Night Therapy Released, Hot Halloween Heroes Giveaway Hop, and Interview with the Vampire Johnathan!

Do you think I put enough into one blog post? Why not kill three bats with one stone? Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway...

Are you ready for another fun blog hop? Just like I did with the last blog hop, I am still giving away FREE eBook copies of my novelette, Midnight Confessions, to everyone reading this - until the end of this hop, 11/3/13. Details on how to grab your copy are later in this post.

This is just my way of thanking my readers for all your support, and so you can get caught up on all the sexy chaos that is The Nocturnal Surrender Series before you read my latest release, Night Therapy.

Be sure to check out the websites of the hosts of this blog hop, Felicity Heaton and Indie Romance Books. If you click on the pic, you can check out the hop's main page.

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Night Therapy is out now!
Get you copy from...
Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Click on the cover to learn more and for other purchase links!

And just to make  you more curious about the book, here is my...
Interview with the Vampire Johnathan.

In honor of the release of Night Therapy, and this blog hop, I wanted to share this character interview I did with the hero in the book, Johnathan McCombs. Get ready for some Hot-Halloween-Hero vampire attitude and sexiness...

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Johnathan strutted into my office with his usual rock-star swagger, his raven hair slightly disheveled from the motorcycle helmet in his hand. Too bad he had those damn sunglasses on—again—because I really wanted to see his preternaturally-bright blue eyes.

His vampire swiftness kicked in, and he moved toward me in a blur. Before I could comprehend what had happened, he stood beside me. It took a moment for me to notice he’d dropped his helmet on the sofa at some point. With his impressive muscular frame mere inches from me, he placed one hand on the back of my chair and leaned in to lay the other on my desk.

He stared at my computer screen. “You have got to be kidding. Seriously? Is that really what you’re going to call this interview?”

His slight Australian accent was sexy and seductive, but I quickly remembered I had a vampire breathing down my neck. Chills ran up my spine, a wave of fear mixed with odd excitement. I wanted to tell him to back the fuck off, but then again, he was hot as hell. I should know, I wrote him that way.

“Why? What’s wrong with it? I thought it was kind of cute.”

Easing off his sunglasses, he turned to glare at me, eye-to-eye, and hovered a little too close for comfort. “Cute? Do I look like I should be associated with something cute?”

In truth, he looked like he should be associated with something Gothic, dressed in black from head to toe. The only things missing were the eyeliner, piercings, and tattoos. Don’t ask me why I never gave him those. I guess they didn’t fit his personality.

But I wasn’t about to let a character I created intimidate me. After all, I was the one in control here, wasn’t I? “Why don’t you let me worry about the writing side of this, including the title of the interview, and you go sit down over there? You know, on the other side of my desk. Where you belong.”

The incredulous look on his face said I might have crossed the line. “There is no one else in this world who could get away with telling me what to do. You’ve got balls.”

Then, laughing, he…did as I had told him.

“Good. Maybe we can start this interview now.” Time to placate his ego a bit. “Would that be okay with you?”

I tried to sound as sincere as possible, especially since it would have been easy for him to take what I’d said sarcastically. This interview would go nowhere if I pissed him off before we even started.

He nodded. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Good vampire. That’s more like it.

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Lorraine:  So, Johnathan, what do you think about having a major part of your life played out in a book for the entire world to see?

Leaning back in the chair, he propped his booted feet up on my desk and cocked his head to the side.

Johnathan:  What do you think? How would you like your life to be in the pages of a book?

Lorraine:  I’m really an open book, anyway, so…

His mouth opened, undoubtedly to point out the pun in what I’d said, since I’m an author, but I held up my hand before he spoke.

Lorraine:  Zip it. I know. Bad pun. But this interview isn’t about me, it’s about you. Now, back to the questions. You obviously don’t seem too happy at the prospect of this book, but you have to at least be looking forward to meeting Stephanie, right?

With a roll of his eyes, he sighed.

Johnathan:  In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a loner, and I don’t do well with people. Now you want me to open up to some therapist about my issues and fall madly in love. You’re off your rocker.

Lorraine:  Okay, I see your point, but--

Johnathan:  Don’t think I don’t know how these romance novels go. You’re going to put us through all kinds of hell before we get our happily ever after. Well, newsflash, all-powerful writer, we are real people, with actual feelings. What makes you think it’s okay to do that shit to us? Besides, there’s no happily ever after waiting for me, so you can shove it up your ass.

I sat back in my chair, stunned, and feeling a little guilty. Then a rush of anger rolled over me. My pulse raced and a flush of heat ran through my body.

Lorraine:  Wait a minute. You are not real people. You are characters I created. And I have to make the stories interesting and emotionally riveting for the readers, so live with it. No, actually, don’t live with it since you’re not really alive.

Was I truly having an argument with a character from my book? Maybe I was the one who needed therapy.

Taking a deep breath, I unclenched my fists—that I hadn’t realized were clenched until my nails dug into flesh—and continued.

Lorraine:  Okay, I see what you’re doing here, and it’s not going to work. I don’t care how pissy you act. I’m not ending this interview and tossing you out of my office.

Johnathan’s condescending laugh cut through me, and the flash of silver that flitted across his eyes scared the hell out of me. The last thing I wanted was to make a vampire lose control. I was pretty sure he only did it to remind me of his power and strength, and the fact that I couldn’t toss him anywhere, but I didn’t want to take the chance--

Johnathan:  Too bad. I wouldn’t mind seeing what happened if you tried. It’s been too long since I’ve fed fresh. I’m aching for a reason to do it.

And just like that, he shifted into full-on vamp mode. Eyes silver, fangs extended. He made sure I didn’t miss the latter, parting his lips enough to show off those daggers. My heart raced faster than before.

Johnathan:  I can smell your fear. It’s sweeter than you can imagine. The vampire in me loves it, wants to cause more of it, but the man in me…

He lowered his head and scrubbed a hand over his face.

A few more deep breaths for me.

How the hell could this interview have gone bad so fast? Oh yeah, that’s right. All my characters had minds of their own. No matter how much I tried to rein them in, they always did whatever they damn well pleased. Maybe they were more real than I gave them credit for.

Lorraine:  Look, Johnathan, why don’t we start over? I’m sorry for not respecting you as a person. You were right. Come on, we’ll be going through a lot together. We need to get along.

It took a few moments, but Johnathan finally looked up, his eyes back to normal—well, almost. Instead of the usual cold and distant stare, there was a look of pain in them.

Johnathan:  I’m sorry, too. It’s just… I’ve been a wreck lately. I don’t know what’s going on with me.

Lorraine:  That’s exactly why I’m giving you Stephanie. The two of you need each other.

Johnathan:  I’m no good to anyone, especially a mortal. If she needs someone, you’d better look elsewhere.

Lorraine:  Nope. Can’t do that. You have to trust me on this. She needs you. Only you.

Johnathan:  If that’s the case then you’ve really got your work cut out for you. I don’t see how it’s possible. If you can get me to open up and fall in love, I’ll… Well, it doesn’t matter because it’s not going to happen.

I could tell a glimmer of hope had crossed his mind as his eyes lit up momentarily, but he shot it down quickly. The pain was gone, but a stone-cold glare replaced it. His face was expressionless. He’d gone back into his shell. Probably best not to push him any further.

Lorraine:  Maybe we should call it a night. We can pick this up later, after you’ve gotten to know Stephanie a little.

With a slight smile, he nodded, then stood and reached for my hand. He bent over, raised the hand I offered to his full lips, and kissed it softly before leaving. The gentleman in him had finally come out.

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After nine chapters into Night Therapy...

Johnathan burst into my office, moved around my desk in a blur, and was beside me before his helmet landed on the sofa. “This is fucked up. I can’t believe what you’ve done to us. To Stephanie. What you made me do. Do you have any fucking idea what havoc you’ve wreaked on our lives?” The rasp in his voice let me know the vampire in him had been freed.

I tentatively looked up to see molten-silver eyes and sharp fangs. A cold chill washed over me. My body tensed, fearing what might happen next, bracing for…anything. The lump in my throat made it impossible to speak.

I’d never seen him this angry—not even when he fought with Christof.

Yanking my chair so I faced him, he leaned down, one hand on each armrest, and trapped me there. Fierce intensity glinted in his eyes. “How could you? She was my world. You give me this…this…hope, and then you snatch it away from me. And you have the audacity to make it be by my own hand. I should tear your throat to shreds. No, better yet, I should rip your heart out like you did mine.”

As my body betrayed me with fear, and I cowered in my chair, the logical part of me wanted to tell the arrogant bastard that I created him and I could take him out just as easily. In my mind, I saw myself lifting my leg with all the force I could muster, dropping him with the one blow I knew would hurt a vampire as much as it would a mortal man. Then, I would stand and drive my four inch heal straight into his heart, incapacitating him long enough for me to get away.

Of course, knowing what I’d just put him through in the pages of his book meant he would then have been staked twice in a few days’ time. He would be even more pissed at me afterward, and the logical part of my brain also reminded me this man could literally do the things he’d threatened to. If not now, then any time after he pulled the makeshift stake out of his chest. I couldn’t outrun him forever.

“Smart woman. If I were you, I wouldn’t try it either. Especially since I can read your mind and see it coming before you can act. Oh, and by the way, you may be able to get rid of me with a few keystrokes, but I can take you out before you turn your head back to that damn computer.” To emphasize his point, he moved to my neck so quickly I hadn’t even seen it happen. One second he stared at me, the next…

He was breathing down my neck again, just as he’d done the last time he was in my office. Only this time, I really was in danger. When I felt his fangs graze my skin, I flinched, trying to get away, but had nowhere to go. His breath was warm, and his teeth were sharp. If I moved, I could end up slicing open my own flesh on those daggers. My heart skipped a beat as he pressed them in ever so slightly.

Had this been under other circumstances, I’d guarantee I would have been getting hot and bothered. But as it was, I had no idea if my life was about to end or not.

A small window of lucidity hit. “If you kill me, then what happens to you? You’ll either die on the page or be stuck in this limbo for eternity. Is that what you want?”

Shifting backward, he glared at me. “If I died, I would be fine with that.” Then he paused, as if contemplating the rest of my statement. “But to be stuck at this time of my life would be a living hell.” Another few seconds of silence. “You might have just saved your own miserable hide, Miss Almighty Writer, but…I can’t let you off easy for what you’ve put us through. There will be hell to pay. Mark my words.”

With that, he bolted out of my office, leaving my head spinning. I knew he’d return for me but had no idea what kind of hell he planned on putting me through. If it was anything close to what I’d done to him—and still planned to do—there was a good chance I wouldn’t survive to write the next book.

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Midnight Confessions giveaway...

BLURB

Nicole French is fed up with only seeing her boyfriend, Bastian, at the sanguinarian club Nocturnal Surrender, where he always wears his prosthetic fangs and vampire contacts. When she pays him a surprise visit, and he answers the door half-naked and wet from showering, she can’t help taking advantage of the situation. But when her sexual advances send him bolting from her, she is stunned and concerned.

Bastian Evanko isn’t ready to reveal his secret to Nicole, to tell her he truly is a vampire. But when she gets him too aroused to hide the monster inside, he decides to confess all. Unfortunately, before he can explain things properly, his brother Donovan calls, demanding his presence to handle vampire business. Nicole is suddenly along for the ride, and Bastian gives her a crash course in all things vampiric. Will she be able to handle being thrown into a strange new world? Or will she betray him as his fiancée did two hundred years ago?

As if that isn’t enough to deal with, Donovan confronts Bastian about the recklessness of bringing Nicole into their world too soon and more confessions are made. First between the brothers, and later between Bastian and Nicole. All hide deep pain and guilt, and they all need to confess their secrets to find peace of mind. But will they be able to salvage their relationships or will their confessions tear them apart?

To get your FREE eBook copy of Midnight Confessions, go to THE BOOK'S SMASHWORDS PAGE and use coupon code SQ64P (not case-sensitive) by 11/3/13.

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Don't forget to grab your copy of Night Therapy from...
Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Click on the cover for an excerpt and for other purchase links!

BLURB

Vampire Johnathan McCombs has spent the last century isolating from humanity whenever possible, trying to come to terms with a past that haunts him. When he finally realizes he needs help dealing with his issues, he seeks out a mortal psychologist, hoping her ethical boundaries of confidentiality will allow him to reveal his secrets. He tries to ignore his growing attraction for his therapist, but when circumstances throw them together outside the professional setting of her office, will he be able to contain his passion?

Psychologist Stephanie Taylor connects with her clients because personal experience has made her understand what heartache and trauma do to a person. But when her hot new client drops the bomb on her that he is a vampire, she has no idea what to do or how to react. Now she must look at her life in a whole new light. She has inadvertently put her life in danger and become part of a dark world she thought was only pretend.

In one night, everything changes. Old rivals pull Stephanie into their fight, and Johnathan must make a life or death decision. But can Stephanie forgive him for the irreversible choice he makes with her life? Can the couple find peace with their individual problems to have a chance at a lasting relationship? And how will the brewing war between vampires and Hunters affect them?

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Other blogs in this hop...