BARBARIAN’S TOUCH by Ruby Dixon Berkley Trade Paperback Exclusive Excerpt   It’s so cold. I feel like all I do now is complain about the weather, but being in the yeti cave hasn’t prepared me for being out in the snow again at night. It’s dark out, but the twin moons (yep, there are two of them, too) are gleaming bright on the snow and I can see around us. The yeti have disappeared, and Rowdan’s taking me up one ridge and then down another. On and on he goes, powering through knee-high snow like it’s nothing. His tail has wrapped protectively around one of my thighs, but I don’t point out just how, um, impolitely it’s gripping me. After rescuing my ass? He can put his tail anywhere he wants. I squeeze my thighs tighter around his waist, blushing at my own thoughts. I’m clinging to him from behind, piggyback style, and every time his tail moves, it rubs against my butt. Add that to the fact that my chest won’t stop with the weird purring—and he’s doing it, too—and I figure all this movement and vibration must be why I’m feeling so horny. Or maybe it’s adrenaline after…

When I return to my new cave with supplies, the main cavern hums with happy voices. The others have arrived, and the sound of happy chatter is a constant hum in the air. I think Rukh and his mate Har-loh—who live at the elders’ cave more often than not—have the right of it. With everyone returning, there will be faces everywhere and no privacy. This thing between Jo-see and I will play out before all. At the thought, another surge of fierce possessiveness rises in me. Whatever she may think, she is mine. Jo-see is standing in the cave when I return, her pack at her feet. My khui immediately begins a pounding beat in my chest at the sight of her, and my blood pulses hard with the need to claim her. But her face is drawn and tired, her small shoulders hunched with exhaustion. Her khui starts to sing to mine and she looks down at her chest, confused, then jumps with surprise when I set my bundle down. “What are you doing here?” Her small human brows draw together. “They said this is my cave.” “The cave you will share with me,” I agree, keeping my tone…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BARBARIAN’S PRIZE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Tiffany doesn’t want love or resonance because she’s traumatized. Salukh wants to be exactly what she needs. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It seemed the logical next step after book 4 (Harlow’s book). 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes! 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Patient. Understanding. Brawny. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That it’s hard to be sexy when you have a pet colt staring at you. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I’m a little bit of both. I draft, but I also go back and add in bits here and there as I draft. Never full scenes, just bits of conversation or worldbuilding. So I’m more of a pepperer I guess? 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Lately it’s macarons! When they’re done right, they’re delicious. When they’re too dry, they make me sad. 9–Describe your writing space/office! Right now, it is an absolute mess with promo materials for an upcoming convention, two upcoming print book…

He looked huge. He looked like a monster. He looked like hers. ENSNARED BY THE ALIEN MEDIC by Nessa Claugh   I have been a paranormal romance fan for years. I always trace back my affection for paranormal romances to when I read the first vampire romance by Christine Feehan when it first came out. Over the years I have read books with assorted supernatural heroes like vampires, werewolves, psychics, and others. That’s different from the kind of hero I’m writing about here. Those heroes were ones who either could change shape from human to animal or were a vampire or something else otherworldly who mostly looked human – even if they weren’t at their core. The kind of hero I’m writing about today is one who has mostly unhuman-like physical characteristics. So much so, that I know there are readers – even devoted romance readers – who would be appalled and disgusted to have them be the hero of any story. I understand that initial reaction, but I think they need to read one of these books and re-evaluate. I have read some of these books and hope to read more soon. Though these characters may have fangs, fur,…

Your book, DARK FIRE, just came out. It’s part of your “Fireblood Dragon” series. I think that might be the only series of yours I haven’t dipped into. Can you explain for readers what that world is about? Where it takes place and the basic dynamic between species. DARK FIRE is set in the world of Fireblood Dragons, which is our world, except seven years in the past, a Rift between worlds was torn open and a host of dragons flew into our world from another. The dragons immediately went crazy and destroyed everything, killing, and destroying until there wasn’t much of civilization left.  Now people live in ‘forts’ set up in old cities and try to eke out an existence. Turns out that the dragons aren’t just sky-sharks – they’re also people. Shifter people! And the only thing that can tame a male dragon is a mate.   I was so happy to find out your Ice Planet Barbarian books were being reissued. I have many of them on my kindle, but with the new covers being so pretty, I might finally get print copies of my favorites. Will all your Ice Planet Barbarian books be reissued? I get…

As a woman, I sometimes feel like I’m too critical of female protagonists. Tess Greene, the heroine in DISASTER GIRL by Michelle Dayton, is realistically flawed, but I admire her determination, intelligence, and her mix of toughness and plenty of heart. It’s something the hero in this story admires too, and why he ends up falling for her. Tess had a somewhat chaotic childhood, constantly doing damage control. As a result, that became kind of what she does for a career. This story involves revenge porn, and Tess collaborates with potential employee and tech geek she’s hopelessly attracted to, Max Hampshire, to bring down the sleezebag behind it all. I like characters who are multifaceted, and Tess qualifies for sure. She’s not the stereotypical cold-hearted businesswoman. She’s had some life experiences that have made her more guarded, but she cares about a lot of people and is fiercely loyal. Since the story is told strictly from Tess’s perspective, you naturally sympathize with her, and you relate to her insecurity about Max’s feelings for her. The chemistry between Tess and Max is phenomenal and the witty banter makes the steamy scenes even better when they eventually happen. I have fallen down…

With COVID-19, nowadays “quarantine”, “social distancing”, and “isolate” are common parts of our everyday vocabulary. While isolating is necessary right now, it can lead to varying levels of depression and other unexpected emotions – even for an introvert like me. As I was sitting in the quiet of my apartment, with my cat keeping vigil next to me, I was longing for any type of travel and human interaction. Travel and human interaction are not normally things that are normally high up on my “must haves.” While dystopian films and novels might seem like a natural for readers to gravitate right now, a lot of my friends have avoided those types of entertainment because it seemed off-putting. It’s as I was sitting at home in isolation that I thought of some of my favorite romances that take place in far off worlds and unique characters and bizarre situations that seem like just the thing to perk up a reader longing for travel, adventure, fun, and excitement. You might not be able to go far right now, but books provide an entertaining alternative. Although I don’t normally read sci-fi, something about the Cat Star Chronicles books by Cheryl Brooks intrigued me….