A Time of Dying by Hailey Edwards Virtual Book Tour

A Time of Dying
Araneae Nation, Book Three

by Hailey Edwards

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Publication Date: July 30, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-61921-660-0

ASIN: B00BP5FWN4

Number of pages: 249

Word Count: 75k

Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Available On:

Amazon   BN  Samhain  

Book Description:

They just might survive…if they don’t kill each other first.

Once the future Segestriidae maven, Kaidi lived a privileged life. Now she spends her nights haunting cities ravaged by the plague. Spade in hand, she stalks rows of freshly dug graves for corpses…and then she takes their heads.

Her new life is caked in blood and spattered with gore, but it’s hers. At least until—to her fury—she’s caught napping.

A plague survivor by the skin of his teeth, Murdoch risks his neck to solve the mysteries left in its wake. Bodies have gone missing. Guards have left their posts and never returned home.

When he rouses a female dozing among the dead, he’s unprepared for the violence of her response. Or his. Beneath the grime, she’s lovely. Too bad the blood under her fingernails belongs to his clansmen.

He has no choice but to follow this alluring creature deeper into her world of winged beasts and flesh-eating monsters. She holds the knowledge he craves, but the price is high—and they may both pay for it with their lives.

Warnings: This book contains one heroine in desperate need of a bath and one hero willing to wash away her sins. Expect threats, swears and general cursing. Love is a slippery slope, and these two are sliding.

Can you please share with us a little about yourself?

I’m a wife, stay at home mom, reader, writer, baker and power tools enthusiast.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

No. The urge to write didn’t cross my mind until a few years ago, but I’ve been writing ever since.

Can you share with us your typical writing day.  Is there anything you have to have while writing?

A typical writing day for me is sitting down around noon and writing until two. I generally take a break for family time from then until around eight. Once my daughter is tucked in and my husband is asleep, it’s not uncommon for me to stay up until two or three a.m. writing away.

What would you say is the most challenging or rewarding part of writing?

The most challenging part of writing has to be keeping a series fresh and making each book the best it can be.

Can you please tell us about your latest book?

My newest release, A Time of Dying, is the third novel in the Araneae Nation series. It features Kaidi and Murdoch, and it reveals a little more about the plague that’s been sweeping the Araneae Nation.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

The plot for this story sprung from the events of the last book. It was good fun weaving those elements together with the series arc.

Can you share with us your current work in progress?

My current project is A Kiss of Venom, a novella featuring Armand and Nicolette, the assassin sent to murder his sister.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Darynda Jones, Kresley Cole…

Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style?

In a way, yes. I read a lot of urban fantasy, so I tend to write series with large over-arcing plots. But my writing voice is unlike anything I read, which makes me wonder where it came from. lol

Open your book to a random page and please reads us a few lines.

My knees quaked, but I stood my ground. “I don’t believe everything I hear.”

“In this case…” his eyes glittered, eager for truth to burn my ears, “…perhaps you should.”

By the time a scornful retort had readied itself, he had given me his back. I let my gaze slide over him while I deliberated, the broad expanse of his muscled shoulders coaxing my eyes lower.

No time to be squeamish. While he was distracted, I had to strike. I had to break free of him.

Tightening my fist around the dagger’s hilt, I slipped it from my pocket. Its tip wavered as if it were a divining rod, angling toward his weak spots. I had never sunk a blade in a living person.

But since he had no intention of granting me freedom, I would seize it for myself.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I found out last night that Night Burned, the latest Mercy Thompson novel, will be released in March of 2014. That seems way too far away. *sigh*

Have you ever used anyone from your real life encounters in any of your books?

No. Characters come to me fully-formed.  They are their own people, so I don’t have much influence over them at all.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about yourself while you were writing?

That I can be patient. In all other aspects of my life, I’m 100% instant gratification. With writing, I put in the hours to write the book, edit the book, then the long wait while the book is submitted. At the end of the day, I want to make writing my career.  That means investing the time and waiting for the reward.

 Born in the Deep South, Hailey is a lifelong resident of Alabama. Her husband works for the local sheriff’s department and her daughter is counting down the days until she’s old enough to audition for American Idol. Their dachshund, Poochie, helps Hailey write by snoozing on his dog bed in her office.

Her desire to explore without leaving the comforts of home fueled her love of reading and writing. Whenever the itch for adventure strikes, Hailey can be found with her nose glued to her Kindle’s screen or squinting at her monitor as she writes her next happily-ever-after.

She loves to hear from readers. Drop her a line here.

You can also swing by her blog or subscribe to her newsletter for all her latest news.

You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Virtual Blog Tour + Giveaway Seductive Shadows by Marni Mann

Seductive Shadows

by Marni Mann

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Publisher: Booktrope

Release Date: July 17, 2013

Heat Level: Sizzling

Word Count: 86,000

Available At:

Description:

Charlie is a passionate, sensually inspired art student, desperately seeking an escape from an abusive past that haunts her and a tragic accident that emptied her heart. Scarred and unable to love, her yearning for physical pleasure and contact leads her into a tantalizing, dangerous world of power and seduction. The anonymity of the deal offers security, the money provides financial freedom, and the madam’s authority is the mother figure she longs for.

But the thrill of the mansion and its arousing dominance quickly fades when she meets the renowned yet mysterious Cameron Hardy, whose intense, baby blue eyes send a nervous flutter through her core. He’s sexy, and not in a subtle way. Cameron stimulates her art, intellect and desires. Just as he begins to break through her emotional boundaries, Charlie discovers a devastating connection between her past and her scandalous work at the mansion, shattering everything she thought to be true.

Provocative, intoxicating and erotic, Seductive Shadows is the unforgettable tale of a young woman’s discovery as she learns to forgive, to love and be loved, and to find redemption amidst a memorable journey that will captivate your mind and stimulate your soul.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains explicit sex scenes and/or situations (including a f/f scene, multiple partners and light bondage) and adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

I wasn’t a prostitute. I was an artist who used her fingers to paint a fantasy and her body fulfilled it. The muse, or the canvas, but always the artist. And when I was desired by men was when I felt the most creative.

Just because I was hired to provide pleasure, didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy every moment of passion and every uninhibited deviant thought. I was turned on by the cameras that would point toward my bed, the lust that would be whispered in my ears, and playing out the fantasy that I would compose. Not knowing anything about these men, what the top half of their faces looked like, their names, meant they also knew nothing about me. I would never have to discuss my past or the accident; the only thing I would have to unzip would be my lingerie. I would have enough money to pay off my mother’s debt in a reasonable amount of time and take more than one class a semester. The arrangement was perfect.

But then I met Cameron. With icy, baby blue eyes so intense...he was sexy, and not in a subtle way. Bold and confident, he inspired my art and challenged my emotions and, for the first time since the accident, I felt a strong connection to another person.

I had a burning desire to trust Cameron, to escape the dark life I had been leading and reveal to him the wounds of my soul…until I discovered a devastating connection between my past and the mansion. And in the midst of all the truth I uncovered, I learned my life was in imminent danger....

A New Englander at heart, Marni Mann is now a Floridian inspired by the sandy beaches and hot pink sunsets of Sarasota. She taps mainstream appeal and shakes worldwide taboos, taking her readers on a dark and breathtaking journey. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, she’s scouring for chocolate, traveling, reading, or walking her four-legged children. 

Author Stalker Links:

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Blog Tour/Review The End of Athens by Anthony Karakai

The End of Athens
by Anthony Karakai

Genre: Dystopian Thriller/Urban Fantasy

ASIN: B00CLXM6WY

Number of pages: 320

Word Count: 70,000

Cover Artist: Anthony Karakai

Amazon

Book Description:

In the year 2091, humans have lost the ability to dream. After decades of financial and social depression, dreams and aspirations have become a recessive gene—an impossibility of the modern mind. 

Greece is one of the worst social and economic disaster zones, and all hope of a better future has been lost. One young man, Nikos, discovers that he is not like everybody else—there is something different about him.

Believing that he may be going crazy, he soon discovers that he is the only person in Greece who has inherited the ability to dream. Time is running out as the government continues its tirade of corruption and suppression against the people, and Nikos must find a way to teach others how to dream so that once more society can free itself from the shackles of mental slavery.

This book was really good. Starts off with a very intriguing subject. Had me wondering with each turn of the page, what was going to happen next. The author goes into great detail with his characters and makes it very easy for you to imagine you are right there with them. Loved how they interacted with one another throughout this story. This book was not an intense book but it does keep you on the edge of your seat a few times. This book was a very powerful tale and I really enjoyed the ending. I would recommend this book to anyone that is into futuristic possibilities during their reading adventures!

I give this book 4 stars!! 

Chapter 1

I looked into the face of death, and took his mask off. What was it that I was seeing? Stringent blue lights, creeping black shadows, and an entity as tall as myself. This wasn’t evil personified, this thing, this man, this sometimes boy, had a message. He mirrored my actions as I leant against the dark bluestone walls, in what would’ve been an alley if it were not for the enclosed, claustrophobic cube. His face was bare underneath the flowing black hood. We stared at each other, somewhat intently but more so with recognition. As he raised his right hand up towards my face, I found mine momentarily doing the same. Just as we were about to touch, as our hands were to feel the complexity of warm life and cold death, did this mirage disappear.

I find myself instantly in my bedroom, tired but awake, starting another day off the back of what I suspect is the beginning of the end.

As I make myself to work, I think constantly about these apparitional mirages and what it is I’m experiencing. I have no idea, I think I’m going crazy, and I wonder if I should tell somebody. This type of behaviour isn’t normal, as far as normalcy is concerned. I pay the young girl for my coffee- a long black, and saunter towards the entry of building Zero before walking the staircase. The staircase is long, it’s difficult to walk but I do this each morning under the misguided assumption that it will somehow keep me fit. As far as I know, since a desk job was invented the human body periled into a frivolous state of sugar, fat and general regression to what it was designed for in all those history books. We live longer, but for what, I’m not so sure.

After completing the ceremonious “hellos” and “good mornings”, I sit down in what can only be described as a pod and turn on the computer. The year is 2091, and I reside in Athens- the birthplace of democracy, the cradle of free thought and the place on Earth where the potential for civilisation to be civil all began. My name is Nikos, and I am 27 years old.

Contrary to belief all those decades ago, we are not driving hybrid car-aeroplanes and teleporting ourselves across the planet. Based on my grandfather’s journal, life is much the same but at a more efficient pace. Technology is the way of the past, present and future, but to say we have been taking quantum leaps is an unjustifiable hyperbolic lie. Things have changed, but they always do. Change is the only constant across time, so it should come as little surprise that the world we live in today is something inconceivable to my grandfather.

My grandfather was an important man in his time, at least according to me, but from what I read in history texts this was not so apparent. He kept a journal of his life, of the events he witnessed and passed it onto my father. My father passed it onto me, as I am interested in learning about the man I never knew through the only means available. It can be strange growing up with limited family, your whole life can seem like a mystery. So many questions beg to be answered, some may even weep if it were possible, and since the answers are devoid of a definitive solution, I find myself clinging to this journal as though it were the bible. To me, it is the bible. It’s my way of understanding one of many descendants who made my very existence possible. I’m intrigued by who he was, what he saw but more importantly, what he thought. These scriptures are a reflection of the times, which to me leave more questions than answers in my quest to understanding who I am in the world.

My day begins like everybody else’s. I catch public transport to work, I sit in a cubicle and for the better part of eight hours a day, I stare at a computer screen and exercise my fingertips. This is about as much exercise as anybody around here gets, and by the day’s end, we are exhausted. My life’s input exists inside this hard drive; I chat to colleagues on here, close business deals via a head set and generally have no need, nor desire, to come face-to-face with anybody I deal with. Technology has excelled and made our life simpler, faster, and more efficient. It has made business more effective, and productivity optimised. Essentially, I am a contactless human being inside a concrete sky rise who is paid to make certain people more money, in exchange for less than I make them. That hardly seems fair, but I guess it’s survival of the fittest in these tough times. The only real thing I have learnt about business to date is, if you want to swim with the sharks you better be ready to bite. It takes a certain individual to succeed at this level, and I refuse to take kindly to some of their false exteriors. Behind the media hounds and million-dollar smiles is a Great white shark in disguise. They know no limits, and funnily enough I respect them for not giving a damn.

Athens is a beautiful place with a historic presence throughout the ages. Thales of Miletus, Plato and Aristotle birthed a global school of thought in my own home city. If together, these three men could change the existence of life of Earth by simply thinking about it, then what was I capable of? What was the coffee girl capable of aside from mixing hot water with coffee beans? What was the man’s potential in the cubicle beside me, after he kicked the drinking habit? I believe that we are stuck in an era without purpose, a time capsule without significance and a period without cause. We are stuck, clogs in the machine that we call “living in society”. But this isn’t what I am concerned about, as much as my grandfather was. My main cause of concern is my psyche and these visions that appear every time I fall asleep. I don’t want to tell anyone for fear of being exiled, ridiculed or locked up. My days become harder having to deal with this, and I sincerely doubt anyone can truly understand what it is I’m going through.

I have a friend named David who I should probably confide in, but I’m hesitant even against the greatest of confidence. We play chess together on a fortnightly basis and drink tea. Our conversations are deep and meaningful, and not without merit. We are each trying to find our place in the world through a series of trial and error, but the more we try, the more error comes our way. In terms of our occupations, we are brilliant at what we do, but since when did that ever suffice for understanding life? There’s a reason we are here, and I plan on getting to the bottom of it.

As I exit building Zero each night, I can’t help but take note of the cold wind roaring through the city. These bright lights do little to illuminate the heart when the freezing chill penetrates the chest. It’s so cold nowadays, I’m surprised we don’t have the adequate clothing required to sustain a comfortable state. I pace the busy streets as cars pass by, as shadows canvas the city blocks and as music chases the direction of the midnight run. The streets are black, the atmosphere hectic and all in all it’s as chaotic out here as it is in my visions. I strangely feel a similar emotion from the moment I awake from these parallel worlds to what it is I feel when I’m walking the streets at night. The hottest day in the past forty years was twenty degrees, if that tells you anything about the climate. The world is a much colder place than it was during my grandfather’s time. It is darker, it is more sinister. If there is hope for anything, it is for all but nothing. The people do not smile, and strangers do not engage. At the bar, we drink in virtual silence minus the occasional exception where two people actually can strike up a worthwhile conversation. As professionals, we’re all exhausted and alcohol provides a remedial nightcap before tomorrow begins. This is life as we know it, devoid of all hopes, aspirations, and prayers for a better world.

 

Anthony Michael Karakai was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is a dual citizen of Hungary. Holding an International Business degree, he is also a qualified percussionist and music producer, having studied music extensively since the age of seven. Working in journalism, his work has been published in various magazines and websites. With an insatiable appetite for travel and an eagerness to explore off the beaten path, Karakai travels at every opportunity- his travels and ongoing commitment to exploring the world are what inspires him to write.

COVER REVEAL Cry The Wolf by David R Bennett

Cry of the Wolf 

(Destiny Phoenix #2)

by David R. Bennett

Publisher: Freaky Fiction Writing

Release: August 30, 2013

Available on: 

Purchase links: Coming Soon

Blurb:

Destiny, Brandon, Chris, Michelle, and Sandra enter the town of Jasper Springs, Louisiana on their way to meet some important people out in Atlanta. They are here to stop and get some rest and refuel before continuing on.

But when the full moon rises, the howling begins.
People, then, come up missing as a bloody trail is left throughout town.
This town is used to the unusual, but this werewolf is extraordinarily bloodthirsty even for this town.

Destiny and her friends check it out.
What trouble are they headed for?
Will someone be turned?
Or worse yet, killed?

David R Bennett is an author from Spring, Texas in the United States of America.David R Bennett is a pen name that comes the reordering of his initials real initials. He, also, thinks the name has a ring to it.Not only is he an author, he, also, is an illustrator. His real name is what is credited with the cover art to his novels.He attended Rocky Mountain College if Art + Design in Denver, Colorado where he earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Advertising Graphic Design. The graphic design techniques he learned in college he uses to design his covers.He, also, reads a lot of sci-fi / fantasy / paranormal books. Some of his favorite monsters are vampires, mummies, zombies, goblins, ghouls, werewolves, etc. He has plans to write a long string of novels in the Destiny Phoenix series and a series about an alien coming to Earth in the Alien Survivor series. Both of these series are planned as Young Adult novels.His favorite horror flick is Resident Evil because it is scary to think that biological warfare could one day result in human extinction by undead creatures. And his favorite series of films is Star Wars and is excited about the next film coming out in 2015.

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Scent of Salvation By Annie Nicholas Interview

Scent of Salvation         
Chronicles of Eorthe Book 1

By Annie Nicholas

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher:  Samhain Publishing

Date of Publication:  July 30^th, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-61921-748-5

Word Count: 98,000

Cover Artist: Kanax

Amazon | BN | Apple 

Book Description:

Love blooms across species, culture, and time.

Chronicles of Eorthe, Book 1

Stranded in another dimension, on a primitive version of Earth, Dr. Susan Barlow needs to find a way to survive. There’s no electricity, no cities, and to her shock, no humans. Instead, she faces a population of werewolves, vampires and incubi. The people are vicious but she must find her place among them. And live.

An illness is killing Sorin’s pack. As alpha it’s his responsibility to save them, but it’s a battle this warrior doesn’t know how to fight. Then a blue light in the sky brings a creature he’s never seen. She calls herself human, but to him she smells like hope.

Sorin offers Susan a safe haven in return for a cure, but she’s not that kind of a doctor. She’s a doctor of physics, not a physician. Yet as they search for a cure to save a dying people, they find something special—each other.

But even with Sorin’s protection, Susan can’t help but wonder how long she can survive in a world without humans… 

Before Susan could explain anything about dimensions and gateways, the door to Kele’s chamber crashed open, and Susan jumped to the balls of her feet, prepared—to what, fight? Was she nuts?

A female blocked the entrance, her muscular physique hinting at enough strength to twist Susan into a pretzel without breaking a sweat. The newcomer flung her black hair over her shoulder.

Rising with grace, Kele straightened her dress before addressing the intruder. “Mother.”

“Daughter, I heard you’ve brought home a stray along with the Apisi alpha.” The female’s stare drilled into Susan, her sneer far from welcoming.

Susan’s breath caught in her throat. Black, soulless eyes ate her gaze. Her fingers clutched the lapels of her jacket as she pulled it closed. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and offered her hand. “I’m Dr. Susan Barlow.”

The female shifter narrowed her eyes, nostrils flaring.

Susan withdrew her untouched hand, then hid it behind her back and glanced at Kele. Maybe she should have sniffed her mother instead? She wished someone would give her the Dummies Guide to Shifter Society and a little time to study it.

Kele’s mother crossed the room in two great strides and swung her arm.

Susan did her best impression of a statue. She didn’t budge as the impact of the slap swerved her head to the side and dragged her gaze from mother to daughter. Both of them were flushed with emotion yet at opposite poles of the color spectrum—one dark as an oncoming storm and the other pale as the moonlight.

The back of Susan’s heel caught the edge of the cushion and she landed hard on her back.

The bitter flavor of blood swept over her taste buds. “What the hell?” She rubbed her jaw and glared daggers at the crazy woman looming over her. Just as quickly, she schooled her expression to something less threatening before she insulted the bigger shifter further. With the tip of her tongue, Susan explored her mouth. She didn’t encounter any big gaps, so no lost tooth. A small blessing.

Kele’s crazy mother hovered over Susan’s face and bared her teeth. In beast form, her expression would have appeared fierce, but in human form it seemed terrifying. With an easy grace, she flipped Susan onto her stomach. A bony knee pressed between her shoulder blades, making her kiss the floor. Pain shot across Susan’s upper back and neck.

“How dare you come into my den and not submit to me.”

“She’s not a shifter!” Kele shouted. “You can’t expect her to know how to be polite.”

Something ran over Susan’s hair, and the sound of sniffing followed. She tried to take a deep breath but the weight on her back made it difficult.

The nutjob exhaled in disgust. “What is she?”

“A human.” Kele peered at Susan’s throbbing face as she stroked her hair. “Please, I wanted to teach her how to behave before meeting you and father.”

“Your father.” The bitch snorted. “It’s bad enough he’s entertaining a vampire and dealing with trespassing alphas. We don’t need any more vermin within the den.”

Susan was jerked from the ground by her hair and dragged across the floor. Pain shot into her scalp while she scrambled to support her weight with her legs.

“Let go. Let go.” The shifter world was more brutal than anything she’d ever experienced. Susan slapped at the crazy woman’s hands tangled in her hair.

“My daughter took too many liberties in offering you shelter. You’ll need to find another den to take you in.”

At a loss, Susan yanked and squirmed but only made the pain worse. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kele leap.

The petite blonde used her wiry strength to jump across the room and land on her mother’s back. The collision knocked them both to the ground in a knot of arms and legs.

Untangling her limbs from the struggling shifters, Susan could finally elbow the bitch in the face. The impact made a satisfying crunch. She pulled back her arm for a second shot, but Kele grabbed her and half carried, half dragged her out of the chamber.

“Hurry, we need to reach my father before she beats you into cinders.”

Not needing any further incentive, Susan ran after her new friend. “Your people are crazy.”

Can you please share with us a little about yourself?

Where to begin? I’m a mom of two boys, been a nurse for over twenty years, and am addicted to Candy Crush.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I had always wanted to write a story but I couldn’t figure out how the process worked. Instead I just created little stories for myself in my head for the longest time.

Can you share with us your typical writing day.  Is there anything you have to have while writing?

My goal is to write 2000 words per day when I’m in the creating phase of my manuscript. I can only work on one book at a time, so I write it then edit it before starting something new. My schedule is very hectic so I’ve learned to write anywhere, anytime.

What would you say is the most challenging or rewarding part of writing?

The most challenging is promoting my books. It’s a big world out there and it’s not easy to reach people especially with the market changing more towards ebooks there is less shelf browsing.

Can you please tell us about your latest book?

Scent of Salvation is based on an alternate Earth where humans don’t exist. It’s populated by blood thirsty vampires, feral shifters, and incubi to die for, literally. Susan is a human physicist who tossed into this dimension when she destroys her dimension gateway machine. As a born and raised city girl, she must learn to survive in a world where every creature is capable of killing her.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I love telling this story because it shows how twisted my mind is. LOL

Both my sons were very ill with strep throat. Fever for days. When one was awake, the other was asleep, and vice versa. In other words, I had slept more than a few hours in days. I felt like the Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and antibiotic dispensing machine.

About two in the morning, I had both boys in one bed so I could watch them together. My oldest’s fever was raging and I was waiting anxiously for the meds to kick in or I’d have to place him in a cool bath. Again.  I was sitting on the floor and rested my head on the mattress and fell asleep.

In a matter of minutes, I dreamt of this whole world. I spent the next nine months writing book one and about a year editing it. If you’ve read where this story comes from and read the book, you’ll see much of the inspiration within it.  By the way, my boys are fine. Thank goodness for antibiotics.  :D

Can you share with us your current work in progress?

Release is the third book in my Angler series.

Nosferatu rule from the shadow and keep order over their blood thirsty people. Bald with pointed ears, they give vampires something to fear. If a law is broken, they have only one punishment. Death. They are the most powerful clan in the Vampire Nation and the most monstrous.  Only a male vampire can be transformed into a Nosferatu but not all survive.

Connie Bence is on the run with her two lovers, Rurik and Tane.  As leader of the Nosferatu, Tane’s only threat is his own clansmen and they want all three of them dead. When Rurik began to lose his hair rumors spread and the Nosferatu accuse Tane of trying to transform Rurik into one of them illegally.

With the Nosferatu on their heels, Connie tries to figure out what’s changing Rurik and cure him before she loses him to blood lust.   

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Jim Butcher, Nalini Singh, LK Hamilton, Robert Jordan, Larry Niven, and CJ Cherryh.

Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style?

Definitely! Once I decided to take my writing seriously I started studying what made these authors special to me. Jim and LK taught me pacing, Robert world building, Larry and CJ that one doesn’t have to be human to be interesting.

Open your book to a random page and please reads us a few lines.

Susan glanced over her shoulder. She’d never seen anyone attack another person—beast—whatever before.

The large, black shifter pinned the other to the ground and held it there. His bright blue eyes met hers and sent a cold shiver down her spine.

“Don’t encourage them, Susan.”

She twisted to face her hostess. “I didn’t mean to. Why are they fighting?”

Kele raised a delicate eyebrow again. “Do you have a mate?”

“Mate?”

“A lover? A male?”

“No!” She didn’t have time for men and wasn’t any good around them, especially the really hot ones.

“You’re unclaimed and young—”

“And pretty,” an accompanying guard commented.

Glaring at the beast, Kele continued, “They’re showing off for you. Especially Ahote, the dark one. He plans to court you.”

Susan stopped midstride and was almost trampled by a guard. “What does court mean among your people?” The idea of being given over to a male made her stomach sour. She’d been ready to die to protect DOUG from military abuse. Was she ready to die to avoid her own abuse as well?

“I can smell your fear. It’s thick in the air. You’re going to need to control it if you want to survive.” The petite blonde caressed the closest beast. “None of them would ever take you against your will.”

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Darynda Jones’ Fifth Grave Past the Light

Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Legion

Have you ever used anyone from your real life encounters in any of your books?

Not really, that could lead to possible problems. LOL

What was the most surprising thing you learned about yourself while you were writing?

I LOVE underdogs. Every single book I write or love is an underdog story.

About the Author:

Annie Nicholas writes paranormal romance with a twist. She has courted vampires, hunted with shifters, and slain a dragon’s ego all with the might of her pen. Riding the wind of her imagination, she travels beyond the restraints of reality and shares them with anyone wanting to read her stories. Mother, daughter, and wife are some of the other hats she wears while hiking through the hills and dales of her adopted state of Vermont.

Annie writes for Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, and Lyrical Press.Author Stalker Sites: