Author Interview: Eat, Play, Lust by Tawna Fenske

This is a little different from our normal posts, but with a cover this great we couldn't resist accepting this Author Interview and book review (coming 9/11)! So if you are up for a great contemporary romance--we recommend checking out:

Eat, Play, Lust
by Tawna Fenske

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Flirt Imprint
Date of Publication: 8/26/13
ISBN: 978-1-62266-245-6
Number of pages: 57

Our Interview with Tawna Fenske:
It goes without saying that we love our books, and it is always fun to discover a little bit about the mind behind the work. We hope you enjoy our visit with Tawna Fenske, author of Eat, Play, Lust.

Tawna, where are you from and from where/who did your love for writing come from?

When I submitted my author bio for my debut novel, Making Waves, I mentioned I'm a third generation Oregonian. Since then, my dad hasn't let me forget that I'm actually a FOURTH generation Oregonian. I grew up on the rainy side of the state in Salem, but have lived in the mountainous high desert of Central Oregon for the last 16 years. I've been an avid reader since age 7, and my love of writing stemmed from that same place.

Ah, the Great Northwest! And your region is especially beautiful. Tell us, can you say that your journey to publication was difficult? If so, what were the hardest moments to get through?

I would say my journey to publication was difficult in the same way you might say a root canal without Novocain is mildly owie.

The short version of the story is that I wrote a couple crappy novels before selling a book to Harlequin’s “Bombshell” line in 2005. Then my editor called—on my 32^nd birthday, the same day my cat died and I was told I’d be fired from my job for disobeying the company’s pantyhose requirement—to inform me the line was being cancelled a month before my scheduled debut.

I spent the next several years cycling through an agent that didn’t quite work out and writing manuscripts that almost-but-didn’t-quite sell.

When my agent landed me a three-book deal for my romantic comedies in 2010, the joy was somewhat dampened by the fact that my marriage of 13 years crashed and burned like a short-circuited vibrator hurled angrily at the bedroom wall.

Though I’ve rebounded now and life’s pretty awesome, there’s always a roller coaster component to any author’s career. The biggest lesson I’ve learned through all the ups and downs is that it’s possible to find humor in almost every situation. That’s probably why I write romantic comedy instead of navel-gazing, angsty literary fiction.

Wow, you have had a bumpy road! Thankfully, your sense of humor has obviously not been damaged, and you have topics galore, should you ever decide to go the angsty route. As for your not-angsty writing style, can you describe what that is in five word?

Quirky, offbeat, steamy, funny, wine-fueled. Er, did that last one count as one word or two?

I think that final one is in Wikipedia as one word, so no worries. Tell us what movies you are currently excited to see?

Sorry, I suck at this one. I have the attention span of a gnat, and visual mediums don't seem to hold my interest. I can sit all day engrossed in a book, but put me in front of a movie and I'll fall asleep in three minutes.

Well, I think that's pretty understandable. So, what are you currently reading?

I'm not happy unless I'm reading at least three or four books at a time. Currently I'm reading Tess Gerritson's, "Last to Die," "Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter, "Where We Belong," by Emily Giffin, and "No One's the Bitch," by Jennifer Newcomb Marine and Carol Marine, and “Divergent,” by Victoria Roth.

If you weren't a writer, what other careers would you pursue?

I'd like to be a pirate, an astronaut, or the person who auditions male strippers.

Haha, would you consider hiring an apprentice? Hold on, back to being serious (mostly). If you could create a holiday of your own, what would it be called?

Natinal Cook Naked Day. We already celebrate this in my house, and aside from the occasional scorched nipple, it's a rousing success. Well, as long as we remember to close the blinds.

Yikes, that sure would get people excited about cooking - maybe even me! For people who haven’t read your novel, how would you summarize the plot?

It’s the story of Cami Pressman, a yoga instructor with a few food issues and a secret lust for junk food. She falls for Paul Hammond, one of her students who’s a gourmet chef with a habit of sticking a foot in his mouth. It’s a quirky, short, funny little story a lot of readers have told me they finished in one sitting.

What are two of your pet-peeves?

Shopping carts blocking the aisle, and people with no sense of humor.

To you, what makes a good story?

Sex, food, and laughter (not necessarily in that order).

What usually turns you off about a story?

Characters who are too stupid to live, self-indulgent melodrama, and mushrooms.

If you could collaborate with any author, who would you choose, and why?

I adore Jennifer Crusie and would love to get together with her for a pillow fight in our pajamas, but it's possible our writing styles are too similar for collaboration. It might be fun to team up with a male author whose gritty style is counter to my quirky, lighthearted one. Maybe mystery author Bill Cameron?

What is on your night stand?

I plead the fifth on this one (but thank you for the reminder I need batteries).

What is your favorite book?

Too many to name, but on the list would be Jennifer Crusie's, "Welcome to Temptation," Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander," Kurt Vonnegut's "Player Piano," Judy Blume's "Summer Sisters," Kristan Higgins’ “Just One of the Guys,” and Jonathan Tropper's, "How to Talk to a Widower."

Thank you, Tawna! I appreciated this time with you, and look forward to reading more from you (and perhaps cooking) in the future.

Amazon | BN | 

** Tawna will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Eat, Play, Lust to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.

About the Author:
Tawna Fenske traveled a career path that took her from newspaper reporter to English teacher in Venezuela to marketing geek to PR manager for her city’s tourism bureau. An avid globetrotter and social media fiend, Tawna is the author of the popular blog, Don’t Pet Me, I’m Writing, and a member of Romance Writers of America.
She lives with her gentleman friend in Bend, Oregon, where she’ll invent any excuse to hike, bike, snowshoe, float the river, or sip beer along the Bend Ale Trail. She’s published several romantic comedies with Sourcebooks, including Making Waves and Believe it or Not, as well as the interactive fiction caper, Getting Dumped, with Coliloquy.

Contact the Author:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Susan Illene author of Darkness Haunts and Darkness Taunts

Darkness Haunts
The Sensor Series 
Book One
Susan Illene

Genre: Urban Fantasy

ISBN: 1481861182
ASIN: B00B0RSNG0

Number of pages: 387 pages
Word Count: 92,000 words

Guest Post by Author Susan Illene: Romance in Urban Fantasy

One of the biggest dilemmas an urban fantasy writer can face is how much romance to include in their series.  It isn’t required of the genre, but many readers expect some type of intimate relationship to develop.  A segment of fans want to see strong romantic elements and others want the bare minimum (if any at all).  No matter which direction the author goes, not everyone will be happy.  Actually, even I was guilty of being upset if a series didn’t have the right level of romance for my liking.

When I began writing The Sensor Series I went in the direction I preferred (naturally, I have to like the story I’m writing or it wouldn’t be any fun!!!).  I enjoy slow-burning romances that don’t develop too rapidly, but also doesn’t take too many books before they really get good. 

For the first novel in my series, Darkness Haunts, I chose to focus on developing the main characters and the world.  The tension is there between the heroine, Melena, and some of the males she interacts with, but I let the plot hold the focus.  In the next book, Darkness Taunts, I allowed the romance to develop in the midst of all the other events going on in the story.

I’m not going to give away who she ends up with for readers who haven’t picked the books up yet, but for those who prefer stronger romantic elements they will get their fix in the second novel.  They will also continue see more in future books as the relationship progresses, but there will always be a strong plot to take center stage. 

For the UF readers, what is your preference?  Do you like to see romance develop quickly in urban fantasy or think it should be drawn out over the course of many books?  Or maybe not at all?  I’d love to hear what others think!

Book Description:

Melena Sanders faced her fair share of danger with insurgents and terrorists when she served in the U.S. Army, but now she is about to go up against a new threat. Her best friend, Aniya, has disappeared while on a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska—a supernatural haven. Most humans have no idea darker races lurk amongst them. Mel knows better. If she wants to get her friend back, she’s going to have to go in alone—but not unarmed.

Melena has a few special skills the Army didn’t provide, but the odds are still against her. She’s got to come up with a plan fast that doesn’t involve her, or her friend, dying. But danger likes to play it rough. A war for power is about to rise in Fairbanks and if she wants to get Aniya back, she’s going to have to step right into the middle of it.

Amazon      BN    Kobo

Darkness Taunts
The Sensor Series
Book Two
Susan Illene

Genre: Urban Fantasy

ASIN: B00DTQP4GM

Word count: 101,000 words (approximate)

Book Description:

Melena Sanders has managed to avoid all things inhuman for most of her life, but after coming to Fairbanks, Alaska to rescue her best friend from supernaturals she hasn’t been allowed to leave.  That is, until her long-time nemesis comes to collect a favor she owes him.  Lucas might be half angel, but he’s all bad as far as she’s concerned.

Paying him back might get her out of town for a while, but her new destination will be anything but enjoyable.  Mel’s got to help the nephilim take care of a demon possession outbreak in Juneau.  Although something like this hasn’t happened for thousands of years, Lucas is certain Melena’s rare abilities are the key to solving the problem.

With violence in the capital city growing, she’s going to have to figure out how to stop it fast before the trouble spreads to other places.  Not only that, but working closely with Lucas is changing the dynamics of their hate-hate relationship—worrying her even more than the demons.  Getting back to her captivity in Fairbanks never looked so good.

Amazon    BN   Kobo

 
About the Author:

Instead of making the traditional post high school move and attending college, Susan joined the U.S. Army. She spent her eighteenth birthday in the gas chamber...an experience she is sure is best left for criminals. For eleven years she served first as a human resources specialist and later as an Arabic linguist (mostly in Airborne units). Though all her duty assignments were stateside, she did make two deployments to Iraq where her language skills were put to regular use.

After leaving the service in 2009, Susan returned to school to study history with a focus on the Middle East. She no longer finds many opportunities to test her fighting abilities in real life, unless her husband is demanding she cook him a real meal, but she's found a new outlet in writing urban fantasy heroines who can.

Website- www.darknesshaunts.com

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/SusanIllene1

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/Susan_Illene

Twitter- https://twitter.com/susan_illene
 

Author Interview and Giveaway: Saved by Moonlight by Sarah Makela

We want to extend a warm welcome to Sarah Makela author Saved by Moonlight to our blog today! Sarah has been on the blog before, so we are thrilled to host her once again!

So Sarah, let's cut to the chase...

 

Where are you from and from where/who did your love for writing come from? I’m from Tennessee, but I currently live in North Carolina. My love for writing came from reading a poetry collection my mom wrote. From there, I fell in love with urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and I knew that’s what I had to write.

Can you say that your journey to publication was difficult? If so, what were the hardest moments to get through? You could say that! A few times, I was tempted to quit, but my husband encouraged me to keep at it. All the rejections letters were the hardest. I received so many, but persistence does pay off.

How do you overcome i-suck-it is, that little voice in your head that tells you your writing isn’t good enough? Sometimes it’s hard to overcome, but I just have to have faith in my abilities as a writer. If I’m feeling especially overwhelmed, then I take a step away from the book and do something to relax and get my mind off writing. That helps me to look at the writing with a fresh perspective.

What is your dream vacation? My dream vacation would be taking a train through Europe. I’ve always wanted to do that. One day, I will!

Describe your writing style in five words. Sexy, dark, action-packed, character-driven, paranormal

What movies are you currently excited to see? I can’t wait to see Thor: The Dark World, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and X-Men: Days of Future Past.

What are you currently reading? A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang

If you weren’t a writer, what other careers would you pursue? I’d have a career in IT.

If you could create a holiday of your own, what would it be called? My holiday would be National Werewolf Appreciation Day to show my love and adoration for werewolves. :-)

For people who haven’t read your novel, how would you summarize the plot? I’d summarize the plot as a woman who finds herself trapped in the apartment she shares with her hunky werewolf boyfriend (except she doesn’t know about his monthly moon howling), and he barges in to find her in trouble.

What are two of your pet-peeves? One of my pet peeves is when people type y’all as ya’ll. I hate that since y’all is the contraction of you all. How can you get ya’ll from that?! Haha... Hmm... My other pet peeve? I guess when people are rude for no reason.

To you, what makes a good story? I think having solid 3-dimensional characters really makes a good story because even with the best plot, you’re not going to have a very interesting story if the characters are all cardboard cutouts.

What usually turns you off about a story? I get turned off when stories go in bizarre and unexpected directions that don’t fit with how I’d pictured the characters would react.

If you could collaborate with any author, who would you choose, and why? I’d choose Laurell K. Hamilton or Karen Chance. They’re two of my favorite authors, and they have great imaginations and storytelling abilities.

What is on your night stand? That’s a tough question. I don’t own a nightstand. ;-)

What is your favorite book? This is a hard question, but I’ll have to say Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance. I’m a huge fan of her warmage John Pritkin, and there are some really special moments between him and the heroine, Cassie Palmer, in this book.

Saved by Moonlight
Sarah Mäkelä

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance 

Publisher: Changeling Press

Date of Publication: August 30, 2013

Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

Changeling Press

 

Book Description: 

A werewolf reveals what he is to save the love of his life...

When Sylvi comes home to find someone lurking in the apartment she shares with her boyfriend, she realizes her life is in danger. Lukas arrives in time to defend her from the intruder, but she's shocked to learn Lukas is really a werewolf! Can their love survive his revelation?

Short Excerpt: 

Sylvi turned off the shower and dried herself. She wrapped the large bath towel around her then set off to grab the cordless phone from the living room. There weren't any flashing lights on the phone to indicate that Lukas had called. Disappointment fluttered in her chest before she shoved it away.

He probably had a busy schedule filled with meetings and schmoozing galore.

She headed for the bedroom and paused in the hallway, staring at the closed door. Had she closed it this morning? Lukas couldn't be here since he would have come out to greet her. However, he wouldn't close the bedroom door either. They had no reason to.

She chewed on her lower lip and looked down at the phone. Her thumb hovered over the number nine. Should she call the police? What if no one was there? What if she'd had a strange memory lapse? She'd look like an idiot.

Stop acting like a child, she scolded herself.

Taking a deep breath, she jerked the door open and flipped on the light. Her gaze raked the room. It was decorated in delicate shades of blue and white. She and Lukas had done this together, as a team. The memory brought a smile to her face. Until she saw him...

Demetrius stood by the window overlooking the street, staring into the rainy night. She knew it was him by his overwhelmingly muscular build and shoulder-length brown hair. How had he found her after all these years? They'd experienced a short, wild rendezvous before she'd come to Florida, but it was so over!

"What are you doing here?" Her voice shook slightly. He turned to face her, and she stepped back toward the door.

Tension rose and filled the air.

"Hello to you, too." He stalked over to the bed. His hands splayed over the blue velvet comforter. "Mmm... Soft. You certainly do have superb taste." The bed groaned under his weight as he crawled onto the mattress and stared at her.

"What do you want?" Sylvi shivered and pressed herself against the doorframe. She had to get out of here. There was no telling what he'd do, especially with her being so vulnerable.

Demetrius licked his lips and ran his gaze over her as if willing her towel away. "You."

"That's too bad because --" Sylvi's words cut off as Demetrius jumped at her in a graceful leap.

He closed the distance between them like a predator. "You were saying?" A smug grin caressed his lips.

"I was trying to say I have a boyfriend." She took a step into the hallway, but he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her against his chest. She was five foot five inches, and yet the top of her head barely reached his shoulder. Even when they'd lusted after each other, his towering stature had intimidated her.

"I don't see anyone else here." He glanced around the room pointedly.

She shivered, but not entirely from the cool air conditioning. Tendrils of fear chased down her spine.

About the Author: 

Sarah Mäkelä loves her fiction dark, magical, and passionate. She is a paranormal romance author, but she’s written all over the romance spectrum with cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy...even a sweet contemporary romance!

A life-long paranormal fan, she still sleeps with a night-light. In her spare time, she reads sexy books, watches scary movies (and Ghost Adventures), and plays computer games with her husband. When she gets the chance, she loves traveling the world too.

 http://www.sarahmakela.com

http://blog.sarahmakela.com

http://www.twitter.com/sarahmakela 

http://www.facebook.com/authorsarahmakela

http://www.goodreads.com/sarahmakela

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