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Archive for 'paranormal romance'
Back in the early 1990s, Mr. Munro and I did an overland trip from England to Kathmandu. The trip proper started once we reached Turkey. It was my first visit to Turkey, the country where the west and east meet, and I loved the food, the beaches, the history, and the people we met.
We traveled around the Western coast, hitting the gorgeous beaches and then drove up the east coast of Turkey.
I’d never heard of Nemrut Dagi before, and to be honest, I wasn’t that impressed with our game plan once we arrived. We had to get up early to see the sunrise. I’d been promised a brilliant show before, and each time I’ve regretted the early start to get to the top of a mountain/hill to be in the perfect position to enjoy this magical time. The sunrise has never lived up to my expectations.
So, a little about Nemrut Dagi before I get back to the sunrise. You’ll find it in the Eastern Taurus mountains, and it’s a man-made funerary mound. The late Hellenistic King Antiochos I of Commagene (69-34 B.C.) made the mound, which consists of stone chips. The king had the structure constructed for his own use. Huge limestone statues face outward from terraces, and guardian animal statues stand at each end. Some of the giant heads have toppled while others stand in their original positions.
As I mentioned, I had no expectations of our visit, but I loved the weathered heads that stand taller than a person. I enjoyed wandering around the site. We were lucky because there were only a few of us—our group of eight in fact.
Photos of some of the enormous heads at Nemrut Dagi. Note – it was still pre-dawn when the bottom photo was taken.
I remember feeling the cold, but for once the sunrise was pretty, the sky a wash of pink and pale blue. This time, the person who informed me a pre-sunrise slog up a mountain was a good thing was entirely right. Nemrut Dagi has remained as a bright memory, and when I started writing Star-Crossed with Scarlett, it was the perfect inspiration to add to the action and adventure of my plot.
This is a shot of the burial mound and some of the statues (parts of them).
Two pics taken during sunrise. Of all the sunrises I’ve seen, this was my favorite!
My memories of Nemrut Dagi inspired part of the plot for Star-Crossed with Scarlett, a paranormal, action-adventure romance. I don’t want to say too much. Spoilers, you know!
Today, I’m excited to welcome Shai August to my blog. Shai August is a country girl with a big imagination, more than a touch of wanderlust and a never-ending desire to live in both an RV traveling the world and a library. Her love language is words of affirmations followed by books, bacon, and bourbon.
She’s a born and bred Louisiana native but is currently doing an impression of a yellow rose of Texas. She is fluent in English, sarcasm and memes. Her goal is to write fast paced, character driven paranormal fiction featuring women of color.
Shai, hello and welcome to my corner of the world! Please tell us a little about yourself and what draws you to write paranormal romance.
Thank you for having me! Really not much to tell, I’m rather boring in the typical work, eat, sleep, and read cycle of life but at some point, in the last few years my imagination outgrew my head and I had to start telling stories or go crazy.
I can’t pinpoint to you when I fell in love with the paranormal but being from Louisiana, there has always been an overlay of stories of witches, voodoo and the rougarou or loup garoux to power my daydreams and these were the types of books and shows I found myself drawn to the most.
Then as a teenager I fell heavily into Harlequin romances devouring them by the dozens.
Plus, I’m a complete sucker for love and lust at first sight romances and writing paranormal romance has allowed me to combine my loves of complex world building of fantasy, the romance of Harlequin with supernatural elements.
Shifters are my favorites when it comes to paranormal romance. Tell us a little about the shifters in your The Rare and the Unknown world. How did you come up with the idea for your shifter world?
Who hasn’t fallen in book love with a sexy werewolf or dragon? Shifters are my favorite too, but I’ll never turn down a sexy Gandulf (hint never Google ‘sexy Gandulf’). I created my Rare and Unknown world because I wanted, no needed shifters and the women they chased to be more reflective of me and my tastes.
When I was planning my first book, I made a conscious decision to make my shifters people of color and that opened up a world of diversity of characters and more importantly, the diversity of mythology and the expanded animal kingdom to pull from… I’ve got shifters of all shapes and sizes, the traditional werewolves, lions, bears and dragons but also elephants, hippos, huma, and more.
What sort of research did you do during the writing of your The Rare and the Unknown series?
My birthday is in August (hence the Shai August) and I’ve told everyone to give me books on zoology and mythology – no matter the origin Greek, Persian, Brazilian, First Nations, African nations, give them all to me because I’ve attempted to pull aspects of each mythos and stitch them into what I hope will be a quilt of a thousand stories that make up The Rare and The Unknown universe.
Tell us about your daily writing routine. Do you have any tips for other writers who might be having a difficult time keeping their butt in front of their computer?
I’m a 5am writer and I try to also be a 5pm writer, too. I focus hard and use the Pomodoro Technique which is time management technique that breaks down work tasks into intervals of work then break then work, etc. It has been tremendously helpful in making me stay in the seat longer and training myself to write longer.
There is even a Pomodoro Chrome extension that will block websites like Pinterest and Facebook which is my constant distraction.
It also helps to decide what you’re going to write before you put your butt in the chair.
Your bio mentions you have wanderlust. What country is at the top of your must-visit list and why?
There are so many! Can I do a top five instead of just one? Great Britain followed closely by China with Samoa/American Samoa, New Zealand and Australia bringing up the rear but don’t think I don’t want to hit every country on the planet!
There is an eight-month long world cruise that if I ever win the lottery is my very first purchase.
What is the best place for readers to learn more about you and your upcoming paranormal romances?
I’m terrible at this but my website is still a work in progress, months and months after I published my first book. I do have a private Facebook group for my fans, it’s called The Rare and Unknowns and I’m there way too much. They can also sign up for my newsletter but I’m all over the web as Shai August.
Imani has always wanted to be just member of her herd but with her overbearing matriarch mother and grandmother; she’s never been given much of a chance. When Imani accepts a job several states away from the rest of her family the only thing on her mind is proving that she can be independent and more than just a breeder for the Herd.
Ansel is under constant pressure to mate and have children, many, many children as his shifter race is on the verge of extinction. So much pressure, that his mother is hosting an open competition to meet and mate the sexy Alpha.
After meeting Imani, Ansel is convinced that the only woman he wants to mate with is Imani.
Unfortunately, more than single shifter ladies are after Ansel and these other people have plans for Ansel that could prove deadly. Will Ansel and Imani find love before the danger catches up to them?
Purchase at Amazon or get FREE as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Today, I’m excited to welcome Jayelle Morgan to my blog. According to Jayelle, she sees the world through rose-colored glasses, where powerful men melt. Sounds like a load of fun to me!
Hi, Jayelle. What drew you to write paranormal romance?
Hi Shelley! Glad to be here.
I have always read every kind of romance, but what drew me to write paranormal romance was my love for the idea that sometimes the world isn’t exactly what it seems. I like the thought that powerful beings could hide in our world, only revealing themselves to certain individuals. Added to the idea of fated mates/soul mates, and PNR seemed a natural place for me to be.
Part of your bio states you fuel your creativity with the three writer staples. I’m curious and wondering if I’ve missed something. What are the staples? Should I get some too?
Silly me, I thought they were in my bio! My staples are the things that fuel my body, mind, and creativity. Coffee first, always, followed by chocolate and daydreams. I’m not sure I could write if you took one of those away. :)
You write a series about Elementals. What exactly is an elemental? If I were to visit the Elemental world, what would I discover?
An Elemental is a being of pure energy from a realm separate from our own. Their energy takes a specific form (fire, water, air, etc.). They’ve traveled to our world many times before, to create or destroy, or just to adventure. They’re hidden in our stories and mythologies. My Elementals are mainly warriors, sent here to fight the forces of chaos that hurtling the world toward permanent destruction.
These warriors come from the elemental world, a stark but beautiful place made of a material like obsidian, nestled in the heart of a glowing nebula. Elementals are born in the nebula, as all things are. Their world is always lit with a dusk-like glow. Parts of the world are civilized, while in other parts, wild Elementals roam free in their natural state.
What comes next in the Elemental Hearts series? Can you give us a few hints?
Oh, gosh. I wish I could write faster, because I see the next 3 books in my head already. I’m anxious to get to last book because it’s going to be epic. Before then, we will watch Rowan, the Plant warrior, Terrel, the Lightning warrior, and Walker, the Water warrior and commander of the others, fall in love. The ups and downs I see coming will mean they won’t have an easy time of it, but I promise readers that every book and the series as a whole will have a very happy ending.
Ask any author, and they’ll tell you writing is hard work. What is your favorite thing about working on a story? Is there any particular part of writing that you find challenging?
My favorite part of writing is when a story or scene appears in my head as if by magic. The ideas and words come hot and fast as I watch it all unfold in my head like a movie. I love that part. Right then is when the book seems the most engaging, the most emotional, the most sweeping. The most perfect.
The most challenging part of writing for me is meshing all those scenes and ideas into an actual story. What comes next? It’s hardest for me when I can’t see or hear the characters and scenes in my head. Sometimes I struggle for months, writing in the dark before I figure out if I’ve written the right thing or the wrong thing.
I understand you have a free story called Ice Hot, which is part of the Elemental Hearts series. How do readers get their hands on a copy of this?
Everyone who joins my newsletter can download a copy of this super steamy short story. Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/b_TYO1
What is the best place for readers to learn more about you and your upcoming releases?
My newsletter is probably the best way to keep up to date with my books. But readers can follow my author page on Facebook if they prefer. https://www.facebook.com/jayellemorgan/
HE’S GOING TO SET HER WORLD ON FIRE…
Brooke Simmonds moved to the isolated mountain town of Topaz Ridge to start her ideal life. The day she gets everything she’s been working towards, her life goes up in flames.
Literally.
Her rescue is a haze of pain and smoke, but she remembers the handsome stranger that carried her out of the blaze. Are her memories clouded by smoke inhalation, or did she really see him manipulating the flames to save her?
SHE’S GOING TO BURN HIM UP WITH DESIRE…
Levi takes an instant liking to Brooke, whose smile makes him burn hotter than the fire inside him. When her apartment building bursts into flames, he springs to the rescue. As one of the elite Elemental Warriors sent here to fight the forces of Chaos, he’s got the power to do it. His control however, is… unpredictable. He gets her to safety, but not before revealing himself for what he is.
When the enemy turns their sights on Brooke, she’s sucked into a world, and a war, she never knew existed. The burn between her and Levi is undeniable, but will it be enough to help them conquer their foes, and their differences? Or will they both go down in flames?
Grab one or more of these FREE paranormal romance reads. Seven days left before they’re gone.
Today, I’m excited to welcome McKenna Dean to my blog. McKenna Dean has been an actress, a vet tech, a singer, a teacher, a biologist, and a dog trainer. She’s worked in a genetics lab, at the stockyard, behind the scenes as a props manager, and at a pizza parlor slinging dough. Finally, she realized all these jobs were just a preparation for what she really wanted to be: a writer.
She likes putting her characters in hot water to see how strong they are. Like tea bags, only sexier.
Hi, McKenna! Your website tagline is “Paranormal lives here.” Please tell us a little about yourself and what made you write paranormal romance.
I’ve been writing for about 10 years now, having cut my teeth in fanfiction. I had a hard time settling down to one genre at first—I love so many! Romance, mysteries, science-fiction, historical romance… finally, I realized that most of my stories had that little extra twist that comes from the supernatural—and my experiences working with animals just lent itself to writing about shifters.
I also love exploring that sense of “other” you get with paranormal romance. It’s such a great genre for examining our social structure. Not to mention, my favorite stories center around found families and finding your tribe. Paranormal romance has such wonderful scope for world building, too.
You write several series, but let’s focus on your Redclaw Security books today. You’ve won awards with these books, so please give us a little background. What was the inspiration behind your series?
I’m so glad you asked! Redclaw Security is an elite firm of paranormal agents who investigate and solve shifter matters. Prior to the use of nuclear weapons in WW2, there were very few shifters, mostly of the mythological kind, such as phoenixes, dragons, and griffins. Nuclear testing activated dormant shifter genes in the rest of the population, creating the wolf, big cat, and bear shifters (and more) we all know and love. At the same time, artifacts of great power were triggered as well, many of which can only be used by those with the shifter gene. The Paranormal Council formed Redclaw to collect, study, and isolate such artifacts, as well as serve as a kind of law enforcement for shifters as they can’t take their problems to the regular police. The Redclaw books can be read as standalones, and each of them feature a member of Redclaw in some form or another, showcasing a different set of characters with each story.
I’m also working on the origin story of Redclaw. Set in the 1950s, the Bishop and Knight books feature a pair of human agents working within Redclaw in its early days. Henrietta “Rhett” Bishop is a former socialite in desperate need of a job, who’s been tasked with recruiting a brilliant but discredited scientist, Dr. Peter Knight, to work for Redclaw. I’m having great fun writing these stories, which I liken to Nick and Nora meets Warehouse-13. The first in the series, Bishop Takes Knight, should be out in June or July 2019.
I’m very excited about another planned series, however! Whereas the Redclaw books feature different characters within the agency, the Better off Red series is going to focus on the Major Shifter Crimes division within Redclaw. Tiger-shifter Morgan Delaney is in charge of MSC, leading her teammates fox-shifter Jason Fox (yes, people make jokes about his name), hedgehog-shifter Mark Mabry, honey-badger shifter Lex Reeder, and ocelot-shifter Perdita Hansen as they tackle the gritty crimes of the paranormal world. Her first big case on returning to duty after killing her ex in self-defense involves shifters being murdered for their DNA—and all signs point to wealthy industrialist Rian Stirling, who happens to be her boss’s half-brother—as well as her fated mate. I can’t wait to share those books with you guys!
What is your favorite paranormal creature to write? Do you like felines or wolves best, and what research did you do to write your shifters?
I’m a biologist and have worked as a dog trainer and a vet tech. Writing animal scenes are the easiest part of my stories! I do spend a fair amount of time online researching specifics—such as the length of a grizzly bear claw (Two to four inches) and whether or not tigers can purr (they can’t! Cheetahs are the only big cats that purr). Picking between the two is like asking me to choose between dogs and cats. Um, both? Though given the number of cat shifters I have in my stories, it looks like the felines are in the lead right now.
What comes next in the Redclaw Security series? Can you give us a few hints?
People have been begging me for bear-shifter Andy Grant’s story, and I promise it will come. I’ve been eyeing Morgan’s younger sister as a potential mate for him. Can you imagine how hard it would be to live up to your big sister, who’s a tiger-shifter and head of one of crack teams within Redclaw, when you’re ‘only’ a cat shifter and a forest ranger? Bridget is going to learn not to compare herself to her sister, and find love along the way.
Ask any author, and they’ll tell you writing is hard work. I like to have a cup of tea on hand before I start my working day. Do you have any rituals to get you in the mood to write, and what is your favorite time of the day to add to your word count?
My favorite time to write is in the morning, but that rarely happens. I hit the ground running and am at work by 7:30 am each day, often putting in ten to twelve hours. I like the idea of rituals, but mostly I’m sneaking writing in here and there, in between other things. My idea of heaven is a weekend in a cabin, where I take the dogs for long walks in the woods (the best time to brainstorm!) and write all afternoon and evening.
I understand you have a free story called Snowfall, which is part of the Redclaw Security series. How do readers get their hands on this and does it standalone?
Oh, that’s easy! You can sign up for my newsletter and get Snowfall for free when you do so. It’s a short story set in the Redclaw universe, but I love Paige and Nicholas so much I’m planning to give them their own full length story someday! And yes, like all the Redclaw Security books, it can be read as a standalone. The Bishop and Knight books, as well as the Better off Dead stories, will be more traditional series.
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/c8GDYX
What is the best place for readers to learn more about you and your upcoming releases?
The best place is to follow my blog—I tend to post about once a week with snippets about life on the farm and upcoming plans. I’m far more disciplined about posting there than sending out a newsletter—most of the time those are featuring stories on sale. If you go to the right sidebar on my blog page, you’ll see the subscription box for the website. You might have to scroll down before you see it, especially if you’re on your smartphone.
http://mckennadeanromance.com/blog
Links:
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Snowfall (A Redclaw Security Universe story)
The storm of the century. That’s what the forecasters called it. No problem. Peyton Grant was ready: books, food, wine, and a wood stove. The only thing she could have wished for was a little company. With heavy snow on the way, that was unlikely.
The last thing she expected was to run into celebrity, Nicholas Lang, stuck in a ditch near her house. What could a small-town veterinarian and a movie star have in common? The answer just might make all Peyton’s fantasies come true.
Get Snowfall, free at Amazon
Other books in the Redclaw Security series:
1. The Panther’s Lost Princess
2. Ghost of a Chance
Black Moon Dragon, my New Zealand-set romance, contains dragons or taniwha. In this particular book, I’ve used more Maori mythology than usual and terms that are perhaps unfamiliar to those who live outside New Zealand. I’ve solved this by including a glossary with links to a Maori online dictionary for those who’d enjoy hearing the proper pronunciation.
One scene in the book contains a powhiri, which is the ceremony performed to welcome visitors onto a marae. A marae is a meeting place. Sometimes the collection of buildings around a courtyard where the meetings take place are also defined as a marae.
This video below describes a powhiri and it is an excellent depiction of what a visitor might expect when they visit a marae.
Black Moon Dragon is the third book in the Dragon Investigators series. It is due out on 21 May.
Her life has taken a turn to Crazy Town. She has caught a weird disease. Now, this scary big dude is offering help. There’s trouble here somewhere, right?
Available wide. Get your copy here: https://books2read.com/u/38xWa6
Today, I’m excited to welcome Anya J Cosgrove to my blog. Anya J Cosgrove lives in Québec with her husband, her beautiful son, and two mischievous cats. She works as a veterinarian by day. What would Buffy do? Kick ass!
Hi, Anya. I understand you’re a new author. Please tell us a little about yourself and what made you decide to start writing.
Hi, Shelley! Thank you for having me on your blog! I’ve published my debut this January, but I’ve been writing stories ever since I was fourteen. I started with fanfictions websites and the like but decided a few years ago to get serious about it and researched self-publishing. English is my second language, and it took me nearly ten years when I switched from French to English to get good enough to write an entire novel.
Your blurb for Shadow Walker includes this snippet. A love triangle to die for! Heart-pounding suspense, two sexy, mysterious men, and a strong-willed, snarky heroine. Nothing stays black and white in a world full of shadows. This sounds awesome since I love the tension a triangle brings to a romance. What did you find was the hardest thing about writing a love triangle?
The hardest thing was for the heroine not to appear too casual or too annoying. It’s a fine line when the heroine is unsure which one to pick. As the author, I want the sexy drama to unfold without the heroine being mean/feeble. In Vampire Diaries, it was very well done, but Elena was clearly with Stephan at the start and stayed with him for a long time, so it’s different.
Shadow Walker is a slow-burn romance. How would you define a slow-burn romance? What made you choose this type of relationship for your novel?
I love slow-burn romances. For me, it means the sex/physical stuff isn’t at the center of the relationship and is delayed. My trilogy is action-packed, and there are plenty of twists, but it does take longer for the characters to rip each other’s clothes off. I love to see the attraction and drama unfold— to revel in the uncertainty and longing that comes with waiting. But I think the longer you wait, the more explosive and incredible the ending must be, and I worked hard to do my characters justice.
Ask any author, and they’ll tell you writing is hard work. What do you like most about writing a book? What part of the creative process makes you want to tear out your hair? *grin*
I don’t plan everything, so I love to discover the characters and the story. Sometimes, they take me somewhere entirely different than what I originally thought.
I’m a slow writer, so it takes me months to write a book. I write all the good stuff first, so by the end, I get stuck with some scenes. I’m working hard to increase my speed and efficiency and not keep all those difficult scenes for the end.
I understand you have a free story called Lost Boy, which is the prequel to Shadow Burn. How do readers get their hands on this?
They can get it free through my newsletter (and can unsubscribe at any time.)
http://bit.ly/anyaslair
What is the best place for readers to learn more about you and your upcoming releases?
My newsletter: http://bit.ly/anyaslair
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnyaJCosgrove/
Here is the blurb:
A newborn witch is hunted for her blood. Two smoking-hot brothers teach her how to survive. Can she unravel their dark secrets?
Demons. Magic. Fear.
I never believed in witches until I became one. I thought monsters existed only on television screens. I was wrong. And naïve.
Thom Walker saved me, but I don’t trust him. His brother Liam is one of them. A demon. He almost devoured me.
Desire. Secrets. Forbidden love.
Witchcraft isn’t easy, and my sparring sessions with my two saviors/jailers are distracting as hell. My feelings must be laid on ice before I end up dead. And I need to find out if I can actually lose my soul, or if it’s a weird metaphor.
Liam says I should embrace the darkness. And the darkness is coming…
A love triangle to die for! Heart-pounding suspense, two sexy, mysterious men, and a strong-willed, snarky heroine. Nothing stays black and white in a world full of shadows.
Purchase Shadow Walker (available in Kindle Unlimited)
When I wrote the first book in the Dragon Investigators series, the story was for an anthology, and the book had a different title. It was a fun one-off that I enjoyed writing since it was set in New Zealand and I made a foray into Maori mythology.
A few years later, I started thinking about Hone Taniwha who was one of Jack’s co-workers and a friend. Blood Moon Dragon was the result of all that thinking. At the end of the book, I left Hone’s cousin Manu in a difficult predicament, which took a bit of consideration and more pondering. Recently, I wrote the third book in the series, Black Moon Dragon, and it is due for release on 21 May 2019.
The moon plays a big part in my Dragon Investigators series, hence my choice of titles. Before I started writing I had no idea there were so many types of moons. I know better now.
Here are the definitions for the types of moons I’ve used in my titles:
Blue moon – a blue moon occurs when there are two full moons during a calendar month. In Blue Moon Dragon the hero Jack’s control is tested during the upcoming blue moon.
Blood moon – this occurs when the moon is in eclipse. The moon’s orbit places it behind the Earth and in Earth’s shadow. The Earth’s atmosphere bends light into the shadows. The blue colors are scattered until only red remains, so we get a blood moon. In Blood Moon Dragon the blood in this romance is literal rather than an eclipse of the moon.
Photo by Robert Wiedemann on Unsplash
Black moon – this occurs when there are two new moons during a calendar month, and this is relatively rare. In Black Moon Dragon our hero and heroine are both experiencing new things, which made this title perfect.
What’s next? Well, I’m not sure, but there are lots of other moons to choose from.
A wolf moon, which the tribal Indians named because wolves called during January. Source: Farmers’ Almanac.
A snow moon, which occurs during February when the full moon lights up the snowy panoramas.
There are pink moons, worm moons, harvest moons, frost moons, super moons. I’ve discovered loads of inspiration for the future and rather fancy working a frost moon into a story because I like the sound of a Frost Moon Dragon.
Watch this space…
At long last, the Dragon Investigators series has a new addition. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and I absolutely adore the hero and heroine together.
There is suspense, humor, dragon politics, and Maori mythology along with romance. If you’ve read Blood Moon Dragon, book 2 in the series, you’ve already met Manu. You’ll realize the predicament Manu was in at the end of Hone’s romance. In Black Moon Dragon, Manu finally gets his happy-ever-after.
Check out the blurb:
Her life has taken a turn to Crazy Town.
She has caught a weird disease.
And now, this scary big dude is offering help.
There’s trouble here somewhere, right?
Manu Taniwha. A billionaire inventor. Leader. Tattoos, bossy attitude, icy control. Man by day. Dragon at night. Magnificent. Oh yeah.
But what’s his angle?
Jessalyn Brown. A daypack of possessions. Debts. Half-blood with huge, fiery problems. Her only wealth is an old pendant.
She’d be crazy to trust this man, yet every instinct is propelling her to say yes.
What if he turns her into the cops? Or has nefarious plans for her body? She’s no dummy even if she is new to the city.
Finally, Jessalyn agrees to stay with him, but if this dragon gets out of line, she’ll leave in a heartbeat. Her way or the highway.
Stand well back because her flames are hot!
You’ll adore this dragon romance because it contains a grumpy billionaire taniwha with his mesmerizing tattoos and his dislike of, dragon politics, plus the strong, sassy woman who is about to burst out of her cocoon and kick dragon butt.
Pre-order at:
Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Nook |
