Leanore Elliott

Today we are lucky to have with us Leanore Elliott who is her to tell us a little bit about herself and her books!

WHO ARE YOU LEANORE?

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!’
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!’
Merely this and nothing more.
Edgar Allen Poe ‘Quoth The Raven’

I’ll try to l explain why I start this spot with a stanza by Poe. My Pen name is Leanore Elliott. I took this name for reasons, which others may not fully understand. No—I did not wish to obscure my real name, nor do I write porn, to hide the fact from my family and friends!

I use the name Leanore for one purpose…MAGIC. Yep. Simple ethereal, pixie dust, wand-wielding caldron on the fire—magic.

Yes…I know I’d better keep on with the explanation.

I have always been a bit different, endearingly thought of by others as sweet, giving and just a little—tetched. (chuckle) As a child, I spun stories at family gatherings. I embellished them with incredible accomplishments and feats by magnificent heroes, and of journeys to faraway lands.

I had friends no one else could see. Yes, yes, I know. There are many who claim they had imaginary buddies as a child. Me? I had entire imaginary worlds. I played for hours in places no one else knew existed.

To this very day, my mother tells the stories of what a time she had with me. I would actually disappear on her. Nowhere to be found. Later, after hours of searching, I would suddenly be found in the yard, or my room.

At her glowering face and enraged expression? I would rush on with an answer as to where I was and what I’d been doing. I tried to tell her of fantastic people and colorful places I had just visited. She would grit her teeth as I gave her scare after hair pulling scare.

After raising a family of four kids and traveling all over the US my kids and hubby retired me in 2007. They lovingly told me, go and write those stories. I did, I learned, studied, researched, self published and failed at that. Then, I submitted my stories to publishers and was picked up by three. I proceeded with zeal to learn all I could from nine pro editors. Now, I have my own imprint, Wicked Muse Publishing.

Okay, so I will finally get to the crux of my explanation: Leanore is my Muse. She spins the tales. Some of these stories are just incredibly unique and out of this world! And…I think they may really be from another world entirely. I am just a determined writer, Bonnie Lea Elliott, dedicated to the display of these stories. I am but a glorified editor and formatter. I also, possibly may be really good at channeling.

To give my Muse the credit due her, I gave her part of the billing.

Here is just two brief descriptions out of the 15 stories she’s spun and afterward, you will see why I believe such an outrageous, surreal idea.

BEASTS~The Eyes Of Constance:

A psychic has visions of Serial Killers. She partners with a Homicide Detective. After three years of tracking and stopping these killers, she finds one day that she hadn’t seen anything yet. She finds that her cop partner and best friend isn’t what he seems—he isn’t human at all. He is a Gargoyle, but with no tail, no horns and such. An immortal with superhuman abilities and strength. He can change his appearance as in, his skin can become, marble, stone or even obsidian. He is also sexy as forever is long and promptly shows Constance this.

Can’t tell you more without spoilers. But here is what some readers said in their reviews.

    ” Different and intriguing…”
    “Leanore Elliott took the term Paranormal in a totally new direction.”
    “I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore…”
    “The tale begins one way and takes you to a world that you never knew existed.”

The BEASTS Books became what I later called: ‘My Erotic Epiphany’ as Leanore and I spun three full novels in just over 3-month’s time!

Author friends would ask, “How do you write so fast? I’d reply with a shrug, “I was afraid that if I didn’t keep up with the story? I would lose it, as it got ahead of me.” (No one ever replied, “Oh yes! I know what you mean!”)

Revealed:

Glory is a thief and has been groomed all her life, to steal just one thing—the heart stone.

Dell is a thief/killer for hire. He is hired to steal the stone from Glory.

In turn, the stone steals them and their will. It is the heart stone of the Marquis de Sade and he reveals all their innermost fantasies. He takes them on the most erotic ride they’ve ever known, while everyone around them is trying to kill them both, in order to get the coveted stone.

    “I have to say it was sex-citing, all the manipulation and sex-apades had me going ga ga.”
    “…More please!!”
    “The sex scenes are absolutely smoking. This book should have its own warning label.”

Leanore and I went on to produce 10 books in one year. In 2011 so far, we’ve penned 4 more. My family thought they ‘d lost me to some obsessive artist’s world, where I did not respond to even the loudest booms in the house. I never heard whenever anyone spoke to me at all.

The stories just flowed out through my mind, down my arms and onto the keyboard. I went through four keyboards in 2010 and my friends joked: You literally burned them up! They would wisecrack about smoke rising from the keys.

I become a child again, perhaps…Lost in those worlds, which were built in front of my eyes. Magic, I say and truly, I believe this over any other explanation.

I want to thank my old friend, Caridad Pineiro for having me as her guest today here on her wonderful site.
(Leanore gives you all a ‘Wicked Wink’)

Please see all our books at these websites:

Listamania Page: http://www.amazon.com/Books-by-Leanore-Elliott/lm/R3ELV11ZSQT7H2/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_1_rsrsrs1

1 PLACE FOR ROMANCE: http://1placeforromance.com/index.php?search=Wicked%20Muse%20Books&_a=viewAffsearchMe=Wicked%20Muse%20Books&column=publisher

Wicked Muse Website: http://wickedmusepublishing.webs.com/

Leanore’s Home: http://captivesouls.weebly.com/-leanores-home.html

The Last Rising by Rachel Firasek

I’m very pleased to have with me today my friend and fellow author Rachel Firasek. Rachel has a new paranormal romance with a twist on Egyptian mythology, THE LAST RISING. Rachel is here to tell us a little more about her story and the inspiration about it. So without further ado, here’s Rachel!

Every story has a tone or a mood. Your setting creates the backdrop for your characters to tell their story, but does your novel have a color? To date, every book I have has a color. That may be the artistic part of my brain running crazy, but I see in colors. They are so much more interesting than the black and white print on the page.

We are taught at a very early age that colors are tied to emotions. Red=anger, blue=calm, yellow=cowardous, green=envy and so on and so forth. I can’t remember if one person taught me all of this or if it was a collaboration of teachers, parents and, later in life, my own interpretations.

So, it wasn’t until my most fabulous friend and fellow author, Autumn Shelly, showed me these pretty little salt lamps that change colors. These lamps reminded me of my art background, how much color means to me. I bought one, it runs on my USB port and sits on the edge of my laptop. When I sit down to start a new story, I think of the theme. Then I think of the emotions for my heroine/hero. Then I pick a color. That color will be the mood for my book.

The Last Rising, my latest release, is purple & red. There’s anger and passion on every page in some way or another.

Heather Howland did a great job creating my cover to match the mood of this book.

I’m writing the second book in this series and it has a very distinct/different color. Green is my mood for this second book and I’ll bet you can only guess why. Green not only portrays envy or jealousy, but it’s also the color of nature. Its a grounding color. My heroine is definitely in book two is an earth. I adore her. And yes, Heather Howland again created a beautiful masterpiece to bring my story to life.

Now, I dare you to study your the story you are reading and find the color in the mood. It’s there, in every page and in every book, you’ll find it. If your not reading right now, then think about this on your next read. Take those black and white pages and thrust them into full Techno-color. You’ll be amazed at how much more you get from the story.

Drop me a note and let me know your color. Everyone has one. I’m totally a red. I’ll let you guess why….

A little teaser for THE LAST RISING

After paying two millennia’s penance to Osiris, world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her own redemption isn’t how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will be so great…or that she’ll end up back in his life for her next assignment.

Now that Turner Alcott has survived the worst, finding a wife and mother for his son matters more than ever before. When the mysterious Ice comes into his life, Turner knows she’s the one—but love is the last thing Ice wants. If he wants to win her heart, Turner must teach Ice how to forgive herself, and prove that love is the ultimate sacrifice.

Excerpt

“Why is it I can’t get you out of my mind? You say we haven’t met, but my dreams remember you.”

Oh yeah, he’d dreamt of a woman for months now. She resembled his dream woman in so many ways, but he’d never seen his fantasy lover’s face.

She struggled against his clutch. “Mr. Alcott, I assure you we haven’t met. And for your other question, I don’t know why, but you need to release me.”

Why did that quivering bottom lip make him suspect she was lying? Turner rested his forehead against the top of hers and sucked in her scent. “Please, tell me I’m not losing my mind. Tell me you don’t visit me every night and I’ll promise to leave you alone. I just need to know.”

He sounded like a crazy man but she had to tell him. She was the only one who could put a stop to his mind’s constant fantasizing, and this feeling of déjà vu every time he saw her.

Ice wriggled in his arms, her thighs chafing against his slacks. “Mr. Alcott, you need to let me go.” She glanced around his shoulder. “Brodie is probably staring out that glass window and I would hate for him to get the wrong impression.”

She was right. He needed to get ahold of himself, but he didn’t have the strength to walk away. His hands traveled up and over her shoulders, stalling on her neck. Brushing his thumbs against her jaw, he pressed her head back and stared into hard eyes—no emotion. Couldn’t she see the battle he fought?

He teased the corner of her mouth with his thumb and her breathy gasp pleased him. So, she wasn’t completely immune to him. He dropped his head until his mouth hovered over hers.

“Mr. Alcott—”

“Shhh. I just need a taste of the sunshine.”

Inspiration for Heroes

This morning I’m sharing with you a little of the inspiration for the hero in THE CLAIMED, although I won’t spill his name because I don’t want to spoil things for those of you who have not read THE LOST.

When I think of heroes, especially in a series, I try to mix up what they look like so that you guys won’t get bored of the same old same old. Adam was all light and the hero in THE CLAIMED is all darkness. I will tease you a little and just drop a hint that the hero in the third book, tentatively titled THE SHATTERED, is going to be what the British call “a ginger.” LOL!

Translation: red-haired. Strawberry-blondish to be more precise.

Which brings me to a question for you today: What do you like seeing in a hero? Do you like them blond or dark? Tattoos or clean? Lean or big?

Also have some other news today. I am doing a guest blog for my buddy Cynthia Eden who has a new release out titled BOUND IN DARKNESS. Visit at 1 pm Central Standard time and leave a comment for a chance to win a giveaway and to help raise money for a breast cancer charity. For the first 50 comments, I will donate $1 per comment to the charity.

Guilty Pleasure Monday – John Schneider

First of all, many thanks to all who sent their wishes for a safe passage of Hurricane Irene. My town was spared much damage and we are in relatively good shape. No bus or rail service from this area, so hoping it is back up and running tomorrow.

Also hope that all those without power get it back real soon! I’ve got just a few pictures of some minor damage in my area and my flooded yard at the Facebook Fan Page.

Anyway, the enforced stay-at-home had me doing some writing and watching some television. One program about celebrity ghost encounters caught my eye as did John Schneider who was on the show. He was talking about a three-year old brother who died before he was born, but with whom he had a rather odd connection.

Even at 51, John looked really good and his story was interesting. I did some other checking in on John, who became a household name playing Bo on DUKES OF HAZZARD. Turns out that John is also one of the co-founders of the Children’s Miracle Network.

John has been doing a lot of work lately, with appearances on SMALLVILLE and HOT IN CLEVELAND. So here goes with this morning’s Guilty Pleasure John Schneider!

Party, Interview & Giveaway!

Don’t forget that tonight’s live video event and giveaway with Stephanie Chong who will be chatting with me about the sexy paranormal heroes and unique concept in her upcoming release, WHERE DEMONS FEAR TO TREAD. The live event will be tonight, August 24 at 9 pm EST. You can click here to join the live event or use this link: http://t.wbx.me/f8qgs.

Today we’re also having a birthday giveaway at Bad Ass Books! Happy birthday, Erika! To read more about my unusual birthday and Erika’s as well as have a chance to win STRONGER THAN SIN, THE LOST beaded bookmark and other swag, just click here or go to this link:
http://badassbookreviews.com/2011/08/24/bbb-author-caridad-pineiro-giveaway/

Guilty Pleasure Monday – Dean Cain

Years ago a very boyishly cute and totally sexy man hit the small screen in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman- Dean Cain!

I instantly fell in love with him as Superman/Clark Kent and the chemistry with him and Teri Hatcher was wonderful!

Dean grew up in California and excelled in sports. He attended Princeton University and after graduation, Dean was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. A knee injury during training camp, however, ended his career. After that Dean turned to screenwriting and commercials, eventually landing the role as Clark Kent/Superman.

Dean will be starring in a number of projects in 2011, so keep an eye out for him!


Photo Credit: Alan Light@en.wikipedia.com

Wicked Wednesday – Tonya Kinzer

I know that there are lots of bad things about the Internet, but one of the good things is being able to meet so many different people! During one of our live video events, I met Tonya and we started chatting. Turns out Tonya is a writer and I know how you all like meeting new writers.

But before we find out more about Tonya and her very sexy books, just a quick reminder about next week’s live event with debut author Stephanie Chong. I’ll be chatting with Stephanie on August 24 at 9 pm EST about her upcoming release, WHERE DEMONS FEAR TO TREAD. I had a chance to read an ARC of this book and it was wonderful! So please stop by for some sexy talk about demon and vampire heroes and giveaways.

And now . . .

Warning – this is for 17 and over so stop here if you’re not mature enough because it’s getting hot in here, really really hot, with Tonya Kinzer and her latest erotic release, SHARING AMONG FRIENDS!

A little bit about Tonya:

Tonya Kinzer writes erotic romance for readers who love to become a silent character within the story! You will be pulled into scenes to partake of the activities, to feel what her characters feel and taste what they taste…strong sexual desires! Be prepared to enter a world you’ll not want to leave and can’t wait to get back to. Their future holds new submissives and demanding Doms.

Her series, The Boss’s Pet, will take you on a journey alongside Nick and Sondra as they venture into a lifestyle that pulls them deeper into a world of sensuality and submission. You’ll not want to miss any of the books in this series so stay locked on her website to know when the next books get released.

Here’s a little teaser about SHARING AMONG FRIENDS:

Nick Carrington has helped Sondra overcome many of her fears regarding his lifestyle and is glad she has joined him. In time, all of his fantasies will become a reality and with a beautiful woman at the same time. Nick is fully aware that Sondra may have fantasies of her own. Can she trust him enough to share those with him?

Not only has she satisfied his clients with great investment strategies in the office, she will eventually satisfy a few of the Doms that he’s good friends with, she just isn’t aware of that yet.

My two characters venture deeper into a world of pleasure, pain and satisfaction for both. Join Nick and Sondra as he introduces her to his lifestyle, opens doors she never imagined, and creates in her…a need she can’t control!

Wow! Edgy much? Thanks for stopping by today, Tonya. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your work.

To read an interview with Sondra, Tonya’s heroine, you can click here.

To find out more about Tonya, you can click here to visit her website or check her out at one of these locations.

Blog Site: http://tonyakinzer.blogspot.com
Website: http://tonyakinzer.com
FB Fan Page: http://tinyurl.com/4sh37tk
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_163160073732655&ap=1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/tonyakinzer
BookBuzzr: http://www.freado.com/users/26001/tonya-kinzer
IAN: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/tonya-kinzer.html
Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/tonyakinzer
Manic Readers: http://www.manicreaders.com/TonyaKinzer/