Welcome Special Guest Author E.B. Walters & GIVEAWAY

Hey all!

Join me in welcoming author, E.B. Walters. She's here courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours to promote her latest release, MINE UNTIL DAWN.

Remember to comment! She's giving away an eBook copy to one lucky commenter.

WRITING BOTH YA AND ADULT ROMANCE

“No, you don’t want to do that….stick with one genre…once people get used to your style in one genre, they’ll expect the same tone and level of sensuality in all your books.”

I heard it all but life is too short. I say, go where the muse takes you. Re-invent yourself. My muse slapped me upside down once and I’ve never stopped swinging both ways. No, I don’t mean between the sheets. I mean writing both YA and adult romance. Is it easy? No. Making the mental transition from hot kisses that shoot adrenaline through your veins to PG-13 lip-locking can be painful. Believe me, the yo-yo-ing does wonders to your creativity.

So where did my tango with different genres begin? I could say…It started on a warm summer afternoon…but I’d be lying. It started with my child. My pre-pubescent know-it-all daughter.

I had just finished the first draft of an untitled adult romance and was feeling mighty pleased with myself, sipping a glass of wine and contemplating a depraved, steamy picture for the cover, when my daughter walked into ‘my office’ with her nose buried in some YA book. My office is actually a desk at an alcove in the bedroom of my 6 and 8 year old—they love to fall asleep to the rhythmic pounding of the keyboard and occasional chuckles when one of my characters says something witty.

Anyway, so my oldest daughter walked in laughing and stopped long enough to say, “Mom, you should write something like this. It’s amazing.”

Amazing, ashmazing…what did she know? What I heard was, “Why CAN’T you write something like this?”

“Sure, hun,” I responded casual-like but on the inside I was miffed.

Hadn’t I just spent 4 gruesome months with the hottest guy EVER and a pig-headed artist? Visited a speakeasy and walked through the underground tunnels of L.A.?(online of course) Interviewed a real portrait artist and visited a local studio to chat with another?(I really did) Hung out with Hotshot firefighters and drooled over their toned bods? Jealous? Wondering if I really did? I did. All these cool stuff in the name of writing the best adult romance ever. In fact, I was busy visualizing a shirtless hunk with tats on his arms breaking through billowing flames with the heroine in his arms when my daughter interrupted me.

So the challenge began. If I can write an adult romance, I should be able to write YA, right? Grinning like a villain master-minding the ultimate heist, I dove into the teen literary world, read everything I could find. Some plots were funny-I don’t do funny. Others were ridiculous, I don’t do that either. Then I thought, why not go for something different? Write about a love so forbidden hell and heaven will strive to keep the characters apart. Since they’re teens, they can get their Happily Ever After on book 3 or 5. It’s been done before you say? I say no, it hasn’t. Not when the Nephilim are involved. I had no idea fallen angels were going to compete with the fanged ones, but I finished and submitted AWAKENED, book 1 of the Guardian Legacy series, to agents.

I got one agent interested, the über wonderful agent Leticia Gomez of Savvy Literary Agency. One phone call and we clicked. While she tried to find a home for AWAKENED, I went back to my shelved adult romance, my Hotshot firefighter with the body of a god and the artist he wanted to…use …tame…love. I reworked it to my satisfaction and finally came up with a title…SLOW BURN.

So enamored by the family I had created and still waiting for the call from my agent, I started working on my second and third adult book, MINE UNTIL DAWN and KISS ME CRAZY. Finally I got the call. My agent had sold AWAKENED…rah, rah, bring out the pom-poms. Through edits, the waiting and nail-biting, I polished the adult romances and started on my second YA book, BETRAYED, book 2 of the Guardian Legacy series.


HERE ARE TWO LOVE SCENES-A KISS:

BETRAYED (YA):

He lifted my chin, brushed hair from my face, and briefly pressed his lips against mine. My lips tingled and butterflies danced in my stomach. He stopped kissing me before I could respond and searched my face, his emerald eyes swirling pools of concern. You okay?

I grinned. I am now. I missed you over the weekend. Where were you?

He stroked my face with the tips of his fingers and tucked another stray curly lock behind my ear, a smile I couldn’t read playing on his lips.

Taking care of something. I missed you too, that’s why I’m here. He glanced over my shoulder, his eyes narrowing. “You can put her backpack down, Sykes.”

“What? No thank you for my gentlemanly act?” His tone was sarcastic, making it hard to tell whether he was genuinely annoyed or faking it.

Bran ignored Sykes, lowered his head and kissed me again, the way he usually did when we were alone. Angling his head, he deepened the contact. I forgot about Sykes as the world tilted and I floated to a zone filled with sensations and warmth. I stopped caring about who might be watching as our psi energies mingled until it was impossible to tell where he ended and I began



MINE UNTIL DAWN (adult romance);

“My turn,” he said in a guttural voice he didn’t recognize as his own. He wanted her to feel the full range of his passion, to succumb to it willingly.

Her eyes round, she gripped his arms. “You promised—”

“Just one kiss.” His head swooped low and he claimed her lips. At the same time he pulled her against his hard body. Sinking his hand in her hair, he thrust his tongue past her lips to explore the moist, satiny wonders of her inner mouth. The taste of her, sweet and exotic, left him light-headed.

Her arms crept up to circle his neck and cradle him. He felt the tremors course through her body, echoing his. Deftly, he shuffled forward, half-carrying and half-dragging her, until her back was against the wall. He braced himself, legs slightly apart, as he deepened the kiss. His hunger was so shocking and unexpected, her unrestrained response so exhilarating. He plundered her mouth like a man long starved.

Blood roared in his ears. His hands shook like an adolescent on the verge of his first sexual encounter. Vince reached for the lapels of her robe and parted them. She gasped against his mouth, her unrestrained breasts spilling out. From the corner of his eye, he spied one perfect mound. Beautiful. Succulent. Meant to be suckled. He cupped it and rubbed the tight, puckered nipple with his thumbs.

Any moment, Vince expected Jade to stiffen, push him away, or tell him to stop. It would kill him, make him howl like a rabid dog, but he would respect her wishes. A protest arose from his chest when her arms dropped from his neck to his arms.

Oh, crap, here it comes.

But instead of pushing away, Jade’s fingers dug into his flesh like talons. She arched her back, offering him better access to her lush breasts.

Forget one kiss. It wasn’t enough. It could never be enough between them. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t drag this one to eternity and back. He had a whole bag of sexual tricks just for her. He wanted her over the edge, tumbling to the other side with nothing but the sound of his name on her lips.


Is it crazy to switch back and forth between genres? Yep. Is it fun? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Hell no. Any questions?




Mine Until Dawn


By Ednah Walters

July 20 Firetrail Publishing

http://www.firetrailpublishing.com

Chick Lit Romance with an element of suspense

BLURB:  She's armed with a new attitude and a kick-ass wardrobe....

By age twenty-eight, art historian Jade Fitzgerald has had a marriage from hell and an equally nasty divorce, worked hard to control her weight and her arrhythmia. The last thing she needs is another man messing with her head or shooting her heartbeat off course. That is exactly what she gets when an aloof and mysterious stranger storms into her life.

He's cynical and don’t take crap from anyone....

Former investigative reporter Vince Knight is on a quest to recover a priceless, ancient Mayan artifact, which he believes Jade’s mother stole. He’s skilled at gathering information while remaining emotionally detached, until he meets Jade. The voluptuous woman stirs in him a hunger he hasn’t felt in a long time and a protectiveness he can’t explain.

Neither of them expects passion to flare so fast or danger to dodge their footsteps. To defeat a ruthless art collector with a twisted agenda, Jade and Vince must learn to trust each other and embrace their growing feelings.

Until, an insane man plots to add Jade to his collection of beautiful and rare things.

EXCERPT:  Jade eased her car into an empty parking space outside the Palace and switched off the engine. A groan escaped her when she caught a glimpse of the time. Three minutes late and counting. That was what she got for taking a little extra time to deck her body and paint herself like a geisha. Granted she had a party to go to after their meeting. Still, to make Vince Knight choke on his words would be an added bonus.

I haven’t changed, my butt.

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and studied her face in the rear view mirror. The make-up and pinned-up hair with a few tendrils framing her face couldn’t be labeled overkill. She tilted the mirror to check the enticing valley created by the black bustier she’d worn under her matching spaghetti-strapped dress. Now that sight could be classified as a look-and-drool display.

Jade picked up her black purse and sheer shawl then stepped out of her car and locked it. She smoothed the silk dress down over her hips. A chuckle escaped her. Her behind had its own agenda and continued to resist any attempts to slim it down, but she was learning to live with it.

Jade took several steps, glanced down and grimaced. Six-inches of pure hell. She was a sucker for beautiful shoes, but the look on Vince’s face when he saw her in them would be worth it.

Two men exited the hotel as she approached the entrance and froze at seeing her, eyes wide with appreciation. A drawn out ‘damn’ brought a quick smile to her lips. That was all the encouragement she needed to work the black drop-waist dress with asymmetrical hem.

Her senses thrummed with anticipation as she glided through the hotel doors. Jade gave the busy foyer a sweeping glance. When her gaze locked on Vince, her heart started a rickety shuffle and her stomach tilted.

This was bad. She wasn’t within sniffing distance of the man and her body was already betraying her. Even in plain jeans and a T-shirt, he stood out. She studied his tall, built body as he leaned against the front desk. His tanned skin contrasted with his white T-shirt in an attractive way, his teeth flashing as he spoke with one of the managers.

It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t even her type. She avoided the silent, brooding, emotionally unavailable types like the plague. They were too difficult to understand and complicated. On the other hand, where had an outgoing man gotten her? A bad marriage and doubts about her sensuality.

As though he felt her gaze, Vince turned.

She stopped breathing, a stupid thing to do. He gave her a slow appraisal, his gaze lingering on her chest before colliding with hers.

Expression on his face? Cool. Unimpressed.

Air left her lungs in an unsteady rush. She twisted her lips into what she hoped resembled a smile as she started across the room. All that time spent putting her war paint on wasted. How could he maintain that stone-cold soberness all the time? Vince had to be made of ice, and served her right for trying to get a rise out of him.

Maybe that was the problem. His rigid control and aloofness made her want to do or say something to rattle his cage. His lack of interest in her was a definite challenge. Maybe there was some truth to the lure of the unattainable. Vince Knight, without trying, fascinated her.

Vince approached with the loose-hipped predatory stride of a jungle cat, sending a whoosh of anticipation through her. Feeling a little light-headed, Jade hoped she didn’t totter on her high stilettos.

“Sorry, I’m late,” she said, hating the breathlessness in her voice.

“No problem. You’re here now.” He gave her another cool once-over without making a comment and lifted a duffel bag she didn’t notice he was carrying. “I need to show you something.”

Her gaze moved from the bag to his face. “What is it?

“Let’s find a place to sit first.” His dark gaze swept the foyer as though cataloguing faces. She wasn’t sure whether it was caution or paranoia.

She trailed his gaze. “Is everything okay?”

“No.”


MINE UNTIL DAWN is available at:


AMAZON


BARNES & NOBLE


SMASHWORDS


About Ednah Walters (E.B. Walters): I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, before I graduated to Mills & Boons (starting with Janet Daily's Shutter the Sky) and the rest is history.

I enjoy good love stories, tingly mysteries and wondrous adventures. When I finished college and decided to be a stay-at-home mother, I devoured books like they were going out of production, until reading just wasn't enough. So I started to write.

I've written picture books, contemporary and romantic suspense, biracial/multicultural books, and finally YA fantasy. AWAKENED is the first YA book in The Guardian Legacy series. It was released in September 2010. BETRAYED, book 2 in the series, will be out August 1st 2011. In my adult romance series, SLOW BURN, book 1 of the Fitzgeralds, was out May 1st 2011, MINE UNIL DAWN is due mid July. Book 3, KISS ME CRAZY, a contemporary romance, is with my editor. I'm presently working on book 4, Faith Fitzgerald’s story and book 3 of my YA Guardian Legacy series.

When I'm not writing, I do things with my family, five children or my darling husband of 19 years. I live in a picturesque valley in Utah, the setting for my YA series.

To learn more about Ednah and her work, please visit:


http://www.ednahwalters.com/
http://enwalters.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000535104042
http://twitter.com/#!/ednahwalters
http://www.youtube.com/user/ednahwalters?feature=mhsn
http://bookblogs.ning.com/profile/EdnahWalters


WAIT...There's MORE!

Ednah is also having a big tour finale giveaway at her blog for another opportunity to win prizes!


Details are as follows:

Contest begins September 1st and ends on the 21st.

The finale is happening at Ednah's blog, where you will win goodies.

3 winners will be chosen at random at the end of the tour.

Winners will be announced on 9/22.


Winners will receive:

1. A signed copy of Mine Until Dawn (print)

2. Slow Burn tote bag

3. Slow Burn mousepad

4. Slow Burn Bookmarks.


Contest is International

TO ENTER:

1. You must comment on the participating blogs first

2. Tweet about the post on participating blogs

3. Follow Ednah's blog when you get there.

4. Leave Ednah a comment on her blog at

http://enwalters.blogspot.com/2011/08/mine-until-dawn-tour-finale-giveaway.html