Lani Rhea
Erotic Romance Author
Thank you for stopping by this week! Lani has graciously said she'd be hanging out with us to chat with all of you! She's busy writing her next books while also being on virtual tour stops and I'm excited to have her here with us!
Lani Rhea, lover of coffee and married to her high school
sweetheart, lives in the heart of Oklahoma. She has four children and loves
animals. Lani is always up for a challenge and enjoys mixing romance with all
genres that spark her interests. You can find her either reading or writing.
She would love to hear from you. Find her on Facebook. To catch up with her crazy
blogging visit her blog. Follow her
on Twitter, too! Let's get started!
Tonya:
Lani, we excited to learn more about you and some may not have read your work yet so this week will be to pull in new readers for you. Readers love to know more about their authors. Tell us a bit more about
yourself.
Lani: Tonya, thank you for having me here! I love meeting new readers; we'll have a great time this week! I’m spontaneous, ambitious. So the world better look out! Really, I’m a down to earth girl. I treat others the way I want to be treated. It’s just as simple as that.
Tonya:
Do you have a day job?
Lani: LOL I did for a short minute. I’m a full time writer.
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: Yes, I switch on Pandora. While I wrote Louisiana Moon I constantly played Evanescence album Fallen. I plan to listen to the same album while writing book two for the Rising Currents’ series Aeon Blood.
Tonya:
Where do you keep story ideas? Where do they come from?
Lani: When I get an idea I quickly make a .doc file and write a short paragraph. Someday I’ll revisit all of my .docs. My ideas come at the most odd times. A song, a movie, listening to people talk…really anytime.
Tonya:
Are you a daytime writer, night time writer, and do you have to be alone
to write?
Tonya:
What advice would you give to new authors?
Lani: Stick with your dream of publication. With the options of either the traditional route, or self-pubbing, your stories will be published. Just never give up on your dream. I began writing Louisiana Moon in Nov. 2010 during Nanowrimo. Now the story will release Winter of 2012-13 with Lyrical Press. See, dreams do come true. They just take a while.
Tonya:
Congratulations on finishing it. That definitely feels good, especially after all the editing is complete. 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 get a picture in my mind of what my characters look like.
Tonya:
What attracts you most about men?
Lani: Their eyes, the windows to the soul. How they stare at you with that intense come hither look.
Tonya:
Oh I know exactly what you're talking about! *squirming in my chair* We’re dying to hear about your latest book. What can you tell us without
spoiling the storyline?
Lani: If you like werewolves, vampires, zombies, demons and action, then Louisiana Moon is for you. Imagine Underworld crossed with TruBlood…yeah!
Tonya:
I'm sure several out there are jotting that down on their TBR lists right now. Where can our readers find you and your books?
Tonya:
Is there anything else you want to tell our readers?
Lani: When you first meet me in person I’m shy, but later bloom. And it’s hard to imagine that I write erotic romance. *blushing*
Tonya:
I think many authors are shy when others first meet us. We tend to be quiet but give us time and we can be the life of the party! I also like to give them the impression of the 'sweetheart next door' who no one would think could write what we do and love it! LOL What is your favorite night time snack?
Lani: I don’t eat night time snacks. I’ve got a waistline to watch.
Tonya:
I hear you there!! Do you like toppings on your ice cream?
Lani: I sure do! I love me some hot fudge sundaes from Braums! Double fudge and nuts!
Tonya:
What’s your favorite meal - Italian, Mexican, Thai, etc?
Lani: Italian and Mexican. Downtown OKC, in
Bricktown, there’s a restaurant called Zio’s. Love it!
CONTEST – Leave your questions and comments. I’ll be around all week to answer and respond. Make sure you leave me your email. I’m giving away two signed Under Bonded Contract bookmarks!
Now,
Louisiana Moon will release with Lyrical
Press in Winter of 2012-13. Please mark your calendars for the release! I’ve
been waiting for this publication for two very long years! LOL I’ll also be back here with Tonya to
celebrate with a release party! See you in Nov! Until then, please enjoy a bit of the story:
Excerpt: (Not
professionally edited by my editor)
- We need to meet at noon at Alligator
Alleys. Your life may be in danger. -
She re-read the words with disbelief. Sure, she’d
cuffed and collared many people and creatures in her career. No one liked her.
No big surprise there. But who’d upped the ante? It seemed as of late when Josh
needed to talk danger lurked in the near shadows. Her spine prickled every time
she thought of jeopardy. At the moment it rolled with the rising current.
Her risk level switched her personal safety scale to
DEFCON 3. She glanced at the grandfather clock, which showed a tad past 2:00
AM. As she flipped off the laptop, she eyed her weapon. Staying up all night
with the gun aimed at the bedroom door might be a good idea. Sure she’d lose
sleep. She’d stayed up many times worrying about the things that bumped in the
night. The only places she felt most comfortable was her home and her office.
Exiting her office, she took a few steps and her
secretary, Rita, came into view. Kris pasted a huge smile across her lips. She
didn’t want to worry Rita. The woman had been around Kris long enough to smell
trouble if she didn’t smile. Rita was her only lady friend. If she used one
word to call what they had, it would be motherly, though they always had a
professional relationship at all times. When Kris had personal problems, she’d
call Rita for advice. And Rita always gave the best wisdom on every topic.
“You work too much,” Kris told the middle-aged woman.
“Look who’s talking,” Rita quipped. “I’ll leave soon.
I promise. I have a few more things to file.”
“Good. You have a great night.”
“You, too, Ms. Knight. See you tomorrow.”
Kris nodded and exited the front office, passing
shadow boxes showcasing hundreds of bullets dating two centuries old. Everyone,
including Rita, assumed Kris had collected them as a weird hobby. The
two-hundred and fifty-six displayed had once lodged in her body.
As soon as she cleared Rita’s line of sight, Kris slid
her gun from its holster and checked the firearm. True, bullets would only slow
a preternatural, unless pure silver or blessed by a priest, but any edge was
better than none.
She scanned the building perimeter and sniffed the
air. Her keen senses stretched past the parking lot, searching for the
slightest odd scent. Detecting nothing, she made a bee-line for her car.
Her mind raced. Who posed a personal menace? Josh
would not have demanded a meeting for a garden-variety threat. Settling behind
the wheel of her gray Chevy Volt, she considered Sparky’s mention of the
vicious Soulscapes.
She hadn’t run across Soulscapes in more years than
she cared to count. Their last attempt at a hostile takeover earned them an
enchanted banishment in the Darkworld Purgatory. The most inhuman of
preternaturals, their gift of inhabiting the inanimate and bringing it to life
endangered anyone who didn’t take them seriously.
To her left, she squinted at the gargoyle perched on
the corner of the tallest building. The statue didn’t move. Maybe she shouldn’t
dwell on Soulscapes. Their brand of insidiousness would haunt her and give her
nightmares.
CONTEST – Leave your questions and comments. I’ll be around all week to answer and respond. Make sure you leave me your email. I’m giving away two signed Under Bonded Contract bookmarks!
Tonya: Lani, it's been great getting to know more about you! Thanks so much for being here all week. Readers, we thank YOU for stopping in to read. Please leave your comments for Lani along with your email addy so she can reach the winners! Muah!
