Author Spotlight - Excerpt from Animal Instinct

Thanks so much for supporting Lynette and Tami during their week in the spotlight. Leave a comment today, Saturday, Sunday on this excerpt post and don't forget to include your email. I'll pick one lucky winner at random on Monday to receive a PDF copy of their novel, "Animal Instinct."

Enjoy the Excerpt!
Smiles
Moderator Steph

***********

Sean tried to shrug away the tension gathering in his shoulders and the back of his neck. He'd seen the clinic on his way home yesterday, and he didn't know where any other vets were located. He prayed someone would be there, and they could take his dog. The sting the poor boy got during their morning run was swelling around his eye and his breathing seemed more shallow than just a minute before. As a first responder, he knew the signs of anaphylactic shock, and he was terrified. He shifted King's weight and kept on jogging, a slower jog with the extra hundred pounds, but he didn't want to waste any time. He was close, just another half a block. "Hold on, King, I'll get you some help." He shouldered his way through the door. He barely took in the prim ladies with their lap dogs on leashes. He only had eyes for the person behind the counter who could get him some help.

"Doctor Al's office, Carol speaking. How can we help you and your pet today?"

She wasn't talking to him. She was answering the phone. He rested King, all sprawling, hairy, panting, wheezing dog, right on the counter in front of her.
His swollen eye was on her side of the counter. She couldn't miss it.

"Just a moment, I have an emergency," she said to the caller. "I'm putting you on hold."

The woman was quick and competent. She called over her shoulder, "Doctor Al, we have an emergency in Exam One." Then she turned to Sean as she opened the door to the side of the counter. "Follow me." She opened another door into an exam room, grabbing what he recognized as the new epi pen on her way through. He carefully placed King on the table in front of them. "I will get you some paperwork in a minute. Do I have permission to treat your dog?" He nodded and she put the needle against King's neck and pressed the life-saving drug into his system just as Doctor Al came into the room.

King was already breathing easier.

Sean's whole body relaxed in relief. "Thank you, thank you." He pressed the hand of the lady from the front desk; the motherly one who had acted so quickly
"You're welcome. Doctor Al will look at your dog now. Stop by here before you leave."

Doctor Al was a woman. That was the first thing that registered. She was petite, with very small but competent hands examining King's body. "Carol has given your dog a dose of an antihistamine to quiet what appears to be an allergic reaction." She flicked her gaze to him. "How long ago did this bite or sting happen?"

*****

View video Trailer at Video trailer: http://bit.ly/OJFLzrl
Download from: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-332/Time-After-Time-Book/Detail.bok
http://tamidee.blogspot.com/
www.lynetteendicott.com
http://www.tamidee.com/
https://twitter.com/LynetteEndicott
https://twitter.com/authortamidee
www.facebook.com/authorlynetteendicott
https://www.facebook.com/tami.dee.7

Author Spotlight - Tami & Lynette talk about the animal helpers in Animal Instinct

In the Time After Time Saga every hero and heroine has an animal helper. They aren't always the same book to book so I won't give away the future.

In Animal Instinct the helper to the woman of the Heartmark is Slainte' (pronounced slawn cha - and sometimes shortened to Cha Cha.) Slainte' is a Gaelic toast to health - and the real cat she was named for, which belongs to Lynette Endicott, needed all the health she could get when we rescued her.

The helper to the hero in Animal Instinct is his German shepherd K9 partner on the police force. He is named for the German Shepherd given to my family when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. Unfortunately no one knew how to train him or had the time, so the generous breeder who gave him to us took him back. Now that I am an adult dog owner I know that walking him and being consistent with his training would have given us a fabulous dog, but it was not to be.

Here are a few photos of the real life Slainte'. She is a feisty little thing who keeps the other cat and dog in line in a very intentional way. Notice her eyes are usually golden, not green. Tami Dee, the co-author on Animal Instinct, and Lynette recently discovered that both have rescued calico cats, although Tami's is much older. Their markings are very similar.

She is the only animal that Lynette's daughter's very lively beagle/bassett mix respects. She is smaller than the other cat but twice as feisty.
*****

View video Trailer at Video trailer: http://bit.ly/OJFLzrl
Download from: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-332/Time-After-Time-Book/Detail.bok
http://tamidee.blogspot.com/
www.lynetteendicott.com
http://www.tamidee.com/
https://twitter.com/LynetteEndicott
https://twitter.com/authortamidee
www.facebook.com/authorlynetteendicott
https://www.facebook.com/tami.dee.7

Author Spotlight - Lynette & Tami talk about what drew them to write the Time After Time Series together

Tami

For a couple of people who met in an on-line critique group, Tami Dee and Lynette Endicott have some odd things in common, including:

· No sons born into our immediate families - daughters only

· Both have cockatiels (a recent discovery). Lynette's showed up on my back patio one day, starving but mostly healthy.

· Both have adopted calico cats - and except for the age difference they even look a lot alike.

· Both live in the Central valley in California (which we didn't know when we "met" on line)

· Both enjoy writing romance, including some speculative elements (like time travel)

· Both have a moral aversion to paranormal elements in our books due to personal faith

· Both like our books steamy but not explicit and want the sex within the bounds of marriage

· Each has helped the other out in the writing journey

And now we can add - we are writing a series of books together! Sometimes people ask how that happened. Great question - and like many blessings in life it just...happened.

Lynette had the idea of a series of generational books, where the heroine in each faces the same enemy in her own way. It was pretty nebulous at first. And Tami is one of the people she runs ideas by.

The only one excited about the concepts at first! And as the structure of the books unfolded each contributed elements and had ideas for books, and so it became natural to write them together.

Lynette

The whole experience has been on line! While we have met, very briefly, twice, most of our connection has been email. . (One meeting was to hand off a manuscript in the days before we emailed them, and the other was at the Pleasanton Scottish games where you were doing some research. I regret now that we didn't take a photo together! On our book tour!) So each of us has taken the lead on half the books, and we have gone back and forth in email to tweak and fill out the family stories until we have something that I think is fun, exciting, interesting - and I hope the readers will, too.

People have been asking what it is like to work together on these books. It is very motivating. When one knows the other is waiting she gets to the work a little faster, and when one is stuck on a plot point she has someone to talk to about it besides my husband.

The most amazing thing about this journey is that they think so much alike!
They didn't alternate chapters, like some people assume. Each is taking the lead on three of the series of six that we've set out. The first, Animal Instinct (AI), where Lynette led and Tami contributed humor and sizzle, is out this week. They are well along in the second, Survival Instinct (SI) where Tami led and have completed the first draft.

The first book released August 21. Here are our links - and Tami also has an ap for Android or iPhone.
*****

View video Trailer at Video trailer: http://bit.ly/OJFLzrl
Download from: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-332/Time-After-Time-Book/Detail.bok
http://tamidee.blogspot.com/
www.lynetteendicott.com
http://www.tamidee.com/
https://twitter.com/LynetteEndicott
https://twitter.com/authortamidee
www.facebook.com/authorlynetteendicott
https://www.facebook.com/tami.dee.7

Author Spotlight - Tami and Lynette introduce the Time After Time Series

The Time After Time Saga is a series of six books (at least that is how many the authors can see right now) set in different time periods as they track the women of the Heartmark and their conflict with the ancient enemy of their family, who travels through time to find them. Tami and Lynette came up with the ideas in on-line brainstorming, and have written the first two entirely through email correspondence.The plan is fun and inspiring for both. Each will take the lead for half the stories. What do we mean by take the lead? Simply put, Lynette writes one book, is responsible for all the hard stuff, writing the first draft, story line, editing, formatting, etc. Once completed, she e-mails the draft to Tami and she gets to go in and play. Then Tami writes the next book and Lynette gets to play! We sincerely hope you enjoy reading this ongoing series as much as we are enjoying writing it! Here is what you have to look forward to:

Animal Instinct, August 2012 (Lynette)
Survival Instinct, April 2013 (Tami )
Pioneer Instinct, December 2013 (Lynette)
Protective Instinct, August 2014 (Tami)
Maternal Instinct, April 2015 (Lynette )
Primal Instinct, December 2015 (Tami )

*****

View video Trailer at Video trailer: http://bit.ly/OJFLzrl
Download from: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-332/Time-After-Time-Book/Detail.bok
http://tamidee.blogspot.com/
www.lynetteendicott.com
http://www.tamidee.com/
https://twitter.com/LynetteEndicott
https://twitter.com/authortamidee
www.facebook.com/authorlynetteendicott
https://www.facebook.com/tami.dee.7

Author Spolight - Q&A with Tami Dee and Lynette Endicott

STEPH: I don't know much about Animal Instinct. What's it about?

Lynette: Dr. Allison Green is one of a long line of women in her family who bear the Heartmark - a heart-shaped birthmark that draws out a time-traveling enemy to deny their happiness. She is a veterinarian whose growing love with detective Sean Barnett is threatened by this ancient enemy.

Tami: It is about two people meeting, falling in love, and while doing so having to survive not only Allison's ancestral memories, but coming to grips with the fact that she is a part of her family's amazing legend and legacy simply by bearing the Heartmark on her body. Sean and Alison must face, and conquer, a time traveling enemy who is determined to rob them of their new found love.

STEPH: Where did you find the inspiration for the story?

Lynette: I was thinking about how fun it would be to track a family's romances through time. I am the genealogist in our family, on both sides, and in the third published in this series will actually take much of the story from one of my husband's ancestors from the 1890s from Ireland to Wyoming.

Tami: Lynette e mailed me with the outline, asked if I wanted to share this adventure with her, and I jumped at the chance.

Lynette Endicott

STEPH: Did you have to do to a lot of research?

Lynette: This will be a series of six books and each one is written in a different time period, so yes, there is research. I did live in the 1970s so the time period of Animal Instinct wasn't hard, but I knew nothing about veterinarian medicine in that time.

Tami: Yes, lots.

STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story within?

Lynette: Oooo - I love our cover. Gwen Phifer did a fabulous job of capturing the mystery and sometimes pain of carrying the Heartmark. She also gives us a glimpse of the passion beneath the surface of our very modest veterinarian once she finds the man of her life.

Tami: The cover highlights the 'mood' of the story. As the story is driven by ancestral memories it gives readers a glimpse of mystery and intrigue. As both Lynette and I take the lead in three books each, our wonderful cover artist, Gwen Phiter, went above and beyond her job by coming up with a way to show which of us leads in each book without compromising the integrity of the series covers. As Lynette took the lead in Animal Instinct, her name is listed first. The next book in the series I take the lead in, and my name will be listed first and so on.

Tami Dee

STEPH: Dr. Allison Green is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weaknesses?

Lynette: She is a bright, capable doctor who cares a great deal about her patients and her community. At the same time she doesn't always see the evil in people, and that is a weakness when it comes to recognizing the enemy.

Tami: I have to agree with Lynette's assessment. Allison is warm and kind, and much too trusting. But as the story moves forward, she learns to be more cautious, without losing her internal sense of goodness.

STEPH: What does the hero, Detective Sean Barnett, find appealing about the heroine?

Lynette: She is sexy but innocent, bright but not jaded by the evil in the world, strong when she needs to be - and before the book is over she definitely needs to be strong to help him survive.

Tami: He recognizes her as an intelligent woman, sees the good within her heart, and definitely benefits from her bravery and all-consuming love for him and her single minded determination to not let anyone hurt him.

STEPH: What genre is Animal Instinct and what do you like about writing this genre?

Lynette: Romantic Fiction with some speculative elements. I have always loved the romance - and to set it against a generational saga and the classic good vs. evil in a romance context was fun. Because there are speculative elements we can play a little with how the animals help and communicate, how the enemy is thrown through time to the next situation, and how ancestral memories help the story along.

Tami: Although this is a six book series, and Animal Instinct is the first to be released, this story is by no means the first book in the series. Our series concept ~ our editor gifted us with a remarkable amount of trust by allowing us to do this ~ is a bit different than readers expect with series books. None of the books are being written, or released, in a chronological order. The stories and their release order are basically driven by Meredith, the time traveling enemy. Once she has had her chance to destroy the Heartmark women's true love, whether she succeeds or fails, she is thrust through time-- sometimes landing in the future, sometimes in the past within a span of eight hundred years or so. Each story in this series can stand alone, with the ancestral memories tying them together and giving small peeks into the other books. It will not really matter what order the books are read in, the reader will come away with a sense of completion.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, what were the last 3 books you downloaded on to it?

Lynette: I have an iPad and the last three books I've read were all DBP books - finished Janus last night (and now can't wait for the next one. Gail Delaney leaves us in great suspense.) Before that A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery which also has my mouth watering for the sequel by Kris Tualla who has a marvelous touch with the main character's capabilities, and his deafness as a characteristic not a tragedy. I am now starting Noah's Ark, a prequel to a set of stories by Vijaya Schartz. I love cats, and big cats have been featured on the covers of the other books in this series.

Tami: I have a Kindle. Last three books were My Brave Highlander by Vonda Sinclair, Everglades by Petie McCarty, and The Abduction of Julia by Karen Hawkins.

STEPH: Tell us a little about the town/state you live?

Lynette: We both live in the San Joaquin Valley in California - even though we didn't know that when we "met" in an on-line critique group. I live in Fresno, which is right in the middle of California both North to South and East to West. When the air is clear, which is unfortunately not often, you can see the Sierra mountains and we are 45 miles from the south gate of Yosemite.

Tami: I live in Stockton. Some may recall The Big Valley TV show (1965 western) which was set in Stockton. Haha, things have changed quite a bit from when Miss Barbara Stanwyck who played widowed matriarch Victoria Barkley held down her homestead. But I have to say, when I was a little girl, Stockton was mostly orchards and rural areas. It's grown a lot, and recently had the misfortune of being listed on AOL headline news as one of the ten most dangerous places in the United States to live. :/

10. Fun question: Did you watch the Olympics? If so, what did you find fun to watch?

Lynette: My daughter was a competitive swimmer through high school, and breast was her stroke, so the women's breast stroke was my favorite. Of course all the drama around the men's swimming was interesting but the quiet triumph of Rebecca Soni taking the gold in the 200 breast was my favorite moment.

Tami: Olympics? Was that on already? Guess I should get my nose out of books and check out the TV once in a while. hahah


LINKS include:
http://tamidee.blogspot.com/
www.lynetteendicott.com
http://www.tamidee.com/
https://twitter.com/LynetteEndicott
https://twitter.com/authortamidee
www.facebook.com/authorlynetteendicott
https://www.facebook.com/tami.dee.7
Buy link at Desert Breeze Publishing: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-332/Time-After-Time-Book/Detail.bok


First of the Time after Time Saga with Tami Dee
Video trailer: http://bit.ly/OJFLzrl

Featured March 2011 Release - Through a Viking Mist by Tami Dee

BLURB:

Two enemies left standing on a blood drenched battlefield. Who will take the as yet unclaimed land for their own?

Ofeig Nabboddrson, a warrior from his youth up, is determined to claim the rich land now stained with blood as his. The only thing standing in his way is a magnificent Valkyrie, a woman who he has seen only in battle and who is called ‘The Protector’.

Eva Samsdottir, an extraordinary woman who singlehandedly saves the children of her village from slavery amidst a deadly raid. Unbeknownst to her a bigger battle awaits her in a Time not her own. Will she have the courage to survive the future?


EXCERPT:
Ofeig walked Eva to her door. It was a long walk, due to a local drug dealer having set up shop in the elevator. He refrained from breathing the first few flights of stairs, but as he had the first time, by the fourth floor, he had to breathe or pass out.

Yet unlike the last time he made this trek -- what, just four or so hours ago -- he now knew why she lived in squalor.

Every penny she earned went to her schooling and to the women's shelter.

Kat would love Eva should they ever meet, he mused, for they were kindred spirits.

She peeked at him through thick lashes. "You really don't have to walk me all the way to my door." He wanted to kiss her so bad he ached.

It was clear that she was nervous, her hand shook as she fumbled with the keys. He took the heavy key chain from her and slipped the key into the first lock, the next key into the second, and lastly the third key and he turned the knob, pushing open the door.

As soon she stepped over the threshold, he gave into the temptation and kissed her.

Her response was instant and passionate.

Firm curves melted into him and had his body tighten like a bow ready to be loosed. Heat, his, hers, seeped through clothing and seared skin.

He relished the taste of her, the scent, and the feel. Of their own accord his hands caressed the slim column of her neck, inching their way into her hair, upsetting the pins holding it in place. Silken gold locks slipped through eager fingers as he gently held her head within the palms of his hands.

She sighed into his mouth and it was almost his undoing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am a member of Romance Writers of America, Desert Breeze Connections, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

My hobbies include reading, writing, going to the movies and taking weekend trips to Half Moon Bay, CA. I love reading time travel romances and writing one myself has been very enjoyable.

Paranormal Week - Author Interviews

5 QUESTIONS FOR TAMI DEE, Author of the Mists of Time Series:

QUESTION #1 - How did the Mists of Time Viking Series come to you? What was the inspiration?

TAMI: The seed was planted in a dream. The dream was of a wall mural of a Viking ship braving rough seas on the inside of a young woman’s apartment. She ends up being swept into the mural and…. Well, you get the picture.

The funny thing is, the story line of Under A Viking Moon has nothing to do with what that dream. Nether was Dawn of A Viking Sunrise, or Beyond A Viking Horizon. I am still working on book four, Through A Viking Mist, but so far, no wall murals. Lol

One of these days though, I really will write that story.

QUESTION #2 - Do you have a "favorite" book in the series?

TAMI: I have been asked that before, and each time I really, really, try and think if I like one book over the others, and I always come back to the same answer. No. Each book is special to me, I became emotionally evolved with each set of heroes and heroines and I just can’t pick a favorite. ☺

QUESTION #3 - Have you ever been to Denmark?

TAMI: No, never.

QUESTION #4 - Tell us how the Time Traveling pendants work? How did you get the inspiration for them?

TAMI: I’m not a Scientist so as I give you my logic of the ‘how’ please keep that in mind. The pendants clasp together when they are near one another, the reason would be that the materials they were made from are magnetic. The glow which comes from them is based on the principal of those glow sticks, you know, bend the stick and it will glow. As for them sweeping people through Time, well, when the magnetic and ‘glowing’ mechanisms are activated, the result is the opening of a worm hole to another Time and place.

As for the inspiration for the pendants, I had gone through several books on Viking lore and I needed a medium to accomplish Time Travel, pendants seemed a logical choice.

QUESTION #5 - What project are you currently working on?

TAMI: Right now I am working on book four in the series, Through A Viking Mist. This book ‘speaks’ to me day and night, and I really wish I did not have a ‘day job’ so I could get this story out of my head and onto my laptop! Through A Viking Mist will take readers full circle within the series, and I think that readers will be surprised, and then more surprised, by where one goes.

5 QUESTIONS FOR J. MORGAN, Author of the Love Bites Series
QUESTION #1 - What attracts you to the paranormal?
JMO: Being scared of the dark as a kid. Honestly, that's the reason. One day I just decided I wouldn't be afraid anymore. So, I walked a mile in the dark and came home and watched Salem's Lot, the old scary one. After that I devoured every horror novel I could. Mainly, the Stephen King ones. Then, I moved on to Anne Rice and that's when I fell in love with anything paranormal.

QUESTION #2 - What the inspiration for the Love Bites Series?

JMO: Good friends. My very good friend, Lynne Connolly suggested I write a short for this open submission she knew about. Then, in a different chat window, my equally good friend Savannah Chase made a comment and suddenly, I had a first line in my head. The first draft of Love at First Stake took a little over two weeks to write and came to a staggering 20,000 words. So, long story short, I subbed it, the story was rejected. Strangely enough, I loved it. I had wanted to play with it since I hit send, and now I had the chance. Another 20k or so, I thought I had the story I wanted. Then, Desert Breeze/Gail Delaney got ahold of it and said, "I see more story there." Four books later, I'd have to say she was right.

QUESTION #3 - What was the inspiration for the Southern Werewolf Chronicles series?

Duct tape, unsightly hair growth and my wife. None of those things were muse-ically connected. Let me make that perfectly clear. My wife does not have unsightly hair growth, or has ever used duct tape at any time to get rid of said growth. Seriously, I've always read werewolf books that were set either in Europe or in some other locale. I said to myself "hey, people in the South are hairy. How come no one's written a werewolf book about us?" Seemed like a no-brainer to me. From there, it just kind of flowed into Were Love Blooms. Just to set the record straight, I do have unsightly hair growth but am too wussy to use duct tape. I just live with it, and howl at the moon when the need arises.

QUESTION #4 - What's your writing space like?

JMO: Messy. I'll not elaborate any further.

QUESTION #5 - What's your favorite paranormal movie?

JMO: Shoot. Too many to name, but the one I watch the most is Shaun of the Dead. I just love funny and zombie in the same celluloid goodness.

5 QUESTIONS FOR STEPHANIE BURKHART, Author of the Budapest Moon Series
QUESTION #1: What was the first book/movie that got your interested in the paranormal?

STEPH: For the book, I would have to say Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire." I read that my senior year in high school. Growing up, "The Creature Double Features" on Saturday morning fed the inner spook of my 7-year-old self.
QUESTION #2: The Hungarian embodies the best of the Gothic Romance and Paranormal Romance. What were your influences to bring this together?

STEPH: Gothic romance has been around since the late 1790's. Elements include the spooky house/manor/castle, secrets, a possible prophecy, and "supernatural" events with natural causes. (I sound preachy, huh? Pass the Oreos, JMO.)

No one did this as well as Victoria Holt. While Anne Rice isn't a "romance" author, her supernatural creatures wage an inner war between the human psyche and dark, more feral elements – Louis from Interview with the Vampire embodies this. In "The Hungarian," Matthias deals with the struggle between his human and feral natures, all against the backdrop of dark settings, spooky houses, and events with –wink- definite supernatural origins.

QUESTION #3: Would you ever branch out to write about other things that go bump in the night and what would you pick?

STEPH: Definitely! When it comes to my vamps, I'm picky. I do write about a clan in my Moldavian Moon series, Book 1, The Wolf's Torment. In my horror writing, I usually take a page out of Kostova and draw on the historical facts surrounding Vlad Dracula. (ie, my short stories, Red Paint, Crimson Blood, and The Watch Tower.)

I love writing witches and the Moldavian Moon series is going to have a bunch of them. I wrote about a Russian Ruslka in "The Music Box," (a haunted spirit that wasn't baptized) I would like to look at more European myths and explore them.

QUESTION #4: I'm stealing this one from you. What's your writing space like?

STEPH: Would you believe it's in the spookiest corner of the house with candles and incense? –wink- Actually, it's downstairs on the dining room table with lots of light from a nearby window and plenty of noise from my boys.

QUESTION #5: What paranormal author's world would you like to step into for one day?

STEPH: Gosh, this is a toughie. Does JK Rowling count? I love her Harry Potter series. I'd also love to step in Vijaya Schartz's world in the Chronicles of Kassouk, but that's not paranormal. How about Anne Rice's "The Witching Hour" world?

I wouldn't mind visiting Forks, WA either. –wink-

Welcome to Paranormal Week!

Desert Breeze is celebrating the paranormal this month and putting the spotlight on their paranormal authors: Tami Dee, J. Morgan and Stephanie Burkhart, so sit back with a pack of Oreos, a little tokaji, or some mead (for the Vikings) and enjoy!

An Overview of Paranormal Romance
By: Stephanie Burkhart

Paranormal romance is a popular romance sub-genre and has been for several years now. Currently, there is no decline in interest for it. What exactly is it? It blends the real with fantastic (supernatural) elements, which go beyond scientific explanation. Sounds like a mouthful, huh? (JMO take those Oreos out of your mouth!) –wink-

Supernatural elements include vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, and witches.

Time travel also falls under the paranormal. (Steph & JMO suspiciously eyes Tami Dee) After all, time traveling goes beyond our current scientific ability to explain it. A time traveling romance can be tricky to reach a satisfying end since the hero and heroine are from different times, but Tami always has a trick or two up her sleeve.



Paranormal also encompasses more "human-like" abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, and anything psychic. It's a broad genre, which I think is part of the appeal.

Paranormal allows the author to build new worlds and new rules. An author must be creative when crafting their story.

Some naysayers go, "Oh, there are too many vampires stories," but vampires sell. Their appeal? How they struggle with their morality, since they are creatures with little or no rules. Werewolves appeal to a paranormal audience because readers want to see how they deal with their rage. Can a werewolf retain a certain sense of humanity? As for Tami's Vikings they're just drop dead gorgeous.

While I don't have any recent stats, in 2007, paranormal romances were 11.8 % of romance sales. That will only grow.

FEEDBACK QUESTION: What about the genre appeals to you? Do you like to read time travel? Wolves? Vampires? Witches? Who are your favorite paranormal authors? JK Rowling counts. –grin- How about your favorite paranormal movies or tv series? Let me know.

The Reviews are in!! Recent Desert Breeze Reviews

BEYOND SUMMER
By: Carie Lawson
A thank you goes to the author for providing me with this complimentary review copy! Great Job Carie!!! Can't wait for Beyond Ever After!"

Love 2 Read Novels Blog
Rating = 4.5 Tickets

I highly recommend this and also the first in the series, “Beyond Africa”. You won’t be disappointed."

Janet's Treasures

****

IN THE MANOR OF THE GHOST
By: Tina Pinson
Ms. Pinson explores it deftly in this book... The answers lurk in the manor of the ghost -- waiting to be drawn out."

Naomi Musch Blog Book Reviews

This is a novel you will want to read again and again, so be sure to get a copy for yourself and let your friends know about it as well!"

Latawnia Kintz Reviews

*****

CHOSEN TARGET
By: Melanie Atkins
hosen Target is a pulse-pounding page turner."

Stephanie - Classic Romance Revival Reviews
Rating = 5 Wings

****

BEYOND A VIKING HORIZON
By: Tami Dee
"Beyond a Viking Horizon" is rich in love, hope, and family."

Stephanie Burkhart - Author of The Hungarian (Posted at Amazon)
Rating = 5 Stars

*****
WHAT THE HEART SEES
By: Janice Zick

For all their quirkiness, the characters in this story are well-rounded, enjoyable to spend time with and have you yearning to ensure they all get what they deserve. This book is a keeper."

Fennel - Long and Short Reviews
Rating = 5 Books - Nominated for BOOK OF THE WEEK!

*****

END GAME
By: Gail R. Delaney

This is a gripping saga that any sci-fi fan is guaranteed to enjoy. My only complaint is that I didn’t know about this series sooner.

Kirra Pierce - Just Erotic Romance Reviews
Rating = 5 Stars

With rich characterization and great world building, END GAME is a highly recommended science fiction romance.

Marlene Breakfield -- ParaNormal Romance

Featured August Release - Beyond a Viking Horizon by Tami Dee

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Balmung Nabbodderson is a man whose feet are as firmly planted in the year 908 as the roots of his thriving crops.

Until, that is, he makes an unexpected discovery within the very soil he had vowed never to leave…

Iris Johnson is a woman of color living in the time of the Great Depression. Suddenly widowed, she is left to raise four children against all odds.

With the security and well being for her children her utmost concern, will she be able to trust and open her heart to a man who claims to have come from a Time one thousand years past?


EXCERPT:
"Good sleep, Iris."

Balmung tucked a gentle finger under her chin and tilted her face as he lowered his lips to hers. Sweet heat seeped through her as she returned his kiss with an urgency that left her breathless. His lips were firm yet soft, demanding as well as accepting. Her skin broke out in goose bumps when his big hands skirted over her back, then moved to her waist, caressing, stroking, easing their way over her ribs with tenderness and passion. They stopped just short of her breasts, a brief hesitation, as if waiting for a sign from her that they could continue their exploration. She briefly thought of her children sleeping just on the other side of the door, yet her body yearned. Yearned for something which she had taken for granted for so long, yet had ended so suddenly, so unexpectedly, so completely, when Noah had died.

She didn't realize that she was crying until he pulled his lips from hers and moved them to her damp cheeks. With a gusty sigh, he dropped two light kisses onto each of her closed lids, then tucked her under his chin and hugged her tight.

"I want you, Iris," he said, his voice thick with need. "And it is clear that you want me, also. But when we share a bed, it will be only you and I in that bed."

She gasped, jerking her eyes open to stare at him.

He gave her a soft smile. "It's okay, Iris," he soothed. "I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to have once loved so completely, knowing that you were loved so completely in return, and then suddenly find that your body can hum for another man. That you can have feelings for another man."

He trailed a finger down her cheek, following the path of a fresh tear. "I respect what you and Noah had. I will not ask you to try and have the same bound with me as you did with him. But I do want a part of your heart, and your body, Iris, a part which only belongs to me."

He sighed, pressing his forehead to hers.

"When you're ready, I will be waiting for you."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tami is a member of Romance Writers of America, Desert Breeze Connections, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

Her hobbies include reading, writing, going to the movies and taking weekend trips to Half Moon Bay, CA. She loves reading time travel romances and writing one myself has been very enjoyable.

Desert Breeze congratulates Tami on her new release!

The Reviews are in! Dawn of a Viking Sunrise by Tami Dee

BLURB:
Rosie Chan suddenly finds herself alone in the world: Her fiancé is dead, and her best friend is missing in the mist of Time. An unexpected night time call for help from the disembodied voice of her missing friend leads to a series of events which propel Rosie into a spinning vortex of Time.

When Rosie tumbles out of the vortex and into the year 904, she quite unexpectedly falls right into love. But the man who breaks her fall and captures her heart has a secret...

Can she love him, despite his secrets and their differing worlds?

Davyn Nabbodderson is banned from his homeland for a murder he does not know if he committed. He flees to Scotland and seizes Castle Rose Haven, but guilt and loneliness plague him, making his life a bitter existence.

Until, that is, Time delivers Rosie to him. But will Time allow him to keep her?

******

5 Stars - The Romance Studio
The plot is very creative and imanginative. It's amazing how much detail is in this novel.

4 Cups - Coffee Time Romance
" ...Ms Dee has given us a thrilling twist on the standard time travel romance."

5 Wings - Classic Romance Revival
"Dawn of a Viking Sunrise is a heart pounding story filled with suspense, excitement, and love in the Mists of Time Series."

4 Books - Long and Short Reviews
"[I]...read it from cover to cover because this romance is chock full of little moments of perfect writing, adorable character interaction and fast-paced dialogue which bring to life the drama and heartbreak that is wrought by time’s whirlwind forces."

Interview with Tami Dee, Author of Dawn of Viking Sunrise

I'm excited to have author, Tami Dee, here today, author of the Mists of Time Series. I've started her "Under A Viking Moon," and I LOVE it. Onto the questions...

*****

#1 - How did the Mists of Time Viking Series come to you?

TAMI: One night, at a ridiculously late hour that I should have been sleeping through but was not…I had a vision of sorts, of an apartment, a single woman, and a mural of an ancient Viking ship which took up an entire wall of the apartment. When the woman touched the mural, she was transported into to the Dark Ages and into an adventure upon the high seas. The odd thing is, none of the four books within my Mists of Time Viking series are even remotely related to the woman and the mural concept. Crazy huh? Someday, I really need to write that book.

STEPH: How interesting that is. I think that would make an interesting book as well.

#2 - Tell us about your characters in "Dawn of Viking Sunrise," Davyn and Rosie.

TAMI: Davyn is a character from book one, Under A Viking Moon, Dark Age time.
As a fourth son Davyn sets his own course to support himself, choosing a profession which takes care of his physical needs, and also allows him to search for his twin sister who had been stolen during a raid. Awaking one morning and finding the body of a woman he had spent the night with changes everything. Davyn is banned from his homeland until the mystery of who killed her can be solved, and not knowing if he himself is the one who murdered her leaves him shamed and riddled with guilt. His guilt is compounded by his seizure of Castle Rose Haven, the home he made for himself in the highlands of Scotland. His is a lonely existence until Rosie quite literally falls into his life and heart.

Rosie is also a character from book one, Under A Viking Moon, our time.
She is a woman of mixed heritage, Hispanic and Chinese, and the truest friend a person could ever have. She is rich, having inherited at an early age from a beloved grandmother. She is smart, a university student studying archeology who is also well versed in Karate thanks to her cousin Singlee’s training. (Singlee is also from book one and finds his own true love in Dawn.) Rosie is also grieving the untimely death of her fiancée and battling the loneliness caused by Kat, her best friend from book one, disappearance through Time.

STEPH: I am really enjoying Rosie in book #1. It's nice to see her friendship with Katla.


#3 Tell us a little about the plot of "Dawn of A Viking Sunrise."

TAMI: Dawn of A Viking Sunrise follows two souls who find one another despite having been born a thousand years apart. Each having had their lives irreversibly torn in two, together, through time and circumstance, love grows and helps them to become whole again.. They have adventures in Davyn’s time, traveling to ancient China and rescuing Rosie’s cousin, Singlee. A surprise mini romance unfolds just before the dramatic rescue which I hope will have readers smiling. Time brought Davyn and Rosie together, but the real question is whether Time will allow them to remain together?

#4 When did you start writing? Is your muse a tall, dark, handsome Viking? Hehe

TAMI: I started writing about four years ago. I have always wanted to write, but did not allow myself to seriously try and do so until well into adulthood. I have dyslexia and it is a constant challenge and frustration when I try and let my thoughts flow from my mind to my fingertips, only to be stumped by misspellings and words jumbled together and often put together opposite than I wished them to be. Needless to say it takes quite a bit of time from the start of a book to typing The End, but, in the end, it is worth it to me, and, I hope, to those who read my stories.

STEPH: Tami, I think it's great that you can put together such wonderful, entertaining stories with your dyslexia!

As for my muse….sounds like you’ve already met.

STEPH: hehe

#5 Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one. Do you have any tips for using it?

TAMI: I have a Kindle. It is the only ebook reader that I have ever used and I really enjoy it. A helpful aspect of my Kindle is that I can e mail my own works in progress to my Kindle and use the audio to listen to the flow of my own story.

STEPH: I love my Kindle, too. I have yet to try the speech to text feature, but I hope to, soon.

#6 - What was the last movie you saw? In the movie theatre. DVD's don't count.

TAMI: I just had winter break (dh and I both have two weeks off work) and dh and I saw: Avatar (best movie ever made—IMO) 2012, and Sherlock Holmes. We do marathon movies every winter break. Sigh… just love those two weeks.

STEPH: Sounds like fun. During the holidays I had a chance to take my son, Andrew, 7, to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. Ah, to see an adult movie with my husband again... I pray for that opportunity every day.

#7 - Who are your favorite writers?

TAMI: I am afraid to say, because there are so many and I just know I will leave someone out. As a matter of fact, I never make public announcements as too whose books I have bought and read, (especially authors from my publishing house. To me my fellow authors are more like family than strangers who write for the same company) because the truth is I wish I could afford to read EVERYONES book, but the bottom line is I just can not afford to do so and I hate to hurt anyone’s feelings by mentioning one authors work and not another’s. (winter break movies can drain a bank account. Lol)

#8 - Tell us about Half Moon Bay. Does it inspire your storytelling? How so.

Yes, it really does. The little ocean side city is only about two and a half hours away, the perfect distance for a day trip. DH loves to fish, and I take my lap top and write, write, write. Although I have never set a story there, the ocean, atmosphere and scents really help me be creative.

I will never forget the time I wrote a really sad scene while sitting atop a flat bolder of a man made pier while dh fished. A cold wind was blowing, the sky was gray, waves crashed against the boulders and I cried as I typed. My husband glanced over his shoulder, then did a double take and shook his head. He just does not get that I never know what is going to happen as I type, so if it happens to be sad… well, I cry. (Shrug—doesn’t everyone?)

STEPH: I can tell your love for the bay comes through in your writing. The first time I saw the Golden Gate Bridge, I was filled with emotion. I wanted to write a story about a winery in early 1940's during World War II.

Thanks so much for interviewing me.

STEPH: Thanks for popping in and happy writing!

January 2010 Featured Release - Dawn of a Viking Sunrise

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Rosie Chan suddenly finds herself alone in the world: Her fiancé is dead, and her best friend is missing in the mist of Time. An unexpected night time call for help from the disembodied voice of her missing friend leads to a series of events which propel Rosie into a spinning vortex of Time.

When Rosie tumbles out of the vortex and into the year 904, she quite unexpectedly falls right into love. But the man who breaks her fall and captures her heart has a secret...

Can she love him, despite his secrets and their differing worlds?

Davyn Nabbodderson is banned from his homeland for a murder he does not know if he committed. He flees to Scotland and seizes Castle Rose Haven, but guilt and loneliness plague him, making his life a bitter existence.

Until, that is, Time delivers Rosie to him. But will Time allow him to keep her?

***********

EXCERPT:
"I can't marry you," she told him, struggling to find the words to make him understand. "You don't even know me."

"That's where you're wrong, Lady," he said, his eyes playful now. "Kat has spent countless hours telling me of you and your time. I know everything I need to know about you. You may not realize it as yet, Lady, but you are my destiny. We were meant to be together. You will give me strong, loyal, spirited sons and beautiful daughters. And I will protect you from your enemies. You will grow to love me in no time at all."

Angry heat flooded her cheeks. "If you think that, gringo, then you obviously don't know anything about me at all."

He did not flick an eyelash. "Then it is a good thing that I will have a lifetime to learn about you," he countered.

Kicking off the covers Rosie swung her legs over the side of the bed only to discover, too late, that the bed was perched upon on a tall pedestal.

She landed with a complete lack of grace into Davyn's arms. Steal bands wrapped around her and she felt his chin rest atop her head. His chuckle rumbled in his chest.

She would have given anything at that moment to have the black void suck her up and spit her out back in her bedroom. Alone.

"You're not going anywhere, Rosalinda Yolanda Carmen Singhi Chan," he assured her. "You will remain at Castle Rose Haven either as my bride, or as my prisoner, the choice is yours."

**********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I am a member of Romance Writers of America, Desert Breeze Connections, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

My hobbies include reading, writing, going to the movies and taking weekend trips to Half Moon Bay, CA. I love reading time travel romances and writing one myself has been very enjoyable.

Books by Tami Dee at Desert Breeze Publishing:
Mists of Time Book One: Under a Viking Moon - June 2009
Mists of TIme Book Two: Dawn of a Viking Sunrise - January 2010
Mists of TIme Book Three: Beyond a Viking Horizon - August 2010
Mists of TIme Book Four: Through a Viking Mist - March 2011