All Romance eBooks - Wildfire

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February 15th 9 pm est

February 21st 9 pm est

Join us for our meeting of ARe—The eBookclub in the ARe chat room. We'll be giving out a coupon code that will allow the first fifty readers to download Tempted for free. Watch our MySpace blog over the next few weeks for additional information, excerpts, and mini behind the scene interviews from people involved in the making of this hot new book!

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Wildfire would like to welcome authors Marie Harte and Jane Beckenham. Both authors have distinctive writing styles yet share many characteristics including advice for new authors.

Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

Marie: I've been writing creatively since I could first hold a pencil. But professionally, I've been writing for going on four years now. I used to write when the mood hit, and wanted so very badly to be a writer. But I didn't write. I just talked about it. Not sure what finally motivated me, but one day the light came on and I stopped yakking and started typing. And here I am.

Julie: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

Marie: To never give up. Most first manuscripts should be trashed, bottom line. Very few authors sell their first work unedited, unchanged. The key is to keep writing, take rejection in stride and learn from it, but not dwell on the negative. Easier said than done. But when I look back on my first manuscript and compare it to what I've written today, there's no comparison as to which work is better…the one written today, of course.

Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?

Marie:  A little of both, I think. I have a general idea of where I want the story to go. But after that first sentence, all bets are off on how they get there. Occasionally, if I'm having problems getting through a scene I'll sketch it out, but I normally just write. 

Julie: What genre do you want to try your hand at but haven't?

Marie: I love erotic romance, but I've had a couple ideas for some straight up fiction I plan to get to…someday. It's all a matter of time. Once my kids are all in school, I hope that'll free me to take on more projects.

Julie: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Julie: What books are currently on your nightstand?

Marie: I just finished Gena Showalter's Savor Me Slowly, an Alien Huntress novel, and Lynn Viehl's Evermore, a novel of the Darkyn. Both are continuations in a series, but I think you could read Savor Me Slowly and love it as much as I did. Viehl's book, while terrific, might be confusing to a first time reader. But I wholeheartedly recommend to start with her first book in the series. Awesome reads!!! 

Julie: Describe the space where you write.

Marie: I write at my desk in my study, or what the kids call their playroom. And since it does house all their toys, they may be right. My desk is large enough to house my computer, printer, shredder and a myriad of supplies. A picture of Clint Eastwood in his spaghetti western finest is on my bulletin board, and my bendable, six-inch, 20+ year old  Godzilla stands below my monitor demanding perfection. 

I also have my reference material and a TV on top of the nearby filing cabinet. But when I'm writing, everything must stay off and quiet. Thus I write at night when everyone's asleep.

Julie: Do you prefer writing series books over non series or does it matter?

Marie: It doesn't matter to me. But sometimes a stand-alone book will turn into a series because those pesky secondary characters become too intriguing. I conceived the Storm Lords as a series from the beginning. But my Firebreather books for Amber Quill were only supposed to be one book, now turning into three.

Julie: What's next for you?

Marie: I'm currently working on a futuristic romance, a return to the futuristic world I created a few years ago. Then I have a second book to follow the first I gave my agent, and a new book idea that won't let me go. I'm not sure if it's a romance or not, but I really love the concept. And sorry, I can't tell 'til it's done. 

Julie: Do you remember the first romance novel that you read?

Marie:  Sure do. I was twelve, precocious and bored, needing something new to read. So I "borrowed" my mom's copy of Johanna Lindsey's A Gentle Feuding and was hooked on romance from that moment on. 

Marie Harte is an avid reader who loves all things paranormal and futuristic. Reading romances since she was twelve, she fell in love with the warmth of first passion and knew writing was her calling. Twenty-plus years later, the Marine Corps, a foray through Information Technology, a husband and four kids, and her dream has finally come true.

Marie lives in Georgia with her family and loves hearing from readers.

 Backlist:
Blackthorne's Light, New Concepts Publishing
Lurin's Surrender, New Concepts Publishing
The Thief of Mardu, New Concepts Publishing
Winner Takes All, New Concepts Publishing
Seriana Found, New Concepts Publishing
Storm Lords book 1: The Fire Within, New Concepts Publishing
Storm Lords book2:Below the Surface, New Concepts Publishing
Storm Lords book3:Gale Season, New Concepts Publishing
Storm Lords book4:Aftershocks, New Concepts Publishing
Deception's Calling, New Concepts Publishing
A Familiar Face, New Concepts Publishing
Darkson's Forfeit, Amber Quill Press
Firebreather, Amber Quill Press
A Royal Continuum, Amber Quill Press
Emergence, Amber Quill Press
Tied and True, Loose Id
Reaper's Reward, Loose Id
Mirror, Mirror, Loose Id
Saturnalia: The Lord of Misrule, Loose Id
A Scorching Seduction, Samhain Publishing
The Dragons' Demon, Samhain Publishing
Enjoying the Show, Samhain Publishing
Tempting Traditions, Whispers Publishing

Coming soon:
Satyr's Myst, Loose Id
Rachel's Totem, Samhain Publishing
I Dream of Dragons (The Dragons' Demon) print anthology, Samhain Publishing
Sins of Summer (A Scorching Seduction) print anthology, Samhain Publishing

Links:
Website
Blog

Jane Beckenham

Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

Jane:  We bought our first computer in 1998 and I am very keen on decorating. I was in a decorating chat room and got to know a lady from SC and she was a writer. I had thought about writing before, but never tried. She encouraged me. I sent her my first 30 pages that next day and her comment was…"Are you sure you haven't written before." Well that was it. I was off and writing.

Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?

Jane:  Oh, I'm a combination of both…much to my chagrin. I want to be more organized and structured and do try, but mostly I end up writing a brief sentence per chapter and then I'm away. However, I do character interviews and absolutely adore doing them, finding out about their past, etc. Just love it. Hubby says it's because I'm nosey.

Julie: How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author?

Jane: Oh that's very important. Otherwise no one will buy my books. 

Julie: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Jane:   I'm very goal orientated and set myself goals every year. This year is to sell four books, I've already sold two this January, so that's a good start. I want to grow as writer, learn to plot better, but one of my heart's desire is to write for HM&B. I have a requested full historical in London now, and my fingers are crossed. (Come on Kim, phone me! LOL)

I work hard at promo and it's an imperative part of the writing life, so that's big on the agenda this year, but in honesty I've not planned it yet. Note to self. Get butt into gear!

Julie: Most people envision an author's life as being really glamorous. What's the most unglamorous thing that you've done in the past week?

Jane: Not had time to shower and was writing most of the day in my PJs! Also believe me getting up at 4 am to write isn't glamorous, especially if you've only gone to bed at 11pm

Julie: There are so many publishers out there, how do you decide who to submit your work to?

Jane:  In lots of ways I think it's word of mouth from authors you trust and respect. Plus of course there's the big boys and they aren't the big boys in publishing if they haven't passed the test of time. A writer needs to read/study the market, see where they fit. In my case I write several genres and have several goals for those books. I love the small publishers, because you can learn a lot in an environment that is somewhat less stressful than that of a big publishing house. A writer needs to check out what books the publisher is promoting. Do you see yourself there, fit there, are you similar or quite different. That said, there's nothing wrong with being different from what they're doing. Their submission guidelines will give you an idea.

Julie: Are there any absolutely-must-have characteristics for your heroes or heroines?

Jane: Strength of character and determination. Loyalty. Honesty. Trust. Without trust…even if it is not there until the end, because of some calamity, etc, trust is crucial. How can you love without trust? You can't. 

Julie: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

Jane: Don't give up. It's a hard life. Persistence and patience is paramount. And love what you do.

Julie: Dealing with writing deadlines can be a challenge. What do you do to cope with the stress?

Jane: For me I've started to meditate occasionally and that is great for stress. But I often will sit and play with my dog Bingo and he is so joyful, you can't help but relax. But if there is work to be done, you can't whine, you just have to do it. Get up earlier, work later. If you want to write, you have to do what you have to do, to get there.

Julie: What's next for you?

Jane: Two new contracts this January, mean lots of work ahead. Editing, promo etc, plus always ongoing promo for current releases. Plus I have three works in progress, an historical, a contemporary and an erotica novella. So it's a big year ahead. Plus I hope to write another time travel/romance again set in Jamaica. And Cade Harper's brother is screaming out to me to get his story on paper. So yep, it's going to be a busy time ahead.

Author Jane Beckenham found literature at a young age. In books she discovered dreams and hope, stories that inspired in her a love of romance, and travel. Years later, after a blind date, Jane found her own true love and married him eleven months later.

Life has been a series of 'dreams' for Jane. Dreaming of learning to walk again after spending years in hospital. Dreaming of raising a family and subsequently flying to Russia to bring home her two adopted daughters. And of course, dreaming of writing.

With her family growing up, life is a round of playing mum's taxi service, all the while wondering what her hero and heroine are up to behind her back! Writing is Jane's addiction—and it sure beats housework.

To read the entire interview with Jane Beckenham click here!

Arran's Lure by Saskia Walker
This story is rated 4 flames. It contains explicit love scenes described using graphic and direct language. Read at your own discretion.

Alone in her bed, Juliet lay with her sheets twisted between her arms and legs, thinking about Christopher. There was a point where her physical desire for him had turned into an all-consuming hunger. Finding sleep was no longer easy. The longing she felt for that one person whose shared passion would provide her lifeline, her relief, had long since become overwhelming.

"Christopher Bardsley, what on earth have you done to me?" she whispered into the night. She felt high at times, at others wretched. She was tortured with memory and longing. Her fingers tightened on her twisted sheets, her body rolling restlessly. Masturbation just left her hungry for what she couldn't have, a particularly cruel twist of fate.

He was too far away. She was at home in London, trying unsuccessfully to focus on her freelance journalism—her one and only love, before she met him—and he was off the coast of Scotland, on the Isle of Arran. That's where she'd met him, interviewing him as part of a series of features on unusual people who had forced their careers to fit their lives. Christopher owned a major Internet provisions company, but when he'd inherited his uncle's farming land in the south of Arran, he'd decided to move there. Now, he managed his Internet company from an entirely different kind of base, in order to maintain the traditions of his family line as well.

Juliet had traveled up by train and ferry to meet him, and found herself stunned by the beauty of Arran as she looked at it from the windswept ferry on the approach to the port of Brodick. It was this landscape that had motivated his monumental move, his choice to oversee the farm, meshing a long standing farming lifestyle with that of a modern day businessman.

"I came to look at the place and I experienced the lure of the island." He observed her as he spoke, turning a heavy tumbler in his hand, warming the rich local malt whisky it contained. "I'd visited as a child, had fond memories of the farm, but as an adult who has traveled the world, it just took hold of me."

She nodded, feeling all of that, and his lure, too. Sitting opposite him on the sofa, sipping the fine scotch, her desire built. He drew her attention in every way, from his hand nursing the glass, to the strong outline of his thighs through his black jeans. Desire thrummed inside her, her lips eager to brush against the firm line of his mouth.

As soon as she'd seen him, she'd wanted him. He said it was the same for him, too. She'd booked into a B&B, but never spent a single night there. Arriving at his house, she saw him in action, instructing the land workers for the following day, answering a call from Denmark in the next moment.

"What drives you," she asked, later that evening, as they sat in his comfortable sitting room after a dinner prepared by his housekeeper. It was a question she'd asked everyone she'd interviewed for the series.

"The need to make the impossible dream come true." He paused. "What drives you?"

No one had ever turned the question around before. "The need to express myself, I guess."

He nodded. "I've read your work, you express yourself well." His gray-green eyes twinkled. He asked her questions, found out things she didn't even know about herself.

"Are you interviewing me now?"

"Kind of." He looked her over with an unambiguous stare. "I'm sure I could find you an appropriate position." The expression he wore was filled with raw, uncompromising sexuality.

She gave a soft laugh. "I'm sure you could." They both knew it was going to happen, but they talked on, savoring the anticipation that built between them. She'd never met a man so intensely male; there was an inbuilt sense of power about him, and yet he wasn't blatant or egotistical. It was a calm, self-assured way that he had. He wasn't classically handsome, either, his face was scarred and his nose broken. He'd had a rough childhood, but that only seemed to make him steadfast and sure of what he wanted in life. His dark hair was unruly, his body built large and strong. She ached to have him over her, to feel him thrusting into her.

"What's life without a few risks," he commented, and she knew he wasn't just talking about business ventures. He put his glass down and reached out to touch her face.

She turned her face into the palm of his hand, kissing it, opening her mouth to taste his skin. Their kisses were raw, needy, while they stripped each other with eager hands. The first time was hard and fast, right there on the rug in front of the log fire. She welcomed the hard strength his body, holding him tight as he pulled back and lunged. As they got closer to the climax, he looked down at her with searching eyes, and she latched her legs over his shoulders, sucking him ever deeper. The climax hit her in a dizzy, wild rush, and he followed fast, one hand locked over her pubic bone, the pressure releasing a second wave of pleasure through her.

Something unstoppable had been set in motion between them. He'd kissed and touched her everywhere, before he carried to her to his bed and made love to her again, slowly, making her mad for it. He laughed softly when she begged him for more. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs was all that had anchored her to the reality of the moment, when he drove the length of his cock inside her.

She'd called in sick, something she'd never done before, lengthening her stay on the island, lengthening her time with him. 

"Tell me now, what do you want?" he asked, whilst he took her from behind.

"I want it to last and last," she'd cried out, poised on the edge of her orgasm. Moaning loudly, she drove back on to him, spilling down her thighs as she came. He'd pulled out, pacing himself when he got too close, giving her exactly what she wanted. He possessed her over again, until she could barely move and she was blissfully sore, her mind and body senseless with multiple, rolling orgasms.

They barely slept, afraid to waste the precious time together. They explored each other almost continually, talking endlessly, then rolling together, making lone over again.

"Why did you come here?" he asked, with a dark smile, one night, in the midst of their passion.

"I'm not so sure anymore." Joyous laughter escaped her mouth.

She'd never expressed herself so thoroughly, giving everything, opening herself in ways that she hadn't even considered possible. He confessed he was stubbornly independent, and she knew that alone made this hard for him. She recognized that was why he was alone.

In the daytime he drove her across the island to the rougher landscape of the north, where they walked along the cliffs. The blustery autumnal winds nudged them up against shoreline. Their words and laughter were lifted on the whirling wind around their heads before disappearing.

"Come here, I have to be inside you now." He'd backed her against the cliff wall. He opened her coat and lifted her skirt, his hands moving fast into the heat of her groin. Over his shoulder she saw that the tide was coming in, the waves rolling over the sand in the timeless embrace between land and sea.

"Now?" she replied, weak with desire, emotion catching in her throat.

He answered by stripping her underwear down her legs, knocking of one shoe and lifting one leg in his hand, before plunging deep inside her.

She was acutely aware of the rough rock at her back as he rode her against the ancient cliff face, lifting her bodily with each thrust. "The tide is coming in," she cried, her hands around his head.

"There's enough time," he replied, hoarsely, and claimed her to the core, to the very soul.

And now, lying alone in her bed in London, it was driving her slowly insane with need. Flinging the sheet away, she got up and pulled on a T-shirt. Uselessly, she wandered to her desk, where she nudged the mouse. The screen flickered into life as she sat down. There was an email from the news agency, asking if she'd finish the Arran article yet.

Her phone bleeped into life. "Hey you," she said, smiling as she answered his call.

"I didn't wake you did I?" His voice.

"Nope. I can't sleep. Thinking about you."

He gave a soft growl. "Good."

"I can hear the sea. Where are you?"

"In the bedroom, standing by the window, looking at the empty bed, wishing you were in it."

"Wanting to make the impossible dream come true?" she teased.

"With a fury."

His tone had a low intensity about it that melted her. She bit her lip, her head dropping back. She could just picture him.

"Touch yourself," he instructed.

The pulse in her groin beat wildly in response to his words. Her free hand moved between her thighs, her fingers dipping into her well of slick heat, the palm of her hand crushing her clit.

"Do you want me there?" His tone was demanding, almost desperate.

"Oh, yes."

"Make yourself come, let me hear you."

She put one foot up on the edge of the desk, opening her legs wide. He was breathing close to the mouthpiece, and the sound fuelled her.

"Describe it, tell me how it feels."

"I've been thinking of you all evening. My clit is hard, so sensitive." Almost too sensitive, it stung as she flicked and rubbed it. "Oh god."

"Come, please...let me hear you."

She moved her hand, her sex locking on one hard finger, palm against her clit. Her moan of release was long and breathless.

"I wish I was there."

She laughed breathlessly. "So do I, believe me."

"It's not getting any easier, is it?"

"No," she agreed.

"I'm going to finish the article tonight," she whispered, before she said goodbye.

"That's bad isn't it?"

He knew that she had been dragging her heels. How had he come to know her so well? A feeling of destiny surrounded her. "No. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. I'm not going to let it be a bad thing, Christopher."

In the moment of silence, she sensed his relief.

"Remember what I said."

Her heart brimmed. On their last morning together, he'd taken her out to walk across the land. On the hilltop, there was an early morning mist that seemed to hold them to the ground they stood upon. He told her then that he wanted her to come back, that he'd be there for her. She put her fingers to his lips and sank into his embrace, wishing they could stay shrouded in the mist forever. Far too soon, the mid-morning sun broke thorough and it was time for her to catch the ferry to the mainland.

"I remember everything you said," she whispered into the phone. "And you're right. What's life without a few risks? Christopher, I want to be with you."

"In that case, I'll move back to London."

For a moment, she was stunned. "No. You belong there." She paused. "I can make the impossible dream come true, too.

"Yes..?"

It was the first time she had ever heard any hint of vulnerability in his voice, and that told her everything she needed to know.

"Yes, my love. You've made me braver."

When they finally said goodbye, she typed a letter to the agency, informing them of her upcoming change of location, stating her availability for assignments in Scotland and the north.

Turning to the article, she added her conclusion. Now that the decision had been made, everything fell into place. Finally, she scrolled to the top, smiling to herself, and added the title: Arran's Lure: making the impossible dream come true.

Saskia is a British author who lives with her Real Life Hero, and their big black cat, on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. Because of her parent's nomadic tendencies, Saskia grew up traveling the globe, an only child with a serious book habit. She dreamed of being a writer when she first read romance at the age of 12, and finally began writing seriously in the late 1990s. Since then her short fiction has been featured in fifty international anthologies and she now has several novels published and forthcoming.

Backlist:
Double Dare, Berkley Heat
The Strangeling, Juno Books
Unveiling The Sorceress, Juno Books
Sex Lies and Bondage Tape, in KINK, Berkley Heat
Summer Lightning, SECRETS Volume 12, Red Sage
Falling for Trouble, SECRETS Volume 15, Red Sage
What You Wish For, SECRETS Volume 19, Red Sage
Against The Grain, Extasy Books
Winner Takes All, Total-E-Bound
Along For The Ride, Total-E-Bound
Play For Today, Total-E-Bound

 
Submissions to The Weekly Sizzle should be sent to Sizzle@allromanceebooks.com. We are looking for original short stories, 1-5 flames, 200-2000 words.

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