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Tap Rack Bang (Ben Blackshaw #3) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Interview

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TAP RACK BANG (Ben Blackshaw #3) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Interview

Tap Rack Bang

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

RELEASE DATE: September 4, 2014

Former Navy Seal Ben Blackshaw lurks in solitude aboard the shoaled wreck of the American Mariner in the Chesapeake Bay. He is awakened one stormy spring night when a drifting dinghy slams into the old ship’s hull. Blackshaw investigates, and discovers there is only one occupant in the sinking boat, a naked young woman lying unconscious in the bilge.

Against his better judgment, and risking his own undercover operation, Blackshaw gives shelter to Tally, the terrified refugee. He soon learns Tally has escaped a calculating crew of sociopaths who are about to launch an internet site called L’Abattoir, on which hostages will be tortured, and then executed. Tally was able to free herself, but she now she must return to the dreaded dungeon with help to rescue her little sister, and to free twenty other victims-in-waiting.

••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: TAP RACK BANG is the third installment in Robert Blake Whitehill’s contemporary, adult Ben Blackshaw mystery, suspense series focusing on former Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw. Although this is the third storyline in the series it can be read as a stand alone without too much difficulty but saying that there is plenty of previous storyline scenarios referred to and discussed, some of which are important to the current timeline. A former nemesis will be front and center in TAP RACK BANG-I only wish I had more information about their previous encounters.

The story follows Ben Blackshaw, a former Navy SEAL who has been in hiding, presumed dead, and now must come out of seclusion to aid a young woman, an escapee, known as Tally whose story of abduction and torture seems too hard to believe. An internet site known as L’Abattoir (French for slaughterhouse) is set to launch, and Tally and her fellow kidnapped detainees are scheduled as the night’s main event.

Ben Blackshaw is a man possessed. He is the hero whose soul is stained with the blood of many. A man whose history is dark but for the number of lives he has saved and secured. When Ben’s wife goes missing, he will do everything possible to ensure her safe return.

Robert Blake Whitehill pulls the reader into a storyline of action, suspense, mystery and drama. There are moments of murderous rage and gluttonous ego wrapped in an abhorrent scenario of human trafficking and sexual perversion. From the elite of society to the political who’s who, the audience of deviant watchers must pay the price for their horrendous and alarming voyeuristic proclivities. The victims are the nameless; the homeless; and the poor; with no one waiting for their return.

The storyline is slow to build as our ‘hero’ must ferret out the people, the places and the information needed to attempt a rescue and take down. The secondary characters are numerous, colorful and complex; from the nemesis, the sidekick, the mentor and the fool, each character will play an important role as Ben gathers intel for the final scene. We will be reintroduced to Ben’s friends and former neighbors who owe Ben more than just their lives.

TAP RACK BANG is an imaginative, graphically violent and compelling storyline that reads like a movie where the action and suspense builds until the final minutes. The novel does not end on a happily ever after for everyone. There are moments of heartbreak, sorrow and loss. No one is safe and everyone is targeted-in the end.

Copy supplied by the publisher.

Reviewed by Sandy

Interview

TRC: Hi Robert and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of TAP RACK BANG.

Robert Blake WhitehillRobert: Thank you! It’s great to speak with you. And I am so happy to have Tap Rack Bang done and out there in readers’ hands. It was difficult to write. Human trafficking is an awful subject to delve into, particularly when it deals with snuff entertainment.

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

Follow Robert: Facebook / Website / Twitter /

Robert: I was born and raised a Quaker on Maryland’s Eastern Shore Peninsula by the Chesapeake Bay. Grew up on the water. A little sailing. A little crabbing. Lots of walks in the woods.

I’ve been writing for a long time. Even though I began as an actor, between gigs I custom-wrote audition monologues for other actors I knew. I mean, their headshots look like them. Their resumes reflected their unique experience. Why, I wondered, should they audition with monologues written for somebody else? That’s how my paid writing career really got started.

Since then, I’ve also written a number of highly-rated true-crime shows for Discovery, as well as some award-winning feature scripts. U.X.O. (Unexploded Ordnance) won an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

I have worked as a bridge tender on the Old Severn River Bridge next to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. That was a great office, out there in the middle of the water. What a view! It was a peaceful place to write. I was also a Ginsu Knife pitchman for a time to pay some bills. I’m very proud to have served my town of Montclair, New Jersey on their ambulances as an Emergency Medical Technician. That was a revelatory experience. It was nice to have the company car, the clothing allowance, and for once, not to not have to pull over when I saw the flashing lights of a police escort behind me. Seriously, I got to help folks in the worst ten minutes of their lives. That was quite an honor and a privilege.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Robert: I met my primary writing influences early. My mom is an excellent poet, and a fine editor. My dad was an award-winning short story author and novelist. I got to see what a writer’s day-to-day life looked like, and learned so much from their work. Professor Robert H. Butman at Haverford College, and Dominic Le Poer Power at the British and European Studies Group: London taught me a tremendous amount about dramatic writing.

It might seem strange, but I learned most about writing, and how much I loved it, during my study of acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Memorize and perform some of the best dramatic writing in the English language, and it really sticks with you. I realized I was full of stories, and infested by strange voices for which the only exorcism was writing.

Robert McKee remains an important teacher. If he is revered as a writing guru, he earned it.

I read Melville, Stevenson, Defoe, Wyss, and Verne when I was in grade school, and yes, The Hardy Boys, too. Today, I admire the work of Carl Hiaasen, Scott Smith, Alistair MacLean, Tom Robbins, Randy Wayne White, Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, and James Lee Burke. My Ben Blackshaw Series has elements of each of those great authors, at least to some degree.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Robert: When I’m not writing, I really enjoy reading, hitting movies, practicing tai chi, exercising, birding, hiking, knocking around in our flying club’s planes, getting out on the Chesapeake, and most of all, hanging with my wife and son.

Tap Rack BangTRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of TAP RACK BANG-the third installment in your Ben Blackshaw mystery/suspense series?

Robert: Tap Rack Bang finds former U.S. Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw lying low aboard the shoaled wreck of an old Liberty Ship in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. Late one night he discovers an old dinghy washed up at the wreck, with a woman lying dead in it. Turns out, she was only exhausted and unconscious, and she has just escaped from a human trafficking ring that was planning to kill her, as well as her little sister, and a number of other hostages on a high-priced on-line snuff site. Without quite knowing what he is up against, Blackshaw risks blowing his own cover and agrees to help free the fugitive’s sister and the other hostages. He teams with his old friend Knocker Ellis Hogan, but realizes he is going to need the help of a few of his neighbors as well. Not everybody wants to pitch in. In the final assault on the snuff site’s impregnable hideout, Blackshaw and Ellis are outgunned. Blackshaw risks losing the one thing in life he values most. The outcome, well, it’s devastating. Tough as he is, Blackshaw’s psyche just about comes unglued. No spoilers, but it isn’t clear he is going to get through this one alive, or what will be left of him if he makes it.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the Ben Blackshaw series?

Robert: I’m in for at least ten missions in The Ben Blackshaw Series, but there will likely be many more. I’m having too much fun!

TRC: Can each book be read as a stand-alone?

Robert: Every book in the Ben Blackshaw Series is a stand-alone work. Deadrise is the first book. There is a bit of relevant back-story in each subsequent book, Nitro Express, and Tap Rack Bang, but only as needed. A paragraph or two. That’s it. Just enough to make sense of the current mission, without doing a whole extended recap. Of course, growing with a character from his inception offers readers the pleasure of certain nuances and inside references and clues, but by no means do you need to read Deadrise to understand Nitro Express and Tap Rack Bang.

Ben Blackshaw Series

TRC: Is there any new information or news regarding the possibility of the Ben Blackshaw series optioning to television or motion pictures?

Robert: I am elated to report that HatLine Productions, based in Los Angeles, has optioned the feature film and television rights to Deadrise, Nitro Express, and Tap Rack Bang. I wrote about that optioning process for Writer’s Digest, but the main thing is, you never know who is connected to whom in terms of helping one’s dream be realized. HatLine, including Stephanie Bell, with whom I attended Haverford College, and Michael Lipoma and Tamra Teig, are an amazing visionary troika. I feel assured The Ben Blackshaw Series movies will be successful in their hands. I was thrilled to learn they felt I was uniquely qualified to adapt the books into screenplays myself. That level of involvement is afforded very few novelists. I’m very grateful for the privilege, and for their confidence. The prospect of seeing The Ben Blackshaw Series on the big screen is so exciting, even though it is a long way off with so much work to do along the way.

TRC: Which actor or model would best represent your ideal image of Ben Blackshaw?

Robert: Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but casting Ben Blackshaw will come pretty close to using a movie industry algorithm to make that final determination. The producers and distributors will put their heads together and see which actors are drawing big audiences. Those actors will be approached, and if we’re lucky, one will love the project and still have availability in his schedule for the shoot. If one of them likes the project, but is not available, the production might wait until he is free.

It’s a funny thing, but statistics show that casting a big star often does not produce wham-bam box office results, but it gives the distributors confidence. Saving the megastar’s massive fee and rider costs by casting a lesser known talent would drastically lower the film’s breakeven point, but a star represents insurance in the distributor’s mind. That said, producers can innovate in casting outreach more, the further they are working from the project’s larger above-the-line roles. My own thoughts for Ben Blackshaw include Matthew McConaughey, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Jeremy Renner, and Timothy Olyphant.

Of course, a hero is ultimately judged by the power and savagery of the monster he defeats. The antagonist in Deadrise, a bastard named Maynard Chalk, would no doubt be incredibly well-rendered by Jack Nicholson, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sharlto Copley, Geoffrey Rush, or Bill Nighy.

But let’s not forget the other ways we judge a hero: by the strength of his friendships and the depths of his love. For Blackshaw’s spotter, Knocker Ellis Hogan, I could envision Samuel L. Jackson, Delroy Lindo, Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne or Keith David. For Ben Blackshaw’s beloved fiancée, LuAnna Bryce, I could see Anna Faris, Noomi Rapace, Claire Danes, or Anna Paquin.

I’m actually very curious to learn from readers who they think would best play Ben Blackshaw and the others.

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Robert: After a few initial lines of writing, the characters take over, keeping the plot very unpredictable. Plot is the sum of the characters’ decisions, actions and the results of those actions. The Blackshaw Series crew, both good and bad, is always surprising me. If their actions are grounded in emotional truth, then I can sustain believability, and sometimes stretch it without breaking. My readers love action-adventure, mysteries, and thrillers. They get some romance, too, no charge.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular storyline and series?

Robert: Though I am from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, I constantly research the places and people there, to deepen my knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay region. That shows in The Ben Blackshaw Series, I sincerely hope. I often go to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, in St. Michaels, Maryland, to see what’s new in their understanding of history. I visit Smith Island, where Blackshaw is from, and Tangier Island as well. All that keeps my background for the stories solid.

A difficulty writing The Ben Blackshaw Series is the fact that I was raised Quaker, which is among other things, a pacifist religion. I have never served in the military. For my military strategies, tactics, ballistics and ordnance usage, I rely on reading books, and searching the Internet. All that information then gets vetted by two guys. The first is my cousin, decorated veteran Walter Whitehill, who served very effectively overseas on a sniper team. I get further ideas from Adam Gubar, a noted, quoted scholar on ballistics and armaments.

For Tap Rack Bang in particular, researching human trafficking of adults and children, as well as learning about gore sites on the Internet, was simply depressing, but it had to be done. Of course, at some point you start writing, you integrate and synthesize the facts, and see where they take you. I am told I have a pretty sick imagination, but then things I thought were fiction, things I was putting into Tap Rack Bang, began to be reported on the news. A fellow writer says, “It’s only fiction until it happens.” I did not want to be right about a lot of this material. For good or ill, it turns out I was.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Robert: Bear with me for a moment on this. It is easy to market a series by aligning the author with the main character. Their names are the key elements of the series brand. What few realize is that, while the marquee character recurs from book to book, the author’s real comradery is with the antagonist, the hero’s enemy. If you see an author standing proudly by his main character, what you might not see is that author pressing a shiv against the character’s kidney out of sight of any onlooker. I think Ben Blackshaw is a great character, but who would really know what Blackshaw is made of if all his nemeses, like Maynard Chalk, or Nitro Express, or Joachim DePriest, were wimps! A mystery/thriller author is at his, or her, best when acting as the hero’s worst enemy.

All that said, The Ben Blackshaw Series characters run the show. I just sit down at the keyboard every morning and dream up problems, fascinated to see what they’ll do next. They always surprise me.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Robert: I think that finding emotional truth is the best way to help readers empathize with the main character. I often work with Blackshaw’s fears: fear of losing what he has, and fear of not getting what he wants. Every reader, every human can identify with those two manifestations of fear. Moving forward in the face of fear, in the face of danger, and insurmountable obstacles, makes Blackshaw a guy readers want to root for. He doesn’t have a lock on any situation. He cannot completely rely on his closest friends. We have all been there. The fact that Blackshaw will come through is teased by my including the opening chapter of his next mission at the end of every book. But what kind of shape will he be in? Rested? Healthy? Sane? Ready to sally forth? No. Never. Blackshaw might barely make it through one book, but I still prefer to start him off in the next book at an ebb, and pull him even farther down into a riptide of obstacles.

Some authors are great at creating cold, practical, implacable hero characters. Many readers want to identify with a hard guy. Readers can definitely project their own emotions onto a tabula rasa character like that. I prefer to make Blackshaw as relatable as possible, with human foibles, with prosaic fears, and then see how he pulls himself through the catastrophes thrown at him, even if he is staggering or crawling at the end.

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon for some authors. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Robert: I write five pages a day, five days a week, for four or five months to come up with a complete draft I can edit. I stick to that. It might take eight hours to meet that daily goal, or it might take eighteen hours. It doesn’t matter. If I manage that smaller result, the bigger result of knowing I will have a full rough draft to edit after a few months helps me handle the daily pressures. Then comes the editing, which cures any problems that cropped up along the way.

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

Robert: My father, award-winning short story author and novelist Joseph Whitehill, told me never to shop ideas at cocktail parties or anywhere else, because it vitiates a writer’s story-telling urge. Saps it. Lets the air out of the balloon. For a while, I thought Dad was wrong on this point. Then I tested a few premature ideas with friends, and yes, I even did it a few parties to feel, well, more interesting. I discovered afterward that I did not feel the least drive to write that story anymore. Sometimes I couldn’t even remember the original idea at all. Phhttt! It was gone! So now I keep radio silence until the rough draft is done, or even until there has been at least one editorial pass. Then I show the work to a very few trusted friends.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Robert: Right now, I am excited to be writing the screenplay for Deadrise, as well as Book 4 in the Ben Blackshaw Series, entitled Geronimo Hotshot.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Robert: You ask great questions. I would like to suggest The Ben Blackshaw Series to anyone who loves a great yarn, and who also wants to understand the unique people and setting of the Chesapeake Bay region. It is a very special place to me. As a Smith Islander, Ben Blackshaw is a decent, faithful man with extraordinary skills who fights hard for justice, for home, and for his people. I hope readers will want to get to know a man like that.

Also, anybody is welcome to get in touch with me about The Ben Blackshaw Series, or writing, or whatever’s on your mind at rbw@robertblakewhitehill.com. I respond to every email.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite TV Show: The Bridge.

Last Movie You Saw: Interstellar.

Favorite Musical Group: Ingrid Lucia and the Flying Neutrinos.

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Yes.

Secret Celebrity Crush: My wife Mary is my only crush. I respect and admire Mimi Leder as a director, and Stephanie Bell as a producer.

Last Vacation Destination: Quebec City, like Europe on our own continent.

Do you have any pets? We have a beta named Minnie Estelle.

Pet Peeve: I dislike clichés, whether colloquial, or of my own creation from repeating a key word or phrase within the same chapter. It strikes me as lazy. God forbid!

TRC: Thank you Robert for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations and all the best.

Robert: Thank you so much! It has been a genuine pleasure visiting with you.

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Owning Violet (The Fowler Sisters #1) by Monica Murphy-Review, Interview and Giveaway

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Owning Violet (The Fowler Sisters #1) by Monica Murphy-Review, Interview and Giveaway

Owning Violet Banner

Owning Violet
The Fowler Sisters #1
by Monica Murphy
Genre: adult, contemporary,erotic, romance
Release Date: December 2, 2014

Owning Violet Dec 14

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

OWNING VIOLET (The Fowler Sisters #1) by Monica Murphy

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 2, 2014

New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy begins a sexy new contemporary romance series—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emma Chase—that introduces three sisters born to wealth, raised to succeed, ready to love, destined to make waves.

I’ve moved through life doing what’s expected of me. I’m the middle daughter, the dutiful daughter. The one who braved a vicious attack and survived. The one who devoted herself to her family’s business empire. The one who met an ambitious man and fell in love. We were going to run Fleur Cosmetics together, Zachary and I.

Until he got a promotion and left me in the dust. Maybe it’s for the best, between his disloyalty and his wandering eye. But another man was waiting for me. Wanting me. He too has an overwhelming thirst for success, just like Zachary—perhaps even more so. He’s also ruthless. And mysterious. I know nothing about Ryder McKay beyond that he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

One stolen moment, a kiss, a touch . . . and I’m hooked. Ryder’s like a powerful drug, and I’m an addict who doesn’t want to be cured. He tells me his intentions aren’t pure, and I believe him. For once, I don’t care. I’m willing to risk everything just to be with him. Including my heart. My soul.

My everything.

•••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: OWNING VIOLET is the first installment in Monica Murphy’s contemporary, adult The Fowler Sisters erotic, romance series focusing on heirs to the Fleur Cosmetics Company Violet, Lily and Rose Fowler. This is Violet Fowler and Ryder McKay’s storyline.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Violet and Ryder), OWNING VIOLET finds good girl and daddy’s favorite Violet Fowler in a state of confusion. Believing her less than faithful boyfriend of two years is about to propose, Violet comes away shocked to discover that Zachary has accepted a temporary position in London, England with Fleur Cosmetics. Dismissed and discarded, Violet will unknowingly find herself the pawn in a much different game when the sexy head of packaging for Fleur Cosmetics-Ryder McKay-takes an immediate interest in Violet where an anything goes relationship is just what she needs. Hoping to keep their tryst a secret, Violet agrees to a ‘friends with benefits’ affair not realizing that someone else is pulling Ryder’s strings. What began as a dare becomes something so much more.

The relationship between Violet and Ryder is spontaneous, erotic and sensual. From the boardroom conference table, to the bedroom and every surface in between Ryder and Violet’s supposedly secret affair becomes fodder for the employees at Fleur Cosmetics. Violet is considered the quiet, shy and overachieving sister but in the bedroom a different side of Violet will emerge.

Ryder is a bad boy with a bad boy reputation; an alpha male with dark secrets and a darker past but when Violet is told that everything about their relationship is a ruse, Violet will walk away heartbroken and destroyed. Ryder has made a pact with the devil and the devil has set her sights on someone more powerful within the company. Ryder is a man who demands obedience in the bedroom; a little rougher around the edges with his needs and wants. The sex scenes are numerous, provocative and intense.

We are introduced to Violet’s sisters Lily and Rose. There are some broken family dynamics as it involves Forrest Fowler and his daughters, but none more so than the destructive nature of betrayal and loss. Forrest’s new love interest could very well destroy the company and that of his daughters’ respect and love.

OWNING VIOLET focuses on the corporate ladder and what some people will do to get what they want. There are moments of intimate passion and heartbreaking revelations but in the end two people will get their happily ever after. Monica Murphy’s incredible imagination will pull you in and never let go.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Interview-Purple

TRC: Hi Monica and welcome back to The Reading Cafe.

Monica: Thanks so much for having me, Sandy!

Monica MurphyTRC: For anyone who does know you or your alter ego Karen Erickson, would you please tell us something about yourself?

FOLLOW: Goodreads/ Website/ Facebook/ Twitter

Monica: Absolutely. I’m Monica Murphy and I write both new adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. I also write contemporary romance as Karen Erickson. The difference between the two pen names? Monica writes in first person point of view and the books are a little darker with a lot of angst. As Karen, I write third person POV and the books are still sexy but lighter and fun.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax? For fun?

Monica: I like to read, hang out with my family, watch bad reality TV (Bravo is my weakness). We also like to travel though I wouldn’t always call that relaxing.

TRC: OWNING VIOLET is your December 2014 release and first installment in your new Fowler Sisters series. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Owning Violet Dec 14Monica: The Fowler Sisters are heiresses to Fleur Cosmetics company, which was founded by their grandmother and is currently run by their father. There are three sisters: Lily is the oldest and is a complete party girl mess. Rose is the youngest and she’s very headstrong — she doesn’t hold back. And then we have Violet, the middle sister, the dutiful sister, the one who is being groomed to take over Fleur. At the beginning of OWNING VIOLET she believes her life is perfectly set down a specific path. But then everything changes and she becomes involved with the very mysterious, very sexy Ryder McKay, who works at Fleur.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series ?

Monica: Three. So far. Never say never to the possibility of more.

TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters in this storyline, which models or actors best represents your ideal image?

Monica: This is so tough! I don’t really have anyone in mind for the guys. They are always in my head (and just the perfect, ideal man of course). For the sisters, I could see Leighton Meester, Mila Kunis…dark haired, beautiful actresses would fit the bill for all three of them really.

Stealing RoseTRC: STEALING ROSE is the second installment in the series. What can you tell us about the premise?

Monica: STEALING ROSE is completely different compared to OWNING VIOLET. Though Rose is having a moment of crisis when the book starts out and she meets a mysterious man…but Caden is nothing like Ryder. He’s much lighter. Very sexy. Oh, very sexy. I adore Caden and can’t wait for readers to meet him!

TRC: Who or what was the inspiration behind the series and the sisters?

Monica: I’ve been wanting to write a series about three sisters named after flowers forEVER. It’s been lying in wait in my idea file (seriously – I found notes on The Fowler Sisters recently dating back to 2007) for a long time. I wanted to write something glamorous, edgy, emotional and over the top sexy. I hope this series hits all of those notes and more.

TRC: What challenges of difficulties did you experience writing this particular series?

Monica: Ryder is quite frankly, not a nice person. Caden in STEALING ROSE does bad things too. And Lily from TAMING LILY is a mess. I like taking characters that seem unredeemable and redeem them. It’s fun. I’m fascinated by the anti-hero (and heroine).

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Monica: At first I direct the characters but they always take over. It sounds crazy but as I write, I discover more and more and they tend to steer the stories where they need to go. It’s always a surprise. That’s why I can never plot every little chapter/step out. That process just doesn’t work for me.

TRC: December and January are busy times for you as an author. As Karen Erickson, you have two books in your Vegas Nights Series due to be released (one month apart). Would you please tell us something about each book?

Monica: December 23, 2014-WICKED WEEKEND: This is a FREE short story that releases right before Christmas and introduces you to the characters that will appear in the VEGAS NIGHTS series. Three friends who are nurses and work all the time take a girls only vacation to Vegas. Where they end up meeting a guy who invites them to an exclusive party. Of course, they meet the sexiest men alive there and proceed to fall madly in love.

January 13, 2015- RECKLESS NIGHTS: This is Reagan and Declan’s story. Declan is an actor who’s career has been given a second chance. He used to be a teen heartthrob–and Reagan’s teen crush. To her, having a chance to spend time with the sexy Declan is like a dream come true. And for Declan, he feels the same.

Two more novellas are coming in the series, in the spring and summer of 2015. More info soon.

TRC: Do you have plans to add to your ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND series with either a novella or epilogue set of storylines perhaps focusing on each couple (e.g. 5-10 years in the future)? 😉

One Week Girlfriend Series

Monica: I get asked this question a lot, especially about Owen and Chelsea (FOUR YEARS LATER). Many feel like their story was left unfinished. I will never say never. Who knows. The opportunity may arise again someday. I do know I miss writing in that world. Drew + Fable are special to me. They always will be.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Monica: Hmm, well I think it helps to go as deep within the point of view of the characters as we can get. That’s where first person POV comes in handy. You as the reader truly feel like you’re experiencing what the characters are experiencing. As a writer you just have to reach deep and be genuine in describing the emotions. Both the good and the bad.

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Monica: There’s this thing called a deadline that won’t allow me to get writer’s block. *winks* Seriously, this is my career, I’ve been writing full time for years and I can’t allow myself to get stuck for too long. I have a schedule and I must meet it. I think we can train ourselves to push through and get it done. We can always go back and fix it.

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

Monica: My critique partner is Katy Evans and she’s my saving grace. I adore and trust her input and opinion. And I know she feels the same way about me.

I also like to bounce ideas off of my husband. He comes up with the CRAZIEST stuff. Like, bizarre. But I can always pull a little something from the crazy and make it work. He’s my go to when I’m really stuck. He always comes up with some insane idea. Ha ha I make him sound like he’s nuts. He’s not. I swear. *winks*

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Monica:

I want to maintain and grow my career. Try something different, writing-wise.
I’d like to travel more with my family.
And learn how to work just a little less (we shall see on that one).

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Monica: I just turned in TAMING LILY to my editor so I expect edits/revisions on that any day now. I’m also working on the second novella for the VEGAS NIGHTS series as Karen.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Monica: I’m excited for readers to pick up OWNING VIOLET and I hope they enjoy it. It’s different compared to what I’ve written as Monica in the past but I think my readers will love it. Hopefully.

TRC:  Thank you Monica for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on all of your success and your upcoming new releases.

Monica: Thank you again Sandy! I appreciate it.

Giveaway-Purple-White

Monica and her publisher are graciously offering a paper copy of OWNING VIOLET to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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7. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada only

8. Giveaway runs from December 3-8,  2014

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Braydon (Alluring Indulgence #6) by Nicole Edwards-Review,Interview & Giveaway

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BRAYDON (Alluring Indulgence #6) by Nicole Edwards-Review, Interview and Giveaway

Braydon Banner

Braydon
Alluring Indulgence #6
by Nicole Edwards
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic romance
Release Date: November25, 2014

Braydon

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 24, 2014

Braydon Walker has always shared everything with his identical twin brother Brendon—hopes, dreams, career choices, and yes, even women. Known for tag-teaming their love interests in every way imaginable, Braydon is surprised and unnerved when he finds himself wanting to keep their newest lover all to himself. Will the twins’ relationship evolve to fit this new mold, or will Braydon’s desire for independence tear them apart?

••••••••••••••••

REVIEW:  BRAYDON is the sixth installment in Nicole Edwards contemporary, adult Alluring Indulgence erotic romance cowboy series focusing on the Walker family of Coyote Ridge, Texas. This is Braydon Walker and Jessica (Jessie) Prescott’s storyline, one that has been building for several storylines. There are some sexual scenes of M/F/M.

Told from third person point of view BRAYDON follows the relationship between Jessie Prescott and thirty year old twin brothers Braydon and Brendan Walker. From a young age, Braydon and Brendan have done everything together including sexual relationships but never have they ever fallen in love. Things will become complicated when Braydon’s feelings for Jessie grow stronger knowing that leaving his brother behind is not in the plans.

The relationship between Braydon and Brendon is symbiotic; dependent and interdependent with one another to the point where Brendon is unable to thrive without the presence of his brother. Brendon, always the one to initiate a relationship and fun, slowly begins to withdraw when he realizes that Braydon’s feelings for Jessie go beyond friends with benefits.

BRAYDON is an emotional friends to lovers story where a lack of communication between Braydon, Brendan and Jessie begins to destroy a friendship leaving conflicts unresolved. There are numerous misunderstandings that lead to broken promises and broken hearts where one brother begins to spiral out of control and Jessie is left alone to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. The lack of communication results in confusion, anger and a constant need to run-for everyone. At times I wanted to smack all three across the back of the head and tell them to open their eyes and their hearts. Not only does Jessie feel the loss of her best friends, but she also believes there is no future with Braydon when his anguish pulls him in another direction. Jessie has vowed she will never come between the brothers and in this she is willing to walk (or run) away and let go of any hope for the future.

The secondary characters include all of the previous storyline couples. We get another look at eldest brother Travis and his relationship with Gage, and Jessie’s sister Kylie: as well as Ethan Walker’s marriage to the love of his life Beau Bennett. Sawyer Walker has decided a puppy is what he needs to attract the ladies in his direction. And of course, Mrs. Walker does her best to ensure all of her boys are happy.

Nicole Edwards writes from the heart with passion. Her tall, dark and dangerous cowboys are fallible humans whose ability to love knows no boundaries. The Walker Brothers are brooding, emotional and intense men who will captivate your imagination but at times the drama is distressing and profound.

Copy supplied by the author through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Interview-Black

TRC: Hi Nicole and welcome to The Reading Café.

Nicole EdwardsWe would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow: Goodreads/ Website/ Twitter/ Facebook

Nicole: Nicole Edwards is my pen name (the name is comprised of my husband middle name – Edward, and my daughter’s middle name – Nicole). I live in Texas with my husband, three kids and our four crazy, rambunctious dogs.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Nicole: I think every book I’ve ever read has influenced me in some way.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Nicole: Read.

BraydonTRC: BRAYDON is the sixth installment in your Alluring Indulgence contemporary, adult series. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Nicole: Braydon has spent his entire life living in his twin brothers shadow. He’s always been the go-with-the-flow kind of guy. That is until he met Jessie. She flipped his world upside down in ways he hadn’t expected and he finds that what he’d always thought he wanted no longer fit into what he wanted from her. He learns that not everything in life is easy, not every decision has the desired outcome, and above all else, he finds that love is worth fighting for.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular book and series?

Nicole: The biggest challenge I had was actually regarding Braydon’s twin brother Brendon. I could feel Brendon’s pain and I hated that he was hurting because of the decisions that were being made by those around him.

TRC: Are any of the characters or the premise based in reality or a combination of reality and fiction?

Nicole: Very rarely have any of my characters or stories been based on any sort of reality – future or past. Sometimes I wish they had, but my stories are just figments of my crazy imagination.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Nicole: My characters have always directed my writing. Sometimes I find myself staring at the screen thinking “Really? That just happened?”

Alluring Indulgence Series

TRC: What are your thoughts on writing a series and ending an installment with a major cliff hanger?

Nicole: I think there are different definitions of cliffhangers. There are the ones that literally leave you hanging – like the sentence just trails off and you’re wondering where the rest of the story went. I think there are endings that leave you desperately wanting to know more about the characters or what’s happened to them. And I think there are endings where you get a glimpse at future characters (just enough to pique your curiosity) and you’re left wanting to know more right then. As with any book, I think the ending is important and sometimes a cliff hanger is necessary.

TRC: Writer’s block is a very real dilemma for many writers. How do you handle the phenomenon?

Nicole: Oh, the dreaded writer’s block. For me, this has happened at the worst possible time – then again, I don’t think there is ever a good time. One way I try to circumvent it is by writing more than one book at a time. I can move to another story, hope it pulls me in and I can devote time to it while I’m desperately trying to figure out why the other characters stopped talking to me. Then there are the times that I just have to walk away. Take a day or two away from my computer and not think about it.

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

Nicole: My husband. I’ll toss an idea at him and he is always good about asking questions. Sometimes he goes off in an entirely different direction and I wonder just who I’m talking to, but no matter what, when I get a chance to talk about the idea, it generally spurs more ideas.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen?

Nicole: Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor? I can’t speak for other writers, however, I can say that in order for me to feel the emotions of the characters, I have to get to know them. With my characters, I know plenty of minor details that are never included in the books, things that help me to connect to them.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Nicole: I’m currently working on a stand-alone novel. The idea just came to me one day and I had no choice but to sit down and start writing. Granted, I’m also working on a couple of other books, but the stand-alone is what has captured my interest mostly.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food Chocolate

Favorite Dessert Chocolate mousse

Favorite TV Show The Big Bang Theory

Last Movie You Saw Fast and Furious… whatever the last one was.

Favorite Musical Group There are so many but I’ve had an infatuation with Brantley Gilbert recently.

Dark or Milk Chocolate Mmmm… chocolate. I like both, but prefer milk chocolate most of the time.

Secret Celebrity Crush Jim Parsons (he plays Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory)

Last Vacation Destination New York City

TRC: Thank you Nicole for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of Braydon. We wish you all the best.

giveaway

Nicole is graciously offering an ecopy of BRAYDON to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1.If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please LIKE us on GOODREADS  for an additional entry.

6. Please LIKE Nicole Edwards on FACEBOOK.

7. Giveaway is INTERNATIONALLY

8. Giveaway runs from November 28-Dec 2, 2014

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Temporal Shift (Dark Desires #4) by Nina Croft-Review and Interview

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Temporal Shift (Dark Desires #4) by Nina Croft-Review and Interview

Temporal Shift

.99¢ ebook deal at Amazon and KOBO

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Release Date: November 17, 2014

Caught between destiny and desire…

After diving into a black hole in search of the source of Meridian, the key to immortality, the crew of the Blood Hunter finds themselves stranded in an alternate universe.

Engineer Devlin Stark doesn’t want immortality. He just wants to live long enough to get his revenge on the man who murdered his brother. Now, he’s trapped in a strange world with a crazy woman who claims he’s fated to be her lover.

Saffira Lourdes has a destiny: to save humanity and lead her exiled people to the Promised Land. Haunted by visions of the past and future, she’s been sustained through the years by a dream lover. Unfortunately, Devlin doesn’t believe in fate. But it’s obvious there’s a connection between them, one that will soon be tested by the limits of time and space. Saffira is about to make the crew of the Blood Hunter an offer they’ll find impossible to refuse.

They’re heading back to Earth, and they’re going back in time.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: TEMPORAL SHIFT is the fourth installment in Nina Croft’s adult, paranormal, sci-fi DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) fantasy, romance series focusing on the crew of the space cruiser-The El Cazador (now known as the Blood Hunter 2). This is GM (genetically modified) engineer and leader of the Resistance Devlin Stark and Saffira Lourdes’s storyline. Although it is the fourth in the series, it can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and backstory, I recommend reading the series in order.

Some background: 1000 years after Earth’s demise, the ruling Collective, and the self-proclaimed Church of Everlasting Life play a major role in the control of space. The Collective control the rights to the rare radioactive element known as Meridian-that will bestow immortality on those who can afford the price. The Church is in the business of exterminating the genetically modified beings-considering them abominations and a sin against God. These two ruling factions are currently at war with one another and will destroy anyone that gets in their way.

Told from third person point of view TEMPORAL SHIFT finds the crew of the Blood Hunter on the other side of a black hole. Hoping to locate the planet from which the element ‘Meridian’ originated, the crew will travel to an unknown planet where they will meet beings similar to what Callum Meridian (leader of the universe) and the Collective have become. What they did not expect to find is a humanoid female who claims Devlin is her lover and asks the impossible from the ship and her crew. Saffira Lourdes has been chosen as ‘the one’ to save her species and possibly that of old Earth but to do so, Saffira must travel back in time before Earth’s demise.

The relationship between Saffira and Devlin is fraught with anger, betrayal and mistrust. Saffira continues to lie to the crew of the Blood Hunter, about what it is she must do. Saffira has seen the future and the future claims that Devlin is her mate. Devlin wants nothing to do with Saffira, especially after she has placed the crew in danger time and again, but Devlin’s body wants something more.

The world building continues as the Blood Hunter space ship shuttles between black holes, unknown planets, wormholes and deep space. The secondary characters include the crew of the Blood Hunter, most of the previous storyline couples: Tannis and Meridian: Rico and Skylar; as well as Captain William ‘Thorne’ Thornton-a man who has vowed to protect Saffira with his life. The time line covers thousands of years through the black holes and wormholes, yet only days to months will have passed in current time. Saffira will travel back hundreds of years only to come face to face with the man that she will love over fifteen hundred years later.

Nina Croft’s DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) series is an addicting and remarkable journey into the unknown travelling through time and space; through black holes and into alternate universes. There are moments of passion, seduction, romance and pain coupled with the intensity of a crew whose lives are constantly in danger but will never leave a crew member stranded or alone. Nina Croft will captivate your senses, your imagination and your need for romance and the paranormal.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Series Spotlight Black and Yellow

BREAK OUT
(Blood Hunter/Dark Desires #1)
by Nina Croft
Genre: adult, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, romance

ABOUT THE BOOK: Re release September 30, 2014

Click HERE for our review of BREAK OUT

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Break OutThe year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.

Two-thousand-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can’t resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective’s maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has never been so dangerous—or so fun.

____________________

DEADLY PURSUIT
(Blood Hunter/Dark Desires #2)
by Nina Croft
Genre: adult, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, romance

ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-release November 1, 2014

Click HERE for our review of DEADLY PURSUIT

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Deadly PursuitHe craves his own freedom.

Jonathon Decker knows how to keep his enemies close—and his allies closer. But what about his women? Everyone wants a piece of the world’s sexiest werewolf, now that he’s been broken out of prison. Enter Alexia, the High Priestess of the Church of Everlasting life. Captivating and independent, Alexia is everything Jon could want in a woman. But can she be trusted? It will take more than one night of endless passion to find out…

And she is his to possess…

After twenty-four years of faithfully playing by the rules, Alex is finally ready take fate into her own hands. Her passion for Jon is a force to be reckoned with—and the way he makes her feel keeps her coming back for more. But their desire could lead them both down a dark path—one in which there’s no turning back. How much will each of them risk to be together…for all time?

_______________________

DEATH DEFYING
( Blood Hunter/Dark Desires #3)
by Nina Croft
Genre: adult, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, romance

ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-release November 25, 2014

Click HERE for our review of DEATH DEFYING

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Death DefyingPart snake, part human, and—some would say all bitch—Captain Tannis of the starship El Cazador has one goal in life—to earn enough credits to pay for the Meridian treatment to achieve the immortality she craves. And one last job will get her there. The assignment: protecting the most powerful man in the Universe.

Being leader of the known universe isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks big time. And after five hundred years, Callum Meridian, founding member of the Collective, is bored out of his mind. But as things are changing, he’s changing—into what, though, he isn’t sure. Callum is determined to discover the truth, and he’s employed the crew of El Cazador to help him do it.

Not everyone agrees with his plan, though. His own people will stop at nothing to prevent the truth coming out, the Church is taking advantage of the confusion and attempting a coup, and even the crew of El Cazador seem close to tossing him out the airlock without a space suit. But defying death has never been more dangerous, sexier, or more fun.

Interview yellow:black

TRC: Hi Nina and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of TEMPORAL SHIFT, the latest instalment in your DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) series.

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

Follow: Goodreads / Website Facebook / Twitter

Nicola CleasbyNina: I originally come from the north of England – a spectacularly beautiful area known as the Lake District. But from the age of eighteen I found myself drifting south in search of the sun. After living in a lot of different places and travelling extensively, I’ve now settled in the mountains of southern Spain on an almond farm with my husband and a whole load of animals. Here I spend my time soaking up the sun, drinking wine, writing romance and travelling vicariously through my characters.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Nina: Growing up, I had three older sisters, whose books I would pinch, and they all had very different tastes in literature. And then there was my mother, who would devour vast amounts of Mills and Boons romances. So I ended up reading just about everything. Romance, fantasy, sci-fi, historical. And—because I’m a strong believer that you should write the sort of things you love to read—I’ve ended up writing just about everything as well. I love mixing up genres.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Nina: Reading. Swimming in the summer. Also, I have a horse and ride most days, and three dogs, so I walk a lot. I like to drink wine and I live in a very beautiful part of the world so I spend a lot of time lying under fig trees with a book and a bottle, admiring the view.

Temporal ShiftTRC: TEMPORAL SHIFT is the November 2014 release (and book four) in your DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) series. Would you please tell us something about the premise of the series? And the latest book?

Nina: The series follows the adventures, romantic and otherwise, of the crew of the space ship, the Blood Hunter.

The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, Meridian is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super-rich and immortal soon evolved. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.

But as with any civilization, there are some people who just don’t want to be ruled. And that’s definitely the case with the crew of the Blood Hunter. A motley bunch of space pirates, the crew includes a vampire, a werewolf, genetically modified beings, and really anything else I can come up with.

Dark Desires is the series where I allow myself to do anything and go anywhere—my imagination is the only limit and that’s certainly the case with Book 4, Temporal Shift. Temporal Shift contains just about my favourite sci-fi trope—time travel—and tells the story of Devlin and Saffira and a love that survives the vast distances of time and space. Time travel is complicated…it’s fair to say that my head nearly exploded numerous times while plotting the book—I sort of hope it has the same effect on my readers.

TRC: Is there a reason the series name has been changed? Different sites show different series names e.g. DARK DESIRES or BLOOD HUNTER.

Nina: It was purely a decision of St. Martin’s Press, the publishers who recently re-released the books in mass market paperback format. They made some very pretty new covers and felt that the series needed a title that more strongly suggested romance.

Dark Desires Series

TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters of the series, which models or actors would be represent your ideal image?

Nina: Hmm – I always find this really hard, but I think a red-headed Scarlett Johansson for Saffira and maybe Hugh Jackman (think wolverine…) as Devlin.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Nina: There are six books planned for the series. Book five, Blood and Metal, is written, book six, Flying Through Fire, I’m struggling with right now. Maybe I just don’t want to bring it all to an end.

TRC: Who or what was the influence behind the premise of the Dark Desires series?

Nina: I’d finished watching Firefly (maybe my favourite TV series ever) for the third time and I really wanted to write a space opera. But then I started thinking about my characters and Rico my pilot suddenly morphed into a vampire. And I thought why not? If people escaped the destruction of Earth, why wouldn’t vampires (and maybe a whole load of other things as well?)

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background, scientific) did you encounter writing this particular story and series?

Nina: This is actually one of the easiest series to write because I literally make it all up. That’s the fun of writing speculative fiction. I can write anything I want as long as I can make people suspend disbelief just long enough to enjoy the books.

Actually though, for Temporal Shift, I did quite a lot of research on time travel and black holes and quantum mechanics (did I mention my head exploding?)

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Nina: I think the important thing is to foreshadow, very subtly, throughout the story. So when something pretty wild happens (which it does quite often in this series) it’s been set up and instead of people saying – no way! They’ll say – hmm, of course.
That’s the theory anyway.

TRC: What are your thoughts on writing a series and ending an instalment with a major cliff hanger?

Nina: I think there are situations where cliff-hangers work, though personally I find them really aggravating when I’m reading, especially if the next book in the series isn’t out yet! But I write romance, so while there’s an overlying series storyline, each individual book is complete and standalone, following the romance of one couple and coming to a happy-ever-after ending.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Nina: I’m a total plotter, so I tend to spend a lot of time getting to know my characters before I start to write. While I’m plotting, I’ll allow them some leeway and we’ll go off at tangents and do unexpected things, but that’s fun and necessary. I’ll only start to write the actual story once I understand them; their goals and fears and motivations. And at that point they’d better not try and do something that’s out of character.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Nina: I think they need to make the reader care about their characters. They don’t necessarily have to like them (and I’m very fond of a lot of characters who aren’t particularly nice) but they have to care. I think one of the strongest ways to get people to care is to make the character want something…desperately. Give them a good reason for wanting it and then make it obvious that they’re not going to get it. So probably, where writers fail, is that their characters don’t care enough—so why should the reader?

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Nina: I tend to try and just push through it. I do my best writing, and I’m happiest, when I give myself a daily word count (right now 3000 words per day) and stick to it, even if I’m convinced what I’m writing is rubbish. I think accepting that the first draft you write is not going to be perfect can be very liberating.

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

Nina: My poor husband gets to listen to a lot of my plot problems. So does my horse. Neither are particularly good at solving them. But I’m in a couple of fabulous online writing groups and I can go there if I get really stuck on anything or just want some brainstorming help.

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Nina: Write lots, and be healthy and happy.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Nina: I have a three legged Vietnamese pot-bellied house pig, called Piggles.

The Telepath ChroniclesTRC: On what are you currently working?

Nina: I recently wrote a short story, No More Lies, for a sci-fi anthology, The Telepath Chronicles (which released this month!) I so enjoyed the world and it had so much potential, that I’m basing a series on it and am currently writing book 1. I don’t have a title yet (hopefully it will come to me) but it’s sort of contemporary/sci-fi/romance about a rogue covert operations group of telepaths and their search to discover their origins (and it’s going to contain all my favourite sci-fi themes!)

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Nina: Just that I’ve had great fun writing the Dark Desires series and hope people have as much fun reading the books.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Cheese

Favorite Dessert – Ice cream

Favorite TV Show At the moment – Sons of Anarchy or maybe the Walking Dead

Last Movie You Saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – I enjoyed it!

Favorite Musical Group – Maroon 5

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Both

Secret Celebrity Crush – Charlie Hunnan – actually it’s not that secret.

Last Vacation Destination – I visited my sister in Cambridge last year.

Pet Peeve – Injustice

TRC: Thank you Nina for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulation on the new release and we wish you all the best.

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Is This What I Want? (Is This All There Is? 2) by Patricia Mann-Review, Interview and Giveaway

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IS THIS WHAT I WANT? by Patricia Mann-Review, Interview and Giveaway

Is This What I Want Banner

Is This What I Want?
Is This All There Is? #2
by Patricia Mann
Genre: adult, contemporary, fiction
Release Date: October 17, 2014

Is This What I Want

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 17, 2014

Click HERE for our review of IS THIS ALL THERE IS? the first book in the series.

Four difficult months have passed since Beth’s husband Rick discovered her affair with a former student. The couple has worked hard in therapy to salvage their marriage and understand their roles in everything that happened. Things are looking up until Dave reappears, awakening Beth’s fantasies of what could have been had she taken their affair to the next level. Now that she is faced with another opportunity, Beth battles an even more impossible dilemma than the first time she was caught in Dave’s web.

Amidst the trouble in her marriage and pressure to shield her children from the discord, Beth is also called upon to help her two best friends, both with serious problems of their own. The stress sparks temptation to seek comfort in her favorite vices. But she knows she can’t hide if she wants to save what matters most. The question is, what does she want?

~~~~~~

REVIEW:IS THIS WHAT I WANT is the second installment in Patricia Mann’s Is This All There Is series focusing on thirty-five year old Beth Thomas. Beth is a wife, mother, part time college professor and a woman at a cross roads in her life. When a former student, 22 year old Dave, professes his desire for Beth, our heroine steps out of her comfort zone and into an area that is no longer black and white-but considerably many shades of grey.

Told from two alternating first person points of view (Beth and Rick) the premise of book two finds Beth and her husband in therapy-both couples and individually. Beth’s infidelity has caused a riff between she and Rick-one that continues to grow as Rick suspects Beth still harbors feelings for her former student.

The relationship between Rick and Beth is not unlike many couples who have experienced the heartbreak of an affair but in this case Beth’s step outside of her marriage was more of an affair of the heart. While Rick considers his options for the future, Beth considers all options for herself.

IS THIS WHAT I WANT is a storyline that focuses on Beth’s inner turmoil between what she wants and what she knows she should do. Beth is a woman whose marriage has stagnated and she is looking for something different; something new and in this her choices will affect her family and her life. She is a woman whose immaturity reigns supreme throughout book two as she endeavors to experience the life of those around her. The grass always looks greener on the other side-and Beth believes that there is something more-waiting for her on the other side. When a trip to Vegas with Rick turns ugly, Beth’s marriage will suffer irreparable harm.

Patricia Mann writes about a controversial subject where moments of awkwardness and heartbreak make for some disenchanted bedfellows. IS THIS WHAT I WANT looks at the choices made, for good and for bad, and how theses choices affect those that we love. It is a story about one woman, whose relationship with her husband had been sidelined by pregnancy, children and work, and in this she seeks physical and emotional fulfillment from another source.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Interview

 

TRC: Hi Patricia and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the recent release of IS THIS WHAT I WANT?

Patricia: Thank you so much, Sandy! Thank you for this interview also and for all your support and kind words about both of my books!

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

Patricia MannPatricia: I’m a part-time professor and consulting business owner so I work and travel a lot. Like my main character Beth, I have a husband and two sons. I’m similar to Beth in some ways, which is why I use the pen name. But we are so very different in many ways as well.

TRC: What were your goals and aspirations growing up?

Patricia: I always wanted to be a teacher and a writer. I guess I’m pretty lucky that I found a way to make both of those dreams come true. I also wanted to find true love and have a family. Blessed again – though it hasn’t been the easy road I expected by any stretch of the imagination!

TRC: What or who influenced your foray into writing?

Patricia: My dear friend, Corie Skolnick, who is the author of the beautiful and heartbreaking novel Orfan, which is about to be made into a movie, was the greatest influence. She believed in me, showered me with praise, gave me honest constructive criticism, and pushed me to keep writing even when I told her was giving up (which happened about 100 times and still happens regularly).

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Patricia: I don’t relax much. I work a lot. I try to stay involved in my kids’ lives. I exercise almost every day. I volunteer my time a lot. I try to help everybody with everything. My life is mostly void of true relaxation time. But okay… I like to drink red wine. I also like to watch a mindless TV show now and then and if you give me a People magazine, expect to be ignored for about two hours as I devour every word. That’s why I have never subscribed. Inside scoop on people’s personal lives is my crack.

Is This What I WantTRC: IS THIS WHAT I WANT ? is the second installment your contemporary adult IS THIS ALL THERE IS? series. Would you please tell us something about the premise of the series? Of the novel?

Patricia: On the surface, Beth has it all. She is educated, has a good career, has a stable husband and two healthy kids. Yet, she feels something is missing. I think a lot of women feel that way in life. We tell ourselves we should be content, but for some of us, our hearts long for something new or different. Something that allows us to feel more fully alive, or more seen by another person, or more excited about something the next day has to offer. Unfortunately, there are many temptations to meet those needs in ways that are not healthy for us, but provide a temporary sense of satisfaction – things like excess food, alcohol, binge-watching a favorite show on Netflix… the list could go on forever. In Beth’s case, she gets caught up in an infatuation, an affair. It’s actually a very common situation, one I’ve seen time and again. And it rarely ends well.

TRC: Are any of the characters (or is the premise) based in reality or a combination of fact and fiction?

Patricia: All of the characters and events are based in reality with a touch of fictionalized qualities and experiences thrown in. Beth’s story is a mix of fact and fiction, but definitely more fact – from my own life as well as many women I’ve known.

TRC: What genre would you categorize the series? Women’s Fiction? Romance?

Patricia: It’s women’s fiction but romance is an important aspect of Beth’s story. I was once told that romance novels must have one clear hero and one clear heroine. Love triangles are frowned upon. Beth, Rick, and Dave are in one hell of an ongoing love triangle so it seems that the four of us are not welcome in the romance world. Still, in my defense, I must say that there’s a lot of juicy romance in my novels.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Patricia: It will be a trilogy. I’m working on book three now.

TRC:  Many readers have felt a ‘kindred spirit’ of sorts to Beth’s character in IS THIS ALL THERE IS? especially the women who may have experienced some of the same issues and felt lost in their current situations. What do you say to these women or anyone who has considered stepping out of their marriage and into something they see as more exciting

Patricia: Get therapy. If you can’t afford it, talk to smart friends, preferably older friends who have been through many relationships. They’ll tell you the same message I try to convey in my books: love yourself, work on yourself, a relationship will not heal or save you.

TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters in this storyline, which models or actors best represents your ideal image?

Patricia:
Beth: Kate Hudson (with a little brown hair dye)
Rick: Matt Damon
Dave: Zac Efron

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Patricia: You draw upon your own experiences (and/or those of people in your life) but make them bigger, scarier, and much more compelling. At least that’s what I try to do.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Patricia: The characters are totally in control. They are real people in my head. They tell me what they want to do and sometimes I fight with them to try to talk them out of their stupid choices. They always win.

Is This All There IsTRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen?  Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Patricia: I think the writer needs to feel the emotions of the characters while writing, at least to some extent. When I’m reading, I can sense that energy coming through the page or screen. Even if an author hasn’t had the same experience as the character, the pain, shame, guilt, lust… whatever should come from deep within the author’s emotional center. For me, a writer fails if I don’t pick up on his or her profound connection to the story and characters on an emotional level as I’m reading.

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon.  How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s
block?

Patricia: Still trying to figure that one out. I suppose setting small goals such as writing a page a day might help. Maybe letting go and reminding yourself that even if you write crap, you can always delete it and start again. As you said, it’s a very real phenomenon and not one I feel I have the best handle on yet.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background,) did you encounter writing this particular story and series?

Patricia: Separating my personal experiences from the fictional story was tough for me. Not much research was necessary because the backdrop of Beth’s life is so similar to my own. Writing a sequel was challenging at times because I had to make sure that all the little details were consistent with the first book. But honestly, for the most part, this second book just poured out of me. Thankfully, I had a great editor who caught little slip ups, which allowed me not to worry about things like that so much.

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

Patricia: It would take pages and pages to acknowledge all of them! I have so many author friends now and I adore every one. But okay, here are some of the ones I talk about writing with regularly: Corie Skolnick, Shelly Hickman, Sárka-Jonae Miller, Renee Carlino, Eileen Goudge, Meredith Schorr, Samantha Stroh Bailey, Eleanor Parker Sapia, Lori Verni-Fogarsi, Emha Goliesh, Isabella Louise Anderson, Amanda Askel, and many other Booktrope authors as well as the women in the Chick Lit Goddess writing group. I’ve left so many out, I feel terrible, but I love them all!

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Patricia: The third book in the Is This All There Is? trilogy. It picks up eight years after the second book leaves off.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Patricia: Just a final thank you to everyone who has read either book or both books, especially you, Sandy. They are not easy stories to read, but my intension is to help women appreciate themselves, take better care of themselves, and make healthy choices. I also want to dispel the myth that anyone who is unfaithful in a marriage is a bad person. These situations are complicated and there are always a whole host of factors that play a role and should be examined carefully.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Kale and Quinoa salad

Favorite Dessert: Pinkberry original frozen yogurt with pomegranate seeds

Favorite TV Show: Walking Dead (at the moment)

Favorite Entertainer: Oprah

Last Movie You Saw: Gone Girl

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Dark

Secret Celebrity Crush: George Clooney

Last Vacation Destination: Italy (aka paradise)

Pet Peeve: Cruelty of any kind

TRC: Thank you Patricia for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of IS THIS WHAT I WANT? We wish you all the best with your future projects.

 

Giveaway-Purple:Black

Patricia is graciously offering the following giveaway exclusive to The Reading Cafe:

First Prize: an ecopy of IS THIS ALL THERE IS ? and an ecopy of IS THIS WHAT I WANT? (books 1 & 2) to ONE (1) lucky commenter. ONE commenter will win both books.

Second Prize: an ecopy (winner’s choice) of either  l IS THIS ALL THERE IS? or book 2 IS THIS WHAT I WANT  to TWO (2) lucky commenters.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

4. Please LIKE us on Twitter

5. Please LIKE us on GOODREADS 

6. Please LIKE Patricia Mann on FACEBOOK and CLICK get notifications under LIKE

7. Giveaway is open internationally

8. Giveaway runs from November 10-14, 2014

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The Chalet (The Submissive Series 3.5) by Tara Sue Me-Review and Interview

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THE CHALET (The Submissive Trilogy 3.5) by Tara Sue Me-Review and Interview

The Chalet

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 21, 2014

New York Times bestselling author Tara Sue Me’s Submissive series is an international sensation. Now, Abby and Nathaniel’s story continues with their romantic wedding and a honeymoon too hot to believe…

Submitting her body was only the beginning.

Abby King didn’t know true passion until she gave herself to Nathaniel West, one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors and desired Dominants. Now, on the eve of her marriage, she realizes all her dreams are coming true. And with a romantic honeymoon getaway planned at a secluded Swiss chalet, she’s sure Nathaniel will find even more fantasies to fulfill…

Nathaniel never thought he’d settle down until Abby broke down his barriers and changed his plans. With their wedding only weeks away, he can barely wait to possess her completely—heart, body, and soul—and show her the true meaning of being both a wife and a submissive.

Only Abby has one more challenge in store before she becomes his: no sex and no collar for one month before the wedding. Nathaniel is willing to give it a shot but he has one scandalous stipulation—once that month is up, anything goes…

••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: THE CHALET is the latest installment in Tara Sue Me’s contemporary, adult The Submissive erotic romance series focusing on ‘Dom’ Nathaniel West and his submissive Abby King. Because THE CHALET is part of an ongoing series focusing on one couple, it should not be read as a stand alone because important background information about our couple is revealed in the previous storylines.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Abby and Nathaniel) THE CHALET is a novella that focuses on the weeks up to and after Abby and Nathaniel’s wedding wherein Abby has declared a no-sex policy during the 30 days prior to the ceremony. Nathaniel is a Dominant who fell in love with his sub, and because their Dom/sub relationship focuses more on the sexual aspect of their lives, the month of celibacy is something new. But it is during the honeymoon phase at a chalet in Zermatt, Switzerland where Abby will ask more of her Dominant than Nathaniel had expected to give. It is a time to explore her truly submissive side-not just on weekends-but throughout the week as well. When Abby accidentally calls Nathaniel ‘sir’ in a playful exchange, she begins to understand that perhaps she is a ‘true’ submissive –after all.

THE CHALET is a sexually graphic, erotic storyline that continues to explore the D/s sexual relationship of Abby and Nathaniel. While vacationing in the Swiss Alps, Abby will discover that she enjoys the submissive side of their relationship and is willing to accept everything Nathaniel has to offer.

The secondary characters include some of the previous storyline couples including Nathaniel’s cousin Jackson and his new wife (and Abby’s best friend) Felicia. Felicia is aware of Abby and Nathaniel’s relationship and is slowly learning to accept that her friend has a submissive side that needs to be addressed.

With THE CHALET, Tara Sue Me’s offers up another side of Abby and Nathaniel’s D/s relationship. Theirs is not a true, hardcore BDSM exchange but one built upon mutual understanding, marriage and love. I do foresee some difficulties in the relationship as Nathaniel will begin to demand more from Abby then she is willing to give.

Reading Order

1. The Submissive
2. The Dominant
3. The Training
3.5 The Chalet (October 2014)
4. The Enticement (April 2015)

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Interview

TRC: Hi Tara and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the success of THE SUBMISSIVE series and the release of THE CHALET.

American Author Tara Sue Me We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Tara: Thank you for having me! Honestly, there’s not much to tell. I’m a forty-something mother of two who likes to write sexy love stories.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Tara: I think as a writer, everything, everyone, and every experience influences me in some way. Some more than others, certainly.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Tara: When I’m not writing, I’m usually thinking about writing! It’s so hard to turn my mind off or make the characters give me a few minutes of silence. For those rare opportunities I can, I either swim or read.

The ChaletTRC: THE CHALET is your most recent release (and novella) in THE SUBMISSIVE series focusing on DOM Nathaniel West and submissive Abby King. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Tara: So many readers wanted the details of Nathaniel and Abby’s wedding and to be honest, those details didn’t fit in with the plot of THE TRAINING. But as I thought about it, I decided it would be fun to see what happened at their wedding and where they went on their honeymoon. I couldn’t make an entire novel out of it, so I decided to write a novella.

TRC: SEDUCED BY FIRE is the first book in your new PARTNERS IN PLAY series. Would you please tell us something about the book?

Order: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

Seduced by FireTara: SEDUCED BY FIRE tells the story of a woman exploring her submission and what she does with that information when she is faced with the dangerous side of play.

TRC: Do you have any information regarding the next book in the series?

Tara: Funny you should ask that. I’m actually combining Partners in Play with The Submissive Series. When I sat down to plot out the next few books, it made sense. Everyone is in the same geographical area, they’re about the same age, have the same interest, and Daniel and Nathaniel work in the same field.

The EnticementSo, you’ll see Julie, Daniel, and Jeff (from SEDUCED BY FIRE) in THE ENTICEMENT (April 2015) and then Jeff and Dena’s story will be out in July 2015 (THE COLLAR).

Pre Order : Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

TRC: What are your thoughts on writing a series and ending an installment with a major cliff hanger?

Tara: I know I don’t like it as a reader and for the most part, I won’t read a series until all the books are out if I think that’s going to happen.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Tara: I always like to think I’m directing the characters, but the truth is, nine times out of ten, they don’t listen to me and they do their own thing. I’ve learned, the hard way, they know what they’re talking about and that I need to listen to them.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Tara: A writer has to make the character act in character. This is actually one of my personal pet peeves when it comes to reading because if it’s not in character, the reader isn’t going to believe you no matter how well written the story is. I think as writers, we often feel the need to add drama or some issue to the plot and it doesn’t work because it doesn’t make sense.

The Submissive Trilogy

The Submissive (book 1):Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO/ The Book Depository

The Dominant (book 2): Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

The Training (book 3): Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Tara: Writer’s block for me occurs because I want the scene to be absolutely perfect and I know it won’t be with the first draft. I have to tell myself just to get words on the paper and fix it later. Butt in chair. Writing. Even when you don’t feel like it.

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

Tara: Mr. Sue Me is good to bounce ideas off and my crit partner, Elle, is awesome, too. The general premise for THE ENTICEMENT came about after a chat with another crit partner, Cyndy.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Tara: I’m currently working on THE COLLAR. This is Jeff and Dena’s story and it’s unlike anything I’ve written before. Jeff and Dena are an experienced BDSM couple with a common tragic history they think won’t allow for a future.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food Salmon

Favorite Dessert Anything chocolate

Favorite TV Show Property Brothers

Last Movie You Saw Maleficent

Favorite Musical Group The Police

Dark or Milk Chocolate Dark

Secret Celebrity Crush David Gandy

Last Vacation Destination Alaska

Pet Peeve Aggressive drivers

TRC: Thank you Tara for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the success of THE SUBMISSIVE series.

Tara: Thank you for having me!

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Seducing the Groom by Cheryl Holt-Review and Interview

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Seducing the Groom by Cheryl Holt-Review and Interview

Seducing the Groom

ebook only .99¢ at time of posting: Amazon link not available until release date

Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 30, 2014

Stephen St. John, Viscount Banbury, is in a bind. His father has cut off his allowance, so he’s had to rein in his decadent habits and split with his beautiful, spoiled mistress whom he can no longer afford. When an American heiress comes to London and dangles her fortune in Stephen’s direction, he sees it as the answer to his prayers. He’ll wed the pretty, delectable heiress, but he won’t let her interfere with his decadent lifestyle. He’s a confirmed bachelor and determined to have a marriage of convenience.

Ellen Foster has traveled to London for the express purpose of buying a titled husband. She’s been husband shopping for months and can’t make up her mind. All the available candidates seem tepid and boring. But when she lays eyes on handsome, dashing Stephen St. John, she knows he’s the one, and with her large fortune as bait, he’s easily snared in her web.

When he suggests a marriage of convenience, she pretends to agree. But she has no intention of living separate lives. She plans to enjoy every delightful, wicked minute that marriage to a rake can provide. With Stephen determined to avoid her, seduction seems the only choice.

Though Stephen doesn’t realize it, Ellen always gets her way, and as she turns their bedchamber into a den of erotic pleasure, poor Stephen doesn’t stand a chance…

•••••••••

 

4 out of 5 for this reader folks!

Well that was a sassy, naughty historical read. I enjoyed that!

Seducing the Groom by Cheryl Holt is a historical erotica novella about a bride taking care of her business on her wedding night. Ellen Foster, American heiress has just married notorious English rake Stephen St. Jean. Stephen has been cut off from his family and is in dire need of a prosperous union. When he agrees to marry Ellen, little does he know that this seemingly proper heiress has been spinning her web and will ensure that this so called “proper marriage” is more naughty than proper. On their wedding night, Ellen poses as the aloof bride while parading around tempting her groom. Stephen is taken back when his bride appears to be anything but interested, which funny enough, gets his clock ticking. Off we go on a naughty cat and mouse chase that stirs the blood, makes you smile and believe that a little deceit can go a long way.

A pretty quick read. I did find it a little flowery at times, but that is complimentary to the historical genre. I suppose that means I like my smut a little more modern even when it’s displayed in a different genre. That being said, I have discovered a new author in one of my fave genre’s and I look forward to reading more by her.

Like a quick yummy read with a splash of vixen and rake … check this one out!

HAPPY READING! 🙂

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Rachel T.
Interview

TRC: Hi Cheryl. Welcome to The Reading Cafe. Congratulations on the upcoming release of SEDUCING THE GROOM.

Cheryl HoltWe would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow: Goodreads / Website/Twitter/Facebook

Cheryl: I have been writing for twenty years and published for 14 of them. I am a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon “Top 100” author. I’m considered one of the masters of the romance genre, and for years, I was hailed as the “Queen” of erotic romance. I don’t write erotics anymore. But I do write some of the most wicked, driven characters in the world, so I’m also known as the International Queen of Villains. I’m currently writing Novel #38.

TRC: With the numerous degrees to your name including a career as a lawyer, who or what was behind your decision to become an author?

Cheryl: I started writing novels because I had two babies back to back, and I was suddenly stuck at home, and trying to figure out how to earn an income at home to replace the one I’d lost by leaving the workforce. There aren’t many options for a woman who wants to work at home, and most of them involve selling cosmetics or something like that. I don’t have the skills to sell things, and I’d always thought I might write a book someday. I jumped into it—when I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I just forged ahead and figured it out in a big way.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about your latest release- SEDUCING THE GROOM?

Seducing the GroomCheryl: My new book, SEDUCING THE GROOM, is a sort of “lost” book for me. I originally wrote it in 2004, when I was just starting to be acclaimed as the Queen of erotics. It was published in an erotic anthology, but the price was $15.00 so very few people bought it or read it. The rights recently reverted to me, so I’m releasing the book myself, and I’m excited that everyone will finally have a chance to read it.

My books are set in Regency England, which is early 1800s London. The hero is a rake and confirmed bachelor who—due to his extravagant living—has had his allowance cut off by his aristocratic father. He’s desperate to refill his bank accounts, and he meets and weds an American heiress who’s in London and looking for a husband.

He hardly knows her, but weds her merely to spite his father. Before the wedding, he tells her that he’d like to have a marriage of convenience, and she pretends to agree. In reality, she has no intention of living through a chaste marriage, and she sets about to seduce him on their wedding night.

TRC: Is SEDUCING THE GROOM a stand alone storyline or part of a series?

Cheryl: The book is a stand-alone story.

TRC: What are your thoughts on historical accuracy when writing a fictional historical romance novel? Do you believe the readers want historical accuracy in the storyline?

Cheryl: I think readers want and like historical accuracy in a book, but in my case, my plots aren’t ever dependent on a historical event. They are simply set in a certain time period—the Regency Period in England, which is the favorite time period for romance readers—so I know all the fashions and carriages and that sort of thing. I don’t have to do research for each book, because I know the historical details to put into the story. My historicals have more to do with the historical setting (particularly the restrictions placed on women during that era) than actual historical events, and the plots never revolve around historical events. However, during this period, there were plenty of wars raging, so many times, my heroes are war veterans or have fought in famous battles.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Cheryl: I direct the characters; the characters never direct me. I always have several storylines in a book, and I have lots of plot twists and turns, so I can’t let the characters just go off on their own, or they’d never arrive at the places they’re supposed to be at the appropriate plot points.

I do an enormous amount of prep work before I ever start writing the rough draft. I write in-depth storylines, and I block out chapters and scenes before I ever type the first word. When I finally sit down at the computer to write, I know exactly what will happen in each chapter and each scene.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Cheryl: In my books, I always use larger than life characters, and the stakes are always very high for the characters—particularly the heroine. I like her to be in dire straits because it pushes her to make choices she wouldn’t usually make. I also always use very macho, very tough heroes. They’re the kind of men who bluster through life, taking what they want without regard to the consequences. And I use very wicked, very driven villains who will do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals.

These bigger choices mean that I can include much bigger “scenes”, with lots of emotion, heartbreak, and betrayal. Lots of “stuff” happens in my books. People get killed, people get betrayed, people have their dreams dashed. I use big issues and big characters and big events, so that when readers get to a certain plot point, they’re shocked or hurt or enraged or emotionally drained right along with the characters.

I think writers fail at raising the emotional temperature in their books because they don’t make big choices. They don’t raise the stakes for their characters, and if the stakes are low or non-existent, there’s very little “feeling” to the writing. I think this is a particular problem in the romance genre, where the books are more often simply a character study that examines how two people meet and fall in love. But if the characters are nice to each other in the beginning, nice in the middle, and nice at the end, there’s no character arc and nowhere for the story to go.

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Cheryl: I don’t ever suffer writer’s block. I have been doing this for many years, and I’m very experienced as a writer. As I mentioned above, I block out my books before I ever start writing the first page. So when I sit down at my computer in the morning to get to work, I know precisely where I am in the story and what has to happen in the scene I’m writing.

I always tell new writers that the “cure” for writer’s block is to get more experienced as a writer. Finish the book you’re working on, then start the next one. Finish it, and move on to the next one. With each book a writer finishes, he or she becomes much more experienced and has a clearer of idea of how to get from the beginning to the end. Experience will insure that you don’t get lost in the middle.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular story and series?

Cheryl: I didn’t have any challenges or difficulties.

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

Cheryl: I don’t bounce ideas off anyone. I constantly have new ideas pop into my head, and I always jot them down. When I get ready to start a new book, I go to my list of ideas, pick one, and get started. I have a great “feel” for story and characters, and I know what works and what doesn’t in my stories. I don’t need to bounce ideas off anyone.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

wonderfulCheryl: Currently, I’m working on my next trilogy, which will be novels #37, #38, and #39 for me. I’m calling it the “Lost Lords of Radcliffe,” but I’m not ready to release much more info than that. I have a big book launch coming in January, and I’ll spread all the details then What I can tell you is that when I finished my last trilogy, my Reluctant Brides, the 3rd and final book was titled, WONDERFUL. I left a plot line dangling, so I could move one of the characters into my next series of books.

The three books of the Lost Lords trilogy tell the stories of the Blair siblings. When they were very young children, their mother was convicted of a crime and sent to the penal colonies in Australia. Her four children were left behind in England and cast to the winds of fate. In WONDERFUL, two of the siblings cross paths by accident. In the new Lost Lords trilogy, they begin the search for their other lost siblings, and they begin the fight to reclaim their stolen heritage.

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Cheryl: I have a three-year goal right now—rather than a five-year one. My main goal over the next three years is to finish 11 more novels, so that in three years, I will have written 50 novels. I can write 3-4 books per year now, so I think I should be able to get there with no problem.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Cheryl: If I’d known how to make a different life happen for myself when I was younger, I would have been a singer and songwriter.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food—potatoes, cooked any style

Favorite Dessert—anything chocolate

Favorite TV Show—Chopped on HGTV

Last Movie You Saw—Guardians of the Galaxy

Dark or Milk Chocolate—Milk Chocolate

Secret Celebrity Crush—none

Last Vacation Destination—Oahu in Hawaii

Pet Peeve—people who read their emails, but don’t answer them! Or who read their text messages but don’t answer them! Or who never listen to their voicemail!

TRC: Thank you Cheryl for taking the time to answers our questions. We wish you all the best.

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Skygods (Hydraulic #2) by Sarah Latchaw-Review,Interview and Giveaway

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SKYGODS (Hydraulic #2) by Sarah Latchaw-review, interview and giveaway

Skygods Banner

Skygods
Hydraulic #2
by Sarah Latchow
Genre: adult, contemporary, fiction
Release Date: August 26, 2014

Skygods

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date: August 26, 2014

Kaye Trilby and her ex-husband, world-famous author Samuel Cabral, vowed to fight for their rekindled love in rain or shine. They didn’t realize they’d be caught in a deluge so quickly.

A near-fatal skydiving accident shows Kaye how her reckless behavior affects the ones she loves. But while she knows Samuel is afraid to lose her again, she isn’t ready to give up the thrill of the wild backcountry.

Something darker is slipping into Samuel’s mind, though. The specters of his past are re-emerging. His polish is deteriorating, just as all of Hollywood braces for his blockbuster book-to-movie adaptation. When he appears on Kaye’s doorstep late one night in a rumpled tuxedo, erratic and agitated, it seems that romance with her ex might be her biggest leap yet. A string of failed relationships has pushed Samuel to the brink, the fall-out leaving him in a dark place—a place where Kaye is powerless to help him. She is reluctantly drawn back into Samuel’s glittering and backbiting world of celebrity, all the while clinging to the steadfast peaks of home.

Can Kaye risk her heart with Samuel a second time? Will they ever find their blue skies?

•••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: SKYGODS is the second instalment in Sarah Latchaw’s adult, contemporary Hydraulic series focusing on PR business owner and extreme sport enthusiast Kaye Trilby and best selling author Samuel Cabral. Told from first person POV (Kaye) as well as through memories, Sam’s memoirs and excerpts from Sam’s latest book, SKYGODS takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through one man’s harrowing mind and the people that control his life. This is the second instalment and therefore the series must be read in order for cohesion and understanding.

The focus of the storyline is the reconnection between Kaye and Samuel, and the maelstrom that is Sam’s life. Seven years earlier, Samuel pushed away the only woman that he loved, leaving a shocked and hurt Kaye wondering where everything went wrong. Following his sister’s wedding, Sam and Kaye will begin to repair their broken relationship-one day at a time-but there is more to Sam’s story than meets the eye.

SKYGODS follows one man’s descent into hell to which he will return time and again. Family secrets, hidden shame and a history of mind-numbing pain all contribute to Samuel’s passion for writing and his inability to remain in control. We watch as the truth is slowly revealed-the truth about one family’s history that has affected the current and future generation. And how one woman takes it upon herself to uncover the facts and how it has affected the man that she loves.

The secondary characters include Sam and Kaye’s families, group of friends, as well as the publishing and literary pundits who circle around Samuel like a vulture to the dead. There are moments of humor as Kaye’s best friends try to put on a brave face as Kaye endeavors to keep strong in the face of adversity. And there is also the requisite evil-the people waiting in the wings to destroy what is left of Samuel’s self esteem.

Like Hydraulic Level Five (book one) as applied to extreme sports, there is a definition that may be attributed to the title SKYGODS: A skydiver of such talent, skill, reputation and ego that his mere presence on a drop zone elicits a quiet hush of reverent respect, fear and/or mocking. Generally a huge asshole who thinks very highly of himself. Sometimes this self-respect is deserved, but more often than not, the SkyGod takes one decent accomplishment and plays it out for a decade or more. (UrbanDictionary.com). As it pertains to Samuel’s life, there are people who surround Samuel that do more damage than good-they are dependent upon Samuel’s success-and in this, there is both reverence, fear and a self centered attitude that Samuel’s life and success feeds directly into their own sense of self. He is admired, respected and commands respect but his life is a free fall and there is nothing stopping his descent.

If you think I am being selective in my wording, you are correct. Without giving away the truth -the revelation behind Samuel’s destructive actions and the demise of his relationship with his wife-I am struggling to play around a whirlpool of information that is presented to the reader with every turn of the page. As I am struggling for words, so too was Samuel-a man whose life depended on the written word but also depended on a darker secret that controlled every aspect of his life.

SKYGODS is an emotionally dramatic, intense and startling look at one man’s struggle to be normal but failing miserably. Sarah Latchow has done some homework as it pertains the Samuel’s ‘secret’ and how it affects everyone in his life. Not only do we get up close and personal with one man’s spiral out of control but so too, do we see the fall out from his descent into the abyss.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

Series Spotlight

Hydraulic Level Five
Hydraulic #1
by Sarah Latchaw
Genre: adult, contemporary, fiction
Release Date: September 3, 2014

Click HERE for our review of HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE (Book 1)

Hydraulic Level FiveAmazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 3, 2013

How does a woman get over her one great love? With whitewater rafting, bluegrass, and a touch of revenge…

Kaye is an extreme sports addict with a kind heart and an axe to grind with her childhood sweetheart and ex-husband, renowned writer Samuel Caulfield Cabral. While Samuel enjoys a celebrity life in New York, Kaye remains in their hometown of Lyons, Colorado, running her PR agency and chatting daily with Samuel’s family, the beloved Cabrals—first-generation Mexican-Americans who have embraced Kaye as their own.

But when Samuel returns home for his sister’s wedding with a new love interest, stunning editor Caroline Ortega, the gloves are stripped off. Kaye is determined to unearth the reasons behind the death of their marriage and why two people who lived to love each other were driven apart, all leading to startling revelations about Samuel, about life…and about herself.

Interview

TRC: Hi Sarah and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of Skygods.

Sarah: Thank you! I’ve been greatly looking forward to this one hitting the shelves.

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

Sarah-LatchawSarah: Born and raised in rural Iowa. I didn’t grow up in a cornfield, but I have driven a tractor, ha. Seriously though, Iowa has wonderfully kind people and is a gorgeous state. My heart always aches a bit when we’re out of the city and in the country because it is very familiar to me, but still manages to take my breath away with its wide skies and fields. When you love something or someone, it’s that way.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Sarah: I’ve always read, and I read most anything with a good plot. Jane Eyre might be my favorite female protagonist—I enjoy stories with real women who triumph in adversity. Stories that have a strong sense of place also move me, when the setting is almost a character. Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon are good examples.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Sarah: Read! We live close to a lake, so I’ll take the kiddos and we’ll watch the Canada geese if it’s warm enough. I also catch Indie artists if they’re in town at a great little venue in Des Moines called Vaudeville Mews. Downtown Des Moines also has a huge farmers’ market, one of the best in the country. We go on Saturdays to relax and get outside, and eat these wonderful El Salvadoran things called Pupusas—corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and pickled cabbage. A-Mazing.

SkygodsTRC: SKYGODS is the second instalment and latest release in your adult, contemporary Hydraulic series. Would you please tell us something about the premise of the book and the series?

Sarah: The narrator, Kaye Trilby, divorced her childhood sweetheart—Samuel—seven years ago. Flash forward seven years, and Samuel has come back into her life. He is now a world-famous author and about to become Hollywood’s next golden boy when his book-to-movie adaptations become blockbusters, ala Harry Potter or Game of Thrones. The books unravel the mystery of why their relationship failed in the first place, and gives them hope for a second chance at love with each other.

Kaye is an extreme sports junkie, so each book uses an outdoor adventure sport as a metaphor for Kaye’s relationship with Samuel. Hydraulic Level Five used whitewater rafting. Skygods is skydiving, and the third book, Fourteeners, features mountain climbing. The books explore what it means to love, what makes a marriage, and tackles social issues such a Hollywood politics and mental illness stigmas. It balances tension with humor, fear with determination.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Sarah: Fourteeners is the third and final book—I’m currently writing it.

TRC: Are any of the characters or the premise based in reality or a combination of reality and fiction?

Sarah: Kaye could be every woman—she carries the realistic wishes and insecurities and passions we wear beneath the surface. Like any writer, I draw bits and pieces of my life and weave them into a fictional story to lend it authenticity. That’s how a writer connects with a reader—we can’t be afraid to wear our hearts on our sleeves when we write, to let the reader in and explore the vulnerabilities of our characters, and us, to an extent.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background, medical) did you encounter writing this particular story and series?

Sarah: The realities of mental illness required a lot of research and reading. And even then, books weren’t enough to explain what it is to live and love with mental illness. I interviewed many people who struggled with mental illness or had a loved one who struggled, and their stories touched me in ways I could never have imagined.

TRC: Have you considered a novella or spin off for any of the secondary characters?

Sarah: Several people have suggested I should actually write Samuel’s “book-within-a book” novels, *Water Sirens* or his memoir. Those might be fun as short stories. We’ll see. As for spin-offs, I’m not planning anything, but never say never.

TRC: What are your thoughts on writing a series and ending an instalment with a major cliff hanger?

Sarah: I’m not a fan of blatant cliff-hangers. I like to leave readers in a comfortable, hopeful place, even if it isn’t the end of a story. I’ve been told by some they felt *Hydraulic Level Five* was too much of a cliff-hanger, but truthfully I didn’t intend it to be. But now no one needs to worry about Book One’s “cliffie” now that Book Two—*Skygods*—is here!

Hydraulic Level FiveTRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Sarah: A bit of both. I know where I want to take the story, because I write my final scene first. And I know which major events need to take place to get us to that ending. But characters have their own personalities, and trying to force them into a predetermined plot line doesn’t always work. Divergences are sometimes a necessity.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Sarah: First, writers need to respect their characters and give them emotional depth—take the time to explore each character’s motivations, their strengths and weaknesses, what makes them tick. If characters aren’t fleshed out, writers are basically playing with Barbie dolls and readers feel no connection to a story.

Second, writers need to be careful not to let a plotline drive their characters too much. When you force a character into an unnatural conclusion to their story, no matter how much a writer “wants this ending,” that is disrespectful to a character and readers are left feeling betrayed. I’ve seen some of that lately in popular book series—characters sacrificed for the sake of a plot.

Writers also have to be willing to dig down deep into their own fears and failures and triumphs, and open themselves up to their readers. Like I said above, we need to wear our hearts on our sleeves when we write, even if it’s nuanced and subtle. That allows readers to connect emotionally with a story, and through it, with us. When this doesn’t happen, we might get a nice entertaining sort of book, but ultimately not memorable.

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Sarah: I take a shower, listen to music, go for a walk. I read the newspaper and look for real life stories that can inspire a scene. I make sure I write every day, even if it’s only a sentence. If I find I’m stuck on a scene, I’ll skip ahead to a scene I’ve wanted to write, then backtrack.

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

Sarah: My sister. She lives in the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, and some of her is in Kaye—the outdoor sports, the love for bluegrass and folk music, the organic farming.

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Sarah:
1.Write a series set in Iowa.
2.Crack the Amazon Top 500.
3.Teach my kids to tie their shoes.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Sarah: My freshman year of college, I cut a Friday and Monday class to drive to Galveston, Texas to visit my long-distance boyfriend and go to the beach. It was a 36 hour drive round-trip. I taught my two girlfriends to drive my manual transmission Escort so we could take shifts on the road. We brought a big muscular guy-friend with us for protection, but he ended up having mono and passed out in the back seat. I’m not sure if I’ve ever told my folks about this. If not, they know now. Sorry Mom and Dad.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Sarah: The last book in the *Hydraulic* Series, *Fourteeners*. I’m about a third of the way in.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Sarah: Be sure to find me on Facebook or Twitter–I love to chat with readers! Facebook | Twitter

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Miami Heat sushi roll from Miyabi 9. I don’t know if it can be considered
sushi, actually, because it has cream cheese and is fried.

Favorite Dessert
Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Custard

Favorite TV Show
Right now, Outlander

Last Movie You Saw
Austenland

Favorite Musical Group
Hey Marseilles

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate

Secret Celebrity Crush
Colin Firth, like, forever. We’re going on twenty years now.

Last Vacation Destination
New Orleans

Pet Peeve
Drivers who tail my car, especially in heavy traffic or bad weather. I have little kids, come on!

TRC: Thank you Sarah for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on all of your success. We wish you all the best.*

Sarah:  Thank you!

About the Author

Sarah-LatchawSarah Latchaw was raised in eastern Iowa and appreciates beauty in mud-splattered gravel roads and fields. She also loves to explore far-away places, thanks to countless family minivan trips across the States. This passion for finding stories led to college adventures in many different countries, and each place’s story rests in the back of her mind and in her photo albums.

Sarah received her BA from Wartburg College in public relations and media, and entered the workforce, ready to climb the ladder. However, when researching MBA applications evoked feelings of dread, with the loving support of her husband, she pursued a career in creative writing and was awarded her MA from Iowa State University.

These days, Sarah wakes every morning thrilled to cuddle her small children, show them the world, then capture that world and shape it into stories on paper. She is not thrilled when she wakes to her cats smothering her face. She and her family reside in Des Moines, Iowa—one of the best places to live and work.

 

Find Her On: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 
 

Giveaway

There are TWO ways to WIN

Sarah and her publicist are offering an ecopy of either HYDRAULIC LEVEL FIVE (book one) or SKYGODS (book two) to TWO (2) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

4. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Follow us on Goodreads

6. LIKE Sarah on Facebook

7. Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL

8. Giveaway runs from September 5-10, 2014

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NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the author.

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