When Characters 'chat'!

Writers talk--a lot--to one another. For example, my pal Deanna Wadsworth and I. But would you believe our book characters talk to one another as well? They do!

So, today we have with us Ian McCallum and Martin Baird. Ian is the sexy Scottish male character in my latest release HASTE YE BACK and Martin is the unwitting hero of Deanna's ACCIDENTALLY BEAUTIFUL, the second super hot tropical romance by her in the 1Night Stand series she and I have been writing with overlapping characters.

Ian and Martin have agreed to sit down and dish about Madame Eve and her 1Night Stand service.

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So Ian, Martin, tell us how you met?

IAN:Oh hell, we've been mates since we wore short pants! In primary school-- 2nd or 3rd level--that's 2nd or 3rd grade to you Yanks. So, what when we were 7 or 8? He was getting the snot knocked out of him on the playground...so I knocked the snot out of those knocking on him...

MARTIN: It was Ian and Martin everywhere we went after that. The best of pals, saw all the good shows at the cinema on Saturday afternoon. You should have seen this bloke with a rugby ball!

IAN: Aye, well, I wouldn't have been playing rugby if you hadn't done all my book reports for me.

MARTIN: It was the least I could do

Sounds like you two were the best of pals. Now, there's something something about a kiss between you two?

MARTIN: (laughing) Oh, I shall take full blame for that. I mean look at the bloke, can't blame a guy for trying, right?

IAN: Try, being the operative word

MARTIN: (nudging Ian) Took him a second to figure that out though, right?

IAN:I love the guy--but it's not something I readily admit anymore---not that I'm ashamed of you or anything Martin--it's just, well--we were young and curious...that's all...forgive me, but I don't even remember if it was good!

MARTIN: (slapping his arm) Don't know if I like being forgotten so readily, its a bloody good thing I've forgotten as well!

IAN: (laughing) I don't buy that!

Now how did you hear about 1NS?

MARTIN: I work for the Castillo Resorts and for the last several years I have been setting up fantasy suites and encounters for Madame Eve's customers. All of which I am happy to report, seem to still be going strong. I never thought that I would be on the lucky end of her matchmaking skills, but I'm damn grateful for it

IAN: I'd been through a pretty rough marriage and had been divorced about six months when I run into this guy and his partner in a pub. He's going on and on about this woman and this 'service,' and well, I figured what did I have to lose! Anyway, he and Garret sure did seem happy together.

MARTIN: Took more than his fair share of pints to convince him that Garret and I weren't talking rubbish.

IAN: That and they were buying the rounds

 Ian, what happened with your 1NS date?

IAN:During the date! Are you outta your mind?! I'd like to see this young lady again.

MARTIN: Oh, I am sure you will see her again!

IAN: Aye, I know in my heart, I will.

MARTIN: You see, there is a wee bit of the fae about Madame Eve. She knows what you need in a partner, even if you don't. Garret even tried to trick her when he was hiring her but it didn't work

How did he try to trick her?

MARTIN: Well, my Garret, he likes a particular type of chap. He likes to be... how shall we say? In charge?

IAN: Aye, do I wanna hear this?

MARTIN: I’ll keep it clean, ya old bastard. Well Garret didn’t tell Madame Eve, but she knew somehow what he wanted and she handpicked me for him. I didn't evenknow I was being set up, I just thought I was having a bit of luck and met an amazing guy on holiday. But I believe Madame Eve was waiting for Garret to come along because she knew we were meant to be together. Just like she knew that Bryn and Ian were supposed to meet.

Ian tell us about that?

IAN: All I can say is from the moment I met her my heart was full--like she had been with me in the past, through so many things, lives...now I can't wait to see her again!

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If you want to know all the juicy details that Martin and Ian are apparently too polite to share, you can read Martin and Garret's story in ACCIDENTALLY BEAUTIFUL, by Deanna Wadsworth and Ian and Bryn's tale in my book HASTE YE BACK.

Of course, if you want the full picture why not start at the beginning?
BEAR IT ALL--A 1Night Stand Story
by Deanna Wadsworth

Can desire overcome misunderstanding when these two men bear it all? Or will both men walk away from exactly what they need and desire?

THE ONE HE CHOSE--A 1Night Stand Story
by Wendy Burke

A year after losing her beloved husband, Grace Witzler learns he left a special surprise for her. A fabulous getaway in the beautiful Canadian Rockies that includes a date with a mystery man arranged through Madame Eve’s 1NightStand dating service. She’s shocked and intrigued…what was Ben thinking?

Grace’s date is charming, handsome and about to find out whether the woman of his dreams will return his affection. He’s waited forever, but he’s reading to risk it all on a 1NightStand.

Find Deanna and me on Facebook!

One lucky commenter will win a copy of BEAR IT ALL and THE ONE HE CHOSE so you can start at the beginning of this sexy series!! (If you already have them--well, we'll give you something else!)

Don't forget to leave a comment to win!

---Wendy

Six degrees of (character) separation!

 

You've heard the term 'six degrees of separation.' Basically, you're just six people away from knowing everyone on earth. You know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone who knows someone, who works--let's say--at Buckingham Palace, who knows someone and before you know it, you know the Queen of England!

It happens in writers' heads and with their characters as well. And, what happens when one or two characters know someone in one, two or three books by different authors?

Such is the case when I began writing for Decadent Publishing's 1NightStand line. My writing partner in crime, Deanna Wadsworth, (who has had immense success with her full-length works for DP), started talking about characters, where they come from, and what if they knew one another from one book to the next.

And, so, six 1NS stories were born--three from her and three from me, with overlapping characters. In the end, will they all know each other---maybe! 


For example, take following book covers:

If you haven't read either of these 1NS stories, you may not know that the man on far left and the woman on the far right are brother and sister! And if you read The One He Chose you find out a bit what happened with Travis from Bear It All.

But, it doesn't stop there:

 

You see the cute blond from Accidentally Beautiful was our heroine's concierge in The One He Chose. And, a dear friend of the strapping Scot on the cover of Haste Ye Back.

I don't want to give everything away, but a friend of Bryn's from HYB could be the main character in the next book which Deanna is penning. And, then--well a story about his sister which I will write.

And in the end---well---you guessed it, it'll all go back to the beginning and somehow, everyone will be connected.

It's been fun determining how people are connected, it'll be even more interesting once the stories are complete! (For you and us as well!)

Check back Tuesday for a little insight into two of these characters!

Wendy

Tours and other news!

Check out the giveaways and the great blogs where I'll be touring next week!

March 5th: http://thetardisscribbles.blogspot.com/
March 6th: http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/
March 7th: http://lydianyx.blogspot.com/
March 8th: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk
March 9th: http://sharazade.fannypress.com

 And if you haven't heard, Haste Ye Back is waiting for you! I'm honored by the wonderful reviews! 

Lucy Felthouse wrote: This was a really enjoyable story. It has a fascinating blend of contemporary and ancient elements, making for a fun read which was mysterious in places. I really liked each of the characters and found myself rooting for them, and boy was the sex hot! I don't want to give anything else away, but I'll just say this is a well-written, hot, fun story with parts that will really make you think - and hope there's a sequel! 


And, if you're wondering about the two secondary characters in Haste Ye Back. Well, Tuesday, pick up a copy of Accidentally Beautiful by my writing partner in crime, Deanna Wadsworth!

Okay...I guess I better get movin' on that next 1NightStand story!








Wendy is a displaced Cheesehead, proud to have been born and bred in Wisconsin. She was a migrant worker for years in the radio business, until she landed in Ohio and refused to leave. When she isn’t writing for pleasure and publication, she is a TV newsroom assignment manager. She shares her clean, yet perpetually dusty, house with her way-too-cute chef husband and two spoiled rotten cats in the Great Lakes region of the mid-west. Find her on Facebook, or send her an email at wendyburke1994@bex.net

Haste Ye Back--release date!

Well, it's that time! Release date for Haste Ye Back-- Feb 28th!

It's Excerpt Time---Haste Ye Back!

In just a couple weeks, my latest story with Decadent Publishing Haste Ye Back will be released.

So, that means it's Excerpt Time! Please enjoy this little taste of Haste Ye Back!

Ian didn’t deny his immediate attraction to Bryn, and he couldn’t help think she felt the same—gregarious and affectionate, her hand touched his arm, rested on his knee, and during something particularly amusing, playfully slapped his thigh, then lingered there, fingers dancing dangerously toward his inseam.

Maybe Martin and Garret had been right—this service was more than that. Spot on with their description of Madame Eve, even without the massive number of pounds he’d laid out for the arrangement. Obviously the proprietor had some sort of mental extension into the past and present to bring him someone with whom he had an immediate connection, and one who responded to him in the same manner. Like Eve had reached back into their collective conscious and recreated some long lost love and relationship.

Despite the obvious closeness and easy and entertaining conversation with Bryn, it still surprised him when less than two hours into their meeting she nuzzled against his cheek, her lips dragging over his ear when she whispered, “Uh, I hate to be blunt, Ian, but if I don’t get my mouth around your dick—and soon—I think I’m gonna die.”

 

Haste Ye Back and The One He Chose---1 Night Stand stories from Wendy Burke and Decadent Publishing!

First Round!

 Okay, I know...it's been awhile!

But, the good news is, I have completed ROUND ONE of edits for Haste Ye Back, which has a release date sometime later this month or early March. Now that's  exciting in my book!

In the meantime, The One He Chose has been getting amazing reviews. I'm shocked and proud all at the same time. If you look to the right, you can see TwoLips, Whipped Cream and Romancing the Book reviewed the story and all gave it high marks.

Just as a side note, my pal Deanna Wadsworth and I have been writing these 1 Night Stand stories with overlapping characters. Haste Ye Back is the fourth in the series of six we've planned. The series began with her Bear It All, followed by my The One he Chose, her Accidentally Beautiful will be out soon as well, then on to Haste Ye Back. While the stories stand alone in their own right, if you read them in sequence, you'll see what has happened with the characters in the previous book. After these four, well at least two more to come. And for those of you in the northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan area of the country, you may recognize some of the locations!

So, that's what's been going on from this end. Hope everyone is enjoying 2012!

Until next time...
Wendy

COMING SOON!

Special Guest:: Starla Kaye!

 There's nothing I like more than someone taking over my blog! And, I couldn't be happier that Starla Kaye has agreed to do so! So, sit back and enjoy her confessions about cowboys! And, leave a comment below with your email address and Starla will randomly draw a commenter to win a copy of Cowboys In Charge and a surprise Christmas gift!

All I Want For Christmas Is…a Cowboy

A cowboy…maybe two or three…or seven. Cowboys in Charge, my newest release from Black Velvet Seductions, an anthology of seven strong and loving cowboys and their women comes out the first week in December. This is a Christmas anthology that I hope will warm your heart.

I’ve been in love with cowboys most of my life. I grew up watching Westerns with my dad, science fiction, too. He was eclectic in what he liked and so am I. Sometimes it was the good guy I pulled for. Sometimes it was the Western bad boy.

When I first started playing around with writing, I did a lot of fan-fic type stories based on old TV westerns and cowboy heroes. Gunsmoke, with Marshall Matt Dillon (tall, strong-willed, big heart), Doc, Chester, and Kitty (the independent woman who could wind them all around her little finger) was one of my favorite shows to play with. It had my perfect set-up: the big, sometimes gruff Marshall, sidekicks, and, of course, the woman he loved and who drove him crazy at times. And it took place in Dodge City, Kansas, one of the most familiar places in the Old West.

The Big Valley was another show that intrigued me and gave me lots of story ideas. A strong-willed, widowed mother, three handsome and very different sons, and a daughter. What a great set-up for a cast for many of my early stories.

One of my novels from Blushing Books, Whiskey’s Rebellion, was loosely based on these two TV Westerns. It was great fun playing with some of the actual people and actual places from Dodge City. And I loved “torturing” a hardened U.S. Marshall by pushing him together with the younger sister of his trail buddy. She was spoiled by her three older brothers and extremely independent, perfect for driving the man nuts.

What in particular do I like about cowboys? Their devotion to the brand they ride for. Their respect for women, even in the times they are most frustrated with them. Their confidence and certainty that they know what is right and what is wrong. Of course, these are the fictionalized, perfected cowboy heroes. To knock off some of that “perfection,” add a bit of bad boy attitude.

I’ve published a ton of cowboy stories, contemporary and historical, as well as heroes from other time periods and other careers. But time and again I come back to writing about cowboys. In this newest anthology, Cowboys in Charge, I have seven cowboy heroes: Joshua, Jason, James, Adam, Ryan, Trent, and Justin. (Wow, I just now noticed I had four heroes whose names started with “J.”) The short stories include a couple struggling over having a baby, a couple facing financial problems because of the wife’s shopping addiction, a couple drifting apart and trying to find their way again, a couple deciding about kicking up the wilder side of their life even more, a couple considering divorce, a couple facing the tough decision of whether to marry or not, and a couple dealing with the too-little-time issue.

AUTHOR INFO

Website:  http://starlakaye.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/StarlaKayeWriter

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/starla_kaye

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002ZH8K3U

Authors Den:  http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=151725

Title:  Cowboys in Charge

Publisher:  Black Velvet Seductions

Release Date:  First week in December

ISBN:  978-1-936556-14-4