Welcome, Romance Lovers! Hot Romance author Ciana Stone is with us this morning!

   Available now from Osgood Books

Welcome, Romance Lovers!

My guest author this morning is multipublished Ciana Stone, whose erotic Romances have heated up the book catalogs at Ellora's Cave Publishing for years! Ciana is now also publishing Romantic Suspense at Osgood Books!  I would like to welcome you, Ciana!

Please, tell us just a little bit about yourself.

I was jerked up from the red clay of North Carolina seven years ago and transplanted to the sandy soil of Florida. I’m one of the lucky “happily ever after” gals who found her soul mate at 16 and am still in love. I have two children and three grandchildren and consider myself one lucky country gal.

How do you find ideas for your books? Real happenings? Dreams? Or just a great imagination?

I wish I knew! Ideas just happen. I’m sure the ideas take shape because of things I’ve read or experienced, but rarely is it a conscious effort. I don’t’ plan on writing a book about (insert idea here). I just wait to have a character or story appear in my mind and then I research the topic involved and start writing.

Ah, yes! The Muse must awaken. How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

That depends on how many other things I have going. Generally I don’t have time to write except on the weekend, so when I take my laptop onto the patio I’m in writer’s mode. Of course, it does make it difficult if one of my favorite writers releases a new book. Read or write? Now that’s a hard choice!

Tell me a little about your  most recent book.

My latest book is something of a departure from what I’ve been writing for the last few years, and was actually inspired by emails from readers. My first two books from Ellora’s Cave (Mind Games and Wyatt’s Chance) were long, plot-heavy tales with paranormal elements. I’ve had a lot of emails from readers asking when I was going to write something along those lines again.

I was itching to test the water outside the erotic arena and got a chance with The Hunger. While there’s a strong love story, it breaks a lot of the rules of traditional romance and combines genres such as horror, paranormal and suspense. It’s kind of like me … not really one breed, more of a mutt.

The Hunger is a quest. A quest for love and a quest to stop a series of brutal murders. It’s also a story about being tested. How far would you go to save the life of someone you love and how much are you willing to sacrifice for the greater good?

Aspiring romance writer Randi Austin and Miami Detective Michael Santera will have to face those questions as their quest takes them into the uncharted territory of the supernatural, and face-to-face with an evil entity whose Hunger may cost them not only their lives but their souls.

You’ve recently signed with a new publisher. Can you tell us about that?

Osgood Books is a new publisher. Some gentlemen who had an idea to create a kind of “boutique” press and focus on books that crossed genre lines and didn’t stick to traditional formulas. They’d both read some of my books and offered me the chance to be their debut writer. (Yep, Ci the guinea pig!). No seriously, I was delighted. I love it when people try new things and push the envelope and it was an opportunity for me to write something different.

I had great fun writing the book and working with them, and have another book under contract with them that will come out sometime late in 2009 or early 2010. I may do more with them, but I also want to continue to write and publish with Ellora’s Cave. It’s fun to take a break from the erotic now and then, but I don’t want to leave the genre.

You have several books in print (or upcoming releases). Is there a favorite among them?

On July 22nd I have a new book releasing from Ellora’s Cave that I co-wrote with a great friend and enormously talented author, Nathalie Gray, titled ACID RAYNE. To say it was fun writing with her is a huge understatement. Nathalie is a party all by herself and I had a blast. I’m excited to see the reaction of readers to the book. Nat and I have very different styles and it was fun to blend them into something new. Plus the story is a fun-filled romp with lots of action, steamy sex and laughs.

You’ve been part of several series with other writers. Do you enjoy collaborating with other authors?.

I love it! I’ve been very lucky. I was part of The Hussies series with Sally Painter, Nicole Austin, Nathalie Gray and Sahara Kelly. We all became great friends during that time and it was a lot of fun.

This year Sahara and I released a series from Ellora’s Cave, Sexplorations. Writing that series was a total blast. Of course, both Sahara’s and my husband started to think we’d had phones surgically attached to our heads during the process. I laughed more during that time than I have in years and adore the characters and the stories that resulted from the collaboration.

Sahara and I share a lot in common, including an adventurous spirit when it comes to writing. We like to try new things. Ellora’s Cave allowed us to try something new – a tale about a group of women who are friends and their “sexplorations”. While each book is an erotic romance with a definite love story, they are all tales of the friendship between the women. We hoped readers would be able to identify with that bond and see something of themselves in the characters.

Right now I’m working on two new series. One is a paranormal “Heart of Fire”. It involves four “sister”, orphans who bond at an early age and discover they’re not quite like everyone else. I’m thrilled to be working with Nicole Austin, TJ Michaels and NJ Walters on this series. They’re all fabulous writers and we’re having a wonderfully fun time with it.

The other series I’m part of is just a hoot. It’s about seven women who meet at a reader’s convention and bond. All single (thanks to quirks of fate or cheating husbands), they encourage one another to go out and have a “cougar” experience. The authors I’m working with on this series are truly fantastic – Samantha Kane, Mari Freeman, Dalton Diaz, Mari Carr, Desiree Holt and Lynne Connolly. I never knew these ladies were so hilarious or so much fun and am so thrilled to be able to work with them and get to know them better. I think it’ll be a really fun series for readers.

What do you love about your editor (or publisher)?

I have been so blessed. Ellora’s Cave is a fabulous publisher and I couldn’t have asked for nicer people to work with. My editor, Sue Ellen Gower is a goddess in my book. She’s worked with me from day one to help me become a better writer and goes way beyond the call of duty to help her authors make their books the absolute best they can be.

Osgood Books has a great staff of people who are fun and easy to work with, but I’m still finding my footing with them. However, I’m quite happy with the level of rapport I’ve been able to establish with them. Working with a male editor is a new experience for me. (Can’t do the “between us gals” thing, ya know). But he’s a very nice man with a good sense of humor. And he puts up with me.

What else would you like to tell us?

If there’s one thing I’d like to say that I’m extremely grateful to my publishers for taking a chance on me. They opened their doors to me and made me feel welcome. I will never forget that.

And I’d like readers to know that I am eternally thankful for them. Every book they buy, every email they send me is the best reward I could hope for in writing. Being able to share my tales with readers is a true delight and I am so appreciative of each one of them. Heck, without them I’d be writing just for little old me!

Finally, I owe a big thanks to all the wonderful writers I’ve been lucky enough to work with and those I have come to know. It’s a real blast getting to know the people behind those great books. All in all, you’ve got to admit – I’m one lucky gal.

Now...for my next-to-last question...did you bring us a blurb or excerpt?

Of course!

Blurb:

ACID RAYNE

Coming July 22 from Ellora's Cave

Rayne is a mercenary and six feet of blonde bombshell. As clean-up gal for diamond privateers, she’s seen her fair share of ugly deals and violence. And her latest mission promises to be the same. Yet the price of her choices is getting higher. All her life she’s wanted to find a good, strong man, one who would know how to touch her, quench the all-consuming fire and match her sexual energy. 

Now that she’s finally found him, she has to hide her true self, lie and cheat. Former special ops soldier Ripley Knight is everything she wants, all that she craves. His demanding hands conquer all her defenses and his mouth—that wicked thing—denude her every secret. No pleasure is beyond his skill and no decadence too great. In exchange, all Rip wants is the one thing she can’t give. Truth. 

Amidst the torrid Floridian wilderness and carnival season, with dangers coming at her from every quarter, Rayne will learn that only Rip can help her. Only he can douse the inferno.

Sounds absolutely delicious.  I was over reading the excerpt (which is too hot for Examiner.com).  :)  Now...can we show the readers some of your books?

Sure, but only if you twist my arm...ahhh...okay!
 

And you said you were Bo-ring? Hah!  I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to interview you, Ciana!  You are one amazing lady!  Thanks so much!

You're welcome, Fran.  It was fun being here.

You can find Ciana Stone on the web at:

http://www.cianastone.com/