Friday, January 10, 2014

Interview with K.M. Fawcett

We are giving away one digital copy of FEARLESS to a random commenter today. Yay! So make sure you leave a comment and tell us about the kind of "what-ifs" you'd like to explore. Make sure to leave your email along with your "what-if" so I can contact the lucky winner!

Today I’m welcoming K.M. Fawcett to the blog as she tours the blog-o-verse talking about her latest release, FEARLESS, book two in the Survival Race series. I had the pleasure of reading this series and wow, a definite must read if you haven't already picked up one of K.M. Fawcett's books! 



First, a little bit about the book, and then we’ll get to the interview.

FEARLESS by K.M. Fawcett
Release date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Forever Yours E-Book
ISBN: 978-1-4555-2819-6

Myia, a shaman-in-training, wants desperately to protect her peaceful village from the barbaric Highland invaders. To hone her powers of prophetic visions and healing, the village elders send Myia on a quest to heal the Highland leader's heart and stop a brewing war. Myia's mended many souls before, so this should be an effortless duty . . . until she meets the gorgeous, stubborn Highland warlord.

Kedric, a gladiator who escaped enslavement, only wants to liberate the villagers from their common foe-a race that breeds humans for blood sport and genetic experiments. Fueled by his rage, Kedric is determined to take down the brutal enemy. So when a raven-haired beauty with a body made for sin tries to sabotage his mission, Kedric wants her gone. Yet no woman's touch has ever left Kedric more annoyed . . . and aroused. Kedric knows he should shun her soothing embrace-but he can't seem to stay away. As their passion grows, Kedric must decide between fighting his war or surrendering his rage-and his heart-for Myia's love.


Thanks for stopping by today, K.M. Can you tell your readers, what are you working on now?
I am working on book 3 in the Survival Race Series. My heroine is a strong, kick-butt character and is so much fun to write. This book will give us another glimpse into the gruesome survival race, the gladiators, and the Hyborean rulers in addition to a new steamy romance.
Ooh, I can’t wait to see who the new couple will be, and what adventures you have in store for everyone.

Can you name one thing readers don’t know about you?
Before I became a writer, I was a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Not really. I tend to like what I like without feeling guilty about it. Whether it’s reading romance, watching Doctor Who, or singing along to Neil Diamond, I don’t worry about what other people think of me.

I like the way you think!  

For readers who are new to you, the Survival Race series is sci-fi romance. Do you write only in this one genre or several different ones? And why?
I like to write sci-fi romance and paranormal romance because I enjoy stories where the good guys win and are rewarded with a happily ever after. I also love the adventure and the wonder that a science fiction or paranormal element brings to a story. There are so many “what ifs” to explore. What if humans were the pets of an alien race? What if we were forced to breed and compete for alien entertainment?

To date, which is your favorite story in your Survival Race series?
Captive will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first manuscript I finished, the first manuscript I sold, and the first book in the Survival Race series. I absolutely love my tortured hero, Max, and enjoyed bringing him back in book 2.

I’m sure many of your readers love Max, too. Those green eyes… *swoon* Which book did you have the most fun writing?
Fearless was really fun to write, though a bit outside my comfort zone, because it was sexier and steamier than Captive. Myia can’t heal Kedric’s spirit unless she touches him. Although Kedric desires her, he refuses her touch, which led to some fun sexual tension!

Thank you so much for having me on the blog today!

~K.M. Fawcett

You’re always welcome to stop by, K.M.!

If you're new to K.M.'s books... here's a little sneak peek.



Angry red streaks snaked through his aura. “What manner of trickery is this?”
“Get off of me, barbarian.” Name-calling? Really? Had her father taught her nothing?
“Barbarian? That’s funny coming from a savage.”
She gasped. “Savage? You’re the one on top of me.”
“As I recall, I wouldn’t be on top of you if I hadn’t needed to protect myself from your tricks.”
“I am a spiritual healer. I only wanted to repair your soul. You must release my people.”
“They’re free to go at any time. They choose to stay.”
His weight was crushing her, making breathing difficult, but she refused to let him see her discomfort. If she could calm herself enough, her spirit could reenter his, and she could try healing him again. This might be the only chance she got before he…What would he do to her?
She didn’t sense anything evil, vile, or malicious. Murder wasn’t present in his aura. The only thing she perceived was arousal. Typical male. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage.
There were three occasions when a person’s spirit was the most vulnerable: during sleep, during illness, and during sex—so she’d been told.
“You’ve invaded our peaceful village and took our people against their will. Forgive me for not believing you.” Her words were angrier than she wanted them to be. What happened to her shamanic training?
“Seems we have a lot in common, you and I.”
“We have nothing in common, barbarian.”
“Did you not invade my body against my will?”
“To heal your spirit.”
“So you say, savage.”
Would he stop calling her that? She was not a fierce, violent person. She was tranquil and at peace with the universe, dammit.
Well, at least she strove for peace.
“However,” he continued, “you needn’t concern yourself. My spirit requires no healing.”
“So say you. But our spirits have met, and yours told me it hid a deep wound. Let me back in. Let me into your body to heal you.”
His smirk surprised her. What could he possibly find so humorous?
“If anyone enters another’s body, it will be me.” His warm lips pressed against hers. As if to prove his point, his tongue coaxed hers to open for him.
She’d been kissed before, but not from a man so dangerous and commanding, or so good at it.
Well, she wasn’t about to waste the opportunity to do what she came here for, especially since nothing in his aura indicated malicious intent. His spirit simply sought to demonstrate his male dominance in a kiss. Nothing more. Ha. He’d learn who the dominant one was when she connected with his spirit again.
She opened her mouth and kissed him back. His pause indicated surprise. He’d obviously expected her to resist. When she didn’t let up, his jaw relaxed and his kiss deepened. She couldn’t deny the freedom her soul felt.
But she’d come to heal his heart, and as much as she would like to give in to the pleasure she was receiving, she needed to heal him first.
Again retreating to that tranquil place in her mind, her spirit gathered energy and flowed from her body into his. Her spirit didn’t get further than the impenetrable stone wall before it was thrown from his body again.
His lips were off hers, the weight of his body disappeared. The influx of warm night air came as a relief.
“Savage,” he boomed. “Stay out of my body.”
“If you enter my body, barbarian, rest assured I will enter yours.”


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Welcome back to part deux of Mimi Jean Pamfiloff’s release day blitz for ACCIDENTALLY…CIMIL? As promised, here is the short interview I had with Mimi Jean.



Mimi Jean, can you tell readers where you find the inspiration for your stories?

Definitely, from everything I love or find funny. I like to believe, sometimes erroneously, that I am like everyone else, and I figure if something inspires me to laugh or fall in love, others will like it, too. So, as silly as it sounds, I just write what I love, hoping it will connect with the rest of the planet.

Doesn’t sound silly at all. J I think a lot of authors feel the exact same. Okay.. tell me, have you found getting published to be difficult? How long did it take?

I’ll answer in two parts—one with my business hat and the other with my writer hat:
1. I’ve worked for Fortune 500s for 15 years. I know what it’s like to be an intricate part of a company’s success. I know the pressures of delivering a line on the P&L statement. So, when I decided to submit my novels to agents and publishers, I understood the big picture. Profit.
Going in, I knew my work (yet another paranormal series) wasn’t at the top of anyone’s acquisition list; the Paranormal market was already saturated so why would any company invest in my work? They have numbers to hit. So self-pubbing was the obvious route.
2.  4-5 weeks after self-publishing my first novel, ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE WITH A GOD, I self-published my second. ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO A VAMPIRE hit the bestsellers lists, and it didn’t take long for offers to come in after that. But I had already made a commitment to my readers to deliver a 3rd book within 6 months. Signing up with a publisher would have derailed that.  So I waited until the time was right.
As for the other question, “Was it difficult?” I think getting published is extremely hard. So many factors play in that have little to do with the actual book (as I pointed out in #1). I can’t say that self-publishing (and being successful) is any easier. My advice is to write because you love it. Let the other chips fall where they may.

Wow. Congrats on your success. Not many who self-pub have that kind of luck.

Your series, Accidentally Yours series falls under the romance category. Is there another genre aside from that one that you would like to write for, and why?

Nope! Just Romance! I love writing about love. Ha!

Fair enough. What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

I’m one of those strange people who woke up one day, 4 or so years ago, with the inexplicable urge to write. I think it was partially due to my love of reading Paranormal Romance, and partially due to my stressful day job—I needed a creative outlet. It kind of just happened. And I love it!

And we’re glad you do! Sometime it just takes that one little spark to find that thing we’re in need of to make the EDJ that little bit more tolerable.

Enquiring minds want to know, Mimi Jean… Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Belgian chocolate is #1. I also live very close to Napa, so I love good wine! Generally, anything from the Carneros or Russian River region. Yummm…

Chocolate and wine. Always a great choice!

Name one thing readers don’t know about you.

Hmmm… I guess that my readers changed my life. Having complete strangers reach out, cheer you on, and thank you is a life-changing experience. I am grateful every day for them. They made me believe in humanity again. (Corny, but true!)

Last, but never least… Can you tell your readers what you’re working on now?

I JUST, JUST, JUST turned in ACCIDENTALLY OVER. So right now, I’m not working on anything.  But give me another week, and I’m sure I’ll be writing something new. 

Yay! Thanks so much for stopping by Mimi Jean, and I can't wait to read ACCIDENTALLY OVER. 

About the author:

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff is The New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of Paranormal Romance. Before taking up a permanent residence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mimi spent time living near NYC (became a shopaholic), in Mexico City (developed a taste for very spicy food), and Arizona (now hates jumping chollas, but pines for sherbet sunsets). Her love of pre-Hispanic culture, big cities, and romance inspires her to write when she's not busy with kids, hubby, work, and life...or getting sucked into a juicy novel.

She hopes that someday, leather pants for men will make a big comeback and that her writing might make you laugh when you need it most.

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Buy Links:

And..since I'm feeling extra nice... here's the Rafflecopter again! 


Rafflecopter giveaway

Q&A with Cimil from ACCIDENTALLY...CIMIL? by Mimi Pamfiloff

Good morning everyone! The gracious folks over at Forever have invited us to share in the release day celebrations for Mimi Jean Pamfiloff's latest in her Accidentally Yours series, ACCIDENTALLY...CIMIL?

I've had the pleasure of reading Ms. Pamfiloff's books and very much enjoyed this fun, quirky and romantic series. If you love hot heroes, heroines with spunk, steamy romance and a healthy dose of hilarity...these books are for you. 

ACCIDENTALLY…CIMIL? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Release date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Forever E-Novella
ISBN: 978-1-4555-4703-6

Meet Cimil. Yeah, she's the Goddess of the Underworld, harbinger of all things evil and deadly, yadda, yadda . . . but she's also crazy fun! While minding her own business in Giza, Egypt, around 3000 BC (give or take a few centuries), she spots the hottest mortal her immortal eyes have ever seen. And he's not just any guy-he's the strong, powerful pharaoh who's fallen madly in love with her. But when he kills her pet unicorn, Cimil vows revenge, even if takes thousands of years to get even.

When Roberto meets Cimil, the king knows she's his soul mate. It isn't just her beautiful eyes or gorgeous body, but the godly power he feels simmering just beneath her fun-loving surface. They were the perfect couple . . . until the dead unicorn thing. Now after four thousand years, Roberto crosses paths with Cimil again, and his love for her is stronger than ever. But can he prove that he can once again be trusted with her heart? 


As a special treat today, the lovely people at Forever have shared an interview between Mimi Jean and the ever funny (and completely wacky) Cimil. Have a look! (And check out the funtastic giveaway afterward!)

MJ: Cimil, rumor has it that you are trying to end the world.  How do you respond to these allegations?

Well, that’s just crazy-talk! (And absolutely true.) I would never try to harm my precious people pets (a HUGE lie), because I am a deity. I am incapable of doing harm to anyone. (Another HUGE lie.)  That said, everything I touch does have a way of blowing up. (All true.) But it’s not my fault. I swear! (Sad, but true.) Once you read my story, you will understand. (Not likely, but hey… One can dream.)

MJ: Why, exactly, do you hate clowns?

Really now. Why does anyone hate clowns? They smile all the time. It’s just creepy. And wholly unnatural. Nuff said.

MJ: How did Minky become your pet?  Where did you find her?

Ah! Now there’s an exciting story.  It was about 10,000 B.C., and I was hunting packs of randy little Leprechauns (to play a prank on Fate; their tiny little hands freak her out).  Anywhoodles, I came across Minky trying to steal their pot of gold (it’s invisible, just like Minky). We’ve been best buds ever since.

MJ: Cimil, did you just make up that entire story?

Yes. Absolutely. Dangit! I’m such a bad liar!  The truth is we met at a knitting circle.

MJ: You’re not going to tell us the truth, are you?

No.

MJ: Now that your darkest secrets have been revealed in your novella, Accidentally Cimil, how do you feel? And do you still plan to smite the writer?

My secret is such a humdinger, how can I not be relieved?  My only concern is that my brethren will reject me when they find out. But it’s really not my fault. And yes, Mimi Jean shall be smote!

MJ: So is your dark secret the reason you lied to your brethren about being clairvoyant when your true gift is speaking to the dead?

No. Being clairvoyant just sounded cooler.  Don’t get me wrong, talking to dead people, seeing the world’s future and past through their eyes certainly has its perks, but half the time they just sit around complaining about being dead. Or losing at poker. (The dead play lots of poker.)

MJ: Can you give us a hint about how the series will end?

I could tell you, but you’d never believe me. It’s BIG! It would even shock a Leprechaun and nothing shocks those little bastards.  I will tell you this, however; it involves very hungry hippopotami.See you in August! Hugs and many naughty thoughts, CIMIL (Just...Cimil)

Like I said, funny and completely wacky. Now... who's ready for a giveaway!?! (And don't forget to stop by later when I have my very own Q&A with Mimi Jean.)