Monday, October 13, 2014

Stephanie Beck takes you out of this world for Halloween!


Cate: Welcome Stephanie Beck! So happy to have you at my special Halloween celebration. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Stephanie: Hi! Thanks for having me. My name is Stephanie Beck. I write romance novels, some of the super spicy variety, some very sweet. I love writing romance, and when I’m not busy working, I’m knitting, crafting and hanging out with all my favorite people.

Cate: Very cool. :) What do you love most about Halloween?
Stephanie: I love that it is in the fall! I love all things autumn. Apples, pumpkin, any kind of spice combined with either apple or pumpkin—it all makes me so happy.

Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?
Stephanie: I have three kids, so I find my memory bank growing every year. Last year, my son—who was 2 at the time—refused to put on his costume, and instead wore a sweet little pumpkin sweater. He was the happiest little guy and got twice as much candy as either of his sisters.

Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?
Stephanie: Not that I want to remember! I am a huge wimp. I don’t do freaky things, heights, or ‘true’ stories that make me jump at the sounds in the night.

Cate: What frightens you the most?
Stephanie: As I already shared, I’m a giant wimp, but what scares me most is the thought of something bad happening to someone I love. I can freak myself out pretty badly with just my imagination.

Cate: The curse of every writer, lol Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?
Stephanie: Nope. Sounds like a terrible idea.

Cate: lol It's actually very fun! Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?
Stephanie: I made a delicious pumpkin spice cake the other day. It was a standard box of cake mix, and a 15 ounce can of pumpkin. Mix the two together very well, and bake at 350 degrees until it springs back to the touch—mine took about 35 minutes. I added cream cheese frosting and everyone who tried it, really enjoyed it.

Cate: Yum, that does sound good. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Stephanie: Starlight Cowboy is my newest release. It is from the Beyond Fairytale series from Decadent Publishing. The whole idea was to take an established fairytale and spin it to something new. I love the story that wove together in Starlight Cowboy—sassy leading characters, a groundbreaking mission, true love…eventually. I was in the mood for something different, and Starlight Cowboy is definitely different.

Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Stephanie: 
From the storybook of the stars.
A groundbreaking mission to the moons of Jupiter should have been Annalina's big ticket for advancement, but instead of captaining her own ship, she's second fiddle to Shields Albright.
Playboy, adventurer, immature.
Shields has been called it all, but really, he just wants to fly and hasn’t spent a lot of time on his social skills. Mutual attraction grows as the walls of the space ship close in, and they come to an arrangement that satisfies them both, while allowing them professional distance. The distance doesn’t last, not as they grow to understand themselves…and each other as someone who just fits.
Not all is as it should be among the stars.
Their ship is attacked, and the moons of Jupiter are not exactly untouched when they finally arrive. The little world they’ve built high above terra firma is about to smack down in the middle of a dangerous, maybe even deadly, reality. If Shields didn't attract trouble like fireflies on a bug zapper, the two might have an actual shot at true love.

Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Stephanie: The Decadent Publishing call was so perfectly timed. I’d been in the mood to write something sweet and sassy, but also classic, or maybe beyond classic. I was just in a mood, and then I got the offer to write for Beyond Fairytales. Starlight Cowboy was so much fun to write. I love that I get to share it now.

Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Stephanie: Thanks for hosting me!! I hope everyone has a lovely fall, and gets to enjoy the changing seasons.

Cate: Woot! Stephanie has a great giveaway for you guys!.
Stephanie: I would love to offer a giveaway. I have a fantastic bag of swag from the Midwestern Book Lovers Unite convention that was held in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. For shipping reasons, US only. Void where prohibited. Please leave a comment sharing your favorite fall flavors as well as your email address

Cate:  Thanks for partying with us, Stephanie! Have a ghoulishly good Halloween. :)