The Last Good Knight Blog Tour: Review and Q&A

Hi, everyone! I am really excited to be on the The Last Good Knight blog tour today, hosted by The Novel Tease. If you're a reader of this blog you know how much I adore Tiffany Reisz's writing and I am happy to be on the tour for her newest novella in the Original Sinners series. This novella is being released in 5 parts, and the first part is available now. Read on for my review of all 5 parts as well as a Q&A with Tiffany at the end of the post. 

Title: The Last Good Knight (Parts I - V)

Author: Kristen Callihan

Publication May 6, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Adult Romance/Erotica
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

The Last Good Knight is an Original Sinners novella starring Mistress Nora, released in five parts.

The Last Good Knight by Tiffany Reisz is a prequel novella set 3 years before the events of The Siren. The Last Good Knight is a delicious and naughty tale that is just the thing for all of the Sinners fans eagerly awaiting the next novel in Reisz's Original Sinner series, The Saint, due out in June. The story has been serialized into five parts and includes some of your favorite Sinners characters, including Nora, Søren, Kinglsey and new love interest Lance. While the story could probably be read without reading the other books in the series, I would not recommend it. These characters all have a long history with each other and it's best to know that history to get the full effect of the story. Besides, the series is awesome and you won't regret reading it.

I am going to review and rate each part by itself and then give my thoughts on the story as a whole at the end.

Part I: Scars and Stripes - 4 stars

Reisz cuts right to the chase in the first part of The Last Good Knight. When Nora encounters a good looking male sub at the bar of the 8th Circle, she doesn't waste any time getting to submit to her whims. A steamy session follows and Nora finds Lance to be the perfect sub. Though they've just met, she begins to feel that there may be more than just a one night stand between them. They are about to head into another round of fun when their night is interrupted by Søren telling Nora that a female Domme has been attacked and that she needs to go to Kinsley's immediately.

This was a good intro into the story and drops us right back into the world of The Original Sinners. Nora is her usual irreverent self and it's interesting to see what her life was like after leaving Søren and working near him on a regular basis. The two definitely still have amazing chemistry even when they are not together.  Like Nora, I immediately liked Lance and wanted to know more about him.

Part II: Soft Spots - 3 stars

Nora and the employees of The 8th Circle all convene at Kingsley's house and learn the details of Natasha's assault. The news of how badly she was beaten and the fact that the culprit is still on the loose rattles the of The 8th Circle. Though somewhat shaken herself, Nora knows that she needs to put on a brave face for the others and she decides not to alter her schedule. Though he's not happy about it, Søren agrees as long as she has a bodyguard. Kingsley ends up sending Lance to be Nora's bodyguard with the rule that they cannot have sex while he is working for her. This complicates things as all Nora can think about is having sex with Lance.

Lance escorts Nora to her various appointments throughout the day, including one to a kindly old judge who has a foot fetish.  During their drives, Nora takes the opportunity to learn more about Lance. We find out the particulars of his divorce and the circumstances of his child custody case. It's clear that Lance is a honorable and good man and, the more Nora learns about him, the more she wants him. Frustrated, horny and unable to sleep with Lance, Nora turns to the one man she knows how can take care of her needs.


Part III: The Games Destiny Plays - 4 stars

Nora shows up at Søren's house, needing release and knowing that he can give it to her. He wastes no time and what they both need. This is one of my favorite parts just because I love Søren and Nora together. We definitely get to see they dynamic at work here and we can see why they are so good together. Nora is struggling because she still loves Søren but doesn't want to give up her freedom. Her growing feelings for Lance don't help the matter and she even asks Søren for advice.

Lance is, at first, angered by the bruises that he sees on Nora but later understands that her needs are similar to his own and that he cannot judge her for it. Part III ends on a cliffhanger when Kingsley informs Nora that the perpetrator has made another move, this one against Nora.



Part IV: Fit To Be Tied - 4 stars

Part III left us with the knowledge that the attacker had broken into Nora's dungeon. However, Griffin (love Griff!) was there and was able to apprehend him. Without the threat of an attacker on the loose, Lance and Nora no longer have to abide by Kingley's rule not to have sex. So their clothes come off and the cuffs come on. :)

While I really liked the love scene between Lance and Nora, I have to say that I was a little disappointed in this part. The fact that the attacker was detained so easily and with so little fanfare was quite a letdown. I expected more since the attack was the entire premise for the story and I wanted a little more from it. But the love scene is pretty awesome so I can forgive the lame ending to the mystery.




Part V: The Last Good Knight - 4 stars

The threat of the attacker is gone and Nora no longer needs a bodyguard. Her feelings for Lance have grown and she feels like she may want to keep him. Unfortunately her plan to help him get his daughter back might just be the thing that keeps them apart.

The last installment of The Last Good Knight is a bittersweet one Lance must make a difficult choice and choose between two people he loves. I thought that the ending was very fitting and really showed how much Nora and Lance cared about each other. But, as the song says, love isn't always enough and sometimes having one thing means giving up another. This segment was a really emotional one that tied up the story really well.

Overall:
This is a great little novella in The Original Sinners series. Lance and Nora are a great couple and it was really interesting to see a male sub/female Domme relationship. The story also gives us more insight into Nora and Søren's relationship prior to The Siren. While I thought that each part was well paced and started and ended at a good spot in the story, I am still on the fence about serialized stories, especially ones that are as short as this one. Since this is a short story, each part is really short, and I think the serialized format would work better for me with a full length novel. That said, this is still a great, sexy read. I don't recommend reading it without having read at least The Siren. You'll get much more out of it if you have some context of the people and relationships involved.

Overall rating:

*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

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Q&A with Tiffany Reisz

Hi, Tiffany! Thank you so much for coming onto the blog today. We are so excited to have you and to hear more about your new release, The Last Good Knight.

Happy to be here! Spanks for having me!

Can you tell us a little bit about The Last Good Knight? Where in the timeline of the Original Sinners does it fall? 

The Last Good Knight takes place three years before The Siren. Nora has broken up with Søren and is working as a professional Dominatrix for Kingsley. She’s struggling with how much she misses Søren but isn’t ready to give up her freedom yet. She spies a handsome male sub at the club and seduces him. Why? Because she’s Nora.

Serialized stories and novels seem to be gaining popularity with publishers lately. Why do you think this is and why did you think that this story would be best told in that format?  

Originally serials were the main form of popular fiction distribution. Almost all of Charles Dickens’s books were told in serial format in newspapers. I love this old-fashioned format. It’s a fun throwback to the old days. My publisher simply asked me for a linked story about Nora’s life as a Dominatrix and this is what came out of my head.

Was the writing process for a serialized story like The Last Good Knight different than your normal writing process?

Not really. The only thing you have to do with a serial like this is have a strong ending at the finale of each part and make sure there’s some sexual content in all five sections. Fitting in that much sex is the trickiest part.

Tell us a little bit about Lance, the new love interest in The Last Good Knight.

Lance was inspired by a man I met at a book event. He’s the bodyguard and collared submissive of a professional Dominatrix. A lot of people don’t realize how tough and manly male submissives can be. They’re not all sweet little angels like Michael. Some of them can kill you. Lance’s crisis in the book is unfortunately based on true events. A Dominatrix I used to see for pain sessions had to quit her dungeon when she went through a divorce and a custody battle for her child.

Is there anything that Nora won't do? 

Cook. It’s just not her thing.

Thank you, Tiffany. This was so much fun and we wish you the best with The Last Good Knight! 

Thank you and spank you!

Thank you to Tiffany, The Novel Tease and Harlequin MIRA for including us on this tour!

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Visit the author online at tiffanyreisz.com, Facebook and follow her on Twitter @tiffanyreisz. 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links. For more details, please see our full disclosure policy here. 

Pasadena Teen Book Festival Spotlight on Allen Zadoff

Hi, guys. I am back with another spotlight post for the Pasadena Teen Book Festival. We hope that you can come out to this awesome event. Today I have an interview with author Allen Zadoff. Hope you like it and remember to scroll down to the bottom of the post for some giveaways. :)

Event date: Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 12pm-4pm

Venue: Pasadena Public Library, 285 E Walnut St, Pasadena, CA 91101

Free event - Tickets at Eventbrite

More information - Grab a Badge

Presented by Pasadena Public Library and Bridge to Books

Follow Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Blogspot

T-Shirt sign-ups at CustomInk

Tour Schedule

Tue March 25 - Read Now Sleep Later - Spotlight on Catherine Linka

Mon March 31 - The Windy Pages - Spotlight on Gretchen McNeil

and Holly Goldberg Sloan

Wed April 2 - FangirlFeeels - Spotlight on Jesse Andrews

Fri April 4 - What a Nerd Girl Says - Spotlight on Margaret Stohl
Mon April 7 - What a Nerd Girl Says - Spotlight on Andrew Smith

Tue April 8 - Adventures of a Book Junkie - Spotlight on Amy Tintera

Thu April 10 - The Consummate Reader - Bridge to Books Guest Post

Mon April 14 - Nite Lite Book Reviews - Spotlight on Sarah Skilton

Tue April 15 - Nite Lite Book Reviews - Spotlight on Allen Zadoff

Wed April 16 - The Reader's Antidote - Spotlight on Elizabeth Ross

Fri April 18 - A Bookish Escape - Spotlight on Ann Redisch Stampler

Tue April 22 - The Book Twins - Spotlight on Carrie Arcos

Thu April 24 - Birth of a New Witch - Spotlight on Katherine Ewell

NL: I read in an interview that your first love was theater, not writing, and that you did not start writing until your twenties. Had you been interested in writing before then? what made you shift from acting to writing and do you find any similarities between the two art forms?

AZ: It’s true that I was a theater guy, first as an actor in high school, then as a director. I went to graduate school in directing at the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. Looking back, I was always writing—short stories in high school, adapting plays in college, etc.  But I never thought of myself as a writer until much later. In hindsight, I didn’t have the courage to be a writer until my late 20s when I began writing personal essays.  It was then that my voice began to develop. How did I see the world, what did I believe, what was my point of view? Those essays led to me writing my first book, a memoir about food addiction called Hungry. I didn’t write my first novel Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have until a couple years later.

Directing is an interpretive art. Someone else’s text and story form the foundation of what you create.  Being a writer is more like being a singer-songwriter. It’s you alone at the microphone performing your own material. That takes an enormous amount of courage, and quite frankly, I didn’t have the self-esteem to do that until much later in my life.

NL: You write books that are categorized as young adult. Did you set out to write for a YA audience or did that come just by the nature of what you wanted to write about?

AZ: A friend recently described his career trajectory as “divine intervention” rather than personal choice. I think the same thing about my own. When I wrote my first novel, it happened to feature a 14-year-old protagonist. People read it and said, “This is YA.”  I said, “What’s YA?”  I actually didn’t know there was a genre called young adult until after I’d written the book

NL: Your most recent book, The Unknown Assassin seems to be a little bit of a departure for you. Your other books are all contemporary but none of them involve assassins. What inspired you to write about a teenager assassin?

AZ: The character of the The Unknown Assassin inspired me. One day I had an idea about a boy who had no home and no parents, who traveled from place to place pretending to fit in, while in fact he was a highly trained assassin on a perpetual mission.  I’ve always secretly loved thrillers, and I instantly recognized that I was onto something big. What if your new best friend was an undercover assassin sent to kill your parents? When you wake up with an idea like that, you’d be crazy not to explore it. 

NL: Did you do any kind of research in order to write authentically from the POV of a trained killer?

AZ: None at all. I understood the character on a deep level. I often felt like a stranger in high school, emulating the people around me to try and fit in, while carrying on a secret life in my head. “I’m here, but I’m not one of you.” That was a very powerful and false belief for me. It’s taken years and lots of therapy to break that down to the point where I feel like I’m like you and you’re like me. We are all human beings doing our best to live and get what we want from the world, but often our strategies bring us into conflict with one another.  Today I see myself as a small part of a much larger world.  But The Unknown Assassin feels isolated and different from everyone around him. I lived with that mindset for a long time.

NL: If you were going to get rid or someone and make it look like an accident, how would you do it (RNSL cannot guarantee that what is said here will not be used against you should something terrible befall someone of your acquaintance).

AZ: That’s very difficult to do these days with forensic science being as sophisticated as it is. The most ingenious way to get rid of someone would be to somehow convince them to get rid of themselves. Hmmm…

NL: The Unknown Assassin was originally titled Boy Nobody. I think both titles are pretty cool but can you tell us why the title was changed? Did you have any input in the change?

AZ: With my publisher’s blessing, I created the new series title and the titles for the books.  We wanted to find a new identity because one book was becoming a series, and the original title felt less and less like it would work for the whole story.  So I decided to call the series The Unknown Assassin. The new book titles will be I AM THE WEAPON (Book #1), I AM THE MISSION (Book #2), and Book #3 is still a secret.  The big news:  Book #1 is coming out in paperback in May, and Book #2 debuts on June 17 in the U.S.

NL: What can we expect in Book 2 of The Unknown Assassin series, I Am the Mission?

AZ: Book 2 is bigger, more complex, and filled with action.  We learn a lot more about our assassin hero and the origins of what made him who he is. One of my favorite characters, Howard, returns.  There’s also a new love complication, because I am fascinated by the idea of an assassin who is torn between his duty and his humanity.

Lightning round!

NL: Favorite snack or beverage while writing?

AZ: Nitroglycerin.

NL: Do you have any strange writing habits?

AZ: I listen to music obsessively, usually through noise-cancelling headphones.

NL: Favorite assassin (fiction or non-fictional)?

AZ: Bourne.

NL: What’s on your night stand?

AZ: My iPad, charged and ready for action.

NL: Cake or pie and what kind?

AZ: Cronuts.

NL: Thanks, Allen! Look forward to seeing you at the Festival!

Giveaways

#1: ARC of A Girl Called Fearless

Winner may request personalization/autograph

Open to US residents only - ends 4/25/2014

Enter with Rafflecopter #1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#2: Choose from 1 of the books featured at the Pasadena Teen Book Festival

Winner may request personalization/autograph

Open to US residents only - ends 4/25/2014

Enter with Rafflecopter #2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#3: $50 Gift Card to Vroman’s BookstoreOpen to attendees of the Pasadena Book Festival only! – ends 4/21/2014
To enter, suggest a new, unique/clever/fun name for the Pasadena Teen Book Festival. Examples of other cool names for teen book fests include (already taken, unfortunately)Teen Author Carnival, YALLFest, and YABFest. What should we call our event from now on? Email your top 3 best name suggestions to info@pasadenateenbookfest.com OR fill out this form! A panel of judges will choose the best name from all of the submissions. The winner will be announced at the Festival!

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Pasadena Teen Book Festival Spotlight on Sarah Skilton

Hi, everyone. As you can see, there is no Manicure Monday today. But I have something just as fun! I am really excited to be a part of the Pasadena Teen Book Festival blog tour! I have a fun interview with author Sarah Skilton below. Don't forget to scroll all the way day for some fun giveaways as well.

Event date: Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 12pm-4pm

Venue: Pasadena Public Library, 285 E Walnut St, Pasadena, CA 91101

Free event - Tickets at Eventbrite
More information - Grab a Badge
Presented by Pasadena Public Library and Bridge to Books

Follow Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Blogspot

T-Shirt sign-ups at CustomInk

Tour Schedule

Tue March 25 - Read Now Sleep Later - Spotlight on Catherine Linka

Mon March 31 - The Windy Pages - Spotlight on Gretchen McNeil

and Holly Goldberg Sloan

Wed April 2 - FangirlFeeels - Spotlight on Jesse Andrews

Fri April 4 - What a Nerd Girl Says - Spotlight on Margaret Stohl
Mon April 7 - What a Nerd Girl Says - Spotlight on Andrew Smith

Tue April 8 - Adventures of a Book Junkie - Spotlight on Amy Tintera

Thu April 10 - The Consummate Reader - Bridge to Books Guest Post

Mon April 14 - Nite Lite Book Reviews - Spotlight on Sarah Skilton

Tue April 15 - Nite Lite Book Reviews - Spotlight on Allen Zadoff

Wed April 16 - The Reader's Antidote - Spotlight on Elizabeth Ross

Fri April 18 - A Bookish Escape - Spotlight on Ann Redisch Stampler

Tue April 22 - The Book Twins - Spotlight on Carrie Arcos

Thu April 24 - Birth of a New Witch - Spotlight on Katherine Ewell

NL: Hi Sarah! Thanks for coming onto the blog today. We are really excited to have you.

SS: My pleasure! Thanks for asking.

NL: In 140 characters or less, describe what you newest novel HIGH & DRY is about.

SS: In this YA mystery, a heartbroken, hard-drinking teenage soccer player fights to clear his name after being dumped, framed, and blackmailed.

NL: What inspired you to write HIGH & DRY?

SS: I love mysteries and really wanted to push myself to write a different kind of story from my debut. BRUISED was a more “internal conflict” type of book, albeit with martial arts woven in, and it takes place over many months. HIGH & DRY is fast paced and spans a single week, and, unlike BRUISED, it’s written from a teenage boy’s POV. I loved the challenge of each aspect. I’m also a big fan of “Veronica Mars,” Raymond Chandler stories, and Humphrey Bogart films. This was a fun way for me to pay homage to those styles.

NL: In BRUISED, you used your past experience as a student of martial arts to help you write about a girl who is a black belt. Did you have any past experience or knowledge to draw from for HIGH & DRY or did you other research for it?

SS: I went through a big soccer phase after the 2010 World Cup, when I realized that several of the U.S. teammates played for L.A. Galaxy (plus of course, *cough*, Beckham). I liked watching matches, and appreciated the possibility of their instant, dramatic reversals of fortune, so much so that I decided to include the sport in the book. It wasn’t research in the traditional sense, but I did put my hours on the couch to good use, haha. I don’t have experience with any other aspects of the book, so I read a lot of mysteries to get in the right mindset, and I Wikipedia’d a lot.

NL: HIGH & DRY is told from a male point of view. Did you find it difficult or different to write from a male POV?

SS: Not especially. I asked my husband to vet the first draft and he offered a few suggestions, but otherwise it came fairly naturally to me. What matters more to me in terms of voice isn’t so much gender but other factors, such as family background, interests, intelligence, and personality.

NL: Since HIGH & DRY is about someone being framed, we’d like to ask have you ever been framed or falsely accused of something in your life? How did you handle it?

SS: Luckily, no. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been falsely accused. So, if I was accused of it, it was probably true!

NL: You are a (somewhat) new mother (with a freakin’ adorable baby). How has motherhood changed how you write? (I can’t imagine there’s much time for writing with a baby in the house)

SS: Thank you!! The first year of motherhood I gave myself permission to not write. It didn’t last very long, but I liked the idea of focusing on one thing at a time. The second year of motherhood, I got up at 4:45am while everyone else slept so I could write. It was effective in the short-term but not sustainable, at least not for me. The balance can be tough. I’m not sure it’s even fair to use the term “balance” because certain parts of life SHOULD come first at different times, in my opinion. But I’m working on it!

NL: Your husband is a magician (which sounds really fun). What’s the craziest trick you’ve ever assisted with?

SS: He is amazingly talented! However, he doesn’t work with assistants so I’ve not had the pleasure of assisting (yet) :)

NL: HIGH & DRY will be released in April but what are you currently working on?

SS: I’ve got two more contemporary YA ideas brewing, and one adult idea I’m excited about.

Lightning round!

NL: Favorite snack or beverage while writing?

SS: Coffee or Guinness.

NL: Do you have any strange writing habits?

SS: Sometimes if I’m super-psyched about a scene, I get up and dance and like, slap my hands on my knees while I dance. Please don’t try to picture this.

NL: Salty or sweet?

SS: Salty.

NL: What’s on your night stand?

SS: My wrist braces (for tendonitis) and a leopard-print sleep mask. Sexy!

NL: Cake or pie and what kind?

SS: Pie, apple crumble, specifically my mother-in-law’s.

NL: Thank you so much, Sarah! We can’t wait to see you in April for the Pasadena Teen Book Festival!

SS: Thank YOU for the great questions. I had lots of fun answering these, and I really appreciate it.

Giveaways

#1: ARC of A Girl Called Fearless

Winner may request personalization/autograph

Open to US residents only - ends 4/25/2014

Enter with Rafflecopter #1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#2: Choose from 1 of the books featured at the Pasadena Teen Book Festival

Winner may request personalization/autograph

Open to US residents only - ends 4/25/2014

Enter with Rafflecopter #2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#3: $50 Gift Card to Vroman’s BookstoreOpen to attendees of the Pasadena Book Festival only! – ends 4/21/2014
To enter, suggest a new, unique/clever/fun name for the Pasadena Teen Book Festival. Examples of other cool names for teen book fests include (already taken, unfortunately)Teen Author Carnival, YALLFest, and YABFest. What should we call our event from now on? Email your top 3 best name suggestions to info@pasadenateenbookfest.com OR fill out this form! A panel of judges will choose the best name from all of the submissions. The winner will be announced at the Festival!

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The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz Blog Tour - Review + Q&A

Today we are hosting a stop of The Mistress Blog Tour. I love this series and am super excited to be participating in the tour. Thanks to The Novel Tease for putting together this tour and for including us in it. This is going to be a pretty long post with a review, short Q&A and a giveaway. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to stop by the other blogs on this tour. Full tour schedule here.

The Mistress (The Original Sinners #4) 

by Tiffany Reisz

Publication date: 30 July 2013 by Harlequin MIRA

ISBN 10/13: 0778315703 | 9780778315704

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

AMAZON  

Book Synopsis:

There's punishment-and then there's vengeance.

Nora Sutherlin is being held, bound and naked. Under different circumstances, she would enjoy the situation immensely, but her captor isn't interested in play. Or pity.

As the reality of her impending peril unfolds, Nora becomes Scheherazade, buying each hour of her life with stories-sensual tales of Søren, Kingsley and Wesley, each of whom has tempted and tested and tortured her in his own way. This, Nora realizes, is her life: nothing so simple, so vanilla, as a mere love triangle for her. It's a knot in a silken cord, a tangled mass of longings of the body and the heart and the mind. And it may unravel at any moment.

But in Nora's world, no one is ever truly powerless-a cadre of her friends, protectors and lovers stands ready to do anything to save her, even when the only certainty seems to be sacrifice and heartbreak…

Love Me Blog Tour & Author Interview with Diane Alberts

 

If you have been reading our blog recently, you know that I (Liv) am a big fan of Diane Alberts.  Recently, I reviewed her latest book LOVE ME (Take a Chance #2) and loved it.  I was thrilled that Diane was able to stop by and answer some questions for our readers here at Read Now Sleep Later/Nite Lite.  Let's welcome Diane to the blog.

I read somewhere that you have 4 children. That is enough to keep anyone busy. How do you find time to write and where do you like to write? 

I do! They range from the age of 14-4, and they keep me busy, busy, busy! I generally only write during the day, primarily from the hours of 11am-4pm. If I’m on a deadline, then I’ll write all day until they come home from school, but that’s only when needed.

The rest of the day, I’m mommy…or wifey, if the time merits. ;)

And I write at my desk, which is positioned in front of a window in my Dining Room. It’s my mini-office.

Not that long along, I went into one author’s writer space and her whole wall was covered with things that inspired her for her current WIP. Do you like to post pictures and note cards with details about your characters and setting while you are writing? Or are you more high tech and prefer something like Pinterest? 

I actually keep a huge, yes, huge, whiteboard. I make an outline of all the things I need to know. And then on my desk I keep a synopsis next to me, and cross off stuff as I write the book.

Occasionally I’ll look for pictures to give me better idea for my characters, but for the most part, I just go off of my head. ☺

Since I discovered (and fell in love with) the Take a Chance series, I am slowly working my way through all of your books. One of the things I really love about your books is your characters, how do your create your characters and do they ever end up doing something that surprises you? 

That makes me very happy to hear! A lot of the time, I worry my characters will come across as blah, or will be too similar. It’s nice to know they’re not!

But I try to create flawed characters. One of my very first books I wrote, a lot of people said the hero was too perfect. And I looked at him, then realized they were RIGHT. Who wants to read about perfect little people in their perfect little worlds? I try to create real people with real issues—and then do my best to stay true to those characters. My editor helps me a lot with that, thankfully! ☺

It’s almost summer time. Aside from your books (which I would highly suggest to anyone for summer reading), can you name a couple of books that you consider great beach reading?

Oh, any of the Brazen Books from Entangled Publishing. I’m seriously hooked on that line. Can’t wait until mine come out! ~happy dances~

What is the funniest/strangest reaction you have received when you tell someone that you write romance stories/books? 

A lot of the time they kind of look at me and go “O-Oh. I don’t read those, or I’d check them out. But give me your card.” And then you just know half of them are going home and looking it up later. ;)

Thanks Diane for stopping by and answering a few questions! - Liv

Thank you for having me here today. - Diane

Check out Diane's latest book, LOVE ME:
Thomas Jones has come to Vegas to win yet another account for his marketing company. But when he sits across from beautiful and sensual Brianna Faulk to deliver his pitch, his desire to leave Vegas as quickly as possible is replaced by the need to get close to her. Yet she resists his charm. 

Brianna knows a date with Thomas could jeopardize her job, but he’s so maddening and insistent, she has a hard time denying him just one date. But that’s all it can be: one date. Because she has to protect her job and her secrets, even if it means giving up a chance at a life she never thought she’d have again.

About Diane:
Diane Alberts is a multi-published, bestselling author with Entangled Publishing, Swoon Romance, and Decadent Publishing. She has, as of this date, four books with Entangled Publishing, one book with Swoon Romance, and five older books with Decadent Publishing. Her February release with Entangled Publishing, ON ONE CONDITION, hit #18 on the Barnes and Noble bestseller list, and TRY ME hit #76 on Amazon. Her Swoon Romance novella, CAPTIVATED BY YOU, hit #31 on the Barnes and Noble bestseller list. Diane is represented by Louise Fury from the L. Perkins Agency.

Where you can find her:
Website: http://dianealberts.com
Blog: http://dianealberts.com/blog
Twitter: @dianealberts
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-Alberts/121705201245084

Where to find LOVE ME: GoodReads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

For more interviews and guest posts check out the Blog Tour for LOVE ME, here.

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Author Interview with Nalini Singh + Giveaway (INTL)

Good morning, friends! I have something super duper (yeah I said duper) exciting on the blog today. My friends all know that I am a huge Nalini Singh fan. Tomorrow is the release date for her newest book, Archangel's Storm. It's the fifth book in the awesome Guild Hunter series is about Jason, super spy master and Angel with shadow wings. I admit that I have always had a fascination with Jason (must be that whole dark and mysterious thing) and I cannot wait to read his book. To celebrate the release, we have an interview with Nalini Singh herself along with a fun giveaway at the end of the post. Let's get to it!

Hi, Nalini! Thank you so much for coming onto the blog today. We are huge, huge fans of your work. I was lucky enough to meet you recently at the RWA Autographing Session and let me just say that it was totally the highlight of the event for me. 

Thanks for inviting me here! Wasn’t the signing at RWA so much fun?!

Yes, it was super fun and I had amazing time meeting all of the authors, including you!

I've read that you have been interested in writing from a young age. Can you tell us a little bit about what some of your first stories were like? What books influenced you as a child?

I used to write about everything – I kept a journal and would jot down things in there as they came to me. Sometimes these were stories, other times descriptions of what I’d seen/experienced that day. My first full romance manuscript was a Mills&Boon Presents story that I wrote when I was about eighteen. I still have that manuscript. =)

As for influences – it’s hard to pick one or even a few books. I read so voraciously as a child and still do. I like to say that every book I’ve ever read has influenced me by helping develop my love of story.

Describe what your schedule is like on a typical day.

I usually do emails, interviews etc in the morning and write after lunch. Sometimes I’ll stop at eight, other times I’ll keep going till two or three in the morning. It just depends on deadlines and my personal goals for the day and week.

Your Guild Hunter series is very unique because of the relationship that the Angels and vampires have with each other. The Angels Make vampires and give them strength and immortality in return for 100 years of service. If you had a choice of becoming a vampire, would you, or would you choose to remain human and why?

Oooh, this is such a tough question. I constantly go back and forth. In fact, the question is so tough, I’m going to throw it out there for the readers of this blog! Vampire or human?

(p.s. Can’t angel be a choice, too? I would love to fly!)

I love your descriptions of each Angel's wings. They always seem to match their personality perfectly, from Illium's blue tips to Raphael's golden wings. So which comes first, the Angel or the wings? Do you already know the personality of the Angel before deciding what their wings will look like? Have you ever had an amazing idea for a pair of wings and create a character around them?

They tend to appear in my mind with their wings as they are – Illium has had his stunning wings from the very first time I met him. Sometimes, when a character is being secretive, it takes me a while, but I always know instinctively when I’ve found their wings.

This kind of leads me to your newest book, Archangel's Storm. I have always been fascinated by Jason. I really think it was his dark wings that blend into the shadows that initially piqued my interest. They're so different than the flashier wings of most Angels yet they suit Raphael's spymaster perfectly. Can you tell us a little bit about what we can expect from Jason's story? And can you tell us a bit about his love interest, Mahiya, who we don't know much about?

Jason’s story very much suits the personalities of both our shadowy spymaster, and his heroine. On the surface, it’s quiet, but there’s so much intensity bubbling beneath the surface. I think this is a book that each time you read it, you’ll glimpse more and more – there’s so much that’s hidden between the lines, so much that only becomes apparent once you reach the end.

Mahiya is a unique angel, one who appears without power, and yet who has an unbelievable strength. She is perfect for Jason.

The setting is also amazing – I was inspired by the magnificent forts I saw during my trip to India, and you can see images of those forts on my website’s travel diary page on release date (www.nalinisingh.com/diary.php)

What are you working on now that Archangel's Storm is done? I know you couldn't say much at RWA, but can you give us any clues yet?

I’ve just handed in two Psy/Changeling novellas, one featuring Walker & Lara, the other Cooper & Grace. Now, my focus is on the next Psy/Changeling book…about which I can tell you nothing. ;-)

However, I can tell you that the next Guild Hunter book will feature Raphael and Elena as main characters.

Paranormal, historical, or contemporary romance?

I actually read all three! I tend to go in cycles – I’ll read a whole bunch in one genre, then do the same in another.

And our last, but very important question: Cake or pie (and what kind)?

Cake by a landslide. Chocolate fudge (chocolate anything really).

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today, Nalini, and congrats on Archangel's Storm. It's been pre-ordered and I cannot wait for it to get here! :)

Remember to sign up for Nalini's newsletter for up to the minute news (no spam) as well as exclusive content. Nalini just announced that she will be releasing some short stories to her newsletter subscribers way before they will be available commercially. You can sign up here.

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Thank you again, Nalini! I hope you guys all enjoyed the interview. Now Nalini has been kind enough to offer up a signed copy of Angels' Blood for one lucky blog reader. Let me tell you I am really jealous about this and, if it wasn't totally against the rules, I would want to enter my own contest. But to make it even better, I am going to also be giving away 2 copies of Archangel's Storm as well. 

You have 3 chances to win. Only one person will get the signed copy of Angels' Blood from Nalini though. Giveaway is International as long as Book Depository will ship to your country. As usual, you do not have to be a follower to enter but it's always appreciated. Good luck!

Rules:

1. Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to your country. 
2. One set of entries per household please. 
3. If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address. 
4. Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget after the end of the day on Sept 13, 2012. 
5. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner. 
6. We are not responsible for lost or stole packages.
7. If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here.

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