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Jennifer Kacey: I’m at the RT Book Convention in Dallas, TX! (Contest)
Thursday, May 14th, 2015

I’m at the RT Book Convention in Dallas, TX right now!! It’s in my backyard actually since I’m a Texas girl. Yea!!

This will be my second RT to go to and this year I’m bringing my mom. So excited and love it when she goes to cons with me.

Last year the convention was in New Orleans and I had a blast!! Here are a few of the wonderful people I got to meet. Maya Banks, Shayla Black, Kiera Cass, Damon Suede, Sylvia Day, and EL James. OMG and so many more.

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jk20140518_112013Love all of them!

So here’s a question….what author would you LOVE to meet? And why?

Doesn’t have to be romance. It can be any genre! My favorite answer will win an e-copy of any of my individual titles.

Have a super duper awesome rest of your week and I’ll check back when I get home and pick my answer!!

Need a little extra sizzle to get you through the day? May I suggest a bit of kink…. 🙂

The books in the Members Only Series can be found here…

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Together In Cyn
Haleigh’s Ink
A Very Ménage Christmas
Duke’s Valentine
Orgasm University
Accidental Voyeur
Roman’s To-Do List
Jenna’s Consent
Laila’s Lies

Stand Alone…

jkBookCoversStandAlone

Buried Permission
Beneath the Pages
Nico’s Curse
Elite Metal
Final Surrender

jk10178312_10203571568597727_1797997400_nJennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her family in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – http://www.jenniferkacey.com/
Newsletter – http://jenniferkacey.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f09bd32b8c279cebcc930950e&id=2a45c210e8
Blog – The Decadent Divas – http://www.thedecadentdivas.blogspot.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.kacey.7
Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/jenniferkaceyauthor
Twitter – https://twitter.com/JenniferKacey
Amazon Page
http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Kacey/e/B00GXHUB30/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d9_al1?_encoding=UTF8&refinementId=618073011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0G8ZPDQJVKJPKXNBRY10&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6941549.Jennifer_Kacey
Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/jenniferkacey/

Barbara Meyers: What a Rich Woman Wants
Wednesday, May 13th, 2015

For weeks we’ve been bombarded with the various issues surrounding the events which occurred over the past few months in Ferguson, Missouri.  As I write this story on December 1, 2014, there is a story of a father of six pushing his way through the protesters to get to one of his three jobs so he doesn’t get fired.

What does this have to do with writing romance novels you might ask?

In WHAT A RICH WOMAN WANTS (Samhain Publishing, May 2015) the hero is a mixed race former gang member turned sheriff’s deputy who is starting a program in his community to help young men like he was.  He had little family structure and not the best start in life economically or educationally.  Where are young men in his situation supposed to turn?  In Niko’s case he follows his childhood friend into a loosely formed street gang and only escapes when he’s forced to make a choice between his friend and his son. (Niko first appears in A FOREVER KIND OF GUY, Samhain 2012)

I watch the continuing coverage about racial issues and Ferguson in particular and I wonder what it is we can do?  Mostly, it seems, what we do is say to ourselves, “Oh, that’s too bad, but it’s not my problem.”

What I love about Niko is that from his perspective what kids need is guidance and support.  Somewhere to go (if there’s no one at home for them) that isn’t the street.  A safe place where they can get help with homework, a snack, friendship, counseling, mentoring.  A place to play sports where the focus is learning to get along with others and working as a team not necessarily winning.  Niko wants to give these kids the tools they need to be successful in life.  He wants to keep them alive, off the streets, and out of prison.

Niko’s a bit idealistic but he believes in what he’s doing and he’s passionate about it.  He sees a situation he thinks he can change and he does something.  It isn’t easy.  He’s forced out of his comfort zone and takes risks to accomplish his goal.

I wish there more heroes out there like Niko.  Guys who really understand what it takes to turn your life around and who are willing to give back to the communities and help people who are where they once were.  If more of them stood up maybe the rest of us would be there to stand behind them.

WHAT A RICH WOMAN WANTS

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He knows she’s out of his reach. Until she reaches out to him.

Braddock Brotherhood, Book 4

Right about the time Lesley Robinson’s father’s stroke left her in charge of his Fortune 500 company, she adopted her housekeeper’s sick baby and divorced her philandering husband.

She’s survived the past six years by building an impenetrable wall around her emotions. But when a hunk of a sheriff’s deputy turns up at her office to apply for a grant from the company’s foundation, her distrust of men and relationships takes a direct hit.

Niko Morales clawed his way out of gang life to build a new one grounded in law enforcement and a passion to help disadvantaged youth. So, Lesley needs a companion for an upcoming social occasion? He’s no gigolo, but for his community center, and maybe for her, he’ll wear the monkey suit.

Without any apparent effort at all, Niko sneaks under Lesley’s cool façade, shaking up everything she believed about herself. But when their relationship is threatened by the sins of others, they’ll both have to step up—and out of their comfort zones. Or they’ll lose the one thing they want most: each other.

Brent Archer: Making a Vacation the Story
Sunday, May 10th, 2015

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About the time I started writing a short story about a guy who gets set up on a blind date by his busy-body co-worker, my partner and I took a trip through Central Europe. It was mid-July, warm (but not too hot) and sunny, with lots of tourists. While not our usual time of year to travel, it gave me plenty of material to expand my story.

We flew to Zurich, Switzerland, then traveled by train the rest of the vacation, going to Salzburg, Klagenfurt, and Vienna, Austria; Prague, Czech Republic; and Berlin, Germany. Reaching Vienna, we toured through Hapsburg history throughout the city, and the premise for The Bastard’s Key was born. I imagined the tourists around me as characters in the story, from the hunky German train conductor to the dark-haired young man leading a tour through one of the museums.

As we continued through our trip, the story unfolded, ideas rushing to my mind incorporating the local scenery and people. I imagined the bomb on the train and having to detach the last couple cars. Several of the meals I described in the story we actually had. We’d hiked up Kapuzinerberg in Salzburg after disembarking from the train and found a beautiful overlook of the city. I found myself thinking about the main character, Heath, and what his reactions would be to the beautiful city with the excitement of adventure and romance layered on top.

The Bastard’s Key incorporates the Swiss and Austrian legs of our journey, as well as another two-day trip I had in Paris. The vacation we took became fodder for the suspenseful erotic romance published a couple days ago. As I continue to travel the world, I look forward to inspiration taking hold and pulling me willingly along through not only my own vacation, but the experiences of my potential characters.

****

You can read about Heath and Anton’s first adventure The Bastard’s Key here. The second story in the series, Pennington’s Conquest, will release in the Spring of 2016 with MuseItHOT Publishing.

Excerpt:

He strode into the lavish bathroom and locked the door. The knocking started as he stepped into the shower, but Heath, ignoring it, closed the glass door and turned on the warm water to mask the sound.

“Heath, please let me in.” Anton’s muffled voice through the door was barely audible over the spray of the shower. Water cascaded down Heath’s body. It was his first shower in almost two days. He moved under the spray, drowning out Anton’s knocking and pleas as he tried to rinse away the horror of his recent experiences. The water brought a measure of peace to his tired body.

The scent of lavender surrounded him, and he discovered a bar of soap. Small flecks of purple revealed the source of the soothing fragrance, and he ran the bar over his torso.

He attempted to think about his situation rationally. Everything he owned was burned and under the ruins of his apartment building except for the contents of his backpack and that damned key around his neck. He couldn’t go back to work because at least one person was trying to kill him. It would rip him apart if any more innocent people were hurt because someone was after him. Although two of the would-be assassins were in a mangled car at the bottom of a steep cliff, there may be more than one other out there wanting him dead.

Anton. What about Anton? He could’ve snatched the key several times, not even telling him what it meant. He could’ve let Heath die three times, but saved his life. Not only did he give Heath a place to stay, he made love to him like he meant it. Not just steamy sex, but sultry, sensual lovemaking. There was a spark of something strong inside Heath. It wasn’t lust or desire, but a deeper rush of emotion. A new feeling, stronger than any he’d experienced in any past relationship.

Heath lost track of how long he stood under the hot water. Steam swirled around him, and he noticed that his smooth skin began to prune. With a sigh, he turned off the water. A plush white towel waited for him on a heated rack, and he pressed it close to his body as he dried off.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he released the lock on the door and peered into the bedroom. The ornate bed was now made up, and the change of clothes from his backpack was laid out and ready for him. A small piece of paper along with a freshly cut red rose lay on top of his jockey shorts.

I’m sorry. –A

The note was short and to the point. Heath inhaled the strong fragrance of the rose and put it in the glass of water by the bed. A knock at the door hurried his dressing. He pulled on the jockey shorts and jeans and went to answer the door.

It was Violet. She stood there with a tray holding two teacups and a silver tea service.

“Good morning, my dear.” Her gaze raked up and down his torso, and she sighed. “All the hot ones are gay.”

“You’ve been saying that since I met you.”

“Well, it’s true. This is the first time I’ve seen that luscious slim chest of yours. I love dark-haired men.”

“I’m a bit scrawny.”

“Nonsense, Heath. You’re a hottie. Tea?”

“Uh, sure.” He wasn’t really sure, but Violet was a force of nature not to be questioned. She poured out two cups of tea and plopped herself down, handing one to him.

He held his nose over the teacup. Citrus and mint. “Where did you get this? It’s my favorite.”

“Your desk at work, and I told your boss that you had a family emergency and wouldn’t be back for a few days.”

“Hmmm.” He sipped his tea. The taste was familiar and comforting.

“Anton really enjoyed your date. The hike and picnic wasn’t a ruse to get close to you.”

“Did you know what was going on?”

“My dear, you are hot, young, gay, and single. You were the perfect match for my Anton and damned lucky he noticed that key. I never saw it.”

Heath raised an eyebrow. “Then why did you set me up with those three losers before you introduced me to him?”

Violet laughed. “Well, it took me a bit to realize you were perfect for him.”

“He said he worked in the medical industry.”

“Yes, well. He couldn’t exactly tell you that he fought international criminals, could he?”

“I suppose not. So what happens next? Where do I go? That guy is still out there, and I’m worried that he’ll find me here and hurt you two.”

Violet chuckled again. “Don’t you worry one bit about us. Those idiots will never get in here, and what happens next is up to you.”

“What do you mean?” His confusion clouded his thoughts.

“Life’s thrown you a curveball. Are you swinging at it or hiding in the dugout?”

Heath sat back in the chair and sipped at his tea. He looked out the open window, taking in the blue sky and the sparkling ocean on this crisp autumn morning.

There really wasn’t an option. He couldn’t hide for the rest of his life. He’d be in danger either way.

He looked back at Violet and grinned. “Batter up.”

****

babrent archerBrent Archer began writing in 2011 at the nudging of his cousins. His first story sold, and he was hooked! Stay tuned for the May 14th release of his short story A Ride Home as part of Neil Plakcy’s Take This Man anthology. Preorder it here.

Visit his website to keep up on upcoming releases, and follow him on Twitter: @brentarcherwrit.

Karida Clarke: Why I Love Paranormal Romance
Friday, May 8th, 2015

SurrendertheHeat_KindleI am often asked what drew me to write paranormal romance. Sometimes I am even asked by the uninitiated what paranormal romance is. To the latter, I typically answer that it’s Twilight without the fade to black (not entirely accurate, but it helps people understand). As to the former—as a kid, I loved fairy tales. Dragons, wizards, magical objects and enchantments tickled my imagination. As I grew older, the fairy tales evolved into fantasy novels with higher stakes, lengthier quests, and more mature themes. I love the escapism offered by these foreign, imaginary worlds.

Paranormal romance is an adult twist on my beloved fairy tales. The elements are the same; oftentimes you see magic, otherworldly creatures, quests, and imprisonments. But the genre also offers the exploration of feelings and satisfaction of a romance novel. You root for the main characters. You are pulled along as they fight to come to terms with their internal struggles and outward battles and finally achieve their happily ever after together.

I love and appreciate all the subgenres that Romance has to offer. I’ve loved reading about different time periods and have a weakness for books with hunky cowboys or swashbucklers on the cover. But for me, it’s the element of the fantastical, the foreign and magical, that sells me on paranormal. My books offer mythological creatures, other worlds, and plenty of sexy spice.

When I set out to write my Phoenix Warrior series, I chose a different mythological creature—the phoenix—as my inspiration because it was relatively uncharted territory. The Phoenix Warriors are hunky immortals guarding the human realm and I’m told my books have lead to some “inspired” time in readers’ bedrooms. Whether you are new to paranormal or have read dozens of authors, I hope you’ll give my sizzling series a try.

You can learn more about the Phoenix Warrior series at my website, www.karidaclarke.com, or at my Amazon author page, http://www.amazon.com/Karida-Clarke/e/B00INJ1T14.

I am grateful to Delilah for inviting me to share my thoughts and my books on her blog. I would love to hear from readers. Have you explored all the subgenres that Romance has to offer? What draws you to a particular subgenre?

About the Author: Karida Clarke is a romance writer with a penchant for anything otherworldly. If it has scales, fur, poisoned talons, throws fire or casts magic spells, it might find its way into her stories. Karida likes her heroines multifaceted and her males swoon-worthy, Alpha-style. She believes that relationships matter more than things and places. In her free time, Karida enjoys lacing up for long runs and cooking ethnic cuisine. Pet peeves include Saran Wrap and people who don’t put their shopping carts away. Karida has an M.A. in English Literature, is a former college English instructor, and currently writes for a small newspaper. She lives with her nerd-tastic husband and two spunky kids in Ohio.

Website: www.karidaclarke.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/karidaclarke
Twitter: www.twitter.com/karidaclarke
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7891344.Karida_Clarke

Chandra Ryan: Clean Slates
Thursday, May 7th, 2015

There’s something to be said for starting over. Every once in awhile, life gives you the change to just wipe everything away and start fresh. Three and a half years ago life handed my family and myself just such an opportunity. My husband was offered a job in Austin, Tx. He had a great job in Illinois, where we were at the time. Both our families were there with us. We were established. But who can turn down the chance to start all over again? It’s an adventure. It’s a defining moment in life. The chance to stake a new claim and prove you can do it. So we did.

When a group of my Austin writer friends asked me about writing a story for their anthology, Romancing Austin, I wanted to tell a similar story. I wanted to tell the story about somebody getting a fresh start. And Juliana was born!

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Do Over

Bad things happen—even to good girls.

Juliana was angry and heartsick when her fiancé left her at the altar. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her from going on her honeymoon to Austin, Tx. She needed a vacation—an adventure to shake things up. And the tattooed man she meets at a bar would make an excellent holiday fling. But Luke knows a good thing when he sees it. His job it to discover extraordinary people. He’s not going to let Juliana slip through his fingers.

But Do Over isn’t the only story in the anthology! There’s a little bit of something for everybody in Romancing Austin:

On sale for .99!
Former rock star Dex Reed throws a wild comeback party in his Austin penthouse, and seven romances heat up the night.

No Quitting Allowed, Rebecca Royce
One last assignment and then Lana is quitting her job, quitting Austin, and moving on with her life. Until Jake stumbles into her and changes the direction of her whole world.

Twisted, Cara Carnes
Caleb “Colt” Douglas agreed to close out Twisted Delirium’s sold out world tour with a gig at SXSW for one reason–win back the woman he left behind.

Do Over, Chandra Ryan
When life offers Juliana a fresh start, will she follow her heart or play it safe?

Consortium, Riley Bancroft
Record exec Holt Michaelson married the enigmatic Chloe to keep his assets safe from a vindictive competitor, but after a fiery encounter with his new wife, he’s determined to claim her as his own, body and soul.

Tall Order, Irene Preston
Dylan made the worst mistake of his life when he chose his career over Aston, but tonight he’ll take a risk on Aston even if it’s too late.

Enchanted, Evelyn Berry
Stripped of her magic, fairy princess Aurora is torn between her duty to her imperiled family and to a brilliant musician who holds the key to their freedom…and her heart.

One Night with the Vampire, Jax Garren
Tonight Alex will finally possess the woman he’s craved, but Sofia’s dangerous family secrets threaten to tear them apart.

You can find out more about the anthology and pick up your copy while it’s still on sale here:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JnSSm3
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1buwrjA
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-romancingaustin-1767618-166.html
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/romancing-austin-jax-garren/1121862573?ean=2940151241359

Megan Mitcham: Anticipation (Contest)
Wednesday, May 6th, 2015

Which is better, contact or the seconds before?

You’ve been thinking about those lips, that smile, that accent for days, weeks, months, years. Now, the universe has aligned and here you are. Anticipation, a.k.a. foreplay, whether verbal, body language, or physical adds a whole new level of HOT to any encounter. It’s the major premise behind my joint adventure with Author Lindsay Cross. Take a peek and answer the question at the bottom of the post for a chance to win a copy of Enemy Mine or Versions.

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ANTICIPATION

A Heart and Handcuffs Anthology

Love is all you need… Really? Tell that to her unattended lady-boner. Sure, she and her husband had a love so strong it shouldered the weight of children, careers, in-laws, and out-laws, but the zing of excitement had grown into comfortable expectation.

He knew things had gone to hell in handcuffs. Work choked him on files and felons. Home’s honey-do lists weren’t much better, because nowhere on the to-do list did it say, “wife.”

They had love, but how did they get back to lust?

With a little bit of Anticipation…

Anticipation contains two sizzling ten-thousand word short stories. In Megan Mitcham’s story “Climax,” a busty—and brainy—redhead arrests her police-chief husband and shows him exactly what she’s had to do to get by without him for the last two months. In Lindsay Cross’s story “Need,” a work-from-home mom pushed to the brink pushes back, revealing her un-sated desire and forcing her Dominant to reestablish his role.

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play |B&N | All Romance

ISBN ebook: 978-1-941899-12-0
Release: May 2015
Length: 170 pages

Excerpt

“Why’d you insist on coming with me? This isn’t exactly your thing.” Lindley held up a gloved hand and fanned her fingers at him.

Fox’s broad back faced her. He typed furiously on his cell with the thick collar of his overcoat up on both sides. “What? Oh.” He turned his dark gaze on her. The ruddiness in his cheeks from the spring wind outside faded to sheet-white. “Damnit, Lin.” He looked away so quickly he almost snapped his neck. “I still don’t understand how it’s your thing.” He shoved the phone inside his pocket and gripped the table he leaned against with both hands. “When we met you seemed so normal.”

“I am normal.” She grinned, pleased with herself for shaking him up enough to get him talking. He’d been so quiet on the car ride over, stuck in the mire of his thoughts. And now that she’d seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg that had wrecked their sex life she wanted to know more.

“You have brains all over your gloves and you’re not about to hurl. That’s not normal.” His shaggier-than-usual locks moved in time with his shaking head.

“Sure it is. You like to solve puzzles. It’s part of the reason you became a police officer. Every case for you is an intricate weave of timelines, witnesses, evidence, leads, and documentation. Well, I like to tell people’s stories when they can’t.”

“So, what’s White’s story?”

“This bastard got shot in the head.”

Fox’s shoulders shook. He doubled over and the most glorious sound filled her morgue. She hadn’t heard his laugh in so very long. Sure he’d laughed with the kids, but not with her, not that real belly-rolling laugh, in too long. He buried his face in his arm. “Oh God, it smells awful in here.” The coat and thickly-corded muscles muffled the words.

Lindley let the sound wash over her, soothing the ache in her heart. “It’s good to hear you laugh,” she breathed through the thin face mask.

“It’s good to laugh. It’s been a long time.” With that, the last of his mirth dried up.

“So why’d you come with me?”

“The logical thing for James to do is run, but why’d he kill White in my office, in my chair? Nothing was stolen. Nothing was out of place.”

He resumed his grip on the table.

“A final FU?”

“Or it’s a threat.”

A tiny tendril of fear threaded itself around her heart. She strived to make light of the situation. But really, a man who’d eaten barbeque in her back yard had murdered the buddy he’d picked up on his way to their house. She could only blow off so much.

Lindley secured the metal spreader inside White’s entry wound and wiggled her fingers into his brain matter. “Why would he threaten you?”

“I pushed for the bust on Chino and his gang based on things we learned from following White and James.”

“Chino!” The tendril coiled tight and her fingers slipped off the tip of the metal slug.

“He’s not a problem for us. He knows how the system works. He’s a bad guy, but not The Godfather make-a-big-statement type. He’ll post bail within the hour. Whether he goes to jail or not, James is the one with the issue. He won’t have a prayer of showing his face in this town again. No matter what he says, Chino will believe he informed for us, and he’ll end up fish food.”

“And that’s not a statement?”

“It’s a little one.”

“Okay.”

“James stealing the money was an FU to the force. White in my office was personal.”

Lindley pushed everything aside, concentrated, and steeled her grip. “I found the slug.”

“Great. Can we go now?”

“Can you grab me a small evidence bag and open it?”

He sighed and moved to the wall of metal cabinets and drawers behind her. “Can you bring it over here. If I don’t see the body, I’ll do better.”

“I still don’t understand how you made it through seven years as a detective.” Lindley sidled up next to him and dropped the hunk of compressed metal into the open bag.

“I could look at that as evidence. This is like finger painting or sculpting with brains, and guts, and… Okay, I’m about to gross myself out.”

It was her turn to laugh. Finally. Fox’s wide eyes and reciprocating smile said he enjoyed the sound as much as she did. They shared a moment together. He moved in, but his gaze dropped to her hands. He hit the brakes.

“So, can we go now?”

“I have to clean him up, and then me. It’ll take another hour, maybe.”

Fox looked at her extra-large clock on the wall. “One o’clock. I’ve officially been awake for thirty hours.”

“Sissy. It doesn’t get good until you’ve hit the fiftieth. Mental function shuts down and you find you can sleep standing up with a candy-bar hanging out of your mouth.”

“If this place didn’t freak me out so much, I’d already be asleep. You know I like my eight hours.”

“I know you haven’t gotten that many in a row in a while.”

“I haven’t gotten a lot of things in a while.” His shaky finger brushed a group of stray hairs from her forehead. “I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as I am.” She leaned into his hand. The tiny bit of skin-on-skin contact bolstered her resolve.

Let me know what you think in the comments and remember to leave your email address so I can alert the winner!!! Which does it for you contact all the way or anticipation?

*~*~*~*

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Megan was born and raised among the live oaks and shrimp boats of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where her enormous family still calls home. She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi where she received a bachelor’s degree in curriculum, instruction, and special education. For several years Megan worked as a teacher in Mississippi. She married and moved to South Carolina and began working for an international non-profit organization as an instructor and co-director.

In 2009 Megan fell in love with books. Until then, books had been a source for research or the topic of tests. But one day she read Mercy by Julie Garwood. And Oh Mercy, she was hooked!

Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens heart pounding romantic thriller novels and window steaming erotic romance. Follow her on FacebookTwitterPinterest & Goodreads!

Lindsay McKenna: Choosing Names for Characters
Sunday, May 3rd, 2015

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The name I choose for every character I write about means everything to me.  The name needs to resonate within me, inspire me, sweep me off to the hero and heroine’s personality, their thoughts, emotions, desire, dreams and wounds.  A name has energy to it and a very specific vibration.  That name is a template from which the character “talks” to me for the duration (and sometimes, after) the book.

When I start a new book, I’ll see a character come forward and introduce themselves to me.  I see what they look like, how they are dressed, the expression on their face, etc.  From that, I pick up a vibe about him or her.  I can feel who they are inside and out, as if they are utterly transparent to me on every level with me.  This is the magical part of creation which I love.

The only downer is my characters never tell me their names!  I go through a number of books, thumbing through them, muttering a bunch a names to see if one “fits” them or not.  I go to tons of baby names websites on the Internet.  I look for unique, interesting or oddball names.  I’ve written over 135 books and all my favorite names have long ago, been used up!

Choosing every name of every character is one of the most important things I do when developing a story.  Every time I say that name out loud, I get an instant telepathic and emotional hit on that character.  I never go out-of-character because of this.  Choosing a name that embraces the particular character’s personality is vital.

I favor short names over really long, convoluted ones.  I like names you can create a nickname from or around. For example, the hero of RUNNING FIRE is a US Navy SEAL named Kelly Ballard.  But everyone has, forever, called him by his nickname, Kell.  And so, he grew up with it.  There’s usually a reason why some people get nicknames spinning off their given name.  Sometimes, there isn’t.   In Kell’s world, people around him just automatically shortened it.  Besides, Kell is an easy going sort of man and wasn’t one of those people who went around correcting everyone every time they didn’t call him by his real name, Kelly. (There are people out there like that, believe me).  I also don’t care for a name I can’t pronounce without stumbling all over it.  I figure if I do, so will my reader.

It was tougher for me to find the heroine’s name: Leah Mackenzie.   Names sound strong or weak to me.  When I say the name, I want to investigate the layers  enclosed within its vowels and consonants.  In Leah’s case, when she came forward to introduce herself to me, I felt layers of steel, of grief, of suffering, but also, family meaning everything to her, a kindness and a loyalty that ran deeply through her.  She was a highly complex and compartmentalized person, so I needed a name that had far more layers than normal to it.

Above all, Leah was a person who cared deeply for family, and less for herself.  I needed a name with vulnerability built into it.  I wanted that softness that I felt deeply hidden and guarded by her.  I had to have a name that contained those juxtapose polarities:  marshmallow combined with steel.  I spent seven days and finally discovered the name that resonated with her:  Leah.

Afterward?  I always have fun looking up on the Internet what a name means by the country of its origin.  And also, any historical or religious significance to it, or not.  I’m always amazed, after I choose a name and then scour the basics of the name through history, that it ends up reflecting some basic tenets of my character. Go check the name Leah on Google, and you’ll get a ton of information!

I hope you enjoy the many layers, twists and turns of Running Fire!  Please run over to my website and sign up for my quarterly newsletter (free).  It contains exclusive information, giveaways, and surprises that only my subscribers will receive!  I love to hear from my readers, so make yourself known to me at www.lindsaymckenna.com.

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Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Running-Fire-Lindsay-McKenna/dp/0373788932
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23280201-running-fire?from_search=true
Author’s website:  http://lindsaymckenna.com
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