I’m not joking. Muriel here, and for those who don’t know me, I am a princess of Hell. That’s right, Satan’s very own daughter. In case you hadn’t heard, my story of how I finally found my man and kicked some serious demon ass recently came out and is up for cover and book of the month at Happily Ever After. I expect all who read this–and even those who didn’t–to hustle their asses over and vote for Lucifer’s Daughter. It’s not hard to spot it, just look for the hottest cover. If you do I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you with my daddy.
★★Click Here to Vote★★

Welcome  Dee, and thank you for sitting down and submitting to <cough>torture. LOL.

Hi Eve! Thank you for having me.

We want to know, what makes you tick?

A variety of things, really, and not necessarily the same thing each day. When it comes to reading, or writing, I love getting lost in a heart-pounding romance with the happily ever after ending. The next day I might enjoy being scared silly by a “can’t put it down” paranormal. By afternoon, you might find me at the movies watching the latest romantic comedy. There is no logical pattern I follow, which is strange because I’m a Virgo.

I love that you write historicals. Tell us about your debut novel, The Macgregor’s Daughter.

Since I’m terrible with synopsis, I’ll give you the blurb:

In 1776 England, American born Anadreya Macgregor is branded a spy by the arrogant Marquis of Canderlay. Despite her pleas of innocence, he refuses to listen and has her imprisoned. Aided by the Scottish father she never knew, Dreya escapes to Dragon’s Breath Castle.

Five years later, the laird is missing and a badly injured Frenchman washes ashore. Dreya is wary of the blind and amnesic man, though something about him is hauntingly familiar. Is he an ally or a ruthless mercenary who stumbled upon her father’s smuggling activities?

The stranger’s vision and memory gradually return, and Dreya discovers her fate and the continued existence of her clan might very well be in his hands. As the web of deception binding them together unravels, both are in danger of losing everything. Including their hearts.

Are you ready for the question I love most? What is the embarrassing scene you ever wrote, the one that made you blush and squirm, but that just had to be included.

I write sweet/lightly sensual romance, so I really can’t think of any scene that actually embarrassed me as I was writing it. Still, The Macgregor’s Daughter has a great deal of sexual tension, and I might find myself slightly uncomfortable if my grown son or daughter read any of those scenes.

Naughty mommy writings, lol. I hear you. My children will never be allowed to read my work, even when they’re old.

I read on your site that your second book, Promise Me, has been contracted. Tell us about it.

Sure, I’d love to.

After a hasty promise to her dying fiancé jeopardizes the future of his illegitimate child, Lady Leah Sheridan vows to make amends for the gentleman’s lack of honor by personally seeing to his son’s financial needs. But the boy’s heartless mother abandons him, and Leah finds herself nearing a disastrous scandal. To matters worse, her fiancé’s older brother returns to England demanding answers she swore never to divulge.

When the Duke of Chase meets the woman his deceased brother had intended to wed, he does not expect to be captivated by the lady’s beauty or overwhelmed by desire. As he fights falling victim to both, he soon suspects she is hiding a secret.

Will Leah break her promise and confide in the only man who can keep her safe?

What’s next on the agenda for you? Any more books in the works?

I’m not sure if I’ll stay with historicals or cross over to another genre. I think I get bored too often and too easily. I’ve enjoyed writing historical romance, but it’s been very demanding on my time and energy.

Now for the dream part of the interview.  You’re rich and famous. Do you splurge and get a live-in housekeeper, butler or chauffeur?

Definitely a housekeeper!

I hear you! I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t have a secret indulgence. What’s yours?

Chocolate, of course!

I ask everyone this, because I like to know. What turns you on?

A)Husband taking off his shirt

B)Husband doing the housework.

C)Husband taking off with the kids for the day

D) Curling up with a hot book ;P

Hmm, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll add Option E…Hubby in the captain’s seat of his deck boat with his Tennessee Titan’s cap flipped around backward and a satisfied smile on his tanned face as he races through the waves. I love a man in charge!

What is a fabulous answer! And finally, if you had a super fan standing in front of your right now, clutching their e-reader loaded with your book, eyes shining bright, what would you say to them?

I would be awed…and sincerely thank him or her for purchasing my book. And thank you, Eve! It’s been a pleasure chatting with you today!

Want to see more of Dee Julian then hustle over to her site @ DeeJulian.com

Or even better buy her book @ WildChildPublishing.com

Well at least according to my new cover.

Poor Ella hears voices and thinks she’s quite crazy until she meets Zane, a vampire who can’t resist her allure. Coming soon from Liquid Silver.

Welcome Ashley and thank you volunteering to be placed under the microscope. Tell us, who is Ashley Barnard? What makes you tick?

Thanks for having me, Eve! Okay, Ashley Barnard in a nutshell. Well, I’m introverted but fun and sometimes even zany once I relax. I’m very passionate about artistic expression, especially books, film and theater. I live for aesthetic arrest, when something is so beautiful it’s almost painful for me to endure. My family and close friends come first, with writing a close second. I’m very narrow-minded in that respect – the writing is all.

Once the voices start talking, only typing shuts them up. I hear Shadow Fox is coming in October 2010 with Champagne books. Please tell us more.

Shadow Fox is the first volume of a fantasy trilogy. Not typical Dungeons & Dragons; it’s dark with several contemporary scenes. Here’s a little teaser:

A prophecy, a gateway and a magical woman hold the key to Jared’s past. Now he must find a way home before his deadly affliction destroys everyone around him.

Here’s the question I love most. What is the embarrassing scene you ever wrote, the one that made you blush and squirm, but that just had to be included.

I had several scenes like that throughout the trilogy. Then I realized that if writing them really made me squirm, then something was wrong. I don’t want to be ashamed of my books (which I used to be). So I did some major rewriting until I felt like I had reached a balance of dark and/or edgy material with tasteful writing. I think that for the most part I maintained my integrity even when I was really turning up the heat. This does not mean, however, that my readers will not squirm. There will be a few family members especially who will have trouble getting through some of these scenes. To answer your question more specifically, the worst scene I had was probably a threesome in the second volume. In the rewrite I removed a lot of the detail; it’s still racy but definitely toned down. I just can’t see like my dad reading it. Now that does make me squirm.

LOL, I’ve reached the point where I don’t recommend anybody I have to face reads my stuff. Way too racy, but I like it that way  I’ve read Shadow Fox is a trilogy, will the ensuing books revolve around the same main characters?

Absolutely. In fact, this was originally just one long book, almost a thousand manuscript pages long. In the rewrite I cut it into three volumes, so books two and three literally pick up where the last one left off. Mindy is looking them over right now; keep your fingers crossed!

Wow a 1000 pages. Are you working on other stuff apart from your trilogy? Want to tell us about it?

I’m kind of in limbo at the moment. I have three other novels that my agent is shopping around, and we’re discussing a possible nonfiction project, a first for me. I’ll keep you posted.

Now for the dream part of the interview. When you get rich and famous, will you have a pool boy, house boy or boy toy? I want a pool boy, one who will remain shirtless at all times.

My seven-year-old daughter asked me to read her these questions, and for this one she yelled, “A boy toy! I LOVE toys!” It was so cute I had to share it. I don’t think my husband will go for any of them. I guess he’ll have to play all three. ; )

ROFL, oh that’s priceless. What is your guilty food? The one you know you shouldn’t eat, but you do and love it even as you hate yourself for caving in to temptation.

Pound cake and anything made with white chocolate.

What turns you on?
A)Husband taking off his shirt
B)Husband doing the housework.
C)Husband taking off with the kids for the day
D) Curling up with a hot book ;P

Hot books get to me, but I have to choose my husband in his black leather motorcycle pants and boots. He’s an English professor, and I love the transition from quiet, elbow-patch wearing professor to motorcycle-riding bad boy.

Oooh, our hubby’s have the motorcycle look in common then, and I agree it is ruggedly hot. And finally, if you had a super fan standing in front of your right now, clutching their e-reader loaded with your book, eyes shining bright, what would you say to them?

Anytime someone reads my books it brings the characters back to life. So to my super fan? I’d pick them up and squeeze them!

Want to see more of Ashley Barnard then hustle over to her site @ AshleyJBarnard.com
Or even better buy her book @ ChampagneBooks.com on October 4th.

For those who don’t know who I’m talking about, he’s like a king of romance covers. Seriously. Just check out his site
JimmyThomas.com and you’ll probably come across dozens of books that you probably didn’t know featured him as the drop dead, sexy hero.

Why am I blogging about him you might ask–other than the fact he’s super hot–well, I came across an old paperback by Johanna Lindsey with none other than Fabio on the cover. Remember him? Big muscly guy with long blond hair. Gosh back in the eighties it seemed like every cover featured him in some shape or form, and women, (me included) used to swoon. What I find interesting is if you look at today’s covers though there seems to have been a distinctive shift in what women find attractive. Blond is no longer as prominent, instead a lot of the heroes on the cover are dark haired, bare chested and with startling blue or green eyes. Yum.

I will admit a preference to tall, dark and delicious. My books reflect that with only one blond hero or so in the bunch (The Hunter and Muriel’s second lover in Snowballs In Hell). So let me ask you, the reader, is it just an author preference or do dark haired men just come across as more mysterious, brooding and sensually wicked? LOL. Having just noticed my propensity for dark haired heroes, I might now be forced to switch gears and do one about a fair haired fellow.

Heroines on the other hand run a gamut of hair colors. I will admit auburn is my favorite even if I’m in reality a brunette. I do try to change up my heroines hair color more often than my heroes, but even with that said, I tend towards the long hair styles as opposed to short and perky. Sorry, but I have long hair so I write what I know in this case.

Do you even care about what the characters actually look like apart from the fact he’s got rock hard abs and a really long…reach? LOL. A story I’m working on now isn’t even going to describe the two main characters. Why? I want people to slide into the story and imagine themselves as the characters. If it gets picked up, I’ll let you know so you can decide if it works for you.

Now back to Jimmy Thomas, the man of a zillion faces. He’s the hottie on my cover for my newest release, Apocalypse Cowboy. I’ve got to say of all his looks, bad boy on a bike in leather is one of his best. What do you think? Which of his covers is your favorite?

Do you know of another cover model who deserves an honorable mention? Actually does anybody know the name of that guy, you must have seen him. He’s crouched and looking straight at you with some dark hair hanging on his forehead. His intense alpha look has landed that particular shot on many a paranormal cover and website.

Wouldn’t it be hot to get him and Jimmy, shirtless of course, with swords and sweat, battling it out? Mmm, I don’t know if we’d survive a cover like that.

LOL, chime in with your thoughts please.

And don’t miss the release of Apocalypse Cowboy tonight at CobbleStone Press.