SINS OF THE FLESH BY CARIDAD PINEIRO REVIEW

Caterina Shaw’s days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment – a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body — and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.

Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting down is far from the vicious killer he’s been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she’s a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.

Description taken from http://www.caridadpineiro.com/

DONI'S RATING SCALE OF 1-5

SINS OF THE FLESH - 4 OUT OF 5

Reviewed by Doni R. Miller

When I started reading the prologue, I thought "Uh-oh." The main character is sick, in the same manner as an acquaintance of mine. I was worried that I might have trouble with the story. I am happy to say that I did not.

The author's use of modern and real science mixed liberally with fictional mad science and non-stop action kept it interesting. I read the book in about six hours. I could not put it down. The story made me think. The bad guys, Edwards and Morales, made me wonder whether or not people would actually kill with millions of dollars at stake. It made me wonder if genetic manipulation is a good idea, or a very dangerous science.

The characters are yummy. Caterina had a heck of a lot to deal with: illness, pain, doctors, mad scientists, murder accusations, psycho killers, drugs and a macho hero. Yet she is strong. She is a fighter. You can't help but fall in love with her. I admire her strength. Mick, at first, I wasn't sure of . But he grew on me. And even though, at first, he didn't come across as a nice guy, he had morals. He wanted more explanation as to what the real story was. He became a hero. I fell in love with the characters as Mick took care of Cat, helped her remember, gave her her music, and started to trust that she didn't do what she was accused of. You could see Mick and Cat together. One other positive character that deserves mention is Liliana, Mick's sister. I liked how she stood up for herself, and defends herself against her abuser. I wanted to know more about her.

The story flowed beautifully from prologue to the end. The author's passion was evident in her writing. What I did not like has to more to do with reviewing an ARC (advance reading copy) and a label of uncorrected page proofs. You have to sometimes add words or reread sentences to understand a passage. Don't get me wrong, it does not happen a lot. And it is an honor to receive an ARC from an author. I can't wait for the second book in this series.

Find out more about Caridad Pineiro and her other books at http://www.caridadpineiro.com

Deep Kiss of Winter - Book Review

DEEP KISS OF WINTER

Two never-before-published paranormal stories to delight the senses and tantalize the imagination! #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR KRESLEY COLE  -    delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time...and a Valkyrie aching to be touched.   -  Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden -- the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can't be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them? - Find out more at her site - http://kresleycole.com/

Review by Terry Kate

My Rating
For Paranormals - 5 out of 5
For a Kresley Cole - 4 out of 5
Well the woman sets a high standard for herself.  This was a great book within the Immortals After Dark Series.  We are reading about the last unsettled Wroth brother as he struggles to be with a less then warm partner.  While Daniela just wants to be loved.  The very essence of ever together, never to touch.

This is the first of the Wroth Brothers to really worm his way into my heart, but sadly the "business" of Deep Kiss of Winter spanning the time line of many of the other books in the series distracted from the intensity building between two delightfully tortured souls.  It did give me greater insight and appreciation for the eldest Wroth found in Playing Hard To Get, but I needed a little more angst and frustration from the heroine to match the level of intensity I have adored in previous books in the series.  I think the lack of time spent knowing her suffering at being untouchable would have made her stand out within the book.  Murdock - hunky vamp though he may be - drove more of the story.  I wanted to love them both, I just did not feel her as much.

Is it a great read?  Hells yeah.  It is honestly a re-reader that will get abused, have corners turned down, and favorite parts close to memorized.   What frustrates me about this book and a few others?  Characters who I want to have books never seem to come next!
Really I am excited about the 2010 release, but I read A Hunger Like No Other so long ago I am no longer intensely fascinated by the Brother's story.  Now who is this little fire demon our icy friend Jadian had locked away?  What is up with the new King of the Icere?  That is my current itch - oh and the other that still burns in my gut?  Kiss of a Demon King - the sister of our heroine and the now crippled demon king who follows her relentlessly - lordy lordy do I want to read that one!  Let it please have the exquisite tension I have come to expect from Kresley Cole.   



The long and short.  You can't go wrong with a single book in the series, plus with this one for the price they throw in a halfway decent Gena Showalter.  - You can find all the books in the Immortals After Dark Series on her site - http://kresleycole.com/


You lucky little readers will get to hear from me the next time a book catches my fancy.
Terry Kate 
The Unofficial RITBS Reviewer

Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark Series

So here it is the nitty gritty - down and dirty - how I feel about the Immortals After Dark Series.
WRITE FASTER!  Umm... Not that I am obsessive or nothing.  I mean I only buy the books the minute they come out.  So now to the series.
As with all series it has its ups and its downs.  Ones I reread till my copy is dead.  And heck I lost my first copy of A Hunger Like No Other and bought ANOTHER!  If you knew what a cheapo I am you would understand.  One or two on the other hand I have not cracked open after the first reading.  Intensity is the word I would use to describe the writing, and based on personal preference some appeal more then others, but they all moved me at one moment or another.  

In A Hunger Like No Other Lachlain MacRieve our sexy werewolf hero is willing to break his own leg and crawl out of imprisonment at the scent of his mate.  Emmaline Troy, part Valkyrie part Vampire is quite the match, her insecurities and the intensity of the relationship building between the two grips my heart.  Vampires are not a much liked race in the world of the Lore - all things out of the ordinary - but he worries about her so much that he feeds her his blood while she is asleep to try and make her stronger, though it slows his own healing.  Heart ache.  You would think I asked my boyfriend for the moon when he can't reach the remote from where he is and has to get up to get it for me.

I am a sucker for destined mates.  And great big soul burning love.  All of which the books in the series have to varying degrees.  Certain heros just call to us, or in some of the books it has been the heroine.  In the very best of her books both called to me equally.  Now the stories tend to keep it all in the family, well on the Valkyrie side they are not exactly siblings but if you live in the same house you are family.  So we got a set of four Wroth Brothers all vamps, two Demon Brothers, all the Valkyrie in Val Hall, and the men of the Lykae Clan - Werewolves - The next book Pleasure a Dark Prince - due out in February - read forever - is my love from Hunger's younger brother.  Yippy skippy - a love a cuddly wolf story!

So which did not light my fire and which did?  Well I already told you one that warms my heart, so now the ones that did it for me less, which are the stories with the Vampire Wroth Brothers.  I liked No Rest for the Wicked, cause I liked our heroine Kaderin the Cold Hearted.  Dark Needs at Nights Edge?  Oh I liked this Wroth brother, tortured and burdened, is it getting hot in here?  Now his ghostly love I could take or leave.    Kiss of a Demon King - adore them both!  Oh the intensity between the two, the tension Kresley Cole builds gets me in the guts, which is the highest praise I can give an author.  


Authors walk this tight rope - and it is hard, I know it is hard - between getting books out fast and making them the best they can possibly be.  A few of the books in the series may have fallen prey to this.  I have moments in Wicked Deeds on a Winters Night where I say - I love it, it is one of the best out there, but I feel a bit rushed in the story.  That is why A Hunger Like No Other and Kiss of a Demon King stand out.  The pressure builds and builds and develops throughout the story until I feel like I will explode from everything the characters are going through.


In short, they are all great, and though I wait with baited breath and need to concentrate to suppress my excitement about the next book in the series, take your time Ms. Cole.  I can always read the others again and again while I wait. 
Find out all about Kresley Coles Books on her site. - http://kresleycole.com/

Interview with Annette McCleave

I would like to welcome the dark and dangerous paranormal author Annette McCleave to the Backseat.
 Annette:  Hi all!
 TK:  So tell us a little about what lured you to the Dark Side?
AM:  I love dark paranormal stories, have since I was a kid. There's nothing like a vampire or a tortured mage--or in my case a tortured Soul Gatherer--to get my heart beating faster.
 TK:  Soul Gatherer sounds scary...
AM:  Nah....the Soul Gatherers are the good guys. They beat back the demon thieves to save the souls of the dead from going down when they should be going up.
TK:  Oh, now I am curious, how do you mix the sexy in in with the scary?  These are dark worlds you create in your books.  Not the romance of daisies in the field.
AM:  Competent, intelligent warriors are always sexy--even when they're dealing with the devil and death and stolen souls.
And a bit of dark turmoil just makes them more mysterious and alluring.
TK:  So do you go for the "Bad Boy", or just write about him?
AM:   I like to write and read my tall angsty Alpha warriors, but in real life I like them with a little Beta in them.  But I have to say that if Lachlan MacGregor, my Scottish hero from Drawn into Darkness, came knocking at the door, I wouldn't turn him away.
 TK:  I won't tattle on you.  My boy knows if Dean from Supernatural comes to the door he is toast.
 AM:  Ahhhh...Dean. 'Nuff said.
 TK:  So give us a clue, a hint , be a tease...What is coming next?
Cause we all want more.
AM:  The hero of my second Soul Gatherer book, Bound by Darkness, is a suave guy with a taste for everything expensive. He may seem a like a mild-mannered guy, but he's hiding some dark secrets of his own.  Check him out in May 2010. I feel like I'm cheating on Lachlan for saying this, but yummmm.
TK:  Well, it is tough to move on from a Scot, but we shall try as we wait with baited breath.
 AM:  If you like Scots...stay tuned.
TK:  Ouh! Goody, goody.
You are a tease!
Find out more about Annette at her site - http://www.annettemccleave.com/
Also you can see her in Romance in the Backseat's paranormal free read Short Stories  White Wedding Nightmares - with Angie Fox - and the fabulous new Stars are Empty
 Annette McCleave:  Happy Halloween!

NIGHTMARE BEFORE HALLOWEEN - NOT HAVING ANYTHING TO READ!

Well Ms MaryJanice Davidson Would like to solve that problem for you!
So she will take care of your reading woes by sharing the joy and humor of her books!  SIgned no less!

SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES

• Series: Fred the Mermaid Series, #1
• ISBN-13: 9780515142228
  
• ISBN: 0515142220

Synopsis

Fred is not your ordinary mermaid. She's not blonde. She's not buxom. And she's definitely not perky. In fact, Fred can be downright cranky. And it doesn't help matters that her hair is blue.

While volunteering at the New England Aquarium, Fred learns that there are weird levels of toxins in the local seawater. A gorgeous marine biologist wants her help investigating. So does her merperson ruler, the High Prince of the Black Sea. You'd think it would be easy for a mermaid to get to the bottom of things. Think again.  - Synopsis from barnesandnoble.com

SWIMMING WITHOUT A NET

• Series: Fred the Mermaid Series, #2
• ISBN-13: 9780515143812
  
• ISBN: 0515143812

Synopsis

As Fred the Mermaid tries to fit in with her own kind, she finds herself hooked on both Artur, the High Prince of the undersea realm, and Thomas, a hunky marine biologist. She's also caught between two factions of merfolk: those happy with swimming under the radar-and those who want to bring their existence to the surface. - Synopsis from Barnesandnoble.com

• FISH OUT OF WATER
• Series: Mermaid Series, #3
• ISBN-13: 9780515145496
  
• ISBN: 0515145491

Synopsis

Fred the Mermaid has taken the bait and chosen to date Artur, Prince of the Black Sea, over human marine biologist Thomas. And just in time. The existence of the Undersea Folk is no longer a secret, and someone needs to keep them from floundering in the media spotlight. Fred has all the right skills for that job, but has a hard time when her real father surfaces and tries to overthrow Artur's regime. -  From Barnes and Noble.com

Thanks everyone!
Terry Kate

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A Tale of Tail - by Inez Kelly

With animal shifters, specifically cat shifters, you cannot ignore the tail. True there are more aesthetically appealing things to write about. Cat eyes are mesmerizing in shape and color, the slanted mysterious glow, the unblinking stare. The purr lends itself to all sorts of romantic and sexual connotations. The hiss of a feline leaves no room for confusion- Hiss = fury. Glossy coats, the sensual gait, the sleek muscles all are feline images that add well to the sexual verve of a cat shifter.

Then you have the tail, an appendage that humans don’t have. So how can you enliven it with human characteristics? One way is to translate tail = ass which does work in some instances. But not all. Any time spent watching a feline, whether house cat or big cat, and you will discover the tail is much more than an extension of the rump. It is a warning system. The minute flickering of the tail tip, the quiver of a stiff tail, the puffed fur when agitated are all clues into the cat’s mindset.

Long leisurely swipes of a tail when a cat is stretched into the sun are kind of like a human, relaxing, idly fingering a blanket or other object. It is a sign of contentment. When preparing to pounce, the cat’s tail will sway, jerking in readiness to balance those powerful haunches to give the most lift, the most grace. Tail held high when passing another cat is a way of saying ‘hey, how are you, I am not threat, smell my butt, no aggressiveness here’. A tail curled tight to the body means ‘I don’t feel comfortable here and you better be wary’.

It would be a mistake for writers to just stick a tail on a cat shifter without thought. What is the tail doing at that minute, what is the cat’s mood, how is it communicating with us in that silent language? Those are things one must ask to adequately convey the emotion of the nonverbal animal. The tail talks. You just have to listen to hear what it is saying.

In my fantasy romance MYLA BY MOONLIGHT, Myla is a jaguar shifter. Her jag’s tail is a warning. At one point specifically, the prince realizes her tail is twitching, waiting to balance a leap. When combined with her flattened ears and snarling growl…Myla is a miffed kitty about to attack. He calls her down. He read the signs. Another time, when she is in human form, she mimics her jag by presenting and shaking her tail at him, a sexual ‘hey big boy, wanna play?’ Of course he does. Most romance heroes, and most human men are not going to pass up a prime opportunity to get a little tail.

Tails, like tales, carry meaning. So what’s your tail saying?

MYLA BY MOONLIGHT is available now from Samhain Publishing.  INEZ KELLEY writes romantic fantasy and romantic comedy. Visit Inez Kelley at http://inezkelley.com/

Interview With Author M.L. Lacy

Hi
My Name is Doni, I'm a Reviewer for Romance in the Backseat.  This is my  interview with  M. L. Lacy, author of the book Chrysalis The Awakening.


DRM
How did the idea of Chrysalis come into being?
M. L.
I had always had this story.  I thought about it in many different ways, this is the one I finally settled on.
DRM
The story is full of great descriptions like Yellowstone, have you been there?  It was like I was standing by the geyser with them.
M. L.
I love it there. We travel there all most every year. It's beautiful and I hope I brought that out.
DRM
Yes definitely. Bree is a very strong Character is she based on anyone in reality?
M. L.
No, none of my characters are based on anyone I know...
DRM
Safer that way I bet .
M. L.
Much safer.  I take pieces of people and mold them into my characters so you can't point a finger and say 'I know who that is.'
DRM
Was there anything that you would have done differently if you had a choice in this process?
M. L.
Ah, no...I thought long and hard on that. I could have made it into two books, but I like big books that are good.
DRM
Me too.
M. L.
What was your favorite spot in the book?
DRM
The first time Bree stood up to Thomas.
M. L.
Ah...that was fun.
DRM
I like a strong female character
M. L.
She's learning.  You'll like book 2
DRM
I like the fact that you made her more mature  what made you put her in her 30s?
M. L.
Most of these books are a little younger, and I wanted something my age group could relate to a little more.
DRM
Being 46 and passionate about the paranormal genre I appreciated it.
M. L.
I'm 54 - me too.
DRM
You made the characters jump off the page can you picture them? Do they have faces to you?
M. L.
Oh yeah...I know the faces of each one of them.  Now - whether their personalities are close is another matter!
DRM
Do you think each reader will see them differently?
M. L.
I hope so, I didn't want to lock them down, I wanted your imagination to take over and you put the faces you see.
DRM
I do and its fun to do.

DRM
I do and its fun to do.
What do you like to read Madonna?
M. L.
Well, I have three granddaughters so I do read a lot of YA, just so we can talk ..  read Steve Berry, Rick Riordan (both his YA and adult)  Fun things, I don't like sad stories, I don't read a lot of blood and gore I've read Harry Potter, Twilight, things like that.
DRM
Don't really like horror?
M. L.
Not really into horror...  My books may get a little darker as they go on, but nothing to pull the bed covers over your head...Just make ya want to smack Esmeralda around.
DRM
Don't like Esmeralda  Thomas has possibilities.
M. L.
Thomas has a LOT of possibilities. 
Yes he does I can't wait to see what happens Emeralda isn't happy though Where did she come from?
M. L.
She is your typical bully, You will enjoy it. I have two beta readers - I made one cry and the other had to go cook!
DRM
I'm jealous!
DRM
You mix and match myth and legend where did the Native American information come from?
M. L.
My father was a very big arrowhead collector. I loved the old westerns, I really liked Dances with Wolves so I just added him - Gram Greene.
DRM
I had a hard time in the beginning of your book it seemed a bit slow...I kept thinking where is the young Bree’s story?  is there a reason you kept it under wraps and showed it in pieces? 
M. L.
I tried to give you the information up front so Bree could continue the story.  All the books will start like that...bring the reader up to speed  That way I don't have to do a lot of that in the story.  Because the first book had a lot of the past, the next books are very current
DRM
Bree is very relatable.
M. L.
I wanted her to be that way and I'm glad it came across.
DRM
She is real and has lived life do you think that readers enjoy that versus the heroine that has never had an issue in her life?
M. L.
I think so, it's easier to put yourself in her shoes then it is to someone who has never had any problems - we all have problems
DRM
In my review I describe your writing like that of an artist.  It's like a painting to me with all the bright colorful strokes yet the shadow of what is going to happen down the road .  do you see your self in that way or just a woman who has a story to tell.
M. L.
I see myself as a story teller. I enjoy it. I am working hard to perfect it.
DRM
Do you write full time?
M. L.
No, unfortunately I work full time, I write at night, a couple of hours on the weekend. I can write it pretty fast cause I'm always thinking about it - when it's done i walk away then come back and begin my edits, changes, deletes.
DRM
That must be hard to edit your own work?
M. L.
I read and re-read then I had it off to Mikki (My editor) she does more edits, makes suggestions and hands it back.  Then I edit and rewrite email her the changes and then one finally read through.
DRM
That is a question I often wonder about given the mistakes I have read in many published works.
M. L.
I found a few in mine too. So many words.  Oh oh....House is on!
DRM
Thank you for your time Madonna.
M. L.
I look forward to your review and hearing from you once in a while.
DRM
Me too.  Thank you.


Read Doni's Review of Chrysalis The Awakening - Here

Round 2 - Paranormal Author Fight Club

All New Installments by the Fighters just went up.     Your votes decide who moves on.  The Grand Prize is a full manuscript read and critique by New York Times Bestseller  Angie Fox.   You can be a winner too.  Leave a comment with your email and enter to win two books from Simon and Schuster.   I look forward to seeing you there.   Romance in the Backseat - Paranormal Fight Club - HERE

Interview with R.F. Long

Terry Kate: I would like to welcome Author R F Long to the Backseat today to talk a little about her books.

R.F. Long: Thanks very much for having me, Terry.

 
TK: So what is it about the genre you write that appeals to you the most?

RFL: I write in two genres, one of which came from the other. The first is Fantasy, and the second Paranormal Romance. The thing I love most about them is the sense that everything is bigger - problems are life or death, worlds can be altered by the actions of the characters, and love really can be life saving.
My fantasy stories are set in worlds of my own imagining, but the paranormal romance take place in our world, where the world of magic bleeds through. Both have their own challenges and both are really exciting to write.
 
TK: Big Drama is appealing, but would you want to live it?
 
RFL: Oh no, I'm a total coward. Especially when you look at some of the things I put my characters through. I don't think there's any way I would be strong enough!!! I'm a really mean author.
 
TK: I hear that a lot from authors. That they torture their characters, where does that come from? Any ideas?
 
RFL: I've just been reminded by my other half that when a very good friend of ours beta-read The Scroll Thief, he came into the house and the first thing he said to my husband was "I'm a little worried for you". :D
I think a lot of it is that characters torture us (by not giving us all the information we need, refusing to follow orders etc) so we have to get the last word.
It's also a case, especially in fantasy, you have to keep raising the stakes in order to see what a hero or heroine is truly made of, to see them rise about the most dreadful things. It's one of the reasons it’s such an exciting and, I believe, insightful genre.
 
TK: So are you saying you are cruel to be kind so your characters reach their greatest potential?
 
RLF: I think so.
But sometimes I'm just mean.
(Just kidding!) 
 
TK: Aren't we all.
Did you ever think you had given a character too much?
That they might not overcome?
 

RFL: I had some very dark moments writing The Scroll Thief. Trask and Malachy (the two heroes) are put through so much that I wondered for a while how I would pull them out of it. But I believe that's why the ending works. If it’s clear to a reader that it's all going to be all right in the end, they aren't going to get drawn into the suspense. Similarly with Soul Fire, the Sidhe Prince Daire has his doubts. There's no way he can win through at the end, not on his own and he has to think his way through his problem rather than just blindly attack. I love an action hero, but I like them to have a brain as well. Indiana Jones, one might say.
Oh, and with Shan from The Wolf's Sister and the forthcoming novella The Wolf's Mate... well, lets just say if you thought he had a hard time in the first two stories, wait until you see what I'm doing to him in the third (which I'm currently writing). *resists urge to laugh manically*
 
TK:  Is it only your boys your torture?
 
RLF: No, not at all. I'm mean to everyone. I'm an equal opportunities meanie.
Although I do tend to put the girls through a large amount of anguish and the boys through a large amount of physical pain. There are exceptions. The worlds in which a lot of my stories are set are pretty brutal places. Even the paranormal romances have characters that come from ancient legends - they aren't forgiving to anyone who stands against them regardless of their gender.
I'm just thinking back on The Scroll Thief and actually, I pretty much torture everyone.
 
TK:  Well I can not wait for the newest book.  I like mean authors.

RFL: Thanks again for having me here today.

“The Scroll Thief” will be out in paperback on 1^st December 2009 and is available for pre-order in all the usual places. “The Wolf’s Sister”, “The Scroll Thief” and “Soul Fire” are all currently available as ebooks. “The Wolf’s Mate”, sequel to “The Wolf’s Sister” will be out in ebook format in January 2010. You can find out more at www.rflong.com or http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/r-f-long, or follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/rflong

Interview with Kerry L. Marzock

I would like to welcome Paranormal author Kerry L. Marzock to Nightmare in the Backseat.  Kerry, will your books give us nightmares?

KM:  Maybe some small ones, but then that’s what a horror writer hopes to do.  I think the Raven series is a very good mix of horror, action, strange romance, some levity, and of course, we need a little bit of blood and gore mixed in there as well.
TK:  Oh yes, our lives in this modern world certainly does lack blood and gore.  Well unless you are a doctor or something.

KM:  For sure, but what's a good horror novel without any?  I think horror and science fiction have always given readers a chance to get lost into something other than their normal daily lives.  At least it has been for me since I was a young child.
 TK:  If the blood was wet and real would it still be as fascinating for you?

KM:  Ha, not sure there, I probably would get a little squeamish, but one part of what I write about, shape shifting, has always enthralled me, so that would definitely be fascinating, not sure if the blood which probably would come as a result of that when on the hunt.
 TK:  It seems like readers today want to escape to a simpler, more animal level of experiential existence as part of the appeal of were - characters.  Is there any of that in it for you?

KM:  I definitely think so.  Life is hard enough on an everyday basis and sometimes (as mere humans) we feel a little inadequate possibly to handle situations that require more hostility I guess.  But changing into an animal, or for that matter, any other type of creature, gives a person a chance to escape and be somebody, or something else, at least for a little while.  I prefer the wolf as my beast, but it seems that creatures which prey on others are the were-beasts of choice such as bears, large cats, etc.  Who wants to be a rabbit, a squirrel, or a llama?
TK:  I would be a gentle giant and be a panda - or my boyfriend's nickname for me is bunny - it might be fun to hop around every once in a while.

 KM:  Hey, panda's are really cute, but you know they have their mean, cantankerous side so your boyfriend better watch out *smile*.  Plus, I hope you like bamboo and watch out for those animals of prey.
TK:  Or Panda Express if "Corporate America" can be believed.  So, you are choosing wolf as your alter ego?
KM:  Oh, absolutely, they are incredible animals and I’ve always had this love affair with wolves.
TK: Lions are pretty bad ass too.

KM:  I love big cats as well, probably more like a jaguar or panther than the lion.  Panthers are incredibly beautiful creatures and move with such grace, speed and stealth.  There was a great older movie, "Cat People", from 1942 that was really good and the revised version in the 1980’s was pretty good also.  The music to that movie was awesome, very eerie and haunting.   (Read Kerry's Review of the Movie Here)
TK:  So tell me about your books, mythology and how you came up with it?

KM:  Okay..."Raven's Way" starts out in Philadelphia where both books, including the 3rd one, take place primarily.  The two main characters are Johnny Raven, part of a race of shape shifters which has lived among humanity for longer than anyone could imagine...he is on a mission of revenge searching for the monster that slew his mate and unborn child...this brings him to Philly where he meets up with a Philadelphia police detective, Kathleen Morello.  That is where the strange romance takes place and where her life is altered forever.  The book takes them on this dizzying search for the killer, but other characters are brought into the book as well which ends up in a major battle on the fields of Valley Forge Park.  Philadelphia has many very cool locations for a horror story.  The second book "Raven’s Rage" takes up where the first leaves off with the same characters that survived the first book and introduces more incredibly interesting characters, including more of vampire influence.  I also go into much more historical background of my race of shape shifters and how they came about. In addition, I tuck in some history of Philadelphia.
TK:  So what made you decide to let the bloodletters come to the party table?

KM:  Equal opportunity monsters *smile*, but I thought it added to the intrigue and drama, opened up more characters for me to explore and build upon.  I also didn't want the main characters to become stale, plus the vamp influence gives me more storyline avenues to explore, not only separate, but combined...and I also have always been interested in vampires as well as being a horror junkie, so it broadened my creative abilities.  The final battle in "Rage" will hopefully be really enjoyed because it takes place in an incredibly interesting and eerie locale here in Philly. 

TK:  Oh please do broaden your horizons to dead dudes.

KM:  Yeah, absolutely, and there are always others to bring in if I so desire.  In fact, the first chapter of the third Raven novel starts out with vampire hunters.  Being a voracious reader as well, I really enjoy the series aspect of writing and being drawn towards writers who continue their sagas and characters.  I think it gives the reader a chance to really desire more and then look forward to the next release.
TK:  Yes, even deader dudes, like Zombies.
KM: Zombies are cool, but I'm not sure if I'll go there, at least not yet, though there is always the possibility of a separate book down the line.  I've also always been intrigued by aliens so that is a possibility as well when I decide to stop the Raven series at some point, or develop something different.  I am also working at this time of my first fantasy novel and hope to have it done by spring of 2010.
TK:  Oh come on - a war uniting the Weres and Vamps to fight off Alien invasion would be cool!

KM:  There you go, giving me some more ideas...were's meet ET (and not the cute little bugger either that says “I’ll be right here.”)  Alien movies have always been some of the coolest to watch.
TK:  Has Hollywood ever come close to showing what your wolves look like?
KM:  I think so.  My books actually have the normal, stereotypical werewolf that changes under the full moon, much as in "The Howling" which is a movie that I loved.  My race of shape shifters I think lean more towards those in the movies like the recent "Blood and Chocolate" and the older film "Wolfen", with Albert Finney that I thought was great.  My race of shape shifters are named weregunes and can turn into wolves at any time.  I loved how the movie "Blood and Chocolate" changed the humans into wolves, and the ending in "Wolfen" was fantastic.
TK:  You seem to be quite the movie buff.

KM:  If it's about werewolves and shape shifters then I'm in the front row.  I've also read extensively in that part of the horror genre and have a large collection of werewolf novels.  I've really considered all the incredible authors that I've read over these many years as my own instructors/tutors/professors *smile*.  And when I write, I try to really visualize everything in my mind so that it's almost a movie playing on the screen, and of course, nothing would thrill me more than to see the Raven series on the silver screen...so move over Twilight.
TK:  When the day comes I will be there opening night to write my review.

KM:  You'll have a seat right beside me with plenty of popcorn.
TK:  Thanks so much for taking the time to give us the behind the scenes of the Raven Series world.

KM:  Thank you for having me Terry and I hope that anybody who reads the Raven books will have as much enjoyment as I have had in writing them and will continue to have for hopefully a long time.

TK:  Thank you Kerry!  You can find her books at http://www.soulasylumpoetry.com,   www.amazon.com,   www.barnesandnoble.com.  You can also check out her web site at:  http://mysticwolfpa.tripod.com//index.html , and her blog at:  http://www.kmarzock714.wordpress.com