UPDATE **Congratulations Booklover1335 for winning either the eBook of DANGEROUS DECEPTION or your choice of print book from Katie's backlist. Please email me jaxcassidy @ gmail.com and I will be happy to forward your details and choice to Katie. Thanks for playing!!!**

**To be eligible for an eBook of DANGEROUS DECEPTION (or an autographed book of one of her backlist instead), just post a comment and you'll be automatically submitted into the drawing! The winner will be picked randomly and results will be posted on Friday**

How tumultuous was your writing journey? Did you have the support system you needed during this time?

I’m still not where I want to be in my career so it’s an ongoing journey. It has ups and downs but I love what I’m doing. My husband and family are amazing. I could go on for a page about all the things they’ve done to support me but it would just bore you. Simply put, I’ve been incredibly lucky as far as support goes and I never take that for granted.

Do you have a posse you write with? Do you suggest critique partners or beta readers?

People are so different so I’m hesitant to suggest what works for me will work for someone else. That being said, I work with two critique partners. We trade a chapter a week and when I’m finished editing I send the finished story to a trusted beta reader. Sometimes however, I won’t use anyone. I just finished a ‘quickie’ cowboy story for EC and of course I edited it before sending it to my editor, but for something that short, I knew when it was ready and I knew what my editor was looking for.

Has writing for ePublishing prepared you for your writing future? How is it like writing for Ellora’s Cave?

I think it has prepared me as far as dealing with contracts, working with different editors, and becoming familiar with the publishing industry in general. Sometimes I see less than stellar comments about EC and it always surprises me because I’ve had nothing but success with them. My editor was incredibly helpful when I first signed with EC and never made me feel like a newbie for asking incredibly ‘newbie questions’. Above all, she’s always professional. So far my sales have been above and beyond what I expected. So, to answer your question, I LOVE writing for Ellora’s Cave.

You mention on your website that you love zombie movies. What is your all time favorite zombie flick and why do you love them so much?

It’s a tossup but I’m going to go with Resident Evil 2. I love them all, but the second one stands as my favorite. If you’ve seen it, you know why. If you haven’t, rent it now! I don’t know why I love them so much. Maybe it’s because zombies taking over the planet or a town is so far removed from reality, I just love the escapism.

What type of audience would you like to draw from your writing? Do you have a desire to write something outside of the erotic genre?

I hope I draw a variety of readers but so far my fan mail has been from women who enjoy a hot story with a happy ending. I actually do write outside of the genre. I enjoy writing erotic romance but I couldn’t do it full time and I’m impressed by people who do. I LOVE category books, probably because that’s how I discovered romance, and I hope to one day write for Harlequin Intrigue and/or Blaze. I’d also like to break into the single title market with romantic suspense/light paranormals. Currently I have a few fulls with different agents so hopefully that dream will happen sooner than later.

How many books do you write a year and what have you seen the most results in doing promotions?

I’ve only been writing a couple years and my first year I didn’t keep track of anything. Maybe I shouldn’t admit that but I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to write stories. I can tell you what I’ve written this year though. Since January I’ve finished three category style books (each between 55-60K). Two are with various agents and one I just finished last week so it’s definitely in the editing stages. I also finished a 15K quickie for EC and just started a new erotic novella. As far as promotions, I have no idea what works. The story I promoted the most had the least sales (but a ton of great reviews) and the story I promoted the least has had the most sales.

If you were a nail polish what would it be called and why?

I’m cheating b/c I have a nail polish bottle called fondola gondola and I think it’s hilarious every time I use it. I’d want to be called that. Seriously, what was their marketing department thinking?

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done, and what did you learn about yourself?

I was about 21 when I put college on hold, packed up my tiny two door car with my limited belongings and drove to The Keys to live on a boat. It was an amazing experience that taught me I don’t need a lot to be happy. If I’ve got books and a computer (to write) I’m good to go.

What are you currently working on and what will we see from you in the future?

I’m currently working on an erotic novella and have started plotting out a single title paranormal that I hope to dive into when I finish the novella.

Any parting words for our readers? For our aspiring writers?

Thanks for having me at Hooked on Romance! For new or aspiring writers, my advice is to write every day if you can. Once you get in the habit, it’s tough to break. But don’t forget to cut yourself some slack. Don’t become so obsessed with writing that you forget the important stuff in life. And no, cleaning and laundry are not important.


DANGEROUS DECEPTION
Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Two years ago Sage Miller’s life changed irrevocably with one violent act. Longing for anonymity, she left her high paying job in New York and relocated to a growing town on the coast of North Carolina. Just when her life is settling down, a sexy man from her past shows up and wants to pick up where their explosive relationship left off. And this time, he’s the one calling the shots.

Trent Takoda lost Sage a year and a half ago. After spending a week with the most intense woman he’d ever met, she disappeared in the dead of night. Now that he’s found her again, he’s determined to win her heart this time. When a vicious stalker with ties to her past tracks her down, all bets are off. Her safety is now his number one priority. She belongs to him and it’s about damn time she realized it.

Purchase Dangerous Deception(e-book version)

**This excerpt contains adult content and is intended for those who are at least 18 years of age.**

EXCERPT From DANGEROUS DECEPTION:

It was him. How that was even possible, she didn’t know. “That’s your brother?” The question sounded hoarse and scratchy to her own ears and she doubted Jason missed it.

“Yeah. You know him or something?” She felt her boss’s gaze on her but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Trent.

Broad-shouldered, midnight black hair, perfect bronze coloring and standing about six foot one. He yanked his sunglasses off and stalked toward them. Yep, he still looked good enough to eat. Staring at him now, she couldn’t believe she’d ever willingly walked away from him. The man was walking sex appeal.

Heat involuntarily pooled between her legs as his dark eyes roved over her body in a blatantly appreciative manner. She might be fully clothed but the way he stared at her brought back too many memories. Naked memories.

Her body alternated between hot and cold. His heated gaze made her feel like he was remembering the same things she was. Her nipples strained painfully against her bra but she was thankful she had one on. At least he wouldn’t see the effect he had on her body.

Every instinct she possessed told her to run and hide but her feet were leaden. The man who visited her dreams on a regular basis was walking right toward them. Well, stalking like an angry bear was more like it.

Despite her resolve to stand her ground, she took a small step back as he joined them.

“Sage?” Trent spoke, the deep timber of his voice just as sexy as she remembered.

Somehow she found her voice. Clearing her throat, she said, “Yes. I’m Sage Miller. Nice to meet you.” When she held out her hand, he stared at it for a confused moment before enveloping it with his much bigger one. She didn’t know why she’d pretended not to know him. The words had just popped out. The thought of explaining to her boss exactly how she knew his brother was beyond embarrassing.

After a few seconds, she tried to pull away but he held firm, tugging her a step closer. As if drawn by a magnet, she stared at their clasped hands. His darker skin against her ivory coloring painted an erotic picture. It shouldn’t but when she stared at their hands, all she could think about was what their bodies had looked like intertwined. Despite her resolve to stay strong, she could feel heat creeping up her neck. And with her fair skin tone, it had to be obvious.

“Wait a minute. Do you two know each other?” Jason’s confused voice interrupted them.

She jerked her hand away. “No.”

“Yes,” Trent said at the same time.

Jason let out a nervous laugh and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him take a few steps back. “Okay then. I’m going to catch up with Sharpe. Find me when you need me.”

Without looking at Jason, she couldn’t be sure who he was talking to but at that moment, she didn’t care. She and Trent stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. She broke away first and found an interesting spot on the ground to stare at. Yeah, she was a total chicken.

“What the hell are you doing working for my brother?”



ABOUT KATIE:

Katie Reus fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash, but she isn’t one of those writers who always knew what she wanted to do. After earning a degree in psychology she realized her heart wasn’t in pursuing a career in that field and she sort of fell into writing. She currently writes for Ellora’s Cave and The Wild Rose Press. She’s an active member of Central Florida Romance Writers, ESPAN, Kiss of Death, and Romance Divas. She writes romantic suspense and erotic romance, but no matter the genre, Happily Ever After is always a must.

For more on Katie, visit her online:

Website: http://www.katiereus.com/
Blog: http://www.katiereus.blogspot.com/