Please join me in welcoming Gena Showalter back to The Dungeon.  This is her final visit with us, & Mistress Heidi is sad because Gena fits in so very well here.

However, Gena has decided to talk about hot, sexy, half-naked men, & that makes Mistress Heidi happy.

So let’s see what she has to say…

###

When I was told I could talk about anything I wanted, I thought, Free rein, baby! Sweet!

Then I thought, Wait. What should I talk about? My brain remained as blank a screen as the Word doc I’d just opened up on my computer.

Then I thought, What’s wrong with me? I’ve lost my spark. Panic set in.

I thought, Okay, I can do this. Last blog post I did for someone featured half-naked men.

Then I grinned. Half-naked men. Score! Yep, I’ll talk about those.  Or, more specifically, my favorite romance novel heroes.

Let’s start with Lachlan from A Hunger Like No Other by the amazing Kresley Cole. (Side note: He’s mine, ladies. Touch him and you could get cut. ) Why do I love him? The man is dark and powerful, and when chained, he is willing to claw and chew his own leg off to reach the heroine. Yes, the leg grows back. But still. What a gesture! I am shivering even now.

Then there’s Colin from Demon Moon by the fabulous Meljean Brook. HOTNESS!   He is a vampire and unimaginably beautiful. I love that he knows he’s beautiful. I love that he isn’t afraid to admit it. I love how badly he craves the heroine, and I love that he can kill his enemies quickly and easily. Fine, I just love him. Did I mention the hotness?

There’s Nate from the upcoming SEALed And Delivered by the magnificent Jill Monroe. Two words: Navy SEAL. I love me some military men. And this one is all man. He’s not afraid to rough it, he’ll complete a mission even when injured, and he will protect the heroine with his life. Sign me up and have him delivered half naked immediately!

There’s my darling Hercules from Warrior Rising by the unstoppable PC Cast. This dangerous warrior has a dark force working inside him, a beast that takes over whenever he fights. Yep, there goes another shiver. All that power at your fingertips . . . just imagine it! Delicious! And that fact that he’ll be gentle with the heroine, and only the heroine . . . Yes!

And I must, must, must mention Lucas from Slave to Sensation by the wonderful Nalini Singh. He is a shapeshifter and all scrumptious animal on the inside. One look from him, and a woman will melt—right onto his bed.

Yes, I have a thing for warriors. Not to mention the “beauty and the beast” plotline. Which is probably why I fell in love with Sabin from THE DARKEST WHISPER the minute he stepped onto the page. He is an immortal warrior possessed by the demon of Doubt, and he has always placed victory on the battlefield before love. Watching him fall in love and direct all that fierceness at one woman was like eating mind candy. I loved every minute with him! Hard and hot, beautiful and beastly, he is everything I want in a romance novel hero. I’m considering writing a sequel, killing off the heroine, and pairing him with a girl named Gina. Or Jeanna. Just saying.

So who are some of your favorite romance novel heroes?

###

Thank you, Gena!  I can’t wait to hear what fabulous discussion & rivalry that question brings up.    (I have to warn you, it could get ugly.  Our  Darlings tend to be very possessive of their hot-bodied hunks. )

And remember, ladies, if you’re not too violent, after today’s visit, Gena will pick a third & final winner for her guest blog giveaway—an autographed copy of Book #3 of her “Lords of the Underworld” series, THE DARKEST PLEASURE.

U.S. residents only, please, but everyone is welcome to throw their favorite romance novel hottie into the ring.

Let the hotness begin!   I’ve got a fruity drink ready to keep me cool.

Once again, I’m thrilled to welcome the sweet & delightful Gena Showalter to The Dungeon.

This week, we get to torture her with a few of our very favorite, very pressing interview questions.  Let’s see how she did…

What is your favorite color? Blue

Favorite song? That changes all the time, but right now it’s “Fading” by Decyfer Down

Favorite movie? Anything with a half-dressed (or naked, I’m not picky) Ryan Reynolds (Note from Heidi:  Amen, sister!)

And of course, favorite book? A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. This book introduced me to her amazing world of Lore (valkyries, vampires, witches, werewolves, demons and more) and characters that are so real I can actually hear them while I’m reading.  And I like what I hear.  Especially from the men.   I don’t want to get all they-belong-to-me and everything, but really, THEY BELONG TO ME.

What are you currently reading, & how are you enjoying it? SEALed and Delivered by Jill Monroe. She’s my critique partner and I have to say, this is my favorite of all her books. A sexy Navy SEAL paired with a girly-girl who hates roughing it. Hell, yeah! Sexual tension at its best! I’m loving every word.

Name three books on your TBR pile that you can’t wait to read. The Avenger by PC Cast, Lover Avenged by JR Ward, and Dragons Prefer Blondes by Candace Havens.

What was the first book in your chosen genre that you remember reading, or that made you want to write the same? Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsay. That was my first paranormal romance and baby, I was hooked. I ate up every word, then immediately started reading again for a second helping. Alpha warriors, a woman who was just as strong, sexual tension that sizzled . . .yes, yes and yes.

What do you think of Heidi? She’s great, right? An absolute doll!!

How did you get started writing? Reading was my biggest passion. I had all these stories of my own floating around in my head, and pretty soon, writing them down was the only thing I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. So I sat down and gave it a shot. No one thought I could do it, and with good reason. I mean, I’d dropped out of college three times and had been voted worst employee ever several times. But I fell in love with the process and committed myself to doing whatever was necessary to succeed.

Tell us a little bit about your first sale. I had written for over two years and had six manuscripts under my belt when I finally bagged an agent. We didn’t sell right away, though. Took us two years and countless rejections before HQN decided to buy The Stone Prince. At the time, the phones were down and my now-editor could only fax my agent. Before they could hook up, though, my editor went on vacation. Right before she got back, my agent went on vacation. I had to wait writhing in agony patiently for two weeks before the two connected and the offer was officially made.

Fill in the blank—If you like [blank], you’ll love Gena Showalter! That’s like loading the gun and putting it right in my hands  But here was my thought process while answering this question: If you like to laugh (not everyone has the same sense of humor), to cry (sounds too depressing), white hot romance (right track but that could describe a lot of authors), immortal warriors (too limiting perhaps), reading (too egotistical) doing stuff, you’ll love Gena Showalter.

Tell us about THE DARKEST WHISPER and why we’ll love every word. Here’s the blurb for it:

He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world’s about to be rocked.

Bound by the demon of doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern…until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.

Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she’d fall for a kind human who wouldn’t rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora’s box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love…

Whether you meant to do it or not, you’ve totally sucked me into the “Lords of the Underworld” and I’m afraid I’m going to have to do something that I have never done with a guest author before. I’m going to have to get out my whip and put on my thigh-high black leather dominatrix boots for a moment and insist—absolutely insist—that you tell me when Paris’s story will be out. If you don’t…well, just ask anyone who’s incited Mistress Heidi’s wrath and not lived to tell about it!   LOL Thank you! His storyline finally came to me, but I have a lot of seeds to plant in the upcoming “Lord” books before I can do it. Otherwise, it won’t work. He’s a pretty special character to me, and I want to do it right. (Note from Mistress Heidi:  This does not please us.  Yes, we’re happy you’ll be working on his story & that we’ll get to read about him eventually.  But really…we have to wait?  We do not like to wait.  We do not wait peacefully.  Was it your intention to torture us the way demons torture your heroes?  Cruel, very cruel—but at least cruelty is something we understand & respect. )

If your plane crashed in the Andes, would you convince the other survivors to eat Heidi first or last? That’s a tough question to answer since just before impact I would have accidentally slipped into a time warp and traveled back to a sexy warlord’s bed.  (Further intrusive note from Heidi:  I have to say, I think that is the best answer we’ve ever gotten to that question.  Will you let me time travel with you?  Into a different, but equally sexy warlord’s bed, of course.   Pretty please, with a cherry on top? )

If you could write anything—whether in the same genre/sub-genre as you’re writing now or another—what would it be? I love love love what I’m writing now. Paranormal romance, contemporary romance and young adult romance. I don’t think I’ll ever want to change that. Relationships fascinate me. And yeah, maybe I kinda sorta like all those alpha warriors.

What are you currently working on? I’m working on THE DARKEST LIE, Gideon’s story, and it has been the toughest “Lords of the Underworld” manuscript to date. Gideon is possessed by the demon of Lies and cannot utter a single truth without severe consequences. Decoding Gideon Speak is basically killing me.

###

Thank you so much, Gena!  I think that may be the most fun I’ve ever had with a guest author interview, & I’m sure my Darlings of The Dungeon will agree.

Remember, everyone, Gena will be giving away an autographed copy of the second book in her “Lords of the Underworld” series today—THE DARKEST KISS.

And during her final visit next week—MONDAY, AUGUST 24TH—an autographed copy of “Lord of the Underworld” #3, THE DARKEST PLEASURE.

U.S. residents only for the drawings, but all you have to do to enter is chat.

And don’t forget to visit GenaShowalter.com anytime to learn more about Gena & all of her books!