Author Interview - Doris O'Connor

I'm always happy to have Doris here on the blog! And today we're not just getting a look at the latest in her Projects series, CLAIMING HIS HUMAN, but having a chat with Doris too! So without further ado, let's get stuck in...

Welcome to the blog, Doris! Tell us a little bit about your newest release.

Claiming his Human is book six in The Projects series. I actually got the idea for the story from the latest Evernight Anthology call, but it very quickly became apparent, that I had a much longer story on my hands than was allowed word count wise for the antho. So that idea went out of the window and I let the story develop as it needed to. It ended up over 50 K in the end and was such fun to write. Bear shifters are my absolute fav heroes to write about. Might have something to do with the fact that hubby is known as Papa Bear in my house. ;-)

Here is the blurb:

Shifters defend their mates to the death...

Bear shifter Darius Longton never expected to find his mate in his favorite coffee shop, but one sniff of her scent in the air is all it takes for his bear to know the truth. This delicious, sinfully curvy redhead is his.

Too bad she’s human and far too fragile for his volatile bear.

Holly Trent cannot understand the instant attraction she feels for this man. One look from his heavy-lidded eyes is all it takes to set her knickers aflame with lust. However, she will not be another notch on his bedpost, no matter how much his voice alone makes her want to sink to her knees.

But when a customer gets heavy with her, everything changes. Darius’s defense of her places them both in terrible danger. Thrown headfirst into shifter council politics, it falls to Holly to save her mate.

Be Warned: BDSM, anal sex, spanking

That is less a warning than an invitation! Was there any part of this story you found particularly tough to write? If so, why?

Well, not tough per se, but my editor is half convinced that I only write shifters so that she cannot pull me up on the amount of growling my heroes do.

I do like a man who growls...

*whistles innocently*

It would appear however, there was too much growling even for a shifter story, so I had to prune quite a few in edits.

It's ellipses for me! I'm forever being told I need to cut back, but I just...can't...help myself. Is there any part of this story you absolutely love, and why?

Oh, so many of them. Darius is just yummy and Holly was a fantastic heroine to write about. She has so much spunk, and she’s not afraid to put these big bad Alpha shifters in their places. I giggled a lot when I was writing, as she has some of the best lines. This was one of them.

“You two furry Neanderthals can stop sniggering, too. This isn’t remotely funny. It’s—”

The combined enraged growls of their respective bears filled the van. Darius had to marvel at Holly’s response. Where was the frightened stiff young woman of yesterday? Nowhere to be seen, that’s for sure because this new, much more assertive version rolled her eyes and mimicked a yawn.

“Save your posturing for whatever hapless female you’re trying to impress. It won’t work on me. Besides, I know damn well you can’t touch me, so give over and shut up.”

A no-nonsense heroine is always a bonus for me. So we know you love bears, but do you have a favourite genre to write in?

Hmm, that depends on my muse. She is currently on a shifter fix, and I do love writing shifters. However, I also really enjoy contemporary. My muse is like a demented gnat at times, and I’m a complete slave to her, so I write whatever takes her fancy.

Are there any genres you haven't tried yet that you really want to?

I would love to try my hand at a YA story, but I can’t see it happening anytime soon. My characters can never keep their hands off each other!

Who are your biggest influences – they don't have to just be literary ones!

My gran. She was a truly amazing woman, and if I’m half the woman she was then I’m doing okay. I still feel her influence every day, and I just know she would be so proud of my writing.

Now, the important question. Tea or coffee?

Coffee in the morning and during the day. Copious amount of tea in the evening.

Apart from writing, what are your great passions in life?

My family and my furbabies. I couldn’t imagine life without any of them.

Nope! Everybody needs a furbaby :) What else are you working on right now? What's up next from you?

Well, I did mention my demented muse, right? She has me writing three different stories at the same time right now. Alien Warriors, a Vampire, and a Dragon shifter. 

*head desk*

Plenty of other stories in the works. I have the start of the next book in The Projects, more books in The Cleaners, and my Spectrum Auctions series and whatever standalone my muse will conjure up.

I'm guessing with so many projects on the go, it won't be long before Doris's next release, but in the meantime, CLAIMING HIS HUMAN is available now from: Evernight  Amazon  Amazon UK Bookstrand

And read on for a very NSFW excerpt!

Flashback Friday - The Tattered Bride

Happy Friday! This has been Quite The Week for me, so I'm looking forward to a weekend of being a complete and utter hermit. And what does a hermit need? Books! How about a jilted bride and the man working to win her back?

Childhood traumas lurk deep. Victoria Sparrow knows that. Especially when one’s father rejects one as not being worthy. Her romantic relationships founder, until Logan Doherty. He gives her reason to believe in goodness and true love, and she commits her heart and soul to him.

No longer prey to her damaged, young self, Victoria eagerly looks forward to their upcoming marriage—until she meets Logan at the altar. He informs her the wedding is off before their assembled friends and family, and will not tell her why.

Cast back into the nightmare of rejection, a devastated Victoria undertakes the momentous task of putting her life back together, her trust broken, her worst fears realized.

Meanwhile, Logan is working equally hard to deal with the secretive events that led to that cruel rejection, and then he plans to make it up to his tattered bride. If she will forgive him.

Read on for an excerpt!

Retro Reading

A couple of weeks ago I was feeling sorry for myself. I can't remember why, but I expect I was probably having a flare-up of my wrist/arm/shoulder problems and in a lot of pain, since that's the most common reason I would feel sorry for myself. My usual solution in such times is to buy myself something nice, like a new bag of loose leaf tea or a huge bar of chocolate. This time, however, inspired by a Facebook post, I headed on over to Amazon and searched for "Point Horror."

I must have read hundreds of Point Horror books as a teen. My parents were leery of letting me read Stephen King, but I guess they figured books like The Window couldn't possibly be psychologically damaging.

Eventually I ran out of bookshelf space and sold all my Point Horrors on, and mostly forgot about them. But once I remembered, thanks to said Facebook post, I was suddenly seized with an urge to revisit my childhood favs. It turns out there are a lot available for the Kindle now (sadly, The Cemetery, my hands-down favourite, is not...yet). But a fair few of my most cherished reads are there, including this one:

I absolutely loved the Nightmare Hall books (although they probably left me with a really warped view of American college life). I actually started with book two in the series, The Roommate, which I borrowed from a friend. Then I went back and read the series in order, although you don't really need to. Starting with The Silent Scream does give you the full story on why Nightmare Hall is so-called, though.

Anyway! I snapped this one up to make myself feel better. Then by sheer coincidence I discovered a podcast called Teen Creeps which recently did an episode on this very book. I decided to read the book, then listen to the podcast episode to get that full nostalgic whack. It was really fun to revisit this series, and I'm definitely going to pick up some more. The book is a lot shorter than I remember, but I guess when I was thirteen or so, it probably seemed like a pretty thick tome. I remember really loving the female friendships in The Silent Scream, and I was pleased to find on re-reading that they do hold up. Our heroine, Jess, is smart, relatable, resourceful, and kind. The horror is...well, it's teenaged horror, so it's definitely not psychologically scarring, but some scenes are still pretty creepy even to 33-year-old me. Like Jess finding her clothing drawer full of fucking worms omg, or being locked in a basement that's slowly filling with gas.

The villain, I think, got scarier with time, because I'm better able to appreciate now that a controlling, dominating man is a figure of genuine fear. When I was a kid, the villain's motives and actions seemed a bit lame, but experience has taught me that, no, this kind of thing actually happens. Maybe not the way it plays out in this particular book, but there are guys like him out there, and women are vulnerable to them.

I'm now trying to figure out which Point Horror to revisit next. I remember adoring Help Wanted (but being disappointed that the love triangle didn't turn into some kind of open relationship) and Freeze Tag, but there are a fair few available that I never read, so I'm debating picking up something brand new and seeing if those nostalgia googles affected my feelings on The Silent Scream. We'll see! Now I'm off to nurse my wrist/arm/shoulder, because typing thos post off definitely made it all hurt, which I guess is sort of poetic. Stay creepy!

Flashback Friday - Reine's Salvation

Happy Friday, folks! I hope everyone has an awesome weekend planned. If not, well, it's not too late to pick up a fabulous book to tide you over. And if so, you can still pick up a fabulous book! Why not this one?

Alpha Protectors, 1

He’s the kind of man her mother warned her to steer clear from...

Mystique is happy with her current life, but for years she's struggled on a path of self-destruction. She knows she shouldn't get involved with the brooding hunk at the bar, but how can she stay away when his sorrowful gaze is so compelling?

Reine has lost everything: his wife, his friends, his ability to fight, and his identity as an Alpha Protector. There's nothing left for him except a world of anger and bitterness. At least, that’s what he believes until he meets an intrepid waitress. 

The attraction between them is immediate, but while Reine can’t let go of his past, Mystique is not willing to return to hers. With darkness constantly closing in, will they find a way to be together? Or, will Reine's behavior destroy their future?

Available at:
Evernight Publishing
All Romance Ebooks
Amazon.com
Amazon.uk
Bookstrand
and more!

 ~~~~~~

Excerpt:

Reine sighed. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure,” she agreed. She observed him for an instant. His eyes were closed. Her gaze traveled across his nose and over to his full lips. Damn it if she didn’t want to kiss him. She lay back down, trying to still her beating heart. “What would you like to talk about?” she asked.

“How about this insane attraction we’re both feeling?”

 “What?” Mystique squeaked.

“You heard me.”

Mystique shut her eyes as she heard the rustle of his clothes. She didn’t dare open them.

“I haven’t felt so attracted to any woman in over two years, and from what you’ve told me, it’s been a while for you too.”

Eight years, she thought. She’d kept herself away from one-night stands and sex with others in general, afraid she’d become angry and bitter again if things didn’t work out. She played with her toys and enjoyed her body on her own. It had been enough, until Reine. 

He was driving her hormones crazy.

“Well, yes.” She licked her lips.

“Damn it, woman, do you know what that does to me?”

Mystique gasped as Reine’s lips brushed against hers.

 

“It makes me want to devour your mouth,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding breathless to her own ears.

“Don’t be. Look at me,” Reine said gruffly.

She opened her eyes and found his face inches away. The intensity of his gaze was like looking into a pool of flaming desire that threatened to consume her.

“I thought—”

“Don’t think. It’ll make it easier.”

She didn’t have time to issue a protest as he lowered his head and kissed her. They both groaned as their lips melded against each other. His teeth snagged on her bottom lip, pulling slightly and making her body react like a fire alarm at the first hint of smoke. His tongue licked a path across her bottom and upper bow, and she eagerly opened up for him, needing to taste more. Her nipples hardened beneath her top.

Reine pulled her up into a sitting position and smashed his lips against hers. He possessed her mouth with his, not with strength, but with the ability of a man who knew what he was doing. His tongue delved deep, intertwining with hers. Mystique moaned. Her mind went blank, her senses taking priority over anything else. All she could do was feel the touch of his hand on her back, and the warmth of his mouth against hers.

Breathless, they both pulled back after a few minutes. Her hands trembling, she pushed a few strands of his hair away from his face. Reine kissed her gently. She angled her head and he explored her mouth at a more leisurely pace.

“You drive me insane,” he whispered. “This is not normal,” he insisted.

Mystique giggled.

“I want to fuck you,” he groaned into her ear. He brought her hand to his cock. Eagerly, she stroked him over his jeans. Liquid rushed to coat her panties and a dull ache began to throb between her legs.

“And what are you waiting for?”

“I can’t. Not here. Not after what you’ve told me.”

“What?” She placed a hand on his chest and pushed back. “What do you mean?” 

~~~~~~

 ~~~~~~

About Elyzabeth M. VaLey

Considered weird by normal standards – what is normal anyway?- Elyzabeth M. VaLey enjoys making up songs about mundane things, doodling stars and flowers on any blank sheet of paper, talking to her Lab whenever he feigns interest and coming up with love stories to make readers dream.

From contemporary to historical or fantasy, she enjoys writing stories about good and evil, love and passion and all that comes in between happy ever after.

Stalk her at:

Blog
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
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(Reine’s Salvation has its own inspiration board)

Five Creature Feature Spectacularama Fiction Fests To Blow Your Minds!

No hyperbole.

If there's one thing I love, it's giant mythical/prehistoric sea beasts. If there's a second thing I love, it's books about giant mythical/prehistoric sea beasts fighting each other, or eating people, or both. That's it. That's all I love. As such, I take my reading of such trashy B-Movie type books very seriously. And today I'm bringing you my top five, carefully considered and thoroughly vetted for complete giant sea monster goodness. Enjoy!

5. Mega

This one just about sneaks onto the list. Despite that proud, ferocious megalodon on the cover, there's not as much giant shark-action as I'd like. But the over-the-top, bombastic action-action makes it compulsively readable. It's the first in a series, and while I haven't read the rest yet, book two promises cloned megalodons on a drug-fuelled rampage, and quite frankly that's all I need to know about it.












4. Escape from Dinosauria

Okay, okay, this one is a cheat, because there are no aquatic reptiles/giant sharks/sea monsters of any kind. BUT it does have a cage-fighter heroine who just wants a beer, goddammit, genetically mutated dinosaurs, a ninja, and a scene where the heroine taps out a genetically mutated raptor. So it makes the list because how the hell can you leave it off? Plus, there is a lot of dino-fighting, so it ticks the "giant things fighting other giant things" box. Honestly, this book is batshit from start to finish in the most delightful way. It may change your life.










3. Predator X

Predator X the creature is a type of pliosaurus, in case you wondered. Predator X the book is a gooey mash-up of sea monsters, ancient aliens, and creepy body horror and I love it! The titular Predator X isn't really the main star of the show, but he certainly looms large in the plot. This is a unique take on the creature feature book, and I really, really recommend CJ Waller's other works as well.












2. Hotel Megalodon

It was a toss-up between this and Predator X for the penultimate book on the list. Hotel Megalodon wins out because I absolutely love the heroine, Coco, a capable marine biologist who is done with your shit. And there is so much megalodon action. The concept is ridiculously silly and works ridiculously well - world's first underwater hotel is attacked by giant shark, chaos ensues. It's crazy and fun, and you should read it. Do it for Coco.












1. Meg

It was never going to be anything else. This was my first ever giant shark book, and in the same way that Jaws was probably life-changing for a lot of people, Meg was life changing for me. How can you not love a book that opens from the POV of a t-rex about to be eaten by a megalodon? Make no mistake, this is not a literary masterpiece, and the sequels are arguably even less so. But they're just so utterly in love with themselves, you can't not enjoy them. And there is so much megalodon action omfg. AND there's going to be a movie next year with Jason Statham omfg. I can't cope. Looking at the character names on IMDB, it does look like they're taking some liberties with the story, but as long as there's a giant fucking shark in there, who cares? Not I! The only part of the book I demand they leave intact is the end, where Jonas pilots a submersible inside the shark and then cuts his way out again.





Honorable mention must go to Meg: Hell's Aquarium, which features two megalodons named after the Olsen twins and a shit-ton more prehistoric sea beasts big enough to eat a megalodon which is pretty damn big you guys.

I checked.