AuThursday – Suzanne Jefferies

Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I’m originally from a valley in Wales that rains sheep and folklore about dragons. But right now, I live in South Africa. I’ve done everything from writing press releases about powerboating to trading futures on the South African futures exchange. I love chocolate, rainy days, and jiu-jitsu.

How do you make time to write?

A thousand words a day squeezed in between meetings or deadlines or waiting for the wash cycle to end.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

I believe in story block. Sometimes, the story takes a while to show up. When it does, I can write. Until then, I read.

Tell us a bit about the genre you write and why you love it.

Contemporary and paranormal are my preferred genres, with varying heat levels in each. I love to write erotica, for me, it’s poetry about the body and soul.

How are you publishing your recent book and why?

Wild Rose Press are my publishers. With every new book, I learn from the pros – that’s what traditional publishing offers, and it’s invaluable.

Are you an Introvert or Extravert? How does this affect your work?

Totally an introvert. It means my work is best suited to me; writing is lonely, it’s just you, your machine/notepad, and the story.

What is your favorite motivational phrase?

“Just do it.”

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

The road is long, winding, with slopes and inclines. Sometimes it’s tough, and sometimes you’re freewheeling. Sometimes there are road bandits, other times a wise sage. But it’s a journey – keep one foot in front of the other.

Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?

My website www.suzannejefferies.com, or Facebook SuzanneJefferiesAuthor or Twitter @suzannjefferies

Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share with us?

“His gaze on me is like a caress on the back of my neck; my senses alert to the pleasure that’s to come. He likes to walk behind me. His shoes scrape against the tar—the sta-stop rhythm.

I know he’s there. Waiting. I know he’s there. Watching. His face flashes in the reflection of a car window. In the reflection of a paned-glass window. Distorted night lights, strangers, and him. Sometimes I try to give him the slip. Turn a different corner. Run up a different pathway. But, after a beat or two, he’s there. That same sta-stop rhythm.”

The Wait is the hardest part

Mar28

So I’ve finally started submitting The Courtesan of Constantinople to Publishers. I’d spent six months looking for an Agent and didn’t get feedback – positive or negative steering me in a direction that required changes to the manuscript.

I got a lot of letters saying, “I like this and that, but don’t feel I’m right for this project.” So started to wonder if I missed the boat on Steampunk. Hard to say. I did a couple Twitter parties and nothing there either.

While I submitted to Agents 5-10 at a time. I was doing large batch by January. 🙂 For Publishers, I only do about 3 at a time. I don’t expect to hear back from any of them until May. Because they are larger houses I may not hear back at all. I think I’ve been spoiled by the almost instant responses of small presses 🙂

In the meantime, I’ll work on Alchemists of Archangel and maybe Ryder Hard if I get blocked, just to keep moving. Also, I have this book about writing I want to do, so plenty to keep me busy while I hurry up and wait.

Saturday Spotlight – Adriana Kraft

Mar24

Vegas Gambler

Meghan’s Playhouse Series

By Adriana Kraft

Vegas Gambler will be on tour from March 5 through April 5, and we’re giving away one free download from the Publisher’s Website to each of two winners. Winners may select from books One through Four in our Meghan’s Playhouse Series. You can find all series books at this link: http://www.extasybooks.com/meghan-s-playhouse/. Remember you may increase your chances of winning by visiting the other tour stops. You may find those locations here.

He’s fifty-one, they’re in their twenties. Can Jack Hawthorne keep up with two women? How will he protect his heart?

Fresh with success from a recent stint in a musical on the Las Vegas Strip, Meghan Keenan takes some time off to play with her current flame, Jack Hawthorne, professional poker player. She’s delighted to add her petite masseuse Tia Minh to the mix and even more thrilled when she learns Tia’s relationship with her boyfriend Tony Sanders is on the skids. It’s the perfect challenge!

Tia has different ideas – she thinks Tony would be perfect for Meg, and she conspires to throw them together any way she can.

Ever the gambler, Jack catches on to her game quickly and keeps the ruse going behind Meg’s back. Who knew his heart was up for grabs?

This is a Contemporary Erotic Romance.

Buy Links:

Amazon | eXtasy Books

Excerpt:

Jack cocked his head to the side. “You sure you won’t stay beyond the summer?”

Meg shook her head. They’d been over this ground before. “You know I need to get back to New York. I need to get on with my life.”

“Sorry I’m such a drag on you.” He gave her a wicked smile. “And you always say my age doesn’t matter.”

“Fifty-one doesn’t make you ancient.”

“I have my days,” Jack said, flipping over a card. “But I know what we have is transitory. Don’t worry about me getting carried away.” He smirked. “But you have been a breath of fresh air for me.”

“Cripes, the way you hang out around poker tables, anyone would provide a breath of fresh air.” Meg smiled and purposely softened her tone. “And you’ve been very good for me, too. I don’t know how I would’ve made it through the hectic pace of the last six months without your steady influence. You’ve always been there, and with few demands.”

“Perhaps,” Jack began wistfully, “I should’ve been more demanding.” He must’ve seen her nostrils flare, because he lifted a hand, forestalling her response. “You’ve renewed my faith in life.” He grinned devilishly. “Even in love.”

adrianakraft-black_300 Winner of the 2014 Bisexual Book Award for erotic fiction, author Adriana Kraft is a married couple writing Sizzling Romantic Suspense and Erotic Romance for Two, Three, or More.

One man, one woman, danger and intrigue – always a happy ending, but oh, what a ride! Readers can count on our Romantic Suspense line for gutsy characters, hot sex, and breathtaking intimacy as our hero and heroine battle outer threats and inner demons to stay alive and fall in love.

A man, a woman (or two), or another man, threesomes, foursomes—what’s your fantasy? We write our Erotic Romance stories to entertain, of course, but most of all we write them because we believe in happy endings for all who fall in love, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or numerical combination. Here you’ll find multiple partners, three-way, four-way and more, swing lifestyle, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and paranormal settings.

Together we have published over thirty-five romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews. We love hearing from readers at adrianakraft99@yahoo.com, and here is our website:

When It’s Time to Heat Things Up http://adrianakraft.com

Author Links:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Break the Line Blog Tour

Mar3

Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Hello! I grew up in the small southern lake-town of Guntersville, AL, where I still reside today. I loved playing make-believe and pretend as a little girl, so I turned my favorite pastime into a career in writing. I am a wife and I have three daughters. Most of the time you will find me outside exploring, cooking a new recipe, or escaping the real world by reading a book.

How do you make time to write?

It’s something I force myself to do. Even if I would rather dive into a crime novel, or take a spontaneous road trip, I still make myself put my fingertips on the keyboard and write. My two older daughters are in school, and I stay home with our three-year-old. Her nap time allows me time to write a little during the day.

How do you relax?

On the rare occasion I allow myself to relax, I do so by reading a book from one of my favorite authors, hiking the trails on our farm, or sinking into a bubble bath.

Can you tell us your story of getting “the Call”?

I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until later on in life. I knew there were stories brewing around in my head, but I have always had an overactive imagination. Until finally, my brain cooked up a plot line and characters that refused to stay trapped in my psyche. I decided to write my first novel during my two-year-old’s nap time, while waiting in car line to pick up my older daughters, and in the late hours of the night when the house was quiet. When I typed the words “the end,” I knew I wanted to type them over and over again. It was like a faucet that I couldn’t turn off.

What genre are your books?

Break The Line is a contemporary-romance set in the south. Writing southern novels comes natural to me. I love to give my characters a little twang in their voice and set them in a slow and easy backdrop. When It All Goes Still is a science-fiction romance, with a bit of a sinister side.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

It’s easy to write a man exactly how you would want him to be. The perfect gentleman, with a sense of humor, and looks as if they were molded from the gods. But that isn’t realistic. I give my male characters flaws. I make them human. My male characters get jealous, they all say things they shouldn’t, and they don’t always get it right. So, I would say the most difficult thing on writing the opposite sex would be not making him too perfect. I have to remember to make room for character development, and not flawless from the beginning.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Dialogue tags are the bane of my existence. It’s something I’ve really had to work on, and still have to double-check myself on during editing.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write! Every day! Sit in the chair and place your fingers on the keyboard and just write. Forget daily word-count, forget the rules, all you need to do is get words on a screen. Then you can go back and edit as needed.

Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?

My website is allisonmullinax.com.

My twitter handle is @allsnmllnx, and I have a facebook author page facebook/allisonnmullinaxauthor

Do you have a teaser you’d like to share with us?

Here is a small teaser from Chapter Five of Break The Line:

“No, Benson… you couldn’t possibly understand.” She’s looking down and picking a loose thread on the patchwork quilt. I watch her pull at the string, creating a crease along the edges of the material.

I let the silence linger for a moment. “What happened?” I risk asking. I’ll never get anywhere with her if I don’t try. I reach my hand out and place it over hers, stopping her nervous assault on the blanket. She doesn’t jerk away, she only looks down at my hand covering hers. And though the Alabama sun is warm against our skin, I see the chill bumps raise along her arms. She may think she’s hiding how she feels, but I’m honed-in to every breath, to every move she makes, and I know that I’m winning the war.

“I can’t fix something I don’t know anything about, Danni. Just try,” I say, aware that it sounds like I’m pleading with her. I don’t care, my pride never got me anywhere that I needed to be anyways.

I watch when she flips her hand underneath my touch, and twists her fingers into mine. There’s something about the way her hand fits into my palm. If a fishing rod ever felt like coming home, then her hand holding mine feels like going to heaven. She looks up, her eyes on mine, and my eyes fall to her lips.

“Someone I loved… very much… lost everything because of someone like you. And this,” she says, holding our entangled hands up, “no matter how good it feels, no matter how much I want it, feels like a betrayal,” she reveals, and the look on her face tells me that this battle can never be won in a day.

AuThursday – Mary Martinez

Mar1

Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I grew up in Utah. Back then it wasn’t that important to go to college for a women because she was expected to be a stay at home mom. It’s my biggest regret not getting a degree. Through work over the years though I’ve taken several courses and have completed approx. three years of subjects that have helped me with my working career.

I have wanted to write my entire life and kept putting it off. When my kids were in high school I started writing at night. I published my first book in 2004 with a small publisher. I was a hybrid, published with traditional publishers and Indie published. At the moment, I am only Indie Published. My next project I plan to shop around to traditional publishers.

I have an amazing family. We have Papa and Nana night once a month, this year we are doing healthy country foods. This month is healthy Spanish Tapas. I also have the best friends in the world.

I love to travel especially to places with good wine! LOL.

How do you make time to write?

I write for about 45 min to an hour (depending how long it takes me to get ready) in the mornings before work. And every other month or so I spend the day writing at Barnes and Noble with my critique partner. Every April I go for a three day writing retreat with two author friends.

What genre are your books?

Romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction, one young adult and I’m working on my first fantasy.

What draws you to this genre?

As you can see from my other answer I write more than one genre. I am drawn to a good book. If it’s well written and the topic is interesting, I do not care what genre. So I write the same way. If I have an idea that is interesting I’ll go with it.

What are your current projects?

It’s a saga that spans from ancient Ireland before time was measured, there are faeries, druids, witches, wizards, and dragons. And it ends in modern day Ireland. Celtic Myst is the working title.

Are you an Introvert or Extrovert? How does this affect your work?

Oh, I’m an extrovert. I’m not sure it affects it one way or another. I have no problem promoting myself, I just forget to hand out my cards and things when I’m out and about.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Research. I go to research one small thing and hours later I realize I’m not writing.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Join a writing group for help with everything you need to know. I didn’t even know there was such a thing when I started. It would have saved me a LOT of mistakes.

Join a book club. Nothing better than to hear what readers like and don’t like.

Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?

Web site: MaryMartinez.com

Mary’s Garden Blog: http://marysbooksblogger.blogspot.com/

The After Work Cook: http://theafterworkcook.blogspot.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTww3B2ofa11UPFrSe0WGAg

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryMartinez/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marylmartinez

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/marylmartinez

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marylmartinez3/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlmartinez3/

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MaryMartinez3