Welcome Sarah Makela today

Welcome to Dawn’s Reading Nook, Sarah Mäkelä. Please let my cabana boys/girls get you a drink and make yourself at home. Comfortable? Great…now let’s get down to business.

Q: So tell us about yourself. What got you interested in writing? Who are your publisher(s)?

Thanks for having me here, Dawn!

I’m an author of paranormal and cyberpunk/sci-fi romance with Changeling Press. I also love writing urban fantasy, but I don’t have anything published in that genre yet. I love to travel, play video games, and read.

My interest in writing came when I was really young after reading a book of poetry my mom wrote. I started writing here and there in the meantime from childhood, but that interest solidified into what it is today after reading Laurell K. Hamilton and Christine Feehan. I knew then what I wanted to write. Dark stories filled with the paranormal.

Q: What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?

In my opinion, one of the most important elements in making a great story is the characters. If it has a hero and heroine the reader can get behind and cheer for, you’re doing really well, but then again, you can have the best characters in the world, but if there isn’t a solid plot then it’s not going to be an enjoyable read.

Q: Please tell us about your latest release. What inspired it?

My latest release is a western paranormal romance called Captive Moonlight. It’s about a woman named Charlotte whose betrothed, Joe, is taken by a group of men looking for werewolf laborers. She tries to get help from the town, but the sheriff doesn’t feel it’s his place since Joe is a werewolf. It is then up to Charlotte to do whatever it takes to track down Joe and win him back, regardless of it putting her life in danger.

My main inspiration for the story was from a couple songs actually. The songs are The Longest Road by Morgan Page feat Lissie, which gave me the western-ish mood of the story, and also Fight for You by Morgan Page feat Lissie, which inspired the woman fighting for her man aspect of the plot. They’re both easy to find on YouTube, if you’re interested. Besides, I’ve also always wanted to write a historical story since I double majored in English/History for a while in college before switching solely to English.

Q: Among your own books, have you a favorite?  A favorite hero or heroine? 

I’ve enjoyed all of my books. I wouldn’t want to put the time and effort into creating a story that didn’t make me think, “Wow, that’s an awesome story.” My favorite story and characters tends to be the one I’m working on at any given time. I am proud of JUNGLE FIRE and those characters (Kyle and Rubia) though.

Q: Which of your books has been the easiest to write?  The hardest?  The most fun? 

I’d have to say that JUNGLE FIRE was the easiest. I feel like I started at one moment writing page one, and in the next moment, I looked up and had written The End. I’d thought it might be hard since I’d written the first book JUNGLE HEAT years before that, so I had hoped it would still have at least close to the same feel to it as the first one. The hardest... I’d say CAPTIVE MOONLIGHT to an extent since I had never written a western before, so I had a lot of research to do, but it was also fun. The most fun would probably be STOLEN since I was dealing with superheroes and had a lot of fun planning the story.

Q: Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

This really depends on the story for me. Some books will come to me one way, while another story comes a different way. Most often, I’ll have an initial idea. I mull over the idea for a while then I come up with characters. Typically, only after having the characters will I think about the plot. The setting is never my concern until I’ve figured out the characters and the plot. My reasoning is that characters are crucial to how a plot is going to turn out because like in real life, different people are going to strive for different things even if placed in the same situation.

Q: What part of a book has been the easiest to write?  The hardest?

I’d say the easiest part of writing a book would be the beginning and the end when energy and enthusiasm for the project is at a high. The hardest would be sticking with it and keeping dedicated when the initial rush has waned and you can’t see the light at the end of the book. ;-)

Q: What is the hardest/the easiest part of writing for you? 

The whole process of going from initial idea to having your book for sale (and then marketing it to potential readers) is hard work. I love coming up with new ideas and new characters when the newness (as mentioned in the last question) is high and buzzing. It’s challenging sometimes to keep sitting down day after day to write when the project isn’t new and fresh, then on top of writing a writer has other important jobs like marketing, editing, etc.

Q: What genres and authors would we find you reading when taking a break from your own writing?

I love urban fantasy and paranormal romance. I could be found reading Ilona Andrews, Laurell K. Hamilton, Karen Chance, Patricia Briggs, Kelley Armstrong, and others.

Q: What do you hope readers take with them, after reading one of your stories? What do you hope they feel, or learn?

I’d love for my readers to take away the fact that even though love is hard, it’s worth fighting for. I’d like them to feel happiness, enjoyment, and the sense that they were transported away from the everyday for a while.

Q: If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Witty, optimistic, kind ... I don’t know. I’m not pompous though!

Q: What is the strangest source of writing inspiration you’ve ever had?

The strangest would be from a game I like to play sometimes called Football Manager, which is a soccer game where you manage your soccer team. Yeah, I was daydreaming about hot soccer players and crafted an idea for an erotic romance. I’m not really a contemporary romance author, but I think I’d probably make an exception for that one.

 

Q: So a bit of naughty truth, do you ever do a little real life research to make your books spicy or do you just have a great imagination? (If you write erotic stories-please disregard if you don’t)

Hmm, perhaps a little of both...? *grins*

Q: If you had to choose one person to have dinner with, who would it be? And why?

I only get to choose one? Darn... lol Well, I think it’d have to be David Beckham. I think he’s quite attractive and talented. He seems like a really nice person too.

Q: What is the most ridiculous thing that you have thought about doing to any of your characters but never did?

I’m not really sure. I know I’d thought of a few things to have my villain in STOLEN do that I ended up not using, but I can’t really recall what they were.

Q: Want to tell us about any projects you are working on?

Currently, I’m wrapping up BLACKLIST ROGUE, the third book in my Hacked Investigations cyberpunk romance series (it’ll be out June 2012), and then I’ll be working on JUNGLE BLAZE the third in my Amazon Chronicles paranormal romance series. I also have a couple of side projects. One is a paranormal romance novella with a werewolf and a special magic user, and the other is a post-apocalyptic paranormal romance novel.

Q: Anything else you want to add?

Thanks again for having me today, Dawn! I enjoy hearing from readers, so feel free to contact me through my website at http://www.sarahmakela.com :-)

Thanks for being my guest at Dawn’s Reading Nook. May you have many sales and wonderful reviews for your books.

Captive Moonlight

Wolves of the Wild West, #3 (Multi-Author series)

Changeling Press

Erotic Western Paranormal Romance

Buy Now: http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1766

Captive Moonlight Blurb:

A gentlewoman will do whatever it takes to rescue her captive werewolf betrothed.

When her betrothed, Joe, is taken captive by a group of men looking for werewolf laborers, it's up to Charlotte to track him down and win him back -- even if that means putting her own life in danger.

Captive Moonlight Excerpt:

Charlotte wrapped her arms around Joe's broad torso and scraped her fingernails gently along the length of his muscular back. His breath came out quickly against her skin as he brushed feather-light kisses against her neck.

He nudged her thighs apart. Anticipation built within her as his hand dipped to her pussy. He parted her wet folds with his callused fingers and pushed one finger inside her.

She moaned, enjoying the tantalizing sensations his skilled attention brought about. She looked into his eyes, and he grinned down at her. The look of masculine satisfaction that he could please his lover was written clearly on his face.

She opened her mouth to protest when Joe removed his finger, but then he thrust his firm cock inside her, filling her so completely in one smooth stroke.

Charlotte dug her nails into his back. Joe's eyes nearly rolled back in his head, and she couldn't help but smile as he arched into her touch. Her betrothed liked a little pain with his sex. Not much, just nails and some teeth. Then again, it was befitting of a werewolf.

They didn't talk much about that side of who he was. She figured he would share what he wanted with her. Sometimes he did, but she suspected he preferred to pretend like they were both normal. People were too quick to judge others by their race, or even species, these days.

Charlotte didn't care about any of that. Being with Joe was her only need. She trailed a fingertip across his cheek while her other hand continued to dig into his flesh.

He met her gaze. His eyes, normally dark brown, were now wolf amber. "What did I do to get such a sweet lady like you?" he said, his voice gravelly and low.

She laughed, but the sound caught in her throat as his lips caressed her breast. "I wonder that too. Maybe it was destiny."

He flicked his tongue over her nipple before pulling it into his mouth. He sucked on it, bringing pleasure sweeping through her. His other hand trailed along her full hips, which he insisted made her curvaceous and luscious.

She liked his answer.

He thrust even faster. Desire built within her as they reached ever closer toward climax. Charlotte leaned back against the pillow, clinging to him as he became the only thing real in her life. "Joe..."

Joe brushed kisses up from her breast to her neck until he finally placed a kiss on her lips. "Yes, love?" Hunger filled his eyes as he watched her. "You're getting close. So tight." He slid in and out in longer strokes.

He knew what she liked. "I love it when you talk like that." Her body clenched as orgasm rushed toward her. She gasped and gripped his back. Joe covered her lips with his, ravishing her mouth until she didn't know which way was up. He was the hungry wolf to her somewhat innocent maid.