WELCOME, ELLA DRAKE!

The Quirky Ladies would like to welcome Ella Drake to the blog today to be interviewed about her latest release, Scent of Cin out from Cobblestone Press just this past October 2nd.

Ella is the author of dark paranormal, futuristic and science fiction romance and, let me tell you, her stories are hot. I know, because I've been lucky enough to critique parts of them. Her bio tells us that as a child she read books under her covers with a flashlight and discovered a special love of elves, dragons and knights. Now that she's found her own knight in shining armor and happily ever after, she loves to write tales of fantasy, hot enough to scorch the sheets. No flashlight needed.

Enough with introductions, let me get on to welcoming Ella, who is offering one random commenter to this interview a chance to win a digital copy of Scent of Cin.

Michelle: Hey Ella. Welcome to the Quirky Ladies. First off, tell us about your recent release, Scent of Cin, and what inspired it.

Ella: Scent of Cin is about a female detective faced with death and forced to partner with a creature she's sworn to kill. The idea from this story came from a visual I had from out of the blue--a woman in a red teddy coming back from the dead. Now that's unusual for two reasons. First, I don't usually have random pictures in my head that spark a story. I also don't usually go around dreaming about women in red teddies.

MP: LOL! Obviously the shock of it was enough to start the Muse flowing. So, what was your biggest challenge writing this story? Did your characters ever misbehave as you tried to write them?

ED: My biggest challenge was getting clothes onto Cin and Vedo, the heroine and hero. Their clothes were done away with in the first scene. I gave up and had to let Cin be mostly naked. As tough a character as she is, she didn't seem to care.

MP: Sounds like one very secure woman. Your career has started off with a bang, with your first release last May of Wolf Bitten, the Scent of Cin story available now, and your upcoming releases of The Forbidden Chamber and Firestorm on E'Terra. What was the most fun to write?

ED: All of them. I did love writing them all. But if I had to pick the one that was most fun, it'd be Firestorm on E'Terra. Firestorm is a rush. It reads a bit like a military SF, but with lots of romance thrown in. I enjoyed writing characters who spoke with such honesty and were out to save the world, for real.

MP: You write both paranormal romance and science fiction romance. What's the biggest difference for you between writing these two subgenres?

ED: The language flows a bit differently. The dialogue and motivations in SFR are more related to contemporary and romantic suspense than the fantasy world of paranormal romance. I also tend to write darker paranormal, so the atmosphere is a little heavier, and I find it more difficult to add moments of levity.

MP: What's next on your agenda? Anything in the works fans would love to hear about?

ED: I have another Science Fiction Romance, Caught in Silver, about a backwater-world sheriff who takes to the space lanes to rescue his long lost love. I'm revising it now and hope to send it out soon.

MP: Oooh, I've read bits of that one and it's fantastic. But I've been dying to know how you have been so blessed by the cover art gods. Scent of Cin's cover is gorgeous, and everyone must run to Ella's website and look at her two other available covers. They are just stunning. So tell me your secret. Do you have an altar to these gods set up in your home? Do you make daily sacrifices? And if you do, what sort of sacrifice works best?

ED: LOL. I have no idea! Maybe those chocolate chip cookies that disappear overnight? In all honesty, when I made the list of publishers I wanted to submit to, I checked out the covers. I think the art does matter, so I looked at current covers when I made my publisher wish list. After that, I got lucky.

MP: Finally, because we're the Quirky Ladies, can you share one quirky fact about yourself that readers probably don't know?

ED: I've ridden a mechanical bull, and I'm dying to ride one again. Anyone game?

But no matter what your answer, you can find me at: http://www.elladrake.com/ or follow me on twitter @lori_ella. Excerpts and more information about Scent of Cin is available at http://www.elladrake.com/Cin.html and Scent of Cin is available from Cobblestone Press at: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/scentofcin.htm

Don't forget, a random commenter will win a digital copy of Scent of Cin.

I'll leave you with this snippet, with Vedo and Cin in his car, surrounded by hellions, the lapdogs of the demon queen:

(Excerpt from Scent of Cin)

"Damn. I don't have my taser or my sword," Cin said, her voice calm despite the threat.

Taser to immobilize them temporarily. Sword to decapitate them permanently. He'd seen her skill with the sword, and it was a chilling sight. Chilling not being a comfortable feeling for him, he wasn't disappointed she didn't have her sword. Of course, she shouldn't be defenseless, and he'd had them retrieved after she'd been ambushed.

"I have your weapons in the trunk."

She leaned into him and gave him a scorching kiss. Hot and greedy, her tongue entered his mouth. After too short a moment, she pulled back.

"You do have your uses," she said and gripped her knees as if to keep her hands from him.

Maybe he should keep her sword around if it got him this kind of reaction. The scalding waves that radiated from his chest outweighed any amount of chill.

The Hellions smelled Cin, blatant erections undeniable proof. They surrounded the Jag, snuffling. The woman in question remained calm, used to this behavior, but it made his skin crawl. His temper flared, and he thought he heard a growl. Impossible. He'd learned long ago to keep his feral nature in check. Cin flicked an amused glance his way, and the spiking heat in the small space proved he'd lost control. He'd sunk to the level of the beasts outside the car.

He'd growled.

Damn.

I'm thinking it's probably good that you've changed me in some way, or I'd be toast with the sparks you're putting off over there."

"Sorry."

"More to talk about later," she mumbled, but he heard.

He reached behind him in the small cab of the car. Customized for his tall frame, his seat sat all the way back to the useless back bench. He flipped the back cushion down, reached into the trunk, and pulled out the sword and taser. Pushing them into her capable hands, he trusted she'd put them to good use. He shoved open his door, leaving her his parting comment.

"These mutts can't be far from the bitch. Let's take them down."

MP: Excellent scene. Thanks for stopping by Ella. And readers, remember to leave a comment to win her book.