Steph and her husband Brent on their wedding day in Nykobing.

Hi, Steph! I’m delighted you are here today. Congratulations on your newest book, The Count’s Lair. By the way, readers this is the second in the Budapest Moon series. I read the first, The Hungarian and I absolutely loved it. I’m looking forward to reading The Count’s Lair. Well, let’s get started. Steph, what inspired you to begin writing?

STEPH: Thanks for having me today, Diane. Gosh, I think writing has always been in my blood. I remember watching The Electric Company, a kid’s show in the 1970’s and then making Spiderman comic books based on the Spidey episode in the show. Writing has always been a stress reliever for me. It’s great to escape to a world you can control. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that I thought I’d tackle writing commercially.

DIANE: Where would you say that you get your most creative ideas?

STEPH: Gosh, they come from all around me. Another book or a movie might inspire me. My love for paranormal writing finds inspiration in Victoria Holt and Anne Rice. (Interesting, combo, isn’t it?) I love writing about royals and history. For example, Phillipa Gregory’s “The White Queen” inspired me to write “The King’s White Rose” about Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. I’m self-editing now so I can submit it to the Wild Rose Press. “The Wolf’s Torment” was inspired by my desire to write a paranormal which takes place in Romania, like Bram Stoker did with “Dracula.” “Victorian Scoundrel” which is coming out with Desert Breeze in July, finds inspiration in Britain’s current royals. “Edmund” is loosely modeled after Prince Harry and “Alice” is loosely modeled after Princess Beatrice of York.

DIANE: Good luck with your Wild Rose Press submission! I know you have a busy schedule with working as a 911 operator, raising two young boys, plus you are a book reviewer. How do you find the time to write so many wonderful books?

STEPH: It’s all about multi-tasking, I assure you. I’m a very good multi-tasker. For example, during down time at work, I write. Helps relieve the stress. On the way to work, I listen to my books using Kindle’s text to speech.

DIANE: Tell us 3 things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

STEPH: I was married in Nykobig, Denmark in 1991. I can’t donate blood anymore because I was stationed in Europe in 1996 when England had an outbreak of mad cow disease, and I saw Berlin in 1988, before the fall of the wall when I was 20.

DIANE: How did you and your husband meet? Did you fall for him first, or was it the other way around?

STEPH: Oh, I think it was pretty mutual. LOL!! We met in Butzbach, Germany in Oct 1990 when we both attended a military leadership school called PLDC. (Primary Leadership Development Course) We were in the same squad. I thought he was drop dead gorgeous. He thought I was staring at the guy next to him. He also thought I was cute. Before you know it, we were eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner together in the chow hall. He was impressed that I wasn’t a whiner or a complainer. Our first date was on pass while in PLDC. I had a car so we went to Pizza Hut in Giessen. LOL!!

DIANE: Tell us about your new release, The Count’s Lair. Where can readers buy your book?

STEPH: The Count’s Lair is Anton Varga’s story. It’s set in Budapest, Hungary in 1901. Anton is a nobleman, but he’s had it tough growing up and his value system is a bit displaced. When he meets Amelia Andrassy, a concert pianist, he realizes he has to be a better man for her and sets out to do just that, the only thing is, Anton has a secret that might destroy the relationship he wants with Amelia. He’ll give her 3 clues. When Amelia figures out his secret will she reject him or accept him for the man he is?

The Count’s Liar is available as an ebook for the Kindle, Sony Ereader, Kobo, and Nook. It’s also available on the Publisher’s website at:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-142/Stephanie-Burkhart-Budapest-Moon/Detail.bok

DIANE: Where can fans find you on the Internet?

STEPH: Website: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com or on my blog at: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com

Here’s an excerpt from The Count’s Lair:
Amelia went inside. The room was cast in obsidian shadows by a single candle burning on her dressing room table. The air was laced with the scent of mulberries. She grew warm. Her heart beat faster. Her defenses cracked.

“Anton?” she whispered.

He stepped out of the darkness behind her, placing his hands on her upper arms, pressing his chest against her back. His lips brushed against her ear, sending a shockwave through her. “You look wonderful tonight, Amelia.”

She dared to close her eyes and enjoy his embrace. “Anton.”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Warm feelings of longing stirred within her, only to be quickly doused by the sting of anger at his sudden departure. She stepped out of their embrace and spun to glare at him. “How dare you.”

He backed away, confusion pooling in his unusual eyes. “I thought–”

“You thought what?”

“That you’d want to see me.”

“It’s been two months since I last saw you, and you didn’t even try to seek me out. I had no idea if you were dead, alive, or just too busy with your life to think of me.”

“I’m sorry.” His expression softened. “I had hoped to avoid the cool look in your eyes just now.”

Exasperated, she let out a quick breath. “You’re infuriating.”

“So I’ve been told.”

She crossed her arms and struggled to keep her crumbling battlements up. He had a lot to explain. The candlelight cast dark, almost satyr-like shadows over his chiseled face. If his explanation made sense, she’d will her heart to believe him. “So, Anton, how do you explain your absence? I thought I’d found a friend.”

He paused and drew in a deep breath. His eyes grew translucent. “I am sorry. I had a lot to think about. I thought you would understand. I wanted to give you time to mourn your husband properly.”

“I see.”

“I also wanted to clear my head.”
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YOU TUBE BOOK TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaiYNNpETok
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CLICK HERE TO BUY from Desert Breeze! Click here for Amazon. Here for B & N.

Thank you, Steph, for spending time with us. Best of luck with The Count’s Lair and all your other wonderful books! Visitors, leave a comment to be entered in my February Blog Contest. Drawing will be March 2nd! Click here for more contest information!

I’m happy to welcome the delightful author, Charmaine Gordon, to my blog today! If you leave a comment or ask her a question, you’ll be entered in my Feb. Blog Drawing. Click here for more information. Also Charmaine has a giveaway for each of you so be sure to check it out!

Charmaine, tell us a little bit about yourself and what makes you tick.

When you’re born when dinosaurs roamed the earth and little girls were expected to be perfect daughters, wives and mothers, my life was already prearranged. However, the child who tap danced her way out of mother and sang like an angel became an observer. I watched as brothers were fawned upon and groomed to take over important positions while I learned to cook and sew and do everything but churn butter and make shoes. After pleading to go to college where I majored in football players, I married my high school sweetie and became super mom. Years passed before I emerged as the me I am now.

I enjoyed reading about your life! By the way, I did churn butter on our farm. LOL If you could bring one character to life who would it be and why?

Twice I had the opportunity to meet with psychics. Fascinating. In my paranormal romance/suspense NOW WHAT? Pattie Rea, a grandchild, is born with psychic ability. Twice I had the opportunity t I’d like to see her develop as she ages. In my latest release, RECONSTRUCTING CHARLIE, Pattie Rea shows up at age four.

How old were you when you had your first romantic kiss? Was it with your little kindergarten classmate, or the first major crush of your young life?

Since mom warned me kissing led to petting led to OMG! I was the ripe old age of fifteen before my virgin lips were kissed. In high school, I had my eye on a popular senior. When the club I belonged to was having a dance, I located his homeroom, ran up to the fourth floor with moments to spare, found him outside a room laughing with friends. I knocked on his reindeer sweater, he was over six feet tall, introduced myself, invited him to the dance, he said yes and I ran downstairs to my room. When he brought me home from the dance, he bent down to kiss me. I clamped my lips tight together and somehow, the first kiss happened. Staggering to my bedroom after waving goodnight, I had a terrible stomach ache and thought, well if that’s what kissing is all about, I didn’t want to try again. We became best loving friends and married five years later.

Good for you - inviting a senior boy to your dance! What is the one thing you would love to learn how to do?

One thing I wish I’d learned but the time has passed…I’m a dancer who never learned to spot while turning. Unacceptable in dance world. One of my sons, a dancer, tried to teach me. Never worked. I taught him lots of ballroom and Latin dances. Ah well.

Do you outline, “wing it,” or something in between?

None of the above. I sleep-write. A story wakes me from sleep. In the morning I write.

Tell three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

1.In the tri state area: NY, NJ, CT, I’m the only actor who sounds like Betty White. This enabled me to book voice-overs when she was a top star. 2.I once booked a commercial because the producers said I was the only actor auditioning who looked like she’d spill coffee all over her desk. 3. Geraldine Ferraro’s daughters told me during the Diet Pepsi commercial where I was their mother’s stand-in, that I hugged better than the Vice Presidential candidate for President did. Funny stuff behind the scenes.

Charmaine, I love your three things - each one is fascinating! Where can fans find you?

My Websitehttp://authorCharmaineGordon.Xanga.com
For Charmaine’s Amazon Author Page, click here!

facebook-Charmaine Gordon
Twitter-CharJGordon

Blurb for Charmaine’s book, RECONSTRUCTING CHARLIE

Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father.

Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. “This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own.”

Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.

An excerpt from RECONSTRUCTING CHARLIE:

In 1996, I killed my father.

Dear old Dad was great with a belt. A belt of whiskey. A belt from around his waist unbuckled when you least expected it and later I knew when it was coming and some of us escaped. Not me, not Mom. Never Mom. I’m the oldest. I didn’t want the little ones to see the okay dad turn into a monster dad on payday. Every payday.

Chapter 1
I heard the television turned up loud before I opened the door. Mom always hoped for a distraction. Maybe this time instead of beating up on us, he’d watch the Minnesota Twins beat the hell out of the Boston Red Sox. Rant over every play, curse the umpires, yell that the Hubert H. Humphrey Stadium wasn’t good enough. 1996. Not a great year so far for the Twins. On this payday, after I dropped the kids off, I raced home just in time to be with Mom.

The front door banged open hard enough to rattle dishes in the cabinet. Mom’s treasure–a painted porcelain egg–rolled to the edge, teetered for a second and fell end over end to the hardwood floor. The small egg cracked with the force of a bomb. Mom stared at broken pieces from a life she had long ago. Her face turned white, every freckle showing, and my fists clenched.

He staggered around waving a tire iron in the air; muscled from working a jackhammer for the city all his sorry life and ugly drunk. Flowers flew off the table with sprays of water and shattered glass. Cursing, he went after Mom. This time I was ready. I wrestled it out of his filthy hands and hit him good. He lay torn up, didn’t move, blood everywhere on Mom’s clean kitchen floor. I stood there looking down at my father and thought how hard it was going to be for Mom to get the blood up. And how come he was the worst father in the world scaring all of us, hurting Mom and me. I breathed too fast and almost threw up. We were safe now because I’d done this terrible thing and I didn’t know how I could live with it.

Mom’s thick auburn hair came loose from her bun and she looked so pretty bending over him, a finger pressed to his neck as if she was a cop. On tiptoes, she pulled the ceiling fan chain and her sleeve rolled back. Black and blue marks covered her arm. I counted them. Mom had a lot more than I did. The breeze felt good. Then she wiped my fingerprints off the tire iron and replaced them with hers.
I watched Mom change from quiet refined Liz Costigan to someone I didn’t know.

She reached in his pants like a pickpocket and came up with a handful of dollars and coins. Handing me the money, Mom said, “I guess he drank the rest of his pay. Sorry it’s not more. Let’s get you packed.”

She was in charge, this new mother, and I didn’t question her. Icy cold inside myself, Mom dragged me along to my bedroom. I kept looking back expecting him to come after us.

“Reach up high on the top shelf, Charlie. Bring the suitcase down.”
Mom’s hands caressed the leather case I’d never seen.

“I packed my clothes and ran away sixteen years ago,” she said. “I was wild, out-of-control.”

“Were you ever sorry, Mom?”

“I have you and Jimmy, and my little girls. Take a shower. I have things to do.” She pushed me toward the hall.

I heard Mom opening and closing drawers, knew she’d be too busy to worry about me for a while and crept back to the bloody mess to make sure he really was dead. His dark eyes had turned to an empty stare.

Shivering, I ran for the bathroom. Even a hot shower couldn’t warm me and blood refused to wash off. Words spun around in my head. ‘Out, out, damned spot.’ I scrubbed ’til it hurt. Lady Macbeth, that’s me.

Wrapped in a towel, I watched Mom empty my clothes into her suitcase.

I couldn’t move. He’s dead in the house and she packed my clothes for what? Mom added a dress hanging at the back of the closet, folded and placed it on top. The sound of the zipper closing on the suitcase startled me into action. I pried up the board in the closet, removed my money, and secured it into a money belt I’d bought in a second hand shop. Mom nodded approval.

“Wear this,” she said, handing me jeans and a long sleeved tee shirt. I dug some underwear out of the suitcase and dressed.

Unfastening a gold locket on a long chain she wore around her neck, she said, “Hold up your hair, my girl.”

We stood face to face, her hazel eyes looking into mine. I heard a tiny click when the clasp was in place around my neck. She kissed the locket and let it slide under my shirt.

“What’s in the locket, Mom?”

“Two sisters, my dear Charlie. One wise. One foolish.” Mom smiled the saddest smile. She held my face in both hands. “Yes, I have a sister, your aunt Eleanor. Now listen hard. Money and education. Most important. And one more thing, precious girl, don’t let boys catch your scent. Keep clean. That’s something I forgot.”

Scared and bewildered, I wasn’t used to her making fast decisions. Any decisions.

“I’ll call the police after you’re gone. It was self-defense. There are hospital records of abuse for years. The Union will take financial care of us. Your job is to make a new life. Catch a bus to Chicago. My sister is there.”

She pulled a box out from a drawer in my small desk and opened it. Fancy stationery paper, the old fashioned kind with the scent of flowers. Taking a deep breath, mom wrote in her perfect handwriting. I always believed mom had a lot of secrets. Now I got a peek at some just before I was leaving. Not fair and I felt like my little sisters when they stamped their feet against the world. I didn’t want to leave. She tucked two sheets of paper in a matching envelope and added an address.
“Don’t lose this, Charlie. It’s your passport to a new life.”

I couldn’t speak. Somehow words got stuck in my throat so I read the name Mom had written. Mrs. Stuart Alfred. I unzipped a side pocket on my backpack and placed the envelope in with care.

“Don’t let her turn you away. She’s my older sister. She hated your father.”

I never saw her cry before and when tears fell, she brushed them away.

Panic set in. “What if she’s not there?”

“She’ll be there, same as always. I’ve kept in touch with her. Not often. Just enough.”

So sure of herself, this new mother.

“Charlie,” Mom looked in my eyes so deep as if she was taking a picture, “don’t call. I’ll call you when I have something to say. Now hurry. It’s not too late to catch the bus.”

Mom hugged me and I ran.

Thanks for inviting me today, Diane. As a gift to your readers, LOVE&CHOCOLATE, short stories/recipes written by 11 Vanilla Heart authors is a free download. http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=918824
Charmaine, thanks for stopping by and sharing about your writing and new release. It’s been fun!

BUYING LINKS for RECONSTRUCTING CHARLIE!
Amazon Kindle
Amazon - Paperback
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords

Tracy Krauss, author of ‘edgy inspirational’ fiction, is launching her book MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER on Feb. 24 at amazon.com. You can help Tracy achieve ‘best seller’ status by purchasing the book at amazon.com TODAY!

About the book:
Loaded with humor, action, intrigue and romance, My Mother the Man- Eater is the story of a woman whose search for meaning in life finds an unexpected outlet. Joleen Allen is on the hunt for a man. Unfortunately, every time the mother of five meets one, he falls for one of her daughters instead! At forty-four, Joleen has lived a tough life. She became a mother at 16, and her five daughters are now grown. Her ex-husband, Harold, is out of prison and back in the picture, looking for revenge. He’ll stop at nothing – even murder – to ruin Joleen’s reputation as well as her relationship with their daughters. My Mother the Man-Eater makes for some truly tempting and redemptive reading.

About the Author:
Tracy Krauss is a prolific author, playwright, director and artist. Originally from a small prairie town, she now resides in Tumbler Ridge, BC, known for its scenic mountain vistas and many waterfalls. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and currently teaches high school Art, Drama and English.

BONUS! Buy MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER on February 24 and receive loads of FREE e-gifts from these generous supporters:
Sample chapters, short stories, children’s books, and magazines from acclaimed, best selling and debut Christian authors, such as April Gardner, Shawna Williams, Shellie Neumeier, Sana Edoja, Delia Latham, Ray Lincoln, Stacy Padula, Elaine Cooper, Stacy Juba, Lisa Lickel, Joann Durgin … and more!

Plus – free manuscript critiques, manuscript editing, and marketing and promotional tips from journalists, editors, authors and speakers, Lorilyn Roberts, Linda Yezak and Bonnie Way.

And – beautiful downloadable art cards courtesy of artist and author Brenda Hendricks.

All if you buy your copy of MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER at amazon.com on Feb. 24! These free gifts are valid on Feb. 24 only. All the links will be operational on the ‘Book Launch’ site at www.tracykrauss.com/ Click HERE for more details

DISCLAIMER: This Best Seller book launch has been coordinated with the help of the ‘John 3:16 Marketing Network’ and many other generous supporters. The free gifts are deliverable electronically over the internet or by email by individual authors and supporters. They are not in any way associated with, nor deliverable by, amazon.com

The last few weeks have been fun with my fellow Jewels of the Quill members stopping by to chat! I’m happy to host another member, Margaret Carter (Dame Onyx) here today! Grab a cup of coffee, tea or soft drink and enjoy learning more about today’s award-winning author and her books!

Margaret, share with us a bit about yourself.

Reading DRACULA at the age of twelve changed my life. As a result of that book, I got interested in horror, fantasy, and “soft” SF. I started writing, at age thirteen, because I couldn’t find enough vampire fiction to read, especially from the viewpoint of the “monster.” Becoming an aspiring writer led me to major in English and eventually earn a Ph.D. I even met my husband because of reading and writing speculative fiction, as described below. He’s a retired Navy Captain. I currently work part-time as a legislative editor for the Maryland General Assembly. We sometimes collaborate on fantasy, as with the sword-and-sorcery trilogy beginning with WILD SORCERESS (Amber Quill Press). I write paranormal romance, horror, and fantasy, as well as occasional nonfiction on the theme of the supernatural in literature.

What is your writing process like? Do you outline, wing it, or something in between?

I’m a dedicated outliner for everything except short stories, and even with those I sketch out the scenes in the story before I start writing. For anything longer, I discovered decades ago that if I don’t know what’s going to happen all the way through, I get bogged down in the middle of a novella or book and lose interest. Also, I find first-draft writing slow and laborious, so any pre-writing I can do to smooth the path helps a lot.

How do you go about developing your characters?

A character usually springs into my mind as a protagonist entangled in an intriguing situation. Then I start building a personality and background that would make it plausible for her to find herself in that quandary.

What do you do to celebrate when you get a new contract, fantastic review or maybe meet a deadline?

Relax with a favorite book and maybe enjoy ice cream or a glass of wine.

Tell us about your newest release.

ROGUE MAGESS, the third volume in the fantasy series written by my husband and me, came out last spring. It includes dragons, family secrets, and world-changing discoveries. My latest solo release (fall 2010) was SONG FROM THE ABYSS, an erotic paranormal romance novella from a Lovecraftian angle (Ellora’s Cave). It includes a portal to another dimension, a long-lost lover, and tentacles.

What movie did you last see in the theatre? Did you like it? What snacks did you have?

VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER. I always have a small container of popcorn, no butter. “Movie” popcorn is a special treat I can indulge in only when I go to the theater, which happens no more than twice in a typical year. I thought the movie did a much more satisfactory job of conveying the book than PRINCE CASPIAN did. In DAWN TREADER, because the book is episodic anyway, it didn’t matter much that the order of episodes was rearranged somewhat. Nor did I think the addition of a new element, the seven swords, hurt the movie the way throwing in the attack on the castle (and omitting the cross-country procession with the nymphs and satyrs!) harmed PRINCE CASPIAN. The “sword” plot thread in DAWN TREADER, at least, didn’t violate the spirit of Lewis’s original.

How did you and your husband meet? Did you fall for him first, or was it the other way around?

We met as teenagers in the church youth group. He had joined our church in pursuit of another girl, with whom he’d recently broken up. We noticed each other because we discovered by chance that we both read science fiction. He was the only person besides myself I’d ever met up to that point who not only read SF and fantasy but wrote it. We read and critiqued each other’s fiction almost from the beginning. I think the “falling” was simultaneously mutual.

Tell three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

I learned to drive in a Fiat Spyder.
I often listen to country radio.
I play Dungeons and Dragons.

Where can fans find you on the internet?

Carter’s Crypt: http://www.margaretlcarter.com
Alien Romances group blog: http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/
Jewels of the Quill author group: http://www.jewelsofthequill.com

I enjoyed our interview! Thank you, Margaret! Readers, if you leave a comment, you’ll be entered in my February blog contest. Visit Margaret’s sites to read her exciting excerpts!

Click here to buy ROGUE MAGESS!
To buy SONG FROM THE ABYSS, click here!

Here’s my news - my publisher, Rebecca J. Vickery of A Christmas Collection Anthology: Sensual put a wonderful dessert book at Smashwords yesterday. And it’s FREE! After the Victory Tales Press authors visited here in December to share excerpts of their Christmas anthology stories and their favorite recipes, author and cover designer, Laura Shinn suggested making a recipe book. She did the beautiful covers of the anthology books, other VTP books and designed the dessert cover. A big thanks to Laura for for all her hard work in making this dessert book possible! I’m excited about the book with so many delicious recipes.

Go here, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/42869, to get this free recipe book.
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I’ve been working on character names. I have a series I want to write. I still plan to sometime finish my contemporary romance, but been praying a lot about this series and feel it’s the right one to work on. I want to get a bigger publisher so keep your fingers crossed for me. I need to write faster than I usually do because my scoring job will start next month. I haven’t written anything new for a long time so will be interesting to actually write again. Family stuff, personal health issues, and promoting my Christmas books have taken a big chunk of time.