About Me

My photo
London
I’m Stella, Author & Publisher of 40 Flirty & Feisty Romance Novels. I’ve been married to my too-hot-to-handle, sexy husband for over 23 years, we have two adult children to God’s glory and live in London, UK. My romance stories feature sexy heroes who have hearts and souls and curvy heroines who are smart and know what they want. My lively, flawed characters who on their quest to find love will elevate your pulse rate, make your heart skip here & there, so that you’ll laugh, shed a tear sometimes and gasp for breath as their story unfolds. If an emotionally intense happy-ever-after is what you want coupled with a sprinkling of life lessons, turn to chapter one now & start reading. When I'm not writing, I'm having a laugh watching movies with my honey-boo, swimming like a star fish, or on mom duties with my grown-ups, or praising God in my own corner of the world. I dare you to read any or all of my steamy romance stories. I’ll love to hear from you.

🔥🔥 Read any Flirty & Feisty Romance Novel & get Wowed! 🔥🔥

🔥🔥 Read any Flirty & Feisty Romance Novel & get Wowed! 🔥🔥
Feel the heat & chemistry, then laugh, cry, travel to exotic places & drool with suspense!

Download My Sensational Christmas Romance Books, Curl up & Meet My Exciting Characters

Download My Sensational Christmas Romance Books, Curl up & Meet My Exciting Characters
7 Heart-warming Love Stories to Cheer Your Hearts!

Collect My Book Merch

Collect My Book Merch
Hooked by One Curvy Girl Mug

Bernetta Interviews Me on My Bestselling Book! Shout-out to Blazon Books! Like/Share/Comment

#AuthorInterview: Bestselling Author share her writing journey & indie publishing pitfalls.

Are You Single? Find Dating & Relationship Tips on DearStellaTV! Subscribe/Like/Comment/Share

Wednesday 31 August 2011

AUTHOR INTERVIEW with BRYAN R. DENNIS

Author name: Bryan R. Dennis


About your family/background, your location:

I was born and raised in the cornfields of central Illinois, a rural farming community. I enlisted in the Army upon graduation from High School and served term overseas. Afterwards, I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and enrolled in UNLV’s college of business. It took a degree in accounting, years of daydreaming in cubicles, and a collection of stories piling up in my hard drive to learn that I’m a writer and not an accountant. My writing style is influenced by authors such as Raymond Chandler and Carver, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Charles Bukowski, and Haruki Murakami. But for the last 13 years I’ve lived in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada with my family. Feeling like a fish out of water has always given me plenty to write about.

How and why did you decide to get published?

I read a blog by Joe Konrath (A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing) which basically championed the indie e-publishing “revolution” and I thought he made a lot of sense. I looked into it more on my own and decided I liked the control over my work, among other benefits of self-publishing.

What genre do you write? And why?

While I write in different genres, I consider myself primarily a writer of speculative fiction because it’s what I enjoy reading and writing the most. I like escaping from the boredom of reality whenever I can. Speculative fiction is the perfect vehicle to accomplish this.

What other genre interest you?

I enjoy a good mystery or thriller-suspense story. Aside from thrills, these genres also often feature some of the best dialogue and quirky characters in fiction.

What is the story behind your book?


I’d achieved all the goals I’d set for myself in life and realized one day that they weren’t the right goals. I lassoed the materialistic version of the “American Dream” and found that it was like cotton candy -- once you bit into it, there wasn’t much there. The catalyst for this change in perception was an encounter I had with a coyote in the middle of an inner Vegas suburb shortly before its wild home was razed and buried beneath a clone army of cheaply-constructed McMansions. I included the scene with the coyote in the book almost exactly as I remembered it.

How do you decide your book cover?

I think of the theme and then I create visual metaphors that touch upon it.

Do you think readers decide based on book cover or book title?

I think book cover weighs more heavily in the decision process. Authors have done quite well even using pre-existing titles by other authors.

If you write fiction; What’s the source of your inspiration? How much of YOU show up in your writing?

I’m inspired by the world around me, my past, people I’ve known, books I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, music I’ve listened to. You’ll find some of me in every character I write, but I like to hide by adding traits and observations that aren’t me. For instance, in Epitaph, Henry makes a bad remark about the accounting profession. Personally, I believe every man and woman should be proud of whatever it is they do no matter how unglamorous. But it’s important to the story that Henry comes to his opinion. In other words, I don’t want to espouse all of my views onto the world, so I often have characters believing things I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, much of what they believe is my opinion on things too, but only my close companions and people who know me well would be able to discern them.

Use one word/phrase to describe your book:

The American Dream just before its pants fell down.

How have you found the writing process?

A happy release of creativity. An exercise in isolation and loneliness. A fun journey. A tedious slog. A waste of time. A fulfilment of my life ambition. An excuse to commit suicide. A reason to live. Writing is all of these things, but overall, I love it and refuse to do anything else.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you tackle it?

Yes. In a house with small children, I get writer’s block often. Distractions, chores, clean-up, sibling squabbles, stress, and time constraints combine to sap my imagination nearly every day. Sometimes it lasts longer than a month. I resuscitate the muse by reading, daydreaming, watching a movie, or listening to music.

Do you have a blog? What do you write about?

Two blogs: my author blog http://www.bryanrdennis.com and my book blog http://www.indiesnippets.blogspot.com. The author blog is for updates on my writing projects (though lately I’ve been using Twitter for this purpose). Indie Snippets is my book blog. Authors submit bite-sized passages of their stories to give readers a flavour of what to expect.

What books are on your shelf at home?

Nearly every book by Haruki Murakami, lots of Ray Bradbury collections, Raymond Carver, Philip K. Dick, and several classics. You can view my partial bookshelf at the bottom of my blog (bryanrdennis.com) or at Goodreads.

Any awards/achievement you want to share?

An Epitaph for Coyote was a 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finalist.

Who’s your favourite author?

Ray Bradbury

What are you good at as an individual?

I like to think I’m a good husband, father, and friend.

What form of entertainment do you enjoy most and why?

I like drinking beer with friends and family in front of a crackling fire, with classical jazz or rock ‘n’ roll drifting from speakers, and the smell of a barbeque thick in the air. Reading and watching movies are my next best. Why? Well, I’m not really into sports, model cars or whittling, so I grew attached to these forms of entertainment by default, I guess.

What are your other interests?

Drinking hot coffee, dining on savoury and sweet home-cooked foods, listening to the timeless opus of nature, inhaling aromas of wet wood and green things. I also love travelling to distant lands.

Your favourite pet?

A happy, Yellow, Labrador Retriever named Daisy

What’s your choice meal/favourite restaurant?

Sushi at a sushi bar attended by an old, Japanese, master chef

What’s your music choice?

Classical Jazz

Name your favourite city in the world.

A tie between Kyoto, Japan and Salzburg, Austria

If you had one wish, what would it be?

I would have plenty of time and the freedom to do what I want with it.

If you can change one thing, what would it be?

I would’ve gotten started writing (seriously) earlier.

What would you say you’re bad at?

Multi-tasking and concentrating on small details outside of writing and reading. I’m a daydreamer, what can I say?

You’re squeamish to what?

Unpleasant bodily fluids from other people

What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done?

It involves a former female acquaintance, a moment of passion, and her mother’s unexpected and unwelcome arrival.

Anything else your readers don’t know about you?

I’m the oldest of five children and can trace my lineage to a certain King of England whom literature and history hasn’t portrayed too kindly (think Robin Hood).

What’s your favourite quote?

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” -- Plato

Why should a reader buy your book?

It has the potential to make you laugh, cry, and learn, and it’s only the price of a beer.

What is your last word?

I conclude with a word of advice. Set an honest, ambitious goal and ask yourself, at the end of each and every day, this question: What did I do today to bring myself closer to my goal? Do this, and you’ll have a life of purpose. Whether you ever reach your goal, or not, is secondary. And you don’t have to stop at one goal -- have many.

Where can your book be found/bought/website:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Epitaph-Coyote-Novel-ebook/dp/B00522PIQ2

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Epitaph-Coyote-Novel-ebook/dp/B00522PIQ2

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/61922

Thank you so much Bryan for taking time out to answer these questions.

You can follow Flirty & Feisty Romance Novel on twitter @

http://twitter.com/#!/StellaEA

And on facebook @
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flirty-Feisty-Romance-Novels/117094721659024?v=wall

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stella-Eromonsere-Ajanaku/e/B004LXE09E

Our promise...is to deliver an intensely emotional experience you'll never forget!

Friday 19 August 2011

AUTHOR INTERVIEW with NANCY HADDOCK

LIGHT PARANORMAL MYSTERY- ROMANCE AUTHOR


Author name: Nancy Haddock

About your family/background, your location:
I’m married, and have four children in a blended family. My older two sons are married, and have two sons each. My youngest son and daughter are single. I was raised in Oklahoma and attended the University of Tulsa for both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. I worked as a Speech and Language Pathologist in both private institutions and public school settings in Tulsa and the Dallas area, and also taught general and special subjects in a small private high school in Dallas. Now I reside in gorgeous, historic St. Augustine, Florida – the oldest continuously inhabited city in the US. I adore living here!

How and why did you decide to get published?

I began writing for publication forever ago, but took extended time off here and there to deal with family issues. Moving to St. Augustine re-energized my writing, and I sold my first two books in 2007. La Vida Vampire was published in 2008, Last Vampire Standing in 2009, and the latest, Always The Vampire, was published in May 2011.

What genre do you write? And why?
I write what I call light paranormal mystery-romance. I was working on a cozy mystery when a peanut butter commercial sparked the idea of a “Princess Vampire.” The idea wouldn’t leave me alone, so I ran with it. I’ve had a blast with the characters, and with doing even more research on St. Augustine history and the city’s ghosts. Of course, any excuse to hang out in town works for me!

What other genre interest you?
I adore cozy mysteries, so I continue to work on projects in that genre. Some have a paranormal aspect, some don’t. I’d also love to write Regency. It’s a period and a genre I’ve immersed myself in over and over.

What is the story behind your book?

I misheard a line in a Jif peanut butter commercial and that led to the “Princess Vampire” idea. A lot of “what if…,” thought, and research later and my heroine Cesca had taken shape and taken off on her first adventure. The story behind the new book, specifically, is that Cesca must confront her feelings for her first love but also come to terms with her own powers to defeat the Big Bad. She must accomplish this while keeping up with her maid of honour duties to her best friend.

How do you decide your book cover?
I don’t have much to do with developing my book covers. I supply my editor with a short synopsis, with a list of what the character wears in the books, and any “props” that are important in the books. The fabulous art department gets all the credit for my awesome covers!

Do you think readers decide based on book cover or book title?
This is an excellent question. I’ve had many compliments of the covers, and some readers have said the covers attracted them to the books. However, a cover doesn’t make or break a book for me. I usually read the blurb and the first several pages of a book when I shop. If I’m pulled in – whether by the voice, the humour, or the situation, or whatever grabs me – I buy!

If you write fiction; What’s the source of your inspiration? How much of YOU show up in your writing?
You know, I didn’t know how much of me showed up in my writing until a childhood friend said the voice in my books was totally me. Funny how we sometimes don’t “hear” ourselves. So the voice is me, the sarcastic humour is me, and the even the few pratfalls have me in them. As for inspiration, living in and exploring St. Augustine truly is a huge factor. History and characters who’ve lived and died here combine to make a strong inspiration factor, but the city also seems permeated with creativity.

Use one word/phrase to describe your book:
Fun!

How have you found the writing process?
Sometimes the writing is laborious, sometimes it flows. I do love seeing what my characters are up to each day, and they do surprise me. In the second book, Jo-Jo the Jester proved to be a delightful mix of a comic yet an earnest character.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block?
How did you tackle it? Many years ago, I had such severe writer’s block that I had to stop writing for a while. The culprit was my internal editor who wouldn’t let me write a sentence without changing it. I learned to lock her up for good, and to let first drafts be bad. In the last few years, I also decided to teach myself to paint. I stink at it, but it’s freeing to put swaths of colour on a canvas and not worry what the final result will be. I’ve applied that “swaths of colour” method to writing, and feel freer for it!

Do you have a blog? What do you write about?
I don’t have a blog, and don’t intend to do one at this point. Let’s face it: I’m rather boring. It’s better that I spend time writing fiction than stretching to come up with blog topics.

What books are on your shelf at home?
Oh, goodness, I have SO many! Books by Lorraine Heath, Jo Beverly, Mary Jo Putney, Laura Levine, Mary Stewart, Nancy Atherton. I must have 50 authors on my shelves and more in storage. And those are only a fraction of the authors I regularly read.

Any awards/achievement you want to share?
La Vida Vampire won the PRISM for Best First Book in 2009, and was a finalist and well placed in several other contests.

Who’s your favourite author?
Lorraine Heath is an all-time favourite, and Georgette Heyer’s Regencies sing to me. But I can’t tell you I have one absolute favourite author. I love too many to pick just one.

What are you good at as an individual?
Organizing. Give me your files, your bookshelf, your closet, your kitchen, and I’ll organize like a mad woman. The attraction of organizing for me is that it’s a hands-on task and I get immediate feedback and satisfaction of a job done.

What form of entertainment do you enjoy most and why?
Reading! That’s my favourite form of entertainment! I do watch certain TV shows and enjoy movies – especially classic films – but I don’t have a specific hobby right now.

What are your other interests?
I like to garden when the spirit moves me (and the weather is cool enough), and I still occasionally crochet and needlepoint. Exploring St. Augustine sites and history is always interesting, and I enjoy history period. The Napoleonic and Regency periods of British history are a huge draw for me.

Your favourite pet?
I don’t currently have a pet, but am waiting for the next one to come to me. Cat or dog. Or both. Meantime I enjoy my neighbour’s pets. One of them, a cat named Crystal, inspired a pet character in my second book.

What’s your choice meal/favourite restaurant?
I don’t have a very favourite restaurant, and my tastes change. I do love a good lasagne, and a southern meal of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, a biscuit, and cream gravy is a slice of heaven when it’s done right. I also have a thing for tomato bisque soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. And, oh, my! Don’t get me started on desserts!

What’s your music choice?
I love nearly all music, but I listen to Big Bands, 50s, and 60s music most often. I also listen to jazz and classical, though I don’t have an extensive collection of either. I don’t write to music, though. If it has a beat, I’m chair dancing. If I know the words, I’m singing along. Neither is conducive to my writing process.

Name your favourite city in the world.
Right now it has to be St. Augustine, FL. I’d love to visit England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Greece … among other places. Oh, and Tahiti. I’ve always been drawn to the Polynesian culture.

Name your favourite world leader and why.
I don’t have a current favourite.

If you had one wish, what would it be?
World peace and prosperity. Corny, maybe. True, absolutely.

If you can change one thing, what would it be?
I have to go back to the above question. I’d change the world so that everyone lived in true peace and prosperity.

What would you say you’re bad at?
Ack, Algebra. It baffles me.

What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done?
It’s a story better told in person, but I drank myself under the table on four sips of homemade wine in Romania. Really. Extremely embarrassing! Fortunately, the incident took place in a private home, and the hostess was extremely gracious when she learned I am allergic to alcohol. (Yes, the hives and other side-effects came later).

Anything else your readers don’t know about you?
I love antiques and memorabilia. I especially love items from the Art Deco period.

What’s your favourite quote?
“This or something better.” I don’t know who to attribute that to, but they are words I live by.

Why should a reader buy your book?
For fun and for different take on vampires.

What is your last word?
Delight.

Where can your book be found/bought/website:
My books are in trade paperback and e-formats from all major outlets – Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million. Links are on my website – http://wwwlnancyhaddock.com. I’m also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nancy-Haddock/86984510891, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/nancyhaddock

Thank you so much Nancy for taking time out to answer these questions.

You can follow Flirty & Feisty Romance Novel on twitter @ http://twitter.com/#!/StellaEA

And on facebook @
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flirty-Feisty-Romance-Novels/117094721659024?v=wall

Website: https://www.flirtyandfeistyromancenovel.co.uk
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stella-Eromonsere-Ajanaku/e/B004LXE09E
Our promise...is to deliver an intensely emotional experience you'll never forget!



Thursday 11 August 2011

JOIN THE CONTEST!

Flirty & Feisty Romance is running a giveaway contest on One World Singles Magazine Blog.

HOW TO ENTER? Click on this blog title (Join the contest!)for the opportunity to post your comment on One World Singles Magazine Blog. All you have to do is leave your comment on why you read romance or other genre on Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku's article, 'How & Why I got into the Romance Genre'.

Flirty & Feisty Romance is giving out two eBooks of their 3rd title: BEYOND the LADY to readers who leave comments. Two readers have a chance to own our 4star rated title.

Contest ends on August 18th 2011. I'm looking to reading your various lines!

****
Flirty & Feisty Romance.
Our promise...is to deliver an intensely emotional experience you'll never forget!

Saturday 6 August 2011

Flirty & Feisty Romance Donates Four Novels to Downham Library

Flirty & Feisty Romance donated four steaming titles: LOITERING SHADOWS, STORMY DEFENSE, BEYOND the LADY & THE GARDENER's ICE MAIDEN to local Library in Downham, Bromley, UK. To view photos, click on the title of this blog entry or visit our website. All photos can be viewed in the Gallery.

We urge readers to go on an unforgettable, pleasurable and an emotional journey with any of our titles.

We love to hear from our readers.

Flirty & Feisty RomanceOur promise...is to deliver an intensely emotional experience you'll never forget!

Thursday 4 August 2011

THE GARDENER's ICE MAIDEN #Excerpt

In an out of character display of aggression, Olivia placed both hands on his shoulder
and shoved her gardener away.

It was her one grand mistake…

Wanting to give her the satisfaction of getting back at him, he fell on his backside. The minute she laid her fingers on him in that rare show of emotion, she crossed the line. And, he was going to make her pay back in full…

Oliver got up very slowly…keeping his eyes trained on his prey. Taking the few steps to where she stood panting, he grabbed her by both shoulders. Slamming her to his chest, he kissed her clamped mouth. She stood stiffly in his arms. That incensed his male pride.

Wanting to shake her down from her high horse, he held her jaw firmly with one hand and held her back with the other hand. Bringing down his head for a second time, he gave her a bite on her neck.

That seductively intimate act made her moan and her lips parted slightly. Going for the final onslaught, he poked his tongue into her mouth and she went limp in his arms, shutting her eyes. His tongue took permanent residence in the heat of her mouth and his tongue was scorched in the process.

Bringing up his hand to her face, he kissed her cheeks, her neck and would have gone downwards…

But suddenly, her brain received the message that she ought to stop this madness. Lifting up her hand, she hit him across his face. Instantly, he let her go.

Holding his face from the smack he knew he deserved, he turned his back on her. What he did was professionally unethical. He knew he’d gone way too far, but her vulnerability coupled with her infuriating stubbornness had pushed him over the edge.

Having her walk into his home late in the night, speaking to him as if being a gardener made him less than a person was a direct attack at his insecurities. The fact that she paid his salary didn’t give her the right to talk down at him.

He was nobody’s doormat, especially not Olivia’s!

‘I get it. So you come into my life to look for a job, I offer you what you want, you get rewarded, but that isn’t enough for you. You go ahead and warm your way into my son’s life. What is your plan? To wreck my already fragile reputation in New Ferry?’ she paused, trying to make sense of what she’d just experienced.

‘Now…now you lay your filthy…wretched fingers on me, pulling me like some dirty, street tart…’ she choked, trying to get her point across.

Olivia didn’t sleep at all the whole night. Restlessly, she walked up and down her bedroom floor. Every nerve in her body was stretched to breaking limit.

That explosive kiss…

One kiss…no, not one, two heart-melting and nerve jangling kisses... And oh, his lips had felt so warm, so hard, so demanding.

BOOK TITLE: THE GARDENER's ICE MAIDEN

GENRE: Fiction/Romance/Contemporary





Available @






Flirty & Feisty Romance Novel: Our promise...is to deliver an intensely emotional experience you'll never forget!


                                                                                                             

DearStellaTV - Like/Subscribe/Share/Comment

Queenie Interviews Me! Shout-out to Queenie Clem! Like/Share/Comment

DearStellaTV - Romance Channel - Like/Share/Comment/Subscribe!

Relationship Tips on GLTVChat - Like/Subscribe/Share with Friends/Comment

Few of My Books - Shout-out to Gold Dust Editing! Like/Share/Subscribe!