A DOWN and DIRTY #MFRWauthor Interview @ShaunaRoberts5

Shauna Roberts gets DOWN and DIRTY with MFRWorg.
Shauna Roberts (1956-) writes historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and romance. She was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in nearby Beavercreek. After receiving degrees in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), she was a science and medical writer and copyeditor until retiring in 2010. She is a 2009 graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop and was the 2011 winner of the Speculative Literature Foundation's Older Writer Grant. She currently lives in southern California.

How can readers connect with you?
Website:  http://www.ShaunaRoberts.com
Blog:  http://www.ShaunaRoberts.com
Amazon:  http://smile.amazon.com/Shauna-Roberts/e/B002R89SDI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shauna-Roberts-author/194876117254102
Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/shaunasroberts/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2127144.Shauna_Roberts

What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels?
Personally, I skim them to see whether they're relevant to the plot or to character development. If not, I skip them. Some authors do a wonderful job of using a love scene to reveal important new information; I wish all romance authors could learn to do so.

What does your husband think of your writing?
He is proud of me and will be even happier when I'm making enough money that he can retire!

What can we expect from you in the future?
I am about to start writing a romance set in Bordeaux, France, and its wine country. Also, I am researching another novel set in Mesopotamia. It will focus on one of the most influential and important women of the ancient world. Bringing her story to life and to the attention of readers will be very exciting.

Do you have a set schedule for writing?
My official schedule is to write from 9 to 3, with Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays) off. However, the real world routinely interrupts that schedule a couple of times a week with business that can only be conducted M-F, 9 to 5. So I often write in the evening to make up for missed time.

Do you have a favorite author?
My favorite author is Guy Gavriel Kay. He writes fantasies that are rooted in actual history and that have multiple main characters. I love how he weaves those characters and several complex plot threads together.

Tell us about your latest book.
CLAIMED BY THE ENEMY is historical fiction that crosses over into romance. It takes place in

ancient Mesopotamia, the most fascinating time in history, when almost everything we take for granted today was new or being invented. The heroine is a princess, and the hero came from the same city and is now a soldier—of her enemy. Both are still dealing with the destruction of their home city and the loss of their families, a theme suggested by the near-destruction of New Orleans in 2005 by the failure of the federal levees.

BLURB
Crown Princess Nindalla knows the terrifying power of Sargon of Akkad’s army: Ten years ago, it destroyed her home city and killed her parents. Now the nightmare is happening again. The Akkadians conquer her new home, Susa; make her a widow; and strip her of her rank. Nindalla vows to protect her children from her enemies by any means necessary, including marrying whoever can shield them best. With plots swirling around her, can she trust her instincts to tell friends from foes? Farm boy Ur-sag-enki was forced to become a soldier in the Akkadian army ten years ago after it destroyed his home and left him with nothing. When the Akkadians conquer Susa, he is awarded its governorship. He looks forward to settling down to the normal family life he craves. First, though, he must keep control of Susa despite enemies who exploit his inexperience, and he must gain legitimacy by persuading beautiful former princess Nindalla to marry him. But can he win her heart when it was his hand that struck down her husband? These enemies—a princess and a lowborn soldier—can trust nobody . . . but each other.

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#MFRWorg Interviews #MFRWauthor Reet Singh @AuthorReet

MFRWorg asked. Reet Singh answered.

MFRW author Reet Singh is a surgeon with a passion for creative writing. 'Scorched by His Fire' is her first published piece of romantic fiction, and is courtesy of Mills and Boon® India's Passions Contest which she won in 2013. 'The Cure was Love', also from Mills and Boon® India, is releasing on 1st November. Her other offering is a alien adventure book for middle graders - ‘The Zaken Takeover’ - which she co-authored along with her son (who was eleven years old at the time of writing it). It is available on Amazon, for Kindle. Her blogs, reviews and other literary activities can be found at www.reetsingh.in.

1. If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?
In my own beach house, on my own beach, with my sweetheart and a coffee filter. Oh! And chocolates.

2. If you were a tool, what would people use you to do?
Break things into bits.

3. What song would best describe your life?
My Fair Lady – I could have danced all night!

4. What is your secret guilty pleasure?
An Indian sweet – kalakand. Yum! It is also called milk-cake because it involves boiling a large amount of milk to make a small amount of sweet. Thickened milk is mixed with sugar and dry fruits to create this mouthwatering, addictive delicacy.

5. Tell us about the scariest thing that ever happened to you.
The proverbial phone call – from my sons' school – saying I should come right over because the boys, and their father who had gone to drop them, had met with an accident. Cuts that needed stitches, and awful bruises and scrapes – they got off lightly, thank goodness!

6. City life or country life?
Country life, in India, but WITHOUT the power cuts and WITH high speed internet access.

7. Ebook or paperback?
Paperback once upon a time, ebook now. Easier to hold, no need to turn pages, lighter, self-illuminated – the last is a particular boon - I can read even when the sweetheart is abed and the lights are out!

8. Share your latest book.
Scorched by His Fire is a Mainstream Contemporary Romance

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BLURB
Mita Ramphul can't face another family set - up with a 'nice young man'. What she needs is to divert her family's attention… so introducing the devastatingly handsome Tanay Devkumar as her new boyfriend is a stroke of brilliance! Until Tanay's scorching hot kisses threaten to shatter her plans for the perfect pretend date…

He might drive her crazy, yet spending time with Tanay sparks a passion Mita never knew she had. It's only meant to be temporary, but when Tanay looks at her with that smouldering fire in his ebony eyes Mita can't help but surrender to the temptation of her fake boyfriend…!

EXCERPT

Time slowed as Tanay explored in right earnest, giving in to the lure of Mita’s tempting mouth. He had had a hard time, the last half hour, sitting with her sexy body in his arms and not being able to do anything about it.
It was payback time now. His tongue made inroads that demanded response, and Mita felt confused. She should be furious but she felt drugged and helplessly needy. She didn’t want it to end, and apparently neither did Tanay.
He was hypnotised by the fragrance of her skin, the softness of her lips, the velvet of her tongue. His hands itched to explore her satiny skin, to dispense with all clothing and really explore.But he couldn’t. This wasn’t about a woman, or about sex. This was a case; a job. This was Mita, and he had to keep a clear head because she would consume him if he let her.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Knights of Stone by Lisa Carlisle @LisaCBooks #MFRWauthor

MFRW Author Lisa Carlisle released Knights of Stone, an Erotic Paranormal Romance.

Gargoyles, tree witches, and wolf shifters have divided the Isle of Stone after a great battle twenty-

five years ago. When Kayla, a tree witch, hears about the unconventional rock concerts in the gargoyle’s territory, she sneaks from her coven and into their territory to see for herself. Night after night, she returns to see one in particular shift into human form and play guitar at these unconventional shows.

For several nights, Mason has kept watch for the pixie-like female. He plans to seduce her, thinking she’s a visitor from another island. When he discovers she’s one of the tree witches, he retreats, attempting to keep his distance. The temptation is strong, but forbidden.

Kayla and Mason attempt to meet in secret, but other elements on the isle command their attention. A magical cloak created by the three clans on the island is thinning, leading to repercussions for all the clans. Kayla and Mason are caught in the middle of it, and their actions may change the fate for all. " Gargoyles, tree witches, and shifters have divided their Scottish isle. When a witch breaches into another territory, she's tempted by a forbidden attraction that may affect the future for all.

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A REVIEW from Read Our Thoughts Book Blog... "OMG a hot gargoyle, who would have thought and now I want to read more about them. Kayla is enthralled my the very hot and compelling rock star Mason.....And he is certainly a ROCK star, he is a gargoyle that puts on a very spectacular show with his brothers... Very moving and passionate story for adult readers, I look forward to more from the Knights of Stone."

EXCERPT

The crowd pushed Kayla closer to the stage as the last trails of fiery sunset faded. They knew what happened once darkness fell. She recovered her footing and focused again on the five life-sized stone gargoyles perched on pedestals on the perimeter of the stage. The space between them was set with instruments—guitars, a drum set, mic stands, and massive amplifiers, while a bonfire in a pit behind them cast the statues in a warm glow.
A stagehand with tartan draped over one shoulder climbed onto the stage and walked to the closest statue. He fastened the kilt over its shoulder and around its waist with a thick belt, covering the statue’s massive thighs. Kayla flushed, picturing why the coverings were necessary once the transformation began. The kilt had become a key detail in her fantasies about the guitarist, since it was the only clothing he wore. The stagehand continued dressing
each statue with the same brilliant blue tartan worn by the gargoyle clan.
The last vestige of sunlight disappeared from the sky, and night draped the stage like a closing curtain. The statues loomed, dark silhouettes barely discernible by the crescent moon with the backdrop of the craggy cliffs and the rugged peaks of waves in the Atlantic Ocean behind them. The murmur of voices was replaced by silence. Waiting...
Five torches blazed on the stage all at once, lit by an unseen force. The audience erupted in cheers as the dancing lights from the flickering fire basked the statues. The flames lowered, casting the gargoyles in an eerie, almost reverent glow.
Movement. So slight, Kayla wondered if it was simply a play of light and shadows in her anticipation for the change. She fixed her gaze on the statue in front of her, the one she’d gravitated to each time she had sneaked out to see the show. Its massive gray form stood straight on two legs built for sturdiness. Its chest jutted out proudly. Gray wings with detailed feathers etched in the stone arched from a point below its shoulder blades. Eyes cast straight ahead on a face that appeared to be a mixture of canine and lion. Its right hand twitched, so slightly she would have missed it if she hadn’t stared so intently. Then a clawed foot inched forward. 

ABOUT Lisa Carlisle
Lisa loves stories with dark, brooding heroes and independent, caring heroines. She feels very honored to be a multi-published author since she's wanted to write since the sixth grade. Her travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels, including deployments while she served in the Marines. She lived in Parris Island, the California desert, and Okinawa, Japan. She also backpacked alone through Europe, and lived in Paris, France, as an au pair before returning to the U.S. and buying a book store. She now lives in New England with her husband, two children, a cat, and many fish.

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