Friday's Featured Title: Allura by Christine Young

Allura

Christine Young

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level: 4

Allura is the first book in the 12 Dancing Cousins series it is a Regency Romance

Buy at: www.roguephoenixpress.com

Read An Excerpt

Eddington, Scotland 1815

"You can’t plan to wed me to that--that man down there!" Allura McClellan’s heart thundered and lodged in her throat. Balled into fists her hands trembled. "You promised I could marry for love. I thought when the last man failed to discover this imaginary secret you think I have, you would stop this craziness. I thought you would take the ad out of the Times and the other papers."

From the boxing ring below, fist met flesh, the sound echoing throughout. Hunter Gray whirled and ducked. He guarded his face to block the stinging blows his opponent rained down upon him. He spun and ducked again. The man he fought countered the attack, but he did not move fast enough. Hunter’s next jab was so fast and so hard the other man didn’t block the punch. The man staggered backwards, blood running from his eye. Men yelled and cheered for the two combatants. Hunter paused and spoke to the man he practiced with before the match continued once more.

Allura saw her life as she had planned it slip away as if it was grains of sand in an hour glass. She stopped pacing and watched the men below. She turned on her father. "The ad in the Times--giving me away to any man--you have gone too far. A marriage of convenience is barbaric. You promised." For a moment, she closed her eyes. She did not want to acknowledge anything that went on here. It was not her fault she could not find a man she loved. What horrific bit of bad luck had found her?

The laird cleared his throat. "Perhaps I have not gone far enough or soon enough. And the ad did not promise you to just any man. He must be strong enough and smart enough to win your hand."

It was not Allura’s nature to allow others to rule her fate. “These men,” she waved her hand in the air, frustration sweeping recklessly within. "They don’t want me. They come for one reason only. They are greedy and hungry for power. You have taught me everything I need to know. I can run your estate and all of your holdings. I’ve studied endless hours. I know the men who work for you. I swear I’ll defy your wishes. At the altar I will say no."

The McClellan’s grin faded as quickly as it had appeared and without further thought, he said, "Perhaps not, you are beautiful lass--one with rare promise. And," he stroked his chin, "no matter how much book learning a woman has she cannot dictate her own life. It is up to the men in her life to make sure she is happy and provided for."

A strained silence followed. She sagged against the stone wall. As if sensing her vulnerable position, she stiffened. Outraged and furious she looked upon her father. "They are money grubbers and want your land--our land. They have no right to any of your estate."

The McClellan held back for a moment, seemingly aware there was more than just a little truth in what Allura said. "How indeed?" he questioned her. Yet his smile was tight, forced. "I grow old. I only want this land secured and my daughters happy before I die. You are twenty-two. I have given you ample opportunity to fall in love. I thought it time to bring new blood to this land, a new man. I thought perhaps one would take your fancy."

"That man," she began. Her hand shook when she pointed at the man who danced and whirled avoiding each blow as if he dallied in child's play. She trembled so violently she could not speak. “Is an Englishman.”

Read A Review

Title: Allura

Genre: Historical

Author: Christine Young

Reviewer: Chrissy Dionne

Reviewer Email: RJChrissyDionne@yahoo.com

Publisher: Awe-struck E-Books

ISBN: 9781587497223

Release Date: May 2009

Author Website: http://www.christineyoung.bz/

Author Email: achristay@aol.com

Format: EBOOK

Rating: 4.5 blue ribbons (if it wasn’t for the issue with Hunter’s father it’d get a 5)

Eddington, Scotland 1815

Allura McClellan is horrified by her father’s decision to take out an ad in the Times awarding her to the man strong enough and smart enough to win her hand and uncover her secrets.  She’s an intelligent young woman who takes great delight in the freedom allotted to her by her father.  She’s well aware that marriage would effectively curtail the adventures she’s shared with her sisters and cousins.

Hunter Gray is nothing like the other men who’ve arrived to vie for Allura’s hand in marriage and everything that goes along with it.  However, he is the first to refuse to concede defeat and pursue her despite her attempts to disguise her true appearance.  It’s her temperament that is of more concern to him than her looks.  Hunter has worked all his life with the hope of someday owning his own land.  Now that it looks like there’s a very real possibility that everything he’s ever wanted is within reach nothing is going to deter him – including Miss Allura’s disagreeable disposition.

Allura is not at all happy with her father’s dictates and decision to marry her off to the man who can uncover her secrets and prove himself worthy of possessing his land, her hand and the title Laird.  What she finds most disturbing is the intensity with which Hunter pursues his goal and goes about ensuring her safety – even from herself.  He’s making it impossible for her to pursue her own pleasures and any adventures to the island the girls all love could result in him discovering the secret, thus he’d win her hand in marriage.  Despite Allura’s discontent with Hunter’s constant presence she’s attracted to him and soon discovers that his kisses are addicting and while she longs for the freedom she treasures there’s a certain amount of pleasure in knowing he truly cares for her wellbeing.  That doesn’t make her any happier about being ‘forced’ into marriage and there’s the little issue that Hunter is rigid and refuses to allow any woman any leeway with him.  As if that isn’t enough one of the previous ‘suitors’ has returned and Guy makes Allura’s skin crawl and oozes an evilness that Hunter has dealt with for most of his life.

Christine Young’s ALLURA is a delightful historical novel full of suspense, lovable characters, humor and a budding romance between two characters determined not to fall in love.  Allura and Hunter’s stubborn, determined natures allowed for some interesting scenes as they attempted to get one up on each other.  As a modern day woman I felt bad for Allura because technically her husband would dictate every aspect of her life and the freedom she loves would be a thing of the past.  Hunter is unbending as far as to how he believes a wife should behave but falling in love changes him and his perception of Allura.  Hunter and Allura are the main focus of this story but there are secondary characters whom I absolutely adored and would love to revisit in future novels (hint, hint).  Especially the youngest sister Aiden and Hunter’s trusted friend Blade.  He doesn’t believe in love and she’s determined to do whatever’s necessary to get him to notice her.

SNIPPET—

Allura has come to treasure her freedom and the adventures she shares with her sisters and her cousins but her father’s decision to find her a husband threatens that freedom.  He’s placed an ad in the times in search of a man strong and smart enough to discover where exactly it is that the girls venture when they leave the safety of the castle.

Comment on any Rogue's Angels post, including goddessfish tours from January 1st to March 17, and you will be entered to win. 

Follow the Rogues Angels blog and you will be entered twice.

Rogue's Angels will have drawings through January, February, and March. Grand prizes to be awarded on Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.

Prizes

After the drawings on February 15th we now have:

Gift Cards:  $20 Starbucks GC

Name in next anthology (pending, I'm pulling for May Day) 

Bookmarks: to everyone who leaves a comment

Downloads of past anthologies (6): Star Crossed, Meadows, St. Batzy & the Time Machine 

Join The Weekly Check In

Source: i.imgur.com via Chris on Pinterest

This is the Rogue's Angels weekly check-in. Every Thursday we encourage the Angels and visitors to let us know how their writing is going.

How well are you doing?

Had problems this week? That's ok. Just sit down this coming week and write. Whatever you do, don't let difficulties from the week before get in your way this week.

What a week I have had. Lot's of editing and lots of thinking I needed to get more done. One more goddessfish VBT blog sent out. I have Rebel Heart in my head and really want to get started on it. Tonight I'm going to try and finish one more blog for my tour. 

Every word is one word closer to the finished product.

Had a great week? Keep it up, the momentum is on your side.

Comment on any Rogue's Angels post, including goddessfish tours from January 1st to March 17, and you will be entered to win. 

Follow the Rogues Angels blog and you will be entered twice.

Rogue's Angels will have drawings through January, February, and March. Grand prizes to be awarded on Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.

Prizes

After the drawings on February 15th we now have:

Gift Cards:  $20 Starbucks GC

Name in next anthology (pending, I'm pulling for May Day) 

Bookmarks: to everyone who leaves a comment

Downloads of past anthologies (6): Star Crossed, Meadows, St. Batzy & the Time Machine

Please Welcome Anna Maclean author of Louisa and the Crystal Gazer

Please welcome Anna Maclean the author of Louisa and the Crystal Gazer
.
Anna will be giving away a gift basket to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host whose post receives the most comments (excluding Anna's and the host's).

I'm sure we all love this hauntingly fantastic book.

Anna's bio: learn more about this author

Artist’s biography

Jeanne Mackin is the author of several novels:  The Sweet By and By (St. Martin’s Press), Dreams of Empire (Kensington Books), The Queen’s War (St. Martin’s Press), and The Frenchwoman (St. Martin’s Press).   She has published short fiction and creative nonfiction in several journals and periodicals including  American Letters and Commentary and SNReview. She is also the author of the Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers (Cornell University publications)  and co-editor of  The Norton Book of Love (W.W. Norton),  and wrote art columns for newspapers as well as feature articles for several arts magazines.  She was the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society and her journalism has won awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, in Washington, D.C.  She teaches creative writing at Goddard College in Vermont, has taught or conducted workshops in Pennsylvania, Hawaii and New York and has traveled extensively in Europe.  She lives with her husband, Steve Poleskie,  in upstate New York.

Website: http://www.annamaclean.net/

Book Link: http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781101506141,00.html?Louisa_and_the_Missing_Heiress_Anna_Maclean

Learn more about Louisa and the Crystal Gazer.

1.    What or who inspired you to start writing?

            The books of my childhood made me fall in love with stories and story telling on the page.  First, the fabulous fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and other classics such as the wonderful Victorian stories of the The Little Blue Fairy.  Then, Alice in Wonderland, and on on through historical novels with Daphne du Maurier and Anya Seton, and mysteries.  I love how a good novel transports us to other places.

2.    What are the elements that make a story a "cozy mystery?" Please explain using examples from your book.

            A cozy, in my definition, is a mystery that ends well, with justice being done.  It is light, rather than dark, no matter how dreadful the original crime may have been.  A cozy gives us a sense that virtue and goodness are rewarded. In my latest cozy mystery, Louisa and the Crystal Gazer, rights are wronged from many years before.  Stylistically, a cozy also uses language that is proper, for use of a good Victorian term and if there is sex, it’s neither blatant nor graphic.  And of course, cozies depend on wonderful interiors, parlors and sitting rooms and tea houses, cafes. 

3.    How did you come up with your idea for Louisa and the Crystal Gazer?

            For the third mystery in the series, I wanted to explore the spiritualism of mid-nineteenth century America.  As Jeanne Mackin, I had written a previous novel, The Sweet By and By, about the Fox sisters, the founders of American spiritualism, and wanted to return to that material because it is so fascinating.  I thought it would be interesting to place sensible, yet curious and a little romantic Louisa, in that setting of a seance and see what happens.  She, of course, finds great material for one of her own stories, in addition to finding a crime that must be solved.

4.    What expertise did you bring to your writing?

            That’s a tough question.  I think due credit must go to my grade school teachers who gave me great respect for syntax and grammar and language.  And if I say so myself, my research skills are good. But the bottom line is this:  I write sincerely, authentically.  I will not write a novel I myself wouldn’t enjoy reading and I write to the absolute best of my ability. Mostly, though, I bring my own love of narrative and story telling to my desk every morning.

5.    What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

            An even tougher question!  I wish I could say I had climbed the north face of the Matterhorn, but I haven’t.  I have ridden a camel in the Sahara desert, however. I’ve traveled quite a bit, and I value the places I’ve been able to visit as much as I value the wonderful books I’ve been able to read.

6.    As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

            Please, and I’m knocking on wood here, just to keep writing.  I feel incomplete when there is not a project on my desk and filling my imagination.  I’m mapping out a fourth mystery for Louisa and working on another historical novel.

7.    If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

            P.T. Barnum!  How to have lived his lifetime!  He traveled, he wrote, he had fun. Of course he also had some pretty severe problems and heartbreak.  In Louisa and the Crystal Gazer, he’s facing bankruptcy because he’s been cheated and robbed by a relative.  But he never loses his resilience, his ability to stay engaged and awed by the world, and his own sense of being able to rise up.

8.    Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

Boston, 1855. With her timeless Little Women years away from fruition, Louisa May Alcott is busy writing “blood and thunder” romance stories. She accompanies her friend, Sylviia, to visit Boston’s most famous spiritual medium, Mrs. Agatha D. Percy, to contact Sylvia’s long-dead father. She isn’t one to believe such folderol, but thinks the experience may inspire her imagination—until a prediction that Louisa will have an unexpected guest is followed by the arrival of her little sister, Lizzie.

Louisa and Sylvia visit the seer again to confirm whether her gifts might be genuine—but Mrs. Percy’s days of divination have been brutally cut short by a killer. Now, Louisa must solve the mystery of the crystal gazer’s untimely death by uncovering the shocking truth about her life.

Praise for the Louisa May Alcott Mysteries

“Charming and clever amateur sleuth Louisa May Alcott springs to life.”—Karen Harper, National Bestselling Author of The Queen’s Governess

“The Room into which we were led was paneled in very dark, carved wood, and was windowless.  Since it was not an interior room but one built on the west side of the house, I assumed that Mrs. Percy had covered the window, perhaps with that hugely looming armoire on the west wall.  It was drearily, suffocatingly dark

The ceiling was lower by perhaps six inches than the ceiling in the hall and was ornately painted in the new style, with trellises and posies and Egyptian repeats.  These details are not without significance, gentle reader. Bear with me.

A large round table occupied the center of the room , and at that table sat Mrs. Percy, her eyes closed, her face, illuminated by a single candle, tilted as though she listened to music we could not hear. She was dressed in swaths of black lace and fringe, with bells and sequins covering much of her strange, Gypsy-like costume.

Mrs. Deeds stubbed her toe trying to find her chair in the darkness. She giggled nervously. Mrs. Percy did not move, but continued listening to that inaudible music until we were all settled.

Mrs. Percy greeted us one by one, by name, and when my turn came she gave me a long gaze. ‘More than the philosopher’s daughter,’ she said. ‘A solver of crimes. Welcome, Miss Alcott.’…

Suddenly there was a loud rapping sound, three times, and Mrs. Percy sat up, her clouds of black lace making a kind of whispering sound as she moved. ‘Are you there?’ she asked in a rapturous voice.”

9.    Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

            I do, and it’s fun as well as useful. We write in many genres and we’ve developed some very strong and supportive friendships. Writing is very lonely work so being able to speak with other writers, share their complaints and successes, is very important. 

10. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

            After I had finished my first novel, and was somewhat happy with what I had on the page (I’m never completely satisfied) I sent it around to agents and found a great woman who loved it, and she found a good publisher.  I think of writing as a conversation with other writers as well as readers, and probably what most encouraged me was reading some of the early novels I had fallen in love with. I wanted my book up on the shelf with theirs.

11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

            The best advice I ever received was not to worry about getting published and to vary sentence length!   The worst advice…I can’t remember, though along the way some friends and fellow writers have questioned why I write historicals.  It’s kind of like asking why I prefer vanilla to chocolate or Paris to London.  I just do. So I ignore the question and keep writing what I want to write.

12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I hate outlines.  Where’s the adventure, the exploration, if you know every stop along the way?  At some point, though, in a mystery especially, you need to step back and make sure everything is falling into place properly.  So after a first draft I’ll make an outline of what I have, and then see what needs to be moved around.

13. How do you maintain your creativity?

I call it filling the well.  A writer needs discipline, and then she needs to fill the well.  For me, that means stimulation in the form of reading other novels (I read hundreds of books a year) and keeping engaged with the world as much as possible.  I study French, I take belly-dancing classes (love Turkish music!), I go to museums and look at objects and imagine my characters handling those objects, what they would say about them. For these mysteries, I spent time prowling Beacon Street in Boston, and visiting Orchard House, where the family lived.  I read many of the books Louisa would have read, and learned how to play a proper game of croquette. And I had my own séance, practiced holding hands and sitting in the dark, to test the experience as Louisa would have perceived it.

14. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

Louisa, of course!  Given this opportunity spend time with the young Louisa May Alcott has been a fabulous adventure for me. I ‘ve come to admire her so much…her humor, her intelligence, her devotion to her family and also her tremendous act of will in becoming a writer despite the odds, despite the difficulties.  The Louisa I created as an amateur sleuth is very much based on the real Louisa May Alcott.  I couldn’t have invented a better character than the real one.

15. Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?

            Both.  Depends on the day.  Sometimes they are angels just throwing ideas at you left and right. Other days they sulk and have nothing to say except, perhaps, that you are wasting your time.  Never listen to the demons.

16. Anything else you might want to add?

Only thank you for inviting me to visit!

Excerpt

From Louisa and The Crystal Gazer

            “I miss Father,”  Sylvia signed one morning as we took our walk along the harbor.  It was a misty cold day, and the harbor waves were tipped with frosty white.

            “Unfortunately, your father passed away when you were a child,” I answered gently. “You barely knew that long-enduring man, so how do you now claim to miss him?”…

            “My point exactly,” my companion responded…“I feel the need for a masculine presence in my life, and would like to converse with my father.  I will, with the assistance of Mrs. Agatha Percy. Please come with me to one of her sittings!”

            I groaned and jammed my hands deeper into my pocket, despite the stares of several passersby; a lady did not put her hands in her pockets. She did if they were cold, I thought.  Ship rigging creaked in the wind and bells chimed the start of a new watch, and I pondered Sylvia’s statement.

            Mrs. Agatha D. Percy was the newest fad in Boston, one of the recently risen members of that questionable group of individuals known as ‘spiritists,’ or mediums…

            “I can think of better ways to spend time and money than sitting in the dark and watching parlor tricks.  I would much rather, for instance, attend one of Signor Massimo’s musical evening.” The signor, a famous pianist, was touring the United States from his home in Rome and had decided to winter in Boston. He was giving a series of performances – performances I could not afford, since the tickets were as much as three dollars apiece, even when they were available.

            “Mother tried to get tickets and could not. She was furious,” Sylvia said. I could understand; women with Mrs. Shattuck’s family name and wealth were not accustomed to hearing no.

            “Look, there is ice in the harbor,” I said, putting my hand over my eyes to shield them from the glare.

            “I will have your answer,” Sylvia persisted.

            I  introduced several new topics of conversation, hoping to distract Sylvia from her mission – Jenny Lind, the Wild West, a newly published travel book about France that was flying off the shelves – but each topic she cleverly rejoined and detoured back to Mrs. Percy…

             “Don’t you see?” Sylvia sighed in exasperation, pulling at my hand to prevent me from taking another step. “The spirits themselves wish you to visit her.  They put those very suggestions in your mind!”

            “Then they should put a plot or two in my mind,” I said, remembering the still-blank sheet of paper before which I had sat that morning at my desk.  Being between stories was an unpleasant state for me, when no plot or story threaded the random thoughts of every imagination.

            “I am unconvinced that ‘fun’ is the correct word to describe an hour of sitting in the dark, pretending to speak with the dead,” I said.

            “Spirits,” corrected Sylvia.  “The dead don’t like to be called dead. Such a harsh word.”

            Neither of us was yet aware of exactly how harsh that séance would become.

Links

www.annamaclean.net

www.facebook.authorannamaclean.com

Don't forget to leave a comment.

And...don't forget to buy Anna's book 

My apologies to Ms. Maclean for the tardiness of this post.

Please Welcome Kenya Wright Author of Fire Baptized

Before we get started lets learn a little about the Michael Jackson singing Kenya.

Oh! And I don't want to forget the gifts Kenya is giving away:  Kenya will be giving away a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host whose post receives the most comments (excluding Kenya's and the host's).

So everyone, leave lots of comments!

Bio

Kenya Wright always knew she would be famous since the ripe old age of six when she sung the Michael Jackson thriller song in her bathroom mirror. She has tried her hand at many things from enlisting in the Navy for six years as a Persian-Farsi linguist to being a nude model at an art university.

        However, writing has been the only constant love in her life.

        Now Kenya is publishing her first book, Fire Baptized, the urban fantasy novel she always wanted to read. This novel is the first book in a series.

        Will she succeed? Of course.

        For she has been coined The Urban Fantasy Queen, the Super Iconic Writer of this Age, The Lyrical Genius of Our Generation. Granted, these are all terms coined by her, within the private walls of her bathroom as she still sings the Michael Jackson thriller song.

            Kenya Wright currently resides in Miami with her three amazing, overactive children, a supportive, gorgeous husband, and three cool black cats that refuse to stop sleeping on Kenya’s head at night.

http://www.kenyawright.com

Blurb

                  Since the 1970’s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

            Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

            Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend Meshach and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.   

            While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?

Interview

      1.     What or who inspired you to start writing?

            My ten year old step-son inspired me. One day we were walking around Barnes and Noble. I was telling him that I wished there were more urban fantasy novels with different ethnicities. He looked up at me and said, “You should write one. Your smart.” I laughed and told him, thanks. However, that idea remained in my mind the rest of the week. By the next week, I’d bought several books on writing a novel.

           

2.     Would you explain the details that make a story an Urban Fantasy.

            The two main details that make a story an urban fantasy are the supernatural elements (like vampires, shapeshifters, witches, etc) and that the story is set in an urban environment like the city. Usually the point of view is first person and there are romance, thriller, and/or mystery subplots. Fire Baptized’s main plot line is mystery, has a romantic subplot, and is full of several supernatural species, from Vampires to Mermaids.

           

 3.     How did you come up with your idea for Fire Baptized? (Love the title.)

                  Truthfully I listened to crazy music on repeat, asked lots of  questions, and then wrote down the answers. When I began creating   the world, I had Thom Yorke’s Hearing Damage and Raheem Devaughn’s Bulletproof playing on continuous repeat.

                  My first question: What would humans do if they knew supernaturals existed?

                  My answer: Humans would trap, kill, destroy, and study them. But then there would be a massive group of humans who would protest the inhumane treatment. Groups like PETA would organize against this. Governments would have to discover an alternative to dealing with supernaturals.

                 

                  My next question: How could the government contain them?

                 

                  My answer: Humans would force the supernaturals to live in caged             cities. And that was where the story began.

4.     What expertise did you bring to your writing?

                  When I wrote the book I had an enormous amount of fun drawing from my academic background. I am currently a third year student at the University of Miami law.  In creating the world, I considered the legal issues that would plague supernaturals. For example, in Fire Baptized’s world the US Congress has formed a law to limit vampires’ ages to a hundred years old. Presently, the Supreme Court is considering if the law is constitutional.

                  I also have a sociology degree. When I wrote the story, I focused a lot on social issues for each supernatural species. For example, its taboo for Pureblooded supernaturals to breed with Mixbreeds. Those that break the taboo are considered outcasts. There is also a strong sense of Mixbreeds trying to resist the habitat’s social order. My main character Lanore is involved with an organization called Mixbreeds for Equality. However, she’s not quite sure if her and the crazy revolutionaries in the group have the same goals. A lot of those ideas came from sociological concepts.

     

 5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

                  I am an online stalker of Laini Taylor (author, Daughter of Smoke and Bones) and Jason Momoa (actor that played Khal Drogo and Conan the Barbarian 2011). I have Google alerts for them. I tweet them daily. It would be pretty sad, if it didn’t feel oh so good!

6.     As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

                  I’m currently writing the sequel to Fire Baptized. The novel is called The Burning Bush. The release date is May 2012.

7.     If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

                  I would be the main character, Lanore for two reasons. First, she has two gorgeous, muscular love interests. At times when I write the scenes I tend to become jealous. Second, she can create and control fire. If I could do that I would never worry about being attacked and even better, I could earn extra money performing at birthday parties.

                         

8.     Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

(A peak from Chapter Two)

A creaking sound announced MeShack’s door was opening.

“Like a slow river, baby,” MeShack sang. His voice was a musical instrument, sending smooth liquid tones through the apartment. “So slow, you run through my heart.”

He bent his copper-toned body under the doorway’s frame.

“Like a slow river, baby.” He wrapped a pink towel with yellow flowers around his waist and closed the door. Drops of sweat clung to the rows of muscle on his stomach. “You run through my heart. Like a slow--”

“Would you stop? You’re going to get that song stuck in my head.” I glared at him. His skin glowed like honey poured over layers of caramel. His black pupils blazed within hazel irises. I looked away and asked, “Is Joanne asleep?”

“Is that her name?”

I rolled my eyes and nodded.

“Yeah, she’s asleep.” He walked in a bowlegged stride toward me, bent down to kiss my X brand, and snatched the joint from me. “Cool shirt. The hot Were-cheetah that bought you that shirt must be a comedic genius.”

“Or a pre-med geek who thinks he’s funny,” I muttered. The shirt I’d put on after my shower said, ‘I wish I was an Ion so I could form an exothermic bond with you.’

“I see you’ve been in my marijuana supply tonight,” he said. "And I'm not a geek. Hot band leaders can't be geeks."

"You're right. Perhaps the best words to describe you would be humble and modest," I said. He smiled and flexed his biceps in response.

Humming, he walked into our kitchen, pulled a rubber band out of the ‘everything’ drawer, and tied his black curls into a pony tail that went past his shoulder and lay at the center of his back. He’d gotten the hair from his father, a Were-cheetah from somewhere in Africa. Everything else came from his Iranian Were-cheetah mother.

 Ten stray Pixies flew from under the door table and swarmed in MeShack’s direction.

“These freaking strays are killing me. No more, La La. I’m serious. I convinced Janice to take two home with her.”

“Joanne,” I corrected, watching him pull out sugar cubes and hand one to each pixie.

“I haven’t seen you smoke in years. What’s up?” He grabbed a slice of raw ostrich meat from the refrigerator, folded it, and then stuck the entire piece in his mouth.

 I scrunched my nose up in disgust. “On a scale of one to ten, with ten being horrific, today was a hundred thousand.”

“Why?” He drank milk straight from the carton, threw the empty container into the trash, and burped.

“What’s wrong?” He balanced the joint between his full lips and sat down next to me. “Whose neck do I have to break tonight? Please say it’s Zulu.”

“For the thousandth time, I’m not dating him.”

“Whatever, La La.”

 MeShack had called me La La since we were nine. Most Shapeshifters knew how to control their shifting by six. His mother and my father were drug buddies. She’d been too busy getting high with my dad to teach MeShack control. When I met him, he couldn’t say Lanore. His face had shifted in and out of cheetah form. La La had been the only words he could manage as his long tongue hung out of the side of his furry mouth.

9.     Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

                

                  I am a premium member on the website critiquecircle.com. It has helped me a lot because I was able to discover the things that worked or didn’t work in my novel.

                  For example:

                  I originally had a vampire love interest for Lanore. Everyone hated him. They found him creepy and cliché. I hated the negative feedback, but I didn’t comment. Instead I embraced the critiques, reread the scenes, and had to admit that they were right.

                  So after laying in the fetal position with a glass of pinot noir, I killed off the creepy, cliché vampire and created Zulu. He is a Mixbreed revolutionary that created the group Mixbreed for Equality. He also happens to be pretty hot. I worked on this character for a long time, and then resubmitted my chapters to my critique group. All twenty of my critiquers loved him. Additionally, one critiquer proposed to him. Another is stalking him as we speak.

10.     When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

                  I knew I would submit my work when I wrote my first sentence, “I raced past the University’s gates, splashing water onto homeless Vampires.” It had taken me a week to write that one sentence. I was so proud of myself. It was like I’d climbed up this huge mountain. From that point on, all I could think about was publishing the novel.

           

11.  What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

            The best advice I received regarding writing is from a quote.

“If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”  Toni Morrison.

            The worst advice I received was from a fellow writer. She told me that writing is a controlled process. If you are not outlining every chapter, scene, and detail, then the book will be bad. I disagreed. I believe a book can be created by many paths.

11.  Do you outline your books or just start writing?

                  Honestly, I do both. When I first started Fire Baptized, I just started             writing. After the third chapter, I realized that I loved the world so much I      would probably go all over the place. I spent the next couple of weeks       creating an outline that I followed some of the time. Before I sit down and       write a chapter I know what I want the chapter to say and do, but     sometimes the story writes itself, and I have to stray away from the outline       and let the characters speak for themselves.

12.  How do you maintain your creativity?

                  I am a sponge for fantasy and pop culture. I read hundreds of books in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. At times, I’ll read a genre I’ve never considered. Once I read a book in the cyber punk genre The Electric Church. It is by far one of my favorite books now and helped me name my book. I also watch any fantasy or horror show on television, from Dexter to Game of Thrones to Vampire Diaries. I love them all. Additionally, I have three children of my own; 5 years old, 4 years old, and a 9 month old. Those three keep my imagination burning.

 13.  Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

                        MeShack is my favorite character. He is a half Black/ half Iranian,                            Were-cheetah. He is not only the type of guy you ask to walk down a dark                                 alley with you, he’s the one you invite into your bed.

                  When he’s happy, his purr vibrates throughout the room and can be heard several feet away. He loves to prowl after Lanore and proclaim his undying love for her all the time. However, Lanore is skeptical because he’s a playboy. As the lead singer of Mahogany Groove, he has a swarm of female fans that throw their panties at him whenever they see him.

14.  Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?

                  Both. My plotting bunnies are angel/demon hybrids.

15.  Anything else you might want to add?

                        I want to thank you for taking the opportunity to support my book and learn about me and my writing process! I would also love to invite people to check me out on my website www.kenyawright.com or on my author goodreads’ page             http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5402447.Kenya_Wright .