They’re on the ‘Books’ page as well, but here for your viewing pleasure — October releases!

My heroines have always tended to be strong. I wrote one who was naïve and it just didn’t work for me. Violet, my heroine, is the first one I’ve written who is unapologetically experienced. I loved creating a character who could be both powerful and seductive. She started as a minor character in an earlier (unpublished) book and just fascinated me. It took me a long time to decide what kind of man would be perfect for her. I finally decided that she needed a man who could accept her and love her no matter what – although it takes time for her to come to believe it.

2) Can you tell us something about your sale to Avon?

It really was a dream come true. It taught me that perseverance really does pay off. I’ve always loved Avon Romances and from the time I started seriously writing it was one of my goals. I just never thought it would be my first book.

How could any romance writer not want to be grouped with great authors at Avon?

3) If you were to recommend one romance novel to someone new to the genre, which book would it be?

I’ve never been able to only choose one. I had a cousin who asked for a recommendation a few years ago and I gave her Julia Quinn’s “The Duke and I,” Gaelen Foley’s “The Duke,” Mary Balogh’s “Simply Dangerous,” JR Ward’s “Dark Lover,” and Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s “Match Me if You Can.”

My list might be slightly different if I put it together now – but maybe not. These are all on my read and reread shelf.

The hardest part for me was choosing from among the historicals. I love so many that it was an impossible choice. I love reading and am a horrible critic. I like almost everything.

4) What’s the one piece of advice you would give to aspiring writers?

Keep at it. While there are a few amazingly talented writers who sell their first books, most of us work at it for years and think about giving up many times.

My other piece of advice would be – FINISH THE BOOK. Until you’ve finished a book don’t worry about perfecting it. I’ve known a bunch of writers who have perfect first chapters and can’t seem to get further. The best way to be a writer is to just do it.

5) And just for fun, what’s your favorite drink of all time (alcoholic or non)? And how much of it do you consume while writing your delicious stories?

I love citrus – lemon, grapefruit, and lime. I can be happy with a big cold glass of lemonade or delirious with a good mojito. I just like something that gives me a good pucker.

When I am writing I tend to stick to coffee and water. I get sleepy very quickly if I try anything harder. I love the image of sitting down with a good glass of wine and writing my heart out, but in truth my head would end up on the keyboard – and key imprints take hours to fade from your cheeks.

KS: Some Like it Wild has a highwayman hero — certainly a favorite amongst romance readers. What do you think is the appeal of the highwayman?
 
TM: I think almost any outlaw has his romantic appeal, whether he be pirate, highwayman or western outlaw.  First of all, he can kidnap you and carry you away without risking a restraining order. And who doesn’t want to be the woman whose steadfast love coaxes him into her arms and away from a life of crime? 
 
KS: I know you’re a Buffy fan. Have any shows filled the void since BtVS went off air?
 
TM: I adore LOST so I guess I’d have to say that Sawyer has filled the snarky, vulnerable, anti-hero hole in my heart left by Spike.  One has a British accent and one a Southern drawl, but they’re both blond and irresistible! My other favorites at the moment are probably LOST and 24. I also just discovered VERONICA MARS on DVD and will have to say it’s probably the closest to Buffy in tone and my affections. Oh, and I’m in love with almost all of the guys on STARGATE: ATLANTIS!  
 
KS: Your books always have plenty of humor in them. Do you consider yourself a funny person?
 
TM: Humor was always a defense mechanism in our family so…yes.  
 
KS: So, your mind is sent back in time and put in the body of a 14 year old you. Knowing what you know now, who will it be: Donny or David? Puppy Love or a Partridge?
 
TM: Sigh, I still love me my SOUND MAGAZINE album by the Partridge Family and think David Cassidy was actually a pretty amazing vocal talent but Donny was my first love so and has turned out to be a wonderful human being and family man so I’d still have to stick with my Donny.
 
 KS: Russell Crowe called and wants to read one of your books. Which one would you volunteer to read aloud to him?
 
TM: Definitely YOURS UNTIL DAWN! I finished the book right before seeing MASTER AND COMMANDER and that’s when I realized Russell would have made an amazing Gabriel and developed the first stages of RCO (Russell Crowe Obsession).

And now, it’s my turn to interrogate the victim…er, guest.  I’ve asked sexy Scottish vamp Connor Buchanan to stop by and zap Sophie Jordan with some vampire mind control.  There he goes!  Sophie is looking lovely, but dazed and completely motionless in her comfy chair. She is totally under our control.  Back off, Connor! No biting!  Now, Sophie dear, you will answer these five questions…

1) What is your favorite color?

Now, don’t give me that look. I have often heard you refer to your historical romances by color, calling SURRENDER TO ME the purple book and ONE NIGHT WITH YOU the green book, and so forth. All your books have had beautiful covers. Which one was your favorite?  And what color is your new release, SINS OF A WICKED DUKE? (Bwahahaha! That was more than one question. But you are under my control, and there is nothing you can do about it.)

Hmm, okay, let’s see … It’s funny, but I do think of my historical romances by color. And thank you, Connor – I have been blessed with the greatest covers!

There’s my first cover, the white one. Then the red one. Then the green one (probably my favorite because I like green so much). Then the purple one, and now, again, a red one, SINS OF A WICKED DUKE, my newest release. Granted, the red cover for SINS OF A WICKED DUKE is a different shade of red than the red cover of TOO WICKED TO TAME, so in my mind it’s not the same red at all, and it’s definitely my husband’s favorite cover, but that might have something to do with the heroine on the cover that looks like she’s have a grand ol’ time all by herself under that sheet!

2) Your Sophie Jordan books are set in England and Scotland. Have you done any research trips there?

The last time I was in England, I was a teenager, so I haven’t done any official research trips since I became a career writer … but even then, London and those castles served as fodder for my imagination. Now, if you would like to accompany me to your homeland, Connor …

3) You write lush, sensual historical romances as Sophie Jordan and dark, suspenseful paranormal thrillers as Sharie Kohler.  Is it difficult switching from one to the other?  Do you have a different writing process for the two different subgenres?  Do you sometimes forget which name is your real one?

I don’t have a hard time switching. By the time I’ve completed one manuscript, I’m ready to jump into something different. Going back and forth works out well and keeps me fresh.

I work on one novel straight through at a time. If I have an idea for a book in the “other” genre, I just jot down some notes, then keep going on the book with the looming deadline. Yes, a revision letter or copyedits may come in for a book in one genre while I’m working on a book in the other. Then, I have no choice but to stop and get those revisions/edits done, then dive back into the WIP.

As for the names, I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to responding to both. Makes life interesting.

4) Are your historicals and paranormals related to each other? Is there an order they should be read in?

Given that my paranormals are contemporary, they don’t relate to my historical romances … well, they relate in degree of “emotion” and “heat”. Both are pretty sexy, and I find that the steam factor registers pretty equally across both genres for me. My paranormals are part of a series though, so I recommend reading those in order of publication.

5) Dukes, earls, ladies, hunters, werewolves—are there any other people or creatures you would like to write about?

Well, I’m introducing witches into my paranormals. Don’t you know they started the whole werewolf curse?

And I’m interested in dragons … so who knows where that will lead. Basically, I’m game for anything. Who knows what the future holds?

6) Which authors do you like to read?  What great books have you read lately? What is the velocity of an airborne swallow transporting a coconut?  (Bwahahaha!)

Oh, you are evil! I’ll tackle the first question:

Aside of Kerrelyn Sparks and other great paranormal authors like Lara Adrian, I read across all genres, but especially young adult. I enjoyed TWILIGHT and loved, loved, loved THE HUNGER GAMES. I’m enjoying Lisa McMann’s FADE right now – already having devoured WAKE, book one of her series. As for contemporary romance, my new favorite is Kristan Higgins. Her books are wonderful. See, if I’m not careful I can get lost in reading instead of writing … yes, I can be bad, too, Connor!

7) Your new book SINS OF A WICKED DUKE is selling like crazy, so it’s time to celebrate!  What kind of restaurant do you want to go to?  French, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Mexican, or something else? And can I come, too?

Yay! Well, I am a Texas girl, so maybe we should find a Tex-Mex joint. I’m up for some margaritas. But I do have this garlic around my neck — which didn’t do a lot of good here against you, my you’re sitting awful close! — so maybe Italian food. We can crush the garlic into the dipping sauce for our bread.

Thank you, Sophie!  Soon, Connor will release you from his vampire mind control.  You will have no memory of this interrogation, especially the part where we made you to do the chicken dance.

Whew! Thank you, Kerrelyn … and er, Connor.

Happy release week everyone! I braved a visit with Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author of the Love At Stake series. Given the company she keeps, I came prepared with a garlic necklace. Sit back, relax … just don’t sit downwind.

                   
1) Hi, Kerrelyn! SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE is your sixth book in the Love at Stake series. Each book in your series has a wonderful twist! What’s the “twist” in this one?

This one has a character twist with the hero. Giacomo (Jack) is the illegitimate son of Casanova, so everyone assumes he’s a legendary lover like his father. As a young mortal man, Jack has the misfortune of running into three vampire women. When they find out he’s a Casanova, they capture and transform him so they can keep him forever as their love slave.  You can imagine their disappointment when they discover he’s a virgin! And being transformed against his will and held prisoner in a dungeon certainly didn’t put him in an amorous mood.  So they toss him out, and Jack is left with one of his secrets– self-doubt when it comes to his sexual prowess. Fortunately, he’ll get over that when he meets the right woman!

There’s also a plot twist involving a strange vampire cult, but I can’t reveal more than that. You’ll just have to read the book!
 
2) What do you think is so sexy about vampires?

They’re the ultimate bad boys. They do all the things your mother told you not to do: they sleep all day, party all night, and play with their food. The vamp hero is the loner, the outcast, the sexy guy who’s misunderstood but needs to be loved. And they make wonderful husbands!  They never expect you to cook, they never snore, and they can last all night long.
 
3) Any chance you might introduce a hero or heroine that is not a vampire or human … hmmm, say another paranormal entity?

Your wish is my command! FORBIDDEN NIGHTS WITH A VAMPIRE, which releases April 28th, features my first werewolf hero!  Phil is an Alpha wolf who falls for a vampire woman named Vanda. When Vanda is ordered by her coven to undergo anger management therapy, Phil becomes her sponsor.  Who’s better equipped than Phil to teach her how to tame the inner beast? And boy howdy, is Phil equipped….
 
4) Can you entice readers by telling us what are you working on now?

I just finished making two book trailers. You can find SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pylgO86GXPA. The video for FORBIDDEN NIGHTS WITH A VAMPIRE will release March 13^th.  And I’m working on book 8 of the Love at Stake series, this one starring one of those sexy Scottish vamps, Robby MacKay.
 
5) What favorite “guilty-pleasure-munchy” do you enjoy while you write?

Unfortunately, I have a long list of guilty-pleasure munchies, and it shows.  My favorites are nuts (mostly cashews and almonds), cheese, fruit, and chocolate.

(Look for part II of this interview tomorrow, when Kerry turns the tables on Sophie!)

To see the covers for next month’s books, or to see what you might have missed last  month, click here, or click the Our Books link at the top of the page.

And the first book they’re discussing is HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT by Avon Romance author Jenna Petersen, on sale Tuesday March 31st! Discussion starts on Tuesday, but you can always pop by before that and check it out.

Avon Reading Group

Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

Historical Romance
Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
In Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath
Where the Heart Leads by Stephanie Laurens

Paranormal Romance
The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks

Regency Historical Romance
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
The Edge of Desire by Stephanie Laurens
Three Nights of Sin by Anne Mallory

Romance Novella
“Only You” by Jacquie D’Alessandro in It Happened One Night
“The Fall of Rogue Gerard” by Stephanie Laurens in It Happened One Night

Best of luck to you all, ladies!