1.For the benefit of those who don’t know you, tell us a little bit about you and your work.
That's kind of a loaded question. *grins* I have so many hobbies that it's hard to really focus on one. I'm a mother of four awesome boys and the wife of a wonderful man (not exacly hobbies, but a major part of my life) aside from that, I'm an author of erotic romance. I have several books published with Amber Quill Press, as well as Audio Lark, and Wild Child Publishing. In my spare time (what's that?) I like to decorate cakes, read, draw, scapbook, and my most recent endeavor, gardening. I love the outdoors. The smell of burning wood is so comforting to me. I like to start a fire out back in the firepit, sit and watch the flames and sip on wine. My husband always jokes and says I smell like a log on those evenings. I'm also a nurse, and work as an Occupational Health Nurse for the federal government.
2. Good grief! You're a busy woman. What did you hope to accomplish with your books?
I want to give readers something to enjoy. I want them to read my stories and feel like they've met characters they'll remember. I want to impart upon them a sense of excitement and romance, love and passion. I want to entertain and enlighten, and maybe, just maybe, push the boundaries a little, taking my readers to a realm they've never imagined.
3.What is the greatest test you ever faced as a writer?
Getting the first book published. I had big dreams of being famous and rich (yeah, I've come back to reality now). I focused so hard on getting a literary agent, that I spent months sending queries and waiting for any word back before finally deciding to skip the middle man and go right for the source. I also let go of the idea of having to be published by a traditional print house and refocused my energies on ebook publishing. When I did all that, I accomplished my goal much quicker. That's not to say you can't get published by a big name print house, or that it will take forever to secure a contract, it just wasn't the right avenue for me. So I guess the biggest challenge was accepting the reality check that a lot of new authors with stars in their eyes have to learn.
4.What’s the best advice you ever got about the publishing industry?
Be persistent and don't let one rejection stop you from submitting somewhere else. A rejection is not a personal attack on your skill as a writer, it just means your work doesn't fit there. Keep trying, it will fit perfectly somewhere else.
5. That's great advice. If you could meet two authors, which ones would you pick and why?
JK Rowlings--I love the Harry Potter series. Stephen King--the man has got to be a lunatic with all the crazy stories he's come up with. I'd bet he'd be a hoot to talk with.
6.Could you share your links with us?
7.We’d love to read an excerpt. Be sure to give us a buy link.
Title: Lycan Lore 2: Offspring
Publisher: Amber Quill Press—Amber Heat
Genre: Erotic/Dark Fantasy / Werewolf / Shapeshifter / Ménage (M/F/M) / Group Sex / Series
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-360-3
BLURB:
Nine months ago, Heather’s life took a dramatic change. She became a werewolf. Shortly thereafter, a lycan hunter named Cray murdered her sire, leaving her to struggle through her horrible existence alone. But if turning into a bloodthirsty, ravenous, beast of the night wasn’t bad enough, she'd also conceived a child on the evening of her attack. With the next lunar cycle about to begin, the hunter hot on her heels, and her unborn child at stake, she's desperate to stay alive. Hoping the hordes of partying females will mask her scent, she flees to the crowded shores of South Beach, right into the arms of a local college student named Mike, a man who could prove more than a one-night stand.
Born a lycan, bred a hunter, Cray McCorbin has learned to control his inner beast, as well as accept the responsibility of eliminating other wolves who can't. He's not proud of his job—killing isn't something he enjoys—and prefers to consider himself a protector of humanity, despite his own heritage. Nine months ago, however, fate intervened in his miserable life and fulfilled the old Lycan Lore, presenting him with a mate. Cassandra, Heather's best friend, is all Cray's ever dreamed of and more. But destiny can sometimes come with a cruel hand. Though he'd gladly give his life for her, his duties as hunter comes first. He can't allow any renegade werewolf to escape, not even Cassandra's best friend...
EXCERPT:
...Heather stirred the skewered cherry around in her soda. Seemed the bartenders in South Beach thought it amusing to dress up their drinks, alcoholic or not. Since arriving some three days ago, she hadn’t gotten one beverage that didn’t sport an orange slice, pineapple wedge, or some other type of impaled fruit.
She’d debated taking the plastic sword and sticking it in the bartender’s eye when he’d set it before her, but decided against it. The last thing she wanted to do was make a scene. She’d come to Miami to blend in with the throngs of college kids currently on Spring Break; stabbing her server certainly wouldn’t promote blending in.
Heather eyeballed the attractive guy sitting on the barstool next to her. Her assessing gaze swept him from his wavy, sandy-blond hair to his moderately sized feet. He had a lean, athletic build and youthful skin; she guessed him to be in his mid-twenties.
He’d make a fine bed-partner.
And afterward, a tasty snack.
“So where are you going to school?”
He glanced at her, his sea green eyes sparkling with interest. His gaze dropped from her face to her breasts, lingering a long moment to ostensibly appreciate their ample size before sliding lower to focus on the large swell of her abdomen. His assessment faltered.
“You shouldn’t drink when you’re pregnant, you know,” he said matter-of-factly.
Heather bristled at the haughtiness of his tone. She clenched her jaw, struggling to control her temper. Restraining her inner beast became more difficult with each passing night of the lunar cycle.
For three moons of the month—the full and the two preceding—she became a force to be reckoned with. Last night was the first. Tonight would make two. And tomorrow would be worse.
“It’s virgin,” she ground out through a fake smile. “I don’t drink.”
She lied, of course. She drank all the time, even more so since the manifestation of her current state. Nothing else dulled her pain.
Not that she didn’t care about the child in her womb. She did. She just doubted alcohol would cause it much harm. No, silver bullets were her baby’s only enemy. Well, silver bullets and Cray McCorbin.
Though he shared her ailment—if one considered lycanthropy to be some sort of disease—he still saw fit to hunt and kill his own kind. The man had proved relentless. After he’d disposed of Graham, her baby’s father, he’d targeted her.
Regardless of how many obstacles she put in his way, he refused to stop hunting her. Oh, she’d managed to slow him down, throw a few detours in his trail. But once he’d eliminated her progenies, he steadfastly resumed his search for her.
It’d been nearly nine months since she’d started running from Cray, nine long months. But despite how tired she’d grown of late, she needed a little more time. Her baby would come soon, perhaps at the conclusion of the current lunar cycle. She just hoped her surroundings masked her scent until then.
Although her hormones were working on overtime, Cray would have a hard time pinpointing her location. Right now, hundreds of horny college girls flocked South Beach’s Lummus Park and all its surrounding attractions. The very air teemed with the smell of sex, a veritable cesspool of pheromones.
She’d purposely booked lodging at the Clevelander Hotel, one of South Beach’s hot spots. In addition to being located right in the middle of the infamous Ocean Drive, it served as home to the Clevelander bar, a place synonymous with irreverent partying. She’d not only blend in with the carousing crowd around her, she’d be certain to sample some of its delicacies as well, in more ways than one...
Thanks so much for coming today, Shannon, and good luck with your book. It sounds really good.
