All Things Romantic Suspense: Leanne Dyck

Hey everyone! Today, a few hours off schedule but today nonetheless, we welcome fabulous Canadian author Leanne Dyck, here to talk about The Sweater Curse and her short story contest. Stop by, leave a comment, and be sure to enter her contest!

Take it away, Leanne!

1. Howdy! Please introduce yourself, tell us an interesting fact about you, and if you were an animal, what would it be?

Hi Mindy,

Greetings from sunny Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Writing is a solitary sport, but I’m a team player. I bat for the Crime Writers of Canada, kick for the Victoria Writers Society and am in goal for the Mayne Island Writers’ Group.

When I’m not writing I’m knitting. I was a knitwear designer for approximately nine years. In fact, I changed careers the day The Sweater Curse was published.

2. Tell us a bit about your book--something you wouldn't find in the blurb.

Something you won’t find in the blurb, eh? Well, how about this. The Sweater Curse could serve as your introduction to the rich Icelandic-Canadian culture.

3. What was your inspiration for this story?

Most of my stories are inspired by my life—The Sweater Curse is no exception.

4. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a very flexible plotter.

5. When diving into a new work, how much research do you do and how do you go about doing it?

I’m prepared to do as much, or as little research as required. Research resources that I’ve used include web-based material, books and friends and family.

The Sweater Curse required that I do some research on Icelandic folklore. I found Nelson S. Gerrard’s book The Icelandic Heritage very helpful.

6. If you could be one character from your book, who would it be and why?

I feel I have most in common with the lead character Gwen Bjarnson. Why would I want to be her? Well, let’s see she’s a lot better looking, has a more affluent background and is far younger than I am.

7. And if you had to be stuck in an elevator for 42 hours with one of your characters…?

Definitely, I would choose Jaron Cardew—my perfect man. He’d entertain me while keeping me claim and would ensure that we were rescued.

8. What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Writing the synopsis.

9. Why romantic suspense? Do you write any other subgenres of romance?

The Sweater Curse is a lower case ‘r’ romance, upper case ‘s’ suspense.

Currently, I’m writing a young adult adventure that has elements of romance.

10. What books have most influenced your writing or your outlook on life in general?

One book in particular gave me hope when I had run dry. Joline Godfrey’s Our Wildest Dreams: Women Entrepreneurs Making Money, Having Fun, Doing Good

I’m inspired, encouraged and informed by my fellow authors. Two writing books that have been especially helpful are Stephen King’s On Writing and Nancy Lamb’s The Art and Craft of Storytelling.

11. Quick! The Departed, Shutter Island, or Inception?

Shutter Island

12. Anything I didn't ask you about that you want to shout out to the world?

I’m running a short story contest

Here’s the scope…

Write a short story (500 words or less) about your favourite sweater. Send entries to leanne@oknitting.com The story will be published on the popular Sweater Curse blog (over 5, 000 page views since October, 2010). One lucky contributor will win a copy of the thriller The Sweater Curse. Enter today. Contest ends on March 20, 2011 Visit http://sweatercursed.blogspot.com for details.

Blurb:

Aspiring knitwear designer Gwen Bjarnson is stuck in Purgatory. To escape, she must re-examine her life, journey though her past and right a wrong.

But which wrong?

Young and in love, she works to establish her career, except fate has different plans. One rash act and she loses everything. Never resting, always seeking, and yearning for what she can no longer have, Gwen faces the truth: if she remains, others are destined to die.

How will she solve the mystery before it is too late?

Blog: http://sweatercursed.blogstop.com

Website: www.oknitting.com

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sweater-Curse-ebook/dp/B004IPPJQ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=merchant-items&qid=1295645546&sr=1-1

Decadent Publishing: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=The+Sweater+Curse&osCsid=t3kaqh806hb9bgc1kg566kn80

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/36891

All Things Romantic Suspense: Bri Clark

Hokeydokes. So. Today we welcome Bri Clark, who's here to entertain us with her musings on romantic suspense, noir, and her compelling (and possibly neverending) story. Take it away, Bri.

Howdy! Please introduce yourself, tell us an interesting fact about you, and if you were an animal, what would it be? Hello thanks for having me this is my official bio…. Bri Clark is a real example of redemption and renewal. Growing penniless in the South, Bri learned street smarts while caring for her brother in a broken home. She watched her mother work several jobs to care for their small family. Once her brother could fend for himself, Bri moved on to a series of bad choices including leaving school and living on her own. Rebelliousness was a strong understatement to describe those formative years. As a teenager, her wakeup call came from a fight with brass knuckles and a judge that gave her a choice of shaping up or spending time in jail. She took that opportunity and found a way to moved up from the streets. She ended up co-owning an extremely successful construction business. She lived the high life until the real estate crash when she lost everything. She moved west and found herself living with her husband and four kids in a 900 square foot apartment. She now fills her time, writing, blogging, leading a group of frugal shoppers and sharing her southern culture. Her unique background gives her writing a raw sensibility. She understands what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles. She often tells friends, “I can do poor. I’m good at poor. It’s prosperity that I’m not used to.” Bri and her husband Chris live in Boise. Bri is known as the Belle of Boise for her true southern accent, bold demeanor and hospitable nature. If I was an animal…I’d be a liger…it’s a cross between a tiger and a lion bread for their skills and magic. Sorry…LOL quoting Napoleon Dynamite aka my son.

1. Tell us a bit about your book--something you wouldn't find in the blurb. This is just the beginning for Lucien and Aisleen. Their story will continue into a series of shorts then go into a novel called The Awakening.

2. What was your inspiration for this story? I was working on my novel The Awakening and in it; Lucien and Aisleen were secondary but key characters. In a world building exercise, they just rather took on a story of their own.

3. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser? I’m a planster. I start out with character of plot building ideas but never finish them. The muse will grab me then I’ll just dive into writing the story.

4. When diving into a new work, how much research do you do and how do you go about doing it? I do mainly fiction so my worlds are kind of character driven and the research isn’t as needed. However, for my novel Glazier I had to research a lot about the UK and their speech. Did you know that each area has different speech patterns kind of, like how the US has accents? I looked online of course but the best two forms of research came from reading novels with British males and watching the show Lie to Me. Love that show.

5. If you could be one character from your book, who would it be and why? Aisleen. She is sweet, lovely, and so completely empathetic to everyone. Unlike me, I am selfish, boastful, and downright cocky.

6. And if you had to be stuck in an elevator for 42 hours with one of your characters…? Probably Colin Stryker. He is in Glazier. He’s a physician with the ability to create weapons as well. Extremely intelligent, handsome with a German accent. He would be the most entertaining and soothing for the situation. Of course, I would want to avoid his wife Shae when we got out. She carries a gun and is very possessive.

7. What was the hardest part of writing this book? I don’t know if I will ever finish Aisleen and Lucien’s story.

8. Why romantic suspense? Do you write any other subgenres of romance? Everything I write has two consistent elements—romance and suspense. I do write fantasy and paranormal as well. I’m dipping into doing some Noir thrillers as well.

9. What books have most influenced your writing or your outlook on life in general? I’m very religious and I love the scriptures. Those are books I read every day. They remind me to serve others. I’m so completely slammed with my writing career now and I flourish under pressure but I always make time for others, especially those in our profession.

10. Quick! The Departed, Shutter Island, or Inception? Haven’t seen any of those…so I’m going to stay silent.

11. Anything I didn't ask you about that you want to shout out to the world. Cover art, social media and a great editor is necessary for any successful author.

Blurb for The Familial Witch:

Lucien Lemione the clan leader of the feared and revered Eternals is faced with the ultimate betrayal. His second in command for two centuries has not only created the most grievous of offenses but also commissioned the creation of liquid silver. When poisoned by this toxin, an immortal suffers a fate much worse than death, frozen in an internal prison. After being wounded when found spying, he hides deep within the eerie woods that encircle the Triad Mountains. Desperate and in pain, he prays to an offended mother goddess for help. Her answer: a woman, but not just any woman. A witch.

After losing her entire coven at the hands of the Eternals, Aisleen is the last of her kind. She retreats from the world to Trinity Forest where she is giving the opportunity of a lifetime, or perhaps a test of principles. It’s there she discovers the man she heals is the Eternal that wiped out her people. Although she is bound as a healer, she could be creative in her revenge. Aisleen knows who and what Lucien is…but does not speak of it. There can be no future with Lucien for she can only be with a mortal man. Even if she wanted to be with him, can she forgive the man that caused the genocide of her people?

Lucien must act quickly for the survival of his clan is at stake. However, Aisleen’s ethereal beauty and emerald eyes keep pushing those thoughts far from his mind. Determined to find out what secret she hides, he prolongs his time with her. When his people need him most what will he choose…duty, desire, or will he make his own fate?

You can choose love but you can’t choose destiny.

buy links.....http://www.astraeapress.com/index.html#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=2626120

trailer link....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOjAG1U34EE

Soulgame playlist

It's that time again chickadees. All my zombies and Purge survivors, turn up the volume.

1. Ke$ha - Hungover
1. Various artists - Gloomy Sunday (I like the Emilie Autumn version myself)
1. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
1. The Charlatans - Blackened Blue Eyes
1. Paramore - Let The Flames Begin
1. Green Day - Know Your Enemy
1. Garbage - Medication
1. Flyleaf - Justice and Mercy
1. Krypteria - Get The Hell Out Of My Way
1. Garbage - #1 Crush
1. Krypteria - I Just Drowned In Your Eyes
1. My Chemical Romance - Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back
1. Within Temptation - The Truth Beneath The Rose
1. Styx - Cold War

All Things Romantic Suspense: Kiki Howell

Hey everyone! Today welcome Kiki Howell, author of Torn Asunder.

1. Howdy! Please introduce yourself, tell us an interesting fact about you, and if you were an animal, what would it be? Hi! My name is Kiki Howell, and I am an author of paranormal, erotic romances. While my stories are mystical, in real life I am also a Certified Feng Shui practionioner that lets me work my own sort of magic in homes.

2. Tell us a bit about your book--something you wouldn't find in the blurb. The constant fight to try to be together as their world continues to try to tear them apart creates a myriad of spells both for love and for survival. Writing it, I found my novel, Torn Asunder, to contain some of the most intense magic I have written outside of my short novel, A Modern Day Witch Hunt.

3. What was your inspiration for this story? Actually it was more of a challenge to myself to write a historical set in my favorite period, Regency England.

4. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser? Plotter, definitely from outlines of chapters to story boards.

5. When diving into a new work, how much research do you do and how do you go about doing it? I love the library and shopping online for books. I tend to spend a bit too much time in the research as I love it!

6. If you could be one character from your book, who would it be and why? Oh, definitely my heroine Aubrey. I want her magical skills and her passion for life and her loyalty to those she loves.

7. And if you had to be stuck in an elevator for 42 hours with one of your characters…? Well, then I guess I would have to go with one of my heroes! LOL But, I’m not telling which one ;)

8. What was the hardest part of writing this book? I rewrote it many, many times from a short story to a novella to a novel. I kept taking ending and making them conflicts.

9. Why romantic suspense? Do you write any other subgenres of romance? Actually I think the suspense just came about on its own from the mixing of my many genres. I write in many subgenres from historical to paranormal to erotic romance.

10. What books have most influenced your writing or your outlook on life in general? I do a lot of research in Wiccan books and they have opened my eyes to such a simplistic, natural way to observe and appreciate life.

11. Quick! The Departed, Shutter Island, or Inception? Inception

12. Anything I didn't ask you about that you want to shout out to the world?

February ‘The Month of Romance’ Sale

The Healing Spell $0.99

Rituals $1.99 Ebook

A Modern Day Witch Hunt $2.49 Ebook / $7.99 Print

Torn Asunder $3.49 Ebook / $9.99 Print

Bloodlust & Redemption $3.99 Print

The Healing Spell & Other Stories $ 1.49Ebook / $6.99 Print

Amazon

Look for ebook sale prices also at Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Bookstrand, Smashwords

As always, Bloodlust & Redemption Ebook is available free at All Romance Ebooks and Smashwords; Sexual Magick is available free at Smashwords

Also, check out my Etsy Store for February Bundles!

Kiki Howell spins a wonderful tale of passion, magic, betrayal, and a love that conquers all. Enjoy." ~NY Times Bestselling Author, Hannah Howell

Blurb: Aubrey Griffen is a witch whose true reasons for coming to London soon fall to the wayside when she catches the eye of Edmund Bryant, the Marquess of Dalysbury. He seduces her into a whirlwind romance until the lies and threats of his mother force her to flee to Triaill Brimuir, a secret island of her ancestors off the coast of Ireland. Edmund goes after her only to be hit by Aubrey’s confusion and anger when she magically transforms him into an elemental beast of her own creation.

However, it is when Edmund’s lust mysteriously turns him back into a man that the couple are forced to deal with a family secret and untold of powers. Now, Edmund must learn to shift himself into the beast in order to save her in a battle of black verses white magic.

Fraught with scenes of explicit intimacy, romantic spells and mystical shapeshifting, Torn Asunder is a unique blending of the age of manners with sexual magic.

Genres: Historical (Regency), Paranormal (Witches & Shifters), Erotic, Romantic Suspense

Adult Content Warnings: Explicit Graphic Language, Violence

You can purchase Torn asunder in eBook and Trade Paperback online at retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Smashwords, and Excessica Publishing .

Author Website http://www.kikihowell.com

Praise for Torn Asunder:

Kiki Howell I feel has a major hit on her hands with Torn Asunder. I was so glued to this book that I was up til 4AM reading it, and mind you, I had to be up at 7AM to see my kiddies off to school....lol. I was just so captivated… In between all the chaos our couple must endure is the most breath taking love story. Their hearts and minds are linked for all time by an unforeseen connection that real couples only dream of. On a scale of 1-10 I give this book a 10 and encourage everyone 18 and over to get a copy of this book and fall under Aubrey and Emund's spell. It is so worth the ride. ~5 out of 5 Stars, Review by Raquel Vega-Grieder for Sinfully Tasty Reads

“Torn Asunder is what a Regency novel should be. Prior to this book, I have never had a historical romance keep my interest for more than a chapter or two. Kiki Howell has written a historical novel that sings. Her love for the time period is reflected in every part of the story, from the vivid characters to the clear imagery of her settings. I give Torn Asunder five of five hearts.” ~D. Alexx Miller, Book Reviewer for Romance in the Backseat