Giveaway & Interview with "A CALLIOPE REAPER-JONES NOVEL" Author Amber Benson

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Ace; Original edition

Release Date: February 23, 2010

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From Publishers Weekly
Benson follows up Death's Daughter with a complicated, slow-moving tale. Being the half-human daughter of the Grim Reaper has advantages—such as immortality—but Calliope Reaper-Jones would rather just get on with her ordinary life in New York City. Then Callie learns that her lost love may still be alive; a dangerous cat-shaped spirit guide seeks human form; and Cerberus, the three-headed guardian of Hell, demands Callie locate and turn over a mysterious architect who's gone missing. Callie bounces from twist to twist as she explores Benson's richly imagined world, where multiple mythologies blend, and the afterlife is run as a corporation. The chick lit voice gets its share of laughs, but the frenzied pace fails to hide the lack of heart or the sense that this time around, the stakes never really amount to much. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
Calliope Reaper-Jones is Death's Daughter. She owes a debt to Cerberus, the three headed dog that guards the gate's of hell-a debt that involves a trip to Purgatory, Las Vegas, ancient Egypt, and a discount department store that's more frightening than any supernatural creature she'll ever encounter.

Read excerpt.

Get to know the Author of the Day.

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

The best part of being a writer is that you get to do your work in your PJ's if you want. The worst part of being a writer is working under a deadline. It always stresses me out the closer I get to finishing a book!

Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

I am a huge fan of the Greenwood's Map of London. It has all the streets that no longer exist listed. So weird and creepy how a street can just cease to be there!

Do you have a favorite motto?

Just do it. Cheesy, I know, but I believe if you don't do it for yourself, no one will do it for you.

Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

I'm a big Indiana Jones fan. And as far as heroine's go, I love Lyra from the His Dark Materials books.

Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Alyosious Pendergast from the Preston/Child books.

What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

The cover for the Gustav Flaubert book, A Sentimental Education - I think the cover painting is called 'Man With Leather Strap'.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I am a secret Sweet Valley High fan!

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

Apparently, I wrote a bitchin' Java Programmer's Guide - or at least another Amber Benson did.

 If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

I know what I'm getting by going backwards into the past. Forwards, well, who knows what the future holds...maybe the end of the Earth and humanity as we know it and that's scary.

 Amber, please tell us more about your recent release by ACE, “CAT’S CLAW”.

Cat's Claw interweaves my love for mythology with my love of sci-fi/fantasy. I got intrigued by the female pharoah Hapshetsut and I wanted to mix her story into the weird and silly world of Death's Daughter, Calliope Reaper-Jones. There's some Wayne Newton/Vegas action and Target makes a starring appearance. If Cat's Claw makes you giggle then it's done its job!

If you could compare “A Cat’s Claw” to your first book in your new urban fantasy series, “A Calliope Reaper-Jones Novel" series, how would you say it’s different?

I think it's even better than the first one. There's a lot of action and you get to know the characters and all their quirks even better.

 Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

I think you can't have one without the other. For me, voice is what starts me off, but without the plot my characters would be bored - and I have to keep them happy!

 Amber, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers like me, we just need to know…:)

I am on twitter: @amber_benson, on facebook and I have a blog: http://www.amberbensonwrotethis.blogspot.com/

I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

I am slightly obsessed with George R.R Martin right now and anything by Charlaine Harris.

What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I am working on the third Calliope Reaper-Jones book, tentatively titled, Sea Stone, which will be on the shelves March 2011. My middle grade book, Among The Ghosts, comes out in late August of this year and the film I co-directed called DRONES will be out on DVD in the fall. I think that's everything. Ugh, just thinking about all that makes my brain hurt!

I’d like to thank Amber Benson for stopping by and spending time with us, it’s been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. I wish you all the best and much success in everything you do. :)

*Giveaway*

Best known for her portrayal of Tara Maclay  in the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" author Amber Benson is joinging us today chatting and giving away a copy of her February 2010 release "CAT'S CLAWS", the second book in he A Calliope Reaper-Jones Novel" series.   To ente here are a few simple rules.

* +2 Leave a comment for Amber Benson including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! ( this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.)
* Become a follower of Over The Edge! (+3 Already a follwer--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.)

The contest is open to all and will be running until May 6, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner directly on June 7, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!

Giveaway & Interview with Award-Winning Erotic Romantic Supense & Romantic Suspense Author Jo Davis

Series: Firefighters of Station Five, #4

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release:  May 25, 2010

Format:  Mass-Market Paperbacks

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To his fellow firemen, Tommy Skyler has it all. But the golden boy of Station Five hides a private pain. He was once a star quarterback until tragedy derailed his dream. Since then, he's struggled with his choices-including his decision to become a firefighter. His one ray of light shines in beautiful nurse Shea Ford. When a dangerous rescue lands Tommy in the ER, what better opportunity to win her over? But when a conspiracy culminates in deadly arson, Tommy realizes that a ruthless enemy is closing in, threatening to destroy the couple's love- and their lives.


Award-winning author Jo Davis currently writes romantic suspense and erotic suspense for New American Library, and is best known for her bestselling romantic suspense series, The Firefighters of Station Five. Her books have been finalists for the Australian Romance Readers Award, the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, and have captured the HOLT Medallion Award of Merit. Her debut erotic suspense novel, When Alex Was Bad, received a 4 ½ star Top Pick rating from RT Book Reviews and is in development as a major motion picture. She is currently at work on a new paranormal romance series for NAL. A native Texan, Jo lives near Dallas with her husband and two teenagers. Visit her website at http://www.jodavis.net/.

Read excerpt.

Get to know the Author of the Day.

Christine, thank you so much for having me here today at Over The Edge! I’m looking forward to our visit!

1. What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

The best and worst parts are the same—the isolation. I’m a loner by nature, so I can disappear into the world of a book I’m writing for days or weeks and I’m happy as a clam. My family, however, becomes impatient with me and they have to coax me out of my office and remind me that the important things in my life are not found in those pages.


2.  Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

When starting the Firefighters series, I was amazed and awestruck by how much those men and women do in the course of a shift that has nothing to do with fighting fires, which accounts for only about 3% of their calls (at the station I mainly used for my contact). Accidents in the home, traffic accidents, and medical emergencies account for almost all their calls, and the occasional rescue. I’ve always respected firefighters, and now even more so.

3. Do you have a favorite motto?

I love this one by Stephen King: “Speaking personally, you can have my gun, but you’ll take my book when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the binding.”

4. Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

My favorite hero of all time: Houston Leigh in Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath. Favorite Heroine: Skye O’ Malley from the book of the same name by Bertrice Small.

5. Which fictional character would you hang out with?

I would love to hang out with Harry Dresden, the hero from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series! A hunky private eye wizard who’s always getting himself into some sort of paranormal scrape…what’s not to love?

6. What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

My favorite covers so far are for my newest release, LINE OF FIRE, and my upcoming SHADO Agency book, I SPY A NAUGHTY GAME. NAL creates gorgeous covers!

7. What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I don’t know… Maybe that I can recite the entire prologue of the Canterbury Tales from memory, thanks to my English teacher in my senior year? Or that I’m a rabid Bon Jovi fan from the very beginning and go to their concert every time they come to Dallas?

8.  What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

That there’s a “Jo Davis Correctional Facility” in Alabama. Somehow that just seems fitting (my friends tease me about my warped mind), but getting their Google Alerts in my inbox is really creepy. LoL.

9. If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

Definitely backward. I’d love to go back to when I was a kid in the early ‘70’s, riding in a car with one of my older cousins driving, the window down on a beautiful summer day, a Slurpee in one hand, “California Dreamin’” playing on the radio, and not a care in the world…

10. Jo, please tell us more about your recent release by Penguin, “LINE OF FIRE”?

Line of Fire is the fourth book in my Firefighters of Station Five series, and it’s Tommy Skyler’s story. Here’s the blurb:


To the other men of the A-shift, Tommy’s a lucky guy who has it all. But deep inside the golden boy of Station Five hides a private pain. He was once a star quarterback on the fast track to the NFL, until a family tragedy derailed his dream. Ever since then, he’s been a man struggling to come to terms with the choices he’s made—including his decision to become a firefighter.
His one ray of light shines in beautiful nurse Shea Ford. And when a dangerous rescue lands Tommy in the ER, what better opportunity to win her over? As Shea gives in to her feelings for him, they reach the heights of a passion beyond their imaginations. But when a sinister conspiracy culminates in deadly arson, Tommy will lose more than he ever envisioned. A ruthless enemy is closing in—and he threatens to destroy not only the couple’s love, but their lives.

11. Question: If you could compare “LINE OF FIRE” to your other books in the “THE FIREFIGHTERS OF STATION 5” series, how would you say it’s different?

This book is different because Tommy is really questioning his career path and the direction of his life. He’s still young enough to pursue a career in professional football, but isn’t sure if that’s what he wants. This book is also a pivotal story not only for Tommy, but for Sean Tanner, our tragic captain. Lives are changed forever, and destinies altered. Have tissue handy!


One thing I want to say about this story is that Tommy is 23 and Shea, his lady love, is 28…not such a big difference. Theirs is not a younger man/older woman story and was *never* intended to be! In the beginning of the series, Tommy has a lot of growing up to do (in book one, TRIAL BY FIRE, he sees his first dead body and loses his first patient on a call) and slowly comes into his own as a man. Shea has personal issues and uses Tommy’s outward immaturity (for example, his excessive use of the word “dude” which his friends drill out of him and is normal for a man his age) as an *excuse* to push him away. She doesn’t really think he’s too young, and I want to set that straight.

12. Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

For me, definitely voice. There’s a vast difference between telling a story and telling a story so that it leaves the reader breathless and exhilarated at the end of an emotional journey, and eagerly awaiting the next book.

13. Question: Jo, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers we just need to know…:)

Please visit my website at http://www.jodavis.net/ for release news, excerpts and more!

14. I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

Oh, gosh, there’s so many! Off the top of my head, I’d have to say Jim Butcher, Addison Fox, J.R. Ward, and Cindy Gerard. I also love m/m romance and authors on my auto-buy list in this genre are Eresse, Sean Michael, Marie Sexton, Katrina Strauss, Stormy Glenn, and Victor J. Banis. Those are just the tip of the iceberg!


15. What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

Next up for release is my second SHADO Agency book, I SPY A NAUGHTY GAME, coming September 7 from NAL Heat. It’s erotic suspense, and this is Blaze Kelly’s story. Blaze made an appearance in book one, and is a delicious hero who’s a Dom in his personal life and is having a tough time convincing his woman to be his sub. I’m currently writing book 3, I SPY A DARK OBSESSION, to wrap the trilogy. DARK OBSESSION is a ménage story featuring SHADO leader Michael Ross, Bastian Chevalier, and Katrina Brandt, and is set for release in March 2011.


After that, I’m very excited to begin working on book 1 of my new paranormal romance series for NAL! The series is called “Alpha Pack” and is based on a team of special ops heroes who are wolf shifters. The title of the first book isn’t set, but it’s due for release in December 2011.

I’d like to thank Jo Davis for stopping by and spending time with us, it’s been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. I wish you all the best and much success in everything you do. :)

Thank you for inviting me to chat! It’s been my pleasure! :)

*Giveaway*
Joining us today is award-winning bestselling erotic romantic suspense and romantic suspense author Jo Davis.  Jo is chatting and giving away a copy of her recent release in THE FIREFIGHTERS OF STATION 5 series, "LINE OF FIRE".
To enter.. here are a few simple rules.

* +8 Read & comment on LINE OF FIRE, HIDDEN FIRE, UNDER FIRE & TRIAL BY FIRE reviews
* +2 Leave a comment for Jo Davis including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! ( this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.)
* Become a follower of Over The Edge! (+3 Already a follwer--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.)

The contest is open to all and will be running until May 30, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner on June 1, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!

Giveaway & Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Hannah Howell

Series:  If He's, book 3

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance

Pub Date: May 25, 2010

Imprint : Zebra

Format : Paperback

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An enchanting new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hannah Howell that will make you believe in the power of destiny—and desire—all over again…

She Sees His Face Everywhere…
Lady Alethea Vaughn Channing is haunted by a vision of a man in danger—the same man who she has seen in dreams time and time again. She doesn’t even know his name, and yet she feels the connection between them, knows she is the only one standing between him and disaster.


…Yet They Have Never Met
But rakish Lord Hartley Greville is capable of protecting himself, as he has proven more than once in his perilous work as a spy for the crown. If he’s to carry out his duty, he’ll need to put aside the achingly beautiful woman with the strange gift. And yet, when Alethea’s visions reveal a plot that could endanger children, Hartley will not be able to ignore the destiny that binds them together—or resist the passion burning between them…

Read excerpt.

Get to know the Author of the Day.

CSM: Please help me welcome New York Times Bestselling author, Hannah Howell to Over the Edge. Hannah, my readers and I are so psyched that have dropped by to spend time with us.

Thanks so much!

CSM: Tell us more about yourself. Readers love learning new and interesting things about an author, and this would give you a chance to make them feel close.

I was first published in 1988 after 5 long years of banging my head against the publishing wall. Married with two sons, one married, and three grandchildren, I have spent my whole life in small towns in New England. In fact the maternal side of my family has been here since the 1630s. I tend to blame the winter weather for a too rampant imagination. Been married 39 years and have five cats. When I have any extra time I like to garden – weather permitting – or crochet. For 10 years now have been writing Scottish medievals – The Murrays – and now have a new series set in late-Georgian England concerning another huge family – the Wherlockes – who have psychic gifts. The plan is to alternate the Highlanders and the Wherlockes now.

CSM: Besides being a total book junkie I’m also a music junkie. When I’m writing I have a sound track playing either in my mind or in my cd player. What’s your sound track? What type of music is on it?

Love music – anything but Jazz and rap – but I have to be very careful about playing it too often when I write because I tend to sing along and do a lot of ‘chair dancing.’ So, the closer deadline comes, the less music I play. Occasionally – when I’m typing my manuscript into the computer and editing I will play a collection of Opera arias (y’know the ones that build and build to a huge crescendo?) because for some strange reason I seem to type faster when its on. And – not knowing what the heck the words are – I can’t get carried away singing along.

CSM: How would readers find out more about you?

There’s my website – http://www.hannahhowell.com/ or my blog – http://hhowellauthor.blogspot.com/

CSM: When did you write your first book?

My first 2 books were published in 1988. I actually wrote my first one about 5 years before that and, as with most first books, it’s in a box somewhere. Took a while to get something together that was worth sending out.

CSM: Where and when do you write?

I write in the afternoons and evenings because I’m not, and never have been, a morning person. Now – if the deadline is looming – I will push myself to sit in the morning and work, but it can be slow going. I also have a nice big office now with a small library upstairs that you can reach by a circular stairway from my office. When we had the new house built we had them put a large room over the garage and made the attic space over it large enough to be finished as a room. It’s very nice and looks out on the river from one side and the back garden from the other.

CSM: What is your must-have book for writing?

There are so many. But ones I use the most are the Oxford Dictionary and the Oxford Thesaurus. Also NAMES THROUGH THE AGES by Teresa Norman. A current favorite of mine is the WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER TRAITS by Linda N. Edelstein, PH.D, from Writer’s Digest Books. I have a lot of writing books but they are of the go-to-when-needed type. And a lot of them are from the very good collection Writer’s Digest Books has.

CSM: What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Study the market, learn all you can about the skills of writing fiction, and don’t give up. Oh, and be ready to accept that very few writers get their books accepted exactly as they sent them in – there will be editing to do and it’s best to be willing and able to do it. Never forget that to the guys buying and marketing your stuff it’s a business, so leave the artiste at home and pick your battles carefully.

CSM: What genre(s) do you write?

Historical romance. I’ve done ones set in the US frontier, Westerns, Medieval England, Medieval Scotland, and now late-Georgian England. There’ve been a few books where there was some small psychic talent in one of my characters and that crops up a lot in the Murrays but the late-Georgian tales bring that psychic aspect right to the front. I also write a novella story about a vampire clan in medieval Scotland once a year that shows up in an anthology Kensington puts out every fall. Been doing that for about 7 years.

CSM: Among that you’ve written which is your favorite book and why?

That’s so hard because they are all my babies. The ones that move fast, don’t cause me too many problems, are usually favorites for a while. So far I’d say HIGHLAND WARRIOR and IF HE’S SINFUL and that’s mostly because I remember them most clearly out of the about 50 books I’ve written.

CSM: Please share with us something that readers would be surprised to learn about you.

Not sure there’s much that would surprise anyone. I love kids movies – from Cinderella to Ice Age and collect them all. Strangely enough – I also have a soft spot for strange little movies like Snatch.

CSM: Tell us more about your recent Kensington Zebra release, “IF HE’S WILD”.

IF HE’S WILD is the story of Hartley and Alethea. She has visions, and can have them even by just touching something. She’s been seeing Hartley for almost 15 years but then has a vision that shows him being murdered so she heads off to London to save him. Naturally he isn’t all too eager to believe in things like visions but soon can’t deny that she has a ‘gift’ as does most of her eccentric family. There are bad guys, and bad women, and danger, and children that need to be rescued so naturally Hartley and Alethea spend a lot of time together which is just what you want your hero and heroine to do.

CSM: Any new projects, works in progress?

Right now I’m working on another Scottish tale – one of the Murrays again. This one concerns Ilsabeth Murray Armstrong and she needs help to prove that she didn’t murder a king’s man – despite the fact that her dagger was found buried in the man’s heart – and that her family aren’t traitors. She runs to Sir Simon Innes, a man who has saved two of her kinsmen from the gallows, but he isn’t so sure he ought to trust her. Evidence and the fact that she is one of the roguish Armstrongs makes him doubtful of her innocence. But they are both soon pulled into danger, and fighting to untangle all the plots that threaten her family.

CSM: I want to take this time to thank Hannah Howell for stopping by and sharing with my readers and myself a little bit about yourself. This sure has been loads of fun. I hope you enjoyed being here as much as we enjoyed having you.

Thank you so much for having me.

*Giveaway*
Joining us today is New York Times bestselling author of historical & parnormal romance Hannah Howell. Hannah is here chatting and giving away a copy of her recent release from her new historical paranormal series, "IF HE'S WILD"
To enter hear are a few simple rules.

* +5 Read & comment on IF HE'S WILD review
* +2 Leave a comment for Hannah Howell including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! ( this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.)
* Become a follower of Over The Edge! (+3 Already a follwer--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.)

The contest is open to all and will be running until May 30, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner on June 1, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!

Giveaway and Interview with Bestselling Author of Dark, Sexy, Historical Paranormal Romance Donna Grant

Series: Dark Sword Series, Book 2

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Release Date: May 25, 2010

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A DANGEROUS SECRET…

Fallon MacLeod has gifts any warrior would covet - fierce strength, unmatched skill, even immortality. But those gifts come at a price that puts everyone he loves at risk. Only when his brother, Quinn, is taken captive does Fallon leave the seclusion of his Highland home to seek the king's aid. And though every women at court would gladly be his for the asking, one alone causes desire to roar to life within him: beautiful, mysterious Larena Monroe.

A WILD DESIRE…

Rumors swirl around the castle about "The McLeod" but Larena knows the truth. Like Fallon, Larena is searching for a way to vanquish the evil Druid who wants to wreak havoc on earth. Drawn to Fallon in spite of her fear, she surrenders to a passion that shocks them both with its raw intensity. But Larena dares not hope for more - not when she holds a secret that could turn her fiery Highland love against her forever…

Read excerpt.

Get to know the Author of the Day.

1. What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

The best part of being a writer is being able to share my worlds and characters with other readers. There’s nothing like getting an email or letter from a reader and hearing how much they enjoyed my book.


The worst part of being a writer. . . there’s not one for me. I love everything about writing from discovering new characters to the times when getting words onto a page is the most difficult thing. It’s all a process, and though sometimes it can be painful, when I get to write “The End” when a book is done, it’s a time to celebrate.

2. Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

I’ve researched Medieval Scotland for so long, yet every time I open one of my research books, I find something new. I think the one thing that gave me an “ah, ha!” moment was when I began research druids about five years ago.


There are so many differing stories as to what/who the druids were. It really depends on what book you pick up for your research. Some say druids were evil and committed thousands of human sacrifices.


Others say that the druids were people of peace who used their wisdom and knowledge to help those around them.


No one may ever know what the druids truly were, and the conflicting accounts allow writers to make the druids what the author needs them to be in the story. For me, that means they get to be both good and evil. :)

3. Do you have a favorite motto?

“Everything happens for a reason.”
It’s not always easy to follow, but I do believe it’s the truth.

4. Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

Without a doubt, Aragorn, from Lord of the Rings (books and movie). The fictional heroine would have to be Larena from my book FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER. She makes her way in a world dominated by men, and does it with such grace and style.

5. Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Hmm…that would be any of the Warriors from my Dark Sword series. Or Dean Winchester from Supernatural. :)

6. What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER is one of my favorites because it’s the first in the series, which makes it special.


I recall the first time I saw Karen Marie Moning’s Kiss of the Highlander cover in the book store. I had to have that book based on the cover alone. There was something so compelling, so utterly engrossing about the hero’s strikingly gorgeous face on the cover. You couldn’t see his eyes, but then you didn’t care when you had such a lovely mouth and jaw line to look at. Even to this day, that cover (and the ones that followed in that series) makes me stop and stare.

7. What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

Before I was a writer, I was an accountant. Before that I was a ballet dancer and taught dance.

8. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

Apparently there’s an actress named Donna Grant.

9. If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

The past is the past. I’ve lived it, made the mistakes, and learned from them. Those mistakes and decisions (good or bad) made me the person I am today. If I changed anything in the past, who knows how it would change me.


By the same token, I don’t want to know what the future holds. Oh, there’s a part of me that would like to know, but if you know, what fun is it to live and see how life turns out?


No, I think I’ll pass on time traveling. I’d be too afraid I’d mess up everything in the universe to even try. 

10. Question: Donna, please tell us more about your recent release by St. Martin’s, “FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER”?

FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER is the second book in my historical paranormal series, Dark Sword. It picks up right where DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER left off with the three MacLeod brothers and their struggle to live with the primeval gods inside them that give them immortality and unimaginable powers.


Those powers, however, allow them to fight Deirdre, the Druid bent on ruling all. Just as there are Druids both good and evil, there are Warriors who give into the evil of their gods and align with Deirdre. There are also other Warriors like the MacLeods who will take a stand about Deirdre.


FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER is Fallon’s book, the eldest MacLeod. He has to get past the mistakes of his past to look toward the future. Fallon, next in line to be laird of his clan, has drowned himself in drink for three hundred years. Now, he must be the man he was meant to be and lead the Warriors against Deirdre.


But there is something Fallon never counted on – a woman. Larena Monroe grabs Fallon’s attention from the first moment he lays eyes on her, and he’s powerless to resist her pull. They give into the fiery attraction between them, but Larena holds a secret that could destroy the love that’s building between them.

11. If you could compare “FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER” to “DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER”, how would you say it’s different?

In DANGEROUS you get your first glimpse of the MacLeod brothers and their world of Warriors, Druids, and magic. You got to see a lot of the brothers, watch as Lucan and Cara learn about her Druid magic and fall in love, but there was so much more out there in their world I wanted to explore. And just the tip of the series.


In FORBIDDEN, Fallon, the eldest MacLeod, takes us away from their castle for a time. You get to see a slice of medieval life, and better yet, you get to meet more Warriors as Fallon discovers the one woman who understands him as no one else can. And, we get to see more of Deirdre, the evil Druid who wants to conquer the world with the Warriors at her side. She’s got her sights on the MacLeods and she’ll stop at nothing to have them.


12. Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

Hmm…interesting question. I’d have to say the story. Though an author’s voice is important in connecting with readers, in the end, it’s the story that hooks the readers and keeps them coming back for more. At least that’s what gets me when I find an author I enjoy. I continue to buy his/her books because I want to be taken away to the world’s they’ve created.

13. Donna, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers like me... we just need to know…:)

There are several places you can find me:
My website – http://www.donnagrant.com/
My blog – http://www.donnagrant.com/blog
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Donna-Grant/27841130699
Twitter – www.twitter.com/donna_grant
Danger: Women Writing – www.DangerWomenWriting.com


14. I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

There are so many great authors out there. If there’s a Midnight Breed book by Lara Adrian, its mine. :) I’m also a huge fan of Lisa Kleypas, Shana Abe, JR Ward, Christina Dodd, and Larissa Ione.


And entirely too many more to list.


15. What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

Next for me is another Dark Sword book, WICKED HIGHLANDER. This is Quinn’s book, the youngest MacLeod, and will be on the shelves November 2, 2010.


I’ll be concentrating on writing more Dark Sword books in the coming months. Books four, five, and six (UNTAMED HIGHLANDER, SINFUL HIGHLANDER, and DARKEST HIGHLANDER) have already been contracted and will be out every six months.


You can find out more about the Dark Sword series (characters, glossary, FAQ, quizzes, wallpapers, etc…) at: http://www.donnagrant.com/darksword


I’d like to thank Donna Grant for stopping by and spending time with us, it’s been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. I wish you all the best and much success in everything you do. :)

Thank you for having me. I very much enjoyed my time here!


*Giveaway*
Joining us today is bestselling author of historical parnormal romance Donna Grant. Donna is here chatting and giving away a copy of her latest release in the Dark Sword Series, "FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER".
 To enter hear are a few simple rules.

* +2 Leave a comment for Donna Grant including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! ( this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.)
* Become a follower of Over The Edge! (+3 Already a follwer--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.)

The contest is open to all and will be running until May 30, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner on June 1, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!

Giveaway & Interview with Samhain Publishing Debut Author of "DEVIL'S MISTRESS" Laura Navarre

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Format: eBook

ISBN: 978-1-60928-028-4

Length: Novel

Price: 5.50

Publication Date: June 1, 2010

Order Now

Living breath-to-breath beneath the shadow of violence, Italian perfumer and apothecary Allegra Grimaldi was forced to learn the killing arts from the Hand of God—a religious assassin. She has sworn never to use her deadly skills, but now a blackmailer has her by the proverbial throat.

To save her family from an ugly death, she must do the unthinkable. Infiltrate the court of King Henry VIII, poison the heretic Anne Boleyn before she becomes queen—and frame Anne’s bastard brother for the crime. Honest and principled, Sir Joscelin is the perfect pawn.

Allegra is clever, captivating…and her warning to Anne immediately rouses Joscelin’s suspicion. Sworn to protect his sister, and striving for recognition from the powerful father who disdains him, Joscelin has no choice but to put aside his attraction to the mysterious lady and gather evidence to see her burn for witchcraft.

To avert a disaster that will change the face of Europe, this stalwart soldier of incorruptible integrity and the fallen woman who breathes deception must learn to trust each other—and discover the one truth that could save them all.

Read excerpt

Get to know the Author of the Day.

1. What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

The best part of being a writer is having an iron-clad excuse to escape into the darkly seductive medieval/Renaissance world of historical romance every day, where I am wooed by sexy, brave, brilliant heroes whose primary driver is winning my heart.


The worst part of being a writer is the rejection process! Six years, four novels, and sixty-three rejections before I sold. :) About half of those were agent rejections before I finally found the wonderful agent who’s perfect for me—JD DeWitt at The View Literary Agency—whose connections and determination resulted in my second sale to Dorchester (THE DEVIL’S TEMPTRESS, out in November 2010).

2. Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

In my dark Tudor romance THE DEVIL’S MISTRESS, my heroine Allegra Grimaldi is a reluctant lady assassin who’s blackmailed to poison Anne Boleyn. So I had to research poisons that would have been used in the 1500s. I relied on a great resource for writers called THE BOOK OF POISONS. One particularly fascinating tidbit is that Renaissance ladies put drops of deadly nightshade in their eyes to make them lustrous. The things we do for love. :)

3. Do you have a favorite motto?

This is corny, but it’s what I live by, from the James Bond film THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH: “There’s no point in living if you can’t feel alive.”

4. Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

My favorite fictional heroine is definitely the powerful and devious Melanthe in FOR MY LADY’S HEART by Laura Kinsale. This heroine directly inspired my seductive Italian assassin Allegra Grimaldi in THE DEVIL’S MISTRESS. I’m awfully fond of Scarlett O’Hara from GONE WITH THE WIND as well.


My favorite hero is tougher to identify, because I like almost all of them! For now I’ll say it’s cold-as-ice assassin (hmm, is there a theme here?) Bastien Toussaint from Anne Stuart’s BLACK ICE. When I realized the hero himself was an assassin, my entire body tingled! Which made me realize I needed to write one of those myself. :)


You’ve probably figured out by now that my romances are fairly dark!

5. Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Probably time-traveling nurse Claire Randall in Diana Gabaldon’s electrifying OUTLANDER novels. She’s brilliant, compassionate, courageous and resourceful. Time-travel is the least of Claire’s adventures with Scottish hero Jamie Frazer.


But it would also be extremely fun to hang out with dragon-riding Capt. Will Laurence in Naomi Novik’s alternate history/fantasy TEMERAIRE books. Think Regency England and the Napoleonic Wars—with dragons!

6. What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I have to say my current favorites are my own. :) In order to maximize my creative control over the cover, I persuaded Samhain to let me shoot my own cover for DEVIL’S MISTRESS, in coordination with Samhain’s fabulous art director Scott Carpenter. I hired the models, photographer, and producer for the shoot, used Paul Mitchell for hair and makeup, and rented Tudor-era costumes from a theater in Spokane, WA. We shot the cover in front of a Gothic cathedral in Spokane, and it turned out so well it still gives me chills. You can find my cover here at http://www.lauranavarre.com/

7. What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a fluent Russian speaker with a background in diplomacy and arms control, and lived in Russia for five years. Among other adventures, I’m one of very few Americans who’s ever been inside North Korea.

8. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

There’s an author out there with my name exactly, except for one letter, who has evidently written a book called VALENTIN: A SPECIAL BAT. All very intriguing, but I am not the author. :)

9. If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

This one’s easy, I think. I’d go back in time to Tudor England—either the early years of King Henry VIII (before he beheaded Anne Boleyn and went crazy), or the early years of his daughter with Anne—Elizabeth Tudor. If Henry VIII looked a bit like Jonathan Rhys Meyers (who plays Henry on THE TUDORS), I wouldn’t mind a bit.

10, Laura, please tell us more about your recent release by Samhain Publishing, “THE DEVIL’S MISTRESS”?

THE DEVIL’S MISTRESS is a dark and sexy Tudor romance about a reluctant lady assassin who’s blackmailed to poison Anne Boleyn. Allegra Grimaldi is an Italian perfumer and apothecary who learned the killing arts from the Hand of God, a religious assassin. The honorable Sir Joscelin Boleyn is Anne’s bastard brother, and sworn to protect her. This novel has won the Hearts Through History Romance Through the Ages contest (Ancient/Medieval/Renaissance category), the River City Romance Writers Duel on the Delta contest, and was named Overall Winner across all seven categories of the Yellow Rose RWA’s Winter Rose Contest.

11.  If you could compare “THE DEVIL’S MISTRESS” to your other books, how would you say it’s different?

THE DEVIL’S MISTRESS is the fourth novel I wrote, but the first to sell, which makes it very special for me. My heroine is far darker and more cunning than my other heroines, and my hero’s incredibly hot! The physical model for my Sir Joscelin is Sean Bean’s Boromir in LORD OF THE RINGS.

12. Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

In my view, voice and story are both important, but I think voice takes precedence. There are only so many plots and storylines that work for historical romance. (Some well-known examples of romance tropes are Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella story, marriage of convenience, amnesia story, etc.) So it’s voice that makes a writer’s work unique. No one can ever tell the story exactly the way you tell it, and I think the reader’s attraction to your voice is what will make your book stand out in her mind long after she’s finished it.

13.  Laura, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers like me-- we just need to know…:)

Thanks for asking this question! My new website and blog are up at http://www.lauranavarre.com/ , where you can also find excerpts and information about my upcoming releases. If you send me an email with your address, I’ll happily mail you an autographed postcard with my gorgeous cover. I also love to meet readers on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LauraNavarreAuthor.


I’m still figuring out Twitter at www.twitter.com/LauraNavarre, and I’m one of the “official Tweeters” for the Stonecoast MFA program at University of Southern Maine at www.twitter.com/StonecoastTweet . My “coming soon” page is up on the Samhain website at http://samhainpublishing.com/coming/the-devil-s-mistress. And, finally, I’m thrilled to hear from readers at LauraNavarreAuthor@yahoo.com .

14. I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

I’m insanely obsessed by Jacqueline Carey’s dark alternate Renaissance world and her seductive courtesan/spy heroine Phedre in the Kushiel series. (First book is KUSHIEL’S DART.) I adore the late great Marion Zimmer Bradley, who wrote THE MISTS OF AVALON and the telepathic fantasy Darkover novels—still working my way through her backlist. And I’m a huge fan of RITA-winning historical romance author Laura Kinsale, whose latest release is LESSONS IN FRENCH, which I’m hoping to read shortly. :)

15.  What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

My second novel is a dark Crusader romance called THE DEVIL’S TEMPTRESS. Set in Eleanor of Aquitaine’s elegant court, it’s a love triangle between a disgraced Muslim knight, an ardent Christian lady, and Richard the Lionheart. The novel’s being released by Dorchester in November 2010, so you can find it at your local bookstore.

DEVIL’S MISTRESS is out in e-book format on June 1, and will be released as a print book in early 2011. You can find out more about my upcoming releases and works-in-progress at www.LauraNavarre.com

I’d like to thank Laura Navarre for stopping by and spending time with us, it’s been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. I wish you all the best and much success in everything you do. :)

Thanks so much for the opportunity to appear on Over The Edge! It’s been a fantastic experience.

*GIVEAWAY RULES*
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to a writer whom will take you on a dark and seductive thrill ride author Laura Navarre. Laura is chatting and giving one lucky commenter the chance to win a eBook copy of her debut release,"DEVIL'S MISTRESS". I just have a few simple rules.

* +2 Leave a comment for Laura Navarre including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! { this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.}
* Become a follower of Over the Edge! {+3 Already a follower--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.}

The giveaway is open to all and will be running until May 23, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner directly on May 24, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!

Giveaway & Interview: A Fast Funny and Delightfully Twisted Debut Novel by Ryan Brown

Publisher: Gallery,  Division of Simon & Schuster

Release Date: May 2010

Format: Hardcover: 352 pages

ISBN-10: 1439171300

ISBN-13: 9781439171301

Buy Now!

Today’s #1 New York Times bestselling thriller writers agree: Ryan Brown’s compulsively readable first novel is unbeatable—a darkly humorous, rich and pungent zombie shocker that melds our national obsession with football and the newest wave of fascination with the undead.

For the first time in Killington High School history, the Jackrabbits football team is one win away from the district championship game, where they will take on their most vicious rival, the Elmwood Heights Badgers. But on game day, bad-boy star quarterback, Cole Logan, is brutally attacked by three masked men. With the stakes so high, Cole is determined to play despite his injuries, but his coach refuses to allow it. That night on the way to the game the Jackrabbits’ bus crashes, killing all of Cole’s teammates. When he learns the steroid-crazed Badgers are responsible, he is bent on payback, and turns to a mysterious fan skilled in black magic to resurrect the team. But even in the spirit world there are hitches. The Jackrabbits are brought back to life, but unless they win the final game against their murderous rival, the team is destined for hell. In a desperate race against time, Cole must lead his zombie team to victory…or risk their eternal damnation and violent consequences for everyone in town.

Read first chapter.

Watch the PLAY DEAD book trailer.

Get to know the Author of the Day.

1. What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

The best part about being a writer is that I can do it on my own time, anywhere in the world. The worst part is that the work never comes easily.

2. Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

PLAY DEAD is a fictional story about football players rising from the dead, so I didn’t have to do a lot of research. I do remember having to confirm that the quarterback can become an eligible receiver in Texas High School football.

3. Do you have a favorite motto?

My favorite motto is Don’t think…just do. I like it because it goes against my nature. I constantly have to remind myself to live by it.

4. Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

I have two favorite fictional heroes: Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Edmond Dantes (The Count of Monte Cristo). My favorite heroine in literature (although not fictional) is Isak Dennison (Out of Africa).

5. Which fictional character would you hang out with?

If could hang out with any fictional character(s), it would be Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I think the three of us could get into some fine trouble together.

6. What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I thought the cover for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES was brilliant.

7. What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

Readers might be surprised to learn that I read as much non-fiction as fiction.

8. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

The strangest thing I’ve ever learned about myself by googling my name is that I have a daughter. (I don’t. I have a son.)

9. If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

I would definitely go backward in time before I would go forward. I’m a huge history buff, and big on nostalgia.

10. Ryan, please tell us more about your debut release, “PLAY DEAD”.

PLAY DEAD is part sports satire and part horror-comedy. Set in Texas, it’s about a high school football team that dies in a horrific prank gone wrong and comes back from the dead as zombies. Only a victory over their vicious district rivals (also their murderers) can save the players’ souls. Think FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS meets DAWN OF THE DEAD.

11. Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

I think story is more important than voice…more important than anything, in fact. I’d much rather read a good story written in a weak voice than the other way around.

12. Ryan, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers we just need to know…:)

If any readers would like to learn more about me, they can visit my website: ryanbrownauthor.com or visit my Facebook Fan Page: Ryan Brown Author. Further information can also be found on my author page at simonandschuster.com.

13. What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

-PLAY DEAD, my first novel, will be available everywhere May 4, 2010.


-My short story SUSPENDED will appear in the ITW anthology FIRST THRILLS (edited by Lee Child), available on June 22nd, 2010.


-In October, my young adult thriller JEEPERS PEEPERS will appear in the ITW anthology FEAR: 13 STORIES OF SUSPENSE AND HORROR (edited by R.L. Stein).


-My second novel, as yet untitled, is nearing completion, and will be available spring 2011.


I’d like to thank Ryan Brown for stopping by and spending time with us, its been a blast getting to know more about you and your work. All the best Ryan and much success in everything you do.

*GIVEAWAY RULES*
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to a writer whom will take you on a fast, funny and twisted thrill ride author Ryan Brown. Ryan is chatting and giving one lucky commenter the chance to win a copy of his fast paced adrenaline rush debut release,"DEAD PLAY". I just have a few simple rules.

* +2 Leave a comment for Ryan Brown including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! { this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.}
* Become a follower of Over the Edge! {+3 Already a follower--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.}

The giveaway is open to all and will be running until May 23, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner directly on May 24, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!

Giveaway & Interview with St. Martin's Press Author, J.D.Mason

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (March 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312598564
ISBN-13: 978-0312598563
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
Buy Now!

Thirty years ago, three high school friends were closer than sisters, but a dark, emotional secret tore them apart. Now, back together at their high school reunion, each of them are tormented and haunted that their greatest fear will come to light.

Renetta Jones' childhood had been anything but happy. After her mother walked out on them, Renetta was left to live with an unsympathetic father and her own insecurities. She fell for the first man to come along after high school, and spent years in an abusive marriage with a man named Vincent, who used her secret to control and punish her. That is, until he suffered an untimely stroke, under questionable circumstances.

Phyllis Neville sacrificed everything for her career, including her marriage to a man she'll love forever, and a positive relationship with her adult daughter. But when she is passed over for the promotion of a lifetime, it’s just the first thing to go wrong in her once perfect life as the past rears its ugly head.

Freddie Palmer is bored by the routine that her life has become. Married thirty years to her husband, Don, the two of them have become empty-nesters and Freddie is anxious to start the next phase of her life. After meeting successful author, Bianca Hightower, at a local bookstore signing, Freddie decides to take her passion for reading to the next level and signs up for writing classes being taught by her new author friend. But Bianca sees potential in Freddie that transcends simply writing, and introduces her to the kinds of experiences a woman like Freddie never even knew existed. But when the past catches up to her, it becomes one more dark secret she’s not sure she’ll be able to keep.

Tasha Darden has lived her life in foster care, and has finally gathered up the courage to try to find her birth mother. One of the three women holds the answers she seeks and she will stop at nothing until she gets them.

Read excerpt.

Get to know the Author of the Day.

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

The best part about being a writer is building, or rather, having the power and the desire to build something out of nothing and then to finally see it come to fruition. We are all capable builders, but writers build using words, and I love using words as the bricks and mortar of my stories.


The worst part about being a writer is in having to grin and bear it when it comes to getting negative reviews. I don’t care how thick a writer believes their skin is, the truth is, criticism hurts…always has, and always will. In this business, it’s a necessary evil, but knowing that doesn’t make it any less painful.

Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

I learned that the dominatrix actually has a great deal of respect for her submissive. On the surface, like most people, I assumed that it was her lack of respect for a sub that sealed the bond between the two of them in that relationship, but boy was I surprised (and happy) to learn that I was wrong.

Do you have a favorite motto?

Since I use it a lot, I think my favorite motto must be “keep it moving”. When life gets you down, “keep it moving”. When disappointment sets in, “keep it moving”. When hope seems like it is nowhere to be found… Well, you get the idea. I just believe that nothing good or bad or in between lasts forever, and the only way to get through any situation, is to “keep it moving”…keep pushing.

Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

My favorite fictional hero is Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Gandalf is just sexy in the ways old, wise men tend to be.

Which fictional character would you hang out with?

I’d hang out with the big “G”! Gandalf baby! And I’d try and make him my boyfriend. I have this thing for older men.

What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I really love all of the covers for L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress Legend Series. The artwork is beautiful on those covers.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

Readers would probably be surprised to learn that when it comes to movies, I absolutely loathe chick flicks. I’m a science fiction/fantasy kind of girl when it comes to films. So, you won’t find me rushing out to see any movie that revolves around romantic relationships of any kind. I might watch them on cable or when they come out on DVD, but only if I’ve checked out all that the science fiction/fantasy has to offer.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

That there is a 6’4”, white, college football player ( I believe) out there with the same name as me. He must be good because his name comes up quite a bit.

I also learned once that I had won an award in Atlanta, called the Atlanta Choice Award for romance or something like that for one of my books (One Day I Saw A Black King). No one ever contacted me to let me know, but it was still nice to find out.

If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

I’d go forward (see my motto). I know where I’ve been, and I’m much more interested to see where I’m going. I’d like to think that I’m headed where I’d ultimately like to end up, but I’ve learned from experience, that things seldom work out the way you plan them or think they will. I never liked surprises, and if I could have the play book of what’s to come in my life, I’d love it.

J.D., please tell us more about your recent release by St. Martins, “TAKE YOUR PLEASURE WHERE YOU FIND IT"?

Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It is about three friends, who, growing up, were closer than sisters. Renetta, Phyllis and Freddie had each other’s backs, and if one of them had a problem, all of them had a problem and they all took care of it, together. During their senior year in high school, they faced the most horrendous challenge they’d ever encountered, and it took its toll on their friendship. As a result, they each went their separate ways. Thirty years later, they see each other at their high school reunion and are forced to finally come to terms with what happened back then, to each other and, most importantly, to themselves.

If you could compare “Take Your Pleasure Where You Can Find It” to your other books, how would you say it’s different?

Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It is a lighter read than my other books. It was meant to be more along the lines of “chick-lit” and a quick and easy beach read. It’s funnier to me than my other books, and was fun to write.

Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

Voice is most important for me. The story changes depending on how you tell it, rather than what you tell in it. I can change an entire storyline just by changing the perspective from which it’s told.

J.D., please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers like myself, we just need to know…:)

I spend entirely too much time on Facebook. If you want to “friend” me, I can be found at J.d. Mason and I accept just about everybody :)

I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

Paulo Coehlo (The Alchemist) is my favorite author, and if he wrote his name on a sidewalk, I’d read it. I also love Robert McGammon (Swan Song). Very few writers have the patience of Mr. McGammon. I love the way he puts a story together, and his dialog is amazingly real. I also love reading books by Bernice L. McFadden, Carleen Brice, and L. A. Banks.

What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I’ll be releasing a new book next year called Somebody Pick Up My Pieces, and it’s the fourth and final (really, I mean it this time) book that will feature characters from the Black King series.

I’m also working on a new series beginning with a book called Beautiful, Dirty, Rich. It’ll feature a new cast of characters including the Gatewood family, who are as treacherous as they are wealthy, and there’ll be tons of drama and rivalries and betrayals and all kinds of stuff with that group. I’m also working on a collaborative effort with Bernice L. McFadden and Reshonda Tate Billingsley on a book tentatively titled Amos which will be out in 2012 from Simon &Schuster.


I’d like to thank J.D. Mason for stopping by and spending time with us, it’s been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. I wish you all the best and much success in everything you do. :)


*GIVEAWAY RULES*
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to a writer whom will take you on a lyrical journey of passion, pain and renewal. Author J.D. Mason is chatting and giving one lucky commenter the chance to win a copy of her pulse pounding release,"TAKE YOUR PLEASURE WHERE YOU FIND IT". I just have a few simple rules.

* +2 Leave a comment for J.D. Mason including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! { this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.}
* Become a follower of Over the Edge! {+3 Already a follower--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.}

The giveaway is open to all and will be running until May 23, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner directly on May 24, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!

Giveaway & Interview with Berkley Debut Author of "MISTRESS OF ROME" Kate Quinn

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Fiction

Format: Paperback

Pages: 480

Release Date: April 6, 2010

Order Now!

An exciting debut: a vivid, richly imagined saga of ancient Rome from a masterful new voice in historical fiction

Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, passionate, musical, and guarded. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea will become her mistress's rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life-that is quickly ended when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.

As Lepida goes on to wreak havoc in the life of a new husband and his family, Thea remakes herself as a polished singer for Rome's aristocrats. Unwittingly, she attracts another admirer in the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But Domitian's games have a darker side, and Thea finds herself fighting for both soul and sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of the brilliant and paranoid Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor's mistress.

Read excerpt.

Get to know the Author of the Day

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?

I get to work for myself – sheer heaven. I’ve had office jobs before and they all made me cranky. Now there are no suits, no cubicles, no bosses hanging over my shoulder. I crawl out of bed, caffeinate myself, flop on the couch in my yoga pants, and balance a laptop on a pillow to work. I write about the same number of hours as any office job, but being able to do it on my own schedule makes all the difference. As for a downside, I suppose it’s reading the inevitable negative reviews. You go into this business knowing not everyone is going to like your work – people are entitled to their opinion, after all – but my books are my babies, and when they get a bad review I sometimes feel like an indignant mom whose kid just got passed up for the school play.


 Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

My first book centers around the reign of Emperor Domitian, one of the grimmer but less well-known Emperors of first-century Rome. He was a seriously strange man. According to contemporary sources, his favorite activities included throwing all-black dinner parties, shooting arrows between the spread fingers of (terrified) slaves, spearing flies out of the air on the point of a pen, and waxing the body hair off his concubines. I did not make up one word of that.

 Do you have a favorite motto?

“Carthago delenda est.” Cato said it every day in the Senate until Rome finally burned down Carthage just to shut him up. I don’t have anything against Carthage, or what’s left of it, but I keep that quote around just to remind myself what you can accomplish with a little persistence.

Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine?

One of my favorite heroes is C.S. Forester’s Captain Horatio Hornblower. I’ve been madly in love with him since I was about ten, when I first started following his various adventures through the Napoleonic Wars. As for a heroine, I’ll take Boudicca from Pauline Gedge’s marvelous “The Eagle and the Raven” about the Roman invasion of Britain. Anyone who hasn’t picked up that book and made the acquaintance of that raucous six-foot redheaded warrior queen is doing themselves a disservice.


Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Richard Sharpe from Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series. He’s a swashbuckling soldier risen from the ranks during the Napoleonic Wars, the on-land equivalent of Hornblower. Sharpe just barely edges out the shy Hornblower as a buddy, since he’s more talkative and would therefore tell better stories around the campfire. Also, Hornblower is absolutely devoted to his beloved Lady Barbara, whereas Sharpe is always in and out of love, so I’d have a better shot at, um . . . boy, I hope my husband isn’t reading this. :D


What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s?

I love my own covers – I got very lucky with them. But book covers have gotten so good these days, I can pick any number of superb ones. Kate Furnivall’s “The Russian Concubine,” Anthony Capella’s “The Wedding Officer,” and Bernard Cornwell’s “Lords of the North” are three favorites of mine.


 What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I was classically trained as an opera singer before I became a writer. I don’t know why I inherited such diametrically opposing passions – one requires an extrovert and the other an introvert, one requires traveling and the other staying in, etc. Writing appears to have won out for me as a career, but I still adore opera. I can sing along with every word of Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro.”


What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

Whenever I google my name I keep getting a website for another Kate Quinn who sells organic baby clothes. But so far nobody has emailed me trying to order a breathable-cotton onesie in Eggshell Blue, so I guess people are managing to keep us straight so far.


If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?

As long as I had a guarantee that I could remain alive and disease-free, I’d go back in time in a heartbeat. Who knows what the future holds, but there are so many people and places in the past I’d love to see with my own eyes. I’d be a Lady-in-Waiting for Elizabeth I, an architect for King Khufu when he began building the pyramids at Giza, a spectator when Alexander the Great started heading east. I’d go to a Regency party and meet Jane Austen, go to the chariot races in ancient Rome to see if they’re anything like the race in “Ben Hur,” and go to sea with Nelson for the Battle of Trafalgar. I could go on and on.


Kate, please tell us more about your most recent release by Berjley, “MISTRESS OF ROME”?

It’s my first novel – well, my first published novel, anyway. I’ve been writing books since I was ten, but this was the first one good enough to survive outside my desk drawer. I wrote it when I was nineteen, when I relocated across the country for college. I didn’t know anything about my new city, so I escaped into ancient Rome instead. “Mistress of Rome” is essentially the story of two girls who are mortal enemies – a courageous slave girl and her spoiled bitch of a mistress. Throw in two men – a fierce but tenderhearted gladiator and a psychopathic Emperor; both in love with the slave girl but desired by the bitch – and stir to a boil. Eventually, everything comes crashing down with an assassination plot against the Emperor’s life.


Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why?

Voice, I’d say. A writer with a great voice can make a book about the history of basket-weaving into a thrilling tale, whereas a writer with a pedantic style can make the Hundred Years War so boring you’d rather watch paint dry. That’s why I find it hard to answer the question, “What kind of books do you like?” I like writers with a great voice; I don’t care if they write historical fiction, science fiction, young adult, or any other genre.


Kate, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers like me...we just need to know..:)

I keep a website, http://www.katequinnauthor.com and I check my mail frequently there. I have a Facebook page and an Amazon page, though I absolutely draw the line at Twitter. I keep a blog called “Ave Historia” about history, historical fiction, and any other random tidbit that inspires my weekly posts – my blog can be found through my website, through Amazon, and through www.goodreads.com. I’m also quite active on Goodreads – I’m a moderator there for an online writer’s group called “On Fiction Writing,” and can daily be found there exchanging story ideas, publication tips, query-letter how-tos, rejection letter stories, and all kinds of other things. Usually when I should be working.

I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?

In the historical fiction genre, I have a few favorites I return to over and over. Bernard Cornwell for swashbuckling heroes and hair-raising battle scenes. Brenda Jagger for anything 19th century. Judith Merkle Riley for making history funny. Eva Ibbotson for making romance funny. Lately I’ve been branching into other genres, and finding terrific authors. Jim Butcher’s magical-mystery series the Dresden Files is great and getting better all the time. Rick Riordan’s young adult series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is pure fun. Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan novels are wonderful entertaining science fiction, and I’d recommend George R.R. Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire” even to people who don’t think they like fantasy.


What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I’ve got a prequel for “Mistress of Rome” in the editing stages, a sequel about half done, and approximately twenty-five more books clamoring to be written. I don’t have enough hours in the day. The prequel for “Mistress of Rome,” which centers around a pair of sisters in the bloody Year of Four Emperors, should hopefully be out on shelves sometime next year, though nothing’s been set yet.

I’d like to thank Kate Quinn for stopping by and spending time with us, it’s been a blast getting to know more about you and your books. I wish you all the best and much success in everything you do. 

Thanks for having me!


*GIVEAWAY RULES*
I am so excited to be bringing you Berkley dDebut author,Kate Quinn.  Kate is chatting and giving two (2) lucky commenters the chance to win a copy of her latest release in her compulsively addictive release, "MISTRESS OF ROME". I just have a few simple rules.

* +2 Leave a comment for Kate Quinn including email.
* +2 Spread the Word! { this means go out into cyber world and post it on any netwok sites that your are a member of, or on your blog or website. +2 Then come back and leave a link so I can verify the post.}
* Become a follower of Over the Edge! {+3 Already a follower--You ROCK! +2 Become a follower.}

The giveaway is open to all and will be running until May 16, 2010. I'll be picking and contacting the winner on May 17, 2010. Please make sure to include your email with your comment. Happy Reading!