Destiny by Celia Breslin. The Tranquilli Bloodline Series

Blackmailed. Betrayed. Sometimes Destiny Sucks.

Blurb

In HAVEN, San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli survives a vicious attack by her vampire family’s longtime archenemies. Several weeks later, as she struggles with PTSD and survivor’s guilt, supervillain Dixon resurfaces and kidnaps two of her best friends. To save them, Carina must comply with the evil bastard’s unusual demands. The kicker? She must tell no one what she is up to.

Meanwhile, she has a new dance club to open for the preternatural community, a fated soul mate acting secretive and distant, and a sexy, new, undead friend who’d love to take Alexander’s place in her heart and bed.

Blackmailed, betrayed, tempted…sometimes destiny has a wicked sense of humor.

~~~~

Story Excerpt

My day moved from ordinary to interesting when the deliveryman handed me a box that smelled of blood.

The scent made my mouth water. Pungent iron mixed with, of all things, lavender. My thoughts flew straight to Tessa, my surrogate vampire mother. When she pulled out one of her specialty powers, the one I fondly referred to as vampire valium, this relaxing, floral herb scented the air and reduced friend or foe to a boneless, helpless puddle.

I shut the front door on the retreating back of the deliveryman and wiggled the box. Nothing rattled inside. Not particularly heavy, less than ten pounds.

A peace offering, perhaps? Tessa certainly owed me one.

She’d commanded her minion, my boyfriend Alexander, to star in a two-month classical music tour of Italy, performing nightly for vampire dignitaries and their lucky minions. While I, the good little predestined, vampire apocalypse averting, Chosen One in training, remained behind in San Francisco to learn how to kick naughty vampire ass with my latent and rather unwieldy fire power.

“Hey boys,” I called up to the second floor where my friend Adrian and his lover, my mentor Jonas, took their sweet time descending for breakfast. “Bloody prezzie just arrived. And I do mean that literally.”

Silence answered my shout, followed by the whoosh of water in the master bathroom shower and a husky laugh from Adrian. Given that sexy sound, I could expect a delay. Jonas tended to make their showers last forever.

A jolt of jealousy stabbed my stomach. Wish I could enjoy some fun and sexy time with my guy. I shrugged off the sensation and strode into the kitchen. “Fine. More for me.”

I parked my ass in a chair and slid the box onto the table to study it. No return address or package info. Not that surprising. Vampires tended to aim for stealth and subtlety, to fly under the radar of the general human populace. One of Tessa’s minions probably compelled the delivery dude, or he belonged to the circle of humans already in-the-know.

I ripped off the tape in one pull and peeked inside. No packing peanuts, but rather a nest of lavender branches speckled with droplets of blood, as if the branches themselves bled. Beautiful, aromatic, and so very vampire.

A wine box large enough for two bottles rested in the nest. Cold to the touch, indicating recent refrigeration. I lifted it out, trailing my fingers over the gold latch, the dark, glossy wood, the Celtic knots carved into each end, and finally over the initials on top. My initials, C A T. Short for Carina Agostina Tranquilli.

What a well-crafted and thoughtful gift. I bet the wine inside would be equally well-made.

I flipped the latch and opened the lid. My brows collided. Not wine.

Nine vials of blood about the size of my ring finger rested side by side in black velvet bedding. A stopper sealed with red wax and stamped with my initials secured the blood inside each vessel.

I pulled one from its nest and held it up in the light streaming through the kitchen’s bay window. The liquid glowed a rich, ruby red like a shard in a stained glass window.

“Beautiful.” And odd.

Sure, I was a half vampire and could appreciate a fine bit of blood, but I was still a human female and for me, nothing says, I’m sorry for disrupting your entire life like high-end jewelry or better yet an all-expenses paid trip with my boyfriend somewhere secluded, luxurious, and far away from vampire politics. Hell, I’d settle for the return of my boyfriend to San Francisco.

~~~~

Adult Excerpt

My attacker pinned me face-first to the trunk, grinding an erection into my backside. Panic and pain pierced my gut. Oh, hell no. I struggled to free myself, my power eager to fry the bastard. But a familiar wintery power slid under my skin and doused my fire as if it were a weak matchstick.

Warm breath teased my earlobe. “Hello, pet.”

I froze. Fuck me. Dixon.

He nipped my ear lobe with wicked sharp fangs. “Miss me?”

“No.” The cut stung. Blood trickled, warm and wet, down my neck.

“No? I’m hurt.” Jolts of icy power secured me to the tree trunk while Dixon’s skeletal hands roamed over my body.

“Back off, you undead wanker,” I snapped, refusing to surrender to my fears.

He chuckled. “I do so love it when you speak my language, my little kitten.”

The world spun when he flipped me around and lassoed me tighter to the trunk with his power, his lean, tall body caging mine. Head lowered, gaunt face too close, his silver eyes shone like moonlight. Mesmerizing, seductive moonlight.

Shit. He was trying to compel me. Very few vampires could do that, and they had to be old. Unfortunately, Dixon was as old as Stonehenge. Maybe older.

I lowered my gaze to his thin, blue-black lips. They curled up in a creepy smile under my inspection, crinkling the lightning bolt tattoo streaking across one hollow cheek. He circled one long fang with the tip of his tongue. 

“Come now, pet. No more words for your favorite admirer?”

Anger almost had me hurling insults at the bastard but I clenched my teeth. You’re bat shit crazy, and I’m going to kill you if I can get my hands free.

He slipped a bony finger under my chin and tilted it upward, trapping my gaze again. I met his challenge for two whole seconds before pain closed my eyes. He’d likely dislocated my shoulder with his aerial stunt, and so far my vampire quick healing genes had failed to fix it.

“Oh dear, is my favorite toy broken?” He poked my shoulder hard, chuckling when I cried out.

“Bastard.” Moisture beaded on my forehead, and nausea knotted my stomach. I should puke on the smug jerk. That would teach him.

“Here my pet, let me help.”

“Don’t touch—”

Pain clogged my throat as he reset my shoulder with surprising medical precision.

He slid his hand over my repaired shoulder and down to the curve of my waist. “There, all better now.” His hand inched lower and squeezed my ass.

“Back off, perv.”

“Hm. Still spicy I see. Very good.”

He leaned into me until his erection pressed against my belly. Inside my power paced like a caged tiger, roaring and swiping at the metaphorical bars Dixon had placed around her. God, how I wanted to grab his head and fry him, starting with his too-perfect, spiky platinum hair, then his tattooed face and on down until he was nothing but an ash statue standing in his studded leather boots.

My anger surged. I bucked against his hold, hating his gaunt body plastered to mine, his cigarettes and leather scent searing my nostrils, just…hating him.

He trapped my arms above my head and rubbed his cheek against my forehead. “Yes, move like that kitten. Right there.” He lapped at my bleeding ear. “Don’t stop now, my lush little pet.”

Bile burned my throat, making a bid for freedom. “Screw you.”

“Oh, yes. Quite soon in fact.”

Panic ripped my gut. “Never.”

“Forever,” he shot back.


~~~~~~

Buy Links:

AllRomance.com - https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-destiny-1641324-143.html

Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Tranquilli-Bloodline-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00O6A77FG/

Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/destiny-celia-breslin/1120522883

Champagne Books - http://champagnebooks.com/store/index.php?id_product=534&controller=product

Google Books - http://books.google.com/books/about/Destiny.html?id=exivBAAAQBAJ

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/destiny/id931946831?mt=11

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/482167

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23432097-destiny

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About the Author:

Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and two feisty cats. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for vampires, werewolves, and the Fae. 

When not writing, you’ll find her exercising, reading a good book or indulging her addiction to Joss Whedon’s TV shows and movies.

Web site: http://www.celiabreslin.com/

Blog: http://www.celiabreslin.com/blog/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/celiabreslin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBreslinAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CeliaBreslin

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/celiabreslin/ 

Spotlight: At Death's Door by Astrid V. Tallaksen. An Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance. Plus A Bonus...

Blurb: 

The world is a pretty straightforward place. Even for medium Sara Stone things seem pretty simple, aside from the whole talking to spirits bit. But when the spirits get too hard to handle and Sara ends up admitted to a mental hospital, the world starts to seem a lot less straightforward. First her family disappears, including her four year old son. Then she gets the sneaking suspicion that not only are the staff at the mental hospital somehow connected, but they also have no intention of ever letting her leave the hospital. 

Everything changes when Sara has her first visitor in three months. Daniel is handsome, friendly, and a complete stranger. When he promises to spring her from the hospital and swears that everything she's experienced is completely real, Sara has no choice but to believe him. But once she reaches a run-down Victorian house in the tiny Alabama town her rescuer calls home, the last thing she expects to discover is that every memory she has is a lie. 

Daniel reveals a world filled with angels, demons, and an impending war humans know nothing about. Sara wants to ignore her role in the whole mess – all that matters is solving the mystery of where her son has gone. But the forces of Heaven, Hell, and the Heart have other plans for her. Can she find her child before the world comes crashing down?

Excerpt

He lay, on his back, spread eagle upon the steps of the altar. His eyes were closed and I couldn't tell if his chest was rising and falling. The aisle to where he lay was far too long, and I ran, falling down at his side and laying my head on his chest to see if he breathed. What had he said about angels and how they could die? He wasn't breathing and he didn't have a pulse and I didn't have a clue what to do or what had happened. Did CPR make a difference? Was it too late for me to do anything?


“Daniel!” Breathlessly, I called his name and shook him. “Daniel you have to wake up. Please!” I looked around for some sign that someone had come into the chapel and hurt him. It couldn't be an angel but how else would someone come in here without breaking a window or smashing through a door? I realized they could have hurt him elsewhere and just brought him here for me to find. How long had he been here, not breathing or moving? The spirits were absent and offered no answers. 

I brushed his cheek with a gentle kiss, like I did when Danny had a fever, to see how warm he was. Daniel didn't have the chill of death, but his skin didn't hold the warmth I was so used to. Feeling helpless to do anything, I gathered him into my arms so that I could pull him the rest of the way onto the altar and try my hardest to resuscitate him. I'd just pulled him into my lap, my tears falling unbidden and landing on his face, when he gasped, his back arching then relaxing again as his breathing returned to normal.

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About the Author:   

Debut author Astrid V. Tallaksen grew up in North Alabama. She was fortunate to be raised with a heart for stories of creatures and places outside of this world. Her love of reading quickly became a love of writing. 

She spent several years creating content and helping writers to improve their craft on the online world of Althanas, a creative writing workshop in the guise of a roleplaying forum. 

A self-avowed nerd, Astrid loves science fiction, comic books, and eighties fantasy movies in the vein of The Princess Bride and Labyrinth. 

Her geekiness extends to annual volunteer work at the massive sci-fi convention known as Dragon*con every year in Atlanta, Georgia. 

In the odd times that she's not immersed in geekdom or writing, Astrid loves to sing karaoke, crochet, and spend time with her family and pets.


Author Sites:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authorastridvtallaksen

Twitter: @astrid_writes

Blog:  http://authorastridvtallaksen.wordpress.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8389080.Astrid_V_Tallaksen

Soundtrack

Undone – FFH

She Talks to Angels – Black Crows

You Found Me – The Fray

The Scientist – Coldplay

Fix You – Coldplay

Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

O Death – Kate Mann

Just a Kiss – Lady Antebellum

The Red – Chevelle

Love Remains the Same – Gavin Rossdale

I'm Not Dead – P!nk

What Do I Have To Do – Stabbing Westward

Karma Killer – Robbie Williams

Tragedy (Austin Cello Version) – Brandi Carlile

The Story – Brandi Carlile

Tour giveaway 

5 ebook copies of At Death's Door

2 print copies of At Death's Door open to US Shipping

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight: Graveyard Shift by Angela Roquet. Plus A Free Giveaway!

Blurb:

The Inferno has Evolved… 

Lana Harvey is a reaper, and a lousy one at that. She resides in Limbo City, the modern capital of the collective afterlives, where she likes to stick it to the man (the legendary Grim Reaper himself) by harvesting the bare minimum of souls required of her. 

She’d much rather be hanging out with Gabriel, her favorite archangel, at Purgatory Lounge. But when a shocking promotion falls in her lap, Lana learns something that could unravel the very fabric of Eternity. If the job isn’t completed, there could be some real hell to pay.


Warning: Sizzling Hot, M/F, F/F, M/M, M/F/M, multiple partners, anal play, and ultra-arousing sex

Excerpt

“Go help Coreen and Kevin! I’ll take care of them.” Josie fired another arrow through the nearest demon’s eye. Pus exploded from the gaping wound. The beast wailed and clawed at its face before Josie darted it through the skull. A cloud of murky smoke rose in its place. The second demon was quicker. It rolled away from her and scrambled behind a semi. Josie pounced onto the hood of a car and hurried after it.

The sound of traffic crunched in my ears. Angry horns blared as cars and trucks slowed around the charred bridge and missing chunk of railing. Humans may fear death, but they never pass up an opportunity to gawk at it.   

I leaned over the wrecked ledge and caught a glimpse of the bus before it disappeared entirely. Kevin and Coreen’s robes laid abandoned on the crumbling bridge. I yanked mine over my head and tossed it next to theirs. It was no good to me in the water. I grasped my scythe in both hands and jumped.

The momentum of the fall pulled me under the icy water, and I found the bus, still bubbling as the remaining air inside tried to escape. I latched onto an open window and pulled myself around to the door. 

Inside, Coreen and Kevin cut away the passengers’ seatbelts. Coreen jerked around and then relaxed when she saw it was only me. Kevin’s mop of curls floated around his face, rendered weightless in the dark water. He struggled with a dagger, trying to free the last man. I slipped the blade of my scythe under the buckle and tore it loose from the seat. He gave me a relieved smile, but only a brief one. Air bubbles leaked from the corners of his mouth and he pinched his lips shut again. He grabbed two of the men under their arms and heaved them out the door. 

There were only five. One of the band mates must have been driving. Coreen grabbed the next two and left the drummer for me. He was unconscious. The others had a chance of making it out alive, and I hoped they did. We had enough problems. We didn’t need four additional souls to tend to. 

Mickey, our catch, was slowly drowning in my arms. This wasn’t how he was meant to go, but I wasn’t about to go to the trouble of saving him just so he could die an hour later. That’s as far as destiny would take him. I was just saving him the extra trauma. 

His soul glowed as I pulled it free from his body, and his eyes flashed open in surprise. I pulled him close and wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him from turning back and seeing his body. The shock is too much for some souls. I pulled him out the door and swam towards the ascending bubbles, fleeing for the surface.

Free ebook copy available at Amazon BN Smashwords

About the Author:  

Urban fantasy author Angela Roquet is a great big weirdo. She collects Danger Girl comic books, owls, skulls, and random craft supplies. Her obsessions include the Wizard of Oz, over-sweetened coffee, and all things Joss Whedon. She's a fan of renewable energy, marriage equality, and religious tolerance. As long as whatever you're doing isn't hurting anyone, she's a fan of you, too.


Angela lives in Sedalia, Missouri with her husband and son. When she's not swearing at the keyboard, she enjoys painting, goofing off with her family and friends, and reading books that raise eyebrows. GRAVEYARD SHIFT, the first novel in Angela's Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series, is now available for FREE on Kindle, Nook, & Smashwords. 


You can find Angela online at  www.angelaroquet.com

Newsletter signup:  http://eepurl.com/Zftnj

Blog:  http://www.angelaroquet.blogspot.com

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/angelaroquet

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/adroquet

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/angelaroquet

Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/angelaroquet

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/+AngelaRoquet

Tour giveaway 

1 $25 Amazon card 

1 signed set of paperbacks open to US Shipping 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An Interview With Paranormal Romance Author, Shauna Aura Knight, Featuring Her Sexy Paranormal Urban Fantasy; The White Dress, The Autumn Leaves

What is the name of your latest book? 

The White Dress, the Autumn Leaves


And how did you come up with the title? 

My working title for a long time was “The White Dress,” since that’s a crucial image from Meredith’s precognitive dream. However, I was worried that that title would imply that it’s just about a wedding. The autumn leaves is another important symbol in the story, and adding that to the title rounded it out.


What is this book about? 

It’s a story about love, and grief, and subtle magic. Jack and Meredith meet and fall in love at a week-long Pagan festival and that part of the story is very sweet, very romantic—and very spicy. But the story has a tragic element; Meredith has had prophetic dreams, and she dreams her own death. A grief-stricken Jack finds his own way to the magic that crosses the veils between worlds at a Samhain ritual. 


And what genre is this book in? 

The White Dress, the Autumn Leaves is primarily an urban fantasy, though it blurs genre lines a bit. It’s romantic, but it’s not a romance—the story is too tragic for that, and a romance novel, by definition, has a clear-cut happy ending. That being said, the book follows Jack and Meredith falling in love, and at times it’s as spicy as an erotic romance. It’s a very sexy, sweet story yet also has its darker elements and deals with grief and loss.


Who is/are the main characters? 

Meredith is attending her very first Pagan festival, and Jack is a member of a band called Morrigan’s Edge. He and his band mates are performing at the festival. Meredith has led a fairly sheltered life; she survived a childhood illness and eventually she had to disown herself from her overprotective parents just to go to college. Jack looks like your typical bad boy in a band but he’s genuinely a kind and respectful guy. Meredith is painfully shy but Jack helps her to come out of her shell. 


And why did you choose them? 

I actually I had Meredith’s dream in my early twenties and it haunted me for months. A lot of my stories come from haunting, intense dreams that I’ve had. That’s actually how I came to write my nonfiction book, Dreamwork.

I wrote the first (very short) version of this story as a homework assignment for a creative writing class at that time and then put it aside. I decided to turn it into a full novella and almost nothing exists of that first version of the story, other than Meredith’s dream and how it plays out. 

When I had the dream, it played through three times; the first time I was the girl, experiencing it first person. The second time, I was her lover, trying to save her. The third time I watched it from above/afar in the third person. So when I awoke, I had experienced that tragic, horrific moment three separate ways. When I have dreams like that, I almost always end up working them out in fiction somehow; the deeper it gets me, the more I want to explore it.


What is the coolest or best part about your book?  (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc…)

Meredith’s dream—and how it plays out—is definitely the most haunting aspect of the story for me. When I think about that dream it’s still a punch in the gut. And the scene where Jack is at the Samhain ritual dealing with her death still raises the hairs on the back of my neck; I barely felt like I was writing that scene. It just came through me.

On a lighter side, probably my favorite little moment in the book is when Jack and Meredith are at the festival together. He’s cooking steaks on a grill and he keeps getting distracted by flirting with her and burning the steaks. I wrote that scene after I’d written everything else; I had thought the story was done. I don’t even know how I came up with it, but when I re-read the scene it still makes me laugh. It’s definitely the moment where the characters came alive for me; they really wrote the scene for me, I was just typing.


Do you have a favorite character in the book?  If so, why? 

I have a hard time choosing between Jack and Meredith. I definitely identify more with Meredith—at her age, I was really shy like she is. But, Jack is probably more my favorite character. I always have a soft spot for characters that endure the really difficult things. Jack is very much a tragic figure in this story. He’s sweet, he’s romantic…and I really feel for him.


Is this book part of a series? If so, what can we expect in future books? 

This book isn’t precisely part of a series, though Jack has a cameo appearance in another novella of mine, A Winter Knight’s Vigil. It’s possible Jack may make appearances in some future books, as I have a number of stories that are paranormal romances and urban fantasies that take place in the same general world. My story Werewolves in the Kitchen takes place at a Pagan retreat center just outside of Chicago called SpiralStone, and I’m finishing up several novels that also take place at SpiralStone. Jack lives in Chicago, so who knows…he might show up there sometime. 


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I really wrestled with how to handle the tragic element of this story. I’m a new author, and my first two books are both paranormal romances, so I didn’t want my romance readers to pick this book up and think it had a happy ending and get really disappointed. If I had a dozen books out in several genres, I might not have been so heavy-handed about Meredith’s prophetic vision of her own death. As it is, I felt I had to make it clear in the blurb, as well as the first pages of the book, that the story was tragic. If I had more urban fantasies out, I might have let that part be more of a shock to the reader. 

On the other hand, I also think there’s something to be said for the sense of impending doom. In one of my favorite novels, Moreta by Anne McCaffrey, fans of the Dragonrider series already know the ending before they’ve picked up the book—Moreta and her golden dragon die while saving Pern.


Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? 

Sometimes you just have to write the story that needs to be told and not worry about the neat boxes of fitting it into a genre. If I’d made this a romance novel that would have betrayed the story. If I’d taken out some of the focus on their romantic relationship, that also wouldn’t have told the story I wanted to tell. While there are always challenges to publishing and promoting a book that blurs genre lines, sometimes it’s really worth doing to tell the story that needs to come out.


Do you have a publisher?  And if so, why did you choose them?  

I have a few publishers that I’m working with. Most of my fiction and nonfiction is published through Jupiter Gardens Press. I’ve enjoyed working with JGP and what initially drew me to them was the nonfiction they were looking for. 

Specifically, the nonfiction I write tends to deal with leadership and personal and spiritual transformation work. I also teach Pagans how to facilitate more effective, professional rituals and ceremonies. Most modern Pagan and Earth-centered traditions don’t have access to seminaries and so are self taught. JGP was looking for nonfiction dealing specifically with how to facilitate rituals and ceremonies without without burning sage or incense to accommodate participants with allergies. That is very much in alignment with my values as a facilitator, and that became my book Spiritual Scents.

Actually, I really enjoy writing actual Pagan rituals in my fiction. In A Winter Knight’s Vigil and The White Dress, the Autumn Leaves, there are rituals that are similar to the types of rituals I actually facilitate for the Pagan community. A lot of paranormal romance and urban fantasy focuses on the big flashy rituals with the pentacles and the blood, but I try to write what actually happens at rituals. Or at least, the type that I host for my community.


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? 

Though I’ve never met her and she’s now passed on, I’d say Anne McCaffrey. I’ve always loved her work, and she blazed a trail for women writing in the fantasy and science fiction genre. Her Pern series is definitely one of my biggest inspirations as an author, and the story Moreta still makes me cry. 

Janny Wurts has inspired me both in the scope of the type of fantasy I hope to publish, but also Janny gets to do her own covers. Most authors don’t. So that inspires me a lot given I’m a graphic designer and artist and I like having the option to do my own covers.


What books are you reading now? 

Right now I’m reading some nonfiction, but when I can take a little break I’m going to devour some works by some of my favorite paranormal romance authors. Maybe some works by Emma Holly, Angela Knight, and Jory Strong.


What are the current writing projects that you are working on? 

I have a paranormal romance about a vampire coming out soon called A Fading Amaranth. Nathaniel’s been a vampire long enough that he’s just going through the motions of life; he’s starting to wonder if he can keep going. When he meets Alexandra and rediscovers some of his passion, his muse. Alexandra hasn’t been able to be with anyone for years because of her psychic abilities, but she can’t hear Nathaniel’s thoughts. They start to fall for each other, but, there are complications…aren’t there always? 

There’s a Faerie monster in the city, and one of the city’s magical guardians is hunting Nathaniel down since she assumes he’s a predator like most vampires. Nathaniel and Alexandra have to decide what they’re willing to give up, and what they are willing to risk, to be with one another.

I’m also working on a couple of books that take place at the same retreat center as Werewolves in the Kitchen, and I’m just about finished with a story about a sexy wereleopard and a woman with oracular truth-speaking magic who is under a Faerie curse. So lots of good stuff cooked up!


Do you write full time?  If not, do you hope to do so one day? 

The answer to that is, sort of. I’m writing fiction and nonfiction, painting, and also traveling and teaching full time, though I’m not making a reasonable living at it (yet). Right now I’m living rent free while I help my mom to get her house fixed up so she can sell it. I have reduced my expenses and I live pretty austerely so that I have the time to launch my career as a writer. It’s definitely a goal of mine to make an actual living as an author, though at the moment I make more money selling my artwork and doing graphic design work. But—I’m also a new author, and it’s a process, so I’m pretty optimistic.  


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

My parents both worked in a bookstore when I was a kid, so I grew up reading and reading and reading. In third grade I wrote a weird little science fiction story, and I think that’s where I really decided I wanted to be a writer. Before that I’d sort of written and illustrated these fantasy stories about unicorns but they didn’t have any kind of a solid plot. By the time I was twelve I had started writing my first science fiction novel. Of course, it wasn’t very good, but I learned a lot about writing and after that I spent almost all of my free time writing.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Yes; usually it’s that moment where I don’t know what’s happening in the story. I might be struck by creative lightning and write an amazing scene, and I know what’s going to happen sometime after that—I might have even written it—but I don’t know what happens in between, and I’ll get stuck on that. Or I know the whole middle of the story but not how they got there. What I usually do is put the story to the side for a while and work on something else. Sometimes I just can’t force it. Other times, I just power through. Sometimes I just have to switch over and work on some paintings or nonfiction writing for a while to get clear before I can return to the fiction.


Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?

Keep writing. Your writing will get better. Start to learn about the publishing industry, take workshops, attend writer and editor panels and talks, but keep writing. The first stuff you write might suck, but keep at it and learn everything you can. Also, don’t self publish your first book. Or your second book. Or your third. Learn the industry first, and take advantage of the edits you get from your publisher. I learned so much from the editing process! 



Shauna Aura Knight is the author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Her newest work is the urban fantasy the White Dress, the Autumn Leaves. Her work is inspired by myth, magic, and the darkness we each must face.

Thanks Shauna for Dropping By!

You can find out more about her work at: 

http://www.ShaunaAuraKnight.com/books

Interview with Urban Fantasy and Erotic Romance Author, Danielle Gavan, About Her New Book 'Possession is Nine Tenths- Ardeur'

Scribal Love Welcomes Danielle Gavan!


Danielle Gavan is a self-published author of Urban Fantasy and Erotic Romance. Her newest work Possession is Nine Tenths – Ardeur is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony eReader and Kobo Books. 

What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?


My book is titled Possession is Nine Tenths – Ardeur. The title wasn’t something I consciously set about trying to figure out until I decided to write Ardeur’s story as a novel.  I had originally planned for it to be a short 2500 word submission for a contest until I did a bit of digging and found some unfavorable information about the publisher offering the prize. 
As the story grew and took on a life of its own the term possession is nine tenths was something that was floating around the back of my mind.  It was completely unrelated to the book but every time I sat down to write my thoughts drifted back to it and, it stuck. 


What is this book about?  And what genre is this book in?


PiNT – Ardeur is about a young woman who is possessed by a chaos demon for most of her life.  Once freed from the demon, she trades in one form of possession for another unless she can break the bond with the Angel of Death.  Freedom and love come to her in the form of a six foot four Werewolf with dimples and flashing hazel eyes.


At first I had thought this would be classed as Paranormal Romance but as time grew, the world building and characters grew more complex, I realized that what I was writing was actually Urban Fantasy.


Who is/are the main characters?  And why did you choose them?


Brody and Ardeur were an easy choice.  In mid-2008 I joined a role playing community and created a spunky blonde Canadian Necromancer.  She had a chip on her petite shoulders and attitude for miles.  The more her personality emerged, the more I knew her story had to be told.  Brody’s original name was Stone and he was a jaded Werewolf from Atlanta on the run from a past he wanted desperately to forget.  He was the creation of a wonderful woman, Rhonda Stone, who graciously allowed me to have him when I decided to write their story. The man in the story isn’t an exact replica of Stone, but he’s pretty darn close.


What is the coolest or best part about your book?  (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc..


Aside from the awesome fun I had building the world, there are actually two scenes in the book that are so closely tied for favorite that it’s hard to choose.  The first one is when Ardy busts into Rae’s office and finds Brody standing there.  Never having expected to truly find him again, when she touches him and finds that Brody is very real – her reaction is one of shock and awe.


The second scene is one where Ardeur and Brody have woken up after becoming mates.  She talks about their love being a thing of fairytales after he explains some of his family’s heritage and he makes a quip referencing Little Red Riding Hood. 


Do you have a favorite character in the book?  If so, why?


Aside from the obvious favorite, there are a few supporting characters that endeared themselves to me.  Of those, Christian tops the puppy pile.  He’s a Prince of Fae with a love for all things Angelic and designer.  One of the other characters tosses off her Louboutin’s at one point and his reaction had me laughing.


Is this book part of a series?  If so? What can we expect in future books?  


I started working on the second book in the series in June, 2010.  Possession is Nine Tenths – Cassiela will be the next installment in the series and it will be followed by Remiele.  Things are moving a little more slowly with this book due to family and work constraints.  I hope to have it finished and ready to go in early 2011.


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?


Absolutely not.  Ardy and Brody’s story was told exactly as it needed to be and I wouldn’t change a single thing in it.


Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?


Time management skills. lol I wrote this book while working a full-time job, being mom to my two boys…maintaining our home and moving the entire family to two different cities in less than a month.  This year was a rough one in the Gavan home and writing was my solace.


Do you have a publisher?  And if so, why did you choose them?  


I do have a publisher, myself.  The original plan had been to find an agent and try to sell my book to a major publisher.  A few agents and editors requested partials or full manuscripts but they either didn’t love the story enough or didn’t think it was a good fit for them.  In the end, I chose to go the self-publishing route because I wanted the story out there for people to read and love as much as I do. 


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?


A mentor?  Hmmm.  That’s a tough one.  My writing has been influenced by so many wonderful authors it’s hard to pin just one down.  The ones I keep going back to are Diana Gabaldon, Laurell K. Hamilton, JR Ward and Kelley Armstrong. 


What books are you reading now?  


I just finished reading two books, actually.  Tuatha Destiny: Destiny Found by another self-pubbed author and friend Jennifer Feuerstein is one and Vampire Vacation by C.J. Ellison. Both books are wonderful reads that I highly recommend and their authors are wonderful, talented women.


What are the current writing projects that you are working on?


There are a few things on my plate right now. As mentioned earlier - I’m working on Cassiela, the second book in the Possession is Nine Tenths series.  The other projects on my desk are for a blog that I’m a partner in with twelve other authors.  Everything Erotic launched on Kindle blogs on September 1, 2010 and has taken off like a shot.  My contributions include an erotic romance series titled The Erotic Adventures of Sidony Tassen.  I also co-write Tempted by Fate, another erotic romance series, with Heather Hughes.


Do you write full time?  If not, do you hope to do so one day?


I wish! Unfortunately, bills need to be paid and the day job serves its purpose.  For now. 


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?


I know it sounds cliché and it’s been said time and again but – I’ve always loved to write.  A friend and I shared a heart shaped note pad in grade school.  We would each take a side of a page and fill it with as much of whatever story we were writing at that time and then pass the notebook back.  In high school I moved up to spiral notebooks and filled those with my loopy teenaged scrawl.  Now, I have a laptop that is my faithful sidekick and travels with me everywhere. 


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?


Finding the time to sit down and do it has been my greatest challenge lately.  I also have to fight my inner editor a lot.  My writing is pretty clean and liner, in general, but when there’s a glaring problem that I know needs to be fixed or a hole that needs to be patched I get stuck.  I can’t move on until the issue has been resolved.  You could say it’s my personal form of writer’s block.


Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?


Stick with it.  Be persistent but do what feels right to you for your work.  Self-publishing isn't for everyone.  Then again, neither is the traditional publishing route.  Do what works for you and be happy.


Thanks Danielle!


You can find Danielle Gavan on the web at:   
http://www.wix.com/daniellegavan/author-site 
The book is available for purchase in eBook format on Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony eReader, Apple iBooks and Diesel eBook Store.

It is also available in paperback on Amazon.com.