SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH JEAN HART STEWART!

The Interview:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Jean! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

JEAN:  I had a successful career in real estate but when the business turned snarky just walked into my manager’s office and quit. His response was a shocked ‘you can’t’ and  I smiled,  waved, and walked out.

GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?

JEAN: Mary Balogh’s advice to me once still guides me out of the dreaded void of dangling middle. I asked her once what she did when she hit that and she said “Make it worse”.

GRACIE: As a prolific author with an extensive backlist and current titles, can you still remember when you got The Call and what was your first published book?

JEAN: Druid’s Daughter was my first published book. I was doubly excited when my new editor asked me if I had anything else ready and I sent her the next book in the series, My Darling Druid.  Two books at once after three years of rejections! I think I’ll always remember that.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

JEAN: That publicity and promo are endless and I mostly dislike this part of the business.

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Passionate Pursuits series.

JEAN: Elves seems a natural sequel to Druids and Mages. There are so many elf types and I want the strong blonds found in Scandinavian literature. Some elves are tiny, as in the leprechauns and of course I wanted elves that were sexy.

GRACIE:  What brought about your interest in Elves, Druids and Mages?           

JEAN: I grew up reading a lot about King Arthur and those tales are really about magical super heroes.  And I’m a dreamer.  Seems a natural progression to me

GRACIE: In Forbidden Pursuit, besides destiny, what is it you believe makes Arden and Brielle a perfect match?

JEAN: Arden is destined to fall in love only once and that love will last forever. That’s part of an elves’ destiny. Brielle needs plenty of help, including growing into her feelings.  They need each other.

                               

GRACIE: What do you believe is Gareth’s Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it in Gareth’s Gambit?

JEAN: That’s interesting phrasing for this book!  Gareth has one leg a little shorter than the other and he’s conflicted by his feelings of power as a Mage, and his feelings of inferiority over what he regards as a defect. Our heroine has a big job on her hands to get him to declare his love when he doesn’t feel worthy. In spite of the fact his strengths are quite evident. He’s unsecure.

GRACIE: Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

JEAN: My first one published, Druid’s Daughter. It  brought me so much joy and was the start of my career. In fact my license plate is Druids  1.

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

JEAN: Now that one I really can’t answer. Maybe Gareth in Gareth’s Gambit. Wounded heroes always grab at my heart.

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

 JEAN: Not an easy question to answer. I don’t really know, except for the fact  that I love them all and maybe that comes through.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

JEAN: The best part is the days when the words just flow. The worst part is the publicity.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

JEAN: I’m a pantser who outlines as she goes.  Does that make sense to anyone but me?

GRACIE: Makes sense to me! You mentioned a previous career in real estate, but if you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

JEAN: Something artistic, but I don’t know what.

GRACIE: Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

JEAN: Mary Balogh, Sabrina York, Judith McNaught, Tina Donahue. As you can see I have pretty eclectic tastes. And I love history.

GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

JEAN: A loooong historical titled The Lame Lord.  Also a shortie for a boxed set of Romance4Us writer. Not titled yet, but it will be a short, sensual historical, set right after the Peninsular War.

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

JEAN: www;jeanhartstewart.com   jswriter@earthlink.net  I would love, love, love to hear from a reader.

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

JEAN: I’m at Ellora’s Cave, I blog regularly at Romancebooks4us and

Seven Sexy Scribes, Facebook, Twitter, my own e-mail at jswriter.earthlink.net, and just about any place they have internet.  I’ve soon have eight books at MuseitUp.  I find I no longer enjoy writing erotica and Ellora’s Cave wants only that, so I’m shifting a lot of my stuff.

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

JEAN: Keep writing.  Don’t let anything stop you. Don’t listen to the negative voices.

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

JEAN: Nope, think this excellent interview covers everything.  Thank you so much for having me.

GRACIE: Jean, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!

SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH BERENGARIA BROWN!

Author Bio: Berengaria Brown is an award-winning, best-selling, multi-published author of erotic romance with over one hundred published digital, print, and audio books.  She writes contemporary, paranormal (magic, ghosts, vampires, fairies, dragons, and werewolves), futuristic, medieval, and Regency-set historical. She loves to read all different kinds of romance so that is what she writes: MMF, MFM, FMMM, FFM, MM, FF, and MF. Whatever the characters need for their very hot happily-ever-after, Berengaria makes sure they get it.

The Interview:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Berengaria! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

BERENGARIA: Hi Gracie. Thank you for inviting me to visit with you today. I’ve always loved to read. One day I had no new books to read and didn’t feel like rereading any of my old favorites so I began to write a book myself. When it was finished, I still didn’t have anything new to read so I wrote another one, and another one, and…. the rest, as they say, is history.

GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?

BERENGARIA: I write all different genres because that’s what I read. Anything from sweet to very kinky and everywhere in between. My dad had to watch me when I was very small and my mom was ill, so he taught me to read. I credit him with giving me my love for books.

GRACIE: When did you get The Call and what was your first published book?

BERENGARIA: I wrote three books one after the other and sent each one to a different publisher. All three were accepted and all three were published quite quickly one after the other. But the very first one was “Intensity” which released from Siren in April 2010.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

BERENGARIA: I did a lot of research before I sent off those first three books, so there were no big surprises. But I guess I never stopped to think how difficult it would be to find appropriate names for characters after I’d written quite a few books. All the “best” names have already been used.

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Siren Publishing, Menage Amour series, Possessive Passions.

BERENGARIA: I wanted a world where ménages would be reasonable and logical. There have been cultures in the past where all the brothers in a family shared the one woman, so I started thinking what if. What if one of those cultures had moved to America many years ago, but they’d had to hide from everyday life to continue their cultural traditions. What if the men still choose their woman like that and treat her as their treasured possession. What if they chose a woman not from their culture and brought her to their hidden community.

GRACIE: In Possess Me, what do you think is Shiloah’s Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it?

BERENGARIA: Shiloah’s two fathers were murdered in the outside world for sharing Shiloah’s mama. Shiloah falls in love with Goa and Stan, but they live outside on a farm. Shiloah can’t leave her mama alone but she can’t expect her to leave the safety of the hidden community either. So Shiloah has to work out what to do. Her mama or her men. Or maybe….

GRACIE: Aside from the fact that Connor and Patrick have just saved Phoebe’s life in Flash Flood and she shares one of the most memorable and fulfilling nights of sex with the two men, what makes Phoebe a perfect match for Connor and Patrick and vice versa?

BERENGARIA: Phoebe loves to work out mental puzzles and there are things about the men which don’t quite sit right with Fi. Oh, they’re kind and helpful and very sexy, but there’s something about them that she doesn’t understand and she’s not going to rest until she’s figured it out. Connor and Patrick learn that they can trust Fi and share their story with her.

GRACIE: Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

BERENGARIA: The “Elinor’s Stronghold” series. These are medieval-set historical ménage romances which were a lot of work to research, but the characters just gripped me and wouldn’t let go. Besides, what’s not to like about half-naked warriors with big swords?

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

BERENGARIA: Okay, this will be right out of left field, but two very minor characters. Deborah is nine and the youngest child in the Arnott family whose stories are in the “Virgins No More” series. She’s very clever and always thinking of new ideas, some of which have entertaining consequences for the adult members of her family.

Ava is only six. Her father was killed when their village was attacked in the Elinor’s Stronghold series. She has courage far beyond her years, and her tiny, frail body, and plays a part in “Restoring Garnet’s Heart”.

GRACIE: In general, what about your characters makes them unique?

BERENGARIA: They are all different. Each one has his or her own quirks, beliefs, problems, weaknesses, and strengths. However all my heroines are strong on the inside, even if it takes a perceptive man to realize this.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

BERENGARIA: Favorite: When the book is almost finished and I finally understand how everything is going to come together. Least favorite: Sitting down, concentrating, and getting from the excitement of the beginning to the resolution of the end.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

BERENGARIA: A mixture. I don’t start writing until I have the characters clear in my mind with a beginning, an end, and a few points I want to make along the way. How I get there is pure pantsing. Things happen that I never expect and often new secondary characters just turn up and start talking to me.

GRACIE: If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

BERENGARIA: I want to be the mistress of a 90-year-old billionaire.

GRACIE: Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

BERENGARIA: Georgette Heyer introduced me to historical romance and she’s a long-time favorite author. I love Anny Cook’s Mystic Valley books. Edith Pargeter’s Brother Cadfael books are also firm favorites of mine. But basically I just love to read.

GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

BERENGARIA: I’ve just sold a new MM series, “The Paint Store Boys”. It’s a series of four books about men who buy a paint store.

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

BERENGARIA: My blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/

My website: http://berengariabrown.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.brown?v=info

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

BERENGARIA: Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/berengaria-brown

All Romance ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Berengaria+Brown

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Berengaria-Brown/e/B00541R3YQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1403658211&sr=1-1

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

BERENGARIA: Keep reading, keep writing, keep perfecting your craft. Never give up.

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

BERENGARIA: I love to hear from readers. Please drop by and say hi.

GRACIE: Berengaria, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!

BERENGARIA: Thank you for letting me visit with y’all today.

Spotlight Author Interview - Paranormal Romance Author Tianna Xander!

BIO: Tianna Xander is an eclectic, multi-published, award-winning author of paranormal romance and erotica. Harassed by her muse daily, she rarely puts the pen down. However, she’s the first to admit that, when she does set the pen down, or her muse has momentarily deserted her, she spends too much time on the internet.

She lives in Michigan with her family, four cats, a German Shepherd Dog, and a raisin addict disguised as a Netherland Dwarf bunny named Babs.

 

Interview begins here:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Tianna! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

TIANNA: Thank you for having me, Gracie. I’m excited to be here!

I started telling romantic stories to my friends at a very young age. However, my first book wasn’t published until 2006 when Tina, the owner of Extasy Books, offered me my first contract. I have since been published by Siren, Cobblestone Press and the Extasy Books sister company, Devine Destinies.

I’m a bit outdoorsy. I love to camp, hike and ride my mountain bike anywhere it will take me. I love watching sci-fi shows and movies. Netflix is great and a sci-fi geek’s dream. My newest book, Woman Beware even has a few red shirt references. LOL

GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?

TIANNA: My husband inspires my writing on almost a daily basis. He’s the type of man who still opens doors and walks between me and the street. After over thirty years, he still holds my hand. He’s a perfect romance hero come to life and I consider myself a lucky woman to have his love and companionship.

As far as who influenced the genre I write in, I would have to say Christine Feehan. I had never read paranormal before I read her Dark series. After that, I was hooked on all things paranormal. I would also say Sandra Hill played a roll in my writing time travels. I love her Viking series.

GRACIE: When did you get The Call and what was your first published book?

 

 

TIANNA: Virgin’s Blood was my first published book. I borrowed this from one of my son’s English papers—with his permission, of course. “Note to self: Never take 1000 dollars to a drug dealer. He will kill you for it.” When he read that sentence to me, something snapped and I suddenly had this picture of a man killing a woman amidst a mess of pizza boxes and spilled cocaine in my mind. I looked at my son and said, “Oh, my goodness! I just had a great idea for a book. Can I use that?” LOL

The first few lines of Virgin’s Blood were, “Never take 6000 dollars with you to a drug dealer. He will kill you for it.” After that, the rest came easily and The Chosen series became my first series of many and the only series I write in first person.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

TIANNA: That it’s not as easy as everyone seems to think and you don’t get rich doing it. LOL Don’t get me wrong. I love writing and I do it because I love it, but those dreams of buying a new house and car were very nice, but still dreams, nonetheless. J

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your long-running Paradise series.

TIANNA: Actually, I started the Paradise saga writing a story for the Extasy Books Tarot series. I needed a book with characters that would fit the King of Wands card.

True to the character of my overachieving, sadist of a muse, I was forced—forced I tell you—to make the King of Wands book the first of a series with villains so nasty they would give most shape-shifting heroes the creeps. Thankfully, said muse allowed me to kill off most of the bad guys quickly and with extreme prejudice. Believe me, they deserved it.

GRACIE: What do you think are the drawbacks and perks of writing a series like Paradise?

TIANNA: The perks of writing a series are revisiting old friends, not having to dream up a new premise and stories almost guaranteed to be accepted by your publisher. LOL The drawbacks are few, but there.

After a while, you wonder why you’re still writing about a town or people who feel like relatives and start having a difficult time telling their stories because you feel like a voyeur. Isn’t that crazy? These people don’t even exist, but somehow, you feel as though you just might be invading their right to privacy.

GRACIE: In Woman Beware what do you think is Lena’s Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it?

 
TIANNA:  I’m not sure. She hasn’t shown a weakness yet. Well… other than Artu. Maybe a red shirt will be the death of her after all. LOL

GRACIE: In The Water Dragon Summer is an independent heroine who knows what she wants. Despite her being claimed by a chauvinist what do you believe makes Summer the perfect mate for Adrian and Adrian the perfect mate for Summer?

TIANNA: I think they will work well together. Water gives him strength and she can bring on the rain at a whim, now that she has his strength to anchor her.

GRACIE: Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

TIANNA: Alicia: The Awakening is my favorite. There is a lot of history (sort of) in that story for me. If her emotions seem real, it’s because they are real. They are mine. Writing that book was a catharsis for me. It rid me of old fears, by making me see that I have become a strong woman just as Alicia became a strong woman after her ordeal. Letting go of all of that emotional baggage opened doors for me that had remained closed for years. It changed me and I’m better for it.

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

TIANNA: Gabriel in Alicia: The Awakening. He was so patient and loving with Alicia, just as my husband has always been patient and loving with me. Well… he is when it really counts. LOL

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

 

TIANNA: They have their own unique code of honor. None of them are perfect, but they are always perfect for each other.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

 

TIANNA: Plotting and writing are my favorite parts, right up until I get to the sex scenes. Bedroom scenes seem to get harder to write as I write more and more of them. One would think it would get easier, but there are times when I wonder if I’ve already written a certain passage the same way. I don’t want to plagiarize anyone—including myself. It cheats the reader.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

TIANNA: I do a little bit of both. I’m a pantser when I’m especially excited about a storyline. I sometimes feel as though typing 100 words per minute isn’t fast enough. LOL

GRACIE: If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

TIANNA: Actually, I would have been a quantum physicist—believe it or not. LOL

 

GRACIE: Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

TIANNA: As I said, I love Christine Feehan’s Dark series. I love Sandra Hill’s Viking series and I adore the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands.

I like Sandra Hill’s Viking series because I like the old-fashioned heroes who only want what’s best for their women. Guys like that are difficult to find these days. It isn’t impossible. I have one. He’s definitely a keeper.

I like Lynsay Sands and Christine Feehan’s vampire books because there is just something about a tall, dark and hungry vampire who can get rid of the bad guys with a flick of the wrist.

GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

TIANNA: I’m working on book three of the Gate To Fate series, Reporting from Paradise, the next in the Dragon Bound series and I’m waiting for Viola to finish adding her part and ship the next DARE book back to me to write more in it.

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

TIANNA: Of course! My website is www.TiannaXander.com I’m on Facebook as Tianna Xander or readers can like my Tianna Xander Fans page. I’m also on Twitter @TiannaXander

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

TIANNA: My website www.TiannaXander.com/books has blurbs and excerpts as well as my publisher’s websites. However, some excerpts are more explicit than others. There are also buy links for my books on my website.

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

TIANNA: To borrow a phrase from Galaxy Quest, “Never give up. Never surrender.”

Always keep learning about the craft. I’ve been published many times over and I’m still learning something new every day. Don’t let rejections get you down. EVERY published author has been rejected at least once. The secret is to keep on writing and keep on submitting your work. Sooner or later an editor will see the potential in your baby and tell you what you can do to convince them to make you an offer.

One more thing: You will never, and I mean never, please everyone. Don’t try. Don’t read reviews that have less than four stars if you must read reviews and never let a snarky or poor review stop you from writing book two or book two-hundred.

GRACIE: LOL, love the quote from one of my favoite movies! Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

TIANNA: I love that my readers take the time from their busy lives to visit my worlds and fall in love with my characters. I thank them for their time and the effort it takes to leave reviews for their favorite titles.

GRACIE:  Tianna, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your prolific writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!

TIANNA: Thank you for having me here at the G-Spot. It was a blast!

Retro Release Deals - TERMS OF SURRENDER & BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAYLIGHT!

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BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAYLIGHT!

Siren Classic: Erotic Paranormal Romance, Contemporary, Interracial

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Desert Dreams Re-Released - Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing!

Old World Evil vs New Age Passion...

A centuries old djinni betrayed...A modern career woman and wife bereft...Can this thoroughly mismatched couple find comfort and vindication in each other's arms? More importantly, can their love survive the ancient vendetta of one unforgiving and powerful demon djinni? Find out that anything is possible when a devout mystical being from the old world joins forces with an urban-reared spitfire from the new.

Kane is a decided study in contrasts in any place and time, but being set free in a world where a woman's place is not necessarily in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant, throws this thoroughly quaint and devout Muslim for a loop.

Longing motherhood and pursuing a burgeoning curatorship at a niche art museum in Brooklyn after suffering a miscarriage three years previously, Therese Hunter is an ambitious thirty-something wife at an emotional crossroad. Not usually one to wallow in self-pity, the loss of their child left a huge rift between Therese and her husband, Jury, that has yet to be repaired.

Enter a special anniversary and a gift that proves to be, not only the vehicle that releases Kane from his captivity and the key to opening a brand new destiny for Therese, but ultimately the instrument that will end Jury's life.

 

Available now from http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BACDL7Q

 

Interview with Cross-Genre Author Extraordinaire, Jane Toombs!

Bio: Jane Toombs, her Viking from the past and their calico grandcat, Kinko, live across the road from Lake Superior in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula wilderness. Jane's writing her eightieth-something book , already promised to a publisher, and hopes to reach one hundred. Though she writes in most genres, her favorite is paranormal. Website: www.JaneToombs.com

The Interview:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Jane! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

JANE:  I’m happy to be here at the G-spot.  I was born in California, but my mother brought me back to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wilderness when I was nine months old. Since I was conceived here, though, that makes me a genuine Yooper.  My father was published as a non-fiction writer and critiqued all my early efforts at fiction, always first telling me what I’d written was good before showing me ways it could be improved.  I’ve always tried to critique other writers in the same way because it worked so well for me.  Spent a year at Michigan State before joining the Cadet Nurse Corps when I was 17 ½.   Did what many nurses do, married a doctor after I got my RN. We had five children before the writing bug came back and bit me permanently.  He was so threatened by my writing that we finally divorced. I was certain I was off men forever, but I met a guy in a writing class and we finally married, adding his two children to my five.   Just after that I sold my first book, Tule Witch, to Avon. He sold his first one, also a gothic like mine shortly after that.  We had the same agent and sold quite a few books before he died.  Then I met—or to be exact, remet—a guy I‘d gone all through school with.  Eventually we got together and have been with each other for going on eighteen years now as Life Partners, spending the last twelve of them back in our old home town. All though this I’ve been writing and he thinks that’s just great. 

GRACIE: With over eighty books published you are, to say the least, a prolific author. How do you account for your output and longevity in such an unpredictable industry as publishing?

JANE: I wrote for the NY pubs for a long time, but had to tailor my Harlequin books to what they felt readers wanted.  Since I tend to add paranormal elements to stories, that was difficult for me, because the rule at that time was no paranormal—so I had to take even the hint out..  Remember these were the days before paranormal found its own niche.  So when electronic books first began I leaped on the bandwagon, while still writing for Harlequin and Kensington.  But finally gave that up, writing just for epubs now.   

GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genres you write in?

JANE:  My father was my main influence, but so were the books I read as a child, mostly E. A. Poe. 

GRACIE: When did you get The Call and what was your first published book?

JANE:  I had recently gone through that divorce and finally remarried when the call came in.  My agent had sold my first gothic, Tule Witch to Avon—actually the first novel I’d ever finished.  There was no one at home but I could hear the thump of a basketball out back and raced out there. Mikel, my stepson, was shooting baskets.  He’d been very reserved toward me but I was so excited I hugged him, shouting in his ear that I’d sold a book!  He stiffened, but finally hugged me back and told me ‘That’s great!”  Selling that book markedly improved our relationship.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

JANE: I learned that just like any enterprise they're out to make a profit and so they want selling authors. This sometimes gives an author problems, because publishers also firmly believe they know what sells books and this may conflict with what the author is writing.

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your California saga, Golden Chances books.

JANE: I come from a Scottish background and was horrified when I found out that in the old days over there a bastard was not allowed to own land, which meant he couldn’t own a house either.  Many years later living in California, I learned during the gold rush, the US government slowly rid itself of the Californios and acquired  their large ranchos.  Because this sort of reminded me of Scotland’s one-time attitude toward bastards,  I made my protagonist  a Scottish immigrant who was a bastard and would do anything to acquire land. I gave him second sight as well.  Diarmid Burwash lived at the right time and was in the right place to acquire the land he craved. Land he would do anything to own.  But as I wrote the book it became a saga so massive it was too long for even a historical novel.  But then ebooks came along .  Books We Love Ltd. had already made two ebooks from one of my rights-back historicals, splitting it into two parts because it was too long. The Golden Chances saga  was even longer.  We had the bright idea of dividing it into seven novellas and the book actually split up this way almost like magic. Readers seem to like this idea as well.

GRACIE: You write in so many different genres and sub-genres—from romance, to mystery, to fantasy and horror—and under several different pseudonyms, slipping seamlessly from one category of fiction to the next. How do you keep everything straight without succumbing to multiple personality disorder J?

JANE: Well I think all authors are a bit crazy. Why else would we write books that we have no idea will ever sell or readers read?

GRACIE: Good point! Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

JANE: Under The Shadow, the first book of my MOONRUNNER TRILOGY.  The character of Sergei and what happened to him utterly fascinated me.  The fact that for years he didn’t know who he was--or worse, what he was--and yet managed to stay alive made me marvel. 

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, and you do have so many to chose from, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

JANE: Again, that would be Sergei.  He was an extremely complex character who was really tortured by what he was.

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

JANE: What they reveal to me as I write about them.  I don’t know everything abut a character when I first begin a book.  I have a general conception, yes, but as I keep writing I learn more and more about him or her as I go on.  They often surprise me.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

JANE: Writing a synopsis is easy and I enjoy doing them.  But writing the story itself is much harder, especially when I find I have to repeatedly depart in places from the synopsis., which often occurs.   

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

JANE:  I simply set down and wrote my first two gothics, which both sold.  The third gothic did not. Revision didn’t help.  I was still struggling with it when my agent called and asked if I wanted to do a partial--three chapters and a synopsis for a packager who need a Sagittarius gothic for his Zodiac Series.   I asked what a synopsis was.  He told me   Write the story in a very short form?  I thought I could do that, so I said yes.   So I wrote my first synopsis and the three chapters. Not long after he called and said the packager was going to contract on the partial.  Up until then I thought you had to write an entire book to make a sale.   So this synopsis stuff sounded really good to me.  I sold several more books on partials and began to realize how helpful the synopsis was in writing the rest of the book.  So I became  a dedicated plotter. Only my first two books were pantser-written.  At some point I took that third never-sold book and tried to write a synopsis from it.  What I discovered was it wandered all over the place.  A coherent synopsis solved that problem and the book sold.  Now I never attempt a book without first doing a synopsis.

GRACIE: If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

JANE:  Actually For a long time as a nurse and busy mother, I didn’t write.  But finally the characters in my head forced me into writing about them in my meager spare time.

GRACIE: Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

JANE: At the moment my two favorite characters are Lee Child’s Reacher and James Connally’s Harry Bosch.  Reacher and Bosch are nothing alike except for being the best at what they do.  This appeals to me, plus the brilliance of the two writers in keeping these characters always interesting is certainly a part of it. 

GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

JANE: I’m fascinated with paranormal so most of my current books have paranormal added to suspense romance.  In 2009 I made a New Year’s resolution that I was not allowed to create any more series until I finished the first book in every series I’d ever outlined and thought still viable.  The count came to ten.  Okay, I started off with the Darkness Of Dragons Trilogy.  The first book sold immediately and then the epub wanted the other two as fast as I could write them.  I hadn’t foreseen this, so that slowed me down.  Currently I‘m up to the fourth and last book, Stranger On The Shore of  my Dangerous Darkness Series, have written the first book of The Dagon House Trilogy, Taken In.   Also a publisher has taken my Raffin Family Series, but I haven’t yet finished the first book.  And the reason I haven’t yet finished it is because I’m busy writing Uncanny, the third book in my Underworld Series.   I also have yet to finish the last book, Forever, of my Temple Of Time Series.  Yikes--I’ll never finish them all…

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

JANE:  http://www.janetoombs.com Buy links for all my books are available there.  Most are also on Amazon.

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

JANE:  Amazon often has one or another of my ebooks free.  My website has excerpts of all my recent books.

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

JANE: Believe in yourself and finish everything you begin to write.  Every time you finish a work, you learn something about writing.  Find a good critique group or partner.   Never be crushed by someone trashing your work--that person is not interested in helping you.   Whoever that person is, he or she is a bad critic.  A good critic can find something to like in almost anyone’s writing, and will try to  point out ways to improve it. 

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

JANE: Writing is hard work and takes dedication.  All good writers know better than to believe a best seller can be dashed off in a couple of weeks.  Or even months. Work hard to finish everything you write no matter how long it takes you. 

GRACIE: Jane, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!

Maia's Magickal Mates Available for Pre-Order!

The latest title in my Gigi Moore, The Double R series, Maia's Magickal Mates is available now for pre-order. Be the first on your block to get your copy and at a 15% discount!

http://www.bookstrand.com/maias-magickal-mates

Oh, and get a load of the cover. I just got it the other day and I am so thrilled with it! The artist captured the essence of the story and the characters perfectly.

Desiree’s Lone Wolves…Live on The Log Line!

 

The second book in The Double R series, Desiree’s Lone Wolves, is now live on The Log Line! Check it out here:

http://theloglineblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/desirees-lone-wolves.html

Share your thoughts to participate in the giveaway!

And thanks for your support of Desiree’s Lone Wolves!

Bouncer’s Folly Live at The Log Line!

The log for the third book in my ManLove Collection, Zara’s Bois series is live at The Log Line Blog! Check out Bouncer's Folly here: 

http://theloglineblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/bouncers-folly.html

Share your thoughts to participate in the monthly giveaway!

And thanks for your support of Bouncer’s Folly!

Interview with Paranormal Romance Author Margay Leah Justice!

The Interview

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Margay! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

MARGAY:  Thank you! I’m so happy to be here! Hmm, a little about me. Well, I am related to some pretty well known writers on my grandmother’s side (James Russell Lowell, Amy Lowell, Robert Lowell), so I guess it was destined for me to follow in their path! I began writing or creating stories in some form or manner since I learned how to hold a crayon and I've been writing ever since. But it wasn’t until I was older (I won’t say how much older!) that I seriously began to pursue it as in publishing what I wrote. Before that, I wrote for me – and the occasional family member or friend who was able to con me into letting them read it. Now I write for everyone! But, ultimately, I write because I love it and can’t imagine not doing it. I write for me first, because it makes me happy when I write.

GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?

MARGAY: It’s kind of funny. Up until I was in junior high, I didn’t even realize that what I was doing had a name – writing. It was just something I did all the time. I didn’t put a label on it. But it was a junior high English teacher that put a name to it and encouraged me in my writing, so I always credit Miss Black with being my initial inspiration to pursue and hone the craft of writing. She was the first one who saw the talent and encouraged it.

GRACIE: When did you get The Call and what was your first published book?

MARGAY: My first published book is Nora’s Soul and it was published back in 2008.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry now that you wish you’d known before you started?

MARGAY: Hmm, that is a good question. I think, first and foremost, that this isn’t an industry for the faint of heart. You have to have kind of a thick skin if you want to succeed, not everyone’s going to love your writing/story as much as you, and if you really want to succeed, you have to have complete faith in yourself and don’t give up until you find the right match. And if a reviewer doesn’t like your work, don’t lash out at them because it’s their opinion and they’re entitled to it. Be gracious. Just say thank you for taking the time to review it and move on. Same with fans on social media networks. Twitter and Facebook can be powerful tools to get your work out there, but they can also be the quickest way to spread word of your bad behavior. So again, just be gracious and move on.

GRACIE: Sounds like wise advice! Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired The Wolves of Destiny series.

MARGAY: I actually wrote a post on this because people always want to know! But here it is in a nutshell: There was a call for a novella contest with the theme of wolves and I had these scenes rattling around in my head, inspired by a book I just read, scenes about how I wished the story had progressed. So when I saw the call for the novella contest, I started thinking more seriously about those scenes and the possibility of culling them together into a story. Then I saw an article about wolves being sighted in Massachusetts for the first time in about 150 years and just like that, the story fell into place!

GRACIE: In Sloane Wolf, the first book in The Wolves of Destiny series, Micah Sloane is a strong alpha male who will do whatever he needs to protect those he cares about. What do you consider Micah’s Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it?

MARGAY: Oh, wow, what an insightful question! I love it! I think Micah’s Achilles’ heel is his family. He is extremely protective of everyone he cares about and will do anything to protect them – and their secret. So what would you do with that? Well, if you’re me, you put his family in situations that are high risk and see what he’ll do about it and who better to start with than his 12-year old sister, Ava?

GRACIE: Shiloh Beck has grown up knowing she is special and has been immorally cut off from the family who loves her and whom she loves because of her gift. What aspect of Shiloh’s personality do you think make her a perfect match for the formidable and legendary Micah?

MARGAY: Oh, you’re good! Like Micah, Shiloh is all about family. Despite what has been drilled into her mind about her family (that they abandoned her) by the men of The Institute, she doesn’t believe it. Her whole existence has come down to getting to the truth about what happened to her family and, hopefully, reuniting with them. She will do whatever she needs to in order to achieve that. She’s a lot like Micah in that respect. Plus, she’s not afraid to tangle with him – to an extent. She knows when to back off, when not to push him, unlike his siblings who tend to keep pushing until he pushes back. Shiloh knows when not to cross the line and will take a step back. But she’s not a push-over. If she thinks you don’t want her around, she will walk away with head held high.

GRACIE: Of all the stories you’ve written so far, which is your favorite and why?

MARGAY: Oh, that’s so hard! I love all of my stories. Each one is so different than the other, so it’s difficult to choose one. So I will say only this: my favorite story is always the one I’m currently working on.

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

MARGAY: Yes, it is! I really have a soft spot for Shiloh – probably because she grew up without a mother and could really use one!

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

MARGAY: I do try to make each character unique in their own way – I don’t ever want to do stories with cookie cutter characters. For Sloane Wolf, it would go something like this:

Micah is the alpha male who takes care of the family, but he loves The Last of the Mohicans and has always wanted to reenact a certain scene in the movie (if you read the book, you’ll discover which one!)

Shiloh grew up away from her family because of her “gift” – she’s an empath – but what makes her unique is that, although she’s been trained to kick ass and take no prisoners, she is socially inept because she’s been kept away from the influences of society for so long. So in some ways, she’s very innocent.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

MARGAY: I love the planning of it – the research, the playing around with ideas, figuring out characters, generally daydreaming about scenes I want to write, that sort of thing. Least favorite would be trying to summarize the story for the synopsis and queries. I’ve always found that to be the hardest part.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

MARGAY: I think it depends on the depth of the story. The more detailed and layered it is, the more complex the outline. I used to do very detailed outlines for everything I wrote. Ironically, I think Sloane Wolf was one of the first stories I wrote in the pantser fashion – it just flowed from the pen. It didn’t need an outline, for some strange reason.

GRACIE: If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

MARGAY: I was always interested in psychology, so something in that field, I think.

GRACIE: Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

MARGAY: My all time favorite – besides Jane Austen, of course – is Julia Quinn. I just love her Regencies and her series about the Bridgertons is my favorite. I also love the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig and According to Jane by Marilyn Brant.  I’ve been reading a lot of YA lately and some of my favorites are the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick, the Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins, and Hourglass by Myra McIntire.

GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

MARGAY: I am working on the next book in the wolves series, of course, and revamping Nora’s Soul and working on other stories in that series. I’m also working on a story about a psychic who, while doing a hunt at a local mansion, uncovers a family curse that links her family to the family that owns the mansion in a very intriguing way.

GRACIE: Wow, sounds like your fans have some interesting things to expect from you! Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

MARGAY: My blog is at http://margayleahjustice.blogspot.com. I also contribute to Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem at http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook.

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

MARGAY: My book can be purchased at Amazon.com, Smashwords and MuseItUpPublishing

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

MARGAY: Never give up if you truly believe in yourself and your writing and want to pursue it. If this is the case, listen to what other people tell you if they’re trying to give you advice or constructive feedback (I won’t say criticism, that sounds so negative), and never stop honing your craft. Even when you’ve been published, continue to learn, to read articles on writing or even take courses from time to time. It’s always good to test yourself and stretch your abilities.

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

MARGAY: I would love to invite readers to tell me what they like about paranormal romances in general or shapeshifting wolves in particular. Are there any scenarios you haven’t seen that you’d like to?

GRACIE: Margay, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!

MARGAY: Gracie, thank you so much! It has been an absolute pleasure.

Zack and the Dark Shaft Live at The Log Line!

The log for the first book in my ManLove Collection, Zara’s Bois series is live at The Log Line Blog! Check out Zack and the Dark Shaft here:  

http://theloglineblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/zack-and-dark-shaft.html                 

Share your thoughts to participate in the monthly giveaway! What do you get? Why one lucky commenter who drops by to read the log lines and leaves their thoughts gets a gift certificate of $20. So stop by and tell us what you think ;)

And thanks for your support of Zack and the Dark Shaft!