Author Interview ~ Ashley Ladd

Good morning everyone. Today's author braving the leopart print couch is Ashley Ladd. Welcome, Ashley! Good to see ya over here. I always like to start with questions that help us to figure where you are. Where are you from?
~ I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio where my dad still lives. I’ve been in South Florida for the past 20 years. I consider both home. I miss Cincinnati and my family there very much. But Florida is now home, too.

I can certainly understand, you home is where you hubby is, where you heat is. Why don't you go ahead and tell us your latest news!
~ I have a vampire romance just released by Ellora’s Cave on April 22nd (also my husband’s birthday) called “Truth, Justice, And The Vampire Way an M/F vampire romance. I also have several more releases coming out: “Charity’s Auction” in the “Caught in the Middle” M/F/M anthology May 11th at www.total-e-bound.com. Also coming out at Total-E-Bound soon are:

Simon Says (June 29, 2009) – an M/M romance
Best Mates (July 27, 2009) – an M/M/F romance
Doggy Style (coming soon) – an M/M romance
Sorry Charlie (coming soon) – an M/M romance

Well, HUGE congrats on the publishing news! Bet you're doin the Snoopy dance a lot lately. :-D So, what book are you reading now?
~ I started reading a non-fiction management book tonight. My day job boss recommended I read it to become a better manager. It’s called “ Bringing Out The Best In People”. I’m also reading “Still Irresistible” by Dawn Atkins. It’s a Harlequin Blaze.

So you read A LOT... can't say as I blame you... it's a break to read someone else's baby for a little bit and get away from mine. Do you see writing as a career?
~ Definitely. I can’t afford to give up my day job yet, but I have every intention of writing as long as I can breathe and type. My goal is to be able to quit the day job one day and write full time.

Oh, That would be nice! Who doesn't want to be able to have their writing support them. *sigh* Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
~ I was born wanting to write and be a writer. As long as I can remember, I considered myself a writer. I’ve always loved to watch Superman and I loved Lois Lane, reporter. I wanted to be just like her and have my own Superman. I still love Clark Kent and would love to have one of my very own. J

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
~ Unfortunately, no. I’d love to and hope to someday. I hold down a full-time day job as a customer service manager for a charity and I also still have a 14 year old and 18 year old at home, so I’m tied down. However, I’m lucky to live in a tropical paradise which is a great setting for romances, so I feature South Florida in my books often. Who doesn’t like fun in the sun?

What does your family think of your writing?
~ Well… My hubby used to be aggravated until I started earning royalties. He still gets irritated when I schedule phone interviews and I want him and the kids to be quiet at night. My older daughter refuses to read my books even though she’s 25. She doesn’t like the naughty parts. She can’t get used to her mom writing about “that stuff”. My dad’s supportive – probably the only one in my family who’s truly supportive of my writing.

And now it's time for our "Absolutely Nothing to do With Writing" questions. What animal do you think makes the best pet and why?
~ Cats! Dogs are a close second but they make you walk them in the middle of the night and when it’s raining and thundering. They also jump on me when I get home every time. Picture Dino running at Fred Flintstone. It’s cute in a way but also sometimes scary as I have a big Husky, almost as big as Dino. I’ve always been a cat lover. I love to cuddle and pet them. I love to look at them. I enjoy their ability to be independent if I have to be at work or school for several hours a day. I don’t have to walk them outside all the time no matter the weather. I can’t imagine life without my cats. If I had to be reincarnated as anything but a human, I would want to be a cat.

Do you have any strange handwriting habits, like capitalizing all your “r”s or dotting your “I”s with heart (or anything like that)? Is writing half cursive and half printing strange?
~ I did it today in fact. Also, I write shorthand (Gregg’s) so lots of times I will write in my shorthand, either all the way or interspersed with cursive words. Did I tell you my day job boss likes my shorthand ability? My younger daughter seems to think my shorthand talent is neater than my being a published author.

You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
~ Well, I wish I wasn’t born with a cleft lip and palate and hadn’t needed a lot of surgeries growing up. I also could have done without the bicycle accident when I was six years old. I was learning how to ride my bike, lost control, and careened into a three-pronged tree, broke my nose, and knocked loose several teeth. As if I needed more injury to my face. Thus, I’m not thrilled with my pictures. I tend to see my cleft lip and my broken nose although my kids and hubby tell me they don’t notice it.

I'll bet you do, but you seems to have adjusted. :-D What’s a saying you use a lot? Where did it originate from?
~ “You guys”. I think a lot of people from Ohio, at least from Cincinnati, say this. It’s our version of “Y’all” or “You all”. It has nothing to do with men even though “guys” is part of it. I could be talking about all women or girls or a mixed group of men and women. Another man from Cincinnati works with me down here in Florida. He says it, too. I had to explain to my women co-workers that he wasn’t insulting them when he called them “You guys”. LOL

LOL, that's funny. I do say y'all... but I am partially from the south. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
~ It was either shark or alligator. A co-worker when I lived in Mississippi liked to bring in strange food and make us eat it. She forced one of those on me, maybe both. It’s so many years ago, I honestly don’t remember if I had both. I know I ate at least one of them. It didn’t taste half bad but I still hate the idea of eating something that might have eaten a human.

A lot of people in Southern Mississippi (I was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi) loved to suck crawdad heads. Yuck! I don’t think they ever convinced me to, but maybe I’m forgetting. It was considered quite a delicacy. In Ohio, we call crawfish “bait”.


But the crawdads are yummy that way... all the sauces and spices soak into the head. You barely taste what it is, before the spices his to you and it's all good. What is your heritage?
~ German. Pure as far as I can trace from the family tree. Both sides of my family came over from what is now Germany around the Civil War. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio which still has a big German population. I’m amazed that so many generations were in the United States and I still turned out all German. It’s not that my families care about nationality. It just happened. Most of my family still lives in Ohio, in the Cincinnati area.

Huh, funny how life works that way, isn't it! Have you ever cried during a movie? If yes, which one and why?
~ This is so embarrassing. But I sobbed all through “Land Before Time”. My mom had died not quite a year before and I was still really upset. I didn’t realize until I was in the theater watching the movie that the little dinosaur lost his mother in the movie. I was a complete mess. Earlier tonight I was watching “The Parent Trap” and I cried when the girls talked about not knowing their mom or dad.

Aww, hon, who wouldn't cry in that situation! What is your favorite pizza?
~ Plain cheese. I used to like it best with mushrooms, onions, and Canadian bacon, but now I don’t want anything but cheese. And I also prefer it with very thin, crispy crust. Don’t give me a big,doughy crust.

LOL, everyone is different. What is one thing scientists should invent?
~ Houses that clean themselves – vacuum, wash dishes, scrub toilets, sweep and mop floors, make beds.

Wouldn't that be loverly? Do you sleep with the light on? Why or why not?
~ Yes and no. My hubby stays up late so I have to wear a sleeping mask. Thus I block the light. I prefer the lights off, even when I have the mask on. At least the mask makes it bearable. I also have to wear ear plugs to block out the sound of the hubby’s TV and computer. I used to think people looked (and were) weird to wear sleeping masks. Now I completely understand why.

Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? If so, which do you prefer?
~ You bet! There’s no contest. Pepsi and RC are sweeter than Coke and not as acidic. Coke burns my throat going down unless I water it down with a ton of ice. I much prefer Pepsi and even more so, RC. My mom was a Coke lover and didn’t like Pepsi. I once even worked for Coca-Cola, so I really don’t like Coke.

I can tell the difference as well. If you could wish for anything, what would you wish for?
~ For my family and friends to be happy and healthy.

Well, thanks so much for joining us today here at The Menagerie. I hope you had as much as we did.

Ashley Ladd lives in South Florida with her husband, five children, and beloved pets. She loves the water, animals (especially cats), and playing on the computer.

She's been told she has a wicked sense of humour and often incorporates humour and adventure into her books. She also adores very spicy romance, which she weaves into her stories. You can visit her at her blog.

Caught In The Middle Anthology: Charity's Auction by Ashley Ladd

When Char bids on and wins both sexy doctors Hunky and Hottie in her hospital's charity auction, she knows exactly what to do with them and it's not tidily winks.

Although head nurse Char Reynolds is desperately head over heels for bad boy Dr. Dexter Graham, he's moved on. Still she gets caught up in bidding for him at the hospital's auction for the new children's wing and wins. His smug expression drives her to also bid on and win the very hunky Dr. Ben Price, Dexter's nemesis and to plan a very naughty, very sexy night with both men.

Trailer ~ Submissive Dreasm by Ashley Ladd

Submissive Dreams by Ashley Ladd

Stacey disguises herself to fool her ex-husband, the Internet king of porn, but he's not the only one who gets a shock.

Stacey Cooke can't believe her eyes when she sees her ex-husband Brand on the Internet—and he's the new king of porn. She divorced him for being too boring in bed and out and so she's stunned. Much worse than stunned, she's jealous and it hurts. She wonders if she gave up on him too early.

She can't stop peeking at her ex with all his film partners. When an ad pops up for a new partner to have sex with Brand on film, her friend Lilli persuades her to apply. Donning a mask, disguising her voice, Stacey decides to see if she's still in love with him.

Fun Friday!

So... I saw this on a fellow TMIer's blog and I HAD to share it with y'all. Cuz, yanno, I'm sick and twisted like that. Enjoy!



GOTCHA! Happy Friday. :-D

Happy Hump Day!

Something to get you over that hump to the weekend.

TMI Tuesday & Purple Prose

First... TMI Tuesday:

1. Have you ever bought a membership to a porn site? If yes, what is the most recent one and did you like it? Umm... would I get away with it if I said it was research? I have, but I don't remember the site, and I didn't really use it... and I worry that my kids will mess with my computer and pull it up... 'nuff said.

2. Would you rather watch a erotic/porn movie, read a story, or listen to an audio? Why? Hmm... all of the above. I mean, come on, the watching for research...:-D... the reading because that's what I do, I read and write Erotic Romance... the listening, mmmm, just something about it that gets my heart racing that probably wouldn't happen if I was just reading it.

3. If you have a significant other what do you do for each other to get in the mood? If you don't what would you kind of thing could a future potential long term partner do to get you in the mood? I roll over. J/K ... but really, we have four kids, usually the only energy I have to get in the mood is to roll over and rub my hand along his arm. I like to let him read the sex scenes in my stories... and ask him to help me with research, you know: Is whipped cream really colder on the nipple than on the clit/penis? :-D

4. When it comes to sex, how much do you talk about it with others? How comfortable are you talking about sex? HA, I am an EROTIC ROMANCE AUTHOR, I talk about it all the time. I write about it all the time, and I write about writing about it all the time. How many ways are there to say Tab A inserts into slot B? Well, sometimes another person's perspective can help... they may use different words. :-D I'm pretty comfortable talking about sex... my family was rather ribald like that and it was never really a "dirty" thing to talk about in our house. Heck, I know more about my parents' sex life than I EVER wanted to.

5. What are the last 5 things you search for on Google (or another search engine)? How sad is it that I actually know just how to look this up: 1. Rick Yune (possible future Saturday Hottie material);2. purple prose (see below); 3. Yasmine Galenorn (I have some of her books and wanted to know the reading order... cuz I'm OCD like that); 4. Emma Woodbine (narrator for Audible.com, I loved the way she read a certain book and was wondering if I'd seen her or heard her somewhere else); 5. Thiago Vieira (This past weekend's Saturday Hottie). Those were the last five... I could go on I guess but you only asked for five. :-D

Bonus: Have you ever had a fantasy that you were ashamed of? Hmm... not ashamed per-se... I had a thing for my STEPbrother for a long time... then I got over it. Usually, I don't really care what others will think of my sexual preferences... it's nothing illegal... no pedophilia, or incest, so I don't worry about it. Therefore, no shame.

I enjoyed the questions this week, and I look forward to next week's. This just might become a regular thing, not just for when I don't know what to blog about. :-)

*******************************************************

Now, as for the purple prose (I am NOT the only one who finds that phrase so very sexual. At first, when I harassed my sister on what to write about she said, "Purple prose" something I'd been whining about in a book I had just read. I told her "I'm not touching that one" and the conversation rolled downhill from there. I'm sure you can guess at the innuendos we were tossing about.

I even looked it up to see what others said about purple prose. The only "definition" was on Wikipedia. And I actually got quite a kick out of this description: "Modern instances of purple prose can often be found in romance novels. These started alluding to sex in the 1970s and authors, not wanting to be either pornographic or clinical in their descriptions, developed many euphemisms to describe body parts and sexual activity. Examples include "throbbing manhood", "quivering desire" and (he) "filled her with the hot wet tumult of his love." Body parts are often referred to simply by the term his or her "sex", which allows for such sentences as "He put his sex in her sex and they had sex."

Romance writers are aware of the problem, with Deb Stover contributing an essay "The Purple Prose Eater" to the book How to Write a Romance For The New Markets (1999)."

Why is this on my mind? Well, partly because I was reading a book that drove me a bit insane with it, and partly because I know that I sometimes struggle to write a sentence that is evocative without... purple prose. I mean, really, how many different ways can you describe Tab A inserts into Slot B? Don't get me wrong, I like words and the Thesaurus is my friend (I think I have like four) but how much is too much? When does it go from a well-written novel/story to an eye-rolling example of purple prose?

I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this. :-D

Author Interview ~ Dee S. Knight

Good morning, everyone. It's another Monday and time for a new author interview. Today on the couch we have author, Dee S. Knight. Get ready that cup of morning... caffeine, in whatever form you need it, and sit back to enjoy our latest interview.

Welcome to the Menagerie, Dee. Why don't you tell us where you are from.

I claim Virginia, but I’m only an adopted daughter of the South. I was born in the great Midwest, and lived in northwest Iowa until I was six. Strangely, after all these *ahem* many years, people still say they can detect a Midwestern accent when I speak. Because hubby and I have lived all over—and even drove a tractor-trailer for eight years—we call anywhere we’re together home now.

LOL, adopted daughters are still daughters. :-D When and why did you begin writing?

I hate to say it, but I started writing a little over six years ago out of boredom. I didn’t have time to find a job before consultant hubby finished his temporary contract, and he suggested I spend my time writing a book. I thought that sounded like fun so I gave it a shot. I didn’t have any deep-seated desire or secret plan when I was growing up. Writing was something to do to fill the time. It quickly became a consuming activity, though, happily for me.

Oh, that's a great story. And how funny that it was practically a dare from your hubby. When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Well, let’s just say, I said I was a fiction writer on my tax forms long before I ever put fingers to keyboard. Then I called my occupation “writer” before I believed it. It took a very, very long time to gain that belief that yes, I had written a book, and yes, people did read it and like it. I love e-publishing, but truthfully I started feeling like a writer when I held my first print book in hand. Each year I’ve come more to accept that I am a writer. Then…I turn in a new manuscript and the old fears and doubts come back. Does anyone ever get past that??

I think sometimes we set impossible standards for ourselves. “When I accomplish that, I’ll feel the way a successful [fill in the blank] should feel,” or “When I’m awarded that I’ll know I’ve made the grade.” In actuality, just relaxing and appreciating what we’ve done is half the battle, and when I start doing that, I’ll began to feel like what I want to be recognized as, a writer.

I think we all feel that way at one time or another. I know that I do the same "If I" game. How did you come up with the title or titles that you have?

In my book, Coming Home, I thought in terms of my life as a Navy brat and the feelings in our family when my dad came home from a cruise. He “came home” often since his job in the Navy meant going away a lot and spending long times at sea. To the family member away, coming home means warmth and family and acceptance and fitting in. But from personal experience, I know that isn’t always what happens. Day to day dynamics are different for the family dealing with daily issues than they are for the wife or husband away on duty, and sometimes their ideas of what it means to “come home” aren’t the same.

In the case of my hero who comes home from Vietnam for a Christmas leave, he finds he has changed while the farm and home he left in Nebraska seems to have stayed the same. He no longer fits in to what he envisioned as “home,” so the title is bittersweet as well as appropriate.

That sounds like it would be heartwrenching, and a good story along the way to finding what he's become and how he can make a life for himself. Yet another book to add to my TBB and TBR pile. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Simply that the darkest times yield to the brightest light. It’s a message that’s hard to accept, but one that’s proven true in my life over and over.

What a beautiful sentiment, and so very true. How much of the book is realistic?

Coming Home is paranormal, but personally, yes, I think it’s realistic and a story I could believe as a reader. After all, in the heat of emotions, when the heart needs an answer, it often comes from unexpected sources.

Very true. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Do you mean an inspiration? Like someone famous who inspired me to write? I don’t know of any, really. But I’ve been introduced to some wonderful writers who inspire and mentor me, people like Cheryl Norman, Leigh Wyndfield, Jasmine Haynes, Chris Neeley, Amy Wollf Sorter, Keira Ramsay, Larissa Ione. And there are others—I could go on.

Inspiration works just as well if you ask me. What book are you reading now?

I just finished The Time Traveler’s Wife, which I highly recommend. Before that, Unlaced, which featured Jasmine Haynes (who I adore as a writer) and is also great.

Sounds interesting, I'll have to look into both of those. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Finding the right place to start. Very often one of my critique partners will say, “What you have is good, but pacing will be much better if you start here instead of there.” And as much as I hate to admit it, she’s almost always right. Or I should say, she’s probably always right but I don’t always take her advice.

You're not the only one with that problem, but at least you have a crit partner who can help you with it. Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Well, my favorite writer is Nelson Demille. I like how he combines humor with serious topics and the way he writes action so compellingly. It’s strange that I dearly love romance and women’s fiction, but when I’m boarding a plane or browsing in the book store, I tend toward thrillers, and I think DeMille is one of the best.

I think it's funny when people expect us to only read what we write. It's great that you love to read other genres. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Keep writing. It’s the only way to improve. Find good, trustworthy critique partners who love you but will still point out your flaws. Ask around about publishers so you’re submitting to the best, who are honest and have a track record of knowing business. Persevere! Never believe everything a contest judge says. Try hard not to believe everything a reviewer says. Keep writing.

What fantastic advice! Now for our "Nothing to do with writing" questions: What animal do you think makes the best pet and why?

Cats. They’re self-sufficient and confident. And I like their purr. Dogs don’t purr. Cats will also keep your feet warm and sleep on your head so you never feel alone. Plus, they always find the sunny places in life, and that’s a good lesson for all of us.

LOL, all excellent points in a cat's favor. Do you hate how you look in pictures? Why or why not?

OMG!! I take the worst pictures! I never look the way I think I should. If someone says, “Oh, this looks just like you,” I want to go and hide. Or wish I had before whoever it was got out the camera.

*snicker* Ah, well, at least you have a sense of humor about it. Do you have any strange handwriting habits, like capitalizing all your “r”s or dotting your “I”s with heart (or anything like that)?

My handwriting is almost impossible to read—I have a doctor’s handwriting without the fancy degree and big income. It’s kind of bold with strong strokes, but legibility is nil. And I’ve gotten worse since using a computer almost full time. But who cares, since handwriting doesn’t have Spell Check?

I'll bet a nurse could read your handwriting. :-D When you looked in the mirror this morning, what was the first thing you thought?

If this is what morning looks like, no wonder I like to sleep in.

I think we all think that in the morning, even when we don't sleep in. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Judging Stroke of Midnight entries.

And at the Stroke of Midnight no less. :-D What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Sand, I think. Or haggis. (No offense to my wonderful Scottish friends. I actually like it!)

Hmm... sand, huh? I'm sure there's a story there somewhere. What do you want to know about the future?

Oh, everything! And I want to know all the stuff about the past, too. I’d love to see those plates move to separate the continents and the dinosaurs stomp around and the volcanic activity that formed the caldera at Ngorongoro Crater. I’m naturally snoopy.

Speaking of the future, you know how at Macaroni Grill they play Italian lessons in
the bathroom? Well, when I was in the ladies room of our local Macaroni Grill last year, the sentence they translated into Italian was “I have seen the future and it is exactly like the present, only longer.” I laughed so hard I’m sure the woman in the next stall thought I was strange, but I loved it!

Oh, that is priceless! How funny is that when we pay attention to what is around us and get a good laugh out of it. What is your heritage?

Irish, German, Danish, Swedish. Yes, I used to be blond and I don’t just mean mentally.

S'alright, you are in good company... only Mysti isn't blond here at The Menagerie. Have you ever cried during a movie? If yes, which one and why?

It would be shorter to name the movies I didn’t cry during. I cry during Kleenex commercials. And oh my gosh, the waterworks during almost any Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation!

I think most of us have that problem with the Hallmark shows. Do you sleep with the light on? Why or why not?

Well, not on purpose, but I can, yes. When I’m ready to sleep, almost nothing keeps me from it. It comes from years of trucking I suspect, where you sleep through storms, bad traffic noise and pig haulers parked next to your truck. That’s an experience I could talk about for awhile.

I'll bet! But it sounds quite interesting and a source of material. If you could wish for anything, what would you wish for?

Freedom from need for everyone, but not freedom from want.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my news!

And thank you, Dee for joining us today at The Menagerie. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Stop on in anytime, hon. It's been fun. :-D

Coming Home by Dee S. Knight

On an unexpected Christmas leave from the jungles of Vietnam, Tom Stabler finds himself at home, but in a life he no longer fits. The farmhouse where he grew up seems too close, his parents and grandparents older and frail. Tom the man is uncomfortable in the skin of Tom the boy. So much so, he's beginning to think he should have stayed in Nam, where his memories were innocent.

During a restless pre-dawn morning, the girl he's dreamed off for months arrives unexpectedly. Tom is afraid he'll feel disconnected to her, too. Then what dreams will he have to take back with him?

Susan Swenson, the sweet, farm girl Tom loved in high school, has rushed home to be with him, not as a girl but as a woman. Touches lead to kisses; kisses lead to skin gliding against skin and a deep loving that produces a small miracle. As the sun crests the shore of a nearby lake, Tom fulfills Susan's dream of passion. With her own heat and desire, Susan helps to heal Tom's soul and shows him a way to come home.

Prior to writing her first fiction only a few years ago, Dee S. Knight lived a varied lifestyle. After college she married her high school sweetheart and they became house parents at a home for wards of the court. Thus, she went from newlywed to "mother" of a dozen teenage boys, in a month. Two years of living in one city proved to be enough, and she and her husband spent the next eight years as long-distance truckers. Swiftly following their trucking years, she became a computer consultant, high school and adult ed teacher, technical writer and novelist. More than thirty years later, she's still married to her own hero and finds life infinitely interesting. They currently reside in the Midwest. You can visit her at her website and get some advice from her and her sister at their advice blog.

Funny Friday!

A dear friend emailed me a link to this video and I loved it. My mother used to sing the songs from The Sound of Music to me for as long as I can remember. Enjoy!



Happy Friday everyone!