Author Spotlight week -Excerpt from The Count's Lair

Anton stood next to the tree, picking out the perfect spot to begin cutting. After sizing it up, he swung his axe and sank it halfway into the trunk. With one more swing, the tree fell over.

Amelia spun around. "That was quick. I just picked out my tree."

With a laugh, Anton walked over to her and used the axe to carve a small line at the base of the tree. "Well, I've chopped trees all my life."

"You have?"

"My father thought it would build character."

She rubbed her gloved hands together. Anton thought she might be catching a chill.

"Did you like chopping trees?" she asked.

"I found it to be boring, tedious work. I didn't understand why he sent me to do it when we had servants. In hindsight, however, I do think I benefited from it, but not in the way I think he wanted me to."

"I don't understand. Why didn't he have the servants chop the wood?"

Anton took a breath, steadied himself, and looked directly at her. "Perhaps he wanted me to feel more like a servant than a noble man's son."

Her face fell. "If that was his reason, it was cruel."

He did want to be honest with her about his father, but he didn't want to weigh down the fun they were having with such a heavy anchor. Instead, he stepped into her personal space. Her cheeks were raw from the cold. He cupped them and pressed the length of his body against hers. Again, her aura sparkled to life. Her soft curves fit snugly against his muscled physique. "I don't want to talk about him right now. He's depressing. You're cold."

"I am a little cold," she replied.
"Does this warm you up?"

"Yes," she replied. Her eyes trapped his, and he found himself drowning in those simmering pools of azure blue.

He lowered his head and took her lips with his. The glow of their auras blinded him. She closed her eyes. His heart beat wildly in his chest. She pressed against him, sending his senses into a pool of delight. He trailed his lips over her jaw line to her neck. She moaned as he stoked the embers smoldering deep inside them.

She placed her hands on his chest and gently disengaged from him. "That was some kiss."

"I just wanted to keep you warm until we got back to the auto."

"That will do."

Author Spotlight Week - Q&A with Stephanie Burkhart

#1 – What's "The Count's Lair" about?

STEPH: It's a paranormal romance set in Budapest, Hungary during Christmas 1901. Count Anton Varga and Lady Amelia Andrássy have experienced the painful depths of loniliness and are now willing to embark on a courtship. Anton, however, has a dark secret. He'll give Amelia 3 clues. Will she discover his secret and can she accept him for the man he is?

#2 – "The Count's Lair" is book two in the Budapest Moon series. How does it fit into Book one, "The Hungarian?"

STEPH: Toward the end of "The Hungarian" Amelia faints in the Duma's bookstore and its Anton who catches her. A spark of attraction passes between them. In "The Count's Lair," Anton and Amelia dare to fan that spark into a flame.

#3 – Why did you choose Budapest, Hungary for the novel's setting?

STEPH: Budapest is in Central Europe. The country has a rich history. The architecture is unique – and blend of old and new. Budapest hints at mystery. You just might believe a paranormal creature exists in Budapest.


#4 – If you could cast the movie, who would you have play the characters?

STEPH: A young looking Ralph Fiennes for Anton and Amy Adams as Amelia. Emmy Rossum would make a great Esmé. Christopher Plummer for Georg. Daniel Radcliff would be Tomas and Geoffrey Rush as Bryant.

#5 – Have you been to Budapest?

STEPH: Yes, in Sept 1997. It was truly an international city, and there was a lot to do and much to see. I loved walking through Fisherman's Bastian. It's a ½ mile long and on Buda Hill overlooking the Danube and Parliament Building. The 7 towers represent the 7 Magyar tribes that settled in Hungary.

#6 – How long did it take you to write "The Count's Lair?"

STEPH: Approximately 4 months. I wrote during Dec 2009 which is not a month where I get much writing done. I began in NOV 2009. The novel was my 2009 NaNoWriMo project and is dedicated to my NaNoWriMo writing buddy, Jenifer Ranieri, who I just adore. Her laughter, thoughts, and feedback is food for the soul for the writer in me. I finished in FEB 2010.

#7 – Did you do a lot of research for the novel?

STEPH: I did research some of the history of Budapest and werewolf myths. I researched what life was like in 1901. They had autos and it would be common for the nobility to have them. They had phonographs, but no radios. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire was still in existence. It was an interesting time, full of modernization and growth.

#8 – Are you a plotter or a panster?
STEPH: A little of both. First I research my topic, my setting, my genre, and draw inspiration form that. I draw up characters, work up bios, and print off pictures for visual reference. Then I come up with a rough plot – outlining the first 3 chapters and the ending, leaving for flexibility in the middle. I try to stay true to the plot.

#9 – Do you have an ebook reader?

STEPH: Yes, I have a Kindle 2 and I love it. I especially enjoy using the text to speech feature on it.

#10 – What was the last movie you saw?

STEPH: Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows, Part 1

Desert Breeze Authors tackle NaNoWriMo!

Each November is known in the writing community as "National Novel Writing Month" or "NaNoWriMo." It's a month of flurry and increased activity. The goal of NaNoWriMo? To write a 50,000 word novel in a month. It's a daunting challenge, trust me. This month, 3 Desert Breeze Authors tackled it - K Dawn Bird, Me (Hehe, Stephanie Burkhart) and Chrystal Kincaid. Chrystal, can you weigh in and let us know how it went?

K Dawn Bird worked on her novel, "Queen of Hearts."

Queen of Hearts will be my first historical. There's a lot at stake with this novel because Desert Breeze Publishing is holding an April 2010 release date for it. That said, even though NaNoWrimo's final word count goal is 50,000, mine is 65,000. The heroine in Queen of Hearts is a newspaper reporter who becomes a member of the O.S.S. (spies).

K Dawn came in as a winner at 51,766 words. Congrats to you!!
Here's her NaNoWriMo page if you want to visit:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/525296



Stephanie Burkhart worked on her novel, "The Count's Lair."

Can a man haunted by an ancient curse fall in love? That’s what Count Anton Varga dares to explore when he meets beautiful and talented Lady Amelia Andrássy. Anton rediscovers Amelia in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, giving a concert and he hungers to pursue her, only he has a secret which he fears she will not accept. With the help and support of his friend and servant, Georg, Anton decides to win Amelia’s heart. Will the journey bring him the love he’s hungered for, or will it tear his heart apart?

The Count's Lair is second in "The Hungarian Moon" series and will be published by Desert Breeze in a future date.

Stephanie came in as a winner at 50,291. Congrats!
Here's her NaNoWriMo page if you want to visit:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/526402


Congrats to everyone who tackled NaNoWriMo. If you'd like to sign in and tell us about your experience this year, we'd love to hear it. I can tell you, I was prepared. I'd done a lot of preliminary work before I began. I did my character bios, maps, and outlines before I started. I tried to do a steady 2K words a day and most of the time, I managed it. That proved the challenge especially with a 7 and a 3 year old in the house. I still had to work 8 hours a day, do the dishes and wash the laundry. Not an easy feat!

Smiles
Steph