The Steam Room

Festive Frolics in the Snow

Hello! Before introducing myself I’d like to say a huge thank you to Michele for hosting me. This blog, it’s a wonderful place to discover great new books and I’m truly honoured to post here and share a little of my work.

My name is Grace Elliot and I lead a double life. By day I’m a veterinarian and by night I write historical romance. I started writing to keep me sane, as a relief from the demands of being a working mother - after all there’s nothing like spending the evening with a dark and dangerous hero to forget your cares!

This is my second visit to The Steam Room,and rather than answer more questions, Michele kindly offered the opportunity to write a themed blog post. After some thought and given that Christmas is so nearly upon us I decided to introduce a little festive cheer and post on that seasonal opportunity for romance - snow!

As a child, snow at Christmas was really special, but living near London drizzle and overcast skies were more likely. To make up for this lack of snow, every year on Christmas Eve, Mum and I watched “The Snowman” on video. When I grew up and left home, I took this tradition with me but swapped a VHS tape for a DVD and snuggled up to my husband instead.

There is something magical about being snowed in at Christmas, especially if you pick your fellow detainee with care! In my latest historical romance, “Eulogy’s Secret” the hero, Jack Huntley, breaks his engagement to Eulogy and flees London. As a blizzard sets in, he ends up snowed into a tavern, with no idea that Eulogy has followed him.

In the warmth of the Inn, Eulogy’s redingcote  which had been stiff with ice started to thaw, dripping a trail of water across the tiles. Her petticoats sodden, her wet chemise clung to her legs and impeded her movements. Trying to make herself as insignificant as possible she squirmed through the press of bodies making for a heavy oak desk, behind which stood a ruddy faced man in a leather apron, busy leafing through a ledger.

            “Sir,” she spoke through chattering teeth. “A room if you please.”

            Without looking up the man shrugged and continued running a blackened fingernail down a column of figures. “All taken.”

            Eulogy recognized rudeness when she saw it and squaring her shoulders she spoke firmly. “Sir, perhaps you mis-understand. I have travelled through a blizzard…I must have a room.”

            The man frowned at his papers. “And you must understand Miss... there ain't one.”

Without a chaperone Eulogy soon attracts attention and Jack is shocked to find it is Eulogy who is the subject of drunken jeers, and rescues her. In the confines of an attic room, forced to share a bed to keep warm, mutual attraction takes over and the pair are reunited.

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Eulogy’sSecret - a story of greed prejudice and a stolen identity.

In the four weeks since her guardians’ death, Eulogy Foster has lost everything. Penniless and alone she seeks the help of her estranged brother, Lord Lucien Devlin. But Devlin throws Eulogy onto the streets and the mercy of a passing stranger, Jack Huntley.  As Eulogy seeks the truth behind her birth, she is drawn into the world of art and artists, where her morals are challenged and all is deception.

Jack Huntley: bitter, cynical and betrayed in love. He believes women are devious, scheming, untrustworthy creatures - and when he rescues a naïve Miss from being raped, his life is about to change forever. As his attraction to Eulogy grows, caught in a deadlock with both denying their true feelings, events take a sinister turn as someone seeks to silence Eulogy….forever.

Excerpt from Snowed In

Still the snow fell; no longer a blizzard, but cheery spinning flakes tumbling from a marbled sky. The attic room, which once had seen mean and bare, was now a glorious lair that met their simple needs. The straw mattress bothered Eulogy not, for what need had she for feathers and silk with Jack’s intoxicating body pressed against her naked hip? To wake with Jack’s possessive arm cradling her against his muscular bulk was indeed heaven.

Sometimes, after their lovemaking she lay awake just to listen to his breathing, determined to cherish every precious moment before the snow thawed and they must return to London. With a heavy heart she remembered that time in Hyde Park, when Jack had appeared devoted and yet humiliated her so…But she pushed dread aside; that was the past, she had sworn to trust him, and trust him she must.

That morning, a clear blue light filtered through the frost-crazed window. As Eulogy surfaced from a deep and nourishing sleep, she sensed a change in the air and her eyes flew open. There was Jack, stretched out beside her, all muscle and sinew, magnificent as a slumbering lion. But outside, in the stable yard filtered sounds of activity: doors banging and hooves crunching on snow. Her head fell back against the pillow. The storm had abated.

            “Whatis it my love?” A sleep drugged voice crooned in her ear.

            “A noise outside woke me. That’s all.”

            Jack yawned and stretched, throwing a muscular arm above his head. “Hmmm, and I smell cooking…bacon…and fresh coffee.” His eyes flicked open. “Lord but I’m hungry.”

            Witha swift peck on her cheek, Jack sat up, threw back the covers and swung his feet to the floor. Still unused to the vision of a naked man rising from her bed, Eulogy blushed transfixed as he flexed his toned muscles in a way that sent fresh shafts of desire winging to her core.

            “Breakfast, my lady?” 

            “If that’s all that’s on offer.”

            He threw back his head and laughed. “My little wanton...I need to keep my strength up.”

             Jack was already hopping into his breeches, tugging on a shirt and reaching for his hessians. Blowing at kiss at Eulogy he made for the door.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97616" target="_blank">Smashwords Buy Link

Amazon Kindle link (US)

Amazon Kindle link (UK)

What fun do you have in the snow? Comment for a chance to win a copy of Eulogy's Secret.

Thank you to Michele Zurlo for giving me this opportunity.  Promotion is even harder than writing a story in the first place. 

We writers have so many people in our heads.  Sometimes we'll be with family or other people and snippets of dialogue or plot will pop into our minds.  We talk to ourselves, forgetting that we're in public, because we're wound up in our stories.  I often wonder what "normal" people do with their fantasies.  How can you not want to make up stories, and even better, write them down?  Our characters are real to us.  They live and breathe, and we can't rest until they jump off the page to our readers. Because that's what we want when we, ourselves, read. 

Blurb:  Former gunslinger turned preacher Prescott MacKay now combines ranching with his own brand of preaching. Isis Garrett arrives in Paloverde, Texas with the other mail order brides, but she has no intention of actually becoming a bride. She plans to open a library with the two trunks of books she's toted across the country to West Texas. Pres offers her a spot in the church building. Attracted to the sweetly rounded Isis, he finds himself hanging around more than he should. She shows him no encouragement. In fact, she actively makes it clear she doesn't want anything to do with him or with any man. Can Pres battle past her antipathy and prove to her he's one of the good guys? Will Isis let herself forget the past and see the cowboy preacher for the man she’s been waiting for all her life?

Buy Link:  http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=4677

Check out Jane's other titles HERE.

Website Link:  http://www.janeleopoldquinn.com

Excerpt: 

“You’re beautiful when you laugh.”

She gazed back at him in dismay.

He released her neck, but cupped her chin instead. Her lips parted invitingly, his eyelids lowered to half mast, and he kissed her. He closed his mouth over hers and owned her. Lord, she was sweet, and, thank you, Lord, she responded. He lost himself in her. “Isis,” he murmured when he took a much needed breath. “I can’t believe how deep you’ve burrowed into my heart. I think about you all the time.” He brushed his lips down over her chin to her neck.

She shivered. Her fingers clutched his shoulders.

“I say the vows when I marry couples, and I want to say them to you.”

Her body tensed.

He felt her trying to bring her arms together, trying to close him out. Sweet little hands landed on his chest, delicately at first. Her fingertips brushed over his nipples.

By accident?

Again. Again.

Not by accident. He groaned. It ended on a sigh. Now he shivered. He just wanted to wrestle her to the ground and have at her whole body. Kiss her. Get back to her lips. Her mouth. He nibbled at her, gently bit at her lower lip. Her moan vibrated against his chest, the sexy throb in her throat resonated in his ears.

“Pres.”

God, he wanted to do lewd and wanton things to her. Take her hair down, lay it over her breasts, brush the ends of it teasingly over her nipples. Kiss her belly. Surely her skin there was as satiny soft as her breasts. Her dark woman’s hair would contrast against her white skin. His hand drifted down her body to press on her mound through the layers of skirt and petticoats.

She jerked, arching against him.

It was the jolt he felt. Her startled gasp that brought him to his senses. He pushed her away, arms straight out, fingers cupping her shoulders. Her face had every expression he could think of—shock, confusion, sensuality, desire. He had the same feelings in his heart. His cock ached, stretched out to the full length and breadth as it could be and still be confined in his pants. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Isis opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a huff of breath. Her shoulders slumped. Defeated. Why did she keep doing this? Responding to him. And why did he always back off?

“Isis, I can’t seem to keep my hands off you.”

“I…I don’t understand.”

“I want you. You’re all I think about. I know you say you don’t want a husband. Why not? What happened to you?”

TSR: Tell us about Hot Under the Collar.

Jane:  Hot Under the Collar began when a group of writers decided to write a series of mail order bride stories.  We brainstormed a west Texas town where lonely cowboys and ranchers lived, but that town was the only connection. Each story would be independent.  My hero is a former bounty hunter turned minister.  In the dusty towns and deserts of Texas he found God.  The heroine is a prickly librarian raised in Egypt.  She comes west to escape a disastrous romance and swears she'll never get involved with another man.  All she wants to do is bring books to the Wild West.  She doesn't count on the gentling influence of the cowboy/preacher.  The past is just that.  The past. Life starts anew when you meet The One.

TSR: What inspires your characters?

Jane:  I seem to be attracted to heroes with rough backgrounds, loners.  My heroines are wary, slow to recognize that they care.  Hm…reflective of real life?  I love to try to bring together two emotionally wounded creatures, because I whole heartedly believe in Happily Ever After.

TSR: You’ve recently entered the world of the self-published. What led you to take the plunge? How do you like it so far?

Jane:  I received the rights back to two short stories that had been previously e-published. Since they wouldn't do anyone any good sitting in my file drawers, I appreciate that self-pubbing has become fairly quick and easy.  My long-time experience as a legal secretary made the formatting process understandable. I hired a cover artist who created two fabulous covers. The Smashwords site is easy to navigate, and they even respond quickly to questions.  At the moment, I've only published the two previously published stories, but using the three major self-pubbing sites, Smashwords, Amazon, and B&N will open up a whole new world for publishing backlists.  So far, it's too soon to wallow in my sales, but at least my stories are out there again.

TSR: You have an MM novel coming soon. What led you to dip your foot in that pond?

Jane:  M/M is a pond I never thought to write, but never say never.   I decided to respond to a call for submission about military men, cops, and other men of danger.  I've written several former military men and like the feeling that, in my own little way, I'm honoring their service to our nation.  Anyway, my mind spun around scenarios and characters.  Two gay Chicago cops appeared to me.  I considered turning one of the cops into a woman since I'm so much more familiar with writing M/F, but once you have characters in your mind, you just honestly cannot change them.  Names and book title came quickly after that.  I had to do some research and reading about man on man sex, but I never let myself forget that I'm writing a romance.  The growth of love in a relationship is an important part of my books no matter what the character pairings are.  Love is love, and everyone desires it.  I'll Be Your Last will be published by Siren in January 2012.

TSR: Describe your ideal vacation.

Jane:   Oh, wow, ideal vacation.  Although I'm an American, the country of my heart is England. There are so many areas there that are my favorites:  a person never tires of London, then there's Salisbury with its cathedral, Bath with the Roman baths and its connection to Jane Austen.  The Lake District is lovely.  The peaks and dales of Scotland are breathtaking.  But now that I'm thinking of it, Roman ruins are my real thing. That's why I love Bath, Rome, and a fantastic 2nd Century Roman villa in Southern Germany that's being restored.  

TSR: If you cook, do crafty stuff, or have a hobby, please share the details with readers.

Jane:  My idea of gourmet cooking is the George Foreman grill and the microwave.  Besides writing, my passion is miniatures and building and designing doll houses and room boxes.  I also love to create silk flower arrangements. 

TSR: What’s next for you?

Jane:  I have two series I've been working on.  One is historical western, the other small town contemporaries.  Both are favorite topics of mine, so it's kind of hard to decide which to pursue. 

The Steam Room Welcomes Regency Author Grace Elliot

TSR: Tell us about A Dead Man’s Debt.

Grace:  A Dead Man’s Debt is a regency romance: a story of blackmail, duty and unexpected love.

When Lord Ranulf’s brother dies in a duel, Ranulf has the unhappy task of protecting the late Edmund’s reputation by trying to honour his debts. But Ranulf hasn’t reckoned on the spiteful cunning of his spurned lover, Lady Ursula Black, who is bent on revenge.  And when the darkly restless Ranulf falls in love with the refreshingly unconventional Miss Celeste Armitage, he unwittingly draws his one true love into a web of danger that threatens her life…

“Historicalromance at its best.” The Romance Reviews

“Totallyengrossing…sensual and evocative writing.” Fiction Books.

“Breathtakingsensuality…page turning drama…a wonderful talent.” Once Upon a Chapter.

TSR: How do you develop your characters?

Grace: Names!

Character names are key to developing their personality. I start with a shadowy idea of what sort of people the hero/heroine are, and much like naming a baby, fish around until I find the name that fits them perfectly.

In ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ the heroine is called Celeste Armitage. I heard the name Celeste in passing and it struck me as having both strength and ethereal quality. Her surname however has a less romantic origin: she’s named after Armitage-Shanks – a well known purveyor (in the UK) of porcelain products of…shall we say…a very convenient nature, such as toilet cisterns. Again, I loved the connotation of something very strong but immensely practical and it suites her character admirably!

TSR: What are some traits that your hero/heroine must have?

Grace: One of my principles when writing a period romance is that, although the rules of society were very different back then, people would have had the same wants and yearnings as people today. So when itcomes to character traits, I like to consider how a strong minded person would have reacted to the constraints of Regency society.

I’m particularly fond of Celeste as a character because she is (so to speak) a 21st century woman trapped in 19th century London. She doesn’t want to become some man’s property by marriage, but wants to travel and control her own future…and it is this unconventional independence that repeatedly gets her into trouble.

TSR: It seems like you learned history the same way I did—by reading romance novels.  How has that influenced your view of history and the kind of romance you write.

Grace: This is so true!

I hated, no, loathed, history at school. The dry as dust dates and treatises left me yawning with frustration. It was when I was pregnant with my second son and had been ordered to rest, that I picked up Margaret George’s ‘The Autobiography of Henry VIII’ and couldn’t put it down.

Was this fascinating picture of the past based on real facts?

Could history truly be that compulsive?

I picked up a non-fiction book about theTudors…and have been hooked on history ever since. 

TSR: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite thing to do?

Grace: Most writers are avaricious readers, and I’m no different. However, I do try to balance these sedentary occupations with jogging! I run at least three times a week, to stop my knees from seizing up and my bottom spreading to occupy the entire sofa! 

TSR: If you cook or do crafty stuff, please share a favorite recipe or project with the readers.

Grace: I’m such a bad cook the idea of sharing a recipe is funny! After a recent meal I caught my sons whispering behind my back. When I asked what they were up to, it transpired they were hatching a plan to hide my cookery books! Now doesn’t that just speak for itself? 

TSR: What’s next for you?

Grace: Eulogy’s Secret, book one of The HuntleyTrilogy, is due out later this year. Eulogy’s Secret is also a regency romance, a sensual story of stolen identity, assumption and prejudice. As well as this novel, I’m also working on a non-fiction book called ‘Cat Pies’ -  a collection of feline related historical trivia….watch my blog for more details. And, oh yes, A Dead Man’s Debt comes out in paperback in the next few weeks.

CONTEST!

Finally, thank you for visiting today and doplease leave a comment, for a chance to win that Amazon voucher!

Important Links:(

Amazon.com  $2.99: Kindle

Amazon.co.uk GBP 2.14: KIndle for our UK friends

Solstice publishing Link

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/26527

Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b115169/A-Dead-Mans-Debt/Grace-Elliot/?si=0

Website Link:

Http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com

The blog blends my passion for romance,history…and cats!

TSR is proud to present author Claire Adele!

TSR: Tell us about DangerousPersuasion

Claire: Undercover Ranger Kurt MacConnor has vowed to arrest an outlawleader and settle an old debt. Overwhelmed by guilt, he fears his own bullet may have killed a close friend in a shootout with bank robbers. He's the last man any woman should want to settle down with and marry.

Feisty Cassie Leland carries the guilt of her mother’s death and is now determined to protect her father and their ranch from outlaws. She admits MacConnor is the most handsome man in town, but he's not for her.

When MacConnor rescues her from the outlaws, feisty Miss Leland lands in his lap, and they're drawn together in erotic pleasures.

TSR: What draws you to historical westerns?

Claire: I’ve always lived in the southwest. I love the country. My Texas ancestors have been important in my life.  My grandmother instilled in me a love of their history with family stories.  So the history of the southwest became a part of me.   

TSR: If you were asked to write outside your comfort zone, what would you choose to write?

Claire: I’d like to write a regency or Victorian historical.   

TSR: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Claire: Oh, that’s easy. When I attended awriters’ conference years ago before any of my stories were published, a wonderful author, Suzanne Brockmann, took time to sign her book for me, the last person in the room, and told me to keep writing, never give up, and my stories would be published. That was a pivotal moment for me as a writer, and I’ll never forget her advice and encouragement.  

TSR: Where is your favorite place to vacation?

Claire: Other than where my family is, Taos, New Mexico and the mountains nearby are my favorite place to vacation.

TSR: You’ve experienced success under the name Jeanmarie Hamilton.  Why use a pen name?

Claire: I decided to differentiate between my romance stories and my erotic romance stories by using a pen name for my erotic romance stories.

TSR: If you cook or do crafty stuff, please share a favorite recipe or project with the readers. 

Claire:  I like to paint horses and landscapes with oil paints. Right now I’m working slowly as I have time off from writing, on a landscape of aspen in a meadow in the mountains north of Taos.  In the springtime, I become anxious to spend some days in Taos and the nearby mountains.     

TSR: What’s next for you?

Claire: I’m finishing another erotic werewolf contemporary right now. Afterwards, I haven’t yet decided which story will come next.  It depends on which characters call to me the strongest.  

Important Links:

Buy Link: Siren Bookstrand and Amazon

Website Link: www.JeanmarieHamilton.com

Please give a warm TSR welcome to Karen Mercury!

TSR: Tell us about Working the Lode.

Karen: I’m very excited to be getting into this wonderful world of erotic romance!  My first three historicals were classified as Historical Fiction, yet I had such steamy sex scenes, I knew this would be a great fit for my particular talents. J   So I had 150,000 words of research notes about the California gold rush, about the Mormons who sent the first colony to San Francisco—it was fascinating.  My first publisher didn’t like the proposal, and I didn’t want to waste six months worth of exhaustive research, so I just turned it into an erotic romance—a quartet, I hope! And without mentioning Mormons, LOL.  Siren just accepted the second in the series.  Either Ore will be coming out in May 2011.  I just wrote “Chapter One” of the third gold rush book,  A Good Prospect.  I love coming up with titles that are witty with double meanings.

TSR: Why did you want to become a writer?

Karen: I wanted to write before I learned to read.  I still can’t explain how I taught myself to read, but when I entered first grade, I was zipping through all their required books, then started tutoring other kids. I guess my mother read aloud to me and I put two and two together by looking over her shoulder.  I’ve just always loved creating worlds, and love the feeling that someone else on the other side of the world is reading it, transported into the world I created.

TSR: What are some traits that your hero/heroine must have?

Karen: That’s a very stimulating question!  I like the hero to be over, say, age 35, otherwise I can’t relate.  Maybe I mentally stopped aging at age 35, but that seems like a good age for a hero.  I never liked red-headed men untilI saw Damian Lewis in Life, another brilliant show that was sadly cancelled, so my Working the Lode hero is based on him.  And I always have to find a reason that they’re in good athletic shape—Regency guys that sat around in men’s clubs all day long in all actuality were probably pasty and white!  Either Ore has a hero who is San Francisco’s town treasurer, going to meetings all day and dealing with money, so I had to make sure he was into calisthenics.  The real fellow I based him on looks suspiciously unfit in the photographs J.

But I’ll throw a few “full-figured” heroines in there, that’s fine.  Makes her much more relatable, more realistic.

TSR: What draws you to living an impulsive, adventurous lifestyle?

Karen: I can’t believe I used to travel across Africa, hitch-hiking without a map. Ignorance is bliss, right?  Before the internet, the only way of looking anything up was to order brochures from travel agencies.  So I just landed in Kenya one day and thought “Zaire sounds like a fun place to go.” Hoo, boy.  I just saw one of those Locked up Abroad shows where this big game hunter was kidnapped in Uganda. Scary.  I’ve always loved Africa since a tiny kid when a neighbor boy told me dinosaurs lived in the sky in “Acica,” but I would never walk across the border into Rwanda anymore.  I just know too much and it’s frightening!

TSR: What draws you to historical fiction?  What other genres might you try?

Karen: I doubt that I’d ever attempt to do werewolves or vamps, although I do praise the women that write them.   It’s completely beyond me how these authors write these, so I guess you could say I envy them.  For years, I did write what is now called “paranormal.”  

I’m mostly interested in Spiritualism.  Something that actually happened in history, although sometimes the stories sound too incredible to be true.  That Victorian craze wherein participants “table-tipped,” and musical instruments would mysteriously levitate and play.  Nowadays, we think “they must have been smoking something.”  I doubt that very much.  There were many experts present at those “table-tipping” events. I’m a bit leery of the horns and harmonicas flying through the air, but I think it was some sort of collective hallucination, much akin to the Salem witch trials.

Daniel Douglas Hume was the expert of his time.  I actually believe he levitated out that window.  He’s a fascinating individual—someone who was imbued with power and authority. 

TSR: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite thing to do?

Karen: I like dogs. Not all of them—I’ve been bitten twice by pit bulls.  But I grew up with dogs, and when I was about 25, I decided to get a Newfoundland. I wanted something huge and furry. They are the most regal and majestic dogs. She hates being cuddled, oddly enough, but I can’t resist kissing and hugging her. She’sa bronze girl, which are much harder to find. Next bronze female I get I might have to ship in on a plane, but I think that traumatizes the poor baby, so I’ll have to drive to get her.

Yup, she fits right in there.  She always appalls people at the dog park,when they see her getting out of my tiny car. I could not have children, so Ishmael is my child.  She’s an absolute and utter angel.  Lewis and Clark took a Newf on their Voyage of Discovery across the nation.   I know, Ishmael is a boy’s name.  But I woke up one morning with the phrase  stuck in my head: “Just call me Ishmael.”  I called her Ishmael.  I know it’s the first line of Moby Dick, which I had never read.

So yeah, as a hobby, I hang out with giant fluffy dogs.  I wonder what Lewis and Clark tolerated their companion without brushing all of that fur?   I guess the dog went swimming a lot!

Important Links:

Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/working-the-lode

 Website Link: www.karenmercury.com

Kindle Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LLINOO?ie=UTF8&tag=thstro0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004LLINOO

TSR Welcomes SteamPunk Author Corinne Davies

TSR: Tell us about Steam Powered Passion.

Corinne: SteamPowered Passion is a fun romp through an alternative history.  The world has developed into two distinct cultures. The New World, ruled by puritans and those of very strict moral code, and thepagans of the Old World, a clan based society ruled by the descendants of William Wallace.

In the middle of it all is Tori, who grew up in the clans until her mother passed away and she was taken to live with her father in the New World. When she got older, her father married her off to a man he deemed a fitting match. Tori used her marriage as a way to pass vital information to the Old World rebels. Until the day she is betrayed by her estranged husband and finds herself in the arms of not one but two pirates.

TSR: Your previous novels were all paranormal.  What drew you to SteamPunk?

Corinne: I love Steampunk because you get all the romance and glamour of the Victorian and Regency time periods but there is also the science fiction element that makes it so fun. With Steampunk there are so many fantastic avenues open to discover. Not only the advanced technology but also the fantastic alchemy that often accompanies this type of story.

I think it was the old Jules Verne story the Time Machine and then the movie based on it  that started my fascination with the idea of advanced technology being used in history. There were a couple old Star Trek episodes where the crew found themselves in the past but with full use of their standard equipment and I always found the idea captivating. Of course the recent movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman is my favourite example of this genre.

TSR: What is currently providing inspiration for you?

Corinne: I always find music to be a massive inspiration for me. Sometimes, I can simply put my MP3 on shuffle and get to writing and then there are the times that a specific song or style of music triggers my imagination.

When I wrote SPP, I listened to a lot of gothic metal like Apocalyptica and Tristania. The combination of classical instruments and extreme vocals fit for me. Then there was the day I was driving to work when I heard a new song on the radio and by the chorus I could already see the characters and the conflicts they were going to face. I had to go out that afternoon and buy the cd. I listened to it all November while I worked on my current WIP. The song was ‘You’re Going Down’ by Sick Puppies.   

TSR: You have a neat feature on your website where you encourage fans to send in pictures of themselves reading in unique situations.  What prompted you to think of that?

Corinne: I’m very rarely without a book tucked in my purse of coat pocket. So I can be seen reading in some very unique situations. My husband is the one who took the picture of me on the website. He thought it was funny that I could actually read while getting a tattoo. (It wasn’t that hard, the book was a great distraction.)  My “FUN” page came intobeing because I keep telling him I’m not the only one who will read anywhere.

TSR: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite thingto do?

Corinne: I have a massive addiction to sticks and string. The odd time I don’t have a book in my hand, I will have knitting needles or a crochet hook. I love the feel of different fibers and the gratification of wearing or giving something I created myself. Of course, this means that almost every closet in my house hides a bagor three of yarn. I keep it spread out so my husband doesn’t realize exactly how much I have. ;-)

TSR: What’s next for you?

Corinne: Currently, I’m finishing up a werewolf story set in both Toronto and Algonquin Park. I love shape-shifters of all kinds and really wanted to let out these boys. They have been living in my subconscious for years and I’m finally ready to tell their story.  I’m also finishing up my second Steampunk story and trying to ignore all the other voices that are demanding my attention.

Important Links:

My buy link is http://www.bookstrand.com/steam-powered-passion

Website link is http://www.corinnedavies.com/bookshelf.html ;

The Steam Room welcomes Cornelia Amiri. Be sure to leave a comment at the end of Cornelia's interview for a chance to win your choice of one of her eBooks: Druid Bride or As Timeless as Stone.

TSR: What draws you to the Celtic paranormal?

Cornelia: I am inspired and fascinated by the culture of the ancient Celts and the mist and magic of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. For instance in Celtic mythology all the gods and goddesses had animal shapes they shifted into. Shapeshifting was never seen as a curse to the Celts, like it was in the old werewolf movies and stories. I never believed the curse part, I thought turning into a wolf was the best and most interesting thing that happened to the characters in the werewolf stories. I never thought it would be a curse to be able to shapeshift, it seemed pretty fantastic to me. I also see seductive blood suckers as being more feminine than masculine, but in the old vampire movies and stories they are mainly men. Yet the Celtic fey vampiric creatures are all women, which again, makes more sense to me. I find the paranormal beliefs in Celtic mythology to be interesting and inspiring.

TSR: Tell about your three favorite books in your backlist. What do you love about each of them?

Cornelia: My Celtic/Romance Druid Quest, is one of my favorites, it takes you into the magic, myth, and adventure of ancient Britannia as two druids fight for their lives, their faith, and their love. Druid Quest inspired me to write Druid Bride, as I set my Druid Quest against the back drop of the destruction of the Druid Learning Center on Anglesey (Ynys Mon) by Governor Suetonius and the Boudica revolt in 61 AD, I wanted to tell the rest of the story. This inspired me to write Druid Bride against the back drop of Governor Agricola, who lead the second destruction of the Druid Learning Center and then brought his troops into Scotland to fight the Caledonii in a huge battle on Mons Graupius in 84 AD. Another favorite Celtic/Romance of mine is Queen of Kings which is about Macha Mong Ruad, who is as wild, strong, and beautiful as the land she rules, all men lust for her, warriors and kings bow to her might and magic, but one champion comes forth with a white bull and true love. She was the only woman included in the list of the High Kings of Ireland. Her reign fell between 5th and 7th century B. C., so her legend was kept alive by storytellers entertaining their audiences around smoky peat fires under starlit night skies for generations, hundreds of years before it was written down. Another favorite is my Steampunk/Romance, As Timeless As Stone under the pen name of Maeve Alpin. It’s about an ancient Egyptian priestess, Seshat, who in peril for her life turns herself to stone. Centuries later, Ricard, a dashing nineteenth century Frenchman, repairs a broken statue and reads its incantation--unprepared for the gorgeous flesh and blood woman who steps forth. I love that premise because it came to me in a dream.

TSR: When your muse whispers to you, what does she usually say?

Cornelia: I’ve written a few humorous articles about my muse, Clio, the muse of history. She’s always trying to convince me to write stories in unusual time periods that require a lot of research. I try to resist her ridiculous ides but she always wins in the end. For instance the secondary character in my Steampunk Romance, As Timeless As Stone, is Jean François Champollion and one of my old Clio articles reveals why I decided to use him in a story:

"Clio, just forget it. You're not talking me into the Atlantis idea."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at me.

Then out of the blue a thought came to me. Clio had inspired Plato. She had been around since ancient Greece. Maybe she was good for something. "Clio can you translate ancient Greek and ancient Latin into English for me. Well, it was just an idea, I'm not really interested in that anyway," I said.

"No, but it did bring a thought to your mind." Clio's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Didn't it?"

"Humph?" I smiled back. "The Rosetta stone."

"Interesting." Clio's smiled wryly.

"I was thinking of the linguist that decoded the hieroglyphics. He saved the history of one of the greatest cultures ever known to man."

"Now, that was a hero," Clio tapped her finger against her cheek.

"I know the man that translated it was French, but I don't recall his name."

"That would be easy enough to find out," Clio said.

"That's true." I paused and pondered. "You know I think of him as a very dashing figure."

Clio led on. "Oh, I'm sure he was."

I walked toward the computer. "Excuse me," I said as I gestured Clio to move over. I sat down and placed my hands upon the keyboard. I typed "The Rosetta stone" in the search field and pushed enter. I could hear Clio laughing in the background. But I didn't grimace at her mocking laughter. I didn't' even glance up at her. I was so relieved that I hadn't typed in Atlantis.

TSR: What made you try out steampunk? (And what is steampunk?)

Cornelia: Simplest put Steampunk is Historical/Science Fiction, the industrial revolution meets the technological revolution, and it’s based on Sci-fi of the era like H G Wells and Jules Verne wrote. So it includes modern type inventions powered by steam. For the most part Steampunk/Romance is set in the 19th century during the Victorian age, sometimes in the American West, in fact one of the best examples of Steampunk that people are familiar with is the old TV show, The Wild Wild West. Since I have a lifelong passion for history, I am thrilled with this latest cross genre of romance, Steampunk. My writing voice lends its self t so well to this genre. I just love it. My favorite genres in romance to read or historical, paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi and this one genre can actually blend all four of those together.

TSR: Which three objects best describe you and why?

Cornelia: A Torque, a bottle of water, and a keyboard. The torque is the logo I use for my Celtic/Romances. It is a thick, opened ended, triple braided, necklace, or band worn on the neck, and each end was usually molded into an animal’s head. The torque was a sign of power and also empowered the wearer. My writing empowers me to take readers on adventures in another place and time. I picked a bottle of water as Mark Twain’s quote comes to mind¸ “My books are water; those of the great geniuses is wine. Everybody drinks water." I think of my books the same way. They are all easily available in inexpensive E-book formats and most in paperback as well and they are all written from the heart. For the third item I picked a keyboard, it is an invaluable tool that I use every day and just as I hit the keys to type my stories, I feel memories, things that happen, things I’ve heard about, people I meet, are all like little keys tapping across my brain which one by one creates my stories.

TSR: What’s next for you?

Cornelia: The Wolf and the Druidess, an Erotica/Celtic/Romance novella set in ancient England during Samhain, a Celtic twist to a Halloween/Werewolf story, will be released by Eternal Press December 7, 2010. And I recently submitted an Erotica/Romance set during the 1969 Woodstock Festival. I had such fun writing that. I hope to hear good news on those. And I’m working on my second Steampunk/Romance, set in Victorian London, the heroine’s a ghost, and my 10th Celtic/Romance, a paranormal set in ancient Wales, the hero is a Welsh god. Both of those are works in progress right now but they are moving along. I hope to have one to submit soon.

Adult Excerpt from Druid Bride:

Together they gulped down the golden mead. Never, not once, did they tear their eyes away from each other.

“As the mead flows through you, let the spirit fill you.” Tanwen walked over to the cauldron and dipped her hand in the dark, gooey, blue dye.

Her finger slinked down his face, streaking both cheeks blue. The woad was warm, her touch hotter. His tinted checks burned. After dipping her hands into the dye again, her ring-bedecked fingers danced over the muscles rippling down his arms, tracing each of his tattoos, following the lines as she painted them blue. He quivered. The gods shielded him through these symbols.

The first was a wolf, with an open mouth drawn as a curve. Then the boar with tusk made from a circle, with a line drawn though it and two knots on each end. His flesh tingled as she painted the lines of a swirling snake. His arousal throbbed, pained him with the need for release as she traced the last one, a man. Far more potent than heather mead, the power the woad awoke in the tattoos left him light-headed. He drew in a deep breath to clear his head as she spread her hands over his firm stomach and down his strong legs, coating them in blue dye.

She took a step back and smiled coyly, as if wondering what mischief she could stir up next. With her woad-covered hands, she cupped her breasts, squeezing and massaging the soft, full peaks. He groaned with need. She wrapped her smooth arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his. The softness of her breasts pressed against his chest. Her nipples had tightened to hard dagger points, rubbing against his flesh, imprinting woad dye on his chest, coating the small whorls of hair with blue. Shivers of heat rushed through him.

Important Links:

Buy Link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615720897

Website Link: http://CelticRomanceQueen.com

The Steam Room welcomes author Tracy L. Ranson!

TSR: What draws you to historical fiction?

Tracy: My love of history attracts me like a moth to the flame….LOL…okay, that’s an old cliché but I’ve always been attracted to history, especially medieval. My parents were always surprised when I got an engineering degree instead of one in history. What didn’t surprise them was the fact I’m an author now. As a child, I used to rewrite all the endings of all my children’s books if I didn’t like them. Also, my dad fostered my love of history by reading me all sorts of stories as a child about historical figures. I’d made up stories about them that eventually led to my career in writing.

TSR: What are the hardest and easiest parts about researching for your novels?

Tracy: The hardest things can be battle strategies but I have my wonderful husband, who also serves as the basis for all my heroes, helps with that. He comes from a long line of men who proudly served in the military and he has a keen knowledge in all matters military, no matter what era. The easier parts would be like eating habits or clothing styles which I keep a LARGE folder on with different eras in it. Also, I have a lot of reference books that help out as well.

TSR: Why do we all have a weak spot for pirates?

Tracy: Because they’re the bad boys every woman wants to tame. In the latest pirate novel I’ve written, HIS WICKED INTENTIONS, the pirate is a bad boy who wants revenge on his enemy for unforgivable crimes. When is enemy’s daughter falls into his hands unexpectedly, he will use her to exact vengeance—at the cost of his own heart. It’s a complete novel, but as of yet has not been submitted to a publisher. This is one bad boy I’d like to tame…LOL…

TSR: You have quite a backlist. Tell us a little bit about some of your books. Let’s see:

Tracy: The WARLORD’S WOMAN is one of my best sellers to date. Who doesn’t love yummy alpha male goodness? Of course PIRATES OF THE MIST is about a time traveling lass who ends up in the hands of an honest to goodness pirate of the past. My BLOODBORN series is full of tales of redemption, love and honor. Vampires who yearn to be free from their maker and eke out a life for themselves among the humans. The daughter of Satan and Adam’s first wife, Lilith, doesn’t make it easy for them. In CARRIBBEAN SPLENDOR, Blaze Montgomery isn’t your run of the mill plantation owner. Life has a way of throwing her a curve ball every turn but somehow, she manages to keep everything together with grace and dignity with the help of Justin Blackmore aka Raven, her pirate lover. With DESIRE’S PROMISE, I’ve spun the story into a prequel of THE WARLORD’S WOMAN, the story of a strong willed Duchess of Castile and the powerful Duke of Kent, determined to possess her body and soul.

TSR: We all write a little bit of ourselves into our characters. Which of your characters is LEAST like you?

Tracy: Sitting back and thinking about it, I would have to say Blaze Montgomery from CARIBBEAN SPLENDOR. She’s a very strong woman who survived everything she did with dignity and grace, never once complaining. She knew what she needed to do to survive and she did it without anyone’s help.

TSR: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite thing to do?

Tracy: LOL…what isn’t my favorite thing to do? I love knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, needlepoint, paint, draw,….shall I go on? My husband said he’s going to cut my hands off if I take up any more hobbies.

TSR: What’s next for you?

Tracy: More books! Right now, I’m writing the next installment of the BLOODBORN series entitled PRINCE OF DARKNESS. It’s Drake’s story and I’ve come up with a pretty good idea that’s going to spin off into another series from it. I don’t want to give it away but it should be pretty interesting. Also, I’m working on plotting out another medieval entitled A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER.

Important Links:

Buy Links for Tracy's Siren books: http://www.bookstrand.com/tracy-l-ranson

Link for Tracy's site: http://www.tracylranson.com

The Steam Room welcomes author Frances Pauli!

TSR: What is speculative fiction?

Frances: Speculative fiction is a lump term for science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I prefer to use it as a blanket description for my writing, because I have a great deal of trouble choosing one particular sub-genre.

TSR: What are your favorite science fiction stories and characters?

Frances: I adore the old, classic science fiction authors, Norton, Herbert, McCaffrey, Lee…In retrospect, a great deal of my favorite stories were very romantic science fiction and fantasy or even primarily romances under the cover of the science fiction label. Back then we didn’t have the surge of romantic sub-genres that I am really enjoying today! My all time favorites are Norton’s Year of the Unicorn and McKillip’s Forgotten Beasts of Eld. Both are very heavy on the romance.

TSR: What are some traits that your hero/heroine must have?

Frances: Loyalty, absolutely. I like a character with some flaws, sometimes a lot of flaws, and one that really struggles, but no matter what, the loyalty to the primary romance is vital for me. I love heroines with a bit of sass, heroes that lean toward the dangerous side, and a supporting array of quirky side characters to round things out.

TSR: What does it take to create a completely new world?

Frances: A terribly rampant imagination. I’ve been a day dream addict most of my life, and all that fantasizing really pays off when it comes time to sit down and build a world. You have to be able to get into it, put yourself into any situation, and then flesh out what that would be like.

TSR: You have some free reads on your blog, and so do I. This isn’t something a lot of authors do. Why did you choose to put those out there for free instead of having them published and sold?

Frances: I’m a big believer in the free story. I think it gives the readers out there a chance to sample what I do before investing time and money on me. On top of that, writing for free takes a lot of pressure off. My serial, Space Slugs, is probably the most fun I’ve ever had putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard). It shows too, the story itself is fun, and that complete freedom to write whatever nonsense possesses me has become really addictive.

TSR: So, you belly dance?

Frances: Oh yes. I’ve been belly dancing on and off for over fifteen years. I take lessons from time to time, but I’m not terrific. I do all right and I have a good time. I absolutely love the music, the movements and the way it makes me feel to just get out and let go.

TSR: What’s next for you?

Frances: Well, I have two novels coming out this year. The first is a science fiction romance called The Dimensional Shift. The other is the first book in my urban fantasy trilogy, The Changeling Race. I will also have a holiday story coming out in Dec. My serial is still going strong, and I hope to wrap up the story by the end of the year. Other than that, I have a short coming out this fall in an online zine, and another due out next year. Book two in the Changeling Race trilogy will be out next year as well.

Release dates and links to all of the above can be found on my website. Thanks!

Important Links:

Frances offers a free online serial space opera at http://spaceslugserial.blogspot.com

Buy Link: http://www.devinedestinies.com/shopdevine/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=ebook_flypage.tpl&product_id=860&category_id=40&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=69  

Website Link: http://francespauli.com  

The Steam Room welcomes author Kestra Gravier.

TSR: What was involved in writing an historical romance?

Kestra: A romance requires compelling characters, a riveting storyline, and capturing that ineffable quality of attraction or spark between the leading characters. For an historical romance, there is the added dimension of capturing the time, setting, attitudes, and dress accurately. It is also important to get the balance right-- the historic detail should remain in the background and the romance front and center.

TSR: How did you develop the character of Lady Elinor?

Kestra: I wanted to work with woman with some history behind her, so Elinor became a widow. And I admire a woman capable of taking matters into her own hands, so she started a new career—as a spy. To be interesting a character needs to be someone still with the ability to grow and change and explore –so when Lady Elinor crosses paths with Lord Wysse, she is open to taking a dip in his dark river.

TSR: What makes a novel erotic?

Kestra: "Erotic" is part of a continuum that starts with romance, segues into eroticism and can continue on to pornography. Spanning the area between romance and pornography, eroticism is about sexual love and desire, romance focuses on love, and pornography on sexual excitement. It is the elicitation of desire that makes a novel erotic.

TSR: I noticed you have an f/f/f warning on your novel. Why did you go against the current trend against multiple female participants?

Kestra: I did not set out to deliberately buck a trend. The scene worked because it developed from the standpoint of Elinor's exploration of sexual possibilities and it advanced the espionage plot. And the scene turned out to be hot, so my editor let it stay in.

TSR: You’re a world traveler. What was your favorite place?

Kestra: Oh, that's a tough question. The answer probably changes with my mood, but right now, my answer is Le Lavadou, in the off season. It is a small beach town in the south of France, on the Mediterrean coast between Hyeres and St. Tropez. Wonderful food, wine, romantic sunsets and and some secluded nude beaches.

TSR: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what five things would you need to have with you?

Kestra: Chocolate, Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Mists of Avalon", my lover, paper and pen

TSR: What’s next for you?

Kestra: I have a short story coming out in 2011, in a print anthology from Oysters&Chocolate, called "A Lesson for Claire". Right now, I am working on edits for a contemporary erotic romance, "Encounters", about a Louisville physician and very special sex club, to be published by Cobblestone Press. After these, there is a list of ideas and characters fighting to be given rein on the page!

Important Links:

Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/lady-elinor-at-hampton-court

Website Link: http://kestragravier.com/