EM: Welcome to My World, Taryn.
Thank you so much for stopping by to play twenty questions with me. :-)
Before we begin,
could you tell us a little about yourself?
TK: Maybe. But then I’d
have to kill you.
I was born in a
cross-fire hurricane and I howled at my ma in the driving rain.
Um, no, wait. Those
are the lyrics to “Jumping Jack Flash.”
Okay, so, I’m a
multi-published author of sensual, steamy romances and I live in the scenic and
historical Hudson Valley in the great Empire State of New York. My Regency
romance, HEALING HEARTS, was published by Carina Press; my erotic paranormal
and the first book set in mystical Sleepy Hollow, SLEEPY HOLLOW Dreams, was published
by The Wild Rose Press. I’m currently writing for Decadent Publishing, which
released LIGHTNING and THUNDER, my first two 1Night Stand books last fall. My
current release is FROST, another 1Night Stand for Decadent. It’s a Valentine’s
story and another HOT time in old Sleepy Hollow.
EM: Are you ready to play
20 questions? *rubs hands together*
TK: Sure. Fire away!
Which do you find
harder to write?
- First
person POV or Third?
For me first person is the hardest to
write. I’ve only written one ms in first person, and it’s currently collecting
dust. It was also in present tense, which a lot of readers seem to find
off-putting. Unless they’re reading Hunger Games. LOL! If you really want to
get deeply into a character’s head, first person is the way to go. As a
reader…I generally prefer third person in a romance.
- As
a male or female?
Hmm. This is a tough one. My heroes
tend to go through the whole book hard! And I love writing them that way!
Especially if they’re dark, bruised or damaged.
- Beginning,
middle or end of the story?
Middle. No contest. I’m strictly a
pantser flying by night. So usually the first thing that comes to me is an
opening line, a beginning scene. With my most recent submission, a short for
Decadent Publishing, the first thing that came to me was the last line, which
is unusual for me. But it framed the rest of the story. I knew where I had to
begin and where I had to end up. And I didn’t have a lot of space to play
around with in the middle!
- Fight
scenes or smex scenes?
I cannot write a fight scene to save
my heroine’s life. Or my hero’s, for that matter. Poor things. They’re lovers
not warriors. Although they may be vets of some battle or other, real or
internal.
- Synopsis
or blurb?
Synopsis! Blergh. One of the things I
love about Decadent…no synopsis required. I kinda like writing blurbs, though.
If I can’t write the blurb, it’s usually because something’s wrong with the
story.
As a writer, do you
prefer:
- Writing
in the morning, afternoon or evening?
Saturday mornings.
I can edit at any time, though. Aside
for the hours in which I’ve sold my soul to the evil day job.
- Writing
with music, or in peace?
No music. Too distracting for me.
Can’t sing along and type at the same time. If the TV’s droning in the
background in the next room, that’s okay.
- Planning,
or Improvising?
Can’t plan ANYTHING. Including when to
schedule a vacation! Got my start years ago as a newspaper reporter, so I guess
the deadline, crisis-mode mentality has been hard-wired into me. Unless it’s on
fire, it’ll have to be manana.
- Juggling
a few projects, or concentrating on one at a time?
See #8, above
- Sticking
to one genre, or exploring many?
Lately, I’ve been writing mostly
erotic paranormals. I began reading and writing Regencies and thought that’s
where my true voice lay, that I couldn’t write a contemporary if I tried. (And
I didn’t want to try.) To me, inhabiting new worlds, building new worlds is so
much more fun than modern day. But my paranormals are set in present day, so it
wasn’t much of a segue. I recently
submitted a short story that is straight contemporary, no paranormal elements.
Generally, though, I prefer making things up!
As a reader, do you
prefer:
- Story
being told from female view or male?
Depends on the writer and the story.
And why can’t we have both?
- Good
guys or bad boys?
Love the bad boys! (With hearts of
gold.)
- Feisty
females or fragile damsels?
Feisty. But not Too Stupid To Live.
“Hey, I know we’ve been warned that hideous death waits, but let’s go down this dark alley anyway and see
what demon ass we can kick.”
- Stand
alone stories or series?
Both. But in a series, you’d better
finish the book with an HEA before you move on with the external conflicts of
your world and its population because if you give me a cliff-hanger, I will NOT
be happy.
- Quick
reads or long stories?
Both. Sometimes I want to sink into
many pages and wallow. Often, I don’t have enough time and a quickie serves to
scratch the reading itch!
- Romance as a side dish or the main course?
Banquet!
- Erotica
or soft romance or something in-between?
Something in between, I’d say.
Something like erotic romance!
- More
action or humor?
Both! But if it’s a question of
non-stop battles with the aliens or forces of evil…I’d have to pass. I want
that tingly zing when the hero and heroine meet each other, touch each other,
are with each other for the first time!
Just for fun:
19. Vampires or
Angels?
Love J.R. Ward’s
Black Dagger Brotherhood. A different kind of vampire. Also love Nalini Singh’s Archangel series.
20. Werewolves
or Demons?
Demons!
Oh. Wait. I do love Nalini Singh’s
Psy-Changeling series, too!
What are you
currently working on?
BLIZZARD
Do you have any
current release?
FROST
BLURB:
Dagney Night, a sought-after succubus, is no stranger
to blazing hot sex. But as Valentine’s Day approaches, she longs for something
more. When oddly erotic paintings arrive for display at her art gallery,
arousing everyone who views them, she wonders about the mysterious artist who
created the works.
Maxwell Raines, a fire-sex demon, lives a life of
solitude and seclusion behind the walls of his compound at Sleepy Hollow,
channeling his lustful impulses into his art—until his muse deserts him and his
temperature rises past the danger point. He needs sex. Now.
When Madame Evangeline arranges a torrid Valentine’s
1Night Stand for them, will the flames of their encounter be too hot to handle?
BUY: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Decadent | ARe| Smashwords | BookStrand | CoffeeTime
~ * ~
Excerpt:
Dagney followed her sister’s glance, and her
heart flipped like a gymnast unable to nail a vault. Darkness swathed the
gallery with the exception of the lights above or below each of the paintings.
The large man emerging from the shadows held her rapt. Waves of pure,
unadulterated lust smacked her with such force she didn’t even see Lily and
Campbell leave. The blast of raw desire crumpled her to the floor. Her gaze
remained riveted on the tall hunk of ferocious male stalking toward her,
radiating undiluted carnality. He set something carefully on the floor and
grasped her by the elbows, his touch surprisingly gentle when he lifted her to
her feet.
“I’m Maxwell Raines.”
Yeah. No
kidding. Who else could a guy so hot, so studly, possibly be?
She told herself not to swoon. Ordered herself
not to swoon. But, Goddess, that rumbling voice. More potent than a train
barreling over the tracks. And he smelled so good. Sinfully masculine. A bit of
musk, a bite of pine, an essence of dark, smoky nights. Sexy scents.
Reminiscent of tangled satin sheets that had been given a good work-out.
Her legs turned to rubber, and she doubted
they’d support her on their own. She’d be mortified if he’d have to scrape her
puddled body up again. But he hadn’t yet relaxed his grip. Could she bullshit
her way through the meeting without collapsing? “You’re late,” she said.
“I’m never late.”
“Well, the party’s over, Mr. Raines.” She waved
a hand around the empty room.
“Depends on your perspective.”
“You’re big on perspective, are you?”
“I’m a painter.” A brief shrug accompanied his
blunt words. “Obvious connection.”
“Right. But as you can see, everyone’s left.”
“You haven’t.” He gazed down at her, a black
brow flaring. “And you’re what I’m here for.”
Where can readers
find you on the internet?
EM: Thank you so much for
joining me! :-)
TK: Thanks for having me!
It’s been my pleasure!
~ * ~
Competition Time!
Interested in winning some Valentines Day Swag? All you have to do is leave
Taryn a comment and you could win. Yes, it is that simple. Leave a comment and then in 24 hours
Taryn will pick a winner at random. Good Luck!
Thanks so much for having me in today, Elizabeth! Answering the questions was a blast!
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure having you, hun. Glad you had fun. You're welcome over any time :-) x
DeleteLove reading your interviews Taryn :) Also love Frost !!
ReplyDeletekristakames@gmail.com
I love Elizabeth's twenty questions! Great to learn more about you, Taryn! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Krista! So glad you enjoyed FROST!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jess. I made everything up, of course.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the twenty questions too. Well done Elizabeth. And Taryn you answered them very well, so well done to you.
ReplyDeleteAnswering questions is my calling.
Delete