Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Maryland with my patient, loving husband and a very burdened cat. Every morning, though I’m sure he would love nothing more to sleep in and enjoy a life of leisure, my timid black cuddler wakes me without fail at four o’clock, often with a triumphant whooping meow having acquired breakfast for me of some poor unsuspecting mammal who could weigh up to and including his own body weight.
I have published twelve erotic romance novels, and am eagerly working on four other projects. Although, hectic, and busy, I love putting my stories to pen and creating my own little world.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book “Sirius, The Cursed Series”, Book 5, releases Feb 13. It is available for pre-order now at Amazon.com.
The concept of angels, and magical protectors always intrigued me, and the idea that divine beings existed without flaw bothered me. Why would they be exempt from secret desires and carnal needs? And if they harbored such feelings what would happen if they gave into their cravings?
After condemning an ethereal being with the most horrid act imaginable, I asked why he would commit such a crime, and what happened next? How would it change him, and to what course of action would it lead? I followed the idea of a disgraced angel and it brought me to the Cursed warriors. Who would be affected by the actions of an angel turned rogue? Who would suffer with the angel, and how? The answer: All of his sons, and their sons, and theirs.
Sirius shared in the punishment handed down to his angelic ancestor. The product of the union of a Cursed warrior and a gypsy woman, he would possess more power than any other Cursed brother, and know much more suffering, intimately. Until this book the only super human abilities in the series came from angels and angel kind, but Sirius’ mother possessed magical affinity before meeting her mate, a magic inherit in her blood. Sirius faced challenges none of his Cursed brothers were equipped to handle while hating himself and the monster that lied in wait under his own skin.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Every morning I am the first awake. I feel most creative first thing in the morning so I often write while enjoying a steamy cup of coffee. My affection for the beverage lends itself to most all of my characters. I often find I have written two or three paragraphs describing filling a coffee pot with chilled water, smelling it percolate with a moistened tongue and savoring the warm flavored brew, creamy and sweet as it fills the character with euphoria.
After the compulsory homage to coffee, I let my ideas flow and follow where the story leads.
I write at least two books at a time. Right now I am in the middle of writing three stories. One book I have only a few chapters written down, another halfway finished, and another a few paragraphs. I have never been able to just write one story start to finish, then go onto the next.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first book I ever read in its entirety was Stephen King’s “Carrie”. I was around fourteen, and the next novels I ventured were his series “The Gunslinger”. Loved both. At one time, long ago I could boast I had read everything by Stephen King. But that was a very long time ago. I’m afraid after I read my first Harlequin romance around age eighteen, King lost me for a time.
I absolutely love Gena Showalter, LaurannDohner, and Nalini Singh.
Singh’s “Desert Warrior” is such a perfect story. I loved the instant tension, unwavering male presence, and magical world. Every scene in that book made me feel something, and I could not put the book down to save my life. As I write, I ask myself, what did this chapter make my audience feel? If I feel the scene failed to draw out some strong emotion from my audience, I start over.
What are you working on now?
My next project is the first book of a new series. No worries, there will be more stories of Cursed warriors, but the next story that needs to be told is Michael’s. What trials and challenges will an angelic protector face? What could the ethereal being possibly need in his seemingly perfect existence? As the leader of the divinity’s army, how will Michael face temptation?
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
One of the most effective online advertising for me is the Facebook page What to Read after Fifty Shades. Each time my books get featured, I see a significant sales bump.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If other authors feel like me, then the ideas and concepts scattered throughout their minds are screaming to come out. Let them. Write down everything you think and imagine. Let the story lead you and keep writing until the story is told, after that decide what to do with the story. I was boggled down with anxiety about where to take my book before it was ever written. Don’t let uncertainty or fears of how you will be perceived pervade your mind. Just write what’s in your heart screaming to be set free, and release it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up, and don’t care what others might dislike about you. Take the worst aspect of your personality and own it. I had a friend tell me once, that she was hopelessly flawed, but she loved herself and loved that about herself. Those words have become my mantra. If I trip over my own feet, I remind myself that I love myself and I love that I trip some times. If I spill food on my shirt, I remind myself how much I love that I do that, too.
What are you reading now?
Cheyenne McCray’s “Branded for You”. I have read many of her books and I love her.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am writing a novel about a family losing a parent, and how tragedy affects each adult child. Although this book resides firmly in the romance genre, it is completely different than other books I have written. While I have used tragic family circumstances to build my characters in the past, my books focus on the romance of the characters. This book focuses on the challenges the family faces and warms the heart.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Do I have to pick one? I guess if I was stranded on a deserted island with just one book it would have to be Gena Showalter’s “Lords of the Underworld”, “The Darkest Night,” Laurann Dohner’s “New Species”, “Fury”, and Alexandria Ivy’s “Darkness Everlasting”
I can’t commit to just one.
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