HAVING FUN WITH RESEARCH

My guest is Terry Spear who writes some fabulous stories about wolf and jaguar shifters. I thoroughly enjoy her stories and stepping into a world created by Terry is almost as good as a vacation. I'd still like to find a nice beach with white sands, balmy warm breezes, and frothy turquoise waters, AND a Terry Spear book. Now, that would be a great vacation!

I love to research settings, animals (for shifter types), temperatures, plants, everything I can to make an urban fantasy story as real as werewolf and jaguar shifters can be. J

Visiting Grand Cayman Island was a lot of fun. I’d always wanted to set a story there because I thoroughly enjoyed it. When a story is set in a place you've been, it makes it easier. But I still did research to ensure I got my facts straight and added more details I missed—like about where the different types of sharks are located, and something about the huge amount of banks that are on the island (offshore bank accounts, ring a bell?), and more. I saw one when I was there, and it wasn't anything like what you might expect. I also saw a man in a business suit at the hotel where we were staying, chain around his wrist and a briefcase. Hmm-hm. And I included it in the story. The man and the stingray story? Happened to a man swimming near me. The tale the man told them about the ray with no tail? The shark with all the undigested ray tails? All of these the guide revealed to us during the snorkeling trip to feed the rays. So sometimes what I add is researched, and some of it is real. The pirates putting on a sword-fighting show was also real. Well, faked, but you what I mean. LOL

It was fun when Duncan couldn't stand it anymore and had to show how a real swordsman fought.

When I went to Grand Cayman Island, I did almost everything that Duncan and Shelley did, except swim and run as a wolf, and no fighting bad guys. I also went on a submarine, but Duncan and Shelley, being the wolves they are, didn't want to do that.

Since I also write thousands of blogs, I love to take photos of animals that I might share since they’re in the stories. I wish I’d had a decent camera to take pictures when I was on Grand Cayman Island. But that was one of the things I always forgot. A camera.

I’m getting better about it!

While visiting my son and daughter-in-law at Omaha, NE where my son is stationed in the AF, they took me to the zoo, and I got a lot of neat pictures of sharks and stingrays and jelly fish, caimans and jaguars—for my jaguar stories, and tons of other great stuff. But they had no wolves. They took me to another park, complete with wolves. My Thanksgiving was perfect!

My next story, A Highland Werewolf Wedding, is set in Scotland, and the castle ruins I used in the story, was actually one of the ones I visited and fell in love with. Visiting a place that you set your story can help to create a real world in a world of fantasy. Since I really loved it, like I did Grand Cayman Island, Scotland, and some of the silver mining towns in Colorado that I used to create Silver Town, Colorado, and the Oregon coast and Portland areas, I could create a world I loved, too. With a camera, I can take pictures to help me remember details I might forget. Tour guides can give details, too, that we might not be able to find by doing other kinds of research.

I’m still learning to use my new camera though. I spent a couple of hours at the local zoo, capturing a tiger cub playing with his mother, and a jaguar making its strange huffing roar because it was separated from her cub, and got home to find that I must not have turned the movie on when I was taking it.

*sigh*

I have to say that when I went to the Grand Cayman Island, I was still writing on a historical romance, and had no idea that one day, I would be writing a story about a hot Highland wolf meeting up with a sexy Texas she-wolf in that same island paradise.

Now, everywhere I go is a potential setting for a story.

Have you ever been somewhere that you can’t stop thinking about because you just had such a memorable time there?

Thanks so much to Sia for having me on her blog! And good luck to commenters!!

                                                                                                                                                                                   

BUY:   AMAZON,  B&N

A HOWL FOR A HIGHLANDER BY TERRY SPEAR – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2013

A Highland Wolf on a Mission...

Duncan MacNeill is hell-bent on catching the thief who's stolen the clan's fortune and run off to Grand Cayman Island. Duncan has rarely left his homeland and he couldn't care less about an island paradise. He never expected to find a beautiful distraction who will show him just how appealing paradise can be...

Meets a Dangerous Distraction...

Lone wolf and botanist Shelley Campbell headed to the island to study the old growth forests. She didn't count on meeting a handsome Highlander who can't keep his paws off her.

Excerpt (Amazon chapter read) 

"Fascinating characters and an exciting, action packed plot."  RTBook Reviews, 4 Stars

                                                                                                                                                  

FOR HOWL BLOG HOP IS A WOLF PRIZE PACK 

OF ONE OF TERRY'S BOOKS IN

HER WOLF SERIES

FOLLOW THE COUNTDOWN TO HOWL BOOK BLOGGER HOP:

1/24       Literal Addiction http://www.literaladdiction.com/ 

1/25       Under the Covers http://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/  

1/28       Book Lovin’ Mamas http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com/ 

1/29       Anna’s Book Blog http://annavivian.blogspot.com/  

1/30       Urban Girl Reader http://www.urbangirlreader.com/  

                                                                                                                       

THE DEAD HERO

My guest is romance author, Elisabeth Naughton. Her topic is one of interest because as writers we do have a plan when it comes to our characters and our stories. Sometimes the story is better served when we allow input from our beta readers or critique partner, even when the suggestions take us in a different direction than we first planned.

Gryphon: The Dead Hero

Thank so much to Sia for inviting me to stop by during release month for ENSLAVED, the fifth book in my Eternal Guardians series. I’m super excited to be here talking about the series and my hero who almost wasn't…Gryphon.

For those of you who don’t know me…I write the bestselling Eternal Guardians series about a group of gifted warriors all descended from the heroes of Greek mythology. They protect their realm and the human world from threats born of the Underworld, specifically one evil goddess with a bad attitude. Gryphon, one of these warriors, has been in every book in the series, but it wasn't all unicorns and sunshine for this guardian. No, he’s been to hell and back—literally. You see, Gryphon spent three months in the Underworld being tortured by Hades and his father Kronos, so in every way possible, he’s the tortured hero (again, literally) of the group. His story is all about coming back from the brink of insanity and becoming who he was meant to be. But originally, I didn't set out to write him this way.

I am an author who believes in writing reality. It’s not realistic that seven warriors span time and realms and battle evil again and again, only to triumph at each turn with no loss of life. Even the best warriors die in battle – look at Achilles! So originally, I planned to kill Gryphon off. I had his death scene all planned out. It was to happen in TEMPTED, book three in the series. He was going to take a mortal blow by sword in an attempt to rescue the heroine of that book. The hero in that story would ultimately be responsible for his death because his actions contributed to Gryphon’s death. It was going to add even more angst to an already angst-ridden story. But when I started to write that death scene, and my critique partner—author Joan Swan—caught wind of it, she freaked out.

I believe her words were, “You cannot kill Gryphon! If you do I will never speak to you again! Your readers will never speak to you again!”

Harsh words from a usually even-keel person. I considered. However, it wasn't realistic that everyone always survives!

And then….after much thought…I realized that realistic in the paranormal world is different from realistic in the real world. Gryphon didn't have to die…exactly. I could simulate death—even simulate torture in the afterlife—all while leaving a thread of hope for his resurrection. This is paranormal…anything can happen! In the end, I wrote it so his body was possessed by a power-hungry warlock and his soul was sent to the Underworld. The hero of TEMPTED was still blamed for Gryphon’s tragedy, the rest of the Eternal Guardians still didn't know if Gryphon would ever be rescued, and it still added in a whole new level of angst and betrayal to an already dark and emotional story. But it added something else. Something I didn't expect. It gave me a brand new storyline to explore in future books.

Gryphon’s imprisonment in the Underworld led to book four - ENRAPTURED – and a brother’s quest to rescue Gryphon from the Underworld. Then it culminated in ENSLAVED – a story where Gryphon is now free, but changed in every way imaginable. Can someone survive that kind of torture? Can a man so mentally and emotionally scarred learn to live in the real (er, paranormal) world again? If I’d killed Gryphon off in TEMPTED, I’d never know. Because my critique partner saved his life, readers can now answer that question for themselves.

One of the fun parts about writing—for me—is that things don’t always happen exactly the way I plan. Over the years I've learned to be open to changes. Yes, I wanted to kill Gryphon off for the storyline in TEMPTED to work, but I accomplished the same thing by sparing him. And my readers got so much more out of the fact he lived.  When I sit down to write, I usually have a vision of where I want to end up. Getting there is always the fun part. For me it means taking characters to the brink, sometimes pushing them off, but more often than not pulling them back and giving them a reason to become more than they ever were before. And after all, isn't living up to ones destiny the true definition of a happily ever after? I think it is.

I've got a copy of ENSLAVED to give away to one lucky commenter. Just ask me anything about me or my books in the comments to be entered to win!

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

ENSLAVED

ELISABETH NAUGHTON–IN STORES NOVEMBER 2012

GRYPHON–Honorable, loyal, dependable...tainted. 

He was the ultimate warrior before imprisonment in the Underworld changed him in ways he can't ignore. She calls to him. Come to me. You can't resist. But Cryphon will not allow himself to be ruled by the insidious whispers in his head. And there's only one way to stop them: kill Atalanta, the goddess who enslaved him. But with so much darkness inside, he can't be sure what's real anymore, Even the Eternal Guardians, those who protect the human realms and the gods, want to exile him.

Finding Malea is like a miracle. Somehow he doesn't feel the pull of the dark when she's near. And he's determined to keep her as near as possible, whether she wants him close or not. But she's a temptation that will test every bit of control he has left. One that may ultimately have the power to send him back to the Underworld...or free him from his chains for good. EXCERPT

“Creative worldbuilding and ever-present danger pull the reader into this mesmerizing tale.” —RT Book Reviews, 4-½ star review of Enraptured

A former junior high science teacher, Elisabeth Naughton traded in her red pen and test-tube set for a laptop and research books. She now writes sexy romantic adventure and paranormal novels full-time from Oregon, where she lives with her husband and three children. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards, including the RWA RITA© Award, the NJ RWA Golden Leaf, and the RWA Golden Heart. When not writing, Elisabeth can be found running, hanging out at the ball park, or dreaming up new and adventures. Visit her at www.elisabethnaughton.com and follow her on Twitter, @ElisNaughton.

SARA HUMPHREYS: Pros & Cons of Working From Home

Working from home is actual work and has its own set of challenges. Up until four months ago, I held down a full-time job outside the home. I’d been juggling the day job, a growing writing career, four sons, a marriage and the house stuff for the past several years. After many soul-searching (and bank account scrutinizing) conversations, my husband and I came to the conclusion that I would become fully self-employed and work from home.

Whooo hoooo! No more being at the mercy of someone else’s timetable. No more late night events or weekend command performances.

No more steady paycheck. Wait. That one isn't as fun.

There are sacrifices being made in order to pursue this self-employed career path but it’s worth it.  The only problem is that when people hear that you work from home, you can tell that some of them don’t think it’s actually work.

Not true.

I work every day and while I’m not at the mercy of someone else’s day to day schedule, I am still on deadlines. I still have responsibilities to meet. One benefit of working from home is that I don’t have a “boss” looking over my shoulder. That’s nice. The challenge is that I have to kick my own ass and be more disciplined than I’ve ever had to be before.

The temptation to fiddle around on the net, or read a great book or watch a great movie on television is always lurking around the corner. Don’t get me wrong there are days when I will do one of those things but that only means more work the next day.

One of the other challenges working from home is that when my kids get a day off, then I have to take the day off of work. I have discovered that I get a whole lot of nothing done when they’re home from school but that’s way it should be. One of the major reasons we pulled the trigger on this life change was so that I could be fully available for my boys. So if they have the day off then that day turns into a non-work day for me and that means double the work the next day.

You’ll get no complaints from me about this gig.  The advantages far outweigh the challenges.  Here are my favorites.

·         I make my own schedule.

·         I don’t have to get gussied up for work and can stay in my gym clothes all day if I want to.

·         I do something I’m passionate about and work hard at it every day.

·         I’m more accessible for my children and what they need.

·         I’m happy.

·         I’m a lucky woman.

• How about you? What are the pros and cons of your job?

BUY: AMAZON, B&E, INDIEBOUND

UNTAMED 
BY SARA HUMPHREYS – IN STORES NOVEMBER 2012

An ancient race of shapeshifters has lived secretly among humans for thousands of years...they are...the Amoveo

HER WORST NIGHTMARE IS COMING TRUE...

Layla Nickelsen has spent years hiding from her Amoveo mate and guarding a devastating secret. But Layla's worst fear is realized when the man who haunts her dreams shows up in person ...

HE HAS FINALLY FOUND HER...

William Fleury is as stoic as they come, until he finds Layla and his feelings overwhelm him. She won't let him get close, but then an unknown enemy erupts in violence and threatens everything Layla holds dear... EXCERPT

UNTAMED TRAILER

Sara Humphreys has been attracted to the fantasies of science fiction, paranormal, and romance since her adolescence when she had a mad crush on Captain Kirk. An actress and public speaker, Sara lives in Bronxville, NY, with her husband, who is very considerate of her double life, and four amazing boys. 

For more information about her books and to join her street team, please visit www.sarahumphreys.com or follow her on Twitter, @AuthorSara. 

FROM HISTORICAL TO CONTEMPORARY

My guest today is bestselling paranormal romance author, Donna Grant. I loved reading Donna's Dark Sword Series. When I learned she was moving some of her warriors to the future, or contemporary times, to fight evil, I was thrilled. I couldn't wait to see how these medieval warriors would adapt to modern times and to modern women. Oh, I could see some sparks flying with these stories. 


Her new series, Dark Warriors, has it's first book releasing May 22, 2012. It's Logan's (one of my favorite warriors) story and he's been brought to our time by Druid magic. I'm looking forward to reading these stories. But I was curious, as many of Donna's fans are, what made her decided to move her series into modern times. Donna chats a bit about what was behind the change.  


I've fielded so many emails over the past few months regarding my move from historical/paranormal to contemporary/paranormal.  First, let me say, the Dark Sword series name might have ended with DARKEST HIGHLANDER (Jan 31, 2012), but the story continues in the Dark Warrior series.

Same characters.  Same story line.  Just a different time period. J

Some of you may be asking why I did that.  Well, I’ve always liked to push myself as a writer.  I feel that’s how writers grow and expand.  I had every intention of continuing the series in medieval times, but then a strange thing happened.

It was contract time, and I really wanted back-to-back releases.  My amazing publisher was all for that, but I had to do something different with the series.  Now, you have to understand, I had already written one of the books for that contract we were negotiating and was half way through another.

So, imagine my surprise when my editor asked what I thought about bringing the Warriors forward in time.  It wasn’t something I had ever considered, but my editor had never steered me wrong, and I trusted her.

After a two hour phone call where we talked over every aspect of me keeping the series in historical (which they would have done) or moving it to contemporary, I made the very scary decision of time traveling my Warriors to present day Scotland.

I had to totally rewrite Logan’s book (MIDNIGHT’S MASTER – May 22) and scrap the part of Ian’s book (MIDNIGHT’S LOVER – June 26) that I had already written.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more frightened than I was that next day when I pulled up my files to start work.  I had dipped my toe into contemporary before, but never for a full book.  Would I be able to do it?  Would my historical voice of my books be able to carry the contemporary sound?  Would I fail miserably and end my career?

Remember when I told you I liked to push myself?  Well, it also helps when you have as wonderful an editor as I do.  She told me she had faith I could do it, so I dove right into the story.

The entire time I kept thinking it was the worst book ever.  Every day I would walk out of my office, my husband would take one look at me and pour me a glass of wine.  When I finished the book, I so dreaded reading over that first draft for my revisions.  But…I was shocked to find it didn’t suck as much as I thought it did.  By the time I turned it in, I was excited.  Really, really excited. 

Because of the deadlines I couldn’t wait to hear from my editor before I began Ian’s book.  Once more I was half way through when I got her email saying she absolutely loved it. 

I remember gathering up the family that night and going out to eat to celebrate.  I was prepared to have to do another rewrite, or at the very least have major revisions.  But my editor loved it.  I still have that email and pull it up occasionally to prove to myself that I can do something that is scary and could potentially be a career ender.

The book is set to hit shelves in a matter of days, and I’ve never been more nervous about a book release.  The real test is you, the readers.  Will you love it?  I know many readers were very upset with me leaving the historical setting, but I’m not done writing historicals.  I love them too much.  Yet…I’m having so much fun with my contemporaries. 

The heroines are stronger than ever, and it’s freeing to be able to say modern slang without having to wrack my brain to come up with a medieval term. 

The best part, however, is watching my alpha heroes thrown forward to modern times and dealing with the modern women.  Just imagine the first time they see a car or a toilet.  And the first time Logan finds Gwynn’s pink razor.  Now that was a fun scene to write.  Ah, but to see those modern women dealing with medieval Highlanders.  Who’s going to win the battle of wills? J

MIDNIGHT’S MASTER…available in stores and online

A MYSTERY OUT OF TIME

Gwynn Austin has no idea why her father has disappeared on a mysterious trip to Scotland.  When she goes on a desperate mission to search for him she finds more than she bargains for in a ruggedly handsome, wickedly exciting Highlander who exudes danger and mystery.  And when she discovers her own link to Scotland, she’ll have to trust her heart to help lead her…

A LEGEND IN THE FLESH

Propelled through time by powerful Druid magic, Logan Hamilton uses his immortality and powers of the god inside him to help prevent the awakening of an ancient evil in the modern world.  He never expects to find help in the form of a beautiful, alluring, and all too tempting woman whose passion and strength matches his own.  Together, Logan and Gwynn must fight for their love – before a demon from the past destroys them both…EXCERPT

To find out more about Donna please visit her website at www.donnagrant.com.  To read more about the Dark Sword and Dark Warriors series, see pics of the Warriors, take the quiz, download wallpaper, search characters, or watch the book trailers, please visit www.donnagrant.com

Romeo and Juliet— Happily Ever After

Paranormal Romance and NYT bestselling author, Caridad Piñeiro, is my guest today. Her topic is about her fascination with the story of Romeo and Juliet and her new Sin Hunters series, and The Claimed. 

                When I wrote THE LOST, I knew it was intended to be a story about two people who were both coming to terms with who they were.  For Adam Bruno, it was about finding out why he had unusual powers and what to do with them.  For Bobbie Carrera, it was about finding her place in life now that she’s come home wounded from Iraq.

                As I was putting the finishing touches on THE LOST, I had no doubt who would be the hero of the next book in the series – THE CLAIMED.  I loved Christopher Sombrosa and knew that even though he was a Shadow Hunter, there was goodness within him.  I also knew that his role as the leader of the Shadows would not be an easy one.  In fact, it would be life threatening.

                But I also knew that the woman Christopher would come to love would also present a major challenge.  Why?  Because as I let the story ideas for THE CLAIMED percolate in my head, it occurred to me that this story had to be a paranormal, modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet.

                I guess that makes sense since over the years, I’ve loved multiple versions of Shakespeare’s tragedy.  My first love of it was Zefferilli’s Romeo and Juliet with Len Whiting (one of my first crushes).  Len could really fill out those tights nicely.

Then there was West Side Story, a more modern tale of based on the Bard’s famous play.  I loved the Sharks and the Jets and all that singing, even if there was no happily-ever-after.

Last but not least, Shakespeare in Love.  So funny and sexy and smart.  More love for men in tights since John Fiennes was sooooo sexy.

With all those sad tales of woe in my brain, I had no doubt that Shadow Hunter Christopher could only fall in love with the absolute worst woman for him – Light Huntress Victoria Johnson – a woman who is supposed to be Christopher’s mortal enemy.

There’s just one big difference between all those other tragedies and THE CLAIMED – a happily-ever-after.  But that happily-ever-after doesn’t come without a lot of war, death and huge sacrifices by many Light and Shadow Hunters.

I hope you’ll enjoy the tender and emotional scenes between two enemies who come to love one another, as well as the action-packed fight scenes between the Light and Shadow Hunters.  I had a blast of a time, literally, showing you all the different powers that the Hunters possess, including some very sexy powers!

Thanks for coming by.

 

• Since I’ve shared some of my favorite movies, take a moment to share with me some of yours.

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, BAM

THE CLAIMED (Sin Hunters)

Victoria Johnson loves her life. She's her own boss in a quaint beachside town, and has great friends who keep her grounded. If only they knew who she really is: an heiress to an ancient race who possesses astonishing superhuman powers. It's Victoria's duty to restore her clan of Light Hunters to their former glory by choosing the perfect mate. In Christopher Sombrosa, she just may have found him. Strong, smart, and successful, Christopher exudes a powerful energy. Their connection is sensual, irresistible-and forbidden. 

A member of the Shadow Hunter clan, Christopher has defied his own father to lead his people away from affliction and violence. Yet he cannot ignore his duty to carry on his ancient bloodline. Stunningly beautiful and brimming with an erotic life force, Victoria is everything Christopher ever hoped for in a mate . . . but as a Light Hunter, she's his mortal enemy. Together, they could unite their warring tribes. But murderous factions on both sides don't want peace-and they'll stop at nothing to keep light and darkness apart forever . . . EXCERPT

~*~*~

Caridad Piñeiro is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Look for STRONGER THAN SIN, the second book in an exciting new paranormal romance series, on November 1 2010 from Grand Central Publishing. In 2007, a year marked by six releases from Harlequin and Pocket Books, Caridad was selected as the 2007 Golden Apple Author of the Year by the New York City Romance Writers. Caridad's novels have been lauded as the Best Short Contemporary Romance of 2001 in the NJ Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest, Top Fantasy Books of 2005 and 2006 by CATALINA Magazine and Top Nocturne of 2006 by Cataromance. Caridad has appeared on various television shows, such as the FOX News Early Edition in New York, and articles featuring her novels have been published in several leading newspapers and magazines, such as CATALINA, the New York Daily News, NJ Monthly and the Star Ledger. For more information on Caridad, please visit http://www.caridad.com/ or http://www.thecallingvampirenovels.com/. Facebook Fan Page

LOVING YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS

It's our love of reading that has us visiting (or haunting) libraries, bookstores, book blogs, and online bookstores. Personally, for me, I would add visiting their websites because you can find amazing deals, excerpts, contests, and all sorts of extra goodies. If you're a writer, you first learned to love reading before you even considered writing.


What can we, readers, do to show love of our favorite author's work? Elisabeth Naughton shares some ways we can make a difference and ensure we're able to continue reading more from our favorites.

First of all, thanks so much for inviting me to stop by during my blog tour for ENRAPTURED. ENRAPTURED is the fourth book in my Eternal Guardians series and recently garnered a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and was named a Top Ten Romance for Spring 2012.

One of the things authors struggle with is how to get their books into the hands of readers who want to read them. There are so many books out there right now to choose from–especially with the boom in the Indie market. Does online advertising work? Do blog tours work? Do giveaways work? We’re constantly asking ourselves this question because all of these things—as fun as they can be—take away from what writers love and want to do, which is write that next book. For me the hardest part of being a published author is balancing the promotion side of writing with the actual writing. It’s so easy to use up a whole day (like today!) doing promo for my most recent book when what I need to be doing is writing the next book in the series.

I get a lot of fan mail from readers telling me how much they love my books, and while I truly enjoy hearing from them and appreciate the fact they’ve taken the time to email me, I’ve started passing on information telling them what they can do to help me out. Whether readers want to “see” it or not, publishing is a business. Publishers don’t buy and publish books, series and authors that aren’t selling. And the only way for an author to increase her readership and guarantee there will be additional books down the line is to sell more books.

If you’re a reader (or a writer who also loves to read…which we all are), there are a number of things you can do to help your favorite author sell more books, thereby guaranteeing he/she will continue to write the stories you love.

1. Post a Review! Reviews help new readers find and buy books. If you love a series and want to see it continue, write a review so NEW readers can find the book too. Then publish your review at Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, etc. to guarantee it will be seen.

2. "Like" books on retail sites like Amazon. Overall rankings are based on a combination of "likes" and sales. The higher the ranking, the better odds new readers have to find the book and author.

3. Tell your friends! Give them a book to borrow, tell them about an amazing story or series. Talk about it via social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and your own blog (if you have one).

4.  Sign up for the Author's newsletter so you can find out when the next great book is released. If you already get an author's newsletter, forward it to a friend you think might be interested. 

5. Like the Author's Facebook page. Follow the author on Twitter. Get involved in their online community and spread your interest to your friends.

6. Join the Author's readers group - if the Author has one.

7. Form a street team – a group of readers who spread promo materials like bookmarks and trading cards to readers they think will love an author’s work.

Any and all of these things help authors spread the word about books AND guarantee those authors will keep writing the books you love. They also help cut down on the amount of promo authors have to do from one book to the next so they can focus on writing that next story you’re so eagerly waiting for.  If you’re a reader who wants to help an author continue writing, you can pick and choose from the list. All efforts are appreciated on the author’s side. Trust me!

Thank you so much to all the readers who have found my books, loved them and spread the word! And thanks to all the readers who have bought ENRAPTURED so far! For those who haven’t…what are you waiting for? Run out and buy it today!

Sourcebooks is giving away two copies of my latest release, ENRAPTURED, to two lucky commenters today. 

• Simply tell me what you've done lately to help spread the word about your favorite author or series.

ENRAPTURED BY ELISABETH NAUGHTON – IN STORES APRIL 2012

Orpheus—To most he's an enigma, a devil-may-care rogue who does whatever he pleases whenever he wants. Now this loose cannon is part of the Eternal Guardians—elite warriors assigned to protect the human realm—whether he likes it or not.

Orpheus has just one goal: to rescue his brother from the Underworld. He's not expecting a woman to get in the way. Especially not a Siren as gorgeous as Skyla. He has no idea she's an assassin sent by Zeus to seduce, entrap, and ultimately destroy him.

Yet Skyla herself might have the most to lose. There's a reason Orpheus feels so familiar to her, a reason her body seems to crave him. Perhaps he's not the man everyone thinks... The truth could reveal a deadly secret as old as the Eternal Guardians themselves. EXCERPT

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A former junior high science teacher, Elisabeth Naughton traded in her red pen and test-tube set for a laptop and research books. She now writes sexy romantic adventure and paranormal novels full-time from her home in western Oregon, where she lives with her husband and three children. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards, including the prestigious RITA Awards of Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, the Golden Leaf, and the Golden Heart. When not writing, Elisabeth can be found running, hanging out at the ball park, or dreaming up new and exciting adventures.
Visit her:
www.elisabethnaughton.com to learn more about her and her books. Her next book in the Eternal Guardians series, Enslaved, will be in stores in November 2012.

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PATRICIA RICE—ROMANCE ADDICT

It’s my pleasure to have romance author, Patricia Rice. I fell in love with her writing when I read Cheyenne’s Lady and Lord Rogue. I still have a copy of Moonlight and Memories and have read it several times. I have quite a few of her books in my personal library.

Any who have followed Pat’s writing career will tell you it’s impressive, her books seem to get better and better whether historical, contemporary, or with a touch of paranormal. Always, Patricia feeds my need of hot strong heroes, feisty heroines, all set in a good solid storyline and romance. Lots of romance, contented sigh…But, Patricia does have one small, um, problem. But I'll let her tell you about that. 

From one Missouri writer to another, hi Sia! And to your readers—Hello, I'm Patricia Rice, and I'm a romance addict.

Really, I've been hooked on love stories since I read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE in fourth grade. I enjoyed the mysteries of Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, but I also read them for the boyfriends, the romances, and the mysterious lovers. No one introduced me to Harlequins, so I had to hunt love where I could find it:  in Zane Grey (where the wretched hero always rode off with his horse!) or the Brontes. No author was ever as satisfactory as Austen, but an addiction is an addiction. You feed it where you can.

Not until I was in my twenties did I discover Kathleen Woodiwiss and Patricia Veryan and truly got sucked into real romance novels. They were my mind candy as I completed my accounting degree, took CPA exams, worked what jobs I could find, and raised two kids while my husband was overseas or in school. And then he took a job in a rural area where I had no transportation and no job and no bookstores. I quickly read everything in the library, and I was left with no love stories (and no money!) with two young kids and a craving for adult conversation.

Instead of whining, I took action—I wrote my own books. I’d been reading history since high school history courses had left me unsatisfied and needing more. I had an entire library at my disposal and knew how to use it. This was pre-internet, so I learned inter-library loan. And I started out by writing what I knew, which was Western KY, the area I was living in. That made researching setting much easier.

Back then; I had no way of knowing about Romance Writers of America. I knew no authors. I ran across Writer’s Digest magazines and pored over those. I found lists of agents and began sending them my crazy stories. I copied the names of publishers from the front of books and sent blind proposals across the portal of anyone publishing romance. And once I finished one book, I began another, and started another round of proposals. Did I mention I’m also arrogant and stubborn? I learned a method I still employ today—I draft one book while editing another and sending out a third. Mass production! 

But it all ultimately worked out and by now, I have over fifty published romances under my belt, with no intention of stopping any time soon.  Yes, the market reeks and bookstores are collapsing like old toadstools. Bestseller lists are meaningless and Kindles are taking over the world. But I’m still stubborn, still arrogant, and still writing.

Sia said she’s adding a link to an excerpt of my new book, THE LURE OF SONG AND MAGIC. If you’ve not read me before, I hope you enjoy this sample of my two conflicted lovers. And if you’ve read my MAGIC series (Sourcebooks will be reissuing all of them), you’ll know what I mean when I say the couple in LURE are descendants of the magical Malcolms and logical Ives. I hope to spend many more pleasant days feeding my romance addiction and hope you will, too!

·       How long have you been reading romance? Is it your favorite genre? If not, what is?

·       And is there a particular reason you enjoy reading love stories?

A couple of commenters will win free books, so have fun!

You can read an excerpt, sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Twitter and Facebook or connect with my blog (http:www.patriciarice.blogspot.com) by stopping by my website at http://patriciarice.com . A list of all my books, including e-book reissues is available there. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to stop by and say hi. And if you prefer DRM-free books, my backlist is available at http://bookviewcafe.com/ebookstore/ and http://backlistebooks.com/ with new volumes going up regularly.

THE LURE OF SONG AND MAGIC 

Her voice was a curse… 

When Dylan “Oz” Oswin’s son is kidnapped, the high-powered producer will do anything to get him back. Desperately following an anonymous tip, he seeks help from a former child singing sensation called Syrene, only to find she’s vowed never to sing again. Immune to her voice but not her charm, Oz is convinced she holds the key to his son’s disappearance—and he’ll stop at nothing to make her break her vow.

Only he can make her sing… 

She knows the devastation her talent can bring. There’s more than a child’s life at stake, but Syrene cannot unleash her dangerous siren’s voice upon the world, even for a man who is impossible to deny…Excerpt

BUY: AMAZON, BARNES n NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION, CHAPTERS INDIGO ca

With five million books in print and New York Times and USA Today’s bestseller lists under her belt, Patricia Rice’s emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances have won RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards and have been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories. 

A former CPA, Patricia Rice currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri. For more information, please visit http://www.patriciarice.com/ or follow her on Twitter, @Patricia_Rice.