This week in The Loft: Author Viviana MacKade!

Joining me today in The Loft is author Viviana MacKade. Viviana writes contemporary and fantasy romance, and romantic suspense. She spends her days typing on her beloved keyboard, playing in the pool with her babies, and eating whatever her husband puts on her plate--she says the guy is that good, and she really loves eating. Besides beaching, she enjoys long walks, horse-riding, hiking, and pretty much whatever she can do outside with her family. Viviana lives in a small Florida town with her husband, son, and daughter. 

The avatar for author Viviana MacKade

 

S:  Good morning, Viviana! Thanks for joining me today.

As a writer, did the pandemic and the subsequent isolation work to your benefit or detriment?

V:  My little girl was born in August 2020, smash dab in the middle of the pandemic. She was not a pandemic baby, she was conceived before it all started, but she was born into it. And the two things played and built on one another in different ways. The pandemic per se killed my creativity, so I could not write anything new, but I had a few stories that were 75 percent written. My husband was the one helping our then seven-year-old to navigate online classes, so I could focus on the little one and fill in the missing parts of those stories.  "Valkyrie Love" is one of them.

S:  Congratulations on the new baby! I am sure you have had your hands full. Kudos to you for getting some writing done.

What inspires your stories?

V:  It could be anything. Sometimes is a sentence I think, or a dialogue I hear inside my head, and it pushes me to find out who these people are and what they are talking about. Other times is an idea, or a type of person. It’s never the same thing.

S:  Are there any characteristics your lead characters share?

V:  In my current release, they are both lost, although in different ways. Reed lost sight of how to be the man he used to, and Brenna froze herself in old hurt and never allow herself to grow. They both are very loyal, know pride and courage. And both love to fight for what’s right.

S:  How did you meet your current partner? When did you know he/she was “the one?”

V:  We were high school sweethearts.

S:  If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?

V:  Absolutely. Zero doubts about it.

S:  What famous book do you wish you had written?

V:  "Wuthering Heights." One of my favorite books, and still one of the best studies on emotions out there. I wish I have such gift for capturing feelings so violent.

S:  That's a good choice. It's a book that sets the bar for writers.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

V:  Honestly, keeping it together during this mess. It could be overwhelming, so keeping a clear mind most of the time is something I’m proud of.

S:  I have to agree. The pandemic brought more stress and some new challenges, and it's still not over. Sometimes, it's really hard to focus on writing.

Complete this sentence: “When one of my books is released, I...”

V:  Turn into a snarky bitch for release day. Margaritas usually help.

S:  What inspired "Valkyrie Love?"

V:  I wanted to write an adventure, I wanted to write a fantasy, and I also love Norse mythology. I put all of them together, and I had a plan. Then I wanted to write about a fighter who needed to discover the woman in her, and the man who helped her.

Here's the blurb--

Valkyrie love never comes easy.

Brenna left Asgard with a curse on her name and a broken heart.
A Valkyrie now free and independent, for millennia her life had been great. Just great.

Then a bleeding Elf knocks at her door holding a baby.

Alexander Reed left the Marines and lost the wheel of his life.
A soldier without a worthy fight, he became everything he despised.
Until he ends up in the wrong backyard at the wrong time.

Fljóða, Queen of the Light Elves and last of her lineage, is an infant with a death sentence on her head.

Hunted by the Night Elves, her survival brings Brenna and Reed together for the ultimate mission: take the little Queen to safety in the Vanaheim Realm, deep in the Roots of Yggdrasil.

Not simple, but straightforward.
Or so it seemed.
Between flaming giants, demons, and an army of Half Breed determined to kill the Queen and conquer all the Elvin Realms, Brenna and Reed will have to face their inner monsters.
Monsters appearing in the form of feelings neither want but cannot control.

S:  Where can readers buy your book?

V:  It's available on Amazon Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M5CHN5L?ref. It's only 99 cents while in preorder.

S:  Viviana, thanks for joining me today! If you'd like to learn more about Viviana and her books, please visit--

Website:  http://www.viviana-mackade.blog/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011982152461  

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ViviMackade  

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Viviana-MacKade/e/B01KKY6WLQ 

The week in The Loft: Author Dee S. Knight!

Joining me today in The Loft is Dee S, Knight. Dee has a bit of a split personality. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. When her characters are not killing people, falling in love, or becoming drunk with power or sober with responsibility, they are having sex, lots of sex. Dee lives with her high school sweetheart in a charming little town in northern Idaho, where they search out wildlife in the summer and snuggle together with hot stew and a cold adult beverage in the winter.

Author Dee S. Knight

S:  Good morning, Dee! It's nice to have you in my loft again! Your visits are always a pleasure.

When it comes to writing romance, do you consider yourself a dreamer or a realist?

D:  I've never really thought of it before, but I think a realist. On the other hand, I believe every romance has a smidgen of dreamer to it. What girl or woman doesn't want to feel that spark of electricity when she touches the hand of a man she thinks is so handsome? Or hope the Tinder date she's heading to will reveal a Prince Charming? My own romance was a mix of dreamer and realism. The realism--I didn't have fashion model figure and good looks and he didn't look like a GQ cover model. In fact, he kind of irritated me for a short while because he was there all the time. I didn't have time to process the idea of him. Also, at the beginning, there was no electricity, no sense that he was the one. The dreamer:  After a while—maybe I got used to him? His kindness and sense of humor won me over. Within two weeks, we'd determined that we'd marry someday. Oh, did I mention that I was 15 at the time? It took us a few more years, but we did end up married and so far happily ever after.

S:  I am always amazed when couples meet as teens and stay together for so many years. That takes a lot of hard work!

Romance in 2022. What are people getting right? Wrong?

D:  I certainly read a lot romance that isn't just M/F. I've read some excellent books that are M/M--I just finished Lisabet Sarai's, "At the Margins of Madness" and Kayelle Allen's, Tales of the Chosen series. Also, I've just fallen in love with Lucy Score. In addition to crazy humor in her books—which I love—it seems a lot of same-gender couples populate her world. They're great characters and add a lot to the storyline, but I have to admit, in my whole long life, I've ever only known three gay couples. So does this represent romance as I know it in my world? Maybe not. She might have had that many in one book. But maybe that's romance in her world. She's a fabulous writer and she makes it all work, so I'm a happy reader.

S:  Love comes in all shapes and sizes. I think that's always been the case, but writers did not feel free to explore certain types of couplings. That has really changed in recent years.

How did you meet your current partner? When did you know he/she was “the one?”

D:  True story. Jack and I met in school. We were in the eighth grade and in Algebra I together. I had polio as a baby and was in a Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children--that's what they were called then--in Greenville, SC. Because we were all children and they didn't want anything from home to upset us, all of our mail was read before we got it. One day, I came back to my bed from therapy and Nurse Coker pointed to a card on my bed. "Who is Jack XXX?" she asked. "Just a boy in my algebra class. Why?" "He has his eye on you. He likes you." So I read the card sent from our math teacher. Everyone in my class had signed their name except Jack. He signed "Come home soon, Jack." I guess the nurse read between the lines. The next year, Jack had gone away to school. And the next year. But at Christmas of our sophomore year, he came to my school for a Christmas concert. He asked me out to a movie that night. I went home that night and wrote in my diary that I'd gone out with a boy like someone I'd like to marry. We saw each other a couple more times is all. By the time Jack left to go back to school, he told me that we would get married someday. We dated several years—until college graduation—and got married. I've always wondered if Nurse Coker had second sight or something because marriage to Jack had been the furthest thing from my mind.

S:  That's an incredible story. What was your worst date ever?

D:  In college, a good friend's boyfriend was coming up from Durham, North Carolina with two buddies. She asked me if I would go with one. I said sure. The six of us piled into the boyfriend's car and made the 50-some mile drive up to Washington, D.C. for a night in Georgetown. The boy I was "assigned" was nice enough, but unbeknownst to me or my friend, he'd just broken up with his long-time girlfriend. He had no interest in a date with anyone. He barely spoke, walked far ahead of me on the street, and basically showed his resentment at being there at all. The night couldn't end soon enough.

S:  What do you appreciate more in your romantic partners--Brains or brawn/beauty?

D:  Brains. I think an intelligent person—who's still nice and funny and decent—is the sexiest thing a man can be. Sure good looks are nice, but will they help you with calculus when you're going for your MBA? Or figure out the best way to load freight on a truck you have to drive across country? Nope. Good to look at--I can buy a magazine for that.

S:  That's so true! What inspired "The Man of Her Dreams?"

D:  I've always been fascinated by the paranormal, and especially by psychics. I've visited The Edgar Cayce Foundation in Virginia Beach several times and have gone to a psychic in Cassadaga. My experiences were close enough to real life for me to welcome making my character, Cassandra, a psychic. And I loved making the hero, Dan, such a skeptic that he literally pushed her away time and again. Good thing for him she is stubborn!

S:  Is there anything special you would like people to know about "The Man of Her Dreams?"

D:  It's set in real life Greenwood, South Carolina. Jack consulted there for nearly three years and we loved living there. We'd moved from a consulting job in the Civic Center area of San Francisco to little Greenwood—talk about culture shock. In the book, Cassandra also lives in San Francisco and experiences some of the same shock when she goes to Greenwood to try to save Dan's life. I hope I detailed life in the small-town south well enough for readers to see how great it can be to be in such a place. The setting is as real as Cassandra or Dan.

Here's the blurb--

A woman who has traveled thousands of miles searching for a tall man with brilliant blue eyes, a man she’s been dreaming of for months.

A man whose life is in danger—or so the screwy woman having dreams and visions says—but who doesn’t believe for one minute in the occult.

A man who has been thought dead for two years and who disappeared with a bundle in stolen cash.

How will these three come together? And who will be left standing at the end of their encounter?

S:  Well, that gave me the shivers! Sounds like great read! Where can readers buy your book?

D:  It's available on Kindle Unlimited at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K4SSBY7

S:  Dee, thanks for joining me today. If you'd like to learn more about Dee and her books, please visit--

Website:  https://nomadauthors.com

Blog:  http://nomadauthors.com/blog

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN

Newsletter:  https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6

LinkedIn:  http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749

Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas:  http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K

This week in The Loft: Author Carol A. Guy!

Joining me today in The Loft is award-winning author Carol A. Guy. Carol writes paranormal romance, romantic suspense, true crime, and mystery novels. Her true crime novel, "A Picture-Perfect Kid," was a 2004 EPPIE Award finalist and a cozy mystery she co-authored, "Murder at the Ice Cream Parlor," was a finalist in 2003 Treble Hearts Books contest. A former journalist, Carol left the Midwest to move to the Sunshine state. The mother of two, with two grandchildren and one great-grandchild, Carol lives in Fort Lauderdale with her two mischievous felines, Sherlock and Charlie.

Author Carol A. Guy

S:  Good morning, Carol. Thanks for joining me today.

As a writer, has the pandemic worked to your benefit or detriment?

C:  Having to stay at home a lot certainly gave me more time to write. I wasn’t happy about the circumstances, though, and I’m so sorry we’re still having to deal with this awful situation.

S:  I was naive enough to believe that COVID was a "one and done" situation. It's hard to believe we are still fighting it.

What is the best/worst thing that has ever happened to you as a writer?

C:  The best thing was having two of my manuscripts--a true crime book and a mystery novel– accepted for publication within a day of each other. The worst thing was a period of time a few years ago when I had a prolonged period of what is often referred to as writer’s block. Personal issues got in the way, as well as some health problems, but once those were resolved, I finally rekindled the spark and was able to make a comeback.

S:  Writer's block is a challenge. I'm so glad you were able to overcome it.

If you had it to do all over again, would you still choose to write books?

C:  Definitely. It was my dream since high school to be a writer. I can’t imagine not writing. It’s not just what I do, it’s a big part of who I am.

S:  What inspires your stories?

C:  I find inspiration everywhere. In the news, in events going on around me, in the people I meet. I also pay attention to the experiences that friends tell me about and those often spark an idea in my mind. Once that happens, I let my imagination run free. That usually results in a plot idea.

S:  I'm inspired in the same way. Unfortunately, that makes some of my friends nervous. They are never sure what may pop up in my books!

Complete this sentence. “When one of my books is released..."

C:  ...I breathe a sigh of relief!

S:  What inspired your book, "Spirit Lake?"

C:  Several years ago, I began having a recurring dream. It included a fog-shrouded dock and lake. I got the sense it was located in Pennsylvania, which is where my ancestors settled when they came to the United States from Germany in the 1700s. In the dream, I was running away from something and ended up on the dock, which was dimly lit by something resembling an old-fashioned looking street lamp. A man’s deep voice came out of the fog. "Do you know why they call it Spirit Lake?” he asked. Startled, I turned to see who was speaking, only to discover I was alone. At that point, I woke up. After having the dream three more times, I began researching to see if there really was a town by that name. I found a couple but neither was in Pennsylvania. In the meantime, a story began to form in my mind so I ran with it and the result was a novel called, “Spirit Lake,” which turned out to be the first in a five-book series. Oh, by the way, as soon as I started writing the first book, the dreams stopped.

S:  Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Spirit Lake?"

C:  I think the way it was conceived is special. I’ve always thought of it as a book I was meant to write. I decided to make it into a series because I felt there was a lot more of the story that should be told.

Here's the blurb--

Nestled near the base of Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest is the small town of Spirit Lake. Rich in folklore, it has become a tourist attraction due to its quaint atmosphere and unique antique shops. When Erica Parkhurst flees New York City in the wake of a marital split and accidentally discovers the little hamlet, she is intrigued by the ghost stories surrounding the local inn where she is staying and the mist-shrouded lake nearby. One night she encounters a mysterious man on the dock, who asked her, “Do you know why they call it Spirit Lake?” Before she can reply or find out his name, he disappears into the fog. Did she imagine him? During a trip into town the next day she sees the man again and follows him into a dead-end alley, where he vanishes once more!

Hot on the trail of his soon-to-be ex-wife, Grant Parkhurst shows up unexpectedly at the inn and Erica flees out the back door into the surrounding woods to avoid a confrontation. Lost and frightened, she is rescued by the elusive stranger from the dock, Joe Lakota, and his trusty wolf/dog, Mingo.

Soon Erica finds herself involved in a murder case when a skeleton washes up at the edge of the lake and Joe becomes the prime suspect. Can she risk falling in love with a man who may be a murderer? And what other secrets are hidden beneath the glassy surface of Spirit Lake?

S:  Okay, the "trusty wolf/dog" gave me tingles. Maybe I have been reading too many wolf-shifter tales! Your story sounds very suspenseful.

Where can readers buy your book?

C:  It's available at all major booksellers, including--

Publisher:  https://www.extasybooks.com/spirit-lake 

Amazon:  www.amazon.com/dp/B003XREYQI 

Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spirit-lake-books-1-and-2-carol-a-guy/1016944619?ean=9781554871483

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/spirit-lake

S:  Carol, thanks so much for joining my today! If you'd like to learn more about Carol and her books, please visit--

Website:  www.goodmysteries.webs.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/carolaguy

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Carol-A-Guy/e/B002DEXRNI/

This week in The Loft: Author Ann Raina!

Joining me today in The Loft is fellow eXtasy author Ann Raina. Ann has written 27 novels for eXtasy Books, including tales of erotic and contemporary romance, and romantic suspense. Her latest series deals with FBI Agent Nicolas Hayes, his cases of capital crimes, and his demanding and commanding lover, Jacklyn Hollander. When not writing, Ann enjoys horseback riding, gardening, and yoga. Ann lives and works in Germany.

S:  Good morning, Ann. Thanks for joining me today! 

When it comes to writing romance, do you consider yourself a dreamer or a realist?

A:  Definitely a realist. I live in the here and now, and my characters reflect that. If I try to create dreamy characters, I have to stray from my course of thinking. It’s doable, but demanding.

S:  What do you appreciate most in your romantic partners--Brains or brawn/beauty?

A:  Partners have to be intelligent. Hey, there’s more to life than a night of wonderful sex. A partner is someone you share your days with. You discuss, debate, argue… You want someone with the same interests, someone who enriches your life.

S:  As a writer, did the pandemic and the subsequent isolation work to your benefit or detriment?

A:  During the first months, I couldn’t write at all. Real life with all its limitations, problems, and uncertain prospects for the future occupied my mind too much to think about creating characters and plots. Nowadays, it’s easier. I think all of us made arrangements and adjusted to the new reality that the pandemic will be part of our lives for some time. While it took me a year to write one story, I’m now busily writing the tenth book in my series.

S:  I had a similar reaction. At first, I was so shocked by what was happening around me, I couldn't focus on writing. In recent months, I've finally been able to settle in and write again.

What inspires your stories?

A:  I start with an idea and take that to my muse for her to judge whether it’s worth creating a plot. She’s an honest soul. Sometimes, she takes my idea, twists it around, and presents me with a perspective I had not seen before. We’ve been creating stories together for more than 20 years. It’s a very good and also very creative friendship.

S:  You are so lucky to have someone to brainstorm with.

Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Ruined Vacation?"

A:  My muse and I had one plotline we followed—sending Nick and Jacklyn into the woods so that they live through an adventure of their own, aside from Nicolas working for the FBI. When we got there, the second plotline appeared out of nowhere and demanded attention. Finally, we blended them into a crime plot with edges and twists we are really proud of.

Here's the blurb--

Spend a happy vacation or die trying.

While Matthew and Jason investigate a series of murders in Washington, D.C., Jacklyn and Nicolas start a long-awaited vacation with her parents.

Famous reporter David Callahan sets out with his girlfriend to have a good time and research the doings of a kidnapper prowling the woods of western Maine.

For all of them, the events turn out differently from their expectations.

S:  Now that gave me a chill. Where can readers buy your book?

A:  It's available at all major booksellers, including--

Publisher:  https://www.extasybooks.com/ann-raina/

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Ruined-Vacation-Nick-Jacklyn-Book-ebook/dp/B09L7VH7F1/

Bookstrand:  https://www.bookstrand.com/book/ruined-vacation

Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ruined-vacation-ann-raina/1140503298

S:  Ann, thanks so much for joining me today! If you'd like to learn more about Ann and her books, please visit--

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ann.raina.7

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ann_raina_author/