Jen:  How did you get started writing?

CW:  I wrote my first story when I was about ten.  It was a romance about me and a little boy I liked.  I also wrote some very depressing poetry.  I decided that poetry was not for me and stuck to romance.

Jen:  What genre(s) do you write in, and why?

CW:  I have a historical western romance and a sci-fi romance out now.  The sci-fi is the first in a series.  I write in these genres because they are the ones whose stories reached out to me.  The western was the first book I wrote and was inspired by my parents’ love story.  It’s set on the same ranch that they met on in 1941.  My book is set in 1885, so it’s not their love story.  My dad was a cowboy and trapper but to the best of my knowledge was never a bounty hunter.

The sci-fi series was done because of dreams I had when I was a teenager.  I knew I was a princess from Alpha Centauri.  There was no way I could belong to the crazy family I had.  Of course, I adore that crazy family now.

Jen:  What movie best describes your life?  Why?

CW:  I think Romancing the Stone best describes my life.  It’s just one crazy misstep after another, but I got my happy ending.

Jen:  What inspired your latest book?

CW:  Centauri Twilight is the second book in the Centauri series.  I used to dream that I was a princess from Alpha Centauri, that was the basis for Centauri Dawn, book 1 in the series.

Book 2 is much darker.  Lara is the twin sister of Audra in book 1.  Lara has been a sex slave since she was a child.  Having escaped, she’s now an outlaw and working to free the rest of the slaves who are now her people.

Jen:  What is your favorite part of writing?

CW:  My favorite part is what I call the ‘puking’ phase.  Just getting it all down on paper for the first time.  You just let if flow out of you, not caring, for the moment, if it is good or bad.

(Jen: LOL, I love that description!).

Jen:  What is your least favorite part of writing?

CW:  Editing is my least favorite.  I’m constantly questioning myself and my work.  Changing it, correcting it, putting it back to what it was and starting it all again.  It’s never good enough for me.

Jen:  What is your next project and when will it be released?

CW:  My next book is called Centauri Midnight and is the third book in the Centauri series.  It will be released in January 2012.

Jen:  What is your typical day like?

CW:  I don’t know that I have a typical day.  I’m lucky enough to be able to write full time.  I was laid off in June and am taking advantage of it to write while I look for another job.

Jen:  How much time do you spend promoting your books? What works best for you?

CW:  I spend a lot of time promoting my books.  A minimum of two hours per day.  Usually more but it is in 15 or 20 minute increments throughout the day, not in one big chunk.  Between Facebook, Twitter, blogging, putting announcements on loops, etc., I spend a lot of time doing it.  So far, blogging seems to get me the biggest bump in  my sales.

Jen:  How has your experience with self-publishing been?

CW:  My experience has been wonderful.  I highly recommend it for everyone out there who doesn’t want to be constrained by the “big” traditional publisher.  For everyone who wants to write from their heart and not according to the industry rules and constraints, self publishing is the only way to go.

Jen:  Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

CW:  I have ideas from everywhere.  My sci-fi series is from my dreams as a teenager.  My western was inspired by my parents own meeting and love story.  I place Tame A Wild Heart about 60 years earlier than when my parents met but the setting on a ranch is the same.  My dad was a real cowboy and my mom was what we would call a nanny now.  They were called nursemaids then.

Jen:  What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

CW:  Go for it.  It’s a wild ride but totally worth it.

Please join me in thanking Cynthia for visiting with us today by leaving a comment on her interview. You’ll go in the draw to WIN a paperback or digital copy of Centauri Dawn, book 1 in her Centauri series, or Centauri Midnight.

Cynthia Woolf writes fiction with both futuristic and historical settings. Whether set on the planet Centauri or outside Creede, Colorado, her books are fast paced, romantic and suspenseful. Find out more at Cynthia’s Website, or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.

Tame a Wild Heart, Centauri Dawn and Centauri Twilight are available at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and All Romance ebooks.

The winners will have a choice of prize – a digital copy of either:

Platinum Passion, a menage erotic romance and the first in my Gods of Love series about the Greek gods of desire and their interactions in modern-day society, or

Pandora’s Gift, a contemporary paranormal erotic romance published by Red Sage.

Platinum Passion is available at:

Amazon | Smashwords | All Romance ebooks | Barnes & Noble |  Diesel

Pandora’s Gift is available at:

Amazon | Red Sage Publishing | Borders | Powells

Platinum – the modern symbol for a twentieth wedding anniversary – plays a key role in this story about a couple who are still in love after twenty years of marriage, but need a little helping hand from Pothos, the ancient god of sexual yearning, to find their way back to each other once again.

Platinum Passion, a menage a trois contemporary paranormal romance, is available now from:

Amazon

Smashwords

All Romance ebooks

Barnes & Noble

Diesel

There’s an Adult-rated 18+ excerpt from Platinum Passion to enjoy, and if you leave a comment there you’ll go in the draw to win a digital copy of my erotic menage novella.

If you don’t want to wait and see if you’ve won, Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1) is available now for only $1.99 USD at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and All Romance ebooks.

Blurb:

Three people. One erotic fantasy. And a twentieth wedding anniversary like no other.

Jeannie yearns for the return of passion in her marriage. Jake craves new excitement in the form of another man. Pothos is one of the erotes, an aspect of Eros, the ancient Greek god of love, and this couple’s distinctive yearning has called to him. By the power of the erotes he intends to rekindle the flame of Jake and Jeannie’s passion in a night of desire that will be the ultimate platinum anniversary gift.

And when the gods of love decide your marriage needs a boost, they never do it by halves.

Platinum Passion is the first in my Gods of Love series of stand-alone novellas with a common theme straight out of Greek mythology. The erotes are Olympian gods of love and desire, children of Aphrodite and aspects of the primal god, Eros. They include Pothos – god of sexual yearning, Himeros – god of sexual desire, and Anteros – god of unrequited/requited love.

It’s so easy to let life get in the way, isn’t it? No matter where you live or what you do, the obligations of everyday life can keep us so busy that the important things get pushed aside. It’s not that we don’t want to do them. It’s not that we don’t think they’re important. And we’ll get to them – really – as soon as we have the time.

My writing was like that for a long time. Growing up, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wrote poems and short stories, always scribbling something in an ever-present notebook. But I got married young, had two children, a full time job, a house to take care of, and I’d fall into bed exhausted. I just didn’t have the time to write. I can relate to Amy, the heroine in RISK IT, all too well.

It was only when my daughter graduated from college and my son graduated from high school in the same year that I took back the time for me to write. Since then I’ve published or contracted a total of 19 novels, novellas and short stories. And though my life is still busy with husband and house and full time job, I’m still writing. I make the time. It’s important to me.

I wish I’d done it sooner.

RISK IT, my latest release from Samhain, is #2 in the Paolo’s Playhouse series. FLAUNT IT was released in Aug 2011. BIRTHDAY GIRL will be released next month, and PLAYTHING, the final story in the series will be available in May 2012.

Here’s the blurb:

On the outside, Amy has the American dream. Two busy kids, a job she loves, a big house thanks to her husband’s climb up the corporate ladder. What she hasn’t had in a long time…is sex. Sure, she’s too exhausted at night to think about it, but maybe Will’s long hours at work aren’t the real reason he rarely touches her anymore.

Feeling her marriage teetering on the edge, she rents the voyeur room at Paolo’s Playhouse. Maybe bringing back the memory of the one wicked thing they used to do together will relight the sparks.

Will loves his wife, but she’s never been one to take chances—except for the time before kids, when they’d camp out in a club’s back booth, getting all worked up watching the dirty dancers. Their careers have seriously cut into their “us” time, and if she’s booked them a sexual playroom, it sounds like she’s serious about solving the problem.

When Will shows up way, way late, Amy wonders why she bothered, and if her plan to relight the flame has only made it painfully clear that it’s too late to try.

Excerpt:

The door opened again. Paolo stepped into the room. “Your husband has not arrived?”

She took a deep, shaky breath. “No.”

He sat down in the chair beside her. “It is difficult to wait, isn’t it?” She nodded, looking down at her hands, clasped in her lap. “Especially for someone you care for so much.”

Amy nodded again. She thought she heard a touch of pain in his voice. Perhaps this handsome man had had his share of heartbreak. Maybe he did understand.

“I…um, I was really looking forward to this evening. We have two children and busy jobs, and we don’t get much time alone.”

“People like you and your husband are the very reason the Playhouse was started,” he said smoothly. “There are not many safe places for people to indulge in a private fantasy. Or to try something new. To take a risk.”

Sometimes risks didn’t pay off. Paolo must be an expert at this fantasy thing, must see tons of people come and go. As he calmly sat there beside her, not judging but supporting, she found herself pouring out her troubled thoughts.

“It’s not that I don’t like sex. I do. But why can’t he understand that I get so tired? I work all day and come home to the kids and dinner and homework and laundry, and by the time I fall into bed, sex is the last thing on my mind!” Her hand flew to her mouth, as if she could take back that outpouring of words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go off like that.”

“It’s all right. But you know, of course, that you must make time for each other.”

“But he’s just as bad. He’s been working all these long hours lately and comes home just in time to go to bed and then expects a quickie before he rolls over and goes to sleep.” Like last night. “What am I supposed to do?”

“My answer is the same. You must make your time together as important as your careers or your children or your laundry.”

Easier said than done. But… “I love him.”

“Of course you do. And you’re here to make things better, right? This playroom, the blue room, it has a special meaning for you both?”

“I thought it did, but it looks like I’ve been stood up.” Obviously, this night alone together didn’t mean anything to Will.

Paolo took her hand. “I’m certain your husband wanted to be here.” He glanced at his watch. “Perhaps you would like to reschedule?”

“No.” Why couldn’t they wait a little longer? “Oh, I suppose the other couple has…”

“Yes, they’ve already started.”

She rose to her feet. The hell with Will anyway. Postponing it until another night wasn’t going to make any difference. She flashed Paolo a shaky smile. “Well, I don’t want to miss that. Could you take me to the playroom now, please?”

I’m offering a free download of FLAUNT IT, book #1 in the series – which features the couple on the other side of the two-way mirror – to one lucky commenter! Is there something important to you that you wished you had time for? Don’t wait any longer! Or did you find a way to make the time? Let us know!

Natasha

www.natashamoore.com

Natasha Moore fell in love with the written word as soon as she could read.  As she grew up, she discovered romance and now enjoys the chance to add some extra sizzle to her stories. She writes sexy contemporary and erotic romance for Samhain, Ellora’s Cave and Red Sage. She lives in New York State with her real life hero who is happy to tell everyone that he’s her inspiration.  They travel in their RV whenever possible. The great thing about writing is she can take it anywhere.

There’ll be hot excerpts, fantastic book giveaways and lots of fun chatter!

• WHEN: Dec 30th, 7pm-10pm US EST
• For our Australian friends, that’s Dec 31st, 11am-2pm Australian (Sydney) time.
• For our Kiwi friends, that’s Dec 31st, 1-4pm NZ time.

We’re an international bunch, aren’t we?

• WHERE: Coffee Time Romance Erotic loop: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karendevinkaren/

If you’re not a member and you’d like to join this fabulous and very large group of romance readers and writers – not to mention our chat! – click on the yahoo link. We’d love to have you visit during the allocated time so we can chat to you live!

Did I mention…giveaways?

To leave you with some inspiration, Maree discovered this list of 20 Naughty New Year’s Resolutions! Hmm. Kegels?

Drop in to read an adult-rated excerpt from my December release, Platinum Passion, and go in the draw to win a digital copy of this erotic menage novella.

And if you don’t want to wait and see if you’ve won, Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1) is available now  for only $1.99 USD at Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance ebooks.

Blurb:

Three people. One erotic fantasy. And a twentieth wedding anniversary like no other.

Jeannie yearns for the return of passion in her marriage. Jake craves new excitement in the form of another man. Pothos is one of the erotes, an aspect of Eros, the ancient Greek god of love, and this couple’s distinctive yearning has called to him. By the power of the erotes he intends to rekindle the flame of Jake and Jeannie’s passion in a night of desire that will be the ultimate platinum anniversary gift.

And when the gods of love decide your marriage needs a boost, they never do it by halves.

Platinum Passion is the first in my series of stand-alone novellas with the erotes as a common theme. So who are the erotes? Pothos – the god of sexual yearning, Himeros – the god of sexual desire, and Anteros – the god of unrequited/requited love.

Congratulations, Teresa! I’ll be in contact to find out which type of gift card you’d prefer.

For those who didn’t win the gift card, there are still opportunities before Christmas to win a digital copy of PLATINUM PASSION (GODS OF LOVE#1) or the Red Sage release, PANDORA’S GIFT:

Join the discussion at Love Romance Passion about what makes a good romance heroine – comment there before Dec 22nd and go in the draw to win a copy of PLATINUM PASSION.

Visit Getting Naughty Between the Stacks on Dec 20th where I’m blogging about menage love and the power of three – comment there before Dec 23rd and go in the draw to win – not one but THREE copies of either PLATINUM PASSION or PANDORA’S GIFT are up for grabs there.

And if you don’t want to wait and see if you’ve won, PLATINUM PASSION is available now  for only $1.99 USD at Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance ebooks.

or

PANDORA’S GIFT is on sale right now at All Romance ebooks!

Join me here at my website/blog any time between Dec 15th and Dec 17th and either leave a comment or subscribe to my quarterly email newsletter, to go in the draw to WIN a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card (winner’s choice).

Yep, it’s that easy to enter! Winner will be announced on Dec 18th – which will give you just enough time before Christmas to load up your Kindle, Nook or Sony for some great holiday reading.

Platinum Passion is available from Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance ebooks.

Three people. One erotic fantasy. And a twentieth wedding anniversary like no other.

Jeannie yearns for the return of passion in her marriage. Jake craves new excitement in the form of another man. Pothos is one of the erotes, an aspect of Eros, the ancient Greek god of love, and this couple’s distinctive yearning has called to him. By the power of the erotes he intends to rekindle the flame of Jake and Jeannie’s passion in a night of desire that will be the ultimate platinum anniversary gift.

And when the gods of love decide your marriage needs a boost, they never do it by halves.

Platinum Passion is the first in my Gods of Love series of stand-alone novellas with a common theme straight out of Greek mythology. The erotes are Olympian gods of love and desire, children of Aphrodite and aspects of the primal god, Eros. They include Pothos – god of sexual yearning, Himeros – god of sexual desire, and Anteros – god of unrequited/requited love.

Jane…c

Thank you so much to everyone who commented during November, and a special thank you to those who signed up for my quarterly email newsletter as well.

Platinum Passion (Gods of Love #1) will be out at Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance ebooks from December 15th. There will be further opportunities to win as the month progresses – and if you join in the “Release Party” at my blog from Dec 15th to Dec 17th you’ll also have a chance to win a $20 Amazon or B&N Gift Card (winner’s choice). Just in time to load up your Kindle or Nook for the holidays!

Jane, you’ll be contacted via email to confirm the giveaway, and you can let me know then which format you’d like for your digital copy of Platinum Passion.

Note: the winner for my Platinum Passion November contest was chosen using random.org.

Jennifer Lynne

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