Author Interview: Eden Rivers

Author Name: Eden Rivers

Year started writing for LI: 2008

Titles: Nature’s Pentacle (March 25 ’08), Strange Sabbats (out this week)

Web Page: http://www.edenrivers.com/

What genre do you write in, and why? :
Erotic romance, mostly paranormal. I also write straight paranormal and urban fantasy under a different name. Why? Just what interests me, I guess.

How much time do you spend writing every week? :
Countless hours. I write full time.

What was the first story you ever wrote about? (not nec. first published story) :
Gosh, that would be back in grade school! It was about a flower goddess. Guess my pagan roots came out early…

How do you judge the effectiveness of the sensual scenes in your stories? : When they make my husband blush!

Do you ever try out the sexual positions you write to make sure of accuracy? :
No comment.

Ever been told, Um...sweetie, that's not how it works? :
No.

What one word best describes your toy collection? :
No comment.

Favorite candy while writing? :
Chocolate!

Where did your most unusual plot idea come from? :
A fantasy.

What inspires you to write? :
Everything! Dreams, thoughts, conversations, memories, books, music… The list is endless.

What music inspires your writing? :
Depends on my mood, anything from rock, to Celtic, to classical, to international…

Plotter or a Panster? :
I go both ways.

Does your cat insist on sitting on your keyboard like mine does? :
No cat. But my mini poodle begs to get in my lap when I write.

What is your most embarrassing moment as an erotic romance author? : I guess just dealing with other writers who aren’t open to the genre, and fielding questions like, “But do your children know what you do?”

Most challenging place you've ever written a spicy scene? :
In my office, which opens onto the kitchen, while dinnertime chaos and homework chaos happens in the background. And I do it all the time. Sigh.

When you get stuck, how do you find your way back to the writing? :
Force myself to sit down and type till it starts flowing again. Pure determination!

The Personal stuff:

Any outrageous liaisons in your past?
Caught “parking” off a deserted road by the police during high school, with my then boyfriend, who’s now husband. Most embarrassing moment in my life.

Where's the most unusual place you ever managed to have sex? :
Not telling, but it’s really, truly outrageous!

What was the most romantic meal you've eaten? :
Eggplant parmesan and red wine in a restaurant styled like an old fashioned private library, in Door County, WI, on my honeymoon.

What kind of books do you read for fun? :
Any great fiction!

Is your real life anything like your stories? What about your fantasies? :
My life couldn’t possibly be more different from my stories--well except that I’m pagan like many of my characters.

If you were to make a bumper sticker for your car that had to relate to erotic romance, what would it say? :
No idea.

Soulmates? Do you believe? :
Nope. Fun in fiction, but in real life marriage is about hard work, love, common interests, communication, compromises, and sticking out the tough times.

Sex with anyone famous? :
Nope.

Cake or Pie? Coke or Pepsi? Tea or Coffee? :
Cake. No soda. Herb tea.

The Interruption

Happy Friday! The end of the week, finally. The end...something we all strive to reach. The end of a race, the work week, a story. Recently, I’ve been trying to finish the end of my current work-in-progress around a lot of distractions.

A high school graduation, small children, new releases from other authors I’ve been dying to read... and the worst of the lot, a helpful husband. Yep, of all my distractions, the husband seems to be most brutal. Why? Because he peeks in to “see if I can help” always at a critical moment in my manuscript. It’s almost eerie how his timing is so spot on. The other night I was right in the middle of a steamy scene, typing away madly in the privacy and solitude of the study.

The door suddenly shot open. “Hi honey. Need anything?”

BAM. Concentration shot all to hell, not to mention he scared the crap out of me. Now a nicer person would have thanked him for his thoughtfulness and waited for him to leave. I’m not that nice.

“Jake, would you please not interrupt while I’m working? I was just in the middle of a scene--” I hastily minimized my screen. I hate when anyone sees a WIP, not to mention a hot m/m sex scene. Since this was the third time that night he’d interrupted, I freaked on him a little more.

I’ve had the talk with the family before about my writing time, and needless to say, I had it again with Mr. Helpful Husband. (I think, subconsciously, he wants attention. But I’m no shrink, so who knows?) With small children still in the house and school out—I hate summer-- I now write during nap times or late at night. Since I have to wait for everyone else , I take my precious quiet time seriously.

I’ve heard of other writers who suffer similar problems. Friends and family who think writing isn’t a job and expect favors and chores when the writer’s trying to write. For the most part, my family IS supportive. And once I chastised my poor husband, he slunk away and left me alone. No doubt mumbling under his breath the whole time.

I’ve always wondered about that writer that can create while kids are screaming around her/him or in the middle of a Starbucks. I need quiet and solitude. I don’t like music or television as background noise. Just me and my muse hitting the keyboard. So when I’m on a roll, an interruption can really throw me off. Thankfully, I pressed on and am nearly done the story.

Now, before I start my writing time, I let everyone know not to bother me unless they’re bleeding or nearly dead: i.e. EMERGENCY ONLY. Once all are in accord, I set to work.

In retrospect it’s funny, but at the time of that last interruption, I was pretty ticked. Once I took the time to calm down and explain my writing processes to my husband, he grudgingly conceded to give the study a wide berth when I'm typing.

Whether writing, reading or doing something that requires concentration, at one point or another we all crave that special time by ourselves. I’m curious, what’s your big interrupter, and how do you deal with it?

Have a great--uninterrupted--weekend.

Marie
www.marieharte.com

Shapeshifters, Fantasy Vs. Science Fiction

If you’re going to use shapeshifters in your stories, you need to decide what the rules are first. You need to decide if your shapeshifter is a Fantasy type shapeshifter, a SF type shapeshifter or maybe even a blend of both Fantasy & SF types.

1.Fantasy Shapeshifters: For the most part, Fantasy shapeshifters (it doesn’t matter what shape, they could be any type of werecreature or vampire) use magic in order to change their shape. Many authors prefer magical shapeshifters because then they don’t have to worry about what happens to the shifter’s clothing during the transformation. Magic takes care of everything. But regardless of the fact that you’re using magic as the basis for your shifter, rules must always be set up ahead of time and adhered to strictly during the story.

a.) Rules. You can pick and choose and mix any number of rules but once you’ve set up your rules, you cannot deviate from them within your story. Why? Because it ruins the story for your readers when the characters don’t have specific rules for their abilities. It’s sloppy writing and lousy worldbuilding.

Penny Ehrenkrantz discusses rules of magic and the need to be consistent with these rules in her excellent article entitled Creating a Realistic Fantasy World at this webpage. http://www.writing-world.com/sf/world.shtml

Patricia Wrede dissects the usage of Rules of Magic at this page from her Fantasy Worldbuilding website. http://www.sfwa.org/writing/worldbuilding4.htm#tech

b.) Limits
Your characters need limits on their abilities in order to make them believable to your readers. Weaknesses, imperfections, quirks, and vices make your character more real & appealing. The audience can identify with the character.

If your characters have no limits and can do anything they want, then it’s too easy for them to escape from dangerous situations. There’s no suspense in the story when they’re too strong and perfect. Even Superman had a limiting factor, kryptonite.

Flaws and imperfections create the character arc where a character develops and grows, overcomes obstacles, gains knowledge and wisdom. A real character isn’t just one single obvious trait, but a person with a unique combination of many qualities and drives, some of them conflicting.

Here are a few classic examples of magical rules and limitations on these rules for shapeshifters.
i. Werewolves can only shape shift when there’s a full moon.
ii. Sunlight kills vampires.
iii. Garlic, holy water, crosses and other religious symbols are protection against vampires.
iv. Vampires create new vampires with three bites and by sharing blood with their creation.
v. A single vampire bite makes you a slave to that vampire.
vi. Vampires cannot cross a threshold without invitation.
vii. Vampires need to carry along a piece of Earth from their home territory in order to leave that territory.
viii. Vampire magic is so strong, they can dissolve their clothing when they turn into bats and smoke and recreate their clothing when they return to human shape.
ix. Werewolf magic alters body shape, not clothing.
x. A witch or wizard can curse a person into becoming any type of animal with no ability to change back to his or her human form. Removing the curse turns the person back to his or her human form.

Preferred Methods of Killing a Fantasy Vampire.

#1. Albania = Stake through heart
#2. Bulgaria = Chain to grave with wild roses
#3. Macedonia = Pour boiling oil on, drive nail through navel
#4. Prussia = Put poppy seeds in grave. (With all due respect, putting seeds in the grave, it doesn’t have to be poppy seeds, just something unfeasibly numerous and un-countable, wasn't to kill a vamp, simply to keep him occupied counting 'til the end of days. You ever wonder why they had the counting Count on Sesame Street? Old folklore.)
#5. Rumania = Remove heart, cut in two; garlic in mouth, nail in head
#6. Saxony = Lemon in mouth

2. Science Fiction Shapeshifters:

a.) Werewolves are a genetic mutation and can only pass their heritage to their children.
b.) Werewolves are caused by a viral infection by blood & saliva similar to the transmission of the AIDS/HIV infection. A werewolf bite changes his or her victim into a werewolf.
c.) Vampires are a genetic mutation and can only pass their heritage to their children.
d.) Vampires are caused by a viral infection transmitted by blood & saliva similar to the transmission of the AIDS/HIV infection. A vampire bite changes his or her victim into another vampire.
e.) Werewolves, vampires and other shapeshifters are alien extraterrestrials who migrated to Earth because humans are an excellent source of food.
f.) Shapeshifters can only alter their own DNA & body shape. They cannot alter or dissolve clothing because the clothing doesn’t contain the shapeshifter’s DNA.
g.) Shapeshifters who can assume ANY form whatsoever like Odo in Deep Space Night or the later model robot Terminators in the Terminator 2 & 3 movies don’t have to wear clothing. WHY? Because when they alter their shape, they also alter their skin so it looks like they’re wearing clothing.

So, if you’re going to create vampires or other shapeshifters, you have a variety of rules to use. Regardless of which rules you use, make sure you adhere to them and don’t change the rules in mid-story.

Science Fiction and Fantasy readers are passionate about the worlds they find in their books and they hate sloppy worldbuilding. After you have the worldbuilding set up, then comes the fun part of writing the story and watching your characters have very active and happy sex lives in between their adventures.



Barbara Karmazin
http://www.sff.net/people/selkiewife

Covering New Ground in Strange Sabbats

I’m doing the release day happy dance for Strange Sabbats today, especially since this novella represents a few firsts for me. Which says something about me as an author right there. I love doing new things when I write. My goal’s always to keep my work fresh, interesting, and challenging. Boredom and I just don’t mix.

Strange Sabbats tells three intertwining stories, following the lives of three witches and their lovers, and the second plot line focuses on Bryan and Dallas. I’ve included explicit m/m scenes in my ménage stories in the past, and I thoroughly enjoyed taking the next step and writing Bryan and Dallas’s m/m erotic romance.

One of my favorite scenes in Bryan and Dallas’s story involves a vision of the Green Man and the Horned God. This scene was written with a mix of mirth and reverence, as it involves deities dear to my pagan heart. And yes, writing an m/m erotic scene between gods represents another delightful first for me.

Then there’s Sylvie and Ty’s story, and their scorching f/f/m ménage with one of Ty’s friends. To date, my ménage scenes have been either m/f/m or m/m/f, so I had a lot of fun upping the heat with yet another sexy combination of lovers.

As for my lead story in the novella, Aileen and Jon, let’s just say I introduce some magical kink that really got my creative juices flowing. Now here’s the blurb for my latest story about lusty witches:

Aileen sacrificed her power for the sake of her marriage, only to see her husband die in a car crash. When childhood friend Jon appears on the scene for a Yule celebration, the sex is scorching. But jealousy gets in the way of true love, until Aileen's power returns--and so does Jon.

Aileen's brother, Bryan, still carries a torch for Jon, and fears revealing himself to humans. But when he includes his human friend Dallas in an erotic Beltane ritual, it's clear who holds the whip in that relationship.

Jon's Aunt Sylvie has the erotic relationship of a lifetime with Ty, a younger man--until she's offered a CEO position in New York. On the night of the summer harvest festival, Ty makes Sylvie's most wanton fantasy come true by inviting another woman into their bed.

For three witches related by blood and common circumstances, finding the men of their dreams is a supernatural ride through love, jealousy, kink with a touch of magic, and fierce, red hot witch sex.

Happy Reading!

Eden Rivers
www.edenrivers.com
Buy Link for Strange Sabbats
Buy Link for Nature’s Pentacle

Keep on trying

I sat down today and had a time coming up with a topic. I kept bouncing around first sentences.

But, I didn’t give up.

And that’s when I decided what my topic should be on. Perseverance.

Goodness knows, in this business, you need it. Very few people have it easy. Most have rejection notes. Enough to paper their walls. Most have times where their careers do not run smoothly.

Sherrilyn Kenyon once couldn’t sell a thing, to the point, she almost gave up. The key is almost. She scrounged money for a stamp on one last proposal to send out, and that was the one.

Stephen King threw Carrie in the trash. He was almost to the point of throwing in the towel, but he didn’t. That’s the book that got him started.

And, look at where both of them are today.

There are days I really don’t want to answer mail, do promotions, or even some days, write. But I keep at it. I have a Snoopy figurine on my desk. He’s sitting on his doghouse, pounding away at the keys. That’s my inspiration to be perseverant. If Snoopy can do it, so can I.

Whatever your dream, keep on pursuing reaching it.

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
www.mechelearmstrong.com
www.melanylogen.com

The Sweet Flag ~ Jeanne Barrack surrenders!

I surrender to my long-held desire to write my first m/m paranormal, historical romance for Loose Id! Released on May 20th, The Sweet Flag is my willing surrender to a story that I just had to tell. Here's the info:

Available at:
http://www.loose-id.com/detail.aspx?ID=712

BLURB:
Brandon Keats is a paranormal investigator, specializing in Civil War phenomena. As a gay man, he's searched for years for evidence of gay paranormal activity. When he finally finds what he believes to be an example of this, he decides to confront the ghost of a homosexual Civil War soldier at the grave where he's been sighted.Ron Tayvail has guarded the grave of Matthew Hardesty for years. When he learns of Brandon's interest in the legend of "The Vigilant Soldier", he's determined to dissuade him from any deeper investigation. He didn't realize that he'd fall in love with the fellow on first sight. And yearn to become his lover. For always.
To read an excerpt, visit: http://www.loose-id.com/JBTSFex.aspx

Amethyst Eyes are watching

New, from Loose Id. Amethyst Eyes by Melinda Barron

Yes, it's true. I've taken a step away from the Tygers world for just a bit to produce something different. Amethyst Eyes is a polyamorous paranormal menage that I just loved writing. It centers around Ansling Carr, who has experienced visions her whole life. She's learned to fight them, though. Until those visions contain Tobias Sinclair and Kellen Rainey, two very sexy men who make it clear they want, and need her.

And here is the rest of it.

For the first time in her life, Ansling lets her gifts develop so they can be used in the fight against evil. And, she learns that she can be loved for who she truly is. Developing a magical world was fun, and challenging. I had a great time, and I think that it shows. Ansling is a strong character, who has learned to live life on her own, shutting herself off from the world by taking a job in paradise as a dive master. When she meets Tobias and Kellen, though, things change, and begin to smolder. At times, I thought my fingers would burn from the heat between these three characters.

The idea for Amethyst Eyes, and the series titled The Pentagram Stones, came to me while I was in Houston for the 2007 Romantic Times convention. It was one of those things that just popped into my head, and wouldn't let go. I was thrilled when Loose Id offered a contract for it, and have loved the story and the way it developed.

For those of you who are worried about the next Tygers book, take heart. Just a few weeks ago I signed the contract for Tygers 5: Sweet Redemption. Yes, it's Helena and TK's story, and it is scorching.

Here's the blurb for Amethyst Eyes. I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it!

Dive Master Ansling Carr is very happy with the new life she's made for herself: Until she starts having dreams of two very sexy men loving each other. They want her to join them in a triad, where their sexual energy will locate, and retrieve, a stone that helps hold an evil witch captive in a pentagram.

Ansling, who has long fought her gift of seeing, quickly realizes these men are her soul mates. They make her body tingle with their touch, and awaken powers inside her that she thought would never be used for good.

Together, they will battle an evil witch sent to protect the stone, and recharge their bodies -- and souls -- with hot bonding sex that makes them more powerful than ever.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices, ménage (m/m/f), violence.

Hot Topic: Words that disrupt reading

Today's Topic:
Words that disrupt reading

There are a lot of words that throw me right out of my headspace while I'm reading. A couple I see quite often and dislike are: ejaculate and rectum. At least those are the two that pop to mind right this minute. Neither are bad words, but they aren't exactly sexy either. ;)

What are some of your most hated words, or phrases in romance?

What are your Guilty Pleasures?

I must admit that one of mine is teen dramas, like the O.C. and now Gossip Girl. I don't know what it is about them that attracts me, but they make me very happy. Maybe it's reliving my youth, though my youth was never that exciting. I even like Kyle XY, which is a very different tone from O.C. and Gossip Girl. One year my friend got me the O.C. game. Of course I have no one to play it with, because I'm the only one I know who watched it. I was so sad to see it end. But now I have Serena and Dan.

Maybe it's the constant romance.

Another guilty pleasure is staring at the Winchester boys on Supernatural. Who cares if they're a few years younger than me? Also on Thursday nights, Smallville--that teen drama thing again. But then I get my adult fix by watching the doctors on Grey's Anatomy act like children.

(As I'm typing this mondo mosquito is hanging above my head. I can't tell if he's dead or maimed, but I'm worried he's about to fall on me!)

Then there's Tivo or a DVR--a definite guilty pleasure. I can timeshift everything and avoid commercials. It records two shows at once. Love it!

I'm soon going to experience another guilty pleasure--I've been invited to one of those parties--you know, a sex toy party. Can you believe it? Can you believe I write erotic romance and haven't been to one yet? I'm worried I'll be too afraid to buy anything in front of witnesses.

Last night I indulged a guilty pleasure and paid for it this morning. Way too much tequila! I was at an outdoor concert, though--quite fun.

Tell me about your guilty pleasures--I'd love to chat!

--Shara

http://www.sharalanel.com

Hot Topic: How explicit do you like it?

Today's topic:
Fictional Sex Scenes

When it comes to your reading material, how explicit do you like the intimate scenes? I'll admit, I'm a dirty girl. I want it to be so realistic I can smell the sweat. :) As the people who read my work can attest, I have a very hard time writing a short sex scene. All five senses need to sparked, and then some.

So what do you think? Should the details be kept to a bare minimum, or be revealed in all their naked glory?

An Angel's Blade - indeed

One of the first "paranormal" romances I read was the book Metal Angel by Nancy Springer. Somehow, having just discovered fantasy and science fiction, I found this book at the bookstore. Maybe it was the handsome, dark-haired angel on the cover, or the commentary it made on God and religion, or maybe it was just damn good writing. Either way, this book stuck with me.

An image of an angel, handsome as sin, spreading his wings, and proclaiming to all his heritage struck me as a very sexy image. I have a couple of pictures picked up at a science fiction convention of angels as viewed from the back, these 3/4 profile handsome faces and muscled flesh with wings rising from the shoulder blades. They hang in the bedroom, amid our astronomical art and other pictures picked up at various conventions.

So when it came time for me to plot my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) story, which became An Angel's Blade, releasing this month from Loose Id, I knew that if I had zombies, then I should have angels too. And he had to be handsome, a good fighter, and maybe a little of the tortured hero.

Left by his father, told all his life he wasn't good enough because he didn't have wings, Dashtu became something of a one-man crusader against the Necromancers who took over most of civilization with their zombies. And although he is an angel, I don't think religion really plays a role in his character or the story. It is a classic good against evil, but considering that the Necromancers turn people into zombies, well, that's pretty darn evil.

I hope you like my angel. I know I really liked writing him. And, he has a few friends, so who knows what the future will bring.

Science Fiction Sexuality, human and alien

Here is the beginning of my post.



Back in 1969, a song soared and became the number one hit. The first words were, “In the Year 2525.” Lots of good ideas and possibilities in that song from popping pills to change your thoughts to test tube babies, virtual reality sex and letting machines do all the work for you while your body atrophies.

Two early pulp SF heros, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon showed a future with rocket ships, robots, ray-guns, alien invasions and various alien races fighting to rule the universe. Shark men and hawk men were featured in both series. Too bad they didn’t explore the sexual possibilities. I always wanted to know how the hawk men made love.

George Lucas was a fan of the Flash Gordon serials, and once wanted to adapt them to the screen. Dino De Laurentiis, who owned the rights, wasn’t interested in Lucas' interpretation, so Lucas wrote Star Wars, which borrowed liberally from the serials. The opening expository roll-up that appeared in episodes of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe became the now-famous opening crawl of each Star Wars episode. Flash Gordon and Dale Arden inspired not only Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, but also their parents, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. Creatures from the snow world of Queen Fria in the Flash Gordon series provided the inspiration for the famous Tauntaun from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

There were two sexual parody movies created, Flesh Gordon and Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders. Needless to say, neither movie did a very good job of exploring the sexual possibilities implicit within the series.

Right now, there are tons of new Fantasy titles out that explore the sexual themes within vampires, werewolves, witches and demons. But when it comes to Science Fiction books, well, that’s where I believe we need to have more sex as a natural and normal part of the characters’ daily lives. After all, no matter if it’s three thousand years into the future or even a hundred thousand years, people and aliens will still need to reproduce.

I want it all, exciting adventures, mysteries, the solving of homicides, mining asteroids, spaceships bringing spacers and traders to new world, psychic phenomena, advances in genetics and physics, new forms of space travel and the emotional and physical roller coaster of sex, love, relationships and family. Instead of giving me the same old, same old stories about a prince and princess of two opposing planets who fall in love despite their differences, give me new stories looking at the daily lives of individuals in the future as they struggle to survive, find a lasting relationship and raise a family.

And, just because the most predominant cultural system on Earth happens to be the heterosexual monogamous marriage, doesn’t mean this type of relationship should apply to everyone, alien and human in your Science Fiction stories. Explore the boundaries there also. Look at cultural evolution and try and extrapolate the way our social beliefs may change and evolve during the next centuries. After all, look at all the changes we’ve experienced during the last four centuries, starting with the American Revolution and change from a monarchy to democracy to equal rights for blacks and women.

Who knows what the future will bring? Especially when you look at the fact that in the present time gays and lesbians are struggling to achieve legal recognition and benefits for committed and long-term relationships. One of the reasons I wrote Christmas Noir and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun with hermaphrodite characters was because I wanted to explore the concept of hermaphrodites as the last minority struggling to achieve equal rights on Earth.

Plus, when formulating cultural beliefs for aliens, I also believe that it’s a good possibility that their standards for personal relationships may be entirely different than ours. Don’t be afraid to go out of the box when creating the cultural and social beliefs for your aliens.


And here is the rest of it.
Calories Burned During Sex...

REMOVING HER CLOTHES:
With her consent...................12 Calories
Without her consent...............2,187 Calories

OPENING HER BRA:
With both hands.................... 8 Calories
With one hand.......................12 Calories
With your teeth.................485 Calories

PUTTING ON A CONDOM:
With an erection..................6 Calories
Without an erection...............3,315 Calories

POSITIONS:
Missionary...................................12 Calories
69 lying down...............................78 Calories
69 standing up..............................812 Calories
Wheelbarrow................................216 Calories
Doggy Style..........................326 Calories
Italian chandelier...................2,912 Calories

ORGASMS:
Real........................................112 Calories
Fake...............................1,315 Calories

POST ORGASM:
Lying in bed hugging... .................18 Calories
Getting up immediately.............36 Calories
Explaining why you got out of bed immediately...816 Calories

GETTING A SECOND ERECTION: If you are:
20-29 years......................................36 Calories
30-39 years......................................80 Calories
40-49 years.....................................124 Calories
50-59 years...................................1,972 Calories
60-69 years...................................7,916 Calories
70 and over........................Results are still pending

DRESSING AFTERWARDS
Calmly..........................................32 Calories
In a hurry.......................................98 Calories
With her father knocking at the door..........5,218 Calories
With your wife knocking at the door..........13,521 Calories

Results may vary.

Barbara Karmazin
www.sff.net/people/selkiewife
www.myspace.com/barbarakarmazin

DANGEROUS GROUND by Josh Lanyon

New from Loose Id.


Special Agents Will and Taylor are relearning to trust each other - and their partnership - after a near fatal shooting a few months ago.
But their male bonding camping trip turns high-stakes chase, and Will is taken hostageRead More...



Special Agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt have been partners and best friends for three years, but everything changed the night Taylor admitted the truth about his feelings for Will. And when Taylor was shot a few hours later, Will felt his reluctance to get involved was vindicated. For Will, the team and the friendship have to come first -- despite the fact that he hasn't failed to notice just how...hot Taylor is.

Taylor has been in love with his partner and best friend since they were first partnered. There isn't much he wouldn't do for Will -- but he doesn't know how much longer they can stay teamed feeling the way he does. Still, he agreed to a camping trip in the High Sierras -- despite the fact that he hates camping -- because Will wanted a chance to save their partnership. But the trip is a disaster from the first, and things rapidly go from bad to worse when they find a crashed plane and a couple of million dollars in stolen money.

With a trio of murderous robbers trailing them, Will and Taylor are on dangerous ground, fighting for their partnership, their passion...and their lives.



Excerpt:

They had instant black bean soup and the Mexican-style chicken for
dinner, and followed it up with the freeze dried ice cream and coffee.

"It's not bad," Taylor offered, breaking off a piece of ice cream and
popping it in his mouth.

Actually the ice cream wasn't that bad. It crunched when you put it
in your mouth, then dissolved immediately, but Will said, "What do
you know? You'll eat anything. If I didn't watch out you'd be eating
poison mushrooms or poison berries or poison oak."

Taylor grinned. It was true; he was a city boy through and through.
Will was the outdoors guy. He was the one who thought a week of
camping and hiking was what they needed to get back on track; Taylor
was humoring him by coming along on this trip. In fact, Will was
still a little surprised Taylor had agreed. Taylor's idea of vacation
time well-spent was on the water and in the sun: renting a house
boat — like they had last summer -- or deep sea fishing — which
Taylor had done on his own the year before.

"They never did arrest anyone in connection with that heist, did
they?" Taylor said thoughtfully, after a few more minutes of
companionable chewing.

"What heist?"

Taylor threw him an impatient look. "The robbery at the Black Wolf
Casino."

"Oh. Not that I heard. I wasn't really following it." Taylor had a
brain like a computer when it came to crimes and unsolved mysteries.
When Will wasn't working, which granted was rarely, the last thing he
wanted to do was think about crooks and crime — especially the ones
that had nothing to do with them.

But Taylor was shaking his head like Will was truly a lost cause, so
he volunteered, "There was something about the croupier, right? She
was questioned a couple of times."

"Yeah. Questioned but never charged." He shivered.

Will frowned. "You all right?"

"Jesus, will you give it a rest!" And just like that, Taylor was
unsmiling, stone-faced and hostile.

There was a short sharp silence. "Christ, you can be an unpleasant
bastard," Will said evenly, finally. He threw the last of his foil
wrapped ice cream in the fire, and the flames jumped, sparks shooting
up with bits of blackened foil.

Taylor said tersely, "You want a more pleasant bastard for a partner,
say the word."

The instant aggression caught Will off-guard. Where the hell had it
come from? "No, I don't want someone more pleasant," he said. "I
don't want a new partner."

Taylor stared at the fire. "Maybe I do," he said quietly.

Will stared at him. He felt like he'd been sucker-punched. Dopey and…
off-kilter.

"Why'd you say that?" he asked finally into the raw silence between
them.

He saw Taylor's throat move, saw him swallowing hard, and he
understood that although Taylor had spoken on impulse, he meant it —
and that he was absorbing that truth even as Will was.

"We're good together," Will said, not giving Taylor time to answer —
afraid that if Taylor put it into words they wouldn't be able to go
back from it. "We're…the best. Partners and friends."

He realized he was gripping his coffee cup so hard he was about to
break the plastic.

Taylor said, his voice low but steady, "Yeah. We are. But...it might
be better for both of us if we were re-teamed."

"Better for you, you mean?"

Taylor met his eyes. "Yeah. Better for me."

And now Will was getting angry. It took him a moment to recognize the
symptoms because he wasn't a guy who got mad easily or often — and
never at Taylor. Exasperated, maybe. Disapproving sometimes, yeah.
But angry? Not with Taylor. Not even for getting himself shot like a
goddamned wet-behind-the-ears recruit. But that pricking flush
beneath his skin, that pounding in his temples, that rush of
adrenaline — that was anger. And it was all for Taylor.

Will threw his cup away and stood up — aware that Taylor tensed.
Which made him even madder — and Will was plenty mad already. "Oh, I
get it," he said. "This is payback. This is you getting your own
back — holding the partnership hostage to your hurt ego. This is all
because I won't sleep with you, isn't it? That's what it's really
about."

And Taylor said in that same infuriatingly even tone, "If that's what
you want to think, go ahead."

Right. Taylor: the guy who jumped first and thought second — if at
all — who couldn't stop shooting his mouth off if his life depended
on it — who thought three months equaled the love of a lifetime —
suddenly he was Mr. Cool and Reasonable. What a goddamn laugh. Mr.
Wounded Dignity sitting there staring at Will with those wide, bleak
eyes.

"What am I supposed to think?" Will asked, and it took effort to keep
his voice as level as Taylor's. "That you're in love? We both know
what this is about, and it ain't love, buddy boy. You just can't
handle the fact that anyone could turn you down."

"Fuck you," Taylor said, abandoning the cool and reasonable thing.

"My point exactly," Will shot back. "And you know what? Fine. If
that's what I have to do to hold this team together, fine. Let's
fuck. Let's get it out of the way once and for all. If that's your
price, then okay. I'm more than willing to take one for the team — or
am I supposed to do you? Whichever is fine by me because unlike you,
MacAllister, I —"

With an inarticulate sound, Taylor launched himself at Will, and
Will, unprepared, fell back over the log he'd been sitting on, head
ringing from Taylor's fist connecting with his jaw. This was rage,
not passion, although for one bewildered instant Will's body
processed the feel of Taylor's whip-thin muscular length landing on
top of his own body as a good thing — a very good thing.

This was followed by the very bad thing of Taylor trying to knee him
in the guts — which sent a new and more clear message to Will's mind
and body.

And there was nothing Will would have loved more than to let go and
pulverize Taylor, to take him apart, piece by piece, but he didn't
forget for an instant — even if Taylor did — how physically
vulnerable Taylor still was; so his effort went into keeping Taylor
from injuring himself — which was not easy to do wriggling and
rolling around on the uneven ground. Even at seventy five percent,
Taylor was a significant threat, and Will took a few hits before he
managed to wind his arms around the other man's torso, yanking him
into a sitting position facing Will, and immobilizing him in a
butterfly lock.

Taylor tried a couple of heaves, but he had tired fast. Will was the
better wrestler anyway, being taller, broader, and heavier. Taylor
relied on speed and surprise; he went in for all kinds of esoteric
martial arts, which was fine unless someone like Will got him on the
ground. Taylor was usually too smart to let that happen, which just
went to show how furious he was.

Will could feel that fury still shaking Taylor — locked in this ugly
parody of a lover's embrace. He shook with exhaustion too, breath
shuddering in his lungs as he panted into Will's shoulder. His wind
was shit these days, his heart banging frantically against Will's.
These marks of physical distress undermined Will's own anger,
reminding him how recently he had almost lost Taylor for good.

Taylor's moist breath against Will's ear was sending a confusingly
erotic message, his body hot and sweaty — but Christ he was thin.
Will could feel — could practically count — ribs, the hard links of
spine, the ridges of scapula in Taylor's fleshless back. And it
scared him; his hold changing instinctively from lock to hug.

"You crazy bastard," he muttered into Taylor's hair.

Taylor struggled again, and this time Will let him go. Taylor got up,
not looking at Will, not speaking, walking unsteadily, but with a
peculiar dignity, over to the tent.

Watching him, Will opened his mouth, then shut it. Why the hell would
he apologize? Taylor had jumped him. He watched, scowling, as Taylor
crawled inside the tent, rolled out his sleeping back onto the air
mattress Will had remembered to set up for him, pulled his boots off,
and climbed into the bag, pulling the flap over his head — like
something going back into its shell.

This is stupid, Will thought. We neither of us want this. But what he
said was, "Sweet dreams to you too."

Taylor said nothing.

Hot Topic: Hair or Bare?

Today's topic:
Body Hair

In romance novels, the range of a male character’s body hair can span from bare to hirsute. However, I’ve noticed that a lot of female character’s are denuded of body hair from head to toe. I have yet to read a romance novel where the woman has a jungle between her thighs.

Personally, I’ve always liked hair on men. There’s nothing I find quite as sexy as a hot man with a hairy chest. As far as women go, it doesn’t really matter to me, but I think trimmed is better than naked. To me, the female anatomy just looks strange with no hair. Of course, the other end of the spectrum is a different matter. Anyone seen an adult film from the eighties? Shudder. That’s some scary stuff. ;)

Which do your prefer, hair or bare?

Author Interview: Katrina Strauss

Author Name: Katrina Strauss

Year started writing for LI: Late 2007

Titles: Blue Ruin 1: Some Kind of Stranger, Blue Ruin 2: Close to Me

Web Page: http://www.katrinastrauss.com/

http://katrina-strauss.blogspot.com/

What genre do you write in, and why? : Dark, erotic, edgy romance, or what one of my first readers dubbed Romance for the Black Coffee Crowd. The darker and sexier, the better, and I don't see why romance can't encompass both. I originally wrote paranormal and historical het but now focus on m/m and yaoi contemporary. The majority of my work, both het and m/m, encompasses BDSM themes. Real life experiments aside, I find BDSM works well on the written page in exploring not just the physical but the psychological dynamics at work in romantic relationships.

How much time do you spend writing every week? : In a good week? Around 8 hours a day, up to 12 if I'm meeting a deadline. Other weeks, I may not get anything written at all!

What was the first story you ever wrote about? (not nec. first published story) : The Adventures of the Cute Little Pig, complete with illustrations. Hey, I was only six. And yes, it was a romance, though I dare say my style has, erm, matured since then.

How do you judge the effectiveness of the sensual scenes in your stories? : If I get so hot and bothered that I have to step away from the computer and go outside to cool down? Then I trust my readers will enjoy the scene as well!

Favourite candy while writing? : Chocolate, of course! The Muse demands it!

Where did your most unusual plot idea come from? : A marathon viewing of D.Gray-man which led to naughty yaoi fantasies, followed by re-watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, paired with research on Victorian-era train travel, psychiatry, and spiritualism. Lo and behold, a story emerged from all that.

What inspires you to write? : I've always had a need to create and have dabbled in various artistic mediums since childhood. Before I started writing full-time, I tried photography and enjoyed a few publications. I'm also a self-taught seamstress and made Renaissance-inspired clothing and Pagan lifestyle accessories for a few years.

What music inspires your writing? : My writing mix used to consist of older bands like The Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, or Depeche Mode, but with the Blue Ruin series I've updated with more current acts like The Killers, Linkin Park, and Shiny Toy Guns, along with various J-rock bands. (Though the Blue Ruin books are each named after an 80's song, so go figure…)

Plotter or a Pantser? : Pantser, though with the last few books I've created a kinda/sorta outline after winging it through the first few chapters and getting a better handle on where the story is going.

Does your cat insist on sitting on your keyboard like mine does? : I don't have cats anymore, but when one of my two dogs wants attention, he nudges the sliding keyboard tray under the desk with his nose and then props his head in my lap.

When you get stuck, how do you find your way back to the writing? : If my input isn't balanced with my output, my work suffers. I turn off the computer and read a new book or manga, watch a movie, or *gasp* go outside. I hate to admit it but zoning out during housework with the I-Pod helps, and I often work out plot elements while I'm sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. I also find a nice long drive helps me think more clearly on whatever I'm writing.

The Personal stuff:

Any outrageous liaisons in your past? A few. I was pretty scandalous in my younger days. Don't tell my teenagers this.

Where's the most unusual place you ever managed to have sex? : A golf course. At night. Yes, the sprinklers came on. Fore!

What kind of books do you read for fun? : I enjoy manga and am currently reading the D.Gray-man, Loveless, and Godchild series. I also can't get enough of JD Robb's In Death series and devour each release like candy. (JD Robb is actually Nora Roberts, but the In Death series is darker and grittier than La Nora's usual fare.)

If you were to make a bumper sticker for your car that had to relate to erotic romance, what would it say? : Got yaoi?

Soulmates? Do you believe? : Yes, I do, though I also believe soulmates can be star-crossed, thus making for challenge.

Sex with anyone famous? : Not that I can recall…

Cake or Pie? Coke or Pepsi? Tea or Coffee? : Cheesecake (which is a little of both cake and pie??), Coke, and white chocolate mocha latte with a shot of raspberry liqueur. Yes, I confess – I write Romance for the Black Coffee Crowd but I prefer some flavor to my brew.

Why I write romance

I am not a pure romance writer. Let me state that upfront. What I write is women's action-adventure fiction with strong erotic romance elements. It's a mouthful, I admit, but it's the truest way of knowing what I write. But, most of my fiction writing is considered romance--unless you're one of my male readers who say I write mainstream with hot sex scenes they enjoy. Since I started writing with the goal of being published, my writing has evolved as has my perception of what I write.

Every fiction book you read is based on the concept of love. Don't shake your head at me, listen while I explain. Love is in every book because love takes many forms. It's about the lack of love--like murdering or scaring someone. Or about finding love. Or about family love, national love, or even friendly love. The base of every fiction story relates to love and the lack of it. Love isn't just romantic, but encompasses a great many things. So, the next time you pick up a fantasy or action novel--ask yourself--what is the love theme of the story. You might just be surprised on what you discover.

Now, romance is about romantic love. It's about not having it at first and finally achieving it at the end. Romance books deal not just with realistic love, but with ideals as well. It reminds us of those days when we were head-over-heels in love, giddy with excitement, fighting it while knowing in our hearts that we want that chance to be with someone who loves us just as much. Men and women look at romance differently. But--it's not really all the different except in how the tales are presented.

Men are more driven on actions, on doing, on showing. Women like to know, to feel, to explore. A damn good romance novel will appeal to both sexes if it mixes both male and female aspects of love. It might be something as the hero buying her a small gift she wanted but hadn't asked for. He might not tell her that he bought it to make her happy--but he's showing love. For her, she might make him a meal, or even massage him, telling him how much he means to her. How he makes her feel. That's her showing love. When you can show both, including the misunderstandings, the not seeing what they mean--you deepen the process of falling in love.

I know some writers who write romance and have no sex scenes in their stories, but the makeout sessions are damn hot. There are other authors who have explicit sex scenes, exploring various facets of sexuality. *raises hand high* The physical expression of love is a huge thing for guys. For them it's the most visible way of showing they care. Yes, sex for sex sake is common, but when a guy cares--it shifts in how it presents itself. For women, it's the mental and emotional stimulation that helps bring the physical expression to that higher level.

Now, I explore sexuality a lot in my books--including menage, polyamory, couples of same sex and hetero couples. For me, sexuality isn't confined to one isolated view, but to multiple views that allow the full depth of love to be expressed physically and emotionally. Some people aren't comfortable with dealing on those areas, but within the idea of a romance--they're willing to explore those areas that they aren't willing to try personally for whatever reason. Which is why I enjoy writing those romances that stretch the boundaries, introduce concepts of polyamory, menage, and various other lifestyles like BDSM, etc. Sometimes by reading those books, the reader not only learns more about what it could be like if they tried, but they open up to others who are active participants in those lifestyles. It's that love of humanity thing making its way around.

For me, the challenge in writing erotic romantic adventure fiction is to make it believable even if it's paranormal or fantasy in nature. To make you put aside what you know and to enjoy the moment of the story--knowing that at the end--there will be satisfying resolutions and in some cases--the traditional happily ever after. Now, one thing to realize in my stories is that there is only one of my written, but unpublished stories that have a wedding occurring. My stories end with where they're in love, willing to work on the relationship and commit to each other on some level.

For women, it's this storyline--the meeting and the falling in love that really gets to women. It's a reminder that no matter how the relationship is now in their lives--that they can recall how they fell in love while renewing that passion by reading romance. Men for the most part get a bad rap about forgetting anniversaries, birthdays, etc. But for them, it's not the falling in love part that gets to them. It's the day in, day out of being with the woman they've chosen and that she's still there that reminds them of the power of love.

If men really want to know how many women view romance and being romanced--pick up a romance novel. If you've got a woman who's not quite the sweet, quiet type--you might want to pick up an erotic romance that pushes boundaries. See how the process of falling in love is presented and why women enjoy it so much. Every thing you do and more importantly, everything you say affects this process. When you're aware that if you just caress her cheek, smile at her and tell her she's fantastic and that she'll kiss you or blush--know that you're seducing her and she's responding to your cues.

Women--men like actions. Show them you love them. Hell, seduce them. Need help-- pick up those romance novels, find your favourites seduction scenes and put one together for him. Men like to be acknowledged for all they do to provide things, even if they don't share their minds and souls on how they feel. By showing them how to add the words to the actions, they'll start responding in kind. Remember that it's a two-way street: if you want to be romanced then you have to romance them in the way they need.

When I write romance or even an emotional scene, I look at it from both point of views--hero and heroine. I see who has the most impact and I write from that viewpoint. Sometimes we need to see the hero taking that step into expressing how he feels, even if he can't yet tell the heroine. Other times, it's the heroine's POV and showing how she goes out of her way to seduce the hero or even to show when she realizes she's fallen for him. For me, presenting both POV at various times allows the readers to bond with both characters and gives insight into how relationships work for both romantic and for friendship.

I write mainstream action-adventure fiction with strong erotic romantic elements. To me, nothing is more important than showing how relationships form and dissolve as life progresses, including during crises. Sometimes people find their soulmates, sometimes they find their heartmates. Othertimes it's a true friend that makes life better. What matters is how they learn, grow, and experience love in all its possibilities in the story--all while making sure that the story keeps the reader hooked. One good trilogy that to me epitomizes how romance and more blooms under crises is the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. For those of you who are going, "what romance? What love?" you need to reread those books. You took in the relationships and encouraged them or worried on them without ever realizing that there was romance in the stories. My stories are more obvious, but most men seem to like them even with the happily-ever after endings.

Remember, there is love in every thing you read. The question is--is it obvious or not? I write romance because I want everyone to experience falling in love.


Cynnara Tregarth
www.cynnara.com-- Come Experience the Essence of Cyn

Running Short

Ever run short on entertainment? I think that may be why I wrote my first romance. To find that something I was missing on the television, in movies and in books. A romance, first and foremost, with danger, twists, turns and chemistry. Of course, I started writing many years ago, but for me, for fun. Not intending publication.

Now it’s a bit different. I still read but not as much as I’d like to. And I still find some of the more traditional romances not giving me what I want. So when I pick up a book I can’t put down, I look at it closely to see what it has that’s so enthralling. For me, that would be:

1. Strong characters, especially a strong heroine
2. The alpha male. Not a trend for me, as I never quite meshed with the beta male/nerd romances when they were hot.
3. A paranormal twist
4. A great futuristic setting that’s not overly technical in scientific detail
5. Real dynamics between the characters, and not just between the hero and heroine. I like to see siblings who love each other taunting, teasing, and flat out annoying one another. That’s real.
6. Limited angst. I have a hard time with books where the hero/heroine despair life for 345 pages to find themselves happy by page 346, then THE END. Ugh.
7. No whiny heroines. Period. Nor ones that belabor a point until I put down the book and walk away.
8. Books that shy from stereotype. I’m overwhelmed with perfect mates, beautiful characters and vampires who must drink blood only when having sex. Granted, I still read those books, but I like it when an author has a new take on an old idea.
9. Correct grammar and spelling. Yes, I’m anal about grammar. ‘Nuff said.

Reading not only relaxes me, but it stimulates me to create my own worlds and characters. Right now I’m editing a lengthy work, so to relax, I bought a few books. Now I’m going to grab a cup of coffee and read a bit.

Chow!

Marie
www.marieharte.com