Guest Author Day with Elle Laudan/Contest Announcement

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Welcome Author Elle Laudan today at Dawn's Reading Nook Blog. Today one lucky commenter will win a e-copy of She Rides from Elle. :) Leave your email address in with your comment in order to contact you if you win.

Can you tell us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have always wanted to do?

I grew up in a very strict household where television, music and books were strictly monitored. Around 10 yrs old I began writing short stories. It became my escape, where I could be anyone, go anywhere and do all those things I only dreamed of.

I went back to school in my twenties to earn my highschool diploma. (I was having way too much fun the 1^st time around)

My English teacher Jim, is the first person to tell me I had a gift for the written word. Looking back, I see that he is the one to plant the first seed. The rest…is history in the making J

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?

One of the key elements to a great story would be creating characters the reader can identify with at some level. Also, to give cause for my readers to experience some kind of emotion, through laughter, anger, or tears.

Could you tell us a little about how you develop your characters? Who has been your favorite character to write? The most challenging?

For me, it all starts with the setting. Once I have a place in mind, my characters evolve. Their ethnic background usually determines their names and appearance. My characters take shape throughout the book. Rarely do I know everything about them before my story begins.

My favorite character?

Shane from my Iron Horse Rider Trilogy. It was fun, and challenging writing a book from a man’s POV.

The most challenging?

Missy from my first Elle Laudan title, She Rides. It is my first erotic tale, so to have a character so explicit sexually was challenging.

Have you ever found that you didn’t like your Hero or your Heroine? If so, what did you do to change that?

I hate the villain, Ben from In Your Eyes. He gets my blood boiling like no other, but it works for the story. So he was left alone and has since angered more than one reader lol Isn’t that what bad guys should do?

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent/upcoming release?

My 2^nd Elle Laudan title, Mystified is slated for release on June 11^th at Passion In Print. It is an erotic suspense, with a twist… time travel. In this story I feature the band, Colt Harley as my hero, Tokoda’s band. Also, $1 from each book sold will be donated to Mark’s Run for A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)

What do you do to unwind and relax?  

I read. After all I was an avid reader long before I published my first book. Since my journey as an author began, my reading time is less and less. I now reward myself, at the end of each book, the down time to read one or two books.

Is there a genre you haven’t done that you would like to explore in the future?

Horror. I’ve always wanted to write a good psychological thriller. Once my nest is empty I will give it a try. I think, in order to write a great horror, one must set the tone and approach from a dark place. I’d rather do so with no witnesses.  *wink 

Tell us about your favorite restaurant. 

The Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It slowly rotates while you’re seated next to a window at one of the Great Wonders of the World.

Do you listen to music when writing? Do you feel like some stories write themselves a soundtrack with specific music? If so, what book and what kind of music influenced it?

I write my best in a quiet house. I might play some of my favorites while editing, but as a rule, silence is what it takes.

Does your significant other read your stuff?

At the moment, my significant other is an 8 lb diva dog named, Chachi. She doesn’t read much.

Plotter or Pantser? Why?

I started out as a total Pantser. Now I am a bit of both. I will write a brief outline, only because I must finish within a certain length of time. More often than not, my story will conclude very differently than first intended.

What is your favorite meal?

All of them LOL

I’ve always loved a good roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes and corn. Those little dinner rolls with butter on the side. Yummy….now I’m hungry.

What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

As I said earlier I have just begun my journey on the erotic side of things. Yes, I find it very difficult. It’s hard to let your inhibitions go. Especially, after keeping such tight reign of them for so many years.

What do you have coming up next for you? Care to share any details with us?

At this moment I’ve been invited to write a short erotic story. I must adhere to specific guidelines in relation to the setting, and it must happen over a 24 hour period of time. I had a hell of a time getting it started, but just the past couple of days I’ve started writing in earnest.

I have yet to begin edits on an Adelle Laudan title, Heart of Steele, and a Middle Grade Mystery. Both titles are contracted with MuseItUp.

Who are some of your favorite authors, and if we were to visit your home, what books would we find on your bookshelf, end table, floor or e-reader?

On my bookshelf, in my bedroom, you will find an interesting mixture. Danielle Steel, Mauve Binchy,  Jean M Aule, John Saul, John Grisham, Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks…

I have yet to make the transition to an e-reader. I’ve been watching them evolve quite a bit over a short period of time. I guess I’m waiting for all the kinks to be worked out.

If you could be any character of any book or movie, who would you be?

Cher, from the movie, Mask. I’d so love to be on the back of a younger Sammy Elliot’s motorcycle.

Where can readers find you on the web?

My Website: http://adellelaudan.com

Adelle Laudan Blog: http://adellelaudan.blogspot.com

Elle Laudan Blog: Rated R: http://ellelaudan.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/AdelleLaudan

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/AdelleLaudan

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AdelleLaudan

Mystified by Elle Laudan

Coming June 11^th to Passion In Print

Blurb:

Legends come to life on Spirit Island, tossing a pair of rekindled lovers back in time. Tokoda comes face to face with the barbaric Sioux tribe, while Tara suffers a case of mistaken identity in the village of her Ojibwa ancestors. Tokoda vows to find Nara and bring her home safely. That is, if there is even a way for them to get back home at all.

Excerpt:

Balanced upright in the canoe, Nara gave the shoreline a cursory glance before pulling her deerskin shift over her head.  She closed her eyes, celebrating the freedom this secluded spot on Spirit Island gave her.

In the beginning, the Creator made Spirit Island, in order to have a place to call home. He took the cleanest air, and the freshest water, along with, all the plants, medicine and food he’d ever need. Even today, many came to the sacred Island to speak to the Great Spirit.

The hopes and dreams of her ancestors carried in the breeze that prickled her bare skin. A sense of well-being filled her heart and there was no doubt, the Great Spirit still made Mnido-Maniss his home.

Nara dove into the cool water, reveling in the sensation against her body as she came up for air. She stretched out on her back, and stared up at the twinkling stars. What story did they tell as they danced to the rhythm of their own music?

The rattle of shaking branches caused her breath to hitch and she slipped under the blanket of water to hide her nakedness. Someone crouched in the bushes, the whites of his or hers eyes illuminated by the moonlight. Nara swam to the side of the canoe and struggled to slow her breathing as quietly as possible. Cautiously, she peeked over the canoe’s rim and searched the shoreline.

I saw someone, I know I did. Where did they go? Has someone been watching me all along?

The mere thought of a stranger seeing her naked repulsed her. Movement caught her attention and she froze.

Between her and the shore, the water swirled. Nara’s jaw dropped as a ghostly apparition rose up from the mist. Without knowing how, she knew it to be the Underwater Princess of stories told so many times around the campfire.

The beautiful native princess turned her head to face the bushes, her blue black hair settled in layers around her shoulders. With a flick of her wrist, a gust of wind came out of nowhere, whipping the prickly rose bushes into a frenzy.

Suddenly, a man’s pain-filled cry resounded across the river and a figure shot up from behind the bushes and tore off into the darkness of the forest. As quickly as the wind rose up, it calmed. The princess smiled satisfactorily in her direction before fading into the night, leaving behind fireflies of which flew upwards until one couldn’t tell them from the stars.

Nara reached in the canoe for her deerskin shift and pulled it down over her damp hair. Without a sound, she slipped back on board and gazed out on the calm, glass-like water. Since the day her father taught her to guide a canoe, this had been her special place. Never before did the Underwater Princess appear.

Many times it felt as if someone else shared this space with her, but she always thought it to be the Great Spirit. Perhaps it was, or perhaps more than one spirit shared this special place with her. Nara shivered and dipped her paddle in the water. The birch bark canoe her father built sliced through the water effortlessly.

Guest Author Day with Anna James/Contest

 CONTEST: Comment either here on on my book review for Guilty as Charged post to be entered to win one of Anna's books. Contest ends Friday at Midnight (EST).

I’m Anna James, author of contemporary romance stories and I invite you come with me and get lost in a world filled with passion, drama and romance.

I have three books currently available. Here is a little taste of my most recent release, Coming Home, to whet your appetite:

Blurb:

Two years ago, Christine Kincaid found her sister, Andrea, in the arms of her fiancé, James Buchanan. This after Andrea confessed to having an affair with James and being pregnant with his child. Distraught and wanting to escape the pain of James’s betrayal, Christine fled her home, just outside of Washington D.C., to London, England, her birthplace.

As startling details of her parents’ tragic romance come to light, Christine now suspects she was deceived by Andrea and is determined to return home and win James back. Only James seems to hate her now. She’d known that it wouldn’t be easy. She’d hurt him deeply by leaving. But she believed that somehow he’d forgive her and they would finally be together. Why did he have such a bad opinion of her? And what was she going to do to make him see that he was wrong?

James Buchanan was devastated when his fiancée deserted him. He had thought they would be together forever. But he’d been wrong. Christine didn’t care about him. She didn’t care about anyone but herself. If she had, she’d never have left him to pursue her career. But what really bothered him was how he’d been so wrong about her. Christine had been sweet and loving to him, but the way she treated her sister was just awful. Andrea, who was alone and pregnant, had needed Christine’s love, understanding and support.  All Christine could do was condemn her for her mistakes and leave her to fend for herself.  How could he have ever loved someone who could treat her own sister that way? And what was he going to do now that she was back?

Excerpt:

Prologue

The night security man greeted her warmly as Christine entered the building. She felt a pang of regret for not even acknowledging the man as she rushed past him on her way toward the row of elevators located at the far end of the lobby. She stabbed the call button and waited anxiously for the elevator to arrive. I need to speak to James now. I need him to reassure me that things Andrea said today are not true. James loves you, she told herself fiercely. Andrea is lying. She has to be.

All right, so things aren’t that great between us right now, she acknowledged ruefully. They haven’t been for a while. Not since they’d had that horrible argument after his trip to California. There was so much tension between them when they were together and James was so distant, downright cold at times. We haven’t made love in weeks, her mind tormented further. It doesn’t mean he’s in love with Andrea, she denied furiously.

The elevator arrived and she stepped in. As it moved upward her mind drifted back to the conversation she’d had with Andrea, her sister, earlier that day. ‘He loves me now’, she’d said. ‘You had your chance but you were too focused on your career... James is a fabulous lover. He made passionate love to me when we were at that conference in California, he couldn’t help himself,’ she had delighted in saying. James is the father of my baby.

No! Her mind screamed again in denial. Until you hear it straight from James you can’t believe anything she says. You know she would do anything to split us up.

The elevator car stopped and the doors opened on the top floor. Christine took a deep breath and stepped out. James’s office was just down the hall to the left.

She could hear muffled sounds coming from his office as she approached and paused just before she reached the door. Who was in there with him at this time of night?  It was late; well after ten o’clock.

“It’s okay, Andrea. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay,” he said.

Christine stepped into the open doorway and froze in horror. Andrea was in James’s arms, sobbing. He was holding her—so close—she acknowledged painfully as tears welled in her eyes.

“I am not going to let you go through this alone. I’ll be there for you every step of the way. You can count on me, Andrea. I promise.”

“What about Christine?” Andrea cried.

“I will deal with Christine,” James said with chilling finality, and then lifted Andrea’s head from where it rested on his chest and gave her a gentle kiss. “I promise, Andrea. I will be there for you. I won’t let you down.”

Christine gasped. James looked up. Their eyes collided and Christine knew the truth. She turned and ran as if all the demons of hell were chasing her.

Coming Home is now available from Melange-Books. Stop by and pick up your copy today!

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/annajames/jamescominghome.html

Other Anna James books:

Guilty As Charged

Book 1 Bradford Sisters Trilogy

Blurb:

Passion ignites between Nicole Bradford and Max Paradis the second they lay eyes on each other. Nicole seems to be everything that Max is looking for in a woman. She’s sweet and loving and incredibly sexy. But looks can be deceiving. Hadn’t he learned that the hard way?

Nicole is crazy for Max. He is sensitive, caring, and his kisses are to die for. But when secrets from her past are revealed will she be found innocent, or is she guilty as charged?

Guilty As Charged is available from Sugar and Spice Press. Stop by and pick up your copy today!

http://www.sugarnspicepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=123

 

 Isabella’s Dilemma

Blurb:

Isabella Sheridan has a big problem and his name is Jake McAllister! Jake is now Isabella’s business partner. To make matters worse he owns more of the Sheridan Advertising Agency than she does. He is difficult to work with, has a hostile attitude toward her and makes business decisions without consulting her. So why does she respond with so much passion when he kisses her?

Jake McAllister does not like Isabella Sheridan. As far as he’s concerned she’s shallow and without moral values, both in her personal and professional life. So why is he so attracted to her? You’d think he’d know better based on past experience. And why, after just one passionate kiss, is he ready to give her the benefit of the doubt and become involved.

Will Jake and Isabella resolve their differences and find love or will past perceptions be too much to overcome?

Isabella’s Dilemma is available from Sugar and Spice Press. Stop by and pick up your copy today.

http://www.sugarnspicepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=81

Coming Soon:

To Love and Trust Again                          Melange-Books         Available January 2012

Happy Reading,

Anna James

Visit me at: http://annajames1.wordpress.com/
Visit me at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001402819536

Guest Author Day with Xavier Axelson/Ex

Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?

I’m Xavier, some guy who has managed to carve a crazy career in the adult industry that has lasted over 15 years.  I have worked as a female phone sex operator, dungeon master, porn star talent agent, and as the assistant to an infamous Hollywood Madame.  Now I write a sex advice column on Examiner.com, work for a leader in sexual technology as a product educator and write for m/m erotica for Silver Publishing.  It’s a long way from the cornfields in Connecticut…

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

I was a voracious reader as a child…I am told I pulled books through the bars on my crib!  I would simply die if I couldn’t read.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

My latest book is called “A Valentine for Evrain” and I was inspired to write it truly because I am reading The Mists of Avalon and LOVE Arthurian legend and wanted to write something where my main character had an Arthurian style name, hence the name Evrain.

Did your book require a lot of research? How long does it take to write a book for you?

Can I be honest?  I did no research…I actually wrote the entire thing in one sitting, well that’s a lie, I did do a little research into Arthurian names.

If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?

What do you mean?  Vices HAVE repercussions?  I’m screwed…

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

Anne Boleyn because she was the ultimate rule-breaker; she loved and lived how she wanted and challenged not only people but government and religion. 

What so you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

I think the future IS e-publishing, sadly, as I am a HUGE book lover, but for environmental reasons I see the necessary transition and am slowly but surely coming around to it.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

I love all the men I have written since I have started writing Romance/Erotica. They are like friends that are lined up outside my house waiting to come in.  I am always surprised when they arrive and always sad when they leave.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/it/him when she/it.he refuses to inspire you?

My muse is temperamental…so we are well suited.  She is NOT however above confronting me when I am being wishy washy with the writing.   She just says, “write or don’t write…but don’t fuck with me.”

Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects

I have completed 2 novels.  One is a psychological horror piece called “The Succumbing” and the other is called “The Elementals” which is a Gay-Horror-Romance.  I am also working on a “men in uniform” short story and also trying to figure out where to submit this cowboy short story I have begging for attention.

Have you ever experience weird cravings while you write? If so, what kind? 

I have cravings ALL the time…writing or not, I am a compulsive craver

For Fun, pick three to five questions to answer:

Which do you prefer:

Irish or Italian accent in a man?  Irish

Dark eyes or Light eyes?  Dark

Sleeping bag or Bed?  Bed

Dinner or Movie for a first date?  Dinner

Coffee or Tea?  Tea

If you got three wishes from a genie, what would they be? (They can be silly, serious or in between).

1.      World Peace

2.      Money without consequence

3.     More wishes

If you could spend a day with one actor/actress, who would it be and what would you do together?

Sharon Stone and we’d probably shop for ice picks.

What is on your bucket list to do before you pass from this earthly plain?

To go to Sweden and write a bestseller…short list…

 Sneak Peek Excerpt into A Valentine For Evrain

Silver Publishing
Coming in the Never Say Never Anthology

 There was this assistant principal: sweet-lipped, early thirties, whose unconscious habit of wearing tight pants caught not only the interest of the town’s conservative population but mine as well, both for entirely different reasons. But I knew I'd bend him and, boy did I. He came in searching for something one night after school. He looked wild-eyed, caged; I know what a man wants when he looks that way. He said he was originally from the city, his eyes shifting hungrily, as if consuming the exotic spread of the store. I watched him inhale the sweet caramel smell of chocolate, cinnamon, lavender, and me. He did not know he wanted it, didn't know what it was that made his hands grip the counter, but I knew.

"I'm heading over to see this girl." His eyes scanned the counter top, the various chocolates underneath teasing him. "I thought she'd like something, thought it'd be gentlemanly."

I remember nodding, thinking, yeah, yeah I have heard it before, drop and give me 20. Instead I just smiled, cut two slices of dark-chocolate ginger bark and handed one to him. Ginger makes one think hard about heat, lust, fucking. I ate my piece and watched for his reaction. We both started to sweat. I wiped the back of my neck, and he grabbed a napkin from a stack on the counter and swiped it across his forehead. There is nothing hotter than watching a man submit to the unknown. I have heard that the thrill of skydiving is not so much in the jump, but in the fall.

"You ever skydive?" I asked him, as he began pacing my tiny sugar-infused domain. He didn't answer just kept sucking on the bark, his teeth gnawing at the confection as if it held the answer to the question I had just asked; the tight khakis revealed his erection. I could see the confusion in his face. He didn't know why he was hard. He looked down, betrayed by his body’s reaction. He knew I was staring and turned away; this only gave me a better view of what I wanted most. His ass was round, full, sensual for a man's body. I knew he’d never had anyone do anything to it. I spit a piece of ginger into the trash, reached down, and felt my own stiffening monster. I knew I'd fuck him the minute I laid eyes on him months before. He could pretend, pace, sweat—it was all gonna come down to one fateful moment: one push over the edge, falling, spiraling downward into a delicious oblivion. He would move back to the city, of course. He would learn he could not get what he really wanted from this place. I remember laughing at that moment, and his angry reaction.

"You think it's funny?" He spat, the ginger was working. "You think I like working in this shit hole. Small towns, small-minded backwards…"

"Hey there, this is my home you're talking about," I arched an eyebrow and reached for another piece of the bittersweet, dark-chocolate, ginger bark, "small minds, and all."

Meet Author Jennifer Linforth

Face it; there are a lot of women out there who want to get into Mr. Darcy's pants. There are a few authors out there who have dared to do it. I personally wanted to crawl into the lap of a black-masked Phantom in a certain French opera house and ask him why everyone thinks his mask is white and he has six pack abs...

Crawling into the heads of our characters is challenging enough. Expanding classic literature and diving in the heads of characters not originally ours is a whole other ball game. I have the richly rewarding experience of being contracted to expand Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera in a three book series. (Madrigal, Abendlied and Elegy which is forthcoming).

Many readers are curious as to what this involves and many more want to know why there are such broad interpretations on their favorite characters. Whatever happened to the original author's vision? If you are continuing classic literature, shouldn't your hero or heroine be as they were in original? Fans of Pride and Prejudice or Phantom of the Opera are passionate about the characters in their fandom. My reply is that one must understand the changing shape of canon and works in the public domain. Canon: from the Latin canon or "rule" is a standard of judgment based upon a determined body of text, like the Bible. Works in the public domain are copyright free-allowing an author the ability to shape a story, or character, to their imagination. We have Mr. Darcy as a vampire and zombie out there now, and love affairs between male leads.... the sky is the limit!

Personally, I side with those fans that prefer their characters to remain true to the original book. I adhere to Gaston Leroux's vision with slight changes to suit the limits of  my imagination. Partly due to the requests of my publishing house but, for me, I wanted to stick to Leroux because I appreciate what he did with the characters to begin with. I have seen Erik (for those of you unaware, that was the Phantom's name as given by Leroux) in various progeny with killer abs, green eyes, thick hair, only half his face deformed and a sex drive that doesn't end.  Quite different from the monster Leroux created.  Erik was described as a "living corpse"; a murderously vengeful madman at the center of a Death and the Maiden story, who Leroux wrote, "would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar."

I started questioning this shift in canon and began wondering what reader expectation would be when this series launched, very early on.  A few agents told me a continuation of Leroux's novel may be hard to sell. Why? So many identify with the wildly popular vision of Andrew Lloyd Webber and may not know the roots of the original story. Webbed did an excellent job of introducing his idea of the character and his idea of the canon for the story.

  So what do you do when you come across a book that expands your beloved favorite novel? I suppose a reader must have an open mind and the authors must understand that their vision may not be that of everyone else's and opinions will vary. Rejoice in them! So long as the author writes a solid, believable story readers will embrace it-good or bad-thus  allowing those classic characters to live on .

MADRIGAL blurb:

Years earlier Erik faked his death and vowed the Phantom would never again haunt the Opera Garnier. But strange packages left by Anna, an unwanted Samaritan turned unlikely friend, cause him to desire the unattainable-love. Battling the nobleman determined to lock him away, Erik must control his demons and tame a heart unexpectedly beating for two opposite women: Christine, who he longs to love, and Anna the woman who saw beyond his bitter soul to the man beneath the mask. In the midst of a brutal manhunt, can he be loved for himself or is he condemned to be The Phantom of the Opera? Murderer, Maestro, Magician, Mastermind.

MADRIGAL excerpt:

Erik's blood coursed so hard the pulse pounded in his throat. He caught himself before he leaned too far out of his shadow. Caressing the velvet of the armchair, he imagined stroking her sensuous form, whispering his adoration into her ear, and proclaiming his love for her in ways he only dreamed.

Yes, I gave you it all, Christine. I would have lassoed the moon for you.

"And you gave nothing in return?" Anna said incredulously. "He loved you."

The memory of how he'd shunned Anna wrapped around his heart like a rope of thorns. The raw passion he felt for her tightened those binds until he swore his heart would puncture. He forced such passion away. He didn't want it. Not now. He clamped his teeth in an attempt to govern the thoughts tumbling drunkenly in his mind. The velvet shredded beneath his fingers.

Damn it, you little minx. Stay out of my mind.

Christine wandered the empty stage staring out across the seats. "There was nothing I could give. Least of all love."

Ridges plowed into Anna's brow. "Why?""He was horrifically deformed. He frightened me. I was put through so much horror."

"Then why did you continue with the lessons?" Anna demanded sharply. "If you knew he loved you and you couldn't give that in return, why torment him?"

"I wanted to know the music for I had never experienced anything like it. I deeply respected the Angel of Music and cared for him, but I could never truly love him. Not in the way he wanted. His affections were so powerful-they frightened me." Christine shook her head. "A woman such as you could never comprehend the situation. He was a distorted soul, a madman. I couldn't be expected to look on that with love. No one could."

No one could? That? Respected? Rejected!

Erik tensed as he shook from head to toe. His hands crushed to his mask. He cursed his ugliness. Looking at the two women, he recognized the confusion Anna had mentioned. With all his being, he tried to control his demons. His inability to do so was not his fault. Man made him this way.

 He turned his attention to the woman beside her. Erik leaned forward avoiding the urge to fold himself over the velvet railing and scream to the women below.

Anna, make her understand me

*~*

ABENDLIED Blurb

Desiring normalcy is difficult enough with a price on his head, but when Erik is falsely accused of killing Philippe de Chagny, brother of his nemesis Raoul, he is launched toward madness.

Anna is an unlikely companion, sharing Erik's heart and the bounty on his head. As the manhunt heats, Erik's mysterious relationship with Philippe spurs the campaign against them forward, and exposes her darkest secret: defending her honor ended in murder.

Plagued by his past as The Phantom of the Opera, Erik's memories enslave his heart to Raoul's wife Christine, whose shocking confession brings a ruthless bounty hunter into the fray and blackmail to the Chagny bloodline. Blackmail from a hunter who cares little about the Phantom or Philippe, and everything about the one he has lusted for: Anna.

With the past weeping like an open wound, can love endure or will it take memories of one unlikely man to heal them all?

Memories of Philippe Georges Marie, Comte de Chagny...

ABENDLIED excerpt:

He thought to lean to one side and be done with it. The exhaustion over fighting his desires for Christine, the constant tug of war with madness coupled with fearing he would destroy the one woman who made him feel alive, was unbearable punishment.

"I never believed in Your sincerity of bringing Anna to me. Shocked are we? Surprised for a brief moment I believed?" Erik rolled his head toward the side and pressed his cheek to the stone. His accusatory eyes could have shattered the pinpricks of light across the heavens. "Congratulations, Oh Merciful God, You failed again. Anna can have You and Your Son." He yanked himself upright, his body going rigid with his anger. "I am pleased Philippe is dead!"

Spittle flew from sob soaked lips. His mouth spread upward. He may be alone for now, but not forever. There was to be an heir to his kingdom, a child with his mind and his madness. Erik spoke to the shattered stone below with an unblinking stare.

"I will have my child, in all his hideous imperfections. I will need no one but him and my music. I will need only his love. As for Christine?" Erik leapt to his feet. The wind flapped his cloak behind him. He leaned into the gust and taunted the streets below like a great yellow-eyed bird ready to swoop on unsuspecting prey. "Our character becomes our destiny. Music, like life, is inexpressible silence without its instrument. Am I not its master? I hold the baton. I will conduct what I want. I will have what I want. What is Erik without Christine?" Leaping back to the roof he retrieved his mask and turned to the opera house, his boots drumming a cadence so the ferryman could dutifully follow. A haunting whisper carried his sadness forward on the wind.

"What is Erik without the Phantom?"

REVIEWS

"Ms. Linforth's prose is phenomenally beautiful and hauntingly breathtaking." ~Coffee Time Romance

"... a sumptuous feast for any fan of The Phantom of the Opera." ~ Night Owl Romance

Jennifer Linforth
author, historical fiction
MADRIGAL-A novel of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera Highland Press Publishing
ABENDLIED: A novel of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera-book two of The Madrigals October 2009
ELEGY--book three of The Madrigals forthcoming 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpU_H43_1PY
http://www.jenniferlinforth.com
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Welcome author Ben Leyb

Were you an avid reader as a child?

Definitely. Avid everything: reader, TV-watcher, baseball fan. My favorite books as a kid were the Miss Piggle-Wiggle books about kids who misbehave and get sent to stay with a funny old lady named Miss Piggle-Wiggle, who cures them by letting their bad habits run wild till they reform.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.  

My novel The Countess de Mondeau is a love story about two people who have to be together, despite all the odds. I enjoy love stories—just a romantic at heart. The book is set in Paris in the tumultuous Romantic era of the 1830s. I’ve always been fascinated by this time. Everything was up for grabs then, from the most intimate ways that women and men relate, to the largest political structures in society. One radical utopian movement predicted the coming of a female messiah, which figures into the book. It was also a time when salons flourished, and reputations were made or destroyed by a witty remark.

How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?

I’ve never been good with outlines. Any time I had to do an outline for school, I froze. I just start writing, and then edit like crazy. I had very good editors at Eirelander Publishing who also helped a lot in shaping the book.

Did your book require a lot of research?  

Tons. I read every book I could find on this historical period. I sat in on classes for fashion design students on the clothing of this time. I found an account written by an English lady who traveled to Paris in the 1830s and complained bitterly about the plumbing, though she loved the cafes and restaurants. I even studied the history of birth control in this era.

If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?  

The radical utopian group in The Countess de Mondeau says there are two types of people it comes to love, the constant nature and the mobile nature. I’m not sure which I am, but I have moments when I think I might be of the mobile nature.

What is the funniest/most embarrassing/scariest story from one of your books signings or events?  

I once took out a big manuscript of work at a reading, and before I could set aside the pages I was going to read, a member of the audience interrupted me and said, “You’re not going to read all of that, are you?” I was pretty bewildered, but managed to recover and say, “Not unless you want me to.”

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?  

Maybe Shakespeare. I’d love to see how he actually composed his plays. After Will went to bed, I’d sneak into his study and read what he’d written or edited that day.

What do you see for the future of publishing and ebooks?

I think ebooks are the way of the future, though personally I do love a beautifully printed book, and the texture of paper, especially paper with a high rag content that has the feel of linen. 

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?  

I like the lovers, Edouard and Amandine, because they care about each other, but also about the people closest to them, and about the world they live in. They are not just interested in their own lives. One of my favorite characters in the book is the Baron de Basse-Rivière, who is a jaded old aristocrat who teaches Edouard about lovemaking. He’s gay, but he ends up helping Edouard in his courtship of the Countess de Mondeau. One of my least favorite characters in the book is Auguste Lepetit, the head of the radical utopian sect. He’s a charismatic and handsome figure, but he ultimately cares more for his own power than for the beautiful ideals he claims to represent.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her when she refuses to inspire you?  

I really believe in the muse. I like to create a scene and then let the characters take over, just hear them speak and write down their words. So far I’ve been extremely lucky. My muse has never deserted me, knock on wood.

 Sneak Peek Excerpt from The Countess de Mondeau by Ben Leyb

© 2010 by Ben Leyb

            "Mademoiselle Kerlec, we are grateful for your visit."

            "Her Excellency is kind to invite us." Cecile half-dropped a curtsy.

            "We don't use those ridiculous titles here." The countess waved her hand as if to banish such nonsense from her presence. "Call me Amandine. And have one of these delicious tartes aux fruits that my cook made. No, have two." She stopped the heavy-set, blonde serving-woman who was passing around a silver tray and Cecile selected a tiny apricot dessert in a circle of scalloped paper.

            Edouard couldn't help but notice that the countess had her blue dress cut low all around, exposing all of her lovely pale neck and shoulders. What looked like a mere suggestion of sleeves barely covered a portion of her thin upper arm. The dress allowed a generous decolletage to peek from her neckline. The countess is not at all deficient in that area, Edouard remarked to himself.

            "We'll start the program in a little while," Amandine said, "as soon as people have had dessert and a bit of amaretto to loosen their tongues. I love a good argument, don't you?"

            "I suppose I do," Edouard said, admiring her boldness.

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