Hi Regina! Welcome to For Whom The Books Toll. Thanks for stopping by today and answering some questions.
Can you tell us a little about
yourself?
Absolutely! I have pretty much lived in
small towns most of my life. Born in Oklahoma but lived in west Texas
for well over 30 years. After my divorce, I re-located to central
Florida (Orlando area) to be closer to family. Though I love it here
(very beautiful), there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t
miss Texas. I have a grown son, Ben, and a grown daughter, Avery (who
is my constant companion at conventions). I am a true girly-girl who
loves to meet people, and yes, I’m a big talker!
Share 5 fun facts about yourself.
I have Native American ancestry
(Cherokee) many whom died on Trail of Tears. (Surprising since I’m
a natural blonde and don’t look in the least NA)
I cry very easily (think commercials,
movies, songs, anything sentimental)
As a teen, I was a champion chicken
judger
I once won a beauty contest (weird and
unbelievable to me now)
I have a fairly heavy Texas accent
What was your ideal career when you
were a child?
I wanted to be a professional singer
(although I couldn’t sing a lick…still can’t) or a missionary
(don’t know where that idea came from either)
Tell us about a typical writing day for
you.
Get up for lots of coffee, do promo
(including social media) and then I write (taking frequent breaks for
more coffee). Normally I stop around 4ish and spend the evenings with
my kids. I usually have one day a week for ‘outside the house’
errands and I don’t write on those days.
On average, how long does it take you
to write a book?
It depends. A novella takes about a
month. I tend to be a slow writer who edits as she goes. A novel can
take two months, sometimes longer
How long does it take to write sex
scenes?
My sex scenes tend to be long. Don’t
know why but I guess I get carried away. It can take an entire day
(maybe two) to get one down.
Where do you find writing inspiration?
I find inspiration in movies and music.
Often, I head outside and watch squirrels and birds as I think about
my next move in a book.
Do you have a favorite writing snack?
Coffee and chocolate. If I’m ‘night
writing’, I’ll have a glass of wine or two.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I almost always light a scented candle
and keep it nearby. Lovely scents calm me and help me get into the
story.
Where’s your favorite place to
write?
Outside on my patio, especially when
it’s raining.
What’s the best way to get over
writer’s block?
Step back, find a quiet place to
‘think’ until I work through the issue. Often brainstorming with
my daughter, late at night, inspires me on a new project.
What scene for you was the hardest to
write and how did you overcome that obstacle?
I don’t have a particular scene that
stands out in my mind but I will say that an opening scene of any
book is toughest for me. Action scenes are particularly difficult for
me to write as well. When those times happen, I try to slow down my
thoughts and not rush. Detail is important in both action and sex
scenes and it’s more important to get it right than to ‘get it
fast’.
What’s your biggest writing
achievement? Why?
My biggest writing achievement was
probably my first sale. It was many years ago but I’d been working
at this for so damn long that to finally get that ‘call’ was
amazing. I’ll never forget the moment. Now I have close to 50 books
under my belt. I love them all and love each contract offer but
nothing will ever compete with that first sale.
How do you celebrate a new book?
I go out for a nice dinner with family
and crack open a bottle of wine or two.
Can you tell us about your book, Mad Moon?
Mad Moon is book six of my popular High
Plains Shifters series (Ellora’s Cave) and tells the story of
Madden Moon, Alpha of the Texas Rogues. He comes to the rescue of a
beautiful female shifter who is on the run. He knows instantly she is
his mate and offers protection, sanctuary, and a place in his bed.
With despicable villains chasing his mate, Madden calls upon members
of the Wolf Creek pack of West Texas to help fight the predators who
want to hurt his lady.
What made you write ‘this’ story?
It was important to me to extend this
series into other geographical areas. So I moved the action from the
small shifter town in West Texas into East Texas. With six books in
the series and the possibilities for new stories seemingly endless, I
need new places for the wild wolves to roam. I also went into this
knowing that Mad Moon would be a full novel. The other books of the
HPS series are novellas or short novels and I wanted to give readers
more.
What do you think makes a good story?
Characters. Lovable/likable characters
are what keeps the reader involved. As a writer, developing
intriguing, warm, funny and sexy characters is so satisfying. All
writers know there are no truly original plot lines. It is only by
defining new ‘actors’ that we can bring new life to a well-worn
plot line.
What’s the hardest thing about
writing and how do you handle it?
Promotion is the hardest thing because
it’s an important part of the business of writing. I’m not very
good at it and I’m constantly ‘tech challenged’ with this
stuff. It takes time away from writing (which is what pays the bills)
but the whole balancing act of promotion vs. writing is a Catch-22.
You can’t be successful at one without the other. I’ve recently
hired an assistant to help with promo so I’m hopeful to find some
relief with this whole thing.
If you could bring one of your
characters to life, which one would it be and why?
Joe McKinnon.
He’s the hero of Lone Star Lycan (HPS). What a sexy beast! He’s
big, tough and brawny…my ideal of a sexy man yet when he meets the
woman he loves, he is unafraid to open up. Something about him
touched me. Joe is fearlessness, not only in fighting battles but in
speaking the truths in his heart (despite the notion that might not
be the manly thing to do). Honesty defined him along with all that
testosterone.
If you could have dinner with 5 people,
who would you choose and why?
Hmm. Toughy. I can’t think of five
but I know that I’d love to have dinner with both my dad and my
grandmother, who have been gone for a long time. I miss them.
If you could travel in a time machine,
would go back to the past or to the future?
The past. Definitely. I think that
would be so interesting.
What does your family and friends think
about your writing erotic romances?
My family is super supportive (although
my mom has yet to read one of my books). My kids are especially proud
of me. My daughter went to EC’s Romanticon convention with me last
year and it was so good for her to get more of a feel of what I do
for a living. Quite eye-opening for her and she is 100 percent behind
me in my chosen career course.
How important is reader feedback, good
or bad, to you?
Very important! I love to hear from
readers and often their comments will determine whether I continue
with a series. When readers ask constantly about a particular
secondary character, I just know I have to write the book. It helps!
What is your greatest temptation?
Fattening food! Anything cheesy or
chocolaty just kills me. And ICE CREAM??? My biggest weakness ever.
What is your greatest weakness?
Ahhh, that’s easy. I get my feelings
hurt far too easily. Close friends and family know this about me and
it’s worrisome because I don’t want them to ‘measure’ what
they say for fear I’ll take it wrong. Sadly, I usually do. Guess
I’m a work in progress just like my stories!
High Plains Shifters, Book 6
Madden Moon knows what the woman is the second she walks into the old café. Shifter. Wolf. Trouble. Struck by her beauty and the air of exhaustion about her, the leader of the Texas Rogues wishes her straight out of town. But as the mating energy of their species sizzles between them and her enemies approach, Madden has no alternative but to bring the beautiful lycan under his protection and into his bed.
Runaway Lana Vronski is in big trouble. As she races through the woods, local wolves in hot pursuit, she believes all is lost until she’s rescued by oh-so-sexy Madden. When he offers her sanctuary and sex hot enough to singe them both, she accepts his proposal. But it isn’t until the mating heat between them burns wildly out of control that Lana learns her true salvation awaits in his arms. Lana’s enemies are relentless, however, and will stop at nothing to rip her from the arms of the man she loves.
Buy Links:
Ellora's Cave
High Plains Shifters, Book 5 In the deep of night she longs for him. Mate, lycan, lover. Her lawman. As Katalin Petrova struggles to control her wild and untamed “gift”, she yearns for the only man who can make her whole. His every touch burns, searing her with unimaginable pleasure. Only her strong, protective lover can tame the wild yearnings of her body and help her claim the power of her ancestors.
While Gabriel Dunham, lycan lieutenant of the Wolf Creek Pack, watches over his intended mate, his patience to claim her nears an end as savage need burns his body. Consumed by unbridled lust, he claims her, takes her, hoping it will be enough to protect Katalin from unseen forces determined to rip her from his arms.
Buy Links:
Ellora's Cave
High Plains Shifters, Book 4From the moment Cactus Mackey rescues Sara Farmer from outlaw wolves, he knows she belongs to him—and he’s more than ready to mess up some sheets with the sassy female. But she has secrets and wants to run. Infuriating woman! He might have to tie her to his bed but he’s not about to give up until she belongs to him, body and soul.
As danger chases her, Sara knows it’s a huge mistake to fall head over heels for the sexy lycan cowboy from Wolf Creek Ranch. A single touch from this shockingly seductive man melts her like butter under the hot Texas sun, and has her yearning for impossible things. The man is big trouble to her heart and running may no longer be an option.
Buy Links:
Ellora's Cave
High Plains Shifters, Book 3 but can be a stand-alone story.
Rayne dreamed of the day Ringo would claim her as his mate, changing her into the lycan she is meant to be. One touch from his hands burns her with a flame hot enough to scorch the Texas plains. But the moody lycan has made it clear he doesn’t want her. That’s just too damn bad! The sexy Latino lycan belongs to her and she aims to claim him, no matter what it takes.
Ringo hides the pain of his tortured past behind a menacing sneer. Learning that Rayne is meant to be his mate is unwelcome news. She deserves better than to be saddled with a man with his checkered past. It isn’t until she is taken from him that he knows she is the only woman who can heal his battered soul.
Buy Links:
Ellora's Cave
High Plains Shifters, Book 2She came to dusty west Texas to bury the dead. But one look from Joe’s smoldering eyes made Quinn Harlow grow wet and needy. The cowboy was too big, too sexy, too everything, and more man than she’d ever had before. Though she was just a visitor, her heart begged her to stay and find her destiny with him on these desolate plains.
Joe McKinnon, alpha of the Wolf Creek pack, takes one look at his destined mate and knows he’ll have his hands full dealing with the sassy female. A single glance has his cock going hard. One touch has him willing to move mountains to claim her. He knows it won’t be easy to tame the woman who holds his future in her hands.
Reader Advisory: Includes a scintillating M/F/M ménage scene. Enjoy!
Buy Links:
Ellora's Cave
High Plains Shifters, Book 1 but can be a stand-alone story. From the moment she looked through the antique mirror and saw him change from beast to man, Martha wanted him. The brawny Highlander, sexy and dark, made her body burn for his possession. But when he reached through the glass to yank her straight into the past, her fantasy became reality.
Trapped by an evil curse, Silas MacAdam, the lycan king, yearned for the modern woman who stared so innocently at him through the mirror. The need to take, to claim, to possess her on the furs in his ancient castle, burned him. Only she can help him return to his rightful place among his people. Upon their arrival in modern-day Texas, it becomes his mission to convince the lady that she belongs to him—as his mate.
Buy Links:
Ellora's Cave
Author Bio:
A bit about me…
I grew up in small town Oklahoma then moved to Texas where I lived for over thirty years. Once upon a time I worked as a newspaper journalist, as a public relations director for a university, and other assorted things but these days I am an award winning, multi-published author.
I like writing that is hot, edgy, and often humorous, and try to put this trademark stamp on all of my stories. These days I live in sunny Florida where I find the temps ‘heat up’ my creative urges. I am a doting, fawning, and over-indulgent mom to my two adult children and believe them to be the coolest people in the world.
When I’m not penning steamy erotic tales set in paranormal worlds or writing hot contemporary books (usually featuring a cowboy or two) I indulge in long chats with friends who help me stay sane and keep me laughing. Wanna be my friend forever? Make me laugh.
Contact Regina:
Wow, that was such a fun interview!! Thanks again, Regina for taking time out of your busy schedule to be here today. Now, everyone go to Regina's website and check out more of her books and see what's coming next.
Next Wednesday is Christmas, so there won't be an Author Wednesdays. I hope everyone is ready and excited. Author Wednesdays will return on January 1, 2014. Please stop back then as my guest will be Samantha Cayto!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment