I'm so happy to have author Rosanna Leo her with me today! She has a NEW release called The Selkie! Let's get know Rosanna a little better.
Do you prefer...
Milk chocolate or Dark? Mmm, milk. Even though it’s so bad for you.
Coffee or tea? Coffee. Tried decaf. Didn’t stick to my ribs.
Vodka or tequila? Neither. I’m a beer girl. Sleeman’s Clear or Honey Brown Ale are my faves.
Romance or a Thriller? Well, romance! Although I love a scary story too.
Mystery or Horror? Mystery. When I started writing, I thought I’d be a mystery writer, but my mind doesn’t work that way.
Tell
us a little about yourself.
I
am a happily-married mom of two boys from Toronto, Canada. My sons are
wonderful, even though they think there are too many “male abs” on Mom’s
covers! My youngest has chosen to take that as an affront. I work in my local
library when not writing, and love it. Libraries are my other passion. To be
surrounded by books, and to be able to write them, is a dream come true.
I’ve
been writing about ten years, but my first book was published this April. I am
now the happy author of 4 romances with Liquid Silver and have submitted a
fifth. Oh, and number 6 is on its way!
Did
you always want to be an author?
In
a way, yes, although I didn’t always realize it. I always adored writing and
researching. However, I got sidelined a bit with a classical singing career
when I was younger. That was fun, but very stressful. I found I turned to
writing again as a stress reliever…voila, my first novel was born from that
experience.
What
authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
As
a child, I adored books by CS Lewis. The Narnia Chronicles are my faves. As an
adult, I began to turn to the works of Karen Robards, Diana Gabaldon and
Suzanne Brockmann. However, there are so many I love. Kathy Love and Meg Cabot,
to name a couple of others.
Did
anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a
writer?
Strangely
enough, although I’ve always had support, no one really knew about my writing
obsession. I didn’t even tell my husband when I began to scribble. For a while,
it was just something for me. Then I realized that the characters in my head
needed a greater outlet. The stories had to be told, so I began submitting.
Since then, I’ve had nothing but support. Even the librarians at my work cheer
me on!
What
is your writing atmosphere like?
It’s
the spare bedroom, actually. My desk and laptop are set up there. I’m
surrounded by reference materials and lots of papers. Oh, and my cat Sweetie
comes to sit with me during the day when I write. She curls up in the sun and
keeps one eye on me.
What
is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite?
My
fave aspect is when you hit that moment when you know your story is clicking.
There’s nothing like it. I hate getting writer’s block, so when everything
becomes clear, it’s such a wonderful release. I guess the worst part is not
having enough time to write. I’d love to sit there all day long and scribble,
but life gets in the way sometimes! J
Your
current book your promoting is:
The
Selkie.
This is a paranormal romance set in Orkney, Scotland. Here is the blurb:
This
was supposed to be her year. However, after losing her job and discovering her
fiancé cheating, Maggie Collins has her doubts. When her grandmother dies, she
hits rock bottom. Maggie travels to her grandmother’s home in Orkney, Scotland
to sort through her gran’s things, only to discover the old woman has left her
a seal pelt as her inheritance. She also learns that others are after the pelt.
To
add to her frustration, Maggie’s dreams are filled with luscious images of a
long-haired man, images that draw her to the magical beaches in Orkney.
Although she’s lost her trust in men, this dream man inspires her with a lust
she’s never known before.
Calan
Kirk has also been dreaming. Dreaming of Maggie, the mortal woman who arouses
him as no other woman ever has. Meeting her in the flesh when she arrives in
Orkney is nothing short of spontaneous sexual combustion. But she is a human,
and not to be trusted. He needs the seal pelt, not a red-haired temptress.
As
a thief ransacks Maggie’s grandmother’s house, Maggie and Calan are thrust
together. They must search for the animal skin, a mythical relic which once
found, will either bring them together or rip them apart forever.
How
did you come up with the your story line?
I
do a lot of reading about mythology and had come upon the selkie myth some time
ago. I loved how evocative it was, and how sad it can be. Selkie love affairs
are destined to end badly, for the selkie will always want to return to the sea,
leaving a devastated lover behind. This is how all the myths end. I wanted to
play with the legend a little bit, and see if I could make it my own.
How
do you choose your characters names?
LOL!
I have a notebook, one I’ve kept for years. Every time I hear a name that rings
well with me, I jot it down. Whenever I create a character, I go to this
notebook and see if one stands out. I don’t tend to choose names based on
traits (i.e. Mr. Storm), but I do keep characteristics in mind. Mostly, I
choose a name that helps me paint the picture best. And I am conscious of
picking names that sound good together. For example, I would never name a hero
Andy and then call his heroine Ann.
~ The Selkie ~
This
was supposed to be her year. However, after losing her job and discovering her
fiancé cheating, Maggie Collins has her doubts. When her grandmother dies, she
hits rock bottom. Maggie travels to her grandmother’s home in Orkney, Scotland
to sort through her gran’s things, only to discover the old woman has left her
a seal pelt as her inheritance. She also learns that others are after the pelt.
To
add to her frustration, Maggie’s dreams are filled with luscious images of a
long-haired man, images that draw her to the magical beaches in Orkney.
Although she’s lost her trust in men, this dream man inspires her with a lust
she’s never known before.
Calan
Kirk has also been dreaming. Dreaming of Maggie, the mortal woman who arouses
him as no other woman ever has. Meeting her in the flesh when she arrives in
Orkney is nothing short of spontaneous sexual combustion. But she is a human,
and not to be trusted. He needs the seal pelt, not a red-haired temptress.
As
a thief ransacks Maggie’s grandmother’s house, Maggie and Calan are thrust
together. They must search for the animal skin, a mythical relic which once
found, will either bring them together or rip them apart forever.
Excerpt:
She
was attempting to stand on her wobbly legs, only to fall back down on her
bottom, when she heard the sound of splashing water. Thinking it was her seal,
Maggie turned to look.
Her
breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t the animal at all.
It
was a man. He was rising out of the waves, walking toward her. She froze. He
was nude, utterly nude, and was staring at her with overflowing intimacy. As if
they’d had, God help her, relations.
And
she realized, with sudden panic, they’d had! In her dreams. He was the seal-man
from all her sex dreams.
No.
Impossible.
Her
first instinct was to call for help, but there was no one near. And then she
realized with frightening awareness that she didn’t want any help anyway. Glued
to her spot, she couldn’t help but drink him in.
He
was beautiful, if unnervingly wet and naked. He had long, shiny, brown hair
that hung down past his shoulders. His face could have belonged on an ad for
expensive cologne, and he had a body to match. Sculpted shoulders gave way to
arms corded in muscle. His defined chest was blanketed by a smattering of
sparse, brown hair that led tantalizingly to his rock-hard abs.
Maggie
held her breath as her gaze traveled lower on his body, taking in trim calves
and thighs a quarterback would envy. And, she noted with simultaneous hunger
and horror, his penis was the biggest she’d ever had the pleasure of seeing. It
was thick and long and glistening with the droplets of water that yet cascaded
over his body. And it seemed to be reaching for her. She gulped, and forced
herself to look back up at his face.
There
was a faint glow about his skin, a shimmery aura. Dismissing it as a trick of
the moonlight, she shook her head.
He
was almost upon her, and his full lips were taut in a teasing grin. Maybe he
was a surfer who’d lost not only his board, but his shorts in the waves. She
knew she should be frantic, but wasn’t. There was something in his brown eyes
that was so familiar, so soothing, even as they swept over her own body with
lustful appreciation.
He
stopped in front of her, and stood boldly, unashamed of his glorious nakedness.
She managed to spit out one hushed word. “You.”
“You,”
was his equally awed reply.
Buy
Links: Liquid Silver Amazon ARe
Author Bio:
Rosanna Leo has her degree in history and literature, as well as in classical singing. She currently resides in Toronto, Canada. Her favorite things are her family, libraries, and her mother's gnocchi. Rosanna loves it when the geeky, awkward girl gets the hot guy, and has made it her mission to see this happen in her books as much as possible.
~My Review~
Those of you who know me or follow my on Facebook you know that have a fascination with all thing Selkie. For those of you who don't know what a Selkie is, it's a seal shifter. I fell upon a book about 6 months ago and have sought out Selkie books since.
On Facebook when I say that Miss Leo had one coming out I was counting down the days until I could dive into it!
The Selkie is an AMAZING story. How can you not love a hot, wet, sexually driven man! The Selkie is the first book I've read by this author and trust me I'll be checking out her other ones!
Miss Leo spins a heartbreaking tale of a young woman. Maggie's life has not been easy and now she has to go to Scotland because her gran's life is failing. After the memorial service her life takes a turn when she meets a mysterious man, one that she's been dreaming about shows up on the beach... wet and naked!
Maggie's life spins guickly out of control when she comes to terms with her feelings and what Calan Kirk really is.
This is a must read!
Miss Leo spins a heartbreaking tale of a young woman. Maggie's life has not been easy and now she has to go to Scotland because her gran's life is failing. After the memorial service her life takes a turn when she meets a mysterious man, one that she's been dreaming about shows up on the beach... wet and naked!
Maggie's life spins guickly out of control when she comes to terms with her feelings and what Calan Kirk really is.
This is a must read!
I give The Selkie 5 out of 5 StarFish!
Tamarian, thank you very much for your review and your support. It means the world to me! Especially coming from such a talented writer! :)
ReplyDeleteOMG...I put in an extra "n" in your name...such fat fingers! Sorry!
ReplyDeleteThat's okay. I line the n...Tamarian
DeleteAwesome review. I'm excited to read my copy.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, my dear Brenda! I am so pleased to have your support and hope you love it. You're wonderful!
DeleteI enjoyed this interview. I was a bit hesitant, seeing a naked man and a paranormal title on the cover, so reluctantly I came here to support a fellow author, but without much hope. I found the excerpt compelling, though, and extremely hot! I look at these things through the androgynous eyes of a writer, so the fact that your selkie hypnotised Maggie felt real to me. I have been hypnotized by a woman before, so I know the feeling!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Aquablogger! I really appreciate you taking a moment to check out something that was new to you! So glad you enjoyed the excerpt!
Delete