Book Spotlight~ Human Interaction by Cheyenne Meadows

Shyanne, a widow with twin sons, is forced back into the realm of vampires, humans, and shifters when a college research project lands her in an exotic dancing club where she discovers a sexy shifter called Meat who sparks her interest in dating once more.

Shy juggles motherhood, taking college classes, dealing with her eccentric adoptive family, and work.  She finds herself battling for Meat’s attention with a cover model shifter, while trying not to think about Meat’s nun fetish, and her hit and miss—emphasis on the miss—teleportation abilities. 

Can they work out their differences and love one another for who they are?  Or will they discover that humans and shifters really don’t mix, especially when life’s monkey wrenches keep getting in the way?

Excerpt:

He stood, grinning widely down at me. "You got any money?"

Without thinking, I burrowed into one of my pockets, pulling out a quarter. I reached out, unfolded my fingers and showed him what I had.

His low laughter followed. Digging into one of his pockets, he pulled out a bill and dropped it onto the table in front of me.

"What's this?" I looked at the ten dollar bill, then back up at him.

"Do me a favor. Get some change." He arched an eyebrow, looking at me like he expected a light to come on.

Nope. My light stayed dim as ever. "I don't get it."

He leaned down, hands flat on the table, eye to eye with me. "Get some change. I'm on next. Management frowns if you stick your hand in my thong without leaving money." Meat grinned once more, then stood and turned.

"Wait!" I picked up the money. "I'm confused. You gave me your own money to use. How does that benefit you?"

Straight white teeth flashed as he smiled. "I get your hand in my pants."

Buy Links:

Secret Cravings  | Amazon    | All Romance Ebooks

Coming soon to Barnes and Noble.

  

Author bio and contact links:

Growing up in the Midwest, I began reading romance novels in high school, immediately falling in love with the genre, to the point where I decided to write professionally for a career. However, that dream splattered against a brick wall, resulting in a quick death in my first writing class in college when my professor told me bluntly that I wasn't any good at it. I shifted gears quickly, and left my writing dreams behind, eventually settling on becoming a nurse. 
A few years back, I stumbled across a fan-fiction writing site on a favorite author's webpage. I began to read stories others wrote, not only making some wonderful close friends from the experience, but also, really learning to write for the very first time. Here I was able to share short stories, practice my writing skills, and truly develop into a writer. More than that, the experience allowed me to revitalize my dream, as I rediscovered joy in writing. 
Now, I spend my days off with my alpha male characters, quick witted heroines, and see how much trouble everyone can get into. When I'm not working or writing, I enjoy working in the garden, canning, and seeing my backyard as a living canvas for my whimsical landscaping, and, of course, reading romance novels.  
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cheyenne.meadows.10  
Blog http://cheyennemeadows.blogspot.com/  
Email Cheyenne1.meadows@yahoo.com

Book Spotlight~ Finding Her Dream and a Giveaway

Finding Her Dream by Jennah Scott

Contemporary Romance

Series: Midnight Kisses Book Two

Available at ARe / Amazon / B&N

It wasn't until she watched her best friend find the man of her dreams that RayAnne Hill realized there was a part of her missing. She knows the empty space can only be filled by finding her own true love, complete with kids and the white picket fence. Fear of letting someone in stops her cold, and it's much bigger than just finding Mr. Right.

James Shaw moved away from Kentucky and the family business to chase his own goals, settling in the small town of Kimmswick, Missouri. His business is succeeding, now he's ready to complete his life with a wife and kids. One night, one look and he's found her. RayAnne is everything he's been searching for.

As hard as James has fallen for RayAnne, can he be enough to help her overcome her worst nightmare? Or will he decide he can't wait forever, and walk away to find happiness?

Teaser:

By the time his heart came back on line the group had broken off into two directions, one of the women went to find a seat while the blonde headed to the bar. With a man. Just his luck. But he couldn’t keep his eyes off the way she sauntered up to the bar, her hips wiggling just enough to draw his attention. As he watched her order he noticed the man had his sights set on the other woman they’d arrived with. She had spiky black hair, piercings, and tattoos. Maybe his day wasn’t doomed after all. The dark haired one wasn’t his type. But the blonde…the cute, innocence of her face contrasted with the sexy short shorts and flannel shirt tied at her waist. She was exactly his type.

She looked up and down the patrons, stopping at him. James couldn’t pry himself away from her gaze. He winked and she grinned before offering him a finger wave. A little vixen.

“Hi.” Her cute, kissable mouth formed the word.

“Hey, sugar,” he replied, garnering the attention of the guy standing at her side. The other man glanced down the bar at him and cocked an eyebrow. Did they know each other? James didn’t think so, but he wasn’t very good at names or faces, so it was possible.

James broke their connection, turning to signal the bartender he wanted another round. As he tipped the bottle back, a warm, soft touch landed against his neck. “Save me a dance, cowboy,” the sweet words were whispered in his ear.

About the Author

Born and raised in Texas, Jennah is a transplant to Missouri long enough ago she should probably consider that her hometown. But she will forever be a Texan. She loves to write any story that will make a reader smile, laugh, and maybe even cry (although you won't ever hear her admit that she cries). Whether the next story she writes is contemporary, urban fantasy, LGBT, or whatever other crazy idea she comes up with, there will always be love and romance in the midst of trials and turmoil.

When she's not writing you can find her on Twitter, with her family, or buried in a book trying to escape reality for just a minute.

Website:  http://www.jennahscott.com/

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/jennah_scott

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/authorjennahscott?ref=hl

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6820280.Jennah_Scott

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/jennahscott/

CONTEST INFORMATION

Jennah will be awarding a $10 Gift card (winner's choice of e-book retailer) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Talking with Geraldine O'Hara today and a HUGE Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Covert Affair, Totally Bound are giving away a bundle of ebooks by Geraldine O’Hara. Enter here for your chance to win: https://www.totallybound.com/index.php?route=information/competition&competition_id=23&utm_source=loveromancesandmore&utm_medium=booktour&utm_campaign=covertaffair

At times, I have a bit of a moan about how the actions of others affects me. These days, I keep my nose out of people’s business and prefer to mind my own. I’m concerned with what goes on in my house and life. So when something happens, where a person’s decision has a knock-on effect, creating ripples in my life that I don’t want, I tend to be a little grouchy. You know the kind of ripples—those where you feel you have no choice but tread water as they flounce around you.

Mandy, in Covert Affair, has the same issue. Quite a few times. She just wants a life with Leon, a happy life where they can be themselves. However, fate has other ideas and creates ripples the couple have no choice but to endure. And it’s those ripples I’m talking about, where choice and control is swept away. Many people might say you still have a choice to walk off, to not be involved, but there are instances where that just isn’t possible.

Imagine you’ve gone away on holiday, like Mandy and Leon. Imagine a gang of men have been committing crimes and you’ve seen them do it or heard them talk about it. Could you just ignore that? Yes, you could, but when it’s clear the gang won’t leave you be, you have to accept that for now, at least, someone’s choices will be disturbing your life for a little while. Imagine having to hide away in a house that isn’t yours in order to remove yourself from the equation. What must that be like, to know that one minute your life is in your control and now it isn’t? That you have to rely on someone else to direct where the next few days, months or years will go?

What must it be like to have the ground ripped from beneath your feet, changing you forever? Mandy has no choice but to deal with such an instance, but at least she has Leon by her side to go through it with her. But not only did she have the situation to deal with, she had to do it somewhere that was alien to her. The comfort of home was missing, and I imagine that’s quite an unnerving thing.

Excerpt:

Two more days passed, as did four more phone calls from Detective Broadley. I was experiencing a huge bout of cabin fever that whispered of sending me insane. I was used to going out when I wanted to and not being restrained. The fact that I couldn’t go out seemed to make it worse. The choice had been taken away and that’s what bugged me the most. Because of Cauli, other people were directing my life and I hated it.

I paced the bedroom, looking around at the bare walls where pictures, a mirror or wallpaper should have hung, anything to break up the monotony of white, white, white. And grubby white at that. I supposed they had a cleaner who came in to give the place a once-over when people left, but they either weren’t paying her enough or she was a lazy mare. I wondered if she even knew what this house was or whether she assumed that it was let out on a nightly basis. Did she even care? Would I in her shoes? Yes, I would have entertained all sorts of scenarios. My imagination wouldn’t have had it any other way.

A light film of dust coated the off-white paint on the skirting boards, like the vacuum cleaner was ancient and it spat out more dust than it sucked up. The dressing table had a chipped corner where compressed wood chippings peeked out from the surrounding plastic coating. Very shabby, but really, what did I expect? This wasn’t meant to be The Ritz. The stool in front of the dresser was like one inside a pub, the brown material-covered foam on top flattened from so many arses sitting on it. It brought The Rusty Nail to mind and I smiled.

The smile soon faded. How many women had sat there, frightened out of their wits? How many women had stared into the mirror, seeing someone they hadn’t seen before, a face that was theirs yet wasn’t?

So what someone does can change you when you didn’t even want to be changed—right down to the fact you look in the mirror and don’t recognise yourself. I’m lucky that I can explore these scenarios in my books, albeit on a greater scale than the goings-on in my life nowadays, but years ago I had one thing after another to deal with, control taken away constantly. I learned to cope with it, to say no and walk away when I could, but in Covert Affair I wanted to dig into a situation where walking away simply couldn’t happen. We all cope with things differently. Leon is able to sleep despite what’s happened, but Mandy finds herself awake, unable to switch off. In the following excerpt, I hopefully show how even the most mundane thing—like the view outside—becomes so much more when troubles plague you.

Excerpt:

I envied him his oblivion. I hadn’t slept well at all here, which wasn’t surprising, considering what had been going on and what still went on in my head. The latest from Detective Broadley, which had come last night, was that they were closing in on the suspect. Their net was all around him. All that remained to be done was them dragging it closer to shore, him caught up in it so tightly there would be no means of escape.

Naughty people were tricky to catch, though, weren’t they? They knew all about nets and how to get out of them. All about hiding below radars. Slippery fish, the lot of them.

I shuddered and went to the window, parting the curtains a little bit, making sure to stand so the shaft of sunlight didn’t sprawl itself on Leon’s face and wake him. Netting was up, again something that could do with a good wash, and I narrowed my eyes to peer through the greyness of it. There was a slight tear in the fabric, giving me a thin slit to look through.

Despite the coldness of the season, the sky was blue and cloudless, giving off the lie that it was nice and warm out there. Frost on the grass told a different story. A tiny icicle or two hung from the branches of a large, naked oak tree in the front garden. Those branches seemed to stretch out, twiggy fingers intent on stroking the glass, at getting hold of me and not letting go. Someone walked over my grave, and I turned my attention away from the tree before my imagination went into major overdrive.

And finally, a snippet of how fear can warp your view. Life had been fine, so wonderful, then you’re thrown into fear and confusion. The mind plays tricks on you, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing these scenes, imagining—or not—how it felt to be Mandy. How the gnawing teeth of doubt take hold and have you imagining so much more than what’s really there…

Excerpt:

He strode up the path then disappeared beneath the porch roof.

I held my breath.

The doorbell sang its gaudy tune, one that went on for far too long and got on my nerves. I rushed to the bed, jostling Leon awake.

“The policeman from the car’s at the door,” I said. “Quickly, get up!”

I raced downstairs, almost tripping on the last step in my haste to let him in. He had to have news—good or bad, it didn’t much matter at this point. Anything he said would break this monotony of being trapped inside, giving me something else to either shit the life out of me or make me feel better.

I turned the three keys in the locks then jabbed the code into the alarm pad beside the door. It beeped and another internal lock snapped open. I hunkered down to peer through the letterbox. I couldn’t get those damn movies out of my head. Anyone could have grabbed him off the porch and be standing there instead of him. I was greeted with the sight of his groin area, the weave of his suit trousers fine with a silky appearance. I blinked, sure that it was him, and stood upright to open the door a couple of inches, the security chain preventing it from gaping fully.

It was him.

He smiled as I sighed, unthreaded the chain then let him in.

Seeming to fill the narrow hallway, he closed the door and leaned on it.

I stared at him, waiting for whatever it was he had to say.

I hope your life is your own and that you don’t get outside influences governing your next steps. And if you do have to face adversity when it isn’t welcome, I hope you manage to get through it safely and with your sanity intact! Poor Mandy…will she get through?

Like the sound of Covert Affair? Buy it here: https://www.totallybound.com/covert-affair?utm_source=loveromancesandmore&utm_medium=booktour&utm_campaign=covertaffair

 

Book Spotlight~ Lily by Bonnie Bliss

 

Book Title: Lily Author: Bonnie Bliss Genre: Urban Fantasy Release Date: April 15, 2014 Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Lily Blackwood is torn between two strong men... One, Wallace is her perfect idea of a partner, loving, loyal and handsome. The second, Bryn, is her true mate, the man chosen for her by nature and her family. Denial and naivety for nature’s choice, sends her into a rage of independence against the laws of her own destiny, family and her own father. Wallace Kirk is assigned to protect the beautiful Lily since her birth... His loyalties are tearing him apart. His own mate, dead, taken from him, fills his thoughts as Lily begs for his attention. She needs him, but not as much as the wolf that prowls in her flesh. Bryn Kemp's nature and need fill his flesh... Yet his true mate, the woman chosen for him, denies her destiny. His battle for her and his own pride must overcome her feisty rebellious streak. Both men must fight for her in the throes of oncoming battle and she must make the right choice. A decision that will shape the war. *Author note: this book was previously published under the title Blackwood: Lily by R.L. Kirk*

 Lily nodded thanks at the woman who served her coffee. Turning too quickly, she collided with a very firm wall like being. She stumbled backwards and strong arms wrapped around her waist. Lily turned in time to see a quick, large hand catch the cup of coffee before it splattered all over the ground. Inexplicably, she felt moisture pool between her legs. A whimper parted her lips. She turned breathlessly to look up at the most mesmerizing blue eyes she’d ever seen. Lily couldn’t breathe. Hell, she didn’t want to. She might vomit all over him in her embarrassment. Her wolf exploded to the surface and she leaned up, tipped over by her rescuer and took in a deep whiff of his scent. It was so right. God, he smelled like the moist woods at night, soap, and salted masculine sweat. The tip of her nose rubbed against the curve of his neck and she opened her mouth. She realized in an instant what she was about to do to the handsome, gorgeous stranger—mark him as hers. Mine. Her wolf snarled and tried to become the dominant player in this new unexpected game. She felt something bay back at her. Startled, she realized that the man holding her was wolf. Her fingers gripped his biceps tighter and she opened her mouth to speak. Slowly, and as if she would break from too rough a movement, the man set her to rights. “Sorry, I thought you wanted to dance there, this is Starbucks right? Not a dance studio?” Lily found that her lips were flapping like a fish out of water. She sealed her lips shut and swallowed past the lump in her throat. Her heart thumped wildly against her rib cage and she could only stare up at this beautiful man—wolf. “Um, sorry. You must think I’m just—?” Reluctantly, she moved away from him. His smile was warm and it reached his eyes. His dark hair was trimmed, but the ends at the back of his neck touched the collar of his shirt—rugged and wild. Like me. She watched him reach out and brush a strand of hair from her face. It was so tender her heart suddenly started to ache. He is wolf, run for fucks sakes! Wallace is the only safe wolf. But she couldn’t. She was rooted to the spot. Super glued to the floor. She wanted to know this man so bad.“Yeah, um, sorry again. I mean, I was thinking about things. Stuff—my friends.” “Well, maybe you could help me; I’m actually supposed to meet someone, a young woman.” She swallowed and tilted back a bit. For some reason the thought of him looking for another woman made her jealous—nope it downright pissed her and her wolf off. The barely restrained snarl pressed at her lips that were now tightly pressed together. Once she’d regained some form of humanity, she cleared her throat. “What makes you think I can find her? London is a huge place, and I only deal with a certain type of client in my line of work.” “I was told to meet her here, her name's Lily Blackwood.”

 

Bonnie Bliss is the brain child of two authors. Bonnie is husband and wife duo that has come together to weave stories of passion, action, betrayal, and ultimate surrender. They have discovered that mixing genres in their thing. Their tastes go dark, and they love to twisted up sweet stories and make them a bit more tense and sexy. Bonnie writes in multiple genres with plans to dabble into more areas of fiction. One is a Southern California native, the other was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. The husband spends his time giving the wife alpha males with bite. He is a man that needs to see his world in print. He has a panty melting accent, loves listening to music, watching Game of Thrones, and obsessing over Heisenberg. The wife spends her time writing strong women that evolve into their power, they don’t just come out guns blazing. She claims the song California Girls, by Katy Perry is totally accurate. She’s done everything from waitressing, customer service phone rep., Corporate Real Estate, and spent a pretty impression part of her life working for the Disney Corporation—before finding her way into the publishing world with her husband.



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Book Spotlight~ Miss Redmond's Deception

Miss Redmond's Deception by Sandra Cox
Historical Romance
Ellora's Cave


When Captain Richard Greyston encounters three figures in a graveyard, he takes them for a spectral visitation until he realizes it is two young ladies—in their nightgowns, no less—and their spinsterish companion. A spinster with slender limbs and an enchantingly velvety voice.

Pembra doesn’t care a whit for the captain’s opinion of her, even after circumstances force them into a sham betrothal. But when a gypsy warns her that his life hangs in the balance, she begins to realize that her heart is not so uninvolved as she might like to pretend.

 Buy links:

http://www.ellorascave.com/miss-redmond-s-deception.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GGMWAHC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GGMWAHC&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelt-20

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GGMWAHC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00GGMWAHC&linkCode=as2&tag=lucyfelthouse-21

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/miss-redmonds-deception-sandra-cox/1117433056?ean=9781419948565

Excerpt: “Where’s everyone going?”  she muttered. Her curiosity aroused, Pembra slipped out the door behind her sisters, keeping the spectral white nightgowns in sight as she stayed in the shadows. Her heart gave a hard ka-thump at the nearby screech of an owl. Ignoring it, she kept going. 

What are they up to? Pembra watched Sabrina follow Emma, who followed Betsy.

The maid turned off the path into the small graveyard located behind the rectory. She forgot to watch Betsy as she stared in astonishment at Emma sinking behind a large tombstone, like a specter sinking into the grave, while Sabrina crept up behind her.

Pembra tiptoed closer until she heard subdued voices. She braced her hands against the rough bark of an oak. Hidden, she leaned forward to hear.

 “Emma what are you doing here?” Sabrina demanded.

Emma clamped a hand over her own mouth, muffling her shriek. “What are you doing here?” she hissed back.

“Following you.”

“Gosh, you scared me.” Emma pulled Sabrina down beside her.

“At the risk of being repetitive, what are you doing here?”

“Following Betsy. You’ll never believe it, but she’s out there with Adolphus Webster.”

 “The rector’s son?” Sabrina gasped in shock. “Surely you’re mistaken. That platter-faced prig wouldn’t have the nerve to meet anyone.”

 “Oh, no? Well just take a look at that. Meeting is hardly the word for what’s going on.” Emma giggled.

“Oh my.” Sabrina clapped her hand over Emma’s eyes while peeking over the top of the tombstone.

“Hey, move your hand.” Emma wiggled trying to dislodge her disobliging sister’s fingers.

“You are much too young to witness such disreputable behavior,” her sibling scolded.

“Yes, and you are so much more worldly,” Emma grumbled, as she pried away Sabrina’s fingers.

 “Well, I’m worldly enough to know if Pembra finds out about this, its curtains for Betsy,” Sabrina replied, indignant.

The girls—so awake to the carnal pursuits under the maple tree—were paying not the least attention to their immediate surroundings.

Pembra stepped out from her hiding place. “If Pembra finds out about what?”

“Eeekk.” Both girls screeched and jumped up in fright.

~*~

It was unfortunate indeed that Captain the Honorable Richard Greyston, late of the Household Brigade,  grandson and only heir of the fifth Earl of Meade, had taken a wrong turn and was cantering by on his temperamental stallion, when the girls rose shrieking from behind the tombstone.

 “Bloody hell,” floated on the clear night air as Greyston fought to get his mount under control, not quite believing what he was seeing as three ghostly apparitions stared at him from behind an ancient funerary marker.

When his mount Doondiah was quieted down, Greyston unobtrusively drew a pistol from an inside pocket of his great coat.  Nudging the stallion with his knees, he approached cautiously. Though, damned if he knew what good a pistol would be against a ghost, much less three.

Greyston gave a snort of disgust as he drew nearer and saw that his ghostly apparitions were only girls, at least the two clutching each other were. The third was definitely an old maid wearing a ridiculous mobcap, pulled down nearly to her thick spectacles, and a night rail that had enough material in it to serve as an army tent.

 “You damn fool,” he told his horse succinctly.

“That will be enough of that language in front of innocent young females, sir,” the old maid snapped, stepping forward.

Spoken like a true spinster.  He sighed inwardly. But ye gods, the voice. Velvety as night. Low and smoky as sin. A nightingale sound that conjured up forbidden delights. If his mistress had a voice like that he’d never leave her side. A lot could be forgiven resonance like that even if it came from a dried up old spinster.

He moderated his cutting rejoinder to a mild, “Madam, what are you doing out here?”

BIO: Multi-published author Sandra Cox writes Crossover YA, YA Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Time Travel Romance and Metaphysical Nonfiction. She lives in sunny North Carolina with her husband, a brood of critters and an occasional foster cat. Although shopping is high on the list, her greatest pleasure is sitting on her porch, listening to the birds, sipping coffee and enjoying a good book. She's a vegetarian and has a yellow belt in Muay Thai.

LINKS:

http://www.sandracox.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Sandra_Cox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandraCox.Author

Talking with author S.D. Skye and WIN a Kindle Fire

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?

My newest book Son of a Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel) is the 2^nd book in the series. J.J. McCall and her cohorts from Task Force Phantom Hunter are on the hunt for another U.S. Government mole while her arch enemy has escaped from jail and is looking to attack the heart of the McCall family. The seed of the mystery in this story is based on a true crime. In 1999, the FBI’s Special Surveillance Group (also called the “Gs”) happened upon a situation that helped the FBI find one of the most surprising breaches in U.S. intelligence history. The Russian Intelligence Service had installed a listening device in the U.S. State Department in a conference room down the hall from the Secretary’s office. I used that case to develop a “What if…” scenario and it leads J.J. and the Task Force on to a pretty massive case. So, this is one instance in which real events are very much mashed up with fictional events to blur the lines between what really happened and what we’ll never know. For that reason, this was a very fun piece. 

How would you describe yourself using only five words?

Funny, determined, spiritual, loyal, and busy.

If we asked your muse to describe you using five words, what do you think they would say?

This is hilarious. I’m almost afraid to think about what an outsider, including my muse, would think about me. But if I’m honest, I would have to say…

Sleepless, flighty, busybody, persistent, teachable.

Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

I have to say, one thing I’m absolutely never at a loss for is idea. There is ALWAYS something pending in my head. Something I need to finish or begin. So, getting in the mood to write is rarely ever a problem because I need to empty my brain of all this stuff. The hardest part for me is carving out the right time of the day when I can give my best to the work, when my mind is cleared of all the menial jibber jabber and I can actually focus. With a teen son at home, a fulltime 9-to-5 job, and a home to take care of, it’s easy to allow time to get away from you just doing the basics—getting dressed, eating, and commuting. Anything extra requires a conscious effort and a desire…then the drive to make it happen. So “mood” is kind of a misnomer, at least I think it is for most writers. It’s having the space to let your muse run free, that’s what it’s hard to find.


Coffee, tea or other drink to get you moving in the morning?

I’m afraid I’m a full-fledged coffee addict. My favorite appliance in the ENTIRE WORLD is my Keurig, and I always have an assortment of hot beverages to choose from. I drink everything from Tazo Zen tea and Lipton’s “Soothe” when I want to calm my nerves—to Kahlua, Mocha Swirl, and Caribou coffees. My most recent find is a coffee called the “Foglifter.” The name piqued my curiosity. I have to say lifts the fog all right—it also lifts your eyebrows and your eyelids and will have you bouncing around like a ping pong ball for the better part of the day. You’ll get a lot of writing done…but you may never sleep again. Coffee drinker’s beware.

What is coming up from you in 2014? Anything you want to tease us with?

Book 3 in the J.J. McCall series—A No Good Itch—will definitely be released in 2014. I can’t wait for this book because I get to write about one of my favorite topics—organized crime. I got to do a little work in that arena in the early days of my FBI career and I love movies like The Godfather and shows like The Sopranos. Understand my fascination does not come from admiration rather I’m intrigued with, aside from money, what makes people choose this life…especially knowing there’s usually only a few ways out and none of them lead to old age and an active living community.

So, with Book 3, the story is set in New York City and I get to pit Russian Organized Crime against the Italian Mafia and the FBI and see who comes out on top. In real life, it doesn’t always work in favor of law enforcement. Sometimes the Bureau wins, sometimes they lose. I can’t wait for readers to see how it plays out. There are a lot of twists and turns and the ending will surely win me my share of hate mail—in a “When’s the next book coming out!?!” kind of way.


When you begin your stories, do you go with the flow, or go with an outline?

I’ve written romantic comedy and spy novels. In my romantic comedies I was decidedly a pantser. Absolutely did not stray from that all. My process was very organic in that I just wrote it how it came to me. If I was on Chapter 3 and an idea for the last chapter came to me, I’d write the last chapter and just see how it all worked out. I learned early to let my characters have their way because they tell way better stories than I do. And most of the twists in my stories come from them, not me. I mean, I’ve never written a book in which I wasn’t surprised or even shocked by what the characters did. That’s such an energizing process. It really does make you anxious to get to the page every day to see what’s going to happen next.

But when I started writing this spy thriller series I literally HAD to start outlining. The main reason was that my plots were way more intricate. I was telling the stories from multiple points of view (as opposed to first person) and there were multiple subplots to keep track of. The first time I tried “pantsing” a spy novel, I ended up with more holes in my story than the dark side of the moon. I mean, it was Swiss cheese holy. I had to go back and fill in a lot of gaps and tie up loose ends that I’d lost track of. So now I do what I call “an organic outline.” Basically, I don’t force the outline. I let the story come to me as I normally would. The only difference is I’m just jotting down notes. Sometimes it may day me a couple of weeks to come up with the outline because I don’t want to force myself on the story. I let it come to me and then I write it. And even with this loose outline, if my characters stray, I still let them go their own way. I allow them to surprise me. The “outline” is just a way to help me ensure that I’m addressing all of my subplots. It really helped me write the second book more quickly than the first. We’ll see how it works with Book 3.

If you were to replenish your cabinets with one junk food, what would it be?

Gummi bears. No question. All that chewing keeps me on my toes and the sugar rush well, there’s just nothing like it.

What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

It’s important not to edit yourself while writing your first book…or fiftieth book. Allow yourself the freedom to get the ideas out of your head and to finish the first draft. FINISH. Anything, and I mean absolutely ANYTHING, can be fixed and edited later. Doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. And no matter how perfect you think it is…I guarantee you, it is not.

If a movie or TV production company chose to produce your books into a series of shows or movies, who would your ideal cast be?

Ooh. Love this question! My ideal cast would be—

Aisha Tyler from The Talk as J.J. McCall

Henry Cavill (Superman) as Tony Donato.

Morris Chestnut as Six.

Courtney Vance as Director Freeman

Tony Goldwyn (Scandal’s Fitz) as Aleksey Dmitriyev
Rachel Bilson – Gia Campioni

Michael Cera (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist) – Walter Lowenstein

Do you have a list of movies like me that you are itching to see or have seen? What about ones coming up? Any that draw your eye to it?

There is only one movie I’m dying dying dying to see right now. That is the new Disney movie Frozen. I have loved Disney movies since I can remember and haven’t missed one. And I mean as an adult, I have no shame about catching a matinee. My brother and I went to see the Little Mermaid when it came out and we were in our 20s. Once my son was born, I had a legitimate cover. He went whether he wanted to go or not. But he’s now 13 and he’s past the Disney cartoon stage (although he loves the teen shows). And my writing schedule has been so crazy that I haven’t had time to catch it but it’s on my list. When it hits the shelves, I will be the first one in the store to buy it. 

 Son of a Itch by S.D. Skye

A J.J. McCall Novell Book Two

Available at:

S.D. Skye Novels on Amazon – Kindle and Paperback

S.D. Skye Novels on Kindle – Worldwide Links

On the lam from the FBI, the ICE PHANTOM continues with plans to defect to Moscow but not before seeking revenge on J.J. McCall. Meanwhile, the FBI commences Task Force PHANTOM HUNTER, a team ordered by Director Russell Freeman to track down suspected Russian illegals within the U.S. Intelligence Community—and not a moment too soon. An agent of the Russian Intelligence Services is targeting the nerve center of U.S. national security, taking the lie-detecting FBI Agent and her cohorts’ next mole hunt to the highest echelons of the U.S. government.

J.J. and her co-case agent lead the motley crew of spy catchers while she struggles to deal with sobriety, conflicting feelings for Tony and Six, and an egotistical Secret Service agent whose jurisdictional stonewalling complicates her every effort to identify the culprit before he gets away—with murder.

 

Teaser Excerpt:

Exactly three moments defined the entire course of J.J.’s being —the day she got “the itch,” the generational curse that sparked random irritating tingles through her body anytime she heard a lie; the day her mother died; and this one, the day in which she grasped the fragility of life and how it could slip away in an instant.         

The ambulance siren blared down Pennsylvania Avenue through the remnants of rush hour traffic as she stared down at his tearful eyes, his face shredded with pain, his body curled with anguish. Slowly, his lids opened to expose a bloodshot blank stare. She saw her mother’s eyes in his, and his last breath whispered in the distance, drawing ever near.

“I’m here. You’re going to be okay. We’re almost there,” she said as her voice shook.

George Washington University Hospital was just a few minutes away and had one of the best trauma centers in the D.C. area.

He placed his trembling hand on hers and struggled to speak. “There…something…you should…kn—”

“Shhhh. Save your strength,” J.J. shook her head to dissuade him from speaking. She stroked his fingers and tried to maintain a steady front. “You’re gonna be okay. You can tell me everything when you’re better.”

Her mind whirred as the ambulance zipped into the circular driveway beneath the overhang and masked emergency personnel in blue and green scrubs swarmed the doors. They pulled the gurney out and wheeling him inside, beyond her view. She’d never felt so alone in her life. She had calls to make, people to notify, but her mind was still foggy from the shock.

She searched her purse for the flask, the reminder of just how far she’d come and how much further she had to go.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

S.D. Skye is a former FBI Russian Counterintelligence Program Intelligence Analyst and supported two major programs during her 12-year tenure at the Bureau. She has personally witnessed the blowback the Intelligence Community suffered due to the most significant compromises in U.S. history, including the arrests of former CIA Case Officer Aldrich Ames and Robert  Hanssen. She spent 20+ years supporting military and intelligence missions in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Skye, an award winning author, is a member of the Maryland Writer’s Association, Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She’s addicted to writing and chocolate—not necessarily in that order—and currently lives in the Washington D.C. area with her son. Skye is hard at work on several projects, including the next installment of this exciting series.

Blog: www.authorsdskye.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsdskye

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sdskye1 

Giveaway Information: 
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