Stop by Moonlight, Lace, and Mayhem today to check out a hot and wild interview with Crystal, Trey, and Rafael from my new western CRYSTAL'S COWBOYS! Find out about their ideal date, the secrets they share, and the things that drive them hog wild.

~~~~~

On select Sundays I'll be sharing a six-sentence excerpt from one of my works in progress, as part of Six Sentence Sunday.

Believe it or not, I'm doing two sixes in a row from the same WiP(I know, what a shocker LOL). This is from my urban fantasy ONCE EVERY SPRING. Last week, we left off with Adam asking the woman he'd just met about her referring to him as "handsome"...


Dana folded her arms, mentally berating herself for the slip. Then again, why play coy if he was only a figment of her deluded subconscious?

“Guess if I'm going to have a mental meltdown," she said, "a gorgeous guy may as well be in the fantasy.”

His look burned into her. “Now I'm gorgeous?” 

“Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head--the last thing I need is a delusion with delusions of grandeur.”

Here's the awesome cover and trailer for my upcoming paranormal western menage, HER FULL MOON COWBOYS!

HER FULL MOON COWBOYS
By J. Rose Allister
Siren Menage Amour
Rated SEXTREME
Western/Paranormal/M/F,M/M,M/F/M,M/M,F/BDSM
Coming Soon

~Excerpt included contains brief mature content~
It's Too Yummy Tuesday!
On select Tuesdays I'll share delicious recipes inspired by my books!

Today's recipe comes straight from chili-cookoff-winning character Trey Brenner, oneo f the hunky cowboys in my brand new release CRYSTAL'S COWBOYS. Let's take a look at his technique (brief mature content):


“You should stay under the tent for a while,” Trey said to Crystal, wishing his voice didn’t sound so strained. He felt Rafael’s eyes on him, but focused on browning chunks of meat instead. “Too much sun isn’t good for you right now.”

“I know,” she said, pressing against his shoulder. She seemed to deliberately rub her tits on his back while peering over into the pan. “Mm. That smells so good.”

He swallowed and didn’t answer.

“Wait until it’s finished,” Rafael said. “Trey’s chili is a work of art.”

“Can I help?” Crystal said. “I can chop that bell pepper over there. I should add that I’m not nearly as pro with a knife as you are. Might take me a few eons to get it done.”

“It’s not hard when you’ve got a decent knife,” Trey said, wiping his hands on a towel beside the cook stove. “I can show you.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to cost you a finger. I’m all thumbs in the kitchen.”

He smirked. “Somehow I doubt that.”

She shrugged and walked over to the other table, where she picked up the bell pepper. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She placed the vegetable on the wood cutting board and picked up the knife. He pulled Rafael’s hat off her head, and she twisted around with a quizzical look. “Wearing a hat will affect my chopping?”

“No, but it will affect my ability to see whose fingers you’re cuttin’.”

He placed the hat on one of the canvas folding chairs by the ice chest and moved up behind her. He could feel her body heat while he leaned around to take the pepper off the cutting board. Then he placed his hand over the one she used to hold the knife. “Rest the knife blade on the board like this.”

“Okay,” she said, staring at the empty board. “What exactly are we cutting?”
“Nothin’.”

“Uh-huh. Not sure that will get us any closer to adding that pepper to your pot, cowboy.”

“I’ll show you the technique first. Once you’ve got the motion down, then you can attack poor, helpless vegetables.”

She snorted, but relaxed her hand and let him show her the gentle rock and slide motion he used for basic slicing. His palm grew sweaty, cupped over hers as they practiced together, and he wiped it on his jeans when he pulled away to watch her chop the air solo. After a few minutes, he nodded. “Excellent.” He picked up the pepper. “I think you’re ready to give it a shot.”

--From CRYSTAL'S COWBOYS

Trey's a master with his hands, whether he's sizzling in the kitchen, the bedroom, or out on the range. Here's the chili recipe he was whipping up to impress the woman he knew darn good and well he should leave alone:

Trey's Cowhand Chili

Ingredients:
4-6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 lb sirloin, chopped in cubes
1 lb ground or chopped pork
2 16-oz cans tomatoes, chopped (save juice)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cubes of beef bouillon
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beer
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
12-15 drops Tabasco sauce

3 tbsp each flour and corn meal
1/2 c water

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook onion and bell pepper until soft and push aside. Add meat and cook until browned. Pour into large pot. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste until well blended. Crumble bouillon cubes in wine; add to pot. Add beer and cook for a few minutes. Season with paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper,cumin, basil, oregano, and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Add about half the Tabasco and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the saved tomato juice if needed. Taste and adjust Tabasco to liking.

Whisk flour, corn meal, and water together until smooth. Stir into chili, and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until chili has thickened up.

Serves 6-8

TROPICAL HEAT's book trailer is one of the entries in You Gotta Read Videos monthly trailer contest! Check out this smokin' trailer, and if you like what you see click HERE and vote for entry #10! Voting ends March 26.

~~~~~

On select Sundays I'll be sharing a six-sentence excerpt from one of my works in progress, as part of Six Sentence Sunday.

This six is from ONCE EVERY SPRING, a fun urban fantasy WiP I'm getting ready to submit.

“I'm Adam, by the way--and you are?”
Dana burst out laughing, but he looked less than amused.
“Is something funny?” he asked.
“I've cracked my block enough to teleport myself to Dreamsville with a handsome guy, and then I find out I've landed in the garden of Eden with none other than Adam himself. What's not funny about that?”
“You think I'm handsome?” he asked, his grin tingling along all new nerve bundles in her spine.

On select Saturdays I host guest authors from fellow publisher Siren-Bookstrand. Today I'll be interviewing Heather Rainier, author of the DIVINE CREEK series.

JRA: Welcome, Heather! Thanks so much for joining me here on The Power of Passion today. First off, tell us about your kids—and volunteering at the local school!

HR: I have a twelve year old daughter and an eight year old son. My daughter recently told me that diamonds are the hardest substance on earth, besides being a girl’s best friend. She went on to explain that they can’t be scratched or shattered and will last forever. Ever ready with a smart remark, my son replied, “Bet I could blow them up with an atomic bomb.” That’s my house. Once my kids were school-aged I realized there was no reason to defer my dream of writing any longer. My first attempt at writing was a futuristic, paranormal romance which quickly grew beyond my control. I have hopes of going back to it someday and re-writing it as an erotic romance. Those five larger than life heroes are the stuff fantasies are made from.

I’ve volunteered at a local school as a reading tutor for Kindergartners and first-graders for the last eight years. When I was a first-grader, there was a retired married couple that would come to our class and listen to us read aloud and encourage us. I loved when they visited and promised myself that when I had kids, I would do the same thing. At my daughter’s preschool, I was asked if I might like to volunteer as a reading tutor and I jumped at the opportunity. I love the “light bulb moments” when a child that is struggling in learning to read finally understands and says, “Yes, I can read.”

JRA: That's so awesome that you're giving your time to raise the next generation of avid readers. I have the privilege of homeschooling my 1st grader, and watching those light bulbs pop on is an experience we never forget. You’ve mentioned that your husband gave you your pseudonym. This intrigued me because my spouse was in part responsible for both names I’ve written under. Can you tell us a bit about how this came about, and why he selected the name that he did?

HR: Heather Rainier wasn’t his first choice. His first choice was Dominique LeRoux. When I finally stopped laughing, he suggested my maiden name. It was a great idea and sounded perfect, until I remembered that it was already in use as a pseudonym by another romance author. Then he suggested the name Heather. Many readers will remember the late, great Kathleen Woodiwiss, arguably the mother of modern erotic romance. Her novel, “The Flame and the Flower” was the first romance I’d ever read as a teenager. I was on board with bearing the name of that book’s heroine. From there it was just a matter of finding a last name that sounded appealing and earthy. I was searching images on Google one day and happened on a beautiful photo of Mt. Rainier. I suggested it to him. Heather Rainier rolled from his lips and an author was born.

JRA: You know, I love that name...but confess that I think Dominique LeReaux had a certain flair, too! LOL

Your yummy heroes are taken from photos or people you’ve encountered in life. How much of the situations and settings in your westerns are taken from your real life in Texas?

HR: When I’m driving along the western edge of the Texas Hill country, rolling through Junction on Interstate Highway 10, I feel like I could be close to the exit ramp for the road that leads to Divine. My books are an even blend of fictional settings and real places. The Dancing Pony, for instance, was based on a real Country and Western nightclub. Many of the shenanigans my characters get up to in that club were based on real events and people. The bartenders watched after single, female bar patrons and protected them from sleazebags in much the same manner in which Ethan protected Grace from Bryce in Divine Grace. Stigall’s Department Store where Grace and Teresa worked, and Cheaver’s Western Store where Rosemary worked are also based on real businesses in my hometown. Many of the situations I described in those settings are at least partly autobiographical. My life has taken some interesting turns and I’ve shared a few of them with readers. The rest is strictly my imagination.

JRA: I love it! The blend of real life and imagination can "spur" some awesome western shenanigans! :) You know I have to ask…what projects are you working on now? What’s coming soon?

HR: “Spurs and Heels”, Book Five in the Divine Creek Ranch Collection is slated for release in April. I’m currently writing the sixth book in the Divine Creek Ranch Collection, “Maya’s Triple Dare,” which features Kendall, Boone and Richard Warner, three sexy brothers that readers met in “Heavenly Angel”. Book Seven, “Summer’s Indiscretion”, showcases the voluptuous owner of the naughty adult ladies boutique, Discretion, and her handsome heroes.

In Book Eight, “Lydia’s Twin Temptation,” The Rockin’ C ranch becomes the focal point for a romance between the handsome, identical twin owners, Chance and Clayton Carlisle and the brunette beauty they rescue from the lecherous clutches of her boss.

Other characters clamor in my mind to have their stories told but I haven’t decided who’s next.


JRA: Ooh...thank heavens you're so busy creating hot new tales for Divine Creek! When you're not writing, is there a special hobby/activity you’ve indulged in that most people don’t know about? What?

HR: I used to garden and crochet, before I wrote. Now I have a wildly overgrown antique rose garden and doilies that gather dust, because I absolutely cannot think of anything I’d rather be doing than writing (or reading!) Any leisure time I have I spend with my husband and kids.

JRA: Yeah, I have an untouched yarn pile and neglected garden myself! But we're grateful you're so avid about your writing.

Your favorite quote is, “People who are easily shocked should be shocked more often,” (Mae West). What are some things you like to incorporate into your books to give readers that didn’t-see-it-coming shock?

HR: Mae West rocked it back in her day. She had attitude and a sense of humor. When she walked through a room all eyes were on her, not because she was the ideal beauty, but because she had a presence. All of my heroines have that moment when she realizes that regardless of her personality or demeanor, she’s a badass. Grace had that experience when she stood before the mirror in the dressing room at Madeleine’s spa, preparing for her first night out with Jack, Ethan and Adam. Rachel had it when Eli knelt before her and called her his queen. Even shy Teresa had it when she stood up to the evil grandparents of her adorable son. Frankly, I think Rosemary knew she was a badass from the moment she was born. That’s a Mae West kind of moment that I wish for my readers, too. When they know in their hearts they are it for someone they love.

JRA: Yes! Those "badass" moments are definitely worth waiting for.
Last but not least, where can readers find you on the web?
HR: www.heatherrainier.com and visit my Facebook page.













About the host:

Buy Amorous Things

From time to time, I like to feature interesting authors on my blog. Today's guest is no exception. I've been intrigued by the increasing trend for authors who are already released with publishers to go independent for some of all of their upcoming work, and asked today's guest, horror author Kody Boye, why he veered from the more traditional route.

Going Independent: Why It Makes You A Smarter Businessperson

A lot of people who have or have attempted to follow my career have asked (and, most likely, have privately wondered) why I’ve decided to ‘jump ship,’ more or less, by deciding to head toward a quasi-independent route. Given my set of traditional credentials and the path I could very well be taking, people wonder why it’s necessary (or even applicable) for me to go toward a self-publication journey instead of continuing the push toward a more ‘set in stone’ career. With that in mind, I want to delve into not only my reasoning, but how being independent (or at least mostly independent) can do you so much good as not only a writer, but a businessperson.

I started out what you can consider my ‘career’ back in 2007, after my first short story was published in the Yellow Mama Webzine. About that time, I had my eyes set on doing things ‘the right way’ or so I was told, a process which included writing, revising, submitting, getting accepted or rejected, revising accordingly and submitting again. This, I was told, was the ‘right way,’ and by that nature I accepted it.

That is, until a little while later.

In late 2008, I met a writer by the name of Rhiannon Frater who was taking a jump into the own realm of independent publishing. In the months that followed, I helped read through her books, looking for errors and inconsistencies, then tried to help her promote herself as best as I can. Through this promotion (both of which helped her and myself,) I learned not only how to promote oneself, but another.

Needless to say, after seeing Rhiannon’s success and seeing how things in the publishing world work, I decided to go, as I said, quasi-independent for a variety of reasons, which I’ll explain below.

1. I can promote the books just as well as any small-press publisher can. Most small presses rely on free mediums to promote their books and their authors. With that nature in mind, one can easily see how capable someone else is of promoting your work when you yourself could easily do the same thing, which can either be a hilt or the blade depending on just how hard you’re willing to take the ability of self promotion. The hilt can be your path, the blade upon which you can strike, or the blade can be the very thing that spears you in your gut. Such trials make you learn how to contact reviews, set up interviews and become a better businessperson. There is no trial without error. Practice makes perfect.

2. I can control who I contact. This may be part of my perfectionistic personality, but I like to know who I contact, when I contact them and when reviews and/or services are being worked on. Too many times have I had to depend on other people in order to work on publicizing my work. When that happens, things slow down and, ultimately, stop working to further promote the book, which is why I prefer being in direct control of who I contact and who I don’t.

3. I ultimately make more money. Some people might be of the opinion that the ‘art isn’t about the money,’ but when you’re working with publishers who are ultimately going to sell your work, it turns into less of a hobby and more of a business. Compared to the 10 – 25 percent I could get by going through a traditional publisher, I can make anywhere from 35 – 75 percent using outlets such as Createspace and Smashwords. Making thirty or seventy-five cents compared to three or seven cents off an eBook is a lot, especially when they start to add up.

4. I can choose who does what. The editor, the artist, the cover creator, the formatter—I can control each and every aspect of the process and decide exactly the way my book looks in the very end. This, again, may be part of my perfectionistic nature, but I doubt any author will say they don’t care about the way their book looks in the end. They want it to look like a gem, a crown jewel among a pile of stones.

5. I can beat out the competition with better pricing. I recently saw someone on Facebook say that they didn’t like the idea of ninety-nine cent eBooks, that they should be priced at 2.99 or higher in order not to ruin the eBook economy. With that sentiment in mind, and with that narcissistic nature out in the open, that means I can reach out to an audience who may not know who I am a lot easier. People are more willing to risk a dollar on an author they haven’t heard on than three bucks that may turn out to be shit or something they don’t really like.

These five reasons alone have given me the reason and the desire to go toward a more independent-based route. Have I always been of this opinion? Not particularly, but after seeing success stories such as J.L Borne, Rhiannon Frater and David Wong I’m all the more confident that I may very well climb to the levels of success that these fellow authors have. Does that mean it won’t be a lot of work? No, but it does mean that I have access and control over each and every aspect of my career no matter what happens.

Take a look at this:

J.L Bourne was Lulu.com’s bestselling horror author before he got picked up by Permuted Press. Now published through Simon and Schuster, his books are appearing in bookstores all over the country. I can hardly walk into one nowadays without seeing him in the horror or fantasy/science-fiction section.

Rhiannon Frater originally posted her fiction for free online. Shortly thereafter, her husband encouraged her to independently-publish after she was unable to get a traditional publisher and sold thousands of copies of her works. She sold all three of her novels to TOR Books and all are scheduled to be released this year. Everything she’s written as of today has been optioned for either film or TV.

David Wong also posted his novel John Dies at the End for free online, then was picked up by Permuted Press. St. Martin’s Press recently bought it and it is currently in the works to become a movie.

These success stories give me—and, I’m sure, many others—hope that going the independent route will help create my own success. I’ve worked for nearly five years to create the following that I currently have, and while I’m aware that it will take much longer for my real potential to be made, I think starting out now will ultimately help me create a career that will only continue to flourish within the coming years.

Author Bio:

Kody Boye was born and raised in Southeastern Idaho. Since his initial publication in the Yellow Mama Webzine in 2007, he has gone on to sell nearly three-dozen stories to various markets. He is the author of Amorous Things, as well as the forthcoming novels Sunrise: The Revised and Expanded Edition and Pretty Things. His fiction has been described as ‘Surreal, beautiful and harrowing’ (Fantastic Horror,) while he himself has been heralded as a writer beyond his years(Bitten by Books.) He currently lives and writes in the Austin, Texas area. You can visit him online at KodyBoye.com.

New from Kody Boyd: THE DIARY OF DAKOTA KIMMEL
Buy now-Amazon Kindle
Buy now-Smashwords

Dakota Hammel was an ordinary teenager until he ran away from home at the age of sixteen, but after being brutally beaten, raped and left for dead, there seems to be little hope in his life—that is, until a man claiming to be a psychologist walks into the alleyway he’s lying near-dead in and offers him a second chance at life. John tells Dakota he can stay with him as long as he wants, but there’s a catch: For each day he stays, he has to write a journal entry about his life, his problems, and his potential future. With little choice, Dakota agrees, but is wary of the situation, as past experience with strangers has shown to have negative effects. But when things with John begin to work out and life becomes nothing out of the ordinary, his heart finally begins to open and his journey can finally be told.

A story of hope, of healing, and ultimately, of friendship, The Diary of Dakota Hammel offers a brief glimpse into a life of fractured teenager who has lost everything but his ability to write.

~~Warning: Excerpt contains explicit material~~

Yee-doggies! My first western releases today...and let me say the Nevada desert just got hotter!

CRYSTAL’S COWBOYS By J. Rose Allister
Siren Publishing Menage Amour
Rated Sextreme
Western, M/M/F, M/M, and M/F,light spanking

BUY NOW

Crystal finds herself lying in the blazing Nevada desert, with no memory of how she got there and two seductive cowboys riding to her rescue. Ranch hands Trey and Rafael are hot as hell and both want her desperately. Rather than choose between them, she seduces ‘em both in the old abandoned bunkhouse where they keep her as their sexy little secret.
Riding double sends Crystal soaring to sexual heights—especially the thought that her two cowboys want to tame each other as well. But secrets of their own and her forgotten danger could cost her both of her western heroes. Will her wild ride end in a hard fall?

Excerpt:

Prying her eyes open took some effort—sleep had apparently tried to glue them shut permanently. When her eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was a head tucked against her left side, down near her waist. A man’s head. She blinked and looked again. A sandy-haired man was seated in a chair that had been pulled alongside her bed. He leaned way forward to rest his head on the forearms he had folded on her mattress. Hair fell across part of his face, obscuring his features, but she could see the square angles of a clean-shaven jaw and an eye that was firmly closed. She had no idea who this man was, but he felt familiar and safe.

A swell of tenderness and curiosity rose, and she reached out to push aside the loose sweep of bangs to get a better look. Crystal’s fingertips had barely brushed against his hair when she spotted the anomaly on the back of her hand. She sucked in a breath, then gasped louder when his hand shot out to grab hers.

He shook back his bangs, and she recognized his sapphire eyes. That sexy, breath-stealing gaze had been making cameo appearances in her most recent dreams—bizarre dreams at that. There had been one where two cowboys had ridden to her rescue, just like an old western. Then later, all of them stripped naked and got in a hot tub, very not like an old western. She’d begged one of them to screw her, and my god but was his bulge huge when she’d grabbed it.

The man sat up in his seat and offered a lopsided smile that could no doubt become the ruin of many a woman. “Hello,” he said.

“Um, hi.” She reached a hand up to her hair, wondering just how terrifying she must look—and where the hell she was. Although, the tubing and tape stuck to the back of her hand gave her some ideas about both.

“Nice to see you awake.”

“Thanks.” She’d say it was nice to be awake, but she hadn’t quite decided yet.

With some difficulty, she pulled her eyes away from the gorgeous stranger and looked around the room. Everything was done in pale, whitewashed shades and looked somewhat modern and homey—until her eyes found what she’d been looking for. The buzzing sound she’d heard came from a computerized vital signs monitor, and beside that stood in IV pole with a couple bags of clear fluid hanging from it.

“I’m in a hospital?”

The man nodded. “Sorry about that.”

She glanced back at him with a frown. “Why? Did you do something to hurt me?”

His expression clouded from pleasant to concern. “You don’t remember anythin’? The desert?”

“I remember vultures.”

He shook his head. “I don’t recall any vultures.”

She thought harder, then her eyes widened when some of her memories reassembled themselves. “It wasn’t a dream, was it? I remember you—and another man with big brown eyes.”

“That was Rafael. I’m Trey.”

“You found me on the ground and carried me out.” Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face. “Am I crazy, or are you a cowboy who rode up on a white horse?”

His deep laugh brought heat to her cheeks, and not only because she felt silly admitting her fantasy out loud. “You’re not crazy. I rode you out on a roan paint, but I imagine in the bright sun he might have looked white at the time.”

“Oh.”

She hadn’t been dreaming. So why couldn’t she remember much of what had happened after that?

A jab of panic shot through her. If that part hadn’t been a dream, what about the other part?
She couldn’t quite look at him while she asked. “We weren’t in a hot tub together at some point, were we?”

“A hot tub?” The laugh came again. “I’m afraid the accommodations we offered you at the ranch weren’t that high quality.”

On the 15th of each month I'm over at the awesome Nocturnal Nights blog, posting thoughts on the writer's craft.

Today's blog: Why you should banish your backstory. Stop by and leave a comment!

I'm off and traveling today...over to Brittle Endings, the blog of author Kody Boye. I'm talking about writing erotica, including some down and dirty tips. Stop by and say hello!

BRITTLE ENDINGS

~~Mature content~~~

On select Sundays I'll be sharing a six-sentence excerpt from one of my works in progress, as part of Six Sentence Sunday.

This week's six is from an ollllld work-in-progress that I dust off every now and then to play with. It's a romantic thriller/mystery titled TWELVE STEPS TO MURDER.

Drew turned me toward him and stepped close until my back was against the car door. He took my hands, tracing the backs with his thumbs. His nearness and the maddening tingle running up my arms melted the last bit of residual awkwardness from the tense scene at dinner.

His heated gaze bored deep into mine, and my stomach began to somersault. Just when I felt like my roller coaster emotions would unhinge me completely, he broke the silence. “Can we please start over?”

My book trailer for TROPICAL HEAT is being featured today over on You Gotta Read Videos! At the end of the month, folks can vote on their favorites.

Hop on over and have a look!

Here's my preview for my western menage, CRYSTAL'S COWBOYS, coming March 16 from Siren Publishing!

~~Mature themes~~~

On select Sundays I'll be sharing a six-sentence excerpt from one of my works in progress, as part of Six Sentence Sunday.


Well, I'm home nursing an injured shoulder, so this week's Six is from the upcoming CRYSTAL'S COWBOYS. (edit: a Siren bestseller! BUY LINK)

Rafael reached the rear bunkhouse door and stopped with his hand on the knob. Maybe Crystal was the answer. Not that he should take advantage of a girl just to reaffirm his masculinity, but if she were so inclined to find a reasonably good-looking guy like Rafael worth her while, maybe he could shake off this disturbing attraction to Trey. Maybe he was spending too much time around guys. He hadn’t been on a date in what, four months? No wonder rippling muscles and six-pack abs were starting to look good.

On select Saturdays I host guest authors from fellow publisher Siren-Bookstrand. Today I'll be interviewing Tonya Ramagos, author of a whopping two dozen Siren Titles, including the SUNSET COWBOYS and HEROES OF SILVER SPRINGS series.

JRA: Welcome to The Power of Passion and thank you for joining us here today!You have an awesome website tagline: “Trained to Protect, Willing to Die, Prepared to Serve (in bed and out).” This definitely reflects the flavor of much of your work. What draws you to the idea of writing alpha males who are true heroes in the world outside the love relationship?

TR: When I started writing true hero books there really wasn't many on the market, especially in ebook. I was also married to a former firefighter at the time and spent lots of time on fire scenes. There are so many men and women out there who put their lives on the line everyday to keep our country safe from so many different evils. Their private lives are affected greatly by the work they do and it often puts a real strain on love relationships. Showing these struggles as well as the action and challenges heroes face in their careers is what started the ideas forming and has kept them going.


JRA: That’s an excellent point! And I’m sure that provides lots of the yummy conflict readers like myself love to read about. Your backlist contains an amazing and exciting mix of contemporary, fantasy, western, and paranormal titles. Do you find yourself writing one genre for a while before switching changing? Or do you skip back and forth constantly? Do you find it difficult to write cowboy flavor into a tale when you’ve been delving strictly into fantasy?

TR: I go in spurts. Sometimes I find myself writing two or three of one genre before I move to another and other times I'll skip back and forth. The characters who talk the loudest in my head get the attention first, no matter the genre. I don't find it difficult at all to swap from one genre to another. Probably because I don't do it until my mind is ready for the change. If I'm focused on cowboys and can't buck them out, then we ride the rodeo for a while before moving on. It's all about the characters and who comes to life first. The bottom line for me is the characters rule. I'm just their human puppet putting their stories on screen. LOL


JRA: LOL! Ride ‘em, cowboy! ;) I see that you’ve got some new books coming out with Siren that look very intriguing! Would you share a bit about them?

TR: Book 7 of The Heroes of Silver Springs series, TAKEN BY SURPRISE, came out in late December featuring a cast of characters that series fans have been waiting for. Rhonda Ramsey and DEA Agent Michael Cosmos take the lead in TAKEN BY SURPRISE. Rhonda's future plans didn't include a man until she met temptation in a set of exotic eyes and a six foot package of pure sex appeal. When Rhonda falls to the mercy of a drug lord, DEA Agent Michael Cosmos will put his career and his life on the line to save her.

On the cowboy side, book three of the Sunset Cowboys series titled KEEPTING TARYN'S COWBOYS is another newbie at Siren. Eight years ago, Royce Shelton convinced himself sweet, innocent Taryn Aldean wasn't ready for the rough, controlling sex he and his brother Clint crave. Now, the blonde spitfire is taking care of business and dialing their number. But the first touch leaves the Shelton brothers wondering if they're ready for her.


JRA: Sounds like a lot of hot scenes and delicious tension is in store for your readers! Speaking of tension and hot scenes, that can be such a challenge to write. You have two boys at home. As a busy mom, what are some tricks you’ve learned for how to fit romance writing into a family-filled day?

TR: Embrace every moment of silence and use it wisely. Sometimes those moments last only a few sentences and sometimes I manage paragraphs or even pages. The file for my current manuscript stays open and the computer stays on until bedtime so that any spare second I find can be used to pound out as much as I can before interruptions drag me away. Of course, when school is in or the summer days are beautiful for playing, I get a lot more writing done in a stretch of time. Then there's always the, "Mommy has to work, so take an extra hour with the Xbox and leave me alone," that works in a pinch.


JRA: LOL Mine is getting old enough now for me to use that Xbox trick, too! Speaking of which, I understand that you’re known to unwind with a few computer games. (I’m right there with you!) What are your favorites? What else do you find yourself doing lately to recharge?

TR: I'm not as big on computer games as I used to be. I had to crack down on myself because I wasn't getting any work done! AOL's Club Pogo games used to be my weakness. Since I gave up the games I've gotten really boring. LOL I tend to kick back with someone else's book. I often tell people I live in a fictional world, whether it's of my creation or someone else's.


JRA: Boring? Well, that depends on the book, doesn’t it?! ;) If I were to sneak a peek at your works in progress, what would I find?

TR: Two super hot cowboy cops on a case of claiming a very hot woman while trying to protect her from herself and a town threat. I'm one scene away from completing the first draft of book two of the Service Club series titled Marissa's Rights. Marissa, Justin and Ben make cameo appearances in book one of the series, Forty-Eight Hour Burn. Now they're getting their story.

JRA: Can’t wait! Thanks for taking time from your busy day to hang out with me here at the POWER OF PASSION. And just so readers know, you can find out more about Tonya’s work on her website: http://tonyaramagos.com.

About the host:

Weird Holiday Wednesday
The first Wednesday of each month I'll be posting a list of just a few of the fun, lesser known, and possibly wacky holidays out there. Enjoy!

March Holidays:

1st: National Pig Day
5th: Potty Dance Day
27th: Viagra Day