BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY - TWICE A TARGET (Task Force Eagle, #4) by Susan Vaughan

Twice A Target

Task Force Eagle, #4

by Susan Vaughan

Publication date: January 29th 2025

Published by: The Wild Rose Press

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

BLURB

Disaster strikes DEA Agent Holt Donovan twice, when a gunfight ruins his mission and a car crash kills his brother and sister-in-law. Home on the Colorado ranch to raise his infant nephew, Holt enlists a nanny—Maddy McCoy, the woman who once jilted his brother. The world-traveling photographer never expected to return to Colorado, the only real home she ever had, and to the man she never forgot. Burned out from covering too many starving children and refugees and short on funds, Maddy agrees, vowing to keep her heart safe. What neither of them knows is that by bringing her into his home, Holt has placed her in the crosshairs of a killer. As Holt and Maddy cope with their desire for each other and the resentments of the past, their investigation into the brother’s death leads them into escalating danger and a shocking discovery.

Goodreads

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks

EXCERPT

Bobby’s siren wail penetrated Holt’s consciousness like a nail in his skull.

He opened one eye. The lighted digital clock beside his bed read two o’clock. Right on time, little guy. “Coming,” he mumbled.

One foot on the floor. The other. He raked fingers through his hair, then pushed to his feet. Starting for the door, he snapped alert as though slapped.

Maddy McCoy.

He’d finished some paperwork in the office, then slipped off to bed early. But escape didn’t work worth a damn. The image of Maddy’s sassy face and the memory of her scent kept him torturing his sheets for hours before he finally slept.

Damn, she was in the master bedroom. He couldn’t troop through the house in his skivvies. Blinking in the darkened bedroom, he stumbled back and forth like a drugged steer as he searched for his jeans. Didn’t he leave them on the chair? Or on the floor? No. He put away the clean ones and tossed the manure-smeared ones into the washing machine. Where they remained.

Bobby cranked it up a notch. He could rival that opera singer, Luciano something.

Hell with it. Holt hit the door and burst into the hall.

And collided with a slim figure in filmy white.

He stumbled to a halt and braced himself as his arms went around her to stop her fall. She emitted a small yelp like a cartoon eek. Under his hands, her slender body in the silken covering was a miracle of curves and soft, toned female flesh. His body tightened and his pulse raced off to distant planets. The hallway suddenly didn’t have enough air.

He immediately set her away a step. Then he stepped back another. “Sorry. Bobby.” The baby’s cry subsided to hiccups and whimpers. No emergency, to his relief.

“Thought that was my job,” she said. “Two o’clock bottle. Diaper change. Like that.”

“You’re here to spell me when I’m doing ranch work.”

“A rancher needs sleep.” She returned his scowl, although humor tugged at the corner of her lips. “Why do you want me here if you won’t leave Bobby to me?”

He opened his mouth, closed it again with a snap.

Bobby cranked it up again. Only taking a breather. His wail rivaled an air raid siren.

“If you’ll get out of my way,” she said, tossing her hair and smoothing her nightshirt so it highlighted her breasts, “I’ll see to the baby.” The grin popped out, accompanied by a slow perusal down Holt’s body. “Nice…legs.”

He blinked, shot a glance downward. Damn, betrayed by his tented boxers. His Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed hard. He jerked to the side along the wall, as if someone had pressed a knife to his side. “Bobby’s all yours.”

“Great!” She turned and swung her hips as she flounced toward the baby’s room.

 

Author Info

I wanted to write as soon as I learned to read. I dabbled with stories and poems for years, but didn't start writing seriously until many years later. My favorite books have always been mysteries and romances, so the mix in romantic suspense was a natural. I love writing romantic suspense because it throws the hero and heroine together under extraordinary circumstances and pits them against a clever villain. My books have been both a Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Nominee and a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award. Reviewers have called my books fast-paced, thrilling, action-packed, sizzling, and highly emotional.

I have also published a children's Christmas picture book, Sleigh Magic.

I am a West Virginia native but I have lived for many years on the coast of Maine.

For more information about my books, please visit me at susanvaughan dot com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
Rafflecopter Giveaway

Presented by

SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - SCIENCE FICTION - UNEXPECTED REVIVIAL (Revived, #1) by E.L. Roux

Unexpected Revival

Revived, #1

by E.L. Roux

Date of Publication: August 14th 2024

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Cover Artist: Wild Rose Press

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

ISBN: 978-1-5092-5657-0 

ISBN: 978-1-5092-5548-1 

ASIN: B0CW1GBTCT

Number of pages: 406

Word Count: 104,934

Tagline: She wanted it all, but she’d have to save the galaxy to keep it…

BLURB

Dying a thousand years ago was the easy part.

Stopping a planetary annihilation? That might just kill her again.

The cat-like alien blocking her exit was the first clue Shannon had that something wasn’t right. Discovering she’d was freshly thawed from cryogenic stasis was her second. When the corporation that revived her wants answers about how she played a part in the destruction of earth over a millennium ago, she's more than willing to respond. The only problem is she doesn't remember how.

He was everything she wanted, but nothing like what she was used to…

Out of balance in this new era, Shannon turns to D’lane, the other out-of-place being in her new sphere of existence. Now slightly less terrifying, the intimidated alien male is shifting from a close friend to something more. A relationship she’d be more willing to explore if he wasn’t dead set on fulfilling his destiny, at the cost of destroying everything they’d built.

She wanted it all, but she’d have to save the galaxy to keep it…

With another planetary annihilation on the horizon, it’ll take everything Shannon and D’lane have to work together and unearth new information on how to stop the impending battle. With enemies hiding everywhere, they’ll have to learn to rely on each other to survive what’s coming for them, because not everyone wants to stop the attack.

Amazon      Books2Read

Book Trailer:  https://youtu.be/ApZDSrJNBAE

Excerpt:
“In my culture, names have strong meanings.” D’lane pulled out the curved blade strapped to his arm and cut up the meat he’d been eating earlier into small precise pieces. “They’re meant to impart wisdom and advice throughout our lives.”
She straightened and tucked her hands onto her lap. This was an interesting conversational change. “There are, or at least used to be, cultures on Earth that believed the same. I’ve always loved that philosophy. What does yours mean?”
“Mine is a powerful name.” His lips were roguishly tipped up at the corner, exposing sharp eye teeth. He settled into his seat, as if preparing to lecture a student. The surrounding mess hall noise dimmed as she focused on him. “I am named after one of our past kings. A mighty Chriw’rian who fought valiantly against the Hissat or, as you humans call them, the Anunnaki. He’s credited with their first defeat on our planet.”
She locked her fingers together. “Really?”
He placed the curved knife beside her tray. “For your protein.”
Shannon glanced around the room. Surely someone would jump in to stop him from offering her a weapon. When no one did, she picked up the knife and cut up the last bit of food on her plate, a wrinkled sausage link in an off-putting green color. The blade cut smoothly through the dehydrated chunk. “Thank you.”
She fingered the metal handle. Smooth and warm in her hand, she tilted the blade far enough to see her reflection on its surface. She wanted to keep it. She placed the knife beside her tray and glanced up as D’lane consumed the last of his jerky.
He pushed his empty tray to the side. “The previous D’lane crashed his warship into the Anunnaki fighter set to bomb our most vulnerable. His actions disrupted the mothership and allowed the rest of the fleet to destroy them. If not for his heroic actions, my planet wouldn’t
have survived their last attack.”
She ate a bite of the sausage and winced. It fought her with every chew. Mouth dry, she discreetly spit it into her napkin. A few brows arched in her direction, including D’lane’s. To give herself something to do, she handed the knife back, handle first. He wouldn’t have let her keep it anyway. “Have you figured out how your name dictates your future?”
“Yes.” His fingers brushed hers as he accepted its return. The silver metal blurred when he holstered the blade. This male moved quickly.
She was afraid to ask about his future. She kind of liked this particular alien and didn’t want to see him dying any time soon. “And?”
He grinned and flashed his sharp canines. “One belief is I will be a great benefit to my people, but unable to participate in the ultimate victory of my path.”
“Does that mean you expect to die?” Shannon asked, undecided on if his smile edged from sexy into frightening.
“It is a possibility.”
She picked up her sausage, put it back down, and frowned. “You said one of the meanings. Can you choose another path?”
“There are many possibilities that exist for an individual. The Namegivers do not choose lightly when gifting a child at birth with their destiny. I could follow another D’lane’s path, or I could forge my own fate and provide a future for another down the line as the previous D’lane did.”
“Which destiny is yours?”
“I follow the path of the king.”
“Ah.” She ran her finger over the smooth surface of the table. Did that mean he expected to die or was there another path within that destiny he would follow? How did someone know which one to follow?
It had taken her months in college to discover she wasn’t interested in chemistry. Six long hellish months. The frustration alone for losing that small bit of time seemed inconsequential when compared to the possibility of traveling an entire lifetime down the wrong path.
He tapped the table. “What does your name mean?”
She huffed, knowing her name meant little when compared to his. She’d looked it up once after an unpleasant conversation with her father. “It means possessor of wisdom.”
Her father had wanted to call her Clair after his sister, but her mother had gone with Shannon after hearing it on a show during labor. The uncomfortable conversation on how he’d hated her name had been a slight peek into her mother’s past, even as her dad lay drunk on the couch. He’d apologized later, but the damage had already been done. She forced a laugh to lighten the mood. “If you take it to mean I went to school, then I’ve lived up to the title.”
“It is accurate.” His nail pressed down on the table’s surface. A bit of plastic curled in its wake. His nails were either extremely durable or the tables were flimsy. Shannon flattened her hand next to her tray and curled her fingers. She scratched at the table and winced as her nail bent back. “How so?”

“You were revived for information that will save billions of lives and stop a war.”

Author Info

E.L. Roux is a Science Fiction and Fantasy Romance author who writes about finding love in all the wrong places. E.L. uses their knowledge on everything from prosthetics to the sport of fencing, to weave together complex romances you can't put down.

E.L. Roux lives in Washington State with their artistically inclined family, an indoor street cat, and a terror of a Bosten Terrier.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . E.L. Roux . . . 

What genre do you read?

Science Fiction Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Fantasy Romance

What genre do you write?

Science Fiction Romance and Fantasy Romance

What was the first book you fell in love with?

I’ve read so many books, from Julia with the Wolves when I was a kid, to my latest read The Orc and the Innkeeper, the one I keep coming back to is Midwinter Bride. I love that book so much.

What was a book you said you would never pick up again?

I used to read a lot of hard science fiction and fantasy series. I was reading one where I was 11 books in and the bad guy wasn’t dead yet, and that put a hard stop to a lot of series reading for me for quite some time.

Which fiction character do you love?

I love so many of them, lol. Each romance book I pick up makes me love them all, but I really love characters like those in Heart of Obsidian and Bear meets Girl.

Which fiction character do you love to hate?

Oh that’s a hard one because so many morally grey characters also turn into love interests. I love the series the Four Horsemen where you struggle with the main male characters morals and you hate them so much, but also understand what they’re going through. 

Which fiction character do you hate?

The ones that are flat and singularly dimensional who usually have some form of communication issue going on.

What beverage do you drink while reading?

Coffee or mint tea, my two favorites when I’m not drinking water

What do you snack on while reading?

I like to eat something just a little salty and sweet, so usually peanuts and chocolate chips.

Have you always enjoyed reading?

I love reading 😊 I’ve been reading since 4th grade and consumed almost all that fantasy books in the library when I was kid at both my elementary school and middle schools. I wish I had more time to read lately, but I hope to be back to more of it soon.

Website: https://elrouxauthor.wordpress.com/ 
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/csUKLD
Ream: https://reamstories.com/elroux
FB: https://www.facebook.com/elrouxauthor
IG: https://www.instagram.com/elrouxauthor
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/17314337.E_L_Roux 

Hosted by

Presented by

SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - FANTASY - SECRET SPIRIT GUARDIANS OF SANTA FE by C.A. Masterson

Secret Spirit Guardians of Santa Fe

by C.A. Masterson  

Date of Publication:  October 5th 2020

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Cover Artist:  Debbie Taylor

Genre:  Fantasy

ISBN:  978-1-5092-3351-9 Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-5092-3352-6 Digital

Number of pages:  330

Word Count:  82,600

Tagline:  Most families have quirks, but not like Marissa’s.

BLURB

After Marissa Tahy returns home to Santa Fe, she is haunted by visions and glimpses of danger no one else sees: the spirit of Old Man Gloom in his true form. 

For a hundred years, people have burned their troubles in the spirit’s effigy at the Zozobra festival, each year making the spirit angrier and more powerful.  This year, Old Man Gloom demands his due. The vengeful spirit targets those Marissa loves. 

Even when Marissa discovers the secret history binding her family to Zozobra, joining their forces may not be enough to prevent the furious spirit from burying Santa Fe beneath an avalanche of misery.

Book Trailer:  https://youtu.be/j3HVxC6azcQ 

Amazon     BN

Excerpt:

The crack between worlds happened before I decided to move home to Santa Fe. Had the thought occurred to me, I’d probably have laughed, a little. Until the memory pushed through, a half-remembered nightmare hidden in an undercurrent of emotion, but

always there, flowing beneath the surface of consciousness. Sometimes it’s better if those feelings stay buried, where they can’t pull you under.

After twenty-four years, here I was. Back in the City Different. Because sometimes, life makes hard choices for you. Otherwise, I’d still be in San Diego, not in my aunt’s house, trying hard to pretend I wasn’t a stranger to my own family. For the last half hour, I’d tried to shake off the odd sensation after Zelda made an impromptu, awkward stop at the site of my childhood home, whatever that was about. No longer commenting

on family social media posts from a distance, instead I was in the thick of things.

“How’s Javi been?” I asked Zelda. My aunt had answered my offer to help prepare dinner by handing me a glass of wine and telling me to relax, she had it under control. I had no doubt. Despite driving me from the airport, she was as cool as a freshly picked jalapeno, and as likely to burn you.

“Wonderful. But you can ask him yourself at dinner.” Her deep, distinctive voice was like smoke pouring across gravel.

“Cool, I can’t wait.” When I’d last spent time with my cousin, we’d been kids. Closer than most first cousins, we shared a family conspiracy, hoping none of our classmates would find out that we were not like any of them. No matter where we went, we didn’t belong.

Zelda’s silver bracelets jingled as she briskly arranged vegetables around haddock fillets. “Phoebe will be excited to see you again.”

“You still have her?”

“Of course. She’s as old as you, which makes her barely middle-aged. Phoebe, dear,” she called, “we have company.”

A squawk sounded from the other room, where sunshine poured across the floor in a welcoming sea of light.

I’d always loved my aunt’s house. From sunup to sundown, daylight flooded through the house’s tall windows. The wood-framed stucco structure was a typical style for Santa Fe, not much different from the others in the neighborhood. What had stood out in my

memory was the tall wooden fence that bordered the yard, painted a vivid shade of blue, with myriad crosses along the top of the front gate.

“Careful,” Zelda said. “She’s testy sometimes.”

“Aren’t we all?” I only half joked.

Before my aunt could answer, I made my way from the kitchen to the sunroom beside it. The glass enclosure looked out onto the back yard and faced the outdoor fireplace. On either side of the tall chimney, colorful painted angels decorated its white stucco surface.

The bird cage, as tall as me, occupied a corner. And as always, the door sat wide open so Phoebe could climb in if she wanted, which she almost never did unless she got hungry. A bamboo perch ran above the cage, between the two potted palm trees that provided shade. There Phoebe sat, eyeballing me. Sunlight caught the green and blue feathers, making their colors rich as jewels.

At my approach, the parrot bobbed its head and danced along the perch. Even a nip from Phoebe’s curved beak hurt like hell, so I kept a few feet between us and cooed my greeting.

Pans rattled in the kitchen. “Be nice, Phoebe girl.”

The bird gave no indication of recognizing me. I didn’t know why I’d expected a different reaction. Because I’d taught it more than fifty words, over two decades earlier? Moving home shouldn’t reduce me to childish notions.

So much for a reunion. I returned to the kitchen.

“Sure I can’t help with anything?”

“When do you start your new job?”

“Monday.” Fluttering in my belly reminded me it was coming up fast. Another long adjustment period awaited me, learning a new job, getting to know all the quirks and qualities of my coworkers. After I’d been hired as the new reporter at the Santa Fe Chronicle, I’d read the online edition every day. The stories helped give me a sense about the writers. Glimmers of their personalities shone through in their word choices, the nearly undetectable spin they gave topics.

“That doesn’t leave you much time for moving in.”

Spooning a marinade over the dish, Zelda flicked up her gaze.

The look hit me like lightning. The cogs were turning in my aunt’s head; I could practically see the rotation behind her eyes. If I didn’t put her off track, Zelda would start commandeering my daily life.

I folded my arms and shifted toward the island, a not-too-subtle body language indicating my need for a barrier between us. “The two guys I hired to bring my stuff are supposed to arrive tomorrow morning. I don’t have much, so they can get everything inside the apartment in a few hours. I prefer to take my time settling in.” All taken care of, my subtext said. No need for Zelda to worry. She could divert those black eyes elsewhere.

On cue, Zelda flashed her Mona Lisa smile and glanced away. “Too bad I gave my extra furniture to Javi.”

I watched my aunt with a mixture of wonder and frustration. All these years, and Zelda still pretended. Spoke with flawless Spanish enunciation, wore her long black hair in a bun at the back of her neck, decorated her house with painted ceramic geckos and metal sun faces, even named her son Javier to avoid question of our true nationality. My parents had committed the same sins of omission and pretense and expected us children to do the same.

Author Info

Award-winning author C.A. Masterson loves stories of any genre. Multi-published in contemporary to historical, fantasy/dark fantasy to paranormal/speculative, she sometimes mashes genres. In 2010, The Pearl S. Buck Foundation awarded first place to her short literary story, Christmas Eve at the Diner on Rathole Street. Her short literary story, All is Calm, All is Bright, was awarded second place in the annual Pennwriters Short Story contest in 2005.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with C.A. Masterson . . .

Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?

I’ve been writing since age 11, so by now the process is ingrained. Ideas will come to me, and at that stage, it’s important just to commit those scenes to paper, or jot down the bits of dialogue, or whatever it might be. When I write the first draft, I lock my inner critic in a soundproof corner of my head so the story will flow as it comes to me. The revision process is more meticulous, time-consuming and at times painful!

What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?

Generally, characters will pop into my head and interact with each other as if a movie is playing in my head. They’ll keep showing up, usually at inconvenient times, and I do my best to follow along. Mostly they exist independent of me, it seems, and if I find the story exciting, I hurry to get as much down as possible. 

Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?

A character’s backstory is really important, even though many times those details never make it onto the page. The details still inform the character’s choices, their thoughts, their reactions to what’s going on around them. Sometimes a character will surprise me by doing something unexpected, which is always exciting because it will show me a new facet of their personality.

Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?

For the past year or more, I’ve been writing a story I’ve carried around in my head for years. One that’s like nothing I’ve written before, so it makes me a little nervous, but also really excited because I don’t think there’s another one quite like it. The story is set in an alternate world and follows two girls from very different backgrounds whose lives collide unexpectedly. More to come later!

What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?

2020 was a story unto itself, one that no writer at any level could have told without readers laughing. Until it actually happened, and our jaws dropped collectively. So many plot twists! So, goals went out the window other than just getting through the craziness, a day or week at a time.  I’m hopeful that 2021 will allow publishers to get back on track, and then I will pitch the two-book series mentioned above.

Thanks so much for having me at The Book Junkie!

Visit her at http://paintingfirewithwords.blogspot.com or look for her romance stories as Cate Masters at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catemasters 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CA_Masterson 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.a.masterson/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6423146.C_A_Masterson

 BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-a-masterson 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg1MbHACYX0tLuPiONBzCDg

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Hosted by

Presented by

SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - URBAN FANTASY - HUNTRESS RISING (Angel of Death, #1) by Lee Roland

HUNTRESS RISING

Angel of Death, #1

by Lee Roland

December 9^th 2019

Publisher: Wild Ross Press

Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

ISBN 978-1-5092-2887-4

ISBN 978-1-5092-2888-1

ASIN: B081DR5SBJ

Number of pages:  378

Word Count: 99, 281

Tagline: The Angel of Death is no angel, but a world in ruins needs her guns more than wings.

BLURB

In a post-apocalypse world besieged by monsters, Colonel Xavier, a military man with a deadly temper, deliberately challenges Maat Ferris, a fierce, werewolf hunter. When Xavier meets Maat, he can't decide whether to shoot her or kiss her. There is no uncertainty in her. She promptly stabs him. His hot then cold attitude makes her crazy, and his tendency to protect her is even worse.

Unfortunately, the combative pair must join forces on a treacherous journey, across the bleak, barren country. Pursued by a dictator president and the vampire who holds him in thrall, they carry precious cargo that will give democracy seeking rebels a chance to remain free.

Maat and Xavier, true to their aggressive, passionate natures, must also battle their way through a most unusual courtship. Can their love grow amidst the destruction and rebuilding of a society under siege? Or will they kill each other first?

Amazon      BN      Books a Million

Excerpt:

Chapter One

May 18, 2085 A.D

Avalon Agricultural Commune

Appalachian Mountains

Christopher worked his way down toward paradise. His tongue flicked in my navel and his fingers had already reached the gate. The lantern’s golden light played across our warm, flushed skin. I twisted my own fingers in his thick red hair, urging him on to the heart of gratification. He stopped, raised his head, and stared at me.

“What?” I didn’t expect him to answer. Christopher never spoke. One of the other members here at the AG Commune told me he could speak but wouldn’t because he was a Prime Oracle. His prophecies always came true—and he hated it.

To my dismay, Christopher rose from the bed, grabbed his robe, and drew it over his head. A frantic knock sounded at the door. The knock came again, this time accompanied by the voice of Julia, our leader Anolia’s young assistant.

“Maat? Maat, are you there?”

I glanced at Christopher, but his face remained impassive. The dark night terrified Julia. What was she doing at my door?

“Maat? Maat, please.”

Each word came with a higher and more desperate note. Christopher gave me one of his sweet smiles. Yes, I knew I had to answer.

“I’m coming, Julia.” I rose, grabbed my own robe, tossed it on, and went to the door. Julia jammed herself inside before it completely opened. She stood gasping, eyes wide, and pale hands clenched tight around her lantern handle. She shivered, even though summer had almost arrived, and it wasn’t cold outside.

“What is it, Julia?” I touched her arm. She jerked.

She closed her eyes and whispered a broken version of the serenity prayer. She didn’t seem any calmer when she finished. “Anolia wants you in the chapel dining room right now.” Julia blurted out the sentence like a single, multisyllable word.

“Why?” Anolia often sent Julia on errands, but she wasn’t cruel. What caused her to send the girl into the darkness she so feared? Julia shook her head, unable to continue. She glanced over her shoulder toward the door. “I have to go.”

I wouldn’t get anything else from her.

“Tell Anolia I’ll be there soon.”

Julia nodded. I opened the door and watched her lantern sway as she hurried up the path and over the hill. After I closed the door, I turned to Christopher.

“Something’s wrong. I better go see what she wants.”

Christopher seized my shoulders with hands made strong by his work at the forge. His fingers squeezed in a savage grip, and his striking face twisted in anguish.

“Take your guns, Maat. Take your guns.”

He spoke with a gravity that stunned me. He gave me a sweet kiss, and he too hurried out into the night. Seconds passed while I recovered from the shock of hearing him speak for the first time in over a year. Then I took his advice. I dragged my old suitcase from under the bed and threw it open.

The scent of gun oil and saddle soap filled the room. All my weapons lay there as they had for the past two years while I’d lived in peace here at the commune. Regularly cleaned, they patiently waited for the once familiar killing urge to strike their mistress again. I pulled on well-worn, black denim pants and a knit shirt, both softened with age. The supple boots that allowed me to tread softly across most terrain still fit comfortably.

I’m tall, lean, and have a moderately androgynous face. I’m not beautiful. Beauty is a blessing for women who need it to survive in this dangerous post-war, post disease world. I’ve never envied them, those lovely things with their smiles and sparkling eyes. All I needed was a gun, a blade, and a little luck. I may even run out of luck, but I kept my blade sharp, and my well-oiled guns didn’t age. The bullets retained their devastating punch.

I pinned my mass of unruly and not so lovely brown curls at the nape of my neck and wedged a small sheathed knife into the knot. The .44 Magnum Rudra, loaded with high impact silvers, the only ammunition I used, went into the unwieldy and uncomfortable holster at the small of my back. A more accessible shoulder holster carried a .45 caliber Aries under my left arm. I strapped a leather knife sheath to my left forearm, so I could grab the hilt with my right hand. I’d seen sheaths that buckled to the thigh, but I preferred my legs free, so I could run better. Knowing when to run had saved me more than once.

I pinned my mass of unruly and not so lovely brown curls at the nape of my neck and wedged a small sheathed knife into the knot. The .44 Magnum Rudra, loaded with high impact silvers, the only ammunition I used, went into the unwieldy and uncomfortable holster at the small of my back. A more accessible shoulder holster carried a .45 caliber Aries under my left arm. I strapped a leather knife sheath to my left forearm, so I could grab the hilt with my right hand. I’d seen sheaths that buckled to the thigh, but I preferred my legs free, so I could run better. Knowing when to run had saved me more than once. 

Author Info
After twenty years in public service, Lee Roland retired to become a full-time paranormal romance and urban fantasy writer. Her first three published novels, the Earth Witches, series tells the stories of strong men and women who battle the evil hiding under the surface of the modern world.  Lee hasn't always been a writer, but has always been a daydreamer, constantly making up stories and noted for rewriting her school day into happy endings when telling her mother.  Winner of numerous literary contests and a Golden Heart nominee, she currently lives and writes with her beloved dogs and cats in North Central Florida. 

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with Lee Roland . . .

How would you describe you style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
I have a strong voice with no wasted words.  Prepare for a wild ride, too. Protagonist relationships can be volatile and the worlds I’ve built for them are often violent. Dangerous adventures abound.


Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Ingrained, I think, though training helps. I started writing when I was twelve. I made up stories in my mind before that. I grew up in the relatively boring 1950’s and I had to use books and daydreams for any excitement in my life. Try thinking of a world without cell phones and cable TV. 


What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?
I need silence to write so I plan for that time. Silence keeps me focused. Sometimes I wish I could do the coffee shop or group writing but that’s not me. I always have a project. There’s no such thing as free writing for me.


Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?
I write urban fantasy. I make up worlds in which my characters struggle to live. I find my story, make up a character, build a world around them, then let them loose to make their way through chaos. I try to nurture each character so they will grow, but they must grow or decline with the story line. I’m don’t outline or make charts. I don’t watch people unless I come across a really dynamic personality that sets that person apart from the crowd.


Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?
My stories all feature a dynamic female character. The books available when I grew up had mostly male characters in action. I sometimes had to change the gender in my mind to fit my daydream narrative. Yes, I’ve nurtured her through various times and situations for years.  


Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?
The character of Maat Ferris, the werewolf hunter in Huntress Rising has been around for years, even though the book was published in 2019. Maat is the original role model for many other characters in different worlds and adventures. 


Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Yes. Her name is Phaedra and she’s a recovering addict in a dystopian future.  Her drug has destroyed her life and changed her in many ways. 


Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
Details: He tried to beat her to death. She survived—barely. Shouldn’t months in a hospital, a year in agonizing rehab redeem her, mitigate some of her sins?  The archaic elemental goddess who designates her an official heroine wants more. 

What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
Finish books I’ve started.

Website https://www.leeroland.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/LeeRolandM

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lee-Roland-161582487246208/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49155355-huntress-rising

Hosted by

Presented by