Summer Bash!

It's July and we are only two days away from barbecues and fireworks. And of course, the bash continues. This week my very dear friend N.J. Walters is stopping by. Thanks N.J. it is always such a thrill to have you.

1: Your very first published book was Annabelle Lee. What inspired the story?

Annabelle Lee actually came about because of an online writing contest being hosted by a NY Times bestselling author. I saw the contest online the day before the deadline and wrote and submitted one chapter. Needless to say it didn’t get chosen, but I kept writing the story. When I finished it, I submitted it to Ellora’s Cave. The rest, as they say, is history and Annabelle Lee was published in October 2004. On another note, I just signed my 50^th contract with Ellora’s Cave. J

2: What is the one thing you most enjoy about writing? Least enjoy?

I love the creative process. Taking a blank page and turning it into a complete story. I also love all the amazing people I’ve met online since I started my writing journey.

What I least enjoy? I’m technically challenged so that’s been hard for me, especially since so much promotion is online now. I’ve learned a lot but I can’t seem to keep up with technology. It changes so fast. That does frustrate me at times.

3: If you could go back in time and talk to anyone, who would you speak to? Why?

That’s a tough one. I can think of several famous people I’d love to sit down and talk with but I think I’d go back and talk with my father. He died when I was only eighteen and I still miss him.

4: Recently you released Strands Of Love, the final book in your Tapestry series. Tell us about the book.

Strands of Love is a bit different from the other Tapestries book. This time the warriors actually travel to the heroine’s world. Usually, it’s the other way around, the heroine travels to Javara. This time they both get a glimpse of one another’s world.

BLURB:

Samantha Calloway is desperately working to keep her farm from financial ruin. It’s the only thing she has left from her deceased family and she’s determined to make it a success at any cost.

Darian and Jace Hunter live in a world where women are in short supply and brothers must share. The magic tapestry has always brought a potential tapestry bride to Javara, but this time it transports the two brothers to a strange land.

When Samantha finds two strangers on her land she doesn’t believe their stories of magic tapestries and other worlds. But when she suddenly finds herself in Javara, she doesn’t know what to believe. And when the tapestry transports them all back to her farm, Sam has a choice. She must decide if she will be true to her family and their legacy or if she will abandon it all for a chance at love.

5: Strands Of Love was the conclusion to your popular Tapestry series. How do you feel when you end a series after having written it and been invested in it for so long?

It’s hard to end any series but especially this one. There was something special about the Tapestries books from the moment I wrote Christina’s Tapestry. I’d originally planned it as a stand-alone book but that didn’t last long. I fell in love with this world and the characters who populate it.

I love each and every one of the Tapestries books, but I felt as though it was time to finish the series. I didn’t want to keep writing books for the sake of it. This series is too special and readers deserve the best I can give them.

6: When one door closes another begins. You have begun a brand new series, The Salvation Pack series. What inspired the series?

I knew I wanted to write more werewolf stories but I didn’t want it to take place in the same world that the Legacy books take place. I had an image of five male werewolves, all tough, all potential alphas. What were they doing together? Why weren’t they with a pack? These questions led me to explore deeper into their world and write Wolf at the Door.

7: Book one is Wolf at the Door and just released from Samhain Publishing. Tell us about it.

Wolf at the Door introduces readers to the five members of the Salvation Pack. You’ll learn who they are and why they broke away from their old pack and formed a new one. You’ll also meet Gwendolyn Jones who is about to find out that that werewolves are more than just fantasy. They’re very, very real.

BLURB:

When Gwendolyn Jones inherits a Tennessee cabin from a great aunt she never knew, she quits her job and follows her dream to write full time. Meeting a stranger in a local cemetery isn’t a risk she normally takes, but she needs the information on his flash drive for an article she’s writing on werewolves. Later that night, when two honest-to-God werewolves come knocking on her cabin door, they’re definitely not Photoshopped.

Jacque LaForge is on a mission to retrieve a flash drive before it endangers his pack. He never thought he’d find a mate, but the chemistry between him and Gwen is unmistakably off the charts. Now to convince her he’s only trying to protect her from his vengeful former pack—led by his own father.

Gwen’s first instinct to flee only gets her a smashed car and a concussion. She wakes up in a dangerous new world she never thought existed—and in the arms of the one man who stands between her and certain death.

8: Wolf in her Bed is book two and will release later this year. What can we expect from the 2^nd installment of your Salvation Pack werewolves?

The second book picks up where the first one leaves off. It’s only a short time later and the pack still has problems with former enemies. That’s tough enough without adding a woman to the mix.

BLURB:

Anny Conrad is a single thirty-year-old librarian—a cliché complete with two cats. Dragged out to a local bar, she’s rethinking her life plan over a few drinks when a man walks up and asks her to dance. And what a man. Tall, rugged and more than a little untamed. Before she knows it, she’s in his arms and throwing caution to the wind. 

With a pack war in full, deadly swing, the last thing Armand LaForge needs right now is a woman in his life, much less a human. But one thing is certain, he’s met his mate, the one woman in the world for him.

The kindest thing to do is give her all the hot sex she wants and then leave her alone. But when the morning comes, fate isn’t done screwing with them. Anny is confronted with the fact that the myths in her library books are real…and now she’s one of them.

9: Mad Loving, book one the Hatter’s Club novella series just released from Ellora’s Cave Publishing. What’s it about?

Mad Loving is a fun contemporary romance. I hadn’t written one in a while and wanted to keep it light and sexy.

BLURB:

Allison Lewis finds herself in another world when she enters Hatter’s, a trendy New York nightclub. She’s a Midwestern girl living in the big city and has recently been through a bad breakup. But tonight, she wants to put all that behind her. And she’s found just the man to tempt her to break out of her conservative mold—the sexy Nevar Hatter.

Running Hatter’s takes up most of Nevar’s time. He never comes on to patrons, but he’s more than willing to make an exception for Allison. Fiery passion leads to a one-night stand. Nevar wants more but Allison is running scared. He pulls out all the stops, including a private tea party of their own to entice Allison to trust him with not only her body, but also her heart.

10: What made you decide to focus on the Alice in Wonderland tale?

I saw a reference to the original book one day and it got me to thinking, which is always a dangerous thing. It’s such a whimsical book. I decided it was the perfect theme for a nightclub run by who other than Nevar and Rabb (short for Rabbit) Hatter. *g* The rest flowed from there.

11: Wild Loving, the 2^nd in the Hatter’s Club series released May 23^rd. Tell us about Rabb’s story.

Rabb’s story is darker than the first one. I can’t seem to help myself from taking the dark path.

BLURB:

Broke and homeless, Eliza Hart is at the end of her rope. She’s spent the last year of her life trying to evade a dangerous stalker. In desperation, she turns to the man she once loved, the man who walked away from her without a backward glance—Rabb Hatter.
Rabb is shocked when Eliza shows up at Hatter’s—the club he co-owns with his brother—looking for a job. He’d left her and hadn’t looked back when he’d thought she’d cheated on him with another man. Now he discovers that not only did Jason Ware lie, but he’s been stalking Eliza the whole time. The spark between them certainly hasn’t died, and when Rabb learns she’s lost everything, he’s determined to protect her. But first he must overcome the pain of their past and convince her she’s right to trust him with her heart.

12: Will there be more in the Hatter’s Club?

Yes, I am planning two more novellas/short novels for the Hatter’s Club. I hope to write them later this year.

13: What else are you working on?

I’m currently working on the fourth book in the Salvation Pack series. This is Gator’s story. I’m also working on a new futuristic series for Ellora’s Cave. More details as they become available.

14: What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

I love to read. No surprise there. I also love walking, going to movies and haunting thrift stores and yard sales for treasures.

15: What is the one thing you’d like people to know about you?

I’m a very normal, stay-at-home kinda gal. I always said that all I ever wanted was to be able to make a living from home and now I do! I love writing and am very grateful to all my readers. Their support allows me to keep writing books.

5 Bonus Questions

16: What’s your favorite color? Purple

17: What’s your favorite food? That’s tough. How can I choose only one. It’s a tossup between bread and cheese. Of course, there’s always chocolate too.

18: Favorite TV show? The Big Bang Theory

19: Favorite Movie? The Crow/Lord of the Rings

20: Favorite Song? Don’t really have one.

N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:

Website: http://www.njwalters.com

Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com

Newsletter Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters