Follow the secret lives of Moonlighters Carrie Hinkel-Gill and Margay Leah Justice.
For website issues or questions, contact our Webmistress.
This blog works best with Mozilla. Scroll down to see today's blog.
Please Disable the Java add-on to your browsers to protect yourself from it's security flaws! Happy surfing!
Our Fantasy Files blog returns with a new look!
It's Tuesday, and that means Hollie posted a new review on our Book Review blog! Be sure to check them out!

Current Releases

Buy: Sloane Wolf by Margay; Nora's Soul by Margay; Pandora's Box by Gracen; Hell's Phoenix by Gracen

Video of the Day

We Are Young - Fun

Friday, January 29, 2010

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Please help me welcome Cooper McKenzie into the moonlight today! Cooper’s newest release, Love Bite, will be released by Red Rose Publishing. To learn more about Cooper, visit her website: http://www.coopermckenzie.webs.com/

~~~~~

GRACEN: Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us!

COOPER: I gave up several years ago. Instead last year I declared 2009 to be “The Year of Me”. I was going to take better care of myself and write for my pleasure and if others liked it so be it. Turned out to be a great year all around. I lost 30 lb and wrote 14 romance ebook stories. All 14 were accepted for publication as well as two other books I’d written before.


GRACEN: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

COOPER: I don’t recharge, I just keep going like the Energizer Bunny. Having 3 days off for Christmas and again at New Year’s was a lot of time off so I used it to write and get organized for 2010. When you run 2 home based business you need all the organization you can get!


GRACEN: What area of the country/world are you from? What are the average temperatures where you are? What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today? What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

COOPER: I’m currently living in New Bern, North Carolina, home of warm weather, except recently we’re freezing just like the rest of the country I think. My secret to surviving cold weather is to write about summertime, cuddle with my dog (a 14 lb rat terrier name Grizzly) under an old quilt on the couch and drink lots of tea.


GRACEN: Do you have any favorite outside hobbies? Can you perform any of these hobbies right now? If not, why not, and is weather a factor?

COOPER: I don’t have a lot of outside hobbies. I’m a couch potato. I read a lot and spend hours and hours knitting or crocheting. I make a lot of baby hats (about 300-500 a year) which I donate to hospital nurseries as well as hats for older kids, baby blankets and prayer shawls. I also sing in my church choir and volunteer a lot at church.


GRACEN: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

COOPER: I prefer a hot shower in the house!


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing, Cooper…Why the erotic romance/erotica genre? What was the draw for you?

COOPER: I’ve wanted to write romance since I read my first Harlequin in about 8th grade (many, many moons ago). I honestly didn’t think I could write erotic until January 25, 2009, when a vampire story grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let me go. I ended up writing that story (Love Reincarnate) in a single 24 hour period, then went on to write two more stories about Donovan and Jayne. Love Reincarnate, Love Bite and Love Choice will all be published by Red Rose Publishing. Since then the writing is taking over and I’m loving every minute of it.


GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

COOPER: Joy. The joy of putting my daydreams into words and the words on paper. The joy of love, of finding that one person you click with.


GRACEN: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

COOPER: December was a tough month for me because I was sooooo busy doing other things that I didn’t have as much time to write as I wanted or needed. I was also stressed due to outside commitments and I have a hard time writing when I’m stressed. So I gave myself permission NOT to write. As soon as Christmas was passed I relaxed and the writing flowed like water again.


GRACEN: Do you prefer hot chocolate with marshmallows or a hot toddy? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

COOPER: Hot chocolate with marshmallows is my choice since I’m not allowed to drink. I’m not sure it shows in my work as my characters do drink wine, beer, warm blood.


GRACEN: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

COOPER: My muse’s name is Ian and while he is a big influence on me, I hope that I’m the one in charge. At least until Grizzly decides it’s time for his walk, then he can be quite demanding!


GRACEN: What creature/character did you have the most fun creating and why?

COOPER: Donovan Richards. A 500 year old vampire who doesn’t drink blood straight from the source. He caught me off guard and I fell in love with him as soon as he walked into the restaurant. The fact that Jayne already knew him was also a surprise.


GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

COOPER: Of all the characters I’ve written, I’d like to meet Penn and Liam McKenzie, Scottish twins of Claiming Their Dream Weaver, Loving Their Dream Weaver, Marrying Their Dream Weaver from Siren/Bookstrand Publishing.

~~~~~

Love BiteVamping With Jayne #2 – due out from Red Rose Publishing on February 18th

REVIEW:

Claiming their Dream Weaver was a heartwarming story of fated love between three people who really deserved to be together. All three main characters were lovable and well written. Cooper McKenzie brought Suz, Penn and Liam to life for me. I really enjoyed this book and admit to wishing it were longer than 92 pages. This is a great little story to wile away the time in the waiting room or pickup line. I heartily recommend Claiming their Dream Weaver to everyone. Reviewed by: Nickie

BLURB:

They’d been together for a few weeks so when Donovan Richards wants to talk, Jayne Peters isn’t sure if she should fear for her life or just her heart. Though she tries to distract him, he demands she quit her job so he can take care of her. As an independent woman, Jayne feels she must work for her living, just like any man does.

Unexpectedly Jayne finds herself unemployed with no money and a stack of bills to pay. Can she give up her 21st century independence and let Donovan take care of her?



EXCERPT:

We need to talk.” Four words that send fear through any woman’s heart.

When the man saying them is tall, dark and built like a Greek god with a face to match, the words take on an even more ominous tone. Involuntarily shivers of dread whispered through me at the thought of losing this man who I had become addicted to. It had been exactly three weeks since we had rediscovered each other and had our first mind blowing, up against a brick wall, coupling. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say, but I could hardly run away. There was nowhere to run to. We were naked, post coital and sprawled across my queen-size bed. I couldn’t even cower under the covers. The sheet and comforter were in a heap on the floor. My clothes and his were strewn across the floor. There was nowhere to hide.

I closed my eyes, hoping he would think I was asleep. After all, he couldn’t see my face, but I knew that he knew that I was awake. I never slept when he was around. Not that I was afraid he might drain me of my bodily fluids, but like a small child when company was visiting, I was afraid of missing a minute of the action. Which may be one of the reasons why I was not looking forward to whatever he had to say. No good could come of any conversation that started with “we have to talk”.

My shoulders twitched when two cool fingers brushed the hair away from my neck. Then his fingers began to trace a path down the center of my spine. He started at my hairline and paused to circle each vertebra before continuing further south. I raised my head to look at the bedside table. The green numbers on my digital clock glowed with the numbers 4:47.

I swallowed hard. “You have to go.” My words weren’t a question, but an acknowledgement of fact.

His leaving was the last thing I wanted, but having a vampire as a lover there are some things one just has to accept.

~~~~~

My author's web page is http://www.coopermckenzie.webs.com/

My author's page at Red Rose with all the buy buttons -

http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=235&osCsid=cec737fced0b5669f44217da6a0d662b


My author's page at Siren Publishing with links to the individual books

http://www.sirenpublishing.com/coopermckenzie/

0 Moonbeams (comments):