Guest Author: Rosanna Leo

We are very pleased to have Paranormal Erotic Romance author Rosanna Leo with us to talk about her newest book PREDATOR'S KISS. For a chance to win, be sure to leave a comment at the end. Welcome Rosana!

I’d like to take a moment to thank Lexi for offering me this spot today. Thanks to all at Happily Ever After Thoughts!

I’m here to promote my latest paranormal romance Predator’s Kiss, a sexy romp filled with bear shifters, an erotica author on the run and plenty of good lovin.’

When I began my writing journey, writing paranormal was a no-brainer. You see I think I’d been entranced by the paranormal world since I was about 8 years old. It began with me reading history books. As a youngster, I was fascinated by the tales of King Henry VIII and his many wives…but specifically about how many of England’s castles were haunted by those unfortunate women.

Soon afterward I was turned onto to Dracula and various other supernatural superstars. Around the same time, I became entranced by Greek mythology and used to love visiting the Royal Ontario Museum’s Greek and Roman galleries. I wandered for hours with my mom, envisioning Apollo and Poseidon and Artemis in all their glory.

Fast-forward twenty-odd years and you have a young woman who needs an artistic outlet, and has all these tangled tales floating in her head, demanding out. I suppose it was inevitable that I became a writer of paranormal phenomena, and because of my love of romance, I was drawn to the PNR genre.

PNR allows me to live the fantasy. It allows me to create these fantastical men, to pair them with unassuming mortal women, and live vicariously through their stories. PNR allows me to dream and to imagine “What if…?” I can think of nothing more thrilling than being able to put pen to paper and give birth to another new supernatural creation.

My bear shifters on Gemini Island are the latest. I hope you’ll join me in this fictional Northern Ontario community where the men are rugged and protective, and a little bit wild. Here, the great outdoors is the backdrop and loving is fierce as well as tender. If I’ve done my job well, you won’t want to leave, and that’s okay because there’s always room for one more at the Ursa Lodge. Perhaps we can set you up with a bear shifter of your own.

Excerpt from PREDATOR'S KISS

She was already reviving a few minutes later. Ryland let out a sigh of relief.

Thank God. When he’d first seen the petite woman hurtling through the trees, he’d worried someone was after her. But no one else had barreled behind her. And yet she’d seemed so scared.

They hadn’t helped, presenting her with a couple of snarling bears.

She moaned a little, and the soft sound warmed him, making him hard again. Damn. He glanced around the room, remembered he didn’t exactly tend to stash clothes in guest cabins, and raced for the bathroom. He grabbed a couple of clean towels off the rack and tossed one to Soren. “Cover yourself.”

Soren grinned like a devil and motioned to his nude bottom half. “I can conduct my flirting business much more efficiently this way.”

Ryland glared as he wrapped his lower half in the towel. “Cover yourself or I’ll strangle you with it, lover boy.”

His brother placed the woman’s backpack on the floor and threw the towel about his waist. “Such animosity is really not in keeping with your sainthood, Brother Ryland.”

Ryland ignored him and turned back to the woman. He didn’t know why it mattered so much she recover and feel comfortable in his presence, but it did. Of course, as owner of the lodge, it made sense he didn’t want to see anyone scared or hurt.

Yeah. That’s it. That’s all.

His rationalization did nothing to quell the nervous tremors in his gut, though. Or his excruciating hard-on.

Okay, she’s sorta pretty and has a body made for sin. So what? Get over yourself.

Clearly  it had been too long since he’d allowed himself to get lost in a woman’s body for more than a quick fuck. And this woman’s body deserved slow, leisurely loving. Greedy licks. Sensual tugs. Why, her breasts alone were so full and perfect, they just begged one to suck. To say nothing of those rounded hips and soft, womanly ass.

Ryland ran a hand over his face, feeling overly hot. Jesus Christ. Stop thinking like a horny teenager. You sound like Carter.

Besides, she was nothing like him. Human. And if time had taught him anything, it was the pursuit of romance with a nonshifter was a fool’s errand. She didn’t belong here on his resort, on his island. He needed to revive her and get her out of there.

Desperate to relieve the sudden, raging desire shooting up through his body, Ryland forced himself to look away from the woman. In doing so, he caught a glimpse of his brother. Soren was sitting next to her, his gaze contemplative, his eyes trained on her boobs. Ryland realized he didn’t like the way baby brother was looking at her. “Hey.”

Soren looked up. “What?”

“What are you staring at?”

Without batting an eye, Soren turned back to their unexpected guest. “Her. Can’t I stare?”

Ryland’s eyebrows shot up. “Staring at women has already gotten you into trouble. Maybe you should find a new hobby.” He stifled the low growl building in his throat. Now wasn’t the time for brawling, but he didn’t appreciate the way his brother gawked. His cool eye, appraising, as if he’d never seen anything like her before.

“You were checking her out too,” Soren replied.

“No, I wasn’t. I’m not interested in this … person,” Ryland retorted. As he uttered the words, he bit his tongue hard by mistake, as if confirming the words were a lie. “Damn,” he whispered, tasting blood.

“Do you think someone was chasing her?” Soren asked in a pensive tone, picking up one of his drumsticks and stroking it as if it were a lover’s finger.

“I don’t know.” Ryland sat on the other side of her small body and looked her up and down as she lay under the covers. Despite his mistrust of humans, he couldn’t help wondering who would frighten such a tiny, delicate thing. Had someone tried to hurt her? The very idea made him want to bash his head against the wall. Or better yet, bash any lowlife who dared to touch her.

No one touches her but me, his heart declared.

What?

As another stress headache shot through his brain, he wondered at the ferocity and lunacy of the feeling.

Rosanna Leo:

Rosanna Leo is a multi-published, erotic romance author with Liquid Silver Books. Her books include For the Love of a God, Up In Flames, Sweet Hell, The Selkie, Sunburn and her newest Predator’s Kiss. When not writing, she can be found haunting dusty library stacks or planning her next star-crossed love affair.

www.rosannaleo.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/rleoauthor1

www.twitter.com/LeoRosanna

www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826852.Rosanna_Leo

www.pinterest.com/rosannaleo/

Don't forget, for a chance to win this sexy romance, leave a comment for Rosanna :-) 

Summer is Conference Time!

For many people, summer is a time for vacations, but for romance writers, it is often a time to go to conferences and reader conventions. My first trip this summer will be to the Romance Writers of America National Conference in Atlanta. I have gone to a few RWA National conferences in the past, but this will be my first time attending as a published author and I’m beyond excited!

At first, I didn’t think morphing from writer to author would mean much of a difference at the National Conference, but I was clued into the change when the editor and agent appointments were announced as open. Last time, I remember panicking because the electricity was out at my house and I had to drive to a coffee shop to sign up for my appointments. This year when the announcement was made, I was shocked to realize that I didn’t have to do anything. I have a great agent and a wonderful editor, so this year I won’t be hanging out in the appointment waiting area, unless I’m there to support a friend :-) 

The next reality hit me when I received an invitation to a cocktail party being thrown by my literary agent. Huh? Really? You want me to come? OMG. I couldn’t believe it! I think I responded positively within two minutes. No, I definitely didn’t play that one cool at all. I was just so excited to be invited. But it didn’t stop there. Nope, my lovely editor then asked me if I would be attending a certain party because she wanted us to meet there and check our schedules for the next few days so we could get together. As it turned out, I was attending that party (for erotic authors) and I looked forward to catching up with her there. Yes, I was a bit more professional with that one, but barely :-}

But in addition to all of that, What I look forward to the most about going this year is that I will have the chance to catch up with all my writing friends, and I’m not leaving that to chance at all. I haven’t seen some of them in four years while with others it’s only been two. I’m actually setting up times to meet. I have to. With over 2,000 people attending, I could go the whole four days without ever seeing someone if I didn’t set up a meet time and place before even getting on the plane to go.

Of course, there are also all the workshops, the book signings, the awards ceremonies, and the impromptu gatherings in the bar or coffee shop. I know I am going to be exhausted when I get back, but I don’t care. To be around that many writers is like being high on life. I know I won’t come down to earth for at least a month.

Now the tough part, deciding what to wear :-}

Always,

Lexi

Killer Affair by Cindy Dees

Nothing’s more powerful than a woman saving a man.  Too bad he doesn’t remember the event.

A plane crash into the ocean on the way to a tropical island can be a real nightmare.  Couple that with the fact that the Sex on the Beach Killer is at loose.

Maddie and Tom have a distaste for each other.  He doesn’t remember the plane he flew crashed into the ocean, leaving Maddie to rig a floating device and haul this hunk of a man to the shore.  He only sees their opposite natures-she likes to shop and impress and he likes it simple.

One of them is acting.

When they have to act together, such as pretending to be a loving couple in order to stay alive on the killer’s beach, can their real personalities appear and meld together?  Or is hot sex the only thing in common?

Cindy Dees Packs a lot of story in a short space.  Perfect for summer readers who beg for reading time, but have so many other things to do.

 Happy Reading, Dawn

Guest Author Interview: Angelica French

Alexis: We are very pleased to have Erotic Romance author Angelica French here with us as she celebrates the release of her debut book Streetwalker coming out next month!

Angelica: Thanks so much, Alexis, for having me on HEAT. I’ve been a reader for a while now, and I appreciate the range you cover here. It’s exciting to be where some of my favorite authors appear!

I feel so blessed because I received a contract for my erotic romance in January and then a contract for my first culinary mystery in February. Talk about writing books 180 degrees apart!

My debut novel, Streetwalker, is part one of a trilogy (“Sex Sells”) about Carrie’s journey to self-actualization. It’s an erotic romance, but I believe it has strong elements of women’s fiction as well.

Alexis: Where did you get the idea for this story?

Angelica: Streetwalker came whole cloth. Carrie popped into my head one day with her story. Then she wrote it. I felt that I channeled her the whole way, though she hasn’t interfered with the editing process, thank goodness! My writing pattern for Streetwalker varied from most of my other novels. I wrote most of it in scenes that I linked rather than in a linear progression. I wrote much of it at night, even though I’m a morning person. I felt I was just the fingers on the keyboard! My very first novel was done that way as well. Lucinda may never find a home, but she took over her book and made me write her story instead of the one I planned to write. Carrie must have trained with Lucinda, because she was very insistent about what I write!

Alexis: What are your favorite traits of the two main characters?

Angelica: Carrie is my 24-year-old prostitute who works her way into a deal to partner with Harlan, the older male “madam” of a high-end brothel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The fact that he’s black doesn’t bother her, but the way he works his way into her life does! Harlan is the sexiest man she’s ever met, and he threatens her vow to never let a man get close. Carrie is vulnerable while trying to be tough, and Harlan just doesn’t get ruffled about much. She’s smart but doesn’t think she is. She’s curious and a voracious reader. Harlan’s extensive vocabulary intrigues her, and she requests he define words he uses. Harlan is a fixer. He sees Carrie for who she truly is long before she’s aware of it, and he sets about to ensure she attains her potential. Their sex is sizzling even as she fights her attraction to him. His dark demons cause him to withhold part of himself, too. While they have a HFN ending to book one, more misadventures await the two of them in the remaining books in the trilogy.

Alexis: What was the first romance you ever read?

Angelica: Peyton Place was the hot book in 1956, and my mother must have bought it and set it aside somewhere. I happened on it a few years later and read it in the bathroom, hiding it underneath the Kotex napkins box my mother, sister, and I shared. I’m sure the family wondered why I suddenly had constipation problems in our one-bathroom house.

Alexis: What was your first writer’s conference?

Angelica: I heard about the Southern California Writers’ Conference from a critique group member during the year that I “transitioned” (retired is an old person word!) from my 39 years as an educator to full-time writing. SCWC offered opportunities for one-to-one meetings with agents and editors who had previously read the beginning of your manuscript and gave you feedback. I was in! I flew to California with copies of four full manuscripts to distribute to the folks who would be requesting them after reading my brilliant pennings. Needless to say, the recycle guy got some extra work after that weekend. Still, I was grateful to have professionals evaluate my work. They didn’t request fulls for Streetwalker, but I got positive feedback (?) about how well I wrote sex scenes! I’ve been back several times since. It’s a great conference for learning and networking.

Alexis: What are you working on now?

Angelica: This summer, my business plan production schedule has me tied to three major projects and a few smaller ones. I am a writer who has to work on more than one manuscript at a time. For me, that keeps both boredom and writer’s block at bay! This summer I am finishing my second full-length play, book two in my culinary mystery series, and book two for Carrie and Harlan in the “Sex Sells” series. Additionally, I am working on three novellas and searching for publishing homes for some of my other completed novels.

Alexis: Do you have a particular question you’d like to ask our readers?

Angelica: Why shouldn’t we legalize prostitution in the U.S.?

Alexis: Angelica, thank you so much for visiting with us. Hey everyone, check out the excerpt below :-)

 Excerpt from Streetwalker:

Carrie convulsed and her laughter sputtered out. "Only you, Harlan, would worry about SPF levels when you take a girl on a picnic. I love you," then realizing what she had said, she tacked on, "like a brother. Oh, God, no. Not like a brother," remembering her past a beat too late. "Like ... a business partner."

He shook his head. "That's better. I do not want you thinking of me as a brother!"

About Angelica French:

After 39 years as an educator, Sharon Arthur Moore "transitioned" to the life of full-time fiction writer. She's an intrepid cook, game-player, and miniatures lover. She writes culinary mysteries, women's fiction, historical fiction, short stories, plays, and erotic romance (Under the pen name Angelica French). Sharon has lived in every region of the country except the Pacific Northwest and loved every single one of them. Her current favorite region is the desert Southwest. She is married to the most extraordinary man and claims four children, one daughter-in-law, a grandson, and dog Maudie.

Alexis: To find out more about Angelica, visit these links:

www.sharonamoore.com

www.angelicafrench.blogspot.com

www.samwriteaway.blogspot.com

Facebook:Angelica French

Twitter: @RomanceRighter