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A.S. Fenichel Talks About JOSHUA’S MISTAKE
I’m so pleased to welcome one of my best friends back to the blog today. I guess I didn’t look too weird at the RWA National Conference back in 2011, because A.S. Fenichel sat down beside me and we chatted a bit. Just a few minutes later, she received an email with the cover art for her first book, MAYAN AFTERGLOW. I remember her excitement when she showed it to me. Talk about a bonding moment!
Fast forward three years. A.S. Fenichel now has nine books published with Ellora’s Cave. She’s here today to talk about her newest release, JOSHUA’S MISTAKE, Book 2 of the Psychic Mates series.
Blurb
Accused of treason and the murder of her Psychic Special Forces team, Tessa is in the custody of the FBI. She’s shocked and terrified when the most powerful Psi Agent in the world shows up to probe her mind and discover her guilt or innocence.
Joshua never expected to find a victim of one of his probes attractive, but he can’t seem to leave her behind when all hell breaks loose. Saving the stunning blonde means being drawn into a psychic war that will definitely end his career—and likely both of their lives.
The rhythm of their psychic auras hums to perfection and neither can fight the bond, but it’s all ripped away by a madman with a grudge. Tessa falls into a coma and Joshua will have to risk his heart and soul to pull her back from the brink.Get your copy of JOSHUA’S MISTAKE now from
Amazon ● B&N ● All Romance ● Kobo ● Ellora’s Cave
Karla: Congratulations on your new release, my friend! JOSHUA’S MISTAKE is the second book in the Psychic Mates series. Joshua is the brother of the hero in book 1, KANE’S BOUNTY. I remember asking you if Joshua would get his own book after I read KANE’S BOUNTY. Did you plan this series from the get-go, or was that a happy, unexpected development?
A.S.: Wow! What an intro. Thanks Karla and thanks for having me on your blog today.
I had no intention of writing another book to follow Kane’s Bounty. I wrote KB for a “call” from the editorial staff at Ellora’s Cave and that was going to be that. Like yourself, so many people read the book and asked me about Joshua and if he would have his own book. It started my wheels turning.
Karla: How many books are planned for the series, and, should they be read in order, or can each book be read as a standalone?
A.S.: Officially I’m planning on four books. Unofficially, I’ve already discovered a character in book three that is quite tempting, and I suspect people will really want more from him. The books can totally stand alone. But, as is often the case, I believe readers will enjoy them more if they read them in order. It’s like visiting with old friends when characters pop up in the next book or the next.
Karla: Where did the idea of psychic bounty hunters and operatives come from?
A.S.: The “call” I mentioned earlier was for bounty hunter related books. I saw the first scene of Kane’s Bounty in my head immediately, two bounty hunters after the same mark in a crowded bar. Then I thought, what if the hero could read her mind. That intensified the entire plot and I was really excited. So if Kane is psychic, his brother probably is too, right?
In fact Joshua is THE psychic. The most powerful PSI Agent in the world. He is a total badass.
Karla: I know you use an outline when you write. Did anything take you by surprise while you were writing?
A.S.: I do use a rough outline. I’ve never written a book that stuck to my original plan exactly. Tessa was much harder to write than I expected. She’s very complex.
With Joshua’s Mistake and the subsequent books, I saw the opportunity to have a lot of fun with different psychic abilities. It was amazing how well my crazy notions worked out. In fact, at one point something terrible happens due to Tessa’s very unique ability to slow time for an instant. I’m not giving any spoilers, but I was not expecting that. 😉
Karla: What is your favorite aspect, or part, of JOSHUA’S MISTAKE?
A.S.: Joshua! He is sexy, smart, dangerous and yet tender and caring. Most people are afraid of him and yet he’s still managed to cultivate some lasting friendships. I think people are going to really love him.
Karla: Aside from this series, what else do you have in the works?
A.S.: OMG! Here’s some really exciting news. I’m working on a series called The Demon Hunters. I just signed a contract with Lyrical Press, an imprint of Kensington Publishing, for the first three books. I’m so excited about these stories. The series is Historical Paranormal Romance and really different from anything you’ve seen before. The setting is in Regency England and there’s a problem with Demons. A big problem. All the books are about the demon hunters who are fighting to save the world from evil, yet there is still room to fall in love. After all, it is ROMANCE. 😉 I’ve started edits on the first book, ASCENSION and hope it will be available sometime in the summer.
Karla: Congratulations! That’s fantastic news! Now, here’s one last, totally fun (and difficult) question before I let you get back to writing. Of all the heroes you’ve written, do you have a favorite, and if so, why?
A.S.: Oh my goodness! Unfair!! I love the one I’m with. LOL… I’m writing two books now and I love the characters in them above all others. However, if I must choose… I adore Avery from Wishing Game. If I were going to leave my wonderful husband to run off with one of my characters, it would be for Avery Colton Townsend. He is a study in controlled passion. I love a man who will do the right thing no matter the cost to himself. (BTW, I married a man who is exactly like that)
Karla: Thanks for visiting today! Come back soon and talk to me about your next book. 🙂
A.S.: Thank you, Karla. This was fun and I will most definitely come back. You can’t get rid of me so easily. 🙂
Connect with A.S. Fenichel online:
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Happy Release Day to Siobhan Muir!
I “met” Siobhan Muir online, and she has become a valued friend. Recently, I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Siobhan’s brand-new release, BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE. I enjoyed this unique story, as I’m sure other readers will.
Here’s the blurb:
What happens in Vegas, stays in the heart…
Chief Petty Officer John “Bronco” Andrews only meant to stay one night in Vegas for a little R&R before resuming his duties as a US Navy SEAL in Coronado. But someone slips him a mickey in the bar and he finds himself in Madame LeBeau’s sex trade. As the product. Doped up on ketamine to keep him docile, Bronco has no choice but to let it ride.
Detective Lindsey Jarvis has been undercover in LeBeau’s sex slave racket for two years and she almost has enough evidence to take it down. Between abduction, prostitution, and murder, she has LeBeau by the short hairs. All she needs is a “product”. John is the perfect witness if she can get him out before the drugs shut down his heart. Then she’ll be free to start a normal life.
Lindsey doesn’t count on her overwhelming attraction for Bronco or her need to see him through detox. But she’s a cop in Vegas and he’s a Navy SEAL, two lifestyles with too much unpredictability to maintain a relationship. Neither have time for more than one wild rough ride, and what happens in Vegas, stays. Forever.
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Siobhan is here to answer some questions. If you have others, leave them in the comments for Siobhan to answer. 🙂
Karla: BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is the second installment of your Bad Boys of Beta Squad series. How are the books related or linked, and can they be read independently, or is it best to start at the beginning and read them in order?
Siobhan: BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is technically the prequel to THE NAVY’S GHOST, but you could read either of them first. You’ll see John “Bronco” Andrews and his wife Lindsey in THE NAVY’S GHOST, even though it’s not their story. BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE takes place about ten years before THE NAVY’S GHOST.
Karla: How many books do you have planned for the series?
Siobhan: I’d no idea it was going to be a series when I started writing, but with all the characters coming to life and complaining that they should have their own stories, there should be about six stories, two of which I already have story ideas/outlines. But every member of Beta Squad will get his tale.
Karla: Where did the idea for BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE come from?
Siobhan: When I wrote THE NAVY’S GHOST, I realized the other characters would want their own story, but John and Lindsey were already married. Hard to write a romance between a married couple that have already had their trials and tribulations. She was an ex-cop and they’d been together for at least ten years when Chris, Magic and Retro came along. So I started thinking where John could have met Lindsey, and what she was doing at the time.
I live in Las Vegas and it’s a city known for sex and inhibitions. The reality is much different than the appearance, but there are still places here where nefarious activities take place. I wanted a way to make Lindsey more than just a SEAL’s wife. What kind of woman would entice a SEAL of Bronco’s stature? Most stories about SEALs show the man rescuing his lover, who is usually a woman. But I wanted something different. I wanted the woman to save the man, and the SEAL, despite his training and abilities, to be the one in need of rescue. So I asked the question of what would happen if the SEAL was the victim? Who would rescue him and how? BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is the result.
Karla: Do you have a military background, or did you have to do a lot of research?
Siobhan: I don’t have a military background, but I’ve watched a lot of documentaries, listened to other military folks, and read a lot of military books, either non-fiction or romance. I had to do a lot of research to make sure my details could pass muster. Nothing worse than getting the details wrong. I was watching a movie recently supposedly featuring Navy SEALs. Not only did the actor get the lingo wrong, he misnamed things like helicopter and their response cheer. I was unimpressed after all my research.
Karla: What is your favorite part, or aspect, of BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE?
Siobhan: I think my favorite part of this story is when Lindsey gets him alone in her hotel room and he starts to get use of his body back. The interaction between the characters is always my favorite part. I love to see how they’ll react to whatever is going on around them. This story was harder to write because John literally couldn’t do anything for the first half of it. He was essentially a big doll and it made scenes with him difficult until he could move. You try figuring out what someone is thinking when they can only move their eyes.
Karla: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Siobhan: Keep your eyes peeled for the next two books in the Bad Boys of Beta Squad series, RIMSHOT’S MISSED SHOT and an as yet unnamed story for Greg “Bam-Bam” Killian, Beta Squad’s demolitions specialist. Also, I’m currently working on a sci-fi/fantasy romance with centaurs and dimension travel entitled TAKE THE REINS, and a paranormal romantic suspense ménage with werewolf brothers and a succubus entitled SECOND CHANCE SUCCUBUS. It also takes place in Las Vegas.
Karla: Thanks for stopping by and answering my questions about your new release, Siobhan!
Siobhan: Thanks so much for having me today, Karla. 🙂
Karla: Come back any time!
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BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is now available from:
All Romance ◊ Amazon ◊ Smashwords
Connect with Siobhan online at:
Website ◊ Blog ◊ Facebook ◊ Twitter ◊ Goodreads ◊ Google+ ◊ Pinterest
About Siobhan:
Siobhan Muir lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, two daughters, and a vegetarian cat she swears is a shape-shifter, though he’s never shifted when she can see him. When not writing, she can be found looking down a microscope at fossil fox teeth, pursuing her other love, paleontology. An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy, her husband gave her a paranormal romance for Christmas one year, and she was hooked for good.
In previous lives, Siobhan has been an actor at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, a field geologist in the Aleutian Islands, and restored inter-planetary imagery at the USGS. She’s hiked to the top of Mount St. Helens and to the bottom of Meteor Crater.
Siobhan writes kick-ass adventure with hot sex for men and women to enjoy. She believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal romance stories.
Siobhan’s latest release, Bronco’s Rough Ride, is a prequel to The Navy’s Ghost in the Bad Boys of Beta Squad series. She has published A Hell Hound’s Fire (a free read) and The Beltane Witch in the Cloudburst Colorado series. Siobhan has also published Not a Dragon’s Standard Virgin and Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack through Siren Publishing, and Her Devoted Vampire through Evernight Publishing.
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Wife on the Lam – Interview With Author Cara Bristol
Today I’m happy to welcome back Cara Bristol, author of the successful Rod and Cane series, and much more, including WIFE ON THE LAM, a novella included in the newly released anthology, COMING TO TERMS.
Buy Now from Amazon • Barnes & Noble
Blurb: Wife on the Lam
After two kids, three moves, and the normal ups and downs of a twenty-two year domestic discipline marriage, Janelle wants to celebrate their wedding anniversary with a luxury vacation. But despite subtle hints like leaving a copy of the Cabana Resort brochure with the Couples’ Getaway Package circled in red on her husband’s golf magazine, Brent misses all the clues. Worse, he schedules a business trip on their anniversary! Though her bottom might pay for it later, Janelle decides to take her luxury vacation anyway. Leaving a note and a casserole, she flies off to the resort. She’s going to celebrate, with or without him.
If anything proves that he’s slacked off on his duties as head of household, this stunt of Janelle’s does. Brent had booked the Diamond Package at the Cabana Resort to surprise her and planned to present her with the tickets when she took him to airport for his “business trip.” She’s ruined the surprise, but he’s not going to let her ruin their anniversary. It’s time to take his errant wife in hand and get their marriage back on track.
Blurb: Coming to Terms
Summer means more than fun and sun, rest and relaxation. For the couples in Coming to Terms, vacation presents a chance to connect, and work through important issues in their domestic discipline relationships. From endeavoring to define DD to missing a DD partner to balancing erotic spanking and disciplinary spanking, these stand-alone stories penned by seven authors of spanking fiction cover a broad spectrum of issues commonly encountered in loving DD relationships. Will the obstacles prove too difficult to overcome? Or will each couple emerge from vacation with their relationships revitalized and stronger than ever?
Cara’s Website ◊ Twitter ◊ Facebook ◊ Goodreads
Hi, Cara! Congratulations on all your new releases—you’ve been busy! WIFE ON THE LAM is a cute story, I enjoyed reading it. One of the things I like about your Domestic Discipline stories is how that element doesn’t overpower the story, it’s more organic.
Cara Bristol: Thank you, Karla. All good fiction begins and ends with the story and the characters. Spanking represents only one element of the characters’ relationship. It’s like sex. A “story” that is all sex is porn. A “story” that is all spanking is spanking porn. I write spanking romance. The anthology itself focuses on couples in existing domestic discipline relationships who take a vacation to reconnect with their partners.
I chuckled when I read the blurb for WIFE ON THE LAM. I think the premise of the heroine acting out because she feels taken for granted will resonate with many readers. I think we’ve all had days where we wanted to pack a bag and escape for a few days!
Cara: So much fiction focuses on dysfunction or major problems, because that creates conflict, which creates story. I wanted to show a couple in love who hit a bump in their otherwise happy, committed marriage. Even though Brent and Janelle are pissed off at each other, they still love each other very much, and I tried to show that in the little things that they do. As you know from reading it, there’s a twist in the story. Once readers realize what’s happening, I hope they take a second a look at the actions of the characters. The details in this story matter a great deal.
I know you enjoy traveling. Was ‘Cabana Resort’, the setting of WIFE ON THE LAM, based on somewhere you’ve visited? And, if you could plan a romantic anniversary trip for you and your hubby to anywhere in the world, where would you love to go?
Cara: My husband and I have traveled a lot, and Cabana Resort is a composite of many places we’ve visited including Tahiti (where we went on our honeymoon) and many places in the Caribbean. The things that Janelle does on her solo vacation, I have done: the boating, the snorkeling, the horseback riding. Once I even made the same mistake she did on her horseback ride! For our next “big trip” my husband and I would like to take a European river cruise.
WIFE ON THE LAM is part of a Domestic Discipline anthology. Can you tell us more about your story and the anthology—how it came about, etc.?
Cara: A group of LazyDay Publishing authors pitched an anthology idea centered around existing couples in domestic discipline relationships who take a vacation to reconnect and get their relationships back on track. I wasn’t a LazyDay author, but I was invited to participate. I loved the idea of joining these other authors – all of whom I knew and had worked with on other projects – but I turned down the offer at first. I had two other writing projects with the same deadline, and didn’t think I could manage another one. But I was offered a second chance, and I decided to do whatever it took to make it work. The blurb came to me in the shower, and I wrote the story from the blurb. I wanted WIFE ON THE LAM to be humorous, but also real.
WIFE ON THE LAM is a short novella, around 12k words. Was it difficult to write short after a string of longer books? Do you have a preference or natural “sweet zone” as far as the length of story you like to write?
Cara: I have two “sweet zones” – 40K (about 160 pages) and 10-15K. My vampire romance, A Scent of Longing, released by Decadent Publishing is around the latter length. Some authors find it challenging to write “short,” but I love it. My background is in journalism, so I’m used to writing concise pieces.
As I said earlier, you’ve been busy lately. In addition to WIFE ON THE LAM, DESTINY’S CHANCE, a reincarnation romance with erotic spanking, released May 14th, and DISCIPLINARY MEASURES, the fourth book of your Rod and Cane series released May 21st. So awesome, congratulations on all of them! What are you working on now, and what do you have planned for the near-ish future?
♦ Oh, and a side note — DISCIPLINARY MEASURES is currently FREE from Loose Id until May 26th. Go grab a copy! ♦
Cara: I should be writing the fifth Rod and Cane book, which is Liz Davenport’s story (the attorney in Body Politics who sent her feminist friend off on a blind date with a man who spanks), but I got an idea for a science fiction erotic romance (with spanking, of course!) that wouldn’t leave me alone. It is so hard to not write what is knocking around in your head – especially when the other story has cooled AND you lost your notes. I can’t find the notebook that contained my ideas for Rod and Cane 5. Argh! I am slowly re-plotting Rod and Cane 5.
Oh no! I hope you find that notebook! But I agree, it is hard to ignore a story when it’s demanding to be written. 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by today. Before you go, can you give us a little sample from WIFE ON THE LAM?
Cara: Here’s the opening scene in the book. Janelle is mad at her husband and is flying to a tropical resort to take a vacation without him. The Texan in this scene plays an important role in the story:
An excerpt from WIFE ON THE LAM, by Cara Bristol
“That bull gored me like a shish kebob. Meanest, orneriest critter I ever laid eyes on.”
“Was that why you left the rodeo?”
No, no, please don’t encourage him. Pressed against the airplane window, her eyelids shuttered tight, Janelle Gibb feigned sleep and prayed for the Texan to choke on a peanut. The man had begun talking the moment he’d squeezed his linebacker form into the middle seat minutes before take-off in Florida, and hadn’t taken a breath since. Weren’t cowboys supposed to be taciturn?
She had learned more than she ever cared to about driving, branding, and inoculating cattle, the details spelled out slower than molasses ran on a cold day. Unfortunately, the man on the aisle seemed fascinated and when the cowboy wound down, he’d rev him up again with a question.
‘Mornin’, ma’am.’ When he’d first boarded, the Texan had tried to engage her in conversation, but after he’d ma’amed her, she’d brushed him off with an insincere smile and a fake yawn, and curled up against the window, ostensibly to snooze.
Ma’am? The cowboy had to be her age, probably a few years older, although she couldn’t tell for sure because of his sunglasses. Light sensitivity caused by an eye infection. She’d gotten details on that too.
Would a ma’am wear a thong bikini like the one she had tucked in her suitcase? She looked pretty damn good for a woman who, in five days, would celebrate her twenty-second wedding anniversary.
Alone.
She sniffed back tears of self-pity. With the plane’s engines humming in her right ear and the cowboy droning in her left, she’d had plenty of opportunity to consider what she’d done.
Screwed up. Big time. She’d been so hurt by Brent’s cluelessness she hadn’t thought her actions through to the logical conclusion — how alone she’d feel flying off to an island paradise by herself, how mad her husband would be when he found her note stuck to the fridge by a magnet.
Made you a casserole for dinner. Bake at 375 for 45 min. I went on vacation. See you when you get back from your business trip. Love, Janelle.
She’d been so furious, she’d hesitated whether to add the “love” part. Warm fuzzies had been absent when she scribbled the note. As a regional sales manager with a new territory, Brent had been away on business almost more than he’d been home during the past year. They’d always reserved their anniversary as a special day, and she had hoped they could spend quiet time alone to reconnect. For months, she’d dropped numerous hints she’d like to vacation at the Cabana Resort at Isla Island for their anniversary, even left the brochure on top of his golf magazine with the “couples’ getaway package” circled in red. She’d done everything except smack him over the head with the booklet.
“Looks like they have a nice golf course,” he’d commented, and then said nothing more. She’d wondered if maybe he hadn’t planned to surprise her, but he dashed those hopes by announcing he had an out-of-town sales conference during their anniversary.
“We’ll do something after I get back,” he’d promised. And then he had shrugged. Shrugged! At that moment, she decided she would go the resort, with or without him.
“Besides it’s not like it’s a milestone, like twenty or twenty-five.” He had added insult to injury.
Definitely not like twenty. For that he’d given her a beautiful anniversary ring that she wore on her left hand next to her wedding set. She twisted the multiple bands on her finger, then remembered she was supposed to be asleep. Had her loquacious seatmate noticed? She cracked an eyelid.
“Did you have a good nap little lady?” the Texan drawled.