#AADSAV Video Interview with TJ Michaels

Niah's Pryde

by TJ Michaels

  

Niah Pryde is no shrinking violet. Not only is she one of the best hunters for S.W.A.T.—the Shifter and Were Armed Tactics agency—but Niah can also network a microwave tower to a satellite surveillance system with her eyes closed, and one well-manicured hand tied behind her back. So...why would she rather hide in the network hub closet than face her mate?

Ryland Lee Lewis is as down-home as they come, from his country drawl to his love of sweet tea. It only took one assignment with Niah Pryde to know she was the one for him. He’s sure she feels it too, but the woman is running faster than a bull out of the chute at a rodeo. What’s a guy to do when his mate won’t see reason? And what kinds of sparks will fly if she dares give him a chance?




You can read a snippet from TJ's upcoming release Seeker’s Solace, Vampire Council of Ethics Book Four by TJ Michaels HERE.

#AADSAV Author on Author Action Part Two With Kristen Painter & Amanda Carlson

This time around Amanda is interviewing Kristen.

If you missed Author on Author Action last time check it out HERE.

This is your 3rd AAD, what do you love best about going? 

I love all the reader interaction, the pace of the conference which allows for fun to be had and real connections to be made and of course, seeing old friends too!


LAST BLOOD comes out July 30th (YAY!). Can you give a teensy teaser? 

Um...lots of fun stuff happens? No? Not good enough? I can tell you this much...no more cliffhangers! And I think the ending will make readers really happy.


What does your writing day look like? Do you write best in the morning? 

I actually write best in the late afternoon and early evening, but when I'm in the zone or closing in on a deadline, I write from about 10 am to 6 pm. Sometimes later.


You've had some really fun jobs in your lifetime. If you weren't a writer right this second, what would you feel like doing? 

Wow, that's a tough one. I really love this job. It's hard to imagine doing anything else. Wait, I know! Professional shopper. That's a thing, right?


You have some exciting things in the works. What's next for you? 

A brand new series! Set in the same world as the House of Comarre series, Crescent City is set in New Orleans and focuses on the fae. There will be some crossover characters too. The first book, House of the Rising Sun, releases May 2014.

Kristen & Amanda at AADNOLA

Other than buying me drinks every night, where are we likely to find you at AAD? 

Hanging out with the cool people. ;o)


I'm wardrobe challenged, so what do you recommend I bring to AAD? 

I'm thinking maxi dresses and flip-flops. That's my new jam.

A little about Kristen: I'm a former college English teacher, but I’ve held a crazy mix of other jobs including maitre’d for Wolfgang Puck, personal trainer, and sales for Christian Dior Bijoux. On the writing side of things, I’m a two-time Golden Heart finalist and have been on the board of three different RWA chapters. What can I say? I like getting involved. I’m not adverse to bossing people around either.direct lender cash advance. 

My forays into writing have been as varied as the jobs I’ve held. I’ve written poetry, articles for magazines, short stories, paranormal romances (that include fantasy, contemporary and steampunk genres) and now I’ve found a home with urban fantasy. I love worldbuilding and few genres give you the kind of license urban fantasy does.

Find out more about Kristen and her books online at:

     

Sabina Kane Read A Long: Interview with Jaye Wells + Giveaway

Welcome to the last discussion in the Sabina Kane series Read a Long. This time around we have a 3 part interview with the author, Jaye Wells. Jenese, Christen and I all had questions for Jaye. So to make sure you visit all three blogs to see the complete interview.

Also this time around there will be a giveaway. Jaye has a new book coming out June 6, Meridan Six. I'm giving one copy to one lucky reader.

Now with further ado check out our interview with Jaye Wells.

I love it when a secondary character steals the show. WTF did the idea for Gighual come from?  

Well ... it's like this: I've had a fascination with hairless cats ever since Rachel got on on Friends. Remember? She was convinced the cat was evil? Anyway, since Sabina was half-mage I thought it would be funny for her to have a hairless cat familiar.

True story: I almost cut Giguhl from the book entirely. Luckily, a smart beta reader talked me out of it and suggested that maybe instead of him already being her familiar he could be sent as a messenger of sorts from someone. I took that idea and ran with it, which is where the initial scene where he tries to kill her came from.

I probably owe that beta reader a drink since without Giguhl I don't think the series would have sold in the first place.

Let's talk love interest. Why Adam and not Slade? (Sorry Mancy) 

Oh, Slade. I like him so much. But in the end, he was not a good choice for Sabina because he is too similar to her. He didn't challenge her to grow. The theme of the entire series is balance. She needed someone who could help her find that sweet spot between her vampire and mage sides. It was all about Sabina's growth and who, in the end, helped Sabina reach that place. To me that person was Adam.

Can we except the same type of dark, sick, twisted humor in your up coming release, Dirty Magic? (Please say yes) 

I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of writing anything without that dark, twisted vein. I can tell you that when my agent read Dirty magic she kept saying, OMG ___ is so creepy. And then she'd giggle. So I guess that's a yes?

Thanks for hosting the read-along for the Sabina Kane series. I'm thrilled people are still discovering Team Awesome!

Head over to Readers Confession & Goldilox and the Three Weres to read the rest of the interview.

After several years as a magazine editor and freelance writer, USA TODAY Bestselling author Jaye Wells finally decided to leave the facts behind and make up her own reality. Her overactive imagination and life-long fascination with the arcane and freakish blended nicely with this new career path. Her Sabina Kane urban fantasy series is a blend of dark themes, grave stakes and wicked humor. Jaye lives in Texas with her saintly husband and devilish son. Her work is represented by Rebecca Strauss of DeFiore and Co.

  

Missed a Discussion? No problem. Check them out below.

1/25/2013: Red-Headed Stepchild
at The Book Nympho
REVIEW
DISCUSSION

 2/22/2013: The Mage in Black
at  Goldilox and the Three Weres 

REVIEW

DISCUSSION

3/29/2013: Green Eyed Demon
at  The Book Nympho 
 REVIEW
DISCUSSION

 4/26/2013: Silver Tongued Devil 
at Readers Confession
REVIEW
DISCUSSION

5/31/2013: Blue-Blood Vamp
at The Book Nympho

REVIEW

Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2
Interview Part 3

Meridian Six

by Jaye Wells

June 6, 2013

Meridian Six remembers the days before the Troika enslaved humans. She also remembers her mother, a freedom fighter who was murdered in the final battle between humans and vampires. But it is her mother’s final words that have haunted her: 

Red means life. 

When M6 finally runs from the vampires who've held her captive, she finds herself used by her own race. Because in a world at war, freedom is a luxury paid for in blood.

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Meet Alexandra Sokoloff - Jonetta talks with the author

 

 

We welcome author Alexandra Sokoloff to The Book Nympho! I first met Alexandra over a year ago when her book, Huntress Moon, was selected as a group read in the Shelfari Mystery & Suspense group. It was a huge hit and Alexandra participated in a discussion with our group. The second book in this series is (finally) available and she's here to talk with us.

Hello and welcome to The Book Nympho, Alexandra! I'm anxious to talk about your book but first want to learn about you personally so let's get started. Your father is a scientist. What was his area of focus and how did this influence your educational and career choices?

• Thanks so much for having me! Who could resist a blog name like that - and your always great questions! My father was a biologist and geneticist, my mother a teacher of mentally gifted and talented children. I guess my parents influenced my career choices by driving me to the complete opposite side of the spectrum: musical theater, dance, and then screenwriting and novel writing. But both my parents are very analytical thinkers, which truly helps with plotting, especially the kinds of complications you need in thrillers and mysteries. And their emphasis on travel and a very broad range of cultural experiences was a fantastic education for writing.

I can see both influences. I've heard so many interesting stories from others who attended UC at Berkeley. What was your most interesting or unusual experience? How do you feel the school may have shaped you in ways other schools may not have?

• Trying to get me arrested, are you? You know, Berkeley was one continuous fascinating and unusual experience. Such a great, vital political, intellectual and musical history. So many brilliant, open minds and exceptional talents. I loved every minute of it... but some of my favorite experiences were the street theater pieces I did with friends – the kind of thing that you now see these days on YouTube under “flash mob.” Theater that hits you when you least expect it, that is such a rush, I think!

Since you majored in theater, did you at one time (or still) have Broadway aspirations? Have you been involved in any major productions since graduation?

• Now that you mention it, I guess I did have Broadway aspirations when I was in high school. But I knew I was really a better dancer than an actress, so I wasn’t really thinking of acting as a viable living. I was already writing by the time I was sixteen. Then I did so much improvisational theater in college and after that I wasn’t that interested in doing Broadway shows. And it wasn’t long after graduating from college that I decided that film writing was the best way for me to make a living at writing, so that was the end of the theater road. But I do get to act (I use the term loosely) on a regular basis with bestselling author Heather Graham’s all-author Slushpile players – we do what I guess you could call musical comedy at various conventions. Huge fun!

I can see you doing that! You really seem to embrace every aspect of the arts and embody it in what you do. What's brought you the greatest joy?

• Dance brings me the greatest joy, it’s an instant ecstatic high. But writing books brings me the deepest satisfaction. Screenwriting brought me the most psychotic rage.

You're not the first I've heard say something similar about screenwriting:) What set you on a writing course? Any reason why you decided to focus on mystery/suspense/horror?

• I started out as an actress in musical theater when I was just a kid. But I very quickly became more interested in the big picture of telling stories. I started directing when I was sixteen. Writing was a natural progression from there. As for my genre focus - although I performed in musicals, I always read much more in the darker genres. I love anything suspenseful and twisty!

How has your experience in the arts influenced your writing?

• Oh, I could never write if I hadn’t done theater and danced as much as I have. Live performance teaches you how to tell a story on a very visceral level. You get instant feedback about what works and what doesn’t. You learn EVERYTHING – plot, character, emotion, timing, suspense, comedy, theme, spectacle. And I think that also particularly translates to a very sensory quality in my writing. I can create suspense and scares as well as I do because of all the live performance. I know what it makes to make people jump!

I can attest to that! You also do screenwriting and adapt novels for film. I imagine that the writing styles are very different from crafting a novel. Does it help or create issues for you when you're writing your books?

• Actually the storytelling aspects of film and novel writing are exactly the same. When I write a book, I think about putting a movie into the reader’s head. I call it “directing onto the page.” The thing that I had to learn that is different in a novel is narrative voice. But film has voice, too – it’s just the most different aspect in terms of the two media.

Tell us about your first book, The Harrowing. What was your motivation in writing it...where did the idea for the storyline come from?

• The Harrowing is a ghost story (or maybe not!) set on an isolated college campus. Five troubled students stay in their spooky old dorm over the long Thanksgiving break, and as they bond, they seem to attract an equally troubled spirit. I had originally written The Harrowing as a script, and we had gotten my top choice for director attached, but as usually happens in Hollywood, he was attached to several movies at once and one of the others got financed first. I was so heartbroken I didn’t want to start over with a new director so I wrote the story as a novel instead. Luckily the book sold right away and I’ve never looked back – writing books is SO much more satisfying than screenwriting! The inspiration for the story – well, I was the kind of teenager who experimented with the paranormal a lot – Ouija boards, Tarot cards, séances in cemeteries, that kind of thing. And when I was sixteen I had what you might classify as a poltertgeist experience, that really made me wonder about whether supernatural phenomena are real or could possibly be evoked by a borderline mental illness, or just the rampant hormones of teenagers. The Harrowing explores those issues in the form of a mystery/thriller.

All of your books to date have some paranormal aspect. Is this a space you plan to continue in?

• I like where I am now with the paranormal aspect in the Huntress series – that is, you can believe there’s something paranormal if you want to, but you can also chalk up any weirdness to just strange life coincidences and the Huntress’s shattered mental state. It’s really more metaphysical than paranormal, I think.

You've written three other standalone novels, also paranormal mysteries. What would you like to share about them?

• My standalones are supernatural thrillers: The Harrowing, The Price, The Unseen, and Book of Shadows. And you could also count my very edgy dark YA, The Space Between. I like to cross mystery, crime, thriller and a bit of the occult, so that a reader is always guessing whether what is happening is supernatural or maybe a prank or a con or drugs or a fragmented mental state. I’m told all the books are very spooky and nail-biting without being gory or exploitive. I like to depict paranormal experiences as they actually occur, pretty realistically. I don’t write creatures, except for in the paranormal mystery series I write with Heather Graham and Harley Jane Kozak: The Keepers and The Keepers L.A. Those are much lighter than my thrillers, and have all kinds of paranormal species in them. They’re more like the musicals I used to do, actually.

Huntress Moon, the first book in your The Huntress/FBI series, was the first book I've ever read that combined a traditional FBI mystery with paranormal elements. It ended with so many issues unresolved and our group went off the boards with speculation. Were you already certain of the storyline at that point?

• I knew the basic plot for Blood Moon by the time your group was reading Huntress Moon, but a lot of things changed during the writing. Your group notes and discussion really helped clarify how I felt about where the story should go. Thank you! And then the characters always have their own ideas, of course…

Well, we just responded to a pretty compelling story! FBI agent Matthew (Matt) Roarke is one of the main characters in the series. What do you think is important for us to know about him? Who have you modeled him after or is he a complete figment of your imagination?

• You always ask questions that make me think. Honestly it’s always hard to say where a character comes from. But I tend to write books with equal male and female characters who are two halves of a whole. I knew who the Huntress was first, because she drives the stories. She’s the criminal, so as in most police procedurals, she acts, and the law enforcement characters react. So for the love story, if you can call it that, Roarke had to be someone who was the male half of her, in his way. And they are also two halves of a crime-fighting whole, in a twisted way. But that’s being analytical in a way that is a little simplistic!

That is exactly how they both are coming across! We were very conflicted by the Huntress character (name withheld purposely). Were you deliberately hoping your readers would have a tough time with their feelings about her? Is there a specific point you're trying to make?

• Thanks for no spoilers!! Oh, yes, the ambiguity of readers’ feelings is one of the best things about this series! I love getting the emails from readers about how they are struggling with what they want to have happen. And I get surprising interpretations of what she’s doing and why. It’s fantastic. I am not trying to make a specific point; I want to encourage thought about good and evil, justice and retribution. But of course all of these questions become more interesting when it’s a woman who is doing what the Huntress is doing. You just don’t see it that often, and it’s easier to justify and excuse, even.

I'm definitely conflicted:) In both of the stories, there's a suggestion that we may have a special sense, something more than a sixth sense, more like an ability to detect the spirits of others, especially if it's dark or malevolent. Am I making this up or is this what you were hoping your readers would capture?

• You are right on the money, as usual. I truly believe that we have very sharp instincts about danger and evil. And of course, good and light! When I was probably nine years old, I was walking home from school and I was approached by a child molester who had been preying on other children in the neighborhood. I had an instant sense of not-rightness about this man, and I ran from him. Was that psychic, or just an innate human survival instinct? I believe we know more than we give ourselves credit for, and that that sense can be developed, as the Huntress has.

Agents Roarke and Epps had a symbiotic rhythm in the first book that seems to be disrupted in Blood Moon. Perhaps Epps is grounding Roarke or is this the beginning of a different relationship between them?

• Personally I feel that Epps is Roarke's friend, yes, but also symbolically Roarke's conscience. Epps is not very happy with Roarke in Book 2. And he shouldn't be. More to come in Book 3, believe me! Epps of course has his own life that Roarke is oblivious to. Also to come in Book 3!!!

So you DO have plans for more books in this series! YES!

• There is absolutely a Book Three, I’m writing it now. Lots more trouble ahead for Roarke…

What's next for you? Do you have plans for any other stories to develop?

• I’m hoping I can just concentrate on Book 3 of the Huntress series and get that out as soon as possible. There may be a fourth Huntress thriller after that, I don’t know yet! And I’m sure during the writing some completely other book idea will come up. There are always several stories cooking back there in my head. One of them right now is so dark I’m afraid to go there…

Alexandra, thank you for agreeing to join us today. It's been a pleasure and I think you're fascinating. Blood Moon was just released last month and is now available on Amazon.

I'll let you have the last word to share with our followers.

Well, I think you’re fascinating, too! I’m just thrilled that the series is attracting thoughtful readers like you and the Shelfari Mystery/Suspense group. It makes the writing such a multidimensional experience! I really appreciate the chance to talk about the books.

Alexandra Sokoloff is a California native and the daughter of scientist and educator parents, which drove her into musical theater at an early age.

At UC Berkeley (a paranormal experience all on its own) she majored in theater and minored in everything that Berkeley has a reputation for. She wrote, directed and acted in productions from Shakespeare to street theater; trained in modern dance; directed and choreographed four full-scale musicals; spent a summer singing in a Montana bar; and graduated Phi Beta Kappa, which is a miracle considering—well, never mind that.

After college Alex moved to Los Angeles, where she has made an interesting living writing novel adaptations and original suspense and horror scripts for numerous Hollywood studios.

The Harrowing, her debut ghost story, was nominated for both a Bram Stoker Award (horror) and an Anthony Award (mystery) for Best First Novel. The book is based on a real poltergeist experience from her high school years. She is the author of the paranormal mystery/thrillers The Price, The Unseen and Book of Shadows and is the winner of the Thriller Award for her story "The Edge of Seventeen."

Alex is also the author of Screenwriting Tricks for Authors, a workbook based on her internationally acclaimed blog and writing workshops.

Huntress Moon, the first in the Huntress/FBI thriller series, has just been nominated for a Thriller Award in the brand new category of Best E Book Original Novel.

Connect with Alexandra: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Blog / Pinterest

#AADSAV Hanna Martine Stops By

Introduce yourself to our readers:

Hi there! I'm Hanna and I love to write sexy books. (chorus: Hi, Hanna). I'm a travel fiend, addicted to new experiences and places and cultures. I am neither extrovert nor introvert, needing to be both at various points in my life. While I live in the suburbs of Chicago and claim to hate suburban life, I do need my private outdoor space and would probably suffocate in the city I so dearly love. I have a wonderful five year-old daughter whom I live for and a hysterically funny husband of twelve years.

Tell us a little about your books?

I write two difference series for Penguin/Berkley Sensation: the Elementals (paranormal romance) and the Highland Games (contemporary romance).

The Elementals follows the different races who command the classic elements: earth, air, water, fire, spirit. They live in secret in the modern day, carefully circling around each other while trying to co-exist with humans. The first book, LIQUID LIES, is about Gwen, the future leader of the water elementals and Reed, the human mercenary who kidnaps her. The follow-up, A TASTE OF ICE, is about Xavier, an escaped magic slave, and Cat, the sweet water elemental who doesn't know what she is. A novella, "No Surprise More Magical," was recently published in the anthology UNBOUND, and it follows David and Kelsey, two water elementals with a broken arranged marriage dealing with the aftermath of LIQUID LIES. I'm writing the third book, DROWNING IN FIRE, right now and it will come out in 2014. I love writing paranormal romances for their serious issues, sweeping conflict, and the absolutely scorching hot love scenes.



The Highland Games books are completely different. They are fun, flirty and really sexy. Set against the backdrop of the modern-day Scottish Highlands Games taking place in summertime New England, the books follow the life and loves of some outstanding characters involved in the games' production. The first book, LONG SHOT, is about Jen, a big NYC event planner who returns to the small New Hampshire town of her youth to save the local Highland Games, only to come up against Leith, the local athletic hero who's won the games three years in a row but has since hung up his kilt. I am sooooooo excited to get this book into readers' hands! It releases October 1, 2013.

The second Highland Games book will be about Shea, the country's foremost whiskey expert, and Byrne, a Wall Street money guy during the week and a rugby bruiser on the weekend. That will release in 2014.


I see you are no stranger to book conventions but is this your first AAD convention?

It is! I had heard amazing things about AAD over the years. Right after the publication of my first book, LIQUID LIES, I contacted AAD about being a Featured Author in 2013 and was so thrilled to have been chosen. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with readers in person and meeting some of my favorite authors too. Readers are wonderful, wonderful human beings and I live to make them smile.

Since you write about elementals do you plan on dressing up for the Elemental Ball? If so what elemental will you pick?

I do plan on dressing up! I am one of the hosting authors for the Elemental ball and I will be on FIRE. I have no idea what that means yet, but I'll think of something.

Have you ever been to Savannah, GA? If so any site seeing a newbie needs to see? Any favorite local restaurant?

I visited Savannah on a day trip over a decade ago. I remember the tiny, lushly green squares dotting the historical areas, and the hanging moss that is just so uniquely Southern and utterly foreign to my Midwestern eyes. We wandered through giant antiques warehouses, ogling at the gorgeous things we'd never be able to afford. I distinctly recall drooling over a Victorian style bar that was complete with shelves, stained glass windows and bar stools, and was bigger than my entire living room.

Do you have any site seeing plans while in Savannah?

I literally have had no time to plan anything yet! Since I'm headed to a bunch of different conferences and conventions this year, I've been tackling them one at a time. In July I'll start looking into places I want to see. I love historical spots. Any suggestions?

Some quickie questions:

Favorite adult beverage?

All of them? Hehe. If pressed--if I absolutely had to choose--I'd go with beer. Hoppy India Pale Ales are my favorite, porters and red ales a close second. But never, ever the watered-down lager that passes for beer in America. I own a tank top that says: "Real women don't drink light beer." Amen.

Favorite singer?

I seem to favor the Irish. For men, I adore Bono. If he showed up at my house saying, "Come on, let's go" I wouldn't even grab my toothbrush. My husband understands this. For women, Sinead O'Connor possesses the most powerful, deeply emotional voice I've ever experienced. I own everything she's ever put out, and her sound still gives me chills.

Favorite vacation spot?

A tough one because I dislike returning to the same place over and over. I have a wandering soul and I thrive on new experiences. Favorite trips ever include Scotland, the Big Island of Hawaii, Western Australia, and Las Vegas.



Hanna Martine left a decade of office work in order to show her daughter what it meant to go after one's dream. She loves bar stools, books, travel and her friends. Though she and her family live outside Chicago, her heart resides in Australia.

You can find Hanna online at:
Website - Twitter: @Hanna_Martine - Facebook

#AADSAV Author on Author Action With Amanda Carlson & Kristen Painter

Author Kristen Painter interviews author Amanda Carlson on her upcoming release, HOT BLOODED, and going to Authors After Dark in Savannah, GA is summer.

How do you feel your writing has improved since meeting me? 

Geez, that’s so hard to measure. Your prowess as a writer is legendary and just being around you has improved my writing as well as my wit. But, seriously? It has improved, because being able to chat about writing to other authors is so necessary. You’ve helped train me from the puppy I once was to the Best in Show I am today. HA!

Availale Now

Besides me being there, what are you looking forward to most at Authors After Dark in Savannah? 

I love cons where there’s enough time to interact and meet everyone. I’m doing drinks TWICE with readers (one opportunity with Amanda Bonilla & one with Julie Kenner), so if you’re signing up, look for a chance to come and have a drink with me. I’m seriously looking forward to Savannah. It’s been years since I’ve been there and it’s such a beautiful city.

These werewolf books you write, they're based on your true life personal experiences, right? 

Of course! Jessica is my twin in every way. We were both raised in MN and…um…er…that’s about as far as it goes. But do I WISH I was a kickass werewolf. Does that count?

April 23, 2013

What super power would you most like to have? 

Fly. I know everyone says that, but man, you could go anywhere at any time. I could be writing on the beach all day and fly home in time for dinner. Awesome. Or maybe I’d just fly outside Tom Hardy’s window and sit for a spell. Priceless.

How do you write on a day you don't feel inspired? 

I try and make myself accountable. Doing #wordwars on Twitter (#1k1hr) helps a lot on those days you just don’t feel inspired. It’s hard to wear your thinking cap day in and day out, so making sure you get those words in is key. Then if they’re wrong, you can go back and change them later. Usually, when I go back and edit, I know what should go there if a scene is not sitting right.

Oct 2013

Where can we find you online? 

Most of the time I’m talking to you on Twitter or Facebook. I’m all over social media in the usual haunts. Come find me and we’ll chat!


Thanks for having us stop by! Be sure to look for me interviewing Kristen this summer when LAST BLOOD comes out!

Hot Blooded 

(Jessica McClain #2)

 by Amanda Carlson 

Expected publication: April 23rd 2013 by Orbit

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps.

Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

All in a day's work for a girl.

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties...

    

Amanda is a Minnesota girl, born and bred. She started writing stories about teenage girls and their social missteps while in high school. She's been writing for over ten years, but began writing fiction in earnest after her second child was born.

Her book, Full Blooded, is a face-paced, action filled urban fantasy, the first in the Jessica McClain series. It will be released by Hachette Book Group by both ORBIT US & UK SEPT 2012. Full Blooded is her first novel. She lives in Minneapolis, with her husband and three kids.

You can find her on various social media sites, Facebook and Twitter. Stop by for a visit! All links and information can be found at amandacarlson.com.

Check out my review for FULL BLOODED.

Review for HOT BLOODED coming soon.

Amanda & Kristen

#AADSAV Author of the Wicked, Delilah S. Dawson Stops by

Help me welcome the lady with the twisted imagination that brought you blood sucking bunnies and the sexy vampire Gypsy, Ms. Delilah S. Dawson to The Book Nympho today.

Thanks so much for having me! I am prepared for peen this time. Not like on Twitter. :)

I’m going to just throw this out there…..Where the feck did you come up with the idea for Sang?

I know it's a horrible cliché, but... it came from a dream. I was watching a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the time and listening to the album Like Vines by The Hush Sound. And I had this dream that I woke up naked on a slab of rock in a forest, and suddenly there was this painfully hot dude standing there in a top hat and tailcoat. He opened his mouth, and it was like Spike from Buffy and Captain Jack Sparrow had merged. That was Criminy Stain, and I had to come up with a reason to write about him. The entire world of Sang revolved around him-- why he was a blood drinker but not a vampire, why he was out in the forest, what kind of magic he had used to bring a girl from another world. I built the entire world just so Criminy would keep talking.

The clockwork animals are wonderfully creepy. Why did you pick the animals that you did and not some of the other “normal” circus type animals?

Thanks! The thought process behind the clockwork animals at the caravan was that if you could build any animal you wished, wouldn't you choose the weird ones? The polanda bear was the first one I thought of, because I couldn't decide between a polar bear and a panda bear and my fingers decided for me; I just knew he juggled and rose a unicycle. Then I tried to think of animals that would be strange and exotic and figure out what they could be programmed to do to entertain city folk. Honestly, I was just trying to make it as magical and bizarre as possible!

I must admit the first thing that drawled me to reading Wicked as They Come, was the bludbunnies. Do you have issues with bunnies like Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Nope! I love bunnies. I used to have a dwarf Himalayan who liked to play my electric keyboard, and in college, I ran the small animal room of a pet shop. But I was also a huge fan of Bunnicula and Monty Python, and Watership Down was my favorite book for years. I love the idea of something that seems sweet and innocent suddenly biting your face off. During release week last year, a fan actually hand-crocheted a beautiful bludbunny with fangs for me. Scared the crap out of me when I opened the box!

Funny you mention Bunnicula, when I was reading Wicked as They Come I told my husband about the bludbunnies and he said that they reminded him of Bunnicula. I'll have to check the book from my library one day.



Speaking of Buffy…when I mentioned on Twitter that I picture Criminy as looking like Jack Sparrow with a top hat you said that he was a mix of Jack and Spike. Can you go into more detail about that pairing?

Ha! I did that in the first question! GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE! I love the combination of swagger and whimsy and power, that a guy can be so thoroughly capable and confident that he can be foppish and beautiful and strange and just not give a crap. My favorite Spike moment is when he's in his crypt painting his nails black, and Buffy shows up unexpectedly and makes fun of him, and he's totally SHRUG/COME AT ME, BRO. The Captain Jack bit is where the swagger and fun come in. As a Bludman, Criminy is long-lived and hard to kill, so he had a sense of humor about life and yet is very dangerous and in touch with his feelings. So, basically, to me, a perfect guy.

Do you have a character/celebrity mix for Tish?

When I was writing her, I thought of her as Jennifer Garner or Ashley Judd, but age-wise, I would now go with Ginnifer Goodwin. To be honest, I was still trying to write an “everywoman” when I wrote her, someone who wasn't amazingly gorgeous, who didn't stand out. Since then, I've paid much closer attention to crafting unique heroines.

What tidbits can you give us on this month’s release, Wicked as She Wants?

Wicked as She Wants is my attempt to make Casper (from Wicked as They Come) the most attractive man in the world... and to counter Tish with a feisty, kick-ass heroine who blazes through her story. It started with the premise that Princess Anastasia Romanov was a Bludman and grew from there. It's an adventure/journey like Wicked as They Come and includes the same mix of danger and wacky hijinks. There's an airship bordello, a fight with unexpected blud animals, and a masquerade ball. And I kicked the sex scenes up a notch, too!

You also mentioned that if the Blud series ends with book 3, that you might Kickstart or Self-Pub the rest of the series. How many books do you have planned for the series? Do you have a working title for book 3?

Book 3 will be WICKED AFTER MIDNIGHT and follows a bludded contortionist from Criminy's caravan to the cabarets of Paris. If someone wanted three more books, I could keep sending my characters to different places in Sang-- Almanica, Australia, and Egypt would be tons of fun! The idea to Kickstart or self-pub a Blud book came from the fact that I purposefully left Wicked as They Come the tiniest bit open; it was a happily ever after... but not completely. It's one of the biggest complaints I get from my readers, actually. I have a story arc for Crim and Tish in my mind and would love to write it to make the series feel complete, for the readers and for myself.

How excited you are about AADSAV?! I went to AADNOLA last August and it was a blast. Do you have any site seeing planned while you’re in Savannah? I’ve never been so I’m looking for things to do.

Very excited! I've never been to Authors After Dark, but the authors I know rave about it. My husband is from Savannah, and my YA paranormal SERVANTS OF THE STORM is set there, so we go at least once a year. My brother in law is the Dread Pirate Robert, a Savannah pirate who gives tours in a horse-drawn carriage, and my favorite thing in Savannah is to go for a ride downtown. He even stops for cupcakes and Starbucks for us. I also like exploring River Street and eating fried crab claws, which are a favorite food from my childhood.

Thanks for stopping by to chat and I can’t wait to crack open Wicked as She Wants! See ya at AADSAV in August.

Thanks so much for letting me stop by!

Sierra Dean Stops By

One of my favorite Urban Fantasy authors stops 

by today to answer a few questions. 

Help me welcome Sierra Dean the author 

of the Secret McQueen series.

• What teasers can you give us about this month’s new release in the Secret McQueen series, Grave Secret? 

Ohhh, that’s tricky because I’m just finishing Secret Unleashed right now so I don’t want to spoil anything too far ahead. I will say it picks up RIGHT after the cliffhanger ending from Keeping Secret and not all of our beloved characters will be returning once Grave Secret is over.

• You have 8 books listed on your website for the Secret McQueen series; will the 8th book, A Secret to Die For, be the last in the series?

A Secret to Die For is the last book in the series, and I DO know how the whole thing ends. No, I won’t give anything away, but the final few scenes of the series have been planned since book 2.

• Do you have any tentative release dates for Secret Unleashed, Cold Hard Secret and A Secret to Die For?

Secret Unleashed will be out this fall, likely in October. The final two books will both be released in 2014, one earlier in the year and one towards winter, though I can’t say with any certainty the exact months yet.

• You also wrote a story on one for the side characters from Secret’s world, Shane (Low Down Dirty Shane). Do you plan to write anymore about Shane or any other side characters?

Shane’s novella is intended to be the first in a 3 novella series (Misfits & Mayhem). As of right now the other two novellas are going to be about Nolan and Tyler (two of my favorite men in Secret’s world).

August 2013

• You’ve step out of the paranormal world with your new Boys of Summer series. What made you want to write Pitch Perfect?

I love, love, love baseball. I think if you opened up the dictionary to “Baseball Fan” there would probably be a picture of me in there. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at a contemporary romance for awhile since I love them, but I wanted to wait until I had the right story. I decided it didn’t get much more perfect than combining my two passions. I’m getting really good early response to Pitch Perfect so I’m hoping people like that new side of me just as much as they like Secret.

Grave Secret 
Secret McQueen Book 5 
March 2013

Sometimes a secret goes to the grave. Sometimes Secret puts you there.

It’s been a hell of a year for Secret McQueen, and the last thing in the world she wants is to get caught up in werewolf drama. But when her former fiancé Lucas Rain shows up asking for her help, she knows there’s no easy way out.

After making it known she wants nothing to do with him, Secret agrees to help find Lucas’s wayward sister Kellen. After all, how much trouble could one socialite get into in the city that never sleeps?

Unless that socialite has been spirited away by fairies.

Trying to track down a missing girl in an alternate reality is just the start of Secret’s problems, though. Someone appears to be killing teenagers, and the MO looks eerily similar to something for which the half-fairy oracle, Calliope, might be responsible. Throw in a rogue wolf pack claiming allegiance to Secret’s mother, Mercy, and she’ll have miles to go before she rests.

Warning: This book contains a promise fulfilled, sex that’s out of this world, and more heartache than one hybrid assassin can handle.

Sierra Dean is a reformed historian. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies and is allowed annual exit visas in order to continue her quest of steadily conquering the world one city at a time. Making the best of the cold Canadian winters, Sierra indulges in her less global interests: drinking too much tea and writing urban fantasy.

Ever since she was a young girl she has loved the idea of the supernatural coexisting with the mundane. As an adult, however, the idea evolved from the notion of fairies in flower beds, to imagining that the rugged-looking guy at the garage might secretly be a werewolf. She has used her overactive imagination to create her own version of the world, where vampire, werewolves, fairies, gods and monsters all walk among us, and she’ll continue to travel as much as possible until she finds it for real.

She’s also a book lover (of course!), obsessive collector of OPI nailpolish and the owner of way too many pairs of shoes.

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