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23 September 2011

Welcome special guest: author Tina Gerow @TinaGerow

Today we have author, Tina Gerow, who also writes as Cassie Ryan, visiting. Tina Gerow has always had a passion for romance and anything paranormal. Her first book, Into a Dangerous Mind, won the award for Romantic Times Best Small Press Contemporary Paranormal for 2006.   
Since then, Tina has published several more books, including the popular Maiden series, the Seduction Series for Kensington’s Aphrodisia line as Cassie Ryan, and the Sisters of Darkness series with Berkley, also as Cassie Ryan.

* So, Tina, what inspired you to become a writer?
I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on and I think it was just natural that I started dreaming about one day seeing my own stories that constantly streamed through my brain up on a bookshelf with my name on the spine of the book.  The rest, as they say, is history :)
* When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
I wrote several short stories as a kid and was told by teachers how great they were, but that I needed to tone down the sarcasm and stop writing the “weird stuff” – which are both what I’m known for writing today!  Lol….  Ah, talk about foreshadowing!  I think my mom may still have those old ones in a box somewhere in her garage, but I don’t know where they are.
* How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
Actually I sold the first full length novel I wrote.  I don’t know how many dozens or hundreds of short stories I wrote…lol!
* What genre(s) do you write in? What drew you to write in it/them? What’s your favorite genre of all to write in?
As Tina Gerow I write paranormal romance and paranormal romantic suspense.  As Cassie Ryan I write smoking hot erotic paranormal romance.  I love writing in either genre and it keeps me fresh to switch back and forth :)  I suppose I was drawn to write what I enjoyed reading the most, so that was just a natural progression for me.
* What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
The best advice was to write every day and to learn everything I can about the genre and the business.  The worst?  Only one in a million people get published, so don’t be too disappointed if you don’t make it.  Screw that!!  My attitude was, “Why can’t I be that one in a million?” And I was published six months after I received that very bad advice! NEVER stop believing in yourself and your dreams – that’s the advice I give everyone! :)
* How do you celebrate/deal with acceptance/rejection letters?
I usually go to dinner/drinks with my friends…after dancing around the house like a total and complete fool and posting it to alll my social networks :)  yeah – I’m a geek :)
* In regard to the book you’re promoting, which actor and actress do you envision playing the roles of your hero and heroine? If there’s a villain or other characters who are pertinent to the story, who would play those parts?
I wrote Levi with David Tennant in mind and my heroine could definitely be played by Sandra Bullock :)  The Villain could be any number of good looking, yet slightly evil looking/dark actors :)
* The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.

The Demon & The Succubus is book 2 in the Sisters of Darkness Series.  The first book is Seducing the Succubus.  I’m still writing Taming the Succubus.  Berkley didn’t pick up book 3 & 4 in the series even though it received amazing reader feedback and reviews, so I’ll probably end up self-publishing it so I don’t disappoint my fans. :)
*** Now for some fun info… ***
* Would you/have you own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet?
NO!  I was bitten by a rattler when I was five and my brother chopped off its head and tossed it in a burlap bag.  Then he tossed both me and the twitching bag in the back of his truck and took us to the hospital.  I still have nightmares about that damn twitching bag :(  It took several nurses and doctors to hold me down to give me the anti-venom because I saw them stick the needle in the snake to take it out and no one bothered to tell me what they were doing so I thought they were giving me its poison…lol.  I think I even bit one of them :(  Sorry!  Lol…
* Are you a morning person or night owl?
Oddly enough, I’m both.  For work I prefer to get in uber early so I don’t have to stay and hit rush hour…lol.  The office is quiet early on and I can get more done :)  But once I’m home and hanging out – I can burn the midnight oil and enjoy staying up or going out for a late night swim under the moon.
* What’s your favorite number?
4, and it’s my son’s too.  When I was little, we had a pool table and I would play underneath it and organize the pool balls.  Well, my favorite color was and still is purple and the purple ball had a 4 on it, so it just stuck :)  In fact my son and I will yell across the house “It’s 4:44!” and both whoop and holler – which annoys my husband and makes us both laugh :)

*** About the book and series… ***

The Demon & The Succubus is the 2nd book in my Sisters of Darkness Series written as Cassie Ryan.  The series is about 4 Succubus in Hell’s Version of the Witness relocation program.  It’s got archangels, demons, succubus, incubus and a whole host of other supernatural beasties along with some smoking hot sex scenes and some great suspense and action :)  It’s available on Kindle, iPad as well as print at any brick and mortar book store – except Borders since they are no longer…
     I got the idea for the series when I was watching a Discovery Channel Program on the Garden of Eden.  They said that a lot of scholars consider Lilith the first “succubus” and I started thinking how lonely that must be for her to be considered the one who toppled that whole empire when it was really the free will of both Adam and Eve that got us to this point.  I wondered how someone with that kind of a past could survive and even thrive and the story started to come together inside my head :)  I pitched it to my agent and she loved it and the rest is history :)


***Find Tina/Cassie here***
http://www.cassieryan.com; http://www.tinagerow.com; http://www.facebookcom/tinagerow; http://www.twitter.com/tinagerow  I’m very active on Social Media and try to keep my websites updated with the latest and greatest.  I’m very behind on getting out newsletters, but I’m working to correct that.

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

Tina/Cassie is holding a contest! For a reader's choice between The Demon & The Succubus or Seducing the Succubus all you have to do is comment and leave an email and you’ll be entered. International readers are allowed to enter as well! Contest will close on Thursday 9/29 at 5:59 pm Pacific time after which a winner will be randomly drawn and notified.

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