Teresa D'Amario | Why Shape shifters?

Hi Everyone! I’m so excited to be here! And many thanks to the folks of Fresh Fiction for inviting me to their blog. I’ve met several of the ladies in person at Celebrate Romance in Columbia, SC, and let me tell you, they are a fun group! CR was my first ever conference, both as a reader and as an author, and I can tell you I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Rubbing elbows with some of my favorite authors, and getting to know the folks who love to read! What could be better?

It was a wonderful experience, and one I shall always remember. I only wish I could make it to RWA or to RT this year, but sadly I will be unable to join all the wonderful authors and readers at those two. So instead, I thought I’d introduce myself here at Fresh Fiction and answer the one important question I seem to get.

“Why Shape shifters?”

Paranormal romance in general constitutes so many different types of creatures. There’s the vampires we all know and love. The demons we are just learning to have love affairs with, the selkies, the faeries, and even more. So what makes the shape shifter so different?

First, we have to look at ancient lore. For hundreds of years we’ve heard of the werewolves. Creatures of the night who lose control of their bodies at the full moon and run rampant on the unsuspecting souls of the local communities. In ancient times they were believed to be controlled by witches. In fact, documents from the middle ages don’t doubt the existence of werewolves, but instead debates how they came to be controlled by witches.

An interesting concept.

And so the werewolf has haunted our imaginations for more generations than most of us can guess. But why is it suddenly so romantic? So sexy? What is it about this creature that pulls at our imaginations?

First, let me say that while my first book is about wolf shifters, I love the idea of all animals being shifters. For instance, my next work is about a Tiger. Now that has been really fun to write. Lions, tigers, bears, wolves, you name it. The powerful and the strong.

But that still doesn’t answer the question. For me, though, the answer is simple. It’s Instinct.

When we read contemporary romance, the human male is handsome and sexy, and oh so masculine. He’s either funny or serious, but he’s everything a woman ever wanted in a husband. And he’s politically correct.

That’s right ladies. A man can only be so masculine before our natural instincts kick in and say “ewww” if he gets too aggressive. We don’t want a real alpha male. Now a fictitious one? Maybe.

In walks the vampire. He’s oh so handsome, and has lived for hundreds of years. He’s so strong he can lift an ox single handedly. He is cold and calculating, yet when he gives his heart, whether it beats or is still as death, he gives it all. He’s everything we Dark Shadows fans longed for when we met Barabus Collins. The damaged soul that only the heroine can repair.

But the shifter, he’s different. He’s powerful and strong, like his vampire friends, but he has something they do not. Pure animal instinct. He doesn’t worry if his vampire buddies thinks he oversteps his bounds. Oh no. When he wants something he takes it. Whether that something be the pack or family, or if it’s the future mate. He respects power and strength and that calls to us ladies as well. But who wants a mate who’s always powerful and strong and we’re mere weaklings in his mind? That’s not a problem with shape shifters. The animal instinct inside him drives him to respect the feminine, to respect her strength and intelligence. He longs for the woman who can handle what he has to offer, and can give what he wants to take.

He steps in to protect when he is needed, is possessive of his chosen mate, and his sexual appetite, well…. Ladies, you have to read the book to find that out, but I promise you, he delivers, whether he’s a tiger, a panther, a leopard or a wolf.

So the next time you’re off looking for good reading material, and want to rely on the hot, powerful animal instincts, check out your local shape shifter author. I bet she’s got something for you, whether it be the cat, the wolf, or even the dragon. You’ll find the perfect author to your taste!

Teresa D'Amario

teresadamario.com

CJ Lyons | Better than Sex!

Okay, well, almost….but honestly, that's the only way I can describe the rush you feel having your first book sold, published, and now, ta-da!, getting fanmail!

When I began to write LIFELINES I knew it would be a challenge to find our target audience. Afterall, we were breaking all the rules—combining thriller pacing with a women's fiction feeling, a medical suspense told solely from the point of view of the women of Angels of Mercy's ER, and finally, combining romantic elements in an on-going, multi-character series.

Before the release, I worried. Would the mystery/suspense reviewers like it or would they find it too much like women's fiction? Would the romance reviewers think there wasn't enough romance? Would the "big name" reviewers pay any attention at all?

Turns out the worry was for nothing. Publishers Weekly and the Baltimore Sun both loved LIFELINES, with Publishers Weekly calling it a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller". Romantic Times Book Reviews made it a Top Pick and Romance Reviews Today gave LIFELINES a coveted Perfect 10!

But us writers aren't known for our neurotic tendencies for nothing, lol! Despite all this, I still worried about readers finding LIFELINES—and liking it. LIFELINES is shelved in general fiction/literature, not in either romance or mystery/suspense. And it's a paperback. Would anyone find it, much less pay money for it, and then like it?

My answer came sooner than I thought it would.

LIFELINES was released here in the US on March 4th, but must have hit the stores early in Canada because the first fan letters I received were from across the border. Words like "one of the best books I ever read" and "I couldn't put it down" were tossed about, making my heart soar as I walked around all day with a grin on my face.

People really connected to Lydia, who finds herself risking everything in LIFELINES. But they also loved the other women: Nora, Gina, and Amanda, asking when their stories would be told! (Amanda's story is the next book, CATALYST, due out early 2009)

Former nurses, EMT's, and even other doctors wrote to tell me I got the feel of an ER right and to thank me for sharing their world with readers. People from Pittsburgh praised me for how I portrayed their hometown. And, most surprising, a good portion of the fan mail is from men—they enjoyed LIFELINES as much as the women!

Now's my chance to officially say thanks to everyone who has read LIFELINES and taken the time to write me. I can't tell you how happy you all have made me!

A writer's life is often spent in isolation. We pour our hearts and souls into stories that we can never be certain will resonate with readers. And that's what it's all about, that's why we write—or at least why I write. Because we want to share our world with you, invite you in, spin you a good yarn, and hopefully entertain, empower, or inspire you along the way.

All I can say is…thanks for reading!

CJ

About CJ:

As a pediatric ER doc, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about. CJ loves sharing the secret life of an urban trauma center with readers. She also loves breaking the rules; her debut medical suspense novel, LIFELINES, is cross-genre to the extreme, combining women's fiction with medical suspense with thriller pacing with romantic elements and is told from the point of view of the women of Angels of Mercy's Medical Center. Publisher's Weekly proclaimed LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), "a spot-on debut….a breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" and Romantic Times made it a Top Pick. Contact her at http://www.cjlyons.net/

Nancy Haddock | Invisible Friends: A Play Day with Characters

As a reader, don’t you just love finding characters you’d like to have as friends? Or for back up if life got down right dangerous? Or, oo-la-la, as a secret admirer if not a lover?

I adore it when I become attached to the characters in books. Those I meet in only one book, I’ll revisit by rereading over and over. Those I meet in a series, I get to revisit with each new book. And, yes, I have been known to reread every book in a series before I read the newest one, if only to touch base and catch up.

As a writer, I’ve grown attached to my own characters. So much so, that they are no longer merely “imaginary” friends – they’re full-scale invisible ones!

In my debut from Berkley, LA VIDA VAMPIRE, my heroine Cesca is a born and bred native of St. Augustine, FL, the city I now call home. When I go down to the Old Town – with friends or by myself – it’s all too easy to view the sites from Cesca’s point of view. In fact, it’s a struggle not to see through her eyes because she’s that real to me.

When Cesca and I go out for a play day in town, I’m fascinated by what she sees as “new” from her perspective. What is her perspective? Cesca was buried in silver-chained coffin in 1803, and doesn’t see the light of day until 2007. The oldest drug store, for instance, was in a different location in her time. The Huguenot Cemetery didn’t exist until at least 1812, if not later. The Castillo de San Marcos is no longer painted the distinctive white and red that marked it as a Spanish fortress. It’s interesting to feel both Cesca’s excitement about the changes in her hometown, and the sadness that she missed all those years of seeing things change firsthand.

What’s also a kick is to shop with Cesca. She is a far more intense shopper than I ever want to be, and I nearly feel her scan everything at once when she walks in to a store. She was “with” me in a Tuesday Morning once when I was looking for the special coffee makers advertised. I found what I wanted, but I also bought a retro wall clock that Cesca wanted. That’s right, I said I bought the clock my character wanted. Am I nuts? Not entirely. The clock was a reasonable price, and, though it’s not what I would’ve bought, it grew on me. It’s in my office, and even has a separate “egg” timer that I set to keep myself from spending too much time on e-mail.

The very coolest thing about going out for a play day with my characters is that I come back to the story refreshed and with a new depth of understanding what they’re like as people. That’s the energy I want to pour onto the pages. That’s the energy I hope readers will resonate with so that my invisible friends will become theirs, too!

And, hey, so long as I don’t buy that surfboard Cesca has her eye on, I haven’t gone too far ‘round the bend, right?

Nancy Haddock’s debut book La Vida Vampire is an April release from Berkley Trade. You can visit her website and play the Where’s Cesca contest at: http://www.nancyhaddock.com/

Dianne Castell | North or South... Which one are You?

One of the reasons I wrote Hot and Bothered (Kensington BRAVA April 08) was to set a book in the South and not just geographically but in characters and language and food! Characters in NY are way different than characters in Savannah. You won’t hear the doorman at the NY Hilton say Y’all come back now, ya’ hear. And food? Just try getting a cream egg in Savannah or sweet tea in Manhattan.

I’m more Savannah then Manhattan. Not that I don’t looove NY City, I do. But I live in Cincinnati and feel connected to the South. I fry chicken and make cream gravy and make my own pumpkin pie. I don’t have a hidden tiara in my panty drawer but I do subscribe to Southern Living, think Paula Deen is the cutest thing on earth and have actually waited in line for two hours to eat at Lady and Sons. Yep, it’s worth the wait! And I can twirl a baton!

I have a pair of white gloves in my drawer and use cloth tablecloth and napkins and set the table proper with flowers for Sunday dinner. If my kids don’t mind their manners they get “the look of death” from their mama and I buy hair spray two bottles at a time and wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without putting on my face.

I love the South. My heart is there...except for those Palmetto bugs. I’m sure they are what keep me from moving south of the Ohio River. Sweet mother, are those things ugly as sin!

So, who are you? North or South? Even if you’re Midwest you probably lean more one way or the other and I’m willing to bet you have a little Southern in you just begging to get out. Let me know by entering my ONE DAY ONLY BLOG CONTEST and I’ll give away two Hot and Bothered T-shirts from the answers.

Thanks for chatting.

Hugs,

Dianne Castell
http://diannecastell.com/

Michelle Monkou | Sauntering Down Memory Lane

A friend recently celebrated her wedding on the beach of Cayman Islands. The bright blue sky, turquoise water, and white sandy beach provided a romantic setting for the couple in love. The photos from her wedding remind me of my April release – No One But You – that beautifully highlights a bride standing on a beach ready and waiting for her perfect match.

No One But You, Harlequin Kimani Romance, introduces the first in the Ladies of Distinction series about sorority sisters who pledged together and now face life after university. Basically after college, Jackson Thomas chose his family business over Sarafina Lovell. Now Jackson is back, and Sara plans to give him one sultry goodbye kiss to prove she’s moved on. His sizzling kiss awakens memories of passion too hot to ignore.…

I am happy to have Essence Bestseller Francis Ray share her thoughts about my book: No One But You . . . is romance at its best - fun, sexy, memorable.

Although I write romances, I am an avid romance reader. From 13 or 14 years old, I read romances that had lush settings in Australia, Argentina, English countryside, and so on. Yes, I could have easily enjoyed reading my book in a quiet corner, but I derived great pleasure in discussing the book.

In high school, way before there was such a thing as bookclubs, my friends and I read the book and then conducted major discussions. At first, it was only my friend and me. Then as others heard about our lively conversation, they wanted to join. We didn’t have rules. However, if a person wasn’t an avid reader and, heaven forbid, not an avid romance reader, then she wouldn’t be a good fit with the group. We read almost a book a day and probably two or three books over a weekend. Granted we didn’t have video games and the multitude of TV channels to tempt us.

This connection between romance books and friends has not diminished over time. Being a member of Romance Writers of America places a person in the middle of active, supportive writers, but more importantly readers, of romance. I’m convinced that a writer cannot be a good writer if she does not read.

I won’t pretend that our discussions were always intellectual and thought provoking. Sometimes it simply was sharing common appreciation like when we talked about heroes -- their motivations and conflicts -- never gets dull. And yes, a full discourse about which celebrities match the hero would make the discussion complete. At 15 years old, sharing page numbers of fabulous bodies described in Johanna Lindsey’s books reduced us to a group of giggling girls. Now several decades later, I can still enjoy a few minutes of frivolity with my girlfriends over a romantic, sensual, handsome hero.

I am grateful for the ties between romance books and friendships. Each served to strengthen the enjoyment of the other. I look forward to continuing my deep relish of the latest romance books and the new friends that will come my way.

Introduce a friend to a romance book.

Michelle Monkou
http://www.michellemonkou.com/