Hi everyone,

This is Marie-Claude. Hope you all had a great week-end. We are in the second and last week of voting for the first line in the American Title V, so please if you haven’t voted yet, take a minute, play editor for a day and cast your vote at:

http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php

We have a winner from last week… Fedora. Congratulations!!!!!!

Note from Sylvia: If you’ve been named a winner, you need to contact either Marie-Claude or me with your mailing address. I can’t send out your prize, if I don’t know where to send it.
Hugs, Sylvia

And now, please welcome Michelle Lauren who finaled with her urban fantasy, HOW TO TAME A HARPY.

MC: Michelle, how did you feelwhen you found out that you were an American Title V finalists?

Michelle: I was so grateful. The opportunity to participate in this contest filled me with excitement - and terror. The prospect of putting my manuscript up for public critique à la American Idol. It felt surreal because I’ve voted for members of my writing groups in this contest but I never imagined I would be in this position. It’s been a great experience so far.

MC: You are so right, it is so great to have the chance to participate in such a great experience. Has the final changed things for you in your writing life?

Michelle: My schedule has gotten a lot more hectic. I’m still involved in a regular, 9 to 5 job, along with working part-time as a freelance writer, so I’ve gotten very good a balancing the schedules. The final is very big for me because, not only has it introduced me to new friends in the other AT V finalists, but it’s helped me connect with readers and fellow writers. So this is an all-around win/win situation for me.

MC: You are certainly turning all this into a positive thing for all. Can you tell us what your story is about?

Michelle: Here is the blurb from my site:
Welcome to Poseidon, Virginia. A place where the things that go bump in the night come to play and where passion and danger go hand in hand.

Tall, dark and lethal, genetically-enhanced human Daniel Smith lives in the shadows. Nicknamed “gargoyle” for his ability to shift into stone form in direct sunlight, he is considered an outsider even among other creatures of the night. Jaded by past betrayals, Daniel swore off love. But when fate—and a series of murders—tosses Siren Jones (a street smart harpy with a temper that has a mind of its own) into his lap, he finds both his heart and his life in danger.

Passion and danger collide as Daniel struggles to protect Siren from a killer determined to destroy them both. As time runs out, his only hope lies in learning How to Tame a Harpy.

MC: What a enticing premise, it gives me goose bumps, wow. Where did you get the ideas for this story?

Michelle: I’ve always been a fan of fairy tales and comics. I enjoy blending traditional themes of soul mates and love conquering all with more fantastical elements such as super powers and paranormal creatures. For How to Tame a Harpy, I modeled the heroine after the X-Men character Storm, a woman whose emotions were connected to her powers. When she lost control, bad things happened.

My character Siren is a harpy, so I made her “trigger” emotion anger. When she loses control of her temper, the emotion manifests physically in kinetic force.

MC: I’m a big fan of X-Men myself and aside from Wolverine, Storm is also my favorite. How would you best describe your writing style or tone?

Michelle: Darkly funny, sensual and fast-paced.

MC: Darkly funny, now this is new to me. How does this translate in HOW TO TAME A HARPY?

Michelle: HOW TO TAME A HARPY has a lot of dark humor and sensuality. Both Daniel and Siren are somewhat jaded, use humor to deflect attention from their emotional vulnerabilities. Another “dark” element comes in connection with the murder mystery woven through the plot.

MC: Dark elements and a mystery, how interesting. Doyou have any idea why you write dark?

Michelle: I enjoy reading stories with a lot of action and some darker elements. I’m a root for the underdog kind of girl, so the characters that affect me most are flawed but redeemable.

MC: Is this story more character-driven or plot-driven or both? How so?

Michelle: Both. Although the race to catch a killer and clear Siren’s name is paramount to the story, it doesn’t overshadow the developing relationship between Siren and Daniel. Their interactions deepen as the plot unfolds.

MC: How does the AT finalist theme of “Love Conquers” relate to your story?

Michelle: This really is a story about love conquering all in every aspect. Siren and Daniel are from different cultural, economic and social backgrounds, yet they forge a strong emotional bond despite those differences. They enjoy a committed, passionate relationship in spite of the outside forces contriving to separate them.

MC: It is really nice how you put all these very important elements together. I look forward to read this story.Can you describe the pace of HOW TO TAME A HARPY? It seems like a fast/edge-of-your-seat kind of story

Michelle: HOW TO TAME A HARPY is fast-paced, with several twists, mysteries and enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat. I think readers will enjoy Siren and Daniel’s unique approach to crime solving.

MC: Now I am very curious. What kind of heroine do you have, and how does she relate to the hero?

Michelle: Siren is street smart with a trigger happy temper that has a mind of its own. But her tough girl attitude conceals a vulnerable heart. Burned by love in the past, she isn’t sure she can trust her heart with Daniel, a man as handsome as he is lethal, but he offers her everything she secretly craves: protection, acceptance and a passionate love he will do anything to protect.

MC: What kind of hero is Daniel?

Michelle: Daniel is a gamma hero: dangerous, a bit jaded and a lot sexy, not to mention extremely loyal. He never backs down from challenges. Plus, he’s gorgeous! Betrayed and rejected by past lovers, he swore off relationships until meeting Siren. She challenges his mind, heals his heart and offers him the kind of future of his dreams.

MC: Gamma heroes, my favorite!!! Now tell us a bit about the world building of your story, it must be important in an Urban Fantasy. How did you create this world?

Michelle: I envisioned Poseidon, Virginia as Sin City with less gore and set in the South. Dark imagery juxtaposed against the beauty of lush Virginia landscapes. This is a world where creatures that go bump in the night roam free, maintaining a fragile peace with the city’s human inhabitants.

MC: Fascinating. What do you think readers will get out of your story?

Michelle: This story delivers on all counts: it has humor, action, political intrigue, jealous exes, passionate romps, and true love conquering all.

MC: Definitely a winner there!!! Do you have any more projects in the works beside your American Title entry?

Michelle: My article “Six Things American Title Taught Me About Promotion” will appear in the Passionate Ink Winter newsletter. My column “Agent Spotlight” will also be in upcoming issues of Romance Writers Report, featuring literary agents Ethan Ellenberg and Jennifer Jackson. Also, I have several urban fantasy novellas out now with publishers.

MC: Wow, you are very busy. Ifreaders want to know more about you and your writing, where on the web can they find you?

Michelle:
http://www.michellelaurenbooks.com:
My main website. I host giveaways, post book reviews and author interviews (Some of my past interviews include bestselling authors Sunny and Lynn Kurland).
http://www.myspace.com/michellelaurenbooks:
Find me on Myspace.
http://thenaughtygirlsnextdoor.blogspot.com:
The Naughty Girls Next Door Blog, where I blog with authors Minx Malone, Emma Petersen, Savannah Chase, Eden Rivers, Linda Wisdom, Meagan Hatfield and Kyann Waters.

MC: What is the character you chose to interview and why?

Michelle: I chose to interview the heroine, Siren Jones, from HOW TO TAME A HARPY because she’s a spitfire. She is beautiful and dangerous yet has an aching vulnerability that I love. I want readers to get inside her head and love her like I do.

M-C: I am certainly looking forward to this interview on Thursday and read a little of your dark humor.

Thank you so much for telling us a little about your book and your writing. Good luck with all your projects, I’ll be looking forward to my next copy of RWR!!

Please everyone, join us on Thursday for Michelle’s interview with Siren Jones. Thank you Sylvia for letting us take over your blog today!

And don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win!!!

Marie-Claude Bourque

www.mcbourque.com

Posts in Series for American Title V

1. Dead People
2. Edie Ramer and Cassie Taylor
3. Once Upon A Masquerade
4. Tamara Hughes and Rebecca Bailey
5. In a Lover’s Silence
6. Qaey Williams and Wynne Smith
7. The Serpent’s Tooth
8. Jessica Darago and Gladys

Hi everyone,

This is Marie-Claude. We are right in the midst of the American Title V competition now with the contestants trying to get as many votes as possible. Edie is handing flyers to local merchants, while writing partners Tamara and Barbara have teamed for their promotion efforts and while I remain chained to my laptop while my boys are in school!!!

Don’t forget to cast you vote for the first line at:

www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php

And we have a winner from Monday………Shari C. Congratulations!!!!!

So without further ado, let’s welcome Jessica recount her visit with her character from A SERPENT’S TOOTH, Gladys.

——————————————————

The kitchen is spotless, like every other room in the Baxters’ town home, even in the unforgiving gray light of winter. The young woman across the scarred pine table from me wears a dress the color of the rain-heavy sky, broken by the white of starched apron and the warmer hue of her hands—much softer than they should be—folded in her lap. This is London. This is 1855. And this is Gladys, ladies’ maid to the Baxters. Confidant of Reba MacKenzie.

Strange. I don’t know her last name.

“Another cup of tea, miss?” she asks, as if speaking to a child, deceptively serene. It was Nate who noticed for me that Gladys was Welsh. The eiderdown “o.” An “i” like a dagger.

I look at the milky dregs in their chipped porcelain cup, the rose-garden rim robbed of a bloom. “No, thank you. And thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

“Of course, miss.”

“I know that you’re very discreet, but I’m going to ask you to be frank with me.”

“I’ve nothing to hide, miss.”

I manage not to smile. “What was your first impression of Miss MacKenzie?”

“She’s a fine young lady. Good manners, good education, and a generous heart.”

I look over my glasses at her. She doesn’t quaver. “You do know who I am.”

“Yes, miss. You’re the Author.” She shifts in her seat, sitting a little straighter, a little taller, a most un-servant-like gesture of defiance, which is part of what I like about her. “And as that’s the case, you already know all about Miss MacKenzie.”

“And I also know all about you.”

She goes saucer-eyed. “You mean . . . are you offering to tell me—”

“What was your first impression of Miss MacKenzie?” I repeat.

Her eyes dart to the door behind me. Then she leans forward, lowering her voice. “I met her on the docks in Baltimore, not a quarter hour before we were to leave for England. She looked . . . . You’d expect a young lady about to set off on such an adventure to have an air of excitement, wouldn’t you? She looked like she was off to the gallows. We withdrew a bit to let her and her uncle say their goodbyes, and the way they looked at each other . . . .” She sits back, shaking her head. “She didn’t cry. You could see it. It was breaking her heart, both their hearts. But she didn’t cry. I liked that about her.”

“You know how that feels, leaving your family.”

“Yes, miss, though I was a bit younger myself. Fifteen when my family sent me to service. Still—” She looks away, not smiling. “Leaving home. It’s a grand adventure, isn’t it?”

“So now that you know her better, what do you think?”

“I think she could stand to cry a bit more often. She’s got so much anger locked away inside. Not that she doesn’t have cause. But she could stand to let a little of it go before it poisons her.”

“And what about Lord MacDonnell?”

She turns back to me with a small smirk. “My first impression? I thought he must have weak eyesight.”

It takes me a moment to realize what she means. Then I laugh. “The waistcoats!”

“The waistcoats. He was a sight. Must’ve been seventeen shades of vermillion in the one he wore that first morning at sea, the morning after he and . . . well, you know.”

“Want to know something funny? I had no idea why he dressed like that when I wrote it. Turns out, it was a plot point. Is. Will be, I mean, from your perspective.”

“It could hardly be anything else.”

“Okay, but seriously, what else did you think of him?”

She shrugs. “I thought he was a gentleman.”

“You don’t say that like it’s a complement.”

“Do you know what ‘gentleman’ means to a girl like me? It means a man who doesn’t have to listen to ‘no.’” Her smile turns hard, and I wonder if I know as much about her as I thought.

“And yet, when Mrs. Baxter put you on chaperon duty on the ship, you let Reba sneak out of her cabin and visit him in the middle of the night. When Mrs. Baxter banned him from this house, you helped them arrange their secret meetings—”

“I saw how he was around her. I thought he might be different.”

My eyebrows rise. “Thought? So you believe the rumors? You believe he could be involved in Reba’s uncle’s death? Because last night, you told her it couldn’t be true.”

“But then he didn’t deny it, did he?” Her eyes narrow at me, as if the whole mess were my fault . . . which, of course, it is. I can’t even claim I never meant to hurt anyone. My stomach clenches with guilt, and not for the first time.

I look away and turn my teacup in its saucer. “So if you could talk to them both, right now, give them advice, what would you say to them?”

She is quiet long enough that I brave a look at her. She is chewing the inside of her cheek, lost in thought. “I would tell Lord MacDonnell that . . . that she wouldn’t be so angry if she didn’t truly love him, and that someone who loves him like that deserves to hear the truth, whatever it may be. And I would tell Miss MacKenzie that a young man can be a foolish, prideful beast. But so can a young woman.”

I smile at her. “Thank you, Gladys.”

“You’re quite welcome, miss.” She looks at me expectantly.

“You’re sure you want to know your future?”

She smirks again. “Will it be as horrid as what you’ve put them through?”

“Yes and no,” I reply, and I tell her my plans for her.

I know she won’t remember a word.

——————————————————–

What a brilliant interview Jessica. Very witty. I can’t wait to read this book!! You have such wonderful characters.

Thank you so much for sharing them with us. And thank you Sylvia again for hosting us here today.

Next week, we will hear all about Michelle Lauren and her urban fantasy, HOW TO TAME A HARPY.

Please, don’t forget to join us next Monday and please leave a comment for a chance to win!

Best to all,

Marie-Claude Bourque

www.mcbourque.com

Posts in Series for American Title V

1. Dead People
2. Edie Ramer and Cassie Taylor
3. Once Upon A Masquerade
4. Tamara Hughes and Rebecca Bailey
5. In a Lover’s Silence
6. Qaey Williams and Wynne Smith
7. The Serpent’s Tooth
8. Jessica Darago and Gladys

Hi everyone,

This is Marie-Claude. Guess what, this is the big day! It’s voting time for the American Title V. I’m very nervous about the judges’ comments. I’m just petrified to go over to the RT website (www.romantictimes.com) and look at what they said.

But I am so curious to read all the first lines of my fellow contestants, so I’ll have to be brave and go over to read them out.

I encourage you to play editor for a day and go read all the entries, vote for the one that grabs you in the first line, then read the judges’ comments. How fun!!!

Today, I have the pleasure to interview Jessica Darago, who finaled with The Serpent’s Tooth, a Victorian historical romance with a touch of suspense, set in America, England, and Scotland.

First let me announce the winner for today… Jane !!!! Congratulations.

Now back to Jessica.

M-C: Jessica, what is the first thing you did when you found out that you were an American Title V finalist.

Jessica: I was at work, and my office mate and I were discussing our busy upcoming weekends—all the housework, social events, and whatnot we had to get through. I was talking about the writing and editing I had on my list (in addition to my own fiction and my critique groups, I also freelance for a couple of ebook presses), and just as I was saying, “Plus, I still haven’t heard back from that big contest,” I glanced at my computer screen and saw a new email from Dorchester. I opened it. I squealed. My office mate squealed. My boss ran in, squealed, and hugged me. Then I started emailing—my family, my boyfriend, my critique partners, all in all some 30 people. I actually emailed 30 people and said, “Shh, this is just between us.” I didn’t actually catch the irony of that till later.

M-C: Better go over and email the same people and ask them all to vote now, right! How great to have so much support So far has the final changed things for you with your writing?

Jessica: My daily writing schedule has gone completely out the window in favor of all the promotion work for American Title, but I’m about to get back on track. I have shifted my goals a little as well. I write across several different genres, and I’d been focusing on the draft of a chicklit, just for a change of scenery. But since The Serpent’s Tooth is historical, I’m going to put more energy into revising and expanding a 20,000-word historical suspense about the Great Fire of London that I wrote for the International 3-Day Novel Contest in 2006.

M-C: Wow, this other story looks very interesting. Now, can you tell us what The Serpent’s Tooth is about?

Jessica: It’s a gothic tale of love, revenge, and redemption set amongst the dramatic, sometimes violent social upheavals of the mid-19^th century. All Reba MacKenzie ever wanted was to live the life of a country doctress, learning the art at her beloved Uncle Toby’s side. But Toby insists she needs a formal education–and on sending her to Scotland to get it. But when Toby is killed and Reba is left destitute, all their careful plans fall to ruin, and Reba ends up in the last place she expected: in the employ of her parents’ killer, and in the arms of his son.

M-C: How sad and yet gripping. Where did you get the ideas for this story?

Jessica: It actually started as sort of a joke. My old roommate and I were on a long drive and started throwing around ideas for a romance novel plot. Aside from a few jotted notes and scenes, I didn’t really work on it until almost a decade later. At that point, I did a bit of research about the period, did a lot of daydreaming, and finally, once I felt like I could tie the characters’ lives to the research, make these huge events like the Highland Clearances and the Underground Railroad movement really personal for them, I trashed all the pieces I’d written thus far and wrote the thing straight through, start to finish, working on my lunch hours over a period of about 11 months. I changed jobs shortly thereafter and had a lot less time to devote to writing, so the revisions took me almost two years!

M-C: My husband being Scottish, I know how deeply the Scots feel about the Highland clearances. Good for you to bring this up in a romance. What series of words would best characterize your writing style or tone?

Jessica: Dark, sensual, smart, intricate, evocative, witty, ironic.

M-C: I am curious to know how dark and sensual translate in The Serpent’s Tooth.

Jessica: The Serpent’s Tooth is a very dark story, but also very sensual—in more than one way. I was trying to evoke the style of a real 19^th-century gothic novel, without going completely impenetrable or melodramatic. Even though the characters are invented, the history they are living is very much real, and I tried to be as authentic as possible about the political, economic, and social realities surrounding them. The book also takes place in locations that I know well and love very much. I really wanted to bring Virginia, London, and Skye alive for the reader. I strove to make the landscape feel like another character. Everything about my style was calibrated to make the reader feel as if she’s really there.

M-C: I am really looking forward to read this. I love gothic settings. Do you have any idea why you wrote in such a dark tone?

Jessica: I’m always surprised by how dark my writing imagination is. I’m actually a very goofy person. I love puns and wordplay and really bad jokes. Hanging out with boyfriend and me is like living in a Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn comedy crossed with an episode of A Bit of Fry and Laurie. We’re always playing verbal one-upmanship, making up songs about squirrels and bubble wrap, telling each other really rude jokes. I guess the part of me that makes stories is the flipside of that, the outlet for my imagination’s sinister side.

M-C: Is this story more character-driven or plot-driven?

Jessica: I always feel that plot and character are inextricably entwined. You put the right person in the right situation—or, more accurately, the wrong situation—and the plot is how that character changes her circumstances. In the case of The Serpent’s Tooth, I started with the idea of a strong-willed young woman who wanted to be a doctor in an era when women just didn’t do that. I added a hero whom she just wouldn’t get involved with, and I got her involved with him. Reba changes her world, but her world changes her, too.

M-C: Can you describe the pace of The Serpent’s Tooth? Is it a fast/edge-of-your-seat kind of story or more the kind of book you just want to bury yourself in for hours?

Jessica: The Serpent’s Tooth is definitely a rainy-day-and-cup-of-tea sort of read, but that’s not to say there’s no action. The last three chapters in particular aim to make that tea go cold.

M-C: Sounds great, I love to bury myself in a good book for hours. What is your heroine like and how does she relate to the hero?

Jessica: Reba is smart and brave and compassionate and takes everything far too seriously. Her life has been a bit of an uphill struggle. She lost her homeland and almost all of her family in one fell swoop when she was a toddler, and now she’s fighting the whole world just to be allowed to do what she does best: be a physician. When she meets Nate and discovers he’s the son of the man who destroyed her family, she pegs him as one more obstacle to overcome. And then he turns out to be the opposite of everything she expected. He’s kind and generous and funny wants to help her live her dreams. But he also has his secrets. The question becomes how much of him is real. Can she, when her own life is on the line, trust him?

M-C: Can you define Nate as a romance hero? Alpha or Beta?

Jessica: I don’t think Nate would fit easily into either alpha or beta categories. Nate was born the eldest son of a Scottish marquis, but he ran away at sixteen because…well, that would be telling. He made his way to America by working on cargo ships, then found his way to New Orleans, where he made himself an independent fortune through good poker skills and even better business sense. So he’s entirely his own man, and he knows what he wants and goes after it without hesitation, which is alpha-ish. But he’s not a domineering presence or brooding man of mystery, either. He’s like that movie sidekick who ends up stealing the show (and sometimes the girl)—a Jack Sparrow, a Barney Stinson, a Spike, a Mercutio. He’s the kind of character who always grabs my attention, so instead of relegating him to sidekick, I put him front and center.

M-C: He sounds very intriguing. How important is a happy-ever-after in your writing?

Jessica: In The Serpent’s Tooth? It’s essential. At the risk of spoiling the ending, Nate and Reba resolve both their conflict with each other and conquer the personal demons that have tormented each of them their whole lives. The plot is built in such a way that they couldn’t have met either goal without also meeting the other. But I can’t say happily-ever-after is always the case in my stories. Sometimes I like to leave the reader with happily-ever-possible—the sense that, though there may be tough times ahead, the characters have the strength to meet them. Then, of course, there’s the paranormal I plan to write that starts with a dead heroine and ends, happily, with a dead hero—and no, I don’t mean undead. Basically, I try not to worry about “the rules of romance” so much as being true to the characters.

M-C: What do you think readers will get out of your story.

Jessica: My real aim was catharsis. I want to put the reader through an emotional ringer and have her come out satisfied, maybe a little more thoughtful or introspective about what it means to love, to trust, and to forgive. It would be a nice bonus if I get people interested in an often-overlooked period of Scottish history as well.

M-C: Seems like you have everything covered. Do you have any villains? And how do they relate to your hero and heroine?

Jessica: There are multiple villains in The Serpent’s Tooth, and not all of them are people. Similarly, there are good people who do bad things and bad people who do good things, just like in real life. The whole story does build to a final showdown, but to say anything more than that would spoil the surprise!

M-C: Let me repeat myself, it does seem like you have everything covered Do you have any more projects in the work beside your AT entry?

Jessica: Like I said above, I’m presently revising a novella about the Great Fire of London into a full-length novel. But I can’t deny that other plotbunnies are hopping around, demanding my attention. Depending on where my pantser brain (now there’s an image!) decides to take me, I may end up marketing myself as a cross-genre writer very early on in my career!

M-C: If readers want to know more about you and your writing, where on the web can the find you?

Jessica: I chronicle my personal and writing life at my LiveJournal blog, http://justjayj.livejournal.com. I also have a website advertising my freelance editing services at http://www.darago.us, though I’m not taking on many large or long-term contracts these days, since I’m working full time for an educational publisher and, of course, doing more writing. I hope in the near future to be offering pre-submission editing services for other novelists, but I’m not focusing on building the business just now. In addition to all that, I recently drank the Facebook and Twitter Kool-Aid. I’m Jessica Darago (of course) on the former and justjayj on the latter.

M-C: Now you’ll come back on Thursday to interview a character? Who did you choose to interview and why?

Jessica: I decided to interview one of the tertiary characters—Gladys, a ladies’ maid in the service of the heroine’s chaperone, Mrs. Baxter. When Mrs. Baxter takes it upon herself to keep Nate and Reba apart, Gladys takes it upon herself not to let that happen. And like a good Victorian servant, she knows everyone’s secrets. I thought it would be fun to get the view from “below stairs.”

M-C: How clever, I love “downstairs” characters. I’m looking forward to Thursday. Aren’t you all?

Thanks so much for answering all my questions, Jessica.

See everyone back on Thursday.

But before don’t forget to go vote at
www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php.

And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win.

Thank you so much, Sylvia, to have us over today and to have gathered such great prizes!

Marie-Claude Bourque

www.mcbourque.com

Posts in Series for American Title V

1. Dead People
2. Edie Ramer and Cassie Taylor
3. Once Upon A Masquerade
4. Tamara Hughes and Rebecca Bailey
5. In a Lover’s Silence
6. Qaey Williams and Wynne Smith
7. The Serpent’s Tooth
8. Jessica Darago and Gladys

Hi everybody,

This is Marie-Claude. Today we are having Qaey Williams, interviewing her character Wynne Smith from IN A LOVER’S SILENCE.

But first, let me announce the winner from Monday’s commenters…..Rebekah E.

Congratulations Rebekah!

And now to you Qaey!

——————————————————

Getting Wynne Smith to stay still for more than five seconds is a task way beyond my capability, but I knew that when I knocked on her door. It became even more apparent when she whipped that same door open and invited—okay, let’s be honest, dragged—me inside.

She barely gave me time to start the tape recorder before plopping her ten-month old daughter in my lap and scooting into the kitchen to grab a sheet of cookies and sliding them into the oven. A second tin sat on a wire rack, cooling.

WS: So, not cool, Qaey, giving me a little girl.

I looked down at the infant in my lap and was at a loss for words. Wynne wasn’t.

WS: I mean really. Like the poor kid is going to have a moment’s piece with Mr. I-Have-To-Protect-My-Women, as her dad. Sheesh. Shilo will be forty before he’ll let her go on her first date.

Taking into consideration all the things Wynne had gone through with Seth, I could see what she was getting at. Looking first at the baby, then Wynne, I shrugged.

QW: Sorry.

WS: No big. I’ve gotten him to mellow a little bit. And he’s not freaking out at every squeak the munchkin makes, so I figure by the time she starts school, I’ll be able to let her out of the house without an armed escort. (She seemed to think for a second as she wiped down the granite countertop) Maybe.

QW: Other than my saddling you with a poor, put upon, little girl, (The baby in my lap gave a giggle making me wonder if she knew exactly what we were talking about.) How have things been going since…

WS: The move? (Wynne leaned on the counter, her long, honey colored hair pulled away from her face by a large barrette, and wrinkled her nose.) Okay so far. Seth’s family is a hoot, I think they take my side in arguments just to rile the poor guy.

QW: Do you worry about his job?

WS: Sometimes. But Evie has been a great relief and resource for me.

QW: How?

WS: Well, you know Del was a Texas Ranger? So, when I get pissy about Seth being out of town on an assignment or he has to escort particularly rough characters to court or prisons, I call her up and she reminds me how careful he is about everything.

QW: (I couldn’t help but smile at her discomfort, considering the things she’d done to Seth.) Don’t you think that’s adequate justice for that incident…

WS: Hush! (Shaking her head, she moved to pull two bottles of Dr Pepper from the refrigerator) It’s bad enough he’s constantly reminding me of that one little mistake…

QW: I wouldn’t call facing a serial killer a “little” anything…

One of the bottles was placed on the table in front of me. In deference to the Indian Summer heat, Wynne was dressed in a light green sundress. The skirt swished around her legs and her bare feet were silent on the tile floor as she crossed to the chair facing me. After curling into the seat, she rolled her eyes at me and shook her head.

WS: Seth tends to throw that up when he’s less than happy with me about something.

QW: Trouble in Paradise.

WS: (Her smile was wide and the chuckle held more than just humor) Oh hell no. That man is so worth the aggravation. I have to admit, you picked the right guy when you put Seth on my doorstep, Qaey.

QW: Glad I was able to help.

WS: (A wadded paper napkin was tossed at me.) Don’t be a wise acre.

QW: Hey, you only fought me tooth and nail over him…

WS: He’s from Texas. You know I don’t do Texas.

SV: Well, you have no problem doing this Texan, darlin’. (His voice came from behind me, his approach had been silent.)

Twisting in my seat, I watched as Seth stepped into the kitchen as the oven buzzer sounded and Wynne bounced out of her seat. By the time she’d pulled the sheet of cookies from the oven, Seth had stopped by my seat to kiss his daughter on the top of her curly brown hair before moving into the kitchen.

WS: Well, you grew on me.

SV: But you still aren’t paying attention to locking the door.

WS: Like anyone is going to break in the middle of the day. Besides, Qaey was here…

SV: Not good enough, baby.

Seth’s head dipped over Wynne’s his lips meeting hers in a soft kiss. Feeling the heat in my cheeks I turned my attention to the baby reaching for my soda. The sound of affectionate whispers were indecipherable, but having dealt with the attraction this couple had for one another, I knew it wouldn’t be long before…

SV: Miz Qaey?

QW: Yes? (I glanced toward the kitchen where Seth held Wynne in his arms, one hand stroking along her ribs.)

SV: Can I impose upon you to keep an eye on my girl while I talk to her mama?

QW: (I nodded) Sure.

WS: Seth? What…

SV: Come on, hon, we need to have a little discussion.

WS: (Glancing over her shoulder at me, Wynne rolled her eyes.) Did I say he was worth it? I think maybe I was wrong—

—————————————————

Thank you Qaey for a great interview and a little treat in the name of Seth. He sure sounds hot.

Next week and on the first day of voting in the American Title V, we will be interviewing Jessica Darago, who finaled with THE SERPENT’S TOOTH.

Until then, thank you Sylvia for hosting us and to everyone, take care.

See you all on Monday!

Marie-Claude Bourque

www.mcbourque.com

THE WAR BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
Jake Macgregor has his hands full. As San Francisco’s Captain of the Paranormal Special Forces unit, he and his team are facing a powerful enemy that threatens to bring down the city. With the weight of the world already resting on his broad shoulders, the last thing Jake has time for is romance. So why—after a long, hard day’s fight against evil—are his nights filled with dreams of Cassia?

IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT HOTTER…
Cassia is a D’Anu witch whose birthright ensures power and honor beyond imagination. It also forbids the one thing Cassia wants the most: the love of mortal Jake Macgregor. When she intervenes in a skirmish to save his life, the consequences are inescapable—even though the magic they make together is too luscious, and potent, to resist…

Read an Excerpt!

ABOUT CHEYENNE McCRAY
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Cheyenne McCray has a passion for writing urban fantasy,paranormal, and suspense novels. Among other accolades, Chey has won the prestigious Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for “Best Steamy Romance of the Year.”

Chey penned her first poem in kindergarten, and has been writing ever since she can remember. She always knew one day she would write novels, hoping her readers would get lost in the worlds she created, as she did in her favorites.

Now, she gets to write full time and loves what she does. For St. Martin’s Press, she writes the bestselling “Magic” series. She also writes suspense novels, including the upcoming “Lexi Steele” series, starting in February 2009 with The First Sin. In June 2009 Demons Not Included blasts off a new urban fantasy series.

Chey has three sons, three dogs, a messy house, and she will do anything to get out of cleaning, which may be why she writes so much.

REVIEWS for Dark Magic

4 ½ Star TOP PICK!

“McCray does a stellar job layering the danger, passion and betrayal. Awesome!”

~Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

5 Stars “What an absolutely stunning conclusion Cheyenne McCray has penned for her ‘Magic’ series. “Dark Magic” is everything I would have wished for and couldn’t have imagined!”

Goodreads

“[McCray]…delivers in a spectacular way.”

Night Owl Romance

Website: http://www.cheyennemccray.com