Wednesday, December 12, 2012

12th Day of Christmas: Helena Harker


Cate: Helena is here to spread some holiday cheer! And heat up your cold winter nights. :) Helena, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Helena: I’m new to erotica. I’ve been writing novels for young adults for several years now, and after the 50 Shades of Gray furor, I decided to try my hand at writing something a little spicier and naughtier. And I actually had some stories accepted by Ellora’s Cave! I’m thrilled!

Cate: Very exciting - congrats! What do you love most about Christmas?
Helena: The decorations! I love to drive down the street at night and look at all the brilliant displays of colour. It’s amazing the lengths some people will go to make their houses look great for Christmas. My house isn’t so great, but I’ve got a row of huge red candy canes across my porch.

Cate: Love taking the kids out at night to see the lights too. Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?
Helena: When my mother used to let us open ONE Christmas present after midnight on Christmas Eve. That was always special.

Cate: If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?
Helena: Please, Santa, can you get my kids to go to bed at 7 pm every night so I can have more time to write? LOL.

Cate: Ha, I know the feeling! :) What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so special?
Helena: My husband always buys me jewelry. Usually it’s gold or pearls. So those gifts are always special.

Cate: Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?
Helena: Oh God, there are so many! I have a sweet tooth. I like anything that is chocolate mint, or fudge, or a “bĂ»che de Noel”, or egg nog!

Cate: It is hard to pick just one! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Helena: It’s about a submissive woman who is given the task of being a dominatrix for the evening. It’s daunting for her, but she manages to rise to the challenge. It was great fun to write. Here’s the buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Submission-ebook/dp/B00A8MOALU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354583089&sr=8-1&keywords=helena+harker

Cate: Whew, I think you just melted a few snowmen with that cover, lol. Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Helena: Blurb: When Bethany finds her Master’s note, she expects it to contain the usual set of instructions telling her how to prepare for their Friday evening play session. But her Master asks for the unexpected—he wants her to be his Domme. Bethany is terrified at the prospect, but she doesn’t want to disappoint Master. She’ll need to tap into her inner dominatrix if she’s to give her newly submissive lover what he needs.

Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Helena: A lot of BDSM books are about a woman being submissive, but I wanted to try something different and have the woman become a switch.

Cate: Helena has her Santa hat on!
Helena: I’d like to give away a copy of “Master’s Submission,” my first release with Ellora’s Cave. Remember, leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas, Helena! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday!

And tomorrow will wrap up the event! Yep, it's a baker's dozen. And there's a time lag between the U.S. and the U.K., so it still counts. :) So be sure to visit again tomorrow!


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

11th Day of Christmas: Wendy Ely

Cate: Wendy is here to spread some holiday cheer! Wendy, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Wendy: Thanks for having me here, Cate. I’m Wendy, a contemporary and romantic suspense author, in Phoenix, Arizona. I have a busy life with two teenagers and my real life hero.

Cate: So sweet! What do you love most about Christmas?
Wendy: Like most families, mine is very busy. Between Dan’s 6 day work week and the teenagers’ work week, we only have a few hours of quality time together. Christmas provides us extra days off of work and school to enjoy each other’s company.

Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?
Wendy: I received my first book contract right after Christmas. I had been stressing over a publisher giving me the run-around over the manuscript during the holidays. Their contract was the perfect ending to the holidays and a great beginning to the new year.

Cate: Love that. :) If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?
Wendy: This might seem silly but Dan and I are not engaged. I’d love for Santa to grant me the wish of Dan formally proposing. We’ve talked about getting married but he hasn’t popped the question yet. He says he does everything in a big way and it’ll come without me suspecting it.

Cate: Aww. Hope Santa grants your wish! Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?
Wendy: I’ll let you in on a little secret… I don’t do the cooking. Dan does, so I really don’t know the Christmas recipes ;) By the way, the kids prefer his cooking over mine any day.

Cate: You lucky woman! lol Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Wendy: Confessions, Desert Secrets Book 1 has been re-released. You can find the book here: http://amzn.com/B00A3FVT84

Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Wendy: Here is a short excerpt:
Jordan slid to the side so she could position herself in front of the monitor and keyboard. His hand brushed her thigh, sending sparks through her. It took effort to remind herself that the task at hand was much more important than his thigh resting against hers, or his hand moving to the back of her chair and his fingers playing with a strand of her hair. Denying the temptation was a lost cause. She wanted Jordan, and wanted him bad, but she could only admit it to herself. Even though she was supposed to be looking for her daughter, every part of her body yearned for Jordan’s touch.

Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Wendy: I started with the character, Chelsea Montgomery, and asked a bunch of questions about why she’d left her hometown without telling them.  After playing the “what if” game with her, the details of her selling her baby, Jordan finding her, and being forced to stay in Wilson, Arizona seemed to mesh together for a fantastic story.

Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Wendy: Confessions is book 1 the series. Midnight Secrets is book 2 in the series and available on most ebook retailing sites.

Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas, Wendy! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday!