Thursday, December 30, 2010

A Touch of Greek - Top Pick 2010

My Greek God romance A TOUCH OF GREEK received the 2010 Top Pick award in Erotic Paranormal Romance from Bitten by Paranormal Romance:

Click on the Ribbon to read Laurie's post.
Thanks Laurie!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Scorcher Award for Venice Vampyr!

You guys are not going to believe this, but Laurie from Bitten by Paranormal Romance has just given Venice Vampyr the first ever Scorcher Award!


Check out her review: Bitten by Paranormal Romance

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Win a Nook Color!

Didn't get what you wanted for Christmas? Here's another chance!

As a little post-Christmas treat, Tina Folsom is raffling off a brand-new Color Nook (retail price: $249) to one reader.

Here are the rules:

  • MANDATORY (no purchase necessary): For one entry into the contest, please answer the following 3 questions from Tina Folsom's vampire series Scanguards Vampires:
    1. What's the name of the shrink Samson sees at the beginning of Samson's Lovely Mortal?
    2. Who calls Amaury on his cell phone to summon him to a crisis meeting in Amaury's Hellion?
    3. Why is the entry to Maya's apartment building dark when she comes home in the middle of the night in Gabriel's Mate?
Answers to these three questions can be found in the free samples available on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com and/or the Audio Excerpt of Gabriel's Mate on Tina's Website. No purchase is necessary to find the answers to the three mandatory questions.
  • OPTIONAL: You can earn extra entries by answering as many of the bonus questions as you like. Get 3 extra entries for each bonus question you answer correctly (max. 9 additional entries):
    1. In Samson's Lovely Mortal:   What does Carl find in Delilah's luggage?
    2. In Amaury's Hellion: Who does Amaury visit in the hospital?
    3. In Gabriel's Mate: Where do Gabriel and Maya find shelter when they are chased by the villain? 
  • Answers to the optional questions can be found in later chapters of the books, not the free sections.
More rules:

  • Email your answers to authortinafolsom (at) gmail (dot) com. Please use a valid email address so Tina can contact you if you win. Do not post your answers on Tina's blog, Facebook, or Twitter. Only emails to the above email address constitute valid entries. Please put "Win a Nook" in the subject line of your email.
  • Contest open only to US Residents.
  • Winner will be selected using random.org
  • Winner will provide Tina Folsom with her/his name and a US mailing address.
  • Winner agrees to her/his name being announced on Tina's blog and Facebook page. Email address and/or mailing address will not be published.
  • Contest runs through January 24, 2011 9pm PST. All emails containing the 3 correct answers to the mandatory questions received by that time will be entered in the draw. All emails containing correct answers to the bonus questions will receive an additional 3 entries per correct bonus answer. A total number of 10 entries per person are possible.
  • Contest void where prohibited by law.
  • Tina Folsom reserves the right to disqualify entrants who disclose the answers to the contest questions on any social networking sites, blogs, or other websites.
  • Permission granted to re-post this contest on blogs and social networking sites. Please link back to this post.

How will the draw take place?
Each entrant will receive an email from Tina with their entry number(s). To keep everything fair, the winning entry number will be drawn by a professional in the romance novel industry (TBA), who will have no access to the names and email addresses of the entrants.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Venice Vampyr: Final Affair soon to be released

I will soon be releasing the second installment in my novella series Venice Vampyr. The first book "Venice Vampyr" was released on December 13.

The second novella will follow the story of Dante, Raphael's brother. And here's the cover:

A Touch of Greek - 5 star review

Check out this great review by Michelle from Indie Paranormal Book Reviews. She gave A Touch of Greek, my sexy new Greek God series 5 stars.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Among the Muses

It's always a nice surprise to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the great paranormal romance authors. Check out  
to find out more.

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Venice Vampyr - now available

My latest release - a 31,000 word historical erotic vampire novella - Venice Vampyr is now available for purchase at:


I'm still working on the upload to Allromanceebooks.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Gabriel's Mate in Paperback

Gabriel's Mate is now available in paperback at Amazon.com only.

Price $8.99
278 sizzling hot pages

Venice Vampyr - Christmas Giveaway - Winners

All readers who entered via the comments section or who emailed me by Monday Dec 13 at 7pm PST have won a free Kindle copy of Venice Vampyr!

You will receive your free copy within the next 24 hours. Please make sure to check your email spam folders - the email will come from Amazon.com.

Thanks to all for entering!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Venice Vampyr - Book Trailer

Please enjoy the book trailer for Venice Vampyr, a historical erotic vampire novella which will be released on December 15, 2010. If you haven't entered the giveaway for this e-book yet, please do it now. You still have until Monday at 7pm PST.



Friday, December 10, 2010

Audio Excerpt of Gabriel's Mate (Scanguards Vampires #3)

Please enjoy an audio excerpt of Gabriel's Mate read by me.

Venice Vampyr - giveaway and release date

Venice Vampyr will be released on December 15, 2010.

The current giveaway in relation to Venice Vampyr will close on Monday, December 13 at 7pm PST. Please enter now if you want to win one of the 30 free Kindle copies of this erotic novella.


So far I have 23 eligible entries.

Review for Gabriel's Mate

Laurie from Bitten by Paranormal Romance has reviewed Gabriel's Mate (Scanguards Vampires #3), and she gave it her Top Bite Award.


To read the entire review, head over to her blog:


I will be guest blogging there on December 15, and there will be a giveaway of autographed paperbacks of the first three books in the Scanguards Vampires series. Mark your calendars.

Review for A Touch of Greek

Many thanks to Nikki for her great review of A Touch of Greek, Book 1 in the Out of Olympus series about a group of mischievous Greek Gods.

To read the full review:

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Audio Excerpt of Venice Vampyr

Please enjoy an excerpt of my upcoming novella Venice Vampyr read by me. Yes, I have an accent - nobody's perfect. Maybe you can guess where the accent comes from.




Venice Vampyr will be released as an e-book soon.

Since this is the first time I've produced an audio file, any feedback is appreciated.

Giveaway in connection with Chosen by Blood by Virna DePaul

Talented debut author Virna DePaul whose first Paraops Novel "Chosen by Blood" will be released in May 2011 by Berkley Publishing and I have decided on a little giveaway.

By the way, don't you guys just love the cover?


If you pre-order her book by January 1, 2011 and email me your proof of purchase, I will send you a free e-copy of one of my following books (please specify ePub, Kindle, or pdf in your email):

  • Samson's Lovely Mortal
  • A Touch of Greek
  • Naked Shorts (Anthology)

More details about the giveaway are on Virna's Website.My email address is: authortinafolsom at gmail dot com.

And here's a little bit more about her debut novel, which I was privileged to read a short while ago, and loved:

Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and otherborn— humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA—still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills.

Leader of an Otherborn clan, half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux would do anything to find a cure for the anti-vamp vaccine slowly starving his people into extinction. When the FBI contacts him about leading a team of hand-selected Others on a mission to reclaim the stolen antidote, Knox accepts. His new assignment places him in direct contact with Special Agent Felicia Locke, the beautiful human he’s craved since their very first meeting.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Enter anyway

Dear readers,
there seems to be a problem with showing my followers and for new followers to join. Until this is fixed, feel free to enter my
without becoming a follower of this blog. Just come back at a later point and follow me then.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

New Release: Gabriel's Mate

Gabriel's Mate, Book #3 in the Scanguards Vampires series, is already available on Barnes and Noble. Here's the buy link:




Other purchasing links:



More Winners announced!

I ran a contest for two readers to win a free e-copy of Gabriel's Mate (Scanguards Vampires #3). The readers had to leave a customer review for either Samson's Lovely Mortal or Amaury's Hellion on Amazon.com and email me their contact information by end of day December 1 (which is my Dad's birthday).

I'm in a pre-Christmas spirit and have decided to increase the number of winners from 2 to 16. The following readers have won a free e-copy (they are listed by their Amazon reviewer name):

Lunataina
C. Jennings"MatchBox20fan"
Gadget Geek Avid Gardner
Laura Gadbois
esm4
Julie Safford
RodeoQueen
Buch Liebende Mutter
Gecko93
Vampmommy 1979
dragongirl1978
vampire lover
Tricia.O
M. Whitmore "lovetoreadforfun"
Aaron Sweet
lovinthosevampirebooks

All winners will be contacted shortly by email so they can let me know what e-format they prefer for their free book. The following formats will be available: Kindle/mobi, ePub or pdf and the e-copies will be ready to be emailed out by Friday.

Thanks to all participants and reviewers for supporting my writing!


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Winner announced

The winner of a free e-copy of Gabriel's Mate, Book 3 in the Scanguards Vampires series, is:

Camilla from Copenhagen

She left her vote for the cover on Goodreads where my blog is cross-posted. The winner will be contacted shortly.

Thanks to all of you for your help in selecting a cover.

Title Change

I know I'm probably confusing you all, but after long discussions with my critique partner this afternoon, I've decided to change the title for Book #3 of Scanguards Vampires. It will be:

Gabriel's Mate
(Scanguards Vampires #3)

During the entire time while I was writing this novel, I was going back and forth between different titles. Normally when I write, I know the title at the very beginning and I generally stick to it. Somehow it was different with Gabriel's story. Nevertheless, I hope you all like this title.
Release date is Friday, December 3rd. 



Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Vote on the cover and get entered to win a free e-copy

I need help!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, my cover artist can't finish the cover for Gabriel's Destiny, Book 3 in the Scanguards Vampires series due out this Friday. Therefore, I'll have to improvise.

Which cover do you prefer? The couple on the bed or the one standing up?

Please leave your vote in the comment section, and if you would like to be entered in a draw to win a free e-copy of Gabriel's Destiny for your efforts, please leave your email address too. All entries by Wednesday, 10pm PST will be considered.

Thanks!!!

Friday, November 26, 2010

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY - Venice Vampyr

I will be giving away Kindle copies of my new novella Venice Vampyr before Christmas. Now that Amazon allows Kindle-book gifts through their website, I will be giving away 30 copies of my new novella as soon as it is released in early/mid December.

If you would like to be amongst the readers who receive a free Kindle copy as a Christmas present, here are the simple rules:

1. You have to be a follower of my blog (new or old).
2. You need to post your email address in the comments section of this blog post. (if you'd rather not disclose your email publicly, please email me directly at authortinafolsom (at) gmail.com and put Christmas Giveaway-Venice Vampyr in the subject line).

If I receive more than 30 comments with email addresses, there will be a raffle to determine the 30 recipients. Winners will receive their free copy via a download link from Amazon.com where they can determine whether to send the book to their Kindle or to another device (PC / iPhone etc). This contest is open internationally.

Deadline for this contest: All entries by Monday, December 13, 7pm PST are eligible. Should there be more than 30 entries, there will be a draw to determine the 30 winners.

A word of warning about Venice Vampyr: This novella is sexually much more explicit than all my other books. So, if you're a little squeamish about things like voyeurism and other sexual taboos, it's safe to assume you won't like this one.

Early 1800s - Venice, Italy

Isabella Tenderini, a wealthy merchant's widow rescues a stranger from drowning in one of Venice's canals. And how does the man repay her selfless act? By kissing her - her, a respectable woman.

Not only is Raphael di Santori grateful for his life being saved, he would also like to thank his rescuer very intimately - more intimately than decorum allows. But then, Raphael has never been one to play by the rules - as a vampire he doesn't have to.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

New Cover for A Touch of Greek

Just created a new cover for A Touch of Greek. What do you all think? Better than the old one (see the old one on the left blog column)?

Should I use it for the paperback?

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A Day in the Life of an Author

What did I to today? Well, considering I'm working on several different projects, I did quite a lot.

As soon as I'd shooed my husband out the door and sent him off to work at 7:30am, I sat down at my computer and wrote for four hours solid, producing over 4000 words on my Venice Vampyr short story. It's currently over 17,000 words long, much longer than my normal short stories, and it's nowhere near done.

After a quick lunch and a break to do some food shopping before Thanksgiving, I was back at work in my home office. For several hours I looked through stock photo and tried our various different ideas on photoshop to produce a new cover for A Touch of Greek. After receiving my proof for the paperback edition yesterday, I was very disappointed in the cover and decided to start from scratch. When I had something that resembled my idea of what the book cover should look like I sent it to my trusted gang of friends to give me some feedback on it. I'm still waiting to get all the votes in and will hopefully be able to make a decision tomorrow.

Then I found out that my cover model / cover artist who will be doing my cover for Gabriel's Destiny is currently sick. I've wished him a speedy recovery - not quite an altruistic wish, however, not any less sincere.

By the time I had checked on sales and statistics, it was nearly time for my husband to return from work, and guess what? The dishes from last night were still waiting for me to attend to them. So, like a whirlwind I did dishes and tidied up so it looked like I'd been slaving away in the kitchen all day.

What's still on my list of things I didn't get to?
Plenty. Proof reading, critiquing for one of my partners, decluttering my home office (but then that's one I never get to).

What did Scarlett O'Hara say in Gone with the Wind? Tomorrow is another day ... or something along those lines.

Good night!
Tina

Monday, November 22, 2010

No more blond heroes!

Okay, this is officially the last time I write a blond hero! Do you guys know how hard it is to find a decent cover for a book when you're trying to find a handsome blond hunk? Virtually impossible!

As it happens, I need to change the cover for A Touch of Greek since the way it came out on my proof for the paperback just looks terrible. So, I'm trying to revamp the cover completely. It just has to be darker, but I'm still hunting for some good stock photos to use. So far, nada.

Maybe I have more luck tomorrow.

Night folks!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Excerpt of Gabriel's Mate (Scanguards Vampires #3)

I've just posted an excerpt of Gabriel's Mate on my website if you would like to get a glimpse at Gabriel's story before it will be released on December 3, 2010.


Cover to be unveiled soon!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Facebook Store

I'm in the process of setting up a Facebook Store for my books. This will enable readers to purchase my books in e-book and paperback format directly from me.

For Paperbacks, my readers will then have a choice to receive an autographed copy at no additional charge. I will also be shipping abroad. Please check for shipping rates to Europe and Canada on the store front.

Please bear with me while I'm populating the store and order sufficient inventory so I can ship books in a timely manner.

Here's the store if you want to check it out it out while I'm building it:

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Vampire Short Story

I'll be releasing a historical vampire short story soon after releasing Gabriel's Destiny (Book #3 in the Scanguards Vampires series) on December 3.

The short story will be set in Venice, Italy in the early 1800s. I've already got a cover for it. Hope you'll like it. The cover for Gabriel's Destiny will be unveiled soon.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Lawful Escort now in Paperback

Lawful Escort, my erotic contemporary romance novel, is now available in Paperback. To purchase it, please click on the picture and you'll be taken to Amazon.com


The Stats:
Price: $6.99
146 smoldering hot pages
53,000 sexy words
1 hot businessman
1 escort
lots of misunderstandings and mischievous friends

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Amaury's Hellion in Paperback

Amaury's Hellion, Book 2 in the Scanguards Vampires series, is now available in Paperback. UPDATE: Now available on Amazon.com -click on the cover below to purchase it.


The Stats:
Price: $8.99
270 smoking hot pages
92,000 sensual words
1 super yummy bad boy vampire hero
1 kick-ass heroine
lots of action and a supporting cast of hot vampires

Friday, November 12, 2010

Review of Samson's Lovely Mortal on The Forbidden Bookshelf

Check out this great review for Samson's Lovely Mortal by


Tanya gave it "A Raging Inferno" (referring to the sexual content) and called it an "Exceptional Forbidden Book" which I guess means it's a 5-star!

Many thanks, Tanya!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Photos from Venice

I just wrote a blog post about Locations over at Indie Urban Fantasy Blog. Check it out.

In addition I'd like to share some photos of Venice which I took last week - don't you think Venice would be a great location for a vampire book?



Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Back home

I've returned from vacation and already there's chaos.Italy and Germany were wonderful if a little cold and wet. Venice was charming and who knows, I might just set a vampire romance there one day. It's the perfect location for something gothic.

Chaos greeted me at home in the form of a dead computer - luckily all my documents were backed up, however, while the repair shop is figuring out whether my trusted machine can be resurrected, I'm a little handicapped as to what I can do with my much smaller netbook.

I had planned on getting several books out on Paperback, but without the software on my currently defunct machine, I can't produce the print-ready versions. This may delay the release of these paperbacks. Currently affected are: Amaury's Hellion, A Touch of Greek, and Lawful Escort.

In the meantime, I'm working feverishly on the revision of Gabriel's Book in the Scanguards Vampires series.I still hope that I can meet my deadline of a December 3rd release for it, however, the paperback version might be delayed due to the computer issue.

I will keep you all posted.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Review of A Touch of Greek by Escape between the Pages

Check out Lori's wonderful review of my Out of Olympus romance novel A TOUCH OF GREEK. Many thanks to Lori for letting her readers know about my new Greek God series.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

On Vacation and the Importance of Reviews

My dear readers,

I'm leaving for Germany and Italy tomorrow, so my blog will be relatively quiet over the next three weeks. In the meantime, I hope you have plenty of reading material. I sure do. My Kindle is loaded with several books I want to read, a book I'm reviewing for a fellow indie author, and I'm also taking a couple of paperbacks with me that I haven't read yet (for those time when my husband will steal me Kindle!).

Please keep the reviews of my books coming. It's such a thrill for me to read what you're thinking of my books, the characters I've birthed, and the worlds I've built. Some of you probably know how important good and informative reviews are on Amazon: I certainly always read some of the reviews before I buy a book from an author I don't know too much about. Your reviews help support my writing. The more good reviews, the more books I can sell, and the more time I can spend on writing rather than other income producing activities.

As an incentive for you to leave reviews, I will be raffling off the next books in both the Out of Olympus and the Scanguards Vampires series. See the back of A Touch of Greek, Samson's Lovely Mortal and Amaury's Hellion for details on how to enter.

Auf Wiedersehn and Ciao!

Tina

Friday, October 15, 2010

Soon coming in Paperback

Soon, most of my books will be available in paperback through Amazon.com. The following titles will be released in paperback during November:

  • Amaury's Hellion
  • A Touch of Greek
  • Lawful Escort
  • Naked Shorts (Anthology)
They will be priced between $6.99 and $9.99.

More titles will follow in December. The only book currently available in paperback is Samson's Lovely Mortal. I was able to reduce the price for Samson's Lovely Mortal to $8.99 (however, it appears the new price is not reflected on Amazon.com yet - please allow a few more days for this change to filter through.)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Become a character in HP Mallory's new book

So, who hasn't wished to be in a romantic novel? Well, here's your chance! HP Mallory wants to write you into her next book, Toil and Trouble which is due to release on Jan 1, 2011!

She's about 2/3 finished with Toil and Trouble, the follow up book to Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, the first book in the Jolie Wilkins series.

Here are the contest parameters:

Enter to be written as a character in her book, Toil and Trouble. She'll create your character using your name, description and personality (She'll have to send over a questionnaire, etc. to find out all about you!)

She already knows which character you'll be and without giving away too much, this character is:

* integral to the storyline
* mentioned in Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
* will play a part in all future books in the Jolie Wilkins series

The winner will get:

* A written part in Toil and Trouble and future Jolie Wilkins books
* The ability to read Toil and Trouble before it's released to the public
* Added to the Acknowledgments page of Toil and Trouble
* Interviewed on HP's blog
* A signed (with dedication) paperback copy of Toil and Trouble
* A signed paperback copy of Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble and To Kill A Warlock

For rules and how to enter: HP Mallory's Blog

Monday, October 11, 2010

Samson's Lovely Mortal - Paperback currently discounted at Amazon

Amazon.com is currently discounting Samson's Lovely Mortal from its regular paperback price of $11.99 down to $8.63.

Amaury's Hellion - to be released in Paperback

I'm currently working on getting Amaury's Hellion (Book 2 in the Scanguards Vampires series) released in Paperback.

Approximate release date will be end of November. Amaury's Hellion is currently available on Kindle.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Interview and Giveaway with USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith

Today I'd like to welcome USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith who writes paranormal and historical romance.


Tina: You’ve combined my favorite two genres: paranormal and historical romance. Did you think writing in one sub-genre of romance wasn’t quite difficult enough, so you figured you’d add some more world-building and rules, or what made you combine those two genres and create your Brotherhood of the Blood series?

Kathryn: LOL. Actually, my editor at the time and I were talking about what I wanted to do now that the Ryland brothers books were done. She knew I loved vampires and so she offered me the chance to do a series. I could have written the books as modern stories, but I really wanted to keep it historical. Dracula and Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde … they all have that great 19th century gothic feel to them and I wanted to try to capture a little of that. Oddly enough, at that time readers weren’t really into historical paranormal so the books didn’t perform as well as was hoped. However, what I find so fascinating is that 5 years after Be Mine Tonight came out, it’s still selling!  I guess I was a little ahead of the curve.

Tina: Since you’re combining paranormal and historical romance, have you thought of writing Steampunk? It appears this sub-genre is looking for more talented writers who can handle both the historical as well as the paranormal aspects which you’re so eloquently combining in your books.

Kathryn: It’s so funny that you would ask me that because I have a Young Adult Steampunk novel coming out in June 2011. It’s called The Girl in the Steel Corset and is written under the name Kady Cross.  I’m currently shopping an adult novel as well. Steampunk combines everything I love in fiction – science fiction, sometimes horror, sometimes romance, fantasy and history.  I love writing the YA books and I hope I get to do more with this fantastic genre.

Tina: I just finished reading Let the Night Begin – one of your books in the Brotherhood of the Blood series (Readers: please see my 5-star review on this blog). You’re giving your vampires some interesting traits: flying for one thing. What vampire traits do you most like in your characters and why?

Kathryn: After the success of Twilight, I’m wondering if I shouldn’t have made them sparkle! J My favorite vampire aspects are: only being able to come out at night, and therefore unable to face the day. It gives them a vulnerability, but also something for which readers can sympathize. I do like flying – who doesn’t? I think my favorites have to be the superior senses, strength and speed.  As to why… well, I suppose I’m a bit of a traditionalist, but I really like the idea of them being ‘monsters.’ Really, they have every advantage over humans except for daylight, but are acutely vulnerable to them as well. They depend on humans for their very sustenance, so I think it’s an interesting relationship.

Tina: In Reign, the hero of the book, you captured an interesting combination: Regency rake and vampire. He has flaws and he does the heroine Olivia a terrible wrong by turning her into a vampire against her will. Were you afraid that your readers wouldn’t like the hero at first because of what he’d done? Or were you certain that his redemption was assured?

Kathryn: I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t consider if readers would forgive him or not. I just knew that he had done this awful thing, and he’d done it because he was afraid of losing her and wanted to keep her forever. Of course, this only succeeded in driving her away. He suffered for it, though. I figured if Olivia could eventually forgive him then readers would too. I think he was my favorite of all the vampires. I loved them all, but there was just something about Reign that made him feel more real to me.

Tina: The way your vampires were created in the first place was very different and original. Would you please explain to us what their origin is and how you came up with the idea?

Kathryn: People have always touted Lilith as the mother of all vampires/demons. During some of my research I read a story in which Lilith had children with Adam (in Jewish lore, Lilith was the first woman, not Eve). Eve was looking after the children when God told her He wanted to see the kids. For some reason, Eve hid Lilith’s children, and when God asked if there were any more, she said no. God, however, was God and knew she lied, so He said that those who were hidden should remain so. The story went on to say that this was how the Faery race was born. I thought, what if that was how vampires came about? So, God rejecting them explains why holy relics work against them, and silver harms them because Lilith was cursed into silver so that she might be passed from man to man as her curse dictated. That she was the silver paid to Judas came from that, and then the Templars fell into place since there are all those stories about some of them worshipping a dark lord and having unfathomable treasure.

Tina: How many books are there in the Brotherhood of the Blood series and how many more are planned? Do you have release dates so your fans can keep track?

Kathryn: There are 5 books and an anthology in the series. And they’ve all be released and are available in book stores or online. At the moment, I have no plans to write anymore, though I’m certainly open to the idea. There are so many vampire books out there right now that I’m not sure I could bring anything fresh to the table, so if I write more paranormal books I may have to look at other types of beings to write about.  Right now I’m writing the YA and I have a couple of projects with my agent, so we’ll just have to see how things go.

Tina: What is your writing routine like? Are you more a panster or a plotter? Do you write every day at a specific time or specific place? Give us a flavor of what your writing day looks like.

Kathryn: I’m a plotter who likes to leave enough room to be a pantser. ;-) I do tend to have my ‘cave’ that I write in, but I can write anywhere. I seem to get more done late at night after my husband has gone to bed. There’s too much to distract me during the day!  Basically I get up, have coffee and breakfast while checking email, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Then, I work. Sometimes this is easily said than done. Then, I break to make supper, etc. I spend the evening with my husband, and then get back to work when he toddles off to bed. I can write more between midnight and 3 a.m. than I can all my long, distracted day.

Tina: And just for fun: if you could live in any city of the world, where would it be and why?

Kathryn: Hmmm. I think that would have to be London. All that history! And the accents! LOL. That would be lovely. Also, my husband and I share an affinity for San Francisco. I’d be there in a heartbeat if I wasn’t such a chicken about earthquakes.

Tina: Here's a little secret between you and me, Kathryn, there aren't actually that many big earthquakes in San Francisco. I personally have only felt one which was around 4.0 and did no damage - and I've lived here for nine years.

Many thanks to Kathryn for the great interview. If you want to find out more about her, please check out her website: Kathryn's Website



And now to the Giveaway!

Turns out I have an autographed copy of Kathryn's book "Let the Night Begin" right here in my little home office and my arm can be twisted so I'll give it away to one reader.

To enter:
Leave a comment with your email address below.
Contest open to US residents only due to shipping costs.
 
Get extra entries:
  • +1 for being a current or new follower of this blog
  • +1 for being a current or new Facebook friend of Tina
  • +1 for being a current or new follower of Tina on Twitter 
  • +1 for tweeting / blogging or Facebooking about this contest

Contest closes Wednesday October 13, 2010 at 10pm PST. Winner will be notified by email and has to respond within 48 hours with a mailing address, or a new winner will be chosen. Please note that I will have to receive the winner's mailing address before Saturday Oct 16th 1pm otherwise I will not be able to mail the book before my vacation.

Good luck!

The contest is now closed.

The winner is  
Jolene!
Congratulations!

The Plot Thickens II - Premise

Check out my latest blog post over at

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What a Ride! Adventures of a free Kindle book

I'm sure many of the independent authors out there are asking themselves right now how I managed to offer my erotic novella STEAL ME for free on Amazon Kindle for 4 days. The answer is: I haven't got the faintest clue.

On Friday October 1, around 10am STEAL ME was suddenly available for free on Kindle. Sales skyrocketed instantly. Within a day over 2000 readers downloaded my little erotic short story and propelled me into the top 100 Free Kindle Books. At one point my book was as high as #15 in the bestseller list.

I can't even begin to describe what kind of feeling this was. Over the four days that my short story was available for free, it was downloaded over 9000 times. So, potentially 9000 people will be reading my short story. Of course, not everybody will like it. Somebody's already left a 2-star review complaining about the sex - apparently there was too much of it and it was too explicit. And it read like a XXX movie. Well, I do warn readers in my blurb that this is an erotic novella with hot and steamy sex scenes. Maybe I should have been more explicit? Or maybe not.

Why Amazon did this with my book, I have no idea, but I will forever be grateful for this wonderful opportunity to get my work in front of readers who might otherwise never have considered me. It appears that it is already paying off.


In the back of STEAL ME the first chapter of Samson's Lovely Mortal was offered as a teaser, and low and behold, my sales for Samson's Lovely Mortal nearly doubled starting two days after STEAL ME was first offered as a freebie. At the same time sales of some of my other books also saw a small uptick. It looks like I might have picked up a few new readers.

Many thanks to whoever out there at Amazon.com decided to pick my book for a freebie, and also many thanks to all the readers who've downloaded my short story and are reading it. I hope you'll enjoy it for what it is: a short erotic ride that doesn't take itself too seriously.

And, since this might never happen again: I've just been bumped into #14 of the top 100 Paid in Kindle. So, I had to take a picture of that.

5-star review for The Wrong Suitor

Go visit Laurie's Bitten by Paranormal Romance Blog for a review of my erotic short story The Wrong Suitor. She rated it a 5! If you're into erotic westerns you might like this one.



Monday, October 4, 2010

Book Covers matter

In a recent interview I gave to Beth Barany for her Writers Fun Zone, I told her how important book covers are even for e-books. I'd like to underscore this with a visual example.

Here's the old cover I used when I first started selling STEAL ME on Amazon Kindle:


 And here is the new one I am using now:



No wonder my sales were low when I first started out. The story is still the same, but my sales improved tremendously after I uploaded the new cover. It looks much more professional, classy, and sexy. Since this is an erotic romance, that's exactly what I want to convey to the reader.

Currently, STEAL ME is available for free on Amazon Kindle and ranks 20th in the top 100 Free Kindle Books. If you haven't downloaded your copy yet, please do it soon - I don't know how long Amazon will continue this promotion.


Friday, October 1, 2010

Released on Kindle: A TOUCH OF GREEK

Now available on Kindle (earlier than expected!)

A TOUCH OF GREEK
Book 1 in the sexy new Out of Olympus Series

Buy your $0.99 copy now! Price is good until 10/12/10 only.

Selfish and gorgeous Greek God Triton is cast out of Olympus after seducing Zeus’ mistress and can only gain reentry if he finds a woman who loves him for his kindness and selflessness, not his beauty. When the mortal Sophia – recovering from an eye operation and virtually blind – needs a home healthcare worker, he takes on the role, hoping she will be his ticket home. 

While defending Sophia from an unknown adversary, Triton’s protective instinct emerges. At the same time rival Gods do everything to doom him to failure. And even if Triton can win Sophia’s love, will he throw it away to return home, or will he lose his own heart to the only woman who truly sees him? 

A Touch of Greek is the first book in the humorous and sexy paranormal romance series Out of Olympus following the romantic adventures of four Gods: Triton, Dionysus, Eros, and Hermes.

The next book in the series (Dionysus) is planned for March 2011.  

Free on Kindle

For whatever reason, Amazon has decided to offer my erotic short story STEAL ME for free on Kindle. Since I have no idea why they did that, I can't tell you either how long this offer is good for, so follow the link and get your free copy now.


Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Fellow author Bella Andre and I were interviewed for The Writer's Fun Zone

Visit Beth Barany's blog The Writer's Fun Zone for an interview with me and fellow Northern California author Bella Andre:

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Saturday, October 2, 2010: Release of A TOUCH OF GREEK

My first book in my new Out of Olympus series A TOUCH OF GREEK will be released on Amazon Kindle this Saturday, October 2.

I will post the purchase link here as soon as it is available. Please remember that A TOUCH OF GREEK will be available for $0.99 for an introductory period of 10 days before I will set the regular purchase price. Take advantage of these savings and buy your copy early.

Winner of Carolyn Jewel's My Forbidden Desire & My Wicked Enemy

Congratulations to the winner of signed paperbacks of 
Carolyn Jewel's My Forbidden Desire and My Wicked Enemy


Danielle

The winner was selected using random.org (a random number generator) and has been contacted by email.
Thanks to all of you for entering.
Tina
P.S. If the winner does not respond with a mailing address with 48 hours a new winner will be selected.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Release of A Touch of Greek - coming soon!

After much thought I've decided to release my Greek God romance A Touch of Greek shortly. While it is still on submission to a print publisher, I see no reason to delay its release on Kindle any longer.

I will announce a release date in the next couple of days (a release date between October 1st and 5th is anticipated). My plan is to make A Touch of Greek available for $0.99 for the first ten days before setting the regular price. So get your copy early to take advantage of the savings.

I will be posting the link to Amazon's purchase page for A Touch of Greek here on the blog as soon as it is available.

In the meantime, here's a short summary of the sexy and humorous romance:

Selfish and gorgeous Greek God Triton is cast out of Olympus after seducing Zeus’ mistress and can only gain reentry if he finds a woman who loves him for his kindness and selflessness, not his beauty. When the mortal Sophia – recovering from an eye operation and virtually blind – needs a home healthcare worker, he takes on the role, hoping she will be his ticket home.

While defending Sophia from an unknown adversary, Triton’s protective instinct emerges. At the same time rival Gods do everything to doom him to failure. And even if Triton can win Sophia’s love, will he throw it away to return home, or will he lose his own heart to the only woman who truly sees him?

A Touch of Greek is the first book in the humorous and sexy paranormal romance series Out of Olympus following the romantic adventures of four Gods: Triton, Dionysus, Eros, and Hermes.



You can also read the first chapter of it here: FIRST CHAPTER

Friday, September 24, 2010

Mentioned on J A Konrath's Blog

How cool is that? My name appears on J A Konrath's Blog:

Konrath Ebooks Sales Top 100k

Scroll down to the middle where he lists new writers who are having success:

New writers like Zoe Winters, Rex Kusler, Vicki Tyley, Karen McQuestion, John Rector, Aaron Patterson, B.V. Larson, Stacey Cochran, Amanda Hocking, D.B. Henson, Eric Christopherson, Debbi Mack, Karen Cantwell, Jonny Tangerine, Stephen Davison, Charles Shea, Joe Humphrey, Gary Hansen, M.H. Sargent, R.J. Keller, David McAfee, David Derrico, David Dalglish, Brendan Carroll, Alan Hutcheson, Paul Clayton, Imogen Rose, Tonya Plank, David H. Burton, Tina Folsom,...

Life is good ...

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Review: Let the Night Begin by Kathryn Smith

I came across Kathryn Smith's novel when I attended the Romance Writers of America's National Conference in Orlando this year - and I'm very glad I did, because now I have another author I can confidently add to my favorite authors list.

Let the Night Begin is the story of vampire Reign who turned his new bride Olivia into a vampire on their wedding night - mind you, without her permission. Hurt, she leaves him. But thirty years later she needs help when her beloved nephew is kidnapped.

Review:
First off, I was very happy to discover that while the plot was interesting, it did not get in the way of the love story. This is truly a paranormal romance, not an urban fantasy masquerading as a romance. The sexual tension between Reign and Olivia sizzles right from the moment they reconnect. Conflict is aplenty: starting with the reason why Olivia asks her estranged husband (for they never got divorced) for help in getting her nephew back. There is plenty of pent-up frustration and anger. The author does an excellent job in showing us how the two of them slowly start trusting each other again, and how their love for each other is as strong as ever.
The sex scenes are hot, and I would recommend keeping a glass of ice water close to douse the flames. Ms. Smith's writing style is very approachable, and while the novel takes place in Victorian England and Scotland, she doesn't go too deeply into superfluous descriptions (thank you!). Vampire lovers will enjoy the various biting scenes - many very sensual and enticing. And the author has given her vampires one interesting traits not as often seen amongst vampires: they can fly.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars



Dear Readers: Kathryn Smith will be interviewed on my blog in early October.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Giveaway & Interview with Author and two-time RITA nominee Carolyn Jewel

Please join me in welcoming Author Carolyn Jewel to my blog.

Tina: You were nominated for 2 RITA’s (the highest honor in romance fiction) this year – once in Paranormal Romance with My Forbidden Desire and once in Regency Historical Romance with Scandal. Those are two very different genres, or are they? Do you find that there are parallels between those two worlds?

Carolyn: My paranormals are set in the present, so on the face of it, the answer should be no. But there’s a reason some people speculate that paranormals have, to some extent, replaced or at the very least, supplemented the power imbalances so often explored in the historical romance. Paranormals that pair a supernatural hero with a human woman certainly encounter such a mismatch. I’d say there are some parallels, but it’s not complete. Even without supernatural powers, a contemporary heroine has far fewer constraints on her behavior socially and sexually.

In my paranormals, I enjoy not having to worry about historical accuracy or language choices. And yet I enjoy exactly that in my historicals!

Tina: I read your Regency Historical Indiscreet which I enjoyed tremendously. The setting was very different from the usual drawing rooms of London’s ton. Tell my readers more about the unusual setting you came up with.

Carolyn: Indiscreet ended up being set primarily in the Ottoman Empire, what is today Turkey and Syria. For quite some time as I was writing I kept trying to keep the story in England. Foreign settings tend not to fare well. But the story failed to progress for me until I moved my hero and heroine to Turkey.

Tina: Have you been to the locations you write about in Indiscreet, or how did you research the areas in order to convey the authenticity that shines through your writing?

Carolyn: I haven’t been to Turkey, but I would love to go someday. When I was in graduate school one of my professors traveled to Turkey quite often. It happens that I LOVE looking at vacation pictures (Do you have vacation pictures? If so, I want to see them!) and Professor Dunn was not only an excellent photographer, but as an academic, had access to collections and items a normal traveler would not have. Her pictures were amazing and they came with wonderfully detailed stories about the history of the area. I was thrilled to pieces to be invited to her house to see pictures and hear the lectures.

There is a scene in the book in which my heroine, Sabine, says that she has seen “the relevant amphorae” speaking of Etruscan and Greek jars that are painted with sexually explicit images. While I have not seen them personally, I have seen Professor Dunn’s photographs of them. Oh, my.

Vacation pictures are not sufficient research however. And boy, I started to panic when I realized my stubborn insistence on keeping the story in England had cost me precious research time.  Google Books was invaluable. I downloaded a number of historical accounts of travels in the areas I was using in the story. Google maps was helpful for calculating distances and taking a look at terrain (how steep are the mountains etc.) I also found a couple of excellent reference books and old travelogues that came with surprisingly detailed pictures.  Without the Internet I don’t know if I’d have been able to write the book. Though perhaps I would simply have panicked sooner and thus given way to the Turkish setting sooner than I did.

Aside by Tina: Funny you should ask about vacation pictures! I happen to have a couple from Turkey (from 1987!)
Istanbul - Tina Folsom's two Dutch friends in the foreground (we were all working on a cruise ship at the time)
Istanbul - Tina Folsom is the brunette with the hideous haircut! Luckily nobody noticed because they were all looking at my blond friend.


Tina: Rumor has it that you’re not much into plotting out your books in advance. However, your books seem so well structured and nothing seems out of place. What do you do to make your writing seem so effortless?

Carolyn: I do not plot in advance. I’ve learned that for me, it’s a waste of time. (This does NOT mean it would be a waste of time for someone else.) Whenever I plot in advance, I end up throwing out any chapters I write based on that and NONE of the things I envision ever happen in the pages I actually write. I don’t even try anymore. For me, plot arises from my characters and the way they interact. I have to get them onto the page and see what they say and do. Then I know how to complicate events for them. 

It’s not that I do no advance thinking. But I only proceed when I am solid with what I have so far. I restructure as I go along. I do keep a bare bones document that lists the scenes I’ve written so far, maybe two or three sentences long for each, and incredibly vague scenes that I might write. They’re really placeholders for things like “action here” and “sexy here” or what have you. I don’t think I’ve ever actually written a scene that’s anything like those vague placeholder scenes. By the time I reach that place in the book, everything is different and something else needs to happen. That list of scenes makes it easy for me to check for story arc.

As I write, I’ll often get this little flash of—let’s call it writer’s intuition--  along the lines of , “Carolyn, honey, this scene right here in the middle of chapter 5 is actually the real chapter 1.”  I am learning that I need to pay attention to that little voice. It’s almost always right and the sooner I address that issue, the better. Then I fix my MS and reorder my scene list and check for arc again. It’s scary because there’s often another voice that says, “What are you thinking? If you do that, you will have a problems X, Y and Z and you you’ll have to delete chapter 3.” The correct response for me is, “Yes.”  Those problems always solve themselves or go away, and usually very quickly if not immediately. At about 50-60,000 words, I no longer need the scene list and rarely, if ever, refer to it after that.

The seemingly scary, chaotic process is exactly what sparks off what needs to happen next. I go and layer in the foreshadowing of new and developments, and that, in turn, deepens the story. For me, this never happens with outlines or any kind of deliberate plotting. It only happens when I am in the pages, immersing myself in the story.

I have tried doing all the things that plot in advance types describe, all the neat charts, long notes, extensive outlines, blocking out scenes on post-its and the like and even with 70 pages of scene outline, as soon as I sit down the write, something else entirely happens on the pages. And that’s true even if I skip all the plot-in-advance work.

Other writers will find my process just as impenetrable as I find the plot-in-advance methods. But, if you’re trying to plot in advance and it’s not resulting in an exciting, completed book, then I’d say it’s time to try something different.

Tina: Your agent is Kristin Nelson. How did you attract her attention, and what is your working relationship like?

Carolyn: Well, the short answer is that I queried her, sent her the requested sample material and when she was interested in my work, spoke with her at length about what I was looking for in an agent and my career. She was interviewing me, too, I’m sure.

Tina: Most writers have critique partners they work with. Do you work together with other authors to make each other’s books better, and if yes, what genres do they write in?

Carolyn: No, I don’t work with critique partners, mostly because I’m always writing under deadline and there’s no point in sending early drafts to anyone. I know those are terrible and besides, by the time I got feedback, it’s highly likely that I would have already completely revised the pages. By the time I have something decent, I’m so close to deadline I would need feedback in 3-4 days.

Tina: What other books are on the horizon for you?

Carolyn: In 2011, the next two books in my paranormal series will be out. My Immortal Assassin will be out in January 2011 and My Dangerous Pleasure will be in bookstores in June 2011. I have two historicals that are scheduled for 2012.

Tina: Many thanks for your time and willingness to share your writing process with me and my readers.

Carolyn Jewel's website: Carolyn Jewel
Carolyn Jewel's blog: Carolyn's Blog
Carolyn Jewel on Facebook: Carolyn Jewel Facebook
Carolyn Jewel's author page on Amazon.com: Amazon Author Page



GIVEAWAY
Carolyn Jewel is giving away autographed copies of the first two books in her paranormal series to one reader: My Wicked Enemy and My Forbidden Desire.

To enter:
Leave a comment with your email address below.
Contest open to US residents only due to shipping costs.
Get extra entries:
  • +1 for being a current or new follower of this blog
  • +1 for being a current or new follower of Carolyn's blog
  • +1 for being a current or new Facebook friend of Tina
  • +1 for being a current or new follower of Tina on Twitter 
  • +1 for being a current or new follower of Carolyn on Twitter
  • +1 for tweeting / blogging or Facebooking about this contest
Contest closes Monday September 27, 2010 at midnight PST. Winner will be notified by email and has to respond within 48 hours with a mailing address, or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

 THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Greek God Cover

I had a little time this weekend and tinkered with Photoshop. What do you all think of my proposed cover for my Greek God romance A Touch of Greek?

No release date yet - but I'll keep you all posted. Here's an Excerpt just to whet your appetite.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Winner of Terry Spear's SEDUCED BY THE WOLF

Congratulations to the winner of a paperback copy of Terry Spear's Seduced by the Wolf. 


Rhyan

Update: the winner did not reply - therefore, a new winner will be drawn tonight. 
New Winner: Laurie

The winner was selected using random.org (a random number generator) and has been contacted by email.
Thanks to all of you for entering.
Tina

Monday, September 13, 2010

Review for Amaury's Hellion by Bitten by Paranormal Romance

Please check out Laurie's review of Amaury's Hellion on her blog Bitten by Paranormal Romance. She gave Amaury a 4 star rating with a 4 alarm fire for sexual content.

Many thanks, Laurie!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Impromptu Giveaway! Seduced by the Wolf by Terry Spear

Upon rummaging through my disorganized office, I have discovered that I have two brand-new copies of the same book: one I received in a giveaway, the other was given to me by a friend. Clearly, I can't read both of them. So, I'll be giving one away:



Here's the summary of the book:

His first priority is to protect his pack - Werewolf pack leader Leidolf Wildhaven has just taken over a demoralized pack. With rogue wolves on the loose causing havoc and the authorities from the zoo suddenly zeroing in on the local wolf population, the last thing he needs in his territory is a do-gooder female, no matter how beautiful and enticing she is.

She'll do anything to help wolves - Biologist Cassie Roux has dedicated her life to protecting wolves in the wild. On a desperate mission to help a she-wolf with newborn pups, the last thing Cassie needs right now is a nosy and entirely too attractive werewolf pack leader trying to track her down.

With rogue wolves and hunters threatening at every turn, Cassie and Leidolf may find their attraction the most dangerous force of all.



To enter for a chance to win the book:

1 entry - just for leaving your email address in the comment section
1 entry - for being a current or new Twitter follower: Tina Folsom  (please mention your twitter name)
1 entry - for becoming my Facebook friend Tina Folsom on Facebook
1 entry - for being a current or new follower of my blog
1 entry - for posting this giveaway on facebook, twitter, or other blogs (please mention the link in your comment)

The giveaway will close on Wednesday September 15, 2010 at midnight PST. Winner will be notified by email to the email address they provide in their comment and announced on this blog. US/Canada only due to shipping costs.

Good Luck!

The contest is now closed.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Interview with Lydia Dare

Please join me in welcoming Lydia Dare to my blog.

Tina: Behind the name Lydia Dare is a writing team of two women. Would you introduce yourselves to my readers and give them a little insight into your backgrounds?

Jodie: Hi, Tina! Thanks for having us today. I guess I’ll start. I am Jodie Pearson. I am currently the President of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers and I bring my knowledge and love of Regency England to the table. I began screenwriting way back when, but now focus on novels.

Tammy:  Hi!  I’m Tammy Falkner and I am a mom of two boys, am self employed, and started writing romance about seven years ago when I had my second child.  I am the quintessential sports mom who likes nothing more than being a huge embarrassment to my children when I cheer from the bleachers.

Tina: A writing team seems to face other challenges than an author who works on her own. What do you think your greatest challenges are?

Jodie: Not killing each other. Just kidding. We get along great, but we are very different from each other. Our ideas aren’t always in sync, but we have a ton of respect for each other and have somehow made it work thus far.

Tammy: Honestly, I thought it would be much harder than it is to write with a partner.  When I came home and told my husband about the idea he scoffed and said, “I know how long that will last…”  But, in reality, we’re each strong where the other is weak, and we each accept where the other knows a little more and are willing to defer.  Of course, there’s always the stopping point where one of us says “I just can’t write that.”  Then we have to rethink and keep going.

Tina: When you write a novel, does one of you write from the Hero’s point of view and the other from the Heroine’s point of view? Or how do you decide who writes what?

Jodie: We write linearly. One of us will start a book and write the first 5-10 pages, then we’ll send them off to the other, who will edit those pages and then write the next 5-10. We go back and forth like this until we get to the very end.

Tammy:  It’s kind of nice to be able to send the pages off to another person when you get stuck.  Then you get them back and you know exactly where to take it next.  It’s kind of like shipping the kids off to Grandma’s.  You never know what they’ll do when they’re gone, but you’re happy to hear about it when they come home.

Tina: Was A Certain Wolfish Charm the first book you wrote together?

Jodie: A Certain Wolfish Charm was our first collaboration. We wrote it in two months and two months later we finished Tall, Dark and Wolfish.

Tina: You’re published by Sourcebooks, the largest women-owned publisher in the US. What is your experience working with them?

Jodie: I can’t say enough good things about Sourcebooks. Deb Werksman is wonderful to write for and Dominique Raccah is amazing and so full of energy. Whenever we are with them, we feel like we’re part of the family.

Tammy:  Dominique won us over at her spotlight at RWA Nationals three years ago when she gave her presentation about the company with such enthusiasm. She still carries that excitement over today.  And Deb Werksman, we can’t say enough about her. She knows and loves our characters as well as we do. And we have enjoyed every minute of our work with her.

Tina: I’m sure many readers don’t know how much work goes into one single book. What is your writing process like, and how do you cope with editorial input you receive from your publisher?

Jodie: How do I cope with editorial input? I cry and curl up in a ball. Again – I’m kidding. Though that part is always a little stressful. As far as how much work goes into the book. This is the process: After we write the manuscript, we send it off to our amazing agent Melissa Jeglinski. Melissa will read through it, perhaps make a suggestion or perhaps not, and then she’ll send it off to Deb Werksman. Deb will read the manuscript and come back with editorial changes she wants made. We’ll make those changes using track changes and send it back to her. Then we get copy edits and read back through the changes and either accept with the suggested changes or explain why we don’t want to make the change. Then we send it back. And then, we get the final in a .pdf and go through it once more. This is our last chance to tweak anything or catch any stray Scottish brogue. We’ll send it back and then we are done with that particular book. But so many other people work on each book.

Tammy:  The writing process is usually just a trade off of pages back and forth.  But before we start writing, we do have to have a really clear picture of what our characters look like.  So, we actually cast our characters.  We use stock photo sites and go through hundreds of photos until we agree that the one in the photo looks like what we both envision.  It can be difficult agreeing on that.  Once that part of the process is done, we dive in and don’t look back.

Tina: All books in your Regency England has gone to the Wolves Trilogy have now been published. What are your plans going forward?

Jodie: The first trilogy is out there on the shelves. We have a connected book coming out November 2nd – The Taming of the Wolf. Then next year, beginning in April, we have another trilogy featuring witches from Elspeth’s coven and some very sexy vampyres.

Tammy:  Then we’ll be off to write more wolves, we hope!!

Tina: When you read for fun, what kind of books do you like to read?

Jodie: Oh, I wish I had time to read. These days I’m so busy that I thumb through research books. But if I am able to take a vacation, I will be bringing with me the latest releases of Sabrina Jeffries, Deb Marlowe, Claudia Dain and Liz Carlyle.

Tammy: Historical romance has always been my favorite read. But I also like Elizabeth Lowell, Kresley Cole, and some other contemporary writers.  Right now, we’re so busy writing and editing that I haven’t had time to crack a book in quite some time.

Again, thanks so much for having us!  We’re having a lot of fun writing these stories, and hope the readers love the characters as much as we do.

Tina: Thanks to both of you for your time and giving us a great insight into your work.

For more on Lydia Dare, please visit her website: Lydia Dare

Please find below links to Lydia Dare's Trilogy.