1–What is the title of your latest release? BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? If you thought you knew the iconic vampire, Bones, think again! THIS is Bones, in his own words this time. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The setting was pre-determined since it covers the locales from a prior book, so it takes place in Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and New York. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? I’d love to, but vampires, ghouls, or evil ghosts are always trying to kill her, so I probably wouldn’t survive! Lol. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Badass. Devoted. Vampire. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That there really are two sides to every story, and you don’t have the complete picture until you’ve read both of them. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit while I draft, to my detriment. Sometimes, I will fiddle with a chapter to the point that it really slows down my progress before I force myself to move on. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Anything…

The last thing she said to me was why? Why have our swords always been locked in battle, why have we always been fighting? I said we had locked shields not swords. Patsy talking about her mother, Absolutely Fabulous (TV show)   I’ve often thought that a relationship between a mother and daughter can be a little more complex than the relationship between a mother and son. One of the common taunts (depending on your perspective) to daughters is that eventually all daughters become their mothers. That can often be a frightening thought for some young women. From personal experience, things I’ve read, and anecdotes from friends and others, I’ve noticed that there is often an inescapable antagonism between mothers and daughters while the daughters are teenagers or in their early twenties – especially if they are still living together. Thankfully, usually, once the daughters are older and there has been a little time, space, and perspective, the relationships self-correct and get better. As a reader, I’ve enjoyed having this mother-daughter dynamic explored in many ways.   You love your daughter as she is. I failed to do that with you when you were growing up, and it almost killed…

As a reader, I always wondered why it was necessary when an author would come out with a book at the end of a series, telling the same story but from another character’s perspective. Now, as a rabid Night Huntress fangirl, I get it. For years we got stories without directly getting Bones’ perspective. He’s an amazing character with ever getting that window into his psyche, but sometimes you just couldn’t help but wonder. Like in DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE. I admit that it’s not my fav in the series – but largely because I just didn’t understand where Bones was coming from – which is why I loved OUTTAKES FROM THE GRAVE in which you have alternate scenes that gave me what I felt was missing from that earlier book.  So, I know why I’m so excited to read THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE, but what motivated you to write it? You could say that Bones did, and it took me completely by surprise. A couple years ago, I was reading the beginning of HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE for some reason, and on impulse, I re-wrote chapter one from Bones’ point of view. Then, just for fun,…

Heroines in romance novels: let’s discuss. A frequent topic among romance readers and authors involves heroines and the unequal way they can be viewed. There are two bones of contention to pick. The first is that a heroine’s life choices are viewed with a more critical and unforgiving eye than a hero’s choices. Secondly, that a heroine’s flaws and personality quirks are viewed more harshly than those of a hero. I believe that both things are very real, but I will only admit to unconsciously doing the latter. If a character – whether male or female – makes life choices that I disagree with, as long as the character is fleshed out and well-written, I won’t judge and I’m still able to enjoy the story. However, if there are aspects of a character’s personality that rub me the wrong way, it’s difficult for me to put that aside and focus on where the author is taking me. As a woman, I often identify more with a female protagonist, and therefore have caught myself being overly critical of that character. This is something I’ve picked up on and tried to snap myself out of doing. Every reader has their pet peeve…

“To bask in passion’s glow. To bathe in love’s fountain. To swim in the rivers of Eros.” “It sounds quite vile. No thank you.” It was very difficult not to laugh. She managed it, just. MUCH ADO ABOUT DUTTON by Claudia Dain The other day one of the authors in one of the many online reading groups I’m in posted a question asking readers how many love scenes they demanded in a romance. I get why authors ask this, but I feel like it’s a difficult thing for readers to answer. I know there has been a lot of debate and general discussion about how many love scenes/sex scenes put in romances, and over how the quantity and quality of love scenes in a book should be advertised to readers. I remember reading a few years ago that a favorite romance author of mine felt pressured by her publisher to include a specific number of sex scenes in her book. I felt that was unfair; not just because I think that she should be allowed complete freedom in her creative process, but also because those scenes weren’t what I found most enjoyable about her books. In the end, I took…

Every day from now through the end of the year, we’ll be sharing our reviewers’ favorite reads of 2018. A different genre will be featured every day! We’ll share why these books were some of our favorites and what made them so special. We hope you’ll share yours in the comments, too! Today, we’re featuring our favorite Paranormal and Science Fiction Novels (of all types, including romance) of the year! SHADES OF WICKED by Jeaniene Frost Night Rebel #1 Reviewer: Miranda A fan-favorite character and a long-awaited story that lives up to expectations and then some! Romance Paranormal [Avon, On Sale: October 30, 2018, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780062695611 / eISBN: 9780062695598] Everything Jeaniene Frost fans hoped for and much more! Buy SHADES OF WICKED: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Ripped Bodice | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR *** DARK SENTINEL by Christine Feehan Carpathian #32 Reviewer: Annetta She is one of my must-buy author no matter which of her many genres. I love them all Romance Paranormal [Berkley, On Sale: September 4, 2018, Hardcover /…

Chapter One I walked into the museum with a half demon holding my hand and a gargoyle waiting for me back at our car. As a history major, I’d often dreamed about going museum hopping throughout Europe, but not once had I pictured doing it like this. “We’re here for the four p.m. tour,” Adrian, my new husband and the aforementioned half demon, told the museum attendant. “The four p.m. tour group is over there,” she said, pointing toward a small cluster of people about a dozen feet away. As we walked off, Adrian traced the braided rope tattoo on my right hand. My sleeve hid the rest of it, just like my high-necked blouse and long pants hid the remains of the other hallowed weapon that had supernaturally merged with my flesh. If the hallowed weapon we were looking for was here, I’d no doubt end up with a third supernatural tattoo. Of course, that tattoo might one day end up decorating my cold dead corpse. “Feel anything, Ivy?” Adrian asked in a low voice. I directed my senses outward and felt the distinct vibes that meant this was hallowed ground, as well as extra brushes of power from…

You could spend the month of Halloween with some pretend supernaturals. . . Better yet, why not spend this October with some real vampires, wolves and wizards oh my. Time to the let magic, fur and fangs fly. . . . Check out these new October paranormal titles. REVAMPED, J. F. Lewis (Pocket, 09/28/10, $7.99) Eric survived a vicious showdown with his double-crossing former best friend and some angry lycanthropes—barely: he’s lost his strip club, his treasured red Mustang, his love life, and even his body. But with a little magic, the die- hard Vlad returns to corporeal form, and “Fang the ’Stang” is restored—with an unlife of its own. Now Eric’s ready to match wits with one of Void City’s most powerful demons to rescue the soul of Marilyn, the love of his (mortal) life. But salvation comes at a high price, forcing Eric to enter his own worst nightmare, vampire High Society, to uncover the truth about the origin of his powers. Having to deal with the Void City elite is bad enough, but the more Eric sniffs around, the more it looks like someone is after his soul, too. Now blood will flow and fangs will be…

When I was twelve, I was bitten by the reading bug. It wasn’t long after that when I decided to write my own book. I’d already written lots of poetry and short stories, so the idea of making the leap from those to writing and selling a novel seemed easy. Yes, I had a lot to learn. Fast forward around fifteen years to the day I told myself, "quit procrastinating and do it already." And so I finally did take one of the many ideas churning around in my head and wrote a novel from it. What I found out after I’d typed The End was twofold: one, I’d accomplished something I’d dreamed about by finishing that novel. Two – and equally important, in my opinion – was that I loved writing. That doesn’t mean pursuing a career as an author was as easy as finally writing that first novel. In fact, if I could rewind the clock and talk to former self on the day I’d finished my first book, I’d say, "Great! Now comes the hard part." Huh? you might think. Isn’t writing a book the hardest part of pursuing a career as an author? Well, for me,…

Since it’s shortly after the release of my first book, I’ve been thinking ofthe start of this journey. I’d known since I was twelve that I wanted to be awriter, but it took me almost twenty years to start writing. Why did I wait solong? Here were the biggest things that held me back. Excuse #1: I need to take classes/go to a conference before I can write a novel. Wow, that kept me from trying for over ten years! The truth is while classesand conferences are helpful, they aren’t necessary. Now, I’m not recommendingskipping college or thumbing your nose at literary courses, but don’t let thatbe a stumbling block in your path to writing a novel. Do you read a lot? Areyou a (reasonably) good speller? Are you willing to take constructive criticismand revise when necessary? Then you can do this. Excuse #2: But I don’t know HOW to write a novel. I used this one far longer than I want to admit. When I repeated it a severalyears ago to a writer friend of mine, she just smiled and said, “Then read abook on writing, dear.” Guess what? That worked! There are many great, usefulbooks aimed at helping…