Interview & Giveaway with Melissa Schroeder

Hi readers!  I am so thrilled to have the lovely Melissa Schroeder on the blog today!  Melissa is the very talented author of more than 50 novels/novellas in various genres. So far, she has shared these treasures with us:

~ Erotic Romance & Suspense series (Harmless, Texas Temptations and Hawaiian Holidays),

~ Historical Romance & Suspense series (Once Upon an Accident),

~ Futuristics series (Bounty Hunters & Saints and Sinners), 

~ Paranormal Romance (The Cursed Clan & the new By Blood), and

~ Several stand alone novels.

Melissa joins us today to tell us about her new Victorian Paranormal Romance series By Blood and the first novel that was just recently released, Desire by Blood.  She’s also gifting a copy of her first novel in the series to a very lucky person.  You’ll find the Rafflecopter form at the end of the interview where you can enter the giveaway.

Before I jump into the questions, I’d like to share an excerpt to whet your appetite. I seriously started having heart palpitations when I first read it and thought I would go insane until I got my hands on the full novel. So check this out my lovelies…

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Excerpt

Everything in Cordelia stilled; every thought flew out of her head. It was as if time stopped. Then in a rush, reality blazed back to life. Nicodemus Blackburn was kissing her. Her. Bluestocking Cordelia Collingsworth. Why?

Before she could puzzle that out or contemplate the oddity of Blackburn’s actions, he slid his hands up her arms, cupped her face and deepened the kiss. His tongue skimmed over her lips. She gasped, and he used the moment to dip inside of her mouth.

Cordelia knew she should be shocked to her toes. This was everything she had avoided. She did not want to be saddled with her mother’s reputation. But at the moment, her heart was beating so fast she couldn’t think. The masculine scent of him surrounded her, intoxicated her. Blackburn pulled back just a bit, cool air replacing the heat of him. When she slowly opened her eyes, she found him watching her, his gaze brilliant.

“It works better if you kiss me back.”

His voice was deep, resonant, filled with something she could not discern. It did not matter if she did not understand, her body responded. Heat shot through her veins causing her to shiver. Without another word, he swooped down to capture her mouth again.

Every worry she had dissolved as he slanted his mouth over hers. This time she responded the best she could. It was her first true kiss, for she did not count the few stolen kisses early suitors had subjected her to. If they had been as skilled as Blackburn, Cordelia might have been tempted to break the rules.

Cordelia willingly opened her mouth, allowing Blackburn to slide his tongue in. Little bursts of heat crackled over her nerve endings. Slowly, she skimmed her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, and behind his neck. He took the opportunity to pull her closer, into his warmth. His hands slid down to cup her bottom, pull her tightly against him. Even through the layers of clothing she could feel the beat of his heart.

Her head spun, her body rejoiced. Tentatively, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, sliding it along his as he had to her. The taste of him burst through her, tart lemonade, a touch of brandy, and Nicodemus Blackburn…that was the most intoxicating part. Every reservation she had dissolved into the glorious passion he was building.

He growled, it vibrated deep in his throat. She shivered at the primal sound. Easily, he walked her backward. Before she could even discern what he was about, she found herself beneath him on the couch. Blackburn tore his mouth from hers only to set about attacking her throat. His tongue slid over her flesh, the scrape of teeth followed. She heard a moan filled with lustful longing. It took her a moment to realize the wanton sound had come from her.

Her lungs seized the moment she felt his hand move over her breast. For a moment sanity tried to take hold. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop. This was insane, and again, it could ruin her. Somewhere in the back of her mind a voice told her to resist, to push him away. In the next instant, his thumb moved over her nipple. It responded, tightening immediately, aching for more attention. Again, he growled, a sound that should have shocked her, but it did not. Something in her reacted immediately. An ache tightened her belly then feathered out over her body. A demand for completion battered her, urging her to ignore everything else. She could do nothing else but fall into the morass of lust he was creating.

Nico gave her bodice a quick, hard tug, causing her full breasts to spill out. He pulled back, and she had a moment of trepidation. Cool air replaced the heat of him. She opened her eyes to find him looking at her. Not at her face, but at her chest. Heat spread from her breasts up into her face as he continued to stare. His eyes were brilliant, his breath coming out in short, choppy bursts. It was the only sound in the room.

Embarrassed, she moved to cover her bosom, but the rumble from his chest stopped her. Once more, it brought to mind a feral animal. Without moving his attention from her bosom, he captured her hands and pulled them back.

“Sweet Jesus.” Lust deepened his voice as his hungry gaze moved over her.

Her mortification melted as she realized there was admiration in his tone. He swooped down and took a turgid tip into his mouth as he caressed the other. This was beyond anything she ever imagined, almost as if she could not control her reactions. Delirious with the heat he was creating within her, she speared her fingers through his hair, allowing the dark tresses to slip through her fingers. Closing her eyes, she moaned as he moved to give her other nipple the same treatment as the first. His breath was hot against her flesh. Her heart galloped.

Nico pulled back slightly. Cordelia allowed her hands to drop from his head and opened her eyes. He was gazing at her again, his face of stone, his nostrils flaring with each breath he took. Without breaking eye contact, he blew on her wet nipple. A tidal wave of need crashed through her. Moist warmth slipped down further as the craving grew within her. She wanted—needed—him in a way she could not understand. Everything in her being called out to him just as it had the first time she had met him.

She couldn’t comprehend why this man…when so many before him had tried and failed. Before she could contemplate why or how, he was moving down her body. When he pulled her skirts up, she protested.

“Mr. Blackburn.”

He stilled and looked up at her. The harsh lines of his face were more prominent, his appetite easy to see there. It should scare her, should send her running from that room. Instead, want surged through her, thundering through her blood. She did not even know what she craved, but she knew she wanted it from him.

“Nico.”

“W-what?” she asked.

His jaw moved, telling her he was grinding his teeth. “Call me Nico.”

“Nico.” Was that her voice? All breathy with desire? What had the man done to her?

He smiled in response. “I like the sound of my name on your lips.”

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Welcome Melissa!  Congratulations on the release of your new series.  Would you share with us what By Blood series is about?

By Blood is a paranormal series set in Victorian London that features the Vampire Alliance. Their world has their own class structure and operates within the Victorian ton. Included in their ranks:

~ Born-a vampire born of a vampire and Carrier mating

~ Carrier-women who carry the gene that allows them to birth vampires. While they can birth Carriers even without mating w/a vampire, the gene will carry on through their daughters.

~ Made-the lowest of society. These are vampires who are made. They are seen as beneath everyone. They go through a transition that takes Borns years in a matter of days and if they are not controlled, they become killers unable to control themselves when feeding off women. Borns rarely associate themselves with Mades. The one exception is Malik, the hero Nico’s best friend.

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How would you describe Desire by Blood in 50 words, 10 words and 1 word?

50… A dark paranormal built within the Victorian ton, with renegade vampires, intrigue and overwhelming passion. Nico is a man who knows what he wants and does not pander to society ideals. Cordelia is a woman who is a survivor. Their quest for passion blossoms into love.

10…Two people who find each other amidst human and vampire intrigue.

1…Intriguing.

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When I read a novel, character development is most important to me. More than plot or anything else really.  So I’m always curious about how authors come up with ideas for their characters.  Do you usually base your characters on people you know, on yourself or do you just let your imagination run wild?

There is always a little bit of my husband in my heroes. Mainly because he is a smartass and most of my heroes have that in them.

There are bits of pieces of people in the characters I write because I really like to get in there and know the characters I write about. I am a character driven author and more than anything, they come to me first rather than the plot. I love to study human behavior and hope that I can convey that in my books through my characters, so there is always a little something from people I know.

And, yes, I have killed people off who have been mean to me. It is very passive aggressive, but the other option would land me in jail.

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LOL!  Do you have a plan for how long the series will be and when the others in the series will be released?

I have four more books planned right now. Right now, the next one will probably not be out until late 2013 unless sales explode.

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So, onto a few questions about you…why or how did you first get started in writing?

I had wanted to write since I was in middle school, but I didn’t start until I was in college. I took a poetry writing class as part of my English major. O M G, I was horrible at it, but when I took the prose part of the course, I found what I wanted to do. It took me another ten years of trying different genres and failing before I found romance. I have been writing seriously since about 2002 in the romance genre.

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Melissa, you’re website shows you have two more brand new series starting in the near future. Good gods woman! How or where do you come up with all these fabulous ideas?

It is hard for me to keep up with them. For every idea I have that I’ve had time to produce, I have about four that have to be put on the back burner. It is the curse of being creative and having ADD.

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What surprises you most about becoming an author?

I think that people are so in awe of my ability as a writer. I have always been weird and at this stage in the game, I am pretty proud of that weirdness. Now, though, it is accepted because I am a writer. It’s like they expect it and would be disappointed if I wasn’t kind of weird.

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What is your best advice for aspiring authors?

Two things: Read everything you can. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And, keep writing. As the saying goes, I am successful because I refused to give up. It might take you longer, like it did for me, but you can’t get there if you give up.

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If you weren’t an author, what would you be doing instead?

Producing shows for Discovery ID.  I think I would excellent at that.

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Are there any appearances, conferences or tours planned that you’d like your readers to know about?

Right now, I am set to appear at Readers and ‘ritas in November and then Authors After Dark next year!

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Thank you so much Melissa for being so generous with your time!  I loved having you here and can’t wait to read more in this series and of course I’m desperately awaiting Angus (Book #2 in the Cursed Clan series). I wouldn’t feel right about not mentioning that series. Its one of my favorites!

Angus will be out August 9^th. I wanted to get it out earlier, but since my doc said I needed to reduce stress in my life, and my husband was not amused by my I will be in Hawaii for the next year writing on the beach, I had to cut back on my writing hours. But, I promise it will be out then—and I will have it AAD to sign.

Thanks so much for having me on the blog!

Check out Melissa’s Bio below and you can click here to read my review of Desire by Blood.

Happy Reading!

Kat

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Melissa’s Bio

From an early age, Melissa loved to read. First, it was the books her mother read to her including her two favorites, Winnie the Pooh and the Beatrix Potter books. She cut her preteen teeth on Trixie Belden and read and reviewed To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book.

Since the publication of her first book in 2004, Melissa has had close to fifty romances published. She writes in genres from historical suspense to modern day erotic romance to futuristics and paranormals. Included in those releases is the bestselling Harmless series. In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with A Little Harmless Submission and the popular military spinoff, Infatuation: A Little Harmless Military Romance. Along the way she has garnered an epic nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa nods from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the best seller lists on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Since she spent her childhood as a military brat, Melissa swore never to marry military. But, as we all know, Fate has her way with mortals. She is married to an AF major and is raising her own brats, both human and canine. She spends her days giving in to her addiction to Twitter, counting down the days until her hubby retires, and cursing the military for always sticking them in a location that is filled with bugs big enough to eat her children. 

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Contact Melissa

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

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Enter the Giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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