Guest: Eliza Knight + Wicked Woman Book Giveaway

Eliza Knight is the multi-published author of sizzling historical romance and erotic romance. She is also the other half of writing duo, Annabelle Weston. While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain, and enjoys cold winter nights when she can curl up in front of a roaring fire with her own knight in shining armor. Visit Eliza at www.elizaknight.com or her historical blog, History Undressed, which was recently mentioned in a feature article in The Wall Street Journal. www.historyundressed.blogspot.com



Q: Welcome Eliza! Please tell us about your latest release. 
A: My writing partner, Sarah and I are totally psyched about our new release under the name Annabelle Weston.  WICKED WOMAN, is a historical erotic western romance, complete with corsets, guns, horses, cowboy hats, adventure, sizzling love scenes, and all the conflict that goes along with it! 
Here's the blurb:
There are some things a man can't walk away from. Nathan Bender is on a quest for vengeance. What he finds is sexy saloon-dolly O'Dell Murphy. She holds the information he needs--and becomes a temptation he can't resist.
O'Dell longs for a respectable life outside the saloon. When the man Nathan is searching for steals O'Dell's savings, she has no choice but to go after him.
Torn between passion and revenge, Nathan reluctantly accompanies O'Dell through the Sonoran Desert. There are some things a man can't walk away from--and Nathan is finding it's not revenge that binds him. It's O'Dell, and the wicked, sinful pleasure she provides.
Reader Advisory: This book contains violence and a brief depiction of rape.
This book just came out on October 19^th, so as of me answering these questions we haven't gotten a review… So, readers! Please post your reviews :)


Q: Sounds exciting and creative! What inspired this story?
A: Sarah and I wanted to write a story about your not so typical heroine. We wanted it to be edgy, risky--which presented us with a challenge. You see our heroine is a Wild West prostitute--a saloon dolly. But the thing is, she wants to be treated like a respectable lady. She wants to settle down. She's a tough broad, but sweet on the inside. To make things more challenging for our lovely O'Dell, she's been robbed blind by a man she trusts, and now she's run into our hero who wants to avenge his brother's murder--they just so happen to be in search of the same man. And oh the sparks fly!  Throw these two in a room… or on a couple of horses in the wide open desert.


Q: Why do you write romance?
A: We write romance because we love to see a story unfold. To watch the progression of two characters who appear to have no ability to get together, fall in love. They go from not be able to stand each other, to not being able to live without one another. I love the fantasy of it. The escapism. And as I've often said, I love, love.


Q: I love love too. :) What do you enjoy most about writing historical romance?
A: I enjoy building a world and creating characters where anything is possible. I love taking readers on a journey, letting them experience the story as if they were there.



Q: Did you choose the title of your book and if so how did you do it?
A: We did choose this title. We wanted this book and the rest of the books in the series, to have the word WOMAN in it, because while they are romances, they are centered around a woman and her struggles.  In WICKED WOMAN's case, she is a prostitute, and a tough chick. She has a wicked streak in her, and knows just how to please a man to get what she wants--pretty simple really.


Q: Where is your favorite place in the world?
A: Well, I have to say my favorite place in the whole world is my house--because my family is there, and at heart I am a total homebody. BUT if you're asking where my favorite place that I've traveled has been I'd have to pick two - the countryside of Ireland and Chateau Versailles in France.


Q: Please tell us about your favorite character in the book.
A: My favorite character is O'Dell. She is woman that comes from nothing, has worked her a** off to build a small fortune, and seek out her dreams. Even when her hopes appear to be dashed, she won't let the world slam her down. She is strong, she is confident, she knows what she wants and she's not afraid to get it. I think she gives hope to all women, that if you want something bad enough, and you work hard enough, you will eventually get there.


Q: Which element of this story was the hardest for you?
A: The hardest part of this story was getting Nathan and O'Dell to commit wholly to each other. They both have some pretty big demons they are dealing with, that won't allow them to be together, or with anyone. They desire one another for sure, but what makes a couple jump over that line from chemical attraction to saying forever? Especially when everything inside you, and the world around you is saying NO! We did it, and I think we did it very well. But it was tough! O'Dell and Nathan deserved their happy ending, and we were so very pleased to give it to them!


Q: What inspires you? What motivates you?
A: I am inspired by everything--real life, documentaries, movies, books, drama, nature--literally everything. But a half naked man with a cowboy hat is pretty inspiring too J


Q: Do you have any advice for unpublished authors?
A: Don't stop. Keep writing. Don't stop. And of course, have patience. This business is mostly, hurry up and wait. Don't take rejections personally--we've all got a truckload of them. It's part of the process.

Q: What's next for you?
A: We have a contemporary intrigue, Mr. Temptation, coming out in a few months with Ellora's Cave (no release date quite yet), AND we are working on two more books in the western Wicked series - so look out for Carly's story--who is mentioned in the 1^st book--and Kate's story, who will make an appearance in the second book!


Q: Wow you've been busy! Congratulations on the upcoming release! Would you like to ask readers a question?
A: Yes!  What do you like about historical westerns?


Great question! Thanks so much for being our guest today!

Don't forget, Eliza is giving away a hot copy of Wicked Woman to one commenter!
Read an Excerpt of Wicked Woman, or buy the book at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, or All Romance eBooks.


Please visit Eliza's websites:

www.elizaknight.com
www.historyundressed.blogspot.com
http://annabellewestonromance.blogspot.com/

Readers Give Back

By Stacey Joy Netzel, guest blogger

Authors are nothing without readers. Sure, many of us would write regardless (me included), however at some point we need to build a fan base if we want any type of longevity in the business end of publishing. To do that, authors must:

1. Write. Damn good books. Books that make readers salivate for our next release date.

2. Submit for publication: This can be very nerve-wracking, even when we’ve published already. (It’s worse when waiting for a first sale.) The best way I’ve ever heard this described was during Christina Dodd’s keynote speech at RWA National in Atlanta, GA. “It’s like standing up on stage…pulling down your pants…and asking for comments.” (I paraphrased.)

3. We must promote. For some of us, it comes naturally. For others, it’s almost as bad as submitting. “Here’s my book, please buy it, please like it.” We can’t be too timid, but on the flip side, no one likes a pushy ‘sales’ person, either. We walk the line and hope we don’t cross too far on either side.

In the end, what makes all the work worthwhile is the readers. The ones who e-mail us to ask when the next book is coming out. The ones who write to tell us how much they loved our characters and wished the book would never end. The ones who read, and though they may not write to us, they tell their friends about this new author they’ve discovered and loved. The ones who eagerly participate in our contests, check websites, follow blogs, and come to book signings.
I’m running a contest from March 1-April 30, in which I ask “you” to pass out 20 (or more, if you want) of my bookmarks and in return I enter your name into a drawing with a total of 16 prizes. I worried I was crossing to the pushy side, but decided to give it a try anyway. The response has been wonderful! So far, readers and friends have stepped up to the tune of 33 entries from 13 different states, equaling over 880 bookmarks. I received an entry from Chris in TX, and her best friend Stephanie in SC, who regularly hand out authors’ promotion items because they’re “Glad to help!” You two made my day. :)

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the readers out there from the bottom of my heart. When you help out, when you take the time to send a fan letter, when you tell others about our books… you give so much joy back to us authors. Because, in the end, it really does come down to YOU!

Thank you!

Okay, now I’ve got 3 questions for you…answer one, or all! :)
1. What about a book inspires you to write a fan letter?
2. What author is in your hot little hands right now?
3. Who's up next?

Stacey Joy Netzel
~*~
(Stacey’s working today, but she will be around this evening to respond to comments.)
Stacey Joy Netzel fell in love with books at a young age, so for her, it seemed only natural to graduate to writing them. A member of RWA and WisRWA, she credits not only her parents and husband for encouraging her dreams of becoming a published author, but also the very talented friends she’s made in WisRWA since joining in 2004. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and kids, a couple of horses, and six barn cats. When not writing and living life in general, she loves to read and watch movies—Happily Ever After’s a must. Published books with The Wild Rose Press include: If Tombstones Could Talk (paranormal novella), Welcome to Redemption (Champagne Rose anthology with Donna Marie Rogers), Dragonfly Dreams (Christmas Novella), and Chasin’ Mason (contemporary western). She just signed a contract for a Christmas Anthology, Mistletoe Rules, that she hopes will be released Christmas 2009. You can visit her at www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com. She would LOVE to hear from you!

Sex scenes and Cowboys - or - How To Get Your Attention Without Really Trying

When I was eleven years old, for some reason I started watching a lot of western movies late at night with my mom. Soon, not only was I a big John Wayne fan, I was in love with Blue and Manolito on the TV show, High Chapperal. Oh, how I used to imagine myself out in Arizona, on that cactus strewn ranch, riding along side either one of my favorite guys! And of course, because I was a four-eyed book geek, that burgeoning love for westerns morphed naturally over into my first love – reading. On a trip to the library one day I discovered Zane Grey, one of the first popular western authors, and I was a goner. I read everything he wrote, I think, before moving on to become a history nut.

Now, what I couldn’t understand about Zane Grey’s books at the time, was that a lot of the words he used seemed to have some letters missing. I don’t know if this was standard for his books, or if somehow I had stumbled across a specially edited line of his popular westerns, but it made for some interesting reading for a naïve 11 year old.
Here's an example:

“D _ _ n it, Joe,” Black Jack Bishop said, “tie up that sh _ _-_ _ _ ed jack_ _ _.”

I spent a lotta lotta time trying to figure out what those left out letters spelled out. Finally I gave up and just skipped those words, piecing together the stories of cowboys and gunslingers, stagecoach robbers and prairie women done wrong. The next year I even tried my hand at writing a western myself. My heroes were named Billy John and Seth, and I’ll never forget the thrill I felt as I wrote the opening sentence:

“Somewhere in North Texas beside the Brazos River, Seth Davis swung down off his paint pony and dragged his hand through his tousled sun-bleached hair.”

In retrospect, that was the beginning of my desire to become a writer. I only wrote four chapters of that book—I still have it somewhere in a folder—but the love I felt for the two main characters has never waned. Maybe I’ll write it someday.

As I was thinking about this today, with westerns being one of our blog options for the week, I realized something very important--a way the memory of my love for all things western could help me in my writing! You see, as a romance author, the hardest parts (ahem) to write, for me, are usually the love scenes. So what if I stole a page from Mr. Zane Grey’s book? It might go a little something like this:

“Oh, Jack,” Lily said breathlessly as he slid his hand upward to touch her n _ _ _ _ _ _e. “I never dreamed you felt this way about me.”

Jack caressed the side of her neck with his lips, then groaned as she touched his throbbing m _ _ _ _ _. “You’re killing me, love,” he whispered.

Lily had never felt so powerful. She s_ _ _ked his _ _ _s and then lowered her mouth to his iron hard pe_ _.

Well, I think you get the idea. (Don't blush! I might have fooled ya, pardners. What dirty minds you folks have! You might be surprised at how easy it is to imply something slightly wicked with just with a few empty spaces! See the real words that go in the spaces at the end of this blog!)

Okay, in spite of my kidding around, those tall, tanned, cowboys with their lean, hard muscles and five o’clock shadows are still one of my personal three top hero-types in romances. The lineup?

1. Highlanders (of course!)
2. Cowboys
3. Spies

More on these bad boys in another blog, but for now I leave you with the mental image of John Wayne holding that newborn baby in “3 Godfathers”. Now there was a hero!

The answer to my Zane Grey romance scene:

“Oh, Jack,” Lily said breathlessly as he slid his hand upward to touch her necklace. “I never dreamed you felt this way about me.”

Jack caressed the side of her neck with his lips, then groaned as she touched his throbbing muscles. “You’re killing me, love,” he whispered.

Lily had never felt so powerful. She stroked his jaws and then lowered her mouth to his iron hard pecs.

And here's my LOLcat for you for the day--Enjoy and have a good one!