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Saturday, November 29, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Undead Obsessed: Finding Meaning in Zombies by Jessica Robinson
Zombie Appeal
By Jessica Robinson
My obsession with zombies began when I was in junior high,
the first time I saw Night of the Living
Dead. I remember being scared, but not
cover-my-eyes-I’m-going-to-scream-my-lungs-out scared. I didn’t jump, but there
was this uneasiness that settled over me. I was afraid to look out my bedroom
window at night for fear that the same lifeless eyes that the creatures in the
film had would be looking right back at me. I glanced over my shoulder while
walking down the street to make sure some slow-moving corpse wasn’t following
me. For a while, I avoided cemeteries.
As time went on, and access to zombie media has grown, so
has my obsession. Zombies have overrun the population. They are in books,
movies, video games, and on TV. There is hardly a facet of life that zombies
haven’t overrun. The proliferation of zombie films inspired me to examine
society’s fears.
I had a professor in college who told me that every film has
a message, but if you really want to know what society is afraid of, watch
horror. Zombie films portray a lot of social fears, including religion, gender,
classism, and race, but what I wanted to focus on was science. The vast
majority of zombie films I have watched in my life had a scientist or science
in them in some way—usually in an unflattering role. Using film, literature,
and interviews with experts, Undead
Obsessed examines how zombies portray real human fears, including my own,
of scientific phenomenon such as epidemics, mind control, what may or may not
exist in space, and the repercussions of playing God.
The popularity of zombies has grown exponentially in the
last decade. Novels dealing with the undead have been published in droves, even
spurring the creation of independent zombie-specific publishers such as
Permuted Press. Weekly ratings ending on March 30, 2014, revealed that The Walking Dead was ranked number one
with 15.678 million viewers. World War Z
grossed $540,007,876 worldwide. There is a fascination with zombies. This book
will appeal to those love zombies. It will appeal to those who want to explore
public reactions to science, including fear, and if there is a way to alleviate
those fears. It will also appeal to science buffs who are interested in the
science behind the possibility of zombies.
Undead Obsessed: Finding Meaning in Zombies
Jessica Robinson
Genre: Nonfiction, pop culture
Publisher: Booktrope
Date of Publication: October 31, 2014
ISBN: ISBN-10: 1620155923
ISBN-13: 978-1620155929
Number of pages: 202
Cover Artist: Greg Simanson
Book Description:
Jessica Robinson's obsession with zombie films started when she was in junior high. Horror films are a great lens to examine concerns society has about modern science. Let’s face it, when it comes to horror movies, science has a bad reputation. Blind ambition, experimental serums, and genetic experiments are often blamed for the giant monster terrorizing the city or the reason aliens are taking human prisoners or the cause of the dead rising from the grave to consume living flesh.
Using film, literature, and interviews with experts, Robinson examines how zombies portray real-world fears such as epidemics, mind control, what may or may not exist in space, the repercussions of playing God, and the science behind the fears. Robinson's goal is to explore how zombies become a metaphor for our fears of science and what could happen if science gets out of hand.
Available at Amazon
About the Author:
Jessica Robinson is an editor by day and a zombie-killer by night (at least in her books). Since the first time she watched Night of the Living Dead, she has been obsessed with zombies and often thinks of ways to survive the uprising. In addition to her nonfiction book, under the pen name Pembroke Sinclair, she has written YA novels about zombies and the tough teens who survive the apocalyptic world. She has also written nonfiction stories for Serial Killer Magazine and published a book about slasher films called Life Lessons from Slasher Films.
You can learn more about Jessica by visiting her at http://pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pembroke.sinclair
Submit Your Zombie Survival Plan
You know you've thought about it. You know you've planned it out.
How would you survive the zombie apocalypse?
I’m un-dying to know!
Send your essays (500 words or less) or videos to pembrokesinclair[@]hotmail[.]com or use the contact form at www.pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com .
Please don’t send attachments. I won’t open them. Please paste your story or link directly in the body of the email or the contact form. Thanks!
Terms: Sending your stories/videos to Pembroke Sinclair/Jessica Robinson gives her permission to post them on her blog, Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media sites (including, but not limited to, Google+, Goodreads, etc.). You retain copyright, but give her permission to share with others for no compensation. This is totally voluntary on your part.
You warrant that you are the sole owner of the work or have been assigned exclusive rights to the work; that the work is original and that no part was taken from or based on any other literary, dramatic, or musical material, or from an film or graphic arts, except identified in writing by author; that the work does not contain any material of libelous, pornographic, or obscene nature.
You agree to hold Pembroke Sinclair/Jessica Robinson harmless and indemnify her against any claim, demand, action, suit, proceeding, or any expense whatsoever arising from claims of infringement of copyright or proprietary right, or claims of libel, obscenity, invasion of privacy, or any other unlawfulness based upon or arising from the publication or any matter pertaining to the work.
Submission of your work means you agree to these terms. Pembroke Sinclair/Jessica Robinson reserves the right to decide what will be published on her blog and other social media sites and has the right to refuse any work.
Interview with Ky Lehman
Please share a little about yourself, your genres,
any other pen names you use.
I am
novelist, a children's author, a teacher of swimming and water safety, wife to
my high school sweetheart and the proud mother of our three very tall teenage
sons. I live in the Yarra Ranges, Victoria, Australia with my husband, our
children and our menagerie of furry babies! And, in the writing world, I am known
as both Ky Lehman and Kylie Lehman.
Are you a mom ?
Yes, to three teenage boys, two of which
a twins…and I am happy to report that I am still sane! For now…
If yes do you find it hard to juggle writing and
parenting?
Yes! But, it is one of the few ways I know how to switch off and
unwind, so hell or high-water, I make sure I find the time! Writing THE 13TH
DESCENT took eighteen months of nabbing an hour here and five minutes there
during the school terms, and writing flat out during the school holidays, all
while hearing my husband and sons say to each other in distant the background,
“Don’t bother. She’s in the zone…”
Is there a theme or message in your work that you
would like readers to connect to?
When a family member suddenly died young, I started to question what I
believed in, and found that as a free thinking adult, the answers provided by the religion I was raised in
wasn't enough. So, I read, and I researched all of the religions I could think
of, and although I found that every faith has its own beauty and wonder, other
questions were then raised: Man's rules? God's rules? amongst many others. In
short, Ren, Mike, Josh, Benni Dhoo, and all of the other personalities
introduced in THE 13TH DESCENT each represent a piece of the puzzle I am still
trying to put together, as they all find their own way to the one true constant
of every era, country and religion that has ever existed: love.
What would your readers be surprised to learn about
you?
I always win handstand competitions in the pool.
I’ve been told that I make a richly-mean spaghetti bolognaise. I paint
landscapes - not well - but I love it! I am good with animals - especially
fluffy ones – I get cuddles from the apparently shy ones, and I’ve been told
that I have a knack of chilling out the uppity ones, but I don’t know how - I’m
not exactly the most chilled-out person!
Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is
your favorite and why?
Ren, because she well-practised trailblazer! Even
though she doesn't remember or acknowledge that about herself right away. She
is loved by people from all walks of life, and adored by those special few who
have seen behind the armour, and she has so much love to give, but instead of
allowing herself to embrace, revel and grow in all that love, she insists on
restraining and harnessing it, riding high up on its back in the one position
where she doesn’t have to look it directly in the face like it is a war horse
with the strength to carry her – and the baggage of the twelve ‘her’s’ before this
one – as she charges headfirst into the bloody battle she has fought for
millennia against her history, her family name, and the men who love her.
If this book is part of a series…what is the next
book? Any details you can share?
I am currently writing Book Two of The
Rosefire Trilogy: THE 13TH RISING. Let’s just say that Ren finally
discovers where her heart truly lies, and as a result, she gets her head on
straight and develops a clear line of sight, so God help anyone that gets in
her way!
What book are you reading now?
Outlander- also known as Cross Stitch -
by Diana Gabaldon
What is in your to read pile?
The rest of The Outlander series - the
seven books that follow Cross Stitch!
The 13th Descent
The Rosefire Trilogy
Book One
Ky Lehman
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Adventure
ISBN-13: 978-1501015458
ISBN-10: 1501015451
ASIN: B00NOH18F2
Number of pages: 190
Word Count: 66600+ words
Book Description:
One Choice Can Make an Immortal Human
But What Choices Need to Be Made to Go Back Again?
The revolutionary year following Serenay "Ren" Avalon's eighteenth birthday could rival Clark Kent's entire adolescence.
After her mother and her grandmother were killed in a car bomb explosion at the heart of their sleepy hillside town where nothing extraordinary usually happens, she discovers that her mother is actually alive and in hiding, her long lost father is a Father, and her best friend, who turns out was once an Archangel, has taken a gargantuan step back in his evolution to live on Earth with her for the past thirteen lifetimes. And besides being the only one in her immediate circle with a serious case of past life dementia, she learns that during her first lifetime, she was married to one of the greatest teachers history has ever known who is now the gorgeous lead singer of a hot new rock band taking the world by storm, and who is keen to meet up with her again in the twenty first century.
As Ren realizes that the powerful family name she bears also brings with it the promise of an unnatural death, she is reminded that it has always brought hope to people on both sides of the veil, human and Tor. As the world draws closer to being completely shrouded by the dark cloaks of her age-old enemies, the Bloodstones, she now, more than ever before, has to draw strength from her origins to protect her family and their ancient truth from this global force responsible for torturing and killing centuries of her ancestors.
As she struggles to unearth who she was, who she is, and who she chooses to be, as well as the expectations of her first mortal love and the heavenly love she has always guiltily denied, she has until midnight on the Solstice find a way to bring light to a compromised heart and to a world on the brink of perpetual darkness.
This first book in The Rosefire Trilogy by debut YA author, Ky Lehman, is a reminder of how the choices we make in the throes of love, loss, hope, and adversity are what makes the divine human, and the human divine.
Available at Amazon
About the Author:
Ky Lehman is a novelist, a children's author, a teacher of swimming and water safety, wife to her high school sweetheart and the proud mother of their three very tall sons. She lives in the Yarra Ranges, Victoria, Australia with her husband and their children where she is currently writing the second book in The Rosefire Trilogy, The 13th Rising.
@KyLehman13
https://www.goodreads.com/kylehman
Reviews
"This book packed so much, it’s almost impossible to summarize in a few centuries. Ren is pretty awesome. Despite all the weird things she hears, and everything that’s going on, she manages to keep her head above water and to bravely shoulder it all. The romance storyline was interesting too, and it added an extra dimension to the book.
Like I mentioned, it’s tough to describe how cool this book is. The writing is fun, the characters are amazing, the plot has so many twists and turns I barely could keep up with it, and overall, it’s a blast to read. Highly recommended to all fans of paranormal romance." ~ I'm an Eclectic Reader
Interview and Giveaway: Dragon and Flame by Zoe Perdita
Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming
release.
Dragon & Flame is about Jin Yue, a powerful
dragon shifter and crime boss and the man who tames him. Sort of. Rory get
roped in to one of Jin’s plots, but everything doesn’t go as planned. Love
wasn’t part of the deal, but what can you do?
What would your readers be surprised to learn about
you?
I’m pretty open, so I’m not sure how to surprise
anyone further. How about this: I once asked a guy who was trying to break up with
me over the phone (back in the 90’s, mind you) if he could hurry up because I
wanted to watch The Simpons. He didn’t hurry up, and I missed the episode. Some
people!
When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have
any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
Besides spending far too much time fooling around on
the Internet, I read, play video games and plan awesome trips. I also enjoy
photography and collecting vintage stuff. Guilty pleasures? Yes! I watch way
too much Netflix. Scandal is my new crack.
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that
you haven’t tackled yet?
Gay military romance. Sounds sexy and fun, but I’m
afraid of getting the details wrong.
Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is
your favorite and why?
I love them all! My favorite is usually whoever I’m
writing at the moment. Right now, that’s Sasha. He’s sort of crazy, but it’s
not all his fault. He’s also funny, but the humor hides a lot of hurt and bad
decisions. Poor Sasha. Things will work out.
If this book is part of a series…what is the next
book? Any details you can share?
Yes! The next Haven City Series book is called
Alpha’s Gamble and comes out March 2015.
Davis Harrison was supposed to form a pack and lead
as alpha, but that future felt like a cage. Hence, he paved his own path as a
gambler who now owes money to the mob. Problem? Yeah. Big time.
Enter his former best friend and omega, Kenneth
Isben. Ken promised himself not to get involved with Davis and his schemes –
that ship sailed a long time ago. He has a life, a home and a steady job. But
every instinct tells Ken that Davis is his mate, and if he’s not there to pick
up the pieces, who will?
What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled
upcoming releases or works in progress?
Yep! My new book is Omega’s Destiny (Lost Wolves
Book Three). It’ll be out on December 29, 2014:
When the bond to his mate was severed, Maxim never
thought he’d see his lover again. Now he has a wife, a kingdom and a mess of
responsibilities, but something is happening in his territory. Something holds
the Old One’s barrier in place – a barrier that should’ve fallen. That
something is his lost mate and his former omega, and the omega needs Maxim’s
help.
Dragon and Flame
Haven City Series
Book 6
Zoe Perdita
Genre: Gay romance, shifter romance
Publisher: Eccentric Erotica
Date of Publication: Sept. 29, 2014
ISBN: 1502525526
ASIN: B00O0GS1PG
Number of pages: 260 in print
Word Count: 62,000
Cover Artist: Zoe Perdita
Book Description:
Rory Sullivan thinks he has it all, until his boyfriend breaks his heart and the new landlord raises the rent on his bar. A chance meeting with Jin Yue, a rich dragon, gives Rory hope. Jin promises Rory he can save the bar and get even with his ex – for a price.
All Rory has to do is pretend to be in a relationship with Jin. Rory’s bad boy nature, and the desire for some no-strings-attached sex make the idea way too intriguing. Even if Rory’s brain thinks it’s a bad idea, his cock heartily disagrees.
Problem is, Jin Yue might be all kinds of hot, but he’s also Haven City’s one and only crime boss – sexy, powerful and deadly. Now Rory is tied to Jin until the dragon’s mission is complete, regardless of assassination attempts, hunters or the cops.
Jin Yue won the gang war, but the battle for Haven City isn’t over.
Enter Rory Sullivan – the tatted up fire mage who can help Jin lay claim to his rightful territory. However, things don’t turn out the way Jin plans. Rory pushes all the right buttons and riles up Jin’s dragon instincts. The fire mage is the farthest thing from Jin’s type, but the heat between them sets Jin’s blood on fire.
They’re playing a dangerous game that puts both of their hearts and lives on the line. While the passion between Jin and Rory sizzles, can a relationship built on deceit grow into something more?
Warning: contains violence and graphic gay sex scenes.
Available at Amazon BN ARe Google Play
Excerpt
When they left the restaurant, Jin took him downtown to go shopping.
Rory stopped outside the store and raised his eyebrows at the name. “Armani? Isn’t that last season or some shit?”
Jin chuckled and stepped inside. “The label is all certain people care about. The tux should work for your sister’s wedding as well.”
Rory forced himself not to glower and followed.
His patience came to an end when no less than three sales people walked up and started asking stupid questions. Jin answered, and Rory wondered if these three women spent all their income on designer clothes. What a ridiculous waste of money. They pulled out three tuxedos, which all looked the same to Rory, but the sales vultures insisted they were different in cut or style.
“Do I have to try all three of them on?” Rory asked and shoved his hands into his pockets. Too bad his bartender getup wouldn’t pass at a fancy gala.
“Yes. I want my money’s worth, and you’re the best model I can think of,” Jin said with a delectable smirk and headed toward the fitting rooms.
Heat flared in Rory’s chest, torn between annoyance and lust. Why did Jin always fall right on that line? This weird place between wanting and wanting to punch.
He stalked after the dragon.
“You’re coming in with me?” Rory asked as he walked into one of the palatial dressing rooms. It was the same size as his bedroom and had a damn couch, for fuck’s sake. Yeah, it wasn’t anything like the dressing rooms at the places he usually shopped.
Jin stepped inside after him. “I wouldn’t want you getting lonely in here all by yourself.”
Rory doubted that eventuality, but he didn’t kick Jin out either. “And here I didn’t put on my fancy underwear.”
Jin smirked.
A sales woman brought in the tuxedos and shut the door as she left.
A dare lit up Jin’s eyes as he settled on the couch.
What did he expect? That Rory wouldn’t actually strip? He slipped the leather jacket off his shoulders and set it aside. “You want to watch me take off my clothes?”
“Very much. You’re an attractive man. I can see what Richard loves about you, but I can’t see what you liked about him,” Jin said evenly.
Love. Ha! Dick never loved him. Rory knew that, and Jin used that word on purpose.
Rory yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it on his jacket. Then he stepped forward. “Like what you see?”
Jin’s eyes crinkled at the edges, and Rory wondered how old the dragon was. Older than Rory.
Jin’s dark eyes drank in Rory’s firm chest, the tattoos that wound over his arms and taut pectorals, and the little black rings that pierced his nipples. But Jin didn’t reach forward and touch him, like Rory assumed he would. Hell, from the look of hungry fascination on Jin’s face and the flick of Jin’s tongue over his lips, Rory expected a hell of a lot more.
“I said you were attractive,” Jin purred.
“So take off my pants,” Rory said and moved so close his legs straddled Jin’s thighs. Perfect position for a suck job, and he smirked at that thought. If the sex was on his terms, he sure as hell wouldn’t mind.
“Is this how I earn my kiss?” Jin asked and leaned forward.
“Maybe,” Rory said. How the hell did this go from a power play to flirting? Fuck. He didn’t know. The heat building in his balls told him not to worry about it.
“Hmm,” Jin hummed, and his rough hands wound down Rory’s chest. They flicked and pulled, ever so carefully, at the rings on Rory’s nipples.
Rory bit back a groan.
Jin smiled and roamed lower. His fingers caught on the top of Rory’s jeans, and he undid the top button. His dark eyes burned as he grabbed the zipper, and eased it down like this was all some great big act of seduction.
It worked.
Rory’s breath hitched in his throat as Jin’s fingers brushed Rory’s bulge. It twitched and stiffened, and Rory fought the urge to thrust his hips into those hands.
“You want me to keep going?” Jin asked.
The dare still burned in his eyes, but something else flickered alongside it. The same flame that burned inside Rory – the thing that urged him closer and closer to the edge between what was safe and what was possible.
He didn’t trust himself to speak, so Rory nodded instead.
Jin complied. He hooked his thumbs in the side of the jeans and inched them lower and lower. They slid over Rory’s black jockeys, down his legs and bunched there. He forgot about the boots. Well, since Jin was in the neighborhood.
“Those too,” Rory said, his voice gruff.
“Oh, you’re going to pay for this later,” Jin said with a dangerous smirk.
Rory returned it with one of his own. “Sure thing.”
Jin made quick work of the laces, and Rory stepped out of the boots and jeans with a minimal amount of hopping. The jockey’s hung so low on his hips the dark red curls popped out of the waistband, but he didn’t bother yanking them up.
It gave the dragon a good look at what Rory had in store for him.
“Do I have to dress you too or can you manage?” Jin asked, his voice rich with amusement. A spark shone in his eyes.
“I think I can manage,” Rory said and picked up the first tux.
He put on the pants, shirt and jacket without a problem, but the bowtie was another issue altogether. However, one of the sales women came in and righted it for him. Then there was a whole lot of ‘turn left’ and ‘turn right’ before he finally got to put on the other two.
Even looking at himself in the mirror, Rory couldn’t see the difference. He chose the first one out of spite, and Jin didn’t argue with that decision.
“I’ll box this up for you sir. And I’ll set out some suitable shoes. Size twelve?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Rory said and waited for her to shut the door before he looked at Jin again.
Jin’s eyes lingered on Rory’s bulge. “Do I get to take that off too?”
“Maybe after the gala,” Rory said and tossed the shirt at the dragon.
Jin caught it and stood up in one swift movement.
Right. Shifter. They were fast – faster than he was.
Rory barely registered that thought as Jin’s body met his, pressed him against the wall and took a long, slow sniff of his neck.
“You smell like sex,” Jin purred.
Rory’s heart jumped into his throat, and his cock responded to the sudden proximity. “Do I?”
“Mmm,” Jin said. His lips vibrated against Rory’s flushed skin. “You most certainly do. And I want my kiss. I think I’ve earned it.”
The cuff on Rory’s wrist felt heavier than normal, thick and tight. If he said ‘no,’ maybe Jin would have to stop. He’d need to back off until the situation was all on Rory’s terms. But Rory couldn’t find the words. They bunched up in his throat and came out as a groan.
Jin sucked at Rory’s skin and fire rose across his flesh with it.
“Earned it? Not quite,” Rory whispered. “Get me off, and I’ll consider it.”
Jin’s fingers dug into his shoulders, and he smiled against Rory’s flesh. “You’re going to pay for that too.”
Rory didn’t see how that could be a bad thing.
About the Author:
Zoe Perdita writes gay shifter romance because the only thing better than one hot shifter dude is two hot shifter dudes making out.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with a fluffy orange cat and a lively roommate. When she's not writing, Zoe likes to travel, read and play video games.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZoePerdita
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoe.perdita
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Happy Thanksgiving with Letty James
Thank you Wenona for having me today. Happy
Thanksgiving to you and all your readers. I hope everyone has a great book to
read after all that turkey. There’s nothing I like better than curling up in a
quiet cozy nook and getting lost in a great story.
Welcome Letty, and Happy Thanksgiving.
I agree, after a long day of cooking and family I love to relax with a good book. Looking forward to it tonight, if I don't fall asleep first LOL.
Let's kick off this interview, share a little about yourself, your genres,
any other pen names you use.
I decided to stick with only Letty James (yes, it’s
a pen name) so my readers could find all my other books. Along with
contemporary romance, I enjoy writing erotica and mysteries. I even have a
fantasy in the works. I’m an eclectic reader and my writing reflects that. I’ve
been noodling around with writing (that means not finishing anything) since
1990. Finally, in 2005, I took on the challenge of National Novel Writing Month
and completed a manuscript. What an eye-opener that was! I gave up wine (ack!)
and housework (no problem) and devoted many late hours to it. So if any of you
out there are procrastinating on your NaNoWriMo writing by reading this – get
back to it!
Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming
release.
Mistress for Hire is a contemporary romance, with
lovely sexy bits, set in Paris.
Here’s the blurb:
Stranded in Paris, Nikki Sommers is desperate for a
job, willing to sweep the floors of a local bakery. But Gérard Beauvais knows
where Nikki needs to be – not in the bakery, but in his bed. Offering her a job
as his personal assistant, Gérard introduces Nikki to the workings of
international business, along with the romance and beauty of Paris. Nikki falls
under Gérard’s magnetic spell, only to get a nasty surprise when she discovers
she is merely a pawn in an international scandal involving her own sister. Her
heart is torn between family and a love she had only fantasized about. Will she
win Gérard’s heart or only be his Mistress for Hire?
For all you writers out there, I’ll give you a tip.
When you’re writing a blurb, think of how your title reflects the whole of the
novel and how can you incorporate it in your pitch or blurb.
Are you a mom?
YES! And it’s one of the best and worst jobs ever! A
daughter and a son, seven years apart. We consider our son a bit of a miracle
baby as I was 40 when he was born.
My 3 kids are all 7 years apart :-)
Do you find it hard to juggle writing and
parenting?
Absolutely, that’s why I insist that the rest of the
family help with household chores. I joke with people that I have given up
housework in order to write. I also find that housework is a good way to
procrastinate with writing. Seriously, some of my best ideas come around when
I’m washing dishes.
Have you ever based your book or characters on
actual events or people from your own life?
Very loosely. I like to create male lead characters
who I would like to be around. But when neighbors ask me if I’ve tried all the
things in my erotica stories, the answer is no. Would I like to? Maybe. But not
with them. Tee hee.
Is there a theme or message in your work that you
would like readers to connect to?
Humor can be found in anything. So can romance.
When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have
any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
My day job is in education. I have a side business
in painting/crafting. My guilty pleasures are buying way too many books and
eating too much junk food. Cow Tails, anyone? And Netflix – what a time sucker!
Which romance book or series (or other genre, if you
don’t write romance) do you wish you had written?
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Any series by
Charlaine Harris. The Lytton Family series by Penny Vincenzi, or anything by
Marian Keyes. Can you tell I love books set in Europe?
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that
you haven’t tackled yet?
I have a fantasy mystery in the works. Dragons and
elves, oh my!
Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is
your favorite and why?
I do love Gérard Beauvais because he is so utterly
male. Stubborn, bull-headed, and deep down a romantic. He is loosely based on Gérard
Depardieu, a French actor.
If this book is part of a series…what is the next
book? Any details you can share?
Technically, it’s not a series. But, the next book
follows Nikki’s sister Jessica. I was intrigued to see if I could craft a
likeable character from one who had few redeeming qualities at the time. I
think she turned out quite well, if I say so myself. It’s set in Scotland with
the working title The Laird Needs a Wife.
What book are you reading now?
Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series.
Hilarious! Just finished Eloisa James’ An Affair Before Christmas. I thought it
was fitting for this time of year. Sweet and sexy. Her Poppy reminds me a bit
of my Nikki.
What is in your to read pile?
So many books, so little time! I think my next TBR
book will come from my Kindle. I’ve loaded so many books on there, I’m sure
I’ll be up to all hours tonight lost in another world. Let me know how you like
Mistress for Hire.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. À
bientôt! See you soon! Thank you again, Wenona.
Thanks for being here, Letty. Enjoy Thanksgiving and try not to slip into turkey coma too early. LOL
Mistress for Hire
Letty James
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Date of Publication: October 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61935-565-1
Number of pages: 172
Word Count: 50,000
Book Description:
Stranded in Paris, Nikki Sommers is desperate for a job, willing to sweep the floors of a local bakery. But Gérard Beauvais knows where Nikki needs to be – not in the bakery, but in his bed. Offering her a job as his personal assistant, Gérard introduces Nikki to the workings of international business, along with the romance and beauty of Paris.
Nikki falls under Gérard’s magnetic spell, only to get a nasty surprise when she discovers she is merely a pawn in an international scandal involving her own sister. Her heart is torn between family and a love she had only fantasized about.
Will she win Gérard’s heart or only be his Mistress for Hire?
Available at Amazon
Excerpt
Chapter One
He entered the
pâtisserie like a conquering warrior, indecisive patrons falling aside in the
wake of his determination to reach the pastry case. His nostrils flared as he
inhaled the essence of the bakery. Nikki shrank back from the power emanating
from him as clearly as the smell of freshly baked bread rippled from the ovens
in back.
Her
grandmother’s letter crumpled in her hand. She thrust it into the pocket of her
jacket.
The proprietress
pushed through the other gray-haired clerks to wait on the man. “Bonjour,
Gérard. What can I get for you today?”
To Nikki, the
air in the bakery stood still as the massive man swept his chestnut mane off
his forehead and his eyes scanned the wide display case full of sweet
delicacies.
“Un petit
macaron de mangue, s’il vous plaît.”
One small mango
macaroon? How could such a large man limit himself to one bite?
“How are we to
stay in business with customers ordering one macaron at a time?” she scolded
him teasingly as one would a child.
He smiled
slowly, his face softening as he looked at her. “Madame, you would make me
fat.” He patted his exceptionally trim middle.
“Hmpf.” Madame
shook her head and began to fill a large white cardboard box with pastries.
Before she could close it, he thrust out his meaty hand, gesturing for the
macaron. Nikki pushed her glasses up her nose, watching as he popped the
red-and-orange-tinted cookie into his mouth. He closed his eyes, his face
tilted toward the heavens, and his hands clenched the lapels of his black wool
coat.
His groans and
sighs filled the small room. Nikki’s body flushed as she imagined him groaning
like that over a woman—over her. She pushed her glasses up again and wiped the
perspiration off her upper lip, watching his tongue move under his lips, over
his teeth. She couldn’t look away. She felt the pleasure as he felt it. The
barely-there crunch of crust, the smooth interior, the silk of mango cream
across his tongue. His tongue that would slide across hers when he kissed her.
Sucking wet kisses that would consume her.
His eyes opened,
a smoky blue-gray, targeting her, his stare pinning her to the wall. Could he
see her lust—exposed as clearly as if she were naked before him? Nikki held his
hot gaze, desire shimmering between them, then broke the contact, staring down
unseeing toward the glass case. Her gut clenched and her heart pounded. By the
time she looked up, his broad back blocked the light from the door. Not
thinking, she stepped after him, only to be caught up short by the swirling
gray fog. He had disappeared, taking her fantasies with him.
***
Gérard Beauvais
adjusted his scarf against the chill wind, rustling dry leaves through the dark
cobblestone alley and cursed his morning flight of fancy. As he strode away, he
ran his hand down his face, blowing out a sigh. His reaction to the blonde had
startled him—an instant attraction that made him forget the sensations in his
mouth and feel other longings. He’d forced himself to turn away and not be
tempted. He had enough aggravation in his life. But something about her niggled
at his brain. Her high cheekbones, the tilt of her head.
Merde!
He stopped
short, the string of the pastry box cutting into his fingers. Of course! She
had to be Jessica’s sister! The younger one supposedly still in the States.
Once he realized it, the family resemblance was obvious, although he had never
reacted to Jessica in such a physical way. Cursing his weakness, he tamped it
down, his mind rolling over other complications.
Had she come to
demand ransom for the files Jessica held hostage? Gérard turned to confront the
conniving bitch, tossing the pastries into the nearest trashcan. He would shake
her until the answers rattled out of her head.
Rounding the
corner, he halted, seeing Tante Emmaline and the blonde in the window. Emmaline
patted the younger woman while she wiped her tears with a tissue. Crocodile
tears. Jessica only had to pull that trick on him once to see he was immune.
Emmaline certainly had a softer heart than he as she pulled the woman further
into the bakery, probably to fill the thief’s belly with sweets while listening
to some preposterous sob story.
Gérard’s eyes
narrowed as he stepped back into the warmth of the bakery.
About the Author:
Letty James has been devouring romance novels ever since she hid under the covers reading Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. And, yes, searching for all the sexy parts. She completed her first novel participating in National Novel Writing Month in 2005 and has been writing furiously ever since, fueled by chocolate and multiple cups of tea.
Along with writing, she enjoys reading, painting, watching movies featuring studly men, and listening in on other people’s conversations.
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