Meet Michele Hart

Today Meet the Author Monday welcomes Michele Hart. Michele writes hot and sexy sci-fi with interesting yet realistic twists. Please make Ms. Hart feel welcome and remember to leave her a comment so she knows you dropped by.


So glad to have you here today, Michele. As I said, your work often offers an unexpected twist on things, but a big theme seems to be technology and its many interesting gadgets. Can you start by telling readers why science fiction? And how you come up with the technology within your books?

Visit

Michele: Why Sci-Fi? The future is filled with hope to me. Conceiving stories set in the future says we’ll make it through the hard times we’re having now, so for me, it’s a leap of faith. I’m a huge technology nerd. I cruise the technology sections of six papers a day. So much is happening right now in science! It’s just an explosion of discovery. It’s not so easy to speculate future technology because we’re learning so much now. Sci-Fi writers now better follow up on the current technology of teleportation every few months or they’re going to make a glaring mistake. Lasers and arrays are on the battlefield and in big cities now. All the science we write in our stories is being developed right now. Research, research, research.




Fantastic. Too often people skimp on the research in the name of futuristic fantasy, but some of the greatest authors used the technology of their day to launch wild and bizarre worlds. Look at Fahrenheit 451 and all the parallels between its technology and our own. Of the many worlds you have created, do you have a favorite?


Michele: Yes, I confess, I do have a favorite, and it’s one I doubt our world will see because it’s a trilogy with large books, not of a size that is salable. The three stories are about three friends of a very great and noble young king who rises to his throne to find his kingdom shattered from war, some of his people enslaved. Each of the three friends is saddled with a mystical shape-shifter-priestess with crime mysteries to solve. I love the stories and the world in which they take place. Most of all, I loved the young king who was very wise, strong, and heroically perfect in every way. :-) You can do that with a secondary character, make him perfect. Can’t do that with a hero.


Never say never. Publishers told J.K. Rowling that the Harry Potter books were too long to sell as well. If you love them, someone else will too. People certainly love your other work. Reviewers have called your characters three dimensional and ultra realistic, which is funny to some extent since you write science fiction. Where do you draw inspiration for your characters and how do you make them come to life?


Michele: I try to create ordinary people faced with extraordinary problems. Hopefully, the reader feels like he or she lived through the events, too.


It is easy for romance writers to fall in love with the hero of the moment, but do you have one hero who stands out, one that lingers with you as you move forward?


Michele: That’s always Jack from my Sci-Fi Romantic Adventure, Luminous Nights. I wrote Luminous Nights fifteen years ago, and the #1 goal was always to eventually see it published, even though I’ve written and published stories after Luminous Nights. Jack is the man I’ll always love and want in my secret heart. He’s dangerous, passionate, and full of surprises, one after another, totally unpredictable. His presence is disturbing in the sexiest way. For fifteen years, I’ve loved other heroes, but my heart has belonged to Jack. I’m writing LN’s sequel, Vigilant, now.


You said a hero can’t be perfect, but it sounds like Jack is just that because of his imperfections, strengths and his flaws. So we know your favorite hero, but what would be your favorite book? If you were to recommend one of your books to a reader unfamiliar with your work, which would you suggest?


Michele: It’s Luminous Nights! Because Jack’s something to experience, not to be missed. Prison breaks, alien chocolate seduction, super weapons, doomsday devices, explosions, abduction, narrow escapes, murder-defying deceit, and threats of genocide, all while riding a harrowing roller coaster with a dangerous man wearing a holographic mask. If that’s your idea of a good time, check out Luminous Nights!

All that sounds very cool. Do you have a few more details to share?
 Michele: I do. Here’s a blurb:

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Cop or convict?


How many faces can one man own?


An assassin wearing a holographic mask and a prison tattoo boards Rachel’s freighter during a prison riot, intent on collecting gadgets capable of changing a man’s identity from the black-market gang who'd stolen them. Rachel’s never sure of Jack's identity nor his goal, but he claims to be an Alliance I-Marshal. Cop or convict? The clues never stop contradicting. She's horrified to find the bright holographic mask conceals the gruesome face of a monster. And the badge doesn’t slow him from murdering people right before her eyes.


When Rachel learns Jack will trade innocent lives for the digital miracles, she determines to make the mercenary grow a heart. How could a stone-cold killer kiss her so hotly? How could she kiss such a dangerous deceiver?


Jack has done years in prison to learn who’d stolen the remaining Gemini ticks, 3-D magic. Nothing will keep him from gaining extreme technology capable of unleashing galaxy-wide chaos. Forget feelings for Rachel. She can’t stop him from killing everyone involved.


***


Want to see more of Luminous Nights?
Read the first Chapter:
Read peril-packed excerpts:


Look to the right to enjoy a kick-ass book trailer:

Michele: Thanks, Becca, for lending me your marvelous audience!


Thank you for stopping by today, Michele. It has been fun. I always enjoy the opportunity to learn more about fellow authors and their work.

Meet D. Renee Bagby

Hello Everyone and Welcome

Renee, it is good to have you with me today. I know you are crazy busy so thanks for taking a moment to answer a few questions and introduce yourself. For those readers not familiar with your background, please tell us a little about yourself and your work.

Whether as D. Reneé Bagby or Zenobia Renquist, I live in my imagination. When not traveling through my fantasy worlds, I can be found in MD living with my husband and two cats.


I am an Air Force brat turned Air Force wife, which means I’m accustomed to travel and do it whenever possible (so long as I don’t have to fly). My favorite pastime is torturing my characters on their way to happily-ever-after for the enjoyment of my readers.


On the few occasions my muse flees the scene of the crime, I like to read (comics, manga, and romance), go to the movies, play a few levels of whichever puzzle game has hijacked my interest or experiment with a new chainmail weave.


You can find out more about me at my website http://dreneebagby.com or my blog http://dreneebagby.blogspot.com.




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My latest release is ERIS (Eternal Truths Book 1) an Interracial, Time Travel, Ménage (m/f/m) from Siren Publishing that is available in eBook and print.
 Time is on their side and they can be together, assuming the truth doesn't ruin everything first.


Immortals born in the thirteenth century, Lucien Riordan and Ranulf Styr have waited centuries to be reunited with their love. Want for her cemented their friendship through time even as it tore it apart. She changed their lives, made them want better, and they plan to show her that. There’s only one catch—she’s never met them before.


Eris Brue is flattered by Lucien and Ranulf’s attention but they are her bosses. She doesn’t want to get tangled up in an office romance, especially not with two men. Their joint seduction overcomes her resolve and she gives in even though she knows they are keeping secrets that could doom their relationship.


Centuries of planning have finally come to fruition. Lucien and Ranulf have a short amount of time to make Eris love them, because once time has her, everything could come to an end.


Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/eris


Read the First chapter: http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2010/06/eris-by-d-renee-bagby.html

Hot stuff, Renee. In fact, HOT describes the majority of your work, that and believable despite the fantasy settings. Reviewers often expound on the realism of your characters and their emotions, yet your worlds stretch the imagination. So why paranormal–and erotic paranormal at that? What is it about the genre that drew you in?

I’d rather make it all than to do research. I love to escape reality and have been making a hobby of it since high school. I always wanted to be carried away to some far off planet or to another dimension where all of the fantastical things I had read about and seen on TV existed. Since that never happened, writing about it became the next best thing.


I tiptoed into erotic paranormal, namely ménage, because sometimes I don’t want to choose between the moody stoic or the loveable joker, and I don’t think my heroine should have to either. Writing a ménage offers the freedom of having two types of hero get the same girl and having her love them both equally.

Too funny though that explains a good deal. I’ve never thought of world building as a way to avoid research. It has always seemed like a great deal of work. Now, I know better. ;-D So, if you could visit one of your self-made worlds, would you?

In a heartbeat and without fail, I would be on the first magic spell off this rock and on to Gezane. It’s got everything—magic, mythical beings, and really tall gorgeous men with horns. *eg* I know I can’t get there in real life so I’m really looking forward to revisiting that world when I write the sequel to SERENITY, which I hope to do in 2011.

It seems like you really do love your worlds. Is one of them filled with cat people? What is behind the cute little creature I see everywhere you hang out? Your blog and website are adorned with an adorable kitty cat mascot. Does she have significance beyond cuteness?

She is Sekhmet, named after the Ancient Egyptian goddess of vengeance. In high school, my best friend and I wanted to create a comic book. I would write and she would draw. Sekhmet is the character I created for our comic. Well, the comic never got off the ground but I loved Sekhmet too much to let her languish and be forgotten. I adopted her as the embodiment of my muse as well my site’s mascot.

That is pretty cool. My muse hides too often to have a face. Speaking of inspiration though, you live surrounded by it on an Air Force base. Do you find the military influences your work in any way–negative or positive? How so?



I have a super soldier story waiting to be finished, so I’d say it does influence me. I don’t see any of it as negative. Since I’m so widely traveled, that has exposed me to many different cultures. That, in turn, helps me to create more realistic worlds and give my characters’ reactions to those worlds that are more true to life.

I bet your readers will love the soldier as much as they appreciate your diverse background and its influence on your work.  Thanks again for stopping by today, Renee. It has been fun getting to know you.




Whisper Your Fantasy to Me, Baby.

I am talking with Sarah Grimm at Off the Keyboard about the importance of secret dreams and fantasies, and the role of romance in dealing with them. Stop by and share. Leave a comment here if you would like to share more adult comments than Sarah might be comfortable with.

Seven o'clock Last Chance to Dance

Do you dance? There is a song that says, "I hope you dance." Although music has never been a huge part of my life, dancing always has been, and I hope it remains that way. I remember watching my parents dance in the barn, in the kitchen, anywhere at all; helping my brother learn to dance and trying not to laugh my butt off because his hands were sweaty and Mom made him wear a sock on his palm; teaching my hubby to waltz before our wedding; jitterbugging with my dad on his 75th birthday; and a hundred other little things like that. So do you dance? Does it bring you joy or would you rather sit it out? Are you a worm kind of person or is the polka more your speed? Share the good, the bad, and the ugly because this is your last chance to win.

Six o'clock Favorite Vacation Spot of All Time

Since Jess and Sean hang out in the Bahamas and I adore the Maya Rivera I would like to know your favorite place to hang out, or you can tell me where you have always wanted to go. Don't forget the why!

Five o'clock Getting to know you

How do you celebrate the big things in your life? Are you a quiet, savor it close to the chest kind of person or are you a Snoopy dancer? Are you the woman on the bar top with a margarita in one hand and a big grin on her face? Are you the guy surrounded by loud friends but still somehow the center of attention? Let me know so I recognize you from across the room.

Four o'clock Questions

Who was your favorite author growing up, and what made his or her books memorable? Can you see elements of that writing style in your own writing or in the books you choose as an adult?  How so?

Three o'clock Word Association

This is an easy one. I will start with two words. The next person uses my second word as his/her first word and adds a second. The next person plays forward from the previous post.
Example: Post 1 = WORD GAME  --  POST 2 = GAME BOARD  --  POST 3 = BOARD FOOT 
Got it? Okay the words in red are your starters.

MILK MONEY

Two o'clock Discussion

Although Jess does not act the negative image of a cougar (an older woman waiting to pounce on a sweet, unsuspecting younger man), Surrender at Sea is still considered cougar romance. So the question of the hour is -- Are terms like cougar, in comparison to say the male equivalent of sugar daddy, derogative to women or are they in actuality a compliment? Can the word be empowering? Does the image of a strong, beautiful, and confident woman like Demi Moore sway the term to the positive and outweigh the idea of women in their forties and older being on the prowl? I have included a couple posts which debate the two sides of this issue if you would care to read them before you answer.

http://crazyinsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010/04/cougar-term-thats-offensive-empowering.html

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/sex/why-the-term-quot-cougar-quot-gives-women-a-bad-name-253880/

One o'clock Questions

Answer the questions by reading the excerpt, blog, and using you own savvy. Click on the cover at the right for the blog and excerpt. Do not assume the answers above yours are correct. Some may have more than one acceptable answer.

Rich man’s boat
The main setting
A place to recline
It is pink there
Supplier of warmth
Bad guy of the sea

Noon Challenge

Choose a word from the list below and write a word poem which explains how you feel about the word or proposes an alternative meaning. These can be hot, funny, intellectual, or even a little lame. Whatever you write counts as long as it is a word poem. (Like when you had to describe yourself in grade school and write a different word for each letter of your name.)


Cougar -- Swim -- Boy Toy -- Watercraft -- MILF -- Beach -- Yacht -- Sand -- Laughter -- May/December

Eleven o'clock - Just for fun

Identify the eight words or phrases created below.


VA DERS                   1,2,3...38,39,40 LIFE                  THEFAREDCE                     WINEEEEEEE 



give       get                                                                    .)                                      DOCTOR      
give       get                                                                   2.) blame                            DOCTOR
give       get                  JOBINJOB                             
give       get

Ten o'clock Story Time

Quick write a story. You may write more than one sentence as long as there are at least two sentences between entries. If no one wants to play while you are here, go recruit a couple friends to help you write. I will assign the first word and you assign one for the next person.

The first sentence must contain the word pirate. Whoever writes the first sentence must choose a word for the next person to use. Remember, the sentences should all come together as a story.

Nine o'clock Discussion

What comes to mind when you hear words like Atari, Collico Vision, Pong, Asteroids, Space Invaders, Play Station, Game Boy, Nintendo, or X-Box? If you haven't heard of half of these words, you are probably under thirty. What video games did you or your friends play when you were growing up? Did you have a home system or did you have to go to the arcade? What do you think of them in general?

Eight o'clock Intro to get us started

Questions about the Hero and Heroine

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Answer the questions by reading the excerpt and blog from Surrender at Sea, and using you own savvy. Click on the picture at the right. Do not assume the answers above yours are correct. Some may have more than one acceptable answer. Also, remember comments only count if you play along.

Names?
Ages?
Occupations?
Nicknames for one another?

Whoo Hoo Release Day Party for Surrender at Sea!

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It's up! Surrender at Sea is up! Snoopy Dance Time!

Ready everyone? Arms out! Head thrown back! Dance!

Meet Author Olivia Starke



Boo!

 I love the paranormal, and I admit I love a good ghost story. One of my favorite programs is Ghost Hunters on the SyFy channel, which is on T.V. as I’m writing this blog post.

My parents swear they lived in a haunted house years before I was born. As a kid I listened eagerly to their stories of it. If you walked upstairs, they said you’d hear someone walk downstairs and across the floor. If you walked downstairs you’d hear someone walk upstairs and across the second story floor. They had a yard gate that regardless of whether it was locked would be open each morning. One evening they arrived home with my uncle and aunt in tow and saw a bearded man walk through the home. Everyone saw the figure as they stood in the driveway. When my father and uncle went inside they found the place still locked and no one in sight.

Yes, it sounds pretty creepy right down to the fact that after my parents moved out the home burned down (as you hear haunted houses often do.)

My best friend says as a teenager she heard the family dog, with her little nails tapping away on the hardwood floor, trot into her bedroom per the dog’s usual morning routine. Of course this was days after the much loved canine family member had passed on.

I have to say that I am a diehard skeptic. Though I have a vivid imagination, I’m simply someone that has to find a plausible explanation for everything. Yet, this past winter I had an experience that leaves me scratching my head.

I was sitting in my cozy chair one night, typing away on my laptop, when I saw my Rat Terrier, Max, jump behind the arm of the sofa out of sight. I scolded him right away to leave the cats alone, fearing he wanted to bully the kitties (he’s so darn bossy.) My mother was sitting on the couch and she gave me a strange look.

“Why are you on to Max? He’s right here.” And yes, he was sound asleep at the foot of the couch, not on the floor. As I thought about it, the dog, though similar in build, had been smaller with a lighter color and different pattern of spots.

If I’d had a quick glimpse out of the corner of my eye, I’m sure I could discount it without a second thought. But I had looked up and had a clear image of the small dog’s leap and had even heard the soft thud of paws hitting carpet. I mentioned what I had seen to my mother, who humored me while engrossed in her television program. I searched all over for the yellow spotted stray that had somehow gotten into my house. Of course, I didn’t find the mystery dog.

A couple of months passed and my mother was walking down the hallway from the bathroom when she stopped at the door to my bedroom. She walked inside my room, looked around, and came back out with a strange look on her face.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I swear I saw a small dog in the doorway to your bedroom. It was sitting there staring up at me, before it ducked behind the door. I went in, but none of the animals are in your room.”

I asked her what it looked like, and she said it was a little yellow spotted dog.

How odd, because for one the door was open and I keep it closed so I don’t have four dogs and two cats fighting over my bed. Second, she’d seen the dog I’d seen—though she’d forgotten about my own encounter. And third, it was in the daylight, so she’d had a clear view of the phantom pup and not just a shadowy figure that could have been anything.

I’ve never owned a dog that looks like the one we’ve spotted, and from what I know the previous owners’ of the home didn’t have a dog. I am a complete sucker for strays, and all of my companion animals are rescues. Though I’m still not a believer I have to wonder, am I now a magnet for strays of a ghostly sort?

Oh well, at least they’ll be cheap to feed…



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Olivia Starke is a multi-ePublished erotic romance author with six paranormal releases available at Cobblestone Press (http://www.cobblestone-press.com/.) She can be found on Facebook, as well as on her website http://www.oliviastarke.webs.com/

Drum Roll Please

JoAnne Kenrick, come on down! Kate Richards selected you as the winner from her guest blog on Meet the Author Monday. Unfortunately, I have no address for you. Please contact me off loop or stop by the blog to claim your prize. Thanks for stopping by.

It's Monday! Meet Kate Richards

Blogging with Becca

Why Authors are Sleepy Most of the Time

After reading Valerie Mann’s inspirational blog the first week, with all the hunky guys and fabulous things that make her writing the rockin’ experience it is, I thought, as a bit newer writer than she and Becca, I would share what it’s been like so far.

It’s so exciting to join this world of storytelling. Everyone is so interesting and has imaginations that extend beyond the furthest reaches of space. It is a heady thing not only to be allowed to pal around with them, but also to become one of them. The stuff of dreams, for most of us. I waited all my life, and when Breathless Press accepted Finally, My Love, last spring I snoopy danced, sang and hosted a chat party, about fifteen authors and one reader (Hi Brandy). Okay, I could have advertised it better.

But as you learned last week from Clarissa Yip, most of us don’t just write. Noooo, that would be silly. We are critique group members, helping our friends as they help us in return, preparing manuscripts for the insightful eyes of publishers and editors. This goes hand in hand with beta reading, a little less heavy-handed form of critiquing. And reviewing…yes, many of us are reviewers as well.

 


Got Romance Reviews

 

Which brings me to owning a review site. Valerie Mann and I own Got Romance Reviews where we gather with a fabulous group of other authors and readers who read and review some of the best and the sexiest romances being written today. That’s also a fun part of my authorly life. Thank God for Val who is incredibly organized and makes spreadsheets in her sleep.

And editing. If you’re an author, and (like me) have an English degree, why not learn to be an editor. Since it takes a while to get known as an author, the money you make as an editor will give you the feeling you’re being a productive part of the writing community. Plus you get to read a whole bunch of great books in their early stages and watch them become polished and awesome. If you’re lucky, you do this for two or three presses!

Now, having a book accepted by a publisher has its own list of chores, as you are now the editee. You get to participate in picking out your cover and learn to promote your work. The authors that you know and love do these things and more. And most of them have day jobs, families, and do things for their community. So, if we seem just a bit tired, there’s probably good cause. If we didn’t love all of it so much, we wouldn’t do it. And of course, sleep is highly overrated.

PerfectPartners.com Excerpt:

I clicked.

The screen went wild. Golden confetti and silver streamers shot across the monitor like fireworks, and when it all settled down, a name appeared—this time in tall, electric blue capitals: QUINN EVERBY.

Quinn? Really? A remarkable name. I giggled. I guess I had asked for an extraordinary man, after all.

Buy Now

Too intrigued to stop, I scrolled down and found that Mr. Quinn Everby was a self-trained software designer, who spent his summers assisting on archeological digs in the Sahara and his winters bowling. He had indeed been born in China, where his parents were some sort of trade delegates. One by one, my stated preferences were met, and on the next page, I found a picture of a dark haired, sky-blue-eyed Adonis. Fantasies erupted, adding to my deprived sensuality.

Elbow on the table, I laid my cheek in palm and studied Quinn's sensuously full lips. How would he kiss? With great lips and a smile that lit up to those incredible eyes, I may have trouble keeping my hands to myself. We would have two children and maybe—wait, no. I sat up. Craziness.

What was I thinking?

Breathless Press
PerfectPartners.com
http://www.breathlesspress.com/erotic/perfect-partners-dot-com.html

Finally, My Love
http://www.breathlesspress.com/erotic/finally-my-love.html

Solstice After Dark
Confessions from the Carnivore Club: Dave and Nancy’s Story http://solsticeafterdark.com/confessions-from-the-carnivore-club-dave-and-nancys-story-p-118.html?number_of_uploads=0

Decadent Publishing
One Night at the Beach http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=145&osCsid=bis9iapotil50ujtlfp3e16220


Finally My Love



 

One Night



Confessions



Great blog, Kate. I am glad you stopped by and I swear I have learned as much or more from you than you have learned from me. If nothing else, you keep me laughing, which I hear is a fantastic cure for fatigue.

Winners from Clarissa Yip

Steph Beck and Jennifer Shirk you both have won a free book from Clarissa Yip. If she has not contacted you, please let me know and we will get your prizes to you. Congrats!

I have an official release date for Surrender at Sea.

  Blurb: Experience has taught forty-year-old Jessica Summers how to manage and diffuse even the toughest situation, but when she’s assigned to protect a multi-millionaire game designer everything changes. The hot, young entrepreneur with sex on his mind becomes the one thing Jess can’t control. Damned irritating brat.

Petite and sassy, Jess teases Sean McCloud’s sense of humor and ignites emotions he’s repressed for too long. He doesn’t see the twelve year age difference as an issue. His heart and body want her plain and simple. Sean just has to get past her hang ups, survive a pirate attack at sea, and convince his sexy bodyguard to surrender. What could be easier?

Excerpt - warning language is a little direct

Jess let go of his bicep and scooted away. “You have to go.”

“What? Why?”

Because every word that comes out of your mouth reminds me of how old I am. A woman who grew up with Pacman and Donkey Kong should not want to jump a modern gamer. “Because I’m out of my mind to be here, with you, like this.” She forced herself to rise, to move away from the bed and the illogical allure of his presence.

He stood, blocking the narrow path to the door. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong? Every time I’m around you, I start thinking things I shouldn’t.”

“Really? Anything you’d like to share?”

His cheeky grin teased desire. She longed to kiss it, to soak up his sexiness for later. “Get out of my room, brat.”

He trailed a finger down the side of her face and across to slowly outline her lips. “Don’t send me away, Jess. Not when I want to stay so very much.”

How did he know exactly what to say? Did someone teach that to young men? Guys of her generation didn’t have a clue for the most part. “Damn it, kid. I’m twice your age.”

“You are not, and if you were, who cares?”

“I don’t want to want you.”

“But you do.”

“Bull.”

His grin flashed again. “When you look at me, you lean forward, and your nipples tighten under your top.”

“They do not.”

“Do too.” He chuckled and edged closer. His long, muscular hands circled her waist and kept her from collapsing in an embarrassing puddle at his feet. “You also lick your lips, wetting them for my kiss. Where else are you ready for me?”

Everywhere. “Damn it, what do you want?”

He brushed his mouth over hers, more graze than touch. Her entire being tipped toward him, anxious and eager.

“I want you. Plain and simple.”

Meet Clarissa Yip

Today I welcome, Clarissa Yip to Meet the Author Monday.
Don't foget to leave a comment. Two lucky winners will recieve choice of Love by Auction or Unforseen Reunion so make sure Clarissa and I can find you.

Hi Clarissa. It is good to have you here.

It’s good to be here. I’m so excited.

And I am excited to have you take time for a visit. It seems to me that with the growth of e-books, the publishing field is changing. You are among a rising group in the new literary world – a jack of all trades. Every literature lover enjoys books for different reasons, but as an author, editor and a reader, which literary hat do you enjoy most?

I actually love all three, but writing makes me happy the most. It gives me a break to run off with my muse. I love helping my authors grow and they’ve helped me also. I don’t think I’d be here without my wonderful crit partners either. (* waving *) And I’ve been an avid reader since I was nine. I can’t imagine living without books. So, I get a little bit of all worlds and it’s fun.

It sounds like you enjoy the writing aspect of your career a good deal. In fact you just released your first story, Love by Auction. As a new author, has anything surprised you about the process or experience in general?

Well, besides the amount of author paperwork? LOL. No, not really, but it’s interesting sitting on the other side of the fence as an author, instead of an editor, and having to endure the torture of doing my own edits. Once I’ve seen a story so many times and each word is tattooed in my brain, I’m ready to run away from it. But the end product is always the best part. And seeing my own name on a cover is always exciting.

Do you have a blurb and/or an excerpt you’d like to share?

Intent on leaving the Date for Charity Auction, billionaire Mark Passmore vows not to bid, until he sees the gorgeous blond strut across the stage. Need overwhelms his senses and he has to have her.

With an etiquette drill sergeant and society snob for a mother, Rebecca Hathaway a.k.a Ice Princess accepts an extraordinary dare—one that lands her in the arms of her ex, except he doesn’t know it’s her.

After an explosive passionate night with Mark, Rebecca sneaks back to her mundane life of tea parties and book clubs. But she knows she’ll never be the same again.

Although he’s ended their relationship three years ago, Mark has never stopped loving Rebecca. When he learns the truth of Rebecca’s role in the action, will he forgive her for her betrayal or walk away again?

So now that they’ve had a taste of Love by Auction, tell readers what makes your characters and their story special.

Well, I’ve always been a closet writer, always hiding in my own world, and I gave a piece of myself to Rebecca. She’s the shy, responsible type that wants to make everyone happy. Rebecca kind of forced me out of my shell for a little bit. Truly, I’m not the daring type, but Rebecca made me want to be. And I’m such a softy for reunion/second chance stories. My heroine is the type that follows rules until temptation crosses her path a second time and she receives the chance to be someone else for a little while. Mark, my hero, is sexy, hot, and definitely charming, but he knows what he wants. He’s the guy that makes any woman feel beautiful, the one that can tease them out of their hiding places. But I’m not going to give away everything. You’re just going to have to read and find out. * wink *

I read Love by Auction before your visit, but I promise not to tell. Do you have anything else in the works or are you sitting back and enjoying the ride for a while?

Coming Soon

I’m actually a very busy girl. I never sit still for too long. Don’t know how I handle it all either. But I do have a few more releases coming out. Unforeseen Reunion will be out with Decadent Publishing in a few months. Bachelor’s Return will be out with Lyrical Press April 2011, and I recently signed a contract with Cobblestone Press for One Unexpected Night. So, I do have a lot going on and I’m definitely enjoying this ride.

Wow, you and your readers have a great deal to look forward to. That’s fantastic. Speaking of readers, since this is an opportunity for readers to meet their favorite and soon to be favorite authors, tells us a little about yourself.

Well, I currently live in Hawaii, but I’m allergic to the sun (No, not really. I tan too easy and I like hiding in my cave) and then I’m allergic to the snow when I’m in New York. I’m actually an East Coast girl, but I do a lot of traveling when I get the chance and I never know where I’m going to be. Besides reading, writing, and editing, I love scrapbooking, video games and new tech toys. I’m a sucker when there’s a new invention on the market, which explains where most of my paychecks go. But I do like going to the beach and meeting new people in general. I find everyone else’s life more fascinating than mine. I also have a great love for Asian languages since it was my major in college (Yeah, it should have been English), but I haven’t had the chance to utilize my degree either, except I do hope to see my books in other languages some day.

English is a good thing, but so is knowing other languages. Multi-lingual and multi-talented. Impressive. With all those skills under your belt, if you could do one thing-anything at all-what would it be, and what do you think your choice says about you?

This is a toughie. I want to do a lot of things. Now you got my mind running in circles. But I guess if I really had to answer, I’d say travel to Europe and Asia. I don’t like plane rides, but I’d love to go to Italy and drink wine. (Okay, it’s more than the wine, maybe the cute guys, but…lol.) I think it says that I have a bad travel bug, and I can’t sit still. Is that a bad thing?

Not at all. That’s one of the joys of being a writer or even an online editor, you can work from anywhere in the world. I wouldn’t mind writing from Australia or the bonny shores of Ireland. Unfortunately, cute guys are off limits for me as hubby might protest. For now though, before you run off to exotic and erotic places, where can people find you and your work?

Come visit me at http://clarissayip.com. I’m also on twitter and facebook. I love hearing from people, even if it’s just to say hi. Or even email me at clarissayip@gmail.com.

Great! Thanks for hanging out with me and my visitors today, Clarissa.

Thanks so much for having me, Becca! You’ve been so wonderful and fun to talk to. I really enjoyed being here, and I hope everyone visits!  

Winner of Amazon Gift Card

Kammie is the winner of Valerie Mann's Meet the Author Monday Giveaway. She will receive an Amazon gift card and a free copy of the Mile High Club. Congrats, Kammie!

"I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all." -E.B. White

First things first...big thank you to Becca for letting me be the numero uno author for her new Monday blog! Beck is a very cool chica, awesome author and has a marvelous sarcastic humor to rival mine. We understand each other well...

Writing is scary but ultimately, hopefully, fulfilling. Becca and I often consult each other for inspiration in the hopes of finding that elusive fulfillment. From emails and instant messaging to lengthy phone calls, we bounce ideas off each other frequently. Recently, my husband (one of my biggest sources of inspiration) and I had the opportunity to vacation with Becca and her uber-nice husband. We visited some great sites, laughed a lot, and generally had a ball. So, on that note, I'm going to keep this blog light and fun and show you some of the things in my life including a couple vacation sights that inspired me as an author.

MUSIC is an enormous source of inspiration for me. The hubster patiently accompanies me to concerts on a regular basis. And takes some great pictures...

SHINEDOWN - Richmond, VA 9/2009

SEXY MEN

  One word...dang.

I LOVE my Country. Wherever you live, I hope you love yours, too...

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota 

Who doesn't love to LAUGH? There's always humor in my writing.

This hunka burnin' love took a real shine to Becca in Sturgis, South Dakota last month. 

FOOD inspires me. Here's a great shot of my husband cooking for me. 

Uh huh.

A romantic movie can provide writing fodder for months...

And, in case you missed it, SEXY MEN inspire me.

My good friend, Gerard. We're very close. In my dreams.

Please leave a comment and tell what inspires YOU as an author or reader! I'm always open to new ideas! I'll pick one commenter to receive an Amazon gift card! Yay, a prize!

Valerie Mann

Author ~ Fanning Old Flames - Cobblestone Press

                 Hide & Seek - The Wild Rose Press

                 Mile High Club - Noble Romance Publishing

Meet the Author Monday is COMING!

I am so excited. Starting on Sept. 6 I will have a new author visiting every Monday. If there is someone you would like to know more about, shoot me a note and I will see if they are on the list so you know what day they will drop by. If they aren't scheduled for a visit, I will contact them to see what I can do. The list on the side of the page is only a glimpse of all the names waiting on my calander. I can't wait to get started!

Editing

Editing Surrender at Sea. Trying to spice it up and bring it to life. Do any of you ever struggle with making a scene hot without crossing to trashy? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Why Water, Becca?

I case you are wondering why a landlocked author would have pictures of water all over her blog, I will explain. Oh admit it, the question has been burning in your mind. Well, right now, sitting somewhere on my editor's desktop, is a story of love and intrigue on the high seas. See it is all coming clear to you, isn't it? Surrender at Sea will make you long to surrender your booty to the hot hunk. This is the same manuscript which I struggled for a title. I hope the water makes you want to plunge in and take a look when it finally arrives.

Meet the authors Mondays

I am looking at adding a new element to this site. I want to invite fellow authors to visit on Mondays. If there is someone you would love to know more about, something you as an author would like to share with visitors to the site, or anything else, let me know and I will try to set it up.

Comment below but also look right and take the poll

Nerdy is Hot

Oh my gosh. Growing up I was always drawn to the super smart guys. The ones who loved Lord of the Rings and could actually write, read, and speak the languages from J.R.R. Tolkien's books. They played video games and wrote computer programs. They were the boys in the play and on the debate and oral interp teams as well. They were adorable, but hardly anyone seemed to notice them but me and a few other equally nerdy girls. Why was that? I can not imagine. Honestly, how can any woman resist the sexy cute draw of a man with an adorable grin that says if I tear myself away from my computer, you will have my undivided attention.

There is something undeniably adorable about such men. Don't get me wrong, I like a super buff boy or a guy in boots and a hat as well as the next woman, but my libido still jumps to attention when a guy in a white shirt and black dress pants walks by with the absentminded professor look. Christopher Gorham has that look in spades. His new show Covert Affairs is an appetizer for any nerd lover in my humble opinion.

My own guy isn't quite a nerd - though he is smart as hell and sexy to boot. As an engineer, I suppose he qualifies, but I have seen him in biker leather too many times for the nerd image to remain. LOL

So what do you think ladies - and gents for that matter - does a cute nerd do it for you? I'm working on an anthology with some friends, and I think the hero just might have to be a hot nerd extraordinaire. Is it just me or is that hot for others as well? Are you in love with a nerd? Do you lust after one? Does your mind and body go on alert when a well dress computer geek walks by? Share you thoughts. Can't wait to hear what you think.