Today I want to welcome Annie Nicholas to My Odd Little World. Annie is the author of many great reads, and is here with Omegas in Love, her fourth book in her erotic paranormal Vanguards series. She is being very generous on this tour, giving one book from her backlist to a commenter on each tour stop, and one lucky commenter on the tour will receive autographed copies of the first three books in the Vanguards series and a $10 gift card from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. So let's welcome Annie Nicholas with lots of comments, and enjoy the day. But first a bit about Ms. Nicholas.
Annie Nicholas hibernates in the rural, green mountains of Vermont, where she dreams of different worlds, heroes, and heroines. When spring arrives the stories pour from her, in hopes to share them with the masses one day.
Mother, daughter, wife are some of the hats she happily wears while trudging after her cubs through the hills and dales. The four seasons an inspiration and muse.
Website: www.annienicholas.com
Group Blog: www.paranormalromantics.blogspot.com
Twitter: @annienicholas
And now, on with the show...er, interview
What is the best thing about being a writer? The worst?
The best: FANMAIL! When I get an e-mail about one of my books it’s like nothing the day can throw at me will kill my happy. That someone enjoyed my story enough to drop me word is a thrill.
The worst: Waiting…Sometimes this business moves at a snail’s pace. It’s nerve wracking and ulcer producing.
Do you bring your own life experiences to your writing? Your own personality? If so how?
Some on the internal conflicts my characters face have been mine. Not consciously, it’s only in reflection that I see issues on paper. Like in my first novel, Bait, the heroine mourns her dead husband who she lost to cancer. At that time, I had been battling an illness of my own. It took me year later to see the similarities and that book helped when I was in a bad place.
On a lighter side, my geekiness comes out in The Vanguards series. My pack of nerdy/awkward shifters definitely reflects many parts of my personality.
And of course, my special brand of humor is plastered all over the pages. LOL
Plotter or Pantser? Why?
90% plotter, 10% pantser.
I usually start my book pantsing but once chapter one is done and I’ve met the main characters, I plot. I usually make a general outline of the major conflicts then detail out each chapter before I start writing them. It’s a process, which allows me the freedom to change things yet keeps me on track so I don’t write myself into a corner.
What fuels you as an author to continue to write?
The voices in my head.
Sounds horrifying, I know. LOL
I need to give voice to the characters in my mind and tell their story or they drive me bonkers. I’ve been known to wake at 3am to write something just so I can get some quiet in my dreams. My husband no longer questions me about these habits.
If you could write in any other genre what would it be, and why?
I’m beginning to dabble in sci-fi. I’m shopping around a manuscript I’ve just written to see what happens. I’ve quite a few stories in this genre I’d like to tell.
I would also love to write paranormal historical but I lack the love of research that most historical writers have.
Where can we find out more about you and your work?
My website contains everything and more. The more being little secret things hidden on my homepage by webdesigner. LOL He likes to surprise me.
Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?
The essence of my characters are already planned. Each person reacts differently in any given situation so I have to know their core self to write chapter one. As the book develops, so do my characters, and I discover smaller details such as if they like chocolate or not.
The Sigma, book 5 of The Vanguards, is releasing in August 2012. I also have a new series titled, Confessions of a Succubus, book one will be releasing sometime this fall and I’ve joined some talented authors in another new series titled Gatekeepers. My book, Koishi, will be out March 2013.
And I have some super secret projects in the works for this year as well. ;) I just can’t say until the ink is dry.
The Person
When you get a chance to read, what books do you love to read?
I love romantic urban fantasies, paranormals, fantasies, and science fiction. I do love some straight sci-fi and fantasies as well.
I’ve been on an angel kick this year. LOL
What bores you as a reader?
A poor plot. I can’t read a story that is only about internal conflicts there has to be some action.
What is your favorite food and what is your guilty pleasure food?
I love Asian food, any type. My guilty pleasure is hot fudge sundaes. If I could eat those every meal I’d be in heaven.
What do you think is romantic? What does the word Romance mean to you?
I think what a person does or sacrifices for someone else happiness is the most romantic thing. A man could say, “I love you,” to a chair as easily as he could say it to me. But if that man will do the laundry without my asking then I’m all over him. ;)
What type of music gets you dancing?
Metal and Alternative rock makes me move.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
I’m all about the hot bubble bath with a good book and a glass of wine. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to indulge.
Lightning Round
Chocolate or vanilla?
chocolate
Wine-white or red?
sangria
Mountains or seashore?
Seashore
Winter or summer?
summer
Morning or evening person?
evening
Random Questions:
Aliens have landed on the planet. What are the three things you would tell them that are great about this planet?
· Pizza Hut has the best wings
· Not to use the porto potties
· Dogs are not food
One ounce of espresso, an ounce of Kahlua, a shot of hersey’s chocolate syrup topped with whipped cream. I’d call it the All-Nighter.
You’ve been given the honor of naming a planet, what would you name it?
Mine
If you were in a rock band what would the name of your band be? What would your rocker name be?
The Pillagers and my name would be Wench.
You have been locked in a mall and told you can get anything you want and when they open in the morning you won’t have to pay a single cent. What stores would you hit? Better question how would you haul away all your loot?
I’d hit them all. I’d find a store with carts, grab some ties, and tie them like a train. Then make sure my husband rented the biggest U-haul he could legally drive. LOL
And finally, have you got a sneak peek excerpt from your current work in progress you can share with my readers and me?
This is my attempt at a sci-fi romance. It still needs some editing and I haven’t even started shopping it around yet.
Trinkets from the past nailed my feet to the station floor. Inside the unsealed the container laid a few rusted objects, an ancient laser weapon, and a plastic covered book with a faded picture on the front. I reached to inspect the goods and almost lost my fingertips as the metax merchant snapped it shut.
His long chipped claws clicked on the side of the container. He retreated further into his market tent. “If you’re serious about purchasing, you best come inside. There’re too many prying eyes.” The hiss in his speech was normal and caused by his elongated canines. The metax aliens populated this region of the galaxy and ran Parovi space station. They were carnivorous, but never ate sentient species, unlike some other race I didn’t care to think about. “There are rumors a ko ship is docking.”
My racing pulse paused. That’s all I needed. Stepping past the table of used wares, I followed him inside. Brody would tan my ass if he knew what I was up to. He went to empty the mailbox he kept on station, so I only had a few minutes in the market. “Open it already. I don’t have all day.” I flexed my fake pointed ears at him and peered at the contents once more, pieces of lost human history, according to the merchant. I lifted the old weapon and ran my fingers over the cold, crusty metal. “How did you come by these things?”
He shrugged.
“They’re probably not even bona fide.” It must have been salvagers who wanted to rid themselves of the things fast. Anything human was contraband in all known systems. A few people dabbled in the trade though, a risky business, and I was one of them. I set the gun aside for the book and flipped through the pages one at time.
Breathing grew more difficult. I flicked a glance at the metax to see if he noticed, but he didn’t betray any awareness of my growing excitement. Tossing it aside, I checked out the remainder of the box not really seeing what I was examining. My mind’s eye only focused on what I’d just looked at.
A child’s picture book.
With human words written inside.
I took a shaky breath. Not many people knew how to read the dead language but my ma made sure the knowledge stayed alive within me. There ain’t too many of us still left around. I’d heard a drayian museum displayed a few freeze dried corpses. They took a huge risk if they did. The ko wanted us erased from existence and memory. Some said they didn’t even want human DNA in the space dust.
Hunted to the point of near extinction, no other race would help my kind anymore in fear of retaliation. It’s told that a species called the torrath aided my ancestors. Nothing remains of them now. The ko made an example of that world. We hid now, disguised as other races, and lived among them, or face being delivered to the flesh traders for ko delivery. Some humans used body paints, others like me and Brody, used prosthesis. We traveled as jurranians with long, prehensile ears and vertically slit pupil contact lenses. They contained neurotransmitters so the ears moved naturally and the pupils dilated or constricted. If anyone found out what we were…
Born in China of a pure shifter bloodline, Katrina was raised with only one purpose--to breed. Abused by her alpha, she runs away to America as soon as she can. With a new pack and her true mate, she thinks the nightmare is behind her, but when she is abducted on the streets of Chinatown, Katrina must face her past and fight for her freedom.
It took Tyler a year to earn Katrina's love, another to build her confidence and pride, and only a moment to lose her. Broken-hearted, Tyler won't give up his search for Katrina. But he never trained as a warrior like the other shifters. What chance does a real estate agent have in the fight for his mate?
WARNING: Explicit shifter sex, heartbroken torment, and an unstoppable shifter in love.
Excerpt from Omegas In Love
The Asian stranger grabbed Katrina’s arm and yanked her into his embrace.
“Hey!” It took every ounce of Tyler’s control to keep his beast from busting out on the tourist filled streets of China Town. He shoved the stranger from behind, knocking Katrina from his arms.
She stumbled and landed hard on the ground. Tears stained her cheeks. The cold wind blew strands of long, black hair across her face.
“Get your hands off her.” He bent to help her, but the stranger blocked him. Straightening, Tyler glared at Katrina’s assailant and met a cold, dark stare.
His beast rose closer to the surface and clouded his thoughts. She belonged to him and this male thought to block his way. The only solution was to tear this asshole limb from limb. “Get out of my way.” He spoke each word separately and clearly to get his point across.
“This is none of your concern.” The stranger spoke with a thick accent like Katrina’s.
“You’re on Vasi territory. Anything that happens here is my concern. And she belongs to me.” Tyler pointed to Katrina, then back to himself.
“Chinatown is not Vasi territory. Never has been and never will be. And this female mated me before she ran away.” Crossing his arms, the stranger planted himself in front of Tyler. “She still belongs to me and has never been yours to take.”
Tyler’s jaw hung as if on broken hinges. He shot her a questioning look, but she stared at the ground, not meeting his gaze. Katrina hated to speak about her past. Now, he knew why.
She wiped her face, huddled on the ground, and didn’t deny a thing.
Every bit of joy in his life lay with Katrina, but truth’s claws dug into his heart. He didn’t know which hurt more, the lies or the way she hunched on the ground, submitting to this stranger like an omega all over again.
Thank you to Annie Nicholas for spending some time with us today. She will pick her winner, so be sure to leave your name and email address for her to contact the lucky commenter.
