Interview with a......ghost??

Yes, you heard me right. If you're spooked by ghosts, you might want to leave this page right now! I mean, I hope you don't leave and that you choose to stay, read the interview, and even leave a comment, but I don't want to get blamed for wetting your pants, or any such things that might occur while this ghostly interview goes on. I mean, he's not a scary ghost by all means, but I never know the reactions to people if they encounter a supernatural being.

That said, I'm going to shut up and let Rose Anderson begin this haunting interview with Jason Bowen. Let's begin, shall we? Turn down the lights, pull up a chair and have yourself a cup of cocoa, or some tea, coffee even.

Ready?

An unusual conversation took place the other night. I’d been fighting a cold and feeling under the weather all day, so went to bed early. I dream most nights. Some are remembered with clarity, while others disappear in the light of day. It was no surprise to find myself dreaming that night. I often dream aware, that is, aware I’m dreaming no matter where my dream takes me.

In this particular dream, I was sitting at a kitchen table enjoying a cup of tea. To my surprise, a ghostly presence appeared in the chair directly across from me. At first the spectre was nothing more than an eerie blue light. Before my eyes the light took the form of a translucent figure. A moment later and a solid and very handsome dark-haired, whiskey-eyed, man sat there. I recognized him instantly as the ghost of Victorian physician, Jason Bowen. After pouring him a cup of tea, we had ourselves an impromptu little chat --

Jason, this is a surprise. I know I’m dreaming right now and I know as a ghost you’re able to enter dreams. I take it meeting you like this is no coincidence?

(He smiles.) This is so. You’re actually in bed sleeping. I hope you don’t mind Rose, I wish to talk.

I suppose not. How do you manage to enter dreams like this?

Are you perchance familiar with the work of Wundt and Titchner?

Uh no… I’m sorry. I’m unfamiliar with the names.

No matter. They were both European psychologists of my day. They would say the brain is susceptible in its unconscious state. To put it simply, as formless energy, my essence is able to flow as electricity flows and the sleeping mind is an adequate channel. To live again in the dream world is a bonus. I very much miss being alive, you see. Here I can enjoy a cup of tea and conversation with you. In the waking world, these pleasures are denied me.

So what would you like to talk about?

My house guest. I find the situation hopeless.

I figured that you would eventually.

(He shook his head) I fell into Lanie’s dreams and into the life I’d lived more than one hundred years ago. The problem is, in her dream world she’s a woman of that time, and I find she’s taken me heart and soul. I’ve fallen in love, Rose. Our love there is real, but the dream is an illusion.

I’m so sorry Jason.

There’s more to her dreams, Rose.

More?

(He nodded sadly) Lanie’s dreams have taken us to a point in time mere days from my fate. My wife, her lover, and his sister are still conspiring to murder me…again.”

And Lanie has no idea?

I don’t believe she’s aware she’s actually dreaming while in the midst of the dream. I fear if this second murder takes place, all traces of me will disappear for good. I will be gone from Lanie’s dreams and no longer be the ghost haunting her house.

You do know she loves you, ghost or not…

I know.

My heart breaking for his untenable situation, I watched him fade away. A moment later I found myself awake. I do hope these unlikely lovers find a way to stay together. Unfortunately, the only way this seems possible is through Lanie’s death, and maybe not even then.

***

:) I hope you’ve all enjoyed this flight of fancy and are tempted to know more. And Dreamscape is so much more!

More than a sensual love story, it’s a ghost story, a time travel (of sorts), a murder, a suspense, and a mystery all rolled into one. What's more, this story is a reader's Easter egg hunt. Peppered throughout are clues leading the reader to a story behind the scenes. Here’s the blurb and teaser:

Blurb:

Unable to deny his own translucence, Dr. Jason Bowen determines his lack of physical substance could only mean one thing—he’s a ghost. Murdered more than a century before, Jason haunts his house and ponders the treachery that took his life. When Lanie O’Keefe arrives with plans to renovate her newly purchased Victorian mansion, Jason discovers, ghost or not, he’s still very much a man.

Despite its derelict condition and haunted reputation, Lanie couldn’t be happier with her new home, but then she has no idea a spirit follows her every move throughout the day and shares her captivating warmth at night. Jason soon discovers he can travel through Lanie’s dreams and finds himself reliving the days before his murder with Lanie by his side.

It took one hundred and twenty years for love to find them, but there’s that insurmountable little matter of Jason being dead.

Dreamscape Excerpt:

Lanie sat on the stairs, pulling old carpet tacks from the bunching old runner and talking on the phone to Lexie about their dinner plans. She had no idea Jason sat on the stair above carefully contemplating how he might reveal himself without frightening her. Discovering her tack hammer misplaced for the third time, she gave up on the frustrating task and went to get ready for her blind date.

Her bath had the same effect on him as it had the other times he watched her bathe. She stood wrapping hair and body in thick towels, looking for all the world like she’d just emerged from the Turkish baths. Over her shoulder, in the mirror, he watched her fascinating application of tints and lash color, though, in his opinion, she was just as beautiful with as without. His cock grew soft once she began to dry her hair with a gadget he had never seen before. Margaret certainly didn’t have one of these noisy electrical hot air blowers. His body roused again when she put her undergarments on. Her pantalets were nothing more than a Y-shaped piece of material that accented her adorable rounded backside. Her brassiere was crafted from very feminine black lace, low enough that the rosy hue of her areolas slightly peeked above the edge. A French milliner couldn’t have chosen better. She dabbed perfume behind her ears, on the inside of her wrists and at the spot above her heart. Although the fragrance was faint, he was surprised he could smell the familiar floral scent on her as she passed. That sense had been dead as long as he. Holding this piece of clothing or that before her, she appraised her reflection in the mirror with each. After four considerations, the dress she settled on was black and short—too short. He found himself frowning.

The frown persisted as the mantle clock stuck ten o’clock and deepened when it struck eleven. By eleven-thirty-two, he was in a fine pique.

Hearing Lanie’s automobile roll onto the gravel drive, he invisibly materialized downstairs to meet her at the door with his arms folded across his chest in irritation. Leaning against the wall, looking her over from head to toe as she came in talking on her telephone, he thought her lips were a little chafed, a little too swollen. She’d kissed the man she’d just met that night, no doubt more than once. The thought annoyed him more than the late hour.

“No really, I had a nice time with Jim.” She laughed. “Yes, nosy, I let him kiss me. Lexie, I know, but please no more dates until I finish the clinic. Please? I have too much to do to get sidetracked.” She laughed again. “I don’t know, maybe I will see him again. He kissed fine! Of course you can set us up again when I get things done here. I don’t know how long it’s going to be—I have the clinic to open! Yes, I know you do. No, when I’m done you’ll be the first to know. I promise. Love you, too.” She hung up the phone shaking her head. “Sheesh,” she said in exasperation, but the over-kissed smile lingered.

Irritated a great deal, he followed her upstairs and watched as she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed into her worn, comfortable-looking clothing. Still invisible, he didn’t follow behind her when she went back downstairs. Rather he focused his mind and appeared alongside her at the bottom.  
    Heading to the parlor, Lanie turned on Margaret’s television and took a seat on the sofa directly across. When kissing her date goodnight, the man suddenly had the arms of an octopus. Picking up the remote, she proceeded to flip through channels, feeling wired from fending off her date’s sweet but unwanted attentions.
   Watching her, Jason shook his head. “Oh no, sweetheart, I haven’t waited the entire night for you to lose yourself to this contrivance.” With that he projected his spirit energy into the wires that fed the machine electricity. The screen instantly filled with snow.

Lanie frowned at the snowy screen and flipped through channel after channel looking for better reception. “Oh, come on!” she told the television. After another run-through, she gave up and turned it off. “Damn it. All I wanted to do was unwind before bed.” She ran an exasperated hand over her face. There was a lot to do the following day and she knew it would take hours for her to fall asleep. A thought came to her. Most over-the-counter sleep aides were antihistamine-based. Having seasonal allergies, that was something she had readily available. That would certainly make her sleepy. No, I don’t like how my head feels in the morning. Instead she headed to the kitchen for a cup of chamomile tea.

Jason watched her go, feeling the slightest remorse for haunting her television. He reasoned he didn’t like that noisy box that, for all appearances, put Margaret into a daily trance. He followed her into the kitchen where he noticed her lips again. His remorse evaporated. Sharing passionate kisses with a man you just met! Annoyed, Jason swept his hand across the counter and knocked the spoon to the floor with a clatter.

Lanie jumped at the sound. Frowning, she reached under the chair where a spoon had inexplicably fallen then looked around for anything that might have knocked it on the floor, hoping she didn’t have large mice or, God forbid, rats. Setting it in the sink, she said, “I think I have ghosts.”

Jason’s anger instantly faded as her statement took him by surprise. Testing her, he slowly opened the cabinet door, the old hinges squeaking and groaning. She turned to the sound of the swinging door, and he watched her face carefully. No fear, just curiosity. The whistling kettle diverted her attention. Once more he found himself wishing he were able to sit over a cup of tea and talk with her. He wanted to know where she’d been tonight and why she’d kissed a man she hardly knew. He wanted to know why she haunted his thoughts as surely as he haunted these halls. But moving a spoon and a cupboard door was a far cry from materializing in full form before her.

Taking a seat in the chair across from her as she scribbled small pictures onto her notepad, flowers mostly, daisies and lily-of-the-valley, he read the messages she wrote to herself regarding what needed to be done the following morning. This list was the shortest yet. Occasionally she’d look at the cabinet door to see if it would actually move again. He was tempted, but a part of him was too afraid she’d leave, never to return. Then the moment he had waited the entire day for happened. She yawned.

“You’re tired, you should rest,” he whispered. He could see the suggestion taking root in her mind. Putting her nearly full cup in the sink, she headed to bed.

Watching her sleep, Jason sat beside her a long while thinking on how lovely she looked tonight. He would have loved to have been the man to take her out on the town, to the theater perhaps. Out for dinner, certainly. If his own kisses had swelled those luscious lips, he would have ventured from her sweet mouth to the tops of those exquisite breasts so tantalizingly displayed in the décolleté of her neckline. His entire being desired to lose himself in the living heat of her. There was simply no stopping himself from caressing her, having lost that particular battle of conscience the first night she lay in his bed. He’d convinced himself that as long as he kept his baser needs to himself, touching her while she was completely unaware was a harmless compulsion.

Materializing just under the linens, his glowing form lit the sheet like a Japanese lantern. He whispered to her unconscious mind as she lay curled on her side, “Lay back for me, sweetheart, let me look at you fully while I feel how warm you are.”

Unconsciously responding to his suggestion, she rolled on her back, one arm tossed casually over her pillow.

Once more marveling that he was able to touch her at all, he swept her raven hair back from her lovely face, his thumb lightly tracing the delicate arch of her eyebrow. Touching her skin was like touching a rose petal in his garden, a warm sun-kissed rose petal. Gliding his hands over her warmth, he caressed her trim belly and arms all the while carefully avoiding the dove-soft breasts as any gentleman might unless given leave. Though it was true she hadn’t granted leave for any touching, the fragment of his gentlemanly comportment quickly faded as her living heat seeped into him.

Rose Anderson’s links:
http://www.calliopeswritingtablet.com/ (my blog)

http://www.bookstrand.com/rose-anderson (my books are at amazon, B&N, and here)

Follow Rose here for updates & more:
https://twitter.com/#!/RoseAnderson_ (notice the _ at the end of my name)

https://plus.google.com/117411462633912228541 (google+ circles of friends)

It's been a blast, Rose....and Jason! Can't forget you!   What a fun time here today. I know I enjoyed myself.

I did a review for Dreamscape here on my blog a few months ago and very much enjoyed the book. I love stories that feature ghosts, and the way that Rose wrote this story had me hooked. I had shivers while reading. I also read it late at night and had  a hard time waking up the next morning when my more than chipper toddler son woke up "singing" and being giddy. 

I do hope you'll give the book a try, and I'm glad you came back for another visit here on the blog today!

Until next time,

Storm Goddess

Liz Crowe is my Guest!

Liz Crowe is here today with a guest post! So, without further ado, I'm going to scoot on over and let Liz have the floor!

Every industry has its catch phrases and funny acronyms.

God knows OUR little world if full of ‘em:

I mean, the DH knows how hard I work creating HEAs, trying to keep my heroines from being TSTL, and he definitely avoids me while I’m in the editing cave, dealing with red lines on a potential R&R while at the same time working through galleys on another project and fighting off plot bunnies at the same time. Damn Muse.

My “other” industry (beer) is almost worse:

Today my brewer threw a fit because the Plato of his latest batch wouldn’t yield the target OG and the assistant messed up the dry hopping of our latest IPL and they both forgot to rack and carb the Amber. Meanwhile I’m trying to sort out new FOB pricing for my wholesaler, schedule ride-alongs and get shelf talkers done for retailers.

Real estate is no better. My new series with Tri Destiny Publishing as part of its new Sizzlin’ line of erotic romance is called The Realtors: Life in the House Lane.

I gave each book in the series a “jargon title.”

The first one, when Jack Gordon and Sara Thornton begin their long, sometimes difficult, many times erotic journey together is called “Floor Time.”

That refers to the hours a licensed realtor will spend “on floor” or as the realtor on call physically at the office to take phone calls and walk ins. Neither of those things are that frequent anymore so many offices have had to set up “virtual floor” schedules for realtors savvy with smart phones and what not to get folks requesting info by email what they need right away. I was one of those realtors for my office when I still sold houses.

The second book: Sweat Equity comes from a phrase likely more familiar to non-realtors. It means the time spent to build “equity” in something like home ownership, business ownership or even a relationship. When you undertake a renovation yourself, paint your own living room walls or otherwise update your existing home without paying someone else you are investing “sweat equity” in the future value of the house. Jack and Sara spend the second book coming together and breaking apart, seemingly unable to coordinate their emotional connections although the physical? Spot on.

By the time Jack and Sara get to book three, it may seem as though there is no solution to their inability to truly connect. If you have ever purchased a house, or even a car, the term “Closing Costs” is familiar to you. Those are all the extraneous, sometimes sort of large, amounts of money that you must bring to the closing table in order to meet your end of the loan agreement. While the end goal: a house is purchased (or in Jack and Sara’s case a relationship finalized one way or another) is achieved, it does come “at a price.”

Series Blurb:

The Realtors: Life in the House Lane

Love is an easy word to use, a hard one to demonstrate, and sometimes impossible to trust. 

  The Realtors is a sweeping epic, encompassing over ten years in the lives of two people who know how to love with their bodies, how to please and get pleasure, to control and be controlled.  When it comes to the deeper meaning of the one word they both need, backgrounds and personalities get in the way and while their physical connection sizzles they continue to disappoint one another emotionally.

  Jack Gordon has it all--money, success, a string of women--but with a deep longing for something more. When he thinks he finds it with Sara Jane Thornton, his world is never the same again.  Sara releases his natural Dom, a side of him he'd thought buried out of frustration and unhappiness. Sara knows a true submissive must trust implicitly, something she cannot associate with him, no matter how many times she tries, and he fails.

  With a rich cast of secondary characters, including a young man who presents a near-perfect foil to Jack's intensity, and who falls hard for Sara; The Realtors series is a romantic saga with an emphasis contemporary life and love, with a healthy dose of white-hot eroticism. Modern, busy, driven characters living lives of purpose and real-time stress, seek the ever-elusive and highly coveted combination --a friend, lover and trusted advisor who will be there for the long haul.

FLOOR TIME BLURB:

Jack Gordon is Ann Arbor's most delectable bachelor. At age thirty-five, he's made millions as a top-selling Ann Arbor real estate broker and has the right connections to close a deal by any means necessary. With his rugged good looks and compelling personality, he has a virtual black book most men would kill for and he uses it often, never settling for one woman for very long.

While his D/s past remains buried, exactly where he wants it, an undercurrent of boredom and dissatisfaction runs through his life now.  Disastrous experience years earlier made him swear off the whole scene, but the more Jack suppresses his natural Dom, the more his frustration grows.   

Sara Thornton, just a rookie in the field, has fast-tracked herself to the top of the Ann Arbor real estate market. Her life evolves into a disciplined and focused routine, exactly what she wants.  However, as her career takes off, the fulfillment she seeks remains inexplicably out of reach.  The one thing she knows for sure, she will not join the Jack Gordon groupies in her company, no matter how tempting that might seem.

A chance encounter, then a difficult transaction, throw Jack and Sara together and the sparks fly high and hot and often. Forced to confront the compulsions that gain momentum with each sizzling encounter, their relationship seems to spiral out of control until Jack finally admits what he needs, and shows Sara what she's been missing.

LIZ CROWE BIO:

Microbrewery owner, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great middle west, in a Major College Town. Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry) has prepped her for life as erotic romance author. When she isn't sweating beer inventory, sales figures or promotional efforts for her latest publication, doing pounds of laundry for her sweaty athletic children, watching La Liga on the Fox Soccer Channel, or trying to figure out what to order in for dinner, she can be found walking her standard poodles or doing Bikram Yoga. Liz loves her Foo Fighters Pandora station, and watching reruns of Deadwood, when there isn't any decent European football on the telly. If you want a beer education follow her: www.a2beerwench.com. For writing related stuff, including her backlist, go to: www.brewingpassion.com.

What a great post,  and I really love the sound of your books! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I wish you much success in 2012! 

Until next time,

Storm Goddess

Unscripted part II: Interview and guest post with the authors!

Are you ready for more?  I've interviewed Natalie and Marla, the authors of Unscripted!  I've learned some interesting things about the writing duo, and hope you enjoy this interview.

Welcome! I'm so glad you're here today! It's always exciting to get to know new authors, and what better than asking some questions! Here we go!

So to start off, tell us a little bit about yourselves.

Natalie:  I was born in Wichita, Kansas and raised on the quick wit of “The Simpsons.”  Since I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life, I saved some money, packed up a U-Haul and moved to Los Angeles. (Ahh, youth.) After sleeping on a friend’s couch for a week, I rented an apartment, answered a want ad for a production assistant from the “Hollywood Reporter” and was hired on the spot because I was a Virgo (only confirming that what I’d heard about L.A. was true).  I worked as a PA on music video shoots and commercials (digging through cereal boxes to find “hero” breakfast flakes isn’t as fun as it sounds) until I was hired on my first real TV show – “Taxicab Confessions.” My luck continued from there and I was able to make amazing contacts and keep working.  I always had dreams of being a writer but it wasn’t until I met Marla that I made those dreams a reality.

Marla:  I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but spent several years studying and working in England.  Originally, I was dead set against doing anything in the entertainment industry, since its all anyone seems to do when growing up in LA, and so I majored in Art History.  After completing a Master’s Degree in Medieval Studies, at the University of York, England, I returned home with lofty aspirations of working at the Getty.  I soon realized, that every art historian has that very same dream and opportunities for a historian are few and far between.  I was lucky to land myself a job at Steven Spielberg’s Survivor’s of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, as a historical cataloguer of Holocaust testimonies.  From there, I moved over to working as the head researcher at Dreamworks Animation, which eventually transitioned into a job for a feature film writer/director.  Yes, I was working in “the industry” but I was still putting my degrees to work.  Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, I took a very sharp left turn and long story short…I ended up working in reality television as a producer.  My degrees are collecting dust, as is my once astute research techniques and knowledge of Anglo-Saxon art.  I often wonder what happened and how I ended up doing what I do.  But I was lucky enough to meet Natalie along the way, and had the time of my life writing this book with her.

How long have you been writing?

Writing has always been a part of our lives.  Turns out, when we were kids, we both wanted to be writers - Natalie was writing poetry and Marla was writing horror stories.  (We spent a hilarious afternoon sharing our early works – prodigies we were not!) As adults we both took stabs – Marla attempted to write a book on her own and Natalie wrote several spec scripts – but nothing really clicked.  We never really committed to being writers until we decided to write together.

I'm always curious by writing teams. So I want to ask a few questions on that.  How did the two of you meet?

We met back in 2001, while both working as segment producers for a massive, five-hour clip show. It was a monster of a job with a tight schedule that left us working Christmas Eve. We bonded over our daily dealings with crazy agents and managers, thousands of photographs and slides that we had to sort through, endless amounts of research, and late night/early morning edit sessions.  At the time, Natalie was planning on writing a novel with another producer.  Fortunately, that never panned out and Marla swooped in and stole Natalie’s time and talents. 

How did you decide to write together?

We have the same sense of humor – we tend to like the same movies, TV shows and books and we were voracious Chick Lit readers.  After passing our books back and forth in our private book club of two we decided to give it a shot.

What's your writing process like?

We definitely went through some trials and errors there.  At first, we thought we could talk in general terms about the overall plot and characters and somehow make magic when we sat down at the computer.  We’d sit side-by-side fidgeting, wondering aloud what should happen next.  We couldn’t imagine finishing a paragraph let alone an entire book and eventually one of us would suggest cookies as a possible answer. After a couple weeks of cookie time we decided we needed to find a new system.  Luckily, we discovered the joys of outlining.  Over the course of three or so months we outlined every detail of the book.  We had extensive character profiles, a breakdown of every scene in every chapter…hell, we even made production schedules for the shows so we knew exactly what we were doing.  Then we’d pick scenes and go off on our own and write.  We wrote over the course of a week (nights and Saturdays because we were both working) and then we’d email each other the chapters.  We’d make our edits and get together on Sundays to go over everything.  It’s a system we’d highly recommend to any struggling writing partners out there!

What's the best thing about teaming up?

Having someone to ride the roller coaster with is probably the best thing about teaming up. We shared the ups and downs, we actually were forced to write lest we piss each other off, and we ate a lot of chocolate.

What's the hardest thing about teaming up?

We joke that Marla’s husband probably had the toughest time with it. 

How did the idea for “Unscripted” come to be?

Since we were both producers, we knew Unscripted would be set in the world of reality TV…it was just a question of finding the right setting. When we first started, it was going to be a he said/she said type of thing. Well, we tried, we failed and we wish we could find those early drafts so we could mock them.  We had some other complicated scenarios going (Abby was originally Nicola – a spunky miss from the UK.  Blimey, Guv’nor!) until we finally realized that Abby should just be a normal girl – like the people we work with every day. 

Besides writing, what are some other passions and hobbies you have?

Natalie: Music, movies and books – before the digital revolution I was able to keep my buying impulses somewhat at bay but now…let’s just say iTunes and Amazon love me.  I also make a lot of soup (see the upcoming Talent question).

Marla:  I wish I could say something like, “creating intricate origami flowers,” or “I’m working towards my black belt in Karate.”  That would make me a terribly interesting and well-rounded person.  But alas, these days my passions are about spending quality time with my daughter, husband and friends.

What do you like to read? Favorite authors?

Natalie:  I like to read a little bit of everything and I tend to have a few novels going at once. “Bossypants” is a recent read that I loved.  As to my favorite authors, let’s see - Jonathan Franzen, Suzanne Collins, George R.R. Martin, Emily Giffin, Dave Eggers, Susanna Clarke, David Sedaris, J.K. Rowling, Jane Austen and Michael Chabon to name a few.

Marla:  Well, chick lit of course.  But my other go-to genre is historical fiction – particularly books set in England.  Some of my favorite authors….that is a tough question.  How about a list of authors I have read recently that I loved?  Sara Gruen; Jane Green; Sarah Waters; Kathryn Stockett; Augusten Burroughs; and of course, Helen Fielding.

Do you stick with writing just one genre? If so, do you ever think about another genre?

YA is definitely a genre we’d love to explore.

What's the strangest thing you've ever had to do/ask for research purposes.

Luckily, we didn’t have to do much research for this book since it was one of those, “write what you know,” scenarios.  Between us, we have over ten years experience working in reality television.  We’ve seen a lot, experienced a lot, and heard many horror stories from friends.  We already had a cornucopia of material to work from the moment we started this project so our research was minimal.

What is a talent you wish you had?

Natalie: Besides wanting to write without constantly editing myself, I wish I could cook.  I would love to be the kind of person who understands the chemistry of cooking – who can throw together a meal without consulting a recipe. My desire to be a master chef is so strong that even when I have a recipe, I tend to add my own ingredients to try to spice it up.  It almost never works out. (Fish Sauce. Don’t ask.) Basically, I like to make soups.  I wish they were edible.

Marla: To be 100% honest, I wish I were more talented when it comes to my writing.  I would love to be one of those prolific writers who think a 30-minute respite is actually writer’s block.  Oh, and I wish I could cook. 

What is something you'd like to accomplish in 2012?

Natalie: I have a few things on my list - lose weight, write more, save more money, make an actual retirement plan and try to read more books!

Marla: Is it a cliché to say, “lose weight and get healthy?”  Oh well, it’s the truth.  I’m ready to start working out again, get rid of my baby weight (which has now turned into toddler weight) and just make a life change for the better!

How do you/did you celebrate book release day?

We decided to keep it really low-key – we ordered in Indian food and cracked open a bottle of champagne.  

If you could read the mind of one famous person, who would it be, and what would you want to know?

Natalie: I feel like I should say Stephen Hawking but I’m going with Michele Bachmann.  I want to know what it’s like to live in crazy-town.  Does she believe her own nonsense? And how did the chutzpah gaffe happen – does she throw that word about willy-nilly or did some naïve speech writer expect her to know how to pronounce it? Enquiring minds want to know… 

Marla: Henry VIII – couldn’t you have just divorced them all?

What is something you absolutely can't live without? (Other than loved ones, of course!)

Natalie:  My DVR.  I came a bit late to the game - I was a naysayer who believed I couldn’t improve on my complicated VHS taping system.  Let’s just say that after I hit the “pause” button on live TV for the first time, my VHS tapes were soon gathering dust in the closet.  R.I.P. Battered Collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Marla: Oh my goodness – chocolate, coffee, pasta and Diet Coke of course!!!  Probably not a great answer since I am starting a cleanse/diet as my New Year’s resolution.

What's next for you? Are you working on something new?  New contract? Any hints of what's to come in your writing career?

We’re still working that out! We’ll let you know when we do!

What fun! This has really been a blast. Thank you for the great responses. 

Now, I've also invited the ladies for a guest post, and that is below. 

First off, we want to say thanks to Nikki for being part of our Chick Lit Plus blog tour!!

Writing a new blog is always a little daunting.  It’s not like writing a scene or a chapter in a book.  It’s about opening yourself up to strangers to see a little bit of who you are and the person (or in our case the persons) behind the pages.  What makes you tick?  Or, alternatively, what makes your book tick.  So coming up with intriguing topics is always a fun challenge for us.  

Thankfully, while sitting down to write this particular blog, there’s a constant interruption of booming music and the sound of two people kissing – over and over and over again – ad nauseum.  That’s because there is a dating show that is being edited next door, and this (and other variations of raucous laughter, conversation and making out) is what is heard all day long in our jobs as TV story producers.  Working in this industry can sometimes be a bit soul crushing when it comes to the ideal of romance.  It is dissected, analyzed, and agonized over by producers, directors and editors, all for the sake of entertainment.  Don’t get us wrong, we still love watching those shows once they are complete and on the air - especially when viewing them with friends and an adult beverage.  But it still takes some of the mystery out of the whole thing.

Therefore, when it came to writing about love for our own storyline we decided to hark back to, shall we say, a more Edwardian form of romance.  We are devoted fans of the recent hit series, “Downton Abbey” because of the unhurried route the characters take to actually fall in love.  But in our eyes, that is what makes the pay off all the more delicious!   We adore the propriety and lack of indulgence of it all.  And the same goes for those timeless heroes, Darcy and Elizabeth.  Their chemistry is so infectious that it has remained a touchstone for countless contemporary love stories.  This is also probably why we are huge fans of sweetheart teenage films where the couples don’t actually get together until the very end.  Who wouldn’t want to end up with gorgeous but aloof Jake Ryan from “Sixteen Candles,” even if it does take him forever to make his move?

So, because of all of the ‘in your face’ type of romance that we deal with on a day-to-day basis in reality TV, we really wanted to create a sense of subtlety between our two main protagonists.  We wanted a slow build of tension and emotion.  We wanted a happy ending.  Hopefully we succeeded in doing so. 

Who are some of your favorite romantic couples?  We’d love to hear from you!

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 Very insightful.  Well, it has definitely been a blast to know you through reading Unscripted, and talking with you here today. I wish much success in the coming years and can't wait for more books I can but with your names on them! 

Friends, readers, I hope you enjoyed today's post, and if you haven't already, check out the review I posted yesterday for the book, Unscripted. It's one that I enjoyed and hope that you will, too.

Don't foget to leave a comment! We'd all love to hear from you.

Until next time, 

Storm Goddess

               

Unscripted Review

Hello friends and readers, and once again, thanks for stopping by. I'm part of a blog tour for a duo of writers, and today is the first of a two part feature on my blog. Today I'm doing a review of Unscripted by Natalie Aaron and Marla Schwartz. Tomorrow features an interview and a guest post.  I hope you'll stop by for both! 


During this tour, if you leave a comment, you'll be entered in a contest! Gotta love those, right? I know I do. 


So, let's get started with the Unscripted Review!

Blurb: As a producer on a reality dating show, Abby Edwards knows that true love is a myth. Her career and her friends are all she needs. Right?

When her screenwriter ex makes a hit movie based on their relationship, Abby's faults are projected on screens across the country. Suddenly the fact that her job depends on orchestrating hot tub hook-ups doesn't seem so impressive.

Her friends rally to help. Zoë thinks she needs to meet a guy. Stephanie suggests an attitude adjustment. Nancy wants her to get in touch with her inner Goddess. Abby knows they mean well, but she prefers to focus on her work. Unfortunately, she's already embarrassed herself in front of her new boss, Will Harper, who she would find totally crush-worthy if he weren't so irritating.

Abby's about to be reminded that life doesn't follow a script—and good things happen when you least expect it...

My Thoughts:  Love. That four letter word that people fall in and out of. It's used lightly, or it goes unsaid.  Misunderstood or misused. The truth of it is, real love can't be conveyed in a script. 

Abby is your every day working woman trying to make ends meet in the crazy ride of life. There's bills to pay, deadlines to meet, and a job to be done. It's not easy freelancing from job to job. Abby is a character I related to because she's a woman that struggles to find love, find herself, and make sense of love. 

In Unscripted, through Abby's eyes, the readers go through the ups and downs of relationships, work, and life. Everything and everyone around her keeps changing. Relationships fade and die, new ones are formed, jobs are lost and found. Each character leaves their own mark in this story and has an important role.  There's a lot of conflict and emotion. The plot kept surprising me with new things, and the pacing of this story is steady and never left a dull moment. 

I enjoyed this book very much. It was neat to read about a life working behind the scenes show after show in the reality TV world. Abby is faced with different situations and how she handled things gave me quite a bit of admiration for her. The characters have been brought to life in this book. It's easy to feel the things they do, whether it's happy or sad. That's what makes a book so great, when the reader is emotionally involved with the people they're reading about. When the last page is read, it's a feeling of mixed emotions, because I was happy to see how things ended, but it also felt like I was leaving some good friends. 

Unscripted is one of those books I can turn to for a good comfort read. I can't wait to see what else Natalie and Marla have up their sleeves!

Do you want a copy of Unscripted? Here's where you can get it!

Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/Unscripted-ebook/dp/B005UPRLM0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326141966&sr=8-2

B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unscripted-natalie-aaron/1105486508

Itunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/unscripted/id477827479?mt=11

I'm glad you stopped by! As I stated earlier, leave a comment in a chance to win, and come on by again tomorrow, when I'll have an interview up so readers can get to know these authors! 

Until next time,

Storm Goddess