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Featured Book: Dirty Law by Mary Catherine Gebhard

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There’s just one thing I know about the mysterious new man in my life: I can’t trust him. He’s annoyingly arrogant, hotter than sin…and working for the man who ruined me.

So what if he’s the only one who cares enough to pay attention to me? Who protects me from the world that turned its back on me?

I’ve learned something being America’s most hated: the law is dirty, and Nick Law is no exception.

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Romance Author Interview – Chris Karlsen

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About Chris Karlsen:
I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write three different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters.

I’m currently working on the Bloodstone Series, which is historical suspense with romantic elements. I’m also writing a world war two novella series.

Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and four wild and crazy rescue dogs.

What inspires you to write?
For most of my stories it has been a character who works their way into my psyche. I rarely can put a fine point on what exactly inspired the character. The characters view of an event or the world around them is something I want to give voice to. They're my vehicle through time and place. Setting is also a major contributor to my inspiration. The Bloodstone series is set in Victorian London and the main character, Rudyard Bloodstone, is a London detective. It was the setting of Victorian London that was the basis for the series. It's a setting that, to me, lends itself perfectly to murder and dark activities. It is romantic, eerie and a wonderful mix of society.

Tell us about your writing process.
I started by outlining my stories. But the last few books I have been writing by the seat of my pants and not outlining first. It can be a struggle for me and it is slower progress as I work through moments and events. That said, I also am enjoying the freedom of writing outside the initial plot ideas and outline.

How do you develop your characters?
Both. I have a general idea how they will develop but many times a new plot idea will come to me and that will often take the characters in a different direction. The overall plan for them remains because I know how I want to end a story before I begin writing it. But when I throw new obstacles or events at them, I do talk to them. In my head I ask them "what are you going to do now?" If I put them in an unusual or difficult scene, their response, if I'm uncertain of it, will have me asking is this something you'd say or do? I believe every character we write is a part of us in some way, miniscule or big. So when I get a sense that I've mishandled the character's response to a person or situation, I listen to that sense. In their own way, they are speaking to me.

Who are your favorite authors?
Bernard Cornwell-The Saxon Tales series. There are too many to list in the series but the lead character is wonderfully candid and crafted.
Joe Wambaugh-and his Hollywood Station series. He writes the best cops having been one himself. There's humor and pathos in the various men and women. I really love book 1 in the series, "Hollywood Station."
Julie Anne Long and her Pennyroyal Green series. She's brilliant at writing strong female and male characters who dominate a scene but not each other.

What genres do you write?: Historical suspense, historical romance

What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Audiobook

Where to find out more about the author

Website(s)
Chris Karlsen Home Page Link
Link To Chris Karlsen Page On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.

Romance Author Interview – J. J. Sorel

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About J. J. Sorel:
I have been writing steamy billionaire romance for five years, and thanks to the success of my first series Thornhill Trilogy I am inspired to write day and night. I love conjuring up slightly damaged, seductive male characters and smart sassy females, who leave their men breathless with desire. Boasting chemistry that’s off the charts, they’re insatiable in the boudoir, and their souls connect deeply. But despite battling obstacles and struggling with trust issues, love always finds a way, and by the story’s end, that infectiously blissful HEA climax always leaves a smile.

What inspires you to write?
Keen readers of my books keep me going. Also, strange but true stories about people and their relationships. All it takes is one interesting anecdote, and my imagination gets to work, chiseling out a story.

Tell us about your writing process.
Using pen and paper, I construct a workable outline. Nothing too sophisticated. In fact, it ends up looking like scribble. But I need an outline before commencing. I also use pen and paper to come up with the cast. There are lots of doodles and mess everywhere because that’s my brain for you. It tends to wander. But I find that writing by hand slows my brain down and gives me time to reflect. After I’ve devised the characters, the plot, and settings, I’m ready to start the book. I allow myself a little improvisation. Because that’s where the magic happens. Along the way, interesting auxiliary characters are born, and deviations that open doors to useful subplots. As the characters take shape, I learn things about them that I didn’t know in the beginning. The longer I’m with them, the more nuanced they become. Therefore, I find using both methods helps tremendously. The outline method gets the work done, while the improvisation method brings with it an element of surprise and freshness to the story and characters.

How do you develop your characters?
I have an outline, as stated in the previous answer, but to be honest it's not until I'm spending time with my characters that they evolve and, occasionally, take me places I didn't expect to go. They do talk to me at times. I suppose it makes sense because when immersed in the creation of a story, a writer enters a new world. These are new friends or enemies, and one can't help but ask questions.

Who are your favorite authors?
I’ve read so many books in my life that it would be impossible to remember them all. Although I read all the time, I’m finding myself revisiting books I read as a teenager. For instance, I just finished The Other side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon. I really enjoyed it again, which was nice to know that although I’ve evolved, a good story remains that despite its lack of a HEA ending. As a reader, I’ve grown accustomed to books that don’t always end happily and am fine with that. Of course, as a romance writer, I strictly adhere to HEA endings. I don’t wish to start begging for food.
For over twenty years I read nothing but the classics. George Eliot being my favorite. I fell in love with French and Russian 19th Century literature too. After that, I moved on and embraced early 20th century writers, like Somerset Maugham. His Of Human Bondage is extraordinary and so emotional that my tears dampened the pages. I enjoyed reading Anais Nin’s entire collection of diaries, and Simone de Beauvoir’s She Came to Stay. To name just a few.
Recently, I stumbled on A Woman of Substance by Barbara Bradford Taylor and really enjoyed that too.
Daphne du Maurier is another writer I’m very fond of, especially Rebecca.
A few years ago, after hearing the hype, and therefore out of curiosity, I read Fifty Shades of Grey. That was my first ever modern-day romance novel. And although it’s not literature, despite it being well-written, I found it visceral and emotional, and for that reason, I really enjoyed it.
Apart from E L James’ FSOG, out of all the current romance writers I’ve read, Sylvia Day, Danielle Steel, Georgia le Carre, Sadie Mathews, and Kayley Loring are the authors I enjoyed the most.

What genres do you write?: Erotic Billionaire Romance and Erotic Gothic Romance

What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print

Where to find out more about the author

Website(s)
J. J. Sorel Home Page Link
Link To J. J. Sorel Page On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.

Beautiful Monsters by Brian Anthony and Bill Walker

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Beautiful Monsters by Brian Anthony and Bill Walker

Beautiful Monsters, a novel by Brian Anthony & Bill Walker, with illustrations by Rick Geary

In London, in the year 1916, an ailing Sherlock Holmes is attended by his old friend and colleague Dr. John Watson. Sensing that time is short, Holmes relays one final, remarkable story to his biographer, that of Holmes’s own mentor, Professor Harry Nelson Beadle.

In 1874 thirty-year-old Professor Beadle, laureate at Cambridge University with degrees in biology, anthropology, and sociology, is widely respected by faculty and students alike. But the Professor’s obsession with his theories concerning the cross-evolution of humans and insects–beautiful monsters—proves to be his undoing. Based on a spurious piece of evidence, the Professor spends years researching and writing a tome, which is eventually published to some acclaim. But the price is high; his obsession costs the Professor his position at the University, his wife, and his young daughter.

Jim Beam, an American, a former student, and an unwitting participant in the deceit, belatedly reveals the terrible truth to the Professor: that the empirical evidence was fake! Thus, begins a forty-year odyssey in which Professor Beadle, aided and abetted by his former student, searches the world for the thousand printed copies of his book, Beautiful Monsters—buying, begging, and sometimes stealing them, with the goal of eventually destroying every last copy.

Early in their journey, Beam meets a lovely young woman, Mabel, and the couple wed. Mabel is initially sympathetic to the Professor’s plight, but as the obsession with tracking down the book grows and takes hold of her husband, their marriage begins to suffer. The impending tragedy is completely lost on Beam, but not on the Professor, who sees an eerie similarity to his own failed marriage. Could the book—with its terrible invocation of insect-men—be cursed?

In his quest to erase “this published monument to my own stupidity,” the Professor and Beam cross paths with an odd assortment of characters, including Thomas Edison, a giant, George Méliès, and on the final leg of their bizarre journey, Sherlock Holmes himself.

Cursed indeed!

[Read more…] about Beautiful Monsters by Brian Anthony and Bill Walker

Romance Author Interview – Lindsey Cowherd

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About Lindsey Cowherd:
Lindsey Cowherd lives in Salida, CO, where she was born and raised. She lives with her sweetie, Michael, who somehow tolerates her horse-craziness and love of all-things-Asian. Licensed as an acupuncturist since 2010, Lindsey still finds time for the small stuff: writing, watching almost anything Asian on Netflix, singing and playing guitar, but especially enjoying her two horses, Bricco and Tyrra, and two dogs, Ms. K and Huffington.

Lindsey started writing “novels” at a young teen. Turning to worlds immersed in martial arts, magic, and “places not of this world” allowed her an outlet from everyday living and circumstances out of her control. Now, they are a place to allow her imagination to run wild. In 2019, she released four books: two are science fiction (The Assassins' Guild of Obseen series), one is medieval fantasy (The Crystals of Syre, book 1: Awakening; book 2 expected by end of 2020) and the last are books in the cowboy romance genre. (Series: A Colorado Cowboy Romance Story, book 1: My Texas Streak; two other books Call Me Home and Forever Love are forthcoming).

Details specifically about her cowboy romances: The Colorado Cowboy Romance Stories were started as a fun side project–because of the author's love of the genre. What grew from a simple idea about finding an abused horse and rehabilitating it at a ranch known for its "horse whispering" became a novel about a college-aged woman named Sarah Murphy who just happens to be training pro-rodeo star Tyler Bailer's stolen roping horse: My Texas Streak. The first book is about their budding romance. As of Jan 2020, two more books are in the works that correspond with the My Texas Streak book. Yes, there are is some steamy pieces to the books; and, yes, some of the horse training is from the author's real experiences; and, yes, the towns and some of the locales in the books are all from real Colorado places!

What inspires you to write?
Lindsey says: "Writing started, for me, as a way to deal with situations in life that were out of my control. At least in stories, I could have some power on how things turn out. Now, they are a way to relax and get a mini-vacation during a stressful work day, or just to slip away to another place. Usually, I begin to write whatever section I'm on after listening to a song–or three–that match the emotional theme of the book.

"Why I started writing cowboy romances: I felt like some writers right for the love of cowboys but didn't have much horse background. I was missing the feel of someone having those experiences in their writing. So, I took those that I've known all my life training "troubled" horses and teaching people. Though I very rarely take cases anymore, I do still have my own horses that I train. All the horses/instructors I've had in my life have given my unique experiences into this part of my books."

Tell us about your writing process.
Lindsey says: "I have never been a fan of outlines; as testament to numerous English teachers frowning at me over the years. Going free-style lets me invent more twists and turns to my books. I do jot down certain events that I want to include if they come up–especially if I'm trying to sleep; it's no fun laying awake all night when I can simply write the idea down then sleep peacefully. I hand write every book (with exception of my cowboy romances). Typing seems to slow my process down and that gets frustrating. I think this is why my cowboy romance books are half the size of the others… Luckily, I have a lot of personal experience with horses, so it was easy to pull out details for my books. And, I've added many Colorado locales/scenery because I live right in it."

How do you develop your characters?
Lindsey says: "For the Colorado Cowboy Romance Stories I use a lot of my experience and surroundings in my book(s). I grew up and still live in Salida, CO (other side of Monarch Pass from Gunnison, where the first book takes place), so I know a lot of the area that visitors would not. As for Sarah Murphy, I do take pieces of myself and my life and added it into the books. The other characters revolved around her and grew as I needed them to."

Who are your favorite authors?
Lindsey says: "Wow, this may take awhile. Most of the authors that influenced me are not romance authors. I have included some… I love C.J. Cherryh. Her Fortress series has been on my book shelf the longest and I re-read the books over and over again without ever getting bored. Curt Benjamin would be a close second (if you haven't read his Prince of Shadows book and series you are missing out!). Others like Jane Lindskold, Robin Hobb, and Cassandra Clare have always whetted my fantasy or supernatural yearnings. Kevin J Anderson's The Saga of Seven Suns occupied most of my late teenage years. I've moved over into romance the last couple of years…like Amity Lassiter, Darynda Jones, and Laurell K. Hamilton; to cater to my cowboy and supernatural interests, with a little love thrown in. I know there are a LOT of other authors but these are most definitely represented on my shelf!"

What genres do you write?: cowboy romance, fantasy, action/adventure, science fiction

What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print

Where to find out more about the author

Website(s)
Lindsey Cowherd Home Page Link
Link To Lindsey Cowherd Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords

Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.

Featured Book: The Boss’s Daughter by Genelia Love

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About Featured Book: The Boss’s Daughter by Genelia Love

A 15 years age gap?

I’m supposed to be her supervisor.

That makes her totally off-limits, right?

And if that is not enough,

Well, she’s the boss’s daughter…

What was I thinking?

Was I even…thinking?

One look at her curvy body and then, that delicious scent,

I want a taste again…and again. [Read more…] about Featured Book: The Boss’s Daughter by Genelia Love

Featured Book: Hometown Girl Forever by Kirsten Fullmer

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Free Today!
Lizzy’s new job at the spa and her alpaca farm are perfect, if only her overbearing socialite mother would stop interfering. Elliot visits Smithville to check on his latest Spa design and Lizzy can’t help but be drawn to his charms, the problem is he’s exactly the type of man her mother would choose for her…

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Featured Book: Baby for the Boss by Victoria Snow

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About Featured Book: Baby for the Boss by Victoria Snow

“It’s going to be our little secret.

Will you agree to be my fake fiancée?”

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!

Why did I agree to this?

My feelings for my boss were never fake.

I know he doesn’t do relationships,

And only needs me to keep his job.

Then, why is it getting so hard?
[Read more…] about Featured Book: Baby for the Boss by Victoria Snow

Featured Book: The Wicked Sister by Virginia Barlow

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About Featured Book: The Wicked Sister by Virginia Barlow

With her stepfathers sudden death, Lady Anastasia Covington goes from living a privileged lifestyle to selling vegetables in the village marketplace in the blink of an eye. Alone and at the mercy of her nefarious stepsister , she yearns for love and acceptance . Disguised as a simple soldier , Prince Percival catches a dark-haired emerald-eyed beauty in his arms. He is bewitched. The more he sees her, the more intrigued he is by her

This Erotica book is available in these Formats: eBook, Print

Buy Book Here.

Featured Box Set: Mountain Men of Liberty by K.C. Crowne

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Mountain Men of Liberty by K.C. Crowne box set book coverAbout Featured Book: Mountain Men of Liberty by K.C. Crowne

Four deliciously heart pumping mountain men and the lucky ladies who capture their hearts.
Transport yourself into the charming and magical small town of Liberty Utah, as we follow the rugged, rowdy hot and possessive mountain men in their quests to find lasting love on the peaks and mounts of Liberty. [Read more…] about Featured Box Set: Mountain Men of Liberty by K.C. Crowne