Lori Devoti, paranormal romance and urban fantasy author

I love a man who speaks his mind.

My cousin is in Iraq right now. He’s part of a JAG section stationed in Baghdad. While there he and another officer/judge (in civilian life) have been putting together a newsletter for the families and friends of the section back here in the U.S. I thought some of you might also be interested in reading what day to day life is like for them. I’ll post two a week for the next few weeks–Friday and Wednesday. Then it will go to one a month for as long as my cousin is there. (80 more days)

“THE MULESKINNER” is a publication focused on the Soldiers of the35th Engineer Brigade (a.k.a. Muleskinners) and its engineer mission while deployed to Iraq in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Here’s the first issue.

Thought this might interest some of you.

Over at The Midnight Moon Cafe. AND they are giving away a copy of Unbound–which is darn hard to fine now. So, if you would like a chance at a copy, stop by and comment.

There is also a review of Guardian’s Keep up at The Good, The Bad and The Unread. Check it out too. And for those of you who share Sandy’s love of the tortured hero–Venge is out in June. :) And I think my vampire, Drystan, from my December novella is going to be pretty darn tortured too…

Okay, a bit of a disclaimer…This book is set in a ghost town, but the town is roughly based on one I used to live in–Rimini, Montana. There are no cactus in the book. Also, I didn’t really see Venge wearing Western wear–of course I never said he didn’t either. So, use your imagination there as you like. And finally, yes (if you read Unbound) he should be wearing a silver chain; the totem thing in this image is not in the story.

So, that all said, what do you think?

This month from Your Virtual Book Bag, we have a release with one gorgeous cover, Lisa Manuel’s Fortune’s Kiss. Fortune’s Kiss is a regency set historical romance. The cover makes me think of an old leather-bound journal–very romantic.

In an interview with her publisher, Medallion Press, Lisa talks about sticking with the sub-genre she loves even though it hasn’t been as “hot” as some others.

More than a few established historical authors even switched over to writing contemporaries. I’d considered the wisdom of doing the same, but even though I have some favorite contemporary authors, in my heart of hearts I knew I personally wouldn’t feel the same passion for writing contemporary stories. And without that passion driving me, I wouldn’t be able to deliver the kind of emotional impact that makes reading a romance so satisfying.

The full interview is posted here.

And here’s a bit about Fortune’s Kiss.

Practical, country-bred Moira Hughes must fight for the family fortune she believes her stepfather’s heir has unlawfully withheld from her. Graham Foster, treasure hunter and Egyptian antiquities expert, returns to London to claim his barony only to find himself accused of foul play by Moira and her widowed mother. Coming to a wary truce, Graham agrees to help Moira find her lost fortune, and together they follow a trail of fraud, deceit and murder that leads them through the streets of London—and into each other’s arms.

For more info on Lisa and her books, visit her at her web site.

I met Ann Voss Peterson through my local RWA chapter, and she is one swell chick. :) She’s always willing to answer my bizarre questions about synopses, plotting or police. And we just discovered we are only a month apart in age!

Oh, yeah, and she writes kick-ass romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue.

Anyway, I’m really happy to have a chance to post an interview with her and to celebrate the release of her new book, Wyoming Manhunt–in stores TODAY–I’m giving away a prize to one lucky commenter. Ann’s November 2006 release, Critical Exposure. Don’t ask me how I have it–I squirrel things away for just such occasions. :) So, read the interview and maybe win a book! (Prize to be awarded March 31st.Chosen from comments on this post.)

Author of: Romantic Suspense
Favorite Candy: VERY DARK chocolate
Favorite Cartoon Character: Harley Quinn from Batman
Super Power Most Covets: I’d love to read minds.

Q.) First tell us about your books.

A.V.P.) I write fast-paced romantic thrillers. My current release, Wyoming Manhunt, is the debut of Harlequin Intrigue’s Thriller series. It’s the story of a single-mother accountant who goes on her company executives’ big game hunting trip hoping for a promotion…until the boss starts hunting her.

Q.) Are you a plotter or a panster? Character-driven or plot driven? Ever try to be the opposite? Do you have a set method you use when starting a book?

A.V.P.) I’m a combination of plotter and panster. A combination of character driven and plot driven. I’ve tried to write a myriad of different ways, but it always ends up the same.

I like to say I’m a purger of bad ideas. When I come up with an idea, it always seems exciting and fabulous at first. Then I plan it out on a dry erase story board and immediately see that it wasn’t as good as I thought. Then I write an outline. That’s the second purging of mediocre ideas. Then I write a horrible first draft, that gets rid of the largest mass of bad stuff. I revise as I write the first draft. I revise after the draft is done. I revise and revise and the story grows and grows. And in the end, the novel is so much better, deeper, more emotional, and more thrilling than anything I originally conceived, it’s a little bit like a miracle.

Q.) What attracted you to romantic suspense?

A.V.P.) I love the way love and fear play off one another and make each other more intense. Think about it. Extreme situations lead to strong bonds between characters. And falling in love gives those characters more to lose. It’s a delicious combination.

Q.) Your new release, Wyoming Manhunt, is “duh” set in Wyoming. What made you decide to write something set in the west? Did you get to go on any fun research trips?

A.V.P.) My brother moved to Wyoming about two years ago. I’ve been to Wyoming twice before, so I didn’t go for this book. But I’m planning more Wyoming books and fabulous research trips to come!

Q.) On your web site you talk about some of the adventures you’ve had in the name of research. Which did you enjoy most? What else would you love to try?

A.V.P.) I loved taking part in my local citizen’s police academy and fire department citizen’s academy. I experienced everything from firing weapons and driving police cars to ice rescue and searching smoke-filled buildings. I’ll be using those experiences for books to come.

My list of things to try is long. Right now, I’m taking karate classes and it is adding a whole new dimension to my fight scenes. I’m also planning to do some rock climbing. I’m looking forward to trying out anything that might add to the stories.

Q.) What can readers expect to find in all your books no matter the setting?

Thrilling stories, fast pacing and characters to care about.

Q.) What advice do you have for writers first starting out? What do you wish you’d known from the get-go?

A.V.P.) Writing is a dream. Publishing is a business. Confuse the two at your own peril. I’m lucky in that I always understood publishing meant business. What I forgot to do was nurture the dream and have fun with it. All work and no play makes the muse go away. Luckily she does come back.

Q.) Any new projects on the horizon? What would you like to try next?

A.V.P.) The story I’m writing now is one that I’ve always wanted to do…a gothic. You know, an old house, a dark, tortured hero, a heroine afraid for her life, even a hint of ghosts. As a fan of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, I’ve always wanted to write a bit of a tribute to that tradition, and I’ve finally found the story to do it.

I also have plans to use my research with my local police and fire departments in a story set in my native Wisconsin. And the Wyoming series that I mentioned earlier will have a definite horse emphasis to it, taking advantage of the many years I spent immersed in the horse world. And I’m working with three other Intrigue authors on a special series celebrating Harlequin’s 60th anniversary. I have a lot of irons in the fire, as they say, but the one thing they all have in common is suspense and romance. Those elements seem to be at the center of all the stories I want to explore.

Q.) Finally, where can readers find out more about you and your books?

A.V.P.) My website! http://www.annvosspeterson.com

“THE MULESKINNER” is a publication focused on the Soldiers of the35th Engineer Brigade (a.k.a. Muleskinners) and its engineer mission while deployed to Iraq in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Here’s the seventh issue.

Uh, that’s about all I have to say right now. It was in paranormal, winners to be announced April 12th and the woman who left the message on my voice mail had the loveliest Southern accent. Gotta love a Southern accent, don’t you? I think I’ve lost most of my Ozarkian accent, and I don’t think it was exactly lovely anyway…

I am officially at the half way point in my vampire novella which is due May 1. It’s scheduled for release in December as half of Nocturne’s Holiday with a Vampire anthology. The other author is Merline Lovelace. I’ve done a couple of proposals with vampires before, but they never made it to the “present to editors” stage. Not because I didn’t like them, just because things changed while I was working on them and I didn’t feel their time was right. I have one I particularly like though set partially in current time and partially in the late 1700’s, kind of a dual timeline thing. At some point I may go back to that one because it still calls to me.

But back to this vampire. :) His name is Drystan and hers is Aimee. I’m calling it my “heartwarming tale of the undead.” Okay, that is kind of a joke, but it is heartwarming–not a single throw someone up against the wall scene yet. Although I may have to add at least one…maybe in the church….

Sorry, left you there for a second. So, I’m at the halfway point, and here is my dilemma. I’ve been taking it easy with this one, writing just a couple pages a day on it and spending my other writing time working on a new idea I have (paranormal, but not like my Nocturnes–kind of a paranormal romantic thriller). But at the halfway point I’m thinking it may be time to knuckle down and push through to the end. Spring break is coming up, as is the Ninc Conference. It would be great to have my rough done before I headed out at least on the latter.

But I hate to leave that other idea completely either…It’s so hard.

For other writers out there, are you one idea workers? Meaning you work on one thing solely until it is done? Or do you bounce between things? Work on mutliple projects in the same day, week, what?