Dakota Dreams (Signet Eclipse)
by
Madeline Baker

Released January 3, 2006
352 pages
$6.99
ISBN : 0451216865
5 star rating


Nathan Chasing Elk has been sentenced to prison for the murder of his wife. Catherine Lyons is trying to save the family home, in place of her wayward brother, while avoiding an Apache who would like to make her his squaw. An injury Nathan receives brings he and Catherine together.

They set out to find his daughter, Leah, and the man who actually did murder his wife. Through a series of adventures, they do find Leah and she is returned to her father. After the group travels from the south to the Black Hills, Leah is introduced to her paternal grandmother, who lives in Lakota country. While there, she and Catherine learn many of the old ways of the Lakota tribe.

Just as the new family is starting to settle, Nathan is separated from Catherine and Leah. Only Leah can bring her father and Catherine back together through a surprising twist.

There is a whipping scene at the very beginning of the book that disturbed me. While it is an integral part of the plot, in my opinion, the way it is written was a bit brutal.

A sweet romance that I give 5 stars to.

Hello From Betty

Well .......... it's been months since Deb started this and asked me to blog with her. I figure it was about time I contributed something rather than just sitting back on my thumbs. Seeing how Deb is the more chatty one of the two of us, I'll let her do most of the talking, like I haven't already been doing that ROFL, while I post reviews of books I'm not reviewing for other sites. I'll tell you more about that when the time is right. *grin*

So, here we go! Hang on and have fun!

Betty

Angela Knight Interview

Angela, Welcome to Deb's Author Interviews. We are glad you could stop by to chat with us.


Tell us a bit about yourself. Your background, family, etc...


A.) I’m from South Carolina – which is probably not news, since most of my books are set there. I’m 45, and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 9 years old. My husband is a lieutenant with the local county Sheriff’s Office, where he’s chief hostage negotiator and a polygraph examiner. We have a 21 year old son who loves World Of Warcraft and works as a carpenter. I also spent 10 years as a reporter, covering everything from murders to school board meetings. (Which have more in common than you might think.)



For our readers unfamiliar with your work, please tell us what kind of books you write.

I write extremely sexy paranormal romance featuring vampires, werewolves, dragons and fairies, in various combinations.



Tell us about some of the jobs your have had before becoming a full time romance author. Did you have a favorite or worst job?

My favorite job before becoming a full time novelist was being a reporter. I loved going out and meeting all kinds of people. I use that experience in my writing now. I was also a television director for a religious broadcaster for a couple of years, which was basically my worst job. I liked working in television, but my female boss was, shall we say, difficult.



Looking at your backlist, I was amazed at how many books and stories for novellas you had written. Not only are you a prolific writer, you write for several different publishing houses. Please tell us who they are and what kind of books your write for each.

I started out writing novellas for Red Sage’s Secrets anthology. Red Sage started publishing erotic romance in 1995, before anybody else. Then I wrote for Renaissance E-Books – one book, now out of print. And after that, there was Ellora’s Cave. Then I got discovered by Cindy Hwang at Berkley, who asked me if I’d like to submit anything to her. And I also write for Changeling and Loose-Id, both e-book companies.



Does it get confusing or complicated when so many different places are wanting books from you? Especially when they all want something different? Do you work on more than one project at a time? Do deadlines ever run together?

Well, it can be extremely challenging, especially when the deadlines get close. I can only work on one book at a time, though I can do galley edits and first drafts of different projects. Galley edits are pretty mindless – you’re basically looking for typos on the finished book.



How do you keep up with all the important details, such as character traits, timelines, names, etc., especially when you are writing a continuing series? I would think it would be terribly hard to keep all the details straight from one book to the next. Do you keep a notebook or use a computer program to help keep up with all the little but important details? Have you ever gotten things mixed up and have your readers ever caught it?

LOL! I WISH I was that organized! No, I just go back and check the earlier books for those kinds of details and pray!



I understand that you wrote and illustrated your first book, The Mouse That Went To The Moon, at age 9. Do you think your first book was already showing your talent in writing space, paranormals, and futuristic books? I'm hoping you had no idea what erotica was at that point.

LOL! Well, I guess THE MOUSE THAT WENT TO THE MOON was an indication of the way my career would go. I mean, there was a lot of fantasy and science fiction in that idea.



I know your first published work was actually for a sci-fi comic book. How did you get started writing for the comics and was it a big transition for you to change genres and write romance? Did you always want to be a romance/erotica author or did you expect your writing style to go in a totally different direction?

When I first started out in my twenties, I wanted to be a science fiction writer. CYCOPS, the comic book story, started out as a short story. My sister took it to a comic book convention and gave it to a comic book publisher. He read it and thought it would make a good series. So he put me in touch with a fantastic editor, who basically taught me how to write. But the bottom fell out of the comic book market soon afterward, and I decided to go back to writing fiction. I had become a romance junky by that time, so that’s what I decided to write. I didn’t have any success until 1996, when I found a flyer for SECRETS. That’s when I discovered I had a talent for writing erotic romance.



What was your first published romance/erotica work and when did it come out? Was it published in ebook format or was it in print? What was it like to see your first published work? I know I would have been majorly excited. Is it as exciting when your books come out as ebooks instead of in print? I know I love having that book in my hand.

My first novella was published in SECRETS Vol. 2 in 1996. It was called “Roarke’s Prisoner,” and I really got a kick out of holding a copy of that book. You’re right – that’s a large charge!



How many books do you have out now? And how many more do you have in the works? Can you give us any hints of things to come?

I have more than 20 books in print, counting the novellas and short stories. Six novels now. I’m writing number 7 at the moment – MASTER OF DRAGONS, the fifth in the Mageverse series. It stars the sidekick from MASTER OF SWORDS, Kel, who is a shape-shifting dragon warrior. I’m also contracted for four books after that. I think my next one in the Mageverse series will probably be a werewolf book – a return to the kind of suburban crime stuff I did in JANE’S WARLORD and MASTER OF THE MOON.



In September 2006 you had a release from Berkley called Captive Dreams that you wrote with Diane Whiteside. Tell us about this book. Did you enjoy working with Diane on this project and do you have any more projects planned together for the future. I sure hope so because this book was awesome!

Oh, Diane is my best friend. We’ve been critique partners for years now, and we love working together. I’m not sure when we’ll do another joint project, because we’re both contracted out the wazoo for the next couple of years. But I’d love to do another project with her.



As to the book: Captive Dreams is about a pair of novelist sisters who don’t realize that their heroes actually exit. The two men are tired of being tortured by their “creators,” so they kidnap both women and take them back to their own universes. Lots of sex ensues!



Your latest book in your Mageverse series, Master of Swords came out in October 2006. How many books in this series now and how many will be in this series? I'm hoping for many more! How did you get the idea for this exciting series? Was it based on any real people or events, now or from history?

Five books in the series so far, and I’m not planning to end it any time soon. The idea for the series came about because Cindy Hwang at Berkley wanted a vampire series from me, but I didn’t want to do the same vamps everybody else was doing. So, since I love Arthurian legend, I decided to turn the King Arthur stories on their heads. I made Arthur and his knights vampires, and his ladies witches. Then before I knew it, I was writing about fairies and dragons and werewolves too, which keeps the series interesting. I hope!



Do you enjoy writing one type of book more than another? Is it easier for you to write a novella or do your prefer the single title full length books?

Novellas are easier because they’re shorter. But on the other hand, you can really cut loose in a novel in a way you can’t in a novella. It’s tough to get a really intricate plot AND a lot of sex in 100 pages.



Who comes up with the idea of putting authors together for novellas? Is it the publishing house or do the authors ever decide they want to write a book together. Are your novella stories all theme related to the other stories in the books or are they all totally different?

Each writer decides what she wants to do. Red Sage generally lets me write whatever I want. With Berkley, sometimes Cindy Hwang will call me and say, “We’re doing a vampire anthology,” or “We’re doing an anthology called OVER THE MOON. We’d like you to be in it.” Then I try to come up with an idea I’d like to write.



How long does it take you to write a book? Does this include research or revision time?

Generally, it takes me about five months, including revision time.



What kind of research do you do for your books? Do you research before you start writing or do you do it as you go along? Is research something you enjoy doing?

I usually do interviews with people who do the particular job I want to write about. For example, when I wanted to do a book about werewolf drug dogs, I interviewed a K-9 officer. I find out everything I can about the job, and then maybe I call the person and ask more questions. Then, if something else comes up while I’m writing, I may go check my facts on the Internet.



Tell us what kind of writer you are. Are you a plotter and outliner or somewhat more relaxed in your writing style?

No, I’m a plotter. I have to have at least some idea where I’m going, or I can’t write at all.



Is there any other type of book you would like to write?

I’d like to write science fiction one of these days – but only if they’ll let me write sex scenes!



Give us an example of a typical day in your life. Do you keep to a specific writing schedule?

I usually wake up around 6:30 a.m. or so and then write for three hours. I can knock out 10 pages, then I go work out or do some art or something while I try to come up with ideas for the next day’s work.



What was the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?

Don’t quit. If you quit, you’ll never succeed.



If you had one piece of advice to give to a new writer, what would it be?

Don’t quit. Other than that, use the internet as a way to learn your craft. Write short stories and share them with people. Submit to e-book companies. When you get good enough, take a shot at New York. And most of all – DON’T QUIT.



Angela, thanks so much for stopping by to chat with us! Please come by anytime!

Thank you for interviewing me.

Hope you enjoyed this interview with Angela Knight. You can learn more about her at
http://www.angelasknights.com. Be sure and try her newest books, CAPTIVE DREAMS with Diane Whiteside, and MASTER OF SWORDS, the latest in her Mageverse series.

Watch for my latest interview with author andn agent Deidre Knight.

Diane Whiteside Interview

I had the good fortune to chat with Diane Whiteside about her new books Bond of Blood, The Southern Devil and her book with Angela Knight called Captive Dreams. I hope you will enjoy the interview she did with me.

Diane Welcome to Deb's!

We are happy you could take time to chat with us.

First of all, please tell us a bit about yourself. Your family, background, etc.

I have the good fortune to come from a family of published writers and generations of frontiersmen. Personally, I’m a certified geek (with the university degrees to prove it) who turned to writing romances when a true story demanded that I give the lady a happier ending, by transforming it into a romance novel. Noticing my current lack of a husband to keep me in line, my Tibetan Terriers stepped up to the plate. They make sure that I do everything The Right Way, which means lots of dog walks and treats as often as possible.
You can find pictures of them at my website, www.DianeWhiteside.com

For our readers unfamiliar with your work, please tell us what kind of books you write.

I write western historicals for Brava and vampire romances – plus the occasional contemporary romance – for Berkley.

Tell us about your newest release September 2006) The Southern Devil. I was fortunate enough to read this book as an arc (advance reader copy) and I have to say I loved it! It was my first book by you and definitely won't be my last! Tell us how you came up with the idea for this story.

THE SOUTHERN DEVIL was inspired by a combination of a character – Morgan Evans – and a place, Rosedown Plantation. In THE IRISH DEVIL, Morgan went off to tell Paul Lennox, the villain, that he needed to start playing nice. Morgan was an extremely macho fellow and also quite the Southern gentleman – definitely someone who could easily accomplish the smooth gunplay this scene needed to end with. Yet, at the beginning, he froze at the sight of a glass of sherry and told me – very firmly! – that he wouldn’t drink the stuff until he could put Jessamyn Tyler in her place for having tied him up. There were entirely too many unpleasant memories associated with it.

I blinked. Who the heck was Jessamyn? Why had Morgan put up with being treated like that? Why hadn’t he taken his revenge before now? THE IRISH DEVIL wasn’t supposed to answer questions about him! I was completely at a loss and it took me two years to figure out who his lady was – and why she’d driven him crazy.

Rosedown Plantation is an incredibly beautiful plantation, which still has its original furnishings – even its original gardens and racetrack! Visiting it is pure, gentle joy. I understood immediately why the three sisters clung to it and refused to sell it, no matter what the cost to them personally. One of them loved and married a brilliant cotton planter who brought Rosedown into the 20th century, thus giving it enough time for another generation to save it forever.

When I put the two together – Morgan’s baffled passion for Jessamyn and Jessamyn’s stubborn loyalty to her family yet sensual link to her man – I had the bones of THE SOUTHERN DEVIL.

Most of your books that I have seen have been released in trade paperback format. Are all your books in this format? Will they ever be re-released as mass market? Sure hope so!

I must say that I too am hoping that one day my books will be re-released as mass market! I promise faithfully to make an announcement as soon as I hear anything.

You have another new release coming out in October 2006, BOND OF BLOOD, the first in a trilogy of Texas Vampires. Tell us about this trilogy. It sounds awesome!

BOND OF BLOOD introduces Don Rafael Perez, once a medieval Spanish knight but now the leader of Texas and Oklahoma’s vampires, and Grania O’Malley, a young wildlife veterinarian. He’s ruthless, arrogant – and haunted by nightmares from his past. He’s built a home in Texas and gathered a brotherhood of vampires, founded on feudal traditions, to both serve him and defend the local people. Madame Celeste, the vampire queen of New Orleans, declares all-out war on him and unleashes the one assassin he truly fears, who seeks to destroy him by finding a chink in his emotional armor – someone he can’t live without. Yet he can’t stay away Grania, even when he knows that showing his increasing attraction for her might get her killed.

BOND OF FIRE, volume 2 in the Texas vampire trilogy, tells of Jean-Marie St. Just – Don Rafael’s chief diplomat and spy – and Hélène d’Agelet, a firestarter, long-time British secret agent, and Madame Celeste’s older sister. Jean-Marie fell in love with Hélène centuries ago but was forced to leave her. Now he must destroy Madame Celeste, in order to keep Don Rafael and the rest of his family safe. He also knows that he can never make a home in Texas with Hélène because of Don Rafael’s ban against non-native vampires. Madame Celeste believes that her far-too-honorable sister would never harm her and she can continue to work any evil she wants. Hélène must choose between the risks of loving Jean-Marie, which offers passion and a desperately uncertain future, or returning to the safety of her static prior life and letting someone else deal with whatever mischief her sister might be up to. But fate does not allow her to sit peacefully on the sidelines, while she makes up her mind. . .

In BOND OF DARKNESS, volume 3 in the Texas vampire trilogy, Ethan Templeton – Don Rafael’s military commander – must decide how far he can go to help his beloved lady Texas Ranger who’s working to solve a series of murders in Texas and Louisiana, which were first shown in BOND OF BLOOD. Only a mortal like her has a chance to catch the vicious vampire killer responsible. If she succeeds, she’ll almost surely die. But if he turns her into a vampire, Don Rafael will kill him for breaking one of his most fundamental laws. . .

The three books form a trilogy because Don Rafael because they tell of his growth, as he heals from his old wounds.

Tell us how you got started in your writing career. I understand that writing talent runs in your family and that you follow along several generations of writers. How long have you been writing and how did you get your start? Was becoming a published author something you have always wanted to do or did it evolve gradually?

While vacationing in Tombstone, I heard about a miner’s widow who entered a brothel to earn the money for a ticket home. The townsfolk were very proud that she successfully did so, rather than succumbing to the usual hazards of that trade. But I wanted a happier ending for her, in which she gained true love, not just survival. To tell a different version of her story meant learning how to tell a romance, which was nothing like the technical writing I did at my day job. But I was so driven by her story that I buckled down and learned how to write fiction. This was the “book of my heart” and it. became THE IRISH DEVIL

How long did it take you to be published and what was your first published work? When did it come out? How many books do you have out now? Are they all in print or do you have any that are only ebooks?

My first published work was THE HUNTER’S PREY: EROTIC TALES OF TEXAS VAMPIRES, which was published in 2001. It took me approximately year and a half to become published.
I have seven books and two novellas out now, all of which are in print.

How long does it take you to write a book? Does this include your research time?

It takes me approximately six months to write a book, which includes research and plotting time. Of course, I’m always doing research.

Is research something you enjoy doing? What kind of research do you do for your books? Do you use printed material or perhaps online sources? Do you use your travels in your research for the settings of your books and is this something you enjoy?

I love doing research and do it all the time. I use anything: printed material, online sources, observations of reenactors, interviews, anything. Traveling definitely inspires me and I like to do it as often as possible.

Are your books stand alone books or are they connected in anyway? If so, please tell us how.

The three Devil books – my western historicals from Brava – are standalone but are linked in characters and can be read in chronological order. THE IRISH DEVIL takes place in April 1871 in Arizona. THE RIVER DEVIL is set along the Missouri River during May of 1872. THE SOUTHERN DEVIL has a wider time span: Memphis in Christmas 1863, West Point in spring 1864, Memphis in 1865, the wild Kansas frontier of 1866, a Natchez wedding in 1869, and the Colorado Rockies in June 1872.

THE HUNTER’S PREY: EROTIC TALES OF TEXAS VAMPIRES is a collection of short stories, set in the same Texas vampire universe as BOND OF BLOOD. “Apex Predator,” the last story, is the prequel to BOND OF BLOOD and contains information that BOND OF BLOOD doesn’t.
THE SWITCH is my only contemporary and stands completely alone.

You had a book come out with Angela Knight in the last month, Captive Dreams. How did this project come about? Was this the first book you had written with her and was it your first paranormal? Will there be more? If so when?

Angela Knight and I were talking about our favorite fictional heroes and we started wondering what they’d really be like, given the way they’ve been tormented and yet they’re so sexy. What would we do if one of our favorite heroes suddenly appeared in the flesh before us – run from them or toward them? We both stared at each and yelled, more or less simultaneously, that we wanted to write the book. CAPTIVE DREAMS was the result and we had tons of fun writing it.
THE HUNTER’S PREY was my first paranormal, though.

I’d like to write more pure fantasies, like CAPTIVE DREAMS, and I’m mulling over some ideas.
Tell us what you have in the works now. Anything ready to come out soon? Hope so!
“Red Skies at Night” in UNLEASHED – to be published in December 2006 – is also set in the Texas vampire universe. Don Rafael makes a brief appearance but it’s not part of the Texas vampire trilogy.

I’m currently working on THE NORTHERN DEVIL, which is Lucas Grainger’s story. Lucas walked into THE SOUTHERN DEVIL and demanded his own book. Actually, he rode down Raton Pass – a very steep, rocky pass – into Trinidad, an extraordinarily tough town. He received a series of letters from his family – which he shrugged off, might I add – but he charged into a saloon to rescue an old friend, a half-breed Indian scout. Then he informed me that he’d taken a vow never to get married. What could I do but plunk him down into a situation in which he had to get married to a woman that he’d fall hopelessly in love with? It’s due to be published in summer 2007.

After that, I get to write BOND OF FIRE and BOND OF DARKNESS one after another. Since they’re so tightly linked in plot and character, I’m thrilled! I’ll be able to stay sane.

What kind of writer are you? A plotter and outliner who sticks strictly to that outline or are you more casual in your writing style? Do your characters ever take off in directions you hadn't planned? If so, what does that do to your story?

I’m a plotter – but if my characters take off in their own direction, I’ll go with them. The story is about them; it’s not a straitjacket that I built to hold them.

What was your reaction to seeing your first book on the store shelves? Hope you had a grand celebration!

THE IRISH DEVIL, the “book of my heart,” was also my first book that I saw on store shelves. I bounced and beamed – and the bookseller rushed over and made me autograph every single copy. It was a wonderful midnight trip to the bookstore, after a very long business trip.
What do you do for fun? Do you have hobbies or collections that you like to indulge in?
I have a lovely small garden, not enough books no matter how many I own, and my beloved Tibetan Terriers.

Are you a big reader? Who are some of your favorite authors or books? Any particular genre that you favor over another?

Lots and lots of historicals, plus romantic suspense, science fiction/fantasy. Jo Beverly, Mary Jo Putney, Roberta Gellis, Georgette Heyer, Emma Holly, Elizabeth Lowell, J.R.R. Tolkien, Angela Knight, Zane Gray – the list goes on and on!

Do you have a favorite style to write? Is one genre easier for you to write than another? How about stories in anthologies? Do you find the shorter format easier or harder to deal with?

I like switching between historicals and paranormal because it keeps each of them fresh. I suspect I’d burn out very quickly if I had to write one or the other all the time. I rarely come up with ideas for contemporaries so I think of them as gifts. I enjoy writing novellas and would like to write more.

Give us an example of a typical day in your life. Do you try to keep to a specific writing schedule? Any particular thing you like to indulge in after a hard day? Comfort food, good book, movie, etc.?

I work a 40-50 week at my day job. When that’s added to my writing schedule, it makes for a 70-hour work week. I try to write 3 hours every day, 7 days a week, plus 6 hours a day at least one day of the weekend.

My favorite indulgence after a hard day is time with my family and friends.

If you had one piece of advice to give to a new writer, what would it be?

Read what you love, not what fashion dictates.

Diane, thanks so much for stopping by to visit and share a part of your life with us. Continued good luck in your writing career! Please come back and visit with us soon!

Check back soon for an interview with Angela Knight. If you have any comments or questions for Diane, please let us know. I am sure she will be happy to stop by and blog with us.

The Writer’s Psyche - by Kimberly Dean

A lot has been written about the writer’s process. What readers might not know is that there’s also a psychological process that authors go through as we fight to get our ideas down on paper. Basically, it’s an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Stages: Writer’s Frame of Mind
1) The Great Idea: Oh, I’m so creative. This is going to be fantastic.
2) The Blank Page: Scary! I’ve got nothing to work from. No words to move around and manipulate. Make it go away.
3) Chapters 1-3: Hey, this is starting off pretty well. It’s going to be awesome.
4) Chapters 4-6: Hmm, this is getting tough. Why is everything slowing down? Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.
5) Chapters 7-10: This sucks.
6) Chapters 11-14: I’m never going to finish! It stinks, but I have to turn something in.
7) Chapters 15-18: Finally. My muse is back. This ending is rolling.
8) Finished Manuscript: Oh, what a relief. I’m done, and it’s actually halfway decent.
9) Waiting for Edits: What is my editor thinking? I think she hates it. She’s going to ask for a total rewrite, I just know it!
10) Edits: Ack! Red ink all over… but wait! These edits aren’t so bad… and she said she loves it!
11) Final submission: This is the best thing I’ve ever written. Maybe I should think about a sequel!

I’m currently at Stage 6. Help!