And the fun continues....Welcome Cassie Ryan!

For the final week of my celebration month, I am spotlighting the one and only Cassie Ryan. Cassie is both colleague and friend and it's my pleasure to have her here talking about life, time and Miss America. Well...maybe not exactly, but close enough. You know how my interviews go. You may learn something fun and you may not. :)

So diving right into the exciting interview....

Erin: Welcome, Cassie and congratulations on the release of the final book in the Trio of Seduction series! I know you have fans who were anxiously awaiting the conclusion (and will now be morose over knowing there isn't another one coming!)...no pun intended of course.

Okay, to launch into the questions. If you were in the "Miss America" talent competition, what would your talent be?

div>Cassie: Hmm, I think I’d have to do instrumental – something on clarinet or saxophone. I’d suck as a cheerleader, baton twirler, singer, dancer or etc...lol.


Erin: Well I probably wouldn't make it to the talent part. They'd boo me off after the swimsuit show. Lucky for me I'm smart and have a great personality, right? ha ha.


Okay, next question: If you had one extra hour of free time a day, how would you use it?



Cassie: A nice hot bath and a good book :)


Erin: There is a reason why we are friends, m'dear. That is my answer exactly. My kids say that I don't bathe, I marinate. I see nothing wrong with that.


Based on something you've already done, how might you make it into the Guinness Book of World Records?


Cassie: Uhhh....number of times I’ve re-read my favorite books, number of times I’ve told my son to pick up his socks off the floor, number of times I can curse at my characters within one scene when they aren’t listening? LOL! Don’t really think I’ve done anything that’ll get me close to record breaking yet :) But who knows, there’s always tomorrow.


Erin: I think I could qualify with the picking up socks off the floor times 2. (two daughters). It's enough to make a person nuts. The cursing my characters--it's more likely they are cursing me. Interesting and totally unrelated world record I recently learned about? Sabering Champagne Bottles. Seriously, there's a record. 21 bottles in 1 minute. I met the guy who broke it (You can watch the video here)

Okay, enough of that. Now for what we REALLY want to know: Tell us about your latest release and why YOU think we’ll love it.



Cassie: Trio of Seduction is the third book in my Seduction Trilogy and released at the end of July.

The moment she lays eyes on him, Dr. Kiera Matthews is mesmerized by the rugged, sexually charged man who is at once her saviour from danger and a sworn enemy of her mother's people. Yet, as he stands before her, pulsing with physical energy, Kiera feels an irresistible longing stirring deep within her. And when he speaks, his voice alone sends waves of desire through her body...a body that will soon discover its own sensual force. For Kiera is destined to reunite their estranged races - by joining herself with this man whose mission it has been to find her...As the 10th Prince of Klatch, an otherwordly clan whose sexual energy is their life force, Ryan has been searching for his future mate - the Healer who will help him restore his dying world. Now he has found her in the form of a fair-haired hellion born of an enemy society. But he has no doubt Kiera is his destiny. As a being who requires sex to survive, Ryan's fantasies were always filled with darkly beautiful women. But now it is this strong-willed blonde whom he craves and is determined to show her the most potent pleasure...

Trio brings back all the characters from Ceremony & Vision including the wonderfully evil bad guys—Queen Sela, her consort & Marco—as well as the Klatch, Tador and all the fun things like ponga and balda :) There’s more kick-butt action, hot, smoking-hot sex, a touching romance, snarky humor and a fast-paced story that all leads up to the final battle of good vs. evil.

Join me to find out what happens!

Erin: It sounds wonderful, Cassie. I big bang to end the series! Readers, leave a comment and stop by my website to enter a contest to win one of the Seduction books and other prizes!

For more information about Cassie Ryan, visit http://www.cassieryan.com/

Check back next week when my spotlight author will be Jennifer Ashley!

Welcome Sylvia Day

I am so excited to have Sylvia Day (aka SJ Day, aka Livia Dare) on as my spotlight author this week. If you read my blog at all, you know that I am one busy woman. But Sylvia makes me feel like a slacker. She has released a dynamite new series this year and two single titles (and I'm sure there is a novella or two in there as well). she is simply amazing! Not only that, but Sylvia is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She has helped me in so many ways that I can't begin to list them.

In short, love this lady!!!

So, to dive right into my deep and mind boggling questions....

Erin: What is your favorite part of the writing?


Sylvia: Submitting new proposals. There are so many possibilities inherent in the process--from the creation of the new world, to building a relationship with the editor, to entertaining a whole new audience. I'm a sucker for wide open spaces.


Erin: That is so funny. I think that is my least favorite. I live in paralyzing fear that I will run out of ideas and so when I sit down to think of something new, I am always terrified.


Next question... From your books, which hero would you be most likely to fall in love with and why?


Sylvia: It's a tie between Cain (from the Marked series) and Wulfric (from IN THE FLESH). Both men are honorable, but there's a distinct bad boy side to them. They'll go to any lengths to accomplish their goals and they're totally committed when it comes to love. I love confident, alpha males who aren't afraid to cross boundaries to claim what they want. Yummy...


Erin: I'm sorry, Sylvia, but Cain has already promised himself to me. :-) I haven't met Wulfric yet, but if he's in competition with Cain, then I'm already in love with him. You write TO DIE FOR heroes.


Next....Have you been told, you look like someone famous?


Sylvia: Yes, actually. Phoebe Cates. I don't see it, but I've heard that a few times.

Erin: I wouldn't have thought of it on my own, but ya know, I see it. I hear all the time that I look like somebody's sister, cousin, neighbor, distant uncle's wife. I used to get that I looked like Bernadette Peters, but no one probably remembers her anymore and I never thought I did.

This is fun. So, tell me.... Is there a story behind your name? What is it?

Sylvia: My mother wanted to name me Heather Ann. However, when people asked her what name she'd chosen and she'd tell them, they would all have something negative to say. It seems a lot of people knew a Heather or an Ann that they didn't like. So my mom came up with Sylvia June and kept it to herself. No one knew what my name was until I was born. Personally, I'm glad she went with Sylvia. I'm one of those people who loves their name. :)

Erin: I love this question because I think most people do have a story in their name. I was either going to be April or Spring or something like that, and my parents were fighting over it and finally Bing Crosby came on the radio singing When Erin's Eyes Are Smiling. They decided, what the hell, name her Erin. I have still never heard that song, btw.

Last and most important questions....tell us about your fabulous new series and what's coming next....

Sylvia: My latest series in a nutshell: Formerly agnostic Evangeline Hollis is marked with the Mark of Cain and becomes one of thousands of sinners worldwide who act as bounty hunters for God. She’s mentored by Cain, working for Abel, and desired by both men. The Marked series draws heavily from the Old Testament, but is very much an action-oriented, sexy, contemporary fantasy. As for what's coming next, I'm presently working on more historical romances. :)

Sylvia, thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. You can learn more about Sylvia Day and all her books under all her names at www.sylviaday.com.

Readers, be sure to check out my contest for this week. Sylvia is giving away a reader's choice of 3 of her titles and I'm giving away reader's choice of two PLUS a gift card PLUS a HAUNTING BEAUTY coffee mug. Go to www.erinquinn.info for more information.

And check back next week when Cassie Ryan will be up and the week after that....It's Jennifer Ashley!

Welcome Chris Maria Green

I am so honored to have Chris Marie Green as my guest this week. I met Chris at the Romance Writers of America conference in Washington DC and new I had to coax her to come a'visting. :-) Chris is a powerhouse writer with her Vampire Babylon series now on book 5 and her other titles as Crystal Green. Chris is former school teacher turned full-time writer, gets out of the office by taking long trips to places such as Japan, Italy, and New Orleans. When she’s not causing international incidents, she enjoys yoga, reading just about everything, plus movie-going. She also writes under the name Crystal Green.

So as is typical of my interviews, I asked her some head scratching questions.

Erin: Chris, welcome to Quinn's Essentials. To dive right into our interview, tell me, what do you consider your greatest achievement?

Chris: Being published. I still want to laugh in amazement whenever I tell anyone that I’m a writer!

Erin: You know, as I was pulling these questions from the "think tank" I wondered how I would answer that. I think for me it would be staying published. Sometimes staying in this business is as hard as getting into it in the first place.

Next question, Do you have any phobias?

Chris: Hate snakes. Hate. Them. I’m hoping it’s not a Freudian thing.

Erin: You and Indy Jones. I'd say that's fine company to be in. :-) Since I'm usually only a footstep away from certifiable, I would hardly be one to pass Freudian judgment on you, but...

Okay, the questions get a little deeper now. Are you a morning or night person?

Chris: Definitely morning, although sometimes I have to force myself out of bed because, above all, I’m a sleep person. I love my snoozing time!

Erin: A woman after my own heart. I have friends who think sleeping in is getting up at 6am. SIX IN THE MORNING in case a.m. didn't register. I wonder how we ever came to be friends, lol. I love to sleep in and I love to stay up late. Of course the day job keeps me from indulging too much in my nocturnal tendancies.

If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be…

Chris: Ambitious, mellow, dorky.

Erin: Ha! Love those. I should have followed that one up with how would others describe you. You struck me as ambitious, together and fun.


Okay, now tell us what we all REALLY want to know. Tell us about your new release and why YOU think we'll like it.

Chris: THE PATH OF RAZORS is the fifth book in the Vampire Babylon series. If you like twists in a story, then I think this might be for you: basically, the series is noir-urban fantasy. I try to make my vampires sympathetic yet still mean, take-no-prisoners survivors in the end. The same goes for my hunters sometimes! Hopefully, you’ll get a roller coaster ride out of it. : )

Erin: Chris, thakn you so much for stopping by! Readers, below is the book one trailer to the vampire babylon series. I know this is going to make you want to see more so go to: http://www.vampirebabylon.com/ to see the very latest trailer!

Welcome Joyce Lamb!

It is my extreme pleasure to welcome the first of my spotlight authors this month, Rita award nominee romantic suspense author, Joyce Lamb. Joyce's latest release, COLD MIDNIGHT, will be on bookshelves August 4th and it looks like a great read. Click here to read a first chapter excerpt.

As is my custom, I decided to ask some incredibly astute and revealing questions, but then good sense kicked in and I went with my norm. :) So, jumping right in.....

Erin: Joyce, inquiring minds want to know...Have you ever been frightened for your life?

Joyce: I'm frightened for my life every day when I drive to work in D.C. traffic! I once read a book in which a character "drove the Beltway" so he could relax and get his head around a problem. (The Beltway is an interstate that loops around the D.C. metro area in Virginia and Maryland.) I knew right then and there that that author had very likely never driven on the Beltway. There's no way you can possibly relax in all that crazy traffic. On the other hand, all the aggression I suppress during those daily drives comes flying out when I sit down at my desk to write. So in this case fear is good, right?

Erin: Hey, I can relate. I'm always scared to death, and sometimes just of myself....

Okay, next (not so) brilliant question...What is your most favorite place on earth?

Joyce: My most favorite place on earth is the beach. Doesn't matter which beach, as long as there's sand, waves and nothing that smells bad. I fell in love with the beach when I lived in Fort Myers, Fla., in the early 1990s. On Sundays, I would take a book and trek to THE best beach spot in Naples, about 30 miles away. Very few tourists and lots of places to park (a huge luxury in that area). Sometimes, I'd stop in at my favorite Barnes & Noble to pick up something new to read. I met Tami Hoag at a signing there once. That was so cool -- even cooler when a decade later, Booklist compared my writing with hers. But I digress. When I get stuck in a story, a trip to the beach can really get the creative juices flowing again. It’s also good for the tan.

Erin: I love the beach as well. I recently took my 15 year old daughter and best friend to San Diego and we spent the best afternoon there. sigh. You met Tami Hoag--huge fan. Dark Horse was one of my favorite books, so dark and tortured. I would be happy dancing around the moon to be compared to her. Well done YOU, girl! Hear that readers? You gotta read COLD MIDNIGHT.

Next question....Do you believe in aliens?

Joyce: I'd like to believe in aliens, as long as they're benevolent space explorers who don't arrive on Earth to dominate the human species. And if they look like Teal'c on Stargate SG-1, even better! All those muscles, oh, yeah, uh huh … where was I? Oh, yes, aliens. A part of me must believe in aliens, because some of my favorite TV shows have revolved around aliens or outer space. Farscape. Firefly. The X-Files. Invasion. The recent Battlestar Galactica. I have no trouble suspending disbelief. I probably wouldn’t write a book that has aliens in it, though. I’d have trouble topping such top-notch writing as what I’ve enjoyed in shows like Farscape and Firefly and BSG and … you get the picture.

Erin: I'm with you there, girlfriend. I LOVED the Battlestar Galactica series (although I've yet to find out who the last cylon is--got the DVDs but haven't watched yet, I dunno why). I have not seen Stargate yet, but it's in my Blockbuster queue. I never manage to watch anything when it first comes out. Again, dunno why. I just recently finished watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time, if that gives you any indication of how behind I am.


Now, onto the REAL question...Tell us about your new release and why YOU think we'll like it.

Joyce: Cold Midnight is about a woman who was on her way to being a tennis sensation when a brutal attack ended her dream. Unable to deal with the aftermath, she fled everything she loved – including her childhood sweetheart. She returns to her hometown 10 years later to try to reclaim what she’s lost. She’s changed, her ex has changed, and neither knows how to deal with it – and they don’t deal with it well (it’d be no fun if they did, right?).

Erin: No, indeed, it would not. :)

Joyce: It doesn’t help that there’s a killer trying to finish what he started 10 years ago.

At the most basic level, Cold Midnight is about an imperfect couple mired in an imperfect situation. Sometimes they act like jerks, and sometimes you might want to throttle them. But, to me, that’s what makes them human. Oh, and they have some pretty freakin’ hot and sweaty sex. Someone has to have priorities, you know.

Erin: Indeed they do!

Joyce, Cold Midnight sounds like a fabulous book and I can't wait to read it. Cold Midnight will be on bookshevles everywhere on August 4th so run, don't walk to your local bookstore and get your copy now. :)

To celebrate our new releases, Joyce and I are giving away autographed copies of our previous titles. Click here to enter!

Thanks for stopping by and good luck with your new release!