Cover Reveal--Jaguar Pride and Fun at Romantic Times Readers Convention-NOLA

I just got back from RT Convention and had a huge stack of things to do. Can you say overwhelmed?

I had Jaguar Pride edits to do, but when this came in, too, I was like, yes! I can do this!  :) 

Isn't he scrumptious??? Both of them!!! I love the black jaguar in the picture also. There are no such things as black cougars, but sometimes someone will say they saw one. This is definitely a black jaguar. And Huntley Anderson. JAG agent, Golden Claws. And he is teamed up with another JAG agent. They're just after poachers, but then find themselves taking care of jaguar shifter cubs, which presents a real problem. :) And Melissa isn't about to be the one holding the cubs while Huntley continues with the mission.
I also had to do a ton of guest blogs and interviews for Jaguar Hunt, releasing June 3.

I promised to do a YA audiobook promo for June. Dog Days of Summer for June a library event. Two audiobooks came in for review. And am still waiting on beta readers' input on A SEAL Wolf for Sale so I can send it in. And tons of more stuff that keeps coming up.

I'm glad to be home, but here I am at the Clawed and Dangerous Kitty Cat Club for jaguar shifters and this guy got into trouble with a shifter, I can just bet.

I have several books I want to write, but for now, I've been working on another Highland book until I get A SEAL Wolf for Sale notes.

Pizza party for readers, reviewers and bloggers.

 View from our room, the curtains reflected off the window so gave it an interesting picture.

 Rainbow reflection in the city.

Have a lovely Saturday! I'm back to work! :)

 Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality."
www.terryspear.com

Tension--Setting the Scene and Tone

Romance fiction stories run the gamut when it comes to the hows, whens, wheres, whys and what-ifs of plot, character, setting, etc. Whether sweet or steamy, the hero and heroine seek fulfillment of their goals, resolution of their conflicts and the achievement of a loving bond that only comes as a result of commitment from both.

Some readers prefer having the bedroom door closed while others enjoy a peek inside at the passion. One of my favorite elements to write in romance is tension. Not simply the drama that comes as a result of escalating internal and external problems and troublesome secondary characters, but rather the tension that arises when a man and woman are first attracted and getting to know each other. Many times they do not approach sexuality and intimacy on the same level. One is likely more experienced and outgoing than the other. What happens when desire threatens to tip an otherwise balanced scale between them? Compromise and patience are paramount.

Of the novels I’ve written and published, TORMENTED is my favorite. Eve has arrived at Charles’ mansion for what she believes is only a healing of her wound. The journey on which she embarks involves her body, mind and soul. In the following scene, the couple feeds more than each other’s imagination.



“You are tired. Save your strength. I will feed you.” Rich as the rum custard soaking the golden-brown bread, his words could calm any savage.

Yet they only goaded her heart to a wilder gallop.

He remained unblinking, snatched her spoon and scooped a small portion of pudding. Moving the spoon to the opposite side of the bowl, he dredged the morsel in the melting cream before raising his hand.

She shut her eyes. Her heart thumped harder, making a racket Charles certainly heard. His deeper, bolder breaths overpowered her shallow ones.

He moved so fast. Faster than any man she’d ever met. Fast as a wild animal fleeing its foe.

And his gaze struck bone.

Something about Charles bore closer consideration and a measured approach.

“I don’t want to feed your fear, only your appetite,” he said and tapped the spoon against her lips.

Not polite, refusing his hospitality. She opened her mouth. As the spoon advanced and caressed her tongue, what must have been his pinkie played twice over her lower lip. She pulled the dessert from the spoon and his hand retreated. But not before the faintest of moans rattled in his throat. The fire in her belly flared to between her legs. How sweet, his treat, as the creamy sauce and softened bread covered her palate.

As her lips closed, an image of him played against the blackness of her eyelids. The flavors settled and filled her entire mouth. She chewed and swallowed. Though she could feed herself without dropping any food, Charles’ steady hand was welcome.

Her fingers remained folded together. At least that way they didn’t fumble and fuel the tingling that cascaded from the bottom knuckles to the very tips.

“More, Eve?”

Maybe he’d feed her hunger for knowledge? “How long have you lived here in New Orleans and cared for its people?”

The soft scraping of Charles tracing the spoon around the pudding bowl’s rim. “Many years.”

Her damp fingers pleated the napkin on her lap and she glanced at him. “When younger did you suspect you’d enter a healing profession?”

The twinkling of countless stars settled in his eyes. “From the time I removed the first burr from my pet spaniel’s paw. Seven years old and somewhat of a surgeon.”

A gentle shake settled the napkin over her legs. “My father frowned on having animals in our home but he gifted me with a trotter on my tenth birthday. I enjoy riding horses.”

“As do I. Zephyr is the name of my spirited mount. He delights in nipping and throwing my stable boys. And then there’s Janus, my carriage horse.” Charles laughed, eyes closed and head tipped back at a jaunty angle.

“Your brothers and sisters must have held you in awe.”

A tic pulsed in his right cheek. “Only a sister, Cecile. She was born two years before me. On the day after Christmas. Mama and Papa called her their miracle child. Her love of music matched mine. Have you any brothers or sisters, Eve?”

Visions of the family library flitted past her mind’s eye. “None. Books proved my constant companions. I enjoy sharing many of the things I’ve learned with my pupils in Boston.”

His gaze narrowed and his free hand lay on top of hers. “Do you miss Boston when on such voyages as the one to the Transvaal?”

“My father and Edward often journey alone.” No amount of squirming unseated his hot touch. “Actually, I won’t be accompanying them anymore. This past trip proved tedious and I’m far happier remaining behind in Boston.”

He removed his hand and played the spoon over her mouth again. “More?”

Quite a persistent man, her potential healer. She jerked forward and settled. How could she refuse his offer the way her mouth watered for more?

His feeding her wasn’t doing any harm.

At her nod he slipped another spoonful between her lips. Some of the custard dripped down her chin. His warm finger swiped it away. Charles’ soft sucking filled her ears before the silence between them resumed.

He’d licked his finger clean. The fire spread higher and claimed her breasts.

Her next swallow freed a giggle.

Charles patted her hands. “Still more?”

“Yes.” What was she saying? Countless church bells pealed in her brain.


She pushed the chair away from the table. Charles’ laughter held her in place.

A buzzing filled her brain. Back and forth. Good pummeled Evil. Evil returned with a jab to Good’s jaw.

And she hadn’t done anything except sit here and let him feed her bread pudding.

He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.” With his free hand he dunked his spoon into the refreshment. Softened from its soaking with rum custard, the remaining piece of pudding split. Charles let go of the spoon and the handle clanked against the side of the bowl.

She claimed the fallen spoon and lifted the custard to her lips. “No need for an apology. Your willingness to help me means a lot.”

She drifted her gaze from the bowl to his face and back again.

Waste not, want not.

He patted the back of her upraised hand. “Don’t worry about wasting food. Your comfort is more important.”

Not only was he incredibly striking but also incredibly astute.

Somewhere someone hummed. Or could she simply be hearing things?

He pulled the bowl and spoon away and set them near his left hand. “You can enjoy some fresh, warmer pudding later. You’re tired.”

Without further ado Charles stood, helped her up and scooped her into his arms. Her breath huffed out and hit his cheek. There she dangled, becoming smitten with a man whose will couldn’t be broken. Silent and his breathing measured, he retraced their steps and headed straight for the staircase.

What are your thoughts on keeping the emotional stakes and tension high in a romance novel?

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
TO HELLE AND BACK AGAIN -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED (Recommended Read)--Ellora's Cave
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

Fall and Falling in Love

Fall brings many changes and possibilities.

Falling leaves.

Falling temperatures.

Falling in love.


Have you ever been…TORMENTED?




A woman is thrust into and left unaccompanied in a world far different from that to which she's accustomed. A hero is dealt two tasks -- cure a malady that current medical science cannot and gain the trust of a woman who's been repeatedly wronged by the man in whom she once placed the utmost faith.


While shipboard in 1888, Eve Morneau is the victim of a venomous beetle’s bite. Her healing and sexual awakening are placed in the hands of a New Orleans physician, Charles Galletiére. Charles not only shuns society but also the treatment regimens practiced by his peers. Eve is pitted against more than one foe as she struggles with her attraction to Charles and wonders whether or not her cure and a romantic commitment from him are possible.


TORMENTED...the truth will be revealed


Hot…Hedonistic…Historical


Available now at Ellora's Cave


Excerpt from TORMENTED --



A froth of ruffles spilled down the doctor’s shirtfront. No doubt, from his change in demeanor, he found traipsing about the world in search of treasure a folly.

And who was she to disagree with such wisdom?

She’d come here to rid her body of its poison, not to discuss expeditions.

She swallowed past the grip in her throat and turned to Doctor Galletiére. “What is it you need to know?”

The doctor’s morose expression melted. Charles reached for her with his left hand, the palm facing upward and his arm bouncing as he weighed the thick air surrounding them. “When did you first notice the wound?”

A hundredweight held her tongue but a swallow loosened it. “Two days ago. A light red spot appeared on my lower leg. Since then the color has deepened and the area become quite tender.”

Charles’ hand lowered, gently brushing her hip. Despite the layers of material separating her flesh from his fingers an undeniable heat flared between them in that instant.

Heat, more intense than when she’d tipped her toe into the bathwater poured straight from their Boston servant Madeline’s kettle. She shifted position. The full skirt was all that separated her from his touch.

A skilled touch.

The touch of a man.

A man who provoked her body and mind more than any other she’d ever met.

Unseen fingers plucked below her belly while yet others pawed her will and poked her soul.

Unsettling to be in his presence. Certainly.

“Such a Christian woman, your daughter.” Ice crystals collected around Doctor Galletiére’s words.

Hard to tell how but he seemed to know more about her than most. And he spoke the truth. She had served as a Christian influence and teacher for those poor bedeviled souls on the continent. Endured many sleepless nights. Touched herself in places most would consider forbidden. Wondered what other women of her age had experienced with men. Men like robust Charles Galletiére.

Charles nudged her foot with his.

A flame leaped from her belly and licked at her throat. A diviner of thoughts, no doubt. There were some in the jungles who claimed the same gift.

Their ceremonies were more about sending up smoke to the heavens and incessant prodding into personal matters of those who sought them than the usurpation of actual thoughts.

She’d never tasted a man’s kiss—unless she counted the embarrassing buss from her first cousin Frederick one summer long ago.

Charles laid his hand on her knee, his fingertips warming the silk of her most becoming traveling dress. “I really should examine her leg. But it would not do to display her so boldly. You gentlemen are welcome to stay a short while and enjoy a cup of tea or other repast. However I must tend to Eve before the hours progress. I’ll have her things brought inside.”

Click here for more information

Click here for another excerpt

Click here for my favorite excerpt

Click here to watch the TORMENTED video


Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
TO HELLE AND BACK AGAIN -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED (Recommended Read) -- Ellora's Cave
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

Revealed and TORMENTED

As promised, it’s time for the mystery places to be revealed. Thanks to all who posted guesses as to the locations captured in my vacation pictures. Excellent job, ladies! From top to bottom, the sightseeing spots are:

The French Quarter, New Orleans
Charleston, S.C.
Nubble Lighthouse in Cape Neddick, ME
Old Burying Point Cemetery, Salem, MA


Speaking of New Orleans, The Crescent City is the setting for my erotic historical romance novel, TORMENTED, that I’ve recently learned will release at Ellora’s Cave on October 8 of this year.




All writers have one or more books of their heart, and TORMENTED is definitely among mine. One of the things I most enjoy about each trip to New Orleans is a chance to admire and study the city’s breathtaking historical homes in the Garden District. Each clang-clang of the St. Charles streetcar’s bell brings back pleasant memories and sets me pondering what might have happened along that historic route in years past. One such day of pondering started me loosely plotting the romantic story that would become TORMENTED. Perhaps it was the whispering of the grass in one of the lush lawns we passed during one of our afternoon strolls when Eve and Charles urged me to tell their fictional tale? Or one of our more playful moments on Decatur Street when my hero and I kissed powdered sugar off each other’s lips after sampling beignets? Without a doubt, our sunset tour of the city’s historic haunts piqued my interest in the paranormal and persuaded me to make this fictional romance one steeped in the same. My heroine finds herself thrust into and left unaccompanied in world entirely different from the one to which she’s accustomed. A world in which one man, a handsome and brilliant physician, lives and researches. A world incomplete until the possibility of true love arises. Charles Galletieré’s tasks – cure a malady that current medical science cannot and gain the trust of a woman who has been repeatedly wronged by the man in whom she once placed the utmost faith.

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED -- Coming to Ellora's Cave on October 8
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

Are You There Yet? -- Setting a Story

Why do we read works of fiction in our spare time? Two reasons are for pleasure and for escapism. A novel is comprised of many parts. There are the characters, a literary cast of leading and supporting folks whose journeys, loves, losses and conflicts we eagerly anticipate. If one were dissecting a story, the plot would serve as the framework around which a story is constructed. Another aspect of story is the tone conveyed, and this runs the gamut from upbeat to angst-ridden. Today my focus isn’t on the people, conflicts or tones that comprise a story but rather on the place. Setting is the story element that grants us escapism and fantastic fictional voyages. Allows us to have the sense of being there with the characters and experiencing their surroundings.

My favorite reason for writing historical and paranormal romance deals with setting. The fact I have a chance to recreate bygone eras and create otherworlds is extremely satisfying and often finds me staying up late as my mind sifts through the creative possibilities.



Of all the wonderful and interesting places to set a fiction novel, New Orleans ranks as my favorite. Each time my husband and I have visited the Crescent City, I’ve filled steno tablets with notes referencing the glorious architectural feats and historical details. What visit to this Louisiana getaway is complete without a ride on the St. Charles streetcar? From the moment we stepped out of the front entrance of The Pontchartrain Hotel, the melodic bell’s clang-clanging filled the air. While day-tripping, we soaked up the lively atmosphere on Bourbon Street, visited Voodoo shops and the tomb of Madame Laveau. Simply standing there in St. Louis Cemetery #1 evoked a sense of spirit—not only of those past but also of the indomitable spirits once possessed by those who lay in eternal rest. As a result of our last visit to the cemetery, the idea for my upcoming historical erotic romance, TORMENTED, came to mind. One evening found us strolling parts of the vibrant city and learning about the macabre Madame Dephine LaLaurie and some of the more sinister souls who once lived there. The following afternoon, for a truly breathtaking experience, we ventured into The Garden District and admired the Queen Anne Victorian, Italianate and Greek Revival mansions. Massive oaks stretched their wooden arms toward the sky, and their plentiful leaves whispered at us in passing. Yards bloomed with crape myrtle and magnolia, and fresh-mowed grass filled the air with its crisp-green perfume. Of course, all of our outdoor activities sparked an appetite. The Vieux Carré has always amazed and satisfied us with its fantastic cuisine. Mornings found us browsing the French Market and stopping by Café Du Monde on Decatur Street for delicious cups of café au lait and mouthwatering beignets. Whether you enjoy a muffuletta or some crawfish etoufee for lunch, be certain to save room for some of the cuisine available once the sun heads toward setting. Hearty buffets at the Court of Two Sisters (enjoy their Jazz Brunch on Sundays) or sumptuous steak dinners and Banana’s Foster at Brennan’s. And if you happen to have a craving for sweets and other delectable fare, dine at The Cheesecake Bistro. In the evenings, we walked along Magazine Street or enjoyed a carriage ride through the city.



A winsome Boston socialite—Eve Morneau—falls victim to a venomous beetle’s bite. Her healing and sexual awakening are placed in the hands of a New Orleans physician, Charles Galletiére, whose unconventional means of curing her malady lend themselves to unbridled passion and abandonment of her former ways of life. Immortality comes at a cost to the innocent woman, and her Christian soul might be left hanging in the balance.

As I type this message in a town quite far away from New Orleans, my desire is piqued to return to the delta and place that has served as a setting for several of my novels, some of which are unpublished. Here’s to you all having many journeys to fabulous places and exotic worlds over the course of your traveling and reading lives. As they say, Laissez les bon temps rouler…Let the good times roll.

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,


Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED -- Coming soon to Ellora's Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace