Cara Bristol Interviews Luc Fortier The Hero From A Scent Of Longing
Please welcome Cara Bristol back to the blog. Today she’s going to tell us about her recent interview with Luc Fortier from A Scent of Longing.
My interview with Luc Fortier of A Scent of Longing freaked me out. I met up with him in his penthouse suite of the high rise Castillo Hotel, Los Angeles to talk about his experience with the very popular 1Night Stand dating service. Luc is tall and dark, not really handsome, more like striking, with light blue, eerie eyes. I won’t ever forget his face – or the interview. We went out onto the balcony to talk, and Luc shut the door. The interview began uneventfully, but then, well, you’ll see. This is a transcript of what happened:
Cara Bristol: So Luc, you’ve been with 1Night Stand for many years. What is it about the matchmaking service that keeps you going back?
Luc Fortier: I’ve known the owner for a while. I agreed to help her out.
Cara Bristol: You help her out? Doesn’t Madame Eve help her clients by arranging just the right match for their dates?
Luc Fortier: Some of her clients have a particular fantasy that I am able to assist in fulfilling.
Cara Bristol: Oh? Like what?
Luc Fortier: Some of them fantasize about being seduced by a vampire.
Cara Bristol: So you snap on a set of fake fangs and whisper, “I vant to drink your blood?”
Luc Fortier: I wouldn’t be so crass as that. [He smiled, and his incisors elongated into fangs].
Cara Bristol: HOLY CRAP! Shit! Shit! Shit!
[As this point, dear reader, I couldn’t get to the door fast enough, but once I got there, I was shaking so bad, I couldn’t get it open. Right in front of me, Luc had turned into a frickin’ vampire. A REAL one. I almost wet my pants, and not in a good sexual way. One moment his teeth were perfectly normal incisors, and within three or four seconds he had a set of choppers like, well, a vampire. And his blue eyes? Son of a bitch if they didn’t turn green. Suffice it to say, at this point, I have to recreate the interview from memory, because when I jumped up, I knocked over my tape recorder and broke it.]
Luc Fortier: Ms. Bristol! You’re perfectly safe. Will you sit down please?
Cara Bristol: Stay right where you are. Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot. [I had pulled a canister from my purse and pointed it at him].
Luc Fortier: Tear gas has no effect on a vampires, and neither will the can of hairspray you’re holding. Really, you’re quite safe with me. [He retracted his fangs].
Cara Bristol: Then why bother to flash your fangs at all?
Luc Fortier: You wouldn’t have believed me otherwise.
Cara Bristol: Maybe I would have. [I picked up my shattered tape recorder, scooted my chair back and sat down]. Uh, so long how long have you been a vampire?
Luc Fortier: For as long as I’ve been alive – 376 years.
Cara Bristol: You don’t look a day over 35.
Luc Fortier: Thank you.
Cara Bristol: Who turned you?
Luc Fortier: I wasn’t turned. I was born. I’m the offspring of a vampire mother and a human father.
Cara Bristol: You look like you’ve swallowed something bitter.
Luc Fortier: I’m a Half Breed.
Cara Bristol: So?
Luc Fortier: Half Breeds are not accepted by vampire society.
Cara Bristol. Ah. So that’s why you came to 1Night Stand.
Luc Fortier [nodding]: I’d hoped to meet my mate. But it’s obviously not going to happen. After this evening’s date, I will cancel my membership and have Madame Eve erase my name from her database. I’ve resigned myself to being alone for eternity.
A Scent of Longing Blurb
Lily Dansen refuses to date vampires. The last time she trusted a one, he turned her. She agrees to a date arranged by 1 NightStand, believing that a quick tryst is all that’s left for her.
A 376-year-old half-vampire, half human Luc Fortier can’t continue to satisfy the vampire fantasies of young ladies while his dreams go unfulfilled. He vows to bedazzle one last date before he calls it quits.
Neither Luc nor Lily expect more than an evening of passion, but they haven’t counted on Madame Eve’s superior matchmaking skills.
Decadent buy link
http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=522&osCsid=42nonicbn7j767uqieuboc6fm1
Amazon buy link
ARe buy link
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ascentoflonging-772836-139.html
Web site/blog: http://www.carabristol.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CaraBristol
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cara-Bristol-Erotic-Romance-Author/178661122147994
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4136271.Cara_Bristol
Books & Pinning On Pinterest
I’m sure some reading this blog saw Pinterest in the title and knew exactly what I was talking about. I’m sure others narrowed their eyes wondering what on earth I was talking about now. So that we can all start on the same page, let me tell you a bit about Pinterest. Pinterest is a social network similar to Facebook or Twitter except that where Twitter and Facebook are primarily text with some occasional photo sharing, Pinterest is almost entirely a visual form of sharing.
What Pinterest users do is set up what amounts to virtual bulletin boards where they “pin” images they like. Like Facebook or Twitter, people follow other users who share their interests. Pinterest is part collecting…part sharing…part cataloging things that you want to look at again.
I’m the curator for the BVSBooks account on Pinterest. I do have our book covers on a Pinterest board. I also have books that have been featured on the BVS blog on another Pinterest board. I have an author’s bookshelf with books that I’ve seen that seem like good resources for authors. I have a board with cookbooks I’d like to get my grubby little paws on. I have a board where I have pictures that get my creative juices going…that’s my Story Starters board. I also have a board for heroes and one for heroines and one for cute kids. But most of my boards have nothing at all to do with books…and I’m fine with that. The flavor of Pinterest is generally broad. Most people have several boards to depict different interests and I’ve gone with that with the BVSBooks account.
One of the fun things about Pinterest is looking around at other people’s boards and seeing how they organize them. Some people have boards dedicated to certain color combinations…a yellow board, a red board, a black board. Others have boards arranged by how the pictures on the board make them feel — the happy board, the sad board, the melancholy board. There is no right or wrong way to organize one’s boards. The idea is to be creative…to gather things you like. People either follow your board or don’t, depending on their interests.
In the few days that I’ve been active on Pinterest I’ve visited the Pinterest boards of a few authors. Most have boards devoted to writing…pictures of potential heroes and heroines, pictures of potential settings for books still churning in the mind. Some have boards devoted to books they’ve written or books they are writing. A few have pictures of historical clothing.
Jody Hedlund who writes inspirational historical romance has one of my favorite boards devoted to books. She’s created a board for her novel THE DOCTOR’S LADY. You can check out that board as well as many other cool boards she’s created here: http://pinterest.com/jodyhedlund/ I think what makes Jody’s board interesting is that she’s taken time to note on the pictures what the picture represents from the book. There are pictures of the hero and heroine and things that would have made up their world…buffalo, covered wagons, flowers that would have covered the prairie, a sunset. Jody’s bulletin board isn’t just a sales tool…it’s bonus content…and I like that about her board.
Paige Tyler is on Pinterest too. She has boards devoted to some of her books as well. You can check out boards devoted to her books LIBRARIAN BY DAY and PROTECTIVE CUSTODY as well as her other boards at http://pinterest.com/paigetylerauth/
Starla Kaye who writes for BVS has an interesting board as well. She has a TBR board as well as boards for two of her books AIMEE’S COWBOY and MAGGIE MINE. You can also check out her virtual collection of teapots, a nice collection of heroes and heroines who might make it into one of her books one of these days, and a couple of pictures of quilts she’s made. One of the things I like about Starla’s boards is that they are varied. There are the pictures of book covers right there with the pictures of quilts and teapots. You can check out Starla’s boards at http://pinterest.com/starlakaye/
And of course, you can check out BVSBook’s boards at http://pinterest.com/bvsbooks/
Before I close this post I’d like to ask a few things:
1.) If you pin, where can we follow your pins?
2.) Who do you follow on Pinterest?
3.) What kinds of book related boards have you seen, followed, and enjoyed?
4.) If you’re an author what kind of book related boards do you have up at Pinterest? Please leave a link to your boards so we can find them. 
Current Events, Popular TV Shows And Popular Movies – Do They Impact What You Want To Read?
We’ve been watching Game of Thrones recently. It’s not the type of television series that either my husband or I would usually watch. We are much more likely to watch cop shows like Law & Order Special Victims, Criminal Minds, and The Killing than something like Game of Thrones which defies genre labeling. Yet, we are hooked…by the characters…by the unraveling of the story…by the knowledge that no character is really safe from death or mayhem on Game of Thrones.
While I’ve been enjoying Game of Thrones on TV, I’ve been wondering if I would enjoy books written in a similar vein, and I’ve been wondering how long it will be before the popularity of the TV show started spilling over into the manuscripts I receive.
There definitely is a correlation between popular movies, popular TV, current events, and the manuscripts I receive. The first few years after September 11th I received lots of manuscripts with characters involved in foiling terrorist plots, mostly terrorist plots on American soil. After the popularity of Brokeback Mountain I received more manuscripts for male/male romance.
It’s clear that writers are inspired by current events, popular TV shows, and popular movies. But I wonder, do current events, popular television shows and popular movies impact what you want to read? If you like a particular movie do you look for books that explore the same or a similar theme? Does watching the popular series Grimm make you want to read more stories that take some aspect of that series and run with it? Does watching a documentary about prohibition make you more or less interested in books set in that time period?
How do current events, TV shows, and movies impact your reading choices?
Is There An Obvious Association Between Writing And Editing?
Please join me in welcoming author Alana Woods to the blog. I met Alana where I meet a lot of readers and writers…on Goodreads. Alana friended me and I invited her to visit us here on the blog. Today Alana’s going to touch on editing, something she’s done a lot of. She has some funny stories about her work as an editor for Supreme Court transcripts which she’ll share with you. Then she’ll tease you with a blurb and an excerpt from her thriller Imbroglio. Please make Alana feel welcome by leaving your questions and comments for her in the comments section. It’s easy. You don’t have to log in – nor do you have to try to figure out what a bunch of confusing looking letters are.
Editing and writing—an obvious association, yes?
I believe so.
I’m a multi-genre author. I write thrillers, short stories and non-fiction.
My day job for the last 30 years or so has been as a professional editor. I imagine everyone agrees the association is pretty obvious. What I’ve learned as an editor has definitely helped me as an author.
I’ve also been involved in the publishing industry for most of that time because the positions I’ve held have been for the most part in government publishing departments. The knowledge I’ve gained of the industry has been handy along the way too.
My working life started as a publications typist at a weapons research facility and although I didn’t write Imbroglio until quite a few years later my experience there definitely contributed to the story. It’s a suspense thriller with espionage and smuggling overtones.
In 1980 I moved to Australia’s national capital, Canberra, and spent five years in court reporting. Automaton, a legal thriller, is a direct result of that experience and focuses as much on the effects that the legal system has on anyone unlucky enough to become embroiled as it does on the crime.
Transcripts for Supreme Court trials are produced daily and part of what I did was to check for accuracy. Two misquotes that entered folklore while I was there were:
paragon of virtue being misheard as parrot on a perch
and
flaccid penis being misheard as placid penis. This one was particularly popular around the traps.
For 18 years before leaving full-time employment I worked first as an editor and eventually as Director of Publishing for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Among other things the ACCC investigates takeovers and mergers and that’s the basis of my latest thriller, Dragline, which I’m still writing.
There are three levels of edit that can be applied to a document. The highest level is a substantive edit. This involves looking at absolutely everything including structure and language. The second level is a copy edit which generally doesn’t include an assessment of structure but is still fairly stringent. The third level is proofreading which is done after a document has been typeset for printing and typically involves checking for typos and formatting glitches.
If you’re interested in knowing more about editing you can visit my website blog. I’m running a series on What editors do at the moment. The link is http://www.alanawoods.com
Over the years I’ve undertaken many edits at all three levels. And when you critique the work of others for a living it becomes second nature to apply the same scrutiny to your own work. It’s harder to be critical of your own creations, of course, and just because you’re an expert in the field doesn’t mean you should ignore the services of another editor to go over your work.
In fact, the editor’s mantra is: Never, ever, edit your own work.
So, I hear you say, what’s a thriller writer doing writing a blog for Black Velvet Seductions, given romance is its raison d’etre?
I answer with ‘Doesn’t every story have a romance component?’ I know mine do. Romance is the sub-plot in all of my three thrillers—check out the excerpt, which is the opening to Imbroglio—and it’s the primary plot in several of my short stories in the collection Tapestries and other short stories.
Cover Blurb And Praise For Imbroglio
I was so captivated I didn’t want to put it down.
What a buzz I got when I read that lead to a 5 star review. Here’s more from that reviewer:
Ms Woods has the rare gift of painting vivid, action-packed pictures with her words. I was there with the characters, smelling the ocean, feeling the sun, hearing the waves …
So, what’s the story about? Here’s a taste:
Noel Valentine–what’s in her past that impels her to save a stranger’s life knowing that it could endanger hers?
In hot tropical Australia she pulls a stranger from a burning car but can’t save his passenger.
When the stranger shows up back in her home town of Sydney and asks for a place to stay, why does she agree? Especially given he could have been an assassin hired to kill his passenger. Especially given that she’s pitching to win as a client the medical technology company that seems to be central to whatever is going on. A company that both assassin and victim had connections with. A company with questionable markets and equally questionable front men.
Imbroglio is an understatement for the pickle Noel finds herself in.
An Excerpt From Imbroglio
In deference to the romance element of BVS, here’s how Imbroglio starts—with S E X.
The sound entered his ear, swirled through his brain, flowed, eddied around his groin, and sank to his toes. He felt, rather than heard. A mouth touched behind his lobe and trailed to his shoulder and his nerve ends rippled with it. A sense of silk swept across his chest. Coolness licked and a streak of flame ignited his genitals. A major case of elephantiasis. A hand, too small, smoothed and moved. He tensed. The mouth angled over his chest, his stomach and almost … almost … frustration exploded.
She was back. And a little bolder. Thank God for dreams. Hands and mouth strayed but still would not commit themselves. A repeat performance for both. She touched, he exploded, and oblivion.
Why couldn’t he see? Or move? It wasn’t fair, giving him the dream and not letting him make full use of it. She was tense. Relax, I’m not going to bite. I wish I could. She stretched lengthwise against him, pelvis pressing his hand, leg imprisoning his, the rise of her breast pushing into his bicep and chest. Hand caressing his cheek. She felt good. She smelled good. He could smell. Things were improving.
However, I can’t claim even a hint of romance in my non-fiction journal Family medical history, which is a journal for families to record everything that happens of a medical nature.
I also can’t claim it in the writing guide for aspiring authors that I’m currently drafting and which should be available within three months. Watch my website for a publication announcement.
If you’re interested in any of my books here’s the link to my page on Amazon.
I’d be happy to catch up with you via any of my social network sites so please do visit and say hello.
About Alana Woods
My family emigrated from the UK to Australia when I was four. I grew up in the coastal suburbs of Adelaide but now live in Canberra. It’s where two of my children live. We (that’s me and my husband John) also spend time in West Sussex with our oldest daughter Simone, also an author.
I’ve been a professional editor for over 30 years. I’m no longer in full-time employment—haven’t been for about six years. Most of my time now is taken up with my own writing but I continue to contract edit part time.
I have four books published. Two are thrillers, Automaton and Imbroglio. Another is a short story collection, Tapestries and other short stories. And the fourth is non-fiction, Family medical history, which is a journal for families to keep a record of everything that happens of a medical nature. They are all available on Amazon.
I’m currently working on a writing guide for aspiring authors which enlarges on advice I’ve given to young writers who have asked for my help over the years.
I’m also working on a third thriller.
Alana’s Links
I Need A Hero – Romantic Thriller Book Giveaway May 8 & 9
I NEED A HERO
By J.D. Faver
Hi Laurie! Thanks so much for inviting me to blog today.
You’re very welcome J.D. It’s my pleasure to have you back on the blog today… I’m always intrigued by conversations about heroes as it tends to be the hero that leads me to purchase the books I purchase…so I’m delighted you’re talking about heroes. It’s also great that you’ve got BAD MEDICINE free in Kindle format for the next couple of days. That will give everyone a chance to check it out. Hear that everyone…go check out BAD MEDICINE!
I wanted to talk about heroes. We love ‘em…We read about ‘em…Dream about ‘em…Gotta have ‘em. But what makes a memorable hero?
I tend to shy away from the too perfect hero. Having at least one flaw makes a hero more human and endearing.
I’m showcasing my romantic thriller, BAD MEDICINE (It’s a free download on Amazon today and tomorrow)
http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Medicine-Romantic-Thriller-ebook/dp/B007H5IUQ2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3
BAD MEDICINE is the first in a series set on the lower Texas Gulf coast. Although this is a romantic thriller, it’s also a steamy romance with strong characters who love as hard as they fight to survive. The characters introduced in this first novel will play recurring roles as the series evolves. The second novel, BAD KARMA, will be released in May and the third, BAD VIBES, in June.
The hero, Sheriff Rafael Solis is a great example of a slightly flawed hero. He has lots of heroic characteristics and he’s a babe and a half…but he has lost the heroine, Chloe Palmer once and he’s not taking a chance on losing her again. He has long been aware of the fact that the local drug lord has been obsessed with her since they were all in grade school. While battling this foe, he’s more than a little frustrated when Chloe attracts another admirer in the person of Zach Bailey, a Marine Biologist. Rafael is confident that Chloe returns his love, but he doesn’t trust his fellow man as far as he can throw him…Well, not even that far.
Here’s an excerpt, where he lets Chloe know how he feels.
~*~
Rafael walked with his arm around Chloe. He couldn’t contain his smile. He wore it proudly, as the man who had just driven her to new heights of pleasure, delaying her usual demands for immediate gratification. Rafael was a man who knew how to take his time.
They left her mother’s truck at the Bait Camp since that was where he would return her after their meal. He drove her up coast a few miles to a dirt road leading back to the Intracoastal Canal. The restaurant was a local treasure, accessible from both land and water.
They parked among a dozen vehicles, but as they trod the length of the wooden walkway, he counted as many boats tied up along the pier.
Although a few patrons sat at the bar or chose to dine inside behind a wall of glass, Rafael and Chloe preferred to sit outside on the broad wooden patio and watch the sun set on the water.
He ordered fresh oysters on the half shell and boiled shrimp with Pinot Grigio to start. He turned his head at Chloe’s soft laugh.
“More appetizers?” She still had that fresh laid look, a little flushed, but relaxed and smiling.
“Nothing could be as good as the first.” He reached his hand across to her and, when she placed her palm on it, he raised her fingers to his lips. She stretched her arm to stroke his cheek, stubbly with his rough beard. “Sorry I didn’t shave for you.”
“Sorry I didn’t bathe for you.”
“I like you dirty,” he said.
“I like you rough.”
He pressed her hand to his cheek. “Have you given any thought to our wedding? It’s not too early to start planning.”
“I don’t want a big wedding.” She drew her hand back. “I’m afraid your mother will ruin it.”
“Baby, I wouldn’t let that happen.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “How could we have known your mother would go to such lengths to keep us apart in the past? I don’t want to worry about it. Can’t we just have a simple little wedding?”
Rafael’s lips compressed into a thin line. He drew a breath and let it out all in a whoosh. “You’re right. We’ll have a small wedding. I’ll be the only Solis within miles.”
Chloe folded her arms across her chest and stared at the ground. “That doesn’t sound right either.
He raised her chin and leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. “It’s supposed to be our day. I won’t let anyone get in the way of our happiness.”
Chloe shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. “It’s our prom all over again. One of us has to give up everything no matter which way it goes.”
The waiter set a tray of oysters between them. Chloe reached for a package of saltines and ripped open the plastic. She lifted her fork and carefully selected the smallest oyster, setting it atop a cracker. She splashed a tiny dot of hot sauce over it and opened her mouth. Her white, even teeth bit into the plump mussel, making Rafael recall those same teeth grazing his shoulder earlier.
“What are you smiling at?”
“Just watching you eat. It’s a sensual experience. If you never turned me on before, watching you take bites of food would make me want to rip off your clothes.”
“Men are so strange.” She popped the rest of the oyster topped cracker into her mouth and washed it down with a sip of wine. “We women do not understand how your little minds work.”
“Just figure that I’m always thinking about making love to you.” He picked up an oyster shell and slid the contents into his mouth.
“Always?”
He swallowed and then nodded. “Every second of the day and night. When I’m asleep, I’m dreaming about it.”
“You are an animal,” she whispered.
“Nah, just a guy. We all think the same way, which is why I know what Zach Bailey is thinking.”
Chloe set her wine glass down. “Aha! I wondered when the topic of conversation would get around to Zach.”
“Now’s as good a time as any. He likes you, Chloe, and I don’t mean as a friend. Trust me when I say, he’s got that look that I’ve grown to recognize and dread. It means another guy is going to make a run at my girl, and I’m going to stop him. Dead in his tracks. You better tell him, baby, or I will.”
~*~
Don’t forget to download BAD MEDICINE May 8th or 9th on Amazon. If you don’t have an e-reading device, just download the free Kindle for PC. http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Medicine-Romantic-Thriller-ebook/dp/B007H5IUQ2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3
Thanks again, Laurie. I really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with your readers. Please visit my website at http://www.jdfaver.com
Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/JDFaverauthor
And “like” my author page on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/JD-Faver-Author/117164385030100
And subscribe to my blog at http://www.livingwiththemuse.com
Pavarti K. Tyler Joins Us To Talk About Writing Literary Fiction
Back early in 2012 I asked readers of this blog what things they liked about the blog and what new directions they would like to see during 2012. One of the things that some people said was that they liked the romance genre but they read a variety of genres and so wanted to see more guest authors who write outside the romance genre. Though we’ve had more guest authors who write outside of the romance genre our flavor here is still mostly romance as that seems to be the genre that unites us here–it’s the genre that we all read–even if we also read in other genres.
Today I’m pleased to turn things in a bit of a new direction with our guest author Pavarti K. Tyler who is here to talk a bit about the difference between genre fiction and literary fiction and how her own novel Shadow On The Wall fits within the definition of literary fiction.
Please welcome Pavarti to the blog. Please engage her with your questions and comments. Be sure to leave her a note if you’ve already read Shadow On The Wall or if you plan to. Be sure to ask any questions you have about the difference between literary and genre fiction…or any other questions you might have for her. Writers LOVE it when readers ask questions about their work and leave positive comments about it.
I believe Pavarti also has some books she’ll be giving away at the end of her blog tour. You’ll want to leave comments to insure you are entered. You’ll want to follow her tour to make sure you enter at her other stops as well.
Literary Fiction – A Definition in Terms
Shadow on the Wall was extremely difficult for me to categorize when it came to genre. While there are elements of “otherworldly” occurrences, it is not what readers have come to expect from a paranormal or supernatural title. It also isn’t a mystery or a thriller. You know the who done it. The question is, what is the main character going to do about it!
Literary Fiction has come to mean more serious fiction. There are those who think self labeling as Lit Fic is egotistical, ohhh you write lit fic, you think you’re a more serious writer than the rest of us… But that’s not really the case. My writing style is the same for the books I have under romance, fantasy, even horror. The difference is the subject matter.
Write Anything says that “literary fiction addresses what might be considered more serious issues to uncover a truth bringing its audience; by the way of the main character; to a deeper understanding about life.” In writing Shadow that was definitely a huge part of my motivation.
I certainly hope those who read Shadow on the Wall will enjoy the story, but I wrote this story not only to entertain but to inspire examination of the world around us. Our civilization is at a breaking point. People are taking sides and oppression is closing in on all of us. From religion to politics to the general cultural climate it seems everyone is on high alert. In my experience though, people – average, everyday people – are not so different from each other. Perhaps writing such a dark story is my call to action; this is the nightmare waiting for us at the end of the tunnel. What will it take for each of us to stand up for what we believe in?
The main character, Recai Osman, has a calling, a mission. He is given his path. We are not. When faced with a choice between oppression and freedom, between standing up for someone else or sitting back and watching the sky fall, what will you do? Will you choose to live like the character Maryam, seeing the good in people and finding a way to make the world better? I hope so.
Cover Blurb From Shadow On The Wall
Recai Osman: Muslim, philosopher, billionaire and Superhero?
Controversial and daring, Shadow on the Wall details the transformation of Recai Osman from complicated man to Superhero. Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah’s call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way?
Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandStorm.
In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss.
Buy Shadow On The Wall For .99 Or Borrow It Free
Shadow On The Wall is available in Kindle format for .99 – or if you’re a member of Amazon Prime you can borrow it for free. Check it out here.
Guest Author Carly Fall Talks About Plotting – Pantsing And The Best Of Both
Today we have guest author Carly Fall visiting with us. She’s started things off by talking about plotting vs. pantsing. Plotting and pantsing are terms authors use to describe whether they plot their stories out in advance using techniques like outlining (plotting) or whether they jump in, and let the story come to life as the characters spring to life in their imaginations (flying by the seat of their pants or pantsing). If you find how authors write their stories interesting you’ll enjoy Carly’s post.
Carly is also giving away some goodies while she’s here visiting us. She will be giving away two eBook copies of The Light Within Me (the first book of this series) at each tour stop; a $15 All Romance eBooks GC for one randomly drawn commenter and $10 Amazon GC for blog host with the most comments (excluding the host’s and the author’s) at the end of her tour. Be sure to leave a comment for your chance to enter.
Plotting vs. Pantsing…Getting the twists, turns and surprises
The never-ending debate of what’s the better method for writing a book wages on: plotter or going by the seat of your pants? And I think the answer to that is different for every author. I say whatever gets the job done is the best way to do it.
I am a plotter – to a certain extent. I do outline the story, but not in full detail. I go over the beginning, the middle and the end. I know the major scenes that will take place. However, I have found that even with an outline, stuff happens.
Most writers will tell you that their characters begin to take on a life of their own once the writing of the story starts. The characters get themselves into predicaments that were never foreseen by the author. The relationships that were originally supposed to work out perfectly sometimes crumble, while other character interactions go much better than expected.
Book one in the Six Savior Series, The Light Within Me, was one of those books where the characters would jump out at me and say, “Hey! Let’s do this instead of the garbage you’ve written!” Hence the twists and turns in the story, and the crazy surprises my Warriors divulge.
Book two, Finding My Faith, doesn’t have the blatant in your face surprises that The Light Within Me holds. It is more of a book about a journey, but with a much stronger paranormal undertone than The Light Within Me. However, book three, which I am currently working on, is turning out to be similar to The Light Within Me with the twists and turns, and of course, surprises.
I like knowing where my story is going, but I also really love the obstacles, roadblocks and detours characters offer me during the writing process.
The Cover Blurb For Finding My Faith
Growing up in a small Northern Arizona town, Faith Cloudfoot’s life was spent playing in the forests surrounding her house under the protective eyes of her father, and learning about the legends of her Native American heritage. Yearning for more out of her life, she moves to Phoenix, Arizona at the age of twenty-three where she is kidnapped and almost killed.
Rayner has a special ability, one that weighs on him like a curse. He can see spirits trapped in between life and their final resting place. Because he can’t do much to help them, he studiously ignores them. He concentrates, instead, on working with his fellow warriors to right the wrongs caused by the evil criminals from his home planet.
When Rayner sees Faith in her spirit form while investigating a lead in Phoenix, his attraction to her is immediate, yet he follows his own personal code and ignores her cry for attention. When he realizes that she may be a stepping stone to getting him home to his own universe, he engages Faith and begins to use her as a means to an end: going home.
As the attraction grows stronger, Rayner finds himself breaking all sorts of self-set rules, as well as the code of ethics set by him and his fellow warriors. When Faith nears death, Rayner realizes that he must do everything in his power to save her, because if he doesn’t, he may just lose himself.
An Excerpt From Finding My Faith
“You’re real.”
It was barely a whisper, but Rayner heard it. His heart beat even faster, and he slowly opened his eyes. Faith was looking at him.
“Yes,” he whispered back.
“Your eyes…” her voice drifted off, and she closed her eyes for a moment as if she were recalling something, then opened them again.
She smiled slightly and reached for his hand. “My wise warrior saved me.”
He took it and held the delicate bones in his big paw. Energy ripped through him as their palms touched. After the initial jolt, he felt a peace overcome every fiber of his being. It slowed his heart and loosened his muscles. The peace that flowed through him was an energy all onto itself.
They stared at each other for a moment, then Faith shut her eyes. Rayner studied her face. In a nutshell, she took his breath away. She was prettier in the flesh than she had been as a ghost. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath.
“We have to get out of here, Rayner,” Hudson said in a low voice.
Rayner nodded, let go of Faith’s hand and began to stand up.
Faith’s eyes flew open and she tried to sit up, panic raced across her face. “No!” she said, “please don’t leave me!”
Rayner took her hand again and got back down on his knees. “Faith, relax. I’m not going anywhere without you. You’re safe now.”
He met her eyes, and for a long moment he knew she was deciding whether he could be trusted. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said, “I promise.”
About Carly Fall And Where To Buy Finding My Faith
I live in Arizona with my incredibly supportive husband, our son and our dog.
I love my family, hiking, writing, our pool, and wine, and depending on the day, not necessarily in that order.
To receive my monthly newsletter, please go to CarlyFall.com and sign up at the big box on the right. I promise not to spam you or sell your information (even if someone tries to bribe me with chocolate chip cookies), but instead I want my newsletter to inspire you, make you laugh, and let you know of super fun promotional activities I’m involved in that usually mean free stuff for you.
To visit my blog, go to www.carlyfall.com, or give me a thumbs up on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carly-Fall/135934843166283
twitter at CarlyFall1
I also love to see what you’re reading, so let’s get friendly on Goodreads as well! http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4877034.Carly_Fall
Here are the buy links:
Guest Author Lilia Birney Talks About Writing Fun, Frothy Characters
Today we have the good fortune to have Lilia Birney visiting with us. I started things out by asking Lilia about the characters in her novel To Catch A Thief-Taker. Her answers will make more sense after the blurb and the excerpt so I have arranged today’s post in that fashion. Though I’ve started out by asking about the characters please feel free to add to the discussion and to take it in new directions by asking your own related or unrelated questions.
Lilia is giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky winner during her blog tour. Leave your comments here and then follow the rest of her tour. You can find her other stops listed here.
Blurb For To Catch A Thief-Taker
When Lady Penelope Annand’s trusted servant goes missing, she is determined to get to the bottom of the matter. Even if that means hiring a thief-taker to track down her maid’s whereabouts. But when the darkly smoldering Pierce Howe takes charge of the situation, Penelope finds herself growing more attracted to him by the second–even if she’s infuriated by his high-handed manner. She doesn’t trust any man–not after the way her first husband wronged her–so why is she so quick to believe in a thief-taker?
Pierce Howe has made a name for himself as one of London’s most reliable thief-takers, leaving behind his family’s sordid past to create a life of his own. But when Viscountess Annand, known in society as The Ice Goddess, demands that he track down her wayward maid, all his carefully-constructed defenses begin crumbling. As the Ice Goddess shows that she does indeed have a melting point, the thief-taker must decide if he can risk it all and tell her the truth about his past.
Excerpt From To Catch A Thief-Taker
She gathered her skirts and took a step, only to be caught around the waist from behind. Unable to breathe from the pressure of the arm around her middle, she kicked backward, connecting with her assailant’s right knee.
“Damnation!” A familiar voice swore, and her captor released her. Rubbing her ribs, she turned to see Pierce kneeling in the dirt.
“Pierce, are you terribly hurt?” She knelt beside him, tucking her skirt to pad her knees. “I’m so sorry. You frightened me. I didn’t know it was you.”
“I was worried when I returned to the carriage and you weren’t there,” he gasped, rubbing his kneecap. “I should know now, I need never worry for your safety again. Who knew a lady’s boot heel could be quite so painful?”
“You shouldn’t have grabbed me so,” she replied tartly. “How was I supposed to react? Here we are in the yard of a most notorious brothel—any man with a grain of sense would have approached me differently.”
“Believe me, madam, I am regretting my mistake most heartily at the moment.” He gingerly flexed his leg, grimacing slightly. “What the devil are you doing out of the carriage anyway?”
“I saw a servant passing by, and thought it would be wise to question her.” She took his leg in both of her hands, pressing it gently. Heavens, what a strong, muscled leg he had. She was thankful for the darkness, which hopefully covered her blush. “Does this hurt?”
“I’ll survive.” He leaned back on his elbows in the grass, staring at her from under lowered brows. “I was concerned for your safety, Lady Annand.”
“Thank you, but I can defend myself. As you now know.” She withdrew her hands from his leg, keeping her eyes lowered. If he read her thoughts at that moment, how he would laugh at her—how everyone would laugh. The Ice Goddess, reduced to nothing but a bowl of porridge after touching a man’s knee.
Lilia Birney Talks About Creating Fun Frothy Characters
I really wanted to write a book that just had fun, frothy characters–not a lot of seriousness. And Penelope’s character first came to mind. I wanted a heroine who is rich and beautiful–the best of both worlds–but who feels really empty and unfulfilled. Pierce was more of a challenge because I wanted him to have a past without it feeling too dark within the story.
Let me tell you, I love having a character who is independently wealthy. I loved that Penelope could do or be anything, since her first husband died and left her his estate. She is free as most women weren’t in that time period, and it was so fun to play with her and put her into different vexing situations.
The most trouble came with trying to keep the mood light. I wanted the book, even though it’s set in Regency England, to have a bit of 1930s screwball/sex comedy flair. I love watching old movies, especially ones with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and I wanted Penelope and Pierce to be the Regency equivalent of Nick and Nora. However, writing in that fashion is difficult–much more difficult than writing tragedy. I hope I pulled it off!
About Lilia Birney
Lilia is a reader and writer of historical romance. While the Regency is her favorite era, she loves anything from the Revolution to the 1940s, with a special interest in American history. Her first novella, From Air to Eternity, was published by Night Shift Publishing in 2011. Her newest series, The Liberated Ladies, explores the lives of four very independent women in Georgian England. Lilia lives in New Bern, North Carolina.
Twitter: liliabirney
Email: liliabirney@hotmail.com
Blog: http://www.canyonlandpress.com/
Paranormal Romance Author Rebecca Royce Talks About Why She Made The Heroine In Darkest Wolf Ugly
We have guest author Rebecca Royce visiting with us today. She was supposed to be here on the 23rd of April but due to a scheduling goof on my part she wasn’t here on that day. Since she missed her appearance on the 23rd through no fault of her own I’ve put up her post for the 23rd along with her post for today one after the other. Be sure to scroll down and check out her post about the most emotional scene in her novel Love Beyond Sight just under this post.
For THIS POST ONLY Rebecca is giving away a $50 gift certificate to someone who comments at one of her blog stops on this tour (for Darkest Wolf). You can check out the other stops on her tour here. Feel free to post multiple comments here. I like it when the comments section evolves into a multi-faceted conversation as it sometimes does.
For this post I started by asking Rebecca why she made the heroine in Darkest Wolf ugly. But in order for the question and answer to make sense I’m going to include the blurb for the book ahead of Rebecca’s answer.
The Blurb For The Darkest Wolf:
Rex Kane has always known he was different than his brothers, down to the fact that when he shifts into his wolf form, his coat is completely black. Always in trouble, he is given one more chance by his brother Tristan, the Alpha of the Westervelt pack, to bring back to their island a witch who can stop some of the magical assault that has plagued their war-torn home. Rex knows he has one last chance to set things right. Everything depends on him and he cannot fail.
Elizabeth Willow has been cursed to look so repulsive no human eyes can bear to view her. Raised in a gentle coven of witches, she is ill prepared for the realities of the harsh world she now lives in. Raised to mistrust wolf-shifters as witch-killers, she cannot seem to help being drawn to Rex. Even if she doesn’t believe she is his so-called mate. He can see her as she really is and is the first person to look her in the eyes in years. Although she is not naturally devious, she sees no choice but to use Rex to gain her own freedom and her families’ safety.
Together, Rex and Elizabeth will see just how evil the people around them can be. If they can trust their hearts, perhaps they will survive another night. If not, both of their battles will never be won.
Rebecca Talks About Why She Chose To Make Her Heroine In Darkest Wolf Ugly
Elizabeth is a witch capable of a lot of power. When her coven is infiltrated by dark witches, she is cursed to be so ugly that humans cannot stand to view her and sent out into the world to baby-sit the coven leader’s two grown daughters who are spoiled and selfish. She cannot get help because no one can stand looking at her long enough to listen.
But she is strong and she believes that one day she will have the opportunity to free herself and her family from their servitude to the dark witches.
I’m not really certain where the idea of Elizabeth’s ugliness came from. Other writers will understand if I say that she told me her story herself and I had little to do with it.
Rex can see Elizabeth as she really looks. He is the first person in years to be able to do so. He gets really upset with the way she is treated by everyone else and it brings out his aggressive Alpha tendencies.
But Elizabeth hates wolves and Rex hates witches. Her ugliness is just another way in which they both have to get past the external to find the people underneath.
About Rebecca Royce:
As a teenager, Rebecca Royce would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was well worth it.
Rebecca is the mother of three adorable boys and is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.
She’s in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She’s been told she’s a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you’ll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. Rebecca loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In Rebecca Royce’s world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
Paranormal Romance Author Rebecca Royce Talks About The Most Emotional Scene In Love Beyond Sight
Please welcome Rebecca Royce to the blog today. She was supposed to be here on the 23rd of April but because of a scheduling goof on my part she wasn’t here on the 23rd. She’s agreed to talk today about both Love Beyond Sight and Darkest Wolf so readers today are in for a nice two-fer.
I’m going to start things off with the blurb for Love Beyond Sanity and the excerpt because I kicked things off by asking Rebecca a question about her book. Without at least the blurb the question and her answer will not make sense.
Blurb For Love Beyond Sight:
In Love Beyond Sanity, Eden Roan awoke in a mental hospital, unsure of how she got there. Nearly discovered by a demon, she is rescued by a voice in her mind who saves her life by transforming her figure into something the demon doesn’t want to look at. The voice tells her she is his but that they will never, ever meet. As time progresses, Eden becomes more and more convinced that the voice is just her imagination playing tricks on her. It can’t possibly be her destined soul mate.
Or can it?
Samuel Quinn was horribly disfigured by the demon when he was a child. He can’t stand looking at himself and does not want Eden to see him. Luckily, his powers allow him to hide himself using other people’s features as his own. But when Eden needs him, Samuel will have to step forward to save her even if he can never let her see the real him.
Can there be love without sight? Or will the demon finally have them all just
Excerpt From Love Beyond Sight
After he’d put the car back where he’d stolen it from, checking to see if there was any evidence that owner had noticed that lack of the car and finding none, he hoofed it back to his apartment complex. Even though he knew how to dress properly for the cold, by the time he got home he felt frozen to his core. The cold air had helped his burning skin to relax for a while. Maybe he could get one more day out of his new features.
Maybe.
He unlocked the door and hadn’t stepped inside more than an inch when the first blow struck him on the side of the head. He saw stars as he hit the ground. What the hell? He could hardly think. Shit. What had hit him?
Using force of will alone, barely managed to roll to the side before the next whack nearly struck him again. A streak of strawberry-blond flew by his eyes.
“Eden?”
He heard a gasp. “How do you know who I am?”
Samuel managed to open one eye long enough to see she stood above him holding a chair leg over her head. She looked fierce and stunning like some kind of warrior goddess taking down her prey. Hell, she’d broken his chair.
“I know you. It’s hard to explain.” Or maybe it wasn’t but he couldn’t be sure. His head felt heavy and he couldn’t make sense of much. Everything looked sort of blurry.
“Your voice.” Eden’s lovely face came into focus for a moment before it blurred out again. Her eyes furrowed as she tried to make sense of things. He didn’t blame her. This whole thing was damn confusing.
“I know your voice.”
He tried to nod and had to close his eyes. Wow, she’d really gotten him. “Yes, you do.”
Rebecca Royce Talks About The Most Emotional Scene In Love Beyond Sight
Often when we have guest authors here I suggest a topic or ask a question and our guest authors blog about the topic or answer the question, as a way to start things off. For Rebecca’s visit I asked Rebecca about the most emotional scene in Love Beyond Sight and whether it was hard or easy to write. Here is her response.
For me, the most emotional scene in the book comes when Eden has to tell Samuel she doesn’t find his substitute faces attractive. He’s tried so hard and loved her for so long from a distance, that it is absolutely devastating to him when she confesses that the temporary faces he dons for her do not actually make her attracted to him.
The interaction between them was so intense that I actually had to pause writing it on more than one occasion to collect myself. Samuel is an intensely wounded hero—both on the outside and on the inside—and to not just be able to hand him his happy ending on a silver platter made me feel mean and tortured.
Ultimately, though, I think it paid off in the end because the story is wrought with emotion and I loved how it ended. Even so, there are no real happy endings for the Outsiders right now. Not with the battle still raging.
About Rebecca Royce
As a teenager, Rebecca Royce would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was well worth it.
Rebecca is the mother of three adorable boys and is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.
She’s in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She’s been told she’s a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you’ll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. Rebecca loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In Rebecca Royce’s world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
Recent Comments