Friday, February 27, 2009

Julia's Knight

JULIA'S KNIGHT

Lover's of Alpha Squad 3

Julia entrances Caleb the moment he meets her. She's everything he could ever want, but there's one problem--she isn't his woman, she's married to his best friend.

But Julia wants Caleb and has every intention of getting him, if she can convince him hers is a marriage of convenience.



Available March 5th at Siren Publishing



For more on this book, the Lover's of Alpha Squad series, to watch book trailers, and to read book excerpts check out my website http://www.stormyglenn.com/

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Ethan Day has dropped by for a visit!

Hey everyone, Ethan Day, the fabulous new author of Self Preservation has dropped by to tell us a little about himself. I was thrilled when Ethan said he'd visit. Besides writing a great book, which I have read and highly recommend, Ethan is hilarious. Keep reading and you'll see what I mean.

Okay, Ethan, let’s start getting your shine on. Tell us who you are beyond an author.
I’m just a simple country boy with a dream, Stormy. Seriously, ask anyone who knows me & they’ll tell you the same thing…at least they better. I’ve paid them all to lie, lie, lie!!


I guess you could call me a hooker with a heart of gold…okay, so yeah…that’s not true either. Like anyone’s going to believe I’d ever really charge. I’m a gay man living in the Bible belt…let’s just say escapism is a necessity.

And what is your normal day like?
I do my best to avoid normal days. When I’m very lucky, I get to spend my days pretending to be other people who live in other places.


I'm with you, Ethan. Normal is boring. However, the writing must continue. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome to become an author?
Me. Those pesky voices in my head are both a blessing and a curse. In my second book, Dreaming of You, you’ll get a bit of a glimpse of what it can be like to be me in that respect. While the main character Aden Ingle, is fictional…he has managed to obtain one or two of my more charming personality traits.


I know that Self Preservation was your first book. Going back to the beginning, show us the day you received your publication offer.
Hmmmm. Picture a guy in pajama’s…make him cute, damn it!! Thank you!
Now picture him jumping around like cheerleader on crack…yeah, that’s pretty much it.


How would you best describe your writing style?
Probably not very stylish…I usually write in my PJ’s, so I’m certainly no fashion plate.


Ooohhh, PJ's are good. Kind of like my piggy slippers. I wonder if they help you write too? Ethan, you've written a great book. Show us when you realized you had a passion for writing?
Passion for writing…you little minx!! Is this your sneaky attempt to get me talking about sex scenes?


It’s not….oh, um…wow…well that’s not at all embarrassing.

Well as anyone who has read my bio knows, I took a creative writing class in college after reading the course requirements and discovering there were no tests. The professor wound up being one of those amazing teachers we always hear stories about. She really altered my entire universe. By the end of the semester I changed my major and never looked back.

I’ve always had an overactive imagination. I’m the type who’ll be on a date with a guy and there will be multiple conversations going on. The real one with my date, the fake one with my date that’s going on in my head, and the final one consisting of me arguing with myself, while keeping a sort of running commentary of everything that’s going on. Yeah…I come from a whole lotta crazy, and apparently quite the talker. I’m sorry…what was the question, again? LOL

We understand that uniqueness counts in the literary world, but we equally understand there must be reliability.
Thanks for the heads up, Stormy. I hereby vow to all my readers to do my very best to remain reliably unique.


Do you write everyday, Ethan?
No…I wish. It’s not write, Stormy!!! Some days are easier than others, and I’ll have days where I write like a possessed demon, and others where I’ll sit for hours going over and over something. When I’m writing a funny scene…or a scene that I’m intending to be funny, I spend a lot more time word nit picking. The scenes between Davis and Alex in Self Preservation took a long time. Hopefully, the end result makes all the time and fretting worth it.


What about writer's block? Does this ever happen for you?
Um…hello…that which should not be named!! *tosses salt over shoulder & rubs lucky horseshoe*


Blockage is bad…someone really needs to develop author ex-lax.

Most of the authors I know, myself included, are major readers. Tell us an author with whom you share similar writing styles.
While I’m sure it’s pretty obvious…I’ll just go ahead and say it. I am a total homo Jane Austen, right? LOL


You can’t tell me you’re unable to imagine my masterful dialogue as being totally interchangeable with say…Pride & Prejudice!?! I close my eyes and can like totally hear Elizabeth Bennett uttering the same comment to Darcy that Deseree says to Davis… "Darcy, really, you’re such a conspiracy queen." That is so Lizzy B!!!! LOL

So, do you have a preferred writing genre and the genre you prefer to read.
From a reading stand point, fiction for the most part…and the occasional bio. I don’t really care about the genre as much as the characters. If I like the people I’m reading about, I’ll follow them wherever they go. That’s not to say I’ll read anything. I don’t like Exorcist type stories or gory serial killer stuff…basically anything that might make me scream like a girly man I try to avoid. It’s so not pretty when I do that.


As far as my writing, again…if they aren’t people I want to hang out with, then the story probably isn’t going to go anywhere. The story itself and plotline, that’s all important as well. I guess though, at the end of the day, if I liked the characters and they made me laugh, the entire story could take place around the dining room table and I’d keep reading. I don’t think I could say the same though for a book with a great plot or story line that had characters I didn’t like.

Most of the writing I’ve done up until this point has been in what I call a Romantic Comedy genre. I like writing fun and funny. It feels good to read, and it feels good to write. I can’t afford anti-depressants, so I write instead, LOL. I am writing a story right now that delves into some darker, more serious stuff. It’s part historical, part contemporary with a dash of paranormal thrown in for good measure. But even in this new story there is some humor. I can’t go cold turkey.

Tell us an important lesson, on the business side of publishing, that you've learned on your journey.
The business side? Dude…I totally just lost my erection.


That's dudette...LOL...but I'll let it slide this time if you tell us your expectations of an aspiring author approaching you for information about writing/publishing?
Gee Stormy…way to deflate the ego. Thanks for assuming that’s the reason they’d approach me? LOL


Honestly, the really big shocker for me coming into this area of the publishing industry was how many already established authors reached out with offers to help. People who’d never even read anything I’d written!! I wasn’t expecting that. I guess I’d probably do the same…assuming they didn’t want to sleep with me of course. *big cheesy grin* In case anyone missed it…that was my way of saying I’m single. :)

Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
I can honestly say that for me, the setting is never first…or even second. I think a good story could take place almost anywhere, so other than doing my best to color in the background for the readers so they know where we are, setting is just the frame for the photo. That’s not to say you can’t use the setting to advance the story or reveal things to the reader about the characters, but it’s not on the top of my list.


I usually get the basic germ of an idea first. From there I’ll go to the characters, and during the character development process, further plot lines or story points come.

I know I fall in love with my characters and they become like family for me. Do you have a favorite character?
Are you trying to get me into trouble? They can totally hear everything I say!!


Where do you get most of the ideas for your great stories?
Dreams, day dreams, I got one idea while channel surfing. I was flicking through and went from an old movie I’d seen before and loved, and then clicked over to an episode of VH1 Behind the music. From the combo of those two things a story idea was born. I haven’t started that particular story yet, but it’s in the top 10 of my ‘To Write’ list. I will be writing a Cowboy story at some point. Not because I had a story idea for it, but because I’m sooooooo looking forward to the research. :)

We write because we love it. But sometimes our stories tend to take on a life of their own and we have to stop what we're doing and write what our characters want. Do you have any unfinished projects sitting around?
Good Christ my hell, yes, and the characters are all yelling at me all the time. It’s really quite annoying…you’d think I would have written them with better manners!


I’ve got two I’m in the middle of, and then this past Sunday I woke up with an idea…needless to say, the sequel to Self Preservation has officially begun. I have a third Rom/Com I’m working on called The Smell of Books as well as the before mentioned more serious Contemporary/Historical book, titled A Token of Time.

I’d Say Token is my big project at the moment. At least the one I’m spending the most time with. As I said before, while it is more on the serious side, there is some humor. Don’t worry, folks…I’m not going all pretentious, trying to write some vanity piece to prove I have depth. I will say this much, I had a dream after reading Tab Hunter’s Auto Bio. *fans face with hand* My, my, that was a really good dream. Let’s just say that dream was the jumping off point for Token.

What would you say is a true hero?
Anyone who buys my book!!! I’m so not joking either!


Anyone who buys your book, huh? Then tell us what your audience looks like.
Aside from their obvious intelligence and fabulous taste in fiction? They’re probably peeps I’d be friends with…gay boys and girls and the women who love them. I write about people I’d want to hang out with. I assume people read my book for the same reason. They wanna hang out with their friends for a few hours.


How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author?
Reaction…do you mean like a rash?

Okay, seriously…I’m not really sure how it affects me. If you bought my book and didn’t care for it, sorry. Don’t really know what else I can say except…what’s wrong with you!!! LMAO. Don’t you like having fun!!! I’m so shameless. I’m actually not too serious here. I do realize that not everyone is going to like everything I write, and that’s okay. We’re all different, thank goodness, and I can’t get upset if somebody doesn’t see the world like I do, or at the very least doesn’t mind spending a few hours looking at the world through my particular brand of rose colored glasses.

I can say to those people who have taken actual time out of their day to send me an e-mail or a post on my blog letting me know how much they liked Self Preservation…well that means A LOT to me. First, that you purchased my book and took the time to read it is way huge. That you then liked it enough to give more of your time looking me up…WOW. Thank you for that.

Ready to shine? Tell us the name of your book(S).
My first book is Self Preservation, currently available from Loose Id. I also have a second book coming soon from Loose Id called Dreaming of You. I don’t as yet have a release date for Dreaming of You, but I’m hoping it will be available within the next couple of months.


Other than that, I’m going to try to get two more finished and out by the end of 2009. That’s my goal, anyway. I have to have those. If I have nothing to shoot for, then I’d never get anything finished. As stressful as they are, I probably do better with deadlines. Self Preservation was accepted as an outline. I had barely begun the actual manuscript when I submitted the idea to Loose Id to be a part of the ‘Marriage For All’ series. I had about three and a half weeks from acceptance to due date in which to write it. I’d written the story in screenplay format back in college, so I had a fairly complete story line to follow, but it was fever pitch to say the least. The fact that Loose Id accepted the story, unfinished…from an as yet unpublished author? That meant a lot to me, and I didn’t want to let Loose Id down.

Having already read your book, I already know the answer to this one but I had to ask. From one of your character's point of view, show us why we should buy it.
Davis would probably prefer you didn’t read it. He’s more than a little shocked and embarrassed by some of the things he finds himself doing in order to get his ex-bf and the only man he’s ever loved to not marry his new fiancé.


Alex would tell you that he’s in it, and that is reason enough to purchase a copy.

Tadd would probably want to invite you to the wedding and Deseree would say you can only read it if you can keep your mouth shut and follow her lead. Jack’s an actor…he’d have no problem with you watching along.

Okay, Ethan, I'm sure everyone would like to know where we can find you on the internet.
Aside from that sex tape of me and Robert Gant? Oh wait, that only happened in my head.


My website is http://www.ethandayonline.com/

My personal blog, The Addiction To Fiction Blog: http://blog.ethandayonline.com/ I’m not real great at posting a lot here. I’m usually doing really good to get something up every few weeks. I feel really bad about that, so I do my best to make sure that when I do post it’s something special. I appreciate everyone who’s stopped by and left comments as well.

And of course you can find my books at http://www.loose-id.com/

I also stop by your Yahoo group on a regular basis, Stormy: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MMRomancereadersandWriters/ I’ve sort of designated your Yahoo group as my home too. I’m so totally your Kato!!

I do also have a My Space page: http://www.myspace.com/ethanday I’m having issues with getting it set up to look like an extension of my website, so we aren’t getting along with one another at the moment. If I didn’t know better I’d swear it was taunting me…I can almost hear it snickering at me every time I log on.

I’m also on Facebook, although I have no idea how to use it.

I've so totally read your bio and you blog like a million times and it makes me laugh everytime. Well, Ethan, it was a blast having you here and I really hope you can come back to visit again. I'd really like to hear about your next book when it comes out, as I am sure your readers will too. Thank you for joining us today.

Note: If you have a question for Ethan, you can either email him at ethan@ethandayonline.com or leave a comment here. I know Ethan will be checking regularly.

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Doctor's Patience - Coming Feb. 26th


Lover's of Alpha Squad 2
Sam is a special ops soldier. He knows how to handle a gun, fight his way out of almost any situation, and is usually prepared for anything…except the feelings he is quickly developing for Dr. Daniel Evans, the squadron doctor.

Doc, however, has had feelings for Sam for quite sometime, but he has no idea what to do about them. For as long as he has known him, Sam has always been straight. When a chance encounter with Sam leads him to believe that Sam might be interested in more than a doctor patient relationship, Doc decided to pursue Sam, only to learn that Sam is married…to a woman!

Heartbroken, Doc ignores Sam's pleas for help when his wife is attacked. But when Sam brings his pregnant bride home and Doc learns that Sam still has feelings for him and it's a marriage of convenience, will Doc forgive Sam?

As they try to explore their new relationship, the danger that brought Sam home in the first place threatens to separate them permanently. With the help of their friends, Sam and Doc try to protect Sam's wife and themselves, hoping for a life together.

STORY EXCERPT

"Hey Doc, you got a minute?"
Doc nearly jumped out of his skin when the object of his thoughts, and many late night fantasies, walked into his office.

"Sure, Sam, what can I do for you?" He asked hoping his voice sounded normal. His heart rate sure wasn't. If he weren't a doctor he would swear he was having a heart attack.

"I cut myself and I was hoping you could take a look at it." Sam held out his hand, which was wrapped in a kitchen towel.
Doc stood up and unwrapped Sam's hand. The cut was small but deep. "Come on, that's gonna need a couple of stitches."

Sam followed Doc into the exam room and sat down on the exam table. He watched Doc gather supplies from several cabinets and place them on a small silver tray. He liked watching the smaller man move around the room. He always seemed so efficient at what he did. Sam had always been impressed by how intelligent Doc was. He was great to talk to and never made Sam feel like he was an idiot, unlike his father who was a prominent Boston businessman.

Sam was a little unnerved by the sensation he felt when Doc held his hand still to further exam his cut. The feel of Doc's fingers on his skin sent a small tingle right to his groin. He had been having these strange sensations for awhile now and didn't know what to do about it. He had never seen Doc date anyone, male or female. Hell, he didn't even know which way Doc went.

He had never been attracted to men. He had never even considered sex with a man. He had always been with women and since sex with women had never been that mind-blowing, he hadn't done it that often, just when he needed to relieve some tension.

But the sensations he got when Doc touched him were different than anything he had ever felt. Just thinking about Doc made him hard as a rock. Which wasn't a good thing considering Doc was leaning right over the tent in his pants. Sam hoped to hell that Doc didn't notice.

Doc cleaned Sam's cut, put in a couple of stitches and then wrapped it. It was all he could do not to lean over and bury his face in Sam's neck. The scent of Sam's skin was intoxicating. Doc had never smelled anything like it in his life, all male, with a soft hint of musk. Doc could smell him all day long.

However, it certainly would not be professional to attack his patient, his very straight patient. Besides, with Sam standing a good six inches taller than his five foot eleven frame, and probably one hundred pounds heavier, Sam could wipe the floor with him.

As kinky as it seemed, the thought of Sam wrestling him down onto the floor made Doc's cock jump up and beg. Doc nearly groaned. He had always been attracted to big tall strong men and Sam had a massive self-confident presence that just screamed to Doc. Not that he considered himself a sub or anything. He always liked to be on equal footing in a relationship. But there was just something about the bigger man that made Doc feel safe and protected.

"So, Doc," Sam began hesitantly, "Do you date?

Doc nearly dropped the wad of gauze he had in his hands at Sam's question. His eyes flew to Sam's before lowering quickly back down to the hand he was working on.

"Yeah," he said, clearly surprised that he had asked. Why in the hell would Sam be interested in whether or not he dated? Unless…

"Why?" He asked, unable to contain a small kernel of hope growing in his heart. "I just wondered. I've never seen you go out before."

Doc held his breath waiting for Sam to continue but after a few moments of silence he finished wrapping Sam's hand and stepped back. "Okay, that should do it. Keep it dry for the next couple of days. I'll take out the stitches next week. And remember to keep it clean."

Sam watched Doc clean up the medical stuff, his movements stiff and awkward. Had he offended the Doc by asking? He hoped not. He liked Doc and thought of him as a friend. And you could never have to many friends.
"Hey, Doc?" Sam said as he stood up from the exam table. "I hope I didn't offend you or anything. I was just curious."

As casually as he could manage, he said, "You didn't. I do date on occasion but lately…"

"Lately?" Sam asked when Doc didn't continue.

Stains of scarlet appeared on Doc's cheeks as he finished speaking. "I've kind of gotten interested in someone lately and don't want to mess it up by dating someone else."

"You're interested in someone?" Sam asked, clearly astonished, his feelings towards Doc becoming confused when he realized that he was upset that Doc might be interested in someone. "Anyone I know?" he asked sharply.

Doc was startled at the hostility in Sam's voice. "Why do you want to know? Why would you care?"

"I don't!"
The force of Sam's seething reply took him off guard. Sam was clearly angry but for the life of him Doc couldn't figure out why. Did Sam think that he was interested in someone he himself wanted?
"Sam…" Doc began.

"I don't care who the hell you fuck." Sam's voice was quiet, yet held an undertone of cold contempt.

Doc stood there in shock at Sam's outburst as he watched him storm from the room, slamming the door behind him. Well, that went well.

Hidden Desires - Coming Feb. 25th


Tri Omega Mates 3
After watching his alpha and beta almost lose their mate, Thomas decides he needs some time alone. Driving across country, he discovers Micah, a human that smells like dark chocolate and summer rain. He knows immediately that Micah is his mate but before he can claim him, he has to get Micah's sexy little butt out of trouble.

They are attacked by a band of bullies. In his bid to protect his mate, Thomas reveals his true nature to the bullies and to Micah. Afterwards, he has to call in reinforcements to help clean up the mess. It comes in the form of Caleb Hunter, alpha of the Hunter Pack and Micah's other mate. But Micah's human. Isn't he?




Story Excerpt

It was Thomas! He had come. Micah felt woozy as all the blood in his body suddenly rushed to his groin area. He hoped the erection tenting his jeans wasn't too apparent as he walked towards the man with the welcoming smile on his face.

From the way Thomas was standing, an arm resting on each side of the doorframe, Micah could see every muscle of his tight rippled abdomen through the shirt stretched across his stomach. Oh, boy!

"Hey, sweetheart, you left this for me?" Thomas asked, brining the pink rose in his hand up to his nose, sniffing in its flowery fragrance. "I'm hoping it means you wanted me to find you." Like not finding him was an option.

Micah nodded his head, not quite sure what to say to him. I want to fuck you until neither of us can walk just didn't seem polite.

Thomas gave him a quizzical look. "Can I come in?"

Micah could feel himself turn a thousand different shades of red as he opened the door and held it open for Thomas to come in. He groaned to himself as Thomas walked by, getting a good look at the tight ass in his faded jeans.

"Nice place you have here," Thomas said as he looked around the living room.

Micah nodded absently, his eyes still devouring the sight of Thomas's ass. He would never have thought it before but he suddenly knew he was an ass man. Thomas's ass was a work of art—tight, rounded, and just begging to be grabbed. It was all Micah could do not to give into the impulse to do just that.

"So," Thomas began as he turned back to face Micah. Micah's eyes quickly darted up to Thomas's to find an arousing smirk on his face. Oh yeah, he was clearly aware that Micah had been checking him out.

Thomas took the few steps between them until their chests were nearly touching, his eyes devouring Micah's flushed face. He reached down and gently caressed the side of Micah's cheek.

Micah closed his eyes and leaned into the soft touch. A distant part of him marveled at how wonderful the simple touch of another human being could feel. The other part of him, the hungry aroused animal in him, wanted to grab Thomas and drag him upstairs by his hair and strip him naked.

"Can I kiss you?" Thomas whispered quietly, the breath from his mouth blowing gently down over Micah's forehead.

Micah opened his arctic blue eyes to gaze up at him, slowly nodding his head. "Oh hell, yes," he whispered, leaning towards him.

Thomas chuckled as he leaned down and placed his lips against Micah's, his tongue brushing softly against his lips, asking silently for permission to come in. Their lips met, clung together until Micah opened his mouth, his tongue sneaking out to caress Thomas's.

"Besides sexy, gorgeous, mate, and lover, what can I call you?" Thomas murmured in between kisses.

"Micah." Sexy? Gorgeous? Mate? Lover? Oh hell, he hoped so. Micah was so turned on just from a simple kiss he wondered how he would react to anything more. It was all he could do not to grab Thomas by his shirt and pull him down to the floor as it was.

"Micah, I like that. It's very sexy. Just kind of rolls off the tongue," Thomas drawled, his voice low and husky.

"I can think of a few other things you can do with your tongue," Micah whispered as he stood on his tiptoes to kiss Thomas again. Hot damn, this man could kiss. Normally, Micah could live on Thomas's kisses alone. But right now, he needed something more.

"Would you—do you want to come upstairs with me?" Micah asked hesitantly, holding his breath as he waited for Thomas to answer. He had never asked anyone to come up to his room before. He didn't know what the etiquette was for asking.

"Lead the way, baby," Thomas said, the grin on his face growing to enormous proportions.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Mari's Men - Available Today!

MARI’S MEN

Lover's of Alpha Squad #1

Siren Menage Amour: Contemporary, Erotic, Menage a Trois Romance, M/F/M

Twins Cole and Bear Daniels dream of a woman they can share between them. When they rescue Mari from a group of mobsters, they know that she is the one for them. But can they convince Mari that two is better than one?



STORY EXCERPT

The hike through the thick forest of the Cascade Mountains had been a long one. But they had finally reached their goal; a small encampment set in a clearing on the edge of the trees. Five battle-hardened warriors slowly inched their way toward the edge of the trees north of the small clearing. They made no sound, not even a rustle in the leaves. Theirs was a mission of secrecy.
"Well, would you look at that," Sam whispered to Cole, indicating the people standing around the firelight in the encampment. "I thought they only had the boy. Who's the girl?"
Cole stared at the young woman who seemed to be talking to the largest man in the group around the fire. He felt his body harden in response to the vision before him.

He knew immediately deep down in the depths of his soul that she belonged to him, that she was made for him. The tightening of his body told him that she belonged to him as no other woman ever had. She was his mate, the other part of his soul.

"She's a brave little thing," Sam stated as he watched the woman push the small boy behind her for protection.

"She's magnificent!" Cole said, a small hitch in his voice.
Cole shook himself free of his lust induced trance at Sam's words and focused again on what was happening in the small clearing.

The woman seemed to be arguing with the leader of the group. The leader that Cole knew well. It was Yuri Nirov, one of the men on their crime watch list. The man was a thug. He belonged to no specific crime syndicate, except whoever paid the highest price. Yuri's only cause was his own greed.

As he glanced around to the other two men surrounding the campfire he recognized the others as well, Yuri's two brothers, Oni and Sten. They were all in this together. They had kidnapped the son of a high placed diplomat who was working in Seattle, Washington with the United States government on a highly secretive peace initiative. And, it would seem the woman also.

Cole concentrated on the conversation between Yuri and the woman but they were too far away to hear what was being said, but Cole didn't think it could be good. The dark haired leader seemed to be angry with whatever the woman was saying. His arms were motioning furiously as she spoke.

Cole felt a deadly rage race through his body as the man backhanded the woman, nearly throwing her to the ground. The woman turned her head back to the leader, wiping her lips by the back of her hand. She glanced down at the trail of blood on her hand and then to the leader. A smile began to form on her lips as she said something else to him.

"He dies!" Cole hissed out between clenched teeth.

"Well, duh!" Sam replied, a little confused as to why that was even an issue. Seeing the rigid posture of Cole's body as he glanced over at him, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "What about the woman?" he asked.

"She's mine." Cole growled.

"So, that's the way it is, huh," Sam said thoughtfully, amusement clearly ringing in his voice.
Cole turned his head to scowl at Sam. "Do you have a problem with this?" Cole snarled, beyond irritated.

"Hell no, take the woman. But have you discussed this with Bear?" Sam laughed.

Cole looked at the smirk on Sam's face. "He knows." And Cole meant it. Bear was in the same lust filled condition. Cole could feel it even across the field from where his brother was positioned, no doubt watching the woman as intently as he was.

"There's movement below," whispered a man laying flat to the ground beside Cole and Sam. Both swung their gaze back to the scene in the clearing.

"I don't like this," stated Sam, "I don't like this at all."

They watched as the leader grabbed the young woman by her arm and began walking away from the campfire toward a small grouping of large rocks to the south of where they were hiding. The leader was quite a bit taller than the woman and was nearly dragging her behind him. Her ankle length skirt seemed to be tangling in her legs with every step she took.

Cole took in the situation in a glance. "Sam, Caleb, Nick, get the boy. Bear, come with me." Knowing his words would be followed precisely, Cole and Bear began to slowly make their way south of the camp, following the man and woman.

Cole could feel several emotions surge through his body as he quietly made his way through the underbrush. There was rage at the man for hitting the woman, and a sure knowledge that he would enjoy feeling the man's last breath leave his body. There was fear that he would not be in time to save the woman destined to be his. And there was still on overwhelming sense of hunger for the woman.

Cole and Bear silently worked their way through the underbrush following the pair through the dense forest trees. As they crept forward they could see Yuri and the woman standing in a small clearing a few yards ahead. Yuri was holding a large knife in his hands, pointing it at the woman. The evil smirk on Yuri's face sent a cold shiver down Cole's back.

"Do you agree that she is ours?" Cole asked Bear.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

J.K. Coi visits today!

Today, I’d like to welcome JK Coi, author of some seriously great books, including her Immortal Series, which include My Immortal, Immortal Kiss, and Dark Immortal. A little birdy told me that Forever Immortal, the fourth book in this series is due out later this year.

So, J.K., tell me, tell us who you are beyond an author…

Besides being an author, I’m first and foremost a wife and mother. My husband and I met when we were both in university. We dated until graduation when he proposed and I jumped around my apartment for two days street yelling "YES!" Fast forward a few years and our son is now six—going on sixteen—and he’s way too smart (and smart-mouthed) for his own good.
When I’m not watching soccer and lacrosse practices, cooking dinner, cleaning floors, or folding laundry (Don’t you sometimes just want to burn it all and go out and buy new stuff?—um, don’t tell my insurance company), then I’m writing—but if I’m not doing that, then you’ll probably find me in the garage cutting glass for my stained glass projects.


Sounds like you have a very busy schedule. I have six teenagers, but I don’t think I’m that busy, although, I do understand wanting to burn everything. Do you actually get time to write every day?

Yep. It may not always be a lot, but I do write everyday.

What about writer’s block? Is that ever a problem for you?

I do get writer’s block. I’m not that big on plotting, so sometimes I get stuck and I need to think about the story for a while. I find if I start something new, then after a while I can go back to the other project a few days later with a fresh perspective.

Which comes first for you, the story, the characters or the setting?

Usually, I see a scene. I’ll see one or two characters involved in some action, and then the scene will widen and I’ll get a little bit more. And a little bit more. Then the characters themselves will begin to flesh out. I’ll see a little bit of their motivation. And then another scene will piggy back onto the first one. And that’s how the idea for a story builds.

I know you’ve been writing for awhile now. When did you realise that you had a passion for it?

I’ve always been a writer. It’s inside me somewhere in the DNA. I remember my first real story, I had written it for grade 10 English. It was a gruesome thing too—something about the spirit of a girl’s dead boyfriend inhabiting her radio and telling her to do things...I got an A, even though my teacher said it was a little "dark" for grade 10 English, but then again I was reading everything Stephen King at the time.

Tell us your preferred writing genre and the genre you prefer to read.

I write urban fantasy/paranormal romance, and edgy contemporaries. I write them because that’s what I like to read, it’s what I’m most interested in, and it’s where my mind wants to take me. I’m not the kind of person who can force something that I don’t really feel close to.

Let me ask you this, J.K., on the business side of publishing, what have you learned along the way?

Most of the things you think about publishing—when you’re unpublished—aren’t true, except for a very very small percentage of the author community. When my first book came out, I was lost. I had no clue what to do to market myself and promote my title. I think I expected that the publisher would do all of that and I would just sit in my office at the computer and write the next book. Well, it doesn’t happen that way. I learned quickly that if you want your books to sell, then you have to do the legwork yourself—and these days the internet can be both a curse and a blessing.


I can relate to that…LOL. Getting your first publishing contract can be very exciting…then you learn that the work doesn’t stop when you submit your story. Going back to the beginning, show us the day you received your publication offer or the first time you saw your bound book.

The day my first book came in the mail from my publisher, I hadn’t even picked up the mail—we live in a very small little town, and our post office is located inside the post-lady’s house, so if we’re late we can’t get our mail. We were busy running around that week and just never made it by the post office. Finally, Gayle called us at home to say we had mail waiting. I thought it was curious that she would bother to call just to let us know we had mail, because she’d never done that before—even when we forgot to tell her we were going on vacation in the summer and our mail was overflowing the box. I promised her that I’d come by the next day, but she said it was fine if I wanted to come right now, she would keep the door open for us. Now I was starting to think that maybe I’d gotten a really big package (but from where?) and it was taking up too much room in her office, so I agreed even though we were just putting the finishing touches on our dinner. Well, Gayle practically ran out of her house with the bubble-envelope in her hand and asked if it was what she thought it was. I started to get excited and ripped open the package right there. Then we both squealed and jumped up and down in the parking lot. It was awesome!

As a writer myself, I’m usually working on several books at the same time. Do you have any unfinished projects sitting around?

I’m working right now on book 4 of my Immortal Series, Forever Immortal. But I’ve also got a short contemporary suspense started, as well as a post-apocalyptic sci-fi romance thing that I really want to finish. It’s burning a hole through my laptop.

Okay, J.K., ready to shine? Tell us about your book.

My newest book is called DARK IMMORTAL. It is book 3 in a series about a band of immortal warriors charged with protecting the city’s innocents from the demons that hunt them.

From one of your character's point of view, show us why we should buy it.

Alric would say, "don’t bother." He’s not entirely comfortable being the focus of this book, and he doesn’t want his relationship with Diana to become so public, or for others to see his weakness. Diana, on the other hand, would encourage you to buy the book because she would want you to meet the man that she loves. The man who has so many reasons to hate, but can still find love in his heart and who shows her every day just how strong and honourable he is.

Now comes the important part. Where we can find you on the internet.


Please sign up for my newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jkcoi/join, and visit me at my website for more information about upcoming books, chats, interviews, reviews, and all things Immortal: http://www.jkcoi.com.
I’m also on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/jkcoi and I blog at http://www.jkcoi.blogspot.com.

I really want to thank J.K. Coi for joining me today and doing this little chat with me. If you have any questions for her or want to check out her great books, you can find her website at www.jkcoi.com.

Thank you so much to Stormy for having me today! Let me leave you with a short blurb for Dark Immortal, being released by Linden Bay Romance
(
http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-darkimmortal-7307-193.html) on February 15, 2009:

Five years of happiness, erased in one vicious act of violence.Diana freed Alric from his prison and the insanity of his own mind, offering him the kind of love only a fool would deny. Now she lies broken and comatose from a vampire attack, locked deep inside herself where he cannot reach her. Awakening in a strange bed, Diana has no memory of how she got there. The huge, muscled man leaning over her is straight out of nightmares full of blood and pain. Married to him? It can’t be true…even if her body craves his touch, and the anguish in his eyes shatters something deep inside her.Alric has no intention of giving up on the woman who never stopped fighting for him. His one hope is that time will heal her mind. But with a demon god poised to tip the balance of power, time is not on their side…


J.K. Coi
Immortals to Die For
www.jkcoi.com

The Immortals by J.K. Coi

Evil lurks in the darkest of shadows, but a band of warriors stands ready to defend humanity against hell’s own monsters—Immortal men hand-picked by destiny and taken out of time hold the fate of the world in their hands. Find out more at http://www.jkcoi.com



MY IMMORTAL (book 1)
One of the oldest of his kind, Immortal warrior Rhys Morgan spends his nights on the streets of Chandler protecting the city’s innocents from the demons that hunt them. Unyielding in purpose and uncompromising in battle, Rhys thought he’d never meet his match, until he met Amy Bennett.

Rash and impetuous, Amy dashes into a fight, taking Rhys by surprise. He can’t decide whether she’s incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. But when the fight is over and Rhys is unable to get the beautiful human out of his head or his dreams, he knows his life is about to get complicated.

The barriers between the unlikely pair may be as thick and strong as the evil that threatens them, but some things can’t be denied…and dark, mysterious, sexy Rhys Morgan is one of them.



IMMORTAL KISS (book 2)
It has been two years since Baron’s initiation into the world of the Immortals, and during that time, he’s been training with them, setting aside his past to embrace the challenges of his new future…a future without Maxine Deveraux.


Maxine is strong, determined, and loyal to a fault. The last person she wants to have to face is Baron Silver, the man who broke her heart, leaving her without an explanation or even a goodbye. But Maxine gave her word to Baron’s brother Jackson that she’d track him down and bring him home…and Max always keeps her promises.

When Baron encounters a vicious vampire who vows to destroy everything he loves, it doesn’t faze him in the least. He gave up everything he loved along with his humanity. But then the demon attacks Maxine leaving her broken and battered on Baron’s doorstep and he realizes there are still things he can lose…and they are things he can’t live without.




DARK IMMORTAL (book 3)
Five years of happiness, erased in one vicious act of violence.


Diana freed Alric from his prison and the insanity of his own mind, offering him the kind of love only a fool would deny. Now she lies broken and comatose from a vampire attack, locked deep inside herself where he cannot reach her.

Awakening in a strange bed, Diana has no memory of how she got there. The huge, muscled man leaning over her is straight out of nightmares full of blood and pain. Married to him? It can’t be true…even if her body craves his touch, and the anguish in his eyes shatters something deep inside her.

Alric has no intention of giving up on the woman who never stopped fighting for him. His one hope is that time will heal her mind. But with a demon god poised to tip the balance of power, time is not on their side…