Today on My Overstuffed Bookshelf I have a special treat for everyone for Halloween! Author Michelle Rowen is my featured Q&A guest. I hope you all have a Spooky and happy Halloween!

To start off, welcome and can you tell the readers a little about yourself?

Sure! I’m a full-time, national bestselling, award-winning writer of paranormal romance and young adult fantasy novels. Since 2005, I’ve sold sixteen books to five different NYC publishers and some of my books have been/will be translated into five different languages. I live in Southern Ontario in a tiny condo with two needy cats and a really fast internet connection.

Can you tell us a little about your new and/or current releases?

I’ve had three releases out in the last three months. Tall, Dark & Fangsome came out in September and it’s the last book in my Immortality Bites paranormal romance series about a fledgling vampire. October was the release of my debut young adult novel (the first in a series) Demon Princess: Reign or Shine about a girl who finds out that her father is a demon king and that makes her a half demon princess and heir to his throne. And November brings my first Harlequin Blaze release, Hot Spell, about two paranormal investigators who find an enchanted clock that helps to reveal their true feelings about each other.

How did you decide what to write?

My ideas find me, mostly. But I find a couple of themes that seem to be consistent in all of my work is the “normal” person who falls into a “not normal” adventure. I also have a habit of making the monsters the good guys.

When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read? Do you have any favorite authors, that are must reads?

I love YA most of all right now. I have a lot of favorite authors but a few off the top of my head along with my book recs are: Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy, I’m a big, unapologetic fan of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, and right now I’m reading and loving Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange.

What are 3 things that are “must haves” for you when you sit down to write a new book?

When I sit down to write a new book I must have 1) an outline (I am a plotter, not a pantser, and when I try to write without an outline I am always headed for trouble and a lot of revision work), 2) Silence (some people can write with music playing or at Starbucks, but I need silence in order to concentrate and get into the heads of my characters), and 3) Diet Coke (it fuels the muse. She used to require more fattening fare, but she has adapted nicely).

What are your favorite things to do in your downtime?

I love going to the movies, watching trashy reality TV, and going out for lunch or dinner with friends.

Where can we purchase your books?

All of my books are still in print, so you can purchase them at online booksellers. The more recent titles would be available on the shelves of most bookstores.

Do you have a blog or website that your readers can keep up with you and your books?

Absolutely. Readers can find me at www.michellerowen.com where I also have a blog and lots of info about my books. You can also find me on twitter at www.twitter.com/michellerowen.

If you could pick one character from your books to join you on a deserted island for a month, who would it be and why?

Oooh, I like this question. Hmm, let me see. I would probably choose Darrak, the demon hero from my new paranormal romance series out next May with The Demon in Me. He’s resourceful, strong, gorgeous, and funny as hell. He’d definitely entertain me during our stay.

Thank you so much for joining me for a Q&A Session for our readers!

My pleasure. Thank you for asking me!


Welcome everyone to My Overstuffed Bookshelf for the TO DESIRE A DEVIL Blog Tour! I am happy to have read and reviewed this book for author Elizabeth Hoyt and thank you to Anna from Hachette Books for hosting the giveaway!

SYNOPSIS:
NOTHING IS MORE INTOXICATING-
Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl’s heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?

OR DANGEROUS-
Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle’s home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.

THAN SURRENDERING TO A DEVIL.
Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud’s savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice’s love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

MY TAKE:

This is the final book in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Legend of the Four Soldiers Series. Even though I hadn’t read the previous books in this series, this book was so well written that you didn’t need to have read them. This book captured the love and suspense that I love in a historical romance that you come to expect. The characters captured me from page one and they were characters that were so believable that you actually cared about what would happen. Their love story was so touching and I didn’t want to put this book down. The story is well paced and keeps you guessing at the traitors identity. Mixed with steamy passion and intrigue, this will be a great read for everyone who enjoys this genre!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!

Now for the giveaway. Anna from Hachette Books has agreed to spread the love of this book! She has offered to give away 5 copies of this great romance! This contest is open to US and Canada only. NO PO BOXES.
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your email address to enter.
The contest is open until Friday November 6th, 2009.

Good Luck!

I saw a few of these on the internet and had a few of my own to add! How many do you relate to?

You know you are addicted to reading when….

When you have a book stashed in every room in your house including the bathroom.

When everytime you’re going away for the weekend you pack more books than clothes.

When you are willing to spend $14.99 for a hardback new release, but you can’t believe they want the same price for a new T-Shirt!

When your local librarian starts to point out which books you haven’t yet read.

When getting around your house is like navigating a maze because of all the bookshelves.

When you’re forced to read the telephone book because you’ve read everything else it in the house and it’s a holiday so the library’s closed.

When the clerks at the book store start putting books aside for you before you ask for them.

When you pre-order the next book in a series a year before it’s going to be released.

When you take a job in a book store and get paid in product.

When the manager of the book store starts asking you for recommendations.

When you clean out all the books you feel you can part from and still don’t have room for anything new.

When your spouse/roommate’s first response upon seeing you with a bag is “now what books did you buy?”

When you choose your clothes because they have pockets big enough to carry trade paperbacks.

When you know what a trade paperback is.

When you have a special line on your budget related to books and bookshelves.

When you have a scanner so you can keep track of your collection.

When you take the morning off the day of the library or AAUW book sale.

When your family doesn’t bother to look for a book because you’ll know exactly where it is.

You have bookshelves/boxes in every room, including the bathroom, car, and kitchen.

No one bothers to ask you ‘are you reading that?’ anymore.

When you stop in a town on vacation your spouse doesn’t bother to ask you where you’d like to start. (the bookstore)

Instead of CDs, video games, or built-in video systems, you have a tradition of reading to each other while you drive.

You chose garage sales from the paper based on how prominently the world BOOKS is used in the ad.

Your brothers refuse to move you anymore.

When you have an excel spreadsheet to track every book you read, the number of pages, how many days you spent on it and the date you finished it

When your bookshelf breaks from the weight

When your mother wishes aloud that she never taught me to read.

When you “buy” all the free Kindle books on Amazon.com even though you know you will NEVER EVER get to reading them all.

When you are short on cash and consider using your credit card for a new release and tell your spouse that it IS considered and emergency!

When you’re halfway through a book before you realize you’ve read it before.

When you have been so into a book that you have forgotten to feed your kids dinner.

When your teenage daughter locks up her books in a trunk so you don’t sneak them onto your bookshelf!


JACK DANIEL’S SPIRIT OF TENNESSEE COOKBOOK
Author: Lynne Tolley & Pat Mitchamore
Special Thanks to: Thomas Nelson Publishing

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc (October 13, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1595553010
  • ISBN-13: 978-1595553010

SYNOPSIS:
The rich tradition of country cooking, the distinctive taste of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, and the heritage of rural America are all elegantly captured in Jack Daniel’s The Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook. Included are more than 350 recipes, stunning full-color photographs, and stories of the people, places, and traditions of Middle Tennessee.

MY TAKE:
Who knew you could make such great recipes with Whiskey? I am not a heavy drinker, but now that I know I can use this whiskey for cooking great dishes, people might start seeing me in the alcohol department more at the store. There are some amazing, mouth-watering recipes in this book that I can’t wait to try. Here are just a few of the recipes you will find in this cookbook:

Hot Toddy (which my mom made when I was little and sick.)
Whiskey Nut Bread
Flaming Tennessee Tenderloin
Black Jack Cake

You get the idea! Yummy sounding recipes with a little kick in them! Go ahead and give them a try! Even if you don’t like the recipe, you always have the whiskey for afterwards!

MY RATING:


Very Good! Worth Spending Your Money on!


WICKED NIGHT GAMES
Author: Kathleen Lawless

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket (May 8, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416532730
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416532736

SYNOPSIS:

What’s your fantasy tonight?

Welcome aboard the Fantasy Cruise Line, where luxurious private cabins use virtual reality to create any fantasy you’ve ever dreamed of — and a few you’ve never imagined.

Cassidy Ferrill’s fantasy is to get revenge on her teen crush, Sloan Hardt, who broke her heart when he rejected her long ago. She wants to seduce the man, then leave while he’s panting for more. When she discovers they’ll both be guests on a Fantasy wedding cruise, Cassidy knows she’s found the perfect opportunity. If she can just keep from losing her heart all over again….

Sloan doesn’t immediately recognize the curvy auburn-haired beauty as his long-ago “pity date” to the prom, but he certainly recognizes what he’s feeling: pure, unadulterated lust. The fantasy-themed cabins are a perfect opportunity for some truly wicked night games with this new, grown-up Cassidy. But while Sloan has always been a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy, this fling somehow seems different. Why does he find himself fantasizing about a life with Cassidy after the cruise is over?

MY TAKE:

This was the first book I picked up out of my TBR pile for this weeks challenge. I read it and was not happy with it. Two people who knew eachother growing up end up reuniting on a cruise at a wedding and having a bunch of sex. Now don’t get me wrong! I love erotica books. It’s when an erotica doesn’t have any other plot BUT sex that annoys me. Every other page was these two characters having sex and I was getting so tired of it! There was so much sex going on that I forgot what the reason of the book was. I am still not sure if I even rememeber what the whole point of the book was. Authors please note, just because we may want to read an erotica, doesn’t mean we don’t want the story to have a plot! This book felt like a nudie magazine without pictures and in book form! Hopefully my next pick will be better!

MY RATING:


I did not enjoy this book.