How did you get started writing?
I was an avid reader as a child. I was reading by age four and always had a book (or three) from the library on the go. Reading inspired me to try writing my own stories early on in elementary school. I still have handwritten copies of a novella I wrote when I was 12 and a young adult romance novel I penned at 16. As far back as I can remember, I wanted to grow up to be a writer. It was a dream come true when I signed a contract for one of my medieval romances, released in paperback in 2005. I’m continuing to live my dream as a full-time author.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write historical romances because that’s what I enjoy reading. My novels are set in the Middle Ages because I love the romantic ideals of chivalry and find the history of that time fascinating. I own quite a few research tomes on life in the Middle Ages, plus books on armor, medicinal herbs, a few recipe books, and guide books from the castles, museums, and historical sites I’ve visited.

Tell us about your current series.
In June, I published the fifth and final novel in my award-winning Knight’s Series, set in the fictional English county of Moydenshire. I received so much reader email asking whenA Knight’s Seduction would be released, it was clear that my illegitimate, bad-boy hero Tye had garnered himself quite a following. J While all of the books in the series can be read as stand-alones, I strongly recommend that they be read in order, to get the full impact of the story arc that involves a very nasty courtesan and the plots she devises to bring down the hero introduced in my first series novel, Geoffrey de Lanceau, who happens to be Tye’s father. Readers who like plenty of drama, adventure, a few plot twists, and spine-tingling romance will love my series.

What is your favorite part of writing?
I love the creative process. There are days when the words are flowing from my fingers to my keyboard and the scene I’m writing is crystal clear in my mind. That’s when writing is fun and exciting.

What is your least favorite part of writing?
Revisions. They are necessary, though. With my books, I usually write a rough first draft and then go back through the story two or three more times from start to finish to add in details, refine dialogue, cut extraneous paragraphs, and generally smooth out all the rough sections and make the story cohesive. That takes time, but also makes for a better novel.

What is your typical day like?
Most days I work from home. In the morning, I make coffee and breakfast and then check my emai (I get hundreds every day, including digests from various online writing groups) and look at my sales stats for the previous day; this is helpful if I’ve done paid promotion and want to see if the ad has generated an increase in my sales.
I write whenever I have two or three consecutive hours of free time. Physically, I can’t sit and write all day; I admire authors who can, but I value my health and that routine doesn’t work for me. Sometimes I write in the morning, sometimes early afternoon. It varies depending on my other commitments. I do most of my writing at my dining room table, with my two kitties sleeping in their beds nearby (they love to be close to me when I work). However, sometimes I will pack up my netbook and go to a coffee shop or the library for a change. I also do PR for my books every day, including promotion for boxed sets I’ve done with other authors. Along with my current work-in-progress, I always have at least one more project in the planning stages. Right now I have two more Medieval novellas lined up to write after I’ve completed the one I’m working on now. My days are busy, but I’m very proud of my stories and have many more to write.

Excerpt from A Knight’s Seduction (Knight’s Series Book 5):

Tye was close. Too close.

With each quickened breath, she inhaled his scent, the smell of leather strongest, the hint of soap less intense, and most tantalizing of all, the earthy masculine essence that was uniquely his. Her head swam with both anxiety and anticipation.

“Tye—”

His finger pressed to her lips, silencing her. “No more questions. I am finished talking about me.” His hungry gaze settled on her mouth.

He wanted to resume their discussion about kissing.

With a sideways jerk of her head, she dislodged his finger. Still, though, she felt the weight of his skin pressing to hers. “W-what you want, I—”

“What I want, I take. If you learned naught else about me, you must have understood I am that kind of man.”

“You are going to kiss me,” she whispered.

“Aye.”

“Even if I am not willing?”

“Aye.”

“Even if I have already had the perfect kiss?”

”Especially if you believe that.”

His face was barely a breath from hers. She pressed back against the hard stone, expecting the brutal and unrelenting crush of his mouth. Instead, the tip of his nose brushed hers in a gentle, teasing caress. Loose strands of his hair tickled her face, while his breath skimmed over her cheek.

“I could be wrong,” he murmured, sending tingles racing across her skin, “but I thought you might be willing.”

His hands settled at her waist. His hold, light but firm, sent sweet fire racing through her veins. Oh, but she mustn’t let him kiss her. If he knew she wanted his kiss, there was no telling how far the intimacies might go.

Her mind whirled, desperately trying to think of a way to stop him. Tilting her chin up, she asked, “Why would you think—?”

His mouth covered hers. His soft, warm lips brushed against hers with the lightest of touches. Her body answered instantly. The heat within her leaped, soared. She suddenly felt hot, weightless, as if she’d been caught up in a blinding beam of sunlight.

She hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes until she heard his husky laugh.

Her eyelids fluttered open. The air in her lungs expelled on a sigh.

He grinned. “Well? Was that as good as your perfect kiss?”

“Nay,” she managed breathlessly. A lie. A necessary falsehood. She had to get away, for the kiss had been wonderful. So astonishingly marvelous, in fact, she wanted another, but she was not going to swoon in this rogue’s arms.

If she made him angry, he’d release her and step away. Wouldn’t he?

“Nay,” Tye repeated. His eyes narrowed.

He didn’t look at all deterred. Indeed, he appeared even more determined to prove her wrong.
Buy Links:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Knights-Seduction-Book-ebook/dp/B0106VDBA8/
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-knights-seduction-catherine-kean/1017786869?ean=2940151109420
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-knight-s-seduction-knight-s-series-book-5

Website: http://www.catherinekean.com

 BIO

Award-winning author Catherine Kean’s love of history began with visits to England during summer vacations.  Her British father took her to crumbling medieval castles, museums filled with artifacts, and historic churches, and her love of the awe-inspiring past stuck with her as she completed a B.A.(Double Major; First Class) in English and History.  After finishing a Post Graduate course with Sotheby’s auctioneers in England, she worked in Canada as an antiques and fine art appraiser.

She wrote her first medieval romance while her baby daughter was napping.  Catherine’s books were originally published in paperback and have been translated into several foreign languages.  Her stories have won numerous accolades, including the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.  Her novels also finaled in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. Catherine lives in Florida with her husband, daughter, and two spoiled cats.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?  I have two genre loves:  Historical (all eras) and paranormal. I read and write in both.

What is your favorite part of writing? When I’m done with the story and find out I’ve woven subplots throughout without meaning too—and they actually make the story better!

What is your least favorite part of writing?  Editing. I love editing other author’s work and have been called a Grammar Nazi. However, I hate repeating myself when I talk, and editing my stories is sort of like that for me. Rereading the story over and over. Ugghhh!

What is your favorite dessert/food?  Cherry cheesecake, Italian, Mexican, and Chinese.  Basically, I love all food—and especially desserts!

What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions?  Why?  I guess it’s the deep emotion each character needs. My oldest son is in the autism spectrum and has introduced me and the rest of my family to the darker world of theft, alcohol, and drugs. The last ten years have been so difficult for me, my husband, and my youngest son—almost destroying our family. We are still working our way back to one another. Having such an overload of emotions for so long, it’s been difficult to allow my characters to have those same ‘angsts’.

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?  Definitely peril. My goal is to be both indie and traditionally published. I’m still trying to submit my stories to several big publishers, but I write out of the box. In other words, I don’t write to their ideal structure. My stories aren’t solely about the love interests, and I always have several subplots running alongside the main plot. I also write cross genre, YA to NA, historical paranormal, and all have a bit of mystery.

Tell us about your hero.  Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.  Bryan MacConnell was introduced in the first book in my Oklahoma series, Trail of Hope. He was a very young soldier and  aided them as they traveled the Trail of Tears. Suffering his own tragedy as a child, he grew up wanting to help others.  This is both a strength and a weakness for him. He always helps others, even when it interferes with his own life and ambitions.

Tell us about your heroine.  Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.  Sophia Floyd was rescued after the death of her parents by a kind family moving west. Once she was old enough, she and her stepbrother joined a wagon train heading back East (those people who couldn’t make a life out West) so she could search for information about her brother who wasn’t with her parents when they were killed. Sophia is loyal to a fault and incredibly brave. She’s also stubborn and expects others to just go along with her plans no matter the danger.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? I definitely read the genre I write in.  Why? Well, for my historical westerns, I never lived in the 1800s, so putting myself into the story, i.e., dialogue and descriptions, is easier when I’m drowning my brain cells in Louis L’Amour. Lol!

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?  Oh my, no. I never set out to write historical westerns. I grew up in northwestern Oklahoma, loved horses, but lived in town. I really thought I’d like to write ancient history—medieval, Reformation—anything to do with knights and chivalry. I have a minor in history and LOVE it! I’ve also always loved anything that couldn’t be explained—the ‘what-ifs’ of life and how we’ve evolved throughout time, so writing Paranormal was like breathing. However, even my paranormals have historical elements in them.

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book.  I’m getting ready to release a paranormal trilogy, which could be considered a New Adult, just in an alternate world. There’s a little bit of everything in these stories: love, adventure, sexy men, girls with attitude, mystery, and, of course, history. I’m also submitting a Celtic paranormal (shapeshifter) to several publishers, so wish me luck with that.

Thank you, Cindy, for inviting me to your blog today. I’m really excited to be here!

Tell us about your current series.

The Banished Saga is my first series. It begins with Banished Love in 1900 in Boston and follows Clarissa Sullivan and Gabriel McLeod as they discover love and struggle against social prejudice. Clarissa, a suffragist, also struggles against the limited roles for women in 1900 and against the stifling life her stepmother envisions for her.

Reclaimed Love and Undaunted Love, the subsequent novels in the saga, occur in Boston and Montana, and continue to follow Clarissa and Gabriel, along with many other characters. I’ve always loved series where I am able to get to know characters over numerous books, and, thus, it’s no surprise I’ve written such a series!

What inspired your latest book?

The Banished Saga was inspired by my love of Boston and Montana. I first began to devise the basis of the series when I was fly fishing a river in Montana in 2010. The third book in the series, Undaunted Love, was just released, and it is the continuation of the Banished Saga series.

What is your favorite part of writing?

I love almost everything about writing. As my novels are historical, a lot of research is necessary. Thankfully, I love research. I know a lot of writers don’t like editing, but I relish it. I love seeing how I can make a good scene better. One of my favorite aspects of writing is the first draft. There’s nothing better than the free-flow of ideas before I have to edit and make sense of everything.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

I write long novels, but I don’t write a typical outline or plot out my novels. I write scenes as they come to me, even though they are out of order. Thus, when I have to piece the novel together, it can be a challenge. It’s rewarding, but it is the aspect of writing that I dread.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

My ideas come from a variety of sources. I get them from research or from stories people tell me. Often, the stories that people tell me will be a starting off point that I alter to fit a scene. Some ideas come when I’m driving or in the shower. Basically, at any time, I can have a great idea. The challenge I have is writing it down (if I’m at work or half asleep) so that I can remember it.

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

You don’t need to be too afraid that you’ll end up in one of my novels! However, that said, I do listen for interesting ways people speak or act and incorporate what I hear and see into my novels.

What is your writing routine like?

I have a full time job as a family nurse practitioner, thus I write when I can, often at 5 am or over the weekends. I don’t have a set routine, but I still manage to get my writing done. When I try to follow writing “rules” or “edicts” such as writing an hour a day, it takes away the joy of writing for me.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

The most important thing is to not give up. Keep writing and keep finding the joy in writing. There may be days when you think you’ve written nothing worthwhile, but set it aside and read it with fresh eyes in a few days or weeks to be able to better evaluate what you’ve written. Also, embrace editing and don’t be afraid to cut entire scenes or chapters. It hurts, but if it makes your novel better, it’s worth it.

What’s next for you?

I am currently working on book four of the series. I’ve written about half of it, although there’s still a lot to research and write. I’m planning that this will be a six book series, so when I complete book four, I’ll continue on to book five. Unlike the three previous books in the series, I have a much better idea where books four through six are going, so in some ways, it makes it easier to write them.

Thanks again, Cynthia, for inviting me to your blog! As a bonus for readers of the blog, visit my webpage (http://www.ramonaflightner.com)  for a link for a free copy of Banished Love, book one in the series.

Excerpt from Undaunted Love:

“Clarissa?” Gabriel asked, as he poked his head out the front door. “What’s the matter? I would have thought you’d be delighted at the news for Richard and Florence. And there’s no reason to be upset with Nicholas.”

“Of course I am delighted.” I swiped at my cheeks, rubbing away an errant tear. “Happy for them. And I’m not mad at Nicholas.”

“It’s not like you to be jealous of others’ good fortune. We’ll have similar news soon.”

He crouched down in front of me and caressed my cheek. I closed my eyes. I neither leaned into nor away from his touch. After a moment he dropped his hand.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to give you what you desire, darling.”

“I’m happy. Of course I am,” I said around a sniffle.

“This is a fine way to show it.” He grasped my hands as he met my gaze. “What’s wrong? I can’t seem to do anything right recently.”

“It’s nothing you’ve done, Gabriel.” I hitched in a stuttering breath as I battled tears.

“No? Maybe it’s something I’ve failed to do.” He rose, walking a pace away before turning to look down at me, sitting crumpled on the bench. “Can’t you at least act like you’re happy to have married me on our anniversary?”

I paled, placing one of my hands to my chest at the pleading in his voice. When I stared at him wordlessly, he strode into the house, the screen door slamming shut behind him.

After another moment outside, I rose to follow him. As I opened the door, I heard the conversation continuing without me. “She’ll come around soon, Gabriel. Don’t worry.”

Amelia’s soothing voice.

“It’s an adjustment from Boston. Never fear she’d rather be there than here.”

Colin’s deep voice, unable to hide his concern.

“You know what I think, so no need going over it again,” Sebastian said.

“Whatever you’ve done, figure it out, man. You don’t want your woman angry with you for much longer,” Ronan said.

I waited for Gabriel to speak. After a long silence, he said, “I wonder if I should have listened to Richard’s advice in the beginning.”

I stifled a gasp as my mind raced to the moment Richard had confronted Gabriel about his interest in me at his workshop in Boston. It will only lead to pain. For pity’s sake … find another one, more suitable, more of our class.

“Colin, will you see Clarissa home?” Gabriel ran a hand through his ebony hair. “I need …”

“Gabriel, you haven’t eaten any of your anniversary cake,” Amelia said.

“Cake won’t make this better, Amelia,” Gabriel said before he marched toward the kitchen and exited the rear door.

I looked out the side window to see his long, loping gait striding down the boardwalk toward the center of town.

“That was poorly done, Rissa,” Colin said. He had risen and seen me standing in the living room.

“I know, Col,” I said. I fell into an overstuffed armchair, curling my legs up under me, holding onto my knees as I rocked to and fro. My mind raced at the disastrous evening. “I’ll apologize to Nicholas.”

Colin glanced over his shoulder and saw that Amelia, carrying Nicholas, moved with Sebastian and Ronan into the kitchen. “It’s not just Nicholas, Rissa. Can’t you tell me what’s wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

“It’s nothing, Col.”

“Don’t treat me like a fool. It’s obviously something. Do you regret marrying Gabe?”

“That’s not the question, Colin. It never will be.” I let out another stuttering sigh as I leaned my head against my knees, a terrible weariness filling me.

“Then what it is? Are you ill? Is that why Amelia saw you visiting the doctor recently?”

“Is that all you do? Gossip about me?”

“It’s what people do who care about each other. Especially when one of them refuses to share anything and acts like a wounded badger.”

Colin glared at me, daring me to contradict him.

“I’m of sound health, Colin. Nothing to fear.” I closed my eyes in resignation.

“Then why are you acting like this?” Colin asked again as he gripped my hand. “I’ve never seen you with such little spirit. Not even last spring in Boston. Now you act as though all the fight has left you. That’s not who you are, Rissa.”

“You’d never understand, Col. And I fear Gabriel never will either.”

“Whatever it is, you must tell him.”

“No, Colin. The last thing I should do is tell Gabriel. Because once I do, he will despise me.”

Bio:

About Ramona Flightner:

Ramona Flightner is an avid reader, writer, and traveler. By day, she practices the healing arts as a nurse practitioner. Every other moment, she’s researching and writing her next novel. Love’s First Flames, Banished Love, Reclaimed Love, and Undaunted Love are the first novels in her Banished Saga.

Ramona is from Missoula, Montana. She currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts. Her favorite pastimes are fly fishing the cool, clear streams of a Montana river, hiking in the mountains, and spending time with family and friends.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ramona-Flightner/e/B00I0GSPGM/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1439774478&sr=8-1

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Ramona%20Flightner%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=ramona+flightner&fcmedia=Book

You can follow me at:

New Release Email List at: http://www.ramonaflightner.com/newsletter

Web page: http://www.ramonaflightner.com

Twitter:  @ramonafightner

FB: http://www.facebook.com/authorramonaflightner

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

Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

Mail-Order Brides of the West: Prudence is the seventh book in the Mail-Order Brides of the West Series and the story that wasn’t supposed to exist. I originally conceived of this series with Caroline Fyffe, and we each planned to write three books. I wrote Trudy, Lina, and Darcy. Caroline wrote Evie, Heather, and Kathryn. We planned for the stories to go in pairs, starting with Trudy and Evie. My brides would go to Sweetwater Springs, Montana, which is my fictional town in the Montana Sky Series. Caroline’s brides would go to Y Knot, Montana, which is the setting for her McCutcheon Family Series. Each pair of brides were friends who wrote letters to each other.

At the Mail-Order Brides of the West Agency, I’d added two other potential brides who were only intended to be secondary characters. Prudence Crawford was mean to everyone, and no one liked her. Her sole purpose in the books was to provide conflict. After Caroline and I finished Darcy and Kathryn, we thought we were done with the series (although both of us have some of our mail-order bride characters appearing in a few of our other series books.)

But our readers started begging for Prudence’s story. When I finally agreed to write Mail-Order Brides of the West: Prudence, they were so excited. But they also told me to be mean to her. “Push her in the pigpen was one suggestion.” So I did! I couldn’t inflict Prudence on a nice man, so I gave her one who wasn’t so nice and let them fight it out. I think of the book as Taming of the Shrew Goes West.

I also had to figure why Prudence was such a nasty woman, which also played a part in redeeming her character. And since she ended up in Sweetwater Springs, Prudence also had to resolve her conflicts with the three other mail-order brides who lived there. I had a lot of fun writing an unlikable woman who changed and found love.

Tell us about your current series.

My Montana Sky Series is sweet historical Western romance, which takes place in the 1880s and 1890s. The series begins with Beneath Montana’s Skies, which is free at all retailers. My very first book was Wild Montana Sky, which is a USA Today Bestselling book. Book Two, Starry Montana Sky was chosen by Amazon in 2013 as a top 50 Greatest Love Story. And Book Three, Stormy Montana Sky is a NY York Times Bestselling book.

Even though the bride books are called The Mail-Order Brides of the West series, my books are also part of the Montana Sky Series. Chronologically, they come between Beneath Montana’s Skies and Wild Montana Sky.

What’s next for you?

 Healing Montana Sky releases in October and is available for preorder. I’m currently writing Mystic Montana Sky for a summer 2016 release. I have a big surprise planned for February. Cynthia is going to be part of it. So stay tuned.

EXCERPT

MAIL-ORDER BRIDES OF THE WEST: PRUDENCE

By

DEBRA HOLLAND

The stench of the pigpens made him take shallow breaths. Michael desperately wanted another drink to drown his sorrows…or, more aptly, his angers. He promised himself that once he found the source of the problem, he’d head to Rigsby’s and let alcohol smooth the edge off his ire. Maybe with a few drinks in him, he could better handle Prudence. Nothing else I’ve tried has worked.

“Michael!”

At the sound of his wife’s voice, he stiffened. Speak of the devil. Is there a word for female devil? He couldn’t think of one. He nodded good-bye to Hong and was stepping away when—

“Michael, I want to talk to you!” Her voice rose until the timbre was almost a shriek. She ploughed pell-mell for him, her face red with anger.

Hong ducked into his tent. Out of sight, maybe, but not out of earshot.

The Guans’ should stuff cotton in their ears to block out the worst of Prudence’s screeches.

“I need a drink,” he said, beginning to turn away.

“Oh, dear Lord. Don’t tell me you’re a drunkard like that Obadiah Kettering. Is that another thing you omitted to tell me about your character?”

He swung back, and she was inches away, arms wide. “You omitted telling me I’d be marrying a shrew,” he said. “You should have written the word at the top of your fancy stationary in big block letters.” He sketched the word in the air and stated each letter. “S-H-R-E-W.”

“Why…why I never!” Her mouth opened and closed as if she sought just the right words to hurl at him.

“As for being a drunkard. Up until today, I only occasionally sought refuge in the bottle. But I think being married to you, my dear wife, will make me a frequent patron of Rigsbys Saloon. In fact, I might as well take up residence in the place.”

Stepping forward, she brought up her hand to slap him.

He leaped out of the way.

Prudence missed, and her hand sailed past, making her off balance.

Sure she was going to try again, Michael moved away, putting more space between them.

Prudence slipped on a slimy rock and lost her balance, rotating and stepping sideways only to catch her heel in the hem of her skirt. She teetered backward toward the pigpen. Her legs hit the low fence, catching her at knee-height.

Oh, no! Michael leaped to catch her.

With a horrified expression, Prudence windmilled her arms in an effort to right herself.

Michael missed, grabbing only a fold of her skirt. He yanked back, hoping to pull her upright, but instead, with a ripping sound, the fabric tore.

The momentum toppled Prudence backwards into the pigpen, where she landed on her rump in the mire. “Grrrrrr!” She scooped up two handfuls of mud and flung them at him.

Shocked, Michael didn’t dodge until the last minute, and the stinking mud went splat against his chest and face.

BIO

Psychotherapist Debra Holland, Ph.D is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the Montana Sky Series, sweet, historical Western romance. She’s a three-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist and one-time winner.

Debra is also the author of The Gods’ Dream Trilogy (fantasy romance) and the nonfiction books, The Essential Guide to Grief and Grieving and Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude: a Ten-Minute eBook. She’s a contributing author to The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing. Sign up for her newsletter at http://drdebraholland.com

How did you get started writing?

My sleuth, Caprice De Luca, is a professional decorator and home stager.  The unique aspect of her business is the unique themes she devises for each home she stages.  Her sister, Nikki, a caterer, helps her pull off open houses that draw clients from D.C., Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia to Kismet, Pennsylvania.  In DRAPE EXPECTATIONS, Caprice’s client is Alanna Goodwin who is Ace Richland’s soon to be fiancee. She is a widow, a Southern beauty who wants to sell her mansion that resembles an old South plantation estate.

Doing research for staging Alanna’s house was so much fun. The antebellum period is from after the birth of the American Revolution to the start of the Civil War. The architecture usually described as antebellum is grandly symmetrical and somewhat boxy with substantial pillars or columns and balconies. Heavy draperies with fancy tiebacks were prevalent. Those tiebacks are integral to the murder!

I hope you enjoy reading DRAPE EXPECTATIONS as much as I enjoyed solving the murder-mystery puzzle with Caprice.

I always liked to write. In high school I worked for the school newspaper and wrote poetry.  As an English major in college, I took creative writing and other literature courses.  I started a novel and wrote poetry then too.  But I seriously began writing when back pain interrupted my life style. Especially after surgery, flat on my back for 4 years, i needed a creative and emotional outlet.

How many books have you written?  Do you have a favorite?

 I have sold 87 books and indie published 5 original novels as well as backlist titles. I have three favorites–The Bracelet which was the book of my heart about a couple who fell in love in the 60s. The hero is a Vietnam vet. My other favorite is Her Sister, a women’s fiction book about 3 generations of women I was heavily emotionally invested in.  My Caprice De Luca series contains descriptions of childhood homes and haunts. My sleuth is my alter ego. She takes in strays and finds them homes. We have four rescued cats.

Tell us about your current series.

My current series–Caprice De Luca home staging series–is a cozy mystery series.  Caprice has a large Italian family and my novels have their relationships with Caprice woven in. She loves to cook (as I do) so I include recipes. She stages homes to sell for high end clients, employing unique themes.  In book 1 I introduced two love interests and in book 4. Caprice makes a choice. I love writing these mysteries, solving the murder mystery puzzle with my sleuth as well as helping her find homes for strays she takes in. In book 4 DRAPE EXPECTATIONS, she has a cat, a cocker spaniel and adopts a Persian.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

 My experience with self-publishing has been exciting, frustrating and more work than I ever imagined, especially in the social media area. Promotion now takes up at least 60 percent of my work time–Facebook, Twitter, blogs, street team, etc. but whether working with indie or traditional publishing, a writer can’t simply write anymore. The market is glutted and it’s difficult to make a place.

What was the deciding factor in self-publishing your books?  Did you decide on e-book or  print-only, or both?

When I got my rights back on a dozen books, I decided to self-publish them. I formed a connected series with 3 of them with continuing characters (SEARCH FOR LOVE series) and then added 4 never before published novels to it. I also put the others together with a FINDING MR. RIGHT flash. The next step was developing them into audiobooks. That project took over a year (I used ACX) and have finished audiobooks on the market with all but 1. I also put the SEARCH FOR LOVE series into print.

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

The view in my writing space usually includes cats!  I can look out on our gardens and I often write on our patio. I use a tape recorder to write so I can move to where ever I have quiet. Sometimes my typist hears birdsong in the background!

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m definitely a plotter. When I first began writing, I did it to escape back pain. I learned back then that if I plotted all my chapters, no matter how I was feeling, I could pick up and start writing again. Since I use a tape recorder now that’s even more true. I send off each chapter to a typist and I don’t have the luxury of going back until I have the hard copy. I keep the synopsis on my Ipad and if I make plot changes I jot them down so I always know exactly what I’ve done.

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?

My muse expected I’d write romance and possibly woman’s fiction forever! I read romances since my teenage years and I had no doubts about what I wanted to write when I began.  But after twenty years and blips in the road, I wrote a romance/mystery to indie publish (ALWAYS DEVOTED.) around that time my agent said an editor at Kensington had expressed an interest in me writing a cozy.  I gave it a try and loved it.

How far do you plan ahead?

I try to plan ahead for two years.  That’s necessary financially.  As of now I have a 6th Caprice mystery to write and a contract for 3 Daisy Swanson Tea Garden mysteries.  If I can, I’ll fit in an indie book to add to my SEARCH FOR LOVE series.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?  If so, what do you do to combat it?

 If I have “writer’s block,” it’s more like a pause because I don’t know how to handle the next scene. It doesn’t last more than a day because I make myself write. On the other hand, I know when I need a break.  I had a soulmate cat I rescued as a baby who was with my constant companion day and night for 14 years. When she passed on unexpectedly, I felt frozen creatively for about a month.   I knew I had to grieve.  I worked on promotion, blogs, that sort of thing. But not raw writing. That had never happened to me before. I’ve been through surgeries and deaths of loved ones in the past 25 years and still wrote. Then I used writing to deal with the grief, loss or pain.  You have to know your heart and soul and whether you should push for the sake of a book or your career.

Do you have any upcoming free promotions you would like to tell us about?

One of my SEARCH FOR LOVE books is free–HEARTFIRE.

Where can readers find you?

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, my blog, newsletter and Instagram!

BIO:

 USA Today best-selling author Karen Rose Smith will see her 87th novel published in 2015. An only child, Karen delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew, and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that’s why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flower and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn’t all about work, awards and Bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

LINKS:

 Karen Romance Website:  www.karenrosesmith.com

Karen’s Mystery Website:   www.karenrosesmithmysteries.com

Facebook for KarenRoseSmithBooks

Twitter:  @karenrosesmith

Karen’s blog, Cats, Roses…and Books!  karenrosesmith.blogspot.com

BUY LINKS:

 DRAPE EXPECTATIONS on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Drape-Expectations-Caprice-Deluca-Mystery/dp/1617737704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432388927&sr=8-1&keywords=drape+expectations

DRAPE EXPECTATIONS on Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drape-expectations-karen-rose-smith/1120137992?ean=9781617737701

EXCERPT FROM DRAPE EXPECTATIONS:

Caprice and Roz were digging more deeply into their Thai food when Caprice’s cell phone played.

“I’d better check this,” she said to Roz. “Juan is at the house we’re going to be staging and he might have run into a problem.”

But when she glanced at the screen, she saw Ace’s face.  Uh oh, just what was she going to say to him?  She swiped the screen and put the phone to her ear.  “Hi, Ace.  What’s up?”

“Caprice…”  Ace’s voice sounded strained and very strange.  “I’m at Alanna’s house,” he continued as if there was something wrong with that.

She was sure he’d been at Alanna’s house a lot lately.  “Does Alanna need something?”

“No, she—”  There was silence…absolute silence.

“Ace?  What’s going on?”

“Alanna’s here, Caprice, but the thing is—she’s not breathing.  Her eyes are wide open.  She has no pulse.  I think she was strangled!”

Thank you so much for interviewing me on your blog today, Cindy! It’s exciting to be here and a part of your world!

You live in New Zealand, but you are writing Western Historical Novels?

Yes, although I now reside in New Zealand, I was born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. My family later farmed bison in northern California. My first series begins in the Utah Territory of 1860. I get to use my love of horses, the Pony Express, the wilderness and romance in my stories. I have a gutsy heroine, a tough—but sensitive—hero, plenty of horses and people from many backgrounds to make my stories spicy and chock-full of western adventure!

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

When I was seven, I decided to become an equine (horse) veterinarian. A little later, I heard one needed good grades for that… Sooooo…I stuck to it and made it happen, despite everything that came along! Writing? I’ve always liked writing, but it was mostly personal journals (I have one I’ve kept since I was 14…plenty of story material there!). After veterinary school, I wrote for horse magazines and veterinary journals. There were stories in me, but I was too busy to seriously contemplate them, being a solo mum of two with my own solo equine veterinary practice and a farm. Still have the rest, but they’re older now, and after a serious injury, had to rethink my life. Now, I’m a writer… I take it seriously! I am just starting out, however, and must still feed my family until it takes off! Following an injury four years ago, I’ve limited my time in my equine veterinary dental specialty practice and I relief-teach chemistry, biology and physics at local colleges.

Tell us about your current series.

The Long Trail Quadrilogy is a series of sagas of factual fiction, adventure stories rich in historical detail, following the escapades of Aleksandra and Xavier as they traverse two continents through the1860’s.

Book Two: The Hills of Gold Unchanging, is nearly completed.  

In this sequel to A Long Trail Rolling, Aleksandra and Xavier’s 1860 saga continues over the Pony Express Trail of Utah via the silver and gold mining country of 1860’s Nevada and California and through Old San Francisco to Xavier’s family hacienda, the Californio Rancho de las Pulgas. Secession menaces, with Southerners desirous of dragging the new state from the Union and making it their own—and they will stop at nothing to accomplish it.

 Book Three: A Sea of Green Unfolding is even more complete!

Follow the young couple’s journey to adventure in the turbulent wilderness of 1863 New Zealand. When tragedy strikes in Aleksandra and Xavier’s newly found paradise on their California Rancho, Von Tempsky’s invitation draws them to a peaceful new life in New Zealand—where they arrive to find the land wars between the European settlers and the local Maori have only just begun.

Book Four: A Bold Country Evolving

Aleksandra and Xavier have come a long way to seek a home, but will they find the peace they desire as Aotearoa/New Zealand continues to be divided by strife? Conflicted, their feelings for native peoples at odds with many white settlers, Xavier reluctantly goes to war, leaving Aleksandra alone to negotiate the beginnings of their life in this young country.

I’ve written and published Book One, A Long Trail Rolling, and Book Two is half-completed. Book Three is 85% finished, and Book Four is partially researched! I’m also writing an equine veterinary book for owners and starting some children’s NZ books.

 Do you ever get writers block?

I’ve experienced ‘writers block’, but it my case, it’s laziness and unwillingness to work. To get through it, I just make myself write. Doing NaNoWriMo helps immensely, as you don’t have the leisure to have this dreaded malady. Sometimes I find just doing something different within the realm of my writing helps…maybe starting at a different place in the story, or researching some more. I use Scrivener and it makes it easy to fill in the blanks later!

 What is the most rewarding thing about writing for you?

Making a difference in people’s lives. It is lovely to see people, especially young ones, enjoy my work and understand what I’ve tried to convey. This Facebook message I received from a thirteen year old horse enthusiast I met at a big horse show really tickled me.:

“my book arrived today i can’t wait to read it but i have a thing that if I’m reading a book i have to finish it but the book I’m reading at the moment has like 80 pages to go and i read pretty fast so ill probably be finished it by the end of the night and should be starting your book tomorrow  and i will send you the photo of me, Fiin [her horse] and the book tomorrow ”

The following week, after she’d read it, she was raving. J

 Why did you decide to write romance novels?

Because I love them!

How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

I think there’s a lot of my personality in Aleksandra…her responses are often my own, from an earlier time.. (or maybe now, if I have to admit it…). My life experiences fill my stories, comments people make to me, attitudes I see, the horses I’ve know in my life, surgeries I’ve performed, owners I’ve known in my 25 years as an equine vet.

 What kind of research do you do for a book?

My research is fairly exhaustive. I research the area and time for as much as I can find, then write my story into it. I’ve been writing as an equine vet, with a dental specialty, for years, both for owners as well as other veterinarians and the research comes naturally. The biggest dilemma I find with my researching is I don’t know when to quit!

When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to write your first ms?

I first thought about writing when I met a writer through carriage driving! She was going to a local chapter RWNZ meeting the next weekend and she took me along! The assignment was a 500 word sex scene. Talk about falling into it head first!  That became the start of A Long Trail Rolling! I finalled in a big competition after I’d just written part of it, and that motivated me to keep going! The following year, I won the Pacific Hearts Award, the award of the RWNZ for the best unpublished manuscript of the year! It’s onward and upward from there!

What genre is it?

The genre is a mixed one, which seems to be more accepted now, like the Diana Gabaldon stories. A Long Trail Rolling is a Western Historical Romantic Adventure.

 Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?

I’d be happy to try to write anything, once I let go of my guiding rope of the historical framework to structure my story upon! It’ll come with experience, no doubt! I’d like to write contemporary stories about small-town America.

Tell us about your latest book. What motivated the story?

My latest book.. A Long Trail Rolling… I was inspired you to write A Long Trail Rolling by my love for history, the Pony Express, the wilds of my country of origin, horses, adventure and veterinary medicine. When I was a young teen, I wanted to enter a long distance horse race running over the Pony Express Trail, from coast to coast. It didn’t eventuate, but in A Long Trail Rolling, Aleksandra gets to do what I dreamed of doing.

Where did the idea come from? When did the idea for the book come to you?

I’d just returned from Poland and was thinking of the Polish Immigrants as I researched one of my favourite things, the Pony Express and the history around the time it was running in America. Did you know the ‘Pony’, as it was called only lasted for eighteen months, and several of those months, it wasn’t running at all because of the Indian attacks?

Talking about books, here’s a little bit about my first novel!

If you love horses and watching stroppy chicks getting tangled up with handsome Latino men, (Californio, even better!) you might just enjoy this saga!

Roll on up and have a great read!

~    ~    ~ 

A Long Trail Rolling by Lizzi Tremayne

The Long Trails Series, Book 1

Novel 

Western Historical Romantic Adventure

Blue Mist Publishing

She didn’t expect to become a target, but she is one now!

 It might have been the mare that did it, stopping dead in her tracks, nearly dropping Aleksandra over her shoulder, or maybe it was the flies that buzzed around the blood pooling beneath the butchered man in the Pony Express station doorway. Whichever it was, it got her full attention.

Seventeen year old Aleksandra, trained in the Cossack arts from infancy by her father, finds herself alone and running to prevent her Pa’s killer from obtaining a secret coveted by the Russian Czar, one which could alter the forces of power in Europe. Disguised as a Pony Express rider in 1860’s Utah Territory, she finds herself in even deeper trouble when she rides full speed into the middle of the Indian Paiute Wars. Her Californio boss Xavier has a strength to match her own, but can they overcome their differences before the ever-increasing odds overtake them?

Who might like to read this?

With this debut Western Historical Adventure, Lizzi Tremayne won the 2014 RWNZ Pacific Hearts Award and was a finalist in the 2013 Great Beginnings. A saga of the Old West with a multicultural cast of those who make up America, it would interest readers who enjoy Westerns, horses, American Indians, immigrants, and the Pony Express. It has a capable heroine, strong historical detail, period veterinary treatment and frontier-pushing characters. It has been compared to the work of Phillipa Gregory, Diana Gabaldon and Jean Auel, with a little Laura Ingalls Wilder thrown in.

The Series:

A Long Trail Rolling is the first novel in The Long Trail Quadrilogy of historical adventure sagas following Aleksandra and Xavier from the wilderness of 1860 Utah to Colonial New Zealand.

Author Biography: Lizzi grew up riding wild in the Santa Cruz Mountain redwoods, became an equine veterinarian at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, practiced in the California Pony Express and Gold Country before emigrating to New Zealand. She is the proud mother of two boys in that sea of green. When  not writing, she’s swinging a rapier or shooting a bow in medieval garb, riding, driving a carriage or playing on her farm, singing, or working as an equine veterinarian or science teacher. She is multiply published and awarded in special interest magazines and veterinary periodicals.

Author Links: You can read more about me and what I write, as well as contacting me at:!

Website and blog   Buy Link   Amazon Author page   Goodreads Author page  Pinterest   Twitter A_Long_Trail_Rolling Facebook Page   LizziTremayneWriter Facebook page   LizziTremayne

Here’s a bit of bling from Book 3 

Available from:

Blue Mist Publishing and online.

Click HERE for purchasing options.

~   ~   ~

Book Excerpt

Excerpt ©Blue Mist Publishing/Lizzi Tremayne, 2014, All Rights Reserved

Lookout Pass, she reminded herself as she neared the summit. Glancing north to the distant white tops of the Onaqui Mountains, she swallowed hard as she thought again of her papa and the fossil he’d fossicked for her from its rocky ledges.

The spotted pony broke into a lope over the crest of the hill and began the mile-long descent. Aleksandra’s thoughts filled with memories, she was absentmindedly fingering the fossil inside the medicine bag hung about her neck when she felt the first arrow whizz past her head.

Her heart stopped in its tracks and she flung herself to the left side of the Palouse’s neck in a Cossack hang, lying flat against his side.

‘Yah! Yah! Let’s go, Scout!’ she shouted, throwing the reins at him.

He needed little urging to run full tilt down the steep and treacherously rocky trail as the yells of Indian warriors echoed through the narrow valley. The arrows came hard and fast from the southwest, screaming like a mad bunch of hornets.

Smart. Her lips curved in the hint of a wry grin.

The Indians had placed themselves between the trail and the setting sun, so Aleksandra couldn’t see her attackers in the glimpses she stole,from beneath Scout’s neck, of the world whizzing past. With the ground only three feet from her head, the scent of sage filled her nostrils when Scout crashed through a clump of brush. Briefly considering letting go of one of her death-grip holds onto the racing horse to pull a gun from her holster, something akin to suicide, she tightened her lip in a grimace and stayed put, trusting far more in the Palouse’s speed and handiness to save them. Knowing her weight hanging off to one side had to put him off his best, she tried to stay out of his way, keeping as still as possible, tucked down on the side of the skidding and leaping beast. Praying the cinch would hold, she sent fervent thanks to the pony selectors for their choice of horses.

How I’d love to have my bow and arrows, but I only need to get us through to Doc Faust at Rush—

The Palouse interrupted her musings as he threw up his head and reared, angrily trumpeting and shaking his head for a moment, nearly dropping Aleksandra, then resumed his headlong rush down the hill. When he carried on, she heard whistling sounds with every breath and turned her face forward to see where the noise was coming from.

Then she saw the arrow.

~      ~     ~

Author Links:

Website

Goodreads 

Twitter

Long Trail Facebook

Lizzi T. Facebook

Pinterest

Buy Link

Thanks for reading!

Regards,

Lizzi

Favorite Food/Dessert: I’m a little bit of a sugar addict, so it’s very hard for me to choose only one dessert. Food always tells a story and can set a scene. For example, I love S’Mores because they remind me of sleep-away camp and gathering around a campfire with my bunkmates and roasting marshmallow. A good s’more always has a little dirt from the stick in it. I also love sour with my sugar. Last week, Mr. Silver brought home the new 7-11 sour-patch watermelon slurpee. He knew I’d been anxiously awaiting its debut. He handed it to me with a warning, “It’s super sour. You may not like it.” I slurped that sucker back in a second. It was awesome!

Next Project: I’m currently in the middle of my Alpha Heroes series out with Forever Yours. Hot Nights with the Fireman released on July 14, and book 2, In Bed with the Bodyguard, releases October 13. The covers are so super hot, as are the books.

My Hero: My hero is Jason Moore, an uber-sexy firefighter. But he has a soft side, too, and it mostly centers around his vulnerability regarding his learning disability. He spent all of his elementary and high school years feeling inadequate because of an undiagnosed learning disability. It makes him feel as if he’s not good enough for our ivy-league heroine. But he. Oh, boy is he!

ONE SPARK IS ALL IT TAKES

Everyone in Washington, DC, knows that when the heat is on, you call Valerie Wainwright. This brilliant, brassy PR maven can spin any hot scandal, and she’s never let a client ruffle her feathers. Yet when she agrees to teach DC’s bravest how to handle a media frenzy, she faces an entirely different kind of fire. Keeping things all business and no pleasure is far harder than she expected.

After steamy photos ignite the Internet, firefighter Jason Moore instantly goes from hero to bad boy. While he couldn’t care less about an online rep, he cares a lot about his job and saving lives. If Valerie can help clear his name, he’ll do what she says-even if it means forcing himself to keep his hands off her. But beneath Valerie’s cool cover, Jason feels a smoldering desire that lights his own. And this is one inferno he’ll definitely want to stoke . . .

ISBN: 9781455591343

Release Date: July 14, 2015

Publisher: Grand Central Forever Yours

Price: $3.99 (eBook) $16.00 (paperback)

Word Length: 65,000

Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1c0Rx9s

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1Kst3C7

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1AJ0Q9Z

iBooks: http://apple.co/1EOyia4

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1d9MdBs

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1d9LPTK

About the Author: Romance author, Lynne Silver, writes the popular Coded for Love series and other hot contemporary romance novels, such as Love, Technically. Before writing romance, she wrote fiction of a different sort, drafting press releases for technology corporations. Washington DC is her home (non) state, where she resides with her husband and two sons. She is represented by literary agent, Jessica Alvarez of Bookends LLC. 

Stalker Links:

 Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/tU2O5

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lynnesilverauthor

Website: www.lynnesilver.com

Excerpts:

PR Maven Valerie has her own bad history with house fires. Getting up close and personal with a bunch of firefighters is SO not her idea of fun, but when she gets called in to redeem a group of them who behaved badly, one in particular, catches her eye. 

She looked around the room to see if the firefighter whose hot body graced the pictures was in the house. Hmm. Her eyes scanned the room and then, holy hell, her gaze came to rest on him. It was the firefighter from the picture. The one who could’ve been on a firefighter calendar. He sat stony-faced with a blank notepad and pen at the ready.

In person she saw that his hair wasn’t black as she’d thought, but dark, dark brown, and when the sun streaming through the window hit it, flecks of blond and red came through as if he had flames leaping in the strands of his hair. His massive strong body filled the typical conference room chair, while his muscular forearms rested on the desk at his front.

And his smile in person wasn’t just naughty. It was naughty and knowing, as if to say he knew you wanted him.

Damn him. She kind of…did.

“Before I highlight my plan for rehabbing your image, I’d love to hear what really happened. I don’t like to be surprised. An image on social media tells one story, I want to hear yours.”

To her surprise, all eyes swung, not to the sexy dark-haired man at the front who was at the center of the controversy, but to the back, where Dan the flirt sat with his legs up on a chair in front of him, and his arms folded behind his head.

“What can I say—” he started to drawl.

“You can say nothing other than a clear play-by-play of the events leading up to me being in front of you today,” she interrupted, knowing she needed to get a firm handle on the group of men or they’d walk all over her. “I’m not going to explore the reasons one of you was parading nude with sorority girls in your government place of work, but the fact remains, you let it get photographed. First mistake.”

A hand raised in front. It was him, the firefighter who’d been photographed in the buff, the one whose pictures she stared at long into last night. For work reasons, she’d told herself, strictly professional.

“Yes?” She swiveled to face him.

“I wasn’t naked. I had a towel.” His voice was low, deep, and slightly gravelly. And then the man grinned, and her heart thumped with an uneven jump as her weak legs wobbled. She took a breath as the classroom volume rose with chuckles.