Bryl R. Tyne Revisits Christmas Past

What is your most memorable Christmas/Holiday? Second Christmas with JR (sugar daddy) and the man still speaks little but "guy grunt"… Anyway, I'm helping his boys put together a desk he bought for them while he watches from the sofa. "Open yours," he says, so I do. I can't even remember what he'd gotten me, nothing memorable, but I gave him my best smile (because damn it, even if he doesn't say much, to put up with me and make it work, the man's gotta be a fucking saint!) and I set my stuff to the side to finish the desk… When suddenly, he bursts into tears. Not a trickle, not a few stray tears… no, full out wailing picks up within seconds, and I'm sitting on the floor, screwdriver in one hand, a wooden chair with only two legs on it in the other. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"You don't like them"—and before I can fully understand that he's talking about the few gifts he'd got me, he continued, "I wanted to get you the lamp…the glass one…the red one at Cracker Barrel"—(hiccups, sn

ot, tears)—"When I went back…they were… sold out, and they wouldn't be reordering them, and I’m so pissed—so fucking pissed! that I didn't get that lamp for you that night we were there—(more hiccups, snot, tears)—I know you liked it and wanted it, and—"

And I knocked the wind out of him with my hug, and then I started crying too. I don't think I've ever had a better present than to know someone watched my actions close enough to know just how badly I wanted something without me having to say a word and then to be so disappointed because he thought he wouldn't be able to make me happy.

Wanting to make me that happy, despite myself… now, that's gotta be love. No words needed.

What is the best present you ever received? Sincerity in the form of tears. (see previous answer).

What is the worst? A pocket calculator. (For figuring out the checkbook so I didn't bounce another check—thanks).

How do you spend your holiday now? Sleeping.

Do you have any special traditions? That would require planning, and caring, and most likely some kind of ground rules… no. Not for me.

Here’s a little gift for the readers. An excerpt from my Riptide release, Divinity:

"Do it."

Martin came to, prick hard, fangs elongated, brain fogged, hands splayed across the ass of the man bent over the desk before him.

The man smacked the desk and pled from over the uniform shirt scrunched to his shoulders, “Don’t stop. Just do

it!”

Mesmer? Backing away in a daze, Martin regained the present and registered the man as Spire Industry’s latest night janitor—a fiery carrot-top who’d stolen Martin’s attention from the moment he’d walked through Spire’s doors and into Martin’s realm.

Though tucked away in a long-abandoned corner of the basement by day, Martin took his duties as Spire’s security guard by night seriously. So why was he in this third-floor office, taking the new night janitor over a desk?

Fuck, if the man hadn’t felt and looked so damned good beneath him, down to the freckled skin Martin had had under his palms . . . It was all Martin had thought of, night and day, since setting eyes on Dylan Mesmer and the shock of carrot-orange hair that poked out in all directions from under his work cap.

Groaning, he pulled his pants up and over his painfully hard cock. What in all hells is wrong with me? Buckled his belt. All on one drawn-out exhalation.

Mesmer made a weak attempt to stand, smacking the desk again. “Damn it.”

“I don’t know what came over me . . .” And he didn’t. He would’ve used any other janitor as a light snack, lured him to the basement and satiated his more base desires weeks ago. Exhibiting control enough to do so seemed impossible around Mesmer. Lately, Martin had found himself in one compromising position after another.

“I’m not sure—” Martin met a disappointed scowl as Mesmer turned and leaned against the desk. “Look, this isn’t happening. We shouldn’t do it here, anyway. I must be out of my mind.” He had no intention of losing a job that fit his vampiric lifestyle as perfectly as working night security for Spire Industry did. Where else could he pass as human while having his meals delivered on a regular basis?

Naked from the waist down and in an obvious state of arousal, Mesmer crossed his arms with an exasperated sigh. He finally broke his glare to fix his own uniform. “It is what it is,” he said, tucking in his work shirt. “Here.” He tossed Martin a sucker.

Orange. Another sucker? Like the last two times he’d blanked out and came to seconds from driving both cock and fang into the smartass. Did the man carry a bottomless bag of delicious candy in his pocket to taunt Martin? Delicious? He held back a gag. Why the fuck had he accepted the suckers in the first place, and worse yet, why’d he eaten them? And with haste? And he’d enjoyed them!

Blood coursing through Mesmer’s body drew Martin to the here and now. What would the drawbacks be if for once he actually went through with it? Stuck the man, took his fill, like he’d done to countless others. If he didn’t hesitate, didn’t hold back or change his mind. A shudder raced over him. When had he become so fickle?

He watched Mesmer dress, wondering how this man had knocked him so far off-kilter. Normally, he’d have had the guy for a little stick, a little prick, and have deposited him back into his world, neat and tidy. But he’d been stalking Mesmer since the night the man had started at Spire . . . not to mention the repeated attempts to satisfy the man’s by-now predictable pleas for attention. Martin scoffed internally. He didn’t want to think about the strange places his mind disappeared to each time he saw Mesmer . . . or the rooms or offices he’d come back to his senses in, with Mesmer beneath him, wondering how he’d gotten there. How did this man get Martin to lose all sense of space and time?

Mind half in the past, half in the now, he adjusted his fly, eyeing Mesmer doing the same, then unwrapped the sucker and stuck it in his mouth. “What’s with you and always giving me orange candy, anyway?”

Mesmer snorted, kneeling to re-tie one of his work boots. “If you don’t want it, give it back.”

He held out his hand as he stood.

Martin gave it three seconds’ thought, his mind and body warring over whether to keep the candy or not. Giving it back would end the senseless questions, end this lack of control. Yet, no matter the logic in his thoughts, he couldn’t will his hand to remove the sucker from his mouth.

Not this time.

To purchase Divinity, click here.

Find Bryl at any of these places:

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My Way column at The Pagan and The Pen

Merry Christmas from the Tyne family to yours

Angel in the Shadows (book 1) Free on Amazon Kindle

Take a break from vampires and check out the new rising star of paranormal romance, Angels!

From Tuesday December 13th - Thursday, December 15th

only "Angel in the Shadows (book 1) is free for kindle on Amazon.

Synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Megan Laughlin has a gift--or what seems like a curse at times. Megan sees angels and demons.
Megan knows her destiny is to protect her friends against dark angels who try to sway them into situations that can destroy their lives, their souls, and their eternity.
At school, she recognizes Judas, an über popular boy, as an evil angel hell-bent on destroying her and everyone she loves. As Judas spreads horrible rumors and overdoses two of her classmates at a rave, Megan realizes the enormity of his power. While classmates die, Megan, with the help of an angel, Johnny, and a team of friends will face the fight of their lives as they battle Judas.

Aleks Voinov and Rachel Haimowitz talk Riptide Publishing

Hi Rachel and Aleksandr, thanks a lot for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions that we have about your new venture, Riptide Publishing.

AV: Hi Carole, thank you for having us over, it’s great to be here.

In a previous post, we've heard about how you both came to establish a publishing house--Riptide Publishing--together. Please give us a short introduction to Riptide Publishing and the books it offer.

AV: In short, Riptide Publishing offers gay and trans* fiction – so we publish a huge range of stories, from traditional m/m romances to literary fiction, because we believe that readers are ready and willing to read outside the box if the stories are good. So we’re offering good stories in that spectrum. Riptide is small, invitation-only, but we do have op

How has the experience (of managing a publishing house) been so far, since you opened your doors on October 2011?en submission calls and our authors range from old hands to hot, young talent.

AV: It’s been a ride. Things I thought would be easy turned out to be really hard, and things that I thought would be hard were no challenge at all. Basically, whatever we expected, this wasn’t it, it has surprised me personally at every turn.

In terms of the business, we were surprised by our own success, very much, but it’s a huge team effort with everybody working stupid hours especially in the set-up stage. That said, our models and ideas and concepts have held up pretty well, all told.

For me, personally, it’s a huge rush to build a business and see how everything works and I do like to think on my feet and reach out to people and juggle a million balls – something I know from my time in journalism, but it’s so much more satisfying if you’re working for yourself and so closely with the other partners and authors.

RH: Absolutely amazing. In a lot of ways it feels like always juggling five balls at once, even in your sleep, and desperately hoping not to drop them. But there’s tremendous satisfaction in managing that, and your partners can pick up the slack when your arms get tired. We’ve all been surprised and humbled and awed and just so grateful for the response Riptide has received from readers, bloggers, and authors. Makes it all so, so worthwhile.

How is it like working together managing a publishing house? I'm sure it must be very different from co-authoring a book!

AV: Actually, it’s like co-authoring fifty books that are all due next week. Communication is absolutely key. Thankfully, all partners are very good at that. Overall, we all have the same vision, and everybody brings their own individual strengths to bear. Rachel is a natural businesswoman, I wouldn’t want to have anybody else doing her job. Chris and I are both people people – she’s amazing in her network on the marketing side and I’m doing a decent job, I hope, on the author and editor side. Still, writing a book looks really easy now, like something you do in your lunch break.

RH: Yes and no. On the one hand, it’s a lot like co-authoring in that, as Aleks said, communication is key. We all basically live on our gmail accounts, probably exchange upwards of a few dozen emails each day that basically function like

office memos, since none of us share a physical location. As in co-writing, it’s all about talking things out, reaching shared understandings, and making compromises. Unlike co-writing, there’s often a lot less creative freedom and a lot more drudge work: you don’t get to flex your writing wings doing a proofing pass or spending eight hours uploading files to sell at third-party sites. But even those things move very smoothly between us. Certainly there have been some bumps in the road, some times when we didn’t all agree, but in the end, the shared vision and shared passion trump all, and have carried us through every obstacle and difficulty.

What does Riptide Publishing offer that other publishers don't?

AV: Other publishers offer great covers, very good royalties, developmental editing, close contact to the editor and a personalized marketing plan, too. But there are very few that offer all of those. Also, we are very open-minded about what we publish – we take shorter works than many, and we are also interested in trans* fiction and literary fiction, which in some houses might sit a bit oddly right next to the other offerings.

RH: While we certainly offer our share of more “traditional” M/M romances—Cat Grant’s contemporary Once a Marine, for example, or Brita Addams’s Romeo Club erotica shorts—we also see ourselves as a destination for the different. Like Aleks said, we have a particular interest in trans* fiction, which is notoriously difficult to place with a publisher. We take some very short stories—vignettes that do one particular thing exceptionally well, like Andrea Speed’s Josh of the Damned series, most of which are under 5,000 words. We take some very untraditional heroes, like Aleks Voinov’s unrepentant mafia killers in the Dark Soul series. We delve into the deeply literary and creepy, like with Peter Hansen’s First Watch (a.k.a. “Tentacles!”). It’s scary to move outside the traditional mold, to do something very different from what’s already out there, because you don’t really know if there will be an audience for it. But among the founders, those are the kinds of stories we love the most as readers—and also very often the stories we write as authors—and we wanted to create a home for things like that, a house willing and able to take all kinds of risks. Having the right editorial staff, the proper funding, and the right marketing strategies make that possible. So too does having strong traditional pieces that we know will pay the bills, even if our risks don’t. And that’s such an amazing position to be in—to have the luxury of exploring, of bringing tremendous new voices and styles and stories to folks without having to fret quite so much about the bottom line.

What can authors expect when they publish with Riptide Publishing? How about the readers?

AV: Being small, we respond very fast – the whole process is very transparent, and authors work closely with their editors. Stories that are submitted and accepted (and we turn down a lot, or send R&R letters) will get edited a lot. This includes things that many publishers out there don’t touch – we’re looking at characters, plot, pacing, tension, satisfying emotional arcs, and making sure that the book has no fatal craft issues left. This means, often, that the manuscript goes through five or seven editing passes. It’s a lot of work for authors and editors both, but the results are worth it.

Readers can expect tasteful covers that won’t embarrass them when they read them on public transport or if somebody finds their e-reader, well-edited text, and a wide range of quality stories. I’d say there’s something for everybody in our catalogue.

What’s your submission process? How long do the authors have to wait before they hear from you on their submissions?

AV: Since we invite our authors, the process is very short. At the moment, we’ve accepted stories in anything from half an hour (yes, that good, but of course short!) to about two weeks. As all partners have to okay an acquisition, it can take longer in some cases, but we’re usually fast.

RH: We did just start some open calls when we opened at the end of October, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes over the transom, so to speak. We’ve given ourselves six weeks or thereabouts to respond to those submissions, and we’re likely to need every last second of that time. We also have some folks with long publication histories reaching out to us, and we try to get back to them within a few weeks. But as Aleks says, for those authors we invite, we’re quite eager to work with them, and we don’t like to keep them waiting.

What genres and heat levels are you looking for in the submissions?

AV: All sub-genres of gay/trans fiction, all heat levels – that includes no sex at all. We do do pure erotica, but once it has a certain length, we want more than strung-together sex scenes.

RH: To me, a good story’s a good story regardless of genre or heat level, but we all certainly do have our hobby horses. Aleks is particularly interested in military and historical fiction. I’m particularly interested in fantasy, soft SF (but not hard SF; I have no taste for the dense high-tech stuff), cyberpunk, magical realism, westerns (please, someone, get me some gay Deadwood!), and 100% realistic BDSM. Our editorial intern, Callie, has a particular soft spot for steampunk—and yes, she can absolutely pitch a manuscript at an acquisition meeting. We’re all hoping for more trans* submissions. I suspect we’re developing a reputation for the dark and the strange, which is fine—I don’t mind being known as the place you go to look for something off the beaten path—but we do want people to know there’s plenty of room for lightness and humor and exceptionally well-done traditional pieces at Riptide as well. Humor especially, actually; we have a surprisingly large percentage of humorous stories in our initial offerings.

Which debut authors from Riptide Publishing should look out for in the future? Please tell us a little about their works.

AV: Well, I have two favourites: Peter Hansen’s “First Watch” is creepy, literary and sexy, and he’s definitely somebody to watch, not only for the marvelous worlds he creates, but just for everything. Characters, intelligence, and sheer brilliance of style and execution.

Rhi Etzweiler is pretty new and should be mentioned, too. While we did co-write one book for Carina, Blacker than Black is Rhi’s first solo book, and it’s going to make waves; it’s lyrical, sincere, engrossing and atmospheric, with very strong characters.

Both writers are stylistically so good that they could give anybody else in the genre a very good run for their money, so both are extremely hot in my view.

How do you foresee the world of epublishing?

AV: It’s going to grow. The big publishers might catch up eventually, but indies have up to ten years of experience in the space and are navigating these waters extremely well, so I would imagine that the cutting edge remains with the indie publishers for the foreseeable future. People will attempt to cash in (like Penguin’s freshly-launched e-publishing service shows), and all the rules that we thought were sacred and hewn in rock will be changed. It’s extremely dynamic, really interesting, a game-changer.

With the advent of technology, it becomes increasingly easier for authors to self-publish. Why should an author submit her manuscript to you (or to other epublishers) instead of self-publishing her work?

AV: Self-publishing is absolutely a valid option. I’ve looked at it, Rachel has done it, and many people are using that channel extremely well (like Josh Lanyon, who is publishing his backlist via Amazon direct).

Basically, however, every author needs editing (both for content and spelling/grammar). You need a good cover, ideally a marketing plan, and the book needs to look professional or it might be rejected by the reading public. This costs money and is also pretty time-consuming. A good editor charges more than many are willing to pay, a good proofer too, and uploading the files everywhere and maintaining a publisher account at all the big e-tailer sites is just a load of hassle. A publisher takes care of all that, which makes it definitely the easier option. But of course there are many self-published authors who do an excellent job on all counts.

What advice do you have for authors wanting to publish with Riptide Publishing?

AV: Be ready to be edited. Some authors have never had any content editing and are surprised, even shocked, when their clean manuscript comes back with hundreds of comments. I started in traditional print publishing, so having a comment like “these three chapters are weak, because… Please rewrite!” was normal business for me, I never thought it could (or should!) be different. In our space, few people look that deeply into a text, so we’ve had authors receive their very first set of developmental edits from us and were surprised. Some loved it, others didn’t love it quite as much. But it’s inevitable – we do have an old-style editing process.

RH: What Aleks said, times a billion. Editing is not a fuzzy lovey process. It is by its nature inherently critical, sometimes stunningly so. Just remember we loved your book enough to buy it in the first place J For those who are hoping to get in via an open submission call, bring your best game. Polish to a high sheen. Stories with craft issues are auto-rejects. Stories with developmental issues may be worth taking on anyway if the writing is pristine and the voice is strong.

What amazing thing or lesson have you discovered/experienced in the course of establishing and/or managing Riptide Publishing?

AV: I just love the people involved in this. From our authors to our blogger contacts, to readers leaving comments and encouraging us, and last but not least the other partners – it’s all about the love of books and stories, so working together like this toward an ambitious, idealistic goal is just really good fun.

RH: Miscommunication is terrifyingly easy and can be an incredibly powerful destructive force. I’m learning to slow down a little and be a lot more precise when conveying ideas. You might think an author would be inherently good at this—after all, we make our living conveying ideas—but it’s an entirely different animal in the real world and something that, as a bit of a loner, I wasn’t accustomed to at all. The second big lesson for me has been about time. Apparently, it’s quite fluid, and likes to squish and compress on you in direct correlation to the number of critical deadlines on your plate.

But beyond any of that, the amazing discovery, day after day, is our authors’ heart and talent, determination and hard work. It’s wild to joke on Twitter with Andrea Speed about a rampaging mustache and have her find enough inspiration there to turn that into her next Josh of the Damned monster (look for The Night of the Mustache this February). And on a similar note, it’s equally amazing to see the readers respond with such joy and enthusiasm to that talent and heart.

Any last thing you’d like to say?

We invite your readers to visit our Riptide website, read the blurbs and excerpts and hopefully they will find titles that pique their interest. Thanks so much for hosting us!

Thanks a lot, Rachel and Aleksandr!

---

Rhianon Etzweiler on Blacker than Black

Flight of the Elementals Scene 1

The following is the first of four consecutive scenes that created a full chapter toward the end of “Blacker Than Black.” This content was cut in an early stage of developmental edits as a result of some character inconsistencies. Here, we’ll see Black let Jhez walk away—something that, given their long and close history, falls outside the parameters of a plausible dynamic shift. Especially given Black’s feelings about the current state and nature of the evolving relationship with Garthelle.

Jhez just walked into the room, interrupting a rather intense session of lip-locking.

###

Garthelle just studies her. Digesting her statement, reading her body language.

Disbelieving, judging from the tension in his body where he's still pressed up against my back.

He's as wary of Jhez as she is of him. Them. Whatever. I don't blame my sister – I know I still have my own reservations. For now, it's just a physical thing. What it will be beyond that, if anything, I can't say.

Don't want to say, either.

Which makes my sister's words as equally strange to me as they are to the lyche, now that I think about it.

She ignores the confusion all over my face and strolls past us as if it's the most natural sight in the world. “With your permission, monsieur, I’d like to escort Blue back to the district in the limo.”

I twist in the lyche's grip and he finally releases me, arm dropping away. His gaze flicks back and forth between us.

“Jhez, do you really think that’s the best idea? Garthelle is going to have a...task force of hitters scouring the district within five hours. It's not going to be the safest of places.”

“So say you, standing in the center of a vamp den?”

The derision in her tone brings me up short halfway across the room, and I stare at her.

Her eyes soften abruptly, her shoulders hunching as she shakes her head. “He can't stay here. You and I both know it.”

“You said as much last evening,” Garthelle interjects, strolling closer to where he has a good view of us both. “I have no intentions of keeping him under this roof. You may escort him wherever he prefers to go. The flat where you two have been staying should provide ample security.”

I shake my head. “Do you think he’d even stay there?”

She shrugs. “It's worth a try. Might keep him off the streets until tomorrow.”

The bathroom door swings open and Blue stumbles out with a towel tucked around his narrow hips, head hidden beneath another towel that he's rubbing over his hair with more vigor than strictly necessary.

He stops two paces from the door, studies the three of us with clear, icy eyes carefully hidden behind his rose-tinted glasses.

“Nice, Blue. You have no problem walking around in the buff, but I don't think I've once seen you without those glasses.”

Blue pauses his towel-scrubbing, glances down at his bare torso, and sticks his tongue out at me. “I'm more curious about why it is the three of you think I'm incapable of taking care of myself. I felt your entire conversation.”

The towel around his waist starts to loosen and slip. He rescues it with his free hand before huffing and retreating back into the bathroom.

The door bangs shut. Jhez and I share a look.

“That went well,” Garthelle comments from his reclined spot on the couch.

Spooky, the way he moves.

“I'll keep him safe. You just...” My sister trails off, frowning at me. She steps close and grabs my shoulders, feeling my aura briefly before pulling me into a hug. To whisper into my ear. “You just be careful. You're in more danger than me and Blue.”

Though I'm rather certain Garthelle can hear her, he says nothing. I return the brief hug and refuse to look at him. “I'll be fine,” I assure her, muttering. There's so much more I want to tell her. I have no idea what the lyche will do and it frightens me. I just hope she has the foresight to head for the flat if things get bad.

This feels like our childhood revisited, though on a hopefully smaller scale.

Releasing her, I chafe my arm to keep the chill bumps from standing up everywhere.

Here’s the blurb for Blacker than Black:

Apparently, my twin and I are two of York’s most notorious criminals. We’ve been Nightwalkers in the blue-light district since the vamps took over the world. Don’t know how many years it’s been. Long enough that a stream of fellow ’walkers have come and gone. Most don’t last long selling their chi. End up face-down in the gutter, or worse.

For us, one night and one sale change everything.

Monsieur Garthelle is the first john to hunt me down. He calls me a chi thief in one breath and offers absolution—servitude—in the next. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I like living and breathing. Strange that such a powerful vamp would show leniency to a mere human. And something’s not right with the chi I took from him. It won’t go away.

Neither will he, and he’s forcing us to spy on his peers. Then a vamp turns up dead, and we go from playing eyes and ears to investigating a murder. This isn’t what I signed up for. All I ever wanted was to sell a little chi, maybe steal some in return. I should’ve kept my damn hands to myself.

This is my story. Look through my eyes.

You can read an excerpt from Blacker than Black and purchase by clicking here

Find Rhianon at any of these places:

Fan contact: Rhianon.etzweiler@gmail.com

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Industry News

Heartbreakers to newsmakers and everything in between.

The holidays have definitely slowed things down, but not completely:

A few weeks ago, the European Union started an antitrust probe on over Agency Pricing and just about everyone expected the US to follow suit. They wait is over. The Wall Street reports that the Justice Department has now officially stated that it has opened its own inquiry into e-book pricing.

If you're keeping score: it's the EU, the Justice Department, and several civil lawsuits that the Big Six (and Apple) are now facing in regards to the legality of Agency Pricing.

*

On the completely fun side of news:

Romantic Times has posted their December issue of Caught on the Cover. If you are unfamiliar with this fun feature, RT lists the celebrities 'caught' on the cover of newly released books.

Finally, a terrific video by author Maya Rodale

WRITING ABOUT THE WEST

       I remember when I wrote my first "cowboy" book. Immediately I became intrigued by the type of man who would own or work in a ranch-an independent, free-thinking man of integrity who valued the land and animals and his care of both. I've never lived on a ranch but I had memories to draw from. All through my childhood, I had access to a relative's farm. My cousin and I would play on and around the hay bales, hold and chase newborn kittens and stand in awe watching the horses run in the pasture. I recall a foal named Muley and a white bull with a ring in his nose. Watching a calf come into this world was exciting, scary and memorable.

       The West has always called to me. When I wrote that first ranch book, I wrote to guest ranches in Montana and Wyoming, hoping to find a genuine source for research. One wrote back and we had many phone conversations about running cattle and the requirements for keeping a ranch running smoothly. She invited me for a visit and a few years later Wyoming and Montana became my research destinations. I will never forget my visit to that ranch. We road in her pick-up truck, driving over pastures and gullies, glimpsing antelope and jackrabbits, finding Teepee rings from so long ago. On that same trip my husband and I drove through Wyoming and spent several days watching the wild horses in The Big Horns. Research took on an entirely new meaning as we caught the scent of sage, trekked through brush and spotted three wild horses standing on a peak staring down at us. No words can describe it.

       For me, ALWAYS A COWBOY, set in Wyoming, is the epitome of a ranch book. My hero, once a doctor, has a tragedy in his life and needs to escape memories and emotions he doesn't want to feel. Because of his upbringing on a ranch, he heads to the West, searching for something he's lost. Zack finds it on The Rising Star Ranch where family is as important as waking up each morning. On a rocky journey to love with Lucy, a rancher's daughter, he finds meaning and fulfillment once more.

       I put everything I feel about the pioneer spirit of living in the West in ALWAYS A COWBOY, as well as everything I feel about the meaning of family. I hope that shines through to my readers.

Interview With Jennifer L. Armentrout

Today, we have Jennifer L. Armentrout on the blog, the author of Obsidian (Released 12/06/2011), a Young adult Science Fiction fantasy novel. She's also the author of  the Covenant Series. Please welcome her!

Thanks for having me! When asked to do a guest part, I considered interviewing myself. Yeah, I know.... weird, right? But there are some questions I never get asked. And some I always get asked. So I figured I'd have a little fun. And basically talk to myself. 

1.       If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
A T-Rex, because they’re pretty kick butt. RAWR! And who can take out a T-Rex? No one except a meteoroid. What? No one said the animal couldn’t be extinct.

2.    Who is one of your favorite mythological god or deity?

Loki- the Norse God of Mischief. You know he’d be good for shenanigans and entertainment.

2.      Do you believe in aliens? Honestly?
Yeah, I think it’s very egocentric to think that humans are the only intelligent life form in a vast, never ending universe. I just hope they look like Daemon and not of the ET variety. 

3.      How do you write so much?
A lot people ask this, and seemed to be shocked or in disbelief, but most days, I write 12-15 hours a day. Sometimes, half of those days consist of me just staring at my laptop and/or playing Super Mario Brothers online.

4.      What are you most looking forward to?
Dec 21, 2012  (heh)

Obsidian can be purchased where books are bought, plus at Amazon and Barnes and Noble online. The print and digital versions include three different points of view from Daemon Black, a character most people would love to figure out.