Ashes for Teaser Tuesday, and visiting Emma Lai's blog today

For Teaser Tuesday: the paranormal romance thriller, Ashes by Arlene Webb, available from MuseItHot Publishing 

His daydream with denial began to weaken as his thoughts hardened from despair into anger. Lyle pressed against his brother’s stiffening body, but no amount of friction created a response.

Check out the other Teaser Tuesday participants! 

And I hope you'll pop over to Emma Lai's blog today, where I'm sharing some background on San Francisco Dreams, my historical novella set during the 1906 earthquake. Pretty cool stuff! :)

My first Teaser Tuesday

Here are two enticing lines from Emma Lai's His Ship, Her Fantasy:

“It would be nice if once, just once, a man would take care of me,” she muttered under her breath.

Maybe it was because she ignored the ship’s warnings and refused to stop her rant that it chose to knock some sense into her.

 Check out more Teaser Tuesdays entries!

Emma Lai in the Author Spotlight

Cate: Please welcome Emma Lai. Emma will you please share a short bio with us?
Emma: I like a challenge. First, I entered the male-dominated field of engineering. Then, I expanded my understanding of the world by studying international relations. Next came starting my own consulting business followed shortly by getting pregnant. Finally, my husband dared me to devote myself to writing. (He runs the consulting company now.) 

Writing keeps me sane. The characters demand their stories be told and nag incessantly until I comply. The characters are very insistent about me remaining faithful to their individual adventures. As a result, I write a range of genres and levels of heat.

Cate: Tell us about Twice is Not Enough and where it's available.
Emma: The idea for Twice is Not Enough came to me during one the chats held by the editors of The Wild Rose Press. One of the Scarlet editors mentioned she hadn’t seen enough voyeuristic stories and another said Regencies were hot. I combined the two and Twice was born.

Click here to buy it from The Wild Rose Pres.

Cate: Very cool. Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Emma: After several disastrous engagements, Lady Minerva Peters is an expert at suppressing her own needs. Only in the darkness of night does she give in to her wanton desires with a fantasy lover.

In the middle of a crowded ballroom, she learns her father is not yet ready to let her fade into spinsterhood. Humiliated, she ducks into a dark alcove only to find out she's not alone. Her hiding spot is occupied by a captivating stranger. Before she can escape, the two become voyeurs to another couple’s sexual rendezvous. The atmosphere heats up and so does her body, especially with the tempting offers whispered in her ear. 

Will Minerva deny her needs once again or will she embrace the anonymity of their seclusion and finally explore her basic impulses and the startling attraction to the compelling mystery man?

Cate: So sexy. Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
Emma: He knows what he wants and goes after it.

Cate: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Emma: I like to think the voyeuristic library scene makes the story original.

Cate: What's next for you?
Emma: I’m desperately trying to finish a full-length book. Though I’m not sure which one. I have a contemporary erotic and a young adult sci-fi/fantasy in the works. (I know. Opposite ends of the spectrum.)

Cate: What inspired you to draft your first story?
Emma: My husband. He loves to read. So, I wrote him a quick story, which is how His Ship, Her Fantasy, also available from The Wild Rose Press, was born.

Cate: Love that! Do you have a writing routine?
Emma: Write whenever I can. On the days, I’m able to have a routine, I check my email, visit blogs and then settle in to write—music or movie on in the background, coffee or tea at hand.

Cate: Where can readers find you on the web?
Emma:  Website: http://www.emmalaiwrites.com/

Blogs: http://emmalaiwrites.blogspot.com and http://emmalaivisitsthespicierside.blogspot.com

Facebook: EmmaLaiWrites

Twitter: @EmmaLaiWrites

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Emma: What’s the one thing guaranteed to ruin a book for you?

Cate: Readers, Emma is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner on Sunday, February 27th and announce the winner here.

Thanks so much for being my guest Emma!  Best of luck with all your projects.

Visit the Spicier Side with me...

...at Emma Lai Visits the Spicier Side blog. Yesterday, Wilderness Girl was featured. Today, read how you can boost cognitive function with an erotic romance. :)
Wilderness Girl happens to be an erotic romance with humorous elements. You Gotta Read Reviews gave it its top rating too!

Spotlights here and there

Tomorrow my first Spotlight author will be here!
And on Wednesday and Thursday, I'll be over at Emma Lai's Spicier Side blog, so I hope you'll pop over for a visit. On Wednesday, I'll be discussing how you can Boost Your Cognitive Function With an Erotic Romance. :)
Wilderness Girl will be featured on Thursday. Hope to see you there!

Welcome special guest author Emma Lai!

I'm happy to welcome back fellow Wild Rose author Emma Lai. You can read her earlier interview here. Welcome Emma!

Cate, thanks for allowing me to promo my latest release, His Hope, Her Salvation, available today from The Wild Rose Press!

Blurb:
Promised in marriage to an abusive oaf, Judith resolves to find out if there can be passion without love. Snatches of conversation overheard at the local inn lead her to a mysterious American merchant who might be able to satisfy her carnal curiosity and capture her heart.

Donovan, a Guardian Hunter, is on the trail of a rogue Elysian in Georgian England. As the son of the First Hunter, he long ago gave up hope of finding his heart's mate. When Judith appears in his study, his inner beast and his heart demand he answer her plea for help.

Will their passion answer their hearts' pleas, or will it wither under the threat of reality?

“Where did the idea for the story come from?” I had this scene in my head of a desperate woman bursting into a gentleman’s study.

When I started writing the story, the hero, Donovan presented himself as bored and callous. The opening line exemplifies this.

“That will be all, Eallair.” I waved a hand in dismissal, my gaze focused on the fall of the elegant lace cuff against the blue velvet sleeve of my frock coat. “See this gaggle of geese out, if you’d please.” I glanced back at the occupants of the parlor, the corner of my mouth lifting in a sneer.

In the original version of the story, I emphasized his callous nature. From the opening lines until the study scene, Donovan was an ass. He treated his guests, his mistress and the heroine with disdain. Of course, the original version was written with Ellora’s Cave in mind. When The Wild Rose Press contracted the first story in my Mates of the Guardians series, they obtained the right of first rejection. So, even though Ellora’s Cave was interested in the story, I decided to keep the stories together at one publisher. However, in order to do so, I had to rewrite the crucial study scene and make Donovan more likeable.

“What do I do when my editor asks me to rewrite what I feel is a crucial scene?” Well, I put a lot of thought into the reasoning behind the request. In this case, I had to realize that even though I liked the scene, it did not portray Donovan as a very sympathetic character. Since the story is told in his voice and my readership is female, I figured it’s better to explore the reason behind his boredom and callousness at the beginning of the story rather than wait to show the reader how his behavior changes when he finds his mate. Otherwise, I’d be in danger of putting my reader off, and I want to involve her in the story rather than distance her from it. (This all sounds like calm, cool reasoning now, but it actually took me a few days to work it all out and resolve myself to killing my vision of the scene and then figure out how to rewrite it.)

“What’s next for me?” Well, I have a new baby boy who takes up most of my time. But, I have contracted my Regency erotica, Twice is Not Enough, with The Wild Rose Press and am working with my editor on edits. I’ve started a suspense story. I’ve started polishing a contemporary romance. And, as far as the Guardians go, I’m in a holding pattern as a major plot point evolves. In other words, I’m all over the place.

I host author interviews on a weekly basis at my blog, http://emmalaiwrites.blogspot.com. I blog about general writing topics every Tuesday at the Roses of Houston blog, http://rosesofhouston.blogspot.com. I also blog on the 12th of every month at the Black Roses of The Wild Rose Press, http://twrpblackrose.blogspot.com. Finally, I have a web page…www.emmalaiwrites.com.

Question for readers: I’m curious to know what my readers would like to see.

Here's an excerpt from His Hope, Her Salvation:
The voices in the taproom of the Horse and Hound deafened us as we entered. A large group of men stood packed together in the center of the room. A roar ripped through the crowd as it surged inward.

I shoved my way through the mass of sweaty bodies with Eallair following in my wake. I stopped when confronted with the scene that held the crowd enthralled.

A large, older, well-dressed gentleman gripped my mysterious guest from earlier by an elbow. He shook her and yelled, “You little whore!” He raised a hand and slapped her across the face with his open palm.

The crowd cheered as she collapsed to her knees, her shoulder wrenched as the hand on her elbow restrained her from crumbling into a heap on the floor.

The dead look in her eyes and the lack of any outward emotion testified to the regularity of similar scenes she must have suffered. With a bellow of rage, I swooped forward and scooped her to her feet just as the old man raised his hand to strike her again. Placing my body between them, I snarled, “Release her.”

I'm a Kreativ Blogger

Alice Audrey gave my blog an award! Thanks Alice!

According to the rules, I must reveal seven random things about myself, and then bestow the Kreativ Blogger award on seven others. (See, I told you seven was a mystical, magical number!)

So here goes:
1. I finished my Christmas decorations today! Yay!
2. Now I’m baking Pumpkin Pie Bars. Mmm.
3. I have three brothers and three sisters (I was the tie breaker – go girls).
4. I have three kids (two girls. Girls still win.).
5. Just one hubby, though. :)
6. Animals make me smile. Mostly Lily, who's (thankfully) not impressed with her first Christmas tree. From her sound napping, you'd think she helped. Being part Aussie Cattle Dog, she did, however, herd me up and down the steps.
7. They make me smile even when they wake me up at five a.m. (which has been a lot, recently).

These blogs are some I try to visit often, because they’re always interesting:

1. Sharon Donovan
2. Bookbabie
3. Cactus Rose of the Wild Rose Press
4. Emma Lai
5. Murderati
6. Somewhere in NJ
7. Neil Gaiman

I bow to you, Kreativ Bloggers! (Hm, who spelled Kreativ so creatively, I wonder? My Catholic schooling is urging me to correct it!)
I'm relying on Google to alert you of your award. Mostly because some of you (yes you, Neil) will not care. However, I still love you.
Blog on.

Welcome special guest author Emma Lai!

Cate: Please welcome Emma Lai. Emma, will you please share a short bio with us?
Emma: My life has become very interesting this year. After finishing my comprehensives in November, I started looking for a job that would utilize my new degree in International Relations. However, the economy slowed down and then surprise, I turned up pregnant. My husband and I decided I should just go ahead and take the year off, enjoy being pregnant, and see where my writing took me. Now, here I am, a published author!

Cate: Interesting indeed! Many congrats! On all counts. My goodness, you’re busy.
Please tell us about His Ship, Her Fantasy and where it's available.
Emma: His Ship, Her Fantasy is available through The Wild Rose Press at www.thewildrosepress.com/his-ship-her-fantasy-p-3597.html.

Here's the story blurb:
Ellie Woods is in love…with a ship. When an argument with the ship results in a bump on the head, she finds herself in the strong arms of Alastair. But who is he and where did he come from?
Alastair has loved Ellie from afar for years, but duty has kept him from revealing himself to her. When a grave threat reveals his true identity, he hopes that Ellie will choose reality over fantasy.

Cate: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Author: In fourth grade, we were assigned the task of writing a children’s book. Mine was called Glartian the Martian. It was a lot of fun to write, but when I tried my hand at more mature (high school romance) writing, I failed miserably. I didn’t try and write anything besides academic papers and poetry after that.
Last year, while studying for my comps, the urge to write possessed me and I started cranking out stories to entertain my husband and myself. My mother-in-law, who is familiar with the publishing industry, being a published author herself and friends of multiple published authors, encouraged me to submit. So, I did. The Wild Rose Press picked up my first submission and I’ve been moving forward ever since.

Cate: What a great story! I’m so glad your mother-in-law encouraged you. What genres does she write? Any other writers, published or not, in your family?
Emma: My mother-in-law is published in sci-fi/fantasy. However, she’s the only other person in my family who is published. But, my husband has been known to write me little excerpts every now and again.

Cate: Very sweet! Maybe you two could collaborate on a story.
Describe your writing in three words.
Emma: Fast-paced. Edgy. Thought-provoking. At least, these are the things I strive for. LOL!

Cate: Do you have a writing routine?
Emma: I did before I got pregnant. Between eating and napping, I try to get as much writing and promo in as I can.

Cate: “Baby brain” obviously hasn’t affected you!
How do you pick your character’s names?
Emma: For the Guardians, I tried to pick names with underlying and relevant meanings. For example…Alastair means Protector and he is a Shield, charged with protecting innocents. Their mates just named themselves.

Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Easiest?
Emma: Right now, the most challenging aspect is finding time to write. Before I was pregnant, it was remembering to take time to eat, which is necessary to prevent mental fog.
The easiest aspect is coming up with story ideas. I have about 15 stories in various stages and a book full of story ideas.

Cate: Wonderful—a backlog of stories! Enough to keep you going between diaper changes and feedings. ;)
What’s the most rewarding aspect?
Emma: The most rewarding aspect for me is bringing characters to life and making readers want to be involved in those lives.

Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Emma: LOL! My characters often tell me their stories in my dreams. It’s a challenge to remember everything. They are definitely very demanding people. If I don’t tell their story, or at least capture the outline, they bug me day and night.

Cate: Amazing, isn’t it, how fictional people can be more assertive than actual ones sometimes!
What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Emma: Since I write shorts…it’s definitely where’s the rest? Shorts are just a glimpse into the characters’ lives. It’s like meeting someone for the first time. If they tell you something interesting about themselves, you’re more likely to remember them and want to know more about them. I try to leave the reader wanting more.

Cate: Good strategy! I’m sure they’ll clamor for more after His Ship, Her Fantasy!
Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Emma: There truly are so many. I love C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, Lewis Carroll, Raymond E. Feist, and Steven Erikson. I follow dozens of romance authors, but I will always pick up Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas, and Stephanie Laurens.
Right now, I’m not reading anything published. I’ve got a pile of TBR, but I’m trying to work on finishing the third story in the Mates of the Guardians series, do edits on an erotic Regency, and critique two stories.

Cate: What impact do electronic readers create on the bottom line for authors? Or in people/the environment in general?
Emma: I’m still evaluating the world of e-publishing, but as an author, nothing beats the sense of family and personal attention I’ve found with The Wild Rose Press. I think electronic reading material is a great boon to the environment…less paper out there. It’s also easier to carry multiple stories with you in a smaller space…makes packing easier!

Cate: I agree, TWRP has a great community of authors!
What's next for you?
Emma: His Hope, Her Salvation, the second short in my series is scheduled for release on December 16th. Before that, I’m having my baby sometime around the beginning of October. I’d like to finish Books 4 and 5 of my short series and the edits of my erotic Regency before then.

Cate: Very impressive!
Where can readers find you on the web?
Emma: I host author interviews on a weekly basis at my blog…http://emmalaiwrites.blogspot.com. I also blog about general writing topics every Tuesday at the Roses of Houston blog…http://rosesofhouston.blogspot.com. Finally, I have a web page…www.emmalaiwrites.com.

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers, Emma?
Emma: Do readers prefer short stories, novellas, or full lengths and why?

Cate: Readers, Emma is giving away multiple books (to include reader’s choice of one of my TWRP books! Thanks Emma!) to random commenters throughout the posts she’s doing during the week... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner on Sunday, August 23rd around 7 am EST.

Over at Emma Lai's today

I'm hanging out with the lovely and multitalented Emma Lai on her blog. Come on over and join the fun. We'll save you some cookies.