Lani Rhea Interview
Thank you for stopping in to learn more about my guest this week. Lani writes paranormal erotic romance. Lani welcome to my blog!
Lani: Thank you, Tonya, for allowing me to guest blog this week! I’m so glad you found me! We will talk about my story Rising Currents: Louisiana Moon today. It’s a paranormal erotic romance.
Blurb
In the sultry world of Louisiana, Kristina Knight, a werewolf bounty hunter, spurns her royal bloodline, wanting nothing to do with the damn Throne Leaders. Her normal life crumbles when vampires inquire if she can help locate an escapee. Her ex-lover, vampire leader Ryant Starga, is determined to save her from Soul Demons. She believes her parents were slain by his kind. He’s got some nerve if he thinks she’ll trust him after he denied their involvement.
Humans are being plucked from the streets. Kris learns Ryant is the cult leader for the Truce Brotherhood and behind the kidnappings. She rescues a human named Darin James from vampirism and from being forced to join their army to fight the snarling demons. She won’t allow it, no way. A major complication arises, Ryant can’t push Darin out of the picture to gain Kris’ respect and woo her into his bed. And the demons won’t stop until they capture her. Great.
Hoodoo magic lures Kris to a hell house she inherits. To ensure their mutant leader’s victory, the Soul Demons need one drop of her royal blood, then plan to discard her to control all preternatural creatures as Throne Leaders. If the cement dwellers would stay locked up where they belong there wouldn’t be a mess for Kristina to clean up. One more conflict added to the pile of doubt and dishonesty. She could handle it. Maybe. Who needed to be of royal blood anyway? Not her. Hell, she’d fight to the death before trusting vampires to save her from the demons.
Tonya: Tell us a bit about yourself. Do you have a day job?
Lani: I’m a mother of four and married over 15 years to my high school sweetheart. I did home school, never again. lol I like my free time to write. I babysit my neighbor’s kiddos and write.
Tonya: Some of us have things we do to get into the writing frame of mind like music, or drinks. Do you have anything special you do to get into the writing mood?
Lani: Pandora.com is my bff. PINK, my favorite artist. If I don’t listen, well, you might catch me surfing the web when I shouldn’t be. lol The web will stuck you in when you should be doing better things.
Tonya: Are you ever at a loss for ideas? What do you do to get past those time? I don’t have them often but being out in my yard and gardens helps me get creative.
Lani: I’m at a loss when the stress in life happens. This year alone has been very hard for me. From February 10th, until March 20th, I lost two first cousins in tragic ways (both brothers) AND in between their deaths, I almost lost my husband and two youngest children in a head on/right side collision. Wear seat belts, they save lives!
How I get past the hard times, is this…if an idea comes to me I write it down. Even in my minivan I find something to write on and decipher the chicken starches later. If I’m stuck after a scene, I skip the broken puzzle and write the next, then worry about filling in the gap later.
Rising Currents: Louisiana Moon will be dedicated to my two cousins, my beta reader who has pushed me into completing the story and the people of Louisiana for all their hard times. In this story, my heroine, Kristina Knight, has a foundation called the Knight Foundation, which she holds a charity event to donate money to the Red Cross.
Tonya: Do you have a card file where you keep story ideas? Where do they come from?
Lani: When new story ideas pry into my writing time of another, I type the basics in one paragraph on a .doc file and leave the story alone on my computer. I have notebooks full of ideas too. I rather use .doc and send to my yahoo to be safe because flash drives do not work! I lost everything in April, totally sucked starting back over.
Stories appear from everywhere. I could be driving and spot something unique and think, “What if?” and go from there. As for Rising Currents: Louisiana Moon, I thought, “What if there were a kick ass heroine who was a werewolf and her ex-lover was a vampire? What conflicts could I give them?” Hmm…Then the story began from there. November 2010 I began writing Louisiana Moon. My beta reader read the first few chapters and stayed on my ass to finish. Now she’s caught up to my writing and sits patiently drumming her fingers on her thighs. lol
Tonya: Tell us about a day in your life as a writer.
Lani: Coffee. Coffee is my friend, my love in the morning. Coffee slowly wakes me up and cracks the whip! First, I check my Gmail, Twitter, Facebook and my team at Savvy Authors. Did I mention I’m the leader for The Preternaturals? They are a group of lovely ladies who I adore and give inspiration to. And then, I look over what I wrote the day before and add to the story.
Tonya: Are you a daytime writer, night time writer, and do you have to be alone to write?
Lani: I’m an all day writer, hoot owl sometimes going to bed at 3 a.m. only to wake up at 8 a.m. It’s rough, but it makes progress. And yes, I do have to be alone. With four kids it’s hard. I placed a note on my bedroom door advising the kids that when my door is shut to leave me alone. Here’s the note: “Very busy. Please step away from the door. Do Not Knock!!! Only when you’re gushing blood an inch from your body is when you’re to bother me.” This is my job. I’ve explained to them that I do not have a punch card that allows me to clock in at 8 a.m. and out at 5 p.m. I write/edit all the time.
Tonya: Do you have critique partners or ever been in a critique group? What was the best thing you learned from a critique?
Lani: Yes. There are only two groups I’m really close with and they are The Preternaturals and the Sexy Spunkettes from Savvy Authors. A combine total, not including me, 23 crit partners.
My advice, don’t take negative comments to heart. What a partner/stranger states is only improvement. Take what the person offered and make it a positive, and thank them.
Tonya: Do you write better when you first have an idea of what your characters look like or do you write, then add character looks?
Lani: I have a general idea of what they look like, but I like to have the picture first. The fun part is searching royalty free images for what the character in my head looks like. It’s nice to have something to reference back to in print.
Tonya: Do you always include HEA and is that type of ending important to you?
Lani: Yes. A happily ever after is very important to me. I write paranormal, urban fantasy, romance and erotic romance. In my erotic romances, romance plays a major key in my stories. I love to write the emotions. Make the characters tug and pull on one another, and then finally give them what they desire.
Tonya: Where can our readers find you and your books?
Lani: Here are a few of my websites:
Twitter: RheasRomance
On my blog you’ll find links at the top of the page for my Facebook and Youtube. Book trailers are so fun to make! Love the experience. Find me and friend me!
As far as my book goes, this is a WIP. I plan to pitch the story in July to agents. The story is finished as far as a rough draft goes, and it’s almost completely edited. So I hope an agent picks the story up! Wish me luck everyone!
Tonya: Is there anything else you want to tell our readers?
Lani: If you’re a new writer, striving to become published, Do Not give up!
Join RWA and Savvy Authors.
Make sure you have an Author website, Facebook, Twitter, blog and throw in a Youtube page.
Socialize as much as you can with other writers, and not just about books either.
Read as much as you can on the genre you plan to write.
And most of all have fun! If you don’t have fun while you write, you’ll hate it! And we don’t want that, right? Nope we don’t. We want to hear fresh new voices. Remember to write the friggin story! Then worry about all the tech stuff later. They’re easy fixes.
Stay positive and focused. You’re time will come! I promise!
Time for an excerpt, keep in mind this has not been seen by an agent. A very close, dear friend of mine I met through Savvy is editing this story for me. Her name is Danielle Gavan. She is multi published.
Excerpt:
Damn incorrigible vampires.
Kris parked underneath the carport. She sucked in a much needed breath and tried to relax from the stressful day. She despised vampires and planned to live the rest of her days plucking every single one off the streets. They had killed her parents. And the one in her office said his name was Mr. Launders. Ha.
She knew him for a poser, not the Head Honcho over the state of Louisiana. The fake said the real leader would call her the next night. She wouldn't bet on it. Kris would ignore the call. If not for her secretary’s presences, she would have shoved a sharpened pencil through his heart for sure. Then, she laughed, he couldn't report back to the real leader.
Exiting the Chevy Volt, she gathered every bit of energy she could. Kris shuffled toward the house exhausted. Tugging her long brown hair from the bun she froze. The updraft from the ocean flicked curly strands up, wrapping them around her face. Her hand rested on the doorknob, her muscles tensed and she sniffed. Reaching for her gun, Kris withdrew it from the snug holster at the small of her back and held firm. Anxious seconds ticked by before she placed the key in the knob, and turned it. Nothing.
A familiar scent enveloped her like a swarm of bees. Not dangerous, to her anyway and yet one she could live another thousand years without. The decadence of silken coconut—exotic, wild and sexy waited on the other side. Damn it! How did he find her? She cringed before stepping inside.
Hustling to remove her gray business jacket without giving away her location, she tossed the garment constricting her movements onto the side table. Her back stayed to the door, her only exit at the moment. Quickly readjusting the silky, red chemise, she peeked into the living room. Empty, good. Dumping her phone and keys on the coat, Kris investigated. She left the kitchen for last.
The whole night had been risky. Dangerous.
Kris held the gun forearm length away, just in case he still held a temper from their last split. Continuing with tip-toed steps, her Gucci boots clicked lightly on the high glossed concrete floor. Stopping to slip them off, she hoped the sounds didn’t carry to him while she placed them next to the baseboard. Kris cringed as she thought remorsefully of their reunion. Would this hurt as much as the breakup?
The scent of coconut lingered in every room like boiled over spaghetti sauce. When the stain dried, caking to the walls, it never came off easy. She would smug her house clean with bleach when their meeting was over. Kris blew out a breath quietly to calm her nerves before she walked in the kitchen. She maintained her strenuous stance, the muscles down the middle of her back burning from the tight pull.
Turning the last corner, she scanned the room. No one in sight appeared. She missed the meeting. Good, because she didn't feel up to an encounter with anyone at the moment, let alone him. To be completely assured, she glanced around once more.
The ebony granite tops glistened with the moonlight. The sparkles of shaved stone shone faintly with each angle scoped. Nothing. Barefoot, she walked over to the cherry wood cabinets, and placed her gun on the counter. She reached above the copper tub sink, extracted a short crystal tumbler, and steadied her breathing.
Glass half-full with water from the faucet, she drank the contents and then flipped the overhead sink switch. Enough light shone in the frosted-glowing white halo for Kris to look around. She felt him close, there somewhere and her body stiffened. So much for relaxing, she scanned the windows. There goes that notion out the door. She readied herself by placing a hand near the gun.
A whisper of wind blew behind her. Ryant Starga leaned in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. Momentarily, she faced forward, looking out the kitchen window, stealing quick glances at his glazed reflection. She stood silent, waited. He still sent pleasurable quakes of delight through her, and yet at the same time Kris wanted to stake him. He gave her nothing but a blank stare. Her turn, “Took you long enough to appear this time, don't you think? You're getting rusty aren't ya?”
“I should ask the same. The boots were a dead giveaway.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, time to reconsider her fashion sense and buy flats. Damn, she loved those boots. He lazily waved a hand in the reflection, his arms crossed over his chest. The memory of her hands fondling his muscled frame tumbled back. Her stomach tightened at the thought of his hands on her skin.
The scent of warm bread and steamed vegetables fluttered around her nose. It bloomed and lingered in the space between them, like a red cape baiting a bull to attack. Glancing at the table in the next room, Kris saw a meal laid out. Vampire magic, great. What a shame and pitifully wasted gift.
Ryant dressed sleek and commanding. His strong legs shifted, switching the balance of weight between ankles, and swiveling his hips. Kris could remember burrowing her heels in his hard round of ass. She cussed at her body for wanting him again. Would she ever learn?
“Come have dinner with me,” he commanded her, voice flowing like a brook on a bright spring day. The beast side of Kris would tear apart the bunnies hopping alongside the water’s edge. She needed to keep a leash on it, find out what he wanted, why he was there?
What the hell happened to her day? First, a vamp in her office—and now, in her home, she sighed, wishing their kind would disappear.
“Come,” he coaxed. Once upon a time he had reined her in with the beauty of his voice. Still, her mind boggled over how they were ever a couple.
She turned gracefully to stare face to face with Ryant, and glared at him. Strange specks she didn’t recall being there darkened his tawny eyes. It had been fifty years since their last encounter in Los Angeles, and while some memories could be erased, not all had been. She refused to let his star-burst eyes capture her soul again.
He snapped his fingers, and candles flickered to life. A warm glow lit the dining room. The flickering flames casted pale yellow waves throughout the room, barely reached past silver pointed, black alligator shoes. Did he plan to shank her with them?
Ryant had always been the type of man, vamp, whatever—to show off his powers. Like his way of trying to impress her with the midnight black designer Azione Italian suit he wore. The show he put on wouldn't work this time around.
The empty glass clanked against the counter. “What do you want? It's been decades.” She folded arms under the swell of her breasts, a hip balanced against the counter and waited for his response. Kris’ narrowed eyes, concentrated hard as they roamed from the floor up to take in the visual stimulus he offered. Her body ached to touch his but she forced back the desire despite the heat pooled between her thighs. Damn. Why couldn’t the longing for him have stayed in the past?
~*~
There you have it! Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you find Rising Currents: Louisiana Moon intriguing. Who knows, maybe soon I’ll blog for Tonya, but the next time I’ll raffle off a free copy! For now I can promise an interesting read. Visit June 22nd for my erotic romance story The Ark Hotel: Two by Two, story one of six planned, brought to you by Sizzler Intoxications! I’ll be around all day today and tomorrow for questions! Friday we’ll play a game!
Thank you, Tonya, for the experience!
BIO
Married for over 15 years to her high school sweetheart, Lani Rhea lives in the heart of Oklahoma. She has four children, two cats and one dog, and is always up for a challenge and enjoys mixing romance with all genres that spark her interests. She absolutely loves paranormal romances!
Tonya: Readers, I hope you enjoyed today's bit of info. Wednesday, Lani will share more with us so please mark your calendar to stop back for a visit.
Sondra: I can't speak for Nick, but yes, I'm falling in love with the man. He's in my thoughts constantly, I find myself doing things that will please him and when I'm not with him, I want to be.
