Writing my Favorite Villian...

Hey Hey everyone! Let me just say while I realllllyyyy tried this month's post is going to have no doughnuts or pictures of Lake Michigan. 

I know .... right! But as much as I tried to find a way to include doughnuts... It just wasn't there. 

As most of you know I write steamy romance suspense so basically every book I write has a villain in it. But they are your basic serial killer with my little spin (like in my upcoming release the killer tats doughnuts across his victim's bellies and in A Mermaid's Wish the serial killer is Neptune's nephew). 

A Mermaid's Wish

My favorite villain I wrote ... I loved writing her...a lot! Is Ovezara. She is my fantasy series under my pen name Tasarla Romaney. This was a fun series to write not just because of Ovezara but it has e magic, adventure, fantasy creatures, and things that live no where else than in my mind.

So without any more delay let me introduce you to Ovezara. 

The glass orb sailed through the air and smashed against the stone wall. 

"He's alive and at the hag's door," Ovezara screamed. The mud men sank back as she stalked around the chamber.

"Mistress, he is far from winning." A zombie whose name she couldn't recall leaned against a fireplace mantle. The sorceress growled and raised her hand to smite the thing.

"Really, Ovezara. If you try to destroy my favorite minion, it will take centuries to train a replacement. Your replacement." Trelek stepped into the room. The keeper's gaze was hard.

The bricks above the zombie's head crumbled. Ovezara wasn't sure what upset her more, Crenshaw or the truth in the keeper's statement. The look in the warlock's eyes would have crippled her with fear a few years ago, but today her stomach merely roiled as she prepared herself for the pain. "I've questioned your usefulness often in these past weeks. Maybe I was wrong, and you weren't ready."

She walked over to the window. The cool spring breeze carried the scent of death. Below her were the feeding pits. She chose to ignore his comment. "It's not just that he lived to reach the oracle but that he has been joined by the others."

"They will not succeed in getting the Scepter of Hope. Your beasts grow stronger, and more are freed every night. The barrier separating the worlds is weakening. Soon everyone from the Baicikla Sea to the Dovazitic Mountains will fear you. No one will challenge your rule." The keeper moved to stand beside her, the hint of brimstone accompanying him.

Ovezara looked at Trelek. The keeper had been her only companion for what seemed like centuries, but in actuality was sixteen years. His black hair stood in spikey clumps as it had the first day, she'd met him. If it hadn't been for his guidance, her power would have never developed past that of a healer. Solid black eyes bore into her. At one time, they would have seen into her spirit and fear would have danced across her stomach. Today, she smiled. "That has been your promise. One I have waited patiently for."

If you'd like to read more of Ovezara, the series is The Night of The Gryphon and the first book is The Hollow King (the second is The Warrior Queen and the 3rd will be out in August is The Prince of Light)

Blurb

Thought by most to be a simple child's chant… A king of no kingdom Who walks among the living yet is void of all but breathe He will be known as the Hollow King and will yield the Spector. The Warrior Queen with compassion will fuel the Hope The one who walks on two legs but has the soul of an animal will guide the Spector’s magic. Together they will use the Spector of Hope to rid the land of evil. Until creatures most thought to be make-believe start to hunt at night… Freed by Ovezara, a sorceress of what seems to be unlimited power. Queen Taraly dying father's command is to visit Grandmother June and learn what must be done to stop them. King Crenshaw has lost his kingdom to the Ovezara and vows to have revenge. Sancha returns from a hunting trip to find his father's body torn to shreds by an evil so dark people refuse to acknowledge it. The three unite to find the fabled Spector of Hope. As their quest starts to unfold, they realize that the line between good and evil is often blurred. What they believed to good is twisted. Can they locate the Spector of Hope in time to restore good and save all from the evil Ovezara unleashes?

 If Ovezara is someone you'd like to read more about here's the buy link...

The Hollow King

The Warrior Queen

Thanks for stopping by and have a great month!

THE BLESSING OF STORYTELLING by Cerece Rennie Murphy

SF TRILOGY BY CERECE RENNIE MURPHY

I believe that having a story to tell is a blessing.  Honoring that gift is the reason why I write, but I also believe that a blessing is not complete until it’s shared, which is why I love sharing my stories with you. 

I write just like I read, sampling a little bit of everything.  My stories run the gamut, from a sci-fi trilogy (Order of the Seers) to an early reader children’s book series (Ellis and The Magic Mirror) all the way back to a time-bending historical romance (To Find You).  Although my stories span multiple continents, plotlines, and even languages (Order of the Seers has 7 of them!), my stories are all about one thing – discovering our truest selves and living that life to its fullest purpose. 

Whether it’s a little boy learning to live up to the duties of being a Stonekeeper or two souls desperately trying to find each other through time, each challenge always brings them closer to the person they are truly meant to be which, in my book, is the ultimate happy ending!

 

THE WOLF QUEEN
(Sneak Peek of the cover sketch!)

My latest novel, The Wolf Queen, is no different.  On this journey, my imagination is taking me to an ancient fantasy world where a young woman named Ameenah lives alone in the woods trying to forget the loss of her family. As any good story would have it, her isolation is broken by a chance meeting with a powerful Amir who wants to make her his bride even though Ameenah’s heart belongs to another.  Resisting his attempts leads her to uncover a magical legacy that she must claim in order to fight against the tyranny of the Amir and lead her people to freedom.

Right now, I’m in the thick of world-building, plotting, and planning out the story so that when I actually start writing, all the bits and pieces fit together perfectly.  It is a little intimidating creating a world from scratch, but I am loving every minute of discovery.  

Here’s a super secret peek at the book cover sketch, which is still in progress. 

CERECE RENNIE MURPHY

I don’t expect to be finished with The Wolf Queen before the end of the year, but I will be posting excerpts throughout my writing, so if you’re interested, please visit my website blog and let me know what you think.  https://www.cerecerenniemurphy.com/ 

I’d love to hear from you!  XO - Cerece

Cerece Rennie Murphy fell in love with science fiction at the age of seven, watching “Empire Strikes Back” at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C., with her sister and mom. It’s a love affair that has grown ever since...In 2011, Cerece experienced her own supernatural event - a vision of her first science fiction story. Shortly after, she began developing and writing what would become the bestselling Order of the Seers trilogy.  Order of the Seers was selected as one of The Best Kindle Books of 2014 by Digital Book Today.

In addition to working on the 2nd book in the Ellis and The Magic Mirror children’s book series with her son and releasing her 4th adult novel titled, To Find You, Mrs. Murphy is currently launching NARAZU, an online platform designed to deliver the best in indie sci-fi content and comic culture to the fans who love it most. You can visit the new site at www.narazu.com. 

Interview with Author Diana McCollum on her Coastal Coven series

Author Diana McCollum

Paranormal Romance author Diana McCollum’s debut novella, The Witch with the Trident Tattoo, came out from Windtree Press earlier this month. This book is the first in the Coastal Coven Series.

Welcome, Diana. Can you tell us what your book is about in a sentence or two?

Witch Ella Stone, born with an affinity for water and a scientist, is on a mission. Ocean life is disappearing off the Atlantic Coast, and Poseidon needs her to find out why. To find answers, she hires handsome, brooding sea captain Noah Drago to help.

The sexy scientist's kisses turn Noah's world upside-down. Soon, he's plunged into a world of myth, magick and passion.

But will their growing connection-their love-be enough to save them from an encroaching evil bent on destroying all life as they know it?

Briefly, tell us what led you to write The Witch with the Trident Tattoo? (TWWTTT for short) What else have you published?

I thought it would be fun to write about a sea witch. I hadn't read any stories about a sea witch. I thought who would she answer to? Poseidon, of course! 

I have short stories in two different Anthologies: "Love & Magick", which has the witch Hettie's story in. Hettie is a time traveling witch and belongs to the Coastal Coven featured in "The Witch with the Trident Tattoo". The second Anthology is "Gifts from the Heart".

You’ve lived in the western United States for most of your adult life. What made you choose an east coast setting for the Coastal Coven Series?

It seemed like the appropriate setting. Hettie the time traveling witch lived in MA. I wanted a setting by the ocean, so my made up town of Waxing, MA became the main setting for the stories. 

Your Sea Witch heroine, Ella, has an octopus named James for a familiar. What is a witch’s familiar?

Over the centuries familiars are said to have taken many different forms. I picked James, an Octopus, as Ella's familiar. No matter what form a familiar takes, their responsibility is to assist the witch. The familiar can help with different types of magick, and also help with manipulations of natural energies. For instance, magick energy contained in stones and herbs and in the four elements, Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. James back story is he was a minor prince in Atlantis and displeased Poseidon  by stealing shoes, and Poseidon cursed him to live as an Octopus to pay his debt to society. I will add that James has a shoe fetish, even as an Octopus.

One day I will write James' story. I think that would be a fun, fun story to write.

Is the Coastal Coven Series an open-ended series at this point, or do you have and end-point in mind?

There will be a story for each of the witches. And for the wizard that lives in the Hemlock tree, which is the passage between the past and present.

What are you working on now? 

I am going to begin the second book in the Coastal Coven series this week. I am deciding on a title over the weekend. I need at least a working title to begin, that's just the way I write.

In TWWTTT you created an engaging teenaged mermaid character. Have you considered writing Young Adult or New Adult novels?

Pink haired, Mischell! I did love writing this character. She will have her story one day. I don't think as Young Adult, maybe a New Adult novel.

What are some books you’ve read recently and loved?

Nora Robert's "Dark Witch" series. Loved all three books. "The Witch's Daughter" by Paula Brackston. Right now I'm reading "Lamp Black, Wolf Grey" by Paula Brackston, such a good story I can hardly put it down.

What is your favorite piece of writing advice?

BIC FOK-Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard! as Nora Roberts said you can't edit a blank page. So put words on the paper and move forward.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free e-book, I will be giving away two e-books. 

Please share an excerpt from The Witch with the Trident Tattoo with us.

Excerpt

Draft: The Witch with the Trident Tattoo

By Diana McCollum, Copyrighted

Chapter 1

 by Diana McCollum, copy right

    The town meeting last night had left a bitter taste of disappointment in Ella Stone’s mouth. She had tried her best to convince the upstanding citizens of Waxing, Massachusetts the importance of suspending fishing for twenty square miles off the coast, and inland to Turtle Point and the beach in town. She also suggested no swimming for a couple of weeks while she researched the unknown carbon based matter depleting the nutrients necessary for sea life to be sustainable.        They had rejected her proposal and it had stung, and still stung.

    The fishermen wanted to make a living, she understood. If they continued to fish and toxic organic matter continued to grow, fisheries would be depleted in a short time. Not to mention she couldn’t be sure if the organic material was toxic to humans or not, it was too early in her research to tell.

    Arriving for her Saturday shift at her friend Hettie’s gift shop, The Crystal Witch, she seethed with fury. Her pulse beat a fast tempo, sending beads of determination over her skin. Ella marched down the aisle of scented soaps and candles toward the back of the store, as sparks of pent up Magick flew off her. Candle wicks on the display table burst into flame when she passed. As she breezed by the rack of wind chimes tinkled and rattled as if a gust of wind blew through the store, when none did.

    “Ella, what’s the matter?” Hettie Wynn stood in the office doorway, hands wrapped around a cup of coffee.

    Ella handed the local newspaper, Lighthouse News, to Hettie. “The meeting last night was a bust. Apparently I am a crazy woman scientist who doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Wait, no—‘environmental whacko’ is what they said.”

    “I’ve got a degree in marine biology and oceanography from Salem State University. I’ve studied under some of the most prestigious professors, and they call me an ‘environmental whacko’?” Ella removed her sunglasses and used the edge of her sweater to clean the lenses.

    “Did you present your findings in terms they could understand?” Hettie reached out and steadied the wind chime rack.

    Ella walked over and blew out candles one by one. In so doing, she blew sample herbal powder out of the display bowl and covered the floor in many colors. She harrumphed at her blunder and crossed her arms. “Sorry for being in such a dither, but you know what I’m up against.”

    “Poseidon.”

    “Yes! He wants answers, and only from me. ‘What happens in the ocean is a matter for the realm to manage. I’m depending on you to find the answer. Do not involve the human governments.’ He’s such a pretentious monarch, always playing games with me.” Unshed tears of frustration threatened to spill over.

    “These waters have been in the care of my family since my ancestors first stepped on shore at Plymouth. There’s never been anything of this magnitude, anything capable of destroying marine plant and animal life to this degree. Whatever has damaged the flora and fauna hasn’t reached shore, but I’m concerned because it’s just a matter of time till it does. I’ve named the toxin Razor Toxic Bloom-RTB-1, and it is spreading pass the outer banks toward Waxing.”

    Ella stalked over to the screened back door. A slice of ocean was visible from here, sandwiched between two cottages across the alley, an early May breeze blew across her face. Something was invading the waters of her ocean. Her mother before her had been the sea witch in charge of taking care of these coastal waters. Ella had inherited the position when her mother and father were called by Poseidon to protect the Bering Sea. “Time is of the essence. Poseidon doesn’t want government agencies involved, or other marine biologists. He’s got his reasons for believing an immortal is responsible. This problem is for me to solve and time is running out. Whatever RTB-1 is will reach our shore eventually if not stopped.”

    She crossed her arms over her chest, and turned back to Hettie. “Commercial fishermen protested the loudest, and I understand fishing is their livelihood. But if fish are unhealthy, should anyone be eating them? All the mothers agreed to not let their kids swim or wade for two weeks.”

    “Do you think you can find an answer by then?”

    “I don’t know. I hope so.” Her stomach clenched. “Do you think what’s happening in to ocean is something our coven should look into?”

    Hettie walked closer and put her arm around Ella. “I think you need to call on your resources. You are a Sea Witch, none of us are. We can help you on land, but water is your domain. Have you contacted James? Or Mischell? Maybe one of them could do some investigating for you?”

    “You’re right. Of course, I’ll contact James.” A fluttering in her chest made her realize she wasn’t alone. She had her familiar, James the octopus—the Coastal Coven and her laboratory. She’d find the answer.

Debut: MR RUMPLE AND MR. GRIMM by Echo Ishii

MR. RUMPEL & MR. GRIMM
by Echo Ishii

Hi, I'm Echo Ishii, author of romance with fantasy, SF, speculative and any other weird elements that I can think of. 

Mr. Rumpel and Mr. Grimm started because of the title. That's it. I had no idea what it would be about, but I made up mock covers and fake blurbs.

During my lunch break, I wrote in a notebook to cope with a job I hated. These stories will never see the light of day. There was an epic fantasy saga featuring psychic twin bird people; an urban fantasy with a sorceress who worked night shift at Piggly Wiggly; and a high fantasy that had something to do with elves and a haunted house. Concepts like character arc and story structure had no place in those early stories. Needless to say, they were not destined for greatness.

The common theme (other than crappiness) was fantastical worlds, magic, and magical creatures. I love to read mythology and folklore. I love to walk around a library and pick out books on history, culture, and anthropology at random. All these things fed my imagination.

I've read a fair amount of fanfic over the years, which uses male-male pairings and I was familiar with the manga use of male-male pairings as a narrative convention.　(This is different than gay romance with a different history and audience). I decided Mr. Rumpel and Mr. Grimm should be a romance.

There's a lot of talk about why so many women write and read M/M Romance. I can't tell you why because all people are different. I can say that I found an encouraging community of fellow writers. I can say that I write what pops into my head.

After a lot of workshops, editing, and generous help from fellow writers, I finally completed my novella. It also took many rejections, but Less Than Three Press (http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/) saw something in it so it became my debut.

I now have another great title that I can't let go of. So, for me, it's back to writing.

BLURB:

Claude Rumpel is a goblin turned human, living a quiet life in his little repair shop at the edge of town. He is in sore need of money to fund his inventions, and a cure for his hands, which he must keep covered at all times.

Daniel Grimm is half elf, descended from a wealthy family but now down on his luck. He is determined to restore his family's prestige and has a daring plan to do so.

The gold thread that Claude spins, and Daniel's ability to sell it, seems a perfect plan for their goals. The casual sex is a pleasant bonus. But they are constantly thwarted from all sides: Daniel's dealing with a powerful witch, the opposing magic of their lineages, and Claude's dark goblin desires... (Contains some explicit material.)

  

Join Echo on Pinterest (@mrsbookmark) and she will gladly follow anyone who pins about steampunk/deiselpunk clothes, desserts, and Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz paraphernalia.

Or hang out with Echo Ishii on Goodreads because she's there a lot. There is also a blog (http://echoishiizone.wordpress.com) and Twitter (@mrsbookmark)

Her alter/ego RK contributes to the wonderful Smart Girls Love Sci Fi blog (http://smartgirlsscifi.wordpress.com/) 

and the Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly

(http://www.scifiromancequarterly.org/ ).

What we're all reading at the beach

Hi all! I'm Erica Hayes, a new poster on Romancing the Genres, and I'm so excited to be here! Thanks to everyone for welcoming me!

First, a little about moi. I'm an Aussie, but currently I live in the north of England, enjoying some not-so-fab British weather. I write paranormal and urban fantasy romance. I'm working through traditional publishers at the moment, but maybe soon I'll branch out into DIY too! I have a series called the Shadowfae Chronicles, featuring wild fairies and vampires and all manner of sexy beasties. And I have a new romance series called the Seven Signs starting in October, with hot fallen angels (yum!) and a very biblical Apocalypse... but you'll hear more about that soon.

So. Hot summer reads, huh? Gotta say, summer in Northumberland isn't exactly hot… but I did just spend a week on vacation in sunny Majorca. Why, yes, I did. Thanks for admiring my suntan.

Mmm, sunshine... Majorcan style!

We stayed in Cala D'Or, a gorgeous, relaxing town on the east coast of the island. Not the party-nightclub-frenzy part. I'm too old for that kind of nonsense… But all that lolling about in the sun was fantastic for beachside (or poolside!) reading. Everyone was doing it. Naturally, I spied on everyone to see what they were reading! Men mostly read the newspaper, or a thriller. I saw one guy reading an old Ian Fleming. Women's choices were a bit more diverse.

The most common paperback I sighted? Yep, you got it. 50 SHADES OF GREY. Second most popular was THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO or its sequels, followed by other thrillers or chick-lit… I'm sorry, did I say 'chick-lit'? Wash my mouth out. I mean 'humorous women's fiction'. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Still, blockbusters were predominant. Exactly the kind of thing that bookstores promote as 'hot summer reads', with the huge print run and the in-window advertising. Also the big-deal literary books. I saw one person reading THE NIGHT CIRCUS, and another with WOLF HALL. Maybe everyone did their book-shopping at the airport?

Sadly, apart from 50 SHADES, I didn't see a single romance book, at least not in paperback. No Mills & Boon. No paranormals. But, about half the readers I saw were using e-readers, so who knows what sweet creamy delights they were getting stuck into? My money's on 50 SHADES...

Me? Well, I packed a couple of paperbacks and stocked up my trusty Sony before I left (sadly, no Kindle for me yet) and I got through five or six books by the pool. What a horrible way to spend a holiday. Oh, the pain! Or, as my husband likes to say, 'wow, this diamond up my butt really hurts!'

Here's a few of my favourite ones in fantasy and paranormal:

The Midnight Justice mini-series. Sexy superheroes! Love these 2 novellas.
And Tarnished by Karina Cooper. Cool steampunk-y fantasy!

So what's the last book you read? Was it a 'hot summer read', according to the bookstores? Or do you just push on with your TBR pile, regardless of the season?

GUEST: Urban Fantasy Author Erica Hayes - Keeping It Fresh & the Lure of High Concept

AUSSIE ERICA HAYES

Writing as a paranormal romance author is more exciting right now than ever. Opportunities are exploding everywhere, and in spite of the doomsayers (y'know, those people who've spent the last twenty years saying 'vampires are over!' and 'publishing is dead!') the markets for paranormals are still going strong. But paradoxically, it's also harder than ever to sell.

Traditional publishers are forever pushing for something 'fresh'. But indie authors and e-presses are still selling a bundle of vampire and werewolf romances. So if the familiar tropes are still selling to readers – and you only need to glance at publishers' websites or online bookstore bestseller lists to see that they are – why the obsession in New York with 'fresh'?

Well, I don't think they are obsessed with 'fresh'. I think they're looking for high concept – and when you're trying for high concept, too much familiarity is death.

So what's with the high concept? This isn't Hollywood, right? But remember that NY publishers are still trying to sell into bookstores. And since the demise of our bigger bookstore chains, competition for shelf space is fierce. So for a publisher to take your book on, the sales force has to be able to pitch your book to the bookseller in a sentence. And that means that your *idea* has to be catchy.

Not your writing, or your plot twists, or your fabulously drawn characters. Your *idea*.

So if it sounds like the same old, same old, it probably isn't going to cut it for NY. Your "girl falls for mysterious boy who turns out to be a werewolf" book might be the most original, scary, lyrical, gut-wrenchingly emotional and hopelessly romantic story ever. But the booksellers don't get to read your book. All they hear is the sales pitch. And they'd be falling asleep right about the time you said "mysterious boy".

(Not so in the indie/e-press world, so far as I can tell, where books sell directly to readers, and some readers will devour a thousand "mysterious werewolf boy" stories and never get bored. Traditional publishers are waking up to this, slowly. All those new digital-only imprints? Watch that space. But that's a whole 'nother post…)

So what does this mean for paranormal authors seeking that elusive contract? High concept, folks. Log lines. Elevator pitches. One-sentence hooks. Movie posters. Snakes on a Plane. I can hear your collective groaning from here… but it works.

FIRST IN
THE SEVEN SIGNS SERIES

For instance, my upcoming series with Berkley,The Seven Signs, is this: fallen angels in near-future New York must stop a gang of demons from hijacking the seven signs of the Apocalypse and bringing on the end of the world.

Think about it. I sold this series in late 2011, when nothing was 'fresh' about demons or fallen angels. It's a tiny fresh twist on 'post-apocalyptic', I think, because it happens during the apocalypse. But basically, it's high concept. You can tell it in a sentence. It paints a clear picture of genre, and of what the stories will be about. And it sounds cool – or at least I hope it does!

Of course, the book has to be good, too, if you want to sell! But the world's full of good manuscripts that never sold. More than ever these days, we have to know how to pitch our work. For a starting point, I recommend Save the Cat! Strikes Back by the late screenwriting guru, Blake Snyder. He's got an amazing method for formulating your pitch – and for showing where your story concept is lacking. Whenever I get a new story idea, I run it through this method to see if it's going to stand up.

Because, even in paranormal, the story does have to stand up. That's where the 'freshness' lies. Especially now we've already done pretty much every magical creature there is. So keep on with those vampires and werewolves, if that's what you love. There are always more stories to tell!

So do you like reading fresh new ideas and exciting, different creatures in paranormals? Or can't you get enough of vampires and werewolves?

Find Erica on the web at: http://www.ericahayes.net
http://www.facebook.com/ericahayes.author
@ericahayes on Twitter.

Copyright © 2012 by Erica Hayes ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Do You Recognize Yourself? (Or…Come On Out of the Closet All You Readers of Erotic Fantasy!)

I am a nut about fantasy. And romance. And dragons. And shape-shifting romantic creatures. Add hot sex to the mix and I’ve found my reading bliss.

There, I’ve said it. I’m out of the closet. I’m done hiding my personal reading preferences like I used to. No more turning the book covers upside down when people visit, or offering some vague response to  ‘what are you reading these days?” No, my pretty little colorful paranormal romance and fantasy books line the shelves of my biggest living room bookcase. Not only that, I write books like this.

CARA & THE DRACA

I started off as a sci-fi geek to the core. I even attended a Star Trek convention as an adult and gawked in worshipful delight just like every other geek crowding the aisles. Then, in the 80’s, in one of those turns that change your life, I found a used copy of “Interview With a Vampire’ by Ann Rice in a bookstore. It was all over after that, as far as reading preferences go. Vampires and magic - Oh My!

It was actually around the late 90’s- early 2000 that the genre Paranormal Romance began to take hold. The genre name was barely known then. You could find me on any given weekend roaming the romance aisles of the local bookstore, searching for anything remotely fantasy and romance connected. I especially sought out the ones that promised sex scenes. (Gah- I’m outing myself again!) I was thrilled to discover books like those of Laurel Hamilton and her world of sexy vampires and paranormal creatures. To my observation, at that time the bookstores were very limited in selection, both in paranormal fantasy and romance books in general that featured more graphic sex.

It wasn’t too long before about a million women just like me discovered this new trend in romance. I have a clear memory of Powell’s bookstore in downtown Portland in 2005 with no shelves at all identified as paranormal romance. Now, there’s an entire wall length of books, stuffed floor to ceiling with titles. Not only that, the graphic sex in romance novels in general exploded onto the market, in genres beyond paranormal. Erotic romance found its way into more ‘respectability’—with sexy plot lines that promised heated sensuality, not pornography. Erotic romance offers a happily-ever-after, and romance still drives the core story.

By 2006 I decided to try my hand at writing one of these hot little numbers myself.  I’ve always been a writer, a teller of stories, and moving to Portland clinched the deal. Portland is a romance writer’s dream, as far as I’m concerned. The Willamette river running along side the downtown cityscape, the picturesque old bridges spanning the river…The rainy days of winter perfect for staying in and writing.

LYDIA 7 THE DRACA

And what, may you ask, do they actually inspire me to write about? The shanghai tunnels, the bridges, the water, Old Town Portland with it’s turn of the century brick buildings brought dragons to life in this writer’s heart. Of course. Shape-shifting, sexy, clever, dragons called the ‘Draca ‘ who discover a romantic preference for modern Portland girls who carry a little something ‘extra’ in their bloodline. Both my books are set in Portland. In the most recent book, Cara and the Draca, there’s a climactic scene featuring a fire breathing, roaring dragon on top of the Fremont bridge. Waaay fun to write.

My writing journey continues as the Draca, and all the other paranormal creatures you find in Portland, (yes, it’s true), urge me to continue spinning spicy romance stories about shape-shifters and the women who love them. And, in case you are wondering, this includes lots of hot sex, along with some rather, uh, imaginative and unusual interspecies sensuality.  There, how’s that for true confessions?

Okay. Your turn!

About the Author

Louisa Kelley, who was born in the year of the Dragon and of course considers herself part Draca, continues her obsession with dragons while she writes the third book in her series, “ Daughters of Draca.” The second book, Cara and the Draca, was just released by Loose-Id. Louisa lives in Portland, Oregon and is a member of Romance Writers of America and Rose City Romance Writers. She'd love you to join her in some over-the-top erotic adventures with the Draca; dragon shape-shifters of a very different kind.

She’ll be on a grand blog tour in March and one lucky commenter will win a $25 Amazon gift certificate. To find out where she is at any given time, check out: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/01/virtual-book-tour-daughters-of-draca.html

To learn more about Louisa, visit her website at: http://www.louisakelley.com/