Contest & Interview with USA Today's Bestselling HOT ZONE Author Catherine Mann

Title: HOT ZONE

Series: 2nd Book in the Elite Force series

By Catherine Mann

Genre: Contemporary, Romantic suspense, Fiction, Adult, 

Publisher: Sourcebooks

On Shelves: December 2011

Format: eBook & Print

Pages: 352

Reviewed by ChristineRCJR

Book Heat: HOT

Read an Excerpt

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He’ll take any mission, the riskier the better…

The haunted eyes of pararescueman Hugh Franco should have been her first clue that deep pain roiled beneath the surface. But if Amelia couldn't see the damage, how could she be expected to know he'd break her heart?

She’ll prove to be his biggest risk yet…

Amelia Bailey's not the kind of girl who usually needs rescuing...but there are anything but usual circumstances.

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Mann delivers another hero from the Air Force's celebrated Pararescue Jumpers–"The PJs"– an ultra-elite force who put themselves at extreme risk in the most dangerous emergancies so that others may live. A sizzling thrill-rise of action and attraction, Hot Zone will leave your pulse pounding.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann is a RITA Award winning novelist with over two million books in print, in more than twenty countries.  She resides in Florida with her military flyboy husband and their four children.  For more information, she can be found online at:

Website:  http://catherinemann.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CatherineMannAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CatherineMann1

Over the Edge Reviews

Interview with

HOT ZONE

USA TODAY Bestselling

Author

Catherine Mann

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

The best part – sleeping late if I want and working in my PJs!

The worst part – At the end of the day, I’m ready to go out to eat and my family is ready to kick back at home.

Why do you write?

Honestly, if I don’t write, the words and stories build up in my head.  Writing is like releasing a pressure valve in my brain. 

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

I hadn’t realized that there are only 350 pararescuemen.

Do you have a favorite motto?

I have a couple of them, actually.  But here’s one of my enduring favorites.  "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." ~Mother Teresa"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~Aristotle

  

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

Wow, that’s probably one of the toughest questions anyone has asked me.  I thought Mary and Rhage in J.R. Ward’s second “Black Dagger Brotherhood” book had a heart wrenching romance.  And any of Suz Brockmann’s Tall, Dark and Dangerous SEALs own my heart. J 

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

I’m really in love with the awesome cover Sourcebooks gave HOT ZONE!  The art department truly outdid themselves!

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

There’s a Catherine Mann economist out there who’s written a number of books.  Since I’m SO not a math person, it cracks me up.  There’s also a Catherine Mann who wrote a couple of women’s fiction books back in 1988 and 1990.  People ask if those books are mine, but nope.  My first book was published in 2002.

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

I would want to go backward in time and see my grandparents.  I would welcome the chance to give each one of them a long hug, then just sit and talk with them for hours.

Catherine, congratulations on the release of your latest in your Elite Force  series, “HOT ZONE” released by Sourcebooks Casablanca. Please share a bit more about it.

Master sergeant Hugh Franco lives only to save others, until he plucks beautiful attorney Amelia Bailey from the wreckage of an earthquake and finds himself embroiled in ways he never expected. On the run from kidnappers, Hugh must call on all his training to protect them. But Amelia's fiery touch threatens to crack his world—and his heart—wide open.

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

They’re both crucial to a riveting read, but if I had to pick, I would say voice.  Voice is what breathes life into the plot.

Catherine, where can desperate readers—like me--- connect with you in cyber world. =)

I love, love, love to hang out on the internet.  I can be found online at: 

Website:  http://catherinemann.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CatherineMannAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CatherineMann1

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?

Yipes!  I read a lot – across genres.  I know I’ll forget to list someone…. For now, I’ll say Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lisa Gardner, Tana French, Teresa Medieros, Sarah Addison Allen, J.R. Ward, Suzanne Brockmann, Sherrilyn Kenyon/Dianna Love, Joanna Bourne.  I also recently read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS and I can’t wait for the sequel to Justin Cronin’s THE PASSAGE.

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

I have a packed spring of military heroes on the shelves!  PROTECTOR (March, Berkley), HONORABLE INTENTIONS (April, Harlequin Desire), and UNDER FIRE (May, Sourcebooks).

Catharine, thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with Over the Edge readers and myself; it has really been a blast getting to know more about you and your books.

And thank you so much for having me!  I look forward to visiting with folks here today!!  

~CONTEST~

USA Today's bestselling author Catherine Mann has stopped by Over the Edge Reviews today to chat about her latest Source book release HOT ZONE and is running a SWEET contest.  Here is what you need to do to be entered.

"I have 2 copies of HOT ZONE to give away to two commenters chosen at random.  If you could go back in time, who would you want to visit?

***

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

Contest is open to ALL readers.

Contest runs until January 1, 2011.

I will contact winners directly on January 2, 2011.

Contest, Interview & Review with DESTINY'S CALL Young Adult/Adult Fantasy Author Jodine Turner

Title: DESTINY'S CALL

Series: 1st Book in the Carry On The Flame series

By Jodine Turner

Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Adult, YA

Publisher: TAGPublishing

On Shelves: July 2011

Format: eBook & Print

Pages: 278

Reviewed by ChristineRCJR

Book Heat: MILD

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Amazon

Humanity is in the midst of the greatest crisis in their evolution. Sharay is the one chosen to show the way forward and  help humankind move through the fear and dark times of today’s world. Born into a lineage of priestesses in modern day Glastonbury, England, Sharay’s way is blocked by her jealous Aunt Phoebe, who uses black magic against her to steal her fortune and magical power. When Phoebe commits Sharay to a psychiatric ward and accuses her of murder, Sharay struggles with the temptation to fight Phoebe’s vengeance with her own. Through the ancient Celtic ceremony of Beltaine, Sharay experiences profound sacred union with the Welshman Guethyn, who shows her how to open her heart. But Sharay must learn to transform her hatred for her aunt in order to claim the mystery held deep within her cells that will allow her to fulfill her destiny and prove that the ultimate magic is the power of love.

~About Author~
Jodine Turner is an author of Young Adult/Adult fantasy, visionary fiction, magical realism, and paranormal romance. She is also an Adorata Practitioner in the spiritual path of embodying divine love and balancing the feminine and masculine within; as well as a therapist, consecrated priestess, and deacon in the Gnostic Church of Mary Magdalene.  Jodine has made several trips to England, Scotland, and Ireland, where she visited and researched many of the ancient sacred sites. She then fulfilled a dream by moving to the UK. While living in Glastonbury, England, the legendary Isle of Avalon, Jodine met and married her husband. She published Journey Through the Mists of Avalon, a book of shamanic visions and poetry. Upon her return to the US, she began writing the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea series about priestesses who have lived in Glastonbury down through the ages to today.

The novels carry keys to embodying love, and are an adventure filled initiatory journey into the Mysteries of the Goddess. Each novel is a standalone read. First in Jodine's series is the highly acclaimed The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis, followed by the award- winning The Keys to Remember. The third in the series, Carry on the Flame: Destiny’s Call Book One, is an Award-Winning Finalist in the USA ‘Best Books 2011’ Awards. Carry on the Flame continues in Book Two Ultimate Magic.  Jodine presently lives in Oregon with her beloved husband Chris and their three magical cats who go by the codenames of Mojo, Minnie, and Pumpkin.

Interview with

Young Adult/Adult Fantasy

Author of

DESTINY'S CALL

Jodine Turner

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

The best is the creativity, the juice that flows when I write, especially when writing craft and inspiration meet.


I’m learning to like marketing because it is part of the whole package of being a published writer, but the marketing and publicizing of my novels isn’t as incredible as the writing – imagine that! A close second to that is rejection letters from agents.

Why do you write?

I write because it is a passion. I write because I have no choice! The inspiration, the Muse, won’t let me stop! (And I don’t want to anyway). Sometimes I hear the Muse chatter just as I’m falling asleep. That’s why I keep pen and paper by my bedside. I have all sorts of little notes on my desk because of that!


I write because I have a message for my readers and I want to deliver it in the most entertaining way possible.


I’ve been writing since I was in elementary school and my teachers encouraged me to write. When I became ill in the mid-1990’s I took the opportunity to begin writing my novels. I moved to Glastonbury, England for a year, one of my favorite spots on the planet, in order to do research and immerse myself in the energy, as many of my novels take place there. I experienced inspiring dreams and waking visions about Glastonbury. I studied its folklore and legend. And using all those experiences, I began to write my Goddess of the Stars and the Sea series.

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

I found that I went through a personal initiation process for much of this novel. For example, I had to move through some of my own old grief before I could flesh out Sharay’s grief in my story. It seemed like much of the novel continued on in that manner for me – having to experience some of the things personally first.

Do you have a favorite motto?

Can I have three?


“Follow your bliss” ~ Joseph Campbell


“There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” ~ Sports writer "Red" Smith


“The love you desire is within.” ~ The Goddess of the Stars and the Sea

Which fictional character would you hang out with?

In my own novel, Carry on the Flame: Destiny’s Call, I’d want to hang out with Dillon, the eccentric, elderly Welsh wizard who helps Sharay on her Celtic vision quest, called the ‘Imram.’ Dillon is wise, but doesn’t take himself seriously. He’s got a good sense of humor, he’s compassionate, intelligent, and filled with heart.


I think Guethyn, Sharay’s love interest, is hot! The romance in Carry on the Flame was inspired in part by my personal story. I met my husband Chris while I was living in Glastonbury. He is English/Welsh/Irish, and the Welsh name his mother originally wanted for him, Guethyn, became the name of my main male character in Carry on the Flame. Guethyn is the wizard Dillon’s grandson, a rebellious college student. When he falls in love with Sharay, he finds himself, despite his rejection of all things magic, drawn into an adventure that requires him to awaken to the truth of who he really is.

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

I love the artwork of Kinuko Craft, as in the book covers Sleeping Beauty and The Twelve Dancing Princesses.


I also love Elizabeth Cunningham’s Maeve (Celtic Magdalen) series book covers, particularly her Red Robed Priestess novel cover.


And my first book cover, from The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis with its beautiful painting of the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea really touches my heart. The artist heard the words “This is for Jodine” as she painted it, before I even commissioned her to do it.


What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

I am a consecrated priestess.


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


Well, with an unusual name like mine (my mother tells me she made it up by combining Jody and Dina), I was surprised to find out there were others with the same name. Now how did that happen?!


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

Ancient Britain and Ireland and Scotland fascinates me, during the times of the Celts. They had a sense of connection with nature, with the arts, with spirit, with each other that I find intriguing. Hence, the Celtic theme in my novels Carry on the Flame as well as The Keys to Remember

Jodine, please share with us more about your latest release, Carrying on the Flame: DESTINY’S CALL.

My novel has won four awards, the more recent being an award winning finalist in USA Books ‘Best Books 2011’ New Age fiction.

Humanity is in the midst of the greatest crisis in their evolution. Sharay is the one chosen to show the way forward and help humankind move through the fear and dark times of today’s world. Born into a lineage of priestesses in modern day Glastonbury, England, Sharay’s way is blocked by her jealous Aunt Phoebe, who uses black magic against her to steal her fortune and magical power. When Phoebe commits Sharay to a psychiatric ward and accuses her of murder, Sharay struggles with the temptation to fight Phoebe’s vengeance with her own. Through the ancient Celtic ceremony of Beltaine, Sharay experiences profound sacred union with the Welshman Guethyn, who shows her how to open her heart. But Sharay must learn to transform her hatred for her aunt in order to claim the mystery held deep within her cells that will allow her to fulfill her destiny and prove that the ultimate magic is the power of love.

Book trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G3Jst5VHQo
Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Carry-Flame-Destinys-Jodine-Turner/dp/1934606294/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323468296&sr=1-1

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


Great question. I was going to say story because sometimes even if a writer doesn’t shine in their craft, the story can catch your imagination. Nowadays it takes practice and time to hone the craft of writing, even those who have a natural talent. I would tell anyone with the heart of a writer to go for it, tell your stories, express yourself. That is the important thing. You may not get on the New York Times Best Seller list, but write, write, write, anyway!


The reverse is also true, regarding the importance of voice. I’ve read stories where there isn’t much to the story line but because of the voice, we get drawn into the character’s dilemma’s as if it were the most important thing in the world.

I think there are two major factors to a good novel. One is how an author engages a reader through characters that they can relate to and care about. Characters that are real, characters that have strengths, weaknesses, and depth. A character has to undergo some sort of learning, transformation, and growth. Change mirrors the reality of life. And we all relate to that.


The second thing that makes a good story is the X factor that is hard to describe. It is the factor that reflects the collective imagination at the time.

Jodine, please share with desperate readers where they can connect with you in cyber world. =)

Website http://www.jodineturner.com
Blog http://.www.visionaryfiction.blogspot.com
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/JodineTurner
Facebook Author page http://www.facebook.com/JodineTurner.Author
Amazon.com Author page http://www.amazon.com/author/jodineturner
Goodreads http://bit.ly/k1PPbJ

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

Another full moon book birth! - Book Two of Carry on the Flame: Ultimate Magic just released on December 7th.

Carry on the Flame: Ultimate Magic Book Two


Born into a lineage of priestesses in modern day Glastonbury, England, Sharay is chosen by the Goddess of the Stars and the Sea to help humankind move through the fear and chaos of today’s world. To do so, she has to face her grief, loss, and her own dark side. Her way is blocked by her jealous Aunt Phoebe, who uses black magic against Sharay to steal her fortune and her magical powers. When Phoebe accuses her of insanity and murder, it’s the elder, eccentric wizard Dillon who sets Sharay on the Celtic ‘Imram,’ a quest designed to awaken her magical abilities as a priestess. And it’s Dillon’s grandson Guethyn who shows Sharay how to open her heart in the Beltaine Ritual, the ancient Celtic ceremony of sacred union.


Hunted by the police, stalked by a demonic Tracker conjured by her aunt, and torn from everyone she loves, Sharay struggles with the temptation to fight Phoebe’s dark powers with her own. She must transform her fear and hatred for her aunt in order to uncover the mystery held deep within her cells that will allow her to fulfill her destiny – a secret only she can discover. When separated from Guethyn’s protection, Sharay continues on her Imram alone, in this spellbinding conclusion to Carry on the Flame.


Here’s the book trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLIj1AqHCgA

Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934606332/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=radicaltransf-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=193460633

Jodine, thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with Over the Edge Review readers and myself; it has really been a blast getting to know more about you and your books.

~CONTEST~

Over the Edge Reviews is celebrating the wonderful Young Adult release DESTINY'S CALL paranormal by author Jodine Turner.   One lucky reader will win a copy of DESTINY'S CALL, first installment in Ms. Turner's fabulous Carry On The Flame series.

To enter please follow these few simple rules.

*Leave a comment for Jodine Turner

* Tell us what you think of 

Jodine Turner's

Carry On The Flame

book covers.

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

***

Contest is open to ALL readers.

Contest runs until January 1, 2011.

I will contact winners directly on January 2, 2011.

Chat Live With Linda Lael Miller Tomorrow (12/6) from the Paris Las Vegas!‏

Catch the LIVE Chat with Linda Lael Miller!Straight from the Paris Las Vegas

WHAT: Author chat with Linda Lael Miller–streaming from the Paris Las Vegas

WHEN: Tomorrow, December 6^th at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. EST

WHERE: Harlequin’s Facebook Page and BookTrib.com

RSVP: Let us know you’re coming at LindaLaelMillerChat@booktrib.com

Contest & Interview with Award-Wining Author of DREAMING OF THE WOLF, Terry Spears

Title: DREAMING OF THE WOLF

Series: 8th Book in the Werewolf series

By Tearry Spear

Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Adult

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Imprint: Landmark

On Shelves: December 1,2011

Format: eBook & Print

Pages: 384

Reviewed by ChristineRCJR

Read an Excerpt

Order

Terry Spear's debut Heart of the Wolf was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. Known for her research into how wolves live in nature, Spear writes her werewolves as they would behave realistically, including pack dynamics, mating behavior, and hierarchies.

Werewolf pack leader Jake Silver is an acclaimed photographer. He sees a beautiful woman at the art gallery where his photos are on display, and his intrigue turns into wolfish protectiveness. Alicia Greiston has never met anyone like Jake–he's sexy, alpha, and totally irresistible, and he calls to something primal in her soul.

~About Terry Spear~

Award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historical romantic suspense, Heart of the Wolf named in Publishers Weekly's BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR, NOR Reader Choice for BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE. 

Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA fromMonmouth University and a Bachelors in Business and Distinguished Military Graduate of West Texas A & M. She also creates award-winning teddy bears, Wilde & Woolly Bears, to include personalized bears designed to commemorate authors’ books. When she’s not writing or making bears, she’s teaching online writing courses. To learn more about Terry Spear go to http://www.terryspear.com

Over the Edge Reviews

Interview with

DREAMING OF WOLF

Award-Winning

Paranormal Romance

Author

Terry Spear

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

The best part of being a writer is creating stories. I’ve always done so from when I was a child, so it just comes naturally. Deadlines. Yet I make them for myself so that I’m always ahead. So they’re important to me.

Why do you write?

I love creating characters and plots, the conflict, the need for a happy ending.

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

That wolfsbane is both a werewolf killer in some literature and can turn a werewolf into a human for all time in others. And that it can keep the werewolf from shifting. I thought it was interesting that one plant could result in so many different endings for a werewolf. Although in Wolf Fever, the werewolves explain the truth of the matter.

Do you have a favorite motto?

Live life to the fullest. Life passes us by so quickly, I think it’s important to smell the roses, so to speak.

 

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

Indiana Jones, because he’s adventurous, never has a plan, courageous, but also has a delightful sense of humor.

Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone because she’s a romance author, never been in any kind of wild adventure, finds romance with a cad, while she’s determined to save her sister in the wilds of South America at any cost.

Which fictional character would you hang out with?

Either Indiana Jones or Joan Wilder….

 

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

I LOVE, Heart of the Highland Wolf, because I adore men in kilts. And the cover, the colors, the man, the castle, I want to join him there. I also LOVE Dreaming of the Wolf’s cover. The amber eyes hint at a sexy “come here and I’ll fulfill your dreams” look. And I love the way they did the purple cover—his hobby is taking pictures of wildflowers like purple daisies, very artsy. And of course the A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing. Everyone at work had to take a look, and a second and third. The SEAL is well toned…the wolf blends in with the ocean and again, is hard to look away from. So all three covers are just gorgeous!

 

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

When I was doing research about Scottish weapons for Heart of the Highland Wolf, I ran across a note that said something to the effect, “most when seeing the term claymore, think of the mine.” Now, I wouldn’t, because I know that the claymore was a sword. But it brought to mind that I also knew of the claymore mine because while in Army training as an officer, we had to set one. Not a real one, but just know how to do so.

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

That some Terry Spear is a court recorder, or something. But it’s not me!
 

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

Back in time. I love the past, history, and would love to glimpse some of the historical past. Not to stay there, but just to see the way it was. And then write about it!

Terry, congratulations on the release of your latest in your Werewolf series, “DREAMING OF THE  WOLF” released by Sourcebooks Casablanca. Please share a bit more about it.

Thanks so much! Jake Silver is a triplet, his brother runs the pack in Destiny of the Wolf. But he’s always been the second in charge and he truly needs a mate. That’s the farthest thing on his mind when he goes to Breckinridge, Colorado, to drop off some of his wildflower photography and catches sight of a woman taking a picture of a license plate. 

Wolves are curious by nature, and the shop he’s taking his work to is temporarily closed, so why not get some breakfast at the restaurant the woman has just entered while he’s waiting, and check her out a bit further? Well, you know the saying: Curiosity killed the cat. In this case since he’s all wolf, it doesn’t kill him, but gets him into a relationship and a whole lot of trouble with a real dangerous kind.

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

Story. We don’t have any control over voice. It’s just how we express our story, what comes from the heart, from our backgrounds. We take a particular idea that has essentially been done a million times (there are no new plot ideas) and make it ours.

Terry, where can readers connect with you in cyber world? =)

Oh, I’m everywhere!

www.facebook.com/terry.spear

www.terryspear.com

www.myspace.com/terryspear

http://terry-spear.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/TerrySpear

I also have a sign up form on my website that for a free newsletter. I try to send a free weekly read, unless deadlines or other commitments get in the way!

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?

Jayne Ann Krentz and her series. I love Moning, Heather Graham’s romances, Christine Feehan, and Leslie Lefoy and really, a ton of other authors. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, or working, or teaching, or…

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

A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing. Did I mention how gorgeous the cover is??? It’ll be coming in March. Then in September, the first jaguar shifter story will debut. No title yet. And the second Highlander book, The Highland Wolf in Paradise, will be coming December, 2012.

Terry, thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with Over the Edge readers and myself; it has really been a blast getting to know more about you and your books.

Thanks so much for having me at Over the Edge! Hoping everyone will try out a new wolf for size! Terry

**CONTEST**

In celebration of Sourcebooks Landmark releasing the DREAMING OF THE WOLF by paranormal romance author Terry Spear, Over the Edge Reviews will be giving two lucky readers their very own copy.

To enter please follow these few simple rules.

*Over the Edge is all about the wolf.  Your outer wolf.  Your inner wolf.  Tell us, what is the one thing that fascinates you about paranormal romance, where a werewolf is the uber alpha hero?

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

***

Contest is open to ALL readers.

Contest runs until January 1, 2011.

I will contact winners directly on January 2, 2011.

One entry per reader.