Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

I’d like to welcome Janine Ashbless to my blog today. Janine is a multi-published author of erotic romance and erotica. Her first book was published in 2000 by Black Lace and she currently writes for Samhain and Ellora’s Cave among others. She’s always used elements of fantasy, mythology and folklore in her writing, with occasional forays into horror.

Janine lives in Yorkshire, England, with her husband and two rescued greyhounds, and is trying hard to overcome her addiction to semicolons.

1. Give us an elevator pitch for your book, Heart of Flame.

“The Adventures of Sinbad with hot romance. And extra djinnis.”

2. Where did the idea for your book come from? Did you need to do much research?

It’s a setting I’ve wanted to write about for years. When an editor asked me to come up with a romantic fantasy novel, the Arabian Nights was what jumped straight into my head. Heart of Flame ended up going to a different editor and a bigger publisher, in the end, but that’s how I started.

This is the first of my 5 published novels with anything like a real historical background, so I did a load of research, starting with the unexpurgated version of the One Thousand and One Nights. I borrowed a duffle-bag full of books on Middle Eastern history from a friend, and of course I used the internet. Honestly, how did writers ever manage before? Did you know you can Google Earth Iraq and look for the route to the ruined city of Ctesiphon? How awesome is that!

Also, I actually spent a few days in Damascus during the time I was writing Heart of Flame. That was a happy coincidence really, but it certainly didn’t hurt!

3. What does your writing space look like, and do you have a view?

I write sitting up in bed with my laptop. I have two large rescued greyhounds to keep me company with their strange doggy sleep-noises (and, um, smells). I have a big window, but from that angle all I can see is the sky and the top of a tree. Which suits me fine –the fewer distractions the better. I can’t work with TV or music on, for example.

4. What advice would you give an aspiring writer just starting on their writing journey?

Don’t do it for money – you aren’t going to be rich. Don’t do it for fame – you will never be a household name. Do it because you love to write. Do it because you want tell a story, and because you’re the only escape route this story will ever have out into the big wide world. And remember Calvin Coolidge’s advice:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

5. Describe your hero. Tell us about one of his strengths and one of his vulnerabilities. From where did you draw the inspiration for your hero?

Rafiq is a real Sinbad type character: a merchant-master who accompanies his trade caravans all over the Middle East. He’s smart, restless and fair-minded. Looks-wise – well, I’ve no complaints about the model on the cover! That’s a pretty good likeness :-)

A strength? Well, in a culture where everyone is defined by their social position, Rafiq is unusually open-minded and non-judgmental. His wife died several years ago, and he learned a hard lesson then about how everyone has their own story and their own individual viewpoint on life. He doesn’t have a down on the heroine Taqla because she’s a woman, or because she’s a sorceress. (He has a down on her because she lied to him. But he gets over that.)

A weakness? He’s got a terminal case of itchy feet. When he was married he was an absent husband, never at home for more than a few weeks. He loves to travel, and cannot settle. This makes it very difficult for him to really love someone because, in his culture, where’s he going to find a woman who can share his travelling life? Heh.

6. And now a question from Janine for you all to answer:

What’s your favourite movie from your childhood, and what is it you remember about it? Mine was Jason and the Argonauts, even though (or maybe because) the bronze giant scared the pants off me!

Book Blurb:

And on the One-Thousand-and-Second night, Scheherazade told this story…

By day, Taqla uses her forbidden sorcery to move freely about the city of Damascus in the guise of an old sage. Her true identity known only by her faithful servant woman, Taqla is content with the comfortable, if restrictive, life that keeps her safe from the control of any man. Until she lays eyes on a handsome merchant-traveler. Suddenly her magical disguise doesn’t rest so easily on her shoulders.

When long-time widower, Rafiq, hears that the Amir’s beautiful daughter has been kidnapped by a scheming djinni—and that she will be given in marriage to her rescuer—he seeks the help of “Umar the Wise” to ensure he will be that man. Yet as he and the disguised Taqla set off, he senses that his prickly male companion is hiding something.

In a moment of dire peril, all of Taqla’s secrets are stripped bare—her fears, her sorcery and, worst of all, her love for Rafiq. Yet the princess’s life hangs in the balance, and there is no running away or turning back. Even though passion may yet betray them all…

Warning: Scary monsters and creepy ruins in the desert—check. Pagan gods that demand blood-sacrifices—double check. A handsome hero who looks good in a robe and even better out of it—oh yeah. Check, check and check. That’s worth a heroine dropping a veil or two.

Purchase Heart of Flame

To learn more about Janine visit her website or blog. You can also find her on Facebook.

CONTEST: Janine will be giving away a PDF copy of her previous fantasy/erotic romance novella, “The King’s Viper” to one randomly drawn commenter. All you need to do to go into the draw is to answer Janine’s movie question above or ask her a question about her book. It’s that easy.

Book Blurb:

And on the One-Thousand-and-Second night, Scheherazade told this story…

By day, Taqla uses her forbidden sorcery to move freely about the city of Damascus in the guise of an old sage. Her true identity known only by her faithful servant woman, Taqla is content with the comfortable, if restrictive, life that keeps her safe from the control of any man. Until she lays eyes on a handsome merchant-traveler. Suddenly her magical disguise doesn’t rest so easily on her shoulders.

When long-time widower, Rafiq, hears that the Amir’s beautiful daughter has been kidnapped by a scheming djinni—and that she will be given in marriage to her rescuer—he seeks the help of “Umar the Wise” to ensure he will be that man. Yet as he and the disguised Taqla set off, he senses that his prickly male companion is hiding something.

In a moment of dire peril, all of Taqla’s secrets are stripped bare—her fears, her sorcery and, worst of all, her love for Rafiq. Yet the princess’s life hangs in the balance, and there is no running away or turning back. Even though passion may yet betray them all…

Warning: Scary monsters and creepy ruins in the desert—check. Pagan gods that demand blood-sacrifices—double check. A handsome hero who looks good in a robe and even better out of it—oh yeah. Check, check and check. That’s worth a heroine dropping a veil or two.

Purchase Heart of Flame

Heart of Flame is a fantasy with romantic elements. Set in the mystical world of 9th Century Arabia, this story is a fast-paced quest that held me spellbound and kept me turning the pages.

Taqla bint-Yusef is a sorceress who lives in seclusion, hiding her true nature from everyone except her trusted servants. Sometimes, she leaves her home in the guise of a man called Zahir, weaving a spell to make her appear as a plain young male. At other times, she weaves spells to appear as Umar, an elderly wise man, all to keep her identity secret and keep herself safe from persecution.

During an outing, Taqla hears of Rafiq the Traveller’s return to the city. She is interested in meeting him to learn of his travels. After their first eventful meeting, Rafiq visits the court of the Amir where he witnesses the disappearance of Ahleme, the daughter of the Amir of Dimashq when she vanishes without warning while gazing at a magical painting. The Amir is distraught and offers riches and marriage to the man who returns his daughter. Rafiq is determined to find her and seeks counsel with Umar, the wise man who is in reality Taqla.

Thus begins the quest to find Ahleme and win her hand in marriage. Rafiq sets out with Taqla in her Zahir disguise on an eventful journey.

Ms. Ashbless has done an awesome job with the setting. I’ve visited this part of the world, and I really felt as if I was dropped in the middle of Arabia. Her descriptions are excellent, painting wonderful word pictures that help make the characters shine.

Rafiq is well-travelled and confident. He intends to marry Ahleme once he finds her and become the next ruler of Dimashq. Taqla is more innocent to the ways of the world, but she holds the power of magic. A well-matched pair, one’s strength offsets the other’s weaknesses and vica versa. Taqla has a crush on Rafiq. She knows there is no future for them, yet she can’t help trying to aid Rafiq in his quest.

For those aspiring writers who want to learn about escalating tension, definitely check out this book. With each passing chapter, the situation seems to become more dire for our hero and heroine. Will they succeed or will they give up, accepting failure?

Heart of Flame is a story of bravery, of djinni, gods, ghosts and magic and the search for love. I enjoyed this book, and if you’re a fan of fantasy with a good dose of romance then I think you’ll like it too.

I’d like to welcome author Tina Donahue today. I’ll hand you straight over since she has some big news!

Did you get what you wanted for the holidays??

I certainly did! A contract for the next installment of my Outlawed Realm series with Samhain Publishing. Book 2 is due out September 2012. Woot!!

For those of you who don’t know me, here’s my official bio and links:

Tina Donahue is an award-winning, bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing and Kensington. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work; she has reached finals and/or placed in numerous RWA–sponsored contests. Three of her erotic novels were named finalists in the 2011 EPIC competition. Sensual Stranger, her erotic romance, was chosen Book of the Year 2010 (erotic category) at the French review site, Blue Moon reviews. The Golden Nib Award at Miz Love Loves Books was created specifically for her erotic romance Lush Velvet Nights; and Deep, Dark, Delicious (erotic romance) recently received an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition (2011). She’s featured in the 2012 Novel and Writer’s Market. Before turning to fiction, she was the editor of an award–winning Midwestern newspaper and worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company.

Email: tina@tinadonahue.com
Website/blog: www.tinadonahue.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000458023097

For those of you who haven’t yet read Unending Desire, Book One in my Outlawed Realm
series, here’s the cover art, the blurb and an excerpt. Enjoy!

Blurb:

His hunger for one woman will make him a traitor to his world…
Outlawed Realm, Book 1

From a portal in his lab on E2, one of the five dimensions of Earth, quantum physicist Nikoli Zorr gazes on everything forbidden to him. Passion. Desire. The exquisite pleasure of running his hands over the lush curves of a young woman he should have stopped watching weeks ago.

His duty is to close the portals that keep the monsters out of E2—and never interfere with the inevitable fate of those on the other side. Yet he can’t bring himself to abandon the woman who has captured his soul.

Psychologist Regina Page is trying to keep her mind on her client, and off the mysterious, unbearable sexual cravings that consume her when she’s alone in her bedroom. The next moment she’s attacked by vampires, then swept into another realm by a stranger whose touch awakens that same raw desire. Whose eyes are already filled with farewell.

Yet beneath their undeniable carnal lust, something else stirs. The beginnings of illicit love. The unexpected need to protect him. Even if it means risking body, blood and soul to defeat the merciless horde…for a future that was never meant to be.

_______________________________________

Product Warnings
Contains a repressed scientist who likes to look, and the woman who delights in unleashing his inner caveman. And sex hot enough to burn a hole in all three dimensions…and maybe create a whole new one.

Excerpt:

Within seconds, she sensed it again…someone watching.

Anticipation made her look up; life experience made her wary. Peering right and left, Regina noted that no one glanced in her direction. Conversations continued. Patrons consumed their food and drinks.

Disconcerted, she glanced behind herself, seeing nothing different. No one acknowledged or even noticed her.

Heat continued to travel to her pussy, lingering there. It climbed to her throat and cheeks. A picture scrolled across her mind of large hands on either side of her face, gentle and caressing, lips brushing her skin, the rush of warm breath tickling her cheek, her lids closing on a lusty moan, her body sagging against hard male flesh scented with musk.

Where are you? Regina’s mind asked before she knew it would.

At the establishment’s street entrance a knot of people stood in the open doorway, shaking water from their umbrellas, brushing beads of moisture from their coats.

The edge of her napkin fluttered in the dank breeze. The patron closest to her, a young guy in a beautifully tailored suit, called out, “Hey, close the door. You’re letting in the cold.”

Regina experienced only building warmth. She rested her fingertips on the top of her table, noting how cool the polished wood was to her touch.

Her attention swung from the baristas behind the serving area to the individual facing it. A man who must have arrived shortly before those who’d left the door open. Tall, with a powerful build, muscled yet lean, he wore a black crewneck sweater, jacket and a dark blue topcoat. The ends fluttered above his similarly colored pants. Combed away from his forehead, his thick raven hair was wavy and worn longish in the back. Strong masculine features, ruggedly handsome, complemented his olive complexion.

Regina knew she was staring openly but couldn’t help herself. She guessed him to be in his mid-thirties and of foreign descent, possibly Greek or Middle Eastern ancestry.

Did he work in this building? Where? What floor? Who was he? Why hadn’t she ever noticed him?

He certainly wasn’t a man a woman could ignore.

The barista who’d waited on Regina delivered his order with a suggestive smile, clearly interested in him. He seemed not to notice her flirting as he handed over a twenty. Regarding him closely, Regina saw that the shoulders of his coat weren’t damp from the rain. Neither was his hair. Had he bought the coffee to take on his drive home? Did a wife and children await him in one of Seattle’s countless suburbs?

Chewing her lower lip, Regina checked out his large hands and long fingers. Naked. No ring.

She was unbelievably pleased, an obviously crazy reaction. It was possible his culture didn’t believe in the men wearing wedding bands. Even if he was single, she didn’t know him. Other than being in this coffeehouse at the same time, their paths would probably never cross again. They would never speak or touch.

To Regina’s surprise, brutal reality didn’t stop her. Fevered and wanting, she considered going up to him and starting a conversation. About what? With lightning speed, her mind considered and rejected numerous topics—the delicious pastry in the display case, the depressing weather, what films currently played. Through it all, persistent warmth engulfed Regina, a curious sensation of desire and well-being that continued to grow and draw her to him.

With his order in hand, he turned, looking directly at her. No one else.

Regina’s body softened with a rush of delight…an invisible connection between them. The psychologist in her knew it was ridiculous to consider such a thing. The woman in her didn’t care. She held his gaze, as dark as his hair, his irises sparkling in the tame lighting.

A whimper of pleasure bubbled in Regina’s throat.

Behind him, a middle-aged woman knocked his arm as she moved past to place her order. His focus remained on Regina, his manner composed yet commanding, his expression unguarded, filled with what appeared to be wonder.

Around them, people laughed and spoke, lights blinked, rain tapped the windows, the sounds resembling drumming fingernails. An instrumental piece flowed from the sound system, a tenor sax wailing sensuously.

Locking her knees, Regina leaned against her table for support.

He didn’t break their unspoken attachment. With an easy stride, he approached her table.

A current of expectation tore through Regina, tightening her nipples. She lifted her face, helpless in his presence.

He smiled.

At its comfort and beauty, her heart turned over.

He gestured toward her table. “Do you mind if I join you?” Regarding the area past her, he added, “It’s very crowded tonight.”

In his smooth, deep baritone, Regina caught the trace of an accent. Not Greek or Middle Eastern as she’d suspected but from some unknown locale. Managing a swallow, she cleared her throat and murmured, “Not at all. Please do.” Really, please.

Again, he focused on her. Only her. As if no one else existed.

Something inside Regina shifted, magnifying her sense of sight and sound, her pressing need to be close. She ached to touch him, wondering if he suspected as much and had noticed how her words caught. She had no doubt he saw her desire.

“Thanks.” He rested his cup on the table.

Unwilling to stop herself, Regina offered her hand, their fingertips nearly touching. “Hi. I’m Regina Page.”

Tell me who you are.

Buy Link: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/unending-desire-p-6491.html

* * * CONTEST * * * CONTEST * * * CONTEST * * *

One lucky commenter on this blog will have her choice of one of my following ebooks**:

1. Adored – RWA award-winning; EPIC 2011 Finalist; 4 Stars RT
2. Deep, Dark, Delicious – EPIC 2011 Finalist; Holt Medallion Award of Merit
3. Lush Velvet Nights – EPIC 2011 Finalist; Golden Nib Award
4. In His Arms – SIX 5 Star Reviews; 4 Stars RT
5. Sensual Stranger – 2010 Book of the Year (erotic); 4 Stars RT
6. The Yearning – Top Ten Bestseller
7. Take Me Away – #1 Pick, Miz Love Loves Books

** Winner chosen at random. Winner chosen January 5.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser today is from my recent read, Heart of Flame by Janine Ashbless, which is a fantasy with romantic elements. Review coming soon!

Her first sensation was a wave of humiliation and hurt, and at that she felt the spell that held her in male shape fracture. She took a sharp breath and shut her eyes, seizing the enchantment with her will, concentrating on the rush of anger that swept through her blood while the spell, as fragile as all shapings were, shifted momentarily in her grip like a pot riddled with hairline cracks.

page 17, Heart of Flame

The grip on her ear was horribly painful, but he was trying to stop her pulling away from him. He was taken entirely by surprise when she lunged forward and clamped her teeth as hard as she could on his nose, grinding into the gristle.

page 18, Heart of Flame

Blurb:

And on the One-Thousand-and-Second night, Scheherazade told this story…

By day, Taqla uses her forbidden sorcery to move freely about the city of Damascus in the guise of an old sage. Her true identity known only by her faithful servant woman, Taqla is content with the comfortable, if restrictive, life that keeps her safe from the control of any man. Until she lays eyes on a handsome merchant-traveler. Suddenly her magical disguise doesn’t rest so easily on her shoulders.

When long-time widower, Rafiq, hears that the Amir’s beautiful daughter has been kidnapped by a scheming djinni—and that she will be given in marriage to her rescuer—he seeks the help of “Umar the Wise” to ensure he will be that man. Yet as he and the disguised Taqla set off, he senses that his prickly male companion is hiding something.

In a moment of dire peril, all of Taqla’s secrets are stripped bare—her fears, her sorcery and, worst of all, her love for Rafiq. Yet the princess’s life hangs in the balance, and there is no running away or turning back. Even though passion may yet betray them all…

Product Warnings
Scary monsters and creepy ruins in the desert—check. Pagan gods that demand blood-sacrifices—double check. A handsome hero who looks good in a robe and even better out of it—oh yeah. Check, check and check. That’s worth a heroine dropping a veil or two.

Purchase Heart of Flame

What are you reading this week? Leave a link to your teaser or post your teaser in the comment section.

Many romances, especially paranormal and urban fantasy ones, are based on the world of mythology. An example is Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Hunter series. Old myths and legends are rich in ideas for authors, so I thought I’d mention a few characters from within mythology for my Thursday Thirteen today.

Thirteen Tricksters & Means from Mythology

To start, mythology is a collection of stories that helped people make sense of the world. They were passed orally from generation to generation. Sometimes people wrote the myths down, and they were often celebrated in dance and art.

1. Chimera – a fire breathing monster made up of a mishmash of body parts of different animals.

2. Bacchus – the Roman god of wine and ecstasy. He gave King Midas the power to change everything he touched into gold.

3. Maui – he’s one of our New Zealand tricksters, and was supposedly responsible for fishing up New Zealand. He was a slippery one, and frankly, I’d run if I saw him. He pushed up the heavens and stole fire for mankind.

4. Cunning Hare – he’s an animal trickster that always outwits the other animals. He’s known in the US as Brer Rabbit.

5. Loki – the Norse trickster god. He caused the death of Odin’s son, Balder and is still being punished for it.

6. Baba Yaga – is a cannibal witch from Russia. She lives in a revolving hut that’s supported by hen’s feet, and she flies through the air in a mortar (grinding pot)

7. Guan Di – the Chinese god of war. Originally, he sold tofu, but he killed a magistrate and had to flee his home. He became a soldier and was promoted to the status of god of war.

8. Eshu – the trickster god of the Yoruba people in west Africa. He likes playing tricks on people – mischievous ones. He disguises himself as a naughty boy, a wise old man and a priest.

9. Kokopelli – another trickster. He’s also responsible for fertility of crops and the village women. I used Kokopelli as the basis for my story Seeking Kokopelli.

10. Tengu – a part man and part bird. They’re Japanese and have magic invisibility cloaks.

11. Sekhmet – a lioness god, sent by Ra to destroy mankind. Ra changed his mind and the only way to stop Sekhmet was to ply her with drink and get her drunk.

12. Centaur – half man and half horse they’re wild and savage. There are centaurs in the Harry Potter series.

13. Yen-lo – the ruler and judge of the dead in China. He weighs the souls first. Those who were virtuous had light souls while sinners possessed heavy souls. The souls must past several tests before they can be reincarnated.

All of these seem unfriendly to me. I’m not sure I’d like to meet them, but they certainly provide inspiration for stories.

Do you have any favorite stories based on mythology? Which of the above would you prefer to face? Write a story about?

Source: Mythology, an Eyewitness Book, by Neil Philip

One of my favorite things about taking a holiday, apart from stepping away from my normal routine, is that I get the chance to catch up on my reading. During my visit to China, I managed to get through twenty-eight books in lengths ranging from shorts to long novels. Since I love to talk books, I thought I’d mention some of my favorite holiday reads instead of doing a Tuesday Teaser.

I started off with The Waiting Booth (Whispering Woods) by Brinda Berry. This is a young adult story and was a great start to my reading binge. The Waiting Booth features a missing boy, government agents and an interdimensional portal. The plot moved along and I kept zipping through the pages until I reached the end.

The Devil to Pay by Maria Zannini was an interesting read with great world building. Heaven or hell? Our heroine is in a bad place in her life and wants out. Unluckily, that’s just the start of her problems. This is a self-published book and well worth a read. I’ll be snapping up the second story in Maria’s series when it comes out.

Rock Hard by Olivia Cunning is the second book in her Sinners on Tour series. It took me a while to warm to the hero, but this book was an excellent way to pass a long bus ride. It’s a hot, sexy read, and I’m counting the days until book three hits the shelves.

I’m a sucker for a friends-to-lovers story, and Hot Head by Damon Suede grabbed my attention straight away. Sexy firemen, best friends, lots of emotion and confusion along the way. This is a gay romance, and I really enjoyed it.

Then came my Carina Press binge. Yes, I’m a Carina author, but I have to say if you haven’t tried some of the stories available from Carina you’re missing out. I read Golden by Joely Sue Burkhart. Just excellent. I loved this story, which is a historical set in China. Caddy Girls by VK Sykes and Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelley are both stories I’d recommend to any contemporary fan. I enjoyed reading both stories.

And my final recommendation is Chasin’ Eight by Lorelei James. The hero and heroine really grabbed me in this one, and it was fun watching them both grow during the course of the book. This is book eleven in the Rough Riders series and one of my favorites in the series to date.

Have you read any extra good books this month? What are you reading at present? If you have time give me a two sentence teaser in the comments, because I need to load up my iPad again.

This is the final day of my Lone Wolf virtual tour. I’m visiting Sara York’s blog and talking about authors, life experience and characters. Is there a connection between an author’s life experience and their writing?

Don’t forget–if you comment on my post at Sara’s blog you’ll be in the draw to win a $20 Amazon voucher.

Wolves have loomed large on my mind recently with the release of my latest book Lone Wolf, so this week I thought the differences between wolves and dogs would make an excellent TT topic.

Thirteen Differences Between Wolves and Dogs

1. The skeletons of wolf and dog are quite different. There are diagrams on In the Company of Wolves which show the difference between the two.

2. Dogs behave like adolescent wolves throughout their lives while wolves mature in their behavior.

3. Wolves don’t shed like dogs. They lose their winter coats in spring and grow a summer coat. Our puppy seems to shed constantly!

4. Wolves tend to do what they want to do whenever the mood strikes them, while dogs happily wait for their owners.

5. Wolves seldom bark while barking is the main method of communication for a dog.

6. Wolves typically ingest fur, bones and other things while these things would make a domestic dog ill.

7. The muzzle of a wolf is typically much longer than a dogs.

8. Every wolf in the pack helps to raise the pups. They regurgitate food for the pups. Dogs don’t do this.

9. Wolves rarely kill anything for fun. When they make a kill it’s for food. Dogs can kill as a type of game i.e. to show their masters how clever they are.

10. Wolves come into heat only once a year while dogs come into heat several times.

11. Wolves have much smaller litters 2 – 4 pups. A dog can have up to 12 puppies.

12. Wolves have longer legs, bigger feet and broader skulls than dogs.

13. Wolves live in packs, which have a distinct hierarchy of alpha wolves and submissive wolves. This is apparent even with the pups in the pack.

Source: In the Company of Wolves

Note: that’s our puppy in the photo on the right. She knows she’s not meant to be up on the chair!

I’m visiting Words of Wisdom…From the Scarf Princess today. The Scarf Princess interviewed me about writing, travel and Lone Wolf, my new release from Samhain Publishing.

If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you already know how much I love to travel. Seeing different parts of the world broadens the mind and exposes us to new ideas, experiences and cultures. Personally I think it’s a great way of learning, and my experiences definitely bleed into my books.

Check out my interview, and don’t forget one commenter during my Lone Wolf blog tour will win a $20 gift card from Amazon.

The LONE WOLF VBT continues! Today I’m visiting BVS Reader’s Blog where I talk a little about reading and writing gay romances, plus of course a little about my latest release, Lone Wolf.

Here’s the link – BVS Reader’s Blog

Lone Wolf is out today at Samhain Publishing.

Here’s the blurb:

When you fall out of step, that’s when everything falls into place.

R.J. Blake begins a new session tutoring young werewolves in the old ways—before the introduction of the shift-suppressing drugs that allow their kind to live secretly among humans. He expects nothing out of the ordinary. Until sexy, smart, aggravating-as-hell Corey Wilson arrives. Older than the others, son of a powerful Los Angeles pack leader, Corey is an instant temptation he cannot afford.

The last thing Corey wants is three months stuck in the Yellowstone wilderness, followed by the stifling life his father has all mapped out for him. One glimpse of R.J., though, sparks a determination to seduce the older man before he leaves. Yet as R.J. guides him through the sometimes terrifying process of rediscovering his heritage, a deepening respect calls to his artistic soul and fuels a burst of creativity.

When their time comes to an end, Corey senses hesitation behind R.J.’s insistence that theirs was simply a summer fling. Inspiring him to take a leap of faith with consequences neither of them saw coming. A dangerous plot that reaches from the heart of their love to the highest office in the land…

Product Warnings
This book contains a young werewolf intent on seduction, an older werewolf determined to resist said seduction, werewolf politics and brutality, a little spilled blood, and hot, naked manlove in the great outdoors.

So, about the nail polish – this was one of the many questions I thought about while developing my world in Lone Wolf. Today I’m visiting Naughty Boys in the Backseat where I’m discussing nail polish and other things relating to my new release, Lone Wolf.

And continuing the nail polish discussion, I’ve just made an appointment to have my very first manicure. I don’t know why I’ve never had one before, but I thought it was about time I had the experience. I’m also having a pedicure. My second because I enjoyed the first one so much. At present I’m pondering what color polish I should choose to sport on my nails. A siren red maybe?

Do you have regular mani/pedis? What is your favorite color of nail polish?