Molding a hero…

Giving a character life is one of my favorite parts of writing. What will my hero look like? How will he act? For me, I need a name picked out before I type my first word. I simply can’t stick a generic title on him and build his personality. He needs an identity. Once I decide on a name, his life can take shape. This is where his story comes in. He didn’t just appear in the world I created. He lived in it, interacted with others, maybe loved and lost. Those are the details I need to know to mold him.

In Unexpected Find, my hero’s name is Rafe Alexander.

So let’s see, Rafe is a five hundred year old feline shifter. He’s protective of his family and works with the human government’s shifter division to locate and rescue kidnapped shifter children. After living for centuries, he’s a gentleman at heart, but his animal instincts make him dominant and possessive.

Hmm…so what does Rafe look like?

Tall, muscular and confident. Add in long blond hair, golden feline eyes and Rafe is born.

My cover for Unexpected Find matches him perfectly. Don’t you think?

Unexpected Find

Nancy Corrigan

 Royal Pride, Book 1

Since the murder of her best friend, Jazz is stuck in a safe but lonely way of life. She’s willing to sacrifice everything to keep her family safe from the shifter world. The sexy stranger who struts into her friend’s bar changes everything. From the first glance Jazz knows she’s sunk—their chemistry sizzles from across the room, it’ll be undeniable up close.

Rafe wants Jazz from the second he sets eyes on her. The depth of the need that swamps him every time he’s near her surprises him. It takes every last ounce of his self-control not to pounce on Jazz and make her his. Only her distrust of his shifter nature holds him back. He counts it as a win every time his beloved human gives in to their passion and takes him to her bed. But Rafe’s patience isn’t infinite and he’ll do whatever it takes, face any danger—past or present—to ensure that Jazz becomes his. Forever.

A Romantica® Paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Royal Pride series blurb

As multi-feline shifters, Royals—the privileged descendants of the gods—live with the wants and demands of the animal spirits sharing their bodies. Everything is more intense for a Royal—their primal drives, possessiveness and lusts. Exotically beautiful and strong, these immortals never lack companionship but once their mating instincts are triggered, nothing sways their devotion or dims their desire.

Their dominant nature demands they claim their female’s body and soul, ensuring their chosen one knows exactly to whom they belong. Once marked as a Royal’s beloved, their women realize how wickedly satisfying life can be with a mate focused on meeting their every need.

Excerpt

The butterflies in Jazz’s belly took flight. The man was a romantic. “You know, I’m starting to enjoy the odd way you talk. It makes me feel as if I walked into a world where princesses wait to be swept away by their knight in shining armor.”

Rafe grinned, the sad look replaced by amusement. Releasing her hands, he slid his around her waist. “You would make a beautiful princess.”

“Would I?”

“One to be fought for.” He twirled a lock of her hair around a finger. “What about me? Would I fill the role of your knight in shining armor?”

She smiled, completely charmed by this man. She ran her hands over his chest, luxuriated in the layers of muscle under her palms. “I don’t know if any horse would be able to carry you for long. I see you more as a warrior, a conqueror.”

“One who demands the bonny ladies as his reward after a battle?” He swept her into his arms. She gasped and grabbed his shoulders. Lust heated his eyes as he mapped her face. “Oh yes, I like this fantasy and in it I get to choose you as my booty.” He bent his head closer so his golden eyes filled her vision. “I think I might keep you, Jasmine.”

Her breath hitched. “I think you have a wild imagination.”

“Or a hopeful one.” He eased back but watched her with that focused gaze she was starting to associate with him. “I want you.”

The lust-hazed glint to his eyes told her exactly what he wanted. For once in her life, she did too—but it couldn’t happen. She had responsibilities. Spontaneity and motherhood did not mesh. The little episode in Josh’s office proved that. She would’ve been mortified if Sara walked in while they were having sex. Everyone in town would’ve known within the hour. The other playgroup moms would find out, maybe shun her or at least look at her negatively. No. Any liaisons she had would have to be planned and kept hidden.

She licked her upper lip. “I haven’t had sex in a really long time, Rafe.” She dropped her gaze and stared at his chin. “What we did tonight wasn’t like me either. I’m not like that. Easy.”

He brushed his lips over her forehead. “I know.” He set her on her feet and took her hand. “Come, let’s get you home.”

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Will also be available from Amazon, B&N and other e-book retailers. I’ll be posting links on my website as I get them.

About Me

I’ve always been an avid reader and encourage everyone to escape the hectic daily grind with a few minutes a day in your favorite book.

I’m lucky enough to share my cat’s home with my three wonderful children, husband, dog and snake. When not writing, I work as a chemist in a pharmaceutical lab.

My passions beyond reading and family include music, classic cars, tattoos and animals (all of which have found their way into my writing in one form or another).

So that’s a little bit about me…

Nancy

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The other day my husband and I went on a road trip to Shiner, Texas, to tour the brewery. We had to drive through another small town and I turned to my husband.

“One of my heroes has land around here.”

He gives me the look only a man who’s been married to a writer for a long time would give. “Do you want to go visit him?”

Too often, my characters become so real that I feel like I can go visit them. My first book (still under the bed) was set in the small town near my grandmother’s house. I spent almost 2 years writing that book, and finished it about 17 years ago. To this day, I expect to see Kelly’s flower nursery when I drive through town, or encounter Sara at the local VFD barbecue.

When I see the hot shot firefighters on the news, fighting wildfires, I half-expect to see an interview with Gabe, the hero in Hot Shot.

In my latest release, “Two Hearts a Leaping,” in Swept Away for Christmas, my hero played college football for Alabama. This past summer was my first trip to Alabama, as research for this story. Until that trip, I never understood the depth of Alabamans’ passion for football. Crimson Tide stuff EVERYWHERE. So I decided to make the hero a former Tide player.

Now I, who never watched college football before, am a mad fan. I watch Alabama, UT (my son attends) and A&M (good friends are big fans). My husband shakes his head and watches with me.

It happens with books I’ve read, too, though not to such an extent, because I don’t usually spend months with characters in books I read. One exception is the characters in the Virgin River books by Robyn Carr. A couple of years ago my husband and I drove up the coast from San Francisco, through Humboldt County, where the series takes place, and I wanted nothing more than to explore to see if I could find the town.

Does that ever happen to you? That you get so invested in characters that they become real, and real-life events make you think of them?

And if you want to check out “Two Hearts A Leaping,” look at Swept Away for Christmas, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. 

MJ Fredrick knows about chasing dreams. Twelve years after she completed her first novel, she signed her first publishing contract. Now she divides her days between teaching elementary music, and diving into her own writing—traveling everywhere in her mind, from Belize to Honduras to Africa to the past.

She’s a four-time Golden Heart Award finalist, and she won the 2009 Eppie Award with Hot Shot and the 2010 Eppie with Breaking Daylight.

Saturday’s Winner

The winner of the free download of Tarzan & Janine is…Gail Siuba! Gail, congrats, and I’ll be in touch shortly!

Contest at Wild and Wicked Cowboys

Today, I’m blogging over at Wild and Wicked Cowboys, sharing photos of my workspace and asking you about your desks/work areas! Post a comment there and you’ll be entered to win a free book!

I’m late! My apologies to Sabrina! I stayed up until the wee morning hours to work on a system update, which didn’t finish until just a little while ago!

* * * * *

Nerd-to-hot-hunk fantasy? Making Over Maris

When her long-time friend and über-nerd Jack Maris asks Sara Grant to help him become attractive to women, Sara Grant has numerous reasons for saying no. It is, after all, an impossible task.

• He is dumpy and doughy and extraordinarily…be-furred.
• He always looks vaguely unkempt. Okay, maybe not vaguely.
• He is utterly clueless about women.
• He wears clothes—usually t-shirts plastered with incomprehensible memes—harvested from a pile on the floor of his closet.
• His encyclopedic knowledge of the female gender has been gleaned from C-grade porn.
• And he religiously follows a flow chart entitled “How to Pick Up Chicks” which includes the dire admonition to “Proceed with Caution if she looks Cranky.”

But Sara just cannot say no. Jack is her friend. He’d always been there for her. Helped her survive college, even helped her get her job. So she agrees.

What Sara doesn’t know is that Jack doesn’t just want to be attractive to women. He wants to be attractive to her. He’s been in love with her for years. In fact, there are a lot of things Sara doesn’t realize about Jack. But when she learns he craves a taste of FemDomme, she is delighted to play along.

Their exploration takes them on a journey of lust and love and redemption—and a happy ending they both never dreamed could be theirs.

WARNING: Making over Maris is a Nerd-to-Hot-Hunk sizzling erotic romance. You will never look the same way at a geek in glasses again. Don’t miss this scorching finale to the Wired Series (with Adam’s Obsession and Tristan’s Temptation)

INSIDER’S SECRET: The sexy nerd on the cover of Making Over Maris is none other than Ellora’s Cave Alpha Caveman, DeAngelo.

Making Over Maris
Sabrina York

Wired, Book Three

When über-nerd Jack asks Sara to make him more attractive to women, she can’t say no—even though it’s an impossible task. He’s shaggy and doughy and hopelessly inappropriate. He has no style or emotional intelligence but he’s a good person. And a great friend. What Sara never expects? Beneath all that fur and geekiness is a steamy hunk just waiting to emerge.

Jack takes Sara’s regimen very seriously, working out and losing weight until he feels like a new man. He even complies with her command to shave his beard—because Jack didn’t ask Sara to make him over so he would be attractive to other women. He only wants to be attractive to her. They go on a series of fake dates, each hotter and more sinful than the last. It’s not long before Sara discovers Jack’s secret desire to be dominated and what began as an arrangement becomes something amazing—something that could be real.

Inside Scoop: Our hero appreciates Femdom—with the right woman. Our hero doesn’t appreciate perfect strangers grabbing his junk. Ask nicely first, ladies!

A Romantica® BDSM erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
GET IT NOW: https://www.ellorascave.com/making-over-maris.html

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

An Excerpt From: MAKING OVER MARIS

Copyright © SABRINA YORK, 2013

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

“So… Have you thought about it?” Jack could have kicked himself. He hadn’t intended to burst into her office and blurt it out like that. He’d meant to be suave and slick.

He should have known better.

He’d never been suave and slick.

No. He’d hovered in the vicinity of Sara’s office—after sending Kenny on a meaningless errand—and barged through the door and pounced upon her as soon as Kat left.

“Sit, Jack.”

He plopped into the chair and, because he didn’t know what to do with his hands, laced his fingers.

Sara studied him, dissecting him in that way she had, with her head tipped to the side, wrinkling her button nose. She was so cute when she wrinkled her nose. He forced himself not to wriggle. His cock didn’t listen. Something about her eyes, her lips, her scent, always stirred him. Read the rest of this entry »

WHAT INTERESTING THINGS HAVE YOU DONE IN YOUR LIFE?

Most of us have visions of very different lives when we are children. We want to be princesses, kings, movie stars or millionaires. Then life gets in the way. We forget to dream, forget to play, forget we ever wanted to be brilliant and amazing.

In my life I have been everything from a small business owner, to a massage therapist, to a stay home mom, to a tarot card reader, to a romance writer. In many ways I loved all my different choices. They each said something about my personality; they each added something to my growth as a person.

In The Artist’s Way, Stella Cameron consistently asks the reader to choose several different career paths. Name five other things you could do with your life, she urges in just about every chapter. And even the rich and famous can find their road in life curves in many different directions. Here are just a few:

Matthew McConaughey intended to become a lawyer.

Jimmy Stewart started out as an architect.

Nicole Kidman was a massage therapist in Australia (A job dear to my own heart.)

Dan Brown was a singer-songwriter and even released two CDs in the early 90’s.

Mike Rowe from the TV series, Dirty Jobs once sang with the Boston Opera. (Makes me want him more now…lolol)

Graham Chapman of Monty Python studied at the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Gene Simmons of KISS fame taught elementary school in New York’s Spanish Harlem district.

Angelina Jolie once aspired to be a funeral director. (Yes, I can see it.)

Eva Longoria studied to be a physical therapist.

Steve Martin considered being a philosophy teacher before getting into comedy.

Tom Cruise briefly attended a Franciscan seminary and aspired to become a Catholic priest.

So what interesting things have you done in your life?

A Taste of Winter
Gia Dawn
Red Masks, Book One

For the ladies of the Red Masks pleasure waits behind every door…and no one is ever who they seem to be.

When Alaina accepts an invitation to the Charleston South Carolina’s premier sex club, she has no idea the stranger who makes her scream with pleasure is her micro-managing ex-boss, Ryan. And while she could not stand his domination on the job, his domination in the bedroom takes her to whole new levels of pleasure as he forces her to submit to his every decadent demand—including a threesome with his old friend and her new employer, Zayne.

But while Ryan knows Alaina’s true identity, she remains unaware of his deception until the masks come off and she is faced with a decision. Can she continue to submit to his will now she knows who he really is? And when he proposes a lifetime contract, can Alaina sign on the dotted line?

 A Romantica® contemporary ménage erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Ryan Marquis stared in displeasure as his cell phone rang. He had a strict policy of no business between the hours of six on Saturday night, and noon Sunday, that brief block of time set aside every week to satisfy his need for rest and relaxation—along with some decadent indulgence when the need arose.

He frowned as the phone rang again, noting it was now three minutes after the hour, before picking it up to see who dared break into his personal time, his frown twisting into a semi-smile as he noted the number and answered.

“Bon nuit, mon cher,” came a husky voice across the line. “I have someone for you tonight. Someone you have been waiting for.” Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday’s here! And I’m letting myself slack off a bit today. Sure, I’ll write my NaNo words, but I’m not going to do much more. I’m definitely not going to sit in front of the computer all day. A certain 9-year-old wants a special day, which to her mind includes popcorn, a movie, and me spending the night. Should be fun!

I’m featuring Tarzan & Janine today. It’s a very funny story, co-written by my sister, Elle James, and myself. We’d written the first draft eons ago, but real life intruded and we let it languish. Our mother insisted we resurrect it. She’d been waiting years for us to finish the darn thing. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the excerpt!

I’ll post the winner of today’s contest Monday morning!

Post a comment and you’ll be entered to win a free download of this book!

See what happens when a secret billionaire and an aspiring actress get a little wild in Texas!

A man with a soft spot for women…

Closet Texas millionaire, Tanner Peschke has three months to prove he can make a profit at the family used car dealership or he will lose his job, disappoint his father and break his promise to his dying mother. The root of his problem is women. He can’t resist them—any of them. All it takes is the scent of delicate perfume or a misty-eyed gaze from an elderly woman with a sob story, and he becomes silly putty in the hands of his feminine customers. Until, with a stroke of luck and a buck of a mechanical bull, he hires Janine Davis to star with him in the dealership’s live TV ads.

A woman who won’t let a handsome cowboy get in the way of her dream…

Determined to make a name for herself, Janine needs to pay the bills between acting jobs. The offer to do a series of commercials for Peschke Motors is a chance to get her face “out there”. Recognizing a player when she sees one, Janine agrees to co-star with her handsome employer fully intending to keep their relationship strictly professional. First break she gets, she’s heading to Hollywood.

Their jungle-themed commercials take a crazy twist, and Tanner finds himself falling…from a sales banner while chasing a monkey. But more importantly, he’s falling for Janine. She’s just the one woman to tame this cowboy’s wild heart. Convincing her to stay with him might be harder than catching a mischievous monkey.

After the first commercial Tanner and Janine shoot, they’re local a sensation. Customers and news crews crowd the car showroom, and Barbara Stockton, a cougar who reneged on a deal with Tanner and fired Janine shows up just when Tanner thinks he’s got things under control…

Barbara let go of Tanner’s arm, a smile curling her blood-red lips. “I want to offer her a job.”

Tanner’s stomach completed a full gainer and he blurted out, “I’m sorry, but she’s working for me through the summer.”

The beauty maven’s professionally arched brows rose. “Do you have a contract?”

“Well, it’s under revision…” Revision, hell. Tanner hadn’t even considered a contract. He’d never hired an actress before Janine. What kind of contract did actresses need?

Barbara’s fingernail scraped across Tanner’s shoulder in a long, slow slide. Her lips puffed out all sultry-like, reminding Tanner of when he’d been inside her hotel suite being sized up as the next meat course on her table. “I feel badly about firing her last weekend, and I want to make it up to her.”

Tanner stepped away from the woman, his eyes narrowing. “She’s not interested.”

“Why don’t we let her decide?” Barbara insisted.

“I promise you, Janine is not interested.” Tanner held back his anger and panic. Janine was turning out to be a gold mine, and he didn’t want anyone else staking a claim on her…talents. Read the rest of this entry »

KILLER MOTIVATION

Anyone who knows me knows I love my villains. There’s something liberating about writing a character so twisted, they keep me up late into the night either writing or lying in bed, wide awake because I’ve managed to disturb myself. That’s not to say I don’t love my heroes and heroines, I do. I love developing their story, watching them grow and fall in love. But, for me, bad guys are so much fun to write! As for motivating those bad guys…talk about allowing the imagination to soar.

So what motivates a villain? If you’re an avid suspense/thriller/mystery reader, I’m sure you’ve read books that have some pretty creepy bad guys in them. That bad guy’s actions might creep you out, but at the same time, have you ever closed the book and wondered, “what was the point?” Chances are, the villain wasn’t motivated enough. Chances are, he/she wasn’t developed enough and you were left not understanding why the villain would go to the extreme they did in the story. I don’t ever want a reader to finish reading my books and be left wondering what’s the point. Ever. Over the years, between reading and sharpening my writing skills, I’ve learned to constantly question why. Why did my villain do that or say this or kill the guy down the street?

In my book, Shadow of Danger (Book 1 CORE Shadow Trilogy), I have two men killing together. I knew I wanted this premise and loved the idea of an evil duo. But why would two men kill together? I had to dig deep and basically profile my villains. And although important, I’m not talking about just their ages, occupations and physical descriptions. I had to pick their brains, get inside their heads and discover what it was about them that made them join forces and do very bad things. I had to get a little twisted with this duo, but I think it made for a killer ending (haha).

In Shadow of Perception (Book 2 CORE Shadow Trilogy), I loved, loved, loved writing my villain, Michael Morrison. In all of my suspense novels I do my best to keep you guessing as to “who did it” and despite that I tell you upfront Michael is a killer, there is more to this story. The key to this book is not only watching the hero and heroine trying to figure out what the reader already knows—the bad guy—but it’s also about the reader trying to pull pieces together to discover the link and identity of a secondary character. This secondary character will leave you guessing and hopefully have you reading with the lights on.

Let’s go back to Michael. His motivation was easy: revenge. But I did my best to take that revenge to a new level. I took an ordinary man, put him in an extraordinary position, then I got into his head. As a mother of four, I know I would do anything to protect my kids. Would I go to the extreme Michael went to? Would I kill for my children? Tough questions and ones I wouldn’t want to be forced to honestly answer. But this is fiction we’re discussing. Still. How does an ordinary man become a killer? How extreme were the circumstances that pushed him to the edge, taking him from an average Joe to a serial killer?

In Shadow of Vengeance (Book 3 CORE Shadow Trilogy), I had the storyline created, knew who my hero and heroine were (they’d both been introduced in past books), the setting and a basic idea about the villain. In this story, young men pledging fraternities are being kidnapped during Hell Week and are never seen again. Pretty extreme, especially because this has been going on for twenty years—at the same university. Okay, so I had to really get creative. I had to climb inside the head of my killer and come up with why. Why kidnap pledges during Hell Week? What was it about this villain that drove him to such an extreme? Had something happened to him that changed him for the worse?

I’m not suggesting that that the psychotic sociopath isn’t fun to read. But for me, I want that sociopath motivated. As I’m reading, I want to get in his head and pick his brain. Leaving a trail of bodies is all well and fine, but why is he leaving a trail of bodies in the first place? With proper, killer motivation, well-developed villains will go from one-dimensional to three-dimensional and become more believable and realistic. Now there’s a scary thought!

SHADOW OF VENGEANCE (Book 3 CORE Shadow Trilogy)

Welcome to Hell Week. You have seven days to find him…

At Wexman University, male students will do anything to get into a top fraternity. They’ll prove their worth during Hell Week by participating in various physical, psychological and even juvenile pranks. But those shenanigans aren’t so funny when pledges start disappearing. What kind of evil has stalked this small Michigan university for the past two decades? Theories range from obscene scientific experiments to grotesque satanic killings…but they’re all wrong. The murdered boys serve a single purpose…the ultimate revenge.

Rachel Davis, forensic computer analyst for the private investigation agency CORE, has been itching to leave her desk behind and work in the field. When her brother Sean, a student at Wexman, is found beaten and his roommate kidnapped during Hell Week, she gets her chance. Only her boss insists former U.S. Secret Service Agent, Owen Malcolm, helps her with the investigation. Owen is the last person she wants on this assignment. She’d been secretly half in love with him for over four years, until the night he’d crushed her ego and destroyed her hopes for any kind of future with him.

For his own reasons, Owen refuses to risk becoming involved with a coworker. Now that he and Rachel are stuck working side-by-side to solve this perverse investigation, he’s having a hard time fighting his attraction to her…an attraction he’s tried to deny from the moment they met. But time is ticking. They have seven days to find the missing pledge and catch a killer. Seven days before the body count rises and the pledge ends up another victim of Hell Week.

KRISTINE MASON BIO

I didn’t pick up my first romance novel until I was in my late twenties. Immediately hooked, I read a bazillion books before deciding to write one of my own. After the birth of my first son I needed something to keep my mind from turning to mush, and Sesame Street wasn’t cutting it. While that first book will never see the light of day, something good came from writing it. I realized my passion, and found a career I love.

When I’m not writing contemporary romances and dark, romantic suspense novels (or reading them!) I’m chasing after my four kids and two neurotic dogs.

You can email me at authorkristinemason@gmail.com, visit my website www.kristinemason.net, or find me on Facebook and Twitter!

LINKS:

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WEBSITE: www.kristinemason.net