Please Welcome The Amazing N.J. Walters!

This is the day I have been looking forward to for weeks. The wonderful and talented N.J. Walters is here. This lady is my writing hero and has become a great friend. I am so thrilled to have her here. She's the one who encouraged me to try submitting my own writing and it paid off because I'm about to be published. I love this lady. So here she is, N.J. Walters!



1: First off thank you so much for doing this. You are my writing idol. When did you first begin writing?

Thank you so much for inviting me, Kat. And thank you for the huge compliment. I truly appreciate it.

I wrote poetry when I was a teenager and some short stories in my twenties, but it wasn’t until I was in my early thirties that I tried my hand at a book. I wrote two and then stopped for about five years before I started again. I haven’t stopped writing since.


2: What inspired you to write?

I found myself living in a strange town while hubby was going to school. I’d always been an avid reader, but had never thought to write a book. I suddenly had the time so, with my husband’s full support and encouragement, I decided to give it a try. That book was Discovering Dani (a much rawer version than was finally published by Samhain Publishing).


3: Are you currently working on anything?

I’m currently working on the next book in the Legacy werewolf series. This is Isaiah’s book. I don’t have a title yet so that’s how I’m referring to it. *g*

There are so many characters in the first book, Alexandra’s Legacy, that I want to write books for. LOL I’m hoping to get at least two of them done this year.

4: Is there anything you do to get yourself in the mood to write?

Not really. The act of sitting at my desk to write is usually enough. My computer is not connected to the Internet. I use hubby’s desk top computer for that. That means there is nothing to distract me when I sit down to write.

I’m also a very focused person and, once I start writing, I don’t stop for anything until I finally run out of steam. That’s why I write in the morning before I get too distracted by other things.

I’ll sometimes use music to help me get in the mood when I’m plotting ideas, but I need quiet to write.


5: Who are some of your favorite authors to read?

That’s a tough question. That list could be a mile long. LOL Jayne Ann Krentz is one of my favorites. It was her books that led me to reading romance in the first place. Also, Linda Howard, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Julie Garwood, Stephanie Laurens, J.R. Ward, Janet Evanovich, Lauren Dane, Charlene Teglia, Christine Feehan…and on and on. See, I told you the list was endless.


6: Of all your wonderful stories your Tapestry series is my absolute favorite. What was the inspiration for them?

Than you so much. I’m so glad you enjoyed the Tapestries series. This one is a reader favorite, for which I am very grateful. FYI, there will be a new Tapestries book out sometime this year—Embroidered Fantasies.

Christina’s Tapestry was the first book in the series. The inspiration was the result of several different things coming together at once. I’d had the character of Christina in mind for a while and I knew who she was. I also knew I wanted to try my hand at writing a ménage a trois.

One day, I happened across a book of Medieval tapestries and my mind began working. I started asking the “what if” questions. What if the tapestry was magic? What if it took Christina, not to Medieval Europe, but an alternative world? What if there was a shortage of women in that world and brothers had to share?

Everything else flowed from there. I’d planned on it being a stand-alone book but, by the time I was finished writing it, I knew I had to write the story of the Bakra brothers. Embroidered Fantasies is book five and I still have at least one more I want to write.

7: You have a book that will be released later this year that’s part of a multi-author series. Can you tell us a little bit about Seeking Charlotte?

I’m thrilled to be part of the Hearts of Fire series with the very talented Ciana Stone, T.J. Michaels and Nicole Austin.

Memory’s Eye, book 1 by Ciana Stone and Shards of Ecstasy by T.J. Michaels are already available. Seeking Charlotte is book three and Kenna’s Cowboy by Nicole Austin is book four. We’re currently working on the final book together.

The first four books are stand-alone with a start and a finish, but they’re built around a larger storyline which we complete in the final book.

Four girls meet in an orphanage and become sisters, not by blood, but by choice. They’re all special and each have a piece of a crystal, the Heart of Fire. There are pieces out there, held by four men. But there is also a demon, Asmodeus, who will stop at nothing to claim all the pieces of the crystal, which will enable him to dominate the world. Their destinies will collide and each woman must embrace her gifts and find a way to defeat the demon. The final confrontation, in book five, brings all the couples and the crystals together for one big battle.

Seeking Charlotte is the story of Charlotte Jones and bounty hunter, Creed Lawson.

Blurb:

Creed Lawson knows Charlotte Jones is trouble from the moment she presses her lithe body to his and kisses him. But that doesn’t stop him from taking what she’s offering—a night of hot, uninhibited sex. But Creed hasn’t bargained for the feelings she stirs in him, nor the talk of crystals, demons and destiny.

Charlotte is an empath. The ability to feel peoples’ emotions has made it difficult for her to lead a normal life. At eighteen, she received one of the eight pieces of the Heart of Fire, a crystal that contains untold power. She was told there was a male who held the other half of her stone as well as a demon that coveted all the pieces of the crystal.

The demon has finally found her. But she’s knows that Creed is the special man she’s been waiting for. Charlotte is facing the fight of her life. Will Creed fight beside her or walk away?


8: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I’d love to go to New England in the fall. There are a lot of places there I’d love to visit, plus I could skip over to upstate New York and visit Sleepy Hollow as well.

9: What’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

I’d like people to know how grateful I am for their encouragement and to thank everyone who has read my books. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to make a living doing what I love. I’m very thankful for that fact every single day.

10: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Keep writing and write what you love. Don’t try to follow trends. They come and go. If you don’t believe in what you’re writing, no one else will.


EXCERPT:

Since we were talking about Christina’s Tapestry, I thought I’d share an excerpt with you. Enjoy.:-)

Christina’s Tapestry
© 2005 by N.J. Walters
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
http://www.jasminejade.com/m-172-nj-walters.aspx


Christina opened one eye and frowned slightly when the only thing she could see was a large pair of leather boots in front of her face. It was then she became aware that her mattress was rather lumpy and that her pillow smelled suspiciously like fresh grass. She closed her eye tight, took a deep breath and then opened them both. But the picture remained the same no matter how many times she blinked.

“I must be dreaming again,” she mumbled to herself.

“And here I thought I must be the one who was dreaming.” The voice was deep, masculine and amused.

Tilting her head back, she followed the boots up over an incredibly long pair of muscular legs encased in a tight pair of leather pants. An open vest emphasized his lean waist, a six-pack of abs and an impossibly wide chest. Her eyes kept traveling upwards, all the way to a face that took her breath away.

The man was gorgeous. His straight black hair disappeared behind his shoulders, but a thin braid came down each side of his temple falling all the way to his waist. The braids framed a rough-hewn face with a prominent nose, thin lips and a high forehead. His eyes, a golden-brown, blazed with desire as his gaze ran over her scantily clad form.

She sat up quickly and scuttled backwards away from the giant in front of her. Her fingers dug into the moist ground beneath her. Twisting her head from side-to-side, she tried to get her bearings. Her bed was gone, her room was gone, and she certainly wasn’t in her apartment.

Instead, she was sitting on the ground in the middle of a grassy field with a tall, thick forest surrounding her. Somewhere in the distance, a bird was twittering and a butterfly fluttered past her nose, coming to rest on a small patch of purple flowers on her right.

“Are you alone?” The giant frowned down at her and she swallowed back a scream, shaking her head. There was no way in hell she was telling this man that she was alone.

He took a step towards her and she scrambled to her feet, thrusting her hands out in front of her to ward him off. Her heart was pounding in her chest now and her entire body trembled with fear. True, he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid her eyes on, but he was also a total stranger.

However, the longer she stared at him the more familiar he seemed.

He stopped immediately and his gaze softened. “There’s no need to fear.” He held one hand out to her and his voice became calm and almost hypnotic. “You cannot be out alone without protection. Come to me.”

She almost took a step towards him. Almost.

Standing her ground, she glanced about for something she could use as a weapon. Anything. “Who are you?” If she could keep him talking, it might give her time to figure out what in the heck she should do. “Where am I?”

“I am Jarek of the House of Garen.” He paused. “And you, little one, are on my land.”

“Well, I don’t know how I got here, Jarek of the House of whatever, but I’d sure as heck rather be home in bed.” She remembered what she’d first thought when she opened her eyes and suddenly everything began to make sense. “I’m dreaming, again.”

His outfit looked familiar and it finally came to her why she felt she recognized him. Sizing up the man in front of her one more time, she suddenly decided that it wasn’t such a bad dream to be having.

The look of hot lust in his eyes was not the kind she was used to being directed her way. Under his gaze her nipples pebbled into tight buds that pushed against the silk of her nightgown. Her body certainly remembered the pleasure he’d given her in her dream last night.

She licked her dry lips and stood a little taller, thrusting her breasts out slightly. If possible the heat in Jarek’s eyes grew more fiery. As she watched him, a very large bulge grew in the front of his breeches. A shiver of desire shot down her spine.

It was nice to have a name to put with one of the warriors from the tapestry. Jarek. She liked the sound of it, strong and solid and noble. “You’re one of the warriors from the tapestry.” She knew he had to be, but for some reason she wanted him to confirm that.


The lust in his eyes disappeared in a blink and a cold, hard gleam appeared there instead. “Tapestry?”

Christina swallowed back her fear. After all, this was just a dream. “The one with the castle and the woods and the two warriors standing in front of it.” She motioned with her hands to show him the approximate size. “I bought it from a strange little shop a couple days ago.”

“The prophecy has begun.” His voice was low, his tone almost reverent as he bowed his head for a moment. When he raised his head again, his face was set in determined lines. “You are alone and must come to the castle for protection.”

Christina didn’t like his imperious tone and she liked his command even less. “I think I’ll stay here until I wake up if it’s all the same to you.”

The dumbfounded look on his face told her that no one said no to this man very often. He cocked his head to one side as he stared at her as if trying to figure out whether she was being difficult or if she was just plain crazy. At the moment, she’d opt for the second one. This whole dream was nuts.

Part of her wanted to go with him. If she were lucky, maybe this would turn into another long, erotic dream. A woman didn’t get a chance to have sex with a guy this hot very often, even if it was just a fantasy. But in the harsh light of day, he looked too big, too powerful and just too intimidating as he took another step towards her.

Panicking, she once again threw up her hands in front of her to stop him. “If you’re the warrior from the tapestry, where’s the other one?”

Strong arms enveloped her from behind and a pair of tan muscled forearms clamped around her stomach. She was pulled back against a rock-hard chest as a soft voice whispered in her right ear. “I’m right here.”

Again, thank you so much for being here. This is the best day ever for me. You are my writing idol!



If you want to know more about N.J. Walters and her many books, just click on the link I have up for her website or click here to go to her blog. Thank you N.J. for taking the time and visiting with me today. Have a great weekend everyone.