Top 5 Sundays #38 - Favourite Romance Novels!

Ah, romance. The stories that tell you about two souls battling the odds, overcoming obstacles, defeating prejudices, and ending up living happily ever after. Eventually. Sometimes we're talking vampires, sometimes werewolves, sometimes fae or witches or demons or humans or a combination thereof. Sometimes it's set in the past, sometimes the future, sometimes the present, sometimes whole other worlds. No matter what though, these are stories meant to pull at your heart and illustrate just how enduring love can be, despite the difficulties it faces.

#5 - Seducing the Vampire by Michele Hauf

This book has a couple who must overcome social status (she's nobility, he's illegitimate), prejudice (she's a pure blooded vampire, he's a vamp/werewolf halfbreed), a scorned lover (his brother and a pure blooded noble to boot) and, oh yes, her death (which is actually an immobilization spell that leaves her trapped in a glass coffin underground in Paris' catacombs...needless to say she wakes up insane two hundred years later).

#4 - Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

A retelling of Cinderella, this story has a prince in an arranged marriage meeting his cousin's finacee who's actually a woman impersonating her ill sister at her wicked stepmother's insistence. Both these characters have determination and wit playing in their favour, but Kate's deception and Gabriel's pride keep getting in their way and tripping them up right to the end.

“Give me one last time,” he begged. “Please, please. I beg you.”

“I—” She stopped and started again. “I’m afraid, Gabriel. You’ll break my heart.”

“Mine is already broken.” 

#3 -  Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

“With the world securely in order, Dain was able to devote the leisurely bath time to editing his mental dictionary. He removed his wife from the general category labeled "Females" and gave her a section of her own. He made a note that she didn't find him revolting, and proposed several explanations: (a) bad eyesight and faulty hearing, (b)a defect in a portion of her otherwise sound intellect, (c) an inherited Trent eccentricity, or (d) an act of God. Since the Almighty had not done him a single act of kindness in at least twenty-five years, Dain thought it was about bloody time, but he thanked his Heavenly Father all the same, and promised to be as good as he was capable of being.”

Enough said.

#2 - And One Last Thing ... by Molly Harper

The main character, Lacey, notifies her cheating husband that she plans to divorce him in an email. An email that takes the form of his monthly business newsletter. Which she forwards to all his clients and business associates. It's glorious. And disasterous. But mostly glorious. When Lacey then flees the town scorn by running away to the family cabin, she meets Monroe, former cop turned successful writer and gets to work on some writing of her own. In true Harper style, this book is a through-through romantic comedy that would do the likes of Pretty Woman and 27 Dresses
and their ilk proud.




#1 - A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

After spending centuries chained to wall and being tortured daily by flames as a prisoner of vampires,  Lachlain MacRieve rips off his own leg (don't worry - it grows back) in order to reach his destined and long-awaited mate who just happens to be a half-vampire. Their relationship goes downhill from there but somehow manages to come around to a happily ever after. It's an amazing story of overcoming the obstacles and defeating the odds to find your happiness. What's not to love about that?

Top 5 Sundays #13 - Fictional Worlds You'd Love to Live in!

Okey dokey, boils and ghouls, this week's Top 5 Sunday post is a little late. Okay, it's a lot late and technically it's last week's Top 5 but let's all just try to ignore that little detail, alright?

Now, this week's post is a truly special one - it coincides with the 100th, yup, ONE HUNDREDTH, such post over at Larissa's Bookish Life, the originator of this feature. Congrats, Lar! After just 13 posts I can totally understand the work the work that goes into them - and that's minus the headaches of coming up with the themes each week! Way to go, Ship #1!

Regarding this week's post, it's a hard one. Sure there are a lot of characters I'd love to trade places with but that doesn't necessarily mean I'd want to vacation - let alone live - in their world. I mean, heck, look at Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. Between the bookstore, Barrons, and the cars, I wouldn't mind having Mac's life, especially knowing that she survives her experiences as Priya and everything else her world throws at her. Others in her world, however, are no where near that lucky. In fact, when the walls come down, most of the Earth's population found itself collateral damage. So, yes, nice place to read about, great characters I wouldn't mind swapping places with, but not so great a substitute for the world as is, thanks but no thanks.

Another thing to bear in mind is that when it comes to the worlds of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, there tend to be two kinds: the worlds that know about the things that go bump and the worlds still in the dark about the vamps and weres and witches, oh my! If I'm going to be living in these worlds then I most certainly, most definitely, want to be in the know regards of what the rest of the world knows. I'm not saying I'd necessarily want to be one of the bumpers, but, seriously, what's the point of world swapping if you're not even going to know about the OMFG huge difference that just went on?

So, that being said, without further ado, I give you Calliope's Domain (belated) Top 5  Fictional Worlds I'd Love to Live in!


#5 - The World of Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews

Okay, so the magic's a little wild and unpredictable but even still this is one heck of a world. Vampires are the mindless, vicious undead piloted by necromancers. Shapeshifters are the result of a virus and live in clans overseen by one hell of a hunky alpha. Magic based crimes and problems can be investigated and dealt with by any one of a number agency, including The Order of Merciful Aid featuring knights and the mercenary run Guild. Sure, it has its problems - what fantasy world doesn't? - but by and large its interesting, unique blend of the magic and mundane. Literally.


#4 - The World of Jane Jameson by Molly Harper

Now this world has it all - vampires, werewolves, ghosts, legal rights - what's not to love? Plus, when you get Turned into a vamp, the (not even remotely) friendly neighbourhood vampire council sends you over a Welcome to your Undeath basket full of all your basic vampire starter needs. The fact that things will probably go horribly wrong soon afterwards is, well, to be expected. On the bright side, if Jane can survive, anyone can!

#3 - The World of the Metawars by Kelly Meding

Admittedly, this world gets off to a rocky start mostly on account of all the collateral damage inflicted during battle after battle of superheroes vs. supervillains. Fast forward fifteen powerless years though and the world has itself something of a reboot. Now superheroes are back and once more saving the day and, truly, who wouldn't want to live in a world so much like the one read about in comics? I mean...have you ever seen an ugly superhero? Exactly. Saving the world makes for hunky business.


#2 - The World of Sarah Dearly by Michelle Rowen

Picture a world just like ours except with vampires thrown into the mix. And by "vampire" think immortal, blood drinking undead human with super speed, super strength, super senses, and a couple other super gifts tossed into the mix. No reflections though. What I love about this world is that it has all the comforts of home tweaked with a supernatural slant. Heck, it's even set in Toronto.


#1 - The World of Kitty Katt-Martini by Gini Koch

This is a world with a secret agency run by alien who, to quote Kitty, "come from Planet Hunk, sent to Earth to protect and serve. And make the ladies happy." Yes, it's dangerous, with a varied mix of political intrigue, intergalactic subterfuge, and homegrown terrorism putting one's survival on the line over and over again. But it has hunky aliens. And an adorable super consciousness. And they use alligators as attack dogs at least once. Believe me when I say that if I could apply for employment at Centurion Division and/or its embassy, I would. Oh, how I would. Well, provided they offered adequate health insurance that is.

And there you have it! This (by which I of course mean "last") week's Top 5! Stay tuned...later today or tomorrow, LOL, for the next feature!

Top 5 Sundays #11 - Favorite Names of Female Characters!

Hello again, ladies and gents. It seems we've found ourselves enjoying yet another weekend and, to quote cheesy weathermen everywhere, it's a scorcher. Definitely a weekend made for air conditioning and reading, especially if, like me, you don't have swimming as an alternative. This week's Top 5 is about names, specifically those of female characters. There are a ton of different reasons why your favourite character may have ended up named as they did. Mickey Mouse, for instance, had originally been "Mortimer Mouse" before Walt Disney's wife, Lillian, convinced him to change it, thank the gods. Sometimes it's the name's meaning that gets it attached to a specific character, sometimes it's just a name the author likes, or maybe the author's borrows the name from a favourite celebrity or family member. Wherever the name came from, there's no arguing that names in and of themselves, are important. They don't just identify the character, they embody the character. Names like Arwen, Dorian, Kirk and Sookie are names that are forever engrained in our culture, immortalized thanks to their stories' fame. It's a lot of pressure when you come right down to it. Remember that scene in the penultimate episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Guardian: I'm sorry, what was your name?
Buffy: Buffy.
Guardian: No, really...

 Yeah...like that.

So without further ado, Calliope's Domain Top 5 Favorite Names of Female Characters!

#5 - LILY YU from Eileen Wilks' World of the Lupi series

 Named after her grandmother, Li Lei, with a last name that more than lends itself to  puns, Lily Yu is a dedicated FBI agent and powerful touch-sensitive who's a stickler for the rules and just a tad obsessed with organization. Fortunately, she provides the perfect balance to her fiancé, werewolf alpha, Rule Turner.

#4 - CESARIA "CHESS" PUTNAM from Stacia Kane's Downside series

 Chess is a ghost banishing, haunting investigating, drug addicted Church witch. She's a mess, to put it lightly, but despite her own state of disaster she still manages to solve her cases, save the day, and go home to her hunky alpha male boyfriend, Terrible. What I like about Chess's name is the inherent dichotomy; you've have Putnam, a last name that harkens back to devout Puritan settlers (incidentally, twelve year old Ann Putnam jr. was one of the more adamant accusers during the Salem witch trials), Cesaria, which denotes a certain degree of sophistication and seems best suited to upperclasswomen, and Chess, a board game. And it all comes together in one character.

#3 - CICELY WATERS from Yasmine Galenorn's Indigo Court series

 "Cicely" is a derivative of "Cecilia" - the Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius, which was derived from Latin caecus "blind." At the start of her series, Cicely is blind to her past lives, her heritage, and her destiny. Half owl-shifting Fae, Half wind-controlling witch, Cicely is all warrior. Galenorn is prone to huge casts and has a tendency to bestow unique and distinctly different names on her characters. Cicely was no exception.

#2 - VERITY PRICE from Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series

I love this name, not to mention the character. A cryptozoologist and professional ballroom dancer, Verity is of the opinion that every living creature deserves life; if they're dangerous to humanity, they should be given the chance to relocate or adapt before killing becomes an option. I love how her name means truth; she knows the truth of what's out in the world, she advocates for the truth as her family perceives it while in opposition to the truth set forth by a Covenant of monster hunters. And then there's the matter of true price, a concept derived from her full name. What is the true price one pays to hold true to family, to values, to heritage?

#1 - MOONFLOWER FREEDOM BREEZE JOPLIN DUVALL-WENSTEIN
 from Molly Harper's Naked Werewolf series

Talk about a mouthful. This is what happens when you've got incredibly devoted hippie parents. I think the name really says it all in this case and all you really need to know is that she goes by "Mo Wenstein" except where parents or government are involved.

Top 5 Sundays #6 - Fave Books from First Half of 2012!

When I sat down to put this week's Top 5 together my biggest problem actually turned out to be knowing whether or not a book was actually released in  2012 or in late 2011. This is what happens when you fall behind on your TBR pile - you start to lose track of when exactly you added any given book to the pile. It's sad really and clearly I need to engage in some major catching up over the summer. Cue sigh here.

Well, in any case, here is Calliope's Domain Top 5 Fave Books from [hopefully] the First Half of 2012.

#5 - Summoning the Night by Jenn Bennett

Publication Date: April 24, 2012 | Series: Arcadia Bell

This was a fun read with a good balance of adventure, mystery, romance and family bonding. It developed the characters and plot lines from the first book while simultaneously standing on its own. You can read my full review of the book here.

#4 - Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane

Publication Date: March 27, 2012 | Series: Downside Ghosts

What I love about this series is its ability to make me wince. Chess, the main character, is an drug addicted, ghost exorcising, haunting debunking, top-of-her-game witch living a world ruled by the Church with an underside that even Satan would hesitate to visit. And somehow what it all boils down to is a girl wallowing in self-loathing, solving mysteries that coincidentally interconnect, and having boy troubles. Honestly, what's not to love?

#3 - By a Thread by Jennifer Estep

Publication Date: February 28, 2012 | Series: Elemental Assassin

Finally, finally, those last pesky plot threads left hanging are tied up, neat as can be. Ever wonder what became of Detective Caine (the slime ball who left at the end of book two, Web of Lies, disappointed that Gin had managed to survive a mine collapse)? Were you left questioning whether Bria, Gin's cop sister, would truly be able to accept her sister The Spider? Did you want more Owen? This book delivered all that and more. 

#2 - Nice Girls Don't Bite their Neighbors by Molly Harper

Publication Date: February 28, 2012 | Series: Jane Jameson

Jane has got to be one of my favourite vampires. And why shouldn't she be? Between her love of books, her quirky, sarcastic, spastic nature and her inability to go more than a day without walking into one calamity or another, there's a lot to love about her. In this latest installment in her series, Jane tackles siring a teenage vampire - and dealing with the consequences - the homicidal intentions of some unknown stalker bent on revenge and, perhaps worst of all, planning her wedding. It was funny, it was surprising, it was every bit as good as its predecessors and, really, what more can you ask?

#1 - Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

Publication Date: March 6, 2012 | Series: InCryptid

I loved this book! It was funny and quirky and romantic and surprising and a hundred other things, all of them good. I was intrigued by the premise and all it had to offer - an exiled family of cryptozoologists, the beasts they study, a daughter trying to balance her familial duties with her love of dance while striking out on her own in NYC, a hardcore monster slayer from an order of zealots trying to balance his duty with the intrigue he feels for a certain dancing cryptozoologist, and a whole slew of talking, devout mice, to name just a handful. All in all, an amazing read - I cannot wait for the second book to release!

And there you have it - my Top 5. Tune in next week for more. Ciao!

Top 5 Sundays #3 - Characters I'd Love to Have Dinner With!

Ah, tis Sunday yet again and that means, you guessed it, it's time for Calliope's Domain latest Top 5. Now, looking at the tone set by Larissa's Bookish Life, the character pool is not limited to just the worlds between the pages, which made this extra difficult to narrow down. I know, I know - I've been saying that every week but, heck, it's true! These can be some pretty tough choices, especially when I've only got five spaces to fill!

Without further adieu, I give you Calliope's Domain's Top 5 Characters I'd Love to Have Dinner With!

#1 - Jack Sparrow 

Ok, so this one was no contest. I mean, have you seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? He's witty, he's funny, he's unpredictable, he's...he's Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?

#2 - Charley Davidson

 I made the mistake of reading the first book while drinking Coca-Cola. Needless to say, the coke went straight out my nose by the second paragraph. I adore Charley's perspective, spunk and attitude and would love the chance to pick her brain. Not to mention get the dish on Reyes.


#3 - Prince Charming

Now, let's be clear here - when I say "Prince Charming" (as in Snow's true love in Once Upon a Time - THAT Prince Charming) I mean the hunky hero running about the fairy tale world searching for his perpetually missing Snow White, not his real world counterpart, David. Charming was heroic, brave, noble and all those good prince qualities. David was a moron. It's an important distinction.


#4 - Jane Jameson 

Even if you ignore the fact that we're talking about a vampiric bibliophile with a head full of random trivia, a gorgeous Civil War era boyfriend, and a family that puts the "fun" in "disfunctional," we're still left with a vamp whose a best friend, wedded to a werewolf and one pointed voo-doo cursed by his mama, is, hands down, the most normal character in this book. Why wouldn't you want Jane over for dinner?!

#5 - Betsy Taylor

Betsy...Betsy is kind of like a force of nature who comes blowing through, causing upheaval after upheaval, leaving a wake of destruction, and then leaves you standing there blinking in confusion over whether or not you should strangle her or thank her. And did I mention this is the Queen of the Vamps initiated into the ranks of the undead after an unfortunate run in with an Aztec? The car, not the civilization.


And there you have it - my Top 5. Hopefully this will pop up again next week (yes, I'm still being pessimistic about this...or realistic if you think of my track record thus far). Until then...over and out, mes amours! 

INTERVIEW: Molly Harper

Right, so I think I've cleared the back-log of interviews from before I had my tech-malfunction, and that means new interviews! That's right, boils and ghouls, I've got brand-spanking new interviews hot off the inbox, so buckle your seat belts and get prepare yourselves to be wowed!

First up this week is author Molly Harper who wrote the terrific and original vampire series about the newly-turned Jane Jameson and only just released a contemporary romance entitled, And One Last Thing... Now, without further adieu, enjoy!


1) So, I guess I may as well start with the basics: how exactly did Molly Harper break into the publishing world?

I wrote NICE GIRLS DON'T HAVE FANGS while working as a church secretary.

People seem to find that amusing.

I took the job at the church after leaving a reporting position with my hometown newspaper. For six years, I covered school board meetings, quilt shows, a man “losing” the fully grown bear he kept as a pet in his basement, and a guy who faked his death by shark attack in Florida and ended up tossing pies at a local pizzeria. I loved my job at the paper. I loved meeting new people every day and never knowing where I would end up. But somehow, the newsroom schedule and my husband’s police shifts did not equal "family friendly." One of us needed to take a normal job for the sake of our young daughter.

I took a secretarial position at the church, which left me with dependably free evenings for the first time in my adult life. We were living in "The Apartment of Lost Souls" while building our new home. This was the place where appliances and small electronics went to die. Every night, I would sit and wait for the washing machine to start smoking or the dishwasher to vomit soap on the floor. Then, there was the plague of frogs in the bathroom that put our daughter off potty-training for about six months. It was either write a book, or go slowly insane.

Being a huge fan of vampire movies and TV shows, I wondered, what would be the most humiliating way possible to be turned into a vampire- a story that a vampire would be embarrassed to share with their vampire buddies over a nice glass of Type O. Well, first, our poor heroine gets canned so her boss could replace her with someone who occasionally starts workplace fires. She drowns her sorrows at the local faux nostalgia-themed sports bar and during the commute home, she's mistaken for a deer and then shot by a drunk hunter. And then she wakes up as a vampire. And thus, Jane Jameson and the wacky denizens of Half-Moon Hollow were born.

It took me almost a year to complete and edit a draft of the book, which I planned as the first in a three-book series. I spent three months using agentquery.com to ruthlessly stalk potential literary agents. (There were a lot of lists involved, I don't want to re-live it.) I was gently rejected by at least half of them. I corresponded with some very nice, very patient people, but ultimately signed with the fabulous Stephany Evans of Fine Print Literary Management. Stephany was willing to take to the time to give me advice on how to improve my book before she even signed me. That meant a lot. And when she sold the series at auction to Pocket Books about a month later, it was obvious I'd made the right choice.


(2) Is writing a full-time job or have you got an alter-ego thing going on à la Clark Kent?
I am very much a Clark Kent. I work as an editorial assistant for a medical society. I write at night and on the weekends. Also, I wear glasses.

(3) Your first series deals with Jane Jameson – a fledgling vampire slash bibliophile – as she adjusts to her new life. What inspirations led you to develop your mythology?
I don’t know if I have a mythology per se. I tried to treat vampirism as a disease, a medical condition. And that sucked away a lot of superstitious rules like not being able to enter the home unless invited, fearing crosses and holy water. Other rules I needed to keep for plot purposes, i.e., being allergic to silver and sunlight. It was sort of a patchwork process.

(4) Jane is...a pretty unique take on the vampire heroine. I mean, with the exception of being locked into the nightlife and having a liquid-diet, her life is pretty normal. How did your take on vampires come to be?
I wanted my vampires to be regular Joes with everyday problems, who just happen to have fangs. I figured not every vampire is going to have a castle and a satin-lined cape to fall back on. I flatter myself in hoping that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an influence on the way I write vampires. What I loved about the show was that it explored all of these heavy, emotional topics, but through vampires and demons. Buffy finally sleeps with her boyfriend, only to have him lose his soul and go all evil. Buffy goes away to college and her roommate is a soul-sucking, annoying weirdo from another dimension. It showed that scifi/fantasy can be cool and scary, but still smart and emotionally relevant. I don’t know if my scope is quite that wide, but I’m working on it.


(5) Now, Gabriel. How would describe your hero Jane’s love interest?
Gabriel is an old-fashioned guy. He’s lived apart from the modern world for the most part, so it’s confusing for him to encounter a woman like Jane. She says exactly what she thinks, even if it would be better if she held her tongue. He finds that intriguing. But at the same time, she exasperates him with her stubbornness and her unwillingness to just let him step in and take care of her problems for her. He would do anything for Jane, which leads him into some fairly stupid decisions. Fortunately, he’s a good enough person to find a way to make up for them.

Oh, and did I mention he’s super-hot?


(6) The relationship between Jane and Gabriel has had its rocky moments but some how it all comes out seeming a lot more real because of it. Has it be hard setting the development of their relationship?
Yes, and no. I needed to maintain that conflict throughout several books, because who wants to read three books where the main character is in a happy, settled, schmoopy relationship? That would be annoying.

At the same time, I felt bad pitting Gabriel and Jane against each other. They are capable of hurting each other deeply, but they also work best when they’re together. Having Jane spend time away from Gabriel is like benching your best player. It all works out in the end, though.


(7) How exactly did you come up with your characters? Are any of them based on real people?
I’ve only based one character on a real person, and that’s my husband. He’s the inspiration for the yummy ex-cop neighbor in AND ONE LAST THING. Everybody else either came to me fully-formed, (Mr. Wainwright) or their personality traits are sort of a mishmash of what I needed for the plot.


(8) You’re now moving on to new projects, if your upcoming releases are anything to go by. Does this mean Jane’s story is over?
My agent has proposed a fourth Jane book to the publisher, but no decision has been made. I would be happy either way. As much as I love writing about Jane and the gang, I don’t want to push the series to the point where it loses its spark.


(9) Your most recent release, One Last Thing..., was lacking of vampires, werewolves, and all things that go bump. Why the change?
I was between books 2 and 3 in the Jane series. At that point, I’d been writing about vampires for a while and I wanted to do something a little different. My deadline for book 3 was a ways off and I was due to have our son at any moment. I had an idea for AND ONE LAST THING, and decided to spend my maternity leave working on it. It’s about a woman who finds out her husband is cheating, and uses his company mailing list to tell everyone they know what he’s been up to. She’s exiled from her little town and has to rebuild her life from there. She meets the aforementioned yummy ex-cop neighbor, wacky romance and half-naked hijinks ensue.

I finished the book in about two months. My son would sleep during the day. I would throw in a load of laundry and work on my manuscript, instead of, you know, sleeping, like a normal person. It’s the fastest I’ve ever written a book. I think because I didn’t have to be so careful about the vampire rules, and just write about interactions between characters.


(10) Do you plan on writing more contemporary romances?
I do have several more ideas for contemporaries, but I’ll always come back to paranormal romances. It’s where I’m most comfortable.


(11) Your next publication, How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf, won’t be coming out until February 22, 2011. This book is the start of a brand new series, obviously taking on werewolves instead of vamps. What can you tell us about this book?
Well, I think the cover blurb is safe to reveal, so here goes:

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it's unusual to find a naked guy with a bear-trap clamped to his ankle on your front porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham - who has been openly critical of Mo's ability to adapt to life up North - has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it's love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But he has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he's worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen. Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. But if he's not responsible, then who is? Life is complicated when a when you fall head over haunches in love.

(12) Is it set within the same world as Jane’s books? Are the werewolves the same sort as we saw in that series?

Let’s say the world is “adjacent” to Jane’s world. And yes, the werewolves are the same, with a more specific pack structure.

(13) The second book in that series, How to Talk to a Naked Werewolf, is due out just a month later on March 29, 2011. Have you any other releases scheduled for 2011?

I think the title has been changed to HOW TO FALL FOR A NAKED WEREWOLF. My title skills are weak, so they always seem to be in flux. At the moment, that is my last release for a while, but if you watch my web site and blog, I may be making an announcement soon.

(14) How many books do you envision the Naked Werewolf series to have? In a perfect world that is where the whims of the publisher wouldn’t matter.

Three. I’ve written about half of a third book, I’m just waiting for the publisher to decide whether they’re interested in expanding the series to a trilogy.


(15)What sort of research is done per book? Any particular texts you rely on? Could you break down your research process?
Most of my research consists of Googling to make sure my pop culture references are spelled correctly.


(16) Finally, some random questions about you: a. What are your hobbies aside from writing? Hmmm. I remember having hobbies… I used to cross-stitch and decorate cakes. But I don’t have time for either, anymore. I make my kids’ birthday cakes when they let me.
b. Could you please describe your dream day? I wake up and the kids have already dressed themselves and eaten a well-balanced breakfast. (Quite an accomplishment for a 2-year-old and 5-year-old.) I drop them off at pre-school, where they practically vault out of the car, because they are so happy to be there. I zip on over to the day spa to get rubbed, scrubbed and pampered. At some point, Alexander Skarsgaard drops by to administer my footrub.

I get home around lunchtime to find that some wonderful soul has done all the laundry, put away the dishes and picked up lunch for me from my favorite Chinese restaurant. Pot-stickers in hand, I retire to my office, where I write until it’s time to go pick up the kids.

I come home to find my loving husband waiting for me, with dinner prepared. (To be fair, he normally does this anyway.) We have a meal that does not involve screaming, crying, food being flung on the floor, or my food getting cold because someone needs to be taken to the potty.

The kids are practically chomping at the bit to go to bed. I get to spend the evening watching Castle re-runs with my husband.
c. If you found a genie, what would be your three wishes? -That all of the calories in cheesecake magically evaporate.

-That I could live in a world where I’m a full-time writer.

-That the Jane Jameson books get adapted into a movie starring Jenna Fischer and James Marsden. (I used to want Gerard Butler to play Gabriel, but then he went and single-handedly murdered the romantic comedy with “The Ugly Truth.”)

Wait, should I have wished for world peace? DANG IT!

--------------------------------

So, like it's mentioned above, Molly's next release, How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf, isn't until Feb, 2011, but in the mean time be sure to check out her backlist and pop on over to visit her website.