Let’s make welcome, a wonderful author of multiple
genres, and one of my dearest friends. Not to mention a tremendously awesome
critique partner. Eliza is a talent to be reckoned with. She can pop out an
erotic romance, then switch to contemporary, or do a fascinating
paranormal! Today we are honored to
have her with us on this first day of her newest release, “Witch’s Tattoo.”
Hi, Faith and everyone visiting today! I’m
ready for your interrogation, but when I saw the questions, I recalled you’re
taking a criminology course. So shoot!
Faith: Please, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Eliza: There is no telling a little bit about me. I’m sixty-seven, and
I have lived a very full life. Married to the same man I met when I was twenty,
and five children, three grandchildren, and several business later, here I am.
I didn’t began writing fiction until after my children were grown. Genealogy
sparked my interest in fiction about eighteen years ago—along with years of
reading and a lot of red wine. (Darn you, Harlequin Reader Service, those
books, bookmarks, and wine glasses almost did me in.)
Faith: Have you always wanted to write, and if so
at what age?
Eliza: I always feel so inept answering this question because the
answer is “no” not really, but sort of. I always said, “Gee, someday I should
write a book,” and rolled my eyes because…well, who doesn’t? And I guess I did
actually write all my life, but it was journalistic, educational, and copy
writing. When the day came that I did write fiction, it was nothing like what
I’d thought about writing in the past.
Faith:
Did you fall into writing erotic romance because it was something you've
always wanted to do?
Eliza: Heck NO! I never even thought about it. I wrote my stories and
my characters were just naughty! I was totally shocked by their behavior, (but
apparently, I was good at telling it). While I was writing my first book, I
believe I developed a great deal of sexual tension and, as a result, had to get
it out of my system with my next several erotic romance novellas. WINK
Faith:
What can you tell us about the flavor of your first erotic romance book? I
believe that would be Hot Highland Fling?
Eliza: That was the first book contracted, but was actually the
second erotic book I’d written. I wrote it to The Wild Rose Press’
specifications. I had a snarky, American heroine, who was tired of dating the
too-busy-climbing-the-ladder-to-success executives. In that novella, when she
is assigned to write an article about a Highland lord, she begins imagining her
own sexual revolution with some great looking men in kilts. Actually, the first
erotic book I wrote was a paranormal ménage. I like the freedom of paranormal
stories, but the world building is so much more difficult than contemporary
writing where the reader knows all the rules.
Faith: Today is a very special day for you; your
newest release, the Witch’s Tattoo is available now.
Eliza: Yes, it’s my first mainstream paranormal romance novella. I’m
branching out. I wrote Witch’s Tattoo for The Wild Rose Press to be part of the
Halloween in the Garden Anthology. Don’t get me wrong, it’s mainstream, but
still hot’n’spicy. I had to learn how to write sexual tension all over again.
Faith: How much research did you do on this book?
Eliza: For such a short book, I found there
was a great deal I needed to know about the subject matter. You may not
experience the benefits of my research in this book, but you probably haven’t
seen the end of my world of witches and warlocks.
Faith: Is there anything in particular that inspires you?
Eliza: Most of my stories are inspired by a singular scene—a flight
of fancy. I see a vision and my imagination takes it from there. For instance,
Hot Highland Fling was inspired by that age-old question about the kilt. And
then the characters take over the story. More Than Stud (the story of a
forty-something female executive with her biological clock ticking like a time
bomb ready to go off) was inspired by a birthday cake with too many candles.
Across a Crowded Room was inspired by two scenes in someone
else’s book. One was the library scene in Linda Howard’s, All the Queen’s Men and the other
one was the one in the ballroom. The books are completely dissimilar but
inspiration only means that one thing stimulates your imagination.
Faith: I understand you have also written
mainstream romance before?
Eliza: Yes. The very first book I wrote was Across a Crowded Room, a
romantic suspense written under my Elizabeth Marchat pseudonym. It wasn’t
published until several years after some of my other books. Also, I’ve been
working on a mainstream fantasy series for quite a few years. I have a working
title and two books in the series written, but I’d like to complete them all
before trying to shop them around. I believe every author has her favorite book
concept and this one is mine. I want to get it right.
Faith: Can you
tell us a little about your other books?
Eliza: My other erotic romances, published by
Siren-Bookstrand are great fun, great sex, and great heroes. Any Way West and
Dual Bondage: Roped and Tied are about the world of Hollywood Cowboys—the
stuntmen who are the muscle and the brains behind the movie heroes. And The
Enchanted Mountain series is a paranormal sexual fantasy ménage trip that takes
place near Artic, CO. WereCat Fever was a finalist in the RomCon Reader’s
Choice Royal Crown Awards last year and The Moon, The Madness, and The Magic
was a Golden Quill Finalist the year before.
Faith: If you could only write one genre, what
would that be?
Eliza: That’s easy. Paranormal. No boundaries.
I play by the rules so having fewer restrictions suits me.
Faith: Can you tell us what book you’ve written is your favorite and why?
Eliza: That’s like asking me which is my
favorite child. I’ll tell you what I tell them. I like each of them the best.
Like my children, each of my books has something to commend it, a special
feeling, and a certain quality I admire.
Faith: Your favorite character?
Eliza: That’s impossible. Every one of my
heroes is special to me…and I have so many of them. GRIN. So far, one of my
favorite characters is a secondary character who keeps showing up in several of
my books. Ramon Delavega is an unknown. Who he is and what he is remains a
mystery. There are clues in every book, but so far, no one knows for certain.
(Ramon, in Defeat the Darkness and Conquer the Highland Beast, will also play a
significant role in Damn the Darkness.)
Faith: What are you planning for your next book?
Eliza: Since recently republishing The Leopard,
The Lion, and The Wolf and Witch of Air and Fire, I have a commitment to finish
the Hearts of Darkness series. I’ve left a few of the guys hanging on for dear
life. I should probably wrap up their stories before moving on. I may try to
put out one a year as long as the series holds up. I’d also like to write the
story of Desmond and Marisa, the fallen angels from Witch’s Tattoo.
Faith: What advice would you give an aspiring author?
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Eliza: Write for yourself. Learn your craft.
Listen to your heart. Have patience. Don’t let anyone deter you from your
dreams. Don’t read your reviews until you understand you can’t please everyone.
Faith: Which particular author has inspired you to write?
Eliza: Well, of course, as I said, Linda
Howard. But Nora Roberts was probably the one author who made me believe I
could do it.
Faith: Please tell us
where we can find you and your books on the web.
Eliza: Please, follow my BLOG. I’ve been
talking to myself
there for years. I love interacting with readers though, and
we have no limitations like we do at so many of the social media sites. Here
are my links:
Witch's Tattoo
by Eliza March
Rating: Hot
Excerpt:
Male heads turned and testosterone levels rose. Hard to miss
all that sexual magnetism. Michael’s possessive instincts kicked in, and he had
to garner control to force back the jealousy.
The skirt she wore barely covered her sexy ass—like a black
leather napkin filled with wicked delights. Damn, the witch
looked hot enough
to melt ice-forged steel. He tortured himself with the image of her wearing
just the pendant and the boots—thigh high, black leather cut in lacy patterns,
exposing her creamy skin below.
The tips of her long black hair brushed her narrow waist the
way it had the night he watched her in the scrying mirror. His fingers twitched
with the desire to trace her plunging neckline. A neckline that bared her deep
cleavage and the pendant. He marveled at the way the metal settled between
her
pale ivory mounds, and imagined how warm the medallion grew against her soft
flesh.
As she planted herself in front of him with one hip cocked
defiantly and her hand outstretched, he warred with his inner needs. Michael
held back to inspect each lovely inch of her and savor the moment. He couldn’t
wait for the inevitable. To touch, to taste, to conquer…and to surrender. But
not here. Not now.
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