The Girly Book Blog Hop

Leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook copy of MIDNIGHT SECRETS! Sign up for my newsletter (on the right toolbar where it says join the mailing list) for two chances to win!! 

Secondary Characters! We can love them or hate them, huh? I love these "back-up" characters when they do what I want them to and don't try to take over the book. Sometimes while writing, the character's personality is so bright and engaging, it's really hard to pull back the character back out of the spotlight.

And that is exactly what happened with Allison from Confessions.

While writing Chelsea's story, her sister, Allison, almost stole the show. Let me tell you... Allison is spunky. She is a loud mouth! She doesn't do well with taking no for an answer. She goes for what she wants and believes in.

So what did I do?

I yanked her by the hair out of Chelsea's spotlight in Confessions and dropped her right into the heroine spot in Midnight Secrets. She quickly became one of my favorite characters to write and she'll have many appearances in The Desert Secret Series books.

Here is a little peek at Allison Montgomery:

Ready to hit the Off button, she stopped when Chelsea’s voice filled the line.

“I thought you weren’t home.” Allison smiled, happy to be able to talk to her younger sister.

“I just got in. The kids were fighting while I tried getting the door unlocked.”

Allison could hear her niece and nephew bickering in the background. “If you had a cell, you wouldn’t have that problem. Even Jordan wants you to have one.”

“I don’t like them.” Chelsea sighed into the phone. “So what’s going on? It should be the lunch rush. Aren’t you busy?”

“Plumbing problems. We’re closed for the rest of the day.” Should she tell Chelsea about Miguel? She might as well, since there wasn’t any way she could keep it hidden for long anyway, not with the way the man made her feel. Plus, her sister would offer sound advice. “I met a guy.

He’s actually here right now.”

The clattering on the other end of the line sounded as if Chelsea had dropped the phone.

“What? You met a guy?”

“Yes. I’m having a shitty day.” She slid onto a stool at the counter and played with a lock

of her hair.

“Meeting a guy doesn’t make the day shitty, Alli.” Chelsea laughed. She muffled the phone

for a second as she yelled, “Elizabeth, take the makeup off your brother’s face right now.”

“It does for me. I don’t need a man.” She watched as Miguel walked past the front plateglass

window to his truck. The sight of him digging around in his truck made her stomach do a flip-flop. “But this man is gorgeous.”

“Do you want to be single forever? I mean, jeez. Don’t you want a father for your children?”

Father? Children? The words snapped her back to the real world. “Nope. I prefer to be

single.” She continued to watch as he fiddled around with something next to his truck. She didn’t

care about the details of the job, just that he stayed right there. He stood in her direct line of sight.

His silhouette was so strong, she couldn’t help but wonder what he would look like without any

clothes on.

“But you haven’t even had sex in--”

“Don’t remind me,” she interrupted. That was her problem. Maybe she just needed to have

some great, no-holds-barred sex and then it would be out of her system for another century.

Miguel stood up. He was tall, about six foot two. Turning back toward her, he waved when

he noticed her through the window. She smiled at him before he went back behind the building.

“So how did you meet this guy, anyway? There aren’t any eligible men in Wilson worthy of

being with my sister.” The sounds of running water and dishes rattling told her that Chelsea was

probably cleaning the kitchen.

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Promise.” The garbage disposal almost drowned out what Chelsea had said.

“Chelsea!” Allison exclaimed.

The garbage disposal clicked off. “Yeah? I’m listening. Who is he?”

“Quit washing dishes! This is important.” Allison slid backward on the stool.

“I’m anxious about something, so I can’t help it.”

“Then do it quietly. Anyway, he’s the plumber here from Harrisburg.”

“No way,” Chelsea said. “Does he have the whole package?”

“Oh, he’s got it all right.”

Now Chelsea laughed. “He’s got the whole saggy pants with his butt crack showing?”

“That’s not the package I had in mind.” Allison thought about the way Miguel looked in his jeans. Even though the pants were slightly baggy, they still showed off the gift he had hidden underneath them, a package Allison wouldn’t be disappointed with for one second. Not that she had a lot of experience. Mitch had been less than thrilling, but she’d wanted to stay with the father of her children. What a joke.

“Is he date material? He could be what you need to tear down your walls.” Chelsea started

the vacuum cleaner.

“Chelsea!”

The vrooming noise shut off.

Allison crossed her arms over her chest. Walls? When had her sister turned into a therapist?

That was crazy. She simply didn’t want to be with a man. “I don’t have any walls up.”

“You most certainly do.” Chelsea sighed. “Promise me one thing.”

“Yeah?” Maybe she should’ve called her other sister, Danielle, about this unexpected

attraction to a man. She should’ve known what Chelsea’s response would be.

“If he asks you out on a date, I think you should go. You don’t have to fall in love or even

have sex with him. Just have fun.”

She uncrossed her arms. If she went on a date, then she wanted to make it worth her while

with some wonderful sex. “You think so? Just have fun?” Could she do it? Fun hadn’t been a word

in her dictionary for a long time now. Her life had been focused on raising two kids, her job, and

trying to save money to buy her own home so they could move out of her mother’s house. Now

that her last goal had almost been reached, she didn’t want anything to screw that up.

“Yes, you can. What’s his name anyway?” Chelsea flushed a toilet, then ran some water.

“It doesn’t matter, since you don’t get to meet him.” Her voice caught in her throat as he

approached the door with Joanie a few steps behind. “Here he comes. I gotta go.”

***

Want to check out the first book in the series? http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-ebook/dp/B004GHN4TC/ref=la_B008SA6TJK_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1348625507&sr=1-4

Want to read more? http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Secrets-ebook/dp/B004GHN46U/ref=la_B008SA6TJK_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1348624660&sr=1-3

Interview with Charlie Kenmore

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Charlie: I’m the author of Earth Angel and other Seven Realms Tales, several screenplays and numerous short stories. I’m a 53 year old from St. Louis, Missouri with one very significant other- Alexx Momcat, two grown kids, and two cats. I enjoys collecting books, art and cooking. An avid garage sale hunter, I’m still searching for an oil painting by Edouard Leon Cortes (or anything from the Drip and Drool School like Pollack or Rothko that can be sold so I can buy my Cortes). You can find me on Facebook, and at the Seven Realms Earthside Communications Center,http://charliekenmore.blogspot.com/ or the FandomFest blog Fandom Scene http://fandomfestblog.com/blogs/charliekenmore.

2. What do you do when you are not writing?

Charlie: I read, watch movies or television, actually do my day job, then waste inordinate amounts of time obsessing over not writing.

3. Do you have a day job as well?

Charlie: In the alternate reality known as the real world, I’m a licensed professional.

4. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

Charlie: Alexx’s birthday is the Fourth of July. In early March, 2008, I was wondering what to do for her birthday that was a bit different. She loves paranormal romances. I thought, “Hey! Why don’t I write her a paranormal romance? How hard can it be?” By her birthday, I had Book One done. I gave it to her, never planning go any further. She informed me that since it was her birthday present, I had to finish the tale. I finished in September. I got the paranormal down, but to date, no one has accused me of writing a romance even though the hero gets all of the women.

5. How did you choose the genre you write in?

Charlie: I’ve written science fiction and fantasy on and off since I was in grade school. When I was in fifth grade, I wrote a twenty page story about an underground society that collected humans for its zoo. My classmates liked it, but the teacher thought it was a bit dark for a fifth grader (there’s no accounting for taste).

6. Where do you get your ideas?

Charlie: Everywhere--the news, the web, Facebook, traffic jams, sporting events.

7. Do you ever experience writer’s block?

Charlie: I keep a couple of works in progress going at any given time. If the Muse doesn’t want to work on one WIP, then frequently I can convince her to work on one of the others. 
When things get slow, there are always external scapegoats. For example, they are installing a sound reduction wall on the highway behind our house. For those who like extended oxymorons, they are reducing sound by blasting, crushing rocks, chipping wood and pulping vegetation, pile driving and operating heavy machinery. In addition, unfortunately, our home has very poor air conditioning. During the recent heat wave and noise, I’ve had some trouble convincing her to work with me on anything, but we just spent a hardcore week and turned out a new novella (“Danijela”-a dhamphir and a vampire have to have a baby to save the world).

8. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

Charlie: I’m a pantser. Sometimes I have great finale in mind and have to write a story to get there. Other times, I have a couple of characters that interest me or an off-beat scenario, and just let the story go wherever the Muse wants to take it.

9. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

Charlie: Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard.

10. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

Charlie: Glad you asked. I finished Earth Angel, but really didn’t think about trying to get it published at the outset. Around May of 2010, I was chatting online with an author friend who suggested that I put a post up at a new Yahoo group Publishing (sic?) Trove. I put a blurb up, and immediately got a request for the book from a new publisher. I sent it, and they took it within a week. We set an initial publishing date of mid August. We rushed through editing, and were all set for an August release. But the publisher had an issue with someone (a business partner?), and the release got pushed back to November. In November, I got all pumped up for the release, and the publisher went out of business without releasing a single title. I got the rights back. 

In December, I reached an agreement in principal to place Earth Angel with an new publisher for which I was doing some editing. I received a contract. A day or two later I received a message to hold on returning the contact because the publisher was revising the standard contract. I never received a new contract. Subsequently, this publisher stuck it to me three times in a single month, so it was just as well that it didn’t have any rights to Earth Angel.

Third time’s a charm. I sent an email to an acquisition editor that expressed interest in the book when it was under the first contract. She asked for a copy, then put it under contract. Everything went pretty well until I got the final cover art that I supposedly approved. This final art was the first time that I’d seen any art. It was nice except for a major problem, the angel had wings, and the Earth Angel does not have wings. We took the wings off, and I love the cover.

11. How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

Charlie: Marketing is still a bit of a mystery to me. I’ve done guest interviews like this one (thanks again), and guest blogs, and social media bombardments. I just made some great contacts at FandomFest, and I’m looking forward to making more at Archon this fall.
12. Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

Charlie: I have a WIP called 2052. A comet explodes in the mid teens which greatly increases male mortality and decreases male fertility. Women become a super majority. Politics and society shift accordingly.

And some fun questions:

What is your favorite food? 

Charlie: Like the square root of a negative number, a single favorite food is an imaginary thing. When eating a fine steak, there is nothing I like better. When I’m three napkins into some barbecue ribs, there is nothing I like better. Lamb chops? Ditto. Lobster? Yep. So the answer to your question is -- chocolate.

How do you feel about fuzzy socks?

Charlie: Definitely preferable to fuzzy chocolate.

Thanks for having me.
CK
******************************************************
Blurb:

There are seven parallel worlds known as the Seven Realms which are separated by a Veil. Six are inhabited by all manner of entities, some natural, some not. That may not be the case for much longer. The first portion of the High Sidhe Prophecy of the Sevens has been fulfilled. The Anarch, who is one with the Veil, has escaped. If she chooses, she can part or drop the Veil or she can lift the Veil in its entirety. The Seven Realms will converge. The laws of physics and magic will collide head on. Unless she is stopped, there will be nothing left.

Queen Amura has called for an assembly of the signatories to the High Sidhe's Second Accords, a multi-realm peace treaty to consider how to deal with the threat of the Anarch. An Earthside TechnoWitch and other dark forces also are seeking to control the Anarch. Prince Dzhok (Jack) , High Sidhe Ambassador Salash (Jack's oldest friend and lover), and Valkyrie Brunhilde set out to find and befriend the Anarch before all is lost. 
Purchase Links:
http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615724840 (you have to register-free)
http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Angel-ebook/dp/B005KMQAA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315450669&sr=1-1
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-earthangel-599934-140.html
*************
Excerpt:
Jack took a moment, and then he saw the light. Unfortunately, it appeared to be attached to an oncoming train. Jack was no pacifist. Like Salash, he would kill to protect his children (and had). But as a pansexual high blood Prince of the Human Whisperers and Allied Kinds, "make love, not war" was not a mere platitude, but rather was the very core of his being. Jack knew that he would have little influence on the upcoming gathering in Paradox. This was not a symposium. It was a war council. The outcome was fairly certain. His Mother and her allies would seek to kill the Chosen. And they would fail miserably.

"We have to find her first."

"Exactly, Jack."

You've got mail.

Salash reached over and pulled the MAPP out of Jack's pocket. She rolled down her window, and with a flick of her wrist, sent it pin wheeling into a fresh steaming pile of bison dung. Salash paused and scanned the tree line. She was fairly certain at least one of the shadows had flinched.

Six Sentence Sunday- Midnight Secrets

This is book two in my Desert Secret Series. Confessions is book one.

Her mouth formed into a sexy smile as she patted the bed next to her. He loved the itty bitty shorts she wore and the tight t-shirt hugging her curves. Even though the shape of her body made her a little uncomfortable, he had never seen a sexier woman in his life and if it took every day to convince her of that attraction, it would be worth it to him.

But first the secret.

He moved to her side, but leaned up on his elbow so he could look in her eyes. If she told him to go away, he would honor that request, even though it would be less painful if she ripped his heart out.

Read more! http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Secrets-ebook/dp/B004GHN46U/ref=la_B008SA6TJK_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1348409719&sr=1-3

Inspiration

A few evenings ago Dan and I decided to have date night. If you know me on any social media sites, you'd probably know that I have been sick for about week. I'm finally feeling better and needed to get out of the house. We were driving down the road and I asked him what he wanted for dinner. He'd been wanting a nice juicy steak for awhile but usually picks Mexican for date nights because that is my favorite. Before he could answer, I said, "How about a steak place? I know you've been wanting one for a bit." His face lit up! 

I've probably been to every good Mexican restaurant in our side of town but name a steakhouse and I'm clueless. Now my boyfriend is a country guy living in the city. He knew right where to go. We got out of the truck and was immediately greeted with the aroma of steak. Dan was in heaven. Anyway, we went inside and a barrel full of peanuts sat right inside of the door. "Have you ever been to a place where you just throw the peanut shells on the floor?" he asked over the blaring country music. I'm pretty sure my eyes were as big as saucers. It just didn't feel right to throw shells on the floor of a restaurant. Sure enough though, peanut shells littered the place. 

We were shown to a table, ordered our food, and had some great conversation which was interrupted occasionally by a random "Yeehaw!" by the waitstaff. Every few minutes the music increased in volume and the cute, bubbly waitresses went in the center of the restaurant to line dance. 

I'm a city girl as much as he is a country guy. I don't like country music, don't eat steak, would rather not line dance (okay, I don't even know how!), and cowboy boots would be at the top of the list of things I'd never wear, but I had a fabulous time. Besides being with my boyfriend which always is awesome, the atmosphere was so new and exciting. And it inspired me. In some book in the future (I don't know which one!) a character will be visiting a restaurant where they throw peanut shells on the floor and the Wrangler-wearing waitresses yell "Yeehaw!" as loud as they can. 

As a writer I need to continuously make up new things for my books. Just like real life, if the characters go to the same places all of the time, doing the same things, they'll never grow and expand their personalities. And the book will be a big old snore-fest for the reader. Not good. To avoid this happening, I let real life inspire my writing. I take the real world and mesh it with my imagination to form the stories for my readers. If I notice a unique person, they'll probably appear somewhere in my book. I went to Florence, Az for the first time and realized the town would be the perfect setting for my Desert Secret Series. The first two books are already published and I only had planned on four, but the town itself inspires me to write more! 

Well, readers, I need to go for now. There is a big world out there and I need to let life inspire me, so I can bring you wonderful new stories! 

Meet Author Ron Fischman!

1)      A bit about me: I was the kind of guy who, when unable to pay for my junior year of college, won my tuition and some of my expenses at a chess tournament the summer before I would have had to drop out. I wanted to be a researcher, but my professors made me kill animals by cervical dislocation (broken necks, to save on Demeral). So I worked as a business writer for about twelve years.

Then I became a professional singer and composer, with a “day job” as the cantor of a medium-sized congregation. I didn’t make the Met, so I retrained as a teacher. That didn’t work out so well.

2)      Day Job – It’s the Artists’ Grant!! Between a host of physical issues and PTSD from being mugged in the school district by my students, I received a disability judgment. I supplement this by tutoring.

3)      My hobbies – I eat dinner from my farm frequently – I have a full vegetable garden. I also golf and skate, and coach my daughter in gymnastics. She’s 5. My son is 10, and he’s as good a golfer as I am, so we coach each other.

4)      I started writing with my first adult poem, “Metaphor,” written while my marriage was falling apart. I actually wrote poetry almost exclusively for three years. So I just finished my first book, 3 Through History: Love in the Time of Republicans, in July of this year.

5)      I can’t say that I “choose” a genre; rather, I choose characters and put them in scenes where they will express their interesting, creative, passionate, erudite, crass, or rakish selves.

6)      My first book came from a real life love triangle. But the back story, which is an excuse to tell history from three points of view, follows three made-up lives. I retrojected the characters from their 2010 lives back to their childhood. Most of the back story wound up as oblique reference, but for example, it was crucial for the reader to know that Rafi was a true idealist,  a Socialist Kibbutznik born forty years after the Kibbutz movement reached its zenith, and therefore had a very hard time fitting in anywhere. He leaves Israel and goes back several times that the reader knows of.

7)      My sources – well, in a way, it was easier when I was writing poetry exclusively. Anything I wanted to capture, whether it was a gnarled chunk of driftwood frozen to the side of a rock face by an ice storm or a lullaby for my daughter, would be worth a scribble, and some of these would turn into poems. Now, I have to conceive of the story, and set my characters in that narrative flow. It’s not easy!

8)      I don’t believe in writer’s block. I do believe in careful story editing. We also have this gift called the blog, which allows a writer to produce text on a page without committing to putting it in a longer (or shorter!) form. For example, when I wrote my essay “Void,” I put it on my Aquaverse blog, and posted it for ccomments on Facebook. Other writers convinced me that it was perfect as it was; that I didn’t need to condense it into a poem or a set of poems.

9)      Outline? Absolutely. As a former musical composer, a lot of my writing forms reflect compositional structure from music. You could think of my first novel as a sonata-allegro form with a development section for each character. That having been said, some composers used a non-structure, called “through-composing (durchcomponieren)”  when they got a good enough idea. Some of the novel reads that way too, especially the section after 9/11 in which Dimitri’s brother-in-law was about to pitch a development in thoracic surgery to an investment group at Cantor Fitzgerald, and got trapped under Canal St. It was a direct line for that character to go to Afghanistan to open field trauma units, but the development was that his wife, Dimitri’s sister, was pregnant and the brother-in-law helped Dimitri transfer into Princeton to finish his degree there, so that he could stay with his sister while the brother-in-law was at war. So, you make one decision and a flow of the story pushes you along in a direction that you might not have expected.

10)  I didn’t read as a kid, except for poetry. I hated windy novels. I didn’t get Jane Eyre until I was already in my forties. At the time, I liked Kafka most, but I think that my dialogue, which is my strong suit, has more Russian roots. Think Gogol’s Dead Souls, for example. Every dialogue had a narrative purpose, as well as being a way to advance the characters and their schemes.

11)   The challenge of a first book – One of my Facebook colleagues, Jacques Andervilliers, puts it nicely. A poet will capture every detail in a scene, but may not connect the scene to the overall work. Each of my chapters was written to be a little story in its own right – but as Jacques said, I had to keep the plot and character arcs in the foreground.

12)   If I could do it over again – Wow. I am still trying to figure out how the whole marketing thing works. But it works differently now, with the rise of the eBook, than it did when I started the novel. Still, I got a piece of coaching when I was a business writer to know my client’s métier as well as she does, or better. So if my client was me, why shouldn’t I know my business? I need to keep learning about how people make a living doing this. The target keeps moving, so one keeps learning.

13)  Marketing – see above! As I write this, I have been blogging my book on http://3throughhistory.blogspot.com and on Facebook, a chapter at a time. I joined Twitter and I’m on three writers’ groups on LinkedIn. I also attend two book clubs and have my own book business card. Still, I don’t have an agent, and I may have to figure out e-publishing to pay for a good story edit.

14)  Forthcoming books? Look for this novel, 3 Through History: Love in the Time of Republicans, which may be on Amazon or Smashwords by the time this interview goes live.

OK – fun stuff. Favorite food: MetRx Vanilla Cream meal replacement bar. Runner-up – melons from my own garden.

Fuzzy socks??? If I could afford a pair of shoes that didn’t turn nasty after a month, I would never wear socks.

Secrets? What would you say about a former math teacher who misread the planting directions and put eggplant and melons 1 foot apart and not 4 feet? Planning is great, but execution is better. Unless it’s my own – execution, that is, unless I can sell tickets!

Six Sentence Sunday- Confessions

He guided her down to the floor between his legs. Before leaning back, she slipped her t-shirt off, revealing the navy tank top. His strong hands slid over her skin and she sunk back against him. She’d forgotten how strong he was, how needy she felt when he touched her. As if by magic, her body slowly began to relax underneath his touch. He kneaded her skin with the palms of his hands. The more he touched her, the more she felt at ease. She leaned forward a bit, making his legs embrace the rest of her body.

To read more: http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-ebook/dp/B004GHN4TC/ref=la_B008SA6TJK_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1347806184&sr=1-5

Sexy Saturday!

Cheers to a SEXY SATURDAY! Who needs any more words when we have these here?

Which picture is your favorite? Leave your answer in the comment section :)  

The Drive-by!

I've gotten a lot of emails asking if my family is okay after the recent drive-by, so I've decided to make a post about the incident.

 First of all, our house is in a really non-eventful neighborhood. This place is filled with families. The excitement of the day is often stupid stuff like the neighbor holding the ladder wrong while trimming their palm tree. Seriously.

 At 2 a.m Friday, my family was asleep. Dan and I woke up to the sound of gunshots. You know when you are startled awake by a sound but don't really know if that is what you really heard? That is what the shots were like. We got up, checked the kids, and went back to bed. My nerves were a bit rattled, so I couldn't fall asleep again. Dan went right back to sleep. A little while later someone knocked on the door. The cops! We still didn't really know what happened so imagine our surprise when the cop said, "Are you guys okay? Someone was shooting at your house so we wanted to check on your family." We talked with the cops and my neighbor (the witness to the shooting) while the cops picked up the bullets and casings from the street. We had enough light to check Dan's truck but nothing was wrong with it.

 The cops came back the next day to investigate further. They found that the shooter only shot at the street. We didn't have any bullet holes anywhere on our property. It's crazy because if you walk along my street, you can see where the 7 bullets took chunks out of the road. The cops also found more bullets/casings and decided that it was some idiots randomly shooting at the ground. The drive-by wasn't targeted at us like the witness had originally claimed. Whew!

 Yes, the thought still scares me, but we are fine! This was random and could've happened in any neighborhood. Thanks for the concern though. I appreciate it.

Talk to you soon,
Wendy

Subscribe to My Newsletter!

It's almost time for another edition of my monthly newsletter and the next part of my free book! Subscribe so you don't miss a thing!!

Join the Mailing List

Enter your name and email address below:

Name:
Email:
Subscribe  Unsubscribe 

Get your Free Mailing List
by Bravenet.com

Six Sentence Sunday- Cross the Line

It's Six Sentence Sunday! This week I bring you six awesome sentences from Cross the Line!

Why I’d decided to accept the job offer in Phoenix was beyond me. But moving in the middle of the Phoenix summer? Even worse. Now I could understand why Arizona had earned the nickname “the devil’s playground.”

Playground? Not sure that would be the right word choice because I was convinced I’d arrived in hell itself.

A knock on the door made me jump up from the box, making every strain in my muscles and joints become more prominent. The pain quickly faded as a luscious vision in denim leaned against my doorframe, looking sexy as sin.

Want to read more? http://www.amazon.com/Cross-the-Line-ebook/dp/B004GHN4YW/ref=la_B008SA6TJK_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1347215442&sr=1-5

My Journey into Writing by Alexandra Anthony

I’m happy to be featured on Wendy’s page to talk about the the journey of delving into writing. As a teenager, I’d written many short stories and enjoyed immersing myself in writing.  It was easy to think of writing as a hobby, a fun little thing to do. Working, getting married and becoming a mother seemed to take precedence over anything else in my my life and writing was put aside as something that I used to enjoy.  My daughter became the priority, and I enjoy being a stay at home mother that also chose the daunting task to Homeschool versus sending my child to a brick and mortar school.  Things are hectic, but I enjoy every moment I get to spend with my vivacious, charming little girl.

Fast forward 8 years.  I was faced with a life changing illness when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2011.  Suddenly, I was faced with issues I never thought I’d have to contend with as I struggled through various treatments: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.  I’m now on the road to recovery and I decided I wasn’t going to wait because life is short and fleeting.  I made the choice to start writing again. 

To be honest, I never thought I could actually complete a book.  I’d always worried I’d develop the feared “writer’s block”.   My idea for my book series happened as I woke up one morning with a very persistent voice in my back of my head.  This character had a larger than life presence and wouldn’t stop talking…and talking and prodding me to write his story.  This mischievous character is one of my two main characters, Stefan.  The books are written from Josephine’s point of view; however, the story is written with my hero in mind.

Choosing to write again has been the most therapeutic thing for me personally.  I was able to lose myself in this world where I get to focus on the characters and not worry about doctor’s appointments and being a cancer survivor.  I get to be a writer.

Author Bio:

Alexandra Anthony loves all things vampire and enjoys writing romantic/erotic stories combining vampires and the paranormal, loves the idea of good happily ever after story and the possibility that there could be a supernatural Prince Charming lurking somewhere out there.

Alexandra lives in the Midwest with her husband and daughter. She is currently writing the The Vampire Destiny series in which Josephine, a Psychic Empath, meets the undead man of her dreams.

 

Illusion (The Vampire Destiny Series Book 2) Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Vampire-Destiny-Series-ebook/dp/B00927F4LM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Illusion (The Vampire Destiny Series Book 2) Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/219269

Links:

Amazon

Smashwords

Website

Facebook

Author Interview: Catherine Wolffe and giveaway!

Hi Catherine! Can  you tell us about your upcoming book?

The Lady in the Mist, A Werewolf's Tale is a blending of a western with a paranormal romance.  The Civil War takes Sonja Brooks husband but not her determination to make it on her own.  The young widow is attacked by wolves.  She is destined to become a werewolf by the next full moon. 

Duncan Cordell is a Rebel lieutenant who's unit is ambushed and he's left to die.  Sonja stumbles upon him and takes him home to nurse.  She heals him. Grateful, Duncan offers to help Sonja any way he can.  She's falling in love with the Rebel from Texas but doesn't think he'll stick around once he finds out what she's becoming. Their story is of trust and forgiveness all in the face of insurmountable odds.   

 Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

  We could say that the struggle to accept those who don't quite meet our expectations or trust those who's lives we can't understand are a basis for this story.  Since this is a paranormal western romance I can safely state the rest is purely imagination.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

  The scene where she drives him away and he misunderstands why is a tough one for me. I enjoyed the challenge.  I'd enjoy hearing what readers thought.

How did you come up with the title?

  The title began as Renegade Rebel but I wanted something that would focus on the heroin more and his view of her walking toward him in the mist is repeated in the novel.

 What project are you working on now?

 I have another installment of my ongoing series, J. T. Leighton, Time Traveler.  The beginning has J.T., who's a PI falling for his assignment.  He has to help her solve the mystery of her parents death and the talesman that allows Jessie to travel in time.

Will you have a new book coming out soon?

 Christmas will hopefully see the release for Waking Up Dead, the second book in The Loflin Legacy.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

 I love the characters in my novel, Comanche Haven and I plan on sharing the endering love of Seth and Celia with Ty's story in Waking up Dead.

 Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Write every day.  Write something, even if it's not on your current ms.  Treat writing like a job with consequences if you don't work at it.  Because there are consequences.  Those may be personal, but they're there and you don't want to live with regret.  Success comes in small moments.  Enjoy each and every one of them.

  Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

 Thanks for all your support.  I love hearing from you, so please contact me with your opinions, favorites and ideas for the furture.  Happy reading!

Find Catherine here:

www.catherinewolffe.com

catherinewolffe@gmail.com

@catherinewolffe on Twitter

Catherine Wolffe on Pintrest

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IUUUV4  A Dance in Time


Catherine is giving a copy of her ebook to one lucky commenter!