hot guys! great scenery! bad acting!), 30 Rock (Tina Fey!); not necessarily in that order.

Last Movie that you saw: Toy Story 3 on cable. I don’t get out much!

TRC: Thank you, Shana for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and for you to come back to visit us when the Sweetest Dark is released in early 2013.

Shana: Thank you so much! I had a wonderful time answering your questions! 🙂

If you want to learn more about Shana, you can visit her at the following links:

Website: http://shanaabe.com/index.shtml
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ShanaAbe?v=wall
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15987.Shana_Ab_

 

 

 

Shana has graciously offered to give three members of The Reading Café a chance to win a copy of one of her Backlist books.   

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment on the interview post and say hello to Shana.

4.  Giveaway open U.S. Only

5.  Contests runs from August 30th – September 3rd.

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