Meet Author Alicia Dean.

I’d like you all to meet my friend Alicia Dean. We met after I found out about a truly helpful group she started called “Authors Helping Authors”—what a great opportunity to work with such talented and generous people and she is extremely generous with her time. Alicia and I discovered a mutual passion, Major League Baseball. Even though we don’t root for the same teams, I like her anyway. :)

 

Please welcome Alicia Dean.

Alicia, please tell us a little about yourself.

I’m divorced with three grown children. I live in Edmond, Oklahoma where I’m a legal assistant for a family law firm, in addition to being a writer. I’m a huge Elvis Presley fan, and I love MLB and the NFL. If you look closely, you’ll see a reference to one or all three in pretty much everything I write. If I could, I would divide all my time between writing, watching my favorite television shows-such as Dexter, Vampire Diaries, Justified, and True Blood-and reading my favorite authors...Stephen King, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Lisa Gardner to name a few.

What’s your latest project?

My suspense short story, Thicker than Water just came out with The Wild Rose Press. It’s part of a collaboration with my fellow OKRWA chapter members. A group of us wrote (or are writing), short stories with the common thread of an ancient cursed doll and--other than the originating story which took place in the early 1700’s--the stories are all set in or have ties to Oklahoma. The stories span all genres, so there isn’t always a paranormal theme. The doll can just be considered ‘bad luck’ or just a prop in the story where the legend is mentioned; All those who betray you will suffer. Only true love can break the curse…So far, we’ve had 8 stories accepted, if I’m not mistaken. Most of these were by previously unpublished authors. It’s been an amazing, fun experience for everyone involved.

I also recently released Lady in the Mist, a gothic mystery novella under the pen name, Winter Frost. Author, Mel Odom, and I plan to write a series of gothic mystery novellas under the same pen name, and the first one out is my story.

I’m currently working on a sequel to Soul Seducer.

I thoroughly enjoying three of your books. Death Notice and Soul Seducer are a mystery and a paranormal, respectively. Lady in the Mist reminds me of Victoria Holt’s gothic mysteries (one of my favorite genres). I love the cover for Thicker Than Water. That's definitely on my To Read list. What draws you to write in different genres?

Partly the challenge, and partly because it allows me to write the kind of stories I love to read. My favorite genres are Suspense, Paranormal and Gothic, so it just makes sense to write them.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer as far back as I can remember, probably when I first discovered stories like Pippi Longstockings and Amelia Bedelia. I wrote my first romance when I was around 10 or 11.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

Very haphazard. :) I’m involved in so many different projects and with my full-time job, in addition to being an editor, I just have to grab time when I can. My favorite time to write is in the mornings, but I don’t always get up early enough to write before time to leave for my day job. I do most of my writing on the weekends.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

They just pop into my head. Sometimes I’ll read a news story that will trigger an idea, but usually, I have an idea of what kind of story I want to write, and I mentally consider several scenarios until something pulls at me.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing (besides watching Major League Baseball)?

I love to read, I used to play golf, but haven’t in a long time. I’d like to get back to that. I enjoy watching television in general, not just MLB. :) I enjoy hanging out with my kids, my writer friends and other friends, and my family.

Where can readers can find you?

Web site: www.AliciaDean.com

On Twitter: @Alicia_Dean_

They can email me at: AliciaMDean@aol.com

Now for a treat. Here are blurbs about Alicia's latest releases.

Lady in the Mist:

Upon her arrival in Shoal Harbor, Maine, Lily Jackson hears eerie moans that the locals claim are the ghostly cries of the unfortunate Breckenridge women. Running from loss and setback in Cincinnati, Lily needs the job as semi-psychiatric caregiver for Andrew Breckenridge, but the storm she has to weather from the oldest Breckenridge brother is severe. Clinton Breckenridge is a brooding man used to getting his own way, and he’s not convinced Lily is the right person to help his troubled younger brother.

Even as Lily starts picking up the pieces of Andrew’s tortured psyche and finding out his dark secrets, another mystery looms before her. Andrew’s lover has gone missing in recent months and no one knows what has happened to her, or if her voice has joined those of the other Breckenridge women. Before she knows it, Lily finds herself in danger—thrust directly into the eye of the raging storm.

Lady in the Mist is available for:

Kindle: http://amzn.com/B008PUV36W

Nook: http://bit.ly/Oz93Am

And now for Thicker than Water:

Sometimes, secrets refuse to stay buried--

A ten-year-old accidental killing and an ancient cursed doll are only part of Julia Bennett’s problems. When she returns to her hometown of Covington, Oklahoma for an old friend’s funeral, she’s thrust into the middle of a murder case--and discovers she never stopped loving her high school sweetheart.

Jake Devlin is now the sheriff of Covington and faced with solving a murder. He isn’t surprised to find Julia in the middle of things. She still seems like the troublemaker whose reckless mistake caused a man’s death years ago--and who broke his heart when she left him without so much as a goodbye.

Jake makes it clear he’s over her, and Julia can’t wait to leave Covington behind. But when another friend dies, she knows she must stay. Can they put the past behind them and stop a killer before he claims another victim?

Thicker Than Water is available at:

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/Ny9ptx

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B008U8NKCO

The Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=137&products_id=4930

Alicia, thanks for coming. It’s been great getting to know you better.

Balance

You would think that a person whose astrological sign is Libra would have balance in her life. Not so. The scales are always tipping one way then the other for me. Now, I have no problem seeing both sides of an argument. Finding the pros and cons of an idea or project comes fairly easy. Some might call that fence sitting. I call it exploring all options. It’s balancing life itself that’s difficult.

Last week, I wrote about the dedication and perseverance Olympic athletes must have to compete with the world’s best. Dedication to the exclusion of everything else. When asked what he’s going to do now that he’s retired from Olympic competition, Michael Phelps said he’s going to try to have a normal life. So, what’s a normal life?

Balance between family, career, health, interests, play.

Writers can easily lose themselves in their story. Literally hours can go by without notice. That’s when the Muse is behaving, of course. Creating a story is not a pick-up/put-down job. It’s not something you can do for half an hour before moving on to another job. For most people, that is. I’ve heard of authors who can write anywhere, anytime, in short bursts. Most writers can’t turn on and off the creative juices like a faucet. How I wish it were that easy. When I start my writing day, I need to reread what I’ve written last to get back into the story before I can move forward. Not all of what was previously written, of course, just the last scene or chapter, maybe. Only then can I pick up where I left off. When the story is going well, I don’t want to stop.

 

Anyone who read my post last January about setting goals knows my photos are in boxes. I had great plans this year to organize them and put them into albums. I even worked out a plan of action. The photos are still in boxes. Finishing Switched, Too took precedence. Then, marketing the book after it was published. In the meantime, writing the next book in the series. Then . . . It’s so easy—make that too easy—to keep going once started. Writers who have full time jobs and families don’t have that luxury. They sacrifice more than hobbies to carve out time to write. Like sleep.

I’ve mentioned before that Hubs “drags” me to the fitness club almost every morning. If he didn’t, I’m sure I wouldn’t get any exercise. I know I need it to stay healthy. But when I’m in the middle of a project . . .

For several years, my life revolved around my children and their activities. Now that they’re grown and gone, it’s just Hubs and I. When the children and grandchildren visit, I can set everything else aside. No problem. But in the day-to-day routine, Hubs gets the short end of the stick. My contemporaries will agree that retirement is an adjustment. For both parties. I’m fortunate that he has activities he enjoys (read, keeps him busy). He enjoys working in the yard. My flower beds have never looked better and we’re enjoying his tomatoes, cukes and beans. He enjoys woodworking, making furniture and toys for the grandkiddies. But that’s not enough. He actually wants me to do things with him—which, after nearly forty years, is rather nice. Fortunately, we both like movies. Since retirement, we have seen more first-run movies than in all the previous years we’ve been together combined. He likes to go for drives—with company. Leaving my story at a critical juncture is difficult. Yet, turning down the invitation seems, well, unkind. “Sorry, guy, but my characters are more important.” Not.

What I need is a schedule. Make writing an eight-hour a day job, including all the email and social media aspects. Make time for hobbies I once enjoyed (like photography, gardening and quilting). Make time for exercise. Take time to play. More importantly, make time for the man who is still the love of my life.

How do you find balance?

On Wednesday (8/22), I'll be over at Nancy Jardine's blog, She said, he said. I hope you'll stop by. Then, on Thursday (8/23), come on back here and meet my guest Oklahoma author Alicia Dean.

Meet Lucy Kubash

My guest today is author Lucy Kubash. Lucy is a fellow Mid-Michigan RWA chapter member.  Although she does a lot of work behind the scenes, she's been secretary, vice president and president. It's my pleasure welcome Lucy Kubash. An interesting fact I discovered recently, we were married the same year.

Hi, Lucy. I’m so glad you’re here. Please tell us about yourself.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, starting with what is now known as fan fiction. As a preteen and teenager I made up stories about my favorite TV shows, starring, of course, myself and the handsome hero! I started writing with an eye to being published when my first child was very small. My first published work was a short story for Woman’s World magazine. I went on to publish fourteen stories with them, all short romances. I was also writing novels then, and after more years than I care to count, my first and so far only novel, Chance’s Return, was published as an ebook in 2006. It is now available in print and digital format from Pelican Book Group. I also write a monthly column called The Pet Corner. I have two blogs, one for writing topics and one called The Zeke Chronicles, that ties in with the column. I live with my husband of forty years, two dogs, one cat, and we have a grown son and daughter and an assortment of grand-dogs and grand-kitties.

I love The Zeke Chronicles. They're informative and entertaining. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I have two part-time merchandising jobs that keep me busy, but I love to read. I’m always reading something. I listen to music, preferably classic rock and sometimes country. Spend time with my family whenever possible.  My pets take up a lot of time, caring for them, playing with and walking them. Sometimes I’m playing on Facebook. Oh yes, and sometimes I have to give my husband a bit of attention.

What does your family think of your writing?

They’re very supportive. My husband figured out shortly after we married that having a writer for a spouse was something he better get used to if he wanted to keep me around. The kids got used to it from the time they were babies.  My daughter built and maintains my website.

What do you think makes a good story?

For me, it’s always about the characters. I love a good plot and interesting twists, but I have to love the people in the story first. In reading, I can forgive a less than stellar plot if I’ve fallen in love with the characters. I have to love my own characters in order to write about them. I want them to have flaws and not be perfect, but there must be something about them that makes me care what happens to them. I like stories and like to write stories about down-to-earth real people with real problems.

How do you come up with ideas?

Sometimes I read a newspaper article that sparks my interest. Once, forest fires sweeping the West led me to write a forest fire story.  Oftentimes, it’s a song that makes me think about a story to go with it, or a place I’ve visited stays with me. A visit to the Great Smoky Mountains years ago led me to write a ghost story set there. It hasn’t been published yet but hoping someday. And sometimes stories totally come out of nowhere.

What is the single most important part of writing for you?

I would say to create characters who have heart and are realistic, and to tell a story that is compelling, so that readers will want to invest their time reading it.

What do you enjoy most about writing?

The journey, finding out who these people really are, what happens to them, how things work out for them. When they become so real you can imagine they are people you know, you know it’s working.

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?

I do a little research to get me started and like to have my main characters in mind. I may write a short outline or synopsis but most of the fun comes from the journey. I’ve just started a new story (working title, Sighs and Whispers) and I’m pretty much just starting out and seeing where it takes me. I know some important details, but not everything, so the fun will be in finding them out as I go along. We’ll see what happens.

I agree about the journey being the most fun. If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what would it be?

Time is wasting.  Just write the story. Don’t worry about what happens when it’s done. Just get it written. Don’t edit it to death. It’s still good advice to myself.

Definitely good advice. What two authors would we find you reading when taking a break from your own writing?

Just two? That’s hard. Karen White and Kathleen Eagle are two favorites. Karen White writes wonderful women’s fiction and Kathleen, of course, does contemporary western romance like no one else. I’m following the cowboy series she’s writing for Special Edition.

Tell us about your latest book.

Chance’s Return is my only published novel. It’s an inspirational romance, contemporary, set in Wyoming. The characters are an ex-rodeo rider and a librarian, two unlikely people to fall in love. It’s a story of hope and new beginnings; forgiveness and finding love again after loss. It’s a prodigal son story with lots of conflict between father and son, sibling rivalry and two people who fall in love despite their differences.

Here is a quote from a reviewer:

“Lucy Naylor Kubash has written a sweet and sincere novel of finding love for a second time. Her characters are genuine and the plot is very realistic. Beautiful and rich writing creates the feeling of truly being in the amazing wilderness of Wyoming. There is a profound spiritual emphasis to the book, which gives it a peaceful quality. It was a joy to read.”

Bonnie-Lass

Coffee Time Romance

Great review. Let's give the readers a glimpse of Chance's Return.

Excerpt:

There was only the hum of the engine then and the soft swishing of tires on the still wet pavement. Casey didn’t try to make conversation but drove along in silence, wondering if a man like chance McCord could ever believe in rainbows and promises.

She turned onto the dirt two track that led to the North Star and rattled across the first cattle grate. She jumped when Chance broke the silence.

“You can let me off here.”

Casey glanced at him, puzzled. “But it’s still two miles to the house. It might rain again.”

“I’ve walked farther in and worse weather. The day I left this ranch I walked down this drive. I know how long it is.”

Casey had to wonder—what had made Chance leave? Why had he stayed away so long? The questions stayed in her mind even after Chance slipped away from Jamie and moved stiffly from the truck, pausing only to gather his gear from the back.

Before closing the door, he bent down and peered across the seat at Casey. “Thanks for the lift. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone.”

Casey nodded. When he stepped away from the truck, she drove on, but she couldn’t help glancing in the rearview mirror. The saddle and duffel bag still sat on the side of the road, and Chance stood beside them, staring out toward the mountains they’d left behind them. Would he even show up at the North Star? Or would the wanderlust that had once led him from here take him away again?

Chance’s Return is available at  www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/Chance-s-return  Amazon and Barnes and Noble

 

What’s next for Lucy Kubash?

I have a synopsis written for a sequel to Chance’s Return and plan to start writing that book after I finish Sighs and Whispers.

Where can readers find you?

I have a website: www.lucynaylorkubash.com. My blogs are at: www.lucynaylorkubash.blogspot.com and www.thezekechronicles.wordpress.com I’m also on Facebook under Lucy Kubash. I haven’t set up an author page there yet but it’s on my to-do list. 

Thanks, Diane, for having me as your guest today!

My pleasure.

The Olympic Games, Dreams and Inspirations

Did you OD on the Olympics? With practically round-the-clock coverage, I wouldn’t be surprised. Two very intense weeks came to an end last night with more than a bang. Fireworks, lights displays, special effects and—my favorite part—music. What a spectacle. The opening ceremony wasn’t too shabby, either.

In between the two spectacular events was the real reason for staying glued to our televisions—the games themselves. We watched each country’s best-of-the-best compete. We watched them fail, pick themselves up and try again. We watched dreams realized and dreams shattered. No matter what the outcome, all of those athletes can proudly say they achieved their dream. They are Olympians.

I enjoyed the background stories of the athletes as much or more than watching the competitions. Maybe it’s the writer’s curiosity or maybe I’m just nosy. Some athletes come from privileged backgrounds where money for training was no object. For others, though, their families had little yet managed. All families made sacrifices whether it was money or time to help make their children’s dreams a reality. For some athletes, there was no family support. Kids who ran the streets until someone who showed them there was more to life, someone who gave them hope that they could make a better life for themselves than crime and poverty.

The dedication of the athletes never ceases to amaze me. They give up having a “normal” life for their sport. To be competitive, to be the best, they train all the time. What sacrifices they have made. Some will continue to make those sacrifices to return in four years to compete again. For others, this was their only shot. Imagine being too old to compete at twenty-one. What I found both amazing and upsetting were the injuries those athletes incurred and continued competing—torn hamstrings and ACLs, broken bones. Amazed at the dedication and perseverance; upset as a mother that they could cripple themselves for life. Nothing mattered except the goal—to be the best.

I can’t imagine a greater inspiration for all of us, no matter what our dream. Dreams take dedication, determination, time, sacrifice. Dreams take setting goals and striving to meet them. People who learn that I’m a writer often say they wish they could write a book. Or, they have so many ideas maybe they’ll write a book someday—when they have time. Wishes and maybes don’t cut it. We never have time. We make time. We give up things—often things we enjoy—to make our dreams come true. There are always setbacks, always failures along the way. The athletes didn’t get to the Olympics without setbacks, without failures, without mistakes. They didn’t quit. They learned from the mistakes, from the failures. To become a world class gymnast, swimmer, runner, they focused on their goal and did everything they could to achieve it.

 

When the games are over, the ceremonies ended, the athletes who came to London can say I gave it my best shot. I did the best I could. Can we say the same about our own dreams?

Tomorrow, Aug. 14th, I’ll be over at You Gotta Read Reviews. Please stop by and say hi.

On Thursday, my guest is Michigan author Lucy Kubash. I hope you’ll come back here to meet her.

Meet Nancy Jardine

I'd like you all to meet my friend Nancy Jardine. We met online—although I wish we could visit with her in person today because that would mean a field trip to Scotland. Yay! Alas, we'll have to make do with meeting and greeting her here. I just found out Nancy and I have something in common besides being authors. We were both teachers, although she was at it a lot longer than I was. She taught 11-12 year olds for many years then finally gave up the profession in the autumn of 2011 to spend more time writing. She’s been enjoying a dabble in different genres and has completed a historical romance, and three contemporary romances- two of which are what she calls her history/mysteries. She’s also written the first of a time-travel series of novels for children aged 9-12 years, and a family saga is her current work in progress.

Nancy lives in the picturesque castle country of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with her husband who feeds her well—that’s very good or she’d probably starve! Reading, ancestry research, and participating in exciting events with her family are the only things that drag her away from the keyboard just now. Working in her large garden, she tends real flowers and now grows spectacular weeds which she’s becoming very fond of!

I knew we were kindred spirits when she mentioned the weeds. Please welcome, Nancy Jardine.

Hi, Diane. I’m jumping with joy today since I’m finding my launch tour for TAKE ME NOW (published by The Wild Rose Press), very exciting. I’m so pleased you invited me to visit you…and hope you don’t mind, but I just had to bring my friend Aela Cameron with me. Aela’s champing at the bit to meet your readers. She’s desperate to tell you about the interview she had with Janey Campbell, a reporter from the Lanera Weekly, just a few days after starting her temporary job with Nairn Malcolm. Aela? Why don’t you tell Diane how you got to be interviewed by the local reporter?

Aela: Oh, that was quite funny, really. It was a very impromptu and very casual interview. Well, it would be considering it was held down at one of the local pubs in Mariskay. 

Nancy: What a strange place to be interviewed. How did that happen?

Janey was with her boyfriend, Ross, who works at Nairn’s boatyard. I’d met Ross earlier that day when we went down to check out an order for a high profile yacht. To cut to a short story he recognized me and we started to chat. Janey jumped in right away about the interview, and the rest is history.

Nancy: What kind of questions did Janey ask you?

Aela: Well, the interview went something like this…

Janey: It would be great if you could tell me how you first got to know Nairn Malcolm.

Aela: Okay, Janey. I can easily do that. Isn’t the man a stunner? But no-one in the world could have called him handsome on that first day. You know, the day when I first clapped eyes on him?

How can anyone not call Nairn Malcolm handsome? I’ve met him, and those mesmerizing blue eyes of his are amazing. He always talks to you as though you are the only person in the world he wants to talk to.

Yeah! A great salesman, is Nairn Malcolm! He does have the dreamiest eyes, doesn’t he? And he’s got that ruggedly good-looking thing going for him. In normal circumstances he’d be the most attractive guy I’ve ever met, all six and a half feet of him. Oh, my! Can you imagine what it might feel like to be enveloped by all those muscles of his? Wow! But, my imagination’s getting the better of me. That’s not what he looks like at all, right now. He had a motorbike accident less that a week ago.

Ahh. My editor only just heard about that. So, you’re saying Nairn was pretty bashed up?

Bashed to bits. Although I couldn’t help but see there was one striking man below the mess. He’s just my type of guy, all rugged- even if he is arrogant, and demandingly bossy!.

Did the two of you hit it off immediately?

No way! He didn’t think too much of me when I laughed off his injuries. He thought I was far too flippant. I’m sure I was the last person he wanted to be sharing an office with.

That doesn’t sound very subtle. How did you manage to get this temporary job?

Me, subtle? I’m the proverbial foot in the mouth job. I could tell he didn’t want to hire me at first but, you know…Oh hey! You’re a reporter for the local newspaper. You’re not worming it out of me so easily. You’ll have to go to Nairn himself…or better still, buy the book, and read all about it.

Did nobody else want to work for him?

You’re the local here. You already know that Nairn’s got a lot of different businesses to run, but he couldn’t get anyone for his Personal Assistant job. I’ve been told nobody he interviewed wanted to live at his castle.

What? They didn’t want to live in Garvald castle? That’s hard to believe. Nairn did a fantastic job of restoring it a few years ago. He used almost exclusively local labor to give lots of local island guys a job during the winter months. How come there wasn’t a queue of candidates beating down the doors to get his job?

Hah! No queue at all, from what I’m hearing. Nairn only had a handful of candidates, before me. They liked the idea of working for him, but they wanted to permanently base themselves in London, and you know that isn’t suitable for a whizz-around like Nairn Malcolm.

So you won’t be working at the castle all the time then?

No way! Even after only a few days I’ve learned he’s always on the move. All over the place: and I’m so excited about it. Can’t wait to get started on our travels. We’ll soon be going to London, Barcelona, Paris, Oman…the Caribbean…and loads of other places.

So, you don’t mind being on a Scottish island… and traveling the globe really appeals to you?

Absolutely! That’s the perfect bit of the job. As a gal from Vancouver, the Scottish island climate doesn’t bother me at all, and since I adore flying and sailing, the job is totally heaven for me. Now, of course, he doesn’t just need office assistance. His little accident means he needs someone competent to ferry him and his plaster casts all over the world…and that person is ME!

Did it take Nairn long to realize you were the best candidate, then?

You know, that’s a whole new scenario. You’ll just have to read those pages to find out more…though I will tell you, I could get to like that guy a lot.

So, do you see yourself as being his assistant for quite a while?

Never.  This is just a temporary job, for a few weeks, before I head back to Vancouver…

Diane: I think my blog was hijacked by characters in a novel. LOL This was fun. I always enjoy meeting new people. Nancy, I hope you'll give us a bit more about your book, TAKE ME NOW.

Nancy: Here's the Blurb:

Nairn Malcolm’s looking for the impossible. He needs a highly skilled, enterprising aide who’ll be at his beck and call 24/7. No ordinary Jane Doe will do. He doesn’t expect the only candidate who drops in at his Scottish castle for an interview to be so competent…or so stunning.

Aela Cameron’s got exactly the right mix of talents to satisfy all Nairn Malcolm’s needs, and more. She loves the jobs he needs done, adores his castle, and finds his frenetic lifestyle energising. But she’s only looking for temporary: not to fall in love with the man.

Can Nairn convince Aela she’s tailor-made for him in every way…and not a passing fancy?  

To begin with, though, I’d like to give your readers a little taste of what Nairn was like on the day Aela first set eyes on him.

Excerpt: 

Unadulterated vigor oozed from every last bit of him—overall a dangerous concoction. Something stirred way-down-low inside Aela again. He was a real honey, and the bee in her wanted to be very sticky.

Her mind whirred. The man bore a vague resemblance to the ruggedly handsome thirty-two year old Nairn Malcolm of the internet photograph, but would the blonde limpet in the recent celebrity snapshot want to curl herself around this forbidding wreck of a man? Aela thought not. She wondered, though, if his blank expression was caused by current circumstances, or if this was his normal demeanor, since he hadn’t been smiling in the photograph either.

With the high granite wall as his backdrop she could easily imagine this man lording over the castle, ruthlessly challenging any invaders to his domain. Taking any woman he wanted? Now there was a thought she was happy to entertain. A tiny smile broke free. Tamping down her crazed imagination she re-assessed him.

What had the guy been doing to get himself in such a state?

Who was he?

TAKE ME NOW was released by The Wild Rose Press on the 3^rd August 2012.

Diane: Nancy, where can we buy TAKE ME NOW?

TAKE ME NOW is available at:

   Wild Rose Press  Print: http://bit.ly/MrlI8x  and eBook http://bit.ly/MQJXvw  

   At Amazon.com:  eBook http://amzn.com/B008RZR012

   Link to YouTube Book Trailer video: http://youtu.be/stDC4Yhm2r0

Diane: Cool video. They really do go all over the world. I'm sure our visitors will want to know where to find you on the Net and if you have any more titles.

Blog: http://nancyjardine.blogspot.com

Website: http://nancyjardineauthor.weebly.com

http://facebook.com/nancy.jardine.56

Twitter:  @nansjar

Currently available to buy:

MONOGAMY TWIST by Nancy Jardine (history/ mystery novel with a good dash of romance) is currently available in print and ebook

The Wild Rose Press: http://bit.ly/wOpGbT   Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/ynu0t0   Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/wwaGCv   Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/AuMbii

Link to YouTube Book Trailer for Monogamy Twist is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJVzbrkJQzA

Coming soon:

THE BELTANE CHOICE by Nancy Jardine

A full length historical novel will be published by Crooked{Cat}Publishing on the 31^st August 2012, in eBook formats, the print version following on the 26^th October.

Diane: We'll check your website for more details on THE BELTANE CHOICE. In the meantime, Nancy, it's been great having you here.

Curiosity

Curiosity killed the cat . . . satisfaction brought it back. I haven't thought about that old saying until this weekend when all eyes (okay, maybe just several thousand) were on a car-size robot as it landed on Mars. Awfully kind of NASA to schedule this momentous event early this morning, just in time for my Monday Morning Musing post.

With Curiosity's touchdown we continue our efforts to leave home, to find out what's out there. Curiosity isn't the first rover to go exploring on Mars. It's just bigger, better, more sophisticated, more [name the superlative] than its predecessors. It will take pictures, drill, gather soil and rock samples. Curiosity's mission: to find out if Mars ever held life, has life and, most importantly, is capable of sustaining life.

Why are we curious about Mars? Until recently, imagination in the form of books and movies about the planet most similar to ours has been our source of information. Red Planet, Mission to Mars, and let's not forget Devil Girl from Mars. Imagination must have played a big part for scientists to figure out how to learn about Mars. Telescopes, orbiting satellites, rovers. All because we are curious about our neighboring planet.

I can only imagine the tense moments before Curiosity touched down on the Red Planet. NASA described it as "seven minutes of terror". What if Curiosity crashed and burned? What if something essential was damaged during descent and landing? What if it didn't work? There have been disappointments before. Those moments of terror for those who'd worked so diligently for so long turned into triumph this morning.

Scientists are not all that different from us writers. We are curious, we research, we wonder "what if", we use our imaginations to transport us from the here and now into another world. Science has never been my strong suit. My eyes glaze over during detailed explanations about how things work and why it's important to collect soil samples. I mean, c'mon, don't we have enough dirt here on Earth?

I know, I know. I'm impatient. If we're going to explore our solar system, let's go. We went from putting the first object in space (the USSR's Sputnik) to putting a man on the moon in less than twelve years. Magellan, Balboa, Columbus—they just went. Okay, there was a little matter of funding that delayed them, but they jumped in their boats and took off. Their curiosity—and the prospect of great riches—motivated them to explore. It seems as if we're taking such baby steps to discover new worlds. Maybe we're more cautious than those explorers six hundred years ago. Maybe we're not ready to find out what's out there. Maybe our "boats" aren't strong enough to weather the voyage. Maybe we need to build a "bigger boat".

For now, our curiosity about our neighbor will have to be satisfied with pictures—up close and personal pictures—from a robot. That will have to do, I suppose, before we ever send people. In the meantime, other writers and I will continue to make up stories where gallant pioneers, space cowboys, adventurers do what we cannot. Yet. Explore the vastness of the universe.

Don't forget to come back on Thursday to meet my author friend from Scotland, Nancy Jardine.

Meet Nancy Gideon

 To kick off this new feature on my blog--Meet the Authors--my first guest is an old friend. (Please wait while I take my foot out of my mouth.) Let me rephrase that. Our friendship goes back a long time. I met Nancy at my very first Mid-Michigan RWA retreat in 1993 when I was such a newbie I didn't have a clue about this industry.  I was in awe that she'd been published for over six years. Make that multi-published. Then, I discovered we were neighbors in Portage, Michigan.  I'm still in awe that she now has over 50 books published. I've always admired her generosity in helping new writers.  Advice, programs, workshops, critiques, chapter officer. Fun fact: she's a fellow Firefly enthusiast. You can read her "real" bio on her website.

Please welcome back to my blog Author Nancy Gideon.

Nancy, please tell us about your latest release.

SEEKER OF SHADOWS is the 6^th book in my ‘By Moonlight’ shape shifter series with Pocket Books. To bring a reader who is unfamiliar with the series up to speed, the first four ‘Moonlight’ books follow the same hero and heroine, New Orleans detective Charlotte Caissie and former mob enforcer/prophesied shape-shifter leader Max Savoie. The ‘Shadows’ books continue within the same paranormal world and build on some of the same underlying plot lines but feature a different hero/heroine and a unique storyline in each book. Each book in the series can stand alone but warning, you’ll want to know more. SEEKER OF SHADOWS debuted in print and e-book on May 29, 2012.  Here’s a peek:

“Rich and complex. Gideon delivers. Enticing new dimensions to the Shifter world keep things fresh (with) well-crafted prose and page-turning tension” – Publishers Weekly

How can he trust his future to the woman who stole his past?

Shifter club owner, Jacques LaRoche is fiercely protective of his freedom.  Stripped of his memories of a former life, he instinctively longs for the mate stolen from him. Until a mysterious visitor from the North stirs desire in a heart he thought belonged to another.Pursuing an unexpected key to her research, Chosen geneticist, Susanna Duchamps risks discovery in New Orleans when her presence ignites a deadly clan confrontation.  Forced to choose between the rediscovery of forbidden passion and the fate of a species, can she risk all to reclaim the love of the man she’s never forgotten? Or will she have to betray him once again in order to save the secret she protects?

If he knew the truth, would he still claim her?

"This dark and seductive story is rife with the delicious possibility of a happily-ever-after for an unlikely pair. Conflict keeps things exciting and plunging forward as the plot twists and turns. Don't blink, the book will be over before you know it." Romantic Times Book Reviews

Get in the mood with my SEEKER OF SHADOWS book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s-ez7m5LffQ

Wow. Cool trailer. What makes this book special?

SEEKER takes readers to the previously alluded to Chosen in the North. Introduced in Book #5, HUNTER OF SHADOWS as the intellectual yin to the rough and primitive Shifter yang, they use mind control to dominate the more basic shape-shifters and are searching for a way to permanently separate their species. The relationship between the hero and heroine crosses those boundaries, expanding the ‘By Moonlight’ world and upping the danger to the New Orleans clan. Plus there’s everything one looks for in a ‘By Moonlight’ book: suspense, action, humor and, oh yeah, heat!

Writers say their heroes are like their children and they can't pick a favorite. Personally, I loved Jacques LaRoche. What a tortured soul. I felt his anguish so much I almost hated you for what you put him through. LOL What makes him different from your other heroes?

He’s tough.  He can take it. I LOVE Jacques!  He started out as just a big, bruiser of a shape-shifter club owner/dock foreman, but I couldn’t resist adding layers of intrigue with each book. He has a past he doesn’t remember, a mate he doesn’t know how to find. There are facets to his personality that he doesn’t understand (like a fondness for classical music!). The only female he’s drawn to is one he instinctively senses is an enemy who will shake the new world he’s created for himself with secrets she alone can share. There’s a depth, loyalty, and solidity to Jacques that I found very earthy and appealing.  He’s just a really good average shape-shifter guy forced into extraordinary acts.

You have recurring characters from previous books in Seeker of Shadows. Where did Jacques first appear and will he have a role to play in future books?

Jacques has been in the ‘By Moonlight’ world since the first book and he’ll appear in the next one.  The thing I love about doing this series is bringing back characters for more than just a cameo walk-on.  I love my secondary characters and have purposefully established each one of them with a thought to eventually giving them their own story. Readers seem to like the sense of community created by an ensemble cast (I know I do!).  And it’s so much fun expanding the characters into sometimes surprising directions.  Jacques was always my editor’s favorite, so I simply had to feature him with a romance of his own.

You wrote many books about vampires (first vamp novels I ever read, btw) and now you're writing about shape-shifters. Will you return to the vampire world? Will the two worlds ever mingle in your book(s)?

After nine books in my ‘Midnight’ vampire series, I’d gone as far as I felt I could go within that world. Occasionally, I’ll think about digging them up again (snort!) but I’ve got too much else on my plate right now.  The nice thing about the paranormal is that you can do anything you want within its parameters as long as you make it believable.  I could easily populate my ‘By Moonlight’ world with other preternatural creatures, but I don’t think the stories really call for it.  So the chance of my shape shifters taking a vampire out for a bite is fairly slim . . .  at least for now.

When you wrote Masked by Moonlight, the 1st ‘By Moonlight’ book, did you set out to write a series? How did it come about?

MASKED BY MOONLIGHT was that Book of the Heart that literally ran away with me. I’m a rabid plotter (I never touch the keyboard without an outline) and yet the minute I started typing Chapter 1, I was writing with pants on fire without a plan. What started out as a solo book became four before I knew it, carrying the same hero and heroine (in what’s typically a romance no-no) through all four books. The world is as complex as the characters and the potential for additional books or spin-offs is endless, and to me, exciting.  It’s a series I could enjoy continuing  . . . indefinitely!

Your "Moonlight" series and "Shadows" books take place in New Orleans. What is it about that city that seems appropriate for shape-shifter stories?

New Orleans is the ultimate paranormal setting.  It’s mysterious, sultry, steeped in history and diverse cultures and religions. I fell in love during my first visit at a writers’ conference back in the early 1990s and it’s still one of my favorite destinations. On one block you’re in a bustling metropolitan city and on the next are exploring narrow streets lined with gas lights from a different century. The food, the patois, the legends, the mix of seedy and sophisticated . . . what’s not to love? When the fog rolls in off the Mississippi onto the Square, you can believe there are things in the shadows you’d best not mess with.

That gave me chills. Better move on. In Seeker of Shadows, your characters leave New Orleans for Chicago. Will you set any of your future books in a place other than New Orleans?

New Orleans will remain the home base, but my characters will be traveling from the bayou up to Chicago, Memphis and out to Reno and Lake Tahoe in the next couple of books, as rival clans families begin to play a more important role.  I love to set books where I’ve visited and thoroughly enjoyed time spent in the Windy City, Reno and Tahoe (as anyone who has heard my “Save the Quails” story will attest).  Memphis . . . oooh, I feel a road trip coming on. I’m a Gemini . . . I thrive on variety. And I’m ADD . . . always on the lookout for that Oh, shiny!

What's next for Nancy Gideon?

The next two books in the ‘By Moonlight’ series will be in the new E-exclusive line from Pocket. BETRAYED BY SHADOWS will be available on 12-18-2012 and PRINCE OF SHADOWS is currently burning through the pre-dawn oil on my laptop. I recently obtained the rights back for dozens of historicals and contemporaries written under my pen name Dana Ransom so I’ll be spending some time trying to decide how best to get those back out to readers when I’m not wearing my daily 9-to-5 as a legal assistant cape.

Now, for those who haven't read Seeker of Shadows, here's a taste.

Excerpt from SEEKER OF SHADOWS:

Jacques threw open the hinged pass-through at the end of the bar, gratified by the sudden startling noise it made as it slammed against the counter. The jarring sound echoed through the empty cathedral of his new life and through his equally shadowy soul.

What the hell is wrong with me?

He stopped before the small sink and twisted the cold tap, filling unsteady hands and splashing his face with the bracing chill.  It failed to cool an overheated body or his wildly inappropriate thoughts.

He refused to glance up toward the dark blank of his office window where she was probably still shivering in dread and disgust.  Because he was exactly what she feared.

A rude brute.  An unmannered beast. An untamed animal. Growling, grabbing at what wasn’t his to take or desire.  A primal, inferior species unable to harness his carnal needs.

Jacques started to reach for one of the jewel-like bottles stacked in tempting rows, but let his hand drop away.  He stared at the face in the mirror behind them that had been that of a stranger when he’d first seen it seven years ago.  He’d had no idea who those features belonged to before that moment.  He could have been anything, anyone. What he’d become had been born in that instant of non-recognition.

What he did know was that he’d belonged to them, to those pitiless users in the north, who’d obviously trained him and directed in to serve their capricious whims. The scar between his shoulder blades told him that much.  Had he pleasured their females? Had he hunted and killed his own kind the way the Tracker who’d died in the hallway had? Had he been a mindless drone who went about their business with a blind obedience? Was he so conditioned to their commands that he had no self-control even now?

Resentment simmered as he paced, movements dangerously predatory even as his thoughts panted in raw confusion.

Why can’t I get a grip? This isn’t me.  This isn’t what I’ve made of myself.  Why am I letting her get to me? She’s one of theirs, not one of mine. She belongs to one of them, not to me.  Not to me.

So why was every primal pulse of his blood denying that fact?

SEEKER OF SHADOWS is available at bookstores and at Amazon.

One last question. Where can readers find you on the web?

I’m all over the place!  Find out more about me, the series, and my backlist on my website: http://nancygideon.com .  I also have a blog that you’ve shamed me into getting back to at: http://nancygideon.blogspot.com . I’m always on Facebook under Nancy Gideon or Nancy Gideon-author, Tweet on Twitter under Nancy Gideon, and am listed on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/282919.Nancy_Gideon . Come visit and say ‘Hi! Diane sent me!”

Thanks so much for visiting, Nancy. We'll see you back here in December when BETRAYED BY SHADOWS comes out.