Having Fun With Cheryl Brooks

My guest is para romance author, Cheryl Brooks. I had the opportunity to meet Cheryl at RT, I love her sense of humor and that twinkle in her eye, like she knows a secret.

The secret is, or at least one of them, is her ability to write an enthralling fantasy set in a galaxy far away, peopled by hot Zetithian males and a cast of engrossing characters. I have a tendency to quickly zip through Cheryl's books because they're rather hard to set aside. :-) The heroes are hot and the sex even hotter. 

Another reason for the twinkle in her eye is Cheryl's Erotic Blog, but I warn you now, it's not rated PG-13 by any stretch of the imagination.   

Hi Sia!



Thanks so much for having me here on Over Coffee again. It was wonderful to finally meet you at the RT Booklover’s Convention, too!


For today’s blog, you asked me two very tough questions:

• What do you do for fun aside from writing? Does writing get in the way of this other hobby?

The answer is that I have very little time to do anything fun, though we did have a blast at RT, didn’t we? Working full time as a critical care nurse and trying to keep up with my writing career has me sitting at a desk most of the time—so much, in fact, that my legs have been swollen for the past six months or so. I’ve tried all sorts of things—diuretics, support hose, limiting salt, and giving up tea entirely (which I was told would cause this problem, though I’d never heard of such a thing!), but nothing seemed to help.


Then on the Fourth of July, I took the day off and spent the entire day doing what I wanted to do. I was outside crawling around in the dirt, cleaning the weeds out of my rose beds and harvesting my garlic and then making it into braids—and my legs were still swollen. After grilling steaks out on the deck, to kill some time until it was dark enough for fireworks, I decided to watch a movie. I pulled my VHS tape of Cannery Row (yes, it really is a tape and is every bit of twenty years old) off the shelf and sat down in my recliner to watch it. Lo and behold, after two hours of sitting with my feet up, the swelling was gone. The simplest cure for swollen legs worked, I just hadn’t ever gotten around to trying it! The best part is, I can drink tea again!


Okay, so to recap, for fun, I cook, garden, drink tea, play guitar (which I haven’t touched in months), watch the occasional movie, and have three very large pasture pets that I visit twice a day to feed and clean up after. I have a riding lesson once a week, but my own horses haven’t been ridden in two or three years. Plus, I have two sons and a husband, who, fortunately, look after themselves most of the time and help out with the horses, the laundry, the cleaning, and the mowing. And yes, the writing gets in the way of all of this. In addition to the actual writing, editing, and proofreading, I’ve got a blog (sometimes two or three) going up every day—I even blog when I’m on vacation—plus there are emails to respond to, and promotional periods are very hectic. I’m also a member of the Indiana chapter of RWA, and the monthly meetings are a two hour drive from where I live, but even though it takes up almost an entire day, it’s worth it to be around other writers and learn more about the craft.


I love writing, and at one time, it was my hobby. Nothing can compare with the joy of creating strange new worlds, weird aliens, and, of course, my fabulously sexy Zetithian heroes. So, if I’m too busy to have fun, I guess we can blame it on The Cat Star Chronicles!

• What about you? What gets in the way of your fun?

HERO (available in stores now)
The Cat Star Chronicles #6

He is the sexiest, most irksome man she’s ever encountered...

Micayla is the last Zetithian female left in the universe. She doesn’t know what’s normal for her species, but she knows when she sees Trag that all she wants to do is bite him…

He has searched all over the galaxy for a woman like her…

Trag has sworn he’ll never marry unless he can find a Zetithian female. But now that he’s finally found Micayla, she may be more of a challenge than even he’s able to take on...

Excerpt (Click on the excerpt tab below the book picture)

BUY: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters.Indigo.ca

Two copies will be awarded to to commenters on today's blog. If you're interested in being considered for winning the book, please send me an email siamckye@gmail.com with Hero Drawing in the subject line. I will announce it here and send you an email.

~*~*~*~*~

Cheryl Brooks is an Intensive Care Unit nurse by night and a romance writer by day. Previous books in The Cat Star Chronicles series include Slave, Warrior, Rogue, Outcast and Fugitive. She is a member of the RWA and lives with her husband and sons in Indiana. For more information, please visit http://cherylbrooksonline.com/.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE HEART-SHAPED BOX (Part Two)

Monday, August 2nd, I discussed ways authors are "Thinking Outside of the Heart-shaped Box" by using niche marketing. Today I'll talk about resources for this type of targeted promotion and tips to use your book elements for things like press releases, presentations, and guest-blogging.

Once you have determined what elements you can use from your stories to promote them, where do you go from here?

There are library reference books that offer information (contact name, email, address, phone, whether the group has a member newsletter, etc) for every conceivable type of association and club. And some of these reference books are available online through library Web sites. Here are two good reference books: 

• The Encyclopedia of Associations--Regional, State, & Local Organizations (Gale Research Co., Biennial: v. 1. Great Lakes States, v. 2. Northeastern States, v. 3. Southern & Middle Atlantic States, v. 4. South Central & Great Plains States, and v. 5. Western States.) 
• Associations Unlimited -- electronic resource (Gale Research Inc)

Most of these groups would be happy to hear from an author who has written a book of interest to their members. This does work better, however, for books that have a sensuality level from G-rated to R-rated, since some of these groups might not be willing to promote a "hard R-rated" or X-rated book to their members.

  

You can contact a group by email to ask if you can submit a press release about your book for their newsletter. Or you can join the group's message board or attend one of their local meetings. You can ask the group's contact person if you can send him/her a copy of your book to be reviewed in the group's newsletter or for their blog. You can run a contest just for their members to win a copy of your book or a themed basket. You can get a table at one of their events to hand out your promotional materials or sell your book.

  

If you've gotten to know your local librarians, you can ask which groups use in the library's meeting rooms. Or you can see if the library is planning a display or event with a local group. For example, a local quilting group might offer quilts to the library for a display. And if your book features quilting, you could ask the library to add your book to the display.

  

Or if the library offers classes – say on floral arranging -- and your heroine is a florist, you might ask the library to recommend your fiction book to the students, along with recommended nonfiction books on floral arranging. And if your library makes themed bookmarks for their patrons – which include lists of books on a certain topic or with certain elements (for example, a bookmark of mysteries featuring cats) -- see if your book would fit any of their themes and could be included.  

• Another promotional angle:  

Depending on your book elements, you can tie your book to events or holidays. For example, there's a National Spay or Neuter Your Pet day. I reinforce my dog logo and brand, while supporting this important day, by guest-blogging on that topic on that day. You would not believe all of the interesting, funny, and crazy holidays out there. ;-) A good resource is Chase’s Calendar of Events. 

Another way to Think Outside the Heart-Shaped Box is to consider yourself as not only an expert on romance writing but also fluent on your genre or subgenre – and on elements within your books.

For example: 

• If you write Regency romances, you can give presentations not only about writing romances, but about the Regency period. 
• If you write mysteries featuring a Napa Valley vintner sleuth, you can write articles on wine as well as articles on writing. 
• If your contemporary romances feature matchmaking felines, you can blog on pet issues as well as on writing.

It's a little like having a double major in college. One of the majors will be in fiction writing, while the other(s) will concern elements in your books.

Thinking Outside the Heart-Shaped Box is a matter of opening your mind to the possibilities beyond traditional author promotion. All it takes to do niche marketing is the same imagination you use to write your books. ;-)

• Have any of you used these or similar tactics? What success have you had?

A randomly chosen commenter will win a free e-book, my comic romantic suspense, At Her Command.

Back Cover Blurb

His best laid plans... 

DJ “Rabid Ron” Hart has a grand scheme to win back the woman he loves. It involves an animal adoption fair, a goofy hairless dog named Charlie and an offer she can’t refuse.

Her hidden desires... 

Cara Wilson has fantasies she’s never admitted, and her ex-boyfriend still features in her erotic dreams. If only he didn’t keep his bad-boy urges so tightly leashed. 

Tonight they’ll learn that winning sometimes takes losing control.

 Excerpt  

Workshop Info:

Several times a year, I present a two-week online workshop on author promotion that offers lessons on topics, such as niche marketing, author branding, and co-promotion/cross-promotion.

Next workshop:  August 15 - 28

Guest lectures:  The following PR-savvy authors and publishing insiders: Melissa Alvarez, Dianne Castell, Carol Ann Erhardt, Karen Harper, Susan Gee Heino, Kathy Kulig, Donna MacMeans, Michael Matthew, Janice Maynard, Karen McCullough, Beth Morrow, Patricia Sargeant, Kay Stockham, and DeNita Tuttle.

For more information on this workshop, please visit: http://neorwa.com/index.php/Workshops/Workshops

Marcia James’ short story, Love Unleashed, was part of All Romance eBooks’ American Heart Association fundraiser in February 2010. Marcia offers her 300-page file of author promotion options free to any writer who requests it. Just email her through the “Contact Me” page on her Web site: http://www.marciajames.net./

THINKING OUTSIDE THE HEART-SHAPED BOX (Part One)

My guest is romance author, Marcia James. She holds an Interdisciplinary Masters degree in Communications and Creative Writing from American University in Washington, D.C. 

Marcia is involved in several charities and participated in a March of Dimes Celebrity downhill ski race in Big Bear, CA (Her team captain was Olympic gold medal pole vaulter, Bob Seagren.) She also spent an evening as the media escort for Tom Selleck during a U.S.O. event. (Held at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, it was a televised, celebrity-filled Bob Hope birthday special.)

By vocation she is a freelance video scriptwriter and advertising copywriter. In addition to developing marketing and promotional materials.

Marcia also offers a two week online workshop on author promotion that offers lessons on topics, such as niche marketing, author branding, and co-promotion/cross-promotion. Marcia's next workshop is August 15 - 28 and will include guest lectures from the following PR-savvy authors and publishing insiders: Melissa Alvarez, Dianne Castell, Carol Ann Erhardt, Karen Harper, Susan Gee Heino, Kathy Kulig, Donna MacMeans, Michael Matthew, Janice Maynard, Karen McCullough, Beth Morrow, Patricia Sargeant, Kay Stockham, and DeNita Tuttle. For more information on this workshop, please visit: http://neorwa.com/index.php/Workshops/Workshops


It is pleasure to have promotion savvy, Marcia, here Over Coffee to talk a bit about hidden promotion ideas for authors. She will be visiting today and again on Wednesday.


Even a small amount of daily or weekly self-promotion cuts into an author's writing time. That's why you have to decide carefully which PR options are right for you and your books. The romance-reading community is huge and voracious, but finite. If you can spot elements in your books that lend themselves to niche promoting, you can win new readers and help grow the romance market.



This is what I call "Thinking Outside of the Heart-shaped Box". Look at the different elements in the book you're promoting to see which groups might be interested in it. For example, since my books have Chinese Crested hairless dogs in them, I joined an international message board about “crestie dogs” to chat with people who not only are great subject matter experts when I need detailed information on cresties, but are also interested in buying books that feature the breed.


Here are some "niche promotable" book elements:

1. Hero and heroine's vocations – What are your protagonists' professions? If your heroine is special events coordinator, there is a professional association for people in that field. If your hero is a veterinarian, you can look into marketing to the veterinarians’ professional association.

2. Hero and heroine's avocations – What are your protagonists' hobbies? You might have a character who collects vintage cars, and there are many groups of vintage car owners. Your hero or heroine might knit or quilt (okay, your Beta hero might do these things!), and there are knitting and quilting groups online and maybe even in your community.


3. Hero and heroine's sports/physical activities – Do your protagonists play softball or volleyball, fish, jog, hike, canoe, etc? There are groups devoted to all sorts of sports.

4. Hero and heroine's charitable activities – Do your protagonists volunteer for Big Sisters, Special Olympics, homeless shelters, or animal rescue? Is your hero or heroine dealing with a medical challenge, such as cancer, or a physical disability? Charities -- and the people who support them -- love to know when their causes are mentioned in a fiction book.

5. Four-legged characters (not counting shape-shifters!) – There are many, many organizations for those who love animals. And there might be marketing opportunities at a Humane Society fundraiser (you could donate a themed basket with a signed copy of your book) or a pet adoption fair.

6. The timeframe and location of your novel – If you write historical novels, there are groups interested in many historical eras. For example, there are Renaissance Fairs and Civil War reenactments that might offer a chance to promote your work. If you set your books in a certain city, state, or country (and maybe feature events specific to that location), there might be events that offer marketing opportunities, such as a state bicentennial celebration, the Kentucky Derby, a Scottish festival, an art fair, a jazz festival, or a Taste of the Town.

7. Paranormal, science fiction (s/f), or fantasy elements – Quite a few romance authors in these subgenres promote their books at s/f or fantasy cons. There are also groups who are into vampire lore, shape-shifters, and dragons.

8. Elements that would appeal to specific fans – For example, do you have an Elvis impersonator in your book? Is your heroine's younger sister a Jonas Brothers' fan? Does your hero love film noir or NASCAR? There are groups for all of these.

On Wednesday, August 4th, I'll talk about niche marketing resources and other PR tips.

• Until then, I'd love to hear about your book elements and creative ways you can promote with them!

A randomly chosen commenter will win a free e-book, my comic romantic suspense, At Her Command.

Marcia James’ short story, Love Unleashed, was part of All Romance eBooks’ American Heart Association fundraiser in February 2010. Marcia offers her 300-page file of author promotion options free to any writer who requests it. Just email her through the “Contact Me” page on her Web site: http://www.marciajames.net./

Marcia James, when she isn’t penning romantic comedies with elements of mystery and suspense, is a freelance video scriptwriter and advertising copywriter. In addition to developing marketing and promotional materials, she writes romance articles for her local weekly newspaper. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as how to safely install traffic lights, Marcia is enjoying “researching” and plotting steamy love scenes for her romance novels with her husband and hero of many years.

In her spare time, Marcia enjoys volunteering for non-profit organizations. One of the benefits is networking with celebrities. Thanks to her involvement with good causes, Marcia asked the guests at her 1989 wedding to donate to charity vs. buying gifts. Word of the “non-profit wedding reception" reached People Magazine which covered event. (Her wedding was also featured in The Washington Post and Brides Magazine.)

An Author's Work Doesn't Finish With THE END.

An author’s work is never done with typing THE END.

I've often thought readers don't realize all the work their favorite authors put into the book that kept you up 'til the wee hours of the morning. You know about this author and their wonderful book, which made you late to work because you overslept, because they have also put in hard work on another aspect of writing—promotion.

Think about how many authors you've discovered over the last year or so. How did you discover them?


Chances are you discovered them through word of mouth.

• 1. You were able to hear about them because of the time and thought publishers put into getting public attention for the book and/or the author.

A friend read a blog and saw and excerpt and recommended the book to you. A librarian or bookstore clerk read a review (ARCs provided by the publisher for review) or something about the series in one of the trade magazines or catalogs. Or you follow blogs. The publishers’ promotion department generally sets these up.

• 2. You heard about the author or the book because the author thought about effective ways to promote themselves and their book.

Authors find that writing a good story is only the beginning of their work as an author. Keeping /renewing contracts depend upon sales. I’m sure authors would love to concentrate on just writing the next book. But they can’t do that. They have to build a readership/buyers for their product.


That’s business 101.

Word of mouth isn’t as easy as it sounds. How do you accomplish that? There is a plethora of ways to do lateral promotion. This takes thought, time, and effort to accomplish.


Analyzing the type of story you’ve written and pick out those elements you can highlight and then look for blogs about those issues or elements. Some authors donate a percentage of the books proceeds to Charities they highlight. Suppose your heroine/hero is a veterinarian involved with rescuing at risk animals—dogs, cats, horses, and whatever. No doubt the author has already looked at organizations involved with animal rescue as a way to highlight their story. Or perhaps H/H is involved with Relay For Life because they lost a parent, sibling, mate, or child. Since you used that as part of setting, why not look at that organization as a way of talking about your book? You highlight the book and the organization.



Susan Gable is an author who writes about persons with disabilities. Her research into making a viable story means looking at support groups and organizations. If these groups know she’s writing novel about a person with a disability word of mouth from that alone is worth the time and effort invested.



Then there are blog tours. This also involves time and effort. Time muse may be screaming at the author to sit their butt into the chair and write the next story. So to appease their muse and publisher it means scheduling their time to accomplish both and work on deadlines.



I set up blog tours and that means I work with authors, agents, and publisher promotion Reps. I know the work that goes into scheduling, blog set up, articles and interviews. I work with authors who go through a grueling couple of months meeting their fans either in person or on blogs.


Blogging takes time and creative energy. Think about seeing one of your favorite authors on a blog tour of say ten blogs. He/she has to come up with ten subjects to blog about that fit the particular blog site. There is only so many ways to talk about a book.

• The purpose of a Blog tour is to build an audience for the author's books. This means interacting with readers. Think of it as a online booksigning or a meet and greet.

So for a Blog Tour to be effective two things need to happen:

• The author has be present the day of their blog.

Granted, they don’t have to live at the blog site but they do need to visit several times during the day. Again, this is like an online greet the readers, so the author needs to be there to interact with their readers and fans. Authors defeat the whole purpose if they merely drop an article in a blog owners lap and move on.

Being a presence is one of my requirements to blog on Over Coffee, as is:

• Announcing their blog dates on their website, blog, or whatever social networks they belong to and provide the link to the blog site so fans can get there.

This takes some time on the author's part. It also takes time on the blog owner's part to announce the author so there are comments. It also means the blog owner needs to monitor the blog that day and if the comments are few, take steps to change that. So it's a partnership between author and blog owner.


It all involves a lot of creativity and just plain hard work.

So the next you pick up a book from your favorite author, consider all the hard work they put into not only telling an entertaining story, but also the work they did so you would know about them and their books.

Next week:


Monday and Wednesday,  Author, Marcia James, will be talking more about how authors can do lateral promotion. She will also be talking about the workshop she will be offering to writers on promotion.

Friday, I will be having Cheryl Brooks, author of the wonderfully hot Cat Star Chronicles and a bit about her book and what she does for fun. There will be two copies of Hero given away to two commentors.

Excerpt links, back cover blurbs on both authors work will be available.

Wrapping The Reader In The Moment

Jagged purple peaks, a hint of gold and rose on the horizon, the fresh breeze off a blue gray lake ruffling the hair against our cheeks. The rich scents of cinnamon buns fresh out of the oven, the first sip of fresh brewed coffee as we listen to birds sing up the sun. We’re wrapped up in the moment, all our senses engaged.

My guest, romance author Mary Wine, talks about the importance of immersing our readers in the moment.


Hummm….my thoughts tend to turn to making coffee cake when I smell a good cup of java. The aroma is just so rich, you want to close your eyes and immerse yourself in it.


I think a good book should hit a reader the same way. You should be able to feel the frost on your nose if it’s winter time or smell the flowers if it’s spring. That’s a challenge for an author but one that I think completes the story. Sure, we all read for the story but the setting is important too. Just tossing in a few ‘ye’’s and ‘yer’’s doesn’t transform the inside of that book.

Although, getting a grip on the Scottish brogue is interesting work. I had a wonderful opportunity two years ago when I turned around in of all places, Alaska and discovered myself sitting next to a gentleman from the Highlands. I actually asked him where he was from because I didn’t want to put my foot into my mouth by saying he was from Scotland in case he wasn’t. He laughed at me and asked, “Cannae ye tell woman?”


It was the beginning of a wonderful conversation. It turned out he was in fact a Highlander and traveling on the same ship we were. Now, it’s the honest truth I met him in a bar, that was also once an infamous whore house. Over the next few days, I was privileged to spend a fair amount of time with him and it was enthralling to listen to his brogue. It was also very interesting to learn about Scotland from someone who called it home.


Yes, ladies, he did in fact bring his kilt. On formal night, my husband and I love to dress in our Victorian finery. Hey, they said formal but they neglected to give a year. Well, our new highland friend was very happy to join us in his kilt and he looked smashing in it.


When I returned home and began to work on To Conquer a Highlander, I think I heard his voice in my head as I was writing the dialog. It really brought Torin to life, just a little bit more for me. Not that I have trouble seeing my heroes, in fact, there has been more than one instant when I’ve had to demand they take a break so I can sleep! By the way, Scottish Highlanders like Torin don’t like to be told what to do...but no book was ever written in a single day…I keep trying to tell my heroes this fact and they just glare at me and interrupt my sleep. LOL.


Yes, I’m that into my writing. I do wake up at night, with the perfect scene in my head and I debate whether or not to get up and write it. I hope you all enjoy the book enough to feel it’s worth it!

• What about you? How important is it to your reading pleasure to have your senses engaged?

A big thanks for having me by to blog and enjoy some coffee today!

Two commenters will have the chance to win a copy of To Conquer A Highlander. PLEASE leave me a way to contact you if you are one of the winners. If you don't want to leave your email on the blog, then please contact me via: siamckye@gmail.com with an email address. Thank you.

TO CONQUER A HIGHLANDER

A fierce Highland laird ready to kill for king and country…

When Torin McLeren discovers his neighbor’s plot against his king, he takes their daughter as his prisoner, thereby stopping her father’s plot from going forward. But that leaves him with a woman under his roof whom he can’t ignore, and not just because she’s his enemy’s daughter…

A woman who’s as much trouble as she is temptation…

Shannon McBoyd decides to use her captor to experience passion for the first time, and then to destroy him. But her plan goes awry because once she has lured Torin into her bed, she no longer wants to hurt the one man who seems to value and understand her…


Even if her father will kill him—and her—when he discovers what they’ve done...

This first in a trilogy of sexy Scottish Highland romance.

EXCERPT

BUY: •Amazon, •Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million

Acclaimed author Mary Wine has written nearly twenty works of erotic fantasy, romantic suspense, and historical romance. An avid history-buff and historical costumer, she and her family enjoy participating in historical reenactments. Mary lives with her husband and two sons in Yorba Linda, California.

For more information, please visit http://www.marywine.com/

Interview With Pamela Palmer

Pamela Palmer Once Had Plans To Be Astronaut...

My guest is Best Selling author, Pamela Palmer. I hadn’t read any of her books. Oh, I heard and saw her name, but not read her. I attended RT (Romance Times Conference) in April and sat in on one of the panels on which she was a participant. Pamela was a bit quiet at first, but when she did speak she made some great points. I took note of what she said for later use and knew I wanted to have her as a guest.

I’ve since started reading her Feral Warriors series, which I love. Good solid stories, a touch of magic, suspense, a big dose of wonder. I love her world and it was fascinating how she created it. She shares a bit of that with us today.


Pamela, it was a pleasure to meet you at RT and I learned much from listening to you and others on the panels. I’m so glad to have you visit Over Coffee.

Thanks for inviting me, Sia! It’s great to be here.

I remember attending one of your panels during RT where you spoke about career arcs and when your publisher might prefer the use of a pseudonym. You have dual career arcs, one as Pamela Montgomerie, writing historicals and another as Pamela Palmer writing your Feral Warriors.


As Pamela Montgomerie you have a series called the Jewels of Time (Time travel) and Amethyst Destiny has just been released. Will you continue creating stories under this name how many books are planned in this series?

What made you decide to branch into dark paranormal?

There are currently two books in the Jewels of Time series, Sapphire Dream and Amethyst Destiny. Both are action adventure time travel romance set in 17th century Scotland. They were a lot of fun to write, but I’m concentrating on urban fantasy types of paranormals these days and don’t currently have any more time travels in the works. But that could always change.

Dark contemporary paranormal is my preferred reading right now, and my favorite genre to write. I actually started in this genre.

I didn’t realize that. I knew you wrote historical time travel…


You know I hadn’t read any of your Feral Warriors until I met you and you gave me a copy of Obsession Untamed (#2). I loved it. I like your world in this series. A kind of mixture of ancient and modern.

What gave you the idea for the idea of Feral Warriors?

My first sale was to Silhouette Nocturne. A couple of years later, I sold the time travels to Berkley and the Feral Warriors to Avon, almost at the same time. I’d submitted Sapphire Dream (the 2005 Golden Heart winner for Best Paranormal) to Berkley two years before and a new editor found it in one of their massive piles at the same time my agent was shopping the Feral Warriors.

It was a total coincidence that the two offers came in within weeks of one another. All three editors asked me to take a second name, so I did.

Thanks, Sia!


The idea for the Feral Warriors series started with the main characters of Desire Untamed – Kara and Lyon. At first, all I knew was that I wanted to tell a story about a girl-next-door heroine who thought she was human, and the fierce, dangerous male who stole her away for the power she possessed to save his race. I knew they were immortal. But not what kind of immortal.

I haven’t yet read Lyon’s story. But I love the idea of an unknowing immortal girl next-door theme. I like Kara, she’s strong but like glue that holds everyone together.

You’ve created a sort of family of warriors…

• I’m a huge fan of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, Alyssa Day’s Warriors of Poseidon, and Suzanne Brockmann’s Navy SEALs. I love the band of brothers theme, the warrior males bound together by a common cause or a common enemy, and the wonderful interactions between them. I knew I wanted to tell that kind of tale. My warriors were immortal, but what were they?

• I’ve always loved the concept of men who could shift into animals, but most shape-shifter books deal with packs and prides and although I love reading about them, that wasn’t the story I had in my head. I finally realized my band of warrior brothers weren’t exactly brothers at all. They were shape-shifters, but not a pack. Not a pride. Each man was the last of his unique line. Each shifted into a different animal. Each went by the name of that animal.

 The Feral Warriors were born.

Your series has only 9 warriors. Is there any significance to this number?

There really isn’t any significance. After coming up with that first story idea, I pounded out the details of the world, the warriors, etc. in a matter of a few weeks. There was no deep thought as to how many warriors I should have. Nine sounded like a good number, so I went with nine.

You’ve had one of your 9 warriors die. Will we see how they are chosen? Will we see a woman warrior?

Good questions, Sia. I haven’t written a scene about a warrior being chosen as yet, but I may. A woman Feral? Why not? : )

In your newest book in the series, Rapture Untamed, you write about one of my favorites of the Warriors, Jag. He’s a bit surly and argumentative, yet loyal, but you get the feeling he doesn’t want to care.


What do you like about him?

What about Olivia?

Jag has always been one of my favorites, too. He was great fun to write. I never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. But making him into a hero was a serious challenge. He didn’t want anything to do with that role. For a while, I wasn’t sure he had it in him. But he surprised me. And when he discovered the hero within himself, Olivia wasn’t the only one who fell in love with him.

Olivia is my favorite kind of heroine – tough, yet vulnerable if she ever lets you past her shields. She was absolutely strong enough to handle Jag. Even better, she saw past his pain-in-the-ass persona to the man he could be. Almost from the beginning, she understood him better than he understood himself. She almost had the upper hand with him for a while. Until he learned her secret.

You mention that you didn’t always want to grow up to write books?

I didn’t, not at all. I didn’t like English class, could see no reason in the world I needed to know parts of speech, and hated the books they made me read. I wanted to read Nancy Drew and Narnia, not Steinbeck. As a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. In college, I lost interest in that dream and wound up majoring in Industrial Engineering, and then went to work for IBM.

Tell us a bit how you came to write romance?

I’d always loved to read and I was a constant daydreamer. Honestly, one day one of my daydreams got too big for my head and I migrated to the computer and started typing. A few days, and three chapters later, I was hooked.

For someone who didn’t think about writing as a career, you’ve done well, and Rapture Untamed is now on the bestsellers list.

Big congratulations on that!

Is this your first placement on the list? How did it make you feel or better, what was your reaction when you learned you were? Did you ever see yourself there?

Thank you! Yes, Rapture Untamed debuted at #28 on the New York Times extended list and #139 on the USA Today bestseller list. It was my first time on either list solo. (The anthology I did with Lynsay Sands and Jaime Rush, Bitten By Cupid, hit both lists last January.)




My agent and editor got the list at the same time, but my agent called me first, by seconds. My call waiting was beeping, my editor calling, while my agent told me I’d hit the NY Times list. I was thrilled, as you can imagine, though what I actually said, I don’t remember. Something like, ‘No way, no way.”




Did I ever see myself there? Sure. I don’t think there’s any writer who doesn’t dream that dream.

Do you write full time? Or are you still juggling a career as an Industrial Engineer, wife, mom, and now author?

• I’m a full time writer these days. I quit IBM years ago to stay home with my kids and focus on the writing.

You have two books released in two series, what’s coming up for next year?

• Hunger Untamed, book 5 in the Feral Warriors series, will be out in February. I’m still waiting on a release date for book 6, though I suspect it will be out late next year. Plus, I’m waiting for release dates for the last two books in my Esri series for Nocturne. The first two books, The Dark Gate and Dark Deceiver, came out a couple of years ago, but I got sidetracked with the other books and just finished up the last one. It’s possible they’ll be out next year, too.

Read, enjoy, and have a wonderful rest of the summer!

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Rapture Untamed Blurb


The most combative - and tormented - of all the Ferals, Jag is a predator who hunts alone - until daemons terrorize the human population. To stop them, he partners with Olivia, a flame-haired Therian temptress as strong as she is beautiful. But Olivia is no ordinary immortal. The survivor of a vicious supernatural attack, she possesses a deadly and forbidden skill - one that must remain hidden, especially from the powerful Feral Warriors.


As Jag and Olivia's sensual dance of dominance and seduction gets wilder and hotter, a dark force sets its sights on Olivia, threatening to destroy everything she has vowed to protect. And the only one who can save her soul is the arrogant jaguar shifter she lusts for but dares not love.

EXCERPT 

Buy: Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble 

When New York Times bestselling author Pamela Palmer's initial career goal of captaining starships didn't pan out, she turned to engineering, satisfying her desire for adventure with books and daydreams until finally succumbing to the need to create worlds of her own. Pamela lives and writes in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Please visit her on the Web at http://www.pamelapalmer.net/.

Tales Of Cindy And Ms. Crankypants

I work with authors who go through a grueling couple of months, after the book is released, meeting their fans either in person or on blogs. All the time, creativity, and plain hard work they do so you can enjoy their books. And the whole time, chances are, their Muse is screaming at them and telling them they should be using those skills for the next project. You know, the one with the current deadline?

Loucinda McGary (aka Aunty Cindy) has just such a muse,  aka Ms Crankypants.  She is not at all quiet about her thoughts on the matter either. Ms. CP  is a highly creative but argumentative wench. Also well loved by Cindy. But I'll let her tell you all about it. 


Thanks so much, Sia, for inviting me to join you today Over Coffee. But first let me get this one thing out of the way:


Buy my book, PLEASE!


According to my grumpy muse, this is the only reason to go on a blog tour – it’s all about pushing your current book.


I’ve tried to argue with her. I pointed out that it is not just trying to sell books. Blog tours are all about connecting with readers, developing a rapport with your audience, networking and promoting yourself and your work in the book world.

She just snorts (and rather rudely at that) and reminds me in no uncertain terms that if I don’t get my butt back in the chair and work on my WIP (work-in-progress) that there will be nothing for my readers to read, much less a reason for me to promote. (Aunty sighs heavily.)


She’s correct, of course, but does she have to be Ms. Crankypants? This entire blog tour has been a real test of wills. I sit down to write another guest blog post, and she throws a major hissy that I need to get back to my characters. I mutter about promotion, and she counters with my need to have a product to promote.


Yes, my muse is a harsh task-mistress… Not unlike what some people say about yours truly (and that would be my son and DH waving from the front of the crowd), but they hardly count because most of them make little effort to appease me. I, on the other hand, try really hard to obey Ms. Crankypants, even though she takes my story off in completely unexpected directions and has my characters doing and saying things I never imagined they would.


So why do I put up with her bossy and contradictory ways?

Because she never leads me astray, and this is critical for a seat-of-the-pants writer like moi. I can’t be wasting a lot of time and effort traipsing down the wrong path with my story, and as long as I trust Ms. Crankypants, I don’t.


I’ll give you a recent example. I love to end my chapters with a strong “hook” so that the reader has a hard time putting the book down (yes, I LOVE hearing that someone stayed up all night to finish one of my books). Being that die-hard seat-of-the-pants writer who never exactly knows where I’m going in my story at any given time, I sometimes have a difficult time finding that chapter ending hook.


Such was the case as I was writing my first draft of Chapter 4 of The Wild Irish Sea. I needed to find a hooky ending and I was utterly clueless what it might be. Enter my muse, aka Ms. Crankypants. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth over trying to figure out an ending for my chapter, I left my office and headed to the kitchen for a large dose of chocolate therapy. As I walked past the dining room table, I tripped over one of my DH’s sneakers. Do not ask me why, but the man insists on changing his shoes in the dining room (see my above comment about being a harsh task-mistress, but apparently not harsh enough). As I muttered a curse and kicked the shoe farther under the table to rest nearer its mate, Ms. Crankypants whispered, “What if that was Parker’s shoe, and it was washed up on the beach?”


Oh. My. Gosh!


I grabbed three Hershey’s kisses from the dish on the buffet and rushed back to my office to type the perfect ending for the chapter:

“The rain and the waves had swept smooth the sand around the half-buried boulders just as Kevin suspected. A few pieces of driftwood, hunks of seaweed and other debris lay tangled in the crevices around the rocks. If anyone had been through here, even as recently as this morning, no trace of their passing remained.



“While he breathed in a large draught of fresh, clean air, Amber sunk to her knees in the wet sand at the base of the closest rock. She clapped both palms flat against the sides of her head and squeezed her eyes shut.


Still trying to contact her brother.


…Through the remaining mist of rain, he spied the jutting black prow of the curragh at the same moment a shrill cry rang out. ‘Hallo! Kevin! Hallo! Amber!’


For the first time in the ten hours since they’d met, Kevin was genuinely glad to see Connor Magee. The boy stood and waved his cap in the air, while someone else, undoubtedly Michael Coyle, sat in the stern of the boat steering it.


Connor shouted again, and Kevin waved back.


"We’re about to be rescued," he called over his shoulder to Amber while the curragh angled toward shore.


…Her shoulders slumped and her head drooped in defeat. Behind him, Kevin heard the hull of the curragh scraping on sand. A moment later, Connor raced up to them.


“Kevin! Amber! I told Uncle Michael we’d find you," the boy breathlessly exclaimed.


“…C’mon!" Michael Coyle called out from the beached curragh. "You can talk later."


“Stall the ball half a minute," Connor yelled back. He plunked his hat on Amber’s head and grasped her by the elbow. "Tis only a short ride back to Malin Head."


While ConnerConnor towed Amber toward the curragh, Kevin took one more quick glance up the small crescent of sand.


Empty.


But then his gaze moved over the rocks. Sticking up in the midst of the greenish-brown kelp, he spotted an object that didn’t belong—a shoe.


A large shoe. The red and gray treads on the sole were unmistakably those of a trainer.

An American trainer.

So, my muse may be grumpy and cantankerous, but she really does deliver! I think I’ll be keeping her around for a good long while. After all, what’s a little orneriness between friends?


Thanks again for having me as a guest and listening to my tale of woe. Please pass the chocolate!

Wild Irish Sea back cover blurb:

Drawn together by a force they can't resist...

The telepathic image of her twin brother fighting for his life sends Amber O'Neill rushing to the rocky shores of Ireland. Desperate to find him, she turns to reclusive local inspector, Kevin Hennessy.

Bound together with a passion as relentless as the tide...

His past full of pain, Kevin has withdrawn from the world. But when the rain-drenched American appears on his doorstep with her wild tales of danger, something more than her sensuous beauty makes it impossible for him to turn her away.


The wildness of the sea, the mystery of a selkie prince, and a dangerous band of ruthless smugglers bring two lost souls together in a connection of mind, body, and spirit that can't be denied...

Excerpt

My Night Owl Review 

  

Buy Wild Irish Sea: Amazon, Borders, Barnes &Noble

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A long-time reader of romances, Cindy discovered and joined Romance Writers of America in 2001. But her stressful career as the manager of a multi-million dollar State and Federally funded program prevented her from doing much writing or traveling. She still managed to squeeze in a little of both, but not enough of either to be truly satisfying. Finally, at the end of 2003 she decided to take an early retirement from her career to fully pursue her twin passions of travel and writing. Cindy likes to set her novels of romance and suspense in some of the fascinating places she has visited.

Other books: Wild Sight, The Treasures of Venice
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