Welcome back Ladies
and Gentlemen, we have a new interview with the authors of the Hot Soldier
Boxed Set.
We will be speaking
with all six authors and they will tell a little about their story in the book,
their writing experience and their selves.
Please welcome
Kate Baum
Siobhan MacKinzie
Leanore Elliott
Seraphina Donavan
Jamallah Bergman
Charisma Knight
You can find their book on Amazon
ebook $.99
paperback $12.14
Let’s get started
shall we?
Q. What is the
name of your book?
Seraphina: Hot
Soldier Boxed Set, and my story is called Coming Home
Kate: Wrong Girl?
Jamallah: The
name of my book is called “The Writer and The Soldier”
Charisma: The
Last Tour
Leanore: Angel
Watch
Siobhan: Suspicious
Minds
Q. Would you give
us a quick summary?
Charisma: Watching
his entire unit get cut down in Afghanistan has left Sgt. Sebastian McElvoy
questioning his sanity and whether or not he deserved to survive. Coming home
to the wife he loves, the joy and peace that Rayna gives him fills him with
guilt. But Sebastian isn't alone in wondering if the changes in him will allow
them to resume their life together. Rayna looks at her husband and sees a man
who is a ghost of his former self. Can she save him, and if she does, what will
be the ultimate cost?
Siobhan: Jordan
Blair is the prime suspect in the death of the man who caused him to lose his
leg in Afghanistan – his former sadistic commanding officer. Recently promoted
MP, Lt Rachel Carmichael, is in charge of the case and she is sure she has her
killer in her sights. But there’s something about the wounded warrior that
changes her mind. Rachel is drawn to him in spite of her suspicion. Proving his
innocence might just be the first step towards healing…and love
Leanore: Mags
Giovanni is a cop, her entire life is dedicated to law & order. Despite
being what is considered a Bombshell, she has no interest in dating. Along with
her good-looking partner, Max Stoker, they discover a vigilante is wreaking
havoc on their beat. She meets Max’s best friend, a mysterious, quiet, sexy
man. Rem Tarken is Marine Sniper who runs a YA club called Angel Watch. For the
first time in her life? She wants a man to notice her. Yet, he doesn’t. She
then, finds she has the wild hots for this marine, yet she feels he may be the
vigilante too. Will she find love with him or will she have to arrest him?
Seraphina: Morgan
Donnelly is a man in his forties. His whole adult life is spent in the military
until an injury forces him out of active duty. He's got to decide whether he
wants to be a civilian or ride a desk and send other young men into battle.
Morgan is damaged, more emotionally than physically, though his injuries will
impact him for the rest of his life... then he sees Lexi, a woman that by all
accounts, should be totally off limits to him. She's too young, too sweet and
then there's the added complication of him almost marrying her sister two
decades earlier. But some things are just meant to be.
Jamallah:
Basically it tells of a writer name Ione Finn who, after a good friend
suggestion, decides to become a pen pal to a soldier. She ends up corresponding
with Sgt. Mark Phillips and over a year they become very heavily involved with
each other and eventually they meet in person for the very first time.
Kate: Ernestine “Ernie” Rose learned early on in life from
her bitter and angry mother that she didn't need a man to succeed. While she
learned those lessons well, they've made for a lonely life. It isn't until
Ernie accompanies her extremely nervous friend on a blind date that Ernie
discovers there's more than one way to need a man. Sparks fly between Ernie and
the blind date's wingman, Chase. He inspires Ernie to do something she's never
done before... let go of her inhibitions.
Q. What inspired
the story?
Jamallah: I’ve
known for years about where you can be a pen pal to a soldier overseas or
either you can send a package to a soldier as well. So I thought that wouldn’t
it be neat to write a story about what happens when two people become pen pals
and what happens during that time.
Kate: I
originally started this story to be part of an anthology with the theme of
“wrong.” When the idea of the hot
soldier anthology dropped into my lap, I
saw the idea of a woman struggling with her soldier fantasy to add the crazy
way she was raised in that men were all “wrong”.
Leanore: Soldiers
I have known in my life.
Siobhan: I like
strong women and I wanted to explore the possibility of a very “macho” army guy
having to deal with a strong woman in authority – especially someone who
out-ranked him. And the story itself came from a “what if…” question that would
give me that platform to explore it.
Charisma: I’ll
have to say the ladies I participated with in this anthology were great
inspirations to me. I enjoyed participating with them in the group and really
looking forward to doing more projects with them when the time comes
Seraphina: I
worked in mental health counseling for a while. It's a brutal job and I am too
pathologically empathetic to do it well and survive for any length of time. But
while I was counseling, I encountered many men who were former military and who
suffered from PTSD. I also encountered wives and girlfriend's who were
suffering through the PTSD with their husbands and boyfriends. I felt like I
could offer some insight into what it was like, and it was also a healing process
for me, to be able to create these characters and give them the happy ending
that sometimes eludes people in the real world
Q. Were you ever
involved in the Military? Served, Retired, Volunteered, Child raised?
Kate: My husband
is a veteran so I consulted with him on some details.
Charisma: No
Seraphina: I've
never served, but many people in my family have. We have a long history of
that. I'm also dating a man right now who spent many years in the Navy, and it
shows. He's very dedicated, very driven. Whether he flourished in the military
because he's those things anyway, or whether he became those things because of
the military, is hard to say.
Jamallah: No I’ve
never been involved in the Military but my granddad was in the Army.
Leanore: Dad was
navy… stepdad was navy. I grew up right next to the largest Marine base in the
world and have known many, both men & women marines in my life. At present
I live almost right on the doorstep of Lackland Air Force base
Siobhan: I,
personally, have never served. But I’ve met some wonderful men and women who
have.
Q. Do you enjoy working with the other authors of the
book?
Jamallah:
Actually this is my FIRST anthology book and my first time working with other
authors. It’s been something I’ve been wanting to do and I’m so glad to have
been able to work with such a great ladies who not only do I call my fellow
authors but also my good friends as well.
Charisma: Yes,
they are a blast and I hope to do more anthologies with them.
Leanore: Oh, my
gosh..YES!!!!
Seraphina: ? I
love working with other authors. We all have different styles and approaches,
and these are just some fantastic ladies
Kate: I LOVE
working with the wicked women’s author group.
Sometimes as an author, it gets lonely since writing can be such an
individual experience. I am finding that
working on an anthology project brings incredible camaraderie.
Siobhan: Always.
These ladies are uber-talented. I love reading their stories and having mine
linked to theirs. It’s like riding on the shoulders of giants.
Q. Can you give us
an idea of some of your work?
Leanore: Mostly
Erotic Romance of all genres: Western, Paranormal, Time Travel, Suspense,
Fantasy, Shifter, BBW & Contemporary
Siobhan: Right
now, I have three short stories out in the His
Man… Series (His Man Friday, His Man Saturday, and His Man Sunday) with four more still to
come. And I have three novels in the works that will be out within the next
twelve months
Jamallah: Well
right now I have ten books under my belt. I mainly write about
Interracial/Multicultural Romance both Contemporary and Erotic. I’ve been
publishing with Secret Cravings Publishing since 2011 but I recently just
published my 1st self-published book called “Her Chocolate Fantasy”
which I am very happy about. Most of my heroines are ‘full figured women’ who a
lot of my readers can relate because the majority of what I write about comes
from the heart and most of what my heroines go through; my readers have been
through in their lives.
Charisma: With
a gasp, Rayna McElvoy was jolted awake. She up in bed and turned on the
lamp. Her eyes filled with tears as she
picked up the gold trimmed picture frame from the nightstand to stare at her
husband’s image. Breathing hard, she placed a trembling hand over her breaking
heart. Was Sebastian okay? After experiencing another horrific dream of his
demise, she could only hope and pray.
Lovingly, she touched Sebastian’s image with her
fingertips, tracing every wrinkle, every line of his stern, masculine face. His
intense green eyes gazed back at her. His aquiline nose slanted and fanned into
flaring nostrils. She longed to run her fingers through his jet-black hair,
which had been styled into a military crew cut ever since he joined the Army.
“Sebastian,”
she whispered. Her tears splashed on the glass of the picture frame.
Kate: I have
authored the “Girl series” about four best friends that support each other
through thick and thin. My novellas
hopefully are complementing that series.
Seraphina: Well,
I write a little of everything. It runs the gamut from light hearted romp, sexy
office romances, to deep and emotionally charged drama. Obviously the mental
health background plays a big role in character development, so it's
interesting to see what sort of torture I foist upon my characters from time to
time.
Q. Do you have
anything planned soon? Books, Events, Signings Etc.
Siobhan: My first
novel release will be within the next two months when I release Wilde Mountain Time, a romantic
thriller. This year will also see the release of a two novel series – No Sooner Loved and A Pair of Stairs. I’ll have more information on Facebook as things
progress.
Seraphina: In
August, I'll be at the Author Reader Convention in New Orleans
Kate: I will be
releasing book three of my series, Funny
Girl, hopefully within only a few weeks of Hot Soldier
Jamallah: I have
a book coming out soon “Gianni” my 3rd book in the Ciprianos of
Kellington series which has been highly anticipated since everyone has fallen
in love with the Cipriano family.
Charisma: I’m
currently working on Book Two of my Raven’s Falls Series entitled Raven and the
Rose. I’m also working on Book 2 of my Dragon’s Series, the sequel to The Black
Dragon.
Leanore: I plan a
3rd book in my award Winning Nowhere, Arizona Series and a fourth in
the Best-seller Velvet Western BBW Series, then 3 more Anthologies.
Q. What was the
hardest part of writing a Military book?
Charisma: I
wanted to include some scenes while Sebastian was in Afghanistan and that took
some research because I have no idea what our military heroes go through. I
don’t walk in their shoes and wanted to show Seb’s trials and tribulations.
Seraphina: Just
digging into that emotion, that trauma of taking a man who was used to being on
the front lines, used to being the go to guy, and then seeing him struggle with
limitations and with guilt. It isn't just that they feel guilty for surviving,
they feel guilty for complaining. They will compare their injuries to other
people's and think they are being weak for complaining, or worse, ungrateful.
Jamallah: Making
sure I had my facts straight on certain things
Leanore: The deep
emotional scars, and the difficulty of the character reintegrating back into
society
Siobhan: I have
no military experience other than the few friends I know. It’s not a genre I
read which made it very difficult to write. But fortunately, I have a great
imagination, friends who had a lot to offer in the way of advice and technical
know-how, and access to the Internet.
Q. What was the
hardest part about writing this book?
Jamallah: Even
though this is my first time writing about a character that was in the
Military, I did have a problem with making sure that when I wrote about the
fact that he was a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant. I really didn’t want it to
be ALL ABOUT him being a Sergeant, I wanted it mainly to be about their
relationship and the fact that this man, who is lying up in a hospital bed is
trying to not think about the fact that he’s in a bed and he wants to at least
be able to talk with someone who he can be himself with and not just be a
military man.
Seraphina: Just
coordinating everything. Writing a story, organizing and collaborating and
finding time to edit for the other authors and beta read, while still working
and doing all the every day stuff. It's always a juggling act.
Leanore: To end
the story. It went past the word limit and then kept going. It wanted to be an
actual novel and I never intended that. It was supposed to be a short. LOL n
fact, it IS the longest short in the Antho
Charisma: Balancing
romance and the reality of a soldier. At one point, my story was becoming too
dark and I had to catch myself and rewrite while placing some emphasis on the
romance of the story.
Siobhan: See the
previous answer – this book or any military book!
Kate: I always
seem to struggle with finding the time to write. I work full time and am a mother so writing
always takes a back seat. I find this
frustrating as I have all these ideas in my head that need to come out!
Q. What is
something you won’t write about? (cyborgs, zombies, aliens etc)
Jamallah:
Honestly there isn’t anything that I won’t write about, lol. I am willing to
try anything once.
Siobhan: I refuse
to glorify rape as if it’s a romantic device. I have problems with anyone who
thinks that women have rape fantasies. Rape is not sexy; it’s not about making
love or having sex. It’s about punishing and controlling someone. It’s about
violence. And it does NOT lead to romance.
Leanore: I used
to have a list…I didn’t think I ‘could’ write vampires or male on male. That’s
just not true. I feel if someone asks me to write a Vampire Male on Male Erotic
Romance? I can do it. Leanore CAN write anything, she just never knew it
before.
Charisma: Wow,
I’ve written about cyborgs and aliens but haven’t tackled the zombie genre
yet.
Kate: I will
never write erotica that involves nonconsensual sex.
Seraphina: I
don't see Big Foot in my future. While I have friends who can write about that,
crypto zoology just doesn't seem sexy to me.
Q. What is your
favorite color?
Kate: It seems to
change with my moods. Right now I’ll say
I’m in a “red” mood.
Jamallah: Cobalt
Blue
Charisma: Black
Seraphina: Green
Leanore: RED,
always and by far. I have almost flaming red hair too. lol
Siobhan: Cobalt
blue – deep, mysterious and peaceful to me
Q. Any favorite
animals?
Leanore: Cats and
Birds…enemy species
Jamallah: Panda
bears….any kind of puppy…..koala bears
Kate: Choosing
between my dog or my cat is like choosing one of my children over the other so
I have to say BOTH.
Charisma: Cats,
they are awesome
Seraphina: Well,
I’m a cat person
Siobhan: I’m
quite partial to birds of prey – eagles and hawks. But I’ve recently been
adopted by the wolf, my current totem animal
Q. What is a place
you want to visit?
Kate: I’m a huge
history buff but I particularly love the wild west. My second book, Brave Girl, takes place on a Native American reservation in South
Dakota. I did a lot of research on the
area and now I’m dying to get to the Black Hills.
Charisma: Europe
Seraphina: Just
spin the globe and point. I want to go everywhere
Jamallah: Would
LOVE LOVE LOVE to visit Italy for a month
Leanore: Paris…Australia, New
Zealand, Italy and Greece
Siobhan: I have a deep desire to go live in London, England for a
year or so – to get a flat near the theater district and hit every play I can.
And I figure if marriage to Tom Hiddleston goes with that, I’m good.
Q. What is your
current favorite television series?
Seraphina: Person
of Interest. Jim Caviezel is so hot in that show, I can actually look at him as
John Reese and forget that he played Jesus.
Jamallah: Sleepy
Hollow…..OMG..I really can’t wait till it comes back on because I am in love
with this show.
Leanore: Justified,
Touch, The Following, House Of Cards
Siobhan: Hands
down, Castle. But I’m also partial to
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Rizzoli and Isles, Perception, the Dallas
reboot….
Kate: Oh, that
one is so easy! The Walking Dead.
Charisma: The
Originals
Q. If you could
meet anyone famous from that/those shows who would it be?
Jamallah: Tom
Mison, the gentleman who plays Ichabod Crane. I’m sorry but I have a thing for
men with accents.
Charisma: Klaus,
Elijah, Marcel, and Rebekah. I just love this show, and honestly couldn’t stand
The Originals when they were first introduced on the Vampire Diaries. But now,
I see the method behind their madness and I’ve just fallen in love with them!
Kate: I LOVE
Darrell. If he gets eaten by a zombie, I
will never watch the show again.
Siobhan: Definitely
Nathan Fillion. But I’d like to meet Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) because I think Agent Coulson is wicked
cool.
Leanore: Oh yes
to all of them…Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon I have met though. (I have a
background of working in clubs & restaurants in California)
Seraphina: Hmmm.
No. I'd get tongue tied and weird. Maybe Nathan Fillion from Castle (and that
little show that wouldn't die, FIREFLY!
Damn you Fox). Nathan and I could nerd out together, watch Star Wars. It
would be awesome.
Q. What is your
go-to treat?
Jamallah: Grapes
or Pistachios
Charisma: Cheesecake
Kate: Anything
chocolate
Seraphina: Right
now, I'm obsessed with Blood Orange Sorbet. It's so good.
Leanore: Coffee
and Chocolate. Both at the same time would be nice too?
Siobhan: When in
doubt, a nice mug of hot chocolate with either a peppermint candy melted in it
or some lovely peppermint schnapps. Mmmmm….
Q. What are three
random things about you?
Jamallah: 1. I’m
very shy around people until I get the chance to be comfortable around them
2. I am a big time movie buff….I love movies from the silent
era up until the 90’s. I do have a movie group where we either talk about
movies we like or I make suggestions about movies.
3. I get along with basically any and every one and I am a
friend to the end to those that get to know me. I take my time with my fans and
talk and answer questions and listen to my fellow authors when they need an
ear. So yeah I’m pretty good that way.
Leanore: Random?
Oh wow…I’ve been called: The Book Fairy, Wicked Leanore, The Goddess of
Editing, A Knightess is Shimmering Armor, A Book Queen, A Book Slut…And often,
just plain ole ‘Wicked’…But I have NEVER been known as being anything NEAR
“Random”….*wicked chuckling inserted
here*
Charisma: I’m a cover artist, aspiring web designer and
entrepreneur.
Siobhan: 1. I’m
still madly in love with Tom Hiddleston and I would love to have at least one
dance with him. Just so I can stare into those beautiful eyes and dance in his
arms. Heaven!
2. I am a devout Deist, with leanings toward the Pagan. I
follow a mostly Celtic path with some Asatru leanings.
3. Writing is more than just my passion – it’s my sanity.
When my life is screwed up beyond all measure, for whatever reason, writing
helps me stay sane and on an even keel. It also takes all that stuff out of my
head so that I can put more literary stuff in there. I get to share my passion
and my fantasies. Does it get any better? I think not.
Seraphina: I read
tarot cards. I have three tattoos. I have 7 cats. Yes, I know. I hate chick
flicks. I refuse to watch movies that will make me cry.
Kate:
1)
I live in New York but grew up in
Chicago. I have the most obnoxious
Midwest accent. Even after living here
for 11 years, people still ask me where I’m from.
2)
One of my favorite things to do is visit haunted
places.
3)
I guess number two relates to number three. I am a school librarian. One of my popular library programs is telling
ghost stories. When the bell rings, many
of my students are too scared to even leave their seats.
