Wednesday Welcome - Lauri Robinson

Sometimes in the business you stumble upon someone you are simply tickled with from the first day... Lauri Robinson is one of those women. We met through a critique group through The Wild Rose Press and we hit it right off. A writer of western romance, Lauri is a wife, a mother and a grandmother with her most recent grand baby born just over a week ago.

Welcome Lauri Robinson...

LR: Thanks, Catherine for having me over today.

CB: Tell us a little bit about you. How long have you been writing? How many books and what genre have you written?

LR: I sold my first book in 2005, (but have always dabbled in writing). Currently I have 15 novels and/or short stories on the market and two set to be released yet this year.

CB: That is a tone of books. Tell us about the book you’re highlighting today on my blog?

LR: Today I’d like to tell you about my latest release, Wish Craft, a short, sensual time travel. The idea for this story came about while checking my Google account one day and saw an ad for Quantum Leaping.

CB: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Time Travel!!! Tell me, what do you love most about this job?

LR: Everything. I’ve always loved reading once upon a time and happily ever after stories, and believe nothing could be better than writing them! I love the research, the plotting, and even the editing and re-writing.

CB: If there was one thing you could change about the writing business, what would it be?

LR: Well, I guess I wish e-book readers were cheaper so everyone could afford them. I hear so many people say when they get below $100, they’ll buy one.

CB: That is the first time anyone has answered that question that way. I agree, that it would be nice if everyone who read romance owned an e-reader. What do you say when someone says…”Oh, you write THOSE kinds of books.”

LR: I’ve never really had someone say that. More often I get people who say, “You should right a book about me…” and then they launch into a story about an incident that happened to them.

CB: *I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has had that happen to me! Give us a taste of your latest masterpiece:

LR: Here you are:

Blurb:

After intensive studying of Quantum jumping, Jayden White embarks on a journey one hundred and twenty years in the past for two reasons—to aid her sister’s financial crisis and to meet the man she’s come to know through an old family diary. The night Levi Grimshaw asks his long time sweetheart to marry him he arrives home to discover a strange young woman sleeping in front of his fireplace—trouble is she’s not a stranger to his heart.

And an excerpt:

She was back in a few minutes and headed straight to her coffee cup.

He leaned a hip against the sink. “Is your husband due back today?”

Settling on a chair, she frowned. “I’m not married. Yet.”

His stomach flipped. The eeriness he’d experienced yesterday hung on his shoulders like a winter coat. “Do you need a ride to Russell Springs? I could hitch up the wagon. It’s only about half an hour from here.”

“I know. Russell Springs hasn’t changed much the past century.”

“Century? Russell Springs was founded twenty years ago. It was the main stage stop for the Butterfield Overland Dispatch—”

“I know,” she interrupted. “The stage line ran through Indian Territory and connected the gold mines of Colorado with Fort Riley. That is until the Kansas Pacific Railroad was built in the eighteen seventies. The town itself was named for the natural springs in the area.”

His spine stiffened. “What exactly do you want, Miss White?”

She met his gaze eye for eye, not showing a hint of apprehension. “I’ll tell you, Levi, but perhaps you should sit down first.”

“No, I’m fine right here.”

She stood and began to lift her skirt. His eye sockets stretched, making him blink. Displaying her underclothes for the world to see, she pulled something out. Since when did petticoats have pockets? Perhaps they all did, and he just didn’t know it. The skirt fell back in place, and she moved forward, handing him the object.

A wooden frame held a picture. His breath stalled. “That’s you,” he choked, “and me.”

Click on this link to pick up your copy~ http://www.thewildrosepress.com/wish-craft-p-4068.html

CB: Needless to say, I'm already clicking over and getting my copy to download to my Nook! Where can we find your books? Where can we find you on the net?

LR: My books are available from The Wild Rose Press and Harlequin, Mills & Boon.

Here are Lauri's links~ Friend her and follower her
Blog:

Facebook:

Twitter:


CB: Thank you for joining me today. I look forward to doing this again with your next release.

LR: Thanks for hosting me, Catherine. I had a great time.

If you are a lover of western romance, Lauri is an author you simply can not pass up. Check out her books at TWRP and Harlequin.

New Black Rose Blog

I'm over at the Black Rose Blog today talking about my two werewolf stories contracted with The Wild Rose Press. Get a sneak peak of my miniature rose, Before the Moon Rises.

Click HERE and drop a note to let me know you stopped by.

Before the Moon Rises has a cover

Did ya see my new cover? Well, here it is. We're finishing final edits now and I'll let you know when I have a release date for this one. I'm guessing mid next year.

I'll post excerpts and blurbs closer to Max and Janet's release... All ya get today is a cover!

August - Only a day away!

In preparation for my two yummy releases for the month of August, I'm giving everyone who visits me often here on my blog a heads up.

I'm giving away at least one free download of each book in the month of August. Here is the catch. You need to be signed up to receive my newsletter in order to be eligible for the free copy.

My Newsletter is sent through my Yahoo Loop. This isn't a chat loop! I will only be using Yahoo as a conduit so don't worry about being apart of yet - another - loop. Grin.
So, sign up early and have one hurtle out of the way so I can put your name in a pot for a free... did I mention FREE copy of either Kilt Worthy or Soul Mate.

Click to join CatherineBybee

Yes, there is more to watch out for. Be sure and hop on over to my contest page on my website for the Red Rose Publishing contest going on the entire month of August. And pay attention to the interviews I'll be giving throughout the month.

Help me welcome Susan Macatee

Today's guest, Susan Macatee is a fellow WRP author and lover of time travel romance. Everyone posting a comment today will be entered in a chance to win a free download of Erin's Rebel. So post away and be sure and tell your friends to come over to play.

Thanks for coming today, Susan.

Tell us about your new book out now:

First of all, I’d like to thank you, Catherine, for inviting me to your blog. My book, Erin’s Rebel is my first romance novel and a Civil War time travel. I started work on the manuscript nearly ten years ago, when I first envisioned a modern day heroine being thrust into a Confederate army camp during the Civil War. The hard part for me was getting the time travel to work so the reader could suspend belief and go along for the ride. It took a lot of revising, but I finally got it right. It has sort of a time travel, reincarnation theme.

Here’s the blurb:

Philadelphia newspaper reporter, Erin Branigan, is engaged to marry an up-and-coming lawyer, but dreams of a man from the past change those plans and start her on a journey beyond time. After a car accident, Erin wakes to find herself living in the 1860s in a Confederate army camp.

Captain Will Montgomery, the man of her dreams, is now a flesh and blood Rebel soldier who sets her soul aflame. But the Irish beauty holds a secret he needs to unravel before he can place his trust in her. Can she correct a mistake made long ago that caused his death and denied her the love she was meant to have? Or is she doomed to live out her life with nothing but regret?

And here’s a short excerpt:

The sound of her name on his lips made her skin tingle. She tore the paper off the package. At the sight of the brooch, her breath caught.

“Do you like it?” he asked anxiously. “I had it made just for you.”

Eyeing him, she had a hard time finding her voice. This was Erin O’Connell’s brooch, the very one that had sent her back in time. It shone in her hands, new and unworn from time and wear.

What did this mean? She must be following Erin O’Connell’s footsteps. As far as she knew her being here hadn’t changed anything. Will was still destined to die this year.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, Erin. If you don’t want the brooch—”

“No.” She clasped the brooch against her chest as the meaning of his gift sank in. “It just means so much to me.”

His look of concern softened into a lopsided grin. “I’m happy you feel this way.”

“Thank you, Will.” She slipped the brooch into the pocket of her wrapper, then stood on her toes, lifting her arms to circle his neck. She kissed his cheek, inhaling his musky scent.

His mouth was on hers, hot and urgent. The softness of his moustache and chin beard tickled her lips. She opened to him, her tongue slipping inside to taste him thoroughly. He groaned, pressing the length of his body against her.

How do you respond when someone says… “Oh, you write THAT kind of book?”

Actually, I’ve never had that experience. Everyone seems impressed when I tell them I’m writing romance novels, and while Erin’s Rebel is a spicy romance, my stories vary from sweet to spicy. I don’t write hot, not because I think there’s anything wrong with that, but I just don’t feel qualified. I’ll leave hot to the expert writers, who do it very well. But if I were confronted with someone asking why I write romance, I’d have to say I write stories of adventure and love and they always have a happy ending. Who could ask for anything more than to be entertained, thrilled and to have a book end on a satisfying note?

What are your goals as a writer?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, and my biggest ambition is to have people read my stories and be entertained. I have lots of stories swirling in my head and plan to write for as long as I can sit at my computer and type. It’s fun!

How many books to you read in a month?

I don’t get a lot of time to read for pleasure, but I do make it a point to set aside time each weekend to read. On average, I’d say one or two complete novels in a month.

Do you have anything new in the works?

Right now, I’ve got four releases coming out this year, one full-length historical, Confederate Rose, and three short stories, two of which will be included in historical romance anthologies. The first is called Northern Roses and Southern Belles, the other An American Rose Christmas. I also have a short vampire story, Sweet Redemption, that will be a stand-alone e-book. I’m also working on two new projects. One’s a post Civil War romance that is an offshoot of a young adult novel I had published years ago and is now out of print. The other is my first ever science fiction romance.

Where can we find you?

My website: www.susanmacatee.com
Blog: susanmacatee.blogspot.com
My group blog: slipintosomethingvictorian.wordpress.com

Where can we find your books?

The Wild Rose Press: www.thewildrosepress.com

I’d like to add that anyone who posts a comment today, will be entered
in a drawing to win a pdf copy of Erin’s Rebel.

Thanks for having me today, Catherine!

You're welcome, Susan. Thanks for coming.

Check it out!

I'm such a GEEK! Okay, you don't have to agree to that so quickly next time. grin...

Take a look at You Gotta Read Videos. Kilt Worthy's trailer is up today. So swing by and comment... please and when the time comes vote, vote, vote!

http://yougottareadvideos.blogspot.com/2009/06/entry-5-kilt-worthy.html

Interview with Christina Phillips

I have another author interview for you all to enjoy. Welcome Aussie Author, Christina Phillips. She is enjoying her second Scarlet release from The Wilder Rose Press this month.
Thanks for joining us, Christina.


Hi Catherine! Thanks for having me on your blog today!

How many books do you read a month? Are they all romance?

I used to read soooo much more before I started writing. Now I find I might read loads of books one month, and then go a couple of months where I might only read one or two books. Also, since I've been published I've started to read a lot more novellas and short stories, whereas before I didn't. I do tend to buy books by my friends, and since I'm lucky enough to have many wonderful writer friends that means my tbr pile is tottering (physically and electronically!)

They aren't all romance although the vast majority are. And even if the book isn't a romance I will generally find some hint of romance in it somewhere. Ha! I also love reading YA books, as my 14 year old son is a voracious reader and when he particularly enjoys a book he likes me to read it as well so we can discuss it. That's how I ended up reading the Bartimaeus trilogy (LOVE them) and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

Why do you write Erotic?

I blame my CPs!!!

Seriously, I owe the fact that I'm published today to my wonderful CPs who never gave up on me, even when I often came close to giving up on myself. For almost nine years I'd written category, chic lit and paranormal romance and although I always had hot love scenes (since I enjoyed writing them) I'd never tried my hand at writing erotic.

My CPs urged me to give it a go. I assured them it was impossible, since the genre was far too hard and exhausting.

Thankfully, they've never taken much notice of me when I say I can't do something, and continued to pester me (I mean encourage me!!) to try writing erotic romance. I explained, kindly, there was no way I could manage it.

A week later I dug out a short story which had been languishing on my hard drive for a few years. Before I quite knew what was happening I was rewriting it in a hot and steamy manner! And not only that, I realised I absolutely loved writing erotic romance and it didn't exhaust me nearly as much as I'd feared!!!

I love my CP's as well, Christina. I'm glad they pushed you out of your comfort zone.

What are your goals as a writer?

I want to sign with an agent for my longer novels. Is that a goal or a dream? LOL. It's what I'm aiming for.

I'd love to attend the RWAmerica conference in 2011 in NYC. That would be just amazing, to have the chance to meet lots of writers I've become friends with online, and soak up the whole huge conference experience. It would also be unbelievably cool to visit New York!!!

Hit the NYT Bestseller list. Frequently! Yes, I suffer from delusions, but the world I inhabit is a happy one!!!

Have a movie made of my Roman novel. Which goes on to win umpteen Golden Globes and Oscars and whatever... hehe... See above disclaimer...

Good for you! Dream big. That why they call it dreaming. I wish you all the luck in the world.

How do you respond when someone says... "Oh, you write THAT kind of book."

"Yes, that's right. Isn't my husband the lucky one?"
LOL

Tell us about your new book out now:

My Scarlet Rosette, Touch of the Demon, has recently been released by The Wild Rose Press, who describe is as a Futuristic/Fantasy, "lush and dark, providing an interesting fantasy for the tumultuous days of earth".

Dark angel Rafe travels back in time to destroy the woman who is fated to bring untold chaos to the cosmos. Instead, he finds Celeste, a child of the Earth Goddess, who is sworn to protect the one Rafe seeks. He mistakes her for his quarry but an irresistible attraction prevents him from taking her soul. And although Celeste holds the one weapon capable of banishing Rafe from Earth forever, she's unable to deny the overwhelming desire to possess this creature from hell. They come together in a frenzy of passion, each believing they are changing destiny by their actions. But when the Earth Goddess appears they discover her plans are more far reaching than either had imagined.

Watch the Trailer here

Visit my Website and Blog

Thanks for answering my crazy questions. And best of luck with Touch of a Demon.

Kilt Worthy's Cover

Some things just have perfect timing. And the cover fairy flying over my in-box today was impeccably timed. Angela Anderson is the cover artist for my debut scarlet release.

What do you think?

Blurb:

Peering at the world from behind her camera lens, "Plain Jane" Parker is stunned to see a handsome hunk wearing a kilt as he confidently strolls down a busy Seattle street. Her dormant libido roars to life even before their eyes meet. Aroused and intrigued, she tosses aside her usual caution and follows when Logan MacLaren beckons for a delightfully sinful one-night stand.
Logan is an exceptionally talented lover, wielding the abundant sword he sports beneath his plaid to deliver unparalleled pleasures. He reminds her to trust her instincts after reality proves they're a more perfect fit than either imagined.

Then Logan drops his bombshell: He's traveled through time to find her and wants her to stay with him forever...in medieval Scotland. Did Jane just have the most erotic sex of her life with a delusional crazy man, or is it truly possible for her one-night stand to last forever?

Video Blogging about edits.

Devon Grey's Playing for Keeps is out today.

I'm just going to plug an author who I really enjoy reading. Devon Gray's second erotic story is out today over at The Wild Rose Press. Devon's story, Addicted, inspired me to write a short erotic in first person. And since that story was contracted this week I thought I should bend your ear to check out her latest.