Author Interview - Jennifer Dante

Please welcome Author Jennifer Dante to our weekly author interview today!

Have you always had a passion for writing?

When I was little, I wrote a few things here and there. Until recently, it really took off.

Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?

Sometimes books influence me, however it can be a lyric in a song, something someone tells me, or even a picture.

What are your biggest inspirations?

My friends and my muse, who keep me encouraging me to write


Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

I don't have one for characters. However for locations, I try and use a place I have either visited or know a great deal about.

Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?

Sometimes, I have heard many writers having a list of songs to inspire them. I have one and I'll listen to it however I use music mainly to help get me in a certain feeling.


What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?

Staying positive with everything you write. Second would be to take a break, and look for inspiration or bounce ideas

How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

Having known authors who have both done both, and the challenges going through a publisher, yes you get that “recognition”, they both have pros and cons however for my poetry book, I'm going to self publish since its most publishers don't put out poetry books.

What are your biggest challenges as an author?

I would say coming up with new stories, and characters that hasn't been done before.

Do you have any pets?

Yes I do


What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

I'm a baseball mom, so in the spring/summer that is where I'm at. I love art, drawing, and art history. I am lucky to have been able to see many famous pieces


Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

Italy I would say. I love my Italian background and that I have been able to visit many of the cities and my family as well that lives there


Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work…

I have a book of poems,”Pieces of a Broken Soul” that I hope release in the early fall as well as two WIP that are both short stories.
You can find Jennifer here: Facebook & Blog!

Author Interview - L.S. Broomfield!

Please to welcome Author L.S. Broomfield to the blog today!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing?

I have always been a child that has wanted to write something, anything. Whether it is cooking up little plays showcasing the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew or just silly things that amused me or bothered me at the time.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?
I think everything around us whether it is something we read, watch, hear or just see affects us as writers and people in general. Currently, my favourite author is Abbi Glines and the book of hers that I love is “Fallen too Far”.
3. What are your biggest inspirations?

Gosh, I would have to say in terms of writing it would have to be pictures. That’s what currently inspires me the most. But in my life, my family and friends inspire me.
4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

Not really, I just let my mind wander and where ever it decides to stop I just run with it. When it gives me an ‘ah-ha’ moment then I just roll with it. It is a lot of just instinct for me. Whether that is eyes, dialect, culture, etc. I picture my character and then let them tell me.

5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?

Sometimes, depending on the scene I am writing yes, I listen to music. If it is a highly intense scene for either romance, grief or rage, music is playing.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?
Well, I think writer’s block and writer’s discouragement are always a part of the journey when writing. The important thing to remember is it is okay to step away for a while. It is okay to close out your document and work on something new.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

I am self published as well I will have a traditionally published e-book out this fall with my good friend Ashley Nemer. Self publishing has certainly changed my perspective in that I have realized that yes writing the story is a huge battle but it certainly is not the war. Marketing and finalizing the document in a vast array of ways is huge and I wasn’t prepared for how big that aspect would be.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author?

Biggest challenge by far is finding the time to do what I need to do. That can be either writing, marketing, editing or just being active on my blog, twitter and facebook. It is a full-time job in itself so when I all ready have a full-time job outside of writing it becomes a very big hurdle especially with a family too.

9. Do you have any pets?

Thankfully, no.
10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?
I love spending time with my kids. I know most parents may say that but I have to say I have some pretty cool kids. They’ve given me the hardest but by far the most rewarding job ever—A mom. So hobbies, watching TV with my teenage son – we have specific shows we just have to watch together. Watching movies with my youngest son and just chilling out talking with my daughter. I’m blessed but yes, I can honestly say I have some very cool kids.

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

By far the most memorable was my EF School Tour to Europe in 1992. I was in grade 9 and we travelled to England, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland and Amsterdam. It was so rich in culture, the food was different. Everything was so different and even now 21 years later it has left a lasting impression.
12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work…

My most recent published work is my novella, Cruentus: Rise to Power. A story of magical beings and the Cruentus family in the late 1800’s that proves the struggle for power has been an battle that time has given no restrictions. It is currently available in e-book and paperback through amazon.

You can buy Cruentus: Rise to Power here!

You can find L.S. at Facebook, Twitter and her blog!!

My current works in progress is Cruentus Book 2 Dragos Cruentus’ journey and another  currently called “Blake and Ashton” to be later renamed.

Blog Party Last Day!

Welcome to the last day of our celebratory blog party for Author A.L. Kessler's new release In the Light of the Moon!

Don't forget that it's on sale this week for $.99! You can find it here at Amazon, Smashwords andCreatespace!

Stripped of all control, panther shifter Kassity has no choice but to be a killer for Lucius. Obeying the vampire was simply her way of life, until Jax comes to town and brings trouble with him. When she recognizes Jax as her fated mate, Kassity must deal with betrayal, secrets and Lucius in order to be with him.

With a war raging between all supernatural creatures Jaxon must decide who he is fighting for-and against. What started as a simple job turns into a complicated game of hearts when he meets Kassity, the woman he thought he was rescuing. But not everything is as it seems in Lucius' territory.

Make sure you enter into the contests on the previous days! All contest winners will be chosen on Monday!

Blog Party Day 3!

Welcome again to our blog party weekend to celebrate A.L. Kessler's new release In the Light of the Moon!  

Today we are giving away an ebook copy of In the Light of the Moon!

Stripped of all control, panther shifter Kassity has no choice but to be a killer for Lucius. Obeying the vampire was simply her way of life, until Jax comes to town and brings trouble with him. When she recognizes Jax as her fated mate, Kassity must deal with betrayal, secrets and Lucius in order to be with him.

With a war raging between all supernatural creatures Jaxon must decide who he is fighting for-and against. What started as a simple job turns into a complicated game of hearts when he meets Kassity, the woman he thought he was rescuing. But not everything is as it seems in Lucius' territory.

Don't forget that it's on sale this week for $.99! You can find it here at Amazon, Smashwords and Createspace!

Make sure you leave a comment with your name and email!

Blog Party Day 2 with Author A.L. Kessler!

Thank you for joining us on day two of our celebratory blog party for Author A.L. Kessler's release In the Light of the Moon! Don't forget it's only $.99 this week! You can find it here at Amazon, Smashwords and Createspace!

Stripped of all control, panther shifter Kassity has no choice but to be a killer for Lucius. Obeying the vampire was simply her way of life, until Jax comes to town and brings trouble with him. When she recognizes Jax as her fated mate, Kassity must deal with betrayal, secrets and Lucius in order to be with him.

With a war raging between all supernatural creatures Jaxon must decide who he is fighting for-and against. What started as a simple job turns into a complicated game of hearts when he meets Kassity, the woman he thought he was rescuing. But not everything is as it seems in Lucius' territory.


Here's a little about the author:

A.L. Kessler is an up and coming author, with her first short story, Keeper, published in the anthology Evernight Vol. II and her second short story,Of Souls and Steam published in Penny Dread Stories Volume 3. Since she was a teenager she's loved weaving stories and spinning tales. When she's not at the beck-and-call of the Lord and Lady of the House, two black cats by the names of Jynx and Sophie, playing with her daughter, or playing video games with her husband of 4 years, she's either reading, participating in NaNoWriMo, or writing in her Blog Writing Rambles.


Today's giveaway is a paper copy of Midnight Symphony! Please leave your name and email address to enter to win!

Blog Party Day 1 with Author A.L. Kessler!

Please give a warm welcome to Author A.L. Kessler to the blog today! She is celebrating her new release In the Light of the Moon part of her Dark War Chronicles series this week. To celebrate we are giving away a prize each day till Sunday! So make sure you come back and see what happens each day.

Stripped of all control, panther shifter Kassity has no choice but to be a killer for Lucius. Obeying the vampire was simply her way of life, until Jax comes to town and brings trouble with him. When she recognizes Jax as her fated mate, Kassity must deal with betrayal, secrets and Lucius in order to be with him.

With a war raging between all supernatural creatures Jaxon must decide who he is fighting for-and against. What started as a simple job turns into a complicated game of hearts when he meets Kassity, the woman he thought he was rescuing. But not everything is as it seems in Lucius' territory.

“Impressive cat you’ve got there.” The male’s blond hair was cut close to his head, his blue eyes wandering over her body as he grinned.

“You’re here to talk business, Derrik.” Lucius reminded him with a growl, sitting back in his throne. “Something about your wolves being killed?”

Derrik nodded. “Your last raid really took a toll on my pack. We had three of our security people killed and two of our bartenders.”

“They were careless, what do you expect?” Lucius shrugged. “It’s part of war, the weak get killed.”

He took a step forward, his fists clenched. “Part of the war? I loaned you my members as part of the treaty and now I’m short handed a club that you fund.” He snapped. “I need more employees if you’re going to keep sending my men on wild, dangerous goose chases.”

“That last one was a success, we located the corpse that we think the stone belongs to.” Lucius and Kass both looked over as Tegan stiffened at the mention of this stone. “You want more employees, go hire some. All I did was give your pack the money to start the club. I really want nothing to do with it because it is a place for you and your kind to hide.”

Derrik shook his head. “You want me to hire humans? You’ve got to be kidding me. Humans don’t belong in our world, it’s dangerous.”

“What do you suggest then?” Lucius pressed his fingertips together and leaned forward. “That I give you employees? I have a bar to run too.”

He shrugged. “Just give us some people on loan, at least until I can find other sups to fill in.” His eyes fell on Kass. “Like her.”

The panther in her stirred, she didn’t want to be part of the wolf’s club, she didn’t want to work under anyone but Lucius.Stupid cat. Kass tried to keep her growl under control while she tried to squish her cat down.

“Kass is one of my best in bartending and in security, you get her you don’t get anyone else.” Lucius voice was calm.

She let her eyes slide to him, “You’re giving me to the wolves?”

“You have a problem with dogs little one?” Derrik asked with a laugh. “Promise we won’t bite.”

In the Light of the Moon is on sale this week only!! Come find it at:  Amazon, Smashwords and Createspace!


Today's prize is an ebook copy of Midnight Symphony! Please leave a comment with your email address to be entered to win!

Author Interview - Cooper McKenzie

Please welcome Author Cooper McKenzie!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing?

Yes, it started the first time I picked up a Dr. Seuss book and wanted to make books for a living.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?

I try not to let it, but of course beautiful writing and great storytelling will always influence the reader. Some of my favorite authors are Tymber Dalton, Clair de Lune, Sarah Addison Allen,

3. What are your biggest inspirations?

Life, random thoughts, overhearing other people’s conversations, a wild thought that turns into a “what if?” moment.

4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

I don’t choose the characters, they choose me. They talk to me, nag me, get quite demanding until I finally give in and write their stories. Most of my books take place in eastern North Carolina just because I have lived here for 30 years.

5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?

I usually listen to music only when I’m having trouble leaving the “real world” behind and entering the world of my creativity. Then I pull out my old Ipod and listen to a Tim Janus CD that a friend gave me years ago.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?

Writing from the gut, sometimes I can’t get motivated. Those are the days I put it down and go do something else, clean house, make baby hats, go down to the river and remind myself that writing cannot be forced.

A writer’s block means that somewhere in the last scene I have taken a wrong turn and I have to go back a page or two or five and fix whatever the problem is before I can move forward.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

Becoming a published author was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. Being able to quit my day job and build a career as a wordsmith is harder than I expected, but fills my soul with peace. It also keeps me from going crazy.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author?

This past year the biggest challenge was to keep my muse working. My father died in May 2012 and I was knocked sideways and it took a year for me to find my footing again.

After writing 60 erotic romance novels, my challenge is to keep things fresh. I refuse to be like some authors and write cookie-cutter books, changing names and clothing just to keep my name out in the public. My brain won’t let me do that and I think that would be boring as hell.

9. Do you have any pets?

Yes, my constant companion is Honey, my 10-month-old, 55 lb., all-American mutt who protects me from all critters, from caterpillars to cars. She chose me at the local animal shelter last November.

10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

I knit and crochet hats of all sizes from newborn to adult and donate them to various charitable organizations. I also am the American Legion liason to a local baseball team and will be working in their concession stand this summer.

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

Ocracoke, North Carolina. It will live in my memory forever as a place of peace and inspiration. There is something about riding the ferry to get to this island and then be totally surrounded by water that fired up my creativity.

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work…

Cougar Needs, is the second of the Cougarlicious series which is about three high school friends who decide they are going to become cougars since they cannot seem to find men their age who want anything to do with them. They get more than they bargained for when they meet three cubs who are not only hot younger men, but also cougar shapeshifters. Cougar Needs will be released from Siren on June 25th.

Stacy Covey needs a hero. When her car is vandalized, she calls the police and her life changes forever. Sergeant KJ Katz, a cougar shifter, answer her call and realizes she is the mate he has been searching for. Will Stacy let KJ into her future? Can he be her hero? Will he be just what the Cougar Needs?



Cougar Wants (www.bookstrand.com/cougar-wants) is the first of the series

After a weekend with her friends, Kimber Jordan decides she wants to become a cougar. When financial difficulties arise, she rents a room to Tate Pierce, not realizing she is his mate and he is a cougar shape shifter. Will this cub be able to tame his Cougar?


I am currently working on the twelfth Club Esoteria book entitled Juggling Masters, a return visit to Dane, Merlin and Sloan to see how they are dealing with their BDSM Master/switch/slave polyamorous lifestyle with 20-month-old twins underfoot.


If anyone wants to learn more about me and see the complete list of my books and series with blurbs and links to buy pages, they can check out my website at www.coopermckenzie.webs.com

Thank you for joining us today! Cooper is giving away a bag of swag! All you have to do is leave your name and email address! Contest ends Midnight Jun 12th Pacific Time!

FREE EBOOK

It's monthly promo time over at my author page on Facebook! If you would like to win an ebook (you get to choose one of three options available) all you have to do is comment on the promo note and answer the question!

Prize options this month include:
COUGAR WANTS - Cooper McKenzie
A RISE TO POWER - LS Broomfield
SERPENT VERSES SERPENT - Patrick Wendling Markwell

To enter, CLICK HERE