Dare to Believe with L. A. Sartor

Get Lost in a Story Readers: Donnell here. Today, I'm  excited to introduce to you, L. A. Sartor. L.A. is an award-winning screenwriter, who also writes fantastic novels. I know because I just finished, Dare to Believe, and loved it. Without further ado, let's get to know L.A. Sartor.

 

Dare to Believe

The Pulitzer prize winning writer …

Catherine Hemstead Malloy had it all – riches, glamour and happiness – or so it seemed. When her husband dies in an accident, she discovers she never really had anything at all. Now with nothing but a dismal bank account and her precious daughter, Cate fights to rebuild her life—until her daughter is kidnapped. Cate has no money, no resources – why would someone target her child?

And the knight in shining armor …

Jason St. Pierre doesn't think of himself as a knight, just a man who does what must be done, lives by his rules and damn the consequences.  He'll move heaven and earth to protect the innocent, and his heart—he loved once and lost and won't risk it again, especially to Cate Hemstead.

Together …

Their reunion pits them against a kidnapper who is always one step ahead and takes them on a hunt from the majestic mountains of Colorado to the idyllic beaches of Hawaii.  Can they solve the who-dunnit turned why-dunnit kidnapping in time to save Cate's daughter?

What readers are saying:

I really enjoyed this debut novel by L.A. Sartor. On a beautiful sunny day at Santa Monica Beach...I sat down on my beach chair with my kindle and figured I'd read a chapter and then go boogie boarding. Forget that...I didn't want to put it down....and 2 hours later..including the chapter tease for the next book...I'm ready for more. I look forward to Sartor's next book.


"Ms. Sartor splashes action and suspense across a backdrop of rugged mountains and tropical paradise in a panicked search for a little girl kidnapped for reasons deeper than anyone suspects. An adventure filled with twists and turns, Dare To Believe will keep you turning the page until every secret is revealed."
~ Audra Harders, author of Rocky Mountain Hero

~~~

Donnell, thank you so much for having me here today.  It's an honor, I'm amongst great company at Get Lost in a Story!

My pleasure, L.A.  Ready to have some fun?

DONNELL:   If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

L.A.: Hmmm, if I couldn't live in Boulder, CO my hometown, it would have to be near a beach.  I grew up close to beach and I miss it so much.  I gotta have my beach time.

DONNELL:  What’s your favorite room in your house?

L.A.:  The bathroom?  I think, mull, ponder and come up with solutions while in the shower!  Does that count?  If not, probably the kitchen, or the living room in the winter with a view of the snow, or maybe my office?  I love my house, can you tell?

DONNELL:  You’re having a dinner party.  What character from your novel do you hope doesn’t show up? Why?

L.A.:  Helene.  She's a bitch and she'd hate the way I entertain.  Not up to her standards, I'm sure.  But I bet I have more fun at my parties than she does.

DONNELL:  What character would you invite and why?

L.A.  Gus.  I love Gus, he's funny and I feel like he's 'ohana—family.  He makes me laugh, even now after getting to know him so well.

DONNELL:  Can you swim?

L.A.:  Growing up near a beach?  You bet.  I love the water. 

DONNELL:  Coffee, tea or other? 

L.A.:  Coffee, tons of it.  And the other, wine, scotch, a great Margarita.

DONNELL:  What’s in your refrigerator right now?

L.A.: Steak, wine, snap peas, fresh corn and cukes from the garden…and chocolate, dark, dreamy chocolate.

DONNELL:  Do you remember your favorite joke from childhood?

L.A.:  No.  I have a horrible memory for jokes.  I never, ever remember the punch line correctly.

DONNELL:  When writing, do you listen to music? 

L.A.: Sometimes, but I was a music major, so tend to focus on the music, not my writing.  However, if I need mood setting music, I have  a few songs specific to each novel that help me get into the frame of mind I need to write that scene.  Propel me onward.

DONNELL:  Are you superstitious?

L.A.:  Yes.  Why do you ask?  Should I worry?  Huh?

DONNELL:  Someone has cut you off in the checkout line.  How do you handle it?

L.A.:  Usually I frown to myself, and think they're a jerk.  But I tell them to go right ahead.  Then smile, it catches them off guard. Kill the suckers with kindness.

DONNELL:  Dog or cat person or something else?

L.A.:  Cat.

DONNELL:  What’s the most unusual thing in your closet?

L.A.: You don't want to know.  Nah, nothing really.  I'm pretty tame.

DONNELL:  If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be, and what would you talk about?

L.A. Geez, really?  How long do I have… I'd like to ask my father what it's like up there. I'd like to ask Cleopatra what really happened and what it was like to be the most beautiful woman in the world. I'd like to ask Stephen Spielberg to read my script Stone of Heaven and then talk to me about it, really talk to me.  And I'd like to talk to H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burrows about how they saw so far into the future, maybe they were time travelers!

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN, L.A.  Here’s your chance to ask readers a question.  READERS, L.A. WILL BE GIVING AWAY A DIGITAL COPY OF DARE TO BELIEVE. 

L.A.:  I'm hard at work finishing my next book Stone of Heaven, it's an action adventure script that I'm turning into a novel, because, frankly I love the story (are you reading this, Steven Spielberg?)  But it's light on the romance.  Here's the question:  Can you as a reader deal with a hero who might have had a thing with the twin sister of the heroine? 

I'd love to hear from you. 

Bio:

L.A. SARTOR was born in Germany and was very lucky to be adopted by an American couple. They lived in Germany for several years, then moved to California and later Colorado. Her parents encouraged her to be creative and nurtured her “Lessie do it” attitude.

 
She started writing around the age of 4 when she dictated stories to her mother, who patiently wrote them down while L.A. illustrated them. (She generously describes the scribbles she made as “illustrations.”)

After college she moved to Los Angeles but was lured back to Colorado with the promise of managing a new business. There she worked for many years alongside her mother, designing and crafting beautiful jewelry. The women were chosen by the University of Colorado to create their Ceremonial Mace and Presidential Chain of Office, a wonderful legacy.

L.A. lives in Colorado with her husband, whom she met on a blind date—she can't imagine life without her best friend. She plays in the mountains and travels as much as possible.

Now it’s L.A.'s desire to move onward in her writing career and create stories that translate into adventures on the page with her novels and magic on the screen with her screenplays.

L.A. Sartor's website: www.lasartor.com  Readers can also find Dare to Believe on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and your favorite e-reader. 

Join Get Lost in a Story on Tuesday when Simone hosts Author Elyssa Patrick.

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Welcome Victoria Dahl!

Today, we have another one of the blog reader requests from our survey! You ask, we deliver. :)

Victoria Dahl lives with her family in a small town high in the Utah mountains. During the summer, she hikes and drinks margaritas (usually not at the same time.) During

the winter she likes to curl up with a book and a cup of hot cocoa and think about all those poor, freezing skiers working so hard out in the snow. 

She's published eighteen books and novellas, including three USA Today bestsellers, and several of her books have been nominated for the prestigious RITA® Award for excellence in the romance genre. 

CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH

For makeup artist Grace Barrett, Hollywood isn't the land of golden opportunity. It's the land of difficult divas, cheating boyfriends and unemployment. So when her great-aunt offers her a free place to stay in Jackson, Grace thinks she'll spend a little time in the sticks to figure out her life, and then move somewhere exciting to live out her dreams. But it turns out that there are a few more thrills in this small town than Grace was expecting....

Cole Rawlins is a rugged Wyoming cowboy born and bred. Yet he can't help but be drawn to the fascinating big-city girl who moves in across from him. He wants to get close enough to Grace to see past her tough facade, but if he does, she might see the real Cole. The one with a Hollywood history gone bad. As they discover a sizzling attraction, it becomes harder for him to keep his demons at bay-and those fires from long ago may burn them both.

One of Kirkus Review's Most Anticipated Titles of Fall 2012! 


"...Hits the emotional high notes. Rising romance star Dahl delivers with this sizzling contemporary romance."

Read more about the book here: http://www.victoriadahl.com/books-Contemporary.php

Or browse the book here: CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH

GET TO KNOW VICTORIA DAHL

MAUREEN:  What’s your favorite movie of all time? 

VICTORIA:  The Color Purple, hands down. I have to stop and watch any time it’s on TV, and I’ll be crying within five minutes of sitting down.

MAUREEN:  What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

VICTORIA:  I love romance, obviously! But I also love to read the kinds of stories I could never write. Suspense and thrillers and horror. I’m also a huge fan of narrative non-fiction. When it’s done well, it’s my absolute favorite.

MAUREEN:  What’s the first book you remember reading?

VICTORIA:  When I was a girl I loved Nancy Drew books and re-read them constantly. And then there was Sweet Valley High! But the first stand-alone book that stuck in my head was a time-travel YA called Can I Get There By Candlelight? Time travel, history, horses…Ohmigod, girl heaven! The first adult book I remember reading was Clan of the Cave Bear. Oh, and Flowers in the Attic. I’m sure reading those books at a young age had no lasting effect on me, though. *Cough*

MAUREEN:  Ha! What really scares you?

VICTORIA:  Strangely, I have a terrible fear of hydroelectric dams. Or any large machinery having to do with water, like ship propellers or the machines that make waves in wave pools. *shudder* Wave pools!

MAUREEN:  Ship propellers scare me too... Did we see the same bad TV movie as kids? Do you believe in ghosts?

VICTORIA:  I’m not sure. I love the idea of believing in ghosts. And I love to be scared. In fact, Ghost Hunters is one of my favorite television shows, and I adore movies like Paranormal Activity. So yes, I believe in ghosts just enough that I’d never be able to live in a really old house.

MAUREEN:  Do shapeshifters exist?

VICTORIA:  Now that’s one thing I don’t believe in! Plus, despite how much I love reading about hot werewolves, I have a terrible suspicion they’d smell like wet dog when they, um, exerted themselves.

MAUREEN:  Ha! Hiking boots or high heels?

VICTORIA:  Oh my God, BOTH! I live in the mountains, so I hike at least once a week if it’s not snowing. But my very favorite shoes are my red patent leather platform heels. They’re comfortable AND they’re, well…red patent leather. ;-) I never even wore heels until I became a stay-at-home mom. Now I feel the need to transform myself when I go out. Like Superman coming out of a phone booth! A phone booth filled with Legos and dirty laundry.

MAUREEN:  I love both too. :) Would you rather sky dive or scuba dive?

VICTORIA:  I would love to scuba dive. Snorkeling is one of my favorite things in the world, and I’d love to dive. I really would. But did I mention my little issue with water and machinery? Scuba gear isn’t so bad, but I’m not sure I could lose myself in the experience. I’d be pretty convinced that something didn’t quite feel or sound right from one minute to the next. ;-) Maybe I’ll try Snuba first.

MAUREEN:  What sound or noise do you love?

VICTORIA:  I went to New York for the first time when I was twenty-seven. I thought I’d hate it, but I loved it, and I love it more every time I go. The chaos and the craziness. When I’m there, I like to sleep with the window open so I can hear all the street noise.

MAUREEN:  Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

VICTORIA:  I don’t listen to music when I’m actively working, but I absolutely need it for inspiration. Making a new playlist is like cheap therapy for me. An emotional recharge. Some of my favorites are Liz Phair, Little Dragon, Bon Iver, Kings of Leon, The National, Patty Griffin, and always, always Kathleen Edwards.

MAUREEN:  Kathleen Edwards. A nice Canadian girl. :) What’s your favorite kind of cheese? 

VICTORIA:  Warm pecan-crusted goat cheese. Oh, yes. That.

MAUREEN: Drools...

GOTTA ASK -- GOTTA ANSWER

MAUREEN:  You write both historical and contemporary set romances. Which do you find harder to write?

VICTORIA:  Contemporaries are much easier to write, because the dialogue flows so naturally. It’s like a conversation among my friends. But historicals are so much fun to come up with. You can throw anything into the mix. Kidnapping. Pirates. Forced marriage. Secret seduction. Evil stepparent. So much to play with!

A QUESTION FROM VICTORIA

Did you read any scandalous books in your youth? Which ones stand out?

GIVEAWAY

 

Victoria is very generously giving away three signed copies of CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH! 

Answer her question in the comments for a chance to win! Please include your e-mail address in your post.

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

FIND VICTORIA DAHL HERE:

website:     http://www.victoriadahl.com/index.php
Find me on Twitter:     @VictoriaDahl

An excerpt and interview with Phaeton Black and America Jones

Honestly, would you believe Phaeton’s shanghaied in Shanghai story?

Let me set the scene for you. America Jones has just arrived in London after chasing Phaeton halfway around the world. She receives a wire message from him, asking her to meet him at the old flat. When she arrives, Phaeton is having a nap:

She squinted and a few details emerged from the flat below, including a shadowy figure in the overstuffed chair. A soft snore rumbled its way up the stair––it was Phaeton, all right. She ventured further into the room for a better look.

 He lounged in the chair with his pelvis forward, legs spread. America angled her head, studying him. There was a rough of whiskers on his chin, could he look anymore dashing? She exhaled a sigh. Only if he opened those liquid brown eyes.

“A little lower, darling.” He mumbled, still asleep. It suddenly hit her. He was safe. He was healthy. The bilge rat.

“Darling, is it?” she whispered. Her gaze trailed down his open waistcoat to the buttons on his trousers. As if in answer to her own lascivious thoughts the buttons began to open.

She grinned at first––was this some new kind of power emerging? Something ancient and primal fueled by lust? She had noticed a marked increase in her abilities these last few months, there was no question they were getting stronger. She reached out and her hand was slapped away––by what she had no idea. She tried again and was flung across the flat onto the lumpy old chaise longue.

America sat up and stared. Something tugged at Phaeton’s trousers––something powerful enough to manipulate the physical world and yet remain unseen. Rising to her feet, she strode across the floor and slapped Phaeton hard across the face.

He groaned, still in a deep trace. “Just the tip, Georgiana.”

She slapped him again. “Snap out of it!”

Jarred awake, Phaeton pushed away from her and blinked––several times. She slapped him again. This time he rubbed his jaw and his eyes watered. “America?” Gradually, between squints and blinks, he came around.

Her fists landed on her hips. “Who is Georgiana?”

Phaeton eased back into his chair, though he regarded her with some wariness. “A rather persistent succubus.  And you certainly aren’t one of those––thank God.” If it was possible for a man to have sultry eyes, Phaeton had them. He tilted his chin and studied her like she was a painting in the Louvre. “Though, I must admit the nasty little vixen has me in some discomfort––would you mind?” He gave a nod to the bulge in his trousers.

“Stuff it, Phaeton.”

“Exactly.” A slow grin twitched on the devilish mouth. “I’m just asking.”

“Goodness––separated for less than two months and I had already quite forgotten how exasperating you can be.”

“You followed me––rather sweet of you. I wasn’t sure you would. I thought you would think I jumped ship and sailed off––abandoned you.”

America’s eyes narrowed into cat slits. “According to your wire, which I received just yesterday, you were shanghaied––in Shanghai.”

Phaeton shrugged. “Old joke, not particularly amusing anymore.”

She stared at him. “You must trust me when I say, it was never comical––in the  least.” America shook
her head and moved to the pantry area of the flat. She braced herself against the table edge. “I chased you halfway round the world, Phaeton. I want the truth this time, and not a crafty as you please answer.” She swept an errant curl back into her top knot. “I believe I’ve known eels less slippery.”

Phaeton wore that cajoling half smile. “You’re angry with me.”

“Mad at you? No Phaeton, I’m not angry with you. I’m…I’m furious.” America choked on her own words, or was it the painful and growing lump in her throat that stifled her breath? “I searched for you for in every opium den and every back alley of Shanghai. Only after a great deal of money changed hands was I able to find out you’d cut and run––aboard the Boomerang. Do you have any idea how I worried?”

“I’ve caused you great torment, but I swear to you none of it was my doing. Yes, I was on that ship––in leg irons for more than half the voyage. I was cracked over the head in Blood alley, stuffed in a sack and taken aboard ship. “ Phaeton rolled his eyes a bit. “Turns out the captain was a regular chap, with a good supply of whiskey––nightly card play.”

America shook her head. “How lovely for you. I don’t suppose there was any chance to escape––or any way to get word to me?”

“But I did get word to you, love––darling––” Phaeton appeared rather stricken.

The tears that had welled up, were streaming now. “And while we were separated did you…think of me?”

Phaeton rose from the chair. “Every minute.” He strode toward her slowly. “Of every hour.” He caught her up in his arms. “Of every bleeding day.” His gaze fell to her mouth, and her lips parted. Good God, what a hussy––she was sending him an invitation.

“Have I ever told you I love you––outside of  the throes of passion?”

America shook her head.

“I love you.”

“Too late, we’re in the throes of passion.”

BARNES & NOBLE   AMAZON    BOOK DEPOSITORY

Interview with America Jones, and Phaeton Black heroine and antihero in The Moonstone and Miss Jones.

Jillian: “It wasn't easy creating you, America. I needed a heroine who could hold her own with a character like Phaeton Black, Paranormal Investigator, whose weakness for wicked women is as notorious as his affection for absinthe. What can you tell readers about yourself?

America: “My grandmother was a freed slave, and concubine of a French plantation owner. My mother grew up to be a beautiful and powerful Cajun witch, but when I was a child she left me with my  father, a British sea captain, who raised me up. He died shortly before I ran into Phaeton.

Phaeton: You were running all right, from the same men–pirates–who stole your farther's merchant shipping business. Rather mysterious how you found me in that dark alley...Miss Jones...

Jillian: (laughing): “Well, you are a character of loneliness and mystery, scarce seen to smile, and seldom heard to laugh...’

Phaeton: “As pleased as I am to be your Byronic hero, I'm not nearly as disagreeable as say a character like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights––he can be cruel, malicious, detestable, hardly a cuddly character, and yet critics and readers alike are constantly swooning over him.”

Jillian: (with eyes rolling) “Perhaps, I didn’t punish you enough for your sins––you have too much fun in The Seduction of Phaeton Black.”

America: “Oh, I don’t know, that awful Egyptian Goddess Qadesh nearly drained Phaeton of blood. And he was barely recovered before he was beaten and keel hauled by pirates. That’s quite a lot of abuse, if you ask me.”

Jillian: “And what about you, America. You find such interesting ways to interact with Phaeton throughout the book. As much as you have to put up with his attitude and ill temperament, you still find ways to tease and frustrate him.”

America: “He pretends it annoys him, but really, I get under his skin quite early in the game. Just watching Phaeton deal with the inconvenience of living with a female was a lot of fun for me––and hopefully it is fun for the reader, as well.” 

Phaeton: “What was I supposed to do? The pirates had stolen her merchant ships, burned her warehouse to the ground––I had never roomed with a woman before. I pictured it to be a misery, but I was mistaken about that. America turned out to be quite an astonishing friend, lover and she bakes the most heavenly buns.”

Jillian: At the end of The Seduction of Phaeton Black, I didn’t give you a HEA (happily ever after) ending, but more of an HFN (happy for now). What’s in store for readers in the next episode?

America: “Readers will meet a whole new cast of characters in The Moonstone and Miss Jones. An assortment of horrifying and amusing creatures from 1887 London and an extra dimensional, contemporary London. Not to worry, all your favorites are back, as well. Doctor Exeter, Mr. Ping (Jinn), Edvar the gargoyle.”

Phaeton: “Without giving anything away, at the start of the book two, I get shanghaied in Shanghai, and shipped back to London––I end up rooming at Mrs. Parker’s brothel again. Honestly––where else would I go?” 

America: (grins) “And what was I to think? That he abandoned me in the Orient, of course. I end up chasing him half way around the world. Book two opens just as I am about to catch up to Phaeton. But from the moment I arrive in London, we are tossed into a horrific battle to save 1887 London from unraveling––or disintegrating. Or...whatever you want to call it.” (America winks.) “I’m not giving anything more away, but I must say, Phaeton has many hilarious, and endearing moments in The Moonstone and Miss Jones as well as a very heroic scene at the end–or should I say––to be continued?” 

Jillian: For those readers who’d like to see a visual storyboard of The Moonstone and Miss Jones please visit my Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/gjillianstone/

America: Or your website. Here’s the link: http://jillianstone.com

Jillian: I invite you all to join Phaeton and America on this sexy supernatural romp–and by the way, America has a question for commenters.

Question for commenters

America: I was being chased down a dark alley by pirates when I ran into Phaeton Black. What is your first meeting story? Can be a funny a story or something sweetly romantic!


Today's giveaway: To celebrate the release of book #2, I will be giving away signed copies of both The Seduction of Phaeton Black and The Moonstone and Miss Jones to one lucky commenter!

MY DEBUT AUTHOR BONUS GIVEAWAY CONTINUES: Leave a comment and earn another chance two win a copy of The Trouble with Cowboys by Melissa Cutler or Lowcountry Boil by Susan E. Boyer, to two lucky commenters!

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Phaeton and America Part Deux

A Tale of Two Londons

 Jillian Stone

When Phaeton Black is shanghaied in Shanghai, America Jones assumes the worst––that he has abandoned her in the Orient. An angry Miss Jones returns to London, where their spirited partnership takes an unexpected turn. Alarming attacks by strange creatures plague the city, setting the stage for a terrifying future. People and things–well–there's no other way to explain it, but things appear to be unraveling in a parallel, alternate London. With help from the Nightshades, Phaeton and Miss Jones venture into the Outremer to extract the Moonstone and close the rabbit hole between two worlds.

BARNES & NOBLE   AMAZON    BOOK DEPOSITORY

Interview with an Antihero: Phaeton Black, Paranormal Investigator

Since the release of The Seduction of Phaeton Black,  I've been asked by curious fans and readers the most provocative questions about Phaeton! The most frequently asked question is whether he is a hero or an antihero.

This interview will hopefully answer some of your questions about this enigmatic hero.


Jillian: You are the most misunderstood character I have ever written. Why is that?
Phaeton: I suspect it’s because you wrote me in the fine tradition of the Byronic hero. To quote Lord Macaulay, he is a “man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind, implacable in revenge, yet...” Phaeton adds with a wink, “capable of deep and strong affection."

Jillian: May I finish the thought in Byron’s own words? “That man of loneliness and mystery, scarce seen to smile, and seldom heard to sigh.” I also gave you a strange profession, paranormal investigator––care to elaborate?
Phaeton: One might say it is my only other area of expertise after absinthe and lovemaking. A dubious sort of skill foisted upon me from birth. I am able to communicate with gorgons and goddesses, wraiths and demons, succubae and seraphim, bloodsuckers, shape shifters. I could go on...

Jillian: Why is it, do you think, that I didn’t give you special super powers to battle these creatures?
Phaeton: I am a man who lives more by his wits than his brawn. I have found that one can negotiate with the darker creatures of the underworld as effectively as one can say...do business with a corporate raider. Recently, after receiving instruction from Doctor Exeter, I have learned to manipulate physical universe using potent aether, but I still rely heavily on my ability to communicate with darker side.

Jillian: Are you aware of me, the author, as I get inside your head? I come from another time and place, you know.
Phaeton: A slow smile lifts the corners of his mouth. “I rather enjoy the idea of you poking about inside my head––please do let me know when you find something naughty and arousing. Since The Moonstone and Miss Jones, I’m adjusting to the idea of life in two worlds––a parallel London, that is.”

Big Splash Banner Ad for The Moonstone and Miss Jones running the month of October at Night Owl Reviews

Jillian: “In order to write a love story for you, I tossed a rather unique young woman at Phaeton Black––how are you holding up?”

Phaeton: “Ah yes, Miss America Jones. Enchanting, young Cajun beauty. You introduced us under rather unique circumstances. I was chasing an apparition down a dark alley off Savoy Row, and she was on the run from the filthy, thieving pirates. As I recall, she pressed a knife to my throat and demanded sex...I did my best to accommodate her.”

Jillian: “A rather shocking experience, wouldn’t you say?”
Phaeton: “Some readers do seem to be rather shocked by it. I found it to be most stimulating, as did Miss Jones, by the way. What continues to astonish me is how we find ways to arouse each other in the sequel, as well.”

Jillian: “You have quite a reputation as a lover. How did you become such a master of the amorous arts?”
Phaeton: “It’s simple, really––giving pleasure to women arouses me nearly as much as receiving it. When a woman is arching her back, writhing and moaning my arms––let’s just say I respond readily to such sweet messages.”

Jillian: “There are essentially three plots interwoven into The Seduction of Phaeton Black. There is a blood sucking Egyptian goddess wreaking havoc all over London. Then there is the added task of getting America’s stolen merchant ships returned to her––as well as the love story. Do you have a favorite part of the novel?”
Phaeton: “Besides the love scenes, I’d have to say I liked the mystery of tracking down Qadesh, the Egyptian goddess, a good deal better than being captured and keel hauled by pirates. As the reader, you can to decide for yourself, of course. This first novel in the series is quite a romantic adventure––at least it was for me, but then I play Phaeton Black, Paranormal Investigator.” 

Jillian: “Which bring us to Phaeton and America, part deux. Without giving too much away, what can you tell me about the newly released, The Moonstone and Miss Jones?”
Phaeton: “As I see it, The Seduction of Phaeton Black as a prequel to The Moonstone and Miss Jones. Book two is a tale of two Londons. There is the dark, often foggy city of 1889, and then there is an alternate disturbing glimpse into future. 
Jillian: I've also introduced a number of new characters in including the Nightshades.
Phaeton: Yes you've written an assortment of horrid creatures, who plague 1889 London. Alternate London is...well, I suppose there's no other way to explain it, but things appear to be unraveling. With help from the Nightshades, Miss Jones and I venture into this alternate London to extract the Moonstone and close the rabbit hole between the two worlds. Plot-wise, this is all I will reveal, but suffice it to say, Miss Jones and I have issues to work out, and the story continues well beyond The Moonstone and Miss Jones...”

Just for Commenters: 

Jillian: “Phaeton, do you have a question for commenters? Something you’ve always wanted to ask the romance reader?”
Phaeton: “I can only imagine the lovely blush of color this will cause, but I can’t resist: Would you prefer a gentleman ask for a kiss or steal one?” 
Jillian: “As a special treat for commenters today, Phaeton Black will be answering your comments––so prepare to blush!” 

To celebrate the release of book #2, I will be giving away signed copies of both The Seduction of Phaeton Black and The Moonstone and Miss Jones to one lucky commenter!  

MY DEBUT AUTHOR BONUS GIVEAWAY:  I am also giving away a copy of The Trouble with Cowboys by Melissa Cutler and Lowcountry Boil by Susan E. Boyer to two lucky commenters. Comment today and tomorrow for two chances to win one of these fabulous new novels!

So what are you waiting for?  ;) Jillian

Two more giveaways to commenters: A copy of Lowcountry Boil and The Trouble with Cowboys to two lucky commenters! 

The Seduction of Phaeton Black

Paranormal Investigator

Phaeton Black is Scotland Yard's secret weapon against things that go bump in the night. His prodigious gifts as a paranormal investigator are as legendary as his skills as a lover, his weakness for wicked women as notorious as his affection for absinthe. But when he's asked to hunt down a fanged femme fatale who drains her victims of blood, he walks right into the arms of the most dangerous woman he's ever known, America Jones.

BARNES & NOBLE   AMAZON   BOOK DEPOSITORY

 

Jillian Stone is the author of The Phaeton Black, Paranormal Investigator series, which includes The Seduction of Phaeton Black, and the just released, The Moonstone and Miss Jones. The third sequel, The Miss Education of Doctor Exeter, is scheduled to release in July of 2013. Jillian is also the author of The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series. Watch for A Private Duel with Agent Gunn coming in late November!

Jillian Stone Contact Info: 

 Website  Facebook  Twitter

Stop by tomorrow when I interview Miss Jones. She'll share the girly-girly inside scoop on Phaeton Black and The Moonstone and Miss Jones. 

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Welcome Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of the White Rabbit Chronicles, Otherworld Assassins, Angels of the Dark, Lords of the Underworld, and several of other series.  She has written over forty novels and novellas.  Her books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines, and have been translated in multiple languages.






ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND

She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave.  Forever.

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Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed.  From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined?  Please.  But that's all it took.  One heartbeat.  A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right.  The monsters are real.

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead.  To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland.  But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.

"Alice in Zombieland is A HUNDRED out of A HUNDRED shades of awesome, and FIVE out of FIVE shining stars of rewarding greatness." Kaylee’s Magic

“Brimming with tantalizing romance, delicious humour and edge of your seat action, Alice in Zombieland proves once and for all that Gena Showalter is a literacy master!”  Rachel from The Rest is Still Unwritten

“OMG, I love, love, LOVE this book! Alice in Zombieland is pure entertainment... I couldn't put it down!” Karen’s Addictions

“So, you know how everyone has their favorite book of the year? Well, I can say without a doubt that ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND is going to be mine.”  IB Book Blogging

“For those who think they've seen it all when it comes to zombies, Alice will definitely surprise you!”  Eleusinian Mysteries

Read an excerpt here:  http://members.genashowalter.com/page/alice-in-zombieland

Book trailer.

I hope to have a link to this any day!

FIND GENA ONLINE

http://www.genashowalter.com

http://www.wrchronicles.com

GET TO KNOW GENA

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite holiday?
GENA:  Christmas.  I’m a huge fan of snow, the food, and I adore watching people smile when they open their presents.

MAUREEN: Where do you most like to read and how often?
GENA:  In bed, snuggled under the covers, at least once a day.

MAUREEN: Cats or dogs?
GENA:   Dogs. I have three.  Two English bulldogs and one very fierce German Shepherd.

MAUREEN: Hiking boots or high heels?
GENA:  Hiking boots.

MAUREEN:  What turns you off like nothing else?
GENA:   Lies.

MAUREEN: What sound or noise do you love?
GENA:  Waterfall.  Fans.  But most of all hearing my family say, “I love you.”

MAUREEN: What book would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island?
GENA:  The Bible.

MAUREEN: What do you like on your burger? (and do you take your burger veggie or beefy?)

GENA:  This might sound weird, but mashed potatoes, cheese and grilled onions.  It’s a shepherd’s pie burger.  And it’s all beef, baby.

MAUREEN:  Salsa or guacamole?
GENA:  Guacamole

MAUREEN: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?
GENA:  Chamomile tea with honey (the former coffee addict in me is sobbing right now)

MAUREEN:  What does it mean to love someone?
GENA:  Being willing to die for someone else.

GOTTA ASK -- GOTTA ANSWER

MAUREEN:  If you were stranded on a desert island with a hero from one of your books, which one would you like it to be?
GENA:   I’d have to say Cole Holland from Alice in Zombieland.  Not just because I have a huge cougar crush on him—which I do—but also because he’s fiercely loyal to his friends, would die for those he loves, and has a sarcastic sense of humor I find oh, so irresistible. 

Get Lost in Melissa Cutler's debut release, The Trouble with Cowboys

The Trouble with Cowboys

Melissa Cutler

Cowboys have never been good for Amy Sorentino. First her hard-riding father bankrupted the family farm. Then her all-hat-no-cowboy boyfriend sold her out on national television, ending her promising career as a chef. Now she and her squabbling sisters have partnered up in a final attempt to save their land by starting an inn and local restaurant. So it figures that with everything on the line, Amy’s key supplier is just the kind of Stetson-tipping heartbreaking bad boy she’s sworn to avoid. But Kellan Reed has a few secrets of his own–and cowboy or not, Amy can’t resist his kind of wild ride…

The Trouble with Cowboys hits stores October 2^nd.

Hey everyone, Jillian Stone here. I'd like everyone to welcome Melissa Cutler to Get Lost in a Story. I know Melissa from RWA San Diego and am so excited that she is here at GLIAS to promote her debut release, The Trouble with Cowboys. Melissa sold two manuscripts last year, the other is Seduction Under Fire, Harlequin Romantic Suspense, coming October 16th!

Melissa Cutler is a Southern California native living in beautiful San Diego. She divides her time between her dual passions for writing sexy, small town contemporaries for Kensington Books and edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense for Harlequin. Find out more about Melissa and her books at www.melissacutler.net or write to her at cutlermail@yahoo.com. You can also find Melissa on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MelissaCutlerBooks ) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/m_cutler).

Buy links:

Amazon      Barnes & Noble     Books-a-Million      IndieBound 

The Importance of Annoying Your Siblings

When I told my husband and kids over breakfast that I was writing a blog post called "The Importance of Annoying Your Siblings," my seven-year-old son perked up. "I know how to annoy sissy!" he exclaimed proudly. Sissy would be his nine-year-old sister. "What is it?" she asked him. "I'm not going to tell you" was his answer.

"That's not fair! Tell me what it is right now!"

Son: "No. It's a secret."

Sissy was outraged. A huge fight ensued, ending when Sissy stomped off in a huff.

And all I could think was, Well played, son. Well played.

Besides having two kids, I also have a younger brother (That's us in the photo. Are we cool or what?), and therefore consider myself a bona fide expert on sibling tiffs. So when I sat down to write about the dynamic between Amy, the heroine of The Trouble with Cowboys, and her two sisters, I knew that teasing and bickering would definitely be a factor. Especially between Amy and her older sister, Rachel, whose personalities have always clashed.

You see, as opposed to Amy's free-spiritedness, Rachel is a no-nonsense farmer. When a heifer belonging to the hero (who's in the doghouse for keeping a secret from Amy about his identity) wanders onto the sisters' property, Amy and Rachel have very different ideas on what to do with it. Rachel wants to butcher it and have steaks for dinner—which, in her world, was why the cattle was raised in the first place—but Amy has a different idea. Check it out…

from The Trouble with Cowboys:

Amy heard the creak of the front door opening, followed by Kellan's deep-voiced "Hello?"

"In the kitchen," she called.

He walked up behind her and kissed her neck. "You've got a new member of the welcome committee out front, a real friendly lady."

"I do?"

He grabbed a stalk of celery and straddled a chair backward. "About yay big, brown eyes, brown hair. Flowers in her ear."

Amy glanced sideways at him, smiling, and set her knife aside. "That's Tulip."

Kellan took a bite of celery. "Never seen one of my cows look so fancy before."

"She wandered over last week and I was too mad at you to call you about it."

"And the flowers?"

She scooped celery into a mixing bowl. "Those are to annoy Rachel."

"Did they do the trick?"

"You betcha. Check out the picture in the downstairs bathroom."

He wandered from the room. A minute later, his hoot of laughter shook the walls. Guess he approved of the framed photo hanging over the toilet of Tulip in all her flowery glory.

He took his seat again. "That's a photograph for the ages. I bet Rachel blew her top when she saw it."

"She's taken it down and destroyed it four times. Little does she know that Walmart had a special on picture frames, so I picked up a dozen. She takes one picture down, I put a new one up."

"That's right sisterly of you."

Amy sat next to him. "It is, isn't it?"

I love writing about siblings because despite the way they get on each other's nerves, there's an underlying bond of love that's unbreakable. Well, I mean, I'm never going to forgive my little brother for putting that flying beetle on my back right where I couldn't reach it when I was ten, but I still love him and would do anything for him.

I'd love to hear from you about your experience with sibling annoyance. Do you have siblings? What have they done to annoy you (or vice versa)? What's the most interesting sibling relationship you've ever read about in a book? Please share because I'm always looking for great book recommendations. To thank you for stopping by, I'm giving away a copy of The Trouble with Cowboys to one commentator, either print or digital—your choice. Best of luck!

And if you'd like to stay up-to-date on all my latest book news and release dates, don't forget to sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter (http://www.melissacutler.net/?page_id=255).

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.