What genre(s) do you write in and why?

My chosen genres are Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. I grew up on stories of magic in everyday life. For the longest time I really believed my freckles were directly related to the brownies who were sneaking in kisses while I slept.  I grew up on Disney stories, then moved on to Star Trek and other sci-fi books.  I hit high school and started sneaking my mom’s romance novels out of the house (sorry, mom!) to help supplement my book habit in-between the fantasy and murder-mysteries I was able to snag from the school library.  I headed out into the big bad world at 18, and as I stumbled through the maze of life, I discovered my characters were suddenly becoming harder to hurt (emotionally and physically).  I’m sure a therapist would have a field day with this, but needless to say my reading needs changed as well.  I started hunting down books where the heroine didn’t always need the hero to ride to her rescue.  Sometimes it was more satisfying if she rumbled up to his rescue on her Harley.

What is your favorite part of writing? What is your least favorite part of writing?

I’ll answer worst thing first, because it’s easier for me. The worst thing, finally getting a solution to that scene/character motivation/plot line you’ve been hung up for EVER while you’re in the shower—with shampoo in your hair and knowing you have to jump out and write it down before you FORGET IT.  This happens more than you want to know.

Best thing—readers who take time out of their lives to pick up your stories, fall in love with them, and then actually share that experience with you. Writing is a solo endeavor, so when a reader tells me how much they enjoyed a story, it makes my entire week!

What is your next project and when will it be released?

TOUCHED BY FATE is the second book in my Paranormal Romance series, PSY-IV Teams, and it will hit shelves in Spring of 2016. I’m actually undertaking multiple projects currently. I have a collection of short stories set in the Kyn universe for Fall 2015, then the fifth book in the series is up, and I decided to start on a third series, one where magic has no place. Scary, I know.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

I wish I could share some profound inspiration, but yeah…no.  I always knew magic would be a key component of my world crafting.  One of the greatest mind benders for me has always been how would our world react to the existence of magic?  How well could the everyday populace handle the reality of werewolves, vamps, necromancers, demons, witches, and every other story ever told? And because life has a darker side and the Grimm Brothers never met Walt Disney, what would those in power do to harness such abilities for their own advantages?  Which meant Raine McCord, my main character for SHADOW’S EDGE, had to be intimately acquainted with the pros and cons of the reality of magic. She’s part of the magical world, but thanks to some human scientists who just couldn’t resist playing god, she’s a bit more than even she expects.  I was adopted at 14, so I find my main characters tend to come with some baggage and Raine’s not any different.  Since I firmly believe that you have two choices when life starts putting you through the wringer, stand up or fall down, my women (and men) tend to stand up, even if they’re weaving on their feet, faces bruised and battered, they’re up, so bring it.

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?

Looking back, I’d have to go with a walk in the park with a few detours. It took me two years to get SHADOW’S EDGE polished enough to share. I went through a plethora of rejections before it was picked up by Lauri Blasch at Black Opal Books from a three line pitch contest by Savvy Authors.  Before that, I had non-fiction pieces published on National Public Radio and part of charitable anthologies, but my fiction took a bit longer. After six titles and two series under my belt, I think my path is rockier now than ever.

Do you have a view in your writing space?  What does your space look like? 

I share my writing space with my Knight in Slightly Muddy Armor, and I make sure my back is to his side otherwise my Type A personality would have an apoplectic fit. I inherited my dad-in-law’s banker desk, which holds my Big Mac (not the fast food sandwich) and my Little Mac, plus pens, notebooks, a desk calendar, a decorative skull and headphones. Oh yeah, two drink coasters because sometimes you need more than coffee. I have a view of my neighborhood to the left and generally my feet are joined by the Fur Minxes and their combined 100 pounds of canine love.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?

I actually tend not to read in the genre I’m currently working in. I won’t read UF while working on my Kyn series, and avoid romantic suspense when I’m with the PSY-IV Teams. Being an avid reader, I consume a great many books, gorge actually, and I find I don’t want my current work to skim along anyone else’s lines. The best way to achieve that, read in a totally separate genre than I’m living in.

Do you write under a pen name?   Why or why not?

Yep, I’m a pen name. Not for what you think, but because if I used my real name, I feared my readers would never find me. Not only would I be at the end of the alphabet, unless you know the German rules for vowels, my last name would never be pronounced or spelled correctly.

Please tell my readers a little bit about your book. 

 SHADOW’S EDGE is the first in my Kyn Kronicles, and the first full-length novel I completed and published. In it you get to meet Raine She comes across as a hardened warrior who’s courted death intimately. Yet her thick veneer of lethality hides the scars of a survivor. She’s part of the Kyn, the combined races of all those creatures humans scare each other with over campfires—witches, wizards, Fey, shifters, and demons. Yet, even as one of them, she stands apart—always. While she’d do whatever it takes to protect her people, she doesn’t really believe anyone would do the same for her. Due to traumas she suffered as a young teen, she has a difficult time accepting herself. Which in turn, makes her feel unworthy of anyone’s acceptance. At her core, Raine is no different than any of us—we want to be loved and accepted, even as we love and accept those around us.  Hard to do when you’re struggling to love yourself.

BIO:

Jami Gray is the award winning, multi-published author of the Urban Fantasy series, The Kyn Kronicles, and the Paranormal Romantic Suspense series, PSY-IV Teams. She can be soothed with coffee and chocolate. Surrounded by Star Wars obsessed males and two female labs moonlighting as the Fur Minxes, she escapes by playing with the voices in her head.

 You can find me at:

Black Opal Books:    www.BlackOpalBooks.com 

Muse It Up Publishing:  http://museituppublishing.com

Website:     www.JamiGray.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jamigray.author

Facebook Author Page:  https://www.facebook.com/JamiGrayUFWriter

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/JamiGrayAuthor

 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JamiGray

 Google+:  https://google.com/+JamiGray

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.com/e/B006HU3HJI

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/LvoZn

 Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jamigrayauthor/

 BUY LINKS:

You can find all the buy links for both The Kyn Kronicles and PSY-IV Teams, in all formats at:

 http://jamigray.com/kynkronicles/

 http://jamigray.com/psyivteams/ 

Tell us about your current series.

My Southern Ghosts Series is kicking into gear! The books are part romantic suspense, part humor, part mystery. The main characters are those who have the ability to see and hear ghosts. Sometimes this is a great thing, other times not so much. The Southern ghosts (who were all murdered in some form or fashion) must convince the living to help bring the killer to justice. This sets each book in motion, and the characters must make choices that will determine the fate of everyone involved.

The first two books are available now and I planning for ten books in the series. Book One, No Grits No Glory, is set in Savannah, Georgia. Book Two, Ticket to Die, is set near the Gulf Coast of Alabama. Readers seem to love the spooky element combined with the humor. That’s one consistent thing about the South—humor is everywhere!

What is your favorite part of writing?

When the character completely takes over and talks so fast, I can’t type enough to keep up. I suppose other writers might call this being “in the zone” but whatever it is, the feeling is blissful and I love days when I can attain it! I also love it when a character will surprise me, and things will suddenly come together at the end in a way I never could have predicted. Our characters are real and exist with their own demands inside our heads.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

When the characters don’t talk to me. Just like there are days when characters gab on nonstop, there are days when they remain silent for sport. Writing on those days is like pulling teeth, but eventually I get it done.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

I love self-publishing. It’s a great time to be a writer and be able to go directly to the audience—readers—and not have to be blocked by the middleman of New York publishing. That being said, I always stress the importance of hiring a professional graphic designer to do my covers and a content/copy editor to read/critique the manuscript.

Before self-publishing existed, I was a frustrated writer. I would hear back from agents and editors on how much they loved my stories. They just didn’t know quite how to market them, or they’d just bought something in the same genre. I always seemed so close to getting a contract, and sometimes being inches away from one’s goal is more frustrating than ever. When self-publishing came to be “the new normal” it’s given me the chance to finally get my books in the hands of readers. That has been a fantastic opportunity.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?

I’m one who tends to avoid the genre I write in. Not sure why. Partly because I spend so much time trying to develop the characters, I don’t want anything muddying the waters. But I also love reading some things like thrillers and true crime that I don’t think I have the “voice” to write. Dennis Lehane, who writes crime novels, is one of my favorites but he’s not in my genre at all.

What do you have planned for the future?

My immediate plans are to continue my Southern Ghosts Series. There will be ten books total, and only two of them have released thus far but readers are loving them which is great! So I will continue with Southern ghosts for a while, then perhaps think of a new series.

I plan to write one more book for my Elemental Clan Series before closing that series out. There are some offshoots I could easily write based on that series, but it may be a year or two before those are released.

I also have an idea for a 10-episode serial to release around the holiday season. I’m not sure if it will happen this year or next, but I like the idea of holiday-themed things and would like to try releasing an episode each week to see how readers respond.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?   

Hearing back from readers, telling me how much they enjoyed the story. How it kept them laughing and crying on a day when they were snowed in with no place they could go. How my settings are so vivid, the person thinks he has been right there. I had a blind reader tell me that once. I think that was the best comment I received.

Excerpt from latest release, TICKET TO DIE:

Amanda Moss clutched the red amulet dangling around her neck as the Welcome to Alabama sign ushered her and her boyfriend, Jake, into the Heart of Dixie state. Notwithstanding the South’s humid reputation, an icy chill shot down her spine.

She shut her eyes tight. Breathed deep. This eerie, cold feeling had happened before. Fate never changed despite her wishes. Our family has always been different, dear. Why do you insist on hiding who you are? Her aunt’s age-old words echoed in her mind, taunted her with the truth.

“You okay?” Jake asked.

Amanda opened her eyes. No need to let Jake see her odd behavior. Not again.

“I’m fine. How much further?”

They’d left Athens, Georgia, at 8:00 a.m. and had taken back roads to enter Alabama on Interstate 10 near the Gulf Coast. Now the clock said 3:00 p.m. Her calves twitched and cramped from being in the car so long. If only she could snap her fingers and they’d magically be transported to Abandon, Alabama, in the blink of an eye.

Sadly, that desirable talent had been gifted to her aunt Anzhela, even though Amanda would gladly trade in an instant. Her own gift—if anyone could call seeing and hearing the dead a gift—kept her up nights, haunted her dreams, prevented a normal life.

Jake, the ultimate engineer, scanned every gauge on his Honda Civic dash with an analytical eye. “About an hour. Do you need to stop? There may not be much at the park.”

“We aren’t going to the inn first?”

She coughed, trying to swallow the growing knot at the back of her throat. Of course he wanted to see Zephyr Land first. The man wasn’t the type to waste daylight.

The old amusement park—now abandoned—had some kind of roller coaster enigma that he needed to research for his upcoming publication, one that would push him ahead of his colleagues for a department promotion at the University of Georgia. While he studied the coaster, she planned to log and photograph the wear and tear of the Victorian carousel for her apprenticeship entry. The ideal trip for both of them to get to know each other better while furthering their careers. She longed for a career that allowed her artistic development, an outlet for the vivid colors her mind painted. Carousels told stories…she could help restore their designs and preserve their tales.

Buy Links:

Southern Ghosts Series:

Book 1: No Grits No Glory http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NNZRSR2

Book 2: Ticket to Die http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WFFO3EM

The Elemental Clan Series Box Set:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TQ6OLF4

Website: www.elainecalloway.com

Bio:

Amazon bestselling author Elaine Calloway grew up in New Orleans with a love of cemeteries, gothic architecture and all things paranormal. She is currently writing The Southern Ghosts series and also continues to write the Elemental Clan series, and she has more ideas for new series and offshoots of existing ones. When she’s not writing (when is that?) she enjoys photography, binge watching great shows on Netflix, and spending time with family and friends. Connect with her online at www.elainecalloway.com.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write erotic romance inspired by the classics, so I write in a number of genres. Currently, I am writing Paranormal, Contemporary, Contemporary Cowboy and Sci-Fi.  It all depends on where the original story takes me.

Tell us about your current series.

The Eden Series takes place on Eden, a planet of naked, well-built men. Their ancestors were taken from Earth by the Crius to populate the warm jungle planet, but these humans developed different abilities based on their Kindreds. Unfortunately, no females are ever born on Eden (their scientists are still working on this), so the men use Crius technology to go to Earth and find women open to the idea of life on other planets. Because there are so few women on Eden, each one must have at least two husbands or “beloved.” Not a bad place for a woman 😉

The first book, CRUISE INTO EDEN, shows how two men woo their Earth woman on a nude cruise. The second and newest in the series, UNEXPECTED EDEN, takes place in a jungle hideout on Eden and the men have no time to woo their chosen one because she is in danger on Earth. So the three men save her and her friend, which causes another whole set of issues.

What is your next project and when will it be released?

My next book, COWBOY’S MATCH, is coming out August 4th as part of the 12 Alarm Cowboys box set. This book is the second book in the Poker Flat series.

Cowboy, Cole Hatcher, never thought becoming a firefighter to support his horse rescue ranch would lead him back to his first love, especially at the Poker Flat Nudist Resort fire. As soon as he sees Lacey Winters, his gut tells him she’s to blame but long buried feelings ignite and he can’t stay away.

Lacey is shocked to find the hunky firefighter is the same man that dumped her eight years ago. Though her heart is guarded, Cole is just too hot to resist and a night of erotic passion tears open old wounds.

Determined to prove Lacey started the fire that divided them, Cole leaves to investigate the past only to find more than he bargained for. Unfortunately, so much damage has been done that he’s not sure he can catch both a fire starter and the heart of the woman he never stopped loving.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

As I said above, I write erotic romance inspired by the classics. For example, I used Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” as inspiration for my book MASQUE. I don’t retell the story, I get inspired by it. So in Poe’s story he had seven colored rooms. In my story I made each colored room a different sexual experience for the heroine. Then I took the figure of the Red Death and made him my hero who had good intentions that went horribly wrong. Then I left 73 of the original masque attendees as ghosts in my story and added a modern day heroine who buys the abandoned abbey. This all necessitated I write this story as an erotic paranormal romance. Each classic inspires the genre I write in. It’s fun because I never know where the original will take me!

Do you have critique partners?

I have a critique partner who is worth her weight in gold. I also have a tough beta reader, an awesome editor and a picky proof reader. I also have a critique partner for my blurbs and author notes. And for whatever area I need expertise in, I reach out to friends, family and experts to be sure I get the facts correct. Every one of my books is a group effort as can be seen by my dedications and acknowlegments.

What is your favorite dessert/food?

I’m an ice cream-aholic. I even go so far as to make my own ice cream every weekend. I made mocha Heath bar crunch this past weekend. My favorites are Bailey’s, Malt, Cherry Vanilla, and Passion Fruit.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

I love reading historicals, paranormals, contemporary cowboys, sci-fi and time travel romances. I won’t read anything but romance and classic literature now. And don’t ask me to watch a movie that doesn’t end happily because I won’t do it, no matter how hunky the actor is who stars in it 😉

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on a paranormal erotic Christmas story set in contemporary Scotland. This one will be part of a series and I’m doing something completely different with it. I just hope my readers will like it. Luckily, I have friends in Scotland as well as a daughter-in-law from Edinburg, so I have experts to tap.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing? 

Hearing from my readers. I love it when readers really enjoy one of my books. I also love it when they tell others about them or when they tell me they have a “book hangover.” That is the ultimate compliment because it means someone is still so attached to my characters and their story that they aren’t quite ready to pick up another romance. That’s what I now shoot for with every book. Hey, a girl’s gotta have a goal, right?

EXCERPT from UNEXPECTED EDEN

Khaos dropped Serena’s hand, the emotions roiling through him difficult to contain. No one ever asked about his family. He moved away from her, unseeing. The pain he kept buried daily rose up and closed his throat. Family was not a comfort to him but a source of anguish. The image of his mother’s gaze as she looked at him with disgust and fear flashed through his mind and he balled his fists.

Desperately, he forced himself to swallow. Don’t let her see your shame.

“Khaos?” The touch of her hand on his shoulder sent a shudder through him. She was happiness and love. Everything he craved to give her. He couldn’t let her see he wasn’t worth hers in return.

He should turn around. Smile at her. Not yet. She’ll see it in your eyes. He forced his fingers to relax and crossed his hand over his chest to grasp hers. Soft. Delicate. Some of his stiffness eased. “I didn’t know you were close to your family. Do you miss them?”

Her other hand rested on his arm. “Sometimes. Well, mostly when I’m afraid or unsure. They’re like a comfy blanket. You know, a safe place.”

He closed his eyes as he envisioned what that might be like. Serena wrapping him in her arms was the image he envisioned. His lips twitched and he turned toward her. “I hope you consider being with us a safe place too.”

“I do now. At first I wasn’t so sure. I mean, you came out of nowhere. But you saved me and you’ve welcomed me into your home. I’m very grateful.”

He stared into her round amber eyes, so large for her delicate face and so honest. He wanted more than her appreciation. He touched her cheek hesitantly, watching for any sign of withdrawal.

She turned her face into his palm and his heart skidded in response. To love her, touch her everywhere, would be paradise. He wanted her to look at him with need.

She broke away. “I think we should get to work, don’t you? We have a few items on our to-do list and Jahl, Toni and Sandale could arrive at any moment. We don’t want to be caught with our pants down.”

“What?”

She looked at him, her gaze wandering down the length of his body, causing a rush of blood to flow to his groin. Her gaze stopped on his stiffening cock.

She swiftly raised her eyes to his face. “Never mind. Let’s just try to focus on what we need to do.”

He allowed himself a crooked smile. That he distracted her sent a warmth around his heart. Maybe Sandale was right. Maybe he could be worthy of her.

BIO

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of erotic romance. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she’s read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi’s first love is romance novels. In an effort to marry her two first loves, she started writing erotic romance inspired by the classics and found she loved it. Lexi believes there is no end to the romantic inspiration she can find in great literature. Her books are known as “erotic romance with a whole lot of story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.

Website

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TSU

BUY LINKS

Unexpected Eden Links:

Amazon

 Barnes & Noble

 iBooks

 Kobo

 All Romance eBooks

 12 Alarm Cowboys Pre-order Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Kobo

iBooks
Masque Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

All Romance eBooks

Ellora’s Cave

Tell us about yourself.

Well, that’s a loaded question. I have so many personalities, which one would you like to talk about first? Just kidding, sort of, I feel as if I belong to the family of each of my characters. Especially my Beckett family, I have walked their neighborhoods, visited their favorite places. They truly are real to me. Though it would freak me out, if I ever met someone who claimed to be one of them. So here goes, ME… I grew up in a small town in Utah the south part of the Salt Lake Valley. If you’ve ever watched Doc Holiday with Micheal J. Fox you’d be in the town I grew up in, not the squash part. I now live in a small town on the west side of the valley, and though it is growing way to fast it reminds me of the same movie. Small town America.

Together my husband and I have six kids, he has two girls and a boy, I have two boys and a girl. Now they’re all grown and we have eleven grandkids. We love it. We have papa and nana night every other Wednesday night. They all come over for dinner. It’s easier in the summer when we can sit outside.

We love to travel and New York City is one of our favorites, it helps that one of the kids live in Brooklyn. We love Venice, Key West, and Jamaica and many other places we have visited. This August we will be visiting London, England for a few days, then on to Edinburgh, Scotland. And last but certainly not least Ireland for ten days. That’s about it for me, I love family, friends, writing, and traveling.

Are you a full time writer or do you have a “day job”?

I wish I could write full time, but my husband is retired and one of us needs to have insurance and bring in an income. And that right now is, ME. I work for the state and if I have to have a job, at least I do like it.

What is your next project and when will it be released?

My fourth book of the Beckett Series. It’s titled Illusion and it is Reagan’s story. If all goes as planned it will be released at the end of June.

Can you list some Pros/Cons of self-publishing?

The biggest PRO is the control you have over everything. You have no one telling you that they don’t like what your character is doing. You have control over price, cover, length of story, etc.

The biggest CON is the fact that ALL books need to have a great editor and most of us can’t afford one. Luckily I’ve found someone that edits in my office. She edits for work, but she’s agreed to help me with my stories. Another CON is, sometimes you need someone to tell you that what your character is doing just doesn’t work. The time line is wrong, etc. That is why I have two critique partners and after my friend edits it, I have beta readers. Because no matter how good your editors, critique partners, etc. are, everyone is human and most the time something is missed.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

Thriller and suspense. I love a good Stephen King also.

What do you have planned for the future?

I am writing a middle grade with my three oldest grandsons when we started they were middle grade, hopefully we get it finish before they’re in college. It’s called History Mysteries. I hope to have it done this fall.

Do you or have you belonged to a writing organization? Which one? Have the helped you with your writing? How?

I belonged to Romance Writers of America and the Utah RWA if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am now with my writing. Although, right now I’m not a member, I hope to return someday.

What sort of promo do you do? Do you have help?

I do the usual social media. But it seems that no matter what I do, my sales are about the same. I’m still looking for that magic promo tool. If anyone out there finds it, let me know! My new favorite is Pinterest. I’m still experimenting how to use it for promotion. Mostly, I just play on it.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

My best advice to young authors, or any author, is to join a book club. Not one of those ones who read the heaviest book they can find, i.e. Catcher in the Rye. But those who just want to read a good book. When I joined my book club I never realized how beneficial it would be. I just thought it would be fun to read a book and then discuss over wine and dinner. Don’t get me wrong that is fun. But none of the other members are authors, they’re READERS. And they all have different tastes, it really helps me to see the book from a reader’s point of view instead of an author.

Here is a list of my links:

Web site: http://www.marymartinez.com/

Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Martinez/e/B006MWJ1T6

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Mary-Martinez/1375378959454858

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marylmartinez

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marylmartinez3/ (My favorite)

Blog: http://marysbooksblogger.blogspot.com/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/102169317869219350490/102169317869219350490/posts

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=63363650&

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTww3B2ofa11UPFrSe0WGAg

BIO

Mary lives in Magna, a little town west of Salt Lake City, Utah. Together with her husband, she has six grown children, and five wonderful grandsons and five beautiful granddaughters. Mary’s youngest daughter had, the fifth granddaughter, beautiful Elizabella Grace on May 28, 2014! And that isn’t all the additions. Her son and his fiance had a baby boy, Keegan in November 2014. That makes 11 grandchildren!

Mary and her husband love to travel, especially to the Caribbean for relaxing, and Italy for the wine. With the experience from the exotic places she has visited, she is able to fill her books with colorful descriptions of cities, painting a colorful backdrop for her characters.

They are avid concert ‘Ho’s’! Yes, they pretty much want to do them all. They love outdoor amphitheaters the best and attend as many during the warmer months as possible.

Mary and her husband are also enthusiastic college football fans. They have season tickets to the UTES, University of Utah Football and they tailgate every game. They love tailgating so much, that they were married at a tailgating in 1999.

GO UTES!

Video Bio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLjL11hZHOA

Hi Everyone. Please help me welcome Bonnie McCune to my blog today. Bonnie will be giving away a copy of her book, FALLING LIKE A ROCK, to one lucky reader who leaves a comment, so be sure and leave her one.

Why, in this day of reality television, larger-than-life news, easily accessed games, and constant communication between people, why would anyone read fiction? And should you feel guilty about indulging?

I believe it was Stephen King who quoted his mother when she described reading as “a short, sweet vacation.” That captures the pluses—relaxation, escape from the everyday, stimulation, and intellectual challenge. We’re so very busy nowadays, usually doing not much, nothing equals reading for a complete change. As for fiction, I’ve always thought it was truer to life and contained many more insights than nonfiction—whether biographies, self-help, philosophy, or politics. So no guilt about indulging when we benefit so much from fiction.

Why do your heroines face so many challenges in addition to the usual rocky road to romance?

In my first published novel, the heroine faces a major crisis—a malfunctioning hot water heater that floods her apartment and threatens explosion. In the second, the heroine and her family are caught in an extreme winter blizzard with no heat or lights. In the current one, a massive wildfire threatens not only the heroine but also the entire forest. In my work in progress, a flash flood covers the mountains.

I’m a fraidy-cat. Anything and everything scares me. Example: in the middle of the night yesterday, I woke when the furnace turned on. A strange new noise accompanied the forced air. I immediately thought the equipment was going to explode.

We write what concerns us. For me, that’s human relationships, focusing on the positive, and also addressing fears. I’m not courageous, and nearly everything makes my heart beat overtime. To tackle those concerns, my heroines also are chickens but learn to overcome their fears by thinking and taking action. If there’s an external challenge, like a wildfire, these simply personify the anxieties she hides deep within. As a writing technique, situations that threaten a character physically also enable her to strut her stuff in front of other characters and readers.

Where are the heaving bosoms and throbbing loins in your books? Why don’t your characters have sex?

Oh, they have sex, believe me, or, more apt, they make love. They just don’t do it on-stage. Any psychologist—or writer—will tell you human emotion is the key factor in sex. Without it, the act is mechanical, not much different from eating or defecating.  And if a writer’s going to have good sex scenes, he’ll emphasize emotions. So that’s what I emphasize in my writing. Being the old-fashioned person I am, I also prefer not to risk offending readers. I take enough chances with that in the realm of social activism.

What’s your background and how did you arrive here?

I’ve been writing since age ten, when I submitted a poem about rain rushing down the gutter to the Saturday Evening Post (it was immediately rejected). This interest facilitated my career in nonprofits doing public and community relations and marketing.  I’ve worked for libraries, directed a small arts organization and managed Denver’s beautification program.  Simultaneously, I’ve been a free lance writer with publications in local, regional, and specialty publications for news and features. For years, when my children were little and I was cooking family dinners, we had no money, so I entered recipe contests in the hope of winning.  Once I was a finalist once to the Pillsbury Cook Off.  A current special love is live theater.  Had I been nine inches taller and thirty pounds lighter, I might have been an actress.   For reasons unknown (an unacknowledged optimism?), I believe that one person can make a difference in this world.  This explains my involvement with groups like community organizations, political campaigns, writers’ and arts’ groups, and children’s literacy.  It probably accounts for my writing romances, in which endings are always happily ever after.

What do you look for in the novels you read?

 I like to get into other people’s heads.  I think if we could feel what others do, we’d be a lot kinder to one another, as well as more pleasant.  For me, fiction writing is the closest we can get to this perspective.  One of the best books I’ve read recently is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.  Told from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old Native American boy, it’s hysterically funny while simultaneously dealing with tragedy such as alcoholism, death, and racism.  I’ll never be fourteen, a male, or a Native American, but Alexie is so skillful a writer that I became young Arnold for the duration of the book.  Needless to say, the quality of the writing helps immensely.  That includes good grammar!

What work is in progress for you?

 Never Retreat s protagonist, Ramona Soto, a struggling single mom, faced harsh reality 18 years ago when she got knocked up by a roving con man only to discover after several other relationships, men aren’t the answer. During the same time, a series of low-paying, dead-end jobs convinced her to get a decent education.

Now at thirty-something she’s concentrating on her career as a paralegal in a major telecommunications firm in Denver, but with son Andy preparing for college and a string of bad-luck incidents like the breakdown of her car, she longs to break the glass ceiling and leapfrog to a management position.  The company retreat provides the opportunity. Top executives plan to award bonuses and promotions based on the skills shown by key employees. Raye’s one of the select, and with her motivation and intelligence is sure to succeed. She hopes.

Enter Desmond (Des) Emmett. Newly transferred from another base of operations to handle the security department, the ex-serviceman fills every negative qualification Raye carries around on a mental list for the guy to avoid. A motorcycle enthusiast, sweet talker, fast mover, apparent sexist, he’s matched with Raye as teammates at the isolated retreat location. Initial conflict and antagonism turn to hidden attraction, when  they collide with an insurmountable obstacle. Only one of them can achieve the top honor.

Mother Nature intervenes with the perfect summer mountain storm accompanied by a massive flash flood. Cut off from help, their very existence endangered, they and their co-workers confront a wall of water sweeping down the rocky canyon. Raye and Des must put aside their differences to rescue not only their colleagues, some of whom are injured in the fray, but also their future as a couple.

 I also am working on a satire about government and government employees entitled Civil Servants.  Not a romance although at least one occurs in the course of the book.

* * *

BLURB SUGGESTION:

When you’re ‘falling like a rock,’ you’ll risk anything.

Unloved and unemployed. That’s Elaine Svoboda, after she’s sacked, then flees across country to her boyfriend who drops her flat. Teetering on the abyss of disaster, she calls an old friend who invites her to a tiny mountain town with fresh prospects. There she meets rugged, hunky Joe Richter-Leon, mayor of Falling Rock.

Maybe he can help her find a job. Maybe they can become friends, even share romance. Sparks fly immediately, but major obstacles make a new life on the ashes of the old appear impossible. Joe’s consumed with challenges like the dismal local economy and an impetuous sister. Elaine butts heads with him at every turn in the rocky road. Are her bungling attempts to help the problem? Or does she remind him of a greedy, selfish ex-wife?

Before they can build a new life on the ashes of the old, she must overcome a few obstacles like a broken ankle, an eating disturbance, his stubbornness, and her own fears. She’s smothering her hopes when a battle with a forest inferno illuminates their true feelings and desire.

Funny and frank, poignant and perceptive, when two people are “Falling Like a Rock,” they learn surrender sometimes means victory.

EXCERPT

The movement now wasn’t rocking but more like a grind. A slowness. A shiver. She knew she had to leave the main road and find help. She swerved onto a pull-off that appeared as if by a miracle, turned off the motor, and sank into the seat. In all directions she saw flat monotone prairie. If spring was about to arrive, no sign of it blossomed here. An occasional bush of greenish sagebrush nodded, but most of the landscape consisted of earth-toned dirt and dirt-toned pebbles scoured by a constant wind, which threw a thin top layer of particles hither and yon.

What she knew about auto mechanics fit on a matchbook cover. She’d been shown where to fill up on gas and wiper fluid, and that was the extent of it. She flicked the ignition off and on several times, peered at the dashboard, even popped the hood. Nothing looked out of place or broken.

She returned to the driver’s seat to think and worry her tooth with her tongue. It wasn’t safe to sit out here alone, and dismal warnings from her parents to never trust a casual passerby in a situation like this darted in her mind. So she hauled out her cell phone. No service. She slumped in her seat.

The plains spread horizon to horizon around her, and an appreciation rose in her for the courage and hard work of the pioneers who had traveled one slow step at a time over an endless landscape to reach their new homes. At least nowadays an asphalt ribbon transversed the plateau. On the road an occasional semi whooshed past, rattling her vehicle as it traveled. One trucker slowed to a crawl and honked, but by the time she decided he was offering help, he’d disappeared.

She twisted her brain in knots to find some way to save herself. Surely if she were careful, stayed in her car and blinked her lights and beeped, someone should rescue her. Perhaps she should wait until a woman stopped, but another female would be as afraid to pull over as she to chance an encounter.

Clouds began to build in gray billows, flowed from west en route the east, and the sun plunged toward twilight. If anything terrified her more than an appeal to a stranger for assistance, it was spending the night out here in the open. In her rearview mirror, a battered Land Rover appeared, and almost on impulse, Elaine switched on her hazard lights and leaned on the horn.

The vehicle slowed but didn’t stop. Not until it was some yards down the road. Next a tall, lean figure climbed out, the engine still in operation. A man dressed in jeans, ski jacket, and a black Stetson. Elaine would have laughed if she hadn’t been worried about the security of the car door locks. She was in the West now. It made sense for a cowboy to show up.

He approached with careful deliberation, halting a few feet from her, and she rolled her window down several inches and studied him in case she had to describe him later to the authorities. Not particularly suave or polished, but certainly with the rugged strength typically associated with cowboy types. Dark, as if he spent time outside or had some Mediterranean or Latino ancestors. A prominent nose, off-centered, perhaps from being bashed once too often.

“Need help, ma’am?”

LINKS

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Like-Rock-Bonnie-McCune-ebook/dp/B00LUB9LGW/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405877134&sr=8-1&keywords=falling+like+a+rock

Amazon paperback http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Like-Rock-Bonnie-McCune/dp/1500386472/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1405877130&sr=8-1&keywords=falling+like+a+rock+paperback

Barnes & Noble paperback http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/falling-like-a-rock-bonnie-mccune/1119907983?ean=9781500386474

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/falling-like-a-rock-bonnie-mccune/1119907983?ean=2940046051728

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/453861

Where can readers find you?

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