A Look At Caden McCourt from 'Master' ( @RavenMcAllan @evernightpub #bdsm #erotic )

Today we have Caden McCourt visiting from the story Master. Welcome!

Caden, what would you like to tell readers about yourself? For instance, Where are you from? Do you have an interesting job? What brought you to the setting/point in the story where you come in? Etcetera...

* Hi. As I said I'm Caden McCourt and I'm in my early forties, own hair, own teeth. Grins I try to keep fit, although I do have a penchant for chocolate éclairs. I live in the South of England, and at the start of this book, I'm estranged from my wife. I own a BDSM Club, where I demonstrate and tutor. After fifteen years I've just found out where my wife is.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
* shrug yeah, I'm me. What you see is what you get, and I can't be any other way. I think the story shows how I've grown, and I reckon I should be perceived as one of the good guys.

Is humor important? Why or why not? Is expressing love difficult for you? Why?
* Without humor we're lost. If you can't laugh or see the funny side of life, life will be bland, dull and unpleasant. If you'd asked me about expressing my love, a few days ago, I'd've said I could do it no bother. Now I know that’s a load of rubbish, but given the chance I'm going to work on that.

Does your author ever try to take over the story? And how do you deal with it?
* She wouldn't dare now. We came to an agreement, I tell the story and she writes it. If she tries to plot, I shout louder and louder until she listens. This is my life (and Anna's,) our story, and only we can tell you what happens. After one or two sleepless nights, and a lot of deleting she gives in.

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
* Now, now, I don't fuck and tell, sorry.

What was the least interesting thing that has ever happened to you? (In bed or out.)
* Not being able to get Dundee thick cut marmalade in the local shop.

What’s your take on Athol?
* Ah Athol. Now there's a complex man. There's so much more to him that he shows to the world. He's loyal, hardworking, always there for you. And a mass of contradictions. I have to love and admire the man, not only for what he did to help Anna, and of course Anna and my life together, but because of what he's going though. It'll be interesting to hear his story.

If we were to spend a day together, what would we do?
* Well you understand it would include my wife? And probably be vanilla? We're not for sharing. However looks at me with speculation I could arrange for you to have a visit to Serendip, the club I used to own, or Dommissimma if you like? So we'll be in Scotland. I'll cook breakfast, then we'll go for a walk in the forest with the dog. Have lunch at Monacle Mhor, maybe a sea plane ride over the lochs and if it's a midge free, nice evening, champagne and strawberries in the garden before dinner. Of course the alternative is to hand you over to Linsey or Athol?

If you could time travel and/or live anywhere in the world, where would you go and/or where would that be?
* Exactly where I am

Now for some author information!
* My author is Raven McAllan. Raven lives in Scotland, along with her husband and their two cats—their children having flown the nest—surrounded by beautiful scenery, which inspires a lot of the settings in her books.
* She is used to sharing her life with the occasional deer, red squirrel, and lost tourist, to say nothing of the scourge of Scotland—the midge.
* Her very understanding, and long-suffering DH, is used to his questions unanswered, the dust bunnies greeting him as he walks through the door, and rescuing burned offerings from the Aga. (And passing her a glass of wine as she types furiously.)

You can find my author, Raven McAllan, here...
Website
Blog
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Facebook Author Page
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Now for some book information!
A look into the story Master
~ Blurb ~ * Caden McCourt did not expect to find his estranged wife Diana at a BDSM club. When he does, the renowned Master is determined to claim back his errand wife.
* When Diana left him fifteen years prior, she lost a part of herself. Seeing Cade again throws her into a tail spin.
* She cannot be the sub he needs, but she can't walk away either. When she's challenged by Cade to face her demons, her her old nightmares resurface. Can they overcome the chasm between them, or are the nightmares simply too strong?
Be Warned: BDSM, flogging
~ Excerpt ~ * Anna was unrepentant. Her knickers might need wringing out, and her nipples about to poke through her blouse—Cade always had that effect on her—but she wasn't going to submit in any way. Not now, not there. It's always the other people watching that screws me, every time.
* "I came because it's time to bury my demons and get rid of my past life," she said clearly. His grip tightened. Good, let him see I don't care anymore. Well even if I do, I'm not letting him know. "Let go of me, Caden, I'm not your…" her voice trailed off. The flash of anger in his eyes frightened her. Her skin crawled. What on earth had she done?
* "My what?" he asked his voice as smooth as the silk of her blouse.
* "Your anything," she finished. Her nails made tiny crescents in her palms, and she bet there'd be blood. Why oh why was she baiting him now after all this time? Did she have a death wish, or a wish to be taken in hand and shown who was boss? Where had that thought come from? Anna felt sick. Cade's face was devoid of any emotion. Only the pulse in his neck showed he wasn't a statue.
* "You think not?" His voice was mild, too mild.
* Anna swallowed. One day she'd learn not to open her mouth and put both feet in.
* "I suggest that as you watch my demonstration, you refresh your memory…" He paused and bent his head. His breath tickled her ear. "Wife."

Buy Master here...
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand

Thank you for joining us here today, Caden! It was a pleasure getting to know about you, the story you're in, and your author.

A Look At Victoria Bernadine & 'A Life Less Ordinary' ( @GoddessFish #SO #MM )

Today we have author Victoria Bernadine visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* I’m the youngest of eight children, and I grew up on a farm in southern Saskatchewan in Canada. I currently live in Edmonton, with my two cats (The Grunt and The Runt). Victoria Bernadine is a pseudonym that I created by reversing my mother’s first and middle names.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what's the order the books should be read in?
* The book is entitled A Life Less Ordinary, and it’s about a woman in her mid-forties who quits her job and heads off on a six-month road trip with a handsome travelling companion and her imaginary friend, all in an effort to reconnect with her life.
* Although this book was intended to be a one-off, I’m currently writing a sequel, tentatively called A Year in the Life.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?
* It started off as simple wish fulfillment; it was exactly what I wanted to do at that time of my life...although I wasn’t holding out much hope for a Zeke!

Describe the hero in five words.
* Sarcastic. Arrogant. Sexy. Sweet. Idiotic.

Describe the heroine in five words.
* Confused. Scared. Hopeful. Funny. Sarcastic.

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
* Oh, dear – do I really have to choose? LOL I’ll have to say Harvey, Manny’s outspoken imaginary friend. I love him because he’s not bound by reality (he’s imaginary, after all) so he ends up in frilly shirts and tuxedos – whatever Manny wants. He’s also that sarcastic inside voice (I hope) we all have, so that made his dialogue really, really fun to write.

What's your favorite line in the story?
* I’m afraid I’m going to cheat and give you two, because I love both of them and I think they reflect both the comedy and the drama of the book:
* At 6:45 sharp, she was back in the kitchen where she rinsed out the cup and put it on the rack next to the other three cups from earlier in the week; they marked the passage of time like scratches on a prison wall.
* [Harvey is Manny’s Perfect Fantasy Man; she’s just imagined him in a frilly shirt and tight breeches, and this is part of his response]: I’m just sayin’–if I was real and regularly wore pants this tight, I’m not sure I’d be of any use to you.

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * For the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good girl. Now, at the age of 45, she’s questioning her choices and feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she’s passed over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny’s life will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she’s quit her job, sold her house, cashed in her pension, and she’s leaving town on a six month road trip.
* After placing an ad for a travelling companion, she’s joined in her mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most read – and most controversial – blogger for the e-zine, What Women Want. Zeke’s true goal is to expose Manny’s journey as a pitiful and desperate attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the same time.
* Now, armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny’s on a quest to rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.

~ Excerpt ~ * Manny walked in her door, looking tired and feeling worn out. She wondered ruefully why the only thing not on a schedule was the time she could leave the office. She dropped her purse on the table and hung up her coat and keys. With a tired sigh, she walked into the living room and plopped into the armchair. She closed her eyes as Harvey walked out of the kitchen with a glass of white wine and began to rub her shoulders. He again looked impossibly handsome, this time wearing a sweater and jeans. She sighed in imagined bliss, and looked at him with sad eyes.
* You have no idea how much I wish you were real.
* In a blink, he was gone–and the phone was ringing. For a split second, Manny considered not answering it.
* There’s your chance to talk to a real person, Harvey murmured.
* Probably a telemarketer.
* Probably Rebecca. Or Daisy. They’ll worry if you don’t answer.
* All right, all right.
* Manny heaved herself to her feet and walked to the phone.
* Maybe I’m glad you’re imaginary after all.
* She caught a glimpse of his grin as she answered the phone.
* It was Rebecca, asking her to go out the next night.
* “I don’t know...” Manny sighed.
* “Oh, come on–you’ll have fun! And seriously–you haven’t gone out with us in months!”
* “I’ve been tired...”
* “You’ve been tired your whole life I think. You need to break out of this rut you’re in! Come out for a few drinks and dancing with me and Daisy. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a good-looking guy and be swept off your feet into a red-hot love affair.”
* Sounds like a plan to me.
* Yeah, ’cause that’ll happen.
* “I’d love to go dancing,” Manny said to Rebecca, “but the guy is just a figment of your imagination.”
* “Only because you don’t put any effort into it. Seriously, it’s not healthy to do nothing but work and go home. That’s how people go crazy you know.”
* “Huh. You mean next thing you know I’ll be talking to my imaginary friend?”
* Harvey grinned wickedly and Manny abruptly turned her back to him.

Buy A Life Less Ordinary here...
Amazon

Find Victoria Bernadine here...
Blog
Victoria can be contacted through Love of Words Publishing Inc. at loveofwords@shaw.ca

Thank you for joining us here today, Victoria! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

A bit more about the author... Victoria Bernadine (a pseudonym) is, as the saying goes, a “woman of a certain age”. After twenty-something years of writer’s block, she began writing again in 2008. She began with fanfiction about a (now-cancelled) TV show called Jericho and particularly about the characters of Heather Lisinski and Edward Beck. From there, she expanded into writing original fic and she hasn’t stopped since. Victoria enjoys reading all genres and particularly loves writing romantic comedy and post-apocalyptic science fiction. What those two have in common is anybody’s guess. She lives in Edmonton with her two cats (The Grunt and The Runt). A Life Less Ordinary is the first novel she felt was good enough to be released into the wild.

& Victoria will be awarding a $25 (grand prize) gift card with two gift cards for $15 each; the cards would br for either Amazon or Smashwords (winner’s choice).

A Look At Gaylon Greer & 'The Descent from Truth' ( @GoddessFish #SO #FF )

Today we have author Gaylon Greer visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Working with traveling carnivals and itinerant farm labor gangs during his teen and early adult years took Gaylon Greer up, down, and across the U.S. and introduced him to a plethora of colorful individuals who serve as models for his fictional characters. After several years as an Air Force officer and then a university professor with a Ph.D. in economics, Greer developed an interest in writing fiction and attended workshops at the University of Iowa, the University of Nebraska, and Bryn-Mawr College. He also studied with the U.C. Davis Extension program and the Algonquian Writers Group.

What book are you going to tell us about today?
* The Descent from Truth

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * Alex Bryson is patrolling Rocky Mountain backcountry in his job as a security guard when he discovers a woman with a baby wandering alone in the snow far from the nearest road. He takes them to shelter in a weekender cabin and sees a newscast that suggests the woman, Pia Ulmer, kidnapped the baby from its rightful parents and that it is the sole heir of Peru’s wealthiest and most corrupt family. Pia claims that she is the baby’s mother, and Alex doesn't know what to believe. After turning her in, he continues to struggle with his budding feelings for her and remains unsure of the true story. He becomes more and more involved until finally there is no turning back—lives are on the line. He helps Pia get free from a brutal world that values money over life, and together they devise a plan to reclaim the baby. Just when it looks like they might succeed, they discover an international conspiracy that changes the game entirely.

~ Excerpt ~ * “Please,” she said, her voice as rough as sandpaper and barely above a whisper. “Please, do not give my baby to those people.”
* “Are we back to that? First you're his mother, then you're his nanny. Now you're his mother again?”
* “They took him from me. Look at him, Alex. Both Mr. Koenig and his wife are blondes.”
* “Koenig’s an old man. His hair's white.”
* “Study Frederick's face. Do you not see me in his eyes? His chin and his mouth?”
* The similarities were uncanny, he'd grant her that. Good enough to get away with claiming to be the kid's mother if Alex hadn't learned the truth. The way she had attacked him, trying to kill him with that skillet, she clearly didn’t want to go back to civilization and prove who she was. He turned away, tossed Frederick in a maneuver that brought a cry of delight, and stuffed the boy's blanket-clad feet through the leg holes in the backpack. With his parka snapped around both of them and the diaper bag tied to his waist, he gripped his rifle in one hand, his snowshoes in the other, and headed for the porch. At the door, he turned for a final glance at Pia.
* She had set her mouth in a stubborn line. The eye that had been plastered shut was closed. She stared at him with the other. When she saw him looking at her, she spoke again. “Watch over him, Alex. Someone wants to harm him. Don’t let them.”
* A new tack, another lie. He stepped onto the porch and strapped on his snowshoes. That should have been the last he saw of her, but the specter of her ravaged face and defiant expression stayed with him as he trudged across the sunlit expanse of glistening snow that sloped gradually toward the Warrior River Gorge.

Buy The Descent from Truth here...
Amazon

Find Gaylon Greer here...
Website
Facebook

Thank you for joining us here today, Gaylon! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.