Friday, April 17, 2015

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Author Spotlight

http://www.morguefile.com

I'm thrilled to host Allison Merritt today. Not only is she a talented writer with many books to her credit, I consider her a good friend. She writes in various romance genres including Steampunk, Vikings, 1800 era Ozarks, and modern day Cowboy. Her current release involves demons and the evil they unleash on a small western town. How cool is that!
Before I introduce you to her current release, please enjoy this quick interview.

Your books cover many different historical times from Vikings to modern day. Which is your favorite and why? 

I've always loved 19th century culture. My first attempts at writing romance were set in the 1800s and it's still my favorite time period to write. The first romance novel I read was In the Shadow of the Mountains by Roseanne Bittner and I read a ton of Louis L'Amour. Both authors had a serious impact on my writing. I like cowboys in general, so do expect to see those whether they're modern, historical or in an alternate world. Although, Vikings were a great switch, because they're the ultimate alpha hero.

What would you consider a perfect day?

Wake up late, maybe 10-ish, get in the car, take a drive, perhaps south toward Arkansas, because right now, the trees and flowers are blooming and the scenery is great. Have a late lunch, maybe do a little shopping, no rush to get back, just time to marvel at the beauty of nature. End the day curled up in my chair with my dogs and watching a good movie. Then bedtime and a nice, uninterrupted sleep.

Favorites:

Movie: Secondhand Lions - action, adventure, mystery, romance. It has it all.
Food: Mac n'cheese
Drink: Dr. Pepper
Shoes: Flip flops
Car: Mustang
Animal: My Japanese chins. They're hilariously crazy dogs.

Thanks Allison! And, by the way, I love Secondhand Lions.





Blurb:
If love can’t save them, there will be hell to pay.

Grateful for his mother’s human blood that cools the dark fire of his demon father, Eban Heckmaster has set up a medical practice in New Mexico territory. But there’s no hope of living a normal life until he rids himself of a seductive demon that’s been pursuing him.

Vanquishing it won’t be as simple as sharpening his demon-hunting sword. The clever creature is hiding inside his best friend’s head, and she has no idea of the havoc she’s been wreaking, especially with his body.

Beryl suspects Eban knows why she’s been waking up with no memory of where she’s been or what she’s done, but he’s not talking. But when she inevitably learns what he’s hiding—or rather, what’s hiding inside her—she wonders if her love for him is real, or an illusion created by the demon’s lust.


Eban is losing the battle to hold his rising desire in check. There may be only one way to extricate Beryl from the beast entangling her mind. Call upon his demon blood…and offer it as a sacrifice.


Excerpt:


Eban’s lungs ached for breath and his eyes shot open. Startled by weight settling on his abdomen, he tried to sit up, but two small hands held him down. Thanks to his demon blood, it only took a moment to adjust to the dark. In the nonexistent light, he peered up at Beryl Brookshier’s angelic face. She gave him a wicked smile as long strands of wheat-blonde hair tickled his bare chest. He sucked in a breath when he realized she was naked and a sheet was the only thing separating her from his raging erection.

“What are you doing?”

The second the words were out of his mouth, Eban knew he wasn’t talking to Beryl.

“Ravish me, Ebaneezer.”

The demon used Beryl’s voice and body, but the thing talking to him was far from human. The notion of taking its head off and sparing himself a lot of trouble was tempting. If not for the real Beryl’s trusting green eyes and bashful smile.

“That stopped being funny the first time you got naked in front of me.”

She caressed his cheek. “You were dreaming. I was trying to make your dreams more pleasant.”

He slapped her hands away. “You thought you’d tempt me into bedding you and then letting some other parasite into my brain. That’s not going to happen, Rosemar.”

“You want this body. Why deny it, Heckmaster?” The lust demon glowered at him, her irritation creasing the smooth face she borrowed.

“Get off me.” He pushed her away, then grabbed the sheet as she slid off his chest. “What I want is for you to vacate it, leaving Beryl’s mind intact so I can get out of Berner.”



Buy links:
Samhain - https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5394/eban
Amazon - http://amzn.com/B00QZVS0I2
B & N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wystan-allison-merritt/1119847207?ean=9781619222892
Are - https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-eban-1724448-140.html
Google Books - https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=CL3VBQAAQBAJ&rdid=book-CL3VBQAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_atb&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_atb
Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/eban





About the author:
A love of reading inspired Allison Merritt to pursue her dream of becoming an author who writes historical, paranormal and fantasy romances, often combining the sub-genres. She lives in a small town in the Ozark Mountains with her husband and dogs. When she's not writing or reading, she hikes in national parks and conservation areas.

Allison graduated from College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri with a B.A. in mass communications that's gathering dust after it was determined that she's better at writing fluff than hard news.

Social links:

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/allisonmwrites


Now - for those of you who did the right thing and read this post all the way through - leave a comment and/or question for Allison - your name will go into a drawing for a $5.00 Amazon gift card. Make sure I have your e-mail address so I can notify you if you win.

10 comments:

  1. I think you are the first steampunk author I ever met. I've been fascinated with the genre ever since. Your new book gives me peace that writing in more than one genre is more than okay. I love that you write so much. I agree about Secondhand Lions!

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    1. I'm all over the place with writing, Tierney. I'm going to tackle a Regency here in a few weeks. I'm a little scared. I like to read some of them, but I'm not sure how good I'll be at writing one.

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  2. Wow, wow, wow!!! I'm so in love with your books.

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    1. Thanks for coming by Brenda. Allison is a wonderful story teller.

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  3. You still hVe to write blogs and other techs stuff, so your degree isn't a total waste. Keep up the good work.

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    1. Thanks for coming by and commenting Shirley!

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    2. That's true, Shirley. I didn't think of that before.

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  4. Let me add another thing I have discovered about her. She has boundless energy, churning out book after book.

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    1. Ain't that the truth! Thanks for coming by Chuck.

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    2. Last year, believe it or not, was one of my worst years for getting books out. I was so disappointed in myself. This year, I've got two novellas for box sets to do and I'm participating in Savvy Author's boot camp that's 61 days to write 50,000. I'm pounding out words to make up for last year.

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