Guest Author Amber Kallyn

Alexis: Hi Amber. Welcome to Happily Ever After Thoughts. Thank you so much for coming. Can you start by telling us what you like and don’t like about writing erotic romance?

Amber: Thank you for having me. I think I like the romance, the characters getting over issues and past baggage to fall in love the most. Everyone has issues, but in a romance, erotic or not, people actually manage to overcome them. If only... :) With erotic romance, we get to watch the falling in love with a lot of hot sex. What could be better than that?

Alexis: Good point! So, what is your new release Mistletoe about?

Amber: Mistletoe is about the first Christmas of Calla and Scott from my novella Dragos: Burned.

Something’s not right. Calla can't seem to stop the emotional rollercoaster taking over her emotions. But when she finally finds out why, she's going to celebrate by making Scott her own personal body buffet.

Alexis: Was it difficult writing a sequel to a Romance that already had a happy ending? How did you come up with a new conflict? Or had you planned this sequel all along?

Amber: Oh wow. Was it hard. There’s four books planned in the Dragos series with Calla’s brothers, but that’s different because it takes new characters and conflicts. This sequel, trying to come up with the idea seemed almost impossible at first. Here Calla and Scott were, happy and ready to stay together. Once I found my idea, writing wasn’t too hard. This was my first attempt at a short story with previous characters. I finished and sent it to my critique partners. Then buried my head in the sand when the comments came back. With a strong cup of coffee in hand, I rewrote parts so that first time readers would get to know Calla and Scott if they’d never read Burned. I hadn’t realized while writing that I wrote the short story as a continuation of the book, rather than a stand alone. It works better now :)

Alexis: I can imagine that was very difficult. Dragons seem to be coming into their own. Are there special powers your dragons have, limitations? How did you decide on the “rules” for your creatures?

Amber: Well, my dragons are based on different mythos’ from around the world, with a bit of imagination thrown in. Most can shift with their clothes on. Breathing fire, for women, is a product of the Dragon Burn, once they find their destined mate. The dragons are different colors. They can heal fast, like other shapeshifters, but it takes a lot of energy. I wanted other magical creatures in my stories, so I devised a way different types could mate. Most children take on the powers of their mother, and some have no powers at all.

Alexis: Sounds complicated, but very fun! What prompted that first germ of an idea for you to write Dragos: Burned?

Amber: I’ve always loved dragons. A few years ago, I was thinking about what would happen if a dragon fell in love with a fireman. When I sat down to write it, I knew I wanted to write spicy and short, so I outlined for a novella -- and well, there you go. Since Calla has seven brothers and sisters, I figured for a series.

Alexis: Seven? That will make for a nice long series. I bet your readers are thrilled. I see that Calla and Scott are your first couple. What are your favorite character traits of each of them?

Amber: I love Calla’s spunkiness. My friends call me Snarky, which I guess is nicer than smartass :) With her overprotective father and brothers, she’s ready to throw off the restraints and prove herself no matter what. I always pictured Scott as a fun-loving mix of alpha and beta, but a man who never lets anything interfere with his responsibilities. Plus, he’s sexy. Their relationship was a blast to write about.

Alexis: Hmm, I think I married a Scott :-) Can you tell us a little more about the Dragos clan?

Amber: Ah. The Dragos clan. Well, there’s eight siblings. Their mother was a dragon and their father is a water elemental. None of my Dragos men curse because their mother taught them not to. The men are very protective of their sisters and their mates. Even though they’ve been through some hard times, and they squabble like all siblings do, they’re always there for each other.

Alexis: Sounds like the typical Dragon family ;-) What can we expect next from you? Do you have any new releases coming out or a work in progress?

Amber: I do :) I have a ton. My next release is Dragos 2: Scorched in January 2011, and it’s the story of Calla’s older brother, Garreth. I’m really glad because I’ve had a lot of requests from readers for his story. There are two more stories in the series. I’m currently writing Dragos 3: Blazed, with Calla’s younger brother Ty and Bree, the fire nymph he falls in love with.

I have a short story coming out with Ravenous Romance, in their Fairy Tales Retold 2 Anthology, Alice (M/F/M Ménage). Alice takes a break from College and wakes up in Wonderland once more. But this time, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat, in his human shift form, are ready to show Alice exactly the type of men they are.
I’m also hoping to soon place my novel length erotic romance Tiger Princess, which is about tiger shifters. Tiger shifter Valaria Darkolos must find her runaway betrothed and either convince or con him to return home, before her crown is lost to family who wants nothing less than to see them both dead.

Alexis: Wow, you do have a lot coming up. That’s great news! Thank you so much for taking a moment to visit Happily Ever After Thoughts. We really enjoyed learning more about your stories :-)

Amber: Thank you so much for having me, and letting me go on and on :) Have you noticed yet I love to talk. Happy holidays to all.

Everyone can also get 5% off any of my books from Changeling Press using the coupon code AK_Birthday from 12/6 to 12/19 as a present from me to you.

Alexis: Yeah, a bonus! For a chance to win Amber’s Mistletoe, be sure to leave a comment for her. Winner will be announced on Wednesday. Check the side column for your name and email me. And if you don’t win, you will still have time to buy her book with the special 5% off rate she is giving to Happily Ever After Thoughts readers. Don’t miss this chance!

For more on Amber and all her books, go to www.AmberKallyn.com 

Alexis

Send Positive Thoughts and More

Tina Gerow/Cassie Ryan visited Happily Ever After Thoughts in October and talked about her newest release, Seducing the Succubus. Now she is in need of help, both financially and spiritually. Tina is a wonderful, giving person who is truly bigger than life and an excellent writer. Please read below and help if you can.

Tina Gerow/Cassie Ryan has been taken suddenly and seriously ill. She has an affliction called Arteriovenous malformation or AVM in her brain which has led to multiple surgeries and an extended stay in ICU. No family is ever prepared for such a thing and Tina's is no exception. In times like this, every dollar helps and her friends in the writing community are banding together to ask you to open your hearts (and wallets) to help get Tina's family through this.
Tina is well known to readers and authors across the country who have embraced her books, most recently, (writing as Cassie Ryan) Seducing the Succubus (Berkley/October 2010) and coming in April 2011, The Demon and the Succubus.

Please send your prayers, positive energy and love out into the universe with Tina's name on it. Cards can be mailed to: Tina Gerow, c/o SBP PO BOX 42255, Phoenix, AZ 85080.

Any donations you would like to make to Tina Gerow/Cassie Ryan to help with the burden of mounting medical bills, can be given by visiting: https://sites.google.com/site/tinagerowandfamily or by sending a check to Tina Gerow, c/o SBP PO BOX 42255, Phoenix, AZ 85080.

Thank you, Alexis

Review: Die for Me by Karen Rose

Another bestseller from a multi-published romantic suspense author.

Karen Rose is a master at suspense as she constantly keeps the reader guessing who the sadistic and psychotic murderer is, leaving his prey buried in the snow covered fields of Pennsylvania.

Rose has an extended cast of characters beginning with a beautiful, twice bitten archeologist, Sophie, who’s position is to analyze the medieval torture used on the victims. Detective Ciccotelli fights his attraction to the archeologist, yet guards her life, as he mourns the death of a former girlfriend.

The other characters are relatives, business associates, and friends scattered throughout the East coast. Rose does and amazing job of bringing all the issues of the characters to a connected and screaming climax, some dead and a few lucky enough to be alive.

A great novel to stay awake for.

Dawn

Guest: Grace Elliot - Lost in the Regency

Firstly let me say a big thank you to Happily Ever After Thoughts for hosting me today. It’s such a thrill to be here!

My name is Grace Elliot and I lead a double life; as a veterinarian by day and author of historical romance by night. Like many authors I came to writing through my love of books, and I write what I love to read – historical romance.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a veterinarian but it’s not all fluffy kittens and some days are hard, real hard, such as saying goodbye to a much loved pet – so what I need in a good read is escapism, and historical romance has that by the carriage load!

Curling up with a Regency romance, I find myself suspending disbelief. How much easier to believe my regency alter ego can waltz provocatively, or calm a bolting hunter, than my bumbling 21st century self.

Heck, I don’t want to read about the real world I’m trying to forget, take me back to when men rode stallions but couldn’t handle emotion.

Lord Ranulf denies his attraction. (From A Dead Man’s Debt.)

Every fiber of his body screamed to reach out and hold her hand, and yet he resisted. Never had he encountered a woman as dangerous as Celeste; her hair in a tousled plait and eyes all the colors of the sea. And yet it wasn’t her physical beauty but her honesty and trust that was bewitching. For the first time he could almost believe that he’d found a kindred spirit. His fingers tightened on the tumbler. He was staring and yet he couldn’t help himself. An inner voice warned him off. She deserved better than him.

And then there’s something about the Regency. Perhaps it those gowns, wonderfully impractical and yet so alluring with their tiny bodices and puff sleeves. And let’s not forget chaperones! How resourceful did the regency heroine need to be to snare her dark lord under the eye of a chaperone? And then of course there’s the bone tingling romance – how something long denied is so exciting….

Ranulf finds Celeste in his arms. (From A Dead Man’s Debt.)

But then she tipped her head back and he glimpsed the curiosity in her eyes. Acting purely out of animal instinct he tilted her chin to gaze deeper into those mossy eyes. Gladly she arched toward him, pressing the length of her body against his rising need. He brushed his thumb over her lips. With a soft groan she strained upwards, inviting the touch of his mouth against hers. He drew back, trying to distance himself from the responsive femininity pressed against his chest. That he desired Miss Armitage he did not doubt, and yet he held back and the reason puzzled him; more than propriety, more shocking than that… he liked her.

Ok, so if I’m totally honest, I’d hate to live in the Regency – I’m far too fond of hot and cold running water…but that’s where historicals come in: I can dream …and I hope you will to!

Grace

 A Dead Man’s Debt by Grace Elliot.
- A story of sacrifice, pain and redeeming love, against a backdrop of blackmail and family duty.
‘Celeste Armitage has a plan…and that plan doesn’t include marriage.

After deliberately humiliating a suitor, Celeste’s despairing parents exile her to the country. But once there she discovers a sketch book of daring nude studies and is shaken to find the artist is her hostess’s eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing. This darkly cynical lord is exactly the sort of dissipated rogue she despises most…if only her blood didn’t heat at the thought of him…

Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf’s life is a façade. Only he can save the Charing’s from disgrace as a blackmailer tries to ruin his late brother’s reputation. But just as Ranulf dares to open his heart to Celeste, the fury of his nemesis is unleashed… facing him with the stark choice between true love and family duty. However when Celeste guesses the truth behind his rejection, Ranulf underestimates her resolve to clear his name and in so doing places the woman he loves in mortal danger….’

A Dead Man’s Debt is available from most eBook retailers, Amazon Kindle bookstore and http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/a-dead-man%27s-debt.html

If you would like to know more about Grace Elliot and her work visit:
http://www.graceelliot.webs.com/

or
http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/

I love this book already and I haven’t even read it yet! Thank you, Grace, for sharing a little of yourself and your book with our readers. I hope you will come back and visit us again.

Alexis

Bring On the Emotions!

I love a story that brings out my emotions, sometimes unexpectedly, don’t you? I’ve read books that have made me so angry I couldn’t speak and some that have made me giggle at the most inappropriate times. I’ve even read some that have made me cry…and I’m not talking about polite little sniffles and misty eyes…I’m talking flat-out sobbing here. Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook did this to me. On a bus. In Phoenix. During rush hour.

When I got to the part where all the pieces fell into place and I realized what the story was about, well, I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped me nor could I help what happened next….the unexpected flow of tears. I was so caught up in the story, so caught up in the heartbreaking reality of Alzheimer’s, I completely forgot where I was. On a bus. In Phoenix. During rush hour.

Needless to say, I was not the only one surprised by the force of my emotions. The poor gentleman next to me actually moved away, several people stared. One woman glanced at the book in my hand, nodded slightly and confessed she had the same reaction, but you know? I didn’t care that I was a sobbing mess. The story had transported me to another time, another place, into someone else’s heartache, and that to me, was worth all the tears. And isn’t that the reason we pick up a book in the first place?

Happy reading!
Marie

Special Guest - Vijaya Schartz

Meet my guest author today Vijaya Schartz, who has been around the blog circuit a few times and has a lot of questions to answer from readers, so take a look and feel free to ask your own. And remember, if you comment you may win one of her books :-)

Thank you so much, Alexis for inviting me to your lovely blog. Here are a few questions I was recently asked and their answers, of course.

Vijaya, what is your latest release, and your current project?
The Chronicles of Kassouk is my current sci-fi romance series with Desert Breeze Publishing. Book One, White Tiger, came out in 2009, Book Two, Red Leopard came out in April, and Black Jaguar is out this month. Two more books will follow, in 2011 and 2012. Black Jaguar is a story of exploration, not unlike the discovery of the Americas, except that my natives can read minds and are controlled by aliens with an agenda. Where would be the sci-fi otherwise?

Sci-fi romance?
Yes, I mix genres. My heroines are high-octane, kick-butt warriors who are not afraid of challenges. And of course, they need heroes who can take the challenge. No matter how strong, a woman needs to find a stronger partner, which is sometimes a challenge for a woman warrior.

Lots of new covers on your website. What’s happening to your out of print books?
They are being reissued in eBooks by a new Canadian publisher, BWLPP. They love sci-fi and romance. They are creating fresh new covers for my older titles, except for Ashes for the Elephant God, which kept the same cover. You can see my kick-butt, gun-toting heroines on the new covers of ALIEN LOCKDOWN, ANAZ-VOOHRI, AND RELICS.

Is this new publisher going to issue new titles as well?
Absolutely. In January of 2011, look for the third book in the Ancient Enemy series (one of the translations of the word Anasazi). After Anaz-voohri and Relics, the third and last book, contracted but never released by my defunct publisher, is coming under the title: KICKING BOTS. Also, look for a brand new sci-fi romance adventure titled SNATCHED, involving a modern woman warrior turned Amazon, and a deliciously sexy Viking, both snatched out of their own time and propelled into a parallel universe.

Vijaya, do you have any other series brewing in the back of your mind?
I always have other books and series on the back burner. The Chronicles of Kassouk's last book is scheduled for the spring of 2012, but I already have other projects. I have a fantasy Historical series (medieval faeries) I've been working on for years. I also have an angel series in mind, but it's only a twinkle in my eye at this time, although it is calling to me.

Do you ever work on more than one book at a time?I can't concentrate on two novels at one time. I can only have one story in mind. I write it, dream it, it never leaves my mind until the very end. I can do edits on one finished book while writing a new one, but I can’t focus on developing two stories at once. I guess it's one of my limitations.

Do you ever struggle with burnout, and if so, how do you overcome it?
Burnout to me is like writers' block. Just get over it and get your butt back in the chair. But sometimes after working too much, the writer just needs a vacation. Stress and overworking can deplete the imagination. Good sleep and relaxation are important to keep body and mind in tip top shape and the creative juices flowing.

What is the most effective means of promotion for your e-books?
eBooks are sold on the web, so that's where the readers are. Promotion should be done there. I used to promote on yahoo groups, but I recently discovered that Facebook and Twitter reach more people faster with a better volume of response. Blogs work, too, but it depends greatly on the traffic of that particular blog. In my experience, however, what sells the most books is a great cover and a great blurb. After all, that’s all the reader has to go by when they make their choice.

For more on me and my books, visit my extensive website at:
http://www.vijayaschartz.com/ 

My books are available at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JP7UJ4

and in download at ARe:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Vijaya+Schartz

Become a facebook fan at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vijaya-Schartz-Author/109777709045040

Thanks again, Alexis, for letting me share.

Vijaya Schartz
Award-winning Sci-fi and Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com/

Review: Bound, Branded, & Brazen by Jaci Burton

Jaci Burton gives us three treats in one. Her novel, Bound, Branded, & Brazen, is actually three novellas, which reveal three sisters with three distinct personalities. The sisters reunite on the family Oklahoma horse ranch where their contemporary issues on relationships meet their match.
Each sibling has a fast paced and heated romance with their own particular conflicts. Valerie returns to face her ex-husband, whom she still loves, yet has a hard time admitting. Brea isn’t sure she can make a commitment and deliver what she assumes her target-man wants. Jolene’s the boss, so how can a man date his superior and still be a man?

Burton’s voice comes alive as she includes the necessary parts for a fulfilling story. My disappointment only surfaced in the fact that I was reading three intertwining novellas instead of one novel as I had assumed when I initially chose the book. When attached to a character, I like to stay with them longer. That’s actually a compliment!

I’m going to assume that Burton’s Wild, Wicked, and Wanton is written in the same style, so if you’re a heated novella fan, this is an author for you to check out.
Dawn