Discover Shauna Aura Knight

Talking with author Shauna Aura Knight...

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

The best word for me is probably multigeek. I was raised on Starwars, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Ladyhawke, so it wasn’t really any surprise that I became a fantasy artist and author. I’m always cooking up something, whether that’s a story, a painting, doing graphic design work, or planning an event. I once built a life-size Jabba the Hutt to decorate a party. One of these days I’d like to host a Faerie masquerade in Chicago.

What is your book(s) about?

Werewolves in the Kitchen is about Ellie, a young woman who moves to a retreat center. She’s trying to get clarity on her life, but she develops a crush on two sexy guys working in the kitchen. Little does she know that they also have the hots for her…and also, they are werewolves. Ellie doesn’t quite know what throws her for more of a loop—the werewolves thing, or that she wants to be with both of them.

It’s a short novella but a very sexy, smoking hot read.

What are you currently working on?

Actually, I’m just finishing up a short story sequel to Werewolves in the Kitchen called Werewolves with Chocolate. It’ll be offered as a freebie for people on my mailing list. I’ll also be releasing a novella, A Fading Amaranth. Alexandra’s psychic abilities have made it impossible for her to be in a relationship until she meets Nathaniel, a vampire who has lost his muse. When a Faerie monster begins stalking the streets of Chicago, they face dark magic and danger.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I’ve always got a dozen irons in the fire. I write fiction and nonfiction, and I’m also an artist and a graphic designer, I do my own covers and I do graphic design and covers for other authors. I also travel and teach. In other words, I keep pretty busy with creative projects.

Are any of your characters like you?

Definitely. I give most of my characters a little piece of myself. Often one of my own deeper flaws; it makes them more interesting to write, and gives them a bit of an edge.

What genres do you write in?

Right now, paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but soon I’ll have some epic fantasy and scifi romance coming out.

Do you have a favorite quote from your book?

“Kyle groaned. ‘If you dress up as Red Riding Hood, Jake and I are completely not responsible for our behavior.’ “

If you write a series do you reread your previous books before you begin the new one?

I do. I want to get back into my characters heads and remember how they talk. Particularly in writing the short Werewolves story I wanted to get back into Jake and Kyle’s banter.

When writing, how do you keep track of timelines, ideas, inspiration and such? By notes on the computer, a notebook perhaps?

For the most part, I can keep plots, timelines, and ideas in my head. Unless we’re talking about one of my epic fantasies which takes place over decades or even hundreds of years, or making up the language they speak. Once I start writing a story it goes into its own document. I don’t write in a linear way, so I write scenes as I’m inspired to. That’s how I’ve ended up with 60 novels partially finished. These days my task is just finishing them!

I’m always looking for book recommendations. What books have you been reading? Would you recommend them?

I read a lot of Emma Holly, Angela Knight, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Some recent authors I’ve enjoyed are Jory Strong (particularly her Inked Magic and Inked Destiny) and Erin Kellison’s Shadow Bound.

Werewolves in the Kitchen

Genre: Paranormal romance (MFM ménage)

Series: This is the first book of the SpiralStone series

Publisher: Jupiter Gardens Press

To buy:

Jupiter Gardens Press: http://jupitergardenspress.com/shop/werewolves-in-the-kitchen

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Werewolves-Kitchen-Shauna-Aura-Knight-ebook/dp/B00HVJMUSI

When Ellie moved to the SpiralStone retreat center to figure out her life, she expected peace, quiet, and spiritual practice. She had no idea that the two sexy men running the kitchen would seduce her…much less at the same time. Kyle and Jake turn out to be wilder than they seem and Ellie finds herself wrapped up in devastating magic. She must choose: stay with Jake and Kyle and risk who she has been, accepting the dangerous world of shapeshifters? Or leave them and risk madness, or worse?

A Very Spicy Excerpt from Werewolves in the Kitchen:

Jake turned the shower on while Kyle kissed her senseless. Ellie threaded her fingers into Kyle’s short blond curls, and suddenly Jake was behind her, untying her shorts. Kyle drew her top up, and she could feel Jake’s bare chest against her back.

She was just in her bra and panties when Kyle released her to pop the button on his jeans. Then he kissed her again, nipping his way down her body.

Jake made an appreciative noise from behind her, and she turned her head. He kissed her, grinding his hips against her buttocks. Distracted by Jake kissing her, she gasped when Kyle brushed his fingers over her mound, rubbing her through her panties. He nipped at her hip, and she felt him dragging her underwear down. She tugged him up and kissed him.

“Shower first,” she murmured.

Kyle grinned, placing her hands on the waistband of his jeans to tug them off. Her jaw dropped just a little as his length sprung out. “Oh my,” she whispered.

He drew her to him and into the steaming shower, kissing her. Jake closed the glass shower door behind him; it was just big enough for three. She took them both in before they drew closer.

Jake tipped her head back into the water to wet it before he began lathering up her hair, his fingers massaging her scalp as she blissed out.

Kyle grabbed a washcloth and washed her from shoulders to feet until she shivered. Ellie blushed and protested when his fingers slipped between her folds until she moaned. Jake claimed her lips as Kyle began to circle her pearl where she was slick with arousal. “So wet, baby.”

Jake slid his hands over her body, down to her buttocks, lathering up her back with body wash as Kyle drove two fingers into her pussy.

She cried out into Jake’s mouth at the sensation. She’d never been kissed like this before—the hot water falling on them, Jake’s tongue lapping at her lips even as Kyle was pleasuring her where she’d been swollen and hot for them for so long.

Ellie moaned, thrusting down onto Kyle’s fingers. How many times had she blushed, fantasizing about them doing this to her? She was already on the edge of orgasm from the thrill of having them both totally focused on her pleasure and so many days without release.

Kyle circling her pearl had her gasping for breath against Jake’s lips. “That’s it,” he murmured, stroking in and out.

Their touches finally drove her over the edge. Ellie cried out, bucking, and they had to hold her up as her knees gave. Jake kissed her, and then Kyle kissed her, and she threaded her fingers through both their hair while they murmured sweet things, petting her.

“Feel a little better?” Kyle asked, and she blushed.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Jake grinned.

She panted, knowing the two of them were not done with her yet.

Bio for Shauna Aura Knight:
An artist, author, and presenter, Shauna’s work is inspired by the mythic stories of heroes, magic, and awakening mythic imagination. She’s a fantasy artist and author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy including Werewolves in the Kitchen, A Winter Knight’s Vigil, and The White Dress, the Autumn Leaves. Her mythic artwork and designs are used for magazine covers, book covers, and illustrations. She also travels nationally offering intensive education in the transformative arts of community leadership, facilitation, and personal transformation, and is the author of numerous articles and books on those subjects. 

Web Site: http://www.shaunaauraknight.com
Fiction Blog: https://shaunaknightauthorartist.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShaunaKnightAuthorArtist

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/shaunaaknight

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ShaunaAuraKnight

Under the Covers with Samantha Holt

Please give a warm welcome to Lucy from Borderland Bride by Samantha Holt today as we sit down and see what makes him/her tick.

Q: So tell us about yourself. What got you in the crosshairs for your author?

Oh, quite a few things! A forgotten marriage contract, my dislike of a certain lord and my refusal to marry are probably the main things!

Q: What was it that drew you to your mate?

Well, he is very handsome…but I wanted naught to do with him at first. Somehow, he charmed me, though I still do not understand quite how.

Q: A little naughty fun, where was the wildest place you seduced your partner(s)?

It is not really wild but our first time was in the Great Hall. It was very romantic. Suffice to say we have had some fun through the entire castle since marrying but Dominic was determined that we should not make love again until we were married. He can be very honourable when he wants to be.

Q: Boxers, briefs or Commando on a man?

Forgive me, I am not sure what any of those are.

Q: If your partner wants to seduce you, what's one sure fire trick he/she can play?

Dominic has a way of looking at me that turns my bones to jelly. He gets a hungry look in his eyes and I know I am in trouble.

Q: What is the one place on your partner's body that you know will drive them wild-in and out of bed?

His neck and ears. When I kiss or nibble them he shudders. I love being able to torture him like that though I know I will pay for it later if I do it in public!

Q: What was one of the most embarrassing thing your author did to you in Borderland Beauty?

I am clumsy by nature, so Ms. Holt enjoyed showing me up in front of Dominic. Thankfully he found my little trips and stumbles very endearing. I also fell over when ice-skating, that was certainly an embarrassing moment.

Thank you Lucy for joining us on 'Meet the Character' day here at Dawn’s Reading Nook Blog. Please find Borderland Beauty by Samantha Holt at Jupiter Gardens Press.

Excerpt

“You care a great deal about the ‘other women’. ‘Tis odd when you profess to care little about my affairs.”

“I care not what you do. You are a free man and may lie with whomever you choose.”

His lips slanted into a wry smile. “And yet the mere mention of other women sparks anger in your eyes. I told you before, your eyes give you away. ‘Tis more than indignation that ignites the fire in your eyes, ‘tis jealousy.”

“Jealousy?” she spluttered. “Why should I be jealous?”

As he leaned closer, Lucy edged away, gasping with surprise as her back hit the cold stone wall. With nowhere to escape, Dominic moved closer still, bringing his mouth to her ear. His cheek brushed hers and she shuddered as his breath swept over her.

She supposed she could probably shove him away but her hands would not cooperate and instead clung to the stone, as if the rock could somehow provide her with the strength needed to deny him.

So easy. It would be so easy just to turn her head and kiss him. It would take only the smallest of movement. His lips grazed her exposed neck, so briefly that she would not have been sure it happened were it not for the scalding imprint his mouth left.

“You are jealous because you wish to be one of those ladies,” he breathed into her ear.

She gulped and shook her head but any words of protest died on her lips as his hand came up to the other side of her neck and curled domineeringly around it.

He kissed her ear. “But ‘twill not happen.” He kissed again as she frowned. “For you would not be just one of those ladies.” His lips sealed around her lobe, nipping briefly at it and extracting a choked cry from her. “You would be the only lady.”

Blurb

Lord Dominic is in need of a wife. With the reivers, the wild and dangerous criminals that haunt the borderlands, breathing down his neck and his brother now married, he needs a strong woman by his side. So when he finds out about an old marriage contract between him and his neighbour’s daughter, he vows to give the mysterious woman a chance. Upon meeting the beautiful, feisty maiden, he vows to make her his wife.

Lucy Montgomery wants nothing to do with the arrogant lord. She doesn’t understand his interest in her. Surely a man like Dominic could never fall for a woman like her. Hurt by the past, she refuses to believe that she is anything more than a game to him. If only she didn’t find him quite so charming.

Can Dominic persuade Lucy that she is more than just another woman to him? And with the reivers growing bolder, are there worse dangers than Lucy saying ‘Nay’?

Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00DAIUFCM

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-borderlandbeauty-1219125-161.html

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/borderland-beauty-samantha-holt/1115544138?ean=2940016505763

Social Links

www.facebook.com/romanticfiction

www.samanthaholt.org.uk

Goddess fish Blog Tour With Jo Ramsey

So let’s get this party started. Please tell us about yourself. What got you interested in being an author?

Hmm… I love talking about myself, but I don’t know where to begin! LOL. My name is Jo Ramsey, and I’ve been writing since I was five years old. Even before that, I made up stories and told them to my stuffed animals. I knew even then that I someday wanted to see my stories in books like the ones I wrote. During middle school, high school, and college I wrote about twenty book-length manuscripts, all longhand in spiral notebooks that now dwell in the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet.

  have a degree in special education, and I taught for several years until I moved to Massachusetts so my two daughters and I could live with my current husband, whom I met in 2008. I stopped teaching then (trouble transferring my certification from one state to another) and now I write mostly full-time and work for my father-in-law part time.

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent/upcoming release?

Cutting Cords is the third book in my Reality Shift series, which is young adult urban fantasy. It was released by Jupiter Storm, the new YA imprint of Jupiter Gardens Press, on March 17. Shanna Bailey’s life is turned upside-down when her father moves out, leaving Shanna with her abusive mother. At least Shanna has her best friend Jonah Leighton to help her cope. When Shanna’s friend Tammi comes to her for help with an entity who claims to be Tammi’s spirit guide, Shanna expects Jonah to help out too, but Tammi won’t allow it. On her own, with Jonah’s advice and assistance from two beings of light, Shanna must find a way to send what turns out to be a malevolent dead spirit to the other side.

For any readers who may not have read any of your books, can you just give us a little sneak peak into world (i.e. the type of genre you write, type of stories you like to write....etc)?

I write young adult urban fantasy, primarily, though I do have a YA contemporary novel under contract with Featherweight Publishing. My Reality Shift series is about Shanna Bailey, a fourteen-year-old girl who is bullied at school and at home, and her best friend Jonah Leighton, whom Shanna meets on her first day of high school. Jonah practices energy healing and channeling, and teaches these skills to Shanna. Together, the two of them use the skills to banish demons, send dead spirits to the other side, and prevent our universe from being vaporized.

How much of yourself, if any, do you put into your characters?

Shanna Bailey is very, very much me, and I did that intentionally. Mostly, though, I don’t use myself as a character in my stories, or give my characters any of my personality quirks or flaws. At least not on purpose.

Is there a genre you haven’t done that you would like to explore in the future?

I can’t think of one offhand. I really enjoy writing urban fantasy, and I’ve had fun with the contemporary novels I’ve done, so I don’t think I’d want to write anything else.

If you could throw a party with any five people (living or dead) who would you pick and why?

Patricia Briggs, because I love her Mercy Thompson series.

Susan Cooper, because she’s the reason I started writing fantasy.

Joseph Smith (founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), because I’d like to hear about his visions.

My late aunt, Alice Pyke, because she was a fascinating person and she passed away before I really had a chance to know her well.

Meat Loaf, because he’s Meat Loaf.

You write young adult stories. What got you interested in writing this category/genre?

I started writing young adult when I was one. I was about twelve when I wrote my first story that I would consider YA. Even though I’ve grown quite a bit older, it’s still my preferred genre.

What are at least five things you have on your bucket list and have you done any of them?

To be honest, I don’t have a bucket list… Not because I don’t have anything I want to do, but I just haven’t taken the time to make a list. So I guess I’ll try to now.

Being published would definitely be at the top of the list, and I’ve done that. Having a movie or TV show made out of my books. Traveling to Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Traveling to Africa. Meeting my soul mate, which I’ve already done. And there are several famous people I’d like to meet.

Is there one series/author you feel is a must read for readers to explore (can be e book authors or print NY house authors)?

I’m actually going to recommend two: For urban fantasy, I’d say Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson books and her Alpha and Omega series; and for YA fantasy, Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising series.

Do you listen to music when writing? Do you feel like some stories write themselves a soundtrack with specific music? If so, what book and what kind of music influenced it?

I don’t usually listen to music while I’m writing, because I’m too easily distracted and I’ll start singing instead of writing. Sometimes I just need background noise, though, so I do put on some music. I don’t have a particular playlist or soundtrack, though, and I haven’t had any of my YA stuff inspired by songs.

  

What is coming up for you in 2011?

Quite a bit! In May, Black Bridge, book one in my new series The Dark Lines will be released by Jupiter Storm. In July, they’ll release Reality Shift 4 (we still need a title for that!). I recently sent them When Darkness Falls, which is The Dark Lines book 2, and Reality Shift 5, both of which are tentatively planned for release in the fall of 2011. Also planned for sometime this year is Cluing In, the YA contemporary from Featherweight Publishing.

Are any of your characters just like you or have personality quirks/traits of you or someone you know?

As I mentioned, Shanna Bailey pretty much is me. Jonah Leighton is based on a friend I had four or five years ago, who practiced energy healing, channeling, and yoga and taught me about those things.

Where can readers find you on the web? (Please list all your links plus your publisher link(s) as well)

My website is http://www.joramsey.com. I’m on Facebook and Twitter, and I have links to those from the home page of my website. I’m also on Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/jo_ramsey, and I have an Amazon Author Central page, http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0034HD29M.

My Reality Shift and The Dark Lines series are/will be available from Jupiter Storm, http://www.jupiterstorm.com (also at http://jupitergardens.com), and my YA contemporary novel Cluing In will be available from Featherweight Publishing, http://wwwfeatherweightpublishing.com. 

Sneak Peek into Cutting Cords

Young Adult Fantasy

 Jupiter Gardens/Jupiter Storm Publishing

Buy HERE

When Shanna’s father moves out, leaving Shanna alone with her mother, her home life goes from bad to worse. At least she has Jonah to remind her that she deserves a good life, even if she doesn’t always believe him.

Stressed about her parents’ separation and worried about what it will mean for her, Shanna is glad for the distraction of her friend Tammi’s request for information about guides. Although Shanna is still learning, she knows how to answer Tammi’s questions. The problem is, the entity Tammi is asking about isn’t really a guide. It’s a dead spirit who wants to take over Tammi’s life. And Shanna discovers that another entity, one with the power to destroy our universe, wants to use Tammi as well.

Guided by Jonah and Tethys, and helped by another being of light, Shanna must send the dead spirit to the afterlife before it’s too late—for Tammi and for the entire Universe.

Excerpt:

Jonah confirmed my instinct by saying, “Yeah, Shanna and I have some important stuff to do. She’ll call you later and let you know what we can do to help you.”

Tammi glared at him. “Why do you have the right to decide what Shanna’s going to do?”

“He isn’t deciding,” I corrected. “He’s agreeing with me. Tammi, I’m sorry. I have plans with Jonah.”

“Yeah, I can just imagine what those plans are,” she said snottily.

I bit my tongue. Literally. I refused to give in and run off like I usually did when someone implied something like that. I didn’t think the words had actually come from Tammi, even though they’d exited her mouth. Tarina wanted to try to shake me. “You have a better imagination than I do, then,” I replied, keeping my voice calm. “Like I said, we’re going to talk about how to help you.”

“I don’t need any help from freaks like you,” she snapped.

I started to answer. Jonah put his hand on my arm and said to Tammi, “I’m sure you feel that way now. However, you’ve already asked for our help. We don’t give up that easily.” He let go of me. “Come on, Shanna.”

I didn’t even bother taking my books out of my locker. I only had two assignments due the next day, and if I didn’t finish them, I’d take the consequences. Hurrying away from Tammi/Tarina was more important, before the ache in my gut became real pain. The ache in my third energy center, to be precise. Where I always felt something when a negative entity or even a negative person hung around me. Somehow I knew Tarina’s presence caused the feeling. “See you tomorrow, Tammi,” I said sweetly.