Interview with Amylynn Bright, romance author

Please welcome author Amylynn Bright!

• When did you get started writing and what motivated you to write?

I’ve been writing my whole life. My first story was in the 3rd grade – The Lonely Crayon. It won a contest. Since then, I’ve been writing one genre or another but really found my home in Romance. I have no idea what started me writing except that I’m an extremely voracious reader – I read everything – and I guess I figured I could write too.

• What genres do you write in and why?

I generally write historical – in Regency London. I really enjoy recreating at romantic time. Besides, I love Jane Austen, although my books have considerably more sex than Miss Austen’s do.

• What do you have published and where?

I have Out of Heaven and The Sea Rose with Wicked Ink Press.com. I also have a full length novel out with agents.

• Tell me about some of your WIPs?

The above full length novel (a Regency) and several more short stories and TONS of ideas in various stages of development

• Tell me about yourself?

I’m a mom and, regrettably, I still have a day job. I read like a maniac even when I’m writing. My two kids and my idiot dog keep my husband and I very busy.

• Where can we find you on the Internet?

My sisters and I all do a blog – http://www.thequillsisters.com/  and I have my own site http://www.amylynnbright.com/ . Also facebook and twitter.

• What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors?

If we’re strictly talking romance then JULIA QUINN (I feel like I should curtsy) Anna Campbell, Karen Hawkins, Rachel Gibson, Candace Camp, Loretta Chase and a new up and comer Kelli Daymor.

• How do people react when they find out you are an author?

Mostly the reception is good. I think people like knowing someone that has written a book. I know I like hanging out with people that write and read a lot. Unfortunately, there is still the stigma for romance writers, but I’m trying to dispel those little prejudices one by one.

• Do you like writing your hero or heroine better? Which POV do you prefer?

It seems that I do like writing the men more. I seem to click with them better and I’m a very alpha person myself so maybe that’s why.

• What is your perfect hero? Perfect heroine?

I’m pretty fond of Handsome Jack from The Sea Rose. He’s sarcastic and witty and HOT. As for heroines, the lady in my full length novel, Francesca, is a lot of fun and very plucky.

• Do you belong to any writer’s chapters or groups, like RWA?

I belong to RWA National and my local chapter, Saguaro Romance Writers. They are an unbelievably supportive group of writers – better than any other writer’s group I’ve ever belonged to before.

• Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?

I suggest that you listen to all advice given to you, take in as many lecturers as you can, read the books you want to write and then boil down that information to something that works for you. In the beginning, I took every single lecture to heart and went home like a maniac and started revising. Then the next piece of advice came along and I’d revise again, and again. It got to the point that I was slowly driving myself insane.

• How long did it take you from when you started writing to being published? From first submitting to being published?

I’ve been working on the novel that’s out with agents for 2 ½ years. The short stories were written and published within the year that I wrote them. But that’s not to say, they didn’t also get rejections. Just submit, submit submit.

• What do you think about the future of epublishing?

Epublishing is here to stay. And this from someone who collects books. We would all be ridiculously naïve to think we can ignore it like it’s a fad.

• Do you do research for your stories? If so, what kind?

I’m a research junkie. I do it all the time because I love it. On my blog – www.thequillsisters.com there are a bunch of links to really helpful period research. Also, I love to buy reference books. I have a ton of them on English Manor houses, Maps of London from the 1800’s, English Gardens, medieval life, a bunch of books on period clothes, and several on knights and armor, etc. My only real problem is getting side tracked with the research and going off on tangents. I now know all kinds of stupid things like when postage stamps came about, when barbed wire was invented, when they began measuring sound in decibels, if there were muffins in Regency England, and the advent of sugar cubes. My husband is hoping to get me on Jeopardy.

• Are you a plotter (plots and outlines) or a pantzer (by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer)? Why?

I’m a definite pantzer. I let the story come about very organically. And then after the first draft I go back and tighten up the story and make sure there is appropriate conflict and plot. It’s probably not the most efficient way but there it is – for better or worse.

• What is the best or worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

Submit submit submit. Ignore the generic refusals and take advice with a grain of salt.

• Do you use a pen name? Why or why not?

Sort of. I’ve combined my first and middle names into one name. Amy lynn to Amylynn.

• Is there a genre that you haven’t written that you would like to?

I have a story percolating that is very sci-fi/paranormal. I really haven’t ventured very far into that realm but I’m feeling myself drawn there.

Out of Heaven
By Amylynn Bright

Genre: Paranormal Romance
PUBLISHER: Keith Publications
ISBN: 978-1-936372-00-3

AUTHOR’S KP WEB PAGE: http://www.keithpublications.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:amy-bright&catid=40:amy-bright&Itemid=60

BUY LINKS: http://www.wickedinkpress.com/product_info.php?products_id=30&osCsid=37bba22722f845de0018e8de0db1a3c0

http://www.dinkwell.com/product_info.php?products_id=32

BLURB:

The Archangel Gabriel is going to Earth to win the woman he has loved for eons. He is confident that it won't be that difficult... but, he only has one day to meet her and make her fall in love with him. She's been hurt before and he finds that she's not exactly a pushover. And as if he needed a further challenge, there are mischievous demons trying to keep them apart.

EXCERPT:

The instant he left her, a screaming infant under the bright lights in a modern hospital room, he return and demanded an interview with Michael.

"I'm going. You know the love I have with her is different. One life is all I want. I have watched her leave me and return for eons, and this time I'm going whether you approve or not."

Michael studied Gabriel. "Oh Gabriel ….Why do you want to go?

Humans are only mortal. They are lesser beings than our kind."

"As you say," Gabriel nodded, "but, humans are also more than you give them credit for. Otherwise, she would not be compelled to return back there, especially not after the last horrid life. Why would a soul willfully return to pain unless the passion is more than you or I can imagine?"

Michael deliberated. Gabriel spoke with such ferocity, making it difficult not to consider his request and, being a warrior himself, Michael could appreciate his friend putting up a fight for what he wanted. Michael sat forward in his chair, steepled his fingers, and gazed at the other Archangel.

“What you ask is too dangerous, Gabriel.” Michael shook his head. “There’s no way to predict what could happen. Once they hear you’re down there . . . we couldn’t protect you.”

“I’m willing to accept the risk.”

“I’m glad to hear you are, but I’m not sure I want to accept the risks with you.”

Gabriel sighed in frustration. “Please allow me the chance. Just one life with her. I want to hold her with my arms and make love to her the way mortal men can."

After a long silence, Michael sat back in his chair, his polished armor gleaming in the ethereal light from the Astral Plane, and nodded. "One life. But, due to the risks, there will be rules and conditions."

"Anything."

"You have one earth cycle to entice the mortal woman to fall in love with you, true love. And you may not reveal your identity to her under any circumstances." Michael paused, probably for effect. He was not only the most powerful Archangel, but also the most dramatic. He stood and sheathed his massive sword. "If you fail, you will immediately return to the Akasha and there will be no other similar opportunity." His tone didn't allow for negotiation.

Only twenty-four hours. That amount of time would have to be enough time. "Thank you, Michael," he told the retreating warrior.

"God speed," Michael called over his shoulder. "And good luck."

Six Sentence Sunday

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! This week I am posting a random six sentence portion of my work in progress "Brothers in Blue: Max."

As Amanda stood to gather the mountain of trash Greg had made from his gift wrap massacre, all male eyes – including his father’s – returned to appreciating the tight derriere in the short skirt. And when she bent over --

Max coughed sharply, getting his brothers’ attention once more, and scowled purposely at them. He never should have told her to wear that skirt. His mistake.

His mother frowned at the loud noise, “Are you okay, Max? Are you getting sick?” She rushed over to him to place the back of her hand against his forehead.

Check out some of my other fellow authors' Six Sentence Sunday!

Dee Carney

Alanna Coca

Hailey Edwards

Sara Brookes

Interview with Author BRINDLE CHASE

Please welcome my fellow Loose Id author, Brindle Chase!

• Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Don’t let the name fool you. I’m a dad, a brother, a husband and a wild and crazy guy.

• Do you use a pseudonym and if so, why?

I work for a fortune 500 financial company for my day job. Given the erotic overtones of my writing, I felt it best to disassociate my real persona from my alter ego.

• What genre do you write in? Why did you pick that genre?

I write in many genres, but have been concentrating on Paranormal Erotic Romance. I hadn’t read much in that genre, but it spoke to me. I find it provides an outlet for voids within my personal life that other genres couldn’t fill.

• What inspires you to write the type of stories that you write?

My muse is fickle and chaotic. My inspiration comes from tiny scenes that float into my head. That one scene becomes a full length story later, but my muse always gives me just enough to set a fire under me and write. Music can trigger it. A real life situation. Something I see from the bus commuting home. Anything can spark my muse’s interest.

• How would you describe your writing style? Plotter or pantser? Why?

I tend to be more of a plotter. I rough draft my stories in skeletal form, and then flesh them out later if I still like the story after the draft.

• What is your favorite genre to READ?

I’d say Paranormal anything. *lol* My favorite books have been Fantasys, but ironically, I don’t follow the genre very closely. I like Urban Fantasy as well.

• Do you have a specific place where you like to write? When, during the day, is your most creative time?

I write on a sky bridge on a skyscraper. Its where I work, so I write for a half hour before my day shift begins and then again on my lunch break. Guess where I’m at? On the sky bridge. *lol*

• What’s your typical writing day?

Monday through Friday. Every single workweek day, unless I’m on vacation. Occasionally I will write at home, but there is usually too much going on there for me to concentrate.

• Do you have critique partners or beta readers? Why?

Absolutely! I would never have polished a story enough to become published if I hadn’t. I recommend it to anyone trying to break into the professional scene. I will probably always use beta readers. Their insight is invaluable and they find or point out things I just can’t see for myself. I get too close to my writing to see some of its impact to a reader.

• Who give you the most support along in your writing?

My writing buddies. They cheer me on, offer up tips and ask the same of me. Several of them are published too. I’ve been very blessed.

• Do you have another job (besides writing)? If so, what do you do?

Yes, as mentioned above. I work for a very large financial institution that shall remain nameless. I’m not sure they would like people to know an erotic romance author works for them.

• What’s your take on the future of ebooks and epublishing?

It is the future. Embrace it or get run over. The industry is still trying to figure out how its all going to work, but they do understand it is the wave. I will miss holding a book in my hand, but I think with the POD technologies out there, us old school readers can still get our hands on a nice paperback. There is one facet I don’t think is going to pan out, and that is the injection of motion picture and pictures and music into ebooks. As a reader, I don’t want someone else to envision the scene I am reading. I want my imagination to paint the picture and the words to guide me. I can see it working for graphic novels, or maybe children’s books, but not general fiction.

• Do you have a favorite quote -- yours or someone famous or even infamous?

“Don’t harsh my gig, buuuud-dee” - Pauly Shore

• What’s your favorite food?

Seafood Alfredo Fettuccini

• What’s your favorite movie? Why?

Saving Private Ryan. Ever since I was a little boy, I had a fascination for World War II. SPR is the most authentic movie I’ve seen yet. The characters were vibrant and even Tom Hanks played a realistic soldier. (I still see him as the guy in Bosom Buddies)

• Do you have a favorite book or author?

Yendi by Steven Brust is my favorite book of all time. It’s a fast paced read, but the main character is awesome! My favorite author would be hard to pin on just one. I’d say at this moment, J.R Ward is my fav.

• Tell me about your latest or upcoming release?

Gothic City Lights just released with Loose Id. This is my debut novel! Here’s a blurb:

It was just a fling. Lilith Templeton had no clue he was a human agent working for the angels. No big deal, but she got caught and Mother Superior, Portland’s most powerful angel, wants penance. Or death, Lilith’s choice. Being a lowly half-demon and therefore not a participant in the never-ending war for souls, she knows it's insane to cross the full-blood demons like Mother Superior wants. But opting out isn't an option: do or die. For additional penance, she's paired with an angel who not only ignites her lust but something more. Lilith wants to fall in love, to know what it was like to share herself with just one man. Yet since succubi needed to stay sexually satisfied, falling in love with the angel of chastity is a mistake she can’t afford.

Gabriel would have never second-guessed his choice to ascend through the virtue of chastity. Until he meets Lilith. Now, his ascension would be forfeit if he cannot vanquish his need for her. Having no choice but to ignore the fire burning inside them, they work towards tempting the demon cult’s human leader into revealing the hideout. Lilith, sexually irresistible half-succubus, is the perfect bait. Get in, send the signal and wait for the angel to rescue her. Oh and not get killed, or tempt the angel. Simple, right?

• Do you have any releases scheduled for 2010?

The Grass is Always Greener, a contemporary erotic romance, releases August 13th with Breathless Press
Diva-licious, a contemporary erotic romance, releases Fall, 2010 with The Wild Rose Press.
That One Night in Vegas (a free read) is being translated to Spanish and will release as a Spanish free read, later this summer.

• What’s your next project?

I am currently working on a sequel of sorts to Gothic City Lights. Same universe, but is the story of the angel Helena. She is tasked with tracking down a demon assassin and runs into a human demon hunter who is after the same demon. They spend a lot of time getting in each other’s way before admitting they have a wild unexplainable attraction to one another.

• Where can readers find you on the web?

I’m on facebook (www.facebook.com/brindle.chase), blogspot (http://brindlechase.blogspot.com/) and my main website is http://www.forlorn-hope.net/.

Excerpt:

Another long silence set in, and Lilith couldn’t stand the suspense. It was as if the air between them had thickened into an impenetrable wall.

Her breaths were ragged, and she felt like she was suffocating waiting for his reaction. Waiting for his complete and utter revulsion.

“Tell me you understand.” Her throat was dry and hoarse. She kept her gaze out the window, unable to face him, unwilling to see the loathing ooze from his eyes.

“Lil—” His voice started with reproach, and she was ready and snarled as she cut him off.

“Go on. You can say it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand what?

“How you can just give yourself to people. Just anyone.”

“It’s a fucking curse. I can’t help it. And I don’t give myself to just anyone.”

“It all seems pretty darned convenient,” he said, his tone not only coming with an edge, but now also an undertone of condemnation.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You want sex, you feel the lure of lust, and you offer up your demonic sin as an excuse to jump whoever catches your fancy.” He cranked the wheel hard and turned the car down another side street in an ongoing series of double backs and crisscrosses throughout the downtown sector. Anyone following had long been lost. Lilith couldn’t care less.

“You motherfucker!” she cried. She had been called many things, but coming from him, it stung horribly. Flying at him forced him to use a hand to grapple with her as she flailed her fists against him.

He jerked the wheel against the curve of the road as his fingers wrapped about one of her wrists, barely managing to keep her at bay and maneuver the car into a parking garage. The Jaguar crashed through the wooden barrier meant to force one to purchase a ticket and then skidded sideways as Gabriel slammed on the brakes.

13 pieces of Sexy Lingerie

13 PIECES OF SEXY LINGERIE:

1. The Baby Doll

2. The Body Stocking

3. The Chemise

4. The Bustier

5. The Negligee

6. The Teddy

7. The Garter Belt

8. The Bikini

9. The French Maid

10. The G-String

11. The Corset

12. Boy shorts

13. The Camisole

What's your favorite? Which would you wear? ;)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Summer Lovin' Blog Tour

Welcome to the

Romance Writers Behaving Badly

"Summer Lovin'" Blog Tour!

By following the Hot and Steamy Days and Nights tour you have a chance to win a bunch of great prizes. I am giving away a copy of my best-selling, award-winning, m/m Phaze "Rebel" Heatsheet RIP CORD!

You should have came from Gem Sivad's blog.

Summer is a great time for love. For being hot, sticky sweet. And for getting wet! In the pool, at the beach, where ever...

"Summer lovin' had me a blast..."

"Summer lovin' happened so fast..."

"I met a girl crazy for me...

Met a boy cute as can be..."

"Summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh
those summer nights..."

Your next stop on the Hot and Steamy Days and Nights blog tour is Chloe Waits' blog. Don't forget, you need to leave a comment on EVERY blog for a chance to win... Enjoy the tour and have a GREAT summer!

13 Sexy Drinks

13 Sexy Drinks:

1. Sex’n’Honey

•42 Below Manuka Honey vodka
•Pineapple juice
•Amaretto almond liqueur
•Cracked black pepper
•1 piece of star anise (optional; to garnish

Directions: Combine 2 oz. vodka, 2 oz. pineapple juice and 1 oz. liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice. Add a dash of black pepper and shake. Strain into a martini glass, then garnish with another dash of pepper and a piece of star anise.

2. Sex Panther

•Tequila
•Peach schnapps
•Chambord
•Sours

Directions: Fill cocktail shaker with ice, then add 1 oz. tequila, 1/2 oz. peach schnapps, 1/2 oz. chambord, and 1 oz. sours. Shake, strain into a small glass, and drink as a shot.

3. Ménage à Trois

•Dark rum
•Triple sec
•Light cream

Directions: Fill shaker halfway with ice cubes. Combine 1 oz. of each ingredient, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass.

4. Goodnight Kiss

•Champagne
•Campari
•1 sugar cube
•Angostura Bitters

Directions: Put one drop Angostura Bitters on the sugar cube and drop it into the champagne flute. Fill with champagne and add a splash of Campari on top.

5. Red Hot Lover

•Vodka
•Peach schnapps
•Grenadine
•Strawberry juice
•Orange juice

Directions: Combine 2 oz vodka, 2 oz peach schnapps, a dash of grenadine and 2.5 oz. each of strawberry and orange juice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well for a few seconds, and pour into an ice-filled hurricane glass.

6. Sweet Release

•2 fresh strawberries
•4 fresh raspberries
•Spiced rum
•Powdered sugar
•Sweetened cream

Directions: Mix 1.5 oz. rum and 1 tsp. sugar, then soak strawberries and raspberries in mixture. Slightly whip cream, then swirl together 1/3 rum-berry puree with 2/3 cream in a champagne flute. Garnish with extra berries to complete the look.

7. Champagne Love Shots

•Champagne
•2 tbsps. fruit puree (for example: raspberry, passion fruit, blood orange, peach and pomegranate, your choice)

Directions: Spoon puree into a champagne flute and pour champagne over it.

8. Sex on the Beach

1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz peach schnapps
2 oz cranberry juice
2 oz orange juice

Directions: Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass over ice. Fill with equal measures of cranberry juice and orange juice, and stir.

9. Screaming Orgasm

1 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz Bailey's® Irish cream
1/2 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur

Directions: Pour first vodka, then Bailey's, then Kahlua into a cocktail glass over crushed ice. Stir.

10. Slow Comfortable Screw

1 oz sloe gin
1/2 oz Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
orange juice

Directions: Pour sloe gin and Southern Comfort into a collins glass filled with ice. Fill with orange juice, stir well, and serve.

11. Buttery Nipple

1 oz DeKuyper® Buttershots liqueur
1/2 oz Irish cream

Directions: Pour buttershots into a chilled shot glass. Carefully layer or float the irish cream on top, and serve.

12. French Kiss

1 oz vodka
1 oz raspberry liqueur
1/2 oz Grand Marnier® orange liqueur
1 oz whipping cream

Directions: Shake and strain into a champagne flute. Garnish with a speared cherry or raspberry, and serve.

13. Between the Sheets

1 oz DeKuyper® Buttershots liqueur
1/2 oz Irish cream

Directions: Pour buttershots into a chilled shot glass. Carefully layer or float the irish cream on top, and serve.

Which ones have you tried? Which ones suit you? I'd try them all! They all sound sexy and wonderful! What do you think?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Six Sentence Sunday

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! This week I am posting a random six sentence portion of my work in progress "Brothers in Blue: Max."

“Radio holder. Pepper spray. And these…” He popped open a black leather case and pulled out a set of shiny silver handcuffs, dangling them from one of his long fingers. “Are for bad little girls. Do you want to try them on for size?”

“I have my own set, thank you very much.” She smirked at him wickedly. “They’re pink and fuzzy.”

Check out some of my other fellow authors' Six Sentence Sunday!

Dee Carney

Alanna Coca

Hailey Edwards

Sara Brookes

13 of the World's Sexiest Beaches

13 World's Sexiest Beaches:

Last October my husband and I eloped. We got married barefoot on a beautiful beach in St. Lucia. Well, last Sunday we finally had a HUGE party for friends and family. It was a big BBQ for 100 people. The reason I bring this up today is that it had me remembering how beautiful it was in the West Indies... So I decided to find 13 of the World's Sexiest Beaches.

1. Bora, Bora, Tahiti, nicknamed "the Romantic Island."

Bora Bora

2. Biarritz has been dubbed "the queen of beaches and beach of kings."

3. La Digue, Seychelles, where granite rocks create a dramatic landscape.

La Digue

3. Phi Phi Island, Thailand

Phi Phi Island

4. Copacabana Beach, Brazil

5. Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro

6. Patong Beach, Phuket Island, Thailand

Patong Beach

7. Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia is the world's largest sand island

Fraser Island

8. Folegandros, Cycladic Islands,Greece

9. Tenerife the largest island in the Canary Island archipelago

Tenerife

10. The Baths, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

The Baths

11. Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

Muizenberg Beach

12. Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

13. Gold Coast, Australia

Gold Coast

So, could you picture yourself on any of those beaches? Have you visited any of them. Which beach that you have visited should be included in this list?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Six Sentence Sunday

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! This week I am posting a random six sentence portion of my work in progress "Brothers in Blue: Max."

The thump, thump, thump of the music was so intense that her heart was beating right out of her chest. Amanda fidgeted with the gauzy dress, smoothing it over her hips. She had found the skimpy outfit in “her” bedroom; it was just one of many items of clothes that she had left behind when she had gone to Manning Grove. Two-sided tape kept her breasts contained by the narrow strips of material and the length was so short that she would have to remember to not bend over.

Wearing short dresses and skirts required skill; a lesson Amanda had previously learned the hard way. She knew better now: to carefully squat down--knees delicately together, of course--instead of bending over if she needed to pick something up.

Check out some of my other fellow authors' Six Sentence Sunday!

Dee Carney

Alanna Coca

Hailey Edwards

Sara Brookes

Summer Lovin' Blog Tour... Coming soon!

KEEP AN EYE OUT HERE... June 18-20 for the Romance Writers Behaving Badly Summer Lovin' Blog tour! Win some GREAT prizes! Don't miss it. Mark your calendars!

Interview with Author Jessica Freely

Please welcome my fellow Loose Id author Jessica Freely, who has a new release today!

• Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I'm a middle aged woman living in the Midwest. I've been publishing fiction in a variety of genres for about fifteen years. I live with my husband, our two dogs, and our cat. I'm an outdoors enthusiast. I enjoy walking, bicycling, kayaking, and swimming. A lifelong geek, I've been playing rpgs (role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons) since high school. I love food and reading and getting up to no good.

• Do you use a pseudonym and if so, why?

Jessica Freely is a pseudonym. My real name is Anne Harris. I also write YA science fiction under another name. I use pseudonyms for branding purposes, so readers know which genre they're getting when they pick up one of my books.

• What genre do you write in? Why did you pick that genre?

More and more these days, I write m/m erotic romance. I love writing and reading about men being emotionally vulnerable with one another. It's intoxicating. I can't get enough of it!

• What inspires you to write the type of stories that you write?

I'm passionate by nature and my creativity thrives on powerful emotion. I like to write stories where there is a lot at stake for the characters. The closer I can get them to the edge of their capacities, physically and emotionally, the more fun I'm having. My rule of thumb is: the more dire the challenges my heroes face, the bigger and more bountiful the HEA they win in the end.

• How would you describe your writing style? Plotter or pantser? Why?

A story usually begins with an idea for an emotional conflict, or sometimes a line of dialogue. I obsess over it for a while and the idea attracts friends. Eventually the little story knot burns a hole in my hindbrain and I write a sketchy first draft. Then I wonder what in the world I was thinking. I slink off in embarrassment and work on something else for a while. Then I remember something I loved about the story, and I pick it back up and beat it into shape.

• What is your favorite genre to READ?

I don't really have a favorite genre, just favorite authors. Some of them are: Lois McMaster Bujold, Georgette Heyer, Lee Rowan, Alexandre Dumas, William Gibson, Tiranog, Patrick O'Brien, Jan Irving, and Charlie Cochrane.

• Do you have a specific place where you like to write? When, during the day, is your most creative time?

I have an office in my home. It's painted yellow and has a big corkboard with lots of pictures pinned to it. Also my bookshelves are in that room. When I need to get out I go to my local coffeehouse and work there. I'm sharpest at midmorning.

• What’s your typical writing day?

I start writing at 11 am and depending on what else is going on and whether the project is running hot or cold, I work anywhere from two to eight hours.

• Do you have critique partners or beta readers? Why?

Yes! Because I'm a lousy judge of my own work, liable to enshrine the ridiculous and cut the indispensable. I'm too close to the work to be able to judge it dispassionately, so I rely on my beta readers and my editors to bring the perspective I lack.

• Who give you the most support along in your writing?

Oh, I can't name just one person. I'm very fortunate that the people in my life are wonderfully supportive, in general. My family, my husband, my friends and colleagues all offer encouragement on a regular basis, and I'm grateful to them.

• Do you have another job (besides writing)? If so, what do you do?

I mentor graduate students in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction MFA program. I started doing this in 2007 and I find it very rewarding. Our program is rare in that it focuses specifically on genre fiction: romance, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, young adult, and children's. The student's thesis is a market ready novel manuscript. We offer a very hands-on, practical approach to writing commercial fiction and that's something quite unique in the academic world.

• What’s your take on the future of ebooks and epublishing?

Oh, don't get me started! Ask anyone who knows me -- this is my favorite topic of conversation. I love the epublishing business model as practiced by Loose Id and other erotic romance ebook publishers. As an author who works in both epub and print, I see significant advantages to the ebook way of doing business, both for authors and readers.

To me the most crucial aspect of publishing is price. In order to remain a vibrant, active form of art and entertainment, books have to be cheap enough for readers to buy on a whim. Twenty-five dollar hard covers can't offer that. Even $8 paperbacks give one pause. The way to bring books to readers at price points in the $5 range and make a profit is digitally. I don't see any escaping that. I don't think print will go away, but I think it will continue its current trend toward what Tor publisher Tom Doherty calls "a carriage trade" -- a specialty business. I think the future of mass-market publishing is digital first, print-on-demand later.

• What’s your favorite food?

Fried.

• Tell me about your latest or upcoming release?

Amaranth & Ash is just out from Loose Id today! It's an erotic fantasy romance set in a rigidly stratified society on another world. Amaranth is a vasai, born with both male and female characteristics and forbidden from sexual relations with any but the ruling class. Ash is a chel, a member of the underclass. Their unlawful passion ignites a rebellion and transforms their world.

• Do you have any releases scheduled for 2010?

My next release is Hero, a reprint of my first three m/m erotic romance stories, Hero, Stay, and Scars, all starring David and Seth. It's a prequel to last fall's Loose Id release, Rust Belt. They take place in my hometown, Detroit.

Hero comes out from Loose Id on July 20, 2010. I'm excited that these stories will be available to readers again.

• What’s your next project?

I'm currently reading for an historical m/m set in vaudeville during the Great Depression.

• Where can readers find you on the web?

Website: http://www.friskbiskit.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1165925185
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jessicafreely
Newsletter Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jessicafreely/?yguid=325478449

I want to mention that newsletter group members receive exclusive access to free fiction not available anywhere else. Currently those who join can read and download Amaranth & Grail, a short story about Amaranth's school days.

Buy Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Amaranth-and-Ash.aspx

Blurb:

In a world where everyone has their place, Amaranth & Ash belong together.

Amaranth is a vasai, born with both male and female characteristics, and a soul that can reach out and touch the souls of others in order to heal them. But a vasai’s services are only for the Elai, and they demand sexual satisfaction as well as healing from their beautiful servants. Frustrated with these constraints, Amaranth wants to use his talent to help those who really need it.

Ash is a chel. Considered devoid of souls, chel are the lowest of the low. Not content with his lot, Ash steals from the middle class pel. One night he’s caught and brutally punished.

A soul in agony calls out to Amaranth from across the city. When he discovers that it belongs to a chel, it only confirms his worst suspicions about the lies of the Elai. Amaranth takes Ash home and heals him, an act of rebellion that could cost both their lives.

Amaranth's compassion for Ash soon turns to passion. Ash treats him like a person, not an instrument of sexual gratification. Neither of them have much experience with mutual pleasure but together they embark on an exploration of intimacy and desire that carries them to the heights of passion and love -- and shakes the very foundation of their world.


Excerpt:

At first, Amaranth’s soul was inundated by the collective weariness and boredom of thousands upon thousands of pel souls. He felt like he was suffocating as they crowded in upon him, and he couldn’t even tell one from another. But then someone’s extreme distress flared through the teeming confusion like a pillar of fire. Daily contact with the petty ailments and self-inflicted miseries of the Elai had not prepared Amaranth for anything like this.

The individual was in great pain. It washed over Amaranth like a red wave. This was someone in real trouble. He staggered with the force of it, and reflex made him pull his soul back in to protect himself. But what had he come here for, if not to help? And whomever this was needed help. Amaranth loosed his soul again, sending it out to find the source of this incandescent pain.

Amaranth followed the beacon of distress to a waste culvert deep in Pelon, nearly to the border of Chelon. By necessity, he drew his soul in tighter the closer he got, so that he was not overwhelmed. Now he stood beside the river at the base of a concrete ramp. It sloped upward between stone walls cut into the high riverbank.

Amaranth had heard about these culverts, but he’d never actually seen one. The ramp ascended until flush with the surface of the riverbank. The pel threw their refuse down the ramp so the chel could collect it without the decent, hard-working pel having to lay eyes on them. He supposed it wasn’t so different in Elaion. There, pel workers took the trash down to the footpaths along the river and deposited it in grottoes for the chel to gather.

But not everything in this culvert was refuse. Huddled behind a wooden pallet halfway up the ramp was the battered consciousness that had called out to him across half of Harken’s Landing. Amaranth stepped forward, his foot scraping on the damp concrete.

* * * * *

The sound of a footstep awakened Ash instantly. Adrenaline pumped through his system, sharpening his senses. No. He couldn’t let himself be taken again. It would kill him -- if he wasn’t dying already. Panicky, he searched about for a weapon of some kind, anything. His gaze fell on a discarded pair of scissors. He didn’t even know if he’d have the strength to wield them, but he was going to try. What the fuck did he have to lose? Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d die fighting.

* * * * *

Amaranth felt the soul of the person huddling behind the pallet flare to wakefulness. He -- and it was definitely a he -- was ablaze with pain and rage now. Instinct made Amaranth draw his own soul in to protect him from the agony. But it didn’t do any good. There was just too much of it.
Bracing himself against the emotional onslaught, Amaranth sidled into the culvert along the opposite wall, giving the individual lots of room. In the light of the setting moon, eyes -- and something else -- glittered from between the slats of the pallet. Panic spiked out at Amaranth. What little information he could glean through the general cloud of pain, hunger, and distress made him flinch inwardly. Whoever this was, whatever had been done to him, he was well past the point of being able to distinguish friend from foe. This was going to be tricky.

Amaranth crouched down, his hands extended outward, palms up. In his most soothing voice, he said, “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

The pallet went flying and a scrawny young man launched himself at Amaranth, wielding a pair of rusty scissors.

The thrust was well aimed and would have cost him a scar or even an eye if the body propelling it had been capable of more speed. Amaranth ducked under the scissors. He tucked his face in the young man’s armpit for protection and grabbed his assailant firmly around the waist. The young man let out a scream that raised hair on Amaranth’s body he hadn’t even known he had. Something sharp sliced into his shoulder.

Shit! The scissors!

Amaranth let go of the struggling body with one hand and reached behind him, groping for the scissors. The boy wrenched free and stood. He turned to run. Even with his soul locked down tight, Amaranth had a good idea just how low the brief struggle had left the young man’s limited store of energy. He staggered. Amaranth barely managed to catch him as he fell.
The body was light in his arms, underweight but lithe and sinewy. He was strong for his size, but now all the wire and snap were out of him, and he lay limp and motionless. He was in his twenties, if Amaranth could judge. Rough-textured dark red hair gleamed softly in the dim light. The face was angular -- high cheekbones and a pointed chin covered in rough red stubble. Freckles stood out in sharp contrast to the boy’s pallor.
The physical differences between the castes were obvious: Vasai were tall, slender, with hair ranging from silver to ebony and every shade between, and they possessed both male and female characteristics; Elai were tall as well, though thicker of build and dark haired; pel were of medium height, stocky, and dark haired; and chel were short and thin, with sharp faces and red or auburn hair. With a shock, Amaranth realized that the being in his arms was a chel.

A chel with a soul. Amaranth had felt it. There was no mistaking it. That meant either this was a very special chel, or that much of their world was founded on a lie. He decided to leave thinking on that for another time.
Whoever, whatever this young man was, he needed help. But for a forlorn pair of stained canvas shoes, he was naked, shivering even in unconsciousness. Kneeling on the damp concrete, balancing the limp form in one arm, Amaranth swept off his cloak and wrapped the too-thin body in it. He got one arm under the knees and the other behind the shoulders and lifted him up, cradling the chel against his chest for extra warmth as he strode out of the culvert and up the path along the riverbank, back toward Elaion. What, precisely, Amaranth thought he was doing bringing a chel into his home, he didn’t give himself time to wonder about.