Dena Garson unleashes a wild Halloween

Cate: Please welcome Dena Garson to my special Halloween celebration. Dena, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Dena:  Hi! I’m Dena Garson. I write contemporary, paranormal and fantasy romance. I’m a mother of two rowdy boys, a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan, and a Whovian.

Cate: Coolness! What do you love most about Halloween?

Dena: Definitely the dressing up as something you’re not. I love costumes. I just love the fun!!

Cate: It is fun to pretend. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?

Dena: Yes – a couple, actually! One was a simple as the steering wheel being turned for me while backing the car up when I was first learning to drive. I thought my mom had done it and kept me from driving off a small embankment, but she said she didn’t touch the wheel. The other incident occurred a few weeks after my grandmother died. Once morning as I was just waking I opened my eyes and saw someone standing at the foot of the bed. The figure walked around to me and touched my leg then disappeared. Something told me it was my Grandmother and that she had just come to tell me good bye.

Cate: Aww, I love that. *sniff* But what frightens you the most?

Dena: Something bad happening to one of my kids. After that, spiders. *shudder*

Cate: The specter of possible accidents always haunts me, too. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?

Dena: Yup! I took the boys to Eureka Springs a couple years ago and we went on the Crescent Moon Hotel ghost tour. Pretty cool!!

Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?

Dena: A really simple and fun drink recipe for a non-alcoholic punch is “pond scum” punch.

All you need is one bottle of grape soda and one of orange soda (2 liter). Pour them both into a punch bowl then scoop globs of lime sherbet into the bowl. The light green globs will look like pond scum on the murky brown liquid.

It looks horrible, but it’s really pretty tasty!

Cate: Sounds perfect, lol. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.

Dena:  Your Wild Heart is part of the Black Hills Wolves. It’s a multi-author series based around a wolf shifter pack in the Black Hills of South Dakota. With so many authors and voices, there is bound to be something for everyone!

You can find Your Wild Heart at

Amazon  /  ARe  /  B&N  /  CTR  /  Google  /  iBooks  /  Kobo  /  Bookstrand

Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?

Dena:  From Your Wild Heart

Wildlife biologist, Isabelle Acker, meets sexy park ranger, Wyatt Powell. His Wolf sits up and takes notice of her, but when he learns why she came to the park, he becomes wary of her intentions. After all, as far as the general population knows, there are no wolves in the Black Hills.

Ordered by his Alpha to keep an eye on the smoking-hot biologist, Wyatt finds it difficult to keep his hands to himself. He wants to possess her, to share everything about his life, but that might endanger the Tao Pack. But the attraction proves too great and, unable to deny his Wolf, he takes her with a passion he didn’t know he possessed.

However, their sexual bliss is short-lived, and on the night of the full moon, more than one secret is revealed. When all is said and done, they must each decide—is what they have between them true love or just hot sex?

Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?

Dena:  I have a book trailer video for Your Wild Heart:

Cate: Readers, you're in for a treat! Dena has a giveaway.

Dena:  I’m giving away a copy of my fantasy romance Mystic’s Touch via an Ellora’s Cave ebook coupon code. Mystic’s Touch won the 2015 Passionate Plume as well as the 2015 Reader’s Choice Award. To be entered in the drawing all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post telling me what characteristic you like most in a paranormal hero.

Cate: Wow, very cool. Congrats on the award! And thanks for sharing in the Halloween fun.

Good luck, readers!

Taryn Kincaid brings shifters, Sleepy Hollow magic and sexy heroes!

Cate: Woot! Taryn Kincaid's returned for the Halloween celebration. Taryn, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Taryn: I read and write everything. Well, not that I’ve written everything there is or ever was, but sometimes I mix up genres. I seem to be most comfortable with paranormals, if you go by my SLEEPY HOLLOW series of 1Night Stand books for Decadent Publishing, or my Black Hills Wolves shifter romances (one out, one on its way and one in progress!), but my first contract was for a Regency Romance, HEALING HEARTS, from Carina Press. And I’ve taken a dip into the contemporary romance pool, too, which has produced some of my best writing.

Cate: What do you love most about Halloween?

Taryn: Sheesh, what’s not to like? Candy, kids, apples, pumpkins and spices, bursts of amazing color when you leaf-peep, and the fabulous snack and party ideas on Pinterest. I can’t believe some of the stuff people dream up!

Cate: Exactly! lol Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?

Taryn: Trying to get home from school before anyone else, get costumed, made up, out the door and over to the neighbors’ before Mrs. Mac gave out all her candy apples! (She only made them for the neighbor kids she knew.) I guess no one really does that anymore.

Cate: Sadly, not that I know of. We don’t even get trick or treaters where I live! I miss them.

Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?

Taryn: Yes, but I can’t talk about them!

Cate: Uh oh! Now I’m imagining the worst, lol. What frightens you the most?

Taryn: Donald Trump.

Cate: Yikes, YES! Can’t even joke about that. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?

Taryn: Went on a ghost tour in New Orleans, maybe the best city in the world for that. It’s got such a reputation for ghosts that you can see realtor signs hanging on apartments to let that say, “Haunted / Not haunted” and things like that!

Cate: I so want to go there. Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?

Taryn: Have a bunch of them up on my “Happy Halloween” Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/tarynkincaid/happy-halloween/

Cate: Yum! Ok, now for the real goodies! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.

Taryn: I’ve got  HER CAPTAIN coming in December from Fated Desires Publishing’s Tempting Signs series, but it’s available for pre-order now! The hero, Slate Claybourne, is a sexy, taciturn—and somewhat damaged--ex-Navy SEAL, who returns to his hometown. He’s a Capricorn and would keep to himself if he could. But the heroine, Holly Harper, a bouncy and impetuous Aries, has other ideas!

Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?

Taryn: Would love to!

 12 Authors. 12 Zodiac Signs. 1 Explosive Series. What seductive, contemporary

 romance will you find today? 

Capricorn Slate Claybourne, an ex-Navy SEAL and former sniper who has seen and done things in country that no man should endure, returns to his bucolic hometown on Pieberry  Island, desperate for the mundane, everyday routines he once wanted to escape.

A broken soul-dead man unable to be around people, his body still a lethal weapon when his night terrors wake him from sleep, Slate’s failed to keep the promise he made to the commander who died in his arms: to look after the older man’s baby girl.

But animated Aries Holly Harper is not the pigtailed tot Slate expected her to be, when she lands on the island to take over the decrepit Pieberry House, determined to turn it into an inn for summer tourists, and even more determined to yank Slate back into the land of the living.

First she crashes into him at the island’s holiday Winter Festival, dumping a towering stack of pies at his feet, then she drags him off to a fortune teller against his better judgment. Except for the sizzling attraction smoldering between them, they’re incompatible in every way.

But when a furious December nor’easter traps them together at Pieberry House, will Slate and Holly overcome their pasts and discover they are two halves of a whole?

#Amazon : http://bit.ly/1MlhhMx ‪#‎iTunes: http://apple.co/1IIsTGU ‪#‎Google: http://bit.ly/1MoTeOq
‪#‎Kobo: http://bit.ly/1TsHSwV

#Nook: http://bit.ly/1FxbYsW

#ARe: http://bit.ly/1MlhhMx

Cate: Sounds great! What inspired you to write about the theme?

Taryn: Each sign of the series has been written by a different author. So when I was asked if I wanted to do one, I chose Capricorn, which is my own sign. I knew I wanted the hero to be some sort of sea captain…my original inspiration was Billy Joel’s Downeaster Alexa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVlDSzbrH5M)…and I knew there was going to be a big Sandy-type storm…but that’s about it. I toyed with the title, Captain January, like the Shirley Temple movie because I thought the book would release in January. (It’s a December 15, 2015 release). As it turns out, it’s nothing like Captain January, and nothing like the Downeaster Alexa! About the only thing that remains is the storm! I love it.

Cate: Very cool! Anything else you’d like to share?

Taryn: Yep! My next Black Hills Wolves shifter book, ANOTHER CHANCE, is coming soon. (I don’t know the date yet, or I’d share.) But here’s the gorgeous cover:

Cate: Oo, you’re in for a treat, readers. Taryn has a giveaway for you!

Taryn: What’s your sign? Do you believe in astrology? Tell me that, or relate one of your favorite storm anecdotes and I’ll send a random commenter a copy of my first Black Hills Wolves shifter book, WOLF’S SONG.

Cate: The perfect Halloween treat! Thanks for joining the party, Taryn!

Taryn Kincaid brings us a howling good holiday

Cate: *howls* Taryn Kincaid is here to spread some holiday cheer! Taryn, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Taryn: Well, as I think you know, Cate, I am a world-reknowned 5-star Michelin chef, and I also sell automobile tires on the side. I always plead bafflement and confusion when guests complain chicken tastes like rubber. You can see how easy it is to mix up my two endeavors, right? I mean, come on. Basically, tires are just giant black doughnuts. We call them tirnuts. They sell like hot---well, um, no. They sell like tirnuts.

Cate: lol What do you love most about Christmas?

Taryn: This will come as no surprise to those who know and, um, put up with me.I am somewhat of a Scrooge about Christmas. Though I must say New York City gets all beautifully bright and sparkly and colorful. Also brisk and crowded. But the store windows are phenomenol. Yes, I guess I love those. Except when they show up right after Labor Day and before Halloween, when we’ve all had scarcely a chance to make sure everything we ingest and imbibe is pumpkin spiced.

Cate: I love NYC at the holidays too. The window displays are amazing. Soooo, do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?

Taryn: We really leaned more to the Hannukah thing in our house. When I was a kid, I had a Barbie, of course, although I never saw the big attraction with dolls, either, being more of a  bike-riding, hurdle-jumping kinda kid. My main interest in Barbie was creating involved romantic scenarios for her and her milk-toasty, whitebread beau, Ken. But I did have a Tammy doll that I was pretty partial to. Tammy was more like a real high school kid and she came in a red and white letter sweater and cheerleader’s outfit. The sweater was white with a big red “T.” So, of course, I immediately related to that! (It would turn out, much later, that my high school colors were red and white!) Anyway, you may know that Hannukah lasts eight days. Since my birthday is in January, I would often get combo presents. But one year, my mother, a stay-at-home mom at that time with an excess of creative energy, hand sewed a little wardrobe for Tammy and would give me a different outfit  each night. My favorite was a little fully lined raincoat, cloth inside and plastic outside. It was totes adorb. And stunned all my friends. Which, really, is what you’re looking for in a gift, isn’t it?

Cate: We should have been playmates, lol. If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?

Taryn: World peace. Oh. Wait. I forget for a second that I’m not running for Miss America. Or elected office. But honestly? I would wish that the world, in general, and everyone I know, in particular (especially my own self) would just calm down. The stress levels make my head explode.

Cate: What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so special?

Taryn: Oh, see above. And what made it special was that my mother made it all by hand, clearly an immense labor of love.  

Cate: Wow, incredible. Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?

Taryn: I will give you the traditional Hannukah recipe for latkes, which are potato pancakes. They are made with oil, which symbolizes the miracle of Hannukah, the festival of lights. This recipe is from epicurious.com and is the basic, gets-the-job-done recipe.

LATKES:

1 pound potatoes (any kind)

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon salt

½ to ¾ cup olive oil (or corn oil)

Sour cream and/or applesauce

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.

Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4 latkes, spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.

Top with dollops of applesauce (my preference) or sour cream.

Cate: Yum! Thanks for sharing. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.

Taryn: My latest release is WOLF’S SONG, part of Decadent Publishing’s brand new Black Hills Wolves line of shifter romances, which will debut in January. WOLF’S SONG is the 4^th book in the series and releases on 1/30/15. But it’s available by pre-order on Amazon NOW! The Black Hills Wolves is a multi-author, shared world series about a wolf pack living in a place called Los Lobos, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It’s the brainchild of Rebecca Royce, who wrote the 1^st book in the series.  Amazon Pre-Order link

Cate: Great cover! Care to share a blurb or excerpt?

Taryn: Yep!

BLURB:

Ten years ago, visions of death and the babble of lupine voices in his head, drove lone wolf Brick Northridge to challenge his cruel and greedy pack alpha. Beaten by the alpha’s thugs and banished from the pack, Brick lives a life of seclusion in a mountain cabin in the Black Hills.

Born into a rival clan of feline shifters, skinwalker Summer McCoy, in her guise as a raven, watches Brick from afar, giving him back a reason to live through her sweet songs and special gifts.

But when her clan attempts to tear them apart and threatens the pack that banished Brick so many years before, will their love be strong enough to withstand the forces bent on their destruction?

EXCERPT

Summer McCoy perched in the uppermost branches of her special Ponderosa pine, in raven guise, engaging in her favorite pastime, spying on the lone wolf chopping wood below. Two days’ worth of whiskers shadowed his rigid jaw. She loved when he forgot—or didn’t bother—to shave. Scruffy stubble suited him.

The sun beat down on the back of his bronzed neck and shone on his hair, the color of roasted coffee, a shade lighter than the dark shadow that charcoaled his face.

She fluffed her feathers in anticipation. Take your shirt off, Brick.She’d heard the giant werebear, Gee, call him that name a decade ago. He’d made some joke about a wall and the hardness of the male’s head. But Brick hadn’t laughed back then. Not ever.

He’d fascinated her from the moment he’d arrived in the glade, bruised and battered. Once she’d learned his name, she’d treasured it, taking pleasure from repeating it often. Secretly, of course. Unwrapping the syllable frequently to admire its radiance in the privacy of her tree house, the way a woman wearing pearls against her warm skin enhanced their luminosity and iridescence.

Now, as if he’d heard her silent urging, he complied with her plea, shrugging out of the plaid flannel and flinging it onto a tree stump. Her beak opened as she sucked in breath. Sweat glistened on his torso, glazing rippling pecs and abs, shoulders broad enough to span the Badlands. A huge, incredible specimen of masculinity. Thick biceps flexed as he wielded the ax. Her heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s wings. Heat licked her.

Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?

Taryn: I’ve also got another new release, IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, which will release from in February from Fated Desires Publishing’s new special line, “Give Me A Taste. It’s a contemporary foodie romance with a totally mouth-watering hero. It’s available for pre-order now at Amazon | Kobo | Google play |iBooks

Cate: Coolness! Congrats, and thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday!