Oh, do I have a treat for you today. Elyzabeth has been teasing me with snippets from this story with what seems like forever, lol, so now it's my turn to make her squirm a little.
*grins*
Are you ready, Elyzabeth?
Greetings everyone! *waves* I’m super happy to be here today
and ready to spill the beans as they say! Bring it on, Ms. O’Connor! *grin*
Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A, ….. A bit about myself...hummm… let’s see. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Elyzabeth M. VaLey and I’m an erotic romance author. I don’t stick with one label, I write anything and everything, dreams, love, adventures, steamy sex, now, in the past, in the future… As long as there is a love story to tell somewhere, I’m there.
Besides writing I like to take long walks with my black Lab,
bake and sing off-key. *grin* I’d say I have an evil day job but I’m in the
middle of a career change, so I’m not sure it’s entirely evil, yet.
Q. What made you write ‘this’ story?
A. …. Several things. In the first place, the continuity of the
series. Bear Heart is book four of The Witches’ Mischief series and though I
believe it can be read as a standalone it has recurring characters that as the
series advances will be taking on a larger role. In the second place, my muse
was nudging me to get my hand on another fairy tale and she wanted something
paranormal. In the third place, once I discovered what fairy tale I’d be basing
myself on (Bear Skin by the Grimm brothers), the hero, Simon, wouldn’t shut up.
He needed to tell his story.
Q. Tell us about your cover.
A.….. It’s pretty, isn’t it? It was created by Sour Cherry
Designs and they’ve done a wonderful job. It’s my favorite cover of the
Witches’s Mischief series.
Q. Describe a typical day’s writing for us
A.….. A typical day’s writing? That exists? *laughs* I wish I
had a fixed routine, but sadly right now I write whenever I can find the time,
which is not often enough.
Q. What inspires you?
A. ….. I find inspiration in a lot of things, but usually music
plays a great role in my stories. A song’s melody or its lyrics can paint
scenes in my mind and a story can start from there.
Q. If you weren’t a writer what would you be?
A. …. A musician. I’d love to learn how to play an instrument
and compose music. I’d make people feel with my music.
Q. Do your characters ever surprise you?
A. ….. Oh yes! The little minions are always concocting things.
I’ll give you an example, when I started writing Bear Heart, Simon was called Bernard. Almost half way through the
story he taps me on the shoulder and tells me that I’ve got his name all wrong.
*shakes head* I had to go back and change everything. He was right though, he’s
a Simon, definitely not a Bernard.
Q. What could not do without when you’re writing?
A. …..I usually write with music. It helps the words flow
better.
Q. What words of wisdom do you have for the aspiring authors
out there?
A. …..Keep writing and remember that writing is a subjective
business. What one person hates can be what another person loves.
Q. Where do you see yourself in ten year’s time?
A. ….. Ten years’ time? Goodness, that’s really far away. I’m
afraid I don’t think that far ahead. The ideal thing would be to be writing
full time… but who knows. *shrug*
Q. Do you have a favourite quote?
A. ….. Not really, though there’s something author Persephone
Jones told me a while back that I try to remember when I’m feeling frustrated:
Excellence takes time!
Q. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
A. … Yes. Even though there are always stories to tell,
occasionally the muse goes off on a mini-holiday and I can’t get the words into
paper. It can be quite frustrating. Not writing for a few days, staying away
from the computer, reading, watching TV, relaxing, usually helps get things
back on track.
Q. What other books can your readers look forward to?
A. …. Arcánús Amator, is a paranormal romance that defies time.
It is contracted by Evernight Publishing and is scheduled for release sometime
in October.
Q. And finally can you share the blurb and excerpt with us?
…. Of course!
Blurb
By day a bear, by night a man.
Half a century ago Simon Lancaster loved a
woman. But when he committed a crime and was seduced by a witch his fate was
sealed. Forced to live as a shifter by day and human by night, he becomes
hopeless.
He believes there is nothing left in life for
him. That is, until he meets Margaret O'Hare. An unconventional woman, Margaret
makes him feel whole again, but he doesn't know if he can allow the walls he
has erected around his heart to lower, no matter how much he grows to care for
her.
As their time together has them becoming
closer, he starts to trust and love again. But a happily ever after might not
be in Simon's future as dark shadows emerge to destroy what he has built with
Margaret.
Excerpt:
He wandered through the woods. Head
bowed down, nose close to the forest floor, scavenging for food. Then, he heard
it. He froze. His heart skipped, then tightened in his chest before resuming
its tempo at a speed that left him dizzy. Ears perked, he started ambling
through the forest in the sound’s direction. He stopped. There it was again.
Laughter. Loud, boisterous, so unladylike it warmed him from head to toe. He’d
recognize that laughter anywhere, even if it had been more than a hundred years
since he’d heard it.
Lifting his head, he sniffed the air.
Rain washed dirt, blooming flowers, and people. His nose wrinkled slightly. He
dropped his head. She was not among them. His heart slowed, beating like a
sorrowful lament. She was not among them. How could she be? She was dead. He
knew that. Yet—the sound of the woman’s laughter reached him again. A tingling
sensation spread from his heart to his groin. Unable to resist, he headed in
the direction of the sound, curious to see for himself the girl who had his
late fiancées laughter but not her scent. He knew he shouldn’t be coming
this way. There was a home nearby. He recalled seeing it when he first came to
live in this area and vowed to stay away from it, but Evelyn’s memory kept him
moving.
Evelyn. Dear Evelyn. Deep down in his
heart, he knew it could not be her. She was dead. Killed by his own selfishness
and stupidity. Killed by his desire for revenge. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. How
many times over the years had he cursed himself for his lack of
foresight? For his impulsive nature? He’d lost count. Evelyn was dead,
and he was a bear during the day and a man after sunset.
He sighed. The loud sound resembled a
growl and seemed to echo in the woods around him. Oblivious to his presence,
the humans laughed and squealed, clearly enjoying themselves. Simon picked up
his speed. Their scents wrapped around him as he got closer. Delicious. Enticing.
Crashing through the thicket, he stopped, seeing them for the first time.
Quickly, he hid, certain that if they saw him, they’d flee.
There were two women laughing and
running about near the stream. How they could even move was beyond him for they
wore long dresses tapered at their tiny waists and flowing full of ruffles to
their ankles. They wore no hats, the offending garments discarded near a tree.
He cocked his head, amused at the spectacle. Clearly, these were women enjoying
themselves regardless of societal dictatorship. Their cheeks were glowing pink
and healthy and water dripped from their hair.
The youngest girl looked to be 15 or
16. She had long black hair and a mischievous attitude that reminded him
of a playful cat. He focused his gaze on the other woman. His breath whooshed
out of his lungs. She was beautiful. Strawberry blonde hair trailed down her
back and freckles dusted her arms. She laughed as the younger woman splashed
water on her. Simon’s heart constricted. That laughter. The woman looked
nothing like his deceased Evelyn, but she had her laughter. It was a sound full
of unabashed spirit. Unable to stop himself he moved a little closer. He craved
to hear her speak. How much time had passed since he’d spoken to another human
being? How much time had passed since he’d been with a woman? The redhead was
deliciously curvy and her wet summer dress did little to hide the fact. He
closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. Lust like he had not experienced in
ages awakened inside of him and a bear-like sound burst from his lips.
Damn.
He stopped in his tracks and glanced
at the women. They were no longer smiling. The smell of fear reached him. They
hadn’t seen him yet or they would have run. He knew that. He’d lived it before.
People always panicked at the sight of a bear. Besides, it was unlikely the
women were alone. He scrambled backwards, eager to get away. There had to be
others with them. Others that would hunt him and try to kill him. Strangely,
the idea of dying at the hands of others did not appeal to him. At least not
today.
“Wait.”
Thank you for having me, Doris! And thank you Readers for
always being there. *hugs all around*
Thanks for coming and answering all my nosy questions!
Author Bio:
Defined as weird since she was about eight, Elyzabeth honors the title by making up songs about her chores, doodling stars and flowers on any blank sheet of paper and talking to her dog whenever he feigns interest.
Losing the battle to the voices in her head is her favorite pastime after annoying her younger sister with her singing. Writing stories full of passion and emotion where love conquers all is her happy pill and she'll forgo sleep to make her readers live the dream.
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