Saturday 2 March 2013

#Serviced #Anthology - @ZaraStoneley

Did you know there are nine authors contributing to Serviced by Breathless Press, including myself? Here's one more, Zara Stoneley, also known as Susie Medwell. Who says your penname has to be secret, right? Zara also has her own blog. You have a couple of weekly features on your blog that I'm curious about. I've heard of #SexySnippets, but can you tell me about it?

#SexySnippets is fairly new and has been launched by The Nuthouse Scribblers. If you’ve not checked it out yet you really should!

Every Sunday, authors post seven sentences, taken from a work in progress or a published book (and they can be very sexy and hot!!). There is also a SexySnippets Facebook Page, and you can follow them on Twitter – look out for the #SexySnippets hashtag and join in the fun!

Hmm, I don't have a feature on Sundays yet...but that might be too many teasers every week. I like the sound of TaglineTuesday. What is it and how do authors participate?

Now in paperback!
I run TagLine Tuesday on both my blogs (Zara for erotic romance and Susie for the less naughty ones!). Each week I feature 3 or 4 books by different authors – a cover, a tagline and buy links. If the cover or tagline tempt you, then you’re only a couple of clicks away from being able to buy the story. What could be easier? Check out the books – there are some brilliant ones there that you might have missed.

If there are any authors who’d like to be featured then I’d love to add you – it can be a book that’s been recently released or something from your backlist, the more the merrier!

Signs up. You feature releases and authors on your blog. How do you find them? What media is best for getting in touch with other authors? Is another better for finding readers?

I’m fairly active on social media and gradually building up a great list of contacts, most of which I count as friends now. Facebook is my favourite platform for meeting new authors. I’ve joined lots of FB groups and regularly attend ‘liking’ and launch events and have met many authors that way.

Some have posted requests for blogs to visit and others I’ve approached direct because I like their books. I also made lots of friends on FB during New Voices, many of whom are published now and we all support each other in terms of promo, I love to feature friends!

Facebook has been great for networking with other authors, but I often feel it is much harder to find readers (who don’t write!) that way – they have to find you! I’ve done quite a lot of release blitzes and blog tours with my books and met people that way - new readers and also some great Bloggers and reviewers who have helped expand my readership. I’ve also just discovered triberr, which I think will help me link up with other authors, and via them new readers – so one that will hopefully work both ways!

You can find me all over the place - Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Author Page

I am also on Facebook and Twitter as Susie Medwell, and lurking on Goodreads and RomanceWiki! (By the way I do consider myself quite a reserved person who isn’t very accomplished at social networking – but I’m learning!)

With all of that I don't think you say that for long! BTW, I adore Triberr. Many of your titles have come out through Xcite Books. How did you find working with them?

I love Xcite! They published my first book in April 2012 and everyone was so friendly and helpful, they made the whole process to publication painless and exciting. I’ve a great editor who is always happy to discuss ideas and new projects, and the other authors are really great, generous people. I’m hoping that some day soon I’ll be able to meet some of them in person. I’ve got several more projects in the pipeline with them and am looking forward to being part of the Xcite family for a long time to come.

It's important to work with people you like and can trust. You have a recent self-published title, Good Enough to Share. Congrats! What was the hardest part about self-publishing? What made you decide to go that way? Do you think you'll self-publish again in the future?

Thanks! The hardest part was actually making the decision to do it! I’ve worked with three great publishers so far, Xcite Books, Lyrical Press and, of course, now Breathless Press and it’s nice to have the reassurance that someone else believes in what you’ve written.

I wasn’t quite sure where Good Enough to Share would sit though, it’s slightly different to the other stories I’ve written so far and so rather than approach another publisher I decided to go ahead and self-publish. I do know a great editor (Annie Seaton), who I have a lot of faith in, so I trusted her to tell me if I had got it wrong, and to make sure it was professionally edited. Without her I wouldn’t have gone ahead as I wanted to be sure that anything I published would be professionally produced.

I’ll definitely be self publishing again, it’s been a great experience and the second in the Good Enough series is now underway. There are a total of four books in the series (one for each of the main characters) so after those have been completed I’ll decide whether or not to follow that route again.

Well bravo for taking the plunge. I've never had the confidence. Tell us about your story in the Serviced Anthology. Please, tease us!

My story is called Taking Command and that’s what it’s all about! How far would you go if you knew the man you loved was mad about you, but determined to walk away so you didn’t suffer? Would you take a risk, take command?

Here’s a little teaser…

"You wouldn't believe how much I want you." He swallowed hard. "But, I should never have touched you." He should never have touched her, and he should never have left her. Shit, if she carried on doing that, he'd be coming. He shouldn't have kissed her; he shouldn't have wrapped his arm around that firm ass and pulled her in tight so that her breasts rubbed against his shoulder. He shouldn't have run his hand up the inside of her creamy thigh. Even though he wanted her so much it hurt, and she knew, they knew each other so well. Too well. Maybe, just maybe nothing would happen to him...and maybe she was strong enough to cope if it did. Jade wasn't his mum, Jade was unique.

The string of rational thought shattered and his stomach clenched as she stepped closer, leaned down, and ran her tongue over his lips. She teased at his mouth with her teeth, pulling just short of pain, and he groaned. Control had always been hard here, in his safe place, with people he trusted. Here he let down his guard.

"I think you should. I want you, Mike."

The sweet musk of her arousal teased at his senses; she was wet, he knew she was sopping wet, if only he could reach out, slip his fingers between her legs. Her tongue dipped into his mouth, slid along his teeth, and then she was sucking on his tongue, gentle persistent sucks that sent a new rush of blood to his groin. Just as the ache in his balls started to mess with his head she stopped.

"And I'm going to have you."