Writer with Sizzle Interview: Nana Malone!

Please welcome contemporary romance author Nana Malone!

About Nana:

Nana’s love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she borrowed from her cousin on a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana at a precocious thirteen. She’s been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.

Waiting for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, Nana, meantime works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is. Though, until that ninja job comes through, you’ll find her acting out scenes for hubby and puppy while catching up on her favorite reality television shows in sunny San Diego.

Her debut novel GAME, SET, MATCH is available from The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.

Lia: Welcome, Nana! Please tell us about your latest release, Game, Set, Match.

Nana: Game, Set, Match is a contemporary romance set in Los Angeles. It’s a story of lost and reacquainted love. In a world of flash and not much substance, Jason is looking to find meaning in his life again, while Izzy is struggling to keep her family together while building her career. Both characters need to overcome their self doubt, trust barriers and the pains of the past to find their way back to each other.

Lia: Sounds great! Have you ever cried or laughed out loud while writing a scene?

Nana: Oh absolutely! The scene I laughed about most in this book was where Izzy sent a, erm, scandalous picture of herself to the wrong man. While I haven't done that before myself, I can just imagine. Holy red faced. I laughed the whole time I wrote it.

Lia: That’s hilarious! I bet she was mortified. Which scene do you think will leave the reading squirming in their seat?

Nana: Ha! I warn you now, I write hot. Not quite erotica, but everyone who reads GSM, should be running for their significant other. Start with the first love scene through the last.

Lia: Have your characters ever been caught having sex in public? How did that go?

Nana: Funny you should ask. Lol. Two characters in GSM do get busted, but they don't know it until later. In the book I'm writing right now, I have my main characters get caught. Don't want to spoil it for you, but you know how you get past that point of no return where you just can't stop... *flutter of eyelashes."

Lia: *Fanning* Yeah, I think I might know what you’re talking about. Wink-wink. Thanks so much for being here today, Nana!

Nana: Thank you so much for having me for this interview. I really enjoyed myself.

Other places to find Nana:


http://www.nanamalone.com/

http://www.thepopculturedivas.com/

Facebook

Twitter

Writer with Sizzle Interview: Skhye Moncrief

Please welcome Skhye Moncrief! Skhye is running a contest to give away one of her sizzling books. See details below!

About Skhye:

Formally educated in hard and soft science (geology and bioarchaeology), Skhye pushes the envelope writing cross-genre romance classified as either paranormal or fantasy romance, and kick-arse romantica. She loves the challenge of building an entirely new world or resurrecting an old legend into a completely new animal.

Lia: It’s great to have you here, Skhye! Tell us about your latest release.

Skhye: FERAL FEVER, Book 3 in my Feral Series, releases on April 15th!!! It’s the next romantica episode in my were-wolf space opera. Psychic werewolves are saving the universe! And they’re recruiting…

FERAL FEVER’s blurb:

Sometimes it pays to just give into the darkness…

With the Blood Wars ended, were-assassin Marshals are called to serve throughout the universe in easing cultural tensions instigated by the transition of cultures from zombified to free-thinking societies…

Earthling archaeologist Aisling Bjorn never really considered juggling multiple husbands for were-assassin duty on planet Luvk—a world of tiger folk subjugated by winged aliens from another dimension. Learning the lost history of the tiger culture to understand how the winged species divided and conquered the tiger realms is more her cup of tea. But she's in store for an even bigger challenge than helping the Luvks reclaim their independence. There’s a shortage of marriageable females for the large broods of gorgeous tiger princes. The friction caused by mating problems threatens her sanity as the warrior Lords vie for possession of not only a mate but a powerful political pawn—her, the Marshal whose beauty rivals that of the most marketable princess. And mates the Lords all wish to be.

Aisling must accept that with every turn in life, we sacrifice a bit of our souls for the greater good. Even to the darkness. Blessed are those who just give into the darkness of Luvk. Because a woman’s sanity is out of the question when surrounded by enormous muscled hunks cloaked in sexy leather pants. Their glorious bodies alone could incite riots on Earth. And they all want her. One thing’s for certain, love or lust, everyone eventually succumbs to Luvks’ FERAL FEVER.

Lia: What physical aspect does your heroine love most about your hero? Details, please!

Skhye: Well what’s not to love about males over six-feet tall with tiger stripes? Add to that some genius female had them wear black leather pants split down the outer leg seams where black tabs held the leather sides together—just enough to offer an excellent view of all their striped leg muscles! Then the males where a harness (yes, go there with your thoughts about a harness’ function) composed of a large O-ring and leather straps wrapping around the sides of the chest and shoulders to connect to the O-ring in the front/back. You can’t miss all the muscles. And everything is overly muscled. Everything. ;) Did I mention the heroine winds up with 5 mates by the end of the book? So, she doesn’t have to be too choosy!

Lia: Yowza! They sound amazing. What does your heroine love most about her hero?

Skhye: The hero(s) are princes born into a lovely system where Queens use their sons to make political ties through marriage with other Queens. Because of polyandrous relationships, Queens have 15-20 consorts. **Lucky Gals** My heroine loves the main hero the most because he is considered Low Caste of the Lords she meets. This makes him a considerate Lord. They meet when he’s sent to escort her across the Seven Realms because he is the fiercest and strongest warrior among the Lords. So, he’s gorgeous (see previous question’s answer) and kick-ass. The fact he considers himself unworthy of her because of his Low-Caste label helps her find his behavior toward everyone quite noble…

Lia: Yes, definitely a lucky gal!! Your world-building is phenomenal. How would you describe the world you’ve built?

Skhye: Medieval matriarchal society set on another planet with kick-butt Tiger Lords on huge shaggy war beasts. Everything else is really insignificant. (I smacked myself!)

Lia: Which scene in your book do you think will leave the reader squirming in their seat?

Skhye: Geesh. This one’s a tough one. I’ll have to go with sex of course!!! (They’re nude in a bathing pool.)

Excerpt:

My feet came off the pool’s floor with the pressure.

What was he doing? Maybe I’d made a mistake about him.

He stopped where I looked him in the eye and lowered my arms around his neck. “Forgive me,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to frighten or hurt you.”

If that plea didn’t deserve tears, nothing did. I wrapped my arms around his slick wet hair and clung to the strength in his broad shoulders.

He released me against his beating heart to trail his knuckles down my sides.

Help me, universe. I don’t ever want him to stop.

He watched his hands slide over my hips, down to my thighs where he pulled up my knees and wrapped my legs around his waist before locking his gaze back on me. “I’m always here for you, dear Aisling.”

His hips bent upward to me. Free-handedly, he slowly, purposefully, in one leisurely motion, slid the head of his cock into my core. I was so wet from deprivation that he had no problem with his measured penetration. His hard thickness felt so glorious I could only gape, holding my breath, watching my reaction mirrored in his handsomely rugged features. If angels sang somewhere in the heavens, their voices would have burst from our drugged expressions. But it is rumored only a few can hear angels sing. So, I waited for Lehd to growl a meaty song of possession.

His shaft’s soft root finally spooned my tender vagina.

We gasped for breath.

My pulse beat with his deep within my soul.

Dear creative force is in the universe, thank you for Lehd.

He growled and backed up until he slid my legs at his back atop the ledge and slowly withdrew his amazing firmness.

It wasn’t enough fast enough. “Lehd, on the furs.”

He didn’t argue. My back was on the skins before I could blink, his marvelous hardness still inside me. I slid my legs down, dropping my knees, and grabbing fistfuls of his iron ass.

If he’d only hurry.

His hot sucking lips fell to my neck, then he plowed into my spirit. Again and again. I matched his thrusting hips with the energy only blood lust could give me after a day with three different men. But something told me this day was unusual. Maybe it was Lehd. I grabbed two fistfuls of his harness and hung on.

He plunged his throbbing hardness into me faster and faster until we raced into the darkness of night. Until he drove away any fears I had of being alone while spanking me with the pat of his sac against my ass. Until I couldn’t stop crying out for breath. And I came like a screaming banshee with his overpowering roar of possession in our blue flash of healing light. We clenched together so tightly that his trembling rigid body made me want to cradle him forever.

Lia: Scorching excerpt!! Where can readers find your books?

Skhye:

Available in e-format at:

at New Concepts Publishing http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/skhyemoncriefbooks.html

at Fictionwise http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b115094/Feral-Fascinations/Skhye-Moncrief/?si=0

Skhye on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=659800548

Skhye's website http://skhyemoncrief.com/

Skhye's blog http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com/

Skhye's newsletter yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skhyemoncrief/

Contest: I’m giving away a pdf of Book 1: FERAL FASCINATIONS to one lucky commenter. How to enter to win: leave me a comment here today by midnight Tuesday, 4/12. Make certain to leave your email addy so you can be contacted. And one lucky person will be chosen tomorrow to win!

Thanks for having me over, Lia! ~Skhye

Lia: Thanks for being a Writer with Sizzle, Skhye! And good luck to the readers!

Writer with Sizzle Interview: Rhonda Carver

Please welcome Rhonda Carver!


About Rhonda:

Rhonda is a full-time romance author and a freelance editor. She enjoys writing contemporary, paranormal, suspense, and erotica. Her specialty is bad-ass heroes (charcoal hair, copper eyes, and heart of gold) and smart and sassy heroines. And her favorite subject is…men in military uniform. They make the perfect hero.

Reading her first romance novel at age thirteen, Rhonda was hooked. Her talent of bringing interesting characters to print and shaping happy endings are not only a passion of hers, but a dream career. She thinks the love between hero and heroine should be so steamy that it melts the ink off the pages.

If she’s not at her computer crafting a story, Rhonda enjoys reading romance, hanging out with her loved ones, or watching a movie that either pushes her to tears or has her rolling with laughter…and preferably both.

She lives in Ohio where she is a mother by day and a sensual writer by night. She has too many pets to name but has a place in her heart for each of them.

She believes everyone deserves romance in their life—one page at a time.

Lia: It's great to have you here, Rhonda! Have you ever cried or laughed out loud while writing a scene?

Rhonda: Writing Second Chance Cowboy was an emotional roller coaster. Packed with tragedy, from the death of loved ones, the introduction of a villain and divorce, there was many times I found myself sniffling and wiping tears. I think one of the greatest fears a parent has is the loss of a child. Carly and Chance suffered this loss and the pain drove a wall between them. But at the hands of fate, they are given a second chance.

Second Chance Cowboy excerpt:

Carly squeezed her hands into fists. “My poor husband. How difficult it is for him to manage his inflated ego and keep his zipper closed.”

“We’re divorced, remember?” His voice reeked of sarcasm.

She groaned in irritation. Her pulse pounded in her ears like the beating of a drum. Her claws were showing.

Chance didn’t blink an eye as he gazed at her across the room. “Honey, I can keep my pants zipped just fine. Problem is, you can’t keep your fingers off my zipper.”

Carly’s palm itched to slap him. “We live in a small town, Chance. How do you think it’s possible we haven’t run into each other more than three times in the last two years?” She cocked her chin. “Let me fill you in. I’ve done everything in my power to keep from bumping into you. Do you realize how difficult it is to plan my schedule weeks in advance so I don’t have to see you? Is that a description of a woman who can’t keep her fingers off your zipper?”

“No, more like a woman who’s afraid she’ll forget what screwed up our marriage in the first place, realize she’s made a huge mistake and get her ass back home.”

“Humph, fat chance that’ll ever happen.” She fumbled with the sheet in irritation and gave her hair a toss over one shoulder.

Damn, he did have a point, although she’d never admit it to him.

“Yeah, right, Carly, because you can’t ever forgive and forget, can you? You think you’re the only one who has lost, don’t you?” His eyes became steely pools of green. His voice turned low and controlled. “I lost Devon, too. He was my son--our son. How long are you going to keep blaming me for his death?”

Carly swallowed the painful lump in her constricted throat. “I don’t blame you.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“We both know why I left.”

“We do?” His bitter laugh split the air with its razor-sharp intensity. “I know you want to hold on to the belief that I am the bad guy who drove you away, but isn’t it time you took half the responsibility for the failure of our marriage?” A trace of compassion softened his expression. He tugged on his shirt and finger-combed his hair.

“It wasn’t my fault you cheated.” Once she said it, she wanted to yank the words back. Too late, just like their relationship.

“You’re a broken record, sweetheart. It’s not worth denying the accusation any longer. Maybe eventually you’ll believe your words and feel justified in leaving. Devon died, Carly. He’s gone and we can’t change the truth. One of us needed to make the decision to let him go and I made it. I held out hope you’d eventually find a sliver of forgiveness in your cold heart. I guess I was wrong.”

The old wound broke open and her lungs emptied of oxygen. She wanted to lash out at him, tell him to go to hell, but the words didn’t come. Instead, she whispered, “I’m going to the bathroom. When I get back I want you gone.”

“Carly, you’ve become an expert at sucking all the joy out of your life and pushing away anyone who reaches out to you. You’re living in a self-made prison, founded on guilt and pain, and there is no key to unlock the cell door.”

Lia: My heart is breaking for them. I’m glad they were given a second chance at happiness. Do you have a common theme in the books you write?

Rhonda: I like bad-ass heroes. The tougher the better. My hero starts out with an icy edge but along comes the heroine who melts him like a blow torch to butter. I like creating a hero who has been emotionally and/or physically wounded and then transform him into a better man at the hands of a strong, intelligent, sassy heroine. Chance, in Second Chance Cowboy, is a perfect example of what I like about a hero. He’s as tough as nails, borderline bitter, and is a hard headed man who steam rolls his way through life. But when it comes to Carly, he’s protective, kind and gentle. These two combinations, tough and sweet, enlighten the reader’s brain taste buds. I call it my ‘sweet and sour’ hero.

Lia: I love him already. One question that I love to ask is have your characters ever been caught having sex in public? How did that go?

Rhonda: In Second Chance Cowboy Chance and Carly made love by the pond, and although at the time they didn’t realize it, but they were being watched by the villain. I don’t exactly come out an say that the villain was a ‘peeper’ but I give reference to how he would know Carly has a birthmark on a very unusual part of her body.

Lia: Thanks for being a Writer with Sizzle, Rhonda! Where can readers find your books?

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=370

http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4080

Other places to find Rhonda:

http://www.rhondaleecarver.com/

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000265604936

Facebook/Author Page
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000265604936#!/pages/Rhonda-Lee-Carver-Author/155568577811615

TWITTER
http://twitter.com/RLCarver

Writer with Sizzle Interview: Tricia Schneider!

Please welcome romance author Tricia Schneider! Tricia would like to give away a PDF copy of her latest paranormal romance release, Witch and the Vampire, to one lucky commenter, so be sure to leave your email address in the comments section so she can reach you.

About Tricia:

Tricia Schneider worked at a bookstore for 12 years, 6 of those years as Assistant Manager. Now she writes full-time while raising her three young children. She lives with her WWII re-enactor husband in the coal country of Pennsylvania.

Lia: Welcome, Tricia! Tell us about your latest release.

Tricia: My novella, The Witch and the Vampire, is the sequel to my 2010 debut, The Witch and the Wolf. These stories are connected but can be read out of order. Sisters, Lillian and Melora Merriweather are running from an evil uncle. The Witch and the Vampire is Melora’s story.

Here’s the blurb:

Melora Merriweather is searching for a fellow witch to protect her from a scheming uncle with plans of marriage. When her carriage overturns on her journey, she is rescued by a mysterious man whom she learns is the very person she seeks. But, he’s not the witch she thought he was…


Sebastian Collins should have left for London days ago. Now a snowstorm has trapped him with a woman who has come seeking protection, a woman who intrigues him like no other. And with each passing hour, his hunger for her grows…hunger for her kiss, her caress, and her blood.

Lia: Love the sound of this! (And gorgeous cover, by the way.) What is your favorite thing about being a romance writer?

Tricia: I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. Even when I was very young, I remember drawing pictures and creating stories about the images I drew. Being an author is just a natural step for me. Being a romance author is like adding icing to the cake. I am addicted to a happily-ever-after. I’m known among my friends and family for re-writing the sad endings to dramas and horror movies so that the main character gets a HEA. For me, leaving the story with that sense of peace and happiness, that sense of all is right in my character’s world, is a comforting experience.

Lia: I’m a sap for happy endings, as well. How would you describe the world you’ve built?

Tricia: The Merriweather Witches live in Regency England of the early 1800’s. In my world, paranormal creatures such as vampires and werewolves exist but are kept hidden from ordinary humans. Some humans are aware of the existence of these creatures and become vampire-hunters, witch-hunters, etc. The witches in my world have special magical powers that are passed down by their family members. The creatures that inhabit my world are on the darker side of romance. I’m in the process of writing more stories for this series and I’m exploring the possibility of many more paranormal creatures I can introduce to the Merriweather family.

Lia: As a writer of the paranormal, what makes you want to write about things that go bump in the night?

Tricia: I’ve been a fan of all things paranormal since I was a young child living in my grandmother’s haunted house. Yes, some very strange unexplainable things happened there. It fascinated me and I began reading all I could about ghosts and spirits. My mother also influenced me with her love of the 1960’s soap opera, Dark Shadows. As I became addicted to watching it with her, I became fascinated with vampires, werewolves, witches and all else paranormal. It’s fun for me to create my own world filled with vampires, werewolves and romance.

Lia: Very interesting about your grandmother’s house! I'd love to hear more about that. Do you have a favorite writer you’ve read over and over?

Tricia: I can’t pick only one! I have so many favorite authors, though there’s only a few I re-read more than once to study and analyze their writing. Lynn Kurland, Gayle Wilson, and Daphne du Maurier are three of those authors. I love their writing style, the way they create scenes and the emotion that they weave with their carefully chosen words. I still cry every time I read This Is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland, and I think I’ve read it 5 times!

Lia: Where can readers find your books?

Tricia: The Wild Rose Press
http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=666

Lia: I'm on my way to pick it up! Thanks for being a Writer with Sizzle, Tricia!

Writer with Sizzle Interview: Rachel Leigh

Please welcome romance author Rachel Leigh! Rachel would like to give away a PDF copy of her sizzling story Explicitly English, so be sure to leave your email address in the comments section so she can reach you.


About Rachel:

Rachel Leigh lives in the UK and is married to her own sexy hero. Even though this is Rachel’s first erotic romance novella, she enjoyed writing it so much, she has two more lined up and almost ready to go off to The Wild Rose Press. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, running around after her two daughters….or playing with her husband.

Lia: Great to have you here, Rachel! Tell us about your latest release.

Rachel: Explicitly English is my first erotic romance novella and published by The Wild Rose Press. I LOVED writing this story! Erotic romance has to be the ultimate escapism…

Here's the blurb:

Laura Markham needs to forget - just for awhile. Be someone else for change - live as her parents will never have the chance to. And for Laura, that means leaving the City for the English countryside and doing just what the hell she feels like…wherever she feels like doing it…

British stockbroker, Stephen Cambridge knows by going home to his country retreat two days early, he's likely to surprise his contracted interior designer. And when he finds out she's the woman who performed the solo masturbation show for him on the inward bound journey, Stephen will do anything to further convince her to miss the outward bound train and stay with him forever…


Lia: Fantastic debut and what a gorgeous cover! What is your favorite thing about being a romance writer?

Rachel: The writing! When I was younger I wanted to be a writer but didn't really write in earnest until six or seven years ago. Since then I have had success both in mainstream and erotic romance and now do not see myself doing anything else in the future.

As far as the writing process goes - my favourite part is the second draft. I love having the words on the paper and then taking the time to play and polish and make the story the best it can be.

Lia: That’s my favorite part too—taking the time to make the story rich. What physical aspect does your heroine love most about your hero? Details, please!

Rachel: His eyes and his shoulders, definitely! His eyes are seduction personified…deep dark brown, almost black and when he looks at her, his gaze is filled with unashamed desire and lust. She tingles just thinking about it. And his shoulders? Wide, muscular and strong - nothing turns Laura on more than digging her nails deeper into them when they make love standing up, with his rock-hard penis thrusting… you get the picture!

Lia: Yep, and what a lovely vivid picture it is. ;-) Do you have a common theme in the books you write?

Rachel: Trust seems to be my favoured issue - I love watching a hurt heroine or hero regain that trust in human nature and love. I don't think there is anything more romantic as watching someone who has known heartbreak open themselves fully to another person, willing to risk further hurt because the prize seems so worthy.

Lia: Do you have any advice for the budding romance writer?

Rachel: Really believe in what you are writing. Put yourself in the heroine's mind when you're in her point of view and vice versa for the hero. Feel what they're feeling both emotionally and sexually. Be there with them, smell and see, touch and taste what they are.

'Show' the reader what they are feeling, don't 'tell' them!

Lia: Excellent advice! Where can readers find your books?

Rachel: Explicitly English Buy Link:

http://thewildrosepress.com/wilderroses/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=86&products_id=790

Lia: Thanks for being a Writer with Sizzle, Rachel! Readers, remember to leave your email address if you’d like a chance to win Explicitly English.