SPIRITED Away with Mary Behre

SPIRITED

A Tidewater Novel

Berkley Sensation

SOME VISIONS ARE DEAD WRONG…

She’s running from who she is…

All Jules Scott wants is to live a normal, quiet life–preferably one that doesn’t include ghosts. Jules’s ability for communicating with the dead has brought her nothing but trouble. Despite her best efforts, needy spirits always find her and draw her into their otherworldly drama. When one implicates her in a series of deadly crimes, she may need to entrust her secrets to the person least likely to believe her…

He’ll do whatever it takes to catch her.

Detective Seth English can’t get distracted from the big case he’s working on, not even by his alluring new neighbor. He doesn’t believe that Jules had anything to do with the string of robberies-turned-murders that he’s investigating, but when she keeps showing up in all the wrong places, his gut tells him she knows more than she’s letting on. To solve his case, he’ll need to expose what the sexy redhead is hiding–no matter how impossible the truth may be…

Read a little, Buy the book

MARY BEHRE is the lone female in a house full of males and the undisputed queen of her domain. She even has the glittery tiara to prove it. She loves stories with humor, ghosts, mysteries and above all else, a good romance. When not writing, she enjoys reading, gluten-free baking, and hanging out at the beach with the most important men in her life, her family.

Her debut paranormal romance, SPIRITED (Tidewater Novel #1) was an award-winning manuscript before it sold to Berkley Sensation. The Tidewater Series is mix of humor, suspense, and a psychic love-connection. The first three stories are about three sisters separated years before in the foster care system. As they search for love, each other, and a way to live with their psychic abilities, they're tossed into the middle of mysteries that only their unique gifts can help solve.

WHAT THE SPIRITS WON'T TELL YOU

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

MARY: Every chance I get! J If I’m not writing, I’m reading. Even if I’m driving, I’m reading…well, listening to a book.

 

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

MARY: HORTON HATCHES THE EGG…Dr. Seuss was my hero.

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?

MARY: Love. I’m a traditionalist. I want to hear those three words. In my house we say them often because real love never gets old.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

MARY: I worked for the American Red Cross for years. On May 25, 2001, the movie PEARL HARBOR released in theaters. I was invited to dress as WWII Red Cross nurse and greet actual veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack at the movie’s screening. I met a Marine who enlisted at age 16 (he lied about his age to get into the military) who went from being the new man on the ship to a gunner in the space of a few hours. It was the most moving experience of my life.

 

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

MARY: Horton the Elephant.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

MARY: The sound of my children laughing. They have such great laughs.

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

MARY: Action Adventure, definitely.

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

MARY: It’s A Wonderful Life by Frank Capra. There’s so much in that movie that you can watch it every year for twenty years and still catch something new each time.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: What is your favorite, favorite thing about SPIRITED?

MARY's GOTTA ANSWER:   The hallway scene after Seth and Jules meet for the first time. Cracks me up every time.

FIND MARY:

Contact   Website   Facebook

Twitter  @MaryBehre  Goodreads   Pintrest:

UP NEXT for MARY:

GUARDED

Book 2 in the Tidewater Series

releases August 5, 2014

This book is about Shelley, Jules’s middle sister.

She’s given up on finding love…
Veterinarian Shelley Morgan has always preferred animals to humans, and not simply because she can communicate with them psychically. Unlike most people she’s known, animals have never broken her heart. But after six months in her new town, some of her favorite four-legged companions begin disappearing from the local zoo. Determined to track down the animals and their thief, the telepathic vet decides to investigate, unknowingly delving into a deadly mystery…

He’s ready to make her heart go wild…
Although his bear-like physique has been an advantage in the Tidewater Police Department, Dev Jones’s size often intimidates people. Only Shelley has seen past his massive build to the intelligent man inside, but that was years ago. So when she contacts him requesting his help to solve a series of animal kidnappings, he’s eager to reconnect with her. But the thefts escalate to murder and all the evidence points to Shelley as the killer, and Dev faces a devastating choice: forsake his career or risk losing the woman he’s grown to love…

MARY is giving away  a swag bag and a signed copy of SPIRITED.

North America Readers Please

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. 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.

ANGI'S back next Wednesday with MICHELLE MILLS.

UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  KAKI WARNER.

~Angi Morgan   

Get Lost on Goodreads, Facebook 

or @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories

MARY WANTS TO KNOW:  Have you ever met a real hero?

THE LIGHT BLADE

KYLIE GRIFFIN'S 
world gets bigger!

ALLEGIANCE SWORN
A Novel of the Light Blade, Book 3
Berkley Sensation
Excerpt

"The third outing in Griffin’s rousing Light Blade series provides readers with a breathtakingly strong and dedicated heroine willing to fight and sacrifice for her people. Griffin keeps the tension running high as the world she created heads ever closer to war. This is a series that is definitely improving with age!" 

4 Stars~~Romantic Times Magazine

"It’s very rare for book to have such a phenomenal world where it engrosses me so completely that I am taken away by it. Hands-down, the world alone is amazing." 

5 Stars~~Riverina Romantics

"A fantastic continuation of a story that has well and truly captured my heart." 

5 Stars~~My Book Chatter

VENGEANCE BORN

A Novel of the Light Blade, Book 1

EXCERPT  

"Peopled with intriguing characters, the world of Vengeance Born is unique and filled with compelling mystery. I'm looking forward to seeing where Kylie Griffin takes that world next." 

~~Nalini Singh, NYTimes best-selling author

Enter a bold new series, the Light Blade, where a longstanding war between the demon and human realms rages. Promising new talent Griffin’s characters face danger and hidden secrets that threaten to change the world as they know it. A terrific debut!

~~RT Magazine

ALLIANCE FORMED

A Novel of the Light Blade, Book 2

EXCERPT 

"...does a stellar job envisioning her world and its compelling protagonists. Well worth your time!"  

~~RT Magazine

"A battle scarred, noble hero and a valiant heroine caught in a war of deep prejudice make for a powerfully affecting read."

~~Bookaholics Romance Club

"He had a hard life of abuse and condemnation and yet he was a man worthy of love. Is there anything better than that?..."

~~All About Romance

FIND OUT ALL ABOUT KYLIE

 in her 2 previous 

GLIAS interviews. 

Or visit KYLIE'S WORLD.

THE LIGHT BLADE HEROES

ANGI: How often to you train for battle?

AREK: Daily. I don’t think I’ve missed more than a dozen days of training since I was ten years old. Na’Reish demons are physically bigger and stronger than a human so you can’t afford to slack off. Before I complete my final journey I intend on taking out as many of bastards as possible, so it’s my duty to be the best warrior I can be.

VARIAN: Training? (arching of one eyebrow) I wouldn’t say my scouts and I trained, not until we came to Sacred Lake. In Na’Reish territory it was more like we learned fast how to fight or we died. Survival is a great motivator when demons and humans want to kill you on sight. Now we’re living at Sacred Lake, and part of the Light Blade patrols, we train with the humans every day.

KALAN: (wry twisting of lips) More often than I like, my duties as the Chosen tend to interfere…there are always Blade Council meetings to attend, delegations and Guild representatives asking you to visit them, patrol reports to read…but I try to make it a point of visiting the training fields every day, even if it’s only for a half hour session.

ANGI: What’s your first thought when seeing the woman you love? 

AREK: My first thought? (soft chuckle) Strong. Imhara’s an incredibly driven woman when she sets her mind on something. If anything gets in the way, she adapts. You only have to look at the decisions she’s made to help her Clan survive to appreciate her courage and determination. Those qualities were some of the first things I came to respect in her, even when I thought she was the enemy.

VARIAN:  (quiet grunt) How amazing it is to be her mate. I mean, I’m not the easiest man to live with. Kymora will tell you I can be surly, stubborn, uncommunicative…(lips twitch then briefly twist in a wry upwards motion)…and that’s on a good day.

Nor am I the most desirable warrior she could have chosen… (thumb traces a jagged scar running from the corner of his eye to his jaw)…but whenever she senses me nearby and turns in my direction, I see the most joyous, heart-warming smile shape her lips…and I know it’s just for me. For me…(shakes head)…I’m Lady blessed…

KALAN: Just how lucky I am to be loved by Annika (tender smile curves lips) and how I intend spending the rest of my life letting her know how much that love is returned.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a true hero you’ve met?

AREK: (blue gaze turns inward a moment and mouth pulls downward) A few months ago Na’Reish slavers attacked and razed a small crofters’ settlement near the border. Several villagers were taken. I was part of a patrol sent to rescue them. But it turned out the raiding party wasn’t alone and I ended up captured in the melee. One of the farmers, a young man called Yenass, knew I’d be killed on sight if the Na’Reish saw me in my armor and wearing my Lady’s amulet. The Na’Reish had set their Vorc loose to track us down. Yenass told me I was of no use to them dead, so he traded clothes with me just before the Vorc attacked…(eyes close briefly)…he sacrificed his life for mine so that I could try and help the other crofters when the time was right.

VARIAN:  I doubt she’d agree with me, but Hesia, the human slave who helped the Na’Chi survive, is a true hero. For twenty years she smuggled half-blood children born to human slaves outside the Gannec Fortress. She risked her life every time she brought us food and supplies. She also taught us to dream of a better life and gave us the courage to reach for it when the time came.

KALAN: Commander Yevni, the Light Blade’s Master of Arms. He’s been the head of the Light Blade training program for the last thirty years. Every warrior who passes through the ranks, and survive each patrol, owe their lives to his knowledge, dedication and skill.

ANGI: What’s your favorite weapon of choice?

AREK: A strong, fire-tempered sword. Nothing beats a well-made blade. The weight, the length, the sound it makes as it cuts through the air…a deadly weapon in the right hands.

VARIAN: When you’ve spent most of your life hiding from your enemies, combat tends to be up close and personal. Vicious in nature. So I prefer a dagger. Time is crucial. Cutting an intruders throat from behind with a sword is unwieldy. A dagger is quiet. Swift. (Gives a wicked grin.) Much more efficient.

KALAN: I have to agree with Arek. Light Blades are physically outmatched in strength and size against the Na’Reish so we’re taught to use our Gift through a sword. We can project energy through any blade – a rare few, like Arek, can direct it through flesh to flesh contact – but we need every advantage the sword can give us in a battle against them.

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?

AREK:(shares a look with the other two warriors. Kalan smiles. Varian’s mouth flattens, his brow creases.) Umm, you sure like to ask the hard questions, Angi. I’m going to have to think about that one…anyone else want to answer this first?

KALAN: (snorting a laugh) Arek, you can’t be at a loss for words. I distinctly remember one young lady you charmed with “love” words at The Traveller Rest that night we broke curfew to wander the Night Markets.

AREK: (eyebrows raise) Lady’s Breath, Kalan, that was over fifteen years ago! How can you remember that particular night so clearly?

KALAN: (grinning) You were both headed upstairs to “chat” in her room within ten minutes of meeting. I was in awe of that feat and am still wondering just what you said to her to convince her so quickly.

AREK: A gentleman never gossips…(here he levels a narrow-eyed look at Kalan)…and Imhara better not hear about that night, or any other night we spent wandering the Night Markets, my friend. She’s staked her claim on me and I’d rather not spend the rest of my life chained to her bed.

VARIAN:  (blinks and stares at both men) She has shackles attached to her bed?

KALAN:(bursting into laughter) Hasn’t Arek ever told you how he and Imhara first met? (The Na’Chi shakes his head.) He woke bound hand and foot to her bed…

AREK:(interrupting in a dry tone of voice) And you call yourself my best friend? (Glances to the Na’Chi) Varian, I’ll fill you in later. Angi, I think we’d better move onto the next question. Please.

ANGI: Who is the last Na’Reish demon you'd like to tangle with?

AREK: (grunts) The Kaal Clan aside, why would I want to avoid fighting demons, Angi? They prey on us. They want to enslave or kill those we love. We kill them. Simple.

VARIAN:  Succinct answer but well put, Arek. Kalan?

KALAN: (grimacing) Savyr. The demon king. He’s one power-hungry bastard. Ambitious. Cunning.

AREK: Cruel, too. (hands fist, gaze grows cold)

VARIAN:  (when Angi looks puzzled by Arek’s icy response) Savyr raped his mother.

AREK: To avenge his son’s death at the hands of my grandfather. (mouth tightens) Savyr kidnapped my mother and raped her until she fell pregnant with Annika.

KALAN: Annika is my wife, and Arek’s half-sister.

AREK: Savyr physically and mentally abused Annika all her life, until she escaped him by coming here.

KALAN: While I’d cross blades with Savyr if I had to, he’s one I’d think twice about challenging. He hasn’t been Na’Rei for nearly thirty years without surviving more than a few assassination attempts or emerging victorious from several leadership challenges.

VARIAN:  His ledger of offences will be repaid. (Voice deepens with lethal promise) One day.

KALAN & AREK: (grimly together) Lady willing.

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

AREK: That’s easy. Sex. Give me a bed, a willing woman, preferably Imhara…

VARIAN: (dead-pan) Chains?

AREK: (wry grin) Again, I’m too much of a gentleman to kiss and tell, but she sure makes bed time interesting, Na’Chi.

KALAN: (chuckling and shaking his head at Arek’s response) I think I’ll stick to safer ground and go for a hot bath. It’s something Annika and I have in common.

VARIAN: Sweet-treasures. Kymora introduced me to the honey-filled pastries last Summer’s End Festival. They melt in your mouth and I can’t stop at just one.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Has anything "tripped you up" while writing in the LIGHT BLADE world?

KYLIE'S GOTTA ANSWER: Oh, yes. Just something small, believe it or not. Funny how a tiny detail can be the biggest gaff out. Originally, when writing the series and casting secondary characters, I decided on the names Zarian and Vaune for two Na’Chi warriors. I eventually swapped the initial letters around to make Varian and Zaune, but in all three books I’ve managed to mix their names up constantly. A pain in the butt when you have to go back and Find & Change each instance and make sure every single one is found. Nothing worse than getting a character’s name wrong!!!

FINDING KYLIE

Email    Website   Facebook   Twitter   GoodReads    Blogs    Shelfari   

KYLIE IS GIVING AWAY

one signed copy of ALLEGIANCE SWORN or VENGEANCE BORN (winners’ choice) to a blog commenter  (International book giveaway)

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. 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.

DON'T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join us next week for Maureen's COMPLIANCE release. ~Angi 

AREK, VARIAN, KALAN & KYLIE WANT TO KNOW: Is there a weapon you'd like to learn to use? why? Or if you already have learned to use one, which one and why? Have you mastered a martial art and what attracted you to learn it?

Santa's List: Kaki Warner

Amidst the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains in 1871, Daniel Hobart keeps to himself—a man with a hole in his heart that matches the scar on his face. But when he starts having visions of a young girl crying out for help, he begins to fear that solitude may have caused him to lose his mind. Determined to find out the truth about the mysterious girl, Daniel travels into New Hope and learns that she’s the missing daughter of widow Lacy Ellis.

After a year of heartbreak, Lacy isn’t sure what to make of Daniel’s claims of seeing her daughter. But when he sets out to find Hannah on his own, Lacy decides to join him, allowing herself one last chance to hope. And as they retrace the long-cold trail of Hannah’s disappearance, two broken people manage to take some small comfort in each other, and in the possibility of a miracle… 

THE STOCKING STUFFER 

Christmas e-novella

Penguin Group US/Berkley Sensation

ISBN: 978-1-101-61462-4

HEARTBREAK CREEK

Penguin Group US/Berkley Sensation

ISBN: 978-0-425-25426-4

Honest, hard-working widower, age thirty-three, seeks sturdy English-speaking woman to help with mountain ranch and four children. Drinkers, whores, and gamblers need not apply.

Not very romantic, but after one disastrous marriage, widowed Edwina Ladoux isn’t looking for romance, but an escape from the war torn South…even if she has to offer herself up as a mail order bride to a stranger a thousand miles away in the Colorado Rockies.

Declan Brodie, rancher and sometime sheriff, is burdened with more work than he can possibly do. He’s hoping this new wife will help with the chores and his rambunctious children.  Instead, he gets a rail-thin Southern princess who can’t even cook.

After one look, they each wonder how to get out of this proxy marriage. But as weeks pass, thoughts of annulment become hopes of a real marriage…until the unspeakable happens. Then suddenly an honorable man must choose between duty and desire, and a woman who has never had to fight for anything must do battle for the family she’s grown to love.

THE STOCKING STUFFER 

WHO’s on SANTA’s LIST?

In between her years as a mother, teacher, commercial artist, reluctant collection agent and surly secretary, KAKI WARNER fooled around with writing. Finally, in 2008, after twenty-five years of procrastination, she sent her first manuscript out into world. 

Now, four years later, she’s retired on a mountaintop in Washington State busily working on her next trilogy and doing whatever she feels like doing—which is writing, enjoying the wildlife and thinking up stuff for her husband to do. 

It’s a grand life.

THE SANTA INTERVIEW

SANTA: Do you believe in Santa Claus? 

KAKI: Not since he ignored repeated requests for a horse. A real one.

SANTA: What’s your favorite Holiday cartoon special?

KAKI: The Penguins (from the Madagascar movie)

SANTA: Which Holiday film can you watch over and over without falling asleep?

KAKI: Phantom of the Opera. (Yeah, I know it’s not a holiday movie, but watching Gerard Butler is a special treat I allow myself every Christmas)

SANTA: What’s your favorite Holiday Movie?

KAKI: The Ref with Dennis Leary. Clearly, I’m insane.

SANTA: What’s your favorite Holiday desert you’d share with friends?

KAKI: Dates stuffed with marshmallow and pecans and rolled in sugar (followed by a call to the aid unit).  My kind of cooking…as in none.

SANTA: What is your favorite Holiday tradition?

KAKI: Watching Phantom of the Opera. Oops. I already said that. Then watching the grandkids open presents or driving around looking at Christmas lights.

SANTA’S GOTTA ASK: What’s your favorite gift Santa ever left under the tree?

KAKI’S GOTTA ANSWER: You mean one I didn’t pick out myself? An English saddle. Oh, wait. That didn’t happen, either. Then books. Every year my parents would give me the latest Lippincott and Newbury Award winners. I LOVED those. Better than Barbies any day.

SANTA KNOWS where to FIND KAKI:

Contact    Website    Facebook   

UP NEXT:

COLORADO DAWN

Book 2 of the Runaway Brides Novels

December 31, 2012

PREVIOUS RELEASES: 

For a complete list of Kaki's Books check out her website.

BRIDE OF THE HIGH COUNTRY

Book 1 of the Runaway Brides Novels

KAKI’S SANTA GIFTS: Yes. Two. One gift card from Amazon for a free download of my e-novella, MIRACLE IN NEW HOPE, and a signed print copy of HEARTBREAK CREEK. BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL (U.S. Residents only)

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.

DON’T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join me next Wednesday when I host fellow Intrigue author Aimee Thurlo. ~Angi   

KAKI WANTS TO KNOW: For me, one of the best parts of Christmas is the music. I sang in church choirs as a kid, and my favorite was O Holy Night. What’s your favorite song or music for the holidays? 

PASSION & PRETENSE

PASSION and PRETENSE

Berkley Sensation

ISBN: 0425246981

After four disastrous engagements, Penelope Rastmoor wants nothing but to travel to Egypt. To escape her brother's plan to marry her off, she's determined to find herself such an improper fiancé that he would do anything rather than let her wed. Enter the notoriously unscrupulous Lord Harris Chesterton...

READ THE PASSION

Whispers and scandalized murmurs breezed through the ballroom crowd around her but Penelope could not hear enough to get the gist of things. She could, however, begin to pick out a few words here and there from the loud male voice shouting over the hushed din. Indeed, things were getting more than interesting. She ducked under Lady Davenforth’s enormous bosom and pressed past Sir Douglas MacClinty’s portly abdomen. No one noticed her, so she kept on, moving slowly toward the front of the room. Mamma would surely have a fit, but Mamma hadn’t seen her so far. She could gawk as blatantly as she liked.

“It just isn’t seemly, sir!” the blustering male voice was saying.

“Yes, it seemed a bit unusual to me, too,” another male voice said.

This was a deep voice, a voice with tone and texture that Penelope was certain she’d recognize if she ever heard it again. It was a good voice, warm and amused and certain. She could picture the man it belonged to as smiling while he spoke. She could imagine he had a glint of mischief in his eye.

She could also tell he was more than a little bit drunk.

“But for shame, sir! You had your hand on my wife’s, er . . . arm!” the first voice stormed.

“No sir,” the second man corrected. “I had my hand on your wife’s, er, bosom.”

The crowd gasped. Someone—most likely the blustering gentleman—choked. The man with the warm, amused voice said nothing, despite all the tumult around him. Penelope decided she simply must get a look at this person.

There was a chair against the nearby wall, so she scooted herself to it and hoisted up her skirt. Surely with all the fuss these gentlemen were causing no one would so much as notice a woman with strawberry ringlets standing atop a chair, would they? Of course not. Up she went, steadying herself by grasping onto the nearby fern propped securely—she hoped—on a plaster column.

Ah, now she could see the men. She easily recognized her host, Lord Burlington, and he appeared much as he usually did; red-faced, jowly and, well, blustering. The other man was a different story. She drew in a surprised breath.

For all his cultured tones and textured warmth, the man appeared very unlike his voice. She expected someone dashing and rakish, someone who lived by his wit and reveled in the stimulation of intelligent conversation, among other things. Someone who appreciated fine spirits and looked down his nose at lesser men. A dandy even, who was sought after and used to being admired. That was how he had sounded, at least.

What she saw when her eyes fell upon him was something quite different.

By heavens, but the man was a hermit! He was unkempt, with dirt in his hair and whiskers on his face several days old. His clothes were a disaster. If he had been dressed for mucking a stable or plowing a field, he would have been only slightly overdone. The man was a positive horror!

And now he noticed her. She clutched the fern for support when his eyes locked onto hers. When he smiled she thought she felt the chair shift beneath her feet.

“If you’d let me explain, Burlington,” he said to the blustering man, although his eyes remained fixed on Penelope. “I was trying to tell you that you have reached a hasty conclusion where your wife is concerned. I was walking into the room as she was walking out of the room and we merely collided. There was nothing more than that.”

“But you were alone with her. Your hand was on her . . . Well, don’t think I haven’t heard of your reputation, sir.”

“Yes, yes. I daresay everyone has heard of my reputation and this is hardly going to rectify that, is it? Oh well. I assure you, in this instance, at least, I am innocent.”

“I ought to call you out!” the first man blustered on bravely.

“Well, I suppose I could shoot you on a field of honor if you insist, but I really would so much rather not. My head is going to be bloody ringing enough in the morning, as it is.”

Susan Gee Heino was one of those kids always writing stories and forcing her

parents—and her sisters, teachers, friends, neighbors, and the family dog—to read them. Her stories were about everything from animals and Star Wars to worms and haunted school buses. One thing was constant, though: there was always a happy ending.

Eventually, she took this love of happy endings and coupled it with her love of the English Regency time period. In 2008 she won RWA’s Golden Heart ® Award in the

Regency Historical category and has become a national bestseller. Today she resides in rural Ohio with a menagerie of creatures, her very supportive husband, and her two adorable (and frighteningly creative) children. They are all addicted to happy endings, and that seems to be working out just fine.

NO PRETENSE HERE

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

SUSAN: As often as I can! It think it's important therapy for our brains. All of us, not just writers, need time to let our minds wander to happy places and "experiences" we wouldn't otherwise have. I think it makes us smarter, more compassionate, and better problem-solvers. 

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

SUSAN: The first full-length book I read was a children's biography of Helen Keller. I was in 1st grade and enthralled with the subject--imagine not having your sight or your hearing and still being a woman to make such a difference in the world! It was a real struggle when I started the book. I didn't read that well yet and was sure it would take me years to actually finish it. But once I got lost in that story, my skills increased and I finished in record time. 

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?

SUSAN: Cherish. Gosh, what a beautiful word. If we could all just do that, cherish every day the things we truly hold dear, what a world this would be! 

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

SUSAN: My husband. Is that too cheesy to say? But I really believe he is a hero. He's not had things come easily in his life, but he never gives up and he just keeps on doing what he knows is right. He is a minister and a law-enforcement chaplain. He's been on hand for suicides, stand-offs, plane crashes, car wrecks, and all manner of death notifications. None of these are things he wants to do, but he goes when he gets the call and he does his duty with compassion and, believe it or not, a sense of humor. 

ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

SUSAN: King Thrushbeard. Gosh, I've loved that story since I was a kid. It's basically "Taming of the Shrew", with a snotty, selfish Princess for the heroine and a sneaky, scheming Prince for the hero. And yes, it has a very happy ending. 

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

SUSAN: I'm kind of into Phineas and Ferb right now. I mean, seriously, who can not love a platypus spy and "Squirrels in my Pants"?

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

SUSAN: I love all the crazy sounds my pets make! Is that weird? I've got a lot of pets, so you can imagine it's pretty noisy around here: cats, dogs, goats, chickens, budgies, rabbits, and even a hedgehog. The goldfish and guppies are pretty quiet, but their tanks bubble. I love it!

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?

SUSAN: Even when I was little, I wrote A LOT. As soon as I learned my alphabet, I would sit at the table while Mom cooked dinner and force her to spell out words for me so I could write "books". One of my early attempts was a story called "The Worm Family" and it chronicled a family's struggle to reform the drugged-out hippy next door. Yes, I drew pictures to accompany the story and, yes, they were actual worms. Wearing clothes. I like to think I was edgy.  

ANGI: Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role?

SUSAN: Um, not all the time. I think very often I put myself in the hero's role, for some reason. Maybe it's just that I read a lot of heroines who are way more organized and up-tight than I am. Guess I relate better to the bad-boy hero in those cases! Also, it's fun to do a little role playing every now and then, you know? LOL 

ANGI: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?

SUSAN: I want to hear from them! Really, I hope people who read my books enjoy them. Nothing makes my day more than opening up my email or Facebook and finding a note from someone who says my words made them laugh, or sigh, or decide to write their own romance novel. 

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Hi Susan. I often wonder what attracts us to the Regency period over others in history. Can you share what you like most and how you capture that aspect in your books?

SUSAN’S GOTTA ANSWER: Good question, Angi. We do see statistically that the Regency period tends to outsell others in historical romance, but no one really knows why. The Regency only covers ten years, but was a decade of dramatic social and political change, with wars, civil unrest, economic turmoil and the infancy of Industrial Revolution. Personally, I know exactly what I love about the Regency. The clothes!

I just love those pretty dresses, and we don't have to deal with hoop skirts or powdered wigs. And of course there are those tight gentlemen's breeches. Yum yum! But more than just that, there is the whole social order element. Regency romances generally focus on the well-to-do and the nobility. I love getting to play fancy dress up in my mind, hob-nobbing with dashing dukes and ladies of quality. And of course Regencies are famous for clever dialog. I swoon over witty banter! When you add to the mix how difficult travel was then (hot-blooded couples are forever being forced to take shelter in an abandoned cottage along the road) and there was no mass communication (a desperate heroine can pull off all manner of deception when the truth of her identity is so easy to hide) you do end up with a broad and colorful backdrop for a plethora of passionate stories.

IT’S NO SECRET WHERE YOU CAN FIND SUSAN

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SUSAN will be awarding a copy of her newest release, PASSION AND PRETENSE. Just leave a comment and you’ll be entered in a drawing. Remember to check back to see if you won! Winner will be posted here on Thursday.  

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.

DON’T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter (#GetLostStories) or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join me next week when I host RITA finalist Jessica Andersen. And come back tomorrow when Donnell hosts Judith Arnold. ~Angi

ARE YOU PASSIONATE about Regency romances, how did you fall in love with that time period and what elements do you love most?