Behind the Story: OohRah! by Tilly Greene
The most straightforward description I can come up with for OohRah! would be that it’s an erotic love story with two people who come to love each more deeply after a stress filled separation.
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Blood Keep is about a woman who has known only the ways of a warrior and the lengths she has gone to protect the people she loves and the castle she holds dear. Her world is disrupted when King Edward III decides it is time for her to marry again after he hears she was attacked and her man, the Demon Lord, was unable to protect her. He sends Nicolas Drago, the Red Dragon, to be her husband. He is a man of nobility and honor, a true hero. Isabella absolutely hates him. Blood Keep is a tale about the masks we wear to protect the ones we love and the courage to step up and be honest, to trust in love.
My first full length novel was Blood Keep, a medieval historical, set in 1334. I deliberately choose an unusual time period for this book due to my heroine, Isabella AdeMon. She is not petite, nor is she meek. She is a woman who wears armor, rides a warhorse named Lucifer and leads an army consisting of the Black Knight and the Demons. When I started this book I was heading for my second divorce from a very traumatic time of my life. Isabella and her Archangels’, Gabriel and Michael, saved me from cracking. Isabella was my way of shedding the mask I wore for ten, long, horrible years and gave me the courage to be me again. I will always be grateful to her and the awesome story that came from her and the dark castle, Blood Keep. She truly saved me from being bitter and Nicolas made me believe in love again.
There is no set schedule for posting the Behind the Story articles. I’ll be sure to email you and let you know when it goes live.
Wend Petzler
www.wendpetzler.com
Behind the Story: FreeFalling by Mary Eason
FreeFalling - Available now at Wild Rose Press Crimson Rose Line.
FBI Special Agent Rainie McClain is looking for a way out of the elite five-member team known only as The Agency. The only problem is getting out of The Agency could mean losing the only man she has ever loved. Her husband, Roc Branson. Not only is Roc her husband, he is also her commanding officer.
No matter how high the stakes, Rainie has to get out, because now there is more than just herself and Roc to consider. There’s the child she is carrying. The one they hadn’t planned on conceiving.
As founder of The Agency, Rainie believes that no matter how much Roc may love her, if he is forced to chose between The Agency or her, he will chose The Agency.
Before she can disappear into the shadow world in which she operates, someone claiming to be Rainie’s long-lost brother Justin appears from out of nowhere, warning Rainie her life is in danger.
Rainie must decide whether to trust the man insisting he is her brother or the glaring facts The Agency has uncovered that would lead her to believe Justin is none other than the notorious terrorist leader, Jeremiah Silvers.
Whatever she decides to do, she must do it quickly. Because what’s at stake now is more than just her marriage. It’s her life.
I hope readers have as much fun reading FreeFalling as I did writing it.
FreeFalling is a product of my overactive imagination and too much time spent watching Court TV and real life spy stories. I truly love a good spy story, so I think I may have missed my calling in life. I should have been a spy. But since that ship has sailed, the next best, not to mention safest thing to do is bringing spy stories to life in books.
Some Things About Me:
I don’t ever remember a time growing up when I didn’t have my nose in a book.
When I was in the second grade, I wrote an article about America as a class project. My teacher loved it and read it aloud to the class. It was then that the first seeds of writing took root.
When I was a pre-teen, I discovered Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney and was hooked! Although there have been many authors who have inspired me through the years, these two romantic suspense writers were my first mentors.
I attempted my first writing endeavor shortly afterwards. It’s hidden away somewhere in a drawer never to see the light of day.
As time went on, through marriage and raising kids, I still kept my dream of one day being a writer alive and I never stopped reading.
A few years back, I wrote my first romantic comedy, Thirty Lessons, which sold to Samhain Publishing. Since then, I’ve sold many books, but I never get tired of hearing from readers who say they enjoy my work. That makes it all worthwhile.
Mary Eason
You can learn more about my latest work at my website
Or you can drop me a line at maryjeas@netzero.com
Behind the Story: Zandia by Tilly Greene
Being a fan of sports led me down a twisted path and into a series of erotic futuristic romances based on sexual equality, beginning with “Zandia”.
I remember distinctly how the concept started to grow in my mind. A little snippet of Wimbeldon news was teased around the media, but no one did much with it other than read the headlines. Once again, officials of the All England Club denied raising the women’s prize money so it matched the men’s. The reason given was because men played a best of five set match, while the women only played best of three. Hence, men should have a larger prize.
Are you kidding me?
We’re in the 21st century and this type of thing is still happening?
A little grumbling took place and then it was gone, but not before I’d made a note on my story ideas page: men and women find equality.
Not long before this I had my first futuristic accepted at Samhain Publishing, a tale where I push the boundaries of politics. I’d been fascinated by how far a lie could go in society. The edit process hadn’t been started so I had some spare time to spend lazily with the cutie. This meant football. Not the American kind but the other one the rest of the world plays. As a kid I was never a big fan of soccer, but then I moved abroad and football was the sport to watch. To have something to talk about around the proverbial water cooler I made an effort to understand the game and became a fan in the process.
There I was, lying on the couch watching a bunch of guys run around a field in shorts, kicking the ball and my mind wondered. Team members that support each other. Possessing strength of character. Being open to change. Standing behind what you believe in. Everything started to fall in place and I liked how it looked.
Sui Erom makes the hardest decision of her short life and leaves everything she’s ever known behind to have a chance at being a useful person in society. This was all because she knew there was something more out there for her than what she’d find at home. Things hadn’t changed much on Zandia, the furthest planet in the known Universe. Women weren’t physically abused or mistreated, neither were they treated equally to men. The opportunities to be an active participant in society weren’t there. This wasn’t enough for our heroine. It came down to the fact that no matter how terrifying making such a leap was going to be, it would be worth it in the end to be necessary.
I like writing female characters that are confident and independent, who take on life and accept the challenge to come out on top. Sui Erom falls right in to that niche. However, she has a few surprises coming her way because she’d never counted on falling in love with a man who, on the surface, represented all that she’d left behind.
Perfect. A love story full of twists and turns that ends in happily ever after for the couple as well as men and women in the future.
Link to Book: Click HERE
Tilly Greene
Official Website: www.tillygreene.com
We’ve extended our Radio show contest a week. To enter, simply go and listen to the April 23, 2008 show’s archive entitled “Who ya gonna to call?”. It should be on the top of the show list, or will start automatically when you go to that page.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravenradio
Or later this week, you can find the archive of the show on Pod-o-Matic: http://ravenpodcasts.podomatic.com/
To enter:
1. Listen to the show and get the “catch phrase” we announce
2. Email that catch phrase to: ravenradio@ravenhappyhour.com
Winners will be announced on next week’s show and on the Raven Blog www.ravenhappyhour.com/ravenblog
GOOD LUCK! And thanks for listening!
Michelle & Mandy
Story: Looking into the eyes of a magnificent jaguar stirs something in photographer Dana Mallon’s heart and heats the jaguar tattoo on her hip. The longer she studies the magnificent beast sentenced to a life within a wildlife preserve, the greater the sense that forces beyond her comprehension are at work. In her mind—only in her mind—the predator becomes a fierce naked man. Instead of fleeing his blatant sexuality, she walks toward him, her body afire and mind spinning.
Then the Aztec warrior Nacon pulls her against his body and everything she has always believed about herself and her existence shifts. A lifetime of loneliness and searching begins to fade beneath the power of their sexual union, but Nacon needs more from her than just her body. Freed from centuries spent in limbo, Nacon is determined to learn why this woman is responsible. There’s only one way to learn the truth, by having her travel into the past with him—and forcing her to embrace the incomprehensible.
But does she have the courage?
Inspiration: Coming up with story ideas is always an adventure. Sometimes they jump into my mind without my having anything to do with it. Other times, like with BloodHunter, a little priming of the pump is necessary. The process began when I grabbed a book about the Aztecs from my personal library. A fascinating people! Complex and intelligent, yet fatally flawed. The more I read, the more convinced I became that I wanted to explore their culture in an erotic story. And when I learned that a warrior group known as the Jaguar Society opposed the Aztec bloody sacrifices, the light bulb went off. And because I didn’t want to bury myself in research about that time in history, I pulled my hero into the present day as a time traveler for much of the story. To create the link between hero and heroine, I placed her roots in Aztec times, something wildlife photographer Diana Mallon didn’t know until Nacon steps into her world, first as a jaguar, then as a hunky sexy man.
I write erotica for Kensington’s Aphrodisia line, Ellora’s Cave, and Loose ID, but I aimed BloodHunter for Samhain because owner/publisher Crissy Brashear and I roomed together in Germany, and I really wanted to work with her.
Behind the Story: Touch Me by Beverly Rae
“Oh, my. Now she’s not only reading those weird kinds of books, but writing them, too.”
Yep, that was the first thing my mother said when I told her my first book was under contract. My mother, bless her eighty-one year old soul, has never understood my obsession with the paranormal and supernatural. As soon as I could, I began watching shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Then came the movies I craved like Planet of the Apes, The Exorcist, The Omen, Dracula and Ghost. Whenever I couldn’t get to the movies, I scoured the library for Stephen King books like The Stand and Misery. Yet even all the movies and books weren’t enough. I needed more. I needed a missing ingredient in these stories. I needed romance and the paranormal all rolled up into one great tale.
Then one day my daughter gave me an idea. As we sat on the sofa watching a romantic movie, my daughter turned to me and asked, “How do you know when you’re in love? How do you know he’s the one? Is it like magic?” I paused, considering my response. After explaining that love can indeed be magical, I had to tell her there was no sure way of knowing. She frowned at me and answered, “Too bad you can’t just touch them and know.”
Just touch them? I smiled. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone could simply touch a person and name that person’s true soul mate? Would love be easier to find? Would lovers stay together forever knowing they’d found their one true love? But would there be a price to pay for such a gift? While my daughter watched the rest of the movie, my mind began wondering, formulating the plotline.
Four months later, I’d written my first book. Combining the supernatural with the romantic, I’d penned a tale of magic, love, loss and happiness entitled Touch Me.
Beverly Rae
Giggle, Gasp & Sigh with a Beverly Rae Romance
TOUCH ME - eBook
In print 03/25/08 (Amazon.com)
Experience the magic…
Twenty-five years ago Dell Renfield’s father started a revolution. Dell plans to finish it. Sorcerer, sexy vampire, secret weapon, he’s spent his entire life training for what he believes to be his fate. The one deterrent he isn’t equipped for? Special Agent Alexandria Sanchez.
Alex is quick-witted, hot-tempered, and strikingly beautiful. Normally focused on getting the job done, she’s completely unprepared for her new partner, Dell, and his mysterious ability to drive her to distraction.
Posing as lovers, Alex and Dell infiltrate a dangerous culture where the macabre seems mundane and passion is power. Unable to deny their attraction or resist temptation they begin a journey, entering into a torrid affair that will forever change their destiny.
An age-old secret, a consort held hostage, a curse demanding to be broken, and an unforgettable battle with a mercenary master mage will have you holding your breath. Let Samantha Sommersby lead you into a world like no other, a world where vampires are real, where magic is possible, and where love still conquers all.
Indulge in the Forbidden, because sometimes giving in to temptation can be a good thing.
What inspired the Forbidden series?
The Forbidden series, which I’ve been working on for the past couple years, was conceived during a flight back from London. I’d ended up having to extend my stay there because I’d fallen terribly ill. I’d thought at the time that it was food poisoning or a horrible flu. I was still in a very bad way during the flight home. I slept on and off. I was in the middle row on the plane and there were a bunch of seats across so I could stretch out. There was only one other passenger sharing the row with me and he was busy watching gay porn on his portable DVD player. Orlando Bloom was on the cover of the American Way magazine and I started thinking that he’d make a great mild-mannered vampire. Between naps I jotted down notes. By the time I landed in San Diego I had the series laid out. It turned out I didn’t have food poisoning. I was severely anemic and ended up in the hospital for blood transfusions. Did my anemia inspire my vampire series? Hmmmm.
Behind the Story… 10 randomly weird facts about Forbidden: The Revolution
1. The cover inspired a scene in the book rather than being based on a scene in the book. After seeing it I had to go back and add the scene.
2. The spells are poorly translated ancient Sumerian. I figure that there aren’t a lot of folks out there that speak Sumerian, so I’m probably safe.
3. Originally the villain of the book was supposed to be Malcolm, but he wasn’t evil enough. The book was 80% finished when I realized Malcolm wasn’t up to the task and I created Basta.
4. Basta’s name came from a timeline that I saw at the San Diego Museum of Man’s exhibit on the Copper Age.
5. Dell’s conjuring of Sparky when he was around six was told in a short story that I wrote for a free read titled It’s Magic on ARe. You can read it on my website
6. My husband’s favorite scene in the entire book is the first shower scene. Guess why?
7. I drove to Las Vegas and spent a couple days there so I could get the feel of the place. Part of the story is set in a hotel/night club in Vegas and it had been a few years since I’d been there. None of the hotels there seemed right and in the end I made the hotel and nightclub setting up.
8. I wrote much of the story at a local coffee shop in San Diego called Lestat’s and named the virus that Dell and Alex insert into Raif’s computer after the coffee shop. I drink their tea—Earl Grey is my fave.
9. The book is dedicated to my son, Max.
10. The werewolf that Dell’s father tries to recruit, Jake, is going to get his very own book – Forbidden: The Temptation. I’m hoping it will be released in the winter of 2008.
A long time ago, I started writing a book called Blood Lines: Blood Kiss. While this book was to be male/female, my vampires were bisexual. And my hero, Nick, introduced his mentor, Henri Baptiste and his lover, Nathan. Henri had a few short scenes. But I loved he and Nathan and the play between them.
Other books were written, Conduit and Crimson’s Rose. Each featured Henri and Nathan in some manner. And my love affair with them grew. They were such intriguing characters and fun to write.
One day, Henri said, “Write my story.” He wanted the story of he and Nathan told.
I answered back that I’d never written male/male before, and I wasn’t sure I could do it justice.
And then, I wrote a ménage, which featured a male/male couple, who bring a woman into their relationship.
Henri stated asking again, but even though I pointed out the ménage was different, he wouldn’t be stilled. I had to tell his story with Nathan.
I was so nervous about doing a male/male story. It was a challenge to me because I’m not a guy and I had to write two guys’ POV’s and their POV’s during sex. But I found writing it, that it was so much fun to write. And ultimately, their story was a love story, which I do know how to tell (I think!).
Henri is called to his former lover’s side as she is dying. She also happens to be Nathan’s mother. Nathan has no idea that Henri is a vampire, nor does he have a clue as to his own power. Nathan can siphon off emotion. As Henri is feeling animalistic, Nathan’s pulling emotion helps him to keep his humanity. Unfortunately, another vampire has discovered Nathan’s powers and wants them for himself. Can Henri keep Nathan safe or will the currents between them escalate into something he can’t control?
Blood Lines Prequel: Currents is a book of my heart. Henri and Nathan are the characters that drove me to write their story.
Boomerang Love’s is a contemporary romance set in Australia with an erotic/red hot heat level. Inspiration behind Boomerang Love was a combination of things.
More than a year ago Samhain Publishing put out a call for sun, sand, and sex anthology stories. I’d grinned in delight as I read the theme. Beaches! Exotic locations! Authors love the travel channel, especially me. I starting thinking of all the beaches I’d yet to visit, including those in Australia.
Ever since watching “Crocodile Dundee” an Australian comedy set in the Australian Outback I’ve been fascinated by the country. Yes, my fascination goes back that far. The country has such an allure for me, its beauty, the men, and the accents. I didn’t have to give it a second thought. I knew I wanted to try for a story slot. And so did my muse. Through the weaving of a story I knew where my muse was taking me.
The actual concept inspiration for Boomerang Love sprang from the relationship of my youngest son’s favorite hero and his wife. Steve and Terri Irwin.
Some mothers watch hours on end of cartoons with their little boys, not me. Mine still wants to grow up to be a crocodile hunter. And then one day I listened as the couple shared their “love at first sight” tale. The couple married within a few short months of meeting one another.
Almost immediately my muse asked me…what if a heroine left, instead of staying? Would she return? Did she dare? What about the hero? Would he be able to work her out of his system? The plot to Boomerang Love fell into place as I drafted a short premise up.
In those minutes the Thorn brothers were born.
I invite you to…Take a walkabout on the wild side.
To read an excerpt, follow the link and click on Boomerang Love’s cover.
Thanks so much for having me Mandy!
Melissa Lopez
JOURNEYS OF LOVE every woman needs to take.
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